230 Chapter 230: Mildred's Request
Seven days had passed since the battle against that Stage Seven Zombie that almost took his life, and in that time, he had reached close to evolving.
Alexander was walking along the hotel corridors after his daily visit to the three old women to give them a dose of his aura and blood to help them recover.
"It seems like Sarah's mother reacts too violently to my power... Her body enters heat the moment it touches her."
"As for Amy's mother, that woman is in the heat all year around but seems to use my blood and power as a source to quench that lust and climaxes in her sleep... amusing."
He was trying to make a more detailed plan, heading to meet McAlister to work on the soul weapons they started in the previous city.
Now, the Vesta were all above Stage Three, and the weapons had bonded with them enough to start showing their attributes and personalities...
Just like Venri and Kat had begun to appear in his dreams, using their bond with him to enjoy strange and lewd fun while also telling him how cool he looks when fighting now.
But the worst was as the dream parted, and they would whisper.
"We miss you..."
Thus, his goal was to finalise the first generation and hope to upgrade and evolve them into second-generation soul blades.
All his lost Vesta, he wanted them to come back home.
To his side.
***
Alexander felt strange whenever he checked his strength and abilities, although he constantly increased his power...
The level and experience system was gone!
<nulli>'It seems like I am getting stronger fast... But losing the ability to level up was an oversight!'
<nulli>'If I couldn't devour the strength of my enemies, maybe I would eventually be surpassed by a random human!'
Now, it was harder for him to compare his power with others, and only women like Amy and Sarah, who were pure non-humans like him, were comparable as they only had the evolution to increase their power.
The quiet tapping of the marble floor echoed while the windows were boarded up, making the hallway quite dark.
The sound added to the ambience. It made everything feel serene, almost tranquil. However, the tranquillity suddenly vanished once he entered a large room on the second floor.
Chaos greeted his vision, broken shelves with books littered around the floor.
Broken wooden tables, some having turned into splinters while others were leaning on the walls or, in some cases, dangling from the ceiling due to falling at an angle.
At the same time, Alexander went other his thoughts, unaware that Mildred stood beside him with a slightly stiff face as her emerald eyes peeked towards him several times as they walked towards the blacksmith.
<nulli>'I have discovered that my evolution compared to a Vesta reaching the next stage is completely different. The same is true for Sarah and Amy...'
"When evolving..."
"Double their attributes or more... while Vesta.... became additive."
Her slim fingers fidgeted with each other while her shoulders occasionally shook whenever Alexander's clothes brushed against hers.
She listened to him muttering with a gentle smile.
The words made sense to her as she also had the inspection and identification skills and knew he was trying to approximate how much the growth difference was between the Vesta and Pure Demihumans.
Mildred rarely came close to him normally because she feared men, but she seemed fine approaching Alexander.
While a few drops of sweat began rolling down her smooth neck, her nervousness slowly disappeared as she watched him quietly walk deeper into the ruined library.
In contrast to Mildred's anxiety, she realised that her feelings for him had slowly surpassed her fear.
"Alex, have you not wondered why Valu and Kaliara also have a level system despite being non-humans?" Mildred added, her eyes glowing with curiosity.
She enjoyed talking to Alexander since he paid attention to everything she said. Sometimes even provided useful insights that helped her solve many problems, and he felt the same way his face looked like he discovered the world was round for the first time!
"Oh...!"
Alexander exclaimed while tilting his head back in surprise. He honestly hadn't thought of it before. When he learned about levels, he believed it applied to everyone.
While a confused expression floated on his face, he wondered why two separate systems differed so much. Why did humans need experience? What about the others? And did Amy evolve but not level?
Then he applied the question of something else, "What if the level system is only granted to those native to that world."
Kaliara and Valu both lost their worlds or came from different worlds after the end. Thus, they kept their level system because he transformed into something new... He hadn't told anyone from the Vesta, but he and Laura died.
True death during that evolution, he accepted the fate of losing his human classification to revive her. Yet, he did not lose all his humanity and emotions like he might have if it had happened when he was more immature.
This knowledge didn't mean much to others, but he felt a sudden relief for him and looked at Mildred, caught in the moment. He held her shoulders, feeling her tremble slightly and kissed her forehead.
Mildred's body tensed, yet it quickly softened, and Alexander let her go and followed the faint light coming from further inside the hidden room where McAlister resided.
"I want a real kiss..." Mildred whispered... shocked at her words as she looked at his parting back with wide eyes.
However, before he could leave, she grabbed his hand, ignoring the slight tingles in her fingers and other tightness in her chest and pulled him back, kissing his lips with a gentle peck, touched Alexander, taken by surprise. In contrast, Mildred pulled away nervously, her heart palpating wildly, and a mixture of embarrassment and shyness flushed her face, but she hid them quickly.
Alexander paused as she embraced him, parted after three seconds, and buried herself into his arms. She avoided eye contact and squeezed her head onto his firm pecs until she felt comfortable again.
'Ohh...' Alexander smirked internally, liking her soft lips on his. It was warm, sweet and chaste... innocent, even though Mildred should be older than him. He gently wrapped his arm around her waist and petted her hair, waiting for her to adjust and calm down, feeling her racing heart and increased breathing.
After she relaxed, Alexander patted her cheeks as he felt her smile against his embrace. Mildred felt calm as she looked into his eyes, the man she met in the rain after her body was defiled, her will broken, and it was this dumb boy with his stupid logic that tricked her into a pact of revenge...
