The house's courtyard was very well laid out:

  At the back, there was a large area dedicated to food cultivation.

  On the left, a beautiful greenhouse for plants, herbs, and flowers.

  On the right, a small, covered, flower-filled, and fully furnished garden.

  And in the center, connected in all directions, there was a pond with fish of various colors—adding more life to the environment.

  Above the pond there was a well-ornamented gazebo with soft touches of greenish-blue.

  A small lookout that had four access bridges, each facing one side of the courtyard.

  The protective railings alternated between well-cushioned benches and areas suitable for contemplation.

  In the center, there was a delicate table where the family could eat or drink while enjoying the view.

  As a final touch, a small descent led to a lower platform.

  The gazebo's outer platform was designed not to obstruct the view of those above, offering adequate space for up to five people to fish comfortably.

  "Alexander had these things made as gifts for you," explained Diana with a radiant smile. "I told him I wanted to create a little corner so that, even in this new house, Dad could continue planting, since that's what he likes to do, and Mom would have a place to plant the plants and flowers she loves."

  Hearing Diana's words, her mother turned to Alexander. "Thank you. Not only for this beautiful gift, but, mainly, for everything you did for our daughter."

  "By the way she talks about you, I'm sure you are very special to her, and that you helped her a lot," continued Diana's mother.

  "Not that much," said Alexander. "Her potential is naturally high."

  "I'm not very good with words, but I also thank you for everything you did for our daughter," said Diana's father, softening his face a bit.

  "I appreciate your words, but you really don't need to," said Alexander without pretending to be modest. "I may have helped accelerate her development, but she also helped accelerate mine."

  "Your words only show that you care about our daughter and recognize her value—which makes me happy," said Diana's mother. "Even if it's not much to you, allow me to express my gratitude again."

  "Alright. Yet now that your house has been shown, I'm going back to the Guild and rent a room for the night," said Alexander. "I recommend you rest too. It was a long day for all of us."

  "None of that," intervened Diana's mother. "You'll stay with us."

  "Thank you for the kind offer, but you don't need to trouble yourselves to shelter me," replied Alexander. "You just arrived at the new house. You can and should enjoy the occasion as a family."

  "Say what you want, I still insist you stay," said Diana's mother. "I won't accept a no for an answer."

  "..." Alexander. "Alright… But if you don't mind, can I use the bathroom to take a shower before sleeping?"

  "Of course. Make yourself at home," replied Diana's mother.

  "..." Alexander.

  Even choosing to use |Invigorate| to bathe—which increased his fatigue and made his head start throbbing again—he still felt his effort was worth it.

  The refreshing sensation of bathing in mana-infused water with active properties was great for helping him fall asleep easily.

  When Alexander woke up the next morning, he already felt much better due to his high recovery rates—his regeneration was even more evident during sleep.

  He was already recovered, but so hungry he realized he hadn't eaten in almost a day.

  His body had probably metabolized a colossal amount of calories during recovery.

  Driven by hunger, Alexander got up to go buy something to eat.

  However, upon leaving the room towards the living room, a pleasant aroma of hot, fresh food invaded his nose.

  "Come, Alexander," called Diana. "I've already prepared a dish for you."

  "Thank you, Diana," replied Alexander, as if they were still at the academy.

  After washing his face, he went to the kitchen and found Diana's family sitting around a table filled with all kinds of food.

  "Your cooking is very good, ma’am," said Alexander, complimenting Diana's mother after sitting at the table and tasting the food.

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  "How do you know I was the one who made our food?" asked Diana's mother with a half-smile.

  "It tastes similar to Diana's food, yet it's a bit better," explained Alexander. "So I imagined it was yours—the one who probably taught Diana how to cook."

  "Leaving that aside for a moment, I just remembered you should go to the adventurers' guild to get information about your village," said Alexander. "They must have already sent at least some scouts there."

  "I can't guarantee anything—I really don't know what happened," admitted Alexander. "But I believe I managed to attract most of the wave to a different direction… Perhaps you can recover your things."

  "That's a great idea," agreed Diana's mother. "As soon as we finish, I'll go with Diana to the adventurers' guild to inquire about that."

  When they finished eating, the table was completely cleared—mostly thanks to Alexander—and Diana and her mother collected the dishes to wash.

  "Let me," said Alexander, placing his hand over the dirty dishes and casting his |Invigorate| spell upon them.

  Under his control, the spell separated and cleaned the dishes. In a few seconds it became completely clean.

  "Thank you," said Diana's mother, thanking him even with a bit of strangeness.

  Until then she thought he was just a good fighter. She didn't expect him to have such a… conveniently utilitarian magic.

