"Fuuu..."
I exhaled deeply, finally leaving Zeva's ho.
After that conversation, I ended up staying a bit longer than I'd planned. But, strangely enough, she seed much calr this ti—way calr than before.
Now, I was heading back to my dorm.
Only three more days until the end of the sester.
And with that...
I'd be done with this damn academy.
I could already feel the relief.
Gosh, how I miss Silverleaf. The city, the people... and especially those little guys.
I couldn't wait to see them again.
I walked down the bustling streets, people chatting, shopping, or just enjoying their ti. Small stalls lined the road, selling everything from trinkets to street food.
Couples walked hand-in-hand, lost in their own world.
...Couples, huh?
I couldn't help but think of Vivian. I hope she's doing alright.
And there's also Maria and Mia.
My relationship with them isn't as close as it is with Vivian, but Mia especially... she's always been so forward with .
"...They must have gotten stronger."
I mumbled to myself.
"Who's gotten stronger?"
A voice suddenly interrupted my thoughts.
"...Rose?"
I turned around, surprised to hear her voice.
But as soon as I saw her, I frowned.
Her eyes were heavy, dark circles under them.
She looked like soone who hadn't slept in weeks.
"You alright?"
I couldn't help but ask in concern.
"...Yes."
She answered, but there was a clear irritation in her tone.
"You sure? You don't look—"
"I'm fine, Aestrea." She cut
off sharply, her annoyance clear.
What's up with her today?
Despite her sleepy eyes, there was sothing different about her. Her hair was styled, and her clothes... well, she wasn't wearing the usual academy uniform.
She was actually dressed... like she was out to do sothing.
Is today a 'revolt day' for her?
We stood there for a mont in silence, and honestly?
The whole thing felt weird.
"...Do you need sothing?" I asked, trying to break the tension.
"...Yeah."
"What?"
"...Kiss ."
I blinked in surprise.
"Huh?"
My eyes widened.
"W-what did you say?"
I was actually surprised by her bold words.
Every interaction I had with her made her shy, and now, she was asking
to kiss her directly, which was VERY unusual of her.
"I said..."
She took a step forward, her soft mountains slamming against my chest, as she hooked her arms around my neck, pulling
closer.
"Kiss ."
She looked up at , her lips perked up as she tiptoed, closing her eyes.
I stared at her in silence for a mont.
Sigh...
I could've kissed her, really.
I wanted to.
But...
Plop!
I flicked her forehead instead.
"...What are you doing, Rose? Did you have a drink or sothing?" I smiled, looking at her with calm eyes.
Rose winced, her hand shooting up to rub the spot where I flicked her. She shot
a glare, her eyes filled with frustration.
"...I'm not talking to you anymore!"
With that, she spun around and stord off, leaving
standing there.
I stared after her, the smile that had crept onto my face fading.
"...Not this shit again..."
My eyebrows furrowed.
Mana Stress.
That's what it was called.
It's a kind of stress related to overusing mana, pushing it beyond its natural limit.
When soone gets Mana Stress, their ntal state starts to fracture. They beco the exact opposite of themselves—like they're switching personalities.
And just looking at Rose...
I could tell that's exactly what was going on with her.
But it's not a big deal. It's not dangerous. She just needs to rest. Maybe take a break from using her mana for a while.
That's probably a problem for her since she's a full-fledged mage, but still, if she wants to get better, she needs to do it.
Anyway...
This wind is quite nice.
Maybe I should go to the black market and et up with Yara.
I can take the opportunity to tell her goodbye and talk about the assassin organization that attacked .
With that in mind, I turned down one of the narrow, shady alleys just off the main street.
Funny thing is, every corner in this part of town seed to have so kind of secret path leading into the black market.
I dunno why.
As I moved through the dim alley, I spread out my mana, carefully checking everything around .
I kept an eye on the people sitting or lying along the walls—beggars, drunks, shady types. Anyone could be a threat.
Step...!
And just as I expected.
One of them tried to jump .
"Haaaa..."
I let out a long, annoyed sigh.
Fwip!
I instantly turned around and grabbed the wrist of the guy who was going to attack .
Crack!
I twisted it sharply.
The sharp sound of bone snapping echoed off the walls.
"AAARGHHHH!!"
The guy scread in pain, loud and broken.
Before he could even try to cry out again—
Fwoop!
CRASH!
I threw him hard against the stone wall. He slamd into it with a thud, then crumpled to the ground. Blood started to pool around him, thick and dark.
"...Anyone else?"
I turned my head slowly, letting my eyes scan the others still lurking nearby.
"N-no, no, of course not, sir..."
They backed away quickly—hands raised, eyes wide.
I let out a soft sigh and shook my head.
