Chapter 340: Return To Earth [II]
Silas smirked with the banter instantly kicking in. He couldn’t help himself... It wasn’t his fault that Evelyn was so easy to bully after all.
He tapped the screen.
[Silas]: Sure Ma’am.
[Evelyn]: 🖕
He toggled the GPS location sharing feature on his phone, pinging his exact coordinates in Silverleaf directly to her device.
Silas then put the phone in his pocket as he sighed while rolling his stiff shoulders.
’I’m quite tired...’
His throat was completely dry from the intense activities of the previous night and sure Aeli had made him the usual juice but it was time for some proper water.
He turned around and walked slowly downstairs toward the main kitchen to pour himself a cold cup of water from the sink.
As he reached the bottom of the wooden stairs, he paused.
He sniffed the air.
The house sure did smell strange today.
There was a pleasant aroma of cooking oil, soy sauce, and fresh vegetables drifting through the hallway.
’Is Martha around?’ Silas pondered internally, thinking of the older woman who managed the building. She was his servant after all, so that was a stupid question. ’Of course she’s around but still... what are they doing?’
He walked completely barefoot into the kitchen and as he stepped onto the tiled floor.
Suddenly, a small figure completely ran around the corner of the kitchen island, carrying a basket of fresh groceries.
"Huh...?"
They literally ran right into his bare chest.
Silas didn’t even flinch with his body absorbing the microscopic impact but as he looked down, he realized that it wasn’t Martha.
It was a young girl who looked to be exactly around his little sister Lia’s age.
She was incredibly cute, with soft round cheeks and a petite frame.
’Hm... She seems very familiar but why is she at my place? One of my distant relatives? No I’m not sure if she’s on the registry.
She looked very Asian, with long beautiful black hair that fell perfectly down her back.
But her most striking feature was her eyes.
She had bright vivid purple eyes that widened into massive saucers as she stared directly at him.
Kaede looked up.
She saw a towering muscular man standing shirtless in the middle of the kitchen.
Kaede blinked twice as she dropped the grocery basket onto the floor.
"Eeeeeeeek!" Kaede screamed at the top of her lungs, covering her bright red face with her hands.
Silas stood perfectly still, closing his eyes as the high-pitched scream echoed painfully through his skull.
’Fuck...’ Silas thought tiredly.
The piercing high-pitched scream echoed off the pristine ceramic tiles of the kitchen, shattering the peaceful silence of the Silverleaf apartment.
’Does she not stop screaming?’
Silas now stood perfectly still in front of his own kitchen island, holding an empty glass in his hand.
His brain, exhausted from a brutal Lord War, diplomatic negotiations, and a grueling intense night with an SSS-Rank Nature Goddess, practically flatlined.
He stared down at the terrified ten-year-old girl with long black hair and bright purple eyes who had just dropped a basket of fresh groceries all over the floor.
’Who am I?’ Silas complained bitterly in his own thoughts, letting out a long heavy exhale as he pinched the bridge of his nose. ’I am the Lord of the Blessed Land and the owner of this damn place so why am I currently standing barefoot in my own kitchen, getting screamed at like a B-list horror movie villain?’
The volume of Kaede’s scream instantly alerted the rest of the household as rapid panicked footsteps thundered down the wooden staircase and across the living room hardwood.
"What happened?! Who’s hurt?!" Martha yelled, bursting around the kitchen corner with terrifying motherly speed.
The dedicated housekeeper was actively brandishing a heavy steel frying pan like a lethal blunt-force weapon with her eyes darting frantically around the room looking for an intruder.
Lia sprinted into the kitchen right behind her, completely out of breath. Her dark pigtails bounced wildly as she scanned the area, fully expecting a rogue monster or an assassin.
Penelope brought up the rear, the haughty violet-eyed noble girl skidding to a halt on the tiles, looking very alarmed.
They all froze, staring at the shirtless young man standing near the sink.
"Big Brother!" Lia gasped, her dark eyes instantly lighting up with joy.
Before Silas could even put his glass down, his eleven-year-old sister launched herself across the kitchen.
She collided with his abdomen, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist in a massive crushing hug.
Silas let out a soft grunt as the air was forced from his lungs, but a genuine warm smile immediately broke through his exhausted exterior.
"I’m back, squirt," Silas chuckled softly, resting his large calloused hand on top of Lia’s head and gently ruffling her dark hair.
All of the cold tension from the Sovereign Realm completely melted away the exact second he held his little sister.
Martha immediately lowered her heavy steel frying pan, letting out a massive shuddering sigh of relief.
The older woman placed a hand over her racing heart, offering him a warm affectionate smile.
"Welcome home, Master Silas," Martha greeted him, her eyes shining with quiet happiness. "We were all so incredibly worried about you... You’ve been gone for over a week."
Over near the dropped grocery basket, Kaede was still cowering slightly with her hands covering her blushing cheeks.
She peered through the gaps in her fingers at the towering intimidating guy who looked like a literal statue.
Penelope let out an exasperated sigh.
The purple-haired noble girl reached out and gently patted Kaede on the shoulder, shaking her head.
"Calm down, Kaede, and stop screaming," Penelope instructed with a dry matter-of-fact tone. "You aren’t being kidnapped. Look at him. That is obviously Lia’s big brother."
Kaede slowly lowered her hands, blinking her bright purple eyes in rapid succession.
She looked at Lia hugging his waist, and then she looked back up at Silas’s face.
Lia finally pulled back from the hug, looking up at him with a beaming radiant smile.
She quickly turned around, gesturing proudly toward her two friends.
"Big Brother, these are my best friends from Valoria Academy!" Lia introduced them excitedly, her voice bubbling with pure enthusiasm. "This is Kaede, and this is Penelope! They’ve been coming over to hang out and study with me while you were away in the Sovereign Realm."
Silas looked over at the two young girls.
He took in Penelope’s sharp posture and Kaede’s slightly embarrassed fidgeting demeanor.
His instincts instantly recognized the high-tier magical fabrics of their academy uniforms and the subtle expensive jewelry they wore, but he didn’t care about their backgrounds.
’Well I already know Penelope but not Kaede... she seems familiar like I’ve seen her online or something.’
He only cared that they were treating his little sister well.
"It’s very nice to finally meet you both," Silas said smoothly "I am Silas Graves."
Kaede completely flushed a bright vibrant red, hurriedly offering a quick, incredibly polite bow.
Penelope offered a composed elegant curtsy, thoroughly impressed by the imposing presence of Lia’s guardian. She didn’t get to analyze him properly the last time they met after all.
"Thank you both for coming over and keeping Lia company," Silas continued, offering them a genuine appreciative smile. "I know my sister can be a bit of a nerd sometimes, so I appreciate you being such good friends to her."
"Hey!" Lia protested loudly, puffing out her cheeks in sheer indignation.
Silas chuckled, reaching out and affectionately pinching Lia’s soft cheek. He stretched the skin playfully, ignoring her annoyed swatting.
"I just hope my sudden appearance isn’t disturbing your study session," Silas added politely, looking between the girls. "I didn’t expect to walk into a full house."
"Oh, n-not at all, Mr. Graves!" Kaede stammered quickly, waving her hands in front of her chest. "We were just getting snacks for our project! You aren’t disturbing us!"
"You really don’t have to call me ’Mr. Graves’," Silas bantered easily, releasing Lia’s cheek and leaning back against the kitchen counter. "It makes me sound like an eighty-year-old guild master... Silas is completely fine."
Penelope and Kaede both relaxed instantly with a small comfortable smile forming on their faces as they watched the siblings interact.
The intimidating terrifying aura Silas had radiated just a minute ago was entirely gone.
Seeing him joke around and casually tease his little sister proved that they truly were a tight-knit family.
Lia, however, suddenly crossed her arms over her chest. She looked Silas up and down, her dark eyes narrowing with strict critical disapproval.
