Demonic Dragon: Harem System-Chapter 789: Strax was arrested!

The broken door of the inn groaned as it was finally pushed aside, creaking as if protesting against yet another indignity that day. Strax went out first, calmly adjusting his coat, his face too tranquil for someone who had just turned a lunch into a massacre. Cassandra followed closely behind, her expression neutral, her eyes alert. Daniela brought up the rear of the trio, cracking her neck as if preparing for a tedious walk.

The air outside was colder than inside the inn, heavy with the smell of dust, rust, and something too metallic to be just ordinary urban air. The sound of boots hitting stone echoed almost immediately.

They took no more than three steps.

Soldiers emerged from all sides, emerging from alleys, doorways, and behind parked carts. In a few seconds, the trio was surrounded by men armed with spears, swords, and shields marked with the symbol of the Athenion guard. There were archers positioned on nearby rooftops, arrows already nocked, their tips glistening in the diffused late afternoon light. It was a well-organized siege, too quick to have been improvised. Someone had acted hastily—and fearfully.

Strax stopped in the middle of the street.

He watched the circle close with almost academic interest, his head slightly tilted, like someone evaluating a reasonably rehearsed play. His golden eyes scanned the tense faces of the soldiers, capturing the cold sweat, the restrained trembling in their hands, the excessive rigidity of those who know they have no choice but to obey.

He then turned to Cassandra and Daniela.

"This is new," he commented, in a slightly disappointed tone. "Normally they take longer."

Cassandra sighed, long and deeply, as if someone had just confirmed an irritating prediction.

"I warned you," she said, crossing her arms. "The guard only shows up quickly when politics are involved."

Daniela gave a half-smile, shifting her weight to one leg.

"At least they're not screaming yet. That's progress."

One of the soldiers, apparently the captain—older, armor better maintained, expression too rigid to hide his panic—stepped forward, spear firm, but jaw clenched.

"Strax of Asgard," he announced, his voice echoing louder than intended. "You are under arrest for multiple murders, destruction of public and private property, and for threatening the order of the city of Athenion."

The silence that followed was strange.

Not heavy as before. It was almost… awkward.

Strax blinked once.

Then again.

He let out a slow sigh, running a hand through his hair like someone who had just heard an absurd bill at the end of the month.

"Arrested?" he repeated, genuinely curious.

The captain swallowed hard, but nodded.

"Lay down your weapons and come with us without resistance."

Strax tilted his head to the side, thoughtful. Then he turned back to Cassandra and Daniela, his tone too casual for the situation.

"Is it worth killing everyone here?"

The question landed on the street like a stone thrown into a calm lake.

The soldiers took a collective step back almost reflexively. Shields rose. Spears lowered. An archer let the tension in his arm escape for a moment, almost dropping his arrow before regaining his composure. Some faces visibly paled.

Cassandra raised an eyebrow.

"Technically?" she began, a smile appearing at the corner of her lips. "Yes."

Daniela chuckled softly, crossing her arms.

"Practically?" she added. "It would be hard work. And it would make a mess."

Strax made a thoughtful sound, something between a "hm" and a grumble. Before he could answer, Cassandra stepped forward, her smile now wider, almost amused. She looked directly at the captain, then at the soldiers around her, and finally turned to Strax.

"But don't you want to meet the mayor?" she asked, with a slight incline of her head. "It'll be a great opportunity."

She laughed, as if she had just suggested a pleasant outing.

Strax stared at her for a few seconds, clearly processing the idea. Then he began to laugh too, a low, deep laugh, laden with disbelief.

"Are you suggesting," he said, between laughs, "that your husband let himself be arrested?"

Daniela smiled broadly. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Not a bad idea," she replied, shrugging. "You keep saying you want to understand how this place works. Nothing better than seeing the system from the inside."

She then turned to the captain, leaning slightly forward, as if asking a perfectly reasonable question.

"By the way, can we go with him to the prison?"

The captain blinked.

Once.

Twice.

"Wh…what?"

The soldiers around them stood motionless. Some exchanged glances, clearly waiting for someone else to understand this absurd situation. No one seemed prepared for the fact that the man who had just decimated half a dozen criminals was, apparently, considering cooperating—and that two extremely dangerous women were negotiating the terms with such ease.

"They're crazy," murmured one of the younger soldiers.

"Or overconfident," replied another, his voice trembling.

Strax opened his arms slightly, as if surrendering… more or less.

"Let's get one thing straight," he said, looking back at the captain. "If I go with you, it's because I want to. Not because you can take me."

The captain nodded too quickly.

