Really Fragrance

It was precisely because of this concern that she’d come to protect Black herself.

Of course, with her personality,she’d never actually say those words out loud.

At most, she’d just huff and mutter,

“I was just taking a walk,”the very picture of tsundere pride.

“Since Your Highness happened to be passing by…”

“How about coming in for a bit?

I’ve got plenty of sweets in my room.”

Black feigned sudden realization, pulling out his key to unlock the door.

He knew very well that this imperial princess adored desserts.

“Not interested.”

Alice turned her face away quietly.

“Only children are obsessed with sweets.”

“Is that so?”

Black smiled inwardly.

He pushed the door open, reached into his bedside cabinet,and pulled out a box of honey soufflé pancakes—deliberately waving it in the air.

“But last time I helped tidy your study,

I saw over a dozen empty Moon Mousse boxes.”

“And that’s ranked number one on the Dragonheart Empire’s ‘Children’s Favorite Desserts’ list, by the way.”

“You—!”

Alice’s face flushed scarlet in an instant,her hand instinctively gripping her sword hilt.

“You were supposed to organize—who gave you permission to snoop through my things?!”

“Innocent! I swear!”

Black raised both hands in surrender.

“You told me to move the Dragon Compendium.

The moment I lifted it, the dessert boxes behind it were right there in plain sight!”

Alice froze, then ground her teeth after a long pause.

“Shut up.”

“As you command.”

Black obediently closed his mouth—but his hands kept moving.

He tore open the packaging of the honey soufflé,and the sweet, buttery aroma began to fill the room.

These pancakes had been personally given to him by Kristine—she’d said she made them herself,as a treat for him and Little Jinzi.

To be fair, Kristine’s culinary talent was every bit as impressive as her calligraphy.

Just the scent alone—before even taking a bite—was enough to make one’s mouth water.

“Your Highness, would you like to try some?”

“No.”

The expected reply.

But Black wasn’t discouraged in the slightest.

He didn’t believe for a second that this princess could resist such exquisite confectionery.

He deliberately poked the pancake with a fork,letting the molten honey syrup inside slowly ooze out—glistening in the candlelight with an amber sheen.

“Mmm~”

He took an exaggerated deep breath.

“This soft, pillowy texture~

this fragrant honey sweetness~

such delicacy should only exist in heaven—

how often does one taste it in this mortal world~”

Alice’s eyes flickered involuntarily toward the treat—then snapped away just as quickly.

“Oh, and the best part?

The caramelized hazelnut crunch inside.”

He bit down with an audible crunch.

“So crisp, so sweet—

perfectly paired with the honey…”

A barely perceptible swallow passed through Alice’s throat.

“And this rich, creamy milk from the Northern Steppes~”

“That’s enough.”

Alice slapped the table in irritation, her red hair flaring like autumn maple.

“Stop talking already, I…”

“…would rather starve to death.”

“…jump off this ship.”

“…than eat your stupid dessert!”

Three minutes later.

“Hmph. Not bad. Barely passable.”

Alice nibbled the pancake in small bites,a dab of cream clinging to the corner of her mouth—yet she still kept her expression stern as she critiqued it.

“Still far worse than the imperial chefs.”

“Then why did you just eat three in a row?”

Black suppressed a laugh and poured her a cup of black tea.

The two of them finished the entire box—even Little Jinzi’s portion was gone.

Black felt a twinge of guilt at first,but then reasoned: what does an Imperial Wyvern need with desserts anyway?

Dragons should act like dragons—go eat meat!

As they sipped tea in comfortable silence,

Alice suddenly tossed something at him.

Black fumbled to catch it—and found a crimson-gold token in his palm.

On the front was an engraved dragon motif; on the back, the imperial crest.

“What’s this?”

“A protective charm gifted by Her Majesty.”

She casually wiped her blade as she spoke.

“It can block one high-tier spell.”

“I already have plenty.

Would be a waste to let it sit unused.”

Black ran his thumb over the token, then chuckled softly.

“You could just say you’re giving it to me—why add that bit about ‘waste’?

Your Highness, you’re being way too tsundere.”

“…Are you really worried about me?”

“Don’t flatter yourself.”

Alice shot to her feet, her crimson hair swirling like falling maple leaves.

She swept out of the room—but paused at the doorway.

“Dragon Tides could strike at any moment now.”

Her whisper, carried on the night breeze, was almost inaudible.

“Don’t die, idiot.”

The door slammed shut behind her.

Black stared at the golden token in his hand, and suddenly realized—this tsundere princess might actually be even easier to read than Irena, that little bunny.

After seeing Alice off,

Black took a light rest during the first half of the night.

In the second half, he grabbed a pot of bitter tea and headed straight to the training grounds.

【Player used Penetrating Thrust ×1】
【Knight class unlock progress: 301/10,000】

There he stood, facing the wooden dummies,wielding a practice wooden lance,repeating Penetrating Thrust over and over.

Whenever fatigue crept in,he’d take a gulp of bitter tea to stay alert—then keep training.

With the Dragon Tide looming and the Draconic Parliament scheming,

Black was desperate to boost his combat power—and unlocking the Knight class had become urgent.

True, he already had three classes: Swordsman, Pirate, and Summoner.

But none of them had a suitable weapon.

The Knight class was different—he already possessed the six-star weapon: Overlord Spear.

This knight-exclusive weapon,paired with the Knight class’s unique skill set,would drastically amplify his strength.

So he gave up sleep entirely—determined to unlock the class no matter what.

Before, completing 10,000 Penetrating Thrusts would’ve taken him two or three days.

But now, with his higher level and deeper understanding of spiritual energy manipulation,

he unlocked the Knight class in under five hours.

【Summoner class unlock progress:】
【Progress complete. Summoner class officially unlocked.】

As the class unlocked, a cascade of Knight skills unfolded before him:

【Charge Thrust】 【Javelin Toss】 【Retreating Lance】
【Stalwart Body】 【Oath of Valor】…

These included offensive, defensive, evasive,and even self-cleansing abilities.

Unlike Warriors (defense-focused), Swordsmen (attack-focused),

Assassins (agility-focused), or Archers (accuracy-focused),the Knight was a truly balanced class—covering all combat aspects with no glaring weaknesses.

A Grandmaster Knight would never be outclassed,even against higher-level opponents.

Arguably the most cost-efficient class in existence.

“Let’s test how strong it really is.”

Black tossed aside the wooden lance and switched to the Overlord Spear.

The Overlord Spear was far heavier than a standard lance—but its power was incomparably greater.

“Charge Thrust!”

He activated the skill instantly.

The Overlord Spear seemed to awaken in his hands,letting out a resonant hum.

Vwoom!

The spear shot forward like a dragon in flight!

It pierced straight through the first dummy—

thwack!—then, without losing momentum,sliced through two more before finally stopping.

“No wonder it’s legendary—this spear is terrifying!”

Black sucked in a sharp breath, staring at the gaping holes in the dummies’ chests.

For hours, he’d been thrusting with the wooden lance and couldn’t even pierce one dummy.

Now, with the Overlord Spear and the skill combined,he’d skewered three in one go.

Truly, overwhelmingly dominant.