Chapter 64: The Mask (Part 1)

With Diya’s complex gaze blending surprise, confusion, tension, unease, and hesitation, Jiang Zhe repeated Lilith’s exact words, finally earning her understanding.
“So, it was Lilith who sent you here, Sos? Where is she?”
“Yes, but she… seems to have left just now. Maybe you can ask her when she returns…”
“No need,” Diya said with a smile, shaking her head as she looked at Jiang Zhe with trust. “I believe you—without Lilith opening the door for you, you wouldn’t have been able to come in!” She glanced at the cup wrapped around her, her cheeks turning slightly red, and added softly, “Sos, could you wait for me in the living room? I… I want to put on some clothes first…” As she spoke, she bit her lip, looking shyly and nervously at her cup, not daring to lift her eyes to Jiang Zhe.
“O-Of course!” In fact, Jiang Zhe felt even more embarrassed than Diya. He quickly turned around and said, “I’ll wait outside!”
“Thank you, Sos!”
After leaving the girl’s bedroom, Jiang Zhe secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although Lilith and the others had already placed some personal items there in advance, he still saw some very awkward things.
What was even more awkward was sitting on the sofa in the living room while hearing faint noises coming from the bedroom.
It was nearly half an hour later before Diya stepped out with a red face. When she saw Jiang Zhe, she still seemed a bit at a loss.
“Have… have you put on your clothes?”
“Yes… that’s right…”
They exchanged a glance, both finding it somewhat amusing.
Perhaps because staying in the girl’s bedroom had been too awkward, Jiang Zhe stood up and said hesitantly, “Shall we go for a walk, Diya?”
Looking up at the sky outside the window and seeing it gradually darken, Diya hesitated for a moment before turning to Jiang Zhe and saying softly, “Okay—only if it’s you, Sos!”
By then, the already overcast sky had become even darker with the setting sun. The two walked along the paths of the academy.
Along the way, they rarely encountered other students. At this time, most students had already gone to the academy’s cafeteria to eat, so few figures could be seen.
“Diya, I heard you went home some time ago, right?”
Stopping in her tracks, Diya faced the breeze, gazing up at the stars that appeared and disappeared in the sky. She sighed slightly and said, “It was Lilith who told you, right, Sos?”

Without answering Dia’s rhetorical question, Jiang Zhe stepped forward and stood beside her, asking hesitantly, “Did something happen?”
Dia hesitated for a moment before shaking her head and saying, “No, nothing at all…” As she turned to leave, she found Jiang Zhe’s hand gripping her arm.
“Did something really happen?” Jiang Zhe repeated, looking into Dia’s uncertain eyes.
Glancing up at Jiang Zhe’s gaze, Dia lowered her head and said in a barely audible voice, “Don’t do this, Thors…”
“What exactly is going on, Dia? Can’t you tell me?”
After a long silence, Dia slowly raised her head and shook it, saying, “It’s just a family matter, Thors… Let go quickly. If someone sees us…”
“I just want to know what happened!!!”
“Thors, you’re hurting me…”
“I’m sorry…” Jiang Zhe quickly released her hand and apologized, then looked at Dia and said softly, “Can’t you… can’t you tell me, Dia?”
Rubbing her sore arm, Dia glanced up at Jiang Zhe, smiled slightly, and said, “I’m very grateful to you, Thors, for caring about me along with Lilith and Rose… But… I’m fine, really fine. There’s nothing wrong…” She then grabbed the railing by the roadside, looked up at the stars in the sky, and said softly, “Thors, are you familiar with stars? I heard you’ve been to that great mage tower, Vandell… So you must know something about stars, right…”
“I have no interest in those!” Interrupting Dia, Jiang Zhe frowned and said in a low voice, “All I want to know now is what happened!”
“I said I’m fine!” Rarely, a hint of anger appeared on Dia’s face as she lowered her head and tightly gripped the railing with both hands.
“Is this what you call being fine? Staying alone in your room all day—is that fine? Hm?” Looking deeply into Dia’s eyes, Jiang Zhe took a deep breath and said seriously in a low voice, “Trust me, no matter what happened, talking about it… will make you feel better…”
But for two full minutes, Dia remained silent with her head down, which disappointed Jiang Zhe greatly. He sighed slightly and said, “Alright, I guess I’m overstepping… I’m sorry for wasting your time. Goodbye!”
As he turned to leave, he noticed a small hand pulling at the sleeve of his robe.
“I’m sorry, Thors… Can you stay with me here for a while?”
Turning to look at Dia, seeing a glimmer in her eyes, Jiang Zhe slowly nodded.

