Reader Mage-Stubbing August 10! Chapter 74: 74-Have A Safe Trip Back

Read chapter 74 of Reader Mage-Stubbing August 10! by A_Random_Turtle on NovelPedia.

Merlin and Janeth sat in silence side by side on a bench, the mood surrounding them awkward. The Consortium Mages had swooped in and taken care of the Ice Wyverns in a flash, and had assigned Hunter Mages who were preparing to wander into the Dungeon portal to clear it. Apparently, Merlin and Janeth were lucky. The twenty Ice Wyverns that had appeared was just a tip of the iceberg of what could have poured out of the Dungeon. After all, unless the Dungeon was cleared and the portal was closed, it would remain open and more and more beasts would make their way out. Twenty was an absurd number, but it could have been a lot worse. But that was hardly what caused the silence between both of them at the moment. It was simply because they didn’t know what to say to each other. Janeth’s display had been shocking to Merlin, and Merlin was well aware of how his would have come off too. During the battle, while adrenaline pumped through his body, it was exciting. But, now, if his display had been caught on camera, it was cause for worry on his part. A first year Deficient Mage who had only spent a week at the Academy moving like that was enough reason for someone somewhere to bat an eye. And he couldn’t hide behind his boxing lessons now like he’d done with Chima and Hakyun. How would he answer the questions when they came? And, furthermore, the words of the mysterious lady were still crawling through his mind. It had all sounded like he was being watched, and something, for some reason, was being expected of him. His scalp prickled at the thought of being stalked. Really, who could she be? This is so disorienting. It’s only been a week and I feel like months have passed. Merlin clutched his hands tightly. I don’t even know what to expect anymore. “Are you alright?” Janeth asked, a little bit stiltedly, but breaking the silence between them nonetheless. Merlin looked at her. Concern was on her face. His thoughts had probably leaked out. For a moment there, he thought about telling her everything, about how he had actually been burdened with the task of fighting the Cataclysm, the System and what could possibly happen to him if it was found out that something like that existed, and, his most current worry, what the mysterious woman had said. But… He held himself back. She’d explicitly told him that she was still finding her grounds in life. If that involved keeping the fact that she was a Warrior a secret, then it would be insensitive of him to drag her into his own worries. It would only make her life more of a mess than it already was. He turned away. “I’m fine. What about you? Does it still hurt?” He glanced at her thigh. It was bandaged now, a large dot of red visible through the white strip. She smiled, though a little bit too weakly. “I’ll be fine.” She then heaved out a deep exhale. “Kinda lucky, aren’t we? The Ice Wyverns just lost control suddenly. What do you think happened?” “I’m not sure,” he lied. They weren’t lucky. Merlin was certain it was that mysterious woman’s doing. But there was no reason to tell Janeth that… It was weird how it seemed no one had seen her. For a moment when she’d appeared behind him, he’d felt time slow down, but he doubted anyone actually had the ability to control time. It was an element of the universe that came about due to a combination of a lot of variables. There was no way something like that could be controlled. That meant she must have done something else to mask her presence. If Merlin was sure of one thing, it was that she was someone he shouldn’t be getting involved with. Janeth cleared her throat, and Merlin’s attention snapped back to her. He blinked when he noticed her gaze drifting into the distance. She wanted to say something. “So, Merlin,” she started, confirming his thoughts, “about—” “Hello,” a voice cut her off, drawing their gazes to its owner who was an auburn-haired man with silent, brown eyes and a slim build, holding a tablet. Merlin remembered who he was. “How are you bot