Chapter 630: Love Made You Read Books?!

The moment Cassius’s name left Julie’s mouth, Skadi’s entire demeanor changed.

Her tail began wagging so fast it was almost a blur, her eyes lighting up like twin suns.

"Master?!" She exclaimed with a huge smile. "I love Master! I love Master more than anything in the whole world!"

Joy blinked, thrown off by the sudden enthusiasm.

Skadi clasped her hands together, her cheeks glowing with sheer happiness as she said,

"He gives me the best pets, the best belly rubs! He even lets me ride on his shoulders, and he’s so fast! It’s so fun to be with him!"

"I love him, love him, love him so much! He’s the best Master in the whole world!"

Her joy was so pure and overwhelming that it nearly radiated out of her.

Joy, however, looked like her entire worldview had just shattered.

"S-Skadi." She said in disbelief. "Are you really alright with this relationship? Are you sure he hasn’t...done anything wrong to you?"

"Or treated you harshly, or ignored you, or—"

But Skadi only tilted her head, confused.

"What? No, Joy! Not at all!"

Her tail wagged even faster.

"Master’s the best person in the world! He hugs me every time I see him, and he kisses me all over!"

She said cheerfully, making Joy choke on air.

"And one time, when we were sparring, I got too excited and accidentally scratched his chest!"

"There was blood—I felt so bad I nearly cried!"

"But he just smiled and wiped the blood off my claws instead! He didn’t even scold me!"

Her ears drooped sweetly as she clasped her hands near her heart.

"That’s when I knew I loved him even more. He’s so kind...so perfect...my favorite person ever."

She hugged herself dreamily, completely lost in her own love-struck haze.

Julie chuckled, turning to Joy, who looked like she was about to faint.

"See? There’s nothing wrong here. She’s perfectly happy. Cassius treats her well, and she adores him. It’s as wholesome as it gets."

Then, with a grin, she said, "Actually, Skadi, why don’t you show Joy your book? The one you’re always reading."

Skadi immediately flushed red.

"Eh? My...My book? That’s embarrassing, Captain!"

"Come on." Julie said teasingly. "Joy’s not everyone else—you can trust her."

Skadi fidgeted for a moment, then sighed and reached into her pocket, pulling out a small, well-worn leather-bound book.

Joy shook her head, completely thrown off.

"Wait, Skadi...is that a book? You’re reading? You?"

Julie grinned smugly. "You sound so surprised."

"How could I not be surprised?" Joy said incredulously. "Skadi could barely write a mission report before! You literally hired someone to write her reports for her because she couldn’t spell half the words!"

Julie puffed out her chest proudly.

"That was the old Skadi. The new one can read perfectly well now and it’s all thanks to her love for Cassius."

She plucked the book from Skadi’s hands and handed it to Joy.

"Here. Take a look."

Joy accepted it curiously, expecting a children’s picture book or maybe something about swordsmanship.

But when her eyes landed on the title, she froze completely.

"Parenthood 101: How to Become the Perfect Beastkin Mother."

Her jaw dropped.

"What...what is this?"

Flipping through the pages only made her shock worse.

Every Chapter was filled with detailed notes about pregnancy, childcare, nutrition, moral upbringing, emotional bonding.

An entire guide on raising children from infancy to adulthood.

"Skadi...why do you have this?" Her voice trembled. "Why are you reading something like this?"

Skadi shifted nervously, her tail flicking.

"Because..." She said softly. "I want lots of puppies in the future."

Joy’s brain short-circuited. "...What?"

Skadi nodded earnestly, her cheeks pink.

"I want a lot of puppies! So many that there’ll never be a quiet moment at home! But I know being a mother isn’t easy, so I have to learn properly."

"Fighting comes naturally to me, but being a good mother doesn’t. And I don’t want to make mistakes with our puppies, so I’m studying how to be the best mother I can be."

She smiled proudly. "I even learned to read just so I could read this book!"

Joy was utterly speechless, while Julie beamed.

"See? She’s trying to improve herself. That’s the Skadi of today. Still adorable, but now responsible too."

Hearing this, Joy wanted to say something back.

But she couldn’t as there was nothing negative to say, as Skadi’s love made her learn something that she hated more then anything else in the world.

It was such a overwhelming positive improvement that she could say nothing against it. But she still struggled to process it to the extent that her legs were wobbling around.

Noticing this, Julie gently led her toward a nearby bench, helping her sit down.

"Come on, Joy. You look like you’re about to collapse." She said, sitting down beside her.

Skadi, still wagging her tail, perched happily next to Julie.

Julie exhaled and smiled faintly as she said,

"This is why I told you Cassius is a good man, Joy. After all, as innocent as Skadi may be, she can sense things—she’s never wrong about people."

"So, the fact that she loves him so deeply, so freely, just proves he’s someone worth that love."

Then she added teasingly,

"Besides, even if you did try to smite him like you were threatening earlier, Skadi wouldn’t stand for it."

