Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Ahead of the Collision
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I woke up the next morning, a full twelve hours later.
Even for me, going at it with a threesome before departure and a foursome after arrival for hours on end had pushed my stamina to its limits.
"Ugh... my stomach hurts..."
I never skipped daily workouts or strength training, so muscle soreness was practically unheard of for me. But apparently, I'd swung my hips so fiercely that as soon as I came to, a sharp pain stabbed through my abdomen.
Thinking back, I'd gone at least four or five rounds per person before blacking out...
Even solo sessions that intense could kill you, so hats off to my body for enduring the real deal.
A basin of water and damp towel by the barracks bed suggested someone had nursed me back. Did I have a fever?
As I sat up, I spotted Elfin sleeping soundly on the bed across from mine.
I slipped quietly out of the room so as not to wake her, only for a ferocious hunger to hit me like a truck.
After all that exertion and sweating right up until I passed out for twelve hours straight, my stomach was rioting for food.
"Come to think of it, the kingdom army left all their supplies behind because of Lenis's dad."
I hadn't seen it myself—too busy with Elfin—but Ravi and Lenis had filled me in during a quick break en route, so I knew the score.
They'd handed over everything except rations for their return trip, gear included. So the mess hall should be stocked, right?
I headed to the cafeteria used by the imperial soldiers, pushed open the door, and there were Luna and Linian shoveling food down like there was no tomorrow.
"Mom! Don't get rice on your mouth!"
"Munch munch... I can't understand why you're so upset, Linian. If rice sticks to my lips, I just pick it off with my fingers and eat it. Whether in one go or in bits, the total amount doesn't change, does it?"
"It's not about the quantity going in your mouth—it's how it looks... Anyway, no! Scoop just what you can swallow in one bite! Otherwise, people stare, judge, and look down on you!"
"Sigh... Mortal ways are so complicated and inscrutable."
"You're the inscrutable one, Mom! Even if you were a goddess, how do you not know a thing about how your own creations live?"
"Munch munch... Well, I created them and then only answered prayers, never interfering so they could develop on their own..."
"Ah! Wiping food hands on your clothes again! You're not a kid—use a napkin! Napkin!"
"Linian, you're meddling too much, one thing after another."
"If you'd just act right, I wouldn't have to!"
Luna's innocence in every sense of the word, and Linian hopping mad watching her.
Creator and created, not actual parent and child, but Linian treated Luna like a real mom, and Luna never outright rejected it.
I approached and greeted them good morning.
"Morning. You two look cozy."
"Eek!"
Linian spotted me and immediately wedged herself between Luna and me.
"What're you doing?"
"Don't you dare do anything irreverent to my mo—... the goddess, you pervert molester lech demon rapist beast—"
"Feels like the list keeps growing every time."
I sat next to the growling Linian, who was guarding Luna, and pulled some kingdom army-smoked meat from a crate to start eating.
Linian kept wary eyes on me while gently shoving Luna farther away to create distance.
"Linian, don't push."
Luna, seemingly oblivious, looked puzzled by Linian's antics.
Linian scolded her.
"Goddess! Be careful with this guy. Sure, he saved us and we're grateful, but that's separate—he's dangerous! Know what this creep and his girls were up to outside for hours yesterday?"
"What?"
"Uh..."
Linian's face flushed beet red, unable to answer, then snapped at Luna.
"Stuff so depraved and lewd it's unspeakable! Lived a long time, but first I've seen the likes of it! Four of 'em, stripped naked in the woods, sucking and biting and..."
Come to think of it, she could sense distant activities vaguely.
No wonder she knew about our 4P right under her nose.
"Isn't the norm to pretend you didn't see even if you did?"
"Pretend how? I'm innately attuned to mana—I sense everything! Even eyes closed, that close, I see it all! Monkeys have more decorum than you! Thought you were one of the few decent humans I'd met since birth, but humans...! Blinded by greed and lust, utterly!"
"Ahem..."
Couldn't deny the lust part, at least.
Under unilateral fire, I changed the subject to shut down Linian's venomous tongue.
"How long you gonna keep up the prim act, calling Luna 'goddess' instead of 'mom' in front of us? Everyone knows already."
It worked—Linian flinched.
"W-what?! When did I—? I've always upheld dignity as the goddess's first creation, the dragon—"
"Linian. Alvis was right there when you woke from your injuries and called me 'mom.' Hiding it now changes nothing, does it?"
"Mom, whose side are you on?!"
"No one's. Just stating facts."
"Grr... Getting backstabbed by Mom in this mess...!"
Lips chewed in fury, Linian jabbed a finger at me.
"You! Don't breathe a word of this anywhere, got it!?"
"No need—everyone knows. You were the only one putting on a show."
"My image..."
Clutching her head, throat parched, Linian chugged water.
Then Luna, with utter innocence, asked beside her:
"Linian? One thing I'm curious about—is what you described Alvis doing... mating behavior?"
"Pfft!"
Linian spat out her water at Luna's words.
"Wha—?! That's..."
"If so, I don't understand. Mating is life's sacred act for perpetuating species and begetting offspring. When I made all races, I enabled propagation through it. Alvis mating is just fulfilling his role as a world citizen. So why do you decry it, Linian?"
Her casual tone embarrassed even me, the listener.
True, it was 'mating,' but ours was more pleasure-focused than procreation...
Linian squirmed too, averting her eyes from Luna's sparkling gaze.
"It's not... how to put it... Argh, Mom! Why ask that?! You know nothing!"
She opted to snap and flee.
As Linian bolted, Luna tilted her head at me.
"Was my question odd?"
"Odd? Or where to even start explaining... Just chalk it up to 'that sorta thing.'"
"?"
After breakfast, Ravi, Elfin, and Lenis woke up and joined for food.
They said that when they carried my passed-out self back to quarters, Linian had glared daggers and reamed them out as lunatics.
Our antics yesterday weren't even remotely normal, so they hung their heads and took the scolding.
But scolding was one thing—with nothing to do but wait for the Goddess's Sword Unit, we rolled around my room every night, the four of us entwined.
By day two, Linian gave up, just glaring without further comment.
And on the third day.
We buckled down, curbed the skinship and PDA, and prepped to meet the incoming Goddess's Sword Unit.
"How many in the marching force?"
"Over 500, easy. These bastards are coming in hot? They don't even know about me or the goddess, yet over 500 just to nab four of us."
Leading the Goddess's Sword Unit was Celine.
She fit the proverb "A tiger hunts a rabbit with full effort" to a T.
Given her personality, dragging that many troops to catch a heinous terrorist like me was par for the course.
"What do we do? Even we can't neutralize Celine alone without harming a single one of those numbers."
I nodded at Ravi's words.
Celine was insanely strong.
Hard to say who'd win now against current Ravi, Elfin, or Lenis, but back at the academy, she outclassed them handily.
Chasing a monster terrorist like me, her unit would be all elites—and subduing 500+ elites bloodlessly? Impossible.
Couldn't slaughter innocent Goddess's Sword troops either.
Full-on war put us in a bad spot, and signal flares from the imperials meant scrying magic everywhere—no running.
One conclusion.
"Isolate Celine from her troops."
"How?"
"I'll bait. Bounty poster has my montage—show my face, all eyes on me, Celine included. You three hood up, focus on peeling off troops bit by bit. Here's the plan..."
I unrolled the map, pointing out spots as I briefed the strategy.
Time to bleed the Goddess's Sword Unit, exploited so long by the Underground Vermin, and sideline their ace, Celine.
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