As he carried away from the battlefield, I leaned into him, grateful for the warmth and support. The adrenaline was fading fast, and all I wanted was to close my eyes and let the world fade away.
"Thank you, and did you bring the mirror shards?" I whispered, my voice barely above a breath.
He nodded beside , his expression a mixture of curiosity and concern. "Are we going back now?"
I shook my head, reluctant to part ways with the potential this place offered. "No, you and the others should return these mirror shards again where they belong."
"What? Why?" Cypher replied, confusion knitted into his brow.
"This is the greatest training area you could ask for," I explained, the excitent flickering in my voice despite my weariness. "So we’re going to stay here for the following days until we grow more stronger."
It would be a sha to leave this beautiful place before we exhaust it’s mana.
"We have plenty of people to spar," I continued, gesturing toward Levi’s past subordinates, who were standing awkwardly in the background. "You know what to do next, so I’ll leave the rest to you. I’ll just sleep for a bit."
Finally, I closed my eyes, allowing the sound of Cypher’s steady heartbeat and the distant hum of the surroundings to lull into a much-needed slumber.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
When I woke up, I blinked at the soft light filtering through the tent’s fabric, I realized I was sleeping in my tent.
Pushing the flap aside, I stepped outside, a wave of surprise washing over as I took in my surroundings. The residents of the Panagsina Town Hall had gathered outside the abandoned building, their faces a mixture of relief and joy. I searched for my friends but didn’t see anyone familiar.
I approached one of the locals, a kindly-looking old woman with a warm smile. "Excuse , have you seen my friends? They are the sa age as ," I asked.
"Oh, you’re awake!" she exclaid, her eyes lighting up with relief. She pulled down to sit by the campfire. "It seems that you’re friends were talking about returning the shards?"
I nodded, still processing the information. "I see," I said, glancing around. "Are we celebrating sothing?"
With a smile, the old woman replied, "Thanks to you and your friends, we are finally free from Levi’s tyranny!"
It seed that Levi’s obsession with crystallized mana and the mirror shards had led many to their deaths, but now the townsfolk could finally breathe.
The woman handed a plate of food. "Eat up, I know you’re hungry."
I smiled, grateful for her kindness. "Thank you."
After a while, Cypher and the others finally erged at the entrance of the forest. The town hall residents cheered and greeted them as they offered them food. I couldn’t help but smile at their camaraderie. I decided to let them be for now and take a mont to check on Rex.
Though the curse was lifted, Rex had yet to recover completely, and I was anxious about his condition. He was resting in one of the nearby tents, so I grabbed a bowl of porridge before heading inside.
"Hey, I brought food," I called out as I stepped in, finding Rex lying on a makeshift bed. He looked slightly pale and weary, and as I entered, he lifted his upper body with a groan, clearly not pleased to see .
"Oh, it’s just you," he sighed, trying to mask his disappointnt.
"You’re pretending to be sick, right?" I teased, stepping closer.
"Yes... I an, no! I can’t lift my arms," he reasoned, his attempt at seriousness faltering.
I couldn’t help myself; I shoved a spoonful of porridge into his mouth. He nibbled at it, confusion written on his face.
"This is bland. Can’t I have anything else?" he complained, looking distinctly unsatisfied.
"No," I insisted, shoving another spoonful at him.
After chewing, he looked at and frowned. "What?"
"Why are you doing this all of a sudden?" he asked, his expression turning sullen.
"Didn’t you say you could barely lift your hands? So I’m feeding you," I said with a smirk.
"But that was... " He seed to realize he had shot himself in the foot, possibly as a ruse to get Whitney’s attention. Too bad they were busy, apparently enjoying their victory.
"Just open your mouth," I grinned and offered another spoonful.
Suddenly, Whitney’s laughter rang out from outside the tent, startling . "Hahaha!"
"Ah, wait, wait! Ah!" Rex protested.
When I turned back to Rex, I saw porridge sared all around his mouth.
"Open your mouth, will you?" I said, exasperated.
"What? You’re saying this is my fault?" he shot back, a bit indignant.
"...." I fell silent, trying to suppress a smile as I wiped the porridge from around his mouth using a spare cloth. I aid another spoonful toward him, but he clamped his mouth shut and glared at defiantly.
"You don’t want to eat?" I asked, arching an eyebrow as I put down the bowl. "That’s fine. It’s not like I’m the one starving anyway."
"Don’t you have sothing other than porridge?" he grumbled.
"Do you want so at then?" I suggested, watching as Rex’s eyes lit up with interest.
"Much better than this tasteless porridge," he agreed eagerly.
"I’ll grab so for you if you finish this," I promised, grabbing the bowl again.
He quickly opened his mouth, and I fed him the remaining porridge. When he was done, I got up, ready to fetch him the promised at. But before I could leave, I heard him whispering, "Thank you... Remillia."
I caught myself from grinning, turning to look at him. "What was that?"
Rex’s face flushed, and he quickly turned away, angrily exclaiming, "You deaf witch! I said thank you!" He rolled over, covering himself with the blanket.
"Then when are you going to pay back?" I teased.
"What?" He paused, taken aback. "I can help you hit it off with Cypher."
"What?" I exclaid, looking at him as if he had grown two heads. "I don’t need sothing like that." My instincts told that developing feelings in such a chaotic world was a bad idea.
"Eh? So it’s true that you have feelings for soone else?" Rex leaned forward, a glimr of mischief in his eyes.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, confused.
"From Cypher to Ezekiel," he said with a knowing grin.
"What? No, it’s neither of them! I can’t afford to like soone right now," I protested.
"Co on, don’t lie to ," Rex replied, a teasing glint in his eye. "Then if neither of them, is it Caleo then?"
I stared back at him and smirked. "No at for you then."
"Huh? No! W-Wait! I was just joking!" Rex whined, panic creeping into his voice.
I ignored him and stepped out of the tent, still chuckling at his flustered expression. I knew I wouldn’t let him live it down anyti soon. As I reached the main gathering area again, I decided to find Whitney. "Can you check on Rex? It seems that he doesn’t like to eat porridge."
"Huh? Really?" Whitney said, surprised, before heading into the tent.
I couldn’t help but eavesdrop while I prepared the at outside. I quietly set the pieces on the grill, hoping to catch snippets of their conversation.
"Remillia said that you don’t have an appetite," Whitney stated, sounding slightly skeptical.
"Huh? Oh, well she said... at..." Rex stumbled over his words, clearly at a loss.
"Rex, I don’t like you. I’m serious, so stop using an excuse just to see ," Whitney replied firmly.
"W-wait, I didn’t even use an excuse this ti just to see you! I-It was her that told you to see !" Rex protested, sounding increasingly flustered.
"I’m leaving," Whitney declared, her tone leaving little room for negotiation.
Just in ti, I stepped out as Whitney erged from the tent. "So, what did he say?" I asked innocently, trying to keep my expression neutral.
"Oh, nothing. He said he just wants to eat so at," Whitney said, brushing past without a backward glance. She seed almost relieved to have escaped that encounter, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at Rex’s awkward situation.
I entered the tent, where I found Rex grumbling and pouting on his makeshift bed. The mont he caught sight of , his face darkened. "You witch! Why did you even let Whitney co see here?" he snapped.
I smirked as I placed the at down on the bedside table. "You started it first. I just want you to hit it off with Whitney," I teased, mirroring the words he had said to earlier.
Rex’s expression morphed from annoyance to disbelief, and I could see him struggling to formulate a coback. "Hey!" he exclaid, crossing his arms defiantly, his cheeks tinged with frustration.
"Just enjoy the at," I said with a smirk before turning to head outside.
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