Chapter 5: You Awakened Your Core?
Athena raised her brow; even Isolde didn’t believe his words, but they didn’t have any other choice. They knew that they could question him further, but the thing he said could be the truth because some nobles spend time reading.
Ethan’s smile remained intact as he grabbed Athena’s thighs, and the other hand grabbed her back. He gently lifted her and walked towards the wheelchair, which was kept at the corner of the room.
He placed her in the wheelchair, slowly grabbed the handle, and slightly pushed it forward.
Then he walked over to Isolde, who still wore a warm, gentle smile. Stopping in front of her, he politely extended his hand. "May I?"
Isolde gave a small nod and reached her hand towards him. Ethan took it carefully, helping her to her feet before guiding her at a steady pace beside Athena’s wheelchair. Together, he led the two of them into the hall, where their guests were waiting.
When they entered the hall, their presence was enough to make Sara and Elina look at them. When Elina noticed the state of his wives, her eyes widened, and she covered her mouth.
On the other hand, Sara remained seated there as if nothing had happened. Sara was not concerned about his wives’ condition because she had sensed faint traces of mana flowing through them, which was unusual. It made her gaze sharpen as she crossed her arms, studying them both.
Elina pushed herself up, walked towards Ethan, and grabbed the hand of Isolde. Ethan didn’t stop her because she was just trying to help, and if he tried to stop her right now, he would look nothing more than a douche.
She helped her reach the couch and politely made her sit. Her gesture made Isolde pass a warm smile to Elina. "Thank you, Miss," Isolde said.
Ethan’s walk came to a halt right before Isolde; he left Athena’s wheelchair there. He sat on a couch next to his wives, facing the guests.
Elina took her seat next to Sara as a smile appeared on her face. "Mister, I didn’t expect that you were such a nice man." A polite chuckle resonated from her mouth.
Ethan tilted his head and slowly raised his brow as he asked. "Why so?" Curiosity lingered in his voice.
"Usually men are so proactive that they leave their wives when they’re in such a state." Her expression darkened.
[INFO: Please don’t come ganging up on me; these are not my views but the way this world works... It’s Western, and you know how some fanatics are.]
He leant over to the front, placed his elbows on his knees, joined his hands and gave support to his chin with his fists. He knew that this world was cursed, but he questioned whether it was right to leave a wife simply because she was disabled. This made him wonder.
’The world is definitely divided in two: those who agree with her statement and those who do not. It’s always like that; people think only for themselves and not for their spouse...’ He said inwardly.
A quiet sigh escaped his lips, but he made sure not to let it show. His expression remained perfectly neutral, revealing nothing that might make anyone suspect the thoughts running through his mind.
"No, I don’t have such kinds of feelings towards my wives," Ethan said with a smile.
His words were enough to make Isolde’s and Athena’s cheeks flush; their faces started to turn red, and hotness bewildered them. But they both composed themselves before anyone there could take notice.
Elina sensed the sudden change in atmosphere, so she changed the current topic. A smile appeared on her face as she continued. "What do you do, mister? You should earn good money if you want to run a happy family because we women love getting spoiled by our men."
Her question caught Ethan off guard. It was the last thing he had expected to hear, especially considering Ethan Pendragon’s infamous reputation as a certified bastard.
Even so, he quickly composed himself and gave a small shake of his head.
"Me?" he repeated with a faint smile. "I don’t have a job at the moment, but I’m hoping to find one soon. I have a family to provide for, and I intend to keep it together."
Elina was about to continue, but Sara, who sat there politely until now, finally asked. "Did you create your core recently?"
Her words made Ethan raise a brow as he looked visibly confused. But he didn’t waste time and answered right away. "Yes, I did. Why are you asking about that though?"
A malicious grin curled on her lips; she leant forward before continuing. "I work in an adventurer’s guild, so if you want work, I can help you with that. We usually raid dungeons and explore the monsters’ habitats to get battle scraps. You can join us if you want to earn money and get stronger." She said.
Ethan looked at her for a few seconds, then his gaze shifted towards his wives who were sitting there normally, but no one had a smile on their face.
’Judging from their reactions, I’m sure that it’ll involve risks because a novice is going hunting with profound adventurers. That’s definitely called Jumping in Lion’s Den.’
"But I’m just a novice; how can I enter dangerous dungeons from the start?" Ethan asked.
"Don’t worry about that; we support our members, and when there’s someone who’s a novice in our group, we usually don’t attempt the dungeons that involve heavy risks."
Ethan let a sigh escape through his mouth; this time he didn’t try to hide the relief. "Phew, thank god. I expected that I would die right away from the start." His voice remained cheesy as he tried to joke.
"But I’ll need to train for it first; I can’t randomly step into my first dungeon unprepared."
’I’ve read that many newbies jump right away into the dungeon, and it ironically leads to their death because huge variables stand in the dungeons that could kill anyone if they’re not well-versed.’