Author´s Note: Hello everyone.
In the normal rotation, BloJ! would now come, but the story will have a small change. It´s just a fun side story and a bit harder to write than the others. So, BloJ will either get a small "vacation", since its hard to focus on 4 stories at once, or will only get a chap every second rotation, have to see that.
As some already noticed, I changed the time how long the Education District needs to return to Orario. In the original story it´s three years, here it´s four. And, (I already changed it in chapter 9 and 10), I changed something for the future story, the number of people on Hringhorni, down to roughly 3.5k people. So that it looks a bit more realistic. I know, aircraft carriers have up to 5.5k crew members, but they get supplies from the outside. If Hringhorni had 10k people, it would roughly need 12t food each day. No way they could keep up the supply. It´s a swimming city, this just wouldn´t work. Not to mention the insane amount of human waste...
Frey55639: I got inspired by the moment of Star Wars Rogue One, where the droid knocked down Jin.
Alpha02fury97: Bell is currently 13 and one or two months. Lefiya will soon become thirteen too. They will come to Orario shortly after Bell got 17 and celebrated being an adult now, while Lefiya will almost be seventeen. About the Harem, the people who read my stories will notice that the first question before each story I ask myself is "Who will be Bell´s partner(s) in this story?" Then I build the whole story around this. His partner is basically the most integral part of the story. So, no, it can´t be changed nor someone added. BloJ! is the only exception, but this story doesn´t have a red string for the story.
What would having more lovers add to the story? The only person who could work would been Lefiya, but at the same time, it could´ve also worked with only Lefiya being Bell´s partner. I have whole arcs planned for the girls, for their growing relationship with each other and him. And for most of the girls, I have either already planned a partner, or that they won´t take a partner at all. A harem would destroy this story and add nothing.
Comteqfr: Alfia won´t be that bad, but yeah, she will get a certain title among the students, starting with D, ending with emon Queen.
Guest: Ardee, Tiona and Haruhime will grow closer before they even meet Bell, everything after that point has to be kept a secret. I will just say this, all three of them will have trouble with him in their own way. Ardee because of her scarred body, Haruhime because of her scarred and scared heart. And yes, even Tiona will have a few problems. I will build this up. As for other development and things that may happen, I can´t answer it without spoiling.
Erebus13: I can´t thank you enough for this long Review. The idea with "Familia Chronicle Episode Ishtar" going to Kaios Desert is so brilliant, I will definitely add it into the story. It helped me to solve a "problem" about including some of Haruhime´s development and things about her that need to be shown, this trip will be the perfect opportunity. And also the idea about Astrea letting Lily be the "acting captain" and planing the days while both remain at home. And yes, Astrea´s motherly behavior and the familia will change Lily a lot. As will the contact with the hero story nerds. (she won´t become one of them, but get influenced a bit). A nice idea letting Lily have the first new wardrobe.
All of these ideas are perfect and got noted, will be used. I will add more moments with others, I don´t know if it will be better to make it like the last chap, almost all about one side, then the next about Bell, or if I should half/half the chapters. Maybe a mixture, some half/half, some pure one side. It´s fun to show more of the others two, so that the individual story parts will eventually merge together at some point.
About the Expedition, I will be honest, most there is for character development. Aaaaaaand...lets just say they will get reminded once again, that the dungeon tends to bare her fangs when someone doesn´t expect it. In ways they dont expect it. (add sinister laughter here)
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Since Bell had entered the Combat Study classes, each day would also include training sessions, Lefiya had helped him with the study plan. Explaining to him after the first class was over how everything worked.
He was amazed by her for the first time, since just like Alisa back then in the camp, she took a deep breath and explained everything at once.
"Basically, there are two types of courses, required ones and electives. Since you joined the Combat Studies Departments, you will have to take Martial Studies and Fieldwork, as well as Combat Volunteer in a form of your choice. Fieldwork and Marital studies are practical classes, for now there won´t be new Fieldwork, since we just finished it and set sails again."
"But I thought these fins there aren´t sails?"
Lefiya frowned for a moment. "Are you making fun of me?"
"What? No! I was just confused about you saying we set sails."
"Oh...alright. It´s a saying. Every other ship in the world has sails, only Hringhorni doesn´t, so why choose another saying."
"Hm, alright. Sorry for interrupting you."
"It´s alright. Where was I...oh, right. Electives. Combat Studies has a high number of practical courses, you will need to take at least six electives to earn enough credits to finish the year. In best case, pick subjects that interest you or that you´re good at."
"And...if I didn´t have enough credits?"
"You won´t be given any right to graduate...I think. If you didn´t get any at all, you would get expelled. But then you would be the first student to enter the District and don´t study at all."
"Alright, thank you for the help."
She had shown him the large sheet of paper where all the courses were written, the ones that Alisa had named in the camp.
"Uah...so much to choose from..."
"Is there anything that piqued your interest?"
"Hm...I don´t think Theological Synthesis would be good for a starter...and even Mom said I shouldn´t pick it. Uncle Zard said I have to pick cooking, and take his class."
Lefiya had chuckled softly when she had heard this, letting Bell blush faintly. As he continued to think, he looked at Lefiya.
"Which electives did you choose?"
"Me? At first, cooking, there are sub courses there, for elvish cooking, far eastern style, amazonian dishes and others. It´s useful. Aside from that, you use a sword?"
"So far one, two later."
"Oh? Then absolutely Swordsmanship, it is said that students who take it have the best chances to get the "Swordsman" Development Ability. The same for every other weapon in their class. I took staff combat, since I rely more on magic, I at least have to be able to defend myself."
Bell nodded. "Mom said something about that too, it was similar for her."
"Does she use a staff too?"
"No, she said something about a Warscythe."
"A Warscythe? Like...the one Professor Vardenburg summoned with his magic?"
"Yes, exactly like that."
Lefiya pictured Alfia in her goth-style dress wearing a scythe and maybe a veil...she liked that image.
"Ahm, Ms. Lefiya, I have a question."
"Just Lefiya. We´re classmates and in the same squad, when it comes to a battle, names need to be shouted as fast as possible."
"Alright, I will try my best M-..L-Lefiya."
"Alright, B-Bell..."
Both smiled a bit wryly. "So, your questions?"
"Yes, do we will get the same teacher each time we have a certain class?"
"No. Sometimes a god takes over the class to teach, especially Lady Idun likes to do that. And even if a god doesn´t do it, since multiple classes are held at once in different topics, we will sometimes to often have different teachers in a class."
"Oh."
"The Education District actually does that also on purpose, so that we don´t only learn from one teacher in a certain topic, but from as many as possible."
