Arriving at the Beast Tide shelter, people had slowly emerged and were heading home now that the monsters were dead.

In their hurried escape, most hadn’t brought raincoats or umbrellas, so they trudged through the rain looking utterly bedraggled.

"Where’s Sister Lena?"

Isa scanned the area but couldn’t spot Lena.

Celia frowned slightly, feeling anxious inside—until her communicator lit up the next second.

She hurriedly checked the new message, her face lighting up with joy. "She messaged me! She’s safe and told us to go ahead to Elisa’s birthday party first."

This made Isa and Aurora both sigh in relief. Aurora glanced at the darkening sky and hesitated. "At this hour, Elisa’s party is probably almost over, isn’t it?"

"What should we do now?" Isa turned to Celia.

Without hesitation, Celia said bluntly, "Even if it’s over, we still have to go. It’s what we promised."

They couldn’t break their word.

But right after deciding, Isa suddenly panicked. "Oh no! We haven’t bought her a birthday gift yet!"

Celia’s eye twitched slightly; internally, she cried out in dismay.

Without changing clothes, they dashed straight into shops, searching for a gift.

The moon had risen slightly by the time they finally found presents. Carrying bags and packages, they followed Lena’s address to Elisa’s house.

Golden light spilled from the windows, with only occasional shadows passing by. Standing outside, Celia heard no noise from within.

If the party were still on, it couldn’t be this quiet.

Knowing they were late, she sighed and pressed the doorbell.

Ding-dong—

"Coming."

The crisp chime drowned in the rain. Footsteps sounded inside, and the door opened.

"Happy birthday, Elisa!"

Celia held out the gift, joining the others in shouting.

Elisa froze. The girls looked like they’d braved the downpour—soaked through, hair clinging to their faces, water droplets on their long lashes.

She hadn’t expected them at this hour, nor their bedraggled state.

"What happened to you—"

Snapping out of her daze, she waved them in. "Quick, come in!"

Celia stepped inside but awkwardly lifted her dripping skirt hem at the entrance, her face flushing. "Sorry, it’s messy..."

For a noble lady like her, arriving like this was utterly humiliating. If only she’d known the party was over, she’d have changed first.

"It’s fine, Celia. Were you fighting monsters?" Elisa didn’t mind the water on her floor. Just having Celia here made her happy.

"Yeah, monsters suddenly appeared in the city again. We had to fight them, so we’re late..." Celia glanced at the messy living room, curtsied apologetically. "Sorry—the party’s over already."

Elisa shook her head, smiling. "It’s okay. My birthday lasts until midnight."

She tilted her head, peering outside. Streetlights glowed hazily; no one was there.

Not seeing the person she longed for, disappointment flickered in her eyes. "Manager Lena? She’s not with you?"

"She took shelter and got separated. But she should be here soon."

"I see."

Hearing Lena’s situation matched her guess, Elisa’s disappointment vanished, replaced by excitement. Of course—Manager Lena hadn’t lied; she was tied up. She forgave her!

"Mom!" Elisa turned, calling proudly to the figure tidying the living room. "Meet the three Heroes Manager Lena knows!"

Mrs. Josephine paused, eyeing Celia and the others with suspicion. Decades of life told her Heroes were lofty beings—impossible to befriend, let alone have them fight monsters and brave rain for a birthday party. This defied everything she knew.

Aurora casually used wind magic to dry her hair. Seeing the magic, Mrs. Josephine’s suspicion turned to astonishment.

"Honorable Heroes, you must be exhausted after battle. Elisa has truly troubled you." Her reverence was deep; magic-wielders were born superior.

"Trouble? No!" Celia waved frantically, voice dropping. "We promised—we can’t break our word. Though the party ended..." She felt she was the one causing hassle, making the tidy room messy again.

Isa didn’t care about trouble. Her eyes had locked onto the half-eaten cake since entering. "As long as there’s cake, nothing’s a problem!" Her pink tongue licked her lips, eyes reflecting pure cake bliss, almost drooling.

Mrs. Josephine chuckled, seeing Elisa’s childhood self in her. "The rest of the cake is all for you."

"Thank you! Um..." Isa fought her hunger, remembering Celia’s advice: know how to address someone when thanking them.

Mrs. Josephine smiled. "Everyone calls me Mrs. Josephine."

"Thank you, Sister Josephine! Then I won’t hold back!" Isa wanted her to seem younger, unaware Josephine was Elisa’s father’s surname.

Mrs. Josephine smiled wryly. Watching Isa’s blissful bite, she realized these Heroes were different.