ã€ŠReborn in another world as a Hermaphroditeã€‹


 Chapter 1: Death, Score, and Wheel

    Two boys looking to be almost young adults were sitting in an empty cafeteria.

    The giant clock above them indicated that it was clearly lunchtime, but nobody was showing up.

    "Yo bro, have you read the new manga that just came out? It''s insanely good."

    "Oh shit, really? Come on, let me read it. I know you have it."

    As the boy on the left took out a book from his backpack, the cafeteria door was busted open.

    People wearing student uniforms started pouring in, grabbing all the possible seats until it was full.

    "I took it from my brother, okay? You better give it back to me when school is over."

    "Of course, bro, I had never broken a promise. Trust me, you''ll get it back when the school ends."

    ---

    As the school day ended, two boys stood in front of the school''s gate, which read ''Bulldog High School.''

    "Here''s your book back... Man, you''re right. This is some crazy stuff in there."

    "Obviously. Do you think I don''t have good taste in manga or what? Anyway, I need to go back home now."

    "Already? It''s only four... Oh, wait, your sister came back home."

    "Yeah... Well, see you tomorrow, dingus."

    "See ya, dingus."

    As the boy with the manga walks off into the distance, the other boy starts to walk back home as well.

    But just before he arrived back home, he noticed a new bookstore that opened just a street away from his house.

    It wasn''t just any bookstore. It had the exact manga that he had read earlier in the day.

    "Mimi''s Adventure volume 2?! Oh shit..."

    The boy quickly checked his surroundings to make sure nobody he knew was near him, almost as if he was scared of being caught.

    After confirming that none of his friends and family were nearby, the boy slowly walked to the front door of the bookstore.

    As he entered inside, to his surprise, it was a self-checkout store that had no customer service.

    Not even a security guard or a customer was in sight, so the boy sneakily walked over to the adult section.

    "Please present your ID."

    A sudden voice made the boy jump, but he quickly realized it was just aser detection on the section entrance.

    "Fuck... Ain''t nobody stopping me."

    The boy quickly hopped over the gate, skipping theserpletely, as he finally arrived at what he had been dreaming of.

    "Finally. My dream hade true. Thank you, god, for this blessing. I should have never doubted you."

    After a short prayer, the boy quickly picked Mimi''s Adventure, which had a girl posting in an extremely lewd position.

    The price tag wasn''t that high, so the boy picked up three more different manga that were clearly not meant for kids.

    This time, the boy didn''t hope over the gate. Instead, he walked straight past theser.

    As he expected, the gate only checked the people outside and opened on its own as soon as he approached it.

    But noticing the front door closing, the boy headed over to the self-checkout and started paying for the book.

    Putting the changes into his pocket, the boy quickly covered the books with a stic bag and headed to the door.

    It opened on its own, just like the gates.

    "Whew, who designed an ID check on the adult section but no check on the checkout?"

    The boy thought to himself as lucky as he began heading back home after putting on his earbuds.

    "Boom. Two plus two is four, minus one, that''s three, quick maths. Every day, man''s on the block¡ª¡ª"

    As the boy sang along with the song in his head, he noticed the street light was green.

    But just as he was in the middle of crossing the street, several truck honks overpowered his music.

    "Holy shit¡ª¡ª"

    Before the boy could react fast enough, his consciousness faded to ck.

    ---

    "What the fuck... Why the hell was there three trucks driving down the street when I was walking on a green light?"

    After checking both left and right, he could swear he didn''t see the trucks when he crossed the street.

    But with that giant truck running over him, he knew he was dead now.

    "Where am I?"

    As the boy looked around him, he suddenly realized he was in a white room with nothing else.

    More importantly, his body was transparent, and when he tried to touch it, his hand went straight through it.

    "This is the afterlife? That''s it? Now I just sit in this white room forever?"

    The boy quickly moved past his death, as his attention was on all the things he was missing out on.

    His high school graduation celebration was just a few days away, and his college life was about to start.

    More importantly, he still hasn''t lost his first time to a girl, which was the most depressing part of his memories.

    "Fuck! This can''t be happening."

    As the boy started to miss his family and friends, a ghost suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

    "Hey¡ª¡ª"

    "Holy shit, who are you?"

    The boy freaked out for a second as he couldn''t believe the thing in front of him.

    At first, he thought it was a ghost, but in reality, it was just a bunch of bright lightsbined in the shape of a human.

    "I''m just the worker. Anyway, here''s your score for what you had aplished."

    "Worker? Like a worker for god?" The boy curiously asked as he epted the paper that the ghost handed over.

    To his surprise, the paper didn''t fall through his hand. It was an actual object he could hold onto.

    "Well, you could say that. Ahem, that''s none of your business. Go spend your point and go to your next life."

    As the ghost vanished, the boy began examining the paper in his hand.

    Right at the top was the score counter, which said 1500 points.

    As he looked down, he could see what was giving him all the points.

    "Bill knows you as your best friend... Jennifer knows you, Justin knows you..."

    It was just a bunch of people who knew him and the things he had killed, like ants and bugs.

    It also included a list of things, such as theic he once tried to draw in his free time, which several people read.

    More importantly, it included one time when he was on the local news for breaking the fire hydrant on ident, giving him a third of his points.

    "Ain''t no way you are telling me the point system is based on publicity? What am I supposed to do as a high schooler?"

    As the boyined to himself, he flipped to the next page, which finally revealed what the points were for.

    "Core Memory attached 10000 points, race 6000 points, Species 4000 points, Fantasy 15000 points, Space 1,000,000 points..."

    Unfortunately, as he flipped more pages, he became visibly more upset and angry at the same time.

    There was not a single one he could afford, as the lowest he could pick was gender, which cost 2000 points.

    With thest page done, the boy threw the book onto the ground.

    But it flew right back into his hand, with the ghost appearing before him once again.

    "You finish picking?" The ghost curiously asked.

    "Yeah, if I had any point in picking things. What happens now? I got nothing from it."

    "Then it''s all random... Actually, a few weeks ago, the boss implemented a new system.

    Give me a second to pull it up... Here it is."

    Right before the boy''s eye was a carnival-spinning wheel on top of a table with all the different options from the paper earlier.

    "Thank you. I knew god wouldn''t be that crazy to let us pick nothing... How do I spin this thing?"

    The ghost pointed at the empty tray next to the wheel and then at the button on the bottom right.

    "Your points have enough for three spins. Whatever it gives you, you have to take it.

    It''s up to you when you want to stop it... I rmend only spinning once, though."

    Without any hesitation, the boy threw the paper into the tray and pressed the button.

    As the wheel started spinning, a sound effect started ying out of nowhere.

    But the boy''s attention was fully glued to the pin, changing all over the ce as the wheel continued to spin.

    Slowly, it started to slow down more and more until it barely had any energy left.

    "Come on,e on, at least make me a guy. I haven''t even lost my first time yet."

    As it stopped an inch away from Female, it suddenly moved itself a little, changing his fate from going to a fantasy world into being Female.

    "Fuck this shit!"

    "Oh, that''s unfortunate. Look like you''re going to be a woman in your next life."

    The boy has already mmed the button again, refusing to ept his fate of being a woman.

    "I still have a chance... Surely, itnds on men and overrides it. There''s not a world I''m going to marry a dude."

    As the pin continued to pass a variety of options, the boy could feel his non-existent heart racing faster and faster.

    But with his awful luck, it didn''tnd on the thing he wanted. Instead, itnded on memory selection.

    "Which memory do you want to pick? Also, I should probably tell you that things that are not selected on the machine be fully random."

    "Now you''re telling me that?" The boy questioned as he looked at the ghost in anger.

    "My bad... Ahem, so what memories do you want to keep?"

    "What option do I have?"

    The ghost paused for a second, then created another book out of thin air before throwing it over to the boy.

    As the boy opened the book and began reading it, he immediately realized what his choices were.

    "I''m keeping my knowledge. There''s no point in me remembering my families and friends if I can''t go back ever again," The boy stated firmly.

    "Okay... I rmend you just stop here¡ª¡ªNever mind, I guess you''re taking the risk."

    As the ghost shook its head, the wheel was starting to slow down, getting ready to reveal its answer.

    "Yes, yes, yes, fantasy is fine... Stop, stop, stop! I don''t want to be a fish! Come on, just one more block."

    Right before his eyes, the pin moved just slightly one more,nding on what he wanted originally.

    It was the gender with thebel male.

    "Thank you, god! God bless you! I knew you''d never let me down like this."

    As the boy started celebrating with dances, the ghost''s face was full of confusion.

    "Huh. That''s definitely a bug. That section should only allow one answer¡ª¡ª"

    "Wait, wait, wait, what do you mean, bug? It should just override it, right? You can''t just waste my spin like that. Please."

    Seeing the boy pleading like his life depended on it, the ghosts felt a little bad.

    "You know, usually, I''m supposed just to pick the first one no matter what. But since you really want to be a guy, I''ll grant you the wish."

    "Thank you!"

    As the boy let out a sigh of relief, the ghost gave him onest warning before disappearing.

    "I just want to tell you, this is my first time trying to edit the rulebook, so this might cause some bugs."

    "Wait, what do you mean by that¡ª¡ª"

    Before the boy can finish asking his question, the white room disappears as everything fades to ck.

 Chapter 2: Sophia, Alex, and Mary

    Everything was pitch ck. Nothing could be seen except the feeling of being submerged underwater.

    There was not much to do besides being able to move the body slightly¡ªa real body rather than a transparent ghost.

    But the concept of time has vanished as the brain soon fell into hibernation.

    After who knows how long, a light appeared, piercing through the darkness.

    ---

    In a small little house, a young woman was lying on the bed, with a young man standing by the bedside.

    An old-looking woman stood near the end of the bed, a nket covering her arms and the young woman''s leg.

    "Congrattions, it''s a boy..." the old woman announced as she cut the cord with a pair of scissors.

    "I knew it! I told you this one is going to be a boy. I told you." The young woman pointed out as she gently punched the man''s chest.

    "Yeah, yeah... We can finally stop here. No more babies."

    As the young woman reached for the baby, as tradition dictated, the old woman froze still, holding the baby in her arms.

    "Um, is there something wrong?" The young woman curiously asked.

    "I might need to take my words back. It might be a she... Or a he. I don''t know which one."

    "What?"

    Both parents looked a little confused by what the old woman meant until she handed the baby over to them.

    "It''s a boy. What do you mean it''s a she?" The man curiously asked, as there was a clear male genitalia in the front.

    "Honey..."

    As his wife lifted the baby, the husband instantly realized what was wrong.

    There was a small entrance right below the male genitalia. It was the female genitalia on the baby''s body.

    "This doesn''t make sense¡ª¡ª"

    "Actually, now I think about it, there have been cases of this happening in some text I had once read."

    Hearing the old woman mentioning it, both of the parents looked much more hopeful.

    "Really? Is this a bad thing or a good thing?" The wife asked in a concerned voice.

    "Well, it''s obviously a bad thing. It''s probably going to cause them a lot of trouble in life.

    But you have to look at the bright side. At least they aren''t the only ones in the world that have this issue."

    "What should we do? Is there some sort of surgery to fix it?" The husband asked, looking a little desperate for solutions.

    "Well, there is some magic that can change one''s gender temporarily. But I''m afraid there is no permanent solution.

    It''s probably up to them if they want to be a woman or a man when they grow up or whatever gender indicator is more obvious.

    If you guys really don''t want the kid, I can take it¡ª¡ª"

    "No, we''d like to keep it." The wife dered, not hesitating a single bitpared to the husband, who still looked a little hesitant.

    But he didn''t speak up, respecting his wife''s choice of epting it.

    "Very well..."

    ---

    After everything was dusted, the old woman left the house.

    As soon as they left, a little girl excitedly ran straight into the room, her face full of excitement.

    "Mom! Dad! Do I have a new brother or sister?" the little girl asked the two parents curiously.

    "Um, well, you have a new sibling named Alex... Right, babe?"

    Seeing her father looking a little awkward, the little girl jumped up to the bed to have a little herself.

    "Your sibling is still not fully developed yet, okay? You should just call them Alex."

    The wife gently lowered the baby so the little girl could see its face. But to her disappointment, she couldn''t see anything beyond it.

    "Ahem, Sophia, you wanted to learn about magic and sword fighting, right? I think it''s the perfect time for me to teach you how to use a sword."

    "Yay! Let''s go!"

    With her husband and daughter gone from the room, the wife felt an inner peace in the bed.

    Especially after seeing the baby smile for the first time, her heart just melted from its pure innocence.

    "Do you want to be a boy or a girl?" The wife murmured as it tickled the baby''s belly with her finger.

    The baby suddenly started crying, and the wife realized she had just tried to ask the baby for an answer.

    "What am I thinking? They can''t even talk yet... Okay, okay, calm down. It''s time for your nap."

    As the wife swung the baby a little in her arm, the sobbing soon stopped as it fell asleep.

    ---

    One year quickly flew by, and Alex could finally stay awake without falling asleep after using their brain too much.

    At first, he couldn''t understand any of the words his parent spoke, but after listening in for a while, he was able to understand a few words.

    As his body developed, his old memories also started to reappear.

    Although he couldn''t remember his old name or previous family and friends, he at least knew his previous life was a man and his dream.

    This soon became a massive problem as he quickly the ''bug'' that was on his body, or her body.

    "God damn it... I knew my life wasn''t just going to be easy."

    Besides that major issue, his baby life was pretty easy. All he had to do was cry to get his mom toe over to take care of his needs.

    He was initially a little hesitant to do it, but his body didn''t allow him to hold anything in.

    The hardest challenge was making himself drink someone else''s breastmilk, but he quickly overcame it after seeing his mom''s beauty.

    However, after a while, he began to feel repulsed from even attempting to think of her other than as a mother.

    It was almost as if his body was starting to treat the person feeding him as his real mother rather than just another woman.

    He soon came to eptance, as he had no one else in this world to call family besides the people who were around him now.

    ---

    Time continued to fly by as Alex began to learn how to walk and even speak inplete sentences.

    Soon, he was two years old and was able to walk around the house with his mom or dad nearby.

    "Hey Alex,e here. I want to show you something."

    A little girl two years older, or a giant if someone was topare it to Alex, waved for him toe over.

    "Hm?" Alex hesitated for a second as he looked over to his mother.

    "You can go y with Sophia. Don''t hurt yourself thought."

    As Alex quickly ran to catch up with Sophia, the two walked straight into their parent''s room.

    "What are we doing here?" Alex asked curiously.

    "You''re about to have another sibling! Aren''t you excited?" Sophia pointed out.

    "Why would I be excited over that?"

    Alex knew his mother had been pregnant again, as she had been sitting on the sofa most of the time rather than bringing him to the outside world.

    "Come on, Alex, you don''t want a little sister or a little brother? We''ll have another person to y with at home."

    "Eh, I don''t really care."

    Seeing Alex looking uninterested, Sophia went over to the toy box to take out some toys.

    "Hmph, you sound like dad more and more every day."

    "Yeah, what''s wrong with that?"

    Alex''s question made Sophia fall into silence, but she wasn''t just going to let that slide.

    "How dare you talk back to your sister."

    As Sophia grabbed the toy sword from the box, Alex immediately bolted out of the room.

    "Mom! Sophia is trying to hit me!"

    ---

    Soon, Alex reaches four years old.

    The whole family''s attention was on the little sister, Mary, who was now two years old.

    Even he was forced to y with her, despite his wish to read books from his dad''s shelf.

    Although he couldn''t understand a single word in the book, the pictures inside show him living in a fantasy world where magic existed.

    It was further backed up when, one day, he walked past his mom in the kitchen, having fireing out of her fingertip.

    He immediately started pressing his parents to teach him magic, but the only answer he got was that he was not old enough.

    Instead, he was sent to be with Sophia, where he learned how to swing a sword back and forth every day.

    Even though it was extremely boring and tiring, the existence of magic made him pull through it every day.

    Soon, his chance of bing a mage finally came true when his mom invited a mysterious woman wearing a pointy hand and a giant cloak.

    But much to his disappointment, it was meant for Sophia, who had finally reached the age to test for magic capability within her.

    As the mysterious woman disappeared, Alex knew he would just have to wait two more years for her to return.

 Chapter 3: Disappointment, Hope, and Tragedy

    As Alex reaches six years old, the mysterious woman once again returns to their home.

    "Mom! Is it my turn?" Alex excitedly asked.

    "Yes, yes. It''s your turn," the mother murmured as she carried Alex to the living room.

    After waiting patiently for five minutes, the mysterious woman finally came out of his parent''s room.

    "You guys cane in now."

    As Alex and his mother stepped inside, he was stunned by the look inside.

    The bed, along with the ceiling, waspletely gone, reced with some sort of ck void.

    If he had not seen them step foot onto the ck void that turned out to be solid, he could never have stepped foot inside.

    "Woah... What is all this? Is this magic?" Alex curiously asked.

    "Yep, it''s magic... Hey Katherine, where''s Paul?"

    The mysterious woman turned her attention over to Alex''s mom, who shrugged her shoulder.

    "He had been busy dealing with the monster outbreak," Katherine replied as she carried Alex to the floating crystal ball in the middle.

    "Ah, I see... Okay, Alex, it''s time for you to put your hand above the crystal ball and start imagining things," the mysterious woman whispered.

    Alex quickly followed through with the instruction, but a problem appeared.

    "What am I supposed to imagine?"

    "Just anything when your hands hover over the crystal ball."

    Despite the mysterious woman''s advice, Alex just couldn''t feel anything after putting his hand on the crystal ball.

    See nothing appearing, the mysterious woman pushed his hands away before putting the crystal ball inside her bag.

    "Amelia, is Alex okay?" Katherine''s voice started to sound a little concerned.

    "He has zero magical capability. Is he really your son? How is he so drastically different from your daughter?"

    What? That can''t be right¡ª¡ª"

    "Alex, shush. Don''t question Miss Amelia like that... Is there any way for me to help him?"

    Seeing a mother genuinely wanting to help his son, the mysterious woman decided to give her a little hope.

    "When your other daughter is old enough to take the test, I''lle back again to give you an answer."

    As the mysterious woman snapped her finger and vanished from the room, the ck void disappeared, and the room turned back to normal.

    "Mom... am I a failure?"

    "No, you''re not a failure. I don''t want to hear you say that ever again, you hear me?"

    Alex nodded in agreement, but his face was on the edge of tearing up.

    "Alex, you wanted to be an adventurer, just like your dad, right?"

    Katherine asked as she lifted Alex to her arm and gently patted his head as if he were still a baby.

    "I-I do..." Alex softly replied.

    "Then you can''t cry over things like this. You have to have a strong heart to be an adventurer."

    After a short silence, tears eventually fell as he couldn''t believe his fantasy of being a wizard had ended before it had a chance to start.

    He couldn''t face the reality that he was now going to be a normal person with zero powers to do anything.

    "It''s okay, Alex. Just let it all out. You don''t have to hold it in..."

    Katherine''s sudden change of strategy made Alex sob even harder, but the sobbing eventually began to die down.

    "How can I be an adventurer if Miss Amelia just said I don''t have any magical capability¡ª¡ª"

    "So? Magic doesn''t define someone as a failure or not. Your dad doesn''t have any magic either, and he''s doing just fine as an adventure."

    Seeing Alex finally stop sobbing, Katherine put him back down on the bed and wiped the tears off with her finger.

    "Alex, you want to be a boy, right?"

    The question caught Alex a little off guard, but he nodded in agreement.

    "Then you''re going to learn your daddy''s sword skill and be a swordsman just like him.

    You''ll still be able to use magic that way as well, too, so your dream of using magic isn''t over yet."

    Within seconds, the sadness on Alex''s face quickly disappeared. Instead, it will filled with hope.

    "Really? I can still use magic?" Alex excitedly asked.

    "Yes, Alex, a swordsman doesn''t need any magical capability to use magical scrolls.

    Look, let me give you one to use right now... Just let me find it in my bags."

    After digging in the drawer for a while, Katherine finally turned back around to hand Alex a piece of cloth with an unknown letter on it.

    "Here, just imagine fire as you hold this scroll."

    As Alex closed his eyes and started imagining fire in his head, he could feel a burning sensation, making him open his eyes again.

    "There''s fire on my finger!" Alex excitedly pointed out as a small me hung on his fingertip.

    "Be careful... Don''t be sad about not being able to use magic now, okay?" Katherine softly lectured as she took the scroll away from Alex.

    "Thank you, Mommy! I love you!"

    "I love you too, Alex."

    ---

    Ever since the day after the crystal ball test, Alex had been working extra hard on his training.

    Despite his dad onlying home asionally, he was still training, asking him for tips the moment he walked inside the house.

    However, just as Alex thought the two years would pass uneventfully until his little sister''s test, tragedy struck the family.

    It was a rainy afternoon, and several men and women in knight''s armor came into the house soaking wet, carrying a box along with a sword.

    "Mrs.Katherine. I''m afraid your husband Paul, he''s..."

    One of the knights in front hesitated for a second as he couldn''t express his thoughts.

    "He''s what? Just tell me."

    Katherine nervously asked, her face hoping it wasn''t the bad news despite all the evidence against it.

    "We were fighting a monster outbreak, and he fell into one of the monster''s traps while saving us¡ª¡ª"

    "Where is his body?" Katherine urgently asked.

    "We couldn''t find it. The only thing we found was his sword on the ground when we came back." the knight replied as he shook his head.

    As soon as the knight finished talking, Katherine''s face suddenly darkened for the first time.

    Everyone in the room knew there was no chance for him toe back, especially swordsmen who had lost their swords on the battlefield.

    "We''re terribly sorry, ma''am... If there''s anything we can do for you, please contact us."

    Seeing Katherine not speaking a single word, the knight puts the sword and the box on the table before leaving the house in silence.

    "Mom... Are you okay?"

    Sophia curiously asked as she and Alex walked out of the bedroom after hearing the footsteps disappearing from the living room.

    "I''m fine, Sophia... Take care of Alex and Mary, okay? I''ll be right back."

    Katherine quickly ran back into her room and then came out into the living room with a bag.

    Alex immediately recognized it. The bag almost looked exactly like the one the mysterious woman had carried with her.

    Without saying another word, Katherine left the house as the door mmed shut from the wind.

    "Alex, what should we do now? Why did Mom look so angry and sad?" Sophia asked nervously, looking a little lost with Mom missing.

    "I don''t know. But Mom told us to take care of Mary. Let''s go bring her here."

    As the two headed back into the bedroom, Mary was walking around in her crib, looking a little curious at the two who just walked in.

    "Mary, you want to wait for Mom with us?" Alex asked.

    With a nod, Alex tried to reach inside to get Mary out of the crib. But he was too short even to reach the top.

    Fortunately, Sophia was tall enough to reach inside and carried Mary out, allowing the three to head straight back to the living room.

    The three waited on the sofa together, but Mary quickly fell back asleep as she was only a toddler.

    Alex went back to the bedroom to get a nket, covering both Mary and Sophia, who soon fell asleep as well.

    But just as Alex was about to fall asleep, someone suddenly knocked on the door.

    "Wait, don''t open the door yet. Mom has a key. It might be a stranger outside."

    Sophia was also awakened by the sound, holding back Alex, who was just about to open the door.

    "You''re right."

    As the two stood in front of the door, neither could reach the peephole.

    "Wait, I got an idea."

    Alex quickly moved his back against the door, his shoulder against the door, as he signaled Sophia to jump on his back.

    Sophia immediately understood as she began crawling on top of his back, bncing herself to reach the peephole.

    "It''s Miss Amelia!"

    As Sophia jumped back down, the two both reached for the door and opened it.

    "Oh hey, Sophia and Alex, do you guys know where your mommy is at?"

    Sophia shook her head, but Alex threw out everything he knew of.

    "Our dad''s sword is on the table... And a lot of people came to the house earlier."

    As soon as Alex finished, the two of them could see her face change to panic.

    "Shit, you three stay inside the house, okay? Don''t open doors for strangers."

    Seeing Miss Amelia disappearing into the rain, the two of them started to have a bad feeling.

 Chapter 4: Funeral, Preparation, and Breakfast

    After waiting for who knows how long, the two of them couldn''t endure drowsiness, falling into deep sleep on the sofa.

    When Alex felt something shaking his shoulder, he turned to the side for a second before realizing he was sleeping on a soft bed.

    "Wakey wakey, mom''s back home."

    Hearing Mary''s voice, Alex finally opened his eyes as he sat back up from the bed, looking still a little sleepy.

    "Sophia, wake up. Mommy is back," Mary whispered as she shook her shoulder next.

    "Hm?"

    As Sophia got up from the bed, Alex was already out of the bed, trying to find his shoe, which was nowhere in sight.

    "When did we sleep on the bed? Weren''t we sleeping on the sofa?" Sophia murmured as she shook her hair a little to move it to her back.

    "Mary, when did mome back?" Alex curiously asked as he finally found his shoe.

    "Um, I think it was during the morning..."

    "You''re up that early?" Sophia asked with doubt in her voice as she found her shoe on the side.

    "I-I was the only one awake when mom moved us to bed!"

    Mary crossed her arms in anger, causing Sophia to bend down to pat her head gently.

    "My bad, you did a good job, Mary¡ª¡ª"

    "Ahem, let''s go check on Mom." Alex interrupted the two''s moment, not wanting to waste any more time.

    "Okay!"

    ---

    When the three left their bedroom and arrived in the living room, both Katherine and Amelia were sitting on the sofa.

    Katherine was wearing a ck robe that none of them had ever seen, and she wore a witch hat simr to Amelia''s.

    There wasn''t any tear on her face, but tear marks were clearly visible for anyone to see.

    "Mom?" Sophia nervously asked as the three walked up to the two sitting on the sofa.

    The sadness on Katherine''s face disappeared within seconds as she smiled back at the three.

    "Hey Sophia, you guys hungry?" Katherine asked as she leaned down to hug all three of them at once.

    "Mom, is Dad not here anymore?" Alex straightforwardly asked, wanting an answer to all the things that had happened.

    Katherine hesitated for a second, then looked over to Amelia''s face, who used her mouth to signal her to say the truth.

    "Yes... Your daddy is not going to be with us anymore."

    Mary looked a little confused as she couldn''t understand what they were talking about, but Sophia burst into tears.

    "It''s okay, Sophia. Just let it all out."

    As Sophia continued to cry on her mom''s shoulder, Amelia was a little surprised at how calm Alex looked.

    But she didn''t question it, letting them resolve it among themselves as she watched it in silence.

    ---

    The next day...

    Everyone in town was in the house''s backyard, standing in silence as a tombstone was erected in its middle.

    The tombstone had the name ''Paul'' right at the top, with no family name written anywhere near it.

    After a short funeral speech by the town''s chief, Paul''s empty wooden casket was lowered into the hole.

    As two knights started filling the hole back up with dirt, tears began falling down people''s faces.

    Even Mary started tearing up as she finally realized what was happening after Sophia exined it to her.

    "You don''t have to hold it in," a female voice suddenly said to Alex.

    Alex quickly turned around, but everyone around him was either crying or looking down in sadness.

    "I have to be the man... I have to tough it out." Alex thought to himself as he held in the urge to cry.

    Although he initially never viewed Paul as his father, after knowing him for six years, he had long epted him as his father.

    Seeing someone so close suddenly die was the first time he had experienced losing a loved one.

    ---

    After who knows how long, the funeral ended.

    Everyone began leaving their house and went back to their lives. Life moved on as if nothing had happened.

    Despite Katherine''s attempt to appear as if she had moved past it, Alex could tell she still missed her husband every day.

    But there was nothing Alex could do.

    He had never even had a rtionship, let alonefort someone who had lost their loved one.

    After staying for a few days to ensure Katherine wouldn''t try something stupid, Amelia left the house.

    The house was back to the four of them living together, but without a longtime guest who appeared at least once a week.

    ---

    In the bedroom, Sophia, Alex, and Mary, who was too big for the crib, were all sleeping together on the same bed.

    The three of them had just finished taking a shower with Katherine, who went back to her bedroom.

    "Hey Alex, have you noticed Mom feeling a little different the past few weeks?" Sophia quietly asked.

    "Past few weeks? She''s been different ever since Dad was gone." Alex replied, closing his eyes and trying to fall asleep.

    "There must be something we can do to help her. Come on, you''re the genius in the household."

    Sophia suddenly grabbed Alex''s arm, shaking his shoulder for an answer.

    "There''s nothing we can do to heal someone who lost their loved one. Only time can heal those traumas, okay?"

    Alex turned over to the other side of the bed, facing Mary, who had already fallen asleep on the bed.

    "But... Mom looks so alone every day. Even when she''s with us." Sophia murmured as she closed her eyes as well.

    Alex didn''t respond to Sophia''s murmuring, but he couldn''t fall asleep at all.

    He wanted to do something about it. He really wants to see his mom be happy as well.

    But nothing in his memories could fix this issue. He had been trying to find something to solve it ever since Dad''s death.

    "Mom''s birthday ising up too... I was thinking of¡ª¡ª"

    Before Sophia finished talking, Alex immediately turned back around to face her directly in the dark.

    "When is it Mom''s birthday?" Alex urgently asked as he held onto her shoulder.

    "Next week... Let go of my shoulder. It hurts." Sophiained as she tried to push his hand away.

    "You''re a genius, Sophia! I think I have an idea now." Alex murmured as he leaned forward to hug Sophia.

    "Okay..."

    ---

    Days quickly went by as Alex and Sophia began preparing for their mom''s birthday.

    Mary eventually caught on to what the two were doing and joined in, serving as the distraction role to get Mom away from the house.

    As the day finally arrived, Sophia and Alex both sneaked out of the house to the town''s bakery early in the morning.

    After paying for the cake they had ordered in advance with the money they had earned from selling their toys, the two quickly ran back home.

    Slowly, the two put the cake into their now-emptied toy box and close it, running back out to the kitchen as they get ready to prepare for breakfast.

    "H-How do I cook?" Sophia nervously asked as she had never cooked before.

    "Move aside. I can do this. Just cut the ingredients... Don''t cut your hand."

    As Alex lifted the pot with both hands, he quickly moved it to the firepit before dropping it onto the rack.

    "Shit, I can''t start a fire," Alex murmured, realizing Katherine had always started fire from her fingertip.

    "Wait, I can do it."

    Sophia pushed Alex back as she put her finger onto the wood, murmuring something as if she was casting a spell.

    After a while, a small little spark appeared before disappearing. But it was enough for one of the sticks to catch on fire.

    "You know how to use magic?" Alex curiously asked.

    "A little bit... Just a little, okay?"

    Sophia replied with a proud look as if she had aplished something great. But in Alex''s eyes, it was the greatest thing in life.

    "Ahem, the fire had started," Sophia warned.

    Alex quickly snapped back to the moment as he positioned the pot right above the fire, letting it heat first.

    He instinctively reached over for butter, but he stopped at thest second after realizing he wasn''t on Earth anymore.

    "Right... There''s not even butter or cooking oil in this house." Alex murmured as he ran back outside to grab a bucket of water.

    After returning with the water, he poured it straight into the pot, waiting for it to heat up a bit.

    "What do we do now?" Sophia asked curiously as she finished chopping the meat into small square chunks and vegetables that resembled potatoes.

    "Just wait. We''ll add the meat after the water isn''t freezing, and then we''ll take it back out to season after it boils."

    "Season? What''s that?"

    "It''s adding different vor to the meat. It''s what makes boiled meat taste good since we don''t have cooking oil or butter to fry it."

    Alex patiently exined to Sophia. His face didn''t look annoyed by the question in the slightest.

    "What''s butter and oil?" Sophia curiously asked again.

    "It''s something that makes a sizzling sound when you cook meat with it..."

 Chapter 5: Birthday, Education, and Happiness

    Alex quickly grabbed the te and poured all the meat into the pot, letting the water slowly reach boiling temperature.

    With steaming out of the pot, he waited for the fat, blood, and bubbles to form before getting ready to use a spat.

    Tilting the pot to the side, Alex carefully scooped up the meat onto another te, leaving all the unnecessary stuff in the water.

    "Okay, can you go pour this water out? Just dump it in the backyard and clean it with water."

    Sophia nodded, leaving the room with the pot full of water as Alex started seasoning the meat with salt and a special seasoning he had brought.

    "How did I endure eating the food she cooked for so long?" Alex murmured as he thought back to all the food he had eaten since birth.

    All the food that Katherine cooked was the most basic food he had ever eaten, just boiling everything in a giant pot and putting some salt in it.

    "I guess we''re broke for a reason."

    As Alex finished seasoning the meat, Sophia was back with a pot filled with water.

    "Okay, we''re cooking vegetables this time..."

    Twenty minutester.

    "And we''re done," Alex announced as he finished the te with chucks of potatoes on each of the four tes.

    Sophia quickly brought it out to the table in the living room, with Alex putting the fire out.

    "Let''s go!"

    The two quickly ran towards Katherine''s room, waking both Mary and Katherine, who had been sleeping together for the past few days.

    "Hm?"

    As Katherine sat up from the bed, she was a little surprised at how early they were up when the sun had barelye out.

    "Mom! Happy birthday!" The two of them excitedly said out loud.

    "Thank you. Did you two prepare something for me?" Katherine asked, feeling something was off about their energy.

    "Aww, Mom, how did you know we prepare breakfast?" Sophia asked in surprise as Mary finally woke up from the sound.

    "What are you guys talking about?" Mary asked, barely looking awake as she sat up from the bed.

    "It''s Mom''s birthday, you dummy." Sophia reminded her as she ran over to the other side of the bed to knock on her head.

    Seeing the two fighting each other with Sophia holding back, Katherine couldn''t help but smile before intervening.

    "Okay, okay. No more fighting. You two are sisters, okay?"

    "Hmph!"

    As the two looked away from each other, Alex was starting to get a little impatient.

    "The food is going to be cold." Alex hurried as he helped Mary change into her casual clothes.

    "It''s fine... Whatever you guys cook, I''ll eat it."

    As Katherine began taking off her pajamas and switching to her casual clothes, Alex''s brain froze for a second.

    Something was awakening in his head as his eyes were glued to her chest and her thighs.

    Seeing her ck bra and panties hiding her most precious part was making his heart race faster and faster.

    "Hm? Alex, are you okay?" Katherine curiously asked, noticing Alex''s weird eye movement.

    "I-I''m fine."

    Alex quickly looked away to the side, feeling a little ashamed as he saw his own mother as something else for a second.

    But Katherine didn''t think much of it as she finished changing and headed to the living room with the three of them.

    "Oh my, who cooked this? It looks so tasty," Katherine asked curiously, looking a little shocked by how good the food looked.

    "Alex¡ª¡ª"

    "We both cooked it together." Alex interrupted Sophia before she could finish, sharing the credit with her.

    "Aww, that''s so nice of you two... Hmm! This tastes so good! What did you guys add to it?"

    Katherine''s eyes were wide open. She was surprised by the vor of the meat, expecting it to be only salted meat.

    "When I brought the meat, thedy in the market gifted me a pack of pepper," Alex exined as the three of them also started eating the food.

    "I see... You know what, I should let you two cook more since you guys cook so well."

    Alex wanted to reject it at first, but seeing Sophia nod in agreement like crazy, he epted it.

    ---

    The morning and evening quickly went past as Katherine taught the three how to read and write.

    Mary was struggling a little, but it was to be expected as she was only five years old.

    To Katherine''s surprise, Alex was learning even faster than Sophia despite her having almost two years of headstarts.

    He was even reading the books on her shelf alone rather than ying with Sophia and Mary in their free time.

    But soon, nighttime approached.

    Katherine was sitting on the sofa, reading a book that she forbade Alex from reading.

    Meanwhile, the three kids were ying with dolls, the only three toys that remained in the house as nobody brought them.

    "I want to be Alex''s wife this time!" Mary demanded.

    "No, I''m Alex''s wife. You can be the maid." Sophia argued as she shoved Mary''s doll aside.

    "No! I''m not being the maid again."

    Seeing the two fighting over each other, Alex just couldn''t help butugh at how childish it was.

    But still, he yed along with the two as there wasn''t much entertainment at night.

    "Alex, which one are you picking?" Sophia demanded an answer.

    "Me! If you pick Sophia, I''m going to cry," Mary threatened, her face almost looking like she was about actually to cry.

    "Hmph! Don''t threaten him like that. I''ll cry, too, if that''s how you want to do it."

    With a difficult decision before him, Alex fell into silence as both choices were a death sentence for the rest of the night.

    But hearing a chuckleing from Katherine, he immediately knew what to pick to be free from the fight.

    "Mom is going to be my wife." Alex quickly pointed out.

    "What!"

    "That''s not possible!"

    "Says who?" Alex argued as he quickly jumped up to the sofa, hugging Katherine''s arm as the two on the floor looked a little disappointed.

    "Okay, enough. None of us can be his wife, you silly goose. It''s time for you guys to sleep."

    Katherine grabbed all three dolls, carrying them in her arms as she headed to their bedroom.

    But after she put all three of them down on the bed, she was a little stunned when she went to put away the three dolls.

    "Happy birthday, Mom!"

    All three of them excitedly said out loud at the same time as they jumped back down from the bed and carried the cake to the small table.

    "You guys..."

    As Katherine burst into tears, both Sophia and Mary were confused. But Alex could tell it was a tear of joying out.

    "Mom... Did we do something wrong?" Sophia nervously asked.

    "No, you guys are perfect. I''m just too happy seeing this cake."

    As Katherine calmed back down and wiped the tears off her face, the two finally realized she was happy, not sad.

    "Mom! Make a wish!"

    Alex quickly pulled out the small candle he had prepared from his bag and attached it to the cake before Sophia lit it up with a little me.

    "I wish¡ª¡ª"

    "Mom! If you say the wish, it''s not going toe true!" Alex interrupted Katherine from continuing.

    "Fine, fine, I''ll wish it in my head."

    As Katherine closed her eyes and put her hands together, she began making her wish.

    After a few seconds, she leaned forward to blow the candle.

    "Mom, what did you wish for¡ª¡ª"

    "Mary! You can''t ask that. If you say the wish, it doesn''te true." Alex interrupted again before letting go of his hand.

    "Okay, geez..."

    As the room fell into silence, Katherine just couldn''t help but grab all three of them together for a hug.

    "You three are the best thing in my life! I love you all!"

    "Love you too, Mom!

    ---

    Ever since the day after Katherine''s birthday, she finally seemed to move on from the tragedy, as she looked much more motivated than before.

    She didn''t just idly sit on the sofa alone anymore. Instead, she started spending much more time teaching and taking care of the three of them.

    Sophia and Mary soon regretted it a little doing that birthday, as they were forced to start reading books like Alex.

    He was the only one who didn''t really mind the change, as it meant he had more time to read.

    It soon became apparent to Katherine that Alex was not like the other two kids, as she eventually started buying harder books for him to read.

    Besides learning, Katherine finally began learning how to cook and buy all kinds of ingredients and food.

    The three were finally free from the poverty of food they had been eating for years, albeit with a lot of disaster food as she went in blind.

    Soon, a familiar person came by to visit their home just as Mary finally reaches six years old.

 Chapter 6: Mana, First Kiss, and Moving

    "Miss Amelia! Wee!"

    Sophia excitedly opened the door, with Mary standing right behind her, still recovering from jumping down from someone''s back.

    "Hey, kids. Do you know where Katherine is at?" Amelia asked as she gently patted both of their heads.

    "She''s in the bedroom right now," Mary replied.

    "You two y here, okay? Me and Katherine will be back."

    The two watched Amelia enter the bedroom before closing it shut, which made them a little curious about what was happening inside.

    "Man, where''s Alex when we needed him?" Sophiained, feeling a little lost on what to do.

    "I don''t know..." Mary murmured as she looked down at the doll in her hand.

    "Whatever, let''s just y."

    ---

    Meanwhile, inside Katherine''s bedroom.

    Alex was peacefully sleeping on the bed, with Amelia and Katherine both standing at the bedside.

    "You said you found a way to give my son mana?" Katherine asked calmly, trying to hide the excitement in her voice.

    "Obviously, why else would I be here?"

    Amelia replied as she took out a purple vial containing a mysterious purple liquid inside, as well as several nk scrolls made of unknown material.

    "When are you going back to the capital, Kate?" Amelia suddenly asked as words began appearing on the scroll.

    Katherine fell into silence, not wanting to respond to the question. But in return, Amelia stoppedpletely.

    "Don''t call me Kate. I''ll head back when it''s time," Katherine replied, but Amelia wasn''t happy with the answer.

    "You say that every time Ie here. Our teacher misses you... She doesn''t me you for what happened."

    Seeing Katherine not responding, Amelia didn''t try to pressure her again.

    Soon, the scroll began flying into the air, causing everything in the room to elevate.

    But with a snap of a finger, the room was quickly covered by a ck void, making everything disappear besides everything on the bed.

    "Kate, I just want to warn you that giving your son mana is going to be very expensive," Amelia warned as the word on the scroll began to fade.

    "I can always go back to being an adventure... Just tell me what I need." Katherine impatiently asked.

    "Being an adventure is not going to be enough. He needs an edible mana source."

    As soon as Amelia finished talking, Katherine fell into silence.

    She knew exactly what Amelia was talking about. There was only one edible mana source in this world that even money couldn''t buy.

    "Is there no other way? Does he really need to have holy water?" Katherine asked, despite knowing the answer.

    "What do you think? Anyway, can you leave the room for a second? I need to perform the ritual to restart his mana connection."

    With Katherine leaving the room, Amelia turned her attention to Alex, who had been put into some sort of sleep spell.

    After chanting a few words with the rest of the scroll in hand, the room suddenly started having wind blowing from all directions.

    But it quickly died down as soon as she opened the vial. It was almost as if the purple liquid absorbed all the wind into it.

    "May the goddess of water cleanse you..."

    As Amelia murmured it out, Alex''s eye began to move rapidly underneath the eyelid until he opened his eyes.

    "How was the dream?" Amelia asked as she held the vial in hand.

    "I... I just dreamt I was back home." Alex instinctively replied, as he still hadn''t fully recovered from the effect.

    "Home? It must have been a good dream, then," Amelia murmured as she spun the vial around.

    "N-No... I don''t want to have that dream again."

    Alex shook his head. The dream he had was all the way back on earth, with fragments of him walking around talking to other people.

    But everyone''s face was blurred, with their voices blurred as well. It was practically torture as he couldn''t understand anything at all.

    "Oh... Why would Katherine nightmare spell on you?" Amelia murmured thest part to herself before handing the vial over.

    "Ahem, anyway, can you drink this down? This will finally give you the ability to cast magic."

    Without any hesitation, Alex drank the whole thing in one fast swoop,handing the empty vial back to Amelia.

    After waiting for a whole minute, Alex doesn''t feel any different besides his body getting a little hot.

    "Why does it feel so hot?" Alex thought to himself, resisting the urge to take his clothes off in front of Amelia.

    "Your body feels a little hot right now, right?" Amelia asked.

    Alex immediately nodded, as he could feel his blood was starting to burn through his skin.

    "It''s okay. Your body is just making space to contain manater. Just hold on."

    Despite his best attempts to hold back, he just couldn''t endure it any longer, so he took off his shirt off.

    "It''s so hot! I-I''m going to die!"

    Seeing Alex''s body begin to shake uncontrobly. Amelia knew it was time as she leaned forward and kissed him right on the lips.

    A cool sensation immediately flew into his body, making the process much less painful.

    Just as Alex looked back at Amelia, full of gratitude in his eyes, something snapped in her head.

    She suddenly pushed Alex back down onto the bed before sticking her tongue further inside, trying to pry his teeth open.

    Alex was caught off guard as his defense was easily pushed past, with his tongue passively mixing with hers.

    Despite the burning sensation still in his body, it was bing irrelevant, as the only thing on his mind was Amelia.

    Soon, Amelia herself was a little surprised as Alex started going on the offensive, using his much smaller tongue to chase after hers.

    Much to Alex''s disappointment, it didn''tst long. As soon as the burning sensation stopped, Amelia immediately pushed him away.

    "You should be able to cast your spell now."

    Amelia quickly wiped her lips, her face blushing a little as she couldn''t believe a little kid almost bullied her.

    Alex''s attention to Amelia was thrown out the window as he began trying to cast a small me on his fingertip.

    After almost waiting for five whole seconds, a small me finally appeared on his fingertip.

    "I did it! I can cast magic!"

    Seeing Alex''s face filled with joy, Amelia gently brushed his hair with her hand.

    "Good job. Now you can finally be a mage... But remember, don''t overuse it, okay?"

    Alex quickly nodded in agreement before the me disappeared from his fingertip.

    "Ahem. Alex, what happened earlier is a secret. Only between me and you. Don''t tell your mom about that, okay?"

    Alex nodded several times in a row as if his brain was starting to process what just happened earlier.

    "Okay, you can leave the room now. Go call your mom and Mary toe in."

    As Alex headed towards the door, Amelia already took out the crystal ball that he had once tested with.

    ---

    After Mary''s test, Amelia stayed all the way until it was about to be nighttime.

    She whispered a few things to Katherine before leaving, which made her face blush red.

    "You sure that is the right substitute for holy water?" Katherine quietly questioned."

    "Trust me, it should work in theory. You''re the only one I know who has produced that stuff before.

    You know the spell for how to resume it again, right? I don''t need to teach you¡ª¡ª"

    "Yeah, yeah, I know..."

    As the two finished talking, the three kids quickly surrounded Amelia in the middle.

    "Miss Amelia! Can you at least stay for dinner?" Sophia and Mary both pleaded as they had just recently learned how to cook.

    "Sorry, kids. But we''ll meet again very soon."

    After hugging both girls, Amelia looked over to Alex, who was standing there silently zoning off.

    "Hey Alex, you aren''t going to say goodbye to Miss Amelia?" Sophia curiously asked.

    Alex quickly snapped back to the moment as he nervously ran over to Amelia before the two hugged.

    "Remember our secrets, okay?" Amelia''s voice suddenly appeared in his head.

    "I will," Alex stated in a firm voice.

    "Good boy."

    As Amelia puts Alex back down, Sophia and Mary both got a little curious as to why he just said that out loud randomly.

    "Katherine, remember your promise, okay? I better see you in the capital next year."

    "Yeah, yeah."

    The four of them waved as Amelia walked off into the darkness before Katherine pushed the three back inside and closed the door.

    "Mom! Are we really moving to the capital?" Sophia curiously asked.

    "Yes, sweetie. We''re going to visit your grandparents. You all are excited, right?"

    "Yay!"

    All three of the kids jumped into the air in excitement. They were tired of wandering around the town in the morning with nothing much to do.

    They had already heard countless stories of thrills and crazy events in the capital, especially from several of the kids they yed with.

    "If you three can''t learn proper manner within this year, then I''m canceling the trip," Katherine warned.

    "Yes, ma''am!"

 Chapter 7: Sophias Pain and New Journey

    Months quickly went by, and Katherine started training the three kids in proper etiquette.

    At first, the three of them were excited, thinking about how fancy they were going to be after the training.

    But they soon realized it was the most tedious and painful act to perform, even when it served no practical purpose.

    For Alex and Mary, it wasn''t too difficult to learn the proper manner within the mouth passed.

    However, Sophia found learning the new manner very difficult. This was partially due to the fact that she was already ten years old.

    More importantly, she encountered a problem that would haunt Alexter in life.

    ---

    "Mom... Am I dying?"

    Sophia weakly asked as she remained on the bed, her face looking a little pale as if she had just been stabbed or something.

    "No, you silly. You''re just having your first period. I should have prepared this in advance for you."

    Katherine apologized as she lifted her from the bed, and Alex and Mary followed her to the restroom.

    "Period? What''s that?" Mary curiously asked as the two watched Katherine put Sophia down inside an empty wooden bathtub.

    "it''s something all girls have. Ites once a month... Ahem, Alex, can you leave the restroom for a second?"

    Just as Alex was about to turn around and leave, Sophia''s words made him stop right by the door.

    "Mom... What if Alex has a period too?"

    Sophia''s question made Katherine froze for a second, but she quickly shook her head.

    "He''s a boy. He''s not going to have¡ª¡ª"

    "But we both know he''s... a little different." Sophia blushed as she thought back to thest time they took a shower together.

    Katherine thought for a second, then turned back around to bring Alex back inside.

    "Mom, I know what a period is, and I''m sure it won''t happen to me. I don''t need to watch this."

    Alex tried to run away, not wanting to haunt himself at night, but Katherine forcefully dragged him back next to Mary.

    "Doesn''t matter. She''s just your sister. Besides, I need you to learn how to care for yourself in case it happens."

    As Katherine turned her back around, Sophia''s face blushed red, and all three of their attention was now on her reddish skirt.

    "Ahem, so when you are about to have a period, you want to wear a pad attached to your panties here. Mary, can you bring a new pair for Sophia?"

    With Mary running out of the room, Katherine went into the sink drawer to find a rectangr cloth with mysterious padding inside.

    After Mary returned with the panties, she started tying the string on the side of the rectangr cloth to the panties.

    As soon as the string on the side was pulled to tighten, the padding suddenly started inting until it fully fluffed up like a mini-cake.

    "Okay, now you can just wear this and wash it when your period ends... It should be able to absorb all of the period''s blood for several days.

    But remember, don''t lose it. I spent a lot of time making this, and I don''t have the material for extra ones." Katherine warned.

    With Sophia nodding in agreement, Katherine began removing her slightly reddish skirt.

    "So much blood!" Mary pointed out as Sophia''s panties were soaked in blood.

    "It probably built up for a while... Sophia, when did this happen to you?" Katherine asked as she began removing the panties.

    "This morning. But I did feel a little leg cramp for a few days now." Sophia shyly whispered.

    "That makes sense. Anyway, don''t be scared. There will be less in the future.

    Although it depends from person to person, as long as you eat healthy food before it appears, it should be a lot less severe."

    Sophia''s face blushed red again as she thought back to thest few days of eating meat and cake for her birthday.

    "Okay..."

    After Katherine finished wiping the blood off Sophia, she helped her wear her new pair of panties.

    For the rest of the day, Sophia rested on the bed while the other two went back to being taught by Katherine.

    When the next day arrived, Sophia was good enough to walk around and rejoin the other two.

    A few days after that, she was fully back to her usual self.

    ---

    Time soon flew by, and the three of them finally finished every manner lesson that Katherine knew of.

    But still, the trip that Katherine promised was nowhere in sight, as the time was now just fully dedicated to Katherine''s math andnguage sessions.

    "Mom, when are we moving back to the capital? I thought we were leaving after we finished learning proper etiquette."

    Alex questioned as the four of them sat at the dining table, eating the food that Katherine just cooked a few minutes ago.

    "Soon... Just be patient, sweetie." Katherine calmly replied as she picked up the lettuce-like vegetable with her fork.

    "But it has been a year¡ª¡ª" Before Sophia could finish speaking up, Katherine interrupted her.

    "I don''t want to go, okay? Is that the answer you wanted?"

    Katherine''s outburst made all three of them jump for a second, but it soon fell into an awkward silence.

    "Sorry. I didn''t mean to yell at you guys. I just don''t want to go back to the capital..."

    Seeing Katherine apologizing and looking down at the table filled with sadness, Sophia and Alex both felt a little guilty.

    Especially as she remained silent, not picking up any of the food as if the word capital was triggering some memories inside her mind.

    "If you guys really want, I can have someone bring you guys there to be with your grandparents," Katherine suddenly suggested.

    After a short silence, Alex spoke up first.

    "It''s fine, Mom. I''d rather be here with you. I don''t want to go to the capital without you."

    "Yeah... There''s no point if we can''t experience it with you."

    Hearing Alex and Sophia both choosing to be with her, Katherine felt a little touched.

    "Me too! I-I never wanted to go to the capital!" Mary chimed in.

    "Thank you..." Katherine murmured as she held in the urge to cry, with everyone resuming back to eating the food at the table.

    ---

    Ever since that day, all three of them stopped asking Katherine about going to the capital.

    Soon, another year flew past.

    Sophia was now twelve years old, and Alex''s ten-year-old birthday had just finished recently.

    Meanwhile, Mary''s eight-year-old birthday was only one month away.

    Just as the three thought they were going to continue living in the town together until they were adults, a surprise announcement came.

    ---

    "We''re going to the capital after Mary''s birthday," Katherine announced as the four of them ate lunch at the table.

    All three of the kids rubbed their ears and shook their heads in unison as if they couldn''t believe what Katherine had just announced.

    "Mom, you aren''t joking?" Sophia asked with uncertainty.

    "Do I look like I''m joking?" Katherine questioned, looking back at her with a fully serious face.

    Within seconds, all three of the kids yelled out in excitement as they realized they were finally going on the trip.

    "Mom, you''re the best!"

    All three of the kid ran up and kissed her on the face before running back to their seats.

    "Yeah, yeah, anyway, you guys better say goodbye to all your friends in the town. We aren''ting back once we move there."

    "Okay!"

    ---

    A month quickly went by.

    Mary''s birthday was like every other birthday in the family.

    The four celebrated by eating cakes and singing a happy birthday song that Alex ''created'' himself.

    The day after, the four of them had already packed everything the night before as they entered the horse wagon standing by the door.

    "I kind of miss home already," Sophia murmured, sitting alongside Alex and Mary with their luggage in the back of the wagon.

    "Well, too bad now!" Katherine excitedly yelled as she signaled the horse to go.

    "Geez... Why does Mom look so excited?" Mary quietly asked.

    "I have no clue. Maybe she just likes being the driver," Alex replied as he opened the cloth on the side of the wagon.

    Outside were a bunch of farm fields, as they still hadn''t driven out of the town''s proximity.

    "Mom, how long is this trip going to take?" Sophia asked out loud as the wagon wheel was starting to get louder and louder.

    "About a week. I hope you all are prepared." Katherine suddenlyughed as she replied to the three.

    The three kids didn''t understand why she wasughing until the horse wagon left the town road.

    It became a nightmare session as the roads were filled with asional rocks that made the entire wagon jump upward.

    Even the smallest uphill and downhill made the bench that the three kids sit on swing up and down.

    "I''m going to get sick from this..." Sophiained as she started to think the entire wagon was going to fall apart.

    "There''s no way in hell that someone didn''t think of inventing suspension on the wheel," Alex murmured to himself as he started to get sick as well.

    Meanwhile, Mary was somehowpletely fine.

    To her, it was almost like a rollercoaster¡ªextremely fun without the scary part, as she never thought of it falling apart.

 Chapter 8: Traveling, Camping, and Bathtub

    "Mom! Can you make the horses go slower?" Alex asked out loud.

    "You guys want to go to the capital in two weeks instead?" Katherine questioned.

    "Never mind."

    After sitting in the wagon for a while, Alex and Sophia started getting used to the shakiness.

    The road also became much smoother, as it only had an asional bump rather than a constant jump.

    However, the three quickly became bored, as it was still too shaky to do anything besides look at the outside.

    "Mom! I''m bored!" Maryined.

    "You cane out with me if you want... One at a time!"

    The other two quickly sat back down to their bench, with Mary going to the front to be with Katherine.

    After waiting for Mary and Sophia''s turn, it was finally Alex''s turn to go up next.

    As he slowly stepped to the front, Katherine quickly pulled him back to herp.

    "Be careful. Don''t stand in the front, or else you might fall over." Katherine warned as she held onto the two horses'' reins.

    Alex nodded in agreement as he began examining the view in front of him.

    On the left was an empty field. But slightly in the distance was a giant forest that even overshadowed the road ahead of them.

    On the right was a small creek. It was the same creek that traveled all the way back to the town that they came from.

    Meanwhile, ahead of them was a bunch of in and smaller forests, with a dirt path wide enough for two wagons to ride side by side.

    "This feels like fantasy so much..." Alex murmured.

    "Hm? What did you say?"

    Katherine asked out loud as the wind made it almost impossible for the two to hear each other''s murmur.

    "Nothing... Mom, can you teach me how to drive this?" Alex asked out loud this time.

    "Sure, just hold onto this and pull back a little when you see a rock on the road."

    Alex waited patiently, keeping his eyes on the road, for the rock to appear in the path.

    After waiting for almost a few minutes, he finally got the chance to pull back.

    The horse immediately slowed down a little, making the wagon jump a little lower than usual.

    "Good job. Now, if you pull all the way back, the horse is going to stop. Never do that unless there''s an emergency."

    Alex nodded in agreement, as it almost felt like driving a car, albeit without a gas padel.

    "Now, to make a left turn, you only pull the left reins. And for a right turn, you pull the right reins.

    But since we''re just going straightforward, there''s no need for that." Katherine exined as she took back the reins from Alex.

    "I see... How about telling the horse to go faster?" Alex curiously asked.

    "It''s already going at its max speed... I don''t rmend whipping the horse if that''s what you''re thinking of."

    "Why not?"

    "Because the horses have memories too. If you''re doing it for a short distance, it will probably be faster for the first few times.

    But in the long term, it''s going to hurt the horse... And we''re going to rely on these two horses for a long time."

    "I see..."

    "Of course, if you''re riding on the horse directly, you can just gently knock on the horse''s stomach with the back of your feet."

    After sitting on Katherine''sp for a while, she suddenly pulled him back a little, letting him lean directly onto her chest.

    "You don''t have to be shy, Alex."

    "Thank you, mom..."

    Alex soon started to get a little sleepy, closing his eyes as Katherine''s body almost felt like a real bed.

    It was soft where it needed to be yet firm enough to support his neck without putting any weight on his shoulder.

    "Alex is so tall already... It''s almost up to neck now," Katherine thought to herself as she pulled both reins a little to make the trip less bumpy.

    As Katherine focused more and more on Alex''s face, her heart suddenly skipped a beat as she imagined him as her husband for a second.

    "What am I thinking? He''s obviously always going to look like Paul. He''s your son, you idiot."

    Katherine quickly shook her head, getting everything out of her mind as she shifted her attention back to the road.

    "Alex! It''s my turn now!" Maryined as her loud voice appeared from the back of the wagon.

    "Okay, okay!"

    Alex quickly got up from his mom''sp, not noticing the change on Katherine''s face as he headed back inside.

    ---

    After almost eight hours of nonstop sitting in the wagon, it finally came to a stop.

    All four of them immediately jumped out of the wagon, walking away from each other in silence before meeting back up after a few minutes.

    "Ahem, Mom, where do we set up camp?" Sophia curiously asked.

    "Inside the wagon... Let''s eat something before going to sleep. Can you three pick up some branches?"

    As Katherine headed to the far back of the wagon to get food, the three quickly headed to the nearby forest outskirts to get a few pieces of wood.

    After gathering a few branches and a loose wooden log, the three headed back to the wagon.

    But to their surprise, a whole tent was already there, with a whole campfire setup.

    "Surprise! Did you guys actually think we''re going to sleep in that small wagon?"

    Katherine asked as she quickly grabbed all the wood from the tree before starting a fire in the pit.

    "How did you set all these up so fast?" Sophia asked curiously.

    "Magic! Do you guys want to learn this?"

    All three of them immediately nodded their head, so Katherine snapped her finger again.

    Right before their eyes, the tent and the campfire disappeared again. Then, with a snap of a finger, it reappears again.

    "You guys will learn it in the future when you be an archmage with dimensional magic.

    Anyway, let''s start cooking the food."

    Katherine started the fire up again, putting the food into the pot before making water out of thin air.

    "Mom, you''re an archmage?!" Sophia asked in excitement, as none of them knew her actual capability.

    "Hell no. I just specialize in dimensional magic, so I have it earlier." Katherine replied as she began stirring the vegetables in the pot.

    "What''s an archmage?" Mary curiously asked.

    "Archmage is the second highest possible mage. Mom, did I answer that correctly?"

    "Yes, Alex. You studied your book pretty well, didn''t you?"

    Alex held his chin up proudly, feeling a little happy to beplimented by Katherine.

    "I-I know that too." Sophia chimed in, not wanting to be left out.

    "Yeah, yeah, you did a good job too..."

    ---

    After the three of them finished eating, Katherine snapped her finger to make the campfire and pots disappear.

    Next, she went over to the stack of hay that the horses had finished eating and gathered it back into the wagon.

    "Mom, why don''t we just put everything in your dimension?" Alex curiously asked.

    "Because there''s a limit to how much I can put in it... Anyway, let''s all go take a bath now."

    All three of them looked a little confused by what Katherine meant until a giant wooden bathtub appeared before them.

    With a small chant, the entire bathtub was soon filled up with water, with steam flowing into the air.

    "What are you guys waiting for?"

    Katherine quickly began to take off Mary''s clothes before putting her inside, then got inside the bathtub herself.

    Sophia didn''t hesitate and took off her clothes before getting inside, leaving Alex standing with his clothes still on.

    "Alex?"

    Alex thought for a second, then took off his clothes before jumping into the bathtub as well.

    The hot water immediately rose all the way to Mary''s chest as the four of them sat in the bathtub in silence.

    "We haven''t taken a bath together for so long," Katherine murmured as she leaned back in the bathtub.

    "Yeah. I miss us spending time together like this so much," Sophia murmured as a rush of nostalgia rushed into her mind.

    "The three of us literally sleep on the same bed every day..." Mary murmured as she submerged herself in it before getting back up.

    As the three girls rxed in the bathtub, Alex''s story waspletely different.

    Both of his hands were covering his crotch, with his eyes looking to the side, trying to avoid looking at their bodies.

    "Alex, are you okay?" Katherine curiously asked after noticing his head tilted to the side.

    "I-I''m fine."

    Seeing Alex looking a little nervous, Katherine moved all the way to be next to him.

    "It''s okay, Alex. You don''t have to hide yourself. We''re all family here." Katherine whispered as she pulled his hand away.

    After a short internal fight in his head, Alex eventually turned back around to face the three of them.

    "Look, it wasn''t that hard."

    After he got used to seeing Sophia and Mary''s bodies, which were as t as cardboard, Alex epted her point.

    But Katherine''s voluptuous body was making him think of something immoral.

    It was starting to make him a little scared, as his mind was once again treating Katherine as another woman rather than being his mom.

 Chapter 9: Alexs Pain and Shyness

    Fortunately for Alex, his body wasn''t developed enough to react to what his mind was thinking.

    "Alex, I know your body is a little different, but you don''t have to be ashamed of it, okay?"

    Katherine tried to pep talk as she could feel Alex was still a little embarrassed being naked in front of them.

    "Yeah, Alex, we really don''t mind you being here. You don''t need to hide anything."

    Sophia added as she moved closer, intertwining her arms with his and holding them close.

    "Me too! I love bathing with Big Brother!"

    Mary suddenly swam directly over to be on top of hisp, making Alex even more nervous.

    But after a while, his mind was bing numb to it, almost as if it had gotten used to being around their naked body.

    "Thank you..."

    ---

    After the bath, Katherine stayed behind to pour the water out as the three of them headed inside the wagon.

    With the fresh pair of clothes on, the three felt much better as they walked back out into the cold night.

    "The horses sleep so early... They must be really tired running all day."

    Mary murmured as she walked up closer and closer until Sophia pulled her back away from the horses.

    "Don''t wake them up. We''re about to sleep, too."

    As they walked inside the tent, Katherine was already waiting for the three inside as shey inside one of the two nkets.

    "Wow... this is a lot more spacious than it looks from the outside..."

    Alex murmured as he bent down to touch the tent''s mysterious wool-like carpet.

    "Obviously, I spend a lot of money just on this tent... Come on, goy down."

    With Katherine standing back up to close the tent, the three quickly picked their spot on the soft mattress.

    "Dang it, there''s no pillow here," Sophiained as her head directly fell onto the mattress.

    "Here, you and Mary share a pillow, okay?"

    Katherine pulled out two pillows from the thin air, handing one to Sophia before putting it on below herself.

    "Come on, Alex, we can share a pillow. There''s no need to be shy."

    Without giving Alex any choice, Katherine forcefully dragged him next to her before letting him rest on the same pillow.

    "Mom, I''m not a baby anymore," Alexined as Katherine surrounded him with her body.

    "You''ll always be a baby to me. Okay, it''s time to sleep."

    The light in the room disappeared, falling into pitch ck with only a faint moonlight piercing through the tent ceiling.

    At first, Alex couldn''t sleep, his heart racing as he could feel the same softness on his shoulder earlier in the horse wagon.

    Katherine''s warm body was making him start having a wild imagination running all over his mind.

    Especially as everyone else had fallen asleep already because of their energy being exhausted from the trip.

    Both fortunate and unfortunate, his body had no way of releasing that anger besides just having more imagination in his head.

    "No! Katherine is my mom! I need to stop thinking about this." Alex thought to himself as he shook his head, emptying his mind.

    After a while, Alex finally started to feel a hint of drowsiness and eventually fell asleep.

    ---

    The next two days were a repeat of the same thing, except the scenery had changed from in and forest into mountains.

    All three of the kids were in awe, as the mountain was so tall that they couldn''t even see the peak.

    When Katherine exined to the three that dragons once used the mountain as a nesting ce, they were even more awe by the view.

    After a while, the mountain scenery soon became boring and even hated as the road became much more bumpier with rocks and hills.

    Unfortunately for Alex, he was soon hit with a nasty surprise on the fourth day of the trip.

    ---

    When Alex woke up, the sun was still on the horizon.

    Everyone was still sleeping peacefully on the bed, but the leg cramps and wet underwear made it extremely ufortable.

    "Mom..." Alex whispered as he gently shook her shoulder.

    "Hm?"

    As Katherine opened her eyes, she was shocked to see Alex''s face, which looked pale and in pain.

    "Oh my... Alex, what''s wrong?" Katherine urgently asked as she immediately got up from the bed, pulling the nket aside to check.

    "I-I think I''m having my period." Alex shyly whispered, not wanting to wake up the other two.

    Katherine quickly carried him out of the tent and into the wagon without before putting him down on the bench.

    "Look like you''re going to be a fully grown girl now." Katherine joked as she began pulling his pants down.

    "I-I don''t want to be a girl."

    Alex instantly pushed back, as he had already witnessed Sophia enduring a few days of pain every month for almost a year now.

    "Too bad your body doesn''t give you the choice. Ahem, I had been wondering about this, Alex. Why do you want to be a boy so badly?"

    Katherine curiously asked, trying to distract Alex a little as she pulled his bloody underwear to the side.

    "I just want to be a man... I want to protect you guys like Dad."

    Alex quickly made up an excuse, not wanting to admit that the fragmented memories of his previous life had been chosen for him.

    "Aww, but you being a girl doesn''t stop you from protecting us... You don''t have to be a boy to protect somebody."

    As Katherine began wiping the blood off of herbia and thigh, her eyes just couldn''t move away from the cute little cock with two balls attached.

    "Mom... Are you done yet?" Alex asked, feeling a little embarrassed after noticing her staring at his crotch.

    "Sorry. Ahem, you remember how to use this, right?"

    Katherine quickly pulled out the simr-looking pad that she had once given to Sophia when she had her first period.

    Alex nodded in agreement as Katherine turned back around to grab a new pair of underwear before attaching it.

    But unfortunately, his underwear was too big, leaving a clear gap that could cause issues.

    "Alex, you don''t mind wearing Sophia''s panties for a few days, right?"

    Alex wanted to say no, but he nodded in agreement as there was no other choice besides risking it leaking.

    After putting on Sophia''s panties with the pad on, Alex immediately felt it was a little too tight around the crotch.

    But he didn''t say anything as Katherine put on a new pair of pants for him before throwing his dirty clothes into the dirty basket on the back.

    As the two headed back inside the tent, Katherine muttered something as the blood on the nket and mattress disappeared.

    "Okay, let''s sleep until the other two wake up..."

    Katherineid Alex back down onto the mattress before covering themselves with the nket.

    A few hourster...

    As everyone woke up from the mattress, everyone immediately headed outside in silence to do their business.

    But this time, Katherine went along with Alex, as she was still a little worried about his health despite his protest.

    After everyone met back up in the middle, Katherine started creating a bucket of water to freshen up.

    With everything taken care of, Katherine packed everything back with a snap of her finger before getting back into the wagon.

    "Alex is going to sit in front of me today. You two sit back inside for now, okay?"

    Sophia didn''t question it, but Mary was clearly upset by the decision as she proceeded to question why.

    "Because your brother had his first period. He''s in a little bit of pain right now."

    Katherine exins it out loud, not noticing Alex''s face pleading with her to hide it.

    "Huh?"

    Both of the girls fell into silence for a second as the horse wagon began to move forward.

    But loudughter could be heard right afterward, as they couldn''t believe it had finally happened to Alex.

    "Wait, you serious? My brother, out of all people, got his first period?" Sophia asked, not hiding her smile a single bit.

    "Shut up! I don''t want to hear you guysugh," Alex angrily yelled, but the demand was fruitless until Katherine stepped in.

    "Okay, enoughughing. Your brother is really hurt by it."

    "Yeah, I bet his hurt real good." Mary joked, hiding herugh a little.

    "Mary, I hope you know that one day you''ll experience the same thing. And I''m going to be the first one tough at you¡ª¡ª"

    "Ahem, Alex, don''t take your sister''s word seriously. They are just joking with you."

    "Hmph!"

    ---

    When the next day arrived, the pain was mostly gone. However, sitting on the hard wooden bench was still a little ufortable.

    So Alex used the excuse to sit on Katherine''sp for another day, making the two girls jealous as they sat through the entire bumpy ride.

    Soon, as the fifth day of their trip came to an end, they finally rode past the mountain and arrived at the first town outside of their home.

 Chapter 10: Wet Dream and Awkwardness

    "Finally, we can sleep on a bed..." Sophia murmured as Katherine paid the front desk a few coins.

    "Hey, it''s not that bad. Besides, you guys are going to miss that mattress when you realize what kind of bed hotels usually have."

    As the three kids followed Katherine to the staircase, they noticed several people drinking some sort of beer and chatting with each other.

    "Mom, are those adventurers?" Alex asked curiously, noting that several of them carried swords or some sort of wand.

    "Adventurers? They are more like drunkards who drink every night... Never be like them, okay?"

    Katherine lectured as she looked back to Alex, who nodded in agreement.

    "Anyway, here''s our bed for tonight."

    The door slowly opened, revealing a twin bed made of cloth, with straws filled on the inside.

    "Huh?"

    "What? Don''t act surprised. Do you guys genuinely think hotels are supposed to befortable?"

    Katherine quickly took off her shoes and hurried the three kids to take off their shoes as well.

    "Mom, couldn''t we at least buy two rooms instead?" Maryined, feeling a little squished, being the first one on the bed.

    "Too bad you guys aren''t adults yet, so they aren''t willing to rent a room just for you, my little princess."

    "Whatever..."

    As Katherine pulled the nket back up, everyone quickly closed their eyes as the day had been extremely tiring.

    Soon, everyone fell asleep except Alex, who just couldn''t fall asleep on the hard straw bed.

    What was made worse was that Katherine, who slept on the edge, had her entire body surrounding him so that she would not fall off the bed.

    Meanwhile, Sophia''s body was on his back, being pushed by Mary, who was taking up too much space sleeping upright next to the wall.

    "When did Sophia start having boobs?" Alex thought to himself as he could feel a little bump against his back.

    "No, no, no. I need to stop thinking about this. She''s your sister, for God''s sake."

    As Alex tried to distract himself a little, Katherine''s arm suddenly surrounded him, with her legs wrapping around his leg.

    "Mom?"

    Hearing a steady sleeping sound from Katherine, Alex realized he was being used like a body pillow.

    He tried to push her back a little, but it was no use, as her body was way too heavy to push away without waking her up.

    "Come on, Alex, she''s your mother. Don''t think about her body. Just go to sleep and wake up tomorrow.

    One sheep, two sheep, three sheep, four sheep, five sheep, six sheep, seven sheep..."

    As Alex kept counting sheep in his head, he soon got too exhausted and fell asleep on the bed.

    ---

    The next day...

    Katherine was the first to wake up, feeling fully energized as she didn''t need to maintain her magical spell to watch guard at night.

    "Alex is so cute..." Katherine thought to herself as the first thing she saw was Alex being fully embraced by her body.

    But soon, just as she was about to let Alex go, she felt something hard poking against her thigh.

    "Oh my... He''s at that age already..." Katherine thought to herself as she quickly sat up from the bed and lifted the nket.

    Right before her eyes, Alex''s pants had a little wet spot around the crotch.

    "Alex? Wake up..." Katherine softly whispered, shaking him a little as she avoided waking the other two up.

    "Hm? What''s wrong, Mom?"

    As Alex slowly opened his eyes and got up from the bed, Katherine''s face blushed a little as she pointed at his legs.

    "You are a man now, Alex." Katherine awkwardly murmured as Alex immediately realized what was wrong with his body.

    He quickly jumped out of bed and ran over to the bathroom, but Katherine followed behind.

    "Mom, c-can you leave the room for a second¡ª¡ª"

    "It''s okay, Alex. There''s no need to hide it. I''m your mom. I won''t be disgusted because you had a wet dream."

    As Katherine forcefully took off Alex''s pants, she was a little shocked at how pointy it was through Sophia''s pantie.

    "Mom, I can do this myself¡ª¡ª"

    "Shush. Let Mommy clean this up... You don''t know how to clean it properly yet."

    Katherine slowly took off the panties, revealing Alex''s immature cock fully erect, pointing at her as if it was angry.

    A wet towel suddenly appeared on Katherine''s hand as she began gently wiping around his thighs.

    Slowly, she moved the towel over to his crotch and gently rubbed the semen that stuck onto his skin.

    Next, she gently wiped below the balls, where hisbia were located, before moving directly to the two-round circles.

    "Mom... can I do this myself?" Alex shyly asked again, feeling a little embarrassed to see his mom kept staring at his crotch.

    But Katherine didn''t answer his request. Instead, she moved onto the small shaft and muttered some sort of chant.

    Before Alex knew it, his foreskin was slowly peeled back a little, just enough where it didn''t hurt too much as water appeared out of thin air.

    With a cool sensation, Alex shivered a little before Katherine finally stopped and stood back up.

    "Okay, you''re all good now... Remember to clean below your foreskin. It can get real dirty."

    Katherine lectured as her face started blushing redder and redder, but she quickly calmed back down as she took both his panties and pants.

    As Alex nodded in agreement, Katherine started chanting another spell.

    A stream of water appeared to rinse both the pad and his clothes, with another spell making the water evaporatepletely.

    "Okay, now you can wear it... I''ll wait for you outside."

    Katherine quickly ran out of the room, leaving Alex alone in the bathroom as he thought back to what had just happened.

    ---

    When the four of them got back onto the horse wagon, the two girls noticed an awkward atmosphere between Alex and Katherine.

    But it quickly vanished when the horse finally began to move, as another bumpy ride was now ahead of them.

    A few hourster...

    As the sun was now in the middle of the sky, the four of them took a short break to have lunch.

    "Here''s your guy''s clothes. I just washed and dried them," Katherine murmured as she put the emptyundry basket on the back of the wagon.

    "Thank you... Mom, why is one of my panties missing?" Sophia curiously asked.

    "Your brother is wearing it right now. I''ll buy you another er." Katherine replied as she began setting up the campfire.

    "Sorry. I didn''t mean to wear it without telling¡ª¡ª"

    "It''s okay... Don''t worry about it. I don''t mind you wearing my clothes." Sophia interrupted as both of their faces blushed a little.

    "Mom! I''m hungry!" Maryined as none of them had eaten breakfast.

    "Okay, okay, I''m cooking already..."

    After the short lunch, the four boarded the horse-drawn wagon and resumed their journey to the capital.

    Mary''s constantint eventually reced the awkward atmosphere as she was getting bored once again.

    The three were once again given a chance to sit in front of Katherine''sp, but Alex hesitated when it was hit the turn.

    "What''s wrong, Alex?" Mary curiously asked.

    "Nothing."

    As Alex quickly ran up to be with Katherine, he was hit by a strong wind, almost pushing him over.

    "Woah, be careful... Who told you to run?" Katherine asked with a hint of anger in her voice as she gently put him onto herp.

    "Sorry..."

    The two sat together in silence until Katherine had enough of the awkwardness.

    "Alex, you don''t always have to be so independent... You can rely on Mom to help you." Katherine murmured as she slowed the wagon down a little.

    Alex didn''t say anything back, wanting to hear Katherine speak her mind out first.

    "You know, sometimes I feel a little scared having you as a child... It''s not because of your body."

    Katherine paused for a second, then continued.

    "You''re way too mature, Alex. You''re only ten, but sometimes I feel like you''re an adult.

    You always take care of the other two girls when they ask you to do something, almost like an older brother to them.

    I just want to tell you... you can always rely on your mom, okay? I''ll always be here for you."

    As Katherine fell into silence, Alex''s mind was conflicted. He wanted to tell her the truth.

    However, he knew it would most likely ruin his rtionship not just with Katherine but with the whole family.

    Eventually, Alex made up his mind as he prepared himself with the courage to confess the truth.

    "Mom, I''m actually¡ª¡ª"

    "Oh shit!"

    Katherine immediately interrupted Alex as the road ahead of them had a giant log that blocked the entire road.

    With the reins pulling backpletely, the horses quickly came to a stop just as they were about to crash.

    "Mom! What''s wrong?" Sophia and Mary asked as they ran out to the front of the wagon, their face full of worry.

    "Just a wooden log in the way... Alex, what did you want to say again?" Katherine curiously asked.

 Chapter 11: Arriving at the Capital

    "I... I love you mom."

    "I love you too, sweetie... You guys wait here. I''ll get this log out of the way."

    As Katherine jumped out of the wagon, Alex suddenly felt a little relieved despite wanting to confess the truth earlier.

    His mind quickly realized he was most likely treated as insane rather than having someone understand that he was from another world.

    The log was soon pushed aside by a strong gust of wind and buried in the nearby ditch, just like Alex''s willingness to bring it up.

    "Okay, hang on tight. I''m going to try to make it to the capital in a single day."

    With a loud crank sound, the wheel began to move faster and faster until it reached peak speed.

    Even the cloth covering the wagon was pushed back by the wind as all three of the kids held onto the ledge of the wooden wagon.

    But despite going the fastest they had ever been, they still needed to camp outside for one more day.

    "Dang it. The horses are too burnt out," Katherineined as neither of the horses moved.

    "But the sun isn''t even down yet." Sophia pointed out as the three of them ran to the front.

    "Too bad. I guess we just have to set up camp early."

    As Katherine began setting up the camp on a in field a few steps away from the road, the three kids started watching the road in the wagon.

    People were asionally passing by with their horses, with some even driving some sort of vehicle down the road.

    All of them were busy as they headed straight in the same direction as where they came from, with fully equipped gears and everything.

    "So many knights," Mary murmured as they counted the hundredth person riding a horse past them.

    "Barely any mage," Sophia concluded after seeing only three people wearing robes among the groups of travelers.

    Alex quickly noted to himself that a mage was a rare ss, but he was more curious about where they were going.

    But none of the travelers stopped a single time to let him ask the question as the sun set on the horizon.

    "What are you all looking at?" Katherine curiously asked as she dragged them over to the campfire.

    "Just groups of people going past... Mom, do you know where they are going?" Alex asked back.

    "They are probably going to the border to deal with something happening there. Anyway, let''s eat ourst meal before going to sleep."

    ---

    The next day.

    After waking up the horses and eating a short breakfast, the four of them headed back into the wagon.

    The road became much smoother as they continued traveling ahead, with bumps being almostpletely gone.

    Soon, the three kids at the back peeked their heads through the curtain as Katherine announced the capital was just thirty minutes away.

    "Wow..."

    All three were stunned.

    They could see a giant wall in the distance, with no end on either side, surrounding a massive city ahead of them.

    More impressive was the river outside of the wall, as it looked extremely wide from the distance.

    Besides that, the road ahead of them was now almostpletely smooth, with tons of carriages and wagons ahead of them.

    "Herees the worst part¡ªthe fun waiting game," Katherineined as the wagon came to a halt.

    As the three kids checked outside again, the road was now almost ten wagons wide.

    But despite the emptyne being right there, everyone was on the right side, waiting in a line.

    "Mom, why don''t they let people use the otherne?" Sophia curiously asked.

    "Because those are reserved for nobles... Herees one."

    An entire vehicle that looked simr to a car quickly drove past them on the left, going ahead into the capital.

    "Damn expressnes..." Alex murmured to himself as a little bit of dust flew through the cloth before he could close it.

    The three kids quickly got bored of looking at the scenery around them as they sat in ce for almost ten minutes straight.

    Just as they moved a little, it stopped again.

    It repeated until they finally made it to the draw bridge as the road quickly began to narrow down.

    After waiting for almost one hour, it was finally their turn.

    "Name and reason, please." A guard asked as they stopped the wagon.

    "Katherine Reid. I''m here to visit my parents."

    "Reid... Why does it feel like I heard this surname?"

    As the soldier stood still thinking about the name, another soldier quickly dragged him aside and signaled Katherine to go.

    "Thank you."

    ---

    Driving past the gates, all three of the kids were amazed by the structure around them.

    They could see a massive cathedral located right by the entrance, with thousands of people standing on the open field listening to sermons.

    Almost every structure was two or three stories tall,pared to their one-story tall town back home.

    Even Alex was a little shocked, as some of them looked to be practically floating in the air with a single support beam.

    "Is that building floating?" Mary excitedly asked as she pointed to the sky in the west.

    "Yeah... That''s one of the Archmage residences. There are only three of them in the capital."

    Hearing Katherine''s exnation, Alex suddenly felt motivated as he started having a dream of being an archmage himself.

    "What is that building?" Sophia asked, pointing at a massive castle in the middle of the city.

    "That''s the Emperor''s pce," Katherine replied as she pulled the horse reins to the left.

    As the wagon turned left, the three were once again shocked by an insanely tall building, almost reaching the cloud.

    "Mom! What is that building?" Alex curiously asked.

    "That''s where I''m staying tonight... I''m just kidding. Anyway, that building is the Mystic Academy of Seraphel."

    "Is that a school?" Sophia asked.

    "Yeah, it''s a school exclusive for bad mages like me. You guys don''t want to go to that one."

    "Mom, you''re the best mage I''ve ever seen." Alex immediatelyplimented Katherine.

    "Thanks, sweetie. But I know my capability. Anyway, we''re finally almost at your grandparents'' ce."

    The three waited patiently, double-checking their clothes to make sure everything was normal.

    After waiting for five minutes, the wagon finally came to a stop.

    "Okay, you guys cane out."

    As the three walked past the curtain, they were stunned by the building ahead of them.

    It was a massive mansion surrounded by iron fences, with a giant grass field in front of it.

    In the middle was a road made of some mysterious material that looked extremely smooth as the sunlight slightly reflected from it.

    "Who are you¡ª¡ªM-Miss Katherine?"

    Four of the guards were in shock, as they couldn''t believe the person before their eyes.

    "Where''s Fredrick and Ava?" Katherine asked coldly.

    "They are in the living room right now." One of the older-looking guards nervously replied.

    "Great... of course they have to be home. Take good care of the horses, and don''t take stuff out of the wagon."

    "Yes, ma''am."

    As two of the guards guided the horse away, the three kids still hadn''t covered from the fact that their grandparents lived in such luxury.

    "Mom... Is our grandparent a king or something?" Alex nervously asked.

    "No, your grandparent is just a duke. Hurry up and follow me. Stop standing there."

    Katherine forcefully dragged the three past the gate, making them snap back into reality as they followed behind her.

    After arriving at the porch, Katherine gently knocked on the door and waited.

    The door slowly opened, revealing a familiar person that all four of them could recognize.

    "Miss Amelia!" Sophia and Mary both excitedly ran up to hug her.

    "Hey, kids. Wee to the capital."

    As the hug ended, Amelia turned her attention back to Katherine.

    "You finally decided toe to the capital..." Amelia said out loud as she excitedly hugged Katherine.

    But Katherine didn''t say anything back, pushing her back as she stared right into Amelia''s eyes.

    "Confess. I don''t like to hear when people lie." Katherine asked coldly.

    After a short silence, Amelia admits defeat as she couldn''t endure Katherine''s stare.

    "Okay, you caught me... I may have followed you guys on the whole trip." Amelia replied as she awkwardly scratched her hair.

    "You disappoint me, Amelia. I thought I could trust you."

    "What? I was just making sure you would arrive here safely. It''s not like I force you toe here¡ª¡ª"

    "Amelia, who''s out there?" An old man''s voice yelled from the inside.

    "Your daughter finally came here with your grandkids," Amelia yelled back as she ran back inside the mansion.

    With the four of them standing by the door, the three kids looked up to Katherine, waiting for her to take the next step before moving.

    After a long consideration, Katherine finally took her first step forward into the mansion.

    "Let''s go see your grandparents."

 Chapter 12: Fredrick, Ava, and Amelia

    As the kids followed Katherine inside, they started to grow numb to the luxury of the house.

    The moment they stepped into the living room, the three kids suddenly felt a ton of weight pressing onto their shoulders before it vanished.

    "These three kids are our grandkids?"

    An old-looking man asked, wearing a ck tailcoat as he sat right in the middle of the sofa.

    On the left was a youngdy in an elegant dress, looking even younger than Katherine, as she smiled at the three kids.

    Meanwhile, across from the two was Amelia, looking a little nervous as she sat in silence, looking away as if she was afraid to look back at Katherine.

    "Let''s go. We''re leaving."

    Katherine immediately grabbed both Alex''s and Mary''s hands, with Sophia quickly following behind her.

    But before they could leave, they suddenly ran into an invisible barrier.

    "Come on, Kate, you can''t just leave again without saying a word to your mom."

    The young woman''s smile disappeared as she got up from her seat and slowly walked over to the three kids.

    Alex and Mary could both feel Katherine''s body freeze in ce, as neither of them could move her hand at all.

    "What is your guy''s name? Would you be kind enough to tell your grandma?" The youngdy asked softly.

    "My name is Sophia."

    "My name is Alex."

    "My name is Mary."

    All three of them were shocked inside their head, as they couldn''t control their mouth from answering the question.

    "Nice to meet you all... Come, follow your grandma to see your grandpa."

    Once again, they couldn''t control their legs as they began following the youngdy in front of them.

    "Madam, can you let go of my mom?" Alex suddenly asked.

    The youngdy froze for a second before snapping her finger and resumed walking to the sofa.

    "You don''t have to call me Madam. You can call me Grandma."

    The youngdy''s voice appeared in Alex''s head, sending a chill down his spine as his instinct told him she was a dangerous woman.

    "Ava, let go of my kids." Katherine ran back up and pulled the three back, snapping them out of the automatic walk.

    "Kate, don''t call your mom by name. That''s rude."

    The youngdy didn''t attempt to freeze Katherine again as she sat back down next to the old man.

    "I''m not calling someone mom when they almost sent me to die. And don''t call me Kate." Katherine argued, her face turning increasingly cold.

    "She still hasn''t gotten over it... Fredrick, this is all your fault." Ava murmured before looking back at the old man in anger.

    "Kate, I''m sorry¡ª¡ª"

    "I said don''t call me Kate." Katherine interrupted, her face filled with disgust as the old man tried to apologize.

    "Katherine. I sincerely apologize for what I put you through... It was never my intention¡ª¡ª"

    "I heard it a thousand times already. I''m not going to ept your apology." Katherine interrupted again.

    "That''s fine. I just wanted to tell you that I''m fine with you being with Paul now. You don''t have to leave the house over this."

    The room fell into silence as the atmosphere became increasingly awkward until Alex decided to speak up.

    "Sir... Our dad is dead."

    Alex could quickly notice the old man''s eye-widening for a second before changing back to normal.

    "That''s unfortunate... Looks like we never got to meet each other in the end."

    The old man murmured as the room fell back into an awkward silence.

    Nobody wanted to speak up until Amelia suddenly chimed in.

    "Ahem, do you guys do you want a tour of the house?" Amelia asked as she looked toward the three kids.

    Alex shook his head, but both Sophia and Mary looked over to Katherine as if they were asking permission.

    With a nod, the two of them followed Amelia out of the room, leaving Katherine and Alex behind.

    "Katherine, why did youe back home all of a sudden?" Ava curiously asked.

    "The kids just wanted to see you two. That''s it." Katherine instantly replied, with barely any emotion in her voice.

    "Oh really? That''s nice of them... Hey Alex, what snack do you want?" Ava asked as she got up from her seat.

    "I''m good. Thank you." Alex replied.

    "I''ll get us some tea then."

    As Ava left the living room, the old man spoke up again.

    "Katherine, I just want to tell you that I don''t have much longer. I know what I did was unforgivable, but you''re the only worry that I still have."

    Despite Katherine looking away, the old man continued.

    "All I want is to ask you, what can I do to earn your forgiveness? I''m willing to give everything I have for you to forgive me."

    Seeing the old man''s voice started to tremble, Alex''s mind was all over the ce.

    He could tell Katherine hated both of her parents because of something in the past.

    But he couldn''t think of a thing that would make a daughter hate their parent permanently.

    However, he knew one thing: silence.

    There was no way for him to reconcile the two without knowing what happened between them.

    If he tried, it would hurt Katherine even more, which was thest thing he was willing to do in life.

    "When I returned home, I was hoping you would already be dead... A shame it didn''t happen."

    Katherine''s sudden statement made Alex even more confused, but the old man seemed to be expecting it.

    "But you know what, I will move past what you tried to do to me... With one condition."

    "What is it?"

    "I want a bottle of holy water¡ª¡ª"

    "You can kill me, and I wouldn''t be able to afford that. Your demand is way too unrealistic." The old man angrily argued.

    "Then we have no business talking anymore."

    Just as Katherine grabbed Alex''s hand and was about to leave, the old man''s voice made her freeze in ce again.

    "Katherine, don''t you want your kids to go to the best school? I''m sure you don''t want your kids to end up like nobody, right?"

    "I..."

    Seeing Katherine starting to hesitate, Alex decided to push back against the old man''s suggestion.

    "Mom, I don''t need to go to the best school. I''m fine with going to any school."

    Despite Alex''s pushback, it somehow backfired as Katherine felt even more determined.

    "Fine, I take your deal."

    Katherine sat back down, bringing Alex with her as she looked back at the old man with a warmer face.

    "Thank you. I''ll get your kids there within less than a week¡ª¡ª"

    "What are you guys talking about?"

    Ava curiously asked as she finally came back with four cups of tea and a teapot on a tray.

    "Kate, are you going to honor your end of the bargain?" The old man asked.

    As Ava looked at the two with confusion, she couldn''t believe what Katherine said next.

    "M-Mom..."

    Despite Katherine whispering it quietly, Ava almost dropped the tray onto the floor in shock.

    "Fredrick! Kate finally called me Mom again!" Ava excitedly said out loud as she ran over to hug her.

    "Stop messing with my hair," Katherineined as she pushed Ava''s back.

    "Sorry... Fredrick, how did you make her call me mom again?" Ava excitedly asked as she sat down next to him.

    "Just a small deal... Kate, how long are you nning to stay in the capital?" The old man asked.

    "I don''t know yet... Alex, you stay here with mom and... dad, okay? I''m going to go do something first."

    As Katherine ran out of the living room, Fredrick''s face started smiling as if something heavy finally disappeared from his shoulder.

    "You better not drink any alcohol ever again," Ava warned as she still couldn''t believe Katherine''s sudden change while she was gone.

    "Of course. That was just a mistake that should have never happened. You know I would have never done it if it wasn''t for the emperor''s¡ª¡ª"

    "Ahem, Alex, do you want to go meet up with your sisters?" Ava interrupted, not letting Fredrick finish his sentence.

    "Um, sure."

    As the two headed out of the living room, Alex noted Fredrick''s words in his head and became even more intrigued by Katherine''s past.

    ---

    When Katherine came back, it was already dinner time, and everyone was seated at the dining table waiting for him.

    "Where did you go?" Amelia curiously asked as Katherine sat down next to Alex.

    "I just had some work to do. Oh, I''m not going to sleep here. I''m going back to my academy."

    "Sure, go for it. I''m sure your teacher is dying to see you." Ava joked as she helped Mary cut through the steak.

    "Thank you, Grandma," Mary replied as she began eating the food.

    "You''re wee..."

    Seeing the two interacting with each other, Alex quickly noticed Katherine''s frown.

    But she didn''t say anything out loud about it, so Alex went back to eating his food at the table.

    "Ahem, Kate, I got your kids the invitation to the best school in the capital," Fredrick stated as he took out three letters.

    "That fast?"

    Amelia looked a little surprised as she and the other two kids had learned what happened in the living room through Alex.

    "I know the archmage that runs it... Anyway, your kids can start attending there next Monday."

    As Fredrick handed the three letters over to Katherine, she couldn''t believe her eyes as soon as she saw the sticker on the front.

 Chapter 13: Katherines school and New home

    "Why is it Mystic Academy of Seraphel? How is this the best school?" Katherine questioned, her face full of anger as she felt scammed.

    "You probably don''t know yet, but your teacher is an archmage now." Fredrick pointed out as he cut the steak into small chunks.

    Katherine sat in silence as she knew all the resources that an archmage could bring to any school.

    "Grandma, are you an archmage?" Mary innocently asked.

    "I wish. Your grandma is only a level seven mage." Ava replied.

    "Miss¡ª¡ªI mean, Auntie Amelia, what''s the difference between the mage''s levels?" Sophia curiously asked.

    "You''ll learn it when you get to school..."

    As everyone ate in silence, Amelia broke it again by speaking up.

    "Hey Alex, are you nning to live in school dorms or your grandparent''s house?"

    "I don''t know..."

    Seeing Alex uninterested in answering the question, Amelia turned her attention over to the other two.

    "Sophia, you want to live here or in a school dorm?"

    "I want to live with Mary."

    Amelia turned her attention over to Mary, who was extremely upied trying to pick up the steak with her fork.

    "Mary, where do you want to live?"

    "I want to live back at home¡ª¡ªI mean, I want to live with Alex!" Mary replied as she finally got the small chuck of steak onto her fork.

    "They''ll live with me." Katherine interrupted Amelia from trying to get another answer.

    Both Fredrick and Ava smiled as they didn''t try to convince the three kids to live at their mansion a single time, which surprised Alex a little.

    For some reason, he thought Ava would at least plead for Mary to stay, as she had been spending a lot of time with her.

    "Ahem, I''m full now," Katherine stated before getting up from her seat with the three letters in hand.

    The other three kids quickly followed, leaving the house with her as they didn''t try to ask them to stay for a night.

    ---

    The three of them headed back inside their wagon, with Katherine going to the stable to wake the horses up.

    After attaching the horses and wagon back together, they began heading towards Mystic Academy of Seraphel.

    As they arrived at the front entrance, Sophia and Mary were amazed by the amount of light nearby.

    Except for Alex, who felt a little disturbed by how simr it felt to the light pollution in the cities back on Earth.

    With the wagoning to a full stop, Katherine jumped out before a card appeared in her hand.

    "Scanningplete... Please show the ID of the three living beings."

    A robotic voice appeared after Katherine put the card into some sort of scanning machine.

    This time, Katherine scanned the three stickers on the letter, causing the gate before them to open finally.

    "Wee to Mystic Academy of Seraphel. Please report to the front office on Monday with the letter to finish registration."

    As the horse dragged the wagon past the gate, a sudden circle with unknown letters appeared on the ground.

    Just in the blink of an eye, they were in a new environmentpletely different from what they saw from the outside.

    "Mom, where are we at?" Alex curiously asked as the horses continued walking forward.

    "In the dimensional magic pathway... We''re going to my old home first." Katherine exined.

    The wagon soon stopped, and the three kids followed Katherine out of the wagon before examining the house in front of them.

    It was a very ordinary house, simr to the one back in their hometown.

    But unlike the other one, it didn''t have a giant grass field out in the wilderness surrounding the house with a road leading up to it.

    Instead, several houses were next door, with soundsing from the nearby houses.

    "Okay, you guys bring everything inside, okay? I''m going to go put the horses away."

    After Katherine opened the house for them, the three kids began carrying their luggage into the house.

    As they step foot inside, a sudden familiarity hits them. They soon realize even the inside was a replica of their old house.

    The parent''s bedroom and the kid''s bedroom had the same furniture, and even the living room had the same sofa they always sat on.

    When they walked further inside, the noticeable differences were in the bathroom, which had an actual bathtub rather than a giant bucket.

    But as they stepped foot into the kitchen, they were once again shocked, with Alex being the one who was caught off guard the most.

    It was an actual stove with a fire switch that looked extremely simr to the one back on Earth, albeit without any pipes or wires attached.

    Most importantly, the entire house had running water as Alex switched on the sink switch.

    "Technology exists in this world?!"

    Alex''s hand began to shake as he turned the water switch off, still shocked by the amount of convenience in the house.

    "What does ''technology'' mean?" Sophia curiously asked as Alex spoke out a word in apletely differentnguage.

    "Nothing. Ahem, let''s go carry the other luggage into the house first."

    ---

    Just as the three of them carried thest luggage away from the wagon, Katherine finally came back without the horse.

    "You guys finished carrying everything?" Katherine asked as she checked the wagon.

    With a nod from Sophia, Katherine snapped her finger as the wagon disappeared before their eyes.

    "Let''s go inside the house then... You guys are going to need to learn how to use the stuff in the capital."

    Thirty minutester...

    After learning everything and all the basic knowledge about how to use every tool in the house, the three kids could finally begin unpacking.

    As they began to hang some of their clothes in the drawers with a wooden hanger, Alex''s face suddenly started to blush a little when he looked over.

    Sophia was already starting to wear bras as she put several pairs out of the luggage and into the drawer.

    Although Sophia''s chest was still as smooth as a runway, seeing her have it gave him mixed feelings.

    "Hmm? Alex, have you finished unpacking already?" Sophia curiously asked after noticing Alex just sitting there on the bed.

    "Almost."

    Alex quickly returned to unpacking his clothes, pulling out thest few socks from the first luggage before moving on to his second luggage bag.

    After unpacking for almost half an hour, the three were finally finished as they felt exhausted from taking everything out of their luggage bags.

    "Good job everyone! Let''s go take a shower now."

    Katherine snapped her finger as the empty luggage bag all disappeared before dragging the three of them to the bathroom.

    As everyone took off their clothes, Alex hesitated for a second, as usual, before finally taking them off.

    "This is so cool! I still can''t believe water can juste out of a faucet like this." Sophia murmured as she jumped right into the big bathtub.

    "You should thank Professor Derrek for that. Most of the stuff here is created by him."

    Katherine exined as the three of them entered the bathtub as well, causing the water to overflow a little before stopping.

    "Ooh, it''s so warm... I''m getting a little sleepy just being in this."

    Mary immediatelyy down t on the back of the bathtub, closing her eyes.

    The other three also leaned back on their side of the corner, closing their eyes as they began to rx.

    Everyone was tired from today''s events, especially Katherine, who had to endure so many different things.

    Although the water faucet had been turned off for a while now, Alex noticed the water was still warm.

    He soon realized that a few glowing carvings around the bathtub ledges with a little bit of glowing light indicated a spell.

    "Magic is so convenient..." Alex thought to himself as he started to get a little sleepy from the calming water.

    The peacefulness in the bathroom made all four of them want to stay in the bathtub forever.

    However, the peace was soon disrupted when Mary noticed something different about Alex''s body.

    "Mom... Why is brother''s thingy pointing at me?" Mary curiously asked.

    Everyone in the bathtub immediately opened their eyes as they looked down at Alex through the water.

    But Alex had already moved his hand to cover himself, his face blushing red as he couldn''t believe what had happened.

    "Why the fuck did it get hard now? I''m not even turned on or looking at anything."

    Alex thought to himself in his head as he tried to control himself. However, it kept pointing upward despite trying everything in his head.

    "Your brother''s body is just developing. Alex, it''s okay. Boys can get random erection at times.

    There''s no need to hide it or try to push it down. Did you forget what we saidst time?"

    Katherine pulled Alex''s hand away, letting the other two girls have a full view of it as Alex gave up trying to hide it.

 Chapter 14: Scrubbing, Sleep, and Peep

    "Brother''s face is so cute when he tried to hide it," Sophia murmured as she didn''t seem to be embarrassed seeing it.

    Alex''s face blushed even harder as he tried to submerge himself underwater, but Katherine pulled him back to the surface.

    "Okay, don''t make fun of your brother... Let''s get out of the water for a bit to scrub each other''s back now."

    A loud water drop could be heard as the four of them got out of the bathtub and sat down on the small wooden chairs.

    As Katherine grabbed a bar of soap and began scrubbing Alex''s back, Sophia grabbed another bar and began scrubbing Mary''s back.

    After scrubbing for a while, the two of them shifted to the front before moving down to their legs.

    "Mom, I can do this¡ª¡ª"

    "Not again. Come on, don''t be shy."

    Katherine''s determination made Alex back down again as he let her clean his crotch area.

    With the entire body scrubbed clean, Katherine began rinsing all the soap from Alex''s body before handing the showerhead over to Sophia.

    "Mom... Can I scrub your body?" Alex asked, feeling a little guilty for having Katherine clean up his body every time.

    "Look like my little boy is all grown up... How could I say no to that?"

    Katherine turned around, letting Alex begin scrubbing her back with the bar of soap.

    "You can put more weight on it. You''re scrubbing it too lightly." Katherine advised as she closed her eyes.

    Alex began throwing in more elbow grease as he scrubbed it much harder than before.

    Seeing her notmenting anything back, Alex maintained the scrubbing intensity until he finished scrubbing her back.

    "Sophia! Let me scrub you as well!" Mary excitedly announced, copying what Alex was doing for Katherine.

    "Fine, but you better scrub hard enough¡ª¡ªOuch, don''t scratch your fingernail on me."

    As the other two just started scrubbing the other person''s back, Alex was now at a crossroads.

    But after a short silence, he made up his mind.

    "Mom, can you turn around? I need to scrub the front, too."

    Katherine didn''t hesitate as she turned around to face Alex, with both of her hands on the side to let Alex reach every part of her upper body.

    Alex quietly gulped down his saliva as he nervously moved his arm forward to begin scrubbing her chest and arms.

    When he moved down to her breasts, he noticed Katherine''s face blushing a little.

    She even let out a small sound as Alex identally scrubbed onto the nipple.

    Still, she doesn''t ask Alex to stop, letting him finish scrubbing her upper body until he reaches down to her belly.

    As Alex took the soap further down, Katherine was getting ready to ask Alex to stop.

    However, to her surprise, Alex skipped the crotch as he moved onto her legs and began slowly scrubbing her thighs all the way to her ankles.

    "Um, Mom, y-you can do the rest," Alex replied shyly as he handed the soap back to her.

    "Thank you, sweetie."

    With a few fast scrubs around the crotch, Katherine signaled Alex to begin rinsing her body.

    As the showerhead sprayed water onto Katherine''s body, Alex''s head was all over the ce as he still couldn''t believe what he had just done.

    His mind was still glued to Katherine''s crotch when he was scrubbing her inner thighs, a little trimmed bush right above her closedbia.

    He wanted to see what was behind it, opening it with his finger to reveal her deepest secrets.

    But Alex quickly pped himself in his mind for even attempting to think of Katherine as something else when guilt began to set in.

    "Alex?"

    "Sorry!"

    Alex quickly snapped back to reality as he began carefully rinsing Katherine''s body, making sure all the soaps werepletely gone.

    ---

    When the four were out of the shower, it was already ten o''clock at night.

    "Mom, can we sleep together today?" Mary suddenly pleaded just as Katherine was about to bring them back to their room.

    After a short consideration, Katherine agreed to it.

    "Only for today. Tomorrow, you guys have to sleep in your room."

    "Yay!"

    As the four of them entered the master bedroom, Mary immediately jumped onto the bed, picking to be on the left side of the bed.

    Meanwhile, Sophia picked the right side of the bed, leaving Katherine and Alex sandwiched in the middle.

    "Goodnight, everyone." Mary excitedly said out loud as she pulled up the nket.

    "Goodnight."

    As the light automatically turned off, everyone soon fell asleep on the bed except for one person.

    This time, it wasn''t Alex.

    Instead, it was Katherine who was still thinking about what had happened in the bathroom.

    "Alex... He''s growing up too fast." Katherine thought to herself as she started to realize something about Alex.

    He had always seemed to be shy when he was naked, even when he was a little kid, where awareness of being naked shouldn''t be understandable.

    "Is it because he''s ashamed of his body being different?"

    Katherine started to develop theories in her head, looking for ways to exin Alex''s behavior.

    "If he''s just a normal boy... Would he still act like this?"

    After thinking for a bit, an idea suddenly appeared in her head as she thought back to the amount of time Alex kept staring at her body.

    "He''s your son, you idiot... He''s probably curious about the differences between our bodies.

    Maybe it''s time for me to give them a talk... All three of them are almost at the age already."

    With the thoughts in her mind, Katherine eventually fell asleep, unable to decide when to do it in the end.

    ---

    As Alex woke up early in the morning, he could feel someone wrapping their arms and legs around him.

    But more importantly, his leg cramp was finally gone.

    "How do women endure this every month?"

    Alex thought to himself as he shook Katherine''s shoulder to wake her up, finding it a little hard to breathe inside her chest.

    "Hm?"

    "Mom, can you move your arm a little?"

    "Nope, you''re sleeping on the bed longer with me...."

    Seeing Katherine refuse to let go, Alex didn''t bother asking again; he simply moved up a little to breathe again.

    Feeling the soft, smooth skin from touching his, Alex soon fell back asleep inside her warm embrace.

    But now, Katherine was the one unable to fall asleep again as she felt something hard poking her thighs.

    "It''s just his morning wood. Just ignore it..."

    Just as Katherine was about to get over it, Alex suddenly leaned forward, trying to sandwich the pointy thing in between her thighs.

    "Alex?"

    Katherine gently whispered, but she quickly realized Alex had fallen asleep already.

    With no other way to move without waking him up, Katherine tried to move back a little but identally bumped into Mary.

    "Whatever... It''ll just go away on its own."

    After ignoring it for a bit, Katherine''s body eventually got used to it and soon fell back asleep.

    A few hourster...

    Katherine was the first one to wake up, just as the clock hanging on the wall was one hour off from noon.

    Despite her attempt to not wake any of them up yet, Alex was awakened by the bed shake.

    As he opened his eyes, he was a little stunned by what he saw.

    Katherine was standing with only ck panties in front of a full-body mirror, thinking of what to wear.

    He knew she never wore bras to sleep, as they had recently taken a lot of showers together and dressed together afterward.

    But seeing her in secret was making it more exciting than usual, despite having already seen each other''s naked bodies for the thousandth time.

    "I should probably wear the school uniform again... When did my bra be so tight?"

    Katherine murmured to herself as Alex watched the mirror''s reflection, showing the bra tightly squeezing her breast a little before clipping on.

    Next, she put on a knee skirt before grabbing something from the drawer that stunned Alex.

    It was a pair of stockings.

    "Stocking exists in this world!"

    Alex''s head started to run wild before calming back down as Katherine suddenly started taking them off.

    "I can''t wear this... I''m too old for this." Katherine murmured as she put the stocking back inside the drawer.

    "You''re not too old!" Alex yelled inside his head as he continued to peep through the nket, with eyes barely opened.

    With the stocking gone, Katherine also removed the knee skirt before changing into a long ck skirt that covered all the way to her ankles.

    As she left the room and closed the door, Alex finally opened his eyes fully and thought back to what he had just seen.

    "That school uniform! It''s so cute¡ª¡ª"

    "Brother... Why are you staring at Mom like that?"

    Alex was snapped out of his thoughts as he turned his head to the side, seeing Mary with her eyes wide open, staring at him.

    "I was just curious about what school uniform we''re going to wear. Ahem, I''m going back to sleep."

    Alex quickly pulled the nket back up, covering himself from his embarrassed face away from Mary.

    "Why am I like this? Is it because of my body''s hormones? Why am I getting turned on looking at mom?"

    Alex tried to make excuses for himself, but he started feeling even more guilty as a small tent formed inside his pants.

 Chapter 15: Meal, Shopping, and Cloths

    "It doesn''t matter if she''s attractive or not. She''s your mom, you idiot... Just take a deep breath and calm down."

    After lying on the bed for a while, Alex''s heart finally stopped racing, with the tent down below slowly disappearing.

    Just as he was about to fall asleep again, Katherine suddenly burst into the room and flipped the nket over to the side.

    "Wake up! It''s time for breakfast!" Katherine yelled out loud as she shook all three of their shoulders.

    "It''s almost twelve already?" Sophia yawned as she stretched out her elbow into the air.

    "Mom, what are we doing today?" Mary curiously asked as Alex slowly got up from the bed in silence.

    "We''re going to go shopping and explore the school. Come on, get up, and wash your face."

    ---

    After the three finished freshening up and changing into their normal clothes, they finally sat down at the dining table.

    "Is this breakfast or lunch?" Alex wondered as the clock pointed at eleven-thirty.

    "It''s breakfast! Mom, we''re going out to eat lunchter at three, right?"

    Seeing Sophia''s face full of excitement, Katherine nodded in agreement.

    "Woohoo! Mary! We''re going to eat all the new food in the capital! I had been waiting for this for so long!"

    "Geez... It''s just food." Alex quietly murmured as he began eating the bread on the table.

    Just as everyone was about to finish eating their breakfast, Katherine suddenly went inside the kitchen beforeing out with a cup.

    "Alex, I brought some milk for you. You''re going to drink it every day, okay?" Katherine stated as she slowly put the cup in front of him.

    "Um, sure..."

    Alex didn''t think too much of it as he took a small sip to taste it first.

    To his surprise, it tasted much sweeter than just regr milk back on earth.

    After drinking all of it, he puts the cup down as a question appears in his mind.

    "Mom, what kind of milk is this?"

    "It''s milk from an animal located in Luzhou''s empire in the east... Do you like it?"

    "Yeah, I like it. It tastes very sweet... What''s the animal''s name?" Alex curiously asked as the milk reminded him of cow milk back home.

    "I-It''s called Nunu, yeah."

    Seeing Katherine stutter for a second, Alex got a little suspicious as he suddenly remembered how far Luzhou was.

    It was almost three times the distance from where they came, so it made no sense for it to travel all the way to be brought here.

    "Mom... Are you lying to me?" Alex questioned.

    "Me? Why would I lie to you? I can show you where I bought itter. It''s actually super close."

    The confidence on Katherine''s face made Alex drop the suspicion. More importantly, a new problem was rising for Katherine.

    "Mom! I want to try the milk, too!" Sophia and Mary demanded as they had been watching in jealousy the whole time.

    "I-I will buy more for you guyster... Ahem, let''s go out now."

    Katherine quickly shifted the topic as everyone finally finished eating breakfast.

    ---

    When they finally left the house, the sun was in the middle of the sky. But to the kid''s surprise, the sun didn''t feel hot at all.

    Instead, it felt a little cool as a gust of wind blew past.

    "Mom, why is it not hot at all?" Alex curiously asked.

    "There''s actually a barrier above us. It regtes and keeps the temperature mostly the same."

    As they continued walking down the street, the three kids finally noticed a transparentyer in the sky.

    "Does that barrier block magic from the outside?" Sophia asked as they finally walked out of the residential area.

    "Yep. That''s the original purpose of the barrier. Blocking people from flying in and attacking the school."

    After walking for a bit, they finally arrived at a busy street filled with people.

    Rows of shops and buildings were right before them, with a ton of people walking around.

    Some of them were wearing robes, while others were just walking with their uniform on.

    "Okay, let''s get you guys the school uniform first. You don''t want to stand out too much."

    As Katherine brought the three into one of the clothing shops, they were a little stunned by how many clothes there were.

    The entire walls were full of the same cloth that Katherine was currently wearing, except in different colors.

    "Okay, Sophia and Mary, let''s buy your guy''s clothes first... So all these clothes look almost the same, right?"

    All three of them nodded in agreement.

    "Here''s the thing: they are not the same at all. Pay attention to the color and the small badge attached to the cloth."

    Katherine picked up a ck and red buttoned jacket with a little start on the top right.

    "This one is meant for Fire mages specialists who are enrolled in the Pyromancy Guild..."

    All three of them nodded in agreement again, noting it in their head for all the different ones that Katherine brought up as examples.

    "Anyway, since you guys haven''t started anything yet, yours would just be a basic one with no badges."

    Katherine brought two pairs of white button shirts and a ck knee skirt.

    "If you are feeling cold, you can also put on this ck jacket... And you could wear any leggings underneath it."

    As Katherine brought all the clothes into their arm, the two of them started to get a little overwhelmed.

    "Also, there''s a long skirt version to rece the knee skirt, and most importantly, always wear a robe when you''re going outside of school."

    Katherine finally came to a stop as a mountain of clothes stacked up in both girl''s hands.

    "Ahem, you two go try it out, okay?"

    Katherine''s face blushed a little as she grabbed all the clothes away from the two and handed them a single pair for them to change into.

    As the two headed inside, Katherine already headed to the checkout with five pairs of each of the clothes in her hand.

    After paying with a transparent blue card, Katherine snapped her finger to put the clothes into her dimension pocket.

    "Mom, aren''t we going to wait for them to try it out first?" Alex curiously asked.

    "It''s going to fit. I know what sizes they wear. Don''t tell them we''re buying all these for them, okay?"

    Alex nodded in agreement as the two waited for them toe out.

    As they came out of the changing room, Alex and Katherine were both stunned by their look.

    The white button shirt with the ck knee shirt, on top of the tan legging, made them look much more mature than they should have been.

    "You guys look perfect in this," Katherine announced as she excitedly ran up to hug the both of them.

    "Really? Does it look that good?" Sophia asked, as she didn''t really feel a difference in the changing room.

    "You guys looked great." Alex quietlyplimented.

    "Mom, let go of me. I can''t breathe!" Maryined as she tried to push Katherine back.

    "Sorry."

    The four of them headed back to the checkout and ordered more pairs, adding up to the one that Katherine had already brought in secret.

    With both of the girl''s school uniforms sorted out, they turned their attention to Alex.

    But before they began walking toward the male section, Katherine suddenly stopped.

    "Alex... Has your chest been growing?" Katherine curiously asked.

    Both of the girls turned their attention over to Alex as they wondered the same question.

    "Um... I-It barely grown at all. It''s smaller than Sophia''s one." Alex shyly replied as his face blushed red.

    "That''s going to be a problem in the future... Alex, are you sure you wanted to be a boy?"

    Katherine asked, bending down to stare at Alex''s face with a fully serious tone.

    Alex thought for a second as he looked over to Sophia, whose chest had already shown signs of growing for the past few weeks.

    Then he looked over to Mary, who had yet to hit puberty, giving him a useless example.

    Lastly, he looked at the woman right before his eyes, with a voluptuous chest that was practically impossible to hide.

    "Mom... Am I going to inherit your... size?" Alex nervously asked as his head started to get a little scared by just the thought of it.

    Seeing Katherine nodded in agreement, Alex knew his fate was sealed.

    "Mom... I don''t want to wear a skirt." Alex quietly stated his red line.

    "Skirt? Who told you are wearing a skirt? I was thinking that we need to buy you some bras in the future."

    Seeing Katherine suddenly start smiling, Alex blushed red as he realized he had misunderstood what she was trying to say.

    "Mom!"

    "Come on, Alex. Did you really think Mommy is going to force you to wear girl''s clothes?"

    Alex looked down in embarrassment, trying to hide his face as they headed over to the male section.

    At the same time, both girls burst intoughter as they finally understood what was causing Alex to be so embarrassed.

 Chapter 16: More shopping, Food, and Emily

    After buying almost the same clothes except for recing the skirt and leggings with pants, the four could finally leave the clothing store.

    Seeing a lot of people suddenly wearing robes, all three of the kids decided to put on their brand-new ck robes.

    At first, they couldn''t get used to it, but eventually, they got used to it as it removed the re from other people in the streets.

    "Mom, aren''t you going to wear a robe too?" Sophia curiously asked.

    "Of course. I''m only not wearing one earlier because you guys didn''t have one yet."

    With a snap of a finger, a purple robe appeared out of thin air, covering most of Katherine''s uniform.

    "Okay, let''s go shopping for just a few more things, and then we can eat the lunch that Sophia has been dying for."

    A few hourster...

    As the sun began to set on the horizon, Katherine was finally finished dragging the three kids into different shops.

    Besides the basic magic starter kits, such as nk scrolls and a basic oak-like wand, she even brought the three to watch an auction.

    Although they didn''t buy anything, watching mages fight over magical items at absurd prices was an eye-opening experience.

    The three also learned that the currency in the magical world wasn''t gold or silver coins.

    Instead, it was a blue crystal shard named ethum, the same currency that was on Katherine''s blue card to pay for everything.

    After the auction, Alex''s face blushed as the three of them dragged him into an undergarment shop.

    Alex was forced to watch Sophia and Katherine pick out different kinds of bras and panties for him to try on.

    At some point, he lost count of how many he went in and out of the changing room.

    Meanwhile, Mary was fully enjoying getting to pick her undergarments for the future.

    In the end, Alex settled on several pairs of tan bras and a few pairs of white panties, much to their disappointment.

    "I''m only wearing these panties when I''m having a period... This is a necessary purchase..."

    Alex swore inside his head as he handed the undergarment over for Katherine to put into her dimension pocket.

    With nothing else to buy, Katherine finally brought the three to a nice restaurant nearby.

    "You guys can order anything on the menu... I''ll be right back."

    As Katherine headed over to talk with a few of the employees, the three kids excitedly began reading over the food menu.

    A few minutester...

    When Katherine came back to her seat, the three kids excitedly handed the menu back to her.

    "Geez, are you guys trying to bankrupt me?"

    Katherine''s eyes couldn''t believe what she saw as almost half the menu was picked.

    "W-We are just curious what they taste like... Mom, you can cancel some of them." Sophia apologized.

    Seeing the three of them looking down, guilt evident on their faces, Katherine''s heart softened.

    "It''s fine. But just only one each."

    "Yay!"

    As Katherine clicked confirm on the menu, it flew out of her hand as she headed to the front desk.

    "Wow... That thing can just fly like that?" Mary murmured in awe, and the other two looked to be in awe as well.

    "The power of magic. It''s convenient, isn''t it?"

    A stranger suddenly chimed in as they sat down next to Katherine before grabbing her on the shoulder.

    "Hey Emily, long time no see." Katherine coldly replied.

    "Don''t be so cold. Come on. We had been ssmates for years now. Didn''t you juste over to tell me¡ª¡ª"

    Before the stranger could finish talking, Katherine interrupted her by clearing her throat several times.

    "Fine, fine. My name is Emily, but you can just call me sister Emily. As you can see, I''m your mom''s ssmate."

    As Emily paused for a second, she clicked a little button on the wall.

    "I''m also the owner of the restaurant you guys are currently sitting in. And don''t worry, I''m not as stingy as your mother.

    I already ordered the things you guys want three times for each of you... Henry, are you finished yet?"

    "In three minutes."

    A robotic voice came out from the kitchen, shocking Alex a little as he thought he would never hear that voice tone again.

    "Ahem, anyway. Your mom said you guys want that special milk from the East, right?"

    All three of them immediately nodded in agreement.

    "I''ll get that right now for you guys. And Don''t worry about the cost. Your mom already pays for it."

    As Emily headed inside the kitchen, Alex noticed Katherine''s vein popping on her head as if she was holding in the urge to punch Emily in the head.

    "Mom, you okay?" Sophia curiously asked as she began to notice the change on Katherine''s face as well.

    "Yeah, I''m fine... Emily has a little loose screw in the head, so don''t mind her sometime acting a little weird."

    The three noted it in their head as they patiently waited for the food to be served.

    After waiting exactly three minutes, the food finally came.

    But to the kid''s surprise, an almost human-size golem with a happy face drawn on it carried the food to the table.

    "Your food... The other half is still cooking."

    As the golem walked off to answer other tables, the kid''s mind was all over the ce.

    "Mom, what was that thing?" Mary curiously asked.

    "It''s a golem summoner. It''s a type of magic that summons things to do things for you for a certain period of time."

    Katherine exined as she watched the three of them eat the dessert they ordered from the menu.

    Alex quickly noticed her eyes staring at the food rather than their face, so he decided to give half of his portion over to her.

    "Mom, try it... I''m kind of full."

    Katherine hesitated for a second, but after Alex insisted again by pushing the te over, she picked it up with the fork and ate it.

    "Hmm... It''s so sweet!" Katherinemented.

    The other two girls were too busy eating even to talk as they let out a mhm in agreement.

    Just as the four of them were about to finish eating, Emily finally returned with three cups of milk.

    "Here it is. The special menu from the East¡ª¡ª"

    "Emily..."

    Katherine''s sudden dark tone caused Emily to shut her mouth instantly before quickly giving the milk to the three kids.

    "Enjoy."

    Emily quickly walked away, heading into the kitchen as the three kids looked down at the milk in the cup.

    "Ooh, I finally get to try this... I hope it''s really as sweet as you describe it, Alex."

    As Sophia took a small sip of the milk, her eyes widened.

    She couldn''t believe how sweet and buttery it tasted. The texture and softness of the milk were perfect.

    Mary quickly took a sip and thought the same way Sophia did, unable to believe how good it tasted.

    But as Alex drank a sip himself, he realized it tasted just slightly different from the one in the morning.

    "What do you guys think?" Katherine asked as she finished up Alex''s leftovers.

    "Great!" Both girls replied at the same time as they put down their empty cups.

    "Mom, you should drink some too."

    As Alex moved the remaining cup of milk over to Katherine, her face suddenly started to blush.

    "You sure, Alex? You don''t want to drink the whole thing?" Katherine asked as she quickly calmed back down.

    "Yeah, I''m sure. Mom, you worked really hard today."

    After a short silence, Katherine lifted the cup and drank it all down before moving the cup back to Alex.

    "Your food is here..."

    The golem reappeared as it put the rest of the food onto the table, turning the kid''s attention back to the food.

    ---

    After they finished the dessert, Katherine went over to the front desk again to pay beforeing back to the three to leave the restaurant.

    As the four of them began heading back home, Katherine instantly rejected the two girls'' demand to eat there every day due to cost.

    However, when the two girls demand to have the same milk Alex had for breakfast, Alex notices Katherine''s face changing.

    She clearly wanted to reject it and make it exclusive to Alex for some reason. But to his surprise, she caved into their demands.

    "Mom, does this milk cost a lot? You can give my portion to them instead."

    Alex raised his concern, as having something like milk being transported all the way here sounded expensive.

    "Don''t worry about the cost... I read a book that said milk is necessary for the body to grow.

    Even if I went bankrupt, I''d still buy it for you guys. Just keep drinking it, okay, Alex?"

    Alex didn''t try to convince her again, but he nodded in agreement, as he knew how good milk was for a kid''s body back on Earth.

 Chapter 17: Exploring the Capital and Night Duel

    The next two days quickly passed for the three kids as Katherine took them outside of school to explore the capital.

    Even though all they did was walk around the street, it was still an eye-opening experience as they saw a variety of different things.

    Over a hundred churches openly worshipped their god or goddess, and most of them openly denounced the others as heretics.

    Some were even different species, with the three kids finally seeing an elf and half-humans for the first time.

    The elf was very simr to humans, albeit much skinnier, and had pointy ears.

    Meanwhile, the half-humans were, as the name implies, a hybrid of some species and humans.

    When Alex saw the god each of them worshipped, he instantly reconganized them as just regr animals on Earth.

    An animal simr to horses was being worshipped by Centaur as gods, with Minotaur worshipping cows.

    But when Alex decided to ask Katherine about it, she instantly covered his mouth as if he asked something forbidden.

    Only when he asked back at home did she exin to him that that ''regr animal'' doesn''t exist in this world.

    The ''horse'' that Alex''s family used to drag their wagon was actually another animal that just looked like a horse.

    The ''steak'' he ate at his grandparents'' house was also meat from an animal simr to a cow.

    Besides going to see different churches, Katherine also brought the three a ticket to the Grand Colosseum.

    When they entered, hundreds and thousands of people were already inside, with the entire spotlight in the middle of the field.

    It was the first time the three kids had seen an actual duel, with a mage fighting a swordsman.

    The duel went back and forth as the swordsman could never get close to the mage with the constant ice zoning him away.

    The swordsman, meanwhile, was also dodging every single spell being thrown at him, with fireballs and ice spikes flying everywhere.

    Some were even flying directly into the crowd, only to be blocked by an invisible barrier.

    In the end, the swordsman won through attrition as the mage ran out of mana to throw back.

    All four of them eventually joined the crowd, cheering for the swordsman as he went on to beat two mages in a row before leaving.

    The three kids could feel their blood pumping as they left the Colosseum to head back home.

    ---

    "Wake up! It''s time for your first day of school!"

    Katherine shook all three of them from their beds before changing Mary''s clothes while her eyes were still closed.

    Meanwhile, the other two kids began changing out of their pajamas, albeit their eyes were barely open as they were still a little sleepy.

    "Why are you guys so sleepy?" Katherine curiously asked as she helped Mary put on her socks.

    "All because of Alex''s fault." Sophia med before running into the bathroom first.

    "Alex?"

    "I-I need to go brush my teeth."

    Alex quickly ran into the bathroom as well, brushing his teeth to keep himself unable to talk.

    Meanwhile, Katherine brought Mary over to the bathroom as well, helping Mary tie her hair as Mary was finally awake enough to brush her teeth.

