“Iris!”

“Cai!”

The blue-haired beauty hugged the boar, while the latter snuggled in Iris embrace.

“Ma!”

Eiko jumped off Lux’s head and used Air Steps to land on her Mama’s shoulder, giving her a kiss on the cheeks.

Iris, in turn, gave the baby slime a kiss, which made the latter giggle.

Lux watched this scene with a smile on his face because he could see the love Iris and Eiko had for each other.

The sun was about to rise from the East, and the surroundings were still a bit dim. But, that didn’t matter.

Barbatos Academy was expecting the arrival of their guests and prepared accordingly. Floating lanterns were all around the Academy, providing enough illumination to their surroundings.

“Welcome back, Lux,” Alicia greeted the Half-Elf, who had just arrived alongside the Flying Ship of the Barbarians.

“It’s nice to see you again, Alicia,” Lux shook hands with the beautiful woman who served as his Father’s personal secretary. “It seems that the Academy has more visitors than I expected. Is there some kind of event?”

The Half-Elf and the others were surprised at the sight of several Giant Eagles outside the Academy grounds. They were the Apex Predators in the Kingdom of Elswyth and also served as the Beast Companions of Elves.

They were very powerful Beasts, and even Gryphons would do their best to not antagonize them.

“They are the representatives the Elven Kingdom sent here to Barbatos Academy to celebrate your birthday,” Alicia replied. “You, Sir, are now a very important person, and it seems that the Six Kingdoms intend to have a better relationship with you.”

“Oh? Am I really that popular now?”

“Yes. Although your birthday is still four days away, some factions have come to the Academy early to celebrate this event with you.”

Lux couldn’t help but smile after hearing Alicia’s reply. Back then, he was just an insignificant Half-Elf that the other factions didn’t even pay any attention to.

However, after accomplishing many incredible feats, especially inside the Sacred Dungeon, all of the other factions had changed their impression of the red-headed teenager, now treating him like one of the previous Four Kings of the Younger Generation.

“I just hope that they don’t mess with my friends while they are here,” Lux stated as he gave Gerhart a side-long glance. “Can you ensure that no problems will arise, Alicia?”

“His Excellency, Maximilian, communicated with the Headmaster the day you arrived at the Rowan Tribe,” Alicia replied. “He mentioned that Gerhart was coming as well, so your Father already talked to the Elven Emissaries and reached a compromise.”

Everyone within their circle knew that Gerhart and the Elves had a vendetta between them and that both sides were at each other’s throats.

However, since they were on the grounds of Barbatos Academy, a direct conflict was something that both sides didn’t want to happen.

“Don’t worry,” Gerhart said. “I won’t kill anyone.”

“That’s good,” Alicia replied. “The Elven Rankers who accompanied Prince Enlil said the same thing. But, just to be safe, make sure to stay within the Academy grounds and don’t wander outside.”

Gerhart nodded his head in understanding. He didn’t come here to fight with the Elves and was aware that he wasn’t a match to any of their Rankers. But that would only be for now. He believed that as long as he stayed in Heaven’s Gate, he would definitely reach a level where he no longer had to fear the Elves.

“Well then, everyone, come with me,” Alicia clapped her hands. “Prince Einar, Princess Fiora, we have prepared accommodations for you, as well as for your escorts. If you can just follow me, I will take you to your temporary quarters.”

Einar and Fiora thanked Alicia for her hospitality and followed behind her.

Lux and the others did the same. Their journey had been quite long, and they hadn’t had much rest along the way.

Just as he had expected, Cai’s temporary quarters were in Iris’ private residence in the Academy, which made the Boar very happy.

“Breakfast will be ready in an hour,” Iris said. “I’m sure you are tired from your journey. Do you want to take a bath together?”

“Of course!” Cai replied. “Let’s go together!”

Iris smiled before shifting her gaze to the Half-Elf, who was sitting on the couch.

“You want to come with us?” Iris asked in a teasing tone.

Lux thought about it for a brief moment before shaking his head.

“Maybe later tonight,” Lux replied. “I still have to talk to Father about a few things.”

Truth be told, Lux wanted to go, but he didn’t want to make things difficult for Cai at the moment. He had agreed to become her Fiance, but they weren’t at the stage where they were comfortable enough to show each other their naked bodies.

Also, he wanted to give Cai some breathing space because he was certain that she was more anxious than he was when it came to skinship.

Iris gave her Fiance a wink because she understood what Lux was thinking. She then took Cai, Eiko, and Fei Fei into her private bathhouse, where they would soak in a hot spring before heading down to the dining area for breakfast.

————

“Are you disappointed that Lux didn’t come with us?” Iris asked the beautiful lady beside her, who had returned to her human form.

