Chapter 82: A Simple Request

Chapter 82: Chapter 82: A Simple Request

Why am I more nervous about this than the meeting?

He glanced at her.

Caelia was walking calmly beside him, her white hair moving slightly with each step.

Damon quickly looked forward again.

Right. That’s why.

Caelia noticed the slight movement from the corner of her eye but didn’t say anything.

She was actually thinking about something else.

Every now and then, the events from yesterday came back to her.

The Frostfang Tyrant.

Her injuries.

Damon carrying her away.

And then...

She remembered what he had done to save her.

Her cheeks warmed.

Caelia quickly looked ahead.

Don’t think about it.

She had already thanked him.

There was no reason to keep dwelling on it.

"We’re close," she said.

Damon nodded.

"I noticed."

He straightened his clothes almost immediately.

His shoulders relaxed into a more natural posture, and his expression became calm and confident.

Caelia glanced at him and smiled slightly.

"You don’t have to look so serious."

"I’m meeting your father."

"He won’t bite."

Damon looked at her.

"That’s exactly what someone would say before something goes wrong."

Caelia paused.

Then she laughed softly.

Soon they reached the entrance.

Two guards stood on either side of the large doors. They immediately bowed when Caelia approached.

"Lady Caelia."

She nodded.

The doors opened.

Damon followed her inside.

The atmosphere changed instantly.

The hall was large and quiet, with several people seated around the room. Most of them were elders of the Winterbourne family.

Every gaze turned toward him.

Damon didn’t stop.

He calmly walked beside Caelia while the elders studied him.

They had already heard the reports.

The stranger who arrived with Caelia.

The man who had fought through the beast horde.

The man who had killed countless ice beasts alone.

Some of them had even heard about the A Rank Frostfang Tyrant.

Seeing him in person was different.

He looked young.

Too young for the strength they had been told about.

Damon casually looked around the room before his eyes settled on the man seated at the center.

That had to be him.

The family head.

Damon stepped forward and gave a slight bow.

"Greetings. My name is Damon Calloway. It is a pleasure to—"

"You don’t need to be so formal."

Damon stopped.

The man had already stood.

The elders looked surprised.

Even Caelia seemed caught off guard.

The man walked toward Damon without hesitation.

"I am Cornelius Winterbourne."

His expression was serious, but there was something else in his eyes.

Relief.

And gratitude.

"Thank you."

Damon blinked.

Cornelius continued.

"You saved my daughter."

His voice became quieter.

"I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t arrived when you did."

Caelia lowered her eyes.

She wasn’t used to seeing her father speak like this in front of others.

Cornelius wasn’t speaking as the head of the Winterbourne family.

He was speaking as a father.

A father who had nearly lost his daughter.

Damon understood that immediately.

"You don’t have to thank me that much."

He smiled.

"I was there, and I had the ability to help. So I helped."

Cornelius stared at him for a moment.

"You also stayed."

Damon didn’t answer.

"You could have saved Caelia and left. Instead, you fought for my family."

"I had my reasons."

That was true.

Damon had wanted to explore the Distorted Zone.

The mysterious passage.

The strange connection between everything.

And now he had even more questions than before.

Still, he wasn’t going to pretend he had sacrificed himself for some noble reason.

Cornelius seemed to understand.

"Whatever your reasons were, my family benefited from them."

He returned to his seat.

"And Winterbourne does not forget a debt."

Damon’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Now they were getting to the real conversation.

Cornelius raised a hand.

A servant immediately stepped forward with a small storage box.

"We are not in the best position to offer much right now," Cornelius said. "But I can still offer you wealth, Aether crystals, resources, and a place within the Winterbourne family if you are willing to accept it."

A few elders nodded.

It was a generous offer.

Damon could tell immediately.

But he also understood something else.

The family was struggling.

Their resources had clearly been drained by the constant attacks.

And as an Ice elemental family, many of their resources came from the very Distorted Zone that was currently causing them so much trouble.

Ice beast cores.

Ice elemental materials.

Aether crystals.

Normally, they could exchange those resources for what they needed.

Now they were spending more than they could recover.

Damon looked at the storage box.

"Thank you."

Cornelius waited.

"But I don’t want those."

The hall became quiet.

One of the elders frowned.

Damon continued before anyone could misunderstand.

"I don’t need a position in the Winterbourne family either."

He looked directly at Cornelius.

"What I want is much simpler."

Caelia’s expression changed.

She already had a bad feeling.

Damon calmly spoke.

"I want temporary access to your Ice Birthground."

Silence.

Complete silence.

Even the guards outside seemed too far away to hear.

Caelia stared at him.

"...What?"

Damon looked at her.

"You heard me."

She did.

That was the problem.

Caelia had lived in the Winterbourne family her entire life.

She knew exactly what the Birthground meant.

It wasn’t simply another training area.

It was one of the most important foundations of the family.

The elders reacted almost immediately.

"What?"

"Impossible."

"He saved us, but that request is unreasonable."

"He wants access to the Birthground?"

Damon remained calm.

He had expected this.

He understood how valuable a Birthground was.

He also understood why the other families in the city were so interested in the Winterbourne family’s situation.

The Birthground was part of the reason the Winterbourne family had remained powerful.

It was also part of the reason others were willing to watch them struggle.

Damon wasn’t asking for ownership.

He wasn’t asking to take anything away.

He wanted temporary access.

But he knew it was still a big request.

Caelia looked at him carefully.

"You know what you’re asking for, right?"

"Yes."

"And you still want it?"

"Yes."