Chapter 137: A stressed out man
Knock. Knock. Knock.
A soft knock echoed through the door.
"Who’s there?" a feminine voice called out.
"It’s me," a deep voice replied.
The sound of the door opening followed shortly after, and a woman with a worried expression came into view.
"Why did you come back so late? You had me worried sick." Kayla stared at Amon intently.
Why was he suddenly behaving so strangely since the birth of their daughter?
She knew Amon was different from other men. Even so, she couldn’t stop the worry festering within her heart.
After all, people changed with time.
Keeping those bitter thoughts to herself, she glanced up at him, waiting for his reply.
Amon let out an exhausted sigh and explained.
"I told you that work today was going to be hectic. Sorry for coming back so late." He gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and gave her a reassuring smile.
"I promise that nothing’s wrong."
Kayla stared at him silently.
Although he kept reassuring her that nothing was wrong, she still felt a strange sense of foreboding lingering in her heart.
’What exactly is he hiding from me?’
She lingered for a few seconds before sighing and stepping aside to let him enter.
She sniffed lightly.
Aside from a mixture of sweat and a faint metallic scent, there was no trace of another woman’s perfume clinging to him.
’In essence, he wasn’t with someone else?’ Kayla mumbled to herself.
Her thoughts continued spinning as she searched for a reason behind Amon’s strange behavior, but in the end, she kept everything to herself.
She locked the door, then turned around and noticed Amon sitting on the living room couch, his attention drawn to the news.
{Shocking news! The mysterious Butcher clears more than ten dungeons in the dead of night!}
{Initially a haughty villain, the Butcher is suddenly clearing dungeons and ensuring peace and prosperity within the city. Could this be an attempt to atone for his sins? Or could there be another reason? The Armed Forces are already investigating the situation.}
{What does this hold for the Butcher?}
The camera rolled, zooming in on the reporter as she spoke excitedly.
Clearly, everyone was fascinated by news involving the Butcher.
He was a mysterious vigilante who had captured the public’s attention in barely a few days. Naturally, countless eyes and ears were watching, eager to see what he would do next.
’The media is already aware of this?’ Amon muttered internally, surprised by the efficiency of the Armed Forces when it came to gathering information.
At that moment, Kayla walked over carrying a tray of steaming dishes she had reheated.
"I prepared something nice for you. The noodles are already a little soggy after being reheated, sorry about that."
She picked up a warm towel and gently wiped his face, cleaning away some of the fatigue etched there.
Amon smiled warmly.
"Thank you, Kayla."
Kayla forced a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
Perhaps she truly was losing her marriage...
Not wanting to dwell on it, she sat beside him, her warm body leaning lightly against his as they watched the news together.
The atmosphere was warm and cozy, a stark contrast to the turmoil brewing beyond the walls of their home.
Amon picked up his chopsticks, twirled a strand of noodles, and took a bite.
The flavor spread across his tongue almost instantly.
Delicious as always.
"This is nice," he complimented.
Kayla smiled sweetly at the praise. However, most of her attention remained fixed on the news.
The Butcher...
A strange sense of familiarity blossomed within her whenever she thought of him, yet she continuously pushed it aside.
"It seems he isn’t as bad as we thought. Seeing him do good deeds actually makes me a little relieved," Kayla mumbled under her breath.
Amon still caught it.
’Makes you relieved...’
His gaze drifted toward the television screen.
Toward the image of the terrifying figure known as the Butcher, wearing a cute cat-faced mask while radiating immense killing intent.
’Don’t worry, Kayla...’
Amon casually lifted another mouthful of noodles.
’I promise to turn this city into the most peaceful place for you and our daughter.’
The demon infant faction, the dungeons, the heretics committing evil deeds throughout society, and even the Armed Forces.
All of them.
Amon would eliminate every last threat if it meant ensuring that no danger could ever reach his family.
...
While the couple remained immersed in their peaceful atmosphere, a tiny figure silently crawled away from the area.
It was Ciara.
She had only learned how to crawl today after using the technique she obtained from her system.
With that technique, she consumed a tremendous amount of energy, and her growth rate could only be described as monstrous.
After eavesdropping on her parents’ conversation, she frowned slightly as she returned to her room.
’What’s wrong with Dad? Does he really want to destroy the relationship he has with Mom? Can’t he hear the worry in her voice? The cracks he’s causing in their relationship?’
A series of questions surfaced within her mind.
She truly couldn’t understand what her father was thinking at times.
’I have to quickly develop my vocal cords. I need to warn him! I can only hope it isn’t too late by then...’
Ciara’s heart was filled with worry.
Yet knowing there was little she could do with her current strength, she sighed and returned to cultivating.
...
After the meal, Amon noticed that Kayla had drifted off to sleep against his shoulder.
He gently brushed her hair aside.
"I’m sorry for making you wait so long for me, Kayla. You must be exhausted..." he muttered.
Carefully, he lifted her into a bridal carry.
Kayla’s fragrance drifted into his nose like a spring breeze, cool and soothing.
A faint crease lingered between her brows, as though she were dreaming about something troubling.
Amon could tell she was completely drained.
Carrying her to the bedroom, he laid her down on the warm mattress and gently covered her with a blanket before heading back to clean up.
After washing the dishes and turning everything off, he finally returned and slipped into bed beside her.
Today had been stressful.
