113. A Hero's Date with a Witch?
[Fire Moth Warrior]: Are you coming to the banquet?
[I Don't Want to Be a Hero Anymore]: Yes!
[Great Magician Tarnished]: Let's go! Although I really want to say that.
The Tarnished watched the mages arguing about the magic Xiling brought; he thought it best to stay put, lest they actually start fighting.
[Great Magician Tarnished]: Sigh, I can't get away.
Luo Tianyi, while searching for a gift for her brother tonight with some friends, replied to Kevin's message with some regret.
[I'm Not a Foodie]: It's my brother's birthday, and I can't get away.
[Wheelchair Sniper]: I won't be going. I've been busy lately.
Lemuen was inside a room, constantly organizing documents.
[I'm not Him]: Can't get away, March 7th, she... sigh.
Dan Heng was watching the figure constantly calling him, he helplessly pinched his brow and strode over.
[I'm a Witch]: I'm going too!
Elaina, who was busy preparing for her next trip, immediately replied to Kevin's message and was the first to respond aside from a certain someone.
[I Am the Savior]: I'm going to miss it, I'm really going to miss it!
Houraiji Kyuushou's hands flew across the keyboard.
Houraiji Kyuushou, "Why the hell is this bug so hard to fix!"
Seeing only two people in the group who accepted his invitation, Kevin scratched his head.
"Looks like everyone else is busy. Well, not everyone's as free as that guy."
Kevin watched as the person emerged from the portal.
Xiling just entered Kevin's world and immediately felt like someone was slandering him.
"Hey, you were just slandering me, weren't you?!"
Kevin raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't say anything, don't wrong me."
"Tch, I'll spare your life for now. So what about the banquet?" Xiling went to the water dispenser to get a glass of water.
Just then, Elaina emerged from the portal door. Kevin was about to greet her, but his movements quickly froze.
Kevin's eyes sharpened.
They darted back and forth between a certain hero drinking water and a witch staring intently at him.
At that moment, Kevin understood! Kevin understood everything!
"Something's up!" Kevin screamed internally.
Under Kevin's watchful gaze, Elaina, after emerging from the portal door, scanned her surroundings, searching for a certain figure. When she found it, she pretended not to notice, only glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, as if afraid of being seen.
If something wasn't wrong, then what is this?
Kevin, swearing on his reputation as a master of emotions, feels that something is definitely going on.
Kevin's brain was racing.
"When did this happen? Didn't Elaina just spend one night at Xiling's world?"
What could have happened in one night? Damn! He was so curious!
After finishing a glass of water, Xiling raised his hand to greet Elaina.
"Yo, Elaina."
Elaina turned her face to the side and nodded slightly.
Kevin clicked his tongue inwardly at Xiling's casual demeanor.
"Why is this guy acting as if nothing happened?"
Kevin was very dissatisfied with Xiling's reaction; he thought something was going to happen.
This is it?
No way! I won't agree.
Just then, Xiling looked at Kevin.
"By the way, Kevin, when does the banquet start?"
Hearing Xiling's words, Kevin immediately had an idea. He first looked Xiling up and down, then looked Elaina up and down, and then, as if he had thought of something, he raised his right fist and clapped it against his palm.
"The banquet doesn't start until tonight, so there's still some time. Why don't you two go change your clothes?"
"Huh?"
After making that statement, Kevin used the excuse that he had other things to do and asked Xiling to take Elaina shopping in his world.
Xiling stood in the middle of the street, clutching the shopping card Kevin had given him, looking completely bewildered.
"So… why are we going to buy clothes?" He turned to look at Elaina beside him.
The witch crossed her arms, slightly turned her head, and gazed at the shop windows in the distance, her tone indifferent:
"Who knows? We're just killing time anyway."
"Oh…" Xiling scratched his head.
"Shall we go then?"
"Yeah."
The two walked side by side on the shopping street, the atmosphere subtly silent.
Xiling felt something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He secretly glanced at Elaina and noticed that the tips of her ears seemed a little red.
