Harem System In A fantasy World

For several seconds, Elion said nothing.

Tessa had clearly expected some kind of clever response, perhaps another teasing remark or one of his usual shameless excuses, but the words never came.

Instead, he stood before her as the crooked smile slowly disappeared from his face. The worst part was that she was not entirely wrong.

He had been busy. He had been rendered unconscious for a week, dragged into the affairs of the Vampire Clan, and formally betrothed to Celeste.

There had been no shortage of valid reasons for his absence, but there had also been moments when he could have sought Tessa out.

He simply had not.

Perhaps it was because she had never openly demanded his attention in the same way Aria or Zenith did.

Perhaps it was because their relationship had remained in that strange space between playful attraction and something more serious.

Whatever the reason, he had allowed her to feel as though she was merely waiting for him to decide when she was worth his time.

Elion released a slow breath.

However, before he could say anything, Tessa suddenly burst into laughter.

She clutched her stomach as the laughter grew into a full-blown fit, and by the time she finally managed to calm herself, there were tears in her eyes.

"Got you!"

Elion gave her an odd look.

"I like the look on your face," she said as she approached, placing a bandaged hand upon his shoulder.

’Is she being serious right now?’

To say he was dumbfounded would be an understatement. Was she messing with him, or did she really mean what she said just now?

Perhaps she was doing both, but that just made it more difficult for him to make a proper judgement on the situation.

"Tess," Elion began.

"Shhh."

She pressed an index finger against his lips.

"Do not worry. I am not that angry anymore." Her lips curled into a satisfied smile. "See? The look on your face made the wait worth it. Just be more careful next time."

Elion stared at her for several seconds before gently removing her finger from his lips. "You are a cruel woman."

Tessa grinned. "And you are far too easy to tease when you think you have done something wrong."

"I was preparing a sincere apology."

"I know, and that was the best part."

Elion gave her a flat look, but the relief he felt was difficult to hide.

He had genuinely believed that he had hurt her more deeply than she had been willing to admit, and although her laughter had revealed that most of it had been an act, the thoughts her words had forced him to confront did not simply disappear.

Tessa noticed the lingering seriousness in his expression.

"I said I am not that angry," she clarified, placing both hands upon her hips. "I did not say I was not angry at all. You really did leave me waiting."

"..."

"And you did find time for everyone else before coming to see me." Elion opened his mouth, but no suitable defense came to mind.

Tessa nodded knowingly.

"I suppose I still owe you an apology."

"You do."

"I understand. I should be more considerate, and I should probably stop making promises before disappearing for weeks at a time."

"Well, technically, you didn’t promise me anything, and I’m the one who said I needed a bit of time, but that would be a good start."

Elion sighed. "You are enjoying this far too much."

"Of course I am. It is rare to see you unable to talk your way out of something." She stepped closer, still wearing the amused smile that had replaced her earlier annoyance.

"But I understand that most of what happened was beyond your control. Just do not leave me wondering whether you have lost interest next time."

The lightness in her voice faded slightly toward the end, revealing that this part, at least, had not been a joke.

Elion’s expression softened. "I have not lost interest in you, Tess."

Her cheeks gained a faint reddish tint. "You say that rather easily."

"Because it is true."

His gaze drifted over her sweat-covered body for a brief moment before returning to her face.

"Very true."

Tessa followed his gaze and immediately folded her arms over her chest, concealing her prominent nipples from his gaze. "You have no shame."

"None whatsoever."

"At least you admit it."

Elion smiled before reaching into his spatial storage. A dark flash appeared within his hand, drawing Tessa’s attention away from his expression.

"Since we are discussing my many failures, I should probably mention that I did not come here merely to stare at you."

"That is difficult to believe."

"I brought you something."

Tessa’s amused expression changed into one of suspicion. "You are not trying to buy my forgiveness, are you?"

"I chose this before you nearly gave me a crisis of conscience."

Elion opened his hand.

Resting across his palm was a pair of compact black bracers made from a strange metal that seemed to absorb the surrounding light. Thin green lines ran along their surfaces, connecting several overlapping plates around the wrists and forearms.

They were not as visually extravagant as Mira’s necklace or Aria’s bracelet, but they radiated a dense, violent aura that made their purpose obvious.

Tessa’s gaze immediately sharpened. "Those are for me?"

"No. I brought them here to make your old gauntlets feel inadequate."

She looked toward the enormous metal gauntlets lying on the floor, then back toward him. "You are doing a good job."

Elion held the bracers out to her. "Try them."

Tessa hesitated for only a moment before accepting them.

The instant her fingers touched the dark metal, the crimson lines across their surfaces flared to life.

And a bunch of information rushed into her mind.

[War God’s Embrace]

[Grade: Legendary]

[Description: A pair of adaptive combat bracers forged from Abyssal Iron and the crystallized core of a Tyrant-class war beast. They greatly enhance the wearer’s physical strength, striking speed, and resistance to recoil.]

[Abilities:]

[War Form: The bracers can transform into full gauntlets at the wearer’s command. Their weight, size, and density may be adjusted freely.]

[Impact Accumulation: A portion of the force generated by every successful strike is stored within the bracers. The accumulated force may be released through a single devastating attack.]

[Unbroken Guard: Automatically reinforces the wearer’s arms when blocking powerful attacks, greatly reducing damage to the bones and muscles.]

[Battle Rhythm: The longer the wearer remains in continuous combat, the greater their speed, coordination, and striking power become.]

[Nullification: Capable of dispersing and nullifying physical spells upon contact]

Tessa read the description twice.

When she finally looked up, the joking expression had vanished from her face. "This is Legendary Grade."

"Of course."

"Elion, my current gauntlets are barely Rare Grade."

"I noticed, so this is a worthy upgrade."

Her gaze lowered toward the bracers again. "This is far too valuable."

"So were the gifts I gave the others."

"That does not make this less valuable."

"No, but it does mean you should stop acting as though you are the only one who does not deserve something, you already reprimanding me for not giving you enough attention, who knows what will happen if I give you something lacking as a gift."

Tessa fell silent.

Elion stepped closer and took one of the bracers from her hand. "Give me your arm."

She slowly held it out.

He fastened the bracer around her forearm before doing the same with the second. The metal initially sat loosely around her arms, but the moment both pieces were secured, they shimmered and tightened until they fitted her perfectly.

The bandages around her hands remained untouched.

Tessa flexed her fingers. "They are very light, it barely feels like I’m wearing anything."

"Activate War Form."

She focused upon the bracers, and the crimson lines brightened.

Dark metal plates unfolded from the bracers and flowed over her wrists, hands, and fingers, forming a pair of sleek gauntlets.

Unlike her previous weapons, these did not appear bulky or awkward. Every plate moved naturally with the movement of her hands, almost as though the metal had become part of her body.

Tessa clenched one fist, and the air around it gave a faint crack.

Her eyes widened. She stepped toward one of the newly formed training dolls and threw a cautious punch.

The construct’s head exploded before her fist had even fully connected. For a moment, neither of them spoke, staring at the effects with a hint of shock.

Tessa looked at the dissolving remains of the doll, then she looked down at her gauntlet. A moment later, she turned toward Elion.

Elion smiled at her.

"You might want to tone down the strength of your strikes when you are wearing those."

"You call that a gift?"

"What else would you call it?"

"A weapon capable of getting me arrested in several kingdoms."

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