Hua Pei District, Lier Holy Street.
"Phew—"
A public carriage hurried along and finally stopped in front of an inconspicuous little courtyard.
"I wonder how the Renee sisters are doing... and also Nado in the yard, I wonder how much she has grown?"
After all, so much time had passed, and he had disappeared on the battlefield; anything could have happened.
Colin stepped down from the carriage and paused slightly as he looked at the building in front of him.
This was his long-absent home...
He had intended to go directly to find Mentor Atbolde.
However, on his way from the Neustadt City Transmission Array to the Tin Saint School, he happened to pass by here, so he decided to stop for a moment to have a look.
But as soon as he got off the carriage, he noticed something was wrong.
His residence on Lier Holy Street was the most common style of courtyard in Neustadt City, with a European-style three-story building with a triangular roof and a front and rear yard surrounded by high walls.
At the entrance was a black iron fence gate.
However, at the moment, the gate stood wide open, which might not mean anything.
But as he looked beyond the fence, Colin clearly saw a young Wizard Apprentice standing in front of the hedge formed by Nado, shouting inside:
"The Alus Association has long ended, and your master Colin has fallen at Gubier Island. This residence is to be reclaimed, and it has already been two days; stop being so stubborn!
Otherwise, I will report to Lord Oliver. Once he takes action personally, not to mention these broken plants, even if your master were still here, it would be of no use!"
The yard was silent, with no response at all. The plants controlled by Nado grew lush and dense, shielding any prying eyes.
'Ungrateful! Just two mere mortals!'
A trace of anger surfaced in the heart of the young Wizard Apprentice as he continued to threaten darkly:
"When that time comes, your fate will not be as simple as just moving out of here..."
Colin remained silent, quietly walking inside, his expression slightly cold.
At this moment, Renee's response finally came from the yard.
"Sir, no matter that Master Colin is just missing, even if the master is unfortunately fallen... but this residence was clearly paid a year's rent in advance before he left. Now not even two months have passed, which makes reclaiming it now seem quite unreasonable.
And if it truly must be taken back, then may we have the remaining rent refunded? Why have you been evasively refusing to address this?"
Behind the green shelter extended by Nado, Renee, dressed as a maid, had a pale complexion, and her eyes were slightly reddened.
She subconsciously clenched her fists tightly, her knuckles starkly visible.
Thanks to Colin's transformations, she had already achieved the level of a Peak Knight, an unimaginably powerful force unlike anything she had known before...
Yet to a Wizard, she still remained nothing more than an ordinary, insignificant mortal.
'The rent... I'm afraid we won't get that back.'
Renee took a breath and weighed whether she should agree to the young Wizard Apprentice.
Then she could sell some unnecessary items from the yard and move somewhere else with Nado, her sister Demi, and the savings left by Colin.
Yes, it would be best to find a place close to here so she could check anytime to see if the master had returned...
"When will the master return?"
At this moment, Demi, who had been quietly looking at the green vegetation in front of her, suddenly raised her head and asked in a low voice.
Demi sounded downcast.
Although she was young, she knew that being blocked at home by this bad person was not because they did something wrong, but because Master Colin was not there.
And they... were too weak.
Renee's nose tingled, her eyes reddening even more.
Disappearing on the frontline, of course, she understood the implications...she just didn't want to believe it.
The young Wizard Apprentice stuttered at Renee's words, growing more impatient, and in a frigid tone, he snapped:
"Take that Magic Stone, I dare you to, but do you dare to accept it?
Ha! Just two mere mortals..."
Renee instinctively tightened her grip on Demi's hand.
"Oh, really?"
However, just then, Colin had already walked up behind the young Wizard Apprentice, and his smile, upon hearing Renee's familiar voice, instantly turned cold as he spoke abruptly.
"Master?!"
His voice was like sunshine dispersing the storm for the Renee sisters, instantly clearing all the chill and fear from their hearts.
But for the young Wizard Apprentice, it was more like a ghostly whisper, frightening him out of his wits!
"Who are you?!"
He whipped around and roared in a low voice.
