Under the guidance of Vivian, Riley, and the others, Shien toured the entire Buztout residence, getting a general understanding of its current state.

Compared to before, the Buztout household was undoubtedly different. To protect against various threats, with Lucy’s support and Shien’s influence as deterrence, Riley had expanded the Buztout family’s power considerably. Not only had the number of maids and servants increased, but the knights, carefully selected by Riley, Lucy, and the Lazareth family, were also exceptionally talented. Shien even found two knights above level seventy among them, which surprised him. Such strength was enough to join the Royal Knights, or even become Knight Commanders in other nobles’ territories, holding high positions. For such individuals to join his family’s knight order was unbelievable.

Of course, upon closer inspection, it wasn’t that unbelievable.

Riley explained,

“Those two came here specifically to join us. They said they grew up listening to stories about Heroes, and it was because of their admiration for Heroes that they worked so hard. They suffered a lot in the past but persevered because of their longing for Heroes. They never joined any faction, only registering as adventurers in the Adventurer’s Guild, and were quite renowned Rank 7 adventurers in the Kingdom. It wasn’t until they heard about you that they decided to join the Buztout family.”

That’s how it was.

In the Demon Realm, although Shien’s identity as the Hero caused a sensation, it wasn’t entirely a good thing. After all, for demons, Heroes were their past enemies, their nemesis. Few would have any goodwill towards him.

But it was different in the Human Realm.

Although some factions had ulterior motives, otherwise those incidents wouldn’t have happened while he was away, most still admired and respected Heroes. There were many such people in the Buztout Knight Order, and even among the maids and servants, many came because this house belonged to the Hero.

Therefore, after Shien returned, those servants, maids, and knights looked at him with admiration.

Vivian even said,

“Actually, people still come every day, wanting to join the Buztout family, but their qualities vary, and some aren’t here for you, but for fame, fortune, or other things. Some even have unclear backgrounds. We naturally can’t accept them casually.”

Joining the current Buztout family required strict vetting by Riley, Vivian, and the others. Only those who passed their thorough investigations and tests were accepted, including the maids and servants, whose backgrounds had to be clean. Even so, people still flocked to them, drawn by the Hero’s name.

“Currently, the Buztout household has one hundred and thirty-one servants and one hundred and two maids. The servants are responsible for managing and maintaining the gardens, repairing the residence, and working in the kitchen, while the maids are responsible for cleaning and shopping. Everyone has a clear role, and none are incompetent.”

“The Knight Order has expanded to three companies, each with one hundred and eleven members, a total of three hundred and thirty-three knights. Two are above level seventy, twenty-four above level sixty, eighty-seven above level fifty, and the rest are between level thirty and forty.”

“We’ve also established a mage team of twenty-one members. Although their levels vary, they can all use at least Intermediate Magic. They are responsible for maintaining and setting up the residence’s magic defense system.”

Riley explained all this to Shien.

This made Shien sigh.

“In just two months, this house has completely changed.” The current Buztout household finally looked like a proper noble family, with sufficient personnel and facilities, powerful and influential, no longer just relying on his name and reputation. It could be said that only now had the Buztout family become complete, a true noble family of the Kingdom. With their current power, they were worthy of the title of Earl. This was even with Riley and Vivian deliberately controlling their growth, limiting their expansion. Otherwise, even more people would join, and their power would be even greater. However, if that happened, some hidden dangers might arise.

“By the way,” Vivian suddenly said, “Diere, Lumia, and I have joined the family’s Knight Order. We’ve decided to stop adventuring.”

These words stunned Shien.

“Really?” he asked, surprised.

“Really,” Vivian nodded with a smile, then sighed, “You’re no longer the newcomer who needs our guidance, but someone capable of influencing the entire Omnipotence. We, as those around you, are inevitably involved in the matters you cause. Although we could remain uninvolved, we still want to contribute.”

The connection between Vivian’s team and Shien was truly strange. At first, they only saw him as a promising newcomer, wanting to help him grow, without any other intentions, even planning to let him leave the team after he matured. Who knew that after the trip to the Royal Capital, his growth became unstoppable? By the time Vivian realized it, she was surprised to find that Vivian’s team had become a part of Shien’s growth, absorbed and integrated.

