Adam went directly to the real estate agency in Heider the very next day. He was too excited to wait and wanted to see what his options really were. There were so many houses that he spent a few days going over what they had available. The lists only had general descriptions of the houses and their prices listed so Adam had to go visit each one he felt interest in to truly see what it was like. There were a few houses he was initially interested in but they were close to the outskirts of the residential district where they would be near the main roads, which made them louder than he ideally wanted. Among those houses towards the inside of the district Adam still had plenty of options to choose from with a whole five gold at his disposal. There were even huge mansions for sale that he could purchase but he felt those were far too large to actually live comfortably in. The house that he finally chose had an exotic design that originated from kingdoms of the far east.

The lot that the house was on was over two-thousand-five-hundred meters square! The house itself was like the outline of a square. Each side of the house was a full twenty-eight meters long! In the dead center of the house it was cut out into an open space that was also square and measured fourteen meters on each side. This space had an exuberant garden that held a few trees and even a pond! There were a few winding paths through this garden so you could exit from the inside of the house along one of its sides and walk through the garden to reach the other side of the house. Of course you did not have to walk through the garden as there were hallways along the full length of the house but it would take a longer time to walk around that way. Inside the garden it felt so quiet and peaceful that Adam immediately became enchanted by it. The house also had fully running water so they could even draw a bath in any one of the three restrooms in the house! There were even neatly designed fire pits under each bath tub so that the water could easily be heated up! With the running water they also had plumbing, of course, but not all the houses in Heider had this seeming necessity! It was a standard feature for this particular district, though. The rest of the lot around the house was reasonably fenced off with nicely designed wooden fences that rose about half a meter from the ground at the front of the lot and quickly rose to a full two meters at the back. There were plenty of trees and bushes placed around the lot. It almost felt like this house wasn't inside a city at all! The house was in the upper middle class area so Adam did not have to worry much about unscrupulous neighbors since they would have at least some amount of decorum. It was also around thirty minutes away from Madame's so it wasn't too far away!

Even though this was also a large house that might be too spacious, Adam decided on this house without a second thought. Handing over the two gold required to purchase the house almost made Adam's heart bleed. It was truly worth it, but two gold was still a huge sum to just give away! The house truly belonged in the upper middle class district and the cost matched what he was getting. The house came with a few bare essentials but Adam would wait for Helen before deciding on what type of furniture to buy for the house. That is, if she was willing to move in with him...

The day after he bought the house, Adam got Helen to go out with him. He had her close her eyes as he lead her by the hand. It was a long time for her to keep her eyes closed but Adam did not want her to know that they had entered the residential district. He didn't want her to guess what surprise he had to show her before it was time. They chatted as Helen started throwing out guesses as to what the surprise was. Luckily she did not get it right and Adam was easily able to shoot down all her guesses. Finally, they found themselves in front of Adam's new house. Along the road there were benches placed at various intervals and one such bench found itself directly in front of the entry way to the lot of the house.

Adam guided Helen to the bench and helped her sit down. He then sat down next to her and held her hand as he whispered into her ear: “Now look straight ahead and then... open your eyes!”

When she opened her eyes Helen saw a huge house with a gorgeous lawn. While it was beautiful, she was initially confused why Adam wanted to show this to her... and then she started to connect the dots. At the same time Adam started talking: “This is my house! If you want to be with me this could be your house too! I bought it with the intent of raising the family that we- uh, I... the family I will have in the future... Helen, will you live with me?!”

Adam's hand had started shaking as he was so nervous. He had made a mistake with the words he had planned to say but he thought it would still suffice. He hoped that this was also what Helen wanted but there was always that chance she would say no. Even if the possibly was so low it was nonexistent, the fact it existed at all gave Adam worry. Helen's own thoughts paused for a moment. This house for both her and Adam? Those last words he just said were also somewhere in-between him asking her to move in and if she would marry him... Adam noticed a certain glint pass through Helen's soul. It was the glint she gave when she started scheming mischief for him. Adam felt that this meant success but before he could celebrate, Helen suddenly said: “But Adam, if this house is for your family, where will mine live?”

