Wizard World Irregular

Ethan didn’t know whether he should be happy or sad with his current situation.

He had wanted his little sister to become close to him because they were family. But she had been treating him coldly and made it clear that she didn't even want to recognize him as her brother.

However, right now, that same girl was acting spoiled and clingy while sitting on his lap.

“Although this may sound weird coming from me, but I am also your sister, you know?” Joanne’s Other Half whispered. “So, you have every right to be kind and nice to me, Brother.”

“You’re like a little devil,” Ethan whispered back.

“Awww, you call your sister a devil?” Joanne replied using telepathy. “But I’m neither a devil nor am I a demon. I’m your cute sister, who is just a bit more naughty and mischievous than the one who gives you the cold shoulder.”

But, just as Ethan was about to reply, he saw something from the corner of his eye.

Princess Ramona lifted her chair and placed it beside him. She then hugged him and Joanne at the same time, burying her head on Joanne’s chest to hide her embarrassment.

“Awww, ain’t she the cutest little thing?” Joanne’s Other Half smiled sweetly as she hugged Ramona back, even patting her head while saying “good girl” over and over again.

But seeing that Ethan wasn’t hugging Ramona, Joanne gave her brother the “what are you waiting for? Christmas?” gaze, making the young man sigh internally. In the end, he wrapped his arms around the two girls, hugging them at the same time.

“It feels warm, right?” Joanne’s Other Half whispered in Ramona’s ears, making the latter nod her head in agreement.

The three stayed in that position for nearly half an hour before Joanne’s Other Half thought of something interesting.

Closing her eyes, she returned her senses to Joanne, making the latter feel the same warmth that she was feeling.

Joanne, who was asleep, hugged Ramona a little tighter because she was feeling good right now.

It was warm, but it didn’t make her feel uncomfortable.

This was the soothing warmth that she liked during very cold nights when her mother and father visited and slept on the same bed as her.

Joanne snuggled deeper into Ethan’s embrace while enjoying a very happy dream.

Several minutes later, Ramona also fell asleep, melted by the same warmth and security that her friend was feeling.

Ethan, who was holding two sleeping girls in his embrace, looked up at the starry night sky and wondered if his lovers were also sleeping peacefully somewhere in the future.

Although they were far away from each other, he still thought of them from time to time and wondered what they were doing right now.

He was certain that the four Protector Clans might be panicking right now after Joanne got caught up in his trial.

The young man didn’t believe that what happened was an accident.

The shadowy hand that grabbed Joanne and dragged her in the water had done so in the fastest way possible, not giving Ethan and the Protector Clans time to react.

Of course, Ethan didn’t know that when the incident happened, the Patriarchs and Matriarchs could have done something to save Joanne.

However, during that time, their bodies were frozen in place as if someone had prevented them from rescuing their Young Miss.

Only Ethan was the one who could move, and he jumped into the river to save his sister.

One thing led to another, and before he knew it, he was standing on the deck of the ship and reunited with Princess Ramona.

At first, he was very worried because his sister had been sent to the past just like him. But after seeing her get along with the Princess, he felt that perhaps this would also be a good experience for her.

The Lands of Alastor had played a very important part in his life.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that being sent to the past was a turning point that turned him from the naive country boy to the current him.

He had lost many things.

Suffered hardships.

And entered a state of depression.

After overcoming those things, he returned to the present a changed man.

Because of this, the Lands of Alastor would always hold a special place in his heart.

Perhaps feeling nostalgic, Ethan suddenly thought of Lily, who spent more than a year with him in the past.

‘I wonder what she’s doing now…,l’ Ethan thought of the young lady who had been there during his darkest moments and had changed him for the better.

***

“I wonder what he is doing right now…,” Lily muttered as she gazed at the stars in the sky.

“He’s probably holding Emma in his embrace right now,” Nicole replied as she sipped her mug, which was filled with hot chocolate. “Too bad. I can’t use him as a bed warmer right now.”

“You use Ethan as a bed warmer?” Lyall, who was seated beside Nicole, arched her eyebrow. “So, did you…”

“No,” Nicole replied before Lyall could even finish whatever she was going to say. “There’s no deeper meaning behind it. I just use him as a warm compress whenever I feel cold.”

“You feel cold?” Lyall blinked. “You’re using Ice Magic, and you feel cold?”

Lyall then glanced at her sister, Lily, and asked her if she felt cold.

Just like Nicole, Lily also used Ice Magic, but she never heard of Lily feeling any coldness in her body.

“If I remember correctly, the power that appeared when you placed your hand on the Appraisal Stone was water and fire,” Lily said. “I don’t know when you started using Ice Magic, but are you perhaps trying a new battle style by not using the powers that you specialize in?”

Nicole smiled bitterly because she didn’t know how to explain her current situation to anyone.

“Just like you said, my specialty is Fire and Water,” Nicole replied. “The reason why I’m using Ice Magic is because if I don’t use it, I’ll turn into an ice statue and die.”

“Hahaha! Nice joke,” Lyall chuckled. “Is that what you told Ethan so that he would agree to become your bed warmer?”

“Ethan and I are just best friends,” Nicole replied. “There’s no deeper meaning behind our closeness.”

“Heh~ best friends, huh?” Lyall smirked. “Well, I won’t pry. However, let’s start our sparring at noon tomorrow. Father asked me to run an errand, so I have no choice but to go.”

“Okay.” Nicole nodded.

Lily’s family had been treating her well, and they even told her that she could stay with them for as long as she wanted.

It was also through them that she discovered the news of the possibility of Ethan marrying Lily before the next school year started.

Although Lily assured Nicole that it would be just a simple ceremony, Nicole still felt that it was still too early for her two friends to marry each other.

Lily assured her that it would just be a formality and that her relationship with Ethan wouldn’t have any drastic changes.

She also believed that she was still young, so she didn’t plan on giving birth to the young man’s child anytime soon.

But, regardless, Nicole said that she wished for their happiness in life.

She even told Lily in a teasing tone that she would be borrowing her friend’s husband from time to time to use him as her bed warmer, which made Lyall start to have ideas as well.

“Well, I just hope that he doesn’t find himself in too much trouble while he’s away from the academy,” Lily said softly. “I’d hate it if he were to accidentally enter a Nexus all alone again and be sent to the past without someone accompanying him. Ethan can get lonely easily.”

“You think too much, Lily,” Lyall commented. “I mean, it would be weird if he accidentally found himself in the past again, right? I’m sure he already learned his lesson and wouldn’t be jumping into a Nexus that will send him to the past.”

Lily didn’t reply and simply looked at the stars in the sky.

‘The stars here are really different from the stars seen in the Lands of Alastor,’ Lily thought. ‘But, why do I feel anxious as of late? Nothing could possibly happen to him, right?’

Lily had been dreaming of seeing her first disciple, Princess Ramona, over the past few days.

She felt sad when she and Ethan had to leave the princess behind, but they knew that they belonged to different worlds.

They existed in the present, and Princess Ramona existed in the past.

Their point of origin shouldn’t have intersected, but due to a miracle of Fate, they all met each other, and with it, bonds were formed, connecting all of them to this day.