NOVEL NEXT Chapter 51: Dreads
Velira—still straddling Eren's waist—finally tumbled to the side, collapsing onto the rocky floor.Her lips parted as she panted, pulling in deep, shaky breaths.
"Haa…" she exhaled, her voice breathless.Lying flat on the cool ground, she murmured,"That… was too much."
Their mixed fluids trickled from her, sliding slowly down the inside of her thighs.She shifted onto her side, letting it drip freely as her pussy still quivered with the aftershocks.
Nearby, Eren lay sprawled across the warmed rock, staring blankly at the sky above.He groaned softly, his chest rising and falling as fatigue took him.His body was drained—stamina spent after three relentless rounds,his mind hazy enough that he'd lost count of how many times he'd come.
Shaula, Velira, and Alayne lay sprawled across the rocky clearing—their limbs loose, their chests rising and falling in ragged rhythm.All three were still gasping, bodies spent and slick with sweat.
Velira broke the silence mid-breath."Oh—right," she panted."Alayne… there's an urgent message."She paused, her voice still uneven."I think it's from your fiancé's side."
Alayne's body jolted—her head snapping toward Velira."Him…?" she breathed.
Her hand rose to her temple, fingers trembling."What's it about?"
Velira only turned her gaze toward Shaula."Shaula, can you read the note Bavrik gave you?"
Shaula's hands shook as she reached for the torn bundle of her clothes nearby—right where Velira had ripped her pants earlier.Tucked between the folds was a small, creased slip of paper.
She unfolded it carefully, the script scrawled across it coming into full view.Her eyes flicked up, uncertain.
"Do I… read it? Are you sure it's okay?"
Alayne drew in a slow breath, her expression steady despite her still-heaving chest."It's alright," she said quietly."You've already seen enough."
Alayne drew in a sharp breath, as Shaula gave a small nod."Alright…" she murmured, steadying her still-trembling hands.
She focused on the inked letters—then began to read aloud:
"My Dearest Miss Alayne,
With our wedding drawing near—set to grace the end of this year—my heart aches knowing you've been sent to the battlefront… and against your wishes, at that.
I could not stand idly by.So I have petitioned the minister on your behalf, and he has agreed to a different arrangement.
Instead of you remaining at the front,we will be sending a party of healers in your place—soldiers who have been wounded, yet are already well on their way to recovery.
They will be returning from the battlefield,and I will ensure to send them your way, accompanied by a trusted escort to see you safely back.
Our elders, seeing how the storm of conflict gathers around the kingdom,wish for our marriage to be held as soon as possible—before the tides of chaos leave us with no peaceful days to spare.
Come home to me, Alayne.Let us meet amidst the vows we promised each other.
With all my love,Darian."
Hearing the letter, one of Eren's brows lifted.
From the side, Velira's voice came, half-smirking:"Told ya."
Shaula folded the message with care, sliding it aside before letting her hand fall limply to her lap.
Alayne—still trembling—rose slowly to her feet—walking.She let out a quiet sigh… then, without warning, dropped forward—collapsing her hips right onto Eren's face.
Their sweaty skin met with a wet slap.
"Hrk—!"Eren gasped, his airway crushed beneath her sudden weight. He squirmed, eyes wide, before shoving her off to the side.
Chest rising and falling in deep, desperate gasps
"Don't do that." he said, voice trembling.
Alayne, now sprawled beside him, just pouted.Clicking her lips in mock annoyance, she muttered:"That's the only way I can think clearly."
Eren groaned, voice barely above a wheeze,"It's already been the three of you. No breaks. No pause."He let his head fall back with a thud onto the warm rock."Let me breathe."
Alayne clicked her tongue again."Tch."
From a short distance away, Velira—still lying on her back against the warm stone—tilted her head and spoke:
"Why do you even need to clear your head?" she asked lazily."Isn't it supposed to be a good thing? Returning to the capital? In this chaos—when the last southern line is about to break and Maw beasts are tearing through everything… If I got the chance to retreat to the safety of the capital, I'd take it without a second thought."
Her voice was casual, but her words cut clean.
Alayne went quiet for a moment, then asked softly,"Even if you had to leave Eren behind?"
Velira didn't hesitate. She breathed out her reply in one blunt stroke:"I'm horny… but not enough to confuse the difference between dick and death."
Eren blinked, stung by the sudden jab."Hey—" he protested, head lifting slightly.
Velira just shrugged, her tone unbothered."Truth's truth."
Then she paused, her gaze sliding toward her sister with a faint smirk."…Though, I might consider taking her back with me."
Eren just clicked his tongue, as Alayne let out a long sigh."This is of no help…" she muttered, her thoughts spinning without finding any answers.
Velira, still shaky, began pushing herself up.Her legs trembled as she straightened, dragging her feet slowly across the ground until she reached the two of them.
She stopped in front of Eren, extending a hand down toward him.
"If we don't return soon, Mira might start getting suspicious," she said, voice low but steady despite her exhaustion.
Then she turned her eyes toward Shaula, adding,"And… we still have that mission."
Eren—his hand halfway to Velira's open palm—halted, eyes narrowing."A mission?" he asked.
Velira let out a slow sigh, brushing loose strands of hair from her damp face."The south might collapse any moment now—monsters crashing through the lines—but…"She paused, drawing a steadying breath."The west from here is still exposed. We've been assigned to head there with our company, alongside another company leader, and secure it."
Her gaze shifted to Eren, sharp and level."If we don't, then even if we clear the south, we risk getting surrounded when we return."
She drew in another deep breath before adding quietly,"Though, I doubt we'd be able to stop the horned Dreads… but we can stall them. Even if a little."
Then, without waiting for his reply, she seized Eren's wrist and pulled him up to his feet.
Velira moved toward Shaula, while Eren stayed behind, his voice low and curious:"Horned Dreads…?"
Velira said nothing at first, slipping an arm under Shaula's to lift her up.Shaula's body was still trembling—especially her legs, which quivered as though they might give way again at any second.With effort, Velira steadied her on her feet.
Only then did she answer, her voice quiet but firm:
"It's normal you don't know of them. They're… new."
She glanced back at him as she continued,"Even for us—those of us who always stay at the front, taking odd and deadly jobs—this is the first we've heard of them."
Velira's gaze sharpened, her tone hardening:"They've just begun appearing on the battlefield. It's the reason the Kingdom gathered an entire battalion for the southern front… just to hold them back."
"An oddbeast…" Velira began, her voice low."Its horns tear inward through its own skull, twisting into a crown."
She guided Shaula carefully as she spoke, eyes narrowing."Not much is known—only what a single surviving foot soldier told us."
Velira's tone dipped, quoting him:"'A beast that could kill entire battalions… in seconds.'"
Then—she exhaled sharply, expression relaxing,"But at the end of the day, we'll have to see it for ourselves. He's just a foot soldier… it's hard to judge the Dread's true power from his words alone."
Eren fell silent, his brow furrowing.
Velira gave his arm a tug, snapping him from his thoughts."Come on. Wash up quickly," she ordered, nodding toward the spring."We need to move before the sun sets."
"Mhm." Eren hummed in reply, quiet and thoughtful, as they stepped toward the small pool.