After a night of tossing and turning, Ethan wasn’t able to get a wink of sleep, making him feel tired and miserable.
The Chesmire Cat’s words would repeat inside his head over and over again. After having a taste of using magic, the young man was like someone who had tasted the forbidden fruit.
He couldn’t stop thinking about it!
“This sucks,” Ethan muttered as he propped himself up from the bed in order to get up to have breakfast. “Can I really use magic by kissing Fairies?”
At the start, Ethan thought that this was just some bogus idea coming from Chessy. But, the more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.
Fairies were magical creatures that could also use magic. In fact, Fae Magic was one of the most powerful forms of magic, especially if more than one Fairy was working together.
Surprisingly, Ethan didn’t find the thought of kissing Fairies to gain some magic power appalling. 𝑜𝗏𝐋xt.𝑐𝗈𝔪
Maybe because they weren’t Human, Ethan wasn’t too opposed to the idea of testing out whether he could use Fae Magic or not.
“I guess I’ll visit the garden after breakfast,” Ethan muttered before washing his face.
When he was ready, he left his room and went to the Dining Hall of the Academy in order to have breakfast with everyone.
Fifteen minutes later…
“What happened to you?” Chloe asked as she looked at her cousin with an amused look, after seeing the dark circles under Ethan’s eyes. “Did you dream of Koko chasing after you?”
“Hahaha, very funny,” Ethanr replied with sarcasm. “I wasn’t the one that fainted after seeing Koko up close.”
Chloe’s face instantly turned beet red after Ethan spoke of her embarrassing experience during their camping trip.
“Don’t bully her, Ethan,” Luna, who was seated across from the blue-haired boy, said in a stern voice. “Anyone would faint in that situation. I almost did as well.”
“Sorry, Chloe.” Ethan apologized. “I won’t bring it up again.”
“Okay.” Chloe nodded. “Let’s just eat for now.”
Nicole, who was seated beside Ethan, arched an eyebrow and lightly patted Ethan’s shoulder.
“Who is Koko?” Nicole asked. “Is he someone scary?”
“Very scary,” Ethan answered. “He is one of the Overlords of Great Eagle Forest. If you happen to see a White Gorilla headed in your direction, don’t think of anything else and just run. That is a creature that no ordinary Wizard or Witch can fight. Perhaps only the Professors stand a chance against that thing.”
“Oh? Quite an interesting creature.” Nicole smiled. “If there is an opportunity, I’d like to see this Koko up close.”
“… You sure are something.” Ethan shook his head helplessly because, instead of being afraid, it seemed that Nicole had become more excited at the prospect of meeting such a magical creature.
Nicole giggled before asking Ethan another question. “So, do you have plans for today? If you don’t, why don’t you and I have a sparring match in preparation for the Clash of Manors?”
The handsome young man blinked after hearing Nicole’s proposal.
“Aren’t you no longer the representative for the Eques Manor?” Ethan asked. “Why do you need to practice for it?”
“It’s not for me, silly,” Nicole replied. “It’s for you. I want to train you, so that you can wipe the floor with the other First Years who will represent their Manors.”
“And, why would you do that?” Choe asked. “I can tell that there’s a hidden motive in you wanting to train Ethan.”
Nicole shifted her gaze at Ethan’s beautiful cousin before resting her chin over the palm of her hand. “You’re too suspicious of me, Chloe. But, in regard to this matter, you are right. I want Ethan to do me a favor as an exchange for helping with his training.”
“I knew it.” Chloe narrowed her eyes. “What are you planning this time? Spill the beans.”
Luna, who was listening quietly at the side, also looked at Nicole with a solemn expression on her face.
After everything that happened between her and Ethan, she didn’t want other people to harm the teenage boy, who had stolen her first kiss, without either of their consent.
“You see, I want Ethan to help me when I take my mission from the Mission Hall a week from now,” Nicole replied.
“Huh?!” Chloe looked at the pink-haired beauty in disbelief. “That won’t do. Ethan and I are already a Duo. He’s coming with me to do our mission.”
“Wait, don’t misunderstand.” Nicole raised her hand in surrender. “I don’t plan to take your partner away during your mission. I was thinking that I’d like to borrow him after you’ve finished your quest.”
Chloe frowned because she still felt that Nicole was up to something. To this day, she didn’t understand why the pink-haired beauty was trying to get close to Ethan.
Her gut instinct was telling her that Nicole was up to no good.
“Aren’t you already strong enough to go solo?” Ethan inquired. “You don’t need extra baggage like me following you around.”
Nicole only smiled after hearing Ethan’s reply.
“Someone who is able to use Partial Resonance isn’t baggage,” Nicole replied in a reprimanding tone. “Even the Professors of the academy can’t do it, with the exception of the Headmaster. Don’t look down on yourself too much.”
“But that was just a fluke.” Ethan shrugged. “Besides, even if I can use partial resonance, it can only be used once. After that, I will be too exhausted to move, or do anything else.”
Nicole couldn’t refute Ethan’s words because she saw how pale his face was after his duel with Langston.
He looked like someone who was suffering from Magic Exhaustion, which was very common for Wizards and Witches who had overtaxed the Magic Reserves inside their body.
“Don’t worry too much. At most, you can help me carry my luggage,” Nicole explained. “Also, you can pick up the loot that we will get from the Dungeon.”
“Excuse me?” Chloe, who heard the term Dungeon, became alarmed. “Why are you bringing Ethan inside a Dungeon?”
“Because his storage ring has a lot of storage space?” Nicole blinked innocently. “You and I know that the things we can carry with our storage rings are very limited. If Ethan is with me, I can practically bring back a wagon of Magic Cores, and Monster Parts that I can sell for a high price.”
Ethan smiled bitterly after realizing Nicole’s true goal.
In short, she only needed him to become a porter who would carry all of her luggage for her, allowing her to move freely without being burdened by anything.
Although he didn’t mind doing it, it still left left a bitter taste in his mouth knowing that he was only there to become a baggage carrier.
“Still, a Dungeon is very dangerous,” Chloe insisted. “Just the Initiation Ceremony was challenging enough. A real Dungeon’s danger will be higher compared to that controlled environment.”
“That’s true, but unlike us who can use offensive spells, Ethan cannot always rely on his magic,” Nicole countered. “What he needs right now is combat experience. Also…”
Nicole made a gesture for Ethan, Chloe, and Luna to come closer to her.
When all four of them were huddled together, the pink-haired beauty spoke in a very low tone.
“It seems that Langston is planning something against Ethan,” Nicole said in a very low tone. “It will be best if he learned how to defend himself properly through real combat experience, so that he will be prepared for any situations in the future.”
After hearing Nicole’s words, the teenage boy gave the handsome blonde, who was seated at the Schwartz Manor Dining table, a side-long glance.
When his duel with Langston ended, the latter avoided him like a plague. If they happen to meet in the hallway, the blonde boy would just walk past him, treating him as air.
“I don’t know what he is planning to do in the Clash of Manors,” Nicole added. “But, if my sources are right, he is making preparations to regain his influence in his next match against Ethan. My informant even stated that Langston is practicing a deadly spell that can only be used by those who use Dark Magic. It seems that he is now taking these official matches seriously.”
Nicole’s words were surprisingly convincing, so Ethan decided to spar with her as preparation for the upcoming Clash between the Manors of Brynhildr Academy.
But, before that, he would visit the garden and try his chances of getting a kiss from the Fairies there.
If he could use magic during the tournament, he would not be as helpless in his next duel with Langston.
Ethan also believed that Langston was dead-set in beating him, so that he could erase the tarnish on his reputation, as one of the Ex-Pillars of Brynhildr Academy.