“Of course—however long you need!”
Turning around and seeing the sincerity in the boy’s eyes, Dia felt her heart ache. Covering her mouth, she cried, “You know, Thos? Since I was little, only my mother loved me the most. But this time when I came home, I… I didn’t even get to see her one last time. Ugh…”
“Dia, don’t… don’t cry!” Jiang Zhe was at a loss as he looked at Dia in his arms.
Meanwhile, Allen, who had just returned to the dormitory, stared at the sofa in confusion and muttered, “Thos isn’t here? Did he go out? Hey! That’s rare…”
With that, he carelessly untied his magic robe and tossed it aside, then picked up the knight’s sword from the corner and took a deep breath.
Just as Allen was about to start his daily training, there was suddenly a knock at the door.
“Hm?” Feeling a bit strange, Allen went to open the door and saw Lisa bouncing in, smiling and saying, “Allen!”
“Hi, Lisa…” Allen greeted her, but then noticed Ravia behind her. Seeing her hesitant expression, he grew curious and shrugged, saying, “Good evening, Ravia… If you’re here looking for Thos, I’m sorry, but he’s not here. He seems to have gone out…”
Hearing that Jiang Zhe wasn’t there, Ravia inexplicably felt relieved, her expression lightening.
“Then… he’s not here? Well… let’s go back, Lisa!”
“How can we just leave like that!” Lisa grabbed Ravia’s hand to stop her from leaving, pouting. “Weren’t we on the same page just now, Avi?”
“But… but he’s not here…” Rarely, Ravia’s cheeks turned red as she pleaded with Lisa.
“Then we’ll wait for Thos to come back!” Lisa said cheerfully, ignoring Ravia’s pleading gaze.
“Hey,” Allen looked at Ravia and then at Lisa, puzzled. “What are you two… doing?”
“A dance party, a dance party!” After finally pulling Ravia into the room and sitting her down on the sofa, Lisa, seemingly exhausted, said to Allen with a smile, “Allen, does Thos have a dance partner?”
“A dance partner?” Allen scratched his head and shrugged. “I haven’t had a chance to tell him yet… But it doesn’t matter anyway. He’s not interested in that kind of thing…”

“Say it! You must say it!” Lisa interrupted Allen, clenching her small fists and speaking eagerly. “So, Thors still doesn’t have a dance partner?”
Allen shrugged and nodded. “I guess so…” Then, as if struck by an idea, he turned to look at Lavia and grinned. That strange smile made Lavia’s face burn with heat.
“Allen, don’t bully Avi!” Lisa gently tapped Allen’s shoulder with her fist. She glanced at Avi, who seemed uncomfortable under Allen’s gaze, and said smilingly, “See, Avi? Lerryla and I both said it—Thors just doesn’t know yet…”
“Even if he did know, he still wouldn’t…” Lavia retorted instinctively, looking awkwardly at Allen’s grinning face before turning to Lisa with a mix of desperation and pleading.
“Hehe,” clearly picking up on Lavia’s signal, Lisa giggled and turned to Allen. “Allen, could you do me a favor?”
“Of course,” Allen bent down, took Lisa’s small hand, and kissed it gently before adding teasingly, “As long as it’s what Lisa asks… like reminding that guy there’s a ball in a few days…” He stood up, rubbed his chin, and murmured, “But I can’t guarantee he’ll go to the ball, really!”
Glancing at Lavia, Lisa said playfully, “Allen, stop joking. Can’t you at least help?”
“I’m not joking,” Allen said, casually placing his sword in the corner. He spread his hands and said helplessly, “Trust me, Lisa. I guarantee that once I tell Thors about the ball, his only reply will be, ‘Sorry, I’m not going!’ Think about it—this guy is too lazy to even attend the magic competition held by the two academies, let alone a masquerade ball. If Scott were here, you could ask him; he’d definitely have some good ideas. But me…”
“Can’t you think of a way, Allen?” Lisa was clearly getting anxious.
“There is a way,” Allen said with a strange smile at Lavia, grinning. “Just like in the last competition—have Lavia go talk to Thors herself. That’ll solve it, right?”
“I… I won’t go!” Lavia, who was sitting on the sofa, suddenly stood up, panicked. “I don’t care if he goes or not. I still have a lot to do…”
“Please, Avi!” Lisa quickly grabbed Lavia’s hand to persuade her, then turned to Allen and whispered a few words in his ear.