"Makes sense, I guess."
They looked at the note again.
"So...Swordsmanship, Cooking, Hand-to-hand combat...that leaves at least three."
"I would strongly recommend magic training. If you have magic, it is important to take."
"Good, that leaves two."
"The Education District recommends not only to take classes that make you stronger, but also that interest you. Like Ancient or modern history."
Bell chuckled. "Oh, I know a lot about this. But Grandpa said there is more to learn. Hm...I always were fascinated in the elvish language."
"Oh, why that?"
"I read so many stories with elves, it was fascinating, Grandpa said the language is something beautiful. While my Mom speaks it fluently, Grandpa said she has a typical human accent to it."
"Is there anything your Mom can´t do?..."
"Ahm...I don´t think so?" He grinned wryly.
Lefiya nodded. "I chose Ancient History. So, how about it, you could take Ancient History too, and elvish. You can help me with the History, I can help you with elvish."
"But won´t you waste your time in elvish, as an elf?"
She shook her head. "It is more than just the language. It´s also about our culture, and that of different forests. I left my home forest at a young age, and Wishe is much different from the other forests. Some say it is the most different of all the forests. And elvish includes dark-elven language and culture as well, even the ancient forms."
"Wow!"
"So, as an elf, you see why it interests me too. And if we have our courses together, we can work together, helping each other. Professor Vardenburg after all told me to show you the ropes."
"I can´t thank you enough, Lefiya."
She smiled warmly. Lefiya didn´t have words to describe her feelings, it wasn´t love at first sight, absolutely not. But somehow it was easier for her to open up to Bell than it had been to anyone else before. Slowly, it became more interesting in the Education District.
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The next class of the day was magic training, so, for the first time, Bell would wear the combat training uniform. A red and white top, with fitting pants. Since it was the general outfit for Combat classes, he also had a belt with a sword for training at his hip. Wearing his own weapons wasn´t allowed in training, it was too dangerous. And even when Askalon...how he had named his father´s sword...looked simple and dull, it was still a first-class weapon, easily able to hack the training weapons apart.
He didn´t even want to think what Albert Waldstein´s sword could do...Zeus told him apparently its name was Tempest. Bell wouldn´t dare to give it a different name, out of respect for Albert Waldstein. When Bell came out of the changing room, Lefiya waited there, her uniform looked similar to his, but she wore a skirt and high socks, so only about one-third of her thighs were visible. Not a single elf, except for a few dark elves, would wear it in a different way from Lefiya. All of them covered most of their skin.
When they entered the training field, Bell noticed at the side the dark elf he had seen before. She only wore a skirt that went down to just a bit above her knees.
The teacher for this class was Leon too.
And someone else.
"Mom?"
The word escaped Bell´s mouth before he could think.
"That´s Professor Cranel for you, Bell Cranel. We´re in class."
"U-Understood, Mo-...Professor Cranel!"
She raised an eyebrow, he noticed his mistake and lowered the volume of his voice. "Understood, Professor Cranel."
"Better."
Some of the other students chuckled, but most of them noticed how seriously Alfia treated Bell, being his Mom or not.
Leon turned to the students. "Welcome, everyone. For today´s class, we will have our new Professor, Ms. Cranel observing the class. So that she can see how we handle classes and find her own style."
The students "Oh-ed" and looked at Alfia, who returned their gazes with closed eyes, a fact that made many of them uncomfortable.
A girl raised her hand. "Professor, may I?"
"Yes, Kate?"
"Since we have newcomers here, wouldn´t it be interesting to see what they can do?"
Alfia slowly turned her face to Kate, who got nervous, then to Leon, raising her eyebrow in a questioning way.
"We encourage our students to speak up, and share ideas that they have so that we all can learn more."
"I see."
The cute prum girl...boy?...at least he wore a boy´s uniform...Bell still wasn´t sure if his squad member was a girl or a boy...raised his...her?...hand. "Professor Vardenburg, while I have my magic, I can´t use it yet."
"I am aware, Chris, Lord Baldr told me about the circumstances."
A few students looked confused at that statement, even more so when Bell raised his hand. "Professor Vardenburg."
"Yes, Bell?"
"I also can´t use one of my magic spells so far."
"Understood. To ease your confusion, students, ears up. Chris and Bell have something that is quite rare among people who received magic. Each of them has a magic spell that would consume more mental strength than they currently have, so their falna blocks the use of it since they would suffer a mind down before they could finish the chant."
"""""""""""""""""""Ooooooh!"""""""""""""""""""""
Bell and Chris looked at each other, the prum smiled brightly. "Heh, looks like we´re the same in a way!"
"It seems so."
The prum was quite cheerful.
Iglin, the dwarf of Bell´s squad raised his hand. "Then how about we have him take my magic on?"
Leon nodded. "Then we will pair Bell with Iglin."
"Eh, Professor? I shall use my magic against him?"
"Yes, Bell. Don´t worry, Iglin uses a special form of barrier magic."
As the dwarf went into the middle of the training field, he mumbled and held both hands forward, then, a wall of slight golden light, with an earthy tone to it appeared.
"Yeah, Iglin´s Rock wall!"
"Always a sight!"
"Do your best, Newbie!"
While Iglin was also pretty new in the Education District, he had been here longer than Bell and already took a few classes in training his magic, so, he had more training than Bell.
"B-But Professor, what if something happens?"
"You use Lightning magic, right, Bell?"
"Yes."
"Lefiya, explain."
"Yes, Professor! Earth element sits in the cycle next to lightning magic, it is strong against lightning."
"Oh!"
"See, Bell? Also, there are other safety precautions here. So, get in position."
"Yes!"
Iglin showed Bell a grin as he got in position. "Whenever you´re ready, Newby."
Bell fought the urge to glance at Alfia for a moment, he could feel her eyes on him anyway, even when she stood a bit further away on purpose, for two reasons. The first was, Silentium Eden, it would weaken Bell´s and Iglin´s magic if she was close by, which would make it harder and in Iglin´s case, maybe more dangerous. The second was a personal one, Bell´s magic was loud...
Way too loud!
Alfia had already told him to do something about it and train to use thunder in a silent way. As Bell looked confused, Zard and Zeus just shook their heads with a wry smile each.
So, Bell looked at Leon, who gave a nod to show everything was prepared.
Bell raised his hand towards Iglin.
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"Thunderbolt!"
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Some of the students cried out and shielded their eyes afterward, a reflex because of the bright light as Bell´s lightning bolt collided with Iglin´s barrier. The thunderclap that echoed over the place let the elves and animal people cover their ears, as did Alfia, but with more dignity.
