"Why did you add the seasoning now?" Celia asked.
"If you add it earlier, it burns. And then the taste becomes bitter," Selene replied.
"Oh." Celia nodded seriously, committing it to memory.
Selene’s culinary skills were surprisingly the best among them. She also enjoyed cooking, and that’s why the responsibility for breakfast had naturally fallen to her.
Isaac leaned against the doorway and watched for a moment.
"Smells good," he said.
Selene glanced at him. "It will be ready soon."
As breakfast was finishing, Isaac walked to the front door and opened it.
"Avery, come have breakfast!" he called out loudly.
The ground in front of the house darkened slightly as moisture gathered. Water seeped out from the mud and rose smoothly before taking shape.
Avery stood there a moment later, umbrella in hand.
"I don’t feel hunger, so I’m fine," she declined politely.
"It’s fine. Come inside," Isaac said.
He stepped forward and, without much ceremony, more or less pulled her in by the wrist.
Avery blinked in surprise at his casual treatment.
Her identity as a Water Elemental Spirit was special. In most places, she would be treated like a deity or a sacred guardian. People would bow before her and speak with excessive reverence.
Here, she was being dragged inside for breakfast.
She glanced around the dining table.
All Apex species.
A Sun Dragon.
A Devil.
A Netherborne Empress’ bloodline.
And Isaac himself, walking steadily on the path of Godhood.
Avery smiled faintly to herself.
It made sense. Someone like him would not look at her with reverence, but as someone standing on equal footing.
They took their seats.
At that moment, Isaac’s clone appeared near the main door and opened it just as someone was about to knock.
Vale froze mid-motion.
"I’m here with reports about your sunflowers," Vale said, holding up a file.
"Reports are done already?" Isaac’s clone asked.
"Yes. We worked fast. The results are... surprising."
"I see. Give me the reports." The clone took the file. "Come have breakfast with us while I check them."
"I—"
"Celia helped in cooking," the clone added with a faint smile.
Vale closed his mouth.
He stepped inside without further resistance.
Isaac, who was seated at the table, noticed the way Vale’s expression subtly shifted at the mention of his sister’s cooking and chuckled quietly.
Vale entered the dining area and paused for a moment when he saw everyone present.
Celia brightened immediately. "Brother!"
Vale nodded at her, then gave a polite look around. "Good morning."
After receiving greetings, he said, "I’ll wash my hands first."
He walked to the washbasin. Isaac’s clone followed and leaned against the counter while reading the sunflower reports.
As Vale washed his hands, he spoke casually.
"I understand now."
"What?" the clone asked without looking up.
"I understand why people call you lustful and human trash."
The clone finally raised his head.
"...What?"
Vale’s gaze shifted toward the dining table.
Isaac followed it.
Five exceptionally beautiful women were seated there. He was the only man.
Isaac opened his mouth to explain, then closed it again.
He had already given up trying to clarify that situation.
Vale returned to the table.
Celia happily served him food, carefully placing portions onto his plate.
"You’re eating properly, right?" she asked.
"Yes," Vale replied. "Don’t worry about me."
Breakfast continued in a calm atmosphere.
Conversation flowed naturally. Selene occasionally explained her cooking methods. Celia shared small details about her training progress. Alice listened quietly but added a few comments here and there. Avery observed everything with quiet interest.
After they finished eating, Isaac and Emily gathered the dishes and moved to the sink.
"I’ll wash," Emily said.
"I’ll dry," Isaac replied.
They worked side by side in comfortable silence.
In the living room, Celia and Vale were chatting about recent developments in the Fortified City. Alice and Selene had taken the sunflower reports and were going through them carefully.
Each petal of the sunflower provided a fifteen-minute constitution and vitality buff. It was a consumable buff-type item, and it could be mass-produced and sold. The potential revenue market was significant.
"If production scales properly, this could support half the City’s budget," Selene said.
Alice nodded. "But we need to control distribution. If it spreads too fast, others will target us."
Avery sat nearby, drinking tea as a kind of dessert. She listened quietly but did not interfere.
The house felt peaceful.
Everyone was occupied with their own tasks, yet there was no tension in the air. It was a rare, steady moment in the middle of chaos.
