Chapter 298 - Chloe Wants to Seduce Nathan
Nathan Evenhart:
A few days had passed.
I was walking through the commercial district of Apsalon.
I entered the shop and was greeted by Gustav, the usual attendant, who recognized me immediately. As always, he made a joke about thunder spells, but I just gave a small smirk. Spells of my element were rare and too dangerous to be openly sold. Besides, I had long surpassed the need to buy pre-made formulas. I had been creating my own spells for quite some time.
Still, a part of me wanted to understand how other thunder mages applied this power. I knew there were different approaches and branches. One example that intrigued me was Anastasia. Through our conversations, I discovered that she used lightning to set traps with coins, manipulating electricity in a clever way to create thunder bombs that spread across the scattered coins.
For my part, I had already discovered a branch of thunder magic: electromagnetism. There was also something that made lightning even more powerful—the purple variation of my lightning, something I had refined by energizing my mana gem in a specific way, intensifying the power of thunder and altering its color in the process.
However, despite my experiments, there were no known records of anyone manipulating thunder in this way. Fire mages, on the other hand, had mastered this technique for centuries. It was common knowledge among them that fire, when reaching its peak intensity and heat, could turn blue, passing through intermediate stages like yellow and red.
If I kept refining it enough to turn it purple… what other hidden possibilities could my element reveal?
Even so, I still hadn't mastered purple lightning nor figured out how to use it properly. It was too destructive for my body; it wasn't something I could practice freely.
I had gone to that shop to pick up a large mana crystal. I requested it to be delivered to my address and presented my noble documentation, which impressed Gustav. He joked about how even my documents had gold in them. Although, it was just a thin gold lining on the edges.
My mother was trying to create a mana storage, but normal crystals altered the purity of the stored mana. I had some ideas to help her, but the ideal solution, Akonium stone, was extremely rare and only appeared once every hundred years. I left the shop, planning to work with her in the lab over the weekend.
"Hey, boy!" a rough and familiar voice called out. "Look who it is—my partner in crime, Nathan!"
I turned around, and just as expected, there he was—the old elf I had met months ago. Drunk, of course.
"What's up, old man?" I said, eyeing the half-empty bottle he was holding.
He approached, shaking the bottle and letting out a sluggish laugh.
"I already told you, call me Grandpa! I'm an old man, you gotta show some respect, kid!"
"How am I supposed to respect an old man who's already drinking at this time of the day?" I shot back, laughing.
He gave me a mischievous look, narrowing his eyes as if he had just remembered something.
"Hey… I remember last year I gave you some tips about the chocolates that are popular on Blue Chocolate Day, didn't I?"
I recalled his so-called "tip."
"Old man… those chocolates had alcohol in them… and on top of that, the box was heart-shaped! If I gave that to any girl at the academy, I'd be doomed."
My fiancées would kill me…
I had met this guy months ago while he was running a street scam. He used magic to enhance his strength and challenged anyone to an arm-wrestling match. The bet? A fortune for whoever could beat him. But to challenge him, people had to pay first. Naturally, he won against every civilian who dared to try.
I thought about reporting him, but I found out he was using the money just to… drink.
There are mages who use magic for evil. This one uses it to get drunk.
He stepped even closer, placing a hand on my shoulder and forcing a smile full of ulterior motives.
"Come on, you promised you'd pay for all my drinks if I stopped scamming people! Let's hit a tavern, my grandson Nathan! I'll pretend to be a blind old man, and you can use that pretty face of yours to attract the waitresses!"
He let out a loud laugh, waving his bottle in the air.
I took a deep breath.
I must have a magnet for lunatics.
"I agree, you've always attracted trouble," said a soft voice beside me.
Athena had appeared out of nowhere, crossing her arms and looking at me with an expression that clearly showed she was enjoying my misery.
"But… I also want to drink. Get wasted until I hit the ground," Athena said.
I sighed again.
I'm so screwed.
Chloe Evenhart:
I was standing in front of the mirror in my room, trying on an outfit. A few pieces were scattered across the bed, the result of spending the entire afternoon searching for the perfect look.
I had a plan in mind: invite Nate on a date… without him realizing it was a date. I chuckled softly at the thought.
I wanted to find an outfit that would make him nervous. Recently, I had worn something more revealing with a low neckline, and he always got visibly flustered whenever I made sure to stay in his line of sight. Watching him lose his composure was just too fun.
Knock, knock—someone knocked on the door, pulling me out of my daydreams about our "date."
I had gotten lost in thought again…
Just as I was about to say "Come in," I realized my situation. I was only wearing a bra and panties.
I almost told Nathan to come in!
I rushed to grab a simple outfit, but… wait.
Maybe… maybe it'd be better if he saw me like this.
A mischievous smile appeared on my lips. Yes, this was the perfect chance.
