NOVEL NEXT Chapter 155: ʕ•̫•ʔ---Fleeing
"Sorry to pry, but… you and Kaleon are still on good terms, right?"
She blinked, as if surprised by the question.
"Of course. It's true we were once engaged, but there was no love between us. Kaleon agreed to call it off just as much as I did. Besides," she said with a gentle smile, "I found my true love. I'm happily married now."
Her expression softened, as if she were reminiscing about something precious. But then, her gaze met mine again, and she let out a small sigh.
"I wasn't apologizing because of the canceled engagement," she clarified. "I was sorry because… I didn't attend his wedding with Hestia."
She continued, "Ever since then, he stopped responding to my messages. He never even signed the receipt form to collect his free wine. I thought… maybe he was mad at me for not being there. We were close friends, after all."
My thoughts reeled. Wait, wait, wait. So Lady Ilona thought Kaleon ghosted her over because of her absence on his wedding? If she knew that his wedding with Hestia had literally started a war, I wondered what kind of expression she'd make.
Would she still look guilty? Or would she be horrified that their little divine love story caused absolute chaos across realms? Would she drop the wine bottle in shock?
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to keep a straight face. Nope. Not bringing that up. I was already juggling too many cosmic-level problems—I did not need to add "explaining how Kaleon's wedding turned into an inter-realm battlefield" to the list.
I immediately changed the subject. "About the free wine—how many bottles is Mythica entitled to?"
Lady Ilona gave it some thought. "It's been a hundred years. Every five years, the Owner is entitled to one bottle. So that would be… twenty bottles of Tunder Spirit Wine."
Twenty?! Hahaha! I'm rich!—I mean, I'm saved! No more worrying about how I'd afford this ridiculously expensive wine. I could get them for free!
Trying to keep my excitement in check, I shamelessly asked, "Then as the Interim Owner, I can sign on Mythica's behalf and collect them, right?"
"Yes," she confirmed. "However, as a precaution, you can only carry a maximum of two bottles at a time. The rest will be delivered."
I froze. Delivered? Where? Not my place, obviously.
Feigning casual curiosity, I asked, "If I may… where will the wine be delivered?"
Lady Ilona turned to one of her servants. A swift knock on the door, and a Fae entered, holding a sleek enchanted tablet. After a quick search, the servant spoke.
"The address is listed as MECCP," she announced. "Recipient: Naga. All correspondence has been directed there."
Naga? MECCP?! Since when?!
I frowned. "Can the address be changed to mine? I am the Interim Owner, after all."
"A change of address requires both parties to be present," the servant replied matter-of-factly.
Another crap.
********************
The moment I stepped out of the building, I locked eyes with Eva and Dash. Relief washed over me—I didn't want to spend another second in that place.
Eva's gaze flicked to my hands. "Did you get the wine?"
I grinned and held up the two diamond-studded bottles. They caught the light, shimmering like liquid stardust.
Eva's eyes widened. "That's the most expensive one!"
Dash let out a deep, approving neigh, his ears pricking forward. Even he looked impressed.
I didn't waste a second. "Let's go. I don't want to stick around any longer—if the Bi-Blouk decides to show up, I'm done for."
"And, we've already spent too much time here," I added, glancing over my shoulder. The longer we stayed, the higher the chances of some new headache finding me. And after everything with Lady Ilona, I was not in the mood for surprises.
As Eva and I mounted onto Dash, we vanished into the streets before trouble could sink its claws into us.
The city blurred past in streaks of shimmering lights and swarming figures, but I kept my grip firm—both on the reins and on the diamond-crusted bottles of wine.
I wasn't about to let this hard-earned loot slip away. Not after everything.
Dash's hooves barely made a sound against the enchanted pavement, and for once, I allowed myself to believe—just maybe—that we'd gotten away clean.
...Yeah, I probably just jinxed it.
Clutching the bottles tightly, I exhaled. Time to get out of here—before the universe decides I haven't suffered enough.
**************
It seems Fenrir was right—danger really did have a thing for me.
The moment we left the Between Realms and arrived outside the gates of the ancient city of Kazan, nestled deep within the Forest of Forgotten Tales, chaos greeted us like an old friend.
The city's protector—the one who was never supposed to attack anyone inside—had lost its mind.
Its piercing shrieks echoed through the sky, each cry shaking the air with an unnatural force.
In the distance, a monstrous, draconic chicken unleashed fireballs from its beak, the blazing projectiles smashing into buildings.
As if that wasn't bad enough, the creature flapped its massive leather wings, stirring up a mini windstorm before slamming its razor-sharp beak against the city's walls like it was trying to punch a hole through reality itself.
What. The. Hell.
"W-what the—?!" My voice barely registered over the chaos.
Eva, ever the problem-solver, stopped a passerby—a behemoth of a man sprinting in the opposite direction towards us. He towered at a solid nine feet, his muscular frame accompanied by enormous, elephant-like ears.
Whoa. What creature is that?
The man barely spared us a glance before huffing, "We don't know! Zilant just snapped and started tearing through the city! Everyone's running for their lives!"
"Fleeing?" I repeated, my stomach sinking. "What about Trauco?! Is he still there?"
Panic seized my chest. No. No, no, no.
I had endured humiliation. I had endured being sniffed. I had suffered just to get this damn wine.
If Trauco had fled with the rest of the city before I could cure myself—
I swear, I will lose my mind.