    "You''re going to talk sooner orter."

    Alex made a gulp sound as he thought back to what happenedst night in the end.

    ---

    The night before school starts...

    As the three of themy in bed silently in the dark, Alex couldn''t fall asleep.

    The duel in the Colosseum was making his heart too excited to sleep, his head filled with the imagination of being the swordsman fighting.

    Despite his dream of being a mage, he knew what the swordsman was using to make himself so fast.

    As Paul once told him, there was an ancient technique called'' Qi'' that people from the East used to make them stronger.

    At first, Alex didn''t think much of it.

    But heter reconganized the word, as his memories told him it was stuff from those Eastern Cultiviation novels his friends read back on Earth.

    "Come on, Alex, you still have school tomorrow. Just go to sleep..."

    Despite Alex''s attempt to clear his mind, it was still filled with the duel.

    "Alex, you okay?"

    Sophia''s voice appeared, waking up from her sleep from Alex''s constant movement on the bed.

    "Sorry. I''m just too excited to sleep." Alex apologized.

    "Still excited about the Colosseum duel?" Sophia asked as she turned around to face him directly.

    Alex shyly nodded as the room fell back into silence, with neither side talking.

    But both of them were now wide awake, with their eyes staring at each other in the dark.

    "Let''s go do a duel." Alex suddenly suggested.

    "A duel?" Sophia questioned with uncertainty.

    "Yes, it''s just a small duel. Me and you with the wooden sword. First to knock each other down wins."

    "But what if mom catches us up at night?"

    "Come on, Mom''s already asleep. You know she''s a deep sleeper. She''s not going wake up."

    After a short consideration, Sophia epted Alex''s offer. Her heart started to beat faster as she thought back to the Colosseum duel.

    "Fine, just a small duel."

    The two slowly got up from the bed, sneaking past Mary, who was deep asleep on the bed.

    Next, they immediately headed straight to the storage room at the end of the house.

    After picking out their wooden sword from one of the boxes they had brought with them, they immediately took a step back from each other.

    Despite the room being dead silent, the duel for them had already begun as they both waited for their opponent to move first.

    Eventually, Alex''s patient ran out as he lunged forward with the sword, aiming it right at Sophia''s chest.

    As Sophia easily parried his sword to the side, she quickly realized it was Alex''s feint attack as it shifted to her elbow.

    At thest second, she quickly leans to the left, dodging the stab as she ripostes forward with a stab.

    Alex quickly found himself at a disadvantage as he was forced to take a step back to reposition his sword.

    However, Sophia didn''t give him any room as she advanced rapidly, striking where his chest was just a millisecond ago.

    With less and less space, Alex''s mind started to panic as he was constantly forced to be in a defensive position, parrying with his sword.

    Suddenly, he finds a small opening in Sophia''s slow attack, which allows him to riposte back for once.

    Soon, Alex felt something was off, as Sophia hadn''t even tried to block it with her sword.

    But it was far toote.

    Sophia chose to dodge it by turning her body to the side, making the stab misspletely.

    Still, Alex wasn''t going to lose so easily as he tackled Sophia''s body before she could stab at his elbow to dere victory.

    "Look like it''s a tie."

    Alex smiled as he identally moved his sword onto Sophia''s elbow, and Sophia also hit his elbow with her sword.

    "Y-You cheated!"Sophia angrily yelled, unable to believe the match ended in a tie despite her advantages.

    "Did I say there were any rules? All I said was that whoever knocks each other down wins.

    Technically, I would be the one who won since I''m directly on top of you right¡ª¡ª"

    Before Alex finished talking, Sophia suddenly pushed him over to the floor and sat directly on top of him.

    "I''m the one who won, not you," Sophia threatened as she began to tickle Alex on the side.

    "Okay, okay. You won." Alex surrendered as he raised his hands into the air.

    "Hmph! You should have said that from the beginning..."

    As the room fell into silence, Sophia''s face started blushing red as she felt something hard bumping against her crotch.

    "Ahem, let''s go back to sleep. We still have school tomorrow." Sophia murmured as she quickly got up from Alex.

    "Okay."

    ---

    "Alex?"

    Katherine''s voice made Alex snap back into reality as he had been instinctively brushing his teeth the whole time.

    "Y-Yes, mom?"

    "Aren''t you going to say what you did yesterday?" Katherine questioned again as she helped Mary rinse her mouth.

    "I was rolling on the bed, too excited to sleepst night," Alex replied, not flinching a single bit.

    "Really?"

    Katherine looked over to Sophia, who nodded in agreement as she washed her face.

    "Mom!"

    "Sorry!" Katherine apologized, having identally forgotten to move the cup to let Mary spit out the water.

    As Sophia headed to the toilet to pee, Alex was still rinsing the toothpaste out of his mouth while Mary was now washing her face.

    Watching the three in the bathroom, disregarding each other''s privacy, Katherine suddenly felt the urge to separate them and wait in line.

    Still, she remained silent, not wanting to exclude Alex from the family just for the sake of ''privacy'' that only she felt.

    Deep inside, her mind also started to categorize Alex as a daughter rather than a son, as his appearance started to be simr to the other two girls.

 Chapter 18: First Day of School

    After the three finished eating breakfast, Katherine finally brought them out of the house and into their ssroom.

    "It should be ss 204... Where is it?" Katherine murmured as she checked the eptance letter.

    "I think it''s that one," Sophia said, pointing toward the ssroom at the end of the hall.

    "Oh, you''re right... You guys go inside the ssroom with this letter and give it to the teacher, okay?"

    All three of the kids nodded in agreement as they put the letter into their pockets.

    But before they could wave goodbye, Katherine vanished in the blink of an eye.

    "I still can''t believe I''m going to be in the same ss as Mary..." Alex murmured as he looked over to his eight-year-old sister Mary.

    "Well, age isn''t considered. They only care about the mage level... I really hope we aren''t going to be put in a ss full of children."

    Sophia replied that she felt a little embarrassed as well, being in the same ss as both of them despite being four years older than Mary.

    "Hey, everyone is a child at some point. You guys aren''t even adults yet," Mary said with a slightly irritated voice.

    "Yeah, yeah..."

    Before Sophia could knock on the door, it suddenly opened, revealing a very familiar person right before their eyes.

    It was Amelia, wearing almost the same outfit as Katherine except with a knee skirt rather than a long skirt.

    "Wee! You guys must be the new students... Don''t call me auntie. You three hear me?"

    Thest part was only heard by the three kids as Amelia''s voice appeared in their heads.

    "Let''s have you introduce yourself to the ss. I''ll be taking the letters, thank you."

    As the three kids stepped inside the ssroom, Amelia quickly brought them over to the front before opening the letter one by one.

    "Sophia, do you want to go first? Just say something about yourself, like your favorite food." Amelia asked softly.

    Sophia slowly stepped up to the front of the ckboard, taking a deep breath before getting ready to speak.

    "Hello, my name is Sophia. This is my first year in school, so I apologize in advance if I identally offend anyone."

    An awkward silence appeared in the room, but Sophia continued.

    "My favorite food is chocte pudding and chocte cake. I hope to be able to befriend everyone. Thank you."

    Sophia stepped back down to the side next to Amelia, letting Alex go up next.

    "My name is Alex. I don''t really have a favorite food, but I hate chocte."

    With Alex finishing it with a single sentence, it was finally Mary''s turn.

    She got a little nervous standing in front of everyone, but she pumped herself up, not wanting to be looked down on by the other two.

    "My name is Mary, and my favorite food is chips. Thank you."

    Mary''s introduction confused a lot of people in the ssroom, as they didn''t expect to be thanked randomly out of nowhere.

    But still, the introduction was finally over as Amelia assigned Sophia and Mary to sit next to two other students in the center-left of the ssroom.

    Meanwhile, Alex was assigned to be directly in the middle, next to a fully grown man who didn''t look like a member of this ss at all.

    "Ahem, my name is Amelia Reid, but you guys can call me Miss Amelia..."

    Amelia writes her name on the board before turning back to the student in the ssroom.

    "I''m actually just your substitute teacher for the week since Miss Amy got sick during the weekend.

    I don''t know how far you guys have gotten, so I''m just going to test everyone''s learning capability with the beginner''s test."

    As Amelia began, everyone in the ssroom also began to take their textbooks out of their backpack.

    "Please do not open your textbook yet... Except for the three new students, you may read the book for now."

    ---

    ss time flew by quickly as everyone in the ssroom was being picked to answer teacher Amelia''s question.

    The three kids were silently reading the textbook to y catch-up with their peers.

    Most of the knowledges were things that they already knew, such as basic information like how mana worked and mage levels from one to ten.

    But it also had things that Katherine never taught them, like being able to increase mana by meditation.

    Besides the textbook, the three also learned a lot from their ssmates'' answers to the questions that Amelia gave.

    Seeing different elements of spells being cast directly in the ssroom by their peers made them even more willing to learn.

    Soon, the clock hit twelve as Amelia had been teaching for three hours nonstop.

    "It looks like you all have a firm grasp of the basics. In the afternoon, I''ll seek more advanced knowledge.

    If any of you need to talk to me, I''ll be at the teacher''s cafeteria. You all are dismissed."

    The moment Amelia stepped out of the room, the entire ss burst into chatter, and some were already heading out to eat lunch.

    Alex quickly took the chance to speak to his seating mate, who had been silent, writing in a notebook without being picked a single time.

    "Hey man, my name is Alex. Can I ask what your name is?"

    "My name is Justin... You''re wondering why I''m in this ssroom, right?"

    Alex awkwardly scratched his head as Justin spoke out exactly what he was thinking about in his head.

    "I''m a level one mage, just like you all... I had been in this school for over ten years now." Justin exined.

    After a short silence, Justin went back to writing in his notebook. But Alex was even more intrigued by his situation now.

    "Sorry if this sounds a little offensive, but how are you still at level one?" Alex curiously asked.

    "I was just not born with the talent. But I believe I can ovee it with hard work to be a level two mage one day."

    Hearing Justin''s optimism and dedication to his dream, Alex felt bad for him and was inspired by him at the same time.

    "I hope your hard work pays off one day... What are you writing in your notebook?"

    "Just a device that maniptes magic."

    After looking at the strange device in Justin''s notebook for a while, Alex could tell it was certainly some sort of magical device.

    But with zero knowledge of magical crafting, Alex silently watched it until Sophia and Mary came over with a group of people.

    "Alex, you want to go eat with us?" Sophia asked.

    "Sure. See youter, Justin."

    Justin didn''t reply or look back at Alex, but he did wave back before Alex left the ssroom.

    ---

    As Alex followed Sophia with their new friends towards the student cafeteria, he was a little surprised at how good Sophia''s social skills were.

    She perfectly blended in with the ssmates she had just met, chattering with each of them nonstop the whole way through.

    It was almost as if she had known them for years and had just met again after a long vacation as they shared their life.

    Sophia even turned her groups of new friends to absorb Mary into their friend group before they sat down at the cafeteria.

    "Hey Alex, do you want to introduce yourself?" Sophia curiously asked as he had been silently observing the whole time.

    "Hello. I''m Alex."

    Seeing four different girls staring at him, Alex felt a little pressured to end it there.

    "You''re Sophia''s little brother, right? How old are you again?" One of the older-looking girls curiously asked.

    "I''m ten, turning eleven in a few months."

    Alex replied as he nervously clicked on the standard lunch menu. But all four of the girls kept staring at his face.

    Suddenly, one of them leaned over and hugged Alex in her arms.

    "Alex, you''re so cute! You''re so much better than my stinky brother!" The girl excitedly said out loud.

    "Um, thank you?" Alex replied in confusion as Sophia separated them away from each other.

    "Ahem, you guys should probably introduce yourself to my brother. He doesn''t even know your guy''s name yet."

    The four girls looked at each other for a second, then one of the older girls stepped up first.

    "Hey Alex, my name is Evelyn. I''m thirteen. My dad also works as a teacher here."

    Alex nodded as he took a short nce at her much more developed body a few times before turning to the second person.

    "Hi, I''m Luna. I''m twelve years old, and I''m Evelyn''s younger sister."

    Although Luna wasn''t as physically mature as Evelyn, Alex was a little scared of her as she was the one who hugged him out of nowhere.

    After the two finished introducing, Alex turned his attention to the third girl, who had extremely pale skin.

    "Um, my name is Chloe. I''m twenty years old¡ª¡ª"

    Seeing Alex looking a little shocked, Chloe quickly chanted something that shocked him even more.

    Her pointy ears, green eyes, and blond hair made him fall in awe, unable to believe the beauty before his eyes up close.

    "I-I''m actually an elf... so that''s why I''m much older than you guys. Mom said I''m only ten years old in human years."

    As Chloe finished talking, her pointy ears, blond hair, and green eyes disappeared as she chanted a spell again to hide it.

    "Of course, Chloe has to take all the spotlight... Ahem, my name is Camille. I''m eleven years old, and as you can see, I''m a bunny girl."

 Chapter 19: Meditation and Mana

    Alex instinctively lowered his head slightly as Camille''s muscr body almost felt the pr opposite of what a bunny girl would be like.

    Her slightly bent bunny ear made it look extremely cute, but it was just too hard to ignore her body as a mage rather than some sort of fighter.

    "Ahem, let''s start eating now." Sophia pointed out as the food they selected finally arrived at their table.

    The four girls, along with Sophia and Mary, started eating the food slowly. They chatted with each other while Alex solely focused on eating the food.

    With the food out of the way, Alex took out his textbook and continued where he left off in ss.

    "Hey Sophia, your brother really likes to read that much?" Evelyn quietly asked after staring at him for a bit.

    "Yeah, he''s a little bit of a bookworm. He''s the type that''s willing to sit all day reading rather than going outside."

    "He''s the perfect match for Chloe, no? She likes to read, too," Luna suddenly suggested.

    "W-What? I don''t read the textbook in my spare time. That book is too boring." Chloe nervously rified, her face blushing a little.

    "What do you think, Mary? Do you think your brother is a good pair with Chloe?" Camille asked.

    "I don''t know. But I can see it happening."

    "Okay, enough of my brother... Evelyn, how did you grow your chest to be so big?"

    Sophia quickly changed the topic after noticing Alex''s face blushing a little as well.

    "Oh, I just drank and ate a lot of a special fruit that my mom gave me. I can show you guyster..."

    As the girls went back to chit-chatting, Alex turned his attention back to his textbook, reading it until lunchtime ended.

    ---

    When the seven of them headed back to their ssrooms, the six of them went to the back of the ssroom while Alex sat in the front.

    He didn''t waste any time taking out his textbook again and getting ready to read it.

    Once again, Justin was his seatmate, still writing in his notebook with no regard for the outside world.

    After Alex nced at Justin''s work, he was once again intrigued by the design but couldn''t understand what each part did.

    "Ahem, good afternoon, everyone. Let''s start our ss now. Please take out your textbook and flip to page 110."

    As Amelia began to exin the different spells and chants for different elements of basic magic, Alex started paying attention to her lecture.

    The whole ss was silent as Amelia started giving her personal insight on magic casting, with things not even mentioned in the textbook.

    Alex turned his head a little to check his surroundings. To his surprise, everyone was writing down what Amelia said as notes.

    Soon, Alex himself had written almost several pages of notes nonstop as Amelia continued exining the fundamentals to everyone in the ss.

    Even though they were just fundamentals, Amelia''s experiences were apletely different perspective, not just for Alex but for the entire ss.

    Just as the clock hit four, Amelia finally stopped, giving everyone a short break to allow her to prepare for the next segment.

    After the three-minute break ended, Amelia didn''t start writing on the ckboard right away this time.

    Instead, she pulled out a crystal ball from her bag before sitting down at the teacher''s desk.

    "I want everyone to start meditating right now and try to increase your mana."

    All of the students listened as they closed their eyes and started meditating in their heads.

    Even Justin, who hadn''t taken any notes earlier, was meditating alongside Alex.

    "Deep breathe, rx, and let your mind delve into your body..." Amelia gently whispered as she closed her eyes as well.

    As Alex followed Amelia''s instructions, he could feel his mind start to lose control over his body.

    It was almost as if he was half-asleep, unable to move any parts of his body.

    Yet, his mind wasn''t inplete darkness.

    A small light appeared right on top, and then more and more light appeared right below it, making a figure simr to his body.

    He could feel that his mind was located on the top star, and the other stars were connected, sending mana all the way to the top.

    Thinking back to Amelia''s lecture and the textbook, Alex began reversing the mana flow, causing it to flow from his head down to his body.

    A burning sensation started tingling in his mind, but it was still bearablepared to the first time he got mana.

    After who knows how long, he could feel the stars around his body no longer able to take any more mana.

    Any further attempt to push in more mana was starting to worsen the burning sensation, almost waking him up from the meditation.

    With no progress made, Alex eventually was forced to give up and regain control of his body again.

    As he opened his eyes, a body was blocking his viewpletely, causing him to move back a little to see what it was.

    To his surprise, Amelia was right before him, sitting on his desk, curiously looking down at his face.

    "How was your first meditation?" Amelia asked as her voice appeared in his head.

    "It was okay. I felt the stars in my body, but I couldn''t really put much mana into it... Wait, why is my mouth not making any sound?"

    Alex was a little shocked as he somehow managed to reply with his voice sent over to Amelia''s head.

    "Shush. Don''t wake other people up yet. It''s extremely dangerous to wake someone up when they are still meditating."

    Alex nodded in agreement, closing his mouth as he realized it was Amelia''s magic that made them able to talk to each other in their heads.

    "Your meditation is a little short, only ten minutes... Usually, people meditate for at least an hour to increase their mana even a little."

    "I felt that burning sensation again... I couldn''t put any more into it."

    Seeing Alex looking a little down, Amelia didn''t really have a way tofort him.

    "Everyone feels that... It''s a long and slow process. It takes at least an entire year or longer just going from level one to level two."

    "I understand."

    As the two fell into silence, Alex''s eye couldn''t help but notice Amelia''s leg was slightly spread apart.

    Her knee skirt was also just slightly too short, allowing him to see her panties a little.

    "It''s ck...S-Sorry." Alex identally murmured his voice over to Amelia, not realizing his thought was still connected to her.

    "What ck?"

    Amelia looked a little confused until she finally noticed Alex kept staring down at her thighs.

    Her face immediately started to blush a little as she got off his desk and went back to her seat.

    "Alex... Who taught you to look at other people like that?" Amelia questioned, her voice sounding extremely angry.

    "I-I just couldn''t control myself. I don''t know why I was looking at that. I''m sorry, Auntie."

    A short silence appeared between the two until Amelia eventually epted Alex''s apology.

    "You better not look at other girls like this. If you weren''t my nephew, I would have thrown your dead body in a dark alley."

    Alex nodded several times in repeat, not doubting Amelia''s threat. He had seen her violent side before when he and Sophia got on her nerves.

    At the same time, his mind was a little confused.

    The way Amelia answered him sounded as if she wanted him to only look at her panties rather than not look at girls'' panties in general.

    Amelia''s face soon started to blush as she realized that what she had just said was too misleading.

    Still, she doesn''t bother fixing it, hiding her embarrassment by looking inside the crystal ball to check on other students.

    Meanwhile, Alex started looking at the people around him.

    To the back, his two sisters were still meditating, showing no signs of opening their eyes at all.

    Sophia''s four friends showed no signs of opening their eyes either, with the entire ss still having their eyes closed.

    Even Justin, who had been stuck as a level one mage for years, was still meditating with his eyes closed.

    "I really am just that bad..." Alex murmured in his head, realizing he was the outlier of the ss.

    With not much to do, Alex resumed back to reading his textbook, absorbing as much knowledge as possible.

    After almost half an hour passed, people finally began opening their eyes.

    But nobody spoke up, sitting in silence as they waited for their ssmate to finish meditation first.

    Soon, another half an hour passed, and this time, almost the entire ss was awake.

    Except Sophia, Mary, and Justin, who are still meditating with their eyes closed.

    As everyone started to get a little impatient, one student in the back decided to attempt to wake one of them up.

    However, within seconds, his body waspletely frozen, unable to move a single part of his body.

    "Do not wake someone who''s still meditating in ss until I say so." Amelia''s voice appeared in everyone''s head.

    The student who stood up bowed down in apology before running back into his seat, waiting in silence along with everyone.

 Chapter 20: Exploring the Girls Dorms

    After a while, Mary was the first to wake up from their meditation before Sophia also woke up.

    "Good job, Sophia and Mary; you two made a lot of progress." Ameliaplimented as she continued to be looking at the crystal ball.

    With the entire ss waiting for Justin, everyone was starting to get a little impatient.

    But still, nobody dared to move an inch, not wanting to repeat the same mistake as the person earlier.

    Suddenly, ayer of ice covered Justin''s entire body, freezing him in ce and kicking him out of his meditation.

    "This is what happens when someone tries to over-extend themselves. If I let go of this ice right now, his blood will boil and burn him alive."

    As Amelia chanted something beneath her breath quietly, the ice eventually disappeared, allowing Justin to move again.

    "Sorry, Miss Amelia. I shouldn''t have rushed it." Justin apologized, standing up before bowing right before her.

    "It''s fine. Just remember to write a report for Miss Amy next week. Now, with the meditation over, let''s go back to learning about spells."

    After a few more hours of lecture, the day was finally over as Amelia dismissed everyone from ss.

    But before anyone could leave, she assigned one homework for everyone.

    "Try to meditate in your free time, but do not overdo it. If you can''t control yourself, have a higher-level mage watch over you."

    As Amelia left the ssroom, people quickly started leaving the ss right after.

    Alex quickly started packing up, getting ready to go back home as well. But he was unfortunately stopped by no other than his own sister.

    "Alex! Come over here!"

    Sophia excitedly waved her arms in the back, with Mary and her four new friends next to her.

    "What? I want to go home and read my book already."

    "Come on, Alex. Are you still jealous of your sister''s meditation time?" Evelyn asked curiously after noticing his irritated tone.

    "N-No... I just want to go back home to finish up with the textbook." Alex shyly replied, realizing how childish he sounded earlier.

    Sophia didn''t mind it as she patted Alex on the shoulder before giving him a suggestion that he couldn''t refuse.

    "Alex, don''t you want to see what the school dorms are like? You sure you want to go home so early already?"

    Alex fell into silence for a second before nodding in agreement.

    "I... I do."

    "Then let''s go! Camille lead the way!"

    ---

    The three of them quickly followed the four who had been forming together for three months since school started.

    As they walked down the stairs out of the building, they began heading in the opposite direction of the residential area where Alex live.

    After walking for a bit, they finally saw ten different apartment buildings right before their eyes.

    Two of them were super close to each other, and the other eight were paired up and spread out in the distance.

    "We live in the blue and white one over here... Usually, each building is meant for one level of mages."

    Camille exined as she pointed at the closest one, which was ten stories tall with another apartment right next to it.

    "The one on the left over there is the boy''s dorm. And on the right is the girl''s dorm that we live in."

    Both dorms were covered with a stone fence with the height of a fully grown adult as an outside parameter and an iron gate at the entrance.

    As the seven of them approached the girl''s dorm, they were immediately stopped by an olddy who looked to be in her sixties.

    "No male after six o''clock." The olddy warned before letting them go.

    "Of course, ma''am. We''ll have him out before then." Camille replied before leading them past the entrance.

    "Wow... This park is so big and beautiful," Mary murmured, unable to believe how beautiful the inside looked past the stone fence.

    "Yeah, but you''ll think it''s pretty boring after you live here for a while... Anyway, let''s head inside."

    Luna took charge this time, heading into the porch of the apartment before taking out her ID card.

    With a scan, the door opened, allowing them to go inside before it closed on its own.

    As the three stepped inside, they couldn''t believe how spacious it was.

    The main lobby was almost double the size of their house, with three elevators on the side.

    "It feels a little empty, doesn''t it?" Chloemented as she pressed the elevator button.

    "A little bit," Sophia replied as the spacious feeling was soon reced by a feeling of void.

    After waiting for a bit, the elevator finally came down.

    Several girls exited the elevator before the seven of them headed inside.

    "I wonder how this elevator works..." Alex murmured as he imagined nothing was pulling this thing up mechanically.

    "It''s just an elevation magic on the bottom of this elevator," Luna replied as she pressed the eighth floor.

    "Is there no stairs at all?" Alex curiously asked.

    "Why would there be a stair? The elevator is almost instant."

    As soon as Luna finished speaking, they were already on the eighth floor as the door opened.

    Alex thought for a second, then quickly realized that his concern about needing a fire exit was practically useless in this magical world.

    After walking past four different rooms, they finally stop at 805.

    "Okay, you guys ready to see our dorm rooms?" Camille asked as she put her key into the door.

    Slowly, Camille pulls the door open, revealing the living room before their eyes.

    "Wow, it look sofortable in here... Sofa!"

    Mary excitedly jumped onto the bluffy sofa before diving face-first into it as the other two followed the other four, examining the dorm.

    "This ce is pretty big," Alexmented as the dorm looked heavily decorated with all kinds of styles.

    The left was full of nts and wooden furniture, while the right was full of furniture that looked super soft and had fur.

    Meanwhile, the open kitchen on the back was filled with unwashed utensils, tes, pans, and pots stacking up.

    "Yeah, it''s pretty big. It''s actually an eight-person dorm, but we only have four people to fill in.

    If you guys want, you can live here too... Except for Alex, of course." Evelyn replied as she threw out the invite.

    "Um, I need to talk to Mom first," Sophia replied, with Mary nodding in agreement as she finally got out of the sofa.

    "That''s fine... Actually, you guys live in the school, too, right?" Evelyn curiously asked.

    "Yeah... Our mom has a house in the residential area¡ª¡ª"

    "You mean the teacher''s area," Luna added.

    "I don''t think my mom is a teacher, though... She never said she was a teacher a single time." Sophia argued.

    "Really? Then maybe your mom''s teacher is in a pretty high position to give her a house.

    Even my dad, who has worked here for a few years now, still doesn''t have a house."

    Luna and Evelyn both suddenly felt a little bit jealous, as having an independent house sounded like a luxury in the school.

    After standing in the living room for a while, the four finally brought the three to the bedroom.

    To their surprise, the bedroom had four bunk beds on each side of the wall, with eight beds in total.

    "Damn, this bed looks so soft," Alex murmured as he watched Chloe bring Mary to sit on one of them.

    "Well, it''s a bed made out of blue goose feathers... Anyway, let''s go bring you guys to the bathroom." Evelynn replied.

    The three followed the four out of the bedroom before walking into the bathroom.

    To their surprise again, there were only two bathrooms.

    The first one was several curtained-off shower areas and four bathtubs with mirrors and sinks.

    The second one, meanwhile, was fully sealed stalls with a toilet inside and a row of sinks outside.

    "That''s our dorm. So what do you guys think?" Evelyn curiously asked as they headed back to the living room.

    "I think it''s pretty neat... Although it might feel a little crowded if it really bes full for eight people."Sophia replied.

    "I think so too..." Mary added.

    "Alex, what do you think?" Luna curiously asked after noticing him being silent the whole time.

    "I think it''s fine... But I don''t like this balcony. Does it really have to be this tall?"Alexined.

    "Well, I''m sure you''ll grow past it in a year or two," Lunamented as almost everyone was tall enough to see over the balcony.

    Except for Alex, who was just slightly too short, and Mary, who was nowhere near close.

    "Hey, Sophia, since you guys live in the school as well, can we visit your house?" Camille suddenly asked.

    "I might need to ask Mom first. I''m not sure if my mom wants visitors¡ª¡ª"

    "Come on, Alex, your mom would say yes to her daughter''s ssmate visiting her home, right?"

    Alex slowly nodded in agreement as Camille''s ''gentle'' pat almost dislocated his shoulder.

    "Yay! Let''s go give our house a tour!"

    Mary immediately jumped to the front, getting ready to guide her four new friends to their house.

 Chapter 21: Visiting and Sophias question

    After walking for almost ten minutes, the seven of them finally arrived at Katherine''s house.

    "Hm... Did we ask Mom for a key?" Mary asked as the front door was locked.

    Both Alex and Sophia shook their head as they soon realized they didn''t actually have a way to get inside.

    "Let me just knock on the door."

    After waiting for a bit, the door finally opened, revealing Katherine standing behind it.

    "Wee back! You guys are?"

    "Hello, Miss Katherine. We''re Sophia''s friends. We were wondering if we could have a tour of what the teacher houses look like."

    Katherine looked a little hesitant, but Sophia whispered something into her ear that made her change her mind.

    "Come on in. Let me get you guys some tea."

    As Katherine headed inside the kitchen, the four girls followed the three inside into the living room.

    "So many books..." Chloe murmured as all two sides of the wall were bookshelf full of books.

    "Sophia, your house looked so much better than our dorm," Evelynmented as she sat down on the sofa.

    "I wouldn''t be leaving if I were you. The atmosphere feels so much better than just a few trees with a park."

    Luna pointed out, as she looked out the window, a beautiful waterfall with a mountain in the distance.

    "Mary, can you bring us to your bedroom?" Camille asked curiously as she became intrigued by the rest of the house.

    "Sure! Follow me!"

    As the two began heading further inside, Sophia and the other three girls quickly followed.

    "Where did everyone go?" Katherine asked as she emerged with a tray holding four tea cups and a teapot.

    "They are checking out the bedroom... Mom, are you a teacher?" Alex suddenly asked.

    "Me? A teacher? Why do you think that?"

    As Katherine put the tray onto the coffee table before the sofa, Alex thought back to what they said earlier.

    "Luna said that the only residential area in the school with houses rather than apartments is for teachers."

    "She isn''t wrong... Well, I''m not a teacher. This house is actually owned by my teacher, who hasn''te back for years now."

    Seeing Katherine''s emotion look a little grumpy rather than saddened, Alex got even more intrigued by it.

    "What happens to the teacher?"

    "She is just busy traveling around the world right now. So she left the house for me to take care of."

    "I see... Oh snap, be right back!"

    Alex suddenly realized something as he ran straight from the living room to his bedroom.

    But it was far toote as Sophia and Mary had already opened all the drawers.

    "Hey, Alex, your guy''s bedroom is pretty nice." Camilleplimented.

    "Thanks..."

    Alex nervously stood still as nobody seemed to notice something off about his section of the drawer containing several bras and panties.

    "You three still sleep together? That''s a little surprising."

    Evelyn pointed out after noticing there was only one king-size bed with three pillows.

    "Yeah, we had been sleeping together since there are only two bedrooms in the house, and Mom lives in the other one."

    Sophia exined, seemingly not noticing or just not caring that all four of them were looking a little weirded out by it.

    "We have been sleeping together since we were out of the cribs!" Mary added, not noticing the change on their face either.

    "Ahem, let''s go see the rest of the house."

    Sophia guided all four of them to the bathroom next, which was smaller than the one in the dorm.

    But still, the bathtub size shocked all four of them as it clearly could fit at least four people at once.

    ---

    An hourter...

    After touring the entire house and sitting in the living room for a bit to chat with Katherine, the four said goodbye and left the house.

    "Sophia, how did you make so many friends already?" Katherine curiously asked as she closed the door.

    "We just met today in ss... Evelyn was my seatmate who talked to me first before introducing the other three to me."

    "I see... Mary, what do you think of them?" Katherine asked as she gently patted Mary on the head.

    "They are very nice! I feel included when I talk to them..." Mary excitedly replied.

    "That''s good... Sophia, you''re going to need to take care of your sister in school, okay?"

    "I know, I know. Who else would I take care of in ss?" Sophia grumpily replied, feeling a little jealous at the attention Mary was receiving.

    "Hey Alex, have you made any friends?" Katherine curiously asked.

    "Nope, I''m stuck sitting next to a grown adult," Alex replied without looking back as he continued reading his book.

    "Really? Sophia, what happens in the ssroom?" Katherine asked, turning her attention over.

    "Miss Amelia, I mean Auntie Amelia, was our teacher. She assigned Alex to sit right in the front while Mary and I sat in the back."

    "She''s your teacher?" Katherine looked a little surprised.

    "Miss Amy is sick, so Auntie Amelia was our substitute for the week," Mary replied this time.

    "How dare she put my son next to an adult. I''m going to talk to her¡ª¡ª"

    "Mom, it''s fine. Justin is pretty nice. I don''t mind sitting next to him." Alex replied as he finally dropped his book back down.

    "Why is there a fully grown adult in the ss in the first ce?" Katherine curiously asked.

    "He''s stuck at mage level one," Alex exined.

    "Then wouldn''t he be kicked out? How is he still in the school?" Katherine questioned.

    All three of the kids shrug their shoulders, as they don''t know the rules regarding expulsion.

    "Whatever, I''ll talk to herter. I''m going to cook dinner right now. You three go take a shower first."

    With Katherine leaving the living room, both Sophia and Mary got up from the sofa.

    But just as they were about to go into the bathroom, they headed back into the living room to drag Alex to be with them forcefully.

    "Let me go! I''m going to take a showerter!" Alex demanded as he tried to resist, but he was just too weakpared to Sophia.

    "Too bad. I want to take a bath today. Mom''s going to kill me if it''s only me and Mary taking a bath.

    I need you to be with me. Come on, don''t be shy. We don''t mind seeing your naked body."

    Mary quickly snatched the book from Alex''s hand before putting it onto the sofa, then entered the bathroom before closing the door.

    ---

    When all three came out of the shower, Sophia and Alex''s faces blushed red as they tried to forget what had happened earlier.

    Meanwhile, Mary didn''t seem to bothered at all, as she quickly sat down at the dining table before jumping straight into eating.

    "What''s wrong? Why are you guys'' faces so red?" Katherine asked curiously as she handed tes full of food over to them.

    "Mom, what''s the stuff thates out of Alex''s thingy?" Sophia suddenly asked.

    "What thingy? Alex, what is she talking about?" Katherine asked as she turned her head over to him.

    Alex doesn''t look back, eating his food in silence.

    His face looked increasingly embarrassed every second, as he felt disappointed and ashamed of himself for earlier.

    "Mary, what happened in the bathroom?" Katherine asked, seeing that the two did not want to cooperate.

    "Bathroom? We took a bath together and then... Oh, and brother shot out some white stuff when we identally slipped and fell on top of him."

    Katherine froze as she dropped her fork onto the table, unable to believe what Mary had just casually said out loud.

    Eventually, she came back to her senses.

    "Mom, I¡ª¡ª"

    "It''s okay, Alex. It''s nothing to be ashamed of. Your body is still developing. It''spletely normal."

    Seeing Katherine looking so understanding, Alex suddenly felt a little guilty.

    "Mom... So, can you exin what that stuff is?" Sophia asked again, wanting an answer as she still felt a little disgusted by it.

    "Yeah, what is that stuff?" Mary asked curiously, her brain finally realizing it wasn''t normal.

    Katherine sat in silence for a second before letting out a sigh.

    "I''ll tell you guys after we finish eating... And Alex, you''re going to sleep with me tonight instead."

    Alex nodded in agreement, not attempting to argue back, as he could feel this was going to be the final straw that separated him from the family.

    Twenty minutester...

    As Katherine began washing the tes in the kitchen, all three of the kids sat on the sofa, waiting for her toe over.

    None of them spoke up, as the atmosphere had been extremely awkward ever since leaving the bathroom.

    Even Mary couldn''t help but stay silent, as she didn''t have anything to say to break it.

    After waiting for five minutes, Katherine finally came back with a towel, wiping her wet hands.

    "Mary, can you go back¡ª¡ªNever mind, actually just stay here with your sister..."

    Katherine grabbed a chair from the dining area and sat right before the three of them.

    "You guys know Alex is... hermaphrodite, right?"

 Chapter 22: The Talk

    Both girls nodded, as they had known Alex''s body condition since they were children.

    "So, since Alex has both genders, he has two sets of sexual organs. The one that we girls have is called a vagina."

    The other two girls were seemingly intrigued by Katherine''s exnation, but Alex''s brain was in apletely different dimension.

    It just felt extremely awkward for him to watch his sibling learn about his body right in front of his mom.

    More importantly, he already has this kind of knowledge and just felt embarrassed to be different from everyone.

    "And the other sexual organs he has is called a penis... It''s the thing that usually only men have."

    As Katherine calmly exined it to the three, Sophia''s face started to blush a little, as she already knew a little bit about it.

    "You two probably had seen it endless times already. Your brother''s penis is the thing that''s sticking out."

    "Where''s brother''s vagina?" Mary curiously asked.

    "It''s just right below his testicle... If you guys really doubt he has one, remember he has period just like Sophia."

    Katherine took a little pause before looking back at the three kids, examining the emotion on their faces.

    Alex was more embarrassed than ever, as she expected.

    Meanwhile, Sophia blushed a little but still listened to her exnation, Mary being the only one who didn''t seem to be affected at all.

    Instead, her face was full of questions, clearly wanting to know more about this kind of stuff.

    "Now I''m going to exin first about how the penis works... You two had probably seen Alex getting hard, right?"

    Both girls nodded in agreement.

    "Usually, a penis only gets hard when they see something that turns them on."

    "What''s turning the... penis hard exactly?" Sophia quietly asked.

    "It can be anything. It can just be a simple touch or seeing a girl naked, or it can just be something attractive."

    "Did brother get hard because they saw our naked body?" Mary curiously asked.

    "No, I¡ª¡ª"

    "It''s okay, Alex... We know you didn''t get hard because of looking at our naked bodies.

    As I said, it can be anything... Especially when they are still young, sometimes their body just has their penis erect at random times.

    It''s out of their control. So don''t me or shame your brother when that happens, okay?"

    Seeing both girls nodding in agreement, Alex felt a little guilty.

    He knew what Katherine said was partially true, but the reality was that he got hard after seeing naked bodies.

    "Now we finished talking about Alex''s body¡ª¡ª"

    "Mom, you still haven''t answered the thing that came out of Alex''s body." Sophia quietly pointed out.

    "Um, when someone rubs or presses onto an erect penis, it can cause it to ejacte the white stuff that you two saw.

    It''s called cum, or specifically semen... The purpose of it is to make a baby when it mixes with a girl''s ovum."

    "Ovum?"

    Both Sophia and Mary looked a little confused, and Alex looked slightly confused as well.

    "It''s the thing that girls produce after they go through periods; they experience an ovtion period... It''s essential in making life."

    Alex immediately realized Katherine was talking about the egg, and the other two girls slowly nodded in acknowledgment.

    "Ahem, now we''re done with the boy''s body, I''m going to move on to the girl''s body."

    Just as Alex tried to stand up and leave, Katherine pushed him back down onto the sofa.

    "Alex, I need you to listen to this as well. This is important not just for the other two."

    "Fine..."

    "So, as you three know, all of us have a vagina. And all of us have gone through periods except Mary."

    The three kids nodded, letting Katherine continue.

    "I already exined period to you two, but I''m going to exin it again for Mary."

    A few minutester...

    "So Mary, when you have a period, you can use this, okay?"

    Mary quickly nodded in agreement as she epted the pad from Katherine''s hand.

    "So I was saying, a girl''s body goes through periods and produces ovum afterward, which can lead to pregnancy when it mixes with semen.

    Now, for a man to impregnate a woman, they will have sex. This is when a man inserts their erect penis into a woman''s vagina and ejacte inside."

    Both girls looked a little intrigued again, except Alex, who just wanted to leave.

    "Remember, do not let anyone put their penis inside your vagina until you''re an adult... And you love them, and they love you back."

    Seeing both girls nodding in agreement, Katherine turned her head over to Alex, who looked distracted.

    "Alex, you listen?"

    "Yeah, I''m listening... I''m never going to let a guy touch me. I like girls." Alex grumpily murmured.

    Katherine didn''t mind Alex''s attitude as she moved on to the next topic.

    "Now, that''s pretty much everything. But I''m going to teach you guys just one more thing..."

    Katherine hesitated for a second as she reconsidered what she was about to say in her head.

    "So your guys'' bodies are developing, and two of you guys are already going through puberty.

    Sometimes, your body might feel a little weird... I''m not talking about period."

    Katherine paused again before resuming.

    "It''s your sexual desire... Just imagine it as your body just feeling a little frustrated for not having sex.

    But since you guys are not adults yet, what you can do to relieve that frustration is masturbate."

    Sophia''s face blushed a little as she had heard people talking about it in the past back in her hometown.

    Mary looked a little intrigued, and Alex blushed red, as his memories show he had done it in his past life.

    "For girls, what they do is they put their finger on the clitoris, gently rubbing the tip and the area around it.

    Everyone is different, but that''s the general gist of it. You can also rub against your nipples and touch your own body.

    It might make you feel even more pleasure. But just remember, don''t masturbate too much."

    Both girls nodded in agreement as Katherine turned her attention over to Alex.

    "Mom, I¡ª¡ª"

    "It''s okay, Alex... Dad should be here talking to you about that stuff, but I can exin it to you."

    Alex wanted to tell Katherine he already knew, but he just couldn''t muster the courage to do so.

    "So how a boy can masturbate is very simr, but rather than ying with the clitoris, they gently stroke your penis with their hands.

    It''s a simple up-and-down motion... But be careful. You don''t want to pull your foreskin too hard back.

    Your body might not be fully developed enough for it to peel all the way back, so just keep that in mind when you y with it."

    Alex silently nodded his head, his face blushing red as he listened to Katherine''s exnation.

    "So that''s it. That''s pretty much all I have to teach you guys. Oh, right. During puberty, your body starts developing hair all over.

    But it''spletely normal, so don''t worry about it. You guys probably had seen the hair on my body, right?"

    Both girls nodded in agreement, with Alex''s mind thinking back to Katherine''s mature body.

    "I can''t wait for puberty!" Mary excitedly dered.

    "You''re not going to say that when period hits you," Katherine replied as she gently patted her head.

    "Mom, howe you don''t seem to be affected by periods at all?" Sophia suddenly asked.

    Katherine fell into silence for a second before speaking up.

    "It''s magic... It will make you super short and ugly if you use it when your body isn''t fully developed."

    All three of them instantly fell into silence, not asking her on how to use that spell.

    "Okay, you guys go to bed now¡ª¡ª"

    "Wait, wait. We still have homework for today," Mary quickly pointed out, with Sophia about to say the same thing.

    "Oh really? What homework is it?"

    "We still have to meditate tonight. Miss Amelia just taught us how to do it today." Sophia replied this time.

    "That''s good. How long did you guys mediate for?"

    "We both meditate for about an hour," Sophia replied as she grabbed Mary closer.

    "That''s amazing for the first time... Alex, how about you?" Katherine asked, noticing him to be silent the whole time.

    "I... I did very badly. I''m sorry, Mom. I disappointed¡ª¡ª"

    Before Alex could finish talking, Katherine suddenly gave him a warm hug.

    "There''s no need to apologize, okay? You didn''t disappoint me. You''re always going to be my son, no matter what."

    Seeing the two hugging each other, Sophia and Mary stepped up as well, surrounding Alex in a group hug.

    "You''re always going to be our brother, too!" Mary excitedly stated.

    "Yeah, and I''m sure you''ll be a great mage in the future, too," Sophia added.

    "Thank you..."

    As the four hugged each other in silence, Alex held in his tears, feeling grateful to the three.

 Chapter 23: Doing Meditation Homework

    When the four separated, the three began meditating right before Katherine, letting her watch over them.

    With all three of the kids inside the meditation state, Katherine suddenly snapped her finger, causing a crystal ball to appear.

    As she looked inside the crystal ball, she saw the shape of Sophia''s body, which was made up of abnormally bright stars.

    Her mana flow was absurd for a beginner, as the stars located towards her outer limbs were taking in mana at a rapid pace.

    The connection only got stronger every time mana was transported from the bottom to the top.

    "Amelia really was right... Sophia really is a naturally talented light mage. How did she inherit the opposite of me?"

    Katherine thought to herself about the test conducted by Amelia when Sophia was eight.

    Next, Katherine hovered her hand on the crystal ball for a bit, causing it to change from Sophia to Mary.

    Mary''s capability was almost the same thing as Sophia''s, with a rapid amount of mana being taken in and transported towards the head.

    But unlike Sophia, Mary''s star wasn''t bright white. Instead, it was with an extremely dark core that was even darker than the surroundings.

    "Mary is so much closer to me... But how is Sophia the opposite of both of us?" Katherine wondered as she still couldn''t get over it.

    Just as Katherine was about to change the crystal ball over to Alex, she could feel the mana in the air getting a little disrupted.

    Without any hesitation, she chanted under her breath, causing the entire room to fall into pitch ck as an invisible barrier separated the three.

    "Alex is already burning out that fast?" Katherine murmured as she could tell he caused the mana disruption.

    Not wasting any more time, she quickly hovered over the crystal ball to check on Alex, only to see his stars flickering.

    It was almost on the verge of dying out, with the outer stars absorbing rapidly for a millisecond before stopping.

    There was clearly not enough mana to expand or even maintain the small bit of gain that he made between the star connections.

    "Alex..."

    Katherine finally realized Alex was trying to forcefully absorb more mana, which caused it to burn out faster than usual.

    Seeing him trying so hard yet making almost zero gains, Katherine felt bad for him, especially after seeing his two other siblings.

    "I can''t help him with this. He has to ovee this himself," Katherine thought to herself as she held in the urge to wake him up.

    As she continues to watch Alex running its head over the wall on repeat, her heart aches more and more.

    "God... Why did you have to do this to my son?"

    Alex''s face could be seen visibly in pain as he started to push himself beyond what he could do.

    Unable to bear watching Alex endure so much pain, Katherine suddenly brought a cup from her dimension pocket.

    With all three kids still meditating, she began unbuttoning her shirt until her bra becamepletely visible.

    Detaching her bra aside, Katherine put the cup right below her nipples and began massaging the outer edge.

    Slowly, she began moving towards the are, gently massaging the surrounding area before a small bit of milk began leaking out.

    After massaging it for a while, more and more milk began squirting out with every gentle squeeze.

    "I don''t need to use magic today..." Katherine thought to herself as the cup quickly began to fill up.

    As the entire cup fills, Katherine puts it on the coffee table before taking more cups out to fill up.

    With all three cups filled, she could feel her body still having more inside.

    "When did my body produce so much? Is it because I have been doing this too much recently?"

    Katherine thought for a second, then didn''t think too much of it as her breastmilk never stopped even after she stopped breastfeeding Mary.

    Quickly, she reattached her bras back together, forgetting the little bit of milk that remained on the tip, causing a little wet spot to appear.

    "Crap... Whatever, I''m going to take a showerter anyway."

    After putting her shirt back on, she quickly casts a freezing spell onto the milk, hiding the mana inside that has caused it to heat up a little.

    With time quickly ticking by, Katherine turned her attention back to the crystal ball.

    To her surprise, Alex''s body was finally once again steadily absorbing mana, albeit at a very slow pace.

    ---

    Alex was the first one out, meditating for fifteen minutes this time rather than ten minutes.

    "Have a drink. Your sister isn''t finishing yet, okay?" Katherine whispered as she handed him a cup of milk.

    Alex nodded in silence as he drank the entire cup of milk.

    But this time, rather than just tasting a little sweet, he could feel the milk slowly cooling down the burning sensation within his body.

    With the empty ss of milk, Katherine headed over to the kitchen to wash it.

    Meanwhile, Alex took out his textbook and began reading it, putting in more effort than he ever had to study something.

    Thirty minutester...

    Just as Alex was about to finish the entire textbook, Mary finally finished her mediation, with Sophia finishing a minuteter.

    "Here''s your milk... How do you guys feel?"

    "Good," Sophia replied as she lifted her cup to her mouth.

    "My body feels a little hot¡ª¡ªOoh, the milk feels so refreshing," Mary murmured as she drank the cold milk.

    "That''s good to hear... Alex, how do you feel?"

    "I feel a lot better thanst time. Thank you, mom..."

    Alex replied as he could feel something that reduced the burning sensation halfway through when he was meditating.

    "No problem. If you ever need to meditate, just tell me, okay?"

    As Katherine gently rubbed Alex''s hair, the two had already finished the milk as they put it onto the coffee table.

    "Mom, does this milk have mana in it?"

    Sophia curiously asked as she could feel her body rechanging mana much faster despite being out of meditation.

    "Yep. That''s why it''s super expensive. I have to buy more tomorrow from Emily."

    With Katherine heading inside the kitchen to wash the other two cups, Sophia and Mary turned over to Alex with curiosity on their face.

    "Hey Alex, what is your meditation like?" Mary curiously asked.

    "Just a dim star barely lighting up... How about you guys?" Alex asked back, as he got a little intrigued by the other two''s meditation.

    "Mine is a ck star that glows when mana goes through it!" Mary excitedly replied, feeling a little special.

    "Mine is just a bright light."

    Hearing their answer, Alex felt a little relief, thinking that Mary was somehow worse than him.

    But after thinking for a second, he fell into jealousy as the memories of the textbook hit him.

    It wasn''t because Mary was slow with mana growth. It just meant she had a dark magic affinity.

    Sophia''s bright light, implying a strong light affinity, led Alex to conclude that he was truly the only one in the family who was bad with magic.

    "Alex. I''m sure life will pave a way out." Sophia tried tofort him after noticing the change on his face.

    "I know my limit. I''m just happy that I''m your guy''s brother... Besides, maybe I''m not born to be a mage.

    Maybe I should just be a swordsman like Dad... Mage isn''t the only thing in the world¡ª¡ª"

    "What are you guys talking about?"

    Katherine finally came back from cleaning the cup, putting it into her dimension pocket as she sat back down.

    "We were just talking about our meditation stars¡ª¡ª"

    "Who told you to tell each other that?"

    Seeing Katherine''s angry face, Sophia instantly shuts her mouth, and all three of them look a little scared.

    "Mom... Did we say something bad?" Mary asked nervously.

    "No, it''s not bad... But don''t tell other people what your stars are, okay? Only your teacher and your parents can know that."

    Katherine paused for a second, then added.

    "It''s fine for you three to share it now... But I just don''t want to see you guysparing to each other, okay?"

    Alex immediately realized what Katherine was trying to imply, and the other two girls nodded, still confused.

    "Mom, we are never going to fight each other. It''s not like we are some sort of royalty fighting for a crown or something."

    Katherine blushed a little, embarrassed that Alex had exposed what she was trying to imply.

    Still, she wasn''t going just to back down.

    "It doesn''t matter... I had seen enough sibling rivalry go wrong. Just avoid talking about each other''s progress, okay?"

    "Mom! I''m never going to hurt my brother or sister. Alex is right. You''re way too paranoid." Sophia argued, feeling distrusted by Katherine''s demand.

    Mary looked back at Katherine with disappointment on her face, fully agreeing with Sophia''s point.

 Chapter 24: Katherines lesson to Alex (R-18)

    "Fine, fine, you three will always love each other. I''m just too paranoid..."

    As Katherine backed down and admitted she was in the wrong, all three of the kids cheered in happiness.

    "Ahem, time for you guys to go to sleep... Alex, go to my room, okay? I''ll be thereter."

    With both Sophia and Mary heading back to their room, Alex reluctantly entered Katherine''s room alone.

    As hey t on the bed, he could hear the water being turned on the other side of the wall.

    "Come on, just go to sleep. You''re too exhausted today already..."

    Despite trying to calm himself down, Alex''s mind was filled with Katherine''s naked body, taking a shower all alone.

    "You idiot. Stop thinking about that. She''s your mom, for god sake... You''re going to regret this."

    As Alex''s mind finally started to drift away from his perverted thoughts, the water had already been turned off.

    After a few minutes, the sound of the bathroom door being opened and then the door to Katherine''s room could be heard.

    "Alex, are you asleep?" Katherine quietly asked as she stepped into the pitch-ck room.

    "Mom, I can''t fall asleep," Alex confesses as he sits back up, illuminated by the moonlight through the window.

    "That''s okay... Let me tell you a bedtime story before you go to sleep, then."

    As Katherine walked towards the bed, the moonlight illuminated her mature pajamas, covering her voluptuous body.

    More importantly, he could tell Katherine wasn''t wearing a bra underneath, as her nipples were fully visible.

    "What kind of story do you want to hear today?" Katherine asked as she got inside the bed, covering herself with the nket.

    "Um, how about an adventure story?" Alex nervously replied.

    "Sure... Now, there was once an adventurer that nobody knows. They were just a beginner trying to make a living.

    But one day, they saw a contract that would change their lives¡ªa contract to move to the new frontier.

    They hesitated for a second, but they ultimately took the contract when they realized they had nothing else to live for."

    As Katherine paused for a second, Alex''s attention hadpletely shifted to the story.

    "They met up with a group of adventurers toplete the contract, protecting a group of vigers to the new frontier.

    On the way, the once-adventurer whom nobody knew started to be more and more famous, bing the leader of the group.

    Their sword skill was unmatched, protecting everyone in the front at every battle the group encountered.

    However, halfway through the journey, a dragon appeared, demanding one of the mages in the adventurer group to be handed over."

    "What happens next?" Alex impatiently asked as Katherine paused on a cliffhanger.

    "The adventurer group refused the dragon''s demand, causing a fight to break out against the dragon.

    Everything was looking hopeless as the dragon effortlessly ran over everyone''s attempt to push it back.

    But suddenly... Boom! A giant dark meteor flies towards the dragon, hitting it right in the face."

    "Did the dragon die?"

    "Obviously, no. It was only a scratch that angered the dragon even more. It began to shoot mes at everyone.

    Everyone was running for their lives, but this is where our once-nobody adventurer made a name for themself."

    With Katherine pausing once again, Alex started to feel a little annoyed.

    "What happens next?"

    "They hid themselves in a tree, waiting for the perfect time to jump onto the dragon as it dived down to reach the mage.

    And with a swift stab at its head, the sword breaks in half as he now caught the attention of the dragon."

    As Katherine began to describe the action with her hands, Alex couldn''t help but feel scared for the adventurer.

    "Just as the adventurer was about to slip from the dragon''s head, they stabbed the dragon''s eye with the remaining part of the sword.

    The dragon immediately became enraged, flying high up into the air as the adventurer held onto the sword to his dare life.

    They knew if they let go, they were going to die. So they lifted themselves using just the sword''s handle, getting on top of the dragon once again.

    However, this was his biggest mistake, as the dragon suddenly flipped itself over, causing him to fall straight down."

    "They can''t die here, right?" Alex curiously asked.

    "Yep. One of the mages cast a levitation spell to hold the adventurer before falling face-first onto the ground.

    Now, the dragon was beginning toe back down again, with its face full of vengeance, about to kill everyone in sight.

    But just in the nick of time, another mage finally cast a mass teleportation spell, transporting everyone out of there.

    With the dragon gone, the group of adventurers and the vige eventually reached the frontier before settling down.

    And that''s the end of the story... What do you think?"

    "I love it! Thank you, Mom!"

    "No problem, sweetie... Okay, it''s time for you to sleep now."

    After Katherine tucked Alex in, sheid back down on the bed before trying to go to sleep herself.

    "Mom... Was the adventurer in the story Dad?" Alex suddenly asked as he felt the story sounding a little familiar.

    "Maybe... Go to sleep now, okay?"

    The room fell back into silence as Alex''s eyelids started to get heavier and heavier.

    Soon, he fell asleep peacefully on the bed, with Katherine following right after.

    ---

    The next day...

    As Katherine woke up early to prepare breakfast, she felt something resting on top of her, with their arms wrapping around her.

    More importantly, she could feel something hard poking at her crotch, making her instantly open her eye.

    Katherine gently pushed Alex aside, but her effort failed when she identally let Alex fall headfirst onto the pillow.

    "Hm? Mom?"

    "You can go back to sleep. You don''t have to wake up yet."

    Despite Katherine''s whisper, Alex was fully awake and realized the warm thing he was hugging in his dream was Katherine''s body.

    "Sorry, Mom, I¡ª¡ª"

    "Don''t say sorry, okay? It''s a natural thing for a boy to have an erect in the morning..."

    Katherine hesitated for a second before continuing.

    "Do you feel a little painful down there?"

    Alex instinctively nodded, even though his mind was telling him to say no was the rational choice.

    "I-I''m going to teach you how to masturbate once, okay? You can do this to yourself in the future."

    As Katherine flipped the nket over, Alex''s mind waspletely frozen.

    He couldn''t believe what she had just said out loud, seeing her face blushing red as she took down his pants.

    "Mom, we shouldn''t¡ª¡ª"

    "Shush. I know nobody has taught you this before. Don''t try to argue with me."

    Alex wanted to tell her she waspletely wrong, but his mouth just couldn''t get the courage to confess.

    "Woah... How did his grow so big when he was still so young?" Katherine thought to herself as she stared down at Alex''s cock.

    As Katherine gently grasped the shaft with one hand, Alex almost couldn''t hold it in as the sensation almost overwhelmed him.

    A ton of precum had already started flowing out, lubricating Katherine''s hand as she gently rubbed it a little.

    "So Alex, what you do is gently stroke the tip back and forth, okay? Letting the foreskin peel back a little before letting it go back up."

    Alex slowly nodded in agreement, biting his lip as he didn''t want Katherine to think he couldn''tst a minute.

    But the pleasure was increasingly getting stronger and stronger as his foreskin got more peeled back with every stroke.

    More importantly, he hadn''t masturbated as Alex yet, so there was zero tolerance for this body at all.

    Soon, the visual of seeing his mom jerking his cock was just too much for Alex to handle as he finally ejacted all over Katherine''s hand.

    "Ahem, so you know how to masturbate now, right?" Katherine shyly asked as she cast a spell to clean her hand.

    Alex nodded in silence, his face blushing red, still too shy to speak up.

    "Only do this in private when you''re alone, okay?"

    Katherine lectured as she began cleaning Alex''s cock with water floating in the air, seeping a little below his foreskin to clean it fully.

    "And don''t forget to start cleaning underneath for foreskin, too... You don''t want it to be dirty."

    As she pulled his underwear and pants back up, Alex''s mind was still glued to Katherine jerking him off on the bed.

    "Now go back to sleep, okay? I''ll wake you up when it''s breakfast."

    With Katherine out of the room, Alex quickly got up from the bed and looked at himself in the mirror.

    "Calm down, Alex. Mom is just doing this to teach you... It''s only going to be a one-time thing.

    Katherine is never going to¡ª¡ªNo, I shouldn''t think of her as Katherine. She''s your mom, you idiot."

    A loud p echoed in the room, the left side of his face looking red as he pped himself in shame.

    "Get all your perverted thoughts out of your head... She would be so hurt if she knew what you''re thinking of."

    After a while, Alex''s mind was finally cleared as heid back down on the bed with a newfound rity.

 Chapter 25: Upcoming Weekend

    When the three kids sat before Katherine at the dining table, both of the girls were chatting with Katherine.

    Meanwhile, Alex was just eating his bowl of noodles with his backpack next to him.

    "Alex, what''s wrong?" Sophia curiously asked, noticing his silence the whole time.

    "I''m just thinking about what we''re going to learn in ss today... What were you guys talking about again?"

    "We were just talking about what we are going to do for the weekend. Where do you want to go?"

    Katherine casually asked, looking back at Alex with a smile despite what had just happened early in the morning.

    "I''m just going to stay at home... I want to catch up with everyone else first."

    "Come on, Alex, other people had only been to school for a month. You''re practically ahead of everyone now at this point."

    Despite Sophia''s argument, Alex still shook his head.

    "I need to spend more effort. I can''t let this go to waste."

    "Whatever... Mom, can we go to explore the capital again? I want to the west side of the capital this time!"

    "No, I want to go to the east side! Camille just told me about an insanely good restaurant located there."

    Seeing Sophia and Mary arguing back and forth, Katherine snapped her finger, causing both of them to fall into silence.

    "We''ll decide when the weekend arrives. Now eat your breakfast before you''rete for school."

    ---

    The next four days of school flew right past as all three of the kids quickly caught up to their peers in terms of mage knowledge.

    However, just before the weekend could arrive, Amelia decided to do a mana test in ss.

    Sophia and Mary were on par with the rest of the ss, even slightly passing some of them.

    Meanwhile, Alex was ced deadst, the lowest possible, right in front of all twenty students in the ss.

    Almost all of his ssmates were a little shocked, especially after seeing his sister''s result before he went.

    Amelia only patted him on the back, letting him sit back down as the ss resumed until the evening came.

    As the three headed back home in silence, both of the girls could feel Alex''s hidden frustration.

    Still, they didn''t really know how tofort him, fearing that anything they said might hurt him even more.

    "Alex, what''s wrong?" Katherine asked, noticing Alex''s grumpy face as she opened the door for the three.

    "Nothing."

    "Come on, don''t lie to mommy¡ª¡ª"

    Before Katherine could reach Alex for a hug, he quickly ran towards the storage room before locking it.

    "Sophia, what happened in ss today?"

    "Um, Mrs.Amelia did a mana test, and Alex, he... he didn''t have a good score."

    Seeing Sophia stuttering, Katherine turned over to Mary, who looked even more nervous.

    "Brother was cedst in front of the ss..." Mary whispered.

    "God damn it, Amelia... You guys, go back to your room for a second, okay? I''ll talk to Alex."

    As the two girls ran back into their room with their backpacks, Katherine headed over to the storage room''s door.

    "Alex, can you open the door, please?"

    After a short silence, the slowly opened.

    "Hey, Mom... Sorry for making you worried," Alex replied as he walked out of the storage room as if nothing had happened.

    The grumpy mood from earlier hadpletely disappeared from his face as he looked back to be his normal self.

    "You sure, Alex?"

    Katherine started circling Alex as if she was trying to find some sort of crack inside him.

    "I''m fine, Mom... I was just unhappy earlier. But I had gotten over it now."

    Alex calmly headed over to the sofa before grabbing one of the books and reading it in silence.

    Katherine could tell Alex was hiding something, but she didn''t pressure him to say it out loud.

    Instead, she gave him some alone time, leaving him alone in the living room to sort out his emotions.

    ---

    When nighttime arrived, all three of the kids sat down at the table, waiting for Katherine to bring out the food.

    "Alex, you feel better now?" Sophia quietly asked.

    "I''m fine now... Sorry for the silence earlier. I shouldn''t have put my emotion on you guys."

    "Don''t worry about it. We don''t mind that at all." Mary replied first.

    "Yeah, the silence was nice when we were walking back home... It felt so peaceful and calming."

    Alex didn''t say anything back, except for a smile, as Katherine finally brought out the dinner for the night.

    "Ta-da, freshly made rice and steak. Here''s yours, and here''s yours."

    As Katherine put the te before them one by one, they were a little stunned by how good they looked.

    "Come on, try it. I spent the past few days on this."

    All three of the kids hesitated for a second as bad memories of Katherine''s cooking flooded inside their heads.

    They knew the better the food looked, the worse it tasted.

    Still, they couldn''t hurt their mom''s feelings as they slowly picked up their knife to cut a small piece before picking it up with their fork.

    "Hm... It''s so good!"

    Mary''s eyes were wide open as she barely needed to chew the steak before swallowing it down.

    "Mom, you really cooked this to perfection." Alexplimented as he couldn''t believe how good it tasted either.

    "Even the rice is on point..." Sophia murmured as she ate some of the rice.

    "Thank you, thank you. If you guys like it, I''ll cook it again tomorrow."

    Katherine thanked the three before sitting down in her seat and began eating the food she had cooked.

    "Wow... It really does taste a lot better than before." Katherine murmured as she looked down at the food she just cooked.

    "Told you!"

    All three of them replied at the same time as the atmosphere had finally changed back to normal.

    ---

    After eating dinner, the four of them took a shower before the three kids meditated in the living room together.

    As usual, Alex was the first one out, with Mary and Sophiaing out muchter than him.

    But still, he could feel he was slowly catching up as Katherine handed each of them a cup of milk.

    With their homework out of the way, the three kids headed to their bedroom together.

    Meanwhile, Katherine headed back to her room, lying down in the bed all alone as she looked up at the ceiling.

    "Why does Alex feel so mature?" Katherine thought to herself as she thought back to Alex''s face in the storage room.

    He recovered his attitudepletely, even though she expected him to beshing out in frustration like a normal child.

    At least that''s how she imagined if Sophia or Mary faced the same problem as him, being publicly humiliated in ss as the worst student.

    "I need to get back at Amelia for this... How dare she put my son through this when she knows Alex''s mana issue?

    Why would she show everyone''s progress in front of each other? Is she trying to motivate Alex to try even harder?"

    As Katherine turned to the side several times, her mind became increasingly fixated on getting payback for Alex.

    But she couldn''t bring herself to it, espeically when Amelia was the one who helped Alex to even have any mana in the first ce.

    "Whatever, I need to stop thinking about this. Alex himself had already gotten over this."

    Feeling a little hot, Katherine sat back up from the bed before heading over to the door and kept it open.

    As shey back on the bed, she only lifted the nket slightly, just enough to cover her belly.

    But before she closed her eyes, the sword that was hanging on the wall caught her attention.

    "What would Paul do if he was still alive? Would he approve of me just letting him get over it himself?"

    Memories of the past flooded inside her mind, and her face suddenly started to blush a little.

    "I haven''t done it for so long, hasn''t it?"

    Feeling the urge, Katherine''s hands slowly reached underneath her clothes, moaning a little from every gesture.

    ---

    "Hey Sophia, are you asleep?" Mary suddenly whispered, just as all three of them had been in bed for a while.

    "No... What''s wrong?"

    As Sophia sat back up from the bed and looked over, Mary made a cup with her hand and pointed it to her mouth.

    "Let''s go."

    As the two got up from bed and headed out of the room to get some water, Alex was still awake, with his eyes closed.

    "When did I be so expressive? Is it because of my hormones? And why did I put my frustration onto other people?"

    Alex wondered as he thought of all the possible reasons that could exin his behavior after ss.

    He knew how childish it looked to give someone the silent treatment when they did nothing wrong.

    Still, he just couldn''t control his emotions like in the past, calmly reflecting and epting whatever was thrown at him.

 Chapter 26: Katherines lesson to the Trio (R-18)

    "Come on, you have to be more mature. You can''t make Mom worry about you again."

    As Alex regained full control of his emotions again, he started to get a little sleepy.

    "What''s taking them so long?"

    Seeing Sophia and Mary still not returning from drinking water, Alex slowly got up from bed before walking out into the hallway.

    Without even walking one step further, the girls were standing right behind Katherine''s bedroom door, with their heads tilted slightly to peek inside.

    Getting a little curious, Alex began walking over to the two before tapping them on the back.

    "What are you guys doing¡ª¡ª"

    "Ah!"

    Both Sophia and Mary panicked, pushing the door inward as they turned back around.

    "Who''s there?"

    Despite Katherine''s question, both of the girls quickly ran back to their room, leaving Alex still confused about what was happening.

    As he turned back around to see what was inside, Katherine was already standing in front of him.

    "Alex, why are you standing here in the middle of the night?"

    Katherine asked, her face blushing a little as if she had just done some sort of exercise.

    Alex thought for a second, then decided to tell her everything.

    "Sophia and Mary went to go get water, and I got a little worried that they were taking too long.

    So, I decided to check... They were just right here earlier before running back to their room."

    Katherine didn''t doubt Alex''s response as she had heard the running footsteps earlier.

    "Those two little brat... Alex, go inside my room for a second. I''m going to go teach those two a lesson."

    Alex nodded in agreement as he headed inside Katherine''s room, sitting on the bed as the door to his room was opened could be heard.

    With a loudughing sound from the other room, a chill suddenly traveled down Alex''s spine.

    "Why is Mom so mad? Did she put them into some sort of tickle torture?" Alex wondered as he waited for her to show up.

    After a while, Katherine showed up with both Sophia and Mary in her arms before dropping them onto the bed.

    "How dare you two spy on your mom? If it wasn''t for Alex, you two think you would have gotten away with it, didn''t you?"

    "I''m sorry, Mom... We just got a little curious. We didn''t mean to spy on you."

    "We will never do it again. I''m sorry, Mom."

    With Sophia and Mary both apologizing, Katherine''s anger seemed to be subdued a little.

    At the same time, Alex could feel both girl''s anger as they looked him dead in the eyes.

    "Don''t you two dare look at your brother like that. If I catch you two hitting him, you two are going to be punished."

    "Sorry."

    Despite the two apologizing to Alex, he started to have a bad feeling as they bowed down again.

    It was almost as if the two were going to punish himter for snitching, even though he had no clue what had happened.

    "Mom, why are you threatening them? They were just looking at you in your room.

    It''s not like you didn''t check on us when we were asleep. When did we hide from each other?"

    Alex spoke up for the two, wanting to lessen his punishment by defending them.

    "Alex, it''s a different situation. It''s a girl''s thing¡ª¡ª"

    "Mom, Alex is a girl too!" Mary grumpily interrupted.

    "Doesn''t matter. You two shouldn''t be peaking at someone when they are having their alone time."

    "Really alone time with the door opened." Sophia grumpily pointed out.

    "Come here, you little brats¡ª¡ª"

    As Katherine rolled up her sleeve, getting ready to punish the two, Alex''s mind was more confused than ever.

    "Sophia, Mary, what are you two talking about?" Alex curiously asked as they started running in a circle.

    "Mom was¡ª¡ª"

    "Alex, move out of the way. If I don''t beat these two tonight, they will never learn."

    Katherine interrupted Mary from the finishing, trying to catch the two as they started using Alex as a human shield.

    After dodging a few times, Katherine got a little frustrated, casting some of the magic that caused both of them to freeze in ce.

    "Mom... were you touching yourself earlier?"

    Alex suddenly asked as he finally connected the dots inside his head, making Katherine''s face blush a little before it disappeared.

    "What? Why would I do that? Ahem, Sophia and Mary, you two are grounded for the weekend."

    Katherine suddenly changed her mind as she snapped her finger, letting both of the girls go free.

    "Mom, you don''t have to be embarrassed. It''s not like we had seen each other''s body before.

    Besides, you already helped me masturbate for the first time. You don''t need to be so mad over Sophia and Mary being curious."

    As soon as Alex finished speaking, he froze for a second, realizing he had just identally spoken something critical of him.

    "Ahem, I''m going back to sleep¡ª¡ª"

    "Mom! That''s not fair! Why did you teach our brother in person how to masturbate?

    Why do we have to learn it ourselves? We didn''t even get a clear view or anything underneath the clothes."

    Mary''s childish argument made Katherine blush more and more red as she looked over at Alex in anger.

    Alex, in return, awkwardly scratched his head, as it was far toote now to hide the fact from the two.

    "Mom... We are just a little curious. That''s all. We didn''t mean to offend you."

    Seeing Sophia bowing down in apology again, Katherine let out a sigh before deciding something in her head.

    "You three really are the bane of existence, something... You guys really want to learn how to do it in person?"

    Both of the girls nodded in curiosity, with Alex wanting to leave before being dragged back by both of the girls.

    "Come on, Alex, I know you have a vagina too. Don''t you want to see how it is done?"

    Sophia''s words broke Alex''sst defense in his head as he couldn''t resist seeing it happen before his eyes.

    "Ahem, you three sit over here and take off your pants and underwear, okay? I don''t want any of you to ask me about this ever again."

    All three of them nodded in agreement as they sat down on the bed before taking off their pants.

    Except for Alex, who hesitated as his cock was already rock hard down below.

    "Alex?" Mary asked as she and Sophia both looked back to Alex, who was still standing in ce.

    After a short fight inside his head, Alex''s lower body took control over his mind as he took off his pants and underwear before sitting down.

    Both girls looked at his erect cock for a second before turning their attention back to Katherine.

    Meanwhile, Katherine''s face looked a little embarrassed before calming herself back down.

    "So to masturbate, you need to get into the right mood first... Like thinking of someone you love."

    "Mom, do you think of Dad when that happens?" Sophia curiously asked.

    Katherine blushed, but she nodded in agreement as she began to take off her pants.

    Suddenly, Alex felt a little jealous of his own dad before realizing how stupid he was for thinking that.

    After Katherine took off her underwear, she slowly moved her right hand towards her crotch.

    "First, you want to spread your leg a little, then depending on your body, you move your finger to open the cover to find something bumpy."

    As Katherine slowly opened her cover, a small little bump appeared that made her moan out a little as soon as she rubbed it.

    Both Sophia and Mary began to reach their hands down, copying the same motion as they found their clitoris.

    "Hm!"

    The two of them both moaned out at the same time, feeling a surge of pleasure hitting their mind before stopping.

    "Alex, you don''t want to try it?" Katherine asked, stopping as she looked over to him.

    "I... I don''t know."

    "Girl''s genitalia feels a lot more intense. You sure you don''t want to try it?"

    Alex hesitated but eventually decided to try it out as he moved his hand further down, reaching right where his vagina was located.

    As he gently lifted his testicle in one hand and spread hisbia open with the other, all three of the girls could see his clitoris and the entire vagina.

    "Hm!"

    Alex let out a moan as he rubbed it a little, feeling the same pleasure that the other three girls felt.

    It was much less intense than ying with his cock, but the pleasure was much more constant and steady.

    "Just keep exploring your body. Try to touch around the clitoris to see if your body feels a little different."

    As all three of them followed Katherien''s instructions, they soon found their own unique spot, which made it even more pleasurable.

    "Now, you might noticed your finger is a little wet. That''s the lubricant that your body naturally produces."

    Katherine exined as she was starting to help the three by moving their finger up and down, then side to side against their clitoris.

 Chapter 27: First climax and Marys pain (R-18)

    The three started moaning more and more as the pleasure was just too much for them to hold in.

    "When it''s lubricated enough, you could just keep going, or you could slowly insert a finger inside.

    But be careful. Your hymen is located here... This is sometimes how people determine if you had sex before.

    It should be fine to put your finger inside as long as you don''t insert something too big.

    Remember, it''s not the end of the world if it breaks. It slowly tears itself as you grow older, so it''s sometimes out of your control."

    As Katherine slowly inserted her finger inside her vagina, she bent it a little before moaning out again.

    "Everyone is different, but there''s a sweet spot that you want to touch¡ª¡ªHm!"

    Seeing how loud she moaned out this time, all three of them slowly moved their finger inside.

    Within a second, all three of them find their sweet spot as they out a high-pitched moan at the same time.

    "In the future, you can also y with your boobs and nipple, but just focus on your sweet spot and the clitoris¡ª¡ªHm!"

    All four of them didn''t say anything else besides their moaning noise echoed the room as they kept teasing their sweet spot.

    Soon, Sophia and Mary could feel somethinging out.

    "Mom, w-why does it feel weird¡ª¡ªHm!" Sophia asked as she could barely think straight.

    "It''s called climax¡ª¡ªHm!¡ª¡ªThat''s when you finally reach your body''s limit to the pleasure¡ª¡ªHm!¡ª¡ªJust let it all out."

    "Hm!"

    Mary was the first to climax as a clear liquid flew straight out of her vagina, with her legs shaking a little.

    Next, Sophia climaxed right after, shooting out a clear liquid as well as she clenched her legs together.

    As the two girls recovered, Alex was at the breaking point as he could feel his cock was starting to feel painfully erect.

    Unable to stop, his other hand slowly reached towards his cock as he began stroking it up and down.

    Seeing Alex stroking his cock right before them, both girls looked a little shocked as they had never seen a guy masturbating.

    Meanwhile, Katherine was about to reach her limit as well. Her eyespletely closed as she started to move her finger even faster.

    "Hm!¡ª¡ªI''m cumming!"

    As Alex climaxed for the first time with his vagina, a clear liquid was shot right out along his cuming out of his cock.

    Feeling something hot on her legs, Katherine opened her eyes and realized the white stain thatnded on her thighs.

    For some reason, it turned her on even more as she finally couldn''t hold it in and began climaxing.

    Like her kids, she squirted out a clear liquid before calming back down. Then, in anger, she looked over at Alex.

    "Alex, who told you to cum on your mother?"

    Katherine questioned as her attempt to wipe the semen off her thighs was now stuck onto her finger.

    "Sorry... I didn''t know it could do that."

    Seeing Alex genuinely looking down in shame, Katherine''s heart softened after realizing he was still just a kid.

    "Ahem, you three know how to masturbate now... Here''s a helpful magic trick to get rid of all the mess."

    As Katherine chanted a line, all the liquid and stains on her body and the bed evaporated.

    "Just think with your mana and chant the line."

    All three of them closed their eyes and focused as they tried to cast the same spell, which surprisingly worked.

    "You three can go back to your room to sleep now... Remember, do this in private. Do not do it in front of each other."

    The three nodded in agreement as they put on their underwear and pants before heading back to their room.

    ---

    "Fuck. Why did I do this in front of them? What''s wrong with me?" Katherine murmured as sheid back down on the bed.

    With a snap of the finger, the light in the room turned off, with the door closing as she shot a light beam at it.

    "No normal mother would ever teach their kids this kind of stuff with their own body...

    But I''m a single mother, right? They''re just going to forget about it when they grow older."

    Katherine''s mind started to look for excuses, as she felt ashamed for how weird she had been behaving.

    More importantly, she couldn''t believe she was turned on by her own son''s cumnding on top of her.

    "Come on, you idiot. They are your kids. You''re just teaching them and nothing else.

    It''s nothing to be ashamed of. It''s only going to be a one-time thing. Yeah, it''s only a one-time thing."

    As Katherine slowly justified her action, her mind was starting to feel twisted all over the ce.

    "It''s never going to happen again, right? This shouldn''t turn me on... But why am I getting wet thinking about this?"

    After thinking for a bit, Katherine threw everything out of her head, shifting her attention back to going to sleep.

    "I can''t betray Paul..." Katherine thought to herself as she soon fell asleep on the bed.

    ---

    Meanwhile, in the kid''s bedroom.

    "Alex... Was that what men''s cum looked like?" Sophia curiously asked as the three of themy down on the same bed.

    "Yes..."

    Alex''s face blushed a little as he had no way of denying it after what they had done together.

    "So that''s the thing that mom said can make a woman pregnant..." Sophia murmured.

    As the room fell into silence, Alex started to wish to sleep in a separate room from the two.

    It was just bing increasingly awkward for him, especially since Sophia was on his left while Mary was on his right.

    "Mom and Dad must have had sex together to give birth to us, right?" Mary suddenly asked.

    "Obviously. Or else we wouldn''t be here." Sophia answered.

    With the room returning to silence, the awkwardness disappeared as nobody spoke up again.

    However, before Alex would fall asleep, he could feel somebody''s arm on top of his chest.

    "Sophia''s sleep posture is so annoying..." Alex thought to himself as he turned to the side to push it away.

    Once again, her arms wrapped around his chest, almost as if she was doing it on purpose.

    But hearing her steady breathing pattern, Alex knew she was already in a deep sleep.

    Trying to sleep, Alex tried his best to ignore it. Yet, he was hit with another challenge as Mary suddenly scooched back a little.

    With Sophia''s body pressing him from the back and Mary''s body pressing him from the front, his mind was starting to go all over the ce.

    "Calm down. They are your sisters. Don''t think of anything weird, and just go to sleep."

    After hypnotizing himself for a bit, he eventually fell asleep on the bed.

    ---

    The next day...

    When Alex was awake, he could feel something warm in his hand and right in front of him.

    As he opened his eyes, his hands were firmly holding onto Mary''s chest, with her back against his chest.

    Meanwhile, Sophia was hugging him from behind, wrapping her leg around his body like a body pillow.

    After letting Mary go, he suddenly felt something wet above his pants, surrounded by warm flesh pressing against them.

    For a second, he thought Mary had somehow peed the bed, but seeing the red mark on the nket, he immediately realized what it was.

    "Mary, wake up. I think you''re having your first period."

    "Hm? What did you say¡ª¡ªOuch! Why does it hurt so much?" Mary groaned in pain as if she had some sort of dyed response.

    Alex immediately pushed Sophia''s arms and legs aside to get up from the bed to the drawer.

    After looking for a bit, he finally found the new pad and a pair of panties for Mary.

    The noise made by the two of them also finally made Sophia wake up from her sleep as she slowly opened her eyes.

    "Hm? Why are you two up so early¡ª¡ªOh my god, Mary!"

    Sophia immediately got up from bed and ran out of the room to get Katherine while Alex carefully pushed the nket aside.

    "Mary, just rx. The pain will disappear on its own. Stop tensing up so much¡ª¡ª"

    "I can''t! It just hurts so much¡ª¡ª"

    As Alex got ready to pull Mary''s pants down, Sophia finally came back with Katherine.

    "Mom, Mary''s period came." Alex pointed out as he handed everything over to let her handle it.

    Seeing the blood-red spot and Mary groaning in pain, Katherine quickly moved over to the bedside.

    "Mary, don''t worry. Mommy is here. Calm down a little, okay?"

    Katherine''s voice seemed to have some sort of magic as Mary finally stopped panicking.

    Slowly, Katherine pulled Mary''s pants and underwear all the way down, revealing the blood stain that had soaked the bed red below.

    As a stream of water appeared in her hand, she slowly directed it to absorb all the blood on the outside before moving onto her thighs.

    After all the stains were gone, Katherine attached the pad to the panties before helping Mary put it back on.

 Chapter 28: Stay-at-home Mom and Arena

    "Congrats, Mary. You are now a woman," Katherine murmured as she carried her out of the bed.

    "I don''t want to be a woman anymore. I don''t like this at all." Maryined that she could feel her leg cramps.

    "Shush, don''t say that... You two, talk with Mary for a bit, okay? I need to go clean up the bed."

    As Katherine gently put Mary onto the sofa, Sophia and Alex sat down next to her.

    "Mary, the pain is going to disappear away after a few minutes." Sophiaforted.

    "Really?"

    "Yes, really. It''s just your body hasn''t gotten used to it yet. Trust me, I already have experience with this."

    Mary''s face looked much better after hearing Sophia''s reassurance, but she could still feel the pain after sitting there for a few minutes.

    "Ha, look like someone was a crybaby when they got their first period,"

    Alex smirked as he suddenly remembered how Mary had beenughing at him a few weeks before.

    "Hmph! I''m not a crybaby. It doesn''t even hurt that much." Mary replied as she crossed her arms.

    "Oh really? How about this: If you can read this book and tell me what''s inside, then I won''t call you a crybaby."

    "Bet!"

    Mary quickly snatched the book out of Alex''s hand, putting all her focus on reading it as the two sat in silence.

    Sophia puts a thumb up for Alex on the back, who also returns a thumbs up as they sessfully distract Mary from the pain.

    By the time Katherine returned to the living room, most of the pain had subsided, except for a small cramp that made walking awkward.

    However, with Mary having her period, the weekend n to go outside was in ruin.

    Except for Alex, who silently read the textbook to finish up thest few chapters of the book.

    By the time weekend''s end, Mary was back to normal, albeit still needing to wear her pad in case it wasn''t finished yet.

    ---

    "Wake up! Time for school!"

    Katherine yelled as she flipped the nket over to wake all three of them up from the bed forcefully.

    To her surprise, both of the girls were hugging Alex''s arm, with his morning wood pointing clearly visible, making a tent in his pants.

    "Maybe it''s time for me to give each of them a private room."

    Katherine murmured as she realized it was starting to seem inappropriate that they were still sleeping together.

    But with no space in the house, she scraped the idea as the three slowly opened their eyes.

    "Already? Can I sleep just for another minute?" Mary pleaded as she tried to drag the nket back.

    "Too bad. Now get up and go wash your face."

    As the three of them got up from the bed and slowly headed toward the bathroom, Katherine suddenlyy down on the bed.

    "Their warmth and smell... It''s so nice!" Katherine thought to herself as she spread her arms and legs around like a child.

    After lying for a bit, she reluctantly got up from the bed before heading over to the kitchen.

    The breakfast was already in ce: a te of eggs and ham next to a cup of fresh milk that she had made this morning.

    As the three kids exited the bathroom and sat down in their seats, she watched them eat the breakfast she had made.

    The three of them started chatting with each other, with Katherine asionally chiming in.

    "Mom, why don''t you make a cup of milk for yourself?" Alex suddenly asked.

    "Only kids drink milk. I don''t need to drink it."

    "Okay..."

    After the short conversation, the three headed back to their room to change beforeing out with their backpack.

    "Bye, mom!"

    "Bye!"

    As Katherine watched the three leave the house together, she headed back inside after they disappeared from her sight.

    "I have the house all to myself..." Katherine murmured as she took out a mop and bucket and started wiping the floor.

    After cleaning the entire house, she checked the time, and it was just about to be lunch.

    "It''s Monday... I need to doundry."

    Katherine went to the bathroom, carried theundry basket in her arm, and went to the storage room.

    There, she started taking out their dirtyundry one by one into a machine before stopping at one of the underwear.

    It was Alex''s underwear, with a slight cum stain that remained at the front.

    "Why do I want to smell this? When did I be such a pervert? I need to control myself."

    Despite trying to stop herself in her head, her hand was slowly moving the underwear closer and closer to her face.

    But just before underwear could touch her face, she immediately threw it into the machine.

    "Why am I like this? When did I be so desperate?" Katherine thought to herself in disgust.

    After throwing all theundry into the machine, she quickly turned it on before she could regret her choice.

    With the machine running, she headed back into the living room and thought about what she had just done.

    "Stop being such a thirsty woman... Maybe I need to do something else to distract myself a little."

    Katherine closed her eyes and entered into a meditation state as she started trying to increase her mana level.

    Unfortunately, she made little progress by the time she exited her meditation.

    "Is it already afternoon?" Katherine murmured as she noticed the sun beginning to set on the horizon.

    ---

    Meanwhile, back in school.

    As the three kids stepped inside the ssroom, a new teacher was already sitting in her seat.

    It was a middle-aged woman, wearing almost the same uniform as Amelia except with a long skirt all the way to her shoe.

    With her sses, hair bun, and warm smile, the three felt a little weed.

    "You three are the new kids, right?" The teacher asked as she waved at the three.

    "Yes, Miss Amy." The three replied as they all stopped.

    "Thank you. You may go back into your seat..."

    Slowly, Miss Amy got up from her seat before walking over to the ckboard.

    "Good morning everyone. How was your time with Miss Amelia?"

    "Good!"

    "That''s great to hear. Ahem, since I just came back today, I''m going to do a small roll call first."

    After calling everyone''s name, she formally started her lesson.

    "Today, I''m going to bring all of you to the School Arena. I want everyone in a single file line."

    "Yes, ma''am!"

    The entire ss burst into excitement. Sophia and Mary were excited as well, as they had already heard stories about it.

    Alex was the only exception, as he knew the challenge that wasing up soon.

    The ss soon formed a single-file line and began following Miss Amy around the school before stopping at a massive building.

    Without even entering inside yet, tons of people were already standing in front of it, talking to each other.

    Almost everyone was wearing a robe except other young students who other teachers led.

    As Miss Amy led the ss inside the building, everyone was in awe, as if a giant tree were right in the middle.

    It was so tall that it pierced through the cloud above, unable to see the ending of it.

    "ss 204... Room 24."

    "Thank you."

    After Miss Amy epts a keycard from the receptionist, she leads the ss into a giant door before scanning the keycard.

    The door slowly slid to the side, revealing a pitch-ck room that had nothing inside.

    "Okay, time for you guys to go inside... Except Justin, pleasee over here and wait with me."

    As the ss goes in one by one, the person ahead of them disappears as soon as they step foot into the dark room.

    Alex didn''t hesitate to step inside, and a bright light blinded him until it disappeared on its own.

    When he opened his eyes again, he was in a t in, with a few trees in the distance and a hot sun in the middle of the sky.

    "Wee to the test arena. You''re going toe here often for the uing week.

    Anyway, you are currently in a separate dimension. There will be a few challenges ahead of you.

    And don''t worry, you won''t be harmed. Justplete all the tasks, and you''ll be transported back."

    As Miss Amy''s voice disappeared, Alex began walking forward as instructed.

    After walking on the dirt path for a while, he finally sees the challenge ahead of him.

    It was just a straw dummy with the word ''fireball me'' written on its body.

    "Focus on your mana and think of a me element..."

    As the mana in the air began to be absorbed into Alex''s body, it quickly traveled up to his head.

    A me suddenly appeared above Alex''s head, condensing itself until it couldn''t be any smaller.

    It soon began to expand in size from a marble ball to a fist-sized, expanding until it reached a basketball size.

    Alex uses thest few bits of mana to redirect the fireball right at the dummy.

 Chapter 29: Arena Challenge Level One

    With a loud explosion, the fireball and the dummy disappeared as a number appeared in the air.

    "70... C''s get degrees. It''s not even that bad." Alex murmured as he tried tofort himself.

    After recovering most of his mana, Alex began walking down the path again until he saw another straw dummy ahead of him.

    This time, the dummy had a sign that said ''Water me."

    With the same process as earlier, a ball of water appeared above Alex''s head as he focused all his mana toward his head.

    Feeling the size was about right, he redirected it right at the dummy, causing it to break in half as another score appeared.

    "Only 63? Fuck..."

    Alex began slowly walking towards the next destination, recharging his mana along the way as he could feel his body a little burnt out.

    Each spell was draining almost all of his mana. But the biggest issue was his mana regeneration, which was bing slower and slower.

    The third dummy ahead of him was to use the wind element, which he did with a wind de.

    This time, it was a much higher score, giving him an 80.

    But knowing he had reached his limit, Alex sat down and started meditating, recharging his mana at a much faster pace.

    After feeling fully charged, he finally stood back up and continued down his path.

    However, this time, it wasn''t a dummy standing in front of the path before him.

    Instead, it was some sort of rock golem walking closer and closer to him.

    Not wasting any time, Alex immediately took a few steps back before beginning to cast his fireball.

    As the fireball reached half its size, he was forced to stop and direct it to the golem, which was getting way too close.

    There was only a small scratch as the fireball disappeared after hitting the golem, causing Alex to run further back to give himself more time.

    "There has to be a way to beat this... What element counters rocks?"

    With time ticking past, Alex suddenly had an idea as he cast a water spell this time.

    Rather than making it into a ball shape, he shot it straight toward the golem as a water beam out of a hose.

    It did zero damage to the golem, performing even worse than the fireball that was thrown earlier.

    But with the entire golem covered in water, Alex started using his mana to cast an ice spell.

    "Come on, please work..."

    As Alex prayed in his head, the ice spell he performed actually worked as the water started freezing.

    Almost all the wet floors were starting to have ayer of ice, as Alex''s spell wasn''t to create an ice projectile.

    Instead, it was just to lower the temperature of the surrounding area, creating a small ice zone.

    "Shit!"

    Just as the water on the golem started to freeze, the newly formed ice quickly shattered into pieces, causing him to run back again.

    This time, he almost slips on the ice he had just created before readjusting himself to run far away enough to think.

    "There got to be a way to beat this stupid golem... wait!"

    Alex suddenly got an idea as he noticed the golem''s two short legs that were used to walk toward him.

    With not much time to consider, Alex quickly burnt half of the mana he just recovered, putting it all into an Earth spell.

    Arge hole appeared before him, and one of the golem''s legs walked right into it just as it was about to reach Alex.

    The golem seemed to realize it was stuck as it started hitting the ground to push itself up, pushing itself higher and higher.

    But Alex wasn''t just going to let the golem free itself as he quickly began to use the rest of his mana to cause dirt to pile up onto his legs.

    Trapping the golem''s leg further and further with dirt, it soon becamepletely immobilized underneath.

    The dirt hadpletely trapped both of its legs as it mmed the ground in anger, packing the dirt into an even more solid.

    "Whew, that was a close one."

    Alex quickly sat back down and began to meditate, catching up with his mana as the ground continued to shake from all the hits.

    After he fully recovered his mana, he began casting more and more small fireballs at the golem until the dent slowly transformed into a crack.

    Just as he was about to cast a water ball to expand inside the golem, it suddenly disappeared as a score appeared.

    "10? Are you joking? I spent all that effort just to get a 10. You can''t be serious."

    Inplete disbelief, Alex angrily sat back down to meditate on all his mana before walking down the path.

    Rather than another obstacle course, it was the end as a leaderboard appeared before him.

    Almost the entire leaderboard was 100, with the only difference that ranked them was the time differences.

    Not a single person''s name was recognizable except Justin, who managed to get 10th ce.

    "Rigged machines..." Alex murmured as a light appeared before his eyes.

    When he could see again, he was back in the arena with half of the ss, who was also finished.

    "Hey Justin, how do you get 10th ce?" Alex curiously asked.

    "It''s just a burst test. You have to shoot a big enough projectile to have it do enough damage.

    Then, the only other thing to consider is time... I already fought that thing hundreds of times, so I already know how to speedrun it."

    Alex noted it in his head as he sat down at a nearby bench and began waiting for more of his ssmates toe out.

    But seeing Sophia and Mary still noting out yet, he got a little worried.

    "Miss Amy, how long does this test usually take?" Alex curiously asked.

    "About ten to twenty minutes for the first time like you all... But there is a hard cap of thirty minutes if they don''t finish in time.

    And don''t worry about your ssmates. There have been zero cases of death, at least for the first twenty levels."

    "Thank you."

    Wait more and more, other students began to appear, some of whom looked a little bruised.

    But nobody had any severe or permanent injuries, just like Miss Amy had described.

    "Hey Alex, what''s your score?" A female voice appeared from behind.

    As he turned around, Camille was right behind him, with her three other friends next to her.

    "My score? It''s not that good." Alex replied as he turned back to the entrance.

    "Camille, you idiot, I told you not to ask that," Evelyn murmured before dragging Camille to the side.

    After the two whispered something to each other, Camille immediately ran back to Alex before bowing down.

    "Sorry! I didn''t mean to ask that earlier."

    Seeing Camille apologizing in front of him, Alex was a little surprised. But he didn''t mind it at all.

    "Don''t worry about it... I''m going to get used to it sooner orter." Alex murmured thest part to himself.

    With the timer ticking short and short, Mary was the first one toe out.

    There was dirt all over her knee skirts and leggings, but she looked mostly fine as she excitedly ran over to Alex.

    "Brother! I beat the golem!" Mary excitedly yelled as she ran into his arm.

    "Nice, that''s good to hear... Is your leg okay?" Alex quietly asked.

    "Y-Yeah, I''m fine..."

    Mary blushed a little as her leg still felt a small little bit of cramps from the period.

    "What score did you get?" Alex softly asked, unable to help but gently pat her head as she rested her head on his belly.

    "I got 80, 80, 80 and 50!" Mary replied nervously, looking a little down as if she was ashamed of the low score at the end.

    "That''s amazing! You got almost twice my total, Mary."

    "Really?"

    "Yeah. I really mean it... Ahem, let''s go sit down and wait for Sophia."

    The two headed back to the bench to meet back up with Sophia''s friends, whose faces looked a little jealous.

    "Mary, you really got that score?" Luna curiously asked.

    "Yeah, what did you guys get?" Mary curiously asked back.

    "I got¡ª¡ª"

    Before Luna could answer, Sophia was finally out of the challenge with a minute remaining.

    Unlike everyone whose clothes looked a little messed up or covered with dirt, Sophia''s clothes werepletely unscratched.

    "Sophia! What did you get?" Mary excitedly asked as she ran over to her, with Alex and her friends following behind.

    "Just 82, 82, 80, 80. What did you all get?" Sophia curiously asked as she gently patted Mary''s head.

    "40, 40, 40, 90," Camille replied first.

    "70, 60, 80, 80," Evelynn replied.

    "78, 78, 40, 70," Luna replied.

    "95, 95, 100, 100," Chloe repliedst.

    "Two 100? How did you beat the golem that fast?" Sophia asked in shock, with Mary and Alex looking just as shocked.

    Even the other three girls looked shocked as if they hadn''t expected her to get that high of a scorepared to everyone else.

 Chapter 30: Training for Challenge Level Two

    "I''m already at the edge of mage level two," Chloe quietly replied.

    "No wonder. I guess elves really do have a head startpared to us humans¡ª¡ª"

    Before Evelyn could finish talking, Miss Amy interrupted with an announcement.

    "Ahem, everyone, please get up. We''re going back to ss now."

    As the line began to form, the seven of them quickly went back into formation before they began heading back to ss.

    "Mary, what did you get?" Sophia curiously asked.

    "80, 80, 80, 50."

    "How about you, Alex?"

    "Just 70, 63, 80, 10."

    "10? How did you get so low¡ª¡ª"

    "Camille, shut up before I smack you in the head." Evelyn threatened as she raised her hand.

    "Sorry, I didn''t mean to ask that."

    "Nah, it''s fine. I know I''m not built for mage. I''m just enjoying my time being in school now."

    Seeing Alex so rxed and chill despite the low score, the four of them''s view of him changed a little.

    "That''s not bad. It''s still better than Camille''s atrocious spell score. You wouldn''t believe how she beat the golem¡ª¡ª"

    "Shut up! I don''t want to hear it!"

    Camille shyly covered her face as if she was extremely embarrassed about what happened.

    "She just t-out beat the golem with her punches and kicks. Would you believe that?"

    Looking over to the muscle that Camille had despite her cute bunny ear, Alex and everyone else nodded in agreement.

    Even the ssmates who listened to their conversation nodded slightly as if they agreed with Evelyn''s statement.

    "Ah! Evelyn! I thought you promised me you weren''t going to say that out loud!"

    "Too bad. Perhaps you should have been more respectful to others first."

    ---

    When everyone returned to ss, Miss Amy wrote out four names on the board.

    "Chloe, Sophia, Alex, and Bob, can you pleasee up to the front?"

    All four of them headed to the front, with Bob being the only one who looked a little nervous as he knew the bad score he had.

    Meanwhile, Alex was the most calm, as he knew what wasing.

    "First, let''s get a round of apuse for Chloe and Sophia for performing way above expectation."

    After a short p, Miss Amy sent the two back down and turned her attention to Alex and Bob.

    "You two... Bob, you''re the only one who didn''t beat the golem. Can you borate to the ss on what happened?"

    Bob stood still, looking a little ashamed of himself. He didn''t want to mention the reason why.

    "Bob, take a seat."

    With him sitting back into his original seat at the left center, Miss Amy took out a small video keycard.

    As she snapped her finger, the video keycard expanded, allowing everyone to see what happened.

    "Everyone. Please remember that do not put blind faith in your ability. This is a perfect example of overconfidence."

    Everyone watches as Bob casts a massive fireball that knocks the golem onto the floor before suddenly lunging over at him.

    "Bob, you see your mistake this time?"

    "Yes, ma''am..."

    With the video keycard taken down, Miss Amy turned her attention over to Alex.

    "I don''t actually have any criticism of you... Except one small minor thing that I want everyone to learn."

    As she pulled out another video keycard, it disyed Alex was in the middle of fighting the golem with his initial fireball failing.

    The video began to y, showing Alex trying to use water and ice elements to slow the golem.

    With that failing to work, the video showed hisst-ditch effort tactic of using mana to shift the dirt below to trap the golem.

    "He manages to use perfect strategy and critical thinking skills to defeat this golem.

    This is, quite frankly, a very smart and appraisal-worthy way that most people here wouldn''t think of."

    Everyone in the ss nodded in agreement except Sophia and the other five girls, who looked a little confused.

    However, their confusion would be cleared as Miss Amy brought up the next thing.

    "But you might be wondering, is that all? Wrong. Even though he beat the golem faster than most people, he got a score of 10."

    The ss looked a little shocked until Miss Amy exined why.

    "Although he used great strategy. The whole point of this challenge was a test of the user''s magical capability.

    The fact that he couldn''t beat the golem upfront is a critical error that deducted all the points.

    Remember, you all are only mage level one. There''s no point in having a strategy if you don''t focus on raising your mana first.

    Now, Alex, do you understand why you got such a low point?"

    Hearing Miss Amy''s exnation, Alex silently nodded as she pointed out the biggest problem he faced.

    He just needed to raise mana first and foremost, as everything is irrelevant when someone can just overpower you.

    "You can go back to your seat... Oh, I almost forgot to mention, Justin, you may go to the Engineering ss now."

    "Thank you, ma''am."

    Justin packed up everything and immediately left the ss without saying another word.

    Seeing an empty seat in the front, Miss Amy decided to move one person from the back all the way to the front.

    To Alex''s surprise, it was Chloe, who had now be his seatmate.

    "Hi, Chloe."

    "Hi, Alex."

    As the two awkwardly waved at each other, Miss Amy resumed the ss back into normal session.

    ---

    For almost the entire week, it was back to Miss Amy exining the textbook material and the asional showcase of different magic.

    Although everyone was a little bored, most people didn''t outrightin as they were still learning different kinds of information about magic.

    From the merge magic to the history behind it, the ss almost felt like the one back on Earth, listening to the teacher talk all day.

    But still, Miss Amy could tell people''s faces looked a little annoyed by the time the weekday ended.

    When the weekend arrived, Sophia and Mary''s n was ruined again as both Alex and Sophia were hit by their period.

    All four of them were once again forced to stay at home, as Sophia didn''t want to go out except to meditate to distract herself.

    Alex, meanwhile, never wanted to go out. When he was out of ss, he spent practically constantly in meditation.

    With another weeking up, they were finally out of the boring, repetitive ss as Miss Amy once again brought them to the Arena.

    It was a simr test, albeit with different elements and a much faster golem that ran after you rather than walking.

    The entire ss failed, except Chloe, who barely passed with a score of 60 overall.

    Everyone in the ss never showed their annoyed face again as they realized their next challenge was much harder to defeat.

    Soon, time quickly flew past as their first month of being at school came to a close.

    ---

    "Next week is the three-day weekend. Where do you guys want to go?" Katherine curiously asked as she checked the calendar.

    "Stay home." All three of them replied as they looked determined to beat the uing second try.

    "Come on, you guys really want just to meditate all day?'' Katherine asked impatiently.

    "Our teacher said the most important thing to a mage is reaching a higher mage level." Sophia pointed out.

    "That''s nonsense. You can''t just meditate all day. You''re going to get burnt out, and your body is going to be drained of energy."

    Seeing that none of them wanted to listen to her, Katherine rolled back onto the sofa in frustration.

    "Come on, is it that hard to go out with your mother? Sophia and Mary, weren''t you the two who always wanted to explore?"

    "After this test, we''ll go, Mom. We just need to focus on this test first." Sophia replied without even turning back to face her.

    "Whatever... You three areing with me to your grandparent''s house in December, by the way."

    "Wait, why?'' Alex curiously asked.

    "It''s winter break... And your grandparents wanted to see you guys." Katherine replied.

    The three of them didn''t argue back and epted it peacefully, which made her a little more annoyed.

    "Next week you all areing with me to go camping. I don''t care what your excuses are."

    "What? I''m nning to meet with Evelyn and them to study the textbook." Sophia argued.

    "Me too!" Mary added.

    "Too bad. Am I your mom or not?"

    "Boo!"

    As both girls booed her, Katherine ignored it and turned her attention over to Alex.

    "Hey Alex, you don''t mind going camping, right?"

    "Um, I mean, I don''t mind it... Yeah."

    Alex wanted to say no, but seeing Katherine''s threatening face, he backed down at thest second.

    "Then it''s decided. We''re going to camp for a day next weekend."

    As Katherine marked it on the calendar, all three of the kids let out a sigh of disappointment, as she had already started talking about where to go.

 Chapter 31: Challenge Level Two Fight

    "Good morning everyone. I assume everyone knows what we''re doing today?"

    Miss Amy stood right before everyone in the ssroom, looking down at the ss, which looked extremely excited.

    "Yes, ma''am!"

    "That''s the energy I want to see. Then let''s all get in line and get ready to go to the arena!"

    A few minutester...

    As they lined up in front of the dark room once again, Alex took a deep breath and thought back to thest time he had tried to beat the test.

    It was a disaster, just like everyone else who was caught off guard by how fast the golem could run.

    With the light disappearing as he was transported to a in field again, he immediately began running to the first obstacle course.

    It was a dummy who wrote ''Light Me,'' which Alex easily aplished as he already had it prepared.

    The light ball directed by Alex hits the dummy, giving him a score of 85.

    Next, he ran straight to the next dummy, shooting a ball filled with dark magic.

    With another 85, he ran straight to thest dummy, which was just a dummy that had the word stone written in the middle.

    After casting a stone at it and getting an 80, he came to a stop and began meditating.

    Feeling his mana fully recharged, he got back up and began approaching the golem ahead.

    As soon as he could see the golem still a hundred steps away, it already started running towards him.

    A ball of stone appeared above Alex''s head as it slowly expanded bigger and bigger.

    It reached all the way to the size of his head before catching on fire as Alex began to cast another spell on top of it.

    But with the golem now less than fifty steps away, he was only halfway done with the spell.

    Unable toplete the real fireball as he had hoped, he was forced to direct the premature spell at the golem.

    Even though the golem raised its arm at thest second, the semi-fireball was enough to make the golem lose arge chunk of it.

    "Nice! Just one more."

    As Alex began to retreat further back, the golem was now enraged.

    It started running even faster than earlier at him, matching his speed despite him running his heart out.

    Still, it was all ording to Alex''s n as he quickly cast a water spell right behind himself.

    The golem ignored it but soon realized he was somehow running slower and slower.

    Alex was now almost back to the original distance where they started, with the golem''s feet stuck in the mud as it tried to catch up.

    "Dumbass."

    Not wasting any time, Alex began casting the same spell as earlier, able much slower as his mana regeneration couldn''t keep up.

    Still, by the time the golem was out of the mud and began running closer and closer, the fireball wasplete.

    As it began flying towards the golem, it raised its arm to block it again.

    But with its arm already half broken, the fireball blew straight past it and hit it right in the head.

    With a loud explosion, a score appeared in the air as Alex managed to get 75 this time.

    "Whew, didn''t waste too much spell on this," Alex murmured as he checked the leaderboard again.

    Once again, he was nowhere near the top 10,000. But to his surprise, Chloe somehow made it past the top 100 with a perfect score.

    As the light appeared before his eyes, he was back to the dark room''s entrance.

    "What did you get?"

    Sophia and Mary were both out already this time, waiting for him outside along with her friends.

    "85, 85, 80, and 75."

    "That''s amazing. I''m pretty sure that''s above half of the ss now." Evelyn chimed in.

    "Thanks..."

    After everyone was out of the challenge, Miss Amy led the ss back to the ssroom.

    As all the student sat down in their seats, she began doing the usual example picks.

    "Chloe, Sophia, and Mary, can you threee up, please?"

    With all three girls heading up to the front, everyone waited for what was about toe up.

    "I want everyone to give a round of apuse for Chloe. She''s the first in the ss to achieve a perfect score and reached the top 78."

    Everyone in the ss started pping, and they looked a little shocked that their peers had already achieved something so amazing.

    After the ps died down, Miss Amy pulled out a keycard and snapped her finger as a screen disyed on the board.

    Chloe was walking to the first dummy when casting a bunch of small Light spells in the shape of a marble ball.

    It flew to the dummy so fast that Miss Amy even had to slow it down to show how it again.

    "Remember, you don''t always have to make your spell as big as possible. Condensing the element into a smaller area can often do more damage.

    And just because something looked basic doesn''t mean it doesn''t do any damage. Every small spell can determine a fight."

    As the video continued, Chloe repeated the same strategy for the next two dummies, getting 100 in all three.

    Everyone held in their breath as she walked closer and closer to the golem fight.

    With the two of them making eye contact, Chloe immediately started casting her spell.

    Almost hundreds of wind des in the sharp of a knife appeared as the golem got within fifty steps.

    As she directed it to the golem, Miss Amy suddenly paused the video before it hit.

    "I want everyone to notice something a little different here. So you all can see that she cast a bunch of small spells, right?"

    Everyone in the ss nodded in agreement.

    "But look, as the wind des flew closer and closer, they merged rather than breaking to reach each other''s momentum.

    This actually isn''t just a windde. It''s a small technique that creates a resemnce of the Tempest de."

    Half of the ss looked a little shocked, including Alex, who knew from the textbook that it was a tier two spell.

    As the video resumed, the merged wind de pierced straight past its arm and into its head.

    "That''s the creativitybined with a strong mana pool that everyone should be replicating."

    With everyone pping for Chloe again, she shyly stepped back down before sitting down next to Alex.

    "That was amazing." Alexplimented.

    "Thanks..."

    "Now for our next person to apud: Sophia and Mary are the only people in the ss who managed to get 90 in the golem fight."

    Everyone still pped again as the score was still very impressive, albeit just not as crazy as Chloe''s.

    "Ahem, besides their impressive score, I want to tell everyone that this will be thest time I''m going to bring you all to the arena."

    Everyone looked a little shocked as Miss Amy sent the two of them to sit back down.

    "I know you might be a little disappointed, but now you can go on your own time and challenge yourself."

    "How do we do that?" One of the students asked the question in everyone''s mind.

    "Just use your ID, which was given when you entered the school. Go to the front desk and tell them what level you want to enter."

    Seeing everyone seem to understand the instructions, Miss Amy went back to the exining lectures.

    ---

    As the ss ended, everyone in the ss was already grouping up with each other to check out the arena on their own time.

    "Alex, you want toe with us? We are about to check the arena out right now."

    Chloe asked as she came back from talking with the girls in the back.

    "Sure."

    As the seven of them left the building, they went straight to the arena with their backpacks.

    Hundreds and thousands of people were already at the front, with all the front desks full of people lining up.

    Most of them were wearing different color robes, with various levels of mages standing in the lobby chatting with each other.

    Almost all of them were also much older, ranging from fully grown adults to even someone in their sixties.

    Their towering height made it a little intimidating, but the seven of them weren''t scared away by it.

    "What do we do now?" Mary asked, looking around the arena filled with curiosity.

    "Let''s go explore the building. I heard there''s a shopping and even a tournament arena on the back."

    Evelyn took the lead, with Camille and Luna following right behind.

    They were filled with curiosity as they walked past the different dark room entrances that people entered inside.

    Meanwhile, Sophia''s focus was holding Mary''s hand tightly, preventing her from wandering somewhere else.

    Alex and Chloe both followed at the end, looking a little bored as they followed the two in front of them.

 Chapter 32: Watching Arena Fights

    After walking for a bit, they finally found the shops they were looking for, but something else distracted their attention.

    It was a giant screen that disyed two mages fighting each other, with hundreds and thousands of people standing there and watching.

    On one side was a fire mage wearing a red uniform, casting hundreds of fire spells at their opponent.

    Meanwhile, on the other side was an ice mage wearing a mix of blue and white, standing still as if they were just watching their opponent.

    The seven were shocked by the ice barrier''s thinness¡ªit was only as thick as a fingernail.

    Yet, not a single fire spell could be made past the wall. Not even a small dent was formed.

    "He''s constantly repairing the ice barrier."

    Luna pointed out as her eyes caught on the thinyer disappeared, then reappeared within a fraction of a second.

    "Is he going to fight back? How''s he going to win?" Camille curiously asked as the ice mage made zero attempts to attack.

    "He''s probably just waiting for the enemy to run out of mana¡ª¡ª"

    Before Chloe could finish, a middle-aged man in the crowd interrupted her.

    "Running out of mana? That''s a level-five mage right there. He''s had enough mana to cast these basic spells for days.

    Just watch and learn. They know the ins and outs of each other over hundreds of times now."

    "Can I ask who they are?" Alex curiously asked.

    "Just some level five mage that had been going to that fighting arena for days to beat each other for Rank 1."

    "Rank 1?"

    "Yeah, Rank 1 in the school tournament for mage level five."

    As the fight continued, the ice barrier suddenly shattered into pieces. But rather than being hit by the fire spell, the ice mage teleported.

    The fire mage stopped as a wall of fire surrounded him, just as snow started falling from the sky.

    "Ice Aura... They definitely are mage level five." Alex murmured as he remembered seeing it in the textbook.

    With the temperature rapidly decreasing for the two mages in the fighting arena, the fire mage was rapidly being cornered.

    More and more Ice was forming around him, threatening to trap him underneath all the weights.

    But with a blinding sh, the snow and ice suddenly all melted and evaporated into steam as the fire mage finally released his fire aura.

    "Finally, they are taking this seriously." Another stranger in the crowd cheered in excitement.

    As the two elemental auras tried to push each other away, it quickly became a stalemate.

    Every magic spell that the two mages tried to throw at each other just instantly vanished as soon as it arrived in each other''s aura.

    "How are they all gone just like that?" Mary asked in confusion.

    "It''s their zone of control," Alex exined, but Mary still looked just as confused.

    "The other person''s aura destroys the elementposition, and the mana controls it. So it just vanishes when it reaches it."

    Sophia''s exnation made it much easier for Mary to understand as the fight devolved into who had more mana to pour into their aura.

    In the end, the ice mage was able to overwhelm the fire mage''s mana, although there were close calls.

    Especially when the fire mage tried desperately to run in to spearhead his fire aura to break the ice mage''s static defense.

    It left a strong memory for Alex, as he realized that the mage''s level was the deciding factor in the fight.

    He finally understood why Miss Amy just told him to focus on increasing his mana to level up rather than using strategy.

    All strategy was pointless if they had more mana or t out an entire level or more above you.

    Soon, more and more time passed as pair after pair of mages appeared on the screen to fight.

    "Oh snap, it''s already seven o''clock! Sorry, we have to head back to the dorm!"

    Camille and Evelyn quickly dragged the other two out of the arena, leaving the three who had just finished watching.

    "Let''s go home now," Alex suggested.

    "Yeah..."

    After walking for a few minutes, the three finally arrived back home.

    "Wee back! How was school today?" Katherine asked as she opened the door.

    "It was fun! We fought the arena challenge level two today!" Mary excitedly replied

    "Oh, that''s good. You all passed this time, right?"

    "Of course, we all passed it. The first time was just a fluke," Sophia said as all three of them put their backpacks on the rack.

    "Mom, have you finished cooking?" Alex asked, rubbing his stomach in hunger.

    "It''s already finished. Some of them might have already gotten a little cold since you guys took so long today.

    Actually, what took you guys so long? Isn''t ss over for you guys at five o''clock?"

    "We went to the arena to check it out on our own since Miss Amy said we needed to go on our own in the future."

    Alex replied as he stuffed his mouth full of food, with the other two rushing to eat their food as well.

    "I see..."

    "Mom, how about you? How did your day go? Did you do anything exciting?"

    Katherine was caught off guard by Sophia''s sudden question, but she remained calm.

    "I just clean the house and make the food for you guys. That''s all I''m content with."

    "How about raising mage level?" Mary asked.

    "After you reach a certain point, it''s hard for meditation even to make the smallest increase.

    I''m already satisfied being with you guys, so don''t worry about me, okay? Just focus on yourself first."

    All three of the kids felt touched but didn''t say anything back, as saying thanks wasn''t going to cut it for them.

    They knew the best way to make her happy was to prove it with results, or simply put, achieving a higher mage level.

    ---

    For the rest of the week, the three of them headed to ss and then to the meditation room in the arena.

    It was one of the shops they saw that everyone went to, with only a small price for beginners that they could afford.

    When the three told Katherine about it, she was a little surprised, as it wasn''t a thing when she was in sses.

    Even though it was repeated every single day, none of the kids were bored of it.

    They could feel progress being made, with their initial mana being enough for three fireballs max, all the way to almost twenty fireballs.

    Sophia and Mary felt they were reaching the early stage of mage level one peek based on the textbook descriptions.

    Half of the ss even reached the early peek and just needed a breakthrough to reach mid-stage.

    Alex, however, was apletely different story.

    He was slowly falling behind everyone in the ss, just as he expected.

    Still, there was progress being made, from casting two fireballs to ten fireballs without needing to meditate to recover.

    Day and night, he meditated any time he could, just for the smallest increase.

    It even made Katherine and both of his siblings a little worried as they packed up for the uing three-day weekend camp.

    ---

    "Alex, you aren''t going to pack?" Sophia curiously asked as she packed the clothes she was going to wear into her backpack.

    "Later, I can feel I''m just slightly off."

    Seeing Alex returning to meditation, Sophia and Mary both started picking clothes to pack inside his backpack.

    "You three ready?" Katherine asked as she walked into the room.

    "Yeah, we''re ready... Alex, get out of your meditation."

    Seeing Alex not responding, both of the girls looked over to Katherine on what to do.

    "Just wait five minutes. If he doesn''t wake up, then I''ll wake him up."

    As all three of them sat down in front of Alex, they stared, staring at his face out of boredom.

    "Mom, what elemental affinity is Alex?" Sophia quietly asked as she couldn''t feel any particr element near him.

    She could think back to the meditation room with all seven of them together to save cost.

    Both Evelyn and Luna always had a slight water element near them, with Chloe''s wind element and Camille''s earth element.

    Mary had an even more noticeable hint of dark energy, matching her dark affinity, which was backed up by her dark stars in the past.

    "That''s a secret. I can''t tell you that."

    "Why not? He already knows both of our affinities, and it''s impossible to hide anyway when we reach mage level three."

    Sophia''s argument made Katherine fall into silence as she still didn''t want to tell the two the truth.

    "Mom, it''s okay if you don''t want to say it... Sophia, we shouldn''t ask for someone''s privacy like this."

    Mary pushed back against Sophia''s point, feeling it to be a little inappropriate.

    After a short silence in the room, Katherine finally made up her mind as she revealed her decision.

    "He has no affinity."

 Chapter 33: Weekend Trip to the Dungeon

    "No affinity? How''s that possible? Doesn''t everyone born with even the slightest lean towards one element?"

    Sophia immediately questioned, as it didn''t match the textbook''s description.

    "That''s why I didn''t want to tell you..."

    As both of them fell into silence, Mary suddenly chimed in with a question.

    "Does brother know about this?"

    "He should know... He could tell the elements near him didn''t want to cooperate as easily.

    Do you two understand why it''s so hard for your brother? Even Mana doesn''t go near him without help¡ª¡ª"

    "What help?" Sophia interrupted.

    "His hard work to self-help himself. If he doesn''t work as hard as he does now, it will all go away on its own."

    The room fell back into silence as the three waited for Alex toe out of his mediation.

    "Whew, I think I finally reached the early peek now," Alex murmured out loud as he opened his eyes back up.

    "That was ten minutes, not the five minutes. And we already packed up your bags." Mary pointed out.

    "Thank you... Ahem, Mom, let''s go on the trip!"

    Seeing all three kids wearing their backpacks and fully ready for the trip, Katherine sat back up from the bed.

    "Okay. Everyone just stand in this circle. I''m going to use teleportation magic this time for this trip."

    As a glowing circle suddenly appeared on the ground, all three of the kids quickly stepped inside together.

    With the light appearing stronger and stronger, they could feel the burst of dark energy breaking into the room.

    "Don''t move. Just stay in the circle, and everything will be fine."

    All three of them remained still, watching Katherine continue to cast her spell until she stepped in herself.

    "Bang!"

    Before the three could blink, the space around them turned dark before appearing in the middle of a forest.

    "Woah, what was that?" Sophia asked in shock, with the other two still recovering.

    "Teleportation magic, specifically intra-dimensional drift... You three will learn it one day if you guys decide to pick dimensional magic."

    "Huh?"

    Both girls couldn''t understand it a single bit, except Alex, who thought of it as transporting through a wormhole using dark magic.

    "Ahem, it looks like the teleport anchor still hasn''t changed a bit... Come on, follow me."

    As all three of the kids followed Katherine, they all began walking down a narrow dirt path.

    "Mom, where are we at?" Alex curiously asked, as everywhere they looked, they were surrounded by trees.

    More importantly, the path was covered with overgrown vegetation, including branches and rocks, which Katherine had to clear in the front.

    "We are going to explore a long-lost dungeon. Aren''t you all excited?"

    "A dungeon!" Mary yelled in excitement, with the other two looking just as excited.

    They had heard of all kinds of dungeon exploration in Katherine''s bedtime stories, with dreams of exploring one themselves.

    "Now I need you all to be extra careful and don''t yell, okay? Or else I''ll never do this again."

    With all three of the kids nodding in agreement, they continued down the path until they began walking uphill.

    The forest started to disappear as they now began walking up the stairs on some sort of mountain.

    Despite the fact that the sun went from the horizon on the east all the way to the middle, none of themined.

    "Okay, let''s take a break here... Here''s your sandwiches."

    As Katherine took out three sandwiches from her backpack, the three took out their water jug for a drink.

    After the short lunch break, the four of them resumed back to walking up the stairs.

    By the time the sun had set all the way to the west end of the horizon, they finally reached the top.

    Looking back, they could see the giant forest that they had just left, with no end in sight.

    They could also see the steep hill they had traveled, with a deadly cliff on both sides of the stairs they hade from.

    "Wow... We traveled so much today." Sophia murmured as they couldn''t even see where they started from anymore.

    "Yeah, and my legs are dying. Are we done walking?"

    Maryined the same line she had been repeating the whole time since they started walking uphill.

    "Yep. The dungeon is right in front of us now."

    As the three of them followed Katherine down a t path ahead, they finally saw what she was talking about.

    It was a cave with an aged stone sign on the side that had be unreadable.

    "Mom, you explored inside this dungeon before, right?" Alex asked, as he suddenly had a bad feeling.

    "Of course. A few of my friends and I have already cleared it in the past."

    Seeing all three looking a little disappointed, Katherine decided to add something that changed their mind.

    "But that''s like twenty years ago. So the dungeon could very well be inhabited by new monsters."

    All three of the kids immediately shifted into excitement as they followed Katherine all the way to the entrance.

    "Wait, let me check the inside first."

    As Katherine closed her eyes and put her hand on the cave''s wall, a dark, glowing light appeared.

    By the time she opened her eyes back, her face looked a little confused.

    "Huh... There''s a chest inside. I don''t remember that being there."

    After a short silence, Katherine finally took a step inside the cave.

    "Ahem, I''m going to let you all explore this yourself. You three are going to deal with the challenges ahead, okay?"

    All three of the kids nodded in agreement, moving in front of Katherine as Sophia cast a small light spell to see inside the dark cave.

    There was nothing besides rocks and more rocks as they walked down the cave.

    Soon, they couldn''t even see the exit as they were now surrounded by darkness, with a small light showing their path.

    After walking for a bit, they finally saw something else other than rocks.

    It was a bunch of bats flying past them as they screeched out loud.

    "Geez, my ear hurts..." Alex murmured as none of them looked scared at all.

    As they continued walking down the path, they finally saw the first challenge.

    It was a giant rock door with some sort of puzzle lock on the side.

    "What''s this?" Mary curiously asked as they walked closer to the puzzle.

    Before them were ten stone statues, each having a unique shape.

    The first one was a bear, and the second one was a horse. The other eight were just different kinds of animals.

    "You three have to solve it yourself. I can''t spoil the fun."

    The three kids started thinking in silence as they tried to understand what each meant.

    They could lift the statues, revealing a small bump on the bottom that allowed it to be connected.

    But all the bumps were the same hole as the one below the statue''s leg, which made it hard to tell which goes to which.

    "Let''s take all of them down first... Do you guys have any idea for this?" Alex asked as he put them side by side above a rock.

    "These are what those churches worshipped in the capital, right?"

    Sophia asked, remembering all the different holy animals that the churches in the capital worshiped.

    "Yeah... What does any of these gods mean, though?"

    As Alex tried to move the statues around to create a pattern, Mary suddenly suggested an idea.

    "Maybe it''s the sizes of the statue?"

    Alex immediately took that idea as he put all the statues back onto the rock ledge.

    After securing them onto the small bump from the smallest statue to the biggest statue, nothing happened.

    Changing it from biggest to smallest also did nothing, much to their disappointment.

    "How about we just keep trying abination? It eventually solves itself, right?"

    Sophia began switching the statues one by one, hoping that they would do something.

    "That would take over 3 million tries. It''s going to take forever if we try to brute force it."

    Alex pointed out as Sophia continued to switch around the statues.

    "Better than just sitting there¡ª¡ªWait, I have an idea."

    Sophia suddenly stopped as she started casting a spell in her head.

    As light appeared out of her hand, the horse statue suddenly lit up as well.

    More importantly, the bump that was meant to attach to the statue also started glowing up.

    "You''re a genius! Why didn''t we think of that!"

    Alex and Mary both started casting different elemental spells, matching the statues that lit up with the same bump.

    However, after casting all seven elements, they were stuck with three statues that didn''t seem to glow no matter what.

    "Mom, why don''t these glow up at all?"

    Alex curiously asked as he began to just brute force thest three.

    "That''s because you guys haven''t learned that kind of magic yet."

    As Katherine replied, the massive stone door finally began to slide to the side.

    All four of them quickly took a step back as the entire cave started to shake.

    "You three ready to officially enter the dungeon?" Katherine asked.

    "Yes!"

 Chapter 34: Night Break and Pranks

    Just as the door opened, Katherine suddenly moved two of the statues and forced them to close again.

    "Too bad. It''s already almost nighttime. You three need to take a rest before going in."

    Katherine forcefully dragged both of the girls out of the cave and back to the entrance, with Alex following behind.

    "Mom! We aren''t tired, okay?" Sophiained as she tried to go back inside.

    "Yeah, we can still go on¡ª¡ª"

    "Am I your mom or not?"

    Both girls fell into silence, grumpily sitting down on the rock floor as Katherine began setting up camp on the t, barren ground.

    "Look at Alex. He understands and helps me. Unlike you two ungrateful brats just sitting there doing nothing."

    "Hmph!"

    Alex awkwardly scratched his head as he was the only one who wasn''t in a rush to explore it.

    "Come on guys, Mom is doing it for our sake... Hey Mary, isn''t your leg already super tired?

    And Sophia, you already used a lot of mana lighting up the cave. We got two entire days to explore it.

    The faster we set up camp, the faster we get to sleep and explore the cave tomorrow."

    After a short silence, the two girls finally let go of their grudges and helped set up the camp.

    A few minutester...

    With the camp fully set up, the three began eating the sandwich that Katherine had stored in her pocket.

    "Mom, are we going to eat this for the entire trip?" Mary curiously asked as she took the first bite.

    "Obviously not... We''re going to go hunting tomorrow morning before we explore the dungeon."

    Hearing Katherine''s n, all three of the kids got a little excited, even more excited than exploring the dungeon.

    "Really? We''re going to go hunting?" Alex asked in excitement, as he always wanted to try it out.

    "Yep. Our meals tomorrow depend fully on what you three could get from the forest."

    "But we didn''t see any animal on the way here." Sophia quickly pointed out as she thought back the whole way in the forest.

    "That''s because they are hiding from us. I can clearly see where they are hiding.

    You guys just need to be ready to throw your spell at them. Don''t worry about finding them."

    With all four of them finished eating the sandwich, Katherine pulled out a giant wooden bathtub out of her dimension again.

    "Mom... Can I just shower when we get back home¡ª¡ª"

    "I don''t want to sleep next to a stinky bug. Get inside, or I''m going to throw you in."

    Alex reluctantly took off his clothes, with the other two girls already fully naked, sitting on the small little ledge in the bathtub.

    Even though it was called a bathtub, it was just a giant wooden bucket¡ªthe same one they used back in their hometown.

    With the water filled up, Katherine cast some spells, making some sort of invisible barrier before undressing herself.

    "It''s so satisfying toy in hot water after so much walking today... Sorry, Mom, you''re right."

    As Sophia finished talking, she was suddenly hit by a ssh of hot water.

    "Hey, that was so uncalled for! You''re going to get a taste of your own medicine!"

    Sophia sshed water back at Mary, which caused even more water to be sshed back at her.

    With the two constantly sshing water at each other, Alex and Katherine watched in silence as they smiled at their behavior.

    Eventually, Mary was the first one to stop as she got a little tired.

    "Okay, okay, I''m sorry. I apologize for sshing water at you."

    "Hmph!"

    As peace ensued, the only sound they could hear was the crickets and bugs crankling at each other.

    However, this peace was disrupted again as Alex couldn''t help but start to have an erection popping up.

    At first, he thought of covering it with his hand, but doing so would have drawn more attention.

    "Alex, you okay?" Mary asked, as she was the first one to notice the change.

    "I''m fine."

    Despite Alex''s assurance, both Sophia and Mary just kept staring at his erection as if it were something new.

    With the atmosphere starting to get a little awkward, Katherine decided to intervene.

    "Stop looking at your brother''s penis. He''s going to get a little shy."

    The two finally moved their re away from his crotch, making Alex look towards Katherine with gratitude.

    After lying in the bathtub for a bit, the four of them finally decided to get out of the water.

    As the other three girls began to take out their pajamas from their backpacks, Alex waspletely stunned.

    ''What''s wrong?" Katherine curiously asked as he noticed Alex digging in his backpack.

    "Sophia and Mary... You two think this is funny?"

    Alex looked over to both of them in anger, but the two smiled and chuckled at him.

    Getting a little curious, Katherine walked a little closer to see what was inside the backpack.

    To her surprise, it was a bunch of skirts and leggings, with the only one that matched him being his underwear and shirt.

    "That''s what you get for not packing your stuff yourself." Sophiaughed as she put on her pajamas.

    "Yeah, that''s what you get for ignoring us for the entire week," Mary pointed out as she got fully dressed.

    "Mom, I¡ª¡ª"

    "Sorry Alex, I don''t think you can fit in my clothes... And I can''t give you back your sweaty clothes."

    As Alex looked back down at the female uniform in his backpack, he quickly put on his underwear and shirt.

    Seeing Alex still standing and almost on the verge of crying, Katherine''s heart started to hurt.

    "You two went way too far with your prank! Alex, if you want, I can teleport back¡ª¡ª"

    "No, it''s fine, Mom..."

    After a long hesitation, Alex grabbed the ck leggings and slowly put them back on.

    "Sophia and Mary, you two are going to apologize to your brother right now. And both of you are grounded for the entire year."

    "S-Sorry."

    Both of the girls bowed down in apology, as they didn''t expect Alex to be hurt over something like this.

    "Mom, I''m fine. It''s not that big of a deal..." Alex stated as he closed his backpack.

    Although the leggings were surprisinglyfortable, he didn''t really want to wear them, especially how feminine they made him appear.

    "Hmph, you two are lucky... If I see you two do this ever again, there''s going to be big trouble."

    "Sorry, Alex."

    Both of the girls apologized again, showing their sincere faces towards him.

    "Let''s just go to sleep now."

    As Katherine poured all the water out and put the bucket back into her dimension, the four headed back to the camp.

    With the same old tent as thest camping trip, the four picked the same ce in the bed, with Alex surrounded by Katherine and Sophia.

    But this time, all four of them quickly fell asleep as they were just too tired from walking the entire day.

    ---

    The next day...

    As Katherine woke up early to prepare for work, she suddenly felt something bumping on her thighs.

    Looking down underneath the nket, she could see Alex''s head resting on top of her chest, with his hand grabbing onto her waist.

    More importantly, Alex''s legging made it extremely obvious what was bumping onto her leg.

    "How is he always so turned on in the morning? Is this just a kid''s body growing?"

    Katherine thought to herself as she gently put Alex back down on the bed before getting up herself.

    As she walked out of the tent, her mind suddenly went in the wrong direction, making her face blush red.

    "What are you thinking? He''s your son, you idiot. Stop thinking about something that will never happen."

    Katherine murmured to herself, feeling a little guilty for even considering using Alex to satisfy herself.

    "Stop being a dirty whore, Katherine. You''re already an old women. Think what Sophia and Mary would think of you.

    Think of how scandals it would be for that to happen. Everyone around you would be so disgusted by it."

    After calming back down, Katherine took out three ss cups and began unbuttoning her clothes.

    With the same routine, she quickly filled all three sses with her breastmilk before putting them into the pocket dimension.

    "When did I care about what other people think? No, no, I need to stop thinking about this."

    Katherine quickly shook her head as she went back inside the tent before flipping the nket back up.

    "Wake up! It''s time to wake up piggies!"

    All three of the kids slowly opened their eyes as they rested on the bed.

    "Mom! My leg is so sore!" Maryined, trying her hardest to get back up.

    "Same! My leg can''t move an inch," Sophiained, as she could barely move her leg.

    As Katherine looked over to Alex, he was the only one who already sat up from the bed.

 Chapter 35: Skirt and Hunting Trips

    "Alex, how are you still fine?" Sophia curiously asked as she tried to get up but failed.

    "Yeah, how are you still getting out of bed?" Mary asked in jealousy.

    "I just exercise. What can I say?"

    Seeing Alex heading out to wash their faces, Katherine turned her attention back to the girls, who had finally got up from the bed.

    But both of them couldn''t stand up, which made her realize how much they had walked yesterday.

    "Just rx, okay? Mommy is going to solve it."

    As Katherine closed her eyes, she began chanting something that caused a green light to appear.

    The two girls could feel the sore disappearing, almost fully back to normal, as Katherine opened her eyes again.

    "You two feel better now?"

    Both of them nodded, finally getting off the bed as they stretched out their body a little.

    "Mom, can you teach us that?" Sophia asked curiously, and Mary looked just as curious.

    "Not now. Go wash your face first, okay?"

    After Katherine kicked them out of the tent, she began taking her pajamas off before going inside her backpack to change.

    Just as she was about to put her clothes back on, all three of them came back inside.

    "Forgot we left our clothes in here."

    Both of the girls didn''t look at Katherine a single bit as they headed straight to their backpacks and began changing inside.

    But Katherine noticed Alex kept turning his eyes rapidly, almost as if he was trying to hide the fact that he was looking at her naked body.

    After she put her bra and her clothes back on, Alex finally stopped looking at her and turned his attention back to his backpack.

    "Alex, what''s wrong? You looking for something in your backpack?" Katherine asked as she rested her hand on top of his shoulder.

    "I-I''m just looking for something to cover my legs." Alex nervously replied as he started digging inside his backpack again.

    "But you''re already wearing leggings. Your leg is already covered."

    Alex fell into silence, not wanting to admit that the leggings were a bit small around the crotch.

    It was clearly meant for women, with an obvious outline that made it impossible to hide anything.

    "No wonder why men always wear shorts underneath their men''s leggings..."

    After an internal fight in his head, he reluctantly took out the knee skirt from the backpack.

    "Alex, you..."

    Katherine looked a little shocked as Alex finally put on a skirt for the first time in his life.

    Sophia and Mary, who just finished changing, both turned their attention to Alex as well.

    "S-Stop looking at me. This is all your fault."

    Alex shyly covered his face in embarrassment as all three of them kept staring at him.

    Seeing him wearing a girl''s outfit, with his short hair and feminine face, made it almost look like a little girl rather than a boy.

    "Alex, you''re so cute! I never knew I could have a brother this cute! You almost look just like me!"

    Sophia suddenly ran up to Alex in excitement, hugging him before the other two finally snapped back to reality.

    "Brother is actually wearing a skirt," Mary murmured, still unable to believe what she was seeing.

    "Alex, you don''t look that bad in this. You should wear this more often¡ª¡ª"

    "Hell no! I''m never doing this again."

    Alex instantly interrupted Katherine, his face still blushing red as he let out a sigh of relief inside his head.

    The skirt was at least enough to hide the outline, just enough as long as he calmed himself down.

    "Ahem, let''s go hunting now."

    ---

    As Katherine led the three back to the forest, Alex slowly got used to the wind blowing past his leggings.

    It was much warmer than he expectedpared to the pants he usually wears.

    "Okay, you three ready? There''s an animal within ten steps from us."

    All three of the kids nodded to show they were ready, but they couldn''t see a single animal.

    Suddenly, a barrier appeared behind Sophia''s head as it blocked a stone being thrown at her.

    As they all turned to their back, they still couldn''t see what was the thing that threw the stone.

    "Where is the animal?" Sophia asked in confusion, and the other two were just as confused, as everything around them was just trees and vegetation.

    "You can''t use your eyes in a forest to see it. For now, you guys can use your mana to detect living beings around you."

    All three couldn''t understand what Katherine meant until they felt the mana in the air bing unstable.

    It was almost as if someone was scanning all the elements and moving the mana around them.

    "Just let your mana go freely rather than letting it stay inside your body. Then try just to direct the mana in a random direction."

    After following Katherine''s instructions, they could feel the mana giving visual feedback into their mind as they absorbed it back in.

    They could sense a clear hitbox of everything that they sent their mana toward.

    From the solid tree to the ground, even to the birds watching from above and their family members.

    Most importantly, they finally noticed the animal hiding next to a tree where they had juste from.

    It was a small boar in the process of casting another stone as their mana gave them back the visual feedback into their heads.

    Without any hesitation, Sophia was the first to cast a spell to direct a rock right back at the boar.

    A loud ugh sound could be heard before the boar dropped dead as the rock pierced right through its head.

    "Good job, Sophia... Alex and Mary, you two need to do it faster, okay? Don''t try to reserve your mana."

    Both of them nodded in agreement, as they now realized most of the mana would alwayse back to them in the end.

    "Now, get ready to scan your surroundings asionally. We''re going to keep going until we find something else better."

    As the three headed down the path and took turns after the mana in the air stabilized, they figured out a pattern to minimize mana loss.

    "Remember, do not use your mana to scan in public or at any living settlement.

    It''s considered rude and might even lead to trouble. One of my ssmates was turned into an ordinary person after he scanned an archmage."

    Seeing the three nodding and noting it in their head, Katherine continued down the path until all four of them stopped.

    This time, Katherine didn''t need to say anything as all three of them cast a rock spell towards the side.

    "Nice, you three are getting the hang of it... Look like we can pack it up now."

    Katherine stepped into the bush before dragging out a rabbit-like animal that was severely bruised by the stones.

    "Can we hunt more?" Alex curiously asked, feeling a little unsatisfied with just a small animal.

    The other two supported him as well, wanting to hunt something bigger than just rabbits.

    "Too bad. Unless you guys don''t want to explore the dungeon."

    None of them spoke up again as they headed back all the way to the camp.

    The three watched as Katherine began teaching them how to skin and remove all the meat from the small animals.

    None of them were disturbed at all, as they had already seen live animals being killed back in their hometown.

    After gathering all the meat, Katherine pulled out a pan and a bottle of animal oil from her pocket dimension.

    As she began to cook the meat, they could smell the vorful smelling from it.

    "You guys are lucky we killed this Lunibbit. They usually are super agile and hard to kill.

    They are one of the best animals to get in the wild, as their flesh is perfectly tender yet firm enough to feel full."

    With the food fully cooked and seasoning added, Katherine handed each of them a fork to eat straight out of the pan.

    "Hmm. This is so good!" Sophia excitedly pointed out as she chewed down a small piece of the meat.

    Both Alex and Mary had the same thought as they chewed down a small piece as well.

    Katherine only took a small piece just for a taste before letting them finish up the rest.

    "Okay, here''s your milk for today. Are you all ready to go explore the dungeon?"

    All three of them said yes as they drank down the milk that Katherine handed over from her pocket dimension.

    "Great. Then let''s go back inside."

    As Katherine got up from the ground, the other three quickly followed.

    This time, they didn''t really need to make a light as the sun outside was perfectly angled to light their way in.

    With the two statues switched back to the correct position, the stone entrance began to open once again.

    "Wait, You guys can''t explore a dungeon with only three mages. Someone needs to act as the knight in the front."

 Chapter 36: The Dungeons obstacle

    "I can be the tank," Alex volunteered, knowing the other two''s magical capability was way better than his.

    Katherine handed him a small, rounded wooden shield and a wooden sword she just made on the spot.

    "Remember, you still can cast magic while in melee. Just be more careful with it."

    Alex nodded as he began walking with the shield up, with the other two girls following right behind.

    Katherine only followed them at a distance as they continued to advance further into the dungeon.

    After walking for a bit, the light from the outside no longer shone on the inside, prompting Sophia to cast a spell to light up the surroundings.

    But just as the light started to appear above her, the door behind them suddenly started to close on its own.

    Still, the three didn''t hesitate as they continued down the dungeon path, with faces full of excitement.

    "What do you guys think is going to be inside this cave?" Alex asked as he quickly scanned the corner with his mana.

    "I don''t know. Probably just some bats or low-level slime? Surely nothing big since Mom already cleared it in the past."

    Sophia''sment made the other two look a little more confident as they turned right to reach from one hallway to another.

    "How deep is this dungeon?" Maryined as it seemed to be endless walking with not much to do.

    Sophia and Alex didn''t reply, as they didn''t know it either. But there was only one path ahead of them.

    After walking for who knows how long, they finally encountered something other than just smooth tiles.

    It was some sort of skeleton, standing still, looking away from the three until it heard their footsteps.

    As the skeleton turned its head, all three immediately noticed the blue me glowing in its eyes.

    Without saying any words, the skeleton began charging at the three with no weapons in hand.

    Sophia cast a fireball instantly, easily destroying the skeleton before Mary and Alex could cast theirs.

    "That was easy," Sophia murmured as Alex walked up closer to check if it was fully dead.

    The blue me in its eyes was gone, with no indication of the skeleton still alive.

    "Let''s keep going."

    As the three continued down the path, they were hit with several simr skeletons as well.

    But this time, they were armed with actual swords, with some even having shields.

    Still, it was no match for the two girls as they easily destroyed them with a wind de to avoid causing smoke.

    Just as Alex picked one of the swords, it immediately broke into ashes as if he couldn''t wield it.

    "Huh... I guess these swords aren''t real objects." Alex murmured as he could feel the dark element as it vanished.

    After defeating a few more skeletons, they finally found something much more exciting.

    It was a giant room with a blue slime almost ten times their size, slowly jumping towards them after noticing Alex.

    This time, Sophia and Mary both cast their fireball and wind de together, directing it right at the slime before it got close.

    But to their surprise, the slime easily absorbs the damage, neutralizing their spellpletely.

    "Try light and dark magic and condense it. I''ll try to stall for time!" Alex ordered.

    As Mary began casting a ball that glowed dark light, Sophia started casting a blinding light ball.

    "Yo dumbass slime,e over here if you want to fight me."

    Alex cast a small stone at the slime before running to the side, away from Sophia and Mary.

    It worked perfectly as the slime changed its target and started chasing after Alex instead.

    With each jump of the slime, Alex could feel the ground shaking, causing him to almost trip as he continued to run in a circle.

    Just as the slime suddenly gave up and turned back to the two mages, he suddenly turned around and charged at the slime.

    "Please work!"

    To his surprise, the wooden sword that Katherine made didn''t snap in half. Instead, it caused a stab wound as he pulled out his sword.

    With quick movement, he took several steps back as the slime jumped into the air in anger.

    As it dropped onto the floor, the ground shook harder than ever, making Alex fall onto his back.

    Luckily, he had bought enough time as two spells, one light and one dark, flew right at the slime.

    This time, the slime couldn''t absorb it as it flew right out of its body, piercing through the little core located inside.

    Alex quickly raised his shield as the slime exploded, causing the liquid to fly everywhere.

    "Holy shit!"

    "Alex! You okay?"

    Both girls quickly ran over to Alex to check, whose body was almost covered in blue goo of the slime.

    "I-I''m fine. You two are fine?" Alex asked as he lowered his shield and stood back up.

    "Yeah, we''re fine."

    Unable to get the blue goo off his body, Alex cast a water spell before letting it fall on top of his head.

    As the water washed over himself, it finally detached from his skin and clothes.

    "Why didn''t you cast a barrier for yourself?" Mary asked as the two of them lookedpletely unscratched.

    "I didn''t have time to cast it that close, okay?"

    After shaking his hair for a bit, the stickiness on his body was mostly gone except for a few lingering spots.

    "No wonder why knights always wear full armor. This role sucks."

    Alexined as he cast an evaporation spell that Katherine had taught in the past, causing the water to evaporate from his clothes and body.

    "Too bad your magic skill is the worst out of us... Anyway, you feel better?"

    Sophia asked as she and Mary helped him search for spots that he might have missed.

    "Yeah. Let''s keep going now."

    Alex washed his sword and shield with water, walking past all the goo on the floor that started to seep into the cracks.

    "Good job everyone! You guys just have a few more obstacles, and you''ll find the exit!"

    Katherine excitedly stated from the back, her voice sounding a little proud of what the three had achieved.

    All three of them didn''t say anything back, but they continued walking forward as they resumed back to formation.

    After walking past the giant open room, they arrived in more hallways again.

    But this time, they were hit with a crossroad as there were clearly two paths ahead of them.

    "Mom, do we turn left or right?" Alex asked.

    Hearing no response from Katherine, the three knew they had to decide for themselves.

    "We can''t split up. We should just pick one of them." Mary pointed out.

    Both of them nodded, but the question remained as both of the paths looked the same.

    "How about we just take the right one?" Alex suggested.

    With no other opinion, both of them epted Alex''s decision as they took the right path.

    As they began walking down the hallway, they arrived at another crossroad ahead of them.

    Once again, Alex decided to go right without even asking this time, picking the right path every time they encountered a crossroads or a turn.

    Eventually, Sophia suddenly stopped as she felt something was off.

    "What''s wrong?" Alex curiously asked.

    "I think we are in a maze right now... Doesn''t it feel like we''re walking in a circle?" Sophia pointed out.

    Both of them fell into silence as they realized it as well, with the almost same thing appearing over and over again.

    "Let''s leave a rock here and keep going."

    Alex cast a rock spell, leaving it as andmark as they continued picking the right path.

    To their surprise, Sophia''s prediction was correct as the rock once again, despite clearly walking away from it.

    "How about we try the left side instead?" Mary suggested.

    "Sure."

    Alex led the two with the left side this time, but they still ended up with the rock they had ced earlier.

    "Shit. We really are stuck in a maze..."

    As all three of them fell into silence, they realized the trouble they were in.

    "Let''s try a different pattern and see if it works," Alex suggested.

    Both of them nodded in agreement, following him to lead as they began alternating the path instead of just going down one turn.

    But just like every other attempt, they ended up in the same spot as where they started.

    Even with different kinds of patterns, it always ended in the same spot again and again.

    "Fuck. This isn''t just a normal maze at all." Alex murmured as they tried out all the paths possible.

    "This doesn''t make any sense... Is there no way out at all?" Sophiained as her brain was starting to get fried.

    "Mom! Can you help us?" Mary pleaded as she started to get a little annoyed by the maze.

    "Sorry! This is to test your critical thinking! You guys have to solve it yourself."

    As the three sat down on the floor for a little break, an idea popped up in Alex''s head as he looked back in Katherine''s direction.

    "Wait, let''s try going back instead. It''s the only direction we didn''t go yet."

 Chapter 37: The Boss Fight

    The other two seemed a little confused by Alex''s suggestion, but they followed through with it as they began walking back to Katherine.

    "You guys gave up?"

    Seeing Alex shaking his head, Katherine was a little confused until he said out his choice.

    "The exit to this maze is just walking back, right?"

    After a short silence, Katherine suddenly started pping.

    "You guys finally figure it out. There is no exit no matter how many times you keep trying."

    "I knew it¡ª¡ª"

    "How, though? Weren''t we not walking away from the starting point? It doesn''t make sense for us to end up in the same ce."

    Mary was still a little confused as they all began to walk down the path where they came from.

    "You''re right. It doesn''t make sense if you just think it normally... But it''s a dungeon.

    If you guys had been more careful, you could have simply shot a spell down the hall.

    Then the spell would have teleported right into your faces... You get how it works now?"

    All three of them realized what Katherine meant. Now, it was clear that each of the path''s ends had a hidden teleporter that made the loop.

    "But howe we didn''t notice any mana being cast? Wouldn''t teleportation cause the mana to be unstable?"

    Sophia raised a question that had been bothering her mind as they had arrived back in the massive room earlier.

    "Not all teleportation requires mana, just like how scrolls can work without mana.

    The spell carved underneath the ground only absorbed the nearby dark element hidden underground."

    As Katherine led to the middle of the room, passing all the blue goo, the ground suddenly shook a little.

    To the kids'' surprise, the section of the ground below them broke from the rest of the floor as it started to rise.

    The ceiling above them also opened, revealing a small hole that matched the tiles that were giving them a lift.

    After they reached the second floor, they were in a much smaller room, just wide enough for them to stretch out their arms side by side.

    "Where are we now?" Mary asked in confusion, as the room did not have an exit or any sort of door.

    The only thing they could see was just smooth te tiles on the wall, on the ground, and the ceiling.

    Katherine didn''t answer, making the three wait as everywhere around them suddenly started to shake.

    After a few seconds, it finally stopped, revealing a small hole big enough for one person to crawl into.

    "Down this hole will be the final boss of this dungeon. Inside, there will be a level-two monster in there.

    It''s up to you if you guys want to fight it or leave now¡ª¡ª"

    "We''re fighting it."

    All three of them interrupted at the same time, their face full of excitement as they had been waiting for this moment.

    "Very well... Remember, just because I''m here doesn''t mean you can just take risks.

    I''ll block the attack if your guy''s lives are in danger, but this trip will also end when that happens."

    All three nodded in agreement before Katherine crawled into the hole first, letting the other three follow behind this time.

    As Alex followed right behind Katherine, he tried his best to look away, but her thighs were right before him.

    Soon, he could feel his body starting to act up, making it impossible to hide the moment he stepped out of this tunnel.

    After crawling for a bit, they finally reached the end.

    As Katherine jumped down to the floor, she instantly chanted something out loud.

    "Shadowbind!"

    Alex could see the giant room suddenly surrounded by dark elements, with the monster aheadpletely frozen in ce as he jumped down.

    The other two also jumped down, and they were a little confused as to why the giant monster ahead was not moving.

    Much to Alex''s relief, none of them noticed anything different about him as he tried to hide himself a little.

    "You three ready?"

    As soon as the three nodded, all the dark elements vanished, revealing the monster ahead of them.

    It was a giant spider, almost triple their size but still smaller than the slime that they fought.

    Alex immediately rushed forward with his shield raised, with Sophia and Mary already casting their spell.

    With enough space created, he decided to charge forward even more, reaching almost to the spider''s feet.

    Still, despite being so close, Alex didn''t take out his sword, focusing all his attention on the shield instead.

    The giant spider immediately raised its feel and stepped right on top of Alex, only for him to block it with the shield.

    Just as he predicted, the shield was able to block itpletely without even making a dent.

    However, he could feel his arms about to break as he quickly ran back to keep a distance.

    "God damn, this thing hurts," Alex murmured as he finally took out his sword.

    "Watch out!"

    Alex immediately rolled to the side as soon as he heard Sophia''s voice, letting the wind de fly right by him.

    The de cuts right into one of the spider''s legs, causing a small cut wound as blood begins to flow out.

    Alex immediately charged in again, drawing the giant spider''s attention away from the two.

    This time, he didn''t try to limit-test as he moved back just enough to dodge the spider''s leg stab before shing his sword forward.

    Once again, the wooden sword cut the spider''s leg like butter, causing another of its legs to bleed as he ran back again.

    "Alex, stall for a little longer! We''re going to try to finish it in one shot!"

    "Easy for you to say¡ª¡ª"

    Alex quickly rolled to the side as the spider suddenly lunged itself towards him, dodging it just narrowly.

    Just as the spider was about to bite forward with its mouth, Alex raised his shield on top of casting a water barrier.

    He could feel the bone in his left arm almost snap in half as the barrier easily broke and hit the shield, but it was still sessfully blocked.

    Not wasting the opportunity, he stabbed its mouth with his sword before quickly letting his sword go as the spider shrieked in agony.

    With only the shield left, he quickly got back up and began running back toward the two.

    However, just as he reached halfway, he ducked down as a fireball double his size flew toward him.

    A loud bang echoed in the room as it hit the spider in the face, followed by an even louder shriek.

    "Holy shit, this thing is so high-pitched!"

    Alexined as he covered both of his ears. Mary and Sophia were doing the same as the spider kept shrieking its voice.

    Only after it stopped did they finally let go of their ears, being able to examine the giant spider before them.

    A massive part of its body waspletely blown off, with blood flowing all over the floor.

    Still, it was alive, with its eyes full of anger as it started to shoot the web to form a wall.

    Alex didn''t run in this time, opting to stay with them as he only had a shield left in his hand.

    "Brother, you remember the lesson in ss, right?" Sophia asked as both of them had already started casting a spell.

    "Of course I do."

    As he took a step back behind Sophia, just like Mary, he began to transfer his mana over to Sophia.

    This time, arge rock began to form above them, condensing over and over again until it became a small marble ball.

    Then, rapidly, it began to expand in size as fire appeared, all the way until it reached even bigger thanst time.

    "Take this!"

    As Sophia directed the fireball at the spider, it flew through the wall like butter and continued flying towards where the spider was.

    But to their surprise, behind the wall, the spider was covered in its web, almost like a caterpir wrapping itself to be a butterfly.

    "Alex, what should we do? Should we keep throwing spells at it?"

    Sophia asked, seemingly a little lost as their strongest spellbined didn''t make a dent in the web covering the spider.

    "Let''s just wait and catch up with our mana... It has to get out of the web at some point."

    After waiting for a bit, the giant spider finally revealed itself as the web began peeling itself out of the skin.

    "What is this? Why is it so small now?" Alex questioned.

    All three of them were shocked to see that the spider had somehow gone from triple their size to almost the same size as them.

    More importantly, it had a humanoid body with disturbing eight eyes and eight hairy spider legs attached to it.

    "You three, step back. I''ll handle this."

    The three quickly ran behind Katherine just as the spider started to shoot its web into the ceiling, pulling itself up as it rapidly crawled toward them.

    At the same time, they could feel a surge of dark elements all traveling towards Katherine before it all suddenly disappeared.

    Just as Alex blinked once, the spider''s body had dropped onto the floor, with blood spilling all over the ce.

 Chapter 38: The Final Room

    "Remember, level three mages and level three monsters go through one of the biggest changes that makes lower level unbeatable."

    All three of them nodded in agreement as Katherine started burning the spider''s body before a massive gate behind the spider was revealed.

    "You three prepare for thest room?"

    Katherine''s question cheered them up a little from losing their chance to fight the spider boss.

    "What''s behind the gates?" Alex curiously asked as he picked up his sword that had fallen onto the floor.

    "You all will see it when you get there. Are you all ready?" Katherine asked as she put her hand on the button next to the door.

    With a nod, Katherine pressed the button, causing the gate to reveal a long hallway just like the room they were in.

    The room was almost filled with hundreds of skeletons, all with swords and even shields, as the two rooms were now merged.

    More importantly, all of them were alive with blue mes in it''s eye sockets as they looked over at the four of them.

    Alex immediately stepped up in front, showing no fear as Sophia and Mary began casting their spell immediately.

    With Katherine turning invisible, the skeleton''s attention was focused on Alex, who charged in with a wall of light element covering in front of him.

    Almost every skeleton he ran into fell onto the floor before he ran out of mana to keep up the light wall.

    Just as he began to run back, ten orbs of light flew right into the crowds of skeletons, causing massive gaps in the skeleton formations.

    Still, it quickly filled back up after the orb of light ran out of steam, disappearing as more skeletons filled in the gaps.

    "So many skeletons! Alex, do you think we can beat this?" Sophia asked as the two of them started casting another round of spells.

    "Just keep doing it. I''m sure there''s a limit to how many skeletons there are."

    Alex started to get into close-rangebat, with his asional light wall covering spots where his shield couldn''t.

    But he was slowly being forced back, retreating towards the two to avoid being surrounded.

    With more and more orbs of light being shot by Sophia and Mary, the skeleton army finally started to dwindle.

    Soon, they were about to kill half of them as Alex had been pushed all the way back to where Sophia and Mary stood.

    "What do we do now?"

    Mary asked as they were now surrounded by skeletons, with the wall behind their back.

    The only thing holding them was the light barrier they cast, which was starting to crack as the skeleton kept attacking it.

    "We''ll just charge our way out. Cast a barrier on my shield and just follow me."

    Just as the barrier was about to break, Sophia and Mary withdrew their mana from holding it up.

    Alex immediately charged out, holding the shield lit up with light with both hands, and shoved everything aside.

    Fortunately, his gamble paid off as he picked the thinnest part of the skeleton army to break through.

    The three quickly continued running forward until they were at the opposite end of the room.

    With a small break to regenerate their mana, the three of them began casting orbs of light right at the remaining skeleton army.

    By the time the skeleton army reached them, only ten skeletons were remaining.

    "Let me clean this up. I want to try to beat this myself."

    Both of the girls didn''t say anything, but they cast ayer of light over Alex''s body.

    As Alex charged in with his sword and shield, he blocked the right skeleton''s attack while swinging his sword to the right.

    The sh was enough to neutralize one of the skeletons as he jumped backward to dodge the other attacks from the side.

    Next, he makes his next move by running to the side, forcing the skeletons to clump up as he charged in again.

    With a stab, he cuts one of the skeleton''s heads right off before raising his shield to block one of their attacks.

    Alex continued to dance around the skeleton, making asional attacks, using its immobile movement as its weakness.

    "Can you finish already?" Sophiained as she was starting to get a little bored.

    "Fine."

    Alex recklessly charged at thest two, shield mming one of them down before swinging his sword at the other one.

    "Finally, we''re done..."

    Mary murmured as Alex went over to a few of the neutralized skeletons, stabbing them in the head to end their life.

    "Mom, we''re done, right?"

    Sophia asked as she noticed Katherine still nowhere to be seen, as if there was still a fighting up.

    "Mom?"

    Alex and Mary quickly realized something was off as well, as they couldn''t find Katherine anywhere in the room.

    However, before they could say anything else, dark elements suddenly began to cluster in the middle of the merged room.

    "Shit, there''s another boss!"

    Both of the girls immediately moved behind Alex, letting him stand before them as they had already begun casting their spell.

    As the dark element surrounding the center slowly disappeared, a skeleton with full knight armor appeared.

    It held a giant greatsword with both hands, slowly turning its head towards them as the blue me glowed through its helmet.

    "I can definitely not tank that," Alex murmured, already picturing his arm being shattered if he tried to block it.

    Still, Alex stepped forward to create some distance between him and the two girls as he raised his weapon.

    "Come on, swing at me if you dare."

    Alex t-out threw his shield at the skeleton before running to the side, drawing the skeleton''s attention.

    As the skeleton knight began to charge towards him with its greatsword, Alex immediately bolted as fast as he could.

    To his surprise, the skeleton was able to catch up to him despite wearing full armor and wielding a massive sword.

    With no time to think, he took a quick turn as the skeleton swung his sword down onto the floor, creating several cracks in the tiles.

    "Thank god that sword is slow¡ª¡ª"

    Just as Alex was relieved at swinging speed, the knight suddenly raised his sword and swung sideways.

    Alex was forced to raise his sword, sliding across the floor before stopping as he didn''t try to maintain himself in ce.

    "God damn, this thing is strong," Alex murmured as he could still feel his ankles almost broken from sliding so much without falling.

    He could feel his wrist a little hurting as the skeleton raised his sword, getting ready for another round of attacks.

    This time, Alex didn''t try just running away.

    He started casting several rock spells and hurled them right at the skeleton, which dyed several of the attacks.

    It was just enough time for Alex to dodge the verticle and the horizontal sh as he started rolling around.

    Soon, he realized he could force the skeleton to swing awkward angles as he rolled closer, allowing him even asionally to stab at the knight.

    Even though it couldn''t scratch the armor, he was still doing it to keep the knight''s attention.

    "What''s taking you all so long?" Alex asked, starting to feel tired from trying to stall for so long.

    "Just a few more seconds. We''re trying to make a big one!"

    As Alex turned for a split second, he was shocked to see a massive orb of light the size of four times the skeleton knight being cast.

    Knowing the n, Alex immediately withdraws from being so close to the skeleton.

    Running at full speed, he lunges towards the two, falling onto the floor t as they finally finish casting the orb of lights.

    The skeleton knight seems to notice the magic as it charges right at them at full speed, getting ready to block it with his sword.

    "Take this!"

    With a blinding bang, both girls were forced to cover their eyes as the orbs of light hit the skeleton light.

    By the time the light disappeared, the skeleton knight had vanished, with the only thing remaining being its great sword.

    As Alex stood back up, the great sword evaporated into small particles, and the room was now finally in peace.

    "God damn, that felt so scary...'' Alex murmured as he still couldn''t believe he managed to stall for that long.

    He could still feel his heart pumping like crazy, unable to calm down at all as his hand kept shaking.

    "That thing looks even more intimidating than the spider."

    Sophiamented, still feeling a little scared after seeing the skeleton knight making a desperate charge at thest second.

    "Mom! Are we done yet?" Mary impatiently asked, starting to regret exploring the dungeon.

    "Yep, you guys are done! That was thest boss of this dungeon."

    Katherine finally appeared from the shadow as she began walking towards them, pping and looking a little proud.

    "Mom, was that a level two mob?" Alex curiously asked.

 Chapter 39: Mysterious Chest

    "Yep, it was only a level two mob. Alex, you did a perfect job. I never knew you were that good with a sword."

    As Katherineplimented, she gently started patting Alex''s head before turning over to the two.

    "You two did a good job, too. That orb of light was impressive for only a level one mage."

    After gently patting both girls'' heads as well, she finally led the three of them back to the end of the dungeon.

    To the kid''s surprise, a chest had appeared when it wasn''t there when they ran to the end earlier.

    "Wait, don''t open it yet... I don''t remember there ever being a chest at the end here."

    All three of them stopped just as they were about to open it.

    They remember what Katherine said right before they entered the dungeon, with something abnormal about the dungeon.

    As Katherine slowly walked up, she began casting some sort of spell, trying to scan what was inside with her mana.

    "Huh... I can''t scan what is inside."

    Katherine signaled the three to take a few steps back as she moved back away from the chest as well.

    With a small little chant by Katherine, a shadow figure suddenly appeared out of thin air, opening the chest for them.

    "Shit! Don''t breathe in the air!"

    A pinkish smoke beganing out of the chest as all three of them quickly held their breath.

    But it was far toote as all three of them fell unconscious, with Katherine the only one standing still.

    "What the hell is that smoke? Why do I want to go to sleep so bad?"

    Katherine wondered as she immediately checked all three of them, only to find their pulses still normal.

    It was some sort of drowsiness inducer, as they clearly were asleep peacefully, with Katherine trying her best to stay awake.

    As she headed over to the chest to check it herself, she was surprised to find a book sitting inside.

    Taking it out, the chest disappeared along with the smoke as she read the front cover of it.

    Once again, to her surprise, she couldn''t understand a single word of the book at all.

    However, she could recognize it enough that it was clearly some sort of writtennguage that had a meaning.

    As she flipped past the first page, it was more unknown words with hand-drawn pictures next to it.

    "Why would someone put this kind of stuff inside a book?"

    Katherine''s face blushed as the picture was of a woman having sex with a man, with the next several pages all in different positions.

    Not wanting to see more of it, she flipped to thest page of the book, only to find it nk.

    However, suddenly, her face appeared on the page, scaring her as she dropped the book onto the floor.

    "What the fuck was that?"

    As Katherine picked the book back up, she opened up the first few pages again, only to find something even more shocking.

    The entire book was now nk inside, with the only thing inside being a hand-drawn picture of her on thest page.

    "What is this cursed book?" Katherine murmured as she tried to put it into her dimensional pocket, only to find it to be blocked.

    Scanning the book with her mana, she could feel some sort of live force inside the book.

    "This thing is alive?" Katherine murmured as she quickly put the book onto the floor.

    Despite throwing all kinds of magic at it, no scratch was made, even when she raised it all the way to a level five spell.

    "Weird..." Katherine murmured as she picked it back up before putting it away in her backpack.

    As she turned her attention toward the three sleeping on the ground, her eyelids started to get heavier and heavier.

    "Wake up! Stop sleeping on the floor."

    Katherine yelled as she pped each of their faces, but none of them showed any sign of waking up.

    Resisting the urge to fall asleep herself, she gathered the three of them before a shroud of dark elements covered them.

    When the elements disappeared, all four of them were back at the entrance of the dungeon, with all three of the kids still unconscious.

    Slowly, she carried all three of them into her arms before bringing them inside the tent.

    With thest bit of energy, she drops them onto the bed before falling asleep herself.

    ---

    When Alex woke up, he was a little shocked to find himself in bed.

    But more importantly, he could feel his body feeling a little different, almost as if he had gone through some sort of surgery.

    As he sat up from the bed and examined his body, he could see all sorts of dead skins covering his body.

    When he ran his hand over his arm, he was able to remove a handful, revealing a pale skin underneath.

    Slowly, he reached over to his face, only to find it to be full of dead skins as well.

    "Yucks, what the fuck happened? Why is this all over me?"

    Alex''s voice woke Sophia as she slowly opened her eyes, only for her brain tog for a second as she looked over to Alex.

    "Hm? Ah! W-Who the hell are you?"

    Sophia panicked as the person sitting up on the bed was covered in grey skin.

    "I''m Alex... Sophia, take a look at yourself."

    As Sophia looked down at her arms, she realized she was in the same situation as Alex.

    "Hm? What are you guys on about?"

    As Mary woke up from the bed, she slowly opened her eyes before her brain froze for a second.

    "W-Who are you guys?" Mary nervously asked as she instantly moved back away from the two.

    "It''s me, Alex. It''s just dead skin on my body. Calm down, Mary, just take a look at yourself."

    Slowly, Mary turned her attention to herself, only to find the same stuff as well.

    "W-Why is this on my skin?"

    Mary panicked as she tried to scrub all of it off, only to find it even more disgusting now that her hands were full of it.

    "I got no clue... Do you guys remember what happened after the chest opened?"

    Alex asked as he stopped bothering trying to remove it with his hand.

    Both of the girls shook their heads until Katherine finally woke up from her sleep on the bed.

    "Hm? A-Alex?"

    Katherine seemed a little shocked. She couldn''t recognize Alex at all if it weren''t for his voice.

    "Mom, what happened inside the dungeon? Do you know what happened to our body?"

    Katherine thought for a second before suddenly sting a stream of water at all three of them.

    As she looked down at her hand, she realized she had the same issue, which caused her to st a stream of water at herself as well.

    The dead skins were now mostly washed off, with a little bit remaining in ce.

    "Sorry, I just couldn''t look at you guys'' faces... You guys fell asleep after the chest was opened.

    I managed to teleport us back to the camp before falling asleep on the bed as well."

    As all three of the kids began to realize it had to do with something regarding the smoke, Katherine got up from the bed.

    "Ahem, we all need to go take a shower now. Come on, get up from the bed."

    All three of them quickly snapped out of their thoughts as they followed Katherine outside of the tent.

    The sun was already setting on the horizon, with the moon rising in the sky already.

    "Take off your clothes, and I''ll pour water at you guys."

    They all quickly took off their clothes, revealing the dead skins that were underneath the whole time.

    With no hesitation, Katherine began casting a ball of water above them, letting it drop down as it broke apart in contact.

    After repeating it several times, their bodies were mostly clean, with only a few remaining spots that stuck.

    Katherine quickly removed her clothes, doing the same thing to remove the dead skin from her body.

    Unsatisfied with the small particles that remained on their body, she pulled out the bathtub again and filled it with hot water.

    "Come on, get inside."

    All three of them quickly followed before Katherine pulled something out of her pocket dimension.

    It was a bar of soap simr to the one they used back at home, but it instantly dissolved when she put it in water.

    Within seconds, all four of them could feel the water rapidly turning from hot to cold.

    At the same time, they could feel their skins being pinched, almost as if it was inside some sort of acid.

    "Don''t move. It''s just a cleaning inducer. It won''t hurt your skin," Katherine reassured herself as she submerged herself.

    All three quickly copied, submerging themselves underneath the water as the water began cleaning their faces and hair.

    After a while, the temperature of the water suddenly began rapidly climbing again.

 Chapter 40: Growth and Return

    The dead skins and dirt on the topyer of the water started evaporating along with the steam until the water was back to being warm.

    As the four of them emerged from the water, they were a bit stunned by how they looked.

    Katherine''s skin was perfectly smooth, with the wrinkles gone and her face giving off a warm gesture.

    Her voluptuous body and towering height added to an overwhelming motherly feeling to anyone who met her.

    Meanwhile, Sophia looked like a perfectly crafted doll without any ws, her small, petite body being the only outlier.

    But there was no question that it was only a matter of time before she caught up, as she looked just like a younger version of Katherine.

    Still, Sophia''s facial details were sharply contrasted, as she was much more energetic and sharp than Katherine''s warm and soft look.

    Next, Mary went through the least amount of changepared to the other two.

    She was just as cute as ever, with her body barely showing any signs of growth yet besides a small little bump on her chest.

    The only significant change was her skin, which looked even more clear than before.

    At the same time, her hair seemed to be longer than before. At least, that is what the three felt like from looking at her.

    Lastly, Alex was thest one they turned their attention to.

    His face was still the same as before, with a sharp yet feminine look that could easily pass off as a girl.

    It was much closer to Sophia, albeit without the energetic part, as he looked more calm and collected.

    Alex''s body, however, went through a drastic change that shocked all three of the girls.

    The muscle that had been developing had mostly vanished, with the body appearing much more feminine than before.

    His body was bing much more like Sophia''s, being a petite version of Katherine.

    Yet, there was one outlier that made his body look like the opposite of being feminine.

    "A-Alex, your penis..." Katherine pointed out as the other two still looked a little stunned.

    As he looked down, he was shocked to find his cock had grown much bigger than before.

    It had gone from being an erect, small little pinky all the way to almost twice his index finger.

    Not to mention, he still had plenty of time to grow, as his body had yet to finish maturing.

    "I..."

    "Ahem, let''s get out of the shower now."

    All three of the kids quickly agreed as they followed Katherine out of the bathtub and back into the tent.

    As everyone put on a new pair of clothes, Alex was once again met with the dilemma he now faced.

    In the end, he still chose to put them on, with the legging and the skirt together, before putting on a button shirt.

    "Alex looks like a girl so much now..." Mary murmured, with Sophia nodding in agreement.

    "Stop making fun of your brother. You three pack everything up. We''re going to head back early."

    Katherine intervened, with Alex looking over to Katherine with gratitude as his face blushes red.

    At the same time, she couldn''t help but feel the same way as well, especially with his grateful look.

    After all three quickly grabbed their backpacks and stepped out of the tent, Katherine gathered everything back into her pocket dimension.

    ---

    Chanting some sort of magic, a cloud of dark elements began to surround the four of them until they couldn''t see anything outside.

    By the time the dark elements disappeared, they were already back home, standing in the living room.

    "Ahem, I''m going back to sleep early today. If you guys are hungry, just heat something from the freezer."

    As Katherine headed back into her room to sleep again, the three of them also returned to their rooms.

    Lying on the bed with their eyes closed, all three of them couldn''t fall asleep, as their hearts were still racing.

    "Alex, Mary, you asleep yet?" Sophia quietly asked.

    "No..." Both of them replied at the same time.

    "How about we go outside for a walk? I can''t fall asleep right now." Sophia suggested.

    Both of them considered it for a second, then decided to get up from the bed before following Sophia out of the room.

    After going to the storage room, they exited through the back entrance and arrived at the house''s backyard.

    As they walked down the path, the moon was already high in the sky, giving them a little peace of calm as the gentle wind blew past them.

    "Hey, Alex... Why do you want to be a guy so badly?" Sophia suddenly asked out of nowhere.

    Alex hesitated for a second as they all came to a stop but resumed as he responded with an unsatisfying answer.

    "I just always thought of myself as a guy."

    "But you can be my sister instead... It''s only going to be a matter of time before your body bes too feminine to be a man."

    After a short silence, Alex spoke up again.

    "It just feels wrong, okay? My heart tells me I''m a man, and I''m not going to change that no matter what."

    "Even when your hair grows long, and your chest bes bigger and bigger?" Mary suddenly chimed in.

    "I... I''ll find a way to hide it."

    "I don''t think you can really hide that. Have you not noticed? Your muscle and facial hair are non-existent.

    Your voice and everything about you looked feminine. Even the clothes you''re wearing perfectly fit you."

    Mary''s argument made Alex fall into silence again. He wanted to argue back but had nothing to say.

    Eventually, he came up with hisst reason.

    "I still have time. It''s going to develop sooner orter."

    Both girls fell into silence this time, as only time could tell what was going to unfold for their brother.

    "Besides, what kind of woman has a cock..." Alex murmured thest part to himself as both of the girls blushed.

    "We still think of you as a sister if you wanted to be it one day... But if you wanted to be our brother, we''ll see you as a brother."

    Sophia''s statement and Mary''s support made Alex''s heart race a little as he looked at the two with gratefulness.

    "Thanks..."

    ---

    The next day...

    When the three of them were woken up, Katherine was in their room, flipping their nket over.

    "Stop sleeping, you piggies. It''s already eight o''clock." Katherine yelled as all three of them slowly sat up from the bed.

    "Isn''t it only Sunday?" Alex yawned.

    "You wish. We somehow slept through an entire day after the dungeon already.

    Get up. You three need to get to school right now¡ª¡ª"

    "What? Didn''t we go to bed on a Saturday?" Sophia questioned as she looked a little confused as well.

    "No, you guys went to bed on a Sunday night. We slept for an entire day in the tent on Friday and then Saturday after we opened the chest.

    When we took the shower, it was already Sunday night. Now get up and go eat breakfast¡ª¡ª"

    "But we have a three-day weekend, no?"

    Mary''s point suddenly made Katherine freeze for a second before she facepalmed herself.

    "Oh, right... Um, get up and eat the breakfast anyway. You guys had been sleeping too much."

    As Katherine left the room to wait in the kitchen, the three of them went to the restroom to freshen up.

    After cleaning themselves, the three of them finally headed over to the kitchen to eat breakfast.

    "What do you guys want to do today?" Katherine asked as the three of them began eating the noodles.

    "Arena."

    Seeing the same response from them, Katherine didn''t bother to stop them as they drank the milk before finishing up the noodles.

    "Bye, Mom!"

    "Bye! Don''t be sote, okay!"

    With the house all to herself, Katherine headed back inside, passing the living room and into the hallway.

    As she stood in front of the two-bedroom of the house, she started to consider modifying it.

    It was only a matter of time before they wanted their room for some privacy, even though they said they didn''t care about it.

    She could notice a small awkwardness increasinglymon between the two girls and Alex every time they took a shower together.

    Especially after what she saw in the morning when she woke them up, with the nket forming a small little tent.

    It was clear Alex could not sleep with the other two together any longer, as her rational mind had finally realized the situation.

    "I should just give each of them a room. If I make this room a little smaller, then cut the storage room in half for space..."

    As Katherine began calcting, she was able to fit two brand-new rooms that were still linked to the bedroom hallway.

    To make space for it, she simply had to cut the tail of the storage room into a rectangle rather than an L shape.

 Chapter 41: New rooms and Rapid Progress

    When the three of them returned from the meditation ce, it was already five in the afternoon.

    "Wee back. How''s your meditation today?" Katherine asked as she opened the door for the three of them.

    "It went okay... Mom, what''s up with construction material outside?" Sophia curiously asked.

    "Oh, it''s just stuff that needs to be movedter. Anyway, I finally made new rooms for you guys."

    "New rooms?" Alex asked in confusion, with the other two just as confused.

    "Yep, bedroom all to yourself. You guys don''t have to squish together on the same bed now."

    "Oh..."

    Mary seemed a little disappointed, but Alex let out a sigh of relief inside his head.

    He had wanted his room for a long time, wanting to create space between himself and the other two ever since his body started developing.

    "How many rooms are there?" Sophia asked.

    "Two extra rooms for Sophia and Mary. Alex will be sleeping alone in the original room now¡ª¡ª"

    "B-But I want to sleep with brother and sister!"

    Mary interrupted as she had gotten used to being next to the two of them on the bed.

    "Too bad. You have to learn to be on your own. You can''t always be dependent on your sibling."

    As the three followed Katherine into the hallway, they were a little shocked at howpletely both of the rooms were.

    The walls were already painted, and inside, there was a single drawer, a double bed, a desk, and a chair.

    Even the original room underwent an overhaul, with all three rooms now in the same proportion.

    "Mom, how did this happen in like less than a day? Did we skip a day in the meditation room?" Alex curiously asked.

    "No, you silly. There''s a constructionpany that uses magic to build stuff. It''s obviously going to be fast.

    Anyway, I''m going to cook dinner now... And don''t take a shower together anymore."

    Katherine left the room before she exined why she said thest part, leaving Mary a little confused.

    But Alex and Sophia both knew what she was trying to imply, especially after she gave them their private rooms.

    "Alex, Sophia, why can''t we take a shower together anymore?" Mary irritably asked.

    "Because we are grown up now... Mary, we can still take a shower together, okay?

    Alex, can you take a shower next? We''ll take only a shower inside."

    With a nod, both of them headed over to the bathroom, and Alex sat down in his very own bedroom.

    "This is what I wanted, right?" Alex murmured to himself as he looked down at his hand.

    He could feel a little bit of regret inside his heart, but he knew it was the right choice or the only choice he had.

    "Come on, don''t be silly. It''s only a matter of time before this happens. You said you wanted to be a man...

    Now you want to be with them? Stop being a sick pervert. They are your sisters, and they are not even developed yet."

    After a short confide in himself, Alex''s mind seemed much more clear as he felt a new insight in his head.

    ---

    After the Monday holiday passed, the three kids were now back to school again.

    Katherine also finally gave Sophia an extra copy of the house key, letting her open the door as she started leaving the house.

    When one of them curiously asked where she was going, the only response she gave was that she was going to her ssmates.

    Yet, every time they tried to follow her in secret, it ended in a bust as she simply teleported out into a dead-end alleyway.

    Still, they didn''t think too much about it, as they had a bigger fish to fry on their table.

    The three of them had been dedicating most of their time to improving mana skill, with Sophia and her friends already beaten arena level three.

    Only Alex and Camille were stuck, unable to progress any further as they bothcked the damage to burst the golem down.

    However, just as another month was about to end, the two of them finally beat it a day apart.

    Over the next two months, Alex and Camille will spend more time together, meditating and ying catch-up against Sophia and her friends.

    The two became much closer friends as they frequently visited the arena to fight the level three together.

    They both learned about each other''s struggle to gain mana, with Camille''s mana struggle being her non-human elements.

    Her half-bunny and half-human gave her an agile and strong body that is clearly more fitting for a knight role.

    When Alex finally decides to ask why she is trying to be a mage, she simply hits him with the same question.

    Alex told her his dream of being a wizard, only to find Camille had the same dream, albeit the dream for her entire tribe.

    The pressure for her to perform was much greater than Alex initially expected, as she was the only one who could direct mana outward.

    This was also when he finally learned her half-bunny race has always used mana as a buff, both figuratively and literally.

    She cast one buff spell on Alex, which made him feel his body full of energy. He punched almost twice as hard as before.

    It made Alex even more curious as she told him that her tribe had its way of gaining magic through literal fighting.

    When asked why she didn''t continue, she didn''t answer right away.

    But one day, Camille decided to tell him that her tribe''s highest mana was a level six mage equivalent, indicating there was a cap.

    Now, it became clear that she was trying to bypass this barrier by learning spell magic and their way of learning mana through meditation.

    As time passed, the two finally caught up with Sophia and her group as they beat the level four arena.

    They were now on thest level of the arena for level one mages, with a boss fight that could cast magic of its own.

    All five of them couldn''t even make a scratch to the boss, with Camille and Alex performing even worse by not even reaching it.

    Still, Alex was satisfied with his progress as he was once again on the same level as the rest of the group.

    With the year sooning to an end, the seven of them were sitting at the back of the ss.

    ---

    "Sophia, what are you guys doing for the winter break?" Evelyn curiously asked.

    "Going back to our grandparent''s house. Where are you guys going?"

    "Luna and I are going back home up in the north in Regina with our parents."

    "How about Chloe and Camille?" Sophia curiously asked as their attention turned towards the two.

    "I''m going back home as well."

    "Same."

    Sophia didn''t push the topic any further, seeing that both of them didn''t want to mention the city''s name.

    "Well, it''s nice seeing you all. Hope to see each other again after the break."

    "You too!"

    Sophia and Mary hugged each of them before Alex waved goodbye as the three of them left the school building.

    As they began heading back home, the sun was still setting on the horizon behind them.

    "Can''t believe half of the school year flew by like that..." Mary murmured after the winter break was the 2nd half of the semester.

    "Well, we did miss the first three months of school. It''s going to feel shorter for us."

    Sophia pointed this out as they walked down the streets with their backpacks full of stuff inside.

    "Still. Who would have thought that we would be living in the capital and going to school?

    We were still living in a small vige just a few months ago. And now we''re mages being able to cast all kinds of spells."

    "Don''t get ahead of yourself. We''re only mage level one." Alex chimed in, ruining Mary''s happy mood a little.

    "Yeah, yeah, whatever. It''s only a matter of time we''re going to reach mage level two."

    Alex fell into silence for a second, but he spoke up again as if he didn''t really mind it.

    A few minutester...

    When they returned home, Sophia knocked on the door before pulling out her key to open it.

    As they expected, Katherine wasn''t home. But what caught them off guard was the person sitting at the table.

    "Miss Amelia?" Sophia nervously asked as they weren''t sure who the person behind the robe was.

    "it''s auntie Amelia. How were your sses today?"

    Amelia finally lowered her robe and excitedly walked over to the three of them before hugging them.

    "Great. Miss Amy had taught us a lot of stuff." Alex replied, with the other two in the opposite mood.

    "She gave us so much homework!" Maryined as her shoulders hurt while she was carrying it.

    "Yeah, our backpack is full of it." Sophia pointed out as they dropped their backpack onto the rack.

    "I''m sure she has her ideas... Anyway, just to make sure, today is yourst day, right?"

 Chapter 42: Winter Break Visits

    "Yeah,st day before our one-month winter break," Sophia confirmed.

    "Great. You all pack up your suitcases, okay? You guys don''t need me to help, right?"

    "Yeah!"

    All three of them excitedly rushed back to their room, getting ready to pack their stuff as if they had been waiting to leave the house.

    After waiting for a bit, all three of them came out with their suitcases ready.

    "Where is mom?" Alex raised his concern as they brought their suitcases and backpacks with them.

    "She''s already at your grandparent''s house doing something. I''m here to bring you guys there instead."

    None of them doubted Amelia''s word.

    They took her words at face value as she began casting teleportation magic.

    In the blink of an eye, they vanished from the living room, reappearing in a dark room.

    But as they blinked again, the darkness disappeared, and they were now in some sort of castle with the snow outside.

    It was clearly not the same castle-like mansion as the one their grandparents were in back in the capital.

    "Auntie Amelia, where are we at?" Alex curiously asked as the window outside was still snowing.

    "We''re in Regina. Don''t you know your grandparent is the Duke of Regina?" Amelia replied, looking back at the three with a confused face.

    "Mom never told us about our grandparents that much," Sophia replied this time.

    "Make sense... Ahem, anyway, you guys are going to get used toing here every winter."

    "Why?" Mary curiously asked.

    "Because it''s one of the most crucial things that makes all mages want toe here during the winter.

    Even the emperor himselfes here once in a while to pay tribute to her."

    Amelia vaguely exined as she grabbed all three of their suitcases and backpacks before putting them into her pocket dimension.

    "Who''s her? Why make this ce so special?" Sophia asked in curiosity, as they looked just as confused as earlier.

    "You guys really don''t know? She''s the empire''s grand archmage... She''s also your great great great grandma something.

    I lost count at this point. But it really doesn''t matter since none of us probably get to see her at all anyway."

    All three of them looked in shock, as the grand archmage was mage level 9, the highest level ever recorded in the textbook.

    There were only a few people in the world that were mage level 8 reaching archmage, with less than a handful that were mage level 9.

    "Anyway, it''s a good thing you guys learn it now so you won''t embarrass yourself when the timees."

    "What time?" Sophia curiously asked.

    "You''ll learn it soon."

    As Amelia pushed the wooden door open, they were right on top of a castle wall, with endless buildings stretching past the horizon.

    Turning around was an even taller castle, as they were only at the outeryer of the building.

    "I never knew our family was that important," Alex murmured, still in shock at his surroundings.

    "Yeah. And guess what? You''re the only inheritance to this whole thing. So you better level up your mage skill, or else it will be really embarrassing."

    "Wait, me?"

    Alex froze in ce for a second as they arrived at the bottom of the staircase to the ground.

    "ording to Regina''s Duke inheritancew, males have priority over females... Unless all the males are dead."

    As they resumed walking back to the castle, Sophia and Mary didn''t look to be jealous of it at all.

    Meanwhile, Alex suddenly felt a chill down his spine as if he had just be some sort of major target.

    "Can I not take it? I don''t really want to be a duke. That seems like so much responsibility." Alex pleaded.

    "Don''t tell me that. Go tell your grandpa about it and see how he would react."

    Alex instantly fell into silence as he still really hadn''t gotten to know how his grandpa that much.

    After walking for a bit, they finally arrived at the actual living quarters.

    "You know, Alex, I''m surprised Kate gave birth to you. I''m not saying you shouldn''t exist.

    But our family bloodline is cursed with 99% females. You and your grandpa have been the only males for the past two hundred years."

    Hearing Amelia''s sudden mention, Alex didn''t look relieved at all. Instead, he felt even more nervous.

    He knew he wasn''t as ''manly'' as his grandpa Fredrick, who had a full mustache that almost looked like those old-fashioned European nobility.

    "Wee back, Miss Amelia."

    Rows of maids bowed down before them as the guards standing by opened the door.

    "Luqing, can you bring them over to their rooms? They are my nieces and nephew."

    As soon as Amelia mentioned thest part, all of the guards and the maids looked shocked.

    Their eyes were glowing as if they were looking at some sort of treasure, and they stared right at the kids'' faces.

    "Here''s your luggage back. And don''t forget to bring them back to the living room after they settle down."

    "Yes, ma''am."

    Two of the maids quickly stepped up to grab the backpack and suitcases, with an older-looking one grabbing Alex''s luggage.

    However, Alex was a little shocked to see that the more mature-looking maid Amelia called on looked very different from everyone else.

    Her skin color and hairstyle reminded him of someone from the East back on Earth, almost simr to those Japanese maids he once read.

    "Have their bedroom be next to each other... Actually, just bring them to Katherine''s old bedroom section."

    "Yes, ma''am."

    "You three go follow them, okay? I''ll bring your mom to the living room to see you guys."

    The three nodded in agreement as Amelia headed back outside, vanishing at the doorway as the three turned back around.

    "Misses and Mister, how may we call you?" The senior maids asked.

    "Just call me Sophia. He''s Alex, and she''s Mary."

    As soon as Sophia said the word ''he,'' almost all the guards'' attention turned towards Alex.

    Even the maids that were standing by the doorway were looking at him as if they wanted to be the ones guiding him.

    "Very well. Nice to meet you, Miss Sophia, Mr.Alex, and Miss Mary. I''m Luqing."

    I''m the head maid of this castle. I had been working under Lord Fredrick for over twenty years."

    "Miss Luqing, can I ask why you look so different? I''m sorry if this is a little rude."

    Mary asked as she was just too curious to see someone who looked so different from everyone else.

    "Please don''t call me Miss Luqing. I''m just a maid...Lord Fredrick saved me when I was being trafficked from the East to the capital.

    Ever since then, I have been serving under him as a thank you for saving me," Luqing exined.

    "I see..."

    As they followed Luqing around the mansion, they started to realize how big the ce was.

    It was almost like endless hallways, with rooms on top of rooms and multiple living rooms.

    There was even an indoor park with a ss panel ceiling blocking the snow from the outside.

    Yet, the more surprising part was the fact that they were only on the first floor, with the building having at least two floors looking from the outside.

    After walking for a bit, they finally arrived at a hallway that had six doors indicating a room behind it.

    As the other two maids guided Sophia and Mary to the third and fourth rooms, Luqing guided Alex to the second room.

    "Who sleeps in the first room?" Alex asked, just wanting to confirm his theories from earlier.

    "Miss Katherine... Sorry to ask this, but is your mom Miss Katherine?" Luqing asked with a little nervousness in her voice.

    As soon as Alex nodded in agreement, Luqing seemed a little excited before calming back down.

    "You know my mom?" Alex curiously asked.

    "Miss Katherine and I used to be good friends..." Luqing exined as she started to zone out a little before snapping back.

    "I see... Ahem, I can unpack myself. Can you wait outside for a bit? I''lle out after I finish unpacking."

    Luqing didn''t question his order as she stepped out of the room and closed the door.

    "Shit... They''re going to find out sooner orter. How can I hide this?"

    Alex started to panic internally as he could see all of them putting him up on a pedestal because he was a ''male.''

    Yet, he still had two pairs of leggings and skirts that Sophia didn''t want back after the prank she did.

    On top of the pad and panties for the uing period and his bra that he still hasn''t started wearing yet, it was building up to be a disaster.

    "I can''t tell them this... But why didn''t Mom ever tell me about this?"

    Alex crosses out the idea of confession, as the only people who know about his condition are his mom and his two sisters.

 Chapter 43: Bloodline Curses

    "Whatever, I guess I just deal with it as it goes."

    After putting away his clothes in the drawer, he put the female stuff in the suitcase before looking for a corner in the room.

    As Alex began looking around, he was a little stunned by how big the room was.

    Even though he was on the first floor, he could see the houses of the city in the distance, with the castle wall right below him.

    It had been snowing outside for a bit, and a cold breeze hit him in the face when he opened the window.

    Closing it, he turned back inside, continuing to explore the massive bedroom he was in.

    There was a bed big enough to fit six people side by side, with enough space for their arms to wrap around rather than be squished together.

    The bed itself is also extremely fancy, made of some expensive wood that has a mysterious pattern to it.

    Besides the bed, the wall had four different drawers and two wardrobes for him to put his jacket on.

    There was also a full-body mirror next to it, with a desk and chair on the other side of the wall.

    "Crap. I don''t have any winter clothes..." Alex suddenly realized that he had always lived somewhere that had never snowed.

    "I probably need to ask for it."

    After looking for a bit, Alex finally found a perfect spot to put his suitcase in.

    It was a corner next to the wardrobe that hid the suitcase from in sight, yet not weird enough to cause someone to wonder when they saw it.

    After finishing exploring, Alex finally headed out of the room, only to find Sophia and Mary had been waiting outside next to the maids.

    "What took you so long?" Sophia curiously asked.

    "Just putting my clothes away. Anyway, let''s go to the living room where Amelia was talking.

    Miss¡ª¡ªAhem, Luqing, can you guide us there?"

    Alex changed his wording at thest second as he could see Luqing''s face changing for a second when he addressed her as Miss.

    "Of course, Mr.Alex."

    As the three of them followed Luqing down the hall, he was once again shocked by how long it took to walk to the other side of the house.

    As they finally arrived in the living room Amelia had mentioned, it almost felt like walking through a maze.

    "Oh, would you look at that? Speaking of the devil, our grandkids are here."

    Fredrick was sitting in his seat, drinking some sort of tea, as Ava sat next to him.

    "Don''t call our grandkids like that," Ava argued, looking a little angry at Fredrick''s words.

    "It''s just a saying... Ahem, how do you three feel about this ce?" Fredrick asked as he turned his attention to the three.

    "The ce is very big! It looks very fancy, too! It''s a lot bigger than the one in the capital."

    Mary excitedly replied as all three of them took a seat on the other sofa on Ava''s right.

    "Of course, it has to be big. This ce used to house over a hundred people¡ª¡ª"

    Before Fredrick could finish, he suddenly started coughing a little before finishing up.

    "But now it just feels awfully empty... Only me and your grandma are the only ones left in this house."

    "What happened?" Sophia asked curiously, looking a little intrigued by Fredrick''s nostalgic face.

    "They all¡ª¡ª"

    "Fredrick! Do we really have to talk about this kind of stuff as soon as we meet our grandkid?"

    Ava interrupted, looking a little unhappy at the topic''s direction.

    "It''s better for them to know it now. I don''t want to see them trying to scramble for a cure.

    Their mom probably hid this from them. I''m not going to sugarcoat something we all faced."

    Ava fell into silence, not speaking up as Fredrick turned his attention back to the three.

    "What cure?" Alex asked, looking a little intrigued.

    "Do you guys know family bloodline is cursed with having mostly female, right?"

    All three of them nodded in agreement, as they just heard it from Amelia earlier.

    "Another thing about our bloodline is that no one had ever lived past the age of 100."

    As soon as Fredrick mentioned it, all three of the kids were a little stunned by the information.

    "But how about our great great great grandma?" Mary pointed out.

    "She''s an outlier. She had broken the curse herself, but none of us had ever broken it."

    "So we have to reach Grand Archmage by the age of 100?" Alex asked, his heart racing after hearing the deadline.

    "Not exact. Just Archmage is enough... But there hasn''t been an archmage in our family for centuries now."

    All three of the kids could feel the pressure, as Archmage was still a level 8 mage, which was still way beyond what they had ever dreamed of.

    "Grandpa... Can I ask how old are you?" Sophia curiously asked as she began to realize something.

    "Me? I have two more years before I''m going to kick the bucket."

    Hearing a man who was about to die saying it out loud so casually, the three of them didn''t know how to react.

    They weren''t on the verge of tears for someone that they had only met twice.

    Yet, they still feel sad, knowing that their grandpa was about to be gone when they just met him.

    "Hey, don''t be sad like this. I still have two more years left in me. That''s enough for me to pass everything to you, Alex."

    "Me?"

    "Yes, you. You''re the only one that I can pass this Duke title without losing it to a random Count."

    As the room fell into silence, Alex hesitated, thinking back to what he had said to Amelia earlier.

    "Grandpa, I don''t want this Duke title. Can you give it to my mom or auntie instead?"

    Alex finally decided to pursue his request, as he didn''t want to inherit something so big in less than two years.

    "You sure? Being a Duke means you have the resources of an entire city to help you be an Archmage."

    Fredrick''s temptation made Alex swing a little, but he still shook his head.

    "I don''t need it. Mom and Auntie Amelia need it more than me." Alex argued.

    Suddenly, Fredrick and Ava let out a chuckle before looking back at him, which confused Alex a bit.

    "Look, I was right. I knew he was going to say to give it to someone else." Ava smiled.

    "You won... Ahem, Alex, are you sure you want to give it up? Once you say so, you can''t change it."

    With a nod, Fredrick took Alex''s word as confirmation.

    "Very well. But unfortunately, you have to tell the Guardian about this. Not me."

    "The Guardian?" Sophia curiously asked this time.

    "Our great ancestor... The only Grand Archmage of our family."

    All three immediately realized Fredrick was talking about the great great great grandma that Amelia mentioned earlier.

    "I''ll tell her that when I meet her... Grandpa, can I ask how old mom is?"

    Alex curiously asked, realizing why Katherine had never told them her age on every birthday they had celebrated.

    "She''s... Ava, do you remember how old she is again?"

    "Kate is 30 years old right now... But her birthday ising up in February."

    Hearing Ava''s answer, all three of the kids were relieved, knowing they still had plenty of time with her.

    "Ahem, enough of this talk. There''s no need to worry about any of this any time soon.

    How was your guy''s school experience so far? Did you guys make any friends in school?"

    Ava forcefully changed the topic, not letting Fredrick talk about it any further.

    "It''s great! Sophia and I made a lot of friends in school!" Mary excitedly replied.

    "That''s good to hear... What do you guys want to do over the winter break?"

    "We still have to finish our winter break homework first." Sophia interrupted Mary from replying.

    "Oh, really. What kind of homework is it?" Ava asked, looking a little intrigued.

    "It''s a multiple choice knowledge test and an experiment we have toplete."

    "Ooo, what kind of experiment is it?"

    "We need toe up with a unique way of using a spell. Like fire element and stone elementbined to make a fireball."

    "Aren''t you guys only mage level one, right? That seems a little hard for a beginner." Fredrick suddenly chimed in.

    "Yeah, but it''s extra credits, so it''s more of an optional winter break homework," Sophia exined.

    "I see... Well, if you guys need help, we are more than happy to do so¡ª¡ª"

    As soon as Ava finished talking, the door to the living room swung open.

    "Mom!"

    The three of them excitedly ran over to Katherine before being pushed back by her.

    "Don''t hug me yet. I need to take a shower first... Fredrick, I did the thing you wanted."

    Katherine stated, her warm face disappearing as soon as she turned towards him.

 Chapter 44: The Shining Beacon of the North

    "Thank you¡ª¡ª"

    Before Frederick finished talking, Katherine had already turned around and left the room.

    The atmosphere became awkward again as the crack between the two reared its ugly head again.

    "Ahem, Luqing, can you give them a tour of the city? I''m sure they will enjoy the view at night.

    Also, bring them to eat outside today. Fredrick and I have to do something." Ava requested.

    "Yes, mydy."

    As Luqing walked up to the three of them, they didn''t say anything besides follow her out of the living room.

    ---

    "Luqing, where are we going?" Sophia curiously asked as they began heading inward rather than towards the exit.

    "This is the first time you guys came to Regina, right?" Luqing suddenly asked back.

    "Yeah. This is the first time we''ve actually been inside a city other than the capital." Sophia replied.

    "This ce is quite cold during the winter. If you all don''t mind, we have a few winter coats for you all to wear."

    As they approached a room, Luqing pushed it open, revealing it to be full of wardrobes.

    Luqing opened them one by one, revealing all kinds of clothes right before their eyes.

    There was an endless amount of choice, from an expensive-looking fur coat to a simple jacket, swimsuit, or even a male suit.

    "No one has worn these clothes before... Lady Ava loves to buy clothes and keep them in a ce to look.

    This ce is where all these clothes end up... Some of them are from Lord Fredrick as well."

    As the three followed Luqing down the aisle, they finally found a section of clothes that fit them.

    "These are the only one that fits you all... But Miss Amelia and Miss Katherine had worn them in the past.

    If you all don''t mind, we can wear this for now before the new sets of clothes arrive tomorrow.

    Sorry for the dy. We didn''t mean to have you guys wearing old clothes¡ª¡ª"

    "No, it''s fine. I''m always curious about what Aunty and Mom have worn in the past."

    "Me too!"

    As Sophia and Mary excitedly began picking their winter coats, Alex was much more hesitant.

    Most of them were clearly designed for females, with barely any of them being more towards unisex clothes.

    "Mr.Alex, do you want to check out Lord Fredrick''s older clothes? He has some that he wore when he was a kid."

    "Sure."

    Alex quickly followed Luqing over to the other side of the room, only to see clothes that looked extremely different.

    They were the perfect clothes for Alex''s eye, as they looked almost intimidating and cool at the same time.

    From the full ck leather jacket to even a brigandine that was clearly meant to be worn with knight armor.

    Alex quickly grabbed a few of the stylish pair of clothes before heading back with Luqing to the other two.

    "Are those all the clothes you guys wanted?" Luqing asked as they all held a few pairs of clothes they had picked on their own.

    With a nod, she led the three of them back to their room before letting them change into their clothes.

    Alex was the first one toe out, stunning Luqing a little as she didn''t expect how handsome he would look.

    The ck leather jacket and white undershirt, paired with ck winter pants, made him look much more energetic.

    It was almost apletely different person, from his dull, almost feminine appearance to a pure masculine appearance.

    There was still a small w, as the cloth was still a little bit too big for him, and his eyes still didn''t match the energy on his cloth.

    "Luqing, what do I look like?" Alex curiously asked as he flipped the jacket cor back and forth.

    "You look amazing, Mr.Alex"

    "Thank you¡ª¡ª"

    As Alex thanked Luqing, Sophia, and Mary finally came out of their rooms as well.

    The two of them were wearing the same thing: a simple white coat with a little white fur around the back of her neck.

    Inside was a white turtleneck sweater, covering the gaps that the coat couldn''t cover.

    The only difference between the two was that Mary didn''t really fit in the coat she was wearing.

    "You guy''s clothes look pretty nice." Alexplimented.

    "Yours''s too. I never expected you to pick something that looked so cool," Sophia murmured, still unable to believe Alex''s appearance.

    "Brother! Marry me!"

    Mary excitedly ran over to Alex, who awkwardly pushed her away from reaching him.

    "Hell no! I''d rather be single for life than marry someone who''s like a little piggy every morning." Alex jokingly said out loud.

    "Sophia! Alex insulted me again!" Maryined as she started swinging her arms.

    "Stop joking around, you two. Luqing, can you give us a tour of the city?"

    "Of course."

    ---

    As the three followed Luqing out of the castle, they were immediately hit by the crowds of people walking out.

    The sun was almost setting on the horizon, yet people were not hurrying to head home.

    Shops and stores were full of people, with even stalls being set up selling various kinds of goods to people.

    "Is there always this many people in the streets?"

    Mary curiously asked as she remembered that there was almost no one out at night back in the capital.

    "Usually not, but since it''s about to be the end of the year, everyone is preparing for the big event."

    "Is it the thing that all magese to visit this ce?"

    "Partially, but it''s also because a lot of peoplee to this city for shelter."

    "Shelter?" Alex curiously asked.

    "Yes... During thete winter, monsters and massive blizzards from the north often hit nearby viges very hard.

    The safest ce is in the city. And there is no city safer than the one we are in right now."

    Luqing looked a little proud as soon as she mentioned thest part out loud.

    "Grandpa must have worked very hard on the city then," Alex murmured.

    "Lord Fredrick? He doesn''t manage the city at all. He''s the duke. The city management falls under the mayor."

    "Really?" Alex got a little curious.

    "Of course. The Duke title is just a titr title... I mean, he does have the power to fire the mayor.

    But he usually doesn''t intervene in the daily city management. At leastpare to other dukes."

    "So, like a free check collector..." Alex murmured inside his head.

    As they walked down the street, they could feel the atmosphere of the crowds walking past.

    Everyone was excited and looked lividly, the pr opposite of what they felt in the capital.

    There was actual energy on people''s faces, and loud talks and squabbles went off every moment of the walk.

    After walking for a bit, Luqing suddenly took a right turn despite still having a long way to go.

    "Why are we turning?" Sophia curiously asked.

    "The area ahead isn''t fit for a noble status, Miss Sophia."

    Despite Luqing''s reasoning, it only made the three of them even more curious.

    Especially after seeing a massive crowd forming ahead and several guards running towards it, they couldn''t resist but go close to check it.

    "Please, Luqing, can we just go check it? It will be real quick, and we''ll head back afterward." Mary pleaded.

    After a short consideration, Luqing agreed to it as they headed back to the main road before continuing to head down.

    As they got closer and closer to the crowd, they could hear people yelling out loud.

    "Get him! Don''t let that red-shirt thief get through!"

    "That guy stole from the elderly! Everyone beat his ass and show him what is respect!"

    The three standing in the distance quickly realized what was happening.

    A person in red was holding a bag, trying to break through the massive crowds that had surrounded him.

    However, several people were constantly chased and dragged back, with some of themnding several hits before he got away.

    "Everyone move out of the way!"

    As the guards tried to push past the people, it only caused more chaos, and people started to panic a little.

    "Shit, he got away."

    Several of the men who were chasing the thief let out a sigh as the crowd began to disperse.

    "Who was causing all this chaos?" The guard finally arrived at the center and questioned the men in the middle.

    Just as the three of them were getting closer to finally seeing the men who were chasing the criminal, Luqing suddenly pulled them back.

    "Okay, time for us to head back. Lady Ava would be mad if she saw us watching this."

    The three reluctantly followed Luqing as they began to head back towards where they came from.

    At the same time, Luqing felt a little embarrassed inside, saying they were in the safest city, yet a crime had happened right before them.

    After walking back for a bit, Luqing''s embarrassment disappeared as they stopped at a restaurant they had walked past earlier.

 Chapter 45: Resturants and Qi

    "This is my favorite ce to eat. I''m sure you guys are going to love it."

    As Luqing brought the three inside, they could feel apletely different atmosphere inside.

    Rather than being livid and full of people, it was almost empty, with a single worker standing by the counter.

    "Hey Luqing, what do you want to order today?"

    "Just the typical is fine. But make four of it, please."

    "No problem! Be right back."

    As the worker walked off into the kitchen, the three kids started examining the building they were in.

    It was decorated in a very simple, almost barren as only a few tables and bench seats existed.

    The only positive was how clean it was, with no dirt or dust anywhere in sight despite the raw concrete-like floor.

    "Why is this ce so empty?" Mary curiously asked.

    "People usually onlye here to eat in the morning. So it''s quite empty at night."

    As they waited for the food, it was starting to snow again outside, and a cold breeze was blowing through the window.

    Despite the winter clothes they were wearing, they could still feel a piercing coldness touching their skin.

    "Here''s your food... Luqing, who are these three little guests you brought today?"

    The worker curiously asked as he came back out with a tray holding four bowls of noodles.

    "They are Lord Fredrick''s grandchildren."

    The worker seemed a little shocked, but he quickly recovered from it.

    "Oh my. You should have told me that earlier. I would have brought out the best thing we have in store."

    "Toote now... Here, try the noodles. I''m sure you guys have never eaten noodles that are this vorful."

    Luqing moved the bowls of noodles to each of them before passing them down utensils that both girls hadn''t seen before.

    Alex immediately reconganized it was just a pair of chopsticks as his previous experience easily allowed him to use it.

    But Sophia and Mary were both stuck, unable to copy what Alex or Luqing were doing with their chopsticks.

    "Oh, I almost forgot, you guys have never used this before. You have to hold the chopstick like this with your hand.

    Then, push them together to pick up the food you want. Don''t pinch it or cross the chopsticks."

    As Luqing continued to teach how to use their chopstick, Alex was already eating the food in the bowl.

    It was the tastiest noodle he ever had, as it reminded him of the noodles he once had back on earth.

    The thin pieces of meatbined with a sparsely used green onion and with the right saltness were perfection.

    Not to mention, the thinner noodles, which were different from the usual thick noodles back at home, allowed more to go into his mouth at once.

    "This is so good!" Alexmented as he finished half of the bowl already.

    Sophia and Mary finally learned how to use a chopstick as they picked up the noodles with their new chopstick skill.

    "Hmm... This is so tasty." Sophiamented as well, with Mary nodding in agreement.

    "Of course, it''s tasty. We cook the best food around here¡ª¡ªWee. How may I get it for you?"

    As the worker headed to greet the other customers, Luqing handed the three of them a napkin to wipe their mouths.

    "Do you guys like it?" Luqing asked, smiling as she looked towards the three who had finished the entire bowl.

    All of them nodded in agreement. Their faces almost looked as if wanting to ask for seconds.

    "That''s good... Liu Gang, I put the payment on the table! Okay, let''s head back home now."

    Luqing left a few coins on the table before the three kids followed Luqing out onto the street.

    The shocking coldness outside made all three of them shiver a little, but they slowly got used to it.

    As they walked down the street, more snow was starting to fall, making it difficult to move around.

    Their feet were practically freezing as theypletely forgot about wearing proper shoes and socks.

    "Miss Mary, are you okay?" Luqing asked in a concerned voice, noticing Mary shivering.

    "I-I''m just a little cold... I think some snow might have gotten inside my shoe."

    "Oh right, I forgot about that... Sorry."

    Luqing quickly brought the three inside a nearby store before grabbing Mary''s arm.

    The shivering stopped as Mary seemed much more rxed, almost as if her body was heating up.

    "Is snow getting inside your guy''s shoes as well?" Luqing asked as she let go of Mary.

    Both of them nodded, causing her to grab both of their hands.

    The two quickly realized what Mary felt, as they could see their body bing warmer and warmer.

    It was almost like some sort of fire element traveling inside their body, yet they couldn''t notice any mana at all.

    "Okay, let''s get back home quickly."

    As Luqing let go of their hand, all three of the kids became curious about how she made them feel so much warmer.

    Even as they stepped back outside into the snow and stepped on top of the snow, their feet were no longer as cold as earlier.

    Alex thought of it as ayer of heat blocking all the coldness from their body, like ayer of heat inside his head.

    "Luqing, how did you do that?" Sophia curiously asked.

    "It''s Qi... You guys probably heard of it, right?"

    All three of them nodded as they remembered their dad mentioning it in the past.

    In the textbook, Qi was also mentioned as being the quintessential equivalent of mana in the East.

    "If you guys want to learn¡ª¡ªActually, you guys might not be able to learn it."

    Luqing suddenly changed her mind at thest second, making all three of them even more intrigued.

    "Why not?" Alex curiously asked.

    "Because Qi and Mana both use the body to be stronger. They can''t co-exist in a single person."

    "So a person has to abandon one over another?"

    "Yep. If I''m to learn magic, then I would have to let go of all my Qi. And the same for the other way around."

    All three of the kids nodded as they had learned something new again today.

    "Anyway, we''re finally back home."

    As they began walking up the stairs, hundreds of soldiers patrolled the wall and stood along the staircase.

    It was much more alert than earlier, as earlier barely had anyone watching guard at all.

    After arriving at the top, Luqing knocked on the door and waited for it to be opened.

    "Wee back, Mr.Alex, Miss Sophia, and Miss Mary."

    The three waved at the two maids, who opened the door before they followed Luqing into the hallway.

    "Where are we going now?" Mary asked curiously, feeling a little familiar with the hallway they were walking through.

    "You guys must be tired now. I''m bringing you guys to your room to rest." Luqing exined.

    After walking for a bit, they finally arrived at their bedroom.

    But to their surprise, each of the doors already had two maids standing right outside in the hallway.

    "Good evening, Miss and Mister." All of the maids said out at the same time before bowing down before them.

    "Good evening... What are all these for?" Alex nervously asked as he started to have a bad feeling.

    "It''s help washing you guys. Please let them help you. They are professionals."

    Sophia and Mary were a little reluctant, but they let the two maids follow them into their bedroom without saying anything.

    But Alex was still a lot more hesitant. He didn''t want anyone to be inside the bathroom with the secret he had.

    "Um, I don''t need someone to wash my body. I can do it myself, " Alex said as he tried to enter the bedroom alone.

    However, the door was pushed right open, forcing him to take a few steps back as Luqing and her two maids stepped inside.

    "There''s no need to be shy, Mr.Alex. We don''t mind it at all¡ª¡ª"

    Before Luqing could finish talking, Alex pulled out his trump card, which he didn''t want to use.

    "As Fredrick''s grandson, I order you all to leave my room. I don''t like having people in the shower with me."

    After a short standoff, Luqing sent the other two maids away before bowing down in apology and leaving the room.

    "Jesus... Why do they want to serve me that badly? Is it just because I''m his grandson?"

    Alex murmured as he took off his leather jacket and hung it onto the hanger.

    With his pajamas and new pair of underwear in hand, he began heading over to the door at the corner of the room.

    As he opened the door, he was a little stunned by how fancy the bathroom was.

    Even though the bathroom was only for his room, it was enough space for several people at once.

    Besides, several rooms were simr to his, making him realize why the mansion was so big.

    "Being a Duke really makes a person that rich, huh?"

    Alex thought to himself as he stepped inside the bathtub before turning on the showerhead.

    As he began washing himself, he suddenly heard the door to the bathroom being opened.

 Chapter 46: Body Examination and Homework

    "Who''s there?" Alex asked as he quickly turned off the water and hid his body underneath the bathtub.

    "It''s me, Luqing."

    Seeing Luqing walking in with only a towel covering herself, Alex was more nervous than ever.

    "Didn''t I already say I want to take a shower myself?" Alex questioned as he covered him with his hands and arms.

    "Yes, but it''s Lord Fredrick''s order for me to take care of you," Luqing argued as she stepped closer.

    "I don''t need someone to take care of me. I can do it myself¡ª¡ª"

    Before Alex could finish, Luqing stepped into the water, standing on the other side of the bathtub.

    "Lord Fredrick also wanted me to make sure you are fully mature yet."

    Alex''s brain started running all over the ce, and it sounded extremely misleading inside his head.

    "W-What do you mean by that?"

    "He wants to make sure his grandson can fulfill the duty to continue the bloodline."

    "Huh? W-Wait, w-we can''t do this¡ª¡ª"

    As Alex tried to push Luqing away, she forcefully grabbed his arm and pushed it aside.

    "Please don''t make this difficult. I''m just doing what Lord Fredrick''s order."

    After a short thought, he gave up resistingpletely and moved both his arms out of the way.

    There was simply no way of resisting her, at least not physically, as his strength was no match for Luqing''s.

    Still, he remained seated, his legs tightly closed together, to try to prevent his secret from being leaked.

    "Do you not exercise often?" Luqing curiously asked, noticing that Alex''s bodycked muscle.

    "I exercise a lot in my free time... It just doesn''t really show on my body." Alex stated as he scooched back a little.

    "Really? But howe your chest... Ahem, never mind."

    Alex''s face blushed a little as he immediately realized what Luqing was implying.

    The little bumps were starting to be apparent, but nowhere near enough to require someone to wear a bra.

    At most, it just looked like a kid who just had a little fat on his chest, or at least that''s what Alex hoped Luqing thought of it.

    "Are you done yet?" Alex impatiently asked as Luqing kept staring at his body.

    "Sorry."

    As Luqing turned her attention downward, she finally saw the evidence she needed to report to her master.

    "This big at ten... His wife is going to be lucky."

    Luqing''sment made Alex blush again, espeically seeing a mature woman standing with a towel talking about his dick.

    Just as he thought she was done with checking his body, she suddenly sat down on the bathtub and examined it up close.

    "Your testicle seems to be good..." Luqing murmured as she pressed onto it a little.

    "Are you done yet?"

    Alex impatiently asked again, getting more and more nervous as hisbia was just inches away from being revealed.

    "Thank you for your cooperation, Mr.Alex. I''m sorry if it made you a little ufortable."

    "It''s fine. You''re just doing Grandpa''s task. Can you leave the bathroom now?"

    "Of course."

    As Luqing stood up from the bathtub, the wet towel had long be loose, falling right onto the bathwater.

    Seeing her standing with only her bra and panties on, Alex''s brain instantly downloaded an image inside his head before looking away.

    "Y-Your towel." Alex nervously stated as he handed it over to her.

    "Thank you... You really a gentleman, Mr.Alex."

    Luqing quickly reattached her towel to her body, allowing Alex to turn back around to face her.

    "Don''t mention it."

    As Luqing finally stepped out of the bathtub and started changing back into her maid clothes, Alex''s heart was racing faster and faster.

    He tried to resist looking away as the wet towel was taken off on purpose to change back into her maid clothes.

    But he just couldn''t help but take at least a look once, only to see her already fully dressed in her maid uniform with the wet towel in hand.

    "Thanks again... Have a good night."

    With her out of the room, Alex quickly finished up the shower before changing into his pajamas.

    As hey down on the soft bed and pulled the nket up, he still couldn''t believe what he had seen earlier.

    Luqing''s bra and panties were almostpletely transparent when the towel fell.

    He could clearly see her nipples pointing outward, with a small patch of pinkish circles around it.

    More importantly, it was his first time seeing a woman''sbia that wasn''t rted to him.

    "She doesn''t have any hair down there... Did she trim all of it, or was she born without it?"

    Alex wondered as his brain thought back to the moment, with his brain glued to the tiny, pinkish entrance that alluded him.

    His body started to feel more and more hot, forcing him to push the nket aside.

    "Stop thinking about this. She probably thinks you''re just a silly kid who''s a little pervy and a big coward."

    After calming his brain and heart back to normal, the tent down below wasn''t going anywhere.

    Heading over to the window, he opened it to let the piercing wind outside hit him right in the face.

    The coldness instantly made any perverted thoughts disappear out of his body as he closed it back up.

    Lying back down on the bed, he soon fell asleep thinking about the homework he still had to do.

    ---

    "I love you too!"

    "Wake up! Stop sleeping like a little piggy. Who are you saying love to?"

    Katherine''s voice instantly snapped Alex out of his dream as he sat back up from the bed.

    "Hm? What time is it?" Alex asked, his head still a little confused as he sat up from the bed.

    "It''s seven o''clock. Time for you to get up and do homework." Katherine hurried as she flipped the nket over.

    "Okay, okay... Geez, it''s only the first day of the winter break." Alexined as he slowly got up from the bed.

    "You need to finish your homework this week. I''m going to bring you and your sisters to a dungeon again."

    Alex''s eyes immediately opened wide, fully awake, and he looked over to Katherine, who was already fully dressed.

    "You serious?"

    "Yes, I''m serious... Ahem, you might want to change your pants first."

    Alex was a little confused by what Katherine meant until he looked down and realized what it was.

    "Sorry! Be right back!"

    Alex quickly ran to the restroom, then ran back out to get a new pair of underwear and pants before heading back inside.

    When he came back out, he was fully dressed and freshened up.

    "Okay, I''m ready," Alex stated as he grabbed his backpack, which was filled with his homework.

    As Katherine headed over to the door with Alex following right behind, she suddenly stopped.

    "Alex... Have you not... jerked off alone yet?" Katherine quietly asked.

    "What? Mom, you said something?" Alex asked, unable to hear clearly what she said.

    "Never mind."

    Katherine headed out of the room, bringing Alex with him all the way to one of the living rooms.

    "I''m going to go get your sisters. You sit here and do your work here for a bit, okay?''

    "Okay."

    Alex quickly took his stacks of homework, putting it onto the table and preparing his pencil and erasers.

    "Whew, this is so much homework... Why did Miss Amy assign so much?"

    Alex wondered as he could remember seeing the other sses of the same level with barely any homework in their backpacks.

    As he began reading the first question, he was a little confused as it had nothing to do with magic.

    Instead, it was just a basic math question, albeit with this world''s version of the Arabic numerals.

    "This is so easy," Alex murmured as he began rapidly going through it page by page.

    From Arithmetic to basic Algebra, it was all the things he had already learned back on earth.

    "What the hell, Alex? How did you finish ten pages already?" Sophia''s voice appeared from behind.

    As he stopped and turned around, both girls, along with Katherine, were standing right behind her.

    "Come on, you guys can do it too. Mom had already taught us this kind of stuff."

    The two quickly joined in as they took their homework out of their backpack and began doing it.

    As the two started doing the homework, they realized what Alex meant by it, as they, too, were able to do it easily.

    Katherine watched as Alex was already on page 14 while the other two were quickly catching up to page 10.

    "I''m going to go get you guys breakfast. You guys don''t stop doing your homework until I say so, okay?''

    All three of them nodded.

    As soon as Katherine left, both girls stopped, looking a little tired from writing so much with their hands.

    Meanwhile, Alex was still writing, but he was starting to slow down as the problems became increasingly difficult.

    Still, they were just more work and more steps rather than being impossible for him to solve.

 Chapter 47: The Math Prodigy

    "Alex, how are you not bored of this?" Sophia curiously asked as both girls looked bored out of their minds.

    "It has only been thirty minutes. Mom is going to notice you guys are cking off."

    Alex''s warning instantly made them go back to work, but Mary was starting to have a different idea.

    "Alex, can I just copy the answer off of you¡ª¡ª"

    "Not happening. Do your work."

    Mary looked a little down when she saw Alex rejecting her request, but she didn''t bring it up again after noticing his face turning dark.

    As the clock hit eight, Katherine finally came back with the breakfast she was getting from the kitchen.

    "Here''s you all breakfast. Come on, take a break."

    Both of the girls dropped their pencils again, and Alex followed suit after his stomach started growling.

    "Sophia, Mary, did you two ck off again?" Katherine questioned as she began reading the work the three had done.

    "Wut? No, we hood been wruting the hole time." Sophia replied, her voice muffled from being full of food.

    "Then why is Alex already on page 17, and you guys are still on page 12?"

    "Alex is just good with numbers," Sophia argued.

    "Yeah, he''s just very good at math. I haven''t even seen him stop writing for a second." Mary added.

    "Really? Are you sure you two are just notzy?"

    "Alex, did we stop working on our homework?" Sophia asked, looking over to Alex to back them up.

    "Um, they were working hard as well. I was just a few questions ahead of them."

    "Yeah right. Few questions in a 5-page gap..." Katherine sarcastically replied as she began to double-check Alex''s work.

    To her surprise, most of them were correct, with only a few minor errors that didn''t really affect the overall score in her heart.

    "Alex, you did a few of these problem wrong. You shouldn''t be using this derivative on page fourteen."

    "Really?"

    Alex stopped eating his food, turning his attention over to the error that Katherine pointed out.

    "Look, you missed the power right here when the question originally had a cubic root."

    "Oh, you''re right, Mom. Thank you."

    Alex quickly erased the whole work before solving the whole thing right before Katherine''s eyes.

    "There''s also a few more minor errors. I want you to go back and double-check your work.

    But finish your food first before you go back to work. It''s better to get it right than do it fast, okay?"

    Alex nodded as he went back to eating, with the other two already finished eating by shoving the food down their throat.

    They immediately went back to work, trying to catch up to Alex as he slowly ate the food piece by piece.

    As Katherine turned her attention back to the two girls writing on their papers, she was impressed by how fast they were working.

    It was almost as if they were treating this as a race, trying to beat Alex or at least catch up to him.

    But by the time he finished eating, they had onlypleted one page, leaving a four-page gap.

    However, there was still hope, as Alex was going back to the previous pages to double-check his work.

    Ten minutester...

    Alex had finally finished double-checking his work, and he resumed working on the problem.

    The other two had only done half of a page, with still three-and-a-half pages to catch up to.

    The two also started to slow down rapidly as the problems became much moreplicated, at least in their opinion.

    They even needed to start asking Katherine for help, teaching them how to do some of the problems.

    Meanwhile, Alex was still working at his usual speed, solving a problem almost every minute alone.

    However, when he hits page 18, he is hit with only a single problem on the paper.

    The question was the first-word problem of the homework, as it was aplicated scenario with finding oddly specific dimensions.

    As he began reading it, he couldn''t even find the value provided or the framework for the equation he should use.

    There were simply too many technical terms he had never read before in this world''snguage.

    "Mom, I don''t know how to do this," Alex asked.

    Katherine quickly moved away from the two and kneeled behind him to read the question, only to be a little surprised by it.

    "Why did your teacher put this kind of question into your homework? There is no way this is meant for level one mage."

    "Huh? What?"

    Alex seemed a little confused by what she meant until she flipped back to page 15.

    "Alex, how did you know how to solve these problems? I don''t remember ever teaching you this.

    These questions are meant for mage level two. And that question you''re stuck on is meant for mage level five."

    Katherine''s question made him fall into silence as he realized he had revealed too much of his mathematics.

    His brain started quickly thinking of an excuse until he noticed the textbook in the corner.

    "I found it in a book before. I remember it was in one of the books that you put on the bookshelves."

    Katherine stared straight into Alex''s eyes as if she were trying to determine whether he was lying or not.

    But after staring for a while, she suddenly hugged him from behind before patting him on the head.

    "I knew my son would be smart. Ahem, that''s a hard-working mage everyone should try to be."

    "Hmph!"

    Both girls didn''tment further, but their eyes were filled with jealousy as they continued to work on their homework.

    "Mom, can you teach me how to do this now?" Alex pleaded as he tried to stop her from patting him.

    "Of course. Now, pay close attention to this. I''m going to exin the question part by part, okay?"

    An hourter...

    "Now, do you understand how to do this?" Katherine softly asked as she started to view Alex more positively.

    "I think so..."

    As Alex began to solve the word question with all the knowledge he had absorbed, Katherine''s eyes couldn''t believe what he was doing.

    She was extremely impressed by how fast he was putting it into practice, using everything that she had just taught.

    Her mind suddenly started imagining Alex standing in front of the school, being handed the Highest Degree of honor in mathematics.

    She could already see him waving his hand at her, calling her the best mom ever in front of everyone.

    Her eyes were filled with tears, and she was proud of what he had achieved in life that she could never aplished.

    "Mom? You there? Did I do this correctly?"

    Alex''s voice snapped Katherine back to reality. She wiped a few tears from her eyes before turning her attention to the paper.

    "Give me a moment to check it..."

    A few minutester...

    "Perfect. You solved it perfectly. I haven''t seen someone so smart ever since I was born."

    "Mom, you don''t have topliment me like that." Alex shyly scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed to be called like that.

    "I really mean it. If I hand this paper to a professor right now, they would be dying to have you be invited.

    The school''s resources will all be directed toward you to ensure that you be the next honored mathematician."

    Katherine exined as her voice started to get more and more excited, unable to hold back any longer.

    "Is math that important?"

    "Yes! To go beyond mage level 5, you must have good mathematics skills or someone willing to do the calctions for you.

    The higher the mage level, the harder the mathematic equations will be for you to break through your next mage level.

    It''s so tedious and dangerous that no one ever bothers calcting for someone else unless they are extremely close or desperate."

    Both of the girls'' emotions jumped on a rollercoaster as they were extremely scared at the first part of Katherine''s answer.

    But hearing the ending made them feel a little relief, as they could just rely on Alex to help them with this math.

    "You two, don''t try to think you can just rely on your brother. If I don''t see you both on page 17 by lunch, you both are grounded after the break."

    "Yes, ma''am."

    Sophia and Mary immediately turned their full focus back onto the paper, with Alex trying to move away from Katherine without her noticing.

    "Come here, Alex. My precious little baby. I always knew you''d find your strength one day."

    Alex initially resisted Katherine''s hug, but after feeling the softness pressing against his face, he started enjoying it instead.

    "You deserve a break, okay? Just rx on my body and wait until they are caught up."

    For a second, Alex thought of finally getting out and continuing to do his homework.

    But she suddenly lifted him on top of herp before wrapping both of her arms around him, allowing him to feel her warm body surrounding him.

 Chapter 48: A Short Little Break (R-18)

    After a while, Alex eventually decided to go back to his homework, but Katherine didn''t let him go.

    He was forced to do it while sitting on herp, which he didn''t mind, besides the little distraction inside his head.

    Page 19 was another simr question, which Alex was able toplete after thirty minutes of solving it.

    With only one page yet, Alex took a short water break as he turned over to see what part the other two girls were at.

    To his surprise, the other two had just started page 17, and there was still a long way to go.

    Shifting his attention back to the paper at hand, Alexpleted it after another half an hour of work.

    "Whew, there goes the math homework." Alex lets out a sigh of relief as he puts the stack of homework back into his backpack.

    "Good job, Alex. Muah! You are the best son I ever had!" Katherine dered as she kissed him on the cheek.

    "As if she has another son..." Sophia murmured as Katherine blushed a little in embarrassment.

    "Mom, can I go back to my room to take a break?" Alex suddenly asked.

    "Sure. Go for it... You two, get back to work. You are not eating lunch today until you finish your math homework."

    Both girls let out a sigh as Alex ran out of Katherine''s warm embrace into the hallway.

    ---

    "Fuck, that was way too close..."

    Alex''s heart was beating faster than ever as he quickly closed his bedroom door before sitting down on the bed.

    He could feel a tent that had formed below. It had been painfully up since Katherine hugged him.

    Her sudden kiss on the cheek almost pushed him to the limit as he could feel his pants already leaking a little.

    Despite his attempts to take a deep breath and open the window to calm himself down, nothing worked.

    It just couldn''t go away, as his brain kept shing Katherine''s warm body surrounding him every second.

    Unable to resist the urge, he took off his pants and underwear before grabbing a piece of tissue.

    Gently, he began stroking it a little, giving him a sense of relief temporarily.

    But it was also causing him to want even more, which he did by rewarding himself with another stroke with his hand.

    As he continued to stroke his erect cock with his left hand, he started moving his other hand further down.

    The sensation almost made him reach orgasm on the spot from just gently rubbing onto the little bump underneath his testicle.

    Remembering what Mom had taught him, Alex began to slowly insert a finger inside the entrance after feeling a little empty inside.

    "Hm!"

    Alex couldn''t help but moan out an extremely feminine voice as the sensation was now doubled.

    Just as he was about to climax, he suddenly could hear the door being unlocked.

    Within seconds, he immediatelyy down t on the bed before grabbing his pants and pulling the nket back up.

    "Alex, you okay? What was that sound?"

    Katherine revealed herself as she stepped inside the room, looking a little worried after seeing Alex''s face turn red.

    "I''m fine. I''m just taking my break since I''m just a little sleepy after eating breakfast."

    Alex replied as he slowly pulled his pants back up underneath the nket, putting the issue into his pocket.

    "Really? Are you sure?"

    Katherine worryingly walked over to the bedside before putting her hand on his forehead to check his temperature.

    "Yeah, I''m sure. I just didn''t sleep really well yesterday. Mom, you can go back and help Sophia and Mary."

    "Okay then.. I''ll wake you up when it''s lunchtime."

    As the door closed, Alex was now once again alone in his room. But this time, he headed over to lock the door.

    "I really need to get in the habit of locking it," Alex murmured as he headed back to the bed.

    Looking down, the excitement had long passed as the once visible tent was now just a small bump.

    However, his head still wanted to do it, so he took off his pants again andid t on his bed.

    This time, he began by gently rubbing his clitoris, causing his cock to slowly rise as his body started to be turned on again.

    Slowly, he inserted his finger through the tiny entrance, bending it a little as it reached his sweet spot.

    "Hm!"

    The sensation from just a slight push was much more intense than he ever imagined.

    It was like a wave of pleasure constantly hitting his head rather than having it all at once.

    Feeling something was about toe out, he quickly took out his tissue to cover his cock.

    Pressed onto his sweet spot over and over again and gently pinching his clitoris, he finally pushed himself over the edge.

    Shots of white liquid flew right into the tissue in his hand as he ejacted for the first time from just ying with his female genitals.

    As Alex''s heart rate slowly calmed back down, he suddenly started to feel a little guilty inside.

    It was almost as if he had betrayed his wish to be a man. But he quickly dismissed the thoughts.

    "I still like women... That will never change. I''m a guy inside," Alex whispered to himself as he rolled the tissue into a paper ball.

    After throwing it into a trash bin, Alex looked at himself in the mirror as he thought back to what he had just done.

    "I''m just using the body part given to satisfy myself... I''ll never have a man near me."

    After swearing it to himself, he soon realized something that made him feel even more guilty than earlier.

    "Shit. Did I just use Mom as my fap material? What''s wrong with me? She would be so disappointed in me."

    Within seconds, Alex quickly pped himself in the face several times before reflecting on his actions.

    "No more. I need to control myself... Think of Luqing instead. Yeah, she''s the perfect woman I want."

    Alex soon came to a consensus inside his head, calibrating his brain''s ideal woman to be Luqing instead.

    At the same time, he couldn''t help but notice how simr their bodies were, both mature and fully developed women.

    "Whatever, at least that''s better than thinking about Sophia and Mary... Shit, I need to change my underwear again."

    After changing it, Alex fixed his clothes before heading back to the living room.

    ---

    "Wee back. You awake from your nap?"

    Katherine stood behind the two girls, teaching them how to solve one of the problems on page 17.

    "Yeah..."

    After sitting down, Alex turned his attention to the second stack of homework.

    As he read the first page, he was surprised to find it something simr to a periodic table, albeit with tons of gaps in between.

    "Mom, what is this homework?" Alex asked curiously as he handed the paper to her.

    "Oh, it''s alchemy. Why did your teacher assign this so early... Alex, can you wait for a bit?

    I need to finish teaching Sophia this question first. Then, I''ll teach all three of you guys about this."

    "Okay."

    Alex waited as he watched Katherine patiently teach the same stuff that he already knew about.

    "Brother, can you help me on this?" Mary asked, seeing Katherine was too busy helping Sophia.

    "Sure."

    As Alex looked at Mary''s work, she was still working on the first problem on page 17.

    "Okay, I''m going to start from the beginning to make sure you understand it fully."

    An hourter...

    Sophia and Mary were sitting right before Alex, working on thest page of the math homework after Katherine made him exin to both of them.

    Meanwhile, Katherine had juste back from the kitchen, carrying a tray full of food for the three of them.

    "Nice, you two are almost finished. You all can take a break after this if you want."

    After putting the food on the table, Katherine watched as the two girls put their pencils down as they finished the math homework.

    Even though there was still one more stack of homework, both of the girl''s faces were full of smiles.

    It was almost as if they had ovee their biggest life challenge, happily grabbing the food before eating it.

    "I''m definitely taking a break after this. Writing so much today hurts my arms," Sophiained, as she could feel her brain drained of energy.

    "Mom, can you take us around the city?" Mary requested as she took a bite of the food.

    "I''m Sorry, Mommy has workter, okay? But I can ask Luqingter to bring you guys outside."

    Mary looked a little disappointed, but she was still happy with the result.

    "Mom, I want to finish all of the homework first. I thought you promised me you were going to exin this after they were done."

    Alex argued as he began putting a piece of the food into his mouth.

    "Well, Alex, I want to help you. But it seems like both of your sisters want a break."

 Chapter 49: Reginas Battle Arena

    "Come on, Alex, we have been doing homework all morning." Sophia pointed out.

    "Yeah, we deserve a break. Who does homework for that long nonstop?" Mary added.

    "Fine, whatever..."

    Alex backed down as his brain started to feel a little withdrawn from doing so much work.

    They had been doing the math homework for almost five hours straight, as the clock showed it was already noon.

    "Okay, I''m going to go get Luqing. You guys stay here for a bit, okay?"

    Katherine quickly grabbed the empty food tray before leaving the living room, leaving the three to put their homework away for now.

    "Mary, do you remember what Evelyn said before we left for winter break?" Sophia suddenly asked.

    "Um, they are going back to their hometown?"

    "I know that, but do you remember what was the ce called?"

    Both girls fell into silence, as their brains were a little too fried from all the homework they had done.

    "Evelyn and Luna both said they were from Regina before," Alex answered.

    "Oh, right. Then we should try to find them. I bet they will be so surprised to see us¡ª¡ª"

    Before Sophia could finish, Alex quickly interrupted her idea.

    "How do we find them in such a big city?"

    "Hmm..."

    As Sophia fell into silence, Luqing finally arrived in the living room with her holding three pairs of winter boots.

    "Good afternoon, Miss Sophia, Miss Mary, and Mr.Alex."

    "Good afternoon, Luqing... Hey Luqing, do you know how to find someone from the city?" Sophia curiously asked.

    "If you know the address, I can bring you guys there... But I''m afraid I don''t have the power to search for someone."

    Sophia looked a little bummed out, but Luqing gave her a little hope with her next answer.

    "But if your friend is a mage, you will probably see her in the crowd next week during the event."

    "What event is it? Auntie Amelia and Mom kept hinting at us but didn''t tell us exactly what it was."

    Alex curiously asked as they began heading back to their room, getting ready to dress up to leave the castle.

    "Oh, they haven''t told you guys yet? I''m sorry. I can''t tell you either."

    Luqing''s answer annoyed all three of them a bit, but they didn''t pressure her to say it as they headed into their rooms to change.

    After changing their clothes, Luqing handed them pairs of winter boots she was holding for them to wear.

    With everything fully ready, they finally headed out of the castle.

    ---

    "Luqing, where are we going?" Sophia curiously asked as the three of them followed her down the streets.

    "We''re going to visit the arena today. I brought tickets for the four of us already."

    All three of them looked a little excited, with their sour mood moving long past them.

    As they arrived on a long street, more and more people started to crowd up the streets.

    Luqing quickly grabbed both Alex''s and Mary''s hands, and Sophia grabbed Mary''s other hand to make sure everyone was together.

    After moving past the crowds of people, they finally arrived at the massive ice structure ahead of them.

    "Wow..."

    The three kids reacted the same way people who entered the arena for the first time did.

    They couldn''t believe how cool it looked from the outside, with everything looking to be made of some sort of never-melting ice.

    With a closer look, it was rather made out of crystals that looked like ice.

    As Luqing gave her tickets to the workers, the three were even more stunned on the inside.

    The ceiling waspletely covered in a blue crystal, with the sunlight and the skypletely blocked off.

    Yet, the room was not dark in the slightest, as the ceiling had giant blue chandeliers that lit up the entire ce.

    "Come on, let''s go. Don''t block people walking in."

    Luqing quickly brought the three of them to their seats before sitting down herself.

    After waiting for a bit, suddenly, the chandelier lights vanished, leaving only a spotlight shining onto the fighting ground.

    "Man, this feels like watching a movie..." Alex murmured as dim light began to appear, just enough to allow the audience to see each other.

    "Movie?" Mary looked confused as Alex identally spoke out a word that didn''t exist in this world.

    "Oh look, someone ising out of the ground!"

    As the ground trembled and split aside, a man in a suit holding a microphone appeared.

    "Ladies and gentlemen. Let''s give a wee to our contestant!"

    The first contestant appears as an elevator brought him up all the way up from the ground underneath.

    It was a muscr man who was wielding a giant greatsword with both hands, looking almost like a barbarian with little armor.

    Next, the second contestant was a much skinnier man who held a spear with a strong determination on his face.

    "Who will live? Who will die? Stay tuned and find out!"

    The spotlight began to unfocus, shining on the entire battleground gradually as the two contestants stood firm.

    "You may now... Fight!"

    As the announcer disappeared from the battleground, the spearman immediately rushed forward.

    With a fast strike, it tried to hit the barbarian in the head. But the giant sword easily blocked it.

    mming down with the spear next, the crowd could see the sparks as the metal of the two weapons hit each other with full force.

    Just as everyone thought the two quick attacks were done, the spearman continuously struck at the barbarian nonstop.

    It was bing faster and faster, to the point that the three kids could only see the after-image of the strikes.

    Yet, the barbarian was blocking every single one of them despite holding a greatsword that looked extremely heavy to maneuver.

    Suddenly, the spearman stopped, taking a step back as he seemed to be charging some sort of attack.

    To everyone''s surprise, the barbarian watched as he maintained his defensive positioning.

    "Take this!"

    With a strike as fast as lightning, the spearman had somehow blinked to the other side, with blood on his spear.

    A clear cut onto the barbarian''s chest as blood began to spew out of its body.

    "Why is he not attacking back?" Sophia questioned.

    "Just wait," Luqing answered.

    Despite the barbarian bleeding and standing still, the spearman started holding up in a defensive position instead.

    Just as Sophia was about to ask what was happening, the barbarian suddenly roared so loud that their ear started to hurt a little.

    The barbarian''s eye was blood-red, rushing over to the spearman with his greatsword in the blink of an eye.

    With a loud bang sound, the ground below the spearman started to crack as he blocked the attack with the body of his spear.

    Pushing it aside, the spearman quickly jumped back, trying to create some distance for his weapon.

    But the barbarian kept chasing, not letting him get any space at all as he continuously attacked forward.

    The situation was almostpletely flipped, with the spearman constantly dodging the barbarian''s attack.

    Still, the spearman dodges the attack and strikes back, causing the barbarian''s body to have more and more cuts.

    However, none of them were lethal as the barbarian dodged all of the piercing attacks, almost as if he was intentionally getting cut on purpose.

    "Luqing, is this some sort of unique skill?" Alex curiously asked as the barbarian started to get faster with every attack.

    It was almost as if he was being enraged, going in berserker mode of some sort.

    "Yes... He''s a part of the barbarian ss of the swordsmen route. It''s unique only in the north up here."

    As Luqing answered, the spearman struck the barbarian''s great sword directly, pushing him all the way back to the wall.

    "You make me do this."

    Suddenly, the spearman started striking his spear forward into the air despite the barbarian still a few feet away.

    But to their surprise, the barbarian hid himself behind his sword, almost as if he was being hit by something.

    "The wind!" Sophia quickly pointed out.

    It became tantly obvious that the spearman was using a ranged attack simr to a wind de.

    After the wind strikes, the spearman rushes forward before making a darling stab towards the barbarian again.

    The attack was blocked, but the spearman kept pushing it forward as if he were trying to pierce through the sword.

    "It''s over."

    As soon as Luqing murmured it out, the barbarian suddenly moved his sword aside, letting the spear pierce right through his belly.

    The spearman''s spear was now stuck, unable to pull his spear back to defend the uing chop that was aiming down right to his head.

    Just within an inch of being beheaded, the greatsword stopped right at the spearman''s neck.

    "I lost..."

    The spearman admits defeat as the barbarian raises his sword back up before pulling the spear out of his body.

    "You didn''t do bad. Just not as good as me."

    As he handed the spear back to the spearman, the crowd burst into cheers.

    "Congrattion to Thorgar Wolfheart! He''s our winner!"

    Everyone started chanting his name, with the three kids chanting their names as well.

 Chapter 50: The tower and Hide-and-Seek (1)

    "That fight was so cool. I never knew spears could do that kind of stuff."

    Mary''s face was still full of excitement as they began heading out of the arena.

    "Well, everyone can do that kind of stuff when you get the right teacher to teach you about it," Luqing replied.

    "Really?"

    "Yes, really. It doesn''t require you to learn Qi, either. All it takes is training your body to perfection."

    Hearing Luqing''s answer, Alex was intrigued by the idea.

    "What do you mean training?" Alex curiously asked.

    "Training through a teacher who has mastered the craft of the spear, and they could apply ayer of Qi to you instead.

    Then it wouldn''t conflict when a person from using magic and Qi at the same time."

    "Are there any drawbacks?" Sophia asked as they walked back out onto the streets.

    "Yes, of course... The Qi can''tst forever. It usually runs out once you use all of it."

    "Make sense... Where are we going right now?"

    "We''re going to the tower."

    "The tower?"

    Luqing didn''t answer Sophia''s question as she continued leading the three of them down the street.

    After walking all the way to the other side of the city, they finally saw what she was talking about.

    A giant steel tower that pierced through the sky, so wide that it was almost bigger than the mansion they lived in.

    If it weren''t for the snow and fog that blocked the view yesterday, they would have seen it even at the castle.

    "Wow... That thing is definitely a tower." Sophia murmured as they began to walk closer towards it.

    In the distance, they could see people bowing down towards the tower, their loud voices turning mute as well.

    It was almost creepy for the loud, bustling city to turn so quiet in a single ce.

    "What is this tower?" Mary quietly asked.

    "It''s a pir from god. At least, that''s how the myth goes... This tower has been here since the founding of this city."

    "But why does everyone seem to be a little scared of it?" Alex curiously asked.

    "Because a lot of unexined mysteries happened near here. Do not go here at night, okay?"

    All three nodded as they walked closer and closer to the tower until they reached a fence surrounding it.

    Seeing Luqing bowing down to it in respect, all three of them quickly bowed down in respect as well.

    After paying respect, Luqing led the three back to the street before they began to head back.

    "I don''t like that ce," Mary murmured, still feeling a little creeped out by it.

    "A lot of people don''t like that ce either. But it has been a tradition to pay respect to it when you visit this city."

    "What if some disrespect it?" Alex curiously asked.

    "Then those unexined bad things happen... One time, I remember a mage trying to shoot a fireball at it as a bet.

    Next thing you know, he was dead the next morning with his face appearing to have seen their worst nightmare.

    I could still see his face. His eyeball was in his hand, almost as if he dug it out himself."

    "Luqing stop. You don''t have to go into detail about it." Sophia interrupted after noticing Mary looked more shaken than earlier.

    "My bad. Anyway, let''s head back home now before it getste."

    ---

    As they arrived back home, it was still only four o''clock in the afternoon.

    Nobody was inside the mansion besides the maid and the guards, so the three couldn''t ask for help with their homework.

    Even when they asked Luqing, she responded with a stare as if the three of them were asking the dumbest question possible.

    "Sorry, I don''t know anything about mage-rted stuff."

    With nothing much to do, the three decided to start ying hide and seek together.

    Alex was forced to be the first seeker, so he covered his eyes before counting for sixty seconds.

    After he finished counting, he took off his blindfold before turning over to his only hope of finding them.

    "Luqing, do you know where they hid?"

    Alex immediately asked as he knew it would be impossible for him to find them in this big mansion.

    "Sorry. I promise Miss Sophia and Miss Mary not to tell... But they told me to tell you that they are hiding in ces where you had been gone into."

    After searching all of the drawers and every possible corner of the living room, he headed out into the hallway.

    Walking down, he made sure no one was hiding somewhere obvious, like right behind one of the nts in the hallway.

    Next, he headed inside his room first.

    As soon as he opened the door, he could see a long strand of hair on the floor that clearly belonged to Sophia.

    Without wasting any time, he began to search the room inch by inch. But to his surprise, he couldn''t find anyone inside.

    Even searching the bathroom, no one was inside it either.

    "Shit, I got baited."

    Alex quickly ran over to Sophia''s room before searching the ce inch by inch once again.

    But after checking through all the possible ces to hide, including her bathroom, he was once again empty-handed.

    Mary''s room was no different, as he once again couldn''t find anything useful or any sort of hints.

    "What other ces did I go to?"

    Heading back into the hallway, Xiaoyun began eliminating the possible ces in the mansion.

    The left side of the mansion waspletely off the hook, as he had never been on that side.

    The back of the mansion was also off the hook, as he had never actually stepped foot in the backyard yet.

    Going back to the living room, Alex began to walk even further to the entrance.

    "It can''t be the park... I never step foot in there. Wait, I got it."

    Alex immediately headed towards the other living room, where his grandpa and grandma had already been.

    After arriving there, he immediately noticed something off about the room.

    "Got you!"

    "Damn it."

    Mary was the first one caught as she hid behind the window curtain, not realizing the shadow revealed her.

    "Mary, Sophia is in this room, right?" Xiaoyun asked.

    "I''m never telling you. Hmph!"

    As Alex began to search the room thoroughly, he finally found Sophia hiding in a corner that was almost blocked off by the drawers.

    "I won!" Alex celebrated, as the two girls still needed to hide for five more minutes before they could im the prize.

    "Yeah, yeah, you just got lucky. Anyway, Mary, you got found first. You''re a seeker this time."

    "I know. You guys go hide, I''ll¡ª¡ª"

    "Wait, how about if we are allowed to hide anywhere in the mansion?" Alex suggested.

    "Then there''s no way I can win." Mary pointed out.

    "But what if you have an entire hour to seek rather than just thirty minutes?" Alex added.

    "Sounds good to me." Sophia chimed in.

    "Fine. But there was no hiding in any of the bedrooms or the bathroom." Mary demanded.

    "Sure."

    As Mary began blindfolding herself, Alex and Sophia immediately took off while Luqing stayed to be with Mary.

    "You have an idea where to hide?" Sophia curiously asked as they began running down the hallway.

    "I don''t know yet, but one thing I''m certain of is we should split up. Hiding together is a bad idea if we want to win."

    "You''re right."

    The two quickly split up at the mansion''s entrance, with Sophia heading down the center while Alex headed to the left side.

    ---

    As Mary finished counting, she began to search the living room she was in before heading over to the other living room, where they did homework.

    "Where could they be hiding?"

    Mary began walking down to the center of the mansion, where a luxurious hallway with various kinds of artwork and trophies was right before her.

    "Wow... This ce is so fancy." Mary murmured as Luqing continuously followed behind.

    After walking for a while, Mary quickly snapped out of the awe mindset as she began searching the first living room she walked into.

    Finding nothing, she heads back to the hallway before continuing to walk further down.

    Just as she was about to open one of the rooms, two of the maids standing by immediately stopped her.

    "This is Lady Ava''s room," Luqing exined as Mary soon realized the door tag above.

    "Oh, sorry... Have you guys seen Alex and Sophia?" Mary suddenly asked the two maids, with her putting up a cute little face on purpose.

    "Um, we don''t know that."

    Both of the maids shut their mouths after seeing Luqing''s eyes signal, directing them not to say anything.

    Mary was a little bummed out, but she didn''t actually expect them to answer her.

    Their hesitation was enough for her to tell her that someone was hiding in this section of the mansion.

    After walking for a bit, Mary came across the park that they had once walked past before from the right side of the hallway.

    "Sophia, Alex, are you two hiding here?" Mary whispered as she began to search around the park.

 Chapter 51: Exploration and Hide-and-Seek (2)

    Although it was called a park, it was more of a small indoor garden with a tree and a swing next to it.

    After looking around the trash bins and checking all the dead spots, she still couldn''t find anyone.

    But with the swing clearly flipped upside down, she knew someone hade by and used it.

    "I see you... Come on and show yourself... There''s no need to hide."

    Mary whispers as she makes ast-ditch effort to make sure no one is hiding around the corner to kite her in circles.

    Just as she was about to head to the back and leave the park, Mary suddenly noticed something white hanging from the tree.

    Within seconds, she realized there was onest spot in the park she hadn''t searched.

    "Luqing, can you help me climb up the tree?" Mary asked as they stood before it.

    "Sure. But please be careful with the tree. Lady Ava really likes sitting in here."

    To Mary''s surprise, her body suddenly started levitating up until she could reach one of the branches.

    As she looked forward, she finally caught Sophia hiding on top of a big branch that had a ton of leaves covering it.

    "Ha! Caught you."

    "Dang it. You got me."

    Sophia quickly jumped down from the tree, but to her surprise, her body leviated before hitting the floor.

    "Please be careful, Miss Sophia," Luqing warned as Sophia finally touched the ground.

    "It''s only a two-meter drop onto a bunch of dirt. I know what''s my limit... Mary, you jumping down or not?"

    Sophia asked as she looked back at the tree, only to see Mary sitting on the branch and looking a little nervous.

    "I-I don''t know if I can do this." Mary nervously stated after noticing how high up she really was.

    "Come on, Luqing and I are down here. You saw me just jumping down and beingpletely fine, right?"

    After a short silence, Sophia added more to the fuel.

    "Remember, time is still ticking. You still haven''t found Alex yet¡ª¡ª"

    Mary instantly jumped down, only to be levitating in the air again before her foot gently touched the floor.

    "Thank you Luqing." Mary looked over with gratitude.

    "No problem."

    With still forty minutes left, Mary immediately headed back to the main entrance of the mansion.

    Then she took a left turn, going to thest ce she hadn''t explored in the mansion itself.

    As she walked down the hallway, she could see doorsbeled with a name at almost every step.

    "Who lives in this room?" Sophia curiously asked.

    "This section of the house is the maid''s living quarter. Down below is theundry and the kitchen."

    After walking for a bit, the two girls arrived at theundry room, as Luqing had stated.

    There were a ton of different kinds of machines, clearly meant for different kinds of clothing.

    Next, it was the kitchen, where there were almost ten different stoves and a ton of cabs.

    "Oh boy, this is going to take a long time," Mary murmured as she began opening the cabs one by one before closing them.

    "Let me help you."

    Even though Sophia joined in to help, it still took ten minutes to go through the entire kitchen.

    With only five minutes left, Mary began running to thest ce where Alex could be hiding.

    When she arrived at the backyard, she was surprised to see Alex in one of the beach chairs with his eyes closed.

    "You finally caught me. It took you long enough," Alex murmured as he opened his eyes back up.

    "You had been just sitting here the whole time?"

    Sophia questioned as she thought back to the struggle of sitting on an ufortable branch the whole time.

    "Yeah. To be honest, I thought I was going to be caught when I saw you being found in the park.

    But Mary decided to search the left side first. So, I got off pretty lucky... Besides, there is nowhere to hide here."

    Sophia and Mary were a little stunned as they both turned their attention to what Alex was talking about.

    It was a giant grass field, with a small hill in the distance and a forest ahead of them.

