Chapter 100: Heaven After The Storm
When Maeve opened her eyes, the sun was already close to setting again, and the fresh scent of rain still lingered in the air, telling her it must have rained while she was asleep.
She lifted a hand to her forehead and gently rubbed it. Her head felt a little sore after sleeping for so long. As she looked around, she realized she was lying on a thick pile of folded cloth, with the blanket they had brought tucked snugly around her body.
"Wife! You’re awake!" Cerus called happily the moment he noticed her stirring. His grin was so wide that his sharp fangs were on full display.
Somehow, hearing him call her wife felt different now. Now that they were officially husband and wife, the word carried a warmth it hadn’t before, making her cheeks heat up.
Or maybe she was just embarrassed after everything they had done together the entire night.
"Are you thirsty?" Cerus asked as he walked over with a bottle of water. He carefully handed it to her. "Drink this first. Axan is roasting some boar meat for you."
With Cerus supporting her, Maeve slowly pushed herself into a sitting position. "Boar?" she asked in confusion. "There are boars here?"
Cerus let out a small laugh. "Not exactly. It’s a wild beast that looks like a boar. I hunted it near the place where the herd was migrating."
Maeve nodded and immediately took the bottle. Her throat felt so dry that she drank without stopping. A few drops of water slipped from the corner of her lips and slowly ran down her chin.
At that moment, she realized she was still naked and quickly pulled the blanket closer around her body.
"Ah, why are you so shy?" Cerus asked, tilting his head innocently. "We already saw everything last night."
Maeve lowered her gaze after taking one last sip of water. Her voice came out soft and slightly hoarse. "T-That doesn’t mean you can keep looking at me all the time."
No matter what had happened between them, she still had the natural instinct to feel embarrassed. So covering herself like this came without even thinking.
A moment later, Pinky suddenly popped up in front of her and cheerfully made an announcement.
[Hidden Quest Completed: Marry All of Your Mates!]
[Reward: 30,000 Coins]
[Remaining Coins: 87,450]
Maeve blinked in surprise. ’Damn... that’s a huge reward!’
The little mochi puffed out its chest proudly. [Of course! Hidden Quests are much harder to complete than normal quests. The rewards are supposed to be worth it!]
Maeve nodded in satisfaction. With that many coins, she could buy far more supplies for the Azuryn Tribe once they returned.
"Here."
Axan held out a piece of freshly roasted meat. The rich aroma filled the cave, making Maeve realize just how hungry she was.
"I roasted some meat for you," Axan said before glancing at Cerus. "Fortunately, I save some of the meat because he ate almost all of it."
Cerus immediately protested. "What do you mean?! We ate the same amount!"
Axan rolled his eyes. "Did we? I’m pretty sure you ate more."
"You—"
"Ah, why are you two arguing already?" Maeve quickly cut in before either of them could continue. "I still have a headache, so please don’t fight right now."
Besides, they had worked together perfectly when they turned her over and pleasured her at the same time the night before.
Looking at them now, it almost felt as if all that teamwork had been nothing more than a dream.
Just then, Pinky’s familiar screen appeared in front of her.
[Congratulations! You have completed the side mission: Strengthen the Brotherhood!]
[Conditions Completed:
• Spend one full day together without Ikarus and without getting into a physical fight with each other. (1/1)
• Complete one task together through teamwork. (1/1)
• Say one sincere compliment to each other. (1/1)
[Reward: 3× Harmony Bracelets (Epic) — Effect: Three pairs of bracelets that increase the Host’s and her mates’ strength by 50% whenever they fight together on the battlefield.]
[Additional Reward: 900 Coins]
[Remaining Coins: 88,350]
What?
Maeve blinked several times in confusion. How had she completed this mission? She couldn’t remember doing any task with them, and when had the two of them ever sincerely complimented each other?
Pinky answered without missing a beat.
[Everything happened last night, Host.]
[The three of you mated together, and that counted as a task.]
[As for the compliments, Cerus said to Axan and I quote, "Your cock is incredible. You made her come three times in a row."]
