NOVEL NEXT Chapter 423: Saviour Of The Village
Nala was like an amateur who'd just discovered kissing and couldn't stop herself. She leaned into him aggressively, her lips devouring his, her twin tongues exploring his mouth with a hunger that surprised even her.
Her tail tightened around him, wrapping his legs and waist like a massive snake devouring its prey, holding him hostage in her coils.
To an outsider, it might've looked like a predator consuming a human—but Cassius was far from distressed.
He was blissful, his hands rubbing her back soothingly, letting her take control. The sensation of her two tongues massaging his was electric, doubling the pleasure, making his head spin as he groaned softly into her mouth.
"Fuck, Nala." He murmured against her lips, his voice thick with arousal. "You're gonna eat me alive, aren't you?"
She didn't respond, too lost in the kiss, her tongues twirling faster, her tail squeezing tighter as she pressed herself closer, her breasts squishing against his chest.
But just as Cassius thought he might drown in the bliss of her aggressive affection—Nala's eyes snapped open, wide with alarm.
She pulled back abruptly, her lips glistening, her breath ragged as she turned her head toward a distant rustle in the forest.
"Hold up, Cassius, just wait a moment." She said, her voice urgent as she untangled her tail from his legs. "I need to check something. Stay here."
Cassius blinked, still dazed from the kiss, his hands lingering where her hips had been. "What? What's wrong?" He asked, his voice thick with concern and lingering arousal.
But before he could say more, Nala slithered off toward a pathway in the distance, her tail moving with surprising speed.
Curiosity got the better of him. Despite her instruction to wait, Cassius stood, brushing grass from his clothes, and followed her, his steps quick but quiet.
As he approached, he saw Nala in a clearing, facing two elderly women, village grannies, their faces lined with age but eyes sharp with mischief.
They were arguing, their voices carrying over the quiet forest, and Nala stood before them, her hands on her hips, her tone ful of exasperation and care.
"Come on, Granny, don't say things like that!" Nala said, her voice firm but pleading as she gestured at the first granny, a thin woman with a cane. "Your husband told me to keep an eye on you, said you're too old to be wandering these bumpy paths alone. So, there's no way I'm letting you walk on this uneven ground when I'm right here! Get on my tail, I'll drop you off myself."
She then turned to the second granny, a round woman with a stubborn glint in her eye.
"And you too! Didn't you just injure your knee last week? The doctor told you not to strain it, and here you are, strolling around like you're a teenager!"
"Both of you should be at home resting, not acting like children out here! Honestly, the older generation's supposed to be responsible, but you two are worse than the village kids!"
And in response the grandma in question scoffed, waving her cane dismissively.
"What injury? This little scratch on my leg? Pfft, I've had worse fishing in the river back in my day. Fell off a boat, broke three ribs, and still hauled in a net of fish! This knee's nothing, Nala. I'm not letting it stop me from my walk!"
The other granny chimed in, her face wrinkling into a mischievous grin. "And I'll be damned if my husband thinks he can stop me from taking a walk! When I get home, I'm going to slap him silly for tattling to you. He won't be getting any dinner tonight, that stubborn fool!"
"Honestly!" Nala threw her arms up, exasperated. "You two are worse than children. You're supposed to be the elders, the ones with wisdom, and here you are sneaking around like naughty girls. I can't believe this!"
But the grannies didn't budge, their stubbornness as solid as the oak behind them.
Meanwhile, Cassius watched from the edge of the clearing, his heart warming at the sight.
Nala had been so consumed by their kiss, so lost in her desire, yet the moment she saw her villagers in need, she'd abandoned everything to help. Her kindness, her fierce protectiveness, it made his chest swell with affection.
The first granny finally sighed. "We appreciate it, child, but you shouldn't worry about us today. You're supposed to be on a date with that young man, where even is he?"
As if on cue, Cassius stepped out from the bushes.
The grannies eyes lit up at once.
"Ohhh, I see." The second granny said slyly, her grin turning impish as she looked at Nala's flushed face. "So that's why you were red as a beetroot and sweating like a sinner in church. I was wondering what had you so flustered, but now it's clear. You two were off doing...something."
"Granny!" Nala shrieked, waving her hands frantically, her whole face turning crimson. "Don't say things like that!"
But the first granny ignored her protests and instead turned her gaze on Cassius and asked inquisitively, "So, young man, are you truly the one dating our Nala here?"
Cassius bowed his head respectfully. "Yes, ma'am. I'm Cassius Holyfield. I'm the one who has the honor of taking her out today. Is there something wrong? You're looking at me quite strangely like if did something wrong. Am I...not enough for her?"
Both old women immediately waved their hands.