“We’re all living in your house now, bound to this family,” Vivian said, glancing at Shien with a smirk, “And with Diere and Melika both having a special relationship with you, it’s difficult for Vivian’s team to leave now, isn’t it?”

Hearing this, Shien felt awkward.

Diere’s expression remained unchanged. Even Shien’s return didn’t seem to excite her much, just silently following him as if nothing could faze her.

Lumia, however, said shyly, “I… I’ve also received much care from Master Shien, and my younger sisters are also living here.”

Lumia’s seven younger sisters were also brought here by Riley upon her return to the Royal Capital. They were now living in the Buztout residence, and Shien had just seen them, almost being swarmed by the excited little girls, making him drool… no, making him flee in terror! Lumia’s family had settled in the Buztout residence and, under Riley’s care, even entered the Royal Palace’s training facility. Perhaps, in time, they would become even more outstanding than their older sister. Under such circumstances, Lumia also saw the Buztout family as her own, sharing their honor and disgrace, and couldn’t possibly leave.

Coupled with Diere and Melika’s relationships with Shien, everyone now understood the situation, and Vivian, seeing that her teammates couldn’t leave this family, naturally couldn’t either.

Fortunately, she was a decisive person.

Since she couldn’t escape, then she would join.

So, she decided that all her team members would join the Buztout Knight Order, only Melika, who hadn’t returned yet, her future undecided.

But could that girl escape Shien’s grasp?

Impossible.

“You’re really something, even poaching my precious childhood friend. Should I say, ‘as expected of the Hero’?” Riley complained to Shien again.

After all, although Vivian’s level and strength weren’t high, her unique background and abilities were, in the eyes of many, even more valuable than the talented Diere.

In terms of defense, she was second to none, perhaps even surpassing Legendary and Limit Level experts.

Even Transcendent Level beings might not be able to bypass her shield. In the Kingdom, only a few knew that Vivian was seen as the Kingdom’s guardian, a solid wall protecting them. If not for this, she wouldn’t have been adopted by the Lazareth family, whose status was comparable to a Duke’s, and become the childhood friend of their future heir. And now, this precious childhood friend had also been “poached” by Shien. How could Riley not complain?

But she also knew that Vivian joining Shien was only a matter of time. After all, he was the Hero, the center of the potentially huge vortex that might appear in the future. Vivian probably saw this, believing her shield should protect more people within this vortex, and thus resolutely chose to join the Buztout family.

“The three company commanders of the Buztout Knight Order are now those two level seventy knights and Diere.”

“Lumia’s strength is weaker, so she can only be a squad leader for now.”

“And because of Vivian’s special abilities, everyone acknowledged her role and made her the Knight Order Commander.”

“As for me, I’m just a temporary representative. Now that you’re back, I can finally retire.”

“So, are you satisfied?” Riley asked Shien.

Shien didn’t speak, just gave her a thumbs-up, showing his admiration.

This made the girls smile, as if praised.

Only Yulin, holding Lilith’s hand as she looked around curiously, curled her lip. According to this dragon girl, these flashy women were just trash.

“With me here, what use is a Knight Order?” She felt she had to establish her dominance in this household, letting everyone know who the true guardian was. She had been protecting this house before, and she would continue to do so in the future. Any challengers were just food, she would devour them one by one!

Hmph! (·へ·p)

When night fell and Shien finished exploring his residence, getting a general understanding of its current state, although it was a small force compared to those he had faced before, perhaps because these were his own people, seeing the Buztout family flourishing, he felt a sense of satisfaction.

“After all, this is the first home I’ve had since coming to this world.”

And it might even be his last, accompanying him for a long time.

Riley had said,

“With your current status, the Kingdom will never revoke your title. As long as you can handle Princess Lucy’s matter, they’d be happy for you to stay here forever.”

A Hero residing in the Kingdom of Heroes was a huge boon, greatly benefiting its future development and reputation.

Moreover, with Shien being a Kingdom noble, the princess’s future husband, and his powerful backing, the Mitra Kingdom naturally wanted to keep him.

