My Celestial Ascension

"Let's go home first. After that, you guys have to tell us everything that happened inside the Forest of Never Return," Miss Zara said, holding her daughter's hand as she prepared to return to her inn since there was no one to manage it in her absence.

"That would be wonderful, Sister Zara. We can discuss it along with some tea and snacks," Lily exclaimed, her excitement to tell Zara and little Zoe about their adventure evident in her tone.

"Big Sister Lily, you have to tell me what kind of monsters you guys fought inside the forest, okay?" Little Zoe said with an enthusiastic look on her face.

"Of course, my little princess…" Lily chuckled sweetly at the adorable little girl, making her giggle in response.

After that, they all headed toward the inn. As they walked through the bustling streets of the city, they attracted a lot of attention from the people.

Especially Valeria, who was wearing heavy armor, drew a lot of attention. No woman wore such heavy armor, so it was a very unusual sight for them. Even Miss Zara stole a couple of glances at her, wondering who this warrior woman was who was tagging along with Yuan and his wives, and what kind of connection she had with them.

Moreover, Mireya and Sylvia were also with them, and their extraordinary beauty attracted a lot of attention. But the most amazing thing was that they had participated in the expedition and returned without any scratches on their bodies or clothes.

"Hey, look! It's the 'Celestial Blades'!"

"Indeed. It's them! They also joined the expedition and came out alive!"

"Although they seem to be ordinary people at first glance, I heard that they are unbelievably powerful and could shatter an entire mountain with a fist."

"I've heard that same rumor. No wonder they came out alive and unscathed. They are all powerful!"

"By the way, who is that strange woman in armor by their side? Do any of you know her identity?"

"I've never seen a woman wear such heavy armor before, so it's hard to tell. Moreover, she is quite beautiful."

"Nope, doesn't ring any bells... but from the insignia on her armor, she must have a connection with the Lionheart family."

"The Royal Family? You must be joking, right?! There is no way she is from the royal family!"

People whispered to one another while stealing glances at Yuan and his wives. They felt a little envious of Yuan for having both strength and beautiful women by his side, but there was no point in complaining, so they chose to remain quiet. They were also quite curious about Valeria's true identity, as they could sense her powerful commanding presence, like that of a ferocious lioness.

A few minutes later, they arrived at Miss Zara's inn, and Miss Zara quickly handed them the room keys they had previously booked. She had kept those rooms under reservation, knowing that Yuan and his wives would return to her inn after coming back from the forest. Previously, a few individuals wanted to book those rooms, but she refused to rent them, saying they were already booked.

"You guys go and freshen up. I'll prepare something for you… You must be hungry from traveling, after all," she said before heading to the kitchen with little Zoe.

Yuan and his wives couldn't help but feel thankful for Miss Zara's kindness, and they didn't think they would ever be able to repay the amount of kindness she had shown them.

'What should I do to repay Miss Zara's kindness? I don't think I can repay this kindness... Only if there is something I can do for her...' Yuan sighed inwardly before turning toward his wives.

"Now let's go and take a nice warm bath. It will relieve our fatigue," Yuan said before heading toward their rooms, and his wives closely followed him with smiles on their faces.

After arriving at his room, Yuan quickly entered the bathroom along with Anna, Grace, and Xi Meili. The bathroom was large enough to fit five people easily. Meanwhile, Emma and Valeria waited for them in the bedroom.

Sometime later, everyone came out of their rooms wearing fresh, comfortable clothes. Since Valeria didn't have any casual clothes with her, she borrowed a simple but beautiful dress from Emma, as Anna and Grace's sizes didn't fit her perfectly.

Yuan couldn't help but admire the beauty of his wives; they all looked so beautiful and charming. He then shook his head with a smile and said, "Should we head to the dining area? Miss Zara and Little Zoe are waiting for us down there."

"Let's go, let's go! The food will get cold, and it's been a while since we last ate Miss Zara's cooking," Julie exclaimed with an anticipatory look on her face.

Hearing the word 'food,' Xi Meili's eyes sparkled with excitement and anticipation, and she nodded her head repeatedly. "That's right. If the food gets cold, it won't taste good. We should hurry before it gets cold!"

"You can only think about food and nothing else…" Lily sighed upon hearing Xi Meili's words and shook her head.

After that, they all headed toward the dining area, which only took them a minute to reach. As soon as they arrived, they saw Miss Zara and Little Zoe waiting for them at the dining table.

The table was arranged with many dishes, each emitting a delicious aroma that made everyone's mouth water in anticipation, especially Xi Meili, who was drooling while staring at the food with sparkling eyes.

"Ah, everyone! You're finally here! Come have a seat. I've prepared a lot of food for you," Miss Zara said, immediately standing up from her seat as soon as she noticed them entering the dining hall, and pointed toward the feast she had prepared for them with a smile.

"Well, it certainly is a lot of food you've prepared, Miss Zara. I wonder if we could finish all this by ourselves," Yuan said, surprised by the amount of food she had prepared for them.

"Your worries are unnecessary. I'm confident that you'll finish it in no time," Miss Zara chuckled.

"How about you also join us, Zara? It would be wonderful if we could eat together," Anna said, taking a seat and looking at Miss Zara and Little Zoe with a smile.

"Well, if you insist, then I suppose I don't have any choice, do I?" Miss Zara chuckled and took her seat beside Anna, while Little Zoe sat beside Lily.

Once everyone was seated, Xi Meili began stuffing her face with food, her eyes sparkling with excitement as the food tasted delicious and had an exquisite aftertaste.

Valeria, Mireya, and Sylvia had surprised looks on their faces, almost dumbfounded by the rich taste of the food, which was comparable to that cooked by a master culinary expert.

"Miss Zara, I must say that you have magic in your hands. The food is very delicious, even the royal culinarians back in the royal palace can hardly compare with you in terms of cooking skills," Valeria said with a gentle smile after swallowing the last bite of food from her plate.

Upon hearing Valeria's words, Miss Zara's expression froze. She looked at Valeria with a blank expression, as though she had just witnessed a ghost.

"R-Royal Palace... Who exactly are you, Miss? I've never seen you before…" Miss Zara asked with a trembling voice.

"Oh, please forgive me for not introducing myself before," Valeria said with a smile. "I'm Valeria Lionheart, Princess of the Lionheart Empire. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Zara."

Miss Zara looked at Valeria with wide-open eyes, seemingly in disbelief. Her body began to tremble upon hearing the name 'Valeria Lionheart,' which was famous throughout the continent.

"W-War General Valeria…?!" Miss Zara muttered in a trembling voice, seemingly in disbelief. Meanwhile, Little Zoe's eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked at Valeria.

Valeria's smile widened, and she nodded. "That's right. I'm that Valeria. I'm glad you recognized me."

"Wow! Big Sister, you're the strongest female warrior on the entire continent! So amazing!" Little Zoe exclaimed, immediately coming close to Valeria with an excited smile on her face.

Seeing this, Yuan and his wives were surprised. They thought Little Zoe would feel scared of Valeria. However, instead of feeling scared, Zoe was excited.

This little girl was really brave; she even approached Valeria with an innocent smile on her face.

Most children her age would feel scared of Valeria and prefer to stay away from her due to her overwhelming and threatening presence.

"Your name is Zoe, right?" Valeria asked with an amused smile, waiting for the little girl to respond.

"That's right, I'm Zoe. It's very nice to meet you, big sister!" Little Zoe nodded with a big smile.

A couple of minutes later, the introductions ended, and Miss Zara looked at Yuan with a surprised expression, still finding it hard to believe that Valeria had become his wife.

'It's hard to believe that War General Valeria is this young man's wife…' Miss Zara thought.

Then she stood up from her seat and said, "Let's go somewhere more comfortable. After all, you guys have a story to tell us… let's not delay it. I'm very excited to hear your story." Saying this, she led them to another room.

Yuan and his wives nodded with smiles and followed her closely.

After arriving at the room, everyone seated themselves comfortably on the plush sofa, and shortly, Anna began telling Zara and Zoe about their adventure.