Budding Feelings?

"Hee~ Are you done? You really took a long time?"

As Megumin sat with her head low, Zeus simply laid on his mattress and kept on poking at Megumin, wondering what will come out of it.

"But sitting here is quite boring."

Rito sighed and looked at the huge face of Earthen Drake right in front of the forcefield, snarling with his nostrils flared.

"Hey, Megumin. Maybe that Dragon wants to see you pee. Look at his eyes, they are gazing right at you."

"Aaaghhh! What the heck is wrong with you? I shouldn't have even let you inside the barrier in the first place!"

Megumin shouted and flicked a switch, immediately shutting down the cockpit as the lights installed inside the cockpit were switched on.

"Say, did you lose your head in a cultivation deviation and become a pervert, huh?"

Megumi sat on her knees while she turned back and leaned on the seat as made a rough look.

"Heh, if I didn't enter this barrier, maybe the whole cockpit would've been stinking... alongside your pants."

"Hah? How can you even think about it? I would've used a utensil and simply throw it away."

"Eh?"

Megumin immediately quietened down as she felt that she outspoke herself while Zeus wasn't going to let this go.

"A utensil? How bold? Who would have thought that out of both of us, you are the real pervert."

"Shut up!"

She immediately shouted and turned herself to the front once again.

"You understand that your anger makes my claim more credible, right?"

Megumin flinched and stood up as she turned back with an extremely sweet smile.

"Oh my, I am not angry that you called me a pervert."

Zeus looked at her impassively and a cookie appeared in his hand as he took a bite out of the choco-chip cookie and spoke lightly under the crunchy sounds of the treat getting crushed.

"If you are not angry, that means you REALLY are a pervert."

Megumin's smile immediately froze up and she grabbed the side of her head and started shaking her head in frustration.

"Aaah! Why you?!"

She felt extremely uncomfortable. She was being labelled as a pervert!

A beautiful young noble with an extremely cute face and a soul-stirring body was being regarded as a pervert?

"Your body isn't 'soul-stirring' and stop muttering out your thoughts."

Zeus spoke calmly and laid on the mattress with his elbow and palm supporting his head up.

"?!"

Megumin froze once again and immediately stopped thinking.

Finishing his cookie, Zeus looked at Megumin with a disgusting grin (in her eyes) and spoke up.

"Now, let's discuss this 'soul-stirring' concept..."

Alas, Megumin couldn't escape even if she wanted to. From the screen displaying on the control panel in front of the pilot seat, the Earthen Drake kept on smashing his head against the forcefield.

While Zeus had many weapons in his armoury, none of them was durable enough to support the 'guns blazing' tactic that would be required to put down the Earthen Drake as most of his gun would get overheated before they could even leave a mark on its scaly skin.

***

"Water Slash: Slice!"

Malty waved her beautiful energy sword as she sliced a red-furred monkey into two equal halves. Her posture straight, her steps steady.

Even though she wasn't a knight, she was well-versed in martial arts that were suited to her plasma sword. Gripping the handle made of synthetic metal, she could clearly feel the inner circuits heating up.

This was already her 4th sword but the waves of monsters were endless. Even with her enhanced stamina, she had trouble keeping up with the rate of monsters attacking her.

Her hair had already been messed up as her crimson hair flowed a little below her neck while her clothes were already covered in dirt.

Taking out a Crimson Moon Shield Core, she placed it onto the back of her hand as a mystifying crimson energy shield shot up.

Breathing deeply, she looked towards the direction of the explosions and decided to regroup with her classmates. If such a situation continued, then not only her equipments would be completely depleted, but she would also lose her stamina.

While staying in the group would prove her rewarding.

Making up her mind, she immediately took off towards the sound of nearest battle and quickly found a young man with green hair fighting a raging boar with his dagger glowing pale yellow, signifying his Rank 1 cultivation in Knighthood.

"Hmm? He is... Nimal, right?"

Malty narrowed her eyes as she recalled Nimal being one of the two students who raised their hands when that detestable teacher of theirs asked if someone came from a weak background.

"Perfect..."

Malty's emerald green eyes shone in mysterious light as she licked her pink and full lips.

"Rank 2 Spell: Flame Arrow!"

Almost immediately, she conjured two fiery red magic circles that coalesced and formed a delicate pattern. Even though she couldn't combine three magic circles, that didn't mean that this Imperial Princess couldn't bring out the full potential of a Rank 2 spell.

A blazing metre long arrow formed above her head and immediately struck the boar under her expert control as she jogged towards the green-haired boy while her modest breast shook lightly under her frilly top.

"Are you okay? Can you stand?"

Malty extended her hand towards the stunned Nimal and smiled brightly, brightening Nimal's life that almost ended under the attack of a Rank 2 boar.

Even though he was a Rank 3 wizard, the boar simply didn't give him enough time to concentrate to use his spells and just as he was about to fall under the hooves of the dreadful boar, a blazing arrow pierced through its head, burning its brain to the crisp.

He gulped lightly as his heart thumped wildly. A small blush escaped his control and emerged on his cheeks as he carefully held her hand.

"Thank you, Princess."

Nimal nodded gratefully.

He wasn't rich compared to others and didn't have any energy weapons. Those stuff were way too expensive for a poor ghost like him.

"Don't thank me. It's a relief that I could help my classmate before anything permanent occurred. You're Nimal, right? Nice to meet you."

She smiled while her eyes narrowed down and her head tilted sideways.

Gulp

Nimal felt a little dazzled. He didn't know that such a beautiful human being could actually exist.

With his face completely red, he nodded.

"A-ah, yes. Nice to meet you, too."