Chapter 46: Aelonen’s Challenge

The ice and fire merged, but no explosion occurred. The flames enveloped the block of ice without melting it, while the ice didn’t extinguish the fire.

They turned toward a wall and launched the combined spell together.

*BOOM!*

The spell struck the wall, freezing a section of it for a moment before the ice evaporated completely. The only thing left behind was a large hole.

Chris and Aelia looked at each other in surprise.

"So it works like this too? Not only have our affinities increased, but we can also combine our attacks!" Chris exclaimed in amazement.

Aelia was equally surprised. She had never heard of anyone being able to combine their attacks like that before.

Then, smiles appeared on both their faces as they high-fived each other.

"Yes! We’re amazing!" Aelia exclaimed.

Chris nodded repeatedly.

Suddenly, Aelia’s legs trembled, and she began to fall.

Chris quickly caught her in his arms.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Nothing much. My mana reserves are completely depleted, and I have no stamina left either. After spending so much time in this dungeon, I’m actually surprised I’m still alive, considering how long I’ve gone without food." Aelia shook her head.

"Didn’t the ritual earlier replenish your reserves?" Chris asked in surprise.

"No, it only strengthened my body and my affinity for ice energy," Aelia replied.

"Sigh... I don’t have any mana potions with me, so you’ll have to wait until we get out." Chris sighed.

He didn’t carry any mana recovery potions because his mana reserves recovered passively all the time. He had no need for ordinary mana recovery potions.

"It’s fine. I’ll manage," Aelia replied with a smile.

Chris thought for a moment before turning his back to her and crouching down. He grabbed her legs and stood up, carrying her on his back.

"Kyaa! What are you doing?!" Aelia exclaimed, caught off guard as she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck to keep from falling backward.

"Carrying you, of course. What does it look like?" Chris replied without hesitation. "And kya? That was an awfully cute scream coming from someone like you."

"S-shut up!" Aelia blushed. She was surprised herself, as she had never screamed like that before.

’It has to be this guy’s fault!’ She thought to herself.

"And why are you carrying me like this? I’m a princess, you know! If you’re going to carry me, do it in a princess carry!" She shouted into his ear.

Chris shook his head without missing a beat. "No. That would restrict my movements."

She didn’t bother arguing with him any further, but she still felt annoyed.

*Chomp!*

"Aagh! What was that?!" Chris yelled.

’Did she just bite my shoulder?!’

"Hmph! That’s what you get for being so clueless," she replied, puffing out her cheeks.

Chris simply shook his head in exasperation and continued walking up the stairs toward the exit of the ruins.

Once he reached the entrance, he stopped and looked around.

"What are you looking for?" Aelia asked.

"I was chased here by a pack of angry wolves. I’m checking whether they’re still around."

"A whole pack?! Actually... if it’s you, that doesn’t surprise me," Aelia replied.

"Sigh..."

Seeing no wolves nearby, Chris finally stepped outside.

*ROOOAR!*

He looked up at the sky and immediately spotted Azreon flying toward them.

Some distance behind him, a swarm of bats was still chasing him.

’Has this guy seriously been running away from those bats for all these hours?!’

Chris couldn’t believe it. He had expected Azreon to escape and hide somewhere, but it seemed he hadn’t managed to lose them.

As soon as Azreon spotted Chris, he dived toward him. When the dragon got close enough, Chris jumped into the air and landed directly on the saddle.

"Let’s go, buddy. Time to leave the dungeon. You deserve some rest."

*ROAR!*

Azreon quickly flew toward the exit portal.

"Hey, Aelia, you can sit on the saddle now," Chris said to the girl who was still hugging his neck.

"I refuse," she replied without hesitation.

"...Fine."

Chris didn’t actually mind. The softness against his back was quite pleasant, and her scent was comforting. She smelled like roses.

It didn’t take long for them to reach the portal.

As they flew through it, space twisted around them, and they emerged on the other side.

They had returned to the same cave where they had entered the portal.

Flying past the cave’s exit, Chris was surprised to see that all the people who had escorted him there were still waiting in the same place.

As soon as they saw Azreon emerge, they all stood up, their eyes widening in disbelief.

Most of them had assumed they were waiting for nothing and that the young man would never return from the dungeon. The sight before them caught everyone by surprise.

Azreon landed beside the group, and Chris climbed off the saddle while still carrying Aelia on his back before jumping to the ground.

"Big sister!" Aelonen was the first to recognize Aelia. He shouted as tears streamed down his face.

The others were startled by his outburst and quickly turned to look.

"Princess!"

"The Princess is back!"

"Ha! I knew the Princess would return!"

They all rushed toward Chris, excitedly looking at Aelia. However, a moment later, they suddenly stopped, their eyes widening.

They had just realized that the Princess was being carried by the human they had sent to rescue her. Aelia had never allowed anyone to get that physically close to her before, not even her own little brother, so they were all stunned by the sight.

Noticing the awkward sitaution, Chris gently placed Aelia on the ground.

Aelonen immediately approached her, looking her up and down to check for injuries.

"Big sister, are you hurt anywhere?"

Aelia shook her head. "I’m fine. I just need some potions to recover."

"Oh, oh!" Aelonen immediately began taking out potions and stuffing them into Aelia’s hands.

Chris watched in bewilderment as dozens of high-tier potions appeared one after another. He wondered whether the elves were so wealthy that they could hand out such expensive potions so casually.

