A bad memory returned to him when their gazes met.


    When coming into Turric for the first time, Orion, Amelia, and Karteira took a short respite into a restaurant.


    At that time, a rude man bothered his alone time and brought the worst out of him.


    The bald man approached Orion with a serious expression.


    Instead of moving away, he stood his ground.


    "Sir..."


    Hesitantly, the man called out to him.


    "Do you perhaps remember me?"


    Seeing the neutral gaze on Orion''s face, he knew he had to be careful about his speech.


    "I do. Is there something you want from me?"


    This sounded colder than he meant it to be.


    "No. I don''t need anything from you in particular."


    With a smile, he scratched the back of his head before bending his upper body forward.


    "I simply hoped for an opportunity to thank you."


    Seeing the genuine display of humility, Orion lifted his eyebrow in surprise. Suddenly, he felt a need to listen to the man.


    "Have I done something to justify receiving your thanks?"


    "I remember almost leaving you to die. It would make more sense if you were to resent me."


    Orion turned his head toward him with a serious expression, as he couldn''t understand why he had approached him.


    "What you said to me that day. To this day, I continue to base my actions around them."


    The bald man straightened and clenched his hands into tight fists.


    It wasn''t an act of defiance, but one of frustration toward himself.


    "When I settled in Turric, I was still an immature person. I thought I could get everything by pressuring others."


    "You were the one who opened my eyes."


    He smiled naturally.


    "If you could accept my apology from that day, I would have no regrets left."


    "Sure. I have no reason to refuse an apology."


    With a firm nod, Orion let the matter go. It wasn''t as if this incident bothered him anyway.


    "Thank you. I am relieved to hear that from the man I have wronged."


    Orion shrugged it off. As he did, he noticed a woman carefully watching from afar.


    "That person behind you... Is she with you?"


    He turned around and looked in her direction.


    "Oh. Yes."


    With a smile, he waved at her.


    "Thanks to the advice you''ve given me, I built a wonderful relationship with a colleague of mine."


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "After you left, I went to apologize to the owner of the restaurant."


    Waving for her to come closer, he continued.


    "I began working in that same place and grew accustomed to Turric''s life. She might be a few years younger than me, but she helped me nonetheless."


    "Even though I was this way, she accepted me. She taught me a lot and replaced the loneliness I was feeling previously."


    With careful steps, his companion came closer. The creaking of the snow under her boots stopped as she stood next to the man.


    "Hello."


    Somehow, Orion recalled seeing this woman. She was one of the waitresses working at the restaurant.


    "Hello."


    Orion nodded as she gently waved at him. He could feel the radiant smile on her face and gathered that she was truly happy being next to the man.


    "What were you talking about?"


    She turned to him and stared into his face with a concerned expression.


    "I apologized to him for something I''d done before being hired. I''m sure you remember that day, too."


    "Oh! Is that the person with the two gorgeous women at that time?"


    He nodded.


    Glancing toward Orion with a nervous smile.


    "Do not worry."


    The man grabbed her hand and eased her worries.


    "If you say it''s fine, I believe you."


    Orion could tell. This was a perfectly healthy and genuine relationship. The man had worked hard to make his beliefs a reality and find the happiness he was looking for.


    Feeling the air turning colder, the two shuddered.


    "I will be on my way now. The sun is setting."


    Looking at his pocket watch, Orion smiled.


    "Your apology; I''ve received it. Now be on your way, and never worry about it ever again."


    "I hope you''ll stay happy forever."


    The two stared at Orion with astonishment. With a nod, they said their goodbyes and walked away.


    Watching them walk away, he heard a bit of their conversation as they left.


    "What were you doing here?"


    "Your shift ended around this time, so I came to find you. I thought you would like going home together."


    The woman hugged him.


    "I love you!"


    "Haha~"


    Orion closed his eyes and walked away with a smile.


    ''This is how our world should be.''


    ...


    "Hmm?"


    Dylan dropped the book he was reading and looked toward the window facing the entrance of his home.


    "This feeling. Is it Nylon coming back?"


    Eliza walked behind him and placed her hands on her husband''s shoulders.


    "..."


    But then, both squinted their eyes as they felt something strange.


    "This aura... It can''t be!"


    Dylan and Eliza immediately rushed toward the door and opened it abruptly, surprising the man standing behind it.


    "I... haven''t even knocked yet."


    Orion smiled while retracting his hand.


    Before he could say anything else, Eliza leaped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.


    "Orion! You''re fine!"


    The instant reality sank in, the beastmen couple were all over him.


    "He''s... alive."


    Tapping lightly Eliza''s back, he returned the hug. At the same time, he watched as Dylan turned around, wiping his tears with his sleeve.


    ...


    "So much happened to you."


    "It was difficult, but I learned a lot."


    With the sun having gone past the horizon, and Orion''s story coming to an end, the two adults, who considered him a precious part of their family, accepted it without questioning.


    "You''ve grown. Hearing words of forgiveness from you truly is remarkable. Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined it."


    Proud of him, Dylan nodded firmly.


    "I came to tell you that I was back myself. Of course, Nylon knew, but I asked him to stay quiet about this."


    Eliza stared at him with a warm gaze. She didn''t care about it, since it was obvious coming himself was a non-negotiable matter.


    They both felt grateful that he visited today instead of hearing of his return.


    "For now, that''s all I have to say. Since it''s already this late, I have to return home."


    "I''m not one to make everyone worry."


    As he pushed his chair and stood up, he smiled at them. It was true that his companions were waiting for him, but he also couldn''t hold the excitement of seeing the smile on their faces once he gave them the gifts he bought.


    But most of all, dinner was most likely ready by now.


    "So soon... Well, there''s nothing we can do about that."


    Dropping her shoulders, Eliza sighed. Time went by too quickly, and she wanted to speak with him more.


    "We''ll have plenty of time to talk. With his return, we don''t have to worry about anything."


    Dylan patted his wife''s back lightly, a smile on his face.


    "You''re right. I shouldn''t keep him stuck with us, since he has many women waiting for him at home."


    "A genuine stud."


    "Dylan!"


    Laughing at their interaction, which was as normal as ever, Orion walked toward the corridor.


    "Alright. See you soon. Stay healthy."


    "Same to you."


    "Take care, Orion."


    Waving at them, he exited their house and entered the portal back to Horizon.


    ...


    With his visits done, Orion breathed a sigh of relief.


    They were all perfectly healthy and in a good mood, easing his concerns.


    He chose to immediately warp in front of his home after exiting the portal hub building.


    And just as he thought, through the window, he noticed Amelia and Henrietta place plates on the table.


    Walking toward the door, he eagerly entered.


    "I''m back."


    "Welcome back!"


    He heard multiple excited voices answer him in return. After removing his shoes and mantle, he entered the dining room.


    "Do you need my help?"


    Amelia smiled while shaking her head.


    "We''re fine."


    "But you can get Stella and Reon. They''re in the farthest room on the first floor."


    "Sure. I''ve never been there, so let me do that."


    He peeked inside the living room and waved at everyone.


    Senia, Karteira, and Mia were missing. Giving it a thought, he determined that they were in their room.


    With light steps, he continued down the hallway and entered the farthest area of his house.


    Opposite to the place where Tetra had been attacked by Miasma was a room where his father and his daughter worked together in the name of science, developing new gadgets.


    Giving a quick knock, Orion placed his hand on the handle.


    "Is it that time already?!"


    He heard his father''s voice echo from behind the door.


    "It''s dark outside..."


    Stella quickly followed with an observation, as if she hadn''t paid it any attention.


    "I''m coming in."


    Orion opened the door and entered.


    "Papa?"


    Surprised by his unexpected appearance, she released the strange item in her hands and hopped closer to him.


    "Is it time to have dinner?"


    Reon also placed the complicated device, which resembled a cube with moving parts, on the large table.


    "That''s why I am here. I was also curious about this room."


    "You''re welcome to enter anytime. There''s nothing dangerous about our discoveries."


    "So far..."


    Rubbing the back of his nape, Reon began to sweat.


    "Mom''s on your case, huh?"


    "Haha... Yes."


    Unless he was extremely conscientious while creating his devices, Orianne wouldn''t let him do this.


    "I have to be careful not to damage this house and the surrounding terrain. That''s the deal I made so that I could do this hobby of mine again."


    "Nothing happened for a year, so she hasn''t been nagging at me."


    "Are you taking resting days? Don''t forget about her."


    Reon smiled.


    "I would never. I work at most three hours a day on this and spend the rest of the time with her."


    "I should take examples from you. I have to make up for my absence, even with you, Stella."


    His daughter hugged him for a brief instant before walking outside the room.


    "Let''s go eat, Orion."


    "Sure, dad."


    They left the workshop and moved together toward the dining room, where everyone was waiting.