The return trip was smooth, and there were no mishaps along the way.
Aside from the grueling hours flying in the sky, they were like three people out on an excursion in the countryside.
A few days later, nearing midnight, they finally arrived in Limeburgh Town.
Since Brynhildr Academy was only an hour away, they decided to take a good rest for the night and return to the academy tomorrow.
Originally, they would have made camp just before sunset, but all of them decided that it would be best if they endured until they reached Limeburgh Town so that they would no longer have to sleep in the wilderness.
Fortunately, there was an inn open for twenty-four hours a day, so they went there to rest for the night.
This time, they all booked separate rooms, and Nicole and Samantha no longer had to share a room.
Limeburgh Town was safe enough, and there were Wizards and Witches patrolling it on a regular basis.
After heading to their respective rooms, Ethan decided to remove all of his clothes in order to take a bath.
They had been traveling for a long time, and he felt sticky due to the dirt and dried-up sweat that had accumulated on his body during their journey.
When the relaxing shower was over, Ethan dried himself with a towel and used wind magic to dry his hair.
Lilith then jumped out of his shadow so that she could also take a bath to clean her body.
Although she had spent most of the journey in Ethan's shadow, she wanted to clean herself properly since she always slept beside him at night. Searᴄh the Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Just as she returned to her Cat Kin form, Lilith allowed the cold water to wash away the heat that was rising in her face.
She had been taking a nap when they arrived in Limeburgh Town, so she wasn't aware that Ethan was going to take a shower.
The Cat Kin only woke up when she felt a cold sensation in her surroundings, making her open her eyes. She then saw a naked Ethan, humming in the shower as he cleaned his body.
Since she was given a good opportunity to take a good look at her Master's "assets", the Cat Kin made sure to engrave everything in her memory.
This was why her body was now heating up. She could only hope that the cold water would be able to relieve the heat and slow the blood that was rushing toward her head.
While Lilith was taking a shower, someone knocked on Ethan's door, which surprised the young man, who was about to sleep.
"Who is it?" Ethan asked.
"It's me, Nicole."
Thinking that the young lady had something important to say to him, Ethan opened the door.
Nicole was in her pajamas, which took Ethan by surprise. Although she was wearing plain pajamas, seeing her like this felt so refreshing that Ethan's gaze lingered on her clothes a little longer than necessary before he raised his head to meet her gaze.
"Is there something I can help you with?" Ethan asked.
"Yes," Nicole replied before making a gesture for Ethan to come closer to her because she planned to whisper something in his ear.
Ethan did as he was told and moved his ear closer to her. However, instead of words, he felt something soft press over his right cheek.
"Thank you," Nicole said. "This is the reward I promised last time."
Ethan was surprised, not expecting that Nicole would kiss his cheek.
"What? Were you perhaps hoping that I'd kiss your lips again?" Nicole asked in a teasing tone.
"No," Ethan replied. "I was just surprised that you actually did it."
"Well, you did help me a lot during the Dungeon Outbreak," Nicole said. "Also, I feel a bit sorry for you because your contribution will be relayed to the Royal Family. Expect them to send someone to invite you for an audience in the capital."
Ethan internally groaned after hearing Nicole's statement.
He didn't really want to have a relationship with the Royal Family of Eastshire. Everything simply became more complicated whenever Nobles and the members of the Royal Family were involved.
He already had experience when it came to dealing with the Royal Family of the Magdar Kingdom in the Lands of Alastor.
Ethan even took care of Princess Ramona for a few months, and it was more than enough to make him understand the power struggles among the members of the Royal Family.
Suddenly, Nicole looked in the direction of the bathroom because she could faintly hear the sounds of the shower being used.
"Is there someone using your shower?" Nicole asked in a mischievous tone. "Did you perhaps ask the young lass downstairs to warm your bed for the night?"
"Of course not," Ethan replied. "I just left it on because my cat wanted to take a bath."
"Oh… that cat." Nicole nodded.
She knew that Ethan kept a black cat, which he named Lilith, and even made his familiar.
However, she had no idea that Lilith was actually a Cat Kin in disguise and was a member of the Four Protector Clans that were duty-bound to keep Ethan safe.
"Well, then. I'll see you tomorrow," Nicole said. "Once again. Thank you for everything. I will also expect your help in the Second Trial."
"You got it." Ethan nodded. "Good night, Nicole."
After bidding good night to each other, Nicole returned to her room, and Ethan closed the door.
The sound of the water coming from the shower also stopped, and a minute later, a black cat emerged from it, with still a few water droplets on her fur.
Ethan crouched down and used wind magic to dry Lilith's fur before picking her up so that the two of them could sleep together.
This was the reward that Lilith had asked of him after helping him during the Dungeon Outbreak.
The Cat Kin asked that she be allowed to sleep beside Ethan every night as a reward for her help.
Ethan didn't have any problem granting this request since she also found Lilith's fur soft and comfortable to the touch.
She was like a warm plushie that Ethan hugged in his sleep, which made the Black Cat very happy. Being hugged by her Master to sleep was the first step to a happy future!
It didn't take long before Ethan fell asleep due to his exhaustion caused by the long journey.
Lilith looked at her Master's sleeping face and hesitated for a bit.
However, after steeling her resolve, she moved closer and pecked Ethan's lips with her own before burying her head in his chest to sleep.
Sebastian and Ethan's Other Half were quite amused with this development, but they didn't plan on telling the young man anything.
Both of them knew that Lilith wouldn't betray Ethan no matter what, so the two of them turned a blind eye to the Black Cat's little mischief, which she would do from time to time whenever she was certain that her Master was fast asleep.