NOVEL NEXT 254. The aftertalks.
It was another eight hours before I was able to return home. The Mountain Dungeon was fully secured, and the Dwarves started laying their plans for their city. Some of them began their return to Avalon, but most of them stayed behind. As I teleported to the living room, I expected weird things to happen there. Instead, I found the seven women chatting calmly, sitting on the large, comfortable pillows near the hearth. Amber noticed my return first and stood up with a warm smile. The rest of my wives' warm smiles welcomed me; only Freya looked elsewhere, which was understandable. While I was curious about their discussion, I trusted them and did not pry into something they were not eager to tell me.
"Welcome back, my Dear." The First Queen smiled and kissed my cheek as she approached me.
"Hello, my Beauties." I smiled after being gently pulled towards the pillows. "I really should take a shower first..."
"Hmmm... All right." Amber let go of my hand, and I steered myself into the bathroom.
The hot water was a blessing I needed after that fight. The Voidborn wasn't particularly challenging, but he hit like a truck. My arms were sore after that fight, and the hot water pleasantly relaxed my body. I stood with my eyes closed, enjoying the droplets of water splashing on my face, when I heard the sound of opening doors.
"Something wrong, Lavender?" I instantly knew it was her.
"Not at all. Well... Maybe." She giggled a bit. "I decided to use the opportunity to talk with you privately."
The Dryad freed her gorgeous body from the confines of her casual dress. However, despite the unquestionable desire to hug her and maybe get more intimate, I quickly finished my shower and panicked towards the swimming pool section we called the bath.
"Of course!" I smiled and watched in horror as she shut off the warm water and turned on the cold one.
I wasn't going to question her preferences, but being drenched in the almost icy cold water was off the list of things I was willing to do voluntarily today. She had caught me off guard once and sprayed me with her favourite water temperature, and since that day, I have known the dangers she presented under the shower. I sat in the large jacuzzi and put my hands on the rims of the tub. The warm water swirled and bubbled around me, massaging my exhausted body. I hadn't been waiting more than a few minutes before Lavender entered the bathroom and sat on my knees. She put her arm around my neck and snuggled herself to me.
"Sooo..." Her face was close to mine, and I felt her breath on my neck, sending shivers down my spine. "There are a few things I wanted to discuss with you, my Love..."
"Uhum..."
She giggled, and after kissing my cheek, she laid her head on my shoulder and started playfully kicking her long legs in the water.
"First of all… some good news I want to share, then some of my concerns." She slowly ran her fingers over my chest.
"Okay... I see that you decided to build my suspense." I smiled and decided to run my hand over her belly and down her thigh. Two can play this game.
"Ohhhh..." She moaned and hugged me tighter. "I deserve that." She giggled, and after clearing her throat, she looked at me with a big and happy smile. "So, first of all, my sister is expecting a child, Theon!"
"That's some fantastic news, Lavender!" I smiled at her with a nod. "I imagine they are both happy."
"Happy and anxious!" She laughed. "Sooo... I wanted to tell you that I will visit her more frequently now."
"We all should visit them soon." I smiled warmly. "Just take your Praetorians and maybe the Maids with you. They might be helpful to have around."
"Oh! That's a good idea." Her smile slowly faded, and she took a deep breath. "There is also one thing that had to be investigated."
"Go on." I nodded, seeing that she had proceeded to the concerning part.
"I have no proof, not a single piece of evidence, but I feel that something is wrong in the northwest, near our side of the mountains." She took a deep breath, poofed her cheeks, and released a frustrated sigh. "I need to see that place personally, but first, I want Sebastian to scour the area."
"I have my objections about that..." I admitted and saw her hurt expression. Her eyes almost screamed that I should believe her. "But it's not what you think. I trust you and your hunch. However, the servants of Void and Chaos were active in that area. If any Voidborn survived the attack on Freya's Dungeon, they might have fled there, Lavender. I don't want to risk the safety of any of you, my Dear. But, of course, I will send Sebastian with as many Slimes as possible to comb the entire area. Just tell me what they have to search for?"
"Thank you for believing me." Lavender smiled but she was a bit sad. "The problem is that I don't know. That's why I want to go there personally."
"Okay... In that case, Sebastian will check if the place is secure enough for your visit there. Your personal Praetorian company will be supported by a detachment of the newly formed Legion. As much as I would like to dispatch Dauntless to escort you, I need Janet on the other side of the mountains until we finish the border fortifications. Victory and her battle group are my next best bet, so you will use her for that trip. The Hero-class adventurers will also accompany you. When do you want to go?"
