When the airship landed at the capital city of Harmonia, the three teenagers were already looking forward to returning to their normal way of life.

But when Chuck saw Mary waiting at the airport, with two carriages parked right behind her, the young man visibly flinched.

This small reaction didn’t escape Alex’s eyes. And so, he started teasing Chuck that his wife—errr... maid had come to pick him up.

To his surprise, a small smile appeared on Chuck’s face as he looked at Mary tenderly.

As soon as the bridge was lowered to the ground, the young man was the first to depart.

Just as Mary was about to say something to him, Chuck reached out to give her a hug and whispered something in her ear.

The young lady then blushed before giving Chuck a glare. However, she didn’t pry off his hand that was holding her own.

The two waited until Alex, Renard, and Dim Dim had arrived at their location.

"I’ve heard of what happened in the Dungeon," Mary calmly said to Alex despite the fact that a blush had crept on her face after Chuck hugged her from behind. "The Nocturne Family is one of the princess’s strongest supporters, so she said that she plans to thank you personally later.

"She sent me here with two carriages, so I can safely bring you back to the academy. Please take this carriage."

The maid then pointed at the carriage in front of them before giving the two a brief bow. She then pulled Chuck into the second carriage, who closed it firmly behind them.

Alex and Renard glanced at each other after that because their friend seemed different now.

During the trip back, the troublemaker was deep in thought. It was as if his head was hosting an internal battle that would decide his fate.

But after seeing the way he looked at Mary earlier, Alex also noticed that the current Chuck seemed to have shed the things that were holding him back.

He looked more... free.

That was the only thought Alex could come up with at that time.

"This carriage is so comfortable," Renard said as soon as he sat on the passenger seat. "How much do you think this carriage costs?"

"At least a few thousand gold coins," Alex answered. "Why? Are you planning to buy one with your earnings?"

Renard shook his head. "Buying my own carriage is impractical. Besides, I rarely leave the academy so a carriage is useless to me right now."

"Right." Alex agreed. "So what do you plan to buy with your earnings?"

"I’m saving a bit to buy a good set of armor and a fine weapon," Renard replied. "The good ones are quite expensive, after all."

"Indeed." Alex nodded. "How about you ask Finn to make you a gauntlet, then? You might be able to get a friendly discount from him."

"Actually, that’s a good idea." Renard blinked. "It must have slipped my mind."

As the two continued to chat with each other, they eventually arrived at the academy.

Since the carriage couldn’t enter the academy grounds, they had to disembark at the gates.

Alex, Renard, and Dim Dim all blinked at the same time when they saw Chuck step down from the carriage.

There were a few kiss marks on his cheeks, but the young man seemed oblivious.

Naturally, the two teenagers glanced at Mary, who stepped down from the carriage behind Chuck.

She was wiping her lips with a handkerchief, removing a part of the evidence that was blatantly plastered on the troublemaker’s face.

"Um, are you not going to wipe your face?" Alex asked in a teasing tone.

"Nah," Chuck replied with a smile.

"You’ll be teased later."

"I don’t mind."

The young man then gave his friends a carefree smile before reaching out to hold Mary’s hand.

The latter didn’t hesitate to hold his hand in return, giving it a light squeeze.

"Well then. We will go ahead first," Chuck said before bidding Alex and Renard goodbye. "I still have things to do."

Alex, Renard, and Dim Dim then watched the two walk past the gate while continuing to hold each other’s hand.

"D-Did a monster hit his head during our dungeon run?" Renard looked mildly concerned at Chuck’s sudden change in attitude that he was seeing for the first time. "Maybe we should ask a doctor to take a look at him."

"Chuck is sick," Alex replied. "But it’s a sickness we can’t cure. It’s called love sickness."

"Dim Dim." Dim Dim nodded like a wise little bun.

Alex then chuckled before patting Renard’s shoulder. "Don’t worry. One day, you’ll end up just like him. So is it Lady Celestria or Melissa? Who are you exchanging letters with?"

"That’s none of your business." Renard walked away from Alex, not even bothering to give him a second glance.

Dim Dim giggled because Renard looked like he was running away from something.

Not wanting to be left behind, Alex followed behind his friend and passed through the gate.

But as soon as he crossed that threshold, he noticed that someone was already waiting for his return.

It was none other than Evangeline.

The moment she saw Alex, she didn’t hesitate to move toward him with a sweet smile on her face.

"I’m back," Alex said as he reached out to hug her.

"Welcome back," Evangeline replied before standing on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Alex replied as he kissed her back.

Dim Dim, being the understanding little bun that it was, hopped away from Alex’s head because it didn’t want to become a third wheel.

"Dim Dim!" Dim Dim waved at Alex and Evangeline, telling them that it planned to go to the farm to look for Daisy and Rex.

As soon as the little bun passed its message, it hurried away, leaving them behind.

Evangeline giggled before wrapping her arms around Alex tightly.

She then looked up at him with a faint blush on her face.

"I want something sweet," Evangeline said. This was their secret code whenever she wished to drink Alex’s blood.

"Okay." Alex nodded as he held the young lady’s hand.

The two of them then headed to the library so the two of them could catch up and reinforce the feelings of love that they had for each other.