"Arthasia?!" Arthur was taken aback, and suddenly, before him, stood Arthasia, with her hair in a neat bun and wearing a red and black dress.
"Master!" She lovingly embraced Arthur's face and kissed him.
At first, Arthur was surprised, but he didn't pull away, instead gently caressing her face with his hand as she floated before him.
In that moment, the two quelled each other's longing and then reluctantly separated.
"Did you miss me, master?" Arthasia smiled warmly and gazed at Arthur with happiness in her eyes.
Hearing her question, Arthur nodded naturally and answered sincerely, "Of course! I missed you so much, and at one point, I was worried you might not show up again, hey~"
He playfully sighed and shook his head, as if expressing mock sadness.
In truth, he knew Arthasia would eventually wake up from her slumber, so he wasn't genuinely worried.
As expected, Arthasia's face beamed with joy, and she placed her hands on her hips, declaring, "See! Master can't possibly live without me!"
She nodded confidently and spoke in a slightly arrogant tone, as if everything had gone exactly as she had predicted.
Arthur couldn't help but feel the corner of his mouth twitch at her behavior.
However, he chose not to react, understanding that they had just reunited after a long time apart.
"Yes, yes, you're right," Arthur responded with a playful roll of his eyes, lazily bantering with Arthasia.
After a while, he noticed something different about Arthasia and couldn't resist asking her about it.
"By the way, Arthasia, I feel like you've changed a bit." He observed her closely, noticing that her hair was slightly longer and her breasts appeared to be larger!
Upon realizing that Arthur had noticed the changes, Arthasia couldn't help but feel a mixture of pride and astonishment.
"You're quite observant, master!" She playfully twisted her body, showcasing her curves as if to ask, "Do you find me attractive?"
Arthur couldn't help but chuckle at her adorable antics and nod approvingly.
"Yes, you do look more mature in that aspect," he offered a small compliment.
Arthasia beamed with satisfaction and pride upon hearing Arthur's compliment, nodding in agreement.
"However..." Arthur narrowed his eyes, creating brief suspense before continuing.
"But?" Arthasia's curiosity was piqued as she tilted her head, awaiting his response.
Arthur grinned mischievously and whispered, "However, your behavior is still quite childlike!"
Her eyes widened in surprise, and she pointed at Arthur.
"You...You!" Arthasia was tempted to be angry, but she couldn't deny the truth of what he said.
"Hum!" Failing to find a counterargument, she could only turn away with a huff, feeling a mix of annoyance and amusement.
Arthur chuckled, relishing these playful moments that brought joy to him.
"Alright, alright, I was just teasing; don't take it to heart, okay?" Arthur gently pinched her little cheeks, speaking softly.
Nevertheless, Arthasia continued to feign anger, crossing her arms over her chest and deliberately averting her gaze, refusing to look at Arthur.
Realizing his approach wasn't breaking through her act, Arthur promptly embraced little Arthasia and tenderly said, "Don't be angry, okay?"
In response, Arthasia's face turned red, and she seemed to emit smoke in a display of adorable frustration!
"Alright, but can you let me go?" Arthasia requested it with a hint of embarrassment, feeling slightly breathless from the close encounter.
With a smile, Arthur released his hold on her and inquired, "So, have you forgiven me?"
Nodding, her face still bright red, Arthasia replied with a mumbled, "Hmm~"
Soon, Arthur proceeded with their conversation, inquiring about why she had been asleep for so long and other matters.
"I see. So, it's because you expended a lot of energy giving me all those gifts?" Arthur asked, resting his chin on his hand.
Arthasia nodded and elaborated, "That's correct, Master!"
"I felt my energy deplete all of a sudden, and it made my body feel incredibly weak, leading me to fall asleep," she explained.
"But now, I sense that I'm growing stronger, and you can see the changes in me, right?" Arthasia beamed with a sweet smile as she spoke.
Hearing her explanation, Arthur became slightly perplexed.
After all, if Arthasia was a system and her purpose was to assign tasks and offer rewards, it seemed odd that her energy would be depleted by giving out rewards for completing those tasks.
To be honest, right from the beginning, Arthur felt a sense of mystery surrounding Arthasia's existence, especially when he first encountered the strange woman who gifted him the system.
There were no indications or explanations regarding Arthasia's origin, leaving him to wonder if the woman had forgotten or deliberately withheld such information.
Noticing Arthur's peculiar demeanor, Arthasia tilted her head slightly and inquired, "Master, is something bothering you?"
Startled by her question, Arthur swiftly glanced at Arthasia and adeptly composed himself.
"No, it's nothing. Don't worry about it," he reassured her, suppressing his curiosity for the time being.
He realized that it wouldn't be wise to directly question Arthasia about his confusion.