"Holy heavens!"
"That was so fast!"
"I couldn´t see anything!"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" A raccoon girl was unable to hear anything for a moment.
"Woah!" Chris´ eyes sparkled.
"Ngh...too flashy..." Legi, the dark elf, didn´t look very pleased with this magic.
Lefiya wanted to take a good look at Bell´s magic this time, but there wasn´t much to see. It was just way too fast!
Leon smiled slightly. "Well done, Bell, Iglin. As you all can see, each magic spell works differently. While fire magic is usually quite fast and hard to dodge, lightning-based magic of this kind is simply impossible to dodge. At a high level, it might be possible, but only because that person would see where exactly Bell aimed at. But I have to say, with the lightning bolt not going in a straight line, but jumping slightly left and right before hitting the target, even that could be difficult."
Many of the students applauded Bell´s magic, which let Alfia exhale through her nose in a proud way. Of course, Bell was awesome! He was her super-cute son!
Leon´s eyes wandered to Bell again. "You said you also have a charged version of your first spell and a wide-range version?"
"Yes, I just got the charged version recently, but I don´t know if my aim is very good with it."
"Then you should train with it, this class is for that purpose. Iglin, how is your barrier?"
"Still good to go, Professor!"
"Then, Bell, if you´re willing."
"Alright, but give me a second please."
Even Alfia looked curious now, she heard that after Bell´s status update, he could now somehow charge his thunderbolt, but even she hadn´t seen it before.
Bell got in position again and raised his right hand over his shoulder, almost forming a fist.
"Thunderbolt."
The students cried out again, and with a soft thunderclap, a bolt of lightning appeared in Bell´s hand as if he was holding it.
"Thunderbolt!"
With a crackling sound, the thunderbolt got bigger, Bell grit his teeth.
"Thunderbolt!"
The crackling sound got much louder, the thunderbolt almost looked like Bell was holding a spear! He leaned back and with a scream, jolted the magic projectile forward. In the first moment, it looked like it would move slower, maybe just as fast as a thrown spear. But the moment it left Bell´s hand, it already smashed into Iglin´s shield and exploded in a loud thunderclap, three times louder than before. The force of the impact was so strong, that Iglin stumbled slightly backward, and his barrier got a few cracks.
Yet, Bell´s aim truly wasn´t good. He had hit the barrier at the upper right corner, just barely. He almost missed.
"Don´t underestimate a dwarf!" Iglin pushed himself forward again, focussed on his magic, the cracks closed again.
Unseen by everyone on the field, a single god who stood at the edge of the field, watching over the class from there, smiled proudly.
Just like your old man in heaven, Bell!
For a second, as Bell held the thunderbolt and then threw it, he had looked like Zeus in his younger days, even his eyes had flashed blue again when he did it!
Some of the students heard a soft ringing noise in their ears, especially the elves.
"Huff...puh..."
"That was impressive, Bell. How did it feel compared to the normal use?"
"I would say...as if I used four normal spells."
"So the consumption of Mind is higher, but the concentrated impact is also greater."
"But wouldn´t it be more efficient if I used four normal spells?"
"How about we let our new professor answer this. Ms. Cranel?"
Alfia stepped forward and talked in a low voice, which made it hard for the students with ringing ears to understand everything.
"It would depend on the situation. Some monsters have a higher resistance against magic, so you need a certain strength to break through this resistance. There could be a case where a single spell of you doesn´t get through the resistance, and four one after the other also wouldn´t break through. But the charged and combined version might be able to pierce it then. Even though, the drawback, is also that the enemy will see what is coming since you have to charge it up. And it bears the risk of Ignis Fatus."
"Thank you for the explanation, Professor Cranel."
Alfia nodded simply, looking at Bell, who seemed too happy to get a good explanation from his Mom.
A student raised her hand.
"Yes, Nina?"
"Professor, does this mean that Bell has basically already three different spells in one?"
"It might seem this way, but no. We could compare it to Lefiya´s or Legi´s magic. Legi, if you would be so kind?"
The dark elf with the mask that covered her nose and mouth didn´t seem to be too happy about everyone´s attention.
"If I use my magic over a wide area, the effect is different compared to when I would stack all in one place. The destructive power is greater, but the area is smaller. And it is more dangerous."
Leon nodded and looked at Lefiya.
"I-It´s the same when I use my f-fire magic. If I f-focus it, it b-becomes s-s-stronger..." Lefiya got more and more nervous, not because of the general attention, but because Alfia looked at her!
With opened eyes!
She exhaled when Alfia closed her eyes again.
Leon nodded pleased. "Every one of you has to train with your magic, depending on how you use it, the effect can be different. Let us take Chris´ magic for example. While he-"
He! Professor Vardenburg said he! So, Chris really is a boy!
"-can´t use it yet, he already knows that it infuses his weapon with light and he will be able to set it free. Depending if he does that in a slash or thrust, the area of the effect and the strength will be different."
"""Ooooh!"""
Somehow, Chris looked very proud and satisfied with the attention. "Hm-hm!~~ To be expected of the future guiding light of the prums! Ah, this must be a blessing of the great Fianna! I shall become worthy of you!~~"
Bell looked more interested at Chris when he heard him mention Fianna, but something else also caught his interest.
He raised his hand. "Professor Vardenburg?"
"Yes, Bell?"
"You said that Chris is similar to me, that we both can´t use our magic because it consumes more mind than we have. I can train my mind with my first spell, but how will it go for Chris? If he can´t use it, how will his mind grow?"
Bell got a few approving nods from the other students, some had the same thought, and some hadn´t thought about it so far.
"A good question, Bell. Chris, do you want to answer the question?"
"Yes!" Chris stepped forward and drew the two-handed sword from his back. At least for a prum, it was two-handed.
Bell looked amazed at how easily Chris wielded this sword...and how strange it looked.
Chris beamed all over his face. "Allow me to explain! This is a magi-tech sword, it´s only found here in the Education District and is an achievement of the Alchemy and the Tech Departments! I can use my mind power to activate the magic circuit inside the blade, may I, Professor?"
"Go on."
Chris focussed his mind, then a soft blue light appeared at the blade, surrounding the cutting edge and giving it a bit more range.
"The effect is similar to a curse weapon, but consumes mind instead of stamina, and it isn´t constantly in effect, only when I wish for it."
"Wow! That´s amazing!"
"Hehe!~~"
"Does that mean your own magic will have a similar effect?"
"I guess so, but the description also speaks about different things, and I will be able to use it with a weapon that isn´t magi-tech."
"So, you´re able to train your mind reserves with this weapon?"
"Exactly!"
