CHAPTER 250: CHAPTER 250

"Yes, young master," I said, bowing my head sarcastically.

"Witch," Edge retorted.

"Spoiled brat," I murmured under my breath, then turned to look at the two of them. "I’ll be leaving first." I was about to walk away when Cypher caught my hand.

"What about mine?" he asked softly.

Tensing slightly, I hesitated. "T-There’s only one block, but d-don’t worry, I’ll make you one next time," I said with a forced smile, though I knew there wouldn’t be a next time.

"Hey Cypher, you jealous you didn’t get one?" Edge mocked, a teasing smirk on his face.

I shot him a quick glare. "You want me to take back my statue?"

Edge immediately fell silent, focusing again on his art.

"How about we have dinner once you’re done? I’ll wait for you at the hall—" I started, giving him a small wave before turning to leave.

He quickly interrupted me. "Really? I’m also done with my work! Wait a sec," he said hurriedly, grabbing his statue and heading over to the instructor.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t fully seen what Cypher’s art looked like. When he finished, he ran up to me, holding his statue.

"What did you sculpt?" I asked.

He shyly handed the statue to me. "Here."

Confused, I turned it around and saw that it was me. It was like looking into a mirror. "Cypher, I’m sorry but—"

He quickly cut me off. "What are you sorry for? It’s just a gift," he said, though I could see that he was smiling sadly.

I gave him a small smile and carefully placed the statue in my expansion pouch. "And as a sign of thanks, let me treat you to dinner," I said, momentarily forgetting everything that had just happened.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Near the place where I was staying, there was a restaurant I often visited since it was monster-friendly, which made it easy for Macaron and Glacier to come with me.

"We’re in Monfort?" Cypher asked as he followed me.

"Yup," I replied.

"Why here?" he inquired.

"I just miss eating here," I said, though it was a lie.

Once we sat at the table, Cypher began asking several questions while we waited for the food to arrive. However, I responded to all of his questions half-heartedly, not really engaging.

"I guess you’re tired," Cypher finally seemed to have grown tired of the conversation, gradually falling silent.

Even when the food showed up, I didn’t say a word. Cypher kept sneaking glances at me as he quietly dug into his meal. We finished the whole dinner in complete silence.

The waiter looked at me and said, "That will be 5,500 Glacium," as I opened my wallet.

Before I could say anything, Cypher started to reach for his pouch. "Hey, I’ll pay—"

I shook my head and gave him a small smile. "Didn’t I tell you I’d treat you to dinner?" I said, and with that, we left the restaurant.

The sky was pretty dark now, casting a somber hue over everything.

We walked side by side beneath that gloomy sky, the silence stretching between us. After a few minutes of wandering in quiet, we ended up at an empty park.

Then, finally, Cypher broke the silence. "Remi..." he said softly, hesitating before speaking.

I stopped in my tracks and turned to face him. I could see the raw pain and sadness etched in his eyes, like shadows that wouldn’t fade.

"Did you have fun playing with my feelings?" he asked, his voice trembling just a little.

I didn’t say anything, the words stuck in my throat.

He took a tentative step closer. "One moment, we’re fine, and then the next, you’re pulling away from me." His voice cracked as he tried to approach me.

But I instinctively took a step back, creating distance.

He halted, then let out a hollow laugh that echoed in the empty park. "Or are you really that dense?"

"I’m sorry," was all I could manage. I had to end this before it went any further.

He scoffed, frustration flickering across his face. "That damn sorry again. Why are you even saying sorry? I didn’t even get the chance to confess before you rejected me," he snapped.

I turned my back on him, unable to meet his gaze. "It’s not that, but I was hoping that we’ll stay as friends—"

He cut me off sharply. "Right. Friends," he repeated, laughed bitterly. "Why didn’t I think of that? You only see me as a friend."

"Cypher," I called out, then looked him straight in the eyes and forced a small smile. "Promise me we’ll stay friends."

His eyes, which had been clouded with joy, suddenly hardened with something fierce. "No," he said sharply, then turned away from me. The only sound left in the empty park was the hollow echo of his footsteps fading into the silence.

"He’s still young, but I hope we’ll still be friends someday," I thought bitterly, exhaling a heavy breath as I started to walk in the opposite direction.

But then my phone buzzed wildly, vibrating like it was possessed.

It wasn’t just mine.

Cypher’s watch chimed in, and even the smartwatches of people far off in the distance started ringing loudly.

