First Meeting of Love Rivals (Part 1)

"Buzz"

"Plop"

Sordil had just stepped out of the spatial rift when he collapsed to his knees due to exhaustion, panting heavily.

"Anna, come out and check our current location to determine the direction we need to go. I need to take this time to rest and recover my magic and stamina so I won't be too tired to continue later."

"Buzz"

As Sordil finished speaking, a golden spatial portal appeared beside him, and Anna and a goat dressed in a black dress emerged from it. Anna stood beside Sordil, looking around, and then she noticed a vaguely outlined city not far to their east. After observing it carefully, Anna finally confirmed that the distant city was indeed their destination— Philiers, the capital of the Kingdom of Tsuyioru Xiu. A look of joy appeared on her face, and she pointed to the distant city, excitedly saying to Sordil:

"Teacher, look! Isn't that Philiers, the city not far away?"

"Um?"

Sordil looked in the direction Anna pointed and did find it somewhat familiar, but he wasn't quite sure. So he said to the goat standing next to Anna, "Capri, could you please go and investigate the surrounding area to see if that city in the distance is indeed Philiers?"

"Teacher, you don't believe me?"

"How could I not believe you? It's just that it's dusk now, the light isn't good, and we're so far from the city that we might mistake one for another. So it's better to have Capri confirm, since we're pressed for time and can't afford any accidents!"

"Miss Anna?"

"Since the teacher says so, Mr. Capri, I would like to trouble you to go and confirm it."

"Feel free to help!"

After receiving Anna's permission, Capri quickly disappeared from sight, his whereabouts unknown. Having given these instructions, Sordil immediately sat down to meditate, recovering the magic and stamina he had lost on the journey. Although Anna was somewhat angry at Sordil's earlier distrust, she still dutifully guarded Sordil surroundings, preventing him from being disturbed or harmed. About fifteen minutes later, Capri returned to their side and quietly told Anna what he had found out. Looking at Sordil, who was still meditating with his eyes closed, Anna whispered to Capri:

"Mr. Capri, the teacher may need some more time to meditate. There's nothing for you to do in the human world right now, so why don't you return to the Spirit World to rest?"

"Yes, Miss Anna!"

Philiers, West Gate

"General, we've finally caught up!"

"Yes, we made it in time! Otherwise, I really wouldn't know how to explain it to His Majesty!"

Looking at the grand city gate in the distance Langu sighed with emotion. When he was initially ordered to take over the western border defenses, he thought he could complete His Majesty's mission in just a few months and return to Philiers in glory. But even he hadn't expected that his departure would last sixteen years. Looking at the city before him, unchanged from sixteen years ago, Langu felt as if his experiences over the years had been a long and tedious dream. He wondered how many of his old acquaintances were still alive, and how many he would see upon his return.

Langu straightened his clothes and then said to his subordinates behind him, "Everyone, tidy yourselves up and cheer yourselves up. Don't embarrass our Western Border Army!"

"Yes!"

The hundreds of soldiers following behind Langu began to straighten their clothes and weapons. Some even patted their cheeks to make themselves look more energetic. Then, they straightened their backs, mounted their warhorses, and slowly walked toward the city gate.

"Call"

Sordil took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes, noticing that the surrounding light was dimmer than before. Remembering his unfinished business, Sordil hurriedly got up, preparing to break through space to travel. Just then, he suddenly remembered what had happened before he began his meditation, and quickly shouted, "Anna!"

"Teacher, you're awake? I'm here. Nothing's wrong, so don't worry!"

Sordil looked at Anna, who had jumped out from behind him, and shook his head, scolding, "You! You really scared me just now. I thought something had happened to you!"

Seeing that her teacher was awake and the first thing she did was to make sure she was safe, Anna felt a warmth in her heart. But thinking of her teacher's distrust of her not long ago, Anna stuck out her tongue and said playfully, "Teacher is so clingy, she can't be without me for a moment! Do you think I should tell Mrs. Diphiya about this?"

Seeing Anna's playful and adorable appearance, Sordil was momentarily stunned. However, upon hearing the second half of her sentence, Sordil seemed to be struck by lightning, instantly snapping back to reality.

"Little girl, you'd better not talk nonsense, otherwise... you know what will happen! By the way, how long have I been meditating? And is the city ahead Philiers?"

Faced with her teacher's threat, Anna swallowed hard and then obediently said, "Teacher, you've been meditating for an hour. Seeing how tired you are from your journey, I didn't dare disturb your rest. As for the city ahead, it is indeed Philiers. And according to the information Capri gathered, we are now less than fifty miles from the west gate of Philiers!"

"Is that so? In that case, let's set off now and get a proper rest once we reach the city!"

Upon learning that he was less than fifty miles from Philiers, Sordil breathed a sigh of relief and immediately used Transformation Magic to change into human form.

"Wind Shape - Wind Boat"

"Buzz"

This time, instead of using spatial manipulation to travel, Sordil used wind-based Shape-Making Magic to create a flying spaceship capable of carrying people. He then turned to Anna and said, "Hurry up and get on, or we'll have to camp out in the wilderness outside the city tonight!"

Anna reached out her hand to Sordil and let him pull her onto the windship. Once Anna was aboard, the two of them sailed the great windship toward Philiers.

Philiers, Royal Palace

Council Hall

"Prime Minister, what is the current situation? Are there still several generals who have not yet arrived in Philiers?"

"Your Majesty, General Langu and General Oddek have just arrived in the capital. All the generals Your Majesty summoned have now returned to the capital. Rest assured, Your Majesty, the engagement ceremony will not be delayed tomorrow!"

"Oh? These two fellows arrived at the same time, and were the last and second to last respectively to reach Philiers? Interesting! Summon them to the palace immediately. I have something to discuss with them, and I'd also like to help them fulfill their wishes."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will immediately order someone to summon the two generals to the palace!"