The Moon family lived in a secluded area, away from the central capital.

Edris glanced around as he was led into a courtyard house surrounded by high walls. From the outside, the towering walls blocked off all interior views, but once he stepped in the gated doors, a burst of greenery filled his vision.

The courtyard followed the typical Adalarian architectural design, with single-layer dwellings and colourful, thatched roofs made of mortar. There were three main buildings in the courtyard, each adjoined by beautifully decorated cobbled paths and willow trees around their vicinity.

The armoured people led them through several pathways, and Edris saw several groups of people training by the gardens. Despite their sharp and unified movements, no sound emerged from their actions. Edris could still even make out the sound of trickling water from bamboo fountains in the background.

The centre building, surrounded by a moat, stood as the destination for Edris and the rest. Strolling into the main chamber, the group was taken to a waiting area where the armoured people dropped off Celio and Ives.

"You—this way. The Lady is waiting." The woman from earlier gestured sideways to Edris, revealing a long passageway inundated by darkness.

Edris arched an eyebrow at the suspicious hallway, then glanced at the woman, who kept an emotionless face. From the side, Celio stared at him with an expression so desperate Edris would think he was being sent to war, while Ives attempted to follow him, only to be sat back down by another one of the helmeted people.

Seeing that the woman wasn't planning to move until he did, Edris slowly breathed out.

It wasn't like he was heading to a criminal investigation, nor anything of the sort. He was just meeting Celio's mom.

How bad could it be?

Edris gave his two companions a reassuring smile and then turned to the woman with a nod.

"Let's go."

***

"So—you are the traveller my son has decided to 'devote his life following,' as he had written in his letter."

"…"

A thin layer of green veil separated him and Lady Moon. Even though Edris could only discern a vague silhouette of the woman sitting before him, he plastered on a gentle smile.

The smell of jasmine wafted around the haze-filled room, lit only partially by the candles resting on wall counters.

"It's an honour to meet you, Lady Moon," Edris said. "Celio has spoken much about you during the time of our journey."

"Oh?" The tone in her voice pitched up with curiosity. "What did he say?"

"That you're probably the Diales Deity in disguise, trying to sabotage his journey to become a righteous hero."

The room fell silent at the dark-haired man's words. Something in the air seemed to shift as the candles flickered all around him, but he posed no reaction to such changes and gazed forward with a gentle smile.

One of the servants standing by the edge of the room hiccupped, only to immediately smack a hand over his mouth.

Just as the tension in the room appeared to be reaching a peak, the woman behind the veil shifted in her seat. Then slowly, her shoulders began to shake. At the sight, the servant fell onto his knees, ready to beg for forgiveness.

In the silent room, a stifled laugh echoed through the space.

At first, it was just a giggle, then it erupted into full-out laughter—belonging to none other than Lady Moon.

"Ah, that's just like him. As expected from my son." She moved her arm to her face. From the looks of her silhouette, Edris suspected she'd laughed so hard she cried.

The previous tension dispersed at once, and the servant slumped onto the ground in relief.

The dark-haired man silently watched as the servant was taken out of the chamber, then fixed his attention back onto the woman as though nothing had happened.

"What a special mother-son relationship you have." He smiled.

"Of course we do. I do not need you to tell me that." All traces of mirth seconds ago were gone as Lady Moon cleared her throat. "In any case, I suppose I still need to introduce myself. I am Grace Moon, mother of Celio Moon and leader of the Moon Family, along with my husband, Evans Moon."

"A pleasure to meet you, Lady Moon," Edris said.

Frankly, Lady Moon was much different than who he had imagined her to be. With the Moon family's daunting reputation and Celio's traumatic recounts, he'd expected a stern, intimidating figure.

After engaging in some small talk, Lady Moon lifted a hand, and a servant came over holding a wooden tray. Resting on the tray was a vermillion case, glistening under the candlelight and looking very expensive.

Edris's eyes lingered on the case for a brief moment before turning to the woman.

"A little thank-you gift for taking care of Celio. Please open it when you get back." she mused. "I hope he has not caused too much trouble to you."

"Not at all." Edris smiled like the sun. "Celio is quite a pleasure to travel with."

"As a mother, I must say I worry about him a lot. Did he eat well? Did he get injured at any point?" She sighed, then brought a cup of tea to her mouth. "You must tell me everything Celio has done in Zacriya."

At her prompting, Edris only shrugged his shoulders. "A mother's love is only natural. But Lady Moon—" He placed the vermillion box to the side. "—why to ask me to repeat what's already within your knowledge? You must know everything already."

Grace Moon stopped sipping her tea. She lifted her head, and although they were separated by a veil, Edris could make out a faint smile.

Aside from the aghast looks of the servants in the chamber, he could also feel the gazes of countless others from outside the door, seeping through the cracks and directing right to him.

Ignoring the weight of those stares, Edris only smiled back. Indeed, he'd noticed their presence from the very beginning of the conversation.

After all, he had a certain pink fluff by his side.

Ace's deep voice had echoed in his mind the moment he stepped foot into the chamber.

— We're surrounded. Twenty-five Awakeneds within the five-meter vicinity.

— One of their mana presence matches the one following Celio back in Adalan.

