Chapter 394: Five Wives, Five Golden Chains, One Dying Husband!

Within Empyrean Academy, Selene was seated inside a luxurious room, reviewing several documents and writing something at her desk.

The room was quiet, with only the faint scratching of her pen disturbing the silence.

However, her concentration was suddenly interrupted.

CLINK! CLINK! CLINK!

A golden chain materialized before her chest, its links rattling with such intensity that the documents lying on her desk trembled beneath the movement.

Selene immediately stopped writing.

"...Luke?"

Her expression changed as she sensed the warning carried by the chain.

"Luke!"

She rose from her chair, immediately abandoning the unfinished documents as she reached toward the golden links.

"What happened to him? Why are you reacting like this?"

Unfortunately, the chain offered no explanation.

It merely continued rattling, its golden radiance flickering as it extended toward a distant location.

Selene attempted to sense something through their connection, but she couldn't determine what danger Luke was facing or who might be responsible.

Her fingers tightened around the chain.

'Darling...'

A worried expression appeared on her face as she looked toward the distant direction indicated by its links.

"Whatever is happening, please survive."

The golden chain continued trembling while Selene stood beside her desk, her earlier work completely forgotten.

---

Deep within the ocean, Naivara was hunting a powerful sea beast when the golden chain suddenly appeared before her.

CLINK! CLINK! CLINK!

The unexpected rattling immediately interrupted her movements, causing her to stop pursuing the creature as she turned toward the radiant links.

"Huh?"

She stared at the chain for a moment before sensing the urgent warning it carried.

"Luke..."

Her expression immediately became worried.

She couldn't understand why the connection had suddenly become so agitated, especially when she was separated from Luke by such a great distance.

'What happened to him?'

Naivara looked toward the direction indicated by the chain, feeling increasingly uneasy as its links continued trembling.

Unfortunately, she had no way of determining what was happening to him from her current location.

After a moment, she brought her hands together.

"Please, Ocean Mother, protect him."

Her voice carried quiet desperation as she continued gazing toward the distance.

"Whatever danger he's facing, please help him survive."

---

On the Elf Continent, within a secluded chamber, Elaria was seated in meditation when an unfamiliar rattling suddenly interrupted her concentration.

CLINK! CLINK! CLINK!

Her eyes opened.

"Hmm?"

A golden chain had appeared before her, its radiant links trembling violently while extending toward a distant location.

For a moment, Elaria merely stared at it with confusion.

Then she remembered the strange marriage connection that had been imposed upon her.

"Oh... Luke."

His name escaped her lips in a quiet murmur, although instead of immediately becoming worried, she appeared more interested in the fact that the chain had reminded her of her supposed husband.

'Husband...'

She considered the word briefly.

Even now, Elaria hadn't truly accepted the human as her husband, nor had her opinion of his race changed merely because of their unusual marriage.

However, the chain continued rattling insistently, making it difficult for her to ignore.

"Are you trying to tell me he's in danger?"

She tilted her head slightly, examining the golden links before looking toward the direction in which they extended.

"Should I go and save him?"

For a moment, she genuinely considered the possibility.

Although she didn't particularly like Luke, she wasn't completely opposed to helping him if he encountered danger nearby.

Unfortunately, the distance between them was far too great.

Elaria examined the chain again before shaking her head.

"Well, whatever. He's too far away for me to do anything."

She sighed lightly.

"If something happens to him, it isn't my fault."

However, just as she was preparing to dismiss the matter, she noticed something unusual about the direction indicated by the chain.

'The Dragon Continent?'

Her expression became curious.

'How did he end up there?'

As far as she remembered, Luke had traveled with Aurielle, the human princess, toward the Human Continent.

Yet the golden chain was clearly pointing toward the territory of the dragons.

Elaria considered the strange development for a moment before eventually losing interest.

"Forget it. I'm sure there's some explanation."

She closed her eyes and resumed her meditation, paying little attention to the golden chain that continued rattling before her.

---

Within Bravaryn, among its highest mountains, an enormous crimson dragon was sleeping peacefully.

Her thousand-meter-long body rested across the mountain peaks, while her enormous wings remained folded against her sides.

HUFFFFFF...

A single breath escaped her nostrils, releasing such intense heat that the nearby snow and portions of the rocky peaks began melting beneath the temperature.

However, the dragon remained asleep, completely unconcerned with the destruction caused by her ordinary breathing.

At least, until something appeared beside her.

CLINK! CLINK! CLINK!

A golden chain suddenly materialized near her enormous head, its radiant links trembling as though urgently attempting to awaken her.

Unlike the other four chains, this one had already determined that the person it was connected to possessed the greatest chance of protecting Luke.

After all, the five golden chains weren't ordinary tracking spells.

They possessed their own limited consciousness, allowing them to recognize danger and respond when the life or freedom of the person they were bound to protect was threatened.

That was why they hadn't appeared during Luke's earlier attack.

At the time, Luke had deliberately released the technique himself, fully aware of its consequences and apparently confident that he possessed some method of surviving.

However, the situation had changed when the three A-Rank Orcs appeared.

Luke had been reduced to a state where he could barely defend himself, and if those Orcs succeeded in taking him away, the consequences could become far worse than his injuries.