At once, Skadi’s ears perked.

"Huh? Who’s trying to hurt Master?" She growled, her tail fluffing up as she leapt to her feet. "Who is it?! I’ll bite them to pieces! I’ll chew their bones and turn them into a chew toy!"

Julie quickly reached out, patting her head.

"Easy, easy, no one’s hurting your Master. Calm down."

"Good." Skadi huffed, folding her arms. "Because no one touches him. He’s mine. And besides..."

She added proudly.

"...he’s super strong! Even if a hundred knights tried to fight him, he’d win! They’d all go splat!"

Julie smirked, glancing meaningfully at Joy.

Joy, meanwhile, just sighed, slumping against the bench and looked at the sky.

"Goddess above..."

Finally, she looked toward Skadi weakly.

"Skadi...come here. Sit on my lap."

"Eh?"

"Just do it." Joy said tiredly. "I need you right now. For...mental peace."

Skadi’s face brightened immediately.

"Okay!" She chirped, hopping onto Joy’s lap and curling up comfortably.

Joy sighed softly, hugging her close and burying her face against her hair.

"You really are too much sometimes, Puppy..."

Julie watched them for a moment—Joy hugging Skadi like a mother comforting her child and couldn’t help but smile softly to herself.

She also felt pity for Joy for being put in the position she was in.

If it was anyone else in the world, even the Empress herself, she was confident that Joy could handle it.

But unfortunately it was Cassius, someone who no one could touch and she really did feel bad for her long time friend.

But then, as she turned her head slightly, something at the far end of the training field caught her attention.

Her expression sharpened slightly.

"You two stay here." She said. "I’ll be right back."

As Julie walked closer to the training field, she was surprised at the sight before her.

Right in the center of the field stood a lone, cloaked figure—completely covered from head to toe.

Surrounding her were about ten young knights, all recruits from the Holy Guard, still fresh but trained well enough to handle their weapons.

Yet, despite their coordinated effort, they were being utterly dominated.

The knights charged with swords drawn, some swinging wildly, others thrusting with focused precision.

A few used hammers, their heavy strikes thundering through the air, while others shouted war cries, trying to overwhelm the mysterious figure with sheer numbers.

But no matter what they did, their efforts were useless.

The cloaked woman moved like a shadow—smooth, fluid, untouchable.

Every strike that came her way was parried with a flash of the dagger—one so small compared to the weapons aimed at her, yet it was enough.

She deflected swords, redirected spears, dodged hammer blows with barely an inch to spare, and countered with subtle precision—never harming, only disarming, pushing, tripping, or twisting their momentum against them.

The onlookers gasped.

The recruits on the ground, though defeated, were staring up at her not with shame but awe.

And then, as she pushed another back with a well-timed deflection, the wind caught her hood just enough to lift it slightly—revealing a glimpse of her face.

Julie’s eyes shimmered before she smiled.

Carmela.

Of course.

Joy and Carmela had stay close due to the regeneration bond between them.

But recently they had discovered that the healing was far more potent during the night.

So during the day, Carmela had a bit of freedom—enough to wander off and explore on her own while.

And while Joy got absorbed in her conversation with Julie and Caramela was waiting outside, one of the young knights had jokingly challenged her to a spar earlier.

Normally, Carmela would have ignored such triviality—but she had changed lately.

Less withdrawn. More open. Curious, even.

So, for once, she accepted.

One playful match turned into two...then three...and before long, she was casually fighting ten of them at once, without even using her full strength.

The recruits were now surrounding her like an audience in awe.

"She’s unreal." One muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "Where did she even come from?"

"She’s gotta be a veteran—maybe even a knight captain herself." Said another.

"I saw her parry the Gray twins together." One said breathlessly. "And they were using greatswords!"

"She even deflected Betty’s hammer!"

"With a dagger no less!" Another chimed in, almost shrieking. "A dagger!"

Then came the comments that made Julie nearly roll her eyes.

"She’s so beautiful too..."

"She’s got that noble aura about her like someone from the royal bloodline."

"Those eyes—did you see them? I swear, they’re mesmerizing!"

"Strong and elegant. Gods above..."

One of the soldiers nearby, eyes wide with awe, ran up to Julie.

"Captain! Captain, who is that woman? She’s incredible! I swear, she’s not human—she fights like a phantom!"

"She’s gotta be a veteran, right?" The second asked eagerly. "There’s no way someone that good is a trainee!"

Julie tilted her head, smirking.

"You could say she’s...a friend."

The recruits exchanged glances, whispering among themselves like gossiping schoolgirls.

Julie just shook her head in amusement, then looked at one of them and asked,

"Mind lending me your sword for a moment?"

She blinked, startled. "Ah—y-yes, of course, Captain!"

She handed it over instantly. Julie weighed it in her hand, twirled it once with ease, and then stepped into the field.

"Would you do me the honor...."

She called out, her tone light but challenging.

"...of a small match, Caramela?"