Chapter 230: The Peace Is About to Change

The sound of gloved fists striking a punching bag echoed through one of the training rooms at the Ace of Spades Guild.

Liam watched Lucas from the sidelines, his arms crossed and a thoughtful expression on his face. The hunter had just finished a series of punches and stepped back to catch his breath, while Eve waited for her turn alongside Carol and Emily.

Several days had passed since their last mission, and Liam had decided to take advantage of a free morning to organize a training session.

So far, the results had remained positive.

"What do you think?" Zayn asked.

Liam glanced at Lucas, who was now talking with Jordan about the best way to block attacks from a larger enemy.

"They’re good hunters. Lucas is strong enough to take on durable monsters, and Eve has pretty good control over her explosions."

"So, are you going to invite them to join the team?"

Liam took a few seconds to answer.

"Probably. But I want to make sure we can work well together in the long run."

Zayn nodded.

It wasn’t a decision to be taken lightly.

Although Lucas and Eve had proven themselves capable, Liam wanted to ensure that bringing them aboard would benefit the team as a whole.

"Besides, our team already has enough complicated personalities."

Zayn glanced toward Chuck, who was arguing with Lena about whether it was possible to throw a grenade and hit it in midair to change its trajectory.

"You’ve got a point."

"I CAN HEAR YOU!" Chuck shouted from the other side of the room.

"THEN STOP TALKING NONSENSE AND GET BACK TO TRAINING!" Liam shouted back.

Laughter quickly spread throughout the group.

For a moment, Liam allowed himself to enjoy the scene.

His squad had come a long way since he first started leading it, and seeing its members work together so naturally reminded him that he had made the right decision by accepting the responsibility.

However, there was still plenty of room for improvement.

And, unbeknownst to him, he would soon have far more important things to worry about.

◇◆◇

That same afternoon, Liam returned home with a bag of food he’d bought on the way.

As soon as he opened the door, he heard Lydia laughing from the living room.

"No, Liana! You can’t eat that!"

Liam stopped in the doorway.

Those words could mean any number of things when you had two six-month-old babies at home.

He quickly set the bag on a table and went to investigate.

Lydia was sitting on the floor beside a blanket covered in toys. Liana was holding a small piece of fabric that she seemed to have torn off one of her stuffed toys, while Lionel watched the scene with suspicious calmness.

"What happened?" Liam asked.

"Nothing serious. Your daughter is trying to eat everything she finds."

Liam crouched down and carefully took the fabric from Liana’s hands.

"You can’t eat that, sweetheart."

The baby protested with a babble, as though she disagreed with his decision.

"I’m sorry, but rules are rules."

Lydia burst out laughing.

"You sound like you’re giving orders."

"Safety rules are important at any age."

"Of course. And what are you going to do if she doesn’t listen?"

Liam looked at his daughter, who had already found another toy to put in her mouth.

"I think I’m going to need a better plan."

Lydia laughed as he sat down beside her.

Meanwhile, Lionel had started waving his arms and fussing.

"What’s wrong now?" Liam asked.

"I think he’s hungry again."

Liam looked at his son.

"Again?"

"Yes, again."

Lydia said it so casually that Liam decided not to comment. However, as she prepared to feed the little boy, he remembered that Lionel had been eating more than usual over the past few days.

He didn’t seem sick or show any obvious signs of discomfort. He simply had quite an appetite.

Perhaps he was going through a growth spurt.

Even so, Liam decided to bring it up with Lydia.

"Do you think we should ask James if it’s normal for him to eat this much?"

She paused to think.

"We could if it keeps happening. For now, he seems fine. He’s active, sleeps normally, and doesn’t seem uncomfortable."

"Yeah, I suppose you’re right."

Liam watched as Lionel began to settle down after being fed.

The little boy seemed completely satisfied, at least for the moment.

’He’s probably just growing quickly.’

There was no point worrying without a reason. If they noticed any concerning changes, they would consult James, but Liam didn’t want to spend every day looking for signs that something strange was happening to his children.

He had already made that mistake before.

When Liana began reaching for a toy, Liam watched her discreetly. The little girl leaned forward, stretched out her arm, and managed to grab it after several attempts.

Everything seemed normal.

Liam let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

"Are you watching her again?" Lydia asked.

"I’m not watching her."

"Of course not."

"I’m just sitting here."

"And looking at her arms."

Liam covered his face with one hand.

"Could you please stop bringing that up?"

Lydia moved closer and rested her head on his shoulder.

"All right, honey. I won’t mention it again."

He looked at her suspiciously.

"That means you’re going to bring it up the moment you get the chance."

"You know me too well."

They both burst out laughing.

After all, there was nothing wrong with paying attention to their children. Liam just needed to learn the difference between taking care of them and looking for problems where there might not be any.

For now, he preferred to enjoy the peace and quiet.

◇◆◇

Night fell before Liam realized it.

After dinner, he and Lydia put the twins to bed and stayed beside their cribs for a while, making sure they were both comfortable.

Lionel was fast asleep, one hand resting beside his face. Liana had fallen asleep hugging one of her little toys.

Liam smiled as he watched them.

"They’re adorable," he whispered.

Lydia intertwined her fingers with his.

"They are."

They remained silent for a few seconds, enjoying the peaceful moment.

"Do you think they’ll become hunters someday?" Lydia suddenly asked.

Liam turned his head toward her.

"I don’t know."

"Would you like that?"

He looked at their children again.

"I want them to be able to choose what they want to do when they’re older. If they want to become hunters, I’ll support them. But if they’d rather live ordinary lives, I’ll be just as happy."

Lydia smiled.

"I thought you’d say that."

"I don’t want them to feel like they have to follow in our footsteps. There’s plenty of time to talk about those things when they’re older."

She rested her head against his shoulder.

"I agree."

Liam kissed her forehead.

For a long time, he had thought his goal was to earn enough money to live without worries. Then he had built a life with her, and finally, the twins had arrived.

Now he understood that financial stability was only one part of what he wanted.

He wanted to be there as his children grew up. He wanted to share the good days and the bad with Lydia, return home after every mission, and have the chance to enjoy a life that wasn’t always dictated by danger.

He knew that, as a hunter, he could never guarantee that everything would go smoothly.

But he could keep working toward that goal.

"By the way," Lydia remarked as they stepped away from the cribs...

"What are you going to do about Lucas and Eve?"

Liam thought for a moment.

"I think it’s time to talk to them. They’ve worked well with us on several missions, and they’re adapting to the team better and better."

"Then it sounds like you’ve already made up your mind."

"Probably. I just want to talk to them before making it official."

Lydia smiled.

"I’m sure they’ll be happy."

"I hope so. If Lucas starts celebrating by breaking something, I’m going to regret it immediately."

"You could ask Jordan to stop him."

"Good idea."

They both laughed as they headed into the living room.

The evening passed peacefully. Liam reviewed a few guild reports before sitting down beside Lydia to watch a show on television.

Everything seemed to be in order.

Until his phone vibrated on the table.

Liam picked it up, expecting a message from Zayn or a work-related notification.

Instead, he saw James’s name on the screen.

[James: Liam, I need you to come to the guild tomorrow. I want you there along with the other Ace of Spades sub-captains. It’s important. I’ll explain the details during the meeting.]

Liam’s smile slowly faded.

James didn’t usually summon all the sub-captains without a compelling reason.

He read the message a second time before setting his phone back on the table.

Lydia immediately noticed his expression.

"What’s wrong?"

Liam remained silent for a few seconds, staring at the dark screen.

"I don’t know yet," he finally replied.

"But James needs me and the other sub-captains at the guild tomorrow."

Lydia studied him carefully.

"Do you think something happened?"

Liam glanced toward the hallway leading to the twins’ room.

"I’m not sure."

However, an uneasy feeling was beginning to settle in his chest.

Until that moment, his life had revolved around guild missions and the little moments he shared with his family.

But for some reason, that message made him feel that their peaceful life was about to change.