Chapter 69: Celestials

June told him to bathe as she prepared some food for him. Already feeling the need for a bath, Warden jumped at her advice and refreshed himself, taking his time in the washroom.

After moisturizing his hair and body with June's soap and cleansers, he somewhat smelled like her. He did feel a bit weird smelling himself and wiped.

He draped on a new comfortable tunic, leaving all his battle gear and dirty clothing in the subspace. June's quarter was quite large, enough for a family to live comfortably. However, the elf lived there alone, without even a servant or maid, which was odd.

Getting out of the washroom, he didn't find her in the living room or the kitchen. However, the soft voices coming from ahead told him her location. Warden crept without combing his hair. A familiar squeak sounded soon, and before he could say anything, a little bunny jumped on him.

"Cupcake?" Warden caught the rabbit, turning to find the two women looking at him. June was still in her casual clothing with an apron on, while her mentee Kiara stood in a soft blue gown, looking more surprised than him to find him here. "Ah, Kiara, I hope your journey back has been without a hitch."

"Sir Warden," Kiara said, unsure what more to say.

"How's Liam?" he asked.

"He's back at the academy as well," she said, unsure about the specifics to say anything more.

"Um, Sir Warden," Kiara said. "How are you here? I thought you'd stay in the village for some time until reinforcement arrives and--"

"All that is taken care of," Warden said.

June took a moment to explain how he turned up here. "...So if everything turns out well, he will be helping in your dungeon dives."

The blonde girl quirked her brows, hearing her.

"Anyway, do you have any idea for how long you'd be out?" June asked her.

"A couple of weeks, at the very least," Kiara said. "Father was very worried after hearing the full accounts of my experience. He was prepared for me to withdraw from the academy completely, but I managed to talk him out of it."

"I guess that is the perk and problem of being the only daughter of a powerful man," June said. "Rest up well in these two weeks, but don't forget to train either. We will talk more about the bonding ritual after you are up to advance to iron."

"Good night, Professor June," Kiara said finally, turning to Warden. "You too. Good night, Cupcake. Come along. You wouldn't want to annoy Sir."

With a bow of her head, Kiara took her spirit and hurried away.

Warden hummed. "She acts more ladylike now."

"She is always like this," June said as they entered the kitchen.

Although taking his time, Warden finished his bath rather quickly, not giving enough time for June to prepare the food. Kiara's appearance slowed her down even further.

Wait, sometime, I'll be finished quickly. June went cooking.

Warden did not wait, as she asked him, but joined her in helping with the cooking. "I'm pretty good at it," he said when she gave him a questioning look.

June was making a vegetable curry, giving off a vibe of rich spirituality. She probably put in spirit herbs and spirit-cultivated vegetables in it. While dealing with that, Warden busied himself preparing pancakes.

She shot him glances every once in a while, worried that he would mess things up. She sighed in relief, finding him handling everything meticulously.

"Not quite, but they do have a sway in their respective academies," June explained. "The arcane society is above all else, and Eight elders from all the races are in the highest seats of power."

"And they are all transcendent rank?"

"Yes."

"How many of them are there, transcended beings, I mean?"

"Thirteen, that we know," June said.

"Hmm," he hummed as they almost finished cooking. As they worked in perfect synergy, Warden couldn't help but say, "Don't you think we work well together, like a couple?"

June let out an exasperated sigh. "Warden, I think we need to talk about this," she said.

"Of course," Warden agreed. "Let's talk it over dinner."

As the food was served, both of them sat at the table across from one another, Warden waiting, while June collected her thoughts to let out all of them.

"It will never work between us," she said.

"Not if we don't try." Warden shrugged. "I was just putting it out there. You can ignore it all you like, and even ask me to shut up, I'll do it."

June gave him a silent stare as they ate. After a long while, Warden opened his mouth to ask again.

"Curious, is it because of the gap between our lifespan?"

"That and—"

"Wait, let's clear that up first," he said, cutting her off. "What is the age of the longest-living elf?"

June narrowed her eyes, looking conflicted.

"Just tell me."

"That is over three thousand years," she said.

"Now, tell me how long do a Gold Ranker live?" he asked.

"Five hundred to a thousand years, depending on the power they cultivate."

Warden raised an eyebrow. "What about those diamond rankers?" he asked.

"I know what you're getting at," she said. "But it isn't that easy to advance to diamond. Most don't make it, and even those that do were over hundreds of years of age."

"But it's not impossible," Warden said. "I woke up with a hole in my mind with barely any power in my body. That was about a week ago, and now I'm Iron ranked, opening two apertures, without the slightest idea how I did it."

How difficult would it be for him with all the resources he would get from the academy? Of course, he believed he was fast in ranking up because he was regaining his strength, not cultivating it from scratch. But that didn't mean, his potential wasn't great. Warden had some hints of how strong he was, and all his mind was telling him he wasn't weaker than any gold ranker.

"Just don't discount all possibilities with excuses like those."