"That´s...that´s awesome."
Chris turned the magic off and put the sword on his back again, but he felt Bell´s eyes on him. "How may I further help you, magic condition buddy?!"
"Uh? Eh...I just never saw someone using a two-handed sword so easily...and such a form."
Chris´ sword wasn´t sharp above the crossguard, only after the first quarter of the blade, this way, he could even grab the sword at the dull part, which was covered in leather.
"This form is a guardian sword."
Chris drew the sword again and whirled it around, the style of how he moved was completely different from Zard with Grattor. The prum whirled his sword and himself around, slashed, and thrust into various directions, almost as if he was creating a steel cage around himself.
Bell couldn´t help but clap. "Awesome! That looks amazing!"
"Hehe~~" Chris put his sword away again.
Leon slightly clapped his hands to get their attention back. "Bell, do you want to demonstrate your wide-range version of the spell?"
"Ahm...is it still good with the barrier?"
Iglin stomped on the ground two times since he couldn´t raise his hand to show a thumb up.
Bell looked at the other students, especially the elves and animal people. "I...it´s just, the spell is very loud."
Some of them stepped a few meters back, but all of them covered their ears, Lefiya remained the closest.
As everything was ready, Bell turned to Iglin, raising his right hand. It was the exact same gesture that Alfia did when she used her magic.
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"Argo Verion!"
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Bell even pronounced the second word of his magic in the same way as Alfia did, which made her very happy and proud.
But, the way his magic worked was different from her spell. Her spell was almost completely silent, Bell´s was loud.
Extremely loud!
Where Thunderbolt unleashed a slight thunderclap while it moved and a louder at the impact, Argo Verion exploded out of Bell with a loud thunderclap, only he didn´t get affected by the noise. Like a wave of thunder, imbedded with lightning, it rolled forward, got wider and smashed into Iglin´s barrier at the complete area.
For a moment, the barrier withstood it, Iglin seemed to scream but they couldn´t hear him, then the barrier shattered and the dwarf fell to the ground, twitching because of the lightning rushing through his body, his teeth grit together. The effect didn´t last long, his barrier got most of the destructive power, but Bell also slumped halfway to his knees, Lefiya was quickly at his side to hold him up, something that let Alfia raise her eyebrow, and Lefiya sweat as she noticed Alfia´s stare.
Leon went over to Iglin. "Are you alright?"
"Gnh! Gnh...gnh...argh...that hurt...yes."
Iglin refused Leon´s hand and got up by himself, looking at Bell.
"Now that was something! Impressive! You´re good, Newby!"
Bell smiled. "You too, that barrier is really strong."
Lefiya was in thought for a moment. "Professor Leon, why did Iglin´s barrier shatter? From the magic I felt, Bell´s attack was spread over a wide area, even further than the barrier went, so the destructive power at the area of the barrier was lower than his charged attack before. It couldn´t be because Iglin got weaker, right?"
Iglin fumed. "Oy, watch your mouth, elf!"
"I-I wasn´t talking you down, dwarf!"
As usual, elves and dwarves got along wonderfully.
Leon looked at Alfia. "Since Bell´s magic is a bit similar to yours, might you explain it?"
"Very well."
Alfia turned to the class, everyone immediately got quiet.
"What shattered the barrier wasn´t the destructive energy of the spell, but that his opponent lost control, due to the sound of his attack. Keeping your focus under dire circumstances is important, but such an attack on the ears would throw most people off. Especially animal people and elves."
Nina was eventually able to hear properly again. "So, that means, Iglin´s barrier withstood the attack, but the sound got through and threw him off balance?"
"Exactly, sound can´t be stopped by such a barrier."
"But what if someone would wear a magic item to block the sound?"
"Your ears and sense of balance would be protected, that is all."
Bell looked at Alfia. "So, it wouldn´t cancel out your magic, M-...Professor Cranel?"
"Do you really think it would be that easy? If someone did that, their bones would still get shattered, their innards would become mush. And that only if they wouldn´t get thrown back."
"What do you mean?"
"If you get hit by such magic, you will get thrown back. But if something is behind you, let´s say a rock wall or shields of your companions, your body would take the full force of the impact, without a chance to get thrown back and escape it, by "riding on the wave"."
"Oh..."
Alfia turned again to the whole class, she slowly got into it, being a professor. "Not only how you use magic changes the outcome, but the environment as well. Using the area to your advantage is a must. Like this for example."
She flicked her hand in a direction where no one stood.
"Gospel."
The sandy ground exploded forward in a cloud of dust. If someone had stood there, they would now see nothing.
"This also would be a way to get around the barrier. Going under it, or create a cloud of dust and blind the opponent. There are many ways to use your magic if you train it properly."
"""""""""""Ooooooh!"""""""""""""""
The students applauded Alfia, but immediately stopped as she glared at them with an unpleased expression. Leon couldn´t help but smirk slightly.
The class continued and the students were eager, yet careful, to train more with their magic and discussed different ways to use it, Alfia gave them a lot to think about. And Bell couldn´t stop being amazed, he saw different kinds of magic, but the one that fascinated him the most was Lefiya´s fire magic. She currently trained to properly change the trajectory of the different blazing arrows.
"Woah...the way they curved up and then came down again, that was so impressive!"
"Oh eh, thank you."
Alisa pouted slightly. "Hey, Lefi. I told you this more than one time and you never reacted to my praise so bashful."
"B-Be quiet, Alisa!"
Bell looked curious. "Can you hold back a few of these arrows for a moment, or let them hit the target after the others?"
"Yes, but it requires more control, more than I currently have."
"How many arrows can you shoot at once?"
"Six, at the moment."
"Hm."
"Wh-What?"
"I just thought, my Grandpa told me about some strategies that people in the past used against monsters. And my Mom and Uncle told me about tactics in the dungeon too. Like...how do I say it...if you had an opponent with a shield...I mean...hitting the ground with one or two arrows, creating a dust screen. Then let two or three hit the shield directly...and let the rest curve and come from behind?"
"Hm...that sounds like a good tactic, but I think it´s hard to achieve."
"Now that I think about it, what would happen if another spell would hit one of these blazing arrows?"
"They might both explode, but it is unlikely that someone can aim that good and hit them in the air, and if that happened, you would´ve wasted mind power."
"Hm, magic really is fascinating."
"It is."
For Lefiya, the lessons were more interesting and fun than usual.
Yet, the day would end in an unexpected day.
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Lefiya went up from her chair and went to the door of her dorm room as she heard someone knock. So far, she had been alone in her room, it wasn´t that unusual. Students came and left, and especially for elves it took a while before they got a roommate, so that they could get used to the situation at the District.
