Free Web NovelChapter 30: All Together
The walk back to the manor was eerily silent.
Adam walked beside Vespera, unsure of what to say.
The black dragon walked calmly, her long black cloak billowing slightly behind her.
Several times, Adam opened his mouth to ask a question.
Then he changed his mind.
Vespera didn’t seem in any hurry to explain anything.
And that, in itself, was almost more worrying than if she had directly announced a catastrophe.
Finally, after several minutes, Adam sighed inwardly.
"Why do I get the feeling everyone knows something except me?"
Vespera turned her head slightly toward him.
"Because it’s probably true."
Adam stared at her.
"Did you hear my thoughts?"
"No. Your face is just easy to read."
He remained silent.
"I really need to work on this."
"Yes."
The rest of the journey passed in silence.
When they arrived at the manor, the guards greeted Vespera with immediate, but unsurprising, respect.
Adam noticed this detail.
They weren’t surprised to see her there.
Neither were the maids, who bowed calmly as she passed.
Vespera knew the place.
Too well.
She walked through the corridors as if she needed no directions.
Adam followed her to the dining room.
And when he entered...
He stopped.
All the others were there.
Elena.
Isadora.
Lyriana.
Selene.
Elaria.
Shiora.
They sat around the large table, as if their presence were the most normal thing in the world.
Selene was already seated, arms crossed, an amused smile on her lips.
Shiora was absently playing with a gold coin.
Elaria was reading a small notebook.
Lyriana glanced slightly up at Adam.
Elena smiled as if she had been waiting for his reaction for a while.
Isadora, meanwhile, was quietly drinking her tea.
Adam stood motionless in the doorway.
Then he narrowed his eyes.
"Wait..."
All the women turned their heads toward him.
Their smiles were different.
But they all had something in common.
They were far too playful.
Adam slowly pointed a finger at Selene.
Then at Shiora.
Then at Elaria.
Then at Vespera.
"So that’s what you meant by ’see you later.’"
Selene smiled broadly.
"You finally figured it out."
Shiora rested her chin on her hand.
"He learns quickly, but sometimes he needs a few hints."
Elaria added calmly,
"It’s also possible that fatigue slowed his deductive reasoning."
Adam turned to Isadora.
"You knew?"
The duchess raised an eyebrow.
"This is my manor."
"So yes."
"Obviously."
Adam took a slow breath.
"Why are you all here?"
Shiora burst out laughing.
"What a question."
Selene shrugged, replying,
"We all have rooms in the manor."
Adam froze.
"Excuse me?" "
Elaria gently closed her notebook.
"For political, strategic, and practical reasons, Isadora has always reserved private apartments for us here."
Vespera sat down calmly at the table.
"The Mage Tower is my primary workplace, not my only residence."
Shiora added,
"Same goes for my guild. I have a room there, of course, but sleeping amidst chests and contracts gets tiring."
Selene smiled.
"And I like having a place where drunken adventurers don’t come knocking on my door at three in the morning."
Lyriana, more calmly, explained,
"We often stay at our guilds for convenience. But the manor is also our common base."
Adam looked at them one by one.
"So... you could have stayed here from the beginning."
"Yes," Isadora replied.
"And from now on?"
Elena answered for her mother,
"They’ll be staying here more often."
Adam closed his eyes.
"I see."
Selene tilted her head slightly.
"You look worried."
"I am."
Shiora smiled.
"Wise reaction."
Isadora finally put down her cup.
"Very well. Now that this matter is settled, it’s time to eat."
As if this simple sentence ended all discussion, everyone took their seats.
Adam sat down, still slightly overwhelmed by the situation.
Dinner began in a more lively atmosphere than the previous evening.
The dishes were served one after another.
Roasted meats.
Fragrant vegetables.
Warm bread.
Sweet fruits.
Light soup.
Adam hadn’t realized how hungry he was until he started eating.
Selene noticed immediately.
"You’re eating better tonight."
Adam looked up.
"After your workout, my body is demanding repair."
"Good." That means you still have enough energy to start again tomorrow."
Adam slowly put down his spoon.
"You know, I was almost starting to enjoy this meal."
Selene laughed.
Elena leaned toward him.
"So? How was your day?"
Adam looked at her.
"Do you want the short version or the honest one?"
"Honest."
He sighed.
"Selene taught me that I can die seventeen times in a minute. Elaria taught me that the crafts of this world are like a mixture of chemistry, mechanics, blacksmithing, and magical programming. Shiora dragged me into an economic debate that could have ruined a kingdom if it had been applied incorrectly. And Vespera explained that all the magic I’ve known so far is just the alphabet."
A silence followed.
Then Shiora smiled.
"Correct summary."
Elaria nodded.
"Almost too simplistic, but acceptable."
Vespera added:
"The alphabet is important."
Adam stared at her.
"Is that really what you’re taking away from it?"
"Yes."
Elena burst out laughing.
Lyriana, sitting next to him, discreetly placed a hand on his under the table.
Adam felt his mood immediately calm.
Isadora observed this gesture without saying anything, but a subtle smile crossed her lips.
The conversation continued.
Selene offered some details about Adam’s physical weaknesses.
"He moves well, but he still thinks too much."
Adam frowned.
"Thinking is generally considered a virtue."
"Not when a blade is coming at your throat."
"Noted." "
Elaria then spoke of his rapid assimilation.
Shiora, for her part, explained with obvious enthusiasm that Adam had mentioned very dangerous economic strategies from his former world.
Vespera remained more reserved.
"He understands the structure of the circles faster than expected."
Adam turned his head toward her.
"Is that a compliment?"
"Yes."
He waited.
"And?"
