A day has passed after Ryner and the rest arrived at Ofauvra. The king, Leodor, made a public announcement, stating that Myra and Snow were finally found. He also said that it was Ryner and his group that escorted them back to safety and that they were allowed to stay in the city for their achievement.

Quite a few were shocked and were against the uncommon reward, but many also accepted it. If they achieved something great, then it was only normal for them to be rewarded. For now, no one went against the king’s will and agreed with letting the two humans stay. The beastman, Maya, was exiled because of her family’s personal affairs. However, her exile was lifted by the king’s authority and she was allowed to stay in the city.

Once Myra’s group and Ryner’s group were done with their business, they met up and went for the fox-eared mother’s house. It was outside of the walls that separated the very expensive residences as well as the castle from the city. Her home was a more modest one that one could find anywhere, except for the guards stationed in front.

This was what Myra wished for since she did not want the rich life despite her husband’s job. As such, with her insistence, they had bought this house and lived a somewhat quiet life. Although it was awkward at first because the neighbors were cautious of the prime minister’s wife, they rapidly got used to her. Her kind smile and motherly aura easily got them to open up their hearts to her. Quite a few men and women cried tears of joy when they saw her again and brought her gifts.

As a side note, because of his duties as the prime minister, Taniel had to stay at the castle and couldn’t come home often. That was why he wasn’t there when his wife and daughter were kidnapped. As such, ever since Myra got Snow, it was usually only these two. Now, there would be Ryner, Evelyn and Maya, making the house livelier.

“*Munch munch* This is delicious!” [Snow]

“Fufu, I’m glad to hear it. Make sure to eat a lot.” [Myra]

Sitting at the dinner table, Snow gave her compliments to the chef as she munched on a sausage with a beaming smile. Her mother watched her eat with a hearty appetite while bringing a piece of soft and fluffy omelet to her mouth.

“For someone so slim, you sure can eat. Is that the secret to your breasts?” [Ryner]

“W-why are you sexually harassing me so casually?!” [Snow]

Ryner commented on the side and ate some green chunks that looked like the stem of broccolis and tasted like cabbage. Sometimes, he would find food in his plate that he couldn’t exactly identify. But, since it was tasty and it didn’t really look weird, he didn’t care.

“Relax. I’m not into kids.” [Ryner]

“I keep telling you! I had my first mating season already! I’m considered an adult!” [Snow]

“Come to think of it, mating season is over, is it not?” [Evelyn]

“It lasts two weeks, so it’s been finished for quite a few days now.” [Maya]

Evelyn asked after gracefully wiping her lips. No matter when, this dignified vampire always exuded the aura of a noblewoman and definitely looked the part. Unfortunately, her real self was quite different when it came to Ryner.

“You can certainly hold your liquor, Maya. But, please don’t overdo it. It’s only morning.” [Myra]

“It’s fine, it’s fine~. This is to celebrate.” [Maya]

Maya ignored Myra’s gentle chiding and continued to sip on alcohol that she swiped from the cupboard. Her easygoing and liquor-loving personality was back. After beating her older brother and shutting up everyone that either whispered insults or stared at her with scorn, she was feeling free. The weight on her shoulders that burdened her since she was a child was gone.

“How are things with your family? Will you be visiting them today?” [Myra]

“Yes, I think I’ll go mess around with them some more~.” [Maya]

Her father had told her that they would treat Arka’s injuries and they could stay in the waiting room until someone came to pick them up. But, more importantly, he had told her that she could visit the house whenever she wanted. This didn’t mean that she wasn’t disowned anymore, but it meant that her abilities were acknowledged.

As a family of fighters who highly valued abilities, they knew when a strong fighter was in front of them. As proof, among the pair of eyes staring at her, many already changed from pity and ridicule to respect and even a bit of fear. Some arrogant ones couldn’t believe what they saw and still didn’t accept her, but they weren’t so obvious about it anymore.

After all, magic was allowed in the end. Arka’s last punch should have knocked her out. It was a fact that she was born with a small mana pool while her older brother’s reached the realm of S rank. Logic dictated that she couldn’t win. Yet, as if spitting on logic, she withstood his blow and punched him through the wall.

Such a thing was impossible for it meant that Maya had found a way to increase her mana pool. Perhaps, expecting people to barrage her with questions regarding this, Argos locked them up in the waiting room and explicitly ordered everyone to not bother them.

“You know, dad and uncle Leodor really wanted to meet you guys yesterday. Why did you refuse?” [Snow]

“To evaluate your king.” [Ryner]

“Evaluate?” [Snow]

“In my books, a king that can take no for an answer is a good king.” [Ryner]

“But uncle Leodor is already a good king.” [Snow]

When Snow had told everyone who saved her and her mother, they were either frowning suspiciously or nodding to her words with sparkling eyes. It was hard to believe a human would go out of his way to help them. Furthermore, from what they heard, he was probably an assassin charged with killing the noble that bought them. He really didn’t sound trustworthy, but when Myra told them that he offered to take responsibility and help them, Leodor started laughing loudly.

“Everyone really wanted to meet you when I told them about you.” [Snow]

“Seriously?” [Ryner]

“Tota and Tita were really excited and said you sounded like a hero. I think aunty Meireld was excited too. No, she wasn’t smiling. Was it aunty Tali? Or aunty Sally? Dad doesn’t like humans, so he wasn’t happy… Umm, Kirial and Mimi wanted to meet you and they looked happy! Ah, Mimi didn’t really looked happy. Mmm…” [Snow]

“Not everyone welcomes you with open arms, but they don’t mean any harm. They truly are grateful that you saved us.” [Myra]

“I know. Humans aren’t exactly welcomed here.” [Ryner]

The muscular king found him rather interesting and wanted to meet him and his friends. However, when the mother-daughter pair personally went to get Ryner and told him this, he refused. Myra had to convince an unhappy guard to pass on his refusal and guided them to her home. Surprisingly, Leodor was fine with it and said that he would meet them whenever they wanted.

“I already had to visit the Catallards, so I just want to relax right now.” [Ryner]

“The Catallard house. How nice~. I never went to play there before.” [Snow]

“Don’t sound so envious. The place’s full of muscle heads. No offense.” [Ryner]

Ryner turned to Maya who was simply enjoying her drink before looking at Snow again.

“And you don’t go there just to play, Miss I-didn’t-know-that-Maya’s-part-of-a-famous-clan.” [Ryner]

“I-I too did know! The Catallards and the Terdims protect uncle Leodor and his family! There’s no way no one knows who they are!” [Snow]

“Then how come you didn’t know? You probably saw Maya’s dad and brother a few times.” [Ryner]

“It’s, it’s because Maya has kitty ears and a kitty tail, so I thought she was a catkin instead…” [Snow]

“They all have the same traits as her.” [Ryner]

Snow tried to defend herself, but she didn’t look convincing with the way her eyes were darting around.

“Actually, Maya, those aren’t cat ears?” [Ryner]

Ignoring Snow who was mumbling “So what if I didn’t know…” under her breath, Ryner asked Maya as he stared at her ears.

“Not exactly, Master. My clan is related to the cardivore.” [Maya]

“Cardivore?” [Ryner]

“Yes, it’s not a cat, but a ferocious beast. We believe that’s why we’re born with large mana pools. There’s even a rite of passage with a cardivore involved.” [Maya]

“But you’re not born with a large mana pool. So, perhaps you’re a kitty?” [Evelyn]

Evelyn teased her with an amused expression.

“Maybe~. Though, I don’t think my brother will be happy to know that he lost to a kitty. Ah, before I go see my family, I need to visit my friend.” [Maya]

Maya was about to bring the cup to her mouth, but stopped and stared at the ceiling. She suddenly remembered her friend that she failed to visit because of all the excitement. It was a huge mistake on her part.

“AAAHH!” [Snow]

Snow exclaimed loudly and stood up from her chair.

“I forgot to go see my friends too! And I’ve missed school for months! What am I gonna do if they expel me?!” [Snow]

Snow said in a panic voice. Her hands were on her head and her ears were pressed down flat.

“You were kidnapped, deported and sold off as a slave. I think that’s a pretty good reason for missing class. Right after the classic ‘I’m down with a cold’ excuse.” [Ryner]

Ignoring Ryner, Snow sat back down, brought the plate to her mouth and gobbled up her food.

“Mom, I need to go!” [Snow]

The blonde-headed girl said as she licked her lips, put her plate down and stood up.

“Do you want me to go with you?” [Myra]

“I’m fine!” [Snow]

“Then be careful, and make sure to bring the guards waiting outside.” [Myra]

“Do I have to?” [Snow]

The daughter asked her mother with an unwilling expression.

“Fufu, don’t look so reluctant. You know your father and everyone are worried about us. Take them for their sake, ok?” [Myra]

“I know, but I’m not used to having people following me all day long.” [Snow]

“Now, now. They were assigned here to protect us, so we should let them do their job. Also, I’ll feel better too if I know you have people protecting you when I can’t see you.” [Myra]

“… Ok then.” [Snow]

Bidding farewell to her mother and her guests, she dashed out of the front door and had two guards accompany her.

“Fufu, that daughter of mine. She’s so careless.” [Myra]

Myra was gently smiling.

“That’s not something to be happy about.” [Ryner]

“You’re right. But, she has some reliable soldiers with her and I think it’s better that she’s so energetic.” [Myra]

Staring at her cup of coffee, she remembered the figure of her daughter who was sobbing while hugging her knees. She was truly grateful to this black-haired man for saving them. Leodor might have understood this and that was why he didn’t take offense from Ryner’s refusal to meet him. The rest of his family also wanted to see his face and confirm what kind of person he was. This included Taniel, but he was quite wary of him, mainly because he was human.

“What will you be doing for the day?” [Myra]

“I’ll be waiting for my reward.” [Ryner]

Ryner originally planned on leaving right away, but decided to make use of their gratitude and asked for a certain reward instead.

“Fufu, sorry, but Leodor hasn’t made up his mind yet.” [Myra]

“Guess it can’t be helped. I’m willing to wait a few more days before leaving.” [Ryner]

“Oh my, it’s fine for you to stay longer. Snow would be very happy about it.” [Myra]

Myra held her cup of coffee with both hands and took a sip. As the warm liquid flowed down her throat, she closed her eyes to enjoy the taste.

“If you’re really in a hurry, you can meet Leodor to ask him personally. Do you want to go see the king of Ofauvra? Oh?” [Myra]

The fox-eared woman asked Ryner and looked up to see his face, but he wasn’t sitting on his chair. In fact, his figure couldn’t be seen anywhere.

“Ryner?” [Myra]

“Ryner left already.” [Evelyn]

Evelyn answered her query while calmly sipping on her coffee. She was like a professional secretary who often had to deal with her boss’s penchant for skipping work. As for Maya, her shoulders were shaking and she was stifling a laugh with her hand on her mouth.

“Oh my, I didn’t notice at all.” [Myra]

Myra blinked her eyes and looked around the room.

“It would be more apt to say that he escaped.” [Evelyn]

“Escaped? Why is that?” [Myra]

“We ran into trouble the last time we had to deal with royals and nobles.” [Evelyn]

“Oh my, it indeed sounds troubling.” [Myra]

The blonde-haired housewife said as she put a hand on her cheek. She understood what Evelyn meant from those vague words since she also ran into trouble with nobles when she was a slave. By the way, Snow ended up having a slight fear of dogs after that ordeal.

“Please tell your king to wait a bit longer if he asks you about us.” [Evelyn]

“I see. I certainly can’t reject the request of my benefactors. Please enjoy our city at your leisure.” [Myra]