Chapter 564: What It Means to Not Let Go, and What It Means to Not Care
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 564: What It Means to Not Let Go, and What It Means to Not Care
Perhaps it was because it was a first meeting, but the atmosphere had started off incredibly stiff all because of a man.
Aila, who had been the first to strike up a conversation with me, looked rather embarrassed now. Still, she braced herself and offered a polite apology on the group's behalf.
Internally, however, she couldn't help but grumble.
Orion is really terrible at reading the room. Is she seriously willing to offend a Teaching Assistant from the Witch Academy over some man?
Aila simply couldn't see what was so charming about the guy.
Taking the opportunity, she introduced herself and the others properly, finally putting names to faces.
"It really is an honor to meet you here, Teacher Xiao Han. If you don't mind me asking, did you only recently become a Teaching Assistant at the Witch Academy?"
"Mm, more or less," I nodded.
It was nice not having to carry the conversation myself. The other party was doing everything they could to keep the atmosphere from dying, even though this was our first time meeting.
"That’s truly remarkable. After we arrived yesterday, we heard all about your duel with Teaching Assistant Liliana. Her reputation has preceded her for a long time; we never expected Teacher Xiao Han to be able to defeat her so composedly."
Aila made no effort to hide her admiration. She even pointedly addressed me as "Teacher" while referring to Liliana simply as "Teaching Assistant."
"Yes, the impact of that battle was sensational. I heard the celestial phenomena triggered by the fight nearly covered the entire Magic City. There were even reports about it back at our Aphra Heimi Academy," another elf chimed in.
"I see. However, those terrifying celestial phenomena weren't actually my doing," I said with a light chuckle. It was the truth.
The power of an Over-consumption Spellbook could indeed reach such heights. Even under the influence of the Great Weakening Spell, Liliana’s mastery of those spells could produce such effects. Without the Great Weakening Spell, she probably could have leveled the entire Magic City with that one move.
"Even so, she still lost to you. That just proves Teacher Xiao Han’s strength is superior!" Aila didn't care that I had just undercut her praise; she immediately pivoted to keep the flattery going. "Actually, right after we arrived yesterday, we were wondering if we’d be lucky enough to run into you. It’s a shame we missed you then, but I’m glad we met today."
"I spent most of yesterday reading in the hotel’s Book Gallery. I didn't really go out, so it’s natural you didn't see me," I explained, taking a small sip of my porridge.
I quite liked the meat porridge here. It was thick and savory, mixed with minced vegetables and bits of meat. It was perfectly seasoned and very warming for the stomach in the morning.
"Reading? I love reading too! To think that even after becoming a Teaching Assistant, Teacher Xiao Han still constantly enriches herself through study. You really are dedicated to your craft."
"Of course. After all... knowledge is power. If you can't even wrap your head around your studies, you can't expect to win in a real fight," I said with a thin smile. It was obvious who I was mocking.
But... did anyone else really have the right to say Liliana didn't study hard enough?
Probably not. Liliana had memorized the details of nearly every high-consumption spellbook and above in the Witch Academy's archives. Excluding the minor spellbooks, her knowledge covered over ninety percent of all known spellbook types.
The moment an opponent raised a hand to cast, she knew exactly what was coming. Combined with her combat experience, she knew precisely how to counter it, how to break it, or at the very least, how to dodge to minimize damage.
Could you really say someone like that didn't work hard or study?
No. But I could say she hadn't "learned it right." I admired her ability to integrate memory with combat, and I understood that she had reached the very ceiling of the Witch Academy. I suspected her personality was a byproduct of her current status. She likely wanted to progress—perhaps her true stage was the Void—but if she didn't change, the Void would be her final curtain call.
The Void was not a nursery like the Witch Academy. Her current behavioral patterns were destined for failure. In battle, one should learn the logic—the logic of breaking a situation—rather than memorizing fixed counter-routines.
That was why I said she hadn't learned it right. Routines are finite. If one cannot grasp the deeper meaning, that path is a dead end. Only logic can adapt to any situation, granting the composure to face ten thousand changes with a single, unwavering principle.
After that, Aila steered the conversation toward other topics, and the atmosphere finally lost its earlier stiffness.
