When Saria woke up, Garde was already gone.
The room was spotless—Garde had tidied up before leaving. Aside from the bed frame that had collapsed and couldn't be taken away, he had removed everything else, including the sheets.
There was no other choice; they were soaked. He couldn't just hang them outside to dry and reuse them, could he?
Saria lay curled up on the sofa, wrapped in the only clean blanket left. She shifted her body slightly and found that every part of her was sore.
Rubbing her stomach, she curled up even tighter.
"What if I get pregnant?"
She murmured to herself, suddenly realizing that they hadn't used any protective measures.
Glancing at the coffee table beside her, she noticed a glass of warm water with a sticky note attached to it.
"Take care of yourself when I'm not around."
A warm feeling spread through Saria's heart.
It felt so good to be cared for by someone.
Then, something else caught her attention.
Had Garde forgotten to take his weapon when he left?
Saria noticed Garde's massive battle axe leaning against the wall. The sharp blade was wrapped in black patterns that intertwined, reminding her of the black dragon she had seen back in the Hotlands.
Why had Garde left his weapon behind?
Exhausted from the night before, Saria quickly fell asleep after finishing the water. When a knock came at the door, she lazily responded without intending to answer it.
The same reaction occurred in the rooms next door and downstairs, as though all three residents had stayed up late chatting through the night.
If chatting through walls were possible, that is.
Kal'tsit, on the other hand, hadn't slept. She refilled her coffee mug, and Mon3tr appeared by her side, letting out soft noises. For once, Kal'tsit didn't send it back to her side.
"Mon3tr, for you and me, time is the cheapest commodity—whether a few months or a year or two. We need to deal with our own matters first."
Kal'tsit's face remained as expressionless as ever, but there were rare moments when her features softened slightly.
...
Splash!
The rainy season had replenished Sargon's scarce water sources. Dry riverbeds were filled with rainwater, creating clear networks across the barren land.
Garde leapt into the river, floating on the surface like a real crocodile.
"For now, no more messing around."
The crocodile man blew bubbles in the water, his golden eyes staring ahead lifelessly, like a salted fish with no will to live.
Sometimes, having too much stamina wasn't a good thing. Once his desires were sparked, if he couldn't fully vent them, he had to rely on himself to cool off.
If this happened two more times, Garde worried he'd lose interest in sexual things entirely.
"If only I could control my size with my Ascension Power," he mused. "That way, with Laurentina and Saria's physiques, they'd surely last longer."
Floating idly on the water, Garde let his thoughts wander.
"Or... should I do it with them both at once?"
An unrealistic fantasy popped into his mind.
But honestly, having his girls get along peacefully was already a challenge. If they were asked to do it together at the same time, he feared they might fight. The most pressing issue was—
He hadn't told Gavial about what happened with Saria or Laurentina.
Blub, blub~
The crocodile man sank beneath the water, looking like a guilty man loitering outside his own house, too scared to go in.
The Ibut Lord Ameer Residency was already quite close to the rainforest, and the river Garde was floating on flowed directly into it.
If Garde stayed still, the current would eventually carry him into the rainforest.
However, he was heading to Columbia and wouldn't be back anytime soon. Garde thought it was best to inform Gavial and the others.
After a moment of hesitation, Garde climbed out of the river and searched for his bundle left on the riverbank. Inside was an introduction letter from Saria.
But as soon as he picked up the bundle, he noticed something was off.
"Why does this feel heavier?"
His bundle shouldn't have weighed much—it only contained letters, snacks, and small trinkets for the girls.
Before setting off from Melun City, Garde had already decided to visit the rainforest, so he'd bought gifts in advance. Some were for Gavial, some for Tomimi, and a few for Zumama.
Zumama was a childhood friend of his and Gavial's from a neighboring tribe.
When Saria's group came to find him, Zumama hadn't shown up—likely holed up somewhere tinkering with her machines. Garde was used to this.
Still, it was polite to let her know before leaving on a long journey.
Garde had considered that if he managed to establish himself in Columbia, he could bring Gavial and Tomimi there.
Gavial, with her interest in medicine, could study at one of Columbia's medical universities. Tomimi, being younger, could attend elementary or middle school.
If Zumama wanted to learn advanced mechanical engineering, he could help her too. Rhine Lab likely had plenty of skilled technicians.
Of course, it all depended on their own wishes.
For now, he wasn't taking them because he wasn't sure if he'd settle in Columbia himself.
Although Saria wanted him to become the Director of Rhine Lab's Defense Division, to Garde, Columbia was just a waypoint, not his final destination.
Before all that, though, he needed to figure out what had gotten into his bundle.
Opening it, the first thing he saw was a pair of stubby little legs, like carrot sticks. It seemed the sudden motion had caused the owner of the legs to tumble further into the bag.
After some wiggling inside the bundle, a small head popped out. The child looked up at Garde with wide, sapphire-blue eyes under short gray hair.
Garde's crocodilian face was inches from hers.
Yet, instead of being scared, the little girl who had somehow ended up in Garde's bag reached out her chubby little hands and touched his face.
"Ehehe~"
A bell-like giggle rang in his ears. Garde quickly moved his face away from the tiny hands clutching his cheeks.
"Where did you even come from?"
Sniffing the air, Garde detected no unusual scent. He couldn't resist opening his status panel.
#======#
Character: ???
Codename: ???
Gender: Juvenile
Combat Experience: None
Birthday: March 6th
Race: Aegir
Height: 96 cm
Oripathy Status: Uninfected
Physical Strength: Deficient
Battlefield Mobility: Deficient
Physiological Endurance: Deficient
Tactical Planning: Deficient
Combat Skills: Deficient
Originium Arts Aptitude: Ordinary
Evaluation:
"Within the Aegir population, there exists an exceedingly rare branch with highly unique physiology. Due to racial traits, this subset of Aegir individuals possesses exceptionally fragile bodies. When exposed to extreme environmental conditions or severe trauma, they regress to a juvenile state. Your memory suggests you might recognize this Aegir child."
#======#
Garde glanced at his status panel, then back at the little girl in his bundle, who looked about the size of a human three-year-old.
The girl's appearance overlapped with an image in his memory.
After a long moment, Garde muttered under his breath, practically choking on the words.
"Uh... So, what do you do when you find a juvenile Whisperain? Asking online—kinda urgent."
<+>
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind spending $5 monthly to see till the latest chapter, please go to my Patreon[1]
Latest Chapter in Patreon: Volume 2 Chapter 56: Faith and Truth[2]
Link to the Latest Chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/butcher-of-126110418[3]
https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/butcher-of-126110418
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/butcher-of-126110418
[4] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl