In the Dwarf Castle, Iron Furnace City.

“I say, Big Iron Hammer, what surprise do you have? Cut the chatter and bring out your best ale first, let me have a good drink!” Dean Buke still had his usual smile, without much change, but two scars on his forehead added a manly air to his appearance.

“No need for drinks, lest you get drunk and disrespect this old friend of yours! Come, Buke, let me introduce someone to you!” The Dwarf King playfully teased.

Rody was so excited that he wanted to rush out and embrace Buke.

His hands were trembling slightly. For this teacher, who had not spent a long time with him but had taught him a great deal, Rody really wanted to hold him tight. It seemed Dean Buke had gone through severe battles, as evidenced by the indelible scars on his forehead. At the time when he and Felic needed him most, Rody was far away in exile.

While he and the beautiful teacher were retreating to the Seven Clans’ territory and battling Chaos Roar, Rody was pretending to be the Prince of the Night in Camaron.

Now, he had finally arrived...

“Who is it? If it's a beauty, then it's fine. If it's some stinky man, I think it's better to meet him drunk!” Dean Buke, seeing Queen Victoria coming out from behind the door, was momentarily stunned.

“The person I want to introduce to you is the Lord of Chaos City!” the Dwarf King proudly declared.

“What?” Buke was furious upon hearing this, his magical aura exploding and shaking the entire house. He roared, “Big Iron Hammer, I consider you a friend, a brother, and you betray me? I didn't expect it. The straightforward dwarves, even you have joined forces with the bandits of Chaos City? Have you also fallen? You want to ambush me in the shadows, Chaos Roar?”

“We dwarves have not only signed a trade agreement with the Lord of Chaos City but also a defense pact!” The Dwarf King laughed heartily.

“This is truly surprising, Big Iron Hammer. Let me give you another surprise then. This is the latest magic I've developed... capable of destroying the entire Dwarf Castle, though it's claimed to be the most solid in the world!” Dean Buke's magic power surged to its limit.

“Teacher, it’s me...” Rody rarely called Buke 'teacher,' usually calling him Buke or Dean in the presence of others.

“Who is it?” Dean Buke was startled. Upon seeing Rody slowly stepping out with tears in his eyes, he trembled all over, his face a mixture of shock and joy, his lips quivering, unable to utter a word.

“Ah, you fool Buke, who do you think I was talking about? The Lord of Chaos City I mentioned is this kid Rody!” the Dwarf King laughed triumphantly.

“Really?” Dean Buke couldn't believe his ears, asking in disbelief, “What about Chaos Roar?”

“It's been taken down by Rody. Otherwise, do you think I'd join forces with Chaos Roar to ambush you? I could crush your bones with one hand, do I need to team up with anyone? My friend, you doubted our friendship, you're finished, I'll drown you in my ale vat! Haha, did you see just now? He was so agitated that he wanted to fight me, it was too funny!” The Dwarf King, probably for the first time in his life, played a trick on someone and was immensely proud, laughing loudly.

“You little brat!” Buke rushed over and, as Rody was about to embrace him, Buke punched him down, cursing, “Big Iron Hammer that fool is one thing, but you dared to play tricks on me? Do you know I almost self-destructed! I’m so angry!”

“Teacher, please calm down!” Rody quickly apologized, having no choice but to go along with the Dwarf King's plan.

“It's fine, it's fine, you're here, that's what matters!” Buke pulled Rody up, hugging him tightly, then pushed him away, nodding happily, “Good lad, quite different from your sickly look before. Have you broken the magic and martial taboo? That’s great! You took down Chaos Roar? Wow, Mary Magritte must be so happy! But be careful, she'll hit you when she's happy, she always hits people when she's excited!”

“You also hit people when you’re happy; you just hit brother earlier, that's a bad habit!” Midy felt sad about the punch just now.

“Haha, it's okay, he can take it!” Buke punched Rody hard in the chest and then said to Midy, “See, he’s fine, right? Why don’t you try hitting him too?”

“I wouldn’t!” Midy flatly refused. Kissing him a couple of times would be okay, but how could she bear to punch him?

“Good lad, you've grown up and achieved so much in the time we haven’t seen each other… That Chaos Roar, I was just thinking about settling scores with it, and you took it down! Good job! That’s a breath of fresh air for me! You see, this scar on my forehead, it was left by that thing. Now I can finally remove it, this disgrace is finally washed away! Not bad at all, I couldn’t beat it, but my student did. This really delights my heart! Big Iron Hammer, where's your ale?” Buke happily looked for ale, seeming to need three big cups to calm his excitement.

“Don’t rush the drink, don’t you think you should thank me first?” the Dwarf King teased, trying to take advantage of the situation.

