Rebirth: Childhood friend of the heroine

"Man, nothing beats the taste of cooked meat," Edric sighed in admiration while looking at the perfectly cooked meat on his plate.

He and Alex have been cooking and eating only.

They had nothing else to do other than wait for a few days to pass so they could return to the Blood Domain, find a good place, and resume their training.

All the monsters of the labyrinth have already been hunted, and the monster meat Alex has stored in his inventory won't eat itself. So they decided to gain a few pounds.

"Hey, you know those juniors who were crowding around you during the farewell ceremony? They also came to the funeral with the Headmaster." With a chuckle, he added, "People assumed that they were your mistresses or something."

Alex shared the laugh.

Flipping the meat on the grill, he asked, "Do you think I should take another identity and present myself before people so they select me as one of the ten warriors?"

Alex thought of only his using his Sword Arts, albeit not the same ones as before, to gain some name in the human realm, so at the time of selection, they would suggest his name, and Alex would join the Trials without revealing his identity.

However, "There are a lot of risks. Sir Hector, Sir Victor, and many other veteran warriors have seen your sword arts and your techniques from close. They would recognize it if you in no time. And since you have to depend only on your sword skills, you won't have much room to fool them."

Using too much of the Curse's power is not safe. There could be followers of Eldorin walking around, so Alex must have remained hidden. And using his sword art to gain a reputation…is also quite risky. Not to talk about, with just his sword, Alex wasn't that strong to be added to the list.

"Just stay hidden, brother. Your girls have already suffered a lot. Another attack from those suckers might just break them." Edric suggested as he finished the whole steak in two bites.

Alex nodded, "You are right. I need to remain isolated, or this time those *uckers might destroy Nebula under some excuses just to get rid of me."

After a momentary pause, Alex asked, "You are free these days, right? How about you go to the elven region and sniff around a bit."

Edric's brows elevated, "Want me to check whom they picked as their warrior?"

"That too, but majorly because I want to know if they are planning on sending any troops after Celan and others."

Elves are the most secretive people, and Alex has no connection with them except for two elves whom he met a few weeks ago.

"Hmm, okay. I will go and check what they are up-" Edric and Alex suddenly flinched as someone landed on the ground with a soft thud.

Since they were not expecting anyone here, both men were ready to kill whatever intruded into their hideout, but then, they froze upon realizing the identity of the intruder.

"Ah, I will go and take a walk." Edric made a quick exit knowing he was not required here.

Alex didn't say anything because he couldn't focus on anyone but the woman at the moment.

Her eyes were moist, her face pale, and her condition clearly told that she was restless.

He wordlessly approached the woman and held her hand, "I...am sorry for not informing you."

"Why would you inform me...I am nothing more than your ex-teacher, no?" Jullie rebuked, her voice reflecting how aggrieved she was.

Alex sighed, "You know that's not the case." He drew closer to her and cupped her cheeks, " We didn't have time and I didn't know to contact you."

"We share a Bond, Alex. You could have sent me a message."

Alex parted his mouth, wanting to tell her the truth that he actually doesn't know how to communicate through the Bond...but then, he felt it would sound like he was making an excuse.

In the end, he just hugged her and apologized, "I am sorry ...I was insensitive. Please forgive me."

"No-*sniff*- I won't...you will be punished for troubling your teacher."

Alex smiled, "I will take all the punishments so please don't cry. It was a necessary act and you know that."

She clung to his shirt, "But you didn't even think of how I would feel. You nearly forgot about me."

"How can you say that? I told Sarah to send you to me right away if she meets you. I just couldn't pinpoint your location that's why I didn't send any letters. And coming to you by myself wasn't safe."

Jullie understood it all. And she knew that she was acting out of character at the moment. Being childish and crying...she didn't do it usually. She prioritizes rationality over emotions.

But...after what happened when she visited the Capital...the words she heard from people and the confirmation from Celestria...it just broke her.

She didn't know that the death of a certain someone could overwhelm her this much.

This was the first time she cried this much upon hearing about someone's death.

And she knew exactly why Alex affected her so much.

"Alex..." Separating from him, she looked into his eyes and asked, "...do you see me as a woman?"

"Hmm, yeah I do. I have started liking you since that day when you brought cookies for me in the cell."

Jullie blushed slightly at the blunt response.

A bit hesitantly she asked, "Will you hate me as a person if I say I have fallen for my student?"

He hugged her slender waist, his arm coiling around her tightly as he whispered, "Teachers also have a heart and you are no longer my teacher. So, no. I won't hate you. Ever."

The heat from his body made her shiver. His hungry eyes and his hot breaths washed away all the rationality she had left.

Leaning closer she huskily demanded, "I am lonely...please, do something about it."

Alex didn't need to be told twice.

He cupped her cheek and brought his lips to hers.

Their bodies met with a heated force, chest to chest, breath to breath. His lips found hers in a hungry kiss, rough and desperate like he'd been craving her for far too long.

Jullie gasped softly, but she didn't pull back. Her arms looped around his neck, and she kissed him back just as hard, her lips parting to let him in. Their mouths moved with raw need—wet, warm, messy. He nibbled at her bottom lip, tugging it lightly between his teeth before diving in again.

His other hand moved, slowly running up her side, his palm skimming over the curve of her ribs, feeling every breath she took. When his fingers brushed the skin beneath her shirt, she shivered, pressing even closer.

Her hands roamed too—over his shoulders, his back, gripping, pulling. They lost control for a moment, lips crashing, tongues tangling. It was wild like they were trying to taste each other fully, trying to pour every bit of longing into that one kiss.

Alex broke away just a little, his lips hovering over hers, breathing hard. "You drive me insane," he whispered.

Jullie smiled shyly, "I don't mind you going insane for me."

And he kissed her again—harder, deeper—like he had no plans of ever stopping.

Their clothes started to strip off their bodies. The heat in the labyrinth increased as they remained closely connected.

The soft gasp of the woman turned into moans as soon as they approached the tent, and Jullie, for the first time, realized the pleasure of being a woman.

They tossed and turned in the tent, sometimes Alex on top of her, and sometimes Jullie took charge of riding him.

Kissing marks and love bites filled their bodies.

The scent of their love juices was profound in the base floor along with the sound of their flesh colliding and soft gasps.

They continued at it until late dawn, their hunger not fading even for a moment. Even if one paused, the other one pulled their partner back to the tent and the session continued.

Thankfully, Alex had chanted a barrier around the labyrinth so no one entered the place or anyone could hear what was happening inside.

"Haah...you okay?" Alex asked. It was already morning and they were doing it for the past 12 hours.

Jullie barely groaned as she lifted herself off the blanket, "Need some water..."

Alex felt slightly regretful for going into the extreme position when it was her first time...

But when he looked at that finely-shapes ass, and the slight whiteness dripping down her lower lips, his throat turned dry.

Getting up, he approached the woman and hugged her from behind.

Jullie trembled upon feeling the warmth between her ass cheeks, as she asked, "Again? Already?"

"Blame yourself for being so hot."

As such, they spent the next two days being tangled in each other's bodies.

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A/N:- Thanks for reading. Should've written the full R-18, or does this work?