"Oh, Lady Idun."
"I wish you an aoharu day, young Lefiya!~~"
"G-Good day to you too."
"Hmm?~~~"
"Ahmm..." Lefiya blushed slightly. "An A-Aoharu day..."
"Hehe~~"
"What brings you here, Lady Idun?"
"A situation that I need to talk with you about. You will get a roommate."
"Oh. Alright."
"But due to the current situation, since fewer students graduated than we got new ones, the room situation is a bit tight. So, due to circumstances...we have no other choice, since there isn´t enough room somewhere else."
"What do you mean?"
Idun turned to the door. "Come in."
The door opened, and Lefiya saw a familiar face.
"E-Excuse me..."
"E-Eh?! Him? Lady Idun?!"
"I know this situation is unusual, Lefiya, but we don´t have any other dorm room available for Bell."
Bell stood there with a red face, multiple girls outside looked curious why a boy was in the girl´s dorm. Both young people looked at each other.
"But, Lady Idun, I thought something like that was forbidden."
"It´s not wanted, but Bell promised to behave and not do anything that would embarrass you, he was completely honest. Even though his young Mom was a bit furious when she heard about this."
A bit furious was like saying water was just a little wet. Alfia had fumed, demanded that Bell would instead live with his family. But there wasn´t enough room there either. Zeus had needed to take his own small house, Alfia and Zard shared one, close to the edge of the residential area. It hadn´t bothered her less that there was only one big bed and one bedroom, sleeping side by side with Zard wasn´t something new for her.
And from the bedroom window and small balcony, they could directly see over the ocean! Idun had to be the one to explain to Alfia why it could only work this way, students had to live at the dorms, it would help them get along with each other better, getting used to looking out for other people as well. Only the current situation was very unusual. But as soon as there would be a room available, Bell would move into this room.
"So, Lefiya, if you will give your approval or consent to the situation, we will have it solved. But I can understand if you don´t want that."
"For...for how long are we talking about?"
"Until a room gets free. May take a few weeks."
Lefiya looked first at the big room, then at Bell. The room was more than big enough for two people, and it was even possible to use a curtain to separate the room into two halves, with a bed on each side.
Idun smiled slightly. "I can understand if that is too much to ask of you."
Lefiya looked at Bell. "Can I trust you?"
"I swear on my Grandfather´s name on earth and in heaven, that I won´t do anything that will embarrass you in any way. Not trying to peek at you, not accidentally touch you, not look at you if I wake up earlier and you´re still asleep. And if you would use the shower, I would of course leave the room for a while."
In his small house, Zeus cried bloody tears, having the feeling as if Bell had just betrayed him in some way.
Idun winked at Lefiya, showing her that Bell said nothing but the truth.
"Hm...we could learn together this way..."
It should repel her, the mere thought of it, not only as an elf but as a girl too. This should be outrageous! Having a boy living in the same room as her shouldn´t be alright at all! No way! Nope! No chance!
At least it should be like that.
But Bell was no ordinary boy, he had saved her. He had been so shy and chivalrous at the start, and still was. And there was this strange fascination she felt for him, especially after their first touch. Something deep inside Lefiya told her, that she could trust him.
"I...guess we can try it at least."
Idun smiled. "Wonderful, now just a little something, since I need to inform Baldr...and because Bell´s Mom forced me, I need you to promise me the same thing that Bell did."
"Huh? Uhm, alright?"
Lefiya repeated what Bell had said, except that she didn´t swear on Zeus´ name, but on the name of Wishe.
Idun looked happy. "Alright, both of you are absolutely honest, so no one has to fear of anything improper happening! Ah, this feeling!~~ An aoharu sweet situation! That´s youth!~~~ Enjoy your stay together, you two. If anything happens, just tell me!~~~~"
The blond goddess left like a youthful whirlwind.
Bell had a few bags with him, he looked at the room. There were two beds, one closer to the window, the other closer to the small bathroom. Two desks, two comfortable chairs, two big closets, and even an armor stand for each of them. While actual smiths would take care of the equipment, everyone had to clean their equipment by themself. This would teach the students to take care of their equipment.
He was about to say something when a sharp knock came from the door. Bell somehow knew who it would be, Lefiya looked a bit frightened, she seemed to guess it too.
"Y-Yes?"
"Please, come in."
The door opened, and of course, it was Alfia who came inside.
"Mom."
"Professor Cranel."
Lefiya couldn´t help but gulp, the room was almost shaking.
"I cannot agree with this...my son sharing a room with a girl...that´s outrageous!"
"Mom...it will be alright..."
"How can you say this?! You´re way too cute for your own good!"
"Mom...Lefiya is an elf, she is an upright girl."
Alfia glared at Lefiya, who felt like a mouse in front of an enhanced species of a Liger Fang, with dragon horns and a tail...that was ten meters long and could breathe napalm...
Even when she was scared, Lefiya had her pride as an elf.
"I will not take it that you think I would do something inappropriate!"
"Is that so?"
"Mmh..." Lefiya shrunk down again.
To the surprise of both women, Bell stepped forward.
"Mom, that´s unfair. I trust her, we will both behave and not do anything inappropriate. It actually helps us to study."
Alfia looked back and forth between both.
"I will make surprise visits to check if everything remains prim and proper!"
Then she only looked at Bell. "And I expect you to appear each evening for dinn-"
Alfia´s words slowly ended as she saw not Bell´s but Lefiya´s reaction.
Lefiya cried.
Tears rolled down her cheeks. Hearing how Bell´s Mom ordered him to be home in the evening for dinner... tore into her heart. She fled into the bathroom and quickly closed the door.
Neither Bell nor Alfia said something for a few moments.
"I...will come back later."
"Yes...until then, Mom..."
Bell could hear Lefiya sob and hiccup in the bathroom, he didn´t know what exactly to do, but he didn´t want to stay here and listen when she felt so vulnerable, so he went outside and waited in front of their door.
A lot of curious girls were in the hallway, leaving or entering their rooms, first looking at Alfia, then all of them at Bell. He heard more than a few mumbles, but Bell didn´t listen to them, nor did he get embarrassed. The short moment when he saw Lefiya´s expression, heard her cry, saw her tears...
It was sad...he hoped he would never see her like this again, he had seen her smile before...he felt the urge to protect her smile.
After almost ten minutes, the door behind Bell opened slightly.
"Please, come in..."
He closed the door after he went inside. Lefiya sat on her bed, her eyes a bit red and puffy.
"I´m sorry, Lefiya, that this happened."
She shook her head. "It´s not your fault...or your Mom´s..."