"Is it hot?" he asked.
"It's not hot," Elaina replied immediately, her voice a beat faster than usual.
"Oh…" Xiling blinked.
"What am I doing…"
Elaina stared at the tips of her shoes, her heart beating faster than usual.
She could have refused; she could have bought the clothes in the chat group shop and stayed with Kevin until the banquet started. But why… did she still decide to come along?
And why did she feel so uncomfortable being alone with this guy?
"It's all because of that inexplicable night…"
She bit her lip, fragmented memories flashing through her mind—moonlight, shattered power, Xiling's back…
"Elaina?" Xiling's voice suddenly rang out.
"Huh?" She snapped back to reality.
"What are you daydreaming about? How about this store?" Xiling pointed to the clothing store next door, its gold-gleaming entrance looking very high-end.
"W-whatever!" Elaina turned her face away.
Xiling: "..."
She was acting really strange today...
As soon as he entered the clothing store, a salesperson approached him.
"Hello, gentlemen. What kind of clothes would you like?"
"Please lead us to the evening gown section," Xiling said succinctly.
"Okay, please follow me."
The salesperson led them to an area and then showed them the evening gowns on the mannequins.
"Would you like me to introduce them to you?"
"No, thank you," Xiling waved his hand, indicating that she wasn't needed. He was there to buy clothes; he'd buy anything that looked good, and he probably wouldn't wear it many times anyway.
Xiling turned to look at Elaina, whose eyes were now lit up as she looked at the clothes.
Xiling smiled and said, "You can buy a couple more sets; it's Kevin's money anyway."
Elaina walked past Xiling and headed towards an evening gown she had been eyeing for a long time.
It was a grey-blue and white evening gown.
Elaina's fingertips lightly brushed the hem of the gown; the silk was cool and smooth to the touch, making her unconsciously hold her breath. The gown's design was simple yet elegant; the grey-blue main color resembled lake water at dusk, adorned with white lace that shimmered like moonlight on the surface.
"Would you like to try this one?" Xiling's voice suddenly rang in her ears.
Elaina jerked her hand back, as if burned, instinctively taking a half-step to the side.
"I...I was just looking around..."
"Trying it won't hurt."
Xiling turned to the sales assistant and said, "Please take this lady and this dress to the fitting room."
Watching Elaina leave with the sales assistant, Xiling then turned and headed towards the men's section. Another shop assistant approached at the opportune moment:
"Sir, would you like to take a look at the men's clothing?"
Xiling nodded:
"Yes, take me to see."
After browsing the men's section, Xiling's gaze fell upon a sharply tailored black suit. Just as he was about to head to the fitting room, a commotion suddenly erupted from the women's fitting area. Before he even got close, a chorus of exclamations reached his ears.
"So beautiful!"
"Like a delicate doll!"
"Is that a foreigner? A European?"
"So beautiful!"
In the center of the crowd, the gray-haired witch was elegantly adjusting the hem of her evening gown. She had been haughtily accepting the compliments, but upon seeing a familiar figure, the girl's expression suddenly became somewhat unnatural.
Xiling walked through the crowd to Elaina, stroking his chin as he carefully examined her. Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, Elaina suppressed a strange feeling welling up inside her and, feigning composure, casually tossed her hair.
"How does it feel?"
Without a word, Xiling gave her a thumbs-up.
"Very beautiful!" After a moment's thought, he gave her another thumbs-up.
"Extremely beautiful!"
Elaina tilted her head back, her silver hair shimmering softly under the lights, and proudly replied, "Of course, it's me, after all."
But just then, several envious voices rang out from the crowd:
"Is that her boyfriend? He's so handsome!"
"What a perfect match!"
"That girl looks so shy."
"It's all because of your gossip!" Xiling glanced at the people talking in the crowd. Modern people often feel the need to meddle in everything. Can't they just buy their own things?
The girl's ears slowly turned a deep shade of red.
Seeing this, Xiling felt he should say something.
