The ship descended slowly as it landed behind a small hill.
Thankfully, the Revalis Clan was far enough that no one noticed.
The ho nearby also shook slightly from the wind as the ship landed, quickly noticing the woman inside.
The woman set down her teacup and blinked, looking out the window. "A flying ship?"
She frowned, not knowing who they were, but when she saw the figures waving from the deck, she smiled. "Rynar... Rynor..."
The twins jumped down as soon as the ramp lowered, shouting. "Mother!"
Before they could even reach her, she marched forward, hands on her hips. "Just where have you two been?"
Her voice was firm, but her eyes glistened. "A whole year has gone by since you left without warning!"
Rynar rubbed the back of his neck. "We left a letter... didn’t we?"
Rynor nodded quickly. "Yeah, we said we were going to train."
She huffed, crossing her arms. "A letter doesn’t stop a mother from worrying. You could’ve been hurt or worse!"
Both twins lowered their heads like scolded children. "Sorry, Mom..."
She sighed, shaking her head, but still she smiled. "At least you’re alive."
Then her gaze shifted past them toward the group standing behind. "And... who might all of you be?"
Garion stepped forward, smiling softly.
With a small motion, he waved his hand, and the massive ship vanished and was stored neatly back into his system.
He then bowed down slightly. "Nice to et you, miss. I am Garion, the sect leader of the God Gym Sect."
The woman blinked in surprise, then smiled politely.
"I see. Nice to et you, too, Sect Leader Garion. My na is Rachel Revalis."
The disciples quickly followed his lead.
Dahlia straightened her back and spoke first. "I’m Dahlia, Master’s first disciple."
She gave a polite bow, trying to look composed before her.
Next ca Clara, grinning from ear to ear. "Clara! Nice to et you, Auntie Rachel!"
She gave a playful hand wave, earning a quick elbow from Dahlia.
Eliza stepped forward quietly, hands folded in front of her. "Eliza. It’s an honor to et you, Lady Rachel."
Arden adjusted his clothes and bowed stiffly. "A-Arden. It’s a pleasure to et you."
He almost tripped on his words, cheeks reddening when Clara snickered behind him.
Rachel chuckled softly, her eyes gleaming as she looked at them all.
"Such a lively group... I can see why my sons follow your master."
Rynar rubbed his neck, grinning. "Yeah, they’re a handful."
Rynor folded his arms, smirking. "Especially Senior Sister Dahlia when she’s in charge."
Dahlia glared. "You want to test that right now?"
Rachel laughed softly. "It’s good to et you all. Please, co inside. It’s windy out here. We can talk properly inside."
Garion nodded, and as Rachel turned to lead the way, he gently stepped in front of her, stopping before her.
Rachel blinked, a bit confused. "...Sect Leader Garion?"
Garion smiled lightly. "Please, beautiful Miss. Allow ."
Rachel froze. "Eh?"
"I already heard from your sons that your body is weak," he said.
"While we’re here, please allow to help you... at least a little."
Her face turned red almost instantly. "N-no, please don’t call that. I’m just a weak old woman."
Garion chuckled. "Old? Hardly. You have fair skin, golden hair, and eyes brighter than most I’ve seen."
He began to caress her face. "You are not old or weak, Lady Rachel, only beautiful and kind."
Before she could respond, he gently lifted her in his arms for a smooth princess carry.
Rachel gasped, covering her mouth. "L-Lord Garion! What are you doing?"
He grinned. "Helping. Don’t worry so much. And please, call Garion."
Her blush deepened as she tried to hide her face. "T-this is improper..."
Garion simply walked forward calmly, carrying her toward the door as the disciples stood frozen in place.
Dahlia’s eyebrow twitched hard. "Is this... really our master?"
Clara leaned closer to Eliza, grinning. "He’s smoother than I thought. Didn’t know Master had that side."
Eliza exhaled, rubbing her temple. "He’s unbelievable. One mont strict, the next... whatever this is."
Arden looked completely lost. "Uh... should we... stop him? Or... is this normal?"
Rynar’s face turned red. "M-Master! That’s our mother!"
He waved his hands wildly, looking ready to explode.
Rynor pointed accusingly, both embarrassed and amused.
"At least put her down before our father hears about this! You’re asking for lightning to strike!"
Garion didn’t even glance back and only smiled. "Relax, I’m only helping your mother walk inside."
Rachel, her face still red, covered part of it with her hand. "This is so embarrassing..."
The disciples exchanged glances.
Clara snorted first, then Dahlia couldn’t hold it in anymore.
Laughter rippled through the group until even Eliza was smiling faintly.
By the ti they all entered the house, the air had changed.
For the first ti in years, Rachel Revalis’ ho felt alive again.
---
Rachel sat down slowly, smiling as she folded her hands on her lap.
"So, you two ca back today because you plan to challenge Rovric and Ragric, right?"
Rynar grinned imdiately. "Yeah. We’ve trained hard for this."
Rynor nodded beside him, his eyes gleaming. "We’re ready, Mom."
Rachel frowned, her expression turning serious. "Can you really beat them? You’ve only been gone for a year."
Rynar leaned forward, flexing his muscular arms. "A year’s enough."
Rynor smirked, flexing too. "Yeah. They’re still the sa, but we’re not."
Rachel gave a small sigh. "You two were always known as the weakest among the sub-branches."
The room went silent.
Dahlia blinked. "Wait... weakest?"
Clara’s jaw dropped. "Hold on, you two said you were the strongest in your clan!"
Rynar crossed his arms, pretending to look offended. "We were... just... not back then."
Rynor chuckled, scratching his cheek. "What matters is that now we’re strong. No problem saying it now, right?"
Arden looked between them, whispering to Eliza. "They’re so confident it’s almost scary."
Eliza gave a quiet nod. "Almost."
Garion sat on another chair, arms crossed, watching the twins with a faint smirk before turning to Rachel.
"Miss Rachel, I’ve co to accompany them today. Could you tell us more about this yearly competition?"
Rachel turned to him, her eyes softening. "Of course. It’s my pleasure."
Garion’s grin deepened. "Perfect."
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