Demonic Dragon: Harem System

Chapter 902: Monica on vacation, Kali protecting Asgard.

The cold wind continued to ripple through the metal structures of the railway bridge while Asgard remained alive below, its monstrous industrial activity thriving. Locomotives crisscrossed the tracks, spewing hot steam against the gray sky; workers carried crates of supplies between the commercial districts; and engineers shouted instructions near the railway expansion sites. The constant sound of metal, machinery, and urban movement filled the air almost hypnotically. Even surrounded by all that absurd growth, Strax still kept some of his attention focused on Monica.

She stood before him, clutching the reports to her chest, clearly unhappy with the idea of ​​being forced to rest. The most curious thing was that Monica seemed far more comfortable dealing with economic crises, industrial expansion, and military logistics than accepting something as simple as a break.

Strax observed her expression for a few seconds before finally sighing.

"You really don’t know when to stop, do you?"

Monica looked away for a moment, adjusting her glasses with an automatic movement.

"There are important responsibilities." "And there are hundreds of other people working precisely to prevent you from being buried under important responsibilities."

She looked about to argue again, but Strax raised a hand before she could.

"No discussion."

Monica let out a tired, almost resigned sigh.

That was probably the closest she came to accepting orders without resistance.

Strax then began walking beside her again as they slowly descended the metal bridge toward the main railway district. Employees crisscrossed the area carrying stacks of documents, toolboxes, and industrial maps. Some recognized Monica immediately and tried to approach with administrative questions, but a silent glance from Strax was enough to make them all instantly give up and change direction.

The king observed this with a certain amusement.

"Interesting."

"What?"

"People are afraid to interrupt you when I’m around."

"Good."

He let out a small nasal laugh.

"You’ve really become a terrifying authority."

"Efficiency requires discipline."

"You talk like an industrial general."

"Because someone needs to organize this mess."

Strax was about to reply when he noticed movement coming from the main avenue near the tracks.

An extremely familiar presence.

His golden eyes automatically moved toward the figure running through the station employees. Some workers almost tripped trying to get out of the way as a woman hurried through the crowd without showing the slightest intention of slowing down.

Long hair swung violently behind her.

Wild energy.

Quick movements.

And a dangerously animated smile.

Kali.

Strax immediately recognized that specific expression.

Trouble.

He sighed slowly before looking back at Monica.

"I guess your week off starts now."

Monica followed his gaze and immediately noticed Kali crossing the station at an absurd speed.

"She seems excited."

"This is never a good sign."

Kali was already close enough to practically run over two railway workers as she advanced directly toward them.

Strax then looked at Monica again.

"Go rest."

"Strax—"

"No reports."

She narrowed her eyes slightly.

"You’re enjoying this too much."

"I am."

Monica opened her mouth to reply, but Strax simply held her face with one hand before she could continue arguing.

Then he kissed her.

The movement was quick, firm, and completely unexpected for her.

Monica’s eyes widened discreetly behind her glasses as her brain clearly needed a few seconds to process what had just happened in the middle of the train station, surrounded by workers, guards, and administrative staff.

And before she could even react properly, Strax gave her a light slap on the butt as he pulled away.

The dry sound echoed low enough that almost no one noticed.

But Monica did notice.

Completely.

She froze.

Her entire face slowly began to regain color as her eyes remained wide in a mixture of utter shock, shame, and silent indignation.

"S-Strax!"

He just smiled brazenly calmly.

"Rest."

Then he simply turned his back before she could mentally recover from the surprise attack.

Monica stood still for a few seconds, unable to formulate a coherent response, adjusting her glasses with clearly disorganized movements for the first time that entire day. Some nearby employees desperately pretended not to have seen anything, although several had clearly witnessed the whole scene.

The most frightening thing was that no one dared to comment.

Strax barely took two steps before Kali finally reached him like a human projectile.

She literally threw herself on top of him.

Her arms immediately wrapped around his neck while her legs coiled around Strax’s waist without the slightest ceremony. The impact almost made a nearby railway worker drop a toolbox upon realizing the woman’s absurd speed.

"KALI—"

She kissed him before he could even finish the sentence.

A strong, intense, and completely shameless kiss.

Nearby employees immediately averted their eyes in professional panic.

