Chapter 138: The Farewell Banquet (Two-in-One)
Starry University, West Campus, Dormitory Area.
After more than a month, Rast finally returned to his long-unvisited dormitory.
It was strange—in his previous life, a college student would spend at least half of their university life in the dormitory. However, for students of Starry University, especially the Night Travelers who were not involved in research or logistics but were instead engaged in long-term missions in the Night World, it was common to not return to the dormitory for ten days or even half a month.
For them, the academy was more like a safe zone or town in a role-playing game rather than a home where they could settle down and live peacefully. They only needed to rest, repair, forge weapons, replenish consumables, and recruit new teammates after each mission. Once the preparations were done, they would soon embark on a new journey.
The wooden door of the dormitory had gathered dust due to prolonged disuse. Rast crouched down and saw that the iron maple leaf he had placed in the door crack before leaving had fallen off. The originally steel-hard iron maple leaf bore a small silver-white scratch, a mark left by a rapier, at least of Emblem Armor level. The skill of the rapier user was exceptional, as there were no other marks besides the tiny scratch despite the metal-on-metal contact.
Among the people Rast knew at Starry University, there was only one rapier user with such exquisite swordsmanship—”Hiltina?”
Rast pushed the door open, and it creaked as it swung inward. The air carried a nostalgic scent of violets. The room, bathed in the red hues of the setting sun, came into view, along with a girl sitting by the window, hugging her knees and waiting quietly.
The afterglow of the sunset shone through the window onto her flawless cheeks, and her chestnut hair, meticulously braided into a princess braid, reflected the light slightly. Hiltina sat on the window seat, her light brown eyes gazing at the sky outside, the twilight reflecting in her pupils like a sea of stars. Time seemed to stand still at this moment, the scene under the sunset was breathtaking, like a still oil painting.
If only one could ignore the silver weasel on Hiltina’s shoulder, using its tail to wipe the corner of its eye, muttering, “I’ve been starving for over a month, almost to the point of my chest sticking to my back… Before I starve to d*ath, I actually see two long-lost meal tickets appearing at the same time. How could I have such a dream? Or is this not a dream but a hallucination before I meet my great-grandmother… like the story of the Little Match Girl that Rast once told?”
It rubbed its eyes with its tiny paws, and its ruby-like beast eyes glowed with hunger, pouncing at Rast like a wolf, jumping from Hiltina’s shoulder to Rast’s head. Then, sensing Rast’s familiar soul aura and feeling its long-depressed Sequence rank, which had even started to regress, grow again upon sensing the shining, pure soul of a human, Mr. Silver’s expression turned from hunger to a Zen-like calm.
Indeed, the most delicious thing in the world is what you eat when you’re about to starve. Truly, later, I never ate such a good meal again, nor did I see such meal tickets again—Mr. Silver.
On the other side, feeling the weight of the furry creature on his head, Rast didn’t pay attention to Mr. Silver’s antics. This guy was all about malicious cuteness, pretending to be a juvenile silver weasel despite his age being one of Starry University’s top ten unsolved mysteries… Both he and Hiltina were already used to it.
He waved at Hiltina, “Long time no see.”
“Yes, it has been a long time… Although it’s only been about two months in reality, both of us have entered the Night World during this period, so the actual time we’ve experienced is almost a year, right?”
As she spoke, Hiltina jumped down from the window seat. At this moment, she was not wearing her usual red and white knight attire but had changed into casual home clothes. The red and white knight boots were neatly placed at the entrance, replaced by white stockings. Hiltina’s demeanor was no longer as sharp as when Rast first met her in Deep Blue Harbor… Instead, it had gained a sense of tranquility and softness.
From a majestic female knight, she had transformed into a girl of her age, living in everyday life. Rast was fine with it… He hadn’t known Hiltina for long and wasn’t aware of the usual temperament of this “Conquest Demon,” only feeling a slight change in her usual aura.
However, in Mr. Silver’s eyes, it made him widen his eyes in shock. As someone who had known Hiltina even before she enrolled in Starry University and had almost watched this princess grow up… In Mr. Silver’s impression, no matter what kind of big shot she faced, no matter the difficulties and dangers, or the doubts and accusations from outsiders… Hiltina had never been willing to change herself.
