Novel Full Chapter 694: Homecoming
Chapter 694: Homecoming
“That’s proof that Authorities are nothing special. So stop worrying about whether yours is enough. Got it?”
Obitus finally looked up.
She met his gaze.
’Ah…’
His emotions were bare to her.
Every word he said was the truth.
The realization lifted the weight that had been crushing her for centuries.
Even if she doubted herself, he never doubted her.
Her heart felt warm, and a little bitter too. ’Even though I should be the one supporting him, it’s always him supporting me.’
Neo let the silence linger for a moment, then suddenly added, “Also, remind me to meet with Yaleth later.”
Her eyes widened.
She realized instantly what he had read from her thoughts, just as she could read his.
“N-No, Neo, don’t!” she blurted quickly. “He encouraged me. He didn’t say anything bad. You don’t need to punish him!”
“When did I say I was going to punish him? I just want to have a nice, long talk with him.”
The way he said “long talk” didn’t sound peaceful at all.
Neo mood soured the more he thought.
He hadn’t forgotten how Yaleth—and Velkaria, for that matter—had tampered with his Cosmos Core before, putting things inside without his permission.
Back then, he had let it go. Barely.
But now?
Yaleth had confirmed his fate.
This time, Neo wasn’t going to let it slide.
It wasn’t only Yaleth either.
Velkaria had her part in this mess.
And then there was Artemis. The perverted moon had kicked up her share of trouble.
Neo’s thoughts sharpened at the mention of her, and the sword at his waist suddenly twitched.
It jumped like a startled cat, as if trying to escape the moment it realized he had remembered Artemis.
Neo caught the hilt before it could move any further.
His hand held it in place.
He looked at Obitus and gave a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“Did you enjoy talking about my preferences with Artemis?”
Obitus froze.
Then, she slowly backed away as she spoke, “N-Neo, I can explain.”
Neo snapped his fingers and she couldn’t move anymore.
Her eyes darted around as though she was considering escape routes, even though she knew none would help.
Neo’s presence alone ensured that she wasn’t going anywhere.
She could already sense how dangerous this was.
She hadn’t never expected he would know what had happened inside the Cosmos.
If she had known he would find out what she and Artemis had been talking about, she never would have gone along with it.
She definitely wouldn’t have watched those… things.
An idea came to Obitus.
“Yes! It was Artemis!”
“…”
“She was the one who made me talk about it and watch those things! I didn’t want to!”
Obitus strategically threw Artemis under the bus.
Her tone was almost desperate, as if saying the words fast enough would make them more believable.
Neo just stared at her.
His silence dragged on, heavy enough to make her fidget.
Finally, he exhaled through his nose and waved a hand, his expression turning into one of tired resignation.
“I’ll deal with you all later.”
Obitus blinked. She had braced herself for something worse.
“…You won’t punish me?”
Neo’s gaze flicked back to her, sharp enough to make her regret opening her mouth again.
“Do you want to get punished?”
“W-Well, if it’s a good spanki—”
Her words died off mid-sentence as Neo’s eyes narrowed.
The silence after that was suffocating.
Obitus forced herself to keep her head down, pretending she hadn’t said anything.
“Make those stupid jokes again and see what I do next,” Neo said flatly.
He grumbled under his breath. “That damned perverted moon, she’s made you just like her.”
“…I’m not as bad as her.” Obitus swallowed and muttered in a barely audible.
“What was that?” Neo’s stare returned to her, sharp as a blade. “Is that really what you’re supposed to be saying right now?”
Obitus quickly shook her head.
“…I’m sorry.”
“Tsk. At least you know you were wrong. Younglings these days have no shame.”
Obitus wanted to retort she had seen enough of Neo’s thoughts to know that his imagination was far more shameless than hers or even Artemis’.
If anything, she could argue he had no right to scold her.
But knowing brave men die first, she wisely kept her mouth shut.
Neo, however, could hear her thoughts.
He ignored them.
He let out a long, audible sigh, one clearly exaggerated enough that she would notice.
It carried just enough weight to remind her he was displeased.
Obitus fidgeted.
She pretended to study her own hands, hoping he would just let it slide.
But then a small smile tugged at Neo’s lips.
It was brief, almost hidden, but it was there.
Thanks to her, his heart felt lighter, if only a little.
“Go and check your skills,” he told her, his voice back to its usual tone.
She gave a sharp nod and quickly shifted away, sitting on another chair where she could quietly pull up her system panel.
Neo leaned back against his own seat, the slight tension leaving his shoulders.
His eyes narrowed faintly.
’I should check my status screen,’ he thought. ’I should’ve gained new Titles after everything that happened.’
Without hesitation, he spoke aloud, “Status.”
…
A few days later.
The silence of space was broken by her excited voice.
“Neo! We’ve reached it!”
Neo’s gaze remained steady on the navigation system.
The ship glided through the darkness, cutting past stars and dust like a blade through silk.
Obitus pressed her face to the glass.
Her eyes widened as she caught sight of the solar system.
She pointed forward as if he couldn’t already see it.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve met the Youngest. I want to see how he’s grown.” Her tone softened, and her thoughts drifted to Nullhour Firmament, the youngest Firmament.
“He isn’t the youngest since quite a while ago.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll tell you about it later.”
Neo’s eyes narrowed as he focused on the view ahead.
The Sky Barrier protecting the solar system shimmered faintly in the distance.
It was the same size Neo had originally designed it to be, but he could tell at a glance it had been strengthened.
Someone had been upgrading it.
“Oh? Earth has reached Stage 3,” she said, sensing Earth as if the Sky Barrier was not there.
Neo stopped the ship long before reaching the barrier.
Obitus blinked at him. “Why are you stopping here?”
Neo stood, stretching his arms as if he’d been waiting for this.
His neck gave a sharp crack as he rolled it side to side.
“What are you doing?” Obitus asked cautiously.
“Going out for a little exercise,” he replied simply.
“…Exercise?”
“I want to see how Earth’s defenses are faring.”
“You mean you are going to beat them up.”
“I’m doing an inspection of Earth’s defenses,” Neo corrected her.
“You’re just going to release your stress by taking it out on others,” she shot back.
Neo didn’t bother denying it this time.
Instead, he gave her a look that said she wasn’t wrong.
His lips curved faintly as he muttered, almost to himself, “I hope it’s Jack who comes out to defend Earth.”