"Ahm..I...do you...want to talk about it? I don´t really know what to do right now if it would be good to ask you, or not...or try to avoid this topic..."
Lefiya pulled one of her pillows to her and hugged it. "I guess it would come out anyway...I...my story isn´t so unusual in the lands...my parents...they are no more. Monsters...you know.."
"Oh...I´m sorry to hear that...my condolences."
"Thank you..."
He sat down on his bed, thinking about what to say. Lefiya had averted her face, looking out of the window.
"What about you?"
"I...my parents too...I...never got to know them..."
"Eh? But.."
"Mom is...my Mom. My mother´s sister...but she is my Mom."
"Oh, I see..."
Lefiya looked at Bell for a moment, the shared pain created a small connection between them. She eventually took a deep breath and looked out of the window again.
"Ahm, Lefiya?"
"Yes?"
"Can you maybe tell me about the dorm rules? Lady Idun said there are a few, that I should ask my roommate."
"Alright. Classes start at eight in the morning. It isn´t allowed to leave your room after ten in the evening, teachers and special students patrol the hallways at night, normally that´s unnecessary. But sometimes..."
"Sometimes?"
"Well...sometimes a few students break the rules to sneak out at night. For some...it is for moonshine d-d-dates. Lady Idun finds these couples every single time, she has a nose for it."
"Oh."
"You are allowed to leave the room and contact a teacher or special student if there is a situation that makes it necessary. Like sickness or something similar urgent. At five in the morning it is allowed to leave the rooms again, many students do some sport in the morning, or go to their shop."
"Their shop?"
"Yes, if you belong to a certain department, and you´re far with your studies, you can be allowed to open a shop, but it is a hard fight to get an empty shop for yourself."
"What do they sell at these shops?"
"Things they crafted for example. Jewelry, decorations and other things."
"Oh."
"By the way, did you already get Ragnars?"
"What is that?"
"The Education District´s currency."
Lefiya went to one of her bags, took her purse out, and showed Bell a few bills.
"Paper money?"
"Yes, the Education District doesn´t have the materials for metal money. I mean, they do have, but they use it for other things."
"Oh. Where do I get these?"
"You have to exchange Vals for Ragnars at the student bank, but you can also earn them if you do well during Fieldwork or in competitions, like the ranking tournaments, there are prizes there."
"Oh!"
"Also, there is a limit of how much you can exchange, so that a rich person doesn´t destroy the District´s economy."
The first person with a ridiculous amount of money who came to Bell´s mind was Alfia. While they talked more, Lefiya calmed down more and became normal again.
"What about washing our clothes?"
"There are times when the laundry room is available, but I guess you have to use one in the boy´s dorm."
"That goes without saying."
While he started to put away his stuff, he noticed something hanging on the side walls, Lefiya noticed his gaze.
"These are magic devices that hang in every room, they muffle the sounds that come from the room. So, even if someone right next to your room is still studying or talking, you wouldn´t hear them, or playing music with a magic device."
"Something like that exists?"
"Yes, but they´re not an invention from the District, I heard they originally came from Orario. Once activated, they record the sounds nearby for a while, then they will replay the sound if you use them again, even on repeat."
"That sounds amazing."
"But they´re expensive, very expensive. I heard from an older student, that some use recordings of forest sounds, waves, or listen to something that someone sang for them, for hours. It helps them to study."
"Wow...the Education District is really something else."
"It surely is."
"Do we have classes every day?"
"No. Normal class days are from Monday to Friday. On Saturday, there are only certain classes and time to study what you want, but only for half the day. The other half and the whole Sunday are meant for any form of activity that isn´t studying. The teachers encourage us to take this day off from studying, even when exams are coming up. It helps us relax."
"What are exams?"
"At the end of a semester and...yes?"
"Ahm...what is a semester?"
Lefiya chuckled slightly, there seemed to be a lot that Bell didn´t know.
"Each year is parted in two semesters, it´s a term for "half a year". So, at the end of a semester, there will be exams. These are like tests, but much more complicated and harder than normal tests. Teachers are free to let us take tests whenever they want, except during exam time."
"And these exams are hard?"
"Depending on how much you studied. The Education District worked a lot on how to create good exams. That they actually bring you forward, instead of just checking how much knowledge you can stuff into your head and then forget everything after the exam is over because you have to focus on the next exam."
"How does such an exam look like?"
"Since we both chose Elvish and Ancient History, they will be in written form. They could for example ask "What is the name of the elven forest that is the furthest in the north? Which forest is the most open to other races? What is the elvish word for friend? If you were to greet an elf you don´t know, how would you greet this elf, which gestures would you make, which words would you choose?"
Lefiya took a deep breath. "As for Ancient History, they would ask all kinds of things, when a certain fortress city was founded, what or who started the Age of Heroes, when and why the gods came down, and so on. As for something like cooking, the teachers will most likely give us a recipe and ingredients, then we have to cook the dish."
"Just cooking a dish?"
"Oh, I heard these exams can be quite challenging. Depending on the recipe and the method you have to use while cooking. Apparently, there was one exam where they used magic to simulate the students taking shelter during a storm and have to cook during that."
"Wow. They go all out with these exams."
"Yes, sometimes. As for combat exams, that differs. You could have to fight a teacher and hold your ground for a given time, or during a given time, be able to land a number of hits. Or for magic exams, while you get distracted on purpose, you have to hit a number of moving targets, or cast your healing magic, or for someone like that dwarf, hold up your barrier."
"So they´re hurdles that we have to overcome."
"Exactly. But all for the purpose of helping us and making us stronger."
"Then, I´ll have to do my best."
Lefiya smiled. "We all do. If you study properly, it shouldn´t be a problem. Also, it would make it only harder for you if you took more than the necessary number of courses in the first year, get used to it first."
"Thank you for all this information, Lefiya."
"Hehe, we´re roommates now, and I´m the older one after all."
"How old are you?"
"Twelve years and eleven months. And you?"
"Ahm...Thirteen years and one month."
"Hmpf!"
Did she...just pout? It looked kind of cute.
"B-But at least I´m older in terms of being a student here!"
"I guess so, so, I will rely on your knowledge."
"Leave it to me!"
Lefiya smiled again, it was just so easy for her to get along with Bell. Bell liked to see her smile, he would do his best to see her smile as often as possible.
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When evening dawned, Bell knew it was time to go to his family´s house. Lefiya sat there and looked lonely again.
Maybe it was just a whim, or something else, but Bell´s question just came out.
"Do you want to come too?"
"Huh?"
"I´m sure there is enough room for another person."
"But that´s your family´s dinner, I can´t intrude..."
