SLAM!

The door to Avalan’s Chief’s office slammed open as Masika, whose glasses nearly fell from her nose, was pushed aside by a man in full metal armour.

“Chief!”

“Shut the door, William.”

The Chief didn’t even look at the guard captain, William. Instead, he watched the plume of dust settle from the northwestern district.

Hearing the unquestionable tone in the Chief’s voice, William anxiously closed the door behind him and then rushed to say everything.

“Chief, the northwestern—”

“I know, William.”

“But then, sir, we should put up barricades to fend—”

“Evacuate them, William.”

William finally paused as he tried to understand the Chief’s words. Thankfully, Avalan’s Chief explained it to him.

“You were recently transferred, yes?”

William hurriedly agreed, and The Chief sighed with emotion.

“Then you haven’t met her.”

The Chief turned around and levelled his eyes at William.

“Edna, Avalan’s protector, is unique. Her methods are equally so.”

The Chief turned around as memories of Avalan being set up flashed through his spine. He couldn’t and wouldn’t take chances as he had back then.

“Evacuate the townspeople around the northwestern district.”

“But, sir—”

SLAM!

Another plume of dust arose from the northwestern shopping district, and the Chief’s eyes widened in fear.

“William.”

“Yes, sir?”

“Evacuate the guards too.”

“Yes, sir.”

The recent plume of dust urged William out of the office and onto the streets. Meanwhile, the Chief waded his way slowly into his desk chair. His fingers pressed against his temple as he reluctantly thought about the looming possibilities.

“Will I have to replace the northwestern shopping district?”

Unfortunately, nobody held an answer for the Chief.

----------------------------------------

SLAM!

“LET ME IN!”

When Goibhniu originally built the quaint house, he spared no expense on sturdy, unbreakable materials. Now, he was beginning to question if the materials had been switched out for weaker ones as his front door received strikes that creaked the entire building.

Novus and Goibhniu held the door back with all their strength, and they both had sweat stains on their brow. For Novus, it was from physical tension; for Goibhniu, it was from mental exhaustion.

Who is she? Why is someone so powerful here? I meant to hit him!

BANG!

It felt like an explosion rocked the other side of the door, and Novus stumbled backwards before hurriedly getting up and reinforcing the door again.

However, there was an odd silence as nothing struck the door anymore.

That’s not good.

It was even more distressing for the duo that nothing was hitting the door anymore.

Click!

“Why is it always when the experiment is about to succeed that I’m interrupted!?”

Novus & Goibhniu hadn’t even heard the failed experiment explode from Circe’s botany lab. But, judging by Circe’s expression, it seemed like it might have succeeded this time if not for the racket.

“Well? Open the door! If I don’t stick this scythe into their—”

Goibhniu rushed over to Circe to avoid what he thought was quite possibly the worst scenario possible.

“Honey! You don’t have to worry about the door. Don’t you hear that? Whoever it was has already left!”

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SLAM!

As if to prove Goibhniu wrong, the door ruptured open, and Novus was sent flying across the room.

In the silhouette of the doorway stood a heaving figure of a predator ready to kill an entire herd of prey. Her white eyes were stained with red blood vessels like a berserker, and her originally flawless hairstyle had been ruined. Likely, by the resounding hammer hit to the head.

Goibhniu lost feeling in his legs as Circe slipped out of his arms and rushed to the figure.

The entire island is going to sink today.

However, fate was unpredictable in many ways.

“Sis!”

“SIS!?”

Circe leaped into Edna’s arms like a star-struck lover who hadn’t seen each other in years. Roughly strewn against the wall, Novus questioned fate as he fell from the imprint in the wall and fainted on the ground.

But, Novus wasn’t the only one questioning fate.

Sister. She’s Circe’s sister. That woman is my wife’s sister.

Goibhniu’s eyes blinked rapidly as his brain worked overtime to process everything. But even then, it was too much for his brain to handle, and he simply stood like an idiot.

I just hit my wife’s sister with my hammer. I’m so screwed.

Meanwhile, the two sisters were having a lovely reunion. Edna was the first to fill the air with questions.

“Circe? Why are you here? How are you here? I thought your letter said you were travelling around the northern woodlands looking for the perfect wedding venue!”

Circe laughed heartily as she explained to Edna.

“I thought I would surprise you! I even placed the house close to what the locals said was your island doorbell! When Xavier said you’d be relaxing on a sunny paradise island, we both knew I had to go and visit straight away! The plants have always loved lots of sunlight, and they got enough rain on that dreary coast.

And about the wedding… we already had it!”

