Gulp, gulp, gulp!

I chugged the potion in one go, feeling the cool liquid rush down my throat.

Almost immediately, a refreshing sensation spread through my body, like ice water flowing through my veins.

My limbs felt lighter, the soreness easing away bit by bit.

Instinctively, my eyes snapped to my right hand.

“Phew…”

I let out a breath of relief.

It had grown back.

Fingers, palm, everything—perfectly restored.

But something was off.

Right in the center of my palm, a strange symbol had appeared.

A black moon.

Completely filled-in, like a solid shadow.

Weird.

Was this because my soul had finally fused with Aestrea’s?

I wasn’t sure where exactly the whole Moon Goddess thing came from, but one thing was certain—Aestrea had always been obsessed with the moon.

Every night, without fail, before sleeping, he’d stare up at it.

His gaze was warm, thoughtful, almost… longing. Then he’d close his eyes as if trying to feel something beyond what was visible.

And now, after drinking the potion, I had finally regained the rest of his memories.

Well, most of them.

There were still gaps—missing pieces that I couldn’t quite grasp. And none of them explained why or how he was connected to the Goddess of the Moon.

I sighed and flexed my fingers, testing my new hand.

Physically, I was completely healed.

Was it worth spending 152 Platinum Coins?

…Not sure.

But at least I wasn’t walking around without a right hand anymore.

Well.

I still had some problems.

Because even though my body was healed, I had overloaded my physique again during that fight with the Fire Spirit King.

I was running on borrowed time.

I needed more money.

But that was easier said than done.

Unlike some lucky bastards, I didn’t have knowledge of some god-tier inventions to revolutionize this world.

I wasn’t some genius innovator who could casually create “modern technology” and sell it for mountains of gold.

And I sure as hell didn’t have some overpowered system to carry me through.

Honestly, my system was practically nonexistent.

The only thing it ever gave me was a status window. Which, let’s be real, everyone had access to.

Oh, and there was that one time it gave me future sight.

But other than that?

Nothing.

Anyway, I should be happy with what I have right now.

I exhaled and stretched my shoulders, rolling out some of the stiffness in my muscles.

“…I should head back to the academy.”

I mumbled to myself.

No point in staying here any longer.

With that thought, I made my way toward the exit of the cathedral.

But the moment I pushed the doors open—

FLASH!

A blinding burst of light exploded in my face.

“The… fuck?!”

Before I could process what was happening, a swarm of reporters rushed forward, cameras flashing, microphones shoved in my face like a pack of hungry wolves.

“Baron Moon! Is it true that you and Zeva defeated one of the Spirit Kings?!”

“Baron Moon! What is your current rank?!”

“Baron Moon! Rumors say you’re involved with multiple women, including your instructor Zeva! Can you confirm or deny these claims?”

“Is it true that you have connections to the Holy Church’s higher-ups?”

“Are you planning on joining the Royal Knights after graduation?”

“Some say you used forbidden magic during your last battle! Can you comment on this?”

I barely registered half the questions before my brain went into survival mode.

NOPE.

Without hesitation, I slammed the door shut.

I stood there, blinking.

“…The fuck did they come from?!”

I muttered under my breath.

“Watch your language.”

A familiar voice rang out behind me, sending a chill down my spine.

Ah, damn it.

My back straightened instinctively as I turned around.

Christina was standing there, arms crossed, one eyebrow raised in amusement.

“…Are you talking about those reporters?” she asked.

I nodded.

Her eyes narrowed before she let out a long sigh.

“Ah… so they’re here for you. For a second, I thought they were here to accuse me of corruption again, like last time.”

Huh?

I blinked at her.

“…Wait, they actually go after you? The heir to the Holy Nation?”

“Of course. They love to stir up trouble.” Christina rolled her eyes.

“They accused me of taking bribes to favor certain nobles in the church. Absolutely ridiculous.”

Damn.

These reporters truly had balls of steel.

“What about you?” she continued. “What are they accusing you of?”

I flinched.

A very particular question from earlier popped into my head.

‘Is it true you’re dating two girls at the same time and have an improper relationship with Instructor Zeva?’

My face twitched.

Christina’s sharp gaze immediately caught onto it.

“Why are you sweating?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.

“No reason!” I answered way too fast.

“Mhm…” She didn’t look convinced.

Time for some expert-level bullshitting.

“They were mostly asking about the Fire Spirit King, my current rank, and things like that,” I said smoothly, very carefully avoiding the more problematic topics.

Her expression remained skeptical for a moment before she finally sighed.

“Ah, right. You made quite a bit of money from that, huh?” She smirked and elbowed me playfully.

Then, her gaze landed on my right hand.

Her eyes widened.

“Your hand… it grew back!” She reached forward, gently grasping my hand as if confirming it was real.

Weird.

She didn’t seem to notice the black moon symbol on it…

“Ah, yeah.”

Pushing my thoughts aside, I nodded.

“Cost me a small fortune, but it was worth it.”

At my words, Christina’s expression shifted.

Her smile faded slightly.

“…I still need to train more,” she whispered under her breath.

I paused.

She… was blaming herself?

I tilted my head, watching her closely.

Was it because she couldn’t heal my hand with her magic?

Did she feel helpless back then?

For all the times she scared the hell out of me, I knew one thing for sure—she cared.

That was enough.

Thump!

Without thinking, I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her.

“Ah!”

She let out a startled noise, completely caught off guard.

For a split second, she froze.

Then, almost immediately, she relaxed against me.

