Chapter 100: Intruders
[8:00 Pm.]
[Asher’s Villa.]
The sprawling estate was quiet, insulated from the bustling streets of Silverspire. Inside the opulent dining room, the warm glow of the crystal chandelier cast long shadows, contrasting with the tense power undercurrent of the evening.
"Slow down, Kelly." Juliana muttered, staring at Kelly in confusion, as she filled her mouth with food.
Kelly completed ignored her, focusing on the dinner before them. Her single-minded dedication to the meal was almost frightening.
"I don’t get, why cook this late?" Juliana asked, turning her head to Asher, Kelly was a war she wasn’t ready to fight.
Asher wiped his hands calmly. In the high society of Awakened elites, banquets were battlefields disguised with silk and champagne.
"By now, the Banquet already started, but we will arrive by 9:30 at most... I cooked this so none of you will touch any food there." Asher instructed.
"Huh? How will you explain this to her?" Juliana pointed a finger at Kelly.
"I will stay close to her always, besides, if she doesn’t like the food, she won’t eat it." Asher answered, placing a beef in his mouth.
He chewed thoughtfully, his demeanor radiating a quiet, protective authority that he was slowly growing accustomed to. Juliana thought for a moment, and nodded her head; Asher was simply being careful; they were heading to the lion den, and without preparation, it won’t end well. The nobilities were ruthless predators, and the Aetheldawn name was fresh meat.
"Alright... Oh!"
She opened her palm, as a green pill appeared on it, Asher paused, swallowed the food in his mouth, staring at the pill:
It pulsed with a faint, verdant glow, smelling strongly of distilled medicinal herbs.
"What’s that?" He asked.
Juliana smirked, and moved it towards Sara’s face, the sudden action of something appearing before her stunned Sara for a moment. Sara blinked, her eyes analyzing the glowing pill.
She slowly turned her head to Juliana, confused, then frowned, hearing Juliana’s telepathic explanation.
Sara stared at the pill for ten whole seconds, then turned to Asher; seeing his confused expression. With a deep sigh, she took the pill, and placed it in her mouth.
"....?!"
Asher watched, still dumbfounded, not knowing what Juliana was planning. After another ten seconds, Juliana turned to him:
"Alright! Sara, Please get me the bottle of juice!" She said.
Asher was confused, Sara couldn’t hear, so why ask her to get something?
The next moment, Sara picked up the juice, and handed it to Juliana:
"Thank you." Juliana said with a bright smile, while Sara gave her a small nod, and smile.
".....?!"
The two wives turned to their husband, seeing him staring back at them, mouth wide opened in shock.
"What... What just happened?" He asked in disbelief.
"Well, I can’t make the cure due to no ingredients, but I can still make some pills. I asked Mr.Tang to help me get some materials, which I used to make that pill... It’s nothing special, but when taken, someone who couldn’t hear will be able to, but it’s only for 12 hours." Juliana explained.
’12 hours, and you called that nothing special?’ Asher stared at Juliana for a long while:
To craft an elixir that could bypass severe magical deafness without a proper alchemical laboratory was the hallmark of a grandmaster. This wife of his was beyond talented, and he was pretty sure she knew it will be beneficial in the banquet if Sara could hear, but...
"What about her voice?" He asked.
"Sorry, I can’t do that... Well, I won’t say I can’t, but I just don’t have a very special ingredient. The tongue of the Giant sea toad... This is a Special type Boss." She said, turning her gaze to the food on the table.
The Giant sea toad was a legendary creature lurking in the abyssal aquatic zones in a very dangerous dungeon, a terrifying entity whose very breath could corrode steel.
"That boss is too powerful, and it will never easily reveal itself."
Asher thought about her words, a Special type Boss was the same with the Priestess, with five stages; yup, this will be difficult. Surviving five distinct combat phases usually required an entire elite guild raid, not a solo hunter.
He is different.
Asher turned to Sara, who was back to her food, but he could tell she was listening to their conversation. Thanks to Juliana, she could hear what they were saying, but was he pushing too much? Asking about how to make her speak? Even if Juliana has a way to accomplish that, what about her internal injuries?
A wave of genuine empathy washed over him, momentarily silencing his calculated ambitions. He wanted them fully healed—not just for the System’s rewards, but for their own sake.
He softly exhaled: ’Seems the cure is better... I will start my hunt tomorrow.’ He thought, turning to Kelly, who pulled another full plate towards her, and continued eating.
’This system is also a bit annoying!! Why didn’t you calculate this as an Investment?!’
{Note Master; Investment are calculated with Wives’ emotions, right now, wives already gotten use to your cooking, meaning; if you want the system to calculate it as an investment, you will have to prepare something new and surprise them with it.}
’I am actually surprised you explained the reason, you mostly kept quiet.’ Asher thought in surprise, staring at the screen, then froze.
Feeling his sudden pause, Juliana turned to him: "What happened?" She asked.
’Infinite senses just pinpointed twenty hostiles heading towards the villa, with their movements, they’re all Assassins.’
He placed his spoon down, flashing Juliana a small smile: "No worries it’s nothing... You guys should continue, I will use the bathroom." He said, getting to his feet, and walked out of the dining room.
Juliana and Sara followed his back, before turning back to their food, they knew something was up, but choose to trust him. It was a testament to how far their bond had come; they recognized the lie but respected the invisible shield he was casting over them. Kelly on the other hand completely ignored everything around her, taking Asher’s half-eaten plate of food.
_
Asher slowly closed the door behind him, staring at the main entrance door, which was closed shut:
His demeanor shifted instantly from a caring husband to an apex predator. The looming banquet was just politics, but this was a violation of his sanctuary.
"I can’t believe someone actually thinks they could attack me... Oh well, I will just get rid of them." He said, as his body merged with the darkness, and he completely vanished; eager to paint the villa’s pristine grounds in blood.