“Ms. Aria, are you feeling alright?” Aether inquired with a tone of concern as he gently patted her cheek to rouse her from her stupor.
“Ahhh,” Aria groaned softly, her eyelids fluttering as she struggled to regain consciousness. Slowly, she opened her eyes and found herself met with the curious gaze of a young boy.
“W-Who are you?” she managed to croak out, her voice still heavy with sleepiness.
“…. My name is Aether,” he introduced himself with a polite nod.
Aria nodded slowly, her mind gradually piecing together the events leading up to her awakening. “Wait… I remember now. Something… something fell from the sky!” she exclaimed, her eyes darting around the scene, only to find the monstrous bears smashed and scattered.
Turning back to Aether, she searched his face for confirmation. “Did… Did you do this?”
Aether hesitated briefly before nodding. “Yes,” he admitted, his expression solemn.
“Thank you,” Aria murmured gratefully, attempting to push herself up. However, the moment she shifted, a sharp pain shot through her side, causing her to gasp and clutch at her ribs. “Ahhh! It… It hurts! My ribs…
they’re broken,” she managed to choke out, her voice strained with agony.
Aether averted his eyes… He could not possibly say he was the one who stepped on her and broke her ribs.
Instead, he masked his turmoil with a facade of concern, “You need to get help. If you’re hurt, staying here isn’t an option.”
“Why are you even here?” Aria’s voice trembled, a mixture of confusion and curiosity evident in her eyes.
Aether replied with a resigned tone, “It’s just a punishment.” In reality, he wanted to utter those cheeky lines like, “I came to save you,” but he felt it was way too close for strangers, and he could not possibly say those in front while everyone was watching.
Aria nodded in understanding, contemplating that he might be in a situation similar to theirs, caught in the wrath of the Principal’s anger.
“Rooarrrr!!”
The deafening sound echoed through the forest as the trees nearest to them were violently torn apart.
Aria and Aether turned their attention towards the commotion, their eyes widening as they caught sight of a gigantic wolf with ebony fur and yellow slits for eyes, charging towards them with urgency.
“What in the…?” Aether’s surprise was palpable as he tried to make sense of the sudden chaos unfolding before him. Before they could react, the wolf swiftly dashed past them, leaving a trail of disruption in its wake.
“Kaelen… in his wolf form?” Aria’s brow furrowed in recognition, her mind racing to comprehend the situation.
Aether’s astonishment mirrored Aria’s as he processed this revelation. ‘So he can literally transform into a wolf…? OMG!’ A rush of amazement and disbelief washed over him.
However, his jubilation quickly turned to concern when he felt the ground tremble beneath his feet, signalling an impending threat.
“W-We need to run,” Aria urged urgently, her voice tinged with fear as the sound of approaching bears echoed through the forest.
Aether also felt those vibrations, weighing his options carefully…. Now faced with a crucial decision, he pondered his next move: either play the role of a brave hero who wouldn’t abandon a damsel in distress, or opt for a more strategic retreat. Or… he could surprise everyone with yet another unexpected manoeuvre.
“Hehe….” An uncanny smile leaked from his mouth.
“!!!”
“!!!”
“!!!” Timmy and Kai couldn’t help but flinch hearing that.
“Can you walk, Ms. Aria?” Aether’s voice was calm yet decisive.
“Y-Yes, I can,” Aria replied with determination, pushing through the pain as she struggled to stand, her hand still firmly pressed against her injured ribs.
“Then walk away”
“Hmm? What about you?” Aria’s brow furrowed. She still wondered why Principal hadn’t pulled them out.
“I will handle them,” Aether assured her, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the six dark brown bears now charging toward them.
Aria looked at Aether even though she didn’t know who he was but he saved her so at least she would support him, “I can su–”
“Tsk,” Aether clicked his tongue and looked at Aria with disdain. “Let me make this clear. I am here to prove to everyone that you were all worthless before… our Princess Aqualina Naiadia and… Kai Frostblade?”
