Chapter 35: A kiss
’’Hey! Arthea! Wait for me!’’ However, regardless of what Vyral said, Arthea remained silent, even quickening her pace through the hallway.
At this moment, Vyral was really starting to feel annoyed by Arthea’s sulkiness. He accelerated and jumped up to her. As soon as he reached her, Vyral wrapped his arms tightly around her upper body. Using his strength and inertia, he pulled her down to the floor.
Thud!!
Finally, they ended up in a rather cliché position commonly seen in romance novels. Actually, he should’ve done it another way, but with his limited height and small frame, this was the only thing he could do.
As soon as he was about to say something, he froze, captivated by her beauty.
At this distance, he could see her face clearly. Her delicate features were truly beautiful, flawless. Her rosy lips gave off a pleasant fragrance. Her amber eyes carried a hint of bashfulness as she avoided eye contact with him.
A faint blush appeared on her face at that moment.
’’D-Don’t look at me.’’
Vyral shot up unconsciously. His face flushed as his heartbeat raced wildly. He glanced around and sighed.
’’Lucky, no one’s here.’’
Because they had left the principal’s room quite late, all of the students had already returned to the dormitory or logged out.
Arthea lingered for a moment before replying.
’’ Come to my room.’’
***
Vyral sat in a corner of the room like a doll while waiting for Arthea to finish her shower.
His emotions were quite strange right now. He felt worried, tense, and... strangely expectant.
A few minutes later, Arthea finally emerged. She was wearing the same nightgown as the first time Vyral had met her. Her blonde hair was still wet and slightly messy after the shower, spreading a floral shampoo scent throughout the room.
She chuckled as she invited Vyral to sit on her bed. Arthea sat down beside him.
Silence lingered between them for a moment before she spoke.
’’Vyral... like you told you before, I truly came from the past, around 300 years ago.’’
Vyral showed no surprise.
She continued.
’’Arthur is my real name. Under that name, I was a man.’’
Vyral’s expression changed as he looked at Arthea. He had no idea what to ask at that moment.
’’Don’t tell me you can switch between being a man and a woman? Are you some kind of hermaphrodite?’’
Arthea smirked.
’’Of course not. I’m a real girl. But no one knew me as a girl, only as a boy, except for my parents. Everyone else in the world believed I was a boy. I disguised myself as one for around nineteen years of my life.’’
She smiled as she gently touched Vyral’s green nose with her delicate finger.
’’You’re the third person to know me as a girl.’’
Then, she spoke in a sad voice.
’’Back then, one day, just like any other, I went to sleep and woke up in the dungeon with no clue. Then I met you. That’s all.’’
Vyral rubbed his chin.
’’Now I understand why Merlin could not recognize you. Why didn’t you ask her for help? She’s your teacher.’’
Arthea hesitated for a moment before speaking.
’’Do you know why I had to disguise myself as a boy?’’
She lowered her voice.
’’My parents always had a good reason for everything they did, so they must’ve known something. And on top of that, there must be a reason why they never allowed anyone to know my true sex. Because they didn’t trust anyone.’’
Then, she looked straight at Vyral.
’’I don’t trust anyone except my parents... and now, you.’’
Vyral frowned.
’’Why? Aren’t you afraid I’ll stab you in the back one day?’’
Arthea blinked her eyes as her face slowly turned red. She couldn’t exactly tell him that she trusted him because his soul was so beautiful and pure. His face was super handsome. That would only prove she was naïve and foolish. Instead, she came up with what she considered the perfect excuse.
’’Because Excalibur accepted you.’’
The next moment, she struggled to say,
’’Please, close your eyes.’’
Vyral scratched his head.
’’Why?’’
...
’’Just do it, idiot.’’
...
Vyral gulped nervously. He could not still pretend to be an innocent boy at this moment. He knew what might happen, especially after seeing Arthea’s blushing, mischievous face.
His heartbeat raced nonstop, and his face turned red as well.
He closed his eyes.
He gulped again when he heard Arthea move. She was about to do it.
Right then, he felt a sweet, soft sensation on his forehead.
He opened his eyes, only to see her bright smile spread across her lips. Her face still carried a faint blush as her voice held a hint of teasing.
’’Consider this your reward for surviving until the very end of the examination.’’
[Congrats, Apostle. Your relationship with King Arthur has reached another level. Just keep it up. You’ll have tons of children.]
***
Vyral opened his eyes and climbed out of the gaming pod.
’’Shit! My back.’’
As usual, Vyral ran a hand through his hair, but strangely, he found it had become incredibly long, reaching all the way to his feet.
Moreover, his clothes had become much tighter, making it difficult for him to move. They clung tightly to every muscle on his body, outlining them as if he were wearing a skin-tight suit. He took a step forward, and his pants tore into several pieces.
’’What the hell?’’
He looked down at his body, bewilderment clearly written across his face. He was much taller than before. Now, he had already reached around 1.7 meters. It seemed that the growth in his height in the game wasn’t proportional to his real body.
’’I’m tall!’’
Vyral laughed.
TING!
TING!
Vyral grimaced when the sound of a nearby JPhone cut short his happiness. He strode toward the sofa. Just a few seconds later, his face twisted in anger.
[Doran: SHIT! You have an old man living in Sector 7 Slums, on the outskirts of Dawnreach City, don’t you? Turn on the TV. The news has already spread across the Cities. That sector has been sealed off. All of the scavengers are being arrested for colluding with the Unholy Players in an illegal energy trafficking operation.]
