Maria's emotions churned between grief and fury, but she had no idea how to react.
For twenty-seven years, countless men had pursued her, yet she had never allowed even a hand to be held—let alone the forbidden territory of her chest.
Because Thunder was her student, and because he had been severely injured in the battle, Sis had let him rest his head on her lap for half the day until her legs went numb. Maria had volunteered to take over, not wanting to leave Thunder lying on the hard stone. But she never expected... *this*.
Biting her lip, Maria fixed her beautiful eyes on Thunder's face, so close to her own.
Thunder was dying of guilt. The moment his hand touched *that* place, he had snapped awake—and realized what he had just done. A self-proclaimed righteous young man, how had he become so... *lecherous*? Had his magical cultivation damaged his moral foundation?
Maria saw his eyelashes fluttering. A woman as sharp as her could tell he was pretending to sleep.
Strangely, she couldn't bring herself to hate him. She just kept biting her lip, staring at him. It wasn't that she wanted to see his reaction—she simply had no idea what to do. Running away in shame wasn't her style. The dignified Maria would rather pretend it never happened.
To Thunder, time had never passed so slowly. He could hear Sis and Eric bustling around nearby, could feel Maria's slightly ragged breathing, could smell her sweet scent. His heart ached with guilt.
*How could I do something so beastly?*
This was a standoff—not with eyes, but with willpower. *A Taoist master does not yield!* He bolstered his wavering confidence. He knew Maria was watching him.
But in the end, he was an honest man. His face soon turned red as a monkey's rear.
He couldn't keep pretending. That would be too cowardly. Slowly, he opened his eyes and sighed softly, lifting his gaze to meet Maria's.
The professor was startled. She had just resolved to pretend nothing happened—it must have been an accident, and since no one else knew, she could let it go. But then she found herself staring straight into a pair of bright, guilty eyes.
Her already flushed face burned even hotter. She quickly turned her head away, fixing her gaze into the distance.
Still lying on Maria's lap, Thunder scratched his cheek awkwardly and let out a dry chuckle. "Heh."
Maria, forcing composure, turned back slightly and asked softly, "You're awake?" But despite her calm tone, her voice trembled.
She was clearly playing dumb.
"Yeah." Thunder felt as pure as a snow-white rabbit now, a far cry from the pervert he had been moments ago. Then, slipping back into his shameless persona, he blurted out words that left Maria stunned:
"Professor, I'll take responsibility."
Maria froze, her long lashes fluttering in bewilderment.
That firm, confident tone reminded her of the Thunder who had slaughtered enemies without hesitation. A man like this wouldn't shirk responsibility like some petty villain. Still, she never expected him to say *this*.
"Professor, you should know—I'm not exactly rich. Just a small estate, about two hundred acres. It brings in a few hundred gold coins a year, enough to live comfortably. The manor isn't huge, but it can house dozens. If you're willing... I'll take responsibility." As he spoke, Thunder transformed back into the bashful young man, his face reddening to his neck.
Maria didn't respond. Her heart pounded with an indescribable warmth.
She had heard countless confessions and sweet words before—from suitors at the academy, from nobles outside the city. They all put on dignified airs, trying to impress her. But this student... spoke so plainly, so *real*. For some reason, looking at his embarrassed expression, she couldn't bring herself to refuse. Or perhaps... she didn't *want* to?
"If you have any other requests, just say so. I'm just a magic apprentice, but I can do a lot." Seeing her hesitation, Thunder pressed on undeterred.
Maria let out a soft, almost affectionate sigh.
"Wait here." Thunder suddenly sat up from her lap. Though his injuries had mostly healed, blood loss left him dizzy. He swayed and nearly collapsed again, but Maria caught him. With a pale smile, he said, "Help me over to the griffin."
The griffin's corpse still lay untouched. Sis and Eric were busy disposing of the enemy bodies to avoid leaving evidence. They had already dragged one far away, completely missing Thunder's movements.
At the griffin's side, Thunder pulled out his last dark magic scroll. After a low chant, a spear wreathed in shadowy energy materialized in his hand—**Shadow Spear**, a third-tier dark spell.
With some effort, he pried open the griffin's skull and extracted a dazzling purple magic crystal. Maria tried to help, but he refused.
Watching this young man work so hard despite his injuries, Maria felt her nose sting with emotion.
After carefully wiping the fist-sized crystal clean, he held it out to her. "Professor, this is for you."
Maria swore—in all her twenty-seven years, she had never been so moved. This young man, still weak from his wounds, had painstakingly retrieved the griffin's core just to offer it to her with that happy expression.
What woman didn't love a hero?
A true hero either slaughtered his enemies without mercy or spent gold like water.
Thunder had already proven the former—the six Silver Serpent mercenaries had all fallen by his hand. And now, a griffin's magic crystal—worth at least *thirty thousand gold coins* on the market—was being handed to her without hesitation?
The griffin had been his kill. Though the others had helped, without him, the entire class would have been wiped out. By rights, the spoils were his alone.
Maria finally couldn't hold back. Tears streamed down her face, yet she smiled—a happy, bashful smile—as she carefully accepted the crystal.
"Does this count as an engagement gift?"
**Will Maria accept—or is there more to this gesture than meets the eye?**