Laying with her head on Edward’s shoulder, Violet whispered: “Thank you.”

“What for?”, asked Edward while looking down at her face.

“For everything. Edward, it’s true that I want you to stay by my side and never have to leave, but know that I also understand and I will always be here, waiting for your return.”

Stroking his face with eyes full of love, she continued: “I’m happy. Just being with you, I’m happy.”

Edward nodded and said nothing back. He felt that if he were to say a single word back, he couldn’t find the resolve to separate from her again. He sometimes cursed his own curse, only because it didn’t allow him to live a normal life with Violet. This wolf girl he loved probably even more than he loved himself.

As the two were basking in the pleasure of after-sex and each other’s company, tendrils of mana sneaked inside the room and a line of text made of ice appeared above them.

<If I hear any more howls from you two, I’m throwing you both out. >

Violet blushed at the unexpected message, but Edward broke into loud laughter. What neither of them expected was for the ice words to turn into cold water and drench them both.

Now it was Edward’s turn to smile wryly and Violet to giggle. Since the bed was now drenched, they had no choice but to get dressed and sleep on the floor.

Edward stayed up the whole night, just running his fingers through Violet’s silky hair while thinking about that future, a future he did not know what it would look like anymore.

Once morning arrived, Violet stood up and planted a kiss on Edward’s cheek. “Good morning. How long have you been up?”

“I didn’t sleep. With the increase in level, I rarely have to sleep now.” Replied Edward before kissing one of her fluffy ears back.

Violet giggled as her ear fluttered and they cuddled a little more before standing up. Grabbing Violet’s hand, he started leading her toward the top floor of the tower. He wanted to ask Circe about the promotion to the intermediate water mage exam.

Entering the room, they found Circe reading a book like usual. Lifting her eyes from the book, she looked between the two visitors and asked with a smile: “Did you enjoy my gift?”

Violet blushed and bowed. “Miss Circe. Good morning.”.

Edward just chuckled as he said: “Thank you, master. It was refreshing.”

Looking between the two again, Circe sighed and said: “You really corrupted such a nice girl. What do you want now?”

Edward dragged Violet to sit down and was about to speak when Violet’s stomach released a loud grumbling sound.

As the poor girl blushed and his her face, Edward just realized something and asked: “When did you last eat?”

“Yesterday morning.” Whispered Violet, too ashamed to look up. With his increase in level, he also barely had to eat anymore, so he completely forgot about it. Turning towards Circe, he asked: “Master, do you have any food here?”

Circe shook her head and said: “What need would I have for food?”

Sighing, Edward stood back up and said: “I wanted to speak to you about something, but I’ll leave it for another time. We’ll go and eat something. Did you set up the exam?”

“Yes. Be here tomorrow morning at first light and we’ll go together.”

Edward nodded and dragged Violet out of the tower, heading for her inn. He didn’t have any gold with him to buy something in the city, so he had no other choice.

“Why didn’t you tell me if you were hungry?” asked Edward on the way.

“I forgot.”, said Violet with her head lowered. She really forgot. Yesterday during the day she was too happy to spend time with Edward and, since their sex in the afternoon extended to the middle of the night, she was too tired to care about food.

After having breakfast at her inn, Edward went to his room to pick up 30 gold coins, and they walked out. They were money from the reward he got after reporting the incidents in Narva village to the guild. He needed ten for the exam at the guild, ten for Minx’s test, and another ten to pay his debt to Circe. He knew it was not enough after everything that happened, but at least it would give him some peace of mind.

Violet didn’t ask where they were going and just followed Edward. After quite a while, they stepped inside the beast tamers guild.

The young man he saw here the last two times was absent today and instead, behind the counter, was a girl petting a small fox with five tails.

Naomi looked up when she heard the door open and froze when she saw Edward holding hands with a woman.

“Hey, Naomi. Long time no see.”, said Edward, trying to make the situation less awkward.

Naomi shook her head and nodded with a forced smile: “Long time no see. Who is this?”

“She’s my girlfriend, Violet.” Replied Edward, hoping Naomi will not mention the incident in the woods.

“After playing around with my master’s chest, you play boyfriend with a wolf girl now?” a third voice resounded through the room, making everyone’s eyes turn towards the little fox.

Edward turned to look at Violet, preparing to explain what happened, when Violet kissed his lips and blushed before saying: “You don’t need to explain anything.”

Edward opened his mouth to speak again when Naomi stopped him now as she screamed at the fox: “Phoebe, what nonsense are you saying?”

The fox looked like she found pleasure in the awkward situation as she turned towards Naomi and said: “Isn’t it the truth? You’ve even been asking me to help you level up so that you might join him and he fools around with another girl.”

Naomi’s cheeks turned red, and she bolted out of the building through the back door, leaving everyone stunned, including the fox.

“Never knew you could speak.” Said Edward.

The fox’s body started changing as she turned into a mature, naked woman in front of Edward and Violet. Moving her long red hair and tying it behind her back, she didn’t mind being completely exposed as she said: “I couldn’t until a few months ago when gained my fifth tail. I never got the chance to thank you for saving Naomi back then.”

