Chapter 393: Return

Chapter 393: Chapter 393: Return

Chapter 393: Return

The sleek black-iron skiff tore through the clouds, descending rapidly toward the familiar towering structures of the Stormveil Academy.

Standing at the helm, Rhain looked down, expecting to see the usual tranquil atmosphere of the academy grounds.

But as the skiff broke through the lower cloud layer and the main gates came into view, his dark grey eyes widened in astonishment.

The sprawling stone plaza outside the academy gates was packed to the brim with an imposing, heavily armed military force.

Dozens of Domain Master Realm experts from both the Stormveil Academy and the Emberford Noble Family stood in a rigid, battle-ready formation. Their auras were completely unsuppressed with grim looks on their visages.

It’s no exaggeration to say that any one of them could shake the very foundations of an entire region.

Standing at the very front of this formidable army, leading the vanguard, were Carmilla and Matriarch Seraphine.

Their faces were etched with deep anxiety and a fierce resolve, looking as if they were prepared to wage a catastrophic war.

Swoosh—!

The black-iron skiff broke through the air and hovered above the plaza.

As the black-iron skiff hovered began its descent, the entire army below instantly tensed, weapons drawn.

But the moment the skiff landed and the figures on the deck stepped into the light, the overwhelming hostility vanished, replaced by a collective shock.

Carmilla, Seraphine, and the dozens of Domain Masters stared at the dark-robed youth stepping onto the deck with stupified expressions.

"It’s Rhain and Lyra!"

"They are back!"

Before anyone else could even react, a light, joyful shout suddenly rang out.

"HUSBAND!"

Immediately afterward, a slender figure rushed out of the crowd like a fledgling swallow. She ignored the exalted experts surrounding her and frantically rushed forward.

"Seris!" Rhain murmured softly as he saw her.

Seeing her flawlessly beautiful face once again, Rhain felt a sudden, uncontrollable surge of emotion flood his heart

"Husband!" Carrying an enchanting fragrance, Seris threw herself at him and crashed into his arms.

Feeling the soft, delicate body in his arms, Rhain’s eyes softened instantly. He stretched out his arms and pulled her tightly into his embrace.

Rhain could feel her entire body trembling violently against him. He gently stroked her back, comforting her before looking over her shoulder at the massive, heavily armed gathering of Domain Masters.

"What is happening here?" Rhain asked, his voice filled with confusion. "Where were all of you going with such a massive force?"

Hearing his question, Seris buried her face into his chest, her slender hands balling into small fists.

She lightly hit his chest, her pale purple eyes welling with tears of frustration and overwhelming relief.

"It is all your fault!" Seris sobbed, hitting his chest again. "Did you not know how worried I was because of you for all these three months?! And then you dare to be two whole days late! Were you enjoying yourself so much in the Sunless Umbral Basin that you didn’t want to return to me?!"

Rhain was stunned.

Two days late?

Rhain was entirely stunned by her tearful scolding.

He had lost track of the exact days during the chaotic slaughter in the trial realm and the confrontation with the royal assassins, completely unaware that his delay had caused such a catastrophic panic.

Myrielle stepped forward, letting out a long, helpless sigh as she looked at Rhain.

"You really made us panic, Rhain," Myrielle revealed, a weary but relieved smile on her face. "The moment your three-month deadline passed, Seris and Liana stood waiting at the academy gates for an entire day and night. When you didn’t arrive, Seris wanted to rush into the Basin by herself right then and there."

Myrielle glanced affectionately at her disciple. "We barely managed to stop her the first day. But when you still hadn’t returned by the second day... she simply refused to listen to anyone. She drew her sword and was ready to march into that death zone alone. Having no other choice, Carmilla and Seraphine mobilized our full combined power. We were just about to march into the Basin to search for you."

Rhain stood frozen as he fully realized the entire situation.

This massive army, the gathered Domain Masters, the tense battle formations... they were all mobilized for him, and not for any war.

Rhain looked down into Seris’s tearful, pale purple eyes. His heart swelled with an indescribable warmth.

"Didn’t I promise you that I would return?" Rhain asked softly, his voice carrying a gentle affection. "So why were you worrying? It was just a death zone. Even if they had banished me to an entirely different world, or even if I were killed..."

"No! Don’t say it!"

Seris frantically reached up, pressing her soft hand firmly against his lips.

