Chimaera's Conquest: The Legend Of The Devourer-Chapter 244: A Hunter’s World (3)

"Wait... is this for real?" Vesper asked. "We can leave for Nexaria?"

"Yes, I’m pretty confident," Adrian nodded. "The slaves are Nexarians. Otherwise, it would be impossible to explain their presence in the dungeon."

Although Lucina had advised him otherwise, Adrian told the girls about it. After all, it could be their only ticket back home, and just like Adrian missed Earth while living in Nexaria, he was sure the girls felt the same way after staying on Earth.

So far, they were ecstatic—well, A’Mila was. She clearly missed her tribal life and probably wanted to return as soon as possible. Vesper and Amelia seemed neutral to the news, perhaps because they didn’t have a place to return to.

The Church wanted Vesper dead and well, Amelia was probably wanted by the elves for her betrayal. Even though Adrian was the one to kill and dismember Rowan and Vincent, since Amelia was a part of the team, the elves most likely wouldn’t spare her either. freeweɓnøvel.com

Sophia looked anxious while they made their decision. Now that she was back, she probably didn’t want to leave Earth and live the life she had dreamt of with Adrian by her side.

As for Seraphina, she hadn’t said a word since Adrian’s revelation. Unlike them, she seemed to have something to do on Earth, which was why she was weighing her options instead of making a decision.

"So you’re saying we can open the portal to Nexaria if we destroy the forest?" Seraphina finally asked.

"More or less," Adrian shrugged.

"But wouldn’t that mean you and Sophia won’t be able to return to Earth?"

Adrian looked at Sophia before taking a deep breath and replied, "Due to the nature of the dungeon, we can either leave for Nexaria or stay back on Earth. We can’t have it both ways, unlike the last time."

Hearing Adrian admit such detail was like rain on A’Mila’s parade. Her smile dropped as she realised the consequence of either choice.

"What do you two want to do?" Vesper asked Adrian and Sophia. "This place is your home. You had waited so long to return... are you okay with leaving this place so soon?"

"If I’m being honest... then no," Sophia admitted. "I don’t want to leave. But this is a decision we have to make as a group and not individually."

Adrian nodded along, "Sophia is right. As much as I would like to stay behind and do things as I had in mind, I wouldn’t hate any of you if you decide otherwise."

Adrian had plans to take over the Misty Swords and create an RMY before marching into Nexaria. But plans change. After all, they stumbled back on Earth in an accident, and he planned his moves accordingly.

If they were to return, he would need to find a way to dodge <Olympus> and their wrath, but other than that, he would be fine.

’I wasn’t planning to get to Earth in the first place, so there’s that... but god, I would miss this place. Who knows how long I’d be gone this time around? But they also deserve to make a choice...’

<You’re too soft of them, master. Those women should be your slaves->

’Do I need to remind you that they are my friends?’

<My apologies, master.>

’...it’s fine. It’s just... the situation is getting on my nerves. Sorry for taking it out on you.’

<...thanks, master.>

"Well, let’s call for a vote and then proceed as planned," Adrian said, looking at the girls. "Those who want to leave for Nexaria, raise hands."

Adrian paused, expecting to see their hands go up. Nexaria was their home, a place where they had roots and memories. It was only natural that they would want to return there. But as he looked around, he was met with silence and smiles. Not a single hand was raised.

"Seriously?" Adrian asked, frowning in confusion. "No one wants to go back to Nexaria?"

Seraphina smiled, crossed her arms and shook her head, "Earth or Nexaria, what’s the difference? People wanted us to kill there; they’ll want to kill us here, too."

"I agree," Amelia spoke next. "It’s not like people are waiting for us with garlands. Besides... Earth has its own familiarity."

"I’m not leaving my little brother," Vesper shrugged. "Not again."

A’Mila stepped forward the last and boldly claimed, "I’m not going any place where my pet doesn’t want to go."

Hearing A’Mila’s declaration, the girls burst into laughter. But Adrian was still in denial. He didn’t want the girls to make a decision just for his sake. After all, they were a team and needed to do things together.

"Are you being serious?" he asked for the final time.

Vesper rolled her eyes before ruffling Adrian’s hair and said, "Nexaria might be our home, but Earth has become our home, too. We’ve built a life here. We have friends and... more than that, we have each other."

"We’ve found something special here," Seraphina chimed in, nodding along. "Nexaria will always be important to us, but this is where we belong now.

She continued, "I was planning on staying back either way. Besides, I’m sure the Zodiacs don’t want me back yet."

Adrian smiled, shaking his head in disbelief. "Alright, then. It’s settled. We’ll stay on Earth... for a while."

<Hm... I guess they are not that bad after all.>

"That aside, I still have a doubt," Sophia asked once everyone was done laughing. "Even if they are Nexarians, how did they manage to kill Lucas and the rest? I mean, he was an S-rank hunter."

"The power levels there and on Earth are different," Seraphina replied, turning a beastman corpse into a chair. "Besides, he was as arrogant as they come. Unlike us, who know how to deal with beastfolk, they might have underestimated them and paid the price."

"But why would they take the girl with them? To turn her into a slave?" A’Mila asked, answering her own question in the process.

"Well, whatever it is," Adrian said, playing with the dagger. "We’ll find out once we find the ones these beastfolk worked for."

[The ???’s egg is hungry, staring at the delicious corpses around.]

[Surprise quest: Feed some nutritious corpses to ???’s egg.]

’...ayo?’