"Not exactly. I was planning to give you the new magic crystal for your staff anyway," Thunder said weakly, sitting on the ground. But then he scratched his head and added with a grin, "But if you want to take it that way, sure."
Thunder wasn't dumb. He could sense the underlying meaning in his mentor's tone. When he looked closely, the usually elegant and composed Goddess of Spring, Maria, was blushing furiously, her face glowing with happiness.
Thunder felt like his spring had arrived—he wanted to shout it from the rooftops!
"I'm much older than you, several years older," Maria said softly, caressing the purple eighth-tier crystal while mustering the courage to meet Thunder's gaze.
"Nonsense! I'm 27 this year—same as you!"
Maria shot him a skeptical look. Thunder chuckled awkwardly. "Okay, fine, I've got a baby face. Don't mind it." *In my original world, I really was 27. It's just this body, Colin's, that's only 20.*
Maria bent down to help Thunder up, murmuring in a barely audible voice, "I'll keep this... As for that matter... Let's talk after you graduate."
For Maria to say even this much was a big step. Thunder, ever quick on the uptake, grinned like an idiot.
"Come here, let's seal it with a kiss!" Without waiting for permission, he grabbed Maria's hand, pulled her close, and planted a firm kiss on her cheek.
So sweet. So sweet that Thunder almost didn't want to let go. Maria was mortified. Her feeble attempts to push him away were useless—how did this injured man still have so much strength?
She never expected Thunder, who had always been so well-behaved at the academy, to be so bold and straightforward now!
"Bro Thunder, you're my idol!" Eric shouted from the sidelines, eyes shining with admiration.
Thunder and Maria turned to see Eric and Sisi standing just ten meters away, staring dumbfounded. They'd witnessed the entire intimate moment. Eric was in awe, while Sisi's expression was unreadable.
For some reason, the unbeatable little beauty felt a sour, stifling sensation in her chest. It was like... when her favorite steak had been snatched and eaten by her younger brother. Right now, she had an overwhelming urge to reclaim what was "hers."
But the confusing part was—who exactly was the steak here? Thunder or Mentor Maria?
"Oh, you saw that?" Thunder didn't seem bothered at all. Leaning against Maria, his pale face was lit up with happiness.
"Savage!" Eric gave him a thumbs-up. "Absolute legend!"
"Don't spread this around when we get back. It could affect Thunder's studies," Maria said gently. After the initial shock and embarrassment, she'd steadied herself. Since everyone would find out eventually, she might as well face it with grace.
Sisi suddenly rushed over, circling Thunder like a curious predator, her lips pursed. "Wow, even half-dead, you've got time for romance. If Eric and I hadn't shown up, were you planning to make the sky your canopy and the earth your bed?"
Before she could finish, Maria bonked her on the head. "What nonsense are you spouting?"
Served her right! Thunder burst out laughing. *If I can't handle you, someone else will! I've got connections now!*
Sisi still hadn't figured out who the "steak" was. But she brushed it off—her mind was too straightforward to dwell on such things. She wrapped her arms around Maria and whined like a spoiled child, "Mentor, you're hitting me over a man now?"
"If you don't let go of my woman, I'll kick you into next week," Thunder warned playfully.
Sisi ignored him.
"Alright, enough." Maria sighed and patted Sisi's head soothingly until the girl finally calmed down.
"How's the cleanup going?" Thunder glanced around. The ground was littered with supplies, but the bodies of the Silver Serpent Six were nowhere to be seen.
"We buried the bodies. Took their loot," Eric said, his expression darkening.
"Bro Thunder... we killed people." Eric was still trembling. Watching living people die right in front of him—blood spraying, heads rolling, bodies split in half—those images kept flashing in his mind.
"That's the life we chose," Thunder said flatly. "As mages, this day was always coming."
"We knew that... just didn't expect it so soon," Sisi admitted with a bitter smile.
"This wasn't our fault. If we hadn't killed them, we'd be dead instead." *This is the world of mercenaries and adventurers—a world of deceit and bloodshed.*
Luckily, the Thunder Class had strong mental fortitude. Witnessing so many deaths hadn't broken them, and they'd even managed to clean up the battlefield and bury the bodies.
"We can't stay here long. Eric, clear the bloodstains. Sisi, pack everything into the spatial bag. I'll rest a bit longer. Once we're done, we leave immediately." Thunder's calm authority made him the de facto leader of the group.
The siblings sprang into action. Maria asked, "What about me?"
"Help me gather the loot from the griffin."
The most valuable part of the griffin was its eighth-tier magic crystal. Next were its two ruby-like eyes—naturally flawless gemstones, perfect for collecting, alchemy, or trading at a high price. Its claws could be forged into weapons, though its feathers were too damaged to sell.
After much effort, Thunder and Maria pried out the gem-like eyes and removed the iron-hard claws. Thunder even plucked a few intact meter-long feathers from the griffin's tail.
By the time they finished, Sisi and Eric had wrapped up their tasks. The four quickly left, not wanting to linger and risk another ambush.
**Will their secret stay buried—or will the past come back to haunt them?**