The carriage rolled to a stop in the small village of Feldstadt, signaling the end of their journey. As the door opened, Viola stirred from her slumber, her body stretching in a manner that accentuated her curves. Lilly couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy as she looked at her. Viola noticed Lilly's gaze, and a smirk played on her lips as she relished in her impact.
Zeke shook his head at her antics, used to her ways by now.
"Let's go," he said, gesturing for her to follow him as he stepped out of the carriage. The villagers of Feldstadt, who had been busy with their daily lives, noticed the carriage and the small group of mages. They immediately stopped what they were doing and took notice, some of them bowed while others came closer to see the travelers. The young mages were greeted warmly by the villagers, and they were all pleased to see Ezekiel back in his home village.
Zeke looked around at the familiar sights of his home village, Feldstadt, with a longing in his eyes. The thatched roofs of the houses, the cobblestone streets, and the friendly faces of his old acquaintances all brought back fond memories.
Ezekiel greeted everyone he knew, telling them that he had been well and catching up on old times. He introduced Viola as a friend from the academy, keeping her noble status and position a secret from the villagers. He knew it would only cause unnecessary attention, and he wanted to keep things simple.
As Ezekiel led Viola through the village, he couldn't help but reminisce about his childhood. He pointed out important locations from his stories, such as the spot where he had caught his first fish and the tree he used to climb as a child.
As they walked, Viola listened intently, taking in the sights and sounds of the village with a sense of curiosity. But as they approached his home, he turned to Viola and asked her where she intended to stay. She gave a nonchalant answer, saying that she had a place in mind and not to worry about it. Ezekiel couldn't shake off the feeling that there was more to her words, but he decided to trust her for now.
As they approached his childhood home, Ezekiel turned to her and said, "We're here." Viola looked at the small house with interest, inspecting it closely. It was a simple house, made of wood, with a thatched roof and a small garden in the front. It was clear that it had been well-kept, and it brought a smile to Ezekiel's face.
He walked up to the door and knocked on it three times before entering. It was a small tradition that he had kept from his childhood, a way to announce his arrival to his family. Ezekiel opened the door and gestured for Viola to enter, eager to show her around his childhood home. He was excited to see her reaction and to see if she would see the same warmth and love in the place that he did.
As Viola stepped into Ezekiel's childhood home, she couldn't help but notice that it was not an impressive house by any means. The house was small, made of wood, and looked no different from the other thatched huts around it.
When Ezekiel remembered that Viola must have grown up in a palace, he started to look a little ashamed of the house, but Viola quickly reassured him. She told him that it looked lovely, like a real family home. Ezekiel couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth from the compliment, but he didn't say anything.
The furniture was simple and worn, but it was clear that it had been well-maintained over the years. Ezekiel showed her around, pointing out special trinkets and memories from his childhood. As they walked through the house, Viola could see how much this place meant to Ezekiel. It was clear that it held a special place in his heart, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth and nostalgia as she looked around. She could see how much Ezekiel loved his home, and it made her happy to see him so at ease and content.
As soon as Ezekiel opened the door, he was tackled by a small blonde girl with twin tails and bright blue eyes. It was his little sister, Maya, who was overjoyed to see him. She immediately started crying and berated him for not coming home sooner.
Ezekiel lifted the 9-year-old girl up and hugged her tightly, feeling a wave of warmth and love wash over him. Maya didn't want to let go, clinging to him tightly as he walked through the rooms of his old home.
Ezekiel walked through his old home in search of his parents. Maya told him that they weren't home at the moment, but that they would return any moment now. Just as she finished speaking, there was noise coming from the entrance. Ezekiel got a mischievous smile on his face, motioning for his sister and Viola to remain silent.
The moment his father stepped into the room, Ezekiel jumped out from his hiding spot and charged his father at full speed. His father, taken aback by the sudden attack, reacted quickly and got into a fighting stance, ready to defend himself.
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But when his father saw the locks of crimson red hair charging at him, he realized that his son was back, and he decided to counter Ezekiel's offensive with a hug of his own. The two men met in the middle of the room and squeezed each other as hard as they could. Ezekiel was surprised at his father's strength. He had advanced to a mage with his blood and space core. The body of mages would get stronger because of the Mana their core would passively attune, and blood mages had even stronger bodies, but his father didn't seem to struggle to keep up with Ezekiel's strength.
As they hugged, his father praised his son for his progress and his strength. He was proud to see that his son seemed to have grown up quite a bit since he left home five months ago.
