Novel's Extra: I Awakened The Strongest Physique From The Start-Chapter 247 - 248 - A Moment of Relaxation.

The sun hung high in the sky, its warm golden rays filtering through the lush greenery of the garden in front of Alex’s mansion. The fragrance of blooming flowers mixed with the gentle breeze carried a sense of tranquility through the air.

Sitting comfortably against the soft fur of Lionara, his massive magical lion, Alex exuded an air of quiet authority as his sharp gaze remained fixed on the kneeling assassins before him.

These assassins were part of a group that worked at his direct order—the Drakeshade assassins.

They consisted of the children from the awakening incident, as they were all already his slaves. After all, what could be better than a personally trained group of loyal people as his subordinates?1

And of course, their leader was James.

One of the assassins, clad in signature black attire, bowed his head lower before speaking.

"Lord Alex, the captive, Keryu..." He hesitated for the briefest moment before continuing. "Right after you left, he began writhing in pain, rolling on the ground as if something invisible was tormenting him. We moved to restrain him, but before we could even reach him, he—vanished."

Alex’s brows furrowed.

’Vanished?’

That wasn’t supposed to happen. He had read the original novel. No such incident had ever been mentioned in the plot. So why? Was this an unforeseen variable? An interference? Or was it just the world’s way of trying to help its protagonist?

As he pondered, his train of thought was interrupted by a voice that carried warmth and liveliness, instantly shifting the mood around him.

"Alex!"

He turned his head, his gaze softening as he saw Zahara approaching. Her vibrant red hair gleamed under the daylight, her red eyes shining with amusement as she strode toward him with her usual grace.

Before anyone could react, Lionara, who had been lazily resting behind Alex, suddenly jerked awake.

With a deep, rumbling growl, the giant lion bolted forward in a blur of golden fur, charging straight at Zahara.

The assassins tensed, their hands instinctively reaching for their weapons, but Alex didn’t move. He only smiled.

A burst of laughter rang through the air as Zahara, far from being startled, embraced the enormous beast head-on. "Lionara, you missed me, didn’t you?" She giggled as the lion nuzzled her affectionately, her massive paws pinning Zahara down playfully before showering her with affectionate licks.

Zahara’s laughter was contagious, and even the usually stoic assassins relaxed slightly.

Alex shook his head in amusement. "You spoil her too much, Lionara."

Among the beasts he had, Nyxia liked Mira the most as the girl was the first among his women Nyxia had seen.

Lionara, on the other hand, liked Zahara the most, maybe because of their almost similar races.

As for Jatika... well, that poor mare had yet to find someone who could match her jumpy personality.

Panthera was already out of the equation since he was James’s aide.

’I brought them in yet they care more about others...’ Alex sighed in exasperation, though not in the least sad about his pet getting along with his women.

However, he started having second thoughts when he saw Lionara merely flicking her tail as she heard his words, continuing to rub against Zahara, who had given up resisting and was now simply petting the giant beast.

Shaking his head while still leaning against the soft grass, Alex turned his attention back to the kneeling assassins. "Return for now. I’ll look into this myself."

With synchronized bows, the assassins disappeared like shadows into the wind, leaving only Alex, Zahara, and Lionara in the sunlit garden.

"What’s with that face?" Zahara teased as she sat beside him, brushing off the lion’s fur from her clothes. "You’re thinking too hard again, aren’t you?"

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Alex sighed, stretching his arms. "Something unexpected happened. I need to figure out why."

"You will," Zahara said confidently, resting her head on his shoulder. "But not now. Right now, you’re taking a break."

He smiled, allowing himself to lean into her warmth. Moments like this were rare, and he wasn’t one to waste them.

Before the peaceful silence could stretch too long, the sound of soft, hesitant footsteps made them both turn.

A petite girl with cream-blonde hair and light blue eyes stood at the edge of the garden, hesitating as if unsure whether to step forward or not. Mira.

