Demonic Dragon: Harem System

Chapter 242: Are you well?

Strax heard about the small changes as he lay confined to his bed. His wives took turns telling him about their experiences and their new achievements while he calmly listened to everything he could hear. After all, he couldn't move a single muscle of his body. His body was still weak, his muscles heavy, and there were lingering traces of the battle with Lithara in his mind, as well as the exhaustion he felt after transforming into a Dragon.

At first, he tried to orient himself, but soon realized something was bothering him.

An unease mixed with the relief of being awake, and the first thought that settled in his mind was Sylvia's face.

He didn't even understand why she occupied his thoughts at that moment. They weren't close.

In fact, Sylvia was almost a stranger, someone he had crossed paths with in turbulent situations but never beyond that.

Still, something compelled him to get up, to see how she was doing.

It wasn't logical, but the feeling grew stronger each time he lay in bed, like a persistent anxiety... It was truly strange.

'What the hell, I'll just have to figure this out myself,' he thought as he tried to turn over in bed.

He attempted to sit up, despite the pain radiating through every small fiber of his body, his muscles almost giving in to exhaustion.

He wavered, feeling his legs weak, but ignored the dizziness and pushed forward, heading down the hall toward her room.

'Why am I worried about someone I don't even know?' Strax thought, the questions coming in waves with each step, wondering what was causing his concern.

The strangeness made him frown; he wasn't someone who easily cared for others, especially not someone nearly unknown. And yet, here he was, moving with hesitant but determined steps.

When he reached Sylvia's door, he hesitated for a moment before opening it. Sylvia was awake, reclining in bed, her eyes lost in the window, as if watching something distant and invisible. Her skin was still pale, and the tired look in her eyes reflected the intensity of her recent recovery. When she saw him, she shifted her gaze from the window, and for a moment, an expression of surprise softened her face.

"I was told you'd woken up. Didn't expect to see you here," she said, her tone mixing surprise with lightness, as if trying to understand why Strax had come.

He wasn't sure how to respond.

Looking at Sylvia, he felt the weight of a silent strangeness. Why, after all, was he so concerned about her? Why was he… But still, the intensity of the impulse seemed stronger than any simple logic.

"I… just wanted to see how you were," he muttered, feeling a bit uncomfortable admitting the reason.

"I haven't heard from you since… well, since what happened." He said.

She gave a small smile, as if she noticed the hesitation in his words.

"I'm recovering, I think. The poison almost took me, but I guess I'm luckier than I thought," she replied, her voice carrying an unexpected calm. "And you? You seem to have woken up a little too early."

"Too early? I'd say it was just the right time," he responded, trying to hide his discomfort as he pulled up a chair nearby and sat down beside her.

Silence hung between them for a few moments, as Strax searched for something else to say. In his mind, he tried to find meaning in this visit, some reason that would justify his urgent need to see her. Sylvia watched him, as if she, too, was trying to decipher the motivation behind this meeting.

Finally, he broke the silence, a little more directly than he intended.

"If you need help… with anything, I mean. If you don't have a place to go after you recover, my guild is always open to new members. You can stay there while you get organized, or… if you want, you could even consider a permanent position."

The words came out faster than he expected, and as soon as he finished, he felt a bit exposed. Offering a position in his guild to someone he barely knew? Something inside him seemed to contradict his rationality, and for a moment, he felt foolish. But despite the strangeness, there was a quiet sincerity in his offer.

Sylvia looked at him, and the light smile that had appeared on her face now transformed into a thoughtful expression. She seemed surprised, maybe even touched by the unexpected offer.

"I didn't expect you… well, I didn't expect you to care," she said, her voice soft and cautious, as if she were trying to process the proposal.

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Strax shrugged, trying to appear indifferent, though he knew the situation had left him vulnerable.

"I don't know why either. But… I thought it was worth offering. Honestly, I don't even know why I'm here, haha~" he replied, trying to keep a casual tone.

Sylvia chuckled softly, a gentle laugh that made the atmosphere feel less tense.

"I appreciate the offer. Honestly, I don't know what I'll do once I leave here. I was on a mission before all of this, but… it's complicated to pick up again now. And maybe staying in one place for a while wouldn't be such a bad idea, since I don't have a home around here… well, surviving alone in this situation would be difficult."

