《Leon Greyrat: The Second Son – Mushoku Tensei OC》 Chapter 1 – Awakening Chapter 1 ¨C Awakening A sea of stars shed past my vision, transforming into a hazy symphony of colours, only to be abruptly reced by a blinding light that forced my eyes shut. What¡­ what was happening? Finding sce in thefortable darkness, a cascade of memories began to flow through my mind. Memories¡­ that I didn¡¯t exactly remember. A woman¡¯s cheerful voice. ¡®Peek-a-boo! Ah! There¡¯s that cute smile, ******!¡¯ A young boy¡¯s cry. ¡®Pass the ball, ******!¡¯ An old man¡¯s echoing speech. ¡®Pleasee to the stage to receive your diploma, ****** ****.¡¯ A childish girl¡¯s pleading. ¡®Come y with me, Big Brother!¡¯ I was confused, but at the same time¡­ tranquil. As if I was too tired to think about what exactly was happening. The myriad of memories and confusion died down as the moments passed, before I was then abruptly awakened from my state of peace by pain. Blinding, itching pain. Every portion of my skin stung as if it were on fire, causing me to cry out in anguish. But for some reason¡­ it was muffled. Distorted, as if my ears were clogged with water. But slowly, the world around me started to be clearer. The pain throughout my body subsided, and my hearing was free to listen in on the silent surroundings. Well¡­ I could faintly hear the crackling of a firece, so it wasn¡¯tplete silence, but it was still quiet. With the rustic background noise calming my senses, I eventually felt the need to open my eyes once again. So, slowly, I lifted my eyelids. There was no ring brightness, but weirdly enough¡­ it took much more effort than I thought it would. And what greeted me was the scene of¡­ blurriness. That was a bit disappointing. But as time passed, my vision slowly became clearer, revealing the scene of a rustic wooden ceiling, with a singr beam running through the roof. Weird¡­ this was all very weird. That ceiling¡­ it felt so far away. Raising my hand, I tried to reach toward the wooden beam, but¡­ my hands¡­ they were so very small and¡­ pudgy. Like a baby¡¯s. Huh? ¡°¡­Gah?¡± ¡­What? Was that¡­ my voice? Huuuh!? ¡°Gbaa?¡± W-What the!? ¡°Gubfaaa!¡± I¡­ I was a baby? Why was I a baby? No¡­ why did that feel strange? Why did that feel wrong? Who¡­ who was I? Where am I? I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t remember, but it feels like I¡¯m missing something. A piece of me just¡­ wasn¡¯t there. Shocked and confused by everything, a face then suddenly appeared in my vision. It was a woman. A pretty woman. She had light blonde hair that was tied into a braid that rested over her shoulder, and her eyes were a deep beautiful brown that matched perfectly with her cute yet mature face. If I were to guess, she looked to be in her mid-20s. ¡°Oh myraha? Dukara neexi malkalith?¡± the pretty woman said before lifting me into her arms. She smiled at me, her pale face filled with love as her hand slowly caressed my cheek. ¡°Du rxa arata striti, Leon,¡± she said, her breath hitching at the end. Was this¡­ my mother? That¡¯s¡­ only natural, I suppose. My mother then lowered her shirt, revealing her bare breast, before gently cing my face next to it. ¡°Dirkadica. Groavin elixia, Leon.¡± I¡­ couldn¡¯t understand what she was saying, but I think I got the point. Besides, my stomach was beginning to churn in hunger. But for some reason¡­ even though it was normal for a baby, it felt pretty embarrassing to do this. But I still needed to eat. As soon as Itched on, I let the natural process take its course as my head became groggier with each passing second, inching me closer to the embrace of unconsciousness yet again. And that was how I spent my first day in the world. ¡ª Information on the Six-Faced World ¡ª Geography of the Central Continent Red Dragon Mountains: Arge chain of mountains and hills that runs across and down the Central continent, separating thend into three parts: the North, the West, and the South. North: A cold region that receives heavy snowfall and has mostly infertile soil, leading to the majority of the nations being weak and poor. Notable locations within this region include the three Magic Nations, the Sword Sanctum, and the Kingdom of Biheiril. West: A prosperous region with a temperate climate, fertile ins, and rivers, making the Kingdom of Asura, the only nation in this region, the richest kingdom in the world. South: A fairly fertile region, with numerous rivers andkes along with vast ins and forests, which are divided by the Dragon King mountain range which runs vertically down the region. Notable locations within this region include the Strife Zone, the Dragon King Kingdom, and the Shirone Kingdom. ¡ª Leon ¡ª It had been a month since I had been born. Or at least¡­ I think so. Time was weird as an infant. Not only was my perception of time off, but I was also gued with the constant need to nap, which further messed with things. And that wasn¡¯t even mentioning how I could only guess the time of day from the light streaming through the doorway, as we didn¡¯t have any windows in our humble abode. Regardless, my perception of time didn¡¯t really matter, as instead, this was a period of self-reflection, and a period to figure out what was going on with this life of mine. First¡­ my name. It was Leon. Leon¡­ just Leon. I guess there was no concept of st names¡¯ here, or at least for someone of my ss. As for how I could infer all that¡­ well, that had more to do with the self-reflection part. I was knowledgeable. I¡­ knew things. Things that I shouldn¡¯t, and things without any memories to back up the knowledge. For instance, I knew that 5 times 5 equals 25, without remembering where I knew that from. It was just¡­ there. As were all the other pieces of my knowledge. How I knew I was a baby, how I knew that most babies weren¡¯t like me, how I knew what ¡®windows¡¯ and ¡®time¡¯ were¡­ yeah. It was odd, to say the least. Then, there was my living situation. I, or rather, my mother, was¡­ poor. This was likely because my father was absent, which was either due to him leaving my mother on his own ord, or, considering the medieval technology, him simply dying. Perhaps he was sent off to war? Or maybe it could even be something a little more¡­ exciting. Like a prince falling in love with a humble vige girl and distancing himself from the bastard child. I knew my mother had the looks for it, at least. But anyway, like I had noted, this ce was a medieval society, and my mother and I lived in a small house that didn¡¯t even have separate rooms. Luckily for her, I didn¡¯t cry unless I was extremely hungry or needed to be changed, so I wasn¡¯t disturbing her sleep despite the cramped living situation. And that brought me to thest thing¡­ my mother. She was pretty, but other than that, she wasn¡¯t particrly special. Other than the loving care she gave me, of course. That was very special, at least to me. While I had yet to learn her name, my mother worked as a humble basket weaver, which seemed to make enough for the bare essentials. She was a kind mother, if a little clumsy, and talked to me as much as she could, which was a great way for me to get used to thenguage. I also talked back to her when I could, although I was confined to babbles and gurgles. But it seemed to make my mom a little happier whenever I tried, and my artiction was slowly improving with the practice, so it was worth it. Despite her constant conversations, without any reference for most words and phrases, I still needed some time before I could be fluent in thenguage, but at least I now knew some things that weremonly spoken to me, such as ¡®milk¡¯ and ¡®feed¡¯. Anyway, while I was curious about the outside world, for the moment, I was still confined to my crib, and thus, I passed the time by slowly growing my motor skills and vocabry. It was quite boring, to say the least. Like this, another two months passed. Though again, that was just by my estimation. And in these two months, things had¡­ mostly stayed the same, at least for our general situation. But I could move now! I was sure that this was odd for such a young baby, and from the surprised face my mother showed when I first started crawling around, my suspicions were confirmed. I guess I was a bit more advanced, then. Hmm¡­ I wonder if me beingpletely conscious changed things, or perhaps I was just¡­ built differently. But either way, life seemed much less boring now that I could explore the house, as small as it was. Unfortunately, I was still too short to reach the door handle, so I wasn¡¯t able to go any further. And that wasn¡¯t all! ¡°Honestly, Leon. I don¡¯t know why you want to go outside so bad.¡± I could understand my mother! Of course, I still had trouble with vocabry, and my vocal cords weren¡¯t developed enough to respond, but it was progress! Picking me up, my still-unnamed mother then rested me on herp as I let her hands brush through my silky smooth hair. ¡°It¡¯s a bad omen for kids to go outside before their first year, you know!¡± she scolded me with a pout, gently poking my nose with her finger. Agh! That ticked! Stop it, mother! But yes¡­ that was the main reason I wasn¡¯t allowed past that dreaded door, even though I often sat myself in front of it, begging my mother with my eyes to let me out. A ¡®bad omen¡¯. I could only assume it was due to environmental concerns, as newborns were terrible at regting body temperature, or maybe they were worried about infection and disease. I wonder if this was a custom of this particr ce, or if it was somethingmon amongst this entire world. Ah, and that¡¯s another thing that I learned. The ¡®ce¡¯ that I lived in¡­ it was a vige. I didn¡¯t know the name, of course, but I knew that it was quite small, and my mother was only able to make a living by selling her wares to passing merchants who also just so happened to be the only people other than my mother that I had ever seen. And today, or rather, tonight, judging by theck of light peering through the door, was just like any other. Mom made her baskets while talking to me, I listened absentmindedly, and then I crawled around until I either tired myself out, or was picked up and ced in my mother''sp like now. Such was life. ¡°Hmm¡­ are you hungry, Leon? It is about time for bed, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Uhn!¡± I was getting a little hungry, even though I didn¡¯t show it. I guess this was a mother¡¯s intuition, or something simr. With her readjusting her dress, I prepared myself for the meal. ¡°Hmm¡­ I wonder why you always close your eyes before feeding,¡± she said curiously. Because it¡¯s embarrassing enough! But¡­ just as I was about totch onto her breast, I heard amotion from outside. The sounds from outside were usually quiet. The odd carriage rumbling by, the sounds of people talking as they walked, the sound of children running past¡­ those sorts of things. But this¡­ this was different. It was yelling. Screams of pain. The sounds of shing des. The crackling of fire. The sound of chaos. W-What? What was happening? ¡°Bandits?¡± my mother said breathlessly, her voice trembling slightly. Feeling my mother¡¯s hand squeeze harder around me, I looked up and saw that she was wearing an irregrly serious expression, her face quickly turning pale. ¡°Leon. Y-You have to be quiet, alright? Be quiet for Mom, please,¡± she pleaded, looking down at me. Before I could respond, she picked me up and carried me over to the bin of discarded basket materials before cing me inside, hastily covering the top of my head with straw. ¡°J-Just stay there, okay? And don¡¯te out, no matter what,¡± she said with a fake smile. Her voice¡­ it was panicked. Laced in fear and anxiousness. ¡°O-Okay, let¡¯s do this, Alice. Just like Mama taught you,¡± she murmured to herself as she walked to the front of the doorway. So my mother¡¯s name was Alice¡­ No! Now was not the time to be thinking of such things! My mother then slowly undid her shirt, revealing some of her cleavage, before she then collected her hair into a ponytail that rested over her shoulder. ¡°A-Appear good enough to be used, but not taken. C-Come on, Alice. L-Leon still needs his mother,¡± she told herself. ¡®Good enough to be used¡¯¡­? No¡­ why would- Crash! The door burst into splinters as a woman, with arge scar across her face that matched her rugged appearance, entered the room. My mother¡¯s face paled. ¡°Oya? What¡¯s this? Some harlot¡¯s living in a little vige like this?¡± Resting a sword on her shoulder, I noticed that the tip of it was stained red, and from the smell, I knew that it was blood. That¡­ wasn¡¯t good. It wasn¡¯t good at all. This¡­ this woman was a bandit, wasn¡¯t she? ¡°Hmm¡­¡± the bandit says, her eyes narrowed. ¡°You¡¯re good enough to sell high, too. As long as we find a good buyer, that is¡­¡± ¡°N-No¡­¡± my mother shouted, stepping backward. ¡°Get away!¡± ¡°Oh yes!¡± the woman sneers. ¡°Nowe here! Don¡¯t struggle!¡± The bandit then tapped the tip of her sword against the ground in front of her. W-What do I do? No¡­ I can¡¯t do anything, I know this. But¡­ it felt wrong, to just sit here like this. My mother then cast her gaze my way, her eyes meeting mine before they narrowed in resolve. What¡­ what was with that look? ¡°A-All right. I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll go with you¡­¡± she says through gritted teeth. Not wanting to betray my mother¡¯s trust, I held my breath despite the sickening feeling as she stepped closer and closer to the bandit, the sounds of a violent rampage increasing in the background. ¡°That¡¯s it~ Be a good girl and who knows? The client might just use you as a pretty face,¡± the bandit woman said with a sneer. I watched as my mother slowly crouched in front of the bandit while her hand slowly reached toward the back of her leg, where her carving knife was strapped, hidden from the bandit¡¯s view. Don¡¯t tell me¡­ N-No! My mother wasn¡¯t a fighter! D-Distraction! ¡°G-Gah!¡± I shouted. The bandit¡¯s eyes instantly darted toward me, her pupils narrowing as soon as she set her sights on me, as I began to feel an inexplicable pressure descend on my very being. I-Is this how a rabbit feels in front of a lion? The feeling of being prey. My breath hitched and my pulse quickened. My heartbeat¡­ it was too loud. The very fabric of the air seemed stifling. ¡°What¡¯s this? A little brat- Ack!?¡± She¡¯s cut off as my mother¡¯s knife descended toward the bandit''s neck, but befitting the instincts of a fighter, she dodged out of the way just in time, the de lodging into the bandit¡¯s shoulder instead. No¡­ Time seemed toe to a stop once again as the bandit slowly pulled out the de, the blood dripping onto the wooden floor being the only sound in the otherwise silent room. ¡°¡­You¡­ just did that¡­ didn¡¯t you?¡± the bandit said. I felt the crushing pressure of her presence dissipate, but for some reason¡­ that didn¡¯t make me feel any more relieved. No¡­ in fact¡­ it only made me more nervous. I feel my hands shake. No¡­ my entire body was shaking. Trembling in fear as my mother took a hesitant step back, turning toward me with a desperate expression. ¡°L-Leon! R-Run- Gah-!¡± Blood sttered across the floor as the bandit¡¯s sword ran through my mother¡¯s chest. ¡­ ¡°Who¡¯s running where, huh!? Dammit. Now Hector will be on my ass for needing his damn healing magic,¡± the bandit says, spitting on the ground as she ced a hand over her wounded shoulder. I couldn¡¯t think. My mind was nk. The distant sounds fading into the background as I looked at my mother in horror. She had fallen to her knees, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth as she then dropped to the floor. ¡°Anyway¡­ so you had a brat, did ya? Too bad Daddy isn¡¯t around, or you might¡¯ve gotten away. Anyway, let¡¯s have a little look-see.¡± My connection to the world waspletely detached, so much so that I didn¡¯t even register the feeling of being picked up and held by the scruff of my neck. ¡°A quiet brat, aren¡¯t you? Must be scared shitless, eh?¡± My mother¡­ who I had only just learned the name of¡­ she was bleeding. Bleeding a dangerous amount of blood, so much that there was already a puddle that was growingrger with each passing second. The scent of copper was overwhelming, to the point that I doubt I would ever forget it. No¡­ Mom¡­ please! ¡°Haa¡­ boring~ Well, it¡¯s not like anyone could take care of you now anyway, so consider this a small mercy on my part. Better than starving to death, right?¡± My eyes slowly drifted over to the voice as the bandit slowly pulled out a dagger. I felt the tip press against my throat, but despite my life being in imminent danger¡­ I couldn¡¯t find myself any room to care. Mom¡­ Mom! ¡°Sorry kid-¡± Her words were cut off as a sh of white crosses my vision, apanied by the sound of howling wind and a distant boom. Blood sttered onto my face, and I watched as the arm which was holding me flew through the air, followed by the head of the bandit. Huh? After a moment of slight vertigo while falling, I felt my body get caught by another set of arms. This time, however, it was much warmer¡­ and much gentler. ¡°Tch. Zenith! Get over here!¡± Flinching at the volume, I turned my head up to see the source of the noise. There was a woman. A very muscr woman, with nothing covering her chest but a singr strap of fabric. Her body was littered with scars, and her face, paired with an eye patch, gave off the feeling of a delinquent, but she didn¡¯t feel very scary to me. But what was most shocking was the pair of grey ears poking out of her matching mane of grey hair. Animal ears. ¡­No, the time for such questions cameter. For now- ¡°Gah! Ungaa!¡± I shouted, reaching my arms out toward my dying mother. The woman, my saviour, seemed to get the point as she slowly lowered me to the ground. ¡°Ghiine! It¡¯s terrible! What¡¯s-? Oh, my!¡± The entrance of yet another woman entered through one ear and out the other as I reached out to my mother¡¯s hands, barely having the motor skills and strength to grasp onto the cuff of her shirt. The new woman, or rather, the girl, then knelt across from me, putting her hands over the wound of my mother¡¯s that was gushing blood. ¡°Oh merciful mother of gods, please heal this one¡¯s wounds, and let him recover with a healthy body - X-Healing!¡± she chanted resolutely. Her hands were then set alight in a green glow, but despite yet another mystical phenomenon, I was too focused on my mother, whose face was paling further with each passing moment. ¡°I-It¡¯s not working! It¡¯s too deep! I-It needs advanced rank at least!¡± the girl said tearfully. ¡°Kach! L-Leon!¡± my mother sputtered, turning her head toward me. ¡°G-Gah,¡± I said back. ¡°Leon¡­¡± Her hand then reached up and gently caressed my cheek, and as if casting a spell, the fog that had been clouding my mind cleared, giving way to a flood of memories. ¡®Leon! You¡¯re crawling! Uuu~ Mom¡¯s so proud!¡¯ ¡®What are you doing, closing your eyes like that? Silly boy. Here, drink!¡¯ ¡®Hm? Outside? Leon, you know you can¡¯t go out there! Here,e sit with me instead. I¡¯ll tell you a nice story.¡¯ Ahh! Mom! I grasped the frail hand that rested against my cheek in a feeble attempt to keep the only ally in this life, my only family, anchored to the world of the living. D-Don¡¯t, Mom! Please don¡¯t leave me! But despite my internal pleas, her vibrant eyes were turning more distant as they began watering with tears, just as mine were. ¡°Leon¡­¡± she rasped. I¡­ didn¡¯t want it to end like this. So, feeling my throat tighten, I clenched my hand that was holding hers and tried to give her onest way to show my feelings. My feelings that she was a good mother. I wanted to show her that despite the short time we spent together¡­ I loved her. She gave me so much love, and was the only source of warmth in my world. She hugged me when I was cold, fed me when I was hungry, rocked me when I was tired¡­ So please! These important feelings of mine¡­ get through to her! ¡°G-Gam. B-Baba. M¡­ M-Mama.¡± I did it. Finally, I was able to utter my first word. I was able to show how much I loved her. Still, despite the celebratory achievement, there were no cheers to be had. Instead, only a solemn atmosphere of loss was present. My mother¡¯s eyes turned teary as she gave me a sweet, proud smile before turning to the girl whose hands had glowed a moment before. ¡°G-Girl,¡± she choked, a bit of blood dribbling out of her mouth. ¡°Y-Yes?¡± the girl responded. Taking a shaky breath, my mother continued, ¡°P-Please¡­ take care of my son. P¡­ Please¡­¡± Her words trailed off as she watched the girl nod her head. ¡°I-I will! Absolutely! I-¡± The girl stopped herself as she noticed the state of my mother, her hand quickly reaching to cover her mouth as tears threatened to escape the corner of her eyes. I felt the hand I was holding tighten as my mother¡¯s head fell to the side, eyes devoid of life, but a calm smile present on her face. Then, as if a string had snapped, the emotions I had been holding back came flooding into me like a churning cascade, leaving me with no other way to release this pressure than to wail in grief. ¡°Uuu¡­ Uwaa!¡± I cried. Everything seemed like a blur after that, but I do remember getting picked up by that glowing girl, and my cries being muffled into her chest as she held me close, gently rocking my body in an attempt to calm me. But this pain couldn¡¯t be calmed that simply. I was then taken out of the house, briefly witnessing the devastating scenery that was my vige through my eyes that were blurred with tears. But not long after, I tired myself out from crying and found myself weing the embrace of sleep to end the day that felt like a nightmare. A terrible, horrible nightmare. But despite my wishes, it was reality. And so, after three short months in this world, I had lost the only family and home I had. But at the same time, while I didn¡¯t know it yet, I had gained a new one as well. Chapter 2 – Fangs of the Black Wolf Chapter 2 ¨C Fangs of the ck Wolf ¡ª Leon ¡ª ¡°Ah! I think he¡¯s waking up!¡± Hearing a familiar voice, I opened my eyes, revealing the image of a beautiful girl with long blonde hair and kind blue eyes looking down at me. She¡­ she was the one with glowing hands, right? The one who tried to save my mother¡­ ¡°Shh~ It¡¯s okay, sweetie. You¡¯re safe now,¡± she said, gently running her hands through my hair. Where was I? What happened? Who are you? All those questions that needed answers ran through my mind. And it wasn¡¯t only the glowing hands girl. Looking around, while I remembered the woman with animal ears, the rest were¡­plete strangers. Completely unfamiliar faces. A young man, or rather, a teenager, with a rugged yet handsome face. Another shorter, middle-aged man, with arge orange beard and a war axe strapped to his back. A man with a face like a monkey, with arge nose and arge pair of ears. And then a beautiful young woman with long golden hair, as well as¡­ pointed ears? What¡­ what was going on? ¡°Ung! Ang!¡± I babbled. ¡°Jeez¡­ I can¡¯t believe you actually kept him. Can¡¯t we drop him off at an orphanage in the next city or something? I don¡¯t wanna take care of a brat,¡± the handsome man said with a troubled expression. ¡°Paul! Don¡¯t be like that! T-That woman¡­ I promised to take care of him!¡± the girl who was holding me said, gently rocking me side to side. ¡°Besides,¡± she said, looked down into my eyes as her smile widened. ¡°He¡¯s cute, don¡¯t you think?¡± A finger made its way toward me, and I reached my hand up to meet it, quickly grasping her digit with as much strength as my little hand could muster, which was not a lot. It wasn¡¯t something done with any meaning, but rather a more instinctual reaction. Stupid baby body. B-But¡­ my mother¡­ So that¡­ actually happened. It wasn¡¯t a nightmare. S-She¡­ Mom¡­ she was gone. Feeling wetness begin to drip down my cheeks, the girl¡¯s smile twisted into an apologetic frown as she gently wiped away my tears. ¡°Leon¡­ right? I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t save her. But I¡¯ll take care of you from now on, okay? I can be your ¡®Mama¡¯,¡± the girl said. She would be my mother? But¡­ she was so young¡­ Why would she want this responsibility? Was it out of some twisted sense of duty? I¡­ wanted her to be my Mama. She felt¡­ warm. And I didn¡¯t want to be alone. But my mother¡­ Alice¡­ she was actually gone. Even if¡­ even if this girl, or this group, became my caregiver, I¡­ I would never forget my Mom. For all the love and care she gave me¡­ I couldn¡¯t ever forget her. ¡°Tch. We still shouldn¡¯t take him with us, Zenith. We¡¯re adventurers, you know? It¡¯s a dangerous job,¡± the handsome man, Paul, said before turning to the pointed-eardy. ¡°Come on, can¡¯t you back me up here, Lina?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I somewhat agree, but as long as he¡¯s with Zenith, who should be out of danger anyway, it doesn¡¯t really change much, does it? Besides¡­ I am quite skilled at childcare,¡± she said with a smile. So that was Lina¡­ I was curious about her ears. ¡°Whatever. Just don¡¯t get on my ass if I find the little shit annoying,¡± Paul grumbled before walking up to me. He then looked down at me with a frown. For some reason¡­ I didn¡¯t like this guy. He was mean and scary. Plus, I felt a little hungry, so¡­ ¡°Ung! Waaa!¡± I cried out. ¡°Oh? It has been an entire night¡­ I guess you¡¯re thirsty, aren¡¯t you, Leon?¡± Zenith said softly. ¡°I see¡­ here, there¡¯s some water left, so drink up, kid,¡± Paul said, pulling out a canteen. Was¡­ was this guy an idiot? ¡°NO!¡± everyone said in response, even the bearded man, who had been silent since I woke up. ¡°Paul¡­ even I know not to give infants water. Are you stupid?¡± said the animal-eared woman, who I noticed also had a tail. She was¡­ Ghiine, right? The one who saved me from the bandit. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna hear that from you, muscle-brain!¡± Paul shouted back. ¡°What¡¯d you say?¡± she growled. As Ghiine and Paul began to have a squabble, Zenith carried me over to the other three in the group. ¡°What do we do? I know that some ces have mashes for infants, but we don¡¯t have anything like that,¡± Zenith said worriedly. Lina then walked up and took me into her arms. She was warm too¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, Zenny. Fortunately, I¡¯ve been a mother several times before, so it¡¯s quite easy for me to get back into things,¡± she said. Her words seemed to interest Paul, as the man then looked over with a curious expression on his face. ¡°¡®Get back into things¡¯? What¡¯s that mean?¡± he asked. ¡°It means I can produce milk, even if it¡¯s been a while,¡± Line answered as she pulled down her shirt. ¡°Hee~? Maybe I could get a drink myselfter tonight then?¡± he said with a suggestive tone. ¡­So he was that kind of character, then. I then heard the sound of a short smack. ¡°Ouch! Zenith! Why?¡± ¡°Because you need punishment!¡± Well, at least Zenith has a head on her shoulders. That must be the name of the glowing hands girl that had been holding me. I was too hungry to feel embarrassed, so I quicklytched onto the waiting breast as I began to ponder over my recent discoveries. It seemed that this world was a bit different from what I had thought. Glowing hands¡­ adventurers¡­ long ears¡­ animal women¡­ It was all¡­ new and¡­ exciting, even if the reason for expanding my worldview had left me heartbroken. While it was a little bit scary to think that what I knew was all wrong, at the same time, it filled me with a sense of¡­ relief. Feeling relief at unfamiliar things was surely an odd thing to feel, but I couldn¡¯t help it. Because while it may make me seem a bit more helpless, it also made me feel¡­ normal. But it wasn¡¯t only relief and slight fear that I felt, as I also held a sense of anticipation. Just what did this world, different from what I thought possible, have in store for me? There was tragedy, as I had already experienced, but there must also be good too¡­ like these people, and like Mom was¡­ I suppose only the future would hold any answers. ¡ª Information on the Six-Faced World ¡ª Races of the World Human Race: The most dominant race in the world, they have a rtively weak physique, short lifespan, and high intelligence. Elf Race: Have low fertility, very long lifespans, and a very good sense of direction. Dwarf Race: Short in height, love alcohol, have lifespans longer than humans, and high dexterity, leading to them being a race of craftsmen and cksmiths. Dragon Race: Strongest of all races in terms of physical abilities, they live for hundreds of thousands of years and have the least amount of living members of any race. Demon Race: The various races and species that sided with Kishirika during the Human-Demon Wars and inhabit the Demon Continent. While diverse, most are bipedal humanoids with many unique traits and abilities. Beast Race: Simr to humans in appearance save for the traits of mammals on their body, their lifespans are simr to humans while their physical abilities are slightly superior. They also have an enhanced sense of smell that can identify the faint scents of different people. Heaven Race: Have the appearance of humans with wings, enabling them with the ability of flight, and have a lifespan of at least a few hundred years. They reside in the Heaven Continent. Ocean Race: Rarely seen, they inhabit the ocean, making the Ringus Sea, the waters around the continents, unnavigable. They rarely interact with other races. ¡ª Leon ¡ª It had been about a year since I joined this group of adventurers, which, as I had discovered, was a party called the ¡®Fangs of the ck Wolf¡¯. They had reached a party rank of S, the pinnacle of the Adventure Guild, and as such, they were regarded quite highly for their abilities and experience. But¡­ I couldn''t see them as anything other than the goofy people I hade to know. ¡°Ah, shit! Oi, you guys! Did anyone see my belt?¡± ¡°Nope~ Maybe you should ask Zenny. She¡¯s the one always taking it off of youtely.¡± ¡°L-Lina! Don¡¯t say such embarrassing things!¡± First, there was Paul. Paul Greyrat. The leader of this merry little band, while also being a frontline swordsman in a fight. Confident, brash, yful, and bold, he was everything you would expect a skilled, overconfident swordsman to be. Though sometimes he acted more like a thug than a swordsman, he was a good man at heart, despite his faults. What I didn¡¯t expect, however, was that he was originally a noble of the Kingdom of Asura. And quite a high-ranking one at that. He¡­ definitely take after his heritage, that was for sure. ¡°Hehe¡­ well, I won¡¯t deny it. It was a nice night, don¡¯t you think, Zenny?¡± he said with a wink. ¡­And he was an extremely lustful man. I was surprised when I first joined, as I saw him take Lina to his tent the very first night¡­ and then Ghiine the next day¡­ and that vige girl a week after that¡­ and then a different one the day after¡­ Yeah¡­ all in all, he was quite the womanizer. But surprisingly, this past week, he had calmed down, and only been spending nights with Zenith. It seemed that the two entered a rtionship while I wasn¡¯t looking. ¡°Hah. You kids surely love your nightly romps, eh? Haa¡­ too bad there are no good men around these parts,¡± Talhand said. Talhand was¡­ an interesting character. He was a dwarf and an outcast in his vige due to being a magician rather than a craftsman. It was because of this that he decided to be an adventurer, and after some time wandering the world, he eventually found his ce with this party. As one might assume from his words, he was also gay. A tough thing to be in this backwards, medieval world, but at least he had the strength to prevent any discriminatory people from making their dissatisfaction known. ¡°Mmm. I do hope we get to the next city soon. I¡¯ve missed the fresh taste of a young man,¡± Lina said, licking her lips. While everyone in the party called her ¡®Lina¡¯, her real name was Elinalise, and due to a curse, she needed to engage in sexual intercourse at regr intervals, leading to a very¡­ promiscuous lifestyle. As an elf, even after living for over 200 years, she still looked to be in the prime of her life, but unbefitting her fragile and womanly appearance, she was the main tank for the group in battle. A tough and resilient fighter,pletely backwards from what one would expect from her looks. Anyway, due to her curse, and her constant need to sate it, she had had her fair share of children over the years, which made her very skilled in childcare, a big bonus for me. Really¡­ I wondered how any infants survived in this world, with idiots like Paul around. ¡°Mhmm! Let¡¯s just hope they have a good gambling den there. Then I can finally refill our coffers. Hehe!¡± Geese said, leaning back against the trunk he was resting on. As for Geese, well¡­ I didn¡¯t know much about the guy. He didn¡¯t talk about his past that much, and his personality was always a little¡­ off. Hidden. It made me a bit ufortable with how veiled and sneaky he was, but since everyone else seemed to trust him, I did too. What I did know, though, was that he was the party¡¯s thief, doing odd jobs here and there, while being the manager of the party. Oh, and he didn¡¯t fight. At all. But he was an excellent cook, so there was that. ¡°Oi. Don¡¯t go making us broke, damn monkey,¡± Ghiine said before she turned to me. ¡°Here. Eat up, Leon.¡± Handing me a cut-up fruit, she then gently patted my head with a smile. Ghiine was¡­ quiet. While she showed signs of brashness at times, that was usually only seen inbat, where she also showed her prowess as a powerful swordswoman. Though¡­ from how she told me of her past, she used to be quite the problem child, which led to her leaving her homnd and pursuing the path of the sword. But seemed to have matured, and with me, she also showed a certain kindness that was rare for her, like she was now. Overall, I was proud to call her- ¡°Thanks, Big Sis!¡± ¡°Mmm,¡± she nodded. Just as I¡¯m about to bite down on the apple-like fruit, I felt my head get pulled back. ¡°Not yet, mister! I¡¯m almost done, so just hold on a second!¡± Andstly¡­ there was Zenith. Or as I called her¡­ ¡°Okay, Mama,¡± I said. I was¡­ hesitant, at first¡­ to call her Mama¡­ or anything simr, for that matter. I mean, not only was she only a teenager, but I already had a mother in Alice. But with her constant loving care and attention¡­ it just became natural to view Zenith as my mother, and she seemed happy that I did so. That didn¡¯t mean I was recing my birth mother by any means, and while I didn¡¯t know Alice that well¡­ I had a feeling this was what she wanted. She was a good person like that. Anyway, Mama, or rather, Zenith, was the healer of the party, and befitting her specialty, her personality was warm and loving. But she was strict at times too. Especially with Paul. I don¡¯t know if it was because he was a womanizer, or because she liked him, or both, but she really had it out for the guy. Not that I cared, though. In fact, I enjoyed watching it. She was originally born as a noble in the Holy Country of Millis, which was the home of the world¡¯srgest faith, the Millis Religion, and also the second most powerful country in the world after the Asura Kingdom. Like the others, she was also an outcast, as she opposed her arranged noble marriage at 15 and ran away from home, bing an adventurer. Due to being quite naive to the world, she was often exploited by other adventurers she partied with before eventually being saved by Paul and joining the Fangs of the ck Wolf. I guess the man had his good points too¡­ Anyway, that was all the people I was happy to call my current family, though I did have a closer rtionship with the women. Ghiine for her sister-like energy and quiet demeanour, Elinalise for her experience in childcare and loving enthusiasm, and Mama for her kindness and motherliness. ¡°And¡­ done! Aww~ You look so cute, Leon!¡± Mama said, pping her hands together. ¡°Here, take a look!¡± Handing me a mirror, Mama brushed off the final strands of cut hair as I took a look at my new appearance. While I didn¡¯t want to sound vain, my face was indeed cute, fit with a button nose, a round chin, andrge, chubby cheeks. My hair was a golden yellow, and naturally choppy, much to Mama¡¯s chagrin, and my eyes were a deep brown, exactly like myte mother¡¯s. ¡°Jeez¡­ you¡¯re going to grow up to be adykiller, aren¡¯t you? Better not be like Paul, alright?¡± Mama said, tickling under my chin and causing me to giggle. ¡°Stay nice and cute, just like you are now, okay?¡± ¡°He better not be like that. I¡¯m ming the dunce over there if he does,¡± Lina said, nodding to the same man. ¡°Why am I getting bullied? Plus, aren¡¯t you an even worse influence on the kid?¡± he said in response. ¡°Mmm. But at least she didn¡¯t try to give the infant Leon water,¡± Ghiine added with a smirk. ¡°You¡¯re still going on about that?¡± Smiling at the atmosphere, I then turned my head back, meeting Mama¡¯s eyes. ¡°Mama¡­ can I learn magic now?¡± I asked. Ever since I first learned of the concept of magic, I had wanted to try it, but I was always refused, with themughing off my requests as the ramblings of a child. ¡°Haa¡­ are you sure, Leon? Kids aren¡¯t able to start learning magic until their first birthday, you know?¡± Mama said worriedly. My eyebrow twitched. Just let me! ¡°If I can¡¯t do it, then I¡¯ll drop it. Promise,¡± I said in response. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± she mumbled with a skeptical expression. Haa¡­ I didn¡¯t want to use this, but it seems I¡¯ve been left with no other choice. I didn¡¯t want to wait until I was five, after all. That was much too long, and I was getting bored now that I could stay awake longer. Thus, I pushed out my lower lip, making it quiver slightly as I opened my eyes and tilted my head to enhance my cuteness and overall endearing demeanour. Perfection. The pure, innocent, and vulnerable face of a child¡¯s pleading expression would break even the strongest of wills, especially when it was mine. ¡°Please~?¡± I begged. And Mama was no different. ¡°O-Oh, fine! But no elemental magic, alright? I don¡¯t want you making a mess!¡± she huffed. ¡°Okay!¡± Yes! Sess! ¡°Tch. Damn bastard. And when I do it, it¡¯s ¡®gross¡¯ and ¡®childish¡¯,¡± Paulined with a pout. ¡°Because it is gross and childish when you do it. But when a child, especially one as cute as Leon, does it, it makes you want to protect and serve them,¡± Ghiine said, beginning maintenance on her de. ¡°Besides, if it¡¯s a kid as smart as Leon, then he¡¯ll probably be able to do magic eventually, right? We could use another healer.¡± Right. As I had learned, my maturity and general intelligence were not normal for a child, especially not an infant. But luckily, there was an exnation for this, so I didn¡¯t feel like aplete monster. Apparently, I was what was known as a ¡®Miko¡¯. It was an odd phenomenon that I still didn¡¯t quite understand, but it was basically an abnormal power or status that was beneficial to a person. Lina¡¯s curse of the constant need for sex was the same, but since it was not beneficial, she was technically a ¡®Cursed One¡¯, and not a ¡®Miko¡¯. But other than exining my¡­ oddness, it didn¡¯t really change anything. ¡°Fine. But we¡¯re learning from the start, okay? And I won¡¯t be teaching you just healing magic. You¡¯ll have to learn to read, write, and do basic calctions too!¡± Mama said, crossing her arms. Ah. There was her strict side. But with me, it¡¯s always filled with love, so I didn¡¯t mind. ¡°Okay!¡± I said, pumping my fists. Besides, I¡¯ve wanted to be literate for a while, and as for the calctions? Well, I¡¯m probably better than her already, judging by how easily I could calcte some of the things I had overheard. But for her pride¡¯s sake, I¡¯ll just pretend to be a quick learner. ¡°Uuu~ Leon¡¯s just too cute! But it isn¡¯t fair for only Zenny to teach him, right? How about I teach little Leon how to seduce any girl-¡± ¡°Absolutely not, Lina! You are not corrupting my boy!¡± Mama said, cutting Lina off. ¡­Was it just this party of outcasts, or was it this world as a whole that was messed up? ¡°Hmm¡­ while seduction is not necessary, it¡¯s always a good idea to know how to use a sword, don¡¯t you think?¡± Ghiine added. There. That¡¯s a bit more reasonable. Plus, having seen Ghiine and Paul tear monsters to shreds with their swords, I also wanted to do the same. It looked really cool! ¡°Well, maybe when the brat¡¯s a bit bigger. He¡¯s kinda small right now, eh?¡± Paul said, pinching his fingers together to entuate his point. My expression twisted into a frown. ¡­I was not that small. ¡°Hahaha! Made you angry, didn¡¯t I? Well¡­ maybe in a couple of years, I¡¯ll teach you. But for now, I can show you some good workouts. How does that sound? Then you can get a body as great as mine in no time and take any vige girl out for a-¡± ¡°Paul,¡± Mama interjected coldly. ¡°A-Ah. Well¡­ you get my point. I¡¯ll show you some good exercises, okay?¡± Well¡­ despite all his ws, Paul did have a damn good body, one that any man would be envious of. So, if he was offering, I would dly ept. ¡°Un,¡± I said, nodding my head. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± I just hope he actually knows how to teach. Chapter 3 – Learning Chapter 3 ¨C Learning ¡ª Leon ¡ª Following Mama through the dense grove, she eventually found a fallen log to sit on, and as she took out her book, I sat down next to her, making sure I wasfortable for theing lecture. ¡°And this is¡­ and here¡­ okay! Ready to learn, Leon?¡± she asked after flipping through a few pages. While she was inexperienced, at least she was earnest. ¡°Yep! I¡¯m excited!¡± I said with a smile. And that was no lie. ¡°Good! But remember, Leon. It¡¯s okay if you can¡¯t do it immediately, okay? You have many years to learn,¡± she said, patting my head tenderly. ¡°I can do it!¡± I nodded. Her eyes softened with a mix of affection and pride. ¡°Fufu, if you¡¯re so sure, then I¡¯ll begin now. Ahem!¡± Taking onest look through the book, she then closed it before looking at me and raising her finger. ¡°Right, so¡­ first! Magic requires power to work, like how a campfire needs wood to burn. This is called mana, or magic power.¡± That made sense. ¡°And the amount of magic power someone has is decided at birth, so¡­ let¡¯s hope you have a good amount!¡± I hope so, too. ¡°Uhh¡­ then¡­ there are three types¡­ Yes! Three types of magic! And they are¡­ umm¡­¡± Mama then opened her book once again as she seemingly forgot where to go next. ¡­This would be okay, right? ¡ª Leon ¡ª ¡°And that¡¯s the basics of magic!¡± Mama said proudly. It was a shaky start, but she got there eventually. At first, she needed to constantly check the book, but that wasn¡¯t due to ack of knowledge, but rather her worry that she was teaching me the wrong thing or forgetting something important. A performance anxiety, so to say. But after she got into the role, she got increasingly confident, and showed off the intelligence that made her one of the few S-rank healers in the world. Basically, as she had exined, magic required magic power, or mana, to work, and one could use magic in two ways. The first was by incantations, which is when one recited a set of words to cast a spell, and was the mostmon form of magic. And the second way was with magic circles, which was when one inscribed a pattern using special ink to cast a spell by pouring magic power into said pattern. Mama didn¡¯t really know how to use magic circles, and her book didn¡¯t describe any either, so I would be sticking to incantations for the time being. Not that I minded, though. I didn¡¯t exactly trust my toddler hands to do precise drawings, after all. As for the types of magic, there were three main ones: attack magic, which, as the name implied, was meant to be used in battle; healing magic, which was used to heal others and create barriers; and summoning magic, which was used to summon things, again, as the name implied. Delving further into it, attack magic was divided into four types: fire, water, wind, and earth, which allowed the user to cast spells rting to that element. Thinking about it now¡­ I think I might just call attack magic elemental magic instead. It made more sense that way. Healing magic also was divided into four types, those being healing magic, which healed injuries; detoxification magic, which purged poisons and disease; divine strike magic, which was magic that could harm incorporeal monsters; and protection magic, which was used to create barriers. This one too was named a bit weird, as only two of the categories could be called ¡®healing¡¯, so I think support magic would be a better thing to call it. I won¡¯t tell Mama that, though. After all, she did try her best to teach me the conventional way. But I did have a question¡­ ¡°Mama¡­ I¡¯ve heard you said ¡®Beginner¡¯ and ¡®Intermediate¡¯ spells¡­ what do those mean?¡± I ask. In fact, I swear the others have used those words before, and Ghiine had also introduced herself as a ¡®Saint¡¯. I initially thought it was just some kind of religious thing from her homnd, but thinking about it now, it was weird that she would hold that moniker when she abandoned her homnd. Mama¡¯s eyes widened at my question. ¡°Oh! Rank titles! I can¡¯t believe I forgot about that! Okay, so, these rankings are used for both swordsmanship and magic, and they are-¡± Oh boy, here we go. Listening to her long-winded exnation, I think I finally got it¡­ for the most part, at least. In this world, there were seven ranks that described one¡¯s battle strength. Those being: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Saint, King, Emperor, and God, in that order. While Mama didn¡¯t understand how the ranks worked in swordsmanship, she was able to exin roughly how it worked for magic. Typically, spell rankings were proportionate to the amount of magic power needed to cast it, though there were exceptions, like detoxification magic, where it was more about the range of spells than the power, as ones were needed for specific diseases and illnesses. But for magic, the more mana that was needed for a spell, the more skilled one needed to be in order to cast it and control it. So, even if someone was born with a crazy amount of mana, they wouldn¡¯t instantly be a King-ranked magician, though they would have the potential to. But, in short, the rankings went like this: Beginner was basic mana maniption; Intermediate was advanced mana maniption; Advanced wasplex maniption, usually with arge area of effect; Saint wasrge,plex, and with elemental magic, usually affected the weather. King, Emperor, and God rank went further inplexity and scale, but for an Intermediate-ranked mage like Mama, it was difficult toprehend, especially since she had never seen such magic being cast in person. What was interesting, however, was that for most adventurers, Advanced and Intermediate-ranked spells were all that were needed, as controlling the weather was not usually useful for anything but wars andnd maintenance, like watering fields. Though¡­ it would be pretty sad for someone at the pinnacle of magic to be used as a watering can. I pity whoever ended up like that. ¡°I think I get it now, Mama. Can¡­ can you teach me a spell now?¡± I asked. Please don¡¯t make me pull out the pleading face again. ¡°Yep! But¡­ don¡¯t get discouraged if you can¡¯t do it, okay? It¡¯s fairly rare for someone to be able to use magic, much less someone so young,¡± she said kindly. ¡°I got this!¡± I assured her. ¡°Fufu. If you¡¯re sure. I¡¯ll first teach you the most basic healing spell, Healing.¡± Well, that¡¯s quite a simple name. ¡°This is only able to heal wounds that would heal naturally, such as cuts and bruises, but it¡¯s useful to stop blood flow and prevent infections. So? Are you ready?¡± she asked while taking out a knife. I nodded my head in excitement. She then poked the tip of her finger, letting the blood bead as I watched with a sickening feeling of disgust. Blood¡­ Mama¡­ that day¡­ Mom- ¡°Leon? Are you okay?¡± Mama asked, halting my train of thoughts. ¡°Y-Yeah. I¡¯m ready!¡± I said, shaking away the bad memories. ¡°Okay¡­ Remember this chant, alright? Ahem! Let this divine power be as satisfying nourishment, giving one who has lost their strength the strength to rise again - Healing.¡± A green glow is then emitted from her hand as the cut on her finger began to close, and with a wipe on her pant leg a momentter, it was as if the injury was never there. ¡°See that? Now, do you think you can try?¡± she asked. ¡°Yeah! Can I¡­ have the knife?¡± I said. ¡°Nope! You¡¯ll have to practice on Mama for this one!¡± She then did a simr process as before, causing me to flinch as the de pressed against her finger. I don¡¯t know why I felt so ufortable this time, as it was such a minuscule wound, something she had gotten multiple times while cooking. Was it because of the bad memories? Was it because it was intentional? Or was it because that she was hurting herself for my sake? Well¡­ I¡¯ll just have to make the owie go away, won¡¯t I? Now, how did it go again? Ah, that¡¯s right! ¡°Let this divine power be as satisfying nourishment-¡± Weird. I could feel this¡­ energy, concentrated at my core, slowly moving through my body and into my arm, like blood flowing through my veins. It was hot, yet not ufortably so. More like a warm cup of tea. ¡°-giving one who has lost their strength the strength to rise again - Healing.¡± Finishing the chant, I felt the warm, blood-like sensation flow into my hand before radiating outward, creating the same glow that Mama did. And, just like before, her small cut healed up, appearing as though it was never there a momentter. ¡°Leon! You did it! Uuu~ You¡¯re a genius! My little Leon is a genius!¡± Mama then picked me up before smothering me with her admittedly bountiful chest. Urk-! Those things¡­ they were dangerous. I felt like I was going to suffocate one of these days. I needed to get bigger, and fast. Squirming out of her grasp, I looked down at my hand which had just performed, at least by my previously held standards, a miracle. Magic¡­ it really was amazing. ¡°Mama¡­ could I try again? Please?¡± I pleaded, looking up at her. Practice makes perfect, after all. ¡°Of course! Here-¡± ¡°Wait. Can I be cut this time? Please?¡± I asked, ready to bring out my ultimate begging technique if needed. While I was confident in healing her injuries now, I still didn¡¯t want her to be in pain for me, even if it felt like nothing to her. I¡­ hated seeing her hurt. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± she said hesitantly. ¡°But Mama, wouldn¡¯t it be better to know how the spell affects the target? And there¡¯s no better way to know than this, right?¡± I said. Did I believe that? Not really. But it sounded logical, so hopefully, she would agree. ¡°...Fine! But I¡¯m making the cut, okay? And no whining about Mama hurting you afterwards!¡± ¡°I promise I won¡¯t!¡± Sess! As the edge of the knife pierced my skin, I ignored the stinging pain as I closed my eyes, focusing as I began chanting the spell. ¡°Let this divine power be¡­¡± ¡­Shoot, Ipletely forgot the rest. But the warmth in my chest¡­ if I could just grasp it¡­ and push it forward¡­ Come on, Leon. Picture it. The cells of the body replicating perfectly, orderly, all working together to mend the wound with eachyer of skin, from the dermis to the epidermis, and all the severed capiries. Make it- ¡°L-Leon¡­!¡± Hearing Mama¡¯s quivering voice, I opened my eyes just in time to watch the glow emitting from my hand subside. And the cut¡­ it was healed. ¡°M-Mama! I did¡­ it¡­¡± My voice slurred as I was overwhelmed with a wave of intense fatigue, before I suddenly felt my knees buckle, sending me falling to the ground. Luckily, I was caught a secondter by the shocked Mama as my heavy eyes began to close, my vision quickly fading to ck. Damn¡­ it seems that I passed out. ¡ª Zenith Latreia ¡ª Catching Leon¡¯s unconscious body, I felt my mind finally clear from the haze of shock. He¡­ just did that, didn¡¯t he? No, obviously he did. The proof was right there in hispletely healed finger, his skin as soft and smooth as usual. But¡­ casting magic without an incantation? That was only possible for the most seasoned of mages, and even then, it was extremely rare, something akin to a legend. I guess¡­ my Leon was that much of a genius, huh? Combing my hand through his smooth, golden hair, I couldn¡¯t help but frown at his sleeping face. It seemed that his limit was two spells, so¡­ not that much at all. But¡­ maybe it was because he used magic without an incantation? Or¡­ it could be that he was still able to grow the amount of his magic power. Generally, one¡¯s amount of mana was determined by birth and inherited from one¡¯s parents, but in some rare cases, there have been people who grew their reserves over time. Well¡­ if it¡¯s Leon, then I could easily see him being thetter. He was just that special, after all. Thinking about it now, our party had really changed since he came into our lives. The Fangs of the ck Wolf had turned from a party with admittedly good chemistry, to a true family. And it was all because of this cutie. Truly¡­ he was a blessing. Absolutely something granted to us by Millis himself. Wait, no! I needed to tell the others! Fufu, we had another healer! And one that I taught myself! Even if he could only cast a couple of spells, it was still useful. And knowing my boy, he would definitely be eager to help out. After all, he was such a determined and mature kid. And yes¡­ Leon was my boy. Without question. While at the beginning, I took him in as my own out of a sense of guilt for that woman, guilt for not being good enough to heal her and not being there earlier, but whether it was his natural charms, or simply my instincts as a woman, I couldn¡¯t see Leon as any other¡¯s child but my own. ¡°Everyone! Guess what?