BXBX NOVEL Chapter 99: Back home
But Strax... didn't care.
It didn't matter to him; it never did.
When he arrived home, the first thing he saw was his wives. Samira and Monica looked at him, almost crying, and ran to hug him tightly.
"Ow!" He growled in pain, but they didn't let go and kept holding him. "It was taking so long! We thought you had died!" Samira was the first to say something, followed by Monica, "That's right, you idiot! Why did you take so long?" she added, her eyes also shining with tears. She held him tightly, as if afraid he might disappear again.
Strax let out a heavy sigh, trying to relieve the tension still coursing through his body. "I had... some problems. But I'm here now. And I'm not going anywhere." He looked at them, feeling the warmth of their love and concern envelop him. For a moment, the world stopped, and he allowed himself to feel the security of being home, surrounded by the people who meant everything to him.
But then, his mind turned to Beatrice. She was his focus at that moment, and he couldn't afford to forget her situation. "How is Beatrice?" he asked.
Samira and Monica's expressions grew darker, the worry returning to their eyes. "She... hasn't woken up yet," Samira said softly. "We're doing everything we can, but..."
Strax nodded, the fear of her not waking up already starting to settle in his chest. He gently pulled away from them and smiled as he headed to the room where Beatrice was. His steps were heavy as he climbed the stairs to her room, feeling a chill down his spine when he reached the door. "Courage," he murmured to himself.
When he entered the room, the sight of Beatrice lying on the bed, so pale and still, hit him like a blow. He approached slowly; he really wanted to do something for her... but nothing was possible now.
"Beatrice..." he murmured, kneeling beside the bed and taking her hand. "I'm here. I promised you, remember? Please... wake up. I said you are mine, so you have to wake up..."
He stayed there, holding her hand, feeling the silence around him...
[< In 1 hour and 30 minutes for the System update, it is recommended that the User stays in a safe place where they can rest. It is not possible to postpone; when the update begins, the user will enter a deep sleep. >]
Strax took a deep breath, reading the notification. He had a lot to think about, and the System suddenly wanted to work. But he couldn't worry about that now; other things were more important, and one of them was coming his way.
He sensed someone approaching and turned toward the door where a woman was entering. "Your senses have improved, Master." Cristine's gentle voice interrupted the heavy silence of the room. She knelt beside him, looking much lighter, not as harsh as before when she seemed to do things out of pure anger.
In fact, Strax had been having these thoughts lately; unlike when he met Cristine, she seemed much lighter, listened to what he said, and was quite... gentle? I guess you could call it that, considering she said she wouldn't use the guild and just herself to handle what Strax wanted...
but here she was, having given everything Strax had asked for and even putting her entire guild to search for Beatrice, which really put Strax at ease.
"It's you..." Strax murmured, looking at Cristine. His gaze fell to the bracelet on his wrist, an artifact Cristine had given him before the battle. He sighed, slowly removing the bracelet. "Thank you...
I don't know if this helped at all, but I won't stop being grateful for the concern." He said, Cristine took the bracelet carefully and put it back on her arm, her eyes meeting Strax's, and she smiled, "It was more than just a simple help, Master. This bracelet absorbed part of your pain, allowed you to keep fighting when most would have fallen. It not only protected your body but also your spirit.
It absorbs negative energies."
He leaned back in the chair beside Beatrice's bed, still holding her hand firmly. He thought for a moment and... decided something. "Thank you for everything, Cristine. Our contract is over."
Cristine, who was preparing to leave, pouted slightly with sadness. She looked at Strax with a glimmer of disappointment in her eyes. "Master, please don't end our contract. I want to continue serving you, helping you in any way I can."
Strax's expression changed, surprised by Cristine's reaction. He had never seen this "vulnerability" in her before, and it caught him off guard.
"You... what's going on with you?" Strax questioned. This wasn't the usual Cristine, who always seemed to be in a bad mood. She... why did she seem so alive? Let's be honest, she was quite serious sometimes, too much even.
Cristine lowered her eyes for a moment but then raised them again with determination, she seemed like that nun Strax met, her face was so beautiful? What the hell is this! "Master, I've been by your side long enough! I chose this, and I would choose it a thousand times more if necessary. Please, let me continue by your side!"
She seemed happy on the outside, but inside... This woman was completely corrupted. This woman was too crazy.
"God! Did you send me such a being of darkness just for me? I would love to stay by his side! So much bloodlust, such a desire to kill! I love him!" she roared mentally to herself. This woman was really growing fond of her master...
Well, she saw something she had never seen in her life: a being so strong, with so much potential. He was like a great malevolent demon, and this made Cristine's eyes gleam with joy, as if her own god had sent him to her, this divine gift for years of devotion.
"Lord Thanatos, thank you! I will enjoy this divine gift!" she thought. Perhaps, if her god saw this, he would be quite... disappointed with this crazy woman...
Strax just looked at that woman. He couldn't just dismiss her; she was too competent a woman not to have a master, and she seemed in favor of it, so he couldn't simply dismiss her. He was already starting to have problems managing his life, and having someone capable of scouting everything and everyone would be very useful.
It was like gaining an entire arsenal of possibilities, especially with the current problem of Xenovia and the Royal Family, which wouldn't take long to reach his door.
Of course, at the moment we were only talking about CRISTINE serving him, but considering her actions, probably the entire guild would follow her out of trust. Strax figured Cristine had already made these calculations in her head... Hadn't she?
Well, Strax thought so. After all, she was very competent. So he had no choice. He had stayed silent for a moment, and after struggling with all these issues, he decided something.
"All right, keep up the good work." Strax said with a smile, offering his hand to help her up as she was still kneeling. A gentle smile appeared on Cristine's lips, a glimmer of relief in her eyes. "I promise, Master. I will always be by your side, protecting you the best I can," she said determinedly, letting a smile escape. She really looked like the happy nun he had known.
"All right, now could you..." Strax began, but he didn't need to finish. Cristine nodded and bowed to him. "I will talk to her about what happened with your brothers," Cristine said, and Strax was surprised after all... "It's okay, Xenovia allowed my entry. I watched from afar what happened—well, the fight with Darius, yes. As for the other two...
well, they didn't come back, did they? There's no way to say they are alive after the way you were," she commented with a smile. "So competent..." Strax thought. At least this ensured he could be more at ease regarding explaining what happened there... At least now, he could stay there by her side.
"Thank you, tell them the details. I'll stay here," Strax said, adjusting himself in the chair. His body was still aching as it slowly regenerated. "Yes, if you'll excuse me." She left, closing Beatrice's room door...
His body was tired, a bit injured to the point of people wondering why this man wasn't being treated. Well, he didn't care about any of that. His clothes were still disheveled, with bloodstains, not just his of course, but still, it was a bad appearance. Even so, he decided not to take a bath; he would stay there until time passed.
[< Update Soon >]