I Own the Evolution Domain

"That's all? You could ask for more, you know~~?" looking at the young man having his lunch together with her, Medea asked as she heard his words, wondering why it took her a while for her to finally force him to spill it up, only to be met with such simple request.

A skilled, trustworthy alchemist, and poisonous or toxic substances, preferably D Tier or higher.

At first, she cannot help but think what the young man is planning now, only for the intense curiosity to dial down to normal as he shows the intent to explain things to her.

"Mn, I'll tell you more about it later." the young man, Novus, answered with a nod as he took another bite of the seafood they are partaking in, the rich flavor causing him to eat more than he would've ever expected.

"You eat quite well, Junior Novus~~"

"Thanks to your choice in food, Senior Medea."

The two of them continues to laugh, talk and joke around as they reduced their meal into nothing, the Sword Princess, despite still showing lady-like, noble etiquette as she eats her heart out, is still capable of almost catching up to the young man, showing how much she enjoys the food as well.

It was obvious for all around them to see, the freshman once rumored to be among the bottom feeder even in his own year level, and one of the seniors who stood at the peak of the academy's student body, enjoying their time together without a caring about the gazes around them.

Normally, it would've induced such jealousy and envy from most, if not all of the male students watching an inferior enjoying his time with one of the most popular ladies in the academy.

With the new rumor of the young man's depth once completely hidden and now gradually being revealed however, those jealous and envious gazes as sharp as knives and swords were toned down quite a bit.

After all, the uncertainty of figuring out where the freshman's limits lie made every single person observing them second doubt whether they should take their chances on him or not.

This made the lunch peaceful for the two who is getting to know more and more about each other's personal lives, the affinity, the closeness and trust for each other that they once only feel in serious situations now gradually seeping into their day to day lives.

"I'll use my contacts to help you look for those things, Junior Novus, I'll see you tonight~~" after having their fill of enjoying time spent with each other, Medea announced as they reached the academy's female dormitory.

There is an assuring smile on her face as if she's guaranteeing that she will do her best to search for the things he requested, all while gently caressing the spatial ring in her pinky, already filled with the amount of Evolution Crystal that she will ever for the day.

"If it's difficult to get, there's no need to try so hard, Senior Medea." Novus reminded, making sure to remind the lady to not put too much effort into his request, especially since he doesn't want to impose too much to the point that her growth is hindered.

Those words, the care he clearly has for her, was left unsaid, however, the lady does seem to feel it from just his few words all too well, causing her to flash a charming smile as she declared in an assuring voice.

"I'll allow being thought of too little since it was you, Novus, but don't forget who I am~~~" she said as-a-matter-of-factly, taking pride in her identity not just as the eldest daughter of the Heavenblade Great Clan but also as one of the most prominent senior students in the academy.

An existence who wields huge influence and network of information among the students, no matter how rare she utilizes them.

Being reminded of the fact that the senior in front of him is an existence that is far removed from an average student, Novus couldn't help but pause for a while before a wry smile appears on his face as he hears her next word.

"Come on, say it, say this lady's grand title, hehehe~~~"

"Yes, I know, you're the Sword Princess."

"As long as you know, hehe~~"

Her giggles remain in his mind for quite some time as she took her chance to jump on him again, wrapping her arms around his torso in a quick hug before immediately slipping away.

"I-I still have my classes later, y-you too, right? Go, move…"

Despite feeling a bit panicky as she felt like she might've been pushing it too much for doing that again, Medea stood her ground, suppressing the shyness she is feeling inside as she continues with a confident smile on her face.

Not even a moment later, she felt it, warmth rushing from her heart through her face, her cheeks and ears, forcing her to abruptly turn around as she runs across the dormitory's hallway in record time.

'What—' there is sheer confusion and a mix of foreign, yet comfortable warmth inside Novus as he reaches one of his hands towards his chest, above where his heart is.

In the first place, the hand is unnecessary as even without it, he can already feel it, his heart beating, loud.

Also finding himself turning around, the young man walks, neither fast nor slow, back to the male dormitory, unaware of the figure watching over everything that happened from one of the female dormitory's higher floors.

----------

"Tsk, so those rumors are true huh… as expected, your decision to cast him aside is really the right one, Lady Alicia."

One of the figures observing everything happening on the ground floor said, her face filled with disdain as she watches Novus walking away from the female dormitory, her eyes showing nothing but disgust watching how he acts.

"Mn. It wasn't even a month since you part with him, Lady Alicia, and he's already going around flirting with another girl."

Another figure supported, prompting the last one, a silver-haired beauty, to close her eyes, hiding her ruby pupils out of sight as she heaved a complex sigh.

Anyone in the area right in that moment can see it, that sharp, glaring gaze as she stares at Novus' back, her pale hands clenched into trembling fists, her white teeth biting through her crimson lips.

If it isn't anger, one might wonder what even is it that this lady is feeling right now.

'Novus Helion van Argenta.'

A name all too familiar to her, an existence that she had known ever since she was a child, someone she once thought of as a friend, and at one point in time, something even more than that.

Amidst the complex swirl of emotions she is feeling, her pride as a princess of a powerful empire allowed her to reign everything in and calm herself down, giving her the chance to take a deep breath as she replies to her follower's words.

"It doesn't matter."

Her words echoed across the room as she stood up, taking her leave, each of her step sounding confident, no, proud, and certain, the attention-grabbing sound hiding the heavy weight on each of those seemingly unwavering steps.