Chapter 236: We Have to Celebrate the New Recruits

Several hours had passed since the daily training session ended, but the atmosphere at the Ace of Spades Guild headquarters was still quite lively.

The members of the Sixth Squad had decided to take the opportunity to celebrate Lucas and Eve officially joining the team.

Chuck had been the first to suggest a celebration, and, much to Liam's surprise, almost everyone had supported the idea.

"Here's to our newest squad members!" Chuck announced, raising his glass.

"To our newest members!" several others echoed.

Lucas smiled as he clinked his glass against Eve's.

"I have to admit, I wasn't expecting such a warm welcome."

"What did you expect? That we'd make you go through some kind of initiation test?" Lena asked with a mischievous smile.

"Knowing you, I'd probably have to survive one of your pranks," Lucas replied.

"Hey! My pranks are completely harmless."

"That's debatable," Eve commented.

Laughter quickly spread across the table.

Liam watched the scene with a relaxed smile.

It wasn't often that everyone could get together like this. Between training sessions, missions, and responsibilities within the guild, finding time to enjoy a worry-free evening had become increasingly difficult.

For that reason, he decided to let the others enjoy themselves.

"Boss, aren't you going to say a few words?" Chuck asked, approaching him with his glass.

"What do you want me to say?"

"Something emotional. Something that'll make us cry."

"Then you'll have to find someone else, my friend."

"How cruel!"

Lena burst out laughing while Jordan took advantage of the distraction to grab another serving of food.

"If you guys keep talking so much, Jordan's going to end up eating everything," Zayn pointed out.

"There's still plenty left!" Jordan replied without stopping his chewing.

The atmosphere was pleasant. Even Liam, who usually preferred to keep some distance during social gatherings, eventually found himself joining several conversations.

Lucas and Eve seemed to be settling in quickly.

Both had known Liam for quite some time and had already had opportunities to work with some of the squad members. Even so, officially becoming part of the team seemed to have lifted a small weight off their shoulders.

"By the way, Liam," Lucas said after a while.

"Thanks for inviting us. I know bringing new members into the squad isn't a minor decision."

"You don't have to thank me. You've already proven that I can trust you."

"That means we'll have to put up with your training sessions every day now," Eve said.

"I'm afraid so."

"In that case, I think we should reconsider," Lucas joked.

Liam chuckled.

However, as he listened to the conversations around him, his thoughts eventually drifted back to the meeting with James.

The Antarctic dungeon and its potential SSS-Rank classification.

He was still having trouble getting used to the idea.

Until recently, SS-Rank dungeons had already represented an extraordinary threat. Now there was a possibility that something even more dangerous could appear.

And the worst part was that nobody knew when it would happen.

It could occur within a few days, a few weeks, or even before the guilds managed to organize a joint operation.

Liam set his glass down on the table and looked at his teammates.

'I hope we have enough time to prepare.'

◇◆◇

The celebration continued for quite a while.

When it was finally time to head back, Liam said goodbye to the others and left the establishment accompanied by Lydia.

She had arrived a little later, after making sure her [Split Slime] copy was properly looking after the twins.

"It was a nice evening," Lydia commented as they walked.

"Yeah. I think Lucas and Eve were pretty happy."

"It showed. Although Eve seemed more interested in arguing with Lena than celebrating her recruitment."

"That's a good sign too. It means they're already getting along."

Lydia smiled.

They walked in silence for a few moments. The night was peaceful, and there wasn't much activity on the streets.

However, Liam noticed that his wife kept glancing at him from time to time.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"You've been distracted all night."

Liam looked away.

"Was it that obvious?"

"A little."

"I guess I'm not very good at hiding it."

"Not when something is bothering you."

Liam sighed. He knew Lydia wouldn't let the matter go so easily.

"It's about the dungeon I told you about."

Lydia's expression grew more serious.

"Did they discover anything new?"

"Not exactly. But the situation seems more complicated than we initially thought."

As they walked, Liam explained some of what had happened during the meeting.

He also told her that the country's major guilds were preparing a joint operation and that organizations from other parts of the world were beginning to mobilize.

Lydia listened without interrupting.

"So this isn't just an investigation anymore," she finally said.

"Probably not. If the dungeon evolves, we'll have to intervene."

"And our squad?"

"There's a good chance we'll be assigned some responsibility. Nothing has been decided yet, but I don't think we'll be able to stay out of it."

Lydia lowered her gaze slightly.

"I see."

Liam expected her to ask more questions, but she remained silent for a few seconds.

"Do you think it'll be dangerous?"

"Probably much more dangerous than our usual missions."

"I see."

Liam glanced at her.

"For now, nothing has been decided. We still have time to prepare."

"I hope so."

The conversation ended there, although Liam knew Lydia had understood how serious the situation was.

◇◆◇

When they arrived home, Lydia's copy was still looking after the twins.

Lionel was asleep on a small blanket, while Liana was still awake, moving her arms and watching one of her toys.

The copy dissolved shortly after Lydia approached. Its body transformed into a small slime that returned to her.

"Were they well-behaved?" Liam asked as he approached his children.

"Much better than they were this afternoon," Lydia replied.

Liam carefully picked up his son and settled him in his arms. Lionel stirred a little but continued sleeping.

Liana, on the other hand, seemed to recognize him and began kicking her legs excitedly.

"Hello, little one."

Liam offered her a finger, and she grabbed it with her tiny hand.

After changing the twins and putting them to bed, Liam and Lydia were finally able to get ready to sleep.

She settled beneath the blankets while he finished checking that everything was in order.

"Come to bed, sweetheart," Lydia said.

"I'm coming."

Liam turned off the main light and lay down beside her.

Lydia moved closer and rested her head against his chest.

"You're thinking about the dungeon again, aren't you?"

"A little."

"You should get some rest. Staying awake won't solve anything."

"I know."

She raised her head slightly to look at him.

"Liam, if that operation turns out to be as dangerous as it seems, I want you to tell me."

He remained silent.

"I don't want you trying to protect me by keeping things from me," Lydia continued.

"I know you've been trying to keep me away from missions lately, but I'm still a hunter."

"I know."

"And I'm also your wife. I want to be able to help you when things get difficult."

Liam gently stroked her hair.

"We'll talk about it once we have more information, sweetheart."

Lydia watched him for a few seconds, as if she wanted to say something else, but eventually nodded.

"All right. But don't forget what I told you."

"I won't."

Shortly afterward, she closed her eyes and eventually drifted off to sleep.

Liam remained awake for a little while longer.

He looked at his wife's peaceful face before turning his gaze toward the cribs, where Lionel and Liana were sleeping soundly.

It had been a long time since his life had changed completely. Now he had a family, a home, and people he wanted to protect above everything else.

That was why he had tried to keep Lydia away from danger.

He wanted her to enjoy her life as a mother, spend time with their children, and avoid having to put herself at risk during every mission.

But could he really make that decision for her?

Lydia was a powerful hunter. And if the situation worsened, they might need every available fighter.

Liam closed his eyes and let out a sigh.

'I don't want you to have to put yourself at risk, Lydia.'

However, he also didn't want to become someone who prevented her from making her own decisions.

The Antarctic dungeon hadn't evolved yet, and the guilds were only beginning to organize themselves.

But Liam had a feeling that this peaceful period wouldn't last much longer.

He gently caressed Lydia's hand and looked at his children once again.

'No matter what happens, I'll protect them.'

He didn't know what awaited them in the coming days.

He could only hope that, when the time finally came to face that threat, he would still have the chance to return home with all of them.