Endless Leveling Done Right!

Chapter 679: Greed Is Bad

Alex immediately noticed the unusual gazes from his club members. It was neither weird nor malicious, just different from what he was used to in the past.

This was especially true for Lapiz, who heard Alex’s confession about his feelings for her.

When she asked him why he liked her, the young man’s reply made her eyes widen in shock.

"It’s because both of us have many flaws people don’t know about," Alex said calmly. "We act like we’re okay when we’re not. I like you because we have a lot in common."

The young man wanted to say more, but since a third party hovered like a fly, he decided to keep things simple.

Since then, Lapiz had become extra conscious of Alex. And hearing Dim Dim’s story about him made her know more about him.

She laughed at his mischief.

She admired his strength.

She was awed by his resolve.

And became speechless in his moments of weakness.

It was only then that Lapiz understood. Alex hadn’t lied when he said he had many flaws.

And because of this, she became more conscious of him as well.

"Did something happen?" Alex asked no one in particular.

Everyone was sneaking glances at him, except for Lavinia, who was with him yesterday.

After Lumi left, Alex managed to convince her to let him massage her in return.

At first, she hesitated. But after some hugs and kisses, she finally relented.

And to be honest, she didn’t have any regrets.

Alex made her feel really good that she fell asleep on his bed, which caused her to only wake up near midnight.

Fortunately, Chuck hadn’t returned since he stayed in an inn with Princess Xenia and Mary.

Lavinia then sneaked back to her own room, and fell asleep right after.

"Nothing happened," Lotte said before placing a cup of tea and some cookies in front of Alex.

Alex sighed before taking a sip of his tea. He endured Lapiz’s sneaking glances while she pretended to read a book.

Truth be told, Alex thought that the elven princess would stop coming to the clubroom after his confession.

Seeing her here made him feel a little relieved because it meant that she didn’t hate him.

After all, he also wanted to have a proper talk with her, just the two of them. However, he feared that Lapiz might see it as him being pushy, which he didn’t want to happen.

In the end, Alex could only wait until things calmed down a bit between them.

After drinking his tea and eating the cookies, Alex decided to leave the clubroom and take a stroll around the academy to get some fresh air.

The gazes were starting to feel uncomfortable, so he left in order to clear his mind.

It was then when he saw Astrea sitting on a bench near the mini-forest of the academy.

The mini-forest was only composed of a few hundred trees that were situated near the Music Hall.

From the looks of it, Astrea was just resting after a day of training.

"Can I sit here?" Alex asked.

"You may," Astrea replied with a smile. "You seem troubled."

"Does it show on my face?" Alex inquired.

"No." Astrea shook her head. "It’s more about your presence. Professor Arienna calls it ’vibe’."

"Vibe, huh?" Alex was surprised to hear a familiar word.

"So, what’s troubling you?" Astrea asked. "I may not be able to solve it, but I can lend you an ear at least."

"It’s nothing, really." Alex tried to dismiss it, but Astrea was surprisingly pushy.

"Tell me." Astrea stared at Alex with determination. "Sometimes, just talking to someone works wonders."

Alex pondered a bit before deciding to accept the young lady’s offer.

"Astrea. You’ve heard that I am a womanizer, right?" Alex asked. "How do you see me? Or what is your impression of me?"

"Oh... that." Astrea blinked. "To be fair, my brother has repeatedly warned me to not get too close to you because you are a womanizer. But to set the records straight, are you really one?"

"I am one," Alex replied.

At first, he wanted to dispute this label given to him. But his relationship with his lovers was something that he didn’t want to hide.

Although womanizing might be too strong of a word, it didn’t change the fact that he had many lovers.

"And here I thought, you were going to deny it." Astrea smirked, giving Alex the ’you’re more honest than you look, buddy’ gaze.

"I have many lovers, that is true," Alex replied. "And I’ll have more in the future."

At that, Astrea couldn’t help but look Alex from head to toe, wondering where his confidence was coming from.

"You sure talk big, but can you actually support them?" Astrea arched an eyebrow. "Aren’t you a commoner?"

"..." Alex smiled.

"For now?" Astrea giggled. "Are you planning to get close to Princess Xenia and do a meritorious service for this kingdom so that you will be granted title and land? Or do you plan to let your lovers support you for life like a ’kept man’?"

"If I’m granted a title and land, then I won’t refuse it," Alex answered without hesitation. "Also, do I look like a kept man?"

"Yes."

"Ouch."

Astrea chuckled after seeing Alex’s troubled expression. The young man couldn’t stop himself from smiling because her laughter was like the laugh of an angel.

It was very soothing to the ears, and it just made you want to listen to it more.

Thinking about Lapiz, the young man suddenly thought of asking Astrea a question.

"Astrea, what is your ideal romantic partner?" Alex asked.

"Oh no... Are you making me one of your targets?!"

"No comment."

Astrea pondered for a bit because there were times when she also thought of romance.

Her concept of an ideal man was very different from others. For her, the perfect man was someone who shared her hobbies, like singing and playing musical instruments.

She wanted him to serenade her while confessing his feelings for her.

Watching theater plays and musical concerts should also be something he liked to do.

He should also have a sculpted body, a work of art that she could admire everyday.

Astrea thought of many other things, but the most important of them all was that her ideal lover should love her for who she truly was.

Alex looked at the young lady beside him, who had suddenly quieted down. She didn’t give him any answer and simply smiled in the end.

"I think my perfect romantic partner doesn’t exist," Astrea said after several minutes had passed. "Because if he exists, then I will definitely be the happiest and luckiest girl in the world."

"But you are the luckiest girl in the world," Alex commented.

"Is that so?" Astrea smiled faintly. "However, it will take more than luck to win my heart. My standards are so sky-high that my ideal man can only fall from the heavens. Where can I possibly find such a man?"

Alex didn’t give her a reply. It would be too arrogant of him to say that he was that person who fell from the heavens.

Besides, he was starting to wonder if what he was doing was right.

Sure, he took the scholarship test in Frieden Academy because he had a hidden agenda, which was to meet his four Queens.

But after what happened to Lapiz, he was starting to wonder if it was really fine for him to be greedy.

Lavinia, Evangeline, Frann, Latifa, and her Alters. They already held a place in his heart, and frankly, Alex was more than satisfied and happy to have them.

He was also starting to think that maybe he didn’t need to pursue his two remaining Queens since that would just be him being too greedy for more.

It was then that the image of another girl crossed his mind.

Efa, the scout whom he first met in the Town of Thaloria.

She said that she would wait for him for a year, or until he conquered his Four Queens.

He could still remember that night when they talked heart to heart with one another.

"What’s wrong?" Astrea asked because, this time, it was Alex who suddenly became quiet. "Don’t tell me you are actually serious about courting me?"

Alex smiled faintly. "I just thought I might be a little too greedy for my own good."

"Greed is bad." Astrea didn’t hesitate to give her opinion about it. "A greedy heart cannot know contentment because it always wants more."

"I agree." Alex replied. "So maybe... it’s time to let go as well."

Suddenly, Astrea felt an ache in her chest after hearing that Alex planned to let go of something.

She couldn’t understand the feeling of loss that suddenly hit her, making her place a hand over her beating heart.