'Why did she do that?' Kieran thought as he ran after Elseria until he caught up with her.

"Wait!"

Elseria's steps slowed before she stopped and turned to face him. The blue light that had invaded her eyes seemed to fade slowly.

"Why did you hit him?" asked Kieran.

"Because he deserved it for what he said."

'And because you would have killed him if I didn't do it,' she thought, staring at Kieran's right hand, which had regained a human appearance.

She thought back to the moment right before she made a move against the student. It was just a moment. It hadn't even lasted a second, but the killing intent he had let out had surprised her.

'If I hadn't done anything, he would have been kicked out of the academy at best. At least that way, I would be the only one sanctioned, and as we are guests here, the sanction will be negligible.'

Seeing the look on her face as she looked at his hand, Kieran couldn't help but think, 'Did she do that to help me?'

Warmth filled his body as he thought his reasoning might be true.

"Let's go," he said with a smile as he instinctively grabbed Elseria's hand and started running towards the city.

Elseria blinked, surprised by the sudden contact. She had not been prepared for this, and her instincts, which had been trained for many years, did not seem to react to Kieran's action. Her body, several times stronger than his, was easily pulled along by him.

Her eyes fell on Kieran's hand that held hers, a subtle warmth spreading through it. Her heart accelerated, and a slight blush appeared on her cheeks without her understanding why.

"W-where are we going? Won't we meet Ryan in the cafeteria?"

Her question surprised her. For some reason, she didn't ask him to remove his hand.

"We're going into the city. We'll find something to eat there. I'll text Ryan to tell him not to wait for us."

As they walked through the academy, the eyes of the students were drawn towards them, and the elves among them wore a dark expression at the sight.

Faced with the many gazes on them, Elseria lowered her head and continued to follow Kieran. The blush on her face deepened, reaching her ears.

It didn't take long for both of them to leave the academy and arrive at the main street of Ostrion, bustling with activity, animated by the vibrant energy of merchants, travelers, and residents from all of the Aegis Alliance.

Stands and shops lined the street, displaying a dizzying array of goods and items from faraway galaxies.

Elseria, still holding Kieran's hand, felt the curious glances of passers-by. The mix of races and cultures on the main street of Ostrion was truly a spectacle, and the lively energy of the market seemed to have a contagious effect.

However, she began to feel a growing sense of embarrassment. The stares from the people around her, combined with the unusual heat spreading through her hand, made her uncomfortable.

"K-Kieran, can you let go of my hand?" She said hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Kieran blinked in surprise, realizing he was holding her hand without even realizing it.

"Sorry, I didn't do it on purpose," he apologized, quickly releasing his hand. He scratched his head, feeling a little awkward.

"I-it's nothing."

"L-let's go to this stand," Kieran said, pointing towards a stand with many different fruits.

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Elseria nodded, her blush deepening as she avoided looking into his eyes.

The two approached the fruit stand, where an elderly merchant with wrinkled skin and a warm smile greeted them. The stand was adorned with colorful fruits, each emitting a unique and appealing aroma.

"Welcome! Come and taste the best fruits of the Aegis Alliance!" the merchant exclaimed, gesturing towards the various fruits on display.

Kieran nodded eagerly, his curiosity piqued by the exotic fruit. Elseria, although hesitant at first, followed, her interest eclipsing her embarrassment from earlier.

The merchant began to present them with the different fruits, each coming from distant solar systems.

"This one," the merchant continued, picking up a fruit of a bright indigo hue, "is the Starlight berry. Grown under the radiant glow of Xater's quintuple suns, it has a sweet, tangy flavor that dances on the taste buds."

He handed them each a Starlight Berry, and they took a bite. The explosion of flavors overwhelmed their senses, a delicious combination of sweetness and sourness that pleasantly surprised them both.

"It is delicious!" Elseria said with bright eyes.

Kieran, who was looking at her from the side, stopped for a moment at the sight.

The old merchant chuckled at their reaction.

