Chapter 228: Three Years

In the three years that had passed, Regis, Pandora, Killian, and Aurelia had completed countless quests; both as a party and on their own.

Now in the midst of adolescence, the four of them were growing splendidly, navigating the trials of puberty alongside the challenges of their adventuring life.

The house gifted to them by Aurum had been renovated to suit their shared needs: it featured a training hall, a library filled with both practical knowledge and magical theory, and of course, individual rooms for personal time and space.

It also became somewhat of a headquarters for their adventurer party, where they conducted meetings regarding quests and the like.

Living together had only strengthened their bond, turning their friendship into something unshakable.

"Oh no!!!"

Just as Regis stepped through the front door, Killian’s voice echoed dramatically through the house.

It did not take long for him to find Pandora lounging in the living room, a magic tome in hand.

She wore a comfortable, oversized gray shirt and loose cotton pants, her shiny black hair pulled into a messy bun.

Reclining lazily on the couch, she looked half-asleep as she read.

Hearing the familiar footsteps, she glanced up and smiled faintly, "Welcome home, Brother."

Over the years, Pandora had started to show more emotion, though only subtly.

Her face still maintained that signature calm neutrality for the most part.

Regis smiled and raised the paper bag he was carrying.

Pandora’s eyes lit up, "Is that what I think it is?"

"Yep. Elven Spring Rolls."

"Yay."

Her rare display of excitement widened Regis’s grin.

He set the paper bag down on the low table in front of her.

"By the way, what’s with Killian’s yelling again? Good thing this house has proper soundproofing..."

"No idea. Maybe he got another pimple. Either way, not my problem." She said flatly, already digging into the bag.

She unwrapped a spring roll— its translucent skin revealed finely cut, colorful vegetables, still steaming.

She gulped audibly and took a bite.

Tap—Tap—Tap—

Hurried footsteps approached until the bathroom door slammed open.

"Regis! Perfect timing!"

Killian stood there in distress.

Like Pandora, he wore comfortable clothes, but the glaring feature was the large red pimple on the center of his nose.

As soon as Regis and Pandora laid eyes on him, they both stiffened, trying desperately not to laugh. Their expressions gave them away.

"Can you help me get a medicine for my—"

Killian paused as their faces twitched.

"I— pffft— What were you saying?" Regis asked, trying to hold it together as his face scrunched up.

"You can laugh, you know."

"Pft— No— I’m not laughing." Regis said, dead serious.

Pandora was already giggling behind him, trying— and failing— to hide it behind her spring roll.

Killian remained deadpan, "No, it’s really fine. I don’t min—"

"Pftt— HAHAHAHA!!"

Before he could finish, both Regis and Pandora burst into uncontrollable laughter.

To make matters worse, a bit of vegetable flew out of Pandora’s spring roll and landed squarely on Killian’s cheek.

He simply turned his head slightly, expression unchanged.

After a few minutes of laughter, they finally calmed down.

"Are you finished laughing now?" Killian asked, smiling.

Though the twitch in his eye betrayed the strain behind his grin.

He was clearly anything but happy.

Regis patted his shoulder as he put a spring roll in his hand, "Here, cheer yourself up with a spring roll."

"Thanks."

Killian rolled his eyes as he took it and sat on the single-seater couch beside the longer one where Regis and Pandora were seated.

"Look at my nose! How am I supposed to face Isabella with this huge thing on my face!? Rina would laugh at me! What if Yumi gets turned off by this!?"

He ranted as he took a bite of his spring roll, prompting Regis and Pandora to exchange tired glances.

"How do you even manage to name three different girls in a single sentence? It’s almost impressive."

Regis commented dryly.

"If you die, the pimple will be gone too."

Pandora added flatly, her eyes still on the magic book in her hand as she took occasional bites from her spring roll.

"Anyway..." Killian cleared his throat, "Can’t you just help me, Regis?"

"How?" Regis took a huge bite of his spring roll, "You know the Alchemy Hall doesn’t have medicines for pimples, right?"

