Chapter 51: Preparation for our First Hunt

Anput and Leone came and went, leaving quite quietly, however their eyes held a conviction that wasn't present when they had arrived.

I had asked Jahi multiple times what had happened when I had left the room, yet all I got in response was a smirk and her silence.

Of course, since I was annoyed at that, I gave her the cold shoulder that night, only to find her looming over me with those glistening golden eyes when she didn't get what she wanted.

That night was a mixture of pure torture and pleasure, with Jahi finally losing herself to her desires as she marked my skin.

I had reprimanded her the next morning when I had seen the bountiful marks covering my skin, but she had just responded by leaving another on my neck, smirking at me as her eyes shone with possessiveness.

We quickly drowned ourselves in our classes and training, as we slowly wrapped up our lessons with Baroness Estra, refined our control over our mana with Arch Mage Kolia, before submitting ourselves to the physical conditioning of the Marquess.

During the months that passed after my core awakening, I had managed to earn around 17,500 xp per month from the various quests I received, and I saw another small rise in my stats, as I had thrown myself into my magic and had started to want to get stronger physically, mainly so that I could see the way Jahi pouted after she lost more than once a day during our spars...

Of course, even though it was only an increase of one per stat, with Agility getting two, it was still incredibly euphoric to see those numbers rise without me spending stat points.

I had also started to grow much more comfortable with a dagger in my hand, and Jahi had joked that I was turning into a 'wolf with a very sharp claw'.

Other than in increase in my performance with a dagger, I had managed to increase my Mana Control skill to Apprentice, and I had managed to start creating sequences that were more complex, my current favorite being a water arrow that could easily pierce rock. Quick, strong, and hard to see coming, I quite liked sending a flurry of arrows towards someone before closing in with my dagger.

The Marquess on the other hand cursed my very existence the first time she let me use spells in our spars...

However, today was the eve of a very special day.

The Marquess was going to take Jahi and I out into the large forest that covered the southern land of March Asmodia.

She told us that it was to get us used to fighting monsters, as well as to see what we needed to improve upon.

That meant that, over the last few days, Jahi and I had stayed out in the Training Grounds much longer than before, as we practiced all kinds of magics and tried to improve our form as best we could.

Currently, Jahi was sitting on one of the rocks, golden runes slowly forming in front of her as she concentrated.

She wanted to try one of the spells I had made, which was a way to use your mana to coat your own body, creating a layer of armor over yourself.

I had managed to achieve a consistent casting speed with it, and currently I was going through the basic dagger exercises that the Marquess had drilled into me with what I called a 'Mana Cloak' coating my entire body.

It was no easy task, but I had found it a good way to practice not only my mana control but also a way to familiarize myself with how my mana flowed through my body.

As I continued the exercise, I could feel my mana slowly draining, and my body was aching all over.

Dropping the cloak, I panted as I collapsed next to one of the rocks, leaning against it as I looked up at the slowly darkening sky.

I sat there, my breathing quickly coming under control before I saw a flash of light.

Turning, I covered my eyes as I saw Jahi wrapped in a suit of armor reminiscent of what the Marquess wore, except instead of the shining silver Jahi's was a brilliant gold.

Laughing, Jahi stood up and moved around, quickly drawing her sword and going through some basic swings before dropping the spell.

Turning to look at me, Jahi had a wide grin as she rushed over to me, scooping me up in her arms as she twirled around in the center of the Training Grounds.

After spinning around a few times Jahi stopped, lowering me to the ground as she grinned at me.

"By the gods is that spell amazing! How in the world did you come up with something like that!?"

I just smiled up at her, deciding not to burst her bubble and tell her that Arch Mage Kolia helped me develop it RIGHT in front of her...

She continued to grin, before leaning down and placing a kiss on my lips.

Feeling her hands drop lower than my waist, I pushed off of her with a smirk, before slowly avoiding her outstretched hand that reached for my shoulders.

Growling at me, Jahi continued to chase me around the Training Grounds, her eyes gold as she looked at me in annoyance.

However, I was grinning widely as I watched her futile efforts to catch me.

I had started doing this a month ago, after the Countess let slip that she had done something similar to the Marquess during their early days. She claimed it was entirely because she wanted to help the Marquess improve her agility, and definitely not because she wanted to see what punishment the Marquess would give her...

After trying it once a month prior, I had to say the Countess was quite the genius when it came to playing the Asmodia demons.

I had quite the night after that, and seeing how creative Jahi could get always made me look forwards to our nights together...

Of course, both the Countess and I had something in common; we were both more agile, while the Asmodia demons were much stronger. What did that mean?

We could run, but when caught...

I grinned wider when I avoided Jahi's hands again, making her golden eyes flash in faux annoyance.

