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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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Ethan’s apartment.
The new apartment was spacious, even for just Ethan. He had gotten it to raise Hessia, after all.
“Hello, Hessia.”
Tia greeted Hessia with a bright smile. Hessia responded shyly.
“Hello…”
Ethan had brought another woman to his apartment. A few days ago, he had introduced her to Janet, the dark elf, and Linkea, the assassin, claiming they were his subordinates. He seemed to be surrounded by women.
Hessia found Tia intimidating.
Unlike Arianna, who had a gentle demeanor, Tia seemed cold and calculating.
Hessia, unbeknownst to the others, was secretly evaluating the women Ethan brought home.
Was this person a good match for Ethan?
So far, Sepia and Tesha had received the highest scores. They both had strong magical abilities.
Followed by Tia and Arianna. Janet and Linkea, of course, hadn’t even made the list.
“Does Hessia find me scary?”
“…”
Hessia, still lacking in the art of deception, was brutally honest. Tia was embarrassed.
“Oh dear, I shouldn’t have asked that.”
Tia always used polite language, even with children. She even used polite language with spirits.
She clapped her hands together to break the awkward silence.
“I brought you a present, Hessia!”
“A… present?”
“Yes, I hope you like it.”
Tia presented Hessia with a gift box. Hessia’s eyes widened.
“Hessia, what do you say when you receive a gift?”
Ethan reminded her, and Hessia smiled brightly.
“Thank you!”
“I hope you like it.”
Hessia opened the box excitedly. It was a dollhouse playset.
It wasn’t just a simple doll family. It was a two-story house with furniture and everything.
“Wow! It’s so pretty!”
“Fufu, do you like it?”
“Yeah! I love it! Thank you, Tia!”
Tia’s gift had instantly elevated her to the same level as Sepia and Tesha in Hessia’s ranking.
The current ranking was as follows:
Sepia = Tia = Tesha > Arianna > Janet = Linkea
Ethan and Tia smiled, pleased with Hessia’s reaction. Hessia played with the dolls.
“This is Ethan doll, and this is Tia doll!”
She called the daddy doll “Ethan” and the mommy doll “Tia.” She had received a present from Tia, so she was making a special exception.
“Who’s this doll?”
Tia pointed to the daughter doll.
“That’s Hessia, of course!”
“And this one?”
Tia pointed to the son doll.
“I’m still thinking about it.”
“What are you thinking about?”
“I’m trying to decide between Arthur and Lien! But I think I’ll go with Lien.”
The only male figures Hessia knew were Arthur and Lien. Tia chuckled.
“Tia, would you like some tea?”
“I’ll have coffee, please.”
Lien emerged from the kitchen, a frying pan in hand. He was wearing an apron over his black armor.
It looked surprisingly good on him.
“Long time no see, Lien.”
“It’s good to see you too, Tia. Would you like some pancakes with your tea?”
“Pancakes? I love pancakes!”
Coffee and pancakes. A perfect combination.
Lien cracked some eggs and started preparing the pancake batter. Tia smiled at the sight of him holding a whisk.
“Me too! I want pancakes too!”
Hessia shouted. She loved food. And Lien’s pancakes were her favorite.
‘They look like a family…’
Tia suddenly wished she were a part of it. She imagined herself wearing the apron, making pancakes with Ethan.
‘It would be nice to start the day with coffee and pancakes with you, Ethan…’
And Hessia. Lien brought out a tray of tea and pancakes. Hessia cheered.
The pancakes, drizzled with maple syrup, were warm and fluffy.
“Hessia happy! Lien’s pancakes are the best!”
Hessia stuffed her cheeks with pancakes, like a little hamster. Tia took a sip of her coffee, then spoke.
“Ethan, you were going to tell me about Arianna, right?”
“Ah, right. So, about Arianna…”
Ethan gave Tia a brief summary of the events that had transpired.
Arianna’s true identity, the reason she had been brainwashed, how Hessia had removed the Kodoku, and how he had raided the Black Brotherhood’s headquarters.
He reminded her to keep it a secret.
“I swear on the honor of the Erze Trading Company that I won’t tell anyone. But… you single-handedly raided their headquarters?”
“Well, I thought they might attack me if I didn’t.”
He hadn’t just raided their headquarters. He had also emptied their vault and resurrected the assassins with his necromancy. They were currently residing in his shadow.
But he didn’t mention that.
“That’s amazing… raiding their headquarters alone…”
“They’re assassins. They’re good at assassinations, but not so much at fighting.”
Ethan shrugged, as if it were nothing. But Tia, who was well-informed, knew how notorious the Black Brotherhood was.
‘Each member of the Black Brotherhood is as strong as a knight.’
And yet, Ethan was being so humble.
He was a true hero.
And he was also incredibly perceptive. He had suspected Arianna and launched a covert investigation.
‘Ethan… I admire you, and I love you…’
The doorbell rang. Ethan stood up and went to answer it.
“Who is it?”
“Dan-ah… It’s me.”
He recognized the voice instantly. It was Master Sylvia. No one else called him “Dan-ah.”
“Master?”
Ethan looked around nervously.
‘Master… why is she here?’
Lien’s demonic energy had faded over time. It was almost undetectable now.
But the resurrected assassins were hiding in his shadow.
