Demonic Pornstar System novel Chapter 537

Chapter 537: Walk Back

The walk back toward Runewoven’s guild hall felt different from the march out.

The battlefield’s noise faded behind them, replaced by the crunch of boots against stone paths and the hum of embedded mana conduits lining the mountainside. Exhaustion finally had time to settle in properly, but instead of dragging them down, it wrapped the group in a strange energy. They had survived. More than that, they had performed.

Aria and Bastet were practically skipping ahead, their steps light despite the long day. Aria’s staff tapped the ground in rhythm as she talked animatedly with the tanned felinid, her fatigue nowhere to be found as she gestured wildly while Bastet listened with an amused smile, tail swaying lazily behind her. Whatever aches the solar kitten felt, she bore them with regal ease, and Aria fed off that confidence like a spark to dry tinder.

Behind them, Luna and Nyx leaned heavily against one another, arms slung over shoulders as they walked in imperfect sync. Their voices never stopped.

"I’m telling you," Luna said between breaths, "if you hadn’t overextended during that third wave, you wouldn’t have ended up being nearly eaten alive."

Nyx scoffed, adjusting her grip so Luna wouldn’t stumble. "Oh, please. If I hadn’t overextended, you’d be having this argument while missing your legs."

"?!" Luna’s eyes darkened. "What gave you that idea? I was about to dodge!"

"Sure, bestie. And I’m a princess from La La Land."

"No, you’re a fat cowkin born and raised in the United States of A."

Nyx’s eyes narrowed. "Next time, I might assume you’re as good at dodging as you proclaim."

Luna didn’t like the sound of that too much. "... Let’s return to this topic after a shower and with a mug of hot chocolate in hand."

"Keke. Sure," Nyx smirked victoriously.

Kaiden didn’t intervene in the girls’ usual bickering. After the incident of Luna invading Nyx’s privacy, as well as poor butthole and then Kaiden fucking the nonsense out of the girl, making her see the error of her ways, he was happy to see that while the catfighting never stopped, it seemed to remain within acceptable bounds.

They were comrades, akin to how boys might bicker among one another, without going for each other’s throats. Ideally.

So he just listened, amused, as he carried Calypso effortlessly in his arms. The demoness squirmed constantly, tail wrapped firmly around his waist, her horns occasionally brushing his chin whenever she shifted. Every few steps, she’d press closer, her cheek against his chest or her lips grazing his neck, kissing and purring as though she hadn’t just been dragged out of a warzone, half-broken.

"You should relax, Cali..." he muttered. "Focus on rejuvenation."

"Mhm. By kissing, licking, and drinking in the warmth of my Darling through skin contact, my life energies are skyrocketing." Calypso hummed. Then her demonic eyes narrowed at him with accusation. "Also, Darling, aren’t you shameless? You just promised me the mating of a lifetime, and expect me to relax?"

"... Shh," Kaiden begged because Alice was listening in now.

But instead of throwing any sort of hissy fit, Alice’s sly voice sounded in his head. For some odd reason, the girl sounded incredibly innocent right now.

<Big brother, what does mating mean?>

’...’

Of course, Alice was a big girl who knew how the world worked.

The smith relaxed at that, and her smile returned in full. "You’re welcome. You earned it."

Then her gaze slid back to Kaiden.

She squinted at him for a long moment before clicking her tongue softly and looking away again. "And... well," Talia grumbled, clearly fighting her own irritation, "you are partial guild owners as well. So I suppose you deserve some privileges."

That earned a few grins from the girls.

The truth of it was something very few people knew.

Kaiden hadn’t merely cultivated a friendly relationship with Runewoven, which was what the public assumed by his presence here. The current assumption was that they were merely on good terms, Kaiden happy to leech off of a guild’s privileges while the guild was happy to help form good ties with such a unique and promising group.

But the truth was different. He’d strong-armed Runewoven leadership, Talia included, into cutting him in on the organization itself. Not through threats or brute force, but through leverage and an offer they simply couldn’t afford to refuse. Twenty percent ownership. A real stake. Not symbolic. Not honorary.

Once the transaction was finalized and the seals lifted, Kaiden officially owned a fifth of one of the smaller but promising crafting guilds.

Which also meant his net worth had technically skyrocketed into absurd territory.

For now, though, it remained a tightly guarded secret. Only a few people in the government and association knew, alongside the Runewoven leadership and Tessa.

Publicly, Kaiden was still just a rising combatant attached to a dangerous, eccentric squad. Privately, he was already seated at the table where real power moved.