"They have arrived. Their carriage is here, they should be joining us soon." Some of the family's staff had set up a spacious, comfortable area in the middle of the large garden for occasions like this. The decoration was beautiful, the tables and chairs matched perfectly, and thanks to a type of spatial fabric, nothing happening inside could be seen from the outside.

My grandmother, my father, and my mother stood up from their seats to welcome the guests near the gate. They left me a few steps behind to avoid making a strong impression right away. They want to greet them casually at first, and in the middle of that, give them the surprise.

I got distracted watching how the workers were arranging the desserts and snacks on the welcome tables. Some of the smells were quite subtle and everything looked delicious—I had already memorized three of them to try after lunch. A few seconds later, I began to hear my family's voices greeting the guests.

It gave me a feeling similar to when I returned home—not the same intensity, but the same essence. "After today, all that's left is to see my brothers and the other kids from the tournament." I tried to distract my mind by thinking about things to come.

I could hear Arisa and Sol calling my grandmother "grandma," and making those typical girl jokes where they say something without mentioning it just to tease the other. Arisa and Sol seemed to be arguing and getting along at the same time. Honestly, I didn't get it.

Just a few minutes later, I heard my grandmother say, "Arisa, Sol, I have a surprise for you. Look over my shoulder." When I heard those words, I turned to face them and slowly raised my hand to wave, putting on the most natural smile I could.

Both of them stared at me for what felt like an eternity. At that moment, it wasn't just them—the Baron and his wife had also noticed me and were staring intently.

Arisa wore a lovely orange dress, matching her hair, which was tied up beautifully with a white bow. She had matured a lot—at this point, we were probably about the same height. Her face was still very pretty, a blend of childlike features with more adult ones, and those gorgeous green eyes seemed to shine in the winter sunlight. Her figure had developed in all the right places, and it was clear her training kept her lean.

Sol, on the other hand, had chosen a soft white dress, also knee-length and quite form-fitting. I could see how much she had grown too—she didn't fall behind Arisa at all. Her long, loose hair flowed with the gentle breeze, and her delicate features were starting to show traces of sensuality in her expressions. Her green eyes stood out even more thanks to her color palette.

"Hi." That's all I could manage, waiting to see how they'd react. Not knowing what else to say, I stepped forward to approach them.

"Maki?" Sol started saying my name repeatedly. On the fourth time, her voice shifted. "Is it really you… Maki?" Before I could answer her question, I froze in place. Arisa had suddenly dashed from where she was standing and leapt into the air, hugging me tightly.

She flew through the air for a fraction of a second, and I caught her instinctively so she wouldn't fall. Her arms wrapped around my neck as her eyes scanned my face, not missing a single detail. "You're finally back. I missed you so much."

She started crying as she pressed her face against my left shoulder. With my right hand, I gently rubbed her back, and with the other, I stroked her head tenderly. "Yes, Arisa, I'm back." My words only made her cry harder. I found it curious that Sol was the first to recognize me, yet Arisa was the first to run to me.

Not even a second later, Sol appeared to my right. She cupped my face in her hands—so incredibly soft—and just like Arisa, she examined every inch of my face with her eyes. Then, she brought her nose to mine. At that moment, my heart started racing wildly. For a second, I thought she was going to kiss me. "Welcome back, Maki. It's been such a long time." She slowly opened her eyes, and tears gently streamed down her cheeks.

I tried to take her hand with my right hand, and she immediately gripped it tightly—so tightly I worried she might hurt herself.

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"Yes, I'm finally back. Thank you for welcoming me so warmly." Sol began crying as well, and both of them clung to me. Thanks to my domain, I could sense that both families were just watching the scene in silence.

A minute later, I was finally released. Honestly, I thought I'd be stuck like that for several minutes. I wouldn't have minded, though—I was willing to stand there as long as it took for them to let out all those years of emotion. My grandmother gently pulled Arisa away from me, and Sol's mother did the same. They both started comforting and calming them.

