Chapter 45: Camellia Part 2

They finally returned to the 'outside' world. Mersa slowly opened her eyes. Unlike Vorst, she was not used to sudden changes in scenery, and she suddenly realized that their foreheads were still touching each other! Heat instantly filled the Wolf girl's face as she instinctively moved back... Ah... This small detail once again reminded her that they were lovers now. Just a word, but it meant the world to her. Everything was different; right now, she belonged to him. From now on, she could stay forever next to him. That was right—forever. Forever together.

[Vorst: Mersa...]

[Mersa: ... M-Marcdrak-san.]

[Vorst: No need for that; you can just call me Vor-chan like you used to... Or just Marc will be fine.]

[Mersa: Vor-chan...]

He hugged her. In his comfortable embrace, she felt all of her worries melt away. That’s right; no matter the name, no matter his past, this green-eyed boy was the same green-eyed boy who had resolved to give his life for her. Since there was no need to hide it, Kaya had told her how the Dragon Awakening would have ended if she had not woken up in time. He was the same gentle boy... There was no need to hesitate.

[Mersa: Vor-chan... I have a request...]

[Vorst: Yes?]

[Mersa: I-I still haven't decided on my name yet. I heard that you gave those seven the names you call them with... I-I want...]

Her voice broke. She wanted to be on the same standing as those girls inside him. But those girls... They had been with him for thousands of years. They loved him at least as much as she did, and they definitely loved him much longer than she had. Maybe she was too selfish?

[Vorst: I shall grant you any wish. Any time, any wish. Just name it.]

Hearing his response, she felt extremely happy. The girls inside him were also extremely friendly; what’s more, without them, he would be no more too. She felt no regret in her choice.

[Mersa: G-give me a name.]

[Vorst: Mhm...]

He continued to hug her, lost in thought. Mersa... Then he voiced what his heart decided on.

[Vorst: Camellia... Do you like it?]

[Mersa: I love it.]

She buried her head in his chest. Despite sleeping for nearly six years, his chest was still wider than hers. And his smell, the same smell she was used to, was really calming. She could not have all of him to herself, but it was fine...

She raised her head...

A full moon was reflected in her black eyes.

A certain emotion was reflected in her black eyes.

He understood. He always did.

It was her wish, and he would grant her any wish. Besides, what kind of man would be able to refuse a teary-eyed girl who had already promised herself to him?

His hand raised her chin.

Their lips touched each other.

Somehow, they ended up in his room. And it was Mersa who pulled him in, her face totally flushed to her ears. She gathered all of her courage and voiced the sentence that Calla taught her. The irresistible sequence of words was conveyed with a barely audible voice...

[Mersa: I-I want to become yours... so please take me.]

With that, his emotions were completely stirred...

[Mersa: Ah.]

He pushed her down on his bed. Her white hair shone brightly, illuminated by moonlight. There she lay—completely vulnerable, totally at his mercy, and... She did not resist at all. His eyes met hers...

[Vorst: Can I?]

Blush level: 1000!

She bit her lower lip as she shyly nodded...

Seeing her lovely reaction, he just couldn’t help himself anymore...

He made her his.

From that day, Mersa got a new name, but it did not end there. She also moved to Vorst's special residence. He was 17 already, so it was completely fine by the law. Mistglan only facepalmed silently when they delivered the application to the Headmistress' office. Claire only smiled knowingly at the completely red Mersa and approved it. They kind of expected it—not this fast, but they knew that eventually, it had to happen.

Vorst also 'decided' on his private name. No surprise here—it was Marcdrak.

[AN: I will stick to the poll results and change it after the results come in.]

Mersa received a personal Controlled Bot and with it three new teachers. The rate of her improvement previously was already astonishing, but now... It was simply skyrocketing. Not only was her power gain astonishing, but her abilities were also developing at an outrageous rate.

Marc does not have the gift to teach others. He is capable of explaining a bit, but that’s it. Most of his powers come from sudden outbursts of insight. He repeats the process thousands of times, then he suddenly understands a way to improve it, but he simply is not able to fully voice it out...

Calla, on the other hand, is an excellent combat instructor. Her explanations are straightforward, easy to understand, and most importantly, she is very strict. Under her tutelage, Mersa's style began to evolve from the previous savage-like movements and became more elegant and graceful.

[--Kaya--: Shujin-sama.]

[--Marc--: Kaya.]

Marc’s hands were absentmindedly wandering across her impeccable skin. She knew what was on his mind. She always did.

[--Kaya--: Are you still upset about that matter with Camellia-chan?]

[--Marc--: Hmm... Not exactly.]

[--Kaya--: Hehe, Shujin-sama is not honest, huh?]

[--Marc--: Hm...]

[--Kaya--: Hehe, Shujin-sama knows that was the safest choice. With a bit of manipulation, I saved her a few days of sorrow. If my Shujin-sama disagrees with my ways, I'm ready to accept any kind of punishment.]

