Endless Leveling Done Right!

Chapter 741: Parade Of Stars [Part 1]

Alex looked at Astrea in shock.

Only a handful of people knew this specific secret, and none of them would speak of it lightly to others.

And yet, the young lady beside him… was asking him whether he was the lost prince of the Aetherion Empire or not.

“Alex, you forgot to smile,” Astrea said in a teasing tone before using her fingers to push the corners of Alex’s lips up, forcing him to smile. “There. That’s better.”

The young man was not in the mood to appreciate this playful act. His mind was still reeling from shock.

Astrea didn’t ask him to hurry and give her an answer. In fact, she looked quite amused after seeing Alex’s reaction.

Finding him cute, she eased her boredom by squishing Alex’s cheek and using her thumbs to push the corners of his lips up, forcing him to smile once more.

“W-Why are you suddenly asking me this question?” Alex asked after he had regained his composure.

He almost asked how she knew at first, but he managed to change it before the words escaped his lips.

However, his reply made Astrea frown.

“Alex, why are you answering my question with another question?” Astrea narrowed her eyes in response. “You can only answer my question using four methods. The first is to nod your head, the second is to shake your head. The third is to say ‘Yes’, and the fourth is to say ‘No’. Very simple, right?”

Alex took a deep breath before reaching out to hold Astrea’s hand.

Then, he used his pointer finger to write something on the palm of her hand.

At first, the young lady had no idea what Alex was doing. Though, a moment later, realization dawned on her. Soon, the teasing smile on her face slowly began to disappear.

She focused her attention on understanding what Alex was writing on her palm.

Alex repeated what he had written a few times before Astrea understood all of it.

“I don’t know if I am really the prince you speak of. However, the possibility of it is high.”

The young lady gave Alex an appraising look, but no longer insisted on the matter.

“Can we talk in private later?” Alex asked. “I want to ask you some questions.”

“That may be difficult,” Astrea replied. “After all, my brother doesn’t think too highly of you. He thinks you’re a casanova who chases the skirt of every beautiful lady you see. And since I am objectively very beautiful, I am very likely to be targeted by you.”

Alex did his best to prevent his smile from breaking. He couldn’t refute her words since she was indeed one of his targets in the past.

Even if he said that she wasn’t his target anymore, she wouldn’t believe it anyway.

In the end, he could only sigh.

“Then, if there is an opportunity to talk, let’s talk, okay?” Alex insisted.

“Okay.” Astrea nodded. “I still have a few questions, but I no longer have any secrets that will be enough to exchange for it.”

“You don’t need to share your secrets with me,” Alex replied. “Instead, I will answer your questions honestly if you answer mine. That is all I ask.”

“Hmm…” Astrea pondered. “I will only agree if you answer this question of mine.”

“Ask.”

“Am I also one of your targets?”

Alex hesitated before scratching his head. In the end, he reluctantly nodded, making Astrea’s eyes turn into crescents.

“I knew it.” Astrea smirked before shifting her gaze toward Dim Dim and Eiko, who were waving back at the children waving at them on the side of the street.

She no longer asked Alex any question, nor looked in his direction. This continued until they arrived at the gathering area where the parade floats of the other divisions were located.

The moment they arrived, they were immediately briefed on the route that their parade float would take.

Alex and Astrea were warned that if someone tried to enter their float without permission, they were allowed to neutralize them without caring about their identity.

Of course, there would be security following their floats, making sure the crowd would not do anything reckless during the parade.

But for the sake of their own safety, they were given the permission to defend themselves even if it meant hurting a person.

Though, last but not least, Professor Arienna gave Alex a very serious order.

“Don’t sing.”

Even Astrea couldn’t help but giggle after hearing this serious command from the professor.

Finally, the ‘Parade Of Stars’ began.

The Singing King and Singing Queen’s float was placed sixth in the procession, right behind the Fourth Year’s fighting division, where Aeris and her team were boarded.

“Aeris keeps glancing in our direction,” Astrea said as she waved at the people on the street. “Is she also one of your targets?”

“Not at all,” Alex replied without hesitation.

“Wow.” Astrea smiled faintly. “That was a surprise. I thought you’d chase the skirt of all the beautiful ladies you see. I don’t want to admit it, but Aeris is more attractive than me. How is she not your target?”

“I just don’t think of her that way,” Alex answered calmly. “Besides, in my eyes, you are more charming than her.”

“You really are a sweet talker, huh?” Astrea gave him a side-long glance. “Anyways, I don’t mind being flattered like this. Go and praise me more.”

“I’ll praise you more after we talk in private.”

“Hmph!”

As Alex waved at the crowd, he sensed a different kind of stare that made him feel alarmed.

He glanced in the direction where he sensed the gaze, but there were simply too many people around to pinpoint its source.

Because of this, Alex created a few small golden shields the size of his palm. He made them hover around him and Astrea and blended them well enough to look like props part of their float.

If something unexpected happened, these shields would move to block anything that would target Alex and the young lady beside him.

What Alex didn’t know was that Eiko also sensed something, or more specifically, someone hiding within the crowd with bad intentions.

The blue slime even took out a small blast bomb the size of a small marble before flicking it in the direction of the person who was trying to hide their killing intent.

“F*cker,” Eiko muttered under her breath as the marble-sized blast bomb flew toward her target.

A moment later, a man was blown off the side of the road and fell into the river, creating a splash.

This splash immediately caught everyone’s attention, prompting the guards and some people to help the fallen person, who was unlucky enough to direct their hostility at the parade float, where the pirate princess was currently at.