Chapter 501: Burning Core

I know we’re official now. I’ve already seen parts of her that only I will ever get to know… and yet—

“Hm? Is something wrong, Riley? Do I look weird or something?”

She tilted her head slightly, confused.

But no… that wasn’t it at all.

Senior Alice is seriously beautiful. Like, out-of-this-world beautiful.

Even now, even after everything, I still feel like I’m dreaming every time I look at her. I swear, I might actually be the luckiest guy alive.

The way her long pink hair flows gently with the breeze… the soft glow of her golden eyes when they land on me, curious and warm.

That perfectly shaped, symmetrical face of hers, the slight upturn of her nose, and her flawless skin—smooth, radiant, and warm to the touch. Skin I’ve held. Kissed. Touched freely now.

Not to mention her scent… sweet and fresh, like something soft and floral you couldn’t name but would never forget.

Yeah. My Alice was seriously perfection.

“…Riley?”

Oops. Guess I spaced out a little.

“Ah, nothing,” I said with a small smile. “I was just… appreciating your beauty.”

Her eyes widened just slightly, and a soft pink bloomed on her cheeks.

“I-Is that so?” she replied, flustered but clearly pleased. “Well… then appreciate it as much as you want!”

I let out a small chuckle. Alice really was so honest with her feelings.

When she was happy, she didn’t hide it.

When she was embarrassed, it showed right on her face.

There was something comforting about how open she was with me now.

Right now, the two of us were sitting side by side on the second-floor balcony of Panda Café, enjoying a quiet lunch together.

The city breeze up here felt nice. Her legs were slightly swinging, and she hummed between bites like usual—bubbly and cheerful, just being herself.

A few students down below were already sneaking glances our way.

Typical.

Same as always.

But I didn’t care anymore.

I wasn’t hiding anything now.

People could look all they wanted.

After all, this was just another lunch with my girlfriend.

“So, how’s your thesis project going, Alice?”

Her face instantly scrunched up.

“Please don’t remind me…” she groaned, slumping a little in her seat. “My classmates have been a bit all over the place with their parts too. Since it’s a joint thesis between departments, I’ve been dragging Lorraine in to help me here and there… but she’s also swamped with her own section. I seriously shouldn’t have agreed to be the group leader.”

“Haha, well… if you didn’t take the lead, I doubt anyone else in your group would’ve stepped up.” I leaned back and gave her a grin. “So, good luck with that.”

She puffed her cheeks at me, clearly not amused. “At least pretend to ease my stress, Riley. You are my boyfriend, right?”

She even raised her voice slightly when she said the word “boyfriend,” and I caught a few nearby students flinch, turning their heads awkwardly to pretend they weren’t eavesdropping.

Ah. So that’s what this was.

Marking her territory, huh?

I smiled a bit. She was definitely doing it on purpose.

“What can I even do to help?” I asked, lifting my hands in mock surrender. “Magical research isn’t exactly my thing, you know.”

Alice didn’t look discouraged.

Instead, she gave me a small, knowing smile, then leaned forward just a little, her eyes sparkling as she tilted her head.

“Pat me.”

“…Huh?”

“Pat me,” she repeated, now grinning. “Tell me I’m doing a good job. Say I’m the best. Tell me I can do it. You know… “boyfriend” things.”

I let out a chuckle. Even now—after all her growth, after everything we’ve been through—she was still the same Alice I remembered.

A little dramatic.

A little demanding.

But always, always honest.

“Alright, alright,” I said as I reached out, resting my hand gently on her head and brushing her soft pink hair back with my fingers.

“Good job, Alice,” I said, smiling down at her. “You’re doing amazing. You’re the best, and I know you can finish it. Just keep at it.”

She let out a small, satisfied ’hehehe’ sound and closed her eyes, leaning just slightly into my hand as I continued to pat her.

Her softness was quite addictive honestly and I loved it.

She was two years older than me, but I guess she wasn’t really the type to keep up a mature front all the time.

Not with me, at least.

Even though I knew she was going through a rough patch—especially now, with graduation creeping closer—I wasn’t exactly worried. In fact, I was kind of proud.

