novelraw Chapter 54: Home Sweet Home
Chapter 54: Home Sweet Home
I placed my hand on the core.
The warmth intensified immediately, spreading up my arm and across my chest like I’d stepped too close to a fire. The swirling colors inside the sphere began to move faster, spinning so quickly they blurred into white.
The white light was spreading now, bleeding out from the sphere in slow, pulsing waves. The golden glow in the chamber flickered, dimmed, then surged brighter. The moss beneath my feet began to curl at the edges, turning brown and brittle.
[Core Destruction in Progress]
[Warning: Dungeon will collapse upon core destruction. Exit immediately.]
[Rewards will be provided on departure]
"I noticed," I muttered. "Reina, let’s head back to the entrance."
"Your guards... will they?"
"Whether they accept you or not doesn’t matter—they won’t lay a hand on you. And either way, don’t worry. I’ll make sure they accept you."
"You say that like it’s easy."
"Succubi look fairly close to human, so it shouldn’t be hard to convince them."
***
We emerged from the corridor leading to Chamber Five to find guards already waiting, three of them, shields raised, spears braced, stationed at the choke point in case anything else came crawling out of the depths.
"It’s the duke!"
The recognition came fast, and the tension broke as they rushed forward, falling into formation around me, their weapons lowering just enough to be non-threatening.
"Did you all wait long?"
The guards exchanged glances at my tone, unexpectedly gentle, nothing like the tyrant they’d been used to. A few of them even smiled, some of the tension bleeding from their shoulders as they fell into step beside me.
But then their eyes found Reina.
"M-My lord, you’ve been followed!"
One guard shouted, and the other three reacted at once, raising their spears.
Before they could do anything stupid, I raised my arm and made them lower their weapons.
"At ease, men."
I stepped between the guards and Reina. And their spears lowered slowly, reluctantly, but the tension in the room didn’t dissipate. I could feel it pressing against my skin, sharp and electric.
"She’s with me," I said simply. "So just escort me back to where you’re camped."
I watched the guards exchange glances, uncertain, but obedient.
"Yes, Your Grace."
The one who’d shouted first, a young man with a scar across his jaw, gave Reina one last wary look before turning to lead the way. The others fell into formation around us, close enough to act if something happened, far enough to pretend they weren’t afraid.
Reina stayed close to my side, her shoulder brushing against my arm. Her tail had disappeared, wrapped around her thigh beneath my shirt. Without it, she looked almost human.
"They’re all quite jumpy," she murmured, low enough that only I could hear.
"Well, you did take out two of my men without issue."
We walked through Chamber Five, past the shattered remains of statues and constructs that Aldric and his men defeated. Beyond that, the guards had set up a makeshift camp near the corridor leading to chamber four, with bedrolls, supply crates, and a portable communication device.
Aldric rose from a crate when he saw us. His eyes went to me first, scanning for injuries, then to Reina. His expression didn’t change, but I saw his hand twitch toward his sword hilt before he stopped himself, realizing that she was harmless.
"Your Grace." His voice was carefully neutral. "The dungeon core?"
"Destroyed. The dungeon will collapse soon. We need to move."
Aldric nodded, already turning to issue orders. "You heard him, pack it up. Double time."
The guards scrambled, rolling bedrolls and securing crates. Aldric stepped closer to me, lowering his voice.
"My lord, the succubus—"
"Is coming with us."
His jaw tightened. "She held two of my men hostage for—"
"She defended herself against armed men who entered her home with weapons drawn. You would have done the same." I met his eyes, kept my voice even. "She’s under my protection now, Aldric. I expect that to be respected."
The silence stretched between us. Behind him, I could see the two guards who had been frozen at Reina’s bed sitting near the medical supplies, still pale, still shaken. But alive. Unharmed.
"...Yes, my lord."
Aldric stepped back, his hand moving away from his sword. He glanced at Reina, gave her a short, stiff nod, then turned to oversee the evacuation.
***
The portal was still open in the training room.
I stepped through first, Reina’s hand tight in mine, and emerged into the familiar space with its polished floors and weapon racks and the lingering smell of rain.
[Dungeon rewards received, you may access them at any time]
’Good to know.’
Reina stumbled as she came through behind me, her bare feet slipping on the smooth floor. But I caught her elbow before she could fully fall.
"S-Sorry," she said, blinking rapidly. "It’s been a while since I’ve been... anywhere else. The light is different."
"Take your time."
She turned in a slow circle, taking in the weapon racks, the clear walls showing the gray afternoon sky.
"...This place looks expensive!"
"Too expensive, actually."
She laughed, a genuine sound that echoed off the polished floors. The guards who had followed us through the portal flinched slightly at the noise, but none of them reached for their weapons.
That’s progress, I think?
"Your Grace."
Aldric approached, his boots clicking against the floor. He’d removed his helmet, and without it, I could see the furrow in his brow, the tension in his jaw.
"The men are accounted for. Minor injuries only. The machine has been transported to the workshop for repairs."
"Good. Dismiss them. Anyone who needs medical attention can report to the healers. The rest can return to their posts."
Aldric hesitated.
"Something else?"
"The... lady." He didn’t look at Reina, but his meaning was clear. "Shall I arrange quarters for her?"
I glanced at Reina. She was watching the exchange with quiet curiosity, her head tilted, her hands clasped behind her back beneath my oversized shirt.
"No," I said. "She’ll stay in my chambers for now."
Aldric’s expression didn’t change, but I saw the faint twitch at the corner of his eye.
"I didn’t take you for a ladies’ man, my lord."
"I share the same sentiment..."
He saluted and withdrew, his footsteps fading as he left the training room.
Reina drifted closer to me, her bare feet silent on the floor. "Your chambers? That’s forward, even for an incubus."
"You’d rather sleep in a guest room? Alone?"
She considered this. Her tail unwound from her thigh, the tip curling lazily through the air.
"...No," she admitted. "But I thought you’d want to explain me to your... other flame. Before you just show up with a succubus in tow."
"You know about—?"
"Yeah, I saw a glimpse of your memories while we were connected."
So she has her own [Lust Sense] as well?
But besides that, she was right.
Faye was still here. Asleep, probably, or resting in my chambers like I’d told her to. And I was about to walk in with a woman I’d just met, a woman who wasn’t human, who was wearing my shirt and nothing else.
I pinched the bridge of my nose.
This was going to be an interesting conversation...