Chapter 120: A Warm Welcome

Chapter 120: Chapter 120: A Warm Welcome

"We’re done."

Damon’s shoulders finally dropped.

The spirits had pushed themselves just as hard.

Damon could feel it through their bonds.

He immediately recalled them.

"Good work."

Freya returned to her small fox form.

Damon reached down and rubbed her head.

"You were great."

Freya happily leaned into his hand.

Sylphie returned next.

Damon smiled as he gently touched her.

"You too."

Then he looked toward Shiro.

The Frost Qilin stood there quietly.

This had been his first real battle.

Damon crouched.

"You did really well."

Shiro immediately moved closer.

Damon patted his head.

"And you get to rest too."

The three spirits entered his second core.

The moment Shiro entered, Damon felt something strange.

He focused inward.

His second core had changed.

The structure had expanded slightly, and the flow of Aether had adjusted around the new presence.

It was as though the core itself had changed when Shiro was contracted.

Damon stared at it.

"So you really did make room for him."

The second core had adapted from the moment Shiro joined.

The three spirits could now rest inside without the strain Damon had expected.

He smiled.

"Good."

For a moment, he simply stood there.

His body was exhausted.

His Aether reserves were almost completely drained.

Even his spirits had pushed themselves hard.

But the battle was over.

They had won.

Damon was still looking inward when he suddenly felt something hit him.

Arms wrapped around him.

He froze.

"What...?"

Caelia had thrown her arms around him.

Damon stood completely still.

He hadn’t expected that.

Not from her.

Not like this.

Caelia was exhausted too.

Her clothes were covered in dust and frost, and her breathing was still uneven from the battle.

Yet she was smiling.

Tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Thank you."

Damon blinked.

"For what?"

"For everything."

Her voice shook.

"You saved me. You protected my family. You kept fighting when all of us thought you were being buried under that tide."

Damon didn’t know what to say.

So he simply raised his arms and returned the hug.

"It’s fine."

Caelia shook her head.

"No, it isn’t."

She tightened her arms around him.

"You did too much."

Damon smiled.

"I had help."

"Still."

She didn’t let go.

Damon’s smile slowly disappeared.

He was starting to discover a problem. The hug was getting tighter.

He tried to speak.

"Caelia..."

"Yes?"

"Can you loosen your arms a little?"

She didn’t seem to hear him.

"Caelia."

Nothing.

Damon’s face changed.

"I can’t breathe."

She finally froze.

Her eyes widened and she quickly pulled away.

"I..."

Her face turned red.

Damon took a deep breath.

"Much better."

Caelia looked away, embarrassed.

"I was just happy."

"I noticed."

She glanced back at him.

Then she smiled again.

"Thank you, Damon."

This time, he simply nodded.

"You’re welcome."

They stood there for another moment.

The battlefield around them was finally quiet.

The Winterbourne party had survived.

The beast tide was gone.

And the enemy’s carefully prepared plan had collapsed.

Damon looked toward the mansion.

"Let’s head back."

Caelia nodded.

"Yeah."

They began walking together.

Damon took a quick sip from the potion he had kept with him.

It wasn’t enough to completely recover him, but it helped.

His body felt a little better by the time they reached the mansion.

Then he stopped.

The entire entrance was crowded.

Guards stood outside.

Elemental users stood with them, along with servants, researchers, and even people who normally had nothing to do with fighting.

They were all waiting.

For them.

Damon blinked.

"What is this?"

Caelia looked ahead and smiled.

"They’re welcoming us back."

The moment they stepped closer, the crowd erupted.

"Caelia!"

"Lady Caelia!"

"Winterbourne’s pride!"

"Long live Lady Caelia!"

Caelia’s expression changed immediately.

She hadn’t expected this either.

She raised her hand and waved.

The crowd became even louder.

Damon watched her for a moment.

He remembered the girl he had met when she was challenging the guardian inside the Birthground.

Since then, he had seen how much she carried.

Her family.

Her people.

The responsibility of being their genius.

Even during the battle, she had kept thinking about everyone else.

Seeing her standing there now, surrounded by people celebrating her, Damon felt genuinely happy for her.

She deserved it.

He reached over and gave her shoulder a small squeeze.

"Go on."

Caelia looked at him.

"What?"

"They’re waiting for you."

She smiled.

Then she stepped forward and waved properly.

The cheers grew louder.

Damon smiled.

It suited her.

She had earned it.

But the crowd wasn’t done.

A new chant suddenly rose.

"Cornelius!"

"Family Head Cornelius!"

"Winterbourne’s Shield!"

"Winterbourne’s strongest!"

The chant spread through the crowd.

Cornelius had led them through the entire crisis.

He had remained at the front when things became dangerous, and he had personally joined the battle instead of staying safely behind the mansion walls.

The people knew that.

"Winterbourne stands because of you!"

"Long live Lord Cornelius!"

Cornelius simply waved.

He was clearly more used to this than Caelia.

Then he continued toward the mansion.

Damon followed.

The closer they got to the entrance, the louder the crowd became.

Then another chant started.

"Damon!"

Damon stopped.

"...Me?"

The people laughed.

"Damon!"

"Lord Damon!"

"Thank you, Damon!"

"You saved Winterbourne!"

Damon looked around.

For some reason, this felt different.

He hadn’t expected it.

He raised his hand and waved back, copying what everyone else had been doing.

"Thank you."

That only made them louder.

Caelia joined in.

"Damon!"

She smiled at him as she clapped.

The young geniuses around them joined as well.

Even the elemental users who had joined in the party raised their voices.

Damon laughed quietly.

"This is actually nice."

Cornelius had already reached the entrance, but he turned back.

He looked at Damon.

Then he nodded as he clapped his hands a few times.

Damon smiled and nodded back.

Caelia stepped closer.

She had to raise her voice over the cheers.

"Thank you, Damon."

Damon shook his head.

"You’ve said that already."

"I’ll say it again."

She smiled.

"Thank you."

Damon sighed.

"Alright. You’re welcome."