They were still harboring bad intentions towards .
『 Ice Generation! (?? 1st-level Spell ??) 』
A small shard of ice ford in my hand with a soft hum.
Without hesitation—
Fwoop!
Splurt!
I sent it flying straight into the man on the ground.
Blood sprayed as it hit him. He let out a weak, wet groan.
"This is your only warning," I said plainly.
"HAH!!"
That did it—they all scattered like rats, running in every direction.
With the path clear again, I kept walking deeper into the passage.
The air got colder, the lights dimr.
Then, right at the end of the narrow tunnel, I saw a big man standing in front of a stone doorway.
Sothing about his face looked familiar.
...Wait.
Wasn't he at Yara's place?
As soon as he saw , the man stepped forward and bowed politely.
"Ah, Mr. Moon. It's a pleasure to see you."
I stopped and narrowed my eyes.
"...You know ?"
He smiled gently, standing up straight.
"Why, of course. You're our mistress's little husband, aren't you? My brother made sure to let
know about you."
My eyebrow twitched up.
Little husband?
Seriously?
I stared at the guy for a second.
"Little husband?" I repeated, my eyebrow twitching.
The man grinned, completely unbothered. He had a thick build, taller than
by at least a head, with broad shoulders that made him look like a damn boulder.
"That's what my brother said," he nodded.
"You're the lover of our mistress, after all."
I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose.
"Just open the door."
The guy chuckled but obeyed, stepping aside and pushing open the heavy stone door.
Creeeak...
The sll of smoke, alcohol, and sothing faintly tallic hit
imdiately.
The black market was always like this—dim lights, people hunched over tables making shady deals, and rchants whispering about 'special products' they had in stock.
I stepped inside, walking past a few stalls selling everything from enchanted daggers to stolen spellbooks. So eyes followed , but no one dared to get too close.
Smart.
I made my way toward the deeper part of the market, where Yara usually stayed.
Sure enough, I spotted her sitting in her usual spot—a plush seat in a private booth, one leg crossed over the other, swirling a glass of red wine in her hand.
She looked up as I approached, a sly smile curling on her lips.
"Well, well, if it isn't my dear Aestrea," she purred.
"Finally coming to visit your wife?"
I exhaled.
"Since when are you my wife?"
"Since you let
leave a mark on you," she teased, taking a slow sip of her drink.
I ignored that.
Instead, I pulled out a chair and sat down across from her, leaning forward with my arms crossed on the table.
"We need to talk."
Yara's smile didn't move. Calm, like always.
"About what?"
"An assassin group ca after
not long ago. I want to know which group it was and their location."
Her expression twitched.
The playful look in her eyes disappeared. Her brow tightened.
A small vein popped on her forehead.
Crack!
The glass in her hand shattered without warning, sharp shards falling to the floor.
"They seriously tried to kill you?!" she snapped.
Her voice was cold—scary cold.
And then…
The air around us started shaking.
The space around us began to crack.
Like... literally crack.
Crk… crk...
Lines appeared in the space itself, like cracks on glass, and beyond them, tiny stars shone through like we were looking into another dinsion.
"Yara! Hey—calm down!"
I quickly reached out and grabbed her shoulders.
As soon as she felt my touch, her wild, glowing eyes began to calm. The rage in them slowly faded. She let out a deep sigh, closing her eyes for a mont.
"I'll take care of them," she muttered.
"I'll wipe them out myself."
I interrupted almost imdiately.
"No."
I refused her proposal.
There was no way I was leaving the job of destroying that organization to sobody else after they attacked it.
She opened her eyes, confused.
"There's no way I'm letting anyone else handle this," I said.
"They ca for . I'm going to finish this myself."
Yara stared at
for a mont.
Then… she smiled.
Not a teasing one this ti.
She walked over slowly, heels clicking against the stone floor with every step.
Click… click… click...
She stopped in front of , then suddenly sat on my lap, her hands resting on my shoulders as she leaned in.
I leaned back on the couch, one eyebrow raised.
"Well…" she purred, tilting my chin up with one finger, her lips just inches away from mine.
"What's your plan then, my dear?"
She gave a slow, sly grin, pressing her body just a little closer.
I couldn't help but chuckle softly, wrapping my arm around her waist, pulling her in just a little more.
"First, I need information..."
I slowly lowered my hands.
"I need nas, hideouts, anything. I'm going to tear this whole thing apart, one piece at a ti."
Upon hearing my words, she gave a playful sigh, like she was both annoyed and impressed.
"That's so like you…" she whispered.
"Reckless. Stubborn... Sexy."
I raised an eyebrow.
This way she was speaking was quite familiar to .
I think it was when I t her that she gave
multiple adjectives, telling
how "aweso
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