Her thesis, after all, wasn’t just some last-minute project like most students scramble to finish.

It was something big.

A breakthrough in the magical world, especially in the field of transportation gates.

If it worked out the way she planned, it might actually change the way people traveled between regions. That wasn’t just impressive—it was future-defining.

She deserved more credit than she gave herself.

Satisfied with my head pats, Alice sat back down in her chair with a small content sigh.

She picked up her fork and took a bite of her pasta dish, her golden eyes flicking back to me as she chewed.

“By the way, Riley,” she said after swallowing, “how are you doing? I heard there’s a new curriculum program starting this semester for first and second years, right? That mentorship training thing? Are you assigned to a first year now?”

“Yeah,” I nodded. “I’ve got one.”

“Hoh… that’s interesting,” she said, clearly intrigued. “I kind of wish we had something like that back when I was in first year… would’ve been nice.”

“So,” I leaned in slightly with a grin, “you want to train a junior too now? I thought I was your favorite?”

She blinked. “T-This and that are different! You’re… you’re special!”

I chuckled. “I know, I know. I just wanted to tease you a little.”

I watched as she shifted in her seat, clearly trying not to smile too hard. Her pride wouldn’t let her give me the satisfaction that easily.

“But,” I added, still watching her curiously, “since you’re interested in the new program… were you actually thinking about teaching, Alice?”

She paused for a second, then looked down at her plate. Her voice was a little quieter when she spoke again.

“W-Well, to be honest… I’ve only started thinking about it recently. But yes. After I graduate, I’ve been considering the idea that maybe… teaching might actually be one of my strengths.” She glanced at me, then quickly looked away. “I mean, I’m still pretty inexperienced in the field, obviously… but I don’t know, I just have a feeling I might do well in it.”

She twirled her fork in the pasta absentmindedly, then added, even softer, “And also… if I do become a teacher… I can stay in the academy a bit longer too.”

Her words trailed off.

I smiled, unsure whether her last comment was meant to be casual or carried something a little more personal.

But knowing Alice, it probably came from a genuine place.

Even if she didn’t fully say it out loud.

“To be honest,” I said as I leaned my elbow on the table, “I think you’d make a pretty decent teacher, Alice.”

“R-Really?” she blinked, surprised.

“Yes. I mean, sure—you’re a bit clumsy. And kind of too honest. And let’s not forget… mostly a bit airheaded.”

“Hey!” she pouted, narrowing her eyes slightly.

“But,” I continued with a small grin, “you’re also kind, smart, and—more importantly—you’ve got this warm energy that makes it easy for people to talk to you. You’re not like most of the stiff professors here at the academy. Students would probably have a much easier time learning from you. Plus, let’s not forget your magical credentials. A future Archon and all.”

She stayed quiet for a moment, taking the compliment in her own flustered way, eyes lowered and cheeks slightly pink.

I leaned back and added, “Though if you do decide to become a teacher, does that mean you’re giving up on all those opportunities with the magic towers? I heard there’s already a bunch of them trying to recruit you.”

She let out a small breath and rested her chin on her hand. “I’m not sure if that was a compliment or a very long list of flaws, but… yes, the magic towers are trying to recruit me. A lot of them, actually.”

She stirred the pasta on her plate with her fork, her voice growing a bit more thoughtful.

“But to be honest, most of them only seem interested in me because of my potential title as an Archmage in the future. It’s more about politics than anything else. I never really felt drawn to that kind of thing. Some of them are genuinely offering me positions to deepen my magical studies, which I do appreciate… but I just can’t picture myself sitting at the top of one of those towers, managing politics and paperwork while pretending I care about who’s climbing the ranks below me.”

She sighed lightly. “Not to mention I’ve already got my hands full managing my personal realms. It’s already chaotic enough without adding tower duties on top of that.”

“I guess the Red Queen has her priorities, huh…” I teased with a smirk.

Alice looked up at me with a gleam in her eye. “I’ll have you know,” she said, pointing her fork at me, “this Red Queen already has her King. So, my lazy King, please do oblige and perform your duties from time to time, alright? Cheshire’s already having a hard time keeping everything in check.”

