Chapter 48: Early Reward

As a magic circle appeared beneath Astraea's feet, radiant light enveloped her. With a soft whoosh, she vanished from the spot. Immediately, Akira activated another magic item and teleported to his room. When Astraea opened her eyes, she found herself standing in the middle of Akira's personal space. Her gaze wandered slowly across the room—magic stones were scattered haphazardly in the corners, books with pages mid-turn sat piled on the desk, and a couple of one-handed swords leaned against the wall. The bed was made, but the quilt looked like it had been folded in passing, more out of habit than care. It wasn't dirty—Akira was diligent with cleaning. But the room felt... too casual. As if his mind had been focused elsewhere for far too long. Seeing this, Astraea couldn't help but feel a bit conflicted. Then, a flash of light came from the Origin Magic Stone at the center of the room. Akira appeared a moment later, his eyes quickly scanning the room until they landed on Astraea. "Astraea-sama, do you feel any discomfort?" Akira asked, his tone unusually anxious. Astraea took a moment to recall the sensation—she had felt nothing out of the ordinary during the teleportation. She smiled faintly and reassured him, "Not at all. It seems the magic tools you crafted are quite sophisticated." Akira bent down and picked up the Origin Magic Stone from the floor. While explaining its structure and function, he mentally noted that the prototype seemed stable. ''The next step should be offensive magic tools.' Astraea, already too familiar with his habits, didn't need to read his mind to know where it was going. With a sigh, she reached out and gently tugged at one of Akira's elven ears, her fingers brushing softly as she teased him. "Take a break today. Your dark circles are so heavy, it looks like you haven't slept in ten days." She clasped his hand with a firm grip and led him toward the bed, her tone leaving no room for resistance. "Wait, Astraea-sama..." Akira tried to protest as she made him sit on the edge of the bed. He stood before her, face to face, their eyes locking. Then, gently, he took the necklace from her palm and bent down to clasp it around her neck. "It suits you perfectly, Astraea-sama," Akira said with a rare, boyish smile. Astraea smiled back at him, but still pushed him lightly onto the bed. "I get it. I'll handle the rest. You don't need to worry." She pressed a hand to his chest to make him lie down. Akira finally gave in. As he closed his eyes, Astraea pulled the quilt over him, tucking him in snugly. Then, she turned to leave, a bag full of magic tools slung over her shoulder. The soft click of the door echoed faintly. Moments later, Akira cracked one eye open and slowly sat up. Creak. Outside the room, Astraea paused and turned her head, watching the tiptoeing figure with a resigned smile. 'It's over.' Akira thought, frozen in place. "It seems I'm still the wiser one, my dear child." Astraea said softly. Akira immediately dove back into bed, pulled the covers over himself, and closed his eyes tightly. A faint floral scent drifted toward him and then he sensed someone sit beside his pillow. "You... I really don't know what to do with you." Astraea whispered, her hand resting gently on his forehead. "Is it because everyone dotes on you that you think it's fine not to take care of yourself?" She caressed his face, her touch filled with tenderness. "Then, I will exercise my authority as your goddess and order you to stay in bed." Her voice softened. "Do you understand?" Akira gave a small nod. "Good boy." She leaned down and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Since you listened well, I'll grant you your reward in advance." With that, Astraea stood up. "See you tonight. Don't even think about getting up." Akira stayed still, and before he knew it, the fatigue took over. After staying up through the night, he finally drifted into peaceful sleep. — — — Astraea walked down the hall with the bag of magic tools in hand, her mind replaying everything from earlier. She opened it and counted the contents—eleven items remained. Considering the two Akira had already used, it meant he had crafted thirteen in total. From yesterday until now, she realized, Akira had only appeared for meals and stayed shut in his room the rest of the time. Bloodshot eyes. Heavy dark circles. It was clear how taxing the process had been for him. Arriving at Alise's door, Astraea knocked lightly. "I'm coming!" Alise's cheerful voice rang out. She opened the door, and upon seeing Astraea, immediately grabbed her arm and dragged her inside. "What's the matter, Astraea-sama? Does a beautiful captain like me need to take the field?" Astraea chuckled and handed her the bag. "Alise, I need you to gather everyone in the hall." She reached in and pulled out a necklace, holding it up. "These are the magic tools Akira made. It's hard to believe he completed them all in just one day." With a sigh that was both proud and weary, she added, "He's surprised me so many times that I've gotten numb to it." Soon, everyone gathered in the hall. Astraea placed the necklaces neatly on the table and said, "Everyone, Akira has completed the magic items. Each of you may take one." Lyra picked one up and scrutinized it. After a moment, she raised a brow and asked, "Astraea-sama, what exactly is this for?" Then she smirked. "Don't tell me this is wedding jewelry from Akira?" "I'm sorry, Lyra. These are just disposable magic tools." Astraea replied with a playful look of regret. "Their function is simple: when you're in danger, you can activate them to instantly teleport to this magic stone—what Akira calls the Origin Magic Stone." She gestured toward the glowing stone nearby. "No, wait, something's different!" Celty pointed to the center of the magic stone. "There's something glowing inside... strange symbols?" Everyone leaned closer. Sure enough, there were faint, shifting glyphs pulsing with light. "Also." Astraea continued, her tone turning serious, "Each item can only be used twice. Don't use them just to teleport home because you're lazy." Her voice softened again. "Once Akira has rested, I'll have him adjust each one with his magic so they trigger automatically in emergencies." "We know!" ×11