Looking at Holan, whose chest was heaving slightly with emotion, Caius's face softened into a gentle smile.

  He reached out carefully and took Holan’s small hand in his own.

  Holan tried to pull away, but Caius held her tightly. After two failed attempts to free herself, she gave up and let him hold it, turning her little face to the side, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, looking somewhat angry.

  "I'm sorry. I was wrong. Next time I get hurt, I'll come to you for treatment, alright?" Caius said softly.

  "Hmph..." Holan still refused to look at him.

  Seeing this, Caius continued, "Thank you for worrying about me. I'm really happy."

  "So to express my gratitude, I'll tell you a secret."

  As he spoke, Caius leaned in closer.

  Although Holan still refused to look at him, she slightly tilted her ear toward him.

  Caius whispered, "Actually, I have a special constitution. You heard it earlier too—my regeneration is extremely powerful, so I'm able to completely resist Bloodborne Poison."

  "When I teleported away back then, my original intention was to come to Hydis to find you. But I was worried you'd be too anxious for me."

  "I really can't stand seeing beautiful girls cry for me, so after weighing it, I returned to Ocean City and treated my injuries myself."

  Hearing this, Holan finally turned her head to look at Caius. "Really?"

  "Of course!" Caius answered seriously.

  In truth, when he activated the teleportation circle, he hadn’t even chosen a destination—he had ended up in Ocean City purely by random chance.

  But now, he spoke as if it were all deliberate: "The moment I was injured, the first person I thought of was you."

  "But I didn’t want you to see me in such a sorry state. That would have been way too embarrassing."

  "With how thick-skinned you are, you still know what embarrassment is?" Holan finally cracked a smile. She then pouted and said, "No next time, you hear me?"

  "Maybe you think Bloodborne Poison is just a minor thing, but it's truly terrifying. Many who are wounded by Bloody Creatures don’t die from the injury itself but from the subsequent outbreak of Bloodborne Poison."

  "Mhm, mhm, I promise there won't be a next time!" Caius said quickly.

  Seeing that, Holan’s expression finally softened considerably. Her eyelids lowered slightly as she gazed at Caius’s partially open collar, noticing the scars there, some of which still bore the traces of stitches.

  "You have no idea how worried I was about you back then."

  "When Hilda told me, I almost rushed straight to Ocean City to find you."

  This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

  "Luckily, she assured me you were doing very well, not showing any signs of serious injury... but even so, I was still worried."

  "It wasn’t until just now, when I saw you with my own eyes, that I finally let out a real sigh of relief."

  "Not long ago, I received word that a friend of mine, an adventurer, died at the front lines of the Bloody Lands. It was Bloodborne Poison that claimed her life."

  "That's why I have to hurry and find a way to counteract Bloodborne Poison..."

  As Holan spoke slowly, Caius finally understood why she had been so anxious.

  A friend's death by Bloodborne Poison—when tragedy strikes someone close, the overwhelming sense of life's fragility and the terror of Bloodborne Poison can easily destabilize one's heart.

  Looking at the faint dark circles under Holan’s eyes, it was clear she hadn't been sleeping well these past few days.

  This made Caius feel a twinge of guilt. He really should have come to Hydis Magic Academy earlier.

  But then, another question crept into his mind: why hadn't Holan asked why he was with Hilda?

  So he decided to probe a little and asked, "Was it Hilda who told you about my injury?"

  "Yeah." Holan nodded, then said somewhat emotionally, "Thank goodness Hilda happened to accept the Academy's investigation mission to Nofalark Forest too. You two ended up teaming up; otherwise, your situation would have been truly dire this time."

  "She saved your life. You must properly thank her, got it?"

  "Of course!" Caius nodded earnestly, looking every bit the obedient child, while secretly letting out a sigh of relief.

  It was obvious that Holan took Caius and Hilda teaming up as mere coincidence.

  Running into each other, both having to conduct investigations, and being friends—naturally, it made sense to partner up. After all, this wasn’t a casual outing; it was a dangerous mission. Having an extra companion meant better odds of survival.

  Thus, Holan hadn't thought any deeper about it.

  Of course, Hilda herself had played a big role in this misunderstanding.

  While Caius harbored ulterior motives, Hilda was pure-hearted and genuinely saw Caius as a good friend. When she recounted things, it was from a purely friendly perspective, so Holan picked up nothing suspicious.

  She simply assumed two friends had ventured out together, survived danger, and saved each other’s lives—no wonder Hilda would treat Caius well afterward.

  Everything made perfect sense now.

  This realization made the world seem a little brighter for Caius once again.

  And so, he started acting up.

  Still holding Holan’s small hand, he gently played with it, caressing it lightly.

  Holan, whose mood had just started to lift, suddenly felt a ticklish sensation in her hand. Her cheeks instantly flushed red again.

  "Stop... stop it, that tickles..." Holan said in a soft voice.

  "Where does it tickle? Here?" Caius asked with a serious expression as he gently turned over Holan's small hand, lightly scratching her palm.

  Holan's face flushed even deeper, but she couldn't hold back a laugh. "It really tickles! Stop it~"

  As she spoke, she lightly patted Caius with her other hand.

  But that little hand was caught by Caius as well.

  Holan was momentarily stunned, and Caius's large hands tenderly cupped her smaller ones.

  He lowered his head, gazing at those beautiful hands, and said slowly, "If I could, I would never want these beautiful hands to touch blood, gruesome wounds, or blood poison."

  Hearing this, Holan's eyes grew even softer.

  "But for you, I am willing to do so," she said gently.

  Caius smiled faintly, then lifted her small hands to his lips. Under Holan’s gaze, he pressed a light kiss on the back of her hand.

  "Thank you," he whispered.

  "I feel lucky every day because of it."

  At that moment, seeing the tender smile on his face, Holan felt as if her heart was melting.

  She didn’t say anything, simply lowering her head slightly, as if she were gazing at the mist and flower petals drifting atop her tea. Yet the tips of her ears turned pink, and a soft, shy smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

  Caius also said nothing more, quietly savoring the peace of the moment.

  At that moment, it felt as if they could hear each other’s breathing.

  Of course, they could also hear the little Catfolk Kiki munching on cookies nearby — but both chose to completely ignore it.

  Looking at Holan's gentle smile, Caius felt truly happy.

  He just didn't understand why there was a sudden chill creeping up his back.

  Maybe it was simply the weather growing colder.

  Meanwhile, from the distant high-rise building, a shadowy figure watched the scene through a window, their lips twitching in frustration.

  "Getting close to my lady... and even charming other women..."

  "Caius, you truly deserve to die..."