¡± I said, walking past the treeline over to the main camp. As the others were likely to be rowdy, I decided to teach him in the small forest grove next to our camp, where my instructions were unlikely to be interrupted. While monsters might have been a worry somewhere else, we were in the golden ins of the Kingdom of Asura, and fairly close to the capital too, so any would-be enemies were regrly culled by the kingdom¡¯s knights. I also separated from the group in order to protect Leon¡¯s innocence¡­ but I had a feeling it was already toote for that. Ideally, he would grow up remaining as sweet as he is now, but if he ever takes after everyone else¡¯s bad habits¡­ I¡¯ll just have to teach it out of him. ¡°Huh? So early- What happened?¡± Paul said, his casual expression instantly shifting to a serious one as he spotted the unconscious Leon in my arms, making my heart flutter. That shift in demeanour¡­ that earnest protectiveness¡­ those were some of the things that made me fall in love with that unscrupulous man. The others, noticing the situation, also immediately get to their feet, with Ghiine snarling in anger and worry. She really was like a big sister to him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! He¡¯s fine! He just used up his mana, is all!¡± I said. The tense atmosphere immediately disappeared as the party all began to show expressions of shock. ¡°¡®Used up his mana¡¯... does that mean-?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± I said proudly, cutting off Paul. ¡°Leon is now a Beginner-rank healing magician!¡± Ah~ I could already feel my cheeks hurting from my wide smile. ¡°That¡¯s amazing, Zenny! I knew you were a good teacher,¡± Lina said. ¡°Mhmm! And that¡¯s not all¡­ he cast Healing without a chant!¡± I said with enthusiasm. This second revtion sent everyone into a simr state of shock. Actually, it was more than the first time, which made sense. A child as young as Leon casting magic put him in the realm of ¡®talented¡¯, but doing it without an incantation¡­ that ced him in the realm of ¡®genius¡¯. No, even further than that. ¡°Bullshit.¡± I sent Paul a cold re. Could this man not calm his mouth for a second? And how dare he think I was lying!? ¡°A-Ah, I mean, I¡¯d love for him to show me himself, is all! Haha!¡± That¡¯s better. However, the man certainly still needed some more training. ¡°If it¡¯s true, it seems that Leon is destined for great things, eh? But¡­ are you sure he¡¯s asleep from mana loss?¡± Geese asked. ¡°Could be something wrong, right? And I don¡¯t think you would let him use so many spells that he¡¯d use all his mana up.¡± Hmm¡­ I was certain it was the case, and that Leon simply had a small amount of mana, or perhaps bad efficiency, but I guess it never hurt to find out. cing my hand over Leon¡¯s forehead, I cast one of the basic detoxification spells that checked for abnormalities in the target, and finding none, I shook my head. ¡°As I thought. I guess Leon just has a-¡± I cut myself off as I felt the spell tremble under my control. That¡­ was not normal. In fact, I had felt something off with my mana for a couple of days now. ¡°Zenny? Is something wrong?¡± Lina asked with concern. ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just¡­ give me a second,¡± I said, waving her off. Putting my hand onto my chest, I cast the same spell on myself, and instantly, I sensed something that brought me to tears. Oh¡­ oh my god! ¡°Zenny?¡± I¡­ I¡­ ¡°I¡¯m¡­ pregnant,¡± I said through tears, looking toward Paul with a wide-open mouth. Seeing him facepalm, however, did not instill in me confidence that he would keep his promise. Ignoring the pang of anxiety, I looked down at the sleeping toddler in my arms, smiling as he snored softly into my chest. Leon¡­ I hope you¡¯re ready to be a big brother. No¡­ knowing you, you¡¯ll be the best big brother one could ever have. ¡ª Information on the Six-Faced World ¡ª Types of Magic Attacking Magic / Elemental Magic: Fire: Generation and maniption of heat and fire. Water: Generation and maniption of water and ice. Wind: Generation and maniption of gases. Earth: Generation and maniption of dirt and minerals. Healing Magic / Support Magic: Healing: Heals injuries. Detoxification: Purges poisons, diseases, and status effects such as inebriation. Divine Strike: Harms incorporeal monsters and spirits, kept secret by the Divine Priest Fighters and unknown to most magicians. Protection: Used to increase one¡¯s defences and create barriers of certain characteristics, such as nullifying magic activation. Summoning Magic ¡ª Leon ¡ª ¡°Leon~ Wake up, sweetie~¡± Hearing the soft feminine voice, I slowly opened my groggy eyes. Shoot¡­ I¡­ passed out? Thest thing I remember was¡­ casting healing magic. Without an incantation, too. That¡­ wasn¡¯t supposed to be possible, at least not without a magic circle or something simr. That feeling of the warmth, how it travelled up my arm, and how I pictured my skin being healed¡­ could that be it? An image and control of the magic power in my body? That was all that was needed? Then¡­ why was it said that casting magic without an incantation was basically impossible? Was I special? Or was it some sort of intellectual stagnation, where everyone was taught to use incantations, and the world conformed to that idea? Hmm¡­ I¡¯ll have to do a bit more practice before I can be sure. ¡°There. Are you awake now? No headache or anything?¡± Mama asked. I shook my head in response. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. Just a little sleepy,¡± I said, rubbing my eyes. ¡°Still? You¡¯ve been napping for a few hours now,¡± she said. ¡°Really?¡± I was asleep for that long? Darn¡­ I¡¯ll have to remember not to run out of magic when I have something important to do. Though, seeing that the sun was beginning to set behind the rolling green ins, it was true that quite a bit of time had passed. Looking around, I noticed that the rest of the party was packing their stuff up, which wasn¡¯t unusual, but past that¡­ there was a weird atmosphere in the camp. ¡°Mama¡­ what happened?¡± I asked. Mama¡¯s face formed aplicated expression as she looked down and rubbed her belly. Huh? ¡°Well¡­ you see¡­ it seems like you¡¯re going to be a big brother,¡± she said, her lips curling into a grin. Ignoring the warmth that blossomed in my chest, I sent a re over to Paul. Mama would be out ofmission as a healer, and likely stop working as an adventurer after this¡­ but what would that womanizer do? ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him, Leon. He¡­ he said he¡¯d keep his promise.¡± Turning back to Mama, I saw that her face was radiating happiness, her cheeks flushed with excitement. ¡°I guess¡­ we¡¯re going to be a family now. A real one,¡± she said. A family? Like¡­ me, Mama, Paul, and the baby in her belly? ¡°...I see,¡± I eventually said. While I wasn¡¯t exactly ted to have Paul as a father, at least he was keeping Mama happy. But¡­ despite the seemingly happy news¡­ I couldn¡¯t stop the knot from forming in my stomach. Her joyful expression as she caressed her stomach felt like a reminder that I¡­ wasn¡¯t her child. Even if she always called me ¡®her baby¡¯, it¡­ wasn¡¯t exactly that way. So it¡¯s only natural to be worried, right? Anxiety and insecurity battled to control my thoughts as questions about the future swirled in my mind. Would I be reced? Overlooked? No¡­ I could handle those things. Especially if it was to give care to the new life in Mama¡¯s belly, but¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be able to handle being unloved or abandoned. I¡­ needed Mama. ¡°M-Mama¡­ are you fine, keeping me-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you even start that,¡± she interrupted with a frown. ¡°You¡¯re my son, Leon. It doesn¡¯t matter if I never birthed you.¡± Her expression calmed as her hand ran through my hair. ¡°Besides¡­ you¡¯ll be there to help me out, right? You know healing magic now, after all,¡± she said, pulling me in for a hug. ¡°Okay¡­¡± I said through watered eyes, burying my face in her chest. ¡°There, there¡­ Paul, dear? Do you have anything to say to your son?¡± she asked. ¡°Huh? Well, I¡¯m kinda busy right now-¡± ¡°Paul,¡± Mama snapped. ¡°Alright, I get it.¡± Hearing his steps get closer, Mama then tapped my back, signalling me to look at the man. ¡°Umm¡­ I know you aren¡¯t as close with me as you are with Zenith, but¡­ I¡¯ll try to be a good father, alright? And hey! Now I¡¯ll be able to teach you swordsmanship without adventuring getting in the way! Isn¡¯t that cool?¡± he said, finishing his words with a charismatic thumbs up. ¡­I guess that¡¯s fine. ¡°Okay,¡± I said with a nod. ¡°W-What? ¡®Okay¡¯? That¡¯s it? I just poured my heart out to you!¡± he whined. All you did was said you¡¯ll be a father and teach me swordsmanship, was that really the epitome of his emotional intelligence? Actually, scratch that. Knowing the man, not counting whatever magic he used to rope in such a kind woman like Mama, it probably was. But aside from that¡­ ¡°¡®Without adventuring getting in the way¡¯... are you retiring?¡± I asked. Paul then released a sigh before looking over at the other party members with a mncholic smile. ¡°Well¡­ you see, I have this cousin nearby who offered me a job a year back. I¡¯m just hoping that the offer is still avable,¡± he said. A cousin? From his old family? So a noble house position¡­ and with his strength, it was probably something like a knight or a guard. Afortable life, perfect for a young family. But¡­ what about the family here? ¡°Aren¡¯t you the leader, though? What will happen to the party?¡± I asked with worry. His smile then fell, transforming into a sad frown. ¡°Well, you see¡­ it will have to disband.¡± Chapter 4 – New Home Chapter 4 ¨C New Home ¡ª Leon ¡ª ¡°Well¡­ this is where we part. If you guys ever need anything, juste find me. I¡¯ll do my best to help you out,¡± Paul said, a hint of guilt in his voice. No, not a hint. There was quite a bit of guilt there. Lina, who had been giving Paul the cold shoulder for the past week, released a long sigh. ¡°Right. Just¡­ take care of Leon and Zenny. Leon especially deserves to finally have a good ce to call home,¡± Lina said. ¡°And take care of the new kid too, got it? If Zennyes running back to me crying because you cheated or were a bad father, I¡¯ll race back here to make you regret it,¡± she said with a re. ¡°H-Haha! Yeah, I get it, I get it,¡± Paul returned. Looking at the slightly gloomy group, I couldn¡¯t help but feel my mouth twist into a frown. The Fangs of the ck Wolf was a party of misfits, and as much as a rash, womanizing man Paul was, he was the binding glue that brought them all together, both inbat and in regr interactions. So, with him retiring into fatherhood, the obvious result was the dissolution of the party. While most parties wouldn¡¯t be that effected if they were disbanded, these guys were a bit different. As a band of outcasts, this party was the only ce they had felt weed. It was the only ce that felt like home. This was also why Lina was pissed at the guy, as his constant sex drive was what led us to this point, and also why Paul was rightfully feeling guilty. But it seemed that she could ept the situation since Zenith was happy, and since I would be living a somewhat normal life, safe from the dangers and erratic lifestyle of adventurers. I then made my way over to Ghiine, who was also in a downcast mood, at least judging by her drooping ears, before I gestured with my arms for her to pick me up. Smiling at me, she granted my request, and I immediately wrapped my arms around her neck. ¡°Are you sure you can¡¯t stay with us, Big Sis?¡± I asked, trying not to release the dam of tears I was holding back. While I definitely feltfortable being with Mama and could endure being with Paul, I was saddened that I would be leaving this little family of mine. They were the people I had been with for most of my life, after all. ¡°Sorry, Leon. I¡¯m going to the Sword Sanctum after this to hone my strength. Hopefully, by the next time we see each other, I will be a Sword King,¡± she said, gently patting my head. Right. These people also had their own lives. I couldn¡¯t hold them back because of my selfishness, no matter how much I wanted to. ¡°But¡­ we¡¯ll see each other again, right?¡± I asked. ¡°Of course,¡± she nodded. ¡°So get bigger and stronger, and make sure to take care of your sibling and those two. You know that Paul isn¡¯t very smart.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Paul shouted in indignation. Giggling at her insult, I sniffled back the snot that had built up in my nose. ¡°I will¡­ but, I¡¯ll miss you, Big Sis.¡± ¡°I as well¡­ here, take this.¡± She then took off the wooden ring she kept on her finger before handing it to me. It was covered in scratches, showing its age and use, and reflected a slight greenish tint under the sunlight. ¡°This is a talisman that is passed down in my n. They say it protects the wearer from bad wolves at night, but to me, it¡¯s simply a keepsake,¡± she exined. Taking the ring, I took a nce at it before returning my gaze to her eye. ¡°Are you sure, Big Sis? It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s special to you, isn¡¯t it?¡± I asked. ¡°That is why I want you to have it. Wear it,¡± she insisted. ¡°Umm¡­ it, doesn¡¯t fit though.¡± ¡°...Oh.¡± I nearly burst into another round of giggles from her frozen expression. ¡°Hehe, don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll keep it as a ne until I¡¯m big enough to wear it. I¡¯ll keep it safe, I promise,¡± I said as I narrowed my eyes, trying to convey my sincerity. But she only smiled in response, as if my sincerity was only cute to her. ¡°Good boy,¡± she said, patting my head. Letting me down, I then walked over to Lina, who picked me up without asking and smothered me into her chest. ¡°Uuu~ Little Leon! I¡¯m gonna miss you! Make sure to keep Paul in line, okay? And make sure Zenny is taking care of herself-¡± With her giving me a lecture that could contend with one that Mama would give Paul, she eventually wrapped up our talk by setting me down, giving me a wet kiss on the cheek as she got ready to leave. And, not a few minutester, with Geese and Talhand saying their farewell, the remains of the now-disbanded Fangs of the ck Wolf departed, leaving me and my new family alone outside the walls of Roa, the fortress city of the Fittoa Region of the Asura Kingdom. While it was not my first time seeing a walled city, as many cities near monster-infested ces had ample defences, this was the first time I had been to Roa. I didn¡¯t understand the family dynamic that was going on too well, but from what I could pick up, Paul¡¯s old family was of the Greyrats, specifically, the Notos branch. And this ce here was ruled by the Boreas line of the same family. The two family lines likely held bad blood, if my knowledge of medieval families was correct, so this ¡®cousin¡¯ of Paul¡¯s probably hated his guts. But then again, perhaps the fact that Paul discarded his Notos name gave him merit instead. ¡°Alright¡­ I¡¯ll deal with Philip alone. After all, he¡¯s got quite the slick tongue. You two just stay behind, okay?¡± Paul said. ¡°If you say so¡­ h-husband,¡± Mama replied. Ugh¡­ now I¡¯ll have to deal with these two as newlyweds. Alone. Ghiine¡­ Lina¡­e back, please. I¡¯m begging you. Walking through therge gate of the ginormous walls, I couldn¡¯t help but gasp as the city itselfes into view. The mix of brown wood, grey stone, and white ster created an appealing contrast as we walked past the stalls and shops that lined the cobblestone streets. As you approached the city centre, therger and richer the buildings became, and at the very centre of the city was arge castle, its towers piercing the cityscape. And that very castle was where we were headed. Quite high ss¡­ I sure hope Paul isn¡¯t in over his head. As we passed through the castle gate, it appeared that Paul had the foresight to notify them ahead of time, as we were admitted by the guards without any trouble. Walking through the courtyard, I couldn¡¯t help but marvel at the various nts and flowers that adorned the flowerbeds, as well as the towering walls of the surrounding castle. Wow¡­ nobles were loaded, huh? And there were even stained-ss windows! Following the beastfolk maid, we eventually found ourselves in a lobby-like room, with a pair of fancy couches and various decors lining the walls. Thinking about it now, nearly every maid I had seen so far in this castle has been of the beast race. I suppose these guys had a type, huh? My thoughts are interrupted as a man enters through the door, his steps calm and practised, holding a certain elegance to them. ¡°Ah! Wee, Paul Notos Greyrat. This must be the Zenith and Leon you mentioned in your letter,¡± he said, his eyes narrowing with his smile. ¡°You know I¡¯ve already cast away the Notos name, so just call me Paul Greyrat.¡± Mama then curtsied, ¡°And I am Zenith Latreia, though I¡¯ve also discarded my noble lineage. And this here is¡­¡± ¡°Leon. Leon Greyrat,¡± I said, finishing my words with a small bow. The man seems to find my attempt at manners cute, or at least amusing, as his smile grew wider. ¡°You¡¯re quite mature for such a young age. About as young as my daughter, if I were to guess. Anyway, I am Philip Boreas Greyrat. Please feel free to take a seat,¡± he said, gesturing to the couch. Taking a seat next to Mama, I took another look at the man who was, hopefully, going to soon be Paul¡¯s boss. He had a slender physique, brown hair that was a tone darker than Paul¡¯s, and a sharp face. Dressed in an aristocratic suit, this ¡®Philip¡¯ perfectly suited the word ¡®gentlemanly¡¯. ¡°Thanks for meeting me, dear cousin. As you know from the letter, I am hoping you can grant this selfish request of mine,¡± Paul said with a deep bow. Huh¡­ I¡¯ve never seen the man act so¡­ civilized and polite. I guess that noble etiquette he grew up with was still in there somewhere. ¡°Yes... Here,e into my office. We can talk more in there. As for you two, please don¡¯t hesitate to ask the maids for any food or drink you require.¡± And like that, the two men went into the same door that Philip had entered from, leaving Mama and me alone on the couch. ¡°Well¡­ they are likely to take a while, as Paul will need to understand his role and responsibilities¡­ so how about we practice some magic?¡± Mama suggested with a smile. ¡°Yeah!¡± I eximed in response. I was relieved. As cool as this ce was, sitting here for hours on end would be mind-numbingly boring without anything to do. ¡°Alright. Today you will learn your first detoxification spell. Make sure not to use too much mana, okay? I wanted to touch on your reading too,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± I nodded. ¡°Good. Now, remember this chant, and watch me closely, okay? This is meant to heal non-fatal nausea, like headaches and seasickness.¡± She then showed me the spell, and trying it on my own, I performed the spell quite easily. While it was difficult to see how effective it was on a personal level, as I couldn¡¯t exactly give myself seasickness to fix, I was able to see if it worked by using it on Mama, as her pregnancy put her in a constant state of slight nausea. Okay¡­ now it was time to try it without an incantation, this being the first time trying it with anything other than basic healing magic. Taking a deep breath, I ced my hand on Mama¡¯s forehead before closing my eyes to concentrate. The feeling was quite simr to Healing, with the mana flowing through my body and my veins before reaching my hand. And the image¡­ it was a bit difficult. After all, the spell was meant to cure a headache or seasickness, so it was quite hard to visualize on a cellr level. It was more like I was curing a symptom rather than the cause itself. Well¡­ did I have to get scientific with it for it to work? After all, while I pictured cell mitosis and theyers of skin for Healing, the process was much moreplex than that. Maybe¡­ if I just pictured something simr¡­ a torrent of water representing nausea¡­ the sickness, or the cause, being the whirlpools that were churning the water¡­ and my magic¡­ if it simply removed the whirlpools and calmed the water to a still, even flow¡­ ¡°Amazing, sweetie! I knew you could do it!¡± Opening my eyes, I couldn¡¯t help but unconsciously match Mama¡¯s proud smile as I stared at my glowing hand. I could do it¡­ casting without an incantation, chantless magic¡­ I could do it for more than just healing! ¡°So, Leon¡­ do you think that detoxification magic brought you closer to your limit?¡± Mama asks. I shook my head in response. ¡°No, I still feel fine. Although¡­¡± I frowned, ¡°I wish I could tell how much mana I had left.¡± ¡°Thatester with experience. I¡¯d be sad if you got too far ahead of Mama right away!¡± she said, patting my head. As I had discovered on my second time trying magic, my magic capacity could improve. While Mama and I were originally ready for me to pass out after two spells like the first time, I discovered that I could do three. And the next day, five. And then eight. So yeah, it seemed that my capacity was growing with each time I went through my mana. Like this, I could get pretty strong in the future, couldn¡¯t I? ¡°Hey, you! How did you do that!¡± Suddenly hearing a high-pitched, nasally, childish voice, I looked over to see a small girl with zing red hair and a matching set of red eyes. She looked about my age if I were to guess. Her face seemed to be a mix of condescending frustration and astonished curiosity as she crossed her arms over her chest. But¡­ who was this kid? I don¡¯t think random children are meant to wander around noble castles like this¡­ maybe she was Philip¡¯s kid that he had mentioned? The hair colour didn¡¯t match, but the age did, and I couldn¡¯t find any other exnation as to why she was here. That aside¡­ ¡°How did I do what?¡± I asked. ¡°The shiny hands! How did you do that?¡± she said, pointing her chin in the air. Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t know if a normal toddler would understand what ¡®detoxification magic¡¯ was just yet, so¡­ ¡°I just did it,¡± I said with a shrug. That seemed to send the child reeling, but she quicklyposed herself before marching over with a stern frown on her face. ¡°You listen! I asked you- Waagh!¡± ¡­Before promptly tripping over her feet and gracelessly falling onto the floor. ¡°Ung¡­ Ung! Waaah!¡± And now she was crying. Haa¡­ Hopping off the couch, I walked over to the girl before cing my hand on her face and casting healing magic on her nose, which was trickling a little bit of blood. Luckily, it seemed my practice hadn¡¯t been for nothing, as her pained expression quickly turned into one of wide-eyed surprise, her red eyes shining in excitement. Oh? When she¡¯s like this, she¡¯s actually kind of cute. Like an actual toddler. Though¡­ I was also one, so it felt a little weird to think that. Wiping the small trail of blood off of her upper lip, I gently patted her head with a smile. ¡°There we go. All better now, right?¡± It took a moment for her to break out of her state of shock, as she quickly swiped away my hand before scrambling back to her feet. ¡°U-Umm¡­ th-thank you,¡± she stuttered out with a red face before quickly she quickly ran out of the room. Huh¡­ what a weird kid. Turning back to Mama, I noticed that she¡¯s wearing arge grin, one of intense amusement and a little bit of pride. ¡°Fufufu¡­ how adorable~¡± ¡­For some reason, that smile made me a little uneasy. ¡ª Information on the Six-Faced World ¡ª Fittoa Region A fiefdom in the northeastern part of the Kingdom of Asura of the Central Continent, the Fittoa Region is a vast agricultural area with many forests and primarily rural vige settlements. Under the crown of the Kingdom of Asura, the Fittoa Region is governed by the Boreas Greyrat family, with Sauros Boreas Greyrat as the current liege lord of the region. Citadel of Roa: It is thergest city in the entire Fittoa Region and is the centre of trade,merce, and administrative matters in the area. An ancient city with a noble history, four hundred years ago, it stood as thest defence during the war against the Demon race but is now seen as nothing more than a backwater city of adventurers in the capital city of Asura. Philip Boreas Greyrat is the current mayor of the city. Buena Vige: A small, peaceful hamlet that specializes in farming. There are nearby forests that are infested with monsters that often need to be subdued. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª The wind swept through my hair as I rested my chin on my arm, watching the rolling hills and the odd house pass by, while the stench of farnd and manure permeated my nose. We were currently making our way to our new house, which had been given to Paul as he was the new knight of Buena Vige, a small hamlet which had been having problems with monsters the past few years, hence why such an unassuming vige needed a knight as strong as Paul stationed there. ¡°After we move everything in, I¡¯ll be heading to meet the vigers to get a better read on the situation. Do you mind cleaning it up while I¡¯m gone?¡± Paul asked. ¡°Asking a pregnant woman to clean your house¡­ quite shameless, Father,¡± I said with a smirk. ¡°S-Shut up! I said I¡¯ll post the housekeeper job tomorrow!¡± he exined hastily. ¡°Leon, don¡¯t bully him. I¡¯m still feeling fine, so I want to be the one to settle in our new home. A task that includes cleaning! Besides, you¡¯ll be there for me, right?¡± she said. ¡°Of course, Mama,¡± I answered with a huff. ¡°Good boy!¡± she said cheerfully, patting my head. Mama then turned to Paul, ¡°But, honey... I¡¯m a bit worried we don¡¯t have enough things. And there will probably be some stuff we can¡¯t buy from the vige, like tableware and candles.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. We have enough rations to survive for a week, and I¡¯ll get anything we¡¯re missing when I post the job tomorrow in Roa. So just leave it to your dependable husband here!¡± he said confidently. Just before we had left for the vige, Mama and Paul¡­ my new father, I suppose¡­ got formally married by the resident Millis priest in Roa, exchanging their vows in a small ceremony with the rising sun as their background. Of course, I was the only guest. I only hoped the man would keep his promises, or I would go running to Lina. Maybe I would even beat him up myself if I got strong enough. ¡°Well, here we are,¡± Paul said abruptly, stopping the cart in front of the gate of arge house. It was¡­ ¡°It¡¯s beautiful!¡± Mama finished for me. Indeed. With the wooden beams crisscrossing the white ster walls, wooden shingles lining the roof, and crown ss windows seemingly for every room, it was a very nice house. And that wasn¡¯t even mentioning the beautiful walled garden that surrounded the home, giving ample room for training, as well as any other general activities I wanted. And I knew that Mama liked nts, so she could even have her own garden. A beautiful home and a wonderful garden. And that paired with the scenery¡­ ¡°Know what? You did good, father,¡± I said, patting the man on the back before I hopped off the cart. Taking in a deep breath of the fresh air, I raised my arms overhead to stretch out the stiffness of my body before heading towards the front door. As there was no need for any locks on the door, I was able to enter without any trouble. It would be a pretty stupid decision to rob the house of someone who was not only your lord, but also the strongest person in the area, after all. Inside the house, it was just as I had expected. A nice big firece in the centre of the main room for heating and cooking, straw beds with fur nkets, tables and chairs set up near the kitchen, and a bathroom, which amounted to nothing but a hole in the ground. In most houses, this hole would be quite useless, and only stink up the ce with¡­ waste, so most people would prefer an outhouse. But with the existence of magic, you could just burn it with an elementary fire spell, and wash what was left with a water spell. Luckily, Mama knew both magics, so we¡¯d be able to use the bathroom properly. The whole ce was also pretty dusty, which made sense as this ce had been abandoned for the past year. I guess Mama and I would have some work to do. Eventually, with our modest amount of belongings moved in, Mama and I started cleaning up the house. We also took the time to n out how we would set up the house while checking for any mould, pests, and repairs that needed fixing. Fortunately, save for a few creaky doors, there weren¡¯t any issues. ¡°Hey! I¡¯m back!¡± Putting down the washcloth, I looked over to Paul, who was carrying a basket of what seemed to be sandwiches. ¡°Looking good, guys! Guess what? The vigers even gave us some food to wee us! Hehe, my natural charisma is truly terrifying sometimes,¡± he said smugly. ¡­Are you sure they weren¡¯t just buttering you up? You¡¯re their boss now, after all. ¡°Really? That¡¯s awfully nice of them. Vigers are often a little unsettled when a new lord is stationed, but I guess this is pretty far from the capital, so they¡¯re probably moreid back. Anyway, did you find anything interesting?¡± Mama asked, resting the broom against the wall. ¡°Yep! I found out that there¡¯s a clinic here, but all they have is a herbalist. A perfect ce for you, right? And¡­ Leon too, I guess,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°We are not letting a one-year-old work, Paul,¡± Mama said with a re that soon transformed into a smile. ¡°But¡­ a clinic, huh? I¡¯ve always wanted to work in one after adventuring.¡± Paul ced down the sandwiches before walking up to wrap his arms around Mama, resting his head on her shoulder as he smiled. ¡°It almost seems like fate, eh?¡± he said. ¡°Anyway, I also talked to the guy who had been defending the vige for the past year. Nice dude. Laws¡­ I think his name is. His wife¡¯s also pregnant, so maybe Leon and the Little Man will have a new friend.¡± ¡°¡®Little Man¡¯? It¡¯s definitely a girl,¡± Mama replied with a huff. ¡°Nah, my gut¡¯s telling me I¡¯m getting a son.¡± ¡°We already have one, Paul.¡± ¡°Ah, right¡­ well, either way, we can always try for another after this one, right?¡± he said, wiggling his eyebrows. ¡°Hehe. Come here.¡± ¡°H-Honey! Not in front of Leon! Mmm~¡± ¡­I¡¯m going to my room. Seeing that the two were getting quite into it, I might just practice my magic until I passed out. I preferred that over having to endure the sound of them christening our new home with their activities. Jeez¡­ even when Mama was pregnant, that womanizer couldn¡¯t contain his lust. Wasn¡¯t it supposed to be a bad omen to do that when a woman was bearing a child? Chapter 5 – Brother Chapter 5 ¨C Brother ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª A few months had passed since our arrival in Buena Vige, and in that time, we had entered the year K407 of the Armoured Dragon Calendar, which meant that I was now two years old. Since we had no record of the day I was born, going off by the start of the year was an easy solution. Anyway, other than getting settled into our new rural lifestyle, not much had changed for our new family. Well¡­ apart from one thing, that is. ¡°Young Master Leon, are you sure you don¡¯t need anything to eat?¡± Our family had grown by one, in the form of our new maid, Lilia. She was a beautiful woman with violet-purple eyes and reddish-brown hair that she tied up in a half bun with hair strands resting on both of her shoulders, much like Mama¡¯s hairstyle. She also had a slender and voluptuous body and wore oval-shaped sses and most notably¡­ a maid outfit. I was a bit worried that she was a little too beautiful, as with herrge breasts and pretty face, she was exactly the type of girl that would cause Paul to make a mistake, but I suppose I had to trust in the man until he proved himself untrustworthy. I just hoped he could keep it in his pants until I was old enough to take care of Mama without him. Anyway, Lilia, while beautiful, was quite cold, at least on the outside, but once you got to know her, she opened up a bit. Especially with me. Though that might just be due to my childish charms. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Lilia! And didn¡¯t I tell you to just call me Leon? We¡¯re living in the same house after all,¡± I said while kicking my feet in the air. I was currently lying down on the bed and going through one of the books Mama and Paul had gotten. Specifically, Wandering the World, a reference guide to the various countries and ces in the world. This was a good way to increase my readingprehension while also expanding my worldview, and most importantly, it was fun to read. After all, while I had adventured with the Fangs of the ck Wolf for a year, we only travelled around the southern region of the Kingdom of Asura, where I just so happened to be born. And even then, I was asleep most of the time, so I didn¡¯t learn much about what was happening around me. ¡°I am but a maid, Young Master Leon. It would be presumptuous to forgo my manners,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°Yeah, but we aren¡¯t like those petty nobles, you know? Plus, you¡¯re not just a maid. At least not to me. We¡¯re probably going to be together for a while, so we¡¯re more like family, right?¡± I responded with a smile. If anyone knew that blood didn¡¯t need to be shared to be considered family, it was me. ¡°...I suppose so. You¡¯re a good child, Leon,¡± she said as she started affectionately rubbing my head. Closing my eyes at the pleasant feeling, I then felt the pressure of her hand increase a bit. ¡°Make sure you don¡¯t turn out like your father.¡± ¡°I-I got it, Lilia! I¡¯ll never turn out like that guy!¡± I whined. ¡°Good,¡± she said, nodding. ¡°Fufufu! You two sure get along, don¡¯t you?¡± Mamaughed. Lifting my head, I looked over to her, who was sitting next to the firece. With the harvest season starting up along with the arrival of spring, Mama was now almost nine months into her pregnancy, and her belly had grown to show as much. I hoped my new brother or sister woulde out nice and easy, but even if they didn¡¯t, I would be right next to her with my healing magic in case anything went wrong. I mean, seventeen was supposed to be the prime time for a woman to give birth, and Mama had an active, resilient body from adventuring, so she should be safe. ¡°Indeed. The Young Master-¡± ¡°Lilia,¡± I interrupted. ¡°Ahem. Leon is a good child, so it¡¯s only natural I look at him fondly,¡± Lilia said. ¡°And I¡¯m better at calctions than Paul!¡± I added happily. ¡°Yes, you are,¡± Lilia chuckled. ¡°At this point-¡± ¡°Agh!¡± Mama shouted, cutting Lilia off. Clutching her stomach, Mama got to her wobbly legs before Lilia stepped forward to support her. ¡°L-Lilia! I¡­ I think-!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss. We¡¯ve prepared for this. Here, let¡¯s move to the bedroom,¡± Lilia said, taking charge of the situation. ¡°Leon, can you call Master Paul over? And stay outside the room until I call you, alright?¡± Nodding my head, I then started making my way outside to where Paul was training his swordsmanship. So it was finally happening, huh? It seems like I will be meeting my new sibling very soon. ¡ª Information on the Six-Faced World ¡ª Paul Greyrat A tall, muscr, and handsome man with sandy light-brown hair, that he keeps cut short save for his long ponytail and bright green eyes. Born in the year K388 to Amarant and Valentina Notos Greyrat. His personality is bold, confident, yful, and lustful, with a particr attraction for women withrge breasts. Paul was the leader of the S-ranked party ¡®Fangs of the ck Wolf¡¯ and is an Advanced-ranked swordsman in the Sword God, Water God, and North God styles. He is currently the knight assigned to Buena Vige of the Fittoa Region of the Asura Kingdom. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Looking down at the sleeping form of my new baby brother in his crib, I couldn¡¯t help but cast another healing spell on the newborn, ensuring that nothing was truly wrong with him. The birth itself went without any issues, and I only needed to help Mama recover from the pain, but what was odd, was the fact that throughout the whole process¡­ he didn¡¯t cry. Babies were supposed to cry, right? Well¡­ I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter as long as he and Mama were healthy. Anyway, yes. It was a boy, just like Paul had hoped for. Rudeus Greyrat, my new baby brother. With light brown hair and emerald green eyes, he looked like an exact copy of Paul, though that might change as he grew older and matured. But for now, his chubby cheeks,rge eyes, and small, button nose made him a very cute baby that aroused the instincts of protection in me. Yeah¡­ while I didn¡¯t know exactly what the future held, I promise that I¡¯d make sure Rudy grew up happy and healthy, just like a good big brother should. ¡°Leon? Is something wrong?¡± Mama asked from behind me. I shook my head in denial as I got off the stool. ¡°No. Just checking on Rudy,¡± I answered. ¡°I see¡­ Leon, you know that you¡¯re still my son, right?¡± she said gently. Seeing her holding her hands out to me, I climbed onto the bed and into her arms before snuggling against her chest. ¡°Yes. Don¡¯t worry, Mama. I understand you¡¯ll be a bit busy with Rudy for a while,¡± I answered. ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s true. Not every baby is as good as you were. But don¡¯t worry, they also sleep a lot, so we can still spend lots of time together,¡± she reassured me, resting her chin on my head. I always liked it when she held me like this, as it made me feel both warm and secure. Perhaps knowing I would soon be too big to do this also yed a part in my bittersweet mood. ¡°Mmm¡­ I want to learn intermediate healing magic, too,¡± I said with expectation. ¡°Maybe, Leon. Only if you¡¯re good,¡± she said, raking her hands through my hair. I was pretty sure I had enough mana to cast it, and I was wondering what different spells of different ranks did with mana. Hopefully, with enough practice, I could make my own spells and take full advantage of my chantless casting. But for now¡­ ¡°Mama¡­ can I take a nap here?¡± I asked. ¡°Mmhm! Mama¡¯s a bit tired too, so let¡¯s take a nice, rxing rest. Okay, sweetie?¡± Nodding my head, I shut my eyes, letting the crackles and hisses of the firece lull me to sleep in my dear Mama¡¯s embrace. Hopefully I would still be able to do this just as often. I really loved this feeling, after all. ¡ª Rudeus Greyrat ¡ª It had been a month since I had been reborn, and the reality of the situation had finally set in. I¡­ was a baby. Gone was the fat, disgusting body of a 34-year-old shut-in NEET, reced with the uncontroble body of a newborn child. Reincarnation was not an unfamiliar setting for a fantasy guru like me, but I was wondering exactly how this came to be. No goddess. No summoning. I was just¡­ here. Anyway, the first two people I saw after being born, the handsome man and the beautiful woman, were my parents. Or at least, I¡¯m pretty sure they are. If I had to guess, they were both in their early twenties, younger than I had been in my past life. Haa¡­ and they already had a baby at their age? Lucky¡­ Actually, that wasn¡¯t quite right, as they already had another kid, who looked to be around two. He was cute, with choppy golden hair and dark brown eyes, and his face was already charming enough to make any shotacons¡¯ mouth water. And seeing that smile he showed me so often, I had no doubt that he was going to get even more charming as he grew older. And no, I was not jealous. Not one bit. Anyway, I quickly realized that I was no longer in Japan, as thenguage they spoke, and the little parts of the culture I had picked up werepletely different. And considering how they used a firece for heating, and the furniture and tableware being made out of wood¡­ I was probably in some undeveloped nation, right? Actually, I¡¯ve heard of a group of people in America that live without technology like this, so I might be closer to normal civilization than I thought. Or maybe it was even something crazier, like being transported back in time or something. Well¡­ I wouldn¡¯t really be able to find out much more like this, so I suppose I¡¯ll just have to wait until I¡¯m able to crawl. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª A couple of seasons had passed since the birth of my brother, and the air was now beginning to chill as winter reared its ugly head on thend. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I truly loved the sight of thendscape nketed in snow. But the cold¡­ it was dangerous. Not necessarily for me and the adults, but rather for Rudy. The first winter was always the first trial every child goes through in life, and it¡¯s due to this instability in the early years that one¡¯s first birthday isn¡¯t celebrated until they reach five years old. But hopefully, with enough snuggles and naps beside the firece, my baby brother would easily survive the winter. Anyway, speaking of the little guy, he had recently discovered how to crawl. ¡°Rudy!¡± Mama shouted before cing her hands on her hips. ¡°Jeez. As soon as you take your eyes off him, he slips off somewhere!¡± ¡°Hey, as long as he¡¯s healthy, it¡¯s fine, right? I was a little worried when he didn¡¯t cry when he was born, but it seems there are no problems,¡± Paul responded with a shrug, watching Rudy crawl around the floor with amusement. ¡°He still doesn¡¯t cry though¡­ He only babbles when he¡¯s hungry or dirtied his diaper,¡± Mama said worriedly. ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s better that way, right?¡± Paul said. Leaning down, I scooped up Rudy, who was hiding under the chair, into my arms. ¡°That¡¯s not something you should say about your kid, Father,¡± I said with disappointment before I looked down at my brother. ¡°And Rudy¡­ just what are you doing with those?¡± Releasing a sigh, I then tried to take off the pair of panties my little brother had decided to wear over his face, but he was quite adamant about keeping them on, gripping the edge of the fabric with his small hands. ¡°...You really like those, huh?¡± I murmured. ¡°Gah!¡± he responded happily. Seriously¡­ At first, with his good behaviour and quiet demeanour, I thought he was like me. A Miko of some sort. But unlike me, he didn¡¯t have any aversion to breastfeeding, or rather¡­ he relished it, revealing a giddy smile each time Mama pulled down her shirt. And it didn¡¯t take long for his natural childishness to show in more¡­ perverted ways. Squeezing Mama and Lilia¡¯s breasts, burying his head in said breasts, constantly leering at those breasts¡­ a lot of breasts. And also with the underwear thing, like right now, it was obvious that Rudy was a little¡­ weird. Well, he was half of Paul, so I guess he was simply developing a little early? Anyway, having eventually wrestled the pair of panties off his face, I passed Rudy over to Mama before grabbing my coat and making my way outside. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go try some elemental magic, okay Mama?¡± I said. ¡°Okay! Tell me if you need any help, and don¡¯t stay out there too long! It¡¯s getting cold, after all,¡± she answered. ¡°Got it!¡± A couple of days ago, I graduated from Mama¡¯s teachings, as I had learned how to read, showed off my already ster arithmetic skills, and became an Intermediate-rank healing and detoxification magician. I still wasn¡¯t at the level of Mama, as I stillcked the skill and experience, but I was sure I would eventually reach her with enough practice. Besides, with my chantless casting abilities, rather than training toplete spells, I was practising my control of mana in general. Building up the basics, one could call it. I also discovered that Intermediate-rank magic was actually quite difficult. The Beginner rank was mostly about innate talent, along with some level of concentration to maintain the spell, but going past that required the user to help guide the mana flow alongside the chant. If I were to exin it¡­ for Intermediate-rank magic, the incantation showed you the path, but wasn¡¯t able to follow through on its own like with Beginner spells, so it needed a push from the magician. This was also why Intermediate-rank mages were seen as extremely skilledpared to Beginner-rank ones. Anyway, with all that said, my schooling had finished, yet I was still eager to learn. Which brought me to now. Watching my magic power reserves grow over this past year, I hade to a conclusion. Childhood was key. From how themon belief said that kids could only learn magic at five, and that there was little hope to grow magic reserves, I guessed that this rate of growth slowed down at five, and by ten, it stopped altogether. So that meant that right now was the prime time to grow my reserves. And since I wouldn¡¯t have to harm myself or anyone to use the magic, elemental magic should be a much more efficient way to expand them. Initially, I was worried that Mama still wouldn¡¯t let me try it, but now that I was older, and we had arge yard for me to practice in, there were no worries about making a mess. I just had to be sure not to aim for the nts. Mama would get really angry if I destroyed them, after all. Pulling out A Textbook of Magic, I slowly went over the contents, searching for where the things I already knew ended, and the new information started. Most of the basics of magic I had already covered with Mama¡¯s lessons, and considering I was a bit of an anomaly with my chantless casting and mana reserve growth, I didn¡¯t know how much I could trust it anyway. Ah! There we are! Waterball. The most basic of Beginner water spells. As its simple name implies, it summons a ball of water that is thenunched at an enemy. Well¡­ no time like the present. ¡°Let the vast and blessed waters converge where thou wilt and issue forth a single pure stream thereof- Waterball.¡± Extending my hand while casting the magic, I focused on the sensation of my mana moving through my body. Simr to Healing, my mana cycled through my arm toward my hand, but while Healing radiated it outward, this time, it concentrated in my palm before releasing all at once, forming a floating sphere of water about the size of my fist over my palm. Hmm¡­ I was still unsure what exactly in these chants changed the element and effect of the mana, but I hoped to discover it with enough practice¡­ As my thoughts trailed off, I lost my focus on the magic as the sphere of water copsed in on itself before falling to the ground with a ssh. ¡­Seems like I¡¯ll need concentration to maintain elemental spells too. Tuning out the world, I spurred the mana in my body to follow the path toward my hand as I focused on the image. Compared to healing and detoxification, water was quite easy to picture. Flowing streams¡­ vast oceans¡­ coursing rivers¡­ and going deeper than that, a water molecule. With two hydrogen atoms connected to an oxygen one at the centre. Keeping the image of water in my head, both scientific and as a basic understanding, I released the mana that was concentrated in my palm, and as expected, a ball of water soon formed just like it had with the incantation. But, unlike what the spell description said, it didn¡¯tunch forward. Maybe I needed to add that part myself? Picturing adding velocity to the water, the ball then shot forward. Well¡­ ¡®shot¡¯ would be a bit of a hyperbole. It flew about a meter, before abruptly falling to the ground, as if it had simply jumped out of my hand. ¡­Yeah, this definitely still needed some work. But that was a part of learning, right? For the moment, it would be much more useful to just use an incantation, as the spell would actually, you know¡­unch as it''s intended. But in the future, the control I had over the spell would vastly increase, and the time it took to cast would shorten, as I had already learned from my experience in healing magic. And even then, the control and usefulness part couldeter. What I needed to focus on in these early years was the amount of mana I used up so that my reserves grewrger. Everything else coulde after that. But luckily, growing my control and mana reserves both used the same method, so there was no need to prioritize one over the other. I just needed to cast a lot of spells! Ah, but¡­ I should cast myst spell inside, so I don¡¯t freeze to death after passing out. Fortunately, I could now roughly tell when my reserves were low, so I wouldn¡¯t- no, shouldn¡¯t mess anything up. So let¡¯s do this, Leon! ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It¡¯s been around three months since I began my training with elemental magic, and I was now a Beginner-rank magician in all four schools. Interestingly, for elemental magic, the difference between different Beginner spells was staggering, both in the required skill and the mana amount needed. I also discovered that elemental magic followed a set process for each spell: the creation of the spell or generation of the element, setting the size of the magic, setting the speed, and then activation. With incantations, it was a bit harder to change the settings of the magic, but it was still doable. Healing magic, on the other hand, simply¡­ happened. Radiating from your hand like a fire. Of course, you would need to pump more mana into it depending on how much you needed to heal and focus the spell on the injured parts, but that was quite easy. Though¡­ that might just be due to my experience with it. Personally, I found the whole process a bit too rigid for my liking. In fact, the whole concept of spells was like that. For instance, with the water spell Water Arrow, it was simply generating Waterball before moulding it into the shape of an arrow andunching it. And Ice Smash was just creating a Waterball before freezing it into a ball of ice andunching it. So, I was hoping that with enough control, I could simply use the elements as I saw fit without being shackled by the concept of spell creation and the theory behind it. But I suppose that would have to wait until I grew my skills a bit more. ¡°Hey, Mama! I¡¯m back,¡± I said, taking off my soggy boots to dry them near the firece. Unfortunately, I was not yet good enough fire and wind magic to dry them myself without ruining them, so for now I would be using the natural method. ¡°Hey, sweetie! Dinner¡¯s almost ready, so don¡¯t get started on anything yet,¡± Mama said from the kitchen. ¡°Ooh! What are we having?¡± I asked. ¡°Boiled pork and some veggies. But what took you so long out there? I thought you were just going to practice a little bit because of the cold?¡± Mama asked. ¡°Yeah, but then Father asked me to help him clear the snow with fire magic,¡± I answered. Both Lilia and Mama sighed simultaneously at this. ¡°That husband of mine¡­ I¡¯ll have to give him a stern talking to when hees back,¡± Mama said. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Mama. I¡¯m casting magic anyway, so I might as well put it to good use,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°If you¡¯re sure¡­¡± Making my way over to the twodies, I took in the pleasant scent of the nearly-finished meal before sitting down at the table with my magic book. ¡°Besides, I should get on his good side since he¡¯ll be teaching me swordsmanship after winter ends,¡± I said. ¡°Oh, that idiot would be happy to teach you regardless,¡± Mama said. ¡°Yeah, I guess so,¡± I said, remembering how excited Paul was to pass on his skills. ¡°But¡­ are you sure he wouldn¡¯t make fun of me during it?¡± Not even attempting to refute my point, Mama turned her head back to the pot before she started silently stirring. Well¡­ I guess that answers my question. Unfortunately, Paul was definitely the kind of guy to make fun of his students. Even if it was his three-year-old kid, they wouldn¡¯t be spared. And I would rather not get talked down to by a guy who thought giving water to a baby was eptable. ¡°Are you sure you want to, Leon?¡± Mama asked. ¡°I know that he and Ghiine kind of pressured you into it, but with you being so talented at magic¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Mama. It¡¯s good to be multitalented, right?