The next day, early in the morning, a dense fog surrounded them like a wintry morning, though it was not.
Aria opened her eyes and saw Aengus by the window, gazing outside.
He had stood guard the whole night, making Aria feel bad, but it had been his insistence, and she couldn't refuse.
During the night, they had encountered a few snakes and bird monsters, but Aengus dealt with them easily, not even letting Aria know they were being attacked.
She got up, rubbing her eyes to clear her mind. Smiling, she tiptoed towards him sneakily...
She hugged him from behind, burying her face against his back.
"Ah, Aria, you're awake," Aengus said, acting surprised. He had already noticed her sneaky tricks, but he let her do as she wished.
"You have already noticed, haven't you?" Aria sulked slightly, fluttering her pretty eyebrows as she moved away from his back.
"No." Aengus replied, shrugging.
"Humph! One day, I'll catch you off guard once I'm strong enough," she resolved.
"Okay, I'll be waiting. Now, go wash your face. There's so water in the jar, or you can visit the lake nearby, though I doubt it's clean," Aengus suggested.
"We need to make a plan for today, so let's be quick."
"Okay, let just wash my face," Aria said, trying to tie up her hair.
Aengus gently tidied her hair into a single ponytail and patted her back. "Co down when you're ready. Until then, I'll check if those two have left."
"Alright," Aria nodded in acknowledgnt.
"Whoosh..."
Aengus appeared just outside Tina and Ryann's balcony.
He heard the couple talking inside and knocked on the door.
Ryann quickly opened the door.
"Good morning, Sir."
Ryann saw Aengus standing outside but wasn't sure what to say.
Aengus spoke before he could, "We are leaving. You two should leave as well."
Ryann wasn't sure if Aengus was speaking out of kindness or impatience, but either way, they had to leave eventually. "Yes, Sir. We're going. Thank you for the hospitality. We won't bother you anymore." Ryann glanced back at Tina, who was also ready to leave.
Aengus gave a slight nod and disappeared from their view, reappearing on the ground almost instantly. The couple exchanged wry smiles.
"If only I had that kind of power, I could protect you and our child, Tina, but alas..." Ryann smiled bitterly.
"You're all I need, Ryann. Let's go. The beasts may still be sleeping. We can take the chance to get out..."
Aria descended gracefully, using aerial vines to reach the ground swiftly. She joined Aengus and watched Tina and Ryann leave calmly from behind. They looked helpless, as if waiting to be devoured if they left.
Aengus silently summoned a three-headed Thunder Wolf, which he had synthesized and bred the previous night. Aria's brows raised in surprise.
"Aengus, where did this co from? Do you have a summoning skill or class?"
"Yes, sothing similar," Aengus replied as he commanded the B-Rank Thunder Wolf to follow the couple and protect them silently.
"I can only do this much for their child." he muttered in low voice.
It was a small gesture of goodwill from him, and it wasn't difficult. He already knew she was pregnant, which is why he decided to help them yesterday.
Aria's ears perked up at his words.
"Wait, she's pregnant?"
Aengus gave a firm nod, confirming her query.
"I see, but how did you know? Don't tell you have a skill like Enhanced Vision or sothing?" Aria asked, her expression exaggerated.
Aengus nodded again, but then imdiately realized his mistake.
"Ahh, doesn't that an you can peek at any woman you see, even under their clothes? That's so perverted!"
Aengus clicked his tongue but remained unfazed.
"Relax, Aria. I would never do such a thing," he said resolutely. "Besides, it only lets see vague images, not clear details," he added, downplaying the ability to avoid making it a big issue.
"Still... it's a big issue, Ethan. You shouldn't use it on any other woman. Never," Aria said, glaring at him.
"Fine... Now, can we discuss the plan for the hunt today?" Aengus asked, noticing the fog slowly disappearing.
Aria, slightly embarrassed, composed herself.
"Oh, of course. Tell what plan do you have on your mind?"
Seeing her serious deanor, Aengus began explaining the plan he devised the previous night.
"We need to lure them using my aura, like we did yesterday. Then, we'll trap them. For that, we need to build a sturdy do to separate them from the outside. After that, we'll take them out one group at a ti," he said seriously.
Aria grew worried as she listened to his plan of using himself as bait. The previous experience had been anything but pleasant.
Recalling his prowess, she decided to agree but with caution.
"Do you also have an Elental Manipulation skill? I don't think I can make such a large do you're talking about," Aria asked, unsure.
"Yes, I have sothing similar to Earth Manipulation, but much stronger."
"That's good, but what if we can't handle it if too many co?"
Aengus reassured her confidently, "Don't worry, I can summon more monsters for help like before."
"Can your Mana reserves last that long?"
"Haha, that's the last thing you should worry about, Aria. Just take down the ones you can handle. Leave the rest to ," he said, his confident deanor easing her mind.
Though it was a risky plan, the potential gains were worth it.
"Before that..." Aengus paused before taking out seven human corpses from his bracelet, their bodies radiating a decaying odor.
"Let's power you up once again. After this, you should be at least A-Rank." He grinned, not caring about the corpses in the slightest. There were five C-Ranks and two B-Ranks. Their essence should be enough for the upgrade.
Aria resisted the urge to vomit and prepared herself once again.
She knew it was unavoidable to grow stronger. Her thoughts turned to Aengus, wondering how much he had to endure to gain so much power. Compared to him, her efforts paled in comparison.
But she was determined to help him however she could.
Reviews
All reviews (0)