Chapter 379: Thera's Perspective
Chapter 380 of "Chaotic Craftsman Worships The Cube" introduces: Thera thought to herself as she was flying back to Stonewall, moving the cart just... Read on to discover!
Thera thought to herself as she was flying back to Stonewall, moving the cart just slightly slower than she usually would out of a need to decompress from the day.It wasnât that it was a hard amount of work, with all the mana at her disposal, anything that could qualify as such could only be a disaster, but it was mentally taxing. There were plenty of towns and villages in the surrounding area, and after going to ten to help treat anyone she could for that bit of extra skill and job experience, she was seeing more and more of what sheâd been seeing at Stonewall. People who hadnât done anything to try and get stronger since the world first got notice from the gods of the invasion, who were now trying to rush to gain any levels to combat and magic skills they could in an effort to keep themselves just a little bit safer, with far too many of them getting hurt for it.
Perhaps she wasnât the best to pass such judgments on others as someone who only a couple years prior had been acting as an adventurer when she could only cast a couple simple spells a day, and who had just done a tower trial for whatever extra strength it would bring, but the difference was that she knew how strong she was. As tough as the earth tower had been, it had been manageable for her compared to what any normal mage would have to deal with, and even back when she was adventuring alone, if her staff ever broke and something got too close she could raise a cloud of dirt around herself to scare it off or run since her agility had always been reasonably high thanks to her years of dancing. For people who had normal, smaller mana pools or lacked experience with weapons, trying to hunt whatever could be found in the depths of the woods could be a death trap, especially as the ecosystem slowly shifted with more and more dangerous beasts making their way to the area.
She thought with a playful smile spread across her face.
She wasnât as annoyed about it as she had been the day before, it was important to her that he get stronger as well to match her desire that he stop getting in situations where his life was on the line, and heâd done plenty to make it up to her immediately after too.
She couldnât help but think, the feeling trailing off as a far more uncomfortable one took its place.
As soon as the notion crossed her mind she couldnât exactly deny it, so she did the next best thing and ignored it, not in the mood for any level of self-discovery at the moment.
âAlright, thanks for the meal Thera, It was lovely,â Her aunt told her, giving a wide smile. âBut now itâs time for me to be off. I promised Ceselee Iâd grab drinks with her and Falk so Iâll be home late, just in case you two want to do anything that might need a couple hours of privacy.â
âWhatever youâre thinking isnât happening!â She called back, feeling the blood rush to her face as she did. Her aunt wasnât shy about teasing the idea of⌠something happening between her and Ben, and she never knew how she was supposed to react whenever she did.
âLater Sonya,â He said, significantly less bothered about it than she was as he focused on her. âSo, using me as a practice dummy for your life magic then?â
âItâs nothing I wonât be able to fix if anything goes wrong, donât worry so much.â
âI think if youâre a healer you need to learn to be slightly more reassuring than that.â
âA part-time healer, my bedside manner isnât the most important, especially when I have the skill. Now come on, it will be fine,â She told him, leading him to the couch and filling him with her life mana as she used her mana examination to see exactly what was happening within him as she did.
Sheâd decided to practice buffing, an aspect of her magic she didnât have too much experience with but figured she could use more as she watched how it affected him, his heart rate picking up as the mana flowed into his muscles and bone, each of them flooding with power that seemed like it wanted to be used, all while he sat still, just accepting whatever was going to happen to him.
She usually held his face as she cast her magic if she wasnât treating any specific wound, but as she watched the changes the buff did to his body her touch strayed to his arms and chest as she felt them.
Her mother had commented on Ben having nice muscles when sheâd first seen him and while that had been true enough then, he had certainly gained more since that time as he practiced at the forge, his line of work taking plenty of strength. Combining that with the fact that he hadnât regained all of the body fat heâd lost as she and Yuzu had desperately tried to repair the damage heâd taken in the earth tower and it made the change all the more stark as she touched him, completely lost in her thoughts till he spoke up.
âFeeling handsy?â
âYou wish. It looked like something you ate poked at your stomach lining, not a big deal but I fixed it,â She lied, not having any desire to own up to how distracted by him sheâd just been.
She continued to practice her magic on him, but she couldnât help but feel just a bit distracted as she went, Benâs little joke and her aunt's implications swirling around her head.
She told herself, trying not to let her eyes linger anywhere too long.
Before sheâd had to learn just how terrible it felt to lose him even without the clear romantic connection they now shared, she had made it clear that she had no interest in romance thanks to the life she could expect. That had obviously changed, but she couldnât deny the chance he was just leaving things because of how new to everything she was on that front, but the easiest way to change that was to ask.
âHey Ben?â
âYeah?â
âDo you⌠no actually, itâs not important.â
Her own kind werenât exactly shy about that sort of thing on either side of her heritage. Hell, when she was giving her mana to the spirits, she was helping them recover from their racial side effects attached to the act, and Anailia wasnât just a goddess of love, but of seduction too. The only reason she was feeling weird about it was because sheâd so thoroughly denied the idea of ever falling in love for so many years she hadnât even considered just what that might mean for the future.
The two of them had been dating for nearly a year by that point, by succubus standards it would be surprising that nothing at all happened, but then she wasnât a normal succubus, and in the end of it, just as important as what he might or might not want was what she herself desired.
She asked herself, feeling her eyes looking him up and down as she did.
âUh, you know what, Iâm actually feeling pretty tired so I think Iâll end here,â She told him abruptly, leaning in to give him a kiss and feeling extra aware of his lips against hers. âHave a good night Ben, try and get some proper rest, okay?â
âWill do, sleep well Thera.â
She tried to be casual about it as she walked back to her room but she was sure her thoughts must have been as clear on her face as they ever were. She could feel the blood in her cheeks as she changed and slipped into bed, tightly hugging her pillow as she did.
She told herself as she laid there.
With the idea firmly lodged in her thoughts, Thera didnât manage to get any sleep that night till the morning sun rose.