Transmigrated Into a Tribal World: My Alien Husbands Spoil Me Too Much

Chapter 75: A Safer Place (2)

Ikarus slowly shook his head. "No. Unfortunately, even if you only leave for a little while, someone could still sense our babies’ Aether Energy."

Maeve let out a long sigh, and her shoulders dropped in disappointment. She looked around the underground fortress again. Even though it was well built, it still felt cold and dusty after being left unused for so long.

"This place is so dusty," she muttered. "How am I supposed to live here? And what about the sun?" She turned back to Ikarus. "Are you really going to leave me here all alone?"

Before he could answer, Maeve quickly grabbed his arm with both hands. "No," she said, shaking her head. "Please don’t leave me alone. It would be really scary to stay here by myself."

Her grip tightened slightly as she looked into his eyes. "Please... don’t leave me here alone."

Ikarus was caught off guard by the fear in her voice. He quickly wrapped one arm around her shoulders and gently pulled her closer.

"I won’t," he said without hesitation. "I would never leave you here by yourself."

Maeve looked up at him. "Really?"

He nodded. "If you have to stay here, then I’ll stay here too." His voice was calm but certain. "The people outside will bring us food every day through the small opening, so we won’t have to worry about that."

"And as for the sun," he continued, pointing at the soft light filling the underground fortress, "all the light you see here comes from stardust. It has the same benefits as sunlight, so you won’t have to worry about that either."

Cerus, who had been quiet the whole time, finally spoke. "And don’t worry about the dust," he said. "We’ll clean this place first so you can live here comfortably."

Maeve glanced at him because something felt different.

Cerus’s voice was much quieter than usual, and the bright, carefree smile he always wore was nowhere to be seen.

She tilted her head. "Is something wrong, Cerus? Is something bothering you?"

"Bothering me?" Cerus repeated dramatically before throwing both hands into the air. "Of course something is bothering me!"

He looked as though he was about to lose his mind. "We’re going to be apart for so long!" he cried. "How could I not be sad? I’m really, really sad!"

"He gets to stay here with you!" Cerus complained, pointing at Ikarus. "Meanwhile, Axan and I have to stay outside! What if you suddenly forget about us? We haven’t even gotten married yet!"

The moment he finished speaking, Maeve walked straight over to him and gently took his hand.

"Cerus," she said softly, "I could never forget you. Honestly, I feel bad about leaving you and Axan behind too."

If she had the choice, Maeve didn’t want to live underground either. The place felt dull without any colors from nature, and she couldn’t stop thinking about the practical problems she would face.

More than that, how could she use the toilet comfortably down here?

[You can buy all the essential things from the Black Market, Host!] Pinky suddenly chimed in.

[I’ll help you find a toilet with almost no negative effects!]

A second later, Pinky spoke up again. [There are also air-filtering devices, so you’ll still be able to breathe fresh air every day!]

That certainly sounded reassuring, but there was something far more important Maeve needed to deal with right now, so she didn’t respond to Pinky’s suggestion.

Instead, she looked at Cerus again. "Cerus, listen to me," she said gently. "We won’t be apart for very long. It’s only two months."

"It’s still too long," Cerus mumbled, turning his face away with a sulky look.

Maeve let out a helpless sigh. "I know it is," she said softly. "But it’s unavoidable. Besides..." A small smile appeared on her face. "If I have your child someday, won’t you be the one staying here with me too?"

The moment Maeve mentioned having his child someday, Cerus’s eyes instantly lit up.

"T-That’s right," he said, his voice full of excitement as the thought took over his mind. "Someday, it’ll be my turn to stay here alone with you for two whole months."

Just moments ago, he had been complaining about being separated from her. Now, his mood had completely changed.

Ikarus let out a soft sigh and rested a hand on his forehead because Cerus really was incredibly easy to distract.

"Alright, we don’t have much time," Ikarus said at last. "Cerus, can you ask everyone to help clean this place? By midnight, Maeve and I need to move in here."

"Leave it to me!" Cerus said, his earlier sadness completely gone.

Without wasting another second, he turned around and ran toward the exit. "I’ll bring everyone over right away!"

Ikarus then turned to Axan. "If you don’t mind—"

"Food? Blankets? Clothes? And all the other essentials?" Axan finished for him before he could say another word. "I understand."

He looked at Maeve. "Do you want to pick your own clothes?"

Maeve nodded without hesitation. "Yes!"

She quickly walked over to him, and as soon as Axan took her hand, the two of them headed back to the surface.

Everyone immediately got to work.

Although they had cleaned the underground fortress before, it was simply too large to clean every corner in a single day. In the end, they focused only on the rooms where Maeve and Ikarus would be staying.

To keep the space clean, Axan also placed a simple barrier around their living area, preventing dust from the rest of the fortress from drifting inside.

Since it was only a basic barrier, it didn’t use much of his Aether Energy.

Meanwhile, Cerus spent the afternoon hunting every Lunel and wild beast he came across. Axan then smoked the meat until it was dry so they would have enough food stored away.

They would still bring them food twice a day through the small opening, but since Maeve needed to eat a lot, it would be better if they also kept a supply of food inside the underground fortress.

"Once the Clouds start having babies, I’ll send you fresh milk too," Cerus promised with a bright smile.

After they had gathered everything they needed for the underground fortress, Maeve and Cerus were finally able to take a short break while the other tribe members carried the supplies downstairs.

From where she was sitting, Maeve watched everyone quietly.

Axan stood beside a smoking rack, carefully drying strips of meat over the fire. Not far away, Ikarus was crushing white stones into a fine powder so they could use it for bathing while living underground.

"Does the Clouds’ milk taste good?" Maeve asked curiously.

"I’m not sure if it’ll suit your taste, but I think it’s delicious!" Cerus replied with a bright smile.

He sat down beside her and continued, "It’s a little sweet, and it’s much thicker than water. Back then, most children in our tribe grew up drinking it."

Maeve smiled. "Soon, the children will be drinking the Clouds’ milk again."

If everything went well and Maeve gave birth safely, then the other women of the Azuryn Tribe would finally be able to have children of their own again.

The tribe would no longer be filled with only adults. Instead, it would be full of laughter.

Children would run through the settlement, chasing one another between the houses. Their happy voices would echo through the village as they grew up together, and just as they had in the past, they would drink the Clouds’ milk every day.

Cerus couldn’t help smiling as he imagined the scene. "It’s going to be noisy," he said. "But it’ll be a good kind of noisy."

Maeve nodded slowly. "I just hope everything will be alright."

Cerus gave her a warm, confident smile. "It will," he said without the slightest doubt. "Axan and I will make sure no one can find you. And Ikarus..." He looked at his older brother for a moment. "He’ll be your last line of defense. No matter what happens, we won’t let anyone take you away from us."

His words were meant to comfort her, but instead, they left a heavy feeling in Maeve’s heart.

If everyone around her were to die, then the only way to keep herself from being taken by someone else would be to choose death herself.

It was a cruel thought, but she knew it was the truth.

In this world, for many women, death was often a kinder fate than falling into the wrong hands.

That thought stayed with Maeve, leaving her silent for the rest of the day.

Before long, it was finally time for her and Ikarus to move into the underground fortress.

"We’re going to seal the entrance," Axan said. His expression was calm, but his voice was firm. "Only Cerus and I will be able to open it. If anyone wants to force their way inside..." He paused for a brief moment. "They’ll have to kill us first."