Free Web NovelChapter 331: Chapter 329: Rapport
After the two of them smoothly dealt with the sea monster, they made a quick escape, not giving the ’Superpower Management Committee’ a chance to catch them.
During this time, Hilia felt like someone was really tailing them, but thanks to Miss Hilia’s rich experience, they managed to lose their pursuers!
After that, Rose took Hilia to the amusement park, the arcade, the beach, and other places to have fun. Strangely enough, as soon as they’d had enough fun at each spot, a monster would pop up and cause chaos.
Hilia blamed herself for attracting all that trouble, but seeing the satisfaction and emotional support in Rose’s expression made her feel totally content.
As night fell, the final place Rose took Hilia was an upscale restaurant perched atop a high-rise, offering a view over the entire city.
Standing before the restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling window, Hilia gazed intently at the tiny, ant-like people and the endless stream of cars below, marveling at the city vibe so utterly different from "a thousand years later."
The whole day, even when monsters showed up suddenly and interrupted their fun, Hilia stayed at max happiness, enjoying herself to the fullest.
To top it off, Rose brought out a birthday cake for her during their dinner and let her indulge in food she’d never tasted in her entire life.
Looking at the colorful spread and the lively streets outside, the girl’s eyes shone with awe. "The Abyssal Religious Group always uses the glory of a thousand years ago to trick people into joining," she sighed. "I didn’t get it before, but now... even I want the world to be like this again. Prosperous, vibrant."
Rose grinned, "You say in a thousand years, everyone will be superpowered. Personally, I think that’s the best. Right now, everyone is just ordinary, only a few have powers, and if a monster attack happens, most people can’t even fight back."
"But even if everyone gains superpowers..."
"Underneath all this prosperity, there are still so many ugly things. There’s nothing new under the sun."
"I know! But if it’s you, you could definitely create a better world. I want to build it with you!" Hilia looked towards Rose.
"You’re giving me too much credit. I’m just a regular person. Anyway, let’s stop talking about that. Once we’re done eating, let’s go sit by the river."
Hilia nodded. "Okay!"
After thoroughly enjoying their meal, the two left the restaurant and headed to the riverside park down below.
Rose looked at Hilia. "Come on, close your eyes."
For a moment, Hilia hesitated, then closed her eyes expectantly.
"Countdown with me. Three, two, one—open your eyes."
Hilia opened her eyes, still confused—when suddenly a loud boom exploded above them.
Looking up, she saw a splendid firework blossoming in the sky.
Soon, even more fireworks lit up the other side of the river, drawing all of Hilia’s attention.
"Did you prepare this, Mr. Rose?" she asked, turning to look at him.
"Yeah. Happy birthday, Hilia."
"Thank you!"
The girl lost herself in the fireworks show.
Only after the last burst faded did she and Rose return to where it all started—a plain old apartment.
"You go to bed first. I have to work overtime," said Rose.
"Overtime?" Hilia was puzzled.
"I still have work to do. Go ahead and sleep. I’ll just lay out a mat later."
Sleepiness crept up on Hilia. She yawned, obediently listening to Rose: "Okay, I’ll go to sleep first, then. Good night, Lord Rose."
With that, Hilia lay on the bed and quickly drifted off.
...
Hilia slowly opened her eyes, still basking in the beauty of that last firework.
As her vision came into focus, a familiar hotel ceiling appeared overhead, and the girl was left staring dazedly.
Emptiness and disappointment hit at the same time.
"So... it really was a dream."
Before sleeping, she’d thought about how to grow alongside Rose, slowly become a god, and change the whole world together.
But once awake, the dream faded too.
And yet...
That dream felt so real.
Hilia’s mind was still a bit foggy. Looking around, the scenery seemed blurry, almost unreal.
This... is the dream, isn’t it?
Hilia patted her head.
At that moment, a cool feeling emerged in her mind and slowly spread through her body.
That sensation gradually woke her up.
"Your thoughts are a little scattered, as if you’ve been hit by a dream magic. Did something happen?" Rose’s voice sounded.
Hilia looked at Rose’s projected image, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "So it really was you, Lord Rose!"
Rose smiled, "What are you referring to?"
"Of course, you made me dream of a thousand years ago!"
Remembering what she’d done ’a thousand years ago’—teaching Rose meditation, protecting Rose—Hilia wished she could crawl into a hole and disappear.
Damn Mr. Rose, he really does love watching people get embarrassed!
"Oh? So you dreamed of things from over a thousand years ago?"
Rose’s words made Hilia pause. "What do you mean?"
Rose smiled. "Wasn’t it your birthday yesterday? I gave you a dream as a birthday present. So, tell me—what wonderful dreams did you have?"
Hilia’s blush deepened. "N-nothing much. It was a really lovely dream, though. Thank you, Lord Rose."
As she spoke, she felt herself relax inside.
Looks like Lord Rose just gave her the dream, but didn’t actually know what happened in it.
No wonder the Rose in her dream was so clueless—so easy to tease.
But... was the dream Rose really not the real Lord Rose?
Hilia decided not to dwell on it.
She’d been so bold in that dream, and the real Rose just pretended not to know. That said it all.
The girl’s mood gradually lifted.
"I really like this gift. Thank you, Lord Rose!"
"As long as you like it."
Hilia got up from bed and checked the time on her wristband. "Time for more special training today! I need to get Benovia and the others together to practice before the second round starts. We need to build some serious teamwork."
"All right, go ahead."
Over the next few days, Hilia barely left the hotel, training in the park behind it with Benovia and the rest. They also followed Rose’s training plan from yesterday to improve.
Even though there were only a few days left before the second round and the results were minimal, at least they wouldn’t get rusty and embarrass themselves later on.
During these two days, things were quiet on the Sect’s side. Maybe it was because their base in Kost City got destroyed. Aside from the explosion on her birthday night, nothing unusual happened after that.
That explosion, according to an official investigation, was caused by operational error during drug development at a certain merchant company, leading to the destruction of the entire building—and the adjoining two buildings were left tilting on the verge of collapse.
As for the number of casualties, the count was still ongoing.
Given the Northern Alliance’s efficiency, they probably wouldn’t finish counting until after the Mage League was over.
And so, time slowly crept closer to the start of the elimination rounds.
