Chapter 119: A Simple Yet Complicated Reason…

There was clearly little room for thought now. The Blood Elf swung both hands consecutively, and gleaming trails of light traced four arcs in the air, heading towards each person!

The elf who had thrown the dagger lowered her head and charged forward. In the blink of an eye, she had already whisked past another figure. The storm of azure lightning once again swept through the entire room, yet it still failed to capture the Blood Elf’s body. She had already shot into the caster’s embrace, shoving that lightning wand upwards, followed by an elbow strike that sent the unlucky fellow sprawling with a distorted face.

Just one more hit on the guy in front, and the room’s door would be right there!

But the next second, she found her dagger blocked by an invisible force field in the air. “Damn it!” Nirwen cursed inwardly. When dealing with spellcasters, you always ran into these inexplicable troubles… But her movements didn’t stop there. A subtle move of her foot tripped the little brat, sending him plopping onto the ground. With a follow-up hook, he became a gourd tumbling all over the floor.

Unfortunately, the advantage of having four spellcasters was just too great… and the elf’s current intention was far too obvious.

In the middle of a short incantation, a ripple suddenly surged in the surrounding air. The air violently compressed towards the center, like an invisible hand clenching into a fist. That powerful pressure was almost suffocating. Then, the elf found the space around her beginning to warp instantly. In the moment space twisted, all she had time to hear was the other’s startled cry…

Damn it, this isn’t him at all! a despondent voice shouted.

“I already told you all, you must look carefully! Now look, something worth hundreds of gold coins is used up in the blink of an eye, and we still got the wrong person in the end!” another voice, furious, complained. “This way, Mage Christine… will absolutely not let you off! This isn’t something that can be covered up by saying ‘the joke went too far’…”

“What are you talking about… Mage Christine asked us to come invite him, it was you yourself who suddenly decided to ‘teach him a lesson’… This is a big mess. Whether it’s him or Mage Christine’s side, if they find out, we won’t have a good outcome…” The despondent voice already held a sob. “Your status might allow you to brush it off as a joke taken too far, but what about us… I wish I hadn’t come with you guys…”

“Judging by that person’s attire just now… it should be his servant, it’s fine… he won’t pursue you too harshly…”

…

Nirwen Venutiel slightly narrowed her eyes, taking a moment to survey her surroundings.

The spatial transfer effect vanished in a flash, but she still couldn’t move. An invisible shackle in the air seemed to completely clamp down on her body. Fortunately, the effect didn’t lock her vision as well.

This was a rather sizable room, though that was by general standards — the few days spent in the Mage Tower had taught the elf that this place rarely had rooms smaller than a hundred feet. Yet, the one before her was only slightly larger than a typical noble’s study. The space filled with simple furniture and bookshelves didn’t look particularly special… Hmm, if one looked closely, the room’s floor was covered with soft carpets. The scent of seemingly unused wool, the vibrant colors, and the somewhat haphazard arrangement were enough to indicate they had been freshly laid.

And even stranger was undoubtedly the item placed in the very center: a large, exquisite… bed.

At that moment, a figure stood beside the bed. Clear, bright eyes held a touch of confusion, meeting her own gaze — a Human, and, seemingly, a rather beautiful girl… This was the conclusion Nirwen reached after carefully observing the other.

Beneath chestnut-brown hair was a delicate face. The skin held a sickly pallor from years of little sunlight, but paired with those refined features, the impression was striking enough. Unfortunately, this face lacked the rich, expressive quality typical of Humans that the elf remembered. Instead, it held a strange, serene calmness, seeming quite close to the impression of those Sivanesti — the proud, beautiful, most aloof and isolated among elves. Though the loose magic robe hid most of her body’s curves, the slender neck and wrists seemed to hint at some of her body’s subtle secrets.

Actually, if judged solely by Nirwen’s aesthetic standards, the person before her could only be considered a somewhat pretty young girl… But she herself knew it wasn’t appropriate to measure a Human by elven standards, especially since the only thing the girl lacked was a bit of maturity and presence that comes with age — just a little more maturity, and she would be a flawless beauty even among elves. For a Human’s growth rate, that was just a matter of one or two years.

She was like a clear, translucent mana-storage crystal. Transparent, pure, just lacking that brimming, luminous color after being filled with energy.