Slowly, she buried her face in my chest, her arms moving up to hold onto my back.

“…Idiot,” she muttered.

I just chuckled softly, resting my chin on her head.

Christina didn’t move away.

If anything, she pressed herself closer.

Her fingers curled slightly against my back, gripping my shirt like she didn’t want to let go.

“…You scared me, you know,” she muttered softly, her breath warm against my chest.

I blinked, looking down at her.

“You? Scared?” I teased lightly, running my hand up and down her back.

She scoffed but didn’t pull away.

“Yeah. I was scared, idiot,” she mumbled.

“You almost died. When I saw you being dragged here, with your right hand gone, blood everywhere… I panicked and almost couldn’t do anything.”

Her voice was quiet, but I could feel the emotion in every word.

I let out a slow breath.

“Hey… I’m still here, aren’t I?” I whispered.

Christina lifted her head slightly, her bright pink eyes locking onto mine.

For a moment, we just stood there, inches apart, staring at each other.

Then, before I could think—

“…♡”

She leaned up, closing the distance between us.

Her lips pressed against mine.

Soft and warm.

I stiffened for a second, my brain short-circuiting.

Then, instinct took over.

I kissed her back, wrapping my arms tighter around her waist.

“Mhm!”

Her hands slid up my chest, one of them resting on my shoulder while the other tangled into my hair.

The kiss was slow at first, gentle.

But soon, it deepened.

Christina tilted her head, pressing herself closer as her lips moved against mine, the heat between us rising.

I could feel my heart pounding.

I could feel her.

Every breath.

Every little movement.

She sighed softly into the kiss, her fingers tightening in my hair as if she wanted more.

I responded, pulling her even closer, feeling the shape of her body mold against mine.

Damn.

This was getting dangerous.

We were still in the cathedral.

I reluctantly pulled back just enough to catch my breath, resting my forehead against hers.

Her cheeks were flushed, her breathing a little unsteady.

“You okay?” I murmured.

She licked her lips, looking at me through her half-lidded pink eyes.

“…Shut up,” she muttered, before pulling me into another kiss.

I chuckled softly against her lips but didn’t complain.

I kissed her again, slower this time, savoring the feeling.

After a while, Christina finally pulled back, just enough to look up at me. But she didn’t go far—her forehead rested lightly against my chest, her arms still wrapped around me.

Her voice was barely above a whisper when she spoke.

“…I missed you,” she admitted.

I smiled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“Yeah… I missed you too.”

We stayed like that for a moment longer, just enjoying the warmth, the quiet, the closeness.

But eventually, she let out a small sigh and stepped back, though her fingers lingered against my sleeve as if she didn’t want to completely let go.

“Unfortunately… you need to go now,” she murmured, her eyes turning towards the cathedral doors.

“The academy’s exams are starting in a week or so, and you need to prepare yourself.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

I waved a hand lazily.

Christina narrowed her eyes.

“I’m serious. You might’ve passed the combat exam after… well, everything that happened, but don’t forget about the written exams. I heard they’re pretty tough.”

I smirked.

“I should be fine. Sure, I make questionable life choices, but I’m actually pretty smart, you know.”

She sighed, shaking her head.

“You’re in the Royal Academy, the hardest institute to get into. You might want to study at the library, just in case.”

I gave her a mock salute.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Truthfully, I did have a few things to brush up on.

I needed to start studying level seven ice spells—especially if I wanted to push my magic even further.

Plus, if I could find any books related to time magic, that would be even better.

And this week before the writing exams would be the perfect time to do it.

“Alright, I’ll be going now,” I said, stretching my arms.

I turned toward the exit.

And immediately frowned.

…The reporters were still out there.

I could practically hear the nonstop chatter from behind the doors.

Yeah, no.

There was no way I was walking into that chaos.

I glanced around the cathedral and spotted a large stained-glass window at the far end of the room.

Perfect.

With a quick step, I headed toward it.

Christina followed me with a raised brow.

“You’re not seriously thinking of—”

Before she could finish, I placed a hand against the window frame, preparing to jump out and make my escape.

But just as I was about to leap—

“Wait!”

Her voice rang through the air, sharp and sudden.

I froze.

Christina was standing there, staring at me.

Her hands were clenched at her sides, her expression unreadable.

And then, with a deep breath, she asked:

“…Are we official now?”

My whole body locked up.

Shit.

Shit.

My brain immediately went into crisis mode.

If I said yes, that would be admitting to a relationship. Which, under normal circumstances, wouldn’t be a problem.

Except…

Yara and Eleonora.

If they found out?

I was dead.

Absolutely, 100% dead.

At the same time, if I said no, Christina would not take it well.

So I needed to be very, very careful about how I answered this.

“…Uh,” I started, stalling for time.

“Define ‘official’?”

Her eyes narrowed.

Shit!

Wrong move.

I swallowed.

“I mean,” I laughed nervously, “things are, uh, kinda complicated right now, you know? With the academy, exams, and all that—”

She took a step forward.

Crap.

“You’re avoiding the question.”

I opened my mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.

Think. Think. THINK.

“I—”

Suddenly—

BANG!

The cathedral doors shook violently, the sound of reporters yelling from outside echoing through the halls.

Saved by the chaos.

I immediately took advantage of the distraction.

“Oops, gotta go!” I said way too fast, leaping toward the window.

“ASTREA—!”

I jumped.

And as I landed smoothly on the ground below, sprinting away before anyone could spot me, I could still hear her frustrated shout from above.

I’d definitely have to deal with this later.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep