Enrico left the room still adjusting to the feeling of having truly rested after a long time—it felt really good. The meeting with Elaris started in the corridor, but quickly took another direction when she held his hand and led him outside, toward the rebuilt garden. The place was still incomplete, but it already carried emotional value for her because of the memories with her mother. Elaris didn't talk much at first, more focused on walking with him, clearly excited about having passed Yumeha's "test."
[Even though she's holding back, you can see her excitement]
'Now that I notice, you seem used to it and don't complain anymore about girls being my wives'
[I'll only complain when someone new falls in love with you. I can't say anything about the ones who've been with you for a long time]
'What a hypocritical system'
[Say that again and see how I take all your abilities and pact back]
Having amused himself a bit with the system, he turned his attention back to the outing. In the garden, the conversation started lightly. She talked about passing the test, explaining some parts she managed and others she failed. Enrico listened without interrupting, answering directly when she asked about them going out more often. That visibly shook her, but also satisfied her. Their interaction went on for quite a while—after a long time, she was reorganizing the garden with someone and planting new flowers.
"That's where my favorite flower used to be. I wanted to give it as a gift to the person I loved the most back then"
She noticed there was no trace of that flower, possibly destroyed by Elithia. With curious eyes, Enrico looked at her with a small smile.
"So that means you'll have to give me a flower in the future"
Caught off guard, Elaris's cheeks turned red. This was bad—she shouldn't be like this now that she was a queen, getting embarrassed over small words. But even if they were simple, her heart seemed to skip a beat, and she couldn't resist.
"If you insist, then I'll plant the best flower in the world and give it to you to show how much I love you"
"So cute"
Stopping in place, Elaris turned with some embarrassment. This was bad—very bad. She couldn't make her heart stop racing. Calming herself as much as possible, she moved forward, talking about the flowers she had managed to plant in the garden so far. After a few hours, they left the garden with a happy Elaris. The two were now heading somewhere else after finishing everything there. They were even a bit dirty from planting the new flowers that Elaris had postponed earlier because of her duties as queen.
'He's going to like the next place just as much as the garden, hehe'
Guiding him along a path that crossed the forest of the elves' dimension, the second location was a more distant clearing, previously used by elf warriors for training. There were marks of magic in the environment, along with worn stones and partially destroyed trees, indicating past battles.
"This is the training field where my parents trained me, and if you want, it can be just for the two of us"
"But what about our children?"
Elaris's face turned completely red for the first time, while Enrico enjoyed her reaction. In truth, it was something he liked to do, as always. He even wanted to tease Elian, but he was training at the Wind Mountain, something Enrico himself had recommended.
"Why did I suddenly get chills?"
Elian, who was in the human world, immediately sensed danger and turned back with a tense look. In front of him, a Nartheis with the appearance of an iron eagle lay dead on the ground.
"I hope it's nothing serious"
Back at the training field, Elaris was speechless, barely able to think properly, as if her brain had stopped working for a moment. Coughing once more into her hand, she looked to the side.
'I actually like that he's so direct'
"You're right, just for the two of us… and our children"
With a certain emotion in her eyes, she approached Enrico to give him something. Taking a box from her pocket, she opened it, revealing a small ring—something from her family. That was because this ring was given to the spouse of the current king. Since she had become queen and the two had started their relationship, it was best to give him the royal family's relic right away.
"This is for you. It's from my family, so I hope you like it"
"Thank you"
Enrico took the ring and placed it on his ring finger, switching the position of his fire ring and placing it on the ring finger of the other hand. The fire ring always remained active during important battles, especially because after reaching the sixth circle, it had improved.
The two decided to stay there a bit longer, already inaugurating the place with their first training together—a quick battle between ice and fire, with Elaris thinking he was holding back, and of course, he was.
The air of the elven dimension reacted to the clash of mana. Elaris's ice spread across the ground in thin blades, while Enrico's fire appeared controlled but dense, blocking and deflecting without apparent effort. Elaris narrowed her eyes, realizing he was truly holding back, which irritated her slightly. She intensified the cold, creating faster and more precise spikes. Enrico smirked and, without increasing much power, changed his rhythm, breaking her pattern. The fight lasted only two minutes, truly just an inauguration of that training field for the two of them.
"You've really reached a strong level, but I'll catch up to you…"
Even though it lasted only two minutes, Elaris was on the ground, tired, while Enrico stood above her head. His shadow covered her, somewhat shielding her from the sun that could hit her eyes. In that brief fight, he activated his seventh-circle body for the final exchange, serving as proof that he had "reached" the seventh circle.
"You did well, so I think you deserve a reward"
"A reward?"
Enrico lowered his head to where Elaris's face was and kissed her lips. The elf was flustered once again but returned the kiss seconds later.
'I really like that he's like this'