“The Red Frost Duke’s power is at least at the level of a Practitioner Rank 5. We're no match for him right now. It’s better to focus on learning magic first and then destroy his plans later. There's no rush.”

As Elvynna spoke, her small hands instinctively tightened around you.

Is this really about learning magic?

Are you sure she's not trying to do something else?!

This is starting to feel like one of those infamous succubus training techniques!

Well, of course, even if they wanted to take things further now, their relationship hadn't developed to that stage yet.

It was time to nurture their bond a bit more.

After all, they already knew that the mastermind behind the scenes was the Red Frost Duke. Their main focus should be on improving their skills and then infiltrating his estate.

Eirik quickly did the math: they had about eighteen years before the Demon Tree caused any major trouble.

That meant they could spend a good ten years or so studying magic before taking any action.

And in that time, they could also work on strengthening their relationship!

【Eirik has invited you to watch a performance at the Silver Theater. Do you accept?】

Meanwhile, Elvynna had received Eirik’s invitation.

She furrowed her brows slightly and immediately refused.

"Hmph! Frivolous nonsense!"

You might be oblivious, but I’m not—there's a looming disaster with that Demon Tree, so how could I possibly waste time watching a play?

Elvynna shook her head.

Eirik didn’t give up easily though; he continued sending her invitation after invitation:

Invitations to the theater, to balls, to picnics, and even scenic outings.

Elvynna rejected every single one of them.

Studying magic was the priority! Who has time for these distractions?

Hmph! Men, they only slow down my progress in magic!

But soon, she started feeling that something was off.

Despite all her efforts, why was her progress in magic starting to slow down?!

After a quick inspection, Elvynna was shocked to discover a little red notification on both her and Eirik’s status panels.

【Warning! Due to repeatedly declining your companion’s invitations, your relationship has significantly deteriorated. Magic learning speed and aura effects are reduced by 50%.】

"What? How could this happen?!"

Elvynna was frustrated but quickly understood why.

After all, they were close companions. Continuously rejecting his invitations only made her seem rude and inconsiderate.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

With their bond weakening, it was only natural that their magic efficiency would suffer as well.

"So, it turns out his talent boost is directly linked to the strength of our bond. Looks like I’ll need to spend more time with him..."

Elvynna frowned, feeling a bit helpless.

Is there really no way around this?!

All I want is to focus on my studies!

【Elvynna has invited you to visit the Botanical Gardens. Do you accept?】

On the other side, Eirik was on the verge of giving up on this route entirely.

Damn, this woman is nothing short of a magic-obsessed maniac!

Here I am, a handsome guy, holding her every day, and all she can think about is magic, magic, magic?!

Just as he was about to throw in the towel, Elvynna suddenly started inviting him?!

Ha, no way! I refuse!

Eirik directly clicked "No." Who said he had no temper?!

“he rejected me?!”

Elvynna blinked, stunned for a moment, feeling a little uneasy.

She quickly sent more invitations, frantically clicking the invite button over and over.

Eirik, on the other hand, was dumbfounded by the flood of notifications.

Is this NPC bugging out or something? Why is she inviting me nonstop like she’s possessed?

Hmm... Fine. No need to argue with an NPC. Seeing how desperately she’s inviting me, I’ll begrudgingly accept.

【You stroll through the Botanical Gardens together until nightfall. The moon is shining bright, and your bond grows deeper...】

【Your relationship has significantly improved.】

【You adopted a young fox together and named it Little White.】

The following days passed in a steady rhythm. If they weren’t studying magic together, they were out enjoying themselves. Their bond steadily increased, and their magic-learning efficiency grew faster by the day.

Before they knew it, seven or eight years had passed.

"Hahaha! I knew it! The deeper our bond, the stronger the aura bonus! This time, I’m definitely going to reach the Savant rank and crush that Demon Tree!"

In reality, Elvynna clenched her fists with excitement.

But soon, something completely unexpected happened.

【It was a night of beauty and romance. After a few rounds of drinks, Eirik held your hand and confessed his feelings.】

Confessed his feelings?

Elvynna blinked in surprise. Did he have some secret he was hiding from her?

But the next second, realization struck her, and her cheeks flushed.

“No, no, no, no way! Is this really happening?!”

Elvynna’s face turned bright red.

She had been playing this scenario purely to study magic, and now, somehow, she was being dragged into a romance?!

“Reject him! Reject him!”

She frantically clicked the "Reject" button.

All she cared about was magic. Everything she did was to become stronger, to become the Elf Queen!

Romance? Men? Get out of the way, please!

【Sorry, your bond is too strong to reject this option.】

The system’s response left her utterly dumbfounded.

"Wha... what?! How can this be?!"

Even worse, Elvynna realized that for most of those years, she had been the one initiating the invitations.

Their bond had only deepened because of her!

So doesn’t that mean she was the one who had been chasing after this stupid guy?!

“Ahhh! Next time... next time I have to be careful. I’ll make sure to control the level of our bond. Who wants to fall in love in a game? That’s ridiculous!”

Elvynna smacked her flushed cheeks, forming a plan in her mind.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

But what she didn’t expect was that the story would take an even more embarrassing turn.

【It was a night of passion and wild romance. You lay together, naked, wrapped in each other’s arms.】

【Congratulations, you’ve unlocked a new skin: Husband and Wife Bliss.】

On the screen, the two characters were shown embracing beneath a peach tree, their bodies exposed...

“Is... is this what I think it is?!”

Elvynna was both shocked and mortified, pounding her bed repeatedly in frustration.

“This game retains memories, doesn’t it? So now I’ll have the memory of... of doing that with someone?!”

Her mind was spinning, utterly overwhelmed.

It seemed that in these seven or eight years, her relationship with Eirik had truly skyrocketed...