Chapter 120: Crossing the Line

While those two were enjoying their time after confessing their feelings to each other, inside the academy, rumors about the Apex asking out the elven princess were spreading like wildfire.

Within less than an hour, the news had reached almost every student, including, of course, Arthur and Lilith.

"It should have been me!!"

Arthur slammed his fists down onto the cafeteria table in complete betrayal.

Two other students sat at the table, simply looking at Arthur with blank expressions, already accustomed to his personality.

Lilith was one of the people seated there, and when she heard the news, she was genuinely happy for Seraphine.

During their time at the academy, spending their breaks between classes together, the two girls had grown quite close. So hearing that her friend was on a date with the guy Lilith knew she liked made her feel extremely proud.

The other person was, surprisingly, Lucian. Because Valerian wasn’t attending classes, Arthur needed someone to spar with, and Lucian was the next strongest candidate as the fourth rank.

Arthur had invited him to join himself, Seraphine, and Lilith during breaks. Lucian still held somewhat complicated feelings toward Valerian, as the loss he had suffered during the tournament still lingered with him.

At the very least, he no longer had an issue facing Valerian directly.

"Honestly, I’m surprised it took them this long."

Lilith leaned back in her chair, taking a sip from a glass filled with red blood. Her comment caused Lucian’s ears to perk up as he looked up from his meal.

"Are they hooking up or something?"

Arthur shot up from his seat, grabbed Lucian by the shoulders, and shook him violently.

"Do you think they will?! I can’t lose to him!"

Lucian was baffled by the extreme reaction, failing to understand why Arthur was making such a massive deal out of it.

"Why is that so important to you? It’s just sex."

"Why do you say that so casually?! Don’t tell me you’ve already slept with a girl?!"

Lucian peeled Arthur’s hands off him and leaned back in his chair.

"Yes, and? I don’t understand what’s so crazy about that."

As if stabbed straight through the heart, Arthur stumbled back with a wounded expression.

"How many girls have you slept with?"

Lucian gave him an odd look.

"Two. The first was a noble girl back in the Alendor Kingdom. We slept together a few times, but we weren’t in a relationship or anything. And the second was here at the academy, a few days ago, actually. I don’t remember her name, though..."

"What do you mean you don’t remember her name?!"

Lucian raised his hands defensively.

"We both just wanted to sleep together, that was all. A one-night stand, if you will."

Turning away from Lucian, Arthur flopped onto the table in total defeat.

While Arthur was enduring an existential crisis, Valerian and Seraphine strolled through the streets with their fingers interlocked, neither willing to let go.

After leaving the restaurant, Valerian was once again struck by the sudden panic of what to do next. Having confessed his feelings and received confirmation of hers, he wasn’t entirely certain how to proceed.

As they walked through the city, they passed a stall displaying magical tools, and Seraphine’s eyes were drawn to them like a moth to a flame.

"Want to take a look?"

Seraphine’s head snapped toward Valerian, and she responded by nodding vigorously, her eyes sparkling.

’Cute.’

She hurried toward the stall, pulling Valerian behind her. Standing before the display, Seraphine began examining every single item on offer, making sure never to let go of his hand.

There were enchanted razors that made shaving effortless, devices that could record scenes and project them later, and various other miscellaneous tools meant for daily convenience.

The shopkeeper stepped up to Seraphine, a middle-aged human with short black hair and a round belly.

"Find something you like, young lady?"

Seraphine looked at him, eyes glowing with excitement.

"Yes! I want to buy all of them!"

The vendor stared in shock as she made the declaration with a beaming smile. While these weren’t top-tier, pristine artifacts, the entire lot would still cost more than an ordinary person earned in ten years of hard labor.

Still, what kind of merchant would turn down such an opportunity?

"Of course, beautiful lady! You can most certainly purchase my wares!"

Valerian noticed the vendor’s sudden shift in tone, but held his tongue seeing how genuinely thrilled Seraphine looked.

"Now, concerning the matter of payment... If I had to estimate, all these high-quality goods would come to around... ten, no, fifteen gold coins!"

While individual nations had their own currencies, one standard system was recognized across most of Eldoria. It followed a straightforward conversion: 100 copper coins equaled 1 silver coin, 100 silver coins equaled 1 gold coin, and 1,000 gold coins equaled 1 platinum coin.

Beyond that lay an exclusive tier reserved only for the ultra-wealthy: 1,000 platinum coins for 1 radiant coin. It was the highest denomination in existence, so scarce that common folk rarely even knew of its reality.

Asking fifteen gold coins for such mediocre novelties was an outright scam, and Valerian knew it. He moved to step in and prevent Seraphine from throwing away that kind of money on trinkets, but she beat him to the punch.

"Who exactly do you think you’re dealing with? These tools are among the lowest quality I have laid eyes on in all my two hundred years on this world."

The shopkeeper broke into a cold sweat as Seraphine’s oppressive mana bore down on him. Valerian, however, was mostly bewildered.

’Two hundred years? What is she talking about?’

He kept quiet off to the side, letting her handle it.

"You should consider yourself fortunate that I am willing to part with two gold coins. Take it, or else..."

The vendor’s eyes widened in sheer terror.

