The road to Bunny's homeland was surprisingly peaceful.
After leaving Solmere through the gate network, the group traveled for two more days by wagon.
The countryside slowly changed as they moved farther from the bustling trade routes of the United Kingdoms.
Rolling farmland replaced stone roads.
Simple windmills creaked lazily in the distance.
Long fields of crops stretched across the hills.
It was quiet.
Almost too quiet for the Vixens, who had grown used to the energy of Solmere.
But for Bunny—
It felt like home.
On the second afternoon, the wagon crested a small hill.
Beyond it sat a sprawling farming village.
Jax leaned forward in his seat.
"This is it?"
Bunny nodded cheerfully.
"Yep!"
Jax blinked.
It wasn't a city.
There were no castle walls.
No towering buildings.
Just a wide patchwork of farms and houses spread across the valley.
It looked simple.
Peaceful.
Rabbitfolk moved everywhere throughout the village.
Farmers carried tools across fields.
Children raced down dirt roads.
Families gathered near open markets.
The entire place had the feeling of a tight-knit community.
Simple magic and technology existed, but barely.
Life here moved at a slower pace.
Jax understood the appeal immediately.
Not his style—
But he respected it.
The two Shadow Bulls pulling the elegant Vixen carriage quickly became the center of attention.
Villagers stopped working as the wagon rolled through town.
Conversations halted.
Tools lowered.
People stared.
Carriages like this didn't visit often.
And certainly not ones pulled by massive magical beasts.
Children followed behind the wagon first.
Then adults joined.
Soon a small procession trailed behind them as they traveled toward the large farmstead at the far edge of the village.
Bunny leaned out the window.
"Yep… that's the place."
Jax glanced at her.
"You realize something?"
"What?"
"When we visited Hairbro earlier in our adventures… we were only a few days from here."
Bunny blinked.
"Oh."
The group stared at her.
"You… didn't realize that?" Nyxian asked.
Bunny scratched the back of her head sheepishly.
"I visited Hairbro when I was younger. It took us like five days back then. I just… didn't connect the dots."
Nyxian groaned.
"You're unbelievable."
Bunny grinned.
"Visiting home just wasn't on my mind at the time."
The carriage finally stopped in front of a massive farmhouse.
It was easily the largest property in the village.
Fields surrounded it on all sides.
The Shadow Bulls stomped once as the wagon came to a halt.
The gathered crowd whispered excitedly.
The door of the carriage opened.
Bunny stepped out first.
The reaction was instant.
"AURABELLE?!"
The crowd erupted.
The farmhouse doors burst open.
Bunny laughed as villagers rushed forward.
She barely had time to steady herself before being wrapped in hugs.
Her siblings poured out of the house like a tidal wave.
Aurabelle was the 18th of 22 children.
Including a twin brother she had beaten into the world by exactly two minutes.
The yard quickly filled with Rabbitfolk.
Parents.
Cousins.
Brothers.
Sisters.
Everyone talking at once.
"Aurabelle!"
"You're finally home!"
"Look at you!"
Bunny laughed helplessly as she was squeezed from all directions.
Eventually the crowd parted slightly.
Two figures stepped forward.
Her parents.
They stopped several steps away.
For a moment—
No one moved.
It had been almost two years.
Tears filled both their eyes.
Bunny closed the distance immediately.
She wrapped both of them in a tight embrace.
The moment lingered.
Her brothers and sisters stood close enough to reach out if they wanted.
But none interrupted.
Finally Bunny stepped back and wiped her eyes.
"I want you to meet my friends."
She gestured proudly.
"My teammates."
"My sisters."
The Vixens stepped forward.
The villagers immediately swarmed them.
Hugs.
Handshakes.
Excited chatter.
They barely noticed the tall human man stepping out of the carriage behind them.
Nyxian glanced around with amusement.
Very touchy group, she thought.
Not a bad thing with this many attractive girls around.
Bunny cleared her throat proudly.
"And my…"
She pointed toward Jax.
"…fiancé."
Everything stopped.
The chatter died instantly.
All eyes turned toward Jax.
Bunny's parents froze.
"Did you just say… fiancé?"
Jax stepped forward calmly.
He extended his hand politely.
Starting with Bunny's father.
Then her mother.
The father hesitated—but shook his hand.
Jax tried offering the same greeting to the others nearby.
Several stepped back instead.
The tension was obvious.
It started with the older brothers.
Their posture alone told Jax everything.
Protective.
Suspicious.
The rest of the family followed their lead.
Bunny's father spoke carefully.
"We didn't know you were seeing anyone."
His eyes shifted toward Jax.
"Especially… a human."
Bunny expected the awkwardness.
Still, she stood tall.
"When I left, I said I was becoming an adventurer."
She puffed her chest proudly.
"And I did."
"I'm part of the team Jax and the Vixens."
Recognition sparked in several faces.
Even in a quiet farming village, stories traveled.
"You're a Vixen?"
"The Vixens who cleared the Crystal Caves?"
"The dungeon the Argent Vanguard couldn't finish?"
The crowd swarmed Bunny again.
Questions fired from every direction.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" she laughed.
"And Jax was a huge part of it!"
"He helped turn us from struggling adventurers into an S-Rank party!"
The villagers listened eagerly.
But many still watched Jax cautiously.
Why was he here?
What did he want from Aurabelle?
Jax stepped forward again.
This time holding a small ornate box pulled from his System storage.
He approached Bunny's father.
"As a dowry," Jax said respectfully,
"I present the first of two gifts."
He opened the box.
Inside rested two curved blades.
Their metal shimmered with faint hues of white, red, and blue.
Intricate carvings ran along the hilts.
Beside them lay a custom sleeve designed to hold both knives.
Jax spoke calmly.
"These blades are virtually indestructible—short of powerful magic or alchemy."
"They increase the wielder's strength and endurance by twenty percent."
"They deal double damage against fire and ice opponents."
"And they can be thrown…"
"…returning to the wielder on command."
The crowd gasped.
Even the skeptical brothers stared.
Aurabelle's twin brother finally broke the silence.
"That has to be worth… ten million gold."
Jax shook his head slightly.
"In my shop?"
He smiled casually.
"They would sell for closer to twenty-five million."
The stunned silence that followed was deafening.