"Where have you been?" Miriam asked as soon as us got back from his stroll across the vast Arcadian City. She had woken up hours ago, but us wasn''t there.


    "I went out for some sightseeing," us replied, jumping onto the bed. He had been out the whole day, returning only as night began to fall.


    Arcadian City was massive—muchrger than Ross City—so even though he had only explored a small portion of it after his coffee with Luna the Assassin, he still felt like he had traveled many kilometers.


    However, he did see some cool sights and even managed to buy some things for his mom and sister, so overall, he had fun. Of course, he didn''t want to risk drawing anyone''s attention; that would ruin his whole outing, so he kept a low profile and refrained from entering ces that required ID.


    Hearing his exnation, Miriam raised an eyebrow. She knew us didn''t like going out, as he usually spent time with his mom, training, or hunting. It was rare to see him outside.


    Having now packed her things and settled down at us''s home, she started to know more about him.


    "I hope you didn''t go chasingdies out there in the name of sightseeing," Miriam said with a slight blush.


    "Cross my heart, Grandma, I only went out to catch some fresh air," us said with a grin.


    "Hey, who are you calling Grandma?" Miriam shot him a nce upon hearing him call her that. Well, she was over 60, so it was only natural to be called that.


    us smiled at her pout, enjoying her reactions. It seemed she had lightened up a bit after catching some sleep. Of course, he knew he was one of the few fortunate enough to witness such expressions from the mighty War Goddess.


    To the outside world, she would always remain the emotionless, ruthless, and bloodthirsty War Goddess who regarded no one. Her arrogance was even higher than us''s. But now, in the room with both of them sleeping on the same bed, us was blessed to see her true self—the one she tucked away before taking on her War Goddess persona.


    "By the way, I''ve been invited to dinner with the Arcadian Family. Wanna be my plus one?" us asked.


    "Ask nicely as I might consider," the War Goddess replied with a teasing smile. Well, she shouldn''t have done that. Who was us if not someone who thrived on shamelessness?


    She had fallen into his trap, and us was more than happy to indulge her.


    "My sweet, elegant, and poised War Goddess, would you perhaps, out of pity, apany this nobody, slum kid, to dinner? He would be very happy if your elegant self would join him and help him look cool among all these wealthy people.


    He doesn''t ask for much—just hold his hand, and if he gets tired, you can hug him to release his stress. He also promises to be on his best behavior," us said with a straight face.


    us''s yful words hung in the air, and he watched as a mix of surprise and amusement danced across Miriam''s face. She fought to suppress a smile, but her efforts were in vain. She burst intoughter making us raise an eyebrow.


    ''Sweetughter'' he said inwardly.


    "Are you really asking me to hold your hand like a child?" she teased, raising an eyebrow. Of course, the hugging part was there, but she knew us meant nothing good looking for a hug. Her chest area is rather heavy for any man to ignore.


    "Only if that child happens to be a very lucky slum kid in the presence of a magnificent War Goddess," us replied, maintaining his serious expression.


    Miriam rolled her eyes but couldn''t hide her grin. "You''re impossible, you know that?"


    "Impossible but charming," us shot back with a wink. "Besides, who wouldn''t want to show off their date to the Arcadian Family? Think of the prestige!"


    "Prestige? Is that what you think I am? A trophy to unt?" She crossed her arms, feigning indignation, but her yful tone betrayed her. "And who is your date?" She just couldn''t believe this white-haired kid.


    "Of course! You''re my secret weapon. Who could resist the allure of the War Goddess at their side?" usughed, "Plus having you by my side will make them less intimidating. You might not know, but rich people intimidate me"


    Miriam shook her head, a smile breaking through her teasing facade. "Alright, fine! I''ll apany you, but only because you asked nicely. Just remember, I''m not here to babysit you."


    "Deal!" us eximed, pumping his fist in victory. "And I promise to behave...mostly."


    "Mostly?" Miriam raised an eyebrow. She seems to be showing so many emotions after pouring her heart out to us.


    "Okay, okay! I promise to behave," us said, holding his hands up in mock surrender. Miriam looked at him for a moment before entering the bathroom. Of course, us wanted to ask if he should join her, but for once, he held back and decided to call his mom instead.


    A whileter, they were fully dressed and left their room. A maid was waiting outside and immediately took them to the main mansion where dinner would be held.


    "Brother us! d you could make it!" Nathan said as soon as us and Miriam entered the vast dining hall.


    "War Goddess," he said, stopping and bowing slightly when he noticed Miriam by us''s side.


    us wanted to respond for her knowing Miriam''s demeanor. However, before he could make any move, Miriam nodded slightly epting the bow with a neutral expression on her face.


    Her gesture took both us and Nathan aback, but neither of them dared to say anything. Who would even consider it? That woman could scare an entire army with her cold stare.


    "Brother Nathan, I hope we weren''tte," us said, trying to break the tension.


    "Not at all! Dinner is just about to start," Nathan replied, a friendly smile on his face. "Everyone is excited to see you both. The Arcadian Family is eager to meet the legendary War Goddess."


    us exchanged a nce with Miriam, who seemed unfazed by the attention.


    But then again, why did they want to meet the War Goddess? Wasn''t he the one they had invited? us couldn''t help but smile at the thought as they made their way toward the dinner table, where he could already see some people seated.


    There were four young men on one side of the table. From the looks of it, they were all older than Nathan, which meant they were his brothers. Then just to the right of the head chair, another man was seated.


    A single nce was enough for us to realize he was someone of great importance. He is a Sage, but us knew better than to underestimate him. He gave a slight nod, which the Sage also acknowledged with a nod.


    On the other side of the table sat ady who needed no introduction for us to recognize her as Nathan''s mother. She had a graceful, motherly aura that made us sigh inwardly.


    His own mother had the same presence. It''s clear she is a good person... well, us is biased when ites to mothers.


    He wouldn''t forgive Luna''s mother even if she begged him. He had dered that he would kill her, and that was final. No mother should treat her children like ves.


    us nodded toward the woman, and his gaze shifted to the youngdy sitting beside her. The moment his eyesnded on her, he felt a jolt in his soul for a split second.


    She had striking yellow-like eyes that made us instantly avert his gaze when their eyes met. Despite her beauty, there was something in her gaze that could stir deep feelings within anyone.


    "Careful, brat. That youngdy is one terrifying Soul Master. You would do well not to antagonize her, especially with your bead currently indispose," The senior voice warned in his mind.


    us gulped


    "Brother us, this is my big sister, Lulu," Nathan said, introducing her.