Chapter 155: Contacting Wives
Nova looked at Velena and couldn’t help thinking that it would be much better if she showed a smile — or any other emotion — on her face. She always spoke with the exact same blank expression.
Maybe she only shows her true feelings after she becomes comfortable with someone... or after she falls in love, he thought.
There was even a Japanese term for this kind of personality — kuudere.
{ You don’t find her appealing? }
"Nah... I just meant it would have been nicer if she showed more expression. Still, she has a different but likeable vibe. Of course she’s appealing... but I’m not stupid enough to try my luck. Before she could even kill me, her princess would do it first."
After that, Velena led Nova to his room — a large guest chamber on the second floor. It was even more spacious than Asia’s room back home. Although the design carried a strong gothic atmosphere, Nova found that he rather liked it.
For the first time in a long while, he took a truly refreshing shower and changed into a clean set of clothes. A few minutes later, he was relaxing on an unbelievably soft bed.
Not long after, Velena returned with food and a bottle of wine. After placing everything neatly on the table, she left the room, telling him to enjoy his meal.
The meat belonged to some type of demonic beast that Nova couldn’t identify, but the moment he took the first bite, he realized how delicious it was.
He quickly finished the entire plate — which had been prepared in a larger portion suited for a demon’s appetite — and drank the whole bottle of wine. Thanks to his strong willpower and physique, the alcohol had almost no effect on him.
Once he finished eating, Nova leaned back against the bed and decided it was time to contact his wives.
....
Far away from the Abyss, on the human continent, inside the royal capital of the Aureth Kingdom...
Within the training grounds of the Frost Mansion, Rieka and Asia were training diligently. Surprisingly, Theodore was also present at the moment.
It had already been two days since they confirmed that Nova was still alive. Now, all they could do was wait for him to return. Without any clue about his whereabouts, searching the entire kingdom was impossible. Waiting was their only option.
Theodore had come along with Edward and Jenna. The moment they heard the news, the two of them had insisted on coming as well.
Right now, Rieka and Asia were pushing themselves hard in training. Even if the difference in strength during the previous crisis had been far too large for them to change anything, they still refused to remain idle. They wanted to make sure they would never feel so helpless again.
Suddenly, Rieka’s communication stone buzzed.
She immediately took it out. Most of the people who knew her were already present nearby, and she had spoken with her grandfather only a few hours earlier.
Realizing it might be Nova, she answered without hesitation.
Nova’s image appeared above the stone — in his human form, which he had deliberately switched to so that Rieka wouldn’t be shocked or frightened. Neither of his wives knew about his transformations yet.
[ Hey, honey. How are you doing? ]
The moment his voice came through and the image became clearer, Rieka realized she wasn’t dreaming. Asia, who had been training nearby, instantly appeared beside her the second she heard Nova’s voice.
"D-Darling... is that really you?" Rieka asked, her voice trembling slightly.
"Yes, Husband... where are you right now? Are you okay?" Asia added quickly, finally confirming that it was truly him.
[ Calm down, both of you. As you can see and hear, I’m completely fine. I’ll be coming back soon — within a few hours, or at most one day. ]
"What do you mean?" both women asked at the same time.
[ First tell me... are the two of you alone right now? ]
Rieka and Asia quickly looked around. Fortunately, Theodore had been present only a few minutes earlier and had just gone inside the mansion after being called by Rodrick.
"Yes... we’re alone," Asia answered, sensing that whatever he was about to say might be related to something important — and possibly connected to his secrets.
After confirming that his wives were alone, Nova began explaining everything from the beginning to the end.
Of course, he deliberately left out the part about him dying. He simply told them that the heart had helped him disappear from the battlefield along with it, and that he had somehow ended up in the Abyss.
He also explained his new powers and transformations. Rieka and Asia’s eyes widened again and again in surprise and shock as they listened.
Nova then told them about how he had met Nyxara — carefully omitting certain sensitive details — and that she would be helping him leave the Abyss and return to the human continent.
He also mentioned that both she and her maid would be coming along with him.
[ So I need both of you to act as if you don’t know that I’m a demon. I’ll try my best not to let those two get too close to any of you... but from what I’ve seen, she doesn’t seem like a bad person. It should be fine as long as you just play along when necessary.]
"How can you be sure she isn’t a bad person?" Rieka asked, clearly unconvinced. "She’s a demon... and on top of that, the daughter of a Demon Lord, Darling."
"Yes... I agree with Sister Rieka, Husband," Asia added.
[ I can’t say for certain, ] Nova admitted. [ But it’s not like I can stop her from coming with me. So if the situation requires it... both of you will just have to play along. ]
"Alright... we’ll do as you say," Asia said. "But don’t get too close to her."
"Yes, Darling," Rieka added. "She’s a Sovereign Realm demoness, so just follow her words for now and don’t do anything unnecessary."
Rieka clearly didn’t fully understand the true significance of the Sovereign Realm. In reality, if Nyxara truly wanted something from Nova, he wouldn’t be able to stop her anyway.
Still, Nova simply sighed and agreed with them for the sake of their peace of mind. He planned to reveal the full truth once he was safely back.
"Darling... your parents are here," Rieka continued. "Aunt Jenna has been really worried. She was crying the entire time after hearing about the incident."
"Yes, Husband," Asia added. "Father came along with your parents. Should we call them so you can talk? Aunt Jenna would be really happy to see that you’re fine... though we already told them you were okay after confirming it through your Deadborn."
Hearing that, Nova felt a deep sense of guilt. His parents had been forced to worry so much — especially his mother, who had always been extremely sensitive about his well-being.
[ I would really like to talk to my parents specially my mother... but I can’t let them know where I am right now. If I say I was in some other kingdom or continent, your father might try to contact me through official channels, and that could create problems. ]
[ For now, just tell them that you received another message through the Deadborn — that I’ll be returning in a few hours, or by tomorrow at the latest. ]
Rieka and Asia both understood his reasoning and agreed that he was right. Since he would be returning soon, there was no need to take unnecessary risks.
[ Alright. I’ll end the communication now. I don’t want anyone here finding out anything they shouldn’t. I’m currently surrounded by powerhouses... and I’m only still alive because of pure luck. ]
Both women nodded. Nova then ended the comunication.
....
Back in the Abyss, inside Nyxara’s mansion, Nova stored the communication stone into his inventory and let out a heavy sigh.
He still remembered his wives’ words clearly. He needed to return as soon as possible. Although only two days had passed for them, a great deal of time had already gone by on his side.
Nova removed the mana barrier he had set up earlier so that no one could overhear the conversation. Even though Nyxara was currently showing him a surprising amount of generosity, he still didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks.
After that, he finally allowed himself to rest. He fell asleep and slept for several hours.
When he woke up, he decided not to enter the system training space. He was currently inside Nyxara’s mansion, and both she and Velena would likely notice if he suddenly disappeared from the room.
Instead, he headed downstairs to check out the training ground Nyxara had mentioned earlier.
**
Thanks for reading...