Faced with Furina’s sudden apology, Lin Shu was at a loss.
“Huh? Why are you suddenly saying this?”
She realized: it was about last night, when they had a falling out over talking about her master. She thought it had already passed.
Seeing Furina looking dejected, Lin Shu gently pulled her up.
“It’s okay, that was yesterday. Don’t worry about it.”
She patted Furina on the shoulder and encouraged,
“Tomorrow we’ll reach our destination. Furina, from now on it’s a new life, okay?”
She never thought that one day, she would have to learn to speak like a veteran.
“Ah, it got on you.”
Lin Shu deliberately raised her hand, pretending it was an accident.
Because she had just eaten, when she patted Furina’s shoulder, crumbs got on her clothes.
“…”
Furina looked to the side at the dirty clothes, then glanced up at her with a speechless expression.
“Hahaha, go take a bath.”
Lin Shu pushed her shoulders toward the bathroom.
To lighten the mood, she said with a smile,
“It made me happy to come back after work and find you bought me things, especially the snacks I like.”
After some teasing, Furina’s tense expression finally relaxed a lot.
Lin Shu noticed she opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end said nothing.
Finally, when they reached the bathroom door, she turned around.
“Lin Shu, you taught me magic, so you’re my teacher, right?”
“Huh? Why are you suddenly asking that?”
“Do you have any expectations for me?”
Lin Shu was slightly startled.
If the Furina before her really was the future head of the Spirit Tower, should she say she hoped Furina would become a great mage and guide her to the Tower? But doing that would violate the laws of time and space.
In the end, Lin Shu gave up trying to persuade her.
“Don’t worry about others’ expectations. Just live according to your own heart.”
Furina lowered her eyes, was silent for a moment, her pupils wavering.
That night, Lin Shu ultimately did not tell Furina about the library.
She would wait until tomorrow, until Furina saw the imperial city with her own eyes. If she liked it there, then she would talk to her properly.
*
The next day, the two finally stepped through the gates of the Sacred Race’s imperial city.
The towering gates surrounded this magnificent city. The central avenue stretched into the distance, and at the far end, a dense staircase climbed upward. At the very top of the stairs stood a glorious cathedral.
Flocks of white doves soared over the gate, and the flow of people on the streets was endless.
Furina looked at the overwhelming scenery, then glanced at Lin Shu, her eyes filled with undisguised surprise.
Probably after living in a treehouse and small town for years, this was her first time seeing a big city.
Lin Shu met Furina’s gaze and returned a gentle smile.
To avoid being separated by the dense crowd, Lin Shu took Furina’s hand and weaved through the streets. She led her, detouring onto a less crowded path, and let out a sigh. It was time.
“Furina, what do you think of the imperial city?”
“It’s magnificent.”
Furina answered simply.
“So many people, so lively.”
“Actually, I came back late yesterday because I visited the imperial city ahead of time.”
“Why?”
“I was thinking, if you want to find a new place to settle down, what about staying in the imperial city?”
“I don’t want to.”
Furina almost blurted it out.
“Mm…”
Even though Lin Shu had mentally prepared herself for rejection, hearing it still made her heart sink.
“I…”
Furina seemed to muster up her courage and began to speak.
“I want to be with Lin Shu.”
“I can use magic, and I have a good memory. Any spell Lin Shu needs, I can recite it. As long as your master doesn’t mind…”
She said a string of words in one breath, her face slightly flushed.
She no longer wore that indifferent expression; she even raised her voice in urgency.
But that wouldn’t work.
Under Furina’s hopeful gaze, Lin Shu shook her head.
“No, we have to part ways.”
“You can’t come with me.”
“Why?”
“Furina, I found a good place. The imperial library.”
Lin Shu said, pulling a sealed envelope from her chest.
“The librarian is also an elder of the elven race. I’ve talked with him. It’s quiet there. If you’re willing…”
Halfway through, Lin Shu saw the light in Furina’s eyes dim, disappointment rising little by little.
“But…”
She murmured, as if wanting to refute something.
Lin Shu forced herself to say the words she had planned.
“Furina, the library has the most complete collection of books in the entire Sacred Race. Your eidetic memory can really shine there.”
“No one will say you’re too quiet. It’s far from danger.”
“You can study magic in peace and live the life you want…”
But before she could finish, Furina fiercely shook off Lin Shu’s hand.
The force reflected her anger.
Lin Shu had never seen such intense emotion appear in those calm blue eyes.
“You said yourself that I should follow my own heart. But this is my only wish. Why won’t you take me with you?”
Her hands clenched, her eyes gradually darkened, finally turning into ice.
“So you and my foster mother are the same. You think you’re doing good, you plan the path you think is right, and then you abandon me somewhere else.”
She took the envelope from Lin Shu’s hand and crumpled it in her palm.
“Then why did you save me in the first place?”
Furina’s eyes reddened as she threw out the question. Without looking at Lin Shu, she turned and walked away.
“Furina!”
Lin Shu rushed forward and grabbed her arm.
“Furina, this letter hasn’t been signed yet. It’s not decided. If you don’t want to go, I can help you…”
“Don’t say anymore.”
Furina’s tone was cold.
“Go find your own people.”
“I hate you. I don’t want to see you again.”
Furina yanked her hand free from Lin Shu’s grip and ran toward the main street without looking back.
Hearing those words that pushed her away completely, Lin Shu’s steps froze in place.
Furina charged into the crowd, her figure swallowed by the flow of people.
“Furina!”
Lin Shu shouted and hurried after her.
She lifted her head, scanning the crowd—heads moving everywhere.
The street was noisy; the lively shouts drowned out her calls.
Lin Shu pushed against the flow, getting jostled in the shoulders several times, stumbling forward.
But she never saw that blue figure again.
Strangers brushed past her, no one stopping.
Lin Shu had no choice but to retreat to the side of the street and lean against the wall.
She had expected Furina to refuse, but she hadn’t anticipated that Furina, who usually hid her emotions deep, would react so violently.
Out of gratitude, she had interfered with Furina’s fate and entered her world.
She had done everything she could, given everything she had.
But in the end, she couldn’t tell Furina that she was from the future, that they weren’t even from the same time, and that was why she couldn’t take her along.
Lin Shu let out a long, silent sigh in her heart.
She stood there waiting, people coming and going, voices clamoring.
Even after the crowd gradually thinned, Furina did not come back to find her.