Time passed, and the execution ground in the dead of night was utterly tranquil.
After Elva had left, the place became completely devoid of any sign of life, towering dunes of sand had thoroughly buried everything within.
In this state of stillness, a considerable amount of time elapsed.
A subtle ’creak, creak’ noise began to emanate from the sands of the execution ground. Such a faint sound was hard to hear unless one was close by; ordinary people might dismiss it as an illusion.
However, the faint sound gradually grew louder.
Listening closely, it was similar to the sound of a rodent digging through the earth.
——Another few seconds passed.
At the edge of the sandy expanse, a specific area started to faintly reveal a weak white light, and one could vaguely make out some movement within this pale luminescence.
The white glow slowly intensified.
At last, one could clearly see that the source of light was moving upward, hugging the wall beneath the yellow sands.
Finally, an arm enveloped in white light was the first to break through the sand.
Five fingers immediately gripped tightly onto the execution ground’s wall.
Immediately afterward, the owner of the arm relied on this support and propelled themselves with great force.
Two figures entwined with each other broke free from the confines of the sand, and then forcefully shot up to the top of the surrounding wall.
Fortunately, the execution ground’s top had been designed with an inspection platform that provided ample space.
Rolling over several times in place, the two of them didn’t fall off from the height.
Realizing he had escaped the constriction, Ronald finally sat down on top of the execution ground’s wall and placed the limp Claudia next to him.
Knowing Elva was no longer around, he also laid back and took several deep breaths of fresh air:
"We... we’ve made it out!"
Meanwhile, lying next to him, Claudia, unlike the athletically gifted Ronald, was visibly weaker.
The slender girl lay on top of the wall, panting.
It took her a while to stabilize her breathing rhythm.
Just then, a gust of the night’s cold wind happened to sweep over their position.
Shivering, Claudia, with flushed cheeks, turned her head and immediately shifted her gaze to Ronald’s face.
Noticing his companion’s look, Ronald turned his head as well.
The air was filled with an awkward silence.
After a few seconds of staring at each other, Claudia turned her head again with a rather ominous tone and asked:
"Ronald, how long has it been since you brushed your teeth?"
Upon hearing this question, Ronald was momentarily taken aback.
He reflexively thought back.
Due to the inconvenience aboard the ship, starting from when he boarded in Berengaria up until arriving in Spring City yesterday, he hadn’t had the chance to brush even once.
It seemed... indeed, it had been a while.
Given their recent ordeal, it’s no wonder Claudia would ask such a question.
He indeed felt apologetic for not brushing his teeth...
Although he felt a bit embarrassed, Ronald knew Claudia was trying to change the subject. Otherwise, maintaining the uncomfortable atmosphere from before, neither of them would want to speak for the rest of the night.
Thus, while dispersing the large amount of black fog he had summoned,
Not until the tension had eased, did Ronald finally speak:
"Isa, that person has already run far off."
"Judging by his last known position, he should be in the southwest direction of the city."
As Ronald spoke, he extended his hand to point towards the distance.
Just now, he had been able to sense Elva’s location, but unfortunately, the pressure from the debris was too intense for him to manipulate the dark fog to continue the pursuit.
They were simply too far apart, and he could no longer sense the other party’s exact position.
Meanwhile, having heard Ronald’s description, Claudia, who was still resting, also directed her gaze towards the southwest.
After contemplating with her head bowed for a moment, her eyes darkened:
"The southwest direction..."
"That’s where the train station in the city is. This guy probably ran off."
"He sure ran fast enough."
As Claudia voiced this conclusion, she waved her hand somewhat helplessly, obviously not quite satisfied with the situation.
And hearing such a response, Ronald couldn’t help but feel complex emotions rise within him.
Looking at Claudia lying beside him at the top of the surrounding wall, he couldn’t resist making a snide remark:
"I’ve noticed that the few original text holders I’ve encountered are incredibly decisive when it comes to fleeing or simply admitting defeat. Is this a sort of trend in the mystical world?"
For the first time, Claudia rolled her eyes at Ronald in an uncouth manner.
Feeling her strength returning, she propped herself up to a sitting position and then replied:
"Surrendering or escaping is always better than dying at the hands of others."
"As original text holders, they usually don’t push people to their deaths unless there is an absolute overpowering strength and no future worries. Otherwise, who knows what kind of irrational things they might do before dying?"
"Battles on the mystical side are more about interests. Achieving the objective is enough."
Hearing this, Ronald nodded ambiguously:
And so, they continued to exchange their perspectives while being chilled by the winter breeze.
Being the one with better physical conditioning between the two, Ronald was the first to feel his strength fully return and stood up on the top of the wall.
Under the cover of the dark night sky, he gazed out at the sea of sand that was the execution ground.
He couldn’t help but look down at his own gloves.
Faced with the situation tonight, he couldn’t help feeling some emotions.
If it weren’t for the gloves Claudia had made for him before the battle, ensuring his safety with the power of "Protection," they would have had to pay an even greater price in dealing with Elva, the veteran Caster.
Two encounters with genuine original text holders had taught him that it was a very dangerous affair,
even though he had the advantage of understanding the language of the original texts.
But the experience accumulated by those from other worlds over many years also had aspects he couldn’t catch up with.
It was at this time that Claudia stood up beside him.
Unlike Ronald, who was looking towards the execution ground, she was looking towards Spring City.
Feeling the cold wind against her skin,
the young girl’s face revealed a trace of contemplation.
After hesitating for a few seconds, she decisively said to Ronald:
"Ronald, take me to your house."
Ronald was momentarily stunned:
"Don’t get weird ideas." Claudia replied with a hint of exasperation in her voice upon hearing Ronald’s puzzled tone, as she shook her clothing, "Do I look like I can just go straight home ?"
a generous amount of yellow debris fell from the hem of her clothes.
Unlike Ronald, who didn’t have a grain of sand on him, she had been buried in rubble earlier.