Her gaze swept over the other’s shimmering blue robe of magic. The elf’s pretty brows furrowed into a dissatisfied swirl. She had remembered this person — in her memory, she seemed to be a high-level mage. After entering the Magic Tower, she had come to see that little brat a few times, but each time, she had hidden her face under a deep hood, revealing only a few strands of hair and that slender chin. If not for her innate darkvision, she probably wouldn’t have recognized that face hidden in the shadows… And whenever she appeared, that little brat would use the pretext of a discussion to send her away to rest…

“So it’s you… Strange, I asked them to invite Lord Constantine…” Just as the elf was observing the sorceress, the other was observing her as well. After a brief silence, the crystal-like girl spoke. Then, the elf realized the invisible shackles binding her had vanished.

“Miss Sorceress, according to basic etiquette, one should introduce oneself before asking for another’s name… Well, but then again, one can’t expect much etiquette from someone who uses such methods to ‘invite’ people…” Moving her arms a bit, privately confirming her weapons weren’t completely confiscated, the Blood Elf retorted with annoyance. But she paused mid-sentence — the version of herself from memory would never have used such phrasing, especially this sarcastic way; it seemed exactly like that annoying little brat’s style.

“How rude of me… I am a Formal Mage of the Nikolai Mage Tower, Christine Tang Roman. May I ask your name…” The sorceress actually thought for a moment seriously, then gave a deep bow, answering the question. “If possible, please tell me your status.” She added after a pause.

Not expecting the other to actually go along with her suggestion, the elf lady was the one left momentarily speechless. “Sin’dorei Elf, Nirwen… Venutiel. You may also call me Nightingale, Mage.” She gave an elegant curtsy, speaking a long elven name, then thought a moment and added, “A Rogue of the Eagle’s Eye Guild, though that’s in the past. I am currently Viscount Constantine’s personal maid… I suppose.”

“Just a maid…?”

This answer made the sorceress’s eyes suddenly brighten. She uttered a soft, indistinct murmur, but it didn’t escape the elf’s ears, several times more sensitive than a Human’s. Before the elf could say anything, the other posed an awkward question: “But from what I know, your relationship doesn’t seem that simple, because you even sleep…”

“Ah… that… that is…”

The other’s unexpectedly blunt question made the elf’s speech immediately falter. A reflex-like, flustered gesture escaped her before she suddenly realized her reaction was off. Coughing softly a few times, she tried hard to steady her emotions. “That was just due to some coercion from him, so I… If I must explain, I am currently his lover… temporarily… Hmm, let’s not talk about that. I haven’t yet asked, Mage, what exactly do you need him for? Why use this kind of ‘invitation’ method…”

The elf immediately realized her question wouldn’t be answered, because the other person was now staring at her wide-eyed, displaying an expression that shattered her serene impression. “Lover… so you are one too? He… hmm, seems right, nobles’ lovers aren’t limited to one…” She then frowned, before showing an expression of sudden understanding. But Nirwen instantly felt some ominous foreboding.

“Uh… Mage Christine, may I ask, what did you mean by that ‘too’ just now?”

“Because he said… if I wanted him to provide me with ideas for magical devices, then I needed to become his lover.” The sorceress’s expression returned to its crystal-like serenity, her tone so casual it left Nirwen somewhat unable to believe it.

What’s so great about that guy? To make a beauty like you fall for him.

“Lover… that damned little scoundrel!” These words made the elf’s red eyes widen to an unprecedented degree, her voice taking on a tone of incredulous hoarseness. She hastily covered by shaking her head and pressed further. “Then Christine… you agreed to him just like that? For the sake of some… ideas?”

“It’s not particularly surprising, is it? I become his lover, and he shares some unique ideas with me, without me having to pay for them… Though I don’t have any special feelings for him, if just using kisses can exchange for those marvelous creative thoughts, I consider that a very worthwhile transaction.”

The strange explanation left the Blood Elf momentarily at a loss for words. After a long moment, she murmured her next question. “Mage Christine, may I ask… do you actually know what a lover is?”

