Chapter 83: The Mischievous Twins

Flying above the forest, Astra and Stella seemed to be enjoying themselves more than anyone else. The two girls sat close to each other on Azreon’s back, occasionally leaning toward the edge to look at the scenery below. Their eyes were wide with excitement as they watched the endless sea of trees passing beneath them.

Chris glanced at them from time to time, finding their reactions rather amusing. "Have you two never flown on a beast before?"

Both girls immediately shook their heads.

"Our father never allowed us to go too far away from home," Astra explained. "He was always worried something might happen to us."

"Even when we asked him to let us go somewhere, he would always send guards to accompany us," Stella added with a small pout. "We hardly ever got to do anything interesting."

Chris looked at them for a moment before glancing at Aelia. It seemed their father was quite protective of his daughters, although considering what they had told them about the repeated kidnapping attempts, he could understand why.

Still, he had noticed something else during their journey. The twins were now able to talk normally around him, but they still seemed somewhat guarded whenever he approached them. Unlike with Aelia, they rarely initiated conversations with him unless they wanted something.

Being the straightforward person he was, he eventually decided to ask them directly.

"By the way, why are you two still so cautious around me?"

The twins exchanged glances, seemingly unsure whether they should answer. After a few moments, Astra finally spoke.

"It’s not that we dislike you, but... we don’t really like being around men."

Chris raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because men are troublesome!" Stella answered immediately.

Astra nodded. "We’re often approached by men who try to take advantage of us because we’re beautiful. We receive marriage proposals almost every day, and some men have even tried to harass us in the past."

"That’s why we’re careful around them," Stella added. "You can never know what they’re thinking."

Chris listened quietly.

"However, since you’re big sister Aelia’s boyfriend, we’ll reluctantly accept being around you."

"...What?"

He turned toward Aelia with a raised eyebrow. He wasn’t sure which part surprised him more, the fact that the twins had just called him her boyfriend or the fact that he was apparently the last person to find out about their relationship.

Aelia only blushed slightly and avoided his gaze, not offering any explanation.

Chris stared at her for another moment before shaking his head. He decided not to push the subject, although he would definitely have a few questions for her later.

Turning back toward the twins, he couldn’t help but admit that they were indeed very beautiful. Their delicate features and youthful appearances would certainly attract plenty of attention, so he could understand why they received so many marriage proposals.

Still, he didn’t particularly care about such things.

Looking toward the forest ahead, he found himself wondering why he rarely reacted strongly to beautiful women, even though he often found himself in their presence.

Perhaps it had something to do with being betrayed in the past, or maybe there was another reason. He still enjoyed looking at a beautiful woman, but it rarely went beyond that. He never felt particularly interested in pursuing anyone just because of their appearance.

’Well, I have more important things to worry about anyway.’

Their journey continued without any major problems. During the day, they would travel on Azreon’s back, occasionally stopping to rest before continuing toward Beldoria. At night, they would find a suitable shelter where they could spend the night.

As the days passed, the twins gradually became more comfortable around both Chris and Aelia. Their initially cautious behavior slowly disappeared, and they finally began showing their true personalities.

The truth was that Astra and Stella were incredibly mischievous and curious about almost everything. They would constantly try to trick one another, sometimes coming up with rather ridiculous plans just to see the other’s reaction.

Whenever they encountered something interesting, they wouldn’t stop asking questions until they were satisfied with the answers. They also had absolutely no filter and seemed to have no understanding of shame, often asking very personal questions without the slightest hesitation.

The only person they rarely played tricks on was Aelia. Perhaps because she was always so kind and patient with them, they couldn’t bring themselves to cause her trouble.

Chris, however, was a completely different story.

For some reason, even after spending several days together, they still seemed a little frightened of him. That didn’t stop them from constantly teasing him, though.

"So... big bad man, tell us honestly, have you chased any women other than big sister Aelia?" Stella suddenly asked while sitting behind him.

"Yes, yes! Tell us!" Astra immediately added, leaning forward with an excited expression.

Chris sighed. He had been sighing quite a lot lately ever since he met the twins.

"What’s with that question?"

Astra shook her head with a serious expression. "Look at him! He’s acting suspicious. Hmph... all men are the same."

"If you don’t answer, we’ll conclude that you’re a playboy!" Stella added.

Chris turned his head toward them with an awkward expression. "If I’m really a playboy, why haven’t I tried to do anything with you two, then?"

The twins immediately brought their hands to their chins and began thinking.

A few moments later, Astra raised her finger as though she had discovered something important. "It must be because big sister Aelia is here! Hmph... if she wasn’t around, I’m sure you would have tried something bad!"

"Yes! That’s it!" Stella nodded repeatedly.

Chris stared at them in disbelief. He had no idea what was happening inside their small heads.

"If you really want to know, I’ve never done such a thing." He shook his head.

"Lies! We don’t believe you!" Astra immediately replied.