I turned my back to the door, planning the moment. The second he walked in, I'd spin around, catching him off guard and making him all flustered at the sight of me in nothing but lingerie. The thought made me a little nervous, but I decided to go through with it.
"You can come in," I said, trying to keep my voice confident despite the nervousness.
The door opened, and right on cue, I turned around.
"Like what you see, handsome?" I asked teasingly, putting all my intent into my gaze.
"Chloe!?" a shocked and very red voice responded.
But it wasn't Nathan.
It was Kinue, frozen at the doorway, completely speechless.
I went completely stiff.
For a few seconds, I couldn't think at all.
"What… what are you doing, Chloe?" Kinue asked, visibly flustered.
I quickly snapped out of it, my embarrassment mixing with irritation.
"I should be the one asking that! What are you doing here, Kinue!?" I blurted, trying to cover up my humiliation.
Just as embarrassed as I was, she quickly shut the door and turned her back to me.
"I… I just came to ask if you wanted me to prepare a snack for you…" she mumbled, clearly struggling.
I dressed as fast as I could, my face burning with shame.
How embarrassing!
I lightly patted my own cheeks, trying to shake off the overwhelming embarrassment.
"I just wanted to surprise Nathan…" I murmured, still struggling to recover from the awkward situation.
Kinue sighed.
"You said you wouldn't act…" she responded in a low voice, almost like she was trying not to provoke me.
"Well… I wasn't going to take things that far. It was just a little teasing…" I tried to justify myself while finishing getting dressed, feeling the weight of the situation.
An uncomfortable silence filled the room as I adjusted my clothes.
"So… can I also do a 'little teasing'?" Kinue asked, hesitating, but clearly seeking an answer from me.
"You can…" I murmured, knowing that despite my discomfort, I had already given her that permission, even if it felt strange.
Even though Kinue had received permission from Aunt Katie to act, she still hadn't made any real moves. She always respected me, and I knew she was waiting for confirmation from me, though she seemed too embarrassed to ask. I was trying to adjust to our situation—after all, even though I had given Nathan permission and encouraged Kinue to confess to him, it was still a bit unsettling knowing that my boyfriend had another girlfriend.
However, as confusing as it was, I felt happy to have someone to share the responsibility of looking after him, an extra pair of eyes helping me keep watch. The fact that he was handsome left the door open for someone else to swoop in and steal his attention. That's why the two of us agreed to work together on this—to make sure no other woman took advantage of him.
Then there was still the issue with Cylla… I had a feeling that maybe her feelings for him went beyond just friendship.
She is extremely possessive and jealous when it comes to Nathan.
One time, I walked into his room while he was in class and found her sniffing his shirt and giggling while rolling around on his bed.
At least I know she'll be keeping an eye on him too…
Even with all these unusual dynamics, there was something reassuring about knowing that, in the end, we were all here for Nathan, each in our own way.
Nathan Evenhart:
I was sitting at the table with the old drunk elf, who was already drowning in his fourth bottle of liquor. He rambled on nonstop, alternating between laughter and incoherent stories from his youth.
"So there I was… facing the demi-human queen for the third or fourth time in a duel in the middle of the war, just to entertain the worn-out soldiers in our camp," he began, with the exaggerated tone of someone reliving old battles. "And suddenly… I… died! But, by some miracle, I survived!"
He burst into laughter, as if the idea of dying was nothing more than a great joke to him now.
As disjointed as his stories were, there was something valuable in them. The old elf was one of the few who spoke openly about the dark days of the border wars. My family, on the other hand, always avoided the subject, as if they wanted to bury those memories. Even the few details I managed to squeeze out of them were vague and fragmented. But the old man, loosened by alcohol, let some things slip.
"I… swear… old man! I was there, and I said, 'Hey, Icarus! Can you measure my breasts? I think they got bigger. Do you want to touch them a little?' And he rejected me… again."
Athena was completely wasted, slumped over the tavern table, gesturing wildly as she complained.
A part of me genuinely wanted to understand how a ghost could even get drunk… let alone the ghost of a Goddess. There was so much wrong with this scene that I didn't even know where to start.
But instead of questioning it, I just ignored her as usual.
"You actually fought in that war, Grandpa?" I asked, trying to mask the genuine interest in my voice.
I wasn't drinking, unlike him and Athena, who was having fun getting wasted right beside him.
"Of course I fought!" He rubbed his chin, his eyes glassy, as if searching through the fog of his memory for the right words. "I was part of the special division… I think that's what they called it. But who cares about the name! I was a knight, a warrior mage worthy of respect. I fought against those bastards from the Human Empire… damn monsters were strong."
He took another swig, the liquor dripping from the corners of his mouth.
"Some of them had super strength, greater than any Transmitter I've ever seen. And their equipment… oh, their little toys, things only those bastards could use…"
His words started slurring as he laughed to himself, sinking deeper into his distorted memories.
