Chapter 116: A Place to Stay

The sisters quickly took Ethan to the place where William and Elene were. They were in a secluded alley, a wooden cart loaded with dozens of bundles of herbs sitting beside them. Elene stood resting her back against the wall, her head inclined toward her husband’s shoulder. Looking at her sunken, pale features, Ethan realized her condition had deteriorated far more quickly than he’d expected.

Usually Silveravyn took a few more years to progress this far, but in Elene’s case, it was happening much faster than he’d expected. If she didn’t receive proper treatment for a few more weeks, her whole body would begin rapidly paralyzing, and within a matter of months, something far worse might follow. His eyes shifted to William next, completely soaked through with sweat, his posture bent from sustained effort. Ethan realized with a sudden pang that the man must have pushed the cart all the way to Northwatch by hand, carrying Lady Elene inside it for hundreds of kilometers.

The corner of Ethan’s lips curved upward unconsciously as he looked at both of them. His respect toward William only deepened, seeing the sheer amount of effort he’d poured into protecting his wife. An ordinary human, even one physically stronger than most, couldn’t have managed something like this without eventually collapsing. He could only imagine the sheer will power he carried.

Then, just as quickly, irritation flared behind his eyes as his thoughts turned toward Iron Wolf. What was he even doing this whole time... that idiot. Ethan cursed quietly under his breath, then set the thought aside for now, unwilling to let it show on his face.

They didn’t sense Ethan or their daughters approaching until they were only a few feet away, their senses dulled from several days of relentless travel. Seeing Ethan alongside Anna and Sepharina, Elene quickly lifted her head, startled.

"Young Master..." William and Elene said in unison, surprise evident in their eyes.

"I told you girls not to—" Elene began, already turning to admonish her daughters, which made both Anna and Sepharina shrink back and look down, but Ethan cut in before she could finish.

"It’s not their fault, Mrs. Ashwood. I saw them near the merchant stall and asked what had happened myself," Ethan said calmly, looking directly into Elene’s eyes.

"I apologize if my actions displeased you, or made you feel they shouldn’t have come to me at all," he added.

"No, Young Master, certainly not. You’ve already done so much for us... it’s simply that we didn’t want to become more of a burden to our benefactor," Elene replied, her raspy voice heavy with emotion.

"It’s only a burden if you choose to see it that way," Ethan said.

Elene and William could only smile helplessly at him. Even though they’d known Ethan for only a short time, they understood well enough that he was likely one of the High Nobles, and an unusually sensible child besides. Even most lower nobles carried themselves with arrogance and condescension, even in the North, a considerable number did, but from the very beginning, Ethan had radiated nothing but genuine kindness. Never once had Elene imagined a noble could be so thoroughly down-to-earth, and that alone was part of the reason she’d been so reluctant to cause him trouble.

"First, let’s arrange a proper place for you to stay," Ethan stated, looking between the two of them as he gestured them down the street.

"But, Young Master—"

"No buts."

Ethan led them toward a guest house in Northwatch’s Outer District, considerably finer than the rough inns where adventurers and mercenaries typically stayed, but before they arrived, a booming voice cut through the air from somewhere behind them.

"Young Master!"

Everyone turned. Iron Wolf came sprinting toward them, panting heavily, his clothes still drenched with sweat, and within seconds he’d closed the distance entirely, arriving in front of them like a blur.

He glanced quickly at the Ashwood family and understood, to an extent, exactly what had happened, releasing a long breath. "The thing is... Young Master—" he stuttered, clearly bracing himself for a reprimand. Even without armor, the raw, unconscious aura leaking from him made it obvious to William and the others that he was an exceptionally strong Knight, and his imposing presence alone was enough to make them swallow nervously.

Ethan told him to catch his breath and rein in his aura first, he could explain everything later, and gestured for him to follow.

They soon arrived in front of a guest house run directly by Northwatch’s administration, effectively an extension of House Ravencrest itself—a highly exclusive establishment. Knight and Mage families frequently sent their children to Northwatch to gain real combat experience against beasts, and most preferred staying here rather than enduring the harsh, communal conditions of the military barracks.