"I remember smelling another woman’s perfume on you once," Aelia suddenly added with a small smile.

Chris widened his eyes and turned toward her, looking at her accusingly. He had never expected her to suddenly stab him in the back like that.

Aelia simply continued smiling innocently, as though she hadn’t said anything unusual.

"WOOOOOW! I KNEW IT!" Astra jumped excitedly, pointing a finger at him. "I KNEW ALL MEN WERE THE SAME!"

Stella nodded repeatedly. "I told you, sister! We can never trust a man in this life. Except father."

Chris looked at the three women for another moment before shrugging.

The situation seemed irreparable, so what was he supposed to do? Of course, he would simply ignore it.

"Hah! Look! He can’t even defend himself!" Astra exclaimed.

"Yes, yes. He’s a big bad man, after all," Stella agreed.

A vein bulged on Chris’s forehead. He had been putting up with their nonsense for days, and they were becoming increasingly troublesome.

Deciding to scare them a little, he activated his Dragon Scales, causing two long horns to emerge from his head. His teeth also became sharp, making his smile look considerably more sinister.

"Since you two seem to know so much about bad men, how about you take a closer look?"

"KYAAA!"

The twins immediately jumped to their feet and hid behind Aelia, trembling in fright.

"Chris!" Aelia looked at him in annoyance.

He quickly retracted his transformation before turning toward her with an innocent smile, deliberately copying the same expression she had shown him after accusing him of smelling another woman’s perfume.

Aelia widened her eyes slightly. She hadn’t expected him to react like that, and for a moment, she didn’t know whether to laugh or scold him.

Eventually, she shook her head and turned toward the twins, gently comforting them and explaining that Chris had only been teasing them.

"Big bad man! You should be happy you have big sister Aelia!" Astra yelled from behind her. "With your grumpy personality, I don’t know who else would be willing to stay with you!"

"Yes! Yes!" Stella nodded in agreement.

Chris simply sighed and ignored them. He was starting to pray for a sudden gust of wind that would blow the two girls off Azreon’s back. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do anything himself because Aelia would definitely get angry with him.

A moment later, Aelia leaned slightly against him and looked down toward the forest.

"Chris, there’s a lake below. Let’s stop there. I’d like to take a bath."

"Yes! Amazing idea, big sister!" Astra immediately exclaimed, while Stella showed an equally excited expression.

Chris glanced at them before looking down. He could indeed see a lake surrounded by trees not far away.

"Okay... Azreon, land down."

*ROAR!*

Azreon tilted his wings and began descending toward the lake. Once they landed, the four of them climbed off his back.

Astra immediately turned toward Chris with an annoyed expression. "Big bad man, why are you still standing there? Quickly go away! We want to take a bath!"

"Yes, yes! And don’t try to peek!" Stella added, pointing a finger at him.

Another vein bulged on his forehead. He was just about to argue with them when Aelia gently approached him.

"Please, Chris. Can you do this for me?" she asked with a soft voice.

Chris looked at her for a moment before letting out a long sigh.

"...Alright."

Without another word, he turned around and started walking toward the nearby forest.

Over the past year, while traveling through the Wilds, he had often bathed together with Aelia. She never seemed particularly shy around him and was actually the one who usually dragged him into the water whenever they found a suitable place.

However, things were different now that they had two more people traveling with them. He couldn’t exactly stay nearby while the girls were bathing.

’Heh. Simp.’

Aura’s voice suddenly rang in his head from inside the Beast Pouch.

"Just shut up. I’m not a simp," Chris replied while walking.

’You can defend yourself as much as you want, but the only thing I see is you always listening to Aelia like a good boy.’

"YOU!"

Chris stopped and clenched his fist, but after a moment, he simply sighed. "It’s not like that."

He didn’t even have the energy to argue anymore. The twins had thoroughly exhausted him over the past few days, and now Aura was joining them.

’Then how do you explain this?’

"It’s just..." Chris scratched his head before continuing. "Aelia is so good to me. When she looks at me like that, I just can’t refuse."

’Finally honest, huh?’

"I just don’t have the energy to argue anymore."

Aura let out a quiet laugh.

’You know... you’re surprisingly honest and straightforward when it comes to almost everything, except your own feelings.’

"Just leave me alone," Chris replied, shaking his head with a sigh.

He eventually found a suitable tree near the lake and sat down beside it, leaning his head against the trunk before closing his eyes.

For a while, everything was peaceful. He could hear the distant sounds of water and the occasional laughter of the twins, who seemed to be enjoying themselves.

However, that peace didn’t last long.

Suddenly, Chris’s eyes shot open.

He immediately jumped to his feet and turned toward the lake, his expression becoming serious.

That familiar sensation had appeared again.

He could sense demonic energy approaching, and it was moving incredibly fast.

A Fallen!

Without wasting another moment, Chris turned around and rushed back toward the lake.