Re:Awakening with Ultimate Power as a Cosmic God
Chapter 67: Ch 67: A Royal Visit - Part 4

Chapter 67: Ch 67: A Royal Visit - Part 4

Anna crept closer to the room’s door, each step quiet and measured. Her fingers tightened around the small aether gun Nova had given her—a last-minute gift for emergencies, one he hadn’t expected her to ever use.

Pressing her ear to the door, she tried to still her breath. Muffled voices drifted from inside.

"...can’t believe this is where they’re staying. This dump looks better than the rats’ nests we got back when we were still living here."

"Yeah, and they’re not even locals. Outsiders getting special treatment? How’s that fair?"

"It’s favoritism. Pure and simple."

"We should teach them a little lesson. Let’s see how they like it when they come back to a place in ruins."

Anna’s grip tightened.

’They think this is favoritism? This place was a wreck when we arrived. I spent hours scrubbing every corner, fixing what I could. And now they want to destroy it just because they’re jealous?’

Her pulse thudded in her ears, her breath coming quicker. She bit her lip, debating, but the decision made itself when one of them mentioned burning the sheets.

Without thinking, Anna slammed the door open.

Three figures turned to her in stunned silence—scruffy, bitter-faced locals who had clearly broken in with bad intentions.

Anna raised the gun, her hands steady from adrenaline, and fired.

The compressed blasts of aether hit them cleanly. They didn’t even have time to scream.

All three collapsed instantly.

For a long moment, Anna stood frozen in place, gun still raised, heart racing. The silence that followed was deafening.

The only sound was the low hum of the aether charge fading away.

Then it hit her.

’Oh no... what did I just do?’

She lowered the gun slowly, her breath catching in her throat. The adrenaline began to ebb, leaving her cold and shaking.

The bodies—still breathing, thankfully—were sprawled across the floor in unconscious heaps.

Her knees buckled, and she leaned against the wall, trying to process everything.

"I... I shot them."

Her voice came out in a whisper.

She hadn’t meant to go that far. She just wanted to scare them, maybe push them out. Not render them unconscious.

Her eyes darted to the door.

’I can’t leave them here. But I can’t drag them out either. And if someone sees this...’

She knew the rules here were different. She was an outsider. If someone found her standing over three unconscious locals with a weapon in hand, they wouldn’t ask questions.

They’d just throw her into a cell. Or worse.

’I can’t call for help. I can’t trust the locals. Damn it, Nova, where are you?’

Her gaze flicked to the clock on the wall.

’He should be back soon. He has to be.’

Sliding to the ground beside the overturned stool near the door, she sat there in the dim light of the room, watching the bodies, hoping none of them woke up too soon—and praying that Nova would return before anyone else found them.

Anna stayed curled against the wall, gripping the aether gun tightly as if it could protect her from her own fear.

Her fingers trembled, and her breathing slowed only slightly. The bodies of the three intruders remained still, but that didn’t calm her.

What if one of them woke up early? What if someone outside heard the noise and came to investigate?

The paranoia dug deeper with every passing minute.

’Think, Anna. What would Nova do?’

He wouldn’t panic. He wouldn’t hesitate. He’d clean this up and make it look like nothing happened.

But Anna wasn’t Nova. She wasn’t calm under pressure, and she’d never hurt someone before, even in self-defense.

Her eyes darted to the closet. If she could at least hide them there until Nova returned...

Gritting her teeth, she stood and grabbed one of the bodies by the arm. It was heavier than she expected.

She dragged him across the floor with effort, muttering curses under her breath. Sweat beaded her forehead, but she managed to shove him into the closet.

The second one took even longer, and by the time she reached the third, her arms were trembling with exhaustion.

She had just pulled the final intruder to the edge of the closet when she heard the faint sound of footsteps.

Her heart dropped.

For a second, she froze again, unsure whether it was Nova—or someone worse.

The door creaked open.

Anna whirled around with the gun raised—

Nova stood in the doorway, brow raised, eyes scanning the scene quickly.

He took one look at the unconscious men, then the sweat-drenched, wide-eyed Anna, and gave her the faintest smirk.

"I leave you alone for a few hours and this is what I come back to?"

He said.

Anna exhaled, knees giving out again.

"Don’t even start."

______

Nova separated from Malrik at the edge of the city. The last thing Malrik said was.

"Be careful of the senate. You never know what could happen once they get involved."

Nova didn’t answer aloud. He simply lifted a hand in a dismissive gesture, signaling for Malrik not to worry.

Malrik gave him a look—somewhere between amused and weary—before turning back down the path.

Nova continued in the opposite direction, quietly making his way through the winding streets back toward the shelter.

The sun was already dipping low, casting long shadows through the worn alleys of Callex.

When Nova reached the entrance of the building assigned to him and Anna, he had barely taken a step inside when the kitchen worker spotted him.

"There you are! What were you thinking, leaving your girlfriend all by herself in a place like this?"

She said sharply, storming toward him with an apron still tied around her waist.

Nova raised an eyebrow.

"Girlfriend?"

The woman scoffed.

"Oh, don’t play dumb. She’s clearly yours. You think this is a safe place for a girl like her? Young, soft-spoken... It’s dangerous out here. Accidents happen all the time, especially in empty rooms. You should’ve thought twice before—"

Her voice trailed off when Nova turned to look at her properly. His stare, sharp and cold, was enough to silence any further complaint. He didn’t raise his voice—he didn’t need to.

"She’s not so weak. Not the kind that’s done in by scum like these."

He said flatly.

The worker froze, lips parting slightly before she closed them again. Her shoulders lowered, and she gave a small nod before turning and walking away without another word.

Nova moved past her and took the stairs two at a time, his boots heavy on the creaking wood. He reached the door to their quarters and opened it quietly.

Inside, the room was filled with silence—but it wasn’t empty.

Anna stood near the center, her shoulders tense and her hands slightly raised. Around her were several unconscious bodies—three, maybe four—sprawled across the floor in various awkward positions.

Nova stepped inside slowly, scanning the room without saying anything.

Anna turned to look at him, her eyes wide but focused. She didn’t say anything either.

"I leave you alone for a few hours and this is what I come back to?"

He said.

Anna exhaled, knees giving out again.

"Don’t even start."

Nova just gave her a look before he entered the room fully and closed the door behind him.