Read Novel Full Chapter 783: Before the Ships Depart
Chapter 783: Before the Ships Depart
Nikolai watched the two women leave the meeting room, their footsteps gradually fading along the corridor. Even after the doors closed, he could still hear Nikita complaining about Selene stealing his favourite jacket.
‘Those two…’
He couldn’t help but smile.
Sometimes, watching Nikita and Selene together made him remember how much things had changed since their first meeting. Back then, the two women could barely tolerate each other’s presence, let alone share the same husband and raise their children together.
Now they were practically inseparable.
Although they’d probably kill him if he said that aloud.
“Haa…”
Nikolai leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples.
There was only one problem.
‘I just agreed to take both of them into that fucking death trap.’
He didn’t regret his decision, but the strange pressure inside his chest refused to disappear.
Nikita and Selene were powerful.
Perhaps among the strongest women currently living in S-City.
Still, if something happened to either of them…
“Fuck.”
Nikolai slapped his cheeks.
Pah!
“Enough worrying, you stupid bastard.”
He’d made his decision.
And they had made theirs.
Now it was time to trust them.
Nikolai glanced towards the enormous map still hovering above the meeting table, noticing several red markers scattered across the eastern and northern districts of S-City.
The city was enormous.
Far too large for the Volkov clan to protect without assistance.
Even with over three thousand warriors remaining behind, they couldn’t possibly defend every street and residential district if the Blood Moon suddenly caused another outbreak.
‘Which leaves me with one final headache.’
The SSS.
Nikolai stared at his phone for several seconds before selecting a familiar contact. It hadn’t been long since he helped move the troublesome Tigress into the main mansion, yet he already found himself relying on her.
‘Am I being a little shameless?’
Still, even if it was, he needed her help more than anything else.
He tapped her number into the phone, and in less than two rings, she picked up.
“Who?”
“…”
Nikolai glanced at his phone, blinking at the aggressive tone.
“That’s a lovely way to greet your husband.”
“Husband?!”
A sharp gasp came from the other end, followed by what sounded like something falling against the floor.
“Heh, did I surprise you?”
“Y-You fucking bastard! Don’t say something like that so suddenly!”
“Hahaha!”
“What’s so funny?!”
“Nothing, nothing.”
Nikolai could almost picture Madoka sitting with her enormous striped tail flicking behind her, golden eyes narrowed and beautiful face flushed with embarrassment.
‘She’s really cute sometimes.’
“Anyway, how’s the mansion?”
“…Fine.”
“Just fine?”
“W-Well, you’re not here and… I miss you. Ah! But don’t get me wrong, it’s comfortable. Your servants brought some blankets and other things I didn’t ask for, and that fox woman also came over earlier…”
“Kumiko?”
“Mhm.”
Nikolai smiled.
“Did you get along?”
“She’s strange.”
“…How?”
“She kept touching my stomach and asking what kind of clothes I wanted for the baby!”
“Hahaha!”
“Stop laughing!”
“Sorry, sorry.”
Despite the many complaints, Madoka didn’t sound particularly unhappy. In fact, Nikolai could almost hear the smile beneath her usual irritated tone. It was a relief that she wasn’t sitting alone in that damaged mansion anymore.
“So, what do you want?”
“…Am I that obvious?”
“Don’t take me for a fool just because you’ve made my body your prisoner… With all the noise about the Nosferatu and a battle coming, you probably need my help with the humans, right?”
“Humans? You were one of them not too long ago…”
“Heh, and look at me now. Ever since you fucked me, I’ve changed quite a lot. I just accepted the fact that I am not the same woman drowning in notions of revenge anymore.”
‘Tsk. She’s sharp.’
Nikolai scratched his cheek.
“Actually, I need your help with the SSS.”
There was a moment of silence as she sighed several times before her cheerful tone vanished.
“I thought so.”
“…Sorry.”
“Don’t apologise, idiot.
Just tell me what you need. You’re not a stranger anymore, we’re… family after all.”
Nikolai straightened in his chair.
“We’ve decided to leave for Nosferatu tonight. I’ll be taking a small assault team, while most of the Volkov forces remain here to protect S-City.”
“Tonight?!”
“Mhm.”
“There must be a reason you moved me so quickly, and now you’re rushing to attack them…” Madoka sighed. “…I won’t pry, just tell me what to do. I can’t promise the world, but I will do what I can for you.”
“So?”
“I need the SSS to cooperate with our defensive forces.”
“Hmm…”
“Not necessarily join Volkov. I don’t expect everyone to suddenly become friends with werewolves and vampires.”
“That’s good, because they won’t.”
“Hahaha, I figured.”
Madoka’s voice became more serious.
“Listen, Nikolai. There are people inside the SSS who understand what you’re trying to do. But there are also plenty of bastards who’d rather watch the Volkov family burn than accept help from a supernatural clan.”
“I know.”
“And some of them have enough authority to make things difficult.”
“That’s why I’m asking you.”
“…”
Nikolai rubbed his chin.
“I don’t need them to obey me. I want them to protect the civilians while our forces handle the supernatural outbreaks. If they refuse to cooperate directly, then at least make sure they don’t start shooting my people while we’re trying to save someone.”
Madoka remained quiet.
He could hear her breathing on the other end.
“This isn’t a simple favour, you know that, right?”
“Of course!”
“And what do they get?”
Nikolai frowned.
“…What?”
“Nikolai.”
Her voice sharpened.
“You’re asking an organisation that has spent years hunting supernatural beings to cooperate with the largest werewolf clan in S-Kingdom. Even if I trust you, they need something more than my word.”
