Chapter 85 Returning to the Mage Tower I Like This World
This year's monster horde was much easier than in previous years. The Holy See's losses were almost entirely in potions and defensive materials. Heligalo's attitude towards Verion remained the same, only initially acknowledging that he was qualified to be a king.
The knights from various city branches of the Papacy returned in batches. Heligalo and Ancia prepared to return to the Eternal City, but Mortley would remain in Maple City. Gracia's new year's winter training was about to begin, and as the academy's most powerful teacher, he needed to stay in the Monster Mountain Range to ensure the students' safety.
Merri: "I left a shadow clone in Gracia. If needed, call my name using telepathic magic."
Ancia nodded, "Okay, you need to be careful here too."
With Murtrie's strength, there are few people who can harm him now, but Murtrie still seriously agreed, "Okay."
At the entrance to the Monster Mountain Range, Jess opened the carriage door for them. Ancia was about to board the carriage when she heard Verion's voice behind her.
“Ancia,” he said gracefully, “see you in the Eternal City.”
Verion and Heligaluo, inside the carriage, exchanged a glance, their grey and blue eyes meeting, before both ignoring each other. Verion had only come to say goodbye; as king, he would use the city hall's teleportation array to return to the Eternal City, while Heligaluo and Ancia would leave via the Holy See's teleportation array.
The two carriages traveled one after the other to Red Maple City, and then headed in different directions on the main road.
Inside the carriage, Heligalo took Ancia's hand and sat quietly beside her, adjusting his posture to make her more comfortable.
Ancia rested with her eyes closed, feeling Herigalo secretly adjust her clasped hands into an interlocked position. In private, he never hid his desire for intimacy, but he only took it this far.
She quietly opened one eye and met Heligaluo's gentle, ocean-like gaze, filled with focused adoration.
Ancia nuzzled against his neck, satisfied to hear Heligaluo's soft hum.
Heligalo tightened his grip on her hand and said helplessly, "If you keep going like this, the flower buds will bloom again."
Ancia buried her face in his shoulder and laughed uncontrollably. "Sorry, Heli, you're just too cute."
The holy and abstinent Son of Light is secretly the one most easily provoked and the most lustful.
Heligalo smiled. "Cute? No one has ever called me that before. Can I interpret this feeling as love?"
Now it was Ancia who felt embarrassed. She nodded and said, "Okay."
Heligalo raised his hand and gently kissed Ancia's arm. "Thank you for the gods' generosity," he said, his voice tinged with a hint of joy and satisfaction.
Ancia's heart was bathed in the warm spring sunshine, and she almost sighed. In the Bad Ending, Heligalo imprisoned the protagonist in a prison of holy light to keep her by his side, but now, Heligalo's mere gaze was enough to soften her heart.
She's both lustful and innocent—it's too much of a crime.
The carriage stopped at the side gate of the Holy See. When Heligaluo got off the carriage, his breathing had returned to normal. He and Ancia walked side by side inside the Holy See, holding hands openly.
The clergy passing by the Vatican stood still, staring blankly at their clasped hands. Ancia even heard a low gasp from behind the flower bushes. She looked over and saw Molly, whose eyes were shining.
Ancia waved to her generously, and Molly clutched her heart, excitedly running away.
Bishop Pol was still in the Monster Mountain Range when Heligalo activated the teleportation array himself and returned to the Eternal City with Ancia.
The first thing Ancia did upon returning to the Eternal City was to go to the Mage Tower to see Cheryl.
As soon as she entered the first floor of the mage tower, Abby, the sun parrot on the bird stand, flapped its wings and flew up, as if to say, "Welcome home, little master!"
Cheryl looked up from her book on the sofa, her expression calm. "You're back?"
Abby: "Master has been waiting all day!"
Cheryl glanced over indifferently, and Abby shut his beak.
Ancia, used to her mentor's stern personality, sat down opposite Cheryl. "You're back, Mentor. I discovered a very strange phenomenon deep within the Monster Mountain Range..."
She described in detail what she had seen, recounting the monster pilgrimage and sacrifice, as well as her own conjectures. Cheryl's expression grew increasingly serious as she spoke.
Cheryl: "You guessed right, it's a sacrificial ritual. High-level magical beasts are attracted by the sacrificial ritual, and if they fail to enter the abyss rift, they will disintegrate and turn into demonic energy, becoming part of the abyss's nourishment."
Ancia: "What if it succeeds? I saw some magical beasts enter the abyss alive, but their numbers were extremely small."
Cheryl: "Then they will transform into demons. The same applies to the monster tide; only monsters that can resist their instincts and not participate in the monster tide are qualified to evolve."
Ancia asked, puzzled, "What are they doing manipulating this kind of ritual over there? Not only are they using high-level magical beasts, but they also tried to transform Mortley into a demon general."
Cheryl couldn't figure it out either. "Since the birth of the Abyss, there have only been seven Demon Generals of the Demon Race. Seven is the limit. There shouldn't be one more."
Ancia calmly said, "As long as there is action, all conspiracies will leave clues. I have already asked Merri to keep a close eye on the movements of the Monster Mountain Range and the Abyss. Once the demons make a move, we will be the first to know."
