"Manma!" Eiko kissed Vera's right cheek, making the silver-haired lady smile.
"I missed you too, Eiko," Vera replied and kissed Eiko's head, making the baby slime giggle.
They had just arrived at Barbatos Academy after traveling from the Wildgarde Stronghold.
Lux's Grandma then glanced at the young lady who was beside her grandson with great interest.
Earlier, she had seen Aurora, but the latter was wearing a hooded cloak that hid her face. However, after Aurora saw Lux's family member, the pink-haired beauty revealed her face and gave Vera a polite bow in greeting.
"Grandma, this is Aurora," Lux said. "Aurora, this is my Grandma Vera. She is the one who raised me."
"It's an honor to meet you, Lady Vera," Aurora said with a smile.
"The pleasure is mine, Aurora," Vera replied. "But please, just call me Grandma."
"Understood, Grandma." Aurora's smile widened.
A single glance was enough for Vera to know that Aurora liked her grandson, so she had a good impression of the girl. Although she didn't know if the young lady's feelings would bear fruit, Lux's grandmother was very willing to support her from the side.
After all, the more great-grandchildren she had, the better!
Vera then glanced at her surroundings and noticed that a crowd had already formed around them.
Lux might be popular in the academy, but he wasn't popular to the point that a crowd would come in droves just to look at him.
Clearly, their attention was focused on the pink-haired lady by his side, who mesmerized them with her peerless beauty.
"Hey, do you think that she is the Half-Elf's new lover?"
"Aiyah~ this bastard. Why is he getting all the beautiful ladies? Can't he show mercy to us single people? How will I be able to live like this?"
"Well maybe if you didn't look like a skinny sardine, you might stand a chance."
"What did you say? Have you checked your reflection in the mirror? Even dog poop looks better than you!"
"Bastard, you want to fight?"
"Who's afraid of you? Bring it on!"
Seeing that things might get rowdy really soon, Vera decided to lead Lux and Aurora towards Iris' residence in the academy. However, even as they left, the eyes of the male students were still glued to Aurora's retreating back as they sighed bitterly.
If only they could have a lover as beautiful as her, they would definitely brag to the high heavens and make sure that everyone, including their mothers, knew their names.
"Grandma, are Iris and Cai around?" Lux asked.
"No, they're not," Vera replied. "Both of them are challenging a dungeon right now, and the soonest they could return is tomorrow."
Lux nodded his head in understanding.
Ever since Iris and Cai were sent to the Abyss, the two decided to become serious about getting stronger.
Because of this, they spent a lot of time diving into dungeons and challenging the monsters that stood in their way.
Vera then chuckled as she continued to walk. "You ask about Iris and Cai, but you don't ask about your Father. Aren't you curious what he's doing right now?"
"To be honest, I'm not," Lux replied. "The things that Father does are none of my concern."
Vera didn't make any comment as she continued to walk forward. Truth be told, she also didn't know what her son, Alexander, was doing.
However, whatever it was, it was something very important since he had been away for nearly two weeks, leaving Alicia to handle the affairs of the academy.
While they were walking down the hallway, they came across three familiar people, which made Lux arch an eyebrow.
It was none other than Keane, his Master, and Captain Jack Spawow.
Eiko immediately greeted the Pirate Captain, and the latter greeted her with a smile.
"Eiko, sweetheart, it has been a while," Jack Spawow grinned. "How have you been?"
"Yar!" Eiko replied before jumping towards the Captain's shoulder, making Jack Spawow laugh.
"It seems that you've gone on a great adventure," Captain Spawow said as he lightly patted the baby slime's head. "I am glad to know that you and your Papa live an exciting life."
"Aye!"
"Good girl. We can still make a Pirate out of you."
Keane, who had been away to train with his Master, walked towards Lux and shook his hand.
"I've heard everything that happened," Keane stated. "I'm glad that everyone was able to return safely thanks to your help."
Lux nodded as he eyed the no-longer-skinny swordsman in front of him. Judging by the sweat that still stuck on his friend's body, the Half-Elf assumed that he had just finished training with his Master.
Since Keane wasn't wearing a shirt, his lean and toned body was visible for everyone to see. He had also cut his hair, making him look quite handsome, which was a stark contrast to his lazy appearance in the past.
Although the young swordsman was just standing in front of him, the Half-Elf could feel the raw strength and sharpness that was emanating from his body.
After a brief probing, Lux wasn't able to hide the surprise in his eyes because Keane was now a D-Ranker, which was of the same Rank as Cethus.
This proved that he hadn't been slacking off while he wasn't with Lux, and his advancement was truly terrifying.
The red-headed teenager was only able to become a D-Ranker due to special circumstances, and he also only recently became a C-Ranker due to what happened in the Abyss.
As for Cethus, he was a Dragon Born, so he had a backing that allowed him to gain some resources to help with his advancement.
Seeing his surprise, Keane smirked because he didn't expect Lux would react this way. For some reason, it made him feel quite accomplished because although he didn't want to admit it, he looked up to the Half-Elf and treated him as a leader.
In order to hide his embarrassment and change the topic, Lux cleared his throat and asked his friend a question.
"How is Rose?" Lux asked.
This simple question made the smiling swordsman suddenly turn beet red, which made the Half-Elf laugh internally.
Keane's Master, who just went by the name "The Void", rested his hand on his disciple's shoulder before replying to Lux's question.
"The Second High Priestess of the Rowan Tribe is now Keane's fiance," the Void replied. "The two of them will officially marry in three years."
If Lux was only surprised earlier, he was now shocked. He knew that Keane and Rose liked each other, going as far as kissing in secret, but he didn't expect that they would quickly become officially engaged, let alone marry in three years.
"Congratulations, Keane." Lux grinned from ear to ear. "I guess the two of us will become brothers-in-law soon."
"Yes," Keane replied, looking very satisfied with this arrangement.
Lux then cleared his throat and asked Keane a question.
"Do you plan to take a second wife?" Lux asked.
Keane shook his head firmly. "Rose said that she will stab me in the back if I take a second wife. Also, I have no intention of doing so. Having her as my wife is already a blessing."
The young swordsman gave Lux the "I'm-not-like-you" stare, making the Half-Elf cough lightly.
Keane's Master, Grand Void, looked at his disciple in satisfaction. For people like them, having one wife was enough. Having more would only make their swords dull and their sword life complicated.
A moment later, the two groups separated and promised to have dinner together.
"You can stay in my granddaughter's residence while you are here in the academy, Aurora," Vera said after arriving at their destination. "I'm sure that my granddaughter will be very happy to meet you."
"Thank you, Grandma," Aurora replied. "I also want to meet her as soon as possible. The same goes for Cai. I've heard a lot of good things about her from Zane and Zeke."
"Oh? What did they tell you about Cai?" Lux asked with great curiosity.
He knew that Zane and Zeke had told Aurora many things about him, but he didn't know that they had also told the young lady about the High Priestess of the Rowan Tribe.
"That's a secret," Aurora replied as a blush crept onto her face.
After talking with Valerie, Ali, and Ari, she had gained a bit of understanding about the things that she wasn't aware of in the past.
The two handmaidens made sure to enlighten her and Valerie, explaining that the "funny thing" that Lux and his two fiances were doing was the real reason why girls get pregnant.
Their little lesson made the two innocent girls lose a bit of their innocence as they were now exposed to one of the many truths in the world.
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