Chapter 172: Octopus-like creatures

"Well... to be precise, you’ve been hiding inside the greatsword while I carry you around everywhere. The way you put it makes it sound like a horror movie."

Rosalia stretched lazily and grinned. "I stayed awake the whole time to make sure you wouldn’t get ambushed in your sleep. You’ve got some nerve, just collapsing into bed like that. This place isn’t safe."

"Thanks for your hard work."

Phield instinctively reached out to pat her head, but his hand paused midair—Rosalia didn’t really like being touched like that.

"If you want to pat my head, go ahead. Honestly, I won’t stop you this time."

"Alright." A smile curled at the corner of Phield’s lips. "You said it yourself."

The next second—

"Mmm~ where are your hands going?!"

Feeling those restless hands slipping toward her collar, Rosalia trembled slightly, her eyes half-lidded. "I... I need to sleep too. If I don’t rest, I’ll get stupid."

"Oh? Being this obedient for once, not even running away."

Seeing her pretending to sleep while her eyelashes trembled uncontrollably, Phield let out a wicked laugh. "Heh heh heh."

...

"Haa... that felt good."

Rosalia’s voice had turned hoarse, her breathing uneven. "Weren’t you just going to pat my head? How did it turn into this..."

"Well, those count as ’heads’ too. And now... I won’t hold back anymore."

Phield had been waiting long enough. In a few swift motions, he tossed aside his sleepwear, ready to indulge himself.

"Wait—someone’s coming!" Rosalia’s expression shifted. She stuck out her tongue at him and instantly slipped back into the greatsword, adding teasingly, "We’ll explore the next area... another time."

"Fuck!"

Phield nearly exploded on the spot.

Click—

The door opened.

To his surprise, it was Lady Mai.

She looked at Phield’s wide, furious eyes and mistakenly thought he was stunned by her silk nightgown. Blushing shyly, she said, "Baron Phield, you’re still awake too? Are you lonely, just like me?"

Phield sneered. "Heh."

Lonely my ass! Damn it!

Mai paused mid-step. He hadn’t said anything, just smiled—so why did it feel like he was so angry?

Although Mai was quite attractive, she couldn’t even compare to Rosalia.

Imagine this—just as you’re about to sleep with a beauty, someone slaps you out of nowhere and swaps her with some random street woman who clearly has ulterior motives.

Wouldn’t you be pissed?

"Baron, I can’t sleep."

"Go carry two sacks of flour, run around the castle twice, and you’ll fall asleep the moment you come back."

Phield snapped irritably. But then his "weapon" calmed down, his rational mind quickly taking control again. Realizing he couldn’t act like that, he forced a smile.

"I was joking. Lady Mai, what can I do for you?"

Mai swayed her hips as she approached, sniffing lightly. "Baron, you smell nice."

"Uh... do I? I just like smelling nice."

Phield felt awkward. After messing around with Rosalia, her natural scent had practically rubbed off on him.

"I smell nice too. You’ll definitely like it."

Mai gave a mischievous smile and lunged toward him.

What the hell—I’ve run into a freak!

Phield quickly raised both hands to stop her, lighting the oil lamp at the same time. The room brightened instantly. He spoke bluntly:

"I don’t believe in love at first sight. If you have something to say, just say it."

More importantly, the person in front of him might not even be a normal human. He couldn’t afford to be careless.

On his mini-map, the number of monsters inside the castle had suddenly begun increasing rapidly.

Seeing his firm and serious expression, Mai fell silent for a long moment before finally sighing.

"My husband... he’s becoming less and less like himself. I’m afraid."

"Go on."

Mai slumped into a chair. "Ever since Baron Bull came, he’s changed completely—becoming gloomy and haggard. And he also..."

"He’s been capturing the daughters of our own people. I may be a noble, but as a mother, I find this deeply horrifying."

Phield frowned, pulling his sleepwear back on and sitting upright. "No wonder there are so few people here. I was wondering about that earlier. Do you know why he’s capturing the girls?"

"I don’t. But I’m terrified—because I’ve never seen any of them again. I’m afraid it’ll soon be my children... or even me."

Phield nodded thoughtfully. "So you want someone to take you away from here."

"Yes. And preferably... not just away from here. I want a strong, reliable, considerate man."

Mai raised an eyebrow meaningfully, her hand reaching out inappropriately.

"I think... you’ve been waiting for me."

Before she could finish—

A strange red shadow dropped from the ceiling, sticky and writhing, landing directly on Mai’s neck.

"What is that?!"

She screamed and started flailing wildly, almost like she was dancing, trying desperately to shake it off.

Phield had already been on guard. A magnificent brooch appeared in his hand, and with a flash of brilliant light, it transformed into a holy longsword.

Magic surged.

An overwhelming aura erupted around him as he thrust forward.

"Shhk—!"

The blade pierced straight through the red creature. With a shrill, insect-like screech, it collapsed into a lump of rotten flesh on the ground.

"What... what was that..."

Mai, overwhelmed with fear, swayed and collapsed unconscious.

Phield placed his fingers under her nose, then let out a quiet breath. "Looks like she fainted from shock."

Rosalia emerged from the greatsword.

"Not bad. Your vigilance is impressive. I thought I’d have to step in."

Phield turned his gaze to the dead creature and crouched down, prodding it with his sword.

It resembled an octopus, about the size of a fist. Its head had a split structure, with a large eyeball hidden inside.

"What is this thing? Where did it come from?"

"I’ve never seen it before." Rosalia shook her head, confused. "But one thing’s certain—it’s not a corrupted creature."

"Doesn’t matter. Let’s check outside first."

Though he still had many questions, the monsters had already revealed themselves. There was no point in staying hidden.

He dragged Mai into a wardrobe and shut the door.

At the same time, he summoned the black raven to alert the little fox and have her stay on guard.

His fingers lightly brushed across the Silver Iris Longsword, and the divine weapon immediately resonated with a crisp, ringing hum.

He pushed open the door.

The corridor was already swarming with those octopus-like creatures, crawling across walls and floors, leaving behind trails of strange slime.

The moment they saw Phield, they charged at him all at once.

"I’ll handle this."

Rosalia swung her greatsword, and countless chains burst forth. The harsh sound of metal piercing flesh echoed throughout the corridor.

The creatures looked disgusting—but they weren’t particularly strong.