The chains had therefore activated, warning the women connected to him while also serving another peculiar purpose.

They were, in a sense, an anti-theft measure, intended to prevent someone from simply taking Luke away from his wives.

Unfortunately, the crimson dragon currently sleeping beneath the mountains knew nothing about their intentions.

CLINK! CLINK! CLINK!

The rattling became increasingly loud, reaching not only her enormous ears but also her consciousness.

"Hmm?"

Rhaenyra finally stirred.

Her gigantic crimson eyes slowly opened, and she raised her head from the mountain peak, looking around with obvious irritation.

"Who dares disturb my sleep?"

The golden chain immediately rattled again.

CLINK-CLINK-CLINK!

Rhaenyra turned toward it.

"..."

For a moment, she simply stared at the radiant links.

Then her expression became even more annoyed.

'Oh, this annoying thing again.'

She recognized the chain as the connection that the goddess had attached to her, binding her to an insignificant human who had somehow dared to claim her as his wi—

CLINK! CLINK! CLINK!

"SHUT UP!"

Rhaenyra's furious voice shook the surrounding mountains.

"Can't you see I'm trying to think?!"

The golden chain immediately stopped rattling.

For several moments, it remained unusually quiet, almost as though a small child had been scolded and was now sulking.

Rhaenyra snorted.

"Hmph! That's better."

However, before she could return to sleep, her gaze followed the golden chain toward the distant region of Bravaryn.

Something about its direction and the urgency of its earlier movements made her pause.

'Wait...'

She concentrated upon the connection.

A faint warning immediately reached her consciousness.

'Danger?'

Rhaenyra became confused.

'Is that human in danger?'

However, just as she began interpreting the warning, the golden chain transmitted something more specific.

It wasn't simply telling her that Luke had been injured.

It was warning her that someone was attempting to take him away.

'...Kidnapped?'

Rhaenyra froze.

For a moment, she remained completely silent as she processed the meaning of the warning.

Then her enormous crimson eyes widened.

"WHAT?!"

Her head shot upward.

"SOMEONE DARES TO KIDNAP MY THING?!"

The surrounding mountains trembled beneath her furious voice, while scorching air erupted from her nostrils as her anger rapidly increased.

"HOW DARE THEY?!"

Her enormous wings began spreading, casting broad shadows across the mountain peaks as the surrounding atmosphere trembled beneath the sudden release of her power.

Then Rhaenyra raised her head toward the sky.

"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAARRRR!"

A legendary dragon roar erupted from her throat, spreading across Bravaryn with such terrifying intensity that countless inhabitants instinctively stopped whatever they were doing.

The sound rolled over mountains, forests, and settlements, causing weaker creatures to collapse beneath the pressure while powerful beings immediately recognized the source.

"The Dragon Princess!"

"WHAT HAPPENED?!"

"WHY IS SHE ANGRY?!"

Across Bravaryn, numerous inhabitants turned toward the distant mountains, some lowering their heads in fear while others began praying that the furious crimson dragon would quickly calm down.

Unfortunately, Rhaenyra had no intention of calming herself.

Her gaze remained fixed upon the direction indicated by the golden chain.

"WHOEVER DARES TAKE MY THING WILL REGRET IT!"

FWHOOOOOOOSH!

Her enormous wings swept downward.

BOOOOOOM!

The mountain peak beneath her body shattered as she launched herself into the sky, scattering broken rock across the surrounding slopes while the force of her departure produced a thunderous shockwave.

Within moments, her thousand-meter-long crimson body had accelerated to several times the speed of sound, leaving the devastated mountain behind as she rushed toward Luke's location.

Elsewhere in Bravaryn, within a peaceful treehouse surrounded by ancient branches and lush vegetation, a beautiful young woman was quietly enjoying a cup of tea.

She was Zephyrielle Arkanthyr, the grandmother of Rhaenyra and Emberlyn.

The surrounding forest was peaceful until the distant dragon roar suddenly rolled across the region.

"ROOOOOOOOOAAAAARRRR!"

Zephyrielle paused with her teacup near her lips.

"Hmm?"

She turned toward the distant mountains, immediately recognizing the familiar aura accompanying the roar.

Then a soft chuckle escaped her mouth.

"My, my. Has my little tsundere princess finally started showing her feelings?"

She placed the teacup down, her expression filled with amusement as she sensed Rhaenyra flying away from the mountains at extraordinary speed.

Knowing her granddaughter's personality, Zephyrielle understood that Rhaenyra rarely admitted caring about anyone, especially when doing so might reveal emotions she preferred keeping hidden.

Yet her furious reaction suggested that someone had touched something she considered important.

"How interesting."

However, as Zephyrielle extended her perception toward the direction Rhaenyra was traveling, she discovered another familiar presence near the devastated region.

Her eyebrows rose slightly.

"Oh? Emberlyn is there too?"

She examined the situation for a moment, then chuckled again.

"Hoh? It seems my other princess has also become rather attached to that young man."

The discovery amused her considerably, although she made no attempt to interfere.

After all, both of her granddaughters were capable of making their own decisions, and she was curious to see how the situation would develop.

"Well, I'll leave this to you two."

With that, Zephyrielle picked up her teacup again, her lips carrying a faint smile as she continued enjoying her tea.