Circe held up her immaculate silver-toned wedding band that surrounded her ring finger as she practically squealed in excitement.

“That letter was weeks old! Didn’t you get my other wedding invitation? Everyone missed you!”

Edna laughed awkwardly, then sincerely congratulated her sister.

“That’s… wonderful, Circe. I’m happy for you. I’m so sorry I missed it. I was—”

“Ah!”

Circe pressed her finger against Edna’s lips before withdrawing it with a smile that also spread to Edna’s face.

“No excuses!”

Edna chuckled as Circe took her by the hands.

“You’re right. No excuses. I owe you one now. Add it to the many I already owe, I suppose.”

The excited look in Circe’s eyes carried on as she dragged Edna to a still stupefied Goibhniu. She plotted a kiss on his cheek that awoke him and grabbed his hand to join it with Edna’s in a handshake.

“This is the one I was telling you about! The lucky smith who smelted my heart.”

The two hands met in the middle, and Edna smiled in Goibhniu’s direction.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Edna.”

Edna’s arm flexed as the strength put into the handshake nearly caused Goibhniu to cry out in pain. Goibhniu’s hand felt like it was in his forge as it gripped tighter than a vice.

“I’m… Goibhniu! It’s a pleasure!”

Goibhniu rapidly fused some strength into his hand, but in the next moment, another overwhelming wave of force made Goibhniu question his own power.

Goibhniu clenched his teeth in a smile as Circe and Edna’s smiles both grew equally as bright. Finally, Circe relinquished Goibhniu’s punishment handshake as she diverted Edna’s attention.

“I’m so glad you two met! But it was supposed to be a surprise! How did you find us? We even activated the house’s sensory ward.”

Edna slowly released the handshake, and Goibhniu slipped away to the kitchen for one of Circe’s healing salves. Edna thought for a moment before lightly pointing towards the unconscious Novus.

“Honestly, I had no clue you were here. I was investigating something else and ended up following him into your house.”

Circe followed Edna’s gaze to the currently unconscious Novus, whose face was unpleasantly plastered against the floorboards.

“Ah! Slime core boy!”

Edna tilted her head as she looked at Circe in surprise.

“You know him?”

Whether it was the lingering effects from seeing Edna, or the idea of slime cores, both put a grin on Circe’s face as she checked Novus’ body for materials.

Slump.

Novus’ body flipped over and revealed the faint fist imprint from when Edna had burst the door open.

“Not really. More like an errand boy. Goibhniu thought he would be good for getting some slime cores for an experiment of mine.”

Edna’s eyes flashed as she guessed at Novus’ intentions.

Was he trying to get close to Circe to harm me? Or Gaius?

“He knew about Gaius.”

Circe’s smile faded into a frown as she stopped searching Novus’ body and stared at Edna.

“Have you been investigating Gaius again? What did we agree on?”

Edna defended herself as she didn’t evade Circe’s frowning gaze.

“I haven’t been. That’s what we agreed on. I… found the boy in the slime cave. Theodora finally had babies, and one of them imprinted on him.”

Circe’s gaze softened, but questions still floated around her head.

“That means the recipe for the mating pheromones was a success—”

Cough. Cough.

An eavesdropping cough came from the kitchen that matched Edna’s own insinuating cough.

“Ah, right. Yes, Gaius. How does he know about him? What did he tell you?”

Circe looked at Novus before flicking his forehead, but he didn’t awaken. Whatever technique Edna had used to bust open the sturdy door had knocked Novus deeply unconscious.

“Nothing notable. I was about to peruse his memories, but then his soul fled his body.”

“Like a Lich?”

“No, more like a Celestial.”

Circe’s brows furrowed as she tried hard to remember something. Then, in a eureka moment, she blurted out a similar event.

“Like those strange humans that have been banging on the door! Well, they don’t bang anymore, but….”

“Yeah, those are the ones. I’m pretty sure the divine made them immortal. They’re a nuisance since they can’t even tell power levels apart. This one was unique, though. He even knew my dragon slayer title.”

Circe’s brows creased alongside Edna’s, and an odd silence was left between them. Then, in sync, the two nodded their heads and spoke.

“Soul search.”

The two sisters looked at each other in shock, which dissolved into laughter soon after.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Goibhniu felt chills float around his aching hand and his kissed cheek as he stirred the fragrant healing tea on the counter.

This must be a dream.

Then, as quietly as possible, he sipped his tea to calm his tensed nerves and felt the refreshing feeling of his hand healing.

At least it’s at the nice part of my dream now.