Chapter 325: Tell Me Truthfully...

The 200-centimeter-tall giant opened his enormous arms wide. "Noah! My friend!"

It was Draven Rockbane.

Noah’s expression immediately stiffened. ’Damn! He’s going to crush me with that hug!’

He instinctively tried to step backward. Unfortunately for him, Arisha was standing directly behind him.

Before Noah could react, she casually placed a hand against his back and pushed him forward.

"Hey!"

And just like that, Noah stumbled straight into the arms of the barbarian giant.

"Hehe~"

Arisha chuckled quietly as she watched him get caught. Two enormous arms wrapped tightly around Noah. Noah froze for a moment.

’Huh?’

He had expected to feel like he was being squeezed by a bear. But surprisingly, ’Well, it’s not that tight.’

Despite Draven’s enormous physique and naturally powerful body, his cultivation was actually lower than Noah’s.

Noah was currently at the peak of the High Stage of the Condensed Core Realm, while Draven was only at the Low Stage.

So although Draven was physically imposing, Noah was more than capable of handling the pressure of his embrace.

Draven happily patted Noah’s back. "I knew you’d come back!"

He laughed heartily. "I heard from Ragnar that you had gone missing. You were even on television!"

Noah’s eye twitched. ’Why my news airing on TV? can’t do anything about it.’

He quickly pulled himself out of Draven’s embrace. "It’s good to see you too, Draven. And hello, Ragnar. How have you two been?"

Beside them stood Ragnar, a tiger-type beastman who somehow looked more like a giant cat than a tiger.

He nodded. "We’ve been doing well. But what about you? Where have you been all this time?"

"It’s a long story." Noah gestured toward the cafeteria.

"Let’s go eat first. I’ll tell you guys everything while we’re having lunch."

Damien, who had been watching the entire exchange, suddenly frowned. "You let him hug you? Then what about—"

"You bastard! You’re starting to sound gay!" Noah immediately cut him off.

Leonard, who was standing beside Damien, suddenly took a step away from him. "Well... he does kind of sound like one."

He glanced at Damien cautiously. "I should probably be careful around him."

"Fuck both of you." Damien glared at them.

Noah looked at Leonard. Leonard looked back at Noah. A brief silence passed between them.

Then Noah’s eyes widened. "Damn... Do you want to fuck?"

Leonard’s expression changed. "Noah...You were thinking the same thing."

Noah immediately pointed at Damien. "Damn! It’s confirmed. Damien is gay!"

"You bastard!!" Damien’s face flushed with anger.

Lyria, who had been listening to the conversation, immediately blushed. "Guys! Don’t say such dirty word!"

She tried to stop them, looking increasingly embarrassed. The others couldn’t help but laugh.

A short while later, the group settled around one of the cafeteria tables, their lunch plates spread out before them.

Noah, as usual, took the seat between Arisha and Lyria.

Nobody questioned it. They had long since become accustomed to this arrangement.

Noah always ended up sitting between the two girls.

Whenever Arisha refused to give him a seat beside her, Noah would simply keep bothering her with pointless questions and nonsense until she eventually surrendered with a defeated sigh.

So, over time, this had simply become normal.

Arisha glanced toward him.

"Now, dear boy..." Her voice was soft as she turned toward Noah. She was sitting at left side. "Care to explain where you’ve been? It made us so much worried.

Noah could see her worry behind those yellow eyes.

If anyone else had called him "dear boy," Noah probably would have beaten shit out of them.

But Arisha, Akari, Lyria And perhaps Sefira they were exceptions. Also his mother.

Across the table, Damien leaned forward. "Yes! Tell us! I want to know too!"

Kaelan and Leonard were seated beside him, with Ragnar nearby. Draven had taken the seat beside Lyria, who was sitting on Noah’s right.

Noah looked around the table. "Well, then. Let me explain."

He paused before continuing. "I assume you guys already heard about how Damien and I entered the labyrinth and how I ended up getting trapped inside an unknown portal?"

Everyone nodded. Noah then began explaining what had happened.

He told them about becoming trapped inside an unfamiliar realm and eventually encountering Ophelia’s mother, Akari. There was no real reason for him to hide her return.

Sooner or later, the news would spread anyway.

The servants at the Thornveil estate had already seen Akari. Once the servants started talking, the information would eventually spread throughout the manor, then Everhold City, and eventually beyond.

That was simply how rumors worked. So Noah decided there was little point in keeping her return a secret from his closest friends.

However, he carefully left out several crucial details. He didn’t reveal that Akari was a dragon. He didn’t tell them about the strange difference in the flow of time inside the realm.

And, most importantly, he didn’t mention the Monarch he had encountered.

Instead, Noah explained that a powerful monster had appeared, and after a difficult battle, they managed to defeat it and escape the realm.

Of course, when describing the battle, Noah made sure to emphasize just how difficult it had been. He couldn’t help but make himself sound a little cooler.

Once he finished explaining, Draven let out a low whistle.

"Noah..."

He looked at him with genuine admiration.

"You really are a man."

Draven gave him an approving nod.

"Even though you weren’t particularly powerful at the time, you still tried to save a lady while facing such a dangerous monster even when she was far stronger than you. My respect for you has increased."

Noah nodded solemnly.

"Thank you."

The others also began complimenting him and expressing their relief that he had survived.

Damien, however, looked somewhat guilty.

"Noah... I’m sorry. It was because of—"

"Hey, don’t apologize." Noah interrupted him. "It’s already in the past. Your apology isn’t going to change what happened."

He smiled. "Besides, I ended up getting the chance to learn from Lady Akari. That was a huge opportunity for me."

Even Damien couldn’t argue with that. "Still... it must have been difficult."

Lyria gently placed her hand on Noah’s right shoulder. Her expression was filled with genuine concern.

Noah felt a warm sensation spread through his chest. Her simple gesture made him feel strangely comforted.

He smiled. "Yeah... it was difficult."

However, while everyone else was talking, Arisha remained silent. She wasn’t eating. She simply stared at Noah.

Her yellow eyes remained fixed on his face, as if she were trying to look beyond his words and determine whether he was hiding something.

Kaelan, who had been quietly eating, eventually noticed her unusual behavior. "Is something on your mind, Arisha?"

Noah’s wide smile faded slightly. He turned toward her.

"Something happened?"

Arisha nodded. Her yellow eyes narrowed slightly as she studied him. Then she asked calmly, "Is Lady Akari a beautiful woman?"

Noah blinked. That was an unexpectedly strange question. Still, he answered honestly. "Yes."

A proud smile appeared on his face. "My master is extremely beautiful."

Arisha’s expression didn’t change. "Then tell me honestly..."

She leaned slightly toward him. "How much did you flirt with her?"

The entire table fell silent as everyone froze.

Noah’s body stiffened. ’What?!’ His mind went completely blank. But he quickly regained his composure.

He couldn’t let Arisha see that the question had struck too close to the truth.

So he forced a confused smile onto his face. And, surprisingly, his acting was excellent.

Even Noah himself was impressed.

Unlike when he had tried to lie to his brother, Nathan, about his feelings for Akari, he somehow found it much easier to deceive Arisha.

"What are you talking about?" He spoke with an almost offended expression. "My relationship with Lady Akari is purely that of a master and disciple."

He shook his head solemnly. "Our bond is as pure as holy water."

He looked directly at Arisha. "So please don’t make such inappropriate comments about it."

Arisha continued staring at him. Her expression didn’t change even slightly.

Noah’s smile remained on face ’She doesn’t believe a single word I just said.’