He didn’t know much about dark magic. It would be a problem if Master sensed their demonic energy.
Thankfully, Hessia had said that she couldn’t sense any demonic energy from Ethan.
‘I’ve never seen you so flustered.’
Tia bit her lip. Ethan was clearly nervous. The woman at the door was Sylvia.
‘He’s probably nervous because of me…’
Ethan had invited her, a woman, to his apartment. It could cause a misunderstanding.
‘He wouldn’t be so nervous if he didn’t like Sylvia…’
Tia smiled faintly. If Sylvia was going to be Ethan’s first wife, she would settle for being his second.
This might even be a chance to earn some brownie points with Sylvia.
“Disciple, how long are you going to keep your master waiting outside…?”
“Master, I’ll be right there.”
He opened the door, and Sylvia stood there, just as he remembered her from the summer.
Her silver braid, her deep blue eyes, her usual attire… Everything suited her perfectly.
“Master, what brings you here…?”
“You haven’t contacted me, so I came to see you.”
Ethan tried to maintain a neutral expression, but he was clearly uncomfortable. Sylvia, with her sharp intuition, sensed his unease.
She looked at him intently.
“Is there someone else here?”
“Ah… yes! My classmate, Tia, is here.”
A girl with dark blue hair was sitting next to Tia. Hessia tensed up at the sight of the newcomer.
She always got nervous around strangers. And she had never met Sylvia before.
‘Ugh, another woman…’
Ethan was bringing another woman to his apartment.
“It seems I’ve come at a bad time…”
“Not at all, Master. Please come in.”
Ethan ushered Sylvia inside. Tia and Sylvia knew each other.
Tia had been the drunken Hero Candidate at the social gathering.
A little girl, Tia, and a flustered Ethan. It was a recipe for misunderstandings.
‘Is Tia his girlfriend…? Then who’s the child?’
Sylvia was a Neydia graduate herself. She remembered a few classmates who had gotten married and started families while attending the academy.
Her disciple was also at that age. It wouldn’t be strange if he had a girlfriend. He was a mysterious young man, after all.
And if he had a daughter, it would just be another one of his secrets. He had no family.
Which meant the little girl wasn’t likely to be his cousin. And Tia was an only child. The girl wasn’t Tia’s sister.
Was she Tia’s cousin? But why would she bring her cousin to a friend’s apartment?
She reached a conclusion.
‘He has a lot of secrets, but… a child? That’s a bit much, isn’t it, Ethan…?’
She felt a pang of disappointment. He was her disciple, but it was still a little hurtful that he had kept such a big secret from her.
“It seems I should leave.”
“No, Master, please stay. I should have visited you… Would you like some tea?”
“Dan-ah, who is this child?”
Sylvia asked casually. She could accept the fact that her disciple had a child. But she couldn’t help but feel a little hurt.
‘Why… why do I feel so disappointed?’
Her words to Ethan in Linchester had been a unilateral declaration.
‘Become stronger, Ethan. Strong enough to take me within three years.’
He must have laughed at her. She felt embarrassed now.
She had essentially said she would be his second wife if he already had someone else.
Thankfully, she had added,
‘And if you find someone you truly love during that time… I’ll understand. Live your life as you please, and don’t overthink my words.’
Ethan glanced at Hessia, then smiled awkwardly. He might be married with a child, but he was still her disciple.
“Master, I have something to tell you about this child. Lien, would you prepare some tea for Master?”
Sylvia sat down reluctantly. Lien, wearing an apron, emerged from the kitchen.
A Chaos Knight in an apron.
It looked surprisingly good on him, even to Sylvia.
“So, Dan-ah, who is this child?”
“This is Hessia. Hessia, say hello to my master.”
“Hello…”
Hessia bowed politely.
Ethan, to avoid any misunderstandings, explained the situation.
He told her that Hessia was an Indigo Dragon hatchling, and he explained what had happened in August.
By the time he finished, the tea Lien had brought was cold.
“I almost misunderstood. I thought you two were living together.”
“L-living together?”
Ethan and Tia were flustered. Sylvia’s usual calm demeanor made it difficult to tell if she was joking or not.
“Hessiater? You named her in Elvish? That’s a nice name, Ethan.”
“Yeah! I’m Hessiater! But Ethan didn’t choose my name!”
“Then who did?”
Hessia pointed at Tia. Tia sipped her tea, smiling.
She was trying to figure out how to impress Sylvia.
“Tia Erze.”
“Y-yes, Professor Sylvia.”
“It’s been a while. I haven’t seen you since the social gathering.”
Tia blushed, remembering her drunken antics at the social gathering.
Ethan, meanwhile, was nervously glancing at Sylvia, wondering if she could sense Lien’s demonic energy.
Thankfully, she didn’t seem to notice anything.
“So, what’s your relationship with Ethan? Are you two… dating?”
Sylvia looked at Tia intently. Tia, sensing her gaze, quickly replied.
“No! We’re just… friends…”
She loved him. She forced herself to swallow the words.
“I see.”
Sylvia’s tone was indifferent, but she was relieved. She wasn’t sure if she could have remained calm if Tia had been Ethan’s girlfriend.
“Professor Sylvia…”
“Yes?”
Tia glanced at Ethan. She wanted to ask Sylvia about the rumors of a marriage proposal between her and Ethan.
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