Chapter 648 - 150 Affection, Reward
"Isaac, can we do ’it’ here?" she finally asked with an innocent expression.
Isaac looked at her before glancing around the Ferris wheel cabin. They were already near the very top. Under normal circumstances, he would have refused immediately, but today he wanted to dote on Celia a little more.
With his evolved Aura, he could subtly alter how his skills worked. Hiding the two of them from outside observation with his camouflage skills wasn’t difficult anymore.
He reached forward and gently pulled Celia onto his lap so that she was facing him. One arm slipped behind her while the other rested against the back of her neck as he leaned in to kiss her again.
Just before their lips met, Celia suddenly jerked her head back.
"S-Sorry! I just remembered I have something I need to do!" she blurted out, her face turning as red as a tomato.
Before Isaac could say anything, she hurriedly opened the cabin door and flew out of the Ferris wheel.
Isaac watched her disappear into the distance with a speechless expression. The two of them had been in far more compromising situations before, so he couldn’t understand why she had suddenly become so embarrassed.
Unable to figure it out, he quietly activated Inspect.
[Status: After hearing Catherine speak about the events of the Trial, Celia realized just how deeply her husband loves her. She had always known Isaac loved her, but his feelings were far greater than she had ever imagined. The realization has left her too embarrassed to face him.]
"...?" Isaac blinked.
Instead of understanding what had happened, he only became more confused. The explanation made sense as words, but not as logic.
"So... because she realized I love her more than she thought, she’s embarrassed?" he muttered to himself.
He honestly couldn’t follow that train of thought.
A moment later, another notification appeared before him.
[Your wife, Celia von Rae’s Affection has reached 150.]
Isaac’s eyes widened slightly. The last time he had checked, Celia’s Affection had been 138. After reaching one hundred, every additional point became exponentially more difficult to obtain.
A jump from 138 all the way to 150 wasn’t something that happened lightly.
A helpless smile spread across his face. He still didn’t understand why Celia had suddenly become too embarrassed to stay with him. Even so, as long as her mood had improved after everything that happened earlier, that was enough for him.
Leaving the Ferris wheel behind, Isaac headed toward the one person he still needed to see.
He found Catherine sitting atop Qlippoth, the enormous white parasitic tree standing at the center of the city.
Evening had already begun to settle over the horizon. As daylight faded, the pale giant tree emitted a gentle glow.
Isaac landed on one of the higher branches. It was thick enough for the two of them to sit comfortably. From this height, the city stretched endlessly below them, its lights gradually beginning to appear as dusk settled in.
Catherine was already there. Surprisingly, she wasn’t using any concealment skills. Normally, she would instinctively hide herself whenever she wanted to be alone, but this time she had left herself completely exposed.
It was almost as though she wanted Isaac to find her. Or perhaps she wanted him to realize she needed him.
Isaac quietly walked over before taking a seat beside her.
Neither of them said anything. The sprawling city was peaceful and beautiful, putting anyone’s mind to calm. The silence between them wasn’t awkward, nor did either of them feel the need to break it with meaningless conversation.
Catherine leaned against his shoulder. Their hands naturally found each other. Their fingers intertwined almost instinctively, neither of them needing to ask.
Several quiet minutes passed. Isaac felt a faint dampness on his shoulder. He tightened his grip a bit, comforting her. Even though the two said nothing, it was as if a conversation was happening between them.
Slowly, Catherine closed her eyes. She shifted a little closer to him. Isaac adjusted his position against the massive trunk behind them so she could rest more comfortably.
Soon, Catherine’s head rested against his chest. A soft, genuine smile appeared on her face, one completely different from the expressions she usually wore. Listening to Isaac’s steady heartbeat seemed to calm the storm inside her.
After another minute, Catherine’s tail slowly appeared.
It gently wrapped around the two of them, holding them together in a quiet embrace. There was no possessiveness behind the gesture. It simply reflected how safe she felt in that moment, and how she wanted to be close to him. Little by little, Catherine’s breathing became slower.
The tension left her body completely. Before long, she quietly fell asleep in Isaac’s arms. Isaac lowered his gaze toward her peaceful face. He knew she felt safe, and that was why she feel asleep in his arms. He also knew that she was exhausted.
