Chimaera's Conquest: The Legend Of The Devourer
Chapter 87: Love, Jealousy And A Vengeful Entity

Chapter 87: Love, Jealousy And A Vengeful Entity

*Smack!*

A loud noise was heard, followed by Adrian’s pained groan. Akila proudly stood before him while a few others watched their duel.

"You just had to hit my nose, didn’t you?" Adrian mumbled as he wiped the blood off his face.

"It’s a vulnerable spot," Akila shrugged, wiping Adrian’s blood off his fist. "Only a fool wouldn’t take an obvious shot like that. Besides, it’s not like you remain injured for a long time, given that stupidly fast healing of yours."

"...just because I mean fast doesn’t mean I don’t feel the pain!" Adrian gritted his teeth and charged towards Akila again.

A week had passed since Adrian and A’Mila’s night swim, and Akila had been training him in combat every day. While Adrian had enough stats to take Akila down, he didn’t manage to defeat him once in the countless matches they’ve had.

That was when Akila hadn’t recovered completely and probably never will. While their stats were similar, Adrian lacked his mentor’s experience, which showed during their fights.

Adrian’s imperial training was not so helpful against a Banur. He found himself letting go of what he learned and picking up a completely different way of fighting.

Despite his reassurance, A’Mila was worried about Adrian and, therefore, had asked Akila to train him as much as he could before allowing Adrian to leave. At first, Adrian chalked it up to her paranoia, but he soon learned she was right.

However, their training session was interrupted by Bakira, A’Mila’s pet, who had come to fetch Adrian.

"I’m jealous..." Akila mumbled as Adrian jumped on Bakira’s back.

"Want me to ride you instead?" Adrian chuckled before realising what he just said.

Thankfully, the Banurs didn’t know the other meaning of the phrase, so he was safe.

"Bakira usually only lets A’Mila ride him, but with you, it’s like you’re his second master!" Akila commented.

"Maybe he just likes smart people-"

Adrian said that, and Akila was already on to him, mere moments away from smacking his head, when Adrian kicked Bakira into speed and rushed towards A’Mila’s tent.

"Sooner or later, I’ll get you!" Akila shouted before smiling.

***

Moments later, Adrian reached the tent that had been his home for a while now. He could hear A’Mila inside, but he stood outside wondering what she wanted from him after ignoring him for a week.

That day in the lake was the last time he saw A’Mila, and ever since then, she had been avoiding him like a plaque. It made him wonder if he had done anything wrong. The only communication between them had been through Akila, and even he didn’t know why A’Mila was acting that way.

’Well, I guess I’m about to find out,’ Adrian thought, entering the tent.

"You’ll have to leave today," A’mila informed Adrian. "The scouts have checked the forest, and there’s no sign of the Tulkas there."

"I see... is that all?" Adrian asked, scratching his head.

They had spent nearly a month together, but talking to A’Mila felt weird since that night. Adrian wondered if A’Mila felt the same, and that’s why she had been acting strange around him.

"...yes," A’Mila replied after a long pause.

"Got it!"

As soon as Adrian left, A’Mila slumped onto the bed. She had faced many monsters and rivals and never faltered once, but when it came to confessing her feelings, all her courage and strength seemed to disappear into thin air.

"How do I tell him the truth..." A’Mila mumbled, hiding her face in her hands.

That night in the lake, she had flashbacks to the moment when she was ready to bear her heart open to Adrian. Yet she failed and followed Adrian’s idea of her little stunt being a test and nothing more.

Yes, it was supposed to be a test, and she wanted to ensure Adrian wouldn’t fall for someone... else. Yet the comment Adrian made about her brought her back to her senses.

She was the matriarch, and she couldn’t have any distractions to maintain that position. That was the whole reason why the matriarch’s celibacy was so important. As much as she might have wished for things to be different, they were bound to stay the same.

"It’s for the best... he’s got a lot on his plate, and I don’t want to mess everything up because of my selfish desires."

And just like that, A’Mila suppressed her emotions, not letting anything interfere with her or Adrian’s goals, despite wanting nothing more than to give up everything to be by his side.

Little did A’Mila know that her emotions towards Adrian weren’t as natural as she had thought and that not acting on them was in their best interest. An entity was messing with her, making her fall for Adrian and causing more chaos in his life.

[The Higher Entity, ’Faithful Spouse In An Unfaithful Marriage’, clicks her tongue in disappointment.]

Unlike how her name suggested, the entity was a manipulator like no other and took pleasure in meddling with mortal couples, finding joy in their suffering.

Adrian and Sophia shared a love so genuine that it irked the entity. She had never known such pure emotion in her own life, and it became something to destroy for her.

That was why she demanded something as insignificant as Adrian’s memories of Sophia in turn for saving him. She wanted to break them up and thought it was the perfect opportunity.

She believed that if Adrian forgot about Sophia, it would be easier to trick him into falling for someone new. Once he was in love with that person, she planned to bring back his memories and reveal everything to Sophia, causing pain to both of them and enjoying their suffering.

Even with his memory loss, Adrian proved too stubborn to fall into her trap. The entity didn’t know what was stopping him from walking into her trap like the rest, but it annoyed her even more.

What began as mere entertainment now became her mission. She was determined to break them up for good, no matter what.