[Then Axan complimented Cerus by saying, "Your tentacles are very skilled. They were able to make her nipples incredibly sensitive and keep drawing out her milk."]
Maeve could only twitch the corner of her eye. So the only time they could sincerely compliment each other was when they were saying something shameless during mating?
She didn’t even remember anything that had happened last night and more importantly...
’How do you even know all of that?’ Maeve asked, narrowing her eyes at Pinky. ’Aren’t you supposed to disappear whenever I’m... mating?’
Pinky shook its round body. [I can’t go completely offline, Host,] she replied. [Disappearing doesn’t mean I truly vanish. It only means I stop disturbing you and hide my presence.]
Maeve blinked. ’So you can still see everything?’
Pinky nodded matter-of-factly. [That’s correct.]
She had expected this before, but actually learning the truth still made her want to bury herself alive.
[Please don’t misunderstand!] Pinky said in a panic. [I don’t watch on purpose. I only receive enough information to determine whether quests and missions have been completed. I have no interest in your private moments.]
[But I have to admit... it was quite an incredible thing to witness.]
So this round little mochi actually was interested in her sex life!
"Maeve, what are you looking at?" Axan asked in confusion after noticing that she kept staring at something over his shoulder. "Do you need something?"
Maeve forced a smile and quickly shook her head. "N-No. It’s nothing."
She couldn’t exactly tell him that her System had just admitted to secretly knowing what happened whenever they were intimate.
"If you say so." He handed her the roasted meat, and Maeve accepted it with both hands. "Thank you."
She took a small bite. The meat was warm, juicy, and seasoned with a few wild herbs that gave it a pleasant smell.
"It’s delicious," she said honestly.
A faint smile appeared on Axan’s face. "I’m glad you like it."
Cerus immediately puffed out his chest. "I catched it!"
"And I cooked it," Axan replied.
"It’s harder to catch it!" Cerus protested.
Axan rolled his eyes. "As if you could roast meat properly."
Before the two of them could continue arguing, Maeve tore the meat in half and shoved a piece into each of their mouths.
"Why don’t we just eat together instead?" She asked.
After swallowing the meat, Cerus said, "But we already—"
Maeve smiled at them, and the look in her eyes sent a chill down both their spines. "I said, let’s eat together."
Cerus and Axan exchanged nervous glances before silently nodding. "Yes, Wife."
Without another word, the three of them shared the meal together.
This time, there was no arguing over who had hunted the beast or who had cooked it better. Whenever Maeve held out a piece of meat, the two men simply accepted it. Before long, the entire meal was gone.
After they finished eating, Axan stood up and picked up the clothes they had neatly folded earlier. "You should get dressed," he said.
Maeve nodded. Since she was still feeling a bit sore, both Cerus and Axan quietly helped her put on her clothes. They carefully slipped the soft fabric over her body, making sure not to pull too hard whenever she winced.
"Does this hurt?" Axan asked as he adjusted the clothes.
"A little... but it’s fine." Maeve added, "I probably will be fine sooner."
To be honest, Maeve hadn’t expected that even though she had much better stamina now and had drunk three Energy Potions the night before, her body would still feel so sore.
Taking on the two of them at the same time had really been too much.
On the other side, Cerus crouched down to help tie the straps around her sandals before standing back up. "There. All done."
Maeve smiled softly. "Thank you."
Once everything had been packed, they left the mating cave together and began making their way back to the Azuryn Settlement.
The moment Maeve stepped outside, she froze. "Wow."
The dry forest looked completely different now.
Large puddles of water covered the ground, reflecting the golden light of the setting sun. The dry trees still glistened with tiny drops of rain, and the fresh, earthy smell filled the air. Small streams of water flowed between the rocks where the heavy rain had carved new paths.
"It’s beautiful..." Maeve whispered.
She hadn’t expected the storm to leave behind so much water and for a place as dry as Lumivale, this much rain was a blessing.
Axan noticed the amazement in her eyes. "Do you want to take a closer look?" he asked.