He watched her, still torn between the strangeness of the situation and a kind of relief that she hadn't rejected his offer outright. There was something in Sylvia's vulnerability that stirred him, a part of him that usually preferred to ignore or suppress. The intensity of his concern for her remained inexplicable, and he wondered if perhaps he was allowing himself to feel something beyond his control.

"You don't have to decide right now," he added, realizing that his own anxiety was starting to surface. "Take your time, figure things out at your own pace."

"Yeah, I know," she replied, glancing back out the window for a moment before turning back to him. "But thank you. It's kind of you."

[Mission Completed - ~ Save the Bastard Princess, Sylvia Eleonor ~]

The message flashed in front of Strax, and his eyes froze for a second, a brief, miserable moment that felt like years. Time seemed to stop, and he read the message again.

'Don't tell me she's the daughter of the current King... Of course, she is... the System always tells the truth... She's a Bastard…' he thought, looking at the girl.

'The feeling… it was triggered by the System.' Strax concluded.

...

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...

...

Inside Strax's mental world, the scene was utter chaos. Every part of his subconscious seemed to vibrate with disordered energy, and tension hung in the air. Ouroboros, the imposing dragon with gleaming scales and an untamable aura, and Lithara, the succubus with an overwhelming presence and enchanting charisma, were at the heart of the turmoil. The two figures stared each other down with fierce intensity, each determined to claim their place and prove how much they meant to Strax.

"I've known Strax long before you!" roared Ouroboros, her thunderous voice reverberating across the vast expanse of the mental world. "I am his primal strength, his guardian! He is mine, and nothing can change that!"

Ouroboros rose with majesty, her scales reflecting a black radiance that radiated power and protection. She looked like an unshakable wall of confidence, and her gaze held brutal determination.

Lithara, on the other hand, exuded a much more... complicated figure. Her eyes gleamed with a touch of provocation, and she wore a sly smile, as if every word was calculated to irritate Ouroboros to the maximum.

"Strength? Guardian?" Lithara laughed, a mix of mockery and sweet enigma. "I am the desire, the passion he never knew he had until I showed up. I am the fire that ignites his deepest emotions. You can protect his body, Ouroboros, but I have his heart. It's inevitable!"

'They sound like two poets arguing... this is annoying...' Kallamos thought as he watched the bizarrely stupid scene unfold.

The dispute continued, growing in intensity with every passing second. Between each exchanged word, bursts of energy exploded around them, shaking the already unstable mental world. Kallamos and Tiamat stood motionless, like living statues, their eyes almost lifeless as they watched the scene unfold with disinterest.

'I want a body... I want to get out of here...' Tiamat thought nervously. Was this the tenth time such a bizarre argument had happened? Over nothing!

Kallamos could only sigh, as if he had lived this moment a thousand times before.

"Don't they realize this fight is pointless?" Kallamos muttered to Tiamat, his voice somewhat disdainful but with a hidden note of concern.

"It seems the intensity of passion has blinded both of them," Tiamat replied, bored. "But you know how it is, Kallamos. For them, this isn't just a fight; it's a declaration of identity."

Meanwhile, both seemed exhausted by the dispute, but something pushed them to continue—a compulsive need to be heard, a need to be recognized as an essential part of Strax's being.

Finally, Lithara stepped forward, narrowing her eyes as she pointed a finger at Ouroboros.

"You think you can just erase me? Make me disappear just because you got here first?" Lithara challenged.

The battle between the two intensified, and Strax's mental world seemed on the verge of collapsing under the weight of their conflict. Their energies intertwined, creating a tangle of emotions and contradictory feelings that spread like sparks, sending waves of energy through Strax's mind.

Kallamos looked at Tiamat, his expression finally showing some frustration.

"Maybe we should intervene before these two destroy everything," Kallamos murmured, finally moving slightly forward as if considering stepping into the confrontation.

"Maybe," Tiamat replied, but without conviction. "But I want to see how far this goes. Whether they'll burn themselves out or finally realize the futility of it."

"You've changed... I thought you were fair and didn't like conflict..." Kallamos said, and Tiamat gave a small smile.

"The price of love is unleashing some new sides," she remarked before finally looking up. "Seems like he's arrived," she said, and Kallamos watched as a massive red dragon floated in the air.

"Shut up, how am I supposed to recover if you won't let me sleep in peace?" Strax, in his dragon form, questioned.