Isaac thought about the question for a moment. Under normal circumstances, he would not have bothered hiding the truth, but everything that had happened with the Third Priest had made him much more cautious.
He no longer wanted to reveal every useful detail about his abilities, even to people he trusted. Still, completely hiding it was impossible because Althea was a Florathi princess who already knew the vitality grain seed tree had changed.
"It was Avery’s ability. She’s been nourishing the land for quite a while now. It must have reacted somehow with the land I had already nourished, and the tree ended up changing like this," Isaac answered. He intentionally kept the explanation vague without directly lying.
Althea nodded slowly as she listened. She looked thoughtful rather than doubtful, and her curiosity was easy to notice.
"Would it be alright if I examined the tree after breakfast? I’d like to see what exactly changed," she said.
Isaac simply nodded, seeing no reason to refuse.
Breakfast turned out to be much livelier than Isaac had expected. Celia was full of energy from the moment everyone sat down, and she had a natural talent for keeping conversations going. Before long, she had drawn both Althea and Charlotta into the discussion, making the table feel relaxed and cheerful as everyone talked together.
After breakfast, Alice and Emily prepared to leave the house as usual. Although they would be departing for the Florathi Kingdom later that day, Emily still had several important matters she wanted to finish before leaving. Alice, meanwhile, planned to spend some time testing her newly awakened abilities to understand exactly what had changed.
Isaac originally wanted to send one of the dragon maids with her. Their experience with the legacy Alice got would probably help Alice understand her new powers much faster. Unfortunately, all of the dragon maids were still busy taking care of the Happy Bunnies, leaving none of them available.
"It’s alright. I already have someone I can ask about these abilities, so I should be fine," Alice said.
Isaac opened his mouth to ask who she meant, but before he could finish the question, Alice had already waved goodbye and walked away.
He watched her figure gradually disappear down the street before letting out a quiet laugh and turning back. Whatever she was planning, she clearly intended to keep it to herself for now. Pushing the thought aside, he left with Althea and Charlotta to visit the farms.
The Sword Empress was nowhere to be seen. Sera had apparently taken her into the city once again, most likely for another tour around the streets. Isaac honestly found himself wondering whether the angel had descended to investigate something important or simply to eat her way through every restaurant in the city.
Of course, there was always the possibility that Sera was quietly gathering information while pretending to be a tourist. Because of that, Isaac had Catherine continue watching her from the shadows at all times. He doubted Sera was unaware of it, but that hardly mattered.
A human Overlord suddenly appearing in his city was reason enough to remain cautious. If Isaac had ignored her movements completely, that would have been far stranger than quietly keeping track of where she went. Until he understood her true purpose, he had no intention of lowering his guard.
When they arrived at the fields, Althea’s attention immediately settled on the upgraded vitality grain seed tree. She slowly walked around it, carefully observing every branch and leaf with genuine interest. Watching her expression, Isaac realized she truly enjoyed studying unusual plants like these.
"You really like looking at mutated plants, don’t you?" Isaac asked with a faint smile.
Althea looked toward him and nodded without any hesitation. "I do. Every mutation is different, and it’s fascinating to see how mana changes living things."
Isaac thought for a moment before another idea came to him.
"Would you like to see Qlippoth while we’re out?" he asked.
Althea’s eyes brightened almost immediately, and although she still carried herself with the grace expected of royalty, there was a youthful excitement on her face that she couldn’t quite hide.
"I’d love to," she replied. Charlotta quietly smiled after seeing the princess’s reaction. With everything that had happened recently in Isaac’s city, Althea had faced one dangerous situation after another, and Charlotta had undoubtedly spent much of that time worrying about her safety.
Seeing Althea genuinely excited again was probably a relief for her. The three of them soon made their way toward the center of the city, where the massive white tree stood above the surrounding buildings. Countless ’birds’ rested among its branches before taking flight in small groups to continue patrolling both the city and its surroundings.
Standing beneath the enormous tree, Althea looked almost captivated. "I’ve wanted to see it from this close since I first saw, and I must say, it’s much more beautiful from this close."
Isaac simply stood beside her, giving her all the time she wanted to admire it.
While his real body stayed with Althea and Charlotta, several of Isaac’s clones moved throughout the city. One after another, they visited the important residents to let them know that he would be leaving for the Florathi Kingdom later that day. They also informed everyone that multiple clones would remain behind to help protect the city until he returned.
Naturally, Isaac kept one important detail to himself. The Soulbind Pendant would also remain behind, allowing one of his clones to move the entire city inside it if an overwhelming danger ever appeared. There was no reason for anyone else to know such an important trump card.
Isaac planned to leave all of his summons inside the Soulbind Pendant so they could defend the city while he was away.
Thinking of the summons reminded him of something.
A small smile appeared on Isaac’s face.
’System, share Emily’s Soul Space!’ he said.