"You should have some shame, Big Brother," Lia scolded him, tapping her foot against the tiles. "You can’t just walk around the house while you’re entirely shirtless! We have guests over! Put some clothes on!"
Silas blinked, looking down at his own bare muscled torso. He let out a long sigh.
"It is literally my house, Lia," Silas defended his rights. "I pay the rent, I pay the utility bills, and I just got back. If I want to walk to my own kitchen sink without a shirt on, I have earned that right... If you want me to wear a shirt, get your own house."
Martha stepped forward, completely ignoring his flawless logic.
The middle-aged maid had fully shifted into her unstoppable authoritative mother-hen mode.
"None of that matters right now," Martha declared smoothly, placing her hands on her hips. "You look exhausted, and you definitely haven’t eaten a proper home-cooked meal in days. I suggest you go sit with the girls in the main dining room right now, and I will serve you some hot food."
The older woman seemed incredibly, visibly excited about the prospect of finally serving her Master again.
"I appreciate it, Martha, but I can’t stay long," Silas started to argue, raising a hand. "I am actually preparing to meet up with someone important in the city later this afternoon, and—"
Martha didn’t listen to a single word he just said.
She walked directly behind the towering eighteen-year-old Lord, placing her hands firmly on his broad bare back.
With surprising physical strength, she began actively shoving him out of the kitchen and toward the hallway.
"You have been gone for far too long, Master Silas!" Martha scolded him affectionately, completely shutting down his protests. "You are going to E-A-T... That is exactly what you pay me a generous salary for! I am your maid, and you are going to eat my cooking!"
Silas let out a deep defeated sigh.
He had the physical stats to rip a steel vault door off its hinges with his bare hands but against Martha’s stubborn authority, he was completely and utterly powerless.
"Alright, alright, I surrender," Silas agreed tiredly, letting himself be pushed.
Lia, Kaede, and Penelope instantly giggled at the Lord’s defeat.
The three girls quickly ran up and grabbed his arms, happily pulling Silas along the hallway and dragging him directly into the main dining room.
As Silas allowed himself to be dragged into the spacious room, he immediately noticed a massive advanced holographic projection floating directly above his oak dining table.
Silas paused, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the glowing blue data streams, complex geometric graphs, and massive blocks of text hovering in the air.
The level of detail on the projection was staggering, detailing supply chain metrics, topographical layouts, and infrastructure designs.
"What exactly is this?" Silas asked, pulling out a wooden chair and taking a seat at the head of the table.
The three girls scrambled to take their seats around the projection.
Lia pulled her heavy leather notebook toward her chest, looking up at him with bright eager eyes.
"It’s our mandatory group project for Valoria Academy," Lia explained proudly, gesturing to the floating text. "We have to write a comprehensive detailed thesis on Territory Logistics. We’re trying to figure out the best way to handle supply lines and infrastructure for a developing zone."
Kaede, who had been sitting quietly and acting pretty shy up until this point, leaned forward slightly.
Her bright purple eyes were filled with genuine, burning curiosity as she looked at the muscular man sitting across from her.
"Lia told us that you went into the Sovereign Realm to build a territory," Kaede asked softly, fidgeting with her pen. "Are you a Lord, Silas? Could you tell us how you handle your own territory? The textbooks are so boring, and we really want a high grade."
Lia vigorously nodded her head, supporting her friend’s point. She looked at her Brother with massive pleading puppy-dog eyes.
"Please, Big Brother?" Lia begged sweetly. "Just a few tips? Your real-world experience is way better than anything the Professor could ever teach us!"
Silas looked at the three young girls staring at him with such intense desperation.
He let out a long slow sigh, aggressively running a hand through his messy dark hair.
He was tired, but he couldn’t bring himself to say no to his sister.
"Fine," Silas relented, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his bare chest. "I will only help a little bit. I am not doing your homework for you. Lay whatever specific questions you have directly on me."