'A High Witch's sixth sense, huh? Did Astoria also rely on this ability to figure out my identity?' Vaan wondered.

He knew little about the High Witches' sixth senses. In fact, it might as well be his first time hearing about it.

But judging by how Tabitha talked about it, it was likely that even High Witches knew little about their sixth senses.

That said, Vaan thought about the difficulty that High Witches faced when they attempted to advance beyond the early stage.

In order to pull it off, they would need a lot of mental strength to force the link of the fourth magic circle in the human world.

'Perhaps the development of their sixth senses is the result of their high mental strength? Or the High Witch rank is where they begin to experience the advancement of the soul, which lead to the development of their sixth senses?' Vaan mused.

With that in mind, he figured there might be a difference in a High Witch's power depending on the path chosen to advance to the middle stage.

For instance, an Early-stage High Witch that cultivated her mental strength and advanced to Mid-stage High Witch in the human world was likely stronger than one that reached the same rank in Gehenna without the effort.

Nevertheless, it hadn't been proven to be easier to advance magic in Gehenna. Thus, further deliberations were pointless.

Sometime later, Vaan and Astoria left Headmaster Tabitha's office after finishing their discussion.

Not long after they did, Tabitha also left to find Sacha in her workshop to learn more about the Rank 4 Black Metal used in Astoria's armor and greatsword.

Vaan had freely told her about it after learning a few details about the Thousand Fog Mountains from her.

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Considering his identity was steadily being known by more people, he believed he had to keep his friends close and his enemies closer.

If he provided sufficient benefits to those on his side, he would guarantee they would have his back, or at the very least, not betray him.

As Vaan and Astoria walked down the academy's main building corridor on the top floor, he turned his head to face her.

"I'll be heading back to spend the night with Lady Dahlia, Headmaster Astoria," Vaan honestly informed before he asked with a smile, "You won't be following me to watch us, right?"

Astoria's casual expression suddenly stiffened before she coldly replied, "No. I will retire to my room in Lord Helia's castle for the night."

"Ayo, is that jealousy I sense?" Vaan smiled and teased, "If you don't want me to go, you can try to convince me to spend the night elsewhere, Headmaster Astoria."

Astoria did not miss the hidden implication in Vaan's words.

"It's fine. I won't interfere with your business," Astoria coolly replied before she added, "I'll see you in the morning, Teacher Raphna."

Shortly after Astoria said that, she stormed off on her own, making her way out of the main building to head back to Helia's Castle.

As Vaan watched her departing back in the distance, he rubbed his chin with a thoughtful look.

He was quite confident that Astoria had some feelings for him. But despite his advances, she kept him at arm's length.

Something was holding her back.

'She respects my knowledge and treats me with utmost importance, to the point that she is willing to trade her life for mine. However, she avoids entering a romantic relationship with me' Vaan mused.

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'Is it because something is preventing her from having a romantic relationship? Or is she not interested in having a romantic relationship with me this way? Is she the type that believes in pure love?'

'One thing is certain; her heart is guarded. It won't be easy to have it,' Vaan concluded.

If he wanted to make significant progress in winning over Astoria's heart, he could only look for opportunities during their trip to the Thousand Fog Mountains.

Cheap tricks and flirting won't cut it.

Shortly after Vaan returned to the library, he went straight to the back office to Dahlia.

He quickly found her leaning against her desk idly with a blank look while she waited for him to return.

The moment she heard the door click open and saw his figure, she quickly stood up to welcome him back.

"You're back, Vaan."

"Sorry for leaving you earlier, Dahli. I've taken care of my business with the headmasters now," Vaan informed with an apology before he asked with a charming smile, "Shall we continue where we left off?"

"Mm"

Dahlia's cheeks quickly turned red from shyness. She nodded with her head lowering and leaned into Vaan's chest.

At the same time, Vaan pulled the lace on her black and white renaissance dress before he slid her dress off her shoulders, causing them to drop entirely and revealing her bare body to him.

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Dahlia felt even more embarrassed after being stripped bare. She quickly covered her chest with her arms.

Nevertheless, Vaan picked her up and carried her over to the mattress on the side of the office before he lay her down gently.

Dahlia strangely felt nervous, as if she was reliving the moments of her first time again.

But such feelings of uneasiness quickly disappeared after Vaan pressed his lips against hers and slowly pried open her mouth to slip his snake-like tongue inside.

"Mmm"

Dahlia responded to his kiss, welcoming the slithering creature in as the familiarity and experience returned to her.

As they became heated in their passionate kiss, Vaan's hand slid down to season the main dish while his other hand snacked on the round buns.

"Ahhh~!" Dahlia cried with joy.

Her sensitive body quickly came to life, quivering with ecstasy from the stimulations of Vaan's touches and the influx of mana that started to pour into her body through her opened pores.

Sometime later, Dahlia's blissful cries resounded throughout the office room again as their warm bodies connected, becoming one.

Vaan, like a gardener, took extra care in tending to his flower, ensuring it grew strong and beautifully.

Because one day, it might just become the sword and shield that protects him from the winds and rains along with the rest of the flowers in his growing garden.

That said, given his rate of improvement, his flowers would only be needed to block the light sprinkles and soft breezes.

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