NOVGO.NET Chapter 347: Showing off
Chapter 347: Showing off
Razeal gave King Julius one last glance.. then turned away and began walking toward where Sofia, Maria, and Arthur were standing together.
Reaching there.
“Alright,” he said calmly, lifting the deep-blue compass in his hand so they could see it. “Let’s go. I finally got the location.”
The needle trembled once, then fixed itself unwaveringly in a single direction.
“We should leave early,” he added, his tone already shifting into planning mode. “The king said it’s very far. Even at our speed, it’ll take more than seven or eight days to reach.”
But.. No reply came.
Razeal slowed, then stopped altogether.
Maria and Sofia were staring at him.
Not casually or curiously.
They were looking at his face with sharp, unwavering intensity.. two different kinds of focus, heavy enough to make the air feel tight. Sofia’s eyes were bright, probing, expectant. Maria’s were colder, darker, carrying something restrained and unsettled.
The silence stretched.
“…What happened?” Razeal finally asked, frowning faintly. Something was off. He could feel it. The atmosphere was wrong in a way he couldn’t immediately identify, and that unsettled him more than open hostility ever did.
“Nothing,” Sofia said.
“Nothing,” Maria also said.. at the exact same time.
Their eyes shifted to each other immediately after, colliding mid-air.
Sparks didn’t fly physically, but the tension was sharp enough that it felt like they might. Sofia’s smile tightened at the corners. Maria’s jaw flexed once before she looked away.. just slightly, not enough to signal retreat.
Razeal blinked.
“Umm…Okay,” he said slowly, genuinely confused now. He could sense something was wrong.. very wrong but it wasn’t hostility directed at him. It was something… sideways. Tangled or whatever he couldn’t identify. And that made him more curious because he had no frame of reference for it.
Before he could overthink it further, Arthur slid in from the side, casually throwing an arm around Razeal’s shoulders as if they were lifelong brothers rather than newly minted in-laws.
“Tch,” Arthur whispered, leaning in close, his voice low and conspiratorial. “My eyes didn’t lie to me.”
Razeal stiffened slightly. “About what?”
Arthur smirked, glancing briefly toward Sofia and Maria.. still standing just a little too close, just a little too tense.
“I knew you were talented,” Arthur continued, grinning. “But already putting my sister into competition? That’s bold. Very bold.”
Razeal turned his head just enough to look at him. “Competition? What competition?”
Arthur chuckled under his breath. “Careful, brother-in-law. Playing with tides like that can be very dangerous. Be careful.. Believe me.. I’m a professional.”
“…What are you talking about?” Razeal asked bluntly.
Arthur paused, genuinely taken aback.
He searched Razeal’s face.. really searched it this time. The confusion there wasn’t feigned. There was no smugness, no hidden amusement, no guilty deflection.
Arthur straightened slightly.
…No way.
There’s no way he’s that dense? Right?
Arthur’s eyes flicked back to Sofia’s flushed cheeks, then to Maria’s tight posture, arms crossed, gaze sharp.
…He really doesn’t get it? Thats so obious though.
Arthur slowly withdrew his arm, rubbing his chin. Nah ..thats Impossible. Maybe am just thinking too much
Arthur glanced back at Razeal’s face.
…Ummm.
Arthur atlast just shook his head not wanting to waste his time on it.. He just waved his hand dismissively. “Nothing. Forget it. You’ll figure it out. Or you won’t. Either way, it won’t be boring.”
Razeal watched him suspiciously but said nothing.
That was when Sofia stepped forward.
She deliberately shifted her body slightly between Razeal and Maria.. not aggressively, but clearly. Her gaze left Maria and fixed on Razeal instead, bright and expectant.
“Yes, we can leave,” she said, her tone light but pointed. “But don’t you think that now that we’re married, you should call me… with those special words?”
Razeal’s attention snapped fully to her.
“…Special words?” he repeated, thrown off.. Nlt getting what she’s trying to say.
