Chapter 614 - 613- Their gossip
Things had returned to normal for most of the mainland.
Ruby had resumed managing the Tower and the clan. With her father growing older, she had chosen to shoulder more of the clan’s responsibilities, allowing him to spend his remaining years surrounded by family, warmth, and the leisurely life he had long earned.
Annabelle, meanwhile, spent most of her time moving between the academy, the Wastelands, and Umbral’s headquarters. Her concerns about an Acolyte assault on the academy had, for the time being, faded.
It seemed the Acolytes had either postponed their plans or abandoned them altogether. They remained scattered, while the cult’s leaders had vanished beneath the surface for reasons known only to themselves. Annabelle, however, refused to lower her guard. She remained vigilant, unwilling to let anything threaten the people or the place her darling cherished so deeply.
Ariana, as usual, had returned to her position as headmistress of the academy. She had always been well suited to both teaching and administration, possessing the patience to instruct others and the authority needed to manage the academy.
She handled her duties admirably while remaining in constant contact with Albec, who kept her informed about the situation in the east and reported any movements from the other Towers. Considering their animosity toward Adrian, she had to keep an eye on them.
All in all, the three women had settled back into their usual routines.
Yet whenever they reunited, those routines were quickly forgotten.
"I wonder what he might be doing right now."
Before long, their conversations inevitably drifted toward the same subject. No matter how much they had to discuss, their gossip always found its way back to Adrian.
"I imagine he’s somewhere fighting a beast just to make his way through," Ruby muttered, tossing a small twig into the campfire.
Their meeting spot had gradually become the same place without any of them ever deciding upon it.
The mansion where Ariana and Adrian had been married.
The place that held countless memories of all of them.
"Do you think he might be in danger?" Annabelle asked worriedly as she pulled a potato from the fire. She glanced at the other two women, her concern evident in her eyes.
"If something out there could actually threaten him, then this world might already be doomed." Ruby chuckled.
She paused, watching the flames dance before continuing.
"When I first met him, I was drawn to his wisdom and his unique way of looking at subjects that had always fascinated me. But as time passed, I realized that he was just as remarkable physically and magically. There is very little about him that can be called ordinary."
"I know, right?" Ariana chuckled.
A mischievous smile crossed her lips as she leaned back.
"There was a time when I could have pinned him down on the bed with ease, and all he did was look at me with those innocent eyes. It was actually rather adorable."
Her smile faded into a fond sigh.
"But now..."
She paused, her cheeks warming.
"He would probably just look at me with amusement. Or worse, reverse the roles and pin me down instead."
Ariana hurriedly took a sip of her tea, as though hoping the warmth would conceal the heat rising in her chest.
The attempt was futile.
Just thinking about her husband was enough to make her miss him terribly.
"Look at her, flaunting how close she is to him," Ruby huffed.
Annabelle shared her sentiment. "She has spent the most time with him, and yet I know that if our darling returned tonight, she would drag him into a room and lock the door behind them."
The girl shot a pointed glare at the silver-haired woman.
Ariana merely chuckled. "You two are silly. I have never forbidden him from spending time with either of you."
She paused for a moment before adding, "Or Elana."
Annabelle’s expression softened as she glanced at Ariana. "Have you contacted her recently?"
Ariana nodded. "I do, actually. Quite regularly. Knowing how badly that poor girl is treated by those old fools, I cannot bring myself to leave her alone to endure it all by herself."
Ruby clicked her tongue, irritation flashing across her face. "If I could, I would strip all of them of their authority and appoint someone else as a deity."
"Like who?" Annabelle asked, her eyes lighting up with sudden excitement. "Our darling?"
"That would be our first choice..." Ruby reasoned, then sighed. "But then again, he would be forced to spend even more time away from us."
Annabelle groaned.
"Plan aborted. Let’s make Querella a Goddess instead." She huffed, folding her arms. "I would much rather have her spending time away from darling."
Ariana and Ruby exchanged a glance before bursting into laughter.
Honestly, all three of them were starved for his attention. It was almost absurd how deeply they missed him.
And that man...
"Somewhere far away, you must be spending a cold night all alone," Ariana murmured.
She lowered herself onto the ground and gazed up at the night sky. Somehow, knowing that the same sky stretched above Adrian made the distance between them feel a little smaller.
She closed her eyes, a faint smile touching her lips.
I hope you return soon, dear.
....
"Haah... you are full of tricks, old man," Adrian muttered with a grin.
He stood nearly naked, a few bruises scattered across his body, his chest rising and falling heavily. Yet despite the exhaustion, he looked more than ready to charge back into the battle.
The old man, on the other hand, looked utterly spent. His face was pale, his breathing ragged, and fatigue weighed heavily on his features.
"It has been a full day since we began, and yet you are still eager to continue." The old man snickered, though even that seemed to take effort. "Is there any better way to prove that you are inhuman?"
Adrian chuckled.
"Are we down to trading insults now?" He rolled his shoulders, his grin widening. "Come on. You have stirred a genuine curiosity in me. I want to know where my limits lie."
His eyes gleamed with excitement.
"It has been a very long time since I felt this thrilled, so don’t you dare take my fun away from me."
As he spoke, the air behind him began to tremble.
A colossal giant made entirely of water rose from the ground, towering over Adrian. Its enormous frame surged and churned with barely contained violence, its presence aggressive enough to make the battlefield itself seem to shudder.
The old man gritted his teeth.
Nytharos, who had witnessed the entire battle, could tell the old man was running dangerously low on stamina.
He will try something drastic now, the Fallen Deity realized.
He was right.
Without warning, the old man crossed his legs and sat in midair. His body rose effortlessly above the ground, suspended by an invisible force as mana began to swirl around him in waves.
The air grew heavy.
"You have pushed your luck far enough," the old man said, his voice suddenly calm.
His eyes sharpened as the mana around him intensified.
"Now let me show you why legends have always warned wanderers against crossing paths with sages."
The battle was about to reach its conclusion, and Adrian was very much eager to see how far his body was capable of going.
This was, in fact, a preparation.
Preparation to fight the ultimate battle against his friend.