NOVGO.NET Chapter 313: A Moment of Warmth
Chapter 313: Chapter 313: A Moment of Warmth
Chapter 313: A Moment of Warmth
An hour later, Rhain arrived near the Valdris Royal Academy.
Ensuring no one was tracking him, he dispelled the ordinary disguise, returning to his true appearance, and crossed through the academy’s gates.
He headed straight for his secluded guest courtyard.
The moment he entered the courtyard, two figures immediately came running toward him.
"Husband!"
"Rhain!"
Seris and Liana rushed forward.
Seris threw herself into his arms, burying her face against his chest as she hugged him tightly. "Where have you been? You didn’t reply to any of our messages for half a month! I was so worried!"
Liana stopped a few paces away from Rhain, her eyes filled with worry, "We were so scared thinking that the Royal Court’s assassins have found you..."
"I’m sorry," Rhain murmured softly, wrapping his arms around Seris’s delicate frame and resting his chin gently on her silver-blue hair. "I was in a place where transmission talismans couldn’t reach. But I am back now, completely unharmed."
He comforted them for a while, letting their anxiety slowly melt away in the warmth of his presence.
Once they had settled back down at the stone table, Rhain smiled faintly.
"I brought some things back for both of you," Rhain said.
With a flash of spatial light, the exquisite blue light armor materialized on the table.
It radiated a pure, icy aura, its delicate frost-like array patterns shimmering beautifully in the sunlight.
Seris’s pale purple eyes flashed with delight, "It’s beautiful..."
Next, Rhain flipped his palm again.
A beautiful silver blade appeared in his hand.
This was one of the Mystic-Grade Twin Swords—the Light Heart Swords he had won at the auction.
He handed the blade to his wife. "It will suit your frost arts perfectly."
Seris’s heart was filled with overwhelming happiness, not just because of the gift, but because her husband had brought it for her.
Liana stood quietly to the side, watching Seris happily receive the Glacial Silk Armor and the gleaming silver blade.
She forced a bright smile onto her face, genuinely happy for her friend.
But deep down, a tiny corner of her heart ached with sadness.
She knew it was entirely wrong to feel this way.
She had no right to be jealous.
Seris was his wife, the love of his life.
And she...she was just a friend—a girl who owed him the life of her and her family.
She lowered her emerald eyes, silently suppressing the painful tightness in her chest.
"Liana."
The calm voice startled her.
"I also brought a gift for you," Rhain stated with a smile.
Liana snapped her head up.
"A...Gift? F-For... me?" she stammered.
She hadn’t even dared to hope it.
With a flash of spatial light, the second Mystic-Grade Light Heart Sword materialized in Rhain’s hand.
He extended the beautifully crafted, star-forged blade toward her.
"This is for you."
Liana stared at the silver sword.
The sadness in her heart instantly melted away, replaced by a dizzying warmth.
With trembling hands, she reached out and gently took the hilt.
"T-Thank you... Rhain..." she stuttered, her cheeks flushing a rosy red.
She felt so incredibly nervous and giddy that her mind completely blanked.
She had no idea how to properly react, simply clutching the blade tightly in her hand to calm her nervousness.
Rhain gave a faint nod. His dark grey eyes swept over the two girls, and a flash of satisfaction appeared in his gaze.
He could clearly see that they had not been slacking off in the slightest during his absence.
Thanks to the continuous supply of flawless Epic-Grade and Mystic-Grade pills he had left behind, their cultivation had skyrocketed.
Liana had successfully shattered her bottleneck, officially stepping into the Spirit Manifestation Realm and completely solidifying her foundation at the second level!
And Seris’s progress was even more impressive.
Amplified by her True Heavenly Physique and his tailored elixirs, she had soared directly to the very peak of the Spirit Manifestation Realm!
’Good. They will soon have the strength to protect themselves,’ Rhain evaluated inwardly.
Seris carefully stored her new treasures into her spatial ring and looked up at Rhain with a serious expression.
"Husband," Seris said, her tone filled with concern. "Dean Qaylus came by the courtyard while you were gone. He was extremely worried about you, and he asked that you meet him in the grand hall as soon as you returned."
Rhain nodded slowly. "I know. I was planning to meet him next."
After exchanging a few more comforting words, Rhain turned and left the courtyard.
He headed directly toward the central grand hall of the Valdris Royal Academy.
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Inside the grand central hall of the Valdris Royal Academy.
Dean Qaylus stood with a deeply furrowed brow, pacing anxiously.
Standing around him were three late-stage Domain Master Preceptors, their expressions equally solemn.
"The allegations against the Celestial Elixir Pavilion are disastrous," Qaylus muttered, his sharp features tightened with stress. "And there is still no information regarding Rhain’s whereabouts!"
"Dean, should we send someone to the Crucible Arena?" one of the Preceptors asked heavily.
Just then, a figure stepped into the room.
"There’s no need for that. I am back!"
Rhain’s expression was as placid and unbothered as ever.
Qaylus’s sharp eyes instantly locked onto Rhain on the entrance, and a look of relief appeared on his face.
He immediately waved his hand, dismissing the three late-stage Domain Masters.
The three men bowed respectfully to Qaylus, exiting the hall and pulling the doors shut behind them.
Once they were completely alone, Qaylus walked over to Rhain.
"You are finally back," Qaylus let out a long exhale. "Do you have any idea what kind of chaos has descended upon the outside world while you were gone?"
"I am fully aware," Rhain replied calmly.
For the next few minutes, Rhain briefly recounted exactly what he had faced in the Crucible Arena.
He omitted the minor details, but concisely explained how he had acquired the disguise technique to blind a Monarch, amassed an astronomical fortune of Blood-Iron Tokens, and then immediately returned to address the crisis at the Celestial Elixir Pavilion.
He casually informed Qaylus that he had already issued a public refinement duel to the Alchemy Emperor of the Solathane Dynasty to shatter the malicious rumors once and for all.
Qaylus listened to the mind-numbing narrative with a completely dumbfounded expression.
His head throbbed with an impending migraine.
This boy had not only survived the bloodiest, most lawless hellhole in the entire dynasty, but had emerged just in time to openly declare war on the supreme alchemical authority of the Royal Court!
"You challenged the Alchemy Emperor..." Qaylus breathed, rubbing his temples furiously. "You truly do not know the meaning of the word audacious, do you?"
But Rhain’s expression quickly turned solemn, completely discarding his casual demeanor.
"Dean Qaylus," Rhain spoke seriously. "The challenge to the Alchemy Emperor buys my Pavilion time, but it does not solve my primary crisis."
Qaylus also put on a serious expression, immediately understanding what Rhain meant.
"The time limit issued by the Emperor’s Royal Decree for my head has almost come to its end," Rhain stated, "If I cannot unite the Vaelstrum Clan with the Academy and the Nebula Sword Sect before that month expires, the four Imperial Families will march on Valdris City without hesitation."
Rhain took a step forward.
"And it would mean my inevitable death."
Qaylus’s face turned ashen.
He knew the treacherous reality of the Royal Decree better than anyone.
"I need to refine the pill for the dying Vaelstrum Monarch now," Rhain spoke gravely, "Dean Qaylus, I need you to lend me the Special Alchemy Room deep beneath the Academy."
Rhain’s eyes flashed with a resolute light.
"The one that can perfectly sever auras... and blind the heavens enough to stop a Heavenly Tribulation."