After I wake up from my nap, I was surrounded by kids. Daniel is laying his head on my stomach as he looked up to my face.

"Roy is up!" He said.

"I'm up. I heard that you learn difficult words. How smart are you right now?"

"I learn something from Sister Angela! She taught me what you are! A lazy bum!" Daniel said with a bright smile.

Well, that was not wrong. But considering what I have done, I don't think I have time to be called a lazy bum. I have been so busy these past few month.

Then I looked at the side to see Hannah is carrying Lana in her arms.

"Have you been a good big sister to these two?" I asked Hannah.

"I have. We have been sleeping together all this time!"

"How's Lana? Did she freeze anything?"

"Not anymore. As long as someone is with her, she won't freeze anything. I think Lana is just lonely."

Then Hannah told me that during the first day of travel, Lana freeze the wheel of the carriage at night when she can't sleep. Then when Hannah come close to her and hugged Lana, she didn't freeze anything anymore.

"You're a great big sister." I said as I patted Hannah's head.

"Me too! I'm a great big bother!" Daniel said. Seems like he wanted to be patted as well.

"Haha! You're missing one letter there. It should be a big brother. Not bother. And you have never been a bother to me." I patted Daniel's head as well.

Seriously, why did I have to be so busy and leaving these cute kids behind in the care of others? I wish everything will be over soon and no war happen. But that's just a wistful thinking knowing how capable the cult is. I just hope that Penny and Ruby can raise the kids well despite the danger that happen in this world.

"So, why are you guys here?"

"Mom said dinner will be ready soon so she told us to wake you up." Hannah replied.

"I see. Let's go down then."

Daniel quickly stand up on the bed with both his hand raised up.

"Carry me!" He said.

"I thought you are the big brother?"

"Now I'm the little bother! So carry me!"

"It's brother."

I picked up Daniel with one arm and prepared to leave my room when I looked at Hannah's expression. She looks a little jealous and seems to want to be carried as well.

"Hannah, you can jump on my back, you know? And I will carry Lana."

"Umm… no. I'm the big sister so I can't be spoiled." She replied.

"Sure you can. Even I want to be spoiled sometime."

"Then I'll take your offer!"

Hannah then let me pick Lana and I put Lana on Daniel's arm.

"Hold her tight, okay?"

"Yes, sir!" Daniel replied happily.

Then as I turned my back to Hannah, she climbed the bed and jumped on my back. She hugged my neck with one hand while the other hand is patting my head.

"Since you want to be spoiled, I'll pat your head!" Hannah said.

"Oh. This is nice. Let's go to the dining hall." I said.

"Let's go!"

Down in the dining hall, the meal has just been prepared on the table. I let the kids down and they ran to their seat.

It's been a while since I'm here and the number of chairs increased. Of course it has considering we got new family members. Candy, Shirley, Ian, and the baby Lana.

But today, most of them are empty. There are only the kids, Lina, Penny, Ruby, Ian, and me.

"Where's the others? They haven't finished their requests?" I asked Ian who has returned.

"We all took subjugation quests for all kind of monsters nearby. But each one of us took different route. Ms. Sonia told me that everyone is okay. They are competing among themselves to find who subjugated monsters the most." Ian replied.

"Being competitive is fine and all. It helped everyone grow stronger. But that doesn't mean they have to skip dinner for it."

"Don't worry. I have prepared them some meal in case they haven't returned for dinner. But since they haven't returned by now and the gate already closed at this time, they should be returning tomorrow in the morning."

They are competing to the point of camping outside? Should I visit them tonight?

Nah, I'll just stay here and play with the kids.

As for the gifts for Kayla and Sophie, I'll give it to them tomorrow after they returned.

Before I forgot, I gave Lina something to do.

"Lina, can you help me?"

"What is it, Master?"

"I want you to wash this stocking."

When I hand her the fishnet stocking, everyone froze other than the kids.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Did you made another girlfriend?" Penny asked.

"No."

"Did you cheat on your girlfriends?" This time it was Ruby.

"No!"

"Where did Master stole it from?" Lina also asked me.

"I didn't steal it!"

"I didn't know you have such hobby. Now I think I can believe the story Ms. Victoria told us about you and Hill." Ian said.

"I don't have such hobby! This is a magic tool I got from a dungeon! Even I don't know why it's a fishnet stocking!" I cried out loud to make everyone believe me.

After many times telling them that Victoria's stories are 90% lies, how come they still believe her?

"Master, you found this stocking and asked me to wash it. Does it mean you wore it when you found it?" Lina asked again.

"No! I'm with another party back then and there's a girl who willingly put them on and tested it! It was not me! And that girl doesn't want it anymore because something happened so I take it with me since it's a useful magic equipment. I did say that I'm visiting Sam so her appraiser can appraise some things for me, right? This stocking is one of them. I'm planning to give it to Sophie."

"Oh, is that so? Then I believe Master." Lina said as she turns back to do some laundry.

I can see her grinning. Everyone is also smiling and laughing. So it means they're doing it on purpose? Everyone is teasing me? Even Lina and Ian?

Don't tell me that everyone is getting along because whenever I'm not around, they started talking about me. Making fun of me. That's why everyone's chemistry is so good when they are teasing me or making fun of me.

Right now, I felt so alone even though I'm with other people. Let's ignore the adult here and just play with the kids.

I spend the rest of the day playing with the kids and reading them books. After keeping them company, I grabbed the tank where I put magic stones so they can be transformed into air element, and took out the magic stones.

I took out the magic stones to my bed and prepared to cultivate when Victoria entered my room.

"Hmm? You're not with the girls?" I asked Victoria.

"What? You don't miss me at all? I'm so sad." Victoria pretended to cry.

"Yeah, right. By the way, what did you girls doing on your journey? How could everyone improved so fast and leaving me behind?"

"Simple. We just had either me or Sonia on watch duty every night since neither of us need rest. Then as for the others, they can either rest or cultivate. Everyone choose to cultivate every night other than Lina. That's why they improved quickly. What about you? What did you do? I heard that you entered a dungeon."

"Dungeons. I entered all the dungeon I found on the way here. Most of them are dungeons that has been conquered many times by other hunters so there are no treasures over there other than some magic stones that I sent you. Only the first and the last dungeons is different."

"Explain more before you cultivate. I'm bored."

"Nothing much to tell. The first dungeon's entrance is through underwater tunnel under a waterfall. That's where I found those eels you eaten."

"Aah… those were delicious."

"I know, right? And I heard from Lina that there's only one more eel left and we had it for dinner tonight. Where did the rest go?"

"Obviously, we ate them all. When we reached Cassau, there were still three eels left. Then we ate two of them before you returned. And now you have returned, Lina used the last of the eels for your dinner."

"Sigh… at least I can still eat it even though it was just one."

Then I continued telling her about my experience in the first dungeon. How I tried to talk with monsters and how I took the treasure and escape from the giant fire lizard.

"What's the treasures you got? Are they something good?" Victoria asked about the treasure.

"I'll tell the rest when everyone returned tomorrow. I still want to cultivate so don't disturb me."

"Fine. Then I'll be in my room writing some stories about Roy x Albert. By the way, my books will be published soon. Isn't it great?"

"Not at all! Burn them before they spread!"

"You can't take what I love from me! Good night!"

Victoria slammed the door and went back to her room. I used Divine Vision to see what's she's doing. And thinking that I'm looking at her, Victoria opened a page and direct it to my room.

…I read a bit and I regret reading it.

I hope no one realized where she got the reference of the characters in her books from.

After clearing my mind, I grabbed a magic stones and cultivate my air magic.

Ignore everything and focus only on improving my magic level.