“Haha… sure, my Queen.”

I gave a mock bow in my seat, and she let out a laugh—the kind that melted away the stress she’d been carrying since earlier.

It was soft, bright, and familiar. The kind of laugh that reminded me why I always looked forward to moments like this.

Even though most of her current “Red Queen” duties weren’t exactly urgent right now, I knew the responsibilities she carried were far from light.

The unification of her personal realms was already finishing, and the toll it took on her wasn’t something most people would ever understand.

After all, it wasn’t every day you met someone who had literal pocket dimensions stitched inside their very being.

That sort of thing doesn’t just come and go. It changes you.

Alice might look the same as always—smiling, laughing, eating pasta next to me on a café balcony—but in truth, in essence, she was already far beyond what most mages could dream of becoming. When she unleashes her red energy, she stops being just Alice.

She becomes something else entirely.

A being close to a goddess.

No… a goddess herself.

An ascendant being with power beyond reason, and yet—she still acts like the same cheerful, sometimes childish senior who makes me pat her head in public.

And now that I think about it… I’m about to marry a goddess, huh?

I glanced at her again, watching the way the sunlight caught strands of her pink hair.

Yeah. Somehow, it didn’t even feel that surprising anymore.

But speaking of goddesses… I should probably get an update on Emilia soon, too.

I still owed her a few things—favors, items, and maybe some emotional damage control depending on what kind of mess [Act 4 – Chapter 2] stirs up.

[Act 4 – Chapter 2: The placed chaos in the dungeons]

is about to begin soon, and I’ll need her ready, whether she knows it or not.

And that’s not all.

Lucas.

Yeah, I should definitely check in on his progress too.

Things are slowly moving in place, and if I don’t start lining things up now, we’re going to have a much bigger problem later down the line.

With everything that’s coming, I need to at least get confirmation he was growing without my direct influence or not—

“By the way, Riley,” Alice said, taking me back to reality. “Before you go… can I ask who the freshman you’re training is?”

Her voice was casual, but I could feel the shift in her tone enough to sit back down a little.

“It’s Stacia,” I answered.

“Stacia…?” Her brow lifted slightly. “You mean that fiery princess?”

“Yeah, that one.”

“I see… so she’s your student, huh.”

She twirled her fork slowly, eyes focused somewhere on the table before glancing back up at me. “I don’t know her personally, but I’ve heard a few things. Isn’t she one of the few magic knights in the academy? Sounds intense. Are you having a hard time training her? with her magic talents and all she’s a bit loose to properly mentor, right?”

“Not really,” I shrugged. “Magic isn’t something I can help her much with, but when it comes to the physical side of training… she’s catching on fast.”

“I see…”

Her voice trailed off a little, and she looked at me—really looked at me—with her golden eyes slightly narrowed, thoughtful.

“What?”

She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she leaned forward just a bit, tapping her chin with one finger.

“Riley, that princess… wasn’t she really pretty?”

“…Yes?”

“Do you think she’s pretty?”

I blinked. “Objectively… yes. She’s very beautiful.”

“…I see.”

She glanced to the side, then toward the small pouch resting on the chair beside me—inside, a few blue-glowing vials shimmered faintly in the light.

Her eyes lingered on them for a second too long.

“Then… those mana potions you brought,” she said, voice smooth but quiet, “are they for her, perhaps?”

I followed her gaze.

“Yes,” I admitted. “They’re part of a new mana training method I’m about to teach her.”

“Hmm… that’s nice.”

She smiled, but there was something off about it.

“By the way…” she continued, still smiling sweetly, “are Rose and Snow free later this evening?”

“I believe so…?”

She nodded, still holding that exact same expression. Pleased. A little too pleased.

That was when it hit me.

Warning bells started ringing somewhere deep in my gut.

That look.

That smile.

Why did it suddenly feel like I stepped on a landmine?

“…Alice?”

“Yes, Riley?” she asked innocently.

Too innocently.

Yep.

I definitely fucked up…?

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