The Cursed Extra: Bloodline of Sacrifice

Chapter 66 A Druken Encounter

Two weeks had passed.

Tomorrow was Ed's test.

He lay on his bed, arms folded behind his head, staring at the ceiling.

The room smelled of fresh leaves and the crisp evening air.

He mentally went over everything he had covered in the last fourteen days.

His stance was solid now—no longer awkward or rigid.

His grip on the sword had improved, and he had finally started understanding movement instead of just reacting blindly.

Slashing, parrying, footwork—he had refined them all.

And then there was mana—he had spent the past two weeks familiarizing himself with its presence, though he was still far from controlling it properly.

But it was enough.

It had to be.

Just as he was about to close his eyes, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Ed called lazily.

The door swung open, and Zareth walked in, arms crossed.

"You look too relaxed for someone taking a test tomorrow," he said.

Ed smirked. "Confidence, my friend. Ever heard of it?"

"Confidence or delusion?" Zareth shot back before shaking his head. "Anyway, you should go take a bath at the main bath palace."

Ed frowned. "What? I can bathe in my room."

"You could," Zareth admitted, "but the main bath palace is special. The water there is filled with mana."

Ed sat up properly at that. "Wait. Water filled with mana? How does that work?"

Zareth leaned against the doorframe. "It's a natural spring. The water absorbs raw mana from the earth, and over time, it becomes something like a condensed energy source. It helps with recovery, muscle fatigue, and even refining your body's mana pathways."

Ed narrowed his eyes. "So it's basically a cheat code?"

Zareth smirked. "More like a natural advantage. It won't suddenly make you stronger, but it will help reinforce the training you've done so far."

Ed mulled over it before swinging his legs off the bed.

"Alright, you convinced me." Ed said.

"Good. And before you ask—no, I'm not coming with you. I already took my bath earlier," Zareth added.

Ed rolled his eyes. "I wasn't going to ask."

Zareth grinned. "Sure you weren't."

.

Ed walked through the long, dimly lit corridors of the elven palace.

The place was quieter than usual, the late hour keeping most elves in their quarters.

The bath palace was quiet, the only sounds being the distant rustling of leaves and the faint trickle of water.

He glanced down—right, he was still only in a towel.

His clothes were somewhere nearby, but at the moment, putting them on felt like too much effort.

He took a step forward.

Then another.

Then—

A voice cut through the silence.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?"

Ed lazily turned his head, his vision still slightly unfocused.

Standing a few feet away, arms crossed, was none other than Vynesaa El'leather.

Her long pink hair cascaded down her back, her lavender eyes sharp with clear disapproval.

She was dressed in a refined, dark-blue robe, and every bit the cold princess she was known to be.

Ed stared at her for a second too long.

Then, without thinking, he let out a slow whistle.

"...You're so adorable."

Silence.

Vynesaa blinked once.

Then twice.

Her expression shifted, somewhere between shock and utter disbelief, before a sharp glare settled on her face. "Excuse me?"

Ed swayed slightly.

"Yeah... too adorable." He nodded to himself, as if confirming his own words. "I mean, the way you're standing there, acting all serious—it's kinda funny."

A thin vein twitched near Vynesaa's temple.

Ed, still caught in his mana-drunk state, ignored the warning signs.

He rubbed his eyes, blinking heavily, before gesturing vaguely. "You know, I read about you. The cold, elegant, unreachable princess. But, like..." He tilted his head. "You're just a kid."

Vynesaa's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I am not a child."

"Sure, sure," Ed said, waving a hand lazily. "But like, mentally? You're still in that phase where you try really hard to act older than you are."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop.

"Do you have a death wish?" she asked, her tone slow and deadly.

Ed tilted his head again, his mind still foggy. "Nah, not today."

Vynesaa exhaled sharply, visibly restraining herself. "You're clearly not in your right mind."

"No, no, I'm fine," Ed reassured her. Then he took an unsteady step forward. "See? Perfectly balanc—"