As news of the monster nest’s annihilation spread rapidly throughout the settlement, cheers of joy and expressions of relief appeared on the faces of every villager. They flocked to Evan to express their heartfelt gratitude, bringing fresh fruits and their finest harvest as gifts.
Seeing the warm smiles of the people now living under his protection, an unfamiliar yet comforting sense of satisfaction crept into Evan’s chest. For the first time in his life, he no longer felt like a criminal hiding in the shadows, but a true protector.
As the curtain of night began to fall and the stars illuminated the sky over the Western Frontier, Evan and Anna had returned to their magnificent residence atop the hill. The stone mansion felt incredibly quiet and spacious, with so many empty rooms that had yet to be used.
Evan stood in the main hallway on the second floor, gazing at the row of silent bedroom doors.
Anna approached from behind and rested her head comfortably on Evan’s shoulder. The delicate fragrance of lavender drifted from her hair.
"There’s no need to think about it too much, Darling..." Anna whispered softly as she stroked her husband’s arm. "In the future, we’ll fill every empty room in this mansion with the laughter and cries of our children."
Evan sighed softly and turned his head slightly, asking in a low voice filled with curiosity, "Anna... what exactly is your relationship with the nobles around the Western Frontier? While you were managing this place and preparing it for me, did any particular individuals or factions give you trouble?"
Anna chuckled softly, her laughter sounding elegant yet concealing an utterly chilling cruelty.
"How should I put it..." Anna snapped her fingers. With a touch of levitation magic, a letter sealed with luxurious wax floated from the desk straight into her hand.
"Actually..." Anna continued casually, "...whenever a noble family tried to interfere with or put pressure on this territory, I would immediately visit their lands and kill every member of their family. I made sure their entire bloodline vanished from the face of the earth without a trace." Visit novelping(.)com for the full chapter.
Anna handed the letter to Evan. "Those rotten noblemen always looked at me with lustful eyes because of my beauty. Some had the sinister intention of making me their mistress, while others wanted to seize this beautiful little territory. But... since my magical power hasn’t fully recovered yet and I can’t simply flatten entire cities anymore, I’ll be relying heavily on your help to protect our territory."
Hearing that casual confession, the scattered pieces of the puzzle in Evan’s mind suddenly fell into place. A faint, understanding smile formed on his lips.
"So that’s where your resources came from..." Evan muttered, nodding as he began to understand. "All this wealth, jewelry, and the resources used to build this place came from the lands belonging to the noble families you slaughtered, huh? No wonder. I was wondering where you got such a huge amount of capital. You never established any legitimate businesses, and the small taxes collected from the villagers obviously wouldn’t be enough to finance a building this luxurious."
Anna laughed brightly, her eyes sparkling with admiration for her husband’s intelligence. "Hahaha! My Husband really is so clever and always understands me! But you know... now that you’ve awakened and are here by my side, we can start our own business from scratch and do things honestly. I mean, in our own way."
Anna narrowed her eyes playfully and gently nudged Evan’s waist with her elbow. "How about selling special aphrodisiacs for men? I can easily brew them using extracts from rare herbs, you know. Those wealthy, impotent nobles out there would fight over the chance to throw their gold coins at us for something like that!"
Evan chuckled softly and shook his head as he walked into the master bedroom. "I’m fine with that, as long as the production process is simple. Your knowledge of alchemy and herbal medicine is certainly beyond question, considering you’ve lived in this world for hundreds of years."
"Of course~" Anna replied cheerfully.
As soon as they entered their warm bedroom, Anna casually removed her outer robe and leaped onto the soft bed. She lay on her side and spread both arms wide, giving Evan an inviting, utterly clingy look.
"There are so many things we need to think about and take care of tomorrow, Husband... But nighttime is for resting. Come here, Darling..."
Evan didn’t refuse or show the slightest reluctance. He removed his sword belt, extinguished the candle on the table, then approached and lay down beside Anna. He nestled into his wife’s warm embrace, allowing his face to rest comfortably against her soft chest.
Anna’s delicate hand reached out and gently, painstakingly stroked Evan’s black hair.
Gradually, the warmth of Anna’s body and the steady rhythm of her fingers stroking his head lulled Evan into unconsciousness, until the young Sword Master finally fell into a deep sleep in his wife’s arms.
Amid the stillness of the night, Anna gazed at Evan’s sleeping face, so peaceful and free of anger. A smile filled with madness and boundless obsession slowly bloomed across her lips once more.
With her crimson eyes gleaming in the darkness, Anna lowered her head and whispered softly right beside Evan’s ear as he slept soundly.
"Once... I almost succeeded in conquering this entire world all by myself..."
Anna held Evan’s head even tighter against her chest, a silent laugh escaping her lips.
"...But this time, I won’t be alone. I’ll conquer this world together with you, my Evan. And when that time comes, we’ll have fun slaughtering every rotten creature in existence, leaving only the two of us... and our children."
A thin crimson magical aura swirled around their bed like an impenetrable protective cocoon.
"We’ll build a new civilization atop the ashen ruins of this world... and become the immortal ancestors of all humanity to come... Hahaha..."