Chapter 305: A request?

Noah stood before the mirror, tilting his head slightly to the left. Then to the right. He examined his reflection for a few seconds.

"Guess my charm increased once again..."

He reached up and gently caressed his own cheek, admiring his reflection.

Yet despite his handsome appearance, there was an unmistakable look of dissatisfaction on his face.

’What’s the use of having such a handsome face when I’m still single?’

He stared at himself with a complicated expression.

’Even after all this time, not a single woman has fallen for me.’

He sighed. "Well, whatever."

As he turned away from the mirror, something else caught his attention. Floating in the air before him was a familiar translucent window.

The System. And it was currently waiting to reward him.

Noah’s eyes immediately lit up. He had been extremely curious about what his reward would be.

After all, this time he had faced a Monarch.

Even though the Monarch of Decay had not appeared in its true form, Noah had still fought against one of the most terrifying existences in the world—and survived.

Not only that... He had even contributed to its defeat.

That alone was an achievement far beyond anything he had experienced before.

’I really want to see what I got.’

His finger almost reached toward the floating notification.

But he stopped.

’Akari or someone else might come back soon. My own family might even show up.’

Noah rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

’And if this new reward turns out to be something troublesome...’

He imagined another ridiculous ability or dangerous thing appearing before him.

’That would be too much work.’

He shuddered at the thought.

’I’ll check it after everything settles down.’

He decided it was better to deal with the people around him first.

His thoughts drifted toward the Moon Goddess—the one who had helped him before. Without her intervention, he wouldn’t have survived.

’She already knew this would happen...’

A troubling thought surfaced in his mind.

’Does that mean she’s behind all of this? Or perhaps someone connected to her is?’

Noah sighed inwardly.

’I can’t tell what she’s really planning.’

As if that wasn’t enough, he had already agreed to do something for her in the future, whatever that request might be.

Noah had no idea what was truly happening around him.

’If I want to understand any of this, I need to learn more about her. Her origins, her history, her powers... anything I can find.’

He narrowed his eyes.

’The more information I have about the Moon Goddess the better chance I might have to deal with her.’

Tap.

Tap.

Just then, the sound of footsteps came from outside the chamber.

Noah immediately turned toward the door.

The footsteps grew closer to his chamber.

Slide. The door opened.

"Noah!" A voice came from doorstep.

A familiar woman stood in the doorway.

She was wearing a beautiful purple kimono. Her long black hair, which was usually tied into a neat bun, was now completely loose, cascading down her back like a dark waterfall.

But Noah barely noticed her hair. His attention immediately fell upon her face. Parts of her flesh were still visibly rotten.

The skin along her cheek had blackened, rotten patches spreading across it. Some areas looked as though the flesh itself had melted, leaving behind an unsettling mark of the corruption she had suffered.

Despite that, Noah recognized her instantly, how could he not?

"Akari?"

Before he could say anything else, she vanished from the doorway. In the blink of an eye, she appeared in front of him and wrapped her arms tightly around his body.

"Oh, Noah!"

Her voice trembled slightly.

"You are finally awake. I was so scared... I was terrified of what might have happened to you."

Noah’s expression softened. He immediately returned the embrace, gently wrapping his arms around her.

He buried his face against the crook of her neck, feeling the warmth of her body.

"I’m perfectly fine."

After a moment, he slowly pulled away. His eyes immediately fell upon her damaged face.

His expression became serious. He reached out and gently touched the corrupted skin on her cheek.

"You... you still have... "

"Don’t worry about it."

Akari smiled calmly.

"I’m slowly recovering."

She lightly touched the damaged side of her face.

"As a dragon, my regenerative abilities are naturally much stronger than those of humans. Even this corruption can gradually be healed. It may take some time, but I’ll recover eventually."

She paused before adding with a faint smile, "That’s one of the quirks of being a dragon."

Noah finally felt the tension leave his body. "Thank God..."

He let out a relieved breath. "That means you’re safe. And eventually, you’ll return to normal."

Akari looked at him for a moment. Then her expression became strangely serious.

"Why?"

Noah blinked.

"Why what?"

