Chapter 103: Name?
His tone was calm and well-articulated, but he spoke with so much authority that anyone listening was bound to feel intimidated.
Even the hunter felt it. He held onto his bow while he stared into Azure’s eyes, and he could feel the intense glare and fury within them. That sent shivers down his spine.
But he held his bow and arrow firmly. "It’s you... You’re one of those cursed beastmen, huh? I see that you’re still alive here!"
Azure glared down at his bow and arrow and then stared up at him. "Yes, of course. That’s me. And I think you should reconsider your stay here because you have certainly made a huge, tragic mistake."
The hunter glared at him, laughing. "And why should I listen to whatever you have to say or even take it seriously? Cursed beings like you deserve to die. And I’ll make sure of that!"
He pulled out another arrow and fired. But Azure effortlessly caught the arrow and threw it to the side. He glared at the hyena. "Since you’ve stepped into my territory, I guess it’s only right to teach you a lesson. Maybe after that, you’ll learn to behave better."
Azure attacked—a kick, a punch, a blow—and the hyena was already down.
Sunnie covered the little one’s eyes while the quick fight was going on. She wouldn’t want her to see such a violent scene at such a tender age.
The hunter crawled backwards in pain, groaning as he stared up at Azure. "You... How dare a nobody like you beat me up? Do you even know the consequences of your actions?"
But Azure scoffed. "Does it look like I care? You should be worried about yourself instead. Because what I did now was just a preparatory exercise. I’ll teach you the real lesson for trying to harm them right now."
He approached the hyena, slowly and steadily. And as he did, the hunter pulled backwards in fear.
Sunnie stared at the scene. She knew Azure could potentially kill the hunter if he really did attack. And that didn’t seem like a good thing at the moment, especially with the child there.
So Sunnie called out to him. "Azure..."
He paused.
She said, "You should leave him... don’t harm him any further... the baby’s watching."
At that moment, Azure stopped. He slowly calmed down while he glared at the hyena and then said, "You’re lucky. If not, you wouldn’t be alive to witness the upcoming minutes at all."
The hunter shivered as he stepped backwards. When he was further away, he instantly got up to his feet and took off, running away.
Azure stood and watched him leave. "Coward," he muttered as he turned to where Sunnie was standing with the baby. Azure let out a soft smile. "Are you okay?"
Sunnie nodded. "I’m fine. All thanks to you."
[Ding!]
[Congratulations Host! You’ve successfully saved your baby!]
[And you’ve also successfully made your mer husband like you even more.]
[Baby Raising and Husband Taming rewards achieved!]
[+ 1,000 coins!]
Sunnie smiled as she stared at Azure. He was standing before the baby, his fingers gently running over her tiny fingers while he smiled in admiration.
Sunnie also stared down at the baby, who was smiling and giggling like one who had been given candy.
"I think she looks like you," Azure said with a smile.
Sunnie stared. "Me? I doubt it. She looks more like you... the eyes, the hair, and all... completely a replica of you."
Azure shook his head. "No. Those pretty eyes are only similar to yours. So she could only have gotten them from you." He said with a smile, still running his fingers through his baby’s tiny hand.
Sunnie found herself smiling while trying hard not to blush. It was almost impossible.
[Ding!]
[Mer husband’s Affection Percentage has increased!]
[Azure = 90%]
At this point, Sunnie could tell that he had fallen for her. It was obvious, especially after seeing the baby. His admiration for her and the baby had massively increased as well.
Sunnie couldn’t help but imagine how much bearing one’s child could make one admire you more. She guessed the system was right.
They stood there for a while, admiring the baby while Sunnie asked, "I don’t think we’ve thought of a name to give her. What do you think?"
She stared up at him as he also stared back.
"Ah... a name? Am I the one who’s supposed to do that?" he asked.
Sunnie smiled with a shrug. "I don’t know. But you can choose to do so."
He hesitated with a blink. "Ah... that..." He smiled, scratching his hair with a hand. "I don’t know about that... I haven’t done this before, so I don’t know about giving a name."
Sunnie smiled. "Neither have I. But I’ll give you the privilege of giving a name. It’s your call."
Azure hesitated, nervous as he stared at the little one who lay in Sunnie’s arms while gazing at him with her big, pretty blue eyes.
His mind went blank as he thought of what to say. "I think you should do the naming... perhaps you’re best for this since you gave birth to her."
Sunnie smiled. "You also gave birth to her. She’s also your little one, so I think you should name her. Come on, think. I’ll be waiting for what you come up with. Okay?"
Azure hesitated, staring at the little one who was smiling and giggling at him. He wasn’t familiar with this feeling. His heart was fluttering and beating fast. He didn’t know what this feeling was, but he liked it.
He stared into the baby’s eyes with a smile. It felt as though she was speaking to him. And at that moment, a thought came into his mind—a name he felt like giving this little one.
And after a while of thought, Azure finally spoke. "Maren." He smiled. "I’ll name her Maren." He held onto her little fingers with his.