Chapter 1050: What Happened While You Were Gone

And, as if that were not enough, there was now the problem with the ocean.

"Great. So I have those three idiots to deal with..." Strax murmured while beginning to count his problems on his fingers.

Ouroboros tilted her head.

"Those three?" Ouroboros asked while observing her husband’s tired expression.

"Zeus, Athena and Ares." Strax replied while raising three fingers.

Then let out another sigh.

"Besides a demigoddess who appeared unconscious on my coast and the God of the Seas himself, who is apparently sealed somewhere." Strax added while letting his arms fall to his sides.

Ouroboros blinked.

Tiamat did too.

Strax looked toward the sky.

"Ah, ah, what a shitty day~" Strax murmured while running a hand over his face.

His two wives remained still.

Ouroboros was the first to react.

"Love... did you say demigoddess?" Ouroboros asked while gently holding his arm.

Strax nodded.

"I did." Strax replied while seeming not to immediately realize the size of the confusion he had just caused.

Tiamat narrowed her eyes.

"And the God of the Seas? You’re talking about Poseidon?" Tiamat asked while her expression showed growing surprise.

"Exactly." Strax confirmed while looking from one wife to the other.

Ouroboros slowly exhaled.

"Darling, we were gone for a few weeks. How did you manage to get involved with Poseidon during that time?" Ouroboros asked while rubbing her forehead.

Strax spread his arms.

"I didn’t get involved with anyone! His daughter showed up unconscious on my coast!" Strax replied while beginning to laugh at their reaction.

Tiamat placed her hands on her waist.

"His daughter?!" Tiamat exclaimed while approaching again.

"Yes. Ariel, princess of Atlantis. A mermaid, to be more specific." Strax explained while vaguely pointing toward the medical wing.

Ouroboros looked at Tiamat.

Tiamat looked at Ouroboros.

The two remained silent for several seconds.

"You found a demigoddess princess while we were away." Ouroboros summarized while slowly looking back at her husband.

"She was unconscious." Strax reminded her while raising an eyebrow.

"And you brought her home." Tiamat added while crossing her arms.

"To the infirmary!" Strax corrected while letting out another laugh.

Ouroboros started laughing too.

"Calm down, love. We’re not jealous of an unconscious patient." Ouroboros replied while holding his face and giving him an affectionate kiss.

Tiamat, however, continued observing Strax with a suspicious expression.

"Is she pretty?" Tiamat asked while tilting her head slightly.

Strax stared at his wife.

Ouroboros brought one hand to her mouth.

"Tiamat!" Ouroboros scolded while trying to hide her laughter.

"What? I’m just asking!" Tiamat replied while innocently spreading her hands.

Strax shook his head.

"You just discovered that three gods are controlling the Human Empire and you want to know whether a mermaid is pretty?" Strax asked while seeming genuinely impressed by his wives’ priorities.

Tiamat smiled.

"We’re your wives, darling. We can worry about more than one thing at the same time." Tiamat replied while hugging his arm again.

Ouroboros agreed with a small laugh.

"She’s right about that part." Ouroboros commented while moving closer on his other side.

Strax gave up arguing.

It was then that Ouroboros finally looked more closely at the coastal region.

The dragoness had noticed something strange ever since she flew over Asgard, but the happiness of reuniting with her husband had made her completely forget about that detail.

Now, however, the enormous dark expanse covering the ocean was impossible to ignore.

"Love..." Ouroboros called while slowly turning her head toward the horizon.

Strax followed her gaze.

"Hm?" Strax replied while still keeping one hand around Tiamat’s waist.

Ouroboros pointed toward the sea.

"Why is the entire coast frozen?" Ouroboros asked while frowning.

Tiamat looked in that direction too.

She remained still for a few seconds.

Then widened her eyes.

"Wait! Is that Black Ice?!" Tiamat exclaimed while moving slightly away to see better.

Strax looked at the enormous dark surface stretching for kilometers.

"Ah, that." Strax replied while scratching the back of his neck.

Ouroboros slowly turned her face toward him.

"What do you mean, ’ah, that,’ darling?" Ouroboros asked while pointing toward the frozen expanse.

Tiamat looked equally confused.

"Did you freeze the entire ocean while we were gone?!" Tiamat asked while her eyes traveled across the enormous barrier.

"Not the entire ocean." Strax replied while raising one hand.

Ouroboros crossed her arms.

Tiamat did too.

Strax looked at the two women.

"It was only part of it." Strax clarified while shrugging.

His two wives remained silent.

Then Tiamat let out an incredulous laugh.

"A part?! Love, that goes as far as we can see!" Tiamat complained while pointing toward the horizon again.

Strax smiled.

