Chapter 50 - Back In His House

After Joren had some rest after the long day, he stood up from the bench and walked towards Hades' palace. He had worn the cloak that Megaera gave him which he successfully hid from Ness earlier.

It should be noted that Joren didn't have sleep last night. Instead, he ran for the whole night, entered Tartarus, met Megaera, kept up with the energetic Ness, escaped the cruise, and was interrogated by Cerberus.

Without Virena's blood, fatigue was getting onto Joren. But maybe he's in the realm of the dead, he was still able to stand up and walk.

Joren was in no hurry, however, it's best for him to sleep where nobody could see him. He decided that once he reached his house in Asphodel, he will sleep there and rest.

On his way there though, he walked first before increasing his pace. He had to wait for night to come so that there will be no other Abnormals to see him in his house. He doesn't know any of them so it's best to hide.

And so, Joren continued on his journey.

"Shit, is this the right direction?"

It took him more than three hours to get to the Fields of Asphodel back then. This time, with his walking speed, he would travel for more than just three hours.

Joren sighed and forced himself to run at a bearable pace.

"Was resting to think actually a bad idea?"

Resting made his adrenaline drop, debilitating him. His running was staggering from time to time. There are even times he would lose control of his breathing so he needs to stop to catch his breath.

Being undead is confusing. Not just because he will not die… easily, he would ignore the pain. He still have to worry about not pushing himself or his body would break down. Without Virena's revitalizing blood, he will not be able to heal himself and continue.

If his body broke down, he will have to rest for much longer.

Thus, thinking of it this way, Joren dropped onto the dark red sands of the underworld. His eyelids were flickering as he tried to stay awake. Although he's not worried about the ghouls wandering around, that's only when he's awake. He wouldn't know what would happen to him if he slept in the middle of nowhere in Hades.

Furthermore, he's so tired that he knew that it would be like the other day when he slept as a lo and Ness went through all sorts of problems.

"Just a little more…"

'Ah, damn it… Scarlett, once I save you, there will be no time where you will not be by my side. I feel like an Italian plumber saving a princess from a spiky turtle!'

It was not just a little more. Joren continued to run and stumble for five more hours. Tripping down, catching his breath, and dropping on his back to rest delayed his travel, but finally, he was back at Asphodel.

Ignoring the wandering souls in the tall blades of grass, he set foot on the paved road that he's familiar with.

"House 12…"

He muttered but saw that the house was in thousand's. This made him sigh before he slap his face.

"Just a little more…! After this, I don't care anymore, I will sleep for days, even for weeks if I wanted to!"

Joren motivated himself. It was already night for the Abnormal neighborhood. Maybe, it was midnight since he was delayed. He didn't have a watch or a phone to keep track of time.

He ran for about an hour. His feet were already bleeding when he reached the house with a plate number engraved with the number 12 on its front door.

This placed a smile on Joren as he walked towards it only to realize it's locked.

"..."

Joren's face paled…

"No, wait, don't panic. You're the owner of the house, you have the card."

He looked for his pockets and found it not there. Once reality sank in, Joren loudly gasped with a deathly paled face.

"I put it in Ness' bag to make it secure! Fuck security! Fuck burglars! Fuck doors! Fuck my Alzheimer's-having ass!"

Joren's mentality broke down first as he hit the ground with every curse. While he was regretting his dumb ass, the door opened.

Since he was wearing the cloak that Megaera gave him, he was unrecognizable. Therefore, he looks like an intruder with an Alzheimer's-having ass.

"Who are you?"

A cold voice permeated through Joren's cries as he looked up and saw a red-haired pretty lady with a maid outfit on.

"V-Virena?"

Virena's face contorted into a frown as she put her guard up.

"I asked, who are you?"

Joren received the pressure and with his tired mind and body, it was hard to resist.

"Argh… it's me!"

"I'm not going to be scammed, show your face."

