Vol. 1 - Chapter 44 - Lady of the Lake?

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Mathias was fully covered in the mud, having some even on his face which had Fayrene gaze at him with a weird expression. She still had her clothes on her, but she also was interested in learning to swim, entering a crossroads of her mind.

"I will not cover myself in that mud. I will just join in to swim."

Receiving her answer, Mathias nodded waiting by the lake side, covered in the mud which started to make his body burn a bit.

"Go on my Grand Arcanist, I doubt you will want to scrub salt off your clothes, once it dries and you walk with so much on you, it will start getting icing."

Taking a deep breath, she began taking her clothes off, revealing her white-milky tender skin, getting covered only on her intimate zones with the undergarment.

She walked closer to Mathias, looking at him from head to toes, looking like people of the desert in the stories, while Mathias was also admiring her body giving off a wide smile before scooping some mud from Vek and spreading it on her scarred arm.

"You… Ahh, wait. This feels quite nice actually."

"I told you my love, but leave it to me. Is not like we are turning into some mud monsters. You'll feel way better after this. Vek, go fetch more of the mud."

"No problem, Mathias. I'll be back quickly." responded Vek, leaving for the mud pool close to the lake, and as he did that the sound of laughter and giggling could be heard.

Mathias covered all of Fayrene right arm in mud, before he moved toward her back giving her a massage, lowering all of Fayrene's tension which she began enjoying.

Later with Vek returning, Mathias covered Fayrene entire body in mud, making both laugh at each other for how stupid they looked.

Embracing each other as they were waiting for the mud to dry looking in the distance at the higher mountains, Mathias said to her.

"In the future, I hope I will buy this land and build a vacation house right here. We would be able to spend our time relaxing, and enjoying life."

"It almost feels like a fairy tale, spending time together like this with my most dearest person." mentioned Fayrene pressing her shoulder into Mathias and supporting herself on his body.

"This could be a honeymoon? No, I will take you in the most beautiful place this world has to offer for the honeymoon."

She pinched his skin a tiny bit, lovingly, feeling embarrassed, but she agreed with Mathias' intentions.

"Dear, we have to work hard for this. Only nobles can receive land in the Empire. I am just the daughter of some farmers while you, are also someone of common origins, especially an outlander. It would be even harder for us to claim this land our own."

He could feel her sadness while she was saying that, but with a caress on her back, he asked her calmly.

"Do you know the conditions to become a noble inside the Empire?"

"Well, from what I heard, you can buy the honorable title, but that wouldn't make you a real noble which can hold land. Only by serving as a Red Knight and serving the Empire on multiple conditions marking great achievements along with the recommendation of your superior, will you be eligible for a title."

[Ding!] [You managed to understand the prerequisite of becoming a noble of the Saharan Empire.]

*Whistle* "I think those nobles are just greedy keeping the commoners out of their ranks. A Red Knight you say? Serving in the army? If it is to get my hands on this land where I can spend my time with my most beloved, I will do it."

*Giggling* "I will be there to offer my heart for you to cry on once you see the cruel part of Saharan."

"My love, I will do it. So you better prepare all your clothes to become a noble lady."

"Hmmm, if my mother hears that you want to become a noble just for this, she will for sure scold me for not trying to stop you. But we are different, we want more from life and have to work hard to achieve that.

I plan to build a magic school where I will start teaching children magic, a downsized version of the Arcane, be they peasants like myself or nobles, but for that I also need to be recognized by the higher nobles."

"When you will find it hard, doing all you wish for to achieve, I will be there giving you my chest to cry on."

"So it shall be for an eternity, my love." said Fayrene as she went into his embrace, getting to his chest.

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Waiting for about 15 minutes, they walked toward the lake with Mathias holding Fayrene's right hand with a soft touch. He had to start slowly, getting her used to the water temperature before getting distanced.

"Ahh, it isn't that warm."