¡± I reassured her. Plus, while magic was great and all, it was pretty bad for self-defence. Even if one used chantless magic, a Sword Saint would cut you down before you could do anything. ¡°Haa¡­ if you¡¯re certain, then I suppose I¡¯ll let him train you. But, Leon. Are you sure you don¡¯t want a magic tutor as well?¡± Mama asked. I shook my head in response. ¡°No thank you, Mama. At least not yet.¡± I could say that we shouldn¡¯t spend our money carelessly, especially with a baby sibling, and likely more in the future if their nightly activities were to be any indication, but I knew my Mama wouldn¡¯t ept that as an answer. ¡°I still need to try the Intermediate spells from the book, and even then, I need to focus on practising what I already know rather than learning new things.¡± Mama still had a small pout on her face, so I guess I would need to ease her worries a bit more. ¡°But¡­ if I ever hit a roadblock, I¡¯ll ask you then, okay?¡± That seemed to do the trick as she noticeably perked up with a smile. ¡°Good! And don¡¯t you forget that, okay?¡± ¡°Got it, Mama.¡± At least for now, I had no need for a tutor. I mean¡­ I don¡¯t know exactly how they would even teach me, considering how I likely went against the traditional way of learning with chantless magic and all. But when I aim to learn Saint-ranked spells, I¡¯ll need a teacher since the magic book we had only covered up to the Advanced rank, and spell books with Saint-rank magic are extremely difficult to find, if not impossible. ¡°But, Mama¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Leon?¡± ¡°...Where is Rudy?¡± I asked. She instantly lifted her head before her eyes began darting around the kitchen. ¡°Dammit. Rudy! Where did you crawl off to this time!?¡± And such was life. Chapter 6 – Swordsmanship Chapter 6 ¨C Swordsmanship ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Winter had passed, and buds were beginning to form on the trees while flowers bloomed across the fields as spring began in earnest. And as for me? ¡°You did well keeping up with your body exercises, Leon! Now it¡¯s time you finally put it to good use!¡± I was starting my swordsmanship ss with my father, Paul. Well¡­ ¡®ss¡¯ would probably be a bit too much praise, but I¡¯d hold off any judgment until after. ¡°You know¡­ originally, I thought we would only be doing exercises for another year or so, but you sure proved me wrong, eh?¡± Paul said with a troubled smile. Well of course. No normal three-year-old would be able to hold a sword at this point, even with the exercises. But you see¡­ I had healing magic. At first, I was hesitant about using magic to enhance my physical training. After all, if healing magic simply sped up cell recovery, then not only would I be messing up my natural development, but I would also be at risk of growing older too fast. But healing magic, as it turned out, was pretty¡­ magical. It simply did whatever it needed to heal the target, even if it meant bypassing natural biological processes. For example, with some advanced skill, someone being healed wouldn¡¯t feel tired after it, when in theory, the healing magic should only be speeding up the natural process, which expends arge amount of energy for the target. This would also exin why there was no record of people who used healing magic constantly dying earlier due to cancer or anything like that. So basically, I knew I was safe to use it on myself, allowing me to expedite the process of growing my muscles to the point where I could now hold a wooden sword with no problem. The toughest part of healing, though, was having to heal every spot through my hands. I wonder if I could apply healing magic over my entire body¡­ I would have to experiment with thatter. ¡°Ahem! Anyway. I¡¯ll teach you all that I know in the three sword styles, though I wouldn¡¯t exactly call the North God a ¡®style¡¯,¡± Paul grumbled before tossing me a wooden sword. It was a bit big, but I would grow into it as I got older. ¡°Hmm¡­ where to start¡­ so for the Sword God, it¡¯s all about getting there faster. Like ¡®swoosh¡¯ and ¡®kapow¡¯!¡± ¡­Was he being serious? ¡°And Water God, it¡¯s all about countering. So when the opponent goes ¡®fwoosh¡¯ you ¡®thwoom¡¯ and ¡®shink¡¯,¡± he continued, swinging his sword with practised ease. Oh my god, he was being serious! This guy was supposed to be my teacher? I¡­ had a feeling it would be a while before I got the hang of swordsmanship. I knew he was an idiot, but I thought that when it came to swordsmanship, it would be a little different considering his skill. I¡­ guess that while he was still a genius at the sword, he was an idiotic genius who only knew how to swing a sword out of instinct rather than intelligence. ¡°Ahh, it¡¯s hard to exin it!¡± No¡­ I think that¡¯s just you. ¡°Here! Just watch.¡± He then strutted over to the boulder in the yard before raising his sword overhead. Taking a step forward, he then brought down his de, causing a faint whistle to echo across the yard as a sh of silver streaked down the boulder. His sword pointing downward, I watched as the boulder separated into two halves, a clean cut running through the centre. ¡­Truly ridiculous. Physically, Paul was quite a fit and strong man, but he wasn¡¯t strong enough to cut a boulder in half like that. Unless¡­ do sword techniques hold a special property to them? Something like magic or mana¡­ that would make sense. Chantless magic exists, after all, and even if not everyone could use magic, it was known that every person had mana in their bodies. Could they be using mana unconsciously to enhance their prowess? Some sort of enhancement magic that is separate from the known schools? Ah, well¡­ this idiot surely wouldn¡¯t know, so I guess those thoughts couldeter. For now¡­ ¡°But you can¡¯t do that yet! Heh¡­ who knows. Maybe you¡¯ll never be able to do that? But for now, let¡¯s get you swinging a sword properly, eh?¡± he said. ¡­While his words were annoying, they were right. Just like with my magic practice, advanced theories and specialized skills couldeter. For now, I just needed to master the basics, and then build up from there. ¡ª Information on the Six-Faced World ¡ª Sword Styles There are three main schools of swordsmanship that aremon in the world. Only those who have studied one of these three styles are called Swordsmen; for other schools, even if they use a sword, they are called Warriors instead. The Three Major Schools are: Sword God Style: The basic philosophy of the Sword God Style is to attack first and fast, killing your opponent before they can harm you. This leads to the style having a focus on attacking techniques while having a limited number of countering and defensive ones. Practitioners are often short-tempered and belligerent as a result of their philosophy, and practitioners are encouraged to wear light clothing to react swiftly and properly use their techniques. Water God Style: This style specializes in defensive techniques, emphasizing parrying and counter-attacking oing attacks. A skilled practitioner is also able to read the flow of mana and use their senses to block or counter any attack. Practitioners often wear heavy armour, as they do not need to move great distances for their techniques. This style of swordsmanship is the mostmon among knights and nobles, as their job is to protect someone or themselves rather than focus on attacking. North God Style: The main focus of this style is not techniques or specialties, but rather an approach to battle, one specializing in practicality and surviving the battle. This style involves tricks and tactics rather than using refined techniques. The most varied of the three styles, practitioners cane in many shapes and sizes, with some dual-wielding, and others using non-sword weapons such as battleaxes. Many adventurers and mercenaries learn this style for its versatility and effectiveness in unpredictable situations. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It had been a few months since stepping into the world of swordsmanship, and luckily, I was able to quickly learn the basics, such as setting my stance correctly and swinging the most basic of sword strikes with the proper form. While Paul was a horrible teacher, he at least knew when I was doing something wrong. The only problem with that was¡­ ¡®No! Not like ¡®fwish¡¯! Like ¡®swoosh¡¯!¡¯ Memory Paul said with his stupid face. ¡­Yeah. He exined it horribly, at least he could do it well. So, by using him as a reference, and his corrections as my guide, I was soon able to work out any kinks in my form, and could then begin training in earnest, embedding the techniques into my muscle memory so that I could use them without a thought. My sword didn¡¯t whistle as I swung, nor did the air tremble, and I definitely couldn¡¯t cut any boulders¡­ but that was okay. That would alle with time. So for now, I would continue mastering the basics with this idiotic father of mine. As we trained, Paul also slowly revealed more to me about the ¡®Three Major Schools¡¯ of swordsmanship, and I learned that the three styles boiled down to a couple of traits between them: the Sword God Style that specialized in attacking and speed; the Water God Style that specialized in defence and countering; and the North God Style that specialized in unpredictability and adaptability. Learning this, I also came to a new appreciation for my swordsmanship instructor, as by utilizing the three styles as seamlessly as he did, he was able to cover the weaknesses of each style and form something stronger between the three. A shame¡­ if he was just a little more motivated or a bit smarter, he could¡¯ve probably be a renowned genius. But Paul was Paul, after all. Still, seeing his unique swordsmanship, a new desire began to sprout within me. The three styles¡­ along with my chantless magic¡­ couldn¡¯t I make a new style of my own? A Magic Sword Style, or something. Well, only time would tell, but for now, I felt content slowly honing my de the traditional way before I started on my own path. But my swordsmanship wasn¡¯t the only thing that had improved over these months. Opening my eyes, I watched as the various droplets of water that orbited around me begin to coalesce into a singr ball before finally dropping into the cup Iid out in front of me. ¡°Hoo¡­ slow and steady,¡± I said, wiping the beads of sweat off my forehead. Being able to control magic so fluidly like I had just done did not happen overnight. Rather, it was through a series of breakthroughs in the realm of magic. First, I pondered about what exactly incantations did. I still didn¡¯t know for sure, but I hypothesized that they momentarily inscribe a magic circle on the body or something of the sort. But that only led to more questions about what magic circles were, and that would be getting too deep into semantics. The main thing I learned, was that manaing from one¡¯s own body was theirs to control. I was still confused about how exactly elements came into being, but I knew that it rested on the imagination of the user, or in the case of incantations¡­ something else. ¡­Okay, maybe I didn¡¯t make too many breakthroughs after all, but the point was that using magic freely was possible, I just had to slowly break down the aspects of the standard process and make it my own. First, I found out about the four parts in the process of spell actualization, them being: spell creation, shape alteration, size adjustment, and then velocity. You could also add other extra properties before releasing the spell, such as homing in on a target or having it explode on impact, but that was beside the point. Next, I worked on my control over each of these parts. Interestingly, I also discovered that the more you altered a spell from its original state, the more mana you used up. For instance, with size adjustment, making a Waterball two timesrger expended two times the mana, which made sense, but what didn¡¯t, was the fact that making it two times smaller also expended two times the mana. Yes¡­ very weird. Energy to mass conversion simply didn¡¯t work like that. But that was just another reason to escape the confines of rigid spell creation, I suppose. Anyway, after getting the fundamentals of the four main parts down, I then practised altering the spell after it was created, such as changing a Waterball into a Water Arrow after already casting it as a Waterball. This led me to now, where I could takeplete control of each of the four elements¡­ though I still followed the regr process for summoning it. While this was a great control exercise, due to me changing the nature of the magic so much, it also allowed me to drain my mana reserves at a very efficient rate. The power wascking, and I needed to be in a state of meditation to do anything meaningful, so it wasn¡¯t useful at all inbat, but progress was progress. Hopefully, after increasing my control a bit more, I could also work on casting magic from parts of my body other than my hand. With earth magic, for instance, where many spells required casting through contact with the ground, being able to cast through my feet would be extremely useful. Hmm¡­ now that I think about it, I should start working on that right now. But I couldn¡¯t exactly do that inside- ¡°Leon! I¡¯m back!¡± Paul shouted from downstairs. ¡°Go grab your sword and get out here!¡± ¡­Never mind. I guess it was time for sword training once again. ¡ª Rudeus Greyrat ¡ª It had been a little over a year since I came to terms with my reincarnation, and in this time, I had discovered another astonishing fact about my situation. Not only was I reborn¡­ but I was reborn in another world. A fantasy world of swords and magic. I remember that morning quite clearly. I was watching as my father, who I had learned was named Paul, took my brother, Leon, outside after winter had ended before promptly making him swing his sword repeatedly until he copsed from exhaustion. I was initially distraught. While I was quite put off by my brother due to¡­ bad memories, he was a good kid. A mama¡¯s boy through and through who always made sure to help around the house and tried to keep me happy. So I had no ill will toward this new brother of mine, rather, I felt quite endeared to the kid. So seeing my father tire him so much with sword training¡­ it truly made me sick to my stomach. Wasn¡¯t that child abuse? And more importantly, would I be forced to do such a dweeb-like thing as swinging a sword around once I got older? In my fright, I fell from the bench I had been sitting on, right onto my head. My mother, Zenith, was rightfully panicked, and quickly picked me up before chanting some soothing luby. But as I quickly found out, it wasn¡¯t a luby at all. Rather, it was a spell. A healing magic spell. Magic¡­ A world of magic¡­ After that discovery, I began listening in on their conversations a bit more, and I quickly picked up the names of ces that I had never heard of before. And then, a weekter, my brother summoned a ball of water in front of me out of thin air before twirling it around in an attempt to entertain me, banishing all doubts. This wasn¡¯t a normal reincarnation¡­ but rather, it was a reincarnation in another world! With the knowledge and experience of my past life¡­ I could get another chance to live life without the same mistakes my previous self had made. Finally¡­ I could live life right. And, hopefully, pick up some cute girls along the way. Hehehe. ¡ª Lilia ¡ª Watching as the Young Master swung his sword diligently, I felt my mouth blossom into a smile at the sight. Truly¡­ just a few years ago, I would have never thought I would be where I am now and feel as happy as I currently was. I used to be a royal handmaiden for the Asura Pce harem, which, alongside the usual handmaiden duties, included acting as a guard. In my case, I was to guard the newborn princess. When it came to domestic duties, I carried out my job with absolute perfection, to the point where I was nearly nominated to serve the King himself if it wasn¡¯t for mymoner background. As for mybat capabilities, however¡­ they were only adequate. Just what you would expect from an Intermediate-rank Water God swordswoman. So it was only natural that when I was forced to defend the princess against a group of assassins, I had found myselfpletely outmatched. Despite this, I had carried out my duty to protect the princess diligently, and eventually, one of the other pce guards put an end to the would-be killer¡­ but the attacker had struck me with a de, one coated in poison potent enough to kill royalty. Luckily, the pce mages were able to save my life and my leg, but due to the troublesome nature of the poison, I was unable to continue my life as a fighter with the lingering pain. And as expected, I was promptly discarded from my position right after. I held no ill will towards their decision. Rather, I was grateful they did not simply erase me in secret, considering my position in the court and my nonexistent political support as amoner. Besides¡­ the disgusting leers that the nobles had sent my way had been getting on my nerves, so in a way, it felt good to finally escape that pce of lust and perverseness. As the assassin¡¯s mastermind was yet to be found, and considering how people might be privy to wanting a former Asura Pce handmaiden to their benefit, I quickly made haste out of the capital city of Ars, towards the rural Fittoa Region. At first, I was hoping to gain a position with the local lord in the Citadel of Roa, or perhaps teach swordsmanship to the city¡¯s civilians¡­ but anyone out here in the agriculturalnds that were willing to pay for my services would likely have connections back to the capital, and I wanted no part in that life anymore, so those options were thrown out. So, after a month of wandering the region with no prospects, I finally found a job posting that caught my eye. A housekeeper with the immediate duty of a midwife for some low-ranking knight in Buena Vige. The sry was¡­ fine. If a little low for someone of my skills. But what particrly caught my eye, was the name of said knight. One Paul Greyrat. To think him of all people would settle down with a family¡­ I had a¡­ history with the man, so to say. Back when I was being trained by my father in swordsmanship, he joined my father¡¯s dojo and quickly cemented himself as a genius, reaching the Advanced rank in the Water God Style in a little over a year. But just as quickly as he came, he left like a hurricane¡­ right after forcing himself onto me and taking my virginity. At first, I was bitter. Angry. Hateful toward the scoundrel that stole my innocence. But after joining the Asura Pce, I quickly realized that losing my first time to someone as young and handsome like him was a gift in this cruel world. And so, I epted the job, and quickly made my way to join this young family. Upon my arrival, I was surprised to see that there was already a child there, a kid that the two adventurers had picked up on their travels. But seeing how thedy, Zenith, and the boy, Leon, interacted¡­ it was hard to believe they were not bound by blood. No, perhaps they were bound by something stronger. At first, I was a little put off by the boy who could speak inplete sentences despite only being one year old, but after being told he was likely a Miko, I was able to look past it and see Leon for all that he was. A boy. A very cute, and absolutely wonderful boy, at that. He was charming, for sure, with a nice face, beautiful eyes, attractive hair, and an adorable smile. I was certain that he would grow up into someone who would win over any woman he wished, much like his adoptive father. But luckily, I don¡¯t think I had to worry about such womanizing traits¡­ I hope. After all, despite his young age, he was a gentleman who always tried to help me out with chores. Truly, a blessed child. And a genius as well. And then¡­ the second child was born. The birth itself was problem-free, but once the child was born¡­ it did not cry. At first, I was worried it had been stillborn, with its expressionless facepletely devoid of life, but soon enough, such worries were cast away by the oddly reassuring sound of burbling. Rudeus was the child¡¯s name, and much like his older brother, he did not make a fuss, nor did he cry, save for the gurgles he made whenever he required feeding or needed a diaper changed. I was confused¡­ perhaps he was a Miko like Leon? Or maybe he took after his older brother¡¯s example in some way? I would have thought that he was physically frail, being such a quiet child, but once again my worries were for naught, as once he learned how to crawl, Rudeus made his way around the house with rtive ease. Though, with all of his adventures, oddly enough, he never wandered outside. Perhaps some sort of instinctual fear had been imnted into the child? Anyway, Rudeus¡­ he was always smiling. Not the cute or charming smile of a child that would normally give one the instinct to protect, like Leon¡¯s, but rather he wore a repulsive grin that reminded me of the lecherous smiles that various nobles and ministers sent my way in Ars. And then there was how he would always search for my or Zenith¡¯s undergarments before wearing them on his head, and how he always buried his face in my bosom with a gleeful smile¡­ that was also worrisome. And quite disgusting as well. The unsettling and perverse feeling he gave off in ce of what should be innocent affection¡­ It scared me to no end. Even Paul, the womanizing tyrant of a man, didn¡¯t give off such an aura. But recently, Rudeus¡¯ behaviour had changed. Now, instead of his previous unpredictability, I always found him holed up in his older brother''s room, flipping through books while muttering random sounds to himself. And while I still found him strange, I no longer felt the usual revulsion I did toward the boy. Although he did asionally release a creepyugh, it no longer sent a chill down my spine when he did so. Perhaps that previous period of unsettling nature was simply a phase, and in ce of it, a new sense of earnestness had sprouted. So while it was odd to leave a toddler to their lonesome, I thought it best not to interfere, lest he revert to how he was before. Now, I could say this house was stable. And with Young Master Leon beginning to learn swordsmanship, despite Paul¡¯s inadequacies at teaching, it seemed like this new year would be a period of growth. Hmm¡­ perhaps, if Leon has any trouble picking up the Water God style, I would give him some instruction myself. While I was out of practice, I was always skilled at knowing what to do. Rather, Icked the physical ability to do any advanced techniques or movements. That was simply the limit of my mediocre talent. But for teaching¡­ I should be more than enough, at least until the Advanced rank. ¡°I¡¯m back, Lilia!¡± Leon said, entering through the front door. Yes¡­ this boy would do great things. And with his good heart, I knew that I had nothing to worry about. As long as Paul didn¡¯t imnt any bad thoughts into him¡­ ¡°Lilia?¡± he said, tilting his head cutely. ¡°Yes, Leon. Would you like me to prepare you a bath?¡± I said, smiling down at him. ¡°Nah. I can get the water in there at a good temperature myself, remember? Rather, I should be asking you that. Do you want me to run a bath for you?¡± Inviting a woman for a bath with such a charming, innocent smile¡­ indeed, that was quite dangerous, but knowing that he was saying such a thing to me with no ulterior motives and only kindness warmed my heart. I sincerely hope Paul would not influence this precious boy. Chapter 7 – Second Magician Chapter 7 ¨C Second Magician ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Atta boy! Put some more oomph into it!¡± Dodging Paul¡¯s obvious thrust, I pressed my back foot against the ground beforeunching towards his open chest as I swung my sword from the side. Thwack! But before it could reach him, he twisted his de just in time to parry me. ¡°Hehe. Nice try, but it¡¯ll be a while before you can hit me,¡± he mocked. ¡°But don¡¯t worry! Even if you did get me, it¡¯s not like it would hurt much!¡± Dammit¡­ this guy really knew how to get under my skin. That must be due to the Water God style¡¯s provocation techniques¡­ or maybe it was just him and his normal annoying self. Leaping back, I raised my sword once again to defend against any strike he sent my way, but instead, Paul simply rested his sword against his shoulder while stroking his chin in thought. ¡°Hmm¡­ know what? I think at this point, you can call yourself a Beginner swordsman,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°Really?¡± I asked doubtfully. While my skills have definitely grown over these past months, I still have yet to hit the guy, after all. And I was worried he was just teasing me again. ¡°Yep! While you¡¯re still weak, that¡¯s just because you¡¯re a kid and because you¡¯re fighting me. With a real de in your hand? Yeah, I could see you putting up a fight against a swordsman. Especially with your skill in parrying,¡± he answered. As he said, while I didn¡¯t care for any particr style, I found the Water God techniques a bit easier to learn as the art of parrying didn¡¯t need much strength to perform. ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s great then. Which style am I a Beginner in?¡± I asked. ¡°All three of them! I mean, there¡¯s not much of a difference between the three at the Beginner rank, since you¡¯re just learning the basics. But now that you got them down, I can start showing you some cooler stuff!¡± he eximed. Ignoring his childish antics, I looked down at my wooden sword and the hand, which was previously so smooth, that was now covered in callouses and blisters. It seems like the hours spent swinging my sword and training my body weren¡¯t for nothing. I¡¯m d. ¡°What? Are you worried about how worn out your hand is now? Don¡¯t worry, my son! That¡¯s just proof of your dedication. And besides¡­ women really like that rough texture in bed, you know~¡± he said, making a beckoning motion with his fingers. Gross. I hated that I knew what he was referring to, and I hated it even more that I could hear the moans of my mother every night, likely due to said actions. Damn this cursed knowledge of mine. My lips curled into a frown, ¡°...I¡¯m telling Mama you said dirty things.¡± ¡°Hah? You wouldn¡¯t! This is something to keep between men, you know!¡± Then you should keep it that way, and not tell it to innocent little boys like me. ¡°Just don¡¯t infect Rudy with your¡­ Paulness. I might have the mind to not follow your example, but he¡¯s young and impressionable. I¡¯ve already caught him stealing panties from theundry more than once,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°That¡¯s my son!¡± Paul said proudly. ¡°You¡¯re not helping¡­¡± I murmured sadly. Turning away from his annoying smile, I took in the beautiful scenery. The rolling hills and fields were painted in a thinyer of snow, creating a serene view that stretched as far as I could see, sparkling under the effect of reflecting sunlight. Looking toward the vige, I could see the various houses and cottages with roofs dusted in white, contrasting with the ck plumes of chimney smoke from many of the abodes. The air was crisp and still, and the surroundings quiet, save for the odd chirping bird. It was so¡­ peaceful. And with my recent advancements in magic, the worst part of the winter, the cold, had all but been eliminated. It took a little while, but I was finally able to generate heat without causing a fire, primarily by imagining the molecules in the air vibrating a little faster. Hmm¡­ thinking about that made me feel a little more motivated. ¡°I¡¯m gonna practice my magic now,¡± I said. ¡°Huh? Alright. Just don¡¯t use up all your mana, okay? I don¡¯t want to go draw water in the cold like this,¡± Paul said with a shrug. Seriously? Sozy¡­ But I¡¯d rather him ask me than Mama, so¡­ ¡°Fine. I promise.¡± With Paul heading back inside, I made my way out of the yard and toward the hill next to our house. Since I was now learning Intermediate spells, I didn¡¯t want to damage anything or hurt anyone with my practice, so I asked Mama if I was able to bring my studies outside. She epted, of course, but only as long as I didn¡¯t harm the vigers and made sure to stay within sight of the window. And this hill was perfect for both requirements. Flicking my hand, I send out a wave of fire to melt the snow around the top before stomping my foot, raising a small stool from the ground. Taking a seat, I then pulled out my notebook, which had things ranging from original spell ideas to breaking down the movements of swordsmanship, and even some scientific knowledge I thought important to write down. Anyway, as I learned more Intermediate spells, my knowledge of magic had grown, as well as my belief that the rigidity of spells was not needed, and in fact, held magicians back. I mean, there were countless spells out there, likely enough to do anything one ever needed, but was there a need for me to learn them all when I could just produce the same effect on my own? I didn¡¯t think so. But still, I would go through every spell I could and master it, seeing if any insights would be useful for my growth. Intermediate-rank spells, for the most part, were simply more controlled and powerful versions of Beginner spells, with some merging two spells into one. For instance, Water Cannon, whichunched arge concentration of water, was just a stronger Waterball, and generally more fit forbat. It was in this rank that I also began seeing melded magic, which, as the name implies, was the merging of multiple magics into one. This also brought about another question of mine. When I cast a Waterball and then heated it¡­ was that water magic? Or was it also fire magic? Heat was firmly in the domain of fire magic, but when I cast the spell, I imagined the water molecules vibrating to create the desired effect. So¡­ which was it? And did it matter? Mana was mana, so did it even need a defined element to work? Casting a fireball, I poured some more mana into the spell, causing the fire to grow hot enough that the snow on the ground began to melt. Fire magic. I then imagined oxygen gas, generating it before injecting it into the fireball. The air hissed as the fireball turned blue, and at this point, I could feel my face beginning to sweat. Now¡­ was that still fire magic? Or was it now wind magic? Was it¡­ both? Releasing a sigh, I concentrated the me into my finger beforeunching it at the ground, creating a small crater from the impact. Confusing¡­ So confusing¡­ But I suppose I didn¡¯t need all the answers, and the struggle to find them was quite fun. Maybe once I got a tutor, they could answer some questions of mine that I had, but for now, let¡¯s do some training. pping my face in an attempt to reset myself, I then summoned a ball of earth in my hand before transforming it into various shapes. After the discovery that adjusting a spell expends more mana, I had all but discarded my focus on depleting my magic power reserves, as by training my control and precision, I was able to deplete my magic power at an even greater rate than before. On that note, I had also tried to cast magic across my body, with¡­ varying results. If I had to exin it¡­ it felt like there were¡­ veins, almost. Veins which allowed mana to flow throughout the body or mana veins, for simplicity¡¯s sake. Anyway, these veins only showed up around the hand, or rather, only led to the hands. But I found out that mana veins were also present in the feet, though¡­ to a lesser extent. As seen with the stool trick, I was now able to cast earth magic through my feet, but only when I was in contact with the ground. Something like casting a Fireball with a kick was possible, but as soon as it went away from my body, the spell dispersed, as if it had lost the connection with me. I guess I would have to keep practising and see if that could be changed, but I had a feeling that it was just the way it was, which was fine by me. As long as I could cast earth spells through my feet, allowing me to use them seamlessly with my swordsmanship, that was enough. Hmm¡­ perhaps I should start doing some practice in regard to that too? Just getting used to casting magic while moving, that is. It would be better to start early so that I can build up the habit, even if I don¡¯t integrate it with my swordsmanship right away. Hmm¡­ Swordsmanship¡­ Magic¡­ Focusing on the ball of earth in my palm, I willed it to form the shape of a sword beforepressing it into a hardened, stone-like material. This was the Beginner-rank earth spell, Stone Sword. Quite useless for most magicians, and unless you lost your sword, pretty useless for swordsmen too. But I wonder¡­ could I take it further? Closing my eyes, I concentrated on the sword while imagining thettice of the stone¡¯s edge vibrating. Not to generate heat, but rather to increase the sharpness, just like the Intermediate-rank wind spell Sonic Boom did to the air. My de generated a soft hum and I opened my eyes before summoning a small pir of ice. Releasing a horizontal sh with my new de, to my surprise, the pir was instantly bisected. ¡°...Cool.¡± It seems that infusing magic into my swordsmanship was going to be easier than I thought. But then, just as the thought enters my mind, I watched as the de in my hand crumbled into dust. ¡°...Okay, maybe not.¡± I would probably have to focus on reinforcing the de somehow, right? That should be possible once I reach the Advanced rank in swordsmanship¡­ I hope. I mean, that boulder sh Paul always likes to show off with never seemed to chip his sword, so there should be something to work with there. ¡ª Information on the Six-Faced World ¡ª Rank Titles in the Sword God Style Beginner: This rank is where practitioners begin learning the foundations of the Sword God Style. To attain this rank, they must have a basic understanding and ability in swordsmanship. Intermediate: Intermediate Sword God practitioners can contend with an average knight, and can swiftly cover their body in touki. Advanced: This rank is attained when one can consciously use their touki. Saint: One is given the title of Sword Saint when they canpletely control their touki and can use the Longsword of Light. When a Sword God Style attains this rank, they are given a dark leather jacket with a white fur trim cor by their master. King: There is no known condition for attaining the title of Sword King, as it is only a title bestowed by the Sword God. The practitioner who attains the title also gains a sword from the Sword God¡¯s collection, as well as a special title. Emperor: This rank is attained when two Sword Kings battle against each other in front of the Sword God as witness. The winner then bes a Sword Emperor. God: The most powerful practitioner in the world of the Sword God Style and the leader of said school. As such, there can only be one Sword God at a time. When someone bests the current Sword God inbat, they can then assume that title, and if the Sword God dies without being bested by a sessor, the next strongest in the style assumes the title. The Sword God can give anyone any rank in the Sword God Style that they wish, even if the person in question has not met the usual requirements. ¡ª Rudeus Greyrat ¡ª It had been a little over two years since I had reincarnated, and while not much had changed for my family, I had gone through an intense period of growth. Most notably¡­ I can walk now, baby! But that¡¯s not all! During this time, I also learned how to read by going through the five books in our house, which all happened to be in my older brother¡¯s room. I wasn¡¯t jealous though, as not only did it make sense for my seemingly genius of a brother to read a lot, but I was also given free rein to invite myself into his room whenever I wanted, so nothing of value was lost. But deciphering thenguage wasn¡¯t something I had to endeavour alone, thankfully enough. As soon as Leon noticed I had taken an interest in reading, he began to read me one of the two fantasy novels at bedtime each night, which greatly increased my understanding of the writtennguage. Although¡­ it was a bit embarrassing to say ¡®Thank you, big brother!¡¯ to what was a four-year-old child, but I swallowed down my pride with the overwhelming gratitude I felt. Anyway, after gaining an understanding of thenguage, I found myself drawn to A Textbook of Magic. I mean, who wouldn¡¯t? Obviously someone who came from a world without magic would find that interesting! But on the very first few pages, I found myself wondering how much credibility this thing had. There were only two ways of performing magic, ording to the book, either by using a magic circle or by using an incantation. I, of course, had ample reason to doubt that. Not once had I ever seen my brother cast magic with either of those methods. He simply¡­ willed the elements to do his bidding, same with his healing magic, like when I had a sore throat that he cleared up. But¡­ my mother always did call him a genius, so maybe that was just a thing for him? Hmm¡­ maybe I¡¯ll ask him for some help if I can¡¯t find out how myself, but I should try working at least a bit on my own. I would hate to instantly shoot past my toddler brother in skill and destroy his confidence, after all. Plus, if my parents found out I knew magic, I might be forced to practice outside like Leon did, and I¡­ wasn¡¯t ready for that quite yet. So I¡¯ll keep my abilities, if I had any, a secret for now. Let¡¯s see¡­ well, I should probably start with the weakest spell, right? Start from the basics, and then slowly build myself up. No shortcuts, only constant progress. I wouldn¡¯t let this second life of mine go to waste¡­ and hopefully, I could remove my eternal wizard status on the way too. Seeing how my two parents and my brother were quite the lookers, I think I had a good chance to not becking in the charm department. It was just putting that charm to use that would need some work. But I had a lot of time to learn, right? Besides, being socially awkward was probably seen as cute as long as you had a handsome face to go behind it. Anyway, I was getting too deep into semantics. Okay, so¡­ let¡¯s go with the most basic and safest of spells, the Beginner-rank water spell, Waterball. Let¡¯s see¡­ the chant was¡­ Raising my hand, I then recited the words written in the book. ¡°Let the vast and blessed waters converge where thou wilt and issue forth a single pure stream thereof - Waterball.¡± Suddenly, I felt a sensation like blood pooling in my raised hand, and then, as if that blood was squeezed out through my palm, a ball of water manifested itself in front of me. I was startled at the strange sensation, and as a result, the ball of water fell to the floor. I guess concentration was needed to keep up the spell. That was¡­ difficult. Damn¡­ Leon was a monster, wasn¡¯t he? Okay¡­ now let¡¯s try it again. Concentrate¡­ focus on the image of water¡­ Feeling the same welling sensation in my hand as before, I increased my concentration. If I wanted to do this right, I should master the basics first. Just like how I used to practicebos in fighting games, I needed to imprint this sensation on my muscle memory. Or rather¡­ magic memory, in this case, but same thing. Drawing a deep breath, I felt the blood-like phenomenon course through my body toward my hand, before expelling out of my hand, but this time slower and more controlled. Image¡­ Waterball¡­ a ball of water¡­ wetness¡­ wet¡­ wet panties- Whoops. Thatst bit kinda just slipped in there, but it was a wee thought. Wet, water, water waterwaterwater- ¡°Hiyah!¡± I cried, shooting my hand out before me. And, in that instant, a ball of water came into being, before promptly falling onto the floor. Splish. ¡­I did it. Just like Leon, I could cast magic without an incantation. Didn¡¯t that mean I was a genius like him? Hehehe- Wait¡­ No, I shouldn¡¯t call myself a genius just yet. Didn¡¯t I already know? Someone who puffed themselves up with pride would only end up getting cocky and failing at life. I didn¡¯t want to fail. Just like my brother, I wouldn¡¯t let this get to me. Instead, I would practice diligently while keeping a level head. There was no need to think of myself as better than anyone else. I should just buckle down and get better through constant practice. But¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be lying if I said I didn¡¯t feel good right now. Hehehe~ Well, let¡¯s try that again! Holding my right hand outward, I felt a weight pressing down on me. The weight of exhaustion. ¡°Damn¡­ am I out of MP then?¡± Such a paltry amount? I barely made two balls of water before being put out ofmission! Wait¡­ I think I¡¯ve heard my brother talk about something like this, back when I was a baby. My magic power, or MP reserves¡­ he said that they should grow if I start using magic early, right? Okay, then let¡¯s try this once again! Conjuring the image of water, and feeling the familiar welling sensation of mana, I quickly passed out. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª I was now five years old. This meant that I had also had my first birthday, as with human traditions, there were three major birthdays one celebrated at the ages of five, ten, and fifteen. The first birthday was to celebrate a child living and beating infant mortality, which was quite morbid, but it made sense in this medieval world filled with magic and monsters. The second, which was at age ten, was to signify when children usually started apprenticing with a craftsman, such as cksmithing or tailoring, or starting to prepare for whatever job they were destined for. The third was to signify bing an adult, and for most, this was the age where you began to search for a spouse and start a family. But I was still pretty far away from that. For my birthday, Paul had gotten me a set of two swords. One that was a short sword, which I could use with my current stature, and another which was adult-sized for when I grew up. He also made a long speech about morals and stuff, but the seriousness of it all quickly faded after he forgot his words halfway through. But still¡­ it was a nice gesture, and it was a legitimately praiseworthy attempt at parenting. From Lilia, I had gotten a handmade red wool scarf, which I instantly began wearing as part of my everyday outfit, much to her happiness. Mama got me a book on protection or barrier magic, that covered up to the Intermediate rank in spells. Unfortunately, I had the book taken away from me soon after receiving it, so I couldn¡¯t run off to my room to read it, but I was able to get it back into my possession after the dinner. And from my brother¡­ well, I got a cute smile, and that was all that I needed. All amazing presents, especially considering our modest ie. And honestly, my family was enough of a gift, at least to me. Of course, I didn¡¯t sit idly as this time went by. I was now proud to call myself an Intermediate-rank magician in every school, save for barrier magic which I had only scratched the surface of, and summoning magic, which I didn¡¯t even have a way to start. Alongside that, I was also now a ¡®Pseudo-Intermediate¡¯ ranked swordsman in all three styles, ording to my father. What did being a ¡®Pseudo-Intermediate¡¯ rank mean? Well¡­ nothing, really. At least not to the rest of the world. It was simply something that Paul made up as a way to urately describe my abilities with the sword, and for such a simple man, I think it was a pretty smart description. As he put it, I had the skill and technique to qualify as an Intermediate-rank swordsman, but due to my body, I was still a little too weak to truly be considered as one. This was an odd state of limbo no one else had likely found themselves in, as I was both quite talented at the sword while also having the advantage of training from such an early age, and thus my mental abilities in swordsmanship outgrew my physical ones. Anyway, back to magic, while I haven¡¯t embarked on any Advanced-rank spells just yet, it didn¡¯t mean I hadn¡¯t progressed in my abilities. While there was the fact I wanted to slowly master the basics before moving on to something more advanced, there was also something else I¡¯ve learned from my constant sparring with Paul. Advanced magic¡­ was a bit much. A bit too much, I mean. So much so that it was essentially useless inbat. As I had learned before, the more you increase in the rank of a magic spell, the moreplex it is and the more magic power that is required, and as a result, most Advanced-rank magic was forrge areas of effect and weather-altering spells. And inbat, that was quite useless. Especially in a sword fight, where a simple and strong spell would be better than a gaudy one. Besides, I had already started to move away from the concept of spells, and more into the realm of using magic as it was, so I wasn¡¯t too hung up on not being an Advanced-rank magician. Of course, I ended up using magic in a way that replicated spells, but that was just due to- Kaboom! The heck!? Darting my head toward the source of the explosion, my eyes widened as I watched a trail of water vapour, originating from our house, arc across the clear blue sky. And seeing the ball of water which was causing said trail¡­ that was Water Cannon, right? Intermediate-rank magic? Mama didn¡¯t know Intermediate-rank elemental magic, and I don¡¯t think she started studying again, so¡­ was it Rudy? I knew that my baby brother had been practising magic in my room, and seeing that he was only filling up buckets with Waterball, I had decided to leave him to his lonesome. I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d fire off an Intermediate spell! And in the house, no less! ¡°The fuck!? Did a monster attack or something!?¡± Paul shouted as he sprinted into the house. Letting out a small sigh, I released the control of my magic, causing the blue me I was controlling to dissipate into the air as I then followed his lead. Running up toward my room, I was met with the scene of absolute carnage, with the entire section of wall sted to soaked splinters as Rudeus stood there in mute shock. My room¡­ ¡°The hell? Rudy, are you okay?¡± Paul said with narrowed eyes, scanning the surroundings carefully. That look¡­ it reminded me of our adventuring days. It¡¯s good to see our domestic life hadn¡¯tpletely eroded his skills. ¡°Oh my goodness!¡± Mama said from the doorway. Always the calmer one out of the two, she then looked at the destroyed wall before turning her eyes to the puddle on the floor, and then to the magic book that was syed out next to Rudy. Her gaze shifted between the book and my brother a couple of times before she broke out into a wide smile. ¡°Rudy~¡± she said sweetly as she crouched down. Ah¡­ I knew that look. It was the type of smile that didn¡¯t quite reach her eyes, and for some reason, despite the warmth, sent a chill down my spine. She did this the first time I used Intermediate-rank magic, if I remember correctly. Well¡­ I suppose it was Rudy¡¯s problem now. ¡°Did you read the words in this book out loud?¡± she asked gently. But even that soft tone couldn¡¯t hide the tremble of excitement in the way she spoke. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Rudy meekly replied with a tiny nod. ¡°Sorry?¡± Paul said, baffled. ¡°That was an Intermediate-tier sp-!¡± ¡°Oh, honey, did you hear that?!¡± Mama interrupted, jumping to her feet. ¡°I knew it! Just like Leon, I knew our Rudy was a genius!¡± Mama then began hopping around in ecstasy, her hands balled tightly into fists. It was nice seeing Mama so happy and act so cute, but¡­ where was I supposed to sleep now? ¡°Wait, hold on a second, we haven¡¯t even taught him how to read yet. How the heck-¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been teaching him,¡± I interjected, cutting off Paul¡¯s words. I hadn¡¯t taught him, really. I¡¯ve just been reading to him at night. But for the past few months, Rudy hadn¡¯t wanted to do that anymore, instead preferring to head right to bed after dinner. That was likely due to feeling exhausted from practising magic, as well as the fact he could now apparently read on his own. Hmm¡­ maybe he was like me after all? Not that it mattered much. ¡°Uuu~ Such a good brother you are, Leon!¡± As a reward for my white lie, I was then engulfed in another one of Mama¡¯s suffocating hugs. Despite the fact I had gotten a bit taller over the years, I was still but an infant in front of those breasts. ¡°We have to get him a magic tutor right away! I¡¯ve wanted to get one for Leon for so long, so isn¡¯t this the perfect opportunity!?¡± Mama eximed. Wriggling my way out of her grasp, I walked over to Lilia, who had begun to clean up the mess, before taking control of the water on the floor and collecting it into a cup. ¡°Thank you, Leon,¡± she said. ¡°No problem, Lilia. Now¡­ what are we going to do with this wall?¡± I asked with worry. ¡°I do not know. But for now, you can sleep with me,¡± she said. ¡°Is that alright?¡± I nodded my head, ¡°Of course. Thanks, Lilia.¡± As for how I could take control of said water, well¡­ that was another application of magic I had found in my research. When one used elemental magic, said magic¡¯s matter would remain even without control, effectively turning from magic into, well, regr matter. Well, except for fire, but that was only because there was no fuel to continue tobustion. So¡­ what did that mean? It meant that all matter had a connection with magic, which also meant that one could control the elements, even if they were not conjured with magic. This made sense, as with regr elemental magic, once you conjured the form of the spell, like a ball of water with Waterball, it became regr water that you could then do what you wanted with it. Hmm¡­ taking control of matter through magic¡­ thinking about that, I wonder if I could use some sort of telekinesis eventually? ¡°Honey, let¡¯s head to Roa tomorrow and post a job for a tutor! We need to make sure Rudy can hone his talents!¡± Mama continued. With Mama continuing her ramblings, I looked down at the silent Rudy, who was sitting there with a nk face, eyes lost in concentration about¡­ something. Come on, baby bro¡­ at least apologize for messing up my room. You¡¯re lucky I don¡¯t have any mementos, save for Big Sis Ghiine¡¯s ring around my neck, or I would be quite upset. ¡°Hold on a moment. Didn¡¯t we promise that if he was a boy, I would train him as a swordsman?¡± Paul, opposite of Mama, seemed less enthusiastic about Rudy¡¯s talents. ¡°You can¡¯t go back on a promise like that,¡± he shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me about promises! You break them all the time! And I made that promise before our sonunched an Intermediate-rank spell at the age of three! Without any training, and right through our wall! Which you need to fix, by the way!¡± Not wanting their spat to get any more heated, I decided to interject the argument. ¡°Couldn¡¯t we just do what we do with me, and train him in both? He can study magic in the morning, and then swordsmanship in the afternoon with me.¡± That seemed to put the quarrel to an end, as the two shared a look before turning back to me. ¡°Oh¡­ right. Sorry, I kinda forgot we could do that,¡± Paul said, a little abashed. Seriously¡­ Anyway, with Rudy¡¯s training n decided, it seemed like I would finally be getting a taste of magical education in this world pretty soon, other than what Mama did with healing magic, of course. I hope I can actually learn something useful rather than having everything from the textbook being repeated back to me. Maybe if I¡¯m lucky, I can see what Saint-rank magic was all about too. ¡­Nah, who was I kidding. What Saint-rank magician woulde out to the sticks to teach a couple of toddlers of a low-ranked knight? That would be ridiculous. For now, though, I was just hoping the walls in Lilia¡¯s room were thicker than my own. I had a feeling that Mama would be a bit more excited than usual, and I did not want to hear that all night. Chapter 8 – Instructor Chapter 8 ¨C Instructor ¡ª Roxy Migurdia ¡ª Watching the rural scenery pass me by, I took in a deep breath of the fresh air before releasing a sigh. ¡°Let¡¯s hope this one goes well¡­¡± I hade to the Citadel of Roa after hearing about a new tutoring job request from the Adventurer Guild, but as soon as I arrived, I was turned down. Was it because I was a demon? Or perhaps it was my problematic hair colour? It could even be due to my size. Either way, I quickly found my hopes dashed, but as if fate had cast its blessing on me, I found a new tutoring job posted the very next day. The pay was paltry for someone of my status, but considering it was from a low-rank knight in some unknown vige, it was to be expected. But seeing the details of getting a free room and board, along with plenty of free time, I decided to take the chance. Besides, some quiet and stable country life would be good for me. I had decided to quit being an adventurer because of the instability of the lifestyle, after all. Getting directions to the knight¡¯s house from the coachman, I took my luggage before heading down the dirt path of the vige, and before long, I found the ce I was looking for. A beautifully crafted wooden house, overlooking the quaint and ordinary rural settlement. Yep. That¡¯s Asuran nobility for you. But at least it wasn¡¯t nearly as gaudy as the capital of Ars. Those noble mansions were simply too stifling. Making my way up to the front door, I couldn¡¯t stop my gaze from drifting over to the beautiful walled yard and flowered garden. Yeah¡­ a ce like this¡­ I could get used to it. But first, let¡¯s meet my new prospective students! Rapping my fist against the door, it didn¡¯t take long before it opened, revealing a beautiful blonde human woman, a handsome man, and a toddler held in the woman¡¯s arms. Alright. Let¡¯s do this, Roxy. I gave the family a respectful nod, ¡°I¡¯m Roxy. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± Perfect! Looking back at the silent couple, I noticed that the two were at a total loss for words. Haa¡­ it was always the same with humans. Even though I was nearing my 40s, I still looked like a child to them. ¡°Oh, uh, are¡­ are you the home tutor?¡± the woman asked. I was about to answer before the man scratched his head, ¡°Aren¡¯t you a little, uh¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re little,¡± the toddler finished for him. How rude. ¡°You¡¯re sure one to talk,¡± I snapped. Ah, shoot¡­ I wanted to get hired by this ce, but I justshed out at a child who didn¡¯t look like he had even had his first birthday. ¡°Hey. Don¡¯t be mean to your new teacher, Rudy,¡± a childish voice spoke up from behind me. Turning my head, I saw a young child, likely around the age of seven, with shoulder-length golden hair and a red scarf wrapped around his neck. Cute. I suppose this was one of my students? Wait¡­ what did he say again? That the toddler was also supposed to be my student? Haa¡­ I guess there were parents like this, huh? A kid shows some shes of growing up quickly, and then the parents think they have some special talent. ¡°What was that?¡± the mother said. Oh¡­ did I say that out loud? ¡°Umm¡­ a little bit, Miss Roxy,¡± the boy said from my side. ¡°But don¡¯t worry. I assure you we¡¯ll be worth your while! Here, let me take your suitcase.¡± The boy then took my luggage out of my hand, and surprisingly, lifted it with ease. ¡­Were children supposed to be that strong? Those were all my belongings in there, you know. I know humans were known for their quick growthpared to other races, but that was a bit much. ¡°Thank you, umm¡­¡± ¡°Leon. Leon Greyrat,¡± he said with a smile. I see¡­ Leon, huh? Yeah¡­ definitely cute. ¡°Oya? What¡¯s this? Such a gentleman, this son of mine~¡± the father, I presume, said teasingly. ¡°You always told me to be nice to pretty girls,¡± Leon responded. P-Pretty? While it was a bit embarrassing to admit, hearing such a thing did force a blush onto my face, even though it was the innocent words of a child. After all, I had been called ¡®cute¡¯ many times before, but that was all by perverts who enjoyed the fact I looked like a child. Perverts whom I would rather not associate with. At this point, I had a feeling that romance would be an impossibility for someone like me, especially with my childish dream of being saved in a dungeon by a handsome adventurer¡­ Yeah, I was definitely a bit delusional regarding romance. I was a bit sad now. But even if it was just the words of a kid, hearing myself be called ¡®pretty¡¯... it felt quite nice. ¡°Wait. That¡¯s not it,¡± Leon continued. ¡°You also told me that¡¯s how you would get them in your room, and then-¡± ¡°Ahh! Stop there, Leon! It¡¯s fine to stop there, right?¡± the father pleaded. ¡°Paul,¡± the woman said icily. So his name was Paul¡­ ¡°W-What is it, my beautiful wife?¡± ¡°What exactly are you teaching my innocent Leon?¡± Ignoring their family feud, I turned to look at the toddler who was held in the mother¡¯s arms. Would he really be able to be taught? Could he really understand the intricacies of magic? Instead of answering my unvoiced question, the toddler sent a wink my way before turning to Leon with a slight re. ¡­I didn¡¯t know. ¡°Well¡­ thank you for having me. I¡¯ll do what I can,¡± I said, bowing. But I would carry out my lessons regardless. And I¡¯ll be sure to not make the same mistakes as my ¡®master¡¯. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Okay, so¡­ how about we go through what you two know about magic? Or rather, what you can use,¡± Roxy said, cing her magic textbook on the bench. It seemed that our new teacher was underestimating my brother and me, but for some reason, I only found that endearing rather than annoying. And from how my chest seemed to tighten whenever she cast her gaze my way¡­ was this a crush? I suppose it made sense. While she only looked to be in her teens, still a bit too old for a kid like me, she was much closer in agepared to the women I hade to know. And¡­ she was also cute. Really cute. I don¡¯t know if it was the exotic factor of her blue hair, or if it was her reserved yet confident demeanour, but overall, she was quite charming. But why was Rudy ring at me? Was it possible that he felt the same? No¡­ he was only three years old, so that couldn¡¯t be the case. But a demonstration, huh? I was quite excited to see what a magician could do inbat, as Mama always saved her mana for healing, and Talhand was more of a tank than a mage. ¡°Let¡¯s start with a basic magic, Waterball. Commonly thought of as the most useful magic in the world, not for its attack power, but rather for its ability to summon fresh, potable water.¡± Rudy and I both nodded at her words. ¡°Now I¡¯ll demonstrate. Let the vast and blessed waters converge where thou wilt and issue forth a single pure stream thereof-¡± Oh, shoot, she was aiming for one of the trees. Mama will be pretty mad if it gets damaged¡­ ¡°Waterball!¡± Just as the ball of water floating on the tip of her staff shot forward, I stomped my foot, raising a pir of earth that blocked the attack right before it hit the tree. But to my surprise, my earth pir was demolished upon impact, creating a cloud of dust as I felt the control of the earth crumble. Whoa¡­ her magic, while simple, was extremely powerful. Maybe traditional magic would be useful to learn after all? ¡°Sorry, Miss Roxy,¡± I said. ¡°I don¡¯t think Mama would be very happy if you destroyed her favourite tree.¡± I remember the face of pure rage she had when Paul cut down a few of its branches during a spar. My words seem to break the girl out of her shock, ¡°I-I see- No! W-What was that? Chantless magic!? Do you do that normally?¡± ¡°Hm? Yeah. And Rudy does too,¡± I said as I summoned a ball of blue fire. ¡°Wow¡­ and he does too, huh?¡± she asked, turning to my brother. Wearing a confident smirk, Rudy summoned a ball of water, before shooting it into what remained of my earth pir. Ah¡­ I should level out the ground, shouldn¡¯t I? ¡°I see¡­ I get it now. That makes sense¡­¡± Roxy said, tipping down her hat to cover her face. She quickly regained herposure by convincing herself that it made sense, even though I was sure it didn¡¯t. After all, she was probably wondering if the two of us could even cast magic at all, much less without a chant and with such ease. She then cracked a smile, one different from the bashful one from before, ¡°I think it¡¯s worth training you two after all.¡± Umm¡­ she said things out loud pretty often, huh? I guess honesty was a trait of hers, for better or worse. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s move on to the next spell!¡± As Roxy began excitedly flipping through her textbook, Mama made her way over with a tray of drinks. ¡°So? How are Rudy and Leon?¡± she asked with a smirk. Roxy flinched before scratching her cheek in shame, ¡°Well¡­ they are certainly something. I want to see their limits first before teaching them anything, so that¡¯s where we¡¯re at now.¡± ¡°I see~ That¡¯s good~ Just don¡¯t forget that they have sword practice in the afternoon. But for now, have some juice,¡± Mama said, setting down the drinks. ¡°Ah, thank you¡­¡± With Mama skipping her way back inside, visibly ecstatic about her two sons¡¯ praise, I took my cup before sitting down next to Roxy. ¡°Miss Roxy¡­ your magic¡­ it was amazing,¡± I said. Despite how pretentious it sounded, my words were not a lie. And luckily, from the way the corner of her mouth curled, she didn¡¯t misunderstand. Perhaps it was because I had practised quite a bit at using the elements freely, I knew just how skilful and precise her control was, allowing for the power of her spell to be amplified ordingly. While I don¡¯t usually use incantations, I did use them to study each spell I was practising at the time, so I knew how rigid the system was. To go beyond that, and maintain the ¡®bncing¡¯ aspect of incantations while increasing the power¡­ Roxy was quite amazing, huh? ¡°Ahem! Is that so? Well, thank you for thepliment, but¡­ you two are even more so,¡± she said, her blue eyes dulling a bit at the end. ¡°B-But we still need help with learning, right, Leon?¡± Rudy piped up, raising his head from where it was before. Wait. He wasn¡¯t looking up her skirt, was he? ¡­Actually, that might be par for the course for him, being Paul¡¯s son and all. I thought he kicked those perverted habits after learning magic, but blood doesn¡¯t lie, I suppose. ¡°Precisely. You can only learn so much by yourself. So please continue the lesson, Miss Roxy,¡± I said, ncing up at her with a smile. That seemed to do the trick, as her face visibly brightened. ¡°I-If you say so! Now, let¡¯s see how you two deal with ice-type spells...¡± And so, that was how I gained my first instructor in this life, save for Mama and my father, and possibly¡­ my first crush as well. ¡ª Information on the Six-Faced World ¡ª Seven Great Powers The Seven Great Powers refers to the seven strongest warriors in the world. This selection came to exist following the end of the Second Human-Demon War as a means for the Technique God to find worthy opponents. The order of the powers refers to their strength rtive to each other, with the first four being referred to as the ¡®upper¡¯ ranks, and the remaining three referred to as the ¡®lower¡¯ ranks. The rankings only change once someone is defeated or dead, thus, the ranks do not directly corrte tobat prowess. The Seven Great Powers and their respective ranks are as follows: 1 - Technique God - Unknown - Missing 2 - Dragon God - Orsted - Active 3 - Fighting God - Unknown - Missing 4 - Demon God - Lace - Sealed 5 - Death God - Randolph Marianne - Active 6 - Sword God - Gal Farion - Active 7 - North God - Aleksander Rybak - Active ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª A few weeks had passed since Roxy became our tutor, and as a result of our new lessons, our schedule had changed to be like so: Mornings were spent doing magic lessons, and around lunchtime was free time, which coincidentally, I also used for magic practice. Afternoons were then used for sword practice, where Rudy would work on strengthening his body while I sparred with Paul. And then after dinner, Roxy would teach us things unrted to magic, such as geography, history, and other life skills. Which just so happened to be right now. ¡°-Thus, in dungeons, and any closed-off space, you shouldn¡¯t use fire magic as it causes the air to be poisoned.¡± Hmm¡­ what Roxy was referring to was likely carbon monoxide poisoning, or perhaps the general loss of oxygen from thebustion reaction known as ¡®fire¡¯. I wonder though¡­ ¡°Do you think the air could be cleansed or recycled by casting wind magic?¡± I asked. At my question, Roxy tilted her head to the side, tapping her finger against her chin. ¡°Perhaps¡­ it depends on the spell being cast, though. Most wind magic is simply taking control of the surrounding air, so that wouldn¡¯t help, but for the ones that create air, such as Water Breathing, it would likely alleviate such problems. Good thinking, Leon,¡± she then patted my head as a reward, which caused my face to heat up. ¡°T-Thank you,¡± I said with a bashful smile. ¡°Hee~? You¡¯re being quite cute, Leon.¡± Averting my eyes in embarrassment, I then noticed that my baby brother was fast asleep on his bed. ¡°Ah. I suppose it is a littlete,¡± Roxy said. ¡°And since we touched up on multicasting, he must be quite tired. Are you ready for bed?¡± I shake my head, ¡°No. I¡¯m still okay. But¡­ let¡¯s leave him alone. If you¡¯re tired, we can end the lesson.¡± ¡°No, we can continue. Paul fixed up your room, right? Let¡¯s head there,¡± she said while packing up her textbooks. ¡°O-Okay.¡± For some reason, the prospect of having Roxye to my room excites me in a way different from the excitement I felt when learning magic and practising swordy. Dammit¡­ Paul¡¯s sinful words were getting to my head, weren¡¯t they? I¡¯m definitely telling on him with Mama. Lilia too, for that matter. Actually, wait¡­ That might be too embarrassing if I had to reveal why they were being brought up. With both of us sitting on my bed, I looked down at my twiddling thumbs before Roxy broke the silence. ¡°Hey, Leon¡­ can you¡­ can you tell me how you use magic without incantations?¡± she asked, averting her eyes in shame. Hm? Why would she be ashamed-? Ah¡­ so that¡¯s it. It must be pretty hard to ask the person you¡¯re teaching, especially a kid, to teach you about something regarding magic. But talking! Yes, talking was a good way to distract myself from these feelings! ¡°Chantless magic? Yeah, sure! So¡­ I guess I¡¯ll exin how it started,¡± I said. Roxy then pulled out a quill and notebook before nodding, ¡°Please. That would be very useful.¡± I then thought back to when I first used magic with Mama, and while it was years ago, the feeling was still quite fresh as I did something simr each time I learned a new magic. Where I would feel how it flowed with an incantation before repeating the process without one. ¡°So, it all started when I used my first spell, Healing. When I repeated the words while concentrating, I noticed the mana flow through my body,¡± I exined. ¡°Wait. The way you said that, it sounds like you could use magic instantly,¡± Roxy interjected with confusion. ¡°Hm? With Beginner-rank magic, yeah. Just focus and repeat the incantation, and then¡­ there.¡± My exnation fell on deaf ears as Roxy looked at me perplexedly before rubbing her temples. ¡°That¡¯s not- No, never mind. Continue, please.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± I said, confused. ¡°Anyway, I was able to feel the mana flowing through my body and into my hand, guided along by the incantation and then being pushed further by my will.¡± She nodded her head at my exnation, ¡°...I think I understand. While traditionally, the ¡®pushing mana¡¯ part is seen as part of the incantation process, you, on the other hand, divide the two in your head¡­ I see¡­¡± She catches on awfully quickly. ¡°Yeah, anyway, next I tried to do the same without the ¡®guidance¡¯ of incantation helping me,¡± I continued. ¡°But with that, I was only able to make the mana ¡®appear¡¯ correctly, if that makes sense. It didn¡¯t have an element, or any substance to it. To get the right effect, I had to picture it happening in my mind.¡± The level of understanding one had toward the effect also yed a part. Like how imagining thebustion process scientifically rather than a simple me allowed my fire magic to turn blue, but that was a little too advanced for this first exnation. ¡°Hmm¡­ image¡­ control of the mana¡­ these are simr concepts to how one reduces the incantation, though the concept of incantations ¡®guiding¡¯ the mana has yet to be explored¡­¡± Roxy then set down her quill before raising her hand with her palm facing upward. Her nose scrunched in concentration as she tried to put my advice into practice, but unfortunately, to no avail. ¡­Cute. ¡°Haa¡­ I suppose it would be conceited of me to think it would be so simple,¡± she said sadly. ¡°D-Don¡¯t worry, Miss Roxy! While it takes a lot more control than incantations, I am sure that if anyone can do it, it¡¯d be you. I think the main thing is breaking the habit,¡± I said. She turned to me with a questioning expression, ¡°Breaking the habit?¡± ¡°Y-Yeah.¡± She still looked perplexed. Hmm¡­ how to exin it¡­ ¡°Here, try writing your name with your left hand,¡± I said, pointing toward her quill. She did as I asked, and the result was quite sad. It reminded me of my first few attempts at writing. ¡°See? Isn¡¯t that pretty messypared to your usual writing?¡± I asked. ¡°Of course it is!¡± Roxy eximed. ¡°But there¡¯s not really a difference between your two hands, right? Then why would your right hand be better?¡± I asked. ¡°Because I started writing¡­ this way¡­¡± Roxy responded with wide eyes. Her lips spread into a smile as she suddenly pulled me into a hug. ¡°I see now. Thank you, Leon.¡± H-Her scent! Her warmth! I-I felt like I was going dizzy. ¡°Y-You¡¯re wee!¡± I squeaked out. Seemingly noticing my predicament, she quickly let go of me, and I was met with the beautiful sight of her embarrassed face, as she quickly averted her eyes with a cough. ¡°Ahem! A-Anyway, yes. Thank you.¡± The silence in the air is palpable, and I suddenly found the sight of the flickering candle me very interesting. ¡°I¡­ I can keep trying to help you with chantless magic, you know? At nighttime like now¡­¡± I eventually said. ¡°...Are you sure? I¡¯m supposed to be the teacher here, you know,¡± Roxy said. I swallowed down the spit that had unknowingly gathered in my mouth, ¡°T-Then¡­ how about we trade? You can teach me the Demon God tongue, and I¡¯ll help you with chantless magic.¡± Yes. Demon God tongue. Thenguage of the Demon Continent. It had all stemmed from one of her talks about the various races of the world where it was revealed that she was, in fact, not a human. I didn¡¯t care, of course, but it did exin her peculiar hair colour. I would try to not remember how I immediately asked if different races could have children together. ¡­Luckily, they could. Anyway, as for why I wanted to learn hernguage? Well¡­ it was always useful to learn anothernguage, but I would be lying if I said that was the main reason. Instead, it was a much more embarrassing and simple reason¡­ I wanted to get closer to her. Gaah! Just thinking about it sounds embarrassing! ¡°Sure. That sounds¡­ nice.¡± Turning my head back, I felt my breath catch as I saw her bashful smile, with her face glowing orange as her finger twirled around a braid of hair. Noticing my gaze, she immediately averted her eyes as she started picking up her things. ¡°W-We can start tomorrow, then. Goodnight, Leon.¡± ¡°G-Goodnight, Roxy.¡± With the door closing behind her, I let myself fall onto my bed as I nkly looked at the ceiling. Wow¡­ crushes really were quite something, huh? I think I could understand a bit why Mama acted so silly around Paul, back before they had Rudy. ¡°Hee~?¡± Startled at the noise, I turned to see Mama, Paul, and Lilia all looking teasingly at me through the crack of my door, their three faces piled up atop each other like a totem. ¡°You work fast, son of mine. I¡¯m proud of you,¡± Paul said, wiping a tear from his eye. ¡°Uuu~! An embarrassed Leon is so cute!¡± Mama added. ¡°You are indeed quite charming, Young Master.¡± Even Lilia! And she reverted to the ¡®young master¡¯ stuff! ¡°S-Shut up! I¡¯m going to bed!¡± Casting a wind spell, I mmed the door shut before digging myself into the covers. But with the sound of my heartbeat thumping against my chest¡­ I found it hard for sleep to find me. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Another year went by, and as the snow melted and the grass thawed, I found myself as an Intermediate-ranked swordsman in all three styles and an Advanced-rank magician in all four schools of elemental magic. Quite a good resume for a six-year-old. During this time, I also began practising magic with Rudy, with both of us working on exercises focusing on precision and speed, such as crafting sculptures with earth magic, making clothes fly with wind magic, and making warm bath water with fire and water magic. Though¡­ thatst one was more of a chore that Mama and Paul asked of us¡­ But it was still practice! An interesting thing I began to learn about my brother during this time, was that his mana¡­ it was¡­ different from mine. Somehow, he had more reserves than me, despite me being older and starting magic younger, but I suppose that could be due to the fact Mama was his biological mother and him getting a head start gene-wise. But that didn¡¯t exin why his mana was stronger. If he used a regr Waterball through an incantation, it could demolish the stone wall in our backyard, while when I did it, it would only make a dent. ording to Roxy, my Waterball was the normal one, but that still didn¡¯t exin why Rudy¡¯s was so strong. And it wasn¡¯t anything to do with technique either, as I was probably ahead of him in that regard. His mana was just¡­ better, I guess. I wasn¡¯t jealous, though. I was more proud than anything about my little perverted brother¡¯s abilities. And besides, I had the edge in precision and speed of magic, likely due to my efforts of melding it with my swordsmanship, so I was content to lose in the strength department. My lessons with Roxy were also quite fruitful. Not only did she help me reach the Advanced rank in magic, but I was also now fluent in the Demon God tongue, at least when it came to talking. Still needed to work on my writing and reading, though. Anyway, I had my night lessons with her to thank for that. She also taught us about the world around us as well as various customs, like how nobility and trading worked, all stemming from her own experiences from when she came to the humannds for the first time, as well as the things she picked up while adventuring. During this, she also told us about casting melded magic, such as how when you used Waterfall, Heat Ind, and Icicle Field together, you would form the spell Deep Mist, which caused a dense fog to fall on the surroundings. Her face when I simply had the water in the air condense to create the same effect was especially cute. Yeah¡­ my bond with Roxy had definitely grown over this time too. While teaching her chantless magic and her doing the same with the Demon God tongue was nice, what really catapulted our rtionship was us both learning barrier magic together from the book I got for my birthday. There was something¡­ different, about learning something at the same pace, rather than one person teaching the other, even if it was an equal exchange in the end. But, as my romantic feelings for my tutor increased, so did my despondency. Despondency at the fact it would take a while, if ever, for me to be seen as a ¡®man¡¯ and not a ¡®boy¡¯. I was not so stupid as to think that the age gap between us couldn¡¯t be circumvented. After all, years had little meaning when demons often had suchrge lifespans. Instead, I was worried that she would find someone else before I even became an option. I mean, I had already spotted her, ahem, ¡®treating herself¡¯, to the open door of my parents¡¯ bedroom, so she definitely had sexual needs that needed fulfilling. Needs that I¡­ couldn¡¯t fulfill. At least not for a while. But crying about it wouldn¡¯t change anything, so I would remain headstrong until I was finally old enough! As for what I was doing right now? Well, I was taking a walk around town, of course. With my magic lessons finished, and Paul not returning home for another few hours, I decided to kill the time by walking around the vige like usual. I had been trying to take Rudy out of the house with me too, but for some reason, my little brother was scared of going anywhere past our walled garden. Instead, opting to make his ¡®figurines¡¯ or justze around inside. Sometimes, I would be blessed with the presence of Roxy with these walks, and we¡¯d do a few menial tasks for the vigers, buttely, she had been doubling down on her own training in trying to use chantless magic. With such consistency, and her general intelligence with magic, I was sure she would eventually get there, but¡­ I was feeling a bit lonely with her holed up in her room. ¡°Get out of here, demon!¡± ¡°Disgusting! Leave us alone!¡± The heck? ¡®Demon¡¯? My crush was a demon, dummy! Hearing the scornful, childish voices, I quickly made my way over the hill before spotting the source of the noise. There were three kids about my age, all surrounding the crouching form of another smaller kid. ¡°Yeah! Go back to the forest, and stay there!¡± The three older ones, alongside the verbal attacks, were kicking the poor kid on the ground. ¡°Hngh! S-Stop! Please!¡± the kid on the ground pleaded. But their cries went unanswered. This was bullying, right? Yeah¡­ I didn¡¯t like it at all. ¡°Hey! You three!¡± I shouted. ¡°What the heck do you think you¡¯re doing!?¡± Chapter 9 – Friend Chapter 9 ¨C Friend ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª The three bullies looked toward me in shock as I sprinted towards them. ¡°Huh? Who are you?¡± one of them asked. Coming closer to the victim, I slowed my pace to a walk as I formed a few balls of water above my palm, causing the three bullies to back away from the smaller kid. ¡°Does it matter? I asked you three a question. What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± I said with a frown. ¡°T-That¡¯s the knight¡¯s kid! He knows magic!¡± one of them eximed. ¡®He knows magic¡¯... nice deduction skills, genius. ¡°H-Hey! We¡¯re just punishing a dirty demon! Don¡¯t you see? They even have green hair!¡± another one said. Right¡­ green hair was supposedly a taboo here, stemming from the Demon race of Superds in thest Human-Demon war. Not only did I not care about such stereotypes, but under certain lighting, Roxy¡¯s hair looked like a shade of green. And it was beautiful. ¡°Scram before you make me do something we both regret. Got it?¡± I snarled, casting a floating fireball for emphasis. They seemed to get the message as they quickly scampered away, not before barking back some words which I easily ignored. Watching them walk away, I crouched down to the kid. ¡°Hey? Are you okay?¡± ¡­Well, it was obvious they weren¡¯t. I guess I could take this chance to brush up on mymunication skills with those outside my family. ¡°Ah, probably not, right?¡± I continued. ¡°Here, let me heal you up.¡± Reaching over to their hood, I was stopped by a frail hand. ¡°N-No! Keep the hood!¡± they cried. Hm? Oh¡­ green hair, right. They must have aplex about it. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid like them. I don¡¯t care what colour your hair is. I actually quite like the colour green. It reminds me of spring and nature,¡± my words, while a bit cheesy, seemed to calm down the kid. ¡°A-Are you sure?¡± they asked meekly. ¡°Positive. Nowe on, I need to see the damage.¡± Relinquishing to my request, they then lowered their hood, revealing a set of pointed ears, a cute tear-stained face, and as expected, a set of green hair. And if my guess was right, ¡®they¡¯ seemed to be a ¡®she¡¯. ¡°There we go. What¡¯s your name?¡± I asked as I checked over her injuries. Her face was marred in dirt and grime, as well as a few scratches from what seemed to be a fall, and under her clothes were likely more than a few bruises, if they hadn¡¯t formed already. ¡°S-Sylphiette- Ahn!¡± she shouted. ¡°Shh, calm down. It¡¯s just healing magic,¡± I said, casting healing magic. ¡°Sylphiette, huh? That¡¯s a pretty name.¡± She squirmed as I continued healing her, likely due to the itchiness from getting healed, as well as the unfamiliarity of the sensation, but soon enough, she was as good as new. Thankfully, there was no need for skin-to-skin contact if the injury wasn¡¯t bad, so there was no need to strip her of her clothes. ¡°Can you close your eyes, mouth, and nose for me?¡± I said. She nodded her head, and with her nose scrunched and mouth sealed, I then generate some warm water before cleaning off her face and hair, controlling the stream to wash away all the dirt. After I finished, I then began drying her off with some warm wind magic, and in no time at all, she was clean as a whistle, her green hair shining beautifully under the sun. ¡°There we go. I don¡¯t know what they were talking about. Your hair is very pretty,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°T-Thank you¡­ for everything,¡± she responded meekly. Shoot, was the air too warm? Her cheeks were awfully red¡­ ¡°But you¡¯re¡­ not bothered by it?¡± she asked. ¡°What? Your hair?¡± I said. ¡°T-That too, but me being a demon...¡± Oh, that? Well, since I had travelled with an elf, a dwarf, a beastfolk, and a monkey-like demon for a year, I was probably quite different from the other three kids who hadn¡¯t stepped foot outside this vige. After all, istion bred discrimination. Either way, race was the least of my worries when meeting someone. Well, unless it was a beastfolk in mating season. In that case, I would probably run away for my safety. ¡°I don¡¯t care. In fact, my teacher is a demon, so that just makes it better,¡± I said. That seems to catch her interest. ¡°Really?¡± she asked. ¡°Really,¡± I nodded. ¡°Anyway, what race do you belong to?¡± Roxy had told me that she was of the Migurd race, one of the many races categorized as a ¡®demon¡¯, but I wondered which one Sylphiette was. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± she said. Hm? Really? ¡°Well, what are your parents¡¯ races?¡± I asked. ¡°M-My father is half-human and half-elf, while my mother is human with some beastfolk blood¡­¡± she said, trailing off at the end. Huh. Sounds¡­plicated. ¡°They¡­ neither of them have g-green hair though, hic!¡± she began to sob. Ah, shoot. I forgot, since Rudy and I were both a bit weird, but kids were usually emotional like this, weren¡¯t they? ¡°Hey, there, there, it¡¯s okay,¡± I consoled her while gently patting her head. ¡°Look, soon enough, those kids will grow up and realize how stupid they were, okay? It¡¯s just the colour of your hair, right? It doesn¡¯t change who you are.¡± Unfortunately, those words were a lie. Prejudice didn¡¯t just disappear like that, after all. But at least she would have me on her side, and Rudy too, even if I had to beat him into it. ¡°Anyway, how are your parents? Are they good to you at least?¡± I asked. ¡°Hic! Y-Yeah. My dad¡¯s scary when he¡¯s mad, but he and Mom are nice,¡± she said through sniffles. ¡°That¡¯s good, then. Do you want me to walk you home?¡± I asked. She shook her head. ¡°No, they¡¯re both at work. My dad is a hunter, and my mom works at the clinic, so no one¡¯s home.¡± Wait, at the clinic? Ever since Mama healed from having Rudy, she had taken over all the clinic duties, leaving me with no need to help. Of course, with me learning magic and swordsmanship, there was no time to help out anyway, unless there was an emergency, that is. But in the short time I had helped out there, I remember the nice pregnant woman who stopped by a few times¡­ What was her name again? ¡°Your mom¡¯s name¡­ is it Anne by chance?¡± I asked. ¡°U-Umm, yeah. It is,¡± she said. ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡± Huh. Small world. Or rather, a small vige. ¡°...I¡¯ve met her before. Anyway, if you can¡¯t go home yet¡­ do you want to y?¡± I asked. I didn¡¯t exactly want to leave her to fend off the bullies by herself, and even if I was a littlete for my swordsmanship practice, I¡¯m sure Paul would understand. He¡¯s always preaching about morals and stuff, after all¡­ even though I¡¯ve caught him sneaking nces at Lilia more than a few times. Stupid womanizer. He¡¯s just lucky he can hold himself back, and that his gaze hasn¡¯t shifted to Roxy, or else I might have needed to learn Advanced-rank healing magic for the aftermath. ¡°R-Really?¡± she asked. I pulled her to her feet. ¡°Yep! We can y tag, hide and seek, your pick!¡± Her lips spread out into a smile as she then tapped her fingers together shyly. ¡°Then¡­ can you show me more of that thing you did earlier? With the water and the wind and stuff?¡± Oh? Magic? How wonderful! ¡°Of course I can!¡± Now I could get some practice in and keep a cute girl happy! You¡¯re a genius, Leon! ¡°Umm, but first¡­ what¡¯s your name?¡± she asked. Oh, right. I didn¡¯t tell her that, huh? ¡°It¡¯s Leon. Leon Greyrat,¡± I said. She met my smile with one of her own. ¡°A-And you can call me Sylphy.¡± ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Thank you again for taking care of my Phi. I was always worried about her being bullied... But who knew that such a polite kid would be Paul¡¯s son,¡± Sylphy¡¯s father, Laws, said. ¡°Indeed. It was nice to see you again, little Leon. You sure have grown up nice and handsome. Isn¡¯t that right, sweetie?¡± Anne asked her daughter. Sylphy just meekly nodded her head in response. ¡°It was my pleasure. It¡¯s nice to meet another kid my age¡­ who isn¡¯t mean, that is. But I really should be getting home now,¡± I said in response. Yikes. At this point, I might miss my sword practice altogether. ¡°Alright, be safe getting home!¡± Anne said. ¡°Bye Leon! Thanks for showing me your magic! And¡­ and for saving me too,¡± Sylphy said. I gave her a lighthearted wave. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s do this again tomorrow, okay? We¡¯re friends now, after all.¡± ¡°Y-Yeah!¡± That girl, while still meek, really came out of her shell once I showed her a few magic spells. She was quite interested, to say the least. Well, if she wanted, I could also try teaching her, but that could wait forter. She was only Rudy¡¯s age, after all, and unlike him, she wasn¡¯t a crazy genius. With a skip in my step, I made my way back home, only to see a very pissed-off-looking Paul standing in front of the door upon my arrival, his hands on his hips and his face drawn into an angry and disappointed frown. Uhh, I¡­ didn¡¯t think he took sword practice that seriously. Especially considering I was only a kid. ¡°Umm, I¡¯m home?¡± I said. ¡°Sorry I waste, I was just ying with a new friend-¡± ¡°Do you know why I¡¯m mad?¡± Paul said, cutting me off. ¡°Uhh, is it because I missed sword practice and didn¡¯t tell you?¡± I asked. His scowl deepened. ¡°No. It¡¯s because Ms. Eto¡¯s wife came by earlier, telling me you punched her son, Somal.¡± I did what to who? ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t spout bullshit with me, Leon! What did I tell you about being strong?¡± he snapped. He¡¯d told me a lot of things about getting strong. How to use it to getdies, how to get girls, how to get women¡­ Yeah, Paul was a simple man like that. But notpletely without morals. So, if I¡¯m understanding this right, he must want this answer. ¡°To not get strong just to unt it around?¡± I said. ¡°Exactly! So why did you hit Somal?¡± he asked, still irate. ¡°No, I don¡¯t know what-¡± ¡°No excuses!¡± he cut me off again. Dammit. It was always the same with this guy. He would do before he could think, and never took a moment to calm down and use his brain. ¡°Well? Why aren¡¯t you talking?¡± he asked. Haa¡­ ¡°Because you don¡¯t seem to want to hear my side of the story-¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Feeling a stinging pain on my cheek and a ringing in my ear, I quickly regained my bnce. He¡­ hit me. W-Why? What had I done wrong? It wasn¡¯t anything too surprising. After all, we had sparred numerous times, and against a skilled swordsman like him, I was bound to get struck more often than not. But this¡­ this was different. ¡°Just apologize, Leon! Apologize for doing something wrong, and then I¡¯ll take you over to Somal, where you¡¯ll apologize to him!¡± What? Who the hell was Somal? And why the hell was I supposed to be apologizing for!? ¡°Why!?¡± I asked. ¡°Because no son of mine- scratch that, no son of Zenith¡¯s, bullies the weak!¡± As if being hit by another smack, I felt the worlde to a stop as my chest clenched in sadness. No¡­ perhaps it was confusion? I mean, why was he saying such a hurtful thing? Or maybe it was the feeling of betrayal. No¡­ that wasn¡¯t it either. I just felt overwhelmingly¡­ lonely? Yeah, lonely sounded like the right word. He was right, after all¡­ Mama¡­ wasn¡¯t my Mama¡­ and Paul wasn¡¯t my father. Even though I knew he didn¡¯t mean it, especially since he now looked quite shocked at what he just said¡­ the reminder still hurt all the same. And so, with my emotions in turmoil, and my chest swirling in a lost sense of confusion at the feelings I felt, I did the only thing that felt natural. Run. ¡°Ah! Leon!¡± I heard Mama shout from behind me. But with my vision blurry with tears, I ignored it in favour of running into the night toward the hill where I practice magic. ¡ª Roxy Migurdia ¡ª ¡°I don¡¯t think Leon is the type of kid to hit someone without a reason,¡± I said to the people gathered at the table. Paul hade home fairly irate at his son, saying that he had gotten into a dispute with another vige boy¡­ but I was quite skeptical at the whole thing. After all, Leon was extremely mature for his age, and he was also a kind child. But then again, he hadn¡¯t had much interaction with kids his age, and I knew that if someone pissed him off the right way, he wouldn¡¯t idly sit by. ¡°Haa¡­ I know, but since Leon has always been a perfect kid, Paul¡¯s quite worried about not being a good parent. Especially with Rudy growing up. I just hope it works out okay¡­¡± Zenith said worriedly. ¡°I¡¯m sure it will. After all, Young Master Leon should be able to exin himself clearly, and as Miss Roxy said, I doubt he is at fault,¡± Lilia added. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. I just-¡± Smack! The sharp sound of a hand hitting skin resounded from past the doorway. ¡°D-Did he¡­?¡± Zenith voiced in shock. Haa¡­ for some reason, I had predicted something like this happening. While a great swordsman, Paul left much to be desired in terms of emotional maturity. As Lilia and Zenith made their way toward the door, with me following closely behind, we heard what seemed to be the finale of their argument. ¡°Because no son of mine- scratch that, no son of Zenith¡¯s, bullies the weak!¡± Even my eyes widened at the words. After all, to an orphaned child, especially one with such a close bond to their mother, that was not something meant to be said. Especially by someone meant to care for them. Zenith and Lilia, quickly getting over their momentary shock, ran out to open the door just in time to see the sprinting Leon jump over the rock wall of the garden. ¡°Ah! Leon!¡± Zenith''s cry fell on deaf ears as she then turned to Paul, her expression the pure incarnation of anger. Smack! A second p resounded through the air. ¡°What in the hell do you think you just did, Paul? You wanted me to ¡®leave it to you¡¯, huh? Well, look what good that did!¡± she shouted. Lilia, on the other hand, just red at the man, though somehow her gaze felt sharper than any sword even the greatest dwarves could craft. ¡°I-I¡­ messed up,¡± Paul said. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that-¡± ¡°Damn right, you messed up!¡± Zenith shouted. ¡°I told you that that wench was eyeing you the whole time and that the kid didn¡¯t even look you in the eyes when telling you what happened! But noooo~ No way, Zenith! ¡®This is the perfect chance to instill some discipline into him!¡¯ Into my sweet boy! My sweet boy that is supposed to be ours!¡± Zenith lectured him, poking his chest with each word. ¡°Didn¡¯t you alwaysin to me about your father? Hmm? Aren¡¯t you just doing the same thing as him right now!?¡± At least Paul has the conscience to be ashamed, his head hanging meekly as he took in his wife¡¯s words. But that didn¡¯t really help with the situation at hand. ¡°I swear to Millis, if Leon feels worried when hugging me even once after this, there¡¯s no sex for a month! No, a year! Haa¡­¡± Zenith then turned to me. ¡°Roxy, can you go check on him please? I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m the best one to go get him.¡± ¡°Of course, Zenith.¡± Leaving the shaken Paul and the two irate women, I followed the path Leon took. Damn, I sometimes forgot because of his age, but Leon was already an Intermediate-rank swordsman, which meant that he was way faster than me. But luckily, it didn¡¯t seem that he had run far, as I only had to reach the top of the nearest hill before noticing the balled form of my student leaning against the tree. ¡°Hic-! Hic-! Gah, sniff!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but frown a little at the sight. No, perhaps a little wasn¡¯t correct. I was frowning quite a bit. I¡­ felt pretty close to both of the boys I was teaching, but especially Leon. It¡­ didn¡¯t feel good, seeing him like this, all sad and alone. It reminded me of my old self. Luckily, that meant I knew how to make him feel better too¡­ At least, I hoped so. Sliding down next to him, I hesitantly reached my arm over his shoulder, pulling him closer to me. ¡°...Are you alright?¡± I asked softly. He only nodded his head in response, lowering his face to his pulled-up knees. I¡­ sometimes forgot¡­ No, I often forgot, that Leon was still a child. After all, when you¡¯re from a race that stops growing once you reach the age of a teenager, age is always a tough subject. And considering this child was teaching me how to perform what was seen as the pinnacle technique for magic in chantless casting, it was understandable why I viewed him as a bit older than he was. But seeing him like this¡­ yeah. Leon, for all his genius and maturity, was still but a child. For some reason, the thought brought a small smile to my face. Why was it? I felt the same thing whenever he got embarrassed around me too. I guess¡­ it was because he looked cute. ¡°I-I¡¯m fine. Just¡­ can you stay here for a little bit? With me?¡± he asked with a nasal voice. Yes¡­ this childish side of Leon was indeed very cute. ¡°Of course,¡± I said, smiling down at the boy. ¡°Leon¡­ I can understand what you¡¯re feeling, you know.¡± It wasn¡¯t exactly the same, but it was close enough. Plus, Leon always liked to use analogies during his exnations. Combing my hand through his hair, I continued, ¡°I told you about my race, right?¡± ¡°T-The Migurd race?¡± he asked. ¡°Exactly,¡± I nodded. ¡°But I never told you about their special trait.¡± He turned his head to look at me curiously, ¡°Special trait?¡± ¡°I suppose you could call it a unique form of magic. But all the members of my vige canmunicate telepathically with each other¡­ all except me,¡± I said, looking off to the distance with a sad smile. ¡°Oh¡­ that must have been¡­ lonely,¡± Leon said, cuddling closer to me in a sign of affection. Ignoring the way my stomach tingled at the closeness, I continued, ¡°It was. And I left my homnd because of it. But¡­ I feel much better now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ good. You¡¯re¡­ important to me.¡± Guh! T-That¡­ I knew he wasn¡¯t saying such things to flirt with me, but that only made my heart flutter even more. ¡°A-And you¡¯re important to me too, Leon. So? Did you want to talk about what actually happened today?¡± I asked. Nodding his head, he then goes on to exin about his walk on the town, the bullies he scared off, and the new friend he yed with. Slowly, the sadness on his face morphed into an excited smile, one that could charm even the coldest of hearts, as he talked about his day. Just why¡­ why couldn¡¯t he have been ten- no, nine years older? Haa¡­ but I suppose this was nice too. ¡ª Information on the Six-Faced World ¡ª Continents of the World Central Continent: Thergest continent in the central and western parts of the world. The human race makes up the majority of the poption. Millis Continent: In the southern part of the world, it connects the Central and Demon Continents. The northern part of the Continent is where the Great Forest is located, the homnd of the Beast race and elves. In the south is the Holy Millis Kingdom, the world¡¯s second-ranked country and home of the Millis Church. Begaritt Continent: In the southwest part of the world, it has numerousbyrinths and many strong monsters. As a result, the majority of the poption are adventurers or ex-adventurers. Demon Continent: In the eastern part of the world, it is a Continent full of strong monsters and many different races of Demons. As the fertility of thend is very low, the majority of the poption is very poor. Heaven Continent: In the northern part of the world, this Continent is 3000 meters above sea level, making it extremely difficult to visit. This is also where the Heavenly race lives. ¡ª Rudeus Greyrat ¡ª I didn¡¯t really understand what was going on. Paul was quite angry at my brother for¡­ some reason, and then they argued before Leon eventually ran off. Knowing the idiot that was my father, it was definitely his fault, but I was still confused about what made my extremely mature brother act so¡­ childish. But then again, he was truly a kid, unlike me, so I guess that was natural. As for how I knew he was a normal kid, well, I had said a few things in Japanese, and even the small bit of English that I knew, in an attempt to get a rise out of him to see if he was like me. But s, he would only look at me confused, before trying to correct me with a simrly sounding word in the Human tongue. But putting that aside¡­ I was confused. ¡°What happened, Mother?¡± I asked Zenith. Both she and Lilia were quite mad, and Paul had been banished to sit alone at the table. Rubbing my hair, she answered my question, ¡°Your father said something very mean to your brother. Haa¡­ I just hope Roxy can cheer him up.¡± Something mean? But¡­ it didn¡¯t sound that bad to me, though. At least notpared to some of the stuff Paul had said during training. And the p¡­ well, he had gotten worse from Paul¡¯s sword, so I don¡¯t think it was that either. Maybe it was the stress? Or perhaps the usation alone. But still¡­ ¡°Why did it make Leon so sad, though?¡± I asked. ¡°Well¡­ you see¡­ your brother didn¡¯t exactlye from me like you did,¡± Zenith exined. ¡°Though I love him all the same.¡± Ah¡­ so he was adopted. That exined a few things. There was the fact that he had brown eyes, when Paul had green and Zenith had blue. Also, there was the fact that they had settled down to have me, despite being adventurers, while Leon was still a baby. ¡°Oh¡­ when did you take him in then?¡± I asked. Zenith leaned back against the chair, ¡°Back when your father and I were adventurers, there was a bandit attack against a nearby vige, and unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t save his mother. His birth mother, that is.¡± Ah¡­ well, if Leon saw his mother die, then it would definitely exin why he was such a mama¡¯s boy. ¡°We adventured with him for a while, since I promised to take care of him, and then once we had you, we settled down-¡± She was interrupted by the sound of the door opening, revealing the ever-beautiful loli-sensei Roxy, and my brother holding her hand beside her, eyes red from obvious crying. Getting so damn close to Roxy¡­ Hmph! I¡¯ll let this go just this once, brother, but only because Paul did something stupid! ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Hesitantly, I revealed myself from behind Roxy¡¯s robes. It definitely felt embarrassing that she saw me break down like that, but at the same time, I wouldn¡¯t want anyone else to calm me down. ¡°L-Leon, son¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m sorry,¡± Paul said, bowing his head. The expression he was wearing was so different from his usual confident smirk. It felt heavy with worry, so I knew he was truly remorseful about what he said. Crossing my arms, I tilted my chin up in the air. ¡°I-It¡¯s fine. I should expect that from an idiot like you.¡± ¡°Haha, yeah¡­ I really am an idiot. But¡­ you know I didn¡¯t mean what I said, right?¡± he asked. ¡°Yeah¡­ I know.¡± I¡¯m then smothered in one of Mama¡¯s suffocating hugs, and feeling her warmth, I felt thest of my fears hidden in my mind washed away. ¡°My baby Leon¡­ you know I love you so much, right? And I¡¯m so proud to have you as my own¡­ You understand that, right?¡± she choked out. ¡°Yeah¡­ I know, Mama,¡± I said in return. Giving me onest squeeze, she then knelt, her eyes meeting mine as she gently stroked my hair. ¡°Can you tell me what happened today?¡± she asked softly. I send a cautionary nce toward Paul, to which he grimaced while scratching his beard and averting his eyes. Would he let me talk? ¡°Yeah¡­ sorry about that too¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Leon. Just tell them what happened. I¡¯m sure your mother already has an idea,¡± Roxy added from behind. Nodding my head, I then went over what had happened today, and how I stopped the three bullies, which was where the misunderstanding likely came from. After I finished talking, Paul spoke up, ¡°Shit¡­ so it was something like that¡­ I¡¯m sorry, kid.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. You already apologized, after all,¡± I said in response. With how much pride the man had, an honest apology was more than enough. Plus, seeing Lilia, Roxy, and Mama all send him stern res helped ease my anger. Mama¡¯s mouth then curled into a teasing smile. ¡°Sylphiette, huh? How interesting¡­ is she cute?¡± For some reason, she then looked over to Roxy as well. ¡°Uhh¡­ I guess? She¡¯s nice, and she really likes magic. I was actually hoping I could push my swordsmanship lessons until a littleter so I could keep herpany during the day,¡± I said, looking over to Paul. ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t know-¡± ¡°Paul.¡± ¡°Master.¡± Both Mama and Lilia interjected with icy tones. The man quickly raised his hands in defeat. ¡°Kidding! I was just kidding! Just don¡¯t be out toote, okay? It¡¯s dangerous to train in the dark.¡± And so, with our bonds reforged, and our grievances put behind us, the family then sat down for dinner, putting an end to the eventful day. Chapter 10 – Village Life Chapter 10 ¨C Vige Life ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°So¡­ monsters are different from demons?¡± Sylphy asked, looking intently at a page in my notebook. ¡°Huh? Yeah, they¡¯repletely different! Monsters are just animals that get mutated, usually by magic, and sometimes they be a species that continues for a long time,¡± I exined. ¡°Demons, though, are just what the races that fought against the humans in thest war are called. Though Roxy said that now, demons are just whatever races live on the Demon Continent¡­ But anyway, yes, they¡¯repletely different from monsters.¡± Roxy as a monster? Ha. As if. Sylphy, who was lying down on her stomach next to me, started kicking her legs up and down while her ears began to twitch. ¡°I see¡­¡± She was evidently happy at the new information. It made sense. After all, she had been called a demon for quite a while, and even I hadn¡¯t refuted the fact, so she must have been scared that she was just some evolved form of a monster. ¡°Ah, and what does this word here?¡± she asked, pointing at a string of text. I peeked over her shoulder to see. ¡°That¡¯s ¡®burbling¡¯. It means a gentle bubbling sound like this.¡± I then summoned a ball of water before having it swirl around, creating the desired sound. ¡°Ah! I see!¡± she eximed. It had been a few months since I had started ying with Sylphy, and our ytime had quickly turned into me teaching her about what I knew, such as writing, reading, history, and general knowledge. I didn¡¯t mind, though. Not only was Sylphy a nice girl who was eager and excited to learn, but refreshing my mind by teaching another person was a great way to retain the knowledge. She then closed the book before turning to face me with shining eyes. ¡°Leon¡­ Can we start with magic now?!¡± Yes¡­ and she also really loved magic. ¡°Haa¡­ yeah,e on, let¡¯s do it then.¡± I was a bit hesitant to teach her magic, as unlike Rudy and me, Sylphy was a normal kid. Not only were there dangers in giving a child such a powerful thing like magic, but there was also the worry that teaching her something like magic too early would lead to burnout, or something simr. But, seeing how adamant she was¡­ who was I to refuse? Besides, it would be good to have her start using mana when she was young so that she could optimize the growth of her magic power reserves while she could. And also¡­ if my theory was correct, chantless magic would be easier to learn as a child. Even after all the time we spent together, and even though Roxy understood it, my teacher still couldn¡¯t use chantless magic. Though I felt that she was getting closer. If I had to guess, something about being a child made one somehow more ¡®in tune¡¯ with mana, as that would also exin the growth period of magic you could have during childhood. ¡°Okay, when you cast the magic, make sure you focus on what you feel inside your body. It should feel like a warmth starting here,¡± I poked her belly, ¡°that goes all the way to here,¡± I continued, tracing a path to her palm. My little disy caused Sylphy to burst into a fit of giggles, ¡°T-That tickles, Leon!