“Obviously,” Sofia said, tilting her head, one hand resting on her hip. “You didn’t call me anything just now. You just grouped me in with everyone else.. And just said lets go.. Nothing else?” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “I am your wife. I should get special attention and treatment.”
Razeal just stared at her.
For a second, he genuinely thought she might be joking.
“But… there wasn’t anything else to say,” he replied honestly. “I was just saying we should leave.”
Sofia blinked.
Once.
Then twice.
Maria turned her head slightly, eyes narrowing.
Arthur covered his mouth with his fist, shoulders shaking.
Sofia stared at Razeal as if he had just spoken in an alien language.
“…You really don’t get it,” she said slowly.
“Get what?” Razeal asked, frowning now. “What does ’special treatment’ even mean here? We are not even discussing travel plans.. Its just go, Leave.. or lets go.. In simple words.. what more is there to it?” He was confused now he doesn’t think there could be anything he could’ve done there.. Atleast from what he knows..
Sofia exhaled slowly, folding her arms beneath her chest as she looked at him with narrowed eyes, clearly enjoying the way his composure was cracking piece by piece.
“There were many things you could have done, husband,” she said deliberately, letting the word linger as if testing how it sat on her tongue. “Like.. Wife. I got it. ’Should we leave?’ Very efficiently lovely and nicely. Very you.” Her lips twitched. “And even what about… better words? Sweeter ones? Darling. Beautiful. My angel. Baby. My heart. Or even beloved.” She tilted her head, studying his face closely. “But no. You didn’t even try. And now that I think about it… it’s been over five minutes since we got married, and you still haven’t even called me wife.”
She leaned in slightly, her voice lowering, eyes sharp. “What is it? You’re not happy?”
Razeal just froze.
Not outwardly.. his posture remained straight, his expression composed but inside, there was a distinct, uncomfortable pause, like his thoughts had tripped over something invisible. He stared at her for a second longer than necessary, genuinely processing the absurdity of the situation.
“…Umm?” he finally said.
That was it.
No grand defense. No clever retort. Just a quiet, honest sound of someone who truly did not understand what actually was going on.. He thought maybe he was just not getting it.. still
He let out a breath, rubbing the back of his head. “I just got married for the first time,” he said plainly. “Obviously I don’t know much. It’ll take some time. So give me some time. I’ll get it… slowly.” He glanced at her, clearly baffled by the intensity she was bringing to something that, to him, felt trivial. “You don’t need to make such a big thing out of it. And as for words.. how am I supposed to know? What exactly do you want me to call you?.. Just tell me ill call you that.. simple.”
Sofia blinked.
Then her brows shot up.
“That is your excuse?” she shot back immediately. “What does ’first time’ even mean here?” Her eyes sharpened, lips pursing as suspicion flickered across her face. “Are you saying you’ll learn after getting married more times? Or are you trying to warn me in advance? Maybe you already have another woman in mind?” She stepped closer, gaze piercing. “Tell me. Who is it?”
Razeal stared at her, stunned.
“What?” he said flatly, genuine disbelief seeping into his voice. “No that’s not what I meant.”
He was honestly at a loss now. The situation had escalated far beyond anything logical. Just moments ago.. He didn’t think he even said anything about it.
“What are you even talking about?” he asked, unable to keep the confusion from his tone. “I didn’t say any of that.”
“Then what did you mean?” Sofia pressed, eyes glinting, lips curling upward just enough to suggest she was enjoying this far more than she should. “Explain it.”
“I..” Razeal wanted to but.. stopped.
What was there to explain again? He wondered
He ran through the conversation again in his mind, trying to identify where things had gone wrong. He hadn’t mentioned other women. He hadn’t implied future marriages. He hadn’t rejected her. He simply… hadn’t used flowery words. And somehow, that had spiraled into accusations of infidelity and emotional neglect.
“What exactly do you want me to explain?” he asked slowly. “You’re asking me to explain things I didn’t even say.”
Before the tension could tighten further, a hand landed heavily on his shoulder.
Arthur.
“Leave it, brother-in-law,” Arthur said with a solemn nod, his expression carrying the weight of a man who had seen too much. “Don’t think too hard. It’s dangerous territory.”