Over the months... many, many months, she felt her fear of men and strangers fading as she watched this idiot sacrifice his body, slowly lose his naive and gentle boyish charm and become a solid and attractive man—he became her support before she knew it.
"I love you."
Words slipped out from her small mouth without thinking twice, yet unlike before, Mildred didn't panic and pushed Alexander away.
Instead, she found the warmth within her heart grew—it swelled, overflowing her timid self. She smiled emotionally, hiding the bitterness within, and she lowered her head and rested against Alexander's shoulder while mumbling.
"Sorry... can you make time for me tonight? I have a request..."
She wondered how she ended up loving someone for the first time so randomly! He was a jerk and had many women, yet being in his arms made her feel warm and safe!
"Anything for you, my first."
Alexander answered. Mildred froze and lifted her head in shock. His amused eyes and smirking lips were cute, "Wha—"
"When you kissed me and let me hold you like this, I made my own decision too." Alexander pinched her soft cheek.
Unlike before, Mildred didn't flinch when his strength harmlessly twisted her tender flesh, enjoying the sensations.
He continued, "Mildred, I love you."
Instantly, Mildred's pale face blushed madly while hearing his earnest tone. She broke off the embrace and walked forward like nothing had happened.
Though Alexander wasn't an easy fool like in the past either, he smiled helplessly, seeing her bright red face as she walked with a strange step, sometimes almost falling into the broken bookshelves, almost emitting steam from her ears.
"T-T-Tonight.... let's meet... O-Okay?" Mildred mumbled awkwardly while stumbling through words—
she failed to prevent Alexander from holding her hand while she embarrassed herself.
She faced sideways, avoiding eye contact while fidgeting her trembling fingertips with his thumb.
As if agreeing to his actions, she interlocked her fingers with his.
"Let's go see McAlister and work on our lifelines," Alex added, not wanting to make this cute woman act even more bashful.
"Idiot... who would go with you..." She chirped but held his hand tighter, with a warm smile on her pink lips... Not a single goosebump in sight.
Before they continued, McAlister hid while repairing things in relative peace—in the dusty air filled with soot and a strong oil odour. They were hung above an old man covered in thick clothing as the pair stepped over the scattered debris while keeping away from areas where broken wooden planks filled the area.
Not far away, several wooden barricades surrounded the worn area, with all the lights blazing in Alexander's view. His sharp pupils swept across the area as he placed Mildred behind him when approaching a dust curtain leading to another section of the hidden workshop.
The nostalgic sound of an Anvil being hammered, the burning sizzle of a furnace and the grumbling old man as he seemed to be working hard even now surprised Alexander!
McAlister wiped the soot stuck on his face, grabbing his hammer and patting its base before turning around. Soon, he noticed them both at the entrance.
"Eh? So ye finally came, Lad? Oh! It's the kind lass who always brings my lunches!"
Oddly enough, because she didn't view him as a man but an old family member, she could at least bring the dwarf lunches—Mildred often offered to take his food to build her immunity for the confession a few moments ago.
McAlister looked at their joined hands before a warm smile came to his old, miserable face. "Lassie, did you finally work up the courage? Tis' a shame this Lad has so many women, but good luck! You are like a granddaughter to me!"
'Hah... all the Vesta are like your damn granddaughter, you stupid old man!'
"Ah? What's that stupid look for, Lad? Do you want to fight?"
"What look, damn senile old man!" Alexander spat back jokingly! While McAlister waved his fist like an aggrieved elder hearing insults.
The fiery furnace beside him brought life to the dim stone room as various tools and items spread. Various swords lined the far corner in orderly stacks with organised boxes.
Alexander naturally spotted tens of weapons, along with iron bracers and gauntlets. While admiring McAlister's efforts, he noticed a strange pair of dual blades...
Two beautiful Katana... one with a black blade and white hilt, the other with a white blade and black hilt... names were inscribed along the scabbards while two golden chains bound them together, the perfect work done to them displayed unbelievable magnificence to the average craftsman.
Yet Alexander frowned; seeing those katanas caused his mind to blare countless warnings while goosebumps rolled across his skin.
Because...
The white blade was engraved with the name "Katrin," and the black blade had the name "Venri."
The blades were titled was: The Everlasting Eclipse.
He could suddenly feel the nodachi at his waist... vibrating with joy, delight, embarrassment and affection.
"Old Man... these swords..."
McAlister turned around, then saw Alexander's face and the swords and smiled gently like an elder seeing his family member happy with the gift he got them at Christmas.
"Ah. Those girls chose the name..."
"It's simply their feelings, wanting to always remain beside you, one the sun, the other the moon forever eclipsing you with their love and protection."
Even the stubborn old man wiped his eyes, remembering the souls of each girl he spoke to thanks to the soul blacksmithing job he could learn.
<nulli>'You two...'
Alex stroked the handle of his nodachi, filled with many emotions both Mildred and these two girls...
He looked to the sky, barely visible due to the broken roof and damaged building.
"Please finish their transfer. Thank you, old man."
With a thud, he placed the nodachi on the stone desk beside the two blades.
Alex didn't know that McAlister had been to visit all his wives and the women who loved him deeply, and these swords were filled with their love...
Like the nodachi drowning in Sarah's obsessive love.
Now these two katana were flooded in Sarah, Amy, Laura, Mildred, Stella, Himari, Megan and Patricia's love...
Not to mention the noisy girl Maria, who carved a piece of her heart and had it put into the blade... Althea copied her.
Maybe that's why they had a slight red shimmer in the light.
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