Chapter 550: I Came for Breakfast, Not a Conference
The next morning, I said goodbye to Grandma and got ready for the day. I wore a black pair of pants, a crisp white shirt, and took off toward the capital, where North’s house stood near the center. The sun was bright and the air light.
As I flew, I reached out to the World Core, connecting to the faint Essence threads that linked me to my summons. One by one, I began to sense their presence.
Silver was the first I found. He was lying on the peak of a snow-covered mountain, sleeping soundly, his body half-buried in frost. A small smile crossed my face.
Next, I searched for Knight. He had mentioned something about taking a “vacation,” so I wanted to see what that actually meant.
What I found made me chuckle. He was wandering through a crowded city, blending into shadows as if it were a game. Every few minutes, he would vanish, reappear on a rooftop, or quietly slip behind someone just to observe. Sometimes, he’d stand still, watching people talk or stare at the glowing advertisements on buildings like a curious child.
At one point, he appeared on top of a moving car, crouched there calmly as it sped through traffic.
Then I searched for Ragnar. What I saw surprised me. He was training. Not fighting, not destroying things but sitting in complete silence, surrounded by a glowing field of compressed force.
The air around him rippled as he meditated, his Essence flow sharp and controlled. It was rare to see him like that. I couldn’t help but feel proud. At least one of my summons was serious about getting strong.
Finally, I turned my focus toward Lyrate. The moment I saw her, I froze mid-flight. She was at an army outpost, fighting. My heart skipped, but after watching closely, I exhaled in relief. She wasn’t attacking anyone seriously. She was just sparring.
Of course, “sparring” in her style meant something else entirely. She was tossing soldiers around like dolls, delivering sharp hits, and even smacking a few of them across the head for good measure. The soldiers looked furious but kept coming at her, probably because they knew she was one of mine.
After confirming that everything was fine, I tore through space and appeared directly above the capital.
The familiar skyline spread out beneath me, glittering under the soft light of morning. I let my perception expand, flowing across streets, towers, and plazas until the entire capital was under my awareness. Within seconds, I located North’s home.
After checking my appearance, shirt straight, cuffs clean, hair not too wild, I descended and landed softly in front of the gates.
North lived in the Winter family estate, one of the oldest and wealthiest families in Vaythos.
The place was massive, easily larger than the entire compound of Elite Unit 02. Wide stone walls encircled the grounds, and beyond them stretched manicured gardens, fountains, and silver-leafed trees that shimmered in the sunlight.
The house itself looked more like a fortified manor than a home, built from pale grey stone with towers.
The guards at the gate turned toward me the moment I landed. Their eyes widened in recognition before they scrambled to salute. Midway through, they froze, unsure how to act in front of me.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “I have an appointment,” I said lightly.
“Yes, of course!” one of them blurted out. He rushed to open the small side gate while the other ran inside, probably to announce my arrival.
I nodded in thanks and stepped through.
The stone path ahead was lined with neat rows of flowers and trimmed hedges. The air smelled faintly of mint and rain. I walked slowly, enjoying the quiet and the strange calm of this place. For a moment, I wondered why they even needed guards here, this estate felt like a world of its own.
Then, a presence entered my perception. A figure appeared ahead, running toward me. An elderly man in a formal black suit and white gloves. He stopped a few feet away and bowed deeply.
“Welcome, Sir Billion Ironhart. You may call me Lincoln. I am the butler of the Winter family,” he said politely.
I returned the nod. “Thank you, Lincoln.”
He straightened and began walking beside me. For a while, neither of us spoke. The sound of our steps on the stone path echoed softly between the hedges.
Finally, Lincoln broke the silence. “It is an honor to meet you, Sir Billion. What you have achieved at such a young age is truly remarkable. Vaythos is fortunate to have you.”
I smiled at his words. “I’m just doing my job,” I replied quietly.
“Yes, of course,” Lincoln said, his tone warm but composed. “You are an inspiration to the younger generation of Vaythos, Sir Billion. I am certain your deeds will shape a better future for our world.”
I nodded slightly. “I hope so.”
After that, we walked in silence. The stone path curved gently toward the front of the manor, where tall pillars framed an elegant archway.
When we reached the entrance, I saw a woman standing there, waiting. From the resemblance alone, the eyes, the faint curve of her smile, I immediately knew she had to be North’s mother.
She was graceful, dressed in a flowing white gown that caught the light as she moved. Her long black hair fell neatly over her shoulders, and there was a calm warmth in her expression that made it easy to understand where North’s composure came from.
She stepped forward with a smile that felt both welcoming and sharp with curiosity. “Finally, I get to meet you, Billion. I’ve been asking North to bring you over for so long, but she always finds an excuse. In the end, I had to get my father involved just to make this happen.”
She let out a soft laugh, then added, “I hope I haven’t inconvenienced you by doing so.”
I shook my head and smiled back. “No, Mrs. Winter. It’s my pleasure to meet you.”
She smiled even wider. “Call me Anne. Please, come inside. Everyone’s waiting for you.”
She turned gracefully, and I followed her through the grand entrance. Lincoln quietly disappeared, leaving us alone.
The interior of the manor was bright and elegant, white marble floors polished to a mirror finish, golden chandeliers hanging above, and furniture carved in the old style, rich with history.
As we walked deeper inside, Anne spoke without turning. “North told me what happened on Peanu. Thank you for what you did… and for taking care of her.”
“North is important to me,” I said simply.
I could hear the smile in her voice when she replied, “I’m happy to hear that.”
Then she stopped suddenly. I paused beside her. She turned slightly, lowering her voice. “Now, I apologize if this feels overwhelming… but we are a big family.”
I blinked, a bit puzzled by her tone, but before I could ask, she continued walking ahead. I followed, curious about what she meant.
When we entered the next room, I immediately understood.
It was huge, somewhere between a living room and a small hall and filled with people. Nearly thirty of them. The air buzzed with quiet conversation until everyone turned toward me at once.
Anne stepped forward, her composure flawless. “Everyone, please welcome the guardian of Vaythos and the boyfriend of my dear North—Billion Ironhart.”
All eyes were suddenly on me.
She turned to me with that same warm smile, clearly amused by my expression. “Billion, please meet the Winter family.”
I almost blurted out, What the hell? You call this a family? Why not declare it a full military unit? But since she’d just introduced me as the “guardian of Vaythos,” I somehow managed to keep a straight face. I forced a polite smile and nodded.
“It’s nice to meet all of you.”
From the center sofa, an elderly man stood up. He moved with a surprising steadiness for his age and walked toward me, extending his hand.
“It is our honor to have you here, Guardian Ironhart,” he said with a dignified smile. “I’ve known your grandmother for a long time. My name is Ned Winter, the oldest living fossil of the Winter family.”
I couldn’t help but grin at his choice of words as I shook his hand firmly. “It’s nice to meet you, Ned.”
That one handshake broke the ice.
One after another, the rest of the family stepped forward, introducing themselves, offering greetings, and sharing small stories about North.
Faces blurred together in my memory as names kept coming: uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews, nieces, until I had a rough picture of just how massive the Winter family really was.
By the time the introductions ended, I had almost mapped out their entire family tree. Ned and the two other elders seated with him were siblings, the oldest generation still alive.
North’s father was Ned’s grandson, which technically made her part of the fourth generation currently active in the family.
In total, the Winter family counted around fifty members closely blood-related, though only about thirty had been able to make time to meet me that morning. Still, seeing so many of them gathered in one place, all smiling politely and curious about me, was… overwhelming.
Damn, there were only two people in my family.
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!