Virena coldly looked down on the 'intruder'

'Ah, I forgot!' Joren immediately removed his hood and removed his paled face.

"Joren!?"

Virena was clearly taken aback as she retracted her pressure. Looking around, she immediately dragged Joren in as she slit one of her fingertips before plunging it into Joren's mouth.

"Don't make it sexual."

She reminded him after the times he was licking her fingers off. But she couldn't really blame him. As undead, blood is full of vitality thus, it tastes more delightful than nectar.

When her blood entered his body, his tired heart began to vigorously pump, rejuvenating his limbs and torso.

"Hm!"

When he regained energy, he greedily sipped Virena's finger, making her blush.

"I said don't make it sexual…! Don't lick it!"

She then slapped him away after he crossed the line again.

"Huh?" as if he just recovered his senses now, Joren stared at Virena, "Um, where am I?"

"You're in your house… you're in your house." Virena repeated as the latter was for her.

Joren is in his house. Doesn't that mean he's back?

It doesn't take a moment for even an idiot to realize that but Virena took a while.

"Shouldn't you be in Hades?"

Joren smiled, not knowing what to tell her. He just gave her a peace sign and said, "Sorry for making you worry."

"I'm worried about the Principal, not you."

"Oh…" Joren removed his peace sign as he was just taken down, "Well, Ness should probably be back. Wait, but why are you in my house?"

"The Principal is back?"

Virena dropped Joren and was about to leave when he hold onto her.

"Wait, don't tell her I'm here."

"Huh? Why?" Virena was surprised at his sudden request and got curious so she stopped.

"Zzzz…"

But Joren was knocked over after feeling the softness of the sofa he was lying on.

"Ah, what a cliffhanger! Is he playing me?!"

Virena said and hesitated before going back to meet Ness. However, she did keep in mind not to tell Ness about Joren's arrival.

Of course, if the Principal specifically asked, she will not lie and say the truth without hesitation.

Once she arrived there, she saw a figure of a beautiful woman by the lake. Virena remembered that Ness changed her appearance before escaping to the cruise ship. Therefore, she knew that this was the Principal.

"Principal!"

However, when Ness turned to her, Virena's expression changed.

After the night, the door to Joren's house opened. Meanwhile, he was still sound asleep when suddenly, his collar was grabbed and raised up.

"Zzz…"

Pak*

"Eh? Huh?" Joren was literally slapped awake as he realized what state he is in. Virena was holding him up while giving him an angry glare.

"W-what's the problem?"

"You made the Principal cry…!" she growled while fuming.

"... oh…" Joren frowned before-, "Zzz…"

"Wait, what!? Can't you understand the severity of what you've done!?"

Virena dropped Joren onto the sofa and stretched his cheeks out of anger.

"What you're doing is cute but it hurts…!" Joren muttered before going back to sleep.

"..." Virena didn't know how to respond to Joren's reaction to her anger.

He then held her hands and said while his eyes were closed as if still tired.

"You're spoiling her too much."

"Spoiling?" Virena was surprised by his sudden words and stopped her harassment. After processing his words, she rebuked, "Spoiling!? The Principal is an ancient being, the Loch Ness, she's like a mother to me, I'm just caring for her!"

"No, she looks like a child to me. She didn't know what reproduction even means…" Joren said while his eyes still closed as if he's going to sleep at any moment now.

"A child? That's just her outer appearance. Do you know that the main goal of the Myth Academy is for monsters to fit in into human society? To fit in, they have to learn how to appear like. Out of all the graduated monsters, the Principal is one of the few who can morph into more than just one human appearance."

"Eh? Does that mean that's not her original form?"

That's what piqued Joren's interest.

"My point is, she's not a child who I can spoil." Virena said but after a while, she dropped onto Joren's stomach with a defeated face. The latter felt pain in his stomach but before long, he felt the soft sensation so he let it go.

"Am I spoiling her?" she asked.