For five relentless days, the girls pushed themselves past their limits, training day and night. Scarlett focused on refining her footwork and timing, making each movement sharper than before. Lyra worked tirelessly to control her mana output and curse application with ruthless precision, while Layla, surprisingly focused for once, repeatedly drilled her close-range techniques until she could execute them with her eyes closed.
All of it had one goal—to surprise Julia.
Meanwhile, Noah was surrounded by eleven clones of himself, each working through different aspects of his training. Elemental mastery, swordsmanship, and the foundation of his trump card: the Mana Domain.
Just because he had a domain didn't mean he could use it properly.
In fact, the way he'd obtained it—through the system—felt like a shortcut.
"If I can't wield it properly, then it's useless," Noah muttered under his breath, sweat trickling down his jawline.
His sword slashed forward in a clean arc, flames erupting with the movement. A clone mirrored the motion with water, another with shadow. Sparks danced in the air around him as his domain fluctuated subtly—unstable, but gradually growing more responsive.
It wasn't enough.
"A domain is the soul of a mage," Olivia's words echoed in his mind.
His wasn't born of understanding, but convenience.
That needed to change.
"If I want to surpass even S-rankers, then I have to go beyond. I need to understand mana itself... its nature, its emotion, its will."
Something told him—deep within—that this Mana Domain was far more than just a power amplifier. It felt… alive. As if it held secrets not yet revealed. Perhaps, at its full potential, it wasn't just a domain.
It was a world.
But amidst their obsession with training, one thing had slipped everyone's mind.
Time.
[Training Ground – Morning]
Julia stood near the arena, arms crossed, eyes scanning the field with her usual sharpness. Richard stretched his limbs lazily beside her, already suspecting what was happening.
After five minutes of waiting in the quiet morning air, he finally turned to her.
"Where are these brats?" he asked, amused.
"Did we break their spirits already? Beat them too hard?"
Julia didn't respond right away. Her eyes seemed distant.
Last night, she'd seen something. Or rather, heard it.
Her senses, honed over decades of battle, had picked up more than she'd cared to listen to—but it wasn't hard to tell what was going on when Layla slipped into Noah's room just past midnight. Julia had chuckled at first, but then Scarlett followed… then Lyra.
She'd quietly walked back to her room without intervening.
"Kids grow up too fast these days…" she sighed.
"I just hope they didn't wear Noah out too much."
"Wife? You there?" Richard nudged her shoulder, bringing her back.
Julia cleared her throat.
"I don't think they'll be training today."
"You beat them that hard?" he chuckled.
She exhaled.
"No… I think they were doing the beating. Last night, I saw the girls go into Noah's room. I think… well… you know."
Richard blinked.
"Wait—you don't mean…?"
"Yup. Our son became a man. With three girls, no less."
A long silence passed between them.
"...That's concerning," Richard muttered at last.
"What if they start slipping into lust and neglect their growth?"
"We should talk to them. Set boundaries. They're still kids, after all."
"Right. As his parents, it's our duty to step in before he ends up with ten grandchildren before graduation."
And so, completely unaware of the truth, the two parents marched toward Noah's room.
[Noah's Room – Present]
Standing at the door, Julia tilted her head.
"No barrier. No noise. They're probably asleep."
"Then let's go," Richard opened the door with a casual click.
The scene that greeted them was enough to make any parent pause.
Noah lay in the center of the bed, utterly buried in affection. Scarlett clung to his right arm, her face tucked peacefully against his shoulder. Lyra held his left hand to her chest, murmuring softly in her sleep. Layla had curled up on top of him, arms wrapped tightly around his neck, face resting over his heart like it was the most natural thing in the world.
There was no tension. No discomfort.
Only peace.
A soft smile crept onto Julia's face. Richard blinked twice, then gave a small, fatherly nod.
"...Well, at least they really like him."
"Still…" Julia's tone changed. "He can't let himself get lost in this. We should say something."
Richard sighed.
"Yeah… time for a parental intervention."
"Noah Von Augustus" a loud voice called him.
[Inside the Soul Space]
Noah floated midair, surrounded by his clones and swirling elements, his gaze sharp with focus.
"System," he asked, "how much time until morning training?"
[Host. You're finally asking.]
"Wait—what happened?"
[Training time has long passed. Your parents are inside your room.]
"WHAT?!"
"Why didn't you tell me!?"
[You didn't command me to, Host.]
"Damn it—!"
Panic set in.
"Girls! Emergency! We're busted! They're in the room!"
The girls froze mid-exercise, their ethereal bodies flickering as they absorbed the gravity of those words.
"W-what should we do?!" Scarlett asked quickly.
"A-are we in trouble?" Lyra stammered.
"M-Mom will scold us again… she'll glare… and I'll cry…" Layla whimpered.
Noah grit his teeth.
"Let's go. I'll take responsibility."
[Back to Reality]
As the four exited the soul space, they returned to the physical world. Layla tumbled off Noah with a startled yelp, Lyra and Scarlett bolted upright, faces flushed with embarrassment.
And there stood Richard and Julia.
Arms crossed.
Eyebrows raised.
Silence.
Noah sat up slowly, rubbing his head.
"...Good morning."
Richard let out a deep sigh.
"Noah Von Augustus. Care to explain?"
Julia stepped forward, a kind yet stern look on her face.
"We're glad to see you're… close. But there are boundaries, young man."
Layla hid behind Noah like a frightened kitten.
Lyra stared at the floor.
Scarlett looked ready to faint.
Noah took a deep breath, then bowed.
"We were talking to each other and got lost track of time ."
"I told them to sleep , but I swear we didn't do anything...right girls..."
""" Yes """ they all spoke in unison.
Both parents blinked.
Julia narrowed her eyes.
"You expect us to believe that "
" Son, its fine but you shouldn't overdo it and ignore your training "
"But we really didn't do it " Lyra said
Silence again.
Julia's brow lifted.
"...You were actually Sleeping?"
"Yes."
Richard scratched his beard.
"Well, I'll be damned. Our son really is a freak."
Julia nodded.
"Fine. But if I ever catch you actually slacking off with three girls in your bed—"
"—There will be hell to pay," Richard added.
Layla peeked out.
"So we're not grounded?"
Julia smiled faintly.
"No. But next time, lock the door."
"—Come back within five minutes in training field , today I will increase the intensity a little more" Richard told them
All of them shivered at that thought but they can't do anything else now.
The parents turned and walked out.
Noah collapsed back onto the bed, face flushed.
"That… was too close."
"Agreed," all three girls said in unison.
" Why did you lie to them? " Scarlett asked
" It will be hard to explain it , they will ask how I got it and Normally no one else can enter soul space except it's owner" Noah explained to her
"Agreed " Lyra said
" Plus , if we told them they won't be surprised, plus who knows how much more harder training we will have to go through then ." Noah told them
Layla immediately " You did right ..Noah ..we need survive..."
Others also now agree , they also don't want to face Julia in her more scary version then she already is .
[End of Chapter]
"The confusion is getting stronger, but hey—that's the fun of life."
—Author-kun.