Therefore, his position in the Kingdom was secure.

Unless something major happened, they would welcome his presence.

The reason why those high-ranking officials from various factions were so eager to build a relationship with him was that they believed his rise was unstoppable, his future status and influence immense.

Naturally, they wanted to befriend him, even win him over. A powerful, influential, and unwavering friend was incredibly attractive to these factions.

Therefore…

“It’s fine if you don’t want to handle these troublesome matters, but you can’t hinder the Buztout family’s development,” Riley said, “Judging by your situation, even within the Kingdom, you’re destined to become a Marquis, perhaps even marrying Princess Lucy, who will become a Duchess, and merging your titles.”

Title merging referred to a method of succession when two noble families couldn’t pass down their titles, usually occurring between two nobles about to marry. If they couldn’t pass down their titles and decided to marry, they could merge their families and titles after marriage.

For example, if the heads of two Baron families, both unable to pass down their titles, decided to marry, they could merge their families, choose a new surname, or keep one of their original surnames, allowing their combined power and influence to be inherited by their descendants.

Merged families usually gained greater power and influence, even improving their standing in the Kingdom, increasing their chances of promotion.

This was likely to happen to Shien and Lucy. After all, Shien was the first generation head of the Buztout family, without children, a wife, or any other family members, his title couldn’t be passed down under such circumstances.

The same applied to Lucy. If she left the royal family and became a Duchess, as the first generation head of her duchy, her title couldn’t be passed down either. Therefore, if they married, which family would they join? If Shien married into the duchy, then the Buztout family would have no heir.

If Lucy married into the Buztout family, then her duchy would be left without an heir.

Of course, Shien could have a child with another woman first, letting that child inherit the Buztout family, then marry into the duchy, and Lucy could also adopt a child to inherit her duchy, but neither would do such a thing just for a title.

Therefore, if this happened, they basically had two choices: either marry but not merge, each continuing to manage their own family, then have two or more children and let them inherit their respective families; or merge their titles, combining the Buztout family and Lucy’s duchy into one.

The former’s advantage was preserving their family names and legacies.

The latter’s advantage was expanding their power and influence, even gaining a promotion.

Many nobles in human nations faced this situation and made different choices.

As for Shien and Lucy, neither truly cared about their family legacy or surname. If it were a long-established family like the Elvenbein or Lazareth families, with hundreds or even thousands of years of history, they wouldn’t be willing to merge with another family.

But for Shien and Lucy, merging their titles was highly likely.

At that time…

“Merging with a duchy, the Buztout family would become a genuine ducal family,” Riley said seriously, “And as a high-ranking noble family, the Buztout family would need to further expand its power and influence, even obtaining their own territory.”

The Buztout family’s future was bright.

Riley naturally didn’t want such a promising family to be wasted. Moreover, there were now her childhood friend and her former adventuring companions in this family.

“If you don’t want to deal with these troublesome matters, you can choose someone trustworthy to help you,” Riley said, “Think about it carefully.”

Leaving these words, she returned to her room with Vivian and the others. She had been staying in the Buztout residence, acting as their temporary representative and handling their affairs. Therefore, she knew the problem the Buztout family faced: they urgently needed a true leader. With a leader, they could truly flourish and grow. This leader should have been Shien, but he clearly didn’t want to deal with such troublesome matters. Therefore…

“I do need to think about who to choose as my representative, to manage the family for me,” Shien pondered. He had a few criteria.

“First, this person must be absolutely trustworthy to prevent the Buztout family from being infiltrated by someone with malicious intentions.”

“Second, this person needs to be capable, have good management skills, and a sharp political sense, to avoid being manipulated by those cunning nobles.”

“Third, this person needs to have enough time and sufficient strength to protect this family.”

“Finally, this person’s character must also be good. I don’t want to choose someone I dislike, or someone who can’t resist external temptations.”

As Shien thought this, he suddenly looked to the side.

There, Yulin, holding Lilith’s hand, said excitedly,

“I used to just sleep in the courtyard. Now that I’ve transformed into a human, I can finally have my own room, right?”

She looked forward to this.