"It will be fine, like that, I can introduce my roommate to them."
Lefiya´s heart was torn. Loneliness, missing the warmth of a family, being drawn to Bell, many things that happened lately...she just...she...
"Besides, I could need help with the way, so that I don´t get lost."
"A-Alright then.."
It didn´t take them long to arrive at the small house.
The one who opened the door was not the one Bell had expected.
"Grandpa?"
"Ah, Bell, right on time. And ooooooh?! What is this?! First day in school and my boy brings a girl home?! I´m so proud of you!"
"Fueh?!" Lefiya got deep red instantly.
"G-Grandpa!"
Zeus laughed loudly and opened the door. "Come in you two! Man, this is much more than I hoped for!"
He looked over his shoulder. "Told you, boy, I was right."
"Hay hay, like always, old man."
Lefiya was more than nervous when she went inside the house. The living room was a bit bigger than the room she shared with Bell, there was a door that led to a bedroom, another to the bathroom, and a third to the kitchen. The houses of the teachers were of course bigger than the student dorm rooms. Lefiya froze when she saw Alfia sitting at the table, while Zard carried a plate with food to it. There were already five chairs at the table.
"G-G-G-Good evening, Lord Zeus!"
"Good evening, young Lefiya. It´s nice to meet you again. So, you´re Bell´s roommate, hm?"
"Y-Yes!"
Zard´s voice came from the kitchen again. "Old man, let the kids come in first."
"Hay hay."
Both took their shoes off and went inside, Lefiya was more than just shy. "I´m sorry for intruding..."
Alfia raised an eyebrow. "What are you saying? We expected you to come."
"H-Huh?"
Zeus winked. "We all have a lot of experience and knowledge, I absolutely knew you would also come."
"B-But it was Bell who invited me...it wasn´t my idea..."
"And do you think I don´t know my Grandson? Now sit down you two, let us enjoy Zard´s cooking."
While Alfia´s normal expression still made Lefiya nervous, she was amazed at how pretty Alfia could look when she looked at Bell and smiled with genuine love. Maternal love. How she missed such a look...to have someone look at her like that.
As he said, Zeus had enough experience with mortals, especially women. He saw how sad Lefiya got when Alfia looked at Bell like that, he didn´t need to know her backstory to immediately get it, so he did what he saw as his job.
"So, Lefiya, it surely is a coincidence that you´re the girl who made Alfia so restless."
"Huh?"
"I mean, we met you in the field, Bell saved you, and now you two share a room."
"I-it was Lady Idun who got the idea...not me..."
"Didn´t say that, but I´m curious where this will lead."
"Huh-Eep!"
Lefiya shivered as the room shook slightly under Alfia´s emotions. "Old man..."
"Hah...such an overprotective Mom...I mean if they will be able to become good friends."
"Hmpf."
Zard smiled gently. "Don´t be worried, she is just worried, that´s all. Do you eat meat, Lefiya?"
"Y-Yes. I think everyone on Hringhorni does, otherwise we would have a problem with food."
"Oh? Why that?" Bell looked curious at her.
"Because Hringhorni is a swimming city, we only get small amounts of food on our own, but not enough to feed over three thousand people on board. Fish is the most common meat that we eat since we get a lot of it."
Zeus made a strange sound. "Nyeh...fish isn´t really meat."
Zard sighed. "Old man, I asked her about it because she is an elf. Many elves have problems with meat."
"Pff, and that where elves especially need meat to develop their bodies, it helps a lot."
"Oh?" Now Lefiya looked curious.
Zeus winked. "Believe this old man, I´ve seen a lot over the mere thousand years that I´m on the surface. Those elves who eat more meat, develop their bodies more and are mostly stronger."
He wouldn´t go into detail about what he meant to develop more, otherwise, Alfia would gospel him right through the wall.
Lefiya´s eyes widened as Zard put the food on the table.
"What is this?! I´ve never seen this before."
"This? It´s called "Pizza", it´s a dough, rolled out, with tomato sauce on top of it, then I put toppings on that."
"What is this...is this meat?"
"Have you never seen salami?"
"No...what is this?"
"Some make it from pork, I made it from beef."
"You made it yourself?"
"Just like the cheese."
"Wow...ahm...how do I eat it?"
"You can use a fork and knife, but the only true way is to cut it into eight pieces, and eat a piece with your hands. Except that is a problem for you?"
Lefiya shook her head, fascinated and curious about the unknown food.
"I´m surprised I never heard about this on the District before."
"Someone from my familia taught me how to make it, it was a dish from his village."
Lefiya gulped slightly as the scent reached her nose.
"I made your part with a lighter taste, but there are spices here if you want to use them."
They really had expected Lefiya to come...it left her baffled.
"Th-Thank you."
The taste was to die for, Bell was enchanted by how cute Lefiya looked as she bit into the tip of her first piece, then moved her head back...and the cheese got pulled long.
"Mmmh!"
She didn´t know what to do and pulled a bit more, but then lowered the piece with red ears and cheeks, and nibbled the cheese into her mouth.
Zeus grinned. "You have talent, Lefiya! That´s the true way to eat pizza!"
The god ate it in the same way, pulling the cheese long, Bell and Zard were similar. Only Alfia used a fork and knife to cut it into smaller pieces, refusing to use her hands.
Bell smiled. "Just be careful not to bite too far into a piece, or the melted cheese will stick to the roof of your mouth, which is quite painful."
Lefiya couldn´t answer with her mouth full, so she just nodded. While the food was very good, the best she tasted in a long, long time, it was something else that truly filled her. Filled her heart. The warmth in this house, of this family.
Even if it may only be for this evening, it meant a lot to Lefiya.
After they were finished, Zard went up to take the plates. "Do you still have room for dessert?"
"Oh..I...you don´t have to..."
"Nonsense, you´re a growing girl, you need to eat."
"Mh.."
Her eyes sparkled as the dessert was placed in front of her, chocolate pudding with a few strawberries. Only Bell didn´t get anything.
"Ahm..."
Bell smiled wryly. "I don´t like sweets, I can´t eat them, my mouth rebels then."
"Oh. Th-Then...Mh! Mmmmhhhh~~~~~~~~"
Alfia was at a loss for words as she watched Lefiya. She looked so happy, her ears twitched up and down...and her eyes...eyes of the same color as Meteria´s one colored eye... Her reaction to try this dessert was the same as her dear sister´s had been.
Exactly the same.
Seeing Lefiya enjoy her food, especially the dessert, woke something in Alfia that she missed so dearly... When she saw Bell and Lefiya sitting next to each other, remembered how he saved her...how he was a bit the strong one between them...how she was a bit frail, cute...and loved desserts...and sweets...