    Unless he hid in the forest, there was indeed nowhere to hide from someone who was standing at the backyard entrance.

    But with the heavy snowyered on the grass field, it was clearly a bad idea to go outside.

    "How about that barn?" Mary pointed out, as it was a building still connected to the rest of the mansion.

    "I already tried going in, but it''s locked. Luqing, do you know what is inside?" Alex curiously asked.

    "It''s just the storage unit... Ahem, pleasee inside. The outside is very cold."

    Luqing advised as the outside started snowing again, with a cold breeze blowing into the mansion.

    The three quickly went back inside before closing the ss door and heading back to the living room, where they had started.

    "It''s Sophia''s turn now, right?" Mary asked as they sat down on the sofa.

    "We already looked around the house. It''s not fun to explore the same ce again." Sophia pointed out, clearly wanting out of the game.

    "But that''s not fair. You still haven''t been the seeker yet." Maryined, not wanting her off the hook.

    Seeing the two start to argue back and forth, Alex suddenly has an idea.

    "How about we go upstairs? Luqing, there is a second floor to the house, right?" Alex asked.

    "Yes, but they are all just empty guest bedrooms. I don''t think Lord Fredrick would be happy to see someone go up there."

    With that idea struck down, Alex came up with another idea.

    "How about a twenty-minute hide and seek, where we can only hide our side of the bedrooms?"

    "That sounds perfect!" Mary quickly agreed to it, making the situation two-to-one.

    "Fine. I''ll be in the living room here and be the seeker. You two can go hide."

    As Sophia put the blindfold on, Alex and Mary quickly bolted out as fast as they could.

    "Alex, where are you thinking of hiding?"

    "I''m going to hide in Mom''s room. I bet she''s not going to expect this." Alex exined as he stopped right by the first room.

    "Then I''m going to hide in thest one."

    Mary quickly ran to the end of the hallway as Alex turned the doorknob to the bedroom.

    Fortunately, it wasn''t locked, as he was easily able to step inside.

    Closing the door, he turned to examine the room, only to see it to be mostly the same as his room.

    The only difference was that the bed was nicely folded into a square, and Katherine''s backpacky on her desk.

    Looking for a bit, he decided to sit in the chair, as he didn''t want to put himself in a difficult position over a pointless game.

    Feeling a little bored, he took one of the books from the bookshelf next to the bed.

    Unsurprisingly, it was some sort of math textbook that he couldn''t understand at all.

    After putting it away, he started examining the books on the bookshelf, trying to find something he could actually understand.

    Suddenly, he could hear footsteps outside, causing him to remain still until he heard the door in the other room being opened.

    Alex slowly moved back, making as little noise as possible before returning to his seat empty-handed.

    Once again, being a little bored, Alex''s mind started to get a little curious with the backpack in front of him.

    It waspletely zipped closed, which caught him a little off guard as Katherine usually never bothered closing it all the way.

    Lifting it, he could feel there was nothing inside besides something that felt like a book as it pressed t on the bottom.

    Unable to control his hand, Alex slowly opened it out of curiosity, only to find his prediction to be correct.

    Inside was a single book with unknown letters in the front that he couldn''t understand.

    It was clearly anothernguage not from this part of the world, as it didn''t have any sense of alphabets at all.

    Rather, it looked more like some sort of words made of radicals, simr to the one in the East.

    "Why does Mom have this book inside her backpack?" Alex wondered as he flipped to the first ce.

    To his surprise, there was nothing inside the book. Every page he flipped over to check was nk.

    As he flipped to thest page, he suddenly saw his face inside the book.

    "What the fuck?"

    Alex quickly closed it again before opening it again, only to see his face still on thest page.

    It was almost as if someone had taken a camera picture of him, as it was fully colored rather than hand-drawn like a picture.

    "Huh... Did Mom use those crystal cards to take a picture of me and put it in here?"

    Alex thought to himself as he remembered when Miss Amy showed the ss the crystal cards containing videos of them fighting.

 Chapter 52: The book and Hide-and-Seek (3)

    Just as Alex was about to put the book back inside the backpack, he suddenly noticed a few of the pages were no longer nk.

    Taking it out and checking it from the first page, his face immediately started to blush as he closed it back up.

    "Why does Mom have this kind of stuff?" Alex thought to himself, unable to believe what he had just seen.

    It was a hand-drawn picture of him having sex with his mom with an almost extremely detailed depiction of their bodies.

    Soon, his brain couldn''t help but check more of it as he flipped the book open again and went to the next page.

    As he expected, it was another page of sex scene, with him having sex with Katherine from the back this time.

    Rapidly flipping page after page, it was clear the book was just a t-out adult book of him and Katherine having sex.

    His heart started beating so fast that he closed the book and quickly shoved it back into the backpack.

    "Does mom like me? No, no, I need to calm down. It''s just a fictional book. Calm yourself down."

    Alex quickly headed over to the window and slid it open, letting the cold wind cool his brain down.

    After his heart rate returned to normal, he started to wonder about the book''s mysteriousness.

    It was clearly nk at the start, and the pictures only showed her having sex with him after he flipped to thest page.

    More importantly, for a fraction of a second, when he flipped to thest page, he saw Katherine''s face rather than his.

    Something was clearly different about the book besides the adult element inside it.

    "Where did Mom find this book?" Alex wondered as he began to look around the backpack for more clues.

    The only clue he found was a slight hint of dirt on the bottom of the backpack, with a slight bit of ashes inside.

    Because the backpack looked the same as the one they had gone to the dungeon with, Alex had drawn up a conclusion in his head.

    "Mom got this book from the dungeon?" Alex murmured as he slowly zipped the backpack closed.

    His mind quickly connected to the chest that Katherine pointed out at the start, with the dust that made the three of them fall asleep.

    It was alling together, as Alex now had a concrete idea of where the book came from.

    "But how does a book do all this? What purpose does it serve? Why is mom hiding it from us?"

    More questions appeared as he thought more about it, but he couldn''te up with any answers.

    But there was one thing he was certain about, which was that Katherine had opened this book in the past.

    Even though he wasn''t sure if she saw the same stuff as him, his brain quickly realized something that relieved him a little.

    "Mom doesn''t actually think about me that way. It''s just the book acting weird.

    Obviously, she won''t see me that way. I''m just her baby in her eyes forever."

    Alex let out a little chuckle before instantly shutting his mouth, as he could hear the door next to the room he was in being opened again.

    "Alex, I know you''re in there!"

    As the door opened, Alex didn''t try to resist or run away, so Sophia walked over and tagged him.

    "You got me. But I''m not telling you where Mary is hiding."

    "I don''t need it."

    ---

    Meanwhile Mary...

    As she entered thest room of the hallway, she quickly closed the door before she started looking for a ce to hide.

    To her surprise, the room was drastically different from all the other bedrooms she had been into.

    Clothes were all over the bed, and a bra was just hanging on a chair that clearly belonged to a mature woman.

    "Oh snap, this is Auntie Amelia''s room."

    Just as Mary was about to turn around and leave, she could hear footsteps outside.

    With no other options, she turned back to the room as she began to look for a ce to hide again.

    As she walked around the room, she was surprised by how messy Auntie Amelia''s room was.

    Socks were all over the floor, with all kinds of empty ss potions stacked in a corner.

    The only saving grace was the long table next to the closed window, which had a ton of mysterious equipment on top of it.

    It was clear that it was to make some sort of potion, so Mary didn''t try to mess with it.

    Turning her attention to the wardrobes. All of them were open, making it obvious if she closed one of them and hid in one.

    With no other options, Mary quickly moved underneath the bed as she heard footstepsing towards the door.

    To her relief, the sound of the door being opened despite no lighting from the room''s door indicated Sophia was in the other room.

    As she waited, the time felt almost as if it was starting to slow down as she had nothing much to do besides waiting.

    However, just as she was about to fall asleep on the soft carpet, the door to her room was suddenly opened.

    "Damn, Auntie Amelia''s room is so messy."

    "Still better than your bedroom."

    "Hmph!"

    Sophia''s voice appeared, followed by Alex''s voice before another pair of footsteps walked inside the room.

    "Miss Alex, Miss Sophia, I don''t think we should being in this room." Luqing quietly pointed out.

    "It''s fine. I''m sure Auntie wouldn''t mind it... Besides, Mary came up to y hide and seek.

    She would be the one in trouble making mee here to find her. Not me."

    As the sound of cabs and drawers being opened, Mary was a little annoyed by Sophia''s answer.

    But she didn''t react to it, as she knew she was trying to bait her out of the room.

    "Three minutes left, by the way. You took too long searching the other rooms." Alex reminded.

    "I know, I know. Stop rushing me."

    The sound of cabs being closed began to get louder and louder, as if Sophia was speeding things up.

    "One minute."

    Mary could feel her heart racing as Sophia started walking away from the drawers and towards the bed.

    "Where could she be hiding? Wait!"

    Just as Mary''s heart started pounding like crazy, Sophia suddenly ran in the opposite direction towards the window.

    "Dang it!"

    Mary could hear the window curtain being moved, but her heart was still racing as Alex still didn''t say time was up.

    "Ten seconds."

    As Mary began to count inside her head, she closed her eyes and started praying.

    "No way I''m losing this. She has to be in this room."

    Mary could hear Sophia flipping the nket above, despite it being impossible to hide there, considering the outline it would have formed.

    "Time''s up."

    ---

    "Dang it. Alex, where is Mary, then?"

    Sophia questioned as she searched through all six of the bedrooms down the hall already.

    "Isn''t it obvious? You are on the right track. She is indeed in this room¡ª¡ª"

    Before Alex could finish, Mary finally emerged from underneath the bed.

    "It seems you''re just a second toote to find Mary," Alex smirked as Mary excitedly ran over to Alex.

    "We won!" Mary yelled as Alex lifted her into the air.

    "Yes, we won!"

    "Hmph! I was just about to check it. Just one more second, and I would have won."

    "Too bad you didn''t have that one second, ha ha ha!"

    As Mary gave off an evilugh, Alex quickly separated Sophia from trying to put her in a chokehold.

    "Okay, okay. Mary, you need to stop taunting Sophia. She''s your older sister." Alex pointed out, making her stop.

    "It''s just a game of hide and seek. Why take it so seriously."

    Sophia backed down, realizing how childish she looked for trying to punish Mary over something so small.

    "Ahem, who told you guys toe inside my room without permission?"

    As all three of them turned towards the voice, Amelia was standing right by the door.

    "Mary decided to hide in here!" Sophia quickly pointed out.

    "Sophia was the one who agreed to y hide and seek with any of the bedrooms in this hallway."

    Seeing the two pushing the me on each other, Amelia turned her attention over to Alex.

    "I was the one who suggested this. I''m the one who''s responsible." Alex replied, taking all of the me to himself.

    Amelia didn''t take Alex''s answer as the full truth, so she turned to Luqing for an answer.

    "Who was it, Luqing? I trust you."

    "I was the one responsible. I should have stopped them when I heard them talking about it."

    "Luqing!"

    All three of the kids were a little shocked by Luqing''s attempt to take all the responsibility from them, but Amelia didn''t buy it.

    "I''m not blind Luqing. Come on, do I look like a child who can be fooled easily?"

    Luqing only smiled back, not saying a single word to Amelia.

    "Whatever, you guys get out of my room. I have work to do."

    Amelia quickly shoved all four of them out of the room before closing the door right in their faces.

 Chapter 53: Dinner, Thoughts, and Beliefs

    The three of them walked in silence until they arrived all the way to the living room.

    With nothing much to do, Alex headed back into his room to meditate alone.

    But after meditating for a while, the knocking sound made him snap out of the meditation.

    "Dinner is ready." Luqing voice appeared.

    Alex quickly got up from bed and headed out to the hallway, only to see Sophia and Mary already up as well.

    "Let''s go eat now."

    The three quickly followed Luqing, walking towards the main living room until they arrived at the dining area.

    Both girls rushed to their seats after seeing all the food on the table, but Alex turned his head back for a second.

    He wanted to say something when he saw Luqing and the maids standing by the door, even though his family was already seated at the table.

    In the end, he kept his mouth shut, catching up to Sophia before sitting down next to her.

    "Where''s Amelia?"

    Fredrick asked as Luqing started pouring a bottle of wine into his ss before pouring one for Ava.

    "She said she''s busy," Luqing answered before stepping back with the bottle of wine in silence.

    "Of course, she has to be busy when everyone is about to have their first dinner together at home¡ª¡ª"

    "Who said my name?"

    Amelia curiously asked as she arrived into the room at thest second, taking a seat next to Ava.

    "We were just talking about how good the food is. Ahem, let''s do a proper cheer for Katherine returning home."

    As Amelia raised her ss, Luqing quickly moved over to pour her a ss as well.

    "Mom, mom! I want to drink some." Sophia pleaded, looking a little intrigued by the smell of the wine.

    "You''re too young¡ª¡ª"

    "I had been drinking since I was ten. I grew up to be perfectly fine. Katherine, you''re just too protective¡ª¡ª"

    "Don''t teach me how to raise my kid."

    Just as Luqing headed over to Katherine to pour her a ss of wine, she quickly shook her head.

    "I''m good. Thank you."

    Despite the refusal, Luqing still poured a ssful of wine into Katherine''s ss.

    "Lady Sophia, it''s a tradition not to refuse your senior''s offer to drink," Luqing stated before stepping back.

    Katherine seemed a little hesitant, but she didn''t t-out argue back against Luqingpared to her dad.

    "Cheers!"

    The three kids watched the four of them cheer before sitting back down and taking a small sip.

    As Fredrick finally began eating the food on the table, everyone else started eating as well.

    After eating for a bit, Alex started to dislike the formality. He felt almost distanced despite all of them being his direct rtives.

    It was much more irritating than he imagined, even more than the one he had at the capital with his grandparents.

    The cold, snowy atmosphere outside just too sharply contrasted with the warm, luxurious feeling of the room.

    More importantly, he just couldn''t get over the fact that maids watched them eat while they stood on the side.

    It was almost as if a sense of equality back on earth was eluding him. He wanted to allow them all to join in the dinner.

    But he remained silent just like earlier, knowing he had no power as a kid.

    He was a part of the beneficiary, the very foundation that created the inequality of being a part of a nobility.

    "Alex, you okay?" Ava asked, noticing his face seemed to zone out.

    "I''m fine."

    Alex quickly resumed back to eating the food at the table. Even though it tasted delicious, he felt empty inside.

    "Sophia, what did you guys do today?'' Fredrick curiously asked.

    "We finished our math homework, and then we went out with Luqing to check out the Arena." Sophia excitedly replied.

    "That''s nice. I heard the Arena had just reopened today after weeks of renovation."

    "No wonder why there were so many people going there," Mary murmured as she thought back to the waves of people at the entrance.

    With everyone starting to finish their food, Katherine suddenly spoke up.

    "Amelia, how did your experiment go?"

    "It went pretty well¡ª¡ª"

    "What experiment are you two talking about?" Fredrick curiously asked.

    "It''s a secret. I''ll tell you when it''s ready." Amelia replied, not giving any clue.

    ---

    After the dinner, Alex used the excuse of being tired to head back to his room early.

    As he sat by the window ledge, his mind was conflicted about something he had done in the afternoon.

    Soon, the moon started to rise in the distance, but Alex still couldn''t figure out an answer for himself.

    Suddenly, a knock on the door made him jump to the floor before he headed over to open the door.

    To his surprise, Katherine was standing outside the room.

    "Alex, you okay? I saw you wanted to say something earlier?" Katherine asked as she closed the door.

    "I''m fine, Mom..."

    Despite Alex''s assurance, his face told Katherine there was clearly something in his mind.

    "You can tell Mommy. I won''t tell anyone else." Katherine promised as she brought Alex to the bed.

    After a short silence, Alex finally said out loud what was bothering him.

    "Mom, does all nobility use maids to do housework?"

    "Most of them do. I mean, someone has to do the dirty work... Why are you asking that?"

    "I could feel Grandpa and Grandma''s look. They treat us with kindness and equality.

    But when they turn towards the maid, it''s almost like they are looking at someone who''s way beneath them."

    "Alex... I understand what you are trying to say. But not everyone is born equal."

    Katherine paused for a second, then continued.

    "If someone is born blind, should they be equal to their peers who can actually see and do work?"

    "T-That''s different. I''m not talking about their capability¡ª¡ª"

    "It is exactly about their capability. Do you think those maids are as important as someone who''s a mage?"

    Alex fell into silence, unable to argue back as he fully understood the angle from which she wasing.

    It was likeparing the life of someone famous to the life of an average citizen.

    "Come on, Alex, I never knew you would be bothered by something so naive."

    "But could they not at least treat them like equals? Are we not all humans?"

    Katherine moved a little closer, gently patting his head as she remained silent.

    "Mom, I''m sorry for bringing this kind of stuff up. Just ignore what I just said¡ª¡ª"

    "You''re just like your dad, you know that?"

    "Hm?"

    Alex was a little caught off guard by what Katherine had just said out loud, but she didn''t seem to notice it.

    "When your dad served as a knight, he believed that the nobility and the poor were equal.

    That belief was one of the main reasons he was eventually forced to be an adventurer instead of continuing as a knight."

    Katherine paused for a second, then continued.

    "I want you to know that he only sees one side of the story. He doesn''t understand that being a maid is already a fortunate position.

    So many people would do anything to have such work. He''s too naive... Don''t be like him, okay?"

    As Katherine finished talking, Alex was stunned.

    He had never heard anything about his dad''s past, as everyone just said he was an adventurer who became the hero of the town and nothing else.

    The belief Katherine mentioned seemed almost borderline insane and unrealistic in this world, yet in his eyes, it was admirable.

    "Remember, you''re going to be the next duke. Whatever you''re thinking of, don''t try any of it, okay?"

    Alex nodded in silence, but deep inside, he set a goal for himself.

    He was going to achieve the impossible, even if no one in this world cared or tried to change it.

    "Hey, I told you to stop thinking about this. I can still tell you''re thinking about it."

    Katherine flicks onto his forehead, causing Alex to cover his forehead as he snaps out of his inner thoughts.

    "Okay, okay. I''m not thinking about it anymore."

    Suddenly, Katherine warmly embraced Alex, wrapping her arms around his back.

    "Don''t do anything stupid, okay? I don''t want to lose anyone close to me anymore."

    Alex remained silent, but he nodded in agreement as reality began to set in.

    He was only a powerless kid, with the entire world practically against him if he tried to overthrow the system.

    "I want you to promise me. You''re not going to try anything stupid."

    After a short hesitation, Alex repeated it.

    "I''m not going to try anything stupid... You happy mom?"

    "Muah! Mommy is happy... Go Take a shower and go to sleep soon, okay?"

    Katherine quickly got up from the bed after kissing Alex on the cheek, making his face blush a little.

    "I know, I know. I was just about to take a shower if you didn''te in."

    Just as Katherine opened the door, she turned back around at thest second.

    "Tomorrow, I''m going to teach you guys chemistry and then bring you guys somewhere fun after your guys'' homework is done."

    "Okay."

    After the door finally closed, Alex quickly shook his head to get all of the things he had thought earlier out of his mind.

    "Small steps at a time," Alex murmured as he quickly grabbed a towel and his pajamas from the closet.

 Chapter 54: Morning Affair and Alchemy

    The next day...

    When Alex was still sleeping peacefully on the bed, he heard a loud knock from outside.

    "Wake up, Alex, it''s time for homework!"

    Sophia''s loud voice echoed throughout the room, waking Alex up from the bed as he slowly rubbed his eyes.

    "Okay, I''m getting up. Just give me a few minutes."

    Slowly, as Alex got up from the bed, he suddenly felt a little leg cramp down below.

    "Crap... How did I forget this again?"

    Thankfully, there were only small red spots near his underwear, so he quickly removed it along with his pajamas.

    Moving his leg in between a pair of panties, he quickly attached his pad before pulling it all the way up.

    Even though he had been having periods for almost half a year now, or six times to be exact, he still couldn''t get used to it.

    "Being a woman is so annoying," Alex murmured as he changed into his normal clothes.

    After brushing his teeth and washing his face in the bathroom, he quickly headed outside where Sophia had been waiting.

    "You okay?" Sophia asked, noticing the grumpy mood on his face.

    "I''m fine..."

    Despite Alex''s reassurance, Sophia soon realized why Alex was so grumpy, as she quickly remembered that his period timing was the same as hers.

    "You need me to carry you?" Sophia asked softly.

    "I''m good... Sophia, why are you so happy today? Don''t you have the same thing as me?"

    Alex questioned as the two of them headed down the hall to Mary''s room.

    "I''m happy because Mom told me earlier what we are going to doter. Also, I had gotten used to this already."

    As Sophia answered Alex, she began to knock on the door to Mary''s room.

    "Wake up. It''s time to do homework."

    Hearing no response from the inside, Sophia knocked on the door again.

    "Mary, wake up! It''s time for breakfast! Luqing made so many delicious dishes for us."

    "Okay, I''ming!"

    The two could hear the scrambling steps inside as if she was trying to be in a rush.

    But hearing something falling, the two immediately opened the door and rushed in.

    "You okay?"

    Sophia worryingly asked as the two of them helped her get back up from the ground.

    "I-I''m fine."

    "How did you trip on a t surface?" Alex curiously asked, noticing the little bruises on her knee.

    "My leg just feels a little ufortable today¡ª¡ª"

    "Ahem, Mary, you might want to change first."

    Sophia interrupted as she noticed Mary''s panties were tainted red around the front area.

    "Oh snap. Why did my periode early!"

    Mary quickly took her pajama pants, then began taking off her panties right in front of the two.

    Just as Alex was about to turn his head around, Sophia suddenly moved over to cover his eyes.

    "Stop looking at your sister, you pervert."

    "I was just about to look away if it wasn''t for your hand stopping me," Alex argued.

    "Sophia, I-I don''t mind brother seeing me naked¡ª¡ª"

    "He''s your brother. You can''t have men see your body naked. Just change into your clothes."

    After Mary put on the pad and changed into a fresh pair of clothes, she finally let go of Alex.

    "Geez, it''s not like we haven''t seen each other''s bodies before," Alexined, as he had no intent to look in the first ce.

    Especially considering that both Sophia and Mary were practically as t as cardboard and that they were his sisters.

    "Unless you said you want to be our sister one day, you are always going to be a man," Sophia argued, not taking Alex''s bait.

    "That''s never going to happen... Damn Evelyn and Damn Luna."

    Alex murmured thest part to himself, knowing the two had been constantly bombarding Sophia with nonsense like privacy.

    Even though it was Katherine who ultimately decided to split the three into their own bedroom, they had exacerbated Sophia''s sense of decency.

    He still remembers the day he came back home with the two of them, with Sophia distancing him away from Mary and herself.

    It was only after Camille identally slipped up after one of their meditation session together that he learned why.

    "Ahem, can you two wait outside? I''ll be back outter."

    Sophia and Alex quickly stepped out of the hallway as Mary headed to the bathroom to freshen up.

    ---

    When the three were in the living room with all the empty tes, their belly was full of food.

    "That was so delicious," Mary murmured as she wiped her mouth with a tissue.

    The other two agreed as well, with Katherine thanking Luqing as she began to clean up the table.

    With the table cleaned up, Katherine suddenly pulled a ckboard out of nowhere before standing up next to it.

    The three immediately took out their notebook and pencils, getting ready to take notes for the Alchemy lessons.

    A few hourster...

    "So all of you got that?"

    As Katherine put the chalk down, all three of the kids had already written several pages of notes nonstop.

    All of them nodded, but their brain was still a little too overloaded with so much information at once.

    "Good. Now, you guys can do your homework."

    "Lady Katherine, lunch is ready," Luqing stated just as they were about to take out their homework.

    "Oh, let''s all go eat first."

    As the four of them headed to the other living room''s dining area, Amelia was already there.

    "Good afternoon, Auntie."

    "Good afternoon... Luqing, I''m not going to eat dinner today. Tell Mom and Dad that I''m busy with my experiment."

    As Amelia left the dining area, the three quickly took their seat before they started eating.

    "You guys, stop eating so fast. Have some manner." Katherine warned as she took a seat herself.

    "Grandpa and Grandma aren''t here. Luqing isn''t going to tell them this, right?"

    Sophia asked as they began shoving as much food down as possible, not caring how messy they looked.

    Luqing shook her head and smiled, standing on the side as Katherine began gently cutting up the pieces of meat.

    "You guys..."

    Katherine didn''tment any further, letting the three go free as they had been listening to her lecture the whole time.

    A few minutester...

    After the lunch break, the three were led back to the other living room, where they began working on the first page of the homework.

    Katherine sat and watched the three slowly solve the problems one by one, with asional help from both of the girls.

    Meanwhile, Alex was once again going from a few problems ahead to an entire page ahead of them.

    "This is so easy..." Alex thought to himself as he continued to fill in the nks.

    Most of the questions involved plugging in the unknown element, with hints right below that stated the element''s properties or reactions with others.

    Knowing all of the name made it extremely easy to match, with notes to double-check if he did it correctly.

    When he got to the third page, the question was shifted to abination instead.

    He couldn''t help but think of theb experiment he used to conduct in his chemistry ss.

    But rather than conducting it, he simply matched thebination that made the reaction rather than a single element.

    "No Actinides..." Alex murmured as he began to realize which elements on the table werepletely missing.

    Most of the Transitional metals were recorded, but many of the other categories had many holes within them.

    It was clear the chemistry on this was following the same function as the one back on Earth.

    However, with the mana and Qi existing, he couldn''t help but feel he was learning the opposite of scientific knowledge.

    Especially after he asked Katherine during the lecture about if mana was an element.

    When she answered no, it just caused more confusion as he expected the element to be the fabric of everything.

    More importantly, when she talked about how alchemy is the basis for potions that can be ingested, it just made absolutely no sense to him.

    Even though medicine back on earth was made with ''elements'' like ferrous gluconate to treat Amenia, this world have different options.

    Instead of using iron Fe2+ and gluconic acid, which is made up of C6H12O7, iron can be reced with nickel.

    The only logical reasoning she provided was that ''mana'' interaction changes the property of elements.

    Despite some of the alchemy forms being the t-out poison that he had experimented with in a control setting back in school.

    From forms involving Mercuric Chloride to Mercury Sulfide, just hearing the word mercury was enough to trigger his bad memories.

    Yet, things like healing potions and mana potions are made with it, which sounded ridiculous yet logical for this world.

    As he continued with his homework, he practically discarded all of his old knowledge and adopted the new ones as recements.

    After what felt like forever, Alex finally finished the seven-page chemistry homework just as the clock hit three.

 Chapter 55: Adventurer and First Mission

    Once again, Alex had to wait.

    It took another hour for the two girls to be done with their alchemy homework.

    "We''re finally done with homework," Maryined as she leaned back in her chair.

    "Mom, what are we doing next week that we need to finish homework this week?" Alex curiously asked.

    "I''ll tell you guys more about it on Sunday, okay?"

    Katherine once again avoided answering the question, just like everyone else they tried to ask.

    "Mom, are we going to go out now?" Sophia hurried, having already finished packing all her work into her backpack.

    "Of course. Come on, get ready. We''re going to go sign up to be an adventurer."

    Alex and Mary immediately shoved everything back into their backpacks, rushing back to their room along with Sophia.

    When they came back out to the living room, they were fully dressed in their outdoor clothes.

    "Let''s go!" Mary excitedly yelled, with the other two looking just as excited as her.

    A few minutes walkter...

    As the four of them stopped by a building, they could see a bold adventurer guild written right above them.

    Hundreds of people were walking in and out of the guild, with the front desk having a long line before them.

    Fortunately, there was a separate line for signing up, which was empty as they walked straight to the other front desk.

    "Ma''am, are you signing up for the uing event or the registration to be an adventurer?"

    The front deskdy asked, seemingly busy writing something on a piece of paper.

    "I''m signing up to be an adventurer for my kids."

    The front deskdy didn''t bother looking up once again as she handed over three registration forms.

    "Hand it back when you''re done."

    "Okay, you guys fill this out yourself... Don''t fill in the personal information part."

    After filling out most of the registration forms, Katherine took back their forms before signing her name as the guarantor.

    As soon as Katherine handed the paper back to the front deskdy, she seemed a little shocked when she looked up to get the paper.

    "L-Lady Katherine?"

    "Ahem, I don''t want to cause a scene. You understand me, right?"

    The front deskdy instantly shuts her mouth before taking out a small little machine.

    "Sophia,e up. It needs your fingerprint. Just put their thumb here."

    After all three of them took turns putting their thumbs on the machine, the front deskdy handed them an ID card with their names on it.

    "Thank you."

    As Katherine brought the three of them to the other side of the building, the three kids'' hearts beat fast.

    They couldn''t believe they had finally be an adventurer.

    They had always grown up hearing Katherine''s bedtime story, going on a fascinating journey as an adventurer.

    "Let''s go get your guy''s first missions."

    As the three followed Katherine to a machine, a disy table immediately appeared in front of each of them.

    In it, they could see various kinds of missions, from ying a monster that had been harassing nearby viges to finding a lost cat in the city.

    "Since you guys are at F rank, you guys should only pick the lowest rank missions, okay?"

    Much to the kid''s disappointment, the lowest-rank missions were almost all manualbor.

    But after looking for a while, Alex finally found something that made him a little intrigued.

    "Fighting slime in the swamp vige. Mom, can we do that one?" Alex pleaded, despite it being a mission one rank higher than them.

    "Yeah, Mom, can we do that one? We don''t want to just carry boxes around the city," Sophia pleaded.

    "Mom, please!"

    With Mary dealing the final blow, Katherine reluctantly nodded to let them take the mission.

    A popup suddenly appeared that requires an Adventurer ID with the rank of at least E.

    All three of them turned over to Katherine, looking at her with glowing eyes.

    With a swipe, Katherine epted the mission for them before the three of them swiped their card as well to add themselves to it.

    "Mom! You''re S rank¡ª¡ª"

    "Shush, do you want us to be trapped here?"

    Katherine quickly covered Alex''s mouth, stopping him from finishing his line as people in the guild turned towards them for a second.

    After seeing nothing was going on, they turned back to their business, and Sophia and Mary looked just as shocked.

    "Come on, we''re going to finish this mission before dinner time."

    The three quickly followed Katherine out of the guild, not mentioning what they had seen earlier until they were outside.

    "Mom, Mom! How did you be an S rank?" Sophia curiously asked.

    "You just need to do a lot of missions," Katherine answered as they continued walking down the street.

    After walking for a while, they began heading toward the city''s exit.

    "Wow... The outside looks so barren," Mary murmured, as the outside was the pr opposite of a lively city.

    There wereyers uponyers of snow on the side of the road, and everything was white across the in ahead.

    "Well, it''s December. Usually, in the spring or summer, you can see a field of greenery."

    Fortunately, as they walked down the road, theyer of snow on the road itself wasn''t thick enough to make traveling impossible.

    "How far is this swamp?" Mary impatiently asked.

    "It''s about a ten-minute walk from here¡ª¡ª"

    "Wait, how is there a swamp in the middle of a snowy season?" Sophia asked, with the other two just realizing it as well.

    "You''ll see."

    After walking in the snow for a while, the three finally see something different.

    It was an almost muddyndscape, with almost clear cuts separating the snow from the swamp.

    Even the sky above the swamp had almost no clouds as if it were apletely separate world.

    "Why does this side have no snow?" Alex questioned as they entered the swampnd.

    "Because there is an active volcano below us... And magic."

    "A volcano?"

    All three of them looked even more confused as everywhere they looked was just a bunch of swampnd.

    "Just be patient."

    As they continue walking down, they finally see a vige ahead.

    But rather than what a typical vige looked like, it was a bunch of almost levitating houses built on top of shallow waters.

    Katherine took a short turn, clearly not intending to walk into the vige itself as they continue down the path.

    After walking for a bit, they finally understood why Katherine said it was an active volcano.

    A small hill ahead of them had a massive crack, with a small amount ofva jumping out of the hill arch.

    More importantly, they could see a bunch of red slimes jumping out of the crack, turning green after rolled down the hill and into the mud water.

    "They are resistant to fire and water-type spells."

    As soon as Katherine finished talking, all three of the kids stepped into formation, with Sophia being in the center.

    The groups of slimes soon noticed the intruder and started bouncing towards them as well.

    Every time the slime bounced into each other, they merged, forming a bigger and bigger blob of slime.

    Yet, the three remained focused, still casting their spell as the slime was still hundreds of steps away.

    A orb of light began to merge above all three of them, bing bigger and bigger until Sophia finally directed towards the slime.

    With a blinding bang, the slime was instantly shattered into pieces, with a small little red orb lying on the floor.

    "Now, this is the hard part... Someone has to get that orb to bring back as proof ofpletion."

    The three of them looked at each other as if they did not want to step into the muddy water.

    But in the end, Alex volunteered himself to step inside it and walk all the way to the slime corpse''s body.

    After picking up the orb, he quickly began to walk back before more slime appeared in the distance.

    "Mom, does this slime ever finish disappearing?" Sophia curiously asked as more kepting out of the volcano.

    "Nope, it''s just an endless slimeing out of there."

    "Then what''s the point of clearing them? They seem to be just sitting there."

    Mary pointed out after noticing the slime just doing nothing in the distance.

    "They be a problem when there''s too many of them. Just imagine millions of them in a giant blob."

    All three of them imagined it, shaking their heads to get the image of a city-sized slime out of their heads.

    "This mission is just to reduce the poption once in a while. Anyway, you guys need ten more to finish the mission."

    The three of them immediately got to work, reusing Alex''s strategy of gathering all the slime together, with Sophia and Mary casting spells.

    Just as the sky was about to get dark, they finally finished gathering all ten slime orbs for the mission.

 Chapter 56: Upcoming Event Revealed

    After waiting in the long line to turn the fire orb to the guild, they were rewarded with a few coins.

    Even though it was enough for them to buy some candies from a store, they were still happy that it was money earned through their hard work.

    "Okay, time to go back home and get you all to take a shower. You guys smell so bad right now."

    All three of them awkwardly scratched their head, seeing all the nearby people taking a few steps away from them.

    Their shoes and pants were full of mud, with some even getting all the way to their coats.

    After arriving home, the three immediately went to their rooms to take a shower.

    By the time they were fully cleaned, Luqing had led them one by one to the dining area.

    Fredrick and Amelia were both missing, leaving Katherine, the three kids, and Ava at the table.

    "How do you guys like your second day of winter break?" Ava curiously asked as she began eating.

    "It''s great! We love it here." Mary excitedly replied as she began cutting the steak.

    "That''s good to hear. You guys cane here to visit here any time."

    As Ava cuts her small piece of the steak, the snow outside suddenly gets stronger, causing the window to shriek a little.

    "It''s a shame the next few days are going to be a severe winter storm..."

    Seeing Ava looking a little down, Alex got a little curious about something.

    "Where''s Grandpa?"

    "He''s busy setting up for the uing event... I guess it''s time I should tell you guys what it''s going to be about."

    Ava paused for a second as she looked over to Katherine, but she didn''t stop her from saying it.

    "You guys are going to put topete with other people next week."

    The three kids were surprised, but they didn''t look scared. Rather, they looked a little excited.

    "What are wepeting for?" Sophia curiously asked.

    "A chance to see the guardian... Everyone that had won thepetition and met her saw a drastic improvement in their mage skill."

    All three of them held their breath as they realized how important the prizes were, especially with their bloodline''s time-limit curse.

    "How is the winner decided? Who''s going to be in thispetition?" Alex curiously asked.

    "Everyone... Even me and your grandpa would be allowed in... And the winner is thest one standing."

    Hearing Ava''s answer, all three of them were alerted.

    "We aren''t fighting people to the death, right?" Sophia immediately raised her concern.

    "You would be. But you aren''t using your real body to fight someone. Your soul will be transported into a different dimension.

    In that dimension, a temporary replica of your body will be under your control to fight."

    The three kids let out a sigh of relief, as they were really getting worried they would be forced to refrain from participating in this.

    "Is it free for all?" Mary curiously asked.

    "Yes, but there are teams that people form to ce higher since the higher the cement, the better the reward."

    As Ava exined, Alex couldn''t help but feel that this game felt extremely simr to one he yed back on Earth.

    It was a free-for-all, almost like a battle royal, but there was clearly a critical w in the wholepetition.

    "Grandma, how would we fight someone if they are at a higher age level than us?"

    Alex asked after realizing when she mentioned that everyone was allowed to be in this event.

    "That''s the hard part about thepetition... There are no limitations to the fight at all.

    Usually, it''s formed so that a higher-level mage only fights a higher-level mage, but with your grandpa''s health..."

    The three immediately realized thepetition was practically impossible for them to win.

    They were just there to try to get a higher cement with the mage level one skill they had.

    "But don''t worry, I''ll try to protect you guys. My parents should be willing to protect¡ª¡ª"

    "We don''t need your family''s protection."

    Katherine, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke up. Her cold voice indicated that she was not happy with Ava.

    "Kate, stop being so fixated. Think about your kid''s future. Are you really going to give up their chances of winning over your feud?"

    Seeing Katherine seemly sat in silence, both Sophia and Mary didn''t know what to do.

    But Alex knew he had to say something before Katherine did something that would sacrifice her dignity for them.

    "Mom, I don''t know what happened in the past, but please, think of yourselves before us.

    You have done so many things for us already. We''ll support whatever decision you make¡ª¡ª"

    Before Alex could finish, his body suddenly froze for a second before being forced to sit back down.

    "Alex, please don''t interrupt when the adults are talking."

    Despite Ava''s warm smile, Alex felt a chill go down his spine as if his life could disappear right before her eyes.

    However, it quickly disappeared as she turned her attention back to Katherine.

    "It''s been almost fourteen years. Kate, look at you right now. It''s not like anything happened to you that night¡ª¡ª"

    Before Ava could finish, Katherine interrupted by pushing her chair back, making a loud screeching sound as she stood up.

    "Shut up. It''s easy for you to say when you''re the one not affected by it. I don''t want to ever hear that from you."

    Seeing the choice being made, Ava didn''t say anything besides putting both her knife and fork down.

    "Luqing, I''m going to go to sleep early. You can clean this up."

    As soon as Ava left the dining area, Luqing quickly stepped up to direct the maids to begin cleaning up the table.

    "Lady Katherine... Please don''t get mad. Your mom is just thinking for your kids." Luqing murmured.

    "I know... Just give me some time to think."

    Katherine dropped her utensils as well before leaving the dining area, leaving the three kids with the maids.

    "Alex... What should we do?"

    Mary asked, turning her attention to the one who always had the most ideas when this kind of situation arose.

    "You two just finish eating and go to your bedroom. I''ll go talk to Mom."

    Seeing Alex going to talk to Katherine alone, Sophia, being the oldest, wanted to step up and volunteer herself.

    However, the hesitation had made it far toote for her to call him back.

    ---

    After knocking on the door, Alex didn''t get a response back from Katherine''s room.

    "Mom, can I talk to you for a second?" Alex asked patiently as he waited, not knocking on the door again.

    But he could hear the subtle sobbing sound subduing inside Katherine''s bedroom.

    "Alex, just leave me alone for a bit. I''m fine..."

    Despite Katherine''s reassurance, Alex didn''t move a single inch as he remained in ce and waited.

    Just as Alex''s leg was starting to get a little tired, the door was finally opened.

    Katherine''s face had tear marks, and it looked almost as if she had aged overnight with all the wrinkles he hadn''t noticed in the past.

    "What are you standing here for¡ª¡ª"

    Before she could react, Alex suddenly ran into her arms before wrapping her arms around her stomach.

    "Mom! I love you!"

    "I love you too, Alex."

    As the two continued to hug each other, Alex''s brain waspletely fried.

    He didn''t have any n at all, as he didn''t expect her actually to open the door.

    "Alex, can you let go?" Katherine asked as the atmosphere started to get a little awkward.

    "No! Mom helped me get over my problems, and it''s my turn to help Mom!"

    Seeing Alex, who did not want to let go, she gently closed the door before lifting him into her arms and carrying him to the bed.

    "How is Alex going to help me with my problem?" Katherine asked gently as she started staring at his eyes.

    "Um, I-I..."

    Alex started to panic a little as he nervously sat down next to her and tried to think of an idea.

    "It''s okay. You being here is the biggest problem-solving solution I ever need."

    As Katherine gently patted his head, Alex couldn''t help but feel powerless to relieve her pain.

    Despite all the unknown difficulties she faced, she was still willing to talk to him nicely as if nothing had happened.

    An idea began to form inside his head as she continuously brushed his hair with her hands.

    With no other way out, he finally decided to try it out as ast resort.

    "Mom, can you tell me what happened in the past? I-I know this sounds rude, but I just want to help."

    Katherine''s hand stopped, but after thinking for a bit, she resumed back to gently brushing his hair.

    "You sure you want to hear it? It''s going to be a long story that might bore you."

    Alex instantly nodded, waiting patiently for Katherine to speak up again.

 Chapter 57: Katherines Past

    There was once a little girl who was born with all the things she ever wanted in life.

    Her father was the Grand Duke of a powerful city, and her mom was a powerful mage who was also the emperor''s sister.

    Every day, she enjoyed her hometown, wandering around with her younger sister and the head maid.

    As she grew older, she was forced to move from her hometown to the capital to enroll in the best school.

    Excelling in her studies, she soon became the best mage of her entire grade level.

    Just as she was given the chance to further her studies as a mage, her dad suddenly received an invitation.

    It was a letter from the emperor to attend the Prince''sing-of-age banquet, with specific instructions to have both of his daughterse.

    The father knew the invitation was more of a selection to find a suitable wife for the emperor''s son.

    However, he chose not to bring it up to his daughter, only telling them that it was just a normal birthday party for the Prince.

    When the daughter''s whole family went to the party, they were surprised to see many influential figures present.

    More importantly, the emperor''s Guardian, the empire''s grand archmage, was present.

    That was when the father realized it was a trap, a setup to force him to pick a side for the uing session.

    The emperor knew that if his youngest son picked her daughter, that son would be his next heir to the throne.

    As the banquet began, elegant music traveled across the room, and the father stood nervously for her daughters.

    He knew his daughter had always hated interacting with the upper ss, who would rather study in their private time alone.

    Fortunately, his daughter didn''t embarrass him in front of the massive crowds of people.

    They were much more pleasant than he ever expected of them, being able to make many friends within the banquet.

    Unfortunately, it also soon made them stand out above all, especially the oldest daughters.

    His worst worry came as the emperor''s son invited her eldest daughter to a dance.

    To his surprise, her daughter didn''t refuse him like everyone else that she had refused so far.

    That''s because his elder daughter knew the tough position her father was in.

    After the dance, the Prince headed over to her younger sister to have a dance with her as well.

    When the father asked what both of the daughters thought of the Prince, the elder daughter told him she didn''t like him.

    She didn''t like how he danced with several of the younger women afterward, yet he pervertly stared at the older women''s chests.

    Meanwhile, the younger daughter thought he was a fine gentleman, disagreeing with what her sister views.

    The father was happy to see his younger daughter liking the Prince, offering his elder daughter reassurance, saying that it was just a dance.

    Just as the banquet was about to end, the emperor''s Guardian suddenly got up to the stage.

    Everyone was in silence, watching him talk about how the new son was the ideal mage.

    The speech didn''tst long, as he revealed the partner he wanted for the emperor''s son.

    It was a mage that had a strong light affinity.

    The elder daughter immediately let out relief as she was a well-known dark-affinity mage in the capital.

    However, the younger daughter was a little disappointed, as she also had a dark affinity, not matching what the Guardian stated.

    As people began to leave, the emperor himself suddenly stopped the Grand Duke''s family.

    The emperor asked the duke a private question, not showing anyone what they had discussed.

    Not even to his wife, who had always helped him make decisions.

    When they returned home, everything was back to normal until a month had passed.

    The emperor had fallen critically ill, and all of his sons were being recalled from the various provinces.

    His other four sons were all married, with his youngest being the only one who was still not married.

    Much to his son''s dismay, he made them all swear loyalty to the youngest son, as the Guardian himself had picked him as the sessor.

    The emperor''s eldest son decided to question the choice, as he viewed the young brother as unqualified until he was at least married.

    Soon, the entire court was on his side, as they viewed the young son as inexperienced and too young to be an emperor.

    To quell the pressure, it culminated in a sh wedding, where another duke''s daughter with lower status was picked due to her light affinity.

    Everything was going in a good direction until the emperor''s son himself refused the wedding.

    He demanded the emperor to fulfill his wish, a wish that the Guardian had granted him.

    People at the wedding were confused until he revealed the secret deal during the banquet.

    The Grand Duke''s daughter was to be married to the emperor''s youngest son alongside the other duke''s daughter.

    Within seconds, the Grand Duke''s daughter refused, not wanting to be forced into a marriage with someone she disliked.

    Her father tried to exin to everyone that he was never going to fulfill that deal.

    But it was far toote, as the emperor''s Guardian himself suddenly appeared at the wedding.

    The Guardian questioned the duke''s elder daughter about why she refused.

    Despite the overwhelming pressure, she told everyone out loud that she just didn''t like the emperor''s son as a person.

    It shocked a lot of people, but the Guardian didn''t seem to ept her answer.

    He told the duke''s family that within two days, there would be another wedding between the emperor''s heir and the duke''s daughter.

    As they returned from the wedding, the elder daughter immediately told her father she would rather die than fulfill that deal.

    She headed back to her hometown, where she knew the emperor''s Guardian could not reach her.

    At the same time, the younger daughter was disgusted by what the Prince was trying to do to her older sister and left for her hometown as well.

    The two days quickly went by, and tension began to rise between the emperor and the duke.

    Rumors began to spread rapidly that the duke was about to outright revolt against the emperor himself for his daughter.

    It was reaching a boiling point on the third day as the emperor had four of his sons lead an army to blockade the entire city.

    With mounting pressure from the citizens and the mayor, the Grand Duke himself decided to summon the Great Guardian.

    Much to his disappointment, the Great Guardian refused to see him, only giving him a small little bag to give to her daughter.

    Just as the father quickly gave the bag to the elder daughter, he found himself in the middle of a coup that was already in motion.

    The entire castle was surrounded by his soldiers, all pleading for him just to ept the emperor''s demand.

    He knew it was over, so he headed back inside to find his daughter to turn her in.

    To his surprise, both of her daughters were missing.

    Only when he questioned his head maid did he learn that they had left through the back entrance.

    With no other choice, the duke allowed the entire army and invited all four of the emperor''s sons to search his house.

    He told all of them that his daughters ran away with a knight and denounced both of them on the spot.

    The wife of the Grand Duke, who was the emperor''s sister, also eventually arrived at the emperor''s pce.

    Under pressure, the emperor forgave the Grand Duke''s failure to fulfill the emperor''s demand.

    The emperor''s son also eventually married another dark affinity mage, ending the whole crisis as a ceasefire was made.

    However, the younger daughter of the Grand Duke suddenly returned home after the wedding waspleted.

    The moment the emperor learned of it, he immediately demanded for her to be turned over, as his daughter was never forgiven for the disrespect.

    Just as another crisis was about to ur, fortunately, the Great Guardian finally decided to intervene.

    The capital''s defense was broken with a single spell, causing widespread panic as it woke the emperor''s Guardian up from his sleep.

    In the end, the two guardians seemly had struck some sort of deal, as the emperor himself announced that the daughters were both pardoned.

    Meanwhile, the emperor''s family was now allowed in the Great Guardian''s trial once per lifetime.

    Yet, this news would not be known to the elder daughter, as she had teleported back to her school with the bag in hand.

    When she asked her teacher what she should do, the teacher gave her a disguise and told her to be an adventurer.

    She soon went on a journey, but unfortunately, on her first day, her luggage, along with her bag, suddenly disappeared one night.

    But with slim luck, a runaway knight who had recently be an adventurer found it and returned the lost luggage to her.

    Even though she lost the bag, she was happy to find someone who was on the run just like her.

    The two of them soon became friends and decided to leave the capital together, protecting a group of vigers somewhere far away.

 Chapter 58: Comfort, Problems, and Solution

    "The rest of the story you already know... Now be a good boy and go back to your room, okay?"

    Alex sat in silence, unsure of how to react to Katherine''s story as his brain was still processing the information.

    "Mom..."

    For a second, Alex had an idea, but he hesitated when she gently touched his cheek.

    "It''s time for you to sleep, Alex. Don''t worry about Mommy, okay? I know what I am doing¡ª¡ª"

    Before Katherine could finish, Alex suddenly pushed her hand away to the side, with his face turning cold.

    "Mom. I really mean it. You shouldn''t think about us so much. Think about yourself for a second."

    "Myself?"

    Katherine looked down at Alex''s face, slightly intrigued by what he was trying to say.

    "The emperor''s family had never been good to us at all. I''m not saying Grandma has been bad to us.

    But the current emperor is the person that you rejected. He could do anything to us after Grandpa is gone."

    Hearing Alex''s point, Katherine let out a chuckle.

    "I know that. There''s a reason why your grandma wants me to put our feuds aside.

    She knows we don''t have any allies... She''s not some fool who just threw her daughter into a fire pit."

    Alex was now the one confused, as it now looked like Katherine was jumping into a trap.

    More importantly, it now starts to paint Ava as a good person who is doing it for her daughter''s sake, not just for her grandkids.

    "Then why didn''t you turn down Grandma''s offer at the table? Mom, do you really want to marry someone who''s had hundreds of lovers?"

    Alex argued as his mind drifted back to the rumors that had spread like wildfire at school.

    "If the emperor wants me, who am I to resist?"

    Alex fell into silence once again, as he didn''t have any solution to the question that he had juste up with.

    He finally understood his mom''s despair, a trap with no way out and all sides surrounded by chains.

    "Mom... I''d rather see you happy. I don''t care about the prize or learn magic at all.

    If leaving the capital forever means freedom, then I''m willing nevere back here."

    Katherine seemed a little stunned by Alex''s answer, but he wasn''t done yet.

    "I''m sure Sophia and Mary would do the same, too... Mom, don''t you remember why you ran in the first ce?"

    Alex paused for a second. However, seeing her sitting in silence, he continued.

    "What would Dad think if he sees you about sacrificing yourself for us to be free?"

    "He¡ª¡ª"

    "Mom, you remember Dad made himself free first before he tried to help others be freed of nobility, right?

    You''re doing the opposite. You can''t help others if you don''t even help yourself first."

    "It''s not that simple, Alex¡ª¡ª"

    "It is that simple, Mom. We''ll go to Grandma and tell her we are not going to be allying with the emperor.

    Then we''ll go on from there. Even if we die, at least we die with honor and dignity."

    Seeing Alex''s stubborn attitude, Katherine couldn''t help but smile as it reminded her of something.

    "Okay, okay. Mommy is going to tell Grandma and refuse her offer. You happy?"

    "You swear?"

    Alex questioned, staring right into Katherine''s eye as he kneeled on the bed to make himself taller.

    Their faces were inches away from each other, yet he wasn''t about to back down until she said it.

    "I swear."

    After a short standoff, the atmosphere became a little awkward as Alex didn''t know how to end it.

    "Muah! This is a kiss for you being a good mother."

    Seeing Alex kiss her on the cheek like she had done to him yesterday, Katherine couldn''t help butugh a little.

    "Stopughing..." Alex murmured as he shyly looked down to hisp.

    "A good mother! I had never heard a kid kissing their mother for that."

    Katherine continued tough, as her heart had softenedpletely from how cute Alex looked despite her attempts tofort her.

    "Hmph!"

    Alex childishly crossed his arms in anger as he now felt a little insulted by theughter.

    "Okay, okay, I won''tugh... I''ll go to grandma and tell her no like you wanted."

    As Katherine got up from the bed, Alex was a little surprised that she was willing to do it right now.

    Alex quickly followed her out of the room until they arrived at the central hallway of the house.

    With Katherine Knocking on the door, Alex quickly hid himself around the corner as the door opened.

    "Mom, I want to tell you that I''m not going to sacrifice myself for some stupid alliance."

    "Is that all?"

    "Yep. That''s all."

    "Okay? You didn''t really need toe up to tell me that... You already told me this at the dining table."

    "Good night."

    Katherine turned back around, leaving a confused Ava as she headed back to where Alex stood.

    "You happy now?" Katherine asked as they began heading back to their hallway.

    Alex nodded, but a question suddenly appeared in his head.

    "Mom, can I ask something?"

    "What?"

    "If Grandma is the former emperor''s sister, wouldn''t that make you and the current emperor cousins?"

    "Yeah, what about it?"

    "Then wouldn''t it be too close for marriage?"

    Katherine froze for a second before her face started to change as if she suddenly realized something disgusting.

    "I never thought of it like that... Well, that''s one reason to say no even more."

    As the two arrived back at Katherine''s bedroom, they looked at each other with happiness.

    "Thank you for helping me today," Katherine said as she gently rubbed Alex''s hair with her hand.

    "I should be the one saying that for all the things you had done for us. Sophia, Mary, and I could never be more thankful to you."

    Alex replied as he pushed her hand away before heading towards the door.

    "You guys better! Well, good night, Alex."

    "Good night, Mom."

    Alex left the room before closing the door, heading back to his room before lying on the bed.

    "So much stuff happened thest two days..." Alex murmured as he leaned down on the bed.

    He could feel his body starting to feel a little sore, especially with his legs walking so much while still on his period.

    After lying for a bit, he soon fell asleep on the bed.

    ---

    The next day...

    For the first time during the winter break, Alex wasn''t being woken up by someone else.

    Instead, he finally woke up with the urge to go to the bathroom.

    After taking care of business, he was too awake to go back to sleep, so he decided to brush his teeth and wash his face.

    With everything taken care of, he changed into a fresh pair of clothes before removing his pad to put on another pair of panties.

    "Crap..."

    Alex quickly headed back into the bathroom, washing his old dirty panties before casting a dry spell.

    Next, he hid it inside his other underwear, making it impossible to find unless someone dug through it.

    After that, Alex was finally able to head out into the hallway before running into Luqing.

    "Good morning, Mr.Alex."

    "Good morning, Luqing. You don''t have to call me Mister when we are alone. I don''t like it," Alex suddenly stated.

    Luqing only smiled back at Alex, not saying anything else to him.

    "Never mind. Just keep calling whatever you want... Just never call me Lord Alex if that dayes."

    As the two headed to the living room, Fredrick and Ava were already up and eating breakfast.

    "Good morning, Alex."

    "Good morning... Grandpa and Grandma."

    Alex thought of rejecting to call them so closely, but he knew the two didn''t want to hurt Katherine.

    It wasn''t their fault for giving up their daughters, as Fredrick was only merely a duke while Ava was just a woman.

    Especially as Fredrick ultimately gives his mother and auntie the chance to run away in the first ce if it wasn''t for him stalling long enough.

    Still, he was a little grumpy inside because they had kept her in the dark at the start and denounced her afterward.

    Sitting down and eating the food, Ava noticed the change in Alex''s face, which made her a little worried.

    "Alex, is the food not good enough?"

    "No, the breakfast is amazing. I love the egg and sausage. It''s just salty enough to feel it.

    The perfectly sweet pancake, I had never seen something so perfectly made in the morning."

    Alex''s face quickly shifted, putting up the usual warm smile that looks cute initially while looking dead if you stare at it long enough.

    "That''s good to hear," Fredrick murmured this time, ending the conversation as the three of them resumed eating.

    "Lord Fredrick, your tea."

    Luqing said as she gently put a cup filled with something that looked like it had a small hint of golden hue.

    "Where''s my coffee?" Ava impatiently asked.

    "It''s still brewing, Lady Ava." Luqing calmly replied, seemingly not to be affected by her attitude at all.

    "Geez, Ava, why do you look so mad today?" Fredrick asked as she took a sip of the tea.

    "All because of your stubborn daughter. I knew I should have never married you if I had endured all these problems."

    Avained as she cut a small piece of pancake before putting it into her mouth.

    ---

    (Read the auxiliary chapter. I have a question set up there for you)

 Chapter 59: Preparation and an Uninvited Guest

    Just as Fredrick was about to finish his food, the other four in the house finally arrived at the kitchen one by one.

    "Good morning." Amelia waved as she was thest one to arrive at the table.

    "Good morning."

    With everyone at the table, Fredrick decided to reveal the news he had been kept secret for a while.

    "I found someone for the uingpetition that''s going to help us."

    "Who?" Ava immediately asked, looking a little surprised, as did Katherine and Amelia.

    "It''s a cultivator from the East. I don''t know how she smuggled past the barrier portal, but she is currently inside the town."

    "Why is she willing to help us?" Amelia raised her concern.

    "Because she thinks we have the highest chance of seeing the guardian if we did win."

    "What''s the cultivator''s level?" Katherine asked, seemingly unsure of their usefulness.

    "They are in Great Ascension level¡ª¡ª"

    "What?"

    The name shocked Luqing, and the other three adults in the room seemed a little confused.

    "How good is that?" Katherine asked, not knowing how the cultivation level works.

    "It''s almost equivalent to the peak of one level away from archmage."

    All three of them looked a little disappointed, as both Fredrick and Ava were already one level away from level 8 archmage.

    A level 7 mage was nowhere near enough to beat the various alliances that have more than a handful of level 7 mages.

    "Don''t let that fool you into thinking she''s weak. She had beaten me offhandedly, and I couldn''t even resist a single time."

    It raised the hope a little, but it was still nowhere near enough in terms of numbers to match.

    "Where is she right now?" Ava curiously asked, wanting to test it herself.

    "She''s somewhere in the town... She said she''s going toe to the castle when the timees."

    A few minutester...

    When everyone finished breakfast, Katherine dragged all three of the kids back to the other living room.

    "For this entire week, you guys are going to try to advance as hard as you can for this event, okay?"

    All three of the kids nodded in agreement, even though they knew they wouldn''t be much help in the grand scheme of things.

    "Now, first, you all need to get to mage level 2. Or at least to the peak of it as fast as you can."

    The room suddenly turned dark before a ck void surrounded them, with nothing else besides the sofa below them.

    "You guys are going to meditate every single second. Don''t think about going outside."

    Several hourster...

    Just as Alex felt his body had reached the limit of his meditation for the day, Katherine handed him a cup of milk to drink.

    For some reason, the burnout disappeared, allowing him to go back into meditation.

    The same goes for Sophia and Mary, who quits their meditation an hour after Alex.

    They, too, received the same ss of milk to drink before heading back to their meditation.

    It was almost nonstop, from the sun rising in the sky to the sun disappearing on the horizon.

    The only break they received was when they needed to go to sleep or going to eat.

    This continued for the rest of the first week of the winter break until they finally reached Sunday morning.

    ---

    "Sophia, are you all excited about the event tomorrow?" Ava curiously asked as they all sat in the dining area.

    All three of the kids nodded as the dinner began to be served to the table.

    "How much have you three improved?"

    Fredrick curiously asked as they had all seen how hard Katherine had pushed them to meditate.

    "I can feel I''m almost at mage level two," Sophia stated.

    "Same!" Mary stated.

    "I''m over halfway there," Alex statedst.

    "That''s good, that''s good..."

    As Fredrick began to eat the food on the table, everyone else also began to eat their food as well.

    "Amelia, how did your experiment go?" Sophia suddenly asked.

    "Failed. Didn''t work as intended."

    Katherine wasn''t surprised by Amelia''s answer, but she gave a few words of encouragement before she resumed eating.

    After the meal, they all headed back to their room before sleeping early for the night.

    Everyone in the entire city slept early as well, knowing what was in store when the clock hit twelve.

    However, just as Alex was about to fall asleep on his bed, he suddenly heard a shattering sound and a scream in the other room.

    He immediately rushed out into the hallway before opening the door to Katherine''s room.

    The moment he stepped foot inside, he could feel a strong, cold wind hitting him right in the face.

    Looking inside, there was a mysterious figure standing right next to the broken window.

    "W-Who are you?"

    Katherine nervously asked, her face seemingly calm down after seeing Alex in the room.

    "Fredrick invited me to this house... Did Ie to the right ce?"

    Hearing a woman''s voice from the mysterious figure, the two immediately realized it was the helper that his grandpa found.

    "What''s with the noise?"

    As Fredrick and Ava both stood in the hallway, they were also a little shocked by what had happened to Katherine''s room as well.

    "Hey, old guy. You said you''re going to offer me a room to sleep in, right?" The mysterious woman asked.

    "Yes... I can personally bring you to a guest room¡ª¡ª"

    "I kind of like this room. Do you mind letting me have it for the night?"

    "You can have it."

    Katherine got up from bed on her own, surprising everyone as she didn''t resist a single bit.

    "Alex, I''m going to sleep in your room tonight."

    With the two gone, Fredrick and Ava both looked at each other for a second before Ava cast a spell to repair the window.

    "Very well, ma''am. Have a good sleep."

    As Fredrick closed the door, Ava''s face was inplete disbelief.

    "What kind of help did you invite? Why did shee into our house through our daughter''s bedroom?"

    Ava questioned, her face seemingly a little angry from the cultivator''s first impression.

    "It''s better than nothing."

    ---

    Meanwhile, in Alex''s room...

    As the two of themy down on the bed, Alex tried to scooch away from Katherine a little.

    He knew how bad Katherine''s sleeping posture was.

    It was even worse than Sophia and Mary, who he had slept with almost his entire life until the past few months.

    Unfortunately, Katherine had already wrapped both of her arms around him.

    "My cute little Alex, we haven''t slept together for so long!"

    "Yeah..."

    Alex quietly sighed, starting to suspect Katherine was just looking for an excuse to sleep with him again.

    Soon, Katherine had already fallen asleep, letting out a steady breath as she held Alex like a body pillow.

    Meanwhile, Alex''s head was all over the ce, unable to fall asleep at all.

    But it wasn''t because of Katherine''s warm body that was touching his skin.

    Rather, it was the uingpetition for tomorrow.

    His brain was going through all kinds of different scenarios he could face when going in.

    From possibly being put in a massive arena to being in the jungle, he was trying to prepare every strategy possible.

    "Why am I thinking about this? If I walk into someone who''s a higher mage level, I''m dead either way."

    With that out of the way, Alex shifted his attention back to trying to fall asleep.

    But with Katherine''s legs wrapping around just right below his belly and her chest touching his neck, it was getting a little difficult.

    More importantly, he noticed she wasn''t wearing bras underneath the pajamas, allowing him to see the little tip in the dark.

    "Alex... I love you."

    Katherine''s sudden murmur made Alex''s brain freeze for a second before he realized she was just talking in her sleep.

    "I love you too, Mom..."

    Alex shook his head a little, getting everything out of his mind as all kinds of weird thoughts disappeared in his brain.

    ---

    It was a full moon, and the sky was clear for the night. The moonlight shone all over the city, illuminating the roads.

    But as the clock hits twelve, an even stronger light begins to appear across Regina.

    Thousands upon millions of light appeared in each household before it went dimmed all at once.

    The castle was no exception, as arge light hit the entire mansion before it disappeared.

    Everyone in the city was all put asleep, even if someone was just walking down the street in the middle of the night.

    People who didn''t have any mana or qi all woke up for a second before quickly going back to sleep.

    They all knew it was that time of the years again, an event that had no impact on them.

    Meanwhile, everyone else who didn''t wake up was forcefully dragged out of their dreams as their sleep continued.

    Soon, the entire world seemed to being to a pause, as if time itself had stopped ticking.

    Yet the sky and the moon''s movement indicated that only the things within the city were frozen.

 Chapter 60: Search and Survive

    "What was that?"

    A sudden blinding sh caused Alex to open his eyes again, only to find himself no longer at the castle.

    Instead, he was surrounded by skyscrapers and parked cars everywhere, the ones that looked awfully familiar to the one back on Earth.

    From the sewer drain on the street to even the streetmp, it almost looked like some sort of prank being yed.

    But the moment he cast a small me in his hand, he realized he was still in the fantasy world.

    Suddenly, a loud explosion could be heard echoing down the streets, as if someone just cast an upper-level spell.

    "God damn, I need to find somewhere to hide."

    Alex quickly started running into one of the offices, only to find it empty inside.

    He didn''t care much about it, though, running straight through the building to get as far away from the noise as possible.

    After what felt like a safe distance, he finally stopped as he examined his surroundings again.

    Once again, it was just another part of the city he had vague memories of, with all the street signs in English.

    The more he walked down the street, the more familiar he felt, as if he had walked the same path before.

    Out of nowhere, he could hear something being thrown at him, causing him to duck instantly.

    He couldn''t see what it was, as he had no time to check besides running straight into a nearby house.

    Closing the door and peeking through the peephole, he could finally see a man outside, seemingly preparing another spell.

    "Shit!"

    Alex immediately stepped as far away from the door as possible before casting a fireball of his own.

    The moment the door exploded into pieces, he immediatelyunched the half-finished fireball right toward the exit.

    Seeing the outside empty, Alex decided to scan the outside with his mana.

    To his surprise, the man who stood outside was gone, with the only trace being the burnt mark on the ground.

    More importantly, he could see a counter in the corner of his eyes stating one kill.

    "Hew... Almost got eliminated at the start."

    After doubling-checking by stepping outside, Alex quickly scouted the surrounding area to make sure no one was nearby.

    Then he proceeded to go inside another house, letting more time pass as explosions could be asionally heard nearby.

    The ground even shook several times, indicating the battle in the city was bing more severe.

    Still, he remained in ce, not moving a single bit, as he knew the best strategy for a higher cement was to hide.

    Even though Katherine had never told him about the kill counter, he didn''t try to raise it to see if something would happen.

    "How long is this going to take?"

    Alex wondered as more and more explosions could be heard, with even skyscrapers copsing in the distance.

    Suddenly, several people appeared out of nowhere, causing him to dunk underneath the window.

    "Please don''t see me..."

    Alex prayed as he could hear magic being cast toward various buildings, with loud copsing sounds.

    But soon, he realized they were removing all the ces a person could hide by just blowing everything up.

    Taking a short peek, he could see the counter above them rapidly climbing like crazy.

    The highest person in that group had already eliminated 10,000 people alone, with almost 20,000 people in total.

    A few of them were clearly level one mages like him, with the leader looking to be at least level six mage in order to unlock flight spells.

    "Who told you to eliminate others who are way below your level? Do you not know the unspoken rule?"

    A man suddenly flew over, asking the group with no fear in his eyes at all.

    "What unspoken rules?" The leader of the group questioned.

    "Each mage level has their mage level winner of category... Oh shit, Good luck."

    As the man vanished from thin air, Alex watched as another group of mages arrived on the scene.

    "Hey¡ª¡ª"

    Before the leader of the group, who eliminated thousands of people, could talk, his body exploded from the snap of a finger.

    "Have some honor next time. Let''s go."

    Alex watched the new groups of people leaving, causing the bunch of newbie mages to fall from the sky as their flight magic ended.

    As their body hit the floor, they vanished, making it clear to Alex that they were now eliminated.

    "No wonder why Mom said higher level mages don''t kill lower level mages... That leader only had three kills."

    Alex murmured as he finally stood back before heading out, trying to find the others in his group.

    However, after walking for almost ten minutes, he still couldn''t see anyone.

    The city was simply too big for him to find someone he knew, not to mention he needed to hide every time a higher-level mage walked by.

    Even though the mage that appeared earlier talked about the unspoken rule, he was still avoiding people as much as he could.

    After walking for who knows how long, he suddenly ran into a barrier.

    It was invisible at first, but it became visible when he touched it with his clothes.

    "Really? Invisible walls...Wait¡ª¡ª"

    As Alex turned back around, a voice suddenly appeared in his head.

    "The Zone is closing in ten minutes. Please arrive at the safe area before then, or else you will be eliminated."

    Alex could see a glowing light appearing right before him, seemingly leading him toward the center.

    "Fuck! What are the chances!"

    Without wasting any time, Alex immediately began running down the path, following the trail ahead of him.

    While running, he could even see several other mages flying by, all heading towards the center.

    Just as he stepped a few steps into the light blue dashed line, the leading light disappeared.

    "This is how they force people to fight each other?" Alex thought to himself as he walked down the street.

    After walking for a bit, he still couldn''t find Katherine or anyone he knew of.

    The only thing he encountered was a group of mages who were way higher level than him.

    Some were in the hundred groups, while others were a few people together.

    All of them ignored him, as his innocent child''s look, on top of walking alone, didn''t give them any sense of threat.

    A few of the groups even offered him to join, but Alex shook his head and walked off, staying as far away from them as possible.

    Only after walking for another block did he finally encounter someone who looked familiar.

    But it wasn''t Katherine or any of his family rtives.

    Instead, it was Luna and Evelyn walking together alone in the streets, with no one else around them.

    "Alex!"

    "Evelyn! Luna!"

    The three hugged as they found a bit of peace in seeing each other still alive in thepetition.

    "Alex, how did you join thispetition? I thought you were going back to your hometown."

    Evelyn curiously asked as the three of them separated from each other.

    "Well, it''s a long story... But my grandparent''s hometown turned out to be in Regina."

    "That exins it... Wait, is Sophia and Mary here too?"

    "They should be. But I haven''t found them anywhere yet so far... Have you guys found the person you are looking for yet?"

    "Nope. We couldn''t find our dad or mom... I was lucky to find Luna just around the corner from where I teleported in."

    "That''s pretty lucky..." Alex murmured as he turned around to check his surroundings.

    It was all rows of apartments or shops nearby, with nothing inside through the windows.

    "You want to work together? We can fight together instead of fighting alone."

    Alex thought for a second, then nodded in agreement.

    "Sure."

    As the three of them began walking down, trying to find their rtives, they were met with a group of mages just right around the corner.

    Within seconds, the situation became tense as both sides were low-level mage, with the highest one seemingly being mage level two.

    They looked just as young as them, but they had almost over twenty people togetherpared to the three of them.

    "Where are you guys from? Do you have any status or anyone behind you?"

    One of the mages in the other group questioned as they began to cast their spell.

    It was clear they intended to eliminate the smaller groups for their higher cement.

    "Wait, wait, wait. My dad is a teacher who works in the capital," Luna said out loud, trying to deter them from attacking.

    "That just makes me want to eliminate you three even more¡ª¡ª"

    "Wait, we''re from Regina as well. We just go to school in the capital." Evelyn exined, trying to de-escte the situation.

    "Is that yourst words? Well, say goodbye now."

    The leader of that groupunched his fireball towards the three of them, causing all of their spell to beunched as well.

    Just as the three of them raised their barrier in a desperate attempt, a person covered with a ck robe suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

    "Get lost."

 Chapter 61: The Emperor and Battles

    Seeing their spell beingpletely blocked, the group of mages immediately turned and fled in the opposite direction.

    "Thank you so much! How can we call you?" Evelyn asked.

    As the twins stared in disbelief at the figure before them, Alex recognized the person immediately, even from behind.

    "Hi there," the figure said warmly before turning around, revealing a woman with a smile.

    "I''m Alex''s mom... You are Evelyn and Luna, right?"

    Both girls quickly nodded as they remembered seeing Katherine one time when visiting Sophia''s home.

    "Mom, have you found Sophia and Mary yet?" Alex urgently asked, looking extremely worried for the other two.

    "You''re the only one missing... You two want to go with us?" Katherine asked, looking back at the two girls.

    "Sure!"

    The two quickly epted Katherine''s offer, and she cast a flight spell, lifting them into the air.

    All three of the kids got scared for a second before calming back down as they leaned into the sky next to Katherine.

    "Is this what flying feels like?" Luna nervously murmured as they began moving in a direction.

    They could all see the building right beneath them, with lower-level mages fighting each other with various spells.

    After flying for a bit, the four of them finally descended back down to the ground.

    "Alex! Evelyn! Luna!"

    Sophia and Mary both excitedly ran over to the three of them before hugging them.

    "How did you guys join thispetition?" Mary curiously asked as they finally separated.

    "You forgot our hometown is at Regina?" Evelyn reminded.

    "Oh, right. How could I forget about that¡ª¡ª"

    "Ahem, who are these two kids?"

    Fredrick interrupted, asking as he and Ava both walked over to Katherine, with Amelia and Luqing following right behind.

    "They are Sophia''s ssmates."

    "I see... Well, nice to meet you. I''m Alex''s grandpa¡ª¡ª"

    "Y-You''re the Duke!"

    Evelyn nervously pointed her finger at Fredrick before quickly moving her finger back down as both girls were in shock.

    "Yes, I''m the Duke. Are you two from Regina?" Fredrick asked, his usual serious face seemingly having disappeared.

    Both of them nodded, which made Fredrick a little happy for some reason.

    "That''s good... Be a good friend to Sophia. You won''t regret it."

    As Fredrick turned his attention back to Katherine, his face was back to being serious.

    "Katherine, have you found anywhere safe to hide in the city?"

    "No... I couldn''t find somewhere that could hide us from the emperor''s archmage scan."

    "Shit... Luqing, can you bring the five kids somewhere else?"

    "Yes, my lord¡ª¡ª"

    As soon as they finished talking, a group of mages suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

    "Fredrick! How long have we not seen each other?"

    A man, seemingly in his early thirties with his small mustache and beard, asked as he descended along with his other mages.

    Alex could immediately feel all of them were way beyond his mage level, with the kids standing behind seemingly to be the only low ones.

    "We had just seen each other a few weeks ago, my emperor," Fredrick said as he bowed down in respect.

    "I''m talking about thispetition."

    "Then it has been four years."

    "Four years? It only felt like a year ago."

    As the emperor stepped up, several mages stepped up as well before being signaled to step back.

    "I can take care of him myself... You all go do something else."

    "My emperor, I''m afraid you haven''t learned your lesson fromst time¡ª¡ª"

    "You haven''t seen how much I have improved!"

    As a blinding light and piercing darkness began spreading from the left and right of the emperor''s body, everyone couldn''t move.

    "Very well! Then let me see if you have really learned anything from that old guy!"

    Both of them suddenly disappeared, allowing everyone to move again as Katherine and Amelia immediately raised the barrier.

    "Run!"

    The five kids immediately bolted out of there, following Luqing''s footsteps as the other sidesunched hundreds of spells.

    Fortunately, the archmage on the emperor''s side, seemingly uninterested, stood in ce as they watched from the sky.

    Seeing that the five kids had run far enough, the barrier was dropped, leaving only a trail of dark smoke as Katherine and Amelia vanished.

    Several of the mages immediately started chasing the trail, but when few of the kids wanted to join, they ran straight into a barrier.

    "Let us join them!" One of the kids wearing a golden robe demanded.

    The archmage doesn''t say anything, leaving them unsatisfied as they are now stuck in ce.

    ---

    Right below the white clouds in the sky, two ck clouds were constantly leap-frogging to the roofs of different buildings.

    Five mages were in close pursuit, flying and throwing different spells at them.

    "Amelia, do you have something to deal with them?"

    "Do I look like I''m hiding some sort of ace?"

    As the ck cloud flew to the roof of the next building, it was visibly starting to slow down.

    "You better, or else we''re dead here!"

    Jumping to thest tall building, they were now forced to run on the ground as the smoke dissipated.

    "You hold one! I''m going to cast a teleportation spell!"

    The ground began to glow around the two of them as Katherine began to chant something.

    Amelia quickly stood her ground as she cast a ck barrier above them, preventing the outside from being able to see them.

    Within seconds, the barrier started to have holes all over it as it struggled to keep up with the various spells outside.

    "How long do you need!" Amelia urgently questioned as she started pouring all her mana into the barrier.

    "Just give me a second. This stupidpetition keeps reinforcing the dimension barriers."

    After a few more seconds, a sudden glowing light appeared before them, sucking them in as the ck barrier disappeared.

    "Shit! They got away?" One of the mages said.

    "That''s impossible. You can''t cast teleportation magic in thispetition." Another mage argued as they flew down to where the two stood earlier.

    "Then you tell me where they went?"

    As the five of them stared at the cracked floor where all their spell hadnded, they all turned to each other for a second.

    "They are probably just eliminated, right?" The senior-looking mage suggested.

    "Yeah. Mission aplished."

    ---

    Meanwhile, the five kids were still running away with Luqing, going as fast as they could.

    Just as they stopped to catch a short break, a light suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

    "Please do not run away. It makes it difficult for me to fulfill the emperor''s task."

    To all five kid''s surprise, they were somehow back to where they were standing earlier.

    Within seconds, Luqing immediately raised her sword, standing before all of them despite having no chance of winning.

    "Mr.Archmage, you wouldn''t go so low as to beat a bunch of kids, right?" Luqing questioned.

    "Of course not. But the emperor''s son wants a battle... How about just have one of you step up?"

    Suddenly, Luqing was forcefully moved aside before being put into a chair, leaving the five kids standing together.

    "Which one of you volunteer to fight?"

    One of the boys standing near the archmage stepped up, throwing his robe aside.

    Without any hesitation, Evelyn stepped forward before they could discuss.

    "I''ll fight him."

    "Very well. I''ll prepare the arena¡ª¡ª"

    With a snap of the finger, the fabric of reality seemed to be breaking as a ck hole appeared.

    But it was quickly shut down before it could bring anything out, leading to nothing happening.

    "Shit... Ahem, well, you two just fight here instead."

    This time, an invisible barrier appeared, blocking anyone from entering inside besides Evelyn and the boy.

    "What''s your name?" The boy questioned.

    "My name is Evelyn. Can I ask what your name is, my Highness?"

    Evelyn respectfully bowed down a little before getting back up, her face showing zero fear as she prepared to fight the boy.

    "My name is Azir... Please make sure you give it your all¡ª¡ª"

    As the boy finished talking, he immediately cast a fireball right towards Evelyn''s face.

    But she was already prepared, casting a rock barrier of her own that blocked the explosionpletely.

    With the first wave of attack finished, Azir didn''t seem to be in a hurry to attack again.

    Still, Evelyn wasn''t going to lower her barrier as she seemed to be casting a spell of her own underneath it.

    The moment the rock barrier dropped, Evelyn immediatelyunched her spell right at Azir.

    But to her surprise, he dodged the wind de easily despite the fact that it was almost invisible to the naked eye.

    "How?" Luna asked in shock, as the wind de was so fast she couldn''t even catch it with her eyes.

    "That was a pretty nicebo. But not fast enough."

    Azirplimented, seemingly very rxed, as Evelyn started to look a little nervous.

    "Take this then!"

    This time, hundreds of small projectiles appeared at the same time, all beingunched right at Azir.

    Alex could immediately tell it was some sort of wind de, but it was much smaller than normal.

 Chapter 62: Elimination Match

    As everyone expected, Azir easily blocked it with a single water barrier that appeared instantly.

    Seeing the barrier still up after the spell, Evelyn began casting a fireball as a ball of me appeared above her.

    The fireball began to increase rapidly in size, skipping the condensation part to waste as little time as possible.

    Just as Evelyn was about tounch toward Azir, the water barrier suddenly started moving forward.

    She quickly directed the fireball, breaking a massive hole right through the barrier before continuing forward, not wasting any time.

    But to everyone''s surprise, there was another set of rock barriers that soaked up the rest of the damage.

    With both attacks neutralized Evelyn realized he was just trying to burn as much of her mana as possible.

    Yet, she continued to attack, casting all attacking spells at him, from light orbs to ice popsicles.

    Every attack was blocked, almost like a turtle shell that could tank as much damage as possible.

    "Is that all you got?"

    Azir finally appeared out of his barriers, looking over to Evelyn, who looked exhausted from using so much mana.

    "You won, my Highness. I cannot beat your defense."

    Seeing Evelyn not even wanting to resist any further, Azir seemed a little annoyed.

    Especially the way she said it out loud made it sound as if he was too scared to fight back.

    "Brother, is that all you got? Using all defenses to beat a girl?" One of the kids on the other side yelled.

    "Shut up, Be! If you can live through this, you can leave."

    A massive fireball began to form right above Azir, yet Evelyn didn''t move a single bit.

    She didn''t even try to defend herself as the fireball began flying right into her face.

    "Evelyn!"

    As she turned her head to look at Luna, her body disappeared as a kill count was added to Azir''s counter.

    The four of them were visibly upset seeing Evelyn eliminated from thepetition, but they knew it was only a matter of time.

    "Who''s next?"

    "I am."

    Luna quickly got up from her seat, preventing the other three from getting up.

    "What''s your name?" Azir asked as the archmage created a gap within the barrier to let Luna in.

    "My name is Luna. You''re going to pay for what you did to my sister¡ª¡ª"

    Before Luna even finished talking, sheunched a water orb right at Azir, hoping the sneak attack would work.

    Unfortunately, he was fully expecting it as he raised a small rock to block it at the veryst second.

    Still, some of the water got onto his hair and clothes, making him look like a wet dog.

    "Very well, you''re going to make me use my full power."

    Just as Azir finished talking, Luna had already prepared several spells of her own,unching them again at his head.

    But this time, Azir cast a mini water barrier onto his arm, using it to block her spell before firing a fireball at Luna.

    Within seconds, Luna dodges it with a roll before throwing back more spells right at him.

    The back-and-forth was starting to make the battle much more interesting, especially since Azir didn''t use his turtle tactics.

    Soon, everyone could tell Azir was starting to run out of mana.

    The amount of mana he needed to block Evelyn''s attack earlier was starting to haunt him.

    "Why didn''t he just make smaller barriers earlier?" Mary curiously asked.

    "Because Evelyn was sting him from all angles... She only lost because she just didn''t have more mana than him." Alex answered.

    As the battle continued to rage on, Azir was the first one to make a move as he charged forward.

    Luna was caught off guard by the sudden charge, but she quickly cast a wind de right into his body.

    Several of them pierced right through his arms and legs, but it wasn''t enough to eliminate him.

    Within a few steps, Azir cast a light orb right into her face, eliminating Luna as she disappeared from thepetition.

    "Prince Azir, please do not try something so abrupt."

    Ay of green light appeared, healing all of the stab wounds on Azir''s body before he stood back up.

    "Sorry Teacher... Ahem, who wants to fight next¡ª¡ª"

    "Step aside, Azir. You already ran out of mana. Give someone else a try." The girl on the other sideined.

    After a short silence, he stepped back, being let out of the barrier as the archmage looked back at his group.

    "Who wants to go next?"

    "I''ll go."

    As the girls who insulted Azir earlier stepped up into the barrier, the three looked at each other.

    "Alex, should I go first?" Sophia quietly asked as she didn''t rush in like the other two.

    "No. You should gost. Mary, you should go first."

    "Okay."

    As Mary stepped up, the princess on the other side was a little annoyed by the opponent.

    "You guys really sent a little kid to fight me?"

    Without saying a single word, Mary immediatelyunches a fireball she had already prepared right at her face.

    Within seconds, a water barrier was raised, blocking the explosive damage as the fireball disappeared.

    This time, the princess didn''t bother talking as she directed a water stream right at Mary.

    Mary quickly raised a rock barrier, blocking the water as Sophia and Alex could see her casting another spell underneath.

    As the water stream ended, the rock barrier was immediately lowered, revealing her orb of darkness.

    It quickly flew right toward the princess, barely missing her head as it destroyed her long ponytail into loose hair.

    "How dare you!"

    As several of the girls on the other side yelled out in anger, the princess didn''t seem to be mad.

    Instead, her face was full of respect, treating Mary as a legitimate threat.

    "What''s your name?" The princess asked as she blocked another wave of the spell.

    "My name is Mary, Your Highness."

    "Sorry about my disrespect earlier. I didn''t mean to offend you... My name is Be, by the way."

    As the two talked, their hands and legs didn''t stop a single bit as they continued casting and dodging each other''s spell.

    The battle was much more mobile than the previous two, as neither side tried to stand still to cast overwhelming attacks or defenses.

    It almost looked like a dance as both sides exchanged spells, trying to catch the other side off guard.

    However, as time went on, both Alex and Sophia could tell Mary was on the verge of losing.

    Her body was full of sweat, and her spell began to take much longer than before.

    She was now a sitting duck if she didn''t pull off something drastic, as Be didn''t show any sign of exhaustion.

    "Take this!"

    Hundreds of dark orbs appeared, flying right toward Be as Mary made onest offense.

    A light barrier appeared, blocking most of the dark orbs before being broken by several of them.

    As the light barrier disappeared, much to Mary''s disappointment, there was anotheryer of barrier underneath.

    It was just a super thinyer of wind, just enough to block the one that made it past the light barrier.

    "I lost."

    Mary surrendered as her body waspletely exhausted beyond belief, with her manapletely dried up from the mass attack.

    "You did very well. You''re the first one who made me reveal my double barrier...

    But I have to eliminate you. Sorry, Mary¡ª¡ª"

    Just as Be''s fireball flew towards Mary, the archmage barrier suddenly shattered into pieces.

    Within the blink of an eye, the fireball disappeared, and all three of the kids, along with Luqing, also disappeared into thin air.

    "What! Who''s there?"

    The archmage immediately flew down to the emperor''s kids before casting a massive barrier that covered all of them.

    After waiting for a bit, nothing happened, as if what just happened was just an illusion.

    But the fact that four people just disappeared out of nowhere told them something did just happened.

    "Teacher, what happened?" Azir nervously asked as he had never seen his teacher so scared.

    "Nothing... You all stay in this circle, okay? Don''t any of you leave outside until I say so."

    All of them listened as they remained there, waiting for the archmage to say something as he stepped out himself.

    Standing still, he began scanning the entire area, only to find not a single living being near them.

    But seeing none of the kill counts being added, he knew something or someone had saved those three kids.

    "Damn it... I knew I should have just eliminated them myself."

    With a sign, the archmage dropped the barrier before letting all of them go free.

    "Teacher, what was that thing?" Be curiously asked, seemingly a little intrigued by the sudden interruption.

    "Probably some cultivator''s attack... They are the only ones who could go that fast."

    The archmage started casting some sort of spell as if he was setting up some sort of suppression zone.

    A glowing light began to spread all over the ce, making the kids realize that the situation was much more serious than they expected.

    "Huh, weird... I can''t find them anywhere." The archmage murmured as the light disappeared within a second.

 Chapter 63: Meiya and Luqing

    When the four of them could open their eyes again, they were sitting on the floor in a room.

    Looking around, there was nothing besides a bunch of walls and a cloaked figure standing by the window.

    "You guys awake?"

    Hearing the voice, Alex immediately realized it was the same voice that broke into Katherine''s roomst night.

    "Thank you for saving us."

    Luqing immediately bowed down in gratitude, with the three kids doing the same.

    "No problem... Do you know where is Fredrick?"

    "He was fighting the emperor, and they went to some sort of dimension to fight instead."

    "That''s a shame... How about the other mage standing next to him?"

    "Grandma? I... I don''t know. She just vanished alongside Grandpa... I think she''s inside the dimension as well."

    Hearing Alex''s answer, the mysterious woman doesn''t seem to be very happy with his answer.

    "He promised me that he was supposed to help me guide this city... Why does all the building look so weird."

    As the mysterious womanined, the other three thought of the same as well.

    "I havepeted a few times now. This is the first time the Guardian used this weirdyout." Luqing pointed out.

    "So our guardian decided to make these abstract ss buildings?" Sophia curiously asked.

    "You could say that... Miss, what should we do now?" Luqing asked, turning her attention over to the mysterious woman.

    "I assume we should just hide here until the zone closes to whatever the middle is at..."

    As the mysterious woman took off her hood, everyone was a little stunned by how she looked underneath.

    Her cultivator background made them expect her to be simr to Luqing''s Eastern look.

    It wasn''t just simr. From side to side, they almost looked like twins, and there was no way of telling the differences if it wasn''t for the clothing.

    "Also, don''t call me Miss... Luqing. I had finally found you."

    "Huh?"

    ---

    Back in the empty street, the group of five mage had finally returned to the archmage.

    "You guys eliminated those two?" The archmage asked as they could feel the tense atmosphere.

    "Yes, professor. They both were eliminated from our spells." The senior looked mage answered.

    "Good... Why is it taking so long¡ª¡ª"

    Just as the archmage was about to wonder how the fight on the other side was going, three figures suddenly appeared.

    The emperor''s cloak was almost all torn up, revealing the armor he wore underneath.

    Meanwhile, Fredrick was mostly unscathed, but everyone could tell he was beyond exhausted from needing Ava to hold him up.

    "Frederick, I have to give it to you. An old man like you being able to push me this far is impressive."

    "You''re not bad either. It''s only a matter of time before you''ll beat me in the future."

    "A shame I won''t be able to beat you by then... I really wish you could live longer than this."

    The suddenughter from the emperor didn''t make Fredrick mad, as he seemed to have already epted his fate.

    "A shame indeed! Fareware, my emperor."

    As Fredrick disappeared from the battlefield, Ava was now all alone on the battlefield.

    "What are you all looking at? Go pay respect to your grand-aunt."

    All of the emperor''s kids quickly headed over to Ava, saying hello to Auntie Ava before going back near the archmage.

    "Auntie, you wouldn''t mind me eliminating your husband like that, right?"

    "Of course not. You''re just doing what''s good for your family."

    The sarcastic response didn''t make the emperor mad at all, as if he expected her to react like that.

    Within seconds, where Ava stood was now covered in a cloud of smoke before disappearing.

    None of them chased as the emperor turned to the other side of the streets.

    "Let''s go have some fun. I still have work to do after this."

    ---

    "W-Who are you?"

    Luqing nervously asked, looking even more shocked than the three kids as the mysterious-looking woman stood before her.

    "Do you not remember me? Qingqing?"

    As the mysterious woman walked closer and called her by her baby name, Luqing quickly took a step back.

    "I don''t remember seeing you in my memories. Can you tell me your name?"

    "Do you remember the name Meiya? Do you really not remember anything from the past?"

    "Sorry. I don''t recall that name¡ª¡ª"

    "It''s okay, Qingqing, Mommy finding you is all I ever wanted."

    Seeing the mysterious woman hugging Luqing in her arms, the three kids were dumbfounded at what had just happened.

    They just couldn''t believe that the person their grandparents invited to help turned out to be Luqing''s mom.

    Especially after learning that Luqing''s background was that of a trafficked orphan saved by their grandpa.

    "Mom?" Luqing murmured, looking a little confused.

    "Yes! I finally heard you said it. I miss you so much, Qingqing!"

    With the mysterious woman on the verge of tears, Luqing''s brain was still processing the thought of having a mom.

    "Ahem, sorry to interrupt, but you guys can have a reunion after thepetition."

    Alex interrupted as he could hear loud explosions constantly sting from the outside.

    "Oh right, ahem. Let me properly introduce myself. My name is Meiya, and I''ll help you all win so my daughter can leave¡ª¡ª"

    "Leave?" Luqing asked in confusion.

    "Yeah, that old man told me that I help his kids win, and he''s willing to remove your contract¡ª¡ª"

    "I don''t want to leave. Lord Fredrick had been good to me for my entire life."

    Luqing''s argument made Meiya fall into silence until an explosion suddenlynded near their building.

    "If that''s what you want. I''m fine with it... But if that old man ever put his finger on you, tell me, okay?"

    Luqing''s face blushed a little as she immediately understood what Meiya was trying to imply.

    "Ahem, let''s go find somewhere else better to hide. I need some time to beat that turtle shell."

    The four of them quickly followed Meiya out of the house, heading towards the center as they tried to find a better spot.

    Meiya instantly eliminated every person they ran into within seconds.

    They thought of telling her about the unspoken rule, but her kill count above was already well in the thousands.

    Suddenly, they all heard the zone closing again. But this time, they didn''t need to go anywhere.

    They were already in the zone, but it was not a good news as they stood in the middle of an empty street block.

    The closest buildings were a few hundred steps away, and it was already blown up into pieces.

    "Crap... Where could we hide?"

    As everyone tried to look for somewhere to stall out time, Alex suddenly had an idea as he saw the street floor.

    "We can go into the sewer drain down below."

    "Sewer drain?" Meiya asked in confusion, with the other three looking just as confused.

    They all wondered where the sewer drain was until he walked over to the car road and tried to lift a giant metal grid cap.

    "Can you snap it open? I can''t lift this thing."

    Meiya walked over and then held onto the cap before easily lifting it into the air.

    The loud bang sound with the broken bolts and lock showed the damage that she had done to it.

    Adder and a dark tunnel underneath were revealed. There was no weird smell or dirty stuff inside.

    "Thank god this simtion didn''t copy everything," Alex murmured as he quickly took the lead and entered the room.

    "What simtion?" Sophia curiously asked as she followed Alex down thedder.

    "And what copy?" Sophia curiously asked next, following right behind Mary.

    "Just saying thispetition feels so realistic. Come on, you guys cane down."

    Luqing didn''t hesitate for a second as she t-out jumped into the dark tunnel without even using thedder.

    Meiya, meanwhile, hesitated for a second before jumping down as she reattached the cap.

    With the tunnel nowpletely dark, Sophia lit up a small light to see what was their surrounding.

    As Alex expected, there was no sewage or any kind of water besides a long, empty tunnel.

    "Why is it always empty?" Alex thought to himself as he began to realize something was off.

    For a second, he thought that the Guardian of his family must have been from the Earth.

    But seeing everything that the city copied was purely based on his memories.

    Things that he had no memories of were all nk, from the houses to the skyscrapers.

    He had already walked past and even entered several of them when trying to find Sophia and Mary.

    A chill suddenly ran down his spine as he realized that the person who had made this simtion might have read his memories.

    All of his secrets that even Katherine and his sibling didn''t know about were now in the hands of someone he hadn''t even seen before.

    "Ahem, Ipletely forgot to ask this earlier. What is your guy''s name?" Meiya asked, making Alex snap out of his thoughts.

 Chapter 64: Hideout story and Third Party

    As they walked through the tunnel, Alex was a little curious about Meiya''s strategy for winning the fight.

    "Miss Meiya, can I ask how are you going to defeat that archmage?"

    "I can''t tell you that. All you guys have to know is there is only a 10% chance of this working."

    After hearing the odds, all four of them did not like their chances at all.

    At the same time, they were relieved that they were at least still alive and waiting for a higher recement.

    Eventually, the five of them came to a stop after calcting where the closest to the center of the barrier was.

    All they had to do now was wait it out, sitting on the ledge in boredom as outside was too risky.

    They could hear echoes of mass explosions from a nearby exit above, much more intense than before.

    It was almost as if there was an all-out war outside, with the nonstop explosions shaking the ground.

    Fortunately, only a small bit of dust fell from the ceiling, with the tunnel still fully intact.

    "Um, Miss Meiya... Sorry if this is rude, but how did you lose Luqing?" Mary curiously asked out of boredom.

    Meiya seemingly froze for a second before looking over to Luqing, who didn''t seem to care how it happened.

    "My best friend was helping me take care of Luqing while I was on a mission sent by the elder.

    But when I came back, the entire sect was wiped out by an enemy sect... Everyone was dead except me."

    "I''m sorry to hear that," Sophia said, and the other two kids and Luqing said the same.

    "It''s okay. It''s been years now. I had already moved on from it... Anyway,I had nted a small bit of Qi inside Qingqing before I left.

    I could feel she was still alive somewhere, so I started searching for her based on that trail.

    But one day, the Qi suddenly disconnected. I thought all hope was lost at that point."

    As Meiya looked down to the floor, she continued.

    "I started training nonstop, with the only goal in life to get revenge for everyone that died.

    Years went past quickly, and I was able to kill the entire enemy sect one by one until there was no one left."

    A chill traveled down the kid''s spine as they realized the person they were sitting next to was practically a serial killer.

    But the fear was subdued after realizing Meiya was on their side, not as an enemy, as long as Luqing was with them.

    "After I killed their sect leader, there was nothing much for me to do... Until I saved a monk who decided to make a Hexagram prediction about me.

    That''s when I learned my daughter was still alive somewhere. But after searching the entirety of the East, I couldn''t find her."

    As the kids listened to Meiya''s story, they seemingly forgot that they were in the middle of apetition.

    Even Luqing herself was fully listening in, waiting for her to continue the next part.

    "Just as I was about to give up, a decree by the Eastern Emperor was showed that the sect I destroyed turned out to be a smuggling ring.

    That''s when I realized there was a chance that I couldn''t feel her Qi anymore because she wasn''t on the same continent as me.

    So I took it upon myself to smuggle myself to the other side of the ocean to arrive in this country."

    "Smuggle?" Sophia asked, looking a little confused by the term being used.

    "There''s an entire ocean in between the two sides, and there has been a strict ban on all outsiders."

    All three of the kids noted it in their heads, as they now understood why she used that word.

    They never knew that the geography of the East was an entire ocean away, as the map they saw had only shown onendmass.

    It had never urred to them that traders who obtained goods from the mysterious East were also smugglers.

    "Wait, does the other side speak the samenguage?" Alex curiously asked.

    "Of course, we all speak the samenguage. How do you think I''m talking to you right now?"

    Alex quickly noted inside his head that the other two girls looked a little confused by why he asked the question.

    "Anyway, after I arrived on this continent, I could immediately feel the Qi again.

    Coincidently, I was only a few cities away from here, so I immediately flew over to here before I was stopped by... your grandpa.

    After I fought with him, I told him I was only looking for a girl who was kidnapped from the East.

    That''s when he told me that he saved a girl who perfectly matched up with the date of Qingqing''s disappearance."

    As Meiya looked over to Luqing and smiled, Luqing also smiled back at her.

    Despite what appeared to be a warm smile, all three of the kids could feel a genuine disconnect between them.

    Luqing was treating Meiya as someone to be respected like Lord Fredrick rather than a more casual look when looking at their parents.

    "I''m just so d I found you, Qingqing. I''m sorry for being a bad mother. I should have been there when you needed me."

    "It''s fine, Miss¡ª¡ªMom... I don''t me you."

    As Luqing identally forgot to change her words, Meiya didn''t seem to mind it.

    Instead, she looked extremely happy to see Luqing calling her mom as she moved closer for a hug.

    "Barrier is closing in one minute. The final zone is engaged."

    Hearing the sound suddenly appearing in their head, they knew it was now time to get moving.

    They could see the barrier glowing far down the tunnel, with a faint outline near them.

    The space was now being decreased into a single block, with raging spells now being directly thrown above them.

    With the amount of dust falling from the tunnel''s ceiling, they were starting to get a little scared that the whole thing might copse.

    "Should we leave now?" Mary nervously asked.

    Sophia immediately looked over to Alex, who looked over to Meiya as if she was the decider.

    "We are in the dark, and our enemy is in the light. We can afford to wait for a few more minutes."

    The four of them were a little confused by the phrase, but they could understand the second part.

    As parts of the tunnel began to copse, they all immediately moved next to thedder.

    Seeing more and more copse, Meiya finally leads the charge as she draws her swords out.

    Within a blink of an eye, the cap was busted open into the air as she vanished from thedder.

    The other four quickly followed, climbing up until they stood above the ground.

    However, they were immediately stunned by their surroundings as everything had turned into rubble.

    All of the buildings had copsed and ground into dust.

    Everything was destroyed, with the ground they stood being the only part mostly unaffected due to being an intersection.

    It almost felt like they were in some sort of apocalypse in a movie. At least, that''s how Alex felt.

    Meanwhile, just a few hundred steps away, two groups of people were seemingly fighting each other in the distance.

    Even though it was ''two'' groups, it was a few people seemingly fighting against hundreds of mages together.

    "Follow me, don''t make any sound."

    The four slowly followed Meiya right next to a nearby copsed building before getting a closer look at the fight.

    "The emperor!" Mary whispered as she immediately reconganized one of the groups.

    It was the archmage and the emperor himself trying to fight off groups of mages who were lower level than them.

    The number''s advantage was clearly giving the two a hard time, as their barriers started to break under all the nonstop attacks.

    All the kids near the archmage were long gone as if they had been eliminated during the fight.

    "Everyone! Just a few more minutes, and we''ll show them archmage isn''t everything!"

    One of them yelled as the spell being thrown at those two got even stronger.

    "Holy shit... There are so many spells." Alex murmured as spells were being thrown at those two all over the skies.

    The two''s barriers began to weaken, and the ground near them was heavily damaged, albeit not too far deep, as if there were limits.

    If it wasn''t for the fact that this world was a simtion, he could already imagine the world record for creating the deepest hole in the ground.

    "Should we do something?" Sophia asked.

    "When the snipe and the m fight, the fisherman gains. And we''re that fisherman."

    The four of them looked a little confused by Meiya''s phrase, but they could roughly understand what she was implying.

    They were just the third party waiting for the perfect time to strike at the people down below.

 Chapter 65: The Final Stretch

    "Silence!"

    Suddenly, the sky started changing color, with the archmage''s body illuminating a blinding light.

    All of the spells on the other side had vanished, along with the archmage and the emperor''s barrier.

    All three of the kids could feel their mana being suppressed to their bodies, unable to exert outward at all.

    "You all really think you can beat an archmage?" The emperorughed as he drew out a sword.

    The other groups started to panic as all of them seemed unable to cast anything at all, either.

    With the emperor walking closer and closer, the groups of mages started to scatter all over the ce.

    A few stayed, casting an elemental sword of their own in an attempt to fight back.

    Yet, despite the numbers advantage, they were no match to the emperor as a clean sh and stab killed them off one by one.

    The five of them on the rubble could see the elemental sword would instantly disappear when their hands were cut off.

    "You all stay back here."

    Within a blink of an eye, Meiya disappeared before appearing to be standing right behind the archmage.

    The archmage''s head was cleanly cut off, much to their surprise, as usually their body would have vanished.

    Meiya instantly noticed something was off as well after seeing her kill count not increasing.

    She instantly jumped away before the dead body exploded out of nowhere.

    All of the mages were shocked. Even the emperor himself stopped for a second to look at what was happening behind him.

    "I had been waiting for you."

    As the archmage reappeared from another spot, the bright light was now gone.

    Everyone could feel their mana was now back in control, being able to cast spells.

    Within seconds, the archmage and the emperor were sted with spells as they both raised their barrier at thest second.

    "Professor! What the hell was that?" The emperor yelled in anger as if he didn''t expect the sudden change.

    "Sorry, my emperor. I will make it up to you after this fight is over."

    The archmage didn''t bother protecting the emperor as he turned his attention over to Meiya, who had been standing afar.

    "Outsider, what business do you have here?" The archmage questioned as the emperor''s barrier was now on the verge of breaking.

    "I''m just here to fulfill someone''s request. You aren''t going to protect your emperor?"

    With a snap of a finger, a portal appeared right behind the emperor before being instantly sealed back up.

    "Shit!"

    The archmage started to panic a little as his teleportation didn''t work at all.

    "You all are going to regret this!"

    As the emperor''s barrier shattered, a kill count was eventually added to the few remaining mages who ran fast enough.

    "You six, are you really going to fight me rather than an outsider?" The archmage questioned.

    Meiya immediately realized what the archmage was trying to do, causing her to strike first as she disappeared.

    However, to the kid''s disappointment, she stabs an afterimage of the archmage.

    The archmage was now almost a hundred feet away, with a standoff as the group of six mages seemed to hesitate.

    They finally realized there was a third party that distracted the archmage from them.

    "You all serious? You rather help a cultivator over a fellow mage?" The archmage questioned as he dodged another Meiya''s attack.

    The groups finally seemed to have decided as they began casting a spell towards Meiya.

    Within seconds, Meiya''s speed became much slower, as she now had to fight a two-front battle.

    "Alex, we have to go in now, right?"

    Mary impatiently asked as the battle started to be Meiya''s dodging spells being thrown at her.

    They were also purposely casting all the spells toward her path, making it impossible for her to go closer to them without being hit.

    "What can we do? Our level one spell won''t even be able to put a dent in their barriers."

    Alex was much calmer and collected as he knew there was no point in them going in.

    But at the same time, he could tell he had to make something happen before Meiya lost.

    "Luqing, can you go distract those six mages?"

    "I''ll try."

    As Luqing disappeared from their sight, Alex turned his attention to the archmage.

    "What can we do?" Alex murmured as he watched the archmage floating in the air.

    With Luqing on the battlefield, some of Meiya''s stress was finally relieved as the six mages noticed the person running close to them.

    "Alex, how about we just try to throw a spell at them?" Sophia suggested, unable to just watch any longer.

    "But what kind of spell? Wait, I got an idea."

    As the three of them got into their formation, Alex quickly told Sophia about his idea.

    "You sure wind is going to do something?"

    "We got no other options."

    Sophia epted Alex''s idea as the two of them began transferring both of their mana over to her.

    A strong turbulence of wind began to appear around them, forming no shapes whatsoever as it gathered rapidly in the rubbles.

    It wasn''t a windde or any needles of some sort. Instead, it was just raw winds as she finally directed towards the archmage.

    At first, the archmage didn''t seem to care about it at all, as he noticed the three kids a long time ago.

    He just hasn''t had the time to eliminate them from thepetition, choosing to focus on Meiya instead.

    However, he soon came to regret it.

    The wind didn''t cause any damage, as a simple barrier he cast easily blocked it.

    But the wind was muchrger than he expected, as it wrapped around the one-sided shield he cast.

    Once again, it didn''t do any damage, as it had lost most of the momentum on the shield.

    Yet, the dust inside the wind that had been gathered from the rubble forced him to close his eyes for a second.

    That split second was enough for Meiya to get close once again as she sliced her sword in the air.

    A Qi wave, much faster than the wind, rapidly flew towards where the archmage stood as it hid itself inside the dust.

    Nobody could see what was inside until the dust had all vanished.

    To their surprise, there was a clear wound on the archmage''s army, indicating the de had hit him.

    Meiya didn''t give him any time to rest either as she cast even more Qi waves right at the archmage.

    They could see the archmage panicking as he cast more and more barriers, trying to block it.

    But every single one of them was being cut through like butter, with him eventually being hit by thest few.

    Without even saying a word, his body disappeared as Meiya''s kill count finally got one added.

    Meanwhile, the six archmages had eliminated Luqing with a massive focus fire a long time ago.

    They, for some reason, chose to watch the whole time despite being able to help.

    "You all won."

    Before Meiya could eliminate them to revenge Luqing, their bodies disappeared as if they had chosen to leave thepetition.

    Awkward silence appeared between Meiya and the three kids as they realized they had technically eliminated her daughter indirectly.

    "I''m sorry I¡ª¡ª"

    As Alex tried to apologize, Meiya didn''t seem mad at all over their decision or her daughter''s choice.

    To their surprise, her body vanished, leaving the three kids to be the only ones remaining.

    "Win for us!"

    Within seconds, Sophia and Mary both looked at each other before vanishing together.

    Only Alex remained as he stood alone on the rubble, despite him wanting to give the win to someone else.

    "Hey, Guardian, am I supposed to eliminate myself, or are you going to announce the winner?"

    Alex asked as he looked up at the sky, waiting for someone to answer. But after a while, there was no answer.

    For a second, a chill traveled down his spine, thinking that there was actually someone still in thepetition.

    Just like how he hid in the tunnels, there was an extremely high chance of someone being underneath all the rubbles who had not been eliminated.

    "Shit... Is anyone out there? Let''s have a duel to determine the winner."

    Despite the yelling, not a single living person emerged anywhere besides the wind blowing dust all over the ce.

    Just as Alex thought that he needed to eliminate himself to win, a portal suddenly appeared from the sky.

    "Congrattions, Alex. You won this year''spetition. Please eliminate yourself to im the award."

    Alex didn''t waste any time, as he imagined himself leaving thepetition, causing light to appear in front of him.

    He could see his body turning into small parts, almost like pieces of puzzles being broken apart.

    ---

    When Alex could see again, he found himself in a little house, sitting on a chair next to a coffee table.

    Everything looked so familiar, yet as he tried to remember the exact details of the house he was in, nothing came up.

    The kettle on the coffee table looked so real, as the sounds of boiling water could be heard.

    It reminded him of one he had used in the past, but he couldn''t remember who taught him how to use it or who once brought him a kettle.

 Chapter 66: Questions and Reward

    As he looked to the left, he could see a dark sky, with the city light illuminating the whole block.

    On closer inspection, there was a bookstore across the street, where he had memories of reading a book from there.

    He could still remember the exact content of the book, with all the lewd things depicted inside.

    Yet he couldn''t remember how he entered the store, nor could he remember why he brought it in the first ce.

    "Wee, Alex... Do you remember your old name? Or anyone from the past?"

    A young woman, looking slightly simr to Katherine, entered the living room.

    "I don''t have any memories of it... Are you the guardian?" Alex asked back as she sat down across from him.

    "You could call me that... But you can just call me Sarah. There''s no need for the formality."

    Despite her wish, Alex wasn''t about to call someone who was most likely hundreds upon thousands of years old.

    "Miss Sarah, can I ask what I would get from winning thispetition?"

    "A reward? I haven''t really thought of one yet... How about let''s have a little tea first?"

    As Sarah pulled the kettle from the base, a cup appeared in her hand, and she poured a cup of hot water into it.

    After putting in a teabag, she moved the cup to Alex''s side and made herself a cup of tea as well.

    "You''re probably wondering what I am trying to keep you here for... I''m quite lonely."

    The sudden directness caught Alex a little off guard, but he quickly recovered from it.

    "We can talk all day, ma''am. I''m not in a rush to get the reward right away."

    The two sat in silence as the hot steam floated into the air, and a hint of tea smell began to spread in the room.

    "Are you upset that I read your memories?"

    Alex thought for a second, then shook his head.

    "I don''t really mind it... I would have done the same if I had the same power as you."

    As Alex touched the cup with his hands, the tea was still too hot to drink.

    "Miss Sarah, can I ask if you''re reincarnated as well?"

    "Everyone is reincarnated... But most don''t get to keep their memories like you."

    Sarah''s answer didn''t surprise Alex, but he got a little intrigued by it.

    "How many people have you seen that have kept their memories?" Alex curiously asked.

    "Zero until you came."

    "Oh..."

    As the clock ticked, Alex had another question in his mind, and he just couldn''t help himself.

    "Miss Sarah, I know this question mind sounds a little rude, but how old are you?"

    "I''m only a few hundred years old. I''m not as old as you think. There are elves out there that are tripled my age."

    Alex shyly looked down at the table, lifting the cup to drink the tea to cover his embarrassment.

    "You ever nning to tell your secrets to your close ones?" Sarah asked this time.

    Alex thought for a second before putting the cup back down.

    "I don''t know... It might be too weird for anyone to ept it at all. I don''t think I will."

    Sarah didn''t seem to mind Alex''s ambiguous answer, looking at Alex''s face with a warm smile.

    "That''s okay. You''re still young. You got plenty of time ahead of you to decide one day."

    "Thanks..."

    As the room fell into silence again, Sarah began sipping her cup of tea.

    "Miss Sarah, are you alone in this world? Are you stuck here because of something?"

    Alex suddenly asked as he started to feel Sarah seemingly be chained by something.

    It was almost as if she was stuck in some sort of dimension, not allowed to leave, seeing the way she had talked.

    "I''m staying here out of choice... Also, I don''t think I''m alone in this world."

    "Then why does it seem like you can''t intervene in the outside world?"

    Alex asked with a small hint of anger, finally revealing the question that had been on his mind ever since he heard Katherine''s story.

    "I did intervene. You just don''t see it... Okay, I think we have talked enough.

    Let me give you the reward you deserve for winning. Just remain seated and don''t move."

    As Sarah got up from her seat, Alex''s heart started to beat faster and faster as he waited for her to reveal the reward.

    "Actually, how about you can lose your first time with me? You can fulfill all the fantasies you ever wanted in those adult books."

    "Huh?"

    Alex''s brain was short-circuited as he waspletely caught off guard by the answer that Sarah gave.

    "I''m just kidding. Anyway, you''re going to thank me in the future. See you soon!"

    Suddenly, before Alex could react, a blinding light appeared right before him, forcing him to close his eyes.

    ---

    When he opened his eyes back up, he was back in his room, with Katherine lying next to him.

    She was staring right at his face with a warm smile, looking extremely happy for him.

    "Good job, Alex! I''m so proud of you! I can''t believe you got first ce!"

    Katherine tightly hugged Alex, kissing him all over his face as he was still recovering from controlling his body again.

    "Thanks, Mom. Wait, how did you know I won?" Alex curiously asked as they gently pushed her back.

    "Because your name was announced! Did you get to meet the guardian?"

    Katherine asked as she finally let Alex have some breathing room of his own.

    "Yeah, the guardian was very nice to me. We talked a little, and then she rewarded me."

    "That''s nice of her... What reward is it?"

    Katherine asked curiously as she moved further back, trying to determine what was different about Alex.

    "I don''t know... She didn''t tell me what it was. The only thing she told me was that I would thank herter for it."

    "Really? Why would she¡ª¡ª"

    Before she could finish, the door was mmed open as everyone showed up filled with excitement.

    As the two of them sat up from the bed, Alex was immediately hit by a warm hug.

    "I told you my grandson would win!" Ava excitedly yelled as she gave Alex a big kiss on the forehead.

    Both Sophia and Mary stood by, filled with happiness, along with Fredrick, who looked extremely proud of him.

    "Good job, Alex. You exceeded all of my expectations, " Fredrick said as Ava finally let Alex go.

    "Who would have thought a level one mage would win it all..." Amelia murmured as she still couldn''t believe it.

    "I should be the one thanking you all. I would of never made it this far without your help¡ª¡ª"

    As Alex thanked everyone, he quickly noticed Luqing and Meiya both standing in the hallway.

    "Miss Meiya! Miss Luqing! Thank you for your help!" Alex waved as everyone''s attention turned towards the two.

    "No problem... My daughter and I are just going to have a chat for a second."

    As the two disappeared from the hallway, Ava, Amelia, and Katherine were all stunned by what the ''mysterious'' woman had just said.

    "Fredrick, you never told me she''s Luqing''s mom," Ava questioned, her voice sounding a little upset.

    "Well, I wasn''t sure if they really were mother and daughter. But it seemed like they had a union inside thepetition¡ª¡ª"

    "Ahem, can you all leave my son''s room? It''s bedtime for him." Katherine interrupted as she cleared her throat.

    After mentioning the same stuff he said to Katherine to all of them, they all finally left.

    Except for Sophia and Mary, who were told to stay by Katherine.

    As the four of them sat on the bed, Alex was a little confused about why she had made them stay in his room.

    "Mom, what do you tell us in secret?" Sophia asked curiously, and Mary looked just as curious.

    Katherine didn''t say anything as she waited for a few seconds before a portal suddenly appeared in the room.

    Out of the portal was Amelia, who had juste to Alex''s room a few seconds ago, along with everyone else.

    "Katherine, are you sure you want to tell them about this?" Amelia asked a question that confused all three of the kids.

    "The guardian told me. I have to tell them this. Or else I would be lying to her..."

    Seeing the hesitation on Katherine''s face, all three of the kids knew the situation was serious.

    They also realized the two of them had met the guardian despite not finishing in the top three.

    "Mom, we also saw the guardian," Sophia stated, with Mary nodding in agreement.

    "We all met guardian?" Alex murmured, now feeling a lot less special about winning first ce.

    "She''s the guardian. I wouldn''t be surprised if she could talk to a hundred people at once.

    It''s always up to her if she wants to meet whoever she wants in thepetition."

    Amelia exined as she looked over to Katherine, who still seemed conflicted about what to do.

    "Katherine, if you don''t want to say it, I can say it for you¡ª¡ª"

    "No, I can say it myself." Katherine interrupted as she finally made up her mind.

 Chapter 67: Secrets and Alexs Dream

    "Your dad... He''s not real."

    "What?"

    All three of the kids said it at the same time, all looking a little confused by what she meant by it.

    "Mom, what are you saying? What do you mean Dad is not real?" Sophia questioned.

    "He''s... How do I put this? He''s not human... I mean, he is as human as someone can be, but he''s not real."

    Seeing Katherine struggling to exin it, with all three of the kids looking just as confused, Amelia intervened.

    "Your mom''s husband is a golem created by the guardian. Actually, no, he''s not even a golem.

    He''s actually a sophisticated spell she devised in the form of a human to help Katherine escape from the emperor.

    But as you all know, your mom identally fell in love with him, and his death was just him running out of mana."

    The bombshell news shocked all three of the kids, especially Alex, who knew the whole backstory from the beginning.

    "Is this why the guardian said I would thank her?" Alex thought to himself as the other two kids hadpletely different thoughts.

    "Wait... So we don''t have a dad?" Mary suddenly asked.

    "Obviously, no. Your dad is still that mana creation that existed in the past, or else you wouldn''t be here."

    Amelia calmly answered before Katherine could, who fell into silence as she was about to say the same.

    "What Katherine said earlier is misleading. Your dad is still Paul... Katherine, you had sex with him, right?"

    The question caught Katherine off guard, but she shyly nodded in agreement.

    "It doesn''t matter if he''s a spell created by the guardian or not. What matters is you all are siblings, and your mom is still your mom.

    Paul''s teachings are still his independent thoughts. I''m still your aunt, and you are still part of Reid''s bloodline."

    Amelia''s answer relieved the weird feeling inside the three kids'' minds towards their dad.

    Although they felt their mom had been scammed, they couldn''t really criticize the guardian when Katherine herself didn''t seem to be angry.

    "Mom... Are you fine with it?" Sophia asked, breaking the silence in the room.

    "I''m fine... I don''t regret it at all. You all are the only thing I care about now, okay?"

    Seeing Katherine looking back at them with a smile, they could tell she didn''t move past it at all.

    "Stop looking at me like that. I''m happy it happened. At least get to spend time with someone I loved.

    Unlike somebody who''s still stuck on the same level as me and is still forever alone all these years."

    "Hmph! Whatever, I''m going back to my room."

    As a portal appeared, Amelia jumped right in before it closed, leaving the four of them in Alex''s room.

    "Sophia, Mary, what did the guardian talk to you guys about?" Katherine asked.

    "She taught us a lot about magic... Oh, and she gave us this ne, Mary and me."

    As Sophia pulled down her pajamas slightly, she could see a silver ne with a little white crystal.

    Looking over to Mary, she had a simr ne, except hers was ck crystal instead.

    "That''s nice of her."

    As Katherineplimented the ne, Alex realized she had said the same thing earlier to him.

    He didn''t catch her clearly sarcastic tone, which indicated her unhappiness toward the guardian.

    "We thought so, too! It just looks so nice." Mary said out loud without thinking in her head.

    "Ahem, I''m getting a little sleepy. I''m going back to sleep now."

    Alex quickly ended the conversation, going into the nket before Katherine could say anything.

    "You two can go back to your room now... Tomorrow, you guys are going to go through a lot of training."

    As Katherine kicked Sophia and Mary out of the room, she turned around to look at Alex, who had already closed his eyes.

    She thought for a second, seeming to be deciding something, and then she walked back to the bed before getting into the nket.

    "Goodnight, Alex."

    "Goodnight, Mom."

    ---

    As the moon rose to the middle of the sky, Alex and Katherine were still peacefully sleeping in the bed together.

    However, the peacefulness wasn''t so peaceful for Alex.

    Inside his head, he was back in a familiar house with Sarah sitting across from him, with the hot tea that he had never finished right before him.

    "Wee back. How did you like my surprise?" Sarah asked as she sipped the tea.

    "I don''t like it a single bit. Why do you really have to hurt my mom like this? Do you find this funny or something?"

    Alex questioned, his face showing genuine anger for a split second before he quickly changed his attitude.

    "Sorry. I didn''t mean to be angry at you, Miss Sarah. Please ept my apology¡ª¡ª"

    "I would be just as angry as you if I learned the same thing. I only put some magic in that bag for Fredrick to allow her to fulfill her wish.

    I didn''t expect her to wish for a knight to save her and fall in love with it... I should be the one to apologize for that."

    As the room fell into silence, Alex suddenly had a question in his head.

    "Miss Sarah, can I ask where we are? Is this some sort of alternate dimension?"

    "You could say that... This is my Grand Archmage world. I can create anything in it, like this."

    With a snap of a finger, a person appeared out of thin air before she snapped again to make them disappear.

    As Alex thought of all the possibilities, another idea began forming inside his head.

    "I know what you''re thinking of. It''s not possible. I can''t bring someone back from life."

    "Why not? Isn''t he just one of your spells?" Alex questioned.

    "Here. Look. I can create the same thing."

    Suddenly, Paul appeared right before Alex''s eyes, standing right before him with the same sword and armor.

    Read thetest fiction on M-VL-em|p,yr

    "Alex!"

    "Dad!"

    Before they could hug each other, Sarah snapped her finger to make it freeze in ce.

    "You can''t tell the difference at all, can you?" Sarah asked as Alex stopped halfway.

    "What difference?"

    "He''s just a clone... Your mom asked the same thing when she met with me.

    She instantly recognized the Paul I created was just from all of your memories."

    Alex sat back down in disappointment, watching the Paul clone she created vanish from the room.

    With a silence falling back into the room, Alex lifted the cup to take a small sip.

    "Is that all you wanted me to be here for? Just to talk to me?"

    Alex suddenly asked, his face looking a little annoyed by the way she talked and her attitude.

    "Yep... I''m just kidding. You forgot your first-ce reward?"

    Alex didn''t say anything back, staring back at her as if he had been expecting her to say what it was.

    "Okay, I''ll stop ying with you."

    As she snapped her finger, their surrounding suddenly changed from a small little house to the middle of nowhere.

    "Your reward is getting to train your fighting skills with me. Isn''t that fun?"

    Once again, Alex didn''t say anything. But he tilted his head slightly as if he were questioning her intelligence.

    "Okay, you caught me. I was just kidding again. You''re actually fighting someone else."

    As the chair and table disappeared, Sarah took a step back before waving her folded hand.

    "Bring it."

    Alex immediately threw a quick wind de at her before running as far back as he could.

    But within seconds, Sarah had already blocked it as she directed a fireball flying right towards Alex.

    Rolling to the side, Alex threw another round of wind des at her before casting a fireball of his own.

    This time, Sarah didn''t block the wind de, running straight through it as she read through his fake spell that didn''t do any damage.

    Seeing her just a few steps away, Alex was forced to direct the fireball prematurely.

    The slow speed allowed her to dodge it by turning to the side before she fired a light orb he couldn''t dodge.

    "You lost," Sarah stated as she squatted down right before him, watching him bleeding on the floor.

    "I know I lost. Are you going to help me, or are you just going to watch¡ª¡ª"

    Just as Alex was about to finishining, the wound and the pain all disappeared as if the spell had never hit him.

    Even the blood and all the trace of it ever happening had disappeared.

    If it weren''t for the extreme pain he felt for the first time earlier, he would have thought it was just an illusion.

    "Get up. The fight isn''t over until you wake up... Which is still several hours away."

    "Fine!"

    Alex quickly got back up from the ground, patting his legs to remove all the dirt from his pants.

    But this time, he watched Sarah stand still as he took a few steps back, not throwing her a spell until he was fully ready.

 Chapter 68: Katherines Dream (R-18)

    Unfortunately, every attempt Alex made failed, with painful memories of his body parts exploding or being pierced through by spells.

    "I give up. I can''t beat you. Please let me sleep in peace." Alex pleaded as hey down t on the ground.

    The wound on his body had already disappeared once again, but the pain was just too much for him to handle.

    "Already? You still have an hour away from waking up. Are you really going to call it a day?"

    "I don''t get what the point of this is. I''m just being beaten over and over again by you."

    Alex closed his eyes, lookingpletely exhausted beyond belief. Sarah finally chose to let him go.

    "Very well then. Your training for tonight is over... Enjoy the rest of your dream."

    With her voice trailing off, Alex opened his eyes again, only to find himself back in the old house in the small town.

    But after getting up and looking around the room, he couldn''t find Sarah or anyone else for that matter.

    "Hey, let me go back to my world. Don''t just trap me here¡ª¡ª"

    "Alex! Wee back!"

    As the voice made Alex turn around, he was surprised to see someone who looked exactly like Katherine standing right by the bedroom door.

    "Mom? Wait, you can''t be the real one."

    Alex quickly pped himself in the face, trying to wake himself up, only to feel a sharp pain on his face, just like the fight earlier.

    "Alex, why are you pping yourself?" Katherine asked, walking closer before being stopped by Alex.

    "Wait, stop, stop. Miss Sarah, can you stop ying tricks with me? This isn''t the real Katherine, is it?"

    Seeing no response from the guardian, Alex pped himself again, trying to wake himself up.

    "Alex, what are you saying? Who''s Miss Sarah? Why are you so weird today?"

    Katherine asked out loud this time as she held back Alex''s hand, preventing him from pping himself.

    "That''s the guardian''s name. She trapped me in this dream for the so-called reward that doesn''t help me at all¡ª¡ª"

    Alex froze for a second before turning around, pushing her away, before looking to the side.

    "Why am I talking to a spell? Sarah! Let me go back to reality already. I want to wake up from my dream.

    I really mean it this time. This isn''t funny anymore. I don''t want to be here any longer¡ª¡ª"

    Before Alex could finish hisint, he suddenly could feel a warm body hugging him from behind.

    "Shush, Alex, why are you disrespecting the guardian like that? She can erase you with a snap of a finger."

    Seeing Katherine defending Sarah, Alex confirms his suspicion that the Katherine before him is one of her spells.

    "Let go of me¡ª¡ª"

    As Alex struggled to get out, their surrounding suddenly changed from the living room to Katherine''s bedroom.

    With his arms and legs tied up together on the bed, he began to realize this wasn''t just a fake clone.

