Primordial Villain With A Slave Harem - Chapter 1252: Return
Chapter 1252: Return
Felicity stirred as sunlight slipped through the seams of her tent. Her lashes fluttered while her body stretched lazily against the thin bedding, until something cold brushed against her thigh.
Her eyes snapped open.
A snake was slithering up her leg. Its slick, scaled body glimmered in the dim light, and its forked tongue flicked out as it climbed higher toward her chest.
Once upon a time, that sight would’ve sent her screaming through the royal palace, scrambling onto furniture while guards came running.
After all, Princess Felicity Valorian of the Vraven Kingdom had been pampered to the highest of orders, so much so that her biggest worry had been the color of her next skirt or the perfection of her curls.
But that girl was already gone.
The snake struck, fast and sharp.
Her hand moved even faster.
Fingers clamped around its neck, just below the jaw, locking its head in place before it could even open its mouth in full. The serpent’s body writhed violently with its tail coiling around her wrist as its scales rasped against her skin.
Felicity just smiled, watching its frantic squirming. “You should hunt fatter prey, dummy…” she mused, tone dripping with amusement. “The risk-to-reward ratio was way off… what, did you fail math class too?”
Then the purple-haired girl’s eyes narrowed into fiery slits. “Or are you saying I’m fatter than that Jiai brat?!”
Her grip tightened from the mere thought. The snake hissed, struggling harder, until she squeezed. An unnerving sound came, and its body went limp.
She tossed it aside, stood up, and brushed off her clothes as if she’d just swatted a fly. Then she ducked out of the tent.
Outside, the morning air was crisp. Smoke from their dying campfire curled lazily upward. Perched on a nearby rock sat Iris, armored, composed, and already holding her sword across her lap. The raven-haired woman looked like she’d been awake for hours, if she even slept at all.
“Miss Iris,” Felicity called and approached the woman. “A snake entered my tent while I slept.”
“I know,” Iris replied without looking up.
Felicity blinked. “… You let it sneak up on me?!”
“I already taught you how to sleep with an eye open,” Iris replied calmly. “And you’re strong enough to handle a single snake. It was just a weak animal; you didn’t even get a kill notification. Isn’t that right?”
Felicity narrowed her eyes just as she had done with the rude snake, studying the woman.
There was warmth in Iris’s voice, hidden under all that cold sharpness. Royal tutors would’ve fainted at the thought of letting a snake anywhere near her. Especially while she was sleeping!
But Iris? Iris didn’t just let it happen… She planned it.
Yet somehow, Felicity adored her for it.
“Didn’t you promise Quinlan you’d protect me?” she teased, grin spreading.
“I did,” Iris answered with eyes still on her blade. “And you have enough Vitality now that the snake’s venom wouldn’t kill you instantly. I’d have enough time to shove an anti-poison elixir down your throat.”
“So cruel!” Felicity gasped theatrically, though her grin never faded.
Truthfully, this life, the dirt, the bruises, the exhaustion, the danger, and the constant need for alertness had done her good. Traveling with Iris, Feng, and Lyra had stripped away all the pampered fragility she used to hide behind. She was stronger now, not just in body but in spirit.
Truth be told, the princess had been struggling with her perceived self-worth. She knew that princesses were best used as tools for forging alliances, just as it was the fate of her eldest sister, Calienne.
But Felicity wanted to feel a different kind of self-worth for herself, something that came from her hard efforts instead of being born into the right family.
This was why, while she loved her eldest sister dearly, she always wanted to be more like the Second Princess, Elisabeth, also known as the Dawn Breaker. She was one of the most powerful Arch Priests in the world, despite her only being a couple of hundred years old.
The Goddess had blessed her with incredible powers, but while Elisabeth wouldn’t have been what she is today without the powers of a higher being, she worked hard for it and was immensely talented.
Not just anyone could do what she did. In fact, almost no one could.
Having finished her thoughts about her elder sisters, Felicity reached out and gave Iris’s armored back a friendly pat. “Is it just me, or are you very happy these days, Miss Iris?”
Silence welcomed her words.
The woman didn’t move, didn’t speak. Felicity thought she’d been ignored completely.
Then, at last, Iris murmured, “Perhaps I needed this adventure just as much as Feng did. Or maybe even more so.”
Her voice softened. “Being surrounded by the primordial cheat code and his women is… stifling, to say the least. They all have that three-times XP cheat. Once, I was spoken of as a prodigy. But beside them, I can’t help but feel like I’m just another fighter swinging a sword.”
The flap of another tent opened. Feng stumbled out, yawning merrily and with her messy black hair sticking out in every direction. “How can you say that?” she muttered sleepily. “You kept up with those monsters without the bonus. You’re still a real prodigy.”
“Yeah!” Lyra added, stepping out with equally disheveled pink hair, rubbing her eyes.
Iris turned her face away because of a faint smile forcing its way to her lips.
Felicity, of course, wasn’t going to miss that. She leaned in, trying to catch a glimpse, until a gloved palm pressed against her face, pushing her back.
“Aw, don’t be shy! I wanna see you smile!! You’re so beautiful when you are happy, but I only see that when you’re drenched in blood!” Felicity protested with a pout.
Ignoring her, Iris rose from the rock, strapping her sword to her back. The shift in her tone was immediate, becoming cool and commanding once more.
“Get ready,” she ordered. “We have a long day of murder ahead. We’ve already left familiar territory. There is no hope of anyone coming to save us if something were to happen because the Ravenshade lands start just ahead. There can be no more mistakes.”
“Yes!” the three girls said together, grinning with excitement.
Their laughter and chatter filled the quiet morning as the four women got ready to face the dangers of a continent that was slowly changing while their greatest ally slept, unaware of how much the world had already shifted in his absence.
…
While the days passed outside, something shifted within the heart of the resting primordial.
A slow breath left Quinlan’s lips.
His eyelids twitched, then parted. The blur sharpened into a familiar sight: a pair of radiant, crystal blue eyes filled with emotion.
Seraphiel’s face hovered above his, with strands of her long, golden hair brushing his cheek.
Her expression broke into one of utmost tenderness.
“You’re back at last…” she whispered. The words that left her lips trembled as if she still doubted they were real.
Quinlan blinked, testing his strength. His body felt different, heavier in some places, lighter in others. But none of that mattered when he saw the tears she tried to hide behind her smile.
“Are you feeling okay?” she asked, but then caught herself mid-sentence. Her lips pressed together as a playful spark lit her eyes. She almost entered dutiful healer mode when she would much rather remain in the loving girlfriend mode for just a little longer.
“No. Forget that. I’m just happy you’re here.”
Instead of fussing over his condition, Seraphiel leaned down and kissed him. Slowly. Carefully. It wasn’t a healer’s relief but a woman’s joy.
Quinlan raised a hand and brushed her cheek, letting his fingers trace the warmth of her perfectly smooth skin. He returned the kiss.
Their foreheads rested together afterward, and for a long while, neither moved nor spoke, simply looking into each other’s eyes and enjoying the moment.
Then Quinlan shifted, his muscles tightening as he sat up. The elf gasped softly as he pulled her into his arms. He stood while holding her close.
“Let’s get started, my bombshell of an elven DPS healer. We have so much work to do.”
And with that, the Primordial Villain was back in the game once more, stronger, more determined, and hungrier than ever before.
