Reincarnated in the Astral World

Arthur and Eliza emerge from the forest, both dirty and exhausted—completely drained, in fact.

Her brothers have gone ahead to gather the guards and calm the situation. Aria is with the mysterious Madame Renard, cleaning up the mess caused by the Drummond mercenaries.

Josephine and Oliver remain in the dining hall with Margaret, Eve, and the other guests, all of them completely unaware of the small war that had just taken place right next to the mansion.

Even the Whittlee family's guards don't fully understand what happened. Many of them died fighting against the mercenaries, but suddenly, the battle was just... over.

They had won.

Or rather, someone had won for them.

That person—Arthur—now walks alongside Eliza, heading towards the back entrance of the mansion.

Margaret feels his presence approaching through the special bond they share.

Using their Nexus for mental communication, she reaches out to him, 'Arthur? Are you alright?'

'Yes, dear.' He responds quickly but suddenly stops walking, turning his gaze toward the front of the mansion.

Eliza notices his abrupt halt and frowns in confusion. "Everything alright?"

"Just a minute." He turns and starts walking toward the mansion's main entrance.

"Where are you going??" Eliza's frustration is evident.

But since she can't stop him, she quickly follows.

Arthur enters through the main doors under the curious gazes of everyone present, walking into the hall despite his clothes being covered in dirt and blood.

Nyx can't help but comment in his mind, 'Very subtle of you.'

'Heh—' Arthur smirks confidently. 'I don't have the patience to worry about these idiotic nobles right now.'

As he crosses the hall, whispers and judgmental stares follow him—especially harsh remarks about his lack of etiquette and manners.

Eliza remains near the entrance, watching him while shaking her head in helpless resignation.

Arthur makes his way toward their table, positioned near the main host table, the Whittlees' table. And now, only one person remains seated there—a middle-aged woman with simple features.

The mother of Eliza's deceased brother—the one Arthur killed in Lakeview City: Lucia.

She observes Arthur with a stern and curious expression, but he ignores her and heads directly to where Margaret and Eve are seated.

"Brother!" Eve leaps from her chair, clinging to Arthur's legs without a care for his filthy clothes.

"Easy, little bug." He lifts the girl into the air, spinning her playfully. "Did you behave while I was away?"

"Hihihih~" She giggles sweetly. "Yep! I behaved and obeyed Margaret."

Margaret smiles at him warmly. "She's an angel."

"A cute little angel!" Arthur spins Eve around a few more times, her laughter echoing through the already noisy hall.

Then, he gently places her back down next to Margaret before leaning in to kiss his wife.

Margaret closes her eyes as she receives the quick yet warm kiss.

And in her mind, he speaks to her lovingly, 'You're an angel. I'll explain everything later.'

As he pulls away, Margaret is left with that love-struck gaze and a soft blush on her cheeks.

Then, Arthur turns to his friends—the Drummonds—who are all looking at him with curious expressions.

He smiles casually and gestures at his dirty clothes. "Don't worry, it was nothing."

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Josephine looks at him with concern, but Oliver laughs. "I take it you weren't just using the bathroom…"

Arthur isn't sure how Josephine and Oliver will react when they learn that other Drummonds attacked the mansion and that he killed most of them.

Of course, Oliver and his mother wouldn't blame him, but even so, it would certainly be a rather dramatic conversation.

Sensing his concern, Nyx tries to reassure him mentally, 'What matters is that Eliza and her brothers know those Drummonds had nothing to do with Josephine and her family in Lakeview. That should prevent any unnecessary problems.'

Arthur agrees with her and maintains his friendly smile toward Oliver and Josephine. "I'll explain everything later. But for now, I need to clean up."@@novelbin@@

"Naturally," Josephine nods politely, while Oliver seems eager to hear the full story.

Arthur glances at the other Drummonds seated at the table and nods at them in a courteous manner—especially at the girls, who flash him flirtatious smiles.

Then, he places a tender kiss on little Eve's forehead and another on Margaret's lips. "I'll be back in a moment. Mom will be back soon, too."

"Mm." The girls nod at him.

He retraces his steps, once again drawing all kinds of glances and murmurs from the Whittlee guests.

Upon leaving the hall, he sees the captain of the Lakeview guard standing next to the young commander of the Winfred troops—the same family as the noble he had killed back in his home village.

That young Elite Warrior who had glanced at Margaret on the road to Lakeview is there, standing tall with an arrogant look on his face.

Now that Arthur knows exactly who that noble throwing hostile looks at him is, he likes him even less.

So instead of just a warning glance, Arthur now approaches the young knight with calm steps and a dark expression.

The captain of the guard senses something coming and steps in front of the young Winfred, shooting Arthur a questioning look. "What do you want, boy-"

Arthur keeps walking, and when the captain raises a hand to stop him, Arthur simply sidesteps with his incredible speed.

