Chapter 36: In the Embrace of Safety

Early in the morning.

A young girl suddenly opened her light-blue eyes.

"..Eh?... Did I fall asleep?" Pethra tried to scan her surroundings, still half asleep. When she attempted to move, she realized she couldn't. The bed she was on felt exceptionally comfortable for some reason.

"Ughh! This bed is taking me hostage... Mm! Five more minutes," she mumbled, closing her eyes again and drifting back to sleep.

But in the next moment, her eyes shot wide open, and a look of shock spread across her face.

'Bed?... No, I haven't slept in a decent bed in weeks.'

Pethra then starts recalling what happened last night, and immediately her face turns red as she slowly looks up only to see Aron's sleeping face.

"!!!" She held her breath upon realizing her position: wrapped in Aron's protective embrace, her head resting on his chest.

Pethra's heart started racing, unable to believe that she had spent the night sleeping in Aron's arms. She tried to wriggle out of his grip without waking him up, but his hold on her was too tight. Feeling his warmth and hearing his steady breathing, she couldn't help but feel safe and secure.

'Seriously. Why does he keep treating me like this? It's unfair. If he keeps doing this, I won't be able to escape.'

Closing her eyes once more, Pethra rested her head on his chest, enjoying his warmth.

'Escape? Hell no! I won't let this feeling go away... I feel so safe.'

As she lay there, she listened to Aron's steady heartbeat and the rhythm of his breathing, feeling her own heart begin to synchronize with his. It brought her a sense of comfort and happiness she hadn't experienced in a long time.

Eventually, Aron began to stir, and Pethra quickly closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep. Aron opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was Pethra's peaceful sleeping face.

He smiled softly, gently stroking her hair. Then he raised his head and glanced at the ceiling, noticing a black bird perched on the edge of the wooden wall, staring at him with angry eyes.

"Hey there, Raum. How was your night? Did you sleep well? Any problems outside?"

Raum narrowed his eyes "I'm fine," he said with an angry tone without lifting his eyes from Pethra.

"..Eh? Is there a problem?, Rau-"

"Are you going to stay there? Get up; it's a new day," Raum interrupted abruptly.

Aron smiled in amusement; he clearly saw the jealousy. And since he's a good friend of the little Raven, he decided to tease him a little.

"No, I can't. The floor is too hard for my little witch..."

Pethra's eyebrow twitched slightly, finding it difficult to remain calm and pretend to be asleep.

'kyaaa! How can a man like this exist? Is he an Angel?...Oh! Well he's a Dragon'

Raum didn't appreciate this response at all. "That's different from what happened with me."

Aron chuckled. "Well, to be fair, you're small in size, and we were sleeping in a comfortable bed... Besides, did you forget I brought you breakfast?"

"In a way, you got more than her."

"Make sense," Raum said, but then quickly shook his head. "But that doesn't mean I'll accept this. Don't forget, Aron, I'm also your friend, your first friend."

Aron laughed briefly. "I know."

"Humf." Raum turned his face and flew outside of the warehouse.

Moments later, Aron approached Pethra's face, whispering in her ear.

"People usually don't hold their breath when they sleep."

"!!!" Pethra's heart skipped a beat as she heard him. Slowly opening her eyes, her cheeks slightly reddened.

"S-Sorry!"

"Wow! You're actually awake?" Aron spoke in surprise.

"W-What?"

"Well, I threw it out as a joke. I didn't think it would actually work."

"Y-You... You tricked me."

"Pfft... HAHAHAHA~ You should see the look on your face."

Pethra pouted, and her cheeks looked like a squirrel with a mouth full of nuts, and that face made Aron laugh even harder.

"Hahah~ But seriously, how was your sleep?" he asked.

Pethra smiled. "Good. I had the privilege to sleep in a very luxurious bed."

"Oh! I'm a bed now?" Aron said with amusement.

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"Do you see me complaining?"

"Good." Pethra displayed a small smile and closed her eyes, listening to Aron's heartbeat.

Minutes of comfortable silence passed until Aron suddenly broke the tranquility.

"Pethra, as much as I enjoy your company, we have more important things to do."