"And nothing."
Adam blinked.
"No hidden threat?"
Vespera smiled.
"Not yet."
He rubbed his forehead.
"You all like that expression far too much."
Dinner ended in a surprisingly warm atmosphere.
Despite the fatigue, despite the secrets and the dangers, Adam felt he had just entered something larger.
Not just an alliance.
Not just a group of powerful leaders.
A strange family.
Dangerous.
Teasing.
And far too alluring for his peace of mind.
After the meal, each began to return to her room.
Adam stepped out into the hallway with Lyriana at his side.
The manor was quieter at this hour.
The magical lamps cast a soft light on the walls.
For a few moments, they walked in silence.
Then Adam stopped.
"Lyriana."
She turned her head toward him.
"Yes?"
Adam took the Ring of Promise from his inventory.
The dark elf’s eyes immediately fell upon it.
The bluish runes shone softly.
"It’s..."
"The same type of ring as Elena and Isadora’s."
Lyriana remained silent.
Adam gently took her hand.
"My power granted it to me after recognizing you as my mate. It has several functions."
He placed the ring in his palm.
"It contains a storage capacity of approximately fifty cubic meters, allows for long-distance communication, provides mutual location, and offers mild mental protection."
Lyriana stared at the ring.
Her expression was calm.
But Adam felt his ears twitch slightly.
"Will you give it to me?"
"Yes."
She looked up at him.
"Do you understand what this kind of object means?"
Adam met her gaze.
"Perhaps not entirely according to the rules of this world. But for me, it means that you matter to me. And that I want you to be able to call on me if you need me."
Lyriana didn’t answer right away.
Then she gently extended her hand.
Adam slipped the ring onto his finger.
The runes glowed.
A faint blue light connected them for a second.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Bound Ring of Promise
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Worshipper: Lyriana Noctis Sylvermoon
Recognized Bond: Companion
Activated Functions:
Spatial Storage Long-Range Communication Mutual Location Mental Protection light
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Lyriana placed her hand against his chest.
His gaze seemed softer than ever.
"Thank you, Adam."
He smiled.
"You’re welcome."
She moved slightly closer, placed a quick kiss on his cheek, then whispered,
"Sleep well. You’ll need all your strength tomorrow."
Adam watched her walk away.
"Why does everyone end their sentences in such an ominous way?"
Lyriana didn’t answer.
But her ears twitched slightly, a sign that she had heard him.
Adam smiled in spite of himself, then headed towards his room.
Once inside, he closed the door and remained motionless for a few seconds.
His body felt heavy.
His shoulders ached.
His mind was racing.
"What a day..."
He put down his things, then headed to the bathroom.
The cleansing magic he’d been given earlier was handy.
Very handy, in fact.
But after two hours of training with Selene, two hours of crafting, two hours of saving, and two hours of magic, nothing could replace a real hot bath.
The water filled quickly thanks to the system powered by a magic core.
Adam took off his clothes and stepped into the tub.
The warmth enveloped his body.
He closed his eyes.
"Ah... this might be the best invention in the world."
Mana Body reacted immediately.
The heat circulated more efficiently through his muscles.
The tension in his arms and back began to ease.
Even the aches and pains from Selene’s training lessened slightly.
Adam stayed in the water for a long time.
Without thinking about the barrier.
Without thinking about Nocthar.
Without thinking about tomorrow’s training.
Just a few minutes of silence.
When he finally stepped out of the bath, a light steam still filled the room.
He took a towel and wrapped it around his waist.
His still-damp hair clung slightly to his forehead.
He had barely left the bathroom when there was a knock at the door.
Knock.
Adam stopped.
Just one knock.
Then, before he could even reply, the door opened.
He turned around abruptly.
"Atten—"
Selene entered the room.
The white tiger-woman quietly closed the door behind her.
Her golden eyes slid over Adam.
Over his wet hair.
Over his still-damp shoulders.
Over the towel tied around his waist.
A slow smile appeared on her lips.
A predatory smile.
Adam froze.
"Selene..."
She tilted her head slightly.
Her white ears twitched.
"You look better than before."
Adam glanced briefly down at her nonexistent outfit.
Then he looked back up at her.
"You know, in my old world, we usually waited for an answer before entering someone’s room."
Selene took a step closer.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Strange custom."
Adam instinctively took a step back.
Selene noticed.
Her smile widened.
"Are you still afraid of me?"
Adam inhaled slowly.
"After this morning’s training, any rational person would be afraid of you."
"Good answer."
She took another step.
The air around her no longer held the crushing aura of combat.
But there was something else.
A gentler pressure.
More dangerous in a different way.
Adam understood then.
Selene hadn’t come to talk about training.
Not only that.
"Selene..."
"Yes?"
"Why are you here?"
She stopped in front of him.
Close enough for him to see the golden light in her eyes.
Close enough for him to feel the warmth of her presence.
She slowly raised a hand and placed a finger against his chest, where several training marks had almost disappeared thanks to Mana Body.
"This morning, I tested you as a fighter."
Her smile deepened.
"Tonight, I want to see you differently."
Adam felt his heart race.
Selene moved her face slightly closer to his.
"After all, it seems every first time should be a one-on-one."
Adam remained still.
Then he realized that this sentence came from much further away than Selene.
Elena.
Isadora.
Lyriana.
All of them.
They had really discussed this.
He closed his eyes for a second.
"I knew it..."
Selene gave a low laugh.
"Knowed what?"
Adam opened his eyes again.
"That I was going to get into trouble again."
The white tiger-woman smiled.
Her fangs gleamed slightly.
"Maybe."
She leaned closer.
"But not in a bad way."
