“S-So, you kiss Witches in order to absorb some of their magical powers. How does that exactly work?”
“Well, if I kiss a Witch, I will be able to use their power for half a day minimum, and an entire day at maximum. However, there is a restriction to this ability.”
“Restriction?” Lily asked.
Ethan nodded. “Yes. After all my Magic Power is used up, even if I kiss the same witch, I won’t be able to absorb their magic power again. I need to wait for a week before I can absorb their magical power again.”
For some reason, Lily felt relieved after hearing Ethan’s explanation. In order to clear her doubts, she decided to ask him more questions.
“During the Clash of Manors, you were able to use magic every time you fought in the arena,” Lily stated. “If what you say is true, that means you kissed multiple girls during the tournament, am I right?”
“I did,” Ethan answered.
“Uwah… you’re quite scummy, aren’t you?”
“I can’t refute that.”
Ethan closed his eyes and sighed. “I didn’t have a choice. There is no way I could win against you guys without using any magic. It would have simply been impossible.”
Lily didn’t want to admit it, but Ethan was right. There was simply no way a Dud could win against the Pillars of the First Years without using any form of magic. 𝑜𝓥𝑙xt.𝒸𝑶𝓂
“Out of curiosity, who did you kiss?” Lily asked in a teasing tone. “Chloe? Luna? But it still doesn’t add up. You fought three times during the tournament, and Luna can only use her magic during the day of the Full Moon. Who else did you kiss aside from your cousin?”
“C-Can I not answer this question?”
“You need to answer this question.”
“I-If I answer this, can you promise me that you won’t tell anyone else?”
“I swear upon my family’s honor that I will not tell a soul. Now, spill the beans.”
Ethan took a deep breath in order to calm himself before telling Lily whom he kissed in order to fight in the Clash of Manors.
“I kissed Fairies,” Ethan replied.
“…You kissed Fairies?” Lily looked at the handsome young man in disbelief. “Are you serious?”
Ethan nodded.
“Unbelievable.” Lily eyed Ethan as if he was looking at a rare creature. “You were that desperate to win, huh? Also, didn’t you say you could only absorb magic from Witches?”
“That is what I thought at first as well,” Ethan commented. “However, after doing an experiment, I found out that I can also absorb the magic power of demi-human creatures as long as they are girls.”
After recalling Ethan’s previous battles, she now understood why Ethan was able to use Fae Magic. Although some Wizards and Witches could also use Fae Magic, not everyone was proficient in it.
Ethan, on the other hand, displayed an uncanny familiarity and mastery with the Fae Spells, which wasn’t something that a Dud could easily pull off.
“Tell me, how much magic remains in your Magic Battery?” Lily inquired.
Ethan took out the Magic Bracelet that Luna gave him and closed his eyes. After checking the amount of magic that was left in it, the young man let out a sigh of relief.
“I only used a tenth of its magical reserves during the battle with the hunters,” Ethan answered. “However, if I were to use Partial Resonance, all the remaining magic would be used up as well.”
“…Don’t use Partial Resonance, okay?” Lily said with a serious expression on her face. “Save your magic power for emergencies. As for everything else, I’ll handle it.”
Ethan nodded because this was a sound plan. He wasn’t someone who would just kiss any random girl just to get some magic power. It is for this same reason that he went to ask the Fairies for help during the Clash of Manor.
An awkward silence permeated inside the room as the two stared at each other.
“Listen, Ethan. I am not that unreasonable,” Lily said in a firm tone. “If we are in a desperate situation when you truly need to use magic, I will not hesitate to kiss you in order to survive. However, until that time comes, I won’t do it. Do we have an understanding?”
“I know,” Ethan replied. “I also hope that we don’t reach that point as well. Although you might not believe me, it’s not my nature to kiss girls at random. My grandparents didn’t raise me to become a womanizer. I promise you that I won’t force you to do anything. If I have to fight without using magic powers then so be it.”
Lily held Ethan’s gaze and after a few seconds of observing him, she nodded her head.
“I trust you, Ethan,” Lily stated before giving him a mischievous smile. “So, how far have you gone with Chloe and Luna? Did you perhaps reach Second Base already?”
“Of course not,” Ethan answered in a heartbeat. “I respect both of them, and I wouldn’t do something to take advantage of their kindness.”
“Awww. How cute.” Lily giggled. “I guess you’re still an innocent boy at heart. Are you a hopeless romantic? Someone who believes that love conquers all?”
Ethan rolled his eyes at the cute girl who was looking at him with a mischievous smile on her face.
“And how about you?” Ethan asked back. “Are you perhaps looking for a charming prince, riding on a white horse, who will save you from the evil dragon that kidnapped you?”
Lily shook her head. “I’m not a damsel in distress, Ethan. You and I both know that if we really fought to the death, the one who has the higher chance of dying is you.”
The handsome teenager wasn’t able to refute Lily’s words because it was true.
If the two of them really fought a battle to the death, even if he was armed with Partial Resonance, he believed that the one who would win the battle would be Lily with her rich battle experience and incredible fighting ability.
“I have an idea.” Ethan smirked. “If someone were to challenge me, how about you fight them in my stead?”
“…No.” Lily shook her head. “It will be best if they don’t know my true ability so that we can use this as a Trump Card against our enemies. The element of surprise can do wonders, you know?”
Ethan smirked before nodding his head.
For some reason, he felt a bit lighter because he managed to share his secret with Lily. Truth be told, he was still worried that the cute girl was not someone trustworthy.
But due to their special circumstance, he had no choice but to come clean.
After all, when everything was said and done, she was his only source of magical power in this era.
Getting her permission to be kissed now was better than not being able to use magic during critical moments.
After a short discussion, the two were then called to have lunch with Grandma Ria and her family.
They still had three weeks before they reached the Lands of Alastor.
Until that day arrived, the two would do their best to be as low-key as possible within the Kendall Tribe in order to keep unnecessary conflicts from arising.