Aria frowned upon hearing that, her confusion growing.
Kai, witnessing this exchange, was taken aback but couldn’t help but smile inwardly, thinking that perhaps the Princess’s training was working exceptionally well in shaping Aether’s behaviour.
Aqualina’s eyes widened in disbelief and irritation. ‘What the hell? Shouldn’t he be trying to save her with some cheeky lines, like in the books… tsk, you are wasting a chance, Aether!!!!’ The Princess thought with annoyance, her expectations clashing with Aether’s unexpected approach.
She thought Aria the Elven Queen would be under her but it seems Aqualina needs to teach Aether more about seduction.
However, beneath her irritation… her lips curled up.
[+300 Affection]
Aether smiled upon seeing Aqualina’s reaction, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of determination and calculation.
Yes, Aether’s primary objective was to impress Aqualina rather than focus on Aria, whom he had just met.
What did he know about Aria?…. Absolutely nothing!
He didn’t know a single thing about Aria. Unlike last time, he needed to study his target; otherwise, he would surely fail. Thus, he had been waiting for a mission to know who his target was and then gain intel before making up his plan.
However, he never expected ‘Save and Seduce’ to come into play, so he was left with no choice but to take matters into his own hands immediately.
He clearly did not intend to seduce Aria in the first place; all he wanted was to save her first and score Aqualina’s heart as much as possible. Using this chance, he might be able to boost her ego before everyone.
As Aether strode confidently towards the dark brown bears, his mind raced with possibilities. He knew he had the power to handle the situation and most of all he needed to showcase his power before everyone so…
‘Ssshhhhh’
Blue flames flickered to life at his fingertips as he declared, “Behold the power of the Servant of Princess Aqualina.”
[+500 Affection]
/Bang/
‘ssshhh’
The blue flame surged toward the group of bears, its intensity causing the bears to freeze in terror as they realized the impending danger. However, before they could react or scatter,
“BOOOOMMMM!!!”
‘WSssshhhh’
The powerful shockwave swept through the area, leaving nothing but a trail of destruction in its wake.
Aria and Kaelen(who peeked from the trees), who had been observing the events with cautious curiosity, couldn’t help but be awestruck by Aether’s display of power.
‘Hmm… I suppose this should do,’ Aether pondered as he glanced at the Mission tab, noting that the mission was still active.
‘Tsk, that means… the monster isn’t the primary challenge,’ Aether muttered to himself as he retrieved the golden crystals adorned with a single star.
Meanwhile, the Principal observed with a furrowed brow, a sense of concern growing within her. ‘There’s something off about that boy… just as she told me’
“Now you see, don’t you?… It’s not about being chosen or not; it’s about having the heart to act… Even a mountain will move just for you…. Princess Aqualina” Aether stated confidently, his gaze on Aria wore expressions of surprise.
Suddenly,
[+100 Affection]
[+100 Affection]
[+100 Affection]
[+100 Affection]
….
..
It wasn’t Aria who was giving these points; in fact, she hadn’t shown any signs of neutral affection, let alone earning friendly points.
Anyway…. These Affection points were from the students who had heard Aether’s heartfelt words. They were surprised to find themselves emotionally moved by the words of a servant.
A hint of red hue appeared on Aqualina’s cheeks when she felt Aether really being straight rather than tsundere.
[+500 Affection]
[+500 Affection]
Aether grinned seeing his work starting to pay off…. he thought as he observed the sudden surge of Affection points.
Suddenly,
!~Ding~!
[Mission update: Seduce Aria Zephyr]
Aether noticed that the blinking had stopped, ‘Is that all…?’ Aether frowned, recalling that the blinking hadn’t stopped even after dealing with the bears. What had changed now?
‘Something must have shifted after the blast,’ Aether thought with a furrowed brow as he glanced at Aria.
Within seconds, Aether and the others were transported back to the stadium.
“…” Jack Sparrow silently stared at Aether’s back upon arrival on the stage, ‘He looks different and… feels different’ he thought.