"Fine, but tell me if something like this happens again, okay?"
I nodded and began to eat, and Sera followed suit. Silence settled over the room, heavy and still.
As I chewed, I mentally reviewed the spoils of today's fruitful hunt. It was time to see the progress.
System, show me my stats.
Theodore Karl
Age: 22
Race: Vampire
Level: 2
Strength: 211
Stamina: 207
Speed: 210
Body: 254
Magic Energy: 238
Clean Energy: 260
Special Ability: [Green Flame]
Abilities: [Intuition], [Transformation], [Blood Control], [Darkness Control]
Status: Cursed
That training session before the marriage had truly paid off.
Looking at my Magic Energy, however, a wave of regret washed over me. I could have done better. A Level Two beast core for only 31 points?
If I hadn't been so caught up in testing my Green Flame, I wouldn't have made that mistake. I had completely forgotten the core inside the Swamp Worm's carcass. What a waste.
The only thing that brought a smile to my face was the Clean Energy. 260 units. I had never seen a number like that in my entire life. Just imagining the growth ahead made me want to fly.
Sera caught me grinning and quickly lowered her head, looking at me as if she had just spotted a madman. I suppressed my joy and finished the meal in silence.
The food was decent enough; Sera's skilled hands had managed to make the lynx meat actually taste good.
Once finished, I stood up and washed my hands thoroughly, making sure they were completely clean of any food residue.
With my fingers still dripping wet, I approached the bewildered Sera. Despite the look of confusion on her face, I plunged my damp fingers deep into her silken hair. I leaned in and kissed her forehead five times.
I ran my wet hands through her hair, pulling it back as if in a gesture of deep affection. I looked into her crimson eyes and whispered softly.
"Thank you for the meal, my wife."
An involuntary smile tugged at her lips, and her face flushed a deep crimson. I felt a surge of sadistic pleasure; I wanted to keep teasing her, but I didn't dare push my luck.
Laughing loudly, I strutted toward the training room.
But suddenly—an iron grip caught me.
The air in the hall turned ice-cold. A violent shiver raced down my spine. I turned, trembling, to face Sera. Her glowing red eyes and raven-black hair made her look like a creature of pure nightmares.
"Theo... you son of a..." she growled, her jaw muscles bulging. "Do you think my hair is a towel?"
The blood froze in my veins. Cold sweat began to pour off me. How did she notice?
"And here I thought you were actually being grateful!" she snarled. "Don't even try to deny it!"
"Gaaaaah!"
"Sera, wait! Aaaaaah!"
"I was just kidding! Gaaaah!"
I barely managed to wrench myself from her grasp. Why was this girl so savage over a simple joke? Red welts covered my skin from her painful pinches. I had barely escaped with my life.
"I don't want to see your face for hours, you bastard!" her voice thundered from inside.
Exiled. Exiled from my own home on the third day of marriage.
I lamented my luck. Where was the "good wife" who had welcomed me with warmth just minutes ago? Ah, she and her mercurial moods...
"Whose mood are you talking about?!" her furious scream echoed from the house. "After what you did, you're playing the victim?!"
I heard rapid footsteps coming for the door and bolted. I had planned for light exercise, but since I was officially kicked out, I would run until the first light of dawn.
I didn't stop. A chill settled over me from the sweat, but I pushed on.
The Silver family manor was isolated, surrounded by vast desolate lands and towering mountains—the perfect place for a vampire to utilise the twenty-hour night.
Hah... Hah...
Hours of running at full tilt left me gasping. My lungs felt as though they were filled with acid, and the urge to vomit was overwhelming.
Few could do this—running at max capacity for this long.
Hot steam billowed from my lungs, rising through my throat and escaping my mouth and nose in thick clouds. It was an internal combustion, a furnace roaring inside my chest.
I added ten points of Clean Energy to Stamina and another ten to Speed.
I could no longer feel my legs; I was simply dragging a heavy weight forward. But then, the silhouette of the house began to take shape.
"One more step... keep going... don't give up."
By the time I reached the house, I was moving through sheer stubbornness.
I walked inside with heavy steps and reached the room. Stripping away my sweat-soaked clothes, I didn't care about my nakedness.
I grabbed a blanket to cover myself and collapsed onto the rug—staying off the bed so I wouldn't ruin it and face another round of her wrath.