Gathering Wives with a System

Chapter 544: Classical Conditioning, Great Luck of Tree Of Harmony

Isaac chuckled before ending the discussion. Since the matter was now in capable hands, there was little reason for him to worry about it further. Whatever loot awaited them would still be there a few hours later.

Meanwhile, Isaac’s main body remained in his residence with his wives. The battle was over, but the emotional strain from everything that had happened had not completely disappeared. Everyone had witnessed how close things had come to becoming far worse.

After some time, Emily stood up from the couch and stretched lightly.

”I should go check on my summons. They’ve been fighting continuously in the Great Dungeons, so they’re probably exhausted,” she said.

”Go ahead. Make sure they’re resting properly,” Isaac smiled and nodded.

Emily returned the smile before heading toward the door. She looked reluctant to leave at first, but ultimately chose to focus on her responsibilities. A few moments later, she disappeared from the room.

Isaac watched her leave and felt a surge of pride. In the past, Emily would have remained glued to his side after something dangerous happened. She would have worried endlessly and refused to leave until she was certain he was completely fine.

Of course, Isaac loved it whenever his wives stayed close to him. However, seeing Emily gradually mature brought him a different kind of happiness. Instead of letting fear dictate her actions, she was stepping into a leadership role and taking care of those who depended on her.

The change hadn’t happened overnight. It was the result of many experiences and hardships. Even so, seeing her growth firsthand made Isaac smile.

Alice and Celia remained in the room with him. Alice was practically attached to his side and had spent the last several minutes apologizing for her actions inside the Great Dungeon.

Isaac understood how difficult that was for her. Alice was naturally proud, and admitting mistakes never came easily. The fear of losing him, combined with the guilt she felt afterward, had clearly affected her more than she wanted to admit.

The situation left him caught somewhere between amusement and sympathy. He had already forgiven her long ago, but watching Alice cling to him and quietly seek reassurance was surprisingly adorable. This version of Alice was not something he saw often.

Celia, on the other hand, made comments like usual, but anyone could tell she was still gloomy.

’I need to look after Celia too,’ Isaac thought.

”You know, I’m not angry anymore. But don’t fight like that again. I really don’t like seeing you get hurt,” Isaac said as he kissed her forehead,

Alice immediately nodded. The relief on her face was impossible to miss. It looked as though a heavy weight had finally been lifted from her shoulders.

After sitting with him for a few more minutes, she eventually stood up. ”I’m going to check on Uncle. I want to make sure he’s alright after everything that happened.”

Isaac nodded in understanding. He could also tell that Alice was intentionally creating an opportunity for him and Celia to spend time together. It was a thoughtful gesture, even if she would never openly admit it.

Once Alice left, silence settled over the room. The quiet atmosphere felt oddly unnatural. Celia was rarely silent for long.

Normally she would already be teasing someone, or bouncing from one topic to another.

Yet now she remained seated on the couch, staring into space. The difference was obvious.

Isaac stood up and sat next to her. Since the couch was large enough, he could comfortably lie down on it. He wrapped an arm around Celia’s waist, picked her up, and gently pulled her down with him. A moment later, both of them were lying on the couch together.

”What are you doing?” Celia asked, finally breaking her silence.

”I’m hugging my wife so I can recover my energy. It’s a very advanced recovery technique. Only experts know about it,” Isaac replied with a smile.

”Mhm,” Celia replied.

Isaac blinked once. Then he looked down at her with exaggerated disbelief.

”That’s it? Just ’mhm’? You were full of energy this morning, and now this. What is with the change?” he asked.

”It’s nothing,” Celia replied.

”W-wait, so it’s that!” Isaac put on an exaggeratedly wounded expression. ”I knew it. You only paid attention to me because you wanted my body. Now that you’re already used to it, you don’t want to bother with me anymore. Those seniors at the academy were right. Girls only give you attention until they can use you. After that, they just throw you away.”

A small smile cracked on Celia’s lips despite her mood.

”There it is. I knew you were hiding a smile. You almost had me fooled,” Isaac said immediately.

Celia rolled her eyes before shifting her position. She rested her head against his chest and looked up at him. The sadness was still there, but it no longer felt quite as heavy.

”So what are you going to do if I get bored of you someday?” she asked.

”I won’t let that happen. I’ll make sure I’m too important to get rid of,” Isaac replied confidently.

