MTLNOVEL Chapter 85: Problem?
Beatrice couldn't comprehend what was happening.
Just a moment ago… they were right here. Right in front of her, two beings had been locked in battle, their clash shaking the very ground beneath her feet. And then—Hades did something she never expected. He surrendered.
Her breath caught. Why? Why would he choose to surrender now? Was it her lost all faith?
But before she could even begin to question him, the world around her shifted.
The air grew heavy. A strange, ominous light swallowed the battlefield, curling around Hades and his opponent like a living flame. The glow thickened, brighter, brighter—until Beatrice could no longer make out their forms. All that remained was a crimson, blazing orb floating in the center of the cave.
Her shackles of restraint fell away as if they had never existed. She was free… but her body refused to move. All she could do was stare at that terrifying, mesmerizing orb.
"…What just happened?" she whispered, her lips trembling.
Her instincts told her this wasn't the end. Hades wasn't someone who would throw his life away so easily. He had a plan—he must have. But what was it? What could he possibly be doing inside that fiery prison of light?
Slowly, almost against her will, Beatrice took a step closer. The heat from the orb licked her skin, forcing beads of sweat to run down her neck. The moment she raised her hand to reach for it, the orb suddenly flared with unbearable radiance.
"Agh—!" she cried out, staggering back, her arms crossing in front of her face to shield her eyes. The cave itself seemed to melt under the rising temperature, each breath scalding her lungs.
And then, just as suddenly as it came, the blaze began to fade.
The suffocating heat thinned. The blinding glow receded. Beatrice slowly lowered her hands, her heart pounding in her chest, afraid of what she might see.
Through the fading light, a silhouette appeared.
One figure.
Her heart sank into her stomach. 'No… it can't be…'
The glow dwindled further, until at last, she could clearly see.
It was Hades. Standing tall, his dark form steady and unshaken… and in his arms, another figure.
Beatrice's breath caught in her throat.
"Pe…ri…" Her voice cracked, a trembling whisper escaping her lips as she stumbled forward, her body no longer able to hold back.
Yes. It was her. Her little girl.
The gaping wound that had torn through her chest was gone. Her fragile body was damp with sweat, her skin flushed, and though she seemed weak, her chest rose and fell—she was breathing. She was alive.
"She is fine," Hades said, his voice calm yet faintly tired. "She's just… hot and sluggish. But she will recover in time."
Beatrice barely heard him. Her legs gave way as she collapsed to her knees before them, her hands trembling as she reached for her daughter.
"Peri…" she called again, her voice breaking with relief. She carefully took the girl from Hades's arms, clutching her as if afraid she would vanish again.
The girl's lashes fluttered. Slowly, her golden eyes opened, shining faintly with the same warmth Beatrice had yearned to see again.
"…Mama," she whispered weakly, her lips curving ever so slightly.
Beatrice's world shattered and healed in a single breath. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she pulled her daughter against her chest, her body shaking as sobs broke free.
"Baby… Mama is here. Mama is here," she whispered over and over, pressing her face against her daughter's damp hair, unwilling to let go.
In that moment, nothing else mattered. Not the cave, not the battle, not the danger that loomed beyond.
It was just her and her daughter.
Hades watched quietly, a faint smile tugging at his lips. He felt the weight of exhaustion in his body, but the sight before him was worth it. He had managed to do it—he had given them back their bond.
"Mama… I feel hot… all over…" Peri winced, her tiny face twisting as her eyes pressed shut.
Beatrice's heart dropped. Panic clawed at her chest as she whipped her head toward Hades, searching for answers, desperate for reassurance.
"She's fine," Hades said, his voice steady but quiet. "This is temporary. Once she rests for a few days, she will be back to normal."
Relief washed over Beatrice like a wave, loosening the knot in her throat. She drew her daughter closer, whispering into her ear as if her words alone could cool her fever.
"Everything will be alright, baby. Mama is here for you. Mama won't let anything happen to you."
Still trembling, Beatrice lifted her sleeve to her mouth and bit down, tearing away a strip of fabric with a sharp rip. She soaked the piece in a shallow puddle nearby, her hands shaking so badly the water spilled over her fingers. Gently, she pressed the damp cloth against Peri's heated forehead.
Only then—while tending to her daughter—did she finally notice something strange.
Her breath caught.
Peri's small body was wrapped in a shirt far too large for her frame… Hades's shirt. Her daughter's delicate form was bare beneath it, her soft skin hidden only by the oversized garment.
Beatrice's eyes darted to Hades—his torso bare, his chest glistening with sweat, the rough lines of his muscles exposed. She blinked, her thoughts stumbling over themselves.
"What… just happened?" she asked, her voice tight, nearly breaking.
Hades gave a wry smile, the kind of expression that admitted guilt without apology. He sighed softly, as if he already knew this moment would come.
"I needed to suppress Samarella. She wasn't going to stop trying to kill me. And since she had merged with Peri's soul… I had no choice." His eyes narrowed, voice low and deliberate. "I had to mark her."
"...!" Beatrice's breath hitched. Her eyes widened in disbelief as her trembling hand moved on instinct. She tilted Peri's head gently to the side, brushing her daughter's damp hair away from her neck.
And there it was.
The unmistakable scar of Dragon's Breath burned faintly against her daughter's pale skin, glowing as if alive.
For an instant, fury surged within Beatrice—white-hot, primal. Her teeth clenched, and she felt her nails dig into her own palm. To think that he dared leave a mating mark on her daughter's body… it made her blood boil.
But then, as quickly as it came, rationality returned.
Right…he had no other option.
"So what about the ancient one?" Beatrice asked.
Hades told her, "She's still within her-"
Just then, Hades heard Luna's voice in his head, panicked,
[H-Hades …a problem has occurred. Please come out as soon as you can.]
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A/N:- Thanks for reading.