Chapter 125: Journey's Start

Utilizing her Scout skill, Scarlett skillfully guided Aron to the bath unnoticed. Taking the 'Abomination'—as Raum liked to call it—was too much for her; unable to walk properly, Aron was left with no choice but to carry her.

He did not mind if the other girls knew about him and Scarlett, but Scarlett insisted on keeping it a secret for some reason.

Inside the bath, the two were tempted to go for another round; one wasn't enough to calm the burning desire, yet the time was near for Aron to depart on his journey.

As they washed, their hands lingered on each other's skin, tracing familiar contours and igniting sparks of desire once more. The steamy atmosphere of the bath seemed to heighten their senses, drawing them irresistibly closer together. But as much as they longed to lose themselves in each other once again, time for fun was over.

"I'll go first," Aron said, gently giving a kiss to Scarlett's forehead before reluctantly pulling away. He knew that he had to focus on his journey and the tasks that lay ahead.

Scarlett nodded, her expression filled with understanding. She knew that Aron had important matters to attend to, and she didn't want to hold him back.

"Be safe out there," she whispered, her voice soft with emotion. "And know that I'll be waiting for you to return."

Aron smiled, his heart swelling with love for the woman before him. He leaned in once more, pressing a lingering kiss to her lips, savoring the taste of her.

"I'll come back to you, I promise," he vowed, his voice filled with determination.

As Aron exited the bath, Scarlett lingered, her gaze fixed on the doorway. Lost in reverie, she traced her lips with her fingers, a dreamy expression gracing her features. Suddenly jolted back to reality, her cheeks flushed crimson to match her fiery hair.

"NOOO! What have I done?!"

Screaming, Scarlett crouched on the bath floor, holding her head with both hands. Her heart raced with a mixture of excitement and anxiety as she realized the gravity of what had transpired between her and Aron.

"The girls would kill me if they found out, especially Pethra and Freya…But"

Scarlett displayed a wide smile when she realized that she had just beaten them all as the first one who managed to have a passionate night with Aron.

Tracing her hand along her abdomen, she could still feel his love filling her inside with warmth and longing that she couldn't shake.

"Aron is a hundred times better than the bastard I once married," she whispered to herself, her voice filled with conviction. "He deserved to claim my first."

Rising to her feet, she approached the exit. However, before leaving, she whispered to herself with some hope,

"Maybe I can start a family with him? I hope"

…

While Scarlett was lost in fantasies, Aron made his way to his room, preparing for the journey ahead. He quickly puts on a clean shirt and pants before taking out from his inventory his mentor's gift: a liquid black metal that has the ability to take any shape based on the user's will.

"What a great invention, with this, I'll never need to buy new armor ever again."

The liquid metal was an invention by Thyra. Using her metal magic and with a little help from her sister, she was able to achieve it.

As Aron focused his will on the substance, the liquid metal responded eagerly, swirling and shifting at his command, covering the entirety of Aron's body and molding it into suitable armor.

Darker than black, the armor was menacing in design, adorned with glowing red runes on the edges and in the chest, circling a dragon's head with its jaws open wide in a fearsome snarl.

"Splendid…time to go."

With that, he left the room and made his way to the main hall, where he found everyone sitting at the table having breakfast and waiting for him.

As Aron entered the main hall, the chatter died down, and all eyes turned to him in awe at his menacing yet charming presence. His new armor gleamed ominously in the light, the red runes pulsating with power.

"Good morning, everyone," he said as he took a seat at the head of the table next to Thyra, who leaned in, placing an arm over his shoulder. With a smirk on her face, she whispered in his ear.

"The armor suits you well, my dear disciple."

Aron grinned, mimicking her gesture. "All thanks to you, my dear mentor."

""Heheheheh~""

"???" The others at the table exchanged puzzled and curious glances at the strange low laughter and the closeness of Thyra and Aron. Some were annoyed by seeing the two so close, but the one who really didn't like it was Scarlett, who just entered the main hall.

Scarlett's heart sank as she entered the main hall and witnessed the familiar closeness between Aron and Thyra. A pang of jealousy and unease gripped her as she observed Thyra's arm draped over Aron's shoulder and the whispered exchange between them.

However, just recalling the passion they had previously, that jealousy vanished, knowing that she was the only one who did it with him.

"What's so funny, you two?" Scarlett inquired, her voice carrying a mix of curiosity and a hint of unease as she made her way to her seat next to Freya.

Thyra's smirk widened at Scarlett's question, and she exchanged a glance with Aron before leaning back in her chair, her arm sliding off his shoulder.

"Oh, just mentor and disciple things," Thyra replied casually, her tone cryptic yet playful.

Just as Scarlett was about to ask about mentor and disciple things, Freya next to her snapped, leaning close and sniffing the air.

Sniff. Sniff.

"Hey, torch-head!" she exclaimed, her tone low and threatening.

"Hmm? What's wrong? Wet-dog?" Perplexed, Scarlett raised an eyebrow.

Freya, on the other hand, didn't care about the insult; she kept staring at Scarlett for a few seconds before she spoke.

"Why do I smell the Boss's scent on you?"

"!!!" Scarlett froze, her heart pounding in her chest as Freya's words registered in her mind. She sneakily glanced at Aron and saw that he too was staring at her. Instantly, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and panic.

She swallowed hard, her mind racing as she struggled to come up with a plausible explanation. She couldn't reveal the truth about her passionate night with Aron; it was meant to be a secret between them.

Moreover, Scarlett knew that Freya would react badly if she knew, as werewolves tend to be extremely possessive about their partners, even if Aron and Freya were not officially that.

