"Our people have a saying: the only trustworthy Machina is a dead one."
Jason couldnât help but huff in amusement when he heard that saying. Even though Jason had never heard the saying before, he couldnât help but agree a hundred percent! Jason wouldnât feel a shred of guilt even if he eradicated all the Machina in this world! Jason shook his head and he went back to what he had been saying.
"We are travelling towards Riyad because we believe there is something there that will help us discover the true intention of the Machina, but it wonât be easy for us to reach, especially now that weâre so close. I think the Machina are going to put up one final defense to keep us away, and it might become a full-scale war. That is what weâre walking into. Can I trust you to remain by our side even when the odds are stacked against us?"
"Yes, master. Iâll fight until the Grim Reaper himself appears to claim my soul. And even then, I will fight him just so I can return to your side. I already failed the royal family once before, but I have now been given a chance to redeem myself. I do not intend to fail you ever again."
Jason smiled and nodded when he saw the conviction in Stellaâs eyes, and he told Stella to get some rest since they would be very busy tomorrow, but Stella shook her head.
"No, I will stay awake and keep watch. I have a skill that allows me to replenish my stamina rapidly, so I only need an hour of sleep to be fully rested."
Jason told Stella that she didnât need to do that, and he called on a few phantoms to stand as guards for them until the next morning, but for some reason, Stella was still adamant about standing watch.
"Even if there are a thousand guards, I wonât feel at ease unless I personally make sure youâre safe."
It was obvious that Jason couldnât convince Stella to change her mind no matter what, and Jason just told Stella that it was fine and he allowed her to do whatever she wanted, but Jason was surprised when Stellaâs body suddenly turned black, and she fell into the shadow and vanished along with the other Phantoms.
âShe can travel through the shadows as well? I felt her using mana, so this isnât an Arcane Art. It has to be another one of her skills. Just how many abilities does this woman have?â
Jason couldnât help but be impressed by the sheer number of skills that Stella had stored up over time. Even though many of them would be useless in combat, Jason knew that they would be very useful in day-to-day life, and Jason was glad Stella had joined them since she would make a lot of things far easier. Jasonâs subordinates were already very useful, and in truth, there werenât a lot of situations where Jason ever had to stress himself out since he always had a subordinate who could do things for him. But even with his subordinates, Jason still felt like they were slightly lacking because they needed to receive orders from him before doing anything. If Jason had told any of his subordinates not to stand guard the way he just told Stella, then he knew that they wouldnât even fight him on it. They would have immediately agreed and returned to his Alternate Dimension. But Stella had a mind of her own, and she could watch and learn the things that Jason and Gina needed from her before they even said a single word. It was something that no amount of subordinates could make up for.
"Hey, babe, whatâs on your mind?"
Jason was brought out of his thoughts when he heard Ginaâs voice, and he said that it was nothing. He was just glad that Stella understood the situation so well. But Jason blinked in surprise when he felt Gina turn her body around before straddling him. Jason raised a brow at Gina as she pressed her hand against his chest and sat on his crotch and he held back a grunt as he felt her press her core against his member. Gina leaned down and kissed him softly before speaking.
"Weâre going to be really busy for a while, and we wonât have as much alone time. So letâs forget about Stella and make the best of the moment."
Jason smiled.
"What if Stella comes back?"
Ginaâs clouded eyes stared down at Jason with a look of pure lust, and she spoke with absolute authority.
"Sheâs your servant, isnât she? Iâm sure she knows not to disturb her master when heâs busy."
Jasonâs lips split into a wicked grin once he heard this, and Gina yelped in shock as he suddenly pulled her down into a heated kiss! The night, the sound of Ginaâs moans and the slapping of skin against skin echoed through the night and disturbed every single organism in the forest!
And just like Jason had predicted, Stella had come back before they were done having sex, and she had been so embarrassed when she heard what was going on inside the cave that her head almost exploded from the blood that rushed to her cheeks! Stella sat outside the cave beside a few of Jasonâs phantoms, and she sighed with a small smile as she watched the three moons in the sky and enjoyed the peaceful moment.
Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!
"Oh fuck, Jason! Jason! Iâm so close! Oh my god, Ugghhh!!"
Stellaâs cheeks grew impossibly red, and she ducked her head in embarrassment as she heard the lustful screams coming from the cave! There was a heat pooling in her stomach as she imagined the things Jason was doing to Gina, and she pressed her legs together with a sigh as she struggled to concentrate. This was going to be harder than she thought.
....
[The Next Morning]
Jason and Gina were on Ragnarâs back as they flew over a large ocean, and Stella was on Trigonâs back as she followed beside them. This morning had not been half as awkward as Jason thought it would be. Even though Jason knew Stella had heard him and Gina having sex, he was surprised when Stella had woken them up with a calm look on her face without even mentioning what had happened last night. Jason had managed to get dressed fairly quickly, but Stella stayed behind and helped Gina to dress and wash up properly before they took off, and Jason couldnât hide the fact that he was very impressed by Stellaâs professionalism. It was almost like Stella was one of those high-level maids who couldnât be phased by anything they saw their masters doing.
The trio had finished getting ready quickly enough, and then they took off once more. According to Jasonâs calculations, there were only about six dimensional tears that they had to cross before they reached Riyad, and even though things were very peaceful right now, Jason knew that there was no way they wouldnât run into some form of trouble before Riyad, so Jason made sure to warn both Gina and Stella to keep their eyes peeled for any sign of danger, and Jason had spoken to Stella privately and asked her to make sure she prioritized Ginaâs safety over his own. Even though Jason was the master, Gina was far more important at this moment, especially since she was carrying a baby.
"Even if Iâm on the brink of death, make sure youâre looking out for Gina and the baby first. Theyâre the only things that matter. Do you understand?"
This was what Jason had told Stella with absolute seriousness, and Stella had no choice but to accept the order since it was her masterâs command.