"No, no, nothing like that at all!" One said quickly. "Quite the opposite, in fact. Never in a thousand years did I think this tomboy of ours would manage to snag someone like you. With her attitude, scaring everyone away, I thought she'd die alone!"
"But here you are, handsome, noble-looking, like you came straight out of a royal family. You've given me hope, young man. Real hope."
"Stop talking!" Nala groaned, covering her face.
One of the grannies smirked. "Still, girl, you can't carry us today. You're on a date, after all. No excuses. Leave us old bats to walk."
Nala looked torn, frustration twisting her features. She opened her mouth to argue again, but to everyone's surprise, Cassius strode forward, crouched, and suddenly swept one of the grannies up onto his back.
"Wha—?! Young man, put me down this instant!" the old woman yelped, kicking her legs. "There's no need for this!"
But Cassius smiled warmly, tightening his grip to keep her secure.
"Sorry, Granny. But the truth is…" He glanced at Nala and smirked. "I'm a bit of a henpecked man. I do what my woman says. And when I hear Nala wants to help you, then I want to help you too. That's just how it is."
The two grannies exchanged a look of pure amusement before turning their eyes on Nala. The poor lamia stood frozen, her face aflame, her mouth opening and closing without words.
One of the old women finally chuckled, giving in. "Fine, fine. If you insist this much, I won't fight it. Come on then, girl. Let me ride your tail. You win today."
Nala's tail straightened in surprise as the other granny clambered onto it with surprising agility.
"Hmph. You both should've listened from the start." Nala muttered, trying to mask her embarrassment with haughtiness.
Nala then shot him a glare but then looked down at the woman on his back. "Cassius, there's no need for you to carry her. My tail is strong enough for both. This is my responsibility. I'll take care of them."
But hearing this, Cassius suddenly frowned like he was offended, his voice dropping serious as he looked at her.
"Your responsibility? My responsibility? What nonsense are you saying, Nala?"
Her eyes widened at his unexpected reaction, while he stepped closer, adjusting the granny on his back as he spoke firmly.
"If we're to be together, there's no difference between you and me. Your family becomes mine. My family becomes yours. That means these grannies aren't just yours anymore—they're mine too. And that means I'll share the load. Don't you dare try to separate it like it's yours alone."
For once, Nala was struck silent.
The two grandmothers exchanged a knowing giggle, whispering to each other. "Oh, this one's a rare catch, isn't he? Gentlemanly, handsome, strong...our Nala really is lucky."
The other poked Nala in the ribs. "Better not let him go, girl. If you do, my granddaughter's still single, and I'll happily snatch him up for her."
But hearing Nala whirled, her eyes blazing.
"Don't you dare, Granny! He's mine! My man!"
Everyone froze.
Realizing what she had just blurted out, Nala's jaw dropped.
"I-I mean—! Forget I said that! You talk too much!"
She whipped around, her face burning hotter than ever, and started slithering down the path to hide her embarrassment.
Cassius chuckled, walking after her with the grannies happily chatting away on their "rides."
And while Nala tried desperately to silence them, the old women only grew louder, telling Cassius embarrassing stories of her childhood—how she once got stuck in a barrel, how she bit a boy's tail for teasing her, how she cried the first time she had to kill a chicken for stew.
Cassius listened with a broad smile, his heart swelling as he watched the flustered, pouting lamia in front of him.
Then, after a while, the granny on his back sighed and spoke in a softer tone than before.
"You know, young man, we tease Nala a lot. Sometimes too much. But you shouldn't misunderstand. She's not just some silly girl with a sharp tongue. She's one heck of a woman. You won't find another like her."
The other granny nodded in firm agreement.
"Exactly. Don't let her antics fool you. This girl is the very reason our village is thriving while the others around the lake are struggling. Without her, we'd be starving like the rest...She saved us."
Cassius tilted his head, curiosity flickering across his face. "Really? You've piqued my interest. I don't actually know much about what's going on in this village...would you tell me more? Especially about what Nala's done."
He glanced at the lamia, who had stopped talking entirely, her flushed face angled away as if trying to hide.
"Ah, she's embarrassed now, but fine, I'll tell you." The granny on his back chuckled knowingly. "You may have already heard about the Leviathan attack. Because of it, most fishing villages around the lake stopped working."
"Merchants stopped coming, money stopped flowing. Other villages are in chaos. But if you look around ours…" She gestured with a gnarled hand. "You won't see panic. People are laughing, talking, eating, living as though nothing happened."
"That's true." Cassius nodded slowly. "I hadn't thought about it, but the atmosphere here...it does feel different. Livelier."
"Exactly." the granny said. "And that's because of her." She jabbed a finger toward Nala, who immediately flinched and turned her face away.
"Granny, stop…" The lamia muttered.
