Chapter 55: I'm proud of you

"You see, Freya, I told you, this is going to work." A familiar voice was heard.

"Normal people won't think of doing this, Boss. But I think you're not normal."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Aron chuckled slightly as he emerged from the hole in the wall.

"Huh?... Oh! There you are, girls." Aron's gaze immediately went to Luna and Pethra, who were kneeling on the ground.

"!!!" Seeing their state, he instantly dashed toward them and wrapped them in his arms.

"Are you okay, girls? Did you get hurt? Luna, you look pale. You too, my little witch. Are you injured? Where? Show me," Aron's voice was filled with concern as he inspected Luna and Pethra for any signs of injuries. He looked more like a mother who found her children hurt.

"..." Luna and Pethra glanced at him with widened eyes. His concern brought a sweet feeling into their hearts.

Pethra smiled gently and shook her head. "We are fine, Aron; just a little exhausted from draining our mana."

She paused for a moment and glanced at Maxwell, who was impaled against the wall. "We pushed ourselves to the limit. We didn't want to take any chances with that man. He was extremely dangerous." Luna nodded in agreement.

Aron turned around and gazed at Maxwell for a moment—or at what was left of him because Python had drained him of blood.

He also scanned the area quickly, examining the place and analyzing how they fought. Aron formed a quick scenario of what happened from the leftovers, then he turned to the two girls and brought them really close to him, hugging them tightly.

"I'm proud of both of you," he said softly and warmly. And he meant it.

This is all it took for Aron's words to pierce through their hearts. It was as if a dam had burst, releasing a flood of emotions they had long kept suppressed. They had never received such genuine praise from someone in their lives.

Hearing those words, "I'm proud of you," felt like a forgotten dream coming true, especially for Luna.

"ARON!" Pethra exclaimed, and she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a strong embrace. If Aron were physically weaker than Pethra, she'd probably have snapped his neck by now.

"Do you truly mean it? Are you really proud of me?" There was a hint of surprise and anticipation in her tone. She really wanted to hear him say it again.

Aron chuckled slightly, surprised by her actions. He sat comfortably on the ground and pulled the two of them onto his lap.

He brought Luna's head close to his chest, and the Elf immediately hid her face in it, enjoying his gentle strokes on her blue hair.

Aron's heart swelled with love and affection as Pethra's embrace enveloped him. Her fierce grip spoke volumes about the depths of her longing for affirmation and recognition.

Gently, Aron caressed Pethra's back, his voice filled with tenderness. "Yes, Pethra. I mean every word," he assured her with an unwavering tone. "I'll always be proud of you, both of you."

Pethra's grip on Aron tightened even more, her tears soaking his shoulder as she whispered, "I've always wanted someone to say those words to me, to truly mean it. Thank you, Aron. Thank you for believing in me."

Meanwhile, Luna nestled closer to Aron's chest, finding solace in the steady beat of his heart. His arm around her felt like a shield, protecting her from the doubts and uncertainties that plagued her. The touch of his fingers through her hair sent shivers down her spine, and a sense of warmth spread throughout her being.

Aron's gaze shifted from Pethra to Luna when he felt tears slip under his armor. A soft smile playing on his lips.

"Luna," he whispered, "Don't hold back, free your emotions. You're safe now."

He gently lifted her chin, meeting her gaze with unwavering love. "Can you trust me a little? I won't allow anyone to hurt you. So trust me and your sisters, and don't be afraid to show your true self, okay?"

Luna's heart fluttered at Aron's words, his unwavering love piercing through the walls she had built around herself. The weight of his trust settled upon her shoulders, and she found herself yearning to believe in him, to trust that she could be her true self without fear.

Tears glistened in Luna's eyes as she nodded, "I... I'll try."

Aron's smile widened. He was about to say something when Pethra released her grip and brought her face close to him, asking in surprise.

"Sisters? What do you mean by that, Aron?"

"Hm? Well, we are a family now, a big family. We protect, help, and care for each other. And you girls are sisters. I expect you to do the same."

Freya, Pethra, and Luna opened their eyes in surprise, feeling a newfound sense of belonging. To have a family, to be part of something. Raum, who was also observing from afar, closed his eyes and smiled.

'A family... I never thought I'd have that. But... is it fine for me to have one?' Luna was having a hard time accepting the new feeling that suddenly nested in her heart.