“Oh?” Allen stared at Ravia in surprise, examining her from head to toe, before laughing and saying, “In that case, I really can’t refuse to help…”
“Hehe, thank you, Allen,” Lisa said with a smile. She somehow produced a mask and handed it to Allen, saying, “Allen, give this to Thors!”
“Huh?” Allen stared at the mask in confusion for a long time. It was half silver and half black, with a few tear-like marks on it. Its design was quite strange, resembling that of a clown.
After staring at it for a while, Allen said with an odd expression, unable to decide whether to laugh or cry, “Where did you guys get this? It looks like a clown’s mask—how ugly! I don’t want to get beaten up by Thors because of this…”
“What are you talking about?” Lisa winked at Allen and whispered, “Just now, I went to the hall where the dance party was held with Avi. We saw the seniors bringing lots of masks, so we picked a few. This one was chosen by Avi herself…”
“Just picked this thing?” Allen wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced at Ravia, who looked anxious and full of expectation. He cleared his throat and said awkwardly, “Um… it’s not bad. It suits Thors well. But… Lisa, think about it. Is it appropriate for me to give this to Thors? If I’m going to give something, it should be a pretty one… like you, Miss Lisa. Giving this to Thors doesn’t feel right… How about this? Well, let Ravia give it to Thors herself, and I’ll give him a few hints. What do you think?”
“M-me? Go I?” Ravia’s face turned red as she shook her head anxiously.
“That’s true!” Lisa tilted her head and thought for a while before nodding in agreement. “It’s not good for Allen to give it. Avi should give it to Thors herself!”
“I won’t go… Forget it. I’m not going to the dance party either. I’m going back to rest…”
Lisa quickly grabbed Ravia’s hand and said with a smile, “How about this? Avi, um, when you meet Thors, just give him this without saying anything. Let Allen handle the rest…”
Allen also agreed with Lisa, saying, “Hehe, as soon as I see that guy holding this, I’ll say, ‘Ah, Thors, you have this too? Did some cute and pretty girl give it to you? You jerk are so enviable—so annoying!’ Then he’ll definitely ask questions, and I’ll tell him about the dance party. What do you think, Ravia?”

Lavia looked embarrassed for a long time, then gritted her teeth and said in a low voice, “There’s no need to add those exaggerated words. Just tell him what needs to be told…”
With a chuckle, Allen handed the mask to Lavia, patted his chest, and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it!”
“Thank you, Allen!”
Glancing at Lavia, Lisa giggled, then walked over to the window and said doubtfully as she looked at the gradually darkening sky outside, “That’s strange. It’s so late—where has Thos gone? Usually at this time he’s napping in his dormitory…” Turning her head, she smiled mischievously at Lavia and said, “Could it be that Thos has been taken away by some cute, pretty girl?”
“Him?” Lavia snorted, glanced at the mask in her hands, hesitated for a moment, then stood up and said, “I… I’m going for a walk…”
“Hehe,” Lisa giggled at Allen and tilted her head, asking, “Do you need me to go with you? It’s easier to find someone together, right?”
“I… I’m not going to look for him. I just want to take a walk…”
“Oh, hehe!”
That’s right, I’m not going to look for that guy…
With the clown mask in her arms, Lavia walked alone on the deserted path. Her expression seemed tense and uneasy.
Hmm, I’m not going to look for him… I’m just taking a walk, yes, a walk! If… well, if by chance I happen to meet him, then… I’ll give him this mask. Uh, as a thank you for what he said during the competition a couple of days ago…
Uh, that’s it!
Trying to suppress her unease, Lavia looked around. The path was very quiet, as if no one was around. And indeed, the students of Rexox Academy must have finished eating and gone back to their rooms by now.
“Where the hell has that jerk gone? The library must be closed by now too… Idiot, he doesn’t like to go out usually, and when something happens, he’s nowhere to be found…” Muttering in frustration, Lavia bit her lip lightly and continued walking along the path by instinct.
Suddenly, she faintly saw a figure ahead. From the back, it was clearly the jerk she was looking for!
“Thos…” A soft call was cut short.

“Hm?” Standing in the darkness not far away, Jiang Zhe turned his head in surprise, glanced at the pitch-black path, and murmured, “Is there anyone?” Lowering his head slightly, with a hint of embarrassment and confusion, he whispered, “Dia, it seems like there’s someone…”
After a few stifled sobs, Dia struggled slightly to free herself from Jiang Zhe’s embrace, then turned around to wipe the tears from her face. With a slightly choked smile, she said, “Afraid of being seen by others? Coward!” Then she turned to look at Jiang Zhe again, her face slightly red, and said shyly, “Don’t mention this to anyone…”
“What is it? Is it about your mother?”
“No!” Not daring to look into Jiang Zhe’s eyes, Dia said somewhat indignantly, “It’s just… what happened just now…”
Looking down at the tear stains on the collar of her robe, Jiang Zhe nodded.
“Phew,” she sighed in relief, holding the railing with both hands as she gazed at the stars in the sky. “It’s much easier now… It really is hard to hold it in. Sos, it’s said that people turn into stars in the sky after they die…”
Shrugging, Jiang Zhe said, “That’s just a legend…” As he spoke, he glanced toward the dark corner not far away; he always felt like there might be someone there.
Seeing Jiang Zhe shake his head helplessly, Dia said with a mix of laughter and tears, “You really don’t know how to comfort a girl, do you? I know it’s just a legend, but… in our magicians’ view, a person’s soul is just an energy—either it enters the Land of Death smoothly or it dissipates in this world… But either way, it’s not very pleasant…”
Looking at Dia’s face as she gazed up at the stars, Jiang Zhe said softly, “In life, it’s hard to encounter anything perfect, right? I think your mother wouldn’t want to see you too sad because of her departure. Even though you’ve lost your mother who loved you, you still have your father, right?”

“You don’t understand, Thors,” Dia said with a deep sigh, filled with sorrowful memories. “When I was young, our family was harmonious—my father, mother, me, and my brother. We were so happy… I was a poor sister; that year, my mother asked me to take care of my brother, but… I lost my only brother that year. I tried my best to make amends, but some things truly cannot be undone… Along with losing my brother, I also lost my father’s love. I still can’t forget the angry look in his eyes when he saw me that day… I tried my best to make things right. I had no talent for magic, nor any special interest in it… It might sound ridiculous, but my father was a lord, yet our family wasn’t even as well-off as some commoners. I came to Riox just to fulfill my brother’s wish—to become a royal mage and a noble to carry on our family’s legacy… I don’t want to go home. I’m afraid of seeing the look in my father’s eyes, afraid of hearing my mother call my brother’s name in her dreams…”
“Dia…”
Turning and leaning against the railing, Dia looked at Jiang Zhe, speaking with a choked voice, “Five hundred gold coins—maybe others won’t understand, but you should, Thors. Five hundred gold coins are enough for a family to live comfortably for a year, or even two or three years… My mother gave them to me secretly from my father. Because of this, our once harmonious family is now filled with arguments. I know my father hates me, but I don’t hate him. I’m just afraid—afraid of seeing him, afraid of the look in his eyes… I thought I could make up for what my mother had sacrificed by studying magic hard, becoming a royal mage, and improving our family’s situation so she wouldn’t have to work so hard anymore… But now, all those goals are gone. Do you understand, Thors? Everything I’ve done seems meaningless now…”
“Dia…”
“Huh,” Dia spread her arms and took a deep breath, then looked up at the stars in the sky and murmured, “But I still want to become a royal mage. To ensure my mother’s sacrifices aren’t in vain—this should be my life’s goal…”
Glancing at Dia, Jiang Zhe said earnestly, “You definitely can!”
“Giggle,” Dia laughed softly, turning to look at Jiang Zhe with a smile. “Thank you, Thors. What about you? What’s your goal?”

