How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game Chapter 501: Burning Core

I know we’re official now. I’ve already seen parts of her that only I will ever get to know... and yet—

"Hm? Is sothing wrong, Riley? Do I look weird or sothing?"

She tilted her head slightly, confused.

But no... that wasn’t it at all.

Senior Alice is seriously beautiful. Like, out-of-this-world beautiful.

Even now, even after everything, I still feel like I’m dreaming every ti I look at her. I swear, I might actually be the luckiest guy alive.

The way her long pink hair flows gently with the breeze... the soft glow of her golden eyes when they land on , curious and warm.

That perfectly shaped, symtrical face of hers, the slight upturn of her nose, and her flawless skin—smooth, radiant, and warm to the touch. Skin I’ve held. Kissed. Touched freely now.

Not to ntion her scent... sweet and fresh, like sothing soft and floral you couldn’t na but would never forget.

Yeah. My Alice was seriously perfection.

"...Riley?"

Oops. Guess I spaced out a little.

"Ah, nothing," I said with a small smile. "I was just... appreciating your beauty."

Her eyes widened just slightly, and a soft pink blood on her cheeks.

"I-Is that so?" she replied, flustered but clearly pleased. "Well... then appreciate it as much as you want!"

I let out a small chuckle. Alice really was so honest with her feelings.

When she was happy, she didn’t hide it.

When she was embarrassed, it showed right on her face.

There was sothing comforting about how open she was with now.

Right now, the two of us were sitting side by side on the second-floor balcony of Panda Café, enjoying a quiet lunch together.

The city breeze up here felt nice. Her legs were slightly swinging, and she humd between bites like usual—bubbly and cheerful, just being herself.

A few students down below were already sneaking glances our way.

Typical.

Sa as always.

But I didn’t care anymore.

I wasn’t hiding anything now.

People could look all they wanted.

After all, this was just another lunch with my girlfriend.

"So, how’s your thesis project going, Alice?"

Her face instantly scrunched up.

"Please don’t remind ..." she groaned, slumping a little in her seat. "My classmates have been a bit all over the place with their parts too. Since it’s a joint thesis between departnts, I’ve been dragging Lorraine in to help here and there... but she’s also swamped with her own section. I seriously shouldn’t have agreed to be the group leader."

"Haha, well... if you didn’t take the lead, I doubt anyone else in your group would’ve stepped up." I leaned back and gave her a grin. "So, good luck with that."

She puffed her cheeks at , clearly not amused. "At least pretend to ease my stress, Riley. You are my boyfriend, right?"

She even raised her voice slightly when she said the word "boyfriend," and I caught a few nearby students flinch, turning their heads awkwardly to pretend they weren’t eavesdropping.

Ah. So that’s what this was.

Marking her territory, huh?

I smiled a bit. She was definitely doing it on purpose.

"What can I even do to help?" I asked, lifting my hands in mock surrender. "Magical research isn’t exactly my thing, you know."

Alice didn’t look discouraged.

Instead, she gave a small, knowing smile, then leaned forward just a little, her eyes sparkling as she tilted her head.

"Pat ."

"...Huh?"

"Pat ," she repeated, now grinning. "Tell I’m doing a good job. Say I’m the best. Tell I can do it. You know... "boyfriend" things."

I let out a chuckle. Even now—after all her growth, after everything we’ve been through—she was still the sa Alice I rembered.

A little dramatic.

A little demanding.

But always, always honest.

"Alright, alright," I said as I reached out, resting my hand gently on her head and brushing her soft pink hair back with my fingers.

"Good job, Alice," I said, smiling down at her. "You’re doing amazing. You’re the best, and I know you can finish it. Just keep at it."

She let out a small, satisfied ’hehehe’ sound and closed her eyes, leaning just slightly into my hand as I continued to pat her.

Her softness was quite addictive honestly and I loved it.

She was two years older than , but I guess she wasn’t really the type to keep up a mature front all the ti.

Not with , at least.