“Isn’t it people who are together morning and night, who… kiss and express affection for each other anytime, anywhere?” The calm mage stared at the flabbergasted elf. “Though I’m not a noble, before entering the Mage Tower, my home was near the noble district. I’ve seen plenty of the affairs between nobles and their lovers, I think…”

“As for today’s purpose, there’s no harm in telling you… Someone suggested I use this, so he would truly become a lover… Otherwise, he hasn’t been seriously providing me with good ideas lately… It’s a small crystal vial. Though it’s called a medicine, there’s no liquid inside, only a cluster of purple, fabric-like thick mist slowly swirling within.”

“That couldn’t be… Oh heavens…” The Blood Elf raised a hand to her forehead, feeling this situation was far too chaotic.

…

“Hateful…” Constantine’s two grey brows knitted together…

His room was now a complete mess. The chaotic scene clearly couldn’t have been caused by wind. Overturned tables and chairs could barely be explained as Miss Nirwen’s usual mischief, but the chaotic footprints on the floor and the remnants of flame traces obviously weren’t the work of the Blood Elf alone. Especially the various remnant energies in the air were enough to indicate a small-scale magical battle had just occurred here.

“One, two, three… at least four people.” He leaned down to examine carefully, easily sketching a vague battle sequence in his mind.

“Mr. Constantine…?” A somewhat timid voice came from the doorway. Constantine turned to see the voice’s owner peeking half his body through the half-open door.

This fellow wasn’t very old, but he looked a bit older than Constantine. A somewhat faded black mage robe covered his slightly plump body. His face looked round from the front, but from the side, it was lifted at both ends and sunken in the middle, making his bulbous nose seem like it was resting in a cradle. Because of this topography, his eyes appeared deep, like two small round grooves, with a bit of dark water at the bottom. His chin tilted upwards, as his lower teeth protruded especially outward, seeming to always be clashing with his upper teeth.

“What is it?” Constantine thought for a moment before remembering this fellow… low-level mage apprentice Cheney Polian, that little fat kid from the gardener’s family. But judging from the badge, he seemed to have been promoted to the next rank of spell apprentice…

Constantine also keenly noticed several figures in a far corner, all in their teens. They seemed to be using an invisibility spell to watch everything, but they didn’t realize this actually made them more conspicuous in the youth’s eyes.

“That… that, it’s like this. I’m Cheney, you remember me… Ah, that’s not important. It’s like this, Mr. Constantine, your, your attendant was taken… no, was invited… I think so. Someone invited her away just now…”

The little fatty stumbled over his words before adjusting his emotions. Though he was actually older than Constantine, his commoner background meant that even as a mage apprentice, he still instinctively held some fear towards nobles — something engraved in his bones since childhood, not easily changed.

“Taken? Which way did they go? Can you take me?” Asking in detail who took Nirwen at this point would be too boring… In this Mage Tower, those with a grudge against him were very few. And if a high-level mage had taken a rogue, it certainly wouldn’t have left such a messy scene.

Petty and clumsy, aside from that quartet of idiots, Constantine couldn’t imagine who else would have such idle whims. But logically, they shouldn’t have the capability to quietly abduct the Blood Elf — though this lady’s main weapons were confiscated by him, she still had plenty of those dagger-like concealed weapons — the youth didn’t know where she usually kept them all, but with her skills, she shouldn’t have been caught by those novices.

But the world of mages was always strange and unpredictable; anything could happen.

…

What appeared before the youth was a room that seemed to be a bedroom. Dark oak bookshelves filled with books and simple furniture suggested it was a mage’s residence, but the surrounding arrangement also seemed somewhat odd…

And even more bizarre was what now met the youth’s gaze: a bed so lavish even a noble like him would find it extravagant. Four thick wooden posts were carved with many famous historical figures and mythological stories. Pale golden gauze curtains hung down like flowing water, rippling waves fully demonstrating the preciousness and uniqueness of the fabric.

A special fragrance seemed to permeate the air. Constantine took a slight breath, feeling it resembled osmanthus… rose… or perhaps gardenia, but on closer sniff, it seemed to be none of those.

And before he could figure out the fragrance’s source, a strange warmth suddenly spread through his body — starting from his chest and abdomen where he’d inhaled the scent, quickly turning into a blazing flame that shot out to every part!

On this extravagant bed now lay a strange and… cloud-like heap carefully cradling two naked, snow-white, perfectly entangled bodies. They formed an indescribably bizarre, ineffably bewitching picture.