"Do you have any other fruit to recommend?" Kieran asked.

"Of course!"

A few minutes later, the two left the stand with a bag full of fruit, which they stored in their spatial gems.

They continued their walk down the bustling main street of Ostrion, enjoying the atmosphere and exploring the different stands that lined the market, curious about the diversity of their products.

The next stand that caught Kieran's eye was a sizzling meat skewer stand. The tantalizing aroma of grilled meats wafted through the air, making their mouths water. The seller, a portly and jovial man, greeted them enthusiastically.

"Freshly grilled skewers of Solar Bison, Frostfire Pheasant Skewers, and even Nebula Serpent!"

"Let's try one of each!" Kieran said.

The two continued their walks through the market while enjoying the meat skewers in their hands.

Passing by a stand adorned with ancient books, Kieran noticed Elseria's eyes drawn towards them. He changed his direction and walked towards the stand with her.

"Why are we going to this stand? Didn't you want to find a present for Ryan?" Elseria asked.

"We have time to visit the market," he replied smiling, "And I might find a gift here for him."

Elseria nodded as she looked at the covers of the books that were on display.

"What do you think Ryan will give you tomorrow?" she asked suddenly.

"Hmm? Why will he give me something tomorrow?"

"Isn't it both of your birthdays tomorrow since you're twins?" Elseria looked at Kieran with a look of incomprehension on her face.

"We're twins, but we weren't born on the same day. Even though, in truth, we're only a few minutes apart. My birthday is today. And you? When is your birthday?"

"If I compare the calendar of the Aegis Alliance with the calendar of the elves, then it is today too," she replied, stopping for several seconds on a book called Shrouded in Storms.

Kieran stopped to stare at her, "Are you okay spending today like this?"

"Yes. I've never done anything like that. It's quite fun," she replied, looking into his eyes.

Kieran's heart skipped a beat. It was only for a brief split of a second that seemed barely perceptible, yet he could swear he saw her lips lift slightly.

Elseria watched him freeze in place before shaking her hand in front of him, "Kieran?"

"Ah! Sorry! I was thinking about something."

"We continue?"

"Yes."

As the two left the stall, Kieran placed his hand over his heart.

'What was that?'

Glancing behind him at the book stand, he stopped.

"Wait a second, I'll come back. I forgot to ask the seller something."

"Okay."

While Kieran quickly returned to the bookstand, Elseria looked around. Her eyes fell upon a nearby stand showcasing exquisite accessories, jewelry, and even inscription tools, displaying a variety of craftsmanship products.

Approaching the stand, her eyes were drawn to a display of intricately designed combs. The combs were crafted from various materials, ranging from those made with ethereal crystals to those composed of metals and wood. Each comb seemed to radiate a unique aura.

One comb, in particular, stood out from the others, capturing her attention. The comb was made of silver metal with intricate patterns resembling a phoenix.

And as she watched it, a voice came from behind her.

"Did you find anything interesting?" Kieran asked.

Elseria blinked, slightly startled by his sudden presence. "Ah, I was just watching. Let's continue."

As Elseria began to walk away from the stand, Kieran glanced over the products and found a pair of inscriptionist gloves commonly used by inscription masters to aid in controlling their crystal essence during inscription creation. The price next to the gloves displayed 1 million nova credits.

'The price is a bit expensive, but spending that amount won't make any difference to my purchase of the Crystallized Fire Essence at the auction.'

He looked towards the combs as he was about to pay for the gloves.

'The one she was looking at was the silver one with the phoenix patterns, right?'

A few meters from him, Elseria, who had noticed that he was not following, turned around to see him chatting with the merchant before walking in her direction.

"Did you find anything interesting?" she asked.

"I found a pair of inscription gloves. I think he'll like this gift."

"Are we going back to the academy now?"

"It's still early, so we can continue to explore the market."

Elseria nodded.

And as the two continued to explore the market, they didn't notice that their steps seemed to be influenced to head in a particular direction. Before they realized it, they found themselves in an alley.