NOVEL WEB Chapter 1424: Inviting Friends
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"Blake! Let's go to the nearby river!" Erika came running to my side as I finished my duties here. "Eli and Ele wanted to get some fish for lunch!"
"Ah, alright then!" I nodded, walking towards her, she was wearing some gorgeous jean shorts and a white blouse, with her long pink hair tied to a ponytail. "You look gorgeous today, Erika."
"E-Eh? Ahaha, really? Hehe…" Erika got flustered by my sudden praise. "Why don't you change into more loose clothes too?"
"Hm, alright then, let's enjoy the rest of the day," I nodded. "Should I bring my siblings?"
"Ah, they're playing with your dad and Braveblitz… And I wanted some time alone with just the girls and you, is that bad?" Erika wondered.
"Not at all, it's reasonable, let's do that then," I agreed quite quickly.
Like that, I spent the majority of the day exploring the forest, fishing in the nearby river, and then eating the fish with my family for lunch and then dinner… Erika had ended catching a bit too many of them.
.
.
.
FLUOSH!
"Oh, so this is the village where Blake came from, huh? It's wonderful!"
"It's an adorable and cozy-looking place, indeed."
"Waaaooow, so much grass everywhere!"
A portal to the elven continent opened, bringing forth Elfriedden and his family with him. It was already the next morning, and I invited them rather early today, which happened to be a bit late there, but right before lunch.
"So it's still pretty early around here, huh? Time sure is different when you're on separate areas of the world…" Elfriedden said.
"I suppose we'll simply have to get adjusted to it, if we're only staying for a bit, I believe it's alright," Rosenheim said. "Now, Blake, please show me your wonderful family! I wanted to meet them from the moment I got to know you. I bet they're wonderful parents, right?"
"I am also quite interested!" Elfriedden's mother nodded.
"You said you had little siblings my age right, Blake?" Elfriedden's little brother said. "I wanna meet them! Can we be friends?"
"Hahah, oaky, calm down, one at a time, sure thing," I laughed a bit, as we made our way back home.
Because this day was important, I had also invited the rest of my friends, and with my family and Elfriedden's family finally getting to know each other, we had a large barbeque, where we roasted the meat of various strong beasts we knew were delicious, the star of the day was obviously Giant Wild Boar meat again, accompanied by the Giant Fishes from the nearby River, and Dragon-type monsters from the mountains.
The event was a success, and we were able to impress Elfriedden's noble family despite how humble we were in comparison. My parents even dressed properly for the occasion and everything and tried their best not to show their country's accent and everything, after all, this was a formal meeting with the King and the Queen of a whole nation.
"Ohohoho! Truly, this place is mesmerizingly beautiful! Albeit rather humble, this village has the air of nature and life! It is a wonderful place! I wish it could exist back home," Elfriedden's mother laughed like a spoiled rich lady would.
"T-That so? Well chucks- I mean, I am honored!" My father said, stopping himself from talking like a farmer for a second. He didn't really need to do this though, but I suppose I appreciate their effort to sound "fancy".
"I see, you're truly a wonderful person, lady, to have raised such an outstanding hero such as Blake," Rosenheim said to my mother, who felt flattered. "He is our hero, alongside my dear husband here… Please, if you ever need help with anything, don't hesitate to ask us, we owe not only your son, but his entire family everything. Without him and his friends, we wouldn't have been able to survive."
"O-Oh! Thank you so much for your generosity, your majesty," my mother said nervously. "W-We'll think about it…!"
"Wow your spirits are so cool! Mine hasn't even fully showed yet!" Elfriedden's brother said. "You two are amazing! Can we be friends?"
"Sure!" Anna nodded.
"Okay," Allan agreed.
It was another great day, and it helped everyone connect even more than before. It made me wish this week could last forever, and it even made me consider taking another week here, but it was better to resume our classes quickly to get done with it.
Like that, once Elfriedden's family returned home, we spent the rest of the week with my family and friends idly, enjoying life's little and simple moments, while preparing for what was coming in the near future.
And in the blink of an eye, it was the next week, and the airship came to pick us up, back to Stronghold City, this time to work harder than ever before and try to get as strong as we can in those dungeons, while training our skills even further.
"Once you come back, a lot of things would have changed, you will have graduated, you would have become a hero, and even more things," my mother said, patting my shoulders. "But I want to tell you that despite all the titles you'll get, you'll still be my dear son, and I'll always love you as one. Never forget where you came from, Blake."
"Of course, mother… I won't," I nodded.
"Alright son, you're leaving again! So soon… but I guess it just makes sense," my father laughed a little. "This time for sure, make sure you graduate! I hope there won't be any more distractions, alright? Come back as a graduated man and a soldier, but above all, I just want to see you… alive. Survive at all cost, wherever you go, and whatever you face. I don't want to lose my son."
"I won't die," I said confidently. "Don't worry, father."
"Alright, my grandson! Come give your little old grandma a big hug," my grandmother hugged me. "Please take care of yourself, your friends, and your little lovers, gotcha? Show those guys at the academy what you're made of!"
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