I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

Legolas looked the other man up and down a few times to make sure he was indeed his good partner before he spoke, "You're still alive."

The elves have this kind of personality: no matter how intense their emotions are, they always end up saying statements.

Alex smiled, walked to the table, poured himself a glass of water, and gulped it down. "Yeah, I'm alive. Sorry to have worried everyone."

"Why is your sword broken?"

Alex was silent for a moment, his fingers unconsciously touching the broken edge of the sword at his waist, his tone still revealing some disbelief, "Broken by someone's bare hands."

Legolas's hawk-like pupils contracted slightly. "You should stay away from that being."

Alex laughed out loud. "I'm afraid that won't work. I'm going with him."

Before the other could ask any more questions, he patted the elf on the shoulder and said, "I'll tell you when Mason wakes up."

Legolas was silent for a few seconds, then stepped aside. "Suit yourself."

Alex withdrew his hand and walked deeper into the corridor. After taking a few steps, he heard the elf's voice behind him, "It's good that you're alive."

Alex paused slightly, waved his hand, and continued walking forward.

……

Anna heard footsteps, looked up, and saw the person standing at the door. She snapped the holy book shut, the sound somewhat abrupt in the quiet room.

She stood up, the chair scraping softly against the floor.

Her voice was tinged with shock, "Alex...you're alive."

"Yes, she's alive." Alex walked in, knelt down beside Mason's bed, and looked at the pale face. "How is she?"

Anna took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "Her emotions were too volatile; she'll need some time to wake up. I've already cast a holy light spell on her, so she's fine. But you…"

Alex stood up, turned to look at Anna, and said, "I'm fine too. Anna, I need you to do me a favor."

"What kind of help?"

"When Mason wakes up, please take care of her for a while."

Anna paused for a moment, "Aren't you going to take care of yourself?"

"I'm going to be away for a while, I don't know how long, maybe soon, maybe... a long time."

Anna's eyes widened slightly, as if she wanted to ask more, but seeing that Alex's expression didn't seem like a joke, she said, "Mason will be very sad."

"I know."

"You know that—"

"That's why I'm asking you for help. She needs someone to be with her, and you're better at comforting people than I am."

Anna opened her mouth, but ultimately just nodded. "Then... will you come back?"

"Yes, I will." Alex walked to the window, gazing at the pale light that was about to break on the distant horizon. "I promised her I would go on an adventure together. I won't break my promise."

Anna didn't say anything more, she just held the Bible and sat there quietly.

The candlelight flickered behind her, casting her shadow on the wall like that of a praying angel.

……

Mason woke up at daybreak.

She opened her eyes and saw the familiar ceiling.

Then she smelled the aroma of toasted bread mixed with the bitterness of coffee wafting from the other end of the corridor.

She turned her head and saw Alex sitting on a chair by the bed, holding a glass of hot milk and stirring it with a small spoon, the spoon making a soft clinking sound against the glass.

"You..." Mason's voice was so hoarse it didn't sound like her own. She tried to sit up, but her arms went limp and she fell back down.

Alex put down the milk, reached out to support her shoulders, and helped her sit up against the pillows.

Then he handed her the milk, saying, "Have some first."

Mason took the cup, held it with both hands, and felt the warmth emanating from the ceramic. She didn't drink it, but just stared at the milky white liquid in the cup, remaining silent for a long time.

She finally spoke, her voice filled with the joy of surviving a catastrophe and finding something lost: "You're still alive? Didn't you release the Holy Sword? Then who saved this city?"

"[Liberation] has been achieved, but the Holy Sword was ultimately broken."

Mason looked up at him.

Her eyes were red and swollen, still brimming with tears, but her gaze held a seriousness Alex had never seen before. "Who broke it?"

"A...very strong person."

"You can't beat him?"

"We can't beat them."

Mason lowered his head, staring at the milk in his glass, as if processing the information. "And then? Did he let you go? Or did you run back?"

"No, he saved me and even took me as his apprentice."

Mason looked up abruptly, nearly spilling his milk. "Apprentice? You? Hero? To be someone's apprentice?"

Alex nodded with a wry smile. "It sounds outrageous, but it's true."

