Chapter 400: You Can Treat It As A Reward

Ethan woke up with a very painful headache that made him flinch the moment he opened his eyes. Sёarᴄh the NôvelFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

It took him a while to remember why he was currently feeling sick and groaned on his bed.

A moment later, the Black Cat sleeping beside him opened her eyes and looked at her Master with concern.

"Master, does your head hurt?" Lilith asked anxiously. "You used up almost all of your magic reserves yesterday and pushed yourself to the limit. You will feel better if you kiss a black cat to absorb some of her magic."

Ethan looked at Lilith's expectant face while rubbing his forehead due to the pain. He didn't know if his Protector was joking or not, but her words about pushing himself to the limit were true.

Right now, his body was as heavy as lead, and his head hurt like hell.

Although he was in pain, a smile still appeared on his face because of Lilith's subtle invitation to kiss her.

"Master, it is our duty to ensure that you are safe and healthy," Lilith insisted upon seeing Ethan's faint smile. "Don't worry, all you need to do is close your eyes, and I will handle the rest!"

"That will be me taking advantage of your kindness," Ethan replied with a sigh. "The last time I took advantage of someone's kindness, she became my first lover and has been bound to become my bride."

"… Isn't that even better?" Lilith's true thoughts slipped out of her mouth, but she wasn't aware that she had spoken out loud.

Ethan rubbed her head, and just as she was about to stand up, he heard someone knock on the door.

Lilith clicked her tongue in annoyance because someone had gotten in her way of being kissed by her Master.

She then reluctantly merged with Ethan's shadow and glared hatefully at the door.

Ethan walked toward the door and opened it.

"You look terrible," Nicole commented the moment she saw Ethan's haggard and disheveled figure.

"Terrible is an understatement," Ethan replied. "My head hurts, and I feel like dying. Would you like to come in first?"

"Okay." Nicole nodded and stepped inside Ethan's room.

She could tell that Ethan wasn't joking and that he was indeed in pain.

A part of her felt guilty because she knew that it was because of her that he was suffering, so she asked him if there was anything she could do for him.

Ethan jokingly answered that a kiss would help him a lot, so when he felt Nicole's hands cupping his face, his head momentarily blanked out.

A moment later, he felt a pair of soft lips press over his own. A few seconds later a surge of magical power washed through his body, easing up the pain he was feeling. It felt so good that he almost returned Nicole's kiss.

Fortunately, he didn't, and had saved himself from future troubles.

After what seemed like years, Nicole took a step back and looked at Ethan, who had a dumbfounded expression on his face.

"You're right," Nicole said. "You've regained some color in your face. Does it still hurt?"

The young lady's hand then pressed over Ethan's forehead as if to check whether he had a fever or not.

Due to his shock, he wasn't able to move away and only broke out of his daze the moment he felt her rough and rugged hand touch his forehead.

Unlike Chloe's, Luna's, and Lilian's hands, Nicole's hands were rough.

This was because she had been using the sword since she was young. Her hands were callused and were no longer soft and smooth.

They were rough, and yet, Ethan didn't dislike the texture, especially the hand that was pressing on his forehead at the moment.

Perhaps seeing that he didn't mind being touched by her, Nicole smiled and finally pulled back her hand.

"It's good that you don't have a fever," Nicole stated. "I'm sorry. Because of us, you suffered a lot."

Ethan shook his head to shake away the emotions that were rising in his chest as well as to deny Nicole's statement.

"We are a team," Ethan replied. "And I believe you made the right call back then. There was no assurance that the Safe Zone would still be safe, especially when there was a Monster Stampede. It's a good thing that you prioritized our lives over your mission."

Ethan did his best to create a topic so that he wouldn't have to think about the soft lips that had touched his own a moment ago.

However, his gaze couldn't help but move towards Nicole's lips as he looked at her face.

Whether the young lady noticed this or not, she didn't say anything about it and only told Ethan the reason why she came into his room.

"Elder Johanna has communicated with the Asta Family and told them about the incident here in Otto City," Nicole stated. "The Patriarch replied that if there would indeed be a Dungeon Outbreak, we shall help protect the city. Depending on our performance, he will consider our trial to have been successfully completed.

"However, if there is no Dungeon Outbreak and only a Monster Stampede at most, he said that we shall continue the mission. Otherwise, he will write it off as a failure."

Ethan frowned after hearing Nicole's statement.

No one, especially the people of Otto City, wanted a Dungeon Outbreak to happen. Even he didn't want that kind of fate to befall the city.

However, not stopping the trial despite knowing that there could be hundreds of Monsters waiting inside the Dungeon was harsh.

This was akin to telling Nicole, Luca, and Preston to charge to their deaths.

"Your Patriarch sure is a man of character," Ethan couldn't help but feel troubled as he looked at their team leader. "Does anyone in the city plan to do anything to confirm if there is going to be a Monster Outbreak?"

"The Mayor asked every able-bodied citizen to take up arms and rotate through watch duty on the City Walls," Nicole replied. "If no monsters emerge from the Dungeon after three days, they will send in a team of experts to check if the Monster Stampede is still active."

Ethan nodded in understanding. The Mayor's plan was good. It would prevent unnecessary deaths and would ensure that all the people who could fight would be ready to fight at a moment's notice.

"Samantha and I already ate breakfast," Nicole replied. "But we can have lunch together if you like. We will also discuss our plans later."

"Okay," Ethan thought that this was a good plan.

After regaining some magic power, his headache had eased up considerably, and he was now able to think properly.

"Nicole, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"If someone else were to ask you to kiss them, would you do so just because they asked?" Ethan asked with curiosity.

"Of course not," Nicole replied. "But don't get the wrong idea, okay? I kissed you because I felt guilty about what happened yesterday. That kiss doesn't mean anything and is more like a greeting. I also don't intend to become part of your harem."

Ethan nodded because he could feel that Nicole didn't really think of him in any romantic way.

'I'm just thinking too much,' Ethan thought as he walked Nicole towards the door.

But right before Nicole was about to leave, she gave Ethan a mischievous smile.

"Although I don't really think of you as a romantic partner, you are perhaps my closest friend in the academy," Nicole stated. "Also, I don't mind kissing you again if we clear this mission. So you can treat it as a reward."

With a playful wink, the pink-haired beauty left the room, leaving the young man staring at the door, with a certain Black Cat hissing inside his shadow.