Chapter 349: Misunderstanding
Around them, the once-lush ground had been reduced to ash and charred earth. Luke’s sleeves were scorched, several corners of his shirt had been burned away, and his left thigh had taken a nasty hit as well. Nothing serious, though. The Blessing would heal wounds far worse than these.
They had drifted far from the village during their battle, not out of any deliberate consideration, but simply because the frenzy of their clash had carried them wherever their feet happened to take them.
"Haah... that was fun." Luke muttered as he watched Ilya’s flames gradually subside, not from exhaustion, but by her own choice.
It seemed she had decided to call it a day, much like him.
"I haven’t had this much fun in a long time, truthfully."
He wasn’t lying.
Under the moon, every hunt and every challenge had begun to feel almost trivial. Nothing seemed worthy of concern anymore. But fighting this crazy girl had reminded him of something he had nearly forgotten.
There would always be someone stronger than you.
And for the first time in a while, that realization had felt exhilarating rather than frustrating.
"You were holding back." Ilya said with a grunt.
Luke smirked.
"So were you."
He shook his head, his gaze lingering on the faint embers still dancing around her.
"Your control over those flames is admirable. I never thought someone this young could tame a power that wild."
She had not merely directed each attack with deliberate precision rather than allowing her flames to lash out indiscriminately. Whenever the fire she unleashed accidentally caught the surrounding trees, she immediately drew those flames back into herself, extinguishing them before they could spread and turn the forest into an inferno.
"Well, I awakened early and faced plenty of challenges along the way. They forced me to keep growing."
As she spoke, the flames surrounding her began to fade, revealing her figure to his eyes.
She was... not nearly as petite as he had initially assumed.
Without the flames obscuring her form, he could finally get a proper sense of her stature and build.
Her skin was slightly tanned, maybe because of the sun, a well shaped, swan-like neck, two perky meat buns with small buds. A toned stomach with cuts and faded marks that decorated like medals. Her legs were particularly long and well shaped, and at the crown of those long legs he could see a nice shape of her sex.
"Had a good time?" she asked, making no attempt to hide herself.
"I mean, you are beautiful. So, yes."
Luke said it without hesitation. Then he summoned a long cloak from his Inventory and held it out to her.
"Here. Take it. Since I forced you to use your magic, I should at least compensate you for the clothes I burned."
A faint smile touched Ilya’s lips as she accepted the cloak, not commenting how he summoned it out of thin air.
She wrapped it around her naked form before looking back at him.
"Mind if I ask why you went so far as to corner me back then? From our battle, I realized it was never really about your grudge."
Ilya had initially assumed Luke was simply irritated by being seen in the forest. At the time, she had expected him to brush it off as casually as she had suggested.
But her later observations had proven otherwise.
Throughout their battle, Luke had deliberately pushed her, forcing her to reveal more and more of her abilities. Whatever his reason was, it had clearly gone beyond a simple grudge.
"You are right. It was never about a grudge." Luke admitted. "And I’m sorry for how I behaved. But ever since you appeared in my life, I’ve been experiencing things I never had before."
Ilya’s brows rose slightly, but she remained silent, giving him the time to gather his thoughts.
"First, there was this strange sensation of dizziness. It has happened twice now. Then, just some time ago, my entire family and I heard my brother crying inside our house."
His expression grew more serious.
"And I knew it wasn’t him... It was a magician’s dirty trick."
Ilya’s expression shifted.
She was beginning to realize what might actually be happening.
Someone had been targeting Luke through underhanded means, and since it had only started recently, he had naturally suspected the closest stranger who also happened to be exceptionally good at sneaking around him.
"You... sound reasonable. There is no need to apologize." Ilya assured him as she slowly approached. "Anyone would be suspicious, especially when things have started involving your family."
Luke smiled faintly.
"Glad you understand. Though now it might be difficult for me to explain to the chief and your father why I was fighting you in the forest."
Naturally, people had seen them fighting. Luke had warned them that he could handle the situation, so they had wisely kept their distance. Still, there was no way the report had not already reached the chief by now.
Ilya waved away his concern.
"Don’t worry about them. I’ll take care of Father, and he can deal with Baldon. You won’t have to answer to anyone."
Her father already knew about her hunger for strong challenges. Once he heard that she had actually lost to someone, he would probably understand why she had gone so far as to use her magic in such a strange place.
"I still don’t understand, though." Luke said, drawing her attention back to him. "Why were you so hesitant to use your abilities? You couldn’t possibly have been shy, right?"
Ilya shook her head.
"It’s just... when I’m in that state, my hunger to burn things grows."
Her expression became somewhat distant.
"The urge to make things explode, to watch everything around me burn and fall into ruin... those thoughts begin clouding my mind. I can somehow keep them under control, but they never truly disappear."
She lowered her gaze toward the flames faintly flickering around her fingers.
"That’s why Father told me to keep my flames hidden unless it was an emergency."
Luke remained doubtful.
"I believe the more you use your strongest weapon, the better prepared you’ll be when you need it most. My own skill has nearly taken my life a few times, yet I’ve still used it on several occasions."
He paused.
"Once, I even used it just to kill a bat."
Ilya’s brows rose at the unexpected admission.
Luke continued, his expression turning serious.
"Sharpen your blade so it can cut when you need it. Keep it sheathed for too long, and one day, you might end up cutting yourself with it."
Ilya fell silent.
She understood what he meant.
For years, she had listened to her father’s reasoning, accepted his warnings, and treated the restraint of her flames as the safest path forward. Yet now, with only a few words, Luke had made her question all of it.
It was surprising how deeply his words were beginning to influence her.
Just then...
"Help! Luke, help me!"
Luke flinched at Monica’s voice.
Beside him, Ilya froze.
Her eyes widened as her expression changed.
"Father..." she whispered. "He’s calling out for me."
Luke immediately reached for her hand and shook his head.
"It’s not him. It’s the same being that has been targeting me."
Ilya frowned.
"Can you track it?"
Luke nodded.
Her expression turned cold.
Flames suddenly erupted around her hand as she spoke in a low voice.
"Then lead the way."
Luke’s lips curled into a faint smile.
Oh, he liked her temper.