Zahara immediately brightened. "Mira! Come here!"

The girl hesitated only for a moment longer before making her way over. Her movements were always careful, almost fragile, as if the world around her was too heavy.

She wasn’t the best at expressing emotions, but the way her fingers curled into the hem of her dress showed that she wanted to be near them.

Without a word, Alex shifted, making space beside him. Mira took that as permission and carefully sat down, her body language relaxing just a little as Zahara reached out and gently tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

And just as the three of them settled in, a sudden shimmer of light flashed before them...

Woosh!

Before they could even understand what was happening, Sophie materialized—right onto Alex’s lap.

A soft ’oof’ escaped his lips as the blonde girl blinked in mild surprise, clearly not having planned to land like that.

Zahara burst into laughter. "That’s one way to make an entrance!"

Mira, despite her difficulty expressing emotions, gave a small amused huff as Sophie sighed. "I didn’t mean to do that."

Alex, however, simply smirked. "You sure? Because if you wanted attention, you got it."

Sophie gave him a look before shaking her head, but she didn’t move from her spot. Instead, she relaxed, allowing herself to rest against him as Lionara lay beside them, watching over them with a lazy but protective gaze.

And just like that, the four of them talked—about trivial things, about nothing at all, and yet about everything that mattered.

The warmth of the sun, the sound of laughter, the rustling of leaves—these moments of peace were fleeting, but they were theirs.

And Alex, despite the mysteries and challenges ahead, decided that for now, he would enjoy this moment.

.............................

Unlike the quiet and calm in Alex’s surroundings, the Colosseum buzzed with anticipation as the audience filled the grandstands, eagerly awaiting the matches on the fifth day—the matches of fourth-year students.

The air was thick with excitement, the murmur of thousands of voices blending into a lively hum.

Vendors moved between the aisles, selling refreshments and trinkets, their calls adding to the vibrant atmosphere.

The massive arena, an architectural marvel of stone and magic, stood bathed in the golden glow of the midday sun.

The combatants’ entrances remained closed, yet the spectators hardly paid it any mind. Their eyes were fixed on the grand platform at the center, where the announcer would soon appear.

Then, the sound of a magical amplification spell hummed through the air, and a deep voice boomed across the Colosseum.

"Ladies and gentlemen, warriors and nobles, esteemed guests from all corners of the empire, welcome once again to the Fourth-Year Competition!"

A thunderous cheer erupted from the crowd, banners waving in the air as people stomped their feet in excitement.

The announcer paused, allowing the cheers to die down before he continued. "It is with great regret that I must deliver an unexpected announcement. Due to unforeseen circumstances—"

A hush fell over the Colosseum; the silence was eerie in contrast to the earlier enthusiasm. The announcer cleared his throat and spoke once more.

"—All matches scheduled for today have been canceled."

For a moment, the arena was deathly quiet, as if the words had not yet registered in the minds of the spectators. Then, the uproar began.

"WHAT?!"

"CANCELLED?! YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS!"

"We paid good money for these seats!"

"I came all the way from the Demon Region for this!"

"Wait—wasn’t the opening match of the fourth year canceled as well?!"

"Yeah! I haven’t seen a single fourth-year student since the start of the competition. Are they even present here?!"

The complaints ranged from mild disappointment to outright rage. Some people stood, waving their fists in frustration, some making speculation while others demanded explanations.

They couldn’t believe that such a grand competition could also have problems, and if there was a problem big enough to cause trouble for the greatest academy in the world, then they deserved to know what it was.

They wanted an explanation.

The justification, however, never came. But one thing was clear to everyone by now: something was going on with the fourth-year students.

About the assassins, I would advice you not to get too confused as there has been a minor change in the plot.

The children that were killed during the awakening incident are no longer killed, they are instead branded with the slave seals by Alex, making them eternally loyal to Alex.

If you want to, you can just re-read ’CHAPTER 12 - Shocking Turn of Events 2.’