A strange sensation spread through his soul as though another quiet dimension had unfolded within it. It wasn’t painful or overwhelming. Instead, it felt surprisingly natural, and Isaac instinctively understood how to use the newly connected space.
Unlike Emily, whose primary soul bond was with him, Isaac had several major soul bonds because of his wives. That meant he could now pull them into the Soul Space whenever they were in danger. It gave him another reliable way to protect the people closest to him.
Satisfied with the upgrade, Isaac eventually left the city center and headed toward Celia. Although the concert had ended only recently, she was already back to working on new songs. Several notebooks were spread across the table while different melodies played one after another, and she paused every so often to write down new ideas before listening again.
Isaac watched quietly for a few moments before walking over. Despite her playful personality, Celia was surprisingly serious whenever she worked on her music. Seeing her completely absorbed in the process, he couldn’t help smiling as he stepped inside.
Isaac waited until Celia finally took a break before making himself visible. She leaned back in her chair, stretched her arms, and reached for a glass of water after spending so long working. Since everyone else had already gone for lunch, the studio was quiet, making it the perfect time for him to appear.
"Isaac? Did you bring me lunch?" she asked with a bright smile as soon as she noticed him.
"Yes, my lady. I’ve brought it as you asked." Isaac nodded and placed the lunchbox on the table in front of her.
She looked at the lunchbox before glancing back at him with a teasing smile. "Did you make it yourself?"
Isaac’s lips twitched at once.
Celia stared at him for a second before bursting into laughter. As if sensing the cheerful mood, Rot popped out from Isaac’s shadow and happily floated around Celia. She reached over and lightly poked the little black ball before smiling at it.
"I actually came for something else too," Isaac said after she settled down. He materialized the spirit contract that he had shared from Selene and held it out toward her without saying anything.
The moment Celia saw it, her smile slowly disappeared. She stared at the contract for several long seconds before looking back at Isaac, and then quietly shook her head.
"You should keep it," she said.
Isaac frowned slightly. "I think it suits—"
"No. You’re keeping it," Celia interrupted, speaking much more firmly than usual.
The words surprised Isaac enough that he stopped speaking altogether. Celia seemed surprised by her own tone as well, and after taking a small breath, she softened her expression.
"Can you please keep it yourself? I don’t fight very often, but you’re always the one standing at the front. It’ll help you much more than it’ll ever help me," she said more gently.
Isaac stayed silent for a moment before asking the question that had been lingering in his mind. "Is this because of sis’ trial?"
Celia didn’t answer immediately. Her lips slowly pressed into a thin line, and although she tried to hide it, the worry in her eyes gave her away.
Isaac sighed quietly before sitting down beside her. He gently pulled her over, held one of her hands, and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
"You don’t have to carry all of that by yourself. Whatever comes next, we’ll deal with it together. We’ve already overcome things that once looked impossible, including the Crimson Sky Wyrm," he said calmly.
"We have. But every time we win, the next obstacle somehow becomes even bigger. I know we’ll keep getting stronger, but I still can’t stop worrying," Celia replied softly, lowering her gaze.
Without saying anything else, Isaac wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a gentle hug. He hadn’t expected this single topic to weigh on her so heavily, and it reminded him that not everyone dealt with pressure the same way.
After a quiet moment passed, Isaac smiled to himself. "How about we go on a date?"
Celia immediately pulled back and blinked at him. "What?"
"You and Alice made that bet about Sera, didn’t you? Since you won, I still owe you a date," Isaac said with a grin.
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously as though trying to decide whether he was joking. After watching his face for a few moments, she suddenly smiled.
"Deal!" she said.
She immediately opened the lunchbox and began eating much faster than before. Every few bites, she made Isaac eat some of the food as well, and once they finished, she quickly cleaned up the room and put everything back in its place.
"We should leave before Arlene comes looking for me," Celia said as she grabbed Isaac’s hand. A cloud of spatial mana formed beneath their feet, and before long, the two of them had already left the studio together.
For the next few hours, they simply wandered around the city without any particular destination. They stopped at food stalls, looked around different shops, and spent most of their time chatting about ordinary things instead of serious matters.
Isaac still intended to convince Celia to accept the spirit contract eventually, but he decided not to bring it up again today. It felt strangely ironic that countless people would have risked everything for a treasure like that, while he and Celia were both trying to make the other person accept it instead.
Eventually, they found a quiet spot beneath the shade of a large tree near one of the city’s plazas. Celia sat beside Isaac while happily eating an ice cream, enjoying the peaceful afternoon.
"Huh?" she suddenly said, tilting her head.
Isaac looked toward her before following her gaze. "What is it?"
"What are they doing?" Celia asked curiously while pointing ahead with her ice cream.
Isaac looked in the same direction and immediately spotted Sera walking together with Eleanor across the plaza. The relaxed expression on his face disappeared almost instantly.
He froze.