Flora's Request

While at the Gourmet Mirage, Irene accidentally tripped over a table leg and fell head over heels. When Angel came in, Alan was applying medicine to Irene's feet.

Seeing that the newcomer was Angel, Moro's expression turned strange and complicated. That gaze, mingling jealousy, envy, regret, and resentment, made Angel's scalp prickle. In the end, Moro said nothing, only let out a sorrowful sigh.

Meanwhile, Irene's face flushed crimson. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked pitifully at Angel.

While Angel was utterly bewildered and had no idea what was wrong with Irene, Alan cleared up his confusion.

"Angel, I heard a big shot took you on as an apprentice, and you'll be leaving here soon. Is that true?" Alan's voice was childish and soft, his chubby, fair little hands clutching Angel's sleeve, his face full of curiosity and envy.

So that was it.

Angel understood Irene's innocent feelings for him, but he knew it was not so-called love, merely an emotional offshoot of a young girl's sentiments. It was like an ancient saying from Earth about youths who knew not the taste of sorrow, yet always feigned melancholy. It was all just the behavior of adolescents chasing thrills. Love at first sight and puppy love were, for the most part, illusions caused by the vigorous secretion of youthful hormones.

Thus, Angel had always believed Irene's affection for him was an overactive chemical reaction. If he truly responded to those feelings, time would surely brew them into withdrawal symptoms. Besides, Angel himself had never harbored any thoughts toward Irene that went beyond friendship.

Therefore, Angel had always remained calm and restrained in the face of Irene's emotions, even viewing them with the detached bearing of an elder.

Yet he had never considered that his godlike perspective on such "subtle" emotional matters was itself a kind of adolescent folly, though he did not realize it.

In short, Irene liked Angel. Having learned from Moro that he would be leaving alone, she naturally showed such expectant behavior.

After briefly answering Alan's question, Angel simply comforted Irene about her injury. As for anything else, Angel changed the subject and glossed it over. He greatly appreciated the siblings' personalities, but he had no intention of crossing the line beyond friendship, so he could not respond to feelings that existed only in imagination.

.

After Angel explained why he had come, Alan thought he could read books to pass the time when the journey grew boring, so he immediately nodded in agreement. After all, they were free books—there was no reason not to take them.

Alan was extremely enthusiastic, while Irene remained off to the side, grieving alone.

Before long, Alan had moved the entire book chest into his room. Only after everything was done did Angel let out a slight sigh of relief.

When it came time to say goodbye, Angel solemnly walked up to Moro and apologized for choosing Sanders at the Barbie Restaurant.

Perhaps no one else thought there was anything wrong with his choice, nor would they think he needed to apologize to Moro.

But Angel himself knew that Moro had brought him out of the mortal world. Even though there had been conditions set in advance, Angel was still deeply grateful. To him, Moro was the true guide who had led him into the wizarding world.

He had chosen Sanders for selfish desire. Such selfish desire was not wrong in the eyes of anyone in this world. But Angel, who had been raised under Jon's teachings of gentleness, kindness, respect, frugality, and humility, felt that this choice had gone against his heart.

Angel's solemn apology left Moro stunned for a moment.

After quite a while, Moro slowly said,

"Your choice was not wrong. If I were you, I would have made the same choice. In fact, I would have made the decision even faster than you." Moro looked at that face, clearly youthful and immature, yet wearing such solemn, steadfast remorse. The resentment and fury that had filled his heart suddenly vanished.

Moro suddenly became very curious. Just how had Angel's mentor, Jon, taught him into becoming this kind of person? The sudden apology was baffling; the things he insisted on were strange as well, yet the whole sequence of actions somehow made people feel comfortable.

Angel also knew there was no right or wrong in his choice. But since he had agreed to join White Coral Floating Island Academy, only to go back on his word halfway through, that was breaking his promise.

"No matter what, I will fulfill the promise I made to you. Once I advance to a Level 2 wizard apprentice, I will come to White Coral Floating Island Academy to find you and honor it."

On the silent deck, a plump woman in a dark violet gown suddenly appeared.