Their stalemate had to end the moment Ezekiel's mother entered the room. She let out a loud yell and rushed over to hug her baby boy. Ezekiel let go of his father and hugged his mother back. He didn't know why, but the moment he was in his mother's arms, there were tears in his eyes. His mother held him tightly, whispering words of love and encouragement in his ear. Ezekiel felt a sense of warmth and safety in her embrace, and he knew that no matter what happened in the future, his mother would always be there for him.
After a long hug, Ezekiel's mother looked over his shoulder and saw Viola standing a couple of steps behind him, watching them. It might have been awkward for other people to be ignored like that, but Viola simply looked at everyone curiously and would start to wave when his family members looked at her before continuing to look around the room.
Ezekiel's mother turned to him and said, "Ezekiel, why don't you introduce your friend?" Ezekiel turned around and saw Viola. She had her usual smirk on her face and looked at him with one eyebrow raised. She clearly wanted to be introduced, and Ezekiel rushed to do so.
He walked over to her and said, "Mother, Father, Maya, this is Viola Windtänzer. She's a friend from the academy, a fellow student, and a very talented mage." Viola smiled and greeted them all. She was clearly happy to be introduced as a very talented mage.
Ezekiel's family was surprised to learn that Viola was a noble and Zeke could see that his father's face became much more serious after hearing her last name, it was clear that he had heard about Viola's family before.
Ezekiel could tell that they were struggling to adjust to her noble status, and he knew that it was up to him to remedy the situation.
He turned to his family and said, "Please, everyone. Treat Viola like a normal girl."
His family continued to act stiff and uncomfortable around Viola. Ezekiel could tell that they were struggling to understand why he would bring a noble girl home to meet them. He knew that he had to be more direct.
He turned to them and said, "She's my best friend, and if you can't act normal around her, then I'll have to send her away. And if I have to send her away, she will have no place to go, she will have to fend for herself in the harsh world out there. Can you really bring yourself to do that to her?"
Ezekiel knew he had to do something drastic to make his family more comfortable around Viola, so he decided to use his secret weapon. He grabbed Viola by the shoulders, turning her around and aiming her at his family like a weapon. He couldn't see her face directly, but with his [Perfect Spatial Awareness] he saw that she had the most pitiful face that he had ever seen in his life.
The effect was immediate. His mother snatched her away from him and held Viola to her chest like she was her own daughter. She looked at Ezekiel with disapproving eyes and asked him how he could be such a monster as to cast out this precious girl.
Ezekiel knew he had made a mistake. Viola turned her head from within his mother's embrace and just smirked at him. Ezekiel couldn't help but roll his eyes at her, but he knew she was just trying to lighten the mood. After that first awkward moment, everyone treated Viola as Ezekiel's friend and nothing else.
Ezekiel's mother asked him if Lilly and Markus had come back with him, and the situation got a little awkward as Ezekiel didn't know what to say. He didn't want to lie to his family, but he also didn't want to upset them by telling them that Lilly had moved on and Markus was not returning from the capital city.
Ezekiel decided to just be honest and tell his family everything that happened with Lilly and Markus. He explained how Lilly had turned away from him and how she had agreed to marry Samuel, and how Markus had been working as a blacksmith in the crafter's quarters in the capital city.
When he told the part of the story where Lilly turned away from him, his mother cursed her out and expressed her disappointment in her. But when he told them about how Markus was doing and how the boy had supported and worried about him all this time, his parents were all smiles again. His father even said that he had always known that Markus was a good boy, and he was proud of him for being such a loyal friend to Ezekiel.
This was also the first time that Viola had heard the entire story, and now she wished that she had been even harsher to Lilly. She could understand why Ezekiel had been hurt by Lilly's actions and felt a sense of anger toward her. She also remembered the name of Samuel. How dare that little brat from the Luftschloss family secretly work for the Feuerkranz family. This was clearly a betrayal to her, since she was the leader of the wind mages at Elementium.
Viola made a mental note to take care of this when they returned after the summer break. After Ezekiel had told his family about his fight with the ogre and his promotion to bronze rank, he finally stopped talking. His mother then asked him in jest if there were any other bombs he still wanted to drop. Ezekiel wanted to laugh along, but then he realized that he really had one more thing that he needed to tell his family.
He made an awkward face, not sure how to tell them. His mother noticed his expression and told him to come out and say it. He hesitated for a moment but then decided to take his mother's advice. "Mom, Dad, Maya, we are all nobles now!" he didn't know what reaction he expected, but the complete silence that followed was not it.