"O-of course. Obviously."

Cassandra took a step back, returning to Strax's side.

"Look on the bright side," she commented. "If everything goes wrong, you can still take down the whole prison afterward."

Strax grinned slightly.

"I always like having options."

Daniela laughed and patted his arm.

"Besides, imagine the mayor's face when you arrive escorted."

Strax let out a resigned sigh, but there was amusement in his eyes.

"Very well," he decided. "Let's meet the highest authority in this little town."

He slowly extended his hands.

The soldiers hesitated.

"Handcuffs?" Strax asked, raising an eyebrow.

The captain made a nervous gesture.

"J-just for protocol."

"Right," Strax replied. "But I'm warning you now: this doesn't work if I decide it doesn't."

The captain didn't argue.

As the soldiers approached with excessive caution, Cassandra and Daniela walked quietly behind, talking in hushed voices, as if they were accompanying a friend to an important hearing and not an arrest for multiple murders.

The entire street watched in absolute silence.

No one dared to move.

...

The cell was cold, damp, made of ancient stone that seemed to absorb body heat and return it in the form of constant discomfort. The only source of light came from a torch outside the bars, its flickering flame casting long shadows that danced across the walls like weary specters. There was only one narrow bed, fastened to the wall by thick chains, clearly designed for a single person—or for no one to sleep properly.

Strax didn't bother to use it.

He sat on the floor, his back against the wall, his legs bent in a relaxed manner, as if this were not a prison cell, but an improvised room. Cassandra was to his right, leaning against him, her arms crossed, her head resting lightly on his shoulder, her gaze distant and analytical, observing every sound in the corridor. Daniela occupied the other side, more relaxed, one leg extended, the other bent, her body pressed against his with absolute naturalness, as if that contact were as common as breathing.

To any outside observer, the scene was profoundly wrong.

On the other side of the bars, two soldiers stood guard. One of them, younger and restless, couldn't stop looking into the cell. His eyes darted from Strax to the two women and back again, a mixture of envy, disbelief, and irritation etched on his face. He leaned toward his colleague, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper.

"That guy's a lucky bastard…" he murmured. "Look at him. He's in prison, killed half the world, acts like he owns the place… and he's still got two hot women clinging to him."

The other soldier let out a low sound, something between a nervous laugh and a sigh.

"Shut up," he replied. "Don't talk about things like that around him."

"Oh, come on…" the first insisted, still whispering. "I bet he shouldn't even be here. People like that always walk away like nothing happened."

Strax didn't move.

He kept his gaze fixed ahead, his arms wrapped around Cassandra and Daniela almost absentmindedly, like someone protecting something he considers rightfully his. But his golden eyes narrowed slightly, almost imperceptibly. He sighed slowly, like someone who has just lost patience with an irritating noise.

"You know," he said, in a tone too calm to be comfortable, "that I can hear you, right?"

The two soldiers froze.

The younger one opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out. The silence stretched for a second too long. Strax turned his head slowly toward them, his gaze now fixed, heavy, piercing the bars as if they didn't exist.

"And you also know," he continued, "that I'm here because I want to be."

He leaned forward slightly, the movement minimal, but enough to make the bed chain creak slightly, breaking the prison silence.

"Then do yourself a favor," she said, her voice low, controlled, laden with an unpleasant promise. "Stop commenting on what's none of your business, or I'll find a very creative way to make you deeply regret it."

The soldier swallowed hard, his face visibly pale. He took a step back without realizing it, almost tripping over his own foot. The other guard shot him a furious look and muttered something inaudible, clearly an "I told you so."

Inside the cell, Daniela let out a muffled laugh, resting her forehead on Strax's shoulder.

"You could have been more polite," she teased quietly.

"I was," Strax replied, without taking his eyes off the bars. "Considering the alternatives."

Cassandra sighed, closing her eyes for a moment.

"You're going to end up traumatizing half of this guard," she commented. "And the other half is already traumatized."

"Their problem," he said simply.

Outside, the soldiers now kept a respectful distance, a heavy silence replacing any comment. The torch crackled, casting a new wave of shadows over the trio in the cell.

Cassandra settled a little closer, comfortable, as if she were in a common room.

"So," she said, "how long do you think we're going to stay here?"

Strax shrugged, relaxing against the wall again.

"I don't know," he replied. "I wanted to know how we're going to pass the time, it's kind of boring."

Daniela smiled. "Let me suck your dick a little? I'm missing it…"

Cassandra and Strax looked at her.

"Daniela," Cassandra said slowly. "That's really a great idea!"