Practical Assignment

Returning from the Magic Academy, Xia Lun collapsed onto the sofa as if all his bones had been removed.

"Are you tired, Xia Lun?"

"Yes."

"That shouldn't be the case, Xia Lun. With your current spiritual power, you shouldn't be so drained by such a small matter..." Aina said in confusion.

"I'm mentally exhausted, Aina." Xia Lun let out a long sigh and sank deeply into the sofa.

Without a doubt, Xia Lun had lied while at the Magic Academy.

He never expected that calling her "Teacher Aina" would cause things to escalate the way they did.

And Aina had played along with his grand act. Now everyone thought he was Aina's genius student... but in reality, Xia Lun couldn't even draw the magic circle for a basic fireball spell.

"Is that so? My poor little Xia Lun, this must have been so hard on you." Aina's voice suddenly turned soft and sweet. With a sly smile, she sat down next to Xia Lun and stroked his cheek. "Do you need your teacher to comfort you properly?"

"How are you going to comfort me, Teacher Aina?"

Seeing Aina playing along so well, Xia Lun naturally wouldn't spoil the fun.

"Hmm..." Aina pretended to think seriously, her fingertips unconsciously drawing circles on Xia Lun's chin. "For example... giving you lots and lots of homework?" She blinked, looking completely innocent.

Xia Lun: ...

The air froze for a moment.

"Aina, do you have some sort of misunderstanding about what a teacher is?"

"I'm not sure, I've never been a teacher." Aina shrugged. "Then what do you want, Xia Lun?"

"Hmm... let's first talk about what kind of homework it is." Xia Lun stretched out an arm and pulled Aina's soft, warm body into his embrace. The two sank deep into the sofa together like lazy cats. He turned his head, his nose rubbing against Aina's smooth hair.

"Practical homework, of course." Aina tilted her face up slightly, the pink tip of her tongue quickly darting over the corner of her lips.

"That sounds absolutely wonderful." Xia Lun's Adam's apple bobbed, his eyes lighting up slightly.

Just then, a buzzing sound rang out at the worst possible time. The gemstone on the head of the magic golem, Serry, flashed with a steady blue light as it began to circle the base of the sofa at an even pace.

"Master Aina needs to assign Master Xia Lun practical homework... Search complete. The standard procedure for practical homework mostly consists of magic experiment projects. Do you need corresponding magical materials prepared for Master Xia Lun?" Serry's electronic voice chimed in.

"Idiot, shut up!" Aina, flushed with embarrassment and anger, kicked out her smooth calf and unceremoniously sent Serry flying.

Serry's body rolled a few times on the floor before finally coming to a dead stop.

But it had to be said, this magic golem was quite sturdy.

A moment later, Serry extended two mechanical arms, pressed against the floor, and propped itself back up.

"Analyzing Master Aina's attack behavior pattern... Attack source: foot; Attack strength: medium; Attack intent: expulsion? Expressing dissatisfaction? Matching database..."

"Alright, go stay somewhere else. Don't come over without our orders," Xia Lun waved his hand at Serry.

"Order received," Serry replied flatly, gliding smoothly out of the living room.

Xia Lun tapped Aina's little nose.

"Why take it out on the golem? It won't be good if you break it."

"Hmph!" Aina turned her head away, though her body remained nestled in Xia Lun's arms. "That guy's performance is excellent, it won't be broken by such a simple kick. Besides, I know my limits."

"You still shouldn't just kick it around." Xia Lun cupped Aina's cheeks and gently turned her small head back to face him.

"I think you're just jealous." Aina pouted.

Xia Lun asked, "Jealous of what?"

"Jealous that it gets kicked by me." Aina gave a soft snort and raised her leg high, her pale foot almost touching Xia Lun's chin. "Do you want me to kick you too?"

Aina wiggled her ankle with a provocative smile.

With a startled cry from Aina, Xia Lun grabbed her ankle.

"Xia Lun, what are you doing?"

"Yes."

Xia Lun grabbed Aina's robe, followed by a loud "Riiip—".

"You... you can't do this! Xia Lun, don't forget my current identity!" Aina covered her torn clothes, her eyes showing what looked like genuine shame and humiliation. "Do you know what you're doing? We can't do this kind of thing..."

Xia Lun swallowed hard.

The Demon Lord really knew how to play the game.

If they were in a theater, she would definitely be the most dazzling star.

"Wuwu—stop it, Xia Lun..." Aina clung tightly to Xia Lun's chest. Flames had already ignited on her body, even as her mouth spoke completely contradictory words. Her resistance and invitation merged contradictorily in the firelight.

The practical homework began.

...

Olifendo.

A certain bar.

Unlike normal adventurer bars, it was very quiet here. The liquid in the glasses shimmered in the somewhat dim lighting, and the air was filled with the mixed scent of aged wooden barrels, fine tobacco, and mellow wine.

The patrons mostly conversed in low voices or drank alone, treating this place as a harbor where they could temporarily shed their fatigue and quiet their souls after busy studies or work.

"Sigh, I understand. Having an outstanding younger sibling is really quite a difficult thing." Liyana pretentiously swirled the glass in her hand, even though it only contained a low-alcohol fruit wine beverage.

Gauss: "Oh? Miss Liyana, you also have an outstanding younger sibling?"

Liyana: "No, I am that outstanding younger sister."

Gauss: ...

He had the urge to throw the drink in his hand right into this person's face.

"I know my older brother is already very excellent, a quite outstanding archer... but compared to me, there's still a bit of a gap." Liyana downed the drink in her glass in one gulp. "Of course, he has never brought these things up, but I've always known that he's quite unwilling to accept it in his heart... He feels that as the older brother, he should be the one protecting me."

Gauss listened in silence, the ripples in his drink reflecting his complex gaze.

"And then?" Gauss suddenly spoke up.

"What?"

"And then what happened to your brother?"

"He didn't die. He's alive and well, living a cozy little life with his wife in the Elven Forest, quite happy..." Liyana patted Gauss on the shoulder. "So, don't overthink things and get stuck in a rut. Life is long. Just be yourself and find a position where you feel comfortable, and that's enough. No matter how dazzling someone else's light is, it can't cover up your own path."

Gauss looked at Liyana's bright and candid eyes, then looked down at the swaying liquid in his glass, his tense shoulder line seeming to relax slightly. He nodded thoughtfully and slowly drank the rest of the wine in his glass.

Liyana had come to the bar to drink, and then ran into Gauss and started chatting with him.

Successfully counseled a melancholy young man... I really am a good person. Liyana thought silently to herself.