The Villain’s Going Home

For the first time, Livius could consider his visit to another town as a beautiful memory that he would cherish for the rest of his life. He and Verrell had visited many places there, and he had learned a lot about the way people lived in Arventia, which he hadn't seen in the series.

He actually plans to use this journey to know if there's something that can give him a hint about the villain's poison method, but he subconsciously sets it aside as he enjoys their venture.

There were many differences between the world he used to live in during his past life and the world he lived in now, but he could say that he saw almost the same kind of people. People who strive to live, work, fulfill their dreams, and, above all, enjoy life, just like he did.

After obtaining their custom-made weapons, the friends didn't waste any more time and decided to head back to Eldermoor. They had rested for a week from training due to their intentional detour to Crestfall, so they had a lot to catch up on. Especially since the Magindale exam was approaching, and they only had one week and one month left to train.

"Oh, by the way, Livi," Verrell called out to his friend. They were now walking towards Livius' house. When Livius heard his friend's call, he turned to him, signaling that he was listening. "What are your plans now?" Verrell asked.

Livius furrowed his brow at the question but didn't divert his gaze from his friend as they continued walking. "Plans? What do you mean?" he asked as he assumed Verrell must know they would, of course, resume their daily training.

"With... you know... Astrid," Verrell replied.

Livius abruptly stopped walking, causing Verrell to stop as well, looking at his friend intently. Livius was momentarily stunned because he hadn't discussed anything about that noblewoman with Verrell for a week, so she had slipped his mind.

But now that Astrid was mentioned, and he was heading home, he couldn't help but worry that Astrid might actually carry out the words she uttered at Magnus' shop when they faced each other. She was going to Livius' house to learn the proper use of magic.

"Don't tell me you still don't know?" Verrell doubted, still staring at his friend, who remained silent. He sighed and spoke again. "I've noticed for a while now that since you invited me to train and enter Magindale, you've become forgetful. You weren't like this before," he said.

Livius snapped back to reality when Verrell mentioned it. Perhaps he didn't know what he should do now with Astrid in case she showed up one day. But he shouldn't let his friend suspect that there was something different about him.

"Sorry, I've been preoccupied... like with the exam and what our training will be like now that it's focused on our weapons," Livius explained. "So, I forgot about Astrid," he added.

Verrell let out a sigh again. He couldn't blame Livius for that because he had seen Livius' effort to teach him the proper use of magic. He also noticed that Livius had doubled his studying and reading about magic, so he understood why Livius seemed absent-minded.

Instead of adding to his friend's worries, Verrell decided to change the topic of their conversation. "You know, Livi," he confidently said, "because of my Inferno Blade, I feel confident about taking the Magindale exam. I'm ready to face any challenge that comes my way."

He raised his weapon, still wrapped in cloth. Livius even remembered how carefully Verrell had been guarding it since he received it from Magnus. He had almost tied it to his own body to ensure its safety.

Livius smiled and boasted as well. "That's exactly how I feel, Ver. I can also compete in the exam using the Luminous Staff passed down from our ancestors. This time, we'll show our skills to prove that we are no longer the weak ones they used to call us!"

When Verrell gave a name to his weapon, Inferno Blade, Livius also thought it wouldn't hurt to give his weapon a name. As Magnus said, your weapon is your partner in battle, so it should have a name. He just matched his magic to the name he gave it.

As they continued their conversation about their weapons, they noticed Astrid's presence outside Livius' house. Both fell silent, exchanged glances, and their hearts began to beat faster.

"Astrid?" Livius exclaimed, amazed and nervous. Like him, Verrell was also surprised, their eyes shifting between Astrid and Livius.

Caught off guard, Livius didn't manage to show proper respect to the noble in front of him. He also forgot that Astrid hadn't introduced herself to them when they met at Magnus' shop, so he was certain the young woman would wonder how he knew her name.

Astrid blinked and locked eyes with Livius, a slight smile appearing on her lips. "Livius, Verrell. I've been waiting for you," she said, her voice filled with determination and curiosity.

Livius didn't know whether he should be happy that Astrid didn't acknowledge his previous call or be worried that she didn't question it. But now, the headache-inducing dilemma he had forgotten for a week was right in front of him.

Livius and Verrell exchanged glances, unsure of how to respond to Astrid's unexpected arrival. They were both flustered, with various ideas running through their minds just to come up with an answer for the young woman.

Raising her eyebrows, Astrid waited for an answer from the friends. "Well, are we just going to stand here? Won't you invite me inside?" she asked, her smile still present on her lips.

With neither of them responding, Astrid turned her gaze to Livius' house. It was the first time she had taken a closer look at it, and she realized how small it was. Astrid cringed, thinking about going inside, and said to herself, "Never mind."

When she returned her gaze to the friends, she said something else. "Alright, I'll let you rest for now since it seems like you've come from a long journey, and it's also getting late for practice," she said. "So, I'll come back here tomorrow…" she added.

The friends still didn't reply, just watching as Astrid got into her carriage. But before she finally boarded, she had one last thing to say. "I haven't forgotten our agreement, Livius Sarrafot."