Strolling toward the castle, Archer indulged in a feast of pastries, savoring the delightful cream-filled treats. On his way, he passed the enchanting establishment called Witch Way Out.
Intrigued, he stepped inside, hoping to acquire new spells. As he entered, the doorbell jingled unexpectedly, drawing his attention. His gaze lifted, revealing a shiny new bell sitting prominently as if waiting to be noticed.
''Oh, what do we have...'' Gallaka started speaking until she saw him and stopped. ''What happened to you, boy?''
Archer smiled at the old woman and told her. ''I reached level twenty and evolved.''
She looked him up and down before sighing. ''I can't figure out what you are; you're not a Dragon-kin due to those eyes and scales; they only have horns.''
Archer shrugged and started searching the shop. He came across Four spells that caught his interest. Picking up the first book, he read the title. ''Fireball.''
He chose it and continued to look for some more; after an hour of searching, he found three more. Archer bought Thunder Wave, Call Lighting, and Earth Blast for Ella. He took the books to the counter and paid for them.
Gallaka was watching him as he approached. ''More spells?''
Archer nodded as he placed them on the counter. ''How much?''
She looked at him curiously before speaking. ''Four gold for Thunder Wave and Call Lighting, three for Fireball, and seven for Earth Blast, but I'll charge you seven altogether as you were going to sell them back to me.''
Archer smiled before he paid and told her he would keep Earth Blast for a friend. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow before questioning him. ''Who is she?''
Her question shocked him, and he wondered how she knew. ''How did you know old woman?''
Gallaka started laughing. ''Well no one will spend seven gold coins on a spell book for just a friend, it's never happened in my seventy years.''
Archer stared at the nosey old woman before scoffing. He ignored her as he started reading.
[Thunder Wave Learned]
[Call Lightning Learned]
[Fireball Learned]
Three notifications alerted him to the spells he learned, and Archer turned his attention to the woman staring at him. ''Here, I'm done with these three; I'll be off now, Gallaka. See you soon.''
Archer rushed out the door as he stored Earth Blast in his item box; he made his way to the castle as the sunset. Causing a lovely orange/pink color to cover the sky, he Blinked his way to the servant's quarters as he reached the castle.
Gazing up at the balcony, Archer cast Blink again, seamlessly transporting himself to check if Ella was in her room. However, upon inspection, she was nowhere to be found. Opting to wait, he settled down and pulled out some chocolate, indulging in the sweet treat.
As the hours passed, Archer succumbed to weariness and eventually fell into slumber while patiently awaiting Ella's return.
*****
[Ella's P.O.V.]
Ella left the maid's quarters and returned to her room when someone stopped her. It was Archer's brother Pallius, who sported a sinister grin. He addressed her with a chilling proposition, "Ella, why don't you accept my offer and just become my maid?"
Frustration welled within her; Pallius had incessantly bothered her since Archer's departure. Despite his persistent requests for her to become his maid, she knew that only Larka held the authority to make such assignments, and thus far, no decision had been made.
"No, thank you. Now, I must be on my way." She returned to her room, and Pallius watched her walk away with a sinister look in his eye.
Opening her door, she locked it behind her; only her mother and Larka had the key so that she would be fine. Ella went about conducting her nightly routine, walked over to the window, and moved the curtains aside.
When she saw him, a bright smile appeared on her delicate face. She put on a cloak as she stepped out and felt the breeze against her face. Observing Archer, it was evident that he had undergone a profound transformation since he first awoke.
It seemed as though he had become an entirely different person. His horns are a gorgeous white. His glittering white scales and white hair tied into a bun made him even more handsome to her.
Ella couldn't help but laugh when she spotted the chocolate in his hand. A mischievous idea sparked in her mind, prompting her to approach him.
Her delicate hand extended, gently stroking his horns. Archer's body responded with a quiver as she continued.
She laughed a lot, especially when she saw his ears twitch. Then, she reached over and touched them, making him quiver more and let out a relaxed sigh.
***
[Back to Archer]
Archer opened his eyes. His brain was foggy, but he noticed Ella's face staring directly at him. That's when he felt something touching his right ear. Making him shiver and let out a little moan, he quickly covered his mouth.
