There was now less than an hour until the time when they finally departed to carry out the mission, Emery decided to use the remaining time he had left to look for the serpent girl.
After exploring the cargo ship, he found her standing by the window at the corner of the living quarters, her eyes staring towards the vast and empty dark space.
As soon as he got closer, the white-haired girl spoke, still looking straight ahead.
"Took you this long before looking for me?" A self-mocking chuckle escaped her mouth. "I guess it really doesn't matter whether I am in or out... You just don't care."
As if he didn't hear her words, Emery continued his steps and calmly arrived before her.
"I'm sorry. I was occupied earlier, but I am here now if you want to talk about it."
The girl gave a sigh before saying, "Are you here to persuade me to join the mission?"
"No," an immediate response from Emery, which surprised her slightly. "I'm here just to see how you are doing, I wonder what is happening to you. Why sudden change of heart about the mission?"
Hearing the sincerity in his words, Silva heaved a huge sigh, "I know that the mission will be dangerous, but when I really saw what we would be facing... I couldn't help but feel extremely anxious. Not by the impending fight or the possibility of the mission failure, I'm instead terrified that I have made a mistake by getting you into this mess."
Emery's heart sank as he heard the girl's words as she poured her heart out to him, explaining how she was doing all of this to keep Emery from returning to Earth and how she had begun to regret her selfish act.
"I am such a silly girl, am I?"
At those words, Emery looked the white-haired girl in the eye and said firmly, "You are indeed erratic, but far from silly... you are the kindest and bravest girl that I know."
Silva felt her heart stop for a second after hearing those words. Turning her head away from him, she said, "You shouldn't say words you don't mean."
Shaking his head, Emery said, "No, Silva. I'm glad you came to tell me about the mission. In fact, I am very grateful for the many things you have done for me. So no, I really meant what I said."
The girl did not immediately reply to Emery's words. She was silent for a few seconds, then, to his surprise, a tear fell down her cheek.
Before Emery could do anything, she turned to him with an expression as if she desperately wanted to say something, but it was very difficult to actually let it out.
"What's wrong, Silva?"
Wiping the tears from her cheek, Silva took a round of breath before saying, "I keep thinking about that time on the island, when we were stuck together. I really wish for something like that to happen again. You know, away from all these things... just a few months, just like last time..."
Emery just smiled at those words. Even though he vividly remembered how they desperately wanted to escape from that island at that time, once he reminisced about the memory it was indeed quite a pleasant experience.
"Maybe we can do that after this mission." He said with a smile.
There was a sudden change of expression, a pure joy radiated from the girl's entire demeanor. With a broad smile on her face, her eyes lit up like stars, she excitedly asked, "Really!?"
Chuckling slightly at her reaction, Emery nodded, "Yes, I think we can do that. I mean, the headmaster said it would take time before I could go back home, but yes... Why not? We should go on a trip after this."
Silva was so happy with the thought of spending time with Emery, until the latter said something that halted her happiness.
"We can also bring my friends together. Klea and the others, you will love them; it will be great I am sure."
A frown immediately appeared on the white-haired girl's face as she pouted her lips saying, "You are still a fool, Emery." She then turned around and walked away without saying anything else.
A few minutes later, Emery walked to the dock, where everyone had gathered as the start of the mission was quickly approaching. He saw that all five acolytes, who would participate in the mission, were already prepared to the brim.
It was at this moment that the serpent girl appeared and said to everyone. "So... I changed my mind. I've decided to join you all." Turning to look at Emery, she said, "Afterall, you will need someone to watch your back."
Eeshoo didn't seem to mind Silva's inclusion and with that all the seven of them were ready for the mission.
Before they left for this dangerous endeavor, Headmaster Delbrand told them how proud he was of their bravery and how much he valued the sacrifice they were about to make for the Magus Academy.
"Alright, with that said, the mission is a go. Contact King Alduin, we are ready to take off."
The group boarded a smaller reconnaissance ship suited for their mission and it swiftly left the cargo ship dock, flying deep into the elven territory. A total of seven acolytes, two grand magus elders and twenty magus individuals.
Even though their operation was covert, it didn't take long for them to reach their destination. In less than an hour, the group finally saw the target planet in their sights.
"Alright, this should be close enough." Turning to the others, Headmaster Delbrand said, "Get ready, everyone. It will begin soon."
The man took out the Headmaster Staff and began channeling spirit energy to activate it, using the symbols on the acolytes' palms and channeled it into the unique tattoo on Mahinder's chest to start the spell.
Everyone waited with bated breath, as there was some concern that this method would not work. If that happened, then this mission would fail before it could even start.
Fortunately, a minute later, the tip of the staff shone as the headmaster finally got a lock. At the same time, a notification came to Emery's mind.
[Recall in 5 minutes]
Everyone couldn't help but feel their bodies tense up as they waited for the countdown to tick. When only a few seconds were left, Emery noticed the girl next to him was shaking. Grabbing her trembling hand, he smiled and said, "Don't worry, We are going to succeed."