Razeal turned his head, staring at him.
Arthur patted his shoulder again, sighing deeply. “There goes another naive man,” he muttered to himself almost reverently. Then, louder: “Though.. Congratulations on your marriage brother in law. Truly… Welcome to married life.” He gestured vaguely with one hand. “You’ll get used to it… eventually. Or you won’t. Either way, this is how it starts.”
Razeal looked at him as if he’d just spoken in riddles.
Sofia laughed softly, clearly pleased.
“Alright,” she said lightly, waving a hand. “We’ll leave it for now. Too many people around.” Her eyes sparkled mischievously as she leaned closer to Razeal, lowering her voice. “Husband and wife matters should stay private. We can discuss this later… in the bedroom.”
Maria, standing just beside them, stiffened instantly.
Her brows twitched.
This bitch?
“And for now,” Sofia continued sweetly, straightening up, “come on. Just call me wife first.”
She smiled, fully aware of the effect her words were having.. not just on Razeal, but on the atmosphere itself.
Razeal felt it.
The way Maria’s presence suddenly turned colder. The way Arthur subtly leaned back, already bracing for impact. The way Sofia watched him with open expectation, clearly teasing him now, deliberately cornering him.
“…Wife?” he repeated, quietly.
He understood it now.
She wasn’t angry. She wasn’t offended.
She was just playing with him.
And honestly? That irritated him more than anger would have. Wasting his time on pointless thing.
He exhaled slowly. Lets not waste time.. They needed to leave. Wasting more time on it here gonna achieved nothing.
Fine, he thought. End it.
He lifted his gaze to meet hers, expression calm, voice steady.
“…Wife,” he said.
Just once.
No embellishment. No warmth. No hesitation.
But the effect was immediate.
Sofia’s eyes widened ever so slightly. The teasing glint faltered for a fraction of a second before returning twice as bright. Her lips curved into a satisfied smile, as if she’d just won something important.
Maria just looked away.
“Should we go, wife,” Razeal said, his voice even, controlled, as though the word carried no weight at all. “Before any other problems arise.”
He said it fully.. word by word.. Slow and deliberately, as if speed alone could strip the word of its meaning. As if it were merely another title, another label.. no different from ally or companion. His face remained calm, composed, the same unreadable mask he always wore.
Yet the truth betrayed him anyway.
For the briefest instant, his heart stumbled. Not violently, not loudly.. but enough. A single, sharp beat that echoed too clearly in his chest. The sensation caught him off guard, faint and unfamiliar, like stepping on uneven ground where you expected solid stone. He ignored it immediately, forcing his posture to remain relaxed, his expression unchanging.
Sofia though didn’t miss it.
She saw the slight pause in his breath. The almost imperceptible tension in his shoulders. The way his voice, steady as it was, carried the faintest strain at the edges. She didn’t comment on it.. not yet but a quiet, satisfied thought crossed her mind.
He really does feel it, she thought. But he just pretending not to? Haaa? Intresting it be more fun this way..
Her lips curved subtly as she studied him, eyes bright with amusement. Cute, she thought. The way he tried so hard to look unaffected, as if emotions were things he could simply refuse to acknowledge.
Still, she let it go.. for now.
“One thing’s still missing, don’t you think?” she said lightly, her voice dipping into a teasing lilt. “Darling~”
The word slid from her lips effortlessly, deliberate and smooth.
She didn’t look at him alone when she said it. Out of the corner of her eye, she spared Maria a brief glance.. a look that wasn’t outright provocation, but wasn’t innocent either. A quiet, unmistakable I won.
Maria though didn’t react. Her face remained cold, unreadable, her gaze steady and unyielding. Whatever satisfaction Sofia had hoped for, she didn’t get it.
Razeal, on the other hand, felt it.
A shiver ran through him before he could stop it, subtle but undeniable, traveling straight down his spine. The way Sofia looked at him.. set off something instinctive and uncomfortable. Though he still kept his face poker.
“Alright.. What is it?” he asked simply.