"You should’ve seen the size of the waves." Strax replied while remembering the calamity that had almost struck Asgard.

Ouroboros immediately lost some of her amused expression.

"Waves?" Ouroboros asked while looking back at her husband.

Strax nodded.

"A disaster hit the entire ocean. Tsunamis, earthquakes, currents completely out of control. I had to freeze a gigantic part of the sea to keep Asgard from being destroyed." Strax explained while watching concern appear in the eyes of both women.

Tiamat immediately grabbed his face.

"Did you get hurt?" Tiamat asked while examining her husband from head to toe, completely forgetting her previous teasing.

"No, I’m fine." Strax replied while gently holding her hands.

Ouroboros approached and caressed his arm.

"And the city? Our families? Is everyone all right?" Ouroboros asked while her expression showed genuine concern.

"We managed to protect Asgard. We had some injured people and others who exhausted their mana, but we avoided a tragedy." Strax explained while hugging both women again.

Tiamat exhaled in relief.

"You should’ve called us, love." Tiamat murmured while resting her forehead against his chest.

"You were far away. When everything started, we didn’t have time to wait for reinforcements." Strax replied while stroking his wife’s hair.

Ouroboros slowly nodded.

Then looked back at the frozen sea.

"So a lot happened while we were away, didn’t it?" Ouroboros murmured while snuggling against her husband.

Tiamat followed her gaze.

"A demigoddess, Poseidon, the frozen ocean and a calamity almost destroying Asgard..." Tiamat listed while letting out a sigh.

She looked at Strax.

"Darling, we were gone for a few weeks, not a few centuries." Tiamat complained while affectionately squeezing his waist.

Strax started laughing.

"I know. I’d also like things to be a little calmer." Strax replied while kissing her forehead.

Ouroboros smiled and held her husband’s free hand.

"Then let’s go home, love. You can tell us everything calmly." Ouroboros suggested while intertwining her fingers with his.

Tiamat immediately perked up.

"And afterward we’re going to spend plenty of time together. No work, no gods and no princesses appearing at the door!" Tiamat declared while smiling provocatively again.

Strax let out a laugh.

"You’re really not going to let me rest, are you?" Strax asked while beginning to walk toward the residence with his two wives.

"You rested from us for weeks." Ouroboros replied while resting her head on his shoulder.

"Now it’s our turn to get attention." Tiamat added while pressing her husband’s arm against her chest.

Strax shook his head, smiling.

Despite all the problems that continued piling up, he was genuinely happy to have the two women back.

Ouroboros and Tiamat also seemed satisfied simply to be walking beside him again, although neither woman showed any intention of letting go of his arms anytime soon.

When they reached the entrance to the residence, Ouroboros raised her face.

"Ah, darling, one more thing." Ouroboros called while caressing his shoulder.

Strax looked at his wife.

"What is it?" Strax asked while stopping in front of the door.

She smiled.

"You said you found Poseidon’s daughter. How did you discover who she was?" Ouroboros asked while showing renewed curiosity.

Strax thought for a few seconds.

"I found a sapphire ring trapped in the Black Ice. When I touched it with the Gauntlet, the ring transformed into a divine trident." Strax explained while opening the door.

Ouroboros stopped.

Tiamat did too.

Strax took two steps inside before realizing his wives had remained frozen at the entrance.

He turned his head.

Both women were staring at him with their mouths open.

"You found Poseidon’s trident?!" Ouroboros asked while seeming unable to believe he had mentioned it so casually.

Strax nodded.

"Yes. I gave it back to Ariel. It belonged to her father." Strax replied while shrugging.

Tiamat slowly brought one hand to her face.

Ouroboros closed her eyes for a few seconds.

"My love..." Ouroboros murmured while taking a deep breath and trying to organize the information.

Strax raised an eyebrow.

"Yes?" Strax replied while waiting.

Ouroboros opened her eyes.

"Next time you send your wives traveling, please try not to find a divine relic, a demigoddess and an oceanic calamity before we return." Ouroboros asked while walking toward him and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Tiamat immediately agreed.

"Exactly! You’re our husband. Leave some problems for us to solve together!" Tiamat added while approaching and hugging Strax around the waist.

He burst out laughing.

"I’ll try." Strax replied while wrapping both women in his arms.

Ouroboros smiled in satisfaction.

"Good, darling. Now let’s go inside. I’m dying to cuddle with you without having to worry about absolutely anything." Ouroboros murmured while resting her face against his neck.

Tiamat nodded, settling against his other side.

"And I want all my overdue kisses." Tiamat added while raising her face and waiting.

Strax kissed both of his wives before closing the door behind them.

At least for a few hours, Zeus, Athena, Ares and Poseidon could wait.

His wives had finally come home.