Chapter 82: Astra and Stella

The two women slowly opened their eyes, looking around in confusion.

For a moment, neither seemed to understand where they were. However, as soon as they noticed Chris standing nearby, their expressions changed.

"Ah!"

Both immediately backed away, pressing themselves against the bed and looking at him with frightened eyes.

"Stay away!"

Chris raised both hands. "Hey, calm down. I’m not going to hurt you."

Unfortunately, his words didn’t seem to help. The twins continued staring at him, their bodies trembling slightly.

Aelia quickly stepped forward and positioned herself between them and Chris. "It’s alright. You’re safe now. Nobody is going to hurt you."

The girls looked at her, but their frightened expressions didn’t disappear immediately.

"Those people who captured you are gone. We rescued you from them, so there’s nothing to worry about anymore," Aelia continued in a calm, reassuring voice.

She avoided making any sudden movements and offered them a gentle smile, hoping to make them feel more comfortable. It seemed to work, at least a little, as the two girls gradually stopped moving backward.

However, whenever they glanced toward Chris, their expressions immediately became tense again.

Chris scratched his cheek. ’What’s wrong with me?’

He wasn’t exactly the friendliest-looking person, but he didn’t think he was frightening enough to make two girls react like that.

Aelia seemed to understand that they needed some time, so she changed the subject. "Would you like something to eat or drink? You must be hungry."

The twins hesitated before giving small nods.

"Alright. Just wait a moment."

Aelia took out some food and water from her storage ring and placed them on the bed. The girls stared at the food for a moment before cautiously reaching for it.

"Don’t worry. There’s plenty," she assured them.

They slowly began eating, occasionally glancing at her as though checking whether it was really alright. Chris watched them from a short distance, wondering what those Fallen had done to frighten them so much.

Once the twins had eaten and drunk some water, their expressions became a little less tense. Aelia sat beside them and smiled.

"My name is Aelia. What’s yours?"

The girl with two braids looked at her before answering. "I’m Astra..."

The other girl, who had a single braid falling along one side of her head, spoke next. "And I’m Stella."

"Astra and Stella?" Aelia repeated with a smile. "Those are beautiful names."

The twins exchanged a glance before Astra nodded. "Our father gave us those names. He said they were like stars."

Aelia’s smile grew warmer. "That’s lovely."

Chris, who had been listening quietly, raised an eyebrow. ’Stars, huh?’

He hadn’t expected such an answer, but it suited their names.

After a little more conversation, Aelia learned something rather surprising. Despite their youthful appearances, both girls were actually the same age as Chris and Aelia.

’They really don’t look like it.’ He glanced at them again but decided not to comment.

Aelia continued speaking with the twins, giving them enough time to become comfortable before finally asking the question that had been on her mind.

"Can you tell me what happened? Why did those people capture you?"

The girls’ expressions immediately changed. Astra lowered her head, gripping the fabric of her dress.

"Strange people... They kept trying to take us."

"Strange people?" Aelia asked softly.

"They wore cloaks and covered their faces. They tried to kidnap us several times, but father always stopped them."

Stella nodded. "Father is very strong. He always protected us."

Astra continued, "But this time, he wasn’t there. We were outside with our guards when those people appeared. They attacked everyone, and we couldn’t escape."

Her voice trembled as she recalled what had happened. "We don’t know why they want us. We never did anything wrong."

Aelia gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "You haven’t done anything wrong. Whatever their reasons are, none of this is your fault."

The twins looked at her, and Astra’s eyes began to water.

"Where do you live?" Aelia asked.

"Beldoria," Stella answered.

Aelia nodded slightly. She knew the country, although she hadn’t visited it herself. "And your family?"

"We’re from the Lavan family," Astra explained. "Our father is an official in the government."

Chris, who had been listening from the side, started thinking.

They weren’t ordinary girls. They were daughters of a noble family, and their father held an important position in Beldoria’s government. However, that still didn’t explain why demons would want to capture them.

Aelia seemed to have reached the same conclusion, but she didn’t press them for more details. Instead, she gently held Astra’s hand and promised, "Don’t worry. We’ll take you back home."

Chris immediately turned toward her. ’Wait, what?’

He was about to say something, but Aelia looked at him with a serious expression. For a moment, their eyes met, and Chris slowly closed his mouth.

He wasn’t particularly interested in getting involved in another people’s problems, especially when demons were involved. However, arguing with Aelia while she was looking at him like that was probably a waste of time.

The twins seemed relieved by her promise. "Really?" Astra asked.

"Of course. We’ll make sure you get home safely."

"Thank you..." Stella replied quietly, and there was a little more warmth in her voice than before.

Chris glanced at Aelia. ’She’s really good at this.’

He had no idea how she managed to make people feel comfortable so quickly. Even the two girls, who had been terrified of him moments ago, seemed to be slowly opening up to her.

After another short conversation, Aelia turned toward him. "Chris, could you wait outside for a little while? I want to talk with them alone."

He blinked. "Why?"

"They’re still frightened. I think they’ll feel more comfortable if it’s just the three of us."

Chris looked at the twins, who immediately lowered their eyes when he glanced in their direction.

"...Fine." He had no choice but to leave.

Walking toward the cave entrance, he heard Aura’s voice coming from his Beast Pouch.

’Pfft!’

A moment later, the little fox jumped out and landed on the ground beside him.

