Chapter 105
Chapter 105: Then, Towards Tomorrow
“Am I just tossed aside?”
Illya, flung into the air, flailed before crashing to the ground. She awkwardly sat up and looked at the two giant dragons, one red and one white, in front of her.
Suddenly, Illya felt like a freebie, like something that came with a lottery scratch card.
However, seeing how much her Mama was suffering, Illya didn’t mind that her Mother had carelessly tossed her aside.
Naya howled in pain, and in her mind, she asked:
[System, what’s going on here?]
[I’m sorry, Host. I didn’t anticipate those two souls being so ravenous. They can’t seem to get enough.]
[It hurts so much! Think of something!]
It was a deep, soul-crushing hunger—a pain that struck at her very core.
“Naya, can you change back to your human form?” Iris asked.
“…Okay.”
As the silver light shimmered, followed by a red glow, Iris held Naya in her arms.
The dragon form was too large, making it difficult to embrace her properly.
She lowered her head and kissed Naya’s pale, trembling lips.
Her hand slipped under Naya’s skirt.
“Don’t…”
Realizing that Illya was still nearby watching, Naya resisted and gently pushed Iris’s hand away.
“We’re not doing anything bad!”
“…Oh.”
Hearing Iris’s urgent whisper, Naya finally stopped resisting.
Iris’s hand rested on Naya’s abdomen, releasing a warm magic that slowly seeped into the soul space within Naya’s belly.
At the same time, she tried to distract Naya with tender kisses.
Finally, under Iris’s calming influence, the two little souls inside Naya ceased their torment, momentarily quelling their insatiable hunger for energy.
As for Naya, she lay limp and exhausted in Iris’s arms, covered in sweat, as though she had survived a great ordeal.
Illya was left stunned.
The scene was less chaotic and more…intimate.
“Do you feel better?”
“Mmm.”
Naya nodded, a light layer of sweat forming on her forehead.
Iris kissed Naya’s sticky, cold face caused by the perspiration.
“You’ve suffered enough, enduring this pain. Those two souls probably encountered such rich energy for the first time and went a little crazy. But now they’ve calmed down, and they shouldn’t torment you again—at least, not for a while.”
“For a while?”
Iris lowered her gaze, her expression full of guilt.
“I’m sorry, Naya. I didn’t expect their reaction to be this intense…”
“It’s fine~”
Naya raised her hand to caress Iris’s cheek, trying to manage a gentle smile.
“It’s not like it’ll happen every day, right? I just need to hang on for another two months, and then I can lay the eggs.”
“It won’t be every day, no. But now that their souls have absorbed so much of the leyline energy, they’ve grown faster, and they’ll definitely become more active.”
“That’s a good thing, though. If they’re more active, I’ll be able to feel their presence more clearly. A little pain is worth it.”
“Naya…”
“Alright, Illya’s still watching. You should take your hand out from under my skirt. I don’t hurt anymore.”
Naya knew full well that Iris was taking advantage of the situation.
Not that she minded entirely, but since their child was still there, it wouldn’t be good for Illya’s development to witness too many inappropriate scenes.
Iris chuckled softly, giving Naya’s waist a playful pinch before reluctantly pulling her hand away from the warmth.
“Mama, are you feeling better now? Does it still hurt?” Illya cautiously walked over, concern filling her eyes.
“I’m much better now.”
Naya sat up, her bottom resting on Iris’s lap.
“Mama, can I help you? Maybe I could rub your belly too?”
In Illya’s eyes, it seemed that her Mother was simply soothing her Mama’s belly to make her feel better. And from what her Mother had said, it seemed like the little sisters in her mom’s belly might act up and cause pain again.
Illya was already thinking that if it happened next time, she could help too, offering her own filial care.
“Uh…”
“No!”
Before Naya could respond, Iris firmly rejected the idea.
Illya saw a hint of hostility in her Mother’s eyes, and for some reason, she suddenly felt a bit defiant.
“Mama, Mother just threw me to the ground and didn’t even care about me!”
Illya pouted, her face full of grievance.
Not only that, but when she was fighting Samira, her Mother didn’t even help her.
Back when they were dealing with Parnis, her Mother had stopped time to help her beat him up. But this time, her Mother just stood there and watched.