Marc did not really like the fact that Mersa was manipulated, but he had to admit that Kaya saved her from a large amount of emotional pain. And that indeed justified the actions that the serpent took.

[--Marc--: Any kind of punishment?]

His hands once again started moving on her body.

[--Kaya--: Does that mean that Shujin-sama disagrees with my actions?]

[--Marc--: Do I need any reason to punish you?]

Hearing those words, she purred teasingly.

[--Kaya--: Shujin-sama, please have mercy on your Kaya~]

[--Marc--: I'll think about it... Later.]

[--Kaya--: An~ Shujin-sama...

[--Lily--: What about others?]

[--Kaya--: Fufu, not yet. They need a bit more time to adjust to the sudden change. If we were to make our move right now, it would have an opposite effect. Those girls value Camellia-chan too much to even think about interfering.]

[--Calla--: I agree.]

[--Kaya--: We should just let Shujin-sama's natural cheating habits work their way for a bit; there is no way he'll fail us.]

The two others nodded with understanding.

[--Marc--: ...]

Nova Aria was happy for Mersa, now Camellia. Fufu, somehow Vorst had a great naming sense.

Somewhere deep inside, she suppressed the constant painful aches her heart was feeling. As long as she saw Mersa’s smile in full bloom, relief came. For the past five years, the Wolf girl had completely forgotten what pain was, or more like, previously she had been so immersed in it that she was numb to everything else. Nova Aria had no right to steal that happiness away from her.

Aria was happy with the times he came to help her with research on runes. Vorst Marcdrak was a very mysterious individual. Somehow, he was not only capable of using runes, but his knowledge of them was simply... He just could not describe it in words. He simply knew it. Whatever she was doing, he understood. He tried to help countless times, but with his awkward explanations, she had to admit that he was not a great tutor. However, with just that, the research she had been stuck on for several months moved forward. Besides, the instructions he left her were made in the same manner. She simply enjoyed spending time in his company.

Aria was happy with that... She really was...

Celina Za was a timid, well-behaved girl. She hardly had any outbursts from childhood. During those years of his absence, seeing Mersa in her lifeless state had seriously hurt this gentle girl.

He came back. Somehow deep inside her consciousness, Za had a thought... He... He came back just for Mersa. He came back just for her. That was why she just had to voice her feelings. She had to let him know that she loved him. That she wanted to be noticed, that she too had feelings for him... When she realized that, she felt extremely guilty. What if Vorst chose her? How much would Mersa hurt?

She was relieved that he chose the Wolf girl. But she also felt jealous. She tried to suppress those feelings as much as she could, but the more she tried, the more her heart hurt.

Vorst Marcdrak would spend quite a bit of time with her. He would help her improve her bots nearly every day. Those were the happiest

moments for her. And the happier she felt, the more she wished to hold him back, and the more guilty she felt afterward...

Celina Za was happy enough just spending her time with him... She really was...

Two weeks after Mersa and Vorst came together, April arrived, and the lower Division tournaments began. Vorst Marcdrak's power reached 4th HST, and there was no surprise that Athena's Institute completely stomped on Mars' Academy. There was a rumor that Dermea, the Mars' Headmaster, got into a serious depression, but that was just a rumor; no one confirmed it.

A month of tournaments passed. At the beginning of May, Marc entered the 7th HST. That was simply astonishing. Athena's Institute released his aptitude test results: an unknown sub-race with Mid-level aptitude. An unknown sub-race!!!

[Camellia: Aria-senpai, Za-senpai, please come in.]

The Wolf welcomed them, brimming with happiness. Next to her stood the source of that positive radiance. Those emerald-like eyes today had a hint of resignation in them. The two others felt a sting of jealousy passing through their hearts, and immediately afterward, they felt guilty. Today they were called out because she said she had something important to discuss with them.

Suddenly!

...

[ALERT! Enemies approaching.]

[ALERT! Enemies approaching.]

...

[--Kaya--: They seriously have bad timing. I thought they would give us at least a month more.]

She frowned. Kaya was different from Marc; she had a full grasp of the events unfolding in the world. Marc, on the other hand, would only act when they were visible on the horizon.

[--Marc--: It might be that invader from that time... I won’t let him live this time.]

[--Kaya--: No, the invader that tried to grant Camellia-chan power is probably the famous Crystal Queen. She has no merit in fighting the Kollos Alliance.]

[--Lily--: Most probably the Crimson Empire. They must feel threatened by Lord Marcdrak's awakening.]

[--Kaya--: *Nods* They came much earlier than I expected; they really must be desperate.]

[--Lily--: Hehe, no matter where Lord Marcdrak lives, he always makes enemies easily.]

[--Kaya--: Fufu, indeed.]