Sofia smiled.
Instead of answering immediately, she stepped closer. Close enough that the space between them disappeared entirely. With a casual motion, she reached out and gently removed Arthur’s arm from Razeal’s shoulder, as if brushing away something that didn’t belong there. Arthur stumbled half a step, blinking in surprise, but before he could complain, Sofia was already holding Razeal’s right arm with both of hers.
She didn’t cling desperately. She didn’t need to.
She leaned into him naturally, familiarly, as though this was already where she belonged.
Razeal glanced down at her hands around his arm but said nothing, allowing it. He wasn’t sure why.. perhaps because it didn’t feel threatening, or perhaps because stopping her would only make things more complicated.
Sofia turned her head then, eyes settling on Maria.
“Everyone congratulated us,” she said lightly. “Father. Brother.. Almost everyone standing close to us..” Her fingers tightened slightly around Razeal’s arm, subtle but intentional. “But there’s one person who hasn’t.. Ask her to congractulate us.”She said while looking towards Maria internationaly.
Razeal blinked but before he could speak anything.. Maria did.
“What’s there to congratulate?” Maria replied coldly. “It’s just a marriage. Everyone gets one someday.”
Sofia tilted her head. “Then why are you not yet?”
She pulled Razeal a little closer, pressing against his side just enough to make the gesture unmistakable. It wasn’t intimacy.. it was display.
Maria’s eyes flicked briefly to the contact, then back to Sofia.
“Because I’m sixteen,” Maria said flatly. “And why are you even concerned about me?”
Sofia laughed softly. “Only sixteen?” she teased. “Aww. You’re still a kid. What are you doing wandering around here alone? Where are your parents?”
Maria’s eyebrow twitched.
“Kid?” she repeated, her smile turning thin and sharp. “The person you just married is sixteen too. So congratulations..? You married a kid.”
Sofia froze.
“…What?”
She turned slowly to look up at Razeal. “You’re sixteen?”
Razeal nodded once.
Silence.
“Well.. whatever,” Sofia said quickly, waving it off with forced ease. “Twenty, sixteen it’s just four years. That’s nothing.” She crossed her arms, clearly trying to recover. “There’s millions of years between my parents. Compared to that, this is nothing.”
“…Millions?” Maria and Razeal spoke at the same time.
Sofia’s eyes widened.
She slapped a hand over her mouth. “Oops.”
Arthur stared at her.
“…You weren’t supposed to say that.. You know that?” he asked slowly.
“Ah.. nothing!” Sofia laughed awkwardly, turning away before anyone could press further. “Forget it. Forget it.”
She released Razeal’s arm at last, stepping back with a bright smile. “You said we should leave, right, darling? And you’re worried about the distance?”
She leaned forward conspiratorially. “Don’t worry. I’ve got the perfect solution. We’ll reach there in just a few hours. You’ll love it.”
Razeal frowned faintly. “Hours?”
“Mm-hm.” She nodded enthusiastically. “But..” she paused, suddenly remembering something, “my space bracelet is with Father.”
She turned on her heel. “Wait here! I’ll grab it. Then I’ll show you.”
Before anyone could respond, she was already moving, practically skipping as she headed back toward King Julius.
Arthur, meanwhile, sighed deeply, rubbing his face.
“…You’re really in trouble,” he muttered.
Maria and Razeal remained silent, their gazes following Sofia as she very obviously tried to steer the conversation away from what she had just let slip. The sudden brightness in her tone, the exaggerated enthusiasm.. it was too deliberate to miss. Neither of them called her out on it, but neither of them forgot it either.
Millions of years…?
The thought lingered in Razeal’s mind like an unfinished sentence. Sofia hadn’t sounded like she was joking. But then again? Who, exactly, could live for millions of years? His mind brushed against possibilities he didn’t bother pursuing ever before.
And another thing tugged at his curiosity as well.. this space bracelet she was so confident about. Cutting days of travel into mere hours was no small claim, not even for Atlantis. He had seen enough sacred tools and absurd relics to know that when people like Sofia spoke with that kind of certainty, it usually wasn’t empty pride.