Hearing Illya’s complaints, Naya pushed Iris’s arms off her and stood up from her lap, walking over to Illya.
“Let me take a look.”
Due to her own condition earlier, Naya hadn’t had a chance to check Illya’s injuries.
She turned Illya’s small body around, and when she saw the shocking wound on her back, it felt like her heart was bleeding.
“Really… How did it get this bad? Iris, why haven’t you healed your daughter yet?!”
Naya wasn’t skilled in healing magic, but Iris was. After all, when Naya’s own injuries needed mending, Iris was always the one to fix them.
As a former hero, Naya didn’t have any healing abilities herself.
Iris stood up, walked behind Illya, and applied healing magic to her back.
“I don’t think I can trust you to look after Illya anymore. I specifically told you to keep an eye on her. What were you even watching?”
At the time, Naya was focused on absorbing the leyline energy, so she hadn’t been able to keep an eye on Illya. She thought leaving her with the self-proclaimed invincible Iris would ensure nothing went wrong. Yet Illya still ended up hurt like this.
Faced with Naya’s scolding, Iris stayed silent, expressionless, as she patiently continued healing Illya.
It wasn’t that she didn’t care for Illya as her daughter. Rather, Iris didn’t want to protect her too much. Some dangers had to be faced by Illya herself.
Realizing that her Mama was genuinely upset, Illya hurried to explain.
“Mama, actually… actually, this wound, I-I caused it myself. In order to defeat the armor that Samira summoned, I had to tap into the leyline’s memory. I could only do that by allowing the armor to wound me. By drawing on the leyline energy from the attack, I was able to see the events that had occurred to the armor in the past. That’s how I summoned a black dragon and defeated Samira.”
Illya summarized the situation briefly.
Naya hadn’t witnessed what happened in the domain firsthand, but she could piece together most of it from Illya’s explanation.
After her anger subsided, Naya suddenly remembered that Iris had tossed Illya aside because she had been too focused on her. Now that she was feeling better, her heart filled with guilt for blaming Iris.
Iris was strong, but taking care of everyone in the family was still a daunting task. Illya’s injury was partially Naya’s fault as well.
She couldn’t just dump all the responsibility on Iris simply because she was the pillar of the family.
Without realizing it, Naya had become like one of those overbearing women who unfairly pressured the men in her past life.
Regret filled her.
She softened her expression, squatting gently in front of Illya as Iris finished healing her.
After about ten minutes, the wound on Illya’s back was completely healed.
Naya circled behind her daughter, carefully examining the smooth skin where her clothes had been torn. Not a single scar remained.
Satisfied that Illya was okay, Naya turned and suddenly hugged Iris.
“Iris, I’m sorry. I went too far. I should’ve kept a better eye on Illya. It’s not entirely your fault.”
She spoke with a soft, pleading tone, acting coyly toward Iris.
“Iris, I promise I won’t act so rashly again. This family is something we should protect together, and Illya should be cared for by both of us. I shouldn’t have blamed you entirely for her getting hurt.”
Naya hooked her arms around Iris’s neck, gazing into her crimson eyes that showed no sign of emotion.
She thought Iris was still upset.
In a moment of panic and guilt, she leaned in, aiming for those bright red lips.
Even though Illya was still nearby, Naya couldn’t care less. Right now, she needs to make up with her wife.
Iris propping herself on the ground, remained perfectly still, pretending to be aloof while secretly pleased inside, waiting for Naya to lean in.
…
“Flanna, should we…”
“We’d better wait a little longer. It’s not the best time to disturb Her Majesty and Miss Naya right now.”
“But they’re doing this right in front of Illya…”
Bella and Flanna hid behind a fallen tree, secretly observing the little family not far away.
Mama and Mother were getting all lovey-dovey, while the child just stood there, bewildered.
“Illya has to grow up someday. It’s just a matter of when,” Flanna sighed.
Thankfully, Miss Naya and Her Majesty were just kissing, and nothing more suggestive. After all, Miss Naya was more reserved.
Usually, it was when Her Majesty took the initiative that things became more intimate.
Naya’s kisses, on the other hand, were pure, a gentle expression of affection, like a summer breeze—clean and refreshing.