¡± Hee~? I guess Sylphy was ticklish, huh? Good to know. ¡°Now repeat after me. Slowly, while focusing on the words and the image of water. Just like how you concentrate when writing down a new word,¡± I said. Getting a resolute nod from the girl, I chanted the spell for Waterball, watching as Sylphy excitedly observed the watere into being. Dispersing the ball of water into the air as a thin mist, I motioned for Sylphy to try. ¡°You remember the words, right?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah! Okay¡­¡± she said as she hesitantly extended her hand. ¡°Let the vast and blessed waters converge where thou wilt and issue forth a single pure stream thereof - Waterball!¡± And¡­ nothing happened. A failure, huh? I suppose Roxy did say that most people didn¡¯t get magic just by using a chant, especially a child like Sylphy, so that made sense. ¡°It was a good try. Though it may have been a little fast for someone who has yet to chant magic.¡± Hearing Roxy¡¯s voice, Sylphy let out a surprised ¡®Eep!¡¯ before running to hide behind my back. ¡°Good afternoon, Miss Roxy,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°I see you¡¯re having fun, Leon. Taking on a new apprentice?¡± she said teasingly, looking over at the opened notebook. I scratched my cheek in slight embarrassment. ¡°Yeah¡­ Sylphy is pretty interested in magic, so¡­¡± ¡°Is that so? Hmm¡­ so a student of mine has already taken on a student¡­ At this point, there¡¯s no reason for me to be here anymore, is there?¡± she said. ¡°Y-You know that¡¯s not true! I still have much to learn, and we¡¯re close to getting to Intermediate-rank protection magic,¡± I stammered. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true,¡± she answered back. Seeing the wind sweep Roxy¡¯s hair to the side, I felt the tingling sensation return as I averted my eyes. Stupid feelings! ¡°S-So what are you doing out here? You usually visit the vige or practice alone at this time,¡± I asked. Her smile turned a little strained as she answered, ¡°Well¡­ I was studying in my room, making a few lesson ns for tonight, but then I noticed I was missing a pair of panties¡­ You wouldn¡¯t know what happened, would you?¡± I instantly covered my face with my hands. Rudy¡­ what are you doing with our beloved teacher? ¡°S-Sorry, Miss Roxy. I¡¯m pretty sure-¡± ¡°Your brother stole them? Yeah, I figured. I just came out here to see how you were doing and to meet your friend. Although¡­ perhaps that was a little forward of me,¡± she said, smiling at the still-hiding Sylphy. ¡°C¡¯mon out and said hello. This is Miss Roxy, the nice teacher of mine I talked to you about,¡± I said, nudging the girl behind me. ¡°O-Okay. M-My name¡¯s Sylphiette¡­ but Leon calls me Sylphy,¡± she meekly said. Roxy¡¯s eyes widened a little as she saw her hair. I guess that even if she had known about her green hair beforehand, and even seen it from when shemented on her casting speed, it was still ingrained in her to be scared of the Superd race and anything resembling it. But, as I expected, she quickly overcame her slight fear and shock. ¡°Nice to meet you, Sylphy. I¡¯m Roxy Migurdia, Leon and his brother¡¯s tutor. Although it sometimes doesn¡¯t feel that way¡­¡± she sent a small smile my way. Sylphy nodded before asking, ¡°D-Do you¡­ hate my hair?¡± Hmm¡­ she was quite the perceptive kid, so she probably noticed Roxy¡¯s momentary fear from before. Roxy shook her head. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t bother me at all. After all, under certain angles, my hair also takes on a greenish tint.¡± She then ran her hand through her hair with a sad smile. ¡°So, while not to the same extent, I can sympathize with you.¡± Sylphy then balled her fist, mustering her courage, ¡°I¡­ I like your hair!¡± I was a bit surprised that this meek friend of mine was able to speak up so well to a stranger, but I suppose she felt some connection with Roxy, as she was also a demon with troublesome hair. But wow¡­ how cute. Roxy seemed to think the same as her lips stretched into a wide smile. ¡°Why, thank you.¡± ¡°I agree. Miss Roxy¡¯s hair is super pretty. Especially when it turns green under the light,¡± I added. Roxy¡¯s wide smile grew before she began patting me on my head. ¡°Thank you too, Leon. Say that to me again in a few years, okay?¡± ¡°Uhh, sure?¡± I responded with confusion. She stopped patting my head. ¡°And don¡¯t forget about your cute friend.¡± Turning my head to the side, I saw that Sylphy was looking at me with a small pout. Ah¡­ I see. ¡°I think your hair is pretty too, Sylphy,¡± I said, patting her head just like Roxy had done to me. ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± she said before letting out a happy hum and leaning into my touch. What was with this cute creature? ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ll leave you two to yourselves. Just make sure you don¡¯t do anything dangerous, okay?¡± Roxy said. I gave her a wave back, ¡°Okay!¡± Seeing her walk back down the hill, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder about the weird expression she was wearing Even though Roxy had such a wide smile on her face, why did she seem a little¡­ sad? Or maybe I was just imagining things. Anyway¡­ ¡°Well, how about we try that again, Sylphy? This time a little slower with more focus, just like Miss Roxy said.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Closing her eyes, she extended her hand once again and chanted, ¡°Let the vast and blessed waters converge where thou wilt and issue forth a single pure stream thereof - Waterball!¡± This time, an orb of water appeared on the top of her palm, and as soon as she noticed, she began jumping in joy. ¡°I did it! I did it! I did- Oh.¡± In her excitement, she seemed to have lost concentration, leading to the spell falling to the ground with a ssh. ¡°Good job, Sylphy,¡± I said with a small apuse. ¡°Now, did you remember the feeling of the mana?¡± ¡°Huh? Yeah! It was like ¡®Hnn!¡¯ and then it went up to my hand with a ¡®Fwaa!¡¯ before squeezing out! It was amazing!¡± ¡­I guess she was the instinctual type when it came to magic, like how Paul was with swords. Although that might get better as she gets older¡­ hopefully¡­ ¡°Okay, then try to do it again without chanting. Guiding the mana along the same path while imagining water,¡± I exined. ¡°R-Right!¡± Wait. Technically, Sylphy was now a Beginner-rank magician, right? Hmm¡­ while it wasn¡¯t anything special to me when I did it, being a certified magician was a pretty big deal. Especially for amoner like her. I¡¯d be sure to praise her after this. ¡ª Information on the Six-Faced World ¡ª Magic Tools and Items Magic Tools: Magic tools are specially crafted equipment that have a carved magic circle. When a user channels their mana into the tool and recites an incantation, the magic circle activates, unleashing the desired magical effect. Magic tools can be used repeatedly as long as the user can supply an adequate amount of mana. Magic Items: Magic items are objects infused with mana that possess unique and specific abilities. By performing a specific action or trigger, the user can activate the magical effect, or the item may have a constant effect that does not require activation. Magic items often have a limited number of uses per day and can replenish their mana reserves over time. Magic items are often found in dungeons andbyrinths. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°So these ¡®atoms¡¯ canbine, and when ¡®oxygen¡¯ and two ¡®hydrogens¡¯ are connected like this¡­ it forms water? How exactly do you know this?¡± Roxy asked me. I shrugged my shoulders in response. ¡°I don¡¯t really know how, I just know. I¡¯m a Miko, remember?¡± ¡°Ah, right¡­ but then, how do you know that it¡¯s true?¡± she asked. ¡°I don¡¯t. At least, not really. There isn¡¯t a proper way to test it, at least not one that I know of. But whenever I visualize these¡­ scientific things, especially with fire and water, it makes the magic much more powerful. So I think it holds some merit, at least,¡± I responded. She then ced her quill down. ¡°If you say so... Well, let¡¯s see how this goes.¡± Extending her hand, I watched as her nose scrunched cutely in concentration, and after a few moments of nothing, a sphere of water suddenly appeared above her hand. I looked on in amazement as Roxy slowly twirled the ball of water around her palm before depositing it into a cup. I then watched as her lips curled into the most beautiful smile I had ever seen, second only to the face Mama made after Rudy was born. Roxy¡­ she really was pretty. ¡°Hu¡­¡± ¡®Hu¡¯? ¡°Huhuhuhu!¡± sheughed happily. ¡­Ah, right, she was also like this. But that was just another part of her charm, in my opinion. ¡°You did it, Miss Roxy!¡± I eximed. ¡°Hehehe! I did, didn¡¯t I?¡± she said proudly before pulling me into a hug. My face got warm at the contact as she then formed another ball of water, a giddy smile on her face the entire time. After ying around with the magic a bit, she then calmed down, relinquishing her hold on me, much to my despair. ¡°Ahem! Indeed. So it seems I have finally grasped casting without incantations,¡± Roxy said, nodding proudly to herself. ¡°Thank you for your help, Leon.¡± Was she seriously trying to act like a distinguished teacher now? After acting like an excited schoolgirl just a moment ago? She then looked out the window at the snow-nketedndscape as she twirled a strand of hair with her finger. ¡°Though¡­ Sylphy was able to pick up chantless magic right away, so I shouldn¡¯t get conceited.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say such self-deprecating things, Miss Roxy. You needed to break a habit, while Sylphy was a clean te. Plus, I¡¯m pretty sure children can learn chantless magic much more easily than adults,¡± I reassured her. She simply shook her head before gently patting my hair. ¡°If you said so. You and your brother could probably transform the world''s view of magic, you know?¡± she said. ¡°Ehh, that sounds troublesome,¡± I said, leaning into her touch. ¡°I¡¯m fine just spending time with family and friends while getting stronger.¡± ¡°I see¡­ but why do you want to get stronger?¡± she asked. Hmm¡­ that was indeed a question. ¡°I guess¡­ it feels good to improve? Plus, in this world, it¡¯s always good to have strength.¡± Roxy nodded her head in approval. ¡°All good reasons.¡± ¡°Oh! And because it¡¯s cool! When I get older, I¡¯ll definitely be able to be popr with thedies, right?¡± I said. Roxy pinched my cheek in response. ¡°How cheeky¡­ You better not be like your father, got it?¡± ¡°Yesh, Mish Roxy,¡± I affirmed with some difficulty. She let go with a smirk. ¡°Good. And once you get a bit older¡­¡± Her cheeks got a bit red before she hastily shook her head. ¡°No, never mind. Let¡¯s work on that Intermediate-rank protection spell before it gets toote.¡± With Intermediate-rank protection magic, or barrier magic as I liked to call it, I was having a bit of trouble understanding it, as there were only magic circles for activation and no incantations. But I was hoping that once I understood them with magic circles, I would be able to convert it to chantless magic, or at least something simr. I was able to use Beginner-rank barrier spells without a chant with no problem, and I could do the same with other spells up to the Advanced rank, so it shouldn¡¯t be too big of a hurdle. ¡­Hopefully. But even at the Beginner rank, there were quite a few useful barrier spells, such as Magic Shield, which, as the name implied, created a shield that blocked any magic attacks. Through Roxy, I also learned quite an interesting thing about barrier magic. That was¡­ I really shouldn¡¯t be able to learn this. Or rather, we shouldn¡¯t be able to learn this. Protection magic had been banned for anyone to teach it beyond the Beginner rank unless you were a member of the Millishion Holy Knight Orders. Even for the Beginner rank, the University of Ranoa, the greatest magic school in the world, didn¡¯t teach it, hence why Roxy hadn¡¯t learned it during her time there. Apparently, Mama had used a few of her old noble connections and favours to get that book, and as long as I didn¡¯t go around spreading my knowledge to everyone I knew, I should be safe. ¡­I really hope she wasn¡¯t wrong. But then again, it was unlikely for the Millis Church to send out their inquisitors just because a country boy and a random magic tutor, even if she was a demon, knew their secret arts. And even if they did, Paul, Rudy, and I made a pretty strong team. Plus, as long as I used it in unique ways without a chant, it would be difficult for anyone to find a connection with the church¡¯s secret magic. So Roxy and I were safe¡­ hopefully. ¡°-so that¡¯s how Physical Shield works¡­ Hey, Leon? Are you even listening?¡± Roxy said, snapping me out of my thoughts. ¡°Huh? Ah, yeah. It stops physical attacks, right?¡± I said. Roxy looked at me doubtfully. ¡°...Were you actually listening? Or did you just get that from the name of the spell?¡± ¡°Hehehe~¡± I opted not to answer. ¡°Haa¡­¡± she shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll repeat from the beginning. This here-¡± ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª I was now seven years old, and while I had recently be an Intermediate-rank barrier magician, that wasn¡¯t what we were celebrating today. Instead- ¡°Happy birthday, Rudy!¡± -It was my little brother¡¯s fifth birthday that was the asion. From Paul, Rudy had gotten a sword as well as a long apanying speech about morals and strength. At least the man didn¡¯t stumble over his words this time. Mama, meanwhile, had given him an encyclopedia of the flora in the region, with illustrations and descriptions to go along with it. Since my brother and I shared all of our books, except for the barrier magic one, since he was more interested in elemental magic, I was also going to benefit from this, so I was quite happy about the new source of knowledge. Andst was Roxy. ¡°Here, I crafted it yesterday.¡± Handing Rudy a stick with a small red stone at the tip, she continued, ¡°Since both you and your brother could already use magic, I had forgotten, but once a student learns elementary magic, the teacher is meant to give them a wand. Ah, and here¡¯s one for you too, Leon.¡± She then handed me a simr wand, except the magic stone was blue at the tip. Whoa¡­ I wonder how this would affect my magic. I¡¯d have to test it out. ¡°Thank you, Master! I¡¯ll take good care of it!¡± Rudy eximed, causing Roxy to grimace slightly. Right¡­ she really didn¡¯t like being called ¡®Master¡¯, did she? Something about her old teacher in Ranoa, but even I didn¡¯t know the full story. ¡°Thank you, Miss Roxy,¡± I said with a bow. ¡°You¡¯re quite wee, you two,¡± Roxy said with a smile. ¡°Ah, by the way, Rudy.¡± My brother turned his head at Paul¡¯s words. ¡°Yes, Father?¡± he asked. ¡°You¡¯ll be starting actual swordsmanship training tomorrow, so don¡¯t do anything to piss your brother and me off! Hahaha-! Ouch!¡± He got a pinch from Mama as a result. Trembling slightly with worry, Rudy then looked over to me as I gave him a consoling pat on the head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll mostly be posture and forms to start. And since our dad is quite bad at exining things, I¡¯ll try to trante as best as I can.¡± That seemed to relieve his worries a bit. ¡°Ah. And I got you something too,¡± I then pulled out a bag of dried fruits coated in honey. A candy I made with the help of Sylphy and Lilia. ¡°Sylphy and I went into the forest to get the things, and Lilia helped make them. So you could say it¡¯s a present from all of us,¡± I said with a smile. From said adventure, I was also able to put my chantless detoxification magic to use with the bee stings I got. So you better appreciate it, brother! ¡°Thank you, brother!¡± Rudy eximed happily. Sharing a hug with him, I was barely able to contain myughter as I see Roxy look at the candies longingly. Hee~? I knew she had a sweet tooth, but not to this extent. Good thing I kept some extras in my room. Noticing my gaze, her cheeks flushed as she averted her eyes. ¡°A-Ahem! T-There¡¯s something else that must be discussed as well!¡± Huh? What was this? With both of us looking curiously at her, she continued, ¡°You two have be Advanced-rank magicians in every school of attack magic, arepletely literate, and can perform high-level arithmetic¡­ which means there is only one thing I have left to teach you.¡± ¡°What does that mean, Master Roxy?¡± Rudy asked as he let go of me. ¡°Well¡­ that means that it¡¯s about time for your graduation,¡± she answered. Ah, right. I had expected this. It was only natural, after all, even if it was sad. But from the look on Rudy¡¯s face, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case for him. Chapter 11 – Graduation Chapter 11 ¨C Graduation ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It was the day after Rudy¡¯s birthday, and with my breath visible from the morning chill, I finished my morning workout just as the sun began to rise over the hills. ¡°Does it have to be outside the vige?¡± Rudy meekly protested. ¡°Yes, it does. Otherwise, we might damage some of the farnd and houses. Come on, I¡¯ve already got the horse prepared,¡± Roxy exined. ¡°Can¡¯t we do it in the yard?¡± he persisted. Roxy shook her head. ¡°No, we can¡¯t.¡± Rudy pouted, ¡°We can¡¯t, huh?¡± Looking over at my forlorn little brother, I couldn¡¯t help but release a small sigh. When he was little, I didn¡¯t think much of it, but now¡­ it was quite obvious. Rudy had never stepped foot past the garden walls. Not only that, he was¡­ afraid to. I remember asking him toe along right when I started hanging out with Sylphy, as I wanted the two to be friends, but he was extremely reluctant to. So much so that his legs trembled as I tried to pull him along. Well¡­ I suppose it was time for him to face his fears. ¡°But¡­ aren¡¯t there monsters out there?¡± he asked. ¡°Huh? Not around these parts, no. Besides, even if there were, they would be weak enough that I can deal with them easily. In fact, you and your brother could probably handle them by yourselves as well,¡± Roxy exined before frowning. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ I remember hearing that you¡¯ve never left home. You still haven¡¯t, have you, Rudy?¡± Rudy scratched his cheek sheepishly. ¡°Erm¡­ no, I haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°Even when your brother and his friend always y out there?¡± she asked. He shook his head in response. ¡°Hmm¡­ are you afraid of nature, perhaps? Ah! That¡¯s it! You¡¯re afraid of animals!¡± Pff-! Roxy¡­ I don¡¯t think that¡¯s quite it. I think he¡¯s just afraid of leaving the house just because, with no real reason for it other than fear of the unknown. ¡°N-No, I¡¯m¡­ not scared of animals,¡± Rudy exined. ¡°Hehe, so that¡¯s all it is,¡± Roxy smirked. ¡°I guess, just like your brother, you also act your age sometimes.¡± Umm¡­ I think she had the wrong idea, but I¡¯d let it y out for now. Maybe her obliviousness will help Rudy ovee whatever fear he had. ¡°Guess I don¡¯t have any other choice then,¡± Roxy nodded to herself. ¡°Hyup!¡± ¡°Bwuh!¡± Contrary to my expectations, Rudy didn¡¯t struggle as he was ced onto the saddle. Maybe it was because he had simply epted his fate, or perhaps because he was in front of Roxy. Lucky¡­ ¡°There. Once we start riding, your fear will go away. Leon! Come on up!¡± she said to me. ¡°Got it!¡± Heeding her call, I hopped onto the horse, with Rudy in front of me while Roxy mbered up behind. However, since I was getting a bit taller, she couldn¡¯t easily see over me, and decided to rest her head on my shoulder. ¡­That feels nice. We then began trotting toward the vige centre, with Roxy slowly guiding us past the plots of farnd and various houses, as the vigers sent a few nces and waves our way. It was only natural, as not only did Roxy and Iplete various jobs with our magic, such as when Roxy watered the fields during a drought, but I had also been a healer for a while when Mama was pregnant. Plus, I had been showing my face around more recently ever since I started ying with Sylphy. Ah¡­ speaking of that, she will be quite shocked then I don¡¯t meet her at our hill, huh? I¡¯ll have to apologizeter. But oddly enough, with each nce thrown our way, Rudy would hunch in on himself more and more, as if hiding from the passing townsfolk. ¡°Uhh, Rudy? Are you good?¡± I asked. ¡°...T-They¡¯re staring at me¡­ why?¡± he asked with a trembling voice. Staring at you? Wait, don¡¯t tell me¡­ was he scared of the townsfolk? Thinking about it, it made a good amount of sense. After all, other than the four other people that were gathered in our house, he hadn¡¯t had any interaction with another person, so it was only natural for him to be afraid of the unknown. My lips curling into a smirk, I patted him a few times on the head to calm him down. ¡°Sorry to break it to you, but you aren¡¯t that handsome quite yet. They¡¯re looking at Roxy and me, you dolt.¡± That seems to wake him out of his stupor as he then raised his head, looking around in new-found wonder, the previous tension disappearing as if it was a lie. ¡°Are you still afraid?¡± Roxy suddenly said. Oh. She must have heard our conversation. Rudy shook his head in denial. ¡°No, I¡¯m¡­ okay now.¡± ¡°See? What did I tell you?¡± Roxy said. ¡°Animals aren¡¯t that scary at all.¡± ¡­She must have heard only a part of it. ¡°N-No¡­ they¡¯re not,¡± Rudy said softly. After a few moments of looking around at the passing scenery, Rudy then spoke up, ¡°What do they grow in these fields?¡± ¡°Well, it depends on the rotated crop, but usually Asuran wheat, which is used to make bread and beer. There are other vegetables too, but mostly wheat,¡± Roxy answered. ¡°Yep. Like that field there,¡± I pointed out, ¡°Those are peppers. Miss Roxy¡¯s favourite.¡± Roxy pinched my side. ¡°She can¡¯t eat those, can she?¡± Rudy said happily. ¡°I-It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t eat them, I¡¯m just not fond of them, is all! Now z-zip it, you two!¡± Roxy said. Seemingly embarrassed, she then snapped the reins, speeding up our journey through the vige. I¡¯m gonna miss teasing Roxy like this¡­ Soon, the fields turned from tilled farnd to empty grasnds and hills as Roxy eventually led us to the top of a mound, far away from the vige. Looking across the ins, I could faintly see mountains rising above the distant horizon. Those¡­ were the Red Dragon Mountains, if I was not mistaken. I remember going near there for a quest that the Fangs of the ck Wolf took. Something about a stray dragon causing trouble. I was still a newborn at the time, though, so I was asleep for the whole fight. ¡°Right here should do nicely,¡± Roxy suddenly said. Bringing the horse to a stop right beside the singr tree, we then hopped off the saddle as Roxy tied the reins to said tree. Making sure the horse was secure, Roxy then turned to us. ¡°I¡¯m going to cast the Saint-tier water spell, Cumulonimbus. It creates thunder, and causes torrential rain toe down in arge area.¡± Rudy and I nodded our heads in understanding. ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Roxy said as she grabbed hold of her staff. ¡°Now, I can only cast this once, so watch closely and try to memorize the chant. Though I can tell it to you after if need be. Also, I¡¯ll only be casting it for a minute, but you two will need to leave it going for¡­ let''s say an hour. After that, I¡¯ll consider it a pass.¡± Walking forward and raising her staff, Roxy then began to cast her spell, ¡°Oh, spirits of the magnificent waters, I beseech the Prince of Thunder! Grant me my wish, bless me with thy savagery, and reveal to this insignificant servant a glimpse of thy power!¡± Clouds began to gather across the sky as she continued to chant steadily and purposefully, thendscape growing dark under the forming storm. ¡°Let fear strike the heart of man as thy divine hammer strikes its anvil, and cover thend with water! Come, oh rain, and wash everything away in thy flood of destruction - Cumulonimbus!¡± As her chant finished, rain began to fall as the wind roared, and the ck clouds above began to flicker with shes of lightning. The sky rumbled, and purple light shot through the clouds, increasing in power with each flicker before it released onto the ground below with a streaking sh. Right onto the tree that our poor horse was tied to¡­ My ears ringing from the p of thunder, I faintly heard an ¡°Oh no!¡± from Roxy as she cancelled her spell, the clouds scattering and the rain letting up as she rushed over to the copsed horse. ¡°Oh, goddess of motherly affection, close up this one¡¯s wounds and restore the vigour to his body - X-Healing!¡± Turning to me with a flustered look, she quickly voiced out, ¡°Not a word! Understood? Not. A. Word!¡± Ah. So she was embarrassed. ¡°Got it¡­ Miss Roxy¡­¡± But even if I wanted toment on her frazzled state, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to do so, as I was still in the process of getting over my shock. That spell¡­ it was truly a work of art. While it was a water spell, it also incorporated wind into its formation, and lightning as well¡­ why hadn¡¯t I thought of that? Lightning would be such a potent and quick method of attack, but since it wasn¡¯t covered in the four schools of elementary magic, it hadpletely slipped my mind. But then again¡­ I knew that magic wasn¡¯t omnipotent. At least not without the proper means to harness it. I could use the elements freely, as well as healing magic, detoxification magic, and elementary barrier magic¡­ but that was because I got a clue as to forming the main element or effect of the magic, and how the mana formed to create said elements, through an incantation. Maybe with this spell, I would be able to open up a new branch into the lightning element. Or perhaps the lightning was only generated as a side effect of the static in the clouds¡­ ¡°Alright, Rudy. You try this time. Leon,e here,¡± Roxy said, forming a rock dome with the spell Earth Fortress to defend against any errant lightning strikes. Peeking through the small hole, I watched as Rudy held his wand to the air. ¡°Oh, spirits of the magnificent waters, I beseech the Prince of Thunder! Grant me my wish, bless me with thy savagery, and reveal to this insignificant servant a glimpse of thy power! Let fear strike the heart of man as thy divine hammer strikes its anvil and cover thend with water! Come, oh rain, and wash everything away in thy flood of destruction - Cumulonimbus!¡± Oh¡­ I just realized¡­ I would have to wait here for an hour. Haa¡­ at least Roxy was here with me. Watching the clouds billow simrly to Roxy¡¯s spell, I knew that my little brother was going to be fine. Thus, I sat against the wall, letting the soothing sound of rain lull me into a light nap. At least until Rudy came back a momentter. ¡°I¡¯m done,¡± he said proudly. ¡°Done? What do you mean ¡®done¡¯? You have to control the spell for an hour, so get back out there!¡± Roxy said. ¡°Control them?¡± Rudy said cheekily. ¡°Why would I need to do that?¡± Roxy and I then took a peek outside, and to our surprise, the spell was¡­ self-sustaining. No, not just self-sustaining. In fact, the clouds that covered the sky were growing. ¡°I see! You created a diagonal whirlwind in order to push the clouds up!¡± Roxy eximed, grabbing her hat so it didn¡¯t fly away in the intense winds. ¡°Rudy,¡± Roxy said, turning to my brother with a smile, ¡°You pass.¡± ¡°Huh? But it hasn¡¯t been an hour yet,¡± Rudy said. ¡°There¡¯s no need. If you can do that, then you¡¯re more thanpetent enough. Now¡­ can you make it go away?¡± Roxy asked. Nodding his head, Rudy then raised his wand and began dispelling the storm. Now¡­ how exactly did he do that? I knew that clouds were formed when warm, moist air is forced upwards. This was something ¡®scientific¡¯ in nature that was actually taught to me by Roxy rather than me already understanding it. I also knew that hot air rises, but also, as one went higher, the air cooled as gas particles expanded from lower pressure and lost energy. So if I used those two properties of the atmosphere together, I could theoretically create a sort of cycle- Aha! So that was it! Damn¡­ I knew my brother was smart, but that was more than I expected. ¡°Okay. Congrattions, Rudy. You are now a Water Saint,¡± Roxy said before she then turned back to me. ¡°Your turn now, Leon.¡± Okay¡­ let¡¯s do this. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ did you forget the chant?¡± she teased. I just shook my head before raising my wand. Now¡­ let¡¯s do this, Leon. Focus on the incantation, but also how the mana moves. We¡¯re in the uncharted territory of Saint-rank magic now, after all, so let¡¯s make the most of it. ¡°Oh, spirits of the magnificent waters, I beseech the Prince of Thunder! Grant me my wish, bless me with thy savagery, and reveal to this insignificant servant a glimpse of thy power! Let fear strike the heart of man as thy divine hammer strikes its anvil and cover thend with water! Come, oh rain, and wash everything away in thy flood of destruction - Cumulonimbus!¡± As I chanted the spell, I couldn¡¯t help but marvel at the beauty of it. The way my mana moved, both throughout my body and then outward where it then affected the environment, it was¡­ beautiful. Clouds conjured overhead by generating moist warm air, just as I had expected, before said clouds were then cooled, allowing the water in said clouds to precipitate in the form of rain. While it was on arger scale, this was simply an improved version of the Advanced-rank spell Squall. But that¡¯s where the simrities ended. I watched in awe as the mana twisted and weaved into the sky under mymand, charging the clouds with energy, which would then cause lightning to strike. Hmm¡­ while I understood the process of what Rudy did with the spell to make it self-sustaining, I didn¡¯t feel like going down the same path. At least not right away. I wanted to keep control of the spell, and hopefully, gain a deeper understanding of it. A slow and steady learning process, just as I have always done. Hmm¡­ while the rain and lightning weren¡¯t expressly generated by my magic, they were still elements. This meant that I should be able to control them as if they were my own, especially since my mana was already interwoven in the surrounding atmosphere. Well, maybe not for lightning, but if I used that same charging property in the ground¡­ I should be able to direct it¡­ just like so¡­ Lightning shed across the sky, and all the bolts converged to strike a few hundred meters from my position, creating a deafening boom that echoed through the surrounding ins. Whoa¡­ that was cool. Now let¡¯s see¡­ if I can take control of the rest¡­ As soon as I closed my eyes and began to focus, a change appeared in the surroundings. The rain, while still pelting the area, now diverted before it could hit me or the two who were standing behind me, and the wind, while still howling, swept around me like the eye of a storm, leaving my shirtpletely still. Absolute control. Or at least something close to it. Like this¡­ I truly felt like a master of the elements. Like a conductor, I had the winds dance to my will,manding the currents to blow this way and that as I began jumping around with glee. Cumulonimbus¡­ it wasn¡¯t just an enhanced form of Squall with some lightning mixed in. Instead, it was like a canvas that one could use to paint the environment as they pleased. While I couldn¡¯t find a practical use for this spell in terms ofbat, nor any way to meld it into my swordsmanship, still¡­ Saint-ranked magic¡­ it truly was amazing. ¡ª Roxy Migurdia ¡ª Extending my hand, I watched in amazement as my robes did not flutter from the wind, nor feel rain ssh against my palm. ¡°Crazy¡­ both you and your brother are crazy¡­¡± I said to Rudeus in awe. Really¡­ this level of control was something else. Was it because of his ability to cast chantless magic that he could do this? Or was it something possible with the normal use of this spell through incantations? Either way, I had added yet another thing to practice in my pursuit of magical mastery, all thanks to these two young students of mine. A Saint-ranked water magician at five and seven, both chantless spell casters, and with thetter being extremely gifted in swordsmanship. Truly, there was something in that family that spawned geniuses. It couldn¡¯t be inherited, as Leon was adopted, so perhaps it had to do with how Zenith raised them. It definitely wasn¡¯t Paul, after all. Or perhaps¡­ it was just luck. Anyway, with such a lovely disy of control and ability, there was no need to potentially turn this lovely grasnd into a marsh. ¡°Leon! You can stop now!¡± I shouted. The winds calmed in an instant before Leon then made an updraft that blew away the clouds a momentter, wiping away the rain and lightning along with it. Haha¡­ what a showoff. But he was quite cute to see him jumping around so happily, so I¡¯ll let it go this time. Leon then turns to me with a wide smile, the rain dripping down his face as his hair stuck to his skin. ¡°So? How¡¯d I do, Miss Roxy?¡± My heart thumped painfully in my chest. I don¡¯t know whether it was the swordsmanship lessons, or if it was simply something inherited, but he was already reaching my height, and his previously childish facial features were slowly morphing into something with a more¡­ mature appeal. Haa¡­ truly, it was a shame I was a few years too early. ¡°Congrattions,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°You are now a Saint-ranked water magician as well.¡± I swallowed down the blush that was about to form on my cheeks as his eyes lit up in glee. Haa¡­ it truly was a shame. ¡ª Information on the Six-Faced World ¡ª Red Dragon Mountains This mountain range splits the Central Continent into the North, West, and South,pletely separating the three territories save for three points that allow travel. Red Dragon¡¯s Upper Jaw - This connects the North and the West at the northwestern point of the mountain range. Red Dragon¡¯s Lower Jaw - This connects the West and the South near the southernmost point of the mountain range, which is also the southernmost point of the Asura Kingdom. Red Dragon Mountain Range - This is the mountain range that separates the North from the South and runs across the continent before ending abruptly near the coastline, where travel is possible. Aside from the three points of travel, the Red Dragon Mountains are impassable save for the strongest of the Seven World Powers. This is because Red Dragons, or Red Dragons as they are sometimes called, im the mountains as their territory. And if one were to impede on it, a swarm of many of the S-ranked monsters would quickly attack any trespasser. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°You¡¯re more than wee to stay, Roxy. I still have plenty of recipes to teach you,¡± Mama said. ¡°Right. While your role as a tutor may havee to an end, we¡¯d be more than happy to have you stick around. And you already know the vigers love having you,¡± Paul added. Roxy just shook her head in return. ¡°I appreciate the offer. Truly, I do. But I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t ept. Teaching those two have broadened my horizons on magic, so I want to take this chance to hone my craft.¡± She then sent a small nce my way. ¡°And hopefully, once I see those two again, I will be able to stand by their side as a chantless spell caster.¡± Rudy, oblivious to ourte-night studies, just looked confused. ¡°I see,¡± Paul said, nodding to himself. ¡°I suppose it is what it is. Sorry that those two caused you to lose confidence in yourself.¡± I was about toment, but Mama beat me to the punch, giving the man¡¯s side a pinch. ¡°Ouch!¡± ¡°No, I should be thanking them for the opportunity for growth. Ah! And I almost forgot!¡± Roxy then reached into her robe before pulling out a pair of nes and handing one each to Rudy and me. ¡°Those are amulets of my race, the Migurd. If you evere across a demon giving you a hard time, showing them this mighte in handy¡­ maybe.¡± ¡­Not exactly inspiring a lot of confidence with thatst bit, Miss Roxy. ¡°Anyway. Leon, Rudy, I¡¯m sorry that I didn¡¯t have what it takes to teach you-¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true, Miss Roxy! You¡¯ve taught me lots of things!¡± Rudy interjected. Roxy showed him a warm smile. ¡°Thank you, but if you ever find yourself wanting to advance your magical studies, then I implore you to visit my alma mater, the Ranoa University of Magic. With your skills, you would likely be treated very well there.¡± She then turned to me. ¡°You should do the same, Leon.¡± I originally had no desire to grow my rank in magic, as with my chantless magic and general mana control, spells became somewhat meaningless to me. But after seeing Saint-rank magic in action, I hade to see the beauty in such high-level magic. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll¡­ think about it,¡± I said. And then, shing a small smile, she departed. After all, there was nothing left to be said. But¡­ I didn¡¯t exactly want it to end here. I still had a few more things I wanted to tell her, and I didn¡¯t exactly want to do it in front of my family. So, ignoring my crying brother, I chased after her. ¡°R-Roxy!¡± I eximed, just in front of the walled garden. She turned to me with surprise. ¡°Leon?¡± Taking a deep breath to calm my beating heart, I stepped forward, keeping my chin high as I looked into her eyes. ¡°I¡­ I want to be with you! W-When I¡¯m older!¡± My face was burning at my confession, to the point where I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if steam began rising from my cheeks. Roxy¡¯s lips curled into a sad smile, though she had a slight blush on her cheeks as well. ¡°Well¡­ I appreciate the sentiment, so thank you. And i-if,¡± her blush deepened. ¡°If you feel the same once you be an adult, then I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll ept.¡± Did¡­ did that mean what I think it means? Well¡­ maybe. It was better than a rejection, at least. ¡°Okay!¡± I said, running up to hug her. Relishing the feeling I would likely miss for a while, as she began to let go, I decided to show a little boldness. So, pushing my head over her shoulder, I whispered into her ear, ¡°And when I¡¯m older¡­ I¡¯ll be sure to visit lots of dungeons.¡± ¡°Why?¡± she asked. ¡°S-So then I can be the swordsman that rescues you,¡± I said. She instantly let go of me. ¡°W-Where did you hear that from!?¡± Her cheeks were now a deep red as she pointed at me usingly. ¡°Umm¡­ you sometimes talk in your sleep, Miss Roxy,¡± I said with a teasing smile. That only seemed to deepen her flustered state even more, as she quickly turned to face away from me. ¡°F-Fine¡­ I¡¯ll meet you again at that time then, Leon.¡± And then, with those words, my crush departed. For real this time, without me holding her back. Ah¡­ I missed her already. Chapter 12 – Growing Chapter 12 ¨C Growing ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª When I got back to the house, I was greeted by a set of three wide smiles. Even Lilia was getting in on Paul and Mama¡¯s antics. Ignoring the thumbs-up Paul was sending me, and the happily giggling Mama, I made my way over to the saddened Rudy. ¡°Hey¡­ you okay?¡± I asked. He raised his head. ¡°Huh? Uh¡­ yeah,¡± he sniffled. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It was to be expected, right? I should just be d she stuck with me for so long¡­¡± Mmm¡­ right. Over the years, as Rudy had slowly grown into his own person, I¡¯ve noticed two things about my little brother. One, he had horrible confidence issues. I don¡¯t think it was my fault, as he never seemed to have self-doubt in his intelligence and magical prowess, but rather about the more¡­ human aspects of life. This was especially noticeable once Roxy came into our lives. But hopefully, this trait would start to wane as he met more people and discovered what a good kid he was, so there were no issues there¡­ hopefully. Second, I also noticed that he has trouble with change. Not wanting to leave the house¡­ not wanting Roxy to leave¡­ he wanted to stay in the protective bubble of his current life. It wasn¡¯t a bad thing, per se. Some may even call it endearing. But for anyone, especially a growing child, change should be weed rather than feared. That was all part of growth, after all. So, as his big brother, I would have to guide him through such difficulties, and with my help, these two issues would hopefully melt away with time. I watched as Rudy¡¯s face suddenly morphed into a frown. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Rudy?¡± I asked. ¡°N-Nothing! It¡¯s just¡­ I forgot to give Roxy back her panties¡­¡± ¡­Seriously? Sensing my disapproval, he continued, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Even if they¡¯re used, I¡¯ll be sure to treat them with utmost respect! Promise!¡± No¡­ I wasn¡¯t worried about that¡­ Haa¡­ he had more of his father in him than I thought, huh? He better keep that perversion away from Sylphy, though. I don¡¯t want to regret letting them meet. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It was the day after Roxy¡¯s departure, and it seemed whatever fears Rudy had about going outside had beenpletely quelled. ¡°Bye, Mother! We¡¯ll be back by sundown!¡± he eximed. ¡°Alright! Be safe! And listen to your brother!¡± Mama replied firmly. With those departing words, I then led Rudy through the vige, pointing out what was what and who lived where. As there were only roughly 30 households, it was pretty easy to keep track of everyone and everything. ¡°So¡­ where are we going, brother?¡± Rudy asked as we made our way toward the forest. ¡°Sylphy¡¯s house,¡± I answered. ¡°It should be a nice surprise for her since we usually meet up at the hill. Although I bet she¡¯ll be mad at me, considering I¡¯ve skipped out thest couple of days.¡± Rudy tilted his head in confusion. ¡°But didn¡¯t you tell her what happened after Master taught us her Saint spell?¡± ¡°Yes, but it still sucks to be left alone. You know about her hair, right? Makes things hard,¡± I said back. ¡°Aha¡­ you¡¯re quite fond of her, aren¡¯t you brother?¡± he asked. ¡°Of course I am. She¡¯s my first friend, and unlike the other vige kids, she¡¯s very smart and mature,¡± I answered. Rudy grew a teasing smile. ¡°And she¡¯s cute, right~?¡± I flicked his forehead in response. ¡°Yes. And also very innocent, so don¡¯t be mean. Also, whether you two get along or not, you¡¯re still helping me make her something nice for her birthday.¡± I had a few ideas as to what to get the girl for her uing birthday in the fall, but I was still in the nning stage. Hopefully, I would be able to get or make her something that wouldst a while. Soon, we reached Sylphy¡¯s house, which was a wooden shack withtches for windows, unlike ours which had ss. I always remembered how lucky we were whenever I visited them. While our family wasn¡¯t as rich as most Asuran nobles, we were still in a very good situationpared to most. But Sylphy¡¯s situation wasn¡¯t as bad either, especially after meeting me. Luckily, with Sylphy being taught and excelling at various subjects, she should be set for the future, and even have enough to support her parents, but until then, elementary fire and water magic solved most of the problems her family would encounter in the winter. Walking up to the home, I didn¡¯t even need to knock on the door before a blur of green dashed out and mmed into me for a hug. ¡°Leon! You¡¯re early!¡± Sylphy eximed. Rubbing her head affectionately, I answered her, ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? Now that I don¡¯t have formal magic lessons in the morning, I can spend most of the day with you until sword practice. Besides¡­ I brought a guest.¡± Finally understanding the situation, Sylphy released me before turning to Rudy with fearful eyes and promptly scurried behind my back. And for some reason, my little brother was looking at me and Sylphy with a wide, teasing smile, simr to one Mama would wear. But he quickly wiped away the expression as he waved his hand. ¡°Nice to meet you, Sylphy! I¡¯m Rudy! Rudeus Greyrat!¡± ¡°H-Hi¡­¡± she greeted back. Hmm¡­ she was still a bit scared, but hopefully, once she learned that Rudy wouldn¡¯t care about her hair, she would open up a bit more. This fear of rejection and discrimination was also the reason she had avoideding to my house even after all this time, but at least she had gained some confidence in her natural trait, judging by the fact she had now grown her hair to chest length. Good. It was pretty, after all. It would be a shame to keep such nice hair so short, which was why I had suggested growing it out. Wait¡­ Paul said it was always good toment when a girl is pretty, right? While I didn¡¯t n on following his womanizing example, Sylphy did have confidence issues, and that just might be a good way to relieve them. ¡°Your hair looks nice, Sylphy. Have you been using that soap we made?¡± I asked. ¡°H-Huh? Thanks, Leon. And yeah, though it¡¯s almost gone now¡­¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s fine. It should be even better the next time since this guy has a botanical book,¡± I said, pointing to Rudy. ¡°Really!¡± Sylphy said happily. Rudy, on the other hand, was only wearing a slight frown of confusion. ¡°Huh? I¡¯m not following.¡± It was Sylphy that answered him this time, ¡°W-We used ash and animal fat to make soap, but since we didn¡¯t know what nts were harmful, we couldn¡¯t add any nice scents¡­¡± Rudy¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Oh! I see! Then this would be pretty useful, huh?¡± Rudy then pulled out his book before setting it on a table I quickly made with earth magic. ¡°Do you know how to read?¡± he asked Sylphy. ¡°Y-Yeah, but I still have trouble with new words¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine then! It has pictures for this reason!¡± Well¡­ it seems like those two became fast friends. I think this would be a good arrangement going forward¡­ for both of them. ¡ª Information on the Six-Faced World ¡ª Dungeons and Labyrinths When mana infuses into a ce, particrly underground, abyrinth or dungeon is created. Labyrinths and dungeons all have a ¡®core¡¯ where the mana is concentrated, and as long as this core is alive, the dungeon orbyrinth will continue to expand by absorbing the surrounding mana. Anything within thebyrinth or dungeon will be affected by its mana, which causes the creation of magic crystals, magic items, and a high poption of dangerous monsters. Labyrinths and dungeons are explored by adventurers, either for their own interests in acquiring magic crystals, items, and monster materials or through a quest issued to the adventurer guild when abyrinth or dungeon is spawned in an undesirable location, such as near a city or a major road. ¡®Labyrinth¡¯ and ¡®dungeon¡¯ can be used interchangeably for these structures, but typically, byrinth¡¯ is used when the structure or traps are the most dangerous part of exploration, while ¡®dungeon¡¯ is used when the monsters are the most dangerous part. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Reforming my stance, I brought my sword close to my side, readying the wooden de to defend against any of Paul¡¯s attacks. But instead of putting on any pressure, he just casually held his sword forward with a confident smirk. ¡°Is that all? Come on, you gotta hit a little harder than that~¡± he taunted. My eyebrow twitched. This man¡­ he was so infuriating sometimes. Taking a breath, I then lowered my sword before running forward, my stance kept low to the ground. As I reached the man, I shed out with all my strength, only for my blow to be easily parried as my sword was smacked to the side. But I had predicted that. Letting go of the handle, I let the sword spin in the air before grasping it in a reverse grip as I leaped off the ground once again. Twisting my hips, I let the rotational motion empower my swing as it neared Paul¡¯s surprised face. But even with the surprise, he easily dodged, and with me in the air, he sent his sword towards my vulnerable form with a flick of his wrist. But I wouldn¡¯t be outdone so easily. I brought my open palm to the t side of his approaching de, and by guiding the blow to the side, I used the basics of the Water God style to counter-attack by having my parry flow seamlessly into a sword strike. ¡°Hup!¡± But instead ofnding a clean strike on his neck, I was sent back by a punch to my side. Damn North God style! Landing on the ground, I prepared to reset my stance, only to see a wooden swording straight towards me. I raised my sword in a hurry to block the strike, but Paul¡¯s de easily weaved around mine beforending a blow on my wrist, the pain causing me to involuntarily let go of my sword. I¡­ lost. ¡°Urk¡­ shit,¡± I said through gritted teeth. ¡°Haha! Not quite good enough to win against me just yet, Leon!¡± Paulughed. ¡°Oh, and don¡¯t use that word when Lilia and Zenith are around. I¡¯ll definitely get hounded on by them if they hear something like thating out of your mouth.¡± Just as I was about to ask what I did wrong in our spar, I was interrupted by the sound of a pair of pping hands. ¡°Nice try, brother!¡± ¡°You¡¯re amazing, Leon!¡± Smiling over at Rudy and Sylphy, I then got up and brushed off my dirtied clothes. ¡°Unfortunately, not amazing enough. Anyway, do you two wanna practice some magic before dinner time?¡± I could as Paul about my mistakester. ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s y!¡± Sylphy eximed. Smiling at her cheerful tone, I picked up my sword off the ground. ¡°Sure, just let me change out of my clothes first. Assuming that we¡¯re done, Father?¡± He shrugged in response, ¡°Yeah. Just make sure to do some practice swings before bed. At least a thousand. Otherwise, you¡¯ll never surpass your old man here.¡± ¡­He just always needed to get thest word in, huh? Suppressing the urge to send him a middle finger, I made my way back inside, with Sylphy and Rudy following behind. Haa¡­ but he was right. I wanted to surpass him. I could feel myself getting closer, but I still needed a final push to reach his level. Could it do with that energy I felt whenever I focused on my sword? Hmm¡­ maybe. But I guess I¡¯d find out sooner orter anyway. ¡ª Paul Greyrat ¡ª As the front door closed behind the three children, I finally released the tension I had been holding in, causing my shoulders to droop as I let out a pained sigh. ¡°Haa¡­ that was a close one.¡± Jeez¡­ that kid was truly a monster. I had been putting up a casual front, both due to my pride and to make sure Leon didn¡¯t get conceited, but soon enough, I wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up the act. While he had always been a natural at the sword, recently, he¡¯s been improving at a much faster rate, taking in every lesson like a sponge. Perhaps he¡¯s found some motivation to get stronger with Roxy leaving him? I knew that love could do stuff like that. Not only did he have his cute tutor wrapped around his little finger, but he also had his new little girlfriend sending obvious signals to him, even if neither of them knew it yet. Haa¡­ not even eight, and he already had two girls in the palm of his hand. I guess I must have rubbed off on him more than I thought, huh? ¡­Zenith and Lilia definitely won¡¯t like that. Anyway, while Leon wasn¡¯t my flesh and blood, I was still definitely proud of him and how much he had grown. Hmm¡­ he¡¯ll probably be hitting Advanced rank soon, and after that, I wouldn¡¯t really be qualified to teach him anymore. ¡­That was a bit embarrassing to think about. Anyway, if he wanted to continue improving after that, I¡¯d probably have to send him over to his ¡®Big Sis¡¯ Ghiine, who I had helped get a job as a guard and a swordsmanship instructor with my cousin in Roa a couple of years ago. Although, considering that she was now a Sword King, and also a beastfolk, I only really needed to do the introduction. Those Boreas sure loved the Beast Race. Almost as much as my old folks, the Notos, loved big breasts. Anyway, I probably wouldn¡¯t even need to beg for her to train him, considering how close they were when he was smaller and how she asked how he was doingst time we met. Plus¡­ I had heard that the youngdy over there had been kicked out of the noble school, so maybe he could flex some of his teaching skills too. Seeing how smart Sylphy was, as well as her crazy magic skills, he was definitely cut out for it. But for now¡­ I might need to get back to my past training routine unless I wanted to get beaten in a spar by my son who hasn¡¯t even had his second birthday. That¡­ would be a bit embarrassing. Even for me. ¡ª Sylphiette ¡ª Extending my wand, I tried to transform my mana into a wave of fire, just like Leon and Rudy did. But to no avail. ¡°Guh! Haa¡­ I can¡¯t do it¡­¡± I grumbled. ¡°Yes you can, Sylphy,¡± Leon said. The ball ofva that was hovering above his hand then transformed into a ball of glossy ck rock, something Leon called ¡®obsidian¡¯. It was very pretty. Seeing that, I couldn¡¯t help but think about the ne he gave me for my birthday, as the green pendant at the centre was also made of this rock. I wonder how he made it green though¡­ it must have been very difficult. But then again, he also let me use the wand his treasured tutor gave him, so I should have expected that level of kindness from him. Both he and Rudy were very good to me, despite my hair. Leon would even call it c-cute! ¡°-lphy? Sylphy?