    "Wait, wait, wait. Are you the real Mom?"

    Alex urgently asked out loud, his mind regretting all the things he had just said earlier.

    "Of course, I''m the real Mom... Mommy doesn''t want to do this, but you''re misbehaving too much today."

    As Katherine walked closer and closer to the bedside, his brain finally realized that the Katherine before him wasn''t another spell.

    It was clear Sarah had somehow transported him into Katherine''s dream as some sort of prank.

    "Mom, can you please let me go? I swear I will be good. I-I don''t like being chained up like this."

    Seeing Alex''s cute face pleading for her help, she finally made the chain disappear, freeing him.

    "If this really is Mom''s dream, why would she want to tie me up? Is this another side of Mom?"

    Alex thought to himself as Katherine sat down at the bedside, with her thighs blocking half of his view.

    "Let''s sleep now. Be a good boy to Mommy, okay?"

    As Katherine entered the nket and held onto him tightly, it was almost as if they were back in the same position in the castle.

    "Alex, you''re so warm today... It almost feels like the real one," Katherine whispered.

    Alex didn''t say anything back, as he didn''t really know how the Alex in her dream usually behaved.

    But hearing the word she had just said out loud fully confirmed his theory that he was in her dream.

    ---

    Meanwhile, from Katherine''s perspective...

    As she held onto Alex tightly, she couldn''t believe how real Alex felt in her arm.

    "Why does the dream feel so real today? He''s barely resisting at all today." Katherine thought to herself.

    She could feel that the Alex she was holding wasn''t asleep at all, despite his attempt to pretend to be.

    Especially the little bump down below that she had never felt in the dreams she usually had with Alex.

    "You naughty boy... Getting turned on by your Mom today?" Katherine suddenly asked.

    Although Alex remained silent again, she could feel his heartbeat beating faster and faster.

    "Let Mommy take care of you, okay?"

    Just as Alex opened his eyes, the nket and his clothes suddenly disappeared.

    He was now fully naked, lying down next to Katherine, who had sat back up, moving moved her hands onto his fully erect cock.

    "You''re so much bigger than before... It must be really painful to hold it in. Let Mommy handle it, okay?"

    As she gently stroked his cock a little, she could see Alex holding his mouth closed, trying to hide his cute moaning sound.

    Just as she identally touched the tip, trying to peel his foreskin back a little, shots of white liquidnded right all over her hands and chest.

    "Sorry, Mom, I¡ª¡ª"

    "It''s okay. Mommy doesn''t mind it... As long as you''re happy, that''s all Mommy cares about, okay?"

    Within a few seconds, all of the stains had disappeared as Alex''s cloth reappeared again.

    Next, the nket was covering both of them again, with Katherine lying back down on the bed.

    "Okay, let''s go to sleep now... Goodnight, Alex."

    "Good night, Mom."

    ---

    As they both closed their eyes, Alex''s face was still burning red. He still couldn''t believe what she had just done.

    Even though he kept telling himself this was all just Katherine''s dream, he just didn''t dare to tell her to stop.

    Lying on the bed for a while, Alex was surprised to find Katherine not hugging him like earlier.

    Instead, she was sleeping on her side alone, staying a few arm''s length away from him.

    After resting on the bed for another short moment, he could feel drowsiness setting in.

    Alex instantly realized something was off. He hadn''t been sleepy a single time earlier, and it didn''t make sense to sleep inside a dream.

    It was almost as if Katherine had cast or imagined him to be asleep, forcing him to bite his tongue to stay awake.

    "Alex... Are you asleep?"

    Slowly turning to the other side, Alex pretended to be asleep still as he kept his eyes closed.

    To his surprise, he feels the bed gently shaking, almost in the same rhythm as she did earlier.

    "Hm... Hm... Alex... Put your cock in me... Hm... It''s so hot..."

    Hearing the moaning sounds, he finally realized what Katherine was doing underneath the nket.

    After listening in for a bit, Alex couldn''t help but get hard again, especially as she kept moaning his name.

    "No, no, no, Mom is just lonely in her dream. She doesn''t actually want you. Stop thinking so full of yourself."

    Despite Alex''s attempts to rebuild his image of Katherine in his mind, her next voice line shatters it.

    "Cum inside me, Alex... I''m going to cum soon¡ª¡ªHm!"

    As soon as the bed stopped and her voice disappeared, Alex let out a sigh of relief as she was finally done.

    He was about to do something irrational that he was going to regret for the rest of his life, even if it was just a dream.

    Still, the damage had been done, as he couldn''t believe the woman he had always respected wanted to have sex with her son out of all people.

    Even if it was just a dream, it was just too inexcusable in his mind that she did this while next to him.

    "Mom has been lonely for all these years... Is it really that bad for her to think of me?

    She had been through so much to raise me. Am I really going to shame her over her fantasy?

    What does that make me? An even bigger hypocrite? This is all just a dream to her anyway."

    Just as Alex''s mind was still debating back and forth, Katherine suddenly moved closer again before hugging him.

    "I love you, Alex..."

    Katherine whispered as she held onto him tightly, with her boobs fully pressing against his back and her thighs wrapping around his legs.

    "I love you too," Alex thought, wanting to say it out loud.

    But his rational mind kept his mouth shut, knowing it was a bad idea, as it would make her realize he had been awake the whole time.

    Soon, Alex eventually couldn''t resist the drowsiness any longer, falling asleep in Katherine''s warm embrace.

 Chapter 69: Morning Cleanup and Amelias Lab

    "Alex, wake up. You need to go take a shower."

    As Alex slowly opened his eyes, he was finally back in the castle''s bedroom with the white ceiling.

    Katherine was already awake, sitting next to him, trying to wake him up as she flipped his sides of the nket.

    "What''s wrong? What shower?"

    Alex yawned as he finally sat up from the bed, noticing Katherine''s face seemingly blushing red.

    "Y-Your pants..."

    Looking down, he finally understood what she was trying to say as there was a massive wet spot on his crotch.

    More importantly, he could feel his crotch and panties feeling extremely sticky despite the pad he had attached meant for his period.

    It was clear that the period wasn''t to me, considering what he had dreamed ofst night.

    "I''ll be right back!"

    As Alex rushed towards the bathroom, Katherine finally got up from the bed as well.

    Standing before the mirror, she could see a wet spot that was still visible as she thought back to what happened in her dream.

    Without wasting any time, she quickly removed her clothes before pulling out new pairs from her pocket.

    But feeling a little dirty down below, she decided to head towards the bathroom with a towel wrapped.

    "Alex, can Ie in?"

    After waiting for a bit, Alex finally opened the door. But before he could say anything, Katherine walked straight inside.

    As Katherine jumped into the bathtub full of water, Alex silently got into the bathtub with his hand on his crotch.

    "We haven''t taken a shower together for so long. Thest time was almost a month ago, wasn''t it?"

    "Yeah..."

    Seeing Alex sitting so far away in the bathtub looking away, Katherine suddenly got up to get the showerhead before sitting next to him.

    "Come on, Alex, there''s no need to be so shy. Mom had seen every part of you already¡ª¡ª"

    As Katherine forcefully dragged Alex''s hand away, she didn''t flinch a single bit, seeing that his cock was fully erect.

    But there was a visible awkwardness in the air as she grabbed the soap to begin scrubbing his back.

    With more and more of his body being soaped, the two remained silent until Katherine broke it.

    "You want mom to help you?"

    Alex wanted to nod to experience it again, but he quickly shook his head, afraid of the consequences it could lead to.

    After she finished rinsing the front and the back, there was only one part left on his body.

    "Thanks, Mom... I can do it from here."

    This time, Katherine epted her decision, opting to hand the soap over to him before getting herself one.

    Just as Alex finished washing his crotch, Katherine had only finished soaping the front of her own body.

    "Mom, let me help you."

    Katherine didn''t say anything but raised her arms to let him start scrubbing around her body.

    With most of the body fully soaped, Alex grabbed the showerhead to begin rinsing her body.

    Moving onto her legs, he avoided the middle as he couldn''t help but notice the shape of her thighs.

    Even though most people would say it was a little bit fat, it was the ideal thickness, in his opinion.

    Especially when factoring in her towering heightspared to most women and even some men.

    The fact that her chest didn''t sag at all and her round bottom made it even more attractive inside his head.

    "Why am I thinking about this? Stop it, Alex. This isn''t a dream anymore. She''s your mom, for God''s sake."

    Quickly shaking his head, Alex began rinsing the soap off her legs before turning the showerhead off.

    "Thank you, Alex," Katherine murmured as she grabbed the showerhead to begin washing her private part.

    "No problem..."

    ---

    When the two both got out of the shower, the awkwardness had long disappeared.

    Katherine was looking through Alex''s closet, picking the right pairs of clothes for Alex to wear.

    "Hmm... This cloth doesn''t really look that good on you," Katherinemented as she pulled out three pairs of clothes.

    "M-Mom, can you just pick something, please?"

    Alex was standing right before the mirror, fully naked, shivering a little in the cold air.

    "Just give me a few seconds. I need to find the best clothes for my handsome son."

    Alex watched as Katherine put the three pairs back in before grabbing another out.

    "This one looks good... Oh, sorry, I almost forgot. Here''s your panties."

    After what felt like forever, Alex was finally allowed to put on a pair of clothes.

    However, he soon was forced to take off his pants before pulling his panties all the way down to his knee.

    After attaching the fully washed and dried pad to the panties, Alex quickly pulled it back up before fixing his clothes.

    With everything fully set, the two could finally step out of the room together.

    "I''m never letting Mom pick my clothes again, " Alex said to himself, as he couldn''t believe how long it had taken.

    "I''m going to go wake Sophia and Mary up. You can go to the dining area first, okay?"

    Alex nodded as she turned around to head toward his sister''s room while he headed forward.

    After arriving at the dining area, no one was there except a few maids standing by.

    "Where''s everyone?" Alex curiously asked.

    "Lord Fredrick and Lady Ava had left the castle already." One of the maids answered.

    "How about Luqing and Miss Meiya?"

    "I don''t know."

    As Alex sat down and began eating the food on the table, Amelia suddenly rushed into the room at full speed.

    "Alex, can I borrow you for a second? I need you to help me with an experiment."

    "Huh?"

    Just as Alex nodded once out of muscle memory head, Amelia quickly dragged Alex out of his seat before a portal appeared.

    Within a blink of an eye, he was now in Amelia''s room.

    Right before him was running some sort ofb with various ss beakers that were fully sealed and boiling.

    "Okay, so you know how I managed to help you cure yourck of mana, right?"

    Alex nodded again. He still remembered the burning sensation that made him kiss Amelia uncontrobly.

    "I had been trying to develop a way to enhance mana gain permanently rather than just temporarily.

    Yours was my first edition, and now I have finally developed the second edition.

    And since you''re the only one I know who worked with the first potion, I want you to try my second one."

    As Amelia turned off the fire and pulled one of the beakers from the heat stove, Alex was starting to have a bad feeling.

    "What''s inside this potion?" Alex nervously asked.

    "Come on, you don''t trust your aunt? Have I ever done something that would hurt you?"

    "No, but¡ª¡ª"

    "You''re hurting your aunt''s feelings, Alex..."

    As Amelia put down the beaker, looking to the ground in sadness, Alex started to feel a little guilty.

    "Fine, I''ll drink it. But are you sure this is safe?" Alex asked as he grabbed the beaker.

    "I''m sure of it. Most of the ingredients have already been tested to be mana enrichment, and I only added a few extra things.

    There is no way it can have some damaging effect. I already tested on a few animals, and they showed no side effects."

    Hearing Amelia''s reassurance, Alex opened the beaker cover only to find a strong, foul smell.

    It was the pr opposite of the slightly sweet smell the original he had tried in the past.

    "Why does it smell so bad?" Alex asked as he put it back down.

    "It took me a year and all my money to find all the ingredients. If you don''t want to drink it, I can drink it myself¡ª¡ª"

    Alex instantly chugged the whole thing down with zero hesitation after hearing how valuable it was.

    Putting the beaker down, Alex looked down at his hands as he began to feel something a little different inside his body.

    "Do you feel anything different?" Amelia asked as she quickly took out a clipboard and a pen.

    "I... I feel hot?"

    "Hot? Okay. It must be the Sodium aluminum iodide interacting with the mana."

    As she began writing down her notes, Alex''s body suddenly started to cool down.

    "Wait, I feel cold now."

    "Okay. Interesting. It looks like potassium nitrate is working as intended... Try to use your mana."

    Alex tried to cast a spell, but it failed as he couldn''t control his mana at all.

    It was going all over the ce, forcefully expanding all the mana connections as he started to feel a little dizzy.

    "Go into your meditation state and try to control your mana. Quick!"

    Alex quickly closed his eyes, going into a meditation state. But he was surprised to see his stars rapidly changing colors.

    "Don''t just watch, control it!" Amelia''s voice appeared inside Alex''s head.

    Not wasting any more time, Alex finally tries to control his mana by exerting the star''s attraction.

    But it was much harder than he expected, as the mana refused to go back towards where each star was located.

    They were all choosing to stay inside the tunnel, forcing it to hold all of the mana''s weights.

 Chapter 70: Readjustment and Thalorim

    Suddenly, Alex could feel a foreign object entering his body directly, making his head hurt severely.

    "Don''t move. I''m going to help you put your mana back in ce."

    Amelia''s calming voice helped Alex calm back down, but the headache was only bing worse.

    Slowly, he could feel his mana being pulled upward as he could see a body made up of bright, dark stars standing above him.

    As it continued to be pulled up, a shocking pain struck Alex right in the head as his mana went too far up.

    Only after Amelia''s stars moved away did the mana slowly gravitate toward his stars again.

    Feeling the foreign object disappearing, his headache was finally subdued as he quickly gathered as much mana towards all of his stars.

    After what felt like forever to him, the tunnels had retracted to a reasonable size.

    The man had also returned to normal, flowing from his outer body towards the central star inside his head.

    "How do you feel?" Amelia asked as Alex exited meditation.

    "I... I feel a lot better."

    "How about your mana? Does it feel any different? Like stronger or weaker?"

    "I can feel it moving slightly faster than before... And I can feel the nearby elements a lot easier."

    As an open me instantly appeared on Alex''s fingertip, he could feel his elemental affinity had improved just slightly.

    It was no longer nk. Still, there was a long way to go for him actually to gain a real affinity.

    "Huh. That''s interesting... I don''t remember any of the ingredients that have any effect on affinity."

    After Amelia finished taking her notes, she turned back to Alex, who was still sitting in bed.

    "Okay, I think the potion''s effect had mostly worn off. You can go back to eating breakfast now."

    "Thank you..."

    Alex bowed in gratitude as he could feel his mage talent improve slightly, which was almost impossible ording to the textbook.

    "Don''t worry about it. I''m only doing this so I can make a higher-tier version for myself."

    With everything done, Amelia led Alex to the door before suddenly turning him around as she squatted down.

    As she stared right into Alex''s eye, he started to feel a little ufortable as she remained silent.

    "W-What''s wrong?"

    "You like Katherine, don''t you?"

    Alex froze for a millisecond before regaining hisposure back as he nodded.

    "Of course I love Mom. She''s taken care of me for my entire life. If I don''t love her, then I have no one to love."

    "You know what I mean."

    As he tilted his head slightly out of curiosity, Amelia quickly stood back up before facepalming herself.

    "Why am I asking this? Sorry, Alex, I''m just overthinking something... Why am I asking a kid about this?"

    Amelia murmured to herself as she quickly shoved Alex out of the room, closing the door before locking it.

    ---

    Walking about to the dining table, Alex''s heart was racing like crazy as he couldn''t believe what Amelia had just asked.

    The act on his face disappeared as he sat back down in his seat, slowly using the fork to eat the breakfast.

    When she stared right into his eyes, he almost flinched, which would have made it impossible for him to excuse himself.

    Even though he knew it was wrong mentally, his body just couldn''t stop reacting to Katherine''s body ever since he hit puberty.

    "Hey Alex, you there?"

    As a hand appeared before his face, Alex finally snapped out of his thoughts.

    He had been digging an empty te over and over again, confusing the nearby maids.

    "Sorry. I was just thinking something..."

    As Alex picked up a piece of bread to eat, Katherine moved back to her seat before Sophia and Mary both entered the room.

    "Mom! What are we doing today?" Sophia excitedly asked as the two of them began eating the breakfast.

    "We''re going to have more meditation training¡ª¡ª"

    "Boo!"

    Mary and Sophia bothined at the same time, as they had been bored out of their mind meditating for the past few weeks.

    "Hey! Don''tin. You guys aren''t going to meditate in the castle again."

    "Where are we meditating then?" Alex curiously asked.

    "We''re going on a hike to one of the tallest mountains in the world. Aren''t you all excited?"

    "Huh? What does that have to do with meditation?" Sophia raised her question.

    "Well, that ce is one of the most well-known natural mana springs to meditate.

    You guys are going to be amazed when you get there. Trust me. It''s going to be better than the one you had in school."

    The three kids had no choice but to believe Katherine''s word, as they all quickly finished breakfast before going back to their rooms.

    After getting fully dressed to head outside, the snowing outside had finally stopped, at least for now.

    "Perfect. We''re going to take the portal this time. Just follow me."

    As Katherine leads the three out of the castle and into the city, they quickly notice the town''s atmosphere has drastically died down.

    Even though many people were still walking in the streets, it wasn''t as chaotic or lively as in the past.

    Of course, it was expected, as they already knew that some of the people who came to the town were purely to participate in thepetition.

    After following Katherine for a few minutes, they finally arrived at what appeared to be a very fancy building.

    With the silver and gold decorated and the word bank at the top, it was clear what kind of ce this was.

    "Come on, don''t stand here."

    As the three kids catch back up to Katherine, they are a little stunned by how spacious and luxurious the inside is.

    They could see various statues and paintings, including one that looked to be made ofplete gold and reached almost to the ceiling.

    "Hello, I would like to order four tickets to Thalorim."

    "That would be ten silver coins."

    After Katherine paid and got the ticket, she brought the three of them to one of the nearby rooms.

    As shey the three tickets on the table, the room suddenly started changing color.

    They could feel mana being sucked up below them, making the entire room nullify until it stopped.

    "Mom, what was that?" Mary curiously asked.

    "A teleportation spell. Anyway, we better get moving. I don''t want to be teleported back and pay again."

    The three quickly followed Katherine out of the room before walking out, only to see the room outside was nowpletely different.

    Unlike the previous one, the lobby they stood in was a lot simpler, with only a few rooms lying uppared to the hundreds in Regina.

    As soon as they exited the building, they found themselves in the middle of a small city.

    More importantly, they could feel a piercing coldness through their clothes despite the coats they had on.

    It was even colder than Regina despite barely any snow on the ground, with the sky fully clear.

    "M-Mom, t-this ce is s-so cold," Sophiained, with the other two kids agreeing to it as well.

    "Oh my, I forgot this ce is colder in the winter... Let''s buy some clothes at that shop."

    The four of them quickly walked over to a nearby shop, feeling much warmer inside as they began checking out the clothes.

    To the kid''s surprise, the clothes were much thinner than the ones they were wearing.

    "Mom, are these really that warm?" Mary curiously asked as she picked up one of them.

    "These clothes are not warm themselves... But inside, it is where the magic happens."

    As a store worker walked by, he took three seemingly super thin cloaks and handed them to them.

    "Is this your kids'' first timeing to Thalorim?" the store worker asked as he looked over to Katherine.

    "Yeah. They had only been in Regina..." Katherine answered before grabbing one for herself.

    "Come on, try them on. I promise you three won''t regret it, " the store worker suggested with a smile.

    After taking off their coats and putting the clothes on, all three of the kids felt even colder.

    "Put some mana into the clothes."

    As soon as the three of them released some of their mana to the cloths, it instantly started bing warm.

    "Wow, it feels so much warmer than before."

    Mary murmured as she decided to put a little more mana in, making it start to feel a little hot.

    "Of course, it''s warmer. It''s the new technology we recently developed for Thalorim specifically.

    Do you all want to buy one? You won''t regret it. I''m even using one myself here."

    Seeing the three kids seemingly enjoying ying with their new clothes without needing to wear a giant coat, Katherine took out her wallet.

    "Just tell me, how much is it?"

    "Twenty silver coins each."

    Katherine reluctantly took out her card, scanning it through a detector before walking out with their new clothes.

    "Have a safe journey!"

    As the four of them walked down the street, the coldness was barely affecting them any longer.

    All three of the kids immediately handed their coats back to Katherine, letting her store them in her pocket dimensions.

 Chapter 71: Caves and Celebration

    "Mom... Are we really hiking on that mountain?"

    As Sophia''s voice echoed, they were standing at the bottom of a mountain that was so high up they couldn''t even see the tip.

    "My leg is kinda exhausted walking all the way here... My period cramp is starting to hurt now."

    Mary added, with Sophia and Mary quickly following in her footsteps by bending down as if they had the same cramp.

    "Obviously, no.We don''t even have any climbing gear... I''m just going to teleport us to a secret hideout I have there."

    As Katherine brought the three down a small hill to avoid the people walking down the trail, ck smoke began appearing around them.

    By the time they could see again, they were in apletely different ce.

    "Wow... Are we really in the same ce?" Sophia murmured, with the other kids looking just as shocked.

    They were surrounded by flowers and a small stream of water that went down to a little corner.

    There was also a rock ceiling that arched upward all the way to the very tip, forming what was seemingly the peak.

    Yet, right in the middle of this cave, there was a giant tree along with a small little gap in the ceiling to allow sunlight in.

    It was almost like someone dug up a giant hole, expanded the inside, and threw in a bunch of nts inside.

    "Yep, we are just below one of the mountain''s peaks... Do you all feel the mana a little different here?"

    As the three kids rxed and felt the mana around them, they could feel it much more active than anywhere else.

    "Who made this?"

    Alex curiously asked, still unable to believe how drastic the outside and inside were.

    "This is actually one of my capstone projects for my 6th-grade mage-level graduation..."

    All three of the kids looked shocked upon hearing Katherine''s answer, especially as they hadn''t seen her full magical capability.

    "What are you all putting that face for?" Katherine questioned as she rolled her sleeve.

    "Nothing!"

    All three of them nervously replied, shyly looking down before changing their face into full of admiration.

    "Anyway, you all can sit down next to the tree and meditate. It should be where all the mana is the most active."

    All three of the kids quickly ran over to the tree and sat down below it before entering into a meditation state.

    Meanwhile, Katherine headed to the end of the water stream and pressed her hand on one of the rock walls.

    A table and a chair suddenly appeared out of nowhere across from where the three kids were meditating.

    As Katherine sat down in her seat, she looked at the papers on the table.

    It was full of words in her handwriting, documenting various types of mysterious methods that made the big cave possible.

    Right at the bottom of the various documents was her signature, with another signature next to it.

    "Where are you, teacher?"

    Katherine murmured as she picked up the pen on the table before opening a notebook on the side.

    ---

    After what felt like forever to the three kids, Katherine woke them up and eventually forced them out of their meditation.

    "It''s time to go back home. You can''t meditate here all day."

    All three of the kids reluctantly get up from the ground as they enjoy meditating under the tree.

    It was their first time that meditation felt refreshing, and they could see the massive amount of progress being made.

    Especially Sophia and Mary, who were now on the verge of a mage level two breakthrough.

    Even Alex was now reaching his peak soon, as his mana tunnels had stopped expanding no matter how much he tried.

    "Can we not just stay overnight here?" Sophia pleaded, as she really wanted to finish the breakthrough today.

    "We cane back here tomorrow. You guys already drained a lot of the energy to keep this ce up."

    Katherine''s point made them admit defeat as they stood next to Katherine before letting her cast her teleportation spell.

    When they could see again, they were back at the small little hill earlier, away from the main trail.

    Right above them, the sky had turnedpletely dark, with the moon rising on the horizon.

    "Come on, let''s go. You don''t want your grandparents to be worried, right?"

    The three quickly catch back up, following Katherine to the portal ce before buying four tickets.

    By the time they arrived back at the castle, it was already seven o''clock at night.

    "Where did you all go today?" Ava curiously asked as the four of them arrived at the dining areast.

    "We just went to Thalorim for a day... Oh, I almost forgot. Can I ask what your name is, ma''am?"

    As Katherine looked over to the right, Meiya and Luqing were both sitting on the other side of the table next to Amelia.

    "I''m Meiya. Luqing''s mom."

    After she introduced herself, Alex could feel Luqing a little ufortable sitting at the table.

    But still, he remained silent as it was none of his business to ask why.

    "Miss Meiya, I just want to thank you for your help. Without it, my grandson would have lost."

    "No need for that. Your grandson deserves the win after what he pulled off at the end."

    As Fredrick lifted his cups to cheer, all of the adults at the table lifted their cups as well.

    The three kids watched as they drank it all down before several maids came up to fill the ss cup again.

    They were a little surprised to see Katherine drinking alcohol, but they just assumed she did it for Luqing''s mom.

    With dinner officially beginning, the three kids wereser-focused on thevish food resting on the table.

    After a few drinks, the three could feel some of them started to get a little drunk.

    "Miss Meiya, are you nning to go back with your daughter?" Ava curiously asked.

    "I was nning to. But since Luqing wanted to stay, I guess I''m going to stay here as well.

    Do you all mind if I borrow a room here for a few days until I find a ce to rent?"

    "Of course not. You can stay here as long as you want... But you might need to ask Katherine."

    As Fredrick jokingly pointed over to Katherine, everyone at the table knew what he was trying to say.

    "No, no, no, I should have apologized for yesterday. I didn''t mean to take your room like that.

    You all can just put me into another room instead. I can sleep where my daughter is sleeping."

    As Meiya sobered up a little and apologized, Katherine didn''t really seem to mind it.

    "Don''t worry about it..."

    Seeing Katherine drinking a ss of wine alone, Alex started to realize she was drinking it for some other reason.

    "Let''s all cheer again onest time! Cheers!"

    ---

    After the celebration meal was over, the maids quickly ran up to help each of them back to their room.

    Except for Katherine, which the three kids decided to carry by themselves instead.

    "Hm... I''m not drunk. I can drink one more shot!"

    As Katherine yelled out in the hallway, it reminded the three of them of the past, where she drank nonstop after the tragedy.

    "Mom is so drunk today..." Sophia murmured as she turned the door nob.

    "Yeah. Why is so drinking so much?" Mary murmured as they entered Katherine''s room.

    "I got no clue... Something seems to be bothering her."

    Seeing Alex''s inability to generate an idea, both of them had already given up trying toe up with one.

    With Katherine lying down on the side of the bed, the three of them remained in the room, as they didn''t know what to do next.

    "Alex, what do we do now?" Sophia asked as the two of them both looked over to him for an idea again.

    "I''m going to stay in this room and take care of her... I need to go get a towel."

    Just as Alex headed inside the restroom, Mary suddenly ran over to the other side of the bed.

    Stopping by the desk, she picked up a small little little thing.

    "My hairband! I was wondering where I lost it. Oh, hey, look! Wasn''t this mom''s backpack on the holiday trip?"

    As Sophia walked closer to check, she nodded in agreement before taking a step back.

    "Yeah, it is. Anyway, let''s go back to our room¡ª¡ª"

    "Aren''t you curious what is inside it?"

    Mary''s suggestion made Sophia freeze for a second before she quickly shook her head.

    "Why would I be curious about what''s inside it? We shouldn''t be going through Mom''s stuff without permission."

    As Sophia walked away, Mary had already unzipped the backpack to check what was inside.

    "Ooo, a book... Huh? What are these words on the cover¡ª¡ª"

    "Mary! Why are you checking someone else''s stuff!"

    Sophia ran over and grabbed the book away from Mary''s hand, which made Mary a little angry.

    "I''m just too curious, okay? Besides, Mom checks out stuff. Why can''t we check her stuff?"

    Mary''s argument made Sophia fall into silence as she didn''t have a way to argue back.

    But she knew what Mary was doing was wrong, so she kept the book in her hand.

 Chapter 72: Tipsy Katherine and Pandoras Box

    Hearing Mary''s curiosity, Sophia looked at the book cover, only to be confused by the words.

    "What is this book?"

    Sophia wondered as she couldn''t understand a single word on it, making her even more curious.

    "I told you. Come on, let us just open it¡ª¡ª"

    Before Mary could reach over, the bathroom door was opened, revealing Alex with a towel and a water basin full of water.

    "What are you guys making all that noise for?" Alex curiously asked as he walked over to the bedside.

    "Nothing!"

    Sophia quickly moved the book behind her, with Mary standing on the side to help cover the item.

    "Whatever... You guys can go back to your room if you really want. I can take care of mom myself."

    The two dly left the room, leaving the responsibility to Alex as he began wetting the towel.

    Squeezing it dry, he moved the towel back to Katherine''s face and began gently wiping her face.

    The movement seemed to wake Katherine up as she opened her eyes again.

    "Alex..."

    "Hm?"

    Katherine''s voice made Alex stop just as he was about to finish wiping her forehead.

    "I love you."

    "I love you too, mom."

    As Alex resumed back to wiping the rest of her face, Katherine kept moving her body left and right.

    Still, he was patient and didn''t try to stop it, letting her move as he remained focused on wiping all of the sweat and food scraps.

    After cleaning her face fully, Alex threw the towel back into the wash basin before heading back to the bathroom.

    "Alex, don''t leave me..."

    "I won''t, Mom... I''m right here with you."

    Alex put the wash basin back down and sat down next to the bedside, holding Katherine''s hands firmly.

    "Mom... Is there something in your mind making you unhappy again?" Alex whispered as he patiently waited for her to respond.

    After a short moment, seeing Katherine wanting to get back up, Alex quickly helped her remain up against the bed frame.

    "I... I still can''t get over it."

    Alex didn''t say anything, choosing to listen to her silently as she leaned her head onto his shoulder.

    "I-I''m a coward... All I ever do is run away from problems instead of facing them."

    "You''re the bravest person I know of."

    The praise made Katherine smile for a second, but it quickly disappeared as a frown appeared.

    "Alex, why do you think I''m brave?"

    "Because of all the decisions and sacrifices you had taken to raise us... I don''t think I canst a week as a mother."

    Hearing the praise made her smile again, getting back up as she looked over to Alex''s face.

    "Alex, what if I told you I lied to you all?" Katherine suddenly asked, cing her hand on his shoulder.

    "I would be a little disappointed... But I believe Mom will never hurt us. She must have her reasons to lie."

    As Alex responds with a serious, a ck void suddenly appears on the side before Katherine puts her hand inside.

    With her hands out, a bottle of mysterious liquid had reappeared in her hands again.

    "You know Alex, I hate my life... I really do."

    Popping the bottle, Katherine straight up started chugging down the whole bottle before she put it back down.

    "Mom..."

    Alex looked a little lost,pletely caught off guard by how serious she looked when she said it.

    "I feel like I''m just a failure. A disappointment that only caused trouble for our family...

    Hell, the man I loved didn''t even turn out to be real. How pathetic am I, Alex?"

    Seeing Katherine beginning to insult herself as she continued to drink more and more out of the bottle, Alex had to do something.

    "Mom, you''re not a failure. Stop calling yourself that. You''re the greatest woman I have ever known.

    And there''s nothing wrong with loving Dad... I know several people who fell in love with things that are not human."

    After stating it out loud, Alex''s mind instantly thought of the people who fell in love with 2D waifus back on Earth.

    He could still remember he used to be a part of that crowd, even though he can''t remember the exact people who introduced it to him.

    "Really?"

    "Yes, really. Who said love has to be human to human? Hell, then how would a story between elves and humanse into existence then?"

    Alex''s point seemed to finally stem the idea out of Katherine''s mind as she seemed much happier than before.

    But seeing her getting ready to drink again, Alex quickly grabbed the bottle out of her hands before drinking the rest by himself.

    "Shit, this stuff burns!"

    As Alex stuck his tongue and rapidly fanned his mouth, Katherine suddenly burst intoughter.

    "You silly. This stuff is way too strong for you... Here, have some water."

    After drinking a cup of water, Alex could still feel the burning sensation inside his mouth.

    What''s worse was inside his head, which was starting to get a little dizzy as everything around him began to spin like crazy.

    "Now I have to be the one taking care of you," Katherine murmured as she already started to sober up a little.

    "S-Sorry Mom. I-I¡ª¡ª"

    As Alex tried to hold himself together, Katherine quickly took off his shoe before helping him rest on the bed.

    "Just sleep for a bit. The dizziness will soon go away on its own..."

    Unable to hold on to it any longer, Alex cked out for the first time, just as he drank for the first time.

    "You silly... Who told you to drink that?" Katherineined as she pulled the nket back up beforeying down herself.

    But despite herint, her heart was beating faster and faster.

    It was almost as if something deep inside her heart that had died years ago was being awoken again.

    ---

    Meanwhile, in Sophia''s room...

    Both Sophia and Mary were sitting on the bed, with their shoes somewhere far in the corner.

    Right in the middle was the book that they had taken from the backpack, with the same mysterious letter on the cover.

    "This is all your fault. You''re the one who took the book out."

    Sophia immediately pointed as she felt a little guilty taking it out of the room.

    "Bullshit. You could have just put it back if you really wanted to. Don''t try to shift the me on me."

    "How am I supposed to put it back when Alex was standing right there? I don''t want to be caught with that."

    As the situation falls into a standoff, they both know one of them has to put the book back before they get caught.

    "You put it away. You''re the one who took it out of the backpack."

    "No, you put it away. You''re the one who took it out of the room."

    After a short silence, Sophia admits defeat as she takes the responsibility for putting it away.

    "Fine, I''ll put it back tomorrow morning."

    Just as Sophia was about to put the book onto her desk, Mary suddenly stopped her.

    "Wait, why don''t we check what''s inside? We might as well, right? Aren''t you curious?"

    Mary''s tempting words swayed Sophia a little, but her rational mind was still the majority.

    "That''s none of our business¡ª¡ª"

    "Come on, when did you be so scared like Alex? I''m going to go tell Mom what the guardian really told us¡ª¡ª"

    "Fine, fine. I''ll open it."

    Sophia backed down again as she opened the book to the first page, only to instantly m it shut.

    Both of their faces were blushing red as they couldn''t believe what they just saw inside.

    "Was that Mom and Alex inside?" Mary nervously asked, unable to believe what they were doing inside the book.

    "I-I think so... W-Why would mom have this inside her backpack?"

    As an awkward silence appeared in the room, Mary suddenly flipped the book over again.

    "Mary, what are you doing¡ª¡ª"

    "It''s just a book. It''s not like it''s going to hurt us. Aren''t you curious what''s after the first page?"

    Sophia tried to resist the urge, but this time, her curiosity had finally triumphed over her rationality.

    "Fine, but we are going to put it back together."

    As they both flipped to the next page, they were more shocked by the position of the two people in the picture.

    "I-Is this sex?" Mary curiously asked as the picture showed Alex putting his thingy inside Katherine.

    "I-I think so... Mom said a man''s thingy goes inside the woman''s thingy to have sex."

    Flipping to the third page, they were shocked again as it was more pictures of Alex and Katherine having sex.

    "I don''t think we should be reading this," Mary suddenly suggested, as her mind suddenly started bing rational out of nowhere.

    "Now you''re telling me that? It''s toote now. We''re going to read the whole thing."

    Sophia rejected Mary''s proposal as her curiosity had taken full control of her mind.

 Chapter 73: The Forbidden Book

    A few minutester...

    As the two of them finally arrived at the nk pages, their heartbeat finally went back to normal.

    "Sophia, do you think Mom really wants to do that kind of stuff with Alex?"

    Mary nervously asked, as her face was still blushing red from the pictures inside the book.

    "I-It''s just a bunch of pictures. Mom wouldn''t dare actually to do any of that stuff."

    Sophia stated with a firm face, but her initial stuttering wasn''t reassuring at all.

    She was starting to regret reading the whole thing, as Katherine''s face looked extremely satisfied in the picture.

    It was starting to make her curious about what sex really felt like, but her rational mind told her it was still way too early for her.

    "Are we done with the book?" Mary asked as the rest of the pages seemed to be nk.

    "I guess so," Sophia murmured as she closed the book back up, feeling relieved that it was finally over.

    Just as she was about to put it away, she suddenly noticed the slight color on the paper on the veryst page.

    Curious, she opened the book back up before opening to thest page. But within seconds, she threw the book across the room.

    "Ah! What the heck was that? Why did it just change like that?"

    "What''s wrong? Why are you panicking so much?"

    Mary asked as she walked over to the book, unable to understand what freaked Sophia out so much.

    "Thest page had my face on it when it just had Alex''s face on it a few seconds earlier!"

    "Really? I thought the rest was nk... What do you mean your face¡ª¡ª"

    As Mary picked the book up and flipped to thest page, she was surprised to see Sophia''s face there as well.

    More importantly, the camera-like picture changed right before her face, changing from Sophia to Mary.

    "Huh... That''s interesting. This book can change." Mary murmured as she walked back to the bed with it.

    "H-How are you so calm?" Sophia nervously asked as she inched backward.

    "I mean, it''s mom''s book. Why would I be surprised this book might have some magic on it?"

    Sophia froze for a second before realizing that she panicked for no particr reason.

    Her face started to blush in embarrassment as Mary turned out to be more calm than she was.

    "I never knew my older sister could be easily scared by such a small little thing¡ª¡ª"

    "Shut up. I just got jumpscared by that picture. I would have been calm like you if I knew what was in it."

    Sophia quickly grabbed the book out of Mary''s hand, showing her bravery as she looked back to thest page herself.

    To her surprise, the picture went from Mary to being back to her face again.

    It was almost as if whoever looked at thest page had their face captured into the book.

    "Wait, Mary. Look at the book with me."

    As Sophia put the book t onto the bed, they both looked at thest page at the same time.

    To their surprise, both of them appeared at the same time, with the same posture and everything.

    "Wait, this is just like a mirror." Mary pointed out.

    "Yeah... A mirror that can capture an image until it''s opened again."

    As Sophia closed the book back up, they both noticed the side of the book had ink on what used to be nk pages.

    The two of them looked at each other for a second before Mary nodded to Sophia.

    Slowly opening the book back up, Sophia skipped past the pages with Katherine and arrived at the new pages.

    "This can''t be real."

    Sophia immediately mmed the book closed before any other pages could be seen.

    Her face was more embarrassed than ever as she couldn''t believe what she was doing with Alex inside the book.

    "It''s just a book. Come on, lemme see the whole thing."

    As Mary tried to reach over to the book, Sophia purposely lifted it out of her reach.

    "No, you are not reading it. I''m going to burn this book and tell Mom about it."

    Seeing Sophia determined to destroy the book, Mary couldn''t do much besides watch her summon an open me in her hand.

    However, to their surprise, the book doesn''t catch on fire at all.

    It didn''t even leave a burn mark despite turning the book inside out to have the pages touching the me.

    "I don''t think this book can be destroyed, " Mary said as Sophia tried to rip it in half.

    Looking down at the book in hand, Sophia quickly headed over to the window before throwing it out.

    "There. I''ll tell Mom that I threw it away... No one should ever need to read that kind of book."

    "What if someone picked it back up? They are going to see Mom and you naked in the book¡ª¡ª"

    Before Mary even finished talking, Sophia had already jumped out of the window beforeing back in with the book.

    Wiping the snow off her feet and body, Sophia closed the window again as she put the book back on the desk.

    "I gave up. I''m just going to tell Mom about it and hand it back to her."

    Mary was a little surprised at how quickly she gave up as Sophiaid back down on the bed.

    But she didn''t bother trying toe up with a solution of her own, as she felt being honest was the only solution at this point.

    There was no way to hide the extra pages, not to mention their faces on thest page.

    "Okay then. I''m going back to my room. Goodnight, Sophia."

    "Goodnight, Mary."

    As the sound of the door closing echoed in the room, Sophia pulled the nket back up to get ready to go to sleep.

    But for some reason, her mind was still fixated on the book, especially the picture of her and Alex doing it together.

    She could see herself going from groaning in pain to a face full of pleasure, which confused and intrigued her.

    After rolling on the bed several times, unable to fall asleep, she finally decided to get up and finish the book.

    To her dismay, the book was gone.

    "Mary!"

    ---

    Meanwhile, in the other room...

    Mary was sitting on her bed with the book right in her hands.

    She had managed to sneak it out of the room when Sophia closed her eyes and went to sleep.

    As she flipped past Katherine''s page, she finally arrived at Sophia''s section.

    It was an older woman who looked the same as Sophia, and her mature body indicated that she was already an adult.

    "Woah... She''s always on top of Alex so much... She''s the one that took the initiative?"

    Mary thought to herself as she continued to enjoy reading the book, seemingly intrigued by the two''s positions.

    Even though it was mostly the same as Katherine''s, the location was much more exciting.

    Some of the background was literally in the school ssroom, with some even in the school restroom.

    After flipping past several more pages, Mary froze for a second as she couldn''t believe what was in the book.

    A woman who looked just like herself was having sex with Alex, just like Katherine and Sophia in the book.

    However, she was the only short one in the book, despite her face indicating that she had grown older, just like Sophia.

    "Fuck fuck fuck!"

    Mary immediately closed the book, feeling the same embarrassment that Sophia had experienced.

    It was all fun and games when she wasn''t in the book. But now that she had learned she was inside it, her mind was filled with destroying it.

    However, remembering all the attempts that Sophia had made earlier, she quickly dismissed them as she opened the book back up.

    Just like Sophia, she could see herself going through a lot of pain as Alex put his thingy inside her.

    Her face slowly changed into pleasure as the picture portrayed the next scene.

    After reading the entire thing in just a few minutes, Mary''s face was blushing red.

    Unlike the other two, she was the most willing to try different things that were clearly unconventional.

    "Why am I so lewd in the book¡ª¡ª"

    "Mary! Open the door!"

    Sophia''s voice interrupted Mary''s train of thought as she quickly tried to find a ce to hide the book.

    After putting it underneath the bed, she slowly headed over to the door before opening it.

    "What''s wrong, Sophia?" Mary asked as she pretended to be extremely sleepy.

    "Hand the book back. I know you took it away from the desk." Sophia stated as she barged straight into Mary''s bedroom.

    "Book? I thought you had it on your desk."

    "Don''t y stupid with me. I know you took it... I''ll find it myself if you don''t want to hand it over."

    As Sophia began searching the room, Mary''s heart started to beat faster and faster.

    Especially as she walked over to the bed, flipped over the nket, and checked behind the pillow.

    But after searching almost every possible ce she could think of, Sophia still couldn''t find the book.

    "Mary, just hand the book over. You shouldn''t be reading his kind of book. I know you hid it somewhere."

    Sophia demanded, getting a little impatient as she finished checking the bathroom.

    "I don''t know what you''re talking about... Maybe the book has some sort of magic and went back to Mom''s backpack."

    "You really don''t want to say it?"

    As Sophia walked closer and closer, Mary took a few steps back until she identally fell onto the bed.

    "I don''t know what you are on about¡ª¡ªHahaha, let me go! I really don''t know where the book went."

    Mary burst intoughter as Sophia kept tickling her sides, refusing to stop despite her repeated plead.

    "Fine. You make me do this."

    Just as Mary felt relieved that Sophia had finally stopped, she suddenly grabbed onto her feet before tickling it.

    "Stop it¡ª¡ªHahaha¡ª¡ªLet me go¡ª¡ªFine, I hide it under the bed."

    Sophia finally let Mary go as she peeked under the book and immediately found it hanging underneath the bed frame.

    "I knew you had it. You really tried to fool me? I''m your older sister for a reason."

    "Hmph!"

 Chapter 74: Annoyance and Curses

    The next day...

    As Alex woke up from bed, Katherine was still peacefully asleep in bed next to him.

    His head still ached a little, but he was a little relieved that nothing weird had happened in his sleep.

    After sitting up from the bed, his movement identally woke Katherine up as she slowly opened her eyes.

    "Good morning, Mom."

    "Good morning, Alex."

    As the two looked at each other, Alex was the first to look away, and his face blushed a little.

    "Hehe, did sleeping with Mom make you a little embarrassed?" Katherine suddenly asked as she smirked.

    "Mom, don''t say that..."

    Alex''s face blushed even harder as her words sounded extremely misleading, especially when she emphasized the word "sleeping."

    "Alex is embarrassed!"

    "Mom!"

    "Okay, okay, I''ll stop... I don''t get why you looked so shy sleeping with Mom. It''s not like we haven''t slept together before."

    As Katherine yawned and stretched her arms out, Alex''s eyes couldn''t help but notice the two bouncy assets before her.

    Even though she still had her normal clothes on, it was too much for Alex to handle so early in the morning.

    "You want to see and touch them?" Katherine suddenly asked, noticing Alex''s stare towards her chest.

    "A little... Mom! Stop making fun of me."

    Alex immediately got up from the bed in anger as Katherine couldn''t help butugh at his embarrassment.

    "Okay, I''ll stop for real this time... It''s not like we slept together. I wasn''t even wearing a bra underneath my pajama¡ª¡ª"

    "That''s different. I was still young back then." Alex interrupted before Katherine could finish her self-murmuring.

    "Really? But Alex, you''re only ten. You''re nowhere near to being an adult."

    As Katherine tried to grab Alex for a hug, he quickly ran over to the door before opening it.

    "Mom, weren''t you the one who taught me to be more aware of gender differences?"

    "Really? I don''t recall that... Come on, Alex, give your mommy a morning hug."

    After a short consideration, Alex hugged her in the end.

    "Okay, you can go back to your bedroom and get a change now. I''ll go to wake Sophia and Mary next."

    As Alex left the bedroom and closed the door, Katherine turned her attention to her drawers.

    Grabbing a pair of new clothes, Katherine blushed as she thought about the thing she had said to Alex earlier.

    "Why did I act like that? Why did I tease him so much?" Katherine murmured to herself as she began taking off her clothes.

    Her face started to blush more and more as she reflected on how lewd some of the words she said to Alex were.

    "Calm down. It''s just an innocent joke between mom and son. Stop thinking so much into it."

    After calming her heart, Katherine finally changed out of her old clothes into her new ones.

    But as she brushed her teeth, her mind was still fixated on the ''jokes'' that she made with Alex.

    It was clearly inappropriate, but deep inside her heart, she wanted to do more of it.

    "I just want to see Alex looking embarrassed. Yeah, that''s the reason."

    With an excuse made inside her head, Katherine finally rinsed her teeth before washing her face.

    Looking in the mirror, she could see her almost near-perfect face with slightly pale skin.

    Ever since that holiday trip with the chest trap, all her imperfections had disappeared, even traces of her aging.

    If it weren''t for her mature body and height, most people would have assumed she was her kid''s older sister instead of their mom''s.

    "Another day, another work."

    ---

    When Katherine arrived at Sophia''s door, she knocked for a second before taking out a key and unlocking it.

    As she walked in, she was surprised to see the two of them sleeping together.

    But what was more surprising was the thing next to them, as the book was right next to Sophia''s desk.

    The same book that she had gotten from the chest and caused all the things that changed her.

    "How did it end up here?"

    Katherine thought of the two kids stealing her stuff while she was drunk, but she quickly dismissed it.

    In her mind, there was no way Sophia would steal, nor would she allow Mary to ''borrow'' it.

    There was only a single exnation, which was magic within the book that made it teleport.

    After grabbing it, Katherine turned her attention back to her two daughters, peacefully sleeping on the bed.

    "Wake up. The sun is already out."

    Seeing the two of them still showing no signs of waking up, Katherine yoinked the nket away from them.

    This time, it finally woke the two of them. But that''s not before Katherine''s face fell into shock.

    "Y-You two..."

    "Hm?"

    As the two of them opened their eyes, Katherine was shaken as both of their pants were down to their knee.

    Their right hand was still underneath their panties, with a little wet mark right where they slept.

    "What are you two doing?"

    The two of them looked down at what Katherine was looking at before Katherine realized why she was so shocked.

    "Ah!"

    Both of them screamed out loud as they quickly pulled their hands out of their pants before pulling them back up.

    "You guys..."

    Katherine let out a sigh as she facepalmed herself, looking a little disappointed in the two of them.

    "I''m fine with you touching yourself. But didn''t I tell you to do it only when you are alone?"

    "I didn''t know Sophia/Mary was doing it. No, I did it first."

    Both of them said it at the same time before their face started to blush red, realizing what had happenedst night.

    "Mary, why are you in Sophia''s room in the first ce? Why are you not in your room?" Katherine questioned.

    "I-I got a little scared yesterday and went to her room to sleep together."

    Katherine didn''t trust Mary''s word a single bit as she turned over to Sophia for the answer.

    "We... No, I took your book out of the backpack yesterday. Sorry, Mom."

    Seeing Sophia willingly taking all the me and exining how the book ended up in the room, Katherine remained silent.

    But the two of them knew she was the opposite of calm. It was the sign of storm slowly brewing inside her.

    "Mom! I was the one who took it out of the backpack and brought it to her room."

    Mary quickly took the me back to her, not before Sophia shifted the me back to herself again.

    With the back and forth going on, Katherine''s face suddenly looked a little relieved.

    It was almost as if a worry inside her head had disappeared. Still, her anger was starting to show on her face.

    "Enough. Did you two read what was inside?"

    After a short silence, they both nodded, which caused Katherine''s face to start blushing red.

    "Did you two look at thest page?"

    After another short silence, both of them nodded.

    "Get out of bed and take a shower. You guys are going to be punished for stealing. I''ll be waiting in the living room."

    Both of them quickly left the bed before heading into the bathroom, leaving Katherine alone in the living room.

    Looking down at the book in hand, she let out a sigh as she headed out of their bedroom.

    "Good morning, Lady Katherine."

    The voice snapped Katherine out of her thoughts as she put the book to the side.

    "Good morning, Luqing... Oh, and good morning, Miss Meiya."

    "Good morning, Lady Katherine."

    As Katherine hurried back to her room, Luqing noticed her mom raised her hand for a second.

    But seeing her putting it back down and saying nothing, she didn''t bother asking why as they both headed to the living room.

    ---

    When everyone was in the dining area, Fredrick and Alex had already finished eating their breakfast.

    But seeing Fredrick remaining in his seat, they all remained in their seat, waiting for the other to finish.

    After seeing everyone had finished eating, Fredrick suddenly got up from his seat.

    Next, the door opened, and arge crowd, including all the soldiers and the maids, walked inside the room.

    Even several strangers among the group that entered, whom Alex had never seen before, walked into the room as well.

    "Everyone, I have an important announcement to make."

    As the room fell into silence, Fredrick cleared his throat before continuing.

    "Tomorrow is my 100th year old birthday."

    Everyone in the crowd let out a grasp, including Ava, who seemed most shocked by it.

    "Sir¡ª¡ª"

    "I don''t want to hear anyone crying or anything. I know my time hase..."

    The crowd fell into silence, and the knights and men in suits looked down to the floor in sadness.

    Several of the maids on the back were already on the verge of tearing up, with Luqing seemingly most affected.

    It took a few moments before the three kids realized what their grandpa meant by the announcement.

    The bloodline curse of no one living past 100 was happening right before their eyes for the first time.

    Meanwhile, Amelia and Katherine seemed the most calm, as if they knew it was what wasing.

    However, the woman sitting closest to Fredrick seemed to be the most affected, as she seemed to be in the dark the whole time.

    "What do you mean it''s your 100th birthday? I thought you told me you still have several years left!"

    "I''m sorry, Ava... I know I shouldn''t have lied to you, but I really didn''t know how¡ª¡ª"

    "Shut up! You can''t be serious right now! We just met our grandkids, and you''re telling me you''re leaving tomorrow?"

    Ava''s face was full of tears, her body copsing onto Fredrick as she angrily pounded onto his chest.

 Chapter 75: Abdication and Loss

    "Ava... Go back to your room for a second¡ª¡ª"

    "I don''t need to."

    As Ava quickly wiped her tears away before getting back up, Fredrick didn''t try to pressure her again.

    Instead, he turned his attention to the crowds of people standing by the door.

    "Ahem, before I leave. I only have onest worry in this life, and that''s who is going to inherit my title."

    Everyone stood in silence, waiting for Fredrick to continue as he pulled out an envelope from his coat.

    "The Great Guardian had already announced who will be leading this house next.

    I want you all to respect and obey the decision made by the Great Guardian."

    After the warning, Fredrick opened the envelope, taking out a small letter from it.

    "Fredrick Reid, the Grand Duke of Regina, will abdicate his position as the Grand Duke to his daughter.

    Katherine Reid will be the Duchess of Regina... Her sister Amelia Reid will be the next sessor in line, signed Sarah Reid."

    As Fredrick finished reading the short letter, the crowds seemed a little surprised by the choice.

    Katherine and Amelia were the most surprised, as they both expected Alex to be the one selected.

    Even if Alex weren''t of age yet, it would have made more sense for Katherine to be named as the temporary regent.

    The tradition was being broken, with male priority over female in the line of session clearly being ignored.

    More importantly, the choice to have Amelia as the next in line made no sense, as Katherine already had her kids.

    "Dad, I¡ª¡ª"

    "Don''t ask me why you were picked. Go ask the Guardian why she picked you over Alex."

    Fredrick whispered as he put the letter back into the envelope before handing it over to Katherine.

    She could feel a heavy weight pressing down onto her hands from the envelope.

    "I ept the title, father... I''ll do my best to honor our family name and protect Regina."

    "Very well."

    The two walked together over to the crowds of people who all stood by the entrance.

    All of the knights kneeled on one knee as they put their fists onto their hearts, with their heads looking down to the red carpet.

    The maids and the men in suits also put their first onto their hearts, with their heads looking down.

    "We swear loyalty to Grand Duchess of Regina, Katherine Reid!"

    ---

    The news of her bing the duchess had spread throughout the entire country like wildfire in less than a day.

    All of Katherine''s ns were thrown out the window as she now had to meet with various city officials and royalties.

    Fredrick and Ava both left the house without saying a single word, leaving Katherine and Amelia to deal with all the work.

    By the time the sun had fallen on the horizon, Katherine was beyond exhausted physically and mentally.

    Still, she was sitting in Fredrick''s office along with Amelia, nning Fredrick''s funeral and her uing official duchess coronation.

    "Why does this feel more exhausting than experimenting in ab all day?"

    Ameliained as she leaned back on her chairs, seemingly having given up on helping Katherine.

    "Because it is more exhausting. If you don''t want to help, you can go watch over the kids."

    "I''m good."

    Amelia quickly got up from her chair before moving her pens to write down her ideas on the paper.

    Outside of what used to be Fredrick''s office, the three kids were in the living room.

    All of their eyes closed, and their body lying on the sofa, seemingly to be asleep.

    "What are they just sleeping all day?"

    Meiya quietly asked, looking a little intrigued as she and Luqing both stood on the side.

    The three of them had been meditating for the entire day since

    "Mom, they aren''t sleeping. They''re meditating to improve their mana," Luqing exined.

    "I see..."

    As the two watched, Meiya suddenly started asking more and more questions.

    All of them were regarding what happened in the morning, especially as she didn''t understand why everyone looked so sad for Fredrick''s birthday.

    Luqing didn''t seem to mind it at all, as she patiently answered it one by one.

    After the exnation, Meiya finally understood why everyone was so different today.

    ---

    When the next day arrived, neither Fredrick nor Ava returned home.

    Katherine was forced to cancel the birthday she had set up for him, dismissing all the guests who came to visit him.

    Even the emperor sent a representative to send a gift for Fredrick''s birthday.

    A mountain of gifts piled up in the storage room hadn''t even been opened yet.

    Everyone knew the gift wasn''t really a birthday present. Rather, it was a goodbye gift to see him onest time.

    "Mom... Does no one know about Grandpa''s birthday? Not even grandma?"

    Alex curiously asked as he and Katherine walked out of the storage room after putting more gifts inside.

    "He doesn''t celebrate birthdays... Nobody knows when he was born."

    As they walked back into the house, a few questions appeared inside Alex''s head.

    But he didn''t ask about it as they walked into the living room, reuniting with his sister.

    "Amelia, have Mom and Dade back yet?" Katherine asked, her face starting to look a little worried.

    "No..."

    As they both looked out to the window, the moon was already high up in the sky.

    With the clock ticking more and more, it soon got to eleven o''clock.

    There was only one hour left before the next day, the day that the curse would take effect on Fredrick''s body.

    All of the maids walking past the room were in distress, as they knew what wasing.

    The three kids were waiting as well, trying their best to stay awake so they could see their grandpa for onest time.

    Just as Katherine was about to tell them to go to sleep, a portal appeared in the middle of the room.

    As a dark figure emerged, they were all disappointed as only Ava came out of the portal.

    "He''s gone."

    ---

    The next day.

    News of Fredrick''s death was publicly announced right after the birthday rumor that spread throughout the country.

    Fredrick''s funeral was a private mourning, as Fredrick told Ava about it as hisst wish.

    As the casket was lowered to the family cemetery, Amelia gently patted Ava''s back as she burst into tears under her veil.

    Some of the maids also started tearing up, with Luqing unable to hold back her sobbing sounds as Meiya tried tofort her.

    Even Sophia and Mary started sobbing over the loss, unable to believe someone who looked perfectly fine was now gone.

    The only one seemingly to be least affected was Amelia, who directed the knights to begin filling the grave.

    Alex watched in silence as he couldn''t help but feel a sense of deja vu.

    A sense of sadness emerged inside his heart, the one that he once experienced just a few years ago.

    Although he had only recently seen Grandpa, he had already gotten used to seeing him at the dining table every day for the past week.

    "Amen..."

    ---

    After the funeral, Ava left Regina to return to the capital and stay with her parents until Katherine''s coronation.

    And for Katherine''s coronation was settled one week after Fredrick''s Funeral, or just three days before the kids needed to go back to school.

    For the rest of the week, Katherine was extremely busy as she had to sort out all the things Fredrick had left behind.

    With Amelia helping her, Luqing and Meiya took the responsibility of caring for the three kids.

    Initially, the two of them watched them meditate for a day until Meiya got bored, leaving only Luqing to watch over them.

    After the rest of the week had finally passed, there were only two more weeks of winter break left.

    Katherine was finally free to bring the three kids out again, as the mayor was left with the rest of the workload.

    Everything was resuming back to normal as if nothing had happened. But everyone could feel the castle feeling much more emptier than before.

    Still, nobody spoke up about it, as everyone was trying to move past losing a loved one.

    Katherine brought the three of them to Thalorim for the rest of the third week of the winter break despite wanting to bring them somewhere else.

    The three of them pushed back as they wanted to meditate.

    Katherine could feel the three of them were clearly scared of being next despite them being nowhere near the curse limit.

    Still, she didn''t try to change their mindset, letting them work extra hard on their mana gains.

    With more and more time passing, thest winter of winter break soon arrived.

    Sophia and Mary had finally made a breakthrough, and the two of them were now officially Level 2 Mage.

    Alex was still slightly behind, reaching a barrier that he couldn''t break through like the other two.

 Chapter 76: Wishes and Leveling Up

    Three days before Katherine''s coronation...

    As Amelia, Meiya, and Luqing sat on one side of the dining table, the three kids sat on the other.

    Meanwhile, Katherine sat right in the middle, where Fredrick once used to sit.

    As everyone started eating, Katherine didn''t bother enforcing proper etiquette as it no longer served any purpose.

    It also allowed for a much more casual atmosphere, as Katherine kept asking Meiya questions about stories from the other continent.

    Everyone was getting intrigued by it until everyone was full with the tes emptied.

    Just as everyone was about to get up, Amelia suddenly noticed something different about the two girls.

    "Congrats, Sophia and Mary, you guys made it to mage level two!" Ameliaplimented after realizing it was the mana level differences.

    "Congrats Lady Sophia, Lady Mary!"

    Luqing immediately pped, with Meiya following suit despite not really understanding what level two really meant.

    "Thank you. Thank you."

    As the two bowed slightly in gratitude, Katherine blushed a little because she had not noticed her own daughter''s changes.

    "Sophia, Mary, what do you two want for your reward?" Katherine asked to hide her embarrassment.

    "I¡ª¡ª"

    "We don''t need any rewards." Sophia interrupted before Mary could say anything.

    "Are you sure? Sophia, don''t pressure your sister from making her wish." Katherine warned after noticing her trying to give Mary an eye signal.

    "Now I think about it, I don''t really need anything in particr right now. Thank you for asking, Mom."

    Katherine let out a sigh as Sophia''s influence triumphed once again, her mind still confused as to why she didn''t want her to give them gifts.

    After the meal, everyone headed back to their room except for Sophia and Mary, who both headed to the door of Katherine''s room.

    Knocking on the door, the two waited patiently until it was finally opened.

    "Hm? Why are you two standing out here?"

    "We actually do have a little wish for our level 2 mage."

    As soon as Sophia stated out loud, Katherine didn''t seem to mind the sudden change.

    After walking the two into her bedroom, the two girls sat down on Katherine''s bed before she questioned them.

    "What kind of gift do you two want?"

    "Mom, do you remember you said you were going to punish us for... the book?"

    After a short memory refresher, Katherine finally realized what Sophia was talking about.

    "Oh, that... I had forgotten about it already. You guys don''t have to worry about that anymore."

    The two of them let out a sigh of relief as they seemed satisfied with the answer, but Katherine wasn''t done yet.

    "Is that all? You guys came in to wish for that?"

    Seeing Sophia nod first before Mary nodded in agreement, she could tell they were telling the truth.

    It was almost as if they really worked extra hard to make her happy, rather than her idea of them working hard because of the curse.

    "Come on, make a wish with Mom. You guys can''t just be so nice to me like this."

    As Katherine locked both of their necks with her arm, they couldn''t move at all on the bed.

    "I want to drink that milk again... I haven''t had that since we came here for winter break."

    Mary immediately made her demands, not noticing Katherine''s face blushing red as she knew what kind of milk she was talking about.

    "I can fulfill that. How about you, Sophia? What kind of wish do you want to fulfill?"

    "I just want Mom to be happy."

    Hearing Sophia say it out loud, Katherine couldn''t help but give her a warm smile.

    "I''m already happy. You have to wish for another thing."

    After a short consideration, Sophia made her final wish.

    "I want Mom to go back home with us after winter break... I don''t want to live in school without Mom."

    "Wish granted!"

    Seeing Katherine instantly epting it, Sophia couldn''t help but feel she was a little scammed out.

    It was almost as if she was going to stay with them no matter what, which would have rendered the wish pointless.

    Still, Sophia didn''t take it back as she felt satisfied with the wish she got from Katherine.

    "Okay, you two can go back to your rooms now. Sleep well!"

    "You too!"

    As the two left the room, Katherine''s face was still smiling, and she felt everything was going in the right direction.

    All the setbacks were finally advancing on the right track, with everyone seemingly finally being over the loss.

    Even her mind was over it, as she never really had too strong memories of her dad at home.

    She only regretted not dropping her grudges towards him sooner, as she could feel him genuinely trying to leave the family on a good note.

    ---

    On the other side of the wall, Alex wasn''t having such a sweet moment as he was in the middle of nowhere.

    How it all started was when he decided to sleep early after taking a shower.

    The moment hey down on the bed, he instantly fell into a deep sleep state as darkness surrounded his sight.

    By the time he could see again, he was standing in the middle of a grass field.

    Feeling his skin as he brushed his hand over his arm and the wind blowing into his face, he knew something was off.

    Especially after feeling a little bit of pain after squeezing his arm, with no signs of being able to wake up.

    "Miss Sarah, what are we doing today?" Alex yelled out loud into the air, waiting for a response.

    After a while, a portal suddenly appeared next to him before Sarah emerged from it.

    "How have your past few days been going?" Sarah asked, looking a little exhausted.

    "It''s going fine... You okay? You looked a little sleepy today."

    "I''m fine... Anyway, it''s time for your training again. You ready to fight?"

    As Sarah returned to normal, Alex didn''t immediately reject her offer. Instead, he took a few steps back.

    After feeling what a safe distance was, he finally threw his winddes at her, indicating the battle had begun.

    "You really never learn, do you?"

    Sidestepping all of Alex''s attacks, Sarah began to get closer and closer until a rock barrier appeared outside Alex''s body.

    The turtle strategy was instantly blown up as Sarah cast a fireball that was way beyond what his barrier could hold against.

    With a sharp pain in his chest, Alex coughs out several drops of blood before it all disappears.

    "Can I ask how can I beat you?"

    Alex finally lowered his position and decided to ask this time, not wanting to repeat the same mistake again.

    "You can''t."

    "Then what would the purpose of this training be?"

    "You haven''t noticed your mana change?"

    "My mana change?"

    As Alex fell into a meditation state, he was surprised to see that the barrier blocking him from reaching level 2 mage was being broken down.

    "Now, are you going to fight again, or are you giving up early today¡ª¡ª"

    Before Sarah could finish talking, Alex had already thrown rounds of spells right in her face.

    Withyers uponyers of spells being sted at her, she was finally forced to use a defensive spell for the first time.

    The water barrier she cast easily blocked all of his spells, but he had aplished his goal as he burnt all of his mana possible.

    After being hit with a fireball and healing back up, Alex could feel the barrier blocking his mana from expanding, breaking down even more.

    He was now only a few attempts away, motivating him even more to fight even harder.

    The pain was starting to be a minor problem, as all the injuries would always disappear every time they fought.

    Even if Sarah''s spell t-out kills him, his body reappears so that he can regain control.

    After what felt like fighting for a day and night, Alex was finally a level 2 mage as he spat out a mouthful of blood from his lungs.

    "Congrats, you did it."

    "I know I did it. Now, can you heal me back up?" Alexined, feeling the sharp pain piercing his lung.

    After letting Alex suffer for a few more seconds, Sarah finally healed all of his wounds.

    "Thank you..."

    As Alex expressed his gratitude, the environment around them returned to the familiar house, with a table and an empty teacup before him.

    "Let''s have a little chat now," Sarah stated as she poured a cup of tea into his teacup.

    "What do you want to talk about?"

    After a short silence, Alex couldn''t handle it any longer, so he started drinking the hot tea instead.

    "How about you ask the questions, and I''ll answer them?"

    For a second, Alex almost spit his tea out before forcefully swallowing the hot tea down his throat.

    "Sure, I don''t mind it... Can you give me a second to think of the question?"

 Chapter 77: Reids Family History

    As the tea cooled, time felt much slower than usual as Alex gathered a list of questions inside his head.

    "Can I ask why our bloodline has this curse? And why do we have to reach at least archmage to break it?"

    "That''s a good question... But I''m afraid I can''t answer that."

    "Why not? Aren''t you the archmage? Who''s preventing you from telling the truth?"

    Seeing Sarah look back at him in silence, Alex stared back before looking back down at his teacup.

    "Fine, how about can you tell me the history of our family? Like from the founding to now?"

    After a short silence, Sarah seemed much more willing to answer the question he asked this time.

    "The story is more disappointing than you think... Are you sure you want to hear it?"

    "I want to hear it."

    "Very well then... Have a watch yourself."

    As Sarah snapped her finger, shrouds of darkness suddenly surrounded him before it all vanished.

    When he could see again, he was floating in the air, with everything he touched going through him.

    "My lord, we lost the war... Please, we can''t fight for any longer."

    A man was on his knees right before an old man seated on the throne.

    With the crown on his head and the fancy clothes he wore, it was clear he was some sort of king.

    Several people, seemingly the king''s advisors, were standing behind the man who was on the floor.

    "We can''t fight any longer! It''s a lost cause, my lord." One of the people in the back pleaded.

    It was clear all of them were trying to pressure the lord to surrender for some sort of fight.

    "We haven''t lost yet! Guards!"

    As the guards entered the room, several of the bureaucrats started to panic.

    But the man on his knee didn''t flinch a single bit, with both knees on the floor.

    "If it takes my death to convince my lord, I''m willing to die."

    With the guards walking up, the king seemingly finally backed down for a bit.

    "Is there really no way for us to win?"

    Seeing the man on the floor shaking his head, the king let out a sigh before waving his hand to dismiss the guards.

    "Those damn mages! I knew I should have never trusted them. All they do is backstab."

    Despite the king''s angry voice, his face seemed calm and collected.

    "Fine, where''s the enemy diplomat?"

    "He''s right outside."

    Alex watched as the king talked to the diplomat and was then presented with a peace n that shocked him.

    It was a much older map that Katherine had never taught them about, with various countries on the continent rather than just one.

    He could also see that the ''enemy'' diplomat was in the same ce as the empire''s current capital.

    The diplomat''s demands included massivend concessions to the alreadyrge empire, leaving the old king practically powerless.

    The only thing that the old king was able to negotiate was his title, as the original peace treaty indicated he was being demoted to Duke.

    Thinking back on what Sarah had said earlier andbining it with the map being shown, he realized that the old king was the founder.

    The old king''s signature on the treaty paper only further confirms his theory, as hisst name was listed as Reid.

    "Very well, you won''t regret your choice, Grand Duke of Regina..."

    As the diplomat said it out loud, Alex could see the veins popping on the old man''s forehead.

    Still, he maintained his calm posture as the diplomat walked out of the room, with several of the advisors finally letting out a sigh of relief.

    Suddenly, everything before Alex disappeared before he reappeared again.

    This time, he was at the cemetery, which looked almost exactly like the one that his grandpa had entered.

    However, only one tombstoney in the middle of the cemetery field,pared to the hundreds of thousands in the present day.

    The old king''s name was on a tombstone, indicating it was his funeral.

    Hundreds of people were standing close to it, with even more people outside the fences paying their respects.

    "Those are our rtives inside the fence." Sarah''s voice suddenly appeared inside Alex''s head.

    "That''s a lot of people..."

    As Alex continued to watch the funeral, the casket was eventually lowered until everything faded to ck.

    When things reappeared again, he was now in the middle of a battlefield, with various spells being thrown at each side.

    Massive barriers were being erected on both sides, with spells so big that it practically covered half the sky.

    "After the founder of our family died... His sons immediately led a revolt along with other Dukes who wanted to restore the old kingdom."

    As Sarah whispered it into Alex''s head, he could feel she was a little sympathetic to their goals.

    "Fortunately, the empire that spans the entire continent lost the war... Until one of them became a Grand Archmage."

    With her voice disappearing, Alex could notice the battlefield seemingly changing drastically.

    There was a clear strike running straight past every barrier that one side had, instantly killing the mages behind it.

    It was clear what used to be a somewhat stalemate battlefield had now changed the tidepletely.

    With more and more mages retreating or t-out surrendering, he couldn''t help but feel the urge to fight back.

    "The Duke''s side eventually surrendered, and the treaty was eventually signed, absorbing all of them into direct vassals in the empire.

    Our ancestors were no exceptions since we didn''t have a Grand Archmage of our own at that time."

    "How long was this again?"

    Alex curiously asked as he regained control of his body and went back into the small living room.

    "Almost a thousand years now... Are there other questions you want to ask?"

    Within seconds, hundreds of questions popped up in his mind before he gathered them into an organized list.

    "How many of our rtives died from that war?"

    "None."

    Alex was a little shocked, but it didn''t stop him from asking his next question.

    "How about how many of those rtives have kids?"

    "All of them had at least two or three kids," Sarah answered.

    "Then howe we don''t have any rtives at all? Why did Grandpa say the castle used to have a lot of people living in it?

    Surely, there would be someone who is rted to us out there, right? It just doesn''t sound realistic."

    Alex pointed out after remembering how famous people in history have thousands of distant, distant rtives that they could trace to.

    "Because all of them died in a tournament ident... Your grandpa was the only one who was too young to go."

    "What tournament is it? Why did they all go to it?" Alex questioned.

    "I can''t tell you that. But all you need to know is there used to be one every hundred years in the capital.

    All of those people you saw earlier eventually died in it trying to reach Archmage or Grand Archmage."

    Sarah''s answer only raised more questions in Alex''s head, but she clearly wanted to avoid the question.

    "How about you? Did you join the tournament and be the archmage?" Alex curiously asked.

    "Nope. Just like your grandpa, I only lived because I was too young... I was just born a few months before the tournament."

    "Sorry to hear that..."

    "No need. I never developed any feelings for them anyway..."

    As Sarah took a pause and sipped her tea down, the room once again fell into silence.

    After she finished drinking, Alex raised hisst final question.

    "How about the whole male curse thing? I remember seeing the gender split was mostly 50/50.

    That didn''t seem to be true back then. So why did the curse suddenly change to having mostly females?"

    Sarah, this time, seemed a little hesitant, but she eventually answered it.

    "Because I''m a Grand Archmage."

    "Huh? What does that have to do with us being cursed?"

    As Alex looked confused by her answer, Sarah''s face suddenly blushed for the first time since he had met her.

    "You don''t need to know about it. All you need to know is being my descendants means you have zero chance of being a man."

    "Wait, what do you mean zero?"

    Just as Alex was about to question her about it, his surroundings suddenly changed into the middle of a grass field again.

    "Enough questions. Let''s see if your level 2 mage can beat a level 1 mage."

    This time, the fight was much more formal as an arena suddenly appeared around them.

    A crowd of people also appeared in the seats, with cameras and microphones, as if they were in a livestream or something.

    "Come on, Alex, bring it. The people in this world are going to be watching you fight."

    Alex ignored Sarah''s pressure as he took a deep breath first to prepare for the uing grueling fight.

 Chapter 78: Preparation and Coronation

    Unfortunately, just like every other time, Alex was defeated with barely any scratch made to Sarah.

    The mage level made zero differences as it only gave him more mana to use, which wasn''t really the thing he needed to beat her.

    But unlike the previous fight, he was immediately kicked out of the dream as everything faded to ck.

    When he could see again, bright sunlight had already illuminated the bedroom.

    He was back in his bed, with the morning already arrived despite feeling only a few hours had passed.

    As he examined his body, he could feel his mana had already broken through the level 2 mage requirement.

    "Alex, you awake?" Katherine''s voice suddenly appeared outside the door.

    "Yeah, I''m awake... I''ll be out for breakfast in a bit."

    ---

    When Alex arrived at the dining table, everyone was a little confused by his big smile.

    Until Katherine and Amelia both noticed what was different about him.

    "Alex, you reached level 2 magest night?" Katherine asked, looking a little intrigued by the speed.

    With a nod, both Sophia and Mary looked a little shocked as they were expecting him to take at least a few more days.

    "How did you reach level 2 mage so fast?" Sophia curiously asked.

    "Just hard work," Alex replied, not wanting to make them jealous over the tutoring he had gotten.

    Before Katherine could ask any further questions, Amelia suddenly pulled him closer and whispered.

    "You want any reward from your aunt? I can give you another round of that stuff."

    "Sure..."

    "What that stuff are you two talking about?" Katherine asked, as her suspicion was now on Amelia instead.

    "Nothing! Don''t worry about it... Come on, Kate, do I look like someone who would hurt their nephew?"

    Katherine looked at the two for a second before backing down, not wanting to pursue an answer in front of Luqing and Meiya.

    "Whatever... Anyway, are you three ready to represent the Duchess''s kids for the coronation in two days?"

    "I''m born ready."

    Mary excitedly stated that she had never thought of being a part of a nobility.

    "Are there things we need to do?"

    Sophia asked, looking much calmer than Mary. But her voice indicated she was excited for it as well.

    "There are a lot of things you need to do..."

    Half an hourter...

    "So you three got the instruction?"

    As the three kids nodded in agreement, Katherine turned her attention over to Amelia.

    "How about you? You ready for the coronation?"

    "Me? What do I need to do?"

    Amelia looked back at Katherine with a confused face. She didn''t expect to have anything assigned to her.

    "What do you think? You forgot the guardian assigned you to be the sessor after me?"

    Within a second, a portal appeared right next to Amelia. But Katherine quickly got up and pinned her to her seat.

    "You''re going to sit and listen. I don''t want to be embarrassed by my younger sister doing something stupid in my coronation."

    "Fine, fine..."

    After another half-hour of exnation, Amelia finally understood all the rules she had to follow.

    With all four of them informed, Katherine turned her attention to thest two sitting on the table.

    "Miss Meiya, can I have a small request?"

    "What is it?"

    "I want to hire you as my bodyguard. You''re the only one I know who can defeat an archmage."

    Meiya considered it for a second before nodding in agreement.

    "I can do that. But I have a request of my own."

    "What is it? I''ll try to fulfill it."

    "Can I bring my daughter with me? I don''t really want to be separated from her."

    Luqing was caught off guard by Meiya''s request, but Katherine was more than happy to ept it.

    "Of course. She can go with you any time you want... As long as she agrees to it."

    Meiya looked over to Luqing, who nodded in agreement since the person she cared about was now gone.

    "She could probably be the kid''s guard instead," Amelia suggested.

    "That doesn''t sound like a bad idea... Luqing, do you mind taking care of them?"

    "Duchess''s wish is my wish."

    ---

    The next two days were more difficult than the nonstop meditation that the kids had to do.

    They were all forced to go through formal etiquette again, this time being measured much harsher than before.

    Even Amelia was forced to join in after Ava came back to administer a single etiquette test, which revealed she barely remembered any of it.

    With the coronation day finally arriving, the entire city had be much livelier than before.

    Everyone was waiting for the new Duchess as they all stood outside the fence that the knights had set up.

    Hundreds of lower nobility, along with the same delegate from other dukes and the emperor, came to watch on the side.

    As the front door to the castle finally opened, the coronation had officially begun.

    ---

    When Katherine stepped out of the door, she could feel everyone''s attention looking at her.

    Most were curiosity, while some were disliked or even feared. But they all kept their mouth shut as the band began to y the music.

    After the music ended, a carriage stopped right at the entrance before an old man stepped out.

    "Sorry for arrivingte." The old man quietly apologized as he stopped right in front of Katherine.

    "No problem."

    "Ahem, as the goddess of the moon lives above us. Lady Katherine, do you honor her with faith and respect?"

    "I do."

    "Do you fulfill the sacred duty of fulfilling her wish to care for the poor and help the weak?"

    "I do."

    "With utmost respect, Lady Katherine, may the goddess bless you."

    The old man hands a staff out of nowhere to Katherine, who looks at it for a second before lifting it into the air.

    Suddenly, the sky started changing color, with what used to be a sunny day to nowplete darkness.

    However, the cloud wasn''t blocking the sun. Instead, it was a ck dot in the sky.

    "Goddess answered!"

    Everyone started to panic as they didn''t expect something like this to happen.

    Even the priest and Katherine were a little confused by what had just happened as if they had not nned it at all.

    Meanwhile, the nobility and the emperor''s delegate seemed slightly concerned by what had just happened.

    "Is that a sr eclipse?" Alex murmured as he quickly realized the moon hadpletely blocked out the sun.

    After a while, the cloud blocked off the ck dot before the clouds moved again, revealing the sunlight had reappeared again.

    "Mr.Smith, do you know what this means?" Katherine asked everyone in the crowd finally calmed back down.

    "It''s a good omen! The goddess has approved Duchess Katherine, my Highness."

    "Oh really... That''s nice of her."

    The announcement seemed to have energized the city''s citizens, who began chanting the Duchess''s family motto.

    "By Her Light, We Stand!"

    "By Her Grace, We Rise!"

    "Under the Moon, We Are One!"

    ---

    After the coronation, Katherine again received a ton of gifts that piled up in the storage room.

    But this time, some of the gifts were from the citizens and merchants themselves rather than just from the nobility.

    "Mom, what was that ck dot?'' Mary curiously asked, with Sophia looking just as intrigued.

    "I don''t know... I had never seen that happen before."

    As Alex thought back to what he had seen earlier, he couldn''t help but feel that the timing was just awfully suspicious.

    But seeing how genuine Katherine looked, he knew it wasn''t her n for it to happen.

    There was clearly someone behind it who set it all up to make some sort of statement to her.

    "Mom, I don''t think this is really a good omen..." Alex raised his concern.

    "What makes you think that?" Katherine curiously asked as she stacked up one of the gifts.

    "It makes you stand out too much... It''s almost like someone is trying to frame you for some treason or something."

    Katherine froze for a second before resuming, her face looking a little alert as if she had just had the afterthought.

    "You''re worrying too much, Alex. I''m not even an archmage. Who am I a threat to?"

    The reassurance did not change Alex''s mind at all. But he chose not to discuss it further.

    "Mom, are we going back tomorrow?" Sophia asked as she unpacked one of the gifts.

    "Not yet. We''ll go back on thest day. There are still two days left before you all have to go back to school, right?"

    "I guess... But I want to head back early."

    "Why?"

    "I just don''t like being in the castle. It just feels too fancy for me." Sophia finally revealed her answer.

    Katherine thought for a second, then nodded in agreement.

    "How about this? We''ll head back a day before you all have to go back to school. Sounds good to you all?"

    "That sounds good to me," Sophia replied, looking over to the other two, who nodded in agreement.

    "Sure, I don''t mind it," Alex stated.

    "Same here," Mary added.

 Chapter 79: Home Sweet Home

    As the day went on, Katherine told Ava about her n to move back to the school with her three kids tomorrow.

    To her surprise, Ava didn''t mind it at all, opting to stay and take care of the castle on her own.

    When the next day finally arrived, all three of the kids had already packed everything up.

    Luqing and Meiya had also packed all of their stuff as Ava and Amelia both stood at the castle entrance.

    "Come back often! Remember, you''re the duchess."

    "I know, Mom."

    After Katherine gave Ava a warm hug, she turned her attention to Amelia, who didn''t seem to be nning to leave at all.

    "You aren''t going back to school?"

    "I''m going backter."

    Katherine thought for a second but kept it to herself, as she changed it to something else at thest second.

    "Take care of Mom, okay?"

    Amelia didn''t say anything, but she nodded after realizing what she was trying to imply.

    With the kids finishing to give their farewell to Ava, the four of them, along with Luqing and Meiya, finally headed down the castle''s entrance.

    "Stay safe!"

    ---

    When the six of them arrived back in the capital, they had once again used the portal located in the bank.

    After renting a temporary carriage nearby, they sat still until they finally arrived at the main entrance of the school.

    Exiting the carriage, Luqing''s face waspletely calm, as if she had already seen the school before.

    But Meiya was in awe the whole time, from the teleportation device to arrive at the school, which looked super fancy in her eyes.

    "Can you three go back on your own first? I need to go sign up for Luqing and Meiya."

    The three kids nodded as they went down the road, and Katherine, along with the other two, went to the left.

    After walking for a bit, Katherine arrived at an office building that had what appeared to be cameras in every corner.

    "Stop right there. I need to see your ID."

    Katherine quickly handed her ID over before being allowed to continue inside the building.

    "Wait, these two need to show their ID as well."

    "They just came to this school. I''m going to go have them assigned for special status."

    The two guards didn''t say anything, but they took a step back to let the two catch up with Katherine.

    As the three walked down the main lobby, they could see various people entering and exiting the building.

    "Where is this ce?" Meiya curiously asked.

    "The school administration office... I need to sign you two up for special ID to be allowed in this school."

    After walking into another security checkpoint, they finally stopped by one of the doors down the hall.

    With a gentle knock, Katherine waited for someone to answer from the inside as they stood outside.

    "Come in."

    As Katherine turned the doorknob and entered inside, a woman in a suit was sitting behind a desk.

    "Name and purpose." The woman asked her attention solely on the paper before her.

    "Katherine Reid. I''m here to sign up for a special ID for two people."

    The woman dropped her pen as she froze for a second before looking up, catching her in full surprise as she saw Katherine''s face.

    "Hello, Duchess Katherine... What kind of special ID are you looking for?"

    "Can you help the two of them get an ess ID? I remember the Duke and Duchess can have up to three ess IDs, right?"

    "Of course, madam."

    After Katherine helped Luqing and Meiya sign a few basic information on a clipboard, the woman finally handed them the ess ID.

    "Don''t lose it. You need this everywhere you go in school... It can also work as a bank card."

    Both Luqing and Meiya nodded as they followed Katherine out of the building before heading towards the house.

    However, as the three of them walk down the streets, a concern suddenly pops up in Katherine''s mind.

    "Crap, Ipletely forgot. I only have four rooms at home... Can you two sleep in the same room?"

    "No problem."

    Meiya instantly epted Katherine''s offer before Luqing could say she was fine with it.

    After walking down the block in the residential area, they finally arrived back at home.

    As soon as Katherine opened the door, all three of the kids had already finished unpacking as they sat in the living room.

    "Mary, you''re sleeping with me. Meiya and Luqing are going to borrow your room for a bit until I find a ce for them to stay."

    "Can I just sleep with Sophia instead?"

    Katherine thought for a second, then nodded in agreement.

    "Fine... Luqing, Miss Meiya, let me bring you guys around this house..."

    ---

    After giving them a tour, Katherine helped the two of them move into Mary''s room.

    Meanwhile, the three kids headed to the backyard to attempt theirst optional summer assignment.

    The making of a spell was much more difficult than they thought, as changing spell shapes was extremely unstable.

    Mary was the first one to create a spell of his own, an orb of water that had ice in the center.

    Even though it was stronger than just an orb of water or ice ball alone, it burnt more mana than the two cast separately.

    More importantly, it did less damage than having both spells attack a target separately.

    Sophia was the next to make a spell.

    She picked abination of wind and fire to create what appeared to be a fire tornado.

    However, since it was a level 3 spell, the fire tornado she cast wasn''t actually a fire tornado.

    It was a mimic of a wind de with a hint of fire element attached.

    An almost harmless gimmick that instantly vanished upon hitting Alex''s barrier test.

    It could, at most, burn someone''s hair and clothes if they didn''t use anything to block it or simply walk away.

    Lastly, Alex''s spell was just a stone with an added wind element, making it shoot much faster than just directing the stone on its own.

    Even though it was extremely simple, it was the most effective in terms of raw damage.

    However, the drawback was that the bigger the rock, the more mana he needed to put into gathering the wind elements.

    Not to mention, the rock itself costs mana to create, which adds to the mana burden even more.

    "What are you guys doing?" Meiya curiously asked as she and Luqing walked out to the backyard.

    "We''re just trying toe up with our spell... Where''s Mom?" Sophia curiously asked as she cast a barrier to test Alex''s spell.

    "Your mom is cooking lunch right now... Can I ask how do you guys create spells like that?"

    "We just need to use our mana to gather the element around us, then use our concentration to form the spell."

    As Sophia began to cast various spells to show off to Meiya, Alex was busy blocking them all to protect the greenery in the backyard.

    "Sophia, stop throwing spells at random ces!" Alex finallyined as he started to run out of mana to cast water barriers.

    "Sorry!"

    As Sophia apologized, Meiya was fully intrigued by how magic worked with the idea of ''elements.''

    "Miss Meiya, can a cultivator cast spells?" Mary curiously asked.

    "Well, we could cast spells. But we directly convert our Qi into the five elements."

    "What are the five elements?" Alex curiously asked this time.

    "Earth, Wood, Metal, Fire, and Water."

    "Huh... It''s only slightly different."

    "Actually, what are all the elements in magic?" Meiya asked, with Luqing still listening in silence the whole time.

    "Fire, water, earth, wind, dark, light are the basic elements. Each of them has its sub-category, like earth, which has metal and rock.

    Besides the basic element, there are sub-categories like ice in water or metal and rock in earth."

    As Alex exined his answer, Meiya looked even more intrigued by the various elements in the magic system.

    "There are also specialized magic like time and dimensions... I think Mom has a specialty in dimensions."

    "I can definitely see that..."

    Meiya murmured as she stood alongside Luqing to watch the three st at each other with various spells with random elementsbined.

    By the time Katherine had finished cooking lunch, they couldn''te up with something revolutionary or groundbreaking.

    "How did your spell creation go?" Katherine curiously asked as they all sat at the dining table.

    "Pretty well," Alex answered first.

    "Yeah, we got something to work with. I think it should be good enough." Sophia answered next.

    "Mom, how do you create a truly unique spell?" Mary suddenly asked.

    "A truly unique spell? You''ll have to wait until you''re at least level 7 mage for that to happen."

    All three of the kids looked a little disappointed, as they were nowhere near reaching that level yet.

    The only people they knew who were level 7 were Fredrick and Ava, who both never showed their true magical capability.

    "Mom, can you create spells?" Alex asked.

    "Do I look stupid, Alex?"

    Katherine rolled her eyes as she used her fork to pick up small pieces of potatoes from her te.

    "Come on, Mom, can you not just tell us about it? I''m sure Sophia and Mary are just as curious as me."

 Chapter 80 : Meiyas and Katherines Talks

    Despite both Sophia and Mary nodding in agreement, Katherine didn''t budge a single bit.

    "Whatever..."

    After lunch was over, Katherine took the two of them to tour the school while the three kids continued practicing.

    By the time Katherine and the other two hade back home, the sun had already set on the horizon.

    "Mom! We''re hungry!" Maryined as the three of them walked in.

    "I know, I know. I''ll go cook right now."

    "Lady Katherine, please let me cook. You shouldn''t be needing to do these kinds of jobs."

    Katherine didn''t resist Luqing''s offer.

    The two of them both headed towards the kitchen together, leaving the three kids with Meiya.

    "Are these magical books?" Meiya curiously asked, noticing the bookshelf next to the sofa.

    "Yeah... You can read them if you want. Mom doesn''t mind it."

    Meiya picked one of them up before sitting down on the sofa and began reading it.

    To the kid''s surprise, Meiya didn''t seem to get stuck as she flipped to the next page, then the next.

    Seeing her reading it at a normal pace, the three kids knew she was at least partially understanding it rather than just skimming it.

    "Miss Meiya, can you understand the stuff inside the book?" Alex curiously asked.

    "Nope. But I just find the way you guys write interesting... It''s a lot moreplicated."

    "What do you mean by that?" Sophia asked as she moved over to sit next to her.

    "Like on page two here. Why say, ''The scintiting dimension spell, when used improperly, can lead to using fall into abyrinthine trap within the void.''

    Wouldn''t it be easier to understand by saying light or sh dimension instead of scintiting?

    And in this case, why use the wordbyrinthine? It seems like the words maze work the same."

    After considering it for a bit, Sophia nodded in agreement as Alex and Mary both moved a little closer to check it out themselves.

    "I guess you''re right... Maybe the author probably had some other meaning behind it."

    "Maybe."

    As Meiya continued reading the book, the three kids went back to the other sofa before they began meditating.

    "How''s the book, Miss Meiya?" Katherine quietly asked as she and Luqing both came out of the kitchen.

    "Interesting... Magic feels a lot more creativepared to our cultivator''s spell."

    "Really? I always thought cultivator has a lot more varietypared to our magical elements."

    "That''s definitely a misunderstanding. The way Qi is used has practically only one usepared to your mana''s versatility."

    "I see... Hey, you three, get out of your meditation. It''s time to eat dinner."

    As the three of them opened their eyes back up, they all looked much more refreshed than just moments before.

    "What''s up with your faces?" Katherine asked, noticing the change.

    "Mom, does a level 2 mage regenerate mana faster?" Alex asked.

    "Yeah, obviously. The higher your mage level, the bigger and faster mana generation.

    Anyway,e on, get up. Time to go eat dinner."

    ---

    After dinner, the six of them sat in the living room as Meiya and Katherine chatted with each other.

    The three kids asionally shared their opinions on a topic, but they left halfway to take a shower.

    Meanwhile, Luqing sat in silence next to Meiya the whole time, not saying a single word until someone mentioned her.

    "Oh my, it''s already nine o''clock. Time for you all to go to sleep."

    The three kids wanted to stay to listen to Meiya''s story, but Katherine forcefully shoved them in.

    "Luqing, you should go take a shower. We''re just going to chat for a bit." Meiya advised.

    After the sounds of running water could be heard from the bathroom, Meiya finally turned her attention over to Katherine.

    "Lady Katherine, I need you to help me with something."

    "What is it? Also, you don''t need to call me Lady Katherine. Just call me Katherine."

    Despite Katherine''s attempt to remove the formality, Meiya seemingly to have ignored it.

    "Can you help me make Luqing more active, Lady Katherine?"

    Katherine tilted her head slightly in confusion, unable to understand what Meiya was trying to imply.

    "Huh? Active? What do you mean by that?"

    "Lady Katherine, I mean Katherine. You and I are talking like we are friends, right?"

    "Yeah... What does that have to do with Luqing?"

    "Well, Luqing she... she has been very quiet ever since your dad passed away.

    I know I should be thankful that your dad saved her, but as a mother, it hurts me when I see Luqing working as someone else maid.

    I know she''s doing this to show gratitude to your family, and nobody forced her to be a maid.

    But it just hurts me when I see her not thinking for herself a single bit and serving others."

    As soon as Meiya finished speaking, Katherine fell into silence as she understood what she was trying to imply.

    For a second, Katherine wanted to say she didn''t know how to help Luqing or even t-out refuse to help.

    Having Luqing serve under her was, in a sense, trapping Meiya into serving Katherine''s will.

    Especially with Meiya being a powerful cultivator that was equivalent to an archmage, she didn''t want to give her up at all.

    However, when she imagined her kids being raised like Luqing, she couldn''t help but feel a sharp pain piercing her heart.

    "I... I can try my best to help... But it might take a while to change someone''s mindset, especially someone so close."

    "Thank you so much!"

    Seeing Meiya trying to get up and bow down, Katherine quickly got up from her seat and pushed her back down.

    "There''s no need for all these. Don''t you remember you said we''re friends now?"

    "You''re right. Ipletely forgot about that." Meiya murmured as she awkwardly scratched her head.

    "Ahem, then let''s try toe up with a n then..."

    ---

    When the next day arrived, Luqing woke up extremely early as she had already gotten used to it.

    After getting out of bed and heading towards her luggage to change out of her pajamas, she was a little confused.

    Not a single maid uniform she brought with her remained, with the only thing remaining being her undergarments.

    "Mom... You awake?" Luqing asked as she gently shook Meiya''s arm.

    "Hm?"

    As Meiya slowly opened her eyes, Luqing''s face was slightly angry and annoyed.

    It was the first time she had seen her show another emotion besides her warm servant face or sadness.

    "What''s wrong?"

    "My clothes are gone..."

    Seeing Luqing still not calling her out despite being the only one who could have caused it to disappear, she felt a little guilty inside.

    "Then let''s go buy someter today... Didn''t Katherine bring us to a store yesterday?"

    Luqing hesitated, wanting to say no. But her rational mind told her she couldn''t just wear her pajamas outside.

    "Here, just wear some of my clothes for now."

    This time, Luqing epted the clothes as she took off her pajamas before putting Meiya''s clothes on.

    "This looks pretty nice on you... Sorry, Qingqing, I need to go back to sleep for a bit."

    Meiya yawned as she fell asleep on the bed, leaving Luqing''s face blushing a little as she left the room.

    After freshening up in the bathroom, she headed out of the hallway and into the living room.

    But before she could go inside the kitchen, she was surprised to see the dining table was already full of food.

    "Good morning, Luqing. How was your sleepst night?"

    Katherine asked as she walked out of the kitchen with a teful of bread straight out of the oven.

    "The bed was great... Lady Katherine, let me do this."

    Katherine didn''t say anything as she let Luqing take over the te to be carried over to the dining table.

    "I''m surprised you woke up so early. You don''t want to take a nap?"

    Seeing her shaking her head, Katherine didn''t ask again as she sat down at the table.

    "Hey Luqing, I want you to call me Katherine. I don''t want you to call me Lady Katherine."

    "But¡ª¡ª"

    "That''s an order. You understand me?"

    "Yes, Ms.Katherine."

    "I don''t want you to hear you call the kids titles either. Everyone is equal in the school."

    "Yes... Katherine."

    "There you go. Come and sit down."

    This time, Luqing didn''t go against Katherine''s request, as she had already sat at the table back in the castle, even with Fredrick and Ava on the table.

    But this time, it was without Meiya being next to her¡ªonly Katherine was sitting across from her.

    "Luqing, what do you want to do today?" Katherine curiously asked as she picked up a piece of bread.

    "Miss Meiya¡ª¡ªI mean, Mom said we were going to go shopping for clothester."

    "That''s nice of her... Here, take this card. Don''t say no. It''s your sry to watch over the kids tomorrow."

    Luqing reluctantly epted the card, putting it into her pocket before remaining still on the table.

    "You don''t want to try out my breakfast?" Katherine asked, her voice sounding as if she was questioning Luqing''s intent.

    "Of course not."

    Seeing Luqing quickly grab one of the tes and begin trying them out, Katherine was still a little unhappy inside.

 Chapter 81 : Plans and Changes

    After breakfast, Katherine quickly grabbed Luqing''s empty tes, making her wake everyone up instead.

    "Alex, wake up. It''s the morning now." Luqing whispered as she gently knocked on the door.

    "Okay."

    Heading down, Luqing arrived at Sophia''s room door, knocking gently as she waited for their response.

    "Mary, wake up."

    "Just a few more minutes..."

    The two kids from inside indicated to Luqing that one of them was already awake, so she headed back to her temporary room.

    Entering inside, Meiya was still peacefully sleeping on the bed as if nothing happened.

    "Mom... It''s time to get up."

    After shaking for a bit, Meiya finally woke up from the bed, still looking a little exhausted like earlier.

    "Okay, I''m getting up..."

    ---

    After everyone woke up and finished their breakfast, Katherine and Meiya revealed their ns to go shopping.

    The kids thought for a second, then decided to tag along.

    "Mom, where are we going to shopping?" Mary curiously asked as the six of them walked on the streets.

    "To the othermercial side of the school. You guys probably haven''t seen it before."

    "The school is so big."

    Alexmented as he began to realize the school almost felt like a whole functional city.

    "Yeah, it''s big... There are ces that even I still haven''t gone to before, even though I have been here for years now."

    As the six of them arrived at themercial area, Katherine was met with a familiar face.

    "Hey, Emily!"

    A young woman stood next to a little boy, holding his hands as if she were the babysitter.

    "Hey Katherine, are you going shopping?"

    "Yeah... Who''s this little fellow? Your kid?" Katherine curiously asked as Meiya and Luqing entered a nearby shop on their own.

    "Hell no. How can I have a kid when you know I''m forever single... This is my younger brother.

    His name is Will... Come on, don''t be shy. Say hello to Sister Katherine."

    After Emily pushes the little boy to the front, he finally seems to ovee his shyness.

    "Hello, Sister Katherine."

    "Hello, Will. Nice to meet you."

    As Katherine stretched out her hand for a handshake, Will was too shy to stretch his hands out as he stood behind Emily.

    "Man, I wish my brother wasn''t as shy as your kids."

    Emily murmured as she looked towards the three who were distracted by a nearby water fountain.

    "How old is he?"

    "Only six."

    "Emily, of course, the kid is going to be shy. He''s only six, you silly." Katherine argued.

    "I mean, your kids are only level 1 mages, right? They don''t look that old either."

    "The youngest one is already eight. Also, my kids are already level 2 mages."

    As soon as Katherine finished flexing it out loud, her face looked extremely proud.

    "Oh really? That''s surprising... Anyway, I need to go back to my shop now. See you."

    As Emily and Will walked off into the distance, Katherine returned to the three kids near the fountain.

    "Where''s Luqing and Meiya?" Katherine curiously asked.

    "Over there," Sophia replied as she pointed towards a clothing store before turning her attention to the water spout.

    After looking at the store for a bit, Katherine decided to leave the two alone as she dragged the three of them to a different store.

    "Let''s buy some summer clothes before it gets hot."

    "It''s not even spring yet..." Alex sighed as he mentally prepared for the shopping trip.

    He was starting to regreting back early, while the other two girls looked extremely excited.

    Thirty minutester...

    When the four of them were finally done with the first store, Alex''s face blushed red when they left.

    Several of the workers treated him like a tomboyish girl, as the store only sold female clothes and undergarments.

    He wanted to tell them they were wrong, but he had to remain silent as the undergarments brought was meant for him.

    Sophia and Mary even tried to get him to try on some of the dresses, but he instantly refused.

    There was simply no world where he wore leggings or skirts ever again after the prank incident.

    Meanwhile, as the four of them entered another store, Meiya and Luqing were having the same trouble.

    Specifically, Meiya kept trying to have Luqing try out the clothes, only to have her reject them after seeing the price tag.

    "Come on, just try them on. I''m the one paying for it anyway. Stop looking at the price tag."

    Luqing didn''t argue back as she headed to the changing room with the dress Meiya handed.

    After changing into it and leaving the dressing room, Meiya was a little stunned.

    "You look so beautiful!" Meiya stated as she excitedly ran up to hug her.

    "T-Thank you... But I don''t really like it."

    Seeing Luqing about to head back to the dressing room to change, Meiya quickly held her hands.

    "Why not? This fits you perfectly."

    "It feels too fancy... And it feels too revealing¡ª¡ª"

    "There is no such thing as too fancy. A young girl like you shouldn''t need to hide anything.

    By the way, you look very beautiful in this... I wish I could look as young as you, " a nearby workerplimented.

    "Thank you..."

    As Luqing''s face blushed again, Meiya quickly took out a card before handing it over to the cashier.

    "I want to buy all these clothes."

    The cashier immediately started scanning the items, clearly understanding what Meiya was trying to do.

    "Have a nice day."

    "You too."

    As Meiya and Luqing walked out of the store with two bags full of clothes, Meiya quickly dragged Luqing into another clothing store.

    "Let''s check this one out."

    ---

    By the time the day was almost over, Meiya and Luqing had each umted almost five bags of cloth.

    This was only for Luqing, as Meiya herself had ten bags of clothes inside Katherine''s pocket dimension.

    Meanwhile, the three kids and Katherine brought only two bags each, less than Luqing and Meiyabined.

    "Katherine, I have to say, your guy''s continent''s clothing looks so much better than the ones we have."

    "Really? Actually, what clothes do cultivators usually wear?" Katherine curiously asked as she took out her key to the door.

    "It''s all over the ce, but the one I was at usually wears a Zhongyi with a robe over it."

    "What''s a Zhongyi?" Mary curiously asked as Katherine unlocked the door.

    "It''s a type of cloth that looks simr to a bathrobe, but it''s more meant for outdoor instead."

    "Okay, make sure you grab the right bag."

    As Katherine pulled out all the bags from the pocket dimension, half of the living room was almost full.

    After everyone had taken their bags, they all headed back to their rooms before putting them on.

    When everyone stepped out of their room, everyone was a little stunned by the other person.

    Alex''s eyes were glued to Luqing and Meiya''s new clothes, which were much more revealing than their fully covered clothes.

    "Meiya, you look like you have just reached your twenties in this dress." Katherineplimented.

    "Thanks. Your dress looks pretty nice, too."

    "Luqing, your dress fits you so well!" Sophiaplimented as she and Mary walked over to examine it closer.

    "How does it fit you so well? It''s like this dress is meant for you."

    Mary murmured, her eyes full of jealousy as she wanted to buy one herself.

    "Thank you..."

    As Luqing''s face became fully blushing for the first time, Alex remained silent as he sat on the sofa with his bags.

    He didn''t really need to change, as all of his clothes were the same but slightly different in color or undergarments.

    "Alex, what do you think of Luqing''s clothes?" Katherine suddenly asked, her voice hinting at jealousy.

    "It looks great. I think itpliments her body shapes perfectly."

    Alex''s straightforward reply made Katherine frown for a little while before it all disappeared.

    Meanwhile, Luqing stood still after hearing his reply. Her brain had almost frozen as she couldn''t believe what he had just said.

    "Ahem, okay. Let''s go try out the other clothes from the bag..."

    An hourter...

    As all the bags were now put away, Alex''s mind had changedpletely. He no longer regrets going shopping a single bit.

    His mind was filled with all the girls in their new clothes and dresses with unique styles.

    Especially Luqing, who had always been extremely conservative ever since he had met her.

    Not even just conservative.

    He had only seen her wear the fully covered maid uniform or the whole naked incident in the shower.

    "Mom, I''m starving! We had skipped lunchpletely."

    Maryined as Sophia and her stomach already growled several times on the way back.

    "I know, I know. I''m going to go cook dinner right now."

    "Let me help you, Katherine."

    As Luqing headed toward the kitchen, Meiya turned her attention towards the three kids.

    "Mary, let''s go take a shower before eating."

    "Okay!"

    With Sophia and Mary both leaving, Alex and Meiya both remained on the sofa as they had eye contact for a second.

    "Alex, are you interested in my daughter?" Meiya suddenly suggested out of nowhere.

    "W-What did you s-say?"

    Alex stuttered several times in a row, unable to believe what Meiya had just suggested.

 Chapter 82: Chattering and Swords

    "I asked if you were interested in my daughter."

    After Meiya repeated her lines, Alex shyly looked to the side as he couldn''t give her an answer.

    "I''m just kidding, Alex... You aren''t taking it seriously, are you?."

    As Meiya moved a little closer to Alex, his face blushed even harder as he was seriously considering it.

    Check out m_vl_em_p_yr stories

    "Of course, I know it was joking. Luqing is old enough to be my mom."

    "Alex! I can hear you! Did you just call me old?" Katherine yelled from the kitchen.

    "No, Mom! You''re forever twenty-one."

    Seeing Katherine didn''t say anything back, Alex let out a small sigh of relief.

    "Miss Meiya, I''m going to meditate for a bit."

    "Go for it."

    As Alex closed his eyes and rxed his body, Meiya moved even closer to examine him.

    Looking up, she noticed a slight blush on his face that still hadn''t gone away yet.

    His skin looked even more pale than his sisters, despite seeing him going under the sun several times before.

    It was almost as if his face was sculptured to be perfect, only to be ruined by the deadpan face he usually puts up.

    "Where are all his muscles?" Meiya wondered after seeing his arms look even more flimsy than Sophia''s.

    After looking through most of his body, she came up with a conclusion in her head.

    "Alex probably hasn''t hit puberty yet... Exins why his voice is so high pitched."

    Just as Meiya was about to move back to her seat, a metal drop from the kitchen suddenly appeared.

    Within seconds, Alex exited his meditation state, opening his eyes only to see Meiya standing right before him.

    The two were just inches away as she quickly moved back to her side of the sofa.

    "Alex, have you hit puberty yet?" Meiya asked calmly, as if nothing happened.

    "I... I just started it."

    "That''s good... You should eat more meat. Your body is growing."

    Alex nodded as the two sat in silence, with neither side wanting to speak up.

    Only when Sophia and Mary were both out of the shower did the awkwardness disappear.

    ---

    At the dinner table...

    As the six of them sat in their seats, Katherine and Meiya once again started chattering back and forth.

    But this time, Alex could feel the two of them were trying to bring it in a certain direction.

    All of them were either Katherine''s descriptions of how she grew up alongside Luqing or Meiya''s experiences with Luqing as a toddler.

    "Mom, I''m full!"

    "Me too!"

    As Sophia and Mary both dropped their bowl and ran towards the backyard, Katherine let out a sigh.

    "They are never going to learn how to act like ady..."

    "That''s a good thing, no? They should be energetic instead of being trapped with formality." Meiyamented.

    Katherine didn''t say anything back as she picked up a piece of steak with her fork.

    "I know that... I''m fine with Mary caring less about it. But Sophia is already twelve."

    "That''s not that old. I was still rolling in mud when I was twelve back in the vige."

    As the two chatted back and forth, Alex watched in silence as he continued eating until his te was empty.

    Unlike the other two, he grabbed his empty bowl before grabbing the bowls that they left behind.

    "Look, Alex is two years younger, and he''s always so well-mannered and calmpared to those two."

    "Yeah, but they are still all young. I wouldn''t worry about them if I were you...

    Actually, Kate, how do you have such a good skincare routine? You look like you''re still in your early twenties."

    "Oh, it''s just some products I use. I can help you buy it..."

    As the two continued chatting back and forth, Alex couldn''t help but feel a little weirded out.

    It was almost as if they had been friends for a long time despite the two of them meeting each other for less than a month.

    Not to mention, Meiya was simr to Ava or even older than she already had Luqing.

    Meanwhile, Luqing didn''t look to be the same age as Katherine, sitting in silence the whole time just like him.

    "Luqing, can you train me to fight with a sword?" Alex suddenly asked, wanting to leave the table.

    "Sure."

    As they headed towards the storage room, Katherine and Meiya didn''t seem to notice them at all.

    "Is this wooden sword fine?" Alex asked as he took out the sword he fought Sophia with in the past.

    "It''s fine."

    The two slowly took a step back as they gave each other enough space to prepare.

    But as soon as Alex stepped forward to attack, Luqing''s sword was already on his chest.

    "That was so fast... How did you do that?" Alex curiously asked as he couldn''t even catch a glimpse of it.

    "I used my Qi to help help me dash forward... Sorry, I probably shouldn''t have used it."

    "That''s fine. Let''s just do it again."

    As the two of them took a step back again, they both ready their sword and waited for the opponent to strike first.

    Eventually, Alex couldn''t wait any longer as he stepped up to go for a light stab.

    Luqing easily deflected it away, not advancing any further despite being able to counterstrike back.

    Alex immediately understood what she was trying to do, so he struck forward as fast as he could.

    But still, all of his attacks were nullified, as she didn''t even need to step back to reflect the quick stabs.

    Even as he tried to surprise her with a sh and fake, she easily read through it and blocked it.

    It was almost as if he was fighting against a brick wall, with all his attacks just exhausting his energy.

    "I give up. Your defense is too good." Alexplimented as he sat down on the floor in exhaustion.

    Luqing didn''t say anything as she sat down next to him, waiting for him to finish with the break.

    "Hey Luqing, you feel a lot different than when I first met you."

    Seeing Luqing not speaking up, Alex kept on rambling on as he thought back to the past.

    "I remember you were willing to show us around the city and chat with us, but now you''re always so quiet.

    It''s almost like apletely different person... All the energy and smile is drained away."

    "Do I really look like that?" Luqing asked, her face seemingly a little concerned.

    "Yes... Ever since the funeral, your warm smile hadpletely disappeared.

    Now it''s just like me, a t face that barely has any emotions when they see someone."

    Luqing seemingly had taken Alex''s word to heart as her face finally changed back to her old smile.

    "Does this look better?" Luqing quietly asked.

    Alex quickly nodded before getting back up with his sword and taking a few steps back.

    "Okay, I''m fully rested now... How about you attack this time, and I''ll try to defend it?"

    "Are you sure?"

    Alex remained still as he raised his sword, indicating he was going for a defense practice this time.

    "Sorry if I hurt you."

    As soon as Luqing finished talking, she immediately dashed forward with a fast sh.

    This time, Alex was able to see it and block it. But her next sh came much faster than he expected.

    He was immediately forced to move to the side to dodge it, but with another shing, he took another step back.

    With more and more steps back to avoid dodging the stab, his reflection was nowhere near enough.

    Not to mention, he could feel she was going easy on him, as each sh felt even softer than her defense earlier.

    Up against the wall, Alex made onest deflection before a wooden sword was pointed right at his chest.

    "I lost again... How do you move your sword so fast?" Alex curiously asked as she lowered her sword.

    "You just have to go with the flow... You''re holding your sword too tight. Here, let me teach you."

    As Luqing dropped her sword to help Alex hold his sword correctly, Alex couldn''t help but notice something right before his eyes.

    Her new clothes awakened something inside him, especially as her shirt had a small gap on top to let him see her exact size.

    "Alex, rx your arm. You don''t have to be so tense."

    "Oh, sorry."

    As Alex shifted his attention back to the sword in hand, he was surprised to notice how loosely she was making him hold his sword.

    It was almost as if he was using a whip instead of a sword as she helped him swing his arms down directly.

    "Can you feel it going much faster?"

    "Yeah, but isn''t it too soft to swing like this?" Alex raised his concern as he swung his arm again.

    "Usually, you can make it up with your Qi. But since you don''t have Qi, you can think of this as more of a self-defense."

 Chapter 83: Back to School

    After following her instructions for a bit, the two went back to sword-fighting, albeit much slower for Alex to learn it.

    He quickly began to realize the way she was fighting earlier wasn''t going easy on him.

    Instead, her style was to use the least amount of energy to do the fastest strikes toward the opponent.

    Hard-hitting was rendered useless, with the emphasis solely on being able to sh as fast as possible.

    At the same time, he quickly understood what she meant by self-defense, as her style was perfect for counterstriking the enemy.

    With every attack Alex directed towards Luqing, he was immediately met with a strike that forced him to block.

    It was almost a battle of attrition, assuming Luqing didn''t use her full power to strike even faster.

    "Thank you Luqing.... You taught me a lot today."

    Alex bowed a little in gratitude as he could feel his sword skill drastically improve.

    "I didn''t teach that much. You''re the one that''s a fast learner¡ª¡ª"

    "Would you look at that? Qingqing and Alex had already gotten used to each other so well."

    Meiya interrupted as she and Katherine entered the storage room, with their face looking a little surprised.

    "Thank you for teaching my son."

    Katherine thanked Luqing as she could hear all the sword-shing sounds all the way from the living room.

    "No problem."

    ---

    The next day...

    As Alex woke up from his bed, the area around his eyes was full of dark circles.

    For some reason, he couldn''t fall asleep, and when he did fall asleep in the middle of the night, he was dragged to fighting in his dream.

    "Alex, you okay? Did you not get any sleep yesterday?"

    Katherine asked, looking a little concerned as she brought his te full of food to him.

    "I did sleep... I was just too excited to go back to school."

    As Alex sat down and began to eat his food, the other two girls were finally finished using the bathroom.

    "How was your sleep yesterday?" Katherine asked as she put their breakfast before the two.

    "Great! I can''t wait for school already!" Mary excitedly replied, her voice full of energy.

    Meanwhile, Sophia looked the pr opposite. She looked extremely tired, and her eyes were full of dark circles, just like Alex''s.

    "Not good at all... I want to go back for a nap right now." Sophiained as shey t on the table.

    "What happened to you, Sophia?"

    Katherine curiously asked, looking a little concerned once again as she sat down in her seat.

    "All because of Mary. I woke up like three timesst night because she keeps moving and hugging me in her sleep." Sophiained.

    "Hey! It''s not my fault. I can''t control how I sleep." Mary argued.

    "Doesn''t matter. You shouldn''t be having so many problems when you''re sleeping on my bed."

    "Of course, it matters. You''re making it sound like I want to sleep in your room¡ª¡ª"

    "You two, stop arguing... How about this, Mary? You can sleep with me instead," Katherine offered.

    "Hell no¡ª¡ªAhem, I mean, I''ll try my best to stay on my side of the bed."

    Mary changed her wording at thest second as she noticed a vein popping on Katherine''s forehead.

    "Mom, I''m pretty sure her sleeping posture is inherited from you." Alex joked as he picked up a small piece of the pancake.

    "Shush. No one asked for you to talk."

    Katherine blushed a little, knowing that her sleeping posture had been very ''intrusive'' to the other person.

    Meanwhile, Sophia and Mary both couldn''t hold in theirughter after seeing their Mom looking embarrassed from being exposed.

    "Mom, where''s Luqing and Miss Meiya?" Alex asked, noticing the two empty seats next to him.

    "They went out for a walk earlier. They should be back in a bit."

    As soon as Katherine finished talking, the front door was knocked by someone from the outside.

    "I''ll go answer it."

    When Katherine came back from the living room, Luqing and Meiya were both walking right behind her.

    "Come try my breakfast. I wasn''t sure what you guys preferred, so I just cooked some pancakes."

    "This looks amazing." Meiyaplimented as she sat down next to the empty seat.

    "Thank you, thank you."

    After the short breakfast, the three kids were finally heading out to go to school.

    However, before they could leave, Katherine handed a letter over to Luqing.

    "Hand this to Miss Amy when you see her... You three, lead her to your ssroom, okay?"

    The three nodded, not surprised that Luqing was going with them, as the whole point of Meiya and Luqing was to protect them.

    Even though they felt it was a little bit too much, the three of them knew the risk they carried for being a duchess''s kid.

    ---

    When the four of them arrived in the ssroom, all of their ssmates were already in ss.

    Although there were still ten minutes before ss started, the entire room fell into silence as soon as they stepped in.

    "Hello everyone! I hope you all have a great break... My Mom brought a little gift for everyone. I hope you all can ept it."

    As Sophia opened her backpack, she pulled out a bunch of things that Alex had never seen before.

    It was all kinds of items, ranging from mana crystals that he had only seen in the textbook to orbs meant to help facilitate mana regeneration.

    He didn''t even know Sophia''s backpack could fit so many things, nor did he know when Katherine nned all this.

    After all of her ssmates had epted Sophia''s gift, she turned her attention to Miss Amy.

    "Miss Amy, my Mom said she picked this gift just for you... She told me that you should open it after you get back home."

    As Sophia handed a mysterious bag over to her, Miss Amy was a little surprised.

    "Tell Duchess Katherine I said thanks... Who''s this person standing behind you?"

    Miss Amy finally asked the question that had been on her mind the moment the four had walked in.

    "She''s Duchess''s friend... Lady Luqing?"

    Luqing immediately took out the letter that Katherine had handed over to Miss Amy before moving back.

    "Huh... A letter from the principal?"

    As Miss Amy opened the letter and began reading it, her eyes began to widen as she read further down.

    After she finished reading it, she quickly put the letter back inside before turning her attention back to Luqing.

    "Nice to meet you, Lady Luqing. I''m this ss''s teacher. You can just call me Amy."

    Luqing nodded silently, even though her brain was all over the ce from the way she was being treated.

    "Ahem, Katherine, can you bring Lady Luqing to an empty seat? Alex and Mary, you two can go back to your seats now."

    The four of them finally went back to their seats as Miss Amy stood in front of the ss.

    "Wee back, everyone. I hope you all enjoyed your winter break... Let''s get the first thing out of the way.

    Please raise your hand and hand your paper to the front if you have finished the winter break homework."

    The three kids quickly passed their homework forward and raised their hands, with half of the ss doing the same.

    The other half of the ss had their hands down, with their winter break packet on the desk.

    "Okay... Now, everyone that hasn''t finished the winter break homework, you can also pass it to the front."

    With two stacks of paper piled over the front row, Miss Amy cast some sort of levitation magic as the papers floated to her desk.

    "Now, who has done the optional homework?"

    This time, only a third of the students raised their hands, including Alex and the other two.

    "That''s a lot more than I expected... Ahem, anyway, good job to everyone who did the homework.

    But don''t worry if you didn''tplete it. I wasn''t expecting you all actually to do it.

    I was only using this as a way to test your knowledge... All the material inside was just the things I''ll be teaching now."

    As Miss Mary began writing on the ckboard, everyone took out their notebook to begin writing down notes.

    Except for Luqing, who sat still with their table empty as she didn''t bring anything at all.

    "Oh, sorry, I almost forgot... Lady Luqing, can we go outside and talk for a second?"

    Luqing agreed and quickly got up from her seat before the two of them headed outside the ssroom.

    "Lady Luqing, have you read the letter yourself?"

    "I haven''t read it yet."

    Miss Amy let out a sigh as if she expected her to say that after seeing her idling in the ssroom.

    "Here, you should read it yourself first."

    After handing the envelope back, Luqing took out the letter and began reading it.

    However, just reading the first line left Luqing in confusion. She couldn''t understand why she suddenly had a new position.

    "I''m a teacher now?"

    Luqing murmured in confusion as the letter stated that she was a martial arts teacher for specifically ss 204.

 Chapter 84: New jobs and Cliffhangers

    "Yeah. We''re co-workers now, Lady Luqing... I''m happy to be working with you."

    "You don''t need to call medy. I''m happy to work with you too, Miss Amy."

    "Same to you, Luqing. There''s no need to call me Miss either."

    After the two reached a consensus, they headed back to the ssroom together before Luqing went back to her seat.

    "Ahem, everyone, please open your textbook to page 125. I''ll be going over the manaification effect..."

    A few hourster...

    As Amy began to clean up the ckboard, everyone else was beginning to leave the ssroom for lunch.

    But before Luqing left with Sophia and them, Amy pulled her over for a second.

    "Luqing, can we talk for a bit?" Amy asked as she put her ckboard eraser back down.

    Luqing looked over to the three kids, who nodded as they waited outside, leaving the ssroom empty beside them.

    "Since we are going to teach the same students, how about I teach in the morning, and you teach in the afternoon?"

    "Um, sure... But I don''t know what I can teach to the ss."

    Seeing Luqing looking a little lost, Amy started to get a little confused about why she had been assigned to be a teacher in the first ce.

    Still, she didn''t question the letter''s decision as the principal''s signature was at the bottom.

    "You''re aren''t a mage, right? You''re a barbarian ss?" Amy asked after noticing her mana was non-existent.

    "No, I''m a cultivator."

    Amy''s face was a little shocked for a second, but it quickly disappeared as she considered an idea.

    "How about just training the student''s physical body? Mages need a strong body as well."

    After thinking for a bit, Luqing took Amy''s suggestion to heart, as it seemed to be the easiest option she could choose.

    Her Qi conflict meant there was no way she could actually teach anything she had besides her sword skill, which she didn''t want to show.

    "Great. Then you can take over the ss after lunch... I''ll be backter tolet you take over."

    As Amy left the ssroom, Luqing''s brain was still processing the thought of bing a teacher.

    "Luqing, you okay?" Sophia curiously asked as the three of them walked inside the ssroom.

    "I''m fine."

    "Okay then... Let''s go get lunch!"

    ---

    As the four of them arrived in the cafeteria, most of the seats were already full.

    But fortunately, there was already a group of four that was saving seats for them.

    "Sophia! Here!"

    Camille excitedly waved her arms as Sophia quickly walked over to them, with the three following right behind.

    "Thanks for saving saving a seat... So many people at the cafeteria today."

    Sophia murmured as the four of them all sat down on the other side across from the four girls.

    "Yeah, a lot of people are having lunch here instead for some reason... Anyway, who''s thisdy?"

    All four of the girls looked a little intrigued towards Luqing, as her look was drastically different from others.

    "She''s our family guest."

    Sophia stated before holding Luqing''s arm back, signaling her to go along with it.

    "Have we seen each other before, Miss?"

    Luna suddenly spoke up, and Evelyn realized it as well after looking at Luqing for a bit.

    "We had met each other in Regina''spetition."

    "No wonder! You''re the one that tried to help us escape before it failed¡ª¡ª"

    "Luna! Stop being so disrespectful. You''re making it sound like an archmage is an easy opponent to beat."

    Evelyn interrupted as she knocked onto Luna''s head as a punishment for being so straightforward.

    "Ahem, guys, let''s buy our lunch first..."

    Chloe finally ended the conversation as the eight of them began to select their food from the menu.

    "Luqing, you can pick whatever you want. I can pay it¡ª¡ª"

    "You pay with this thing, right?"

    Seeing Luqing take an ID card, Sophia nodded as Luqing scanned the ID card at the checkout.

    With a click sound, the transaction was through as the eight of them had all ordered their food.

    "What Reginapetition are you guys talking about? How did you all meet in the winter break?"

    Camille asked, intrigued by the whole story between the six of them.

    "Yeah, weren''t you all going back to your hometown... Unless you all have the same hometown?"

    With Chloe looking just as intrigued by the story, Sophia decided to take charge of exining it.

    "It''s a long story. I might not even finish it during this lunch break."

    "We have an hour. I''m sure you will get to the end of it, " Camille reassures them as their food begins toe up one by one.

    "Fine then. The story begins when my mom decides to bring the three of us back to her hometown.

    And just coincidentally, it happened to be in Regina, out of all ces. What was more shocking was that our grandpa happened to be Duke of Regina."

    Even though Evenlyn and Luna already knew about it, the two of them still grasped it, just like the other two, after hearing it out of Sophia''s lips.

    "They wanted us to join the yearlypetition, which so happened that everyone in Regina can join it¡ª¡ª"

    "What kind ofpetition is it?" Camille interrupted to ask.

    "It''s like a free-for-all where everyone fights for themselves... But people can team up to eliminate other yers first."

    "What''s the reward?" Camille interrupted again.

    Sophia thought for a second as she thought back to the rewards that others get, only to realize she didn''t know any.

    "I don''t know, but I know my reward was getting to see our guardian with Mary."

    "Guardian? Are they a grand archmage named Guardian of the North?" Chloe interrupted this time.

    "Um, they are a grand archmage, but I don''t remember people calling her that."

    "Regina is in the north, so Chloe definitely got the right person." Alex chimed in this time.

    "Anyway, back to the story. So everyone''s soul was transported into some weird city where people fought each other.

    I met Mary very early in thepetition. Then we both ran into Mom and our grandparents.

    Luqing was standing right behind our grandparents... Alex, do you want to exin how you met Luna and Evelyn?"

    "Sure, I can do that."

    As Alex puts his fork down, he wipes his mouth with a tissue before speaking up.

    "Unfortunately, I was the pr opposite of these two. I was constantly hiding half the time until I felt I had to do something.

    So I started wandering around, trying to find my sister and mom... That''s when I ran into Luna and Evelyn.

    The three of us decided to start walking together until we ran into a group of mages who were eliminating people left and right.

    Usually, there was an unspoken rule not to fight mages lower than you.

    But those low-level mages were relying on a level three mage to bully beginners like us."

    Alex paused as he drank a cup of water before continuing.

    "Fortunately, some wondering mage stopped them before they could throw spells at us, and then Mom came by to knock them out.

    The next part is pretty much the same from here, Sophia. You can take it back."

    Alex went back to eating the food on his te, leaving Sophia, who had just started eating, to be forced to put her fork down.

    "Anyway, after we all met up together, we ran into... Let''s just say a rival to our family.