"It's not that urgent, so maybe by the end of the next week?"
"In that case, everything will be ready in time."
"I love you." She looked at me affectionately and smiled softly. "I'm happy to hear that you are sending such imposing forces just to let me chase ghosts..." She sighed and rested in my arms. "It's still unbelievable that you changed my world so much..."
I hugged her and relaxed more comfortably in the bath. "You changed mine as well, my Queen of Nature."
"Please..." She giggled. "By the way. Have you seen the Yggdrasil sapling lately?"
"Not really... I know it was growing quickly, but I admit I wasn't anywhere near it lately."
"Well..." She leaned her head back and looked at the ceiling. "It's already five metres tall, and the way it grows, it's unlike any tree I have ever seen or familiar with. I will be able to get Yggdrasil wood from it very soon. Some of the branches are growing in the wrong way... Sorry, I can't explain that any better."
"I guess you need to prune the tree to keep it healthy or in good shape." I scratched the back of my head.
"Something like that." She grinned and nodded. "There is also one more thing."
"Yes?"
"You see... Amber, Luna, and Irene have the Angel's feathers. Hestia is a Goddess, and she is anchored now, thanks to the number of people who believe in her. Aoi has her heirloom, the Dragon Scale of Grandine. Freya is a Dungeon just like you..."
"Lavender, I'm sorry, but I don't have any more life-saving items." I interrupted her and lowered my head. "If I had anything I would have already given it to you-"
"No, no. That's not what I meant." She stopped me by putting her finger on my lips and smiled warmly. "Now I have my own." The Dryad put her hand on her heart, and she started shining with a vibrant emerald hue. "As Yggdrasil grows, my power grows with it. I recently obtained the death protection ability, but it's unlike others. I'm now more like you and Freya in that regard. According to the skill description, I will be regenerated by the tree. I... I don't think I want to try it, but I believe that you should know about it."
"That's great news!" I shouted in excitation and relief. "I mean... I don't want you to try that skill either, but it's a great thing to have. You know, just in case..."
"I know." She smiled and rested her head on my shoulder once more. "Sooo... Speaking of Freya."
"Should I have let her die?" I asked without emotions. I was still mentally exhausted by that ridiculous situation and wasn’t ready to have a fight about it with Lavender.
"Gods, no..." The Dryad trembled slightly. "That's not what I meant!"
"I'm glad to hear it. But?"
"Maybe not a but..." She giggled and just slightly raised her head to see my face without taking it off my shoulder. "But... I like her, and believe it or not, I can fully understand her. Also, I don't want to admit it, but while I simply fell in love with you and maybe was a little bit obsessed with you, she is on a different level."
"A psycho fangirl?" I rolled my eyes. I used that term pretty often to describe some of the more troublesome fan clubs I unfortunately had, so my wives were familiar with the term.
"Well, yes... But in good meaning. Also not a psycho..." Lavender used her other hand to tap her lips, then smiled with closed eyes as she pointed to the ceiling. "At least not anymore."
"Can there be a good meaning? No, forget it." I sighed. "Then you have accepted her?"
"She's likable and, honestly, pretty resourceful and intelligent." She avoided a direct answer, but then she shrugged, which made many interesting things appear in the upper regions of her naked body. "I can't truly speak for the others, but I accepted her. Amber and Luna seem to as well. While I'm not sure about Irene and Hestia, I'm pretty sure that Aoi will accept her despite her previous objections."
"Oh... The attack on Aoi's village?"
"Yes. Freya explained that she was trying to contact Dragonkins and never wanted to hurt them. But considering the fact that her Mountain Giant Scion was most likely already corrupted, she was glad that you took the Dragonkins away."
"Why did she want to contact them?" I asked, puzzled.
"Because of you, of course," the Dryad laughed and gently stabbed at my chest with her finger.
"So why did she use so many minions?"
"She suspects now that Gukk, the Mountain Giant’s scion, was already plotting against her back then. He took significant forces under the excuse of fighting off a few wild monsters dens and Freya believed that. She was angry at herself for allowing something like that to happen."
"I ordered Stella to find countermeasures for the corruption of the spawners and denizens because I'm paranoid," I admitted with an uncomfortable smile. "Not because I was taking such an option seriously..."
"Well... It's not the first time your paranoia has saved the day." She giggled and kissed me. "You raised the Legions in the hope of never using them as your field army, but you had the forces available in the time of need. When the Cridians besieged Avalon, they couldn't do much against the walls of our city, and so on. There are probably many, many more instances that went unnoticed by us just because you were already ready for a disaster to happen. Unless they are cruel, kings with paranoia are often called the great strategists or believed to see the future."