She was like an unsheathed rapier, sharp and unyielding as iron… Never bending, never compromising, always moving forward in the direction she believed in, until the moment the blade broke and she was shattered to pieces. And the scene before him was the first time Hiltina had undergone such a significant change.
Or, to be more precise, it wasn’t that Hiltina had changed. Rather, she had actively toned down her sharp edge to avoid making those around her feel uncomfortable due to her pride. All for—this boy before her.
“Tsk tsk tsk, this guy…” Mr. Silver muttered a few words, unnoticed by anyone.
“I heard from Principal Agatha that something happened to Senior Ingrid. The military, the governing bureau, and even the high-ranking officials of the entire imperial capital are in turmoil, with at least a third of the nobility affected.”
Rast asked, “Hiltina, you must have been busy investigating all this during this time, how do you have time to visit me?”
Such a massive upheaval in the imperial capital was naturally not something Rast could have completely missed. But at this moment, he had devoted all his energy to the upcoming Echoes of the Era conquest and couldn’t afford to be distracted… So he only had a general understanding. Perhaps only after the Echoes of the Era was completely over could Rast spare some attention to the affairs of the real world.
“It’s temporarily over, and I came back to restock.” Hiltina helplessly rubbed her delicate brow, “There’s too much involved in this matter, and it can’t be resolved quickly. This is just a temporary calm; soon, the great nobles may launch a final counterattack.”
“Let’s not talk about that, let’s talk about you…” As she spoke, she turned her gaze back to Rast, “I heard from Mr. Silver about Senior Akshia and the Echoes of the Era. Although no one can predict the hidden rules of the Night World, no matter what… Senior Akshia being trapped in the historical echo is related to Ophelia’s request. After all, she is my half-sister, so I also bear some responsibility.”
Hiltina looked at Rast, “So, do you need my help? Although the Echoes of the Era can’t be done in a team, it shouldn’t be impossible to follow you into the same historical echo using a tracking crystal, just like Senior Akshia did back then.”
Hiltina’s light brown eyes shone with seriousness. She looked at Rast, quietly waiting for his answer. And Rast knew Hiltina’s personality well—this proud female knight was always resolute and never wavered once she made a decision, nor did she doubt or deny herself.
He also knew that Rast was not the type to easily change his views because of others’ opinions. They were both extremely self-centered, but it was precisely because of this self-centeredness that Hiltina and Rast could become close friends. So, once Rast truly made a decision—continuing to persuade or stop him would only be a pure waste of time and energy.
All she could do was support Rast’s decision as a friend… and pray for his safe return.
“I understand. Then, before you board the military train to the Tower of Secrets and enter the Echoes of the Era, let’s taste my cooking.” Hiltina smiled and walked towards the kitchen, “After all, before departure, there should always be a farewell banquet, right? It’s also a way to express my gratitude.”
She looked at the sky-blue emblem in her palm, the rapier Emblem Armor she was currently using, and the last gift Fran had left for her. “Even though it’s a bit late… I’m really happy to have finally reconciled with Fran.”
Rast was slightly stunned, “You can cook?”
“Yes…” Hiltina nodded gently, “When I was very, very young, still living in the Ranger Family in Autumn Leaf Territory, before I was called a princess, my mother taught me how to cook. She said that she had conquered my father’s stomach and heart with a meal. Although later, my parents went on completely different paths, even to the point of being separated by life and d*ath… my mother said more than once that she never regretted meeting my father. And the smile on my mother’s face when she taught me cooking and recalled her past with my father was definitely not fake.”
She skillfully handled the ingredients she had already bought in the kitchen, “To this day, cooking has become one of the few hobbies in my life besides swordsmanship.”
As she spoke, Hiltina’s lips curved into a smile, “The taste of the fried rice you treated me to in Deep Blue Harbor has always stayed with me. And this meal will be a commemoration of our first meeting in Deep Blue Harbor… and my return gift.”
In the smoke rising from the chimney, the night deepened…
(End of Chapter)
