Free Web NovelChapter 23: Waiting for a Sign of Blessing
Ikarus gently rubbed her back as he answered, "Soon."
"But... my clothes..." Maeve wanted to complain more, but she was already so sleepy that even talking felt tiring.
"Someone will bring you new clothes," Ikarus said softly, trying to reassure her.
Still, Maeve could not help wondering how the others would even know that her clothes had been torn in the first place.
But before she could think about it any longer, exhaustion finally pulled her completely into sleep.
Somewhere in the middle of her warm and peaceful dream, Maeve vaguely heard loud noises coming from the cave entrance, followed by the sound of rocks being moved away.
"Oh, they really are inside!" Cerus shouted excitedly at Axan.
Then his eyes landed on the naked Maeve resting in Ikarus’ arms. A wide grin immediately appeared on his face.
"Brother," Cyrus asked teasingly, "did you manage to make her happy?!"
Ikarus only nodded in response because even he was exhausted. Behind Cerus, Axan immediately shoved him slightly to the side before stepping into the cave.
"Stop shouting. You’ll wake her up," Axan said. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
The moment he stopped right in front of Ikarus, he handed a layer of new clothes to him. "It’s for our wife."
After a short pause, he added flatly, "I didn’t bring anything for you. If you tore your clothes, then you can walk home naked."
Ikarus chuckled and took the clothes from Axan’s hand. "My clothes are fine."
After that, he carefully dressed Maeve in the new clothes. She stirred a little in her sleep but didn’t wake up. The tiny sounds she made somehow sounded unbelievably cute to them.
Cerus even had to grip the stone wall tightly because deep down, he was jealous that Ikarus had been the first to marry their wife.
"Is there still enough rainwater in the reservoir?" Ikarus suddenly asked, snapping Axan and Cerus out of their thoughts.
"Yes," Axan finally answered. "The reservoir pond is still full, but if we want to use it to clean our wife’s body, we need to boil it first so the water becomes cleaner."
Ikarus nodded lightly. "Sounds good."
Even in her sleep, Maeve could vaguely feel someone carrying her, yet she had no desire to open her eyes because Ikarus’ embrace felt far too comfortable.
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[Ding! Ding!]
[Congratulations! You have completed a side mission: Receiving the seed of life from Ikarus!]
[Reward: Lumivale Forest Map — Reveals hidden locations, ancient ruins, and safe paths inside the forest.]
[Additional Rewards: 200 Coins]
[Remaining Coins: 850]
Maeve instantly opened her eyes when Pinky shouted right beside her ear. Without thinking, she swung her hand at the annoying puffball like it was a fly ruining her sleep.
"So noisy..." she groaned softly.
[Host, you’ve been asleep for fifteen hours!] Pinky flew in circles in front of her, making Maeve even more irritated. [How much sleep do you even need?!]
Maeve rolled onto her side and covered her ears with both hands. "Forever."
But when she realized she was lying on a flat surface instead of resting in Ikarus’ arms, she slowly opened her eyes again.
"Oh, I’m already back?" she mumbled softly, mostly to herself.
Pinky floated right back in front of her face. [Yes, Host! Ikarus and the others brought you home a long time ago!]
What long time? It had only been a few hours.
[And don’t worry, you weren’t brought back here naked!]
Maeve hissed and clicked her tongue in annoyance because the memories of everything she and Ikarus had done inside the cave instantly flooded back into her mind.
She reflexively rubbed her thighs and immediately felt relieved when she realized there was no sticky mess left there anymore.
A moment later, she finally sat up on top of the pile of animal pelts. Looking down at herself, she quickly realized someone had already cleaned her body thoroughly.
When she turned her head, she noticed baskets filled with dried meat nearby along with several clay jugs filled with water.
"Sweet," Maeve murmured softly. "But it would be sweeter if I didn’t have to wake up alone."
More than that, the hut she was staying in was extremely dark since there was only one torch burning in the corner of the room.
If Pinky hadn’t been there, she probably would have felt a little anxious.
[That’s why you need to wake up, Host!]
Maeve clicked her tongue again. "What do you actually want?!"
[You already married one of the Azuryn Tribe leaders, so now everyone is waiting for a sign from the Sky Mother!]
Maeve frowned. "What sign?"
[A sign of pregnancy!]
Before Maeve could ask what he meant, she suddenly heard the sound of many footsteps outside her hut.
Still feeling sleepy, she lazily crawled toward the window and peeked outside. That was when she saw the people of the Azuryn Tribe leaving their homes and gathering near the sacred pond.
"You’re already awake."
"Waaa!" Maeve screamed reflexively when Cerus’ face suddenly appeared from beside the window. If she hadn’t stopped herself in time, she probably would have punched him out of instinct.
"Don’t scare me like that!" Maeve shouted. She touched her chest and let out a relieved sigh.
The smile on Cerus’ face slowly disappeared when he realized he had frightened her.
"I didn’t mean to scare you," Cerus said in a quieter voice now. "I just wanted to check on you."
Maeve sighed again before finally noticing that the people of the Azuryn Tribe were not actually heading toward the pond.
Instead, they were all walking toward her hut.
"What... what are they doing?" Maeve asked in confusion. "What do they want?"
Cerus immediately answered with excitement, "We’re waiting for the Sky Mother’s sign! If she gives her blessing through you, then you’ll become pregnant tonight."
The corner of Maeve’s eye twitched because as far as she knew, pregnancy was definitely not something that happened overnight.
[Remember, Host, this world is completely different from your world!] Pinky quickly reminded her.
Maeve ignored the annoying puffball for a moment before turning back toward Cerus.
"How are we even supposed to know whether I’m pregnant or not?" she asked.