¡± ¡°Hwa-!?¡± I jumped in surprise as Leon¡¯s face suddenly appeared in front of me. No, actually, it had been there for a while. I had just been lost in my thoughts¡­ ¡°Jeez. No wonder you¡¯re having trouble. You have to concentrate, silly,¡± he teased. ¡°You¡¯re having difficulty with fire, right? What¡¯s the problem?¡± I looked down at my hand. Why couldn¡¯t I do it? I knew how important the image was to magic, but I had a clear image of mes, whether it be from the family stove or Rudy and Leon¡¯s magic, so that wasn¡¯t the problem. I knew that I didn¡¯t have a high affinity with fire magic, but even then, I should be able to do it to this level. It was just so¡­ frustrating. Especially when the other two could cast magic so easily. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know¡­¡± I said sadly. ¡°Don¡¯t know, huh? Hmm¡­ you remember what fire is, right? And the three things that are needed for it?¡± he said. I nodded my head. ¡°Yeah. Heat, fuel, and air, right?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± he said with a nod. ¡°The air part is easy. As for most spells, you can just use the surrounding air. Heat, other than the initial spark, is self-sufficient with the already burning fire. And fuel is just the magic power we use. So, what part do you think you are having trouble with?¡± he asked in his teaching tone. The ¡®teaching tone¡¯, which I called it, was when he already knew the answer to a question but wanted me to find it out myself. Some might call it annoying, but I knew that he was doing it for me. Plus¡­ for some reason, I don¡¯t think I could ever feel annoyed at Leon. Anyway, he always makes sure to leave hints in his question, or at least the exnation before it, so let¡¯s think, Sylphy! Hmm¡­ the air couldn¡¯t be it, as I didn¡¯t need to do anything to use it¡­ so it was either the spark or the fuel. And the fuel was just my magic power, so as long as I had good control of my mana, and a proper image, there shouldn¡¯t be a problem with that either. In that case¡­ ¡°Is it the spark?¡± ¡°Hmm~? Maybe, but I don¡¯t know for sure. Here, let¡¯s test it,¡± he then raised his hand and sped it with mine, sending a shiver of excitement down my spine. Before I could even think about that feeling, however, he continued, ¡°Now, I¡¯ll provide the ignition, so try to fire off that spell, okay?¡± ¡°O-Okay!¡± Going through the same thing I did before, I released my mana, and to my surprise, a wave of fire shot forth, scorching the air as it flew before eventually fading into nothing. ¡°Whoa!¡± I eximed. Leon pped his hands. ¡°Yep! That was pretty cool, Sylphy. Now that we know the ignition is the problem, let¡¯s try to fix it. So¡­ what do you imagine for the ¡®heat¡¯ or ¡®ignition¡¯ of the fire?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ usually a firece or one of your spells. It works for the other fire spells I do, so why doesn¡¯t it work for this one?¡± Iined. Leon shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, to be honest. But if I had to guess, your image of heat was too unrefined and too weak. Considering me Wave is an Intermediate-rank spell, it might not be enough for it.¡± ¡°S-So what should I do?¡± I asked. ¡°Be more scientific!¡± he smirked. ¡°Imagine the little particles of air buzzing around at high speeds and mming against each other. Remember what I said about heat and friction, right? Try to use that image, as well as the basic image of what ¡®fire¡¯ is.¡± Heeding his words, I extended my hand once again, thinking of the air rushing around, just as he said. Okay¡­ gather up the mana¡­ concentrate and converge¡­ fire¡­ friction¡­ heat¡­ ¡°Ha!¡± With a shout, I released the spell, and to my surprise, a giant wave of me surged forth, melting the snow as it passed and even scorching the earth hidden below. ¡°I¡­ I did it! Leon! I did it!¡± Hopping on my feet excitedly, I then jumped into his arms with a smile. ¡°Well done. You¡¯ve now reached the Intermediate rank in all four elements,¡± he said, lightly patting my head. But as soon as I looked up to see his proud smile, my body froze. My heart thumped in my chest and my face turned hot. W-What? What was this!? It felt scary, but¡­ good. Slowly, I came back to my senses as I released my hold on him. ¡°Y-Yes. It¡¯s thanks to you¡­¡± ¡°Nonsense. I just gave you a push, is all,¡± he said nonchntly. M-Mother had talked about feelings like these before. In fact, she had been talking about that kind of stuff ever since Leon started being my friend. The feelings of liking someone, or even¡­ loving them. D-Did I love Leon? ¡°Huh? Sylphy, why is your face so red?¡± ¡°N-No reason!¡± I quickly eximed. Uuu¡­ did I really love him? Maybe? I don¡¯t know¡­ but I guess I have some time to figure these feelings out. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª We were well into winter now, and Mama was¡­ well¡­ going to be a Mama yet again. She was pregnant. As soon as the first signs of morning sickness appeared, I used a detoxification spell meant to identify diseases andplications, and as soon as I did, I discovered a second life growing in her belly. If the timing was normal, I should be expecting a little sibling in the fall, which was a good time to have a child. I just hoped that the finances would be fine with such an addition, especially if Rudy wanted to go to Ranoa. Walking up to Rudy¡¯s door, I quickly opened it without knocking. ¡°Rudy, it¡¯s dinner¡­ time¡­¡± My words trailed off as I looked into his room, only to reveal him kneeling in reverence in front of a¡­ pair of panties. Now, as I often helped Lilia with theundry with my water magic, I knew that they weren¡¯t Mama or Lilia¡¯s. They were way too small. And considering he had already admitted to it a while back¡­ were they Roxy¡¯s? I didn¡¯t think he was serious about that. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked. ¡°Praying to my Goddess¡¯ holy relic, of course,¡± he answered nonchntly, still praying. ¡°And who is this Goddess, exactly?¡± I asked. ¡°Master Roxy, of course,¡± he responded smoothly. So it was Roxy¡¯s¡­ Walking up to him, I then lifted him by the scruff of the neck, ¡°Hey!¡±, as I picked up the ¡®holy relic¡¯ with my other hand. ¡°Seriously? Why do you even want this thing, brother? Isn¡¯t it just a piece of cloth?¡± I said. Standing up on his own feet, Rudy then gave me a confident grin. ¡°Oh how blind, dear brother of mine. That might have been only a simple piece of cloth¡­ if not for the scent that has been bestowed upon it.¡± ¡­What? ¡°What scent?¡± I asked before cautiously sniffing the clothing in question. Hmm¡­ it¡¯s musty¡­ but also a little sour with a hint of sweetness. But still¡­ I couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°What¡¯s so great about the scent, brother? You know I can make you some incense from the forest if you want, right?¡± I asked. Rudy then wagged his finger in a disapproving manner. ¡°Idiot. It¡¯s not about the scent itself, but rather, where it came from. You do know what I¡¯m talking about, right?¡± ¡®Where it came from¡¯? But panties only touch a woman''s¡­ I felt my face heat up in a blush as I instantaneously formed a sphere of whirling hot water around the panties. ¡°Y-You pervert! What the hell are you thinking!?¡± I stammered, extremely flustered by the images that were appearing in my mind. T-To think of Roxy like that! T-To think that smell was from Roxy! D-Disgusting! The brother in question, though, only looked at my hand with sorrowful bewilderment. ¡°The scent¡­¡± he said in anguish. I deposited the now-soaked and cleaned panties on the ground. ¡°I-If you do something like that with Sylphy, I¡¯ll start going serious in our spars, got it!?¡± Instead of answering, Rudy simply dropped dejectedly to his knees. ¡°Brothers¡­ why do they always destroy my things?¡± You destroyed my room! Haa¡­ no, I was past that. ¡°Now c¡¯mon. It¡¯s dinner time. And if you respect Roxy that much, then pray to the amulet she lovingly made for you instead. Not her¡­ panties,¡± I said before heading down the stairs. Seriously¡­ he was way too much like Paul, especially in his womanizing ways. My father wasn¡¯t a bad man, by any means. I would actually say Paul was quite a good man, and there was a reason why women swooned over him. But to show such perverseness as a child¡­ I was worried about what my dear little brother would grow into. If he strayed too far¡­ I would be sure to bring him back to his senses. Heading back downstairs, I helped Lilia set the table before Rudy showed his face a bitter. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, son?¡± Paul asked. Rudy shook his head. ¡°Nothing Father¡­ it¡¯s just¡­ the essence of divinity¡­ has been lost¡­¡± ¡°Uh¡­ okay?¡± Paul responded, confused. Yeah¡­ I was lost too, Father. With the table set, and everyone ready to eat, we were then interrupted by Lilia taking a nervous bow. ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry,¡± she said, sending a pained nce my way. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ pregnant.¡± In that instant, everyone froze, and the air became enveloped in a chill as if the door had been left open on a cold winter night. The question of who was the father passed briefly through my mind, but considering the fact that she never left the house save for maidly duties, the answer was obvious. Paul, ever since Mama discovered she was pregnant, had needed to go without sex. Something I was grateful for, as I no longer needed to do something to distract myself from the noises, but considering the lustful nature of the man¡­ it was obvious what had happened after being starved of such an act. With everyone¡¯s gazes falling onto the man, he quickly took a deep bow. ¡°I¡¯m, uh, sorry¡­ that one¡¯s¡­ probably mine.¡± Yes. That was quite obvious, Paul. I could slowly feel the respect for him that had grown over our swordsmanship lessons, and his general attitude around Rudy in trying to set a good example as a father, fade away to nothing but disdain. Despite all the morals he preached about ¡®being a man¡¯ and ¡®keeping your promises¡¯, it seemed that he had forgotten about his most important promise to Mama. Mama slowly rose from her seat before walking over and pping the man, leaving arge red handprint on his face. I also wanted to p the man, or maybe even go a step further, but I held myself back. There were more important matters to discuss. Now¡­ how would we deal with this, I wonder. Chapter 13 – Departure Chapter 13 ¨C Departure ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Mama sat back down before eventually breaking the silence after a long, painful moment of silence. ¡°Well? What do we do now?¡± That was the question indeed. ¡°After I¡¯ve assisted with thedy of the house¡¯s birth, I assume I would take my leave from your house-¡± ¡°Absolutely not,¡± I said, firmly interrupting Lilia¡¯s nonsense. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the final decision up to Mama, but I will absolutely not let you give birth in some unknown ce and then travel alone with an infant.¡± Besides the health concerns, she would also be an easy target for bandits, as she was unable to defend herself even without the burden of birth due to her wounded leg, not even mentioning whatplications having an infant would bring. ¡°Yes¡­ yes, I suppose so. The child is innocent in this,¡± Mama said, talking more to herself than to the table. Paul, who was dejectedly sitting in the corner, decided to speak up, ¡°Dear, surely we could-¡± ¡°You shut up!¡± Mama quickly cut him off. I sent a death re toward the man as he shrank in on himself like a scolded child. I was livid. Not only had he broken Mama¡¯s heart, but he had also caused Lilia¡¯s situation to be put in peril. All because of his uncontroble lust. Mama started to chew on her nails as she mulled over the situation. The source of her anxiety was obvious. Not only was Paul found to be unfaithful, but she had also be good friends with Lilia over the years, so she wouldn¡¯t want her or her child to suffer. Bncing such feelings of affection and betrayal, especially when they were towards the only two adults she met on a daily basis, must have been a terrible feeling. So, not wanting her to feel alone, I made my way over before sitting on herp. Taking me into a hug, she buried her face into my hair as she squeezed across my chest. Almost¡­ a little too hard. I wasn¡¯t Paul, Mama. I¡¯m innocent here. My presence seemed to calm her down a bit as she took a deep breath. Letting her pat my head, I looked over at Lilia, whose face was clouded in a myriad of emotions. Sadness, anxiety, eptance, and most importantly¡­ regret and remorse. Good. If she felt that way, then we could somehow salvage this, because despite how much I loved Mama, and how sad I was that she had been betrayed by her two most trusted people¡­ I loved Lilia too. And feeling the scarf that was wrapped snugly around my neck¡­ I knew she loved me in return. She could have left to join her family at any time, as her father owned a well-respected Water God dojo, but instead, she stayed here. She¡­ loved this family too. Looking over at Rudy, I saw that he also seemed displeased about the situation, and as if we were somehow telepathically connected, we looked into each other¡¯s eyes before nodding with an untold agreement. We would help Lilia. Despite the sickening feeling I felt about betraying Mama like this, I didn¡¯t want these happy family times to end. Besides, I knew that Mama was the kindest person in the world, so she absolutely wanted to forgive Lilia, especially when her life was on the line with the consequences of not doing so. The only problem was that her religion and upbringing wouldn¡¯t allow her to do so without just cause. So¡­ there just needed to be an excuse she could use for herself. I still hated this feeling of betraying Mama, though. ¡°Mother?¡± Rudy said in a childlike tone. ¡°Howe everyone¡¯s acting so glum about how I¡¯m going to have two new siblings at once?¡± ¡­That was a bit too childish and naive, little brother of mine. ¡°Haa¡­ because your father and Lilia did something they shouldn¡¯t have,¡± Mama answered. ¡°I see¡­ but, is Lilia allowed to go against Father¡¯s wishes?¡± Rudy said. Oh, I see¡­ this is a good route indeed. And honestly, it was likely the truth. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Mama asked. Lifting my head, I continued, ¡°Roxy taught us about the Asura Kingdom and how the nobility acted. Considering Lilia was a maid at the pce¡­ she must have expected to be used by Father for such urges, just as she was trained to. And it¡¯s not like she could refuse anyway. What ce was there for her to turn to?¡± Mama¡¯s grasp on me tightened. ¡°What? Is this true?¡± Lilia, still looking guilty, widened her eyes as she looked at Rudy and me as if what we had said had been the entire truth. Paul¡­ you bastard. Other than wanting to protect my family, and also be able to save Roxy in a dungeon, I had yet another goal to be stronger. To kick that fucker¡¯s ass. ¡°A few days ago,¡± Rudy continued. ¡°I was passing Lilia¡¯s room when I heard Father saying something like ¡®If you don¡¯t want me to tell anyone, spread your legs!¡¯, so I only assumed¡­¡± ¡­Laying it on a little thick, there. Unless he wasn¡¯t lying, of course. ¡°Huh!? What the hell-!?¡± ¡°I said to shut your mouth!¡± Mama snapped at Paul once again before turning to the despondent maid. ¡°Lilia? Is what Rudy and Leon said true?¡± Lilia¡¯s gaze wandered as she tried to put together a reply. ¡°W-Well, it¡¯s true that I was expected to do such things, but¡­ umm¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I see,¡± Mama said softly. ¡°You can¡¯t bring yourself to say it out loud.¡± Paul, meanwhile, was simply opening and closing his mouth repeatedly in shock like a dead fish. Serves you right. ¡°Mother, I don¡¯t think Lilia is to me,¡± Rudy said. ¡°I suppose not.¡± ¡°I think Father is to me,¡± Rudy continued. ¡°I suppose so.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t right that Lilia is in such a position because of something that is Father¡¯s fault,¡± Rudy finished. ¡°Mmm¡­ I suppose you¡¯re right.¡± Shifting my posture, I then looked up into Mama¡¯s eyes. I¡­ really hated deceiving her like this. Well, actually, everything I said was the truth, so I wasn¡¯t really deceiving her, but it still felt¡­ dirty. ¡°Mama¡­ they would both be siblings to me¡­ and to Rudy too. Lilia¡¯s been with us for so long, she¡¯s family at this point,¡± I said with upturned eyes. ¡°A-And¡­ I know that you would love Lilia¡¯s child too¡­ just as you do with me.¡± I hated attacking her weak point like this. Please¡­ forgive me, Mama. ¡°Haa¡­ yes¡­ you¡¯re right,¡± she said, giving me a small kiss on my forehead. ¡°I get it, you two win.¡± cing me on the floor, she then got up and walked over to Lilia, pointing down at her with amanding tone, ¡°Lilia, I insist- no, I demand that you stay with us! As Leon said, you are family at this point, so I¡¯m not letting you do something so foolish as to leave!¡± There was the kind andpassionate Mama I¡¯vee to know and love. Lilia, who was barely holding back her tears, quickly bowed in thanks. ¡°I-I¡­¡± I guess she was still stunned, huh? I would have to talk to herter. With Mama sending one more cold re to Paul, she then made her way upstairs, and Rudy and I quickly followed after her. Mama entered her room before slumping onto the bed and holding her head in her hands before Rudy walked in after her, with me trailing behind him, waiting in the doorway. ¡°Mother,¡± Rudy said. ¡°The stuff I said before was a lie. Please don¡¯t hate Father.¡± Well, Mama could forgive Paul if she wanted to, but I wouldn¡¯t as easily. As I entered the room, I watched as Mama, who was holding Rudy, grimaced. ¡°I know, sweetie. I would have never fallen in love with a man who was that terrible.¡± I felt my body tense up. She¡­ knew? ¡°Your father¡¯s got a weakness for women and a boundless lust, so I¡¯d prepared myself for this day. I was just shocked when it suddenly happened. And with Lilia no less,¡± she continued. Feeling my eyes tear up, Mama then looked over at me with curiosity that soon turned to worry. ¡°Leon? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Trying to quell the stifling feeling in my chest, I answered, ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! I¡­ I didn¡¯t want to lie to Mama!¡± The dam broke, and I felt the tears roll down my cheek as I stood there. ¡°Oh, sweetie,¡± Mama said with a soft smile before she opened her arms. ¡°Come here.¡± Running into her arms, she slowly raked her hand through my hair as I slowly calmed my sobbing. ¡°It¡¯s okay, sweetie. You were doing it for us, right? You¡¯re such a good, strong boy for that. Both of you are,¡± she said softly. ¡°I¡­ I just didn¡¯t want our happy family to break up!¡± I cried. I didn¡¯t want these happy times to end. No doubt, if Lilia left, Mama would be sad. I would be sad. Everyone would be sad. I¡­ I didn¡¯t want that. ¡°Shh, I know,¡± Mama said softly. ¡°I know, and I forgive you, okay? Mama forgives you.¡± She then kissed the top of my head, before repositioning Rudy and me so that we were both sitting on herp. Letting thefort of her hold slowly calm me down, the three of us sat in silence for a few moments before Rudy eventually spoke up, ¡°Mother¡­ what did you mean by Father having a weakness for women?¡± Mama released a sigh. ¡°Not as much recently, but back in our adventuring days, he was pretty indiscriminate with thedies. Leon knows this too.¡± I nodded my head in agreement before resting it back on Mama¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Yes. You probably have more than a few older brothers and sisters out in the world,¡± Mama continued. I could feel the gentle hand on my back increase in pressure. ¡°Don¡¯t grow up to be someone like that, understood, you two?¡± she said. We both nodded our heads. ¡°Leon, make sure you treat Sylphy well. And Rudy, too, treat whatever girl you end up with nice and good,¡± she continued. Her hand was hurting now. ¡°I got it, Mother! I-It hurts!¡± Rudy eximed. She relented her grip on Rudy¡¯s head and lessened her pressure around my torso. ¡°Good,¡± she said. Snuggling closer to her, I then brought up my idea, ¡°I think Rudy should spend tonight with you, Mama. And Paul can take Rudy¡¯s bed as punishment. Or the stables.¡± Mama nodded her head. ¡°That sounds like a great idea! Rudy, you don¡¯t mind sleeping with me, do you?¡± ¡°Not at all, Mother!¡± And so, with that, the family emergency came to an end¡­ mostly. I was sure that even with this, things wouldn¡¯t be the same. Mama and Lilia¡¯s rtionship would take some time to repair, and Paul wouldn¡¯t get any second chances. If the man screwed up again, I would either kick him out on my own or run to Lina to help me do so. I still remembered her promise, after all. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª With Paul sleeping soundly in Rudy¡¯s room, and Rudy being smothered by Mama¡¯s sleeping figure, I found myself in front of Lilia¡¯s doorway. I was feeling¡­ conflicted, about her. I was angry, for sure. After all, not only had she hurt and betrayed Mama, but she had also nearly killed herself and her child with the consequences. But¡­ I also could understand that right now, she needed someone. And if Paul tried to be that someone with his womanizing nature, I would finally test how well a Rock Bullet spell could pierce human flesh, so here I was. Knocking on the door twice, I then opened it, revealing a moonlit bed that Lilia was currently curled up on. Lilia raised her head from her arms. ¡°Leon? What are you doing here at this hour?¡± she asked with a trembling voice. I see¡­ as expected, her true emotions weren¡¯t as stone-cold as the facade she put up before. ¡°I¡­ want to talk. And also to make sure you¡¯re not alone. So¡­ can I sleep here?¡± I asked. Her lips curled into a bittersweet smile before she patted the space beside her. ¡°Of course you can.¡± Closing the door behind me, I thenid down next to her, facing away as she hesitantly wrapped her arm around me. ¡°...I was the one who seduced Paul,¡± she suddenly said. Ah¡­ so that was the case. It didn¡¯t mean I was going to forgive Paul, though. ¡°Why?¡± I asked. She sighed, ¡°I had no intention of doing such a thing when I first came here, but hearing them moan night after night¡­ and clean up their room the next day with the smell of-¡± ¡°Okay, okay! I don¡¯t need the details!¡± I cut her off. ¡°So¡­ basically you sumbed to your¡­ needs, right?¡± ¡°Shamefully, that is the case,¡± she affirmed. But¡­ that still didn¡¯t answer the question at hand. ¡°Why did it have to be Paul? Couldn¡¯t you have found any random viger? I know you¡¯re pretty enough to do so¡­¡± Patting my head, she answered, ¡°Thank you for thepliment, but I suppose¡­ I wanted Paul. Thest man to make advances on me was a disgusting minister in the Asuran Pce, so having a handsome man like your father look and touch me in such a way¡­ it was a nice feeling.¡± ¡­I see. While I was still angry at her, I couldn¡¯tpletely me her for feeling that way. She had just fallen for his charms much like every girl he picked up during our adventuring days. ¡°Besides,¡± she continued. ¡°We also had somewhat of a history, despite parting on unfavourable terms.¡± My body tensed at her words. ¡°A¡­ history?¡± ¡°Why yes. When I was younger¡­¡± Lilia then went on to exin how Paul trained at her family¡¯s dojo, and how he was often bullied by the seniors for showing no respect and being so skilled at the sword. So, as the prideful man Paul was, and still is, upon his departure he decided to get back at them while also having some fun of his own. By raping Lilia. I knew just how important virginity was to ady thanks to Mama¡¯s constant teachings, and I also knew how horrible it would make a girl feel to have what is supposed to be a beautiful moment stolen away from you. So, to put it simply, I was very angry. ¡°...I¡¯ll kill him.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so rash, Leon. I have already forgiven him, and considering the many disgusting men that are in the world, I consider myself lucky to have had my first time with a man like Paul,¡± Lilia said with a small chuckle. Brushing her hand through my hair, she continued, ¡°So forgive him, much like how Rudeus and you forgave me. You smart kids definitely knew it was not only Paul¡¯s fault, but you still protected me, right?¡± I turned my head into the pillow. ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t lie about not wanting you to leave. You¡¯re¡­ family.¡± Her hold on me tightened lovingly. ¡°I know. And I am forever grateful for it. I will not forget this debt. And once this child is born, I will make sure they understand this as well.¡± ¡­What the heck was she talking about? Turning over to her, I red at Lilia. ¡°Your child will not be in my debt. That¡¯s dumb. They¡¯ll be my sibling which I will protect and dote on, got it?¡± She seemed surprised at my anger, as her eyes widened in shock. ¡°Listen,¡± I continued, ¡°when I said I see you as family, that wasn¡¯t something said lightly. To me, you are more like a second mom, or a housewife, rather than an employed maid.¡± Her eyes started to brim with tears. Seeing that, my tone softened as I wrapped my arms around her head. ¡°So¡­ don¡¯t insult yourself by thinking of my words as a lie. That you being my family is a lie. To me¡­ you are family.¡± I felt her head nod in my hold. ¡°I-I understand¡­ thank you, Leon.¡± ¡°Good,¡± I said. ¡°And just so you know, I will be very sad if you betray Mama again. Or your child, for that matter.¡± She chuckled lightly, ¡°I have no ns to, Leon. And I¡¯m¡­ sorry. For making such a difficult situation fall onto you and Rudy¡¯s shoulders.¡± Shaking my head, I let go of her before leaning my head on the pillows once again. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I forgive you. But¡­ Huam~ I¡¯m tired now.¡± ¡°Fufu, of course, Leon. Goodnight,¡± she said, kissing my forehead. ¡°Goodnight¡­ Lilia.¡± And with that, the tumultuous day came to an end. ¡ª Information of the Six-Faced World ¡ª Languages of the World While ents and dialects of the samenguage differ from ce to ce, sixnguages are used throughout the world among the different races. Human Tongue: The Human tongue is used by the Human Race, primarily in the Central and Millis Continent, although it is prominently used elsewhere. Demon God Tongue: The Demon God tongue is used by the Demon Races, which mainly live in the Demon Continent. Beast God Tongue: The Beast God tongue is used by the Beast Race, Dwarves, and Elves, who mainly live in the Great Forest of the Millis Continent. Fighting God Tongue: The Fighting God tongue is used by the Human Race in the Begaritt Continent. It is very simr to the Human tongue, with small changes in vocabry. Sky God Tongue: The Sky God tongue is used by the Heaven Race, which lives in the Heaven Continent. Sea God Tongue: The Sea God tongue is used by the Ocean Race, which lives in the oceans of the world. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª I had just turned eight years old, and with Mama and Lilia heading into the second trimester of their pregnancy, I hade to a decision. ¡°Paul,¡± I said to the man. ¡°I want a job.¡± Paul stopped his swings before turning to me. ¡°Hm? What for?¡± I felt my eyebrow twitch in annoyance. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve gone and impregnated two women. Do you expect our current ie to be sufficient? What about when Rudy ends up going to Ranoa? What if both of my little siblings want to go to Ranoa too? Did you think about that, Paul?¡± He scratched his cheek bashfully. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that stuff, son. We¡¯re earning more than enough to make a living.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I don¡¯t want us to simply ¡®make a living¡¯,¡± I said, continuing my set of swings. ¡°I want my siblings to thrive. And you won¡¯t even need to do anything except find me a job. I¡¯m a Saint-ranked water magician and an Intermediate-rank swordsman who knows advanced arithmetic and can read and write in both the human and Demon God tongues. If you can¡¯t find a job with those credentials, then you really are hopeless.¡± ¡°Ouch! Your words hurt, you know!¡± he eximed. Why yes, that was the point. ¡°Well¡­¡± he said with a frown, ¡°I¡¯ve had a ce in mind for you for a while, though not for the money reason, but rather for your swordsmanship. But¡­ you would need to prove to me that you¡¯ve reached the Advanced rank in swordsmanship first.¡± Oh? Thinking ahead? How unlike him. ¡°And how do I do that?¡± I asked. He then ced his sword on his shoulder with a smirk. ¡°Follow me!¡± Raising my eyebrow, I followed him as we eventually headed into the familiar woonds that bordered the vige. Keeping my senses sharp, he eventually led me to a small clearing with a couple ofrge boulders in the centre. Rapping his knuckle against therge rock, Paul then turned to me with a smirk. ¡°Cut through this thing, and you¡¯ll be an Advanced-rank Sword God practitioner. Like me.¡± ¡°...That¡¯s the test?¡± I asked with suspicion. ¡°That¡¯s the test. Or at least the one my teacher gave me before I ran off. Nowe on. Make sure you feel it, just like I told you,¡± he said confidently. Yeah, his main advice for reaching the Advanced rank was just that: to ¡®feel it¡¯. What was I feeling? I didn¡¯t know. And neither did he. Paul would only exin it by moving his sword and making stupid noises to go along with it. But after studying the difference between his Intermediate and Advanced rank techniques, I figured something out. His movements and technique across the two were mostly the same, but the only difference was that his Advanced-rank techniques held much more power. Enough power that a practised sh could cut through a boulder, hence my current test. ¡®Feel it¡¯, huh? There was definitely something magical about swordsmanship, as I could faintly feel my mana being spurred on whenever I focused on my sword during a swing. So maybe that was the key? Letting my mana enhance my body in some way? No¡­ considering that Paul was able to sh through a boulder with a wooden sword, I would need to enhance my sword too. Closing my eyes, I drew my sword to my side in a practised motion. Right¡­ if enhancement was what I needed to do, then I would need to let the mana flow through my body. Luckily, I had quite a bit of practice due to my magic control drills. Letting the familiar heat flow through my veins and rise to the surface of my skin, I then attempted to coat my sword with the energy. Empower¡­ concentrate¡­ focus¡­ Letting the cool air flow through my lungs, I felt something click in my mind, instantly increasing understanding of swordsmanship, as if a barrier that had been holding me back had just been shattered. Flexing my legs, Iunched forward while twisting my hips and extending my sword, the de whistling through the air. No¡­ it wasn¡¯t quite whistling. It waspletely silent. With nearly no resistance, the rock was cut cleanly in two, a straight line bisecting the boulder as I finished my swing, and a sonic boom resounding in my ear a momentter. I¡­ I did it. ¡°Paul! I did it-!¡± My excitement was cut off by a sudden attack as Paul¡¯s beloved sword raced toward my neck with intense speed. And that ufortableness¡­ that was bloodlust. That was a true strike meant to kill. Acting on instinct, I raised my sword to defend, but knowing that blocking would not be enough, I tilted the de slightly so that I warded off the strike rather than stop it. Like water, I took his attack with the t of my de and redirected it to the side in a smooth and unwavering motion. And as a river swiftly flows, I fluidly morphed my parry into an attack of my own, my de curving towards his face with a flick of my wrist. But right before itnded, I halted the path of my sword. Breaking out into a wide smile, Paul pushed my sword down with his finger. ¡°Congrattions, Leon. You¡¯re now an Advanced-rank swordsman in both the Sword God and Water God styles.¡± cing my sword back in its sheath, I sent a re his way. ¡°Did you need to test me for the Water God like that? I nearly took your head off.¡± Luckily, I came back to my senses right before a tragedy could ur. Actually, considering his recent actions, it wouldn¡¯t have been that much of a tragedy, but I still needed him to get me a job before he died. ¡°But having discipline in the de is part of the test, so it was necessary,¡± he lectured. I just smirked in response, ¡°You just didn¡¯t expect me to counter, did you?¡± ¡°Noment,¡± he replied smoothly. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s head back home, and I¡¯ll write a letter of rmendation for you. Make sure you spend a good amount of the time you have left with your brother and Sylphy.¡± ¡°I will. And I¡¯ll make sure to be back for a visit around the time of Mama and Lilia¡¯s birth, so you don¡¯t have to worry about getting a healer,¡± I said. ¡°Such a good son you are, eh?¡± he said, ruffling my hair. As we began walking back, I asked what had been on my mind after hearing of his n, ¡°You said you had a ce in mind for a job, but that it would also further my swordsmanship¡­ what was it exactly?¡± He puffed out his chest. ¡°You remember Ghiine, right?¡± ¡°Big Sis?¡± I asked in wonder. ¡°Haha. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be d to hear that you haven¡¯t forgotten her,¡± he said. ¡°Anyway, since she¡¯s a Sword King now, you¡¯ll be able to further your skills better than with your old man here. After all, the only thing I have ahead of you in terms of ranks now is the North God Style.¡± ¡°I see¡­ so she became a Sword King, huh?¡± I said wistfully. If I was able to train under her¡­ I hoped that I would finally get an exnation for swordsmanship techniques past just ¡®feeling it¡¯, and maybe get some proper instruction for a few techniques as well. But a Sword King¡­ it seemed that I would be advancing my abilities in the Sword God first then. I would say that the Water God style was more natural for me, as my demeanour and control over my movements blended well into the basics of the style, but since the Sword God style was easier to learn from Paul, my skill in both were equally bnced despite the difference in raw talent. As for why it was easier to learn from Paul? Well, that was because he used it most often, and it was also a fairly simple style, where I could copy his movements to increase my skills even with his limited and poor instruction. But ideally, I would eventually be good at all the Three Major Schools, as merging all three would cover each of their weaknesses inbat. That was one thing that Paul deserved praise for, at least. ¡°And what is the job exactly?¡± I asked. ¡°Tutoring,¡± he answered. ¡°Considering how good Sylphy turned out, I figured you would be up for it. It would be the youngdy of the household, so make sure you don¡¯t get into her bed.¡± Ignoring his lustful words, I thought about the information. Tutoring, huh? I guess I wouldn¡¯t hate it, depending on whom the girl was. I just hope she was as nice as Sylphy, or at least close to it. Walking back home, just before we headed inside, I stopped, as did Paul, though he looked confused. ¡°So¡­ once I leave¡­ I¡¯ll be gone for a while, I¡¯m guessing?¡± I said. Paul nodded his head. ¡°Yep. While I wouldn¡¯t mind youing home, you have to put your job and training first.¡± I then turned to look him in the eye. ¡°What¡¯s with the serious expression, son?¡± he asked. ¡°You¡¯re going to take care of Mama, right? No more mistakes?¡± I said. ¡°W-Well, I might make some mistakes,¡± I hardened my re, ¡°b-but I won¡¯t betray her again! I promise! I¡¯ll treat her real nice, just like she deserves!¡± Well, at least he understood that much. ¡°That¡¯s good, but you need to take responsibility for Lilia too. I don¡¯t care whether it¡¯s out of obligation for the mother of your child, or due to your guilt, but you have to make her happy too. Even if it means bearing Mama¡¯s anger,¡± I said earnestly. He nodded his head. ¡°Of course. It¡¯s my duty as- Wait, what do you mean by guilt?¡± ¡°I know what you did, Paul. Remember when you picked up the Water God style?¡± I said in a knowing tone. His eyes widened and his face nched. ¡°S-She told you?¡± ¡°She told you what?¡± Mama said from the doorway with amanding tone. Well¡­ I didn¡¯t n for this, but it was a wee situation. Maybe with this, Mama would be able to understand Lilia a bit more after knowing about her past, and hopefully warm up to her too. It would be nice if they became best friends again, as it would also rid the house of the strained atmosphere that was currently present. ¡°Well? Out with it! I¡¯ve been listening to you two for a while, so don¡¯t try to hide it now,¡± Mama continued, tapping her fingers against her crossed arms. Looking over at Paul, I shrugged my shoulders. ¡°Either you can own up to it here, or I can ask Lilia toe and exin. Your choice.¡± His face fell with betrayal. ¡°F-Fine, I got it. Well, you see¡­¡± He then went on to exin what exactly happened that night, with a bit¡­ too much detail and honesty. So much detail and honesty, that when Lilia came over to check what was going on, her face instantly went red with what she overheard. Did you have to describe how her bottom felt, Paul? Really? And I did not need to know the colour of Lilia¡¯s nipples. And judging from how Mama¡¯s eyes were twitching, his attention to detail wasn¡¯t earning him any praise with her either. After finishing his story, Mama then walked over to him and gave him another p on the cheek, this time it was the left one. ¡°I knew you were a womanizer, Paul, and I epted that. But I never took you for scum!¡± she rebuked harshly, eyes narrowed in disdain. Both Lilia and Paul attempted to interject, ¡°I-It was a long time ago!¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t-! Haa¡­ no, you¡¯re right. I know you¡¯ve changed. Even since we moved here, you¡¯ve kept your promise for the most part¡­¡± Mama said with a sigh. Rubbing her temples, she then looked over to Lilia. ¡°So? Is this the reason why you slept with my husband?¡± ¡°I-I¡­ yes¡­ I suppose it is,¡± Lilia said shamefully. ¡°And you, Paul¡­ you¡¯ve apologized and repented?¡± she said, turning to Paul this time. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ at least I think so. After that, I promised myself to never force myself on a woman again,¡± he said. ¡°Right¡­ Lilia,e here,¡± Mama said, beckoning her over. Taking her hand, Mama then looked into Lilia¡¯s wavering eyes before releasing a deep sigh, seemingly having decided on something. ¡°Yes¡­ Leon said we were like family, right? Then we might as well make it official. Paul had already tainted you, after all,¡± Mama mumbled to herself before turning back to the scum. ¡°Paul!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± he said. ¡°You will take Lilia as your wife, understood? And if you cheat on either of us again, I¡¯ll take everyone back to Millishion and beg my mother for a position!¡± Mama said resolutely. Paul, on the other hand, just looked confused. ¡°S-So¡­ I can have you both?¡± he stammered. ¡°You won¡¯t ¡®have¡¯ either of us! We¡¯re not your wives, but rather, you are our husband that we share. Understood?¡± Mama said. ¡°O-Okay.¡± ¡°Good. Now let¡¯s get started on dinner, Lilia,¡± she then led the still-stunned Lilia inside by the hand before mming the door behind her. Looking over at Paul, I watched as his gaping mouth slowly closed into a perverted smile. ¡°Two wives, huh? And Zenith even brought out hermanding tone¡­ ehehe.¡± ¡­Gross. I really wanted to smack that smile off his face. He really was hopeless, huh? ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°No! No! No! You can¡¯t go, Leon!¡± Sylphy cried into my chest. Shaking my head with a small smile, I patted my sobbing friend on her head. ¡°I have to, Sylphy. If I want to get stronger, that is. But I won¡¯t be gone forever. I¡¯ll be visiting once my siblings are due.¡± Her arms still wrapped around me with an iron grip, I brought my head down to whisper into her ear, ¡°Besides, I¡¯ll be getting paid quite well, so I¡¯ll be sure to get you something good for your tenth birthday.¡± Her ears twitched as she eventually nodded her head. ¡°O-Okay¡­ as long as you promise to visit.¡± With Sylphy relinquishing her grasp, I then turned to the other two women that were seeing me off. ¡°I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t need any advice, Leon. Just make sure to be safe,¡± Lilia said with a content smile. Before I could respond, I found myself smothered in Mama¡¯s arms, ¡°Uuu~! My baby boy¡¯s all grown up! I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s leaving me already! You have to send lots of letters and visit whenever you can, alright? Do you promise?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he will, Miss-¡± ¡°Lilia! What have we talked about?¡± Mama interrupted sternly. Lilia turned her head, ¡°Sorry, Z-Zenny.¡± Hee~? I guess their rtionship got better than I thought. Getting a kiss on the cheek from Mama, and a matching one from Lilia, I then turned to Rudy and Paul. ¡°Make sure to keep everyone happy, brother. We both know Father can¡¯t be trusted,¡± I said, ruffling his hair. ¡°Hey!¡± Paul shouted. I ignored him. ¡°And make sure to not ignore Sylphy, okay? And don¡¯t do anything rude to her either,¡± my grip on his head tightened at thatst part. ¡°Ow! I got it, brother!¡± he eximed. Giving him a final tight squeeze, I then turned to Paul. ¡°And you¡­ thanks for the job, I guess. Don¡¯t make mee back to you sleeping in my room after another mistake,¡± I said. ¡°Jeez, you don¡¯t trust me at all, huh?¡± he said, rubbing the back of his head. ¡°I trust you in things that you¡¯re trustworthy in. Such as providing for the household and keeping everyone safe. Infidelity, on the other hand, is quite obviously not one of those things,¡± I returned with a smirk. ¡°Yeah, yeah. I get it, brat. The carriage is leaving now, so you gotta get going. Make sure you train hard under Ghiine, understood?¡± he said. I nodded my head. Training under Big Sis, who was now a Sword King¡­ why wouldn¡¯t I take it seriously? ¡°Good! And if you end upying with the youngdy, just make sure you pull out- Ow!¡± Paul¡¯s advice was cut off by three simultaneous attacks. A pinch from Mama, a chop from Lilia, and a ball of ice from Sylphy. ¡°Just what are you saying to my son?¡± ¡°Paul¡­ do not corrupt Leon with your debauchery.¡± ¡°D-Dirty! Disgusting!¡± Ah¡­ I was going to miss this. But... how did Sylphy know what he was talking about? That''s a little worrying¡­ but I suppose she''d need to learn about that stuff eventually, and she was a curious child. Hopping on the carriage, it began to set off as I waved back to my family. ¡°Bye! I love you! I¡¯ll be sure toe back by fall!¡± Soon enough, their waving figures became hidden behind the horizon as I departed from Buena Vige towards the location of my next job. The Citadel of Roa. I was definitely sad about not seeing my family and Sylphy for a while, but I was also excited about what was toe. Chapter 14 – Arriving at Roa Chapter 14 ¨C Arriving at Roa ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Here you are, youngd! You¡¯re heading to the lord¡¯s manor, right?¡± the stagecoach said. Hopping off the carriage, I responded, ¡°Yes, I am. They should be expecting me¡­ hopefully.¡± ¡°Aye, then you should be fine. Just try to stay out of any alleys on your way there, alright? You¡¯d be a prime target for muggers, after all.¡± ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll be sure to keep that in mind,¡± I said with a bow. Although¡­ I doubt any mugger would want to try to steal from me. After all, the arming sword strapped to my side wasn¡¯t just for show, nor was the short sword hidden behind my back. From what Paul had said, they should be expecting me at the gate, and if not, I had the letter of my employment¡¯s eptance ready if need be. While my position as the tutor of the youngdy of the house, one Eris Boreas Greyrat, was still tentative, I had already been epted as a guard to the girl. A duty I would be tasked with alongside my soon-to-be teacher, Ghiine. I was excited to see her again. Walking up the vaguely recognizable streets of Roa, I soon found myself in front of the gates of the castle once again. ¡°Uhh¡­ what are you doing here, kid?¡± one of the guards asked. ¡°I¡¯m the new guard and possible tutor for the youngdy, Leon Greyrat,¡± I answered smoothly with a bow. Dammit¡­ I asked Lilia for a basic on etiquette, but I still hated doing it, and hearing about the other stories she had about nobles¡­ Yeah, I could see why Paul decided to run away as a kid. I guess I would just have to grit my teeth and bear with it, I suppose. ¡°You¡¯re the new tutor? Aren¡¯t you a little, uh¡­ small?¡± he said. Huh¡­ I was getting d¨¦j¨¤ vu. This must have been what Roxy had felt like, right? No, considering the fact she was actually in her 30s when that happened, it probably felt even worse for her. ¡°I promise I am. Here, I have a letter-¡± ¡°Let him through.¡± Just as I was about to rummage through my sack, I was interrupted by a familiar voice. My eyes lighting up in excitement, I ran forward, wrapping my arms around the woman in a hug. ¡°Big Sis!¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Leon,¡± she smiled as she rubbed my head affectionately. ¡°You¡¯ve certainly grown up well.¡± Removing my head from her chest, I looked up at her eye. ¡°Yep! And I got pretty strong too!¡± ¡°I can tell,¡± she smirked. ¡°Paulined quite a bit in his letter, even the Young Masterughed quite a bit. However, that only made him more open to hiring you.¡± I then separated from her as she gestured with her head. ¡°Follow me. You should greet your new employer.¡± With us walking through the estate, Ghiine spoke up, ¡°I suppose I should apologize for not picking you up. I assumed that you would be able to handle yourself just fine for the trip.¡± ¡°No worries! It was only seven hours, after all!¡± I said back. ¡°Just sending the carriage was enough. Though it was a bit hectic since I had to get ready to leave in a day.¡± ¡°Mmm,¡± she hummed. Although she was acting so stoic and serious, I could tell it was a front she was desperately trying to keep up, evidenced by her tail flicking back and forth. It warmed my heart to think that she missed me that much. Entering the same room as we didst time Paul brought Mama and me here, Ghiine then motioned for me to sit down. ¡°We can talkter when we begin your training. For now, you will meet your new boss, Philip Greyrat, the Young Master of the manor and the mayor of Roa.¡± Nodding at her words, I sat in wait, and luckily, it didn¡¯t take long before the door opened to reveal the familiar man. Though he had aged since thest time I saw him, he was still handsome and still had that calcting smile that turned his eyes into crescents. ¡°You must be Leon Greyrat, no? I¡¯ve heard much of you from Ghiine and Paul¡¯s letter,¡± he said. Standing up, I went through the formal bow meant for nobility that Lilia had taught me, ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Leon Greyrat.¡± ¡°And I am Philip Boreas Greyrat,¡± he said, raising his eyebrow in surprise. ¡°It seems you are somewhat knowledgeable in etiquette. Father will surely like that.¡± ¡°Yes, I learned from my¡­ second mother,¡± Ghiine snorted in amusement, ¡°she used to be a maid for a noble family, thus she knew the basic etiquette I would be expected to use.¡± ¡°And in addition to that, you¡¯re literate in twonguages, an Advanced-rank swordsman, and a Water Saint, all before your second birthday? Paul seems to have raised you quite well,¡± he said, amused. ¡°Oh, no. It was rather the guidance of Mama- Ahem, my dear mother, and my magic tutor, Roxy Migurdia, that made me so,¡± I responded respectfully. ¡°I imagine,¡± he said with a smirk. ¡°Now, how about we talk about your position, shall we?¡± Sitting back down, I listened in on his words. ¡°As of right now, you are already to be the guard for my daughter, a healer, and also be acting as the manor¡¯s mage when needed. Your sry for this will be five Asuran silver coins per month, alongside being trained by Ghiine. Are there any questions about this?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No, that is more than eptable. And as for the tutoring position?¡± I asked. He leaned forward, his expression turning a bit pained. ¡°The tutoring, huh? If you ept, you will be tutoring my daughter in arithmetic, reading, writing, and simple history. That will you an additional three Asuran silver coins per month. Now¡­ do you like girls?¡± he asked, steepling his fingers. ¡­What? ¡°Are you¡­ asking if I am a homosexual?¡± I said, confused. What a weird interview question. ¡°No, no. Rather, I am asking if I will have to worry about your father¡¯s teachings interrupting your role,¡± he rified. Oh. Is he asking if I would assault his daughter? The one that is meant to be my student? ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. I am not as¡­ lust-driven, as my father. And any ¡®teachings¡¯ I unintentionally picked up from him were quickly driven out by my mother,¡± I said. ¡°I see. Then you pass,¡± he said with a shrug. That¡¯s it? ¡°I-Is that all? Are you not going to question my teaching capabilities?¡± I asked. ¡°Unfortunately, I am not in the position to choose who can tutor Eris,¡± he said. ¡­Well that doesn¡¯t sound good. ¡°...What does that mean exactly?¡± I asked. ¡°As you know, she has had¡­ trouble, with the school for noble children. And the two tutors we went through left shortly after meeting her due to her violence,¡± he exined. ¡­I see. So she was a troublesome child. And considering the fact she was likely a walking ball of noble pride, she was probably theplete opposite of Sylphy. Haa¡­ well, I¡¯ll try. ¡°She seems like a ball of sunshine then,¡± I said jokingly. ¡°Ha. That is one way to put it,¡± he chuckled. ¡°So? Are you up for it? Even when she¡¯s scared away everyone else?¡± ¡°Yes, there is no harm in trying. Besides, were any of the other tutors Advanced-rank swordsmen?¡± I asked with a smirk. Philip shook his head. ¡°No, they were not. Although that wouldn¡¯t help much if you¡¯re attacked in your sleep.¡± ¡­Sorry, what? ¡°But if you¡¯re so confident¡­ Thomas, can you send Eris down please?¡± Now hold on a minute! ¡°Of course, Master,¡± the butler that was standing by the door said with a bow before leaving. Twiddling my thumbs as I waited, eventually, the sound of pounding footsteps echoed from the open door. ¡°What is it, Father? Did you want something?¡± A loud voice, overflowing with arrogance. ¡°Yes. Eris,e meet your new tutor,¡± Philip said. Suddenly, a girl appeared in the door frame, with wavy, zing red hair that reached down to her waist and a pair of narrow, sharp eyes that darted around the room before honing in on me. Her nostrils red as she pointed her chin upward. ¡°Who¡¯s this boy? Is he meant to teach me?¡± She was fierce, that was for sure, but I could also see a bit of cuteness in her features that would shine if she wasn¡¯t ring so much. Though¡­ that didn¡¯t seem to be happening any time soon. Standing up, I decided to not bow to her, as she didn¡¯t seem like someone who liked noble etiquette upon first impressions. ¡°You must be Eris, right? I¡¯m Leon. Leon Greyrat. And I will be your tutor for the foreseeable future. So let¡¯s get along.¡± Her re hardened as her lips spread into a snarl, teeth bared in anger. ¡°Just who do you think you are!? Trying to teach me? Me!?¡± She then marches over before whipping her hand out to p my cheek. Violent¡­ that indeed was an apt description for the girl. My head tilted backward as the wind blew against my face from her missed strike. ¡°Huh!? Who do you think you are to dodge me!?¡± Uh¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure most people would dodge, Miss Eris. She tried to hit me a few more times, even resorting to closed-fist punches, but to no avail. Her tirade only stopped when Ghiine cut in, ¡°Eris. It¡¯s no use. While he is your age, Leon is already an Advanced-rank swordsman in both the Sword God and Water God styles. You¡¯ll pass out before yound a hit on him.¡± Eris¡¯ eyes widened as she seemed to look at me with a new light. At least, that was before the arrogance returned a momentter. ¡°Hmph!¡± she huffed, crossing her arms. ¡°I¡¯ve only seen him dodge like a coward! If you¡¯re that strong, then hit me!¡± My eyebrow raised as I looked over to Philip for permission, to which he nodded with a sly smile. The hell¡­? Allowing me to hit his daughter¡­ this family is so weird. ¡°Well¡­ you asked for it.