Free Web NovelChapter 27: Azuryn’s Blood
Maeve was lying on top of a growing pile of animal pelts. Hugging the new blanket Axan had made for her, she slowly lifted her eyes toward Ikarus.
"What... is it?" she asked weakly, her voice hoarse enough to make Ikarus’s chest tighten immediately.
"Meat from a Lunel," Ikarus explained. When he realized Maeve probably did not understand, he quickly added, "It looks like... a rabbit. A giant rabbit. Cute, not scary at all."
Maeve could not help but let out a soft laugh. Ever since she said the Cindermaws looked terrifying and disgusting, her mates had started hunting beasts that looked less horrifying... or even a little adorable. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
"I don’t think I can eat it," Maeve admitted weakly. "My stomach still feels bad."
"But you barely ate anything yesterday," Ikarus said sadly. "Can you at least try a little?"
Maeve pressed her lips together. Even though she still had no appetite when looking at the meat, she eventually nodded slowly. "Maybe..."
Ikarus immediately smiled after hearing that. He gently helped Maeve sit up and let her lean against his arm.
"Just a little," Maeve whispered. She could barely even lift her finger because she felt so tired and weak.
Ikarus carefully tore off a small piece of meat before bringing it toward Maeve’s lips. Maeve stared at it hesitantly for a few seconds. Then, after taking a deep breath like she was preparing for battle, she finally bit into it.
The moment the taste spread across her tongue, her expression slowly changed. Her brows tightened, and she quickly covered her mouth with both hands as nausea twisted inside her stomach again.
Even so, Maeve still forced herself to swallow it because she truly did not want to die because of pregnancy.
She might not have wanted to become pregnant this badly before, but now that the child already existed inside her, she did not want her baby to become the reason for her death.
"I swallowed it," Maeve whispered after finally forcing the meat down. Her eyes brightened slightly, almost as if she had just achieved something incredible. "Ikarus... I swallowed it."
Ikarus looked at her with such a sad expression. "You did," he said softly.
But right after he said that, Maeve suddenly felt another wave of nausea hit her stomach. No matter how hard she tried to hold it in, she could not stop herself.
In the end, she threw up onto the floor.
The sight immediately made her feel guilty because Ikarus had just cleaned the floor not long ago.
"I made the floor dirty again... I’m sorry," she whispered weakly while wiping her lips.
"It’s alright... it’s alright," Ikarus said gently as he rubbed her back. "I can clean it again."
Hearing those words only made Maeve feel even more exhausted. She slowly collapsed against him because she truly had no strength left in her body. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
Ikarus held her tightly, his brows furrowing deeply. He never expected Maeve’s body to react this badly to pregnancy.
"Maybe I shouldn’t have brought you here," he murmured quietly to himself.
===
[Host! Host! Wake up, Host!]
Maeve slowly opened her eyes because the annoying voice would not stop bothering her.
"Why are you so noisy?" she muttered tiredly. She truly did not understand why Pinky refused to let her rest peacefully.
[Because your condition is critical, Host! If you sleep for too long, you might die and fail your mission!]
Maeve let out a weak laugh. "If I die, then obviously I won’t have to deal with the consequences of failing the mission."
Maeve ignored Pinky again and closed her eyes for a moment. After lying there quietly for a while, she suddenly spoke again.
"Are you sure you don’t have something in your black market that can make me feel better?"
[The medicine and healing items from the black market are very dangerous, Host!] Pinky immediately replied loudly. [We don’t know what kind of side effects they might have, so it’s better if you don’t consume things carelessly from the black market!]
Maeve let out a tired sigh. "You allowed Ikarus to use the magic stapler before."
[That’s because Ikarus is stronger than you!] Pinky argued right away. [We don’t need to worry about him as much!]
In other words, this puffball was simply being overprotective of her.
"If I really can’t buy anything from the black market, then don’t you at least have something like a healing potion?" Maeve asked weakly. "You haven’t even given me any missions this week."
[That’s because you barely do anything these days, Host,] Pinky said. [Besides, ordinary healing potions won’t truly be able to save you. You need something from Ikarus so your body can handle carrying his child.]
Before Maeve could ask what Pinky meant, the hut door suddenly opened again.
This time, Ikarus did not bring any food or anything else in his hands.
He came empty-handed, yet the look on his face made it obvious that something was weighing heavily on his mind and he could no longer keep it to himself.
"We need to talk," Ikarus said quietly before sitting down beside Maeve. "Back in the cave, I told you that I had a way to make sure you wouldn’t feel pain during pregnancy or childbirth. Do you remember?"
Maeve gave a small nod. "I remember."
Ikarus took a deep breath before speaking again, his voice filled with hesitation. "The reason I wasn’t sure about telling you is because... the method might scare you."
Maeve frowned slightly. "Just tell me."
Ikarus closed his eyes for a brief moment before finally speaking. "The people of the Azuryn Tribe usually only marry other Azuryn people because our blood is different from most others."
"Gold blood..." Maeve murmured softly.
"Yes. Our blood is gold, but the color isn’t the only thing that’s different," Ikarus explained patiently. "We were given the duty to protect the nature of this land. But a protector’s duty is not only to protect. Sometimes, we also have to become destroyers against those who try to harm the things we guard."