Even though I knew she was going through a rough patch—especially now, with graduation creeping closer—I wasn’t exactly worried. In fact, I was kind of proud.

Her thesis, after all, wasn’t just so last-minute project like most students scramble to finish.

It was sothing big.

A breakthrough in the magical world, especially in the field of transportation gates.

If it worked out the way she planned, it might actually change the way people traveled between regions. That wasn’t just impressive—it was future-defining.

She deserved more credit than she gave herself.

Satisfied with my head pats, Alice sat back down in her chair with a small content sigh.

She picked up her fork and took a bite of her pasta dish, her golden eyes flicking back to as she chewed.

"By the way, Riley," she said after swallowing, "how are you doing? I heard there’s a new curriculum program starting this sester for first and second years, right? That ntorship training thing? Are you assigned to a first year now?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "I’ve got one."

"Hoh... that’s interesting," she said, clearly intrigued. "I kind of wish we had sothing like that back when I was in first year... would’ve been nice."

"So," I leaned in slightly with a grin, "you want to train a junior too now? I thought I was your favorite?"

She blinked. "T-This and that are different! You’re... you’re special!"

I chuckled. "I know, I know. I just wanted to tease you a little."

I watched as she shifted in her seat, clearly trying not to smile too hard. Her pride wouldn’t let her give the satisfaction that easily.

"But," I added, still watching her curiously, "since you’re interested in the new program... were you actually thinking about teaching, Alice?"

She paused for a second, then looked down at her plate. Her voice was a little quieter when she spoke again.

"W-Well, to be honest... I’ve only started thinking about it recently. But yes. After I graduate, I’ve been considering the idea that maybe... teaching might actually be one of my strengths." She glanced at , then quickly looked away. "I an, I’m still pretty inexperienced in the field, obviously... but I don’t know, I just have a feeling I might do well in it."

She twirled her fork in the pasta absentmindedly, then added, even softer, "And also... if I do beco a teacher... I can stay in the academy a bit longer too."

Her words trailed off.

I smiled, unsure whether her last comnt was ant to be casual or carried sothing a little more personal.

But knowing Alice, it probably ca from a genuine place.

Even if she didn’t fully say it out loud.

"To be honest," I said as I leaned my elbow on the table, "I think you’d make a pretty decent teacher, Alice."

"R-Really?" she blinked, surprised.

"Yes. I an, sure—you’re a bit clumsy. And kind of too honest. And let’s not forget... mostly a bit airheaded."

"Hey!" she pouted, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"But," I continued with a small grin, "you’re also kind, smart, and—more importantly—you’ve got this warm energy that makes it easy for people to talk to you. You’re not like most of the stiff professors here at the academy. Students would probably have a much easier ti learning from you. Plus, let’s not forget your magical credentials. A future Archon and all."

She stayed quiet for a mont, taking the complint in her own flustered way, eyes lowered and cheeks slightly pink.

I leaned back and added, "Though if you do decide to beco a teacher, does that an you’re giving up on all those opportunities with the magic towers? I heard there’s already a bunch of them trying to recruit you."

She let out a small breath and rested her chin on her hand. "I’m not sure if that was a complint or a very long list of flaws, but... yes, the magic towers are trying to recruit . A lot of them, actually."

She stirred the pasta on her plate with her fork, her voice growing a bit more thoughtful.

"But to be honest, most of them only seem interested in because of my potential title as an Archmage in the future. It’s more about politics than anything else. I never really felt drawn to that kind of thing. So of them are genuinely offering positions to deepen my magical studies, which I do appreciate... but I just can’t picture myself sitting at the top of one of those towers, managing politics and paperwork while pretending I care about who’s climbing the ranks below ."

She sighed lightly. "Not to ntion I’ve already got my hands full managing my personal realms. It’s already chaotic enough without adding tower duties on top of that."

"I guess the Red Queen has her priorities, huh..." I teased with a smirk.

Alice looked up at with a gleam in her eye. "I’ll have you know," she said, pointing her fork at , "this Red Queen already has her King. So, my lazy King, please do oblige and perform your duties from ti to ti, alright? Cheshire’s already having a hard ti keeping everything in check."