Instead, he decided to keep his thoughts to himself and wait to see if his feelings were just a passing sensation or if there was indeed something amiss.
Hearing his response, Arthasia was intrigued, but she restrained herself from pressing further and smoothly changed the topic of conversation.
"By the way, where are we now, master?" Arthasia suddenly realized that the surroundings were unfamiliar, and she had been so engrossed in their conversation earlier that she forgot to inquire about their current location.
Arthur let out a sigh and walked toward the window.
"We are currently on our way to Arkham, Arthasia," Arthur replied, gesturing toward the beautiful night sky, indicating that their destination was quite far away.
Her eyes widening in surprise, Arthasia's face lit up, and she excitedly spun around Arthur.
"Arkham! Will we arrive there tomorrow?" she asked, trying to contain her enthusiasm.
As much as she wanted to explore Arkham, she couldn't venture too far away because she had to stay with Arthur.
Arthur nodded with a smile. "It's likely that we'll reach the gates of the Imperial city, Arkham, tomorrow night, considering the speed of our horse-drawn carriage," he explained, closing his eyes and leaning his body forward.
"Wow!" Unable to contain her excitement, Arthasia jumped joyfully into the air.
Seeing Arthasia's behavior, Arthur simply smiled and slowly closed the window.
"Well, it's getting late, and you should get some sleep too," Arthur suggested to Arthasia.
At first, Arthasia's expression turned sullen, and she complained, "But, I just woke up-"
However, when she saw Arthur looking tired, she quickly reconsidered and nodded in agreement.
"Well, I won't disturb you any longer, master." Arthasia pretended to yawn and then vanished suddenly.
Arthur smiled at her playful act and let out a gentle sigh. He then returned to his bed and carefully placed the fox beside him.
Leaning against the edge of the bed, he began to ponder.
"Panel, Active!" Arthur whispered, and in response, his information panel appeared in his vision.
--------------------------------------------
[Statistical Data]
[Name: Arthur Asvold]
[Title: Only Son of Duke Asvold's Mansion, Heir, Temporary Ruler of the Southern Region, Owner of Astonishing Talents (Formerly)]
[Special Title: Sole Possessor of Space Core, the Unique Bearer of Two Cores]
[Age: 15 years old]
[Awakened Core: Fire (Outer)/Space (Hidden)]
[Level: Two-Circle Element (Fire)/Two-Circle Element (Space)]
[Hobbies: Reading, Practicing, Playing Chess,...]
[Mastered Elemental Arts: Fireball (Fire Elemental Art: One Star), Warp Space (Space Elemental Art: One Star), Space Teleport (Space Elemental Art: One Star)]
[Ambition: Return to his world, become the strongest, change destiny, rule the Balka Empire,...]
[Talent: Extremely Strong (Special Core Holder)]
[Main Task: Please Refer Here...]
--------------------------------------------
Arthur glanced at the panel, deep in thought for a moment.
Truth be told, the reason he hadn't been able to focus on increasing his strength recently wasn't due to laziness but rather due to the overwhelming amount of responsibilities he had to attend to.
The impending war and the plan for Anna weighed heavily on his mind, demanding his attention and strategizing.
And then there was the matter of studying the theory that Rian had recorded.
Arthur was eager to delve into it further and unlock its potential.
As these thoughts swirled in his mind, he knew that he had to find the right balance between his duties and personal growth.
After all, his strength would be crucial in the days to come, and he couldn't afford to neglect it.
"I've been quite careless about my practice lately," Arthur mumbled, feeling annoyed with himself.
"But perhaps it's also because I haven't laid a solid foundation for my training!" He took a deep breath, then retrieved a small book from his space pouch.
"Whoosh!" In his hand materialized a small book titled, "My Observations."
"So, this is the book Rian uses to jot down every single thought?" Arthur marveled at the idea of a powerful character like Rian continuously learning and exploring new things.
To Arthur, individuals like Rian were worthy of admiration for their ceaseless pursuit of knowledge and self-improvement.
Immediately, he opened the book and began reading it carefully.
The first page detailed Rian's early days as an assassin, recounting his near-fatal encounter with his enemy and various other experiences.
Arthur absorbed the information seriously, committing it all to memory.
The contents of the book held immense value, surpassing even a thousand high-level crystal stones, as it contained the experiences of a top-level elemental saint!
As he read, Arthur sensed that he hadn't reached the end yet and that there were still a few pages left.
"Supposedly, behind this paper is a theory that will shake the world, right?" Arthur's heart raced with excitement.
Although the theory might not be perfect in its current state, he was confident that he could identify any flaws instantly, for he considered himself a genius.
"Alright, let's get started!" Taking a deep breath, he slowly turned to the next page.
Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he gasped in shock.
"This is...."
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l