Shoosh

It's just a quick step, but in the guard's eyes, Arthur vanishes in a blur, reappearing behind him.

The young Winfred frowns. "What are you—"

Arthur doesn't give him a chance to finish, throwing a direct punch into the idiot noble's face.

BAM

Arthur doesn't use his full strength, just enough not to kill his opponent, but the blow still sends him crashing to the ground, blood and teeth flying as sharp pain shoots through the man's body.

"ARRRGH—SHIIIT!!!" He groans in agony on the floor.

"What the fuck?!?" The captain of the guard draws his sword at Arthur.

"Wait!" But Eliza, who had been watching from the doorway, quickly steps forward and stops the guard. "Do not interfere."

The captain looks confused, just as the young Winfred writhes on the ground.

Arthur glares down at him. "I don't need anyone else to tell you and your kind to stay away from me. I can deal with trash like you easily."

"So stay away from my family. And that includes me not seeing your ugly face glaring at me like that."

The man stays on the floor, trying to stop the bleeding from his wound. His other hand stretches out toward Arthur in clear surrender.

"I got it! For real," he says in a pleading tone.

While Arthur is satisfied that he gave the guy what he deserved, the captain of the guard casts a puzzled look at Eliza.

"Lady Eliza, it—"

"It was nothing," she interrupts while winking at Arthur. "Just two young men settling their own matters. I'm sure young Master Winfred won't file a complaint."

"It was nothing!" The noble warrior spits more blood and desperately tries to crawl away from Arthur.

Arthur doesn't spare him another glance before turning to Eliza with a friendly smile. "Shall we?"

"Of course." Eliza signals for him to follow, and the two head toward the back of the mansion.

Eliza couldn't help but glance at him curiously: "What's your beef with the Winfred family?"

Arthur shrugs. "I just don't like the way they look at me."

"I see." Eliza doesn't ask any more questions.

The Whittlee mansion is extremely luxurious, with towering walls and enormous windows—the largest building Arthur has ever seen. But all he focuses on now is the sway of Eliza's hips as she leads the way.

They reach the servants' wing and enter through the back door of the kitchen. Eliza doesn't want to attract too much attention since her clothes are also dirty, but, of course, they still draw glances from all the servants.

No one says anything out loud since it's Eliza, and they also avoid looking directly at the duo.

Moving quickly through the kitchen, they arrive at a magic-powered elevator, similar to the one in Josephine's house.

It's a service elevator, and since no one else is going upstairs, Eliza and Arthur keeps uninterrupted.

As the elevator ascends, they glance at each other. Admiration and desire shimmer in Eliza's gaze, while curiosity sparks in Arthur's blue eyes.

They head straight to the third floor, the guest wing. As soon as they step out, Eliza leads Arthur down a long corridor until they reach a large, light-blue door.

"It's the best bathroom in the guest wing," she says as she opens the door, revealing a grand, luxurious bathroom. "You'll find everything you need inside."

Arthur glances at her again, his expression expectant, a clear question in his eyes—an unspoken invitation.

"…" But Eliza says nothing, maintaining a calm posture and a friendly smile.

"Thanks." He steps inside.

Something flickers in her eyes as she watches his back, her lips almost curving into a playful smirk.

But she suppresses it as she closes the door behind him. "I'll get you some clean clothes. We have several fresh sets for special guests."

"Sure." He nods, and she finishes shutting the door.

Arthur wastes no time stripping down as he eyes the grand bathtub, hot water cascading from several golden faucets.

'This bathroom is incredible,' he comments mentally to Nyx.

'You looks disappointed, though.'

'Really?'

'Yeah.' Nyx materializes in front of him, wearing her usual black dress. 'Were you expecting her to join you in the bath?'

He smiles lovingly at Nyx and pulls her into his arms. 'I'd rather be alone with my beautiful, perfect little wife.'

Nyx eagerly accepts his kisses. 'It's fine if you wanted her here too… but I'm not sure if I like her yet.'

Arthur lifts Nyx into his arms, and she dematerializes her clothes as they step into the bath.

"Ah…" He exhales a sigh of relief as the hot water soothes his body.

He sits in the corner of the tub with Nyx on his lap, her legs wrapped around his waist.

He gazes into her eyes, stroking her face. 'I don't know what to think of her yet either. I suppose we'll see how she acts next.'

"Mm." Nyx nods in agreement.

'What matters is that you were amazing today!' She praises him mentally while pressing kisses onto his bare chest.

'You killed three Champions… even that experienced Mercenary leader.'

Arthur smiles, enjoying Nyx's touch. He holds her delicate hand and kisses up her arm until he reaches her lips.

'It was all because you helped me… you're always with me.'

Nyx's golden eyes glow with pride and happiness. 'Everything I am is because of you… My power, my strength, all of it comes from our connection. I am part of you.'

Arthur kisses Nyx more intensely, biting her lips and locking eyes with her.

'You are my heart, darling.'