Chapter 343: Bidding Farewell to the Family

Solomon placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "My family will take care of you. You do not need to worry about anything. Just listen to what they tell you. If they ask you to stop doing something, you need to stop immediately. Only do things around the house when they specifically ask for your help. You can try to assist them with chores, but you should not force your help on them if they say they have it handled."

He gave her a few more basic, foundational pieces of advice. "Do not use your superhuman strength to open jars or doors, because you will break them. Do not jump over the house to get to the backyard... just use the gate. And if someone makes you angry, please do not punch them through a wall. Unless they draw a weapon against you or any family members, you are not allowed to kill them."

He offered a warm, trusting smile. "Take care of my family, Iris. Protect them for me."

Iris looked up into his silver eyes. The sadness slowly faded from her expression. She offered a small smile and nodded.

Solomon smiled back.

Suddenly, Iris stepped forward, got up on her tiptoes, and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, pulling him into a firm hug.

Solomon was surprised by the sudden physical affection, but he gently wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back.

"I saw this interaction in one of the videos," Iris murmured against his shoulder. "The video stated that this is how normal people say goodbye to each other."

"That is correct," Solomon agreed, patting her back. He raised an eyebrow, mentally reviewing the playlist he had curated. ’Wait. I do not remember adding any videos about hugging or emotional farewells to that playlist.’

Before they could part from the embrace, Iris tilted her face upward and pressed her lips directly against his.

It was an incredibly awkward, clumsy kiss, lacking any real romantic technique, but the sudden action completely shocked Solomon.

She pulled back and offered a satisfied nod. "I saw this action in a video, too."

Solomon hastily placed his hands on her shoulders, gently but firmly pushing her back to a respectful distance. "Okay, wait. That is not how normal people say goodbye to their friends. You cannot just do that to anyone else you meet."

Iris nodded obediently. "I understand. I will only do this to you, then."

"No, that is not what I meant—" Solomon tried to correct her flawed logic, but it was completely useless. She had already made up her mind.

Solomon rubbed his temples, letting out a defeated sigh. ’She has literally only spent two days on the unrestricted internet, and she is already learning incredibly weird, degenerate things,’ he cursed inwardly. ’The internet is dangerous indeed.’

They walked back to the house. The private cab had already arrived and was idling in the driveway. Johan had finished loading all the heavy bags of snacks and supplies into the trunk.

Balzac was already sitting comfortably in the backseat, his sleeping mask pulled down over his eyes.

Solomon walked up to his father and pulled him into a tight hug.

"You did an incredible job, Solomon," Johan said, his voice thick with emotion as he patted his son’s back. "You saved our home, our livelihood, and you lifted a burden I thought would crush us forever. I am so unbelievably proud of the man you are becoming."

"I told you I would take care of it, Dad," Solomon replied, pulling back with a warm smile. "You do not have to worry about corrupt guilds or loan sharks ever again. Just focus on running the diner and taking care of the family."

He turned to Elara and hugged her tightly.

"Please be careful out there, Solomon," Elara whispered, gently caressing his cheek as tears welled in her eyes. "I know you are strong, but the world is so dangerous. Do not take unnecessary risks. Remember that we are always waiting for you to come home."

"I will be careful, Mom," Solomon promised, wiping a tear from her cheek. "Although I never do anything stupid, I will keep that in mind. And thank you for the food. I will make sure the Professor shares the snacks."

He then moved to Jasmine, who was standing with her arms crossed, still trying to look slightly annoyed about the stolen clothes.

"Listen to me, Jas," Solomon said, poking her gently on the forehead. "Do not cause trouble while I am gone. Do not sneak out, do not talk to strangers, and for the love of God, please remember to lock the front door."

Jasmine giggled and swatted his hand away. "I know, I know! You are so bossy! Just make sure you do not get beaten up by any more princesses while you are at the academy!"

Solomon ruffled her blue twin tails, laughing. "I will try my best to avoid them."

He crouched down and gave Barbaros a vigorous petting. The dog barked happily, licking Solomon’s face and wagging his tail.

Solomon stood up and noticed Iris standing in line next to Jasmine. She had inexplicably joined the farewell queue, even though Solomon had literally just finished a long, private conversation with her.

"I already told you everything you need to know," Solomon chuckled, shaking his head. "Just take care of yourself, protect my family, and please, do not listen to Jasmine when she tries to pull pranks. Stop her from doing stupid things."

He turned to his parents. "Please take good care of her."

Johan offered a reassuring nod. "The Professor already explained her situation to us while you were gone. You do not need to worry, Solomon. We will treat her exactly like she is our own daughter. We will enroll her in the school, set up some training classes for her, and help her adjust to a normal life."

Solomon appreciated the gesture immensely. He glanced through the cab window at the ’sleeping’ professor, silently thanking Balzac for smoothing over the complicated backstory.

"When will you be able to visit us again?" Elara asked, holding her husband’s hand.

"I will be returning to the Eastern Realms as soon as I get my replacement owl at the academy," Solomon responded. "I will be busy with my martial training, and mastering the remaining aura cores could take up to several months. But once I have learned everything the pavilions have to offer, I will transition to completing standard missions and participating in global academy activities. I will likely get significantly more chances to visit home once I start traveling the realms freely."

Johan smiled. "Since the debt is cleared, we will be taking a long vacation back to our village soon. Will you be able to make it back for the annual Dragon Festival at the village?"

Solomon nodded. "There are still many months left until the festival. I will try my best to be there."

After a final, heartfelt round of farewells, Solomon climbed into the back of the cab and shut the door. He sat beside Balzac, who already seemed to be snoring softly.

His family waved their hands as the cab pulled out of the driveway and drove off down the suburban street.

A while later, Balzac spoke up without lifting his sleeping mask. "You really seem to care deeply about your family."

Solomon looked at the professor, genuinely confused by the random statement. "Of course I do. Who doesn’t care about their family?"

Balzac didn’t say another word in response. He simply let the silence stretch.

"I cannot believe I am saying this, but I am excited to return to the academy..." Solomon muttered.

"How nice that you are a student there and you can leave once you have finished the syllabus and semester. Try becoming a professor there," Balzac remarked.