"I might not be able to have dinner with you today. I will be going out for a few hours." Inside the school library, Amanda was silently reading her book when suddenly her lover voiced something unexpected.
Resting the book on the table, she asked with a tilt of her head, "Skipping dinner to go to the brothel?"
Her question made him flustered and he instantly rebuked, "Nothing like that! Seriously, how can you suggest such things with a straight face?"
Amanda shrugged, "I mean, as a growing boy who has been restricted by his girlfriend to not take things beyond kissing, surely will look for carnal pleasure somewhere outside, no?" Amanda requested Edric to wait until they graduate and announce their relationship to her parents before taking the last step.
Edric heaved a weary sigh, "And you are cool with me cheating on you?"
Amanda darkly chuckled, "As I have told you before, I will chop it off the moment I catch you cheating." She made a scissor gesture with her fingers with a murderous glint in her eyes.
Edric gulped in dread before assuring her, "Don't worry, I won't let you taint your hands with blood."
Inching closer to her he confessed, "I am taking Alex for a raid tonight."
Amanda raised her brows, "Aren't you suddenly favouring him a lot? That sword you just donated him was worth two hundred gold coins, no?"
Edric was surprised, "How did you know that I gave him my sword?" His weapons always remain hidden at random and in strange spots in his room in case someone tries to attack him.
Amanda smirked, "I know everything about your room. From your inner garments to that handkerchief that Professor Vermillion gave you after you got injured, I know everything."
Edric's face adopted a red hue as he slowly uttered, "Hey...I have already told you that I had a crush on her, so-"
"Had? Or still have? I know you still admire her." Amanda teased to which Edric became more flustered.
He had already told Amanda back when they were friends how he liked this Professor who was always helpful and kind to him. Well, Jullie is good to every student and naturally, Edric isn't the only one who likes the violet-haired.
Amanda heaved a sigh, cupped her breast, and muttered under her breath, "Although I am not as big as her, I still got handfuls, you know."
Edric was now practically melting because of embarrassment as he pulled her hands away and said, "As I said, I am already over that phase and that handkerchief, I was about to return it to her."
Amanda chuckled, but behind that smile, there was a deep-seated fear she was hiding.
A fear of sharing this person she loves so much in the near future. She remains anxious that at some point his attention, which only remains on her now, will get divided.
---------**--------
Alex remained inside his room for the afternoon, and only left once to get himself something to eat.
There is something he ascertained recently and that is a very advantageous discovery for him.
His body, which he needed to heat up before using his sword art, can now be recharged with the help of Soul Energy.
Soul Core is the refining point which allows the user to purify the foreign Soul Energy they absorb. However, the Soul Core can only purify the foreign energy to a certain point. That's why one cannot ingest soul stones directly.
One's Soul Core is situated on the other side of the heart, which explains that either side of one's chest is a vital spot and must be protected.
Damage of Soul Core means one's soul energy production and refinement slows down. Destruction of the soul core means death.
Soul energy is the supplier of energy for every enhanced movement, spell, and skill a soul energy user performs. And when Alex used his sword art back then he consumed thirty points of soul energy.
Not only that but to keep track of Aiden, he also had to spend a few bits of soul energy there.
If only Alex didn't have to spend anything in that battle he would have probably gained double of his actual gain. But, well, no battle can be won without sacrificing something.
'Let's see...' The old scrolls and manuals of sword arts, which the deity provided, summon any moment Alex wishes them to.
He initially learned his originals from a random man when he got injured while on a mission and had to stay there for about six months. After that, Alex kept training in between missions, and once he was adept at using Sword Arts, his success rate skyrocketed.
The reason he got surrounded by Parker's men in his last moments was because he was poisoned beforehand and also, no sword arts works when guns are introduced.
After all, in the end, his body was made of flesh and bones.
In the books he received there are ways of refining one's stance and the scrolls contained several advanced techniques which require a long time to remember and practice.
However, thanks to his elevated learning rate, he learned all the stances within a few hours. However, learning martial arts from a book was never an option or possible.
Heaving a sigh, Alex closed the book and started preparing for the raid.
He would only need a few fifth-grade soul stones in exchange for a decent amount and buy the soul refinement tools so he can hunt and gain Soul points without relying on anyone else.
There was not much time left, so he was planning on raiding as many labyrinths as he could in the next few months.
Taking glowing red stone, some medical supplies and the frozen food supplies he bought earlier from the shop, everything was packed inside the bag.
Naturally, he was carrying the sword Edric gifted him. Although he has yet to use it even once, anything can work until Alex has his reserve of soul energy.
*Knock*
Hearing the knock, Alex got up and unexpectedly, there stood the raven-haired protagonist, wearing a different set of clothes than the usual uniform. He was also carrying a bag and had a brown sac cloak in his hand which he threw at Alex and said,
"Wear this." Alex nodded before draping the cloak over his shoulders.
Once done, the two individuals left the room and advanced towards the entrance with hurried steps.
Just in case, Alex wore a mask over his face which the previous owner used during the festival last year. It was a white wolf mask that had two slits for eyes and a red marking on either side of his eyes.
"Stay behind me," Edric said before he went forward to talk to the security in charge.
Alex leisurely was looking around...when suddenly his eyes caught the figure of familiar redhead advancing towards them while holding her axe.
'For god sake...not her....'
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A/N:- Thanks for reading. Drop some PS, and a review if you are enjoying the story so far. Trust me, it helps.
There is something Valarie understood by witnessing Alex's battle: she can never judge a person based on their past performance.
