Chapter 226 What Did He Give Up?

Once we were clear and the portal closed, the two of us stood in front of the massive red spell circle that was filled with smaller ones. I really wished that I could just cover the damn thing up and be done with it, but things were never that easy.

"So now what?" Tallia asked, but then made a cute squeak as I scooped her up into my arms, giving her a kiss. I then jumped out to the big hole and landed a bit away before setting Tallia back down.

"First, we need to go talk to my brother so I can introduce you," I said as I used my own Mana to draw the summoning circle. "But, I need some of your blood with mine, so you get pulled in as well."

"O-okay," Tallia said, a bit flustered at being kissed and then picked up so quickly. I chuckled as I cut my hand and held it out for her to do the same. Once she did, I smeared some of our blood on the big summoning circle before using my other hand to create a smaller one that was just big enough for the two of us.

"Now we just need to wait for his ring to light up," I said, and Tallia nodded as she looked around nervously.

The circle lit up and started on Aries, but then after a moment, it flickered past Leo's sign. I frowned as I watched it wrap around to Capricorn, stopping. Both of us were ripped into the Astral Highway as Rainbow colors flew past us. I pulled Tallia to me as we were buffeted by the strong winds.

I mentally cursed as I realized that this was going to take a while. I should have just gone and talked to him myself, but no, I had to be an idiot and try the easy way first.

"H-hang on tight!" I shouted over the rushing wind to Tallia as she held on for dear life. "This is going to be a bumpy ride!"

Pressure started to build up around us as we were pushed and pulled in different directions. It was like being in a hurricane, and all I could do was try to keep us together and hope that we didn't hit anything.

Suddenly, everything stopped, and we were dumped unceremoniously onto the ground. I groaned as I pushed myself up, Tallia doing the same next to me.

"What the hell was that?" she muttered, and I winced as I looked around.

Were we in some kind of... dungeon? There were stone walls all around us, with torches providing a dim light every few feet or so. The floor was made of dirt, and there wasn't a ceiling that I could see. In front of us was a set of double doors that were slightly ajar.

I got to my feet before helping Tallia up as well before walking over to the doors cautiously. When nothing happened, I peered through them into the next room before stepping through with Tallia following close behind me.

"So, this is the woman that you couldn't stop thinking about, dear brother?" Capricorn called from another room ahead of the one we had just entered. I didn't think this should be bad, Capricorn was technically my sister-in-law, but she tended to act more like a dotting sister.

"Yes, but I didn't plan on coming this way yet," I called as I pulled Tallia along with me into the next room, which was more like a cozy little house.

It looked like a living room with a comfortable-looking couch and chairs with an empty fireplace. A door on the other side of the room presumably led to a kitchen or dining area.

Capricorn was sitting in one of the chairs with her tail extended as she lazily fanned herself with one hand while holding a glass of what looked like wine in the other. She was wearing a simple red dress that showed off her ample bosom, and her long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail that went around her horns.

"Well, you should have known better than to try and summon me without an offering," Capricorn said as she took a sip of wine, "But I suppose I can let it slide this time since you brought company."

"If we want to get into technicalities, I was looking for your husband, not that I am dissatisfied with seeing you, sister," I said with a warm smile. It really had been ages since I had seen her or any of the others.

"Leo told me that you found the girl and that you had gotten your memories back. I just wanted to see the woman that made you want to give up everything and throw your life away. I have to say, she is quite beautiful, even for a human," Capricorn said, and I chuckled as I shook my head.

"I see that you haven't changed one bit," I said, and Capricorn smirked as she took another sip of wine.

"What can I say? I am a woman of simple pleasures," she said, and Tallia blushed next to me as she looked away bashfully.

It was kind of funny to see her react like that since it wasn't like Capricorn was going to try anything with her.

"You gave up everything?!" Tallia whispered into my ear so harshly that I flinched back.

"Ah, so you haven't told her everything yet," Capricorn said with a knowing smile, and I internally groaned. This was not how I wanted Tallia to find out.

"What do you mean he gave up everything?" Tallia demanded as she turned to face me with an accusatory glare.

"I, um," I said, trying to think of what to say, but Capricorn just chuckled and waved a hand dismissively.

"Oh, don't worry about it too much. He didn't give up much anyways," Capricorn said, and I wanted to facepalm. This was not going well at all.

"What did he give up?!" Tallia asked again; this time, her voice was a bit shrill than before.

I sighed as I ran a hand through my hair, trying to think of what to say that wouldn't make her even more upset than she already was.