23 The Villain’s Way to Go Home

"It's a good thing that I possess light magic; if not, how will you manage to walk through this dark place?"

When Astrid lost her balance as she tried to stand up on her own, she twitched her foot. She forgot that she was sitting in a big root and did not notice one small root where she stepped. Due to pain, she failed to leave the spot, causing Livius to carry her sitting in the same place.

While sitting on the root, Astrid's twitched foot was on Livius's lap, and he was treating it using his light magic. When she heard what the young man said, her ears seemed to ring like he was saying he was there for her.

She darted a gaze on him. "You talked too much! Shut up and treat my foot so we could get out of here!"

Astrid may not notice Livius' smile, but it is his response to her. He doesn't expect Astrid to thank him and is more likely not to think she would be nice to him because he looks after her in the dark forest.

After a few seconds, Livius was done treating Astrid's left foot. "Now, try to stand up again, but try it more cautiously," he said while slowly removing her foot from his lap.

Livius stands up before Astrid, then offers his hand again to help her get up. "And this time, can you hold onto my hands to avoid twitching your foot again?" he asked her softly.

The frown on Astrid's brows never faded, and she even rolled her eyes on Livius even though he didn't notice it. But despite her irritation with him, and even though she was reluctant, she eventually accepted his offer. She doesn't intend to hide her anger with him as she wants him to notice that she still doesn't like his idea of giving her a hand.

Finally, Astrid manages to get out of the big tree's roots with the help of Livius. They are now standing in the ground. "Where are we headed now?" she asked Livius.

Livius knew that if he admitted to Astrid that he didn't know how to return to where they came from, she would surely get furious at him. So, even though he doesn't want to lie, he does it for his own sake. "We will go through here," he said as he pointed the way on their right side.

Astrid doesn't complain about it. Instead, she follows Livius as he walks. They are silent while walking through the way. Livius's only guessing the right way to his house. He had nothing in mind except his wish to choose the right way because he did not know what to do if they got lost.

After several minutes of walking, Livius was mildly surprised when Astrid suddenly held onto his left arm. He looked at her to ask what was wrong, but when he saw the frightened on the young woman's face and the bitter smile on her lips as if she was forcing herself to act tough, Livius let her do what she wanted, and he brought his attention on the way they are heading.

"Next time, you should suggest where you want to hold our training," Livius said. "You don't have to force yourself—"

"Who told you I was getting along with your idea of doing the training in the middle of the forest? I went here because I thought you had a place to train comfortably. And for the record, I voluntarily do it, not because you want it. The only problem is that you didn't tell me we'll sit on the ground! Because if I knew, I wouldn't allow myself to be in here!" Astrid complains.

"Okay, fine, forget it then. But don't repeat what you did earlier, insulting my friend in front of me. We can get along if you don't badmouth us that much."

She briefly froze when she remembered why they were in the dark forest. Astrid knows she had made a mistake earlier, but she has no will to ask for an apology from Livius's friend because she doesn't want him to think that she's lowered her status for a commoner like them.

"It's his fault, so what I said to him is only right!" Astrid insisted.

Livius couldn't help but sigh when he heard the young woman's response.

In all honesty, he brought up that conversation to momentarily distract Astrid from her fear while they were still in the forest. However, as the conversation progressed, he couldn't deny that he was hoping for a positive response from her. Unfortunately, all he got was disappointment.

"It's a shame because of your quarrel; I didn't see you use your mystic wand. That's what I was looking forward to earlier," Livius replied, disappointed.

Astrid felt her cheeks flush. "Look forward—" She didn't finish her sentence. Instead, she redirected the conversation back to Verrell. "Blame your useless friend; he ruined my day!"

Although Livius couldn't see Astrid's reaction, he could hear in her tone that she was surprised by what he said. His own words also took him aback. He thought Astrid might get angry again because what he said seemed pointless, but she might have felt flattered.

"Next time, don't let our training depend on your friend's wants. There are three of us here, so everyone's needs should be considered, not just his!" Astrid added.

Livius couldn't help but smile and chuckle softly at what he heard. "Us? Does that mean you're still going to join our training?"

"Uh—" Astrid avoided his gaze and pushed him so she could let go of his arm. "Ta-ce!" she said.

A genuine smile appeared on Livius' face, and he couldn't explain it, but some of him felt relieved by what Astrid said. Maybe it was because he no longer felt guilty, thinking something terrible might have happened to her after she left.

"You can wipe that smile off your face; it's annoying!" Astrid retorted, playfully punching Livius' shoulder. He moved out of the way and chuckled softly at her antics.

However, their teasing was cut short when they heard rustling not far from where they were. The two stopped, and Astrid held Livius' arm again. Livius became alert and observant of their surroundings, preparing for whatever might happen next.