Mason stared at him for three seconds, making sure he wasn't joking, then took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Who is that person? From the church? Or from the kingdom?"

"Neither." Alex paused. "He...does not belong to any known faction."

Mason frowned, seemingly wondering what "not belonging to any known faction" meant.

But her mind was completely blank; she couldn't think straight.

She gave up thinking, picked up the milk and took a sip. The warm liquid slid down her throat, making her stomach feel warm.

"When are you leaving?" Her voice was muffled, her eyes fixed on the cup, not looking at him.

"Wait for reinforcements to arrive, and for me to finish explaining everything to the church."

"and then?"

"Then they left."

"Not coming back?"

"Believe me, you will come back."

Mason's fingers tightened on the glass, her knuckles turning white. She didn't look up, but just squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth: "Then you'd better remember what you said."

Alex reached out and gently ruffled her hair. "I've got it."

Mason turned her head away, dodging his hand, and glared at him, but her eyes were already brimming with tears.

"Stop touching it, your hair is all messed up."

"It was already chaotic."

"you--!"

Alex smiled, stood up, walked to the window, and drew back the curtains.

Behind him, Mason's voice came, slightly nasal: "Alex."

"Um?"

"Your master...who is he? Is he powerful?"

"I'm sorry, I can't reveal his identity without his permission. He's very powerful."

"Better than me?"

"...Yes." Normally, Alex would probably laugh and joke, "Don't humiliate yourself," but this was clearly not the time for jokes.

Mason lowered his head, staring at the little milk left in the glass, and remained silent for a long time.

It took so long that Alex thought she was sulking before she finally spoke, as if in a dream:

"Then can you still use a sword?"

Alex was somewhat surprised by her question. "Of course I will. Even though the Holy Sword is broken, I can still use other swords. As long as I have the sword, I am still me."

"That's good." Mason nodded and then lowered his head again.

The light outside the window grew brighter, making the candlelight in the room appear dim. In the distance, the bugle call of the changing of the guard from the city wall could be heard, long and deep.

Alex stood up and pushed his chair back onto the table. "You rest a little longer, I'll go find Bruno—"

"Wait a moment."

Mason called out to him.

Alex turned around and saw her lift the covers and get out of bed, her bare feet stepping on the cold stone slabs.

Her hair was a mess, like a bird's nest, and there were red marks on her face from the pillow. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and her lips were pale.

"Mason, you haven't—"

She stepped forward, grabbed Alex by the collar, and pulled him down. Before Alex could react, his lips were sealed by a warm kiss.

The kiss was short, as short as a shooting star streaking across the night sky.

Mason released his grip, took a step back, his chest heaving violently, his face burning red from the base of his neck all the way to the tips of his ears.

Her lips were still trembling slightly, but her eyes were fixed on Alex, as if to say, "If you dare say anything weird, I'll set you on fire."

Alex stood there, stunned, his mind blank. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found himself at a loss for words.

"Shut up," Mason said first, his voice trembling slightly. "No saying 'I'm sorry,' no saying 'You deserve someone better,' no saying that kind of nonsense like 'I'll be back.'"

Alex swallowed the words that were about to come out.

Mason took a deep breath, as if to bolster his courage. "Listen carefully—I won't stop you from becoming someone else's apprentice. But remember this: you owe me an adventure. If you dare not come back, I'll beat up your master and then tie you up and bring you back."

After she finished speaking, she turned around and walked back to the bedside, pulled the blanket over her head, and a muffled voice came from under the blanket: "Okay, you can leave now, I'm going to sleep."

Alex stood there, staring at the red dumpling wrapped up like a silkworm cocoon on the bed, and it took him a long time to realize what had just happened.

It turned out to be the case.

The corners of his mouth slowly turned up, and he reached out to touch his lips, where the sweet taste and warmth of milk still lingered.

"Mason."

"What?!" A muffled thud of anger and embarrassment came from under the covers.

"When I come back, I'll definitely take you on an adventure... just the two of us."

There was a moment of silence under the covers, then a louder, muffled groan came from underneath: "Get out of here!"

Alex smiled, turned around, and pushed open the door.