She didn’t notice the strange look on Shien’s face.

Shien looked at Yulin, a plan forming in his mind.

“Absolutely trustworthy—check.” Yulin’s loyalty was undeniable. Otherwise, she would have already returned to the Dragon Race.

“Capable, good management skills, and a sharp political sense—check.” This girl, after transforming into a human, had become much smarter. She even explained the various factions’ mentalities to him before, holding her own against Graty and Beauty, even showing greater insight than those two founders of the Dragon Race in some matters. With proper training, she might even be comparable to Riley.

“Enough time and sufficient strength—check.” A dragon’s lifespan was incredibly long, and she had already reached Limit Level, fearing no one but transcendent beings. Her strength was undoubtedly reassuring.

“Good character—check.” Although sometimes childish, short-tempered, and unruly, Yulin wouldn’t be tempted by external forces and wouldn’t mess up his plans.

In conclusion: “The perfect tool.”

Thinking of this, Shien’s gaze towards Yulin turned mischievous.

“Yulin,” he said, his tone serious, “Do you think there’s anything lacking in your current self?”

“W-What?” Yulin blinked, confused.

“Nothing,” Shien patted her shoulder, continuing in a serious tone, “I just think that since your strength has already reached its peak, shouldn’t you strive for improvement in other areas?”

“…Like what?” Yulin asked after a moment of silence, her expression strange. She was interested in self-improvement, a tempting prospect for a dragon who had reached Limit Level, the pinnacle of life. However, her dragon instincts told her that Shien was up to no good.

As expected…

“For example, you can read more books, study hard, and become a cultured dragon,” Shien said.

“?” Yulin tilted her head in confusion.

Shien, as if not noticing, continued,

“I’ll have someone find some books on management, business, and politics for you to study.”

“?”

“I’ll also give you some homework every day, so you can put your knowledge into practice.”

“??”

“If you need it, I can even find someone to tutor you, twenty hours a day, no problem.”

“???”

“Oh, and you can visit Riley and Vivian when you’re free, learn and observe from them.”

“????”

“So? Are you happy?”

“…” After this conversation, the confused Yulin finally fell silent, looking at Shien not like her respected master, but like a demon. I might not be human, but you’re truly a dog.

So, Yulin picked up the bewildered Lilith and ran away.

Shien watched her leave, a benevolent look in his eyes.

“Just like a little kid who doesn’t want to go to school,” he thought. He had many ways to deal with such a child.

For example, a good spanking…

…

Midnight. The Buztout residence was quiet again, no longer bustling like before. Most people had returned to their rooms, preparing to rest, except for the night shift staff.

Of course, there were also many in the current Buztout household who didn’t sleep at night, like the knights on patrol.

Thanks to this, the Buztout courtyard was filled with patrolling knights carrying magic lamps. Even the mansion itself had many patrols, showing the level of security. Many spies from various factions, observing this, felt troubled.

Among them were undoubtedly those who still harbored malicious intentions, wanting to sneak into the Buztout residence and cause trouble.

At this moment, Shien was enjoying a long-awaited bath.

“It’s so much more comfortable taking a bath in my own home~~~(^^)” He leaned against the edge of the large bathtub, his head covered with a towel, his arms spread, looking incredibly relaxed.

“The last time I felt this relaxed was in the Elven Homeland, right?”

The hot spring-like magic power source in the Elven Homeland was quite nice, a memory he still cherished.

But since then, he rarely had such a chance to relax.

“The trip to the Imperial Capital goes without saying, I didn’t have the time or energy for such luxuries.”

“The trip to the Demon Realm was initially filled with incidents, and although the living conditions improved later thanks to the Demon Lords, I didn’t have a chance for a relaxing bath.”

“The Conversion Pool in the Demon King’s Pavilion looked nice, but it wasn’t for bathing.”

He hadn’t relaxed like this in a long time.

After relaxing for a while, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.

“Splash…” The sound of water triggered a memory.

“That’s right…” When taking a bath at home, he had a special “bathing buddy.” Thinking of this, he reached for the towel on his face.

However…

“Don’t move,” an unexpected voice stopped him.

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