Chapter 82: How Much Stronger Has He Become

The next day, at the Nocturne Mansion, everyone in the household had gathered neatly in front of the gate, as if they were waiting for someone’s arrival.

And yeah, they really were.

"The Head of the Nocturne Family, Marquis Nocturne, has returned from the battlefield with victory!"

One of the soldiers standing tall in full armor with a spear in his right hand started shouting.

His voice immediately echoed through the whole area. Even some people who weren’t part of the gathering, like the common folk, ended up stopping in their tracks just to watch Arhan’s return.

Some felt proud of Arhan’s achievement. But there were also a few who still questioned the condition of Evelyn and Elysia’s Caretaker.

"I heard that Caretaker even lost his left arm protecting the Ladies."

"They say he held his ground against two enemies stronger than him and managed to leave deep wounds on their bodies."

"Seriously?!"

"Tch... You guys are exaggerating way too much. He’s not that strong, he just got lucky."

"Just admit you’re jealous."

"I-I’m not jealous!"

The rumor about a new Caretaker who managed to bring back a miracle medicine called Heartbloom had already spread across the entire empire without Elias knowing.

If anyone asked who spread it, the answer was no one. The thing is, no matter how hard someone tries to keep a secret, eventually that secret can get out and stop being a secret.

Or maybe, someone really did spread it.

’Elias! You’re going to be famous across the entire empire!’

Inside, Seraphina was smiling enthusiastically while clenching both fists in front of her chest.

"You seem to be in a good mood."

Hearing a woman’s voice from behind her, Seraphina immediately turned around and found Valeria standing there, staring at her.

"Auntie!"

Seraphina reflexively hugged Valeria tightly while smiling brightly.

Valeria, already used to being hugged by Seraphina, could only let out a small huff before returning the hug.

"Every time we meet or pass by each other, you always hug me. Don’t you ever get tired of it?"

Seraphina pulled her face back slightly to look up at Valeria.

"How could I ever get tired of it! If anything, I still really miss this feeling. For ten years, I couldn’t hug you this tightly because of your illness. So now that you’re healthy, just let me hug you as much as I want."

Hearing Seraphina’s words, Valeria’s heart was a little touched. She paused for a moment before finally returning the smile while patting Seraphina’s head.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you want."

After getting permission, Seraphina immediately tightened her hug. Well, even though she didn’t actually need permission to do it.

Once she felt satisfied, Seraphina released the hug and looked at Valeria’s face.

"Where are you going, Auntie?"

"Me? I just wanted to wait for your uncle to come home outside. While taking a morning walk too. Ever since I got sick, I’ve realized a healthy body really is the best!"

"Then I’m coming with you!"

Seraphina immediately hugged Valeria’s arm without waiting for an answer on whether she was allowed to come or not. But seeing Valeria didn’t show any objection at all, it seemed the woman really didn’t mind.

The two of them then walked down the Mansion hallway before finally going outside and strolling around the garden.

While in the garden, Seraphina stopped because she was drawn to one of the flowers growing there.

Seeing Seraphina stop, Valeria also stopped walking. She breathed in the scent of the blooming flowers while enjoying the warmth of the morning sunlight with her eyes closed.

"Auntie, how are Evelyn and Elysia doing?"

Hearing that question, Valeria immediately opened her eyes and glanced at Seraphina, who was still touching the flower in front of her.

"They’ve only been gone a few days, and you’re already asking about them?"

"What can I do, I’m jealous of them for getting to vacation in Elias’s village. Meanwhile, I’m..."

Seraphina paused for a moment before standing up and pointing at herself.

"I’m being told by my father to stay home and study noble etiquette, even though I already know it! It’s so annoying."

She immediately huffed at the memory of having to study noble etiquette. It did sound incredibly boring to have to study something you’d already mastered.

But the reason Aurelle told her daughter to study etiquette she’d already mastered was so Seraphina would get used to applying it anywhere and anytime.

Seraphina didn’t know that, but Valeria clearly understood Aurelle’s intention.

"This morning, Alistair sent me a letter. He told me everything they’ve been doing while in the village."

Hearing that, Seraphina’s face, which had looked annoyed, immediately brightened. Her eyes even sparkled with curiosity.

"Tell me everything!"

Seeing Seraphina’s over-the-top reaction, Valeria could only let out a small sigh.

’This girl will probably regret it after hearing this.’

"Evelyn and Elysia were welcomed warmly there. Then the two of them were invited to harvest potatoes with the villagers and even Elias’s little sister."

Hearing that Elias had a little sister, Seraphina was a little surprised. She immediately held her chin while looking up, as if she was thinking.

"Eh? I didn’t know Elias had a little sister. Or did I forget?"

Valeria didn’t pay much attention to Seraphina’s comment and chose to continue her story.

"Then Evelyn and Elysia soaked in a hot spring bathhouse with Elias’s sister. They even discovered something new in that bathhouse."

"Ah~ that’s boring. Isn’t there anything else interesting?"

Hearing Seraphina say that, Valeria could only smile faintly before continuing to walk.

"That night, the villagers threw a seventeenth birthday party for Elias’s sister. The man used a magic to write giant letters in the sky. They say the view was incredibly beautiful.

"Then, after the surprise was over and the party was about to start, there was a little scuffle between villagers, but nothing serious. They also roasted a two-tailed brown bear the size of a house. After that, the villagers had a drinking contest, the men who hunted held entertainment like wrestling, and even Evelyn and Elysia were taught how to cook recipes from Valebrook village."

When Valeria turned to look at Seraphina, she found the girl already lying on the ground with her body trembling.

*Hic!

"Waaa~! Why didn’t I get to go?! I’m so jealous! Waaa~!"

"La-Lady... Please calm down. Don’t cry like that."

When a maid tried to calm Seraphina down, instead of calming down, her crying just got worse.

That surprised the maid and made her even more confused.

"Waaaa~! This isn’t fair! I hate Dad!"

Seeing her niece’s antics, Valeria could only let out a small sigh with a smile.

"I feel a little guilty for telling her."

* * *

In Valebrook village, Elias was currently holding his sword and pointing it at Randolf, who was standing a few steps in front of him.

"Let’s see if your skills have decreased from losing an arm or actually improved."

"Uncle shouldn’t plant his sword in the ground. I’m afraid Uncle won’t be able to block or dodge it."

"Haha! This kid sure knows how to be cocky now."

Elias then wrapped his body in sky-blue energy.

Seeing Elias wrapping his body in energy, Randolf smiled slightly while nodding and stroking his beard.

"Hoo~ not bad."

On the other side, Mira, Evelyn, and Elysia were watching the two of them while eating sweet potatoes Mira had just roasted.

A few times Elysia got burned trying to eat hers. Well, it was probably her first time eating something like that.

Realizing her sister was struggling, Evelyn gave Elysia her own potato, already peeled and not too hot.

Elysia stared at the potato for a moment before accepting it. In return, she gave her own potato to Evelyn.

"Thank you."

Evelyn, hearing that, immediately smiled gently before pointing at her own cheek.

Elysia, seeing her sister’s behavior, could only sigh in resignation. But in the end, she still did it.

*Chu~

"Hehe..."

Evelyn laughed softly as her cheek was kissed by her sister.

On the other side, Mira was just staring at her brother’s missing arm. The sight still felt sad to her.

"He must have trouble doing some things."

"!!!"

"..."

Realizing Mira was talking about Elias’s arm, Evelyn and Elysia felt bad again. Both their faces immediately turned gloomy.

Mira, realizing her words had made the two girls gloomy, immediately tried to explain with sweat pouring down her face.

"I didn’t mean it like that! I know you two must be sad about it too! I’ve already accepted it, so don’t worry!"

Hearing Mira speak in a high pitch and fast tempo, Evelyn and Elysia exchanged glances for a moment. Evelyn then let out a sigh of relief, while Elysia went back to eating the potato in her hand.

*Boom!

The sound of a loud explosion suddenly came from Elias and Randolf’s direction as their swords clashed.

"Hoo~ you’ve improved here."

Elias smirked slightly at Randolf’s words.

"Of course. I trained hard to get used to fighting with one arm."

"Good, good! But..."

Suddenly, a light gray energy appeared from within Randolf’s body and started wrapping around his sword.

"This still isn’t enough."

Randolf immediately pushed Elias back hard. Elias was pushed back a few steps but quickly managed to regain his balance.

Elias immediately shot toward Randolf with mana already coating his legs.

Seeing Elias running straight at him, Randolf could only laugh because he thought the move was way too easy to read.

But instead of countering, Randolf just let Elias get closer while wrapping his sword with his energy.

Not wanting to be outdone, Elias immediately wrapped his sword in sky-blue energy. He also increased his running speed.

*Whoosh!

"You want to clash energy with me head-on? Alright! I’ll accept your challenge!"

When his sword was within range, Elias immediately slashed at Randolf with everything he had, with blazing sky-blue energy along the blade.

Not wanting to be outdone, Randolf met Elias’s slash with his own energy-filled sword.

*Boom!

When the two blades met, an explosion accompanied by a shockwave immediately spread in every direction. Elias’s and Randolf’s energy was still blazing between the two swords.

Mira reflexively covered her eyes from the strong shockwave and flying dust. But she was genuinely shocked to see her brother’s current strength.

"The improvement is way too big. Is big bro really that talented?"

* * *