"You need more calories for our training,"

’!?’

’How could I forget this?’

Hearing Zeph’s words, Thalia realized something and swiftly stood, taking a knife in her hand as she moved towards Zeph, leaving him slightly confused.

Approaching him, her emerald eyes intensely locked with his golden pupils. "No, you sit. I will cook. You need more calories."

Zeph stood, looking blankly as she took the cabbage from his hands and attempted to leave the kitchen, causing a twitch on his face due to his newfound ability.

"Thalia," he said firmly, approaching her. She slowed her pace, sweat forming on her forehead thinking,’did I get caught’, as he continued, "Are you trying to run away?"

"N-no, why would I?"

’Run Thalia! ’

She increased her pace and swiftly ran out of the kitchen, following her intuition toward a specific place, thinking, ’No, no, not like this.’

Thud

"Ouch"

Thalia collided with something firm, rubbing her forehead. Her emerald eyes turned towards the man standing in front of her, folding his arms and looking at her with golden eyes.

"So, do you hate me?"

Zeph’s words widened Thalia’s eyes, making her shake her head swiftly. "No! I just wanted to..." She averted her gaze, biting her lips, "Go to the bathroom."

"S-sorry?" Zeph looked at her blankly, feeling confused. ’Is it an emergency?’

"I said I want to use the bathroom," Thalia met his gaze, trying to keep a serious face, but her face turned crimson with shame, revealing her true state. She couldn’t tell him the real reason, or else he would laugh at her.

"No, it’s okay. You can go. It may be urgent," Zeph said, feeling awkward as he turned to leave.

"No, stop. It’s not what you’re thinking." Thalia, realizing the misunderstanding her words caused, swiftly turned towards him before clutching his sleeves.

Feeling her touch, Zeph turned towards her and waited for her words.

Struggling to speak further, Thalia pursed her lips, causing him to sigh and put his hands on her, pulling her into his embrace. Her delicate body collided with his firm one.

Wrapping his arm around her waist and meeting her emerald eyes intensely, "Wife, you can’t hide anything from me. If you wanted to take a bath, I could have accompanied you."

"!?"

Thalia’s eyes widened. "H-how do you know this?"

A smile formed on Zeph’s face as he lifted her in a princess carry while she looked at him in surprise, thinking, ’It doesn’t matter, I guess.’

Zeph moved towards the bathroom, Thalia achieving her goal, discarded the knife and cabbage in her hands as they had fulfilled their role.

Zeph, hearing the sound of the falling knife and vegetable, felt amused. ’Same as ever.’

As he moved towards the bathroom, thoughts of his mischievous yet adorable partner in his arms occupied his mind.

She had decided to take a bath before their exercise session, aiming to create a memorable moment and then, she darted out of the kitchen with cabbage and a knife, prompting him to follow.

Understanding her real intentions would have been impossible had he not just received the Ability through her.

It was both a curse and a boon for him to acquire Nexus.

While moving towards the bathroom, he couldn’t help but curse that lackluster Muse, responsible for throwing him inside this novel, yet he restrained himself from cursing him too much as he realized that without his actions, he wouldn’t have her.

’Love truly makes people foolish’, he mused thinking how he was slowly changing, adopting to this world.

First, he wanted to survive alone but now, he wanted to be with this woman, to see the end of this Novel with her, beside him and maybe even with others too.

With a chuckle, he shifted his focus to the imminent future, Related to this newfound cheat as he recalled a story from «Heroes Counterattack»

Long ago, there existed a being known for their cruel and tyrant personality, deemed evil or the embodiment of darkness itself by many.

However, as the saying goes, even a small candle’s flame can dispel darkness, much like a star shining in the night sky.

In this dark world, a small firefly wandered off course, becoming a beacon of light amidst the darkness.

The darkness attempted to snuff out this glimmer of hope, fearing its disappearance. But the resilient creature refused to let its flame extinguish.

As time passed, the darkness slowly receded, yet the small creature neared its end, its flame flickering before vanishing.

Witnessing the lifeless body of the woman in his hands, tears akin to blood streamed from the being’s eyes, overwhelmed by pain and anger.

His rage shook all realms, leading each world to its demise by the hands that once cradled his beloved.

