Chương 72: After The Battle

"And I find it absolutely beyond belief that you are still standing there whining about the logistics of my magnificent elemental prowess, especially after witnessing the spectacular, utterly devastating efficacy of my spells on two separate occasions," June shot back with a sharp, highly defensive snap, her thick British accent practically oozing with an overwhelming amount of narcissistic majesty as she glared at me from under Dimitri's arm.

I immediately locked my eyes onto hers and twisted my features into a thoroughly ridiculous, mocking grimace, crossing my eyes and jutting out my jaw just to show her exactly how much I valued her superior royal feedback. The blatant disrespect completely shattered whatever remained of her fragile aristocratic composure.

Her face flushed with immediate irritation, and with the high-speed reflexes of a truly vindictive princess, she suddenly reached out and violently flicked the exact center of my unprotected forehead with her cotton-wrapped finger. The sudden, surprisingly heavy physical impact sent a sharp sting rippling across my skin, causing me to immediately drop my hands over the freshly abused area while letting out a pathetic, pain-filled groan into the chilly forest air.

"Did you literally just assault me?" I barked right back into her flawless features, squinting at her through tears of pure, unadulterated exasperation as I massaged my throbbing skull.

"Good heavens, you are one incredibly hostile, shockingly violent lady!" June simply shrugged her elegant shoulders, her pristine features twisting into a smug, highly self-satisfied little smirk that practically screamed absolute victory. Before I could even launch into a full-scale verbal retaliation, a soft, incredibly hearty giggle echoed through the smoky canopy above us.

It was definitely not the kind of noise that would ever escape the lips of our resident princess, considering it was entirely lacking in snobbish condescension and was instead filled with pure, genuine warmth. I looked straight up from my crouched position and found Dimitri staring down at the pair of us, a massive, face-stretching smile plastered right across his burly features. He looked exactly like a proud, incredibly wholesome father watching his chaotic toddlers finally share a single toy in the sandbox.

"It truly warms the very depths of my warrior soul to witness the two of you establishing such a beautiful, highly harmonious bond of companionship!" Dimitri's thick, booming Russian accent rumbled through the damp forest air, radiating a spectacular tide of real kindness as if he were currently reading from a highly inspiring motivational plaque.

"The majestic bridge of mutual trust you are building today is already far more sturdy than my wildest expectations could have ever anticipated!"

"Getting along well?" I sputtered out in complete disbelief, waving my arms around as I frantically massaged my throbbing skull.

"I am telling you right now, big guy, I would not be even remotely surprised if a single day comes where she is the literal, direct cause of my untimely demise. And knowing her vindictive royal track record, it is absolutely, definitively not going to be a quick or painless experience for my poor skeletal structure!" Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

June merely shook her head in sheer, condescending pity, completely dismissing my monumental frustration as she smoothly stepped out from beneath Dimitri's heavy arm and began to casually stroll away into the deeper brush.

"Even in a completely different world, your utterly exhausting nature remains exactly the same." June softly whispered into the chilly atmosphere, her thick British accent carrying a strange, fragile undertone that briefly slipped past her impenetrable wall of majestic grandeur.

"Excuse me, lady, but you literally just met my magnificent persona for the absolute first time this morning!" I barked right after her retreating linen tunic, throwing my hands up in the air as I stared at her back in total, existential confusion. I carefully poked my head out from behind the deep grooves of our sturdy wooden shelter, squinting into the hazy clearing to make sure the ambient atmosphere wasn't still a hazard to my health.

Once I confirmed that the thermal apocalypse had officially concluded and my eyelids were safe from immediate vaporization, I stepped out into the open forest air and slowly walked over to inspect the smoking, ruined aftermath of June's latest catastrophic fireworks show. The entire clearing was completely charred pitch black, resembling the inside of a severely forgotten toaster oven.

The extreme heat wave had done a total, ruthless number on the environment, leaving behind a desolate patch of scorched earth where a lively thicket had been standing just moments ago. There was absolutely nothing left of the five health-bloated Fungal Shamblers; they had been entirely vaporized into microscopic ash and scattered to the four corners of the forest winds, their once-fearsome vitality pools thoroughly erased from existence.

A few moments later, the heavy foliage rustled on the other side of the clearing as Fiona and Aiko safely emerged from their own defensive hiding spot behind the wide trunk of a nearby massive tree. Our resident druid offered a bright, wholesome smile that practically radiated pure kindness, her expression breaking through the gloomy, smoky haze as she waved her hand vigorously toward my position to celebrate our complete tactical survival.

I immediately hoisted my arm and waved right back to let her know that my fragile skeletal structure was still in one piece and hadn't been turned into charcoal. I then offered a small, reassuring nod over to Aiko, and our favorite hyper-anxious berserker caught my eye through her messy dark bangs, returning the gesture with a quiet, hesitant dip of her head that carried a massive amount of unspoken relief.

I casually strolled over toward June, who was currently standing right in the center of the blackened clearing like a victorious warlord surveying her newly conquered empire.

"Alright, I will absolutely hand it to you, princess," I said, offering a rare, genuine token of approval as I looked around at the scorched dirt.

"Your little solar firestorm completely deleted those overgrown logs from the active server. There is literally not a single splinter left behind. It was honestly a super effective piece of localized pest control." June let out a highly dignified huff, her thick, hyper-aristocratic British accent swelling with an incredible peak of majestic grandeur and narcissistic pride as she adjusted her posture.

"You have yet to witness even a single fraction of my true elemental potential, Arthur. My arcane configurations are strategically engineered to completely obliterate entire hostile armies, a magnificent spectacle that will truly shine once we encounter immense numbers of enemies. Until the glorious day arrives where I can fully demonstrate such supreme dominance, I simply cannot bring myself to fully accept your meager compliments."

I couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle, a massive, thoroughly amused grin spreading across my features.

"Wow. I am truly in awe. Those are surprisingly humble, down-to-earth words to ever clear the lips of our resident royalty." The absolute second that sarcastic comment left my mouth, June's pristine features tightened, and she immediately shot a pair of sharply narrowed, thoroughly irritated eyes directly at my face.

Realizing that I was actively playing with fire and my forehead was still throbbing from her last physical retaliation, I quickly raised my hand and made a very dramatic, highly exaggerated dragging motion across my lips to indicate that my mouth was officially zipped shut. She let out a sharp, dismissive click of her tongue and swiftly looked away, tossing her chin high into the chilly forest air to maintain her flawless royal majesty.