¡± My hand then whipped toward her, and as she tried to block, I decided to clip her nose with my strike, weaving smoothly past her arm. ¡°Ow!¡± she eximed. ¡°You hit me!¡± ¡°You asked me to.¡± I shrugged. Shaking my head, I watched as a small trickle of blood began to leak from one of her nostrils. ¡°Haa¡­ Here, it must hurt, right? Let me heal you,¡± I then extended my hand slowly toward her face before castingHealing. Chantlessly, of course. ¡°Oho? So that¡¯s what he was talking about¡­ quite amazing indeed,¡± Philip said from the side in admiration. Eris, meanwhile, was simply looking at me with sparkling eyes. Wait¡­ this room¡­ a red-haired girl my age¡­ healing a bloody nose¡­ I remember something like this! ¡°It¡¯s you! The one with shiny hands!¡± she eximed with excitement. ¡°Uh¡­ yeah. I think I remember you too. You ran up to me before falling on your face, right?¡± I teased. Her face turned bright red. ¡°S-Shut up! T-That was years ago!¡± ¡°Apparently not long enough for you to forget, huh?¡± I smirked. Her nostrils red further in indignation. ¡°W-Whatever! Forget about it! This instant!¡± No, I don¡¯t think I will¡­ Just as I was about to tease the girl further, another boisterous voice filled my ears, though this time, one of a man. ¡°Philip! Is he in here!?¡± With the sound of thunderous footsteps heading into the room, a buff, muscr man then entered, who looks to be in his fifties. He had dark brown hair, peppered with streaks of white, and arge moustache that stretched across his slightly wrinkled face. ¡°Are you the one to teach my dear Eri!?¡± Well¡­ I guess I knew who Eris took after. Taking a simr practised bow as I did with Philip, I introduced myself to the man, ¡°Nice to meet you. I am Leon Greyrat. I hope to be in your gracious employ.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± the man huffed. ¡°Passable! You seem to have some manners on you, boy! Be sure not to lose them!¡± That was¡­ easier than I thought? That¡¯s good. He seemed like a troublesome fellow to have on your bad side. ¡°Am I to assume you are the Master of this household? Sir Sauros Boreas Greyrat?¡± I asked. While I was being employed by Philip, I did know that Sauros here was the liege lord of the region of Fittoa, and by extension, Philips''s boss, while also being his father. Which meant he was also Paul¡¯s uncle, though aside from the pride, I couldn¡¯t see the connection. I didn¡¯t care too much about the family tree, but I knew that I could be fired at hismand, so it was good to be epted by him. ¡°Grandfather!¡± Eris eximed, jumping into the man¡¯s arms. The two seemed to share a secret conversation through whispers, as Sauros then ced Eris on the ground and turned to me. ¡°Leon! I have a request!¡± he shouted before pointing his chin at me. ¡°Teach Eris magic!¡± ¡­Huh? Is that what they were talking about? Looking at Eris who was smiling happily behind him, eyes shining with anticipation, that seemed to be the case. Hee~? Did she like my ¡®shiny hands¡¯ that much? How cute. ¡°Is this a request of Eris herself?¡± I asked. ¡°It is indeed!¡± Sauros shouted again, causing me to slightly wince at the volume. God¡­ so loud. How did Ghiine stand this man with her enhanced hearing? ¡°While I would dly ept the assignment without any extra pay, I think it would be best to have Eris ask me of this herself. Consider this my first task as her tutor,¡± I said, eyes shining with mirth. Not only would it be a good way to make sure she didn¡¯t run to her apparently doting grandfather for everything, but this was also a way to cement myself as her tutor, at least in the meantime. She seemed to respect strength, for better or worse, so if I was simply able to make her consider intelligence as a sort of strength, I had a feeling it would be rtively smooth sailing. ¡°For what reason!?¡± Sauros shouted. I raised my head so that our gazes shed. ¡°I simply think that Eris should learn to be able to ask for things by herself. It will be useful for when she grows up, as I¡¯m sure you already know.¡± He brought his hand to his chin in thought. ¡°Hmm¡­ You make a fair point. Eris! Ask this favour of him on your own!¡± Eris, on the other hand, was shocked. ¡°W-What!? You said you would ask him for me!¡± Sauros shook his head. ¡°You need to learn to bow your head when asking for something. Now, be sure to use theproperattitude! Understood!?¡± Eris clenched her teeth as she turned her re toward me, eyebrows scrunched up in humiliation. She was, as Paul would call it, very pissed off. I didn¡¯t think her pride was this big¡­ to be so angry at being told ¡®no¡¯. Taking a few stomps toward me, she then took two fistfuls of her long, red hair before pulling it to the sides, making a tail on each end of her temples. ¡°P-Please teach Eris magic, nyan!¡± ¡­What? ¡°Don¡¯t worry about teaching Eris reading or writing, nyan!¡± No¡­ hold on. What the hell was going on? ¡°Arithmetic doesn¡¯t matter either, nyan!¡± She was trying to act cute, but the way she smiled only gave me chills, simr to how Mama¡¯s sometimes did, but worse. Her cheeks burned bright red, and her eyes were slightly wet with unshed tears. Oh¡­ I see¡­ so she was humiliated. ¡°Fine, yes. I¡¯ll add it to the curriculum, so there¡¯s no need to keep doing that,¡± I said quickly. She returned to normal in a hurry. ¡°G-Good! Hmph! I¡¯m going to my room!¡± Before she promptly ran out of the room. I see. So she hated whatever the heck that was almost as much as I did. Wait¡­ ¡°Master Philip?¡± I asked. ¡°Mister Philip is fine. But what is it?¡± he said. ¡°That way of asking for favours¡­ is it some sort of tradition?¡± I asked. ¡°Why of course!¡± Sauros eximed. I see. ¡°Is that tradition perhaps a way of making asking for favours difficult in order to teach her how dangerous favours are in the world of nobility?¡± I asked. It was, in a way, genius. By drilling into children at a young age the ¡®shame¡¯ of asking for help would make them less reliant on them in the future- ¡°Huh? That¡¯s not the case at all,¡± Philip said, cutting off my thoughts. ¡°You see, the Master, as well as the entire Boreas household, have a great fondness for beastfolk. So that is simply a way of imitating them. It¡¯s quite cute, no?¡± ¡­Nevermind. It went without saying that I was slightly disappointed. ¡ª Information on the Six-Faced World ¡ª The Greyrat Noble Family The Greyrat family noble bloodline is a prominent noble family of the Asura Kingdom that can be traced back to the royal family. The men of the Greyrat bloodline are infamous for their sex drive and perversion. The Greyrat family is divided into these four noble houses: Notos, Boreas, Euros, and the Zephyrus, named after the ancient wind gods. With each noble house acting as the leading family for each region. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°So you¡­ ate animal shit?¡± I asked hesitantly. ¡°Indeed I did,¡± Ghiine answered. ¡°I got cheated out of money due to my inability to read, as well as my ipetence in arithmetic, and I was left with nothing but a few coins, which I used to have a scribe write a letter to Paul. At least he kept his promise with me, unlike with Zenith.¡± A Sword King¡­ nearly dying from starvation due to being stupid¡­ how ridiculous. ¡°But you seemed to have your fair share of problems dealing with Paul, huh?¡± Ghiine said, ruffling my hair. ¡°Ehe~, yeah. But I think I got him in line now¡­ Hopefully. And if I don¡¯t, I now have some ie, so Mama can kick him out without an issue,¡± I said. ¡°Good boy,¡± Ghiine said with a smile. As I had already dropped off my stuff in my new room, I was now getting a tour of the castle from Big Sis Ghiine as we talked about how the past few years had treated us. Ghiine, unlike me, seemed to have quite a tough time, especially after leaving the Sword Sanctum once again. ¡°So¡­ you had trouble because you weren¡¯t intelligent, right?¡± I asked cautiously. Ghiine nodded her head. ¡°Yes. So please teach the Young Miss well.¡± ¡°I will, don¡¯t worry. But¡­ would you want to learn too?¡± I asked. She looked down at me with a warm smile. ¡°Thanks for the offer, Leon, but I wouldn¡¯t want to increase your burden.¡± I shook my head. ¡°No, considering how much Eris respects you, it will probably be helpful to have you there. And besides, aren¡¯t you training me in swordsmanship for free?¡± ¡°Your training is simply part of your pay. And I¡¯m teaching you because we¡¯re¡­ family, in a way,¡± she said, looking away. My lips stretched into a grin as I gave her a hug. ¡°Of course we are, Big Sis! That¡¯s why I don¡¯t mind teaching you as well!¡± She looked to the side. ¡°Still¡­¡± Hmm¡­ was it a sort of pride getting in the way? Haa¡­ it must be something in the air around here, huh? Or maybe it was something simr to Roxy, with the teacher not wanting to be taught sort of thing. At least not without equal exchange. ¡°Then how about this,¡± I proposed. ¡°You teach me the Beast God tongue, and also help me out whenever Eris is neglectful in her studies, and in exchange I¡¯ll have you join in on Eris¡¯ lessons. Deal?¡± She mulled over it for a moment before responding, ¡°Fine. Deal. Nowe on. It¡¯s time I see how well Paul has trained you.¡± Although she sounded quite indifferent, her flicking tail once again told me otherwise. Finding ourselves in the t, dirt training ground, Ghiine then tossed a wooden sword my way. ¡°Remind me of your rankings again?¡± she asked. ¡°Advanced-rank in the Sword God and Water God styles and Intermediate-rank in the North God style,¡± I responded while testing the weight of the sword with a few swings. ¡°Alright. Now, try your best, okay?¡± she said. ¡°Uh, okay-!?¡± Before I could respond, I heard the wind shriek as her form blurred toward me, and raising my sword, I was able to twist to the side just in time to ward off her strike. ¡°Hmm¡­ good. You are indeed at the Advanced rank in the Water God style,¡± she said before blurring again, prompting me to raise my sword to defend. The one-sided spar continued like this until the sun began to set, and I was able to engrave the difference between a talented Advanced-rank like Paul, and a genuine Sword King, deeply into my body. Needless to say, I got some good healing magic practice afterwards. ¡ª Eris Boreas Greyrat ¡ª Leon Greyrat¡­ that was the person who was supposed to be my new tutor. He was supposedly smart, but if he was, I was d he didn¡¯t show it in the annoying way Father did. Talking so annoyingly¡­ it made you look weak! Anyway¡­ I remember Leon from before, though the memory was faint. It was that memory where I saw such a pretty sight flow from his hand that made me beg to be taught magic in such an embarrassing way. Was he truly my age, though? Father seemed to like him, and Ghiine did too, and most importantly, he was trusted despite barely being here for a day. Why was there such a big difference between us? So, to find out, I decided to spy on their training session, which annoyingly coincided with what was supposed to be my own swordsmanship lessons. But Ghiine said she needed to test him, so I suppose I would let it slide. Thwack! ¡°Damn, Big Sis! You¡¯re super fast!¡± ¡°Focus, Leon.¡± ¡®Big Sis¡¯? And the way Ghiine chided him with a warm smile¡­ I guess they were closer than I thought. Ghiine did mention that she knew him from her adventuring days¡­ But thinking about that only made me more jealous! Watching them dart around the training ground, kicking up dust and snow with every movement as their wooden swords cked together, I found my mind in a struggle between admiration and bitter envy. He was my age, right? So why¡­ why was he so much better than me already? This was swordsmanship, something I was touted as naturally gifted in, but he was already so far ahead! Didn¡¯t he have that boring academic stuff and magic already? Leave Ghiine and the sword for me! But still¡­ despite those thoughts¡­ I also couldn¡¯t help but gaze at the boy with a hint of¡­ not anger. He was pleasant to look at, I suppose. With golden hair that reached his shoulder tied into a short ponytail, and a handsome yet cute face¡­ but that wasn¡¯t what kept my eyes from wandering. Rather, it was his strength. Ghiine had been with us for nearly two years now, and I had yet to see someone keep up with her as well as Leon was doing right now. Even among the knights, there was only a couple that could move as fast as they were. Each speedy attack would be redirected to the side, and each time he attacked in turn, Ghiine would be forced to defend seriously. She wasn¡¯t going all out, that much I could understand. But still¡­ it was¡­ amazing. ¡°Gah!¡± Leon eximed, clutching his arm in pain. ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Ghiine said. ¡°You did well, and now I know exactly what you need to work on. You¡¯ve taken your training seriously, it seems. Zenith must be proud,¡± she continued, rubbing his hair affectionately. I couldn¡¯t help but grit my teeth. Why couldn¡¯t Ghiine do that more with me? Why couldn¡¯t Father or Mother look at me that proudly and tell me I did a good job? I¡­ I was trying too, in my own way! Leon¡¯s arm then set alight in that familiar shining glow as his bruises and cuts began to heal. That¡­ was healing magic, right? I remember seeing it done before by one of Grandfather¡¯s healers, but for some reason, even though their hands glowed, it wasn¡¯t as pretty as his. I guess that¡¯s another thing he¡¯s better at, huh¡­ Dammit! ¡°Anyway,¡± Ghiine said, looking my way. ¡°Eris. Come on out.¡± Hah!? I-I was found out? N-No! This is fine! It¡¯s only natural for me to survey the manor, right? It was rightfully mine, after all! So, with confidence, I stepped out from behind the tree before walking up to Leon. ¡°You!¡± I shouted. ¡°How are you so skilled!?¡± He blinked before showing me a kind smile. W-What¡¯s with that? Isn¡¯t he going to shout back at me? ¡°It¡¯s simply because I started training earlier. Ghiine told me how talented you are, so I¡¯m excited to train with you,¡± he said, sticking out his fist. Huh? What¡¯s that? ¡°Eris, it¡¯s amon greeting amongst adventurers to connect fists. Much like a noble¡¯s bow of introduction,¡± Ghiine exined. ¡°Aha! I see!¡± I eximed. ¡°W-Well! I¡­ I suppose I¡¯ll permit you to join me in swordy!¡± I then extended my fist towards his. ¡°And I¡¯ll also gratefully exchange your greeting!¡± Leon, on the other hand, only grew a teasing smirk. ¡°You¡¯re grinning pretty happily, you know.¡± ¡°What!? S-Shut up! I¡¯m leaving! Hmph!¡± I then turned and began walking away, stomping back toward my room. Dammit! I wish I could smack that smug smile off of his face! ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª A day had passed since my arrival in Roa, and it was time for my first set of lessons with Eris. The only problem¡­ was that she wouldn¡¯t show up. ¡°Haa¡­ I really wish I could just drag her back, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯d work,¡± I sighed. Ghiine just shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s just how she is. She reminds me of myself when I was younger.¡± ¡°Ha. I guess you view her as a little sister?¡± I asked. She nodded. ¡°I suppose so. Much like how I view you.¡± I leaned back into my chair, thinking. The only people that Eris currently liked were her grandfather Sauros, her etiquette tutor Edna, and Ghiine. And while she respected me, that was only in terms of magic and swordsmanship, not academics. That meant she was still extremely averse to learning arithmetic and literature¡­ but I hoped I could teach her some basic history just by saying random facts here and there. Hmm¡­ and there was her interest in magic too¡­ Luckily, I think I could try to mould the other ¡®boring¡¯ subjects into those lessons, and maybe I could use her interest in swordsmanship too. Things like usingbat situations or real-world examples would probably work better than a more traditional approach, and in my opinion, it would likely be a better method of teaching anyway, as it would teach her how to apply the knowledge while also learning it. ¡°Ghiine? Can you tell Eris that we¡¯re starting the magic lesson now?¡± I asked. ¡°Hm? Sure. Did you give up already?¡± she asked while getting up. ¡°No, I¡¯m just¡­ gonna try something, is all. I¡¯ll be focusing on Eris to start and get her interested in the subjects, so if you have trouble with my methods, I can teach you at a separate time,¡± I said. ¡°I see. But don¡¯t worry about me, Leon.¡± It didn¡¯t take long for Eris to return, and not wanting to scare her off, I put the papers and books to the side. ¡°Hmph! Finally done with that boring stuff? Now teach me magic!¡± So haughty¡­ ¡°Of course, Eris,¡± I said. As I had suspected, she hated the formality of nobility, but at the same time, she hated not being treated with respect by those deemed ¡®lower¡¯ than her. Luckily, she seemed to respect me, so I was able to talk to the girl without her immediately snarling with anger. ¡°You want to learn magic, right? The one I showed you was healing magic. More specifically, it was the elementary spellHealing,¡± I exined. Her face lighting up in excitement, she decided to take a seat next to Ghiine to hear what I had to say. ¡°Now, while I will teach you this, I will also teach you fire and water magic, at least to the basic level. These two spells,¡± I generated a ball of mes in my left hand and a ball of water in my right, ¡°are the most useful for survival, and are seen as a necessity among adventurers.¡± Her lips curled into a smile as she turns to Ghiine, ¡°Is that true!?¡± So she liked adventurers as well¡­ good to know. Ghiine nodded. ¡°Indeed. Magic is the easiest way to make a fire, and having a source of clean water is a necessity for survival. Zenith and Talhand always made sure to keep extra mana for those spells, but when I was on my own, I found out just how important those spells were when I was starving for warmth and water.¡± Nice work, Big Sis! I nodded my head as well. ¡°Indeed. But to learn such magic, one needs to understand the words written in this book.¡± I then pulled out the magic textbook, courtesy of the manor¡¯s library, before flipping to the page that had the spellWaterball. ¡°These words,¡± I said, pointing my finger at the chant, ¡°are called an incantation, and they allow the speaker to cast magic. How about we go through it together?¡± Eris¡¯ eyebrows scrunched up. ¡°I don¡¯t need to read! You do it for me!¡± Haa¡­ okay, Leon¡­ baby steps. So using her love of magic didn¡¯t work for reading as I had hoped. I guess I would have to try something else. ¡°...Fine. Now, could you two hold out your hand like so?¡± Following my example, both Ghiine and Eris ce their palms face up in front of them. ¡°Now repeat after me¡­¡± ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Dammit! Why can¡¯t I do it!?¡± Eris shouts. ¡°It¡¯s not so easy. You need to practice discipline and focus to learn how to properly use your mana. Something that reading and writing would help with,¡± I answered. ¡°Hmph! I¡¯ll do it without that useless stuff! Just watch!¡± The magic lessons had borne no results, but this was somewhat expected. I mean, Roxy said that only one in twenty people could properly use their mana for magic, and even then, it wasn¡¯t so easy as chanting an incantation. Well¡­ it was for me¡­ but that¡¯s beside the point. I was a bit of an anomaly. They both said they felt something, though, so I was confident that they could eventually learn. It would just take a while. ¡°Now¡­ since it¡¯s not lunch yet, how about we move on to arithmetic?¡± I said casually. Eris instantly got up to leave but stopped as I took out a pair of wooden practice swords. ¡°...What are those for?¡± she asked hesitantly. Ha. Got her. While Sylphy was always interested in learning arithmetic, it would sometimes get pretty boring, so I sometimes mixed magic in with the lessons. So I just had to use the same method with our dear Eris here, but with swords. ¡°We¡¯ll be learning subtraction with a more¡­ practical approach,¡± I answered, tossing her a sword. Gripping the handle, Eris looked at me cautiously. ¡°What does that mean?¡± Smiling, I raised my sword vertically towards her. ¡°We¡¯re going to y a game.¡± She only looked at me with confusion. ¡°A game? What type of game?¡± She was interested¡­ good. ¡°I¡¯m going to call out a number, and after that, you will attack me with your sword, with each strike lowering my number by one, and you will call out the new number each time. Once you reach zero, you jump back and we start again. If you don¡¯t call out your number, or do so incorrectly, I will strike you. Lightly, of course,¡± finishing my words, she seemed excited to perform the exercise. So I guess violence is the way to go, huh? ¡°I¡¯ll demonstrate,¡± I said as I formed a sword of ice in my left hand. ¡°3!¡± The des shed, ¡°2!¡± The des shed again, ¡°1!¡± And again, ¡°0!¡± I then had the ice sword transform into water before evaporating into the air. ¡°And then you jump back and start again. Simple, right?¡± I asked. Eris nods her head excitedly before raising her sword in expectation. ¡°Ah, Big Sis. I¡¯ll have you perform this exercise as well, but please don¡¯t go all out against me,¡± I said. Ghiine just nodded her head. ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡­I couldn¡¯t tell if she was kidding or not. That was a bit scary. Chapter 15 – Progress Chapter 15 ¨C Progress ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°That¡¯s good form, Eris. Keep going like that.¡± ¡°G-Got it, Ghiine!¡± Nodding at Eris¡¯ words, Ghiine then turned to me. ¡°Now, I believe it¡¯s time we begin our first lesson,¡± she said as she drew her sword. ¡°You know what touki is, right?¡± Huh? Touki? ¡°Uhh¡­ no? What is that?¡± I asked. Ghiine¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°What? But you became an Advanced¡­ never mind.¡± I was very confused. ¡°Despite having the fighting prowess of a Saint, Paul was an idiot when it came to swordsmanship, so I should have expected this,¡± she said, shaking her head. Yeah, he definitely is an idiot. But a Saint? ¡°Paul was that strong?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes. Due to his natural talent, his unique three-styled swordsmanship, and his experience, he was strong enough to fight a Sword Saint,¡± she said. ¡°Unfortunately, with his terrible work ethic and being an instinctual fighter, he couldn¡¯t advance any further. Being the instinctual type is also what makes him a bad teacher.¡± ¡°Yeah, no kidding,¡± I said with augh. ¡°Indeed. I used to be the same, but once I started using my head, I could advance to the King rank,¡± she said with a smile. Huh¡­ I didn¡¯t know whether to raise my opinion of my father for being so naturally skilled, or lower it since he could¡¯ve be so much more. Ah, well¡­ not like it mattered now. He was living the domestic life of a husband, after all, even if he had already failed at it in the most important aspect. ¡°So this¡­ touki, you called it? What exactly is it?¡± I asked. Ghiine narrowed her eyes in thought before she responded, ¡°Touki¡­ also called Battle Aura, or Fighting Spirit by some, it is what swordsmen and warriors use to boost their physical abilities to perform techniques. As an Advanced-rank swordsman, you must have done something like this already.¡± Hmm¡­ wait. This touki¡­ was it the ¡®feeling¡¯ that Paul had talked about? The feeling I thought of as mana being used to enhance my body? Yeah, it must be¡­ right? Haa¡­ couldn¡¯t you have at least known the name, Paul? ¡°Yeah, I think I do. Something like this, right?¡± Remembering the feeling of when I cut the boulder, I then brought my de to my side beforeunching forward with a leap. Twisting my hips, the sword cut silently through the air, before a sonic boom followed shortly after I finished the swing. Turning back to Ghiine, I saw her nodding her head. ¡°Exactly. That is the Advanced-rank Sword God technique, the Longsword of Silence. I also noticed you using touki in our previous spar, though it seemed to be used unconsciously.¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± she continued. ¡°Your next goal is to be a Sword Saint, and I¡¯m sure you have the talent to do so. The key to reaching this rank is mastering the basics acquired with the Advanced rank. Most notably, perfecting the Longsword of Silence so that it bes the Longsword of Light. What that entails is constant practice and correcting any faults in technique. So¡­ are you prepared?¡± That sounded quite ominous¡­ but it¡¯s not like I could refuse. ¡°Of course!¡± ¡ª Information on the Six-Faced World ¡ª Ghiine Dedoldia Ghiine has dark skin and a very muscr and scarred body that she shows off with her revealing outfit that consists of the leather jacket given to practitioners of the Sword God style that achieves the Saint rank. She wears an eye patch that covers her Demon Eye, which allows her to see the flow of mana. She has grey hair that reaches down to her chest that matches her grey tail and beastfolk ears. She also has arge chest. She is a very strong-willed individual, and while she used to be extremely violent and dumb, she was able to curb this trait by training under Gal Farion, the current Sword God. Ghiine is an S-ranked adventurer, a rank that she achieved along with the party Fangs of the ck Wolf. After returning to the Sword Sanctum, she achieved the rank of Sword King and was given one of the Sword God¡¯s Seven Swords, Hiramune - t Core, as a result. She is currently a hired guard for the Boreas Greyrat family and is Eris Boreas Greyrat¡¯s swordsmanship instructor. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It had been a month since arriving at Roa and starting the grand task of tutoring the Young Miss. I had also just sent my first letter back home, telling them that I was alright and had gotten the job with no issues, along with a few silver coins from my first sry. Although it had only been a short time apart, I was already deeply missing my family, especially Mama. Though, it was to be expected, right? I hadn¡¯t been separated from her since¡­ well, since she adopted me, I guess. And as for right now? Thwack! ¡°Cover your defences! Make sure to watch the opponent''s toes to prepare for attacks and position your body so that they have minimal area to strike,¡± Ghiine lectured before whipping her sword toward me once again. Ghiine, as it turned out, was good at teaching. And when it came to swordsmanship, she was a genius differently from Paul. A genius that had the hard work and the intelligence to back it up other than pure talent. She would point out the ws in my posture, sword strikes, and strategy that I didn¡¯t even know I had. And most importantly, she would tell me how to correct said ws and improve. Paul was also able to point out when I was doing something wrong, but his exnation was horrible¡­ if he exined at all. I would then be forced to trante his gibberish into actual instruction, or just copy whatever movements he was doing until I got it right. While that wasn¡¯t a horrible method for my growth, it did mean that I would have any ws he did, which Ghiine was currently trying to beat out of me. And it was damn painful, even if I did enjoy the feeling of improving. ¡°Good. Remember, unless you are protecting something, it is better to dodge than to block. And don¡¯t extend your foot so far. It bes a target,¡± Ghiine advised before our des shed again. The sound of wood cking was pleasant. Calming, even. It helped me deepen my focus on our exchanges and take in her instructions without overwhelming my mind. However¡­ I couldn¡¯t say the same for the force behind said sounds. That just hurt. ¡°Alright. That¡¯s enough,¡± Ghiine then said, ending the lesson. Copsing onto my back, I let the chilly afternoon air cool down my burning body as Eris soon sat down beside me, nudging my shoulder. Not even sharing a word, I then summoned some water that sshed onto her sweaty face before I summoned a gust of warm air to dry her off, much like I did with Sylphy after a day of ying. While she was still a bit bratty, Eris and I¡¯s rtionship has be much closer over the past month, and that was especially shown here after our swordsmanship lessons, where Ghiine worked us tirelessly to the bone. She couldn¡¯t whine andin much when she was too busy catching her breath, after all. Just as I was about to get up and stretch, a maid walked up to me before taking a bow. ¡°Master Philip would like to see you, Lord Leon,¡± the beastfolk woman said gracefully. Sitting up, I sted myself with air to dry off before answering, ¡°Right now? Wouldn¡¯t he prefer if I washed up and changed beforehand?¡± She shook her head. ¡°No. He mentioned that your state of dress was of no matter. Please follow me.¡± Getting up to my feet with a sigh, I then waved to Ghiine and Eris before departing, following behind the maid as she led me to Philip¡¯s office. ¡°I have brought him, Master.¡± ¡°Thank you. Leon, pleasee take a seat,¡± Philip said from the couch. Following his words, the maid closed the door behind me as I took a seat opposite him, where a steaming cup of what I assumed to be tea was ced on the table in front of me. ¡°May I ask why you called me here?¡± I asked. ¡°Straight to the point, huh? I suppose that is better than wasting breath with pleasantries,¡± Philip said, taking his cup before meeting my eyes. ¡°I would like a report on Eris¡¯ studies.¡± Oh, right. I should have expected this. ¡°Of course. I guess I can start with magic, if that¡¯s alright,¡± I said. ¡°While the other more¡­ academic subjects are of more importance, I am indeed interested in my daughter¡¯s abilities,¡± he said. Nodding my head, I continued, ¡°I have been trying to teach both Eris and Ghiine the basics of healing, water, and fire magic, as those are the three schools I believe are most useful. While they have been unable to perform healing magic yet, I believe it¡¯s only a matter of time for Miss Eris.¡± His smirk grew. ¡°That is indeed quite something. I would never think that viscous daughter of mine could be a healer.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s because she finds it interesting,¡± I shrugged. ¡°Water and fire magic have found more sess, and while they can form a basic Fireball and Waterball, they are still unable tounch the spell. I wouldn¡¯t call them Beginner-rank magicians quite yet, as their spells are unable to be used in their true form, but since I taught them it only for the sake of generating those elements for survival, I believe their current level is sufficient.¡± ¡°I see,¡± he said. ¡°I should also thank you for teaching Ghiine with no extra cost.¡± ¡°No need. She is teaching me the Beast God tongue in exchange, and having her with the Young Miss has been a huge help,¡± I said. ¡°Hmm¡­ my father also learned thenguage in his youth due to his love for beastfolk. How has your progress been?¡± he asked. The Beast God tongue, huh? It was pretty different from the human tongue and the Demon God tongue, and paired with the fact that Ghiine was a worse teacher for such things than Roxy, it was pretty difficult to get the hang of. ¡°I can perform basic greetings andmon sentences, but I am a long way from being fluent,¡± I answered. Unfortunately, I wouldn¡¯t be able to learn the writing of the Beast God tongue any time soon, due to Ghiine being illiterate, but thenguage focused on linguistics rather than writing anyway, so it wasn¡¯t that bad. ¡°I see. Anyway, how is her arithmeticing along?¡± he asked. ¡°Better than I thought, to be honest. She can now perform basic subtraction and addition, as long as the numbers aren¡¯t too big. She should be moving onto multiplication and division soon,¡± I said. Teaching Eris numbers with swordsmanship andbat situations had been a wonderful idea on my part, and with Ghiine telling her stories of how she had gotten into trouble without knowing numbers, I was even able to get through some traditional sit-down lessons as well. ¡°Wonderful,¡± Philip smiled. ¡°And how about her reading and writing?¡± Ugh¡­ reading with Eris¡­ now that was a chore. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ getting there. I have been having her read fun and exciting stories along with me, much like I did with my brother when he was little, to advance her reading. As for writing, we have been slowly chronicling some of Ghiine¡¯s stories together, as Miss Eris wants said stories to be remembered,¡± I answered. He nodded yet again. ¡°Good. And finally, what about history and Asura Kingdom politics?¡± I leaned back in my seat. ¡°History has been a bit easier, especially the exciting parts such as the wars. In fact, it has often gone hand in hand with her reading. Politics, on the other hand, has been difficult. Though I imagine I can sneak in some knowledge through casual conversation rather than lessons.¡± Philip smiled. ¡°Politics are not too important. As long as she knows the basics before her second birthday.¡± Right. Much likemoner children enter an apprenticeship, nobles enter the world of their ss on their second birthday at the age of ten, which meant that Eris would debut at that time. Philip then fished through his pocket before flicking me a silver coin. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s tomemorate your hard work. As of now, your sry will be increased to ten Asuran silver coins per month or one Asuran gold coin. I¡¯m sure my father would demand it be done once he hears of Eris¡¯ aplishments regardless, so I¡¯m just saving myself from getting punched,¡± he shrugged. Well, that was¡­ concerning to hear. I had spotted Sauros a few times during my stay here, and while he was very loud and stern, if I simply bowed politely whileplimenting Eris, he would pass by with a smile. I had also caught him having ¡®fun¡¯ with the maids a few times¡­ I guess his liking of beastfolk wasn¡¯t a lie, huh? ¡°Now, do you have anything else to add?¡± he asked. Hmm¡­ there had been a couple of things I had been thinking of regarding Eris¡¯ education. ¡°Yes¡­ I have three proposals,¡± I said. ¡°Well? Let¡¯s hear it,¡± he said, gesturing at me to continue. ¡°First. I would like for you and Lord Sauros to limit the spending done by the Young Miss¡¯ request, and instead, give her a weekly allowance. This would enable her to begin to understand the value of money, while also putting her arithmetic lessons to good use.¡± ¡°Done. What are the others?¡± he said, nodding. Well, that was easy. Thesest two might not be as much. ¡°I was¡­ hoping you could allow a day of rest for Miss Eris each week, where she could spend the day doing whatever she would like. This ¡®break¡¯ not only gives her mind time to rest and take in the lessons she learned that week, but it would also give her something to look forward to and work towards.¡± This was something Rudy introduced when Roxy began teaching, and although at first I thought he was just beingzy, it soon proved to have its benefits. And for Eris, who hated studying unlike me, it would be a great addition to her curriculum. Steepling his fingers, Philip nodded at me to continue. ¡°Ahem. I was also hoping you would allow Miss Eris to visit the city. This could be done under my supervision alone, or alongside Ghiine and other guards. This would allow her to get a more practical understanding of some subjects while also giving her a reason to learn them. Knowing how much something costs, reading signs, and things like that.¡± The room was then enveloped in silence before Philip eventually spoke up, ¡°A day of rest and city visits, huh? Hmm¡­ well, if you believe it would be best, then I will allow it. Though I may ask you to perform more duties past tutoring on this day of rest.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± I said with a bow. ¡°Thank you. I am certain this will bring results.¡± And that was how the aptly named ¡®weekend¡¯, as Rudy called it, was introduced to the Boreas Greyrat household. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s go!¡± Eris eximed. ¡°I¡¯ming, I¡¯ming. Jeez¡­ have some patience, will you?¡± I sighed. She huffed, ¡°I¡¯d have patience if you hurried up!¡± No¡­ I don¡¯t think that''s how patience works, Eris. With my sword strapped to my side, and Ghiine following us from behind, we then made our way through the city. ¡°Now remember Eris. While this outing is meant to be fun, it is also a way for you to put your lessons into practice. So I¡¯ll be asking you a few questions along the way, alright?¡± I said. ¡°Hmph! You always have to make things so boring, Leon!¡± While she said that, the smile on her face hadn¡¯t dulled in the slightest, so I think she was just feigning her annoyance. Walking past a food stall, I noticed Eris¡¯ eyes trail over to the set of skewers. And their price¡­ yeah, this would be good. ¡°Here. How about we do our first lesson of today,¡± I said, gesturing for the two to follow. ¡°Hey! What do ya want? The skewers are-¡± I put my hand up to stop the stall keeper. ¡°Thank you. We¡¯ll take three chicken skewers, please.¡± As the man begins cooking three meat skewers, I then turned to Eris. ¡°Now, you see that sign there?¡± I said, pointing to the price on the front of the stall. ¡°Tell me how much each skewer is worth.¡± Eris scrunched her nose as she looked at the letters before suddenly shouting, ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± ¡°Just try. You know this one, right?¡± She nodded hesitantly, ¡°That¡¯s¡­ monster, right? Why does it say monster?¡± ¡°Close. It¡¯s copper. Or rather, copper coins,¡± I corrected. It wasn¡¯t that close, but praise was important for a kid, especially when they hated the lessons. ¡°Two copper coins for each skewer is the listed price. And since we ordered three, how much will we have to pay?¡± I asked. Eris then held out her hand before raising two fingers at a time, just like I taught her. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ eight! Right?¡± ¡°Close. How about you, Ghiine?¡± I asked. ¡°Six,¡± she said seriously. ¡°Yep,¡± nodding my head proudly, I continued. ¡°So we¡¯ll have to pay six copper coins for our order. And since we know that onerge copper coin is equal to ten copper coins, how many copper coins will we get back if we pay with arge copper coin?¡± The currency system in Asura was quite simple. There was the gold coin, which was valued at ten silver coins, which were valued at tenrge copper coins, which were valued at ten copper coins. Each coin was multiples of ten, which led to easy calctions, something important to have when most of your citizens didn¡¯t know basic arithmetic. While the value of each coin fluctuated depending on the harvest and multiple other factors of the economy, that was the general rule for currency conversion. Eris then started swinging an imaginary sword, counting down under her breath with each strike. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ four!¡± she then eximed. While she wasn¡¯t nearly as bright as Sylphy was, seeing Eris improve her skills despite despising the subjects was quite endearing to watch. It filled me with a different, yet equal, sense of pride. ¡°That¡¯s correct, Eris. Wonderful job,¡± I said as the skewers in question were handed to me. ¡°Ah! Thank you!¡± Taking the three skewers, I batted away Ghiine and Eris¡¯ reaching hands before casting a detoxification spell on the food, checking for any poisons, malicious or not. And luckily, there didn¡¯t seem to be any. ¡°Here you go, you two. And don¡¯t trust food not served by the manor so easily.¡± They both nodded their heads before greedily digging in. How ferocious¡­ I guess Eris¡¯ table manners went out the window when not at the table, huh? Continuing our walk, we stopped by a bookstore on the way, with me checking for anything that might be of interest to Rudy or Sylphy. Books, as it turned out, were just as expensive as I thought. Well, while I had found a few that would interest them, and even a cookbook for Mama, it would still be a while before I could get them anything. After all, I was doing this job for my siblings¡¯ futures, so it would be unwise to spend everything right now. Heading down the merchant street, another shop piqued my interest, this time being a tailor. ¡°Here, let¡¯s head into this one,¡± I said. ¡°Hm? Alright. But I didn¡¯t think you needed new clothes,¡± Ghiine said. ¡°It¡¯s not the clothes I¡¯m looking at,¡± I said. Walking into the shop, I exchanged a small greeting with the clerk before perusing the shelves. More specifically, the one with dolls and a few stuffed animals. Looking at the shelves, I then found their pricebelled underneath. Six silver coins. Yikes¡­ that was a bit pricey, but I suppose I have a few months until they''re born, so by then, it wouldn¡¯t be too much. If I¡¯m lucky, I could probably haggle it down to a five, especially if I bought them together. ¡°Hmm~? Did you want one that bad?¡± Eris interjected teasingly. ¡°Well, if you really want a stuffed animal, then I suppose I could lend you mine. But I didn¡¯t think you were into those types of things, Leon.¡± I shook my head in exasperation. ¡°It¡¯s for my soon-to-be-born siblings, you dolt. Not me.¡± ¡°D-Dolt!? How dare you!¡± Whoops. A bit of Paul slipped out there. But I guess I could just count that as some Water God practice, as my words had definitely provoked her. ¡°Well¡­ I thought it would be nice for them to have something soft and warm, you know? Being a baby is quite boring otherwise,¡± I said, stroking the scarf Lilia got me. While I had brought Paul¡¯s sword and Lilia¡¯s present, I decided to leave my barrier magic book at home, as it would be bad if anyone found out about it. ¡°Hmph. You¡¯re always wearing that thing. Even inside¡­ Why?¡± she asked. I smiled as I began exining, ¡°It¡¯s a present from my mother, Lilia. It helps remind me of home and the love they have for me.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ I see¡­ That sounds¡­ nice,¡± Eris mumbled before backing away. What the heck? I had never heard Eris talk in such a tone before. It sounded so¡­ sad. Looking at her face, I saw that her eyes were downcast, creating a glum expression that radiated loneliness and longing. Why? What¡¯s with that face? It was almost as if she was¡­ jealous, yet at the same time, it looked really sad. ¡­Oh. Right¡­ Mama and Paul had talked about this before to me. How nobles¡¯ pride and duty get in the way of familial affection. I had forgotten about it due to how much Sauros doted on Eris, bute to think of it, Philip had only expressed his satisfaction behind closed doors, and Hilda, Eris¡¯ mother¡­ I had only seen her a scant few times at the dinner table, and when I did, she was very¡­ distant. Hmm¡­ maybe¡­ ¡°I think this is a good time to end our little lesson, no?¡± I said to the two. Eris turned to me with a frown. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We can have more city trips like thister. This was more of a test run than anything. Ghiine¡­ could you bring Eris home now?¡± I asked her with a smile. She looked at me confused, but seeing the earnest pleading in my expression, she soon nodded her head. ¡°Sure. Miss Eris, let¡¯s head back home. We can begin your swordsmanship training after you get changed.¡± Watching as they left the store, I then perused the shelves once more, but this time, instead of shopping for my uing siblings, I was searching for something for a certain bratty noble girl. Hmm¡­ Eris, much like her grandfather, seemed to have an affection for beastfolk, at least judging by how she looked at the manor¡¯s maids. So¡­ how about a little puppy? That would surely be nice. And considering she had turned eight only a few days ago, it could double as a birthday present, even if it wasn¡¯t one of the three celebrated ages. Unfortunately, this meant that the rest of this month¡¯s sry, as well as the spending money Paul gave me, would be used up, but that was fine. I wasn¡¯t nning on buying anything for a while, and I had already sent my family¡¯s savings back home. So, with my pockets soon bing lighter, I purchased the stuffed animal from the clerk. Now¡­ I just needed to have someone give it to Eris and make that gloomy expression a thing of the past. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Having asked a few servants, I was finally able to find where Hilda was, that ce being the manor¡¯s library. Knowing that, it wasn¡¯t that hard to find her sitting in the corner, with the characteristic long red hair flowing over her shoulders. Walking up to her, I took a deep bow before introducing my presence, ¡°Miss Hilda. I apologize for interrupting your time, but if you could spare me a moment, I would like to propose something to you.¡± Over the past month, I had gotten close enough to Philip and Sauros that I feltfortable only using basic manners with them. The most important thing was using proper titles when addressing them, especially with Sauros. But with Hilda¡­ well, I wasn¡¯t nearly as close, so I decided to test the waters first. ¡°Tsk.¡± Well¡­ it seemed that she didn¡¯t like me very much. ¡°What is it?¡± she snapped. While I was certainly confused as to her displeasure toward me, I wasn¡¯t here to deepen my rtionship with the woman. ¡°I would like to ask you to gift this to Miss Eris,¡± I said, showing her the stuffed puppy. ¡°Gift it to her as praise for doing well in her studies.¡± She continued to re at me, though this time with confusion mixed in her expression, ¡°Why would I do that? Why can¡¯t you give it to her? You bought it, after all.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I apologize, but this would only have meaning if given to the Young Miss by you.¡± ¡°What? Why is that?¡± she asked. ¡­Were all nobles this socially awkward? No¡­ it can¡¯t be, right? Or perhaps it was just how they were raised, making a constant feedback loop? ¡°Because¡­ you are her mother, Miss. I am sure that Miss Eris would appreciate such a gift from you,¡± I said. Hesitantly, she took the stuffy before looking at it with curiosity. ¡°It¡­ seems well-made. But why would you purchase something so¡­ childish? Eris has long since grown out of dolls and toys.¡± I shook my head. ¡°It is less about the doll itself, Miss Hilda, but rather the feeling behind it. The feelings of love and pride that you bear for your daughter.¡± My words seemed to affect her, as she widened her eyes before suddenly turning away to look down at the stuffy. Seeing that, I give her the final push. ¡°Please. Miss Eris has worked very hard this past month.¡± ¡°¡­Fine. I will give it to her tonight. Now, please leave me be,¡± she said. ¡°In person, yes?¡± I asked. She turned to re at me. ¡°Leave.¡± Taking the hint, I quickly make myself scarce after giving a polite bow. The woman seemed very emotionless, especially so when her attitude didn¡¯t change around her daughter, one couldn¡¯t be faulted to think she held no emotions toward Eris at all. But¡­ I don¡¯t think someone who didn¡¯t love her daughter would show a face like she just did. But I was curious as to why her eyes, brimming with unshed tears, looked to be in so much pain. Perhaps there was a story behind that, but it wasn¡¯t exactly my ce to find that out, was it? ¡ª Eris Boreas Greyrat ¡ª Laying down on my bed, I felt my cheeks cramping from my wide smile. It was only natural, right? Mother had just told me how well I was doing, and she even gave me¡­ I hugged the stuffy closer to my chest, closing my eyes and thinking of Mother¡¯s arms wrapping around me like she did when I was little, but unfortunately, such things were not things done by ¡®proper noblewomen¡¯, so it had been a while since I had felt that. That¡¯s why I hated the stupid formality and dumb dignified behaviour of nobles! Demanding respect? Of course! That was a given! But¡­ not being able to hug my mother? That was just¡­ unfair. And it was unfair how Leon was able to feel such love so easily all the time. Thinking about Leon, I felt my chest tighten in a way I didn¡¯t understand. As soon as I saw the stuffy, I knew who had gotten it. After all, I had seen it in that shop before Ghiine took me home, and it didn¡¯t take a genius to know that he had told Mother to give it to me. But even if it wasn¡¯t directly from Mother, her feelings and herpliments were still genuine, so I didn¡¯t care. But¡­ why would Leon do that? I knew that I was annoying to deal with. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he hated me for everything I had done. But instead¡­ he did something like that¡­ for me. In fact, he had done many things for me, like making learning such boring subjects somewhat tolerable in ways others didn¡¯t try before. He was¡­ rtable in a way, too. He didn¡¯t use the annoying words all the maids and servants did, and he didn¡¯t wear an annoying, cunning smile like my father, and most importantly, he saw me as¡­ me. Eris. Not just the ¡®Young Lady¡¯ of the manor or the blood of the Boreas Greyrat family. Thinking about such things made me annoyed, but annoyed in a way I¡­ didn¡¯t quite understand. The type of annoyance where if he had shown up here, rather than yell and punch him, I would rather run away. These feelings¡­ they were annoying! Gritting my teeth, I quickly blew out my bedside candle before snuggling under the sheets, hoping that I could fall asleep quickly to stop these annoying feelings from persisting. Closing my eyes, it didn¡¯t take long before sleep began to take hold of me as onest thought crossed my mind. Maybe¡­ I¡¯ll try to listen better in my lessons from now on. Just maybe. Chapter 16 – Time Passes Chapter 16 ¨C Time Passes ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Another few months had passed since arriving in Roa, and as the days became longer with the arrival of summer, I fell into afortable routine. Save for the free day at the end of each week, my daily schedule was like so: First thing in the morning I would do some basic exercise, focusing on cardio and basic body weight exercises, both as a way to improve my body but also as a way to get warmed up and ready for the day. After that would be a quick breakfast before Eris and Ghiine¡¯s lessons began. The lessons themselves were very easygoing and free-form with the two, as not only did I try to integrate many subjects into each session, but Eris¡¯ interest in certain topics differed from day to day, so I had to adjust ordingly. Usually, the first hour consisted of testing the waters and seeing what changes would need to be made to my ns, but recently, Eris had been much more¡­ obedient. I guess the extra day and city visits helped a lot, huh? And Hilda¡¯s affectionate gesture probably yed a part too. Anyway, lessons would go on until lunch, and after letting the food digest, we would then head to the training grounds for afternoon sword training with Ghiine. There was no exact set time for training, so it would typically go on until Eris and I were too tired to continue. Ghiine was pretty skilled at knowing how to push us to our limits without overexerting us, but¡­ it hurt quite a bit. After that was free time, which I would normally either spend reading in the library, doing some individual magic practice, or hanging out with Eris after shepleted her etiquette lessons. I had also noticed that my mana capacity had stopped growing, likely due to approaching the static growth age of ten, and also due to being unable to deplete my magic power reserves anymore. Well¡­ it wasn¡¯t like I was unable to deplete it, but rather that the effects of doing so would be¡­ devastating, to say the least. I don¡¯t think Sauros would appreciate me casting Cumulonimbus across hisnds, after all. Anyway, I recently started learning horse riding with this free time, as well as practising some North God techniques in hand-to-handbat and survival skills. Sometimes, I would also be asked to do some tasked asked of me as the manor¡¯s hired mage and healer, but that didn¡¯t happen that often. If I was reading the situation right, Philip seemed to not want to unt me to the world, especially to other nobles. That was probably due to me being a Greyrat, as even if Paul had been disowned, he was still a former heir to a prestigious house. Since I was adopted, I had an easy way to dodge these problems, but that would only shift the focus onto Rudy and my soon-to-be-born siblings, so I didn¡¯t mind the attention if it ever came to me. After this free time, I would then have dinner, sometimes sharing the table with Eris and her family, but most times just eating with Ghiine before being taught the Beast God tongue by her before bed. ¡°Continue attacking, Eris! Do not let up!¡± Ghiine instructed. ¡°Grr! Hah!