[TWS] Chapter 262 – Catching Up

Waking up in good spirits, Asterios and the girls gathered in the kitchen. Roaming around the exact same house where their journey in Bryn’s realm had started brought up a few pleasant memories. It hadn’t been a long journey, but the number of things that had happened as they were traveling could certainly be considered plenty.

“So, it’s finally time,” Grea said with a relaxed sigh as she rocked her chair to the back and threw her feet on the table.

“I really can’t wait to see how much Glimmervale has changed in the meanwhile,” Tina commented while sipping on her cup of tea. “Our families should have had enough time to properly settle down, right?”

Asterios nodded and gently brushed his fingers through her soft, azure hair, bringing up a delicate blush onto Tina’s fair cheeks.

“With my mother and Lady Luna working together, I’m honestly rather afraid of the current state of things. Gods know what they might have come up with while we were gone.” He chuckled lightly.

Tina scooted a little closer to him on her own chair and leaned on Ast’s shoulder. “Yeah. I bet we can expect something outrageous. She is your mom, in the end.”

He ruffled through her hair a little stronger. “And what does that exactly mean?”

A pleasant laugh escaped Tina’s lips as she tried to stop him. “You know perfectly well what! Hahaha! Don’t ruin my hair!”

After managing to push Ast’s hand away, Tina pouted at Asterios, but couldn’t hold that expression for long and chuckled quietly. They stared each other in the eyes until she broke that contact for a brief moment. Knowing well where her attention switched, he leaned to the side and they shared a tender peck, finding their palms and entwining their fingers.

“I’ll give you a hand in fixing it so don’t worry,” Asterios whispered, receiving a warm smile in response, and one more kiss.

“I think all of us could use a hand in making ourselves presentable before we make an appearance in front of everyone, isn’t that right?” Selene asked with a small smirk and the other girls soon nodded. “May we ask that of you, my Lord?”

Tina withdrew her face from Ast’s with a tame blush and turned to the others. “I think that’s a great idea.”

Asterios agreed too and they quickly finished their meals. He helped Miria and Bryn wash the dishes before they all stepped through Selene’s portal to enter the fox lady’s mansion. Appearing in her vast bedroom, the girls began taking care of themselves in front of many mesmerizing mirrors.

As everyone was changing into fresh clothes Selene always kept for them in her dressers, Asterios approached Miria first and hugged the panthergirl from behind. She giggled sweetly and let out quiet, pleasant purrs as he assisted her while sneaking fluffy kisses onto her ears.

It was hard to decide if she loved more when he played with them with his fingers or lips. Or maybe it wasn’t, but Miria was just too embarrassed to admit it.

After making sure that she looked no less than perfect, Asterios left a loving peck on Miria’s cheek and walked up to Selene. The enchanting fox lady was in the middle of slipping into her sleek dress and smirked at him mischievously while intentionally angling herself the best way to emphasize all her charms.

Shaking his head with a smile, Asterios brought out a pretty comb from his spatial storage and started carefully brushing her heavenly tail. Even though Selene tried her best not to show any funny reactions to his caresses, she wasn’t able to hold back a quiet moan or two from escaping her lips. It was Ast’s turn to smirk at her slyly and she knew well that he was teasing her back.

With her treasured tail fully combed, she also received a peck on the cheek and let Asterios move on. He found Tina sitting on a small stool with a beautiful hairbrush in her hand. She blushed heavier after meeting his gaze in the mirror. Asterios didn’t dare to tease her and took the brush from Tina to fulfill his earlier promise. While he took care of her long, azure hair from the back, she picked up another brush and did the same with the front.

They were done in no time and Tina slightly regretted that she hadn’t let Asterios actually ruin her hair more during breakfast. He sensed her thoughts and knelt behind her, wrapping his arms around the blue-haired girl lovingly. He rubbed their cheeks together until Tina was forced to let out a warm chuckle. She sighed delightfully and angled her face a bit, giving Asterios a sign to be on his way.

So, he obliged with another gentle peck on her cheek this time and moved to Silvia. It looked like the princess was almost done changing. He picked up her chestplate from the ground and waited a moment for Silvia to fully wrap up her preparations. She showed a faint smile after noticing him and let Asterios assist her with attaching it to her body. The way her amber-scarlet hair glimmered with fiery sparks was a tad distracting but he managed to stay focused somehow.

Checking all the belts and clasps for the last time, Asterios nodded to himself, receiving a nod in response from Silvia too, and left a gentle kiss on her royal cheek. She gave him a light hug and they glanced to the side. Grea was struggling a little bit with the buttons of her uniform, causing them to chuckle together. The way her long tail whipped around in agitation was just too precious.