Pethra bit her lip. "I know," she replied, reluctantly separating herself from his arms. She didn't want to, but Pethra knew she couldn't push her luck too far.

Aron stood up and stretched his muscles. He turned around when he felt the presence of someone.

"Good morning, Kasumi."

Kasumi suddenly appeared, carrying some food and a white shirt.

"Good morning, Master," Kasumi greeted him with a smile. However, as her gaze fell upon the scars on Aron's body, her smile instantly faded.

'Hmm? Sword scars, arrows, daggers, and animal claws?' As an assassin, she recognized the origins of most of his scars, but the one that sent chills down her spine was the large scar running from his shoulder to his waist.

"Thank you." Aron expressed gratitude as he took the food and the shirt. "And didn't I tell you to stop calling me 'Master'?"

"Yes, you did."

"Then why don't you call me Aron?"

Kasumi bowed slightly. "I prefer 'Master.'"

"Fine, do as you like," Aron decided not to meddle in the matter since…Well, women are complicated.

After enjoying the meal—bread with honey inside, along with a cup of milk—Aron walked to the center of the warehouse with Raum perched on his shoulder. The little raven claimed the place and allowed one to approach. Aron saw that all the girls were awake and waiting for him. In the center lay the leather bags containing Vincent's wealth.

"So, what are we going to do with this?" Aron asked as he looked at the bags.

"We can use some of it for gear and upgrades and hide the rest." Kasumi suggested.

Aron rubbed his chin, contemplating the idea, while Pethra also pondered the possibilities. Suddenly, a soft voice spoke up, "I-I have a suggestion."

They all turned to see the owner of the voice; she was a young woman with long brown hair and honey eyes, She was the same height as Pethra and had fair Skin

"What's your name?" Aron inquired.

"Elina, Master," she replied.

'Master? Again?' Aron shook his head. "So, Elina, what's your suggestion?"

Elina hesitated briefly before responding, "We could use this money to buy a place for ourselves, like a piece of land or a mansion."

Aron raised an eyebrow at Elina's suggestion. "Buying a place for ourselves, huh? That's an interesting idea. It would give us a sense of security and a permanent base of operations."

Pethra added, "Having our own property would also provide us with the freedom to customize and fortify it according to our needs. We can create a safe haven where we can all feel at home."

Kasumi nodded in agreement. "It would be an advantage to have a central location where we can gather and strategize. It would make our operations more efficient and coordinated."

The other women expressed their agreement with Elina's suggestion, realizing the benefits of having a dedicated place for themselves. They felt empowered by the idea of creating a space where they could rebuild their lives and support one another.

Aron looked around at the group, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Alright, then. Let's use a portion of 'Our' wealth to find a suitable property. We'll need to consider factors such as location, size, security, and the potential for expansion. Elina, since it was your suggestion, would you like to take the lead in searching for the property?"

Elina nodded eagerly. "I would be honored, Master. I was raised in a merchant family. So I have some experience in this field."

Aron smiled at Elina's enthusiasm. "That's great, but you need to lay low for a while, all of you girls; no one leaves this place for a day or two, Okay?"

The girls nodded

Aron continued, "I have some things to take care of in the Inn, then I'll head to the market to buy you some clothes and some gear for me." He then patted Raum's head, "this is Raum; he's my best friend; he'll stay here to watch if anything happens while I'm away. He'll find me."

Raum was happy to hear 'My best friend', then he instantly frowned when he heard 'stay here.'He glanced at Aron, who whispered something to him.

"You're the only one I can trust with this, Raum. Take care of them and stay alert," Aron entrusted him.

Though reluctant to separate from Aron, Raum agreed.

"Aron, take me with you," Pethra suddenly spoke up.

"Me too, Master," and Kasumi also

"Why?" he asked

They exchanged a quick glance, hesitating to answer."We need to buy some things."

"...Things?"

"Woman things," they both clarified, blushing slightly.

"Oh!...Sure, you can come."

With a few gold and silver coins taken from one of the bags, Aron walked out of the warehouse with Pethra and Kasumi, who returned to her human form.