“I do thank you, let me think, how should I thank you? I'll tell Mary Magritte that you hid her favorite disciple from her, not letting her know. Hey, if she doesn’t burn your beard, I’m not Buke!” Buke, true to his nickname of the 'Devil Dean,' came up with a mischievous plan.

“Don’t, don’t tell that young lady, I’m afraid of her, she’s the only one in the world I’m afraid of!” The Dwarf King had his nemesis too, the beautiful teacher.

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

“Hahaha!” Dean Buke breathed a sigh of relief, feeling greatly relieved. Upon seeing Queen Victoria and the Moon Night High Priestess behind Rody, he frowned slightly and then asked with a smile, “Queen Victoria, I’m grateful for the help last time! But it seems... you greeted me? Ha, Queen Victoria greeted me, great job Rody, I never expected such an honor! Your Majesty, Queen of Ice and Snow, no need for formalities, just call me teacher like Rody, hey don’t really call me that, Mary Magritte would skin me alive! Just call me by my name! And you, the elf royalty... What? You’re the Moon Night High Priestess? My apologies, Buke here, you can call me by my name! Your status is too noble, and your abilities too strong, I can't accept being called 'teacher'!”

“You're biased, why don't you ask about me and Icarus?” Midy felt neglected by Rody’s teacher and was dissatisfied.

“Eh? There's a little one, who are you?” Buke pretended as if he had just noticed her.

“I just spoke to you, you big forgetful!” Midy, holding Rody's hand, said in a sweet voice.

“Really? What? You're Rody's sister? He has a sister I didn’t know about? That’s odd!” Buke blinked, scratching his head in a comical manner, amusing both Midy and Icarus.

“Teacher…” Rody started to speak, but Buke immediately interrupted.

“Alright, alright, we can talk after I’ve had enough to drink. Stinky kid, don’t call me teacher, it sounds weird, call me Buke!” Buke jumped on the table, raised his mug, and drank it all in one gulp, laughing loudly, “Friends, it’s time to celebrate, come on, raise your cups and drink with Buke! Do you want to hear me sing the 'Devil Dean’s Song'? Come on, if someone claps, I’ll show you what a golden voice is!”

“Sweat, is he really your teacher?” Queen Victoria was okay with it, but the Moon Night High Priestess was surprised.

“Yes, yes, I want to hear, I want to hear!” Midy and Icarus were already clapping their little hands, immersing themselves in the lively celebration. Rody laughed heartily, “Don’t you think having such a teacher is really cool? I rarely see him like this; he must be really happy today!”

Rody rarely saw Buke like this because he seldom drank with him.

If it were Tommy, he would definitely jump on the table and sing the 'Devil Dean’s Song' with Buke, as they were a perfect match in terms of temperament.

...

“Hey, what are you standing here for?

Go to the teleportation portal, someone is waiting for you there, I’ve already magically informed them! Hurry up, but don’t expect me to accompany you!” Amid the revelry, Buke jumped up and quickly said to Rody, then picked up Midy and tossed her into the air, causing her to scream and then laugh.

"Go ahead, I... we won't go..." Queen Victoria and the Moon Night High Priestess wanted to go, but since Rody didn't say anything, they were reluctant to speak up.

"You can come later!" Rody thought for a moment and gently stroked their cheeks with his hand.

Both women were slightly startled but did not shy away, instead blushing slightly.

They exchanged glances and nodded gently.

Rody's heart began to beat faster and faster as he stepped towards the teleportation station in the Dwarf Castle. Even facing thousands of troops, or the charge of demon orcs, Rody's heartbeat never quickened. But at this moment, it was pounding uncontrollably, beyond his control.

Jill and the beautiful teacher, it had been a long time since their last meeting.

Rody often missed them. During battles against orcs and demons with Kris, Rody often thought of them. Wandering and training in the land of exile, the lonely Rody frequently remembered them. Even when sweetly in love with the Star Goddess, Rody often talked to her about Jill and the beautiful teacher, and of course, about Kris and the female boss.

When the two of them needed help the most, Rody was not by their side.

After a long and winding search, finally, at this moment, they could meet again.

Rody's heart was filled with an indescribable feeling. He wanted to rush over and embrace them tightly. Yet, he also felt a fear of seeing their tears and broken hearts.

Would they forgive him for his long absence? What would they say to him? Would they blame him for bringing Victoria and Night Moon to meet them?

Despite Rody's extraordinary wisdom, he couldn't anticipate… His heart was pounding wildly, his steps taking him towards the teleportation station. He knew they were there, his psychic senses already detecting their presence. They were waiting for him, they had arrived!

Rody took a deep breath, gathering his courage, regardless of whether the beautiful teacher would slap him.

Regardless of whether Jill would push away his embrace, Rody decided to step in. He was now a man who stood tall and proud, responsible for his actions, without any retreat or regret.

