SPELLCRAFT: Reincarnation Of A Magic Scholar

Serah's heart raced uncontrollably.

Her expression must have looked incredibly silly at this point, but she could no longer control herself.

With flushed cheeks and increased desire, she simply locked gaze with Neron, drawn to him more than ever before.

'H-he feels the same...'

Both of them, alone in the frozen world, finally touched ground, descending from the sky while still in each other's embrace.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I'll make no excuse. But, now... I guess I've decided not to worry any longer."

Serah felt like she was in a dream. Perhaps this was an illusion?

She hadn't expected those words from Neron, at least not until Jared fulfilled his end of the deal.

'Or has he done so already? Did he have something to do with this? But how? It's so soon!'

Serah decided to shake the thoughts away from her head.

Neron finally confessed his feelings. That was enough for her.

Once again, Serah drew him closer and kissed him one final time. Once their lips detached, she fell on his shoulders and adorably used it as a cushion.

Neron didn't resist.

He simply stroked her hair while giving a gentle smile.

Serah couldn't see his current expression, but Neron's eyes appeared a bit distant while embracing her.

His smile was genuine, though.

'As agreed, I have fulfilled my end, Jared. Hope you're happy about this...' Neron's mind trailed.

His eyes fell on Serah, especially her adorable long hair. The woman kept snuggling her face all over his shoulder as if trying to leave her scent on him.

'I indeed have feelings of love for you, Serah, but...' His smile grew a bit grim.

A sudden memory played in Neron's head. It was dark and gory, but there was no way he could mistake what he saw there.

In the little flash of fragmented memories, Serah was covered in her blood, and Neron was at the center of so much destruction.

He could see himself roaring in pain as the loss of the one he loved was etched in his soul.

'... Haaa...'

Neron awoke from this trance and gave another glance at the healthy Serah in front of him.

Perhaps he was wrong, after all.

'I listened to Jared's conversation with Serah. No, more like he made me listen. After their talk... we spoke...'

That was when Jared told him to make a choice, and then become transparent with Serah about it.

Perhaps it was due to the bond he had with Jared, or his ever-increasing boredom, Neron divulged his true feelings for Serah to the young boy.

'I truly love Serah...'

Although he did not make mention of the dark memory he had, and the awfully tragic image of Serah's demise, Neron told him how he was hesitant to start something with the Crimson Grand Mage.

That was when their bet came into play.

Using Ana's encounter with Lydia of Blanc as a base, Jared offered another secret of Magic to Neron as bait if the latter won.

On the flip side, if Neron lost, he would have to confess his true feelings to Serah... and in a grand way, for that matter.

'You won, Jared. So, I guess this is how we'll be doing things.'

Maybe a life like this wouldn't be so bad, after all.

"Serah, I think that's enough. You've been at this for too long." Neron could already feel his body growing numb as a result of Serah's tight embrace and snuggling.

"A-ah, sorry about that." Jumping a little, Serah stepped back and gave an awkward laugh.

'Isn't she the cutest, just looking at her this way.'

Neron couldn't deny his feelings, but he couldn't let go of his fears. However, the die had been cast.

'... Let's see where this leads.'

"It's fine. Don't worry about it. We have all the time in the world, after all." Neron laughed.

"But, stopping time at this scale, isn't it burning through your Mana too much?"

"Well, I have a little something for that." Neron winked, maintaining his aura of mystery.

"I could never succeed in freezing the whole world in time with my Original Magic. Even now, that prospect is pretty dim. So, another solution came to mind."

Jared had told Neron that he could tell her about [The Hermit] Arcana, so he went on to explain.

"I simply isolated myself from the bounds of time. I call it the [Timeless Zone]. Everything around me stops, and only I can move."

It wasn't exactly stopping the whole world, but rather transcending time itself.

Neron's Original Magic initially functioned when he interacted with his environment through his Mana. Whatever his Mana touched came under the influence of his Time Magic.

As a result of that, there were limits to what he could and couldn't do.

However, thanks to the Hermit, he could basically perceive the flow of time in the world, and not just the artificial one he constructed through Magic.

He was capable of resonating his Time Magic with the World's Time, allowing him to create this result.

"Of course, anyone or anything I interact with will also become unfrozen in time—or rather, they will join me in the Timeless Zone." Neron went on.

That was why Serah was able to remain unfrozen despite everyone being stuck in time.

"So, you're saying we're in a place that transcends time. The world is operating normally, but we're just in a realm beyond that?"

Neron smiled once Serah tried simplifying his explanation.

"You're getting it. It's a bit complicated, but I can't interfere with anyone while in the Timeless Zone. If I do, they also become a part of it.,"

He now stared passionately at Serah, drawing her close with one hand.

"I want to make this a place for just you and me. No one else should be allowed to interfere."

With his face once again close to Serah's, her body throbbed a bit, and she found herself nodding.

"I-I'd like that a lot."

"Glad to hear that." He released his grip, and then looked away—staring at someone else in a distance.

The one who met Neron's gaze was frozen in time, just like everyone else. It was the Demon King, Abellion himself.

"Well, it's time to take care of business. There's something else I want to try out."