Chapter 212: The Team Returns

Hey Lily,

I hope you find this letter. You will not be able to meet me for a few days. I’m leaving for an S-Ranked Quest in the Dark Continent. When I told Chloe about it, she cried like a baby in my arms, worried that I might get hurt.

Oh right, you don’t know her. She is my precious family and the most adorable creature. I just can’t stop loving her. I will introduce her to you when we meet next time.

I had to pamper her for hours to make her believe that I would return safely.

But to be honest, I’m afraid. The Dark Continent is filled with unknown dangers. What if I couldn’t make it? The thought kept me awake the whole night. I had to appear confident and brave in front of everyone else. But for some reason, I felt like I should be honest with you. Might be because of the mature persona that you give off.

Pray for me to return safely.

Your handsome friend,

Vlad.

---

"Miss Principal, what exactly is written in that paper that makes you read it every day?" Aldric asked, taking a sip of his coffee as he sat at the side table in the principal’s office.

Lily was sitting in her head seat at the office. Despite the mountain of documents placed on her desk, her silver eyes were focused on the letter in her hand, a bittersweet smile lingering on her face.

"Is it some kind of ancient technique?" Aldric probed further.

"Something like that," Lily replied, folding the letter and putting it back into her storage ring.

’I’m feeling anxious these past few days,’ Lily muttered to herself, her grip slightly tightening on the armrest. ’It has already been fifteen days since you left. Be safe, Vlad.’

"How is Chloe’s training going?" Lily asked, turning to Aldric.

"She has already defeated Grade One Mid-Ranked Spirits," Aldric revealed, his tone carrying a hint of pride. "I summoned a Stone Titan, a Grade Three High-Ranked Spirit, to fight her. It will take her a few days to defeat it."

Lily didn’t seem surprised anymore.

’She entered the State of Enlightenment for ten days, spending three years in the Inner World,’ Lily mumbled, shaking her head, her silver hair swaying with the motion. "She has already reached the level of Marshal Knight. If she defeats the Stone Titan, she should be considered as powerful as a Cavalier Knight. The talent of her race is even more terrifying than that of the dragons. No wonder you took her in as your personal student."

"Ahem, with a talent like hers, she deserves to learn from the best," Aldric declared. "I asked her many times to have her Knight Ascension Ceremony, but she keeps dodging it every ti—"

He was about to speak further when suddenly, his phone vibrated with an Emergency Alert notification.

He immediately grabbed it from the desk, his emerald eyes widening as he read the details.

"What is it, Aldric?" Lily asked, seeing the expression of shock in his usually calm demeanor.

"The S-Ranked squad has returned from the Dark Continent," Aldric revealed, rising to his feet.

---

"Blade of the Sky: Chapter One

Storm of the Thousand Slashes!"

Countless thin green lines appeared around the tall body of the Stone Titan, covering it from every direction.

Each line split open the ground beneath the Stone Titan, sending sharp bursts of wind into the air.

The Stone Titan tried to withstand the attack with its thick body, but the lines were too sharp. They cut cleanly through its limbs.

Chloe’s pale lavender eyes, devoid of pupils, looked calmly at the Stone Titan. Her long lavender hair, tied into a high ponytail yet reaching all the way to her heels, swayed backward with the motion of the wind.

The katana in her hand glowed with a bright emerald color. Its form around the blade was solid, while green vapors emerged from its edge, stirring the air and turning it into a powerful wind.

Her right foot slid back onto its toes as she lowered her stance, sheathing the katana at her waist.

One hand wrapped firmly around the hilt while the other steadied the scabbard at her side.

Click!

She pushed the blade a fraction out of its scabbard.

"Blade of the Sky: Chapter two:

Instant Death!"

Her body shot forward in a straight, blurry line, the ground exploding in her wake.

In the blink of an eye, she appeared on the opposite side of the Stone Titan.

A thin green line lingered through the air along her path before settling across the Titan’s neck.

Click!

She slid the katana fully back into its scabbard.