Asterios approached her from the front and took the mischievous buttons of her top into his own hands, evoking an annoyed huff from the fierce demon lady. She stayed still with her natural, crimson cheeks achieving a darker shade. He could barely not smirk with how she awkwardly escaped his gaze to the side.

Finished with Grea’s uniform, Asterios snatched her tail and gave it a gentle tug, surprising her a bit. Just as her face returned to the front, Grea’s cheek ran into Ast’s lips he had positioned there ahead of time and he quickly walked away. Some quiet curses reached his ears and he couldn’t help but smile.

Bryn was already done with her armor when he got to her. She showed a fair blush, afraid that she hadn’t left anything for him to do by accident. But, Asterios still stepped closer and attentively inspected her beautiful feathers, getting rid of any imperfections. She obediently extended her wings to him and enjoyed the blissful sensation of his fingers on them. With both sides carefully examined, he placed a loving peck on her fair cheek too and took a peek at the others.

The girls were fully done with their preparations and they all approached him together. Even though Asterios could pretty much materialize his spiritual clothes the way he wanted, they still found a few things they could fix and everyone took care of a spot or two. Unable to find any more imperfections, they stopped in front of him and left a joint peck on Ast’s cheeks. Miria was unable to withhold her giggle and they all chuckled together right afterward.

“Shall we go, then?” Asterios asked with a smile, extending a hand to them.

“Well, I guess Lerisse can wait a little longer.” Selene showed a mischievous grin and they all took Ast’s palm with a nod.

He opened a gate to Kraedorion and they crossed realms together, ending up in their bedroom back at Glimmervale’s castle. Naturally, there was no one around, but they could immediately tell that this place had been kept in perfect shape. Their personal maid had been clearly working hard in their absence.

“Not even a speck of dust anywhere. Admirable,” Silvia commented after brushing her finger over a wooden cabinet.

“It’s to the level that I’m not sure if this was actually done by one person,” Tina added while examining the floor from up close.

“There are many servants in the castle, no? It’s not like Yumi couldn’t get help.” Miria set her fists on her waist as she looked around.

Silvia shook her head. “It’s not as simple as that. When a personal maid is assigned to an important person, all her work involves that person and almost exclusively them. So, unless an emergency arises where she wouldn’t be able to finish something alone in a respectful time and manner, a personal maid tends to her master’s quarters purely on her own. Her schedule is free of any common activities so that she can focus on serving the person she’s assigned to the best she can.”

“And personal maids often take great pride in their work since their efforts are subjected to direct praise from their master. They don’t have to share that appreciation with anyone else and consider it an honor to receive it. As Silvia said, unless the task they are undertaking doesn’t somehow end up hindering their master, they will put everything into completing it without help,” Tina added as the two noble ladies smiled at each other.

“So, what does that mean?” Miria tilted her head adorably.

“Rather than cooperation, this feels more like competition,” Asterios mused.

“That’s what I felt too, my Lord.” Selene nodded softly. “No matter how perfect they are, people are bound to make tiny mistakes or oversights. With how much they do, they can easily miss those, but to other people…”

“Those mistakes glow like a piece of glass in neatly trimmed grass,” Grea finished for her with a snort. “The basic rule why being a self-taught genius isn’t that great.”

“But, I don’t see any mistakes.” Miria glanced around more attentively.

“That’s the point.” Tina chuckled. “It means that someone had already found and corrected them. And the culprit isn’t that hard to guess.”

“Camille.” Silvia showed a delicate smirk. “I was hoping that she wouldn’t become hostile to anyone here but I hadn't expected her to instead try to compete with your personal maid.”

“I guess she felt like this chamber was part of her duties too since you spent more time here with us than in the bedroom I had assigned you at the beginning. I just hope that this competition isn’t a harmful one.” Asterios smiled wryly.

“Don’t worry. She isn’t a person who would bully or abuse others. Well, except for you, I guess.” The princess let out a soft chuckle while Asterios rolled his eyes. “I’ll talk to her to make sure. She must be worried about me anyway.”

“Let’s check the outside first, then!” Grea suggested, glued to the window on the side.

She hastily opened it, called for Aura to surround her with pink smoke, and flew out of the bedroom with a hearty laugh. Everyone else exchanged glances and walked closer to the window too. Asterios picked Miria up into his arms and summoned his wings, leaving next. Selene brought out enough tails to fly comfortably and jumped out with Silvia by her side, who gathered her mana to do the same. Tina got her wings from Esil and accompanied Bryn as they were the last two to depart.

Regrouping high above the town, they looked over the entire area.

