Arthur stood rooted to his spot, dumbfounded.
'She's that strong?'
At first he had guessed that Gabriella was strong since she finished from the Sentient Academy, but for her to be this strong?
Arthur felt a chill run down his spine recalling all the events that had happened over the past few days.
Sleeping together in the same bed… the casual teases…
'Damn, what level of courting death was I doing?'
Many thoughts passed through Arthur's mind in an instant, blanking his thoughts.
He forced a casual, laid-back smile and then turned his attention to the fire dragon.
The fire dragon twisted violently in the air for a brief moment before vanishing.
Gabriella turned toward Arthur with a sweet smile and asked,
"I'm pretty strong, aren't I?"
Arthur nodded, not knowing what else to say.
"The carriage is destroyed, so we'll have to use the horse." Gabriella glanced toward the singular remaining horse.
It was large enough to hold the three of them, however she snorted toward the driver and waved her palm.
A bag of coins materialized in her hand, which she tossed toward him.
"Here."
The driver caught the bag of gold coins with a puzzled expression.
"Your services are nullified."
The driver stared blankly for a moment before clutching the bag tightly and nodding dumbly, then turned to leave.
Arthur was stunned by how quickly things had happened.
What next? Would she give him a bag of coins too and send him on his way?
Many thoughts passed through Arthur's mind as he waited for the final verdict from Gabriella.
Gabriella glanced at Arthur, a hint of playful amusement in her eyes.
Silently, she walked toward the horse and climbed onto it.
She glanced at Arthur, who was still staring at her in confusion.
"You're not getting on?"
Arthur's heart skipped a beat at her words.
Getting on…
Of course he wanted to get on.
But subconsciously, he could feel a snake coiling around his arms, tightening around him and turning him to ashes.
A chill ran down Arthur's spine at the thought.
"I… I'll find my way to the academy."
Gabriella rolled her eyes.
"Stop being a kid and get onto the horse, we don't have all day."
Hearing her call him a 'kid' Arthur didn't know why, but he felt…
'Damn, do I look that small to you?'
With a cold expression, Arthur climbed onto the horse and sat behind Gabriella, who just laughed at his behavior.
Despite having a hardened mind, Arthur didn't dare get too close to Gabriella, purposefully distancing himself from her while they sat on the horse.
Gabriella shrugged nonchalantly, then urged the horse to start moving with a whip.
The moment the horse took off, Arthur's body subconsciously leaned forward due to the force, and his hand tightly wrapped around Gabriella's waist.
He felt her body stiffen under his grasp, and the warm scent of mint and rose drifted into his nose.
Arthur held his breath in silence, already certain that his death was upon him.
However, the next instant, he felt Gabriella's stiffened body lighten, and she continued whipping the horse without saying anything.
Arthur, who had shut his eyes awaiting his death, was stupefied and couldn't help but raise a brow curiously.
'What the heck?'
His hands remained frozen in place around her waist, and he didn't dare move them for a few seconds.
Through the thin fabric, he felt the warmth of her skin, and unknowingly, he tightened his grip on her waist.
"Don't let your hand wander to inappropriate places…"
He heard Gabriella calmly advise, causing Arthur to once more stiffen his movements.
Feeling a growing itch in his trousers, he struggled to keep himself calm.
He knew that Gabriella could already tell his state with how close she was.
Did she appreciate his size? Or perhaps, was she disappointed?
Many thoughts passed through Arthur's mind within a few seconds.
He wanted to go further to see just how far he could take this with her, but he wasn't ready to die just yet.
In that manner, the horse continued galloping along the streets.
After they had ridden for a few hours under the scorching sun, the little fox appeared briefly, something akin to a frown on its face as it wrapped its tails around Arthur's neck, forming a white scarf.
"You're hungry so soon? Didn't you just finish eating a fire lizard?" Arthur mouthed with furrowed brows, wondering what sort of glutton his second calamity was.
The calamity glanced at Arthur, then shrugged and casually raised a tail toward him.
Arthur's eyes widened in alarm, because to his surprise he realized that a rare material had appeared at the tip of the tail curling around his neck.
He didn't need anyone to tell him.
'This is one of Gabriella's treasures!'
Of course Arthur hadn't forgotten about the fact that his second calamity could bend the laws of space to an unimaginable degree.
But…
Was it trying to put Arthur into deep trouble?
Should Gabriella turn and see the treasure in the little fox's hand, he didn't know what she would do.
'System, quickly, store it in the system space…'
[Yes, player.]
The system's reply came immediately.
Along with it, a new line of text appeared in his eyes.
[Would you like to automatically store all things obtained by the second calamity into the system space? That method seems safer for you.]
Arthur's eyes widened slightly. 'Damn. You can do that?'
His love for the system grew exponentially, and he instantly nodded. 'Yes, system.'
"Be patient, little fox. We'll soon reach a nice place, and I'll prepare a good meal for you." Arthur promised with a smile, stroking the fur of the fox.
The fox stuck its tongue out in defiance, then turned away from Arthur as though it was angry with him.
Arthur's heart, however, was beating wildly, and he understood that the little fox was begging him to reconsider his decision.
Because.
[Obtained a new treasure metal.]
[Obtained a mana stone.]
[Obtained a mana stone.]
[Obtained a C rank mana recovery potion.]
[Obtained a health recovery potion.]
The little fox was practically stealing everything from Gabriella as time passed.
Knowing it was only a matter of time before the little creature ran her dry, Arthur could only squeeze a smile.
"I need to feed the little one…"