Several hours later, a faint cracking sound reached Lux's ears.
Aina's crystal statue had thin lines spreading all over it, prompting the Half-Elf to stand up and prepare for any kind of unexpected attack that might happen.
In order to make sure that everything would be under his control, he once again summoned his Named Creatures, as well as the members of his Covenant.
All of them positioned themselves around the Crystal Statue, with Diablo and King Leoric standing on Lux's left and right sides, ready to protect him at a moment's notice.
The Half-Elf was only four meters away from Aina's statue, but he was not afraid. He had been observing Aina for a while now, and just like Keoza had said, her power had been slowly decreasing over time.
After five minutes of the cracks spreading, the crystals covering Aina's body finally shattered, and the doll-like beauty's body swayed before falling face-first to the ground.
Naturally, Lux wouldn't allow that to happen and immediately supported Aina's body before it could get hurt.
After catching her, Lux realized something very important.
Aina was completely naked, and his right hand was cupping one of Aina's breasts, which made the Half-Elf stiffen.
However, there was something else that he noticed after he moved closer to the doll-like beauty who was still unconscious that he momentarily forgot that his hand was still holding onto her chest.
It was her scars.
Aina had many scars on her body. Too many, in fact, that it made Lux frown.
After seeing Iris' and Cai's naked bodies, which were void of almost any imperfections, he felt pity for the young lady in his arms.
The Half-Elf wasn't able to stop himself from subconsciously tracing one of the scars on Aina's back that was as long as an adult's hand.
As his hand slowly slid down her body, something unexpected happened.
The part of the scar that he touched turned into particles of light, revealing flawless skin, which was as white as cream, and radiant with youth.
Lux blinked once and twice before this realization kicked in.
As if wanting to experiment, he started tracing the remainder of the scar.
Just like what happened earlier, the horrid marking disappeared and was replaced by the smooth skin that rightfully belonged to the doll-like beauty in his hands.
'Should I remove the rest?' Lux thought.
For him, doing this was the right thing to do. However, he didn't know if it was appropriate.
Faced with a tough choice, the Half-Elf glanced at his subordinates and asked their opinion.
"Should I continue?" Lux asked.
"As a girl, I would find it very awkward for a guy to touch my body without permission," Ishtar stated. "But if it is Master, I don't see anything wrong with it."
"Aina is still a teenager, and at that age, they are more conscious about themselves," King Leoric commented. "Although I feel like removing her scars is a good thing, it might be best to wait until she wakes up before you continue."
"Master, for some warriors, their scars represent their medals in battle," Bedivere, who was once a Knight of the Realm and also had many scars on his body in the past, voiced his opinion. "Removing them without permission might make her mad at you, instead of being grateful."
"Consent is important, Master," Diablo said. "Also, even though you don't say it out loud, we know that you think of Aina as someone special. Even though this feeling isn't that of a lover, she still holds great significance in your heart."
After hearing everyone's suggestion, Lux nodded his head in understanding.
He then summoned a blanket from his storage ring and used it to wrap the naked beauty, who still hadn't regained his senses… or so he thought.
As soon as he finished covering Aina's body with the blanket, the Dwarf opened her eyes and looked up at the Half-Elf who was carrying her in a princess carry.
Lux was so shocked that he almost dropped the lady in his arms. However, his hands remained steady and held her in place.
The two then stared at each other for half a minute before Aina opened her lips to tell Lux something.
"Is it bad for a lady to have scars?" Aina asked.
"N-Not really," Lux answered. "I think those scars look good on you. It makes you look more…"
"Manly?"
"U-Unique!"
"Is that so?"
Aina still talked with the same monotonous voice as before, but her gaze never left Lux's face, as if looking for traces of lies within his expression.
"My parents have gone to great lengths in order to help me remove these scars on my body," Aina said. "They thought that I wouldn't be able to find a husband if they found out about this flaw in my body."
Aina then closed her eyes as if pondering something important. A moment later, she took her right arm from the blanket and presented it to Lux.
"Can you please remove these two scars on my arm?" Aina asked in a polite manner.
Although her voice still sounded monotonous, the Half-Elf noticed that it is a bit softer than before.
"It will be my honor," Lux replied as he traced his hand over one of the scars on Aina's right arm.
When the scar had been fully healed, Aina looked at it and inspected it from every angle.
A moment later, a faint ripple of power spread in the surroundings as Aina's eyes turned silver.
All the scars on her body, including the ones that were hidden under the blanket, glowed in a silver light.
The part of her arm, where one of her scars was removed, also glowed brightly.
This surprised Lux because he was certain that he had already removed the scar completely.
"I'm glad," Aina said as a faint smile appeared on her face. "Even though the scar was properly healed, its mark still remained and would stay with me for as long as I live."
At that moment, Lux's gaze landed on Aina's doll-like beauty, who became more charming because of her smile.
Once again, their gazes met, and this time, it was Lux who first averted his gaze.
"Can you please heal the rest of the scars on my body?" Aina asked. "I will compensate you properly for it."
"There's no need for you to compensate me," Lux replied in a heartbeat. "I will do it for free."
Aina nodded and asked Lux to let her stand on her own two feet.
She then turned around and lowered the blanket, showing Lux her back which still had many scars left.
Lux didn't hesitate and began erasing the scars that didn't deserve to be on the body of the young lady in front of him.
One by one, Lux erased these marks. There were some scars that were located in sensitive areas. For example, near Aina's thigh and left breast. But, the doll-like beauty didn't seem to mind and asked Lux to continue removing them without batting an eye.
The Half-Elf wondered if Aina had mastered the art of the Poker Face because even when he touched those places, the Dwarf didn't even bat an eye.
When the healing operation was over, Aina once again covered herself with the blanket and faced the Half-Elf, whose face had turned beet red due to the places that he had touched just a few minutes ago.
"I know that you said you don't need any compensation," Aina stated. "But I will feel guilty if I don't give you anything."
Aina then made a gesture for Lux to crouch a bit, so that she could whisper something in his ear.
When the Half-Elf crouched a bit and presented his ear to her, he felt something soft, and warm press over his left cheek.
Due to his surprise, he moved his head to face Aina.
However, what happened next was something he didn't expect.
Her lips and his lips connected.
During that entire time, Aina's eyes were wide open. When the Dwarf finally took a step back in order to end the kiss, a faint flush could be seen creeping from her neck up to her cheeks.
Even so, her expression remained the same, making Lux feel as if he had seen something he shouldn't have.
"Although that compensation is not enough to repay my debt to you, I hope that it will suffice for now," Aina said. "If in the future, you wish to ask something in return, I will do my best to accommodate your request."
Lux was still reeling from what happened earlier, so he wasn't able to say anything in reply.
For a fan, getting kissed by their idol was something that would cause a nationwide commotion if seen by her other fans.
In fact, Lux was certain that he would start receiving death threats and would even be hunted down by Luna's die-hard fans back on Earth if they were to see what happened just now.
Fortunately, they were not on Earth, and they were inside Keoza's domain. Only his subordinates witnessed the scene and his flushed expression after, which made some of them snicker in understanding.
"Can I return to the guild now?" Aina asked after seeing that Lux was still rooted on the spot like a statue. "I'm sure that my sister and everyone are worried about me."
"O-Of course," Lux stuttered. "We can leave the domain now."
Lux then waved his hand and the Domain around the endless plain around them disappeared. They were now back in the real world where they rightfully belonged.
Aina gave Lux a bow of gratitude before covering her entire body with white flames.
A moment later, she flew towards the city where her sister and her guild members were anxiously waiting for her return, leaving the Half-Elf behind, who could still feel her soft lips over his own.