Even a few nobles who had reached a bottleneck in their cultivation came to Northwatch during Beast Tides, hoping to find the enlightenment needed to advance. Under Elena’s direct orders, the guest house had been built with every possible amenity to accommodate them.

Looking up at the enormous structure, everyone swallowed nervously—even Anna and Sepharina, who visited Northwatch regularly to sell their gathered herbs, had only ever seen it from a distance while keeping to the Merchant District. Never in their lives had they imagined standing before such a grand estate.

Ethan gestured for them to follow him inside, but they remained glued at the entrance, uncertain whether they were even permitted to step through the doors.

"Now, now... don’t just stand there," Iron Wolf said, chiming in the moment he noticed their hesitation. He gently placed a hand on William’s shoulder and guided him forward, having already sensed clearly enough that this family mattered deeply to Ethan, he’d resolved to treat them with real respect regardless of their status as an ordinary woodcutter family.

Curious as he was about the connection, he didn’t ask. He simply wanted to be useful to Ethan in some way, having already felt he’d botched his very first mission badly enough. He turned next toward the others, gesturing warmly for Elene and both sisters to follow as well.

"It seems he’s at least useful for something," Ethan said, watching Iron Wolf work to put them at ease.

The family cast one last uncertain glance toward Ethan, as though silently asking permission. Ethan offered a gentle smile and told them, simply, to come inside.

The moment they entered, their eyes were drawn upward, toward the intricate designs and paintings adorning the walls, the enchanted lamps casting warm light across the space, and the golden chandelier hanging above the reception hall, its glow reflected in the pristine, snow-white marble floor beneath it, making the whole room look almost picturesque. It felt entirely removed from the rest of Northwatch, an island of quiet luxury inside a city built for war.

They walked forward nervously, still following close behind Ethan.

Ethan approached the reception desk, where a woman in her early thirties stood waiting—honey-blonde hair, pale blue eyes, composed and professional right up until her gaze landed on him. Her eyes widened instantly. She recognized him at a glance and rushed over without a moment’s hesitation.

"Young Master!"

"Morning, Lady Aisha," Ethan said, smiling as he looked at her. She was one of Elena’s closest friends, and a Fourth Circle Mage in her own right; Elena had personally entrusted her with the administration and oversight of this entire guest house.

"Young Master," Aisha said with a bright smile, "it seems you’ve finally come looking for your Aunt, even though you arrived so long ago already." Before Ethan could respond, she pulled him into a quick, tight hug, and he could only laugh nervously in response.

"Lady Aisha, please... I’m not a child anymore," Ethan said, trying gently to extract himself, his face flushing with embarrassment.

"You’ll always be a child to me," she shot back immediately, "and why do you keep calling me Lady Aisha? You should call me Aunt." Only then did her eyes drift toward the others standing a short distance behind him, realising that they weren’t alone. She withdrew, composing herself.

Apart from Iron Wolf, everyone else’s expressions had gone distinctly pale, as though they’d just seen a ghost, their minds still struggling to catch up with what had just happened.

"Young Master... who are they?" Aisha asked, a curious, teasing look crossing her face as she leaned down to whisper the question directly into his ear.

Ethan hesitated, uncertain how to answer on the spot, and finally settled on saying they were like family to him.

"Family...?" Her eyes drifted toward Anna and Sepharina immediately, and both girls instinctively took a step back under the sudden weight of her attention.

"My, my... it seems the Young Master has grown up quite a bit in the time I haven’t seen him," she said, a mischievous smile spreading across her face. Fortunately, the rest of the group stood several dozen feet away and hadn’t caught a word of the exchange—otherwise, Ethan could only imagine how much worse this could have gotten.

Seeing the look still lingering on Aisha’s face, Ethan could only sigh. "That’s not it at all, Lady Aisha."

"Oh? What is it then?"

Ethan explained, as briefly as he could, that Elene was suffering from Silveravyn, and that they’d come to Northwatch seeking a proper healer now that her condition had worsened. He asked her to arrange a comfortable room for the family’s stay, along with a healer to see to Elene directly. Listening to the explanation, Aisha’s playful demeanor shifted into genuine sympathy. She readily agreed, unable to refuse Ethan’s request.