Chapter 139: A Close Shave

After Jacob passed out, the couple exchanged terrified glances. Neither of them knew what to do.

"S-Sam, what do we do now?" His wife asked, still trembling as she hugged their baby tightly against her chest.

Sam swallowed hard before cautiously approaching Jacob. He raised the club in his hand, ready to strike if necessary, but after checking the man’s condition, he realized Jacob was still breathing.

He immediately lowered his weapon and let out a relieved sigh.

"Darling, he doesn’t seem like a bad person. Let’s help him," Sam said, turning towards his wife.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Even if we throw him out, those people he claims are chasing him might still come looking for him. If they find out we turned him away, they might hurt us too."

With that said, Sam grabbed Jacob by the legs and began dragging his unconscious body towards the bedroom. After some struggle, he managed to shove him underneath the bed.

His wife carefully placed their baby in a safe spot before joining him in cleaning up the blood stains scattered across the floor.

They had barely finished cleaning when several heavy knocks suddenly thundered against the front door.

Both of them froze.

Sam and his wife exchanged another nervous glance before he cautiously approached the door and peered through the peephole.

Before he could even make out who was outside, a loud voice boomed from the other side.

"OPEN THE DOOR! OR WE’LL BREAK IT DOWN! WE’RE THE CITY GUARDS!"

The pounding grew increasingly violent.

Sam’s wife was so terrified that she involuntarily wet herself. However, Sam quickly gathered himself and forced a smile onto his face before opening the door.

Standing outside were several heavily armed men. Their weapons and intimidating appearances made it immediately clear that they weren’t there for a friendly visit.

"How may I help you, gentlemen?" Sam asked politely, trying his best to sound clueless.

"What took you so long to answer?" A burly wolf-man demanded, glaring at him.

"I-I apologize. I was tending to my child."

"Alright, alright. Have you seen an injured man around here?"

"An injured man? I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve been inside with my wife, looking after our baby," Sam replied, opening the door wider to give them a clear view of the living room.

His wife was sitting beside their sleeping baby, gently patting the little one’s back.

The wolf-man stared at Sam for several seconds, carefully studying his expression for any sign of nervousness or suspicion.

However, Sam maintained a perfectly straight face. He even looked genuinely confused by the question.

Eventually, the wolf-man clicked his tongue.

"Damn it. Looks like this apartment is a waste of time."

He turned towards his subordinates.

"Let’s search the other apartments! I saw that bastard run into this building. He has to be hiding somewhere!"

With that, he barked orders at his men, splitting them into groups to search the remaining apartments.

Only after their footsteps had completely disappeared did Sam finally close the door.

His legs gave out almost immediately, and he slumped onto the floor, breathing heavily. His heart was pounding so violently that he could practically feel it in his throat.

He looked towards his wife, who was still sitting stiffly beside their baby.

"Don’t worry. It’s over now," he muttered, although he was hardly convinced by his own words.

After taking a moment to calm down, Sam headed to the kitchen and gulped down a glass of cold water.

He then hurried back into the bedroom and carefully dragged Jacob out from underneath the bed, placing him on the mattress.

Although Jacob had stopped bleeding, his overall condition was terrible. His body looked battered, and his breathing was disturbingly weak.

Sam had no idea what to do.

After some searching online, he discovered that vampires possessed extraordinary regenerative abilities and could heal themselves from injuries that would otherwise be fatal to ordinary people.

That gave him some reassurance, so he decided to leave Jacob alone and allow his body to recover naturally.

However, several hours passed, and rather than showing signs of improvement, Jacob’s condition seemed to be getting worse.

Sam was beginning to grow increasingly worried when—

*Ding Dong!*

The sudden ringing of the doorbell made him freeze.

He slowly turned towards his wife, who was looking back at him with the same terrified expression.

Had the city guards discovered their deception?

Had they somehow found out that they were hiding the very person they were looking for?

Swallowing nervously, Sam approached the front door and cautiously peered through the peephole.

But the person standing outside wasn’t one of the guards.

Instead, he saw a tall, slightly busty woman with flowing white hair, elongated ears, and a pair of beautiful emerald-green eyes.

***

"Hey, when are you going to wake up?"

A familiar, impatient voice entered my ears, making my eyes snap open.

The first thing I saw was a familiar white ceiling.

It took me a moment to recognize it, but this was the ceiling in Seraphina’s house—or should I say, our house?

I slowly turned my head and found Seraphina standing beside the bed with her arms folded and a slight frown on her face.

The moment I saw her, I jolted upright.

For a split second, I wondered if I was hallucinating or experiencing the final moments of my life.

"Slap me if I’m really alive—"

*THWAK!*

"OW! I DIDN’T SAY YOU SHOULD HIT ME THAT HARD!"

I yelped, clutching my stinging cheek.

Despite the pain, I couldn’t help feeling relieved.

At least I wasn’t dead.

"You idiot! How did you manage to get yourself into such a mess? Do you have any idea what would have happened if I hadn’t come to your rescue?"

Seraphina’s voice grew louder as she continued scolding me.

"You’re such a jerk! Are you trying to leave me for the second time? And what if you never came back this time? Have you ever considered that?!"

She began hitting my chest lightly, but despite her anger, I could see the frustration and worry written all over her face. There were even slight tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.

I didn’t say anything.

Instead, I reached out and gently grabbed her hands.

"I was being careful. I honestly don’t know how I managed to piss someone off that badly. Besides, I went out to get something for you."

As I spoke, I opened my inventory and retrieved the necklace.

I gently lifted it and placed it around her neck.

The moment her eyes landed on the jade pendant, they widened in disbelief.

"T-This... This is the necklace I’ve been searching for! How did you get it?!"

She grabbed my hands, her eyes practically sparkling like an excited puppy’s.

"I have my ways," I replied with a faint smile. "I figured you’d need it. To be honest, though, I spent practically all my money getting my hands on it. I even had to borrow some money to afford it. But I’m glad I managed to get it in the end."

"Thank you, darling! Thank you so much! I love you!"

Before I could say anything else, Seraphina threw her arms around me and began showering my face with kisses.

She kissed me so many times that my lips were practically swollen by the time she finally stopped.

However, her affectionate expression soon changed.

"Now, tell me, darling. Who did this to you?"

Her voice suddenly turned cold.

I could feel her Mana surging violently, and the atmosphere around us grew noticeably heavier.

I sighed before recounting everything that had happened.

The more I explained, the angrier Seraphina became.

"A mere son of the Lord of Scar City dares to behave so arrogantly? His father wouldn’t even dare look me in the eye!"

Her emerald eyes flashed dangerously.

"This debt... They will repay it a hundredfold!"

Before I could even open my mouth to respond, her figure suddenly vanished from before me.

I stared at the empty space where she had been sitting.

"Ahh..."

I let out a helpless sigh.

This woman...

She didn’t even bother listening to me before rushing off.

I just hoped she would be safe.

Although, considering her current strength—and the fact that the jade necklace would further amplify her power—I wasn’t particularly worried about her losing.

Still, I wished she wouldn’t go overboard.

[Ding!]

[Mission: Get the Ice Jade Necklace for Seraphina has been completed.]

[Reward: One Invincibility Card against all techniques and skills for one hour.]