Chapter 33: This Night (Part 2)

The night breeze lifted Talice's long hair, a soft golden hue even under the faint, hazy moonlight and starlight. The light falling from the side outlined her sharply defined face, sculpted like a work of art—an artwork that expressed gentle beauty through strikingly bold lines.

"I just realized now—you're actually a woman," Asa muttered, already somewhat tipsy. The wind carried the faint scent of her hair to him.

"Obviously."

Asa half-sat up, leaning slowly toward Talice. She looked at him curiously but didn't retreat or resist. She could tell he was trying to move close to her ear, as if he wanted to say something.

But he said nothing. Instead, he pressed his nose into the hairline behind her ear and took a deep breath, then softly kissed the back of her ear.

Talice reacted like a startled leopard stabbed by a blade, springing up violently. She covered her ear and face, her wide eyes staring at Asa as if she had just witnessed the most bizarre transformation of the strangest creature in the world.

Her face first turned pale, drained of color. Then, as if the blood had been forcefully driven back into her veins, her cheeks flushed with a fiery intensity.

"You really are a woman," Asa murmured, licking his lips and smiling faintly. The scent he had just inhaled lingered in his chest, a pleasant warmth. His cheek still carried the soft, warm sensation from the brief touch of their faces.

But that warmth and softness quickly turned into searing pain. Slap! The sound of Talice's hand striking his face seemed to echo across the entire Magic Academy.

As a knight, Talice's strength was far beyond that of ordinary women—or even ordinary men. If not for her being purely overwhelmed by anger and emotion and holding back from using her combat aura, Asa's head might have been knocked clean off. Even so, half his face swelled immediately, and blood streamed from his nose.

"Ha…hahaha…" Asa laughed aloud. Even as he felt the searing pain—his cheekbone possibly fractured, blood vessels in that half of his face likely burst, and his ear ringing as if a firecracker had exploded inside it—he couldn't stop himself from laughing.

"Ha…haha…cough…haha…" Asa's laughter was punctuated by coughs. Talice, like a woman driven mad, began kicking and stomping at his chest and stomach with unrestrained fury. Thankfully, she wasn't wearing her usual steel-toed knight's boots. Asa didn't resist; he merely protected his head and vital areas, lying on the rooftop and laughing uncontrollably.

Even he didn't know why he laughed. He just couldn't stop.

After venting her anger with a flurry of kicks and punches, Talice stood gasping for air, looking at Asa, who was still coughing and laughing intermittently. Suddenly, she spun around and ran off. The sound of her chaotic footsteps echoed as she rushed away, occasionally accompanied by the sound of objects being knocked over and breaking.

It wasn't until her footsteps faded beyond the Magic Academy gates that Asa's laughter finally subsided into soft chuckles. He was still smiling bitterly. His body was covered in bruises, his face swollen almost beyond recognition. That slap alone could have been fatal for an ordinary person.

Fortunately, these were all superficial wounds. With his healing magic, he quickly recovered most of his injuries. Wiping the blood from his face, he sighed.

Perhaps it was the beating that sobered him up a bit. Beyond the strange sense of release, Asa also felt a hint of helplessness—how things had come to this all because of one impulsive comment. Perhaps it was just the drink talking.

But still, it had been exhilarating, cathartic even. Thinking back, it was all oddly funny.

Footsteps approached again. At first, Asa thought Talice had returned, but he quickly realized otherwise. These footsteps were too familiar—etched deeply into his memory. Yet, for a moment, he couldn't recall who they belonged to, as if his subconscious was deliberately avoiding that memory, especially now.

He didn't turn to look, even as the figure came closer and stood behind him. Only then did the memory resurface.

"I wouldn't have known where to find you if I hadn't heard your laughter and seen her running out of the Academy," the person said, sitting down beside him. "Since when did you start bullying girls?"

"I don't know. I forgot. Maybe just now…" Asa turned to look at her and paused, startled. She was dressed in an adventurer's outfit.

"Heh, you've changed," she said with a smile.

"Heh. Who doesn't?" Asa replied with a faint, bitter smile. He recognized her attire.

"Yeah, who doesn't? Everything changes…" She sighed, looking up at the starry sky alongside Asa. This was the same outfit she had worn when they first met in the swamp—even the slender sword at her waist was the same. It was also what she had worn during their travels together in Orford.

When someone desires something to remain unchanged, it's often because they've already felt the changes.

Neither of them spoke again, both staring silently at the endless stars above.

The stars shone as brightly as ever. No matter how many years passed, they never changed.

"I'm leaving tomorrow," Asa finally said after an unknown length of time.

"Where to? For how long? For what?" she asked.

"I don't know," Asa admitted with a sigh.

She looked at him but said nothing more. Asa also remained silent, their eyes meeting in a long, quiet gaze.

The silence didn't last long. They leaned toward each other, closer and closer, until their lips met. They kissed and embraced tightly.

Their hands moved across each other's bodies, their breathing grew heavier. Asa stood, lifting her in his arms, and leapt from the cathedral roof. Together, they cast Feather Fall, slowly drifting into the night beyond the Magic Academy.

By now, the commotion from earlier had awakened some of the priests in the Academy. Holding torches or glowing with holy light, they searched the grounds but found nothing.

Only one person saw them. She stood in the shadows by the Academy gate, staring blankly at the two figures embracing on the cathedral roof.

She watched as they flew into the distance, like two conjoined birds. She nervously touched her ear and cheek, then rubbed her hand, which still tingled. After storming off, she had returned, realizing the force of her slap had hurt her hand.

When people try to cling tightly to something and desperately seek warmth, it often means they already feel the chill of impending separation.

Their bodies intertwined with all their might, grinding, pressing, twisting, tangling, as if desperate to break themselves and each other into pieces and merge together as one—flesh and blood indistinguishable.

No thoughts, no ideas, no words, no reason. In this moment, only the most primal and pure instincts remained, entwining, merging, breathing together, resonating, crying out in unison.

Only in such moments could their souls briefly forget all the sadness and helplessness by melding and harmonizing as one.

They forgot the loneliness that otherwise couldnot be erased.

Because they felt the looming separation, the loneliness, and the cold—this fleeting spark of collision and warmth became unspeakably beautiful, precious, and irreplaceable.

It became unforgettable. Eternal.

Not until nearly noon the next day did they awaken, disentangling themselves slightly.

After staring at each other for a while, Asa held her close and kissed her deeply. "I love you. Did you know that?"

"Yes, I've always known," she said softly. "And I love you. Did you know that?"

"I know. I've always known."

After what seemed like an eternity, Asa reluctantly pulled away. He studied her carefully, as though engraving every detail of her face into his soul. Finally, he said, "I'm leaving."

When Asa stepped onto the bustling street at noon, his heart was calm. He strode forward.

"You're finally out," a voice called from across the street.

"You?" Asa paused, startled. "How did you know I was here?"

"I told you, didn't I? My teacher taught me tracking magic." Talice looked tired, her usually radiant complexion dull and shadowed by dark circles. "I've been waiting here for you."

"All this time…since last night?" Asa asked, noticing her weary face and feeling a strange mix of emotions.

"I told you—you can't escape me." The knight glared at him with a mix of frustration and determination. "I'll follow you wherever you go."

"Sorry… I guess it's been hard on you…" Asa shook his head and sighed with a bitter smile. "Well then… let's go."