Isaac hugged with Selene until her breathing finally steadied and the redness around her eyes began to fade. She insisted she was alright now, even if she still looked emotionally exhausted. Once he was certain she had calmed down enough, he left the office with Selene saying she would follow after finishing the last few tasks.
Outside, the hallway had already returned to its usual atmosphere. Employees walked between offices carrying documents as if nothing unusual had happened. Near one of the windows stood Marien, holding a folder against her chest while reviewing several papers.
She looked up when she noticed Isaac approaching. For a brief moment, a complicated expression crossed her face before she forced a polite smile.
"…Lord Isaac," she greeted with a small nod.
Isaac returned the greeting with a nod of his own.
The first day Marien and he met, he punched her square in the face along with Selene. She probably wanted to get even with him for quite some time afterward.
Instead, time had quietly changed everything. Isaac had continued rising through the city's ranks until he became one of its strongest figures, and somewhere along the way, he and Selene had started dating. Marien had likely never imagined that the man who punched both her and her best friend would eventually become Selene's boyfriend.
The poor girl probably still didn't know what to make of the situation.
A minute later, Selene stepped out of the office and smiled faintly when she saw Isaac waiting.
"I'll be just a moment," she said before walking over to Marien.
Isaac nodded and remained near the entrance while the two women talked. They discussed the work Selene still needed to hand over before drifting into ordinary conversation, and by the end of it both of them looked considerably more relaxed.
After saying goodbye, Selene returned to Isaac's side, and the two of them headed toward the parking area together.
Their car stood out even among the expensive vehicles owned by high-ranking officials. It was one of the newest luxury models imported from the western trade City of Aurum, where artificers were famous for blending elegant craftsmanship with magical engineering.
The silver body carried subtle enchantments that reduced wind resistance, while the spacious interior featured enchanted leather seats that automatically adjusted to the passenger's comfort.
Isaac naturally took the driver's seat while Selene settled beside him. As he started the engine and guided the car out of the parking area, he glanced at her with an amused expression.
"Is it just me, or does it feel like Marien is always trying to stay away from me? She looked nervous the entire time," he said.
Selene fastened her seatbelt before answering.
"She's afraid of you. You know..." she said quietly, rubbing the tip of her nose as a faint blush spread across her cheeks.
Isaac chuckled, knowing she was talking about Isaac hitting both Selene and Marien.
The roads were relatively quiet as they drove through the city. After several peaceful minutes, Isaac glanced at her again with a grin that immediately made Selene suspicious.
"You know, when you become a mother someday, are you planning to tell our kids how we first met?" he asked.
Selene's face instantly turned bright red.
"D-Don't tell them that!" she blurted out without thinking. The words left her mouth before she realized what she had just admitted, and she immediately buried her face in both hands. "Ugh... why do you keep teasing me like this?"
Isaac couldn't help smiling.
"I don't know. Maybe because every time I tease you, you react exactly like that."
Selene let out a defeated groan, then complained.
Isaac only chuckled. Deep down, he honestly couldn't understand why he would stop teasing her when every embarrassed reaction she gave was so incredibly cute.
The rest of the drive passed peacefully. They exchanged small jokes every now and then while talking about ordinary things, and neither of them mentioned teleportation or flying even once. They could have reached home much faster that way, but spending half an hour together in the car was something both of them quietly enjoyed.
By the time they arrived home, Selene looked much better than she had earlier. The sadness from Catherine and Isaac's story still lingered somewhere beneath the surface, but it no longer weighed so heavily on her expression.
The front door had barely opened before a cheerful voice echoed through the house.
"Isaac! You're back!"
Emily hurried across the living room with a bright smile, and Isaac instinctively opened both arms to catch her as she hugged him. Behind them, Alice looked over from the kitchen where she was stirring a pot on the stove, greeting him with a calm nod before returning to her cooking.
"Welcome back," Alice said.
"Thanks," Isaac replied. He smiled at her before looking toward Selene, who had already begun taking off her coat.
"I'll wash first," Selene said as she hung her coat neatly on the rack. Without waiting for a response, she headed upstairs to freshen up before helping in the kitchen.
Isaac gently patted Emily's back before asking, "So, how did your dungeon expedition go today?"
Emily immediately brightened even more. "It went really well. I managed to tame the Special Monster, the Boss Monster, and even a Mini Boss, so I think it was a successful trip."
"That's impressive. Good job," Isaac said, resting a hand on her head.
Emily smiled happily as he patted her head, clearly pleased by the praise. Even so, Isaac could tell she was forcing herself to stay cheerful. Catherine's Trial had affected her too, but Emily was trying not to let her sadness spread to everyone else.
The two of them walked over to the living room together and sat down on the sofa. Since Isaac had already cleaned himself using Alice's flames earlier, there was no need for him to wash up first. The flames were remarkably convenient, burning away only things he wanted removed without damaging anything else.
"Oh, right. I forgot to tell you something. During the expedition, I met a group of really nice people. They even had a Saintess with them, and they said they came from the far east," Emily suddenly remembered.
"A Saintess?" Isaac raised an eyebrow at that.
Every Saintess was one of the most valuable assets a city possessed. If a Lord allowed a Saintess to leave on an expedition, it usually meant one of two things. Either the mission itself was extremely important, or someone in the expedition was considered far too valuable to lose.
Emily nodded. "They were all really nice, although I think they were a little scared of me."