The talk shifted from blatant flattery to light, everyday subjects. However, I found myself largely uninterested in the things girls usually discussed.
They talked about the latest designer brands, handbags, and cosmetics, as well as high-end custom clothing and jewelry.
When the topic of jewelry came up, they mentioned the star of the upcoming auction: the Heart of the Cold Wave.
From their conversation, it seemed they had no idea the item was a fragment of [Transcendent Knowledge]. The player sitting nearby, however, had a strange look in his eyes.
Perhaps because I had targeted him at the start, the player remained completely silent, sitting there like a wooden block.
As for the fashion and taste talk... I really didn't care for it. Mostly because... I had almost never used any of it.
Regarding cosmetics, Sister Bai had mentioned them to me before, but I never really bothered. As for high-end custom clothing... I felt that a simple Change of Clothes Spell was perfectly fine. Perhaps this was one of the main reasons my "male thinking" made it hard to integrate into their topics.
Later, Aila and Orion shared stories from their recent vacations. They recommended resorts and hotels to each other, occasionally complaining about the service or bad experiences they'd had.
This kind of mutual venting seemed to be a favorite pastime for them, as if complaining together brought them closer.
To be honest, I didn't have much experience with this style of chatting.
Maybe it’s because I have so few friends. But this felt different from chatting with the guys back in my old dorm...
It felt like...
Something was missing.
What was it?
Distance.
Yes, the sense of distance in the way these girls talked was off.
Granted, this unspoken agreement to have no boundaries could make a friendship blossom very quickly—which is why "best friend" relationships are so common among girls.
But there was a catch: because there was so little distance, it was much easier for friction to occur.
Unless... both parties possessed a more tolerant mindset, much like the mutual tolerance found among Witches. Otherwise, it was incredibly easy for conflicts to arise, and once they did, they often led to a permanent falling out.
Understanding this, I realized why Transcendent Witches were so incredibly tolerant of their own kind. Given their immense lifespans, if Witches were prone to permanent falling outs over petty drama, the Transcendent Witch race would have fractured into pieces long ago.
For now, they didn't seem to mind my slight "social awkwardness." In their eyes, someone of my status was supposed to be cold and aloof. They kept testing the waters to see which topics might pique my interest.
If they brought up something I didn't care for, they would immediately pivot the moment they saw my lack of enthusiasm.
During this time, the player—whose name hadn't even been officially introduced—got up and left.
Maybe he also found listening to a group of girls gossip about meaningless information incredibly boring?
No one stopped him. Even Orion, who had brought him along, didn't try very hard to make him stay.
With him gone, Orion felt even more emboldened to talk about her romantic history.
I had to admit, this elf had a... colorful past. It was completely at odds with the noble, untouchable image of the Elven race.
Perhaps this was just an "elven gap" personality. Aila and even Yao Beijuan seemed used to it.
I, on the other hand, listened with great interest. Who doesn't love hearing someone's personal drama?
Even if it was fake, it could be "true" depending on how well she spun the yarn. When it comes to past romances, everyone loves to add a little spice to express the "lost beauty" of their youth.
I held my spoon in my right hand, lightly scraping the bottom of my bowl of white porridge. I brought it to my lips; the last bit of porridge had finally gone cold.
I glanced at Yao Beijuan. She was sitting with her head down, having barely said a word during the entire conversation.
Perhaps... she had realized something too.
People always have habits they don't notice themselves, yet those habits are etched into the hearts of others. Even if they don't know exactly what it is, a familiar gesture can trigger a flood of memories.
"Oh, by the way, Sister Xiao Han, you have no idea—Beibei actually has an ex-partner too. They were also at your Witch Academy."
By now, the girls had shifted from calling me "Teacher Xiao Han" to "Sister Xiao Han." Even though they didn't know my real age, it didn't matter, did it?
Age is usually the most sensitive topic for a girl.
However, the moment the topic was raised, Yao Beijuan, who had been silent, suddenly snapped her head up. She looked startled that she had been mentioned, and her instinct seemed to be to stop the conversation immediately.
"Oh?" I nodded with interest, acknowledging the information. "I know about that."