When he finally pulled away just enough to breathe, Kali remained clinging to him like a possessive creature who had rediscovered something precious after weeks. "I missed my husband."

Her voice carried genuine happiness mixed with that characteristic wild energy that never seemed to diminish.

Strax automatically held her by the waist while letting out a small, tired laugh.

"I noticed."

Kali rubbed her face against his in an almost feline way before kissing him again, quicker this time.

"You took your time."

"I was busy stopping monarchs from destroying continents."

"Details."

"Of course."

She finally relaxed a little in his arms, though she still remained completely clinging to his body with no intention of letting go.

Strax observed her for a few seconds before asking:

"How are things?"

Kali’s amused smile faded slightly immediately.

There was still energy in her.

But now it came accompanied by real concern.

"Many beasts have appeared recently."

Strax narrowed his eyes slightly.

"What kind?"

"Various types."

She rested her chin on his shoulder as she spoke, still clinging to his neck.

"Creatures migrating from the destroyed regions. Some crazed. Others hungry. Some simply too aggressive."

"The number?"

"High."

The answer came too quickly.

This caught his attention immediately.

Kali wasn’t someone easily impressed by combat or monsters.

If she was saying it was high, then it really was high.

"Are you and Shura handling this?"

She nodded slowly.

"We’re containing them for now. But really..." She sighed irritably. "There’s an absurd number of attacks happening on the trails around Asgard."

Strax was silent for a few seconds as he observed the movement of the station around them.

This explained a lot.

Asgard was growing too fast.

Trade routes had exploded.

Merchants were constantly traveling. Caravans crossed dangerous regions constantly.

And with the dead monarchs disrupting entire territories, the natural balance of creatures had probably gone to hell.

"How many attacks a day?"

"More than we’d like."

She finally released one hand from his neck to run her fingers through his white hair.

"The infirmary is full."

Strax immediately looked back at her.

"Full?"

Kali nodded.

"Mostly merchants. Some adventurers too." Her gaze deepened. "Many people arrive injured before they even reach the gates."

That clearly irritated Strax.

He could quickly see the pattern.

More monsters.

Unsafe routes.

Population increase.

Urban expansion.

And Asgard in the middle of it all.

"Dead?"

Kali was silent for a second too short.

"Some."

The answer made his expression harden slightly.

She noticed immediately.

"We’re trying to keep the routes safe," Kali said quickly. "But the creatures keep appearing. Mostly on the mountain trails and in the nearby forested areas."

"When did this start?"

"A few days after the Beast Monarch’s death."

Of course.

Strax had expected something like this.

The death of creatures of that caliber always caused disastrous consequences for the natural balance around the continent.

Territories shifted.

Predators migrated.

Creatures went mad.

And now all that instability was slowly beginning to surround Asgard.

Kali then rested her forehead against his while still clinging to his body.

"But now you’re back."

There was genuine relief in her voice.

Confidence too.

As if his mere presence was enough to lessen half the city’s problems.

Strax let out a small sigh as he slowly ran his hand down her back.

"Yes."

His golden eyes then slowly moved to the industrial horizon of Asgard.

Smoke rising from the factories.

Locomotives crossing tracks.

Thousands of people living there now.

A city growing too fast.

And dangers beginning to emerge alongside it.

"Looks like I’ll be going back to work sooner than I wanted."

Kali remained clinging to his body as the frenetic movement of the train station continued around them. Employees crossed the tracks carrying boxes of supplies, workers shouted boarding times, and locomotives released constant jets of hot steam against the cold morning air. Even amidst that organized industrial chaos, Strax’s colossal presence seemed to naturally distort the surrounding environment. People continued working, but there was an unconscious caution not to get too close.

Especially since Kali was still literally hanging on him without showing any intention of getting down.

She rubbed her face against his neck once more before finally murmuring:

"You smell like blood."

"Because I’m probably covered in it."

"That’s fair."

Strax let out a small, tired laugh as he slowly ran his hand down her back. Kali’s clothes were slightly torn in places, likely the result of recent combat. Small scratches still marked parts of her arms, though they were healing quickly.

He noticed immediately.

"You’ve been fighting too much too."

Kali smiled without any shame.

"Quite a bit."

"I figured."

She finally relaxed her arms a little around his neck, though she remained clinging to his waist by her legs.

