CHAPTER 75: REST

Azel blinked, his breathing steady as he realized he was back in the same position he had been before he accepted the visit to the Plane of Light.

The creak of the inn’s wooden beams overhead grounded him to reality.

He lay sprawled across the bed, one arm hanging off the side as though the meeting with the goddess had been nothing more than a dream.

Yet the tingle on his lips betrayed the truth, he could feel the energy even now...

"Seems like she sent me out," he muttered under his breath.

His voice was calm, but when he raised a hand to touch his lips, he felt the lingering warmth there — the afterglow of the goddess’s kiss.

It was like she had marked his soul with it...

Even though it hadn’t been his physical body that kissed her, he could feel the energy woven into his very being.

A strange sensation, like molten silver, coursed through his veins, lodging itself deep within him.

It was divine power.

[Your mana core has been blessed by the Goddess.]

[Your mana core has reached Rank 4.]

[You have been marked by the Goddess of Light. With this marking, you may enter the Plane of Light and exit whenever you desire.]

[You have gained Unique Title: Lover of the Goddess.]

The translucent blue windows faded before his eyes.

Azel dismissed them with a flick of his will and drew in a long, calming breath.

Mana hummed inside him, alive and warm, filling him like the steady rhythm of a heartbeat.

Every person who arrived in a new world carried a quiet wish: to wield magic.

It was the dream of all adventurers, the foundation of countless legends.

And Azel had been no different.

Before dedicating himself entirely to the sword, he too had yearned for the mysteries of arcane power.

But in this world, the laws were cruel.

One had to choose — Aura or Magic. To walk both paths was to invite death.

Unless, of course, one had guidance from a certain heroine and her grandmother.

That had been his plan, his safety net for later, after meeting Rain in Rochel.

Yet the goddess had broken those shackles for him.

She had given him what no ordinary swordsman could dream of possessing — a mana core that not even Reinhardt had gotten the privilege to have.

Despite how the System explained it, these were far far better than mana circles, as much as he wanted to do it for Edna, he didn’t even know the procedure but what he did know was that if she tried to destroy or disperse those circles, she could die.

But still...

’What use is magic without spells?’ he thought, tilting his head back against the pillow.

His lips quirked faintly. ’I’ll need to learn. Even if I’m no prodigy.’

His mind wandered as his body was groggy, he wanted to check on the Branch of the world tree but his laziness pullled through, he would check it out tomorrow.

He was so immersed in thought that he failed to notice the faint click of the door.

Edna entered the room softly, dressed in a loose robe that trailed just above her feet.

Candlelight from the hallway brushed her silver hair with a pale glow, making her seem otherworldly for a heartbeat.

She paused at the threshold, her keen eyes observing her lover.

Azel lay stretched across the bed, brows furrowed slightly as if carrying the weight of another world in his thoughts.

His eyes were on the ceiling, distant and contemplative.

She knew that look well — he was plotting something, worrying about the future again.

But did she care about those thoughts right now? Not in the slightest.

What she cared about was warmth.

His warmth.

They had spent days in the carriage, always surrounded by others, unable to steal more than brief moments together.

And now, at last, here in the inn’s quiet solitude, Edna wanted what she had missed — the comfort of his arms, the heat of his body against hers.

Without a word, she crossed the room. Her steps were soundless, the faint swish of her robe the only noise that echoed in the room but even then, Azel didn’t notice.

She slipped onto the bed beside him, graceful and deliberate.

Azel barely reacted until he felt the weight of her head resting gently on his chest.

"Edna?" His voice carried a hint of surprise.

She didn’t answer right away.

Instead, she nestled closer, her silver hair spilling across him like liquid moonlight.

Her arms wrapped around him, her slender body pressing along his side until she found the perfect fit against him.

She sighed softly, as if finally content.

"Darling, you’re cold," she murmured at last. Her voice was soft, melodic, threaded with affection.

Azel blinked, suddenly aware of how cold his body felt despite the lingering divine energy within him.

’I mean it’s supposed to be, after all I was probably dead for minutes,’ Azel realized... maybe he could take his physical body into the plane.

She shifted slightly, moving her body higher, pressing herself more firmly against him until his head rested against her chest.

It wasn’t overly large, not like some of the exaggerated figures Azel had seen among many women, but it was perfect for her.

It was warm, steady, and just the right fit for him.

And in that moment, it was more relaxing than any divine blessing.

"Are you feeling better now?" she asked, her fingers threading slowly through his hair.

The movement was unhurried, tender, each stroke a silent comfort.

She knew he was going through things that he didn’t want to say, but one day he would tell her everything... and she would listen.

She wasn’t even surprised that she could feel magic coming from him now, he was the only person that could pull off such a miracle only heard of in legends like this so she didn’t even bother to ask.

Heat spread across Azel’s cheeks.

His eyes softened as they traced her features.

The faint light revealed her natural beauty — slender lines, silver hair framing her face, eyes glowing faintly with affection.

And her figure... somehow, it seemed fuller, more radiant than before.

’She probably broke through.’

He swallowed lightly.

"Yeah. I am." Then, almost shyly, he added, "By the way, you smell nice."

Her lips curved into a knowing smile. "Thank you. There were a lot of impurities, so I had to take a big scrub."

Her hand continued stroking his hair, soothing him further.

"I broke into second circle," she added, her tone carrying a hint of wonder, "and it’s already halfway full."

She still couldn’t quite believe it herself.

Was this how simple it was to be a mage? No — she knew it wasn’t.

She knew how much of it was thanks to Azel, how much easier he had made her life.

Her path, once riddled with difficulty, had been smoothed because he walked beside her.

And despite all the times she complained or teased, she cherished it.

Cherished him.

Her body shifted slightly.

She leaned down, her silver hair cascading forward, framing both their faces as she gazed into his eyes.

Her expression softened, and in that quiet moment, she looked almost fragile.

"I’ll love you from now till the end of time," she whispered.

Her lips found his in a kiss that lingered, carrying with it all the affection she could not put into words.

It wasn’t fiery like the ones they usually bad nor desperate like a stolen embrace.

It was warm.

And full of the love she harbored.

When at last she pulled back, her eyes shimmered faintly. "Now it’s time for you to sleep," she said softly.

Azel wanted to argue, wanted to cling to the warmth, but his body betrayed him.

The soothing strokes of her hand, the steady rise and fall of her breathing, the lingering taste of her lips — it all lulled him into a haze.

His eyelids grew heavy, his breathing slowed, and before long, he found himself drifting.

Wrapped in Edna’s embrace, he surrendered to the quiet night and slept off.

"One day... You’ll tell me everything and until then I’ll be your first lover and wife," She said as she laid down next to him, pressing his face deeper into her bosom.