”Oh? And how exactly are you planning to do that?” Celia asked, amusement slowly returning to her voice. Her tone also carried a hint of challenge.

Instead of answering immediately, Isaac’s hand slipped beneath her clothes and settled on the small of her back. His fingers slowly traced a circle against her skin. The movement was gentle and familiar.

A shudder ran through Celia’s body. She nearly let out a sound before catching herself at the last second. The reaction was so sudden and so familiar that it left her momentarily stunned.

Her eyes widened as realization struck. She knew exactly what her body’s response meant. It wasn’t simply because of the touch itself.

It was anticipation.

The moment Isaac touched her like that, her body had already begun reacting before her thoughts could catch up. It instinctively recognized what usually followed whenever he became affectionate in that particular way.

Celia froze for a second. Then a realization appeared in her mind. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became.

’Th-This is classical conditioning!’

It was the same principle behind Pavlov’s dogs salivating when they heard a bell. The same reason people became hungry when they smelled certain foods or excited when they heard sounds associated with pleasant experiences. Her body was reacting because it had learned to associate Isaac’s touch with intimacy.

’When did this happen?!’ Celia thought in disbelief. She tried to remember when her body had started responding like this. Unfortunately, she couldn’t find an answer.

Celia stared down at Isaac with wide eyes. The more she thought about it, the more ridiculous the situation felt. Yet her body’s reaction was undeniable.

Meanwhile, Isaac looked completely pleased with himself. He had clearly noticed the change in her expression. The grin on his face only became wider.

Leaning closer, he lowered his voice and whispered into her ear. ”See? I’m already halfway done making sure you can’t live without me.”

Celia blushed furiously, but also felt angry. A low growl escaped her throat as she leaned forward and bit Isaac. Unfortunately, she already knew how pointless it was. Ever since the morning, she had learned firsthand that his Constitution was far too high for something like that to work.

Realizing the bite was ineffective, she changed tactics. She kissed him and immediately tried biting his tongue instead. Sadly, that plan failed as well. It seemed even his tongue was protected by his absurd Constitution stat.

’Are you trying to bite me, or are you just looking for an excuse to kiss me?’ Isaac teased through their bond. The smugness in his voice made her want to bite him again.

’Hmph!’ Celia snorted.

They were inside the Soulbind Pendant, and Tirra—the Ghost Bird—was resting nearby in the forest. As Isaac’s bonded ghost bird, Tirra possessed the ability to allow telepathic communication between Isaac and his bonds. Because of that, Isaac and Celia were carrying on an entire conversation while kissing.

Their tongues clashed and fought for dominance. One moment turned into another, and before Celia realized what she was doing, she had already undone two buttons on Isaac’s shirt. By the time they finally separated, both of them were breathing slightly harder than before.

Their faces were noticeably flushed.

”Looks like you’re in a much better mood now,” Isaac said with a grin. He looked entirely too pleased with himself.

”Hmph, you sleazy mam. Normal people talk to their wives or take them on dates when they want to improve their mood. You’re just trying to sleep with me,” Celia retorted.

”But isn’t that exactly what improves your mood the most?”

”No, it doesn’t! I need dates too!” Celia shot back immediately.

Despite her words, her tail remained possessively wrapped around Isaac’s thigh. She made no attempt to let go, nor did she show any signs of sitting up. If anything, she seemed perfectly comfortable remaining exactly where she was.

Isaac opened his mouth to tease her again, but suddenly his expression changed. The amusement disappeared from his face almost instantly. His eyes narrowed slightly as information from one of his clones reached him.

Celia noticed the change right away.

”What happened?” she asked. She had seen this look before. Whenever one of Isaac’s clones discovered something important, his mood could shift in an instant.

”Two leaves are missing from the Tree of Harmony,” Isaac said.

”Isn’t that the tree you grew from the seed you obtained during Selene’s Trial?” she asked. The tree was one of the rarest treasures they possessed.

”Yes. The Tree of Harmony brings good luck to those connected to it. More importantly, whenever one of us faces mortal danger, it can sacrifice a leaf to divert that danger,” Isaac replied.

The room became quiet.

Celia’s brows furrowed as she realized what that meant. The tree did not waste its leaves lightly. If leaves had disappeared, then something serious had happened.

”If two leaves are missing...” she began.

”Then two incidents that could have resulted in death were prevented,” Isaac finished. He sat up completely now, his previous playful mood gone.