Chapter 264: Making Up With My Jealous Wife

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Elisa expressed her thoughts without holding back anymore, making Riven surprised of how honest she’d become.

"I just feel like if someone else comes to you, someone way better than me... someone who can walk, who’s strong... I’d lose you because... because I am useless..." she suddenly started crying a little, her voice cracking under the weight of the words. "Because I am a burden to you and—"

Before she could continue talking, Riven pulled her into a firm, warm hug and did not let go. "You’re not a burden, and I’ve told you already... you’re the reason why I am here fighting, making so many allies and doing so many things..." Those words, despite how they came from jealousy, made Riven happy. It meant that she really seemed to like him and wanted him by her side no matter what.

He lifted her chin gently with one hand and looked straight into her eyes. "You’re not a burden at all... Elisa, you’re irreplaceable." He smiled warmly, making Elisa blush uncontrollably, her eyes looking at Riven while also trying to avert her gaze from him at the same time as steam seemed to almost come out from her ears, making her look utterly adorable.

"R-Riven..." Elisa felt her heart skip a beat at the sincerity in his voice, but then she averted her gaze from him, still struggling with the leftover insecurity. "But I acted... really badly— I’m not... I don’t know if I’m suited for this..."

Riven reached out and gently took one of her hands in both of his. "You’re allowed to feel jealous. I’d probably feel the same if some random guy suddenly hugged you that tightly. But I need you to trust me when I say you’re the only one I’m looking at that way. You’re my one and only wife, and I’ll never leave you for anybody else, ever."

Elisa’s fingers slowly curled around his. After a few seconds of silence she muttered, almost too quietly to hear, "But she’s pretty. And young. And she looks at you like you hung the moons..."

"She’s also a business partner who is very aware that I’m married," Riven answered without hesitation. "And I’m not interested in anyone else. You’re my wife. The one I came back for. The one I’m building everything with."

Elisa finally looked at him fully. The anger had mostly drained away, leaving embarrassment and a small, reluctant smile as Riven carefully cleared the little tears from her face with his thumb. "...You’re too good at talking your way out of these things, you know?"

"Is it working?" Riven asked with a warm smile that reached his eyes.

"...A little." She leaned forward and rested her forehead against his shoulder, breathing in the familiar scent of him. "Just... don’t let her hug you like that again, okay?" she asked with a bit of returning cheekiness.

Riven chuckled softly, the sound vibrating through his chest. "Deal. I’ll make the boundaries clearer. Sorry."

They stayed like that for a quiet moment, simply holding each other, before Elisa pulled back slightly and changed the subject. "So um... how did it all go?"

Riven’s expression brightened immediately. "Everything went better than expected. Label and Natalie are already running the new workshop at full speed. And Ignias... well, she’s back. Fully. Flesh, scales, the whole package. She’s resting inside the new volcanic zone that appeared after I fused the two dungeons into the Giant’s Paradise. Wanna come to see her?"

"Ohh...! Maybe later..." Elisa’s eyes widened with genuine surprise and curiosity. "Wait, you fused them already? And she really revived?!"

"Yeah. Vladimir even got a new bloodline out of it. Long story. The realm is C++ now. Bigger, denser mana, new biomes... it’s growing fast," he said, his voice carrying quiet pride. "And it’ll keep getting bigger."

Elisa’s competitive spark returned in full force. "Then we really should start training in the Spirit Dungeon Realm soon. I refuse to stay behind while everyone else is getting stronger!"

"Oh?! I see that you’ve gotten energetic again. Good!" Riven smiled and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "We’ll go tomorrow. You, me, Daniela, Carlos... maybe Label if she can tear herself away from the workshop. Sound good? The day’s already gotten late. I guess I spent a while doing a lot of stuff. We didn’t even eat lunch... How about early dinner?"

"...Sure!" Elisa’s voice softened, no longer carrying any doubt. "And Riven?"

"Hmm?"

"Next time some girl hugs you like that... I’m allowed to freeze her shoes to the floor. Just a little."

"C-Can you cast ice magic again? I thought you couldn’t...!" Riven muttered in mild disbelief.

"Well, I could try!" Elisa said with a playful spark in her eyes.

Riven laughed, the sound warm and genuine. "Fair enough."

Outside, the sun slowly began to descend from the skies, its golden light still shining over the training field as the ninjas continued pushing Natalie’s friends past their limits. The sound of sharp commands, heavy footsteps, and occasional shouts of effort filled the air.

Inside the Spirit Dungeon Realm, Chemy and the new facilities churned out potion after potion under Label’s sharp, focused gaze. Natalie was going completely insane over the sheer number of finished products, which had already surpassed thousands and showed no sign of slowing down.

And deep beneath the newly formed Giant Volcano, a certain red dragoness slowly flexed her restored claws, feeling the warmth of living flesh for the first time in centuries. She walked out of the volcano at a steady pace and began exploring the vast world that now stretched before her.

Her eyes widened for a moment as she admired the surroundings — the rich earth, the distant forests, the open sky. She closed her eyes and felt the nice breeze brush against her scales, a faint smile forming on her face.

"It’s definitely not home," she whispered to herself, "but it can become something new... A new beginning."

The dragoness smiled warmly as she looked at the kobolds slowly crawling from what once were the Whispering Caves, admiring the world outside, one they had probably never seen before.

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