Edward was too stunned to even speak. Never in his wildest dreams would he have expected that small fox to turn into a full-blown woman.

Clearing his throat, he said: “You’re welcome. Do you mind covering yourself?”

Phoebe looked down and chuckled as she asked: “Why? I know for sure it’s not the first time you’ve seen a naked girl.”

Edward sighed and ignored the perverted fox as he turned towards Violet. “Let’s go. We’ll come another time.”

“Hey. Wai…” before she could finish her words, Edward already pulled Violet out of the building. Turning into a small fox, she rushed after them and jumped on Edward’s shoulder: “Is it better like this? I’m still naked tho, you know?”

Turning his head, Edward asked: “What do you want? I only came to get a pass for Minx, but with Naomi bolting out, I can only come another time.”

“Minx? Is that the wolf from back then? Where is she?”

“In the forest south of the city gates. Do you have anything you want for me?”

“Why do you have to be like this? I only wanted to have some fun. Are you going to see Minx? Can I come with you?”

“No. We have something to do at the magician guild.”

“I’m coming too.”

Edward sighed, quite annoyed by the fox, and asked: “What about Naomi? Why don’t you go check on her?”

“She is fine. She’s probably overwhelmed by shame somewhere and will come back in a few hours. I swear, she can be such a brat sometimes.”

Edward ignored the fox and continued walking towards Circe’s tower. Seeing she was being ignored, the fox jumped from Edward’s shoulder onto Violet’s and said: “Did you two have sex yet? Is he good? Mind if Naomi and I have a turn?”

Violet blushed and hid her face in Edward’s shoulder. No longer being able to ignore it, Edward said: “If you don’t shut up, I’m sending you back.”

The fox stuck its tongue out and said: “I’d like to see you try. I’m a lot stronger than you are.”

Edward knew that since Fenrir’s mark burned the moment he stepped inside the beast tamers guild, but he didn’t mind it that much as he moved to grab her only for the fox to quickly jump over his hand, back on his shoulder.

“You are one annoying fox.”

“Hehe. So did you guys do it?” the fox kept blabbering and eventually even Violet learned to ignore it.

Once they entered Circe’s tower, the fox shuddered and said: “It’s so cold here. Only frost mana.”

“It’s an ice mage’s tower. What did you expect?” asked Edward, already feeling his ear bleed from the constant yapping.

“Is it tho?” replied the fox with a question before shutting up, to the relief of both Violet and Edward.

Once they entered Circe’s office, she took one look at the fox before waving her hand and sending it flying.

The fox stood up and said: “You’re just…” before it could finish its words, she was frozen solid into a cube of ice.

Edward looked stunned at the scene and asked: “I know it’s annoying but…”

“Where did you find that idiot, and why did you bring her here?”

Edward turned towards Circe and asked curiously: “Beast tamers guild. Do you know it?”

“Oh, you were gone, so you don’t know. It was quite the sensation to have a humanoid beast inside the city. Well, it died down quickly after she started walking through the city naked and was banned from taking her human form outside the guild.”

As they were speaking, the ice cube melted and Phoebe turned into her human form: “Win…”

Before she could finish her words, Circe flew past Edward and grab Phoebe by the neck. Smashing her through the tower wall, they both flew out, leaving Edward and Violet to look at each other, speechless.

Ten minutes later, Circe flew back in and said: “So, why did you come to see me?”

“Master, that’s…”

“Don’t worry. I didn’t kill her. Now tell me what you came here for.”

Seeing that Circe was quite cranky after her encounter with Phoebe, Edward gave her 20 gold coins and said: “I’m sorry for not fulfilling my end of the deal, but I still want to at least pay you back the coins you gave me. Also, there’s the pay for the exam tomorrow there as well.”

Circe took the coins and asked: “Anything else? I need to find someone to repair my tower.”

Edward shook his head and led Violet outside before Circe would beat them up too. As they were walking towards Minx’s place, Edward told her what happened with Phoebe and Naomi. She said it was alright, but he still felt he had to explain.

Violet nodded and said with a sad look: “It’s fine. Since I’m not an adventurer and can’t level up, I know I won’t live as long as you, but I also don’t want you to be left alone once I’m gone. Also, when I get older, you probably won’t want to stay by my side anyway.”

Edward sighed and ruffled her hair. “Have you tried getting a status board?”. He wanted to tell her he would never abandon her, but that would be a lie he didn’t think he could say with a straight face, even if it wouldn’t be for the reason Violet thought of.

“Dad checked them when I was little and said I don’t have any affinity.” Replied Violet with a downcast look.

“How about we go there later today, after checking up on Minx? Maybe things have changed after… you know.”

Violet nodded, not very hopeful about it. Seeing how downcast she looked, Edward squeezed her tighter and said: “Violet, I don’t know what the future will hold, but know that I’ll love you forever.”

Violet looked up at the serious look in his eyes for a moment before nodding and saying with a smile: “I know. Because I feel the same way.”