She watched him closely during the battle because of Amanda's confidence in him. She wasn't sure why but that girl, who only shows signs of being interested in anyone else other than Edric if the person is good with what they do, was suddenly showing such great enthusiasm toward the silver-haired.
It wasn't like Valarie was completely oblivious about Alex, given she often comes in contact with Celestria. Although she is not on that good terms with the Princess, unlike how their fathers are, Valarie still is on friendly terms with the blond Princess. That's why Valarie comes across Alex once in a while and also has watched his fight once or twice before.
However, never in her wildest imagination could she have assumed that the same shy boy who used to become submissive whenever someone glared at him had the strength to not only go against an enemy way above his league but also come out victorious.
The way Alex withheld that much pain of getting sliced at every corner of his body, and also how he never compromised the calmness which he showed throughout the battle against Aiden, made her dumbfounded.
And that sword rebound...was just phenomenal. Last she didn't know whom she witnessed using such a refined technique where, despite having an unfavourable weapon, they were able to wield it with such precision.
From a general perspective, the wow factor of that technique was the sudden rebound of the sword after hitting the ground, but there was more to it. The way Alex turned the sword mid-air and directed it towards Aiden's mid-section rather than bringing it towards his throat—which would have been easier but naturally, illegal—showed that he holds such strength to manipulate his attacks to his will.
Truly admirable.
Valarie used to think that only Edric was worthy of her respect, but no. There is someone else as well, who has the perseverance and attitude to become a knight.
As such, after Valarie got the word that today Edric was leaving the academy for a raid, she decided to tag along so she could get some training done.
She couldn't allow herself, the daughter of a Commander Knight, to fall behind her peers because of her laziness. If she wanted to walk shoulder to shoulder with such fine warriors, then she must train harder from now on.
As such, now she could be seen walking along with Edric toward the Hunter's guild.
....but what she didn't expect was to meet the silver head here as well.
"It might become really messy if you introduce him to raiding without having an instructor around." En route, Alex was walking a few meters behind and gave the duo some space to get done with their conversation.
Valarie knew that Alex was no newbie warrior and had the guts to take risks for the sake of victory, but for someone who was attempting his first raid, Alex needed some mature guidance. Although she didn't suspect Edric when it came to protecting others, Alex wasn't going there so he could just get himself protected by Edric.
"You think the Instructors would have allowed Alex to raid a labyrinth when he has spent his previous two years surrounded by books?"
Edric's question was met by a shrug, as she responded in a matter-of-fact tone, "They have already witnessed what Alex is capable of. Do you think they would have stopped him?"
Edric heaved a sigh, "They will never allow a student who won the first battle after entering the academy to just get started with raiding without getting trained for six months, at least."
Valarie...can't refute that. The Professors have become a little too cautious these days. Although it was said that the pedagogy would change within due time, thanks to the realisation that dawned upon the Headmaster regarding how things were going downhill with the current teaching system.
However those changes would need some time to show effect, and, "Alex doesn't have such patience, from what I have observed recently," Edric uttered
"You know I can hear you, right?" Alex asked in a tired tone.
They are chatting too loudly to even call it a secretive discussion. He was not that far behind them because it was dark in the forest...
Edric was startled hearing that as he turned toward the fellow student and assured, "I wasn't badmouthing. As a warrior, eagerness to get on with real battles is a virtue."
With his eyes falling, he added, "It's just...bringing you there without any professional support makes me a little anxious...that what if..."
"I die out there?" Alex's blunt question stunned Edric as, with wide eyes, he stared at Alex and heard him continuing, "You don't need to worry about me. See, I got no one worrying for me, nor is there someone waiting for me back in the academy. So just-"
Valarie jumped in, "Wait a second...aren't your parents alive? They work in the capital right?" Valarie has heard about them from Celestria before. The reason why Celestria got in contact with Alex was because of them.
Alex shrugged, "Well that relationship didn't last long. They got tired of me and just got rid of all the threads that connected us."
Edric was, just like Valarie, dumbfounded hearing those words. They both have loving parents, so they know the importance of familial love. And here, Alex was abandoned even though his parents were still alive.
"Anyway, shall we get going? Staying here could be dangerous." Alex urged. He really didn't want to get sympathy for this. He only told them about it so Valarie doesn't end up misunderstanding something and starts nagging him.
She can get really annoyed in no time.
Edric didn't say anything to that other than a slow nod before he urged Valarie to keep moving just like the other two.
Silence ensued between the three after that. Valarie was too shocked to speak a word, about which Alex was inwardly thankful, and Edric still couldn't believe that after getting disowned, Alex had the courage to keep moving forward rather than wailing about his loss.
If his family had said that they wanted to sever ties...Edric didn't know how he would have continued to survive. They give him very strong emotional support in times of crisis. And here, even after losing his only support, Alex was showing such an uncaring front to not make others worried about him.
'Whatever happens now, I will ensure his safety, even at the cost of my own life.' Edric swore with his fist clenched.
The trio soon crossed the jungle and reached a city which was still lively even at this late hour.
This city was known for its bread and raid. The city was situated years ago, when the land was getting devoted to the academy.
The King of that time, deemed necessary for having a raiding center nearby for both purposes; responding to any emergency situation and to provide the students with the opportunity to gain some real life experience through raiding.
Although the relationship between the Guild and the Academy is not on good terms anymore, students are still allowed to raid the labyrinth if they could provide the fees.
Entering the guild, Alex was met by a scene just out of fantasy. And the first thought he had was,
'I am so gonna have fun here…'
—------**---------
A/N:- Thanks for reading. Do you like the pace? This story is moving hastily towards that final arc, that's why there won't be many chapters for Slice of Life.
Anyway, drop a review and some comments, if you like the story.
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