"Don't mind it, people here are all like that. They start overthinking when they see young couples walking together."
Elaina gave a soft "hmm," her heart racing again as she recalled the whispers in the crowd.
Just then, a waiter approached with a smile.
"Sir, your girlfriend is gorgeous, but don't you think something's still missing?"
The waiter noticed Xiling roll his eyes at her and immediately realized she might have said something wrong. They might not be in a relationship. Just as she was about to smooth things over, Elaina spoke up, tilting her head as if puzzled.
"What's missing?"
The waiter was confused again. She glanced at Xiling, then at Elaina, and finally took a deep breath.
Oh, she understood!
A sense of responsibility rose within the waiter. A perfectly timed smile appeared on her face.
"Sir, don't you think this lady is missing a pair of matching shoes?"
She chose to skip over the previous question.
Hearing her say this, Xiling also looked down at Elaina's feet.
Indeed, she was missing a pair of shoes.
"That's right, then we'll have to trouble you."
"It's my pleasure." The salesperson continued, "Actually, this complete dress comes with matching shoes. Please follow me."
As Xiling and Elaina followed the salesperson, Xiling suddenly teased, "Are you used to wearing high heels?"
"I'm a genius, even if I don't, I'll get used to it quickly," Elaina said confidently, tilting her head slightly.
"Okay, Miss Genius Witch, don't fall."
The two quickly arrived at the place the salesperson had indicated. The salesperson asked Elaina to sit for a moment while she went to get the items.
Not long after, the waitress returned with a pair of sapphire blue high heels, but her face showed urgency. She approached Xiling and said anxiously,
"I'm sorry, sir, I have something urgent to attend to and might need to run around for a bit. I'm very sorry."
"Oh, it's alright, go ahead and do your work," Xiling waved dismissively.
"Thank you." After saying this, the waitress hurried away, but as she passed Elaina, Elaina clearly saw the waitress wink at her.
It was as if to say, "Good luck, that's all I can do for you."
Elaina blinked in confusion, and just then, Xiling handed her the shoes.
"Try them on, they're quite pretty," Xiling said with a smile.
"Okay," Elaina said, her eyes lighting up at the shoes in the box, just like when she'd seen the clothes. She wanted to take off her own shoes and put on the new ones, but as she bent down, she froze.
She finally understood what the salesperson had meant.
"What's wrong?" Xiling noticed her unusual expression.
Elaina slowly straightened up, her face slightly embarrassed.
"Wearing this dress… I don't think I can bend over."
Xiling blinked, glancing at Elaina's fitted dress and her embarrassed expression, then suddenly realized.
"Ah… what do we do now? Wait for her to come back?"
Elaina's fingers unconsciously tightened around the hem of her dress, her gaze drifting elsewhere.
"Could… you help me, Xiling?"
The air seemed to fall silent. Elaina, her head turned away, overlooked the momentary lapse in Xiling's expression.
He probably wouldn't be able to refuse Elaina's request.
He recalled that night, the girl's smiling face as she spoke to him, making her final request.
Xiling sighed silently, a smile returning to his face.
"If you don't mind,"
Xiling crouched down, smiling.
"I never helped someone put on high heels, so don't come to me if there are any problems."
Elaina felt her heart pounding uncontrollably. She watched Xiling untie her shoelaces, the warmth of his fingertips spreading up her calves, making her unconsciously hold her breath.
"Lift your foot."
Elaina complied, lifting her foot, and Xiling removed her original shoe.
Elaina felt all the blood rush to her cheeks. She gazed at Xiling's focused profile, and in her mind, she seemed to have seen Xiling's profile from another angle, as if in a dream...
"Alright." Xiling tied the last ribbon for her, smiling as he stood up.
"Looks like I do have some talent after all. Get up and see how it is."
Elaina stood up, but after taking just one step, her foot twisted, and she fell into a familiar embrace. A fragment of memory surfaced in her mind—it was this same embrace that had caught her before she fainted.
Something seemed to shatter!
At this moment, Elaina remembered everything.
...