“No,” Caitlin replied. “I’d be too embarrassed if he was here. Now that I am also his fiance, I’ve noticed that he is quite a gentleman.”

“That’s true,” Iris agreed with pride. “That is one of the reasons why I love him very much. But, since you are now his fiance, you should also do your best to get accustomed to him.”

“…I’ll do my best.”

“By the way. Tonight, Lux and I will…”

Caitlin’s face immediately became beet red after Iris told her that she would be making love with Lux tonight.

Seeing her reaction, the blue-haired beauty giggled before dragging the still-blushing priestess toward the hot spring.

Eiko and Fei Fei played tag while swimming on top of the water, while the two beauties soaked in the hot spring, cleaning their seductive bodies, which would make all the teenage boys in Barbatos Academy howl like wolves.

Suddenly, Caitlin said something that Iris didn’t expect her to say.

“…Can I watch the two of you make love to each other?” Caitlin asked.

This time, it was Iris’ turn to blush. Although she was open to the idea of sharing Lux with her best friend, the idea of being watched while the two of them were doing the deed was still embarrassing for her.

After a few minutes later, a reply, which was like a small squeak, escaped Iris’ lips.

“… Okay,” Iris replied with a flushed face.

The blue-haired beauty wanted Cai to be more comfortable around Lux, so she decided to make a little sacrifice to help her best friend see the intimate things that lovers did.

The Priestess of the Rowan Tribe didn’t know much about the pleasures of the flesh. However, she was very curious about it. Also, she thought that it was a good idea to see how the deed was done as a future reference for when she and Lux would share their first union together.

While Iris and Cai were talking about the things that they would do that night, Lux knocked on the door of the Headmaster’s office.

“Come in.”

Alexander’s words were curt, but they held the power of his position as the Headmaster of Barbatos Academy.

The moment Lux entered the room, he noticed that the Headmaster wasn’t alone. There were three men with him.

One of them was an Elf, the other was a Swordsman, and last but not the least was someone that Lux didn’t expect to see in Barbatos Academy.

“Captain Jack Spawow,” Lux’s eyes widened in shock. “What are you doing here, Captain?”

“Ah, Lux my boy. I came here to look for some Rum,” Jack Spawow replied with an over-exaggerated gesture.

“Rum? Here?”

“Aye, boy. Rum is where the heart is.”

Lux blinked once then twice before nodding his head. Although he had no idea what the Ship Captain was talking about, he decided to just nod his head and agree with him for the time being.

“Oh, so this is Lux?” the Swordsman eyed the Half-Elf with a smile. “Thank you for taking good care of my disciple, Keane. I’ve heard many good things about you.”

Although the Swordsman was smiling and looked friendly enough, the air around him was giving off a very sharp presence that could probably slice anything that was thrown in his way.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Excellency,” Lux replied. “How may I address you?”

“The Void,” the swordsman replied. “That’s what my friends and enemies call me.”

“Or you can just call him Voidy,” Jack Spawow commented. “Don’t worry, my boy. He acts tough, but he’s still a virgin. I’ve been trying to get him laid for the past decade, but the man holds his pants tighter than his sword.”

“Spawow, it seems like you’re itching for a fight. I’ll be more than happy to oblige. Should I cut your ship in half?”

“Why fight when we can negotiate? Peace friend, let’s drink some Rum after Alex is done with his work.”

The Captain then laughed before walking towards Lux and whispering something in his ear.

“Advance happy birthday, Lux,” Captain Jack Spawow whispered. “I wish I could stay, but I need to set sail when morning comes. My crew in Elysium sometimes causes trouble when I’m not around. If you happen to need a ship to travel in the open seas, look for me. I’ll be your guide in the Caribbean.”

Captain Jack Spawow then walked towards the door to leave, but as soon as he opened the door, he turned around to look at the Half-Elf, who was still looking at him, once more.

“In case I don’t see her later, say hi to Eiko for me,” Captain Jack Spawow said. “That girl has the makings of a true pirate!”

A laugh escaped the Captain’s lips before he closed the door behind him. He had come to the Academy to talk to Alexander in private, but his former acquaintances had arrived before him.

Because of this, he decided to take his leave for the time being and wait for Alexander to finish whatever he was doing before trying to talk to him again.

“He never changes,” the Elf snorted before shaking his head in dismay. “He’s still the unruly and uncouth bastard that he has always been.”

“Well, he’s still better than a hypocrite,” Keane’s Master replied. “I’ll also take my leave. Let’s talk later, Alex.”

The Void left the room without leaving even a backward glance, leaving Lux, the Elf, and Alexander inside the Headmaster’s Office.