Fresh tears spilled over her eyelashes as she desperately tried to stop him from speaking such ominous words.

Rhain smiled faintly. He gently took her hand, pulling it away from his mouth, and held it tightly in his own.

He looked deeply into her eyes, finishing his sentence with a conviction that resonated straight into her soul.

"...I would have still returned to you."

Seris’s breath stopped, her heart melted completely, and she stared up at him, utterly captivated.

For a long moment, the two of them simply looked into each other’s eyes, entirely forgetting about the massive army, the Preceptors, and the Matriarchs standing just a few paces away.

"Ahem! Cough! Cough!"

A loud, highly exaggerated coughing fit suddenly broke the romantic atmosphere.

Lyra stood a few feet away, her beautiful face burning as red as a ripe tomato.

"If you two are feeling so romantic, then you should hurry up and go to your private room!" Lyra snapped, looking embarrassed. "Stop doing this in front of everyone!"

Without waiting for a response, she hurriedly scurried past them, rushing directly into her mother’s waiting arms.

Seris’s face instantly flushed a brilliant shade of crimson, and she shyly buried her face back into Rhain’s chest.

Rhain also snapped back to his senses, letting out a slightly embarrassed cough.

Carmilla stepped forward, her red robes fluttering, her bright eyes were shining with overwhelming relief.

"I am just relieved you came back safely, you little thief," Carmilla chuckled, though her voice carried a profound sincerity. "We thought we had lost our future Dean."

Rhain’s expression turned remarkably serious.

"I haven’t just returned safely, Dean," Rhain stated, his voice projecting clearly across the plaza. "I have also brought back the cure to save you."

The entire plaza went rigid.

Carmilla, Myrielle, Seraphine, and all the High Preceptors stared at Rhain.

"Is... is that true?" Carmilla whispered, her voice trembling slightly.

Rhain did not waste words. With a flick of his wrist, a blinding flash of spatial light illuminated the air.

A glowing beast core materialized in Rhain’s palm.

The core pulsed with a wild energy, and etched perfectly upon it was a bizarre mark.

The moment the Preceptors felt the aura radiating from the core, they sucked in sharp breaths of cold air.

"That aura!" Preceptor Fabian exclaimed. "That is the core of at least a middle-stage Domain Master Realm beast!"

To venture into the deepest zones of the Sunless Umbral Basin, hunt down a middle-stage Domain Master beast, and return alive... it was an accomplishment that left the entire crowd staring at Rhain as if he were a descending god.

"I will refine the pill and cure you soon, Dean," Rhain promised firmly, storing the core back into his ring.

Carmilla’s eyes misted with emotion.

Myrielle, Seraphine, and the rest of the Preceptors looked at Rhain with a gratitude so profound it could not be put into words.

He had truly done the impossible once again.

As the overwhelming excitement settled, Carmilla’s gaze drifted toward the back of the group. She noticed Karsten and the surviving mercenaries, who were standing extremely awkwardly at the rear, shrinking under the gazes of so many exalted Domain Masters.

"Rhain, who are these men?" Carmilla asked curiously.

Rhain glanced back at Karsten, offering a faint nod. "These are a few friends I made in the basin. They provided significant assistance during our journey."

Hearing the monstrous youth actually refer to them as ’friends’, Karsten’s scarred face twitched, and his eyes instantly reddened with overwhelming honor.

Carmilla immediately stepped forward, her fiery robes flowing elegantly. She offered the stunned mercenaries a warm welcoming smile.

"Any friends of Rhain are the most distinguished guests of the Stormveil Academy," Carmilla declared graciously. "Please, you may stay here and rest for as long as you desire."

Karsten and the mercenaries hurriedly bowed in frantic gratitude, entirely overwhelmed by the hospitality of such a supreme figure.

Seeing that all the urgent matters had been settled, Vice Dean Myrielle smiled gently and looked at Rhain.

"You have journeyed through hell and back, Rhain," Myrielle said, her eyes glancing at the girl still clinging tightly to his robes. "You should go now and stay with Seris. She has waited long enough."

Rhain met Seris’s teary, affectionate gaze and nodded.

Without another word to the crowd, he gently held Seris’s small hand, and under the relieved and admiring gazes of the entire Academy, he led his wife away from the plaza, walking quietly toward the warm sanctuary of their courtyard.