"Well, what do you expect, to have boiled water we washed ourselves in the tub? You'll get used to the temperature as you spend more time in it."

She was holding tightly into Mathias, feeling her legs start losing her stability which caused her to panic and move chaotically which could only lead to her getting head first into the water, and drowning.

"Hah, breathe slowly and calm down Fay. Aren't I right here?" said Mathias holding Fayrene up while moving his legs to keep his balance.

"It is too hard, I can't keep my balance." shuttered Fayrene who looked at Mathias standing floating without problem, holding her with a secured hold.

It was when Mathias got to her back, telling her to relax, that she felt herself being lowered, watching the sky and observing the birds flying above her.

She panicked, starting to move her arms and legs splashing herself and Mathias with salty water, but hearing him tell her calmly, as if he had no problem getting splashed.

"Breathe calmly and don't move your hands horrendously."

"Understood."

Saying that, she started to feel Mathias hands departing from her body, leaving her float on the salty lake, while he began swimming around her to keep a watch on her safety.

"I am floating on my own without drowning? Amazing! This feels so nice." implied Fayrene as she stopped from hitting the water with her hands and legs, getting calmer.

Arriving at her chest and moving to give her a kiss on her shoulder, he smiled telling her.

"This is just the start. You'll learn how to swim until we go home."

Hearing his confident voice, Fayrene also started feeling confident in her own abilities to learn, relying on Mathias abilities to teach her who she felt could be a great teacher if he ever wanted.

Minutes passed and Mathias was holding Fayrene's body in a plank position while he instructed her on how to kick with her legs and use her arms. She was unsuccessful which made her flustered and annoyed, but was always calmed by one gentle kiss on the lips.

"Don't get angry. It is not like we try reaching Mount Olympus from the start. You have to be calm and try to teach the body to execute those movements."

"That is right, Lady Fayrene, Lord Mathias is right on that." commented the kobold Vek, looking like a crocodile with only his snout sticking up.

Hearing Vek while she was slightly annoyed, she created a small arcane ball the size of a coin, which she sent in Vek's direction to make him go away. However, when she did that the ripples made by the water had her lose the balance she struggled so much to find, hitting head first the water.

When Mathias raised her up, she wrapped her arms tightly around him like a scared cat, at which Mathias commented to her looking in her violet eyes.

"Salty, right?"

"This is hell, not salty."

"Bah, stop being silly, love. This is what happens when you feel secure. A lesson learn while young I guess. Now let's start over. Ahh, wait I just thought of something important." stopped Mathias floating and also holding Fayrene in his arms as he looked with big eyes that started to shine in a white-purple light.

"What is it? Tell me, don't scare me while I can't even swim."

Looking in her eyes when commenting that, he shook his head chuckling before confessing to her.

"Have you ever thought of using 'Arcane Intellect' on yourself to speed up the learning process?"

While she was holding into his body, she looked shocked, before she said in a cute manner.

"That is right why haven't I thought of doing that, I am stupid nowdays."

"It can happen even to the most experienced, I also forget about the beneficial effects of the spell sometimes. Hah, probably even the master would forget about him having such a spell."

*Giggling* "From how he sounds in his writings, he is that type of old man to forget about certain things."

Casting the spell, the process begone smoother, making her much serene and quiet, listening to everything Mathias was saying with keen hearing.

"That it, my love. How couldn't my Grand Arcanist not be able to swim when even a baby can do it?" commented Mathias who watched Fayrene slowly but surely swim on her own.

When she heard him say that, she turned to splash him with water, which made him give her an evil smile. Taking a small dive, he began swimming like Vek, similar to a crocodile making Fayrene look around panicked.

She tried to run away, but the predator caught her too fast, appearing right in front of her gazing at her face.

"Scared?" asking that he planted a kiss on her lips, wrapping his tongue with her own and when he noticed her try to move her head because of how salty his lips and tongue was, he just laughed.