  After concluding the chores of the first meal of the day, they split into smaller groups—each going about their own business.

  Diana and her mother went to the adventurers' guild in search of information.

  Diana's father, very enthusiastic about his new agricultural field, began working on it to familiarize himself more with it and its soil.

  And Alexander went out with Ocean to solve some problems and renew his supplies.

  Since he needed to pick up the disassembled {Forest King Bear}, Alexander stopped by the Guild, but didn't see Diana or her mother there.

  Even when he returned home after taking care of other matters, he didn't see them.

  "They must have made a detour," concluded Alexander, remembering they still had many things to do to really move in.

  He went back to doing his own chores.

  When the morning was about to end, mother and daughter returned, but their faces were completely opposite: Diana had her head down, as if she had been defeated—her mother had a big smile, as if she couldn't be more satisfied with her victory.

  "According to the adventurers' guild, the damage was almost zero," announced Diana's mother after gathering everyone. "They also said they have already sent gold-rank adventurers to investigate the cause of the wave, making returning to the village safe until further notice."

  "Let's eat and then we'll go get some things," said Diana's mother until she noticed a covered container she hadn't left. "What is that?"

  "A little treat I'm preparing for you for letting me stay here as a guest," replied Alexander. "About your village, I could go with you personally, but it will be much faster if you and Diana ride on Ocean's back... Now about the food, here. Try using this meat to make the meal."

  "You don't have to do something just because you're our guest," said Diana's mother. "We are already very grateful you took care of our daughter."

  "Don't worry," said Alexander. "It's because I want to. Not out of obligation."

  Happy with Alexander's answer, Diana's mother went to prepare the food.

  With some time before the meal was ready, Alexander returned to disassembling the creatures stored in his ring.

  When the food was ready, he used his water magic to clean his body and everything around him, dried himself, changed clothes, and went to eat with the others.

  "What kind of meat is this?" asked Diana's mother when Alexander sat at the table. "Besides being very good, I feel like it's making me more energetic and spirited."

  "It's the meat from the bear I killed," explained Alexander. "The bodies of 3rd evolution and above creatures are infused with such potent energy that it makes their meat rich in energy—increasing its flavor and the benefits for those who consume it."

  "So it's that kind of meat…" said Diana's mother. "It must be very expensive and valuable. You shouldn't have given it to me to cook so casually."

  "Don't worry," replied Alexander. "I eat meats like this whenever I can. I never planned to sell it."

  "Even so. You shouldn't waste it like that," said Diana's mother.

  "If we eat it all it won't be a waste, right?" countered Alexander smiling. "Not to mention you saw the size of that bear. Its meat isn't going to run out anytime soon."

  "In that case, I thank you on behalf of my family," said Diana's mother.

  "Changing the subject a bit, Diana, why don't you leave the book about Ki awakening with your parents?" encouraged Alexander. "Even if they take time to learn and awaken their Ki, just the concepts should help them become more vigorous."

  "Alright. I'll do that as soon as we finish," replied Diana happily.

  After some time, when everyone was already eating, Diana's father finally spoke: "Don't hold back, boy—you barely touched the meat."

  "It's just that I need to do this at the moment," replied Alexander.

  "Why?" asked Diana's father, frowning.

  "Because eating meat helps the body transform its fat into energy, and I don't want that at the moment," explained Alexander. "I'm currently trying to increase my body fat amount to be at my energetic peak for the Imperial Tournament."

  "That's right! The Imperial Tournament!" exclaimed Diana. "So many things happened that I ended up forgetting that you are going to represent the students who enrolled in our academy this year."

  "So that's why," said Diana's father, understandingly.

  "Thank you for understanding," said Alexander, already turning to Diana. "Diana, I have to go back, but you don't need to come back with me. Stay a little longer with your parents."

  "No," replied Diana decisively. "I want to see you win the tournament."

  "Are you sure?" asked Alexander. "Personally, I still think you should spend more time with your parents."

  "Since that's the case, why don't we all go to Twin City to watch the Imperial Tournament?" suggested Diana's mother. "That way you can return and we can spend more time with our daughter… We don't have anything planned anyway."

  "I agree," said Diana's father. "This is a good opportunity for me to walk around with my wife and spend more time with our daughter."

  "No problem," also agreed Alexander. "Our house only has 2 bedrooms, but you can stay in my room without any problem."

  "If you don't want to stay there, I can also find another place for you to stay," offered Alexander.

  The instant Alexander finished speaking, Diana's father immediately turned to his daughter. "Our house?"

  "..." Diana.

  "..." Diana's Mother.

  "..." Alexander.