"Sureeee..."
She winked and stood up, holding my hand. "Let's get back to everyone."
With a sigh, I slowly nodded. The fact that I didn't feel like I wanted to return to the discussion with Freya today wasn't the best argument for postponing it. Besides, procrastination was very rarely a good idea. To my growing disappointment, Lavender just grabbed the towel, and after wrapping her long and currently honey-gold hair in it, she put on a bathrobe and simply left. Her hair colour and some of her minor features changed with the seasons which was intriguing and fascinating. With a sigh, I dried myself, put on some casual clothes, and joined them just a few moments later. Surprised, I noticed that the windows were closed behind the heavy curtains that we rarely used. At first, I wanted to open them up, but Amber caught my gaze and slightly shook her head, inclining it towards Freya. The Dwarf-like-Core sat among my wives with a happy smile painted on her face. Aoi was talking with her, and after I heard them laughing, I realised that all the misunderstandings they might have had were already explained. I sat near Amber, who instantly leaned on my side, placing her head conveniently near my ear.
"Did you know about her before? That she was from your world?" Amber whispered casually.
"Not at all..."
She slowly shook her head. "I just started wondering how many people like her are out there."
I just shrugged without saying anything, but the curiosity was real. While those people might not be as powerful as I or even Freya, their knowledge might be troublesome if it were to fall into the wrong hands. However, to redirect my thoughts from that rabbit hole of a subject, I asked about something I could immediately receive an answer for.
"Can you tell me why you are sitting behind closed curtains?"
"Well... Do you know that she stayed underground for her entire life in Nilmerthis? She was just like you before we met Luna. She spent entire centuries underground in the place of her creation, without sleeping." Amber looked at Freya and trembled. "I can't imagine that..."
"But why..."
"I have a feeling that she will need you to recover from the shock she might have once we take her outside..." She interrupted me, knowing exactly what I was going to ask.
"I think you give me too much credit..."
I paused for a moment and took a deep breath. I couldn't imagine why she decided to stay underground unless she was forced to by the rules of the underground Dungeon.
"What do you think about her?" I whispered, looking at Aoi and Hestia, who were showing their musical instruments to Freya. I knew the latter was avoiding eye contact with me at all costs, but I wasn't going to impose myself.
"I wasn't so happy at first, but she's an honest and merry person despite all the loneliness and darkness she has endured," Amber admitted and smiled awkwardly. "Freya also understands the hierarchy between us, your wives, and wants to support you as much as we all want, Theon. She had centuries to master all the nuances of Dungeon work, and honestly, I couldn't find any validated records showing that she was hurting people."
"What about those she took as payment for the help provided to Cridia?"
"Well... That's complicated." Amber sighed and lowered her voice even further. "She admitted to taking those people, but after they made a sufficient amount of mana, she allowed them to leave. However... She knew those people would be in danger if the Cridians or the Slavers captured them, so she allowed them to use the secret exit on the other side of the Mountain..."
"Oh my God..." I covered my grimace under my hand and rubbed my eyelids. "She released them into Berna?"
"Yeah..." Amber sighed. "But she was unaware it was even worse than releasing them back to Cridia..."
"At least she had good intentions..."
"She gave them supplies and money, so thankfully they could hide and try to flee from the Bernan... I think I should investigate what happened with them." Amber sighed tiredly. "It won't stop bothering me otherwise."
"All right..." I nodded slowly, then fell silent and looked unseeingly into the distance.
"Theon, I know that you are uncomfortable with the reality imposed on you by the World's Words, but this is something that we have learnt to accept." I know she tried to sound comforting, but it wasn't easy to stay calm. "And by we, I mean us—the people of Nilmerthis."
"Everything I have known about relationships was basically irrelevant overnight, Amber-"
"Don't say that! We love the way you treat us." She interrupted me and put her hand on my chest.
"Still..." I sighed, and seeing the twinkle in her eye, I knew what she was about to say, and I awkwardly cleared my throat. "I mean... I would be lying if I said that I had never dreamt about something like this or that I was unhappy. It's just... I sometimes feel like I can’t give you all the attention you deserve. I think it's somehow unfair..."
"While I understand your point and would like your full attention once again, I believe our current life is better." She smiled and moved her head from side to side to make herself more comfortable. "Which brings us to the point... You must talk with Freya and sort this out."
I let out a tired sigh. "I know..."