At that moment, Baron Camux approached. "The prodigal son has returned." We embraced firmly, and this time I was released after just a few seconds. "I hope to hear some good tales about life in the dungeon tonight. Beer tastes better with a good story."

"I'll try to make it entertaining for after lunch." We both laughed softly. He hadn't said it outright, but I could tell—he was happy and relieved to see me. I caught a glimpse of his Imra for a moment before he sealed it up again like a locked chest. My father joined us, and we talked a bit about the plans after lunch. Apparently, there wasn't much—just staying here or moving inside if it got too cold, continuing to chat and drink.

The Baron's wife came to greet me after handing her daughter to my mother. We exchanged quick greetings, asked how each other was, and she returned to her daughter. Seeing her up close confirmed it—Sol was the spitting image of her mother. That only meant she'd be incredibly beautiful in the future.

We all sat together at a long table on the left side of the garden. Each head of family sat at an end, and we arranged ourselves according to comfort. I ended up between Sol and Arisa. My grandmother sat across from me, my mother across from Arisa, and Sol's mother across from her.

My grandmother stared at me with her usual neutral smile and calm eyes—but I noticed the subtle shifts. She was enjoying the moment. She was loving watching me squirm with no clue how to react to the situation.

I created two small ice orbs under the table—just like her light spheres—and tried to launch them at her legs, but she intercepted them instantly. I looked at her, and she chuckled subtly. That discouraged me from trying again. Her mana perception was better than my domain.

"Since when did you finish that dungeon? You should've told me immediately." Arisa, after sipping her water, started to scold me. I just looked at her, then turned to Sol. She was about to say something but paused.

"I've been out of the dungeon for less than two days—I arrived the night before last." I paused briefly before continuing. "I haven't had time to inform anyone. I've been with my family this whole time." Arisa seemed satisfied with my answer, her eyes narrowing slightly as if judging me, and she slowly nodded.

"You could've sent a message to my house. The Solar Barony is nearby—I would've come to see you right away." Sol joined in on the complaints.

"I was busy telling my family everything. We spent hours talking about what happened, and once I heard about your visit, I decided to wait." Looking into Sol's eyes, I saw her blink rapidly as she processed my response. In the end, she nodded slowly. This was going to be tough…

Just as I finished responding, the food began to arrive, and everyone fell silent to listen to both family heads give short speeches. They were brief—just grateful for surviving another year, thankful for all the blessings, and happy to remain friends after so long.

Apparently, the long emotional speech would be saved for the final day of the year. The year 1623 would be when I entered school in this world.

Lunch was delicious. Our chefs always did a great job, but today they had outdone themselves. It was one of the best meals I'd had in my life. The yellow rice was perfect. The meat was exquisite, juicy, and cooked to perfection. The salad—a sweet and savory mix—was in perfect harmony. I was proud to have had seconds.

We all moved together to some comfy chairs in the top-left corner of the same space. We sat in the same formation, which once again placed me between Arisa and Sol. I'd managed to dodge a few awkward questions during lunch, but now they could easily bombard me.

Huh? When did that happen? My father and uncle already had beers in hand. Both were sipping moderately under the watchful eyes of their wives. The women each had their personal chairs. Meanwhile, mine was a large sofa meant for the three of us—Sol and Arisa had sat very close to me, leaving plenty of room on the sides.

"Can we hear the great hero's tale?" The Baron's question drew everyone's attention to me. All eyes were expectantly waiting to hear my story. I had already discussed this with my grandmother—we agreed to hide a lot of details and only share the safe parts. We didn't want to shock them. They were like family to us, but it was always good to keep a few secrets.

"I'll give you a quick summary up to the part where I got separated from Arisa and the others. After that, I'll tell a more detailed story." I could sense Arisa sticking her tongue out at Sol behind my head, and the little dark-haired noble returned the gesture.

"When I opened my eyes, I didn't know where I was. I didn't remember much at the time…" I began to recount my dungeon adventure up to the present moment.

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