However, tomorrow would become unimaginably more stressful from here on out.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
A soft knock echoed through the door.
"Who’s there?" a feminine voice called out.
"It’s me," a deep voice replied.
The sound of the door opening followed shortly after, and a woman with a worried expression came into view.
"Why did you come back so late? You had me worried sick." Kayla stared at Amon intently.
Why was he suddenly behaving so strangely since the birth of their daughter?
She knew Amon was different from other men. Even so, she couldn’t stop the worry festering within her heart.
After all, people changed with time.
Keeping those bitter thoughts to herself, she glanced up at him, waiting for his reply.
Amon let out an exhausted sigh and explained.
"I told you that work today was going to be hectic. Sorry for coming back so late." He gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and gave her a reassuring smile.
"I promise that nothing’s wrong."
Kayla stared at him silently.
Although he kept reassuring her that nothing was wrong, she still felt a strange sense of foreboding lingering in her heart.
’What exactly is he hiding from me?’
She lingered for a few seconds before sighing and stepping aside to let him enter.
She sniffed lightly.
Aside from a mixture of sweat and a faint metallic scent, there was no trace of another woman’s perfume clinging to him.
’In essence, he wasn’t with someone else?’ Kayla mumbled to herself.
Her thoughts continued spinning as she searched for a reason behind Amon’s strange behavior, but in the end, she kept everything to herself.
She locked the door, then turned around and noticed Amon sitting on the living room couch, his attention drawn to the news.
{Shocking news! The mysterious Butcher clears more than ten dungeons in the dead of night!}
{Initially a haughty villain, the Butcher is suddenly clearing dungeons and ensuring peace and prosperity within the city. Could this be an attempt to atone for his sins? Or could there be another reason? The Armed Forces are already investigating the situation.}
{What does this hold for the Butcher?}
The camera rolled, zooming in on the reporter as she spoke excitedly.
Clearly, everyone was fascinated by news involving the Butcher.
He was a mysterious vigilante who had captured the public’s attention in barely a few days. Naturally, countless eyes and ears were watching, eager to see what he would do next.
’The media is already aware of this?’ Amon muttered internally, surprised by the efficiency of the Armed Forces when it came to gathering information.
At that moment, Kayla walked over carrying a tray of steaming dishes she had reheated.
"I prepared something nice for you. The noodles are already a little soggy after being reheated, sorry about that."
She picked up a warm towel and gently wiped his face, cleaning away some of the fatigue etched there.
Amon smiled warmly.
"Thank you, Kayla."
Kayla forced a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
Perhaps she truly was losing her marriage...
Not wanting to dwell on it, she sat beside him, her warm body leaning lightly against his as they watched the news together.
The atmosphere was warm and cozy, a stark contrast to the turmoil brewing beyond the walls of their home.
Amon picked up his chopsticks, twirled a strand of noodles, and took a bite.
The flavor spread across his tongue almost instantly.
Delicious as always.
"This is nice," he complimented.
Kayla smiled sweetly at the praise. However, most of her attention remained fixed on the news.
The Butcher...
A strange sense of familiarity blossomed within her whenever she thought of him, yet she continuously pushed it aside.
"It seems he isn’t as bad as we thought. Seeing him do good deeds actually makes me a little relieved," Kayla mumbled under her breath.
Amon still caught it.
’Makes you relieved...’
His gaze drifted toward the television screen.
Toward the image of the terrifying figure known as the Butcher, wearing a cute cat-faced mask while radiating immense killing intent.
’Don’t worry, Kayla...’
Amon casually lifted another mouthful of noodles.
’I promise to turn this city into the most peaceful place for you and our daughter.’
The demon infant faction, the dungeons, the heretics committing evil deeds throughout society, and even the Armed Forces.
All of them.
Amon would eliminate every last threat if it meant ensuring that no danger could ever reach his family.
...
While the couple remained immersed in their peaceful atmosphere, a tiny figure silently crawled away from the area.
It was Ciara.
She had only learned how to crawl today after using the technique she obtained from her system.
With that technique, she consumed a tremendous amount of energy, and her growth rate could only be described as monstrous.
After eavesdropping on her parents’ conversation, she frowned slightly as she returned to her room.
’What’s wrong with Dad? Does he really want to destroy the relationship he has with Mom? Can’t he hear the worry in her voice? The cracks he’s causing in their relationship?’
A series of questions surfaced within her mind.
She truly couldn’t understand what her father was thinking at times.
’I have to quickly develop my vocal cords. I need to warn him! I can only hope it isn’t too late by then...’
Ciara’s heart was filled with worry.
Yet knowing there was little she could do with her current strength, she sighed and returned to cultivating.
...
After the meal, Amon noticed that Kayla had drifted off to sleep against his shoulder.
He gently brushed her hair aside.
"I’m sorry for making you wait so long for me, Kayla. You must be exhausted..." he muttered.
Carefully, he lifted her into a bridal carry.
Kayla’s fragrance drifted into his nose like a spring breeze, cool and soothing.
A faint crease lingered between her brows, as though she were dreaming about something troubling.
Amon could tell she was completely drained.
Carrying her to the bedroom, he laid her down on the warm mattress and gently covered her with a blanket before heading back to clean up.
After washing the dishes and turning everything off, he finally returned and slipped into bed beside her.
Today had been stressful.
However, tomorrow would become unimaginably more stressful from here on out.