Tamed Monster - Chapter 67

There was no way to sleep deeply.

Now, resting with eyes closed in the heart of the monster’s territory, an indescribable terror welled up inside like a beast waiting to be boiled alive in scalding water.

While no one else could fall asleep, there was one—only the Duke—who had slept deeply from evening until midnight, holding his wife tightly in his arms. His rigid member pressed between her thighs, he slept soundly for a long while before suddenly waking sharply right around midnight.

“Ah… I slept well.”

He murmured refreshingly in a barely audible voice, just enough for his wife to hear. Sylvia didn’t respond to his startling words.

Monsters only feign sleep; unless seriously injured, they never completely lose consciousness. For a monster, Kuinan felt as if he had truly slept well that day.

“Wife. Did you sleep well?”

“…No.”

“What were you doing if not sleeping? You should sleep now. I have some things to take care of.”

The monstrosity that had pressed down on Sylvia’s soft thighs slipped away between her legs, and she was freed. She had struggled hard to break free but couldn’t undo the bindings. His muscular arms, heavy as stone, wouldn’t budge no matter how much she pushed.

“Now?”

Only now were the others finally breathing deeply, lying still with weapons in hand like lifelines. Even if awakened, they’d struggle to stand, let alone fight. At her worried question, the Duke added:

“I said I have something to do alone. I won’t go far, so you rest easy. I’ll be back soon.”

Caw—.

A crow cried outside the tent. The annoying noise had started only minutes before. At the same moment the cries began, her husband’s eyes snapped open. Sylvia, unable to guess their relationship, felt only unease at his leaving.

“Where are you going?”

“Just checking around. It’s strange we haven’t encountered any monsters yet.”

As he tried to leave the tent empty-handed, Sylvia hurriedly grabbed him. When she asked about his weapon, he finally realized and picked up the longsword lying by the bedside. Unlike the dagger Sylvia held, this weapon’s weight was formidable, its tip thickly coated with deadly poison against monsters.

“…”

Rather than feeling reassured by the weapon, Lancart’s handsome face twisted into one of discomfort. Sylvia thought she had misread his expression in the pitch-black darkness where his face was surprisingly clear. Then he dashed out of the tent.

“Ah…”

“I’ll be back. Don’t follow me, or you’ll get scolded.”

Startled, Sylvia instinctively got up, only to sink back down at the sound of her husband outside. The crow’s harsh cries soon stopped. Unsure whether to feel more anxious or relieved, she hugged her knees and kept watching.

She gripped the dagger’s handle tightly. Usually, such a weapon would hang by the waist as a backup, but to Sylvia it was her main weapon. Other weapons were too heavy for her to lift; her husband had laughed and reluctantly handed this to her.

‘You won’t use it on me, right?’

She scolded her husband again when he said that even as a joke. She warned him not to joke like that—words could become reality. Her chastised husband promised with charm that he’d never say nonsense like that again.

‘Then, a few minutes later… he said more nonsense.’

She didn’t remember exactly what that nonsense was. Her husband uttered shocking remarks far more often than normal talk. Though it was easy to ignore, she found herself reacting anyway. Sylvia waited silently for a long time.

Caw—!

Suddenly, sharp crow cries echoed overhead, and her husband entered the tent. Sylvia, who had been anxiously waiting with face pale as ever, jumped up and threw herself into his arms.

Lancart caught her firmly and chuckled.