She scratched her cheek awkwardly before continuing, "I don't think I did anything strange, though."
Isaac smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry about it. That's perfectly normal. People will naturally become nervous when they meet someone with a mana pool as large as ours."
Emily thought about it for a moment before slowly nodding. She leaned comfortably against him, wrapping both arms around one of his while continuing the story.
"They kept saying they were surprised by my combat ability. I think they mistook me for the person who got the First Clear on the Fourth Floor. They said someone rushed from the First Area all the way to the Fourth Area on the very day they arrived. I kept telling them it wasn't me, but they wouldn't believe me," she said with a wry smile.
Isaac laughed quietly after hearing that.
The person who had speedrun those Areas had been him, not Emily. From an outsider's perspective, however, Emily was the more believable candidate because she was already famous for her overwhelming mana and talent as a tamer.
It wasn't as though people underestimated Isaac. Everyone who had seen his battle against the Third Priest knew how powerful he was. The problem was that he had held back during that fight, conserving his mana for the Ancient Dwarf King and the East Sea Dragon King.
Moreover, since then, his combat strength had increased dramatically. Dragonification alone had pushed him to another level, and his ability to share the abilities of his wives had raised his overall power even further. Compared to the Isaac who fought the Third Priest, the current Isaac was practically a different person.
If he were to face the Third Priest again under the same circumstances, the battle would likely end in his favor.
Emily's growth was just as frightening, although it took a different form. By now, people had begun to realize just how terrifying her taming ability truly was. Most still assumed there had to be strict limitations behind such an overwhelming ability, but the reality was far beyond what anyone could imagine.
Even if those imagined limitations really existed, Emily's future was easy to predict. Every powerful monster she tamed permanently strengthened her forces, allowing her to grow stronger with every expedition. It was only natural for people to believe she had been the one who had speedrun the Areas.
Their conversation slowly drifted toward more ordinary topics after that. Emily happily talked about what she had done after leaving the dungeon, mentioning the places she had visited and the people she had met along the way. Isaac simply listened while occasionally asking questions, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere more than he expected.
"I also visited the Happy Bunnies today," Emily said.
"How are they doing?" Isaac smiled slightly.
"They're doing really well. The moment they saw me, they all came running over. A few of them even kept looking behind me because they thought you would be there too," Emily replied.
Isaac chuckled quietly at the image.
Emily continued, "They've become much more well-behaved as well. None of them caused any trouble while I was there. They listened to the maids, and they weren't running around making a mess anymore."
Isaac nodded thoughtfully while listening to her. Either the maids had put even more effort into teaching them proper manners, or the bunnies had actually taken his previous words to heart. Whichever the reason, the staff deserved recognition for taking such good care of them.
"I should prepare a nice gift for the maids soon. They've worked hard enough to deserve one," Isaac said.
Emily smiled and nodded in agreement. "I'm sure they'll be really happy."
After a brief silence, Isaac looked at her and changed the subject. "So, do you want me to help you clear the Areas?"
Emily shook her head without much hesitation. "Not for now. I want to keep aiming for Solo Clears as long as I can. You told us the rewards are much better that way, so I'd like to keep challenging myself until I reach an Area I really can't clear alone."
Isaac gave a small, wry smile as he listened to her answer. Most powerful Lords spent months gathering elite troops, collecting supplies, and carefully planning every step before attempting higher Areas. Emily, however, wanted to challenge them by herself, and strangely enough, it wasn't because she was overconfident.
Her ability was simply that broken.
"Oh, right!" Emily suddenly said as another thought came to mind. "My Class Advancement is coming along really well too."
"I thought you said the tasks were difficult and would take a long time." Isaac looked at her curiously.
"They are difficult. But I already have Apex Overlords of different types as my summons, so several of the requirements were completed automatically. I didn't even realize some of the tasks had already been cleared until I checked them again," Emily said.
She thought for a moment before continuing. "The only dangerous requirement left is taming three Catastrophes. I already have two, so I just need one more."
Isaac slowly nodded as he processed her words. His clones were already checking gathering information on known Catastrophe monsters in nearby areas.
Before long, Alice called everyone to dinner. They gathered around the dining table, talking about ordinary things while enjoying the meal together. The atmosphere remained warm and peaceful, and by the time dinner ended, the heavy emotions from earlier in the day had almost completely faded.
Normally, Isaac would head straight into the Soulbind Pendant after dinner today to meet the Happy Bunnies. However, he sensed a familiar presence approaching the mansion before he had the chance to leave. Smiling, he stepped outside.
Waiting near the entrance were Paul, Freya, and Tyr. The treant had been living near the forge recently to help with various projects, but he still visited the main house from time to time. Seeing all three of them arrive together immediately caught Isaac's attention.
His gaze briefly moved between Tyr and Freya before a small smile appeared on his face. The awkwardness that had once lingered between them was nowhere to be seen anymore. They now stood comfortably beside each other, chatting naturally while waiting for him to come outside.
As soon as Tyr noticed Isaac, the large treant let out a cheerful wooden rumble and stepped forward. He carefully extended one of his massive hands, revealing a beautifully crafted gardening tool resting across his palm. Although he still couldn't speak, the excitement in his movements made his intentions perfectly clear.
Isaac accepted the tool with genuine curiosity. Tyr repeatedly pointed toward it before gesturing for Isaac to inspect it more closely. It didn't take long for Isaac to realize the treant wanted him to check the item's description.