But she giggled even more as she sat beside him while asking. ''How have you been, Arch? Completed any more quests yet?''
He paused, setting aside thoughts of her touching his ears. "Yeah, I've finished five more since we last met, but there's something I need to tell you."
When Ella heard him, she felt bad, but he continued before she could voice her feelings. ''I was offered an escort quest to deliver aid to Karna city in the Rhodora Kingdom. The guild said I would be gone for two months. I'm sorry, Ella.''
Her initial sadness was fleeting, and she pushed it aside. "It's fine. You'll need to take quests that take you far away. We only have to wait two more years until I can join you."
Smiling upon hearing her words, Archer embraced her, surprising her. He whispered into her ear, "Thank you, Ella. I will return to you as quickly as possible."
Archer let her go and took out some chocolate, pastries, and sweets. He offered some to Ella. She took some chocolate and started eating with a smile on her face.
They spoke late into the night. As Archer rose, Ella seized his hand and made an unexpected proposal. "Archer, why don't you stay here with me tonight?"
Her request was so charming that he couldn't refuse. They entered her bedroom together.
Once inside, Archer cast Cleanse on himself and got undressed. Meanwhile, Ella grabbed her nightwear and retreated to another room. A few minutes later, she appeared with red cheeks and quickly approached the bed. She called him over.
He climbed into bed. Things felt awkward between them initially until Archer took the initiative, grabbing her and starting to spoon her with a smile on his face. Noticing her ears turning bright red, he found it amusing to blow air into one.
This caused her to jump with a yelp, glaring at him, but she didn't shift away. Chuckling, Archer settled down, continuing to cuddle her. Despite the initial awkwardness, the atmosphere became surprisingly comfortable.
She lay there and whispered something so low that Archer couldn't hear her: ''Thank you for accepting me.''
''No, we accepted each other, now go to sleep.'' Ella felt a peck on her cheek and went stiff but smiled nonetheless. The two of them fell asleep with smiles on their faces.
Not long after they fell asleep, the lock opened, and Sheira entered. She looked at Ella and went stiff when she saw a boy cuddling up to her.
She approached the bed intending to drag the boy out when she noticed who it was, but he was different.
He had horns like Lady Larka, but they looked more majestic than hers. Sheira noticed the scales on his neck and was confused. Shaking her head, she examined the scene she had walked into.
The little half-elf was snuggled into him with a smile on her face, and he held her tightly. She noticed nothing sexual was going on between them, so she breathed a sigh of relief before smiling. ''Well done, you silly girl. You found someone who truly cares for you.''
Sheira went to her room and settled down. The next morning, Archer opened his eyes and saw blonde hair before him. That's when the memories flooded back, and he felt his cheeks go red.
His moving caused her to wake up, and when she did, she turned to face him with a smile. ''Good morning.''
Archer quickly replied while smiling at her. ''Good morning, El.''
They stared at each other until he leaned forward, and their lips touched. Her body stiffened but calmed down as they kissed. He loved the feeling of her lips, and her scent drove him mad.
They separated, and her cheeks were red, just like his. She spoke up. ''We have to get up. I've got to get to work, and you've got a quest.''
Ella jumped out of bed and ran off to the other room. While she did that, Archer got out of bed with a goofy smile. After putting on his boots, Archer retrieved some gibberling hearts and began eating.
While waiting for her, he continued consuming more and more hearts until none remained. Once done, he cast Cleanse on himself to rid himself of any traces of blood just as he finished cleaning up.
Ella emerged from the room, donning her maid outfit and looking beautiful. Archer became entranced, zoning out until she flicked his head.
"Stop daydreaming; you've got a quest to get to," she chided.
When Archer came to, he smiled before speaking in a loving voice. ''Goodbye Ella, I'll be back soon.''
Heading to the balcony, Archer was on the verge of casting Blink when he remembered he had a gift for Ella. Abruptly turning around, he retrieved a spellbook and handed it to her. "Ella, wait, I have something for you." She paused as he presented the spellbook, and then he left.