Kaito hurriedly went to his resting castle to wait, and the mage who had informed him would bring Kie there.
At this moment, Kaito was quite excited, and so was Hirano.
After all, they all knew each other well!
It was the chat group that connected them from different worlds.
Soon after, Kie, wearing a mage's robe, appeared before them.
"Kaito, Hirano... I'm so happy to see you again!!"
Kie was so excited she immediately reached out and hugged them both.
Her Maiden behind her wanted to say something but hesitated, unable to speak much, only standing silently behind Kie.
Perhaps only Hirano's Maiden could understand how she felt at that moment?
"Kie, you've worked hard during this time."
"Haha... 'Worked hard' isn't quite right. It's just that I haven't seen familiar faces for so long, I couldn't help myself."
Looking at Kaito, Kie blushed slightly.
She missed the ladies in the chat group terribly, and of course, that included Kaito.
She knew this parent-child activity would last a long time, maybe continuing until it was cleared or everyone failed.
Anyway, when they returned to the real world, only one second, or even less than one second, would have passed – a negligible amount of time.
But they had genuinely lived and adventured in this world for a very, very long time!
If she hadn't chosen the easy difficulty, she would have found it even harder to survive in this world.
However, because of adventuring in this world, Kie had also become much stronger, and her mindset had changed.
She was definitely still her original self, but now she was more resolute, more stable, and more mature than before. She was no longer the person who did everything timidly, afraid of everything.
"Here, have some tea first. Even though it's not the tea we used to drink, the taste is quite good."
Kaito smiled, released Kie, took her hand, led her to the living room to sit, and personally brewed tea.
The Fire Keeper, Melina, and their respective Maidens stood silently to the side.
Neither Kaito nor Hirano immediately asked Kie about her experiences during this time, instead showing simple concern.
As time passed, Kie recounted her journey living in this world.
It wasn't exactly countless hardships and dangers, but she had definitely faced trials. The battles she fought, big and small, had made her stronger and stronger.
Fortunately, the abilities she gained from the chat group's lottery were numerous, and the items Kaito gave her also helped, allowing her to be more qualified to survive in this world and become a 'qualified' Tarnished.
Regardless, Kie's demeanor had changed, shifting from her previously soft posture to something more resolute.
But in front of Kaito, she reverted to her usual self.
Her relationship with Kaito was the closest, as she had joined the chat group early on, and then Kaito joined, and they participated in the first parent-child activity together, and so on.
Hirano, on the other hand, was a latecomer. The newest member was Yor, who had joined the 'Mothers' Chat Group' even though she wasn't a mother yet.
…
At night, Kaito invited her to eat and rest there.
Kie didn't refuse, simply nodding in agreement.
After a hearty dinner, Hirano took her to the bathroom for a bath.
During this process, the two women whispered about various things.
Hirano didn't hide anything, telling her that she had already established a closer relationship with Kaito.
Hearing this, Kie could only manage a wry smile.
She felt no jealousy or resentment; instead, she thought it was only natural.
It seemed like no one in the entire chat group could resist Kaito's charm...
So, what 'Mothers' Chat Group'?
Clearly, it was Kaito's harem chat group!
After bathing, they went to the small garden on the balcony to sip tea.
Like Hirano, Kie regretted not having met any other ladies from the chat group.
However, Kie also proposed an idea.
That was for Kaito to stay here a bit longer. That way, when the other ladies who had heard he was here received the news, they might also gradually come from other places.
Since they had been apart for so long and had each grown, wouldn't it be better for everyone to gather and adventure together?
Well...
They could also become part of Kaito's strength, helping him become the Elden Lord!
She didn't know what the other ladies thought, but both Hirano and Kie had the same idea.
They wanted to witness Kaito don the crown with their own eyes, ascend to become the Elden Lord of the entire world, and then everyone clear the game together, receive rewards, and gain lots of points.
"That's a pretty good idea. Since even you, who were nearby, heard the news and came, ladies from other different places should also find out I'm here through various means."
Communication among Tarnished was the best form of propagation.
Perhaps one day, somewhere, some lady might learn of Kaito's whereabouts from a Tarnished or a merchant traveling the Lands Between.
And upon learning that Kaito was at the Raya Lucaria Academy, they would also come here.
Maybe they had already learned long ago that Kaito had cleared Stormveil Castle, and after his deeds there finally spread, they knew. They could be on their way now, but the distance was simply too great. They found out late and were arriving slowly?
If so, then staying here for a while was fine.
Anyway, he wasn't in a hurry.
Besides, he still needed to slowly win over his mother-in-law, Rennala, and help her come out of her shell.
Whether that would take a long or short time, he didn't know.
For now, he had to wait a while longer before he could enter Rennala's castle and challenge her. He also had to wait for the mages to move all the magic books out of the Grand Library to prevent them from being damaged in their battle.
"Haha, if Nezuko and Tanjiro saw how much you've changed, they'd surely be surprised too, right?"
"Mm... I don't know."
Kie also felt a bit helpless. She showed another wry smile at Hirano's teasing.
She had certainly changed. Even her hairstyle had become a ponytail, and her attire was completely different.
But she felt she was still her original self, just with some changes after such a long time.
"Well, no matter what you become, in my heart, you are still Lady Kie. You've just become stronger."
"Ugh... thank you..."
Kie blushed.