Aerick sat in the living room, sunk deep into an armchair as he replenished his aura reserves, when he turned his face toward the door.

Ethan stepped inside, now free of his armor and looking far more at ease. Beside him, however, stood only that beauty with black hair and silver gray eyes.

"Where is your other wife?" Aerick asked, gently stroking the hair of his son, who dozed in his lap.

His blue eyes, so common in this part of the continent and similar to Ethan’s own, carried a heavy weight.

"Taking care of a new ward of mine, along with your wife," Ethan replied, sinking into the armchair across from Aerick.

"Ah... that’s just like her." Aerick nodded, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

It didn’t take long for Evelyn to claim her spot in Ethan’s lap.

Her eyes slid shut the instant she could finally feel her man’s warmth without that cursed armor in the way. Her soft, curvy body melted against his chest, the plush swell of her rear sinking snugly into his thighs.

"Keep your voices down, I’m going to sleep a little," she mumbled, showing no regard whatsoever for the others’ presence.

Within seconds her breathing had already deepened, pulling her under into a deep sleep.

"Don’t worry, she sleeps like a log."

Ethan smiled, pulling a blanket from inside his spatial ring and draping it carefully over Evelyn.

Beneath the fabric, his left hand settled into a light, possessive grip on her shapely, tanned ass. The plump, firm cheek filled his palm perfectly, the supple flesh spilling between his fingers.

With his right hand, he summoned another item from the space ring: a bottle of green fairy wine.

"Open it and have a taste." Ethan smiled, tossing the bottle toward Aerick.

Aerick caught it in midair, the sweet aroma already drifting to his nose despite the seal still being intact.

Carefully, he turned his attention back to the child resting in his lap.

"Luke, go find your mother. The adults are going to talk for a bit."

The little boy nodded without question, hugged his teddy bear close, and ran off toward the kitchen, where Alice and Aerick’s wife were looking after Veronica.

In the hallway, Adam was waiting for them.

Now alone with Ethan, Aerick uncorked the bottle and poured a glass for himself, then another for his lord.

"What’s this called?" he asked, bringing the wine to his lips and taking a sip.

It was... delicious. But not just that.

He could feel his tired muscles knitting back together, his aura reserves recovering quickly.

"Green fairy wine. I’ll set aside a few bottles for you when we return to Goldenveil."

Ethan smiled.

"Why don’t you tell me a little about your master now?" he asked, watching closely for the hesitation that flickered across the other man’s face.

"Do you know the kingdom of Solene?"

"Yes." Ethan nodded.

The kingdom of Solene occupied a particularly interesting geographical position.

It sat on the opposite bank of the Solene River from the kingdom of Burning Ice, bordered on one side by the Eternal Forest, on another by the Dwarf Mountains, and on yet another by the Elven Forest.

To top it all off, it was embraced by yet another forbidden zone known as the Mountains of Death.

As a result, its only passage for transporting resources to the rest of the world was the North Sea, a territory fiercely contested between them, barbarian pirate tribes, and the Kingdom of Burning Ice itself. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

There was also a passage between the Mountains of Death and the North Sea that led to the powerful central empires.

That route, however, lay under the control of wealthy merchant groups who charged exorbitant fees.

About twenty years ago, the place became known for the Massacre of the Two Hundred Thousand Blades, when an overwhelming barbarian force wiped out half of Solene’s army in a single attack, as the kingdom tried to break through the merchant groups’ blockade.

The most incredible part of the story was that both forces ended up annihilated.

Many spoke of the image of a blue dragon tearing through the skies, reducing everything in its path to ash.

"No way..." Ethan lost his breath for a brief moment.

The man who had wiped out those forces stood at a level that could only be called quasi-seventh stage, the most legendary tier of power, said to have been reached only in the distant past.

"Yes... that was my master."

"I was one of the few survivors of Solene’s army. He trained me for about eight years before sending me here, spouting some nonsense about finding my purpose in life."

Hearing that, Ethan let out a bitter laugh.

The Azure Blade Dragon Emperor.

One of the few experts from the continent beyond the seas whose name was known even on the western continent. A truly monstrous existence, and Aerick was his disciple?

"Where is he?" Ethan asked.

"I don’t know... He vanished all of a sudden, and we’ve been completely out of contact ever since."

"I see..." Ethan fell silent, taking a slow sip of the green fairy wine. "You’re from the Kingdom of Solene, the greatest mining power in this world. You must know something about mining, don’t you?"

"Yes, my lord. I was a miner from the age of twelve until I was twenty. My entire family comes from the mines," Aerick replied, his middle aged face taken by complex emotions.

"What do you want from me?" He finally got to the question that had been gnawing at him ever since his duel with Ethan. "Just my blade?"

Ethan didn’t answer right away. He finished his glass of wine, then set it down on the table between them.

"When winter ends, an enemy will attack us. A powerful enemy. It’s because of them that I’ve been conquering everything around me so desperately."

Ethan turned his gaze to the window, observing the world outside.

"For now, I’ll keep you on as vice-captain of the guard. But once we defeat this enemy, I intend to found a mining town fifteen kilometers from Goldenveil.

I want you to be its Lord, serving me as a vassal."