At the same time, the Stone Titan’s head separated from its body and crashed onto the ground.

She looked at the calluses on her hands where her skin was torn and her palms were stained with dried blood.

"I will not be left behind again," she muttered, tightening her fists. "I dare him to leave me alone again."

The grass swayed in the wind across the vast plain grassland where she stood. It was the same place where she had formed her core.

A wooden door appeared behind her from thin air. It opened, and Aldric emerged from within, carrying a grave expression on his face.

"Professor Aldric," Chloe called, pivoting on her feet. "I have defeated the Stone Titan."

Aldric released a slight gasp before lowering his eyes again.

"Chloe..." he murmured, his fists tightening at his sides. "The S-Ranked team has returned from the Dark Continent."

His words immediately brought a faint smile to her face. It was the first time Aldric had seen her form any expression on her stone-like face.

"Chloe—"

She immediately bolted out through the door before listening to anything further.

"Vlad has returned," she murmured to herself as she stormed out of the principal’s office that was connected to the greenland.

The exit directly sent her to the roof of the main building. She quickly moved down the stairs, running through the hallway.

She found many students gathered in the hallway ahead of her. Her motion slowed as the number of students increased the farther she moved.

They were all gathered outside the infirmary, whispering among themselves.

’What could they have possibly faced during the mission?’

’No idea. They were found unconscious by a Professor at the edge of the Forest of Death.’

’So scary. I heard one of them didn’t return.’

Chloe’s heartbeat quickened as she continued moving through them.

At the entrance to the infirmary, several professors stood. They moved aside upon seeing Chloe approaching.

She entered the infirmary, her eyes widening at the sight before her.

Raphael, Alisha, and Seraphina lay unconscious in a line of beds, their clothes torn and covered in dried blood.

Healers were attending to them in haste.

Only Hugo was awake among them, sitting and leaning against the wall on his bed, his eyes lowered.

Chloe reached him.

"Where is Vlad?" she asked him.

Her question shook him from his daze. He raised his head, finding Chloe standing beside the bed.

His eyes instantly lowered, filled with guilt.

"Where is Vlad?" Chloe asked, her tone a bit louder.

He tightened his grip on his knees. Taking a deep breath, he took out an object from his pocket, covered in a white cloth with red spots.

He handed it to Chloe and whispered, "I’m sorry."

Her heartbeat rose. Her fingers trembled as she removed the white cloth.

---

"Oy, piggie, why are you sulking?" Little Vlad asked Chloe. She was sitting in the corner of the barn, her small knees pressed against her chest as she rested her chin on them.

Her face was covered in dirt, and the skirt she wore had been stitched in many places.

"Go away," she muttered, her expression unreadable.

Instead of leaving, Vlad sat beside her.

"Tell me what happened?" he asked, offering her a berry.

She grabbed the berry from his hand and began munching on it, holding it with both hands.

After a few seconds, she murmured, "You didn’t hold my hand when we returned from the forest after collecting wood."

"Because I was holding the fruit basket in one hand and the logs in the other," Vlad replied, stating the obvious.

Chloe gave him a silent side-glance and took an aggressive bite from the berry.

Vlad released a sigh, pressing his forehead.

"Is that why you were sulking?" he asked, almost feeling like laughing.

"..."

"Fine, fine, I’m sorry," Vlad apologized, holding his ears with both hands.

"..."

He leaned closer to her and kissed her cheek. "Please forgive me, Chloe baby."

A faint smile appeared on Chloe’s adorable face, her baby cheeks puffing up in happiness.

"I will always hold your hand from now on," Vlad said, placing his hand over hers.

---

Chloe’s eyes widened, her whole body shivering as a severed hand was revealed from within the cloth, lying lifeless in her hands.

Her breath turned ragged, moisture appearing in her eyes.

She fell to her knees and instantly broke into tears, her loud cries filling the whole infirmary.

"VLADDDD!!!"

---

End of the second volume: The S-Ranked Quest