"Yes, but at least tell me your secret, please? How come I’ve never seen a pimple grow on your face!?"

The desperation on his friend’s face made Regis pause for a moment before responding, "I don’t really know, maybe I’m just different from you?"

"Unfair!"

Ignoring Killian’s dramatic antics, Regis posed a question, "By the way, when are you guys free? I think it’s time to turn our adventurer party into a corporation and get rid of this crappy name once and for all."

"Are you really asking me that!? How can I go out when I look like this?"

Killian exclaimed as he dramatically pointed at the pimple on his nose.

"I don’t have any ongoing quest either, Brother." Pandora said as she set her magic book aside and looked at Regis.

At this moment, the door opened again as a black haired girl carrying two paper bags entered the door.

"Oh, Aurelia!" Pandora called out excitedly.

Although Aurelia was officially a member of their party, she wasn’t able to focus as much on quests.

Much of her time was spent learning from and assisting her father with various affairs.

Fortunately, Aurum’s house was right next door, so she frequently hopped between homes.

Still, she spent most of her time with the group and primarily assisted during meetings with clients and handled administrative matters.

"I brought some food! Dad told me to always take care of you, so here I am, doing my part as the big sister~"

Unlike the others, who had only just turned fourteen, Aurelia was already seventeen, right at the peak of puberty and the prime of her teenage years.

She had matured noticeably; it was clear she was growing into a fine young lady, carrying a blend of refined elegance and youthful energy.

Aurelia still wore her signature black dress, reminiscent of the Victorian era, though it was now tailored to suit her current stature.

The white gloves reaching up to her elbows were still present, though they now served more as a fashion statement than something worn out of necessity.

Regis greeted her with a friendly smile, "You came at the perfect time."

"Oh?" Aurelia raised a curious brow, "Were you talking about something important?"

"Well, sort of. We were just about to start planning the expansion of our adventurer party into a formal organization. Since you’re here, we might as well take this opportunity to hold a meeting."

"That’s good! I’m quite embarrassed having that party name in my adventurer ID, you know?" Her eyes then wandered over Killian, "By the way, why’s that playboy acting weirdly?"

The person in question rolled his eyes and lowered the spring roll he was using to cover his nose.

"Pfft— HAHAHAHA!!"

Aurelia’s laughter rang through the living room as Killian sat in stunned silence.

"This girl... she doesn’t care about my feelings at all! How can you even call yourself my friend?!"

He protested dramatically—but was thoroughly ignored.

At the very least, Regis and Pandora had tried to hold back their laughter earlier.

Aurelia, on the other hand, did not even pretend to restrain herself.

A wounded expression settled on Killian’s face, his shoulders slumping in theatrical devastation.

Regiis seemed to have remembered something as he looked towards Aurelia, "By the way, how are the kids doing?"

Hearing his words, both Pandora and Killian looked on with interest.

There was only a specific group of people Regis ever referred to in that tone— the children he had spent time with at the demonic human camp.

Aurelia smiled warmly, "They’re doing well! Those who wanted to live normal lives have been placed in different businesses under our merchant organization. So you don’t have to worry about their wages or living conditions— we’re taking good care of them."

"As for the others, they’ve remained active as adventurers and have steadily climbed the ranks. Among them, the one with the highest rank now is Vanessa. She’s already made it as a veteran adventurer."

"That’s good..." Regis leaned back on the couch, a satisfied expression on his face as memories of the children flashed through his mind.

Back then, after negotiating with Aurum, he had let the children choose their own paths.

Of the original 112, more than half had chosen to live peaceful lives, away from the bloodshed.

For those children, Regis asked Aurum to arrange their placement into businesses that would support them.

Meanwhile, those who chose to follow him were given adventurer licenses through recommendations from both him and Aurum.

As of now, the demonic children of the past had their own dedicated street— a neighboring road to Gilded Row, where Regis and his companions lived.