“Hehehe!!!” Wude and Alreis exchanged sly grins, voices hushed low beneath the cover of night.

Wude felt a flicker of hope—maybe his strength was finally rising. If so, reviving Lingyue seemed more possible… and maybe, just maybe, he’d even enjoy a peaceful life in this new world. He couldn’t suppress a quiet smile.

Alreis, meanwhile, watched his joy with quiet mischief. *Just wait till he learns what this “training” really entails,* she thought. *He’ll be crying soon enough.* Honestly, her current amusement was a little wicked.

*Click!*

The lock turned.

Both froze. Alreis flicked her wrist—space warped. Shadows swallowed them whole as they vanished into the darkness, waiting.

The door eased open without a sound. A tiptoeing figure slipped inside.

Peering closer, they recognized Elisa—creeping straight toward them.

Alreis went rigid. Casting magic now would give them away. But if Elisa kept approaching… discovery was inevitable. *What would she think?!* Her face burned with imagined shame. *(Wait… do I even have dignity left?)*

Elisa moved slowly, thief-like, yet each step drew her closer. *What do I do?!* Alreis’s mind short-circuited. Panic? She hadn’t felt this flustered even facing the Ascendant Sovereign…

“Mmph~!”

Wude suddenly wrapped an arm around Alreis’s waist and covered her mouth. She let out a tiny, startled sound.

“Huh?” Elisa halted, ears pricked.

Thankfully, the spatial distortion muffled the noise. After a tense pause, she resumed moving.

Alreis realized—they were retreating. Wude pulled her back, matching Elisa’s steps perfectly. Step for step.

The room was small. In moments, Wude’s back hit the bed.

*No escape!* Alreis’s blood ran cold.

But Wude stayed calm. He released her mouth, snatched the wooden cup beside the bed, and knocked it over—*thud!*

Elisa instantly ducked under the table, hiding as if terrified of being seen.

*Oh… she’s just as guilty,* Alreis realized. *Wait—I’m here for serious business!*

No time to dwell. As Elisa crouched low, Wude swiftly tucked Alreis under the blankets—and dove in after her.

Pressed tightly together, Alreis’s petite frame nestled against Wude’s chest. Her ear caught the rapid thump of his heartbeat.

*His heart’s racing…* she thought. Hers was too. Too flustered to cast calming magic—*that’d be disastrous*—she dared not move.

Wude’s hand rested near the small of her back. Ticklish. She shifted slightly.

His body stiffened instantly.

Wude was panicking too. Hiding her in bed? Pure otaku instinct—he’d deny it, but his body remembered.

Alreis’s movement redirected his focus. Thin nightclothes. Warmth. A soft, sweet scent. *Like hugging warm jelly…* He recalled that near-miss during her “training.” *Addictive.*

Subconsciously, he squeezed.

Alreis froze.

Unnoticed, Elisa had crawled out—and now stood before the bed.

Night was dark, but not for mages. Alreis held back magic; Elisa did not. A faint glow lit her vision clear as day.

*Brother Wude… so handsome!* she sighed inwardly. *I want to kiss him… No. The vow kiss must be his choice. Only then comes true happiness.* She buried the bold thought.

She’d once been content just watching. Back at level three—same as Wude—she’d mastered lock-picking just to peek at him nightly. He meditated early; the late hours were hers.

*No. Not anymore.* Alreis flashed in her mind—slim but flawless-skinned, lovely, indebted to Brother Wude. *She’d do anything for him!*

Memories of Academy of Life Magic hero tales surfaced: *those shameless girls clinging to their saviors…*

*Repay him? There are other ways! He didn’t save you for your body!* she scolded silently.

Her mother’s words echoed: *“A man like Brother Wude? A little temptation hooks him. But give in too easily—he won’t cherish you.”*

She’d stayed shy before. But now? A rival existed. Time for a *little* temptation.

Slowly, she undressed—keeping her undergarments. She was still a girl; full exposure felt impossible.

She lifted the blanket edge.

Alreis tensed, curling cat-like against Wude’s arm.

Wude’s mind raced. *Pretend to wake? Too awkward…*

Before he decided—Elisa slipped under the covers and hugged his outer arm. Soft, warm pressure pressed flush against his skin.

He froze. *This is… torture.* Left arm: one girl. Right arm: another. Neither movable. *I’m just an otaku… this is my limit.*

Alreis, sensing Elisa across from her, felt a prick of irritation. She traced words on Wude’s arm:

Y-O-U’-R-E S-O L-U-C-K-Y, M-A-S-T-E-R.

Then pinched him.

Elisa stayed quiet, as if merely seeking sleep.

Wude, wide awake, decided to act. His palm rested on Alreis’s thigh. In the dark, a *gentlemanly* (perverted) smile curved his lips.

He traced back:

J-E-A-L-O-U-S?

“!!!” A jolt shot through Alreis. Subjectively dizzy—but Wude felt her grip tighten, urging him on.

N-O-T.

R-E-A-L-L-Y?

Y-E-S.

I D-O-N’T B-E-L-I-E-V-E Y-O-U.

Back and forth, fingertips whispering in the dark… until dawn finally broke.