In the small courtyard, the elder carefully checked Roy's pulse before standing up and saying, "He's fine, just suffering from spiritual energy exhaustion and extreme physical fatigue. He'll wake up after a few hours of rest."
Alice let out a long sigh of relief, patting her chest as she murmured softly, "That scared me! I knew you'd win if you pushed yourself, but I didn't think you'd push this hard."
Turning toward the elder, she asked with concern in her eyes, "But… what about tomorrow's third trial? Will Roy be able to participate?"
The elder stroked his beard, smiling. "Don't worry. The third trial isn't until tomorrow. And it's a team-based test. You and Roy can form a team. With his combat skills and your support abilities, you might just surprise everyone."
Alice's face lit up instantly. She clenched her small fists excitedly and exclaimed, "Really? That's great! Haha, tomorrow I'll do my best, and we're definitely going to win!"
The elder nodded and, as he turned to leave, gave her a final reminder. "Make sure he rests well and regains his strength. Don't let him overexert himself."
"Got it! Leave it to me!" Alice assured him, patting her chest confidently. Once the elder left, she turned back, sat by Roy's bedside, and propped her chin in her hands, staring at him for a while.
"You idiot, you're such a reckless fool," Alice muttered softly, though a smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "But I didn't expect you to be so strong, even awakening sword intent." She paused, then giggled. "Looks like I've struck gold. I don't even need to train now; I can just ride your coattails to success!"
Standing up, she grabbed a towel from a nearby cabinet, dipped it in water, and gently wiped the sweat from Roy's forehead. As she worked, she mumbled, "You're still just a teenager. Why are you pushing yourself so hard? You can't keep doing this. What if you get hurt? I'm counting on you to help me take on the world!"
When she was done, she admired her handiwork before pulling out a pale green crystal from her bag. Placing it in Roy's hand, she whispered, "This is my spirit-restoration gem. I'm letting you use it as an investment, so don't let me down, okay?"
Staring at Roy's peaceful sleeping face, Alice couldn't help but chuckle. "Huh, you actually look pretty well-behaved when you're asleep. When you're awake, though, you're always so serious. Not cooperative at all!"
As night fell, Alice grabbed a book from the small table by Roy's bedside and began flipping through it, muttering to herself, "If I'm teaming up with you tomorrow, I should probably try harder too. But hey, I am a support genius! Don't worry, I'll take care of you!"
She hummed an unknown tune softly, bringing warmth and liveliness to the quiet courtyard.
By the time night had fully descended, Alice was still by Roy's side, nodding off from exhaustion but stubbornly refusing to leave. She whispered, "Leave tomorrow to me, Roy. When you wake up, I'll make sure you know how lucky you are to have me as your partner!"
Roy's breathing grew steadier, almost as if responding to her words. The courtyard was filled with a gentle breeze and the occasional murmur from Alice, creating a tranquil and heartwarming scene.
After an unknown amount of time, Roy felt a cool stream of spiritual energy circulating through his body. Slowly, he opened his eyes and realized dawn had broken. He was lying on a soft bed. Turning his head, he saw Alice asleep beside him, her small face resting on her arms. She looked peaceful, her breathing soft and rhythmic.
A faint smile tugged at the corners of Roy's lips as a warm feeling rose in his heart. "This little one... she stayed by my side the whole time," he thought with a quiet sigh.
As if sensing something, Alice's eyelashes fluttered slightly before she slowly woke up. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and, upon seeing Roy looking at her with a hint of a smile, her face instantly turned bright red. She straightened up quickly.
"You... you're awake!" Alice said in a flustered tone, her voice tinged with concern. "How are you feeling? Do you feel any discomfort?"
Roy chuckled softly. "I'm fine, feeling much better." He paused before asking, "But I'm curious—why are you helping me so much? We've never met before; we're practically strangers. Why do you trust me?"
Alice froze for a moment, then looked away awkwardly. "It's not a big deal..." she murmured, her voice growing quieter. "I don't have many friends. You're the first person I've taken a liking to. And... I don't know, I just feel like you're someone I can trust. My instincts tell me so."
