205 – Pierce estate

"Let's go to Sister Brunhild’s house," Livy urged.         

Brunhild agreed with a smile, and then asked Eric while also indirectly informing the three, "Brother Eric, is it alright to hire a carriage? Due to the rules, we cannot run at full speed and also cannot step on others' houses and buildings. The northern region is quite far from here, and if we walk, it might take us over a day to reach."

"Oh... Then let's take a carriage," Eric agreed, but he was frustrated inside.

Who the hell created those rules?!

He thought he could finally enjoy stepping on people's prized houses while speeding away like some fictional martial artists from Earth, but now he had to travel like Peter Parker!

Brunhild turned to glare at Caius and barked, "Just why are you following us? Go report back to the Adventurers Guild." She then waved her hand, "Don't worry, I will send word to your family of your safe return."

Caius nodded calmly at that. Even though he didn't care for most of his family members, some would definitely worry for him; it was better to inform them that he had safely returned.

He turned and disappeared down another street.

Brunhild took everyone to a different street and hired a carriage.

Livy checked the two horses of the carriage and casually remarked with disappointment, “These horses are not as good-looking as the ones we came with.”

Livy’s words immediately garnered a harsh glare from the driver, but after seeing Livy’s foreign and absolutely stunning face, he went into a daze and couldn't retort with any harsh words.

Brunhild smiled and explained, “Animal handlers' animals are very special and well-trained. Even my or Caius’s family horses couldn’t match them, so when leaving the city we often just borrow them.”

Following that, the trio along with Brunhild, Garrick, and Eilif boarded the carriage and set off towards the North.

Along the way, they casually chatted. Brunhild took the opportunity to introduce many popular places in the city to the trio, including the norms and rules of the city, how it functioned, and so on. The three country bumpkins listened attentively.

The carriage was fairly fast and the roads were broader, so they all managed to arrive at Brunhild's house within a few hours.

Brunhild's family's workers and servants rushed out to greet her and also paid the carriage driver.

Garrick and Eilif pointed towards a direction where tall walls were covering and hiding whatever they were trying to show. They laughed awkwardly, "In that direction is our home. We shall take our leave and try to tally our money to see if we can purchase Tier 1 weapons. See you later, Brother Eric, Sister Lyria, and Livy."

Eric and the others nodded and waved them off.

Eric then turned and observed the tall walls and the gate of Brunhild's house. He commented in an amazed tone, "So, this is your home, huh... Truly a wealthy princess, aren't you?"

The huge wooden gate was thick and intricately designed. The tall walls ran on both sides for an almost endless length. They couldn't even see the corners of the walls from where they stood.

Brunhild nodded with embarrassment. She then pointed towards a few other directions, "That way is Thorne's, and that way is Elianor’s house. Also, that tall building you can see is Caius's."

The houses themselves were not even visible as the tall walls and roadside trees blocked the view, but the street was mostly empty.

Unlike the eastern gate from where they had entered, the northern region was much cleaner, organized, and far less populated. Eric could see this northern section of Batley City was only for wealthy and noble families.

Caius's house some distance away stood out among the other houses; it was probably the only house which was taller than the walls and was visible even from their location.

Brunhild called over a servant and told him to send a message of Caius's safe return to his family. She then invited Eric, Lyria, and Livy inside her manor.

As they entered, the three tall villagers were amazed. The entire compound of Brunhild's family was so enormous that it seemed almost endless. There was a beautiful garden in front of them and various old-style wooden buildings spread out, but a large one stood right in front of them, just beyond the garden.

They arrived in front of the decorated large building, which was probably the main house—a three-storey edifice that stretched out in both directions, hinting at its vast network of interconnected rooms and corridors.

"This is the main building, and there are several smaller ones within the estate," Brunhild introduced and then muttered to herself, "My father might not have returned, but my mother should still be around."

After entering the building, Eric suddenly inquired, "Sister Brunhild, is there any large lake nearby?"

Brunhild stared blankly at the abrupt question. Just how did a ‘lake’ suddenly enter their conversation? Did he want to swim?

Lyria, hearing the unexpected question behind them, also became confused, but quickly figured out a possible reason and didn't say anything. Livy, meanwhile, didn't think much of it as she was busy marveling at the exquisite paintings on the walls of the corridor.

Brunhild smiled and responded, "There are multiple ponds to swim in..."

Before Brunhild could continue, Eric shook his head, "That’s not what I meant. I just want to ask as a precaution."

Brunhild was even more bewildered. Just what precaution would require a lake?

But she didn't question it and thought for a little while. After a moment, she said, "Around 10 miles southwest of here, there is a large lake just beside the Adventurers Guild. There are other smaller lakes in other directions, but I am not entirely sure which is closer or further."

Eric acknowledged her words and didn’t say anything else.

They soon entered a refined, well-decorated living room.

While Eric, Lyria, and Livy were admiring the wealthy people's aesthetics and comparing them with what they had inside their tents, a mature, beautiful woman suddenly barged into the room. She lunged at Brunhild, hugged her tightly, and then started wailing like a child.

The woman had some resemblance to Brunhild, but had black hair unlike the chestnut hair of Brunhild. She was wearing an elegant ensemble that combined both comfort and refinement. It seemed to be made from some luxurious fabric, possibly high-quality silk. The colors were rich and deep, in shades of emerald.

"Uwaa... I-I thought I lost you, my one and only daughter. They say that everyone who left the city last month has died. Thank god you are safe and back!" The mature woman whined.

"M-mom, please s-stop, we have guests!" Brunhild tried to escape the clutch of her mother, but she was grabbing her too tightly, so in the end, she gave up and pleaded by providing a proper reason.

The woman sniffed and eventually parted from Brunhild; while wiping her tears, she agreed, "A-alright, we will continue when we are alone."

Brunhild, Eric, Lyria, and Livy were left speechless.

Brunhild wanted to howl that she was over 30 years old and shouldn't be treated like a child anymore. But to save face, she quickly switched the topic, "M-mother, these three are my friends that we made while we were outside this time. Only thanks to them did we survive the ambush of a powerful necromancer group."

Brunhild's mother, Marabeth Pierce, stared at Eric, Lyria, and Livy with some doubt, but soon she was amazed.

All three were in a class of their own in appearance, and the two girls were not only taller than her, but even had more 'assets' than her!

For the first time, she felt absolutely crushed by the younger generation in terms of body figure.

Indeed, they seemed extraordinary!

Also, their bright, expensive-looking eyes, along with their facial features and figures, all suggested that these three were not from the Silvia Kingdom, nor even from the neighboring kingdoms. She was quite knowledgeable about these things.

All that surprised her greatly, but from her observation, they seemed to be just children with only a Rank 1 spiritual base, perhaps between the ages of 15 to 17 at most. So, how strong could they be?

"A powerful necromancer group you say... they are just Rank 1, though," Marabeth couldn't help but voice aloud.

Brunhild gave her mother a harsh glare and heavily emphasized, “They are all very powerful!”

Marabeth casually nodded to appease her daughter and didn't argue; however, she didn’t believe it one bit. Even if the three were very powerful compared to an average Rank 1, they were still miles behind her sweet daughter Brunhild, who was already at the late stage of Rank 2!

Marabeth believed that Brunhild just wanted to say that these three had surprised the necromancers with their above-average strength for Rank 1, and that led her and her companions to kill their enemies.

Brunhild ignored her mother's thoughts and proceeded to introduce them to each other.

"This is Eric, and this is Lyria and Livy." She then pointed at Marabeth and introduced, "This is my mother—Marabeth Pierce. Just call her Aunty."

Aunty Marabeth felt as if someone had stabbed her in the back with a dagger. She looked at her daughter with deep pain in her eyes, but then suddenly grew suspicious. She thought that perhaps Brunhild was targeting the boy and was trying to safeguard him by making her an Aunty.

She felt she was correct and thought that, though this was a happy occasion, as long as Brunhild wasn't targeting the girls, everything was fine. The boy was absolutely handsome both in looks and form.

Marabeth smiled at the three who were taller than her and said in a welcoming tone, "Please make yourselves comfortable. I will get three rooms ready. Food is always available, so whenever you like, just ask any servant here and they will guide you to the dining room."

Eric, Lyria, and Livy returned the smile and thanked her politely.

Eric was actually amazed internally. He couldn’t estimate Marabeth's age, but she looked no older than 25 or 30 years old, almost like an elder sister to Brunhild from every angle, except for her demeanor, which suggested she was experienced. Other than that, she was at the early stage of Rank 3, possibly a Warrior.

There was also an old man dressed in a butler suit standing near the door from where Marabeth had entered. He was silently scrutinizing the three without any expression on his face.

Eric could tell this old man was quite strong, possibly at the late stage of a Rank 3 Warrior.

At this moment, Brunhild interrupted. "They will live in the northern guest house. I will take them there now." Her tone was uncompromising.

Marabeth was surprised. The northern guest house was the best guest house available within the entire Pierce estate. Only special guests were received there.

She didn't argue; she was already very relieved and happy seeing Brunhild back alive. Brunhild could do what she liked; in any case, no one had been living in that house for a while now, so it didn’t matter.

Brunhild continued, "We are all very tired and require rest. After that, Brother Eric will leave temporarily with Caius for some business. Just inform the workers and others not to bother them. I am warning you again: they are all very strong and don’t take provocation kindly!"

Eric, Lyria, and Livy smiled ruefully.

They were not an impatient or short-tempered bunch, and it was not like they couldn’t handle rude people without violence. They were all brought up in Ringwood Town, where people always made rude remarks casually, so they were already experts at dealing with it. Nevertheless, it was a very welcoming and preferable scenario if no one disturbed them, as they would only stay for a week at most.

Brunhild didn’t say anything more and took Eric, Lyria, and Livy toward the stables.