“Me?” Jiang Zhe scratched his head, thought for a moment, then shrugged and said, “I heard that becoming a royal mage means losing freedom—you’d be ordered around by others to do this and that. It’s too troublesome. I don’t like it. If I had to pick an ideal… I want to learn powerful magic!”
“Powerful magic?” Dia looked at Jiang Zhe in confusion and asked, “For what purpose?”
“For what purpose? To learn powerful magic, of course. As for what to do with it… I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet. I guess I’d do what I want to do. I don’t like being restricted…”
“Don’t you want to become a royal mage?”
“No! Um, if I could be unrestrained, being a royal mage might not be bad. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about gold coins. I still owe Professor Hod 500 gold coins!”
“Giggle, you’re really a very special and interesting person, Sos,” Dia said with a slight smile, leaning on the railing as she looked at Jiang Zhe earnestly. “I always feel relaxed when I’m with you… Thank you, Sos!” She then looked up at the sky and said softly, “Let’s go back. It’s getting late…”
“Wait!” Jiang Zhe instinctively grabbed Dia’s hand before quickly letting go. He looked at her hesitantly and said, “There’s one more thing…”
“Hmm?”
“Well… there’s a ball in a few days. Do you know about it? That masked ball…”
Dia gave Jiang Zhe a puzzled look, then seemed to remember something, a faint smile appearing on her face as she teased, “Are you trying to invite me? Hmm?”
Jiang Zhe nodded awkwardly, but saw Dia shake her head slightly and say softly, “This is also Lilith’s idea, right? Thank you, Sos. Actually, I’ve been thinking about this for the past couple of days. I’m sorry for worrying you… I’m feeling much better now. Please don’t worry about me anymore. For a ball, you should choose a girl you like as your partner… I’m sorry, Sos. I want to use these days to organize my study materials. For someone without any magical talent, the year-end assessment is a huge challenge!”
“Why refuse?” Jiang Zhe said hesitantly, looking at Dia. “Even for your goal, it can’t hurt to wait a few days, right?”
Dia looked up at Jiang Zhe deeply, smiled slightly, and said softly, “You’re right, Sos—The reason I refuse is because I understand you’re not really trying to invite me…” But before she could finish, Jiang Zhe interrupted her.
“Why do you think I’m not really trying to invite you? Is that okay, Dia?”