It was an emergency evacuation alarm.

"What now?" I muttered, puzzled, as I unlocked my phone.

A breaking news alert flashed across the screen: Sovereign Legion had failed their Castle Conquest.

Sovereign Legion? Wasn’t that Annabelle’s guild? What did it mean that they failed? They were supposed to win!

"...Remi... Remillia! Hey, Remillia!"

I was still in a daze when Cypher came sprinting straight toward me. Before I could react, he threw his arms around me, shielding me with his body like he was trying to protect me from some unseen threat.

"Cypher, what’s—"

I didn’t even get to finish my sentence as in the next instant, a massive explosion ripped through the air. A blinding flash of light engulfed us, followed by a crushing shockwave that slammed into my body. My consciousness was slowly slipping away before I caught a glimpse of Cypher lying beside me.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Glacial Sphere Dorm Academy

Before the explosion hit, chaos erupted as all the students’ smartwatches blared a loud alarm simultaneously.

Whitney, who was engrossed in examining the mysterious tattoo her uncle had sent her, jolted in shock when her smartwatch’s alarm sounded.

[Emergency! Sovereign Legion guild has failed to conquer Ashenspire Castle! Please evacuate as soon as possible if you’re near Carran, Cedaridge, Monfort, and Hawkvale.]

She paused for a moment, then a slow smirk spread across her face as she read the message.

The failure to conquer a castle or tower often caused the trapped magic power inside to clash violently with the outside world’s magic energy, leading to massive explosions due to the sudden difference in density. Whitney knew this all too well—failure meant chaos, and chaos meant opportunity.

This could only mean one of two things: either the Castle’s inherent magic power was especially formidable, or the guild that failed to conquer it had been reckless.

The Ashenspire Castle sat atop Keldwick Mountain in Merizona, Aeonia. If the explosions were caused by the conquering guild’s carelessness, then Sovereign Legion’s failure could very well spell disaster for them.

But now wasn’t the time to celebrate.

She quickly schooled her expression into something serious and grabbed her phone to contact Royal Dominion. "Immediately deploy all guild members to regions around the Ashenspire Castle... Yes, as many as possible! Our foremost goal is the protection and rescue of civilians..."

The fall of a competitor was, after all, an opportunity for others to rise. In this cutthroat world, everyone was like a hyena, waiting for a mistake to devour what was left. Whitney had every intention of capitalizing on this chaos to advance her own position.

After spending about ten minutes comfortably seated in her chair, her phone suddenly rang again.

She reached for it instinctively. "Hello? Who’s this?" she answered, her tone casual.

On the other end, she heard a response that made her stand up abruptly. "What?! Alright, I’ll be there." Without hesitation, she hung up and swiftly sent a message to their group chat.

"@everyone, Remillia and Cypher are currently admitted at St. Benedette Hospital."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

St. Benedette Hospital

Whitney and Angela arrived almost simultaneously, the urgency evident in their steps.

As soon as Angela saw Whitney, she hurried over, her eyes filled with concern. "Whitney, how did you know they were here?"

Whitney glanced around, a composed expression on her face. "I own this hospital," she replied calmly. "Where are the others?"

Angela hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "They’re on their way. Where exactly are they now?"

Just then, the hospital’s chief resident, Dr. Tom Harlan, spotted Whitney and quickly approached. "Miss Owen," he greeted her respectfully, his voice professional yet warm.

Whitney turned to Angela and gestured for her to follow. "Where are they?" she asked sharply, her tone brooking no delay.

Dr. Harlan nodded. "They’re not seriously injured, so no need to worry too much. Cypher has a fractured tibia and some lacerations, but he’s stable. Remillia’s arm is broken and had minor burns, but it’s a clean fracture—we’ve set it already. They’re currently in VIP rooms for privacy and the best care." He began guiding them through the corridor toward the private chambers.

Angela and Whitney exchanged a relieved glance, their tension easing as they hurried toward their friends’ rooms.

"What about the civilians?" Whitney asked, her voice sharp with concern.

Tom adjusted his glasses, his expression turning grave. "We’ve yet to grasp the complete damage, but with Monfort being such a rich district, several mana barriers helped reduce the impact of the explosions. The damages should be within acceptable levels," he replied, his tone clinical, as if reciting from a report. "The authorities are still assessing, but preliminary scans show minimal casualties outside the blast zones. Most residents were shielded by the district’s protective wards."