mijobooks Chapter 316: Home!
Chapter 316: Home!
Nina led Lex smoothly back into the massive cavern.
The moment they emerged, Aviel and the others rushed toward her in relief.
"Nina, you’re finally out." Aviel grabbed her hand immediately, scanning her from head to toe with concern. "You’re not hurt, are you?"
Idir seized her other hand, equally anxious as he checked her over carefully.
"I’m fine," Nina said with a smile. "There wasn’t much danger inside."
Only then did the males finally relax.
"Did you get the sacred artifact?" Keil asked eagerly.
Nina lifted her hand and revealed the scepter resting in her palm, still in its miniature form.
Everyone crowded around curiously.
"So this is the sacred artifact?" Lani blinked in surprise. "Why is it so tiny?"
"I’d heard the sacred artifact was a scepter," Keil murmured, "but I didn’t expect it to be this small."
Nina laughed softly and looked at the scepter.
"Alright, Bluey, return to your original size."
She truly hadn’t bothered with naming it properly and had chosen the name on a whim.
At her command, the scepter obediently expanded back into its full majestic form.
The males’ eyes widened instantly.
It could actually change size?! How incredible.
Lani’s eyelid twitched slightly.
Was Nina really naming a sacred artifact this casually? It was still a legendary holy relic, wasn’t it?
Meanwhile, Keil stared in shock.
Why was the artifact obeying Nina’s commands?
Then, a realization struck him.
"Nina... don’t tell me..." He inhaled sharply. "The artifact acknowledged you as its master?"
Previously, Lani had only told him Nina wanted the sacred artifact. He hadn’t mentioned anything about forming a contract with it.
Nina nodded casually.
"Yeah. Since I was already taking it, I just bonded with it along the way. It saved trouble."
Keil nearly choked.
Just bonded with it along the way? Was something this terrifyingly difficult really something that could be done "along the way"?!
Of course, he knew perfectly well it wasn’t easy. If it were, the sacred artifacts guarded by the various cities wouldn’t have remained ownerless for countless years.
The more he looked at Nina, the more awed he became. She truly was extraordinary. Even a sacred artifact had willingly submitted to her.
The other males gazed at her with open admiration.
As expected of Lady Nina.
Lani, however, looked remarkably calm.
After all, Nina was someone capable of bargaining directly with the Beast God himself.
Subduing a sacred artifact hardly seemed shocking in comparison.
Aviel and Idir stood beside her proudly, both still holding her hands with unmistakable satisfaction.
"Nina, since we’ve obtained the artifact, let’s head back," Lani said.
"Alright," Nina agreed.
Then Lani suddenly frowned. "Wait... where’s Lex?"
He turned toward Nina. "Nina, did you see him inside? He entered earlier, but he never came back out."
Nina blinked in confusion. "Huh? Isn’t he right behind me?"
"Behind you?" Lani looked past her and finally noticed the silent figure trailing at the rear.
"Oh. So you already came back."
Lex’s eyebrows shot up.
He had been standing there this entire time, yet they only noticed him now.
His lips twitched in annoyance. Was he really their biological son? Why did he feel like he’d been picked up off the street?
At that moment, the other males also seemed to finally notice him. One by one, they awkwardly looked away. None of them intended to admit they’d only just realized he was there too.
Lex turned his face aside irritably.
A bunch of blind idiots.
Seeing everyone accounted for, Lani clapped his hands.
"Alright then. Since Lex’s back too, let’s head home."
Nina nodded, and the group immediately began swimming back.
The return journey was far smoother than the trip in. Neither the sea demons nor the poisonous fish dared approach them anymore.
Before long, they reunited with Dian and the merfolk waiting outside. After regrouping, everyone sped toward the shore.
***
Along the coastline, the beast husbands had practically worn holes into the horizon with their staring.
The children sat crowded atop the reefs, eyes fixed stubbornly on the ocean as they waited for their mother to return.
Then suddenly—
Splash!
A breathtaking golden mermaid burst from the sea. Everyone’s eyes lit up instantly.
Nina had returned!
Nina landed gracefully onshore, and both the beast husbands and children rushed toward her at once.
Linny was the fastest, launching himself straight into her arms as he rubbed against her excitedly.
"Mom, you’re finally back! We counted so many fish waiting for you!"
With nothing else to do while waiting, the children had apparently passed the time by counting fish in the sea.
Nina laughed and gently stroked his head.
The beast husbands surrounded her immediately.
"Nina, you’re back." Odian looked at her anxiously. "Were you hurt anywhere?"
Mimi leapt from Odian’s arms into Nina’s embrace.
"I’m fine," Nina reassured them. "Not even a scratch."
"Nina, are you hungry?" Mino quickly handed her water and food. "Do you want something to eat first?"
Nina accepted the water and took a sip. "I’m not hungry. Let’s just go home first."
"Alright."
The moment they confirmed she had returned safely, relief and joy spread openly across all their faces.
None of them cared whether she had successfully obtained the sacred artifact.
As long as she came back unharmed, that was enough.
Just then, Momo flew over the heads of the beast husbands and dove straight into Nina’s arms.
"Mom, I missed you so much."
Idir glanced at him with mild irritation. This brat really clung to Nina nonstop.
The other children shoved desperately between the adults’ legs and finally squeezed their way through, crowding around Nina’s feet.
"Mom, we missed you too!"
Even though she’d only been gone a short time, they had still missed her terribly.
The children glared resentfully at the beast husbands.
Hmph. So what if their fathers had long legs?
Nina laughed warmly and scooped the little ones into her arms.
"I missed you all too. Come on, let’s go home."
The children beamed happily.
"Yes! Home!"
Carrying the children in her arms, Nina returned to the palace together with everyone else.
After they arrived back, Lex quietly pulled Lani aside to a secluded corner.