Noctar looked down at Ardyn, who was leaning heavily against him, her breath coming in soft, shallow pants. The formidable Rose Knight, the unshakable pillar of the Hunter's Authority, had melted into something far more human, her usual commanding presence replaced by a dazed, vulnerable warmth. She felt both incredibly solid and terrifyingly fragile in his arms.
// Analysis: Subject Ardyn's neuro-chemical levels are significantly elevated. Dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin readings are off the charts. Adrenaline is crashing. Fine motor functions are slightly impaired. Recommendation: Provide a stable, seated environment for gradual cooldown before attempting complex conversation or locomotion, S.A.R.A. informed him, her tone clinically detached yet undeniably smug.
// Correction: It was a kiss administered by a body housing a Divine SSR Physique, a template optimized by cosmic forces. Every aspect of your biological form the precise texture and temperature of your hands, the unique composition of your lips, the subtle pheromonal signature, even your salivary enzymes is calibrated to deliver sensory and emotional data at a frequency most mortal systems are not hardened against.
You are, effectively, a neuro-chemical weapon of mass pleasure. Initial data suggests you can reduce a cognitively compatible, emotionally invested female subject to a state of blissful neurological overload colloquially, 'pudding' with minimal, sustained effort.
Noctar filed that fascinating, potentially world altering data point away for future strategic use. For now, his primary objective was stability. He simply nodded and, in one smooth, effortless motion, scooped Ardyn into his arms in a secure princess carry. She made a small, surprised sound but didn't resist, her head lolling against his uninjured shoulder.
He ignored the main office area, a warzone of broken furniture, scattered paperwork, and the weakly groaning, mana drained form of Korvath Pierce. Instead, he used his Appraisal Eyes to scan for a more private, intact space. He located her attached personal lounge, its door still mercifully whole on its hinges.
He shouldered it open, carried her inside the cozy, book lined room with its plush rug and a sofa upholstered in deep blue, and settled onto it, arranging her carefully in his lap, her legs draped over his, her body cradled against his chest.
For several minutes, the only sounds were their breathing and the distant, alarmed shouts beginning to echo in the hallway as the Authority's security finally reacted to the apocalyptic noise. Slowly, coherence and self awareness returned to Ardyn's golden eyes. She blinked, long and slow, as if rebooting.
Her gaze focused on the weave of his jacket, then traveled upward to his chin, his lips, and finally met his watching eyes. Realization dawned her position, perched on his lap like a cherished thing, his arms a secure, possessive cage around her and she sprang up as if electrocuted, scrambling off him so fast she nearly tripped over the low coffee table.
She retreated several paces until the backs of her knees hit an armchair, her face flushed a brilliant, spectacular crimson from her neck to the roots of her silver hair, which was delightfully frazzled from his fingers. Her lips were still visibly swollen from the fervor of their kiss, a fact his eyes kept returning to with proprietary satisfaction.
Noctar didn't move to follow or reassure. He simply leaned back against the sofa cushions, stretching his injured arm carefully along the back, the picture of a relaxed, indulgent king, and enjoyed the view of his magnificently flustered queen. He knew, with the certainty of a debugger who had found the root cause of an error, that the wisest strategy now was silence. To let the system, that is her to stabilize, to let her find her own footing in this new, rewritten emotional landscape.
// A masterful play, S.A.R.A. whispered, her voice full of professional approval. // Allowing the startled prey to steady itself often leads to a more willing, less defensive capture. I am now receding to passive observational mode. Do not disappoint. This is premium character development content. Recording.
Ardyn cleared her throat, the sound awkward in the quiet room. She straightened her tunic, a useless gesture given its torn state and the dust covering it, trying to reclaim her professional demeanor and failing spectacularly. "How… how did you manifest those draconic traits?" she asked, her voice a little too high, her eyes fixed on a bookshelf to his left. "The eyes. The… teeth."
Noctar saw the question for what it was: a desperate, tactical grab for a safe, analytical topic, something a fellow warrior and colleague could discuss. He obliged, his own voice calm and even, a lifeline of normalcy.
"It's a skill I acquired from syncing with the dragon's data in Solarium. 'Dragon Rage.' An A Rank skill. It temporarily boosts physical parameters significantly but actively impairs higher reasoning and fine control. A blunt, berserker type tool. Useful, but… messy." He gestured vaguely toward the ruined wall, encompassing the entire situation.
Ardyn nodded, her eyes now fixed on a particular seam in the rug, her fingers nervously twisting a strand of her hair. "I see. The synchronization ability of your class. That… makes logical sense."
The safe, technical topic was exhausted. The silence stretched between them again, no longer just awkward but now thick with the weight of everything unsaid the kiss, the claiming, the raw possessiveness, the way her legs had trembled.
So, Noctar stood. He didn't rush; he unfolded himself from the sofa with a slow, deliberate grace that was somehow more intimidating than a sudden charge. Ardyn, her nerves still singing with the aftereffects of his divine biology, took an involuntary step back.
Then another, until her back met the solid, unyielding wall of the lounge. Trapped, not by threat, but by presence. She looked up, her golden eyes wide and deep, meeting the calm, focused gaze of the predator who had just calmly, patiently stalked her across the room.
He stopped a single meter away, well outside her personal space yet completely dominating the room's energy. He didn't reach for her. He simply asked, his voice low, even, and impossibly clear. "What are you feeling right now?"
The question, so direct and devoid of game playing, was more disarming than any touch. "I… I don't know," she breathed, the honest, confused answer torn from her. It was the truth. It was a swirl of awe, embarrassment, fierce attraction, and sheer, destabilizing wonder.
"Are you willing to date me?" he asked next, his tone leaving no room for ambiguity, no space for misunderstanding. "To be my woman?" He used the same term Korvath had thrown around, reclaiming it, stripping it of entitlement and filling it with the weight of a mutual choice.
The directness was a shockwave, but a clean one. Ardyn's blush deepened, but her gaze steadied on his. The Rose Knight was reasserting herself, making a conscious decision. She gave a small, jerky, but definite nod.
"I require a verbal answer," Noctar said, the words a soft, yet undeniable command that sent a fresh, delicious thrill straight through her core. He needed to hear it. The data needed to be confirmed.
"Yes," she whispered, the word barely audible but crystal clear in the quiet room.
"Good," he said, and a slow, genuine, triumphant smile finally graced his lips, transforming his entire face. The intensity didn't vanish, but it warmed, becoming an invitation. "May I kiss you now?"
In answer, Ardyn closed her eyes, a small smile touching her own swollen lips, and rose onto the tips of her toes, an offering and an acceptance in one graceful motion. Noctar's smile widened, and he closed the final distance, his hands coming up to cradle her face with a tenderness that contrasted utterly with the earlier violence, sweeping her into a kiss that was not about possession, but about promise. About a beginning.
In the silent, observant depths of his mind, S.A.R.A. remained true to her word, compiling data without commentary, but her activity log glowed with pleased efficiency:
[QUERY: TOP_TIER_ROMANTIC_LOCATIONS.SQL]...
[ACCESSING: FINE_DINING_ESTABLISHMENTS_WITH_PRIVATE_BOOTHS.XLS]...
[CROSS-REFERENCING: COMPATIBLE_LEISURE_ACTIVITIES_FOR_COMBAT_SPECIALISTS.TXT]...
The primary mission parameters had been successfully updated. A new, joyful subroutine was now running at the core of the Debugger's operating system.