Meteria...I miss you so much...
For a moment, Alfia saw herself and her sister sitting there. Zard noticed Alfia´s emotional state, so he did his best to distract the attention from her since he had noticed how often Lefiya glanced at her.
"Young Lefiya."
"Y-Yes, Professor...ahm..."
Zard winked. "I go with Cranel here."
"Oh?"
"I need to ask for a favor."
"Yes?"
"I know we said otherwise during the camp time, but to make it easier for Alfia and me here in the District, she is my wife."
Lefiya looked from Zard to Alfia, who stared at him.
"You better be thankful for that, Zard."
"I am. To be married to such a young, beautiful lady." He winked slightly, which let Alfia exhale through her nose.
And kicked his knee, cursing softly because it felt so hard now.
Lefiya would still be nervous through most of the evening, but Zeus did a wonderful job of making her more comfortable and come a bit out of her shell. Zard´s gentle behavior towards her also helped a lot.
And...a maybe slight competitive side in Lefiya, let her swear to herself, that she would gain Alfia´s trust too. Even though she first had to get used to sharing her room now...with a boy on top of that.
The probably most embarrassing thing about the evening would later be Alisa, who would see Bell and Lefiya coming out of the house by chance, showing them a big smug grin.
"Hohoooo?~~~ Already going to meet his parents? Not bad, Lefiya!"
"A-Alisa! It´s not what you think!"
"Mhm, sure. I heard the news about you two too."
"S-So fast?"
"Oh, you know, the girls talk."
Alisa looked at Bell. "Don´t do anything that makes Lefiya cry, or we will come for you."
"I would never."
"Good, then off to the dorm with you two, it´s closing time soon."
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Bell waited in front of their door until Lefiya opened the door again, telling him she was done now. The curtain was pulled in front of her room half, it had been his idea, since she was in her pajamas now. While Bell went into the bathroom to brush his teeth and change into his pajamas, Lefiya sat on her bed and combed her hair. It was a weird feeling to share her room with him. After Bell was done, he went to his bed and got ready to sleep.
"Good night then, Bell."
"Good night, Lefiya."
"Oh, before I forget it."
"Hm? What is it?"
"My Mom and Uncle Zard said they expect you to come and eat dinner with us from now on."
Maybe Alfia did it for a selfish reason, maybe because she got a bit emotional, seeing Meteria in Lefiya´s behavior, Bell couldn´t tell what the adults were thinking, but he was thankful for it. Like this, Alfia could also control if they studied properly, and keep an eye on them.
"Eh? But I...I shouldn´t..."
She heard Bell chuckle slightly. "Mom also said you won´t have a choice."
"Hah..."
As both lay down in their beds, they glanced at the curtain for a moment. It would take a while to fall asleep. In the morning, Bell would be greeted with the most adorable sight again, Lefiya having a lot of bedhair.
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.
"Ngh...it´s hard to sleep..."
"Not used to the bed?"
"That´s not it...I can´t believe they let Bell share a room with a girl."
"I mean, you share a room with a boy too."
"Ungh, Zard, you know exactly what I mean."
"I´m just trying to ease your worries, my lovely wife."
"Grml."
Alfia´s arms clenched a bit harder around Zard´s chest for a moment, they lay in bed how they did it during their travels, she had demanded it.
"Your body feels way too hard now."
"Funny, because your body is pretty soft."
"Hey...did you just feel my waist?"
"Like you´re feeling mine, young lady."
"Hmpf, you better be grateful."
"I told you I am."
Alfia went quiet and buried her face in the crook of Zard´s neck.
Just like a cat...
Pretending to be a married couple would help them quite a bit, even when it would become quite hard for Zard to sleep sometimes. Alfia tended to move in her sleep, a lot, often enough to end up sleeping halfway on top of him. And when she used his right arm as her pillow, his arm tended to get numb after a few hours.
Still, he would lie if he said it wasn´t pleasant to sleep like this.
"Heh, to have such a young lady snuggle up to me in bed, lucky me."
"Mmmh! Sleep, now."
"Hay hay."
Teasing Alfia now and then was something he liked to do, it was part of their usual banter. But he was the only one allowed to do that, just like he was the only one allowed to see her bedhair in the morning. Or see her sleepy and yawning, while rubbing her eyes. Alfia could be quite cute sometimes, but only when she was half asleep.
"You know..."
"Hm?"
"Ever since the level-up, you look healthier than before."
She took a deep breath. "I also feel better...I hope it gives me more time..."
"I´m sure of it. Time with Bell. A time that we can spend together."
"Zard?"
"Sleep now, young lady. You need your beauty sleep. Badly."
"You!"
He knew he would pay for his comment, but it was worth it. They struggled a bit as Alfia tried to punish him, ending face to face as she lay mostly on top of him. None of them blushed or looked embarrassed, but Zard smirked slightly.
"What are you grinning for? Hoping for a kiss?"
"I don´t, but wouldn´t complain when it comes from a young, pretty woman."
"Pff, you wish. Now let me sleep."
"Hay hay."
.
.
Still, in the morning, Alfia would look at Zard with a pretty flustered, but mostly agitated face, almost hissing as she woke up, feeling something poking her.
"What is this, Zard?!"
"Hah...you know what this is..."
"How dare you..."
"Hey, it´s not my fault, it´s morning. I didn´t react like this because of you."
Her eyes went small.
"Hah...no matter what I say...it´s wrong... Alright, listen here, young lady. Yes, you´re beautiful, you´re attractive, but did I ever react like this when you slept on top of me before? It happens sometimes in the morning, not my fault."
"Pff..I´m more surprised that it can happen at your age."
"Well, thank you for that..."
They quickly fell into their usual teasing banter, but Alfia still moved her body a bit away from Zard´s hips. She disliked anything perverted, but it was true, Zard didn´t react like this because he was aroused. She knew it because she could trust Zard, and even if she would get mad because of it if it happened because of her, he would tell her that directly into her face.
"Hmpf, what a naughty "husband" I have."
"Says the "wife" who shows her bare skin to me."
One string of Alfia´s nightgown had slipped down a bit, revealing her left shoulder. Truly scandalous!
Still, waking up this way, in this peaceful environment...the feeling of getting held in her sleep...
It wasn´t so bad after all.
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.
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Zeus still believed it was way too easy for them to "pretend", in his eyes, they already acted like a married couple for a long time now...
But as long as it made them happy. He was just glad that Bell and Lefiya got along so well.
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Author`s Note2: Next chap a half-half between Bell and Astrea fam.