I continued the game of cat and mouse; or more accurately, puppy and demon, for a few more minutes before 'accidentally' dashing the wrong way, right into Jahi's waiting arms.

Feeling her arms wrap tightly around me, I looked up at her, chuckling when I saw her lips pulled into a thin line as she glared down at me.

However, I could feel her heartbeat as I gently leaned my head on her chest, and I could tell that she was just as nervous as I was about tomorrow.

That was why...

Feeling her drag me towards the door, quickly making her way towards our room, I had to hold down the large grin that threatened to break free onto my face.

After all, what is a better way to forget all your troubles then indulging in the warmth of your lover?

So, that was why I had no qualms surrendering myself to Jahi that night, enjoying the way she tried to mark me more and more.

As we were still suffering under the slow growth of our bodies, Jahi was slowly becoming pent up, and I had to admit that as not only someone who had lived a life before, but was also able to feel the blatant desire that Jahi felt due to our soul bond, I found these moments both torturous and bliss.

It was like throwing a small glass of water onto a raging flame. The flame may recede for a few moments but it comes back with a vengeance.

So, although I enjoyed these moments, time couldn't pass quickly enough for my liking.

After getting her fill, Jahi collapsed on the bed beside me, taking in deep breaths. Looking over, I enjoyed the way the moonlight made her blue skin glisten, and shivered when she looked over at me with her glowing eyes.

Smirking at me, Jahi pulled me into her before sighing.

"You... are aware of what I did a year ago, right? That I... killed someone..."

Hearing the normally confident Jahi speak in such a low, pitiful voice made my heart clench.

"Yes, you told me once before. You were half asleep though."

She chuckled at that, before biting her lip.

"Does... does it not-"

Sighing, I leaned closer into her, saying "They kidnapped me, and planned on selling both you and I to some idiotic noble like Count Flori, who thinks they are so important and untouchable that they could kidnap an heir and use her as their personal slave. I care not for their lives."

Jahi looked down at me in surprise, before chuckling again. This time though it was genuine, and not some poor attempt at lifting the mood.

"Why did you ask?"

Sighing, Jahi looked back at the ceiling, her eyes going back to their normal state.

"Well, tomorrow is going to be the first time you have to ever draw blood... I've done so before, and with a human, not some monster. You however... well, I just... don't want to see you have to put yourself in danger..."

I growled lightly, pinching her waist as I said "So I am to stand beside you, yet watch from afar as you put yourself in danger? Does that sound like something I am going to do? Watch you go into battle while I stay at home, wondering if some monster or person managed to wound you? Maybe even kill you?!"

Hearing that, Jahi looked down at me in surprise, not expecting an outburst. However, she gave a wry smile before nodding.

"That was another stupid moment of mine, huh?"

I just nodded, before burying my head into her chest.

I wanted to go to the forest, but like Jahi I was reluctant to see her have to fight. However, I needed to accept that this life might not be as peaceful as my last, where the only worry I had was whether or not the state raised taxes and if my job was going to lay me off.

Here, monsters and killers were more abundant, and could cause destruction the average person in my previous world could never manage.

Taking in a deep breath of Jahi's sweet scent, I closed my eyes as I reaffirmed my belief to get stronger, not only for me...

But for her.

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So, here's the deal. I am going to postpone the contract till Tuesday, and will be trying to do double uploads this weekend. Will I manage? Who knows.

But, I thought that [Camo] made a good point; from this point on is where things will start actually developing. There is no more need for large amounts of exposition, meaning more and more things that I write are going to be either relationships being developed and nurtured, action, or lemons. I want to show people that it is worth you spending coins to unlock chapters.

Now, that doesn't mean we get anywhere near the 'meat' of the plot; that's the Academy, and won't be reached for a bit. After all, we have so much to get through, with Jahi and Kat getting stronger and older, more developments between them and Anput/Leone, and so on.

However, I thought about it, and while accepting the contract now would bring in new readers through daily recommendations (I'm basing that off the fact that some of the dailies are... odd. Like no shade to the book, but 'Double Cross System' reuploaded the SAME CHAPTER 10 times...), but I think that I should prove myself to the people who are already here, and have been here for a long time (Like Wasad, Camo, Caldex, BaaSheep123, Stieborn_666, and more. Those are just the ones that pop to mind due to consistent comments and such...)

So, that's the plan. However, this weekend just so happens to be one where a good friend of mine from out of state leaves for his mission to South America. Which means I want to spend a lot of time with him, before he leaves for 2 years. Yeah, we can message on Facebook or whatever, but its not the same as being in a game together and having those idiotic moments that happen way to frequently with us... That's why I said I will TRY to double upload, but who knows...

Anyways, thank you all, and I hope you continue to enjoy the novel!

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