Surely, what Illya was witnessing wasn’t inappropriate, but rather the deep love between her mothers.
“Mama!”
Finally, Illya’s voice cut through the intimate moment between the two.
Naya’s eyes brimmed with emotion as she raised her hand to stroke Iris’s head.
“Alright, alright, don’t be mad anymore. I’ll make it up to you later.”
Then she turned to Illya, her flushed face softening into a smile. “And Illya, you did great, defeating Samira all by yourself. Mama’s going to give you a kiss as a reward.”
With that, she kissed Illya on the forehead.
“Yay!”
Even a light kiss from her mom was enough to make Illya overjoyed.
Although she still envied how long Mother’s kiss had lasted, Illya had a feeling that competing with her on this matter wouldn’t end well for her bottom.
“Flanna, Bella, how much longer are you going to watch?” Iris’s cold voice suddenly broke the silence.
Call out!
The two maids swiftly appeared in front of Iris.
“Your Majesty! Apologies, we… were late…”
“It’s already over. Where have you two been?”
“We… we were…”
“Ah, never mind. It’s over now, and the outcome was good, so that’s all that matters.” Naya smiled warmly at the two maids bowing in apology.
Playing good cop and bad cop with Iris helped give them a way out.
“Let’s head back. The Earth Vein’s Secret Realm has disappeared, so we won’t get lost again. Flanna, carry Illya. We’ll head to Rex City, pack up, and prepare for the next destination.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Flanna let out a breath of relief.
Bella, who had been tense, also relaxed. It was all Flanna’s fault. She got too caught up in fighting the Guardian, and without Her Majesty and Lady Naya watching, she completely revealed her true nature.
The Guardian, who could continually revive, became Flanna’s plaything, which caused them to be delayed.
Illya extended her arms towards Flanna, beaming with a radiant smile.
Flanna’s heart melted at the sight and scooped Illya up into her arms.
“Princess, forgive me for coming too late to your aid.”
“Then your punishment is… give me less homework next time!”
“Pfft… okay, okay, my little princess.”
Actually, Nitiya was the one who assigned the most homework. But since Nitiya didn’t join them on this trip, Illya didn’t have to deal with her constant nagging about studies.
Watching this harmonious scene, Naya gently touched her stomach.
The system began explaining the situation with the children’s souls in her mind.
[Host, the children’s souls are like bottomless pits, never satisfied with energy.]
[So even world-class Earth Vein energy isn’t enough for them?]
[Correct. However, I’ve isolated them from each other, so they can’t see one another or devour each other. They should merge into one egg and be ready to be born.]
[Thank you, system.]
[However, you might not be able to return to the palace for a while. As they become more active, they’ll constantly seek nutrients for their soul growth. This may lead to persistent pain. I’ve stored some Earth Vein energy in reserve for emergencies.]
[So, I need to keep collecting Earth Vein energy to avoid the pain, right?]
[Exactly. If, at some point, Iris can’t suppress them, the pain might be constant.]
[I understand.]
Based on the system’s explanation, the children’s souls were successfully merging into one egg, but they were insatiable. In the future, they might occasionally demand sustenance from their mother, meaning Naya would need to rely on Earth Vein energy to soothe them.
“Naya?”
Noticing Naya zoning out, Iris raised her hand and gently patted her shoulder.
“Ah… let’s go.”
“Is something wrong? Is it your stomach again?”
“Not really. It’s just… I still need to gather more Earth Vein energy, so I can’t return to the palace just yet.”
“Don’t worry. I’m here. If your stomach starts hurting again, I’ll take care of them for you.”
“Mmm!”
Naya nodded, regaining her energy.
She then grasped Iris’s hand on her shoulder, threading her fingers through Iris’s, interlocking them.
“Let’s go. There’s nothing left of value here.”
Even if the Earth Vein still held memories of this place, the energy had been completely drained by Naya, leaving it unable to recreate its past.
“Alright.”
Iris gently squeezed Naya’s hand in return. With a soft smile tugging at her lips, she met Naya’s tender violet eyes. Feeling the warmth of their interlaced fingers, Iris was filled with a deep sense of contentment, as if the entire world rested in her hands.
She would protect everything for Naya.