Chapter 1641: A Chase, a Lesson, and a Chest of Gifts ( 1641 )

Mimi puffed her cheek, her ears flattening, her tail lashing behind her like an angry golden whip. She stomped one foot against the sand and pointed at Buddy, her voice rising into a sharp, indignant shout.

"Cheater! Big orange bird is a cheater! You used magic! Mimi saw it! The wind! You used the wind to make it spin!" She jabbed her finger toward the bamboo dragonfly still spinning in the air beside him. "Now give Mimi back her thing! It’s Mimi’s! Husband gave it to Mimi!"

Buddy lifted his head high to the side, his neck craning in a proud, defiant arc. He narrowed his eyes down at her, his beak curling into a flat, unimpressed line, and let out a sharp squawk of protest.

"Cuquawked!" (This thing is mine now! Back off, cat witch! You couldn’t make it fly, so it belongs to someone who can!)

"Nya! That’s Mimi’s! Give it back!"

Buddy bolted. His legs carried him across the sand in swift, bouncy strides, his chest puffed out, the bamboo dragonfly spinning along behind him, followed by the music box and the snow globe still floating in his wind current.

Mimi chased after him, her feet kicking up sand, her tail streaming behind her, her voice rising in frustration.

"Just you wait, dumb orange bird! Once Mimi catches you, Mimi will pluck every single feather from your tail! Every one! You’ll be bald back there! Bald! Nya!"

Buddy glanced over his shoulder, his beak curling into a mischievous, teasing smirk. He let out a series of rapid, mocking squawks, his head bobbing with each sound.

"Cuquawked~ Cuquawked~ Cuquawked~" (Too slow~ Too slow~ Little cat witch is too slow~ Can’t catch a pekko~ Can’t catch anything~)

"Gununuuuu!!!!! Dumb orange pekko!!!"

Javier rubbed his chin, watching the chase. Mimi sprinting after Buddy, her feet kicking up sand. Buddy weaving and dodging, squawking in delight. The bamboo dragonfly spinning in the air behind him. The music box floating along. The snow globe bobbing gently.

"Hmm..."

His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"That’s interesting..."

He tilted his head, his gaze fixed on the spinning bamboo dragonfly as it hovered in the air, perfectly balanced, held aloft by nothing but mana.

This is perfect for training.

For Lyzia, this is ideal. She relies too much on incantations and fixed patterns. She needs to learn how to move, to react, to think on her feet. An obstacle course, something that forces her to chase and dodge and adapt in real time, would break her dependence on chanted spells faster than any traditional drill. She’d have to feel the mana, not recite it.

For Celine, it’s different. Her mana is foreign. She can’t rely on the same techniques as everyone else because her body doesn’t resonate with this continent’s mana the same way. She needs to learn how to pull in the surrounding ambient mana and convert it into the type she needs.

And they both have the same problem. Too structured. Too careful. Every spell they cast is a procedure. Circle. Incantation. Gesture. Visualization. Four steps. Four delays. Four moments where they’re vulnerable. I need to break that habit before I can teach them anything new.

He rubbed his chin and glanced inside the huge chest.

Liana said to make sure they both master the basics before I depart for the other continent. Before I leave for the mission Mother gave me.

Which means I have to make every moment count.

"H... Husband?"

Javier snapped out of his thoughts. He blinked, turning toward the voice. Felicia stood a few steps away, both hands clasped in front of her, her tail swaying gently behind her. Her expression was calm and soft, her lips curved into a warm smile.

"Yes, Felicia?"

She moved closer, her steps light and unhurried. She stopped beside him, her fingers still loosely clasped, her tail curling slightly. Her cheeks were faintly pink, her gaze drifting up to meet his before darting away again.

"You seemed far away. You’ve been staring at the chest for a while now. What were you thinking about?"

"Oh... I was just planning how to train Celine and Lyzia." He glanced toward the distant sand where Mimi was still chasing Buddy. "Thinking about which method I could use so they both master the basics quickly. Something that breaks their reliance on circles and incantations."

"Oh..."

Felicia tilted her head to the side, her smile warming. Then her gaze drifted toward the huge chest, its dark adamantite surface gleaming in the morning light.

"And this chest?"

"Ah, this?" Javier glanced at it, then back at her. "This is the chest I used to store everything I crafted in the early days. Prototypes, experiments, things I made when I was still learning. I was looking for something I could use for their training, but..." He glanced inside, at the jumble of forgotten devices and half-finished designs. "While I’m at it, I should probably sort through it all and clean it out before putting it back in my dimensional storage."

Felicia’s gaze drifted toward the chest. She stole a quick glance inside, her eyes flickering over the items, before she looked away. Her fingers fidgeted in front of her, twisting together, her tail curling nervously behind her.

Javier noticed. His smile softened, warm and easy.

"Felicia?"

She glanced up at him, her cheeks faintly pink.

"If you want, you can look inside. Take your time. Go through it. See if anything catches your eye."

Felicia’s eyes lit up. Her tail gave a quick, happy flick.

"Really!?"

Javier chuckled softly, nodding.

"Yes. Go ahead. Check it out. And if you find something you’re interested in, you can pick whatever you want. Consider it a gift."

"Thank you, Husband!"

Felicia stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. Her breasts pressed firmly against his chest, the soft fullness of them molding against him through the thin fabric of her dress. Javier’s grin turned sheepish. He rubbed the back of his head with one hand while the other settled on her waist, pulling her closer, his fingers curling gently against her hip.

But just as his hand was about to roam lower, a voice came from nearby.

"Not fair. Why only Felicia got it?"

Javier turned his head. Gracelle stood a few steps away, tugging at the hem of her sleeve, her cheeks flushed a soft pink. She glanced at him, then dropped her eyes to the sand.

Javier smirked. He extended one palm toward her, and his magic pulsed gently through the air. Gracelle let out a soft gasp as she floated toward him, her feet lifting off the sand, her dress swaying around her legs. She landed softly against his side, and he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close.

His voice dropped into that low, deep, charming tone.

"You can pick something too, Gracelle. Every one of my girls can. I want all of you to find something you like."

( End Of Chapter )