NOVEL NEXT Chapter 208: Reunion?
Plaides had been surprised twice today.
For a god who spent most of his eternal life standing watch over a sealed plane that only opened once every five hundred years, surprise was rare.
Almost impossible.
He could count the times he had been truly surprised in all his existence on a single finger.
Until today.
The first surprise today was when three diviners had tried to break in the Familiar zone… Who the hell had enough courage to try and break into this place?
The next had been when Ahrya, the proud Nine-Tailed Fox, and Erblim, the stubborn bird, suddenly offered themselves for a contract with the mortal boy Azel.
That alone had shaken his composure entirely.
But now… Nyala was hugging a puppy with sparkling eyes and she had decided that this would be her familiar.
The same woman that pit familiars with high magical energy against each other last time to get the most powerful familiar?
Plaides rubbed his temple.
His head hurt.
"You're picking that puppy?" he asked, staring at her in disbelief.
He simply couldn't wrap his head around it.
He turned toward Kyone, hoping she would intervene.
He could respect Kyone's choice — the scarred wolf at her side was powerful, filled with mana, a worthy familiar for a warrior goddess.
She had once ridden beasts into war when she was still mortal, so this choice suited her well.
But Nyala? A puppy that didn't even radiate mana?
"Even if you don't plan to fight in battles, you shouldn't—" he began, trying to guide her decision.
"But he's so domesticated~" Nyala interrupted, pressing her cheek into the small dog's fur.
The little thing wagged its tail happily, tongue sticking out, blissfully ignorant that the god before it was struggling to contain his shock.
Kyone rolled her eyes at the sight.
"She could smell Azel on it, that's why," she muttered under her breath.
Her voice was calm, but she deliberately left out the part that she had nearly fought for it as a familiar too.
Nyala shook her head with determination, hugging the dog tighter. "No, Rudy is still beautiful just the way he is."
If Azel were here, he might have said Nyala sounded exactly like one of those women on Earth who spoiled their pets and called them their children.
The god finally gave up trying to reason with her. He let out a long sigh and stomped his foot lightly against the ground.
Divine energy rippled outward, spreading across the clearing. In an instant, a glowing bubble of soul-energy enclosed them all.
"Let's get your contracts done and get out of here," he said flatly.
…
Azel groaned softly as he came to.
His vision was blurry at first, the light around him faint.
Slowly, he realized he was lying on something warm and soft.
His cheek rested against what felt suspiciously like thighs.
A woman's thighs?
But he didn't recognize these thighs… they were too small…
"Master, are you awake~?" a playful voice teased above him.
Azel's eyes flew open. His body jerked upright so fast that his head spun.
He turned to see who had spoken and froze in horror.
Erblim.
The boy-form of the bird familiar sat beside him with a smirk tugging at his lips. His black hair had settled neatly, and his clothes were no longer covered in dust.
Azel's heart sank as realization struck.
'Don't tell me… I was lying on Erblim's thighs this whole time?!'
"Y-Yeah, I'm awake," Azel muttered quickly, trying to push away the embarrassment.
He stretched his arms, covering his face with one hand. "Where's Ahrya? And where even are we?"
Erblim rubbed his head lazily. "According to the Watcher, we're outside the plane now. As for Ahrya — oh, she's up there."
He pointed upward.
Azel followed his finger, and his jaw nearly dropped.
Soaring high above the clouds was a massive dragon, its wings blotting out the sun as it moved.
And riding on its back, tails whipping in the wind, was Ahrya. The fox spirit laughed with pure joy, her voice carrying even from that height.
"Wooooooh!!! This is amazing!!!" she screamed, her tone filled with exhilaration.
Azel's face twisted. He felt a sharp stab of jealousy.
'Why does she get to ride a dragon?!'
He wanted that too.
He wanted it badly.
"How the hell did she even get up there?" he asked through clenched teeth.
Erblim shrugged, looking unbothered. "Master, I wouldn't really know. I only woke up a few minutes ago. But if I had to guess she probably jumped."
Azel blinked slowly. "She jumped… onto a dragon… from the ground?"
"Sounds like her, doesn't it?" Erblim replied casually.
Azel sighed heavily.
He shouldn't have even asked.
But another thought came to him, and he frowned. "Also, There's no need to keep calling me Master, is there? I'm perfectly fine with my name."
Erblim tilted his head with an amused smile. "Well, you are my master now. That's what the contract means. Besides, it suits you."
Azel groaned.
Before he could complain further, a purple spark of lightning went through the air.
A purple glow filled the skies.
The light wrapped around Ahrya, pulling her gently from the dragon's back. She whined as the magic forced her down, her nine tails swishing in irritation.
"Oh, come on," she muttered as her feet touched the ground again.
She bit her lip and glared at the sky as if she'd been robbed of the best ride of her life.
The glow dispersed, revealing the figure at its center.
Plaides stood there, his long hair flowing behind him, eyes shining with purple lightning.
And beside him… the two two goddesses.
Kyone sat proudly atop her new wolf familiar, the beast's scarred face and massive size made it perfect for intimidation.
Nyala, by contrast, was kneeling happily with her small puppy, scratching behind its ears while humming to herself.
Azel blinked.
He swore he had seen that exact puppy earlier before the contracts.
His brows furrowed, but before he could think too much on it, something else stole his attention.
A sudden burst of wind swept through the clearing.
Ahrya's nine tails fanned outward, swirling in the air like banners. Her golden eyes lit up with pure excitement, her lips spreading into a smile so wide it almost split her face.
"Goddesssssssss!!!" she shouted with joy.
Her body shot forward like a spring released. The force of her leap was so powerful that Azel nearly lost his balance, stumbling back as the ground shook beneath her takeoff.
She soared toward Kyone, her tails whipping behind her like streams of light.
Azel stared at her stunned.
'Do they have some history or what?' he thought, unable to look away as the nine-tailed fox embraced the goddess.