    The next thing we knew, all of us were scattered all over the ce. Low-level mages were fighting low-level mages.

    High-level mages were fighting high-level mages as well. But the biggest issue was they had an archmage."

    Both Camille and Chloe took in a sharp breath as only a handful of archmages were still alive.

    "After all the back and forth, Luna and Evelyn were both eliminated after a back and forth battle.

    Mary was up next, trying to stall out the fight and burn as much mana as she took on the rival''s daughter all on her own..."

    After describing the fight scenes word for word, all four of the girls were fully hooked on the story.

    Even nearby students who overheard Sophia talking were intrigued by what was going to happen next.

    "Just as Mary was about to lose and the two of us were about to step up to rece her, a sudden sh appeared."

    With a short little water break, Sophia continued.

    "Just within a blink of an eye, we were out of the archmage trap and into apletely different ce."

    "How?"

    Evelyn asked in disbelief, as she couldn''t believe someone could escape from an archmage.

    All the other three were in disbelief, as running away from an archmage almost sounded like a fantasy.

    "Well, that''s where our guestse in... You wouldn''t believe who the person who saved us was..."

    Sophia suddenly stopped as she began eating her food, leaving the story on a cliffhanger.

 Chapter 85: Teacher Luqing and Exercises

    "What happened next?" Camille curiously asked as Sophia didn''t show any sign of continuing.

    "Give me a second. Let me eat my food first. I''m getting a little hungry."

    After waiting for her to finish most of her food, Sophia finally resumed the story.

    As she started exining Meiya and her cultivator status, the cafeteria had turnedpletely silent.

    Sophia was the only person talking, and everyone was quietly listening to her story.

    Unfortunately, just as she got to talk about the final standoff with the grand archmage, the bell suddenly rang.

    "Oh snap, ss time."

    ---

    When the eight of them arrived back in the ssroom, Amy already packed up her bags.

    "Ahem, Luqing, can youe up for a second?"

    After Luqing walked over to be next to Amy on the podium, she finally revealed the announcement.

    "Miss Luqing will be your new teacher for the afternoon ss. I hope you all respect her the same way you all respect me."

    As soon as Amy finished talking, the ss was in shock.

    But nobody was more shocked than Alex and his two sisters, who werepletely caught off guard by the sudden change.

    "Um, hello, everyone. I''m Miss Luqing. I will be helping you all train your physical endurance.

    Everyone, please get up from your seats, and we''ll go for a walk around the school."

    All of the students hesitated for a second, but they eventually got up from their seats after seeing Amy''s face.

    "I''m going to leave everything to you... If any of them misbehave, just tell me, okay?"

    Luqing nodded as Amy left the ssroom, leaving her alone to lead the entire ss.

    "Single file line, everyone, please get moving."

    The ss quickly got in a line as they followed Luqing out of the ssroom and into the hallway.

    As they walked down, they could see the other sses staring at them through the window in confusion.

    It was clear that they were the only ss with two teachers and that their curriculum included a ''physical education'' ss.

    After walking for fifteen minutes around the whole school building, Luqing brought them to the empty field right next to the school entrance.

    "Everyone, please run around this track ten times. I will be keeping count."

    All of the students hesitated again as no one in the school had ever used the track at all.

    Exercise like running seemed pointless in their eyes, as mages like them should be learning new stuff in the ssroom instead.

    With no one stepping up, Alex decided to walk up to the field and began running around the track alone.

    Sophia and Mary quickly joined in, forcing her four friends to join in as well, much to their dismay.

    Eventually, the entire ss joined in running as the students in the nearby building started looking out through the window.

    Some of their faces were curious, while some were t-outughing as they couldn''t understand the point.

    To most of them, running around the track almost seemed like some sort of cruel punishment or even torture.

    Meanwhile, back on track, Alex was passed by several students despite his head start.

    However, they all quickly ran out of stamina, falling further behind until they resorted to walking.

    It was clear that almost half of the ss couldn''t even run the track twice, as they started panting for breath after not pacing themselves.

    After running under the hot sun for almost ten minutes, Alex was back in first ce as he finished his sixth loop.

    He was in thefortable lead over the entire ss until he got to the eighthp.

    "Alex, how manyps do you have left?" Camille asked as she caught up all the way to him.

    "Just two more. How about you?"

    "Two moreps as well... How about let''s do a race?"

    "Sure."

    As the two paced themselves over the ninthp, there was now only one more loop left.

    Within seconds, Camille started elerating as she took the lead for the first time.

    Alex was just a meter away from her, with still two-thirds of the track ahead of them.

    Just as the two reached the second turn of the track, Alex quickly switchednes to elerate his speed and cut in front of her.

    It was clear Camille had burned her energy way too early, as Alex maintained the lead over her as they passed the final corner.

    With a straightforward path right ahead of them, everyone thought Alex had it in the bag.

    But to everyone''s surprise, Camille switchednes at thest second and started elerating even faster.

    Despite the extra steps to switchnes, Camille reached the finish line first as she ran past the white line.

    "I won!"

    Camille excitedly yelled out as Luqing nodded to signal the two were now done with the running.

    "Well yed..."

    Alex panted for breath as he could feel his heart beating way too fast, with his legpletely exhausted.

    "You did amazing for a human. I''m surprised you got so close."

    Camilleplimented back as the two of them slowly walked down the track.

    "I guess bunny can really run fast..." Alex thought to himself in his head, not saying it out loud.

    "Alex, why do I have a feeling you''re thinking of something rude?"

    "What? It must be your illusion. I was wondering how you ran so fast at the end right there."

    "Simple, I just have longer legs."

    After Alex looked over to Camille for a second, he couldn''t help but feel a little shame for being shorter than her.

    But the thought quickly disappeared, as he still had years to grow, not to mention the fact that she wasn''t fully human.

    "You two,e over here for a second."

    The two quickly walked over to Luqing as everyone else in the ss was still running around the track.

    Half of the ss was near on their eighthp, with the other half giving up as they started walking at this point on their fifthp.

    "Alex and...?"

    "Camille."

    "Alex and Camille, I need you two to give me a list of names of those people who are walking."

    "Yes Miss Luqing!"

    As the two of them excitedly ran over to the track with their new job, everyone suddenly started running.

    It was almost as if they were now extra motivated after hearing what Luqing said out loud to the two of them.

    Even those who were already tired started running, albeit on the slower end, as they were too exhausted.

    In the end, everyone had finally finished all tenps after an hour and a half had passed.

    Both Camille and Alexi gave Luqing back an empty list, which she was fine with as she gave everyone a break.

    All of the students immediately began casting water spells to cool down and quench their thirst.

    "How convenient..."

    Luqing murmured as she watched all the students drink their water from their spell.

    After the ten-minute break was over, Luqing made Camille and Alex quickly force all the students to get back up again.

    Walking down the right side of the school, Luqing stopped right at several trees at the back of the school building.

    The students let out a sigh of relief as they were finally out of the hot sun and into the shade of the trees.

    "Everyone, I want you to spread out in formation."

    As everyone created some distance between each other, Luqing signaled Camille and Alex toe to the front.

    "I want everyone to do a horse stance for ten minutes."

    The ss looked a little confused until she demonstrated it to everyone with her legs apart and arms out.

    At first, everyone thought it was super easy as they quickly copied what she was doing.

    However, after just a minute of maintaining it, several of the student''s legs started to shake.

    "Alex, leg and back straight! Look at Camille! She''s doing it perfectly."

    Luqing suddenly yelled out loud as she forcefully pushed her hands onto Alex''s back to fix his posture.

    At the same time, the entire ss quickly fixed their posture as Luqing''s angry voice made them fear her even more. Enjoy new stories from m-v l''e-NovelBin

    Especially after seeing the strength Luqing used to ''correct'' Alex''s posture, which made him frown in pain for a second.

    "Everyone, I want you all to stretch out your left arm... Mary! Who told you to stretch out your right arm?"

    "S-Sorry Miss Luqing."

    As Mary quickly switched to her other arm, the rest of the ss who did the wrong one quickly fixed it to the right hand.

    "Now left arm... Right arm... Left arm... Right arm..."

    After switching back and forth and punching the air, the ss finally got their left and right correct.

    "How are people unable to tell left from right?" Alex thought to himself.

    The moment the ten minute mark was passed, almost the entire ss fell onto the ground in exhuastion.

 Chapter 86: First school night

    Fortunately, Luqing didn''t make them get up, allowing the ss to rx for a bit.

    "Everyone get up. One morep back around the school, and we''ll be heading back to the ssroom."

    Despite everyone still looking a little tired, they slowly got up from the ground before getting in a line.

    As they followed Luqing, there was a single thought that unified them all at once.

    But nobody was dare enough to speak up, at least while Luqing was still standing nearby.

    After spending half an hour walking around their school building, they finally settled into their ssroom seats.

    Everyone''s mind was blown as they never thought the school chair, for once, would be the bestfort they had ever felt.

    "Okay, um... Sophia, can youe to the front, please?"

    As everyone watched Sophia walk all the way next to the podium, their faces were scared of the uing challenge.

    "I want you to go over what Miss Amy had taught you guys in the morning and review it for everyone."

    Sophia froze for a second, but she quickly came back to her senses as she grabbed the chalk.

    "Yes Miss Luqing."

    After the ckboard was full, Sophia stopped as she turned back around to face the ss.

    "I will be going over the reasoning behind why the central star is located near our brain, at the center of the mana pool..."

    An hour of exnationter...

    When Sophia was finally done, her leg could barely stand still as she had been practically standing up for almost two hours straight now.

    She had already wiped the board three times and even started stalling time by letting her ssmate ask questions.

    It almost felt like she was actually the teacher for a second if it weren''t for the fact that the information was just old stuff.

    Despite still having one hour of school left, Luqing decided to dismiss the ss early.

    Everyone immediately ran out of the ssroom as if they were escaping the devil''s grasp, except Alex and his two sisters.

    "Luqing, why didn''t you tell us you were bing a teacher?"

    Mary curiously asked as the three of them immediately ran up and surrounded her.

    "I-I only knew about it this morning."

    "Was it that letter that Mom handed for you to show to Miss Amy?" Alex curiously asked.

    "Yeah... I was thinking of telling you guys during lunch, but your guy''s friends were sitting there..."

    "It''s fine. Let''s go home first. My body smells so bad from the exercise."

    All three of them agreed with Sophia as the sun was extra hot today for some reason.

    ---

    When the four of them entered inside their home, they were surprised to find no one inside.

    Still, none of them was bothered by it as Sophia and Mary rushed straight into the bathroom.

    "You don''t want to go take a shower with them?" Alex asked after noticing Luqing sitting down next to him.

    "I can wait..."

    As the water sshed from the bathroom, the two of them remained silent in the living room.

    "Luqing, do you know why Mom helped you be a teacher?" Alex suddenly asked.

    "I don''t know... Alex, do you know why?"

    Alex thought for a second, then shook his head.

    "I can only guess... Maybe she is just trying to find a position for you to stay in a ssroom."

    Hearing Alex''s answer started to make Luqing believe it was actually the real reason behind it.

    It was the perfect way for her to stay in the ssroom, although she didn''t really have any sort of certification to teach anyone.

    But then again, in Alex''s mind, the only qualification a person needed to be a teacher was to be a higher-level mage.

    At least that is what he overheard at the cafeteria one day... However, another question popped up in Alex''s mind.

    "Who wrote the letter?"

    "If I remember correctly, Amy said it was the school principal."

    "Huh... When did Mom get so much power to get the principal to let a non-mage be a teacher?"

    As Alex thought more and more about it, the only conclusion he could think of was Katherine''s influence from bing a duchess.

    "What are you two talking about?"

    Sophia curiously asked as she and Mary finally emerged from the bathroom, their bodies covered only by a towel.

    "Just how Mom made Luqing be a teacher... Luqing, you can take a shower next."

    Luqing didn''t refuse Alex''s offer this time as she headed back straight to the bathroom.

    "So, did you twoe up with a reason why?" Mary asked curiously as she and Sophia sat down next to him.

    "I thought it was to allow Luqing to get an excuse to stay in the ssroom... Ahem, can you two get changed?"

    Seeing Alex''s face blushing a little as he looked straight forward toward the wall, both girls couldn''t help butugh a little.

    "Brother, are you okay? Your face is so red." Sophia whispered from the left as she suddenly grabbed onto his arm.

    "Brother, why are you looking forward so much?" Mary whispered from the right as she grabbed onto his arm next.

    "Stop it, you two. Get changed before I go tell Mom that you two have zero decency in front of your brother."

    Alex quickly shook both of their hands away before getting up and sat down on the other sofa.

    Next, he grabbed a book from the shelf, covering his face as he resisted the urge to look at the two.

    "Brother is so embarrassed!"

    Mary and Sophia bothughed out loud as they left the living room together before entering their bedroom.

    "Little brats..." Alex murmured as he took a deep breath to calm himself back down.

    After waiting for a bit, the door to their bedroom opened again, and loud footsteps could be heard.

    "Alex! What do you think of our new pajamas?"

    As Alex lowered his book to look toward the two, he was calm until he saw both of their legs.

    They were both wearing short bottoms, the pr opposite of their conservative long pants.

    Not to mention, their pajama this time were much thinner, allowing him to see the outline of their growing body.

    Within seconds, Alex shifted his attention back to the book as he kicked all of his thoughts out of his mind.

    "It looks okay," Alex murmured.

    "Only okay? Mary, do I look good?" Sophia asked as she started turning around to look at herself.

    "Look perfect to me. Alex just doesn''t understand fashion. Sophia, do I look good?"

    "I think you look pretty good too, Mary... Hey Alex, do you not feel hot wearing long pants every day?"

    "I''m good."

    Alex quickly moved his leg to readjust his position as his body couldn''t help but react a little.

    "Whatever... Mary, let''s meditate for a bit."

    "Sure."

    As the two started meditating, Alex''s mind drifted into the wilderness until the door being opened ended his thoughts.

    Alex immediately puts the book back on the shelf before getting up from the sofa.

    However, as soon as he stepped foot into the hallway, he was stunned by the thing he saw.

    "W-Why are you naked?" Alex shyly asked as he turned his head to the side, facing the wall.

    "I forgot to bring my clothes and towel..."

    "You can just tell Sophia or Mary next time, and they can bring it to you next time."

    "Sorry."

    Luqing apologized as she headed back into her room, leaving Alex''s heart running like a jet engine.

    "Fuck! I need a way to get out of this house... I''m going to die of a heart attack at a young age if I stay here."

    After Alex finished undressing, he quickly stepped into the bathtub before sting himself with a cold shower.

    "Calm down, Alex, you''re only ten. Nobody is going to take you seriously any time soon."

    Despite his attempt to calm himself and convince his mind, the size down below told apletely different story.

    However, he can only tell this story to himself as he slowly submerges himself into the cold water.

    "Why did god give me this body like this? What am I supposed to do with it this early?"

    Although Alexined inside his head, his heart was smiling as if he were proud of his size.

    "I need to get out of the shower soon... They''re going start making fun of me again."

    Alex quickly got up and pulled the drain plug, letting all the water drain down before applying shampoo to his body.

    After he finished rinsing himself and stepping out of the bathtub, he quickly noticed something was off as he looked towards the hangar.

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    There was no towel to wipe his wet body, nor was there any clean cloth to change into.

    The only thing there was to cover himself was the dirty clothes that were still soaked in sweat.

    "Shit! How could I forget about it? Luqing literally had this happen a few minutes ago, you idiot!"

    After ming himself for a bit, Alex threw his dirty clothes into the basket before he slowly opened the door.

 Chapter 87: Assisting the Plans

    Peeking outside, Alex couldn''t see anyone at all. Not even Sophia or Mary in the living room.

    So Alex bolted towards his bedroom door, turning the door nob to open the door before entering inside.

    With the door shut and locked, he finally made it back to his room safely... Until he turned around.

    "W-Why are you two in my room?"

    Alex panicked as he tried to cover himself in front of Meiya and Katherine, but it was far toote.

    "Sorry. We just came back and were nning to talk to you... We''ll wait outside."

    Both of them quickly left the room, their faces blushing, leaving Alex''s heart racing again as he went to his drawer.

    After putting on a fresh pair of clothes, Alex finally exited the room.

    "Come on in."

    As Meiya and Katherine both entered the room again, there was a clear awkwardness in the room.

    "Ahem, let''s just pretend that never happened... Anyway, Alex, can you help us with something?''

    "What is it?"

    Seeing the two having to plead for his help out of all people, Alex was a little intrigued.

    "Do you want me to say it, or do you want to say it yourself? " Katherine asked as she looked over to Meiya.

    "I''ll say it..."

    "Okay, then I''m going to go cook dinner."

    After Katherine left the room, Meiya and Alex sat down on the bed and looked over at each other.

    "Alex, I want you to help my daughter."

    "Help?"

    "Yes, help... Katherine and I had been trying to make her more active. You had her as a teacher today, right?"

    Alex nodded as he could still remember the tiring exercise just less than a few hours ago.

    "That''s one step of our n in making Qingqing more independent. She''s going to have her job first.

    Then, she''ll start caring for people as students rather than as her superiors.

    Eventually, our n is for her to start thinking for herself instead. Do you see what I am trying to do?"

    Alex nodded again as he knew exactly what she was trying to imply.

    It was trying to change a person''s worldviewpletely, from serving others to a more usual, self-interest mindset.

    "What can I do to help you guys?"

    "Just act like usual. You don''t really need to do anything... But try to lead her to think for herself."

    The abstract answer made Alex a little confused, but he nevertheless nodded in agreement.

    "Did you guys tell my sisters yet?"

    "Not yet... Katherine said it''s best to keep those two in the dark since they can''t keep a secret well."

    Without even thinking, Alex agreed with her statement, as the two had been very bad at keeping secrets.

    "Okay. I''ll try my best to help her with that..."

    "Thank you."

    As the two sat on the bed in silence, a slight hint of red appeared on Meiya''s face before she got up from the bed.

    "I''m going to go help Katherine."

    Watching her leave the room, Alex considered all the different ways he could help their n.

    But for some reason, his mind was telling him just to be straightforward with Luqing.

    "I can''t do that... That is too big of a risk that I''m not allowed to take. They are the ones who should be allowed to confess or not."

    As Alex excited his bedroom, he could hear chattering from inside Sophia''s bedroom.

    He didn''t think much of it as he headed towards the living room before arriving in the storage room.

    To his surprise, Luqing was in her pajamas, sitting right next to the backyard entrance.

    Seeing her staring ahead and looking a little zoned out, Alex slowly approached her before sitting down.

    "Something in your mind?" Alex curiously asked as she finally snapped back to the moment.

    "Yeah... I was just thinking about what you said earlier."

    As Alex thought back to what Meiya had said to him, an idea popped into his head.

    "Maybe you became a teacher because mom thought you''re qualified for it."

    "Me? How?"

    Luqing finally turned her head towards Alex, her face looking a little curious at his suggestion.

    "I mean, who else can teach the ss how to train their body? You''re like the perfect candidate for it."

    "But why does a mage need to have a stronger body? Wouldn''t it be better for you all to be learning in ss?"

    Alex thought for a second, then came up with an answer.

    "Well, people can''t really focus in ss for the entire day. I know so many people in ss just doze off halfway.

    I sometimes get a little bored listening to Miss Amy exin the textbook for hours on end.

    It''s kind of nice to have something else other than just learning magic... Besides, why not have a stronger body?"

    Seeing her looking a little convinced, Alex continued.

    "Who said mages have to be physically weak? Physical training can train our minds and will.

    It''s not like it''s just training our bodies, either. I can feel I can meditate better while my body feels more exhausted."

    After a short silence, Luqing finally spoke up again.

    "Thank you, Alex... You really helped me a lot." Luqing said as she slowly got up from the ledge.

    "No problem. I''m here to talk if you have any problems."

    ---

    The next day...

    As Katherine woke up early to make breakfast, she was surprised to see that Luqing woke up even earlier.

    With all the breakfast already on the table, Katherine couldn''t help but feel relief for not needing to cook breakfast.

    But at the same time, it raised the rm inside her head, as their n to have Luqing not serve people was under attack.

    "Good morning... Katherine." Luqing said as she stuttered for a second to avoid calling her title.

    "Good morning Luqing. Thanks for cooking breakfast today. I really appreciate it."

    Luqing didn''t say anything as she instinctively moved to the side before realizing she was supposed to sit down.

    "Luqing, you can start eating. You don''t have to wait for me... I''m usually kind of full in the morning."

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    This time, Luqing didn''t reject Katherine''s suggestion.

    She grabbed a piece of bread before ripping it into small pieces and putting it into her mouth.

    "I''ll go wake them up."

    As Katherine headed back into the hallway, Luqing''s eyes were staring at the piece of bread before her.

    Even though her hands were feeding the bread to her mouth, her mind was on apletely different topic.

    "How do I make effective physical training?" Luqing thought to herself as she continued to rip the bread.

    By the time Katherine came out with Sophia and Alex, Luqing had finally snapped out of her thoughts.

    "Good morning, Luqing¡ª¡ª"

    "Call her Miss Luqing. If I heard you call her Luqing, I''m going to put you into manner training."

    "Okay, okay..."

    Seeing Katherine staring right into her face, Sophia reluctantly changed her address for Luqing.

    "Good morning Miss Luqing..."

    "Katherine, you don''t really need to¡ª¡ª"

    "If they call you Luqing, what does that make me? Come on, Luqing, we are in the same age group.

    We can''t let these youngsters call us by our first name just like that. Manners exist for a reason.

    Sophia is old enough to learn this. She has to get rid of this careless, bad habit of hers."

    "Katherine is right. Luqing, you really shouldn''t have people a lot younger just call you by name."

    Meiya chimed in as she finally woke up from her sleep and came out of her bedroom.

    Luqing only silently nodded, taking in the advice that the two had told her as Sophia murmured something in her breath.

    "Stupid manners."

    "What did you say?" Katherine asked as she overheard her voice.

    "Nothing!"

    "What are you guys talking about?" Mary curiously asked as she came out of the hallway and sat down in her seat.

    "Mary, Alex, you two are going to call Luqing by Miss. Do you understand me?"

    Seeing Alex nodding like crazy, Mary didn''t hesitate and nodded in agreement despite not knowing what happened.

    "Thank god I didn''t say good morning earlier..." Alex thought to himself as he began to eat the breakfast on the table.

    After everyone had finished eating breakfast, Mary suddenly stopped just as they were about to leave for school.

    "Mom! Where''s the milk that you promised us?"

    Hearing Mary mention it, Alex also realized they hadn''t drunk it for a long time.

    Meanwhile, Sophia''s face was smiling as if she was just waiting for a perfect moment to strike.

    "Yeah, Mom, where''s the milk? I thought you brought a lot of them home, right?"

    "I... I have to throw them out since they expired. I''ll go buy them right after you guys go to school."

    "Thank you, Mom!"

    As Mary happily left the house with her sibling and Luqing, Katherine''s face blushed more and more red.

    "What kind of milk is it? Where is it from?"

    Meiya curiously asked, as she could tell all three of her kids seemed to really want it.

    "I-It''s a special milk from the west¡ª¡ªI mean the east. Yeah, the east..."

    "Really? Can I try some of it? You can take the cost out of my sry if it costs a lot..."

    With more questions being thrown at her, Katerine was forced to fabricate more lies to cover up the truth.

    Eventually, she threw out a trump card that ended Meiya''s attempt to have a taste of it herself.

    "Only kids can drink it. It''s dangerous to cultivator since it''s processed with mana inside."

 Chapter 88: The Second Day

    Back at school...

    As the four of them entered the ssroom, there were still ten minutes left before ss started.

    But this time, there was an extra seat next to Amy, who signaled Luqing toe over and sit next to her.

    Luqing looked over to Alex, who didn''t react to it at all as he sat down in his seat.

    Sophia and Mary were doing the same, so Luqing decided to head over to Amy to sit down next to her.

    "Good morning, Amy."

    "Good morning, Luqing."

    With everyone in the ssroom, Amy began the ss a little early as she walked up to the podium.

    "Good morning everyone. I hope you all spent your time well with Miss Luqing.

    Did any of them misbehave or anything? You don''t have to protect them. I''ll carry out the punishment myself."

    Seeing Luqign shaking her head, all of the kids let out a sigh of relief.

    "That''s good. Ahem, then let''s start the ss."

    As Amy began to write on the ckboard, Luqing took out a nk paper from her backpack.

    "Today, I will be exining why mana reacts differently with certain metals..."

    The lecture sounds didn''t distract Luqing a single bit as she started to write a detailed n she had in mind sincest night.

    By the time lunchtime had arrived, her notebook was already full of words and pictures.

    "Luqing, do you want to go to the teacher cafeteria together? We can chat for a bit about the ss."

    Once again, Luqing looked over to the three kids as if she were asking permission from them.

    However, none of them reacted as they all left with Sophia''s friend to go to the cafeteria.

    "Sure."

    ---

    As Alex followed Sophia and Chloe to the cafeteria, his mind was thinking about the ss lecture.

    Specifically, I will discuss the conductivity of rare metals and the reasoning behind why magic wands exist.

    Even though Katherine had already brought various magical equipment for them, all of them were locked behind a level 3 mage.

    "Alex, you there?" Camille asked after noticing him not ordering any food as they sat down.

    "Yeah, I''m here.."

    As Alex opened the menu and began ordering the food, his sister and the other four had already finished ordering.

    "Sophia, finish the story already!" Evelynn impatiently asked, with the other three all demanding the same.

    "Okay, okay, I''ll continue with the story..."

    While Sophia began recounting what happened during thepetition, Alex''s attention was drawn to the poster on the wall.

    It was a poster with a recruitment letter for the engineering club.

    Even though it said the word ''engineering,'' the infographic showed summoned golems with a ton of lines.

    Combined with what Miss Amy had taught today, with conductivity, a strong memory hit him right in the head.

    The lines in the picture looked almost exactly like those on aputer''s motherboard, with a core that represented the OS system.

    There were even modules attached that reminded him of RAM and CPU to the golem''s function.

    It was almost as if this world had gone apletely haywire route withputing.

    Still, Alex knew he was in no position to join any clubs, at least not yet, considering his low level.

    He needed to focus on making himself stronger first before he could pursue his ''interest'' in experimental stuff.

    "Alex? Alex? Alex! Your food is here."

    Mary waved her hands before him, snapping him out of his thoughts again as he apologized.

    After getting the food from the robot tray, Alex didn''t zone out this time as he focused on eating the food.

    "And you all wouldn''t believe thest fight with the archmage. It''s the most crazy story you guys would ever hear.

    The three of usbined our mana to cause a small wind distraction to bring Miss Meiya just a fraction of a second to help us win."

    "I don''t believe it." Luna instantly argued, with Evelynn on the same page.

    "I can see it happening... My mom always said never underestimate any spells that could affect a battle."

    Chloe''s argument was fully supported by Camille, who seemed to have a simr experience with the weak winning over a stronger opponent.

    "Well, believe it or not. That''s how we won the tournament. Whatever you believe in doesn''t change the oue."

    As Sophia finished telling her story, the bell rang, forcing them all to grab their backpack and head back to ss.

    ---

    When everyone was back in the ssroom, Amy and Luqing arrived five minutes after ss time.

    "Ahem, I will resume exining the lecture. You all will have your Physical Education ss tomorrow."

    The moment Amy said it out loud, all of the students let out a sigh of relief, which surprised her a little.

    Usually, all the students wanted out of her ss, at least during the boring lectures that had nob sses with real magic.

    However, seeing all of them clearly wanting to learn, Amy didn''t hesitate to begin writing on the ckboard.

    Meanwhile, Luqing was sitting in the same ce with a new notebook that Amy had given to her.

    Inside was a detailed n where she and Amy had set up the schedule of the ss.

    She had Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, all in the afternoon, as her ss time to teach.

    The rest of the time was still all for Amy to teach, leaving Luqing with around 30% of the ss time.

    Besides the schedule, Amy also got a little curious about Luqing''s rtionship with the three siblings.

    From the beginning to the end, everyone in the ss could tell the four had some sort of connection.

    Luqing didn''t bother hiding it as she told her straightforwardly that she had been hired as a bodyguard for the three kids.

    The only thing she left out was her working as a maid for Katherine''s family.

    For some reason, her mind didn''t want to tell her about it, almost as if she felt her old job was inappropriate for a teacher.

    "Alex, can I borrow a pen? My pen ran out of ink." Chloe whispered.

    "Sure."

    As Alex handed Chloe a pen, an idea for exercise popped up in Luqing''s mind.

    Not wanting to lose the inspiration, she immediately added it to her list of activities for the ss.

    By the time the ss had ended, Luqing had written two pages full of ideas for her uing ss tomorrow.

    ---

    When the four had returned home, Katherine and Meiya were both sitting in the living room.

    "Wee back."

    "Mom, is dinner ready yet?"

    Sophia asked as the three of them threw their backpack onto the rack before copsing onto the sofa.

    "It''s only five o''clock. Why would I cook dinner this early?" Katherine questioned.

    "But I''m so hungry! Mom, please! Mary, you''re hungry too, right?"

    Seeing Mary nodding in agreement with Sophia, Katherine finally budged to their demands.

    "Fine..."

    As Katherine headed inside the kitchen, Meiya''s attention was solely on Luqing.

    "How was your ss today?"

    "I didn''t need to teach today. Me and Amy had lunch together to set up to have me teach on the evening of the odd days."

    "That''s nice of her. Sound like you are getting well with your new coworker..."

    As the two ran out of topics to discuss, Alex suddenly asked a question of his own.

    "Luqing, what were you writing in ss today? You don''t have to say it if it is a secret."

    "It''s the exercises that I had nned for you guys... Mom, can you have a look at it?"

    "Sure."

    As Luqing took her notebook out of her backpack and flipped to the right page, all three of the kids became curious.

    But none of them got up from their sofas, as it was clearly intended to be a secret.

    "These are pretty nice exercising... But I think this would be more appropriate..."

    Watching Luqing and Meiya talk back and forth about the ss, Alex couldn''t help but smile.

    It was clear that Katherine''s idea of having Luqing as a teacher was working perfectly.

    At least in terms of seeing Meiya and Luqing both getting closer together.

    "I''m going to go take a shower first, Mom!" Sophia and Mary yelled as they ran towards the room.

    "You two better hurry! The food is almost done."

    Seeing everyone having things to do, Alex''s mind was more happy than ever.

    He wishes he could just capture this peaceful moment in life, but unfortunately, the day has to continue.

    As Katherine carried the te full of food onto the table, the two were still far from finishing showering.

    "These two idiots... Always asking for food but nevering in time." Katherine murmured, her face looking more and more grumpy.

    "Alex, you hungry yet?"

    "Not really... I''ll eatter."

    As Alex closed his eyes to enter a mediation state, Katherine turned her attention over to the other two.

    "Meiya, Luqing, do you two want to eat dinner?''

    "Sure."

    The two quickly closed the notebook before getting up and heading over to the dining table.

 Chapter 89: Back on Track

    As Alex woke up from the bed the next day, his eyes were full of dark circles again.

    Even though he had reached his goal of being a level 2 mage, Sarah didn''t give him any breaks in his training.

    What was more unfortunate and fortunately at the same time was the schedule she gave her.

    He finally didn''t have to guess when Sarah would show up, as she announced the days he didn''t exercise would be the day.

    "Alex, you okay?"

    Katherine worriedly asked as she started to get a little worried about his health.

    "I''m fine. I just didn''t well yesterday..."

    After everyone had finished eating lunch, the three kids, along withLuqing, headed out for school.

    ---

    As the four of them entered the ssroom, they were much earlier this time as only half the ss was in.

    By the time Miss Amy walked in, everyone was in the ss, allowing her to start teaching right away.

    With the morning lecture done, it was lunchtime.

    Alex once again sat down next to his sisters, eating his food in mostly silence as he spent half of his time hitting magic books from home.

    Nobody bothered him until the lunch break ended, causing him to head back to the ss with everyone else.

    In the afternoon, Miss Amy only taught for an hour before handing the ss over to Luqing.

    With two hours of ss left, everyone prepared themselves for the uing struggle, which had made their muscles still sore.

    To their surprise, Luqing brought them out to the track and didn''t tell them to run around it.

    Instead, they were only required to do some stretches and stand still underneath the sun.

    Unfortunately, after standing for ten minutes, they were given the assignment to run the track.

    However, they only had to run it twice, which is much less than what she assignedst time with the nineps.

    "Okay, good job everyone. Let''s all go back to the ssroom."

    Everyone was a little shocked, as they were only out for just an hour, with two hours of ss remaining.

    Still, nobody questioned her choices, as they were more than happy to head home to escape the burning sun.

    "Ahem, by the beginning of next week, I want to see you all wear short-sleeved shirts and shorts to ss."

    "Huh?"

    Just as the entire ss sat down in their seat, they were shocked by Luqing''s announcement.

    "You guys can''t exercise in long sleeves and long pants like these. It''s just way too hot.

    I don''t want you guys to fall into a heat stroke, and it''s too hard to see your faces outside in a robe."

    "But Miss Luqing, wearing a robe outdoors is a tradition and rule at this point¡ª¡ª"

    "What rule? I don''t remember seeing it in the rulebook that Amy gave me... Or perhaps you''re the principal?"

    The student that spoke out immediately shook his head and sat back down in his seat.

    "Anyway, just make sure you are dressed to exercise on Friday. ss dismissed."

    Although most of the ss was still thinking about the announcement, they all immediately rushed out like there was no tomorrow.

    "Luqing, why didn''t you tell us¡ª¡ª"

    "Ahem."

    Alex interrupted Mary as he cleared his throat, as a few of their ssmate were still in the ss.

    "Sorry."

    Mary quickly shut her mouth, even though Luqing didn''t mind it at all, sitting down in her seat with her notebook in hand.

    After the ss was now mostly empty, Alex and Luqing were forced to stay.

    Sophia and Mary just kept on chatting with their four friends until Camille finally decided to bring something up.

    "You guys want to go meditate?"

    "We''re good for now... We just reached level 2 mage recently."

    As soon as Sophia said it out loud, all four of her friend''s jaw dropped.

    "What! How? Mary, too?" Evelyn asked in shock as she looked over to Mary

    "Yep. And Alex as well."

    "No way!"

    Camille instantly rejected the thought of it happening, as she and Alex had always been the bottom buddies in the ss.

    At the same time, it sowed a seed inside her heart to catch back up to him.

    "Well, believe it or not.Anyway, I''m going to go back home now. Good luck in your studies."

    All four looked jealous as the three of them left the ssroom, with Luqing following right behind.

    "We can''t let them beat us." Evelyn dered, with Luna and Camille both nodding.

    "Um... I''m also a level 2 mage..." Chloe whispered.

    "You too? God damn it, I thought everyone was enjoying their winter break instead of studying."

    Chloe didn''t say anything back to Camille as she awkwardly swirled her hair before following the three toward the training district.

    ---

    The rest of the week went by quickly as nothing exciting happened, with everything seemingly back on track.

    The only thing that stood out was Katherine finally brought back the milk for them to drink in the morning.

    To Alex''s confusion, she also insisted that he drink a ss of milk before he slept.

    When he asked why, the only reason she gave was that it could help him sleep better, which was never going to work.

    Besides that, Luqing and Meiya both went out on some sort of trip over the weekend.

    As Monday morning finally arrived, Katherine and Meiya were both standing by the door.

    All three of the kids, along with Luqing, were right at the door entrance, and both parents were checking up on their children.

    "Okay, you guys brought your gym clothes, right?"

    "Mom, you said that for the fifth time already. Yes, we brought it in our backpack." Sophia impatiently answered.

    "Luqing, are you sure you don''t want to bring your gym clothes?" Meiya asked.

    "Mom... I''m the teacher. I don''t need to exercise," Luqing murmured, wearing a T-shirt and long track pants.

    "Okay then. See you allter!"

    As the two mothers waved goodbye to the four of them, they couldn''t help but smile when they were out of sight.

    "They''re finally out of the house..." Katherine murmured as she closed the door.

    "Yeah... Ahem, what do you want to do today? The usual or something else?"

    "How about just the usual?"

    "Sure."

    Within the blink of an eye, a dark cloud surrounded the two mothers, blocking anyone from seeing them.

    By the time the cloud had dissipated, the two had vanished from thin air.

    ---

    Meanwhile, back in the school...

    "Okay, everyone. This Thursday, there will be a mid-term exam to recap everything we have learned from the year."

    As soon as Miss Amy announced it out loud, the entire ss let out a sigh, including Alex.

    "Quiet. I don''t want to hear anyints. You all should be happy you got me as your teacher."

    "Why?" One of the students whispered from the back, hiding themselves in the crowd.

    "Because all the other sses already had two midterms before the break. You all should be thankful that I''m only doing one this year."

    Even though all of the kids knew what Miss Amy said was true, they still disliked the idea of the test.

    "Also, make sure you havepleted all the arena challenges for level 1 mage before the end of the year.

    It will factor in if you get to move up a grade or not... I really don''t want to see any of you retain a year."

    Everyone in the ss immediately focused up, as if what she had just said out loud intimidated them a little.

    Their minds were filled with the idea of being embarrassed in front of everyone because they had failed the ss.

    "Ahem, time for a lecture... Today, I''ll be starting a new unit with mathematics."

    As soon as Miss Amy said it out loud, half the ss let out a sigh before their mouth suddenly couldn''t open anymore.

    "Anyone that talks today one more time will be muted for the ss period..."

    The warning worked as the only sound in the ssroom was her chalk marking on the ckboard.

    All the people who could talk remained silent, with all the talkative people''s mouths having their lips taped together.

    "I''m going to start from the beginning to make sure everyone is caught up..."

    Two and a half hourster...

    As lunchtime finally arrived, half of the ss was scratching their head in confusion.

    Meanwhile, the other half was bored out of their mind, as all the stuff was just old reviews.

    No one was more bored than Alex, as the ss almost felt like basic middle school learning Algebra for the first time.

    The fact that the concept of variable confused them and took almost five minutes to exin just drained all of his energy.

    He t out took out a book and started reading it, which Miss Amy allowed as half of the ss did the same.

    However, just as Alex got a little bored and decided to lean down on the desk, Miss Amy immediately woke him up.

    "No sleeping in my ss!"

 Chapter 90: Gym Cloths and Duo Partners

    After the morning ss ended, everyone began to head towards the cafeteria for lunch.

    "Sophia, Mary, what clothes did you bring for the PE ss?" Evelyn curiously asked as they sat down in the cafeteria.

    "We just brought a pair of gym shorts and a T-shirt... What did you all bring?"

    "We have the same thing," Evelyn replied, with Luna nodding in agreement.

    As the four turned towards Camille and Chloe, they both seemed a little hesitant to say their answer.

    "Camille, what did you bring?" Sophia asked directly.

    "Um... I-I don''t think I''m going to wear shorts." Camille nervously stated.

    "What! But didn''t you pack your shorts into your backpack?" Luna argued, as she still remembers seeing it in the dorm this morning.

    "Yeah, why are you so shy about it? I''m pretty sure everyone is doing it."

    "B-But... It feels so embarrassing to have your legs fully exposed in public."

    "Come on, what are you? Some old fashion noble? People wore shorts in the capital all the time."

    Evelyn''s point made Camille fall into silence, leading the four of them to look over to Chloe.

    "How about you, Chloe? You''re wearing it or not?"

    "I... I''m just going to wear a pair of track pants underneath... I don''t really feel hot when running."

    "Whatever. You two are no fun... Alex, what are you wearing?" Evelyn asked.

    "Same as Sophia."

    "Look, even an eight-year-old boy is braver than you two. And you all can''t stand to¡ª¡ª"

    "Ahem, Evelyn, focus on the food. We need to change before lunch break ends."

    The table fell into silence for the rest of the lunch break as everyone was rushing all the food as fast as they could. Discover more stories at m,v l''e-NovelBin

    By the time they headed to the restroom to change, there were still ten minutes before the ss started.

    "Damn, Sophia, you look so good... And Mary, too."

    Lunaplimented as she noticed the two of them were already waiting outside.

    "Thank you... Yours look great, too."

    After waiting for a bit, Evelyn came out of the restroom, followed by Alex from the other restroom.

    "Alex, what do you think of my shirt and shorts?"

    Evelyn suddenly asked as she moved a little closer, clearly trying to tease him a little.

    "Your clothes look great," Alex answered as he took a step back, moving behind Sophia as a shield.

    "What''s taking those two so long?" Mary murmured as Camille and Chloe still showed no signs ofing out.

    Just as Evelyn was about to go back in to check, one of them finally came out of the bathroom.

    The moment the person stepped out, all four of them werepletely surprised by what Camille was wearing.

    She had clearly changed her n at thest second, choosing to wear a shirt and shorts like the rest of them.

    However, this wasn''t what surprised everyone.

    Instead, it was her shorts that were tightly pressing onto her thighs, giving it a sharp contrast that made it much more alluring.

    Not to mention, her assets in the front made all of the girls nearby look in shame.

    "C-Camile?"

    Mary asked as she couldn''t believe how mature Camille looked underneath her usually oversized clothes.

    "H-Hey..."

    Seeing Camille looking so shy and embarrassed, everyone couldn''t help but feel they were seeing apletely different side of her.

    "Why are you all looking at me like this? Did I put my clothes on the wrong way or something?"

    "No. You just look so different... I never knew you looked so much older than us."

    "I mean, I''m only half human. I aged a little bit faster than you guys." Camille stated as she returned to her usual tone.

    "Yeah, but Luna and I are both older than you... There''s no way you''re only eleven.

    I don''t believe it. This has to be fake¡ª¡ª"

    As Evelyn moved closer to attempt to grab onto Camille''s body, her hands were instantly yanked to the side.

    "Let me go!"

    "I''m not going to let go until you give up trying to touch me." Camille threaten.

    "Fine... I promise I won''t do it."

    After the promise, Camille let Evelyn go freely, only to have her slowly sneak up from behind.

    "Ah!"

    Camille''s scream echoed through the hallway as Evelyn squeezed the two soft melons.

    "Woah, this really is real... Oh, snap!"

    Within seconds, Evelyln bolted out of the hallway with Camille in close pursuit, her face blushing red in embarrassment and anger.

    "Why did my sister do that?" Luna facepalmed, as she had already predicted it in her head.

    "Evelyn... Ahem, I''ll go in and check Chloe¡ª¡ª"

    Just as Sophia was about to go inside the women''s restroom, Chloe finally exited the restroom.

    "Hey..."

    "C-Chloe?"

    All three of them were in shock, as Chloe had chosen to abandon her human disguise.

    Her long, sharp ears were on full disy, with her pale skin and golden blond hair reflecting underneath the sunlight.

    The in T-shirt and shorts,bined with her posture, gave off an elegant yet energetic look at the same time.

    "You sure you don''t need to hide your ears at least?" Sophia raised her concern.

    "It''s fine... I only hide it to draw attention away from me. But it seems like most people don''t care anyway."

    Sophia wanted to argue back, but remembering all the elves she had seen in the capital and school, she changed her mind.

    "Okay, let''s go back to ss before we are toote." Alex reminded.

    ---

    When they arrived in the ssroom, they were just in time, as Luqing had just returned with Amy from their lunch break.

    "Ahem, let''s resume going back to mathematics..."

    An hourter...

    "Anyway, that''s thest thing about basic algebra. Tomorrow, I''ll have a ss quiz to make sure everyone understands it."

    As Miss AMy left the ss before anyone couldin, Luqing was up next as she stepped to the front.

    "Thank you all for showing up in the clothes I asked... There are a few exceptions, but I''ll allow it for today.

    Today, we''ll be doing something slightly different: using our minds together as one."

    Luqing''s words made everyone a little confused until she told everyone to get into one group.

    Alex immediately turned his attention to Chloe, his seating mate, since Justin left the ss.

    "Partners?" Alex asked.

    "Sure."

    As the two looked behind them, Sophia and Mary had both made a group together.

    Evelyn and Luna also formed a group, and everyone else formed a group of their own.

    Camille was the only one left out because the ss was an odd number, sitting alone in the back.

    "Ahem, Camille, can youe up? I want to be my demonstrate partner."

    After Camile walked all the way up to the front, Luqing took out a long piece of cloth.

    With more and more out of her backpack, she began having a few students in the front to begin passing it out.

    Seeing every pair with a piece of cloth in hand, Luqing made everyone get in a single file line.

    As soon as they stepped out of the ssroom, everyone could feel the staresing from the other sses.

    None of them were positive, with some t-outughing at the weird punishment their ss was facing.

    "Okay, everyone, please tie your partner''s shoe with your shoe and the piece of cloth that was just handed out."

    Everyone was a little confused, but they quickly copied what Luqing did to her and Camille''s shoes.

    "Everyone has their shoes tied?"

    With everyone nodding in agreement, Luqing finally began the next part of the ss.

    "Now, walk or run around the track one time. I will be demonstrating how it is done..."

    As Luqing and Camille slowly began walking towards the track, they still almost tripped several times from one of them walking too fast.

    Eventually, the two made it to the track, getting used to each other''s patterns as they finally began walking the track.

    After finishing the entire loop, the two returned to the front without breaking any sweat.

    In everyone''s mind, it barely looked like a challenge at all, considering how easy it had be after they got used to it.

    "Now you all do the same... Whoever goes the fastest will be granted a free day this Wednesday."

    Within seconds, several of the pairs immediately took off, only to trip the other person t onto the floor.

    "What the hell!"

    "Sorry."

    As some of the pairs started ming each other, the other half of the ss was slowly walking towards the track with their partner.

    This included Alex and Chloe, who were still trying to get used to the other person''s walking speed first.

    After repeating the right steps back and forth, everyone in the ss was getting used to the other person by this point.

    Some even began to speed up, only to be forced to slow down after one of them couldn''t keep up.

    "Chloe, do you want me to slow down?"

    Alex asked, noticing that her legs were starting to lose their pace and her body was starting to lean too forward.

    "Sorry for dragging you down..." Chloe apologized as almost a third of the ss was ahead of them.

    "Don''t worry about it."

 Chapter 91: School Principals Challenge

    Just as Alex expected, they only made it to 8th ce, which wasn''t even that bad, with seven more pairs behind them.

    But what surprised him was that Sophia and Mary got second, being the only girls to reach the top four.

    "Miss Luqing, what''s the point in this?" One of the students asked, with most of the ss having the same sentiment.

    "It''s to help you all understand teamwork... It may seem unimportant now, but Amy told me it''s super important for mages.

    I hope you all take this seriously. I''m not going to babysit you all... Anyone who refuses to work with their partner will be reported."

    Within seconds, half of the ss who reached the bottom half blushed red in embarrassment.

    They were the ones who carelessly tried to run and made their partner trip, with some almost boiling into fights.

    "Luqing speaks like Miss Amy so much," Alex thought to himself as he noticed her tone shift.

    "Everyone. Three moreps before you all can be untied. Last ce will suffer the consequences!"

    This time, everyone was much faster than before, partially because of the experience and teamwork they already had.

    But more so from her sudden outburst that distilled fear into everyone''s mind.

    "Chloe, I''m going to speed up a little, okay?'' Alex warned as he began to move his steps faster and faster.

    "Okay."

    As the two began to speed up, they were rtively safe in the seventh ce.

    Still, their speedwalking was nowhere near as fast as everyone in front of them, who kept a rtively steady pace.

    Suddenly, just as they got to the secondp of the track, Chloe started to slow down drastically.

    "You okay?" Alex worryingly asked as people began to pass them.

    "My legs are a little sore. Sorry..."

    Alex didn''t say anything as he slowed down.

    He could feel that his walking had tripled the amount of steps needed for oneppared to just walking alone.

    Seeing more and more people pass them, it became obvious that they were going to reachst at this point.

    "Chloe, can you hold onto my arm?" Alex suddenly asked.

    Within seconds, she made her decision, grabbing his arm and letting him do the heavy lifting.

    Their cement began rapidly improving as they went fromst ce back to 10th ce.

    Even though they were nowhere near where they used to be, they were at least safe enough away from thest ce.

    "Alex..."

    "Don''t worry about me. I''m fine."

    Seeing his breath start to get heavier and heavier as he tried to keep the right pace while maintaining his posture motivated her.

    Chloe finally started moving faster on her own, allowing Alex to ease up a little as he no longer had to slow down a little constantly.

    With the secondp done, they were now on the finalp as Alex and Chloe both strengthened their resolve.

    However, everyone was trying their best to win.

    The people in the back began to attempt running again, ignoring their lesson from earlier as passed Alex and Chloe.

    However, they were met with the harsh reality of the floor as soon as they reached the second corner of the track.

    Several people who were running immediately went back to walking, ying it safe as thest ce was now clearly determined.

    At the same time, everyone in front of Alex was starting to slow down, as it was now safe to resume walking normally.

    However, just as most people reached thest turn of the track, a strong wind suddenly blew across it.

    Even the trees just a few steps from the track were angled backward by the strong wind.

    "Ah!¡ª¡ªOuch!"

    With more and more people falling onto the track, Alex quickly grabbed onto Chloe, forcing her to stand still with him.

    Meanwhile, everyone who hasn''t fallen in front could barely advance any further.

    They couldn''t even open their eyes and look forward as the piercing wind was burning their eyes.

    The people who tripped earlier also started getting back up, catching up to those who had fallen.

    Just as Luqing was about to intervene, a voice suddenly appeared above them.

    "Miss Luqing, let these students try to finish the track themselves."

    As a middle-aged man descended from the sky, everyone was shocked.

    It was the school principal who had shown himself in front of the entire school building a few days before the winter break.

    With no intervention from Luqing, everyone bit their lips as they got back onto their feet and tried to advance.

    But the strong, constant wind blowing against their path just made it almost feel impossible.

    Some t-out untied their clothes and started trying to advance by themselves, only to be blown off of the track.

    "Who told you all that you can untie the clothes?" The middle-aged man asked out loud.

    The rest of the ss, who was still on the track, remained silent as they tried their best to move forward.

    Some were quick to realize hunching down made it much easier, with the 1st ce now only less than a hundred steps from the finish line.

    Alex and Luqing were no exception as they hunched down and started moving forward slowly.

    "Chloe, you okay?" Alex asked, noticing her legs starting to tremble.

    "I-I''m too exhausted. I don''t think I can go on anymore¡ª¡ª"

    "You''reing with me. We can''t just give up now!"

    As Alex tried to yell through her in the wind, it was clear she was just too tired to advance any further.

    "Fuck! Just sit down for a bit. I''lle up with an idea."

    As the two of them sat down on the track, everyone was still advancing before them.

    Soon, they had be thest ce as everyone had officially passed the two, with all of them reaching thest corner.

    However, seeing the first-ce pair now crawling to advance thest fifty steps, it was clear there was plenty of time.

    "Chloe, you feel better now?" Alex asked as the two had been sitting for almost a minute.

    "Y-Yeah. I think I can walk again now."

    Alex helped Chloe slowly get back up into a hunching position as they advanced at a steady pace.

    But just as they passed around thest corner themselves, the wind became drastically stronger, forcing them to fall just like everyone else.

    However, the crawling was much more painful than Alex imagined, as the small stic-like material was printing onto their arms and knees.

    "Alex, I''m just too tired. I''m sorry..."

    Seeing Chloe on the verge of tears as she sat down on the floor, Alex stopped as well.

    "It''s fine. Those people who got knocked out are already inst ce... I''m happy to be a partner with you, Chloe."

    "Same to you."

    As the two sat down on the track, seemingly giving up, the people ahead were still trying to beat the challenge.

    Evelyn and Luna had seemingly given up, however, as they sat just a few steps ahead of them.

    Meanwhile, Sophia and Mary were in 3rd ce, trying to pass the two pairs ahead of them.

    They were slowly advancing, partially standing up and partially with their hands on the floor.

    It almost looked like a resemnce of an Ape advancing,pared to the snail crawling at 1st and 2nd ce.

    Seeing their ssmate trying so hard, Alex felt he just couldn''t give up like this.

    But looking over to Chloe, who still looked exhausted, he quickly dismissed the idea.

    He didn''t want to hurt her for just pointless cement that wouldn''t make a difference anyway.

    However, as he watched Sophia and Mary advance closer and closer to the 2nd ce, an idea began to form inside his head.

    Not wanting to let go of his chance, he turned over to Chloe again.

    "Hey Chloe, you want to try something that will allow us to reach 1st ce?"

    "What?"

    "I said, do you want to try something that will allow us to get 1st? Just don''t question how I do it."

    Chloe waspletely caught off guard by Alex''s suggestion, but she nodded in agreement in the end.

    "Okay, just don''t move until I told you so..."

    As Alex reached over to her shoe, he grabbed onto the cloth tie, moving it up all the way to her knee.

    Next, he moved the tie-up to his knee as well, forcing their thighs to be together instead of their shoes.

    "Alex... What are you doing?"

    Chloe asked as her face started to blush a little, but she didn''t stop him from doing it.

    "Don''t question it. I think this is going to work... Okay, I need you to hold around my shoulder and use your knee to wrap around me, okay?"

    As Alex slowly turned around, Chloe was instantly dragged around to his back by the cloth tie.

    It was finally clear to Chloe what Alex was trying to do as he lowered himself before her.

    "Come on, we can''t waste any more time."

 Chapter 92: The Race and The Winner

    Chloe quickly leaned onto Alex''s back before grabbing right below his neck.

    At the same time, Alex quickly grabbed onto Chloe''s leg, letting it wrap around as he began advancing. Your next read awaits at m v|l-e''-NovelBin

    To Chloe''s surprise, they were slowly making progress, slowly catching up to the pair in front of them.

    With more and more progress made by Alex, he was rapidly passing more and more people.

    Some began to catch on as they copied Alex, only to be knocked out of the track.

    Still, everyone''s attention was on the 1st and 2nd ce, who were now just within five steps away from winning.

    Even though it was just a few steps, it was almost an invisible barrier that stopped both pairs from moving.

    The perfect timing allowed Alex to jump all the way to third ce, and he was within ten steps of winning.

    "Alex, y-you okay?'' Chloe worryingly asked as she noticed a vein popping on Alex''s forehead.

    "I''m fine. Don''t move... I need you to stay on top of me, or else I''m going to get blown away."

    Feeling the strong wind blowing right into her face, Chloe knew what Alex was saying was true.

    But she just couldn''t help but feel like a burden to Alex, as all she had been doing was just lying on his back.

    "Fuck, this wind is so damn strong!" Alex murmured as he tried to take one step forward, only to be blown two steps back.

    With more and more steps back, Chloe finally couldn''t sit idly by as she started murmuring some words.

    Suddenly, Alex could feel a rush of energy, allowing him to advance as he took one step at a time forcefully.

    Against all odds, he finally takes second ce, surpassing Sophia and Nami, who are shocked to see the two ahead of them.

    In everyone''s view, Alex was now the dark horse who had juste out of nowhere from the bottom.

    The dark horse was now two steps away from surpassing 1st ce and three steps total away from the finish line.

    However, Alex soon realized why the 1st ce hadn''t made the final step to end the match.

    They could almost feel themselves levitating the moment they raised one foot to go forward.

    "What do we do? They are about to pass us!"

    "Shit!"

    The first-ce pair quickly noticed Xiaoyun on the left, which caused them to start panicking and fall into despair, as they couldn''t move at all.

    With the biggest gamble of the match, they abandoned their crawling and inching forward strategy.

    Instead, they lunged up and forward from their crawling position to try to touch the finish line.

    But within milliseconds of getting into the air, they were blown back several steps away, neutralizing their jumping speedpletely.

    Sophia and Mary quickly filled in the gap as they reached a tie with Alex, who was one step away from the finish line.

    "Chloe, I''m going to do something stupid. Can I try it?" Alex asked out loud as the wind started to make their sounds hard to hear.

    "Go for it!"

    Alex suddenly took a few steps back, causing him to fall onto the ground and move further back.

    At the same time, Chloe was dragged down with him, causing them to fall back to almost 4th ce.

    They had returned to within ten steps once again, with Sophia and Mary and the two pairs ahead of them now.

    Just as everyone thought the once dark horse was out, Alex pulled out his final ace, stacking himself on top of Chloe.

    With a heavy lean to the right and a hard drag, the two begin to roll toward the right as the small stic pebbles print onto their skin.

    Chloe immediately understood his idea and began to assist him by moving her hips and arm to roll even faster.

    The momentum began to rapidly build up as they rolled closer and closer to the finish line.

    From ten to one, it was faster than ever attempted. They made it past the finish line so fast that they didn''t even notice it.

    "Alex, Alex, stop!" Chloe yelled as she could feel the wind had disappeared.

    "What?"

    Alex finally stopped as everything around him was spinning like crazy, with the floor sliding all over the ce in his vision.

    "We won!"

    As Chloe tried to get up herself, she fell onto Alex''s chest, her head spinning like crazy as well.

    "Good job to you two... You two did amazing."

    The middle-aged man walked closer as he murmured something deep inside his breath.

    With a green light appearing, the dizziness disappeared as the two began to get back up.

    Of course, it was not before they almost tripped again, forgetting their thighs were still tied together.

    "Alex, Chloe, how did youe up with this idea?" Camile curiously asked as she helped the two get back up.

    "Alex was the one who came up with the idea and did all the work. I only won because of him."

    "That''s not true. We both put in the work and got first together¡ª¡ª"

    "Ahem, you two can argue about itter... Everyone, please get back into formation."

    As Alex and Chloe turned back around, they saw the rest of the ss was right behind them.

    The wind had finally disappeared from the track entirely, allowing the rest of the ss to walk ahead easily.

    "Everyone, can we give a p to our first-ce winner, Alex and Chloe?"

    The entire ss happily pped as they were finally over with the nightmare.

    Except for the 2nd and 3rd ce, who looked a little grumpy as they were just one step away from winning.

    "As a prize of winning first ce... Um, what kind of prize do you two want?"

    Luqing asked because she hadn''t thought that far ahead yet, especially with the new challenge that had been added.

    "We don''t need rewards, Miss Luqing! Being in your ss is the highest honor I can receive!"

    Alex''s statement made Luqing blush a little, but she didn''t pressure him or Chloe to say something else.

    "Okay then... Everyone, please untie your clothes and hand them back to Camille."

    As the ssmates began removing the tie, Alex and Chloe both started blushing as they realized how close their bodies were.

    They could feel each other''s skin as their thighs were pressing against each other.

    Not to mention, the knot was so tight that a mark could be seen on their skin as soon as they moved it a little.

    "Miss Luqing, can I cut it?" Alex quietly asked after he and Chloe tried to pull it down, only to have it tighten even more.

    "Sure, go for it..."

    Slowly, Alex cast a small wind de before having it cut right in between the two''s thighs.

    With the clothes falling on the ground, the two were finally free from each other.

    "I hope everyone learns through Alex''s and Chloe''s example today... Teamwork and creativity are what you need to seed.

    Just because you and your partner are the strongest, or you two have the best institution with each other, it doesn''t mean you will win."

    As the ss nodded in agreement, Luqing felt aplished as she wrote a check into her notebook.

    "Now, everyone, horse stance for ten minutes."

    The entire ss was caught off guard by the announcement, but they still spread out and did the stretch.

    "Miss Luqing, your teaching method is unique. I like it," the middle-aged man said as he approached her.

    "Thank you... Um, sorry to ask this. But who are you?"

    "I''m the school principal. You can call me Will or Professor Crampton... Ahem, I got to go now."

    As the school principal flew into the sky and disappeared, everyone in the ss let out a sigh of relief.

    "Hey, you three in the back, stop slouching. I can see you from here."

    ---

    After an hour of exercising, the ss was finally dismissed after sitting in the ssroom for five minutes.

    "Alex! Alex! How the hell did youe up with that idea?" Evelyn curiously asked, with the other three looking just as intrigued.

    Even Sophia and Mary were curious as they walked over to his seat rather than him walking over to them.

    "I just thought, since crawling was the most aerodynamic, and hunching gave the most momentum, I just needed tobine them into one...

    Rolling just happened tobine the two of them, which is why I fell back a little to roll towards the finish line with Chloe."

    "But why did you have Chloe piggyback on you in the middle of thepetition?" Luna curiously asked this time.

    "We figured out that we needed some weight to prevent us from being blown over when I first proposed it.

    It just so happened Chloe was perfect as a counterbnce against the wind without weighing me down."

    Seeing Alex willing to share so much credit with her, Chloe''s face started to blush a little.

 Chapter 93: A Long Night

    "Chloe, you okay?"

    Mary curiously asked, noticing Chloe''s pale face had turnedpletely red.

    "I-I''m fine. I''m going to head to the meditation ce¡ª¡ª"

    Watching Chloe rushing out of the ssroom, all three of her dormmates looked at each other beforeughing out loud.

    "What are you guysughing at?" Mary asked, her face looking a little confused by their action.

    "Nothing. Don''t worry about it... Anyway, we''re going to meditate as well. See you guys tomorrow."

    "See ya!"

    ---

    The rest of Monday quickly went by, and nothing much happened on Tuesday as Miss Amy continued rambling about basic algebra.

    It was clear they were not getting out of the boring math ss until the end of the month, as half of the ss was still struggling with it.

    However, the only interesting thing that happened was when Tuesday nighttime arrived.

    ---

    "You miss me?"

    Sarah asked as she carelessly stretched her arms into the air, allowing the side of her chest to bepletely exposed.

    "I''m thankful for your help."

    Alex answered, ignoring her question as he had already gotten used to the way she acted.

    "You''re no fun, Alex... Anyway, let''s stop training for today. You''re going to need it tomorrow."

    The announcement confused Alex a little, but he was more than happy to get a better night''s sleep before tomorrow''s PE ss.

    "Let''s just have a little chat."

    With a blink of an eye, the two were back to the familiar house, with the table and tea before them.

    "What do you want to chat about?" Alex asked first, as he didn''t really know what to say at this point.

    She had either already answered everything he wanted to know or had been given a vague answer.

    "How about your love rtionship?"

    "My love rtionship? What about it?" Alex asked as he took a small sip of his tea.

    "You aren''t going to confess to any girls in your ss? Chloe? Camille?"

    Sarah''s directness caught Alex a little off guard, but his face didn''t flinch a single bit.

    "You know my situation... I''m not sick enough to do that kind of stuff when neither of us are old enough."

    Seeing her staring at him in silence, Alex remained firm and held up a poker face.

    "Then howe your body seems to react the opposite¡ª¡ª"

    "You''re reading my memories?" Alex interrupted, his face looking a little angry.

    "What? Can a Grand Archmage like me not be allowed to read your memories?"

    Alex fell into silence, knowing there was no way for him to argue back to her statement.

    But he wasn''t just going to let that happen every time, remaining silent as a protest against her invasion of privacy.

    "Okay, I won''t read your memories anymore... To be honest, I never even read your memories.

    Besides the first time you entered thepetition, I can swear on my honor that I have never read it ever since then."

    Sarah''s sudden confession confused Alex a little, as now he doesn''t have a clue how she found out what happened yesterday.

    "Then how do you know?" Alex asked, finally breaking his silence.

    "Simple. How do you think I''m here right now and talking to you?"

    "Magic?"

    "That''s half right... But if you can''t tell, this whole ce is actually inside your inner soul."

    "Huh?"

    Her statement surprised Alex, as he could have zero control over anything in this world.

    He couldn''t even create magic in this ce or feel any trace of mana.

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    Meanwhile, Sarah seemingly had full control of the ce, as if this was the world she had built and that he was only invited in.

    "I''m not going to exin everything, but all you need to know is that whatever you do, I can see it from here."

    The word instantly sent chills down Alex''s spine as he immediately realized its implications.

    From going to the bathroom to even having sex with his future wife, everything was going to be under her watch.

    "Hey, whatever you''re thinking of, get that stuff out of your mind. I''m not always watching 24/7.

    I have my stuff to do... And I''m not going to see whatever nasty stuff you''re thinking of."

    Alex let out a small sigh of relief, but he was still far from satisfied with the idea of constantly being under surveince.

    "Can you get out of my inner soul¡ª¡ª"

    "Are you sure? If I leave, I''m never going to see you again."

    Sarah''s words made Alex freeze, realizing the threat she was throwing at him.

    If he really told her to leave, he was going to lose this valuable opportunity to raise his mage level in his sleep.

    "Fine, you got me... You can stay as long as you want. It''s not like I have anything to hide."

    Seeing Alex reluctantly surrender, Sarah smiled knowingly.

    "Ahem, anyway, you might want to exit your dream for a bit... You seem to have forgotten something again."

    "What¡ª¡ª"

    Before Alex could ask what it was, everything suddenly faded to ck.

    When he opened his eyes again, he was back in his bedroom, still on the bed in his pajamas.

    However, he could start feeling a slight cramp around his crotch, almost as if something wasing out.

    "Shit. Of course, I forgot about this."

    Alex quickly got up from the bed, opened his drawer, and took out his clean pad.

    Next, he headed over to the closer to take out a white panties from the inside before taking his pants off.

    A small red dot was already marked on his underwear, so he removed it before switching to the panties.

    With the pad attached and secured, he grabbed onto his dirty underwear and headed out of the room.

    Entering inside the bathroom, he quickly turned on the sink to wash the stain off before casting a dry spell.

    With everything resolved, he headed back out into the hallway, only to run into Katherine, who just came out of her room.

    "Hey, Alex... Why are you up sote?" Katherine curiously asked as she walked closer and closer.

    "I-I wasn''t feeling well earlier. But I feel better now..."

    As soon as Alex finished talking, Katherine''s face suddenly turned into a warm smile as she gently patted his head.

    "It''s okay, Alex... Your body is only going through a lot of things. You don''t have to be shy about it."

    Hearing her tone, Alex couldn''t help but feel she was clearly misunderstanding something.

    "Mom... I''m just having my period. It''s not whatever you''re thinking of."

    Katherine''s face suddenly blushed, but she didn''t react to it a single bit as she continued patting her head.

    "Of course I know that. I had kept track of all three of your periods... Sophia''s and Mary''s period just came yesterday."

    Despite the reassuring answer, Alex knew she had forgotten about itpletely.

    "I''m going back to sleep now. Good night, Mom."

    "Good night¡ª¡ªWait, Alex. Let me give you mommy''s goodnight kiss."

    Alex wanted to say no, but she was much quicker than he could react as she kissed his forehead before running back to her room.

    "What was that for...?"

    Alex murmured as he headed back to his room, closing the door before going inside his bed.

    As he leaned down and closed his eyes, his heart started to beat faster and faster.

    His mind was filled with Katherine''s warm smile directed only towards him, with her gentle hands patting his head.

    "Stop it, Xiaoyun. You need to go to sleep before tomorrow''s PE ss."

    After lying on the bed for a while, Alex''s heart eventually calmed back down as he fell asleep on the bed.

    ---

    "Am I at my inner soul again?" Alex wondered as his surroundings were back in the familiar house again.

    But as he blinked, he was suddenly back in the house he was currently staying in with his family.

    Feeling theck of mana in the air, Alex quickly realized that the ce he was in wasn''t actually his home.

    It was clear Sarah decided to pull a prank on him again, as there was only one ce that he had gone to that was simr to this.

    "Why did she bring me to Mom''s dream again?" Alex wondered as he took one step forward.

    As soon as the floor made a little noise, the door to Katherine''s bedroom was instantly opened.

    "Xiaoyun! I miss you so much!"

    Katherine excitedly ran up and hugged Alex, despite the two just meeting each other a few minutes ago.

    "I miss you too... Mom."

    Alex hesitantly replied to her, as he felt a little bad to stay silent when she seemed to care about him so much.

    "Let''s go take a nap... You look so tired today."

    As Katherine grabbed onto Alex''s hand, memories of what happenedst time flooded inside his mind.

    "Mom... Can we talk for a bit?"

    The question seemed to have caught Katherine off guard, but she nodded in agreement as the two sat down on the bed.

    "What do you want to talk about?"

 Chapter 94: Amusement Park

    "Mom... Do you love me?"

    "Of course I do. What kind of question is that? You''re my precious baby, you silly."

    As Katherine tried to move closer to give Alex a warm hug, he suddenly pushed her away.

    "Mom, I''m not asking that. I''m asking if you¡ª¡ª"

    Alex fell into silence as his mind fell into cowardice at the veryst moment.

    He couldn''t bring the courage to ask her directly. He was too afraid to cross the line.

    Even though it was just a dream, his mind wanted to know her true feelings for him.

    "Come on, Alex, how can mommy love you in any other way? You''re always going to be my son."

    This time, Alex didn''t push her back, letting her give him a warm embrace as she gently patted his head.

    "Just Mom and son... Just Mom and son..."

    Alex thought to himself as a me that had been growing inside him was now vanquished.

    "What''s wrong, Alex? Did Mom do something wrong?"

    Seeing Katherine looking a little sad because of him, a sense of guilt began to grow inside Alex''s heart.

    "No, Mom, you didn''t do anything wrong... I love you, mom."

    "I love you too!"

    As the two hugged each other again, thoughts that bothered Alex were all thrown out the window.

    There was only one thing in his mind, which was to make her happy.

    "Mom! How about we go y instead?" Ales suggested.

    "Sure, where do you want to go y today?"

    Alex thought for a second, then shook his head.

    "I don''t know where to y... Mom, do you have any ideas?"

    "How about we go to that amusement park? It''s only a few blocks outside of the school."

    "Let''s go!"

    ---

    As the two walked down the streets with their hands held together, the awful quietness made everything feel a little weird.

    There was not a single person the entire way from their home all the way to out of the school.

    It was almost as if Katherine''s world had no one in it besides the two of them, not even Sophia or Mary.

    Katherine didn''t seem bothered by it either, as if that''s how she had designed her world.

    "Oh, there''s the amusement park. Let mommy pay for it first, okay?"

    As Katherine headed over to the checkpoint, she scanned her card beforeing back with two tickets.

    "Okay, let''s go! Are you excited about the amusement park?"

    "Yeah!"

    Seeing Katherine looking so energetic, almost like a little girl, Alex just couldn''t help but feel energized as well.

    "Let''s try that one!"

    Alex was forcefully dragged along as she quickly ran towards the rollercoaster near the entrance.

    Despite no one in line, Katherine seemed to be in a hurry, as if she was afraid of missing out on something.

    "Perfect, we get to ride in 1st ce... Let''s sit in the front."

    As soon as the two of them sat down in the rollercoaster seat and attached their seatbelt, the rollercoaster started moving forward.

    "You scared Alex?"

    "This kind of stuff doesn''t scare me at all¡ª¡ª"

    Before Alex could finish, the rollercoaster began climbing the rails, climbing higher and higher into the sky.

    "Really? Then why is your leg shaking so much?"

    "I..."

    Alex was speechless, stunned, shocked... Any words that he could think of couldn''t describe how he felt.

    However, in his eyes, her beautiful, smirky face made his heart beat way beyond what the rollercoaster height could do.

    A me that had just been put out was once again rekindling as she suddenly grabbed onto his hands again.

    "Get ready!"

    Within seconds, reality snapped him back to the moment as he reached the top of the track.

    "Ah!!!" The two yelled out as they began to descend the track.

    The wind was hitting their faces so fast that it was impossible to see where they were going.

    Fears had filled Alex''s mind as the cart began looping in a circle, flipping thempletely upside down.

    After what felt like forever, they had finally returned to where they began as the cart stopped.

    "That was so fun! We got to do it again... Um, Alex, you okay?"

    "I-I''m fine. My head is just a little dizzy."

    As Katherine helped Alex exit the cart, everything around him was still spinning a little.

    The two eventually stopped at a nearby bench, sitting down to allow Alex to recover.

    "You need me to get a bag?"

    "I''m good... I just need to catch my breath."

    After a few minutes, Alex had fully recovered as the dizziness had disappearedpletely.

    "Okay, I''m good to go now... You want to go to the rollercoaster again?"

    "How about you pick a different one this time?" Katherine offered, noticing Alex clearly disliked the rollercoaster they had tried.

    "Um, how about that straightforward one over there?" Alex pointed at the rollercoaster in the distance.

    "Sure! Let''s go try that one out!"

    As Katherine excitedly grabbed Alex''s arm, his mind started drifting all over the ce once again.

    Still, he didn''t say anything about it as they began heading towards the rollercoaster in the distance.

    After walking for a bit, they finally arrived at the 2nd rollercoaster. However, a problem quickly arose.

    The rollercoasters were actually a part of the water-theme side of the amusement park.

    Tracks and the Cart were almost halfway in the water, with the thought of water sshing all over the ce already inside Alex''s mind.

    "Oh no! We can''t wear our clothes in this." Katherine murmured as she read the rules at the entrance.

    "Mom, it doesn''t say we can''t wear our clothes. It just rmends us to wear swimsuits."

    Alex quickly fixed her misleading statement, as she only read the bolded letter at the top.

    "Let''s just go to a different one..."

    Before Alex dragged Katherine away, she suddenly dragged him back, with all her clothes falling right onto the ground.

    "Come on, we can still go on it after we take off our clothes... It''s not like anyone is here to see us."

    "Mom... That''s too inappropriate. We can''t do this just because no one is here."

    Alex argued as he quickly covered his eyes with his hand, trying his best to resist the urge to see Katherine''s body.

    He could hear her clothes all falling onto the ground, with her bras even being unclipped.

    "What are you thinking about? Hurry up and get changed. We don''t have all day."

    As Alex moved his hands away, Katherine was standing right before him in a white bikini and swimsuit skirt.

    His face blushed red as he realized there was a big misunderstanding between them.

    "Of course, she can do that. How could I forget her ability?"

    After Alex grabbed the pair of shorts Katherine handed over, he turned around, letting his back face Katherine before taking his clothes off.

    With the swim shorts on, he finally turned back around and handed her the clothes he had taken off.

    "Oh my... Alex, you want me to give you a bikini or something?" Katherine suggested, noticing the little bump on Alex''s chest.

    "I don''t need it." Alex instantly rejected it as he still couldn''t bring himself to wear a bra.

    Not to mention a bikini, which was even more revealing than the bra he had sitting in the drawer since school started.

    "Okay then... Let''s get on the cart! This one looks even more fun than thest one!"

    As Katherine excitedly ran up to the cart and entered the front seat, Alex was walking at a slightly odd angle.

    The swimming shorts that Katherine had handed over were way too tight, forming a clear outline if he just walked normally.

    "You okay?" Katherine curiously asked, noticing him slowly walking towards his side of the seat.

    "Yeah, I''m fine," Alex answered as he got inside his seat.

    As the two attached their seatbelts, the rollercoaster finally began moving forward despite having no one directing it.

    Unlike the other rollercoaster, this one was much faster right at the beginning as it drove in one direction.

    The cart created massive waves that sshed beyond the metal fence and onto where they stood earlier.

    At the same time, some of the water sshed right onto the body as it went up into the air.

    "Ah!!!"

    Alex and Katherine both screamed out loud as they reached the top of the rollercoaster before crashing down.

    After two more rounds of up and down, the cart had finallye to a stop.

    "That was so fun!" Katherine energetically said out loud as she unbuckled her seatbelts.

    "Yeah... Thank god there were no loops this time..." Alex murmured, not feeling dizzy at all from the ride.

    As the two of them exited the water-theme rollercoaster, the two immediately felt a little ufortable.

    The water particles in the air had soaked their clothes, as well as their shoes.

    "Let''s go to the bathroom to dry up and change."

    Alex was a little surprised by her suggestion, as there wasn''t really a point in changing in the bathroom when no one was at the park.

    Not to mention, they had just changed their clothes right at the rollercoaster line earlier in bright daylight.

    Still, he didn''t question her decision as he followed her all the way to the amusement park bathroom.

 Chapter 95: Bathroom Break and Confessions (R-18)

    As Katherine brought Alex toward the female restroom, he didn''t hesitate to follow her inside.

    There was no one in the world anyway, so it was not like there was anyone to see besides them.

    "Okay, let''s get change now... Here''s your clothes back."

    As Alex epted his normal clothes, he quickly turned around to face away from Katherine.

    "Alex, there''s no need to be so shy... We had already seen each other''s body before."

    Despite Katherine''s point, Alex refused to turn around, with his back facing against her.

    Just as Alex took off his shorts and was about to put on his normal clothes, Katherine suddenly grabbed his arms.

    "Let me dry you up first. If you just put it on, your clothes will be all wet."

    Alex didn''t reject her offer as he waited patiently for her to cast a magic spell.

    "Okay, you can put it on now... Oh my... Alex..."

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    Hearing thest two words from Katherine, Alex knew he had fucked up again.

    "You want Mommy to help relieve you again?" Katherine whispered, sending a little tingle in Alex''s right ear.

    "I..."

    Despite knowing the right thing to do was to say no, his mouth just couldn''t finish the sentence.

    Deep inside, his mind was telling him it was all just a dream.

    There was no harm in enjoying himself over something that would never happen again in real life.

    "Don''t worry. Mommy will always fulfill your needs, okay? You can always rely on Mommy."

    As Katherine moved closer to his body, her hand had already reached down to his fully erect cock.

    From just a gentle touch, a sense of pleasure traveled down Alex''s spine, making him almost cum on the spot.

    "Is mommy doing a good job?"

    Katherine''s whisper turned Alex even more as her voice sounded much more alluring than before.

    "Y-Yes¡ª¡ªHm!"

    Alex quickly closed his lips, wanting to hide his embarrassing moans as Katherine began moving her hands towards the tip.

    With a gentle stroke, the pleasure felt more intense than he had ever imagined.

    "You don''t have to hold it in... Mommy doesn''t mind it."

    As Katherine started brushing her fingertips around the tip, Alex finally couldn''t hold it in any longer.

    A Spew of hot semen started being sprayed all over Katherine''s hand as she moved both of her hands to cover it.

    After what felt like forever to the two of them, Alex''s cock finally stopped as his cock began to soften.

    "So much cum... You feel better now?"

    Alex nodded as Katherine began trying to get rid of all of the cum inside her palm.

    "Yeah, I feel better now... Um... Mom, can you drink it?"

    Alex suddenly asked as he couldn''t resist the urge to test her limit, especially with his morals out the window.

    Katherine seemingly hesitated for a second as she looked down at all of Alex''s cum inside her hand.

    Inside her mind, the slightly warm, white liquid on her hand was the most immoral thing she had ever felt.

    At the same time, her heart was mesmerized by the thought of drinking her son''s cum right in front of him.

    "Fine, don''t tell anyone, okay? It''s a secret between the two of us."

    Seeing Alex nod like crazy, Katherine reluctantly lifted her hands into the air before letting his cum flow down into her mouth.

    A small puddle formed inside her mouth as she seemingly opened her lips to let him see it before a gulp sound appeared.

    With all of it swallowed down, both of their hearts were pumping faster than ever, as neither of them could believe what had just happened.

    "Ahem, Ahem, you happy?"

    Katherine looked over at Alex with a slightly grumpy face as she coughed several times, trying to force his cum down her throat.

    "Mom..."

    "You better never tell this to anyone, okay? Or else you''re going to lose Mom forever."

    As Katherine quietly warned Alex, he couldn''t help but feel a slight urge tough.

    The sharp contrast was just too much for him to handle.

    From the beginning to now, her behavior felt almost like that of a young woman rather than someone who''s old enough to be a mom.

    "Hey, stop smiling. I''m serious, okay? I don''t want anyone to know what happened today."

    "Of course, Mom... We''re just in a dream, right?"

    "When did you be so smart? Muah! Let''s keep exploring the amusement park."

    As Katherine kissed Alex on the forehead, his heart skipped a beat after he realized what he had just said out loud on ident.

    Even more so when he heard what she said at the beginning, as he thought he had been found out.

    But seeing she seemingly had moved past it already made him let out a sigh of relief.

    "Oo, let''s go try that merry-go-round. I had never rode on one of those things before."

    As the two walked towards the line for the ride, Alex''s heart was beating faster and faster again as she held onto his arm.

    His mind had just realized the thing he and Katherine had been doing around the amusement park almost felt like they were dating.

    "Come on, Alex, get on! It''s about to start!"

    Alex quickly grabbed onto Katherine''s hand, allowing him to get on the horse as he sat in the front.

    With the horse beginning to move and the music ying, Alex felt a little awkward, as no one else was around.

    However, Katherine was fully enjoying the ride. She looked happier than ever as they rode in a circle.

    He had never seen Katherine look so happy, not even when he told her he had reached level 2 mage or when he made a joke for her.

    The genuine smile was just too infectious as Alex couldn''t help but smile as well.

    "Alex, are you enjoying yourself?" Katherine excitedly asked out loud as the horse began to pick up speed.

    "Yeah! This is the most fun I ever had! I wish Ie here again with you!"

    As soon as Alex said it out loud, he could feel the smile starting to disappear from her face.

    More importantly, her happiness was nowpletely gone, reced with a frown as the merry-go-round stopped.

    "Mom... Did I say something wrong?" Alex nervously asked as the two of them stepped down to the floor.

    "Nothing... Let''s go to another ride now."

    Alex could feel the moodpletely changing as she walked right in front of him, no longer holding his arm like earlier.

    He could feel a long distance between them, despite only a few inches away from each other.

    "Let''s go on this Ferris Wheel..."

    As the two waited for it to stop, Alex just couldn''t endure the coldness between them.

    "Mom, what did I say wrong? Can you please tell me?" Alex asked again, with his face on the verge of tearing up.

    "Sorry. It''s not your fault. It''s my fault... I shouldn''t have treated you like this."

    Katherine slowly moved her hand closer again, holding onto Alex''s hand as she brought Alex into the Ferris Wheel before them.

    "I-I just couldn''t hold myself together... It feels lonely without you in my dream."

    Alex froze for a second before looking back at her in silence as he patiently waited for her to continue.

    "Every night, I fall asleep and go into my dream. I''m scared I will never see you again in here."

    "Mom... You can still see me when you''re awake." Alex argued, ignoring the risk of exposing himself.

    "That''s different. I like the Alex in my dream... You''re the perfect son I ever wish for."

    As the Ferris Wheel began to go up, Alex was a little confused by Katherine''s answer.

    "What do you mean by that?"

    "The Alex in the house always feels so independent and distant... It almost feels like he''s an adult instead of a kid.

    But you are different... I can actually feel like a mom near you, having you depend on me like the other kids with their mom."

    Katherine''s answer stunned Alex a little, as he never thought there was any gap between him and her.

    Even though he had heard the first part a million times, the 2nd part had caught him off guard.

    He could feel she really meant it at the end, with a slight jealousy appearing in her eyes.

    "Although you''re just a little secret pervert like the other Alex... But I love you too much!"

    As Katherine suddenly leaned forward and tried to kiss Alex on the forehead again, he suddenly stood up a little.

    "Hm!"

    Katherine was shocked as their lips finally touched for the first time, although it was only in a dream.

    "Mom, I love you too. I really do mean it." Alex said out loud as he tried to walk forward.

    However, Katherine pushed him back down, her face rapidly shifting from happiness into a hint of anger.

    "I love you too... But who told you that you can kiss me on the lips?"

    The sudden attitude change caught Alex a little off guard, with his face visibly panicking.

    "Sorry, I¡ª¡ª"

    "I''m just kidding... But don''t do that next time, okay? We can''t kiss each other on the lips."

    Alex nodded, with his heart still racing from the kiss he had had with Katherine.

 Chapter 96: Morning Chats

    As the Ferris Wheel stopped at its peak, the two of them both looked out to the window.

    "The view up here looks nice, doesn''t it?" Katherine murmured as the orange sky illuminated the capital in the distance.

    "Yeah..."

    The two sat in silence as the Ferris Wheel began to descend until it returned to its starting point.

    "Let''s go back home now."

    Alex nodded again, taking the initiative to grab her hands as the sunlight shone from behind.

    ---

    "Alex, Alex, wake up. It''s the Wednesday morning already."

    "Hm?"

    As Alex slowly opened his eyes, Sophia was shaking his arm as she stood by the bedside.

    "Come on, we still have school today." Sophia hurried as she started shaking his arm even harder.

    "Okay, okay. I''m getting up."

    Just as Alex got up from the bed, he could feel a slight cramp around his leg.

    "Annoying period..." Alex murmured as he could feel himself feeling a lot angrier than usual.

    After getting out of bed and changing into his school clothes, he quickly packed his gym clothes before heading to the bathroom.

    With his tooth brushed and face washed, he was fully ready as he headed into the living room with his backpack.

    "Good morning Alex... You had a nice sleep yesterday?" Katherine curiously asked after noticing the ck circles were gone.

    "Yeah..."

    "Mom, where''s my milk?" Maryined as the bread felt a little dried on their own.

    "I forgot to buy it yesterday. You''ll have to wait until tomorrow."

    Mary disappointedly turned towards the cup of water as Luqing and Meiya finally came out for breakfast.

    "Good morning..." Stay connected through m-v l|e''-NovelBin

    "Good morning... Are you two okay? You both looked a little sleepy today."

    Katherine curiously asked, noticing the dark circle on both of their faces that looked a little simr to Alex''s just two days ago.

    "We''re fine... I just stay up a littlete to help Luqing advance her Qi a little more."

    "Oh right, I almost forgot about that... Actually, what level is Luqing at right now?"

    Meiya looked over to Luqing for a second and then answered it after seeing her nodding her head a little.

    "She''s at the peak of Core Formation Level... Or peak level 4 mage in the magic term."

    The answer surprised the kids a little, as they had seen Luqing stand her ground against much higher-level mages during thepetition.

    Especially near the end, where they could remember her almost defeating several mages who were at least level 5.

    "Miss Meiya, what level are you at?" Mary curiously asked, with Sophia looking just as curious.

    Even Luqing and Katherine looked a little interested, with Alex being the only one whose mind seemed to be upied with something else.

    "Mary! Sorry about that, Meiya. Just ignore her question." Katherine apologized as she stared at Mary in anger.

    Mary could only shyly scratch her hair as she realized how rude it sounded to ask her senior so directly.

    "It''s fine. I''m only at Soul Severing Level, or Level 7 mage." Meiya answered as she grabbed a piece of the bread.

    "That''s like grandpa''s and grandma''s level! Or even stronger!"

    Mary excitedly said out loud, remembering Fredrick saying he lost to the ''mysterious'' guest.

    "Are cultivators this strong?" Sophia curiously asked as she could still remember Meiya almost soloing the Archmage.

    The fact that a level 7 mage equivalent was beating Archmage, which was level 8, just seemed almost impossible.

    "Ahem, enough questions. Time to finish up your breakfast and go to school."

    Katherine ended the conversation as the kids started shoving down all the food before getting ready to leave.

    "Have a good day!"

    As the three kids and Luqing walked off again, Katherine closed the door before turning her attention over to Meiya.

    "Are you really level 7 equivalent?" Katherine asked as if she didn''t believe Meiya''s answer earlier.

    "I still haven''t gone through the tribtion for Void Refinement yet. So I''m stuck at level 7 until then."

    Meiya answered as she paused for a second before asking a question of her own back at Katherine.

    "How about you? What level are you at?"

    "What do you think?" Katherine rolled her eyes as she looked back at Meiya.

    "Hmm... You have to be a level 7 mage, right?"

    Seeing Katherine shaking her head, Meiya''s eyes widened as she guessed another number.

    "Level 8?"

    With another shake, Meiya was nowpletely confused.

    "There''s no way you''re level 9... Your guy''s Grand Archmages are way beyond what I had ever faced.

    But... You can''t be a level 6 mage. There''s no way I tied with someone who''s a mage and a level below me."

    "Like it or not. It seemed you''re just overconfident just because you almost beat one of the worst archmages."

    Seeing Katherine seemingly look down on the cultivator, Meiya''s face immediately turned fully serious.

    "You know what? I''m going to be fully serious today." Meiya warned as she stretched her arms.

    "Bring it on."

    With ck smoke appearing over the two of them, they once again vanished as the smoke dissipated.

    ---

    Back in school...

    When the four of them arrived in the ssroom, they were extra early today as there were still twenty minutes before ss started.

    Only a few people were in the ssroom, either reading some sort of book or sleeping in the ssroom.

    "Good morning, Miss Luqing." One of the students said out loud as she walked in after the three kids.

    "Good morning."

    As Luqing sat down in the teacher''s seat, she took out her notebook and examined the schedule for today.

    Meanwhile, all three of the kids had gone to their seats, with Sophia and Mary sitting together in the back.

    Alex was the only one in the front as no one in front had shown up for the ss.

    "Peace and quiet..." Alex thought to himself as he took out his textbook and began reading it.

    After reading for a bit, more students arrived in the ssroom, and seats began to fill up.

    "Hey, Chloe!" Mary and Sophia both waved as Chloe walked into the ssroom.

    "Hey!"

    Chloe quickly dropped her backpack next to Alex before heading to the back of the ss.

    "You look so nice today. Who tied your hair today?" Sophia curiously asked.

    "My mom came to visit my dorm today..."

    As everyone in the ss was there, the noises from all the chattering made Alex close his textbook.

    With nothing much to do, heid his head down and started daydreaming about what happenedst night.

    "Alex... Wake up. Miss Amy is here." Chloe''s voice made Alex immediately sit back up from the desk.

    However, his eyes were only half open as he was still thinking about Katherine in the dream.

    "Ahem, good morning everyone. I''m sure you''re all ready for tomorrow''s mid-term exam, right?"

    All of the students let out a groan before Miss Amy tapped the board with a piece of chalk.

    "Quiet. I''m going to go over the materials that will be on the test today. I better see all of you put your full attention in ss today."

    As everyone in ss began taking out their notebooks, Alex remained zoned out, staring at the ckboard with his desk empty.

    "Alex... You okay?"

    Hearing the sound and his arm being gently shaken a little, Alex snapped back to reality again.

    "Yeah, I''m fine... Thank you for waking me up."

    Alex finally didn''t zone out again as he took out his notebook and began to go along with the review material.

    Two hours and a lunch breakter...

    As Miss Amy finished teaching the two-hour afternoon ss, she quickly left the ssroom with her bags.

    "Good afternoon, everyone. I hope you all enjoyed your review with Miss Amy today.

    Anyway, we''ll be just running around the track and doing a few exercises before you all can go back home early."

    After hearing Luqing''s announcement, the students looked much more energetic.

    They were all starting to get used to her ss, especially ever since Miss Amy announced the midterm.

    "Alex, you sure you''re okay? You looked a little off today." Chloe asked as they got in line.

    "Yeah, I''m fine... I just didn''t sleep well yesterday."

    Alex quickly lied at thest second, as there was no way for him to say that it was his period acting up.

    "Okay..."

    As the entire ss arrived at the track, Luqing took out a clipboard with a pen.

    Everyone could see some sort of list, with names in one column and long lines of boxes in the other column.

    "I''ll be tracking time from now on. The worst-performing student will be required to run two extraps."

    "That''s not fair! How are we supposed to beat a boy as a girl?" One of the girls in the ss raised their concern.

    "I''m counting them separately... Okay, everyone. Get ready... Set... Go!"

    Everyone started a slow jog around the track as the entire ss learned how to run around the track efficiently.

    Still, there was a clear divide, with the front being mostly boys while the back was mostly girls.

 Chapter 97: Grumpy Days and Promotions

    As everyone finished running around the track, most of the ss was a little surprised to see Alex in the middle of the pack.

    But no one was more surprised than Camille, who expected him to be near her like usual.

    However, seeing Alex sitting alone with a cold face during the break, no one was daring enough to walk close to him.

    "Sophia, what happened to your brother? Why does he look so different today?" Camille asked first.

    "Yeah, why does he look like someone owns him money or something?" Evelyn added.

    "He just, um, lost a bet. Yeah, he lost a bet to us, right Mary?" Sophia answered as she looked over to her.

    Mary quickly nodded in support, but it only made the four of them even more curious.

    "What kind of bet is it?" Luna curiously asked.

    "It''s a secret."

    "Come on, when did we have secrets between us? Mary, you''ll never hide things from sister Camille, right?"

    "Stop trying to get an answer. My sister is not going to get pushed over so easily."

    "Oh really? Let''s see if you two can run away¡ª¡ª"

    As Camille started chasing Sophia and Mary around Luna and Evelyn, Chloe was sitting aside in silence the whole time.

    Although she didn''t mind being with her friends all the time, she couldn''t resist the urge to ask him directly.

    But before she could get up, Luqing had already walked over and sat down next to him. Enjoy exclusive content from m v -NovelBin

    ---

    "Alex, you''re okay?"

    "Yeah, I''m fine... You''re the tenth person that had asked that question already."

    Despite Alex''s irritated attitude, Luqing didn''t seem to mind it at all as she checked her clipboard.

    "You''re 10th ce today... What happened?"

    "My leg still feels a little sore from Monday." Alex quickly made up an excuse on the spot.

    Luqing only looked back at Alex with a warm smile as she got up from the ledge they were sitting on.

    "If you''re tired... Just tell me. I can give you a break."

    After seeing Alex nod, Luqing headed back to resume ss once again as the break was over.

    "Okay, now everyone, please spread out on the track. We will be doing some stretches before we head back to ss..."

    Slowly, everyone got up from the ground and got back on track, beginning to spread out among themselves.

    "I''ll be doing the stretch first, and you can follow along after the first time."

    As Luqing stretched out her arms, everyone watched in silence as she began to move it in a mysterious pattern.

    Even though it looked rtively easy, the ss quickly realized it was much harder than it looked.

    Almost two-thirds of the ss couldn''t touch their toes without bending down.

    Even for the people who could, it was due to their longer hands and short legs, not because of any particr flexibility.

    "No need to rush it. Just try your best to replicate it and maintain it for a minute."

    Despite saying that, Luqing was going down the aisles to fix everyone''s posture manually.

    "Fuck this hurts... When is this over?" Alex thought to himself as he tried to reach at least to his knee.

    But the sharp pain in his lower abdomen was just too much for him to go any further down.

    "Okay, times up. Next stretch..."

    As Luqing continued with the stretches, Alex''s mood became more and more sour with every movement.

    He was starting to miss staying in the ssroom despite enjoying the PE ss before today.

    After the sun began to dim down in the distance, it was finally over as Luqing dismissed the ss.

    When the ssmates began leaving the ssroom in groups, Sophia and Mary were no exception.

    The five of them at the back had already gathered everything as they walked up to Alex and Chloe''s seats.

    "Do you two want to join us in the meditation room?" Camille asked as she casually wrapped her arm around them.

    "I''m good."

    Alex pushed her arms away before grabbing his backpack and heading to the front of the ss.

    "Miss Luqing, I''m just going to head back home today. You can follow Sophia and Mary instead."

    "Geez, he really got a sour mood today," Evelyn murmured as they watched Alex leave the room alone.

    "Just ignore him. He''s going to be back to normal by tomorrow or so... Chloe, youing?"

    "Sure..."

    Just as the Six of them were about to head out of the ssroom, they ran right into a man standing by the door.

    Out of all the people, the school principal was the only one seemingly waiting for Luqing toe out behind them.

    "Oh hey, kids... Good evening, Luqing. Can I talk to you for a second?"

    Luqing didn''t ept right away as she looked over to Sophia, but she was hit with a nk face.

    "Um, sure¡ª¡ª"

    "See you, Miss Luqing! We''ll be going back hometer!"

    Sophia yelled as she quickly grabbed onto Mary''s hand before instantly running off, causing the other four to run after them in confusion.

    Meanwhile, the school principal was even more confused, but he didn''t really care about it.

    "Miss Luqing, I know you have only been a teacher this month, but I want you to be the head teacher."

    "Huh?"

    Luqing waspletely caught off guard by his suggestion, as it sounded way too important of a position for her to hold.

    "Ahem, I mean the head teacher of Physical Education for the 1st year students."

    Seeing her still looking a little confused, the school principal started exining the rationale he had.

    "As a cultivator, you felt all the kids are exceptionally weak and fragile, right?"

    Luqing nodded, as a level 1 cultivator wouldn''t even break a sweat running around the track even without using Qi.

    But at the same time, she knew mages could have a strong body, but it would interrupt their time in studying magic.

    It''s simply up to knights and other frontline roles to protect the mage from her personal experience.

    "Everyone knows mages are exceptionally weak when they are in closebat, and they aren''t meant to let the opponent get close."

    "Can you please be straightforward?" Luqing impatiently asked, as she didn''t want to hear him talk aboutmon sense.

    More importantly, she wanted to go catch up with Sophia and Mary in case they did something stupid.

    "Okay, well. My higher-ups had been noticing an increasing trend of mages who are... a little bit on the fat side.

    So, I had been nning to roll out a mandatory Physical education ss... I was looking far and wide for someone fit for this job.

    You know, I can''t just hire some knights and let them torture these young mages..."

    Luqing nodded, as she had witnessed the harsh knight training in the past back in Regina before.

    If it weren''t for a wondering master who proposed to Fredrick about teaching her in cultivation, she would have been put in a different route.

    "It just so happened that Lady Katherine suggested you be the teacher leading the testing ground.

    So far, I''m very happy with the results... This is why I want you to be the head teacher of physical education.

    I want you to help them implement Physical education into their sses and have their students go through the same training."

    After a short consideration, Luqing still shook her head.

    "I don''t think I''m qualified to be a head teacher for that purpose... But I can share my experience and n with the other teachers."

    "That''s perfect! Thank you so much¡ª¡ª"

    Just as the school principal was about to show his gratitude, a gust of wind blew right into his face.

    With a blink of an eye, Luqing had disappeared from the hallway, nowhere to be seen.

    "Are cultivators all like this?" The school principal murmured as he began heading back to his office.

    ---

    Meanwhile, as Alex arrived at the front door of the house, he froze for a second before knocking on the door.

    With no one answering, he kicked the small rock in frustration as he sat down on the stairway ledge.

    "Fuck my life... Why didn''t I ask Sophia for the key? How could I forget about that?"

    As Alex looked up to the sky, the sunlight was just starting to be covered by the clouds.

    "Can today get any worse?" Alex murmured to himself as he put his backpack aside.

    Taking out a book he had taken from the bookshelf a few days ago, he resumed reading where he hadst left off.

    Although it covered basic magic, the author had an interesting proposal that gave him apletely new perspective.

    Rather than using mana and casting the spell in the air, it opted to go with casting a spell inside a person''s mind.

    The same mana pool where all the mana goes when people go into meditation.

    However, the reason why it was a theory book rather than a real magic book was the first step in attracting elements into the mana pool.

    In his eyes, this was the same as asking a person to light up a cigarette in a firework factory filled with gunpowder.

 Chapter 98: Fences and Meditation Room

    After reading the entire book, neither Katherine nor Sophia hade back to open the door.

    With no way of telling time besides the sun, which had barely moved at all, Alex was getting a little bored.

    The sun was still rtively bright, shining through the porch, which was perfectly angled in front of him.

    "There has to be another way to get inside."

    Alex quickly got up from the porch and started looking for a way to get inside.

    The window was off the table, as it waspletely locked, just like the door.

    So he headed towards the side of the house, only to face a fully blocked wooden fence that was almost double his height.

    "I can climb this... Can I?"

    After thinking for a bit, Alex quickly threw his back over the fence before taking a few steps back.

    With a running start, he jumped as soon as his hand touched the fence, allowing him totch on to the top.

    However, his muscle strength didn''t allow him to pull himself up just by using his arms and hands.

    So he started kicking his feet against the fence, trying to jump off of it to reach even higher.

    The back-and-forthsted for less than a minute, as Alex eventually had one of his legs pass to the other side.

    Jumping down to his backpack, he had finally made it into the house''s backyard.

    "Please don''t be locked."

    Alex started praying as he headed towards the backdoor of the house with his backpack.

    As he arrived at the backyard, he nervously moved his hand towards the backdoor.

    Fortunately, it opened as he walked straight into the house''s storage room.

    Closing the door behind him, Alex began heading to the living room before sitting down on the sofa.

    "Thank god the backdoor isn''t close... But why would it not be locked?"

    The question eluded Alex as he just couldn''t find a reason other than Katherine forgetting about it. Explore stories on m,v l''e-NovelBin

    However, knowing how paranoid she had been about locking the door, it just seemed unlikely that she would forget about it.

    "What do I do now?"

    Alex wondered as he didn''t really feel particrly sleepy, nor did he want to read anything.

    "Maybe I should just meditate..."

    Not wasting any more time, Alex closed his eyes before entering into meditation.

    However, after meditating for just thirty minutes, he suddenly felt the urge to go to sleep.

    So he headed straight to his bedroom before changing into his pajamas and lying down on the bed.

    "Stupid period..."

    ---

    Meanwhile, all the way back at the school''s training center.

    As Sophia and Mary walked along with their four friends, they noticed that even more people than usual were lining up for the arena challenges.

    It was almost as if everyone was trying to get a better score for this year''s graduation status.

    "Sophia, wait!"

    As everyone in the area turned around, Luqing had finally caught back up with the six of them.

    "Hello Miss Luqing."

    The four of Sophia''s friends said out at the same time as the crowds of people went back with their business.

    "Hello..."

    Luqing seemingly went back to her silent mode as she followed the two behind them until they arrived at a store.

    With the bold letter at the top saying "Mediation Guru," they were finally at the mediating ce.

    "How can I help you?"

    "We''d like a level two meditation room... Thank you."

    After Sophia handed the card over to the receptionist, one of the doors further back opened.

    "Sophia, tell us what the price is, and we can split it," Camille asked, as she didn''t want her to pay the full amount.

    "Yeah... We don''t need level two anyway yet. We can just order it separately¡ª¡ª"

    "It''s fine. Don''t worry about it. I was going to use a level two room either way."

    As the seven of them entered the level 2 meditation room, they were all a little surprised by what they saw inside.

    There was a small tree and grass everywhere, almost as if they were in the middle of the scenic route.

    If it weren''t for the visible wall that trapped them in the size of a living room, they would have thought they were the outside.

    "Is this what a meditation room is like?" Luqing asked curiously, as it was her first time going to such a ce.

    "For the level 2, yeah... Level 1 is just an empty room with a core in the middle."

    As they found the right spot to sit down, Sophia''s four friends didn''t look reallyfortable at all.

    "Sophia, you sure you don''t want us to¡ª¡ª"

    "I said don''t worry about it... You guys can pay for it next time if you really want to make up for it."

    The four epted Sophia''s suggestion, as they had already started calcting how much money they could pay.

    "Let''s all just meditate. We don''t want to waste any more time, do we?"

    All four of them finally fell into silence as they closed their eyes, entering into a meditation state.

    Sophia and Mary also entered into their meditation state, leaving Luqing standing idly by as she examined the room.

    She could feel the room feeling a lot different than the outside, with a heavy amount of mana pressing down on her.

    The feeling made her feel a little ufortable at first, but her body soon got used to it.

    At the same time, as she tried to jump into the air, her body was forced down much harder than the outside.

    It was almost as if the gravity inside the room was greater than the outside.

    However, seeing the faces of the six of them, she knew she was the only one affected.

    For a second, she thought of releasing her Qi as a test to counteract it, but she ultimately chose not to.

    The risk was simply too high for something to go wrong, and there was no reason to take any sort of risk in the first ce.

    After almost thirty minutes of meditation, Camille was the first to wake up, as she seemed unable to fall back into it.

    "This room is so much more mana than a level one room," Camille murmured as she waited for the other to finish.

    With ten minutes going by, Luna was next, followed by Evelyn, who seemed satisfied with her result.

    "I can feel I''m so close to level two now..." Evelyn whispered as the three sat in the corner.

    "Same... I''m just at the barrier at this point. Within this week, I''m going to get to level two."

    Seeing the two making massive progress, Camille remained silent as she was only two-thirds of the way there.

    "Camille, you good?" Evelyn quietly asked after noticing her not speaking up at all.

    "Yeah, I''m fine... I was just wondering when they will be finished with their meditation."

    "Probably like 30 more minutes or so. There''s no way they can mediate for another hour without burning out."

    "How about we make a bet?" Luna''s suggestion caught both Evelyn and Camille''s attention.

    "What kind of bet?" Camille curiously asked.

    "Who''s going to exit meditation first? Chloe or Sophia? Whoever gets it wrong needs to wash the dishes," Luna exined.

    "Has to be Chloe. She''s an elf, after all. She should have an advantage in this." Camille dered.

    "I''m going to bet on Sophia... She''s had been climbing at a rapid pace ever since thatpetition." Evelyn quietly stated.

    "Okay then... Let''s see who wins."

    As the three waited in silence, Luqing had been sitting on the grass with her eyes closed.

    Even though she wasn''t meditating or anything, her mind was still very preupied.

    "How should I teach those teachers?" Luqing wondered, knowing she couldn''t just teach them the lesson.

    Considering that many students in her ss questioned its purpose, she could already imagine other sses being even worse.

    Not to mention, the school principal clearly implied that one teacher like Amy would teach both sses.

    "Oh, look! Sophia was the first one to open her eyes."

    Camille''s whispers made Luqing open her eyes back up as Sophia stood up from the ground and headed towards them.

    "What are you guys doing sitting here in the corner?" Sophia curiously asked.

    "Don''t worry about it. It looks like you''re washing the dishes this week," Camille happily said as Evelyn looked a little down.

    "Whatever..."

    As the four waited patiently, they were all surprised when Chloe was the next one to exit mediation.

    Mary was thest one, still meditating in ce as Chloe began walking towards the four.

    "How''s your guys progress?" Chloe quietly asked as she went over to sit down next to Camille.

    "Pretty good... Look like neither of us won," Evelyn replied, her face looking a little happy that Mary won.

    "That doesn''t count. We only bet on Sophia and Chloe, not Mary." Camille immediately argued back.

    "What are you two talking about? What counting?" Sophia curiously asked as she walked over to the four of them.

    "Yeah, what counting?" Chloe asked, looking a little curious as well towards the three.

    "N-Nothing. Don''t worry about it."

    Luna quickly replied, her face panicking a little as she didn''t want to be responsible for it.

 Chapter 99: Alexs Existential Crisis

    Meanwhile, back at home...

    As Alex exited his meditation, only thirty minutes had passed as the clock pointed at six.

    He could feel he had already reached his daily limit, as the connections between the mana nodes had reached an equilibrium.

    "Why didn''t I just go with them?" Alex murmured to himself as he started regretting his irrational action.

    After getting up from the bed, he headed back to the living room before standing at the bookshelf.

    "What other book can I read?"

    Looking through all the selections, Alex eventually found one that interested him.

    But as he sat down on the sofa and began reading it. He was soon bored out of his mind again.

    He was just too burnt to read, so he put the book back on the bookshelf as hey t on the sofa.

    "I''m so bored! Why is this world so boring? Why are there no video games!"

    Alexined out loud in the living room as he rolled around the sofa, punching the soft pillow out of anger.

    But suddenly, he came to aplete stop as he sat back up from the sofa before looking down at what he had just done.

    "When did I have such a big mood swing? Is this period really affecting me this much?"

    Alex immediately headed to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror.

    In the reflection, he could see a young boy with long hair and a slightly feminine face.

    "Come on, Alex, stop acting like a little bitch and calm back down... Are you a real man or not, Alex?"

    After asking himself the question out loud right in front of the mirror, he couldn''t open his mouth and answer it back.

    It was almost as if he couldn''t convince himself that he was a man at this point.

    His feminine, high-pitched voice had remained the same, and his muscles didn''t grow as expected despite his ssmate already growing.

    Not to mention his chest, which had gone from a t in to almost the size of his fingertip, and the pain he still felt down below.

    From all angles, his body was growing to be a woman, no matter how much he wanted to tell himself that he was a man.

    "Maybe I''m just a woman... No, no, no, I need to get that thought out of my head."

    Alex immediately rushed out of the bathroom and ran past the two rooms before arriving in the backyard.

    Despite the cold air blowing onto his face, it didn''t help at all, as he felt more conflicted than ever.

    A sense of disgust began to develop as he couldn''t believe what he had just suggested to himself.

    Yet, the baseline he had always set for himself was starting to erode more and more as he couldn''t get the idea out of his mind.

    "Shut up! Shut up! Shut Up! I''m a guy! I''m not a woman! I will never be a woman!"

    As Alex started banging his head against the tree, leaves started falling until a drop of blood on his forehead made him stop.

    "What''s wrong with me? Calm down, Alex, just take a deep breath and get a hold of yourself...

    It''s just stupid periods ying tricks on you. Just be a rational individual and stop thinking this kind of stuff."

    After standing below the tree for a while, an idea suddenly popped up in his head that gave him hope of manhood.

    It was thest hope he could grasp, and it perfectly exined all the radical actions he had never done before.

    "Maybe I am a man...? It has to be because my hormones are fighting each other, right?"

    As he thought more and more about it, he could feel something in his memories that felt familiar.

    From his math sses in elementary school to his biology sses in high school, he just kept on digging to find it.

    Eventually, after what felt like forever inside his memories, he finally found the exact reason in one of his sex-ed sses.

    "Period increases Estrogen level... But if I just hit my male puberty, then my androgen level is trying to fight back?"

    The idea began to be entrenched in his mind as the exact memory of the book appeared.

    "I am a man! I''m perfectly fine! Woohoo!"

    As Alex felt a surge of relief, it quickly disappeared, as all signs on his body pointed towards his feminine side winning.

    "Shit... What can I do to increase my androgen over my estrogen?"

    After digging through almost all of his knowledge, he found that not a single one could help him.

    "Maybe I ask Mom... Wait, what am I thinking? Hormone as a concept doesn''t even exist in this world."

    After a short silence, Alex suddenlyughed out loud as he looked up at the orange sky.

    He could feel a sense of hopelessness inside his heart, yet a hint of happiness was on his face.

    Even though there was nothing he could do to impact his hormones, at least there was a sign of life from his men''s side.

    More importantly, a tent suddenly popped up inside his pants, almost as if it was trying to remind him he was still a man.

    "How could I ever be a woman with that package down there? I''m just worrying over nothing."

    Alex felt a sense of inner peace as he headed back to the living room, with his mind no longer having an existential crisis.

    As he opened a book and sat down on the sofa, his mind was a little distracted once again.

    But this time, it wasn''t because of some worries.

    Instead, it was because he was more determined than ever to believe he was a man.

    The memories of the past once again popped up, as he could remember the info that high estrogen was supposed to cause smaller sizes.

    Yet, the size he had inside his pants was the only proof he ever needed to show that his androgen level was much higher than he imagined.

    Even if his body turned out to be fully feminine, as long he kept on growing down below, it was all that mattered to him... For now.

    ---

    "See you guys tomorrow!"

    "See you!"

    As Luqing and the two sisters walked in the opposite direction of their four friends, they were finally heading back home.

    "Luqing, what do you think of the meditation room?" Sophia curiously asked as they walked down the streets.

    "It''s pretty cool... It kind of reminded me about what my master described as a natural spirit stone ce."

    As Luqing answered, the two both knew the master she was talking about wasn''t Fredrick.

    Instead, it was her teacher who had taught her about meditation in the past.

    "Luqing, Luqing, how strong was your master? Was she as strong as Miss Meiya?" Mary curiously asked this time.

    "He''s... I don''t think he''s stronger than Mom... But he''s definitely stronger than me."

    "Huh... Wait, how did he arrive on this side of the world?" Sophia asked as she suddenly realized something.

    Luqing fell into silence, seemingly to be thinking of something before she spoke up again.

    "I think he was being wanted as a... fugitive? Or at least that''s what several of the people told me back in Regina."

    Both girls became even more curious, but they didn''t ask any further as they arrived at the front door.

    After opening the door with the key, they were a little surprised to find the house empty except for Alex, who was sitting on the sofa reading a book.

    "Wee back." Alex weed the three as Luqing closed the door behind her.

    "Where''s mom and Miss Meiya?"

    Sophia asked as she and Mary threw their backpack aside before sitting down.

    "I don''t know. They haven''t shown up since I got back home... Hey, don''t take my book away."

    As Alex tried to take his book back from Sophia''s hand, she quickly lifted it into the air.

    "Who told you to be so rude and just give us the silent treatment to all of us?"

    Alex fell into silence for a second before he jumped up to grab his book out of Sophia''s hand.

    "I just didn''t feel well today... Do you two have your periods yet?" Alex asked as he resumed reading the book.

    "We are on our period right now. We barely felt that much pain, unlike someone who put up a¡ª¡ª"

    Just before Sophia could finish, Mary quickly covered her mouth before giving her an eye signal.

    "Ahem, can you at least try not to be so rude about it? Just, you know, tell us you''re not feeling well."

    "Fine, fine... I''ll tell you and your friends that I''m not feeling well. Are you happy, Mom?"

    "Hmph! Whatever..."

    As Sophia shifted her attention over to Mary instead, Alex''s heart was skipping like crazy.

    If Mary hadn''t covered Sophia''s mouth at the veryst second, his secret would have been fully exposed to Luqing right there.

 Chapter 100: Missing and Showers

    An hourter...

    As Sophia and Mary finished their homework on the dining table, their belly was starting to rumble loudly.

    However, Katherine and Meiya still haven''t arrived back home despite the time already being seven o''clock.

    "Where is Mom? How are they still not back yet?" Sophiained as the two of them leaned back down on the sofa.

    "I don''t know."

    As Alex continued reading his book silently with no signs of hunger, Sophia and Mary were too hungry to do anything else.

    "Sophia, you go cook," Mary demanded, with barely energy on her face.

    "No, you go cook," Sophia demanded back.

    With neither side willing to back down, they both turned their attention over to Alex.

    "Alex, cook dinner for us... Please, you wouldn''t be cruel enough to watch them go hungry, would you?"

    Despite them trying to shake him out of the book by grabbing his arms, he quickly shoved them away.

    "Go cook yourself. You got hands and legs."

    Seeing Alex reject their demand, they both leaned back down again, not wanting to lift a single finger.

    "I''ll go cook dinner."

    "Thank you¡ª¡ª"

    "Wait, let me go help you."

    Alex quickly closed his book, following Luqing to the kitchen as Sophia and Mary sat in the living room.

    "Now he''s going to cook... Hey Sophia, what do you think made him change his mind?"

    "He''s doing it because he didn''t want to let us starve¡ª¡ª"

    "Come on, Sophia, do you trust the word you just said out loud?"

    Mary''s question made Sophia turn silent for a second, but she wasn''t done asking more questions.

    "Hey Sophia, do you think he''s into Luqing?"

    "Mary! Don''t say that kind of stuff... Luqing is old enough to be our mom... And she''s our teacher."

    "So? Who''s to say Alex can''t prefer older women¡ª¡ª"

    "You''re really missing a few loose screws, aren''t you, Mary?"

    Sophia quickly trapped Mary into a chokehold with her arms before knocking the back of Mary''s head with her knuckles.

    "Ouch¡ª¡ªLet me go! I was just asking¡ª¡ª"

    "You still don''t understand what you did wrong?" Sophia asked as she knocked on the back of her head even harder.

    "Okay, okay, I''m sorry. I won''t ask that ever again. I shouldn''t be gossiping about other people."

    After Mary''s promise, Sophia slowly lets go of her before thinking back to her original idea.

    She was already thinking of what Mary had just said out loud, but she just didn''t want to say it like her.

    From all the analytical evidence she had so far, she could feel Alex staying within a distance with all of the girls in the ss.

    It was almost as if he didn''t want to risk bing romantically involved with any of them or just having basic friendships with them.

    If it wasn''t for her always bringing him to her four friends, she could already imagine him being alone in the ss.

    "Sophia, are you jealous that Luqing is getting all the attention from Alex¡ª¡ª"

    "You''re really testing my limit today, Mary."

    As Sophia started crackling his knuckles, Mary immediately bolted out of the living room despite having no energy just a few seconds earlier.

    "What are you guys making so much noise for?" Alex yelled from the kitchen as the kitchen fan masked most of their noise earlier.

    "Nothing!"

    ---

    After dinner had finished, the four of them finally began eating their dinner.

    By the time they were finished, it was almost eight o''clock at night.

    As they sat at the dining table, Sophia''s face looked to be the most worried as they waited for Katherine and Meiya to return.

    "How are you guys not nervous? Aren''t you all worried for Mom and Miss Meiya?"

    Sophia curiously asked, noticing how calm all three of them lookedpared to her.

    "I''m sure they are fine. If they are attacked, then there is nowhere safe in the school."

    Despite Alex''s answer, Sophia didn''t look reassured by it at all. Instead, she looked even more worried.

    "But what if they went outside of the school?" Sophia questioned.

    "Then there''s nothing we can do... We''re only level 2 mages. Who can we save with that?"

    Sophia knew Alex''s rational answer made sense, but she couldn''t just sit idly by like this.

    "There has to be something that we can do¡ª¡ª"

    "Sophia... I think the best we can do is wait... We shouldn''t try to cause more work for them."

    Mary''s point was the final nail in the coffin, as Sophia didn''t speak up about doing something again.

    However, as more and more time passed, all four began to realize something serious must have happened.

    Even as the clock hits twelve, neither Katherine nor Meiya shows up at the doorsteps.

    "I''m going back to sleep. You all can wait as long as you want."

    As Alex headed back to his room, Mary quickly followed suit as she headed back to her room.

    "Luqing, you can head back to the room as well."

    "I''m going to wait."

    The two said nothing as they waited silently, hoping to see their mom show up.

    Soon, Sophia''s eyelid started to feel heavier and heavier as drowsiness began to set in.

    She kept trying her best to stay awake, but after almost waiting for another hour, she just couldn''t hold it anymore.

    Without even noticing it, she fell onto the table and started sleeping with a drooling out of her lips.

    Meanwhile, Luqing was still fully awake, her eyes wide open, as she continued to wait for them to show up.

    Seeing Sophia shivering a little, Luqing quickly took off her jacket before putting it on top of Sophia.

    The shivering eventually stopped as Luqing shifted her attention back to the front door.

    After almost one o''clock, the door was finally unlocked before being opened.

    "Wee back, Lady¡ª¡ªAhem, Katherine and Mom."

    "Hey, Luqing... Can you help your mom scrub her back? I had sweated way too much today."

    Luqing didn''t say anything, but she nodded as she followed Meiya all the way to the bathroom.

    Meanwhile, Katherine''s attention was on Sophia, who was sleeping on the dining table with Luqing''s jacket still on.

    "How nice of her..."

    After putting the jacket aside, Katherine tried her best to lift Sophia gently. However, the movement instantly awakened Sophia.

    "Hm? Mom?" Sophia asked as she slowly opened her eyes.

    "Sophia... You don''t have to wait for me next time, okay? You can just head back to sleep like Alex and Mary."

    As Katherine lifted Sophia in her arms, Sophia quickly shook her head as she became much more awake.

    "I know... But thest time, you leftte at night without saying a word."

    Katherine''s heart melted, knowing exactly what Sophia was talking about as she carried her all to the hallway.

    "Sorry for making you worried... I just had something to do today."

    After Katherine opened Sophia''s room, Mary was already sleeping on one side of the bed.

    Gently putting Sophia into bed, Katherine gently kissed both of their foreheads before leaving the room.

    "Goodnight, Sophia."

    "Goodnight, Mom."

    ---

    Entering back into the hallway, Katherine headed straight to Alex''s room to check on him.

    Seeing him peacefully sleeping on the bed, she didn''t bother waking him up as she headed back into the hallway again.

    With all three of the kids asleep, Katherine headed back to her room before taking off her clothes.

    As she looked in the body mirror, there were hundreds of red marks all over her chest and legs.

    "Ouch..."

    Katherine immediately stopped trying to touch it as a burning sensation almost made her copse onto the floor.

    But after murmuring something in her breath, a green light appeared before her body.

    The burning sensation and the red marks disappeared, leaving her with only a bunch of sweat on her skin and her clothes as she put them back on.

    "I need to go take a shower... They wouldn''t mind it, would they?"

    Putting her idea to the test, Katherine headed over to the bathroom before knocking on the door.

    "Meiya, Luqing, can Ie in? My clothes are drenched in sweat."

    "Sure."

    After walking in, she quickly took off her clothes again before walking inside.

    Meiya was sitting on a small chair, with Luqing behind, holding a sponge with a bar of soap.

    "Are you taking a shower, too?" Meiya asked as she noticed Katherine walking in naked.

    "Yeah... You guys don''t mind, right?"

    "We don''t mind it at all."

    As Katherine entered the shower area, she quickly noticed Meiya staring at her for a second before looking away.

    She didn''t think much of it as she quickly rinsed her hair with water before applying hair shampoo.

    With her hair rinsed clean, Katherine began grabbing a bar of soap before scrubbing it around her body.

    Meanwhile, Luqing had just finished cleaning, rinsing Meiya''s body onest time.

    "Thank you, Luqing... Wait, let me scrub your body. I haven''t done that for you yet."

    Despite wanting to refuse, Meiya had already had the bar of soap and sponge in hand.

 Chapter 101: Alexs Breakfast Sandwich

    "Luqing, when was thest time someone had helped you scrub your back?"

    Meiya curiously asked, noticing all the dead skins she had scrubbed off onto the shower sponge.

    "I... I just scrub it asionally myself."

    "No wonder why... You''re going to start taking a shower with me every weekend, okay?"

    Luqing remained silent, but she nodded as Meiya began rinsing her body with water.

    "I''m going back to my room now. Goodnight." Katherine murmured as she left the shower with only a towel.

    "Goodnight."

    ---

    The next day...

    As Alex woke up from the bed, he could barely feel any cramp at all affecting him.

    It was a peaceful sleep, as Sarah didn''t show up, and he didn''t get pulled into Katherine''s dreams again.

    After changing into his school uniform, he headed out to the bathroom before brushing his teeth.

    With his mouth rinsed, he sshed his face with cold water before heading straight to the living room.

    However, to his surprise, not a single person was out yet.

    Looking over at the clock, he quickly realized he had woken up way earlier than usual.

    He still had an hour before he usually woke up, and there were twenty minutes left before Katherine woke up.

    Alex also quickly noticed Katherine''s shoe on the doorstep, indicating that she hade back homest night.

    Having nothing much to do, Alex headed over to the kitchen before he looked inside the fridge.

    "What should I make today?"

    After looking for a bit, Alex took out an egg and a sausage before going to the cab for a piece of toast.

    With the stove turned on, he quickly added a small drop of some nt oil before waiting for it to heat up.

    As the oil began to make a sizzling sound, Alex quickly cracked the egg before putting the sausage next to it.

    The smell immediately made Alex lose focus for a second as memories of him cooking suddenly flooded into his mind.

    Shaking his head, Alex quickly shifted his attention back to the frying pan as he grabbed the te on which he had put a toast earlier.

    Putting the egg and the sausage onto the toast, he added another piece of toast.

    "A simple sandwich... Now, just cook five more of them."

    Alex thought about it for a second, then chose to cut the sausage into smaller pieces, with the egg all scrambled together instead.

    This time, the sandwich looked much better, as the ingredients were spread among the toast rather than looking like a weird hotdog.

    However, Alex was still not satisfied with it, so he returned to the fridge to look for more ingredients.

    "This is lettuce, right?"

    Alex murmured as he grabbed what seemed to be a mix of cabbage and lettuce.

    He snapped six pieces of ''lettuce'' just wide enough for the toast before putting the rest back into the fridge.

    With the stove back on again, he added a little bit of oil before adding the lettuce piece.

    Having it just tanned a little, Alex quickly moved the lettuce back up before putting it inside the sandwich.

    After repeating it five times, the sandwiches looked much better now with the pan-fried ''grilled'' lettuce added.

    "What is it missing?" Alex thought to himself as the longer he stared at it, the weirder it felt.

    There was clearly a key ingredient missing from the sandwich, but he just couldn''t remember until he stood there for almost a minute.

    "Wait, tomatoes! That''s it!"

    Alex quickly headed back to the fridge before getting three red baseball-sized vegetables, the equivalent of tomatoes in this world.

    With the knife in hand, he cuts them into several pieces before carefully adding them to the sandwich.

    "Now this is what a perfect sandwich looks like... Crap, I forgot to add salt."

    After staring at what he had made for a few seconds, Alex decided to ignore it in the hope that the sausages were already salty enough.

    Slowly, Alex carried the tes one by one onto the dining table until all six of them were at the table.

    "Finally, I''m done..."

    Just as Alex was about to take a bite of the weird sandwich he had made at the start, one of the doors in the hallway was opened.

    "What''s that smell... Did Luqing wake up early today?" A female voice echoed as they walked into the living room.

    "Good morning, Mom... How''s your sleep today?" Alex waved as he finally took a bit of his sandwich.

    "Pretty good... Wait, you cooked breakfast today?"

    Katherine''s eyes were finally wide open as she noticed all the food that was on the table.

    "Yeah, I kinda woke up early today... Mom, you okay?"

    Seeing Katherine seemingly on the verge of tears, Alex got a little nervous, thinking that he might have taken Katherine''s job.

    "Yeah, I''m fine... Alex! Come here, let me hug you!"

    Alex spread out his arm, letting Katherine wrap her arms around his back as they hugged.

    "You''re so nice today. What did I deserve to get such a good son?"

    Katherine yelled out loud as she rested her head inside Alex''s arm, reliving Alex''s worries.

    "Mom... It''s just a breakfast. It''s not like I haven''t cooked it for you before." Alex murmured as the two finally separated.

    "That''s different. You don''t understand... I''m going to go wake all of them up now."

    As Katherine headed back into the hallway, Alex''s brain was still a little confused by her drastic change.

