NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 7: Hitting the jackpot
Damien woke up for the second time, not knowing how long he had been unconscious. His head felt sluggish and he could only vaguely perceive his surroundings.
He felt like he was lying on a soft cloud, but as he tried to move, sharp pangs of pain and soreness declared his body's unwillingness to move. His head was still heavy as if someone had clobbered him with a stick. He couldn't open his eyes either. All he could gather was two voices whispering around him.
"Big brother Drevok, how could you be so careless? A simple bandit almost killed my husband. If something were to happen, how will we answer father-in-law?"
From the crisp voice and mature grace, Damien estimated the speaker was a woman in her early twenties.
Another rough voice interrupted with slight impatience. After a few seconds of pause, as if he was adjusting his attitude, he continued. "Niomi, my sister-in-law, do you know what you are saying? Don't ever say such things... how could anything happen to my younger brother!"
As if these words were some sort of signal, a vast ocean of foreign memories filled his head. Strangely, he didn't feel any sort of discomfort, as if these memories were an inherent part of himself.
"These memories are from the new body..."
Damien shrugged his shoulders internally and finally came to terms with the situation.
It took him a long time to go through some of it and understand his situation better.
He had transmigrated and become the crown prince of a small Kingdom called Valthorne, a state under attack by a foreign power.
Damien's father, the present ruler of the kingdom, was severely ill.
While on his way to awaken his talents, the crown prince was attacked by bandits; the predecessor died and Damien successfully took his place.
"From a gang leader to a king..." Damien thought, a sense of calm returning to his head.
He smelled a little fragrance. The natural sweet body odor of women.
Damien tried hard to open his eyes, and as his heavy eyelids finally budged, he was surprised by what he saw.
He found himself inside what appeared to be a luxury medieval European carriage, with magnificent decor, royal curtains and a lavender scent; as if he was in a dream.
He wasn't surprised. He started observing his surroundings after he felt that he had control of his neck again.
One perfectly-postured female appeared in front of him.
A beautiful girl was sitting beside him with worry written all over her face.
Her silky black hair was like a dark cloud tied together with a purple string. Her skin was paler than snow and smoother than ice. The violet tunic skirt elevated her curves, making her appear like a goddess that most men would dream of seeing. She was just perfect.
While beside his legs sat a young man with a dignified appearance.
He was looking at him worriedly.
"You are awake!?" The black-haired beauty Niomi bent over. Her expression quickly became one of surprise and happiness. "Damien, how are you feeling? Are you still in pain? Priest Mike said that you have to rest properly..."
The other man, his older brother Devrok, also looked immensely relieved.
"I... em... What happened?" Damien didn't know what to say. Right after he said it, he was shocked!
He discovered something unbelievable.
Niomi was using an ancient and weird-sounding language. Although Damien was well-traveled and well-learned, he had never heard of this type of speech. However strangely, he didn't just understand the language, he could speak it as well.
"Damien, did you forget? When we were traveling through the forest, a sneaky enemy shot you with an arrow. Thank god you were wearing your helmet, or else you might have had to pay a larger price," Niomi explained.
She gently placed her left hand on Damien's forehead. It wasn't hot. Surprise flashed through her eyes. "Great! Your body temperature is back to normal. Priest Mike said that as long as you don't have a fever, everything will be alright. Damien, you are a brave warrior!"
It was at this time Devrok spoke in a berating tone.
"He is not just brave but stupid as well. How many times have I told you not to wander off to the front?"
"When will you understand, your life is not just yours now? If anything happens to you, the entire Kingdom will be doomed."
Devrok's words sounded a bit harsh but Damien could feel the genuine concern in his voice.
Damien focused and information about Devrok appeared in his head.
The first son of King Alric Harrier.
A brave and caring older brother, who was willing to go to any length for his family.
While Damien was thinking, a tight frown appeared on his face.
Noticing this, the gentle beauty Niomi said in a worried tone:
"Brother-in-law, you are hindering Damien's recovery."
"This..." After hearing her words, Devrok understood and got up and walked out of the carriage.
"First Prince is the crown prince now..."
"Damn that bandit, how dare he do this..."
Immediately Damien heard voices coming from outside asking how he was.
Damien and his gentle wife were now alone in the carriage. They were so close to each other that he could even hear her heartbeat.
Niomi held on tight to the edge of her seat, her mind anxiously racing as worry filled her widened eyes.
"Poor Damien, I hope the fall didn't damage his brain. Although he was sometimes crazy, at least he loved me."
"Moreover, I hope this incident wouldn't affect his awakening ceremony."
Damien looked at the worried girl and couldn't help but smile internally while thinking, damn, his predecessor was one lucky man.
Niomi was beyond beautiful. Damien had ruled the underworld for a considerable amount of time and played around with numerous women, but none of them could compare to the woman in front of him.
Moreover, from the predecessor's memories, the woman genuinely cared about him without asking anything in return.
Damien felt as if he had struck a jackpot.