Chapter 91: A Father’s Joy
Nova had no intention of gambling with Asia’s life , his eyes became resolute. "Yes," he said without a trace of hesitation.
"Use the coupon."
{As you wish.}
Liya replied, and another notification immediately appeared before Nova.
[Congratulations!]
[You have successfully purchased a Divine-Grade Treasure.]
[Genesis Heart Lotus]
The next moment, a crimson lotus materialized in Nova’s hand.
At first glance, it resembled an ordinary lotus flower, yet anyone who looked closely would immediately realize it was anything but ordinary.
It radiated a sacred, otherworldly aura that filled the surroundings with a gentle crimson brilliance. Rather than feeling oppressive, its presence brought an indescribable sense of peace, soothing both the mind and the soul.
Asia and Rieka stared at the lotus in astonishment.
"What is it, Nova?" Asia asked curiously.
Yes, Aisa still called Nova by his name. She was patiently waiting for that special moment when he would finally claim her as his own, and from then on, she would call him "husband."
Of course, Nova had no idea about any of this, and it didn’t matter to him anyway—whether his wives called him by his name or anything else made no difference.
Nova smiled. "It’s the solution to your problem. This is the Genesis Heart Lotus. If you consume it before the Blood Essence, it will protect your body during the bloodline awakening."
He then explained the lotus’s abilities and why it was so important. After hearing the explanation, both women fell silent.
Neither of them had expected Nova to obtain such an extraordinary Divine-grade treasure.
After a moment, Asia asked quietly,"It must have cost an unimaginable amount of Evolution Points... didn’t it?"
She already knew how the System Store worked, making it obvious that a treasure of this level couldn’t possibly be purchased with a mere few hundred Evolution Points.
Nova smiled reassuringly. "Don’t worry. It didn’t cost me anything." Seeing their puzzled expressions, he continued,
"I used a special System coupon that lets me purchase one item for free, regardless of its price."
"Really?" Asia’s eyes widened in surprise.
Nova nodded. "So you don’t have to worry anymore. When the time comes, you’ll be able to awaken your bloodline safely."
With that, he stored the Genesis Heart Lotus inside his inventory. He planned to take it out again at midnight, when Asia officially turned eighteen and it was finally time for her to consume the Divine Blood Essence.
Relief washed over Asia’s face."Thank you, Nova," she said sincerely.
Nova smiled warmly. "You don’t need to thank me. Your safety is what matters most."
Aisa beamed with pure happiness. She jumped into Nova’s arms, hugging him tightly as he pulled her close and smiled, gently caressing her back.
"I love you so much," she muttered softly against his chest.
"Hah... Me too, honey. I love you both just as much," Nova replied, glancing over at Rieka, who wore a warm, affectionate smile on her face.
Since Rieka was older than Aisa, she had treated her like a younger sister in these past three years.
Over time, Rieka had grown not only in her figure but also in maturity. So she patiently let Aisa have this moment without a single complaint.
"Ahem... cough, cough."
A sudden coughing sound interrupted them. Aisa quickly pulled back and turned to see her father standing not far away. Her cheeks instantly flushed bright red with embarrassment as she spoke in a flustered voice.
"F-Father... what are you doing here?"
Of course, Nova had sensed Theodore’s presence from the very beginning. However, he chose to remain silent, wanting to enjoy the sight of his adorable wife’s flustered expression .
Theodore walked over with a dramatic sigh.
"Now that my daughter has found her future husband, she doesn’t even notice her old father anymore. It truly wounds my heart."
Asia’s face turned even redder.
"N-No, Father! It’s not like that!"
"Is that so?" Theodore replied with a smile he was clearly trying to suppress. After teasing her for another moment, his expression became more serious.
"Anyway, I came to ask you one more time. Are you certain you don’t want to hold a birthday celebration this year?"
Theodore was referring to the grand birthday banquets that noble families traditionally held for their children.
Families of Dukes, being among the highest-ranking nobles in the kingdom, often hosted magnificent celebrations and invited influential nobles from across the realm.
On occasions like these, even the King would sometimes attend to honor the Duke’s family.
However, Asia had stopped celebrating her birthday after her mother passed away on the very day she turned seven.
Since then, every birthday had only reminded her of that painful loss.
Theodore had tried countless times to convince her to celebrate again, but she had always refused. In the end, he respected her wishes.
He loved his daughter too much to force her into something she didn’t want.
Asia’s expression grew solemn before she spoke. "No, Father... I still don’t want a grand banquet." She paused before adding with a gentle smile,
"But... this year, I do want to celebrate my birthday."
"Really?" Theodore’s eyes widened in surprise.
Even after meeting Nova over the past three years, she had rejected every suggestion of holding a celebration.
He had long since given up hope, making her sudden change of heart completely unexpected.
"But I have one condition," Asia continued.
"Name it, my daughter. Now that you’ve finally agreed, I’ll gladly fulfill any request you have."
Asia nodded. "I don’t want invitations sent to the kingdom’s nobles. It’s already too late to prepare something that grand anyway."
"I’d rather have a small celebration with the people of Forstholme. That’s enough for me."
Nova and Rieka exchanged warm smiles.
Despite being the daughter of one of the kingdom’s most powerful Dukes, Asia had always remained kind-hearted and humble. She never cared for lavish banquets or noble prestige.
After everything she had endured as a child, Nova only wished for her to live the way she truly wanted.
Theodore let out a helpless sigh before smiling. "Sigh... at least you’ve agreed to celebrate. That alone makes this old father happier than you can imagine."
He clapped his hands once.
"Alright. We don’t have much time to prepare, so I’ll go make the arrangements. I’ll see you all at midnight."
Before leaving, Theodore looked at Nova.
Nova nodded in return.
Over the past three years, Nova had fulfilled a promise he had once made—to help Theodore grow stronger.
He had repeatedly ventured deep into the Verdant Forest, specifically the regions untouched by the influence of the Bloodheart Demonic Stone from where beast tide came three years ago.
Unlike the corrupted areas where no beast were left, those depths were home to countless powerful demonic beasts, including numerous A-Rank Grandmaster-level monsters.
As a result, the Verdant Forest had become Nova’s personal training ground, both for himself and his Deadborn army.
Whenever possible, he also brought Theodore along, helping him hunt powerful beasts and steadily increase his strength.
Thanks to those countless battles and Nova’s guidance, Theodore had finally broken through and reached the Grandmaster Realm himself.
Because of everything they had experienced together over the past three years, the relationship between Nova and Theodore had changed considerably.
Rather than simply being a future son-in-law and father-in-law, they had become trusted friends who could rely on one another.
Nova’s reason for helping Theodore become stronger wasn’t solely because he was Asia’s father.
Theodore was also the good and kind ruler of Forstholme—and nearby regions, the place Nova had always considered his home.
Once Nova eventually left to travel the world in search of greater opportunities, he wanted someone powerful enough to protect the people he cared about.
A duke of the kingdom and Grandmaster-level Theodore would be more than capable of defending Forstholme against most small dangerous and political threats.
Even then, Nova had no intention of leaving everything to him.
Before departing, he planned to station several of his Grandmaster-level Deadborn in secret around the city to protect his parents and silently watch over Forstholme, ensuring that even if danger appeared in his absence, those precious to him would remain safe.