Master Longhaus secretly sighed to himself. Good grief. Where did these people come from? Wharton’s massive physique had already shocked Longhaus, but Wharton was at least relatively handsome. Gates was totally different. His waist was astonishingly thick, and the man himself looked like a giant bear.
“Step away from my Master.” A deep voice rang out.
The big bear behind Master Longhaus suddenly began to grow in size. Originally, he was only two meters tall, but suddenly he increased to three meters in height. The Worldbear lowered his head to stare at Gates, a hint of delight in his eyes.
“A Saint-level magical beast?” Gates raised his head to stare at the Worldbear.
Delia immediately went straight to the point. “Count Wharton, my teacher and I have come for the purpose of meeting with Master Linley.”
“To see my big bro…” Wharton frowned.
These people didn’t have a low status, and they even had a Grand Magus Saint with them. However, to Wharton, his big brother’s training was more important. After all, in more than two months time, he would be in a major duel.
“Very sorry, but my big brother is focusing on his upcoming duel with Haydson, and he can’t be disturbed.” Wharton said. When he mentioned Haydson’s name, he didn’t have the slightest bit of respect to his voice.
Hearing these words, Delia, as well, felt that Linley’s preparation for his duel was more important. After being silent for a moment, she said, “Then…I won’t disturb him.”
Longhaus, by her side, sighed secretly, then said in a loud voice, “Count Wharton, my student, Delia, was previously also a student at the Ernst Institute, and she was a very good friend and classmate of your big brother’s. They haven’t met for ten years.”
“A student of the Ernst Institute?” Wharton’s heart was swayed.
Actually, every day, Linley would still eat and rest like normal. After all, he didn’t train nonstop like when he was developing his Pulseguard Defense. It wasn’t a big deal if he paused for a bit to welcome some guests.
If they were people that Linley didn’t know, Wharton would refuse them.
But this was his big brother’s old schoolmate.
“Then…come with me.” Wharton nodded.
Delia’s fists clenched nervously. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. By her side, Master Longhaus laughed as he patted Delia on the shoulders. “Relax.”
“An old classmate?” Scott and Marquis Jeff were both surprised.
But Delia walked in front of them, not paying attention to them in the slightest. Scott and Jeff therefore quite conscientiously maintained their silence.
After walking for a while…
“Ms. Delia, my big bro is training in the courtyard in front of us.” Wharton laughed, while Gates hurriedly said, “I’ll go inform his Lordship.”
Delia could feel her breathing grow more rapid.
Ten years!
That year Linley’s father had died, Delia had parted ways with Linley. In the blink of an eye…it had been ten full years. Delia’s eyes closed for a moment. Once her eyes opened again, she had returned to her normal calm.
“Bebe, out of the way. I have something important to report.” Gates’ loud voice rang out from the courtyard.
“Your Lordship, there’s someone named Delia outside. She says she’s your old classmate and wants to see you?”
“Delia?” A calm voice that carried a hint of surprise rang out from within the courtyard. The voice wasn’t very loud, but to Delia, the words seemed to ring in the skies with the power of a thunderbolt.
No matter how calm or tranquil one normally was, when one met with someone one had been thinking about for ten years…she couldn’t prevent her heart from shaking.
“Whoosh!” A gentle gust of wind blew past the surrounding trees, gently lifting up Delia’s long golden hair, causing it to sway with the wind.
Delia couldn’t help but narrow her eyes due to the wind.
Just at this moment, the figure she had dreamed about over a million times appeared in front of the courtyard’s gate. The man wore a light blue robe, and his formerly short hair had grown long.
Delia carefully looked at him.
“He’s a bit taller than he was, and much more mature.” Seeing the man of her dreams, for a moment, Delia couldn’t speak.
“Delia. It really is you.” Linley suddenly spoke out in a startled, joyful tone.
“It is me.” Delia finally was able to speak.
Linley’s eyes were as dark and profound as the sea. Quickly, he noticed Master Longhaus by Delia’s side, as well as his Worldbear. “A Saint-level magical beast. Worldbear?”
“Linley, this is my teacher, the wind-style Grand Magus Saint, Master Longhaus. The Worldbear is his magical beast companion.” Delia finally recovered from her earlier stupor.
“Come in.” Linley smiled.
Seeing Linley’s smile, for some reason she herself didn’t understand, Delia felt a hot gush of warmth in her heart. “Is this feeling…happiness?” Delia’s eyes were turning red.
“Wharton, you can help welcome these two.” Linley glanced at Marquis Jeff and Scott, then didn’t say anything else.
Scott and Marquis Jeff weren’t angry at all. They immediately left respectfully. After all, the man was a Saint. Even his Imperial Majesty would be respectful to him. How could he possibly waste time on nobles like them?
Around a stone table in the courtyard.
Linley, Delia, and Longhaus were all seated around the table.
“What are you looking at?” The Worldbear glanced at the Blackcloud Panther, Haeru. As a Saint-level magical beast, the Worldbear was an extremely proud creature.
“You, you stupid bear.” Haeru sneered aloud.
“Saint-level magical beast?” Longhaus and Delia, hearing Haeru speak, both turned to look at Linley in astonishment.
“Don’t squabble, Haeru.” Linley glanced at Haeru, and Haeru immediately crouched down, no longer paying any attention to the Worldbear. Actually, Haeru himself knew that he wasn’t a match for the Worldbear. But at the same time, Haeru wasn’t afraid either…because the Worldbear’s speed was inferior to his own.
But Bebe actually waved his claws in a threatening manner towards the Worldbear.
“Bebe.” Delia was extremely delighted. “Come here.”
Very obediently, Bebe made a single hop and landed directly into Delia’s arms.
“Bebe, long time no see.” Delia devotedly petted Bebe on his glossy fur, and Bebe closed his eyes contentedly.
Although she was petting Bebe, Delia was still looking at Linley.
In the past, Linley had been very hard and callous. But now, he seemed more gentle and much more natural and at ease.
“Master Linley, I hear you are going to duel with Haydson?” Longhaus started off the conversation.
“Right.”
Linley smiled and nodded.
Delia turned her head to stare at Linley and said, “Linley, can it be that you are confident that you can defeat Haydson?”
“No.” Linley said honestly. Delia was one of his extremely few close friends at the Ernst Institute. Aside from Yale, Reynolds, and George, Delia was probably his closest friend.
Seeing Delia, Linley couldn’t help but think back to their final meeting from ten years ago.
That night…
Delia had come late at night to see Linley and tell him that she was leaving the Holy Union. She said that before leaving, she wanted a hug. But who would’ve expected that their goodbye hug would have turned into a goodbye kiss?
Linley truly had been stunned by that kiss.
Even today, upon seeing Delia, Linley couldn’t help but think back to that night.
“You aren’t confident?” Delia chewed her lips, then asked, “Then, Linley…can you cancel the duel and not compete against him?”
Master Longhaus shook his head. “Delia, how can you say something so foolish? After two Saints have already agreed to a duel, how can one back out?”