Adam suddenly paused as his heart dropped. “Uh... what? What does that even mean?”

Before Adam could collect himself Helen looked as though a brilliant idea hit her. “Oh, I have and idea! We could just have the same family!”

She looked over at Adam with a brilliant smile as she said this. Though he could see her smile, Adam couldn't see Helen's gorgeous look that had slightly rosy cheeks from saying such an embarrassing line, but he could see a brilliant luster from her soul that was just as attractive. Adam was struck dumb by both her appearance and her words. “... Those words... Doesn't that mean she truly wants to marry me!?”

Before Adam could snap out of it Helen got up and pulled on his arm. “Show me our new house already!”

Adam showed her everything about the house and yard and she also fell in love with it. It was so different but not too much that it was extremely foreign. It all felt somewhat natural with all the life from the plants everywhere. Adam and Helen spent the rest of the day planning out how they wanted to decorate the rooms. Helen worried about the cost but Adam assured her it would be no problem. Adam had brought food earlier so they could light up a fire and cook a simple meal in the evening. After the night had descended the two decided to break the bed in.

Adam woke up early the next morning, as usual. He quietly got out of bed and put his pants on. He then did his best to quietly open the sliding door that would lead into the courtyard garden at the heart of the house. He found a relatively clear corner and began his morning exercises. He tried to match his breathing and movements to the gentle sounds of the morning. Despite his efforts to be quiet, Helen still woke up shortly after him. She draped the blanket around her bare body to protect herself from the morning chill as she leaned against the open door and watched Adam train. Neither of the two said any words but both felt the exact same; bliss.

This kind of morning was not something they had ever shared before. they had always been at Madame's before and there were always people around. Now it was just the two of them in this quiet little world that their new house provided.

Helen stopped watching Adam after a while as she went to draw up a hot bath. She washed herself up and got dressed before throwing a little more wood on the fire under the bath to keep it warm for Adam. She then started to prepare a simple breakfast. Adam had yet to eat and his stomach rumbled in hunger as he smelled some eggs being fried. Adam went back to the bedroom to put his shirt on before joining Helen in making breakfast. He noticed the hot bath ready for him and thought that Helen would prefer him to clean himself up before joining her. After a quick dip Adam put his clothes on. Unfortunately, he had not thought enough ahead to bring towels so his clothes got clingy. As Adam entered the kitchen he silently cursed his blind eyes. His elemental sight was not accurate enough to give him a clear picture of Helen with clothes clinging to her damp body and hair! Adam did not lament for long before he set the table for two as Helen just finished cooking the food.

Adam sat down as he said: “Can't wait to eat! I normally eat before I train in the morning.”

Helen gave him a smile: “Maybe now you should only do some light training in the mornings until I can prepare breakfast for you.”

The two ate in the bliss of each other's company. They did not have to say much though they did talk some. To both this all simply felt right! To wake up together and take the morning at their own pace. To prepare their own baths and meals and be together. It felt like it was truly meant to be. While Madame's was nice and was considered home they felt more comfortable here, more at... home. To Adam this house would become his place to come back to. A place that was free of burdens and restful. A true home.

The next week was spent blissfully. One of the first things Adam did was to bring Silber to the house. Now that Adam had his own place he could finally allow Silber to stay with him! Helen did not mind one bit and welcomed Silber. Adam once again caught sight of Silber's humor when he and Helen had a lovely atmosphere between them and Adam had kissed her. Silber left saying: “I will leave you two at it. Increasing the pack is a good idea!” Adam nearly chocked at that.

Adam tried to get Vivienne to move in too but she tactfully replied saying she still needed to tidy some things up before she moved over. This left Adam confused but Vivienne was just trying to give both him and Helen some space. She remembered a time where both herself and Alaric had been free and unrestrained in their feelings for one another and was giving them a chance to do the same. To freely love and make love without fear of having anyone overhearing or walking in on them.

Helen and Adam were able to have more nights together than was normal for them but that was not the focus they had during the day. In between Helen's shifts at Madame's, they were too enchanted with trying to figure out how they wanted to decorate the house. Everything was going well and Adam was not planning to go on any contracts for the Silver Saviors for a while.

At the end of that blissful week, they were finally disturbed. Adam was in the house when he noticed someone was standing awkwardly by the entrance to their lot. It was Alfred so Adam went to go greet him. Adam and Helen had yet to invite anyone over to show off the house since they had yet to get furniture and decorations for most of the rooms. From afar Adam greeted Alfred with a wave of his arm as he shouted his name: “Alfred!”

Alfred relaxed a little when he saw Adam. He had been very unsure of if he came to the right place. “Adam! So this is your home, huh? It's huge and quite lovely.”

Adam grinned. “Yeah, it is really nice. We don't have much in the way of furnishings but you can come on in.”

Alfred shook his head. He felt it a little awkward impose on Adam and Helen's abode. “Maybe some other time. Clayton wanted me to pass a message to you; the military has given us another contract to deal with a demonic beast. He hoped that you would be willing to come along on this one too.”

Surprise filled Adam's face. “Another one? This wouldn't be Luxom's doing too, would it?”

“No idea. Apparently it is a deer type demonic beast. It used to be the guardian beast of a herd in the region. While it would allow hunters to have some of its herd it would always prevent them from over hunting, though it had never been violent till now. Apparently it has gone berserk and a few people have actually died!”

Adam became solemn as he heard all of this. It was truly hard to swallow. This guardian beast had become a demonic beast. Was Luxom truly involved in this one? No guardian beast should ever become demonic unless a great change happened. There was likely no stepping back for it either. Adam looked at Alfred: “When are we leaving? I still need to organize some things before we leave.”

“The day after tomorrow. This is an urgent matter but it came too suddenly. This is the earliest we can leave.”

Adam nodded his head before saying goodbye to Alfred and parting with him. Helen was currently out and Adam waited for her to come back in order to tell her the news. She was sorely disappointed that Adam was leaving again before they could put the house in order. The very next day Adam actually took both Vivienne and Helen over to Heider Trade Financial. He wanted to leave that badge with them so they could easily access his funds at any time. Vivienne and Helen were shocked by the opulence of the place and being able to access an account with simply the badge. Adam said that Vivienne should move in while he was out on the contract and to help Helen buy new furniture and dress up the house how they liked it.

To this Helen started out saying: “Adam... I have always considered that we would be buying the furniture over a long period of time. It can be really expensive not just to buy the pieces but to get them delivered to the house. After buying the house I am sure you don't have that much left..”

Adam looked at her curiously: “I still have three gold in the account. Is that not enough?”

Vivienne and Helen looked at Adam with shocked expressions. “Since when did you even have three gold!? Weren't you just getting a single gold from the last contract?”

Adam gave an embarrassed sheepish grin. He had forgot to tell them of the bonus he had received from Clayton. He had been way too excited to shop for a house that he neglected to tell anyone. Vivienne was the first to wake up from being shocked. She then gave a beaming smile at Adam. This son of hers has already done so well for himself. “That should be more than enough to buy the furniture. Look forward to coming home to a beautiful house.”

Adam could only smile and nod. He couldn't wait to see it. The house was as much for his mother as it was for him and Helen. He was happy to see Vivienne get more involved in furnishing the house and moving in. He even helped move all her stuff over that very day so they didn't need to ask anyone else for help. He also went and bought a bed for Vivienne to sleep on as the house had only come with the one bed. It was currently without a frame but Vivienne said it was enough to sleep on for a few days. In the evening Adam was setting the table as Helen and Vivienne were preparing dinner and Silber was laying down not far away. Adam felt that his dream home had come one step closer to reality. Those he cared the most for in this world were all living together in a house of their own. That future where Helen becomes his wife and they have kids together shouldn't be that far off...

The next morning Adam and Silber departed to join the Silver Saviors on their next mission. They were going to be heading to Alfar city which was around a weeks journey from Hessler. It was a small simple city that only had city guardsmen. There was a military outpost there but there was no garrison nor a heavy presence of soldiers. The city did not even have walls around it since it was fairly deep inside Heider territory. It was also not a strategic location, just one that suited living standards. The area around the city was also forested like much of Heider.

The group heading off this time was incredibly small compared to the time they were hunting the dragon. This time they had Silber who would be a better tracker than anyone else and they knew exactly what they were dealing with this time. The group consisted of Adam, Clayton, and ten other Silver Saviors that Adam was loosely acquainted with. On the journey to Alfar Adam was able to spend more time on working with the wind formation than he had for the last week. Still, much to his chagrin, he was not able to make much progress with it.

It was evening when they finally reached Alfar and the Silver Saviors quickly found an inn and started to settle in while Clayton went out to make his usual inquiries. Before too long Clayton came rushing in. “Everyone get to bed early! I need you in top shape to start the hunt early tomorrow morning. The demonic deer attacked the edge of the city just yesterday! The city guard had managed to get their hands on some powerful crossbows and managed to hit it with a few bolts! There should be a blood trail for Silber to easily follow and with luck this hunt will end before tomorrow afternoon!”

With the sense of impending urgency it was hard to actually fall asleep early but everyone still got some rest. Early the next morning Clayton woke everyone up to start the hunt. They went to the area that had been attacked by the demonic deer. It was at the edge of the city were a few barns had been erected. There were a couple of barns that seemed to have recently collapsed. Apparently this was the scene of the recent attack. Silber sniffed around while Adam also examined everything with his elemental sight. Adam could not see anything that would help but Silber quickly picked something up!

“Beta, I found its scent! It is old but I can still follow it. It was injured so it probably did not get very far!”

Everyone quickly followed Silber as he led the way. Even if it was injured, the demonic deer had been able to flee quite the distance. They were on the trail for over five hours before Silber thought they were getting close! Still, it took another hour beyond this before Adam saw the deer in the distance. Adam quickly put his hand up as he softly cried: “Stop!”

“Do you see it, Adam?” Clayton asked.

Adam nodded. As he peered at it in the distance, Adam frowned. Something was off. The creature he could see in the distance did not give him the impression of a demonic beast, instead it was that of a guardian beast. Adam expressed this confusion to Clayton. Clayton only scratched his head just as confused. “You know more about your sight than I. I think you, me, and Silber should carefully approach and find out if it is indeed the demonic deer we are looking for. Everyone else should stay behind just in case.”

With a vague plan in place, they continued forward. Even as they approached the creature in the distance it did nothing. The closer they got the more Adam could tell about its situation. The creature before them was indeed a deer and it was injured. But he could still clearly tell that it was a guardian beast, not an insane ravaging demonic beast! As they finally moved within sight of it, it could be clearly seen laying down and trying to rest. There were a few crossbow bolts laying on the ground and the deer had a few bloody wounds on it that were healing. Long ago it had noticed their approach but it was too weak to presently move. The moment Adam and the others were in its range of sight it looked up at them with eyes that seemed to condemn them! Adam and Clayton stood in place, unsure of what to do. This was clearly the quarry they were after but its was still clearly not a demonic beast! The clear eyes it used to look at them were full of intelligence and they felt rather uncomfortable with the look it was giving them.

As they stood unsure of how to proceed, Silber quietly took another few steps forward as Adam watched his soul shine a little in the direction of the deer. The deer showed some mild surprise as it directed its gaze toward Silber with its soul giving off a similar shine. This continued for a minute as it seemed that the two actually were talking! Adam thought to himself: “What is going on? Can guardian beasts really talk to each other like this?”

When it seemed they were done talking, Silber turned around: “Beta, we can't kill it! It is not a demonic beast, it is just trying to protect its herd from murderous humans!”