"A-All right, two... two gold coins!"

Seraphine swept every tool into her spatial ring and produced two coins from a different ring on another finger. Her cold facade melted back into a smug, satisfied smile as she stepped away from the trembling vendor, returning to Valerian’s side.

"Why did you tell him you’re two hundred years old?"

"Hmm? Oh, that. Well, since elves live longer and retain their youth, and he didn’t strike me as someone capable of assessing my age accurately, I simply claimed to be older. A two-hundred-year-old elf is naturally far more intimidating than a sixteen-year-old."

She walked with a buoyant bounce in her step, visibly proud of her negotiation tactics.

"Pfft, that’s actually brilliant. I might have to steal that one."

Valerian chuckled softly at her logic.

"Nope, that’s mine. If you want to use it, you’ll have to pay a licensing fee."

"Haha."

They continued their stroll through the city, browsing various shops, with Seraphine putting her little bluff to work twice more.

Time slipped away effortlessly in each other’s presence. Eventually, the sun began to sink below the horizon, bathing the stone streets in deep shades of orange and amber.

The pair walked shoulder to shoulder, fingers intertwined, brushing against one another with every step.

"It feels like the day went by too fast..."

There was a faint trace of reluctance in Seraphine’s voice as her grip tightened slightly around his hand.

"Let’s visit one last place."

Without waiting for a reply, Valerian teleported them both out of the city streets. When Seraphine took in their new surroundings, the view stole the words right out of her mouth.

They stood high above the ground, atop the roof of the boys’ dormitory, overlooking the sprawling city, the grand academy, and the radiant sunset stretching across the skyline.

"It’s breathtaking..."

That was all she could manage. Sensing a gentle pulse of mana beside her, she glanced over to see a bench crafted from translucent blue ice forming smoothly out of thin air.

Valerian guided her over, seating her beside him. To her surprise, despite being sculpted from pure ice, the bench didn’t feel cold in the slightest.

Sitting side by side, their interlocked hands resting on their laps and their shoulders leaning against one another, they quietly watched the sunset.

The entire atmosphere, the leisurely date, their mutual confession, and now the twilight vista from the highest rooftop, crystallized the depth of what she felt for him. When she turned her head, she found Valerian gazing intently into her eyes.

Their eyes locked, drawing them inexorably closer until their lips lingered barely inches apart, their warm breath mingling in the cool evening air.

Both craved more. The memory from her shower earlier that morning flashed through Seraphine’s mind, a wave of heat rushing through her veins. Unable to endure the distance for another second, she leaned in and closed the gap.

Their lips met in an eager, clumsy collision. It was a first for both of them, completely devoid of finesse, yet guided purely by instinct.

Valerian matched her fervor as their tongues tangled together. Her lips were impossibly soft, tasting sweeter than anything he had ever known, and he felt his practiced composure unraveling fast.

His idle hand found her waist, pulling her flush against him. Without breaking the kiss, Seraphine shifted, straddling his lap with her legs tucked comfortably to the side.

She wound her arms around his neck, pulling him deeper into the kiss, while his hands held her slim waist firmly, pressing her curves flush against his body. Valerian felt every line and contour of her figure, completely captivated by her presence.

Neither showed any intention of pulling away. Lost entirely to sensation, Valerian’s hand slid upward along her side, slowly coming to rest against her chest.

Recognizing the movement, Seraphine let out a breathless gasp, guiding his palm firmly against her chest herself.

Valerian gently stroked her through the fabric of her sweater, soft whimpers escaped from her throat.

"Mmh~"

As if under a spell, Seraphine trailed a hand down from his neck to his chest, tracing the firm contours of his abs beneath his shirt.

Their frantic kiss deepened, each exploring the other without restraint, Valerian caressing her chest while Seraphine mapped the hard lines of his torso.

Her touch drifted lower and lower, fingers reaching down until she firmly brushed against the hard ridge that has been poking her this entire time.

Valerian’s hand instantly snapped from her chest to her shoulder, gently but firmly pulling her back.

Her soft lips were flushed and swollen, her eyes clouded with barely suppressed desire, and a thin, glistening thread of saliva connected their mouths.

"Wait, Sera... I’m not ready for that yet."

She looked at him, momentary frustration flashing in her gaze, but she had no intention of pushing him past his boundaries. She slowly drew her hand back.

"Sorry... I got carried away."

Valerian brought a hand up to her cheek, his thumb gently stroking her heated skin.

"It’s okay. Can we take things a bit slower before we go all the way?"

She leaned into his palm, savoring the comforting warmth against her skin.

"Of course. Whenever we’re both ready."

Valerian leaned in once more and kissed her softly. This time, the kiss lacked the wild urgency from before, replaced by a lingering tenderness that felt far more intimate.

When their lips parted, they rested their foreheads together, lingering in the quiet stillness.

The sun dipped entirely below the horizon, signaling the close of their date and a very eventful day off.

Eventually, Seraphine and Valerian returned to their respective dorm rooms. One privately tended to the lingering heat that had been building since the morning, while the other lay flat on his mattress, staring up at the ceiling.

’Back to training tomorrow...’

’Still... today was worth every second.’

Valerian pulled the covers over his shoulders and let exhaustion claim him.