Roy was momentarily stunned before breaking into a gentle smile. "Alright, whatever the reason, thank you."
Hearing his gratitude, Alice's face turned even redder. She puffed out her chest in a show of pride and said, "Hmph, no need to thank me! I just think teaming up with you makes sense. Oh, by the way, the third trial is tomorrow. The elder paired us as a team, so don't drag me down!"
Roy smiled at her and nodded. "Don't worry, I won't let you down."
Alice's eyes lit up at his words, but she maintained a serious expression. "Good! If you don't perform well, I'll have to give you a good scolding!" Then, realizing how harsh that sounded, she quickly added, "Uh, I mean, it'd be unfair to me, the genius support, if you mess up!"
Roy couldn't help but laugh at her mix of pride and bashfulness. "Alright, I'll make sure to do my best and not disappoint you."
Alice puffed up her cheeks in mock annoyance when she saw him laughing so heartily. "Hey, what's so funny? I'm being serious!"
Roy quickly waved his hands in defense. "I'm not laughing at you. I just think... having a teammate like you is pretty great."
Alice froze for a moment before lowering her head, her blush spreading to the tips of her ears. She muttered quietly, "Hmph... well, that's more like it."
As daylight gradually filled the room, the atmosphere became more relaxed. Alice busied herself tidying up the bedding while muttering about plans for tomorrow. Roy watched her lively demeanor, a sense of warmth swelling in his heart.
"Maybe," he thought, "having a teammate like her really is a blessing."
Roy paid no attention to Alice's constant chatter. Instead, he closed his eyes and focused inward, sensing the flow of his own spiritual energy. The thunder-element energy within him was unusually active. The extreme exertion from his previous battle had caused a qualitative transformation. When he examined his meridians, he realized his spiritual energy reserves were nearing the threshold for a breakthrough. A wave of excitement swept through him.
The corner of his mouth curved upward slightly, but even this subtle expression did not escape Alice's sharp eyes.
"Hey, hey! What's with that mysterious smile?" Alice bounced over to him like a curious little rabbit, her big eyes blinking as she gazed at him with intense curiosity.
Roy slowly opened his eyes, his tone light. "It's nothing. I'm just close to breaking through to level 27. If everything goes well, I should advance either before or right after tomorrow's test."
"Wow!" Alice's eyes sparkled as she clapped her hands. "That's amazing! As expected of the partner I chose! To think you can break through even after such an intense fight—you're incredible!"
Roy chuckled and asked, "What about you? How are you feeling? Are you close to a breakthrough too?"
Alice scratched her head, flashing a mischievous grin. "Hehe, I'm pretty close too! But I'm kind of stuck—it feels like I've hit a weird bottleneck."
Roy nodded, his tone turning serious. "Tomorrow's third trial might be tough. It's a team battle, but our opponent is an outer sect elder. We'll need to give it everything we've got and work together. Even if we can't win, we can't go down easily."
Alice nodded vigorously, her face full of confidence. "Of course! I'm a genius support, after all! As long as I'm here, you can charge ahead without any worries. Hmph!"
Roy couldn't help but smile at her proud demeanor. He decided to tease her a bit. "So confident? You're not going to run off before I go down, are you?"
"Hey, hey! What kind of joke is that?" Alice puffed up her cheeks, putting her hands on her hips as she glared at him. "Do I look like the type to run away in the middle of a fight? Let me tell you, I'm way more reliable than you think!"
"Alright, alright, I believe you," Roy said with a grin, raising his hands in mock surrender. His eyes glimmered with amusement. "But since you're so amazing, you'd better give it your all tomorrow."
Alice huffed, her tone smug. "Don't worry! My skills won't let you down. Just make sure you don't hold me back."
Roy laughed. "Sounds like I'll have to work hard just to keep up with you."
The two continued to banter while discussing strategies for the next day. Alice's voice was lively, filled with innocence and confidence, while Roy found himself feeling surprisingly at ease in her company. The pressure in his heart seemed to lift slightly as they spoke, leaving him quietly grateful for her presence.