The gentle morning sunlight filtered through the window, illuminating the small yet cozy room Alex had rented. The chirping of birds and the distant murmur of villagers reminded him of the tranquility despite the chaos last night.

But for Alex, peace wasn’t a luxury, so he wanted to get as much rest as he could.

“Thank you, Alex. For the dance and for… everything.” Lilia’s last words were still fresh in his ears. Every time he tried to take some rest, he would be reminded of the look in Lilia’s eyes that day.

She had tried to hide it well, but Alex could perceive her pain. He wanted to comfort her then and there, but things weren’t calm enough for him to do that.

He had decided to do that the next day, only to face the assassins and wake up three days later.

The only reason he wasn’t rushing to find Lilia right now was because he wasn’t sure whether Lilia had reached the desolate or not.

Alex had used his teleportation artifact, so he directly came here. If one were to do it by normal teleportation portals, then it would take at least a day. Not to mention, Lilia was probably trying to come here while hiding her identity—something even harder.

Keryu had moved around a week later in the plot, so Alex still had some time.

Lying back on the bed, his hands folded behind his head, he stared at the wooden ceiling, still finding the softness of the mattress strange.

Sophie had gone quite as well, not wanting to disturb his rest.

After a while, Alex sighed, pulling out the communication artifact Zahara had insisted he keep. It was a smooth, circular crystal etched with runes that pulsed faintly as he infused it with mana.

It hummed twice before a gentle, melodic voice greeted him.

“Alex!” Zahara’s face appeared in the projection, her warm smile lighting up the room even through the artifact. Her reddish hair framed her delicate features, and her fiery eyes softened as she looked at him.

“Good morning,” Alex said, his voice softening.

“Morning? Isn’t it still night where you are?” She teased, crossing her arms. “Don’t tell me you’re skipping sleep again.”

Although Astralorbis was a single world, it had different time zones in every realm. No one knew how it worked and how there were different suns and moons in a single world, but it just worked like that.

So, Zahara’s suspicion about it being night wasn’t off the mark. It was just that the desolate was rather strange. Its time seemed to work differently from the demon realm.

“It’s early morning here, and I did get enough rest,” Alex replied with a faint smirk. “Besides, you told me to call you every day. I wasn’t about to miss that.”

Her expression softened further, a mix of affection and mock sternness, the question about the strange time zone slipping out of her mind. “You better not. If I only relied on Sophie for updates, I’d go mad.”

[Hey, I give great updates!] Sophie chimed in indignantly, though Alex ignored her.

Zahara was already aware of everything that was happening. Sophie had told her everything, but Zahara wanted Alex to talk to her more. So, she said that Sophie’s updates weren’t the best you would expect as an excuse.

Both Alex and Sophie knew that, so they played along. Alex didn’t want to neglect any of his women after all.

“So, did anything interesting happen?” Zahara asked, leaning closer. “Or are you finally taking it easy for once?”

Alex hesitated, momentarily glancing at the faint scar on his arm from the previous night’s fight. He wasn’t gravely injured, but the beast had somehow scratched him.

It wasn’t anything great, so he let it be without healing. “Let’s just say the village I’m staying at isn’t as peaceful as it looks.”

“Ah, Sophie did tell me about you entering a strange village. So, what was strange?” Zahara asked, her expression turning serious.

She always felt like Alex knew everything since he could think calmly in any situation, so hearing unsure in his tone wasn’t something she took as a good sign.

“There’s a barrier here—one that protects this village,” he paused, rubbing his chin, trying to come up with the best words. “Let’s just say it’s not as strong as they think.”

Zahara’s brows furrowed with concern. “Alex, be careful. If something feels off, trust your instincts.”

“I always do,” he assured her, and he wasn’t lying. Only when it was related to people close to him would he lose his calm, and right now, there was nothing like that going on.

They talked for a while longer, their conversation drifting from lighthearted teasing to her own updates. Zahara mentioned her training, the progress of the student council’s investigation, and how much she missed him.

When their call ended, Alex sat silently for a moment, smiling as he recalled the way Zahara kept smiling.

‘How simple she is for a small thing like this to bring such a large smile on her face,’ he thought, smiling to himself.

Zahara didn’t know it yet, but she, who was planning many things to make Alex fall for her, was achieving her goal just by being herself.

After a while, Alex took out another communication artifact, activating it by pushing his mana into it. This time, he was dialing Mira.

That girl didn’t ask for it like Zahara, but Alex still gave this device to her. He had already made up his mind about taking her as his woman, so there was no way he would leave her out, especially when he was aware of how much he mattered to her.

The artifact rang for several moments but no reply came.

‘Is she busy?’ He wondered, but just as he was about to end the call, a hurried voice answered.

“I—I’m here!” Mira’s voice was breathless, almost panicked. Her face appeared on the projection, flushed and framed by strands of damp cream-colored hair.

Droplets of water glistened as they rolled down her cheeks, and Alex couldn’t help but notice her slightly disheveled state.

“Mira,” Alex said softly, the tension in his shoulders easing as he saw her. “Take a deep breath. You’re fine.”

“S-Sorry,” Mira stammered, her voice trembling slightly. “I didn’t want to miss your call.”

“You didn’t,” Alex reassured her, his tone gentle. Then his gaze lingered for a moment. “Were you… bathing?”

Mira’s pale cheeks turned pink, glancing away, feeling embarrassed—something new to her. “I-I was. I didn’t think you’d call right now.” She adjusted the towel draped over her shoulders, her blue eyes darting back to meet his. “I didn’t want to miss it, so… I rushed to answer.”

Alex blinked, momentarily at a loss for words. ‘She’s speaking more than usual,’ he noted. Then, with a small sigh, he offered her a soft smile. “You could’ve taken your time. I wasn’t going anywhere.”

“But I didn’t want to,” she said quickly, her eyes blank like always, her voice earnest. “I… I always look forward to talking with you.”

Her words caught him off guard, and for a moment, Alex didn’t know how to respond. Mira had never been able to speak true to her feelings after all.

Although her eyes were still blank, he could see the sincerity in her gaze, the way her blue eyes seemed to shimmer as she tried her best to hold his attention despite her obvious embarrassment.

“You’re… changing, Mira,” Alex finally said, a faint chuckle escaping his lips. But as soon as he saw her tense up, he quickly added, “For the better, of course.”

Mira fidgeted slightly, adjusting the towel again as she glanced at him. “I-I just… don’t want you to forget about me,” she admitted in a soft voice, her eyes lowering.

It was one of her constant fears. She wasn’t sure of what their relationship was after all.

Alex’s expression softened upon hearing that. He leaned closer to the artifact. “Mira, you don’t have to worry about that. I could never forget you.”

Her eyes snapped back to his, wide and shimmering with emotion for the first time. “Really?”

“Really,” Alex said firmly. “And next time, don’t rush to answer, alright? I don’t want you catching a cold because of me.”

She nodded, her demeanor shy—something Alex found amusing—her lips curving into a small smile. “Okay. I’ll… take care of myself.”

“Good,” Alex said, leaning back. “Now, go dry off properly. I don’t want Mother nagging me if she finds out you caught a cold because of my call.”

Mira let out a soft laugh, the sound light and delicate. “Alright. But… thank you, Alex. For calling me.”

They spoke a little longer, their conversation lighter as Mira visibly relaxed. Alex found himself smiling more as he watched her.

He wasn’t sure of the reason Mira had changed, but seeing her being able to express her feelings wasn’t something he would ever be sad about.

When their call ended, Alex placed the artifact on the nightstand and leaned back, his mind drifting to everything he had learned about the village.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep