"Thank you, Eren."
Inside the hospital's underground parking lot, Gwen turned to Eren and spoke with genuine sincerity.
Seeing her serious expression, Eren stopped walking and smiled.
"As long as I didn't disappoint you, that's all that matters. After all, I did get paid in advance by a certain someone—if I didn't do a good job, how could I possibly deserve such generous payment?"
Then, with a casual shrug, he added—
"Though I didn't expect the treatment to be this effective. Even Helen's scars disappeared completely. Looks like we won't need the restoration wax we prepared from the textile lab after all."
Even though Holy Light Healing was the most basic healing ability from the Angel's Scepter, its effectiveness in treating external injuries had exceeded even Eren's expectations.
Especially the fact that Helen's scars had faded so quickly, leaving her legs looking completely unblemished.
It was a surprising but welcome outcome.
Just as Eren was about to say something else—
Gwen suddenly stood on her toes, leaned forward, and—
Pressed her lips against his.
Once again, Eren felt the warmth of her lips, and just as he was about to wrap his arms around her waist, hoping to savor the moment—
She slipped away like a golden fish, skillfully dodging his embrace at the last second.
Seeing the hint of disappointment in his eyes, Gwen smirked playfully.
Eren licked his lips slightly, reminiscing about the brief but thrilling sensation, before flashing a grin.
"Was that a reward?"
Gwen winked.
"Take a guess."
A few minutes later.
Standing beside his Aston Martin, Eren opened the passenger door for Gwen.
"Let's go, I'll take you home."
"Thanks."
As they pulled out of the hospital parking lot, Gwen turned to him.
"Do you need me to give you directions?"
Eren chuckled.
"Of course… not. I've already memorized the route to your house."
"Hmm?"
Gwen raised an eyebrow, giving him a meaningful look.
Catching her subtle glance, Eren immediately clarified—
"Don't get the wrong idea. When I got this car, I memorized the entire map of New York to make driving easier."
Technically, that wasn't a lie.
Ever since he started practicing the Cosmic Brain Meditation Technique, his memory had improved significantly.
To prepare for any situation, he had committed the entire map of New York to memory.
With that mental reference, he could easily determine the best route to any location—including Gwen's house.
"Is that so?"
Gwen pursed her lips slightly, as if not entirely convinced, but she didn't press the issue further.
Instead, she shifted the conversation toward her mother's recovery process.
Although Helen's visible wounds had healed, she still felt some weakness when walking.
"That's normal," Eren explained. "It's just the aftereffects of being bedridden for so long. All she needs now is some rehab exercises, proper nutrition, and increased calcium intake."
"I'll give you a meal plan—if she follows it daily, her recovery will be much faster."
Gwen's eyes lit up.
She immediately pulled out a pen and paper, jotting down the meal plan as Eren dictated it.
It was actually a simplified medicinal diet that Eren had adapted from the Nutritional Guidebook he had studied.
The ingredients were chosen to promote blood regeneration and accelerate bone healing.
Not only that, but Eren had carefully adjusted the portions to suit Helen's specific condition.
By following this plan, Helen's recovery time could be cut in half.
With her background in biomedical studies, Gwen could immediately tell that this meal plan was scientifically sound.
Most importantly, it didn't seem too medicinal—it looked like something that would actually taste good.
"This… actually sounds delicious."
Excited by the prospect, Gwen made up her mind—
Tomorrow, she would cook this meal for her mother.
"Before you take me home, can we stop by the grocery store?"
Eren nodded.
"Of course."
Thirty minutes later.
Carrying several bags of groceries, Eren dropped Gwen off at her home in Queens' Harlem neighborhood.
Harlem was a middle-class residential area, known for its tight-knit community and relatively good security.
This was largely because the 13th Precinct of the NYPD was located nearby.
If anyone called the police, officers could arrive in under five minutes.
It was one of the safest places in the city.
Ever since Helen was attacked and kidnapped in their previous home—
George had completely lost trust in that apartment.
For a while, they had been staying in a hotel, but…
To ensure his family's safety, George had used his connections to rent a house in Harlem, right next to the 13th Precinct, where he worked.
The house was equipped with Stark Industries' advanced security system.
After personally inspecting the design and security features, George was so impressed that he wanted to buy it outright—
If only he had the money.
With Stark's security system in place, combined with being so close to his own police station, George felt that—
There was no safer home in New York for his family.
From the very first day they moved in—
George quietly increased police patrols in the area using his deputy chief privileges.
In the past, George had been strongly opposed to using his position for personal gain.
But after multiple incidents where his family was targeted—
He finally understood why so many high-ranking officers secretly increased patrols around their own homes.
It wasn't about corruption.
It was about protecting their families.
After all—
In a country where shootouts happened daily, security was never guaranteed.
For police officers, whose job was to hunt criminals, their families often faced more danger than the average person.
What George didn't realize was that—
This single decision made him more integrated into the NYPD than ever before.
Previously, George's rigid sense of justice had made him respected by lower-ranking officers, but somewhat alienated from the higher-ups.
They had even been hesitant about promoting him to police chief after the retirement of the old captain of the 13th Precinct.
But now—
Seeing that George had finally started acting like "one of them"—
The higher-ups began to trust him more.
...
As Gwen unlocked the front door, she turned to Eren.
"Want to come in for a bit?"
Eren shook his head with a smile.
"Better not. Your dad's already called you seven or eight times on the way home—if I step inside, I'm afraid he'll grab his gun and drive straight from the hospital to shoot me."
Because they had stopped by the grocery store, Gwen was home much later than usual—
Which had thoroughly worried her overprotective father.
George had called so many times that it felt like he thought Eren was going to abduct his daughter.
Hearing that, Gwen's ears turned slightly red, and she quickly defended her father.
"He's not that dramatic!"
Just as she said that—
The sound of small footsteps came racing toward the door.
Her younger siblings burst out of the house, faces full of excitement.
"Big sis! You're finally home!"
"Dad called us so many times, asking if you were back yet!"
"We almost thought something happened to you—ugh, we were so worried!"
The younger one nodded furiously, then added—
"Yeah! We were so stressed out, we need a big bar of chocolate to heal our wounded hearts!"
"And cheese sticks too!"
Gwen—who had just denied her father's excessive worrying—was now completely speechless.
She rubbed her temples.
"Oh my god… he even called you two?"
Meanwhile, Eren—chuckling at the scene—casually reached into one of the grocery bags.
He pulled out a stack of snacks—including chocolate bars and cheese sticks—and handed them to the kids.
Their eyes immediately widened in pure joy.
The younger one even swallowed nervously, resisting the urge to snatch the snacks immediately.
But instead of taking them right away, they both turned to Gwen for permission.
With a sigh, Gwen rolled her eyes before saying—
"Go ahead."
The moment she gave the green light, the two kids snatched the snacks with lightning speed and ran inside the house—
Shouting excitedly as they went.
"Thanks, brother-in-law!"
"We're going to our room now! Whatever happens next, we totally don't know anything! Don't worry, we won't tell Dad anything!"
Before Gwen could even react, their door slammed shut.
"BAM!"
The room fell silent.
Gwen's entire face turned bright red.
"Brother-in-law?!
Before she could even start explaining herself, Eren had already burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Those two are hilarious. They even know how to cover for you."
Gwen, still flustered, crossed her arms.
"Oh, please. They just got bribed with snacks."
Even as she complained, a small smile crept onto her face.
Just then, her phone rang again.
Eren—already knowing who it was—pointed at her phone and smirked.
"Alright, it's late. I should go before your dad actually loses his mind."
With a final goodbye, Eren turned and walked away.
As he disappeared into the night, Gwen picked up her phone and sighed.
"Dad…"
...
Time Passes
Days went by.
After the Harlem Cult Incident and the Hell's Kitchen Rotten Giant Disaster, New York—
Finally experienced a rare period of peace.
At least, on the surface.
During this calm period, Eren lived a relatively normal student life—
Going to school, training, and waiting for the next big event.
Until—
One particular weekend arrived.
Today was the funeral for Eren's Joker clone.
Early in the morning—
Pepper, dressed in a simple black dress with light makeup, arrived at Eren's place to attend the ceremony with him.
The funeral was held at Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn—one of the most prestigious burial sites in New York.
Originally, Tony had planned to bury the Joker at an exclusive private cemetery for billionaires.
But Eren had refused, saying—
"The Joker liked crowds."
(The real reason? The private cemetery was too far away, and Eren didn't want to travel that far.)
So Tony had made new arrangements, securing a plot at Greenwood Cemetery—
One of the most famous and well-kept cemeteries in the city.
This place was the final resting spot for countless influential figures, including politicians, artists, and musicians.
However—
Because the cemetery was already full, it had stopped accepting new burials years ago.
Nobody knew how much Tony had to pull strings to convince the cemetery administration to accept the Joker's tombstone.
But one thing was certain—
When Eren arrived at the cemetery… it was already packed with people.
(End of Chapter)
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