--
"Oh, wow..."
"This is...?"
"For real?"
"Is this really happening?"
Team Elric couldn't hide their surprise as soon as they returned home.
They had already cleared their mission and were rewarded for its completion. After that, they were ordered to return to civilization and wait for future missions, which is just an official way to say that they're getting a vacation. However, upon returning to society, they were surprised to see great changes in civilization.
Common people might not easily sense it, but they could. They escorted Cedric, who modified the bases of the expedition teams on the Black Lands after all. They could recognize that Misdirecting Mist at a single glance at this point.
"They deployed an up-scaled version of your formation?" Erica muttered next to Cedric. "I sure do hope you're getting royalties from that."
"Well, that would be nice but unnecessary," he replied softly as he inspected the formation.
"Does this mean that our home is practically hidden from the eyes of stray and low-tiered demons?" Floyd wondered.
"Should be," Cedric replied. "But this doesn't guarantee its safety. We might've turned invisible, but that doesn't mean our location changed. If they have something that could accurately strike us based on our rough location, we could still be in danger."
"That's what everybody thought too, but in the mean time, this isn't bad, no?"
The team turned around and saw Fiona. "Welcome back, guys. Good work on those modifications. Those will see great uses soon. More importantly, thanks for sharing your knowledge with us, Young—Cedric. Don't worry, you'll get your share.
This is, after all, your intellectual property."
"Glad to be of assistance," Cedric replied.
"You should take advantage of your free time," Fiona advised. "Nobody knows when we'll need you again. At the very least, I'll try to give you guys a month of vacation. Anymore than that would be challenging."
"That's quite fine, Madam Fiona," Elric replied. "We're already grateful for the opportunity."
"Awesome, you're all dismissed for now. Oh, Cedric, can you stay behind for a bit? There's something I need to tell you in private."
Starlight Royal Academy's Headmastress, Lissandra Mardeux, was one of them. Aside from her, there's the Lifestyle Guild's Tech God, Charles Makarov.
The Wandering Swordmaster, Old Man Jin.
Sorcerer Supreme: Hayden Clover.
The Mountain and Sea Princess, Fiona Dragonov.
As well as several people from the army. Cedric noticed that most of them were star travelers, at least, while the rest were planar travelers.
"Wow, these are some names," Cedric commented, feeling a bit pressured. "I-I'm honored."
He knew that once he displayed his skills, he'd be valued by a few people. However, he's not expecting that there are so many people who are willing to take an oath to protect him until he's ready.
"This is something we must do, Young Sage." Fiona smiled at him. "Even though you already dealt with the cult, we still can't outrule the chances of spies within our ranks. We know that you're doing your best, so please take your time. Us old people can still prop up the sky for you youngsters."
Cedric nodded solemnly. He felt warm about the idea of being valued.
"Alright, I've kept you long enough. Enjoy your vacation." Fiona stood up, but before she left, she turned to him and said, "Keep going, Young Sage. We are right behind you."
Right after saying that, she left. Cedric was stunned for a moment before smiling. Her words could be interpreted in many ways, but he didn't mind. He knew what she meant deep in his heart.
Standing up, he kept the document in his inventory and walked out of the office. There, he found Chrissy and Erica waiting for him.
The girls looked concerned, but after seeing the calmness on his face, they were relieved.
"Let's go home," he told them. The girls nodded, and they left the office and returned to the academy.
Back at his penthouse, Cedric felt all the tension that had accumulated in his body dissipate as soon as he laid down on his bed.
He finally knew what the girls felt like whenever they returned from a long mission at this moment. Just like they said, 'There's no place like home.'
He and the girls didn't speak. He cuddled them on the bed and basked in the peaceful and serene silence of their home. And even though they weren't as tired and spent as before because they were able to rest properly in between sites thanks to Cedric's skills, they still felt drowsy shortly after returning home.
The girls were unable to fight it, especially when Cedric began humming a soft tune while gently caressing their heads. Within minutes, the girls were softly snoring and snuggling deep into his embrace.
Cedric wore a smile as he too allowed himself to drift to sleep for the first time in weeks.