Chapter 108: Your Ears Are Red

Not a moment to mourn the lost magic tome. Now rushing to the battlefield were the casino’s pursuers.

“Over here! Surround them!”

“Hurry! Don’t let them get away!”

Their figures closed in, chasing over the rooftops.

Lin Shu led Furina over the uneven roof ridges, stumbling toward a gap in the encirclement.

Whoosh—!

An arrow shot from the side, embedding itself in the roof by her feet.

It wasn’t aimed at her torso, but at her feet.

Were they trying to cripple their mobility? Their primary goal was still to capture Furina alive.

“The roof is too exposed. Let’s get down first!”

“Don’t go that way!” Furina shouted.

But Lin Shu had already pulled her and jumped down. The moment they landed, Lin Shu’s heart sank.

Before them were three high walls. This was a dead end.

Furina tightened her grip on Lin Shu’s hand.

“Can you defeat them? With your Familiar skill?”

“That’s just a support skill, it has no offensive power. Even if I summoned it, it would just become an easy target.”

Lin Shu wanted to turn and run, but footsteps were already coming from the alley entrance behind them.

Someone had already caught up.

The path was blocked. The Familiar skill was useless. She had only one use of magic left for the day.

“I remember there’s a short-distance teleportation spell that could directly move us.”

But only fragmented memories remained in her mind. She couldn’t remember the latter half of the incantation…

“I think it’s… ‘SPACE MICRO-CLEFT’… the second part…” Lin Shu shielded Furina behind her, struggling to recall.

Tch, last-minute cramming was indeed useless! But the book was gone now!

“The second part is ‘ANCHOR WITHIN ARM’S REACH.'”

Furina’s voice sounded behind her ear.

Huh?!

Lin Shu whipped her head around. “How do you…?”

How did she remember?! She had only looked at that book once!

There was no time to think. The pursuers had reached the mouth of the alley. The leading dark-skinned elf had already raised his crossbow, the bolt tip aimed at them.

No time to hesitate.

Lin Shu abruptly turned, her back to them, and pulled Furina into her embrace. “Hold on tight.”

The person in her arms stiffened, then raised her arms to encircle Lin Shu’s waist.

Lin Shu rapidly ran through the incantation in her mind and began to chant.

The next second, a violent sense of distortion assaulted them. A powerful suction pulled both of them into a spatial vortex!

The sound of the arrow cutting through the air and the shouts vanished in an instant.

The world fell silent.

Opening her eyes again, Lin Shu smelled wood and grass. The space around them had suddenly become cramped.

Where had they been teleported to?

Lin Shu tried to move, but her back pressed against a solid wall.

She turned her head and found herself inside a tree hollow.

The hollow was positioned high up, overlooking the not-too-distant docks and the fishing village they had just escaped from.

They had been teleported to a giant tree at the edge of the village.

From this position, the casino people shouldn’t be able to find them.

Except…

“Mmm.” Lin Shu shifted her body but couldn’t create any distance from Furina.

This tree hollow was too small, barely accommodating two people.

She was already holding Furina; now they were forced to squeeze together, their bodies pressed even closer.

Furina also moved awkwardly, but the moment she did, her body stiffened.

Thump, thump, thump

Lin Shu felt a steady heartbeat transmitted through their pressed-together chests.

She looked down, right at the top of Furina’s head.

Her ice-blue hair was slightly disheveled, revealing those long, slender elf ears between the strands. But her ears, which had been pale before, now had a faint pink tinge.

What was wrong with her?

“Are you nervous, Furina?” Lin Shu asked.

“…Afraid of heights,” she said flatly after a two-second silence.

Lin Shu glanced outside the tree hollow. It was indeed quite high up. The tree trunk extended straight down, the bottom unseen.

And they had just been chased, then suddenly teleported high into the air by magic. It would indeed be hard for anyone to adjust.

“Let’s wait a bit. Once those people completely give up the search, we’ll go down.” “I’ll keep watch below. You can lean your head against me, don’t look outside.”

Unconsciously, the habit of taking care of others, formed over many years, made Lin Shu naturally comfort Furina.

Lin Shu adjusted her posture, turning her head to observe the distant village.

A few moving dots could still be seen on the rooftops. Those people hadn’t left yet.

Furina was trying to breathe as lightly as possible, avoiding their breaths mingling.

She lowered her eyes, not daring to meet Lin Shu’s gaze.

Just now, she had lied.

She wasn’t afraid of heights. She was just especially unused to being pressed so closely against someone she wasn’t familiar with.

The tree hollow was too shallow. Moving half a step outward would make her body stick out. She wanted to create distance, but there was simply no space.

When she had moved earlier, she had originally wanted to loosen her arms from around Lin Shu’s waist. But with that movement, the sensation became even clearer.

Her own chest was pressed against something soft.

With every slight movement, the softness pressed together.

With every breath Lin Shu took, the rising and falling hills would brush against her.

Furina was so embarrassed she didn’t know what to do.

Since childhood, not only in appearance and height, but the person before her had also developed more than she had. She had never been intimate with anyone, let alone held like this.

…So mortifying.

Fortunately, the person before her hadn’t noticed her discomposure and had easily believed her excuse.

But why could she accept it so simply?

Furina stole a glance at Lin Shu.

Her black hair was disheveled, cascading over her shoulders, her face close at hand. Her features were a bit more mature than Furina’s, her brows and eyes gentle.

Was she still treating her like a child?

Strange human.

Fell inexplicably from the sky and landed right on top of her. When she first saw her, the mark revealed on her forehead was very obvious.

Humans weren’t uncommon, but she was a Familiar, and her Master wasn’t by her side.

Furina felt that at the time, she was like a little kitten separated from its owner, helplessly following behind her.

Her heart softened, so she gave her the crystal. She never expected they would meet again at the docks later.

Even though she needed to find her Master, she still chose to help someone.

The kindness of saving her was far greater than the value of that single crystal she had given.

Why? Furina couldn’t understand.

Ever since being adopted, Furina knew her foster mother expected future repayment in return.

The person in that house would call her name, would give her food, but she never saw warmth in their eyes, nor did she feel genuine affection.

She never expected her foster mother to be moved. Relationships were built on give and take, and she never believed someone would be good to another person for no reason.

But this human before her eyes shattered that understanding.

As her thoughts drifted, Furina’s heartbeat gradually calmed. She spoke softly.

“I… haven’t asked your name yet.”

Lin Shu turned her head. Moonlight fell on her face.

She smiled, a soft light shimmering in her eyes. “I’m Lin Shu.”

“Lin Shu…” Furina murmured softly, her fingers tightening slightly.

“Thank you.”