"This is called a salty kiss."

"Hah, you and your jokes. Can't you be serious once in a while?"

"Depends who is asking me? With my most dear, I can only show my warm, gentle side, with the unknown my neutral side, and the enemy can only see my ruthless and cold side." replied Mathias in a casual manner, swimming close to Fayrene, moving to ask her about something she even forgot had problems.

"How is your arm doing, Fay? Is there a difference after being wrapped in the mud and staying in the salty water?"

"Yes, I am more relaxed now showing my arm to you. Especially after you kissed it so many times. You pervert."

"Hehe, I've done my job right it seems. I scared the monster from my little arcanist."

She could only chuckle, and start swimming away from Mathias who let her do her own things, swimming toward Vek who was at the center of the lake basking in the sun.

"Vek, can I ask you something?"

"Sure thing, Lord Mathias. Do you want me to look after the Lady while you swim?"

"That is right. Thanks in advance for showing us this place. You might have heard about me wanting to buy this place from the Emperor of this country, if this might hurt your clan in this area just tell me and I will not follow this idea."

"I doubt my elder would be angry if he knew the person who killed that monster would want to buy this land. We by no means will disturb the humans who might move in this lands. My tribe is a peaceful one. I don't know about other tribes in other locations so I can't speak in their name."

"I see, then we will see in the future and if it is possible I also hope I meet your elder to assure him about the safety of your clan."

Nodding at what Mathias said, Vek began to follow Fayrene that moved closer to the surface, turning her head once in a while to see Mathias distance himself going deeper in the lake.

"I guess he also wanted to relax a bit, not watch over me all day. I am not such a clingy person, so I can understand his desire. We have to respect our intimate range. Don't you think so Vek?"

Getting his head up, the kobold did an awkward laugh, before saying to her. "Lady Fayrene, I am here to watch over you. It is dangerous if you slip, and by my ancestors you drown."

"Don't worry, but since you are here, let's talk. Staying here and swimming around can be boring sometimes."

Vek didn't have a problem and started talking with Fayrene who was curious about the kobold race, asking questions from the books she read, confirming and debunking certain myths about them.

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Meanwhile, Mathias was swimming toward the center of the lake, shifting his position into a plank, floating basking in the sun, closing his eyes.

As he was standing in the salty water, relaxing he noticed another notification ring in his ears which made him open his eyes.

[You have gained 1 Stamina point.]

[You have gained 1 Stamina point.]

[You have gained 1 Stamina point.]

"I guess this place is really a gold mine for players. Sigh, it is unlikely this place will not be claimed by some foolish person or some guilds trying to impose their wills around, so buying this land would just shut up those people, having the right to regulate this place to my liking and how the kobolds living here see fit."

Some minutes passed and an idea passed in his mind which made him open his eyes from the plank position and ask himself.

"If I was a developer and put such details into this place, they could have built it on top of some legends, like King Arthur Sword, Excalibur, given by Lady of the Lake. Bah, she would have probably died from all this salt."

Moving his legs to swim a bit, he pondered on the legends that could be related to lakes but each and every idea was debunked later, with him only saying sarcastically.

"No being is able to live in such salty water. Is like the Dead Sea from Israel."

"Well, maybe there is something on the other side of the lake? Let's check it out while the sun is still up."

With a target in mind, he started to swim in the opposite direction of the lake, and as he was distancing from where Fayrene was, he started to see some small shadows in the distance.

"What the heck? What's this? Some creatures inside the lake?"

Yet it didn't take long for him to discover what those creatures were when he heard the familiar sound of ducks.

"Well, that sure is disappointing." said Mathias as he looked at the ducks which started to disperse at first sight.

"Let's get out of here before I start baiting inside some monsters. I saw nothing here, so, continue with your lives."

Ending saying that toward the ducks scattering out of the lake, he turned and started to swim back to Fayrene who seemed to talk with Vek, holding an interested expression.