Chapter 58: Chapter 58: The Vow, The Realisation.

Mariana quickly finished off her own battle by transforming into her Half-Dragon form.

The bandit leader barely reacted to the sudden draconic wings in the sky before a breath of searing flames came down and turned him into ash.

Next, she went over the mountain of corpses and looked over her man who had just given justice to the innocents.

“You have done nothing wrong, my darling. They deserved it. Let me take care of the rest…”

Adonis gave a nod and moved away from the pile, letting her ignite a fire that incinerated every bone and every piece of flesh.

[ Congratulations! You have leveled up. Current Level: 6 ]

[ Received 80 attribute points to distribute freely ]

This time, Adonis swiftly distributed the points.

He gave 20 points to Intelligence, which in return allowed him to process dangerous situations and give orders faster.

The remaining 60 points went to all the other stats, equally divided at 10 for each.

[ Status ]

[ Name: Adonis Kingsbane ]

[ Constitution: Chaotic Harem Body (Stage 1), Progenitor Dragon Physique (Stage 1) ]

[ Level: 6 | Exp: 160/5,000 ]

[ Health: 103 (↑10) ]

[ Strength: 54 (↑10) ]

[ Agility: 53 (↑10) ]

[ Intelligence: 60 (↑20) ]

[ Defense: 54 (↑10) ]

[ Charm: 40 (↑10) ]

[ Luck: 48 (↑10) ]

[ Ether: 580 (↑50) ]

[ Special Traits: Universal Language, Boundless Stamina, Touch Of Lust, Valkyrion ]

[ Sword Soul: Chaotic Harem Sword (C) ]

[ Sword Arts: Relentless Thrust (E), Backdoor Severance Style (E) ]

Amid this surge of improvement, Adonis noticed a particular stat: Ether.

His Ether had increased, even though he hadn’t consumed any Ether Core for it.

The reason was the top-grade Ether Net he had built using a top-grade Beast Core.

His body was automatically absorbing ambient Ether and storing it within his core, albeit very slowly.

Nonetheless, it proved that building the Ether Net had been the right choice.

Not only would it grant him fast and efficient absorption from Ether Cores, but it would also allow his Ether to recover ten times faster.

If this continued, it wouldn’t take long before he had enough to activate Valkyrion and summon his Vampire Queen: Valentina.

“Darling, everything here is done. Let’s inform the villagers so they can take their belongings back. Anyway, do you want to take some gold? There’s a mountain of it inside. I don’t know where they got so much from. The villagers couldn’t possibly own this much gold,” Mariana said, her brows furrowed.

Hearing that, Adonis’s eyes lit up.

“A mountain of gold? Where is it? Take me there. Now!”

Though baffled by his reaction, Mariana led him to a hidden cave within the mountain.

The cave was warmly illuminated by glowing crystals. At its center stood a small mountain of gold, shining with a brilliant radiance.

Adonis stepped closer and inhaled deeply, as if savoring its presence.

“Gold… so much gold. With this, I can build dozens of houses for my mother. She won’t have to stay in that heartless bastard’s home any longer.”

Mariana raised an eyebrow.

“Are you talking about your father, darling? Is Duke Kingsbane really that bad?”

“Yes. He is a jerk,” Adonis replied without turning back.

“He doesn’t even have the heart to love a woman who would throw her life away for him. I won’t let my mother suffer in that house any longer. She has endured enough.”

Mariana gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

“You shouldn’t think like that, Adonis. I heard from my father that Duke Kingsbane is a great man. And he rarely praises anyone.”

“I don’t believe it,” Adonis replied, turning to her with a cold expression.

“That man never spent a single night with his youngest son. Never shared a moment with the three of us as a family. He enters my mother’s room late at night, does his business, and leaves as if he just used a whore.”

His voice dropped, filled with bitterness.

“People like that… I resent the most. Even if the world turns upside down, I will never forgive him.”

“He is not a father.”

“He is a machine.”

Mariana didn’t understand what “machine” meant, but she could feel the raw sadness and anger radiating from him.

Without hesitation, she hugged him tightly from behind, pressing her face against his back.

“Don’t be so sad, Adonis. It makes my heart ache whenever I see you like this. I wish I could always keep you happy… if I could.”

Her voice softened as her thoughts drifted.

“Once we both grow stronger, I’ll take you to meet my father and talk about our marriage. We’ll become a family. We’ll bring your mother with us too. She can play with her grandchildren…”

Her eyes glazed over with a dreamy warmth.

“Wouldn’t that be a wonderful life? You and me, our children, your mother smiling while we hold each other close?”

She looked into his crimson eyes and asked softly,

“That would make you happy… right, darling?”

Her words echoed deep within his heart.

Then.

He turned around and gently cupped Mariana’s face, his crimson eyes no longer cold, but filled with a warmth he rarely allowed himself to feel.

“You really are something else, Maria,” he said quietly.

“For someone like me, someone who only thought about growing stronger, you still chose to stand beside me.”

His thumb brushed lightly against her cheek.

“Until now, I believed you’re by my side just because of my worth. My talent.

But now… I understand something different.”

His gaze turned emotional.

“Your sincerity touched my heart. You’re no longer a tool to serve my lust. You’re my woman. For eternity. If I protect you, cherish you, then it’s not just power I’ll gain.

I’ll also get a home.”

“A real family.”

“And that is something I never thought I’d have.”

Mariana’s eyes trembled, her lips parting slightly as emotion welled up inside her.

Adonis leaned forward, closing the distance between them.

Without hesitation, he sealed his vow with a kiss.

It was not rushed.

Not driven by desire alone.

But filled with promise. With warmth.

With the quiet determination to protect this fragile dream they had just begun to share.

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