With this information in mind, Edris turned back to Lady Grace. Despite his statement, she didn't seem to be fazed as she elegantly set her teacup back onto the bamboo mat.

"Would you like to join me for dinner?" she asked. "It's an informal dinner with the family and some friends, so you do not have to worry about intruding. Think of it as the Moon family's thanks for caring for Celio these past months.

"Aside from our family members, some esteemed guests are also coming. It'd be a great opportunity to meet new people and establish connections as well—as you like to do as a traveller."

She smiled.

"You will not refuse, right?"

The room was silent, with mist thick enough to cast a thin layer of white close to the surface level. Edris paused, then smiled back.

"Of course not."

At that moment, the green veil between them lifted, and the mist dispersed at once. For the first time since he entered the room, Edris could clearly see the woman sitting before him.

The first word that came to the dark-haired man's mind was youthful.

With a small face and large, hazel eyes, the woman seemed in appearance closer to Celio's sister than his mother, yet there was a mature light in her gaze that undoubtedly belonged to someone of great wisdom.

She wore an emerald green silk dress that looked like it was bought two sizes larger. It lengthed to her ankle and a semi-transparent cardigan with wide, baggy sleeves.

Lady Moon stood up, eyes curved into a smile.

"Shall we go, then?"

***

Celio and Ives sat side by side in the courtyard's swings outside the main building.

They curved up and down in alternating intervals, each bearing a blank look on their faces.

The beast tamer, especially, was exasperated by all the imaginary scenarios running through his mind while waiting for his Master to come out. Celio hooked his arms by the swing ropes and clasped his hands together for the fifth time in the past ten minutes.

"Please let Master come out alive. Please let Master come out alive…"

"You're really scared of her," Ives commented from the side, hair flying from the swing's momentum.

"You don't understand. She's not someone who can be understood based on common logic. I'm afraid that Master is going to be overwhelmed by her." Celio shook his head. "I've known her for sixteen years, and I still can't understand how her mind works. There's never an explanation or pattern to her actions or personality. One moment she's acting like a responsible family leader, and the next, she's like a crazy teenager.

"Sometimes, I even forget that she's my mother."

Celio sighed, growing glum by his own recounts. Ives stared at him, then calmly turned away.

"What are those?" she asked, pointing to the row of tools positioned by the walls.

"Not sure. They weren't here before I left for Zacriya." Celio shrugged, turning to one of the cleaners in the distance. "Hey, what are those?"

"They were gains from the Labyrinth three months ago, Young Master," the cleaner explained. "Commander Moon's acquaintance was pulled in, and he managed to come out with chests full of valuables."

"Labyrinths give out these things now as well?" Celio creased his eyebrows. "I thought it was just gemstones."

"There's been a reported increase in varieties recently," the cleaner replied. "Some quite useful, too, so no one's complaining."

Another three minutes passed, and two dots emerged from the distance. Celio's head perked up, and Ives immediately hopped off the swing.

"Master!" Celio cried out, truly relieved to see the dark-haired man in one piece.

"Son!" His mother cried back as she dashed toward him. The next moment, she pulled the beast tamer into a tight hug, rubbing her cheeks against his.

Celio almost choked from his mother's overwhelming enthusiasm. From the corner of his vision, he could see his Master with a dazed expression on his face, his pale eyes shifting between them.

"Ah, you've done this for sixteen years, quit it!" Face flushed, Celio pulled back from her embrace, succeeding only on the third try.

Lady Moon crossed her arms with a pout. Her gaze then landed on the young girl with bobbed hair next to Celio.

Sensing ominous foreboding, Ives immediately moved behind Edris.

"What did you talk about for so long?" Celio sighed to his mother. "You weren't being mean to Master, right?"

"We were talking about how cute you are!" Lady Moon moved in for another hug, which the beast tamer casually dodged. "In any case, let's head over to the Common Hall, Mister Traveller Edris here as agreed to join us for dinner!"

"Dinner? At the Common Hall?" Celio tilted his head. "Why can't we just have it on the patio?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, this is where you're lacking, my son." She clicked her tongue. "For guests visiting for the first time, it's important to keep a formality going! It's all etiquettes."

"Etiquettes you're following for the first time…" Celio muttered. "Will the Commander be there?"

"Of course! Your father misses you tons as well."

Celio scoffed under his breath, an action Lady Moon paid no attention to.

"Don't mind the details! It's just going to be a cute, intimate 'welcome home' dinner within our family." She sang, leading them over a bridge, toward the tall building on the side. "And some friends."

Celio halted midstep. He turned toward the woman with narrowed eyes.

"Friends?"

Grace Moon smiled innocently.

***

The next thing he knew, Celio found himself sitting by a long table with ten other bodies in the room.

He glanced left and right with a blank face, a thousand questions in his head. He sat in the centre seat of the long table. Both sides of the table were filled with people, some he recognised as acquaintances of the Commander, while others he'd never seen in his life.

To Celio's left sat Edris, while to his right was his mother. Aside from his Master and Ives, all gazes fell on the beast tamer, as though capturing his every movement.

The centre chair on the other end of the table was empty.

Celio inhaled deeply.

Which part of this was considered an "intimate dinner"?!