He was still turning these thoughts over when Sofia came running back.
Light footsteps echoed across the arena floor as she returned, a bright, almost childlike grin on her face. On her wrist shimmered a bracelet the color of a clear summer sky.. translucent, crystalline, with faint currents of light flowing through it like slow-moving lightning trapped beneath glass. It didn’t radiate pressure or hostility, but its presence was unmistakable, as if the space around it bent just slightly to accommodate it.
Before anyone could question her, Sofia lifted her arm and flicked her wrist outward.
The air trembled.
Not violently.. smoothly, like the surface of the ocean just before something massive breaks through. Space itself seemed to peel back, folding inward, and then
A shadow swallowed the arena.
A colossal ship materialized above them, suspended effortlessly in the air. It was vast.. easily two hundred meters long its hull a deep, dignified blue etched with flowing, luminous engravings that looked less like carvings and more like living sigils. The design carried the unmistakable elegance of Atlantis: power restrained by refinement, beauty forged alongside violence and distruction.
Gasps rippled through the colosseum.
Even seasoned Atlantians.. warriors, nobles, elders stared upward in open awe. The ship commanding attention through sheer presence.
Sofia planted her hands on her hips, clearly pleased.
“Hehe,” she laughed, chin lifting proudly. “Look.. this is my favorite ship.”
She turned toward Razeal, eyes sparkling as if she were a child showing off her most treasured toy.
“This is the Saint-rank Azure Lightning Ark,” she announced. “Just sitting inside it grants extreme acceleration. It can cross hundreds of miles in minutes.” She lifted a finger, counting casually. “It can also withstand attacks from a Saint King without a scratch. No ordinary beast or monster would even dare approach it when it cut through any dangerous corner of ocean.”
Her smile widened.
“And it’s not just defensive. It can attack with the full force of a Saint King too.. though it needs an hour to recharge afterward.” She tilted her head, clearly enjoying herself. “You won’t find a better travel-type treasure in the entire world. Father gathered the greatest blacksmiths of the seas to forge it.”
There was unmistakable pride in her voice.. not arrogance, but the kind of confidence born from knowing exactly what you possessed.
Razeal, Maria, and Arthur simply stared.
Arthur’s mouth hung slightly open. Maria’s eyes narrowed, scanning the ship with sharp, analytical focus, though even she couldn’t hide the faint tightening of her expression. As for Razeal, his gaze moved slowly along the hull, reading the craftsmanship, the flow of power, the harmony between structure and enchantment.
Saint-rank, he noted calmly. Impressive.
But before he could comment, a familiar ripple passed in front of his eyes..
The stream chat pannel flickering in front of him.
—
Ancestor Xue: Is this girl… showing off?
Lily: That ring he gave her.. if I’m not mistaken, isn’t that the Star the tongue mentioned earlier? It was real?
Degenerated Bastard: Showing off in front of a guy who casually gifts stars. Wow.
The Greatest Collector: Best travel-type treasure in the world? Hah. That? Let me show you what real travel treasure looks like.
Ding!
[Congratulations, Host. You have received a gift from Rank SSS The Greatest Collector via Stream Gift Function.]
[Congratulations, Host. You have received a Supreme-rank Treasure: Imperial Star Destroyer.]
A translucent panel unfolded before his eyes.
Imperial Star Destroyer:
– Size: 260 km
– Defense: Withstands all attacks below Great Saint rank
– Offense: Capable of annihilating any entity below Great Saint rank
– Capacity: Over 2 billion occupants
– Energy: Unlimited solar core
– Mobility: Sky, space, sea, subterranean traversal
– Speed:
• Atmospheric / Void: 1/30th speed of light
• Space (Burst Mode): Near light-speed for up to 2 hours
[Tap to view more details.]
Razeal stared at the panel in silence.
His lips twitched.
Imperial Star Destroyer? The name alone left him unsure what to say. Did… this villain really gift him such a ship? Just so he could show it off in front of… her?Razeal genuinely wondered then again, remembering the villain’s ego, it did make sense. Showing off was exactly the kind of thing they would do.