But the old woman pressed on.
"You see, ever since she was young, she's been thinking of ways to improve life here. She was always grateful this village adopted her despite her being a lamia child. She swore she'd repay that kindness. And she did...Through that sneaky mind of hers."
The second granny chimed in, her voice proud.
"She realized something the rest of us never saw: all the villages around the lake were selling the same fish, the same way, with no difference. Merchants just went to whichever place was closest...So what did she do? She used her wits. She turned fishing into branding."
Cassius blinked. "Branding? For fish?"
The granny nodded. "She created a name. Marketed it as though our fish came from a special patch of the lake—nourished by rare seaweed that made them stronger, healthier, tastier. She said eating them would make the customer healthier too."
"She even designed a logo, special packaging. And in response, merchants couldn't resist, it looked like a luxury product and suddenly, everyone wanted only our fish."
Cassius's lips twitched, amusement mixing with admiration. "Wait, rare seaweed? Is that true?"
Both grannies burst out laughing. "Not at all! A complete lie spun from that girl's silver tongue."
"Granny! Don't say it like that!" Nala whipped her head around, her cheeks blazing.
"So." Cassius smirked at her, eyes gleaming with pride. "You're telling me my Nala tricked an entire trade network into believing her village had magic fish?"
"I didn't trick them, I just...repackaged the truth!" Nala covered her face with both hands.
The grandmothers cackled, ignoring her protests.
"Truth or not, it worked. Merchants flocked here. Our name spread to nearby towns. Customers asked only for our fish, our brand. Money flowed in. Families prospered."
Cassius looked at Nala again, this time with open admiration that made her squirm. "Clever girl. That's not just survival, that's brilliance."
But the grannies weren't finished.
"And it wasn't just marketing." One added, her tone swelling with pride. "She looked at us old folk and saw how we struggled. Most of our young people had gone to the cities for work. We couldn't haul nets like we used to. Couldn't row the boats, couldn't lift the cages...So she built things."
Cassius blinked. "Built...things?"
"Inventions." The granny confirmed, nodding sagely. "A fish feed that lures shoals straight to the nets. Cages with self-retracting pulleys, set it, forget it, it hauls itself in. And a device she made...when you drop it into a school, it sends out a shockwave, stuns the fish, makes them easy to catch."
"...Thanks to her, even us old bones can still fish and bring home bounty."
Cassius was stunned. "You...you did all that?" He asked, turning his gaze back to Nala, who only curled her tail tighter in embarrassment.
The grannies chuckled together. "And that's not even everything she's done for us. But we've talked long enough. Our stop is here."
Both women dismounted—one hopping off Nala's tail, the other sliding down from Cassius's back. They smiled warmly at the young couple.
"If you want to know more..." One granny said. "...just let Nala take you to the lake. She keeps all her inventions there. She'll show you herself. For now, we'll leave you two to your date to your date and wish you the best."
And just like that, they tottered off down another path, giggling to each other.
And the moment they disappeared, Nala whirled on Cassius, flustered beyond belief.
"D-Don't mind them, Cassius! They exaggerate everything. Anyway, forget all that. I...I actually have a nice place planned for us. It's a viewpoint overlooking the entire village. It's really beautiful, and, um...it's where couples usually go. You'll like it."
But Cassius just looked at her for a long moment, a half-smile tugging at his lips. Then he shook his head.
"No. I don't want to go there."
Nala blinked. "Huh? What do you mean? But, it's the perfect spot for a date!"
He stepped closer, his eyes soft but firm.
"The grannies were right. Today's not just about some view or some cliché lovers' spot. Today is about you. I want to see what you've built, what you've achieved. I want to see your lake, your inventions, your work, the things that make those women speak so proudly of you...That's the Nala I want to know."
Nala froze, her chest tightening. For once, she didn't have a quick retort. Instead she looked away, biting her lip. Then, with a shy smile she quickly tried to hide, she muttered.
"Fine. Fine, Cassius. But if you get bored, don't blame me. I warned you."
Cassius chuckled, brushing her arm as he passed. "I doubt I'll be bored for a second."
And together, they began walking toward the lake.
But they only walked a short distance before Nala suddenly used her tail to sweep Cassius up—making him ride atop her coils instead.
She had carried grannies and children on her tail many times before, but Cassius was different, he was special, and deep down she wanted him there all along. Her tail cradled him firmly yet softly, moving like a living carriage built just for him.
Cassius too accepted without protest, holding her tightly as they traveled, his arms wrapped around her waist.
Sometimes his hands wandered, groping her chest as they moved, but Nala didn't mind—if anything, she welcomed it, the tip of her tail making sure that he didn't fall off around him as if that was its only true purpose...