Since Lux's saved location for returning to Solais was the house where he and his grandma lived, they decided to drop by and say hello to the Guardians of Wildgarde Stronghold since they were already there.
Truth be told, Lux wanted to see how the Stronghold Commander, Gerald, as well as the other Guardians, would react after seeing his Grandma Vera after a very long time.
However, the moment they arrived, the two noticed that their home was now covered by a faint layer of dust, which made the silver-haired lady frown.
"Let's clean up a bit before we go," Vera said softly.
Lux nodded. "Yes, Grandma."
He also didn't like seeing the place where he grew up look like it had been neglected by its owners.
Due to their current Ranks, the cleaning process didn't take long. All Vera needed to do was wave her hand in each room, dispersing the dust instantly and making everything look neat and tidy.
Only after making sure that everything was clean did they go to look for Gerald and the other Guardians.
The moment the residents of the stronghold saw Lux, all of them greeted him with a smile.
"Lux, I thought you already have a fiance," an Auntie said as she looked at the silver-haired beauty by the Half-Elf's side. "Well, since you're handsome, it's fine to have more than just one. However, make sure to treat everyone nicely, okay?"
"Auntie Flo, you're having a very big misunderstanding," Lux replied with a bitter smile on his face. "Although she looks very different from how she did before, this lady beside me is Grandma."
Auntie Flo chuckled before winking at the Half-Elf. "Oh, you~ do you really think I'm blind? If you don't want me to spread the news that you are keeping a secret lover, all you need to do is tell me the details."
Vera, who saw her grandson's helplessness, only smiled at the side. It had been a while since he saw Lux act like his age again, so she remained silent, despite the fact that the Half-Elf was asking for her help to clarify things.
In the end, Lux decided to no longer try to defend himself and ran away, leaving his grandma behind.
After seeing his grandson's antics, Vera chuckled before looking at the Auntie, who thought that she was Lux's new lover.
"Flo, it really is me, Vera," Vera said.
"Eh?" Auntie Flo blinked her eyes in confusion. "Vera? Is that really you?"
"Yes."
"Oh my God! What kind of juice did you drink? I want to have some too! How did you become so young and so beautiful?!"
Vera smiled before shaking her head. "It's a long story, which I will tell you some other time. Lux and I need to find Gerald and the others before going to Barbatos Academy. I will now take my leave and catch up to my grandson."
Vera took a single step before disappearing from where she stood, leaving the Auntie looking at the spot where she disappeared with a dumbfounded expression on her face.
Meanwhile at the Main Keep of the Wildgarde Stronghold…
"Oh, Lux. You're finally back," Gerald said after seeing the Half-Elf whom he hadn't seen for quite a while. "Did you perhaps drop by to talk before going to the Gate of the Apocalypse that will be opening soon?
"I heard that the Six Kingdoms have already sent their representatives and brought several Rankers to explore the Sacred Dungeon together. It seems that they plan to loot the entire Domain of the Fallen, which is infested with Deimos, Argonaut, and Dreadnaught Ranked Monsters."
Lux was very tempted to tell Gerald that all those Rankers would be just wasting their time.
His Stepfather, Alexander, and future Grandpa-in-law, Maximilian had already looted the place, leaving only scraps behind.
"Unfortunately, I won't be joining in the fun, Sir Gerald," Lux replied. "I need to go somewhere, so I can't participate in the Dungeon Expedition."
"… Is that so?" Gerald played with his beard for a while as if deep in thought.
While the two of them were talking, Vera appeared beside Lux like a ghost, making Gerald almost jump back in fright.
'An expert!' Gerald thought after looking at the silver-haired lady who suddenly appeared out of nowhere. As a C-Ranker, it was nearly impossible for someone to sneak up on him.
The only explanation was that the silver-haired lady was someone whose rank was higher than him.
'A High-Ranker?' Gerald frowned. 'No good. This must be one of those people that are after Lux.'
After regaining his composure, Gerald didn't hesitate to grab Lux's waist before backing away and putting the Half-Elf behind him.
"Your Excellency, I don't know who you are, or where you are from, but this place is under my jurisdiction," Gerald stated in a solemn tone. "May I know your reason for visiting our humble stronghold?"
While he was talking, Gerald had activated the artifact that would inform the other Guardians that an intruder had infiltrated their stronghold.
In just half a minute, a dozen people appeared inside the Main Keep and stood beside their Commander, while eyeing the silver-haired lady with frowns on their faces.
'For some reason, her Aura feels familiar,' Natasha, who served as the Cleric of the Stronghold, eyed the intruder with a serious expression on her face.
Rainier also felt as if he knew the lady standing in front of them. However, since he failed to recognize her, he kept his guard up, ready to attack as soon as Gerald gave them the signal to do so.
"It's nice to know that everyone's reaction time when facing emergencies hasn't diminished," Vera said with a smile. "Also, good job Gerald for ensuring Lux's safety first before trying to identify my background."
Gerald frowned because the intruder was talking to him in a casual manner as if they had known each other for a long time.
"Your Excellency, this boy Lux is a troublemaker," Gerald replied. "If he somehow offended a younger relative of yours, I will apologize on his behalf. The children should handle their own matters, and we adults should not interfere."
Lux, who had just been called a troublemaker, couldn't help but scratch his head. He couldn't refute Gerald's words because they were true. Although he didn't actively look for trouble, he almost always found himself in trouble most of the time.
Vera could see that her colleagues were already ready to strike at a moment's notice, so she decided to de-escalate the situation before things got out of hand.
"Everyone, it's nice to see you again," Vera said. "It is me, Vera. Lux and I just arrived, so we decided to visit all of you before we go to Barbatos Academy to reunite with our family."
"Eh? Vera?" Gerald, who was about to give the order for a preemptive strike, looked at the silver-haired lady in disbelief.
A few seconds later, he looked at the Half-Elf behind him as if asking the red-headed teenager if what the intruder said was the truth.
"It is true." Lux nodded. "That's really Grandma."
"What?!" Natasha and Rainer both exclaimed at the same time.
The other Guardians were also in a state of disbelief because the Vera that they knew was an old lady, not a silver-haired beauty, who seemed to only be in her late twenties.
"It's a long story," Lux said with a smirk. "You can ask Grandma to tell you about it some other time."
Gerald looked at the Half-Elf then back at Vera before shifting his gaze back to Lux. Just like everyone in the stronghold, they were shocked at how much Lux's grandma had changed since they last saw her.