    "Is it that big of a deal...?" Alex thought to himself as he continued taking bites of his sandwich.

    ---

    As everyone sat at the dining table, Sophia and Mary were in disbelief when Katherine told them Alex had cooked it.

    Even though he had cooked several times in the past, especially back in their old home, the two just refused to believe.

    Meiya also looked a little surprised. She had always thought Alex was more of a child who had never touched the kitchen.

    Especially considering the noble status of Katherine, not to mention Alex was only ten years old.

    The only one who didn''t seem to react as much was Luqing, who only said thanks as she started eating the sandwich.

    "Today''s sun must be rising from the West for Alex to be cooking..." Sophia murmured as she took a bite of the sandwich.

    "Yeah... Oh my god, this sandwich is so good!"

    Mary''s eyes were wide open, and she couldn''t believe how vorful and juicy the sandwich was.

    At the same time, Alex let out a sigh of relief inside his head as the sausage was, in the end, salty enough.

    "Alex, you''re going to start cooking breakfast every morning from now on, okay?"

    Katherine''s demand was met with support from Sophia and Mary, but Alex immediately shook his head.

    "Hell no. This is just because I woke up early. I''m not going to wake up early every morning for that."

    All three of them looked a little disappointed, but they didn''t try to pressure him again.

    "Oh, let me go get the milk."

    As Katherine headed over to the kitchen, everyone had finished except for Luqing, who kept on taking small bits of it.

    "Luqing, you like it?" Alex curiously asked.

    Luqing immediately nodded her head several times, prompting Meiya to pat Alex on the shoulder suddenly.

    "Hey Alex, how about you cook breakfast from now on? I''ll teach you some ''advanced'' Qi techniques that you can use."

    Meiya''s suggestion caused both Sophia and Alex to freeze for a second until Katherine returned with three cups of milk.

    "Why are you all sitting still? Meiya, what happened to them?"

    Katherine curiously asked as she put the cup of milk right before each of her kids.

    "Oh, I was just offering Alex to¡ª¡ª"

    "I ept! I ept!"

    Alex excitedly interrupted Meiya as his brain finally unfroze itself and came back to reality.

    "Lucky..." Sophia murmured to herself as she wanted to learn about using Qi herself as well.

    Meanwhile, Mary didn''t seem to be affected by it at all, as she never really learned about sword fighting from her dad.

    "What are you two on about? epting what?" Katherine asked, getting even more confused.

    "I offered Alex to teach him using Qi if he cooks breakfast every morning." Meiya finally rified.

    "Ah, I see... Wait, but Qi and Mana aren''tpatible." Katherine immediately raised her concern.

    "I can help him have his Qi outside of his body to be used... It''s not exactly being a cultivator, but it should bepatible."

    Seeing the excitement on Alex''s face and the confidence in Meiya''s voice, Katherine didn''t question it any further.

    "Okay, time for you all to go to school. Finish up your milk and get ready to go."

    All three of the kids quickly chugged the milk before they headed to the doorway to get their backpacks.

    With Luqing finishing up her sandwich, it was finally time to head out of the house.

 Chapter 102: Midterm Exams

    When the four of them arrived in the ssroom, everyone was sitting silently with their notebooks on the table.

    Everyone was studying silently, getting ready for today''s uing midterm exam.

    "Sophia, Mary, did you two study yesterday?" Luna quietly asked as the two of them headed to their seat.

    "We already study in ss. Why would we need to study back at home?" Sophia whispered.

    After waiting for five minutes, Miss Amy finally entered the ssroom with a stack of paper in hand.

    "Good morning everyone. Today is Thursday... I assume all of you know what that means, right?"

    Experience new stories on m v|l e''-NovelBin

    The entire ssroom remained silent, but everyone had their writing utensil ready.

    "Please pass one back until everyone has one."

    After everyone had the exam paper, Miss Amy took the remaining paper to her desk before walking back to the front.

    "You may now begin..."

    ---

    A few hourster...

    Just as Miss Amy was about to gather the students'' exam papers, the lunch bell rang.

    "Okay, everyone. Please leave your exam paper on the table. I''ll collect them myself."

    After everyone left for lunch, Miss Amy closed the door, leaving her the only one inside.

    "What did you guys get for thest problem?" Sophia curiously asked as the seven of them headed towards the cafeteria.

    "I got mana depreciation of the body can lead toa and unconsciousness," Evelyn replied first.

    "Same," Luna replied next.

    "I got it can lead to spinal damage," Chloe said quietly.

    "You guys got to thest problem? I couldn''t even get to do thest page."

    Camilleined as she rested her head on Chloe''s shoulder, her face on the verge of crying out loud.

    "It''s okay, Camile. No one in the ss expects you to get a high score on this test."

    Evelyn''s words pierced through Camille''s heart as the truth hurt more than she could ever imagine.

    "I''m sure sister Camille did just fine... I think Miss Amy isn''t going to be grading it that harshly."

    Maryforted as she gently patted Camille''s back. Meanwhile, Evelyn and Luna were both stillughing out loud.

    "Thank you, Mary. You aren''t heartless like these bunch of cruel friends."

    As Camille tried to grab Mary''s shoulder to cry on, Sophia quickly dragged Mary away to her back.

    "You got to pay attention more in ss if you want to do better next time. You got no one else to me besides yourself."

    Sophia''s words made Camille fall into disarray, walking randomly as if she were drunk.

    "Waaah, even Sophia is hurting me!" Camilleined again as they finally arrived at the cafeteria.

    "Stop being so dramatic. It''s just a midterm. It''s not the end of the word." Luna added.

    "Fine... But you guys have to help me when the finales." Camille pleaded as they began ordering food on the menu.

    Both Luna and Evelyn rolled their eyes as they looked over to Chloe, who slowly nodded in agreement to help.

    "Thank you, Chloe. I knew you''d always be my best friend."

    As Camille tried to give her ''style'' of hug to Chloe, she quickly pushed her arms away before switching to the other side of the bench.

    "Ahem, Alex, what did you get on thest problem?" Sophia curiously asked as Camille looked down in defeat.

    "I got it can lead to hair loss and gradual disconnect between the soul and the body."

    "Huh... It''s just like mine, except I didn''t write the hair loss part." Sophia murmured.

    After waiting for a bit, the food was finally served, and the six of them started debating which one was the right answer.

    From the beginning to the end, they could reach amon consensus on all of the problems until they got to the secondst page.

    Neither side could convince the other, leaving it for Miss Amy to decide as they began heading back to the ssroom.

    As Alex sat down in his seat, he could see a stack of paper right before Miss Amy''s desk.

    All of their exam paper were in that single stack, with some scores written right on the first page.

    "Wee back, everyone... I hope you all had a fantastic lunch break because I was busy grading your paper.

    Anyway, I''m sure you''re all excited to have your exam paper back¡ªexcept for a certain individual who left thest page of their midterm nk.

    Within seconds, the entire ss turned their attention over to Camille, who awkwardly swirled her hair as she looked out the window.

    "I''ll now name the three students in the ss who got above 95. Sophia, Chloe, and Aaron, pleasee up to the front."

    As the three of them walked up to her, the entire ss wasn''t surprised a single bit as they had performed extremely well on quizzes.

    "You guys did a very good job... Can everyone give a round of apuse for their hard work?"

    Everyone began to p as the three of them headed back to their exam paper in hand.

    "Okay, everyone else. I''ll be calling from highest to lowest. Please form a single file line..."

    A few minutester...

    As Miss Amy called Camille''s name, her face blushed red. There were only four people who hadn''t been called yet.

    "Camille, I need you to stay after ss tomorrow so I can talk to you for a bit."

    Camille nodded as she epted the exam paper and headed back to her seats.

    After the next three people were called, the entire ss was a little confused as Alex''s name was never called.

    It just didn''t make sense, considering Alex''s score had always been very high, at the same level as Sophia''s.

    No one was more nervous than Alex, who expected to have his name called in the middle, at the very least.

    "Ahem, now for our final student of the ss... Alex, would you pleasee up?"

    As Alex walked towards Miss Amy, his heart was beating like crazy. He couldn''t imagine himself failing something like this.

    "Tsk... Alex, I''m really, really surprised. Do you know that? I just really... I genuinely cannot put this into words."

    The entire ss watched in silence as they felt nervous for Alex, looking more worried than him from the way Miss Amy talked.

    Meanwhile, Alex''s heart stopped beatingpletely for a second before he felt something was a little off.

    "I really hope you can do better than this at the final... Then I will have the best student in this grade!

    Everyone, give it up to Alex, who got the perfect score on this exam. I''m really proud of you, Alex."

    As Miss Amy handed the paper back, Alex''s heart finally calmed down, and everyone in the ss started pping.

    "Thank you, Miss Amy..."

    Despite Alex happily saying it out loud, his mind was a little annoyed, as every name called earlier was giving him a panic attack.

    "Hehe, sorry about that. Ahem, everyone, please remember that we will start a new lesson tomorrow and next week.

    We will have a Math lesson in the morning and the new Alchemy lesson in the afternoon. ss dismissed."

    As Miss Amy bolted out of the room before anyone could react, everyone started chattering with each other with their exam paper.

    Almost ny percent of them wereparing it with each other, but most importantly, Alex''s desk was surrounded by people.

    "Hey, Alex! How did you get a perfect score?" One of his ssmates curiously asked.

    "I just study a lot in my free time and pay attention during ss."

    "Alex, do you want to study together?" One of his female ssmates offered.

    "No, thank you."

    "Hey Alex, how did you get number 35 correct?" Another ssmate curiously asked.

    "Um, you have to read page 120 of the textbook..."

    After answering most of his ssmates'' questions and rejecting several of his female peers'' invitations to study, he was finally free.

    "Alex, do you not want to ept those girls'' study invites? I can see you looking at them in the past.

    If you ept their invites, I''m sure they are more than willing to be study ''partners'' with you."

    Camille''s directness made Alex blush a little, but he replied with a calm answer.

    "I want to focus on my study first."

    "Camille! Stop trying to tempt my brother. He''s nowhere old enough to have a girlfriend."

    Sophia quickly walked over and interrupted her from making any further advances.

    "Who said girlfriends? I said study ''partners.'' Actually, Alex, do you want to be my study partner?"

    Seeing Sophia staring at him dead in the eyes, Alex quickly shook his head.

    "Looks like Alex is never going to be free, isn''t he?" Chloe murmured as they watched Alex being dragged out of the room.

    "Yeah, not with Sophia watching over him like a hawk... Man, I wish I had a brother like Alex."

    As Evelyn and Luna both thought back to their brother, a frown instantly appeared on their face.

 Chapter 103: Passing Time and Moving Out

    "Wee back. How''s school today?" Katherine asked as she and Meiya helped take off their backpack.

    "Pretty good. We just finished our midterm exam today." Sophia replied as they all headed towards the dining table.

    "Oh really? How well did you guys do on your exam?" Katherine curiously asked.

    As the six of them sat down, Mary and Sophia looked jealously at Alex, which made the other two look at him as well.

    "Um, we did pretty well," Alex nervously replied, wiping away an invisible sweat on his forehead.

    "Really? How well, exactly?"

    Seeing Alex not replying and both Sophia and Mary staying silent, Katherine turned her attention to Luqing.

    "What did they get?"

    "Sophia got top 5, Mary got 11th ce, and Alex got 1st ce," Luqing replied without any hesitation.

    "Wait, what? Alex, you got first ce?" Katherine eximed, her voice sounding a little surprised as she looked back at Alex.

    "Yeah... I did." Alex quietly replied, not wanting to bring more attention to himself.

    "That''s amazing, Alex¡ª¡ªUm, Sophia, you did well, too. And Mary, you didn''t do bad either.

    I''m proud of you all, okay? I''m just happy to hear you guys getting good grades."

    Katherine quickly shifted her excitement from Alex over to the other two after noticing their frowns.

    "Hmph! Stupid Alex... Always have to get all the attention."

    Sophia rolled her eyes, murmuring grumpily as she looked down at the table before her.

    At the same time, Alex''s and Mary''s faces both blushed red.

    Alex could feel Katherine''s bias toward him over Sophia, but at this point, there was nothing he could do.

    Meanwhile, Mary was a little embarrassed, having Katherine be proud of her despite nowhere near the other two.

    "Ahem, let''s all eat now."

    Meiya intervened, trying to relieve some of Katherine''s pressure from her mistake ofparing them.

    ---

    When the next day arrived, the sour mood disappeared as Sophia happily ate the breakfast that Alex had cooked.

    Everyone seemingly ignored what happened yesterday as the three of them ate their breakfast before heading to school with Luqing.

    As the morning sses with Miss Amy and the lunch break quickly went by, it was time for P.E. ss.

    This time, Alex performed back to his usual self, being right behind Camille as everyone had expected.

    With the Friday ss finally over, the three of them were a little surprised when the school principal forced Luqing to stay behind.

    But they didn''t ask why, heading to the mediation room with Sophia''s other four friends.

    ---

    Soon, time began to fly by for Alex and everyone around him.

    Every day became a repetitive routine of going to school and then heading straight to the meditation room for a bit before going home.

    The level 2 mage to level 3 mage gap was almost 10x bigger than what they had faced when they went from level 1 to 2.

    Even as January and February went by, they were still nowhere near a third of the way to level 3.

    Besides the boring routine, there were still a few exceptions that made it slightly different every day.

    First was going to the School Arena for a better time in level one challenges.

    Alex was able to nail the perfect score on the leaderboard, with the only difference being seconds off from the top 100.

    Still, he was satisfied with his work, as any further attempt to decrease the time didn''t yield any rewards besides bragging rights.

    The second excitement was his training with Meiya, who took him and Luqing out on the weekend to give him his reward.

    But much to his disappointment, it wasn''t real ''Qi'' that he could control. Instead, she gave him a wooden sword with her Qi attached to it.

    Other than that, she started teaching him and Luqing apletely different, much more aggressivebat style.

    Almost every strike was aimed at the other person''s life, so the two were only allowed to train with her instead of each other.

    He could feel himself improving slowly with every lesson from Meiya''s advanced sword technique.

    However, it was nowhere near the same pace as Luqing, who had already mastered it within a month.

    Funnily enough, even though Alex worked for it to get into Meiya''s training, Sophia and Mary got in by constantly nagging Katherine about ''fairness.''

    However, when they got in, Mary quit after the second time of training, and Sophia quit after the fourth time.

    When Alex became curious and asked them why they quit, Mary responded that she was toozy and didn''t like it.

    Sophia simply preferred spending the time meditating rather than spending it on something that she would never use.

    Other than the two excitements that made the day less boring, thest thing was his training with Sarah.

    Much to Alex''s gratitude, she arbitrarily reduced the time of his meetings with her from four days a week to only Friday and Saturday nights.

    He no longer needed to wake up tired in the morning on school days. He just had to sleep in on weekend mornings.

    On a side note, the entire school had also begun having their teacher teach P.E. ss in the afternoon or sometimes even in the morning.

    The first few days of exercising from the other sses were a disaster, as a ton of embarrassing stories circted at the school.

    Both the teacher and students were unprepared.

    From failing to run twops on the track to students suffering heatstroke due to forgetting to drink water, there were endless small mistakes.

    Still, the other sses eventually got used to it, but they were nowhere near the same level as Alex''s ss.

    Everyone in the ss soon started to respect Luqing more and more as the benefits of exercising started to take effect on the student''s body.

    Just as Alex thought the days would continue to go by, a change within his home interrupted the routine.

    ---

    "Ahem, Meiya and I have an important announcement to make," Katherine said as they stood up at the dining table.

    All three of the kids, along with Luqing, looked toward them with curiosity as they waited for them to announce it.

    "Luqing and I are finally moving out. We found a nearby house that we can afford to rent." Experience tales at m v|l e''-NovelBin

    As soon as Meiya finished talking, the table fell into dead silence until Mary raised her question.

    "Wait, why? Is it because of the room? I don''t mind you guys sleeping in my room at all."

    "I don''t mind having Mary sleep in my room with me either," Sophia added.

    Meiya shook her head as she looked over to Luqing before turning her attention back to the three kids.

    "It''s not about room. Luqing and I can''t just share a room forever. We still want our privacy and everything.

    Besides, it isn''t polite for us to stay in your guy''s house for this long. We should have moved out a long time ago."

    Seeing Meiya looking determined to move and Luqing seemingly to support it, both of the girls admit defeat.

    However, Alex wasn''t done yet, as he could notice Luqing''s face seemingly a little unhappy to be separated.

    Not to mention, he had gotten used to living with them and seeing them leave, which left him in a sour mood.

    "But how about my training? And can I cook breakfast for you guys if you guys leave?"

    Meiya and Katherine both let out a chuckle before looking at each other''s faces and turning back to Alex.

    "You silly. You can still visit us on the weekend for the training. We''re just moving to the house on the right.

    And for the breakfast... If you don''t mind, it would be great if you could deliver it to Luqing and me."

    As soon as Meiya answered, all three of the kids let out a sigh of relief, knowing they were still close.

    "Ahem, actually, I also have another announcement."

    Katherine''s words seemed to have caught Meiya off guard as she looked over at her with confusion.

    "I had been granted permission from the school to buy up the houses on the left and the houses on the right."

    "Huh?"

    The announcement shocked everyone, as none of them ever expected this to be the oue in the end.

    "Anyway, happy to meet you, my tenant... Oh, and I''m nning to merge all three of the houses into a big mansion instead."

    As Katherine reached for a handshake, Meiya finally realized why it was so easy for her to find a ce to rent out of nowhere.

    "You really are a sly fox..." Meiya murmured as she epted the handshake.

    "How could I leave my bodyguard away from me and my children? Besides, I''m sure Luqing is more than happy to stay with them."

    "Well, let''s see if someone can keep on affording the sry raise that I''m going to need."

    As the two stared at each other as if they were trying to one-up each other, neither side seemed to let go until Luqing suddenly spoke up.

    "Um, the school principal gave me my teacher housing yesterday¡ª¡ª"

    "You''re not going there."

    Both Meiya and Katherine turned towards her at the same time, rejecting the idea before she could finish speaking.

 Chapter 104: Amelias Experimentation

    "Ahem, let''s eat before the food gets cold."

    As Katherine finished talking, everyone at the dining table began to eat the food on the table.

    But just as everyone was about to finish eating, someone suddenly knocked on the front door.

    "I''ll go answer it."

    Alex quickly got up before heading over to the door, then jumping up to check the peephole.

    To his surprise, Amelia was standing right outside the door with her usual mage clothes.

    "Hello, Auntie Amelia." Alex weed as he opened the door for her.

    "Hey, Alex."

    As the two hugged, Sophia and Mary immediately got out of their seats and rushed to the doorway.

    "Auntie Amelia! I haven''t seen you for so long!" Sophia excitedly said out loud as the two of them hugged.

    "Not as long as the girl in front of me... Look at you, Sophia, looking like a fully grown woman now."

    Sophia blushed a little as the two separated, letting Amelia turn her attention over to Mary.

    "And oh my, the cute little princess of the household. Give a hug to Auntie Amelia."

    After Amelia and Mary hugged each other, she turned her attention over to Katherine, who had been standing by the door when she entered.

    "What are you here for?" Katherine asked, her face looking a little alert by Amelia''s appearance.

    "I just wanted to see my nieces and nephew. That''s all I''m here for."

    "Sure... Is Mom better now?" Katherine asked as she changed the topic of the conversation.

    "Yeah. She''s doing a lot better now. She had been going out and visiting different ces for vacation."

    "That''s good. She needed to out more instead of being in that castle all day anyway..."

    As the two fell into silence by the doorway, Amelia''s face started to look a little annoyed.

    "Ahem, Kate, are you just going to let your little sister stand here all day?" Amelia questioned.

    "Oh, sorry."

    After the two sat down on the sofa, Amelia quickly noticed Luqing and Meiya sitting at the dining table.

    "Hey Luqing."

    "Good Evening, Lady Amelia."

    "Luqing, don''t call herdy. She''s thest thing ady would ever be like. Call her just by name like me."

    Seeing Luqing looking to Amelia for permission, she quickly nodded.

    "When did you be so casual, Kate?" Amelia curiously asked as she ignored Katherine''s roasts.

    "I had always been like this," Katherine argued back as she casually leaned back onto the sofa.

    "Okay, Duchess Katherine... Hey, um... sorry, I forgot your name again."

    "It''s Meiya."

    As the two nodded at each other, Amelia turned her attention back over to Katherine again.

    "I need Alex for a bit for a little experiment. I promise it''s going to be only good for him."

    "There it is. I knew you would never just show up for no reason... Fine, but bring him back before Monday."

    Katherine quickly pushed Alex over to Amelia, not giving him a chance even to decide or talk.

    "Of course. He''ll be back by tomorrow morning for the weekend."

    As a shroud of darkness appeared, the two of them were both gone as the space cleared up.

    ---

    When Alex could see again, he was standing in the middle of a room withb equipment scattered everywhere.

    "Wee to myb... Don''t touch anything. Just go over there and sit down."

    Turning around, Alex was surprised to see a bed covered in a ton of clothes, which indicated that this was actually her bedroom.

    "What are you waiting for?"

    Alex finally began walking over to the bed before sitting down on top of her clothes.

    "Okay, this is the final version of the potion that I had been giving you for the past few times...

    When you drink it, you should feel extremely sensitive to the nearby elements.

    And in theory, you might even attract an element of affinity... But don''t get your hopes up too much."

    As Amelia handed the potion over from the burner stove, Alex was a little nervous, as it was glowing green.

    It was very simr to thest one he had taken, from the foul smell to just the numbing coldness from touch.

    "Do I just drink it all at once?" Alex asked as he held it up in his hand.

    Seeing her nod, Alex didn''t hesitate any longer as he chugged the whole thing down before handing the empty ss back.

    After sitting for a while, Alex once again couldn''t feel anything happening besides the weird soda taste in his mouth.

    "You feel any different?" Amelia asked, holding a clipboard and pen as she started recording her observation.

    "No... I don''t feel any mana or elements at all. Um... I don''t think I can meditate either."

    As the two continued waiting, Amelia started questioning her methods and ingredients.

    "Why is there no reaction at all? Why is the Chlorine with the Aluminium not counteracting the coldness?"

    Hearing Amelia''s murmuring, Alex''s heart raced like crazy, as all the potion ingredients sounded borderline insane.

    Especially feeling all his manapletely neutered, his mind was starting to panic a little.

    "Don''t worry. This dosage will onlyst for one day. This effect isn''t permanent."

    Despite Amelia''s reassurance, Alex wasn''t fully convinced as her voice didn''t sound confident at all.

    "Shit... Okay, Alex, can you lie down on the bed for a second? I just want to check your mana directly."

    Alex followed her direction as heid down t on the bed, letting Amelia hold his arm as he waited for her answer.

    After a while, Amelia finally opened her eyes again, her face looking a little concerned for Alex.

    "Huh... Weird. Your mana is still there and more active than ever. But it''s just that your nerve connection is suppressed."

    "Can that be fixed?" Alex nervously asked.

    "Of course. Just don''t move and let me fix everything, okay? I''m going to need to go inside your inner soul again."

    As Amelia closed her eyes again, all Alex could do was close his eyes and wait for her to finish.

    "Shit shit shit. Something wentpletely wrong. It''s still not enough... I need to be able to transport my mana directly into you."

    Before Alex could ask what she meant by that, she suddenly leaned forward and kissed him on the lips.

    Within seconds, Alex could meditate again.

    He quickly regained control of his mana core as he finally could re-examine his inner body.

    The mana tunnel was extremely active, pumping mana in and out of his body in random directions.

    He couldn''t control a single one of them, but he could feel a foreign object inside his mind starting to reconnect them one by one.

    "Don''t move. It''s going to be a long time for me to reconnect your nerve endings back with your core."

    As Amelia continued reconnecting, Alex''s body rapidly began to heat up as soon as one of the tunnels reconnected with the core.

    From the skulls to his feet, every part of his body felt seemingly about to explode at a moment''s notice.

    "Don''t move your body at all. You don''t want to lose one of your mana tunnels, do you?"

    Amelia warned again, noticing Alex''s body twitching a little, which almost made her mess up one of the reconnections.

    "I-It feel so hot..."

    Alex''s thought seemed to have been heard by Amelia as she suddenly stuck her tongue out into his mouth.

    With their tongues mixing, he could quickly notice her transferring as much of her saliva over.

    Alex was a little confused until chills immediately cooled down his entire body the moment he swallowed down their mixed saliva.

    It soon started bing addicting, and with every burning sensation that appeared, Alex went on the offensive to take saliva away from her.

    After what felt like forever, Amelia had finally reconnected all of his mana tunnels back to his body.

    But Alex didn''t let her go at all, as his tongue kept on chasing after hers to continue extracting saliva from her.

    "Hm! Hm!"

    The voice finally made Alex stop, allowing Amelia to separate from Alex.

    "Sorry... I didn''t mean to do that." Alex apologized.

    "It''s fine... I needed to be more careful with my experiment. You only did what you had to do."

    As Amelia wiped the saliva off her mouth, Alex was a little stunned. He had never realized how beautiful Amelia looked.

    Her slightly reddish, messy hair,bined with her small, round face that always looked sleepy, made her look extremely cute.

    Yet her voluptuous body told the opposite story, with her thighs barely being able to be contained underneath her stocking.

    Even with slight belly fat, her rtively tall height made it look like a plus rather than a negative.

    "Hey, what are you looking at?"

    Amelia questioned, quickly noticing Alex''s perverted look towards her body.

    "Ouch¡ª¡ªSorry, sorry."

    Alex quickly apologized as she knocked onto his forehead, causing him to cover it with his hand.

    "Hmph! You''re lucky you''re my nephew... Or else I would have dug your eyes out."

    As Amelia quickly got up from bed and put her mage rope back on, Alex nodded in silence.

 Chapter 105: Reignited Hope and Amelias Suspicion

    "Do you feel any change in your body right now?"

    Amelia asked as her face turned back to fully serious mode, with her clipboard and pen in hand.

    "Um, I can feel my mana much more energetic than before... And my body, too." Alex replied.

    "What do you mean by your mana being energetic?" Amelia asked, looking a little intrigued.

    "Is there a ce I can throw some spells?"

    "Follow me."

    As Amelia headed over to the door and opened it, Alex was a little surprised to see a light barrier in the dark sky.

    But then he quickly realized he was still in school, albeit just in the middle of nowhere.

    "Okay, you can throw whatever spell you want toward this golem."

    With a small chant, a spell suddenly appeared in the air before a rock golem was summoned before them.

    Alex didn''t hesitate a single bit as he started casting fireballs nonstop at the golem.

    From one to two, all the way to fifty, he didn''t slow down a single bit as if he had endless mana.

    "That''s definitely not a level 2 mage mana regeneration..." Amelia thought as she noted it in the paper.

    After throwing almost one hundred fireballs, Alex finally stopped as he got a little tired from concentrating on the elements.

    "So when you say energetic mana, you just mean faster mana regen, right? Not more mana."

    Alex nodded, as his mana tunnel didn''t change a single bit after drinking that potion.

    "Okay... And for the energetic body, what do you mean by that? Is it like a literal meaning?"

    As soon as Amelia asked about the second part, Alex''s face started blushing red.

    "I-It''s like blood is pumped up all over the ce in my body... And usually, I would have already burnt out casting so much."

    "So faster blood flow and higher brain capacity... Okay, let''s go back inside the house."

    Snapping her finger, the golem vanished as they headed back inside the house before she brought Alex to bed again.

    "Now, can you just sit here for a bit? I just need to test how long the effectsts."

    Alex nodded as he sat down on the bed, waiting for the mana regeneration effect to disappear.

    However, as they both sat there for twenty minutes, the mana regeneration had barely gone down at all.

    "Weird. The effect should be fading away already... Let''s go outside and cast more spells again."

    After throwing almost hundreds of different spells outside nonstop, Alex could finally feel his mana drying up.

    His mana regeneration had drastically decreased. But still, it was a slight increasepared to originally.

    "Oh, it''s nine already... You can sleep on my bed for the night. I need to make sure something doesn''t go wrong with your body."

    Alex nodded as hey on the bed, trying to fall asleep. But seeing her keep on staring at him made it ufortable.

    "Auntie Amelia... Can you not stare at me like this?" Alex asked as he opened his eyes back up.

    "I need to make sure nothing else happens. Just close your eyes, and you won''t see me."

    Seeing her not backing down, Alex closed his eyes back up again as he tried his best to fall asleep.

    But after a while, the drowsiness finally took over his body, peacefully sleeping on Amelia''s bed.

    ---

    When Alex woke up again, it was due to a cold wind blowing over his body.

    Looking down, he quickly noticed the nket that was covering him was all the way to the side.

    Meanwhile, on the right, Amelia was still up, seemingly recording something on her clipboard.

    "Good morning, Alex... Do your body feel any different?"

    Going inside his mind, Alex quickly realized his mana flow had once again improved.

    More importantly, he could feel the nearby element no longer afraid of him, needing much less mana to move the element in a spell.

    "I can feel the element doesn''t resist my mana as much anymore... It''s like I only need to use half of the mana."

    "That''s good... That''s exactly what this should do. But do you feel any particr elements that are easierpared to others?"

    Alex shook his head, as all of the elements felt rtively the same in terms of their attraction towards his mana.

    "Dang it. That''s half of my thesis failed... Okay, Alex, it''s time for you to go back home."

    As Amelia put down her clipboard and pen, Alex quickly got up from the bed before stopping her.

    "Wait."

    "What? Is there something in your body that you feel different about?"

    Amelia curiously asked as she stopped her spell and quickly picked up her recording tools.

    "Um, do you know like anything that can... How do I put this...? Give me a second."

    After standing for a bit, Alex finally came up with a way to describe what he wanted to ask.

    "Are there like things or potions that can make a person more manly?"

    "Huh?"

    The question caught Amelia a little off guard, as Alex was only a little boy in her eyes.

    "Why do you need that?"

    As soon as Amelia asked, Alex''s hope immediately skyrocketed as the way she asked back clearly intended that kind of stuff existed in this world.

    "I... Nothing, don''t worry about it¡ª¡ª"

    "Come on, Alex, tell Auntie why you need that kind of stuff. I won''t tell your mom about it."

    As Amelia got closer and closer, Alex started to step back until he fell back onto the bed.

    "I-I just want to grow up faster so I can help Mom more." Alex quickly made up a lie on the spot.

    "Really?"

    Seeing her carefully examining him up and down, Alex didn''t flinch a single bit as he remained firm in his answer.

    "Can you tell me its name?" Alex asked, doubling down on the risk.

    "No, you silly. You''re only ten. You''re nowhere near the age of needing that kind of stuff.

    Your mom doesn''t need you to be a man right now. She needs you to be her kid, not you being an adult¡ª¡ª"

    "Ouch, that hurts."

    Alex quickly covered his hand over his head in pain as Amelia flicked her finger onto his forehead.

    "You hear me? Don''t try to act like an adult when you''re just a sticky kid."

    "Okay, okay. I will act like a kid."

    Alex admits defeat as he starts covering his entire head underneath his arms.

    "You better... And don''t forget to keep what happened yesterday a secret between only you and me."

    With several nods in the row, Amelia was finally satisfied as she stopped flicking her finger onto his head.

    "Ahem, since you''re so well-behaved in my experiment, I can fulfill one wish you have."

    "How about the man¡ª¡ª"

    Seeing Amelia staring at him dead in the eyes, Alex quickly shut his mouth before he said something that he would regret.

    But after thinking for a bit, his brain kept running nk. He just couldn''te up with a wish on the spot.

    "You done withing up with a wish?" Amelia impatiently asked.

    "Can I keep it for next time?" Alex nervously asked.

    "What do you think?"

    As Amelia rolled her eyes, Alex just couldn''te up with anything he needed from her that wouldn''t make her mad.

    "I don''t know then..."

    After a short silence between the two, Amelia suddenly let out a sigh before staring right into his eyes.

    "Alex Alex, tell me, what do you need, something that makes you manly?" Amelia asked, her voice sounding much more alluring than usual.

    "My body is starting to be a woman instead of a man¡ª¡ª"

    A sudden chill down the spine made Alex snap back into reality, but it was far toote.

    "Auntie Amelia! Y-You¡ª¡ª"

    As Alex pointed at Amelia in disbelief, her face was full-onughing with no attempt to hide her smiles.

    "Come on, Alex. Is that why you''re asking me how to be manly? Looking too feminine?"

    "I-I... Agh!"

    With Alex covering his face in embarrassment, Amelia stoppedughing as she looked back at him with a caring face.

    "Alex, I know your body has always looked a little feminine, but whose body doesn''t look feminine when they grow up?

    Just rx and wait for your body to grow up naturally. You can''t rush this kind of stuff¡ª¡ª"

    As Amelia tried to moved his hand away and hugged him from behind, she suddenly froze as she felt a little bump on his chest.

    "Hm!"

    Alex quickly covered his mouth in embarrassment as he let out a high-pitched uncontrobly.

    "Alex, you..."

    The room fell into dead silence until Amelia suddenly moved her hand down and squeezed the bump a little.

    "Alex, you have manboobs? Did you eat too much and not exercise at all?" Amelia questioned as Alex''s face started to blush red.

    "N-No, I exercise almost every single day¡ª¡ªI mean, I don''t exercise at all, it''s just my manboobs."

 Chapter 106: Amelias Offers and Neighbors

    Seeing Alex panicking and willing to admit something so embarrassing, Amelia felt something was off.

    "Alex, stop bullshiting me. When did this start happening? Is it because of my past experiments?"

    Amelia looked a little worried as she moved closer to check on Alex, only to have him push her back a little.

    "No. I-I had this before the experiment... I mean, it didn''t exist when I was younger¡ª¡ªCan I please not say it?"

    As the two stared back at each other, Amelia eventually let out a sigh before getting off the bed.

    "If it is a tumor or something bad, I can help you remove it, " Amelia said as she started gathering her work in the cab.

    "It''s not a tumor... At least, I don''t think it is."

    "And how would you know about that? Alex, when did you be a doctor?"

    Alex fell into silence again as he didn''t want to tell her the truth, at least not now.

    "Does Katherine know about this?" Amelia asked as she sat back down in her chair.

    "Yes... M-Mom has known about this since I was born."

    As soon as Alex answered back, Amelia let out a sigh of relief as she turned over to her toolboxes.

    "If it is not a tumor or anything... Then why don''t you just let me remove it for you?"

    After a short thought, Alex quickly shook his head, as he had never seen Amelia''s ''surgery'' skill.

    "You sure? Other people are going to start noticing it sooner orter when you grow older."

    "It''s fine... I''d rather leave it be."

    "Very well then... Hey, Alex, catch."

    A green ball flew out of Amelia''s hand, triggering his reflex as he caught it before it could hit his face.

    "Huh?"

    Alex looked down with curiosity as the ball suddenly changed into blue and pink while he was holding it.

    "Nothing. Don''t worry about it."

    As Amelia took the ball back from Alex''s hand, the ball turnedpletely pink before she put it away.

    Your journey continues at m v|l-e''-NovelBin

    "If you ever changed your mind, just tell me... Anyway, it''s time for you to go back home."

    With a shroud of dark mist covering Alex, Amelia waved goodbye as she faded out of sight.

    ---

    When Alex could see again, he was back on the front porch at home, with the sun still high up in the sky.

    After knocking on the door and waiting for a bit, it was finally opened.

    "Wee back... Alex, are you okay?" Katherine worriedly asked, noticing the pale face on him.

    "Yeah, I''m fine."

    Alex''s face quickly changed back to normal, with all traces of nervousness from earlier disappearing.

    "How did the experiment go? Did it help you?" Katherine asked as the two of them sat down on the sofa.

    "My mana regenerates faster now... I think it''s up to Sophia''s level now."

    "That''s good to hear¡ª¡ª"

    Just as Katherine was about to get up, Alex''s stomach suddenly growled out loud.

    "You must be hungry. Let me go get your breakfast."

    As Katherine headed over to the kitchen, Alex''s mind was still a little nervous about all the things that had happened earlier.

    Even though he was thankful for Amelia''s help, he felt a little repulsed by her manner of doing things.

    "Alex,e over. I got your favorite spaghetti."

    After walking over to the kitchen table and sitting down, Katherine carried the te right before him.

    "You want me to heat it first?"

    "It''s fine. I don''t mind it."

    Alex quickly picked up the cold spaghetti with his fork, eating as much as he could before his stomach filled up.

    "Let me go get you a cup of milk," Katherine murmured, noticing Alex''s mouth looked a little dry.

    After waiting for a bit, Katherine came back out with a ss of milk.

    Alex chugged the entire cup at once before Katherine gathered all the empty dishes and headed back into the kitchen.

    "Mom, where''s everyone?" Alex curiously asked, noticing the house feeling extra empty.

    "Sophia and Mary went out with the other two to help them move. Do you want to go visit them as well?"

    Katherine asked from the kitchen as she started loading the dirty dishes into a machine.

    "Sure! They''re just next door, right?"

    "Yeah."

    As Katherine exited the kitchen, Alex quickly got up and followed her out the door.

    Next, she guided Alex to the house on the right of theirs, which looked almost like a photocopy of the one they lived in.

    "This is it... Let me knock on the door."

    After waiting for a bit, the door finally opened, revealing Meiya standing right before them.

    "Wee! We''re just setting up our house right now... Katherine, do you have time to talk for a second?"

    "Sure."

    As the two of them walked over to the storage room, Alex began examining the environment around him.

    Just as expected, there was barely a difference between it and the one they lived in back home.

    The only difference is that the bookshelf, coffee table, and dining table are all empty.

    Walking over to the hallway, Alex noticed there were only two bedrooms, as opposed to the four bedrooms they had at home.

    However, Alex quickly remembered that Katherine had already renovated the house to go from 2 to 4 bedrooms.

    "Hey Alex, wee back!"

    Sophia and Mary waved as they quickly noticed Alex standing right outside the 2nd bedroom.

    Luqing was also in the room, putting her clothes and the hanger down as she waved towards Alex.

    "You guys need any help?" Alex offered.

    "We''re good... How did your experiment go? Did Auntie Amelia mess anything up?"

    Sophia curiously asked as the two of them resumed helping Luqing hang her clothes onto the horizontal pole.

    "It went great... I''m pretty sure I have the same mana regen as you guys now."

    "Really? Then let''s test itter."

    "I want to be brother''s first test!" Mary demanded before Alex could say yes to Sophia.

    "Fine, you can be his first test." Sophia backed down as she didn''t seem to mind it at all.

    "Yay!"

    "Hey, I never said yes to that. I''m not going to fight the two of you back to back."

    "Too bad¡ª¡ª"

    "I said no! Which part of no do you not understand?" Alex suddenly yelled out loud.

    "Okay, geez... You''re on your period or something?" Sophiamented as she and Mary both looked a little scared by his loud voice.

    "Sorry. I''m just not in a good mood today."

    Seeing Alex looked a little down, the two of them didn''t pressure him to apologize any further.

    "You guys can go test. I can set this up myself." Luqing murmured, noticing the awkward mood in the room.

    Mary immediately handed the work back to Luqing, not hesitating a single bit as she grabbed onto Alex''s hand and ran out.

    "Sorry, I know we promised to help¡ª¡ª"

    "It''s fine. I really don''t mind it. You should watch them fight instead of being here.

    They need someone to watch over them... In case they go overboard."

    "You''re right."

    Sophia handed the cloth and hanger back, leaving the room and heading straight to the storage room.

    "Sophia, where are you guys going?" Katherine curiously asked as she and Meiya both sat on the sofa.

    "We''re just practicing magic."

    As Sophia opened the backdoor, the two were already fighting, with Alex on the offense and Maryin on the defense.

    Within seconds, Sophia could feel the change in Alex''s way of using spells, with various kinds of spells flying all over the ce.

    But none of them were breaking through Mary''s defense, at least not yet with the current rate.

    After Alex had thrown over ten spells nonstop, Sophia realized he really meant it when he said he had caught up with mana regens.

    Even as Mary was starting to break a sweat, Alex showed no signs of slowing down as spells continued to fly towards her.

    The standoff ended in Alex''s victory as Mary eventually surrendered when she ran out of mana to hold up the shield.

    "That was so much... What kind of experiment did Auntie Amelia put you through?"

    Mary curiously asked, wanting to try it out herself as she could already if she had that level of mana regeneration boost.

    "It''s just the potion she gave me... But she said she only has enough resources for one."

    Alex quickly added thest part after noticing the two of them seemingly wanted to ask Amelia for it.

    His mind was still a little fearful of her experiment, almost losing his ability to cast spells permanently.

    "Lucky... Whatever, I''m going back to help Luqing." Sophia murmured as she turned around, getting ready to head back to the living room

    "Wait for me! I want to help, too!"

    As Mary ran off with Sophia, Alex remained outside, sitting on the curb and looking up at the sunny sky.

    Thinking back, he couldn''t help but feel a little relief that he had actually overtaken them as a mage.

    "Stop celebrating so early... You''re only caught up with their mana regens." Alex thought to himself as he headed back inside the house.

 Chapter 107: Revisting Thalorim and Sunday Break

    When Meiya and Luqing had finally settled down, Katherine brought the three of them back to their own home.

    As the three of them entered the house, she quickly noticed both of the girls looked a little zoned out.

    "You two okay?" Find exclusive stories on m_v l|e-NovelBin

    "Yeah, we''re fine... Mom, can you bring us to that meditation ce on that mountain?"

    After a short consideration, Katherine turned over to the other two for their opinion.

    "Alex, Mary, you two want to go there?"

    With both of them nodding in agreement, Katherine epted Sophia''s suggestion.

    "Let''s go there after we eat lunch first... You two are going to get hungry halfway."

    Thirty minutester...

    When they left the house again, all three of the kids were holding the magical jacket they bought from the store.

    After walking out of the school''s exit, Katherine led them to the same bank they saw in Regina.

    It was the same process as before, with Katherine getting the tickets and getting on the machine afterward.

    They were right back at the small vige, with the giant mountain in the distance.

    "Actually, do you guys want to go for a walk up the mountain first? Aren''t you guys a little too full to meditate?"

    "No, thank you." Sophia instantly replied, with Mary and Alex both nodding in agreement.

    "Fine."

    After Katherine cast a teleportation spell, the four of them were finally back at the peak of the mountain.

    With the giant tree in the middle and all the grass around them, all three of the kids quickly ran towards the tree before sitting down.

    "Don''t overdo it, okay?"

    Before Katherine finished talking, their eyes were already closed, and they were already entering into their meditation state.

    Letting out a sigh, Katherine sat down before the three of them and started watching.

    A few hourster...

    Just as Katherine was about to fall asleep, Alex finally exited his meditation.

    "Wee back, Alex. How was it?" Katherine quietly asked as they walked over to the other side.

    "I feel great... Mom, have you been just watching us the whole time?" Alex curiously asked, noticing the tiredness on her face.

    "Yeah... Anyway, you can sit here for a bit. I''m sure they''re going to be done soon."

    The two of them headed back to where Katherine had sat earlier, watching Sophia and Mary in silence as they waited.

    After waiting for thirty more minutes, the other two exited their meditation one by one.

    However, unlike Alex''s refreshing face, both of them looked a little exhausted.

    "You two... Why try rushing it when it''s extremely dangerous?" Katherine questioned with a disappointed face.

    "Sorry."

    Katherine didn''t do anything, but she forced the two of them to rest much longer while Alex was already in his second meditation session.

    When the two of them fully rested mentally, they didn''t try to push past their boundary this time.

    Noon quickly turned into the evening as Katherine finally ended their attempt to meditate more.

    "Enough. You guys are going to burn out yourself if you keep it up at this pace."

    The three of them recently stopped, following Katherine into a teleportation spell to teleport back out.

    ---

    The next day...

    When Katherine woke up to make breakfast, she was a little surprised to see Sophia and Mary both waking up early.

    "Why are you guys up so early?"

    "Can we go to Thalorim again?" Sophia asked, seemingly with Mary''s support.

    "What had gotten into you two''s mind? When did you two be so in love with learning?"

    "Is that a yes, or is that a no?" Sophia impatiently asked.

    "Let me go wake up Alex first. We''ll go if he wants to go as well..."

    As Katherine headed inside Alex''s room, he was still peacefully sleeping on the bed.

    "Wake up, Alex. It''s almost noon already."

    Despite shaking him a little, he only responded with a roll and a short groaning sound.

    "Are you sure you don''t want to wake up? We''re going to Thalorim again," Katherine whispered as she leaned over to his right ear.

    "I''m good... I just want to sleep."

    "Whatever..."

    As Katherine left Alex''s room and returned to the living room, Sophia and Mary immediately approached her.

    "What did he say?" Mary curiously asked.

    "He''s not going. Let me cook breakfast for you guys first... I''ll be right back."

    A few hourster...

    As Alex woke up from bed, it was almost already three o''clock in the afternoon.

    Even though he slept for almost 12 hours, his brain was still a little tired from the night training he had from Sarah.

    After changing out of his pajamas and heading over to the bathroom to freshen up, Alex went over to the living room.

    "Where is everyone... Oh, right."

    Realizing what Katherine said early in the morning, Alex didn''t think too much of it as he put on his shoes and headed out.

    As he walked out into the street, he quickly turned to the right before stopping at the neighbor''s house.

    With a knock, he waited until the door was opened.

    "Wee... Where''s the other three?" Meiya curiously asked as she weed Alex into the house.

    "They went to Thalorim to meditate... Where''s Luqing?"

    "She''s in the backyard right now... You''re here for training today?"

    Alex nodded, but Meiya stopped him before he could go towards the backyard.

    "You didn''t cook breakfast for Luqing or me today... How about you cook us lunch first?" Meiya requested.

    "Fine..."

    As soon as Alex headed to the kitchen, he realized it was practically empty except for the built-in furniture.

    "No wonder why Luqing didn''t cook for her... Actually, does Meiya know how to cook?"

    The question eluded Alex as he headed back to the living room before putting his shoes back on.

    "Where are you going?"

    "There''s nothing I can cook with... I''ll be back when I finish cooking."

    "Wait, let me and Luqing just go over to your house instead."

    Alex waited for Meiya to head to the backyard before the two of them returned to the living room.

    "Okay, we''re ready to go... Alex?"

    "Oh, sorry."

    Alex quickly turned around to open the door, thinking back to how Luqing looked when she walked into the living room.

    She was wearing much more revealing clothes, with a T-shirt and shorts rather than her typical long-sleeved shirt and long pants.

    "Alex, you were looking at my daughter, weren''t you?" Meiya curiously asked as they walked on the street.

    Both Alex and Luqing''s faces immediately blushed a little, but Alex remained calm as he continued walking back.

    "I was just surprised to see Miss Luqing wasn''t wearing long sleeves."

    "That''s because I convinced her. Who''s wearing those long clothes on such a hot day?"

    As Meiya replied, Alex''s brain was a little fried. He never thought someone as old as his grandma would be this open.

    "She''s still so young. It''s like the perfect age for her to show skins too¡ª¡ª"

    "Mom... Stop it."

    Luqing finally spoke up, interrupting Meiya from finishing herments on her clothes.

    "Fine."

    As Alex opened the unlocked door, Meiya immediately headed over to the sofa as Luqing stood by.

    "Man, I missed this sofa already. Why does it feel so much softer than the one we have?"

    Alex didn''t answer back to herment as he headed over to the kitchen and began his n to cook lunch.

    "Alex, you want me to help?" Luqing offered as she stood by the kitchen door.

    "Sure."

    As the two began to get to work, Meiya got a little bored sitting on the sofa alone, so she headed over to the kitchen herself.

    "Wait, let me help you guys!"

    "Sure."

    ---

    Forty minutester...

    As the three of them sat in the kitchen, the table was full of food cut into the weirdest shapes.

    Although the food was in a weird shape, it looked extremely tasty and had a pleasant smell that would make anyone want to eat it.

    Yet, none of them were willing to move their chopstick at all.

    "You can have a taste first." Alex offered as he looked over to Meiya.

    "You did most of the work. You should be getting the first piece, " Meiya said.

    Alex shook his head, as just a few moments ago, he finally learned Meiya''s cooking skills.

    It was non-existent, or it might even be a negative level of understanding of cooking.

    He had never seen someone mix sugar and salt, and it wasn''t just normal salt either.

    It was sea salt, which had an almostpletely different texture and size from typical table sugar.

    "Luqing, how about you try it? Meiya offered.

    Luqing didn''t hesitate as she used a pair of chopsticks to pick up one of the pork.

    As she chewed it down, both of them looked over at her as if they were waiting for an answer.

    "How was it?" Meiya impatiently asked.

    "It''s a little sweet..." Luqing replied as she started digging into her bowl of rice.

    "I knew it. How could you mix up salt and sugar like that?" Alex questioned as he regretted letting Meiya into the kitchen.

 Chapter 108 : Meiyas Fight and Luqings Training

    "Hey, it''s not my fault I mixed it up. I told you I had never cooked before... Besides, it can''t be that bad."

    As soon as Meiya picked up a piece of the food and ate it, her eyes suddenly started to widen.

    "This is actually so good! Alex, you should try some."

    Seeing Meiya say it out loud, Alex became curious and decided to try one out as well.

    To his surprise, the sweetness didn''t make the potato beef stew taste bad. It actually tastes much better than he ever imagined.

    "Hey Luqing, don''t eat all of it to yourself."

    Luqing''s face blushed a little as she ate almost a third of it while the two were still just having a taste.

    "It''s fine, I can cook more..."

    ---

    As lunch quickly ended, Luqing brought the two back to their house for the sword training.

    After a short warmup with the dummy training, Meiya finally started with the real training.

    "I have to say, Alex, you''re really talented in sword fighting." Meiyaplimented.

    "That''s because you taught me well," Alex replied.

    "No need to lower yourself like this. You will be a generational talent if you''re born on my continent."

    Alex didn''t say anything as he raised his sword against Luqing, who also raised her sword as well.

    "You two ready?"

    Both Luqing and Alex turned towards Meiya, with their eyes staring right at her as they stood together.

    Within a blink of an eye, Luqing struck first as she dashed forward from the left, aiming her sword right for Meiya''s neck.

    But it was easily deflected to the side as Meiya picked up a nearby tree branch as a sword.

    Meanwhile, Alex went much further right, trying to nk her as he shed forward.

    Just like earlier, Meiya instantly deflected off, not even needing to move a single step the whole time.

    The two didn''t waste any time as they struck forward again, aiming from two different directions right at where she stood.

    Meiya quickly blocked off Luqing''s attack first, leaving her with a single second to block Alex''s attack as it got closer and closer.

    But once again, she somehow turned faster than any normal human reaction as she deflected Alex''s attack to the side.

    However, it wasn''t without a cost.

    Meiyia''s tree branch hadpletely snapped in half, leaving her weaponless as the two didn''t stop there.

    Yet, just as they were about to get her, an almost invisible sword appeared in her hand, blocking both of their attacks with it.

    No matter what angles the two used, Meiya blocked every single one without needing to move a single time.

    Suddenly, Luqing''s sword went much faster, with a slight wind blowing to both Alex and Meiya as she stabbed forward.

    Within a millisecond, Meiya finally moved this time, taking one small step to the side as she deflected the stab.

    A loud nk sound could be heard as their sword hit, but Meiya didn''t stop as she turned towards Alex.

    Even though Alex was nowhere near Meiya, she raised her sword as a woosh sound could be heard traveling.

    Another loud nk sound was heard as the woosh sound hit her sword, revealing Alex''s invisible Qi de.

    "My turn."

    As Meiya finished talking, Luqing quickly stood her ground, holding a defensive position as she waited for her to strike.

    Within a blink, Meiya was already right in front of Luqing, shing downward just as Luqing raised her sword.

    Alex quickly rushed forward in an attempt to help, but he was caught off guard as Luqing instantly dashed towards him with a stab.

    Given the positioning, Alex turned his stab rush into a block as Meiya''s sh appeared right before him.

    His hand instantly felt a little numb as their sword reached contact, but he remained firm as he quickly took a step back.

    Just as Meiya was about to strike again, she suddenly turned to the side and raised her sword.

    Several loud nks appeared in a row, with two cuts appearing on the tree in the distance.

    "Nice angles. Just needed to be more on the right¡ª¡ª"

    Before Meiya could finish talking, Luqing had dashed forward herself as she went for a sh.

    With plenty of time for a defense, Meiya chose to raise her sword to get ready to block it.

    The loud nk sound didn''t appear this time, as Luqing went for a risky low sh towards Meiya''s leg instead.

    To Alex''s surprise, Meiya suddenly jumped at the veryst second, narrowingly dodging the sh as she stepped right onto her sword.

    "I lost," Luqing murmured as she quickly let go of her sword.

    As Meiya turned over to Alex and looked at him for a second, he lowered his sword and admitted defeat.

    "You two need a more coordinated strike. The first three strikes should have forced me to move.

    But there was a second dy in between your attacks, giving me time to turn around to block it."

    "How are we supposed to coordinate that? We can''t read each other like a twin or anything."

    Alexined as he had already tried his hardest to match Luqing''s speed in attack.

    "That''s not my problem. If you two ever want to have a chance at beating me, you''re going to need to meet that goal."

    Alex rolled his eyes, ignoring Meiya''sment as there wasn''t really a point in beating someone as two swordsmen.

    Not to mention, Meiya barely used her Qi with her movement, only using her physical body besides the sword made out of Qi.

    "Ahem, let''s resume back to training where we left offst time... Luqing, you''re going to be Alex''s training partner."

    Luqing didn''t say anything, but she nodded as Meiya handed her swords back to her hand.

    With the two of them having their swords raised, they were now just waiting for Meiya''s signal.

    "Actually, Alex, I want you to use all of your sword''s Qi... And Luqing, I want you only to use your physical body and dodge everything."

    Luqing gently rested her sword on the ground as a gentle wind blew across the two of them.

    "Get ready, set... Go!"

    Alex immediately started shing his sword towards Luqing, causing several woosh sounds as Luqing started dashing to the side.

    Even though Luqing couldn''t see the Qi de exactly, her movement narrowly dodges all the attacks thrown at her.

    With more and more shes, the Qi de began to expand exponentially, covering almost every angle.

    However, his sh was not fast enough to eliminate all the gaps that allowed Luqing to dash left and right.

    After keeping up the pace for less than fifteen seconds, Alex''s hand started to feel tired.

    The slowness began to rear its ugly head as Luqing was finally able to advance towards him.

    Just as she reached halfway, she was forced to dash around again as the Qi de was now much faster with the closer distance.

    "I can''t do it anymore."

    Alex quickly lowered his sword down, with his arm beyond exhausted from the amount of swings.

    "Tsk, that wasn''t even a minute," Meiya murmured as she looked a little disappointed by Alex''s performance.

    "I''m only ten, okay? How am I supposed to swing this sword when it''s half my size?" Alex argued back.

    "Ahem. I had seen young prodigies who could lift that sword even without Qi helping them."

    Meiya awkwardly swirled her hair, trying to change the conversation. She had once againpletely forgotten how young Alex still was.

    "But I don''t even have Qi on my body to use in the first ce. How can I train my body to be stronger without Qi?"

    "Mom... Isn''t there physical cultivation? Could Alex try that?"

    Luqing suddenly brought it up as she walked back to the two of them with her sword.

    "Not possible. All three of the cultivation methods aren''tpatible with Mana." Meiya pointed out.

    "What is the other cultivation method?" Alex curiously asked.

    "You don''t need to know about it... It''s pretty much irrelevant on this continent."

    Meiya''s answer made Alex even more curious as she began to pack everything away in the storage room.

    "Luqing, Luqing, what are the three cultivation methods?" Alex curiously asked as he grabbed her arms.

    After a short hesitation, Luqing folded to Alex''s plead.

    "The three cultivation methods are... Xiandao, Physical Cultivation, and Shendao."

    "What''s Xiandao and Shendao?"

    Alex curiously asked as the name sounded a little familiar and mysterious at the same time.

    "Xiandao is the normal cultivation, like Mom and I are both Xiandao. And Shendao is..."

    Luqing paused for a second as if she was trying to recall her memories.

    "It''s like making people believe in you and then gathering their beliefs to ascend to God."

    "Huh... How would that even work?"

    The thought of having other people''s beliefs would make someone stronger just didn''t make any sense to Alex''s brain.

    "I''m pretty sure mages have this too. Don''t you guys have a mage goddess?"

    Meiya finally chimed in as she finished carrying all the equipment into the storage room.

 Chapter 109 : Surprise Guest and New Spells

    "Yeah, but she became a mage goddess by breaking through the grand archmage.

    She doesn''t even have a temple or anything... She barely cares if people believe her or not."

    Alex''s answer made Meiya fall into silence for a second, but she quickly recalled what she saw in the capital.

    "But faith is a real thing. There''s a reason why your continent has so many churches with gods and goddesses fighting over people''s faith."

    "You''re right... I never really thought of that."

    Alex murmured as he suddenly remembered the textbook stating faith as an abstract energy, simr to mana.

    ---

    An hour of extra trainingter...

    As the three of them walked back into the living room, Meiya handed Alex back his sword.

    "Ahem, I added Qi into this sword... And since you said it''s a little bit too big, I made it a little smaller for you."

    "Thank you."

    Examining the longsword, Alex could feel it had shrunk almost a third of its size to more of a shortsword.

    It was now going from his waist to his feet rather than having it from his chest to his feet.

    "Actually, can you cook us dinner first?"

    Alex let out a sigh as he opened the door before the two quickly followed him back home.

    When he arrived at the doorstep, he was surprised to see a dark figure sitting in the living room.

    As soon as he opened the door, all of his concern disappeared as it was Amelia sitting in the living room.

    "Hey, Amelia." Luqing and Meiya waved as they walked into the house behind Alex.

    "Hey Luqing and Miss Meiya... Alex, you didn''t lock the door?" Amelia asked as Alex waved to her.

    "I don''t have a key... If I lock it, then I won''t be able toe back home." Alex replied as the three of them sat across from Amelia.

    "Your mom will be real mad if she learned you didn''t lock the door..." Amelia pointed out, seemingly ignoring Alex''s reasoning.

    "Yeah, yeah, I know. Anyway, what makes you show up here today?" Alex straightforwardly asked.

    "Luqing, Miss Meiya, can I talk to Alex in private for a second?"

    "Sure."

    The two of them headed straight to the storage room before the door of the back entrance could be heard being opened.

    "Alex, have you felt any different since yesterday morning?" Amelia asked as she pulled out a clipboard and pen.

    "Not really... I feel my mana regeneration is faster than before... That''s pretty much it."

    "That''s good... At least the direction was right. I just needed to cut all those ingredients out."

    After Amelia noted herment, she quickly entered it into her pocket dimension before turning back to Alex.

    "Ahem, Alex... I want you to be honest with me. I just want to ask you a question."

    Seeing Amelia''s serious face, Alex nervously nodded as his heart started racing.

    "You... You aren''t exactly a boy, are you?"

    Alex froze for a second as his brain short-circuited from the question, but he eventually nodded.

    "Was it too obvious?" Alex asked, feeling a little relief that he didn''t need to hide it from her any longer.

    "Not really... If you didn''t catch that ball when I threw it to you, I would have never thought of it."

    Amelia''s answer confused Alex a little until he suddenly remembered the ball she threw that changed blue and pink.

    "That stupid ball color... You really are a sly fox, Auntie Amelia."

    Alex murmured as he realized the color pattern was just a gender indication.

    "Hey, don''t call me that, okay? It hurts your auntie''s feelings."

    Alex didn''t say anything, but he looked back at her in silence as he waited for her to continue.

    "Ahem, anyway... Can you tell me how your body works? Maybe I can help you."

    "I have both male and female genitalia... And those man-boobs are actually just my boobs.

    And I also have a period every month, and I can... ejacte from both parts of my body."

    Alex''s face blushed a little as he got to thest part, but he still decided to say it to give her the full information.

    "That''s..."

    Amelia was speechless, as hearing it out of Alex''s mouth was still much more shocking than she had ever expected.

    "Crazy, right? I know how ridiculous it sounds. But that''s just my body... I had gotten used to it at this point."

    After a short silence, Amelia finally spoke up again.

    "If you want, I can teach you a magic trick that can help you... Hide some of your body parts."

    "Really?" Alex urgently asked.

    "Yes, really... But it''s only temporary. And if they walk too close or touch it, then it will break the illusion."

    "That''s fine... Wait, how long does itst?"

    "Around ten minutes... And you won''t be able to cast it again for the entire day."

    "I want to learn it." Alex pleaded.

    "Okay then... Now chant with me and direct your mana towards that body part you want to shape into."

    As Alex followed Amelia''s chant and directed his mana towards his chest, he felt a warm touch before it disappeared.

    "Okay, it''s done."

    Looking down, Alex could still see the little bump around his chest, with nothing changed about it at all.

    "It doesn''t work on your own eyes... You have to head over to the bathroom to see it for yourself."

    Alex quickly entered the bathroom as he lifted his T-shirt, only to see that his chest had bepletely t.

    But as he walked all the way to a few inches of the mirror, the illusion fell apart.

    "That''s all it can do... Once you get to mage level 5, I can teach you one that''s way more advanced."

    Amelia murmured as the two of them headed over to the living room again before she sat back down.

    "Thank you!"

    Alex bowed down in gratitude as it was more than he had ever wished for, even if it wasn''t perfect.

    "Don''t worry about it... Actually, wait, do you want to be a boy or a girl?" Amelia suddenly asked.

    "What do you think?" Alex rolled his eyes as he stared right into Amelia''s eyes.

    "Nevermind... Ahem, just another question. Are you attracted to boys or girls?"

    "Are you just making fun of me or what?" Alex asked, starting to get a little annoyed by her question.

    "What? I''m being serious. I won''t shame you if you like either one. I quite frankly know a few people who are attracted to their own¡ª¡ª"

    Before Amelia could finish talking, Alex suddenly got up from the sofa and walked over to her.

    Her face fell into shock as Alex kissed her on the lips before quickly running back towards the storage room.

    "Alex, you!¡ª¡ª"

    "Miss Luqing, Miss Meiya, you cane back in now!" Alex yelled as he opened the back entrance.

    Amelia stopped as she stood by the storage room doorway, her face blushing red as the other two walked in.

    Out of shame and embarrassment from being yed by a kid, a shroud of darkness appeared before she vanished from thin air.

    "Huh? Did she just disappear?" Meiya curiously asked as she could see the dark particle in the air.

    "Yeah... I''ll go cook dinner now, Luqing. Do you want to help me?"

    "Sure."

    "wait, let me help too!" Meiya yelled as she tried to get into the kitchen, wanting to be with Luqing.

    "No, thank you. Please just stay on the sofa and wait for the food." Alex replied as he closed the kitchen door.

    ---

    When Alex and Luqing finished cooking, Katherine and the other two had also returned home.

    The cooking session was forced to be extended, as Alex didn''t ount for three more people.

    Fortunately, they also got a new helper, Katherine, to help with managing the cook.

    Alex went on backline duty, directing the two from cutting the ingredients to the amount of seasoning and fire temperature.

    After almost an entire hour of cooking, the three were finally done with cooking a six-man meal.

    "Okay, please try out our Slow-Braised Beef Stew... It might look a little weird, but I can promise it tastes good."

    Alex replied as Katherine carried an entire pot to the dining table, with Luqing carrying tes of pasta to the table.

    Sophia and Mary both didn''t hesitate a single bit as they picked a small piece of beef before eating it.

    "Yum! It''s so good!" Sophiamented as she quickly picked up another piece.

    "It''s perfect!" Mary excitedly murmured as she picked up another piece of the beef as well.

    Meiya finally joined in as she picked up a piece and ate it down, only to have her face shocked by the taste.

    "Alex, how are you so good at cooking this young?" Meiya curiously asked as she picked up another piece.

    Alex only awkwardly smiled back and scratched his head as he didn''t have any response to the question.

    "Let me just give you guys a portion of it."

    Katherine interrupted the three of them from getting more as she picked up a serving and started splitting it into each of the tes.

 Chapter 110: Upcoming Spring Break

    March quickly flew by as the school years continued, with the routine of going to school, then going to meditate, and then back home.

    Unfortunately for Alex, Meiya stopped training him just as the month ended, citing that there was nothing else she could teach him.

    He had learned every single possible sword style he could, with all the other ones blocked off from him due to having no Qi.

    As she best put it, he had reached the peak of what a person with a sword could do.

    Still, he continued going over to their house and offered to cook for them just to watch Meiya and Luqing train alongside each other.

    When he saw them fighting with their full-blown strength for the first time, Alex quickly realized they were just ying with him.

    Or at least holding back extremely hard as their battles were t-out Qi bombardment against each other.

    But unlike the Qi he used, most of their Qi weren''t invisible.

    Instead, there was a clear colorunching at each other, almost like mages throwing spells at each other in the distance.

    The only difference to a mage was the speed, as he couldn''t tell how fast the two were going at their running speed.

    At the same time, Alex finally learned the cultivator has their defensive tool, with their inner Qi barriers appearing when something hits them.

    Of course, Meiya didn''t use any of the Qi techniques mentioned, as only Luqing was forced to use her Qi to the fullest to fight back.

    When the two finished fighting one day, Alex curiously asked why they had not used any of these abilities in thepetition back in Regina.

    The logical exnation he was given was, "They simply don''t have any Qi in thepetition."

    It made Alex even more curious as he went over to Sarah one night and asked her about it.

    He soon realized Sarah''s creation ability wasn''t as strong as it looked, as it couldn''t replicate what a cultivator could do.

    At the same time, his brain quickly realized how stupid he was to think that a mage could replicate another system of energy.

    Besides that, the only other thing that happened in March was the house renovation.

    Since all three of the houses were neck and neck, Katherine had gone out of her way to demolish the fences around all three houses.

    Then, she added a hallway to connect them, cutting the walking distance from twenty steps to just five steps.

    Other than connecting the house, she quickly demolished most parts of the house on the left and rebuilt it into several bedrooms for guests.

    With all three of their yards connected, they now had a massive, empty grass field that had nothing.

    To all three kids'' surprise, Katherine t-out brought an entire training station and installed it in the empty backyard.

    From gym equipment all the way to individual meditation rooms, there was almost everything a mage needed.

    All Alex could think of was... "Man, being a duchess really does give a lot of money."

    Although their houses were now connected, it also meant Alex was back to cooking breakfast early in the morning for all five of them.

    Fortunately, Katherine eventually realized the burnout Alex felt and eventually stopped him from cooking breakfast.

    The duty eventually fell back into her hands, and Luqing asionally cooked when Katherine didn''t wake up in time.

    With April less than a week away, an uing spring break was approaching.

    ---

    "Ahem, I''m sure everyone wants out of my boring ss and to get ready for that spring break already, right?"

    As Miss Amy stood in the front of the ssroom, all of the kids nodded in agreement.

    "Well, too bad, you guys are going to mandatory school... I''m just ying with you. There''s nothing you need to do."

    All of the ss kids experienced a rollercoaster of sadness and excitement before Miss Amy poured cold water on their celebration.

    "But... That''s only for students who have reached mage level 2. For those who haven''t reached it yet, this will be your homework."

    Most of the ss still looked extremely excited, with a small fraction looking a little worried as a looming deadline was approaching.

    "Anyway, Luqing, you want to say anything to the kids?" Miss Amy asked as she looked over to her co-worker.

    "Um, please remember to keep your body in shape. When we return from the break, we''ll have the schoolwide physical examination.

    And no, I didn''te up with this. The school principal just told me about it yesterday morning."

    "What is the physical examination going to be like?" One of the kids in the back asked out loud.

    "It''s just basic things that you should all be able to do... And there will be a body examination at the courtesy of... Sanctum of Sce?"

    "Ahem, it''s just a different school that''s more based on healing and doctors.

    You guys should consider yourself lucky. It''s extremely expensive to have them check your health for free." Miss Amy chimed in to rify.

    All of the kids looked a little happy over it, but Alex''s face darkened as his mind was put on the highest alert.

    "Do we have to take off our clothes?" Alex suddenly asked.

    "I don''t know. They haven''t told me about what the procedure is going to be like."

    "Don''t worry about that. Boys and girls will have separate examiners. Everyone, enjoy your spring break!"

    As Miss Amy left the ssroom, the ss became full of chatter, discussing what they were doing over spring break.

    "Alex, what are you doing over the spring break?" Chloe curiously asked.

    "Probably just stay at home... Unless those two want to go out."

    Alex pointed to Sophia and Mary, who were all fired up as they chatted nonstop with the other three.

    "How about you? What are you nning to do over the spring break?" Alex curiously asked.

    "I''m probably heading back home for the week... You don''t want to go chat with them?"

    "I''m good."

    Seeing Alex taking out a book and starting to read it silently, Chloe didn''t bother him again as she headed over to Sophia by herself.

    ---

    "Alex, something in your mind?"

    Katherine curiously asked as all five of them were chatting about their ns for the break, except Alex, who sat in silence.

    "Hm? I was just thinking about what Miss Amy taught us in ss today... What were you guys saying again?"

    "We were just talking about going on a camping trip for the spring break. We''re just deciding where to go."

    "I don''t mind going anywhere."

    Alex quickly gave up his opportunity to talk and shifted his attention to finishing dinner first.

    "How about we go to Thalorim?" Sophia suggested.

    "Not again. We have been going there every weekend." Maryined, looking a little bored from the endless meditations.

    "We can''t go to Thalorim again for the next few months... Spring is usually where the tree stores its energy."

    Sophia immediately looked a little disappointed hearing Katherine''s answer, but Mary looked a little relieved.

    "How about just somewhere fun? Spring break is supposed to be a break, right?" Meiya chimed in.

    "Yeah, spring break is supposed to be a break, not work!" Mary quickly voiced her support.

    Seeing Sophia''s wish to continue advancing her mage level being shut down, Katherine''s next word ended the debate.

    "Then we''ll just go somewhere fun... Luqing, do you have any ideas?" Katherine asked as the table''s attention turned towards her.

    Luqing quickly shook her head before saying the same thing as Alex, giving up her vote.

    "Kate, you know where to go the best. How about you give us some options to vote on?" Meiya suggested.

    "Hmm... Okay, I can think of five different ces that can be pretty fun."

    With a snap of a finger, a map and a red dot suddenly appeared on the wall.

    "We can go to Thalorim again, but we will climb the mountain to arrive at the well-known dungeon instead."

    Katherine murmured as she pointed up North on the map with the red dots.

    "What''s a dungeon?" Meiya curiously asked.

    "It''s like where monsters and treasure will appear naturally in a ce... Like slimes and most undead creatures."

    Meiya slowly nodded, but Mary quickly showed her objection as she didn''t want to go somewhere that cold.

    "Can we actually go somewhere that''s like real spring?" Maryined.

    "Okay, okay. The next ce is towards the west side of the capital... Right here in Amberdune."

    "Isn''t that a desert?" Sophia murmured as she remembered the textbook mentioning it once.

    "Yes, it is mostly desert, but there are oases in the deserts that give life to the wide deserts.

    I remember I went there when I was at level 3. It was a pretty fun journey for the spring break."

    "But it''s going to be so hot... That doesn''t feel like spring at all." Maryined.

    "Fine, how about Ironpeak in the south? It''s just as warm as the capital, and it has a ton of dungeons we can explore.

    Most of them are also super beginner-friendly, like the one I brought you guysst time."

    Mary didn''tin this time, but Sophia quickly remembered something about it in the textbook.

 Chapter 111: Night before the Trip

    "Isn''t that where dwarves live?" Sophia pointed out.

    "Dwarves? What is that?" Meiya curiously asked, her face looking a little confused again.

    "Um, well, it''s like short, muscr people with a bunch of facial hair that live on the mountain."

    "That''s a separate species?"

    "Not exactly... Humans, dwarves, and elves are all created together as one; at least, that''s how the story goes."

    "Huh. I really need to learn this world from scratch... Kate, how are you so knowledgeable about this?"

    "I just used to travel a lot with my professor... Anyway, the fourth ce we can visit is Northeast, where elves live.

    But there really isn''t much to do there besides scenery. At least, that''s what I felt thest time I went there.

    And there are a lot of restrictions on things you can do... Like not being allowed to eat meat and¡ª¡ª"

    "We''re good on that."

    Sophia and Mary both chimed in agreement for once, as they couldn''t imagine only eating vegetables for the entirety of spring break.

    "Then that leaves us with thest option. We can visit the east where... Wait..."

    Katherine froze for a second, realizing it was the single ce she never visited with her professor.

    "It''s the pirate port." Luqing suddenly murmured as she stopped eating her food.

    "Oh right, yeah... It''s where a lot of trading routes go."

    "It''s where our milk is brought from, right? All the from far east to that port?" Sophia curiously asked.

    "Y-Yeah, Ahem, anyway, we are not visiting there... That leaves us with four options."

    "I want to go to Ironpeak. I want to explore dungeons again!" Mary excitedly proimed.

    Sophia considered all the options for a second and then agreed with Mary because all the other options had severe drawbacks.

    From temperature to food restriction, the only one that had no ''hard'' drawback was Ironpeak.

    "Meiya, what do you think?" Katherine asked, looking over to her for her opinion.

    "I don''t mind it. I''m just hoping I get to see a dwarf and a dungeon myself."

    With all three agreeing to it, Katherine turned over to thest two, who had been mostly silent the whole time.

    "I don''t mind it."

    "Same."

    "Then it''s decided! Pack everything up, and we''re going tomorrow!"

    ---

    As Alex finished taking a shower and started packing his clothes, he was bothered by what Luqing and Miss Amy had said in ss.

    Even though he never had a school health examination himself, he could remember seeing people''s experiences with it online.

    It was just the pr opposite of possibilities, from average basic BMI checkups and health checkups to full-blown strip searches.

    For a second, he thought of skipping it on purpose, but it just felt too stand out.

    Especially since the school operates under almost a boarding school system where everyone lives at the school.

    In all the days he had been at school, no one had ever skipped school besides a few people who were sick orte.

    In his mind, calling in sick for a ''health'' checkup is like skipping a doctor''s appointment because you''re not feeling well.

    It just didn''t make any sense, no matter how he looked at it, leaving with only one option.

    "Maybe I should ask Mom to help me make an excuse for the day... She would understand me, right?"

    With the idea confirmed inside his head, he finally closed his suitcase before lying back down on the bed.

    A few minutester...

    Just as everything faded to ck for Alex, shots of color reappeared right before him.

    He sighed as he opened his eyes again, only to find himself no longer on the bed.

    Instead, he was in the middle of an empty field, with grass and trees all around him.

    "Sarah, where are you at?" Alex asked out loud as he waited for her to show up.

    "I''m right here! Took you long enough to sleep today."

    Sarah appeared out of thin air before descending from the sky right in front of him.

    "You know why," Alex murmured as he ready himself for the uing grueling battle.

    "Wait, I''m not nning to fight you today."

    Alex was a little surprised by Sarah''s answer, but he didn''t question it as she teleported him back into the familiar-looking house.

    "I know you have a trip tomorrow... I just have a simple question before you can go for today."

    "What is it?" Alex curiously asked.

    "Can you help me list the games you used to y? Just any kind of games."

    "Huh..?"

    Sarah''s question caught Alex a little off guard, as he barely could remember that kind of memory.

    "Just any kind of video game. I remember you have it in your memories."

    "Can you give me a few seconds? I need some time to think back to it."

    "Sure... And can you actually think back to it while holding this crystal ball? It will just help put your memories into pictures."

    Alex nodded as he hovered his hand over the crystal ball, closing his eyes as he tried to dig into his memories.

    Pictures began to appear on the crystal balls, with various characters popping up before aputer appeared.

    Within seconds, aputer suddenly appeared on the table, with pictures of what Alex had in mind right on the screen.

    From a person rapidly turning the steering wheel in a car to a soldier shooting a gun, everything was clearly being recorded.

    After hundreds of different images went by, Alex finally moved his hands away from the crystal ball as he opened his eyes.

    To his surprise, he was somehow back in the middle of the empty field, sitting on a chair.

    "Thank you for your help... I''m not going to be a party pooper and disrupt you, so enjoy your spring break!"

    Before Alex could say anything back, everything around him faded to ck as his consciousness vanished.

    ---

    When Alex woke up again, he was back in bed with the clock pointing at three o''clock.

    "I should just go back to sleep... Fuck I can''t."

    After a short break in the bathroom, Alex began walking back into the hallway to return to his bedroom.

    However, the sound of the back entrance door being opened made him stop for a second.

    With Katherine''s voice seeminglying from the storage room and another woman''s voice, Alex got a little curious.

    With some careful maneuvering, he carefully avoided the dining table and the chairs in the living room before stopping near the storage room.

    Not risking to peek through his head through the open doorway, he leaned onto the wall with his ear against it.

    ---

    "What do you want, Amelia?" Katherine asked as she stood in the storage room with a cloaked figure before her.

    "Kate, I have to give it to you. You hid Alex''s secret really well." Amelia murmured as she lowered her cloak.

    "What secret?"

    "Alex isn''t really a boy... That''s the reason why the guardian didn''t have him as the sessor, wasn''t it?"

    "I don''t know what you''re talking about."

    "Come on, we''re sisters. You don''t have to hide things away from me."

    As Amelia tried to move closer, Katherine quickly took a step back away from her.

    "Alex is always a boy in my eyes. That''s what matters to me." Katherine stated.

    "Yeah, sure. A boy that has periods... Ahem, anyway, I just want to ask you more about it.

    If you give me all the details you have on Alex, I can maybe develop a potion that can fix everything."

    Katherine hesitated for a second, but she eventually gave in after remembering how much Alex wanted to be a ''man.''

    "Fine, I''ll tell you about it. But I don''t want you to tell this to anyone else."

    "I swear I will keep this only to myself... Now, can you tell me about Alex''s exact condition?"

    "He''s a Hermaphrodite... At least that''s what the midwife told me before she left."

    "A hermaphrodite... Why does it feel like I heard this before?"

    "Because the mage goddess has the same issue... I only figured that out after I searched it up at the library myself."

    "No wonder... Shit, that''s going to make the issue much harder to solve if the goddess herself can''t fix it."

    "Yeah. But I heard that she never bothered fixing it... Amelia, I''m sure you can do it with your generational talent in alchemy."

    "Hey, don''t put that much pressure on me. I don''t even know where to begin."

    "If you need me to help you, just tell me, okay? I can throw as much money at it as possible."

    Amelia rolled her eyes as she looked to the side, not rejecting Katherine''s offer outright.

    "Of course, you''re going to pay for this. I can barely afford food at this point."

    "How? Didn''t I already give you a few thousand justst week?"

    "Burnt it all in my experiment. You can ask your son if you want to know details about it.

    Anyway, I''m going to go back home now. See youter, you silly goose."

    "You''re a silly goose!"

    As Amelia vanished, Katherine turned off the light before heading towards the living room.

    But before she stepped foot in the living room, she suddenly heard the sound of a door being closed.

    "Who''s up thiste...?"

 Chapter 112: Short Stop at Silverforge

    The next day...

    As all five of them sat in the living room, they had already eaten breakfast and were ready to leave at any time.

    However, Meiya was the only one missing, as she hadpletely forgotten to pack her stuff yesterday.

    "Let me go help her."

    As Katherine headed down the new hallway in the storage room, the three kids were starting to get a little bored waiting.

    "Luqing, how did your mom forget to pack?" Sophia impatiently asked.

    "She said she was going to wake up early to pack today..." Luqing quietly replied.

    "How can someone at her age forget something like that?" Maryined as she started rolling on the sofa.

    "Shouldn''t the older a person is, the more forgetful? Mary, your point doesn''t make sense."

    "Hmph! Whatever."

    As Mary ignored Alex''s argument, Katherine finally came out with Meiya along with her suitcases.

    "Let''s go!"

    ---

    After the six of them exited the school, they headed straight to the bank to use the teleporter.

    With the tickets paid and a light shing before their eyes, they were now in apletely different city.

    "This is amazing... Magic can do this?" Meiya murmured in disbelief as they exited the teleporter.

    "Yep, just a magical spell cast onto the ground... Does your continent not have this?"

    Katherine curiously asked as they stood foot out into the world, letting the fresh air hit right in their faces.

    "Nope. We don''t have anything remotely simr... We usually are forced to fly there ourselves."

    As the six of them looked around them, they were in the middle of a small hill, with the town right before them.

    "Mom, this is Ironpeak?" Sophia curiously asked as they began walking down the stairs towards the town.

    "Nope, we''re actually at Silverforge... We can''t take the teleporter directly to Ironpeak unless we have permission from the other side.

    We''re going to take a carriage ride to Ironpeak... It''s usually only a few hour ride from here."

    As six of them got closer and closer to town, they were immediately hit with a strong smell that made them almost want to throw up.

    Oddly enough, there were fewer and fewer buildings as they began walking toward the center of the town.

    "Ugh, what is that smelling from?" Mary murmured as they finally arrived at the town center.

    "It''s the yearly racing season. You guys came just in time. It''s about to start now."

    A stranger replied as a crowd of people blocked them from walking any closer to the town center itself.

    Right before them was a giant, open square with hundreds of different animals all lining up in a line.

    With the rope that blocked anyone from walking closer, it was clear they were in some sort of race, just like the man had just said.

    "It''s a person riding a dragon!" Sophia suddenly yelled as she pointed towards one of the contestants.

    "It''s not a dragon. How blind do you have to be¡ª¡ªAhem, it''s just a big lizard with wings."

    Just as one of the nearby strangers was about to insult her naivety, he quickly changed his wording after seeing Katherine''s face.

    "It''s starting!"

    As the crowds started cheering for the different teams, Katherine decided to let the kids stay and watch the race.

    "Luqing, Meiya, can you watch over them for a second? I''ll go get us a carriage." Enjoy more content from m-v l''e|-NovelBin

    With a nod, Katherine quickly headed back out of the crowds as the two of them took over her ce.

    "Man, we can''t even see the race at all," Maryined as the crowd before thempletely blocked the view.

    "You should have brought a ticket if you want to see it properly. This is just a partial view." A nearby stranger pointed out.

    "Where do we buy that?" Alex curiously asked the stranger.

    "At the town hall, but it''s toote now."

    As soon as the stranger finished talking, the crowd of people began dispersing as the racing was out of sight now.

    "Sophia, Mary, do you want to see the race?" Meiya asked after noticing the two looking a little disappointed.

    "Yeah, but all the contestants are already gone," Sophiained as they finally got to the front right behind the rope.

    With the town center now empty, there was nothing for them to watch besides a bunch of dust.

    "Luqing, take care of Alex... You two ready for a neat little magic trick?"

    Both Sophia and Mary looked a little confused until Meiya suddenly pulled out her sword.

    As she throws it to the side, the sword starts floating in the air, expanding until it reaches ten times the normal size.

    "Come on, get on. I''m going to bring you two to go watch it."

    The two hesitated for a second, but seeing Meiya standing perfectly fine on the sword, the two joined in.

    "Woah!"

    Both girls fell into shock as the sword started going up until they reached the tops of the buildings.

    "Here we go!"

    As the sword zoomed past into the distance, Alex waspletely stunned by what she had just pulled off.

    "Luqing, can all cultivators do that?" Alex urgently asked as he grabbed onto her arms.

    "Yes, they just need to reach Golden Core level... You want to watch the race as well?"

    "I''m good... Mom''s going to get worried if shees back and there''s no one here¡ª¡ª"

    "Where''s everyone?"

    Just as Alex was about to finish talking, Katherine had juste back from her short trip.

    "Miss Meiya brought them to the sky to go watch the race," Alex replied.

    "Ah... You two didn''t join in with them?" Katherine asked curiously, seemingly not surprised that Meiya could fly.

    "We''re waiting for you toe back."

    "That''s very nice of you, but don''t worry about that next time, okay?"

    As Katherine grabbed both of their hands, a ck cloud suddenly surrounded them.

    When they could see again, they were right next to the three that had just flown off, right on the roof of a nearby building.

    Down below was the perfect view of the race, with a massive crowd on the other side standing on various buildings.

    "You got the carriage?" Meiya asked.

    "Yeah."

    As Alex looked towards the race, he could finally see the full picture of the race.

    Twenty contestants were running around a track with all kinds of obstacles ahead of them.

    From horses to mutated frogs to even the giant lizard that Sophia pointed at earlier, they were all neck and neck in the race.

    The first obstacle was just some fences that they had to jump over, which they had already run past.

    But the next challenge was soon to be approaching, with rows of me firing from the side.

    "How are they going to get past that?" Alex curiously asked as the me didn''t show any sign of disappearing.

    Instead, it only got stronger as time went on, with more and more rows of me being activated.

    "They aren''t just your typical animal," Katherine replied as the first contestant had reached the second challenge.

    The giant lizard who was first suddenly started pping its wings, slowly going up higher and higher until it was above the me.

    As it flew to the other side of the track, Alex soon realized it wasn''t real ''wings.''

    Instead, it was just ps connected to its hand, simr to what a wingsuit looks like.

    "Oh my god! What are they doing!"

    Mary was inplete shock as several of the contestants straight-up ran through the me at full speed, overtaking the slow-flying lizard.

    "How are theypletely fine?" Sophia asked in confusion.

    "Those animals are fire-resistant, aren''t they?" Alex curiously asked as he looked over to Katherine.

    "Yep... But the rider isn''t fire-resistant."

    As soon as Katherine finished talking, several of the contestant''s animals suddenly stopped as the rider fell onto the ground.

    A shot of water suddenly appeared on top of them, extinguishing the me on their clothes and body.

    With the time wasted, the giant lizard was now back on the lead as the rider got back onto their mount.

    With the third obstacleing up, all of the contestants were back to being neck and neck.

    "Who do you guys think is going to win?" Meiya suddenly asked.

    "That lizard!" Mary quickly dered her answer before anyone else could take it.

    "The cat-looking one is going to win... I can feel it''s going to overtake from third ce." Sophia murmured.

    "I wouldn''t be so sure about that... Feel like that wolf one is faster," Alex answered.

    "Luqing, what do you think?" Meiya asked, noticing her staying silent the whole time.

    "I think that frog is going to win." Luqing quietly whispered.

    "Kate, what about you?" Meiya asked as she looked to thest person other than herself, who hadn''t bet yet.

    "That turtle is going to win... Slow and steady wins the race."

    Katherine''s bet confused all five of them, as the giant turtle was currently deadst, still going through the me.

    "Then I''m going to bet on that white horse winning." Meiya betted on the one in the middle of the pack.

 Chapter 113: Trip to Ironpeak

    As the contestants approached the third challenge, almost all of them came to aplete stop right before the pool. Find exclusive stories on m_v l|e-NovelBin

    The animals seemed to refuse to step foot into the water as if they could tell it was deep enough to submerge them.

    With a rtively wide gap spanning almost a third of the track, all the riders seem to be thinking of ways to ovee it.

    Eventually, the lizard was the first one to make a move as they once again flew up into the air, just a few feet from the ground.

    "Ha! My bet is going to win!" Mary excitedly yelled as she had already begun celebrating.

    Soon, several of the contestants started hitting their animal''s backs, forcing them to march into the water.

    Fortunately, all of the animals were able to float on the water, slowly swimming towards the shore.

    But the riders were apletely different story.

    They were all holding onto their animal as if their lives depended on it, and their heads constantly submerged in and out of the water.

    Just as the lizard was about to make it back tond, the giant turtle atst ce finally made it to the pool challenge.

    Everyone was inplete shock as the turtle seemed almost on drugs, swimming at full spread toward the other side.

    From passing the horse to the second-ce wolf, it soon moved past the lizard, who was still a few feet away fromnd.

    "Damn it, I lost..."

    Everyone was a little surprised by Katherine''sment until the turtle got back onto thend again.

    Once again, it was back to the slow, typical turtle speed as it advanced towards the finish line.

    The lizard soon passed the turtle, but with a surprise turn of twist, the lizard came to aplete stop.

    "Why did the lizard stop? Why is it not going?" Maryined as more and more animals began to catch up.

    "It ran out of stamina from levitating in the air like that... It should have just swam across."

    As Alex answered Mary''s question, several of the animals ran past the lizard and the turtle.

    It was sooning down to the white horse, the giant cat-looking animal, and the giant grey wolf.

    But to everyone''s shock, the giant frog suddenly leaped into the sky beforending several feet ahead.

    With the rapidly repeating jump, it soon reached first ce and the finish line just a few seconds ahead of the rest.

    "How! That frog can jump that far that fast? It just doesn''t make sense." Sophiained as the cat came in second.

    "Too bad... Congrats, Luqing, you won the bet." Alex pped in celebration, along with grumpy Sophia and Mary.

    "Thank you..."

    "Ahem, let''s go to our carriage before it''s gone. We got a long day ahead of us."

    ---

    When they arrived at the transportation they were taking, they were a little surprised by how simr it looked.

    The horses looked a bit like the ones they had just watched in the race, and the carriage itself looked simr to the one they used in the past.

    As they got inside, they quickly realized it was the same one, with the same interior and even scratches.

    "What? Do you think I''m going to buy a new carriage? I''m just going to reuse the old one we have."

    Katherine exined as she headed out again to double-check the connection between the horses and the carriage.

    "Oh boy... This is going to be a nightmare." Sophia murmured as she could already imagine the bumpy roads.

    "Miss Meiya, can I sit on yourp?" Mary suddenly asked.

    "Um, sure."

    As Mary sat down on Meiya''sp, Sophia immediately realized what Mary was trying to do.

    "Luqing... Can I sit on yourp?" Sophia shyly asked.

    "Sure."

    With both of them getting their seats, Alex remained silent and sat down in his seat.

    "Time for a fun journey!"

    ---

    Just as all three kids expected, the entire trip was bumpy beyond what a human butt could imagine.

    It was almost a miracle the carriage didn''t fall apart, considering the amount of time it flew into the air because of a small rock.

    Alex soon eventually gave in and went over to the front to be with Katherine instead.

    Sitting on herp finally gave him the relief he needed, as his butt was finally not getting pped by the hard piece of wood every minute.

    The elevation also began to rise higher than what they were used to, and their hearing and breathing started to be impacted.

    Soon, as the sky went from the morning to the evening, they were still a few hours away from Ironpeak.

    Even though they had been riding all day, they still couldn''tplete the trip in one day as Katherine had nned.

    "Let''s rest for the day."

    As Katherine stopped the four horses, all three of the kids finally let out a sigh of relief.

    Meiya and Luqing also let out a sigh of relief. They never imagined a road could be this bumpy.

    "Kate, can you give me a map? I''m going to fly straight over there instead," Meiya pleaded as they all got out of the carriage.

    "I don''t have an exact map... I''m just traveling based on my experience and the road signs."

    Katherine''s reply disappointed her a little, but Meiya didn''t ask about it again as he started examining their surrounding.

    They were in a rtively open grass field, just a few steps away from the road itself.

    With the horses and the carriage tied to a tree, Katherine headed back to be with the rest of the group.

    "Here''s your luggage, and here''s yours."

    As Katherine began taking our stuff from her pocket dimension, Meiya couldn''t help but feel the convenience.

    "Man, mages have it so much better than cultivators..." Meiyained as she epted her luggage from her.

    "You guys don''t have any kind of dimension-rted spells?"

    Katherine curiously asked as she began pulling out an entire tent from the dimension.

    "Nope, the only thing remotely simr is a storage ring... But that thing cost like millions to get one."

    "Mom! Can we learn this spell?" Sophia excitedly asked.

    "Not yet. Wait until you''re mage level four, and maybe I can teach you about it."

    "Okay!"

    As the six of them entered the massive tent, Meiya and Luqing were surprised at its size.

    They could reach side by side and even stand perfectly fine, as it almost felt like a living room rather than a tent.

    "Here''s your guy''s sleeping ce. I had someone custom-made this yesterday night."

    As Katherine brought out the same mattress bed next to the one the four of them used to sleep on, they were both a little stunned.

    "Thank you... Kate, how big is your dimension thing?" Meiya curiously asked again.

    "It''s pretty big... I had spent a lot of resources expanding it for this kind of trip.

    Anyway, let''s cook dinner first. I''m sure these three are starving for food right now."

    "Yeah, and I wonder why..."

    Alex murmured, which made Katherine blush a little, as she was the one who decided to skip lunch, thinking they could make it to Ironpeak today.

    "Ahem, Luqing, Meiya, can you two look gather some wood and animals? My dimension can''t bring any living thing."

    "Sure."

    As the two headed into the forest, Sophia and Mary turned towards Katherine, who was still removing cooking equipment.

    "Mom! I''m hungry!" Maryined.

    "Be patient."

    "Mom, don''t you have bread in your pocket dimension?" Sophia asked as her stomach started growling.

    "Fine, fine, here. Go give some to Alex, too."

    "Yay!"

    As Sophia and Mary excitedly epted the bread from Katherine, Alex was all the way on the other side.

    Right before him was a white horse, the one that looked familiar to the race.

    But with four of them standing next to each other, it was clear it was obviously not the one from the race itself.

    Instead, it was just the same species or the same family.

    "Why do these horses look a little different from the other ones?" Alex murmured as he examined their body.

    From the slightly spiky hair to the horse''s tail having no hair, it just looked a little offpared to an actual horse.

    "Alex! What are you looking at?" Sophia curiously asked as she handed him a piece of bread.

    "Just the horse... Do you guys think these are horses?" Alex asked back as he started eating the bread.

    "Ehh, not really. Their necks look kinda like a snake." Sophia answered.

    "And the body is too skinny! It looks like it had barely eaten anything at all!" Mary added.

    "That''s because it hasn''t eaten anything. Those horse scammers really didn''t feed them well.

    No wonder why we couldn''t make it in a single day. They are way too exhausted."

    Katherine answered as she pulled out a bunch of hay for the four horses to chew on.

 Chapter 114: Dinner and Bath Time

    "But Mom, didn''t you pick the horses?"

    Mary''s question made Katherine''s face blush a little, but she quickly brought the three away from the horses.

    "Enough about horses. Can you three help me set up with the cooking utensils?"

    "Okay!"

    ---

    When Meiya and Luqing came back from their foraging, Katherine and the three kids had just finished setting up the campfire.

    The two had gathered a bunch of firewood, along with a small boar that didn''t seem to have any wound at all.

    Katherine quickly directed the three kids and Meiya to start a fire while she and Luqing headed away from the camp with the boar.

    "How did you guys catch this boar?" Katherine curiously asked as she pulled out a giant cutting board.

    "Mom felt something underneath a tree stump, and she punched it real hard... Then this boar came out from the ground."

    "Ah... Huh, but why does it have no wound?"

    "She killed it with Qi."

    "Really..? It can do that without cutting the skin... Luqing, help me hold this for a second."

    With Luqing quickly grabbed onto its head, Katherine pulled out her butchering knife before casting some sort of spell.

    Twenty minutester...

    When the two returned from the butchering, they were carrying a giant te full of wild boar meat.

    "Okay, time to get ready to cook this... You three want to learn a little magic trick when you''re outside?"

    All three of the kids immediately nodded in response.

    "A lot of wild food isn''t really safe to eat, even after it is cooked, right?"

    All three of the kids nodded again, with Luqing and Meiya both looking a little curious about what Katherine was nning to do.

    "That''s where this magic spelles in handy. Just listen to what I chant here."

    As Katherine began chanting a short line, a slightly dim light appeared on the meat before it disappeared.

    "Okay, that light shows that it doesn''t have any toxic materials... Now to remove all the parasites."

    Katherine once again began chanting a short line, which caused the meat to glow red for a second before it returned to normal.

    "Okay, now the meat is safe to cook. You three got that?"

    All three of them nodded, with Luqing''s face suddenly seemingly a little jealous out of nowhere.

    "Every day I feel magic is just superior every second... Who came up with all these spells?"

    Meiya curiously asked as Katherine began to put a few slices of the meat onto the oiled pan.

    "The goddess herself created them... Without her creation power, then we''ll all be stuck with just elemental magic."

    As Katherine exined, she began adding a few of the slices to the heated pot filled with water and seasoning.

    "This is going to take forever to eat them all¡ª¡ª"

    "Don''t worry, Luqing and I can eat all of them." Meiya immediately replied after noticing Katherine''s intent to throw some away.

    "Okay then."

    Katherine quickly added more until the pan was full, then dumped the rest into the pot.

    "Mom, why don''t we just grill it over the fire like a barbecue?" Alex asked curiously.

    "Good idea. But I forgot to bring sticks to pierce the meat. Maybe next time."

    As the meat on the pan began to cook rapidly, the five watched Katherine quickly pull out several bottles of salt and seasoning.

    After adding all of it onto the meat, she began flipping the meat back and forth like a steak as the five of them patiently waited.

    However, the peacefully sizzling sound was eventually interrupted by Sophia''s and Mary''s stomach growling.

    Even Alex and Katherine''s stomach began to growling as well, but Luqing and Meiya werepletely fine.

    "Are you two not hungry?" Katherine curiously asked.

    "We''re super hungry. It''s just that we eat a lot more food to store it over time," Meiya exined after noticing their confused looks.

    The five of them waited in silence until Katherine finally removed the pan from its stand and took out several tes.

    "Okay, the pan-grilled one is done... Luqing, can you pass out the tes?"

    ---

    After everyone had eaten the grilled boar meat, they waited almost an hour for the boiled meat to finish.

    When everything was done and finished, Meiya could barely move as she ate almost half of the meat alone.

    "This is so good! That was the best outdoor meal I ever had in my entire life," Meiyamented as she rubbed her full belly.

    "Thank you, thank you."

    As Katherine gathered all the cooking utensils back into her pocket dimension, the three kids immediately began heading towards the tent.

    However, they suddenly ran right into an invisible barrier, blocking them from going inside.

    "You three had sweated too much today. I don''t want my tent to be full of sweaty pigs."

    "Mommm! Let us just sleep for today. We''re so tired." Maryined as she started banging on the invisible barrier.

    "Mom, can we not just take a shower after we get to Ironpeak?" Sophia suggested.

    "Nope. We are not going in until we take a shower."

    As Katherine finished putting everything away, the three kids reluctantly walked all the way back to the campfire.

    "How are we going to shower out here? There''s no river or anything." Meiya curiously asked.

    "Meiya,e on. How do you think I added water to that boiled boar soup?"

    "Oh right, I''m such a dumbass..."

    Meiya quickly facepalmed herself as she hadpletely forgotten about the water spells.

    "Meiya, Luqing, you two don''t mind taking a shower with us together, right?"

    Both of them immediately nodded in agreement, but they looked over to Alex, who awkwardly looked to the side in silence.

    "Ahem, Alex, can you go inside the tent? I''ll¡ª¡ª"

    Before Katherine could finish talking, Alex had already run straight into the tent.

    "Okay, that''s out of the way... Time for a nice bath!"

    "Bath?"

    Meiya looked a little confused until Katherine suddenly pulled out a bathtub so big that they could stand and still be half submerged.

    "God damn, Katherine, do you have an entire house inside your dimension thing?"

    Meiya curiously asked as hot water began to fill the tub from Katherine''s spell.

    "Maybe... Anyway, let''s start taking our clothes off. You can put it here."

    Katherine quickly pulled out a small rack, allowing them to put their dirty clothes onto it.

    None of them hesitated as they all began to undress before each other, not even bothering to have a towel over themselves.

    "Woohoo!"

    Mary was the first to jump into the water, submerging herself fully as the water level rose slightly.

    "Stop jumping into the water like that."

    Sophia lectured as she got into the bathtub and swam over to attempt to knock on her head.

    "Ha! Take this!"

    As Mary sshed the water towards Sophia, her face started to turn red as she sshed water right back at her.

    "Okay, okay, no more ying around," Katherine warned as she got inside the bathtub along with Meiya and Luqing.

    The two quickly stopped as they all leaned back to their side of the bathtub.

    Sitting down on the small ledge, all of them were now half-submerged up to their chest, except for Sophia and Mary, who had to stand.

    "Sister Luqing, your chest is so big." Mary suddenlymented as they examined each other''s bodies for the first time.

    Luqing only smiled back, not really knowing what to say back to Mary as her chest was almost as t as an airstrip.

    "Hey, don''t call her your sister. If she''s your sister, then what does that make me when we are both the same age?"

    "Miss Luqing, are you happy?" As Mary grumpily fixed her mistake, Meiya decided toment.

    "Kate, just let the kids call whatever they want. If they feel like Luqing is like an older sister, I''m sure Luqing is more than happy to be it.

    Besides, there''s no outsider here. There''s no need to show formality to me or Luqing."

    Luqing''s face immediately blushed a little, but she didn''t say anything out loud about it.

    "Fine... But I better see you two call them properly when we''re outside." Katherine warned as she epted Meiya''s point.

    "Yay! Sister Meiya! Sister Luqing!"

    As Mary started celebrating her victory, Katherine began to regret permitting them.

    "Sister Meiya, sorry if this sounds a little rude. But how do you keep up with such good skin?"

    Sophia curiously asked as she noticed both Luqing and Meiya''s skin looked perfectly smooth, just like them.

    But considering Meiya''s age was almost double what their mom was, it just seemed extremely impressive.

    "Cultivators have their benefits. Every breakthrough we have actually changes how good our body looks."

    "Really?" Katherine curiously asked this time, looking a little intrigued by Meiya''s answer.

    "Yes, really. Luqing is about to reach level 5 soon. You guys can see how much different she looks when she reaches that level."

    "Mom..."

    Luqing shyly voiced herint as she shook Meiya''s arm a little, her face blushing red either from the embarrassment or the hot water.

 Chapter 115: Together and Dreams

    "Let me add a little shampoo to this... You two don''t mind, right?"

    After Luqing and Meiya agreed to it, Katherine took out some sort of bottle and squeezed a few drops of water into it.

    Within seconds, the water in the bathtub turnedpletely white, almost as if they were washing in milk.

    "What kind of shampoo is this?" Meiya curiously asked.

    "It''s the newest product from Aurum Veil... It''s supposed to cleanse the in and out of your body using ancient form."

    "Does it cost a lot...?" Luqing suddenly asked as her face got a little worried.

    "It doesn''t cost that much... I have a whole bunch of it stocked up back at home if you guys want some."

    The two didn''t say anything else as they leaned back on the bathtub until they suddenly felt a little tingle down their spine.

    "Why does it feel like something is touching my body?" Meiya curiously asked as the water started to heat up again.

    "It''s just doing its job. Just rx and enjoy it."

    As all five of them fell into silence, the only sound was the nearby leaves crackling across the grass field.

    "This is so nice. I''m going to fall in love with this shampoo," Marymented as she looked up at the sky.

    All four of them agreed as they could all feel the same thing, with what almost felt like someone gently massaging them.

    Sophiamented again, "If only Alex were here to experience this... He would be so jealous."

    After enjoying the gentle water massage for almost a whole minute, the silence oce was again broken.

    "Mom... Can we have Alex take a bath with us?" Mary suddenly suggested.

    "What makes you say that?" Katherine curiously asked, not outright rejecting Mary''s suggestion.

    "It just feels a little empty without him. It''s like we''re excluding him from the family¡ª¡ª"

    "Alex is a boy. He can''t take a bath with us anymore. And Mom can give him the same shampoo when he''s taking the shower himself."

    Sophia interrupted as her face showed zero signs of wanting to take a baht together with Alex.

    "That doesn''t answer my point... Wouldn''t he get lonely taking a shower in a giant bathtub all by himself?"

    Mary''s argument made Sophia fall into silence, but her face still showed rejection towards it.

    With both sides seemingly locked in their opinions, Katherine was a little torn about the idea, as she wanted to bring Alex in as well.

    However, she understood Sophia''s point, as Alex was now getting old enough to understand the separation of sexes.

    "I wouldn''t mind having Alex here. Also, Sophia, your brother is only ten. There''s nothing to worry over such a small little thing."

    Meiya''s answer immediately swayed Katherine towards Mary''s side, but her mind was still holding her back.

    "Luqing, what do you think?" Katherine curiously asked.

    "I wouldn''t mind having him here... It''s not like we can see each other''s body in this shampoo water."

    "You''re right... Okay, then I''m going to bring him over."

    Katherine quickly got out of the bathtub and headed over to the tent, covering herself with a towel.

    "Sophia, why are you so nervous about your little brother taking a bath with you?"

    Meiya curiously asked as she couldn''t understand why Sophia would be so against it.

    "You''ll understand whyter," Sophia replied as her face blushed red.

    As the four of them waited in the bathtub, Katherine finally brought Alex out of the tent.

    "Mom, I can take a shower myself¡ª¡ª"

    "Too bad. I don''t want to waste more shampoo than I needed to."

    Katherine''s determined look made Alex reluctantly agree as he began taking off his clothes.

    "Can I keep my underwear on?" Alex quietly pleaded.

    "What do you think?"

    Alex finally took off hisst garment before jumping right into the hot water as fast as he could.

    With a loud ssh, his body was now submerged in the shampooed water, preventing anyone from seeing it.

    ---

    As the six of them rxed in the bathtub, the four of them continued with their chatting, with Luqing and Alex both asionallymenting on it.

    After what felt like forever, the water finally began to cool down as the moon rose into the sky.

    The cold air began to get increasingly stronger as it blew onto their faces, with the nearby grass shuffling against each other louder and louder.

    Just as Katherine was about to start talking about getting out of the bathtub, the shampoo in the water began to disappear.

    The whiteness began to disappear rapidly, returning to a clear, warm water.

    "Looks like the shampoo ran out of effect. We should probably get out of the shower now."

    All five of them agreed to Katherine''s proposal, with Mary being the first one to get out of the bathtub.

    "Hm? Why are you guys still inside?" Mary curiously asked as they all remained seated inside.

    "Alex, can you close your eyes for a second?" Katherine asked, her face blushing a little.

    Not hesitating a single bit, Alex quickly closed his eyes and turned his head in the opposite direction.

    A loud ssh sound could be heard as Alex remained still, with the water rapidly rising to his chin.

    "Snap, Katherine, can you bring our luggage out? I left my towels there," Meiya asked.

    After hearing a bunch of loud footsteps running into the tent, Alex finally opened his eyes again as there was now no one near him.

    When someone finally emerged from the tent, it was Katherine holding a towel and a pair of Alex''s clothes.

    "Here, you can just change here."

    Alex quickly jumped out of the bathtub, wiping himself dry before putting the clothes on.

    "Thank you... Mom, you there?" Alex curiously asked after noticing Katherine looked a little zoned out.

    "Yeah, I''m here. You can go back into the tent first, and I''ll be back after I clean this up."

    As Alex headed back inside the tent, Katherine''s mind was still a little stunned by what she had seen earlier.

    "How did that thing get even bigger thanst time? It''s almost the same size as his dad now.

    But he''s only ten... Am I really going to separate him from the family over something out of his control?

    He''s even trying his best not to look at us directly, and he doesn''t even ask to take a bath with us if it wasn''t for me bringing him over."

    After Katherine grabbed all the dirty clothes from the rack, her mind was still a little conflicted.

    Find your next read on m_v l|e-NovelBin

    "But why would he look away? It has to be because he''s turned on by looking at our bodies."

    As Katherine looked down to herself, she quickly dismissed the me away from Alex.

    "Is it really his fault? Which man wouldn''t be turned on just by the thought of seeing our naked body?

    No, no, no. Alex is your son, you idiot... I need to stop thinking about this. He''s way too young for this."

    After putting everything away and cleaning up the puddles of water on the ground, she finally returned to the tent.

    Entering inside, Katherine was a little surprised to find everyone was already asleep.

    Slowly, she zipped the tent back up before a light suddenly appeared outside the tent and vanished.

    With the magic zone set in ce, she gently walked all the way next to the little space between Alex and Sophia.

    "Goodnight, Mom."

    Alex whispered as he felt someone lifting the nket before something warm touched his skin.

    "Goodnight, Alex."

    As all six of them peacefully slept on the two mattresses, soon, the mother and son faced apletely different story.

    ---

    "Why am I in Katherine''s dream again?" Alex thought to himself as he looked around his surroundings.

    He was back all the way at home, in the same bed as the one where he slept offst time.

    With his manapletely suppressed, it was the only way for him to tell it wasn''t reality.

    "Good morning, Alex!" Katherine excitedly said out loud, lying down right next to him on the bed.

    "Good morning, Mom."

    "Let Mommy give you a good morning kiss first!"

    As Katherine grabbed onto Alex and kissed him on the forehead multiple times, his face didn''t flinch a single bit as he had grown resistant to it.

    "What do you want to do today?" Katherine curiously asked as she finally let him go.

    "I don''t know."

    "Hmm... We went to the amusement park togetherst time. Where can we go...?"

    As Katherine tried her best to think of an answer, Alex''s mind was filled with trying to get out of the dream.

    Even though thest time he had wanted to go over the boundary with her, thest two months had changed him.

    His rational mind has once again taken over, and he knows if he lets Katherine take this any further, it will only hurt the two''s rtionship.

    "Alex, what are you thinking about?" Katherine suddenly asked, noticing his face looking a little zoned out.

 Chapter 116: Temptation and Pleasure (R-18)

    "Nothing."

    As Alex looked back to the moment, he quickly noticed how close they were on the bed.

    "Alex,e on. Be honest with mommy. I won''t bite you or anything."

    "Okay, fine. I was just thinking about how lucky I am to have such a kind, beautiful mom¡ª¡ª"

    "Don''t bootlick me like that."

    Despite saying that out loud, her face held up a smile as if she was encouraging him to say more.

    "I''m not bootlicking. I''m just telling the truth... Mom, I''m a little hungry right now."

    Alex murmured as he shifted the topic, trying to make an excuse for both of them to leave the bed.

    "Hungry? Here, let Mommy feed you..."

    Watching Katherine slowly unbutton her pajamas, Alex was a little stunned.

    He had never expected her to take them in that direction, yet his mind couldn''t tell her to stop.

    "Let Mommy spoil you today, okay? You had been such a good boy yesterday."

    As Katherine moved closer and closer with her bare chest, Alex''s mind finally resisted the urge to let her continue.

    "Mom... I''m not a baby anymore. And we shouldn''t do this kind of stuff¡ª¡ª"

    "Says who? You''re always a baby to me, no matter what."

    Slowly, Katherine turned to the side before gently lifting Alex''s head to her arms, making her chest directly above Alex''s head.

    "Mom, we really shouldn''t do this." Alex gave his onest shot of resistance.

    "It''s fine. We''re just mother and son. Besides..."

    Katherine fell into silence for a second. Her face looked a little down as if a thorn had pierced through her heart.

    "You''re just Alex in my dream."

    Even though Katherine whispered thest part to herself, Alex was able to catch onto it.

    The word ''dream'' seemed to have snapped something in his mind as he suddenly leaned up to suckle onto her nipples.

    "Hm!¡ª¡ªThere''s no need to be so hard. It''s not going toe out faster..."

    As a flow of warm milk began to enter Alex''s mouth, he suddenly realized the taste was way too familiar.

    From the slight sweetness of the taste to the cream-like texture, it immediately reminded him of the one he had every breakfast and dinner.

    "What''s wrong? You don''t like it?" Katherine curiously asked after noticing Alex stoppingpletely.

    "No. I like it... Mom, is this the same milk as the one I have for breakfast and dinner?"

    The room fell into dead silence as Alex took the risk of confronting her directly.

    After a while, Katherine suddenly started smiling.

    "Of course not... But how would you know about what the real Alex drank for breakfast and dinner?"

    "Because everything I know is from you, Mom."

    Alex innocently looked up to her face as he pretended to act as if he was still the same Alex in her dream.

    "Oh, right. How could I forget about that... Alex, do you want to drink any more of it?"

    The thought to continue crossed Alex''s mind for a second, but he shook his head in the end.

    "I''m full, Mom."

    "Great... Let''s take a shower together then. We didn''t even take a shower when we sleptst night."

    As Katherine got up from the bed, Alex reluctantly followed. He didn''t want to repeat what had happened when he had disobeyed her wish.

    When they arrived in the bathroom, Katherine immediately threw her pajamas aside before turning around.

    "Do you want to take a bath or a shower?" Katherine curiously asked as Alex began to take his pajamas off.

    "A shower is good," Alex murmured as he tried his best not to look at her naked body.

    Slowly, the two headed inside the bathtub before Katherine turned on the showerhead.

    "Let mommy wash you thoroughly, okay?"

    Alex nodded as he t-out closed his eyes and lifted his arm, allowing her to apply shampoo all over his body. Experience new tales on m v|l e''-NovelBin

    "You''re almost like the first day I met you in my dream again." Katherine suddenly mentioned.

    "Hm? What was I like back then?"

    Alex curiously asked as he had no idea what Katherine had done to the ''other'' Alex in her dream.

    "It''s like a doll. He doesn''t talk or react with any emotion at all. Just appeared one day in my dream."

    Katherine''s answer made Alex fall into silence, as he already had broken all of that description.

    "But I''m happy for you, Alex... It''s a goddess miracle for you toe alive like this."

    Alex let out a sigh of relief inside his head as Katherine had already made an excuse for him.

    At the same time, it raised several questions in his mind that couldn''t be answered.

    "Alex... You want mommy to help you relieve it?"

    Katherine whispered to his right ear after noticing his cock was already fully erect, pointing directly at the wall.

    "I..."

    The offer made Alex''s mind swirl, unable to decide what answer he should give back to her.

    ---

    Inside Alex''s mind, he was trapped in his world, standing in the middle as a mini-version of himself.

    "Come on, Alex, just let her do it for you. It''s not like she had done it before in the dream.

    She already even drank your cum yesterday in this dream. Why are you telling her to stop right now?

    Besides, do you really want to expose yourself by refusing? You hadmitted to the act. Why not double down?"

    A mini-devil female figure with a broken wing appeared in Alex''s mind, whispering seductively from the left.

    "Don''t listen to her! Alex! I know you can do the right thing. Think about how much she cares about you.

    If she one day learns that you''re in her dream, imagine the awkwardness between you two after you leave your dream.

    Your rtionship with her will never be the same. Do you really want to ruin her from getting the chance to be a mother?"

    A mini-angle female figure with white wings appeared as it started whispering from the right.

    "Alex, don''t lie to yourself. Katherine is willingly doing this for you. This is all just a dream.

    Remember when she did all that to you in the dream, and the next day, she waspletely normal?

    The fact is, there is no impact on the real world. Period. "

    Seeing Alex starting to be swayed by the devil, the angel started to fire back.

    "If it is really just a dream. Then why would you feel pleasure and touch as if it was real?

    Think about it: can you tell yourself that this is all just a dream? No, you can''t.

    If this is so real and you act upon that pleasure, then what separates you from an animal?"

    As the conversation falls back into a stalemate, the devil finally pulls out his trump card.

    "Alex, do you really view her as your mother? Or do you view her as something else?

    Here, let me ask you a better question: Do you want to see her be with another man?

    You''re the only man in her life. She needs you more than ever... Why would she think about you only in her dream?"

    "Shut up! Don''t listen to her. Do what''s right and shake your head. Think what your sister would think if they saw you doing this."

    The angel''s word snapped Alex''s rationality for a second, but the devil''s next word quickly overpowered it.

    "They aren''t even in the dream. Katherine herself said it''s a secret between the two of you.

    Besides, she''s only offering you a handjob. She even did that for you in real life."

    Seeing Alex fall into the devil''s embrace, the angel disappeared.

    ---

    "Alex, you there?" Katherine concernedly asked after noticing him standing still and silent.

    "Y-Yeah, I''m there. I was just thinking about something." Alex responded as his mind snapped back to reality.

    "Whew, you scared me... I thought you went back to a doll again. Say something next time, okay?"

    As Alex nodded, Katherine had finished rinsing his body except for his crotch, with his cock still fully erect.

    "Mom... can you help me? It''s started to hurt a little."

    Alex innocently asked as it started to get a little painful from being erect for so long.

    Katherine immediately put her hands down, not wasting any time, as if she were just waiting for him to ask about it.

    "Mommy will always take care of you, okay?"

    As she gently peeled his foreskin back a little, the pleasure made Alex''s body reach its limit.

    "Hm!¡ª¡ªM-Mom, I-I can''t let it out." Alex shyly murmured as the urge to cum was filling his mind.

    Yet nothing wasing out at all, with his cock still fully erect as she gently squeezed around the tip.

    "Mommy is going to make you enjoy it even more, okay? You can''t just cum so fast like this."

    The pleasure started to make Alex''s leg shake more and more as she managed to peel his foreskin all the way back.

    "M-Mom, please... I-I really want to cum." Alex pleaded as the pleasure was starting to be overwhelming.

 Chapter 117: Cuteness and Sensitivity (R-18)

    "Are you sure? Your face seems to say you''re enjoying it a lot." Katherine whispered as she started ying with his nipples.

    "I¡ª¡ªHm! Cumming!"

    Alex couldn''t stand upright any longer, falling into Katherine''s warm embrace as they sat down in the bathtub.

    A clear liquid immediately shot out further down below his crotch, with his cock still unable to cum out normally.

    "Oh my... I almost forgot about down here."

    "Mom¡ª¡ªHm!"

    As Katherine reached her other hand further down, Alex immediately felt a warm touch on his clitoris.

    "S-Stop it, Mom, I-I really don''t want to¡ª¡ªHm!"

    "Alex, sometimes you moan like a little girl, you know that? It''s so cute, and it just makes me want to bully you even more."

    "Mom, please¡ª¡ªHm!"

    "You don''t have to hold in your moan. If you let it out, then I''ll let you cum with your penis."

    "I don''t want to¡ª¡ªHm!¡ª¡ªIt just sounds so embarrassing."

    Seeing Alex lying on top of her body and helplessly refusing her offer, something snapped inside Katherine''s brain.

    "If you moan out loud, mommy will let you cum inside her mouth."

    "I... I can''t¡ª¡ªAh!"

    Alex couldn''t hold in his moan as she slowly spread his leg apart, inserting her fingertip into his vagina.

    At the same time, Katherine''s spell on his body finally disappeared, allowing him to cum through his cock again.

    Within seconds, the white liquid started rushing out, with most of itnding on her hands.

    A small fraction of itnded on the bathroom wall, with squirts of clear liquid hitting the bathroom floor and her other hand.

    "Alex! You''re so cute!"

    Katherine finally stopped as she tightly hugged him from behind, letting Alex''s brain catch a little break from all the pleasure.

    "M-Mom, can we get out now?" Alex pleaded again, his mind and body too exhausted to even lift a finger.

    "Let Mommy clean up your body first... Don''t worry, Mommy is not going to force your body, okay?"

    ---

    After the long shower, the two finally came out of the bathroom.

    However, Alex was being carried in Katherine''s army, with his body stillpletely naked.

    "Sorry... I didn''t know your body was that sensitive." Katherine apologized as she had overdone Alex''s body.

    "Mom is an idiot! Hmph!"

    Alex''s face was full of anger, as he still felt a little embarrassed by what had happened in the shower.

    It wentpletely different from what he had imagined, as Katherine was in full control the whole time.

    "What can idiot mommy do to make up for it? Or can mommy never make up what she had done against her son''s wish?"

    Katherine asked softly as she gently put him back down on the bed, helping him dress back up.

    "Um..."

    Alex fell into silence as he didn''t actually expect her to insult herself like this.

    Seeing her face look a little sad and guilty, Alex''s heart started to soften, and his mind started reflecting on what had happened earlier.

    "Hehe, did Alex get a little worried for Mommy?" Katherine curiously asked as her expression quickly changed.

    "Hmph! Why would I worry for an idiot?" Alex murmured as he realized Katherine was just acting the whole time.

    "Don''t be mad at Mommy. It''s not my fault your face is just so cute when you climax."

    Katherine argued as sheid down on the bed next to Alex, pulling the nket up for the both of them.

    "Shut up, stop bringing that up."

    Alex quickly turned to the other side, his face blushing red as he still couldn''t believe how girly he was when he climaxed earlier.

    "Okay, okay... Idiot, Mommy can''t remember what happened earlier. Let''s take a small afternoon nap."

    As Katherine moved even closer, Alex could feel a soft pillow pressing against his back.

    She had wrapped her entire body around him, with her arm around his chest and her legs wrapped around his leg.

    "How am I supposed to nap like this? It''s too hot¡ª¡ª"

    Just as Alex questioned Katherine, the temperature in the room suddenly changed from warm to almost freezing.

    "There. Now we can nap in peace."

    Realizing Katherine was using his body like a body pillow in her dream, Alex could only close his eyes and try to ignore it.

    After lying in bed surrounded by her warmth, drowsiness started to set in despite being in a dream.

    "Sleep well, Alex..."

    ---

    When Alex woke up, he had finally out of the dream and had returned to reality again.

    The tent ceiling was once again right in front of him, with everyone still asleep underneath the nkets.

    As he tried to sit up, he quickly realized somebody''s arm and leg were holding him back.

    Looking down, it was no one other than Katherine who was once again using him as a body pillow.

    "Alex... Pork... Potatoe"

    Seeing Katherine murmuring his name with her mouth drooling, Alex could already imagine her dreaming about food.

    At the same time, it raised a concern in his mind as she murmured his name in her dream despite him already awake.

    "Am I still in her dream?" Alex wondered as he gently pushed her arms and legs aside.

    After freeing himself from the trap, Alex finally got up from the mattress and quickly headed over to his suitcase.

    With his pajamas swapped out, he quickly put on a pair of panties with padding attached.

    "Fucking periods..."

    Alexined inside his head as he remembered that today was the day it was supposed to arrive.

    Putting his pajamas back into the suitcase, Alex slowly unzipped the tent before stepping outside.

    A cold gust of wind immediately woke him uppletely as he headed over to a nearby tree.

    Slowly, Alex squatted down before pulling his pants and panties all the way down.

    A stream of yellow liquid began flowing out down below, rather than the usual area at his upper crotch.

    "Stupid period," Alexined again, his body always seeming to go out of wack randomly during it.

    After taking care of business, Alex suddenly froze as he didn''t have any tissue to wipe his entrance down below.

    "Shit..."

    Alex quickly came up with a solution as he gently cast a stream of water from his fingertip to wash over it.

    The cold water immediately sent a chill down his spine, with his muscles contracting as he tried his best to remain still.

    With his female private part finally cleaned up, he quickly pulled his pants and panties back up.

    "Calm down, Alex. Don''t let your hormones determine your mood. You''re a rational individual who can control your emotions."

    After taking a deep breath, the irritation in Alex''s mind disappeared as he began walking towards the tent.

    Heading inside, there really wasn''t much for him to do besides waiting for the others to get back up.

    Bored, he closed his eyes and started meditating on the tent floor, barely making any progress toward level 2 mage.

    ---

    When the first person other than Alex woke up from the bed, the sun had alreadye out.

    The birds were chirping loudly outside, with constant crankling sounds against the tent.

    "Good morning, Alex..." Katherine yawned as she slowly got up before stretching her arms out.

    "Good morning, Mom."

    Seeing her barely changed from her usual self, Alex felt both relieved and disappointed.

    "Hm? What''s that noise?"

    As Katherine opened her eyes, there was a bunch of shadows on top of the tent, blocking the sunlight.

    "I think it''s just a bunch of birds standing on top of our tents... We probably should wake the others up now."

    "You''re right... Can you go wake up Luqing and Meiya?"

    "Sure."

    Alex quickly headed over to the mattress on the right, where the two were still peacefully sleeping in their nket.

    "Luqing, Meiya, wake up... It''s the morning already."

    The voices seemed to reach Luqing as she slowly opened her eyes, but Meiya ignored them and rolled to the side.

    "I can wake her up... You can do something else."

    Luqing murmured as she slowly sat up from the mattress, rubbing her eyes as she still looked a little sleepy.

    Alex nodded as he took a few steps back before Luqing suddenly started violently shaking Meiya''s arm.

    "Wake up, Mom! It''s almost lunchtime already¡ª¡ª"

    "Lunch time? What lunchtime?

    Meiya immediately got up from the mattress, her eyes looking all around as if she was really looking for food.

    "Nothing. But it''s the morning already." Luqing exined as she got up from the mattress.

    "Really? You just baited your mom like that?" Meiyained as she slowly got up from the mattress as well.

    "Then you should have woken up when Alex tried to wake up."

    As the two argued back at each other, the other side was apletely different scenario.

    Katherine was still trying to wake Sophia and Mary from their bed, but neither of them wanted to get up.

    "Come on, we have to get ready soon. Get up from the bed already."

    "Just let me sleep in for a few more minutes... I''m so tired today."

    "Same."

    "Why are you two so tired?" Katherine curiously asked as she couldn''t understand it at all.

    "Period."

    "Oh, right. Ipletely forgot that... Okay, I''ll wake you guys up in ten minutes."

    Katherine didn''t try to wake them up again, opting to let them sleep for a little longer before heading to her suitcase.

    As she began taking her clothes off, Alex immediately closed his eyes and re-entered into his meditation again.

 Chapter 118: First Look of Ironpeak

    When everything was packed up and ready to go, there was not a single trace of them ever being there.

    "Finally, we''re going. Took so long."

    Alexined as they got back onto the wagon as the sun had already risen past the horizon.

    "Easy for you to say. I have to make sure we don''t leave anything behind."

    As Katherine got into the driver''s seat, the horses finally began to move forward as the five of them sat together in the back.

