CHAPTER 547: BACK HOME FOR A VISIT (8)

The next day, Liam was given no chance to rest. From the moment he woke and grabbed a quick breakfast, Elsie practically dragged him out the door, insisting they spend as much time together as possible since he would only be in Nystra for three days. Her determination left him little room to decline, and soon enough, he found himself trailing behind her through the familiar streets, pulled along by her enthusiasm more than his own desire to explore.

They roamed all around Nystra City, moving from one spot to another as Elsie pointed out places she wanted them to visit. Liam didn’t particularly feel like doing any of it, but he went along regardless. During his time living with the Silverharts, he had been withdrawn, isolated by choice or circumstance, and rarely spent time with Elsie outside of school. He knew she wanted this—time with him, memories to hold onto—so he decided to endure the day and give her the experience she’d been denied before.

As the hours passed, they stopped by Alice’s family home to pick her up, with Alice happily joining them the moment she learned Liam was involved. The trio ventured through the bustling city streets, drifting from food vendors to small stalls, wandering through markets and lively corners. Liam’s patience was tested when the girls steered him toward a clothing store, declaring they wanted to try on clothes even though neither planned to buy anything. It quickly became clear that he had somehow been appointed their evaluator.

With no escape, Liam stood there as they disappeared into dressing rooms, only to emerge moments later in dresses, skirts, and outfits he barely felt qualified to comment on. He gave them his thoughts—honest at times, fabricated when necessary to avoid unnecessary disappointment—while inwardly questioning the series of decisions that led him to this moment. More than once he silently wished he had returned to Veridn a day earlier, sparing himself from this ordeal. But he had already committed, and backing out was too much of a hassle.

To make matters worse, the girls attempted to convince him to try on clothes as well, hoping to judge him in return. Liam’s firm refusal immediately crushed their hopes, leaving them visibly deflated. Even Mabel, who accompanied them under her invisibility spell, felt the sting of disappointment. She had clearly anticipated the chaos and amusement of seeing Liam forced into ridiculous outfits.

After conceding defeat, the girls finally wrapped up their fashion adventure—ironically buying clothes after all—and the three of them headed to an outdoor dining area as noon passed and hunger began to settle in. They found a table, placed their orders, and settled in to wait. Elsie and Alice chatted energetically, bouncing from topic to topic, while Liam contributed just enough to avoid appearing detached, offering short replies that kept the atmosphere from becoming awkward.

Not long after, a waiter arrived with their plates, placing the dishes neatly in front of them.

"Enjoy your meal," the waiter said with a polite bow before turning away.

"Alright," Alice said eagerly, picking up her cutlery and preparing to eat.

"Try not to choke this time," Elsie teased as she began digging into her meal.

The two girls quickly lost themselves in their food, thoroughly enjoying the flavors. After several bites, Elsie paused and glanced up, noticing Liam simply sitting there with only a glass of water, his attention drifting toward the busy street beyond them.

"You know, it’s surprising you only ordered water," she said, arching a brow.

Liam turned his gaze toward her. "I ate before we left, and thanks to your mother, I had to eat far more than I normally would in the morning. I’m still full," he said calmly.

"Still," Alice added after swallowing, "asking for just water is a little... you know."

"Nope, I don’t know," Liam replied flatly. "Anyway, the two of you should focus on eating. I’d rather not watch either of you choke to death because you can’t stay quiet long enough to chew."

"Wow, since when did you start acting like a concerned older brother?" Elsie said, grinning playfully.

"Yeah, I thought you would—" Alice began, but her words cut off as she suddenly started coughing violently. She grabbed her glass and downed water in desperate gulps until the fit subsided.

When she finally caught her breath, she lifted her head slowly. Liam was staring at her with a faint smirk, his expression unmistakably saying, "I warned you."