Isaac finished drying the last plate and set it aside.
For a brief moment, he allowed himself to relax.
Then—
Knock. Knock.
A clear sound echoed through the house.
Isaac’s clone was already at the entrance, so it moved first and opened the door.
"Leora" stood outside, still dressed in her maid uniform.
Beside her was Professor Catherine.
Both of them looked tired.
Their clothes were covered in dust, and there were faint signs of travel on their faces. It did not look like they had rested at the Ashfang tribe before returning. They had likely come straight back.
In truth, the two who had gone to the Purple Bridge dimension were Catherine and the Sword Empress.
The story that been told to Isaac and others, however, was different.
According to the official version, Catherine had gone together with Leora—Isaac’s maid—and the Sword Empress.
Isaac still did not understand why the Sword Empress insisted on continuing this poor disguise.
But he had no intention of exposing it.
It had not been once or twice that Catherine had teased or even lightly spanked Leora in front of him while jokingly involving Isaac in the process.
Catherine did it deliberately, trying to rope Isaac into her side of things.
If it were ever revealed that everyone knew Leora was actually the Sword Empress, and Catherine had been teasing her with that understanding, then both Catherine and Isaac would suffer the consequences.
Isaac had no desire to face the wrath of an Overlord who could cut a Catastrophe.
So he planned to continue acting as though the disguise was flawless.
"Welcome back," Isaac said calmly. "Will you have a bath first, or breakfast?"
"How about I have you first?" Catherine leaned against the doorframe despite her exhaustion and smiled teasingly.
Isaac opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, he felt something shift behind him.
Avery had walked over after sensing two abnormal presences.
She stepped into view.
The moment her eyes landed on Leora, her expression stiffened.
Isaac noticed something rare in her gaze.
Fear.
"S... Sword Maiden?" Avery stuttered.
Isaac and Catherine froze.
Their eyes met for a split second, and an unspoken understanding passed between them.
They could not let this identity be revealed.
Otherwise, both of them would have to deal with the aftermath.
Catherine recovered first.
"I apologize for interrupting the Water Elemental Spirit," she said evenly. "But she is not the Sword Maiden. The Sword Maiden is the reincarnation of my master, so please do not use that title lightly. This person is Leora, a university student."
Isaac nodded quickly, hoping Avery would catch the hint in his eyes.
"She is not—"
"No," Avery said firmly, cutting him off. Her gaze remained fixed on Leora. "She is Sword Maiden. It seems you reincarnated?"
There was a brief silence.
Then Catherine vanished.
Isaac cursed inwardly.
She had escaped.
Alone.
He briefly considered following her example, but before he could move, he felt it.
A gaze.
Sharp and cold.
The Sword Empress—no, Leora—was looking directly at him.
"Is there some problem?" Avery asked, confused by the sudden drop in temperature inside the room.
Sword Empress ignored her.
Her eyes remained on Isaac.
"You don’t seem surprised that I’m the Sword Empress. Since when did you know?"
"I only found out now—" Isaac began.
"I will ask Emily. So don’t try to lie to me," she interrupted.
Isaac immediately shut his mouth.
He knew that was a dead end.
Emily could not lie.
If Sword Empress asked her directly, everything would be exposed.
He felt a headache forming.
Seeing his silence, Sword Empress slowly stretched out her hand.
The motion was casual.
Her fingers seemed to cross through space itself. She grasped something invisible, then pulled.
A moment later, Catherine appeared out of nowhere, dragged back as if space had folded in on itself. She was caught by the collar of her coat, suspended in midair.
Isaac stared.
What was that?
’Did she get stronger?’ he wondered.
Sword Empress did not acknowledge his shock.
She looked at Catherine instead.
"Did you tell him about my real identity?" she asked. Then she shook her head slightly. "No. That’s not important."
For the first time since Isaac had known her, Catherine looked genuinely afraid.
She no longer resembled the teasing, confident professor who played with words and people alike. Right now, she looked like a student caught cheating during an exam.
"M-Master, that—"
"Did you always tease me in front of Isaac and others because they knew my real identity?" Sword Empress asked calmly.