"Haha... sure, my Queen."

I gave a mock bow in my seat, and she let out a laugh—the kind that lted away the stress she’d been carrying since earlier.

It was soft, bright, and familiar. The kind of laugh that reminded why I always looked forward to monts like this.

Even though most of her current "Red Queen" duties weren’t exactly urgent right now, I knew the responsibilities she carried were far from light.

The unification of her personal realms was already finishing, and the toll it took on her wasn’t sothing most people would ever understand.

After all, it wasn’t every day you t soone who had literal pocket dinsions stitched inside their very being.

That sort of thing doesn’t just co and go. It changes you.

Alice might look the sa as always—smiling, laughing, eating pasta next to on a café balcony—but in truth, in essence, she was already far beyond what most mages could dream of becoming. When she unleashes her red energy, she stops being just Alice.

She becos sothing else entirely.

A being close to a goddess.

No... a goddess herself.

An ascendant being with power beyond reason, and yet—she still acts like the sa cheerful, sotis childish senior who makes pat her head in public.

And now that I think about it... I’m about to marry a goddess, huh?

I glanced at her again, watching the way the sunlight caught strands of her pink hair.

Yeah. Sohow, it didn’t even feel that surprising anymore.

But speaking of goddesses... I should probably get an update on Emilia soon, too.

I still owed her a few things—favors, items, and maybe so emotional damage control depending on what kind of ss [Act 4 – Chapter 2] stirs up.

[Act 4 – Chapter 2: The placed chaos in the dungeons] is about to begin soon, and I’ll need her ready, whether she knows it or not.

And that’s not all.

Lucas.

Yeah, I should definitely check in on his progress too.

Things are slowly moving in place, and if I don’t start lining things up now, we’re going to have a much bigger problem later down the line.

With everything that’s coming, I need to at least get confirmation he was growing without my direct influence or not—

"By the way, Riley," Alice said, taking back to reality. "Before you go... can I ask who the freshman you’re training is?"

Her voice was casual, but I could feel the shift in her tone enough to sit back down a little.

"It’s Stacia," I answered.

"Stacia...?" Her brow lifted slightly. "You an that fiery princess?"

"Yeah, that one."

"I see... so she’s your student, huh."

She twirled her fork slowly, eyes focused sowhere on the table before glancing back up at . "I don’t know her personally, but I’ve heard a few things. Isn’t she one of the few magic knights in the academy? Sounds intense. Are you having a hard ti training her? with her magic talents and all she’s a bit loose to properly ntor, right?"

"Not really," I shrugged. "Magic isn’t sothing I can help her much with, but when it cos to the physical side of training... she’s catching on fast."

"I see..."

Her voice trailed off a little, and she looked at —really looked at —with her golden eyes slightly narrowed, thoughtful.

"What?"

She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she leaned forward just a bit, tapping her chin with one finger.

"Riley, that princess... wasn’t she really pretty?"

"...Yes?"

"Do you think she’s pretty?"

I blinked. "Objectively... yes. She’s very beautiful."

"...I see."

She glanced to the side, then toward the small pouch resting on the chair beside —inside, a few blue-glowing vials shimred faintly in the light.

Her eyes lingered on them for a second too long.

"Then... those mana potions you brought," she said, voice smooth but quiet, "are they for her, perhaps?"

I followed her gaze.

"Yes," I admitted. "They’re part of a new mana training thod I’m about to teach her."

"Hmm... that’s nice."

She smiled, but there was sothing off about it.

"By the way..." she continued, still smiling sweetly, "are Rose and Snow free later this evening?"

"I believe so...?"

She nodded, still holding that exact sa expression. Pleased. A little too pleased.

That was when it hit .

Warning bells started ringing sowhere deep in my gut.

That look.

That smile.

Why did it suddenly feel like I stepped on a landmine?

"...Alice?"

"Yes, Riley?" she asked innocently.

Too innocently.

Yep.

I definitely fucked up...?