But then again he glanced up at Sofia.
She was still beaming, gesturing animatedly as she explained finer details to Arthur, clearly basking in the moment. Her excitement was genuine, unfiltered, and.. despite everything endearing. She wasn’t flaunting power to dominate; she was sharing something she loved.
Razeal closed the system panel without another glance.
Let her have this moment he thought.
He said nothing about the ship now resting quietly in his inventory.. There was no need to dim her excitement or turn the moment into a silent competition.
Instead, he simply looked at her, calm and attentive, allowing her to do whatever she wanted too.
For now, that was enough.
“Good,” he said, tone calm and practical. “This will work.”
Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he added, “Also.. why not pick up Levy and Aurora from the upper spectator grounds? No reason to leave them behind. Let’s wrap this up and leave.”
Sofia, who had been half-expecting praise, half-expecting amazement, froze for a fraction of a second.
That was it?
No compliment? No admiration for the Ark? Not even any praise or excitement that he will sit in it?
Her lips puffed out slightly in a pout before she even realized she was doing it. She glanced at him sideways, blue eyes narrowing just a little, clearly dissatisfied. He hadn’t even acknowledged how incredible her ship was. Not a single word.
Still, after a moment, she sighed and rolled her shoulders, letting the irritation slip away.
“Alright,” she said lightly, masking her disappointment with a small smile.
The next instant..
She vanished.
There was no dramatic buildup, no visible casting, no warning at all. One heartbeat she was standing in front of him, the next the space she occupied rippled faintly, and she was gone.
Razeal’s eyes sharpened.
He turned his head instinctively, scanning upward.. and there she was, already standing beside Levy and Aurora in the upper spectator seating, as if she had always been there. The distance she had crossed in that instant would have taken even him several breaths at full speed.. Without using other methods like shadow travel or flow or king ofcourse.. But still
Fast, he noted, expression unchanged. Very fast.
While
The Azure Lightning Ark hovered patiently above the arena, its presence casting long, shifting shadows over the crowd as the final preparations quietly fell into place.
—
High above, in the VVIP chamber, the atmosphere was entirely different.
Silence reigned.. thick, heavy, almost suffocating.
Merisa sat motionless upon her throne, her posture relaxed yet unnervingly still. One leg was crossed over the other, her elbows resting lightly on the armrests as her hands supported her chin. Her gaze was fixed downward, unblinking, following Razeal’s movements from afar.
Yograj knelt at her side, as he had for a long time now. He had not spoken again since their earlier exchange, though his attention never strayed from her. He could feel the shift in her mood.. Though don’t know whatever she was thinking.
After several long seconds, she finally spoke.
“You can go with them,” Merisa said quietly.
Her voice was soft, almost absent, as if the words had escaped her without effort. She did not turn her head. She did not look at Yograj. Her eyes remained locked on the figure below.. on Razeal, standing beneath the shadow of the Ark.
Yograj’s eyes shot up on that.
“Really?” he asked before he could stop himself, genuine surprise breaking through his usual composure. He never expected for her to let him go.. So he hesitation.
Merisa did not respond immediately.
“I’ll give you three seconds,” she said flatly.
Only then did Yograj truly understand that this was not an invitation.. it was permission that would not be repeated.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said instantly.
He did not waste another breath. Rising from his knees in one fluid motion, Yograj moved toward the edge of the chamber. Without looking back, without seeking confirmation, he leapt.
The barrier separating the VVIP chamber from the open waters parted effortlessly around him as he plunged downward, his form slicing cleanly through the sea as he descended toward the Ark below.
Merisa didn’t say anything.. she just remained where she was.
Her gaze still stayed fixed on Razeal on his back, his profile, the way he stood so calmly amidst chaos and attention alike. There was no anger on her face now. No hostility. Only something quiet, deep, and dangerously restrained.
Her fingers tightened imperceptibly beneath her chin.
Though.. still she said nothing.
But the silence around her felt heavier than any words could have been.
—-