Chapter 267: The Place Where the Goddess Descende

Isolde’s fingers hesitated mid-stroke as Adam’s hand brushed against her thigh. Her breath caught, her cheeks flushing deeper.

"Hey... don’t touch so casually," she murmured, her voice tight, embarrassed.

Adam’s eyes remained closed, a lazy, content smile curving his lips. His fingers traced a slow, idle pattern on the fabric of her cloak, not quite groping, but not quite innocent either.

"I’m just touching a little," he murmured, his voice drowsy, teasing. "Your thighs are soft. It’s comfortable."

Her pride screamed at her to move, to shove him away, but something softer, more treacherous, whispered ’stay.’

’This idiot...’

"I’m serious," she tried again, but her voice lacked conviction. She made no move to push his hand away. "If you weren’t injured, I would have thrown you off by now."

Adam’s smile widened, still not opening his eyes.

"Hehe. Lucky me."

Her hand moved in awkward, uncertain strokes, caught somewhere between wanting to soothe him and wanting to pull away before he noticed how gentle she was being. The fire popped, and she prayed he couldn’t hear how fast her heart was beating. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

A long pause stretched between them before Adam finally broke it, his tone stripped of its earlier playfulness.

"I met the Frost Dragon earlier. While you were all sleeping."

Isolde’s hand stilled. Her pale eyes widened.

"What? When? Why didn’t you wake us?"

Adam’s eyes finally opened, his crimson gaze finding hers in the dim firelight. The teasing was gone, replaced by something more thoughtful.

"He didn’t seem hostile. Just... curious." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "He said Croft broke their agreement. Took more power than he was supposed to. That’s why he lost control." His gaze drifted to the distant glow of Kaelthar’s dying flames. "Apparently, I did him a favor by killing Croft."

Isolde’s pale eyes narrowed, her hand pausing mid-stroke in Adam’s hair.

"It can’t be that simple," she said slowly. "There has to be more to it."

Adam’s eyes remained closed, his voice drowsy but thoughtful.

"You’re right. It’s not that simple. The dragon warned me about consequences. Said I shattered the balance by destroying Kaelthar." His lips pressed into a thin line. "Even though it wasn’t my fault."

Isolde’s gaze drifted down to his face, studying the stubborn set of his jaw.

"Hee... You’re the one who turned the city into rubble with that beam of yours."

Adam cracked one eye open, shooting her a flat look.

"What was I supposed to do? Let Croft finish his evolution?" He sighed, closing his eyes again. "I had to kill him before he got even stronger. And anyway, it’s that Frost Dragon’s fault for giving his power to a greedy human in the first place."

Isolde was quiet for a moment, her fingers resuming their slow, absent stroking through his hair.

"There’s truth in that," she admitted. "Why a dragon would lend power to someone like Croft... that’s still a question. I’ve never heard of dragons sharing their strength through contracts before. Not like that."

Adam’s head shifted slightly against her thigh, burrowing deeper into the warmth of her cloak.

"Maybe Croft had something the Frost Dragon wanted. Some reason to agree to the contract." He yawned, the sound lazy and unguarded. "But that’s just a guess. Honestly, I’m too tired to figure out dragon things right now."

Isolde felt the tension in her shoulders ease slightly. His weight was warm against her lap, and despite herself, she didn’t want him to move.

"Your thighs are comfortable," Adam murmured, his voice already thick with sleep. "I can sleep like this."

The blush spread across Isolde’s face like wildfire. Her fingers tightened involuntarily, as if she could stop her own heartbeat by gripping something solid.

"Hey." Her voice came out sharper than she intended. "Don’t sniff me, you pervert."

Adam ignored her completely.

His breathing slowed, his body relaxing fully against her, and within moments, he was asleep.

Isolde stared down at his peaceful face, her lips pressed into a thin line.

"...Idiot."

But she didn’t push him away.

She pulled her cloak a little higher over his shoulders and settled back against the rock, her eyes fixed on the dying fire.

The night stretched on, quiet and still.

The morning sun filtered through the canopy, casting dappled gold across the clearing. Ignis sat cross-legged on the moss, her arms crossed, her lips pressed into a pout that seemed carved into her features.

"Hmph." She kicked a small stone, sending it skittering into the underbrush. "Adam wasn’t beside me when I woke up."

Lilith, seated on a flat rock, combed her fingers through her silver-white hair, her expression serene.

"He was on watch, perhaps."

Ignis’s pout deepened. "He wasn’t. I checked."

Adam emerged from the treeline, stretching his arms above his head. His wounds had healed further overnight, the worst of the gashes now faded to pale scars. He moved stiffly but with more ease than the day before.

"I was getting information," he said, settling onto a fallen log. "Good news, actually. The compass can be fixed."

Lilith’s crimson eyes brightened. "That is good news."

Isolde, seated apart from the others with her hood lowered, looked up sharply. Her pale eyes fixed on Adam.

"This information... it came from the dragon you met last night?"

Ignis’s head snapped toward Adam, her golden eyes wide.

"Ehh? Adam met a dragon? When?!"

Adam shrugged, reaching for a piece of dried meat from his pouch.

"Last night. While you were all asleep." He bit into the meat, chewing thoughtfully before swallowing. "Frost Dragon. Name’s Eisendrache."

Ignis’s flames flickered with excitement. "The Frost Dragon of the North?! He came here? What did he want? Did you fight?!"

Adam shook his head. "He just talked. Warned me about the other dragons. And told me about a place called the Loom of Fate."

Isolde’s face went pale. Her voice was barely a whisper.

"That place..."

Lilith’s crimson eyes narrowed. She turned to Isolde, her voice cool, curious.

"You know of it?"

Isolde nodded slowly, her gaze distant.

"The Loom of Fate," she said, her voice hushed. "It’s not just a place. It’s where the goddess descended."