Alice glared at him through watery eyes, her cheeks still flushed from the coughing fit. "You... are the worst," she croaked, attempting to sound furious, but the quiver in her voice softened the blow. The glare she tried to hold collapsed into a shaky, defeated laugh, and across the table Elsie nearly snorted into her plate, shoulders trembling as she fought not to burst out laughing.

"Surprising how you are still talking after that," Liam said with calm indifference, the faint smirk on his lips refusing to fade.

Alice’s eye twitched at the jab, her pride bruised far more than her throat. With a huff, she stabbed her fork into her cutlet and began slicing with unnecessary force, as though the poor meal had personally wronged her.

After that, neither girl dared to speak. The quiet that settled over the table was almost reverent, at least to Liam, who savored it as if it were a rare delicacy. Alice ate in humiliated silence, Elsie in cautious amusement, and Liam in peaceful satisfaction.

Eventually, the girls finished eating, and the moment their plates were cleared, Alice’s silence shattered. She sprang back to life as though her lungs had recovered all at once, leaning forward with her natural enthusiasm returning at full strength.

"So, Liam, what’s a knight academy actually like?" she asked, brushing aside the earlier fiasco as if it had never happened. "Elsie and I went to mage academies, so we only know that side of things."

Liam leaned back slightly, resting an arm on the back of his chair. "Nothing much," he said. "Training almost every day. Learning how to use your affinities better in combat. That’s basically it."

Alice squinted at him as if expecting something grander. "Hmm. Doesn’t sound too far off from what we do... aside from the training part. I mean, knight academies probably focus way more on physical stuff, right? Mages have to train their cores, their control, their minds, all the spellcrafting theory, and all that."

Elsie nodded, lifting her head from her tea. "She’s right. Mage academies put a lot more emphasis on mental discipline. Spell casting requires calculation, structure, and precise shaping of myst. We do physical conditioning too, but mostly to prevent our bodies from collapsing when our myst output spikes or when we overextend. Knights, on the other hand... your bodies need to be your stabilizers. You all rely more on endurance, reflexes, and direct combat."

Liam listened quietly, letting them talk. When Elsie finished, he glanced between the two. "So, Alice. Were you also attending the Cidal of Honor Mage Academy in Crescent like Elsie?"

Alice shook her head. "Nope. I was going to Beau Magic Academy back in Tempest," she said proudly. "If I’d known Elsie was going to Cidal earlier, I might’ve transferred. I wanted to be with her, but by the time I found out, everything was already set."

Elsie smiled softly at that, her eyes warming with affection.

Liam nodded, then asked, "How were your academies?"

Alice threw her hands up dramatically. "Beau was fun! I had a lot of friends, and most of the teachers were amazing... well, except for the ones who were strict enough to ruin your entire week, but I guess every academy has those. Still, it was lively, and classes never felt boring."

Elsie chimed in after her. "Cidal is huge. Massive, actually. The campus is beautiful, and the resources are endless. The teachers are some of the best in the kingdom."

Both girls spoke with bright expressions, their voices full of fondness. But as Liam listened, a small detail caught his attention. When Elsie mentioned her academy, her posture shifted—barely. A subtle stiffness tightened the line of her shoulders, her fingers tapping once against her cup before settling again. It was fleeting, easy to miss, but Liam’s instincts didn’t ignore things like that.

Still, he said nothing. His curiosity wasn’t great enough to make him wanna pry, and Elsie was too composed to let anything slip unintentionally. Instead, he allowed the conversation to flow, letting the three of them talk as casually as siblings sharing stories of different worlds.

The atmosphere warmed with each passing minute, drifting into laughter, playful bickering, and stories of their student lives—Alice’s mischief, Elsie’s misfortunes, and Liam’s occasional, dry commentary that somehow tied everything together. The afternoon slipped into a soft, comforting rhythm, the kind that made the world outside feel distant.

And though Liam didn’t acknowledge it aloud, he couldn’t shake the subtle shift he had seen in Elsie. It lingered at the back of his mind, quiet but persistent, like a detail waiting for the right moment to matter.