His heart was a mess of emotion. Even though they hadn’t exchanged a single sentence, he understood just how much she had needed this. She hadn’t wanted advice. She hadn’t wanted comfort through words. She had simply wanted him to be beside her. His presence had been the comfort she had been waiting for.
The realization of how vulnerable Catherine had become made his chest ache. He should have gone with her. Even if it had delayed his own Trial by half a day or even an entire day, he should have accompanied Catherine into hers first.
Now that she was asleep and couldn’t see him anymore, the calm expression on Isaac’s face slowly disappeared. His features twisted with guilt.
He couldn’t stop wondering how many times Catherine had cried while watching that other version of him destroy himself. He wondered what she had felt as everyone she loved died one after another before her eyes.
He wondered what had gone through her mind while watching Isaac stain his hands with innocent blood because he believed it was the only way to protect Celia.
And he wondered what she had felt when she watched him willingly sacrifice pieces of his own soul, knowing there was nothing she could do to stop him.
And...
What had she seen that she was still hiding?
Isaac wasn’t an idiot. He could tell Catherine hadn’t told them everything about the Trial. She had spoken enough for everyone to understand the overall story, but there were still too many missing pieces.
Who was the Devil King he had made a deal with? What had truly happened during the Thousand Year Stampede? What kind of path had led him to become someone capable of negotiating with both Hell and the System?
Catherine had deliberately hidden those answers. Isaac didn’t push her for them.
Whatever she had chosen to leave unsaid had to be something she wasn’t ready to revisit yet. If speaking about those memories only caused her more pain, then he would rather wait than force her to relive them.
He wasn’t interested in satisfying his own curiosity.
More than knowing what had happened, he wanted Catherine to understand something else. No matter when she decided to speak, whether tomorrow or years from now, he would always be there to listen.
A promise quietly formed in Isaac’s heart.
’I won’t let any of them enter another Trial alone. From now on, I’ll enter every Trial with them.’
Watching Catherine silently carry those memories alone filled him with regret.
His lips unconsciously tightened. The more he imagined everything Catherine had experienced inside that Trial, the more his chest ached. She had watched an entire world fall apart while being powerless to stop it.
Just then, Catherine shifted slightly in her sleep. Her fingers slowly loosened before one hand gently rose toward his face. Without opening her eyes, she softly brushed her fingertips across his cheek.
"Don’t be sad... Please... it makes me sad too." she murmured quietly.
Isaac’s eyes trembled. She was still asleep.
Those words weren’t spoken consciously. They had escaped from somewhere deep within her heart while she dreamed.
For a moment, Isaac simply looked at her sleeping face.
He couldn’t tell who she had been speaking to.
Was she talking to the Isaac she had watched suffer in that other world? Had she spent years telling him not to destroy himself any further?
Or...
Was she speaking to him?
Was she afraid that he would eventually become the same person she had watched in the Trial?
Isaac gently covered her hand with his own. His thumb slowly brushed across the back of her hand while he looked at her with quiet affection.
"I’m not sad," he whispered.
His voice was so soft that it almost disappeared into the evening breeze.
"In fact, I couldn’t be happier, holding you in my arms," he finished.
Leaning forward slightly, Isaac gently kissed her forehead.
The moment he did, he felt Catherine’s body relax.
It felt as though a weight she had unknowingly been carrying had finally slipped away. The tension lingering in her shoulders disappeared, and even her breathing became calmer than before.
Her expression softened further. The small smile already resting on her lips became just a little brighter. Almost unconsciously, she moved closer until she was comfortably nestled against his chest.
Isaac quietly watched her. He didn’t know whether she had heard his words in her sleep. Somehow, though, he felt that they had reached her.
Then, another notification quietly appeared before him.
[Your wife, Catherine Lorrain’s Affection has reached 150.]
[Affection of three wives has reached 150.]
[You have received...]
..
Author’s Note (This doesn’t affect the price.)
I’ve recently launched a new novel! It shares some similarities with this one, featuring levels, stats, and a progression-based storyline. If you enjoy that kind of fantasy novel, I hope you’ll give it a try.
The novel is called [SSS Awakening: I Am the First Legendary Mage], and you can find it on my profile.
I poured just as much passion into writing it as I did ’Gathering Wives’, and I’m confident in its quality. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as this novel.