Colin offered no reply but merely raised his right hand and slapped him across the face.
Slap!
A crisp crackling sound carried immense force, easily shattering the young apprentice's developing defense, sending him tumbling to the ground, thrown aside.
"Ah!"
For a moment, the young wizard only felt a buzzing in his head, with a searing pain on his face.
However, there was not a trace of anger in his heart, only fear.
"Master!"
The foliage in front moved rustlingly aside, and the Renee sisters looked at the familiar figure before them with joy and surprise, their eyes immediately reddening with tears shimmering within.
Meanwhile, the young apprentice shakily raised his head, staring at the handsome wizard before him, disbelieving.
'Their master, Colin Leonard, was actually still alive?!'
"Get lost," Colin said coolly, his face indifferent.
The young apprentice's eyes flickered; he dared not say another word and quickly escaped in silence.
Colin didn't pay much attention to this; it was merely a minor incident…
As long as there was profit to be had, such dirty things would always emerge.
But now… he had returned, so everything like this would collapse on its own, just as ice and snow melted beneath the blazing sun.
Looking at the Renee sisters hidden behind the branches, a smile slowly appeared on his face, and after a pause, he said softly,
"I'm back."
The four words seemed to switch something on, and the glint of tears in Renee's eyes immediately turned into crystal drops that streamed down her cheeks.
She moved slightly, taking small, quick steps with Demi to Colin's side, struggling to contain her excitement.
To Colin, the young apprentice was nothing but inconsequential dust, but to them, without Colin's protection, it was quite the opposite… They were the dust.
Colin smiled and patted Renee on the shoulder, then bent down to touch the head of Demi, who was hugging his thigh, and said gently,
"Me coming back is a happy thing, isn't it?"
Renee wiped her tears with her hand and nodded vigorously.
"Is there anything in particular Master would like to eat? I'll go make it now… How about double-cooked pork?"
Colin stood up straight, swallowing his saliva, somewhat tempted.
The Wizard World had no concept of delicacies, and after two months on the front lines, he had a personal understanding of this, longing for Renee's cooking.
Alas... now was not the time, he shook his head.
"I need to see my mentor first; I just happened to pass by here, so I came to check in first."
"Now that you two are fine, I'll continue on to see my mentor and then come back later."
Renee's face showed some disappointment, but with Colin's return, joy ultimately filled her heart.
"Then I'll get the meal ready for when you come back!" she nodded firmly.
"Mm... in addition to the double-cooked pork, make one of your improved braised chicken with soy sauce, and hmm, make a fish dish too, whatever you feel like."
After reporting his meal requests with a smile, Colin turned and left.
He didn't enter the courtyard, nor did he need to.
The building itself had no meaning; it was people who held significance.
Since he had confirmed that the two Renees were safe, there was no need to linger any further.
...
About ten minutes later.
"Hoo——!"
The speeding carriage stopped at the entrance of the Tin Saint School's residence.
Wearing the School Badge, Colin smoothly passed the inspection of Right Ao and Zuo Ao at the entrance and arrived at the courtyard of his mentor.
As before, the place was wrapped in numerous vines and trees, leaving only a small path through the shrubs.
It was mid-morning, the sky was a clear azure, the brilliant sunlight casting down, falling on the lush plants, creating speckles of golden light and large areas of dappled shadow.
The faint chirping of insects and birds made the quiet and remoteness of this place even more pronounced... as if forgotten by the world.
Colin stood quietly, feeling the ambiance for a while; Nado at the doorway was somewhat weak, but otherwise things were normal.
He stepped forward, approaching the white villa of Atbolde, arriving outside the study on the second floor, and gently knocked on the door.
"Knock knock knock——"
The dull sound of knocking spread far in the quiet corridor.
After a while, an elderly voice slowly said,
"Come in."
Creak, Colin pushed the door open and entered.
Atbolde was "sitting" in front of his desk, looking at him with some surprise, behind him stood the large transparent French window made from a special force field that compressed air.
The brilliant sunlight converged through it, falling precisely in front of the desk, onto... Atbolde's strange body.