As Rody stepped through the small door, he saw a scene he would never forget in his lifetime.

Two tearful beauties, with blurred teary eyes, were looking at him both crying and laughing… Before Rody could react, one of them had already sprinted over and plunged into his arms, weeping loudly.

The other one, too, was covering her face and weeping uncontrollably.

Their tears, like scattered pearls, covered the ground, and Rody's heart ached.

These were the tears of many nights of longing and anticipation, tears of hoping for a reunion… Rody couldn't count them, just as he couldn't count the tears themselves.

He might not understand their hearts, but he could read these tears. From the weeping in his arms, he could hear her missing him, hear her prayers for him, hear her secretly crying at night. The weeping person before him was akin to the Star Goddess in the Starlight Temple who had waited for him for thousands of years, similar to Kris who had disguised herself as a man and followed him into bloody battles.

Only, their ways of expressing themselves were different.

But their hearts were the same, identical in every way.

“Jill, Jill…” Rody couldn’t help but hold the tearful woman in his arms tightly, unable to resist kissing her tearful eyes.

“Wuwuwu, I missed you, I missed you wuwuwu!” Jill cried profusely, tears streaming down her face. She clung tightly to Rody, her throat trembling, unable to utter his name. Although she silently repeated his name every day, at the moment of reunion, she just couldn't call out his name!

“I missed you too, I missed you, Jill, don’t cry!” Rody repeatedly kissed away the tears on Jill's face, wiping away her tear stains, but the tears still gushed out, streaming across her small face. The tears of longing over the years, once erupted, were uncontrollable. She didn’t want to stop crying because she needed to vent, to let out all her longing for him, every bit of it.

“Wuwu, wuwuwu…” Jill sobbed uncontrollably, while the beautiful teacher managed to hold back her tears with remarkable self-control.

If not for the slight redness in her eyes, the moistness, and the slightly misted eyelashes, it would be hard to believe she had just cried. She walked over, seemingly trying to smile at Rody, but it turned out more like a cry. She reached out and gently stroked the top of Rody's head, finding it a bit high, then stroked his face, her voice tinged with a sob, “Good boy, you’ve grown up, I can't reach your head anymore!”

“Teacher…” Hearing this, Rody's eyes, which were already warm, became moist again.

“You're already a grown man, don’t be childish! It's okay, we've had a pretty good life these years, certainly better than you being bullied everywhere!” The beautiful teacher gently wiped away the tears at the corner of Rody's eyes, smiling slightly, “I heard you killed Chaos Roar? Not bad, even the three of us teachers couldn’t beat that demon king! You've made your teacher proud!”

“Well done!” The Drunken Sword Master appeared out of nowhere, patting Rody on the shoulder and smiling, “Rody, I'm going to drink first, we'll chat later!”

“I’m leaving too…” The beautiful teacher wanted to leave Rody and Jill alone, but Rody grabbed her hand.

“Teacher, don’t go!” Rody felt her struggle a bit, but he didn’t let her pull away.

“Let go, Rody, let me go! Others will see! Let go of me quickly!” The beautiful teacher became somewhat panicked. Seeing Rody holding her wrist tightly, she seemed flustered and pleaded in a soft voice, showing a vulnerability Rody had never seen before.

“No, no, teacher, let me hug you, I want to cry, I want to cry in your arms for a while!” Rody tightly embraced the two women, choking up.

“You’re already grown up... alright, just this once!” The beautiful teacher, seeing Rody’s head bow down and noticing his unwillingness to show his vulnerability, softened her heart and instinctively embraced his head, letting him rest on her chest, warming him with her bosom. Outside, he had faced many storms and tribulations, and though she couldn't help him with those, at this moment, she could provide a warm haven for him, embrace him, and warm him.

He was the hope of many, with everyone demanding from him, but no one able to offer him much help.

He was alone in his struggles, facing endless enemies and battles, a lonely child bullied by all. He had a mother but dared not stay long by her side, fearing to bring her harm. He had relatives, but they betrayed him, including his father. He had friends, but even they reached out to him for help, none truly able to assist him in moving forward...

Perhaps he was tired, like an eagle weary from flying through storms, seeking a place to rest for a while.

He needed a haven from the storm, but only he could provide himself a moment of respite.

"Rody, it's okay, we are all here! Everything will be alright, Rody..." The beautiful teacher, feeling increasingly sympathetic, couldn't help but gently kiss his forehead. She knew that his mother must have kissed him the same way to bless her precious son. In that moment, she felt as if she were like his mother, who prayed every day in her house for her son, able to offer him spiritual solace.

"Teacher, Jill!" Rody tightly embraced the two women, holding them firmly, not wanting to let go even for a moment.