Strongest Warlock - Wizard World Irregular

"You're going to Midgard?" Nicole, who was currently hugging Ethan from behind, asked.

"Yes," Ethan replied. "And I'm still thinking about whom I'll take with me."

Since he had been away for a while, Nicole came to look for him in order to warm her up.

It was just that, ever since he had returned from the Painting of Enlightenment, Ethan had been finding it hard to not react to her touch, especially when their bodies were so close to each other.

Ethan didn't want Nicole to see his blushing face, so he asked her to just hug him from behind.

However, it didn't take long for him to realize that this was also a bad idea.

Nicole's chest was pressed against his back. And because Ethan had his eyes closed, his sensitivity had increased quite a bit.

His senses were already sharp, surpassing that of a normal human, but it was now focused on a place that made his body heat up.

"Your body is really warm, Ethan," Nicole said in a teasing tone. "You're like a hot pack. Were you always this hot?"

"Yes," Ethan replied in a heartbeat. "You just didn't notice it because you are always feeling cold."

"Maybe you're right."

"Mmm."

"So, who do you plan to take to Midgard?" Nicole inquired. "Since you'll be away for a long period of time, I'll just have to endure the days when I'm feeling cold. Don't worry. The bracelet you gave me also helps a lot to relieve my symptoms. I just look for you sometimes since it's faster that way."

Ethan had completely forgotten that Nicole would also suffer when he went away for long periods of time.

For a brief moment, he almost asked her if she wanted to go with him to Midgard. However, if she did come with him, then wouldn't that make her Ethan's Magical Battery while they were together?

"Nicole, I have a question," Ethan said. "Do you think you can kiss me on the lips as a friend?"

"That's one random question you have there, Sir Ethan," Nicole replied in an amused tone. "But to give you an answer, I can probably do that. Maybe it will also help the coldness in my body disappear instantly."

Ethan, who heard Nicole's answer, pondered if it was really fine to take her with him to Midgard.

If he did, he would have to tell her the secret of why he was able to use magic.

Everyone knew that Ethan was a Dud, so they were surprised when they saw him become a powerhouse that could cast spells out of the blue.

Nicole had asked him once how he was able to wield magic now, when he was unable to back then.

He only told her that there were certain conditions that allowed him to use magic.

As for what those conditions were, Nicole decided not to pry and simply accepted it as it was.

'Nicole is strong, so I don't need to worry about protecting her all the time,' Ethan thought. 'If she's with me, I will also be able to take care of her condition. But is this really fine?'

Ethan didn't want to treat his best friend like a tool to gain magic power.

This was why he planned to take Emma with him. She was his Promised One, and their relationship was now closer than ever before.

But Nicole was suffering from a powerful Legacy that wasn't compatible with her body. Because of this, she had to train her Ice Magic so that she would be able to resist the power that was slowly turning her into ice from the inside out.

Ethan's presence helped her deal with this problem for the time being. But if he were to be gone for an indefinite period of time, wouldn't that also make Nicole's condition worsen over time?

Now that he understood what was ailing her and how it was eating away her life, Ethan couldn't turn a blind eye to her condition.

"Nicole, there is something I need to tell you," Ethan said. "It has something to do with my powers."

Since he already knew her secret, he thought that it wouldn't hurt for her to know his secret in return.

Nicole listened quietly to Ethan's explanation from beginning to end.

After Ethan finished talking, a chuckle escaped the young lady's lips.

"I see. So that's why you asked me that question," Nicole commented.

"Yes," Ethan replied. "I was planning to take Emma or Hecate with me on this trip, but after thinking about it, bringing you with me might be a better idea."

"I can understand Emma, but why Hecate?" Nicole inquired. "Don't tell me… you are planning to make her your secret mistress?"

"No," Ethan shook his head. "It's just that she seemed to know about Godfrey, and Godfrey seems to be targeting her. Although it might be dangerous to take her with me, I thought she might be able to help me deal with Godfrey's abilities."

Ethan had seen Hecate's trump card, which had sealed all of Godfrey's power and abilities, except his inborn regeneration.

He thought that if worse came to worst, she would be able to assist him and bring down Godfrey using the element of surprise.

They had seen Godfrey, but the latter didn't know about them.

If an opportunity presented itself, they could just take the initiative to attack him first and ask questions later.

The reason why Hecate was also an option was due to a special tradition that Princess Ramona had added to the rules of the Order of the Tidebringer.

It said that the Saintess should be willing to kiss the Tidebringer's lips as part of their duty to their Lord.

Princess Ramona understood that Ethan needed to kiss a Witch in order to use magic, so she made sure that the only maidens who could become a Saintess of the Order were girls blessed with magical powers.

In short, all the Saintess of the Order of the Tidebringer belonged to him, and he could do whatever he wanted with them as was his right as the Patron Deity of their Temple.

Hecate had mentioned this to Ethan and Joanne when they asked her about her duties as the Saintess.

After explaining all of this to Nicole, the young lady finally understood why Hecate was one of the candidates that Ethan could choose to bring to Midgard.

"I don't think bringing her is a good idea," Nicole thought. "You already mentioned that the Demigod is looking for information about her. If you take her with you, it is like sending a small sheep into the Lion's Den.

"One mistake, and things can get ugly really fast. In order to avoid that ending, it will be best if you don't bring Hecate with you. As for kissing you…"

Nicole gave Ethan a long hard look, as if pondering if kissing him was a good idea or not.

Ethan didn't speak as he gazed at the beautiful lady in front of him.

Back in the Painting of Enlightenment, he had kissed her dozens of times and even did more intimate things with her.

But the things that happened in the painting didn't reflect the reality of real life.

So he couldn't help but ask her a second time.

"If I take you with me, you're going to become my magic battery," Ethan said. "I don't really want to take advantage of you in that way, so if you think that this is no good, feel free to forget what I said earlier."

Nicole remained silent for a few more minutes before speaking out her mind.

"Give me a day to think about it," Nicole replied. "But, remember this, Ethan. I am always on your side."

"I know," Ethan smiled as he reached out to hold her hand. "Now, let's finish warming you up, so that you can start thinking about it."

Nicole smiled faintly before nodding her head.

The two of them didn't know that somewhere deep inside Nicole's consciousness, the fallen angel, Baradiel, slowly opened her eyes to look at the young man, who was currently holding Nicole's hand.

'You never know what you have until you lose it,' Baradiel thought. 'And once you lost it, you can never get it back.'

The Fallen Angel once again closed her eyes, and covered her body with her icy wings.

Back then, she thought that she could take things for granted, thinking that they would stay with her forever.

But, when she realized her mistake, it was already too late.