‘Ah…’
He understood that Madoka wasn’t refusing him, but instead. She was teaching him how to make the arrangement possible.
“What about information?”
“Information?”
“Anastasia and Sasha have been researching the Blood Moon. We can share their findings, including the symptoms, dangerous areas and any countermeasures they’ve developed.”
“Hm…”
“In return, the SSS provides information about outbreaks across the city, coordinates evacuations and avoids unnecessary conflict with our people.”
Because Madoka didn’t answer, Nikolai could only continue.
Nikolai continued.
“I’m not asking them to hand over their organisation, Madoka. If they have something useful, we’ll listen. If we have something useful, we’ll share it.”
“…That’s surprisingly reasonable.”
“Oi.”
“Hahaha!”
Nikolai shook his head.
“You’re enjoying this too much.”
“Maybe just a little bit.”
A faint chuckle escaped her lips before her voice softened.
“Leave it to me. I can’t promise everyone will agree, but there are still people I trust, and my say within the company is high.”
“Thanks.”
“However!”
“…Hm?”
“Don’t misunderstand. I’m doing this because I want to protect S-City too.”
“I know.”
“And because…” Her voice became quieter. “…Because my husband and child will be living here.”
A strange warmth spread through his chest.
‘Madoka…’
He lowered his gaze and smiled, this strange feeling with Madoka was different from bickering with his other wives. “Yeah.” Getting to know her was a truly enjoyable activity for Nikolai.
“Don’t overdo it, alright? You’re pregnant.”
“Don’t start treating me like some fragile woman!”
“Hahaha! Fine, fine.”
“Seriously…”
Madoka clicked her tongue.
“Just focus on coming home, you bastard.”
“…I will.”
“And Nikolai?”
“Hm?”
“Don’t make me raise this child alone.”
Beep, Beep, Beep
With that, the call ended.
Nikolai slumped in his chair, eyes scanning the dozen or so messages from Alexei and the others which needed his attention.
“Tsk, these women will be the end of me.”
He slipped the phone into his pocket.
“Oh well, that’s one less problem to deal with now.”
***
Several hours passed.
The entire Volkov compound became increasingly busy as preparations for departure entered their final stage.
Vehicles moved between the central training grounds and the southern roads, transporting equipment, weapons and supplies towards the coast. Groups of warriors stood beside their commanders, receiving final instructions before being dismissed or reassigned.
Nikolai stood beside Alexei inside the command room, watching the personnel lists scroll across a large monitor.
“How many?”
“Seventy-two passed the initial selection without any major concerns. We’ve still got several names to review, but I don’t think we’ll reach one hundred.”
Nikolai rubbed his chin.
“That’s fine.”
Honestly, he’d prefer fewer people.
Not because he doubted the abilities of those remaining, but because the more people they brought, the harder it would become to move through Nosferatu without attracting attention.
“And the support team?”
“Three hundred selected. Most are already moving towards the southern coast.”
“Okay, that’s good enough.”
That was another matter settled.
At least if something went wrong, there would be experienced people capable of making decisions without waiting for orders from him.
He’d already made it clear that Lucianna wasn’t supposed to handle every emergency personally.
The woman had her own child to care for, after all.
‘Although I doubt anything in S-City could really threaten her…’
Still, he didn’t want to test that assumption, especially not with his wives and children involved.
By the time the afternoon sunlight began fading, the first reports from the SSS had arrived.
Nikolai was standing beside the enormous window overlooking the compound when his phone vibrated.
[Madoka]
He answered immediately.
“How’d it go?”
“You’re welcome.”
“…Eh?”
“I said you’re welcome, bastard!”
“Hahaha! Sorry, sorry.”
Madoka sighed.
“I contacted the people I trust. They’re arranging an emergency meeting with their regional commanders. I sent them the information about the Blood Moon, and they agreed to review it.”
Nikolai’s expression relaxed.
“That’s good.”
“Hahaha, don’t celebrate yet.”
“…Hm?”
“They haven’t agreed to cooperate with the Volkov family directly.”
“I figured.”
“But they did agree to avoid unnecessary confrontation while the emergency protocols are in effect. Their local units will prioritise protecting civilians and investigating any outbreaks.”
Nikolai didn’t see any problem with that. He honestly found this level of cooperation far beyond his wildest imagination. “This is more than enough.”
“That’s enough for now.”
“They want a direct communication channel with your defensive commanders. No intermediaries from the smaller clans.”
Nikolai considered it.
That wasn’t unreasonable.
Especially given how many different supernatural families were now operating beneath the Volkov banner.
“Fine. I’ll have Seraphina arrange it.”
“Mhm.”
Madoka sounded satisfied.
“I also told them that if anyone uses this situation as an excuse to attack innocent supernatural civilians, I’ll personally deal with them.”
“…”
Nikolai blinked.
“Did you really say that?”
“Of course.”
“Hahaha!”
“What’s so funny?!”
“Nothing. You’re just amazing.”
“…Idiot… I’m hanging up!”
“Oh? Not going to give me some inspiring words?”
Despite her insult, Nikolai could hear the embarrassment in her voice and just wanted to tease her a little before he lost the chance. A few moments passed with only the sound of her slow breaths in the background.
“….Ahhh….. Damn it, just come home safe!”
BLEEP!
Nikolai glanced down at his phone, shaking his head as the last vehicles left the compound, and looked up. He quickly took his jacket from the chair and dashed out of the double doors towards the elevator.
“…I will.”
It was the final moment before departure.