World's Last Hope-Chapter 87: A Date Under the Stars

Eric tried to suppress a scream of pain as he struggled to get up, but it was nearly impossible. A few of his ribs were broken, and so was his right hand.

"It has been four hours..." Gryndor sighed as he glanced at Eric’s pitiful state.

"I suppose you deserve some healing." The old man’s eyes shined as he pointed with his index finger toward Eric and flicked his fingers.

A moment later, Eric felt his whole body rapidly healing, and within seconds, he was as good as new.

Gryndor spoke firmly, "Five-minute break." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Eric didn’t need to be told twice. He dashed toward the bathroom, planning to relieve himself and drink a few liters of water.

Gryndor scoffed at the sight, then quickly approached his granddaughter, he sat across from her.

"So, how did it go?" he asked.

She slowly opened her eyes, which seemed to shine brightly.

"Not bad. I think I might be getting the hang of this," she replied, though her voice revealed exhaustion.

"That is good to hear," Gryndor smiled. "You know, I never thought I’d live to see the day when I’d teach my granddaughter what it means to be a Grandmaster," he admitted.

Aria smiled weakly. "Come on, Grandpa, give me more credit."

"I do... You’re just like your parents, you know?"

Aria didn’t answer, and it seemed that the mention of her parents soured her mood.

Seeing this, Gryndor smiled softly. "To think that you still carry so many emotions despite cleansing a cathedral... I guess I have Eric to thank for that."

The five minutes were up, so Gryndor stood, ready to resume training with Eric, but his granddaughter stopped him.

"Four more hours, then we rest," she said firmly.

Gryndor raised an eyebrow. "But we agreed to train at least twelve hours a day, no?"

Aria grinned a little. "I have a date with Eric, so I want to get ready."

Gryndor’s eyes widened at the word ’date.’ "But you’re not go—"

"If you interrupt us in the middle, Grandpa, you won’t be walking back in one piece. I love you, but there’s a limit to what I’ll tolerate," she said coldly.

Seeing that arguing was pointless, Gryndor grunted and went back to training Eric.

However, the next four hours were much harder than the previous ones. Eric couldn’t understand why the difficulty seemed to have increased threefold, nor why his teacher appeared to be in such a bad mood.

After the grueling training, Eric’s body hurt all over, with numerous bruises and black spots marking his skin.

Despite his exhaustion, the thought of his date with Aria gave him strength.

He took a quick shower and dressed in the nicest clothes he had been provided with.

The two had discussed the details of their date and decided to visit a restaurant Aria had loved since childhood.

Originally, Eric was worried about how he’d pay the bill, but Aria reassured him that Masters enjoyed most things in the city for free. And as she was Grandmaster, the entire restaurant was essentially reserved just for them.

Eric was waiting in front of the restaurant doors as per their arrangement. He observed the beautiful night sky, and when his gaze fell on Aria, his heart stopped for a moment.

She had always been stunning, but now she wore a dress that clung tightly to her alluring figure, accentuating her features. Light makeup was on her face, and a soft, pinkish lipstick adorned her lips.

"God..." Eric muttered as he saw her. He tried to keep himself in check but found it difficult.

Steeling himself as much as possible, he smiled and extended his hand to her. "You look gorgeous."

She seemed to like the compliment as her cheeks turned slightly red, and she smiled. "You’re nothing to scoff at yourself."

Entering the restaurant, Eric’s eyes widened in awe. He had seen pictures of prestigious restaurants on Earth, but they paled in comparison to what he was witnessing.

The entire place seemed decorated with silver and gold—the floors, the walls, even the ceiling. True, these materials were likely more common here than on Earth, but it was still impressive. It felt like stepping into heaven itself.

And all of this was reserved just for them? It seemed Grandmasters truly held a special status in this world.

He shifted his gaze to Aria, marveling at her beauty. And he was dating her? What a thought!

Sitting at the finest table, an older man approached and handed them their menus.

"Ho-hope you have a good time, Grandmaster Aria, Master Eric," the man stuttered as he bowed awkwardly before disappearing as quickly as possible.

It seemed the man was embarrassed—or maybe even scared to be in their presence.

After placing their orders, Aria and Eric began to talk about random topics that came to mind. It was refreshing not to constantly think about the dangers outside the walls. Even Eric, who had been haunted by nightmares that morning, seemed to forget about them in Aria’s presence.

When they finished their meal, Aria thanked the nervous staff, and the two of them left, walking under the beautiful night sky.

"It’s nice, once in a while, not worrying about anything," Aria sighed as she glanced up at the stars.

"Yeah, it is," Eric replied, exhausted but strangely at peace.

"There’s one place I’d like to visit," Aria said, shifting her gaze to Eric.

"Sure, lead the way."

The place Aria spoke of turned out to be a tall tower overlooking a large portion of the city.

From their vantage point, there was nothing obstructing their view. The thousands of houses below were silent, it was midnight, and most people were asleep.

"It’s beautiful. I used to love coming here with my mother," she said.

"It is," Eric agreed, but then he shifted his gaze to Aria and added, "but there’s something more beautiful."

Slowly, he placed his hand around her waist and pulled her closer.

She didn’t stop him, instead placing her hands behind his head and bringing her lips to his in a deep kiss.