Ais couldn't recall how long it had been since someone had touched her so gently.
The long-lost sensation left her dazed, staring at Roy in a trance, unable to look away.
"Hey, Ais needs treatment now!" Lefiya noticed immediately and yanked Roy's hand away, pulling Ais toward her while producing a potion.
The warmth atop her head vanished, filling Ais with a fleeting sense of loss.
Meeting Lefiya's suspicious gaze, a rare blush bloomed on her fair face.
Lefiya felt struck by lightning.
Normally, such a cute expression from Ais would etch itself into Lefiya's memory as a treasured moment.
After all, Ais was typically expressionless, her emotions rarely visible.
This adorable look wasn't for her.
Lefiya glared at the culprit, Roy, jealousy surging.
It was Roy who had elicited this lovestruck, girlish expression from Ais.
"I'll take the potion. Lefiya, hand it over," Ais said, her cheeks flushed, heart racing as an unfamiliar emotion spread.
To mask her oddity, she swiftly changed the subject.
"Okay, Ais," Lefiya averted her eyes and passed the potion.
"It's your turn. Ais was about to finish Udaeus—you pulled her back, so handle the rest," Lefiya urged.
"Wait until it recovers a bit," Roy nodded. Udaeus lay in tatters from Ais's assault, nearly irreparable.
Slaying it now would yield little excelia.
In the ensuing lull, Udaeus went unassailed and refrained from attacking, silently mending its battered form.
After over ten minutes, Udaeus fully restored its shattered body.
It unleashed a deafening roar, assaulting the trio anew.
Yet Roy, having discerned Udaeus's patterns, handled it more effortlessly than Ais.
His expertise let him toy with the immobile monster.
"I can still grow stronger..." Ais murmured, watching Roy's form. The next instant, her face reddened again at some thought.
Lefiya, ever attentive to Ais, nearly wept. She regretted letting Ais explore with Roy.
Still, Roy's prowess stunned her.
Without magic, he dominated Udaeus—smoother than Ais.
"What's with this guy's strength? Isn't he already Lv.6?" Lefiya fretted inwardly.
Roy's power meant Ais would seek his guidance again, fostering more contact and potentially igniting romance.
For a moment, she envisioned Roy and Ais's wedding.
Five minutes later, Roy cleaved all bones from Udaeus, exposing its massive magic stone.
The stone intact, Udaeus's severed bones didn't ash like typical monsters'.
This confirmed Udaeus lingered.
With a slash, Roy extracted the magic stone from its chest cavity, severing the link. He opened his space and stored it.
The instant the stone vanished, Udaeus's bones disintegrated into ash.
"Alright, we can head back."
Returning from the deeper floors offered no shortcuts like slides; they trudged upward, taking far longer than descent.
"Lefiya, how's your concurrent chanting progress?" Roy asked the elf girl, who'd eyed him sourly these past days.
"Concurrent chanting?" Lefiya startled, then stammered, "I've made some headway. I'll master it with more practice."
"Really? Show me the results," Roy smiled.
"What's there to show?" Lefiya replied, lacking confidence.
"You're so confined," Roy teased mercilessly. "Boasting?"
"Who's boasting?" Lefiya bristled at the provocation, especially before Ais.
Just then, over a dozen Almiraj burst from a cavern, eyes glowing red, locking onto the trio.
Middle floor staples, they swarmed in packs.
Roy grasped Ais's hand, stepping aside, and gestured invitingly with the other.
"By the way, Ais and I won't assist. These are just Level 2—they won't kill you. At worst, a few broken bones."
Roy's casual remark nearly enraged Lefiya, especially seeing Ais not resist the handhold, head bowed, expression hidden.
Lefiya guessed Ais wore that shy, endearing look.
Fury ignited, but words failed. She gripped her staff, aiming at the Almiraj horde.
"Proud warriors, forest archers, heed the approaching marauders. Take up your bows, answer your kin's call, nock your arrows, ignite the flames, lights of the forest."
"Command the arrows to fly, let elven fire rain down, and burn the savages to ash."
Lefiya chanted, staff raised.
But an Almiraj hurled, startling her.
The chant broke, rampant mana discomforting her.
"...That's it?" Roy mocked.
"They're just rabbits!" Lefiya gritted her teeth, fleeing the pursuit while flailing her staff.
Though not strength-focused, as Level 3, her strikes proved lethal to Level 3 foes.
Struck Almiraj staggered, nearly slain.
"Lefiya, why not learn swordplay from me? You're wasting your mage potential," Roy quipped oddly.
"You wield that staff masterfully—if you trained swords, you might be the next Sword Princess."
"Ais already holds Sword Princess; maybe Sword Elf or Sword Sovereign next?"
"Who wants your lessons!" Lefiya fumed, yearning to prove herself.
Dodging Almiraj, she steadied and channeled magic.
After near-misfires, she succeeded.
Fusillade Fallarica erupted, annihilating the remnants.
"See? Concurrent chanting's no big deal," Lefiya boasted, face smug as she eyed Roy.
"Congratulations, Lefiya," Ais said. "Roy's method works."
Lefiya beamed at the praise but tangled at the credit to Roy.
He'd deliberately trained her, enabling mobile casting amid evasion.
Though unmastered, she'd grasp it soon, recalling the sensation.
But Roy's approach irked her.
"Thank you," Lefiya mumbled shyly.
"You're welcome," Roy waved off. "Actually, I just wanted to see your face chased by these monsters—it was hilariously dumb."
Lefiya erupted: "#!!!"
Read advance chapters at:
200 Stones = 1 chapter
400 Stones = 2 chapter