    "How long is it going to take before we get to Ironpeak?" Sophia curiously asked.

    "No longer than a day."

    All three of the kids let out a sigh as they were forced to endure the bumpy ride again.

    ---

    After almost sitting in the wagon for half a day, they were finally out of the forest.

    However, the path led them to a rocky hill that got even bumpier until the path suddenly turned into a smooth paved road.

    "We finally made it to Ironpeak," Kate murmured as all five of them let out a sigh of relief.

    "Where''s Ironpeak?"

    Mary curiously asked as all three of the kids rushed out to peek outside, only to see two massive mountains on the side.

    There was not a single building in sight other than just another narrow path ahead of them.

    "Where''s the city?"

    Meiya curiously asked as she and Luqing walked forward, standing right behind the kids in the wagon.

    "Right in front of us."

    Katherine''s answer left them a little confused until she made the horse start walking forward again.

    As they moved forward, they were shocked as a massive wall suddenly appeared right before them.

    However, before they could admire it, the ground that was once a t in had somehow turned into a steep hill.

    Within seconds, the horses were forced to run forward at full speed, as the hill was too steep for them to move any slower.

    "Who the hell changed the road again!"

    Katherineined as she immediately pulled the leashes back.

    Meiya and Luqing also quickly yanked the kids back into the wagon before securing them to the wagon.

    After a rollercoaster ride, the wagon finally stabilized as they reached straight to the main gate of the wall.

    "Mom, what was the road like originally?" Sophia quietly asked as Katherine stopped the horses.

    "Just a straight line¡ª¡ª"

    "Who''s there? Identify yourself!"

    A loud, masculine voice interrupted Katherine, making her face a little angry as she signaled the five of them to remain seated inside.

    "I''m just a traveler. My friends told me that Ironpeak is one of the best ces to buy swords and armor, so I came here to check it out."

    "They are goddamn right... But aren''t you a mage? Why would you want to check out something that has no use to you?"

    "My friend is a little sick, so I came here to buy it for him... I can show you the money I''m nning to use to buy it."

    Seeing Katherine about to go inside the wagon, the castle entrance suddenly opened.

    It was a dwarf with orange, messy hair on top of a well-trimmed beard and a massive hammer in hand.

    "Sorry for asking so many questions. We just have to exercise extra caution since the recent monster attack."

    "No problem... What kind of monster attack is it?"

    Katherine curiously asked as the dwarf jumped straight up to the horse, riding right on top of it.

    "Probably just some dark mages who gone insane in the woods... Anyway, don''t cause any trouble here."

    As the dwarf jumped back down to the floor, Katherine nodded as they had moved past the entrance.

    "Will do."

    After moving past the wall for a bit, Katherine decided to take a look, only to see hundreds of dwarfs standing on top of the wall.

    All of them were wearing the same clothes but with various kinds of weapons in hand.

    "Mom, why couldn''t we go out earlier?" Alex asked curiously as they traveled far enough that the wall had disappeared.

    "Because dwarfs don''t like having too many outsiders at once... I don''t want to deal with that process."

    As the horses walked forward, all three of the kids were starting to get a little impatient.

    "Mom, where''s Ironpeak?" Mary impatiently asked as the outside was just a giant, long path.

    "Just one more minute."

    Just as Katherine finished talking, everything in front of them changed again, and a hill appeared right before them.

    Right at the very top was a massive castle, bigger than any castle they had ever seen.

    It was even bigger than Regina, as the walls had no end in sight, not to mention the sharp contrastpared to the dwarf''s height.

    At the same time, a group of people riding horses and wagons appeared on the path, forming a long line to the entrance.

    "Why do they like to hide themselves so much? What caused them to hate outsiders that much?"

    Meiya curiously murmured as it was now the second time the dwarf had used some sort of illusion magic.

    "It''s not that they hate outsiders... It''s just that they don''t like amodating any species other than dwarfs."

    Katherine''s answer only caused more confusion among the five of them, but they quickly shut their mouth as they finally arrived at the front.

    "Name and upation, please."

    A dwarf with a much more feminine look emerged as they jumped down from the three-story wall.

    "Katherine, I''m a level 6 mage."

    "Okay... What business do you all have here? Two adults and three kids?"

    The dwarf curiously asked as they suddenly jumped up to the wagon''s wheel and flipped open the wagon''s p.

    "We''re here to buy stuff and to show my kids around the world," Katherine replied as the dwarf jumped back down.

    "I see... Have a fun trip."

    "Thank you."

    The castle gate finally opened, allowing the horses to move forward again as Katherine got back up to the driver''s seat.

    "Mom, was that a female dwarf?" Alex curiously asked, noticing theck of facial hair on their face.

    "Yep. Thank god we got her as a castle guard... Or else, I can already imagine the nonstop bbering."

    As the horse continued down the road, Katherine finally allowed all three of the kids to flip open the ps.

    "Woah! That thing is so big!"

    Mary''s excitement quickly dragged the other two kid''s attention as they looked toward where she pointed.

    It was a giant furnace right in the distance, with an extremely long chimney that released smoke far up into the sky.

    Continue reading on mvl

    Up close, they could see all kinds of dwarfs walking down the streets, and stores with no walls or doors lined the streets.

    All six could see what was happening inside each one, making all kinds of tools and weapons.

    "Hit it stronger!" A senior-looking dwarf yelled

    "Yes, teacher!"

    As they drove past a pair of young and old dwarfs, it was only the beginning as almost every store was seemingly training new people.

    The sounds of hammer and iron striking, with a sizzling sound from the water, only got louder as they continued down the road.

    "Mom, where are we going right now?" Sophia curiously asked.

    "To a hotel... I remember there''s one that can amodate humans."

    After sitting in the wagon for a while, they were finally out of the cksmithing area.

    All around them, the area had turned aplete 180, bing what was normally expected from a normal town.

    From grocery stores to people''s houses and even various hotels. However, all of them were clearly meant for dwarfs.

    The doors of the buildings were only half Katherine''s height, and each of the stories was roughly a single person''s height.

    "Where is it?" Katherine murmured as she continued directing the horse down the road.

    As all five of them waited, the wagon eventually came to a stop, with the building that actually looked human-sized.

    Right at the very top of the building was a sign that said Ironpeak Adventurer''s Guild.

    "Come on, let''s go."

    The five of them quickly followed her out of the wagon before only the horse remained as the wagon vanished out of thin air.

    "Your horses." Katherine directed as she took out a contract to hand to a security guard.

    "You''re one dayte. So I can''t give you the full amount."

    As the security guard handed a few coins back, Katherine didn''t bother arguing back or anything as they headed towards the entrance.

    The moment they stepped inside, they were a little surprised at how the inside of the building looked.

    Almost everything was half-broken, with the wooden chairs and table snapped in half.

    Not a single soul was inside besides a middle-aged woman sitting behind a brown oak counter with a book in hand.

    "Sorry, we''re closed for today... Some drunkard had a little brawl and broke everything.

    If you are here for food services, it''s closed for today. And if you''re here for a mission, go to the machine over there."

 Chapter 119: Rumors and Inn

    As Katherine granted permission for the three kids to check the machine with the two, she headed over to the front desk by herself.

    "I just want to ask a question. What happened to the normal hotel in Ironpeak?" Katherine asked.

    "You mean Larry''s hotel? It went bankrupt ten years ago."

    "Oh..."

    Just as Katherine was about to ask another question, the middle-aged woman said what she was thinking of.

    "If you''re looking for a ce to stay, I rmend Alice''s Inn. It''s just down the road for about three minutes...

    Also, I don''t rmend going too far from Ironpeak with your kids. It''s not a really safe ce right now."

    "Why?"

    "You heard of the monster outbreak when you went in, right?"

    Seeing Katherine nodding, thedy continued.

    "There''s some rumor that the monster outbreak might involve a dragon. At least, that''s what some of my sources had said.

    I could tell you''re a level 6 mage, but that''s nowhere near safe enough... Just avoid taking the Northern entrance."

    "Thank you for the warning. I''ll take it into consideration."

    As Katherine took out a few coins, the middle-aged woman instantly snatched them and put them into her pocket.

    "And onest thing, I rmend you guys don''t stay here for longer than a month... Something bad might be happening to Ironpeak."

    Katherine nodded in gratitude before she turned back around and headed towards the machine the five had surrounded themselves with.

    "Mom, Mom, can we ept this mission? It''s only level E rank!" Sophia pleaded as she pointed at the screen.

    As she looked, she saw that it was just a request to gather some herbs nearby.

    The only threat was just some wild boars in the same direction as where they literally came from, besides taking a split end.

    After a short consideration, Katherine shook her head in the end.

    "Remember, we''re here to do dungeons, not some adventurous mission."

    The three epted Katherine''s answer as they reluctantly followed her back to the outside.

    "I always wanted to ask this. Kate, what''s an adventurer?" Meiya curiously asked as they began walking down the road.

    "It''s wanderers who are part of the adventurer''s guild... Do your guy''s world don''t have any kind of guild?"

    "We have wanderers. But we don''t have this kind of guild. At least not in this kind of scale."

    As Meiya thought back to the adventurer guild they saw in the street with Luqing, she quickly noticed the sharp differences.

    "Actually, does the guild have a headquarters of some sort? Or is it just scattered throughout this world?"

    "They are headquarters in the capital... You two had probably seen it, right?"

    Meiya and Luqing both nodded in agreement, but the three kids got a little curious.

    "What does the adventurers guild in the capital look like?" Mary curiously asked.

    "It''s a lot fancier and bigger. That''s pretty much it."

    As they continued chatting down the street, they finally ran into a normal-sized building meant for humans.

    "Alice Inn... This should be the right ce."

    The moment Katherine stepped foot into the building, he could already smell the alcoholing from inside.

    "Ugh, who''s drinking this early?" Katherineined as the other five quickly noticed the smell as well.

    "Who else but a bunch of dwarfs."

    A young waitress stood right before them, carrying a te full of beers as she served it to several dwarfs at a table.

    "Hey! There''s nothing wrong with drinking in the morning. Who doesn''t like to drink this?"

    As the dwarf arguing chugged down an entire beer, he quickly copsed onto the table.

    "Ha! Weak!" Another dwarf immediately chimed in as several more joined in,ughing at the fully drunk one.

    "Just ignore them. Is there something I can help you with?" The youngdy asked as she brought the six of them away from the entrance.

    "We want to rent a room."

    "How many?"

    "Um, five rooms should be fine."

    "Okay... That will be ten silver coins for a day."

    Katherine quickly took out a golden coin before putting it on the table, causing the young waitress''s eyes to widen.

    "I want to rent the room for a week, no disruption or anything."

    "Of course, madam. I''ll bring you guys there right now."

    As the young waitress brought them towards the back entrance, they quickly entered into a long hallway with numbers next to the door.

    After walking down the hallway and heading upstairs, they finally stopped at the end of the hallway on the second floor.

    "This entire section of the floor is free. You guys can use any of it, and you can ring this for help.

    We''ll be serving breakfast at nine and lunch at twelve. Dinner will be served at six."

    Seeing Katherine nodding, the young waitress handed her a stack of keys before heading back downstairs.

    "Okay, which rooms do you guys want? We got the entire floor."

    As the kids immediately took a room for themselves, Meiya and Luqing picked the one next to the stairs.

    "Okay, then I''ll take this middle one."

    With all the rooms selected, Katherine began passing out the keys that matched the door number.

    ---

    As soon as Alex stepped inside his room, he was surprised by how big the room really was.

    It was much more spacious than he had ever imagined, with a whole table and chair.

    Not to mention another door that seemed to be the bathroom. However, he was quickly disappointed when he opened it.

    It was only the closet that just happened to use a bathroom door as the cover.

    After checking out the entire room, he headed back into the hallway before dragging the suitcase that Katherine had taken out.

    With everything in, Alex quickly took off his shoes and jumped onto the bed.

    "Alex, did you finish checking your room?" Katherine questioned as her voice appeared outside the door.

    "Yeah, I finished. I''m just taking a little break right now. Can you call meter?"

    "Okay, I''m going to wake you up when it''s lunchtime."

    As Alexy down on the bed, he could feel a little relief in his butt and back that had been enduring all the torture.

    More importantly, he could finally rest his crotch, as it had been hurting slightly from the period.

    "Time for a little nap!"

    Closing his eyes, Alex didn''t think much as he emptied his brain and started trying to fall asleep.

    But just as he was about to fall asleep, someone suddenly knocked on his door again.

    "Alex, can Ie in?"

    "Come in."

    As the person entered the room, it was Sophia, who had already taken off her casual dress into her pajamas.

    "You aren''t going to change your clothes?" Sophia curiously asked as she sat down to the bedside.

    Read new chapters at mvl

    "I''m toozy... What are you here for?" Alex grumpily asked as he still felt a little irritated about waking up.

    "I just want to check on my little brother. You feeling better?"

    "I''m fine. I''m just a little sleepy. Can you leave my room so I can sleep in peace?"

    "Okay, okay."

    As Sophia left the room and closed the door again, Alex closed his eyes again to prepare for his nap.

    This time, the nap was sessful. He soon lost consciousness until a voice started whispering inside his ear.

    "Alex, wake up! It''s time for lunch!"

    Slowly, Alex got up from bed, feeling refreshed from his short little nap as Katherine was the one waking him up.

    "It is lunch already?"

    "Yep. You had slept for almost an hour now. Anyway, let''s go."

    As Alex got off the bed and put his shoes back on, Katherine was already standing in the doorway waiting for him.

    "Hurry! I don''t want to be thest one."

    Katherine''s sense of hurry confused Alex a little until he arrived downstairs.

    There was food at four tables, with one clearly reserved for them based on the height of the table and chair.

    The other four were already there, sitting in their seats as the young waitress began serving each of them a cup of tea.

    "The food will be here in a minute¡ª¡ª"

    "Where is our food?" A dwarfined as he interrupted her.

    "Shut up, you only pay for a drink. Nobody is serving you food until you pay first."

    Seeing the young waitress''s attitude shift into seriousness, it seemed to have worked, as the dwarfs remained silent.

    Until the food began to be served at Alex''s table.

    Various dishes were being put on the table, from a well-cut slice of fish to mashed potatoes.

    Everything seemed perfect, and it only got better as they took a small bite of the food.

    "It''s so good!" Sophiamented as she chewed down a small piece of the salmon.

    "Live fish that was just caught this morning on top of a five-star chef from the world''s bestpetition.

    You guys won''t regret a single dime on the food you spent on... Don''t worry, this is all covered."

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 120: New Experiences (1)

    As they continued eating their food, they could feel the dying stare from all the dwarfs.

    Their mouths were drooling just from the smell traveling to their nose, yet not a single one of them was willing to take out their money.

    "All talk, no bite. I should have expected this from a bunch of dwarfs¡ª¡ª"

    "Who said we poor? We have more money than you can ever imagine!"

    A young dwarf grabbed a coin and mmed it onto the table. The waitress happily grabbed it before heading inside a room.

    When she returned, she only had a te with a single piece of bread.

    "Here''s your food. Enjoy."

    As all ten of the dwarfs looked towards the bread, the nine of them suddenly startedughing at the one who ordered it.

    Even Meiya and all three of the kids quickly chugged food to force themselves from being able tough.

    "That''s it? You can''t be serious! That was a whole silver coin!"

    The young dwarf stood up in anger as he pointed his finger right at the waitress.

    "You think I can''t tell that was 70% nickel or what?"

    "Y-You lying! That was a full silver coin¡ª¡ª"

    "Come on, Borin. We all know you don''t have a whole silver coin."

    The young dwarf finally sat back down, keeping his mouth shut in front of his peers as his face started blushing.

    "Alice, sorry for the rudeness. Borin is new here. He''s my nephew." An older-looking dwarf stood up and apologized.

    "Don''t worry about it. Your nephew sure is entertaining my guests with his behavior."

    As the dwarfs looked towards Katherine''s table, all six of them quickly turned back to the food on their table.

    A few minutester...

    "I''m full, Mom," Alex said after he had finally finished eating all the food on her te.

    "Same."

    With all three of the kids finished, Meiya and Luqing finished up their remaining as well.

    "Waitress, we are done with the food," Katherine stated as they began to get up from their seats.

    "Okay! Just leave it there. I''ll clean it upter."

    As the six of them headed towards the Inn''s exit, all five of them went behind Katherine to wait for her to lead.

    "Where are we going?" Meiya curiously asked.

    "Let me think for a second... What is a fun and eye-opening experience...?"

    After standing by the side of the street for a few seconds, Katherine finally started walking again.

    "You guys want to go check out cksmithing and explore Ironpeak?"

    All three of the kids thought for a second, then quickly nodded in agreement.

    "Sure!"

    ---

    As the six of them began walking down the street, Katherine tried to find a store that sounded inviting.

    By inviting, it simply meant she didn''t want to check out a store that forced her to bow down when she entered inside.

    After walking for a few minutes down where they had entered earlier, she finally found a cksmithing store that matched her wish.

    A cksmithing store had a normal-sized entrance. Inside, there was radiating heat and a loud metal ng constantly spewing outward.

    "Let''s go in that one."

    The moment they stepped inside, the heat and sound only became more severe, forcing them to stop at the entrance.

    "Hello! Anyone at the store?" Katherine asked out loud.

    After waiting for a few seconds, the metal sounds stopped before a dwarf emerged from inside.

    It was an old-looking dwarf with a hint of white hairpared to most dwarfs that had full orange hair.

    "Hello! Do you guys want to buy something?" the dwarf asked as he took off his mask and gloves.

    Quickly looking around the store, Katherine found nothing that interested her, disappointing the dwarf.

    However, she made an offer that he couldn''t refuse.

    "I just want my three kids to have a feel for what cksmithing is like and expand their views. I can pay¡ª¡ª"

    "No, no, no, no need for pay. Just follow me."

    As the dwarf put his mask back on and started walking deeper into the store, the three kids quickly followed in excitement.

    "Katherine, you sure this is a good idea?" Meiya raised her concern.

    "It''s spring break. It''s good for them to get new experiences before they get too old."

    Meiya didn''t say anything else as she and Luqing followed Katherine along the narrow passage.

    After walking for a bit, the narrow passage ended, and all six of them were in awe of what was before them.

    There were pipelines all over the ceiling, with a massive line right in the middle of the room.

    Although the room itself was rtively small for the three adults, it was massive for all three of the kids.

    "Please put on these masks. The fume hood can''t suck out all the harmful materials."

    All three of the kids quickly epted it and put it on, with the other three adults forced to hold it up with their hands due to its small size.

    "There are three rules when approaching a forge that all cksmiths agreed to."

    As they walked towards where all the massive pipes connected, they could feel the radiating heat getting stronger and stronger.

    "Number one, safety is the highest priority. If you feel something is unsafe, always speak out against it."

    All three of the kids nodded in agreement as the dwarf brought them all the way to the center of the room.

    "Number two, forge with honor. Never craft a weapon knowing that it will end up in the wrong hand."

    As the three kids nodded, a lever suddenly appeared from the ground.

    "Number three, respect the metal... Each piece of metal is a gift from the mountain.

    It must be treated with care and never wasted. Always strive to bring out its finest nature."

    The moment the dwarf finished talking, he pulled the lever.

    Steam immediately started shooting out from all the pipes before a loud fan on the side started running.

    With all the steams disappearing, they could finally see again.

    "Agreed to all those rules, and you can be a cksmith with a forge, at least in Ironpeak."

    As soon as the dwarf''s voice trailed off, all six of them were once again in awe at all the tools and machinery in front of them.

    "Woah, where did thesee from?" Mary curiously asked.

    "Underground. All the forges in Ironpeak have this feature. Anyway, get ready to roll up your sleeves."

    As all three of the kids followed the dwarf to one of the machines, a box full of stone appeared right underneath.

    "I''m going to showcase to you guys the process of how the basic tool is made.

    You guys will get the opportunity to try it yourself... Watch carefully, okay?"

    Seeing all three of the kids nodding in excitement, the dwarf began as he put on his glove and started grabbing the stone.

    After grabbing a handful, the dwarf started walking towards the first machine that looked like a giant furnace.

    "In the past, we had to smelt everything and get rid of all the impurities manually.

    But as you can see, this machine simplifies that process... Can you guys take a few steps back?"

    All three adults agreed and moved back a little, allowing the three kids to move back as well.

    The moment the dwarf threw the rocks into the machine''s mouth, a loud roaring sound could be heard.

    At the same time, the dwarf began crankling the lever on the side, pulling it up and down before he let it go as it started moving on its own.

    "This lever over here helps make sure it''s all evenly smelted into what we need by constantly rotating the container inside."

    After standing there for a few seconds, the lever stopped as the dwarf walked up to the machine again.

    "Now, be real careful. Always remember to wear gloves and have a steady hand."

    As the machine opened its mouth, a metal box full of a hot-red liquid could be seen inside.

    "Is this molten iron?"

    "Sharp eye... What''s your name?" The dwarf asked as he put on a pair of gloves.

    "Alex."

    As the dwarf grabbed the tub of hot molten iron, all three of the kids took another step back before they followed the dwarf to a table.

    "Now we have to put it into shape for the things we want... Here it is."

    After digging around his drawer for a bit, the dwarf found a small ss case with a mold inside.

    "Just pour the molten iron into this thing and wait for a few minutes to harden."

    As the red liquid flowed into the mold, they could see that the hot liquid had filled the entire mold.

    "Now, we wait for a minute before taking it out."

    As time began to tick, the three kids stood in silence as they watched a ton of steaming out.

    The mold itself even started catching up in me, but the dwarf showed no signs of stopping it.

    "Careful, this step is where people mess up. You have to do this next step fast."

    The dwarf quickly grabbed onto the mold, putting it into some unknown liquid before taking it out.

    After repeating it several times, the dwarf stopped as he put the entire mold on top of a nearby anvil.

 Chapter 121: New Experiences (2)

    "Now, this is the part that could only be done through experience. Just watch carefully what I do here."

    As all three of the kidsser focus on the dwarf''s hand, he begins to remove the mold with a metal tong.

    The moment the case and mold were separated, the solidified spade-shaped metal was once again revealed with its red hot color.

    Taking the hammer on the side, the dwarf started hitting the metal as he held it in ce with the metal tong.

    With every hit, they could feel the impact, and the heat still radiated as tiny pieces of metal started falling to the side.

    "A shovel must have a good curvature, but since it''s still red hot, you don''t want to overdo it.

    The liquids earlier speed up the solidification process, which is why I could just keep hitting it like this."

    As the metal spade began to bend, it soon resembled the end tip of a shovel.

    "When we get the shape that we wanted, we can submerge it into this pool of liquid instead."

    As the dwarf submerged it into the liquid, it quickly caught on fire before it suddenly stoppedpletely.

    "What''s these two liquids?" Sophia curiously asked.

    "The first one is brine or saltwater, and the second one is heavy oil... Remember to not leave it for too long."

    The moment the dwarf took out the metal with his tongs, the metal spade quickly caught on fire before it died down on its own.

    "Lastly, we just submerge it into this liquid, and it is all done."

    Within seconds, the ck liquid stuck on the metal spade, and the me vanished.

    "What''s this liquid?"

    "It''s just a basic solvent... Have they learned chemistry?" The dwarf curiously asked as he started scrubbing it with a towel.

    "Not yet. They will learn it in their next school year," Katherine replied as she wiped the sweat off her forehead.

    "I see... Ahem, anyway, now we''re officially onest step before it can be officially a tool."

    The dwarf headed over to the side before grabbing a piece of wood and another pair of metal tongs.

    "To make sure it doesn''t rust, you apply ayer of protective oil like this and let it dry.

    Then just attach the wooden handle to the end here and a nail through this gap, and it''s all done."

    As the dwarf attached everything, all three of the kids were amazed by the shovel before them.

    "cksmithing is a lot harder than I imagined," Mary murmured, feeling exhausted from just watching.

    "It''s hard work that''s not meant for everyone... Which one of you guys wants to try it out?"

    As all three of the kids looked at each other, Mary shook her head first, leaving Alex and Sophia looking at each other.

    "I think I''m good."

    With Sophia out, the dwarf turned his attention over to Alex, who was still conflicted a little inside.

    He wanted to do it, but he was a little scared by the mes and strength required.

    "You want to try it? I promise you will find it much more fun than you would imagine."

    "Sure. I can try my best."

    As the dwarf walked all the way back to the start, he handed him a pair of gloves before pointing at the stones.

    "Do you want to do this yourself, or have me go over it step by step?" The dwarf asked as Alex picked up a few pieces of stone.

    "I think I can do it myself... But please point out if I did something wrong."

    The dwarf nodded, allowing Alex to begin loading the stone into the first machine''s mouth.

    As the container closed, he quickly put both of his hands on the lever, pushing it down as hard as he could.

    "Use your back muscles. Don''t just try to push it down with your arm."

    Alex took a small step back, giving him just enough space to spread his arm more.

    The lever instantly became much easier to pull down as he could feel the strain on his back muscle now.

    "Ugh! This thing is so damn hard to push." Alexined as he finally pushed it all the way down.

    "You want me to help¡ª¡ª"

    "No, I can do this myself."

    As Alex rejected Katherine''s offer to assist directly, he began to attempt to pull it back up.

    However, the lever wasn''t moving a single inch, causing him to start panicking as he pulled with full strength.

    Even as he bit his lips and tried to use every possible step, the step did not move up at all.

    "You two, you want to help your brother?"

    Within seconds, Sophia and Mary instantly epted the dwarf''s suggestion as they quickly walked up to Alex.

    This time, Alex didn''t reject the help, realizing his strength was nowhere near enough to make the lever move.

    "Listen when I say go. 3, 2, 1, go!"

    All three of them pulled up at the same time, managing to finally make it move all the way back to their forehead.

    "Now pull it up and down until it''s done."

    "3, 2, 1, go!"

    As Alex yelled out loud, all three of them repeated what they had done together earlier, but to push it down this time.

    The three soon used to the pattern, as Alex didn''t even need to say anything to make them push and pull.

    After repeating it five times, it was finally done as the machine''s mouth opened back up again.

    "Okay, now you have to carry it to the next part."

    Fortunately, the next part was much easier, as the metal box wasn''t very heavy.

    Alex easily carried it to the ss case and poured it into the same mold that the dwarf had used earlier.

    "Wait, don''t touch the mold with your hand. Your glove is not enough for this part."

    The dwarf quickly handed Alex a metal tong and let him use it to remove the mold from the case.

    As he dipped it into the brine, he counted two seconds inside his head before taking it out into the air.

    After repeating it at the exact time as the dwarf''s attempt, Alex quickly carried it over to the anvil.

    With the two tongs in hand, he started separating the metal spade and the mold into two pieces.

    "Good job. You are doing great. Now, this is the hard part that requires the most stamina."

    Having the metal spade in his hand, Alex epted the hammer from the dwarf and began hitting it lightly first.

    "Wrong angle. You have to hit more from the side here."

    Alex quickly readjusted, using much more strength this time as he now knew where to hit.

    However, after hitting one side of the spade into the shape that looked just about right, his arm was already exhausted.

    With no other choice, he held the hammer with his left hand and hit it until he was exhausted.

    But it was still nowhere near enough curvature, and he soon realized the other side that he had finished was not as good as he imagined either.

    "Alex, it''s good enough," Luqing murmured, looking a little concerned for him.

    "I''m fine."

    After a few more hits, Alex finally stopped as both of his arms were way too exhausted to hit any further.

    "I''m done. My arms are burnt out."

    As Alex stepped back, Mary quickly stepped up before the dwarf could take over.

    "Can I try it?" Mary excitedly asked.

    "Sure."

    With the hammer in hand, Mary began copying Alex''s work and gave it a wide swing every time.

    She soon became exhausted from just hitting it ten times, with her other armsting even shorter.

    "You want to try?" The dwarf asked as he looked over to Sophia.

    "Um... Sure."

    Unlike the other two, Sophia took a much softer approach, opting to have a smaller swing as the hammer hit the metal spade.

    After repeating it several times, Sophia stopped as she felt the metal was in the right shape.

    "Is this good enough?"

    "You three did a great job for a beginner... What''s your two''s name again?"

    The dwarf asked as he took over the metal process to apply ayer of oil protection.

    "Mary!"

    "Sophia."

    "Nice to meet you three... Anyway, you three had finished the most basic level of cksmithing here."

    "Thank you so much."

    Katherine bowed down in gratitude as she could feel the dedication from the dwarf''s teaching.

    "Thank you!"

    All three of the kids bowed down in gratitude as well, causing the dwarf to blush a little as he scratched his head.

    "No need for all this... I''m sure anyone in Ironpeak wouldn''t mind teaching good students like you guys."

    As the dwarf began guiding the six of them back to the front, they were finally able to remove their masks and gloves.

    "There must be a way for me to repay you for this wonderful experience for my kids¡ª¡ª"

    "Just buy one of the tools, and I''ll be happy."

 Chapter 122: New Experiences (3)

    "How about this sword and the two shovels?" Katherine offered as she reached her hand into her pocket.

    "Sure. But the shovel needs some time for the protectiveyer to dry up first."

    "No problem. I''lle backter to take it."

    As Katherine handed the bag of coins over and took the sword from the wall, the look on the dwarf''s face changed for a second.

    "This is too much¡ª¡ª"

    "Then how about I take this shield and this set of armor as well? Is that enough?"

    Katherine quickly made a counteroffer as she grabbed onto a knight''s armor that was clearly meant for dwarfs.

    After a short silence, the dwarf finally epted the bag of coins and put it into his pocket.

    "Thank you for the purchase."

    "No problem... Come on, let''s go check out the next experience."

    After Katherine teleported all the gear and equipment into her pocket dimensions, they finally left the shop.

    As the six of them walked down the street, Meiya suddenly had a question in her mind.

    "Katherine, what are you going to do with all that stuff?"

    "We''re going to a dungeon tomorrow. So, I might as well let Alex over here fulfill his dream of being a knight."

    "Wait, really? Mom, you aren''t joking?"

    Alex''s face immediately turned into excitement. He thought Katherine had only brought those things as a kind gesture.

    "Do I look like someone who''s just burning money for fun? I''m going to use the stuff that I brought no matter what."

    After hearing Katherine''s answer, Alex''s smile got even bigger as they continued walking down the street.

    "Mom, where are we going now?" Sophia curiously asked as the sun indicated it was now the evening.

    "To be honest, I don''t know... Actually, let''s go tour the dwarf''s castle."

    "Dwarf''s castle? Aren''t we already in the castle?" Mary pointed out as she thought back to the wall earlier.

    "That''s just the outeryer. There''s one moreyer meant for the king of the dwarfs."

    "We''re allowed to visit that?" Meiya raised her concern as it sounded a little ridiculous.

    "Yep. Just wait and see."

    ---

    After walking for almost twenty minutes with constant twists and turns that confused all five of them, Katherine finally led them to the castle.

    As soon as they saw it in the distance, they were in awe of its sheer design.

    Unlike the castles they had seen in Regina or the capital, it waspletely white and had no signs of being made of stone.

    Looking closer, they soon realized the creamy whiteness was due to the fact it was made out of marble.

    However, it wasn''t just any marble. It was a whole solid chunk that ran continuously to the edge of their sight.

    "This castle is so beautiful," Luqingmented, feeling a sense of purity as they approached the entrance.

    "This has to be some sort of quartz, right?" Meiya questioned, refusing to believe it was made of marble.

    "Nope. This is all real marble. Not even your emperor can afford this... Ahem, what business do you all have here?"

    A dwarf suddenly emerged from the side booth as he stopped the six of them right before the entrance.

    "We''re travelers who just want to tour the castle¡ª¡ª"

    "Do you have an appointment or permission with our king?" The dwarf interrupted as he ignored Katherine''s answer.

    "No, but as Duchess of Regina, can I meet with your king as an informal visit?"

    The dwarf fell into silence for a second before heading back into the booth, with a few more dwarfs running towards the inside of the castle.

    "Please wait here. We''ll report this to our king for him to consider."

    As the six of them waited at the entrance, Mary got a little bored standing as she tried to touch the wall.

    However, an invisible barrier appeared, preventing her from touching it directly onto the wall.

    "Please do not touch the wall."

    Mary nodded as she took a few steps back to Katherine, waiting in silence along with the other five.

    After a few minutes, the few dwarfs that ran into the castle finally came back with a dwarf.

    All six of them beside Katherine looked a little shocked, as the dwarf before them looked almostpletely different.

    Unlike the usual messy beard and bulky body, the dwarf in front of them had a shaved beard with a body closer to that of humans.

    However, the height and the orange hair still indicated it was a dwarf, and his panting voice indicated it was a male dwarf, to be exact.

    "Ahem, sorry, I need to catch my breath for a second."

    After panting for a bit, the other dwarfs headed back into the booth, leaving the unique dwarf alone with them.

    "I''m the king''s head minister, Nordak mebeard. You''re Duchess of Regina?"

    The draw asked as he began guiding them into the castle, looking back to Katherine with a curious look.

    "Yes... Here, this should prove it."

    The moment Katherine took out a staff from her pocket dimension, Nordak immediately nodded several times to have her put it away.

    "Sorry for questioning your identity, Duchess Reid. I just haven''t seen you for so long since your fatherst visited here."

    Nordak apologized as he guided them further into the castle, his voice changing to a much warmer tone.

    "I should be the one apologizing to the king for showing up without a heads-up.

    Ahem, Mr.mebeard, can you have someone show my kids and friends around the castle?"

    "Sure... Drogun!"

    As Nordak yelled, a dwarf guard quickly ran over to them before stopped saluted with his hand at his heart.

    "Is there something I can help with,mander?"

    "Can you give them a tour of the castle? I need to bring an important guest to meet with the king."

    "Yes sir! This way, madam."

    Meiya and the three kids hesitated for a second, but after seeing Katherine''s eyes signal, they epted the offer.

    ---

    As the knight walked down the paved path, the three kids were even more in awe, as all the surrounding buildings were made of marble.

    From the garden fountain, they walked towards the giant statue in the distance.

    There was so much wealth and luxury everywhere, yet it was elegant in the artistic design.

    "Who''s this person?" Mary curiously asked as they stopped right before the giant marble statue.

    "He''s the hero of all dwarfs. He led the counter-attack that freed all dwarfs from being under the control of orcs."

    Hearing the knight''s answer, the five of them could feel the respect in his voice.

    "How long was that?" Alex curiously asked, as he couldn''t remember that ever happening in the history book.

    "Almost hundreds of thousands of years ago. Way before your empire ever came in ce."

    Alex slowly nodded as he quickly realized the event that the knight was describing was extremely ancient history.

    "Who made all these statues and buildings?" Sophia curiously asked as they continued walking down the garden.

    "The grand architect back a few thousand years ago."

    "Sorry to ask this, but how long can your kind live for?" Meiya suddenly asked.

    "We usually can live up to one hundred fifty years old. But we have elders that are up to two hundred."

    As they reached the end of the garden, the knight began guiding them toward what appeared to be a church.

    Unlike the other buildings, this one wasn''t made of marble.

    However, it wasn''t any less fancy, as the entire wall seemed to reflect the sunlight with its silver-like look.

    At the very top, the golden dorm almost appeared to be made out of real gold from the distance.

    Right at the very front, various silver pirs had what appeared to be anothernguage carved into the wall.

    The moment the knight opened the church''s door, they could hear the door creaking, echoing as the sound bounced back to them.

    "Wow..."

    The inside stunned all three of the kids and the two adults as soon as they saw what was past the door.

    Various colored ss was on both sides, covering almost half of the wall as sunlight illuminated the inside.

    Pictures were painted all over the ceiling, with all kinds of dwarfs in different gears and weapons fighting some sort of monster.

    At the center of the church itself was a simple wooden podium, seemingly out of ce at first nce with all the fancy appearance on the inside.

    However, it oddly looked perfectly in ce the more they looked at it, as the color matched well with the red carpets.

    Meanwhile, on the side, hundreds of rows of church seats ran down on both sides, enough to seat at least a few thousand people at once.

    "This is our Church... Usually, it has a lot of people inside, but today was an off day, so it''s empty."

    As the six of them followed the knight down the red carpet, their mind was still blown by all the elegant elements in the room.

    "What''s this church called?" Luqing curiously asked as they walked down the aisles of seats.

    "Cathedral of the Tharngrim, in respect to our Grand Architect''s wish." The knight responded as they stopped right before the alter.

 Chapter 123: Returning to Alices Inn

    Meanwhile, over at Katherine''s perspective...

    As she walked down the road with mebeard, the two soon arrived at a small wooden house.

    "The king has been ill for the past few days. Sorry if he¡ª¡ª"

    "It''s okay. I don''t actually need to see the king unless he wants to see me... I''m actually here to ask a question."

    "I''ll try my best to answer it, Duchess Reid."

    The two stopped right at the doorway, not going inside as mebeard waited for Katherine''s question.

    "Is the rumor about a dragon roaming nearby true?"

    mebeard fell into silence as he looked to the side before turning over to Katherine.

    "That rumor is obviously false. Why would a dragon go towards here out of all ces?

    Whoever spreads those rumors is either delusional or has another motive. But there was a sighting of a rtively big monster."

    "Big monster?"

    "Yeah. A big monster that had been evading our search... It has furs, so it''s definitely not a dragon."

    Katherine nodded in acknowledgment, as it has been well-known that all dragons only have scales.

    "Thank you for answering my question... Tell the king that I wish for his speedy recovery."

    "Will do."

    As Katherine turned around and started heading back, mebeard suddenly yelled.

    "Wait! Duchess Reid, is your family giving up on revenge? After all those years of enduring?"

    "Revenge? We gave that up a long time ago."

    Katherine answered as she continued heading forward, showing no signs of turning back to exin any further.

    ---

    When the five of them finally exited the church, Meiya was the most stunned.

    She couldn''t believe how beautiful the inside was.

    The details of the picture had blown her mind, and the art style waspletely different from what she had seen before.

    It had zero signs of a realistic appearancepared to the nearby statues that tried to mimic a dwarf''s appearance.

    "What kind of art styles are these paintings?" Sophia asked curiously, as she was also intrigued by them.

    "It''s called Valoo. It''s an art technique that had been passed down for millenniums."

    As the knight answered, they quickly noticed Katherine walking towards them in the distance.

    "Thank you for the tour. We''d like to leave now."

    The knight hesitated for a second but agreed to it as he began leading the six of them toward the castle exit. Stay tuned with mvl

    "We''re leaving already?" Mary curiously asked as she felt there were still a lot of things to explore in the castle.

    "You guys look so tired. You all need a nap."

    Katherine''s stern voice made all three of the kids fall into silence. They could tell she was just making an excuse to leave.

    After walking for a bit, they finally arrived at the main entrance.

    "Thank you for the tour." Meiya and Luqing both bowed down a little in gratitude.

    "No problem."

    "Thank you!"

    All three of the kids said out loud at the same time before following Katherine out of the castle.

    As the six of them walked down the road towards the Inn, Meiya finally decided to speak up.

    "Is there something wrong?"

    "There''s nothing wrong. I just don''t like being in that castle... It just keeps giving me a weird feeling."

    Meiya didn''t question any further as they arrived all the way back to Alice''s Inn.

    "Wee back. You guys need food or drinks?"

    "We''re good."

    As the six of them headed upstairs into the hallway, Katherine dismissed everyone back to their room.

    ---

    "What was weird in the castle?" Alex wondered as he couldn''t feel anything weird at all.

    Inside his mind, he could tell Katherine and the mebeard dwarf had met before or had known each other to a certain degree.

    His mind was only getting more curious, as the mystery couldn''t be solved no matter how he tried to think of ways to solve it.

    In the end, he gave up and closed his eyes, lying on the bed as he started to get a little sleepy.

    "I should just take another nap... Surely it wouldn''t hurt, would it?"

    After a while, Alex eventually fell asleep on the inn''s bed for the second time in a single day.

    But when he woke up again, he was once again dragged into something else as he was no longer in the inn.

    Instead, he was in some ce back on Earth, as rows ofputers were right before him.

    "Where am I?"

    Alex wondered as everything around him looked a little familiar, yet he couldn''t recall it at all.

    Everywhere, desks were lined up next to each other, with full sets ofputers and all kinds of gear lying on the side.

    As Alex walked down theputer aisles, he soon found one that had lights reflecting on some faces.

    Getting closer and closer, Alex soon realized it was no one other than Sarah sitting before theputer that was turned on.

    "Hey Sarah, what''s this ce¡ª¡ª"

    "Ah!"

    Sarah jumped out of her seat for a second before taking off her headphones.

    As she turned towards Alex, her face was clearly irritated by the unannounced appearance.

    "Why are you here?"

    "That should be the question I should be asking. Why am I here, and what is this ce?"

    "This is just your dream... Anyway, see youter¡ª¡ª"

    Before Alex could react, everything faded to ck, as if she had just kicked him out of his own dream.

    When he could see again, he was back in his bedroom in the inn, with the wooden ceiling above him and a warm nket touching his skin.

    Unable to fall asleep, Alex got out of bed and decided to go to the bathroom.

    However, as he stepped into the hallway, he quickly realized he didn''t even know where the bathroom was located.

    After thinking for a bit, he headed towards Katherine''s room before knocking on the door.

    "Come in."

    As Alex opened the door, Katherine was sitting on a chair, writing something on a piece of paper.

    "Hey Alex, you need something?"

    "Mom, do you know where is the bathroom?"

    "It''s just downstairs."

    Alex quickly headed downstairs, going all the way to the 1st floor before noticing there was not a single bathroom sign.

    "You looking for something?" The young waitress asked after noticing Alex standing there for a solid minute.

    "Can I ask where is the bathroom?"

    "It''s down the hall. You don''t need to take these stairs to get there... Let me bring you there."

    Alex followed the young waitress past the counter, and they soon entered the kitchen.

    "Hey Alice, who''s this boy?" A man wearing a chef hat curiously asked.

    "Just a customer looking for the bathroom."

    As they walked past the kitchen, they finally arrived at two bathroom signs on both sides, with an upright staircase in the middle.

    "You can take this stair to head back to your room. This is just the end side of the 2nd floor hallway."

    Alex nodded as he quickly realized Katherine meant this staircase earlier, not the one that they came from.

    "Thank you."

    As Alex headed to the men''s bathroom, he was surprised to see two dwarfs standing at the sink.

    One of them was clearly dizzy, while the other was supporting him from falling onto his face.

    "I feel so bad¡ª¡ªUgh."

    Seeing the young dwarf throwing up, Alex turned his attention to walk past it and arrived at the urinal.

    After taking care of business, Alex headed back to the sink to wash his hands.

    "You got to have a stronger belly if you don''t want to getughed at." The older dwarf lectured as the young dwarf threw up again.

    "Is he okay?"

    Alex worryingly asked as he could feel the young dwarf throwing up his stomach at this point.

    "He''s fine. He just forgot to eat before drinking. Don''t worry about him."

    Alex nodded as he finished washing his hands. He then left the bathroom and went upstairs to his room.

    Sitting down in the seat, he was a little bored with nothing much to do.

    After sitting for a bit, he decided to close his eyes and started meditating.

    Soon, time began to fly by as he made little progress towards mage level 2, but it was still progress nheless.

    "Alex, you want to eat dinner?" Sophia''s voice appeared outside the door.

    "Sure. Just give me a minute."

    With his shoes back on, Alex headed out into the hallway before following Sophia downstairs to the 1st floor.

    To his surprise, almost the entire inn was full, with the only table remaining being the one that they sat on earlier.

    Katherine and the rest of the group were already sitting at the table, and food was already being served.

    "Here."

    As Alex sat down next to Mary, the noises got exponentially louder and louder until he started to get a little annoyed by it.

    It was almost as if being quiet or considerate of others was not in their vocabry whatsoever.

 Chapter 124: Living in Alices inn

    "Can you all quiet down a little? The next door is going to startining from all the yelling."

    The young waitress finally decided to intervene, bringing a short piece to the dining area as all the dwarfs lowered their voices.

    "Here''s your guy''s food."

    "Thank you so much."

    Katherine nodded slightly in gratitude as the young waitress began to unload tes full of food onto their table.

    "Don''t worry about it. You''re our most esteemed guest. If you feel something makes you ufortable, please just tell us."

    As Katherine nodded, all three of the kids were already holding their fork and knife, waiting for thest few dishes to be served.

    "Enjoy."

    With all the food on the table, the three kids, along with Meiya and Luqing, immediately started eating their well-done steak.

    Just as Katherine was about to enjoy the food, the dwarf''s voice started getting louder and louder once again.

    Both Meiya and Luqing, as well as the three kids, didn''t bother speaking up as they were too busy with the food.

    However, the loud, constant outburst was starting to get on Katherine''s nerves.

    "Dad!"

    As soon as the young waitress yelled out loud, the entire inn fell into dead silence.

    After a few seconds, a man wearing a chef hat emerged, holding a frying pan that still had ayer of cooking oil on it.

    "What''s wrong, Alice? Is someone causing trouble?" the man asked as he started scanning every table.

    "Oh, oops. I found it. You can go back to cooking!" The young waitress murmured as she pulled out a bar mop.

    "Stop being so forgetful all the time."

    The man sighed as he headed back into the kitchen with his frying pan, leaving the young waitress alone behind the counter.

    As she began wiping the counter with the mop, not a single dwarf dared to speak out loud.

    The dwarfs finally started whispering or talking normally in ''normal'' human voices.

    "Why are all the dwarfs scared of that man?" Mary quietly asked as she started eating her food.

    "No clue," Sophia answered as she picked up a small piece of the steak.

    A few minutester...

    As all six of them finally finished the food on the table, Katherine left a tip before heading upstairs back to their room.

    With dinner over, the six of them took a short little walk around the inn before heading back to their room.

    After a short shower in the bathroom downstairs, Alex was once again lying down on his bed, getting ready to sleep.

    "Please be the next day."

    ---

    When Alex woke up, he could hear a constant chirping sound ringing in his ear.

    Unable to endure it any longer, he finally opened his eyes and looked towards the noise.

    To his surprise, it was a bird standing on the table, chipping down at the wood as if it had some sort of feud.

    "How did I leave the window open?"

    As soon as Alex got out of bed, the bird immediately flew out of the window.

    Feeling the urge to go to the bathroom, Alex quickly changed out of his pajamas before heading downstairs.

    After taking care of business, Alex headed over to the sink before taking a look at himself in the mirror.

    A soft, alluring face that seemed to have never aged, with a slight baby fat on the side that remained.

    His pale skin almost looked as if there was barely any blood behind it, not to mention the light seemingly to have pierced right through.

    With his slightly pinkish lips and blonde hair down to his neck, an idea suddenly popped up in his head.

    "I look so cute... If only this were on someone else''s... What the hell am I thinking?"

    Alex immediately turned on the sink, quickly sshing the cold water right onto his face.

    "I need to get a haircut," Alex murmured as he checked himself in the mirror again.

    It was too long for his liking. But for some reason, Katherine kept saying no to it.

    After exiting the bathroom, Alex headed back to his room before sitting down on the bed again. Experience new stories with mvl

    As he looked over to the window, the sun was only barely out on the horizon.

    "I should just meditate... Just a short one."

    Not wasting any more time, he closed his eyes as he began to rx his mind.

    With light dots before him, he quickly started training his mana tunnel as he began to direct his mana back and forth, trying to expand it.

    After almost what felt like forever, barely any progress was made.

    But he was still happy with it, considering he could now meditate for an entire hour without needing to stop.

    "What time is it now?" Alex wondered as he put his shoe back on before heading outside to the hallway.

    Standing before Katherine''s door, Alex gently knocked on the door before saying his name.

    "Come in."

    As Alex entered the room, Katherine was already fully dressed and sitting in her chair with a ss cup full of an unknown white liquid.

    "Alex,e over and drink this."

    Seeing Katherine''s face with a slight hint of redness, Alex slowly walked over to the table before grabbing the cup.

    With several gulps, the cup was empty as he put it down.

    "It really tastes like the one in the dream..." Alex murmured, as this only further confirmed the theory.

    "You said something, Alex?"

    "Nothing. Mom, are we going to adventuring today?" Alex asked as he shifted the topic away from him.

    "That''s what I was nning... Can you wake Meiya and Luqing up? I''ll go wake up Sophia and Mary."

    "Okay."

    The two of them headed out of the room together before Alex headed toward Meiya''s room.

    "Meiya, wake up. It''s morning already."

    Hearing zero signs of waking up from the inside, Alex knocked on the door again before repeating the same thing.

    Standing for almost a minute, Alex looked over to Katherine and saw a ck cloud of smoke.

    "How convenient..." Alex murmured as Katherine had clearly just teleported past Sophia''s locked door.

    As Alex reached the doorknob and tried to turn it, to his surprise, it was unlocked.

    After a short consideration inside his head, he decided to go inside the room to wake her directly.

    Just as he expected, Meiya was still inside her bed, sleeping peacefully with no care in the world.

    Despite all the bird noises outside and him opening the door as loud as possible, she was still asleep.

    Walking closer and closer, Alex suddenly noticed something about Meiya that caught him inplete surprise.

    Her nket was on the side, revealing her pajamas that had two pointy tips right near her two bumpy hills.

    "What''s up with women in this world not wearing bras to sleep?" Alex wondered as he stopped right by the bedside.

    With his mind a little distracted, he quickly shook his head to get everything out before moving a little closer to her ear.

    "Meiya, wake up. It''s the morning already."

    "Hm?"

    As Meiya opened her eyes, Alex''s face was right before hers, looking down at her hair.

    "Mom told me toe over and wake you up... We''re going to the dungeon today."

    "Oh, right... Thank you for waking me up."

    "No problem."

    Seeing Meiya slowly sitting back up, Alex quickly left the room before walking back into the hallway.

    "Fuck, why is my heart beating so fast? Come on, Alex, calm down... Miss Meiya is already old enough to be your grandma."

    Despite trying to calm himself down and convince himself, it only caused the problem to worsen.

    His mind was filled with Meiya''s voluptuous body and cute, sleepy face, which felt almost the pr opposite of her usual curious attitude.

    "It''s not my fault. Her body is just a more mature Luqing... It''s not my problem that her body looked way too young for her age."

    After calming back down, Alex finally knocked on the door to Luqing''s room.

    But to his surprise, the door was instantly opened, revealing Luqing, who was already dressed.

    "We''re leaving?" Luqing asked as she gave a warm smile towards Alex.

    "Not yet... Miss Meiya just woke up, and Mom just woke the other two up."

    "Okay..."

    As the two stood at the doorway in an awkward silence, neither side could speak a single word that could save their life.

    After almost an entire minute, Luqing broke the silence.

    "You want to wait in my room?"

    "Sure."

    Entered the room, Luqing guided him to the only chair before sitting down on the bed.

    As the two sat in silence, the awkwardness only got worse until Alex suddenly got up from the chair.

    "I''m going back to my room."

    Luqing didn''t say anything as she watched Alex head towards the room exit before closing the door.

    "Why didn''t I say a single word?" Alex questioned himself, as he couldn''t believe how shy he had been earlier.

    It was almost as if he was meeting a stranger despite having known Luqing for almost half a year now.

 Chapter 125: Nytheris and Aetherium

    Thirty minutester...

    As Alex walked on the road, the six of them were hiking towards a mountain in the distance.

    Despite them having only walked out of Ironpeak''s outer castle, Mary was alreadyining about the walk.

    "Moooooom, how long do we have to walk for?"

    "Thirty minutes before we can take our first break. Stop leaning on me and walk properly."

    Katherine gently pushed Mary aside, ending her attempt to get an easier time walking uphill road.

    "Mary, if you''re tired, I can¡ª¡ª"

    "Alex?"

    Seeing Katherine looking back at him dead in the eyes, Alex quickly zipped his mouth back up.

    "Mom, why can''t we just teleport there or something?" Maryined, looking a little disappointed by Alex''s withdrawal.

    "Because you need some exercise. Look at your belly. It almost looks like a chubby teddy bear or something."

    "T-That''s not true. It''s just my body hasn''t digested the breakfast yet."

    Despite Mary''s attempt to argue back, her face blushed red as she looked down at her belly and squeezed it a little.

    "Mary, you aren''t fat. It''s okay to be a little chubby as a kid when you''re growing up."

    Sophia''s attempt to reassure Mary only made her even more quiet, as if she had epted the need to continue the walk.

    "Mom, Mary is only eight. Why are you trying to tell her to lose weight?" Sophia argued.

    "Who said I was telling her to lose weight? All I said is that she needed some exercise from all that breakfast food."

    Sophia rolled her eyes, giving up on arguing as she sped up to catch up with Alex and Luqing.

    The two had been walking together in the front ever since they exited Ironpeak, and they showed no signs of slowing down.

    "Why are you two walking so fast? Don''t you guys get tired walking like this?" Sophia curiously asked.

    "This is the normal walking speed. Mom and Meiya are only walking that slow because of Mary."

    Alex''s point made Sophia realize something. She didn''t even notice that her natural walking speed had been readjusted to match Mary''s.

    "You''re right... Are you two just walking in silence the whole time?" Sophia suddenly asked as she followed right behind the two.

    "Yeah."

    Both Alex and Luqing continued walking forward, seeminglypletely fine with walking together with no interaction.

    "Whatever."

    Sophia slowed back down, joining the other two as Alex and Luqing maintained their normal speed, walking a few steps ahead.

    Read thetest on mvl

    After walking for a while, Alex''s breathing started to go out of pattern as he couldn''t keep up with the pace.

    In reality, his walking speed was way beyond what he could normally do, especially considering his short height.

    Yet, he didn''t slow down a single bit, forcing himself to keep up with Luqing''s pace.

    "Luqing, what do you think of the trip so far?" Alex suddenly asked, breaking the silence between them.

    "It has been pretty eye-opening," Luqing quietly replied.

    "That''s good to hear."

    Just as Alex was saying something else, the other three had caught up all the way to the front with them.

    "How''s your guys alone time?" Meiya jokingly asked as she walked right in between the two of them.

    "Miss Meiya, I''m only ten. Please be more appropriate," Alex answered, his face not flinching a single bit.

    "What? I am being appropriate. All I was asking is, are you two having a good time being friends?"

    "Really¡ª¡ª"

    "Ahem, Miss Meiya, Luqing is our teacher. We all have great respect for her."

    Sophia interrupted, ending Meiya''s attempt as she turned her attention to Luqing, who didn''t seem interested in talking at all.

    "Whatever... Luqing, what are you looking at?" Meiya curiously asked as she looked over towards Luqing''s direction.

    "The trees look a little different from the one near Ironpeak," Luqing answered.

    As Meiya and the three kids examined the trees closer, they soon realized some of them had weird cuts.

    However, from the patterns and the angles, it didn''t look to be some sort of animal or monster that did it.

    "Mom, why are the trees like this?" Mary curiously asked.

    "That''s because the trees here are cursed," Katherine answered as all six of them slowed down a little.

    "Why is it cursed?"

    "Good question... Do you three remember how dark energy and dungeons are formed?"

    All three of the kids thought for a second before Alex came up with an answer first.

    "Both of them are formed when dark elements are gathered together in a specific area, right?"

    "Bingo! It looks like Alex paid attention in ss... Anyway, when a dungeon forms, it irreversibly changes the surrounding areas.

    Since we''re going toward a dungeon, it will only have more and more weird damage toward the surrounding area."

    After walking for a bit, a question suddenly popped up in Alex''s head.

    "Mom, why would the dwarfs allow such a thing to form near them? Wouldn''t it make sense to cleanse the dark element?"

    "As I said earlier, it''s irreversible. Once it has formed a rtively big size, it bes permanent no matter how you try to remove it."

    Alex slowly nodded as they walked continued walking down the paved road.

    "Wouldn''t the whole world be covered in dark energy then?" Sophia raised her question.

    Katherine paused for a second, then answered.

    "It''s actually extremely hard for dark elements to gather so much that it bes dark energy.

    Usually, they just disperse naturally in the air, just like how in spells, the element attached to mana dissipates over time."

    "What caused it to form in this one then?" Sophia raised another question.

    "You guys want to hear an ancient story?"

    All three of the kids immediately nodded in agreement, as there wasn''t much to do besides walking down the road.

    Both Meiya and Luqing also looked a little intrigued as they kept their ears peeled.

    "This is going to be a long story. You guys don''t interrupt me until I finish, okay?"

    All three of the kids nodded again, zipping their mouths shut with their hands.

    ---

    Hundreds of Thousands of years ago, there used to be a mountain called Ironpeak.

    A few miles from Ironpeak was a city named Nytheris, where dwarfs and gnomes lived together in peace underground.

    Together, they had made up the most advanced technological nation of all time.

    They were the only ones who were able to create the first steam engine, allowing for various inventions that made their lives much easier.

    However, one day, a gnome was sick of the smog and fog created by all the machines.

    So, he decided to attempt to find a solution to it.

    His dedication to finding an answer eventually led to a breakthrough, a change that would revolutionize the whole continent.

    It was a white crystal, pure as the snow on the mountain peaks, formed in the deepest part of the mountain in Ironpeak.

    They eventually came to name the material Aetherium.

    A representation of the mythical material told in their legends, a legendary sword that could kill gods and goddesses.

    With the ambitious name of the material, it was well-deserved as it could hold a scarce resource that was forbidden.

    Mana.

    It was something that dwarfs and gnomes couldn''t gain ess to as they were born with no magical talents at all.

    What made Aetherium so special was its ability to release the mana as if it wereing from a living being.

    It practically means gnomes and dwarfs could be mages, ditching the need for the hazardous steam engine.

    At first, it was used to make dwarfs and gnomes live better together... But soon, other nations got a hold of it and began modifying it.

    The material created to help people''s lives soon turned into a weapon, a mass-killing machine for various nations and rulers.

    Ironically, it was the opposite of what the legends entailed: Aetherium killed everything but gods.

    With the disaster they had created across the continent, the dwarfs soon decided to seal Aetherium in the mountains of Ironpeak permanently.

    But the gnomes had enjoyed the convenience brought by Aetherium for years now.

    All of them voted against the dwarf''s attempt to seal it, arguing that the misuse doesn''t justify the need to ban itpletely.

    The debate eventually led to a bloody war at Ironpeak that ended in the dwarf''s victory.

    However, the gnomes activated theirst-ditch effort by sealing themselves underground permanently.

    Soon, the Dwarfs quickly realized that their victory was more of a defeat, as they also lost their homes permanently.

    All of them were forced to move somewhere else, eventually deciding to settle near Ironpeak Mountain and name their new city after it.

    This time, they choose to live above ground, trying to distinguish themselves from gnomes and fix all the mistakes they had created.

    It took a long time, but they aplished their goals as all the Aetherium had been destroyed or ran out of energy.

    However, much of the damage couldn''t be repaired, leaving dark anomalies that still linger in various areas.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 126: Ruins and Dungeons Prep

    "And that''s the end of the story... You guys liked it?"

    Despite Katherine having finished the story, all five of them remained silent until Sophia spoke up first.

    "That story was amazing, Mom... I never knew there was so much backstory to the dwarfs and gnomes."

    "Thank you... Anyway, look like we''re almost there now."

    As the five of them shifted their attention back to their surrounding, they quickly noticed everything looked a little dead.

    From the ck grass to all the trees having no leaves, there were barely any signs of life.

    "Mom, is the dungeon we''re going towards formed by one of these anomalies?" Alex curiously asked.

    "Yep... Fortunately, this one has be smaller over the years, so it''s actually rtively safe for us to visit."

    "Wait, Mom, are we heading to Nytheris?" Mary suddenly asked after matching the story from earlier.

    "Good guess... Do you remember I said Nytheris is permanently sealed underground¡ª¡ª"

    Mary looked a little disappointed, along with Alex and Sophia, as they all hoped to believe the dungeon they were visiting was Nytheris.

    "¡ª¡ªBut we are going to the part of Nytheris that remained above ground. You guys are going to be stunned by the ruins.

    And the dungeon there that had formed nearby is full of monsters for you guys to fight."

    As soon as Katherine finished answering, the faces of the kids were easily swayed back to excitement.

    "Kate, are you sure where we are heading is safe enough for those three?"

    Meiya asked, looking a little concerned as their surroundings started to look increasingly grim with the dark sky in the middle of the day.

    "I''m sure of it. Amelia and I went here a few years ago, and there was barely any dark energy left."

    "Lady Katherine¡ª¡ª"

    "Ahem."

    Before Luqing could ask her question, Meiya cleared her throat, interrupting her from finishing. Stay updated through mvl

    "Katherine, I thought you said the damage is irreversible. But if the dark energy is fading, then how would it maintain itself?"

    "That''s actually a very good question that I can''t answer... However, various theories have tried to answer this question.

    Some say that once it is formed, the increases and decreases are just a natural elemental cycle, so it never fully disappears.

    The other theory states that these kinds of anomaliese from a dark dimension that fuels the increase and decrease."

    "So a bloody battle could lead to forming this kind of anomaly?" Meiya interrupted as she asked her question.

    "Yeah."

    "Huh... It''s just like the one we have on our continent." Meiya murmured as they continued walking down the road.

    ---

    After walking for five more minutes, the six of them finally arrived at a hill near their destination.

    The moment they could see the ruins that Katherine promised down below, they werepletely stunned.

    Everything was uniformed into a well-shaped grid, almost as if someone had nned the city to perfection.

    Various kinds of buildings were divided into different parts, with a clear distinction between the residential and industrial sides.

    Despite all the perfections, everything waspletely pitch ck, with the buildings all crumbled into pieces.

    They also quickly noticed the giant chimney that had copsed near the middle of the city, looking extremely simr to the one in Ironpeak.

    If it weren''t for theck of walls, they would have thought it was a photocopy of a destroyed Ironpeak.

    "Wow..."

    As Mary let an awe, the other four were just as in awe by the scale of destruction the city faced.

    "Why did they destroy the city like this?" Alex asked, feeling a little sad over the destruction.

    "The gnomes didn''t want to let the dwarfs have it. So they blew up the central chimney, which had a pipeline connecting the entire city.

    Everything instantly caught onto the me, leading to these ruins you see right now."

    Slowly, the six of them began to walk downhill, going closer and closer to the ruin''s entrance.

    "How have these buildings remained in ce after all these years?" Sophia curiously asked.

    "Dark energy can destroy, but it can also maintain things in ce," Katherine exined.

    "How old are these buildings?" Meiya curiously asked.

    "Older than anyone that is still alive in this world. Not even the oldest elves or archmages had lived through this city''s destruction."

    As the six of them approached the entrance, they quickly noticed that most of the buildings were human-sized rather than dwarf-height.

    "Mom, why are all these buildings so much taller?" Mary asked.

    "Because no dwarfs or gnomes live in this city. All these are actually built for traders and cksmiths all around the world.

    Remember, the dwarfs and gnomes lived underground. The city down below is even more expansive and mindblowing."

    The three kids became even more intrigued, but their faces looked a little disappointed after realizing they could never visit the underground one.

    "Anyway, let''s go have a tour of the ruins... Also, don''t touch any of the ruins, okay?"

    All three of the kids immediately nodded their heads, following right behind Katherine as they walked past the entrance.

    However, the three of them soon ran to the front, exploring the ruins on their own before calling each other to check things out.

    Thirty minutester...

    "You guys satisfied with the ruins?" Katherine asked as they finally finished walking through most of the city.

    All three of them nodded in agreement.

    "Great. Then, let''s go to our next destination... You three ready for the dungeon?"

    "Hell yeah!"

    All three of them excitedly jumped into the air as they got a little bored with the repeated buildings.

    "Let''s get going then¡ª¡ª"

    Just as the six of them began heading towards the city''s exit, Mary''s stomach suddenly started to growl.

    "Kate, we probably should eat lunch before we go to the next part," Meiya asked as Mary''s face blushed red.

    "Oh my, it''s already the afternoon... Sorry, Mary. Ipletely forgot about the time."

    Katherine apologized as they headed out of the city before stopping by at an open field.

    "I asked the waitress for some sandwiches earlier. You guys don''t mind¡ª¡ª"

    All three of the kids instantly grabbed the food out of Katherine''s hand, eating it down as fast as they could.

    Within seconds, Sophia was the first one to start choking on the food.

    "Slow down. There''s no rush. The dungeon isn''t going to disappear because you show upte."

    As Katherine gently patted Sophia''s back, the other two rapidly slowed down their eating speed.

    Meanwhile, Meiya and Luqing had already finished the sandwich that Katherine had handed over.

    "Do you guys need mine? I''m not that hungry," Katherine asked as she took her sandwich out of the backpack.

    Both of them shook their head, so Katherine began to eat the sandwich herself.

    After everyone had finished the short lunch, they finally resumed heading towards the dungeon that Katherine had promised.

    ---

    Just as they arrived at the dungeon entrance, they had only walked less than three minutes away from the ruins themselves.

    It was an oddly shaped cave with a steep entrance that looked barely walkable, spiraling underground.

    "Kate, are you sure this is the dungeon you''re talking about?" Meiya asked as it looked just like a random hole on the floor.

    "Yep. But before we go down, we need to prepare something first."

    As Katherine put her backpack away into her pocket dimension, she began taking out stacks of different armor pieces.

    "Alex, you want to be the knight for this mission, right?"

    Before Katherine could finish asking, Alex had already taken off his jacket and his shoes.

    "You don''t have to take off your shoes. The armor doesn''te with the shoe sets."

    Alex''s face blushed a little as he quickly put his shoe back on, with all of the armor gathered on the side.

    "Don''t move. Let Mommy help you put this on... If it is too heavy, tell me, okay?"

    Alex nodded as the four of them watched Katherine grab the first pieces of metal.

    Ten minutester...

    "Nice! You look so good in this." Katherineplimented as Alex''s body was now covered in armor.

    "Really?"

    As Alex tried to look down, his head was slightly restricted due to the neck guard prevented him from looking too far down.

    "What do you guys think?" Alex curiously asked.

    "You look so cool, brother! I never knew you could be this manly!" Mary eximed as she excitedly grabbed Alex''s arm.

    "You look very strong in this. Is it heavy?" Sophia curiously asked as the sheer size of the armor had made Alex look twice as big as usual.

    "Not as heavy as I imagined. Maybe it''s because this is only a singleyer." Alex answered.

    As he turned his head to look at Meiya and Luqing, he noticed that theyplimented him in the same way Sophia did.

    However, the two of them weren''t really intimidated or interested in the armor at all.

    "Is this armor really necessary?" Meiya curiously asked after noticing how slow Alex was turning.

    "It''s 100% necessary when exploring a dungeon, at least in a small party with low-level mages.

    Sometimes, the area inside is so small that there is no other way to block it than having someone tank it."

    Katherine paused for a second, then continued.

    "You guys probably have Qi that can just make up for the defense, but knights don''t have that luxury."

 Chapter 127: The Second Dungeon

    "Ahem, anyway, Alex, are you ready to go in first?" Katherine asked.

    "Yep!"

    "Here''s your sword and shield... You know how to hold a shield, right?"

    Alex froze for a second, realizing that no one in his life had ever taught him to use a shield.

    The only time he ever used a shield was when he used it as a piece of block in his hand.

    "Just use it to block you, dummy. Don''t hold it too hard if they are pressing hard onto it."

    Alex nodded as he held onto the sword in one hand and the shield in the other.

    "Okay, time for you to lead the way."

    As Alex strapped the sword and shield to his back and started going down the steep hill, he quickly realized how heavy his gears were.

    Even though the armor itself barely covered every part of his body, they were still way too much for his age.

    His mouth was already panting from the sheer weight, with sweat falling from his face as he got stuck on one of the rocks.

    "Mom, this might be a little too heavy¡ª¡ª"

    "Geez, you really need to work on your stamina."

    As Katherine chanted some sort of spell from above, a wave of green light appeared on Alex''s body.

    Within seconds, the armor on his body felt much lighter, almost as if he were just wearing his normal clothes instead of heavy chunks of metal.

    At the same time, a light appeared in front of him, shining a light onto the dark path ahead of them.

    "Thanks, Mom."

    "Don''t worry about it."

    The six of them continued descending as the nted entrance started to be smoother and more of a staircase downward.

    After going down for almost an entire minute, the five of them realized the dungeon was deeper than they imagined.

    "Mom, when are we going to reach the dungeon?" Sophia curiously asked as she started to get a little creeped out by the darkness.

    "Just a few more steps."

    "Stupid entrance... I''m never going to do this ever again."

    As Maryined about the dirt on her pants, Alex had finally arrived at the bottom of the diagonal road.

    There was a giant empty hole ahead of them, with a road leading to mysterious ruins.

    From the outside appearance, the building almost looks like some sort of witch house.

    "Wow..."

    When the others arrived at the bottom, they were in awe of the size of the pit, as the ceiling was almost as tall as the way they had walked down.

    "What''s that building?" Sophia curiously asked.

    "Just an old house that my teacher built. Okay, let''s go to the dungeon first."

    "This still isn''t the dungeon?"

    Mary murmured as Katherine led the five of them down the road opposite the house in the distance.

    "What''s the house for?" Meiya curiously asked as she couldn''t understand why someone would want to live underground here.

    "Just for experiment... But it''s mostly just a ce for Amelia to do her experiment now."

    "How fitting..." Alex murmured as he thought back to the impression that Amelia had given off.

    After walking for a bit, they finally arrived at a hole in the rock walls, big enough for two people to walk side by side.

    "Alex, ready?"

    With no word spoken, Alex quickly walked to the front with his sword and shield ready.

    "Sophia, Mary, you two ready?"

    The two nodded as they looked ahead, with both of their face looking a little nervous.

    "You three are going to go in first, and we''re just going to watch. If you ask us for help, then the dungeon run is over, okay?"

    All three of the kids nodded in agreement, with the nervousness reced by excitement as they walked forward.

    ---

    "Skeleton!"

    As Alex charged forward with his shield, he quickly shed a skeleton that was just about to swing his sword down to his head.

    Meanwhile, the other two were standing just a few steps away, throwing spells at the skeleton army ahead of them.

    "God damn it, how many skeletons are there?"

    With every second passing, more and more skeletons started to overwhelm Alex from all three sides.

    "Watch out!"

    Having no hesitation, Alex quickly dunked down, with an explosive fireball flying right over where he stood.

    "Shit! Can you two not direct it a little further?"

    The loud explosion made Alex almost fall onto the floor if it wasn''t for hisst-second sword stabbing onto the floor.

    As he gets back up, the skeleton army has already reced all the ones who died in the explosion.

    Once again, Alex was forced to defend himself with only the shield as his sword was still stuck on the ground.

    "Can you two do something?" Alexined as the skeleton started to pass his shield.

    Fortunately, his armor blocked all of the cuts, but the blunt force from the hits was still painful.

    "Just give us a minute."

    Hearing Sophia''s answer, all Alex could do was bite his lips and rush forward, pushing as much skeleton aside.

    "Come on, pull out already."

    Alex tried to pull his sword out, but it showed zero signs of movement, no matter how hard he tried to pull with his right hand.

    At the same time, the skeleton was starting to wrap around him, attacking him from all four sides instead of just three.

    "Shit!"

    Suddenly, ayer of water appeared around Alex, covering the skeleton''s attack, as nking sounds echoed in the hallway.

    "Come on, why is this thing stuck so hard!"

    With both hands on the sword, Alex eventually pulled his sword out, allowing him to wield his weapon together.

    "Get ready to die!"

    As the water barrier disappeared, Alex charged forward, his entire body behind the shield and his sword aimed forward like ance.

    To his surprise, he was able to cut through the lines of skeletons like butter, reaching the end as he stopped.

    "Alex! What are you doing!"

    Hearing Mary yelling out loud, Alex''s brain facepalmed as hepletely forgot about his mission.

    "Ah, shit! Here we go again!"

    Alex quickly began to charge back into the skeleton, breaking through all the skeleton as he didn''t even bother using the sword this time.

    Despite this, the shield bash was extremely effective, as his short height allowed him to run through their legs.

    Just as Alex was about to stop, he suddenly ducked down before covering his head with his shield.

    A loud crash sound echoed in the hallway as a bunch of heat radiated onto his back.

    At the same time, the hallway finally fell into silence, as if all of the skeletons had finally been killed.

    "Alex, what the hell were you doing?"

    As Sophia and Mary emerged from their barrier, Alex slowly stood back up before patting the dust away.

    "I lost my sword, so I have to get it back if I want to do something... Anyway, good job killing those skeletons."

    Turning around, Alex could finally see all of the damage Mary and Sophia had done with their spell.

    Piles upon piles of skeletons fell onto the floors, with many morepletely disconnected from their head.

    The number of skeletons he had killed or knocked down was only a small fraction, not even a tenth of it.

    "You forgot Mom told you that your job is to protect us? Not to dive in for a sword that you barely used?"

    Sophiained as the skeleton''s bodies near where the two stood indicated they had made past Alex while he had charged forward.

    "Sorry. But it''s not my fault I lost my sword if you guys didn''t throw that spell so close¡ª¡ª"

    "Alex, tell me, do you think we can move that fireball somewhere else if you didn''t move that forward on your own?

    Besides, that''s the third time you rushed in like that. You know how much it dys us when we have to cast barrier on you?"

    Sophia''s point made Alex fall into silence. All he could do was awkwardly scratch his helmet and look to the side.

    "Let''s just keep going forward. I''m hungry already."

    Mary''s point made the two reach apromise as the skeleton bodies began to vanish into thin air.

    "Mom, how long do we have to do?"

    Despite Alex asking it out loud, there was no response, seemingly as if they just had to continue advancing.

    "Mom is never going to respond to us. She already said she''s only going to respond if we''re giving up¡ª¡ª" Continue your adventure with mvl

    Just as Sophia was about to finish talking, Alex suddenly came to aplete stock, forcing the two to run into him.

    "Hey! What''s your problem¡ª¡ª"

    "Shhhh, something is right there."

    Sophia instantly shut her mouth as the other two finally noticed the thing that caused Alex to stop.

    It was a massive room at the end of the hallway, with a giant skeleton the size of a house sitting on a throne.

 Chapter 128: Baits and Attritions

    As the three of them stared at the skeleton body for a bit, they quickly realized it was just a dead body with no signs of life.

    Looking around, the room was mostly empty. The only things inside were the throne and the skeleton.

    "What do we do?" Mary curiously asked.

    "Let me check the room first."

    Alex raised his shield and sword as he began to walk towards his right, putting his back against the wall and looking around.

    The heavy mist of air made him want to puke a little, but he held the urge down as he continued walking along the side.

    After walking around all the way to the skeleton itself, he still couldn''t find anything living in the room.

    It was almost as if it were just a room to rest, with an extra decoration on the side.

    However, when Alex began to walk away from the wall and examined the other side, he soon realized what the room was.

    There was not a single exit other than the direction they came from. It was aplete dead end with no way forward.

    "The room should be safe. But there''s nowhere to go besides the skeleton, which might be the clue forward."

    As the two of them followed Alex toward the middle of the room, they began exploring the other corners they couldn''t see earlier.

    Yet, they all came to the same conclusion as Alex, with the skeleton being the only thing that they could hypothetically interact with.

    "Should we touch the skeleton?" Sophia asked as she felt it might be the thing they needed to do.

    "How about this? You two stand far back and make your spell, and I''ll hit the skeleton with my sword."

    The two of them nodded, quickly moving all the way to the entrance before Alex ready his weapon.

    After waiting for a bit, Alex finally got the signal from the two of them.

    With zero hesitation, Alex shed his swords down right at the skeleton''s leg, hoping to get some sort of reaction.

    But much to his disappointment, the skeleton didn''t move a single bit.

    However, it all changes as Sophia and Mary both release their spell right towards the skeleton.

    "Bang!"

    Despite covering his ear and taking a few steps back, Alex could still hear the explosion going off as it directlynded right at the skeleton''s head.

    Instead of falling apart, the giant skeleton finally gains some sense of life, with its eyes slowly regaining a blue me before looking down at them.

    "Shit. You two get ready! I''m going to try to lure it away!"

    Alex immediately rushed closer with his sword, shing it before realizing his sword still didn''t do any damage.

    Still, he didn''t stop hitting it until the giant skeleton finally began to move from its throne.

    "Bang!"

    Alex quickly jumped to the side, covering himself with his shield as another loud explosionnded on the skeleton.

    Once again, their magic spell doesn''t seem to be effective, with not even a burn mark on the skeleton.

    "Light and Fire magic doesn''t work! We''re going to try something else!"

    Hearing their answer, Alex started running away from the skeleton as it finally stood up fully.

    "Catch me, coward! I''m right here. Take this!"

    Alex straight up threw his sword upward, only to have it hit the skeleton''s hip before flying right down.

    But it worked perfectly as the skeleton slowly swung its arm down, trying to catch Alex.

    "Nice try! But I''m sure you can do better!"

    Even though Alex couldn''t even tell if the skeleton could understand him, he continued to attempt to frustrate him.

    With another round of magic flying right at the skeleton, Alex immediately began to panic as water fell all over the floor.

    "What the hell are you guys doing? The floor is all slippery!"

    "It''s all a part of the n! Just try your best to kite him!"

    All Alex could do was continue running around in a circle, ying a mouse chase, as the skeleton seemed stubborn to catch him.

    Several attempts at running almost resulted in Alex tripping face-first, but he sessfully rolled to the side just as he was about to be caught.

    His heart was racing out of his mind as more and more water spells kept being thrown at the skeleton with no signs of doing anything.

    Of course, other than making it harder for Alex to run around.

    "What the hell! Are you guys trying to kill me?" Alex angrily yelled as he started to get fed up with the amount of slips.

    "Just a few more times! We got a massive spell brewing up!"

    Sophia''s answer made Alex fall into silence. All he could do now was pray that their n was enough to take action.

    After what felt like forever, Alex was suddenly blocked off from the outside by some sort of barrier.

    However, he could hear a loud, piercing wind ringing outside the barrier, with the barrier itself seemingly about to break.

    Alex quickly started reinforcing the barrier with his own, building anotheryer underneath it as he threw as much mana as possible.

    Find your next read on §Þ??

    Soon, the outside barrier copsed, with the inneryer Alex built now facing the full brute of the spell outside.

    "Please be done already..."

    As Alex continued draining all of his mana towards the barrier, he could feel the damage outside had only gotten stronger.

    The loud wind sound shifted to almost what felt like a tornado, with a constant banging sound hitting the wall.

    Just as Alex was out to be drained of his barely used mana, the loud noises finally stopped.

    Lowering his barrier, there was almost ayer of water all the way up to his upper thigh.

    Meanwhile, the area where the giant skeleton stood was now a bunch of bones that had disconnected from different joints.

    Only its head and the spine were still intact, with the leg and the armpletely blown away to the side.

    "Holy shit, what kind of spell did you guys do?" Alex curiously asked out loud as the water began to disappear slowly.

    "Just a water tornado. How is this damn thing still alive?"

    Sophia and Mary already started casting some sort of wind spell, causing Alex to run as fast as he could towards them.

    "What the hell? Can you two warn me this before you cast this spell next time?"

    Alex had finally made it back to the entrance, standing next to the two of them as they threw their spell at the skeleton again.

    "Sorry... We tried our best to cover you with a barrier, too, though."

    "Yeah, a barrier that onlysted a few seconds before I needed to use all my mana."

    Mary awkwardly looked away as Sophia''s attention was still on the skeleton, trying to crawl toward the throne.

    But with no limbs, it was practically impossible for it to move even a single inch.

    Another wave of water tornado arrived right at the skeleton, further breaking the skeleton''s body part.

    The rib cages began to fall out as the water tornado ruthlessly beat the skeleton against the wall.

    With every hit, Alex could finally see how the water tornado was working together as the wind dragged the water up into the air.

    As the water touches the skeleton at a high speed, it slowly withers away the joint connections until it separates.

    It was now only a matter of time before the skeleton disconnected its entire body from the head.

    "Sophia, I''m about to run out of mana," Mary warned as she cast her next tornado in rotation.

    "I can cover you for a bit. But I can only cast a few myself." Alex answered first, as he already recovered a bit of his mana.

    Sophia didn''t say anything, but she continued focusing on throwing water cores at the skeleton with her own tornado.

    Just as all three of them were about to be exhausted from their mana, the skeleton''s spine finally disconnected from the head.

    A loud clunk echoed in the room as the head fell onto the ground, with blue mes still spewing outward more than ever.

    It was almost as if it wanted to rip the three of them apart but had no power to do anything besides letting its frustration out with the me.

    "Let''s finish this together."

    The two of them agreed with Alex''s idea as they began casting their favorite spell in the air.

    Mary''s orb of darkness, Sophia''s orb of light, and Alex''s orb of fireball all began flying toward the skeleton, aiming at its eye.

    "Bang!"

    A loud explosion went off louder than ever, forcing the three to cover their ear even though they were several yards away.

    This time, the skeleton finally died as the me in its eye began to dim down more and more.

    The rest of the bones in the room began to dissipate, leaving a ck crystal on the ground.

 Chapter 129: Intermittent breaks

    After all the water had disappeared, the three of them entered the room again.

    "What is this crystal?" Sophia murmured as she picked up the crystal from the ground.

    "Probably some consolidated dark element," Alex replied as he cast a dry spell onto his clothes.

    "Can I get a hold of it?"

    "Sure."

    As Sophia handed the ck crystal over to Mary, Alex had already started looking for a way to continue the dungeon.

    "You found anything yet?" Sophia asked as she joined in the search.

    "Nope. Nothing at all."

    A few minutester...

    "Where the hell is it?"

    Despite all three of them now searching for an entrance, they still couldn''t find a pathway down.

    Alex even made Sophia walk up the mini-staircase next to the throne, only to find nothing there besides a rock surface.

    A few minutester, again...

    Just as the two of them were about to give up, Mary suddenly found a small hole of the same size that matched the ck crystal exactly.

    "Alex, Sophia! I think I found a way out!"

    The two of them immediately ran over to Mary''s stand, only to notice the hole right near where they hade from earlier.

    "Really? The exit next to the entrance we came from?"

    Sophia didn''tin like Alex as she watched Mary put the ck crystal in silence.

    To their relief, a pathway finally appeared as the throne inside the room suddenly split in half.

    Right down the middle was another dark hallway, seemingly to lead them to somewhere unknown.

    "Let''s go!"

    Mary excitedly ran towards the throne, with Sophia and Alex following behind, looking a little tired.

    "Slow down, Mary! Why are you so excited all of a sudden?" Alex yelled as he felt something was a little off.

    Just as Mary was about to enter the dark hallway, she ran straight into some sort of invisible barrier.

    At the same time, an invisible hand lifted both Sophia and Alex into the air, bringing them to the middle of the room.

    Next, Mary was brought all the way to the middle of the room as well, allowing the two to notice Mary''s eye was now all red.

    "What are you two thinking? You can''t just touch this kind of crystal with your bare hand."

    Katherine''s voice appeared behind them before they walked all the way to the front of them with Meiya and Luqing.

    Slowly, she let the two go before gently putting her hand on Mary''s forehead.

    "This kind of pure element crystal can drive someone insane or change thempletely.

    Didn''t I teach you guys to check everything with mana first? And that hole was there at the start.

    You three just walked right past it, and who told you to go inside and search with your body instead of your mana?"

    As Katherine gently knocked on Alex''s and Sophia''s heads, the redness in Mary''s eye disappeared.

    "Ouch! Okay, okay, we forgot about that."

    Sophia was first to apologize, as she knew she was in the wrong. But Alex didn''t want to admit fault.

    "Hey, I was the knight. Why do I need to¡ª¡ªOuch!"

    "If you really are just a knight, then why use a water barrier to cover yourself?

    You have magic, not just some dumb idiot with armor. Where did your intelligence go when you go in melee?"

    "Okay, okay. You''re right. Stop hitting my head."

    As Alex finally backed down from attempting to argue back, Katherine quickly turned her attention to Mary, who had been standing still.

    "Mary, you okay?" Katherine asked as she gently hugged her into her arms.

    "I-I''m fine, Mom. What happened to me? Why does it feel like I lost a little bit of memories?"

    "You were just running towards the pathway earlier... Don''t hold things you don''t know next time, okay?"

    Mary slowly nodded as Katherine gently rubbed her head with a warm smile that made the two feel jealous.

    "What are you two looking at her for? You two, as older sister and older brother, should have known better."

    Sophia and Alex both rolled their eyes as they grumpily looked to the side, only for Meiya and Luqing to step in.

    "Kate, didn''t you say it''s time for a break?"

    Meiya asked as she pushed Sophia back towards the middle, with Luqing doing the same to Alex.

    "Oh right, it''s already nighttime outside.Time to go back for the night."

    Within a blink of an eye, a ck mist began to appeared all around them before everything turned to ck.

    ---

    When the six of them could see again, they were in some sort of back ally of a street.

    The sky above them was alreadypletely dark, with the moon shining light right above them.

    "Come on, let''s go back to the Inn already. Don''t just stand there."

    As Katherine hurried the three kids to move forward, the five of them were still a little stunned by howte it has already been.

    "Mom, how long were we in the dungeon?" Alex curiously asked.

    "Just a few hour... The daylight here is usually shorter than the one back in the capital."

    After walking for a few minute, they were finally back to the front door of the inn.

    There was not a single customer inside, with no one at the bar table either as they headed upstairs.

    "You guys can go take a shower... Alex,e here. Let me go help you take off your armor first."

    As the other four headed back to their room first, Alex and Katherine headed into his room together.

    "Alex, sit down first. I need to do something first... You might feel extremely tired, but that''s normal okay?"

    Katherine''s question made Alex a little confused, but he followed her order as he sat down onto the seat.

    As she began chanting something deep inside her breathe, a green light suddenly appeared on his body.

    Within seconds, Alex could immediately feel the full weight of the armor on his body.

    At the same time, he could barely move his muscles, almost as if he ran an entire marathon into a full body workout.

    "Ow! Why does it hurt so much!"

    Alexined as he rested his entire upper body onto the table, his brain barely able to process all the pain.

    "You kept on running with that armor. Do you think the spell I gave is just free unlimited energy?"

    "Couldn''t you warn me beforehand?"

    Katherine only let out an awkwardugh as she scratched her hair, almost as if she hadpletely forgot about the withdraw herself.

    "The effect is only going tost for a night. It''s going to be all gone tomorrow."

    The answer reliefed some of Alex''s worries, but the soreness all over his body made him not want to move a single inch.

    "I''m going to start removing your armor. Can you at least sit up a bit?" Katherine asked as she moved a little closer.

    "I can''t¡ª¡ªOw! My back! I can barely move."

    Seeing Alex in so much pain, Katherine began murmuring something in her breathe before a light appeared on his body.

    The pain and sorness finally lighten a little, just enough that Alex could move without feeling pain.

    "T-This isn''t going to have a side effect, right?" Alex asked in a alerted voice.

    "Of course it''s not going to have a side effect. It''s apletely different spell.

    Okay, now sit up and stopining. Can my son be a man for a minute?"

    Katherine''s word seemed to ignited something inside Alex as he straighten up his back and sat up from the chair.

    "You can do it now." Alex quietly murmured, holding the urge toin about the sorness again.

    Slowly, Katherine bend down underneath the table as she took off the armor ting on his lower leg.

    "Ugh, you are so sweaty underneath."

    "What am I suppose to do? I can''t take off my armor mid-fight." Alex quietly argued as he clenched his first.

    As Katherine threw the armor piece into her pocket dimension, she began taking off the next part of the armor.

    Twenty minutester...

    After what felt like a torture session for Alex, all of the armor was finally removed.

    Alex''s inner cloths werepletely soaked in sweat. Even Katherine who helped him take it off was sweating a little from the work.

    Some of the armor werepletely stuck, refusing to be taken off until Katherine started creating invisible hand to help her.

    "Finally. That took way too long... You okay?"

    Katherine asked after noticing Alex''s face seemed a little red, not realizing that her own cloths had been a soaked in sweat as well.

    "Yeah, I''m fine..."

    Alex quickly turned his head to the side, finally making Katherine realized what he was looking at earlier.

    "You little perv... Okay, time to bring you to the shower."

    As Katherine suddenly lifted Alex up from his seat, his face immediately started to blush red.

    "W-Wait, let me go. I can go take a shower myself¡ª¡ª"

    "You sure? You can barely move at all."

    The question made Alex fell into silence as what Katherine said was true, he could barely even stand up by himself.

    "Actually, let me just wipe your body so you can rest earlier."

 Chapter 130: Wiping and Chatting

    Slowly, Katherine gently lowered Alex back into his seat before taking out a small bucket and towel.

    Filling the bucket with water, Katherine quickly soaked the towel before squeezing all the water.

    "You want me to take off your clothes, or I help you take off your clothes?"

    Alex immediately took off his clothes on his own, unbuttoning his shirt before throwing it aside.

    But taking off his pants became much more difficult, as the soreness on his leg was much more severe than that on the rest of his body.

    "Let me help you."

    Katherine quickly put the towel back aside, helping Alex pull his pants aside before he was now left with his panties.

    "You still have period?"

    Alex slowly nodded, his face blushing red. This month''s period had beensting a little longer than usual.

    "No wonder why you''re so sore. You should have told me that. I thought your period was already done yesterday."

    As Katherine picked up the towel, Alex remained silent as he didn''t want to talk about it at all.

    "Hey Alex, what are you going to do in the future when your chest... be too big?"

    Katherine asked as she started wiping his chest, noticing a small bump that had clearly been growing on its own.

    "I don''t know..."

    Seeing Alex looking a little lost, Katherine remained silent, and she started wiping his belly.

    "Do you want to reduce it? I know a doctor that can probably surgically¡ª¡ª"

    "I don''t want that."

    Alex instantly rejected Katherine''s proposal, not trusting the doctors in this world a single bit.

    He could still remember the number of textbook examples where a basic sugary task, like removing a tooth, went wrong.

    Instead of trying to fix it with some basic stitching, doctors in this world always use magic to heal it, which could lead to unintended effects.

    From having too many teeth now to having to go through another surgery to remove them, the sess rate wasn''t high.

    It was almost as if this world had be too reliant on magic, with all other skills being pushed aside in favor of magic.

    "That''s okay. It''s your choice, honey... Can you turn around?"

    As Katherine put the towel back into the water and squeezed it again, she began wiping around Alex''s back.

    "Mom... Do you think I''m a liability?"

    Alex''s question brought Katherine to aplete stop as she put the towel on the side of the bucket.

    "What makes you think that? Is it because of what I said earlier?" Katherine asked as she stared into his eyes with a serious look.

    "N-No, I was just wondering."

    The serious look quickly disappeared as she grabbed onto Alex before giving him a warm hug.

    "I never think of you as a liability a single time, okay? You''re forever my cute little baby, and that''s the only thing I care about.

    I won''t say that kind of stuff again. It really makes Mommy scared when you say that."

    Hearing Katherine''s answer, Alex slowly nodded, realizing that he might have asked the wrong question at the wrong time.

    "Sorry, Mom. I shouldn''t have asked that."

    After almost hugging for a minute, Katherine finally let Alex go as she resumed wiping his upper body.

    "Alex, how do you feel about the armor?" Katherine asked, lightening up the mood as she shifted the topic.

    "I think it might be a little too heavy for me. But I think I can get used to it."

    "That''s good... Okay, it''s time to wipe your legs. Just rx and let Mommy do the work."

    As Katherine gently carried Alex''s leg up onto herp, she began slowly wiping down from his ankle up to his knee.

    "Alex, you know how cool you looked when you charged in with your shield?

    I couldn''t believe you actually pulled that off when I was watching it. And those movements were amazing when you kited that giant skeleton."

    "Thank you..."

    Alex''s face started to blush red again as Katherine''spliment became a little bit too much.

    "Even Meiya and Luqing told me they were impressed by how calm you were when the water started flooding the room.

    They said that they have never seen a ten-year-old have that muchbat experience and skill."

    "Really?" Alex asked, his face looking a little surprised.

    "Yes, really. I could feel Luqing''s eye constantly staring at you, too,plimenting the sessful rolls that you pulled off."

    Seeing a little smile on Alex''s face, Katherine couldn''t help but smile a little as well.

    "You wouldn''t believe how much Meiya wanted you to be her discipline, telling me that she wanted you to be a Qi master.

    She even said you got the perfect talent and reaction for it, and how you''re wasting talent being a mage."

    This time, Alex''s mind seemed a little conflicted.

    Deep inside, he wasn''t even sure if he should continue down the path of being a mage or be a Qi master.

    "Alex? You there?"

    "Oh, sorry. I was thinking about it."

    "Come on, you can''t be serious about her suggestion. You got such a good head start now.

    You can''t give up bing a mage now... I mean, if you really wanted to take the risk, I won''t stop you."

    Alex slowly nodded as he quickly realized the help he had gotten from Sarah would all go down the drain if he abandoned being a mage.

    "I think I''m going to keep being a mage¡ª¡ª"

    "That''s the Alex I know of."

    As Katherine finished wiping Alex''s lower leg, she started washing the towel in the water again.

    "You can still learn knighthood as a mage. It''s not like you can''t use a sword as a mage."

    Katherine paused for a second, squeezed the water from the towel, and then continued.

    "You know, there''s actually a field of study thatbines magic and swordsmanship?"

    "Really? That''s a thing?" Alex curiously asked.

    "Yep. But you have to get to mage level three first. Then you can join the swordsmen club in the school."

    As Katherine began to wipe Alex''s foot, it sent a little tingle down his spine.

    "Remember, being a mage has a lot of different routes when you be a higher level.

    You just have to be patient and grind it out... But you don''t have to decide now. You got plenty of time to think about it."

    After wiping both of Alex''s feet, Katherine gently puts his leg back down before cleaning the towel onest time.

    "I can clean it myself¡ª¡ª"

    "Let Mommy do everything for you today, okay? You deserve a little break."

    Alex didn''t bother trying to argue back as she already had moved her hand onto his panties.

    With thest thing out of the way, Katherine began gently wiping his inner thighs.

    "You done yet?"

    Alex impatiently asked as his face was fully red from the sheer embarrassment.

    "Not yet. I haven''t even wiped your crotch yet. Just be patient."

    The cold sensation from the towel immediately made Alex shiver a little, as the warm water from the bucket had already cooled down.

    "You okay?"

    "I-I''m fine... The water is a little cold."

    "Oh, oops. Let me change it."

    Katherine quickly poured the small bucket of water out, but it vanished before it could hit the floor.

    Next, the bucket was once again filled with warm water, with a small puff of steam flying into the air.

    "I''m only going to clean the outside... You can clean the inside yourself, okay?"

    As Alex nodded, Katherine didn''t squeeze the towelpletely dry, leaving a much wetter towel this time.

    Slowly, she carried Alex over to herp, flipping him over to wipe his butt first as she paid close attention to the gap.

    Before she continued, she drenched the towel in water and took a bottle out of her pocket.

    The water quickly started to get a little soapy before the bubbles disappeared.

    Once again, Katherine wiped his bottom with the towel before putting the towel inside the bucket.

    "Okay, now one side is done... Just onest part."

    With the towel cleaned again, Katherine squeezed all the water out before she began wiping his crotch area directly.

    "Tell me if I wipe a little too hard."

    Alex slowly nodded as his face blushed red again, but he didn''t say anything back as she continued wiping his crotch.

    After what felt like forever to Alex, Katherine had finally finished cleaning the outside of his two genitals.

    However, Katherine didn''t seem to let him go.

    She quickly threw the dirty towel into the bucket before apletely different towel appeared in her hand.

    "I might as well just clean it for you... Let Mommy check if you have been cleaning properly."

    "Mom..."

    Alex wanted to protest against her order, but he couldn''t move his body a single bit, as if she had cast some sort of restraining spell.

    "I know you don''t want me to do this. But I don''t have a husband who can check his son''s proper hygiene.

    I don''t want to do this either, okay? The faster we do this, the faster we can get this over with."

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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 131: The Dungeon, Round Two

    After a short grilling torture session, Katherine had finally finished cleaning Alex''s entire body.

    "You need to wash your underneath that skin more often, okay? No girls are going to like you if they see it."

    Alex could only slowly nod in the face of Katherine, who was lecturing him on basic hygiene.

    He couldn''t really argue back directly, knowing all the things she was saying were true.

    "And don''t forget your girl''s part too. How often do you wipe after going to the bathroom?"

    "N-Not often."

    "You have to wipe every time you use your female part to pee, okay? It''s not the same as the men''s one."

    Alex silently nodded again.

    "I''m going to check it again in the future. I better see you fully clean next time."

    Seeing her not nning to give him an exact date for the checkup, Alex felt a chill travel down his spine.

    "Mom... I can''t really peel back myself."

    Alex finally raised his concern, making Katherine blush a little as she removed his pad from his dirty panties.

    "You''ll get used to it... Just practice it more often."

    After grabbing a fresh pair of panties and clothes for Alex, she quickly put them onto him.

    "There you go... Now go to sleep for the night, okay?"

    As Katherine gently carried Alex over to the bed, his stomach suddenly started growling.

    "You hungry?"

    Alex nodded a little.

    "Let me go get you some food."

    With Katherine gone from the room, Alex immediately started to attempt to sit back up.

    However, the soreness quickly made him regret that idea, forcing him to lean back down on the bed.

    Yet, the soreness itself also made it extremely ufortable to sleep, as every muscle on his body was aching.

    "I''m never wearing that armor again, no matter what," Alex murmured as he tried to roll over.

    But even rolling over was a little difficult, taking him way too much effort as he felt more awake than before.

    Closing his eyes, all he wanted to do now was just to have the day to be over with.

    "Alex, I got you something."

    Katherine quickly supported Alex back up from the bed before she put a cup of milk against his mouth.

    Within seconds, Alex could already tell what it was from the warm, buttery taste.

    He didn''t reject it as he drank it all down before she threw the cup into her pocket dimension.

    "You feeling full now?"

    Alex slowly nodded. He let out a small burp before she helped him lean back down onto the bed.

    "Goodnight Alex... You''re going to feel better tomorrow, okay?"

    With the lights turned off, all Alex could do for the night was to close his eyes.

    ---

    The next day...

    When Alex woke up, he could feel his bodypletely normal.

    It was almost as if all of the soreness had gone away, just as Katherine had promised.

    "Finally, my period is done."

    As Alex headed over to the suitcase to get out of his pajamas, he quickly noticed a little note on the table.

    "We''re at the cksmith shop. We''ll be backter at noon."

    Looking over to the clock, it was already eleven o''clock in the morning.

    "What are they doing over there for?"

    Alex wondered as he grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste before heading to the bathroom.

    After freshening up, he went to his room to take out a book and then went down to themon area.

    As he sat down at one of the tables, he quickly noticed no customer or anyone else besides the young waitress.

    "You want a breakfast young man?" The young waitress asked as she approached Alex.

    "That will be nice. Thank you."

    As the young waitress returned to the counter with the order, Alex began reading his book.

    After waiting for thirty minutes, the young waitress finally came back with a te of food.

    "Here''s your pancake. Enjoy."

    Putting the book back down, Alex picked up the metal knife and fork, cutting it into smaller pieces before eating it.

    By the time he had finished eating, several dwarfs had entered the Inn, all buying a piece of bread before leaving.

    Just as Alex was about to get a little bored reading the book, the four of them finally returned from their morning trip.

    To his surprise, each of them was holding a piece of armor that looked much smaller and thinner than the one yesterday.

    "Alex! We brought you new armor. It''s so light that even we can wear it, and it''s even harder."

    As Mary rushed over with the helmet in hand, Alex got a little curious about her statement.

    "All this for me?" Alex asked as he looked over to Katherine.

    "Yep. All of it is for you¡ªCustom-made by a professional cksmith... Sorry about the armor yesterday.

    I didn''t realize how straining it was for your body. I should have realized that the dwarf''s size and weight don''t add up."

    Seeing Katherine looking genuinely sorry, Alex felt a little guilty.

    "It''s not your fault. I was the one who probably shouldn''t have tried to move so much in that armor in the first ce."

    ---

    When the six of them were all the way back in the dungeon again, Alex was already in his newly custom-made armor.

    Compared to the old one, it was twice as light and covered much more angles than before.

    Just tapping it with his finger, he could feel it was much more secure and tougher than the one before.

    "Here''s also your custom-made sword and shield."

    As Katherine brought the two out from her pocket dimension, Alex was beyond blown away by the preparation she had done.

    "Mom... This is too much." Alex murmured as he could feel the cost of the full set.

    "Don''t worry about money. You being happy is all I care about. Okay, let''s finish this dungeon today."

    "Finally!"

    With the barrier blocking the hallway disappearing, Mary and Sophia quickly hurried Alex to move forward.

    A minuteter...

    As the three of them walked in the dark hallway, Sophia''s light spell was the only thing illuminating them.

    "When is this walk going to end?" Maryined as the hallway seemed to be just a super long straight line.

    "I don''t know. My mana can''t even detect the end of the hallway at all. Probably just a few more minutes."

    Hearing Sophia''s answer only made Mary sigh, but she continued forward along with Alex in the front.

    "Huh... It''s not an endless loop either."

    Alex murmured as he had been making markings on the floor, yet he hadn''t run to a simr one at all.

    "How about we stop for a bit first?" Sophia suddenly suggested.

    "Sure."

    The three of them quickly started examining their surroundings, trying to find a clue about the hallway they were walking on.

    However, all four sides are just stone walls, with nothing particr that made it stand out.

    Looking back, they could still see a dotted light on the horizon, the same ce where they hade from.

    "I think it really is just a long hallway," Sophia suggested.

    "I guess you''re right."

    As the three of them resumed walking forward, the dotted light became smaller and smaller until it waspletely gone.

    At the same time, Alex quickly noticed that the path they were walking on had a slight downward decline.

    "How long have we been walking for?" Alex curiously asked.

    "No clue."

    "I don''t know."

    Seeing both of them already losing track of time, Alex began counting inside his head as the three of them continued forward.

    After counting almost over 1000 seconds, Alex suddenly stopped again.

    "Wait, we have been walking at least for thirty minutes from beginning to end... Something is wrong."

    "What is it, though? Should we start heading back then?" Mary asked, starting to look a little nervous.

    "We can''t go back. We''ll just waste all our time walking this far." Sophia argued.

    Seeing two conflicting arguments, the two of them turned over to Alex for a decision.

    "Wait, let me test something first."

    A small fireball suddenly appeared in Alex''s hand, rapidly increasing in size before he threw it down the path.

    Quickly, the entire hallway started to light up, traveling further down and down until it disappearedpletely.

    "Shit, I lost connect to it..."

    Sophia immediately understood what Alex was trying to do, as she quickly cast a light spell and threw it down the hall.

    Just like Alex, the spell flew down until it disappeared into the distance.

    "That was like at least several miles... We''re going to take forever walking this path."

    Hearing Sophia''s answer, Mary immediately started dragging both of their hands.

    "We''re going to go back! I''m not going to walk here for two hours in the dark."

    The two of them looked at each other for a second but eventually agreed to Mary''s argument.

    They had no other answers for now other than to head back to where they came from and look for more clues.

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 Chapter 132: Darkness and Confusions

    Chapter 132 Darkness and Confusions

    After walking for almost what felt like an hour to Alex, they finally arrived back in the giant room with the throne.

    "What do we do now?" Mary curiously asked.

    Both Sophia and Alex looked over to teach each other again, only to have zero clues in their head.

    "No idea... Let''s just split up and try to find something."

    The three of them quickly agreed to Alex''s suggestion, heading their way in an attempt to find something in the room.

    But with one minute gone by, Mary and Sophia had already given up, realizing they had already looked the entire ce before.

    Even Alex soon gave up, heading next to the two of them as they sat down and leaned back against the giant throne.

    "Mom! I give up!"

    Despite Maryining it out loud, Katherine still didn''t show up at all.

    "Mom, can you give us a hint?" Sophia asked out loud.

    Once again, not a single soul appeared in the room. The three kids sat on the floor, all looking a little bored.

    "There has to be a way to continue... How about you two sit here and wait while I go in¡ª¡ª"

    "Hell no. If we''re going in, we''re going in together." Mary interrupted, refusing Alex''s offer.

    "Fine... Fuck it, let''s just go back to that tunnel and walk all the way to the end."

    After getting up from the floor, Sophia and Mary both got up from the ground and started following Alex.

    "Wait, I got an idea... Can you go back and take that crystal out?"

    The two thought for a second and then agreed as they began heading towards where they had put the ck crystal.

    Alex waited for them to be turned around and started moving their hands toward the crystal itself.

    He quickly sneakily walked into the tunnel just as the two of them used their mana to create a magical hand.

    "Alex, we pulled it... Wait, where the hell is he?"

    Both Sophia and Mary immediately panicked as they ran back towards the hallway entrance, only to find it closed.

    "Shit, he ran inside when we pulled it out."

    Just as the two of them were about to head back to put the crystal back in, the entrance suddenly reappeared again.

    But rather than the dark hallway, it was a bright tunnel filled with light.

    Sophia looked over to Mary for a second before they held hands together as they walked into the darkness.

    ---

    "Shit, that wasn''t the solution."

    Alex was now inplete darkness until he cast a light spell around himself.

    Around him was the same stone floor and wall, just like when he first entered the hallway entrance.

    But there was no way back, with the wall in the ce that used to be the entrance.

    After almost ten minutes, he gave up trying to wait for the other side and began heading forward.

    Walking alone, he was a little spooked out by the dimmed light he created, as it only illuminated a few steps ahead of him.

    However, he couldn''t make it brighter because he felt he needed to save his mana.

    "Is it really just the same thing?"

    Alex wondered as he had already lost count of how long he had walked. His mind was unable to focus despite nothing distracting him.

    Inside his mind, he just felt something was a little off. Almost something was disturbing around him.

    "Come out! I know you''re there!"

    As Alex radiated the light orb to the max, almost the entirety of his surroundings was illuminated.

    Yet, there was not a single thing in sight other than just more stone walls and ceilings.

    "Calm down, Alex, stop being so paranoid... There is nothing here."

    Continuing forward, the sound of footsteps started ringing inside the ear, forcing him to turn around to check.

    But once again, there was nothing there, with all of the noise disappearing within an instant.

    "For fuck sake. Stop ying games with me. Just show yourself already. I don''t have all day."

    Despite the attempt, Alex was forced to keep walking forward towards an endless hallway tunnel.

    However, he finally noticed something a little off that made him realize he wasn''t just hallucinating.

    His shadow was constantly flickering despite the light orb he cast, which was a constant light.

    Seeing the hallway having no end, Alex suddenly stopped and turned off his light orb.

    Within seconds, the darkness swallowed him as he couldn''t even see his finger.

    But he waited patiently, standing still until he felt something pushing his armor piece on the back.

    He quickly drew his sword and shed backward, but he couldn''t feel he had hit something.

    "Please don''t be a ghost." Alex thought to himself as he took a step forward.

    Just as he expected, the feeling appeared again. But this time, it was much harder than before.

    The push was almost a sh from something if it wasn''t for his armor, rendering it into a blunt push forward.

    Once again, his attempt to spin his sword in a circle results in hitting nothing.

    However, he refused to turn his light orb, as if he was gambling that turning it on would just lead to the same situation earlier.

    "You want to y? I''m all for it."

    Alex stood still as he closed his eyes, putting his sword and shield aside as he waited for the next attack.

    The moment he felt the push against his armor, mana immediately began surrounding his entire body.

    Within seconds, a clunk sound could be heard as the wind barrier surrounding him seemed to have finally hit something.

    "Finally. There you are."

    Even though his surroundings were stillpletely dark, he lowered his wind barrier again to let the mysterious thing hit him.

    "Bang!"

    An explosive suddenly went off right behind Alex, with a bright me right behind him as he quickly lunged for his shield.

    Just as he turned around and raised his shield, he could finally see the thing attacking him.

    It was some sort of a long snake, sliding up and down as it tried to put the me on its body out.

    Alex immediately cast a fireball straight at the snake, aiming it at its clumped-up body.

    Unfortunately, the snake dodged as it leaped upward.

    At the same time, it finally revealed right before his eyes how the snake avoided being found out.

    It somehow faded into the wall, disappearing after touching the ceiling.

    "Shit, how am I supposed to kill that thing?"

    As the fire ran out of mana to sustain itself, the hallway once again fell into darkness.

    All he could do was wait, dropping his shield again as he ready up his next booby trap for the snake.

    "Hiss!"

    A clunking sound echoed in the hallway as somethingnded right on top of his armor.

    After casting a light spell to check, he waspletely shocked as his shoulder pad was starting to melt away by some sort of acid.

    He immediately removed and cut the cloth string aside, causing the shoulder pad to fall onto the floor.

    Seeing the entire armor piece withered into green bubbles, Alex regained a sense of urgency as he held his shield with his right hand.

    He wasn''t daring enough to let his back be exposed again, opting to lean back against the wall as he turned his light orb off.

    Inplete darkness, Alex quickly caught the slithering sound as he started casting a spell with his left hand.

    Blood immediately flew all over his face and body as heunched a wind de, managing to hit just as the snake struck downward with its tail.

    Feeling the snake starting to move slower and slower, he quickly picked up his sword as he waited patiently.

    After almost an entire minute of nothing, the snake finally shot out another shot of acid right at him.

    His shield blocked it, but the metal quickly began to melt, forcing him to throw it to the side.

    With only a sword, Alex moved both of his hands onto it, putting his full faith in it as he waited for the snake''sst attack.

    From just a slither of sound echoing through the hallway, he immediately shed forward before stabbing down.

    As he cast an orb of light to see again, he saw that his sword had pinned the snake''s tail to the ground.

    It was constantly trying to struggle out, but it only caused more and more bleeding as the sword dragged up and down at its body.

    Alex didn''t dare to take his sword out as he cast several wind des right at the snake''s head.

    Not a single gap remained as the snake failed to dodge two of them, letting the wind de easily separate its head and body.

    "Holy shit, that was exhausting..."

    Alex murmured as he pulled his sword out of the body and wiped the blood against the wall.

    Suddenly, the darkness began to disappear as the bright light began to surround him.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 133: Finding a way out

    "Alex! Where are you?"

    As noises echoed into Alex''s ear, his head was extremely dizzy. Barely able toprehend the thing in front of him.

    Everything looked extremely blurry until he finally got the energy to sit up and concentrate with his eyes.

    "Hm? Where am I?"

    Looking around, he was in the middle of some white room, with no one near him at all.

    When the sound reappeared again, he quickly recognized it was from Sophia and Mary.

    "I''m right here!"

    After yelling it out loud, he leaned back against the wall, getting up before he began walking towards where the sound came from earlier.

    "Fuck... That wasn''t just a dream." Alex murmured as he started checking his armor.

    His shoulder pad and his shield were still gone, with snake blood sttered all over his sword and armor.

    Twenty minutester...

    As the sound of Sophia and Mary yelling for him continued to appear, he quickly realized something was off.

    He wasn''t getting any closer, despite walking towards the sound and yelling back at them toe towards him.

    It had just stayed constant despite him trying every method, from staying still to walking toward them.

    "For fuck sake, is this still a part of another test?"

    Feeling a little exhausted, Alex straight up sat down on the floor, seemingly to have given up on the dungeon run.

    "Mom! I give up! I don''t want to do this anymore."

    After waiting for a few minutes and hearing no response, he immediately got a little concerned.

    "Shit. Did I trap myself where even Mom can''t find me?"

    Alex got up again from the floor before heading towards the opposite direction of the sound.

    As he walked further and further away, the sound finally became quieter until itpletely disappeared.

    Just as he was about to start breaking the dungeon to get out, he finally reached somewhere that wasn''t just a white room.

    It was some sort of alter room, with hundreds of diagonal lines and arge circle around it.

    "Is this some sort of spell?" Alex wondered as he reached his hand towards the lines.

    Suddenly, the walls of the alter room turned bloody red, with the lines on the floor lighting up.

    The entrance where he came from disappeared, with no other way out.

    "Oh no."

    The entirety of the red lines started to be brighter and brighter, with the wall starting topress towards the middle.

    Alex immediately thought of using his mana to cast a barrier, but he couldn''t release any of his mana at all.

    His mana waspletely suppressed, with the walls starting to move closer and closer towards the middle.

    "Mom! I don''t want to do this anymore. I''m scared! Someone please save me."

    Seeing the walls almost reaching all the way to the first red line, his face panicked even more as it kept on moving.

    There were only a few seconds left before the wall crushed him into mush as he tried to stand as close to the middle as possible.

    "Mom! I don''t want to die here. Shit, shit, shit! There''s no way I die here."

    Feeling his armor being pressed down, hopelessness began to settle in as there was not a single thing he could do.

    All his strength was no match against the wall, as his armor began to crack under the wall''spression.

    Alex closed his eyes and epted his fate.

    A single drop of tear fell from his eyes as he couldn''t believe this was the way he was going to die.

    However, after closing his eyes for almost a minute, he could still feelpletely fine and alive.

    Opening his eyes back up, the wall was still right before his eyes. But it couldn''t press down any further.

    A bubble had also somehow appeared on his body, preventing the wall frompressing any further.

    After a few seconds, a ck mist surrounded him before everything faded to ck.

    ---

    When Alex could see again, Katherine was right above him.

    Looking to the side, he quickly realized he had been resting on top of herp as a pillow.

    "Mom! I''m scared!"

    Alex immediately sat back up before hugging Katherine, his face full of fear as his heart was still racing from earlier.

    "It''s okay. Mommy is here. There''s nothing to be scared of."

    As she gently patted him on the back, his mind slowly began to calm down a little.

    After the two separated from each other, Alex was finally back to his usualposure.

    "Mom... What happened? Where did I go?" Alex curiously asked.

    "You were on the right track... But unfortunately, you fell for a trap, so I teleported you back here."

    "Thank you, Mom!"

    Alex gave Katherine another hug again, as he never felt more safe than being next to her.

    "No problem, honey... Mommy will always be there to protect you. Don''t worry about safety."

    After the warm exchange, the two of them separated again. But they could feel they had gotten much closer than ever.

    "Mom, where is Sophia and Mary?" Alex curiously asked.

    "They''re still at their pathway... They should being out soon, in like an hour or so."

    He silently nodded as he looked around the throne room, only to realize that another pair of people were missing.

    "Where''s Miss Meiya and Luqing?"

    "They''re with your sister right now... You want to see how they are doing?"

    Alex quickly nodded, his eyes a little intrigued by what possible challenges those two could be facing.

    "Let me take out a crystal ball... Here it is."

    As Katherine took a blue crystal ball from her pocket dimension, she quickly began channeling her mana directly toward it.

    After a while, the crystal ball began to change rapidly, going from ck to white, and so on, until two people appeared.

    Inside, he could see Katherine and Sophia walking in a white hallway, just like he had earlier.

    "Mom! We give up! This is pointless!"

    Mary already startedining, but looking over to Katherine made him realize she could hear him the whole time.

    He felt a little grumpy, realizing Katherine had probably heard his plea for help at the start and only decided to save him at the veryst second.

    But he quickly moved past it as Sophia and Mary encountered a challenge ahead of them.

    It was almost the same room as the one he got into earlier, except the room was blue.

    The two didn''t enter the room right away, opting to throw a spell inside first.

    However, there was no reaction.

    With no other way around it, the two finally stepped inside the room, triggering the spell on the floor instantly.

    "What is this!"

    As the blue room began to fill up with water, Alex could tell the two were trying to cast spells, but nothing wasing out.

    "Sophia, hold my hand and transfer your mana over!"

    The two quickly held hands together as the water started to rise all the way to their knees.

    To Alex''s surprise, the spell on the floor shatters, allowing the two to create an air bubble in the water.

    Even as the water filled up the entire room, the two werepletely fine in the air bubble they had created.

    After almost a minute of the room being filled with water, the two could finally advance as all the water disappeared.

    "Mom, how did they break that spell?"

    "They just overwhelm it with their mana... Usually, it takes at least two people to break it."

    The answer made Alex a little grumpy again as he realized he was practically put into an unwinnable trap.

    "Is there other way around this room?"

    "Nope... I guess if you were mage level three, you would have gotten over it that way, too."

    As he watched Sophia and Mary continue their run, he suddenly felt something was a little off about the challenges.

    "Mom, who made all these? It doesn''t really feel it is formed naturally."

    "Took you long enough to notice it... My teacher transformed this dungeon a little bit different from just naturally formed ones."

    "We didn''t sign up for this," Alex murmured, feeling he had been lied to.

    "I never said anything about going to an all-natural dungeon. That kind of stuff isn''t that easy to find."

    The answer still disappointed him a little, but there wasn''t much he could do as he watched Sophia and Mary almost reach the next challenge.

    "Mom, why did these challenges appear after I was separated from them? Why couldn''t I do it together with them?"

    "Because that would be too easy. What''s the fun in that? I want you guys to go through the challenges I went through, okay?"

    As Katherine gently patted him on the head, he still felt a little bit cheated by being a single person rather than two.

    "Fine, Mommy is sorry to iste you like this... How can Mommy make it up for you?"

    Katherine asked after finally noticing Alex''s grumpy mood, realizing how unfair it was for him to go through the challenge alone.

    "I want a sword! One that I can cast magic with and stab people."

    The wish made Katherine sigh for a second, but she eventually nodded in agreement.

    "When you''re an adult, I''ll gift you one that can do both."

    "Yay! Woohoo! Mom, you''re the best!¡ª¡ªMuah!¡ª¡ªI love you, Mom!"

    "I love you too."

    Seeing Alex celebrating in happiness, all of the worries on her face disappeared.

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 Chapter 134 End of Spring Break

    After waiting for a bit, Sophia and Mary were finally met with a challenge that sent them packing.

    Both of them couldn''t pass a test that required them to beat a savage dog that kept on dodging their spells.

    "Ah! Fuck!"

    As Sophia teleported back into the throne room, her face was still full of fear as her mage cloak was ripped into pieces.

    Meanwhile, two secondster, Mary appeared right after, being teleported directly on top of Sophia.

    "I don''t want to die!"

    "Ouch!"

    Seeing Mary covering her eyes in fear and Sophia being pressed down by her, Alex and Katherine couldn''t help butugh a little.

    "Mary, you aren''t dead. Stop panicking."

    As Katherine gently lifted her back up, she finally realized she was back in the throne room.

    At the same time, Sophia could finally get up from the ground, her face looking a little annoyed by Mary''s action from earlier.

    "You idiot. Why did you move away? I already cast the barrier on you specifically to block it."

    "I got scared, okay? You try to stand in front of that dog with his sharp teeth and ws lunging at you."

    "Why would you be scared? That barrier literally blocked it if it wasn''t for you being a coward."

    "Bullshit. I saw it crumble just as I ran away. Those ws cut through that barrier like butter!"

    Seeing the two starting to get heated, Katherine quickly broke the two apart.

    "Stop arguing. You both did a good job. I don''t want to hear you two talk to each other with profanity."

    "Hmph!"

    As the two of them crossed their arms in anger, Alex had sneakily moved behind the two of them.

    "Come on, don''t be mad at each other. I saw how you two fight. It was a valiant effort."

    The two wanted to push his arm away, but his grip was too tight as he brought them both closer together.

    "Sophia, you have to understand that Mary is still so young. You can''t expect her to stand there and block it."

    Before she could argue back against his point, Alex turned his attention over to Mary.

    "And Mary, you should havemunicated that you were about to run away first. Communication is key, okay?"

    Seeing them both falling into silence and not arguing back, Alex knew he had aplished his mission.

    "Mom, didn''t you say you were going to give them a gift afterpleting three different challenges?"

    "Oh right, yeah, I should have brought that up. What do you two want for your gift?"

    "Um, I don''t know yet."

    "I don''t know either."

    As the two gave the same answer, they finally got tomon ground.

    "Well, you two can tell me the answer when we head back¡ª¡ª"

    Before Katherine could finish talking, both Meiya and Luqing finally teleported back from the dungeon itself.

    "Kate, this thing sure is fun. Did your teacher really make this?"

    As Meiya swung her sword to remove all the blood, Luqing had already made her sword vanish into the thin air.

    "Yeah. Anyway, let''s go back to the inn."

    Katherine quickly started casting a teleportation spell, not giving Sophia or Mary time to ask about what Meiya had just brought up.

    ---

    As the six of them arrived back in a dark alley, they quickly walked out before heading back to the inn.

    "Wee back... You guys are leaving?" The young waitress curiously asked as they walked in.

    "Yeah. Thank you for the service. Here''s a tip for all the help you have given us."

    Katherine quickly took out an envelope and handed it over to the young waitress before heading upstairs with the rest of the group.

    As the young waitress opened the envelope, she found a few coins and a thank-you letter inside.

    When she headed upstairs, their room was already empty, with not a single trace of them remaining.

    Meanwhile, all the way outside of the Ironpeak castle...

    Several giant lizards were dragging a wagon with five people sitting inside it.

    At the very front was Katherine, sitting on a ledge as she held onto the lease connected to the lizards.

    "Get ready. These lizards are going to be a lot faster than the horses we rode on."

    The four of them all held onto their seat tightly, but they were still unprepared for how bumpy the ride was.

    At the start, it was mostly steady as they drove on the paved road within the Ironpeak range.

    But as they drove past the frontier wall, the road condition soon returned to the stone dirt path.

    Almost an entire dayter...

    The six of them finally arrived at the front steps of their home, exhausted from the ride and the teleporter from Silverforge to the capital.

    "We''re finally back home!" Mary yelled out loud as Katherine opened the door.

    The three of them immediately rushed inside, lying down on the sofa before Katherine made them sit back up.

    "Stop taking all the space. We don''t even have a ce to sit."

    As all six of them sat down on the sofa, their sore bodies finally got a break from their soreness.

    Except Luqing and Meiya, who barely seemed to be affected at all by the whole ride as their face looked to be full of energy.

    "Luqing, can you cook dinner today?" Katherine tiringly asked.

    "No problem."

    With Luqing heading over to the kitchen, the four of them still leaned back on the sofa like a dead fish.

    "Geez, are your body this weak? That ride wasn''t even that bad." Meiyamented as she thought back to the ride.

    None of them spoke up, seemingly too tired to argue back.

    "Mom, I''d rather ride in a horse wagon than those lizards, even if it takes a day longer," Sophia murmured.

    "Same."

    Seeing all three kids having the same opinion, Katherine nodded as she slowly leaned back up before stretching her back.

    "I didn''t know those lizards are that unstable... My bad."

    ---

    When the next day arrived, Katherine and the three kids were finally back to normal, looking much more energized than yesterday.

    "One more day before spring break is over. What do you guys want to do today?"

    Katherine asked as she carried the breakfast from the kitchen and set it down before each of them.

    "I just want to stay at home today," Alex replied.

    "Same." Both girls replied at the same time.

    With all three kids agreeing to the same statement, Katherine turned over to Meiya and Luqing.

    "We''re good with staying home too... We actually have a little announcement to make."

    "What is it?" Katherine curiously asked, sitting down in her seat.

    "Luqing and I are going to head back to our continent."

    The entire table fell into silence as the news caught all four of them a little off guard until Katherine spoke up.

    "Why?"

    "For Luqing to advance to the next stage, she needs an environment that has more Qi in it.

    This continent has too much mana in ce of Qi for that kind of breakthrough to happen."

    "I see... When are you guys leaving?"

    "We''ll probably leave when your guy''s summer break starts. So it''s not anytime soon yet."

    Meiya''s answer finally relieved the three kids, knowing they would still be with them for now.

    "You scared me, Meiya. I thought you two were going to leave today the way you said it."

    "Sorry, I probably should have said it at the start."

    As the two of them started eating breakfast, the atmosphere in the kitchen finally returned to normal.

    ---

    The next morning...

    "Mary, wake up! Time for school!"

    As Alex shook her arms, she still barely showed any signs of getting up. But seeing her rolling to the other side indicated that she was already awake.

    "If you aren''t going to wake up, Mom is going toe over and wake you up."

    "Okay, okay. Fine."

    With Mary finally getting up from the bed, Alex quickly headed back to the kitchen table.

    "Mom, I woke up Mary."

    "Okay... Breakfast is almost ready."

    As he sat down in his seat, Meiya was already at the table waiting for the food to be served.

    "Miss Meiya, what do you do at the school every day?" Alex curiously asked as the question popped into his head.

    "Ask your mom. I can''t give you that information."

    Alex didn''t ask any further, knowing that Katherine had already refused to answer that question before.

    "Here''s the breakfast."

    As Katherine and Luqing carried the te onto the table, it contained bowls of noodles, a piece of meat, and vegetables.

    At the same time, Sophia had juste out of the restroom, sitting down next to Alex.

    "Is Mary done yet?" Katherine curiously asked as the two of them took the seat together.

    "Nope, she just started brushing her teeth."

    With everyone except Mary here, they all began eating their bowls of noodles.

    "Sophia, you ready for school today?" Katherine asked.

    "Do I get a choice to say no?"

    "What do you think?"

    Sophia rolled her eyes, picking up her fork as she began eating the noodles in her bowl.

    "Alex, you excited for school?" Katherine asked next.

    "Yeah, I''m ready... I feel like I have been rotting for too long at home already."

    "That''s good to hear..."

    As the five of them continued eating, Mary finally finished getting everything ready as she left the bathroom.

    "Good morning everyone!"

    "Good morning."

    Sitting down, she quickly joined in eating the breakfast before being handed a cup of milk from Katherine.

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