"Shura is worse."

"Of course she is."

"She’s having too much fun." freёwebnovel.com

"That worries me."

"You should."

Strax surveyed the railway district again as he mentally processed the information. The increase in attacks was no coincidence. Creatures migrating en masse usually meant severe territorial imbalance. The Beast Monarch’s death likely destroyed entire chains of monstrous dominance in the north.

Now everything was trying to occupy new space.

And Asgard was growing right in the middle of it.

Wonderful.

Kali followed his gaze for a few seconds before speaking again:

"The city is getting huge."

"I noticed."

"The attacks have increased because of that too."

Strax nodded slightly.

"More movement. More trade routes. More smell of food, mana, and people."

"Exactly."

She rested her chin on his shoulder as she watched some caravans arriving through the outer gates of the station. Several tired merchants disembarked from their carriages while Asgardian officials quickly began registering cargo, taxes, and trade routes.

Even from a distance, some wounded men were visible.

Improvised bandages.

Dried blood.

Damaged armor.

Kali noticed his gaze immediately.

"They arrived early this morning."

"Monsters?"

"A pack." "Losses?"

"Two wagons."

Strax slowly exhaled through his nose.

This was already starting to directly affect the city’s economic growth.

If the routes around Asgard became too dangerous, the flow of trade would begin to slow down. Merchants would avoid certain trails. Convoys would need more escort. Resources would take longer to arrive.

And this would eventually directly affect Monica.

Which meant she definitely wouldn’t rest if she found out the full gravity of the situation.

"Does she know?"

Kali immediately understood who he was talking about.

"Monica?"

"Yes."

"More or less."

"More or less means?"

"We’re hiding part of the reports."

Strax looked at her slowly.

Kali shrugged.

"She’s already working herself to death normally. If she finds out the routes are getting this bad, she’ll stop sleeping altogether."

"Fair enough."

She finally unwrapped her legs from his waist and reluctantly lowered herself to the ground. Even so, she continued to hold one of his hands as they walked slowly down the main avenue near the station.

Asgard remained absurdly alive.

It was impossible to ignore.

The old landscape of ruins had practically disappeared completely. Now there were entire districts teeming with commerce, industry, and constant urban activity. Railroad tracks crisscrossed wide avenues. Streetcars traversed busy areas. Guards patrolled in organized groups using newly manufactured standardized equipment.

Even the smell of the city had changed.

Coal.

Metal.

Oil.

Food.

Industrial smoke.

Life.

Kali observed everything with a small smile.

"It’s strange."

"What?"

"When we arrived here, this place seemed cursed."

Strax let out a small, low laugh.

"Because it was."

"Now it seems..." She looked around again. "Important."

That made him fall silent for a few seconds.

Because she was right.

Asgard no longer looked like a city struggling to survive.

It looked like something much bigger.

Something starting to grow out of control.

And that would inevitably attract attention.

A lot of attention.

"Have the other kingdoms noticed?" he asked.

Kali immediately snorted.

"Some merchants have started calling Asgard the Northern Capital."

Strax almost choked.

"What a horrible name."

"I thought it was dramatic."

"Sounds like a villain’s title."

"You literally are a giant white dragon that destroys monarchs."

"Irrelevant details."

She chuckled softly as she pulled him by the hand toward a busier avenue.

"Nobles have also started appearing."

This made his expression immediately worsen.

"Oh no."

"Oh yes."

"Monica let it happen?"

"She tried to stop it."

"And failed?"

Kali smiled in a dangerously amused way.

"The wealthy merchants have discovered that Asgard is becoming absurdly profitable."

"Damn."

"People are coming just to invest."

Strax slowly ran a hand over his face.

This made the situation even worse.

Too fast growth.

Foreign capital.

Industrial expansion.

Trade routes.

Population migration.

This was starting to take on dangerous proportions.

"How much has the population increased?"

"Do you really want to know?"

He was silent for a few seconds.

"No."

"Good choice."

The two continued walking through the busy streets while workers carried industrial materials around them. Some people waved discreetly upon recognizing Strax. Others simply observed in respectful silence.

It was still strange how everyone seemed to naturally accept his existence now.

A colossal dragon was simply part of the urban daily life of Asgard.