Arknightcraft Modpack
Chapter 608: You Came at Just the Right Time
After telling Ebony to go cool off somewhere and stay out of trouble—as long as he didn't casually hurt any humans—Steven finally followed Talulah back to the Infected camp under her puzzled gaze.
The moment they returned, Patriot immediately went off to deal with matters concerning the guerrilla forces. As a result, Steven didn't even get the chance to invite him to become a training instructor for his maids.
Honestly, when it came to instructors on Rhodes Island, who could possibly be more reliable than the man who had trained the Shieldguards into such a disciplined and formidable force?
Just imagining Patriot being surrounded by a bunch of little girls while teaching them military tactics and battlefield discipline was enough to make Steven want to laugh.
"Hm? What are you thinking about that's so amusing?" Talulah tilted her head, looking at the face she felt she could never grow tired of. The warmth in her eyes was something no one else had ever seen. "Care to share it with me?"
"Nothing much. Just remembered something about Patriot." Steven snapped out of his thoughts and glanced around. Noticing that only Talulah was present while Alina and Yelena were nowhere to be seen, he chose not to ruin the mood by asking about them directly.
Instead, he asked, "More importantly, how have things been on your side? How's the camp doing?"
Logically speaking, after the previous incident had exposed and removed most of the troublemakers hidden within Reunion, and with Talulah having overcome her period of confusion and uncertainty, life here should have become much smoother than before.
"...How much better can it really be?" Talulah smiled bitterly. "As long as we don't have a place we can truly call home—a land where we can settle down and put down roots—our lives will continue drifting like duckweed on water, with no end in sight."
"Still, compared to the beginning... at least we can finally see a glimmer of hope for the future of the Infected."
"And for that, we owe a great deal to you."
A trace of hardship lingered behind her smile.
Even with Steven's help and without the divisive voices that had once sabotaged their unity from within, the living conditions here were far from ideal. Yet for most Infected, being able to survive, eat a full meal, and wake up to see the sun rise the next morning was already enough to be grateful for.
And all of that had only become possible because of the young man standing before her.
The way Talulah looked at Steven grew even gentler.
If she was being honest with herself, aside from his occasional habit of teasing people, he was practically perfect in her eyes.
"Then you should be giving yourself the credit instead." Steven shrugged. "The truth is, if it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't have been bothered to get involved in any of this."
"At most, back in that village, I would've chased away those Infected inspectors and called it a day."
If he hadn't met Talulah and Alina back then, he probably still would have helped those villagers. But there was no way he would have gone as far as working alongside an entire community of Infected like he was now.
"Oh, stop flattering me."
Talulah led him into the tent she normally used to handle official matters. After carefully checking that no one was nearby, she finally wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her body against his.
Then, lowering her voice, she whispered into his ear,
"So, tell me... what brings you back this time?"
"Have you finally run out of patience and come to collect the reward I promised you?"
Ever since Steven had saved her from the Kashchey scheme, Talulah had already accepted him as her lifelong partner and the person she loved most.
With no one else around, she certainly didn't mind spending a little time being affectionate with him.
In fact, no matter how strong and dependable Talulah appeared in front of others, at moments like this she was simply a young woman deeply in love. Pursuing her own happiness wasn't some unforgivable crime.
If Steven hadn't insisted that she, Alina, and the others take time to recover from everything they had been through—both physically and emotionally—Talulah might have snuck into his room that very night after everything was over.
So now, even if it meant giving this troublesome man a few small privileges, Talulah found herself with little reason to resist.
"Mmm, I suppose that's true," Steven replied. "But the way you say it makes me sound like some kind of hopeless pervert. Is that really how you see me?"
Despite his words, his hands were far from innocent.
Effortlessly lifting Talulah into his arms, he sat down in the chair she normally used for work and pulled her onto his lap as though hugging a life-sized body pillow. He shamelessly enjoyed the soft warmth unique to the young woman nestled against him.
"Yes," Talulah answered without hesitation.
"Alina has told me plenty of things, you know. Someone seems to be especially interested in my legs and my stockings..."
Yet there wasn't the slightest trace of disgust on her face. Instead, she shifted comfortably in his embrace, finding the perfect position before relaxing completely, like a cat curling up in a warm patch of sunlight.
"Huh? That's a perfectly normal preference."
Steven looked entirely unapologetic.
"Besides, I happen to like your tail too. Got any objections?"
As he spoke, he reached out and caught the dragon tail swaying restlessly behind her.
His fingers casually toyed with the tip of the tail, tracing the delicate scales that covered its surface. The unusual texture left him genuinely fascinated.
"What objection could I possibly have?" Talulah murmured softly.
The moment his fingers brushed the tip of her tail, a tingling sensation ran through her body. Her strength seemed to melt away instantly.
A faint, involuntary sound escaped her lips as she leaned weakly against Steven, breathing softly.
Just where had this man learned all these strange tricks?
How could he find her weak spots so effortlessly?
"Anyway," Talulah said after gathering herself, "you must have come looking for me because of something important, right?"
"Actually, it's nothing major. I just wanted to ask whether you were free tonight and—"
Before Steven could finish his sentence, the tent flap was suddenly pushed open.
Standing in the doorway was an Elafia girl dressed in a thick woolen winter outfit that looked incredibly warm.
Her eyes widened in shock.
Her mouth hung slightly open as she stared at the two people who were practically glued together, looking as though they might try to expand the Dracon race.
"Perhaps..." The girl hesitated. "...I've come at a bad time?"
"Nah," Steven answered immediately.
"You came at exactly the right time."
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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Tn: I updated the story daily, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 689: Impossible to Refute[1]
Link: https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-169789182?collection=55713[2]
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