Chapter 213: Between Diapers and Dungeons

Liam was convinced that organizing a mission for his squad was much easier than taking care of two babies.

At least in a dungeon, he could anticipate the monsters’ movements, assess the risks, and come up with a strategy.

With Lionel and Liana, on the other hand, he never knew when one of them would start crying just after the other had finally fallen asleep.

Even so, that morning, he had managed to leave home without too much trouble.

“Are you sure you have everything?” Lydia asked from the entrance.

Liam checked his bag for the third time.

“Communicator, documents, keys… Yeah, I don’t think I’m forgetting anything.”

“What about the diapers?”

Liam froze.

Lydia smiled.

“I’m kidding, darling. You don’t need to bring diapers to the guild.”

“You scared me for a second.”

“You’ve been getting scared a little too easily lately.”

“That’s because I live with three people capable of ruining my day without even trying.”

Lydia raised an eyebrow.

“Did you just compare me to our children?”

“No. They’re more understanding.”

She gave him a gentle smack on the arm before sending him off with a kiss.

“Go to work. We’ll be fine.”

Liam took one last look toward the twins’ room, where both babies were sleeping peacefully, and finally left the apartment.

As he drove toward the Ace of Spades headquarters, he couldn’t help smiling.

His life had changed a lot over the past six months, but he still enjoyed his work as a hunter. The difference was that now he had another reason to come home every day.

And that had changed the way he led his squad, too.

◇◆◇

Upon arriving at the guild’s facilities, Liam headed straight to the meeting room. Several reports detailing his team’s latest missions were spread across the table.

He read them one by one, paying particular attention to his hunters’ observations.

Zayn had improved his speed and reconnaissance skills, although he still needed to work on his braking.

Jordan remained an excellent tank, but he needed to learn how to manage his energy better during prolonged battles.

Carol and Emily had perfected the coordination of their abilities, though their combination still consumed too much energy if they used it for extended periods.

The others were making progress as well.

Liam set the documents down on the table and crossed his arms.

“Good. Looks like we’re making progress.”

His goal was to prepare the squad to take on SS-Rank dungeons. However, he had no intention of sending them into such a challenge just because they had completed a few successful missions.

A dungeon of that level could punish even the smallest mistake. They needed to improve their coordination, learn to react to unexpected situations, and recognize when it was time to retreat.

That was why he had arranged several missions in lower-rank dungeons, selected according to each group’s needs.

It wasn’t simply about accumulating victories. It was about learning from every encounter.

Liam began preparing the assignments and sent the details to the appropriate members. Then he checked the squad’s schedule and jotted down a few training exercises he wanted to conduct during the week.

Once he finished, he stood up to deliver some documents.

That was when he heard a familiar voice.

“Liam!”

He turned and saw two people approaching down the hallway.

The first was a man wearing enormous gloves. A smiling young woman walked beside him.

It took Liam only a moment to recognize them.

“Lucas? Eve?”

They both smiled.

“Wow! So you still remember us!” Lucas exclaimed.

“It’s been quite a while,” Eve added.

Liam walked over to greet them.

“Of course I remember you! What are you two doing here?”

“We’re part of the Ace of Spades now,” Lucas replied, proudly raising one of his gloves.

“We both recently reached Emerald Rank,” Eve explained.

“We were accepted a few weeks ago.”

Liam looked at them with a mixture of surprise and delight.

It had been quite some time since the last time they had gone out together to explore low-rank dungeons. Back then, he had still been trying to make a name for himself as a hunter, and every mission had been an opportunity to improve.

“Congratulations on ranking up!” he said.

“You earned it.”

“Thanks,” Eve replied.

“Although, to be honest, I never imagined I’d run into you here again.”

Lucas burst out laughing.

“Much less find you as a sub-captain!”

Liam scratched the back of his head, feeling a little awkward.

“Well, things just worked out that way.”

“Things just worked out that way?” Lucas repeated.

“You have your own squad! When we used to go out together, we could barely finish a few missions without relying on your wife.”

“That still happens from time to time,” Liam admitted.

The three of them burst out laughing.

For a few minutes, they reminisced about some of their old adventures.

Liam couldn’t help smiling.

Now he was responsible for an entire squad and had two children waiting for him at home.

‘Time really does fly.’

“We should go on another mission together sometime,” Lucas suggested.

“It’d be fun to relive the old days.”

“Yeah, although now we have to coordinate with our respective teams,” Liam replied.

Eve tilted her head slightly.

“By the way, how are you managing everything? I heard you became a father, too.”

Liam immediately smiled.

“Yeah. The twins are six months old.”

“Twins?!” Lucas exclaimed.

“Twins,” Liam confirmed.

Eve covered her mouth with one hand, surprised.

“That must be exhausting!”

“You have no idea.”

Lucas burst out laughing.

“The great Liam, defeated by two babies!”

“Laugh all you want. When you have kids, we’ll see if you’re still so brave.”

“I can handle anything!”

“Then you should volunteer to look after both of them for an afternoon.”

Lucas stopped laughing.

Eve burst into laughter.

“That was a direct hit!”

Liam smiled with satisfaction.

◇◆◇

After saying goodbye to his old companions, Liam returned to the meeting room.

He sat down in front of his squad’s reports and began reviewing the upcoming assignments.

However, his thoughts kept returning to Lucas and Eve.

Both had reached Emerald Rank, which meant they had enough experience to take on significant challenges. Moreover, Liam knew their abilities and had seen how they performed in combat.

‘Maybe I should invite them to join my squad.’

The idea made sense.

His team was making progress, but preparing for SS-Rank dungeons required more than training. He needed hunters who could adapt to different situations and complement their teammates’ abilities.

Lucas could provide tremendous offensive power in close-quarters combat. Eve, meanwhile, had a versatile ability she could use both to attack from a distance and to distract enemies.

They could both become valuable additions.

He would still need to talk to them and find out whether they were interested in joining his team, though.

Liam wrote their names on a sheet alongside several other potential recruits, then returned his attention to work.

A few minutes later, his communicator vibrated.

It was a message from Lydia.

[How’s your morning going?]

Liam smiled and replied.

[Good. I ran into Lucas and Eve. They both reached Emerald Rank and are now part of the Ace of Spades.]

Lydia’s reply arrived quickly.

[That’s great! Did you tell them about the little ones?]

[Of course. Lucas nearly fainted when I told him they were twins.]

[HAHAHAHA. You should invite him over so he can meet them.]

Liam stared at the message for a few seconds.

‘Why do I have a feeling this is going to turn into a dangerous mission?’

Before he could reply, he received a photograph.

Lydia was sitting on the sofa with Lionel and Liana on either side of her.

The two little ones had chubby cheeks and were looking at the camera with different expressions. Lionel looked curious, while Liana seemed about to put her hand in her mouth.

Liam smiled tenderly.

[They’re adorable. Have they been behaving?]

[More or less. Lionel managed to make a mess of himself again right after I changed him.]

Liam put a hand to his forehead.

After saying goodbye to his wife and putting away his communicator, he looked over the reports he still had to finish.

His squad needed to prepare for the challenges ahead. He had potential new hunters to recruit, several missions to organize, and plenty of work waiting for him.

But he also had a family waiting at home.

And although he was still learning to balance both responsibilities, he was beginning to understand that he didn’t have to choose between them.

He just needed to learn how to fulfill both without neglecting either one.

Liam picked up the next folder and got back to work.

After all, he still had plenty of dungeons left to clear.

And plenty of diapers left to change.