"Were you worried that I would remain ugly like this?"

She tilted her head slightly. "That I wouldn’t return to my original appearance?"

Noah’s eyes widened.

"NO!"

He immediately shook his head. "What do you mean?! It doesn’t matter at all!"

Akari raised an eyebrow. "I was worried about your health, that’s all. As for your appearance..."

Noah gently touched her cheek again. "You’re still beautiful." He smiled. "And you’re still my lovely Akari."

For a moment, Akari’s usually cold expression remained frozen. She looked at him.

"Hehe..." A soft chuckle escaped her lips. Her cold demeanor finally broke. "Noah, I’m just teasing you."

She smiled warmly. "Don’t worry."

Noah let out a long sigh. "Don’t scare me like that..."

He looked at her again, relieved to see her smiling. Then he remembered something. "Did you meet Ophelia?"

Akari’s expression immediately softened.

She nodded. "Yes... I did."

Her voice became quieter. "I... I can’t tell you just how happy I was."

She lowered her gaze slightly.

"I..."

She seemed unable to find the right words.

Noah didn’t press her. Instead, he simply smiled and pulled her into another gentle embrace. His hand moved slowly through her long black hair, caressing it softly.

"Well, I’m happy to be back too."

Akari remained quietly in his arms. After a few moments, she spoke. "I haven’t talked to her about you yet."

Noah raised an eyebrow. "I’ll scold her properly later."

A faint mischievous glint appeared in her eyes. "You should come with me."

Noah chuckled. "Sure."

Then he suddenly smiled. "But I have an idea that might make her feel even worse."

Akari looked at him suspiciously. "A small revenge isn’t a bad idea."

She narrowed her eyes. "Just don’t be too cruel."

"Hehe."

Noah placed a hand against his chest with an exaggeratedly proud expression. "What are you talking about? I’m the kindest man in the world."

Akari stared at him silently.

"..."

Noah smiled innocently. "So don’t worry."

After a brief pause, he looked at her curiously. "Rather... did you meet your husband?"

Akari’s expression changed slightly.

"Hmm."

She nodded.

"Yes. I did."

Noah’s curiosity immediately increased.

"And?"

He leaned slightly closer.

"What was his reaction?"

He asked with genuine curiosity.

Akari looked at him.

"Well, he was genuinely shocked. He asked me what had happened and how I ended up like this..."

"Was he happy to see you?" Noah asked, his curiosity growing.

Akari simply shrugged."No. As I told you before, we never loved each other."

Her expression remained calm. "He felt nothing when he saw me again. And honestly, I didn’t feel particularly happy or angry toward him either. After sixty years, there was simply... nothing left between us for me."

Noah nodded slowly.

"Ohh..."

He paused for a moment.

"So, what happens next?"

A faint smile appeared on Akari’s face. "I contacted my father. He’ll be coming here tomorrow."

She glanced toward the window. "The same goes for your parents. They should be arriving soon as well."

Noah’s eyes widened slightly. "Really?"

Akari nodded. "Most likely, I’ll return to the Eastern Duchy with my father and go back to his home."

Noah’s eyes immediately lit up. ’So she’s really ending her relationship with Lionel Thornveil...’

He desperately wanted to grin from ear to ear. He even had the sudden urge to hug Akari in celebration.

But he quickly restrained himself. ’Calm down, Noah. Don’t make it obvious.’ He calm himself down.

He cleared his throat and forced himself to maintain a composed expression. "That’s great news."

His voice sounded far more cheerful than he intended. "I can’t wait to see my family again."

He paused before adding excitedly, "And I finally get to meet Duke Reiji Narukami!"

Akari chuckled softly. "Hehe. I’m looking forward to seeing my father again too."

The two remained silent for a moment.

Then Noah’s expression suddenly changed. A mischievous smile slowly appeared on his face.

"Akari."

"Hmm?"

"I have a request regarding Ophelia."

Akari looked at him suspiciously.

"A request?"

She tilted her head.

"What kind of request?"

Noah’s smile widened. "Can you hear me out first?"

For some reason Akari had guess that this request was going to be ridiculous.