“Damn. They weren’t slacking off. It seems like over half of the defensive wall is completed.” Grea pointed down and everyone followed with their gazes.

“That’s an incredible speed. These fortifications look solid too. It’s clear that they aren’t rushed.” Silvia nodded in wonder.

“Has to be mom’s doing. Well, and everyone else’s of course. There’s no doubt that the Committee has a big input into everything,” Asterios added.

“The main square is looking very lively too! There are even more stalls than before!” Miria commented with excitement.

“Many stores at the market’s edges that were closed are now open. It looks like there were no major issues with your family starting its branches here, my Lord.” Selene floated next to them as her fluffy tails danced in the wind.

“I’m sure Master would have received a report from the Committee members if something urgent happened,” Bryn added. “It just shows how competent the leaders of this settlement are.”

“Things are certainly looking good from afar. There are also a few new mansions that I don’t remember seeing. I bet some prominent families have moved in after Hestizos and Nobelles settled down in Glimmervale. They must have paid a lot or have a great influence for Ulyssen and the others to dedicate more land for construction,” Asterios pondered out loud. “Should we check how everyone is doing?”

“Yes! Let’s see Miss Kindra!” Miria cheered.

“Before that, we should drop the new books at my father’s workshop so he could do something useful and check up on what we gathered,” Grea interjected. “I bet he is lazing around with his own research when no one is keeping an eye on him. Or fooling around with women.”

“Alright. That’s a good plan.” Asterios nodded and tried to transfer himself through the shadows just like Umbra had been teaching him since the reclamation of the Spire.

It was a taxing activity and he felt like it took much longer just to move such a short distance, but he managed to exit the shadows with Miria safely right in front of the door to the underground workshop. More practice and experience were obviously necessary and he was aware of that. So, unless they really needed to get somewhere fast, Asterios aimed not to use Umbra’s services.

The girls stepped out of a crimson gate next to him and Grea nonchalantly kicked the door open with all she had. “Old bastard, we are back!”

Radir literally jumped and squeaked out of shock, his head snapping to the entrance to identify his assailant. From their perspective, it looked like similar events were common enough for him to react this strongly. Asterios wondered if it had something to do with Grea or perhaps strangers that might be slightly unhappy about a thing or two he had done to a person or two that they were familiar with.

“Ah! It’s you! Gods, don’t scare me like that! Do you want me to have a heart attack?” Radir exhaled in relief, supporting himself on the counter behind him.

“With the amount of exercise making your heart pound quite fast that you have done during your lifetime, I don’t think that’s a possibility for you.” She snorted.

He chuckled. “Well, seeing how much you seem to glow, I don’t think it will take that long before you catch up to me.”

“This fucking pervert.” Grea grinned devilishly while rolling up her sleeve.

Asterios smiled wryly as they began running in circles around the workshop, playing a more violent game of tag.

“They look much closer than before,” Miria commented with a warm smile.

“I guess they do. In their own way.” He ruffled through her hair lovingly.

After Grea smacked her father enough times on the head, they briefly shared with him their findings and the recently unlocked memory. Asterios passed the notebooks and transcripts onto him, including those related to the miraculous chamber from Heven. He had received permission from the Supervisors to include those in his search for answers as long as it was done amongst his trusted people.

Since Radir needed some time to sum up the results of the research he had been continuing during their absence, they left the demon man to his own machinations and agreed to meet up later. Grea threatened him one last time not to slack off and promised that she would personally interrogate all the maids in the castle to see if he hadn’t by any chance annoyed any of them.

Next, they moved to the mansion where Ast’s and Tina’s families resided. Leaving the red gate in front of its premises, they properly walked inside through the main entrance and followed a butler’s guidance to find his mother. Stopping in front of her office, they knocked lightly on the wooden door.

“Who is it?” a female voice asked after the quiet chatter went silent.

“It’s us. We have just—”

Before Asterios could finish his sentence, the door was flung open and a person flew at him at full speed. He caught his mother in his arms and spun around to disperse the force of impact.

“Asti! You should have told me you are coming back! I would have prepared something for you all!” Kindra kept rubbing her face into his shoulder while squeezing him dearly.

He sighed softly and hugged her back.

Lady Luna showed up at the entrance with a gentle smile. “Welcome back, sweetheart.”

Tina quickly trotted closer and embraced her mother too. They both remained in a hug with their mothers while the other girls exchanged kind glances. Finally, after a good while, Kindra peeled herself off Asterios and invited everyone inside, seating them by the coffee table on the side.

“I’m so glad to see you all alright. I know you are very capable but I was still so worried.” Kindra giggled while pouring everyone some tea.

