Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the communication stone.

then.

The administrator's voice became somewhat hesitant.

"Um... ma'am..."

"I hope you don't mind the other party's identity..."

Freya was taken aback.

"What is your identity?"

The other party remained silent for a few more seconds.

It was as if he was carefully choosing his words.

Finally, I told the truth.

"He is a wandering mage."

Freya leaned back on the sofa.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

His tone carried a hint of speechlessness.

"Don't worry, I don't have that kind of unfounded discrimination."

"Bring him over."

The communication stone disconnected.

She held the now-dull stone in her hand.

I don't know why.

A strange unease welled up inside me.

The Wandering Mage...

She frowned.

It feels like something I've seen before.

She shook her head.

Get that thought out of your mind.

Stand up.

I walked to the entrance hall.

I picked up the plain white mask from the cabinet and put it on my face.

He then put on that large gray cloak.

The hood pulled down, covering her long, icy blue hair.

She stood in front of the mirror for a while.

There were no flaws.

then.

She sat back down on the sofa.

waiting.

Time passed second by second.

The room was very quiet.

Only the very faint buzzing sound emitted by the magic stone could be heard.

dong dong dong.

A knock came at the door.

Three taps, neither too light nor too heavy.

The administrator's voice came from outside the door.

"Madam, I've brought the person."

Freya stood up.

I walked to the door.

to be frank.

She was indeed a little curious.

A wandering mage who can cast a levitation spell in four seconds.

What will it look like?

She reached out her hand.

Grasp the doorknob.

Click.

The door opened.

She looked up.

Behind the eye holes of the plain white mask.

Deep blue eyes.

They met a pair of black eyes.

Familiar, calm, without any superfluous emotions.

Black eyes.

And that black hair.

That faded gray robe with severely worn elbows.

That simple, unadorned oak staff.

And that one too.

The face that made her want to disappear on the spot at that moment.

boom!

The door was slammed shut.

The sound was so loud that dust fell from the door frame.

Freya stood behind the door.

His hand was still in the position of slamming the door.

He froze there.

Not moving at all.

Behind the plain white mask.

Those deep blue eyes were wide open.

His pupils contracted slightly.

She stood there stunned for a long time.

then.

She reached out and touched her forehead.

Gan chuckled twice.

The voice came from behind the mask, muffled and trembling slightly.

"No, no, no..."

"He couldn't be here."

"It must be a hallucination."

The Kuroshio Current originated in the borderlands, moved northward, and cut off the Blackwater Corridor from the road to the east.

Theoretically, the little mage who genuinely amazed her should still be in the Blackwater Corridor.

It is impossible for it to appear in Copper Gate City.

I must have misread it.

She took a deep breath.

Reach out.

I gripped the doorknob again.

Click.

The door opened a crack.

She leaned closer.

Looking out through the gap.

That gray figure was still standing there.

Black hair, black eyes.

That faded robe.

That simple oak staff.

He even tilted his head slightly.

It was as if they were trying to identify the pair of deep blue eyes behind the crack in the door.

boom!

The door was slammed shut again.

It was louder than before.

Freya turned around.

Leaning against the door panel.

His chest heaved violently.

The face behind the mask was burning so badly it was almost smoking.

The burning sensation started from the neck, went down to the earlobes, and then to the forehead.

She raised her hand and pressed it against the mask.

It's like trying to press it into your face.

My mind went completely blank.

Only one thought was racing through my mind.

He must not know.

He absolutely must not find out.

She, Freya, is the leader of the North Wind Caravan and a legendary mid-ranking mage specializing in both ice and wind magic.

A former Wind Tower Master preliminaries, Magic Tournament champion, and the youngest legendary magic genius.

Disguised as this, hiding in a place like this.

Secretly learn a basic spell.

I still can't learn it.

He absolutely must not find out.

Her gaze swept frantically across the room.

window.

The window was open.

She started walking.

I walked towards the window.

Their steps were very fast, almost like they were running.

As long as you open that window.

As long as we leave here.

if only--

Click.

The door behind me.

opened.

She froze.

The footsteps stopped.

She turned her head slowly and very stiffly.

The gap in the door is widening little by little.

The light from the magic stone shone through the corridor.

A long, thin shadow was cast on the carpet.

In the light and shadow.

A shadow is slowly lengthening.

then.

That gray figure.

They squeezed in through the crack in the door.

Black hair, black eyes.

Grey robes, oak staff.

He stood in the entryway.

Looking at the scene in the room.

Looking at that dark-colored sofa.

Looking at the cloak lying on the cabinet.

Looking at that plain white mask.

At last.

His gaze fell on the window.

It landed on the one who had stepped onto the windowsill and was preparing to escape through the window.

A figure wearing a gray cloak and a hood.

A small strand of her long, icy blue hair peeked out from the edge of her hood.

Under the illumination of the magic stone, it gleamed with a faint, cold light.

Time seemed to stand still.

Freya remained in that position.

One leg was straddling the windowsill.

One hand is supporting itself on the window frame.

Lean forward slightly.

She turned her head.

They stared in horror at the gray figure.

I watched him walk into the room.

Watching him raise his hand.

Close the door behind you.

I put it on gently.

Click.

The sound of the latch closing into the door frame.

In this deathly silent room.

Exceptionally clear.

Her pupils contracted sharply.

That look in his eyes.

It didn't feel like I was seeing an acquaintance.

It's like watching a burglar break into a house and lock the door behind his back.

She opened her mouth.

What do you want to say?

But only a muffled syllable came out of his throat.

And Lin Gui.

It was as if they didn't recognize her.

He stood in the entryway.

Hands hanging down at the sides.

Bending slightly over.

He performed a standard, impeccable monk's salute.

Then straighten up.

Black eyes calmly watched the frozen figure by the window.

His tone was calm and respectful.

"Hello, ma'am."

"I am a wizard who has come to train you in levitation at your request."

He paused for a moment.

"Can we...begin?"

Freya stared at him blankly.

Looking at his calm, expressionless face.

Looking into his dark, expressionless eyes.

Looking at his respectful and impeccable demeanor.

as if.

He really didn't know her.

as if.

She was just a stranger who had posted the commission.

Her lips moved.

Before she could react...

Lin Gui raised his hand.

With a casual wave.

There was no chanting.

There is no spell.

There was no pre-existing magical fluctuation.

The oak staff in his hand.

It just slipped out of his palm.

It is suspended in mid-air.

The staff remained stable and motionless.

It is about half a meter off the ground.

It remained there quietly.

Like a docile, tamed bird.

Freya's gaze.

From Lin Gui's face.

It was moved to the staff.

And from the staff.

It was moved back to Lin Gui's face.

Behind the plain white mask.

Those deep blue eyes.

It widened its eyes little by little.

Deep within his pupils, the reflection of that floating staff was visible.

The reflection showed the calm-faced, black-haired, black-eyed mage.

In my mind.

Blank.

All the thoughts, all the panic, all the urge to run away.

In that instant.

Everything was crushed to pieces by one word.

There was no chanting.