Angel was a bit flustered. Taking advantage of everyone's distraction, he tiptoed over and stealthily removed the arrow from the target.

"I suspect you're not lacking in archery talent." The devil whispered in Angel's ear, "You just deeply resist archery in your heart. In fact, all Blood Elves have some gift for archery, including your brother Andrew. It's just a matter of degrees. But six years and still missing the target? I've never seen that before."

"Even if I have talent, I don't want to learn."

"Yes, exactly. But that doesn't matter anymore, does it? You've already been selected for the Magic Academy."

Cautiously, Angel began searching for Sino among the crowd, and soon, he found her.

Sino was standing in a corner, surrounded by a large group of students, as popular as always. Many people were chatting with her, but she seemed distracted, answering absentmindedly while looking for something.

Finally, her gaze met Angel's.

In an instant, Angel averted his eyes and pulled his hat down lower. He wasn't even sure whether Sino had recognized him. After all, he no longer had hair or eyebrows.

"Since you're here, why not go over and say something to her?"

"I don't want to. Just seeing her from a distance is enough for me. Right now, I'm nothing but a failure. The more I interact with her, the worse the impression I leave. Why not wait until everything is sorted out before talking to her?"

"Uh... Everything's sorted out? I believe that day will come, but if it does, how will you know if she loves you for your accomplishments or for your true self?"

"It doesn't matter. As long as she likes me, that's enough. Even if she doesn't love the real me, I wouldn't mind."

...

"Sino, what are you looking for?" a female student asked Sino.

"I... I just saw someone who looks a bit like Angel, but he doesn't have eyebrows or hair, which is really strange."

"Why would you notice someone who looks like Angel at a time like this? Forget looking like him—even if it were Angel himself, I wouldn't bother with him. Don't you think he's like a ghost here? He almost never talks to anyone or joins any group activities. If it weren't for me accidentally spotting his name when helping the coach call roll, I might never have remembered him. Plus, his grades are awful. He definitely won't pass the entrance exam. You won't ever have anything to do with him."

Hesitating, Sino softly said, "If I told you he could do magic, would you believe me?"

"What? He can use magic?" The girl looked stunned.

"Yes, and he's very strong. I can't understand why he didn't go to the Magic Academy."

"Are you sure he can use magic?" The female student's expression was full of doubt.

"Absolutely. I saw it with my own eyes, more than once." Sino said seriously. "He used to practice magic near my house, in a hollow tree, always late at night. I found out by accident. One time, I was in danger, and he saved me. Although he didn't know it was me, I didn't let him see my face. I looked too awful that day and didn't want him to recognize me."

"Uh... That sounds creepy. So, are you in love with him? All those times you mocked him were just to get his attention?"

Sino's face instantly turned red. "No! I'm not! I... I..."

After stammering for a while, Sino could only whisper, "Please keep it a secret for me. Don't tell anyone, alright?"

The girl grinned mischievously as she replied, "Don't worry, I won't say anything. Because even if I did, no one would believe me."

When Sino raised her head again to try to spot Angel, he was already gone.

...

"Where is this?" the devil asked.

"This is my old secret base!" Angel answered excitedly.

A small hollow tree, its walls charred black, as if it had been scorched by fire.

Beneath the divine wood, such hollow trees weren't uncommon, but completely abandoned ones were rare. Who knows why this one was left desolate?

In truth, this hollow tree did have an owner; they just hadn't decided how to deal with it yet. Years had gone by without resolution.

"I used to practice magic here. The wood is thick enough to withstand fire spells."

"You used to? What happened later?"

Sighing, Angel explained, "One time while I was practicing magic here, its owner showed up and warned me that if I came near again, they would report me for arson. The truth is, I had taken this place from a group of people. They used it during the day, and I used it at night. But one night, they were here too, and it led to a fight."

"You won?"

"Yes, and I even saved a girl while I was at it."

"Uh... So you've played the hero and saved the damsel?"

"Damsel or not, I wouldn't know," Angel shrugged. "I didn't see her face. Anyway, it was just incidental."

"Maybe you should've looked at her face. Who knows? It might lead to a beautiful love story," the devil teased.

"Who knows? Maybe not so beautiful. Have you noticed? In all novels, beautiful love stories happen to warriors, hunters, and knights. It's almost never mages."

"Because mages are always too focused on studying magic. By the time they achieve something and become strong enough to be heroes, they're usually old and uninterested in romance?"

"No, that's not the point. The point is that rescued girls always prefer young warriors. 'Young,' you understand? If they're saved by a group, they'll always prioritize the youngest one. That's why I've decided I won't have a team. When I save Sino someday, I'll act alone, so she won't have a chance to fall for anyone else."

"You've saved Sino?"

"No, I'm just speculating. She's bound to encounter danger, right? Of course, I'm not cursing her. I just think it's possible, and before that happens, I need to work hard on improving my magic."

"Alright, I don't exactly approve of your reasoning, but good luck." The devil reluctantly spread his hands in resignation.

Turning around, Angel stood at the tree hollow's entrance, taking a deep breath, then silently returned home with his bow and quiver slung across his back.

This was a farewell of sorts. His life, once off track, was finally beginning to return to normal. Though he couldn't yet tell his parents the truth directly, at least tomorrow, he could officially enroll at the Magic Academy.

...

Meanwhile, in the Grand Hall of Giant Snake City.

Jones was already dressed in Silver Moon Armor.

Not just Jones, but also Dora, William, and Adair. All of them had donned Silver Moon Armor.

Alongside them were Aunt Lucy and a large contingency of dwarf and elf soldiers.

"The relics are here." Jones pointed at the map laid across the table. "This whole area, underground ruins. The entrance is to the northeast. It's not marked in the records, but no problem. If necessary, we can just break through a wall to get in—it shouldn't be too difficult."

"Just the three of you going in—won't that be too few?" Adair asked.

"We don't need many people." Jones replied, "I suspect the space inside won't be large. If we bring too many, it'll be overcrowded, and chaos would follow."

"What if we encounter danger?"

"What kind of danger do you think we'll find? This place has been sealed for tens of thousands of years. We couldn't find anything worthwhile in other ruins; why would there be threats here?"

"You can't say for certain."

"Even if there is danger, Aunt Lucy is more than enough to handle it."

"That's right, I'm here!" Aunt Lucy cackled.

"Why her and not me tagging along?" William raised his hand to ask.

"Because you'll be helping Adair. In places like this, if there truly is danger, it'll surely come from outside," Jones said with a smile. "Heaven and Hell won't be happy seeing us excavate the Krimasha Relics. While magic resources might not be abundant there, traces of the Third Epoch's history will undoubtedly be plentiful."

"Uh... alright, got it." William shrugged.

"Does everyone understand their responsibilities?" Jones raised his voice to ask.

"Understood!" the elves and dwarves responded loudly.

"Let's move out!"

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.