Aelia took several potions and drank them before letting out a deep breath.

"That feels better." She then turned toward Aelonen. "Did you train while I was gone? Did you finish the assignments I left you?"

Aelonen instantly froze like a deer caught in headlights.

"I... I..." he stammered.

"I see. It seems I wasn’t strict enough. You haven’t been properly disciplined in far too long."

"B-Big sister, I did train, I swear! It’s just that the training was too hard. I trained every day!"

"Yet you still haven’t completed your assignments, even after two years." Aelia shook her head in disappointment. "If you can’t do it on your own, then prepare to be properly trained tomorrow."

Aelonen’s shoulders immediately slumped. He looked as though all his energy had drained away in an instant.

"Pfft... Hahahahahaha..." Chris couldn’t help bursting into laughter. It was pretty entertaining to see that rude guy in such a state.

Aelonen didn’t even have the energy to respond to Chris’s laughter.

"Little Aelia, are you really alright?" the Sage asked as he approached.

"Yes, Grandpa Sage. I’m really fine." Aelia nodded.

"Good, good. You had this old man worried to death." He shook his head. "Did you gain anything from the ruins?"

"Yes, more than I expected." Aelia nodded with a slight smile, glancing at Chris.

Chris scratched his head and ignored their exchange. He didn’t want to get involved in that conversation.

"Good. I’m happy for you." The Sage nodded before turning toward Chris. "Our agreement has been fulfilled. You are now free."

Chris nodded. "Thank you."

"Grandpa Sage, I want him to meet the Guardian," Aelia suddenly said.

The Sage looked surprised for a moment before his expression turned serious.

"Little Aelia, do you know what you’re asking? The Guardian cannot be awakened so casually."

"I know, but I still want him to meet the Guardian," Aelia replied with a determined expression.

The Sage studied her for a moment before nodding. "Alright, if that’s what you want."

"Princess, please reconsider! I agree that this man helped us by bringing you back from the dungeon, but allowing him to meet the Guardian? That’s too much for a reward!" Nodhen, the chubby elven elder, suddenly interjected.

"I’ve made my decision," Aelia said sternly.

Nodhen froze for a moment before nodding. There was nothing more he could do.

Although the Princess wasn’t their ruler yet, she had already been chosen as the next ruler. Her words carried considerable weight.

"The Guardian?" Chris asked in confusion. He had no idea what they were talking about.

"You’ll find out tomorrow," Aelia replied with a smile.

"Sure." He wasn’t particularly curious and didn’t press her for more information. "Well, since my job here is done, I’ll go get some sleep."

Chris turned around and approached Azreon.

"Wait, where are you going?" the Sage suddenly asked.

Chris turned back. "Where else? Back to my cell to sleep."

The Sage shook his head. "There’s no need for that. We’ll prepare a decent room for you."

Chris simply waved his hand. "No need. I’m not used to sleeping in beds. I’ll just sleep in my cell."

He jumped onto Azreon, and they flew toward a gigantic tree in the distance, where Azreon had previously been imprisoned.

"What a strange and complicated man..." Aelonen commented from the side.

"You think so? I don’t think he’s strange or complicated at all," Aelia replied, watching Chris fly away.

...

Chris and Azreon landed on the tree where they had stayed before and entered it. Both immediately slumped to the ground.

Azreon lay on his stomach while Chris lay beside him, resting his head on the dragon’s wing.

After everything that had happened, Chris felt mentally exhausted. He needed a good rest.

Finally relaxing, they both fell asleep.

...

Deep in the night, while sleeping, Chris suddenly felt something heavy on his chest. He groggily opened his eyes, only to see a puff of platinum hair in front of him. At some point, Aelia had lain down on his chest.

Chris watched her for a moment, but when he noticed that she was breathing steadily, he decided not to disturb her and went back to sleep.

...

The next morning, Chris began waking up because of the commotion around him. He could hear voices nearby.

"B-Big sister! Why are you sleeping here?"

"Huh? Why can’t I be here? Leave me alone. I want to sleep."

"B-but, Sister, you’re sleeping on the floor with a stranger!"

"A stranger? Maybe to you. To me, he’s not a stranger at all."

"W-what do you mean? Oh my god, Sister! Have you already reached that point with him?!"

"Huh?! What are you talking about? Just leave and stop disturbing me!"

Chris slowly opened his eyes, only to see that Aelia was still lying on his chest while Aelonen stood in the doorway, completely stunned by the sight.

"Look! You woke him up!" Aelia yelled.

Aelonen didn’t even know what to say.

Chris shook his head. "It’s already morning, so it’s fine. If you’d woken me up earlier, I would’ve had to beat you up."

"Huh? Who are you going to beat up, human?! Come out and fight me right now!" Aelonen shouted angrily.

"Aelonen, he has a name," Aelia suddenly said sternly.

The change in her expression caught Aelonen off guard. He opened his mouth but couldn’t think of anything to say.

"Alright, how about this? We’ll fight, and if I win, you’ll call me Big Brother from now on," Chris suggested.

"You’re on! But if I win, you’ll kneel in front of me for an hour like a good dog," Aelonen replied angrily.

"Aelon—" Aelia began to shout, but she suddenly stopped when she felt Chris’s hand on her head.

He had patted her unconsciously, as if to stop her from getting worked up. When he realized what he had done, he looked at her. Seeing no negative reaction, he simply shrugged and continued.

"I accept," he replied to Aelonen.