“I think the more capable your child is, the more worries you actually have, Kindra. Trouble always comes to those looking for it,” Lady Luna added while glancing at them, making Tina blush faintly.

“There’s certainly some truth to that, Luna.” Ast’s mom nodded a few times.

It looked like the two ladies had grown at least a little bit closer. The last time they had met in a similar company, they had still been addressing each other more officially. It definitely was a good sign. Or something was brewing up.

“We are glad to see that things are going well on this side too, Mom,” Asterios replied with a smile.

“Yeah! We’ve seen the wall! There’s so much already!” Miria beamed at them.

“Fufufu~ Everyone is so eager to help so it’s natural that it’s progressing fast. Even the adventurers are aiding the construction.” Kindra proudly puffed her chest out.

“Adventurers?” Silvia raised a curious brow at her.

“Your friends at the guild put up a few quests for people with various skills and abilities like manipulating earth or easily cutting through metal and the number of participants has been extremely overwhelming so far,” Lady Luna explained. “It’s certainly a surprise. From what I’ve known, adventurers often tend to avoid such simple but meticulous tasks unless there’s nothing else to do at their rank.”

“Isn’t that the case here? It’s not like there are that many quests in some remote town, right?” Tina asked.

“I think you are better off asking the guildmaster about it but I’m pretty sure there is a decent variety and quantity of quests in our guild. I’ve heard Miss Suanori mention that the town’s guardian doesn’t intervene directly unless the threat is really serious, leaving a good deal of hunting and subjugation requests open for the adventurers. Plus, we certainly put up a lot of gathering and transportation ones by ourselves,” Kindra answered.

“That would be smart. Just the sole presence of such a powerful entity could have been a problem but they are actively trying to solve all possible issues.” Selene rubbed her chin.

“Yeah. And the elves started trading with us much more so there are plenty of occasions to be hired as escorts. Just that opportunity brings many adventurers to Glimmervale. It’s a good excuse to visit their nation. Plus, I’ve heard that our branch shares some tasks with the one on their side of the border,” Ast’s mom continued.

“That’s interesting. I didn’t expect long ears to be this interested in our little town. Wasn’t it a slightly awkward topic, even if it wasn’t anything serious?” Grea wondered.

“I guess we have a lot of catching up to do. Plenty of things seem to have changed in such a short period of time. Glimmervale is growing really fast.” Asterios chuckled.

“That’s true. I’m sure the Committee can fill you in on everything. Many prominent families moved in while you were gone, lured by your achievements and precious opportunities.” Kindra smirked at him.

“We’ve seen a few new mansions and thought that might have been the case. Do you know any of them?” he asked.

She tapped her cheek while thinking. “Well, Richtensteins for example.”

“What?!” Tina squealed in surprise and blushed heavily, quickly clearing her throat.

“Oh, gods… Rosewind will be completely gone at this pace…” Asterios sighed while rubbing his forehead.

Lady Luna chuckled quietly, hiding her smile behind her hand. “Marquess Richtenstein has always been a smart man. It’s no surprise that he quickly noticed the connection behind our sudden relocation. The news about the famous Hestizos opening up a branch here and us leaving at the same time must have caught his attention. Not to mention all the other things that happened here afterward.”

“We really can’t escape that jerk Roz, can we…” Tina shook her head with a wry smile.

“That blond-haired boy? I don’t think he came with them. There are rumors that he has been sent somewhere by his family but they haven’t been here for long so we didn’t get a chance to talk too much yet,” Lady Luna added.

“That would be good for his health.” Miria let out a quiet growl before getting pacified by Asterios scratching behind her ear.

“I guess we'll see for ourselves in a bit.” Asterios stood up and everyone else soon followed. “We should get going so that we get to visit everyone before the day runs out.”

“Of course. It’s your responsibility as the lord.” Kindra smiled at him warmly before that smile slightly faltered. “So, have you learned anything new during your journey?”

He walked around the table and gently hugged his mother. “Not much, actually. We’ve certainly gained a lot during this trip, but there was nothing specific about them.”

“You all do seem a little different than before, for sure.” She giggled while hugging him back, sneaking a glance at the winged lady present in the room, causing Bryn to blush heavily under her knowing gaze. “It’s hard to express in words but I can just tell.”

“I’ll show you why soon.” He chuckled with a mysterious smile.

She pouted openly. “It’s not nice to tease your mother, young man. Why not now?”

“I’m afraid it would spell a disaster for this room, Miss Kindra.” Tina chuckled too, causing the two mothers to raise their brows in confusion.

Bidding farewell for real, they left the mansion and walked into the streets. Their next destination was the Adventurer’s Guild.