Chapter 171: Safe Journey

After a few hours of sleep, Vlad carefully removed his arm from beneath Chloe’s head. His gaze lingered on Chloe’s serene face as she slept peacefully. Before he knew it, his hand was already gently stroking her head.

He covered her with the blanket up to her neck, reached the wardrobe, and began packing his clothes and other daily essentials inside his storage ring. It took him an hour to finish packing, after which he took a shower.

"Five thirty," Vlad checked the time on his phone. "There is still half an hour before grouping up."

His gaze shifted to his violin bag in his closet as he murmured, "I should leave a letter for her."

Now that he was prepared to leave, he reached the bed again.

"Chloe," he called gently, sitting at the edge of the bed. Leaving her in her sleep was something Vlad didn’t want to do. How sad would she be to find that Vlad wasn’t there beside her when she woke up?

"Chloe," he called again, placing his palm on her soft cheek. She shifted slightly from his touch, her brows twitching. Slowly, her pale lavender eyes opened, filled with sleep as she looked at Vlad. He was draped in his knight armor, his shoulders covered in the thick fur of his robe.

"Sorry for disturbing your sleep," Vlad said, leaning closer. "I am leaving."

The words immediately vanished the sleep from Chloe’s eyes. She slowly rose to a sitting position and wrapped her arms around his waist, her head resting on his chest.

"I will miss you every hour of the day," she whispered in a low tone. Vlad had only parted his lips when she continued, "So don’t keep me waiting for too long. Return early. Return safe."

"I will," Vlad nodded, his hand resting on the back of her head. "Go back to sleep now."

"If I have to sleep alone, I will just return to my room," Chloe muttered, parting from him. "Gimme a moment to freshen up."

She moved from the bed and went to the bathroom. A moment later, she returned, wearing her sweatpants that she had removed last night.

"I’m keeping this hoodie," she declared, hugging herself.

"I never asked you to return it," Vlad shrugged. "By the way, isn’t it too big for you? You cannot even keep your hands out of the sleeves."

"It’s warm," Chloe replied in a plain tone.

"Got you," Vlad chuckled. He rubbed the back of his head as he continued, "Besides, since when do you need my permission to take my stuff? You always used them like they were yours."

"They aren’t?" Chloe demanded, stepping closer, keeping her face unreadable.

"Of course they are," Vlad released a sigh of defeat.

They left the room through the same route they had entered, directly reaching the mist-covered grass outside.

"Let me take you—"

"I will go back on my own," Chloe said, knowing what Vlad was about to say.

His parted lips slowly closed, his eyes remaining fixed on Chloe’s face longer than necessary.

"Alright," he obliged. Chloe turned around, taking the path towards the dormitory.

She took a few hesitant steps before coming to a complete stop. Suddenly, she pivoted on her feet and ran back to Vlad, who was still standing in his position, looking at her.

"Is there something you want to say?" Vlad asked, tilting his head.

Her cheeks carried a faint blush, her eyes shaking with nervousness. She gestured for him to bend down.

Vlad bent his knees, his face reaching parallel to hers. She rose to her toes, her soft lips reaching his warm forehead, where she gently pecked him. "Safe journey."

For a moment, Vlad was left completely frozen, his eyes widening, his cheeks blooming with a faint blush. He took a deep breath and calmed himself before Chloe could look at his flustered face.

"Awww!!! That was so sweet of my Chloe," he exclaimed, his hand flying to his mouth. "Could you do it one more time, please?"

’He is unfazed even now,’ Chloe muttered inwardly, her fists tightening at her sides in disappointment.

"I will do it when we meet again," she replied, her eyes lowering as she turned around.

Once her figure hid in the distant fog of the cold night, Vlad’s hand slowly moved to his chest, where his heart was beating louder than necessary.

"Oh God, that was really close," he murmured, his cheeks crimson.

From there, he reached the Greyveil Forest, the location where the party had decided to meet up the previous night.

Raphael, Hugo, Alisha, and Seraphina were already there. Just like him, Hugo was also wearing knight armor. As for the other three, their figures were covered in formal clothes.

Seraphina was wearing a waist-length white sheepskin fur coat. She even had her head covered in the fluffy cap of her coat. Below, she wore a thigh-length blue skirt over black leggings.

"Good morning, Vlad," Alisha was the first to call out, waving her hand as he arrived.

"Good morning, Senior Alisha," Vlad replied before greeting his other seniors as well.

"Now that everyone is here, let’s get this done quickly and reach the Great Wall," Seraphina announced, gathering everyone’s attention.

The party nodded and entered the forest.

"Will you not be cold in a skirt?" Vlad asked Seraphina, raising an eyebrow. The duo walked behind the rest of them. "The weather beyond the wall is anything but warm."

"Hehe~ I knew you would ask that," Seraphina replied, her face forming a smug smile. She moved his hand to her thigh and continued, "Try grabbing the fabric."

"Oh," Vlad’s eyebrow raised in surprise as he felt a thick and soft fabric between his fingers.

"The leggings are warm from the inside," she revealed. "They are more comfortable and warmer than trousers, more stretchy and durable than regular leggings. Best for combat in a cold environment."

"I see," Vlad nodded, removing his hand.

’Just as I expected,’ Seraphina snickered inwardly. ’He is worried about me. How adorable.’

While she, as usual, lost herself in her dreams, the party reached the barrier covering the deeper part of the forest.

They opened a few-meter-wide opening in the barrier using the two-time key Seraphina had taken from Professor Bjorn last night. One use for entering and the other for leaving.

"Return with your Beast Companions within ten minutes," Seraphina ordered as they entered inside.

"Yes, leader," the squad replied, each one rushing in a different direction.