“…” For a moment, Dia was stunned. Her subordinate instinctively covered her mouth. Then, she smiled slightly and said softly, “Didn’t that bad girl Lilith tell you? I never accept others’ invitations…” She paused, looked up at Jiang Zhe, and said gently, “But I have no reason to refuse you—As a reward for comforting me just now, I accept your invitation!”
“I actually didn’t say anything comforting…” Jiang Zhe said seriously with a self-mocking smile. “Do you really accept it?”
“Of course,” Dia said playfully, looking at Jiang Zhe. “I actually want to see what you look like in a suit too…”
“Huh?” Jiang Zhe said awkwardly. “I think you’ll be disappointed. I don’t have any suits…”
As if thinking of something, Dia covered her mouth and looked at Jiang Zhe in disbelief. “You’re not planning to go to the ball in this outfit, are you?”
“Mm, I guess so—as long as you don’t mind!”
“Giggle, giggle,” Dia couldn’t help laughing. She teased Jiang Zhe, “You’re really a special person, Sos. Alright, you can wear this. I won’t mind. But what about a mask? If you haven’t prepared one, I think Lilith can help you. She’s very good at this kind of ball…”
“Well… that’s not necessary. I’ll figure it out myself!”
Seeming to notice the awkwardness in Jiang Zhe’s eyes, Dia didn’t say much. She just nodded and said softly, “Then that’s it… It’s late. Let’s go back!”
Meanwhile, not far away, out of Jiang Zhe and Dia’s sight, Ravia was standing with her back against a tree trunk, her eyes showing unmistakable disappointment.
Glancing at the mask in her hand, she bit her lip slightly. Her tightly clenched right hand slowly relaxed, allowing the mask to fall straight onto the ground covered with fallen leaves, making a soft thud.
“Hm? Dia, wait for me!” As if hearing something, Jiang Zhe headed straight toward the sound. Vaguely, he felt like there might be someone behind the tree.
But it turned out there was no one behind the tree. Only on the ground lay a peculiar-looking mask—half dazzling silver, half deep black, with patterns that resembled a clown…
“Huh?” Jiang Zhe bent down to pick up the mask and examined it. “It’s not bad… quite interesting…” He looked around but saw no one.

“Thors, what’s wrong? It’s late, we need to go back!” Perhaps because it was already very late, Dia called out from afar.
“Okay, I’m coming right over!” Jiang Zhe glanced around again, then looked at the mask in his hand. Shrugging, he put it into the pocket of his magic robe.
Meanwhile, Lisa had been waiting for Ravia in their own dormitory. Strangely enough, it wasn’t until late at night that she heard a creaking sound at the door.
“Avi?” Lisa, still in her pajamas, rubbed her sleepy eyes and asked as she watched Ravia enter the room, “Why are you here so late? Did you see Thors?”
“Mm.” Ravia walked straight to her bed and replied indifferently.
“Really?” Lisa, who had been drowsy, suddenly became alert and asked eagerly, “So… did you give him that mask?”
Ravia turned over in bed, facing the window, and mumbled, “Mm…”
Lisa tilted her head and blinked, then climbed onto Ravia’s bed, hugging her friend and saying with a smile, “Hehe, was Thors surprised? Tell me, tell me!” As she spoke, her expression suddenly changed. She sat up, looked at her fingers in the moonlight coming through the window, and noticed that they were slightly wet…
“Avi…”
At the same time, Jiang Zhe also returned to his dormitory. As soon as he opened the door, he saw Allen lying lazily on the sofa. When he saw Jiang Zhe, he said irritably, “Hey, you actually remembered to come back?”
“Huh, you’re still up?”
“Well, there’s still stuff to do!” Allen yawned listlessly.
Looking at Allen in confusion, Jiang Zhe asked in surprise, “What stuff?”
“Nothing, don’t worry,” Allen shrugged. When he saw Jiang Zhe take out a familiar clown mask from his robe pocket, he immediately perked up. Coughing awkwardly, he said, “Whoa! Man, that mask is pretty interesting…”
“Huh, is it? I’m pretty interesting too…”
Looking at the clown mask with a strange expression, Allen stammered, “Um… Thors, do you know there’s a dance party at the academy in a few days?”
“I know. What’s the problem?”

“Of course there’s a problem!” Allen pretended to be outraged, placing a hand on his chest and exaggerating, “I know you too well, Thors. You usually don’t pay attention to things like this… And this cute, unique mask—did some lovely girl give it to you? You bastard are really enviable… Damn it!”
“Given?” Jiang Zhe looked at Allen in confusion and asked, “I found it on the road just now.”
“Found it?” Allen stared at Jiang Zhe in shock, completely dumbfounded.
This… this can’t be right…