Chapter 276: Hunter confesses.

Hunter crossed his arms tightly, his voice dropping an octave. "The factories! Did it destroy them?" He was familiar with Zyra’s system and its money-grubbing ways. She had paid a price for the buildings. If they were gone, she would have to pay more.

"They’re fine," Zyra reassured him. "Luckily, the building materials are strong and Beauty installed emergency defensive mechanisms specifically for disaster suppression."

On the screen, giant automatic sprinklers burst from the factory roofs, shooting high-pressure water into the sky. The icy deluge hit the flaming bird with a loud hiss, generating clouds of thick white steam. Screeching in annoyance, the King Beast flapped its wings and beat a hasty retreat into the clouds.

Hunter let out a breath, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "Well, at least we know the big, terrifying monster is afraid of a little shower."

Zyra nodded, but the humor didn’t reach her eyes. Worry lines formed on her forehead as she stared blankly at the replay.

"What’s bothering you?" Hunter asked softly, noticing her stiff posture.

Zyra smacked her lips, tapping a finger against the edge of the desk. "Maybe I’m just overthinking things. But this whole situation, it doesn’t make any sense at all."

Hunter motioned with his hand, encouraging her to go on. "Tell me. It doesn’t matter if it sounds crazy to you right now. You’re one of the most intelligent women I’ve ever met, Zyra. If you’re worried, it isn’t over nothing."

Zyra sighed, looking up at him. "The King Beasts we encountered during the previous tide were driven to dry land right after the flood. That means every single king beast we’ve logged so far came out of the depths of the Sea. They were probably already there deep in the ocean, sleeping."

Understanding flashed through Hunter’s mind instantly. He snapped his fingers. "Right. But this one has wings and using the sky. It is why you said that as humans we should start to panic."

"Yes," Zyra said, her voice dropping. "A deep-sea ecosystem doesn’t produce a flying King Beast. This creature is clearly afraid of water."

"So where did the flying King Beast come from?" Hunter asked.

Zyra closed her eyes and shook her head slowly. "I have no idea. I just hope that it’s the only one. If there are others like this, we will soon be looking at wildfires everywhere. And the flying King beasts will be much more difficult than the ones from the sea. I wonder if we should give the Mystic Sanctum a heads up."

A heavy silence fell over the room. Hunter let out a quiet sigh, watching the empty sky on the monitor. They were dealing with soul corruption and now flying King beasts. Why were problems meant for the Divine Soul maiden finding his wife who insisted she was not a Divine Soul maiden?

Zyra checked the clock on the wall and cleared her throat. "Well, time is up. We need to pack up and meet the teams."

As she turned to grab her tactical belt, Hunter reached out and gently caught her hand. "Wait. I have something to say."

Zyra paused, her eyes widening slightly. A fleeting expression crossed her face_ she clearly wasn’t ready for a heavy conversation right now. "Hunter, the teams_"

"Please, just listen," Hunter interrupted gently. He squeezed her fingers, his heart hammering against his ribs like a runaway wild beast. "I just_ I feel like I have to tell you now. Just in case anything happens out there."

Zyra stood still, watching him cautiously.

"If you’re pushing me away because of what I said before_ about having dated a lot of women back in the imperial capital_ I lied," Hunter blurted out, his cheeks burning red. "I made all of it up and right now I can’t figure out why I did that."

Zyra opened her mouth, startled, but Hunter rushed forward and gently pressed his thumb against her lips to quiet her.

"Don’t interrupt, or I’ll lose my nerve," he muttered awkwardly. He took both of her hands in his, looking straight into her dark eyes. "You’re brilliant, you’re strong, you care about everyone, and honestly, you’re a terrible cook. You add too much salt or too much sugar to everything."

A small twitch appeared at the corner of Zyra’s lips, but Hunter kept going, his tone growing fiercely earnest.

"I think that I like you, Zyra. I used to think I wanted to wander the world alone, but now? I am absolutely sure I don’t want to spend the rest of my existence without you in it." He let out a shaky, self-deprecating laugh, rubbing the back of his neck with one free hand. "Maybe it’s too fast, maybe I’m being an idiot, but this is not the kind of feeling I want to keep a secret. The world is very dangerous. We could die on these missions. King beasts are emerging from unknown places. A long human life is no longer guaranteed for anyone. I for one don’t want to die with regrets."

Zyra took a deep breath, her eyes softening as she opened her mouth to speak.

Before she could say a single word, Hunter stepped in and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tightly into a warm hug and burying his face against her shoulder. "You don’t have to say anything right now," he whispered quickly into her hair. "You don’t need to answer at all. I can wait. I’ll wait as long as it takes for you to be ready to like me back. This confession is all about me. When you are ready for yours in days, weeks, months, or years, I will be all ears."

The metallic voice of the door chime echoed through the room, followed by Bianca’s sharp voice from the outer comms panel.

"Zyra? Hunter? The teams are fully assembled in the main courtyard. We’re waiting on your orders."

Zyra pulled back gently, looking up at Hunter. Her eyes were bright with an unreadable emotion, but a soft, tender smile lingered on her face. "We have to go."

Hunter let out a long breath, feeling a massive weight lift off his chest. He managed a bright, genuine smile and stepped aside, making a grand sweeping gesture toward the door. "For the record, I still do not like that we are heading for different missions. Please be safe out there." He had just found a woman he was considering spending his life with. He had not kissed or hugged her enough. Death was not allowed to claim her anytime soon.

Zyra nodded, "I will. If you find strangers out there with the flu or blisters around the mouth, keep a big distance from them. Don’t bring any strangers to the shelter and don’t follow anyone to their towns to play hero."

Hunter couldn’t help scoffing. Did she think he was a bleeding heart? Ask anyone, and they would tell her that he was cold as ice.