Pethra embraced Aron again and closed her eyes as she rested her head on his shoulder. "As long as you are part of my family, I don't care about anything else."

Aron chuckled a little. "Fine, fine. Do as you like, my little witch."

Freya, who had been observing from a distance, smiled warmly at the heartwarming scene unfolding before her. Unconsciously, she touched her lips, and her eyes glowed with blue light for a second as she gazed at Aron.

'He's a good and strong man. I can't ask for more than this.'

"Huh?" Freya narrowed her eyes slightly when she saw a thin red string of energy coming from Aron and entering Pethra and Luna.

'What's that?' She blinked, and the string disappeared. 'Am I imagining things?' She shook her head, feeling tired.

"So... How did you find us?" Pethra suddenly asked Aron and Freya

"Well... The thing is..." Aron tried to avoid answering.

"Pffft..." Freya tried to hold her laugh.

"..." Pethra narrowed her eyes, then she glanced at Freya.

"We got lost," Freya admitted, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "And Aron here got really angry, so he began destroying walls."

"Hey! I didn't get lost, and I made a shortcut..."

'It's not my fault. If not for that system message, I wouldn't have taken such an extreme solution.'

The reason for destroying the castle walls to make a way for him and Freya was that Aron got really nervous when he received a system message a few seconds after entering the castle.

[Your mana is being drained]

After about 10 to 20 seconds, Aron began losing mana slowly. He couldn't feel it even now, but the system said that something was draining his mana.

"...also, I was worried about the girls. I don't like the idea of them being apart from me for a long time."

"Ouch!" Pethra, Luna, and even Freya felt an arrow pierce their hearts, seeing the expression on Aron's face when he talked about not liking the idea of being away from the girls for a long time.

'Oh my god! He's cute and sweet! Is he an angel?... No, he's a dragon... Hmm? An angel dragon?... Pff, whatever. He's my dragon.' Pethra's mind was in chaos, and she couldn't contain her emotions anymore. She grabbed Aron's face with both hands before giving him a big kiss on the lips.

"Hm-" The kiss caught Aron off guard, but he didn't refuse her approach. The kiss lasted only a few seconds. Pethra immediately hid her face on Aron's shoulder, avoiding his gaze out of embarrassment.

Aron chuckled at her reaction, and he couldn't help but tease her. "Well, my little witch got a little bolder, huh?"

"S-Shut up! This is my first kiss... Ahh! Forget it."

"Really? I'm honored, and I was thinking of giving another one, but too bad you don't want it."

"I-I... Want it."

"Hum? Didn't hear you?"

"I said I want another kiss, b-but later, when we are alone."

"Hahaha~... Sure, anything for my little witch."

Pethra displayed a lovely, warm smile as she buried her face in Aron's shoulder.

'Kyaaa! I did it! FINALLY!... Step nine, wait for me... Kyaaa!'

Aron glanced at Luna and saw that the blue-haired Elf was gazing at Pethra with open eyes and a red face. Seeing Pethra kiss Aron affected the little elf, as this was a new thing for her.

Aron whispered softly in her ear, "Do you want one too?"

"!!!" Luna's heart almost jumped out of her chest. She immediately hid her face in his chest, avoiding his gaze or answering him.

"Pffft HAHAHA~" Aron burst into laughter. He found Luna's reaction adorable, and he promised himself to tease her more in the future.

He stood up while holding the two girls in his arms. He then flashed a smile at Raum.

"Thank you, brother, for protecting them."

Raum felt warm inside when he heard Aron calling him 'brother.' He wanted to jump on his shoulder, but that 'Friend number 2' was holding his right shoulder, and Raum liked the Elf girl, so he wouldn't bother her either.

Aron gazed from afar at Maxwell, or what remained of him. Python consumed all his blood, leaving a really disgusting-looking corpse behind, and Aron didn't want the girls to see it.

'You're lucky that you died quickly; otherwise, you would have found a slow and painful death from me.' Aron glanced at Maxwell's corpse one last time before asking about Kasumi and Scarlett.

"They went to free the slaves since the path was clear. They should be arriving any minute now," Raum replied, as he was the one who had scanned the whole path to the slave cells.

Aron nodded, then turned to Freya. "We should wait for them outside. Have you decided what to do with those Rats?"

Freya shook her head and replied, "No, I should leave that to Scarlett and Kasumi. They have a plan in mind."

"Alright, let's go." Aron said, walking out of the castle with the girls still in his arms.