Chapter 86: Nathira’s Comeback (2)

Words : 1077 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

Chapter 86: Nathira’s Comeback (2) All hands were on deck in the factory where the Moonlight Dusk members were hiding. "Isn’t boss a bit too late?" one of the men asked. Tony glanced at the people bickering and sighed. ’Can’t tell these fools that boss went to fight that witch.’ He stared at the door. ’But will he be able to win?’ In the next moment, the factory door opened, and for an instant, all they could see was pure white. But as they lifted their heads, unease crept into their senses, freezing them in place. Long blonde hair and crimson eyes. Elizabeth, who stood at the far end of the factory, murmured, "Th-the stranger has found us!" Everyone began trembling. They had all witnessed what the woman was capable of since she singlehandedly crushed their entire mercenary unit. But for Elizabeth, it wasn’t just fear she felt. ’What happened to Arthur? Did he die? Wasn’t I supposed to be his slave?’ Tony turned to Mary, who stood beside Elizabeth quivering, then gripped his blade tightly and stood, though his legs felt unsteady. "You can kill me," he said quietly. "But don’t touch Mary." Everyone looked toward him, but before he could even take a step, someone appeared behind the woman, gently placing a hand on her head. "Didn’t I tell you not to fear them?" All their eyes widened at once. "Boss!" they said in unison. Arthur glanced at them, tilting his head. "What the hell is wrong with you guys?" Tony still held his blade tight. "Boss, that’s the strange woman I told you about." Arthur sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "This strange woman is my..." Before he could finish, Amelia walked out from a room in the corner. Her eyes immediately lit up as she ran toward Nathira. "Unnie!" Everyone felt like a portion of their soul had left them. Nathira gently ruffled Amelia’s hair. "How are you?" Amelia clung to her like a needy younger sibling. "I’m fine." Tony finally lowered his blade. "Boss, what’s going on?" Arthur smiled awkwardly. "Well, this is my first wife." "What?!" Nathira gave a slight bow. "My name is Syr’Nathira Val Arcain, Arthur’s first wife." Tony stared blankly at Arthur. "Haa, what the hell..." It took some time for Arthur’s men to accept Nathira as an ally, but whatever technique she used on his other wives, she used here too and quickly became part of their family. However, the person who changed the most after that encounter was Elizabeth. "My lord, here are the elixirs," Elizabeth said, bowing so low he couldn’t see her face. Arthur, who was focused on the map of Falmouth, turned to her. "What are you doing?" Elizabeth didn’t lift her head. "I’m fulfilling my duty as your slave, my lord." Arthur sighed. "Please, Lisa, raise your head and act normal." Elizabeth lifted her head slightly but averted her gaze, sweat still beading at her temples. "How can I act normal in front of you, my lord?" ’I can’t take this anymore,’ Arthur thought. It was one thing for his subordinates to act strange, another for his close circle to act worse. Arthur wrapped an arm around Elizabeth’s waist, making her stiffen. "Bastard! What are you doing?" "Bastard?" She immediately turned her head away. "My lord." Arthur exhaled deeply. "Lisa, what if we get married?" Elizabeth’s gaze shot up. "What?" Arthur leaned in. "I said, what if I have feelings for you and we get married? Is this how you’ll act in front of me and your senior sister?" Elizabeth’s cheeks reddened as she shook her head a little. "No." Arthur smiled, his dimples deepening. "So stop acting silly, wifey." Elizabeth’s face turned crimson. "Yes..." "Hmm..." Arthur teased. Elizabeth paused. "...Husband." He let go of her and returned to the map. "Can you call Tony and Jet for me?" Elizabeth gave a small nod and quietly walked away. As soon as she left, Arthur’s expression turned grim. ’This is going to be harder than I thought.’ Even if most mercenaries were idiots, Arthur couldn’t lump this group with the rest. ’Their tactics might seem sloppy,’ he moved a chess piece forward on the map, ’but whoever’s running this is definitely sharp.’ The mercenaries’ forces had been scattered in a seemingly random pattern, but it gave them the highest chance of survival under attack. That meant Mr. X likely had a method of suppressing Nathira. If it came down to raw power, Nathira was easily among the strongest, perhaps only weaker than most gods, but she was still a mortal, and worse, an ancient dragon. And there were certain artifacts capable of restraining their kind. Arthur couldn’t afford to risk it recklessly. Even if saving Eira was urgent, his wives’ safety mattered even more. ’If I use a feint strategy...’ Spread his troops thin enough to look like he’s clearing out grunts, while prepping their ace to unleash a large-scale spell. If they fell for it, Nathira could take out the small fry, and the enemy strategist would be forced to either counter, which they’d lose, or retreat and regroup at the base. That would give Arthur time to save Eira and pick off the enemy base gradually. And if they didn’t fall for it? He could push from the front, bait their commanders into thinking he was just another overconfident young master, and have Nathira strike from range. After all, no one knew his true strength yet. Arthur smiled. ’Even if this plan fails, there’s still Plan B and C.’ The real issue now was whether the mercenaries would move before he did. By now, they must’ve received news that Nathira had joined him. That meant some of their ranks would be in disarray. As Arthur refined his strategies, Tony entered the room along with Jet, the captain of the Bed Warmers’ intel team. They both knelt on one knee. Arthur focused his attention on them as Jet reported: "My lord, we’ve found the woman called Cherry. After receiving the intel you gave, she agreed to join us as my vice-captain." Arthur grinned. ’She didn’t join exactly as I planned, but close enough.’ He reached for his sword, shattered the chess pieces, and folded the map. "Call everyone. We move tonight," he ordered, striding past them. "Yes, my lord!" they both responded in unison. ─── ✦ End of Chapter ✦ ───

Chapter 86: Nathira’s Comeback (2)

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