Eventually, his fury subsided, revealing the devastation left behind, a world once brightened by her presence now extinguished.

He realized the depth of his disappointment, knowing this was the world she cherished and hoped to see flourish before her eyes.

Love, a seemingly small word, proved stronger than anything, pushing even someone like him to make an impossible decision—sacrificing his true immortality to be with his beloved.

This act led to the creation of an energy called Nexus.

Zeph, though claiming to detest the novel, delved into every Chapter, possibly a deeper reader than others, recalling rare background stories like Nexus—a mere paragraph within a Chapter on the Formation of the Hidden realm.

Nexus was a bonding energy, arising when two individuals harbored emotions stronger than ordinary love towards each other. It didn’t form commonly among people but belonged to the same being, tied to their soul.

Zeph knew it was impossible for him to have any connection with that person, even as Zephyr Liander himself.

He attributed everything to the divine entity who thrust him into this novel, as things weren’t progressing as expected.

Yet, he cared little now, resolved to survive with those he cherished.

Aware that once others discovered his possession of Nexus, he would perish—an ancestral legacy spanning all races—the mere existence of someone holding this energy doomed the world to oblivion once more.

Though the most overpowered energy in «Heroes Counterattack» Nexus offered perks too tempting to ignore.

The possessor could form a Marital Bond with their partner, experiencing their internal feelings. But what truly enticed Zeph was the Ability Sharing skill.

Upon their partner’s wholehearted acceptance of a love confession, a bond formed, allowing them to share abilities. Despite knowing how to rid himself of this energy, Zeph refrained from attempting it; removing it was no easy feat.

The possession of Nexus granted a tremendous power boost but came with equal danger. Using this power recklessly in front of others would only lead to his demise,’ Guess, have—’

"Zeph, we arrived," Thalia spoke as she looked at him, lost in his thoughts, which made her slightly confused.

Zeph, hearing her words, mischievously looked at her as he opened the door of the bathroom, white marbles shining with a calm aroma.

Entering it, he turned towards the girl in his arms, "What do you want, my princess?"

Thalia turned her gaze, feeling embarrassed by the title he used to refer to her, and meekly spoke, "Took bath."

"Then we need to remove the clothes, right?" With a teasing tone, he spoke, causing her to nod.

’Really, this girl’,He couldn’t help but think about how shameless this girl was, first letting him follow her and now acting all shy.

He, without putting her down, moved towards a bathtub large enough to be a pool filled with soap bubbles.

Without removing any cloth, he entered it. Thalia didn’t say anything as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Should we start with you, wife?" Hearing his words, Thalia’s face became completely crimson as she felt herself drowning inside the water.

He put her down, and both stood in the middle of the pool. Thalia, feeling his gaze behind her, felt embarrassed in that moment.

Thump thump

Her heartbeat started to race with anticipation and excitement. She was not shameless, but it felt otherworldly when you are with the one you love.

"Thalia, can I ask you something?" Zeph spoke as his hands moved towards her uniform’s front collar, his hands wrapping around her neck, moving at the buttons.

"Um, yes," she spoke, her words hardly audible due to her heartbeat and swirling emotions.

While standing, she suddenly felt his hands caressing her back as they moved in front of her shirt before opening one of the buttons.

"Why are you so obsessed with me?" He asked as he opened another button that, instead of normally opening, broke and was thrown on the water due to the pressure Zeph exerted.

Just like Thalia, he too felt nervous, causing him to break one of her buttons as he apologized, "Sorry, it’s just—"

"No, I have an extra uniform." Hearing her words, which were a straight provocation, his mind, already losing control, snapped, causing him to forcefully turn Thalia towards him.

As she turned, her cleavage was clearly visible due to the shirt hanging and revealing her delicate skin with perky breasts, only hidden by her undergarments.

GULP

Zeph swallowed the words as his inner beast started to awaken, and blankly his eyes met hers.

" Does one needs a reason to fall for someone "

Her words pulled zeph from his trance state, he looked towards her eyes that was fixed on him while tilting her head, making a smile form on his face as he pulled her in embrace.

" Ofcourse not, Reasons exist when one think from brain, love doesn’t need that thing "