The strong guys were probably Aura users…
"That place, the border, it's always cold, all the time. The snow never stops falling. It could be the hottest summer on the continent, but the border will still be covered in snow, and every year, it just gets worse," he said. "That's where I picked up the drinking habit. Always nice to have alcohol warming your gut," he laughed.
"I've heard a lot about the border's cold. They say if you take a piss, it'll freeze before it even hits the ground," I said, making him burst into laughter.
"That's exactly right. There's even some fancy name for the weather phenomenon that keeps it frozen year-round… something like Fimbulwinter," he told me.
I simply nodded. I had taken a few lessons on it, even seen images of the border. There were brutal periods where the cold could kill you if you stayed out overnight. Even for fire mages, it was deadly—far beyond anything normal cold could do.
"But you know what was really worth it in the war?" he asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"What?" I asked, already expecting another one of his exaggerated stories.
He nudged me with his elbow, laughing loudly. "The women… man, those were good times!" He cackled like he was reliving some distant memory.
I sighed, already used to his antics. "Weren't you married back then?" I asked, trying to bring a little common sense into the conversation.
He laughed again, even louder this time. "I met my wife during the war, hahahaha. I used to be a bit of a show-off…"
He paused for a moment, his laughter fading into a deep sigh as he took another sip, as if recalling something more serious.
"Back then, I was a bit of a show-off," he continued, his voice slightly heavier. "I was a good mage, young, with a title, fame, and… much better-looking than I am now. So I saw the strongest commander around and thought, 'I'm gonna challenge that lunatic.'"
He started laughing again, but there was something deeper behind it—a nostalgic tone that wasn't there before.
"And? What happened?" I asked, curious about the shift in his tone.
"I got my ass kicked," he said with a smile, the nostalgia clear in his voice. "That human woman beat the crap out of me… and she didn't hold back either."
I couldn't help but laugh.
"That's when I fell in love," he said, raising his mug and clinking it against mine, which was filled with juice. It was like we were toasting to that memory. "She was from one of the small kingdoms on the other half of the continent."
"So that woman became your wife?" I asked.
He looked at me for a moment before answering.
"Well… I tried to propose after getting my ass handed to me, but… she said no. She told me she'd only marry someone stronger than her," he said, shaking his head and laughing.
"And did you ever get stronger than her?" I asked.
The old man let out a roaring laugh, slapping my back so hard I almost choked.
"Stronger than that gorilla woman? Impossible!" He laughed uncontrollably. "She could pin me to the ground whenever she wanted—with one hand behind her back."
"So how did you get her to marry you?" I asked, even more curious.
He nudged me again, as if sharing some great secret. "I pulled off a trick that works on any woman," he said, winking, but then his face grew more serious.
"That time in the war was complicated. The other half of the continent wasn't exactly friendly with the Three Kingdoms, and we were all cooperating out of obligation. One day… my men and I were surrounded by a powerful enemy squadron. And the army from the other side of the continent—the ones who were supposed to be our allies—ran. They abandoned us, left us to die."
He looked up, lost in his memories. Behind all the laughter and bravado, I could see the deep scars, the marks left by a war that spared no one.
"One by one, my men fell, taken down by those Human Empire warriors. In the end, I was the only one left, fighting against a squad that seemed unbeatable. I was getting beaten badly, and I knew my end was near. I had no strength left, I was ready to give up. I had accepted the death that awaited me… and then, out of nowhere, she appeared. She came alone, breaking through enemy lines, defying the orders of her superiors, her military family, and even her king. There she was—the human commander who had beaten me the first time. She stopped in front of me and said, 'Where's the idiot who promised he'd defeat me?'"
He took another swig of his drink, then opened a new bottle, a nostalgic smile playing on his lips.
"She wiped out every single enemy—alone. Took down the entire squad, but lost an eye and a few fingers in the process. Even so, she carried me in her arms all the way to an allied base and made sure I got treated. At that moment, on the verge of death, I made the request that changed everything."
He paused for a second, his smile tired.
"I told her, 'Marry me, or I'll refuse treatment and die right here.'"
He laughed, giving me a few hearty slaps on the back, as if it was some brilliant strategy.
"See? Even the weak can win if they know how to play their cards right."
"You're a damn old cheat," I said, half in disbelief, but laughing along with him. "Even at death's door, you pulled a scam."
He burst into laughter, but soon after, it faded. His eyes drifted off into nothingness, his expression empty and melancholic.
"We got married, built a family, had a son. But then… the last war at the border came. And that stubborn commander went to the battlefield, against my will. She never came back. And with her… my reason to live disappeared. Since then, I've been nothing more than this… a drunken old fool with no purpose."
I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his words.
"I… I'm sorry for your loss," I said, the only thing that came to mind.
He shook his head, letting out a hollow chuckle.
"Ah … maybe the next drink will help this old elf forget for a little while longer."