"Hohoho, my little darling, let me see where that boy is~" The woman's voice was piercing, cutting through the night sky without alerting anyone.

With a fluttering of wings, something spiraled down from the air and landed on the woman's shoulder.

Under the gentle moonlight, the newcomer could be seen to be Gloria, the Iron Barbie, along with her beloved pet Toby.

Gloria's spiritual force instantly spread across the Bauhinia. As her sensory tendrils extended, Gloria clearly saw the situation aboard the Bauhinia. "Tsk tsk, so many people got injured by nothing more than a tiny mirage... This bunch of gifted ones is truly worrying. When I have time to return to the Candy House, I should suggest to the higher-ups that recruiting gifted ones should still follow the path of blood battles."

Gloria's spiritual tendrils searched with utter abandon, naturally alerting the three formal wizards aboard the ship.

However, from Gloria's spiritual fluctuations, they detected a trace of pheromones she had deliberately released. After interpreting it, they restrained themselves and no longer concerned themselves with Gloria.

"Coming to find Angel in the middle of the night? Who knows what it could be about..." Heloline shook her head. Whenever she thought of Angel, her heart filled with regret.

.

Fortunately, Sanders had not revealed what Angel's talent was. No matter how regretful Heloline was, she did not cross the line.

"Hohoho~ Found him~"

When her spiritual force scanned Irene's room, Moro suddenly shuddered all over under the crushing pressure. Before he could figure out what had happened, Gloria appeared before him.

Gloria's obese body made the already cramped room feel even more crowded.

"G-Gloria, my lady?!"

Gloria ignored Moro's startled cry and looked toward Angel. Angel was also wondering why Gloria had come. Before Gloria could speak, Toby, the seabird perched on her shoulder, flapped his gray-white wings and flew onto Angel's head, landing steadily atop his golden hair.

Angel: "..." Why did Toby like perching on his hair?!

"Lady Gloria, may I ask why you have come here?"

Gloria looked at Angel. "It is only a small matter. I hope you can help me."

Angel promptly expressed his willingness to give it his all.

"I heard you say at the restaurant earlier that you traded a tea called 'Morning Dew After Rain' to Toby in exchange for the restaurant's gold card. Is that right?"

"That's right. My mentor grew this tea," Angel said.

"Very good. That tea is why I came. As a gourmet wizard, I am filled with curiosity toward anything in the world that can be put into one's mouth. So, I would like to exchange for some Morning Dew After Rain from you. Would that be possible?"

"Of course!" After saying that, Angel prepared to return to his room to get the rest of the Morning Dew After Rain.

But when the corner of his eye caught sight of Moro nearby, he suddenly changed his mind.

"When I left home, I gave most of the Morning Dew After Rain to Mr. Moro. My lady can actually exchange for it from Mr. Moro."

Moro abruptly raised his head, looking at Angel with gratitude in his eyes. Previously, only his dissatisfaction with Angel had disappeared, but at this moment, all the resentment and hatred in his heart dissipated. No matter what, at least Angel himself was friendly toward him, and that was enough. Even if Heloline might punish or neglect him after they returned to White Coral Floating Island Academy, Angel had become Sanders's apprentice and possessed boundless prospects. Being able to maintain a good relationship with Angel was a gain in itself.

As for resentment? In the wizarding world, where the strong preyed on the weak, the resentment of an ant would only bring endless pain.

Gloria raised an eyebrow and gave Angel a deep look. With a faint smile, she turned to discuss the matter with Moro.

Naturally, Moro was willing to hand over the Morning Dew After Rain to Gloria. In a flurry, he took out all the Morning Dew After Rain he had and gave it to Gloria. He had originally planned to make a profit from it after returning to the Prosperous Continent, but since Gloria needed it, he naturally offered it all up.

When they discussed payment for the trade, Moro firmly insisted on giving it to her for free. This was a favor from a formal wizard! However, Gloria did not give him that chance. After receiving the Morning Dew After Rain, she gave Moro a small pouch of magic crystals.

Once the transaction was complete, Gloria looked at Angel again.

"Besides the Morning Dew After Rain, there is actually one more thing I came to ask of you."