Upon hearing this, Cheryl carefully observed Ancia and realized that her beloved apprentice seemed to have changed a lot since her first year.
The apprentice's eyes became more determined, his demeanor more composed, and he was already showing signs of becoming a leader.
Cheryl closed the book and sighed. "If the demons really have any ideas, it should be us adults who step forward. Ancia, you are still young. Now is the time to enjoy your academy life. There's no need to worry about these things too early."
Ancia smiled and said, "Mentor, age has nothing to do with a sense of responsibility. I wasn't forced to take this step by anyone. I did these things simply because..."
"I love this world."
"I love the sunshine here, I love the people who work hard here, and I love the days when I can immerse myself in magic without worry, so I want to protect this beauty."
Cheryl's straight lips curved into a smile, and even her nasolabial folds seemed to fade a little. It seemed she couldn't change her apprentice's mind.
Ansia added, "I also really like my mentor and Abby! I love the upside-down life with my mentor in the mage tower, and Abby helps us order meals. It's really wonderful."
Abby flew over, "Abby also likes Master and Little Master!"
Cheryl cleared her throat, opened the book on her lap, but didn't turn the pages for a long time.
Abby whispered loudly to Ancia, "Master is shy."
Ancia: "I think so too."
Cheryl stood up, her face stern, and said, "I ordered some bread from a popular bakery in the Eternal City that's been getting a lot of good reviews lately. It'll be delivered soon. I have class today, so I'll be going now."
But today is Saturday, so Gracia doesn't have classes.
Ancia blinked, not exposing her mentor's lie.
Fresh bread from Jenny's Bakery was delivered to the Mage Tower. Ancia curiously opened the wooden box. When did this shop appear? She had never seen it before in the Eternal City.
The moment Ancia took her first bite of the bread, she was captivated by its warmth and softness, her eyes lighting up. "This level... is almost on par with Eve's personal baker. Hmm, next time I take Verion to the Eternal City, I'll buy some freshly baked bread while I'm at it."
Knock knock.
There was another knock at the mage tower door. Ancia lazily winked at Abby, "It must be the mentor who ordered the meal, Abby."
Abby skillfully opened the door, and outside stood Xiwen, whose expression was somewhat strange. He was dressed in aristocratic attire and held a letter in his hand, the envelope of which even had exquisite hidden patterns.
Abby: "Who are you looking for?"
Facing the sun parrot, Xiwen tried his best to remain calm. "I'm looking for Miss Ancia."
Ancia looked up after hearing the somewhat unfamiliar male voice. With half a piece of bread still in her mouth, she stared at the wood-type mage who had once been her opponent on the field, her gaze shifting back and forth between his exquisite attire and the envelope.
She suddenly realized, and after patiently chewing on the words, she finally said, "I'm not interested in you."
Western: "..."
He took a deep breath, swallowing his anger, "This isn't a love letter I wrote, this is His Majesty's... no, this isn't His Majesty's love letter either..."
Xiwen closed his eyes, giving up on arguing, and handed the letter directly to Abby, "This is His Majesty's greeting to Miss Ancia, please accept it."
Ancia asked in confusion, "Didn't we just part ways this morning? Why do you need to greet me after such a short time? Abby, bring it to me."
Abby carried the envelope to Ancia's side. Ancia put down her fork, and the envelope, once opened, emitted a faint scent of incense.
The letter contained the same content as the letter in Spanish: a simple greeting, with the main point being whether she would be free to be his guide the next day, and asking her to inform Spanish of the result, whatever her reply might be.
Ancia looked up and said to Xiwen, "Tell Verion that I agree. See you at the entrance of the Mage Tower at nine o'clock tomorrow morning."
Xiwen didn't know the contents of the letter. He nodded reservedly, turned and left. When he returned to the carriage, his eyes showed great shock. Could this letter be His Majesty's love letter? Could His Majesty's personality really have a day when even an iron tree blooms?! He thought His Majesty would be lonely until he died.
The next morning, the door to the monk's tower was knocked on time.
Verion stood outside the door dressed in understated yet elegant casual clothes, with Xiwen and a squad of guards beside him.
Ancia had a slight headache. "Are you really going to visit the people dressed like this? And with all these guards with you?"
Xiwen: "Miss Ancia, the guards are here to protect His Majesty's safety."
Ancia sighed, "Villien, the fabric of your clothes is too luxurious. The people will recognize you. If they assume you are a powerful nobleman, they won't tell you the truth."
Verion frowned. "This is the most understated outfit in my wardrobe."
Ancia: "When you passed the Mage Association's exam, they gave you a mage robe, right? Just wear that, don't make it too high-star. As for these guards... I understand their necessity, but they also need to change into ordinary clothes and follow at a distance. If you absolutely need someone by your side, it can only be Simon and me wearing mage robes."
Verion smiled slightly and readily accepted, "Okay."
Xiwen became even more certain of his guess and secretly elevated Ansia's status again. This emperor had never been so easy to talk to before.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