"Eh? Sister Xiao Han, you actually knew? Well, I guess that person was famous in the Witch Academy for a while. And since they had a name similar to yours, it’s only natural you’d look into it, right? Haha..." The girl quickly found an excuse for my reaction and began explaining it away for me.
But...
I didn't need an excuse, nor did I need a misunderstanding to avoid these trivialities.
"Have you ever considered another possibility? For instance... that I am the person you're talking about? Why would I go through the trouble of 'looking into' myself?"
As I finished speaking, I watched the expressions of the elves. They were frozen in shock. It was quite a sight. Perhaps the reason I had come here was specifically for the "fun" of this moment?
Maybe...
Maybe I really did enjoy seeing people lose their composure. Just like the old, socially awkward me, who used to face people's questions and topics with the same awkwardness and confusion they were showing now.
"Is it that surprising? After all, the probability of two people having the same name in the same academy is quite low," I said, my tone unchanged, offering them a gentle reminder.
But at that moment, whether it was Aila, the joking Orion, or even the low-profile Lila, their brains had completely short-circuited.
Even when they finally processed it, they opened their mouths but found no words.
Should they get angry? Flip the table?
They couldn't do it. They weren't little girls anymore. Even though women are often emotional creatures, none of them were letting their emotions take the lead now.
More importantly, no one said a word in defense of Yao Beijuan. It was as if all the things they had said earlier were just a joke they were now frantically regretting in their heads... This reality is even less likely than a coincidence of names! Isn't it?!
"But... Sister Xiao Han... you... that... Beibei, she..." Aila was the first to break the awkward silence, but her words were halting and fragmented. She was clearly terrified. This was no longer a question of whether they would flip the table, but whether I would.
"As she said, since she has already let go, I have no reason not to. Right, Yao Beijuan?" I looked directly at her. She was probably the one whose emotions had fluctuated the least during this reveal.
"Huh?" She seemed to just snap out of it, responding instinctively to her name.
"Actually, I quite liked the atmosphere just now. I wasn't just acting along with you; I truly don't care that much." I toyed with the spoon in my bowl, then swept my gaze over them before settling back on Yao Beijuan. "I should thank you for coming over to talk to me. I’m usually alone. And you... Yao Beijuan. You don't look anything like someone who has 'let go,' as you claimed."
"Learning to let go is an important skill. If a self-proclaimed Child of Destiny is trapped in the past by a single relationship, you have no future. If you can't let go on your own, I don't mind playing the villain to help you." I smiled.
When I mentioned the words "no future," I felt a distinct wave of unease from her. My Heart Sense told me that she did, in fact, care about her own value. Perhaps after learning she was a Child of Destiny, she realized what her most precious asset was: her future. That was the only capital and foundation she could currently overdraw.
From another perspective, I still believed in things like "fate."
Even if I couldn't fully comprehend it, I understood one principle: even an ill-fated connection is still a connection. It cannot be ended by force, nor can it be avoided; it can only be resolved through specific means. And I was willing to pay a small price to thoroughly dissolve this relationship.
"No... there's no need..." Yao Beijuan reached out as if to stop me, but her fingers were twitching and rubbing against each other in an awkward, irregular rhythm that betrayed her chaotic state of mind. "I just want to ask... during that Joint Exam at the Bobapus Archipelago, I saw you. And... I saw that you saw me... Why..."
"Why what?"
"Why didn't you target me?"
"Why would I target you? Though... I did target your Aphra Heimi Academy. I think the senior sisters from your protection team who participated in that exam would have a lot to say about that."
"Is that what you mean by 'not caring'? I understand... I will work hard to let go..."
"No. 'Not caring' means that even with you sitting across from me, I can still enjoy my breakfast in a good mood and chat happily with your friends. It doesn't mean being like you—unable to even look me in the eye."
"Where did the confident Yao Beijuan go? Or has the Transcendent world already ground down your edges, turning you into an ordinary person who has forgotten how to smile?"
After saying that, I stood up and deactivated the soundproofing spell. After all, talking so loudly in a dining area would affect the other guests' experience.
"Thank you for your hospitality earlier. If there's a chance, let's meet again. Until our paths cross." I gave a light smile as a final farewell. This breakfast experience was a solid ten out of ten.
"Good... goodbye."
"Bye, Sister... Sister Xiao Han."