"I-I..." Scarlett stammered, her voice barely above a whisper as she searched for the right words. "I-I don't know what you're talking about, Freya. Maybe it's just… I used the bath after him, that must be it."

Freya's gaze intensified, her nostrils flaring as she processed Scarlett's explanation. After a tense moment, she seemed to relax slightly, but suspicion still lingered in her eyes.

"Hmm... maybe," Freya muttered, her tone skeptical. "But you better be telling the truth, torch-head. I won't hesitate to sniff out any lies."

Scarlett forced a nervous laugh, trying to alleviate the tension. "Of course, Freya. You know I wouldn't lie to you."

'Phew… I barely dodged that,' she sighed deeply inwardly. And when she glanced at Aron, Scarlett saw a smirk on his face.

'You're enjoying this, don't you?'

…

Breakfast concluded swiftly for Aron and his journey companions. They swiftly made their way out of the mansion, where they found their bags waiting for them: eight large leather bags filled with everything they needed, from clothes, potions, and tools to weapons, and provisions for the long journey ahead.

Thanks to Aron's inventory, the group won't have to deal with them.

"Alright, see you in three months, girls," Aron stood tall, gazing at the girls gathered to bid him luck on his quest. It was evident that his departure weighed heavily on them. They barely had the chance to enjoy his presence among them after his month-long training, and now he was going for a whole three months.

"Aron," Pethra suddenly called, drawing everyone's attention.

"Yes, little witch?"

Aron, I can understand why you have to take Kasumi and Raum with you, but what I don't understand is…," she then pointed to the woman with wine-colored hair and gray eyes standing behind Aron, "...why does this woman have to go with you too?"

Aron turned slightly, glancing from the corner of his eye at Viper, who stood obediently waiting for his command.

He sighed and explained a little, "Where I'm going, monsters are not the only enemy. Taking any one of you with me is dangerous, and I need people with stealth abilities."

Aron's explanation seemed to satisfy Pethra's curiosity to some extent, however, she still didn't like the fact that Viper was going to spend three months with Aron, a time that she thought was rightfully hers.

"What about me, master? I can be stealthy," another girl from the group raised her hand asking.

"Yes, you're Savara, but I need you here, understand?"

"Yes, master," the tigress named Savara nodded obediently, though a hint of disappointment flickered in her eyes. She, like all the girls, was trying to create a chance to be with her master, yet having the duty of protecting the mansion was more important.

Taking a few steps to the left and crouching, Aron called for the little girl hiding behind Mia.

"Sweetheart, aren't you going to say goodbye to your father?"

Aurora hesitated for a moment before rushing into Aron's outstretched arms. Tears welled up in her eyes as she clung to him tightly, burying her face in his chest.

"Father… Safe," she whispered, her voice choked with emotion.

Aron held Aurora close, his heart breaking at the sight of his daughter's tears. He hugged her tightly, feeling a surge of protectiveness and love wash over him.

"Don't worry, I'll be safe, and remember to wait for my call each night, okay?"

"Mm.." Aurora nodded before giving him a kiss on the cheek and swiftly dashing behind Mia, hiding her embarrassment.

This little interaction caused everyone to break into laughter at the cuteness of the little Dhampir.

"Let's go, Aron, we're wasting time," Thyra exclaimed.

Aron nodded, rising to his feet. "Take care, everyone, and if anything happens, just call me through the orbs."

"You too, master, good luck with your quest."

…

Exiting the mansion with Raum on his shoulder and Kasumi and Viper behind him, the group followed Thyra and Victoria into the forest just outside the mansion.

QUICK!

Two silver-owled wyverns were waiting inside the forest, and when they saw their master Thyra, they quickly rose from the ground and approached the group with a sense of familiarity. These majestic creatures had been trained by Thyra herself, and they recognized her as their alpha.

When Aron saw how obedient the wyverns were, he felt a slight anger rising inside him. He knew why he felt a sense of kinship when he saw the wyverns for the first time.

Wyverns are distant relatives of dragons, going back thousands of years. How they came to be is still unknown, but some scholars theorized that wyverns were a failed result in the evolution of some dragons, creating a new sub-race of dragons with time.

Even if Aron felt anger seeing distant relatives of his being chained and tamed, he wasn't going to do anything about it.

In his eyes, these wyverns lost their free will because they were weak, and broken. Now they are paying the price for their weakness, and as a result, they lost the respect in Aron's eyes.

After all, Aron believes that everything that happens to you is the result of your own actions.

'The strong is always right and the weak have no right.'

It was a harsh worldview, but it was a fact everyone knew, yet few people truly understood it.

"Aron, you take that one," Thyra said, pointing at the largest wyvern before hopping on the other one. "Try to keep up." Immediately, she flew high with Victoria in her shadow.

Aron, on the other hand, approached the wyvern who bowed its head in submission to him.

"Let's go," he said before taking a seat on the saddle. Kasumi slipped into his shadow while Raum found himself a secure place in the saddle's pockets, ready for the journey ahead.

But it was Viper's hesitance that caught Aron's attention. He could sense her fear, her uncertainty about being so close to the wyvern. Without hesitation, he reached out and gently took her arm, guiding her to sit in front of him on the saddle.

Viper didn't protest, her expression unreadable as she settled into place. Aron could feel the tension radiating from her, but he knew that they didn't have time to dwell on her fears.

"Hold on tight,"

With a gentle nudge of his heels, Aron signaled for the wyvern to take flight. With a powerful beat of its wings, the creature lifted off the ground, soaring into the sky alongside Thyra.