Celes didn’t know why.
She had clearly come to ask about swordsmanship, but after being taken out to dinner by her Master, things started to get weird.
Because her Master dragged her outside to stand in the cold wind.
As for dinner, it was good, and the living conditions were decent—clean and with a spacious house.
Don’t judge her Master by his idle appearance; he never revealed his identity to the townspeople, but his strength spoke for itself. With just a slight show of power, he could ensure the entire town’s safety, so naturally, there were people who took care of his daily needs.
Still, Celes couldn’t understand why he was making her stand outside in the cold.
In this scenic town surrounded by mountains and rivers, there was rarely any extreme weather, but it was winter now, and the evening chill cut through her like a knife.
“Are you cold?”
Out of respect for her Master, Celes refrained from rolling her eyes and simply nodded seriously.
“Cold.”
How could she not be cold?
“Good.”
Her scruffy-bearded Master lifted his head slightly, eyes deep with sorrow.
“This is what I feel every day. You’re about to feel it too, so as your Master, I brought you out to help you get used to it in advance.”
This time, Celes couldn’t care about respect—her gaze at him turned strange.
“Master, instead of helping me get used to it, can’t you help me avoid this fate?”
Isn’t that what a normal person would wish for?
The man turned to her, his eyes devoid of joy or sadness.
“Child, love is a rugged mountain path. To realize this so early is truly a blessing.”
With that, he turned and walked toward the house.
Finally spared from the cold wind, Celes hurried after him.
Back inside, she boiled a kettle of water and brewed some of the town’s specialty Buckwheat Tea.
The former Chief Sword Saint sat cross-legged on the floor, exuding an imposing presence.
“The troubles of love are always the same. Either she wants someone outside, already has someone outside, or has more than one person outside.”
“Which is it in your case?”
Celes froze.
“Master, don’t tell me Mistress…”
“That’s not important. Talk about your own situation.”
***
Royal City, outside the Magic Court.
Because she left with the Compass late in the day, the sun was already setting, making it impossible to travel far.
So they could only track within a limited range inside the city for now, check the situation, and set out again tomorrow.
Ella and Vina followed the trail to the north gate of the Royal City.
Since the Magic Court was also in the northwest, it wasn’t too far.
The small Compass given by the Grand Sage was a finely crafted magic tool with a single function: to track specific magic traces—the scorching aura sensed in the corridor and rooms.
“Why research fire magic in the middle of the night?”
She muttered.
If you were studying necromancy at this hour, that would at least match the time and place.
But something as yang-rich as fire magic, at such an inauspicious hour, was just asking for trouble.
As a magic prodigy, Vina had a reasonable guess.
“Maybe it was cold at night, and they used magic for warmth. Then, in the middle of casting, inspiration struck and everyone gathered in a frenzy.”
But the real question was, why does fire magic drive people mad?
Neither of them could figure that out.
There was also a minor mystery—along the escape route, traces of fire element would vanish and reappear.
Ordinary people couldn’t see it; only mages could tell.
“Walking on fire,”
Ella muttered quietly.
“They’re not Eli…”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing. I just wonder how they kept their magic going all the way. Wouldn’t they run out of mana?”
Vina gave a soft hum.
“That’s why the old man wasn’t worried. He thought they’d burn themselves out after a while and collapse.”
“As for why they kept up the fire magic, maybe it was just to stay warm. It’s cold at night.”
Darkness fell quickly.
The two finished the day’s investigation.
According to the “walk and stop” theory, the mages wouldn’t get far, so it was fine to pursue them tomorrow.
They put away the Compass and headed back to the Magic Court.
The apprentices had all gone home.
To live in the Magic Court, you had to be at least a Great Mage, so it was much quieter at dusk than during the day.
The fire element in the corridor had faded away, only detectable by the Compass.
That was precisely why the Grand Sage had created it.
Speaking of the Grand Sage, just as the two girls walked down the corridor and climbed the spiral staircase, they saw him waiting for them.
Vina tilted her head.
“Is something wrong? We haven’t finished investigating.”
The Grand Sage looked at Ella first, gave her a gentle smile.
“Little Ella, you rest first.”
He didn’t mean go straight to bed—just to step aside for now, as he needed to talk.
“Oh, okay.”
The obedient good girl found a room to stay in.
“What is it? I said we’re not done…”
“It’s not about the investigation. I’m asking you,”
The Grand Sage glanced around, made sure no one else was nearby, then lowered his voice.
“Is Ella your girlfriend?”
Vina was baffled.
“Is this question important?”
“It’s not, but the next one is.”
The Grand Sage asked seriously.
“If she’s not your girlfriend, is she someone else’s girlfriend?”
This time, the little witch was speechless.
As it turned out, when night fell and Ella still hadn’t returned, the Saintess sent a letter to the Magic Court.
She opened with a polite greeting, then launched into a barrage of questions—Vina, where are you?
Where did you take Ella?
If you’re bold enough to steal her, you’re bold enough to come out and face me.
Don’t just hide inside and keep silent.
Seeing Vina hemming and hawing, the Grand Sage’s anger flared.
“Well, well, I always wondered how a good girl like Ella would fall for you. So she’s someone else’s girlfriend.”
“Where’s your sense of morality? What about character education? Did you even do your homework last month?”
He finally understood.
Vina liked the pink-haired thunder girl not because Ella was gentle, obedient, and sweet.
No, it was because she was someone else’s girlfriend.
Chaos!
“So what? She’s not your girlfriend anyway.”
Vina stuck out her tongue, darted past the Grand Sage, slipped into Ella’s room, and locked the door.
If you dare write letters tattling to the grown-ups, I’ll just—
“Sleep!”
She announced to the bewildered Ella.
The pink-haired thunder girl hesitated.
“Isn’t that a bit much?”
“It’s sleep,”
Vina rolled her eyes.
“It’s not like I’m sleeping with you.”
She wasn’t Leah, with her mind always in the gutter.
At least, not at the moment.
Outside, the Grand Sage knocked on the door, but was met with a firm “We’re asleep.”
Seeing their determination, he could only sigh, pocketed the letter, and pretended it hadn’t arrived.
The Magic Court had just been thrown into chaos, and everyone was busy.
No one could blame them for missing a letter from outside.