Although Aina and Xia Lun had taken their relationship a step further, their interactions… didn’t seem to have changed much.
Life went on as usual—venturing out, completing commissions, and quietly raising their adventurer team’s rank.
After the incident in Olie City, the Adventurer’s Association had investigated and made an exception to promote their team directly from lv.1 to lv.3. Now, they weren’t far from reaching lv.4.
“Xia Lun, have you thought about recruiting more members?” Liyana suddenly asked. “Someone approached me earlier, asking if our team needed more people.”
Most high-ranking adventurer teams grew stronger and expanded their numbers—typically, a lv.5 team would have hundreds of members.
Dawn’s Wings was gradually gaining some reputation, with much of the attention focused on Xia Lun. Many had heard that he possessed the blessing of a goddess, making him exceptionally powerful.
“Honestly… I still prefer the current atmosphere,” Xia Lun replied after a moment of thought. “With more people, issues like uneven resource distribution and conflicts could arise… What do you all think?”
The others nodded. Their team’s roles were already well-rounded, with everyone fulfilling their duties and familiar with one another.
They were still in contact with Lady Ankula as well. Though she didn’t join them on adventures, she played a significant supporting role.
Xia Lun sat down beside Aina.
Aina’s expression remained unchanged, and Xia Lun didn’t make any further moves.
“Need some water?” Xia Lun offered his waterskin.
“No,” Aina replied flatly.
Xia Lun: “The weather’s nice today.”
Aina: “Yes.”
“Hope we’ll find something good in the dungeon today.”
“Good.”
The rest of the team exchanged glances.
It was hard to believe these two were a couple.
Not that they could blame them—neither Xia Lun nor Aina had any prior experience with romance, making it easy for their conversations to hit dead ends.
“Hey, hey, Xia Lun, just talking won’t cut it… You need to take more action,” Liyana, the most experienced in love among them, advised. “Holding hands, at least—that shouldn’t be too hard, right?”
Xia Lun glanced at Aina beside him.
It should… be fine, right? They’d already kissed before…
Carefully, he reached for Aina’s delicate hand.
Slap!
Aina swatted his hand away instantly.
Like a startled cat with its fur bristling, she scratched Xia Lun sharply.
Xia Lun withdrew his hand sheepishly, a bright red mark now visible where Aina had struck without holding back.
“Don’t mess around,” Aina said coolly.
The others pretended not to notice, turning their heads away, clearly struggling to hold back laughter—though none dared to actually laugh.
After all, Xia Lun was their captain, and Aina was their mage… both were pillars of the team.
Who would’ve thought these two had such a side to them?
“Something’s approaching.”
Xia Lun’s gaze sharpened instantly. Playful banter aside, he knew when to get serious.
“I’ll handle it,” Aina said, rising slowly.
“I—” Xia Lun started to stand but was immediately cut off by Aina’s command.
“Stay seated.”
Xia Lun obediently sat back down.
Though Musen had treated his injuries, the wounds from the Chaos Dragon Clan weren’t healing so easily, still throbbing faintly.
He’d hidden it well—the others hadn’t noticed anything amiss—but nothing escaped Aina’s eyes.
The Chaos Dragon Clan was far beyond ordinary monsters… the fact that Xia Lun had managed to retrieve the Dragonblood Flower and escape unscathed was a testament to his strength.
Aina took a step forward, her figure blurring into nothingness.
“If you two ever get married, you’re definitely going to be henpecked, Xia Lun,” Liyana sighed, patting his shoulder. “If you’re like this now, you’ll be hopeless if you don’t toughen up.”
“We’re just dating normally right now. Who knows what’ll happen in the future?” Xia Lun waved it off.
“Liyana, don’t say that about Captain Xia Lun,” Moke chimed in, as always taking Xia Lun’s side. “Being able to date Lady Aina… Captain Xia Lun is already amazing.”
Liyana clicked her tongue. True, with Aina’s overwhelming presence, trying to outmatch her was nearly impossible.
“As long as you’re happy, Xia Lun,” Musen said. “Everyone has their own definition of love and happiness. We shouldn’t impose our views on others.”
“I see…” Liyana nodded, though not entirely convinced. “So Xia Lun’s into this kind of dynamic… Tsk, who’d have thought a straight-laced guy like you could be so twisted.”
Aina returned at some point, sitting back down silently beside Xia Lun and startling Liyana.
Her robes were pristine, as if she’d never left.
“No injuries?” Xia Lun asked with concern.
“Of course not.”
Aina tossed a fist-sized magic core into Xia Lun’s lap, the faint scent of blood still clinging to it. “For you.”
“This is your spoils, Aina,” Xia Lun tried to return it.
“Take it,” Aina ordered, her tone brooking no argument.
Xia Lun hesitated but still seemed reluctant.
“It’s a return gift,” Aina added, softening her tone slightly. “The flower… I liked it.”
After all, the Hero was now her partner—different from the subordinates she’d had in the vampire clans. She shouldn’t be so domineering. Aina quietly reminded herself.
She’d never had an equal to converse with before, and now she was still struggling to adjust.
The Dragonblood Flower sat in a prominent spot in her spatial ring, displayed in a small pot.
Naturally, it was just a memento of her conquest over the Hero—nothing more.
“Thank you,” Xia Lun smiled, finally accepting the magic core.
Liyana watched the exchange with envy.
Well, now she understood—Xia Lun wasn’t just in a relationship; he was practically being spoiled!
That magic core would fetch an astronomical price if sold. If someone gifted her something so valuable, she’d gladly endure cold shoulders every day too.
“Here…” Xia Lun suddenly offered his waterskin again. “Want some water?”
This time, Aina didn’t refuse. She took it from him, opened it, and took a small sip.
Xia Lun: “Ahem… The weather’s really nice today.”
Aina: “Mm. The sun is warm.”