The Spring sun shone brightly in the cloudless blue sky, bathing the valley with warmth. The day was significantly longer during Spring, melting the snow and raising the humidity. Darius opted to slough off his thick bear's fur jacket when he felt a bit steamy inside.
It's been a month since he began the deforestation project and he was able to cut down two thousand trees in total. His number was greater than Bjorn and Skallgard's number combined.
Before he knew it, Darius' body underwent a dramatic growth spurt thanks to the Arcane Cells that were now fully integrated with his brain and body.
He was now taller and looked more muscular, his adolescent face was no longer visible. Angular jawline and symmetrical nose further emphasize his handsome face. A pair of sharp eyes were like precious golden gems that could perceive the darkness as clear as a day.
With the help of a handful of villagers who volunteered to haul the logs down from the slope, Darius' work was much easier so he could focus on felling the trees one after another.
Darius was eager to cut down more trees due to the reward he received for every tree that he felled.
His face brightened upon reading the Arcanium System before his eyes that stated the summary of his progress.
[You have received a total amount of 6.000 Arcane Cells]
[You have received 2.000 Loyalty Points from the villagers for harvesting the oaken trees.]
Aside from cutting trees and chopping them into manageable sizes of logs, Darius also trained his Elemental Magic during the night inside Alexa's pseudo-dimension realm.
It was the middle of the night and the forest was so quiet and serene. Darius might appear to be asleep in his tent, but in reality, he was training super hard to master the four elemental magics relentlessly.
The Library of Alexandria also helped him with the supplementary literature that he needed to master the four basic elements.
Alexa, the Magical AI Woman, showed him how to wield one element at a time.
"Try to imagine the element that you are most familiar with.
"Er… It would be a fire element then."
"Great… Do you know what truly happened when a fire seemingly appeared out of thin air?"
Darius pondered, trying to figure out the natural causes that would create a flame.
"Erm… A continuous friction of two opposite forces causes things to heat up. When the heat reaches its critical temperature, it will combust the fuel and the air feed the flame until there's nothing else to burn."
"B plus!" Alexa chimed in. "Not half bad, Master."
Darius' eyes widened upon realizing how to create a spark of flame by using Arcane Energy.
"I think I know how to create my own fire!"
A few hours had passed, and Darius still had no spark but he was so relentless, until finally, something clicked in his mind.
"Eldr!"
After what seemed like an eternity inside Alexa's pseudo-dimensional realm, Darius finally was able to conjure a little flame by colliding a handful of Arcane Energy into each other until it combust the air. He was so thrilled and jumped high like a kid who had just found a treasure.
"Alexa! Look, look!" Darius proudly presented the little flame that danced on his palm to Alexa.
'This brat! Although he's nowhere near the realm of gifted genius, his Magic Affinity is stupidly high! Even the elementals are fond of him already! This must be the reason why the Grandmaster asked me to watch for this kid!'
"Akhem, that's for today, Master. It's almost dawn in the real world as we speak. You might want to continue your work, no?"
"Ah right, I still have some quota left!"
****
In the next morning, Darius tirelessly cleared out another acre worth of forest alone.
"Timbeeer!" Darius alerted his men who were processing the logs in a vast open area.
A group of five men hiked to Darius's location, led by a short yet bulky middle-aged man.
"Was that the last one?" Asked the head carpenter, Fredrik.
"For today, yes. Do we still need more?"
"No, we have met the quota."
The other four villagers hauled the logs on their shoulders per Fredrik's command.
"More importantly, I think you should have some rest, Chief."
"But I don't feel tired yet."
"Do not overwork yourself. Besides, you have a special guest waiting in your tent."
Without needing to inquire about the details, Darius immediately knew who Fredrik was talking about. He promptly put on his jacket and went to his tent.
Fredrik, on the other hand, couldn't help but to shake his head upon recalling his youthful days with his wife.
"Ah… Spring does bring a renewal for the best of us."
****
By the time he entered his Chieftain Tent, Maria was already inside, stirring the cast iron pot which is filled with a hearty mix of veggies and venison meat.
The tent was filled with the aroma of Spring spices. Darius' stomach growled upon smelling the delicacy.
Without any further ado, Darius picked up his wooden bowl and spoon that had been prepared by Maria.
However, his forehead immediately met with Maria's ladle of fury.
"Ouch!"
"Wash your hands and your feet! How many times I have to tell you, jeez!"
While he washes his body, Darius notices something that he never thought of before.
Although Darius' body was cladded in [Arcane Shield Aura], he could feel the stinging pain.
This means, Maria also had cladded her ladle with a thin layer of Arcane Energy. He always had the hunch that Maria was actually a Mage and now, Maria letting him know who she really was.
After the meal, Darius and Maria leaned on each other's shoulders.
"So, since when can you wield magic?" Darius said, breaking the ice between them.
"I was born with innate magic, I can feel the presence of Arcane Energy even when I was still in my mother's womb."
Darius went silent, recalling her unusual calmness even when she was faced with the cruel fate that befell her a month ago.
"Is it because of the Flame Heart that you inherited from your mother's lineage?"
Maria nodded. "I guess so. My parents didn't leave any details about it either. However, I am convinced, this Flame Heart was the very reason why our parents left us here."
"Whatever the reason is, Baron Roger Von Gill seemed to know the secret of your Flame Heart."
"And I will not give myself that easy," Maria replied, determined to get stronger also.
Darius went nervous as Maria suddenly brought his face onto her chest.
"Here, can you hear it? There are two hearts inside me."
Instead of focusing on two beating hearts inside her, all Darius could hear was the thumping sounds of his heart that pumped his blood upward. His face was as red as a ripe tomato.
Darius promptly pushed her away.
"That's dangerous, Maria. What if I can not myself?"
"Then so be it. I would not mind if it is you."
Darius, however, was a young man of his principles. He would not dare to take a young woman for granted.
"It's not the time yet," Darius said. "Give me two years, the village comes first, until then, I shall ask you in the hand of marriage."
"Sure, I will wait for you, Darius."