Seeing Lei Xi'er's frail appearance, the three Silver-faced Mages looked at each other, and almost simultaneously removed their masks, revealing anxious faces hidden beneath the silver.

"Lei Xi'er," a slightly older mage with a steady voice spoke first, "you've finally appeared. We couldn't reach you for a long time, and what about Modi and Flavia... where are they?"

Lei Xi'er quietly sat in a wheelchair nearby, covered by a thin blanket, appearing more emaciated than before.

He looked at the familiar faces of the three, a trace of emotion flickering in his eyes, like the joy of a long-awaited reunion, yet also like extreme suppressed sorrow.

The three saw his silence and exchanged glances, their unease becoming more evident.

"They... had an accident." Lei Xi'er finally spoke, his voice so low it was almost inaudible.

As Lei Xi'er slowly recounted every word of that nightmare-like battle in the dense forest, it seemed as if the very breathing sounds were gradually drawn out from the conference hall, leaving only the faint crackling of embers in the fire pit.

Insect Warrior, corrosive insect fluid, self-detonation, parasitism, comrades turning on each other.

Each cold and bloody word was like thorn-laden brambles slowly passing from Lei Xi'er's lips, piercing directly into the nerves of the other three.

The air seemed to freeze, every detail causing their eyes to tremble.

When he spoke of an Insect Warrior getting close to Flavia and self-destructing, the insect fluid corroding her face and ears, the insect body invading. In just a few breaths, her pupils turned purple, and she used magic to kill Modi.

A young mage in the corner suddenly stood up, fists clenched, knuckles whitening.

"What are you saying...?!" His voice trembled, his face showing astonishment, shock, and a disbelief filled with anger, "Are you saying... Flavia was parasitized? Dead?"

Lei Xi'er nodded, a hint of pain and guilt in his eyes: "I couldn't protect her... If I had been more decisive, if I hadn't hesitated at that moment, maybe..."

"Shut up!" the young mage growled lowly, eyes red, glaring at him with gritted teeth, as if trying to force a better ending from his mouth.

But a few seconds later, he abruptly lowered his head, his shoulders trembling: "No, I'm sorry, it's me... I shouldn't have yelled at you..."

"It's okay." Lei Xi'er shook his head slightly, a bitter smile tugging at his lips, "You're right to blame me, I've been blaming myself too. Since that day... every day I've been thinking, if I could be just a bit stronger, if my magic could be half a second faster..."

He closed his eyes, his fingertips trembling unconsciously: "But I can't do anything... can't save anyone."

For a moment, the air seemed to freeze.

Soft shadows were cast by the light, enveloping them.

After a long silence, the oldest mage finally spoke: "Lei Xi'er, don't bear it all alone. You're also our companion. We will remember this hatred, this pain, together and return it to those insects, and the people behind them."

"That's right," another female mage said softly, tears glimmering in her eyes, "It's already a good thing that you survived."

Lei Xi'er was taken aback, his throat tightening slightly.

He suddenly realized, he wasn't alone fighting against the nightmare.

Silence once again spread in the air, but this time it was no longer a silence of despair.

The older Silver-faced Mage slowly stood up, his gaze moving from Lei Xi'er's wheelchair to the tightly closed door, and said in a low voice: "We must report this immediately. The insect swarm isn't an ordinary demon.

It possesses high intelligence, controls bodies, and can even hide its traces, this is far from a simple 'disappearance mission'."

"Yes," the female mage nodded, her expression grave, "Lei Xi'er, you have already done enough by holding on until now. Leave the rest to us."

The older mage took out a silver feather-engraved insignia from his cloak and shook it gently, and the air filled with a low humming sound.

Outside the window, the night sky was like ink, and a magical beast with black feathers and emerald glowing eyes swooped in.

It was a "Night Talker."

A black raven used in Mage Forest to send secret messages, said to cross blizzards and storms, reaching the Mage Holy Tower miles away.

"We'll use the Night Talker to send the initial report on the insect swarm," he said, attaching the written message to the raven's leg, "but that's far from enough. The Grand Mages won't mobilize resources based on a few sentences, they'll require evidence, may even send an observation team."

"You mean..." Lei Xi'er lifted his head, hesitation in his eyes.

The female mage gently patted his shoulder, giving a soft smile: "You're coming back with us, Lei Xi'er. Your condition can't be repaired here.

The injury to your magical power foundation can't be solved with a few potions; you need to return to the main headquarters and let a Grand Mage level healer personally diagnose it."

"But I..." Lei Xi'er wanted to say he hadn't finished explaining the clues, but before he could speak, the young mage interrupted him.

"You want to stay and help? You can't even walk steadily." His words were still somewhat sharp, but not as out of control as before, "Right now, your most important task is to survive and take everything you know back, let the people above hear it."

Lei Xi'er was taken aback, his gaze falling on his own hands.

His palms were still trembling, his magic channels buzzing faintly like burnt strings with pain.

He finally lowered his head and nodded lightly.

"Okay, I'll go back with you."

"Then it's settled." The older mage waved his hand, the Night Talker spread its wings and took flight, scattering snowflakes, blocked by the magic barrier outside the window.

And before leaving, the Silver-faced Mage deliberately paused at the door, bowing deeply to Louis waiting in the hallway.

"Thank you for your shelter and help, otherwise Lei Xi'er might have..." The older one's voice was slightly hoarse, a sincere gratitude in his words.

"But now we have nothing to repay you with, but next time we'll definitely bring a gift and visit again."

Louis stood beneath the porch column, his posture upright, still with that unfathomable calm expression.

He only gave a slight nod: "Um."

A short syllable, neither warm nor cold, appearing both noble and aloof.

But only Louis knew, he wasn't really aloof, he was just pretending to be.

After all, "Make sure not to expose the fact that I taught you magic, remember."

That's what Lei Xi'er solemnly instructed him before the Silver-faced Mages arrived.

"Once I get back to the Mage Forest, I'll formally submit your apprentice application, report your talent assessment results. Only then can you use magic publicly under a legitimate identity, understand?

Otherwise, I would be questioned for a whole day."

Louis agreed.

So he could only maintain his usual composure and distance, like an ordinary nobleman who had no interest in magic and was simply enthusiastic.

Lei Xi'er could already walk by himself, although still looking thin and pale, he was no longer the one with festering wounds and blurry consciousness from before.

He wore a gray-blue cloak, his steps slightly slow, but with a certain stubbornness that refused aid.

Before getting into the carriage, he looked back at Louis, a reluctant smile tugging at his mouth, then raised his hand to wave at him.

Louis did not respond, only slightly nodding his head.

Actually, he sighed inwardly: "Alas... no more magic lessons three times a day, I'll have to figure it out by myself now."

He lightly tapped his magic notebook at his waist, it was the magic notes Lei Xi'er left for him to study before leaving, dense with annotations showing the amount of effort put into it.

"But it's alright... the basic framework is already set up. From here, it's not impossible to figure it out on my own."

Louis glanced back at the clear sky in the distance, a small, imperceptible smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

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