“P-Princess? Don’t you have any healing potions?” Aether asked, his voice tinged with concern. He knew that someone as cunning as her would likely be well-prepared for such situations.
However, Aqualina shook her head slowly.
“I have some, but they won’t work,” she said, reaching into her pouch and pulling out a small bottle. She showed it to Aether, the liquid inside appearing dull and lifeless.
The liquid had lost its usual luminous quality, now resembling ordinary water rather than the potent potion it once was.
She explained, “As you know, these healing potions aren’t perfect and have many side effects. They require Arcane energy to be effective, so without it, they’re just… useless.” Her voice trailed off, her frustration and helplessness evident.
Aether nodded in understanding. He set down his backpack and rummaged through it, eventually pulling out his own bottle.
It too looked like mere water. ‘Tsk, now this is a pain in the ass…’ he thought.
“Hmm? Looks like you brought one?” Aqualina asked, her curiosity momentarily distracting her from the pain.
“Of course, I brought it for you just in case anything happened,” Aether said with a wry smile and pained expression as placed inside his again thinking, ‘Well, now it’s useless for me….’
[+600 Affection]
“I… see…” Aqualina mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper, before drinking the healing potion she had. Though it wasn’t as potent as it should have been, it still managed to heal some of her light bruises and reduce the pain in her body.
The recent battles with Golden Aptitude Rankers and an Arcane King had taken a far heavier toll on her than she had anticipated.
‘Looks like I have a lot to learn…’ she thought, her expression reflecting both pain and a hint of humility.
Her haughtiness slightly… slightly reduced! in the face of her current vulnerability.
“What should we do? Who are they, and why are they after us?” Aether asked.
Aqualina sighed deeply and mumbled, “I wish I knew…”
She couldn’t understand how their attackers had managed to cut off the arcane energy around them. The fact that these figures had suddenly appeared and evaded the Principal’s surveillance meant someone powerful and cunning was targeting them.
‘But who?’ she pondered, her mind racing through possible suspects.
She recalled her last encounter with Jack, frowning as she considered the possibility that he had set this trap. But after thinking it through, she shook her head. Others might have taken advantage of Jack since he was the last person she had fought.
It was natural to suspect him, but he had run away, and she had seen his retirement on the hologram, so he might not be the culprit after all.
She began to consider who else might hold enmity towards her. She hadn’t had many significant encounters with others except for Kai, Leon, Helena, Lia, Aria, and Selene.
Lia and Selene were out of the question, while Aria, despite their unfriendly encounters, was with Aether. She glanced at Aether, who wore a worried expression, his concern for her evident.
“Did you… succeed in your mission?” she asked, her voice steady despite her pain.
Aether flinched and hesitated to answer, his eyes darting away from hers.
“Come on, I don’t have time for games,” she pressed, her annoyance clear in her tone.
“….” Aether hesitated for a moment longer before finally nodding, his reluctance plain.
“… I see. Good, you did your job,” she said, noticing a small blush creeping up on Aether’s cheeks, which made her frown slightly as her heart skipped a beat. She shrugged it off, deciding to remove Aria from her list of suspects, leaving only Kai, Leon, and Helena.
She wasn’t entirely sure about Kai.
It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him—about 70%—but she frowned at the thought of Kai’s father, who was eager for power and might attempt something nefarious. As for Leon, she had some lingering doubts, and Helena… she knew that as a Saintess, Helena wouldn’t resort to such underhanded techniques.
Aqualina groaned in frustration, feeling a headache coming on as she tried to piece everything together. The situation was more complicated than she had initially thought.
“I wonder if it could be Kaelen,” Aether mumbled, pointing to Aqualina’s dull crystal badge, identical to Aria’s.
Aqualina frowned, recalling a warning message from her mother, advising her to be cautious around Kaelen. She remembered that the last person she saw with Jack belonged to Kaelen’s tribe.
As Aether recounted his part of the story, everything began to make sense to her.
“That… dog,” Aqualina gritted her teeth, “He was playing with everyone!”
Suddenly, Aqualina began to cough violently. “Cough, cough!”
“P-princess?” Aether immediately stood up and tried to wipe her blood, but Aqualina glared at him, causing him to step back.
Aether simply stared as she used her own kerchief to wipe her blood, “Let’s wait here… for now, we cannot face twenty-five fully grown opponents. Even if we manage to kill them, we can’t be sure what other plans they have. It’s better to hide until the time is up. Once the Principal knows I didn’t return, she will come for us. So, let’s wait…”
Aether bit his lip, looking at her battered body…..Aqualina smiled gently and said, “I am fine, you don’t need to worry.”
“I-if the princess says so…” Aether replied, his lips trembling.
[+600 Affection]
Filling the sudden silence, Aqualina asked what he did to make Aria fall for him. Aether pulled some romanticized tale from a novel he had read, about a gallant hero saving a damsel in distress.
No way in hell would he tell her the truth!
“I see…” Aqualina nodded in surprise. She never thought he would do something so courageous. ‘He might have a talent for that…’ she thought, nodding in understanding. But then Aether’s next words made her heart skip a beat.
“I imagined Miss Aria being Princess Aqualina, and the next thing I knew, my legs were moving to help her.”
“…” Aqualina froze for a second before nodding, avoiding his gaze, ‘Me… ah..’ she didn’t understand why, but she felt slightly relieved… just slightly.
“You know, Princess, when I thought of you cornered by the wolf, my blood boiled with anger. I almost revealed myself to everyone!”
“I-is that so…” she mumbled, a slight red hue appearing on her cheeks, ‘He is really into me… ah,’ she thought.
[+700 Affection]
“Yes, just knowing someone was trying so hard to harm you… I wanted to kill them!!!” Aether shouted.
Seeing his furious and determined expression, Aqualina’s heart skipped again. ‘H-He would even go as far as killing… for me,’ she thought, feeling a mix of emotions.
[+700 Affection]
“That’s why, as soon as I finished the mission, I immediately returned to you.” Aether looked into Aqualina’s shining purple eyes and said gently, “I was really worried, you know….. I really don’t know what I would have done if something had happened to you while I was away.”
“…” Aqualina lowered her eyes, feeling a little shy in the face of his determined and genuine expression. ‘W-What’s wrong with him!!’ she wondered, her emotions in turmoil.
[+800 Affection]
“Princess…” Aether called her gently, his tone reminiscent of her mother’s warm affection, which only deepened her conflicted feelings.
“Y-yes?” she responded, her voice trembling slightly.
“… I think….”
“Y-You think?” Aqualina’s eyes turned vigilant, ‘I-Is he going to confess now? W-What should I do? Should I reject him bluntly? But…’ she bit her lip, feeling torn, ‘B-But I need him for my plans… What should I do? Should I just accept it for now and tell him the truth later?
But that would be more painful… Argh…’
Aqualina found herself at a crossroads with two difficult choices: either accept him for now to continue her plans by manipulating him, or reject him instantly, though she wasn’t sure if he would still obey her orders. Controlling him would be much harder if she rejected him outright.
“I think… I have fallen for Miss Aria,”
“H-Huh?”
Aether threw a curveball, smirking inwardly at the unexpected twist.