"What’s so funny?" Chris asked.

"Nothing. I just find it amusing how obedient you’ve become."

Chris looked down at her. "What are you talking about?"

"You didn’t even argue. Aelia told you to leave, and you immediately walked out."

"So?"

"You used to be much more stubborn."

"I’m still stubborn."

Aura tilted her head, looking at him with an amused expression. "Of course you are."

Chris narrowed his eyes. "Are you trying to annoy me?"

"Would I ever?"

"Yes."

The little fox let out a quiet laugh before walking closer and rubbing her head against his leg.

Chris sighed and sat down near the cave wall, picking her up and placing her on his lap. "You’re becoming quite troublesome."

"And yet you keep carrying me around."

"That’s because you can’t even walk properly when you’re so small."

"Excuses."

Chris shook his head. He had gotten used to their little arguments over time. In fact, they had become a regular part of their travels.

With nothing else to do, he placed one hand on Aura’s back and began gathering Dark Gwenor in his palm. The dark energy slowly spread across her body, and the little fox closed her eyes, relaxing as the familiar sensation washed over her.

Chris had been doing this whenever they had some free time on the road. He had discovered that his Dark Gwenor seemed to grow stronger whenever he used it to cleanse Aura’s demonic energy.

It was as though his power was slowly consuming the demonic energy inside her, absorbing it and making itself stronger in the process.

However, the progress was incredibly slow.

Over the past year, he had barely managed to cleanse around ten percent of the demonic energy within her. With each additional percent, the process became more difficult, as the remaining energy seemed to grow increasingly resistant to his attempts.

Chris looked down at the little fox resting on his lap.

’Just how much demonic energy do you have inside you?’

He had wondered about that many times. Sometimes, he even questioned how Aura was still alive with such an enormous amount of demonic energy inside her.

He had asked her about it on several occasions, but she always avoided giving him a proper answer.

"You’re thinking too much again," Aura suddenly said without opening her eyes.

"I’m just wondering how you’re still alive."

"I’m perfectly fine, aren’t I?"

"That’s not an answer."

"Then stop asking questions you already know I won’t answer."

Chris clicked his tongue. "You’re really annoying."

"And you’re really nosy."

He shook his head and continued cleansing her energy. Although the process was slow, he wasn’t planning to stop. If he could eventually remove all the demonic energy inside Aura, he might also discover more about the the demonic energy inside of her.

After some time, the energy around his hand gradually faded.

Aura stretched her little body before jumping off his lap. "I guess that’s enough for today."

Chris nodded and leaned against the cave wall.

A few moments later, he heard footsteps approaching. Aelia emerged from deeper inside the cave, followed by Astra and Stella.

Unlike before, the two girls no longer seemed as frightened when they saw him. They still kept a little distance, but neither immediately hid behind Aelia.

Chris glanced at her. ’What did she tell them?’

He had no idea, but whatever it was, it seemed to have worked.

"Are they alright?" he asked.

Aelia nodded. "Yes. They just need some time to recover."

She then looked at him. "I promised them we’d take them back to Beldoria."

Chris sighed. "I’ve heard that."

Aelia smiled slightly. "Is that alright?"

He looked at the twins before turning back toward her.

He knew where Beldoria was, so taking them there wouldn’t be particularly difficult. Besides, he had another reason to consider the trip.

Aldric had once mentioned that tensions between Dunestia and Beldoria were increasing, and there was a possibility that the two countries might go to war.

Chris didn’t particularly care about their political disputes, but he was somewhat interested in learning more about the situation. Perhaps their father could provide some useful information.

"Fine. We’ll take them home."

Astra and Stella immediately looked relieved.

"Thank you!" Astra said.

Chris nodded. "Just make sure you don’t cause any trouble along the way."

Aelia gave him a disapproving look. "Chris..."

"What? I’m just saying."

She shook her head, while the twins exchanged a small smile.

"Alright, let’s get going," he said before standing up.

He reached toward his Beast Pouch and summoned Azreon.

A familiar burst of energy appeared beside them as the dragon emerged, rapidly increasing in size.

*ROOOAR!*

His enormous body immediately appeared in front of them, and his crimson eyes looked down at the group.

Astra and Stella immediately stepped backward.

"W-What is that?!"

The two girls clung to each other, staring at the dragon in terror.

Chris glanced at Azreon. "You didn’t have to roar so loudly."

Azreon tilted his head, seemingly confused.

Aelia quickly approached the twins. "Don’t be afraid. He’s Chris’s beast, Azreon. He won’t hurt you."

"But... he’s so big!" Astra exclaimed.

Aelia smiled. "I know, but he’s very friendly once you get used to him."

Chris walked closer and placed a hand against Azreon’s neck. "See? He’s completely harmless."

Azreon lowered his head slightly, allowing the girls to get a better look at him. They still seemed hesitant, but Aelia gently encouraged them to approach.

After a little while, the twins finally managed to calm down.

"Come on. We should get going," Chris said.

With Aelia’s help, Astra and Stella climbed onto Azreon’s back. Chris followed, taking his usual position before helping Aelia settle beside him.

Once everyone was ready, Azreon spread his wings.

*WHOOSH!*

A powerful gust of wind swept through the cave entrance as the dragon took off, carrying all four of them into the sky.

Below them, the forest gradually became smaller as they gained altitude.