Dungeon of Pride, Laplace

It seemed that she wanted to show off the house she helped build to the two of them and thus pulled them along the way.

Simon finally understood why the girl was so excited and eager to bring them here. The request from Fennel was just an excuse whereas her real motive was to surprise him and Irene with this house all along.

While Cecilia was still being smug about her work, Fennel coughed once before reminding "How long do you plan on putting that act? Quickly invite the both of them inside'¦ or do you intend to make them wait outside forever".

Being scolded by Grandpa Fennel, Cecilia immediately realised her mistake and made a flustered expression.

"Ah! Hehe'¦ Big brother, Elder Sister welcome to your new home. Quickly come inside, let me show you around" right after saying that she came skipping in front of them and quickly pulled them inside.

The house was gifted to him as casually as that and it seemed that as the master of the dungeon, Simon had no say in this matter. Releasing a sigh, he went with the flow and allowed himself to be pulled inside the house.

The interior of the house was no less beautiful than the exterior and was nicely decorated using all the things that could be found around the forest.

The area was wide, spacious and had plenty of room. A staircase in the middle led towards the floor above and a balcony that gave the view of the whole Forest Spring Spirit Village. In fact, the house was not far from the pond and one could feel the refreshing sensation of the dense mana flowing with the breeze.

The backyard had many different types of plants and trees neatly arranged. From all of these, one could see how much importance the people of this clan had given to making this house. Even without Simon having to pay close attention, all these sentiments were cleanly conveyed to him.

"Big brother, Elder sister, Grandpa Fennel'¦ you all can sit on that couch and have a talk while I make some tea for you all".

After saying that, Cecilia turned around quickly dashed towards the kitchen. Although Irene tried to stop her, the excitement of Cecilia was clearly over the top.

'That little girl was finally picking the qualities of her mother' Seeing how mature she was acting, Fennel couldn't but smile in satisfaction.

"Lord Simon, lady Irene please make yourself comfortable after all, from this moment on it is your house" Fennel repeated pointing at the couch.

Complying with the request, Simon sat on the couch, Irene sat beside him while Fennel took a seat opposite them.

"The house is truly wonderful, you all have my thanks" locking his hands together, Simon said in a serious tone. The house was a gift from the entire village showing how much and appreciation and respect they had for him. Rejecting such a gift would be like insulting their efforts and dedication.

Hence Simon had no choice but to simply accept their offer plus the house in his opinion was truly beautiful and he could use it every time he came to this floor.

Irene too nodded her head as if appreciating the attractiveness of the house and the efforts the forest Spring Spirits put into building it.

Being thanked by Simon, Fennel hurriedly shook his hand and made a conflicted face "It is just a small gift that cannot even begin to show how much gratitude and indebted we are to you. If you say thanks for such a small matter then it will just be a source of trouble for me".

Simon understood where Fennel was coming from and thus accepted his words at face value. He was just a regular human in his previous world and now when he was suddenly regarded as their lord, Simon was having trouble acting the part.

He did not how the attitude of a lord over their subjects should be nor did he know how to act like one. It seemed that Fennel was somewhat aware of it and hence was correcting him whenever he acted too humbly.

"Coming to the main topic'¦ there is a matter I wanted to discuss with Lord Simon and therefore I tasked Cecilia to request your presence here" Fennel's voice turned solemn as he brought out the topic.

He put one of his hands on the pocket of his robe and brought out an item that looked oddly familiar to Simon. It didn't take him long to recognize what it was.

It was the same peculiar ring he got from Laris that had a sub dimensional space similar to his [Inventory]. Simon remembered that when he defeated Laris, he found the spirit orbs of the deceased Forest Spring Spirits inside the ring.

Later when he met the surviving members of the Forest Spring clan inside the Ancient Treants territory, he had chosen to return the ring containing the spirit orbs to them. His action at that time by no means meant to win their favour, in the contrary precisely because he loathed using this kind of dirty method to increase his rank, that he chose to return it to their rightful owners.

Seeing the emerald green ring once again, the same emotions came flowing within him and he couldn't help but recall those adventurers who massacred the whole village of Forest Spring Spirits for their own profit.

It wasn't only him, even Irene frowned in contemplation when she saw the space ring. With her level of detection, it was impossible to not know the contents of an ordinary space ring with just a look.

Fennel had a pained expression as he held the space ring in his hand which trembled ever so slightly. Although there was no physical weight, knowing that the spirit orb of their deceased family and friend was inside the ring, made it quite heavy for him to hold.

Simon was tactful enough not to press for an answer and waited for Fennel to get over his emotions.

After a while, the elder stretched his hand and presented the ring to Simon with a happy yet sad expression.

"What is the meaning of this?" Simon creased his brows and asked. He did not understand the meaning behind Fennel's gesture.

Didn't the ring contain the spirit orbs of their clansmen, the last remaining memory of those they held dear? If so then what is the meaning behind Fennel passing it to him? Was it a test to see his character?

Simon stared directly at Fennel's eyes trying to find the meaning behind his action.

"There is no meaning behind it. I am already well aware of Lord Simon's character and disposition after the events that had happened back in the Ancient Treants territory. It would be presumptuous of me to say it but I quite like the current temperament of yours that is unlike any other rulers out there. Our loyalty will always lie with you and our faith in you is something that cannot be changed so easily".

Staring at the rings in his hand, Fennel stated "This ring containing the spirit orbs of our fellow clansmen is something that Lord Simon found it himself. By right it should belong to you and nobody will argue with it. You giving it back to us already showed us your sincerity and a mind that is not at all fazed by something that is regarded as a treasure all across the world".

"That in itself assures us that Lord Simon will not treat our Forest Spring Spirit clan poorly. I have already talked with the other members of the clan and they all approved of my decision to pass it to you. I am aware that Lord Simon does not want to use such a method and rely on himself to increase his strength. We believe in your ideals; nonetheless, we still insist that Lord Simon keeps this space ring containing the spirit orbs with him. It may be of help to you in the future".

Fennel deeply bowed his head after saying his piece, trying to implore Simon to accept his offer.

Simon who was intently listening up to this point made a face that was hard to read as he deliberated over Fennel's words.

Irene, on the other hand, was shocked to see how much faith and devotion these Forest Spring Spirits had on Simon. Although she was shocked, she knew the reason why. Simon not only saved the children, the future of hope of the Forest Spring Spirit clan from the clutches of the adventurers but also swore to protect the safety and peace of their clan.

Adding this to his likeable personality and temperament, there was no way the Forest Spring Spirit clan wouldn't think of him highly.

"Elder Fennel, while I get your point, I cannot accept these spirit orbs. These are the last remaining vestiges of the people of your clan, I cannot just simply take it away from you all. Besides even without relying on Forest Spirit orbs, I can get much stronger. So you should give them to the family of the deceased".

Simon said after carefully deliberating over the words.

Fennel had an incredulous look on his face before smiling happily "Lord Simon it is truly our good fortune that we have met a Lord that is as caring towards their subordinates as you. I cannot express how grateful I am feeling right now".

"However, Lord Simon is mistaken in this matter. These Spirit Orbs while precious to the rest of the world, hold no meaning to us and it is not something we would like to keep with us as it constantly reminds us of our dark past.. We would rather offer it to our lord than be misused by other people with evil plans".