NOVEL NEXT Chapter 300: Second Daily Reward?
"O-okay," Selene said softly.
Her voice trembled... she had never been in such a situation her entire life so she didn't know how to react.
She stood by the bed.
Azel patted the empty space beside him.
"Why don't you get on the bed?" he asked with a gentle voice.
He wasn't trying to tease her.
He knew what the werewolf customs were… or at least what he'd pieced together from her awkward explanations.
For a woman in her position, being "married" to a man who would soon leave her behind to lead an entire territory… it must have felt lonely.
Maybe letting her stay close would help her feel secure. No one wanted to be left behind by someone who claimed to be their lord… or husband.
Selene hesitated, her silver tail flicking nervously behind her. "A-are you sure I can join you there, my lord?"
"Yes, you can," Azel said, rolling his eyes slightly. "And the 'my lord' thing is getting a bit too much. Just call me Azel."
The words made her pause. Her heart skipped at his words.
"I… understand, Azel." she said quietly.
Azel nodded, closed his eyes, and leaned back into the pillow. Moments later, he felt the bed shift under new weight as Selene climbed onto it.
Her movements were careful and shy, as if she feared she might disturb him.
She laid on her side, a small distance away, but the warmth of her body reached him.
'Nice…' he thought, his mind drifting.
Sleep came easily after that.
The sound of her breathing beside him was oddly soothing.
…
When Azel woke up, it was to the sunlight creeping in through the tall windows. The rays hit his face gently, the light in this world was far softer than the harsh glow of Earth's sun.
He groaned, blinking away sleep.
His head still felt heavy.
He rolled slightly, expecting to see Selene beside him but the bed was empty.
'She's gone?' he thought, rubbing his eyes.
Before he could sit up, something tugged lightly at his foot.
His sleepy brain froze for a second before his eyes traveled down and he blinked.
Ravik's wife was kneeling on the floor, wearing a maid uniform and pulling black stockings up his legs.
"Good morning, my lord," she said, bowing her head slightly.
Azel just… stared. "Why are you up so early…?"
She smiled politely and rose to her feet, adjusting her apron. "It's not early, my lord. It's already afternoon. You seemed far more tired than you let on."
"Afternoon?" he repeated blankly.
"Yes," she said. "My lady watched your face for a few hours after sunrise, then left. I don't know if she did anything, though."
Azel slowly lifted a hand to his cheek, feeling the dried saliva on it.
"Did anything…?" he muttered.
He couldn't tell.
Maybe that could explain why he felt so touched…
He sighed. "Right… Is there anything going on currently?"
"Yes, my lord," she replied at once, clasping her hands before her. "Ex-Lord Vargan has gathered a few werewolf men and organized a hunt."
Azel rubbed his forehead. "That's fine. Let him burn off some energy."
"The Lady hasn't joined them," the maid added. "It seems she went to the surface."
That made him pause. "The surface?"
"Yes."
Azel frowned slightly.
'I wonder what she went to do?' he thought. She hadn't said anything last night about leaving, but he doubted it was anything dangerous.
Still… he didn't want to wake up one day to find half the town gone.
He sighed again. "It's fine. As long as she doesn't attack anybody."
The qoman bowed slightly.
He swung his legs off the bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
"I wanted to ask," he said suddenly, "isn't there a council of elders or something? You know, to make decisions while I'm not around?"
Her expression darkened a little. "They're dead, my lord."
Azel blinked. "…What?"
"Vargan massacred them about two months ago," she said plainly.
Azel froze, then exhaled through his nose.
'Doing the Lord's work,' he thought dryly.
Old men with too much power were always a problem. Still, it explained a lot about the chaos Lycas had fallen into before his arrival.
He resisted the urge to throw up a peace sign just for irony's sake.
"Alright then," he muttered. "Thank you. Please take me to where Ravik kept the box."
"Of course, my lord."
She turned and led him out of the bedroom.
…
The mansion was busier than yesterday. Azel noticed several women in maid uniforms cleaning or carrying empty laundry baskets.
Some greeted him shyly with small bows.
It wasn't as grand as a noble's estate in the Empire, but compared to the empty halls from the day before, it felt a lot more alive.
They descended the wide stairs to the ground floor, where the throne room awaited… the large chair still sitting proudly on its platform. At the far corner of the room stood a familiar sight: the glowing Daily Reward Box.
Azel approached, cracking his knuckles.
[Would you like to open it today?]
[Cost: 20 SP]
[Y / N]
'It refreshes every day, huh?' he thought.
He tapped Y.
The box shuddered once, then burst open with a radiant flash of light. The brilliance filled the entire room, reflecting off the polished marble floors.
Azel squinted and raised a hand to his face. 'Damn, you'd think this thing would learn to be less dramatic.'
As the light dimmed and something floated gently out of the box… a small piece of gear that glimmered faintly before touching his head and disappearing.
[Protective Gear x100]
Azel tilted his head. 'Protective gear? Why would werewolves need that?'
He summoned his system panel briefly, glancing over the item's description… It didn't look bad at all, but…
'These people are already tough as hell,' he thought. 'Do they even need armor?'
Before he could think too much, a bunch of hurried footsteps sounded across the hall.
A maid burst in, sucking in deep breaths. "My lord!"
Azel turned, brow raised. "What is it?"
"The hunters have returned," she said between breaths.
"Good."
"Sir Vargan is on the brink of death."
"…Eh?"
Azel blinked.
"Ehhh?!"