¡± When I first arrived here, Eris had been focusing on her posture and form in swordsmanship training to get a strong foundation, but now, with her graduating into the Intermediate rank in the Sword God style, she had moved onto spars. This was the approach that was taken with disciples in the Sword Sanctum, where only after one perfected the basics of the Beginner rank and moved onto the Intermediate rank would they begin sparring, mostly in an attempt to spur the development of their touki. While those two did their thing, I focused on my own swordsmanship. Swinging down my sword vertically, I focused on the de as it whistled through the air. Well, not the de exactly, but rather the energy that was coating it. After learning about touki, and having many of the kinks in my swordsmanship removed with Ghiine¡¯s instruction, I had begun to take a deep dive into what touki was. Touki, in essence, was a form of mana maniption. But instead of how mana changed into elements to form spells, the power of touki came from the mana itself, or more specifically, touki enhanced the already present abilities of an object. A sharp sword would be sharper, a fast sprint would be faster, and things like that. Touki was also invisible, and different from normal mana, it was much more difficult to control. Although that may have just been me. Since I already was so skilled at using mana with spells, I assumed getting control of touki would be easy, but contrary to my expectations, it hasn¡¯t been. Even though Ghiine said I was a prodigy at it, it didn¡¯t feel that waypared to how well I could control mana. If I were to guess¡­ touki seemed a little different from regr mana. A more¡­ spiritual kind of mana, where it would be boosted in moments of stress, and could be used without consciously knowing of it, like Paul. It also, unlike mana, didn¡¯t seem to drain, as Ghiine only ever mentioned physical stamina affecting how long one could fight, not touki. But that belief could also be wrong. I had to remember, that in this world, not everything that was known as truth was actually correct, such as the fact one¡¯s mana capacity was set at birth. There was no scientific theory here, so assumptions remained for many years before being disproven. Anyway, while coating my body in touki enhanced my physical abilities and my senses, and coating my sword allowed me to cut through boulders, those were only the basic applications. Finer applications of touki werebelled as techniques. If touki wasparable to mana, then techniques would be spells. Techniques came in many forms, some were attacking, like the Longsword of Silence of the Sword God, some were defensive, like the Water God''s parrying techniques, and some were more utility-focused, such as the North God¡¯s sword throwing. It differed from spells, though, where with a good enough image and focus, one could simply cast a spell through an incantation on their first try. With techniques, you needed to practice quite a bit to have the touki flow correctly, as it was a very stubborn energy to control. However, that might just be because of my current skill level. Anyway,pared to magic, which was based on intelligence and understanding, touki was much more instinctive and based on practice, so I suppose I could give Paul a pass for being such an idiot. ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± with a final exchange of blows, Ghiine then lowered her sword. ¡°Eris, go through your forms once again, putting my advice into practice. Be sure to have your attacks connect smoothly, and not be so segmented.¡± With Eris nodding with her face that was drenched in sweat, Ghiine then turned to me. ¡°Your turn, Leon. Let¡¯s focus on your countering with Resonance Reversal,¡± she said. Well¡­ time to get smacked again, I guess. But it was fun, and feeling myself improve with each spar made the pain worth it. ¡°Got it, Ghiine.¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± With a nod, her wooden sword then whipped toward me faster than the speed of sound as I brought my own up to her approaching wrist. ¡°Not fast enough.¡± I got hit. Ouch. ¡ª Information on the Six-Faced World ¡ª Asura Kingdom The Asura Kingdom is a human kingdom and is the world¡¯s strongest nation, located in the western area of the Central Continent. Due to bountiful resources, fertilend, and rtively few monsters, it is a very rich and prosperous region, and the capital of Ars is thergest city in the world. The Asura Kingdom is split into the following regions: King¡¯s Region: Governed by the Asura Royal family, it is the region that governs the kingdom with a high poption density and is the centre ofmerce. The Water God Style is housed in this region, in the capital city of Ars. This region is located in the west of the kingdom. Fittoa Region: Governed by the Boreas Greyrat family, it is known as thend of perfume, and also for its production of agriculture. This region is located in the northeast of the kingdom. Milbots Region: Governed by the Notos Greyrat family, it is known as thend of alcohol for its production of beer and wine. This region is located in the east of the kingdom. Donati Region: Governed by the Zephyrus Greyrat family, it is known for its abundance of sugar and wool, as well as the export of arms. This region is located in the northwest of the kingdom. Wishiru Region: Governed by the Euros Greyrat family, while it does not have any local specialty, it has arge production of agriculture and is known for its trade with merchants of other nations. This region is located in the south of the kingdom. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡®L-Leon! R-Run! Gah!¡¯ Red covered my vision as a courseugh echoed into my ears. ¡®P-Please¡­ take care of my son¡­¡¯ My body tensed in fear as the familiar scene yed out before me. The dread of what I knew was toe. The helplessness. The anxiety. It was¡­ overwhelming. I was strong now, right? I knew I could cut that bandit¡¯s head off easily, so why was I chained to sit back and watch this y out again? ¡®Please¡­ live happily¡­¡¯ As the light left my mother¡¯s eyes, I felt my heart clench in sadness. A pain like no other coursing through my veins. And a momentter, I woke up, shooting up in my bed. ¡°Haa¡­ haa¡­¡± My body was drenched in sweat and my heart was racing, and bringing a hand to my face, I felt a trail of tears pouring down my cheek. ¡°Hoo¡­ Haven¡¯t had that dream in a while.¡± Or perhaps a nightmare would be a more apt description. Looking down at my fist, I felt a wave of emotion wash over me as I clenched it tightly. ¡°I won¡¯t let that happen again¡­ Never¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t save my mother, Alice, as I was but a baby. I was weak¡­ helpless¡­ useless. But now¡­ now I was strong. And I would get even stronger. To protect my family. I would never let that happen again. Looking out the window, I noticed that it was still dark, but seeing the slight red glow on the edge of the horizon, it didn¡¯t seem it was too far from the time I usually woke up. Getting to my feet, I stretched out the stiffness in my body before drenching myself in water to clean off the sweat. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll take a walk before my routine then.¡± nning to calm my mind by making my way through the manor¡¯s halls, I was surprised to see Ghiine standing right outside my door. ¡°Uhh, morning? What are you doing up?¡± I asked. She looked at me with a frown. ¡°You were talking in your sleep, so I went to check up on you.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ sorry for waking you. Just had a little nightmare, is all,¡± I shrugged. As we were both technically employed as guards to Eris and as tutors, Ghiine and I¡¯s rooms were next to each other, while also being close to Eris¡¯ in case of any attacks. Though, since there was a barrier spell set up in her room, and another one for the manor itself, there wasn¡¯t too much of a worry. But it was always good to be careful. She then pulled me in for a hug, burying my face in her breasts, much like Mama¡¯s did. Damn¡­ I can¡¯t wait to be taller. ¡°About your mother?¡± she asked. I nodded. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m d I¡¯m somewhat strong now, don¡¯t get me wrong, but¡­ I just wish things were different.¡± She shook her head. ¡°You can¡¯t change the past, Leon. You can only look toward the future.¡± Huh. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever hear such¡­ philosophical words from Ghiine. ¡°Are you missing home?¡± she then asked. ¡°Somewhat,¡± I answered. ¡°Exchanging letters only does so much, you know? But I¡¯ll be visiting soon when Mama is due.¡± ording to Paul, both Mama and Lilia were doing fine, and with Rudy bing six years old, he was now a Beginner-rank swordsman in all three styles. From Rudy¡¯s part of thest letter, Sylphy had been missing me quite dearly, and had also begun learning healing magic under Mama while I was gone. My brother was quite upset that he wasn¡¯t able to silently cast healing magic like Sylphy and me, but considering his massive mana pool, I think he was doing just fine. Ghiine hummed, ¡°Yes¡­ how long do you think you will be gone?¡± ¡°Around a month. I hope Master Philip doesn¡¯t mind my absence and that it doesn¡¯t harm Eris¡¯ progress,¡± I said. Since we didn¡¯t know exactly what day Mama had conceived, nor how long she would be in pregnancy, I wanted to have enough of a range of time so that I was there when she went intobour, and then I would need to wait until Lilia did as well. It would suck if Eris disregarded all the progress we made while I was gone, but then again, my contract was open-ended in terms of time, so I could always make it back. ¡°I¡¯ll allow the informal use of my daughter¡¯s name to slide this time.¡± Hearing Philip¡¯s voice, I quickly separated from Ghiine before performing a polite bow, ¡°My apologies, Master Philip.¡± ¡°No need. I was just kidding around,¡± he said, waving me off. Raising my head, I noticed him looking at me with his usual analytical gaze. ¡°I already epted that you would visit your family during this time when I hired you, so there are no problems there. But¡­ you said you were worried about Eris¡¯ progress, right?¡± he said. I grimaced at the words. It was a tough position to be in, because as much as I wanted to give it my all to tutor Eris, I waspletely unwilling to abandon my family at this time. ¡°Well¡­ if you¡¯re that worried¡­¡± he pped his hands together as ifing to a decision, ¡°then Eris should simply go with you!¡± ¡­Say what? ¡°Sorry¡­ you want Miss Eris, your noble daughter, to live in a rural vige like Buena for a month? Maybe even longer?¡± I asked. I loved my home, but that wouldn¡¯t exactly be the same for everyone. Especially not nobles, who lived a life of luxury much different from those of a remote farming vige. Even if it was a knight¡¯s home, which was more luxurious than most, the difference would be shocking. ¡°Well, I would have Ghiine escort you two, of course. And as a knight, Paul already has the duty to guard Eris when needed, so it would be fine, no? I¡¯m sure Eris would love to get away from the city, and I can even throw in a few silver coins to help with the extra meals,¡± Philip exined further. He was¡­ right. Eris would surely love the adventure. And considering how stuffy she felt around the prim and proper customs of the manor¡­ it was possible she would enjoy life in general there too. Hmm¡­ this way, I would be able to continue teaching Eris, while also giving the girl a broader view of life. The guest room that Roxy used should still be prepared, as my siblings would be sleeping in Mama or Lilia¡¯s rooms until they became a little older, so there were no issues in terms of space either. ¡°I¡­ believe that would be something better discussed amongst you and my father, but I agree it might be good for Miss Eris. That way, I could introduce her to my brother and my friend in the vige, as the Young Miss has a distinctck of people her age to talk to,¡± I said after a few moments of contemtion. Philip nodded his head. ¡°You did say your brother and this ¡®Sylphy¡¯ were skilled at magic and academic subjects, so I¡¯m sure they will be a good influence. But your brother¡­¡± his eyes narrowed. ¡°He is the son of Paul, yes? His true son. Will I have to worry about anything happening?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No. While certainly an odd kid, Rudy wouldn¡¯t-¡± I then remembered how Rudy had stolen Roxy¡¯s panties and how much he enjoyed their¡­ ¡®essence¡¯, as he called it. And that was a year ago. Now that he was older, and more time had passed since Roxy had left, I couldn¡¯t be so sure he wouldn¡¯t be clouded by lust. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll be sure to protect the Young Miss¡¯ innocence,¡± I said. ¡°Hah. I see,¡± Philip smirked. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be sure to send Paul a letter regarding your visit. And also convince Hilda to allow Eris to leave¡­ but that will be a bit tougher,¡± he grimaced. ¡­Why would that be tougher? Was she that overprotective? Hilda didn¡¯t really seem that way though¡­ But there was that look I saw from her¡­ what was with that woman? ¡°Excuse me, but if I may ask¡­ what exactly is the history of Lady Hilda?¡± I asked. ¡°I am sure that she loves Miss Eris, but¡­ she¡¯s distant. And her dislike of me, while not arge problem, is a bit confusing.¡± Philip revealed anguished smile before nodding his head to the side, gesturing me to follow him. ¡°Here. Let¡¯s walk and talk.¡± Following his footsteps, he then exined the situation. Hilda and Philip had two children other than Eris, both being sons, and they had been taken away at birth. As for why they were taken away? That was because Philip had lost the bid to be the next head of the Boreas Greyrat family, and as is tradition, was required to forfeit his sons. The tradition to take any sons born to the losing heir, while barbaric, made sense, as it made sure to not create too many branch families, which would then lead to issues with future sessions. This tradition, in fact, is one of the main reasons why the Boreas family had been in charge of the Fittoa Region since the dawn of the Kingdom of Asura. It was great for stability. The only reason Eris was not taken was because she was a girl, so she wouldn¡¯t have a im, or at least not one strong enough to shake the bnce. Anyway, while Philip had begrudgingly epted the situation, his wife, Hilda, did not. Coming from a noble family without such traditions, she was incredibly sad, and she was also angry. Angry not only at those who took her sons away, but also at Philip for allowing it. As for why this made her distant from Eris? Well, I would think that a mother in such a situation would dote on the only child they had left, but I was guessing that she wanted to distance herself in case Eris, too, left the family, in order to not bear the same pain again. And as for why she hated me? Well the fact that I, a random, albeit talented boy from a rural vige, was making this ce his home was quite hurtful to her, especially considering I was a Greyrat, though I had nothing to do with nobility. After all, why was I able to be here when her own sons couldn¡¯t live with her? So thinking about it, her dislike for me was quite understandable, even if it wasn¡¯t my fault. And that was the story of Hilda Boreas Greyrat, and why she disliked me quite a bit. I thanked Philip for the information before heading outside for my workout, before a realization suddenly struck me. If Eris was going to visit Buena Vige¡­ then that would mean she would inevitably meet my father, Paul. ¡­I had a feeling that would be quite a memorable meeting, to say the least. ¡ª Zenith Greyrat ¡ª My name is Zenith Greyrat, though it used to be Zenith Latreia. By birth, I was a member of the nobility of the Holy Country of Millis, and noted for its beauty, history, morals, and most prominently, religion. As a youngdy, I obeyed my parents and the ts of the Millis Church, and always yed the role that was expected of me. I was the picture-perfect example of a Millis nobledy. But that life came to an end during my 15th birthday, when it was decided I was to marry a man. A man that I had never seen¡­ that wasn¡¯t a very romantic thing. And so, for the first time, I rebelled against the path chosen for me, and after an argument with my mother, I ran away from home. I had trouble at first, but I was then saved by Paul and his party of misfits, and shortly after that, was when Leon came into my life. Perhaps it was because of my little Leon that I began to think of having a family, or maybe it was a woman¡¯s instinct. But one thing was for sure¡­ this time, I would be having a family on my own terms. But that wasn¡¯t the only change that happened over the years. The man I had previously hated, Paul, I had grown to love. Even with all his¡­ Paulness, I had grown to love the man despite his faults. After some time, one thing led to another, and I became pregnant with my second child. One Rudeus Greyrat. My little Rudy. That was the story of my life so far. ¡°Zenny, would you like something to drink?¡± Lilia asked. ¡°No, I am fine. You should sit down too,¡± I said back. She just shook her head. ¡°Someone needs to clean the dishes, and I¡¯m not one to trust your husband with such a task.¡± ¡°Lilia,¡± I said sternly. ¡°He¡¯s our husband, remember? You can¡¯t get out of this that easily.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Of course, Zenny,¡± she said with augh. Such a thing as sharing a husband, and such a thing asughing happily with the other woman¡­ I would have never thought possible before. But on that day, when I had been betrayed by the two people I had trusted most, I was forced to change. Rudy and Leon¡¯s methods weren¡¯t exactly admirable, but after Leon cried in my arms, I quickly understood the situation. He was scared. They both were. Scared of our family breaking apart. And then, after epting the situation, and opening my eyes further after learning of Paul¡¯s past sins against Lilia, things became like this. And¡­ I was happy. Very, very happy. The only thing that would make me happier would be if Leon was here with us, but knowing he was doing just fine filled me with enough joy to get through it. I still couldn¡¯t believe he was already working at his age, and sending money back for us at that. He really was reliable¡­ and responsible too. So much so that I often found myself ipetent inparison. Both he and Rudy were like that. Although Leon showed a bit more of a childish side more frequentlypared to Rudy, even though he was older¡­ but that just made him cuter. It was the same with Rudy when he wasn¡¯t able to cast healing magic without an incantation. Their pouting faces were simply adorable. Anyway, with all their reliability and cuteness, I was sure the two would be the greatest older brothers any child could ask for. ¡°Wait¡­ water turns into vapour when it heats up, right?¡± Sylphy asked from the side. ¡°Yeah, what of it?¡± Rudeus said. ¡°Then¡­ howe the same doesn¡¯t happen for other things? Like rocks.¡± ¡°It does. It just would need a lot of heat.¡± ¡°I see¡­ could you do that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ it would probably take a lot of mana.¡± Sylphy was such a nice girl. It was a shame she only started visiting after Rudy joined her and Leon in ying around, as I¡¯m fairly certain I had missed out a lot of times ripe for teasing. Just imagining how the meek girl would interact with Leon at first¡­ Uuu! It was simply adorable just to think about! ¡°Do you think Leon could?¡± she asked. ¡°Probably,¡± Rudy shrugged. ¡°Brother is pretty amazing, after all.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Sylphy said, releasing a sigh as she leaned onto her hands, looking out the window with an expression of longing. While she may not have noticed it herself yet, she definitely was developing a crush on Leon. One that was growing with each passing day. I guess the saying that ¡®distance breeds fondness¡¯ held some truth. However, she was also extremely close with Rudy, so I didn¡¯t really know how it would turn out in the future. Maybe it will end up with some sort of lover''s quarrel? That would be quite amusing. Although¡­ considering both Rudy and Leon were Saint-ranked magicians¡­ the two of them getting into a serious fight would be quite devastating. ¡°Honeys! I¡¯m home!¡± Paul said, opening the door with a smirk. ¡°And I got a letter from a certain someone!¡± At that, Sylphy immediately raised her head, ¡°Really!?¡± Fufufu¡­ Yep, definitely a crush. But I was also excited to see how Leon was doing. I loved getting his letters, after all. ¡°Well? Don¡¯t keep us waiting. Read it out, Father,¡± Rudy said. ¡°Jeez. So impatient~¡± ¡°Just read it, husband,¡± Lilia sternly added. ¡°Fine! Alright, it says here- Oh?¡± Paul¡¯s words were interrupted as a gold coin fell into his hand. ¡°Gah. Seriously, kid, you¡¯re making me look bad,¡± he said before putting it into his pocket. ¡°Paul,¡± Lilia red at him. ¡°I¡¯m just joking! Here, I¡¯ll put it right on the table. Happy?¡± he said with augh. Shaking my head in exasperation, I listened as he continued, ¡°Right. Ahem! ¡®Hello everyone. I am doing well. While I have not progressed in rank for any discipline, you should be pleased to know that all the errors in my swordsmanship, courtesy of Paul, have been fixed¡¯- Hey? What¡¯s with this!?¡± ¡°Continue, Paul,¡± Lilia said with a smirk. ¡°Tsk. Damn brat¡­ ¡®As Mama will likely be going intobour soon after fall arrives, I will being back at that time and will stay until Lilia gives birth safely as well.¡¯¡± ¡°Really!? He¡¯sing back!?¡± Sylphy eximed. ¡°He promised, right? But errors¡­ Father, it seems you¡¯ll need to be instructed by your own son soon,¡± Rudy teased. ¡°Zip it! And thest part, ¡®As the education of the Young Miss has been going so well, and such a break may have disastrous consequences, Master Philip and I decided that she will be joining¡­ me¡­ in Buena Vige.¡¯¡± What? ¡°¡®Master Philip has written a letter concerning the details on the attached paper. Much love. Your son, Leon Greyrat¡­¡¯¡± ¡­So it seemed we would meet this Eris that he had written about very soon. He said she was a bit troublesome, but also a good kid at heart, and recently, she had gotten much better with controlling her outbursts. I just hoped that our meagre house would be enough to satisfy a nobledy¡­ but if it¡¯s her father sending her, then we should be alright. ¡°What does that mean, Mister Paul?¡± Sylphy asked. ¡°I think,¡± Rudy answered, ¡°that means that we¡¯ll be getting another kid our age to y with. Well, assuming she wants to.¡± ¡°Cool!¡± Sylphy eximed happily. Hmm~? Although she sounded so excited right now, I think that once this ¡®Miss Eris¡¯ arrives, that might change. Knowing how charming my little Leon was, I would likely be able to see a lover¡¯s quarrel a little earlier than I thought. Though, with two girls already, at this rate¡­ I just hope my sweet boy doesn¡¯t turn out like Paul. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s with that re, honey?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Nothing. Nothing at all.¡± Chapter 17 – Birth Chapter 17 ¨C Birth ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª As time passed, the leaves changed from vibrant green to a myriad of red, yellow and orange, while a cool, crisp air reced the previous summer warmth. It was fall. And that meant that the expected time for my new siblings¡¯ births was nearing. Which was why we were currently on a carriage, making our way to my home in Buena Vige. ¡°Why can¡¯t you stay with us, Ghiine? Aren¡¯t you meant to be my swordsmanship instructor?¡± Eris whined. Ghiine, on the other hand, simply shook her head. ¡°I was only tasked with guarding you to and from Buena Vige. Besides, I will be guarding Master Sauros when he makes his yearly report of the harvest to the capital next week, so I would have been gone for some time anyway.¡± Eris huffed. ¡°Then how am I supposed to train?¡± ¡°You have Leon there with you. And while Paul, Leon¡¯s father, is a terrible instructor, he is a wonderful sparring partner. His fighting style is unique, as it uses all three styles seamlessly. Be sure to learn from that experience,¡± she lectured. ¡°Hmph. Fine, I guess,¡± Eris pouted before turning to me. ¡°Leon! Tell me about your family!¡± So loud¡­ such a contrast to the gentle countryside. But at least she seemed excited. ¡°Well, there¡¯s my brother, Rudeus, who¡¯s two years younger than me. Before I left home, we were equal in terms of magical skill, but I had the upper hand in swordsmanship,¡± I said. She raised her eyebrow at this. ¡°Really? As good at magic as you?¡± I nodded my head. ¡°Yes. Well¡­ except for healing and detoxification. That¡¯s why I¡¯m heading back, after all. To make sure nothing goes wrong with the births.¡± Well, I wouldn¡¯t say Rudeus was worse, per se, but rather, he couldn¡¯t cast those schools of magic chantlessly like I could. By casting chantless healing magic, I was also able to weave the mana to my bidding, allowing for freer control of what got healed and when, so it was much better for operations. ¡°But aren¡¯t there people meant for that?¡± she asked. ¡°Midwives, yes. But they are not necessarily doctors, so if there are any health problems, I would be able to step in and make sure everyone is safe,¡± I said. ¡°Hmm¡­ okay. And? What about your parents?¡± she asked. ¡°There¡¯s my father, Paul. He is¡­ well, how would you exin him, Big Sis?¡± I said, turning to Ghiine. ¡°A womanizing scum with a tendency to get too far ahead of himself. Though, he is a good man at heart¡­ and in bed.¡± There was no need for thatst part, Big Sis¡­ ¡°¡­He sounds dumb!¡± Eris eximed. ¡°He is dumb. And he¡¯s married to my Mama, Zenith. She¡¯s a healer, and is also the nicest woman in the world,¡± I said. Eris gestured to my neck. ¡°And she¡¯s the one who gave you that scarf?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No. That was Lilia. She used to be the family maid, but then got pregnant after Paul fooled around with her and became his wife. She¡¯s part of the family now, though, and I think of her as a second mother, so don¡¯t treat her disrespectfully.¡± Eris nodded her head in eptance, knowing that I was issuing a serious warning. ¡°Andstly, there¡¯s Sylphy. She¡¯s not part of my family, but she is my close friend, and we spent so much time together that we might as well have been family,¡± I said. ¡°Hmm. So she¡¯s like a sister?¡± she asked. ¡°No¡­ just a close friend. She also has green hair,¡± Eris¡¯ eyes widened, ¡°and it¡¯s beautiful. If you bully her for it, I¡¯ll be very mad.¡± Eris frowned. ¡°Fine.¡± She went quiet after that, opting to watch the passing scenery as we neared our destination. ¡°Alright! Here we are!¡± the stagecoach eventually said as we reached my vige. ¡°Thank you. Ghiine, are you going toe visit?¡± I asked. Ghiine shook her head. ¡°I will need to leave as soon as possible to reach Roa by nightfall, so I will have to refuse. Young Miss,¡± she said, crouching down to tussle Eris¡¯ hair. ¡°Please do be safe. And trust in Leon. While he is your tutor, he is also your guard, so you can lean on him.¡± ¡°I-I know that already!¡± Eris huffed. ¡°Good. Then I don¡¯t need to exin further.¡± Ghiine then passed me a couple of bags, one for each of Eris and I¡¯s things. Though the Young Miss¡¯ was muchrger¡­ and heavier. ¡°I will be off now,¡± Ghiine said. ¡°Take care, you two. I will see you in a month.¡± And with that, she got back in the carriage before setting off into the distance. ¡°Right. Then I guess I¡¯ll lead you to my home. Follow me,¡± I said. With Eris nodding her head, we then made our way up the dirt road, with the Young Miss looking curiously at the fields and houses we passed. ¡°By the way, Eris. There won¡¯t be any stuffy noble customs that you hate while we¡¯re there, but that means you won¡¯t be treated with respect as much as you are in the manor. Make sure to notsh out about that, okay?¡± I said. ¡°Of course I won¡¯t! They¡¯re your family, so I¡¯ll let their disrespect slide!¡± she huffed. ¡°Thanks, Eris. I appreciate it,¡± I said. ¡°Anyway, you can treat this as a vacation for the most part, but we¡¯ll still have some lessons.¡± Her lips curled into a frown. ¡°Don¡¯t make that face,¡± I chided. ¡°It won¡¯t be as much as usual, and even when we do them, we can work in a group with my brother and Sylphy if you want. You¡¯ll have fun. I promise.¡± ¡°Hmph! Fine,¡± she pouted. With that, we made our way over a few hills before finding ourselves in front of the house. It was just as pretty as I remember¡­ though the garden definitely needed some trimming. That¡¯s to be expected, though, since both Mama and Lilia were pregnant, and Paul didn¡¯t seem like the type to handle gardening. I¡¯ll deal with that with some wind magic after we were done packing. From Eris¡¯ expression, it seemed that the ce was good enough to be eptable, even though it wasn''t as grand and gaudy as the manor. Well, that¡¯s one potential problem down. Knocking on the door a few times, I then opened it. ¡°Hey guys! I¡¯m home-! Oof!¡± Only to be smothered by Mama with a gigantic hug upon my entry. ¡°Ooh! I¡¯ve missed you so much, Leon!¡± Can¡¯t¡­ breathe¡­ But this warmth¡­ yeah, I had missed this. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you too, Mama,¡± I said, although it was muffled by her chest as I squeezed back. ¡°Ah, right. Come inside first,¡± she said, closing the door behind us as she released me from my grasp. Looking at Mama, it was obvious that she was quite far along in her pregnancy, as her belly was bulging out much like it was right before Rudy was born. She then turned to Eris with a kind smile. ¡°And this must be Eris, right? Or would you prefer ¡®Miss¡¯?¡± ¡°N-No¡­ just Eris is fine,¡± Eris stammered. Huh? Why was she acting so nervous? ¡°Ah. Alright then. It¡¯s nice to meet you, Eris. Leon told us about you in his letters. Hmm¡­ he was right to call you cute,¡± Mama said. ¡°Mama!?¡± I eximed. What the hell!? Was she trying to embarrass me? ¡°C-Cute?!¡± Eris stammered. Mama¡¯s face then turned into her ¡®scary grin¡¯ before Lilia stepped into the room. ¡°Zenny, stop teasing your son and our guest as soon as they arrive.¡± Yes! Thank you! Lilia, like Mama, also had a bulging belly, and she was wearing a casual brown dress rather than her usual maid costume. I thought that that look suited her, but judging from how her usual hairband was still ced on her head, this change in outfit was probably because her maid uniform no longer fit rather than her truly epting her position as a wife. Or maybe she just liked the maid outfit, I didn¡¯t know. ¡°Leon. It¡¯s good to have you back,¡± she said, opening her arms for a hug. epting her offer, I ced the two bags on the floor before walking over and embracing her. Lilia wrapped her arms around me before turning to Eris, who was still shocked over Mama¡¯s previous words. ¡°Miss Eris. While I may not be as up to par with my usual abilities due to my condition, please don¡¯t hesitate to ask me of anything,¡± she said. ¡°H-Huh!? O-Okay.¡± Shaking my head, I then raised my hand to poke Lilia on the nose. ¡°Don¡¯t speak nonsense. I¡¯ll be doing all the household chores until you¡¯repletely recovered from having my new sibling. No objections,¡± I said sternly. She widened her eyes before her face deted into a loving smile. ¡°Right. I forgot how protective you were. Anyway, dinner is in the pot, so how about you tell us about your time since thest letter until it¡¯s ready?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± I said, unwrapping my arms from her torso. ¡°When is Rudy and Fathering back?¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Mama eximed. ¡°Paul¡¯s out doing a report on the harvest, and as for Rudy, he should being back right around¡­¡± ¡°Mother! We¡¯re back!¡± ¡°¡­now.¡± With perfect timing, Rudy entered the front door, interrupting Mama¡¯s words. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s with-? Brother!¡± Running up to me, Rudy then gave me a quick hug before I was wrapped in another set of arms, this one being much smaller and softer. ¡°Leon! You¡¯re back!¡± Looking down at the watery red eyes of Sylphy¡¯s, I brushed a strand of green hair off her face. ¡°I told you I would. Did you think I would lie?¡± Her eyes widened as her cheeks flushed red before hastily let go of me. ¡°N-No! I¡¯m just¡­ happy you¡¯re back, is all¡­¡± For some reason, Eris¡¯ face changed from slight curiosity at the new people to a small grimace. What¡¯s with her? Ah, she¡¯s probably feeling left out, right? ¡°Anyway, this is my current pupil, Eris Boreas Greyrat,¡± I said, introducing the girl. ¡°She¡¯ll be staying here with us until we leave after Lilia gives birth and is safe.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± she huffed in response. Haa¡­ at least said hello, Eris. I thought she was actually in quite a good mood when we came here, but I guess she really didn¡¯t like the fact that Ghiine was leaving. Well, hopefully, once they got to know each other a bit more, they would all get along. ¡­Hopefully. ¡°This is Rudeus, or Rudy, my brother. And this is Sylphy, the friend that I told you about. I¡¯ll take your things up to your room, so just¡­ make yourself at home, alright, Eris?¡± I said. Getting a nod from the girl, I then took the bags up to the rooms andid out all the contents on the bed, making sure Eris¡¯ clothes were organized and folded. After all, she wouldn¡¯t have a maid to get them ready for her like back home. I was quite happy to see that she brought along the puppy plush I got her as well, but I had a feeling she would get mad if I mentioned that. Not wanting to leave Eris alone for too long, I quickly made my way back downstairs, only to see Eris and Sylphy locked in a staring match as I entered the main room. Now¡­ this wasn¡¯t out of character for Eris to do, but I didn¡¯t expect Sylphy to return her re, especially with such intensity. Where did that shyness go? Rudy was also confused, but for some reason, both Lilia and Mama were looking on in amusement. What was with this situation? Before I couldment, Eris suddenly released a small snort before walking over to me and hugging my arm. ¡°Say, Leon¡­ how about we do some magic practice?¡± she asked. ¡­What the hell was she going on about? ¡°L-Leon!¡± Sylphy said, stiffly walking toward me beforetching onto my other arm. ¡°I-I learned Intermediate-rank healing magic, but I¡¯m still having some trouble! C-Can you help me?¡± Okay¡­ now I was really confused. I know Sylphy had missed me quite a bit, but she had never been so¡­ confrontational. Ah, but then again, she hadn¡¯t had any people to be confrontational with. Paul then choose that moment to enter the house. ¡°Hey! I noticed a carriage leaving-¡± he cut himself off as he noticed the situation. ¡°Oho? What¡¯s this?¡± he said, eyes shining with amusement as he looked at the three of us. ¡°Haha! Wee home, Leon¡­ It seems you really are my son, huh?¡± Haa¡­ this was going to be annoying, wasn¡¯t it? ¡ª Information on the Six-Faced World ¡ª Zenith Greyrat Zenith is a beautiful woman with blonde hair, blue eyes,rge breasts, and a voluptuous figure. She has a very warm and loving personality, but can also be strict at times when necessary. While she is a follower of the morals of the Millis Church, she also values the happiness of her family even more so. Zenith was born in the Holy Country of Millis as the second daughter to the prominent noble family of Latreia before she ran away from home to be an adventurer, sheter became a healer for the Fangs of the ck Wolf, where she reached the S rank. She is a Beginner-ranked magician in fire and water magic and Intermediate-ranked in healing and detoxification magic. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It had been a week since I had returned to Buena Vige with Eris, and to my happiness, my pupil had really taken to the casual lifestyle away from the manor. Since she didn¡¯t enjoy getting pampered by the maids too much at her home and all the stuffy noble practices such as needing to be dressed up every day, Eris didn¡¯t mind the change in scenery. If anything, she enjoyed it. But I could tell some things irked her, such as how there weren¡¯t anynterns at night, how she didn¡¯t have a personal bathroom, and most notably¡­ ¡°Haha! You¡¯re like an angry dog! But for your bite to have any power, you have to actually hit me~¡± ¡°Grr! Shut! Up!¡± ¡­Paul, my father. As expected, their personalities shed, and that was without Paul¡¯s relentless teasing. yful or not, he really knew how to get under the girl¡¯s skin. ording to Eris, my father was the ¡®most annoying man¡¯ she had ever met, and I couldn¡¯t help but agree. But at the end of the day, she also respected the man for his skills, much like she did with Ghiine and me. ¡­Begrudgingly, of course. She really did find him annoying, after all. Every morning came with a new challenge issued at the breakfast table, and a one-sided spar followed soon after. While Paul only yed around with her, both I and Eris were grateful for that, as she wouldn¡¯t learn too much from getting knocked out in one strike. ¡°Go Eris! You can beat Mister Paul!¡± Sylphy cheered. ¡°Knock him dead! He deserves it, after all!¡± as did Rudy. The three had be fast friends, though Eris often found Rudy annoying. I chalked that up to him being smarter than her despite being two years younger, while also having revealed some of his¡­ well, Paulness. Good thing she punched him before I had to keep my promise with Philip. But oddly enough, even though Sylphy was also younger and more talented, instead of Eris finding her annoying, the two became close extremely fast. Considering they were the only other girl their age they knew, it made sense that they formed a bond, but it was still a bit surprising considering their personalities were nearly theplete opposite. But while they didn¡¯t fight, they did have these¡­ moments. Tense moments where they would stare each other down as if they were having apetition, and all these moments happened with me in between them. I suppose I should have expected this. Sylphy probably wanted to monopolize me a bit, since I had been gone so long and would only be here for a month, and as for Eris, not only was her pride of not wanting to ¡®lose¡¯ making things difficult, but she probably wanted me, the only person on her ¡®side¡¯, with her most of the time while she was here. I just needed to make sure I split my attention evenly, and luckily, since the four of us children spent most of the time together, that wasn¡¯t too much of an issue. ¡°Rrraaah!¡± With a final roar, Eris leaped forward with her sword raised, but with a smooth application of the Water God style, Paul sent her tumbling to the ground. ¡°Hehe. Nice try- Whoa!¡± Paul barely dodged the wooden sword that was thrown at his face. Not wanting her to get into a fistfight, I walked up to Eris, putting an end to the match. ¡°Nice try. That final North God sword throw was impressive. Just be sure to throw it, so the de hits him instead of the hilt,¡± I said, extending my hand to the girl. ¡°I can teach you thatter.¡± ¡°Hmph. Thanks,¡± she said, letting me pull her to her feet. ¡°Do you need some healing?¡± I asked. ¡°Just take your turn. I¡¯ll ask Sylphy to do it,¡± she answered. As she went to stand with the rest of the family, I picked up the wooden sword Eris dropped before turning to face Paul, who was wearing his usual wide and confident smile. ¡°Well? Gonna try again? While you¡¯re definitely stronger, you still can¡¯t beat good old experience,¡± he teased. While his words were annoying, they were also the truth. Paul¡¯s talent allowed him to easily pick up the sword, and then allowed him to merge all three styles with no disciplined training. But that would only make him a pretty good swordsman, not someone who could fight on par with a Sword Saint. No, what made him so strong was his experience from years of adventuring, time spent honing his de in thebyrinths and dungeons of the world. No matter how many errors were smoothed out by Ghiine¡¯s instructions, I still wouldn¡¯t be able to beat his experience that easily. But¡­ I was close. I noticed with the first few spars that we had, that while my Sword God techniques and basic swordsmanship had improved leaps and bounds, my Water God and North God abilities had remained stagnant. So after a few days of sparring while focusing on those schools, as well as some nighttime training¡­ I was ready. ¡°Keep talking like that, Father. It¡¯ll only make it more embarrassing when you lose,¡± I said with a smirk. ¡°Ooh! Some tough words there! Let¡¯s see if you can back them up!¡± With that as the signal, he rushed forward, the wind sweeping his hair back as his sword blurred toward my face. He was fast, that was for sure. But not nearly as fast as Ghiine. Gripping my sword, I leaped forward with a swift step, letting the touki flow through my body and into my de as it swept through the air. But a sh of strikes wouldn¡¯t solve anything. So, using the North God¡¯s adaptability, I let my Longsword of Silence transform into the Water God¡¯s countering technique, sliding up Paul¡¯s sword before leading it to the side. Twisting my hips along with the path of my sword, I turned around tounch a devastating strike toward his unprotected chest. ck! But while Paul couldn¡¯t block with his sword¡¯s de, he managed to move his hilt in the way of my attack. Those damn insane instincts¡­ Leaping back, Paul looked down at his sword with widened eyes before they narrowed in seriousness as he looked back at me. ¡°I guess you figured something out since yesterday, huh?¡± he asked. ¡°You could say that,¡± I said. ¡°Make sure to take this seriously.¡± We then both jumped forward once again. Our des exchanged a flurry of strikes, some with the speed and power of the Sword God, and some with the gentle flow of the Water God, but a cacophony of shing wood resounded throughout the yard nheless. As our violent duet continued, I was able to notice some parts of my swordsmanship that could be improved. By turning my de ever so slightly, it cut through the air a step faster. My steps that would pound against the ground, turning up grass and dirt, became more subtle and controlled, turning into a graceful footwork that allowed me to race across the ground without giving away my next move. And I could feel it. Touki was flowing through every movement like the smooth, yet rapid flow of a streampared to before when it was like the choppy, uncontrolled waves of the open ocean. Was this some kind of enlightenment? It felt¡­ amazing. I unleashed my sword in a downward strike, while Paul¡¯s de ripped through the air horizontally to meet it. But that was a feint. Loosening my grip, I let our swords sh as I dipped my body close to the ground, letting Paul¡¯s sword pass overhead, pushing down my de as it easily overpowered my lightly-held sword. Regaining my grip, I then twisted my body beforending a strike on his open side, touki flowing through my de to give the strike more power, but not sharpness. I didn¡¯t want to kill my father, after all. That would have to wait until he cheated on Mama and Lilia. ¡°Oomph!¡± He wasunched back, and with me quickly getting to my feet, I ced my sword against his neck before he could recover. ¡°It¡¯s- Haa- my win,¡± I said throughboured breaths. Damn, I was sweaty. Generating some water to wash off my face and hair, I then returned my gaze to the man. Paul¡¯s surprised face quickly turned sour, twisting into a resigned pout. ¡°Yeah. You did. Nice¡­ job,¡± he said through gritted teeth. He must have been pretty upset to have lost to his eight-year-old kid, and likely a little ashamed too. As he should be. But¡­ he¡¯d bounce back. Mama told me he was always conceited until he almost lost, or needed to be saved, and then he would train until his confidence was healed, and his abilities were increased. Turning to the family, I revealed a wide smile while raising my sword as everyone bursts into cheers. ¡°Amazing Leon!¡± Sylphy eximed. ¡°Nice job, brother!¡± Rudy nodded. ¡°Hmph! How does it feel getting beat by your own son, Paul? Haha!¡± Erisughed. Even Mama and Lilia were wearing wide smiles. ¡°Well done, Leon. I am sure once he¡¯s done sulking, he¡¯ll congratte you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my boy! And Paul! You have your patrol to do, so get up!¡± Turning back, I watched as Paul¡¯s pout deepened. ¡°No one said I was cool when I won. Even my wives abandoned me¡­¡± ¡­I was going to cheer him up, but maybe he deserves to be a bit depressed. I mean, how shameful can you be? Mama turned to him with a smirk. ¡°What? Are you that upset you finally lost? I told you your overconfidence woulde back to bite you one of these days- Huh?¡± She was interrupted as a trail of liquid dripped down her leg. What? She didn¡¯t¡­ have an ident, right? No¡­ that was- ¡°Husband. Get up and go get the midwife immediately. Zenny, let¡¯s head inside. Leon,e assist your mother,¡± Liliamanded, quickly taking control of the situation. It seemed it was time for me to greet my new siblings. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª I was now a big brother to two baby sisters. Yes, two. I don¡¯t want to recount the details, as it was pretty gross, but shortly after Mama¡¯s birth, Lilia¡¯s child decided it was time to enter the world as well. I guess she didn¡¯t want to fall behind her sister, huh? Mama¡¯s birth was a bit troublesome. It was a breech birth, as Lilia and the midwife called it, which was when the baby¡¯s head wasn¡¯t the first thing leaving the birth canal. So, due to my healing magic and small but strong hands, I had to help guide my new sibling safely into the world. While it was stressful, my efforts proved fruitful, as a healthy baby girl spat out some amniotic fluid before letting out her first cries. I¡­ did not want to experience something like that again. Ever. Again. And then, with everyone celebrating the new life, Lilia went intobour a few momentster. While we were surprised, there were noplications, and with the midwife now ying her part with a normal birth, and Rudy providing a constant supply of warm water, a second baby girl entered this world, once again, with my hands holding the new life as she breathed her first breaths. In both births, Paul was useless, being relegated to moral support and acting as a hand to squeeze. But knowing how hard Mama squeezes¡­ and how pale his hand got¡­ well, I didn¡¯t envy him. Eris and Sylphy, however, while not being in the room since we didn¡¯t want to overcrowd, did bring us fresh nkets and towels, so I¡¯d be sure to thank and praise the two for their helpter. But yes, both baby girls were born healthy, and I got to witness the beautiful faces of new parents once again, but this time, I joined in as well. They were just so¡­ so small! So cute! So wonderful and beautiful! I promised yet again to be the best brother one could ask for and make sure they would grow up happy and healthy. That¡­ was absolutely my most important promise from now on. Norn and Aisha were their names, with Norn being Mama¡¯s girl, and Aisha being Lilia¡¯s. Not that it mattered, though. They were both my dear sisters that I had sworn myself to protect and care for, and I wouldn¡¯t treat them any differently from each other. With both of the cuties sleeping soundly in their basss, and Mama and Lilia resting on the bed after having Rudy, Sylphy, and I heal their soreness, I decided to reveal my gifts to my new sisters. ¡°Mama¡­ Lilia¡­ I got something for the two,¡± I said, holding the two stuffed animals behind my back. Eris turned toward me with interest. ¡°Is it ¡®that¡¯?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yes, it is.¡± Everyone else just looked at me in confusion before I pulled them out, revealing a brown bunny in my left hand, and a blue owl in my right. Both of the mothers¡¯ eyes widened in surprise. ¡°I just thought¡­ you know¡­ since I had the money-¡± ¡°It¡¯s wonderful, sweetie! Here, can I see them?¡± Mama said, interrupting me. Handing the bunny over to Mama, and the owl over to Lilia, I was about to go back to the door before I was pulled into both of their embrace. ¡°It¡¯s a very nice present, Leon. Here, let¡¯s give it to them. Does it matter who gets which?¡± Mama asked. I shook my head no. ¡°Well? Do you want to give it to them?¡± Lilia asked. Growing a small smile, I crawled over to the bass, where the two babies were wrapped snugly in a bundle of nkets. Hesitantly, I took the two stuffies,ying the bunny next to Norn, and the owl next to Aisha. ¡°Hehe. They¡¯re almost as big as them!¡± Sylphy said, looking at the two from over my shoulder. Indeed, it almost looked like there were four newborns cuddled together. As I wanted their new toys tost for a while, I didn¡¯t care if the stuffed animals were a little big, since they would grow into them. Eris popped her head over my other shoulder, looking at the two with veiled interest before muttering, ¡°Hmm¡­ babies are pretty small, huh?¡± We watched the two sleeping babies in silence for a few moments before Mama spoke up. ¡°But Leon¡­ didn¡¯t that cost quite a bit? Even we didn¡¯t get anything like that for Rudy¡­¡± I shook my head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡­ wasn¡¯t that much.¡± That was a lie. And seeing how Lilia gave me a knowing smirk, it wasn¡¯t a very good one. But if it made my sisters happy¡­ well, the price truly wasn¡¯t that much. ¡°You¡¯re already a siscon, huh?¡± Rudy said from behind me. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯ve already given them a present, when all you¡¯ve done for me is ruin Roxy¡¯s used panties.¡± He shook his head in a joking manner but quickly realized the awkward silence in the air, and consequently, his slip of the tongue. ¡°¡­Rudy? What exactly are you talking about?¡± Mama asked. ¡°Rudy¡­¡± Sylphy said with disappointment. ¡°Hmph! I had a feeling you were like that!¡± Eris huffed. Lilia, meanwhile, only sent him a sad smile. ¡°Sorry, Rudeus. I won¡¯t be able to save you this time.¡± Brother¡­ you¡¯re a bit stupid, huh? That must be the Paul in him. Speaking of¡­ where was the man? Getting to my feet, I then looked out the window, only to see Paul swinging his sword in the yard. Oh¡­ I guess Mama was right about him training after getting embarrassed. Well¡­ good for him, I guess. But¡­ shouldn¡¯t you be with your family right now? ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª My baby sisters were now a week old, and much to my relief, they were normal, unlike Rudy was when he was a baby. It wasn¡¯t like I hated Rudy or anything. Despite his¡­ entricities, I loved him deeply as a brother. But with his advanced maturity, I didn¡¯t have many chances to act as an amazing older brother or dote on him¡­ which might also be due to me being two when he was born. Anyway, Norn and Aisha were normal, and as a result, they cried. A lot. When they wet themselves, they cried. When they were hungry, they cried. Even when nothing was happening, they cried. But I understood them, to an extent. Thinking back to my time as a baby, even though I didn¡¯t cry much, I remember how everything was new and a bit scary, even with my Miko-granted knowledge. It might be this understanding that made me able to calm them down quite easily, though my magic also helped. You see, with healing magic, while it focused on healing injuries, it also had applications of calming down the patient. After all, if you healed arge wound, it wouldn¡¯t really matter if the patient died from shock a momentter. And so, I used this application to it¡¯s fullest, helping my baby sisters remain calm with all the new sensations in this big, scary world. It was also due to this understanding that I didn¡¯t find their cries annoying. Instead, I just found them endearing. I wanted to cuddle them and make them feel better out of love, rather than doing it just to quiet them down. Though I couldn¡¯t say the same for Paul¡­ This was his second time having children. Third, if you count me when I joined the Fangs of the ck Wolf. And while I understood that Rudy and I weren¡¯t exactly normal, I still expected him to be a bit better after all this time. But Paul was Paul, I suppose. Luckily, Lilia was able to show off her housekeeping abilities, Mama always had that loving touch that babies would crave, and Rudy was surprisingly skilled at taking care of our sisters, so the four of us were able to easily fill in. But yes, my sisters were healthy, they were also very cute, and things were good. Speaking of Paul, he had trained extra hard into the night for the two days after my sisters¡¯ birth until the third day, where he then defeated me in our spar. He went back to his usual routine of only light morning training after that. It was exactly as Mama said, once his pride and confidence were renewed, he went back to doing the bare minimum to keep up his current skills rather than aiming to advance them. How disappointing. But I guess he was retired, so I shouldn¡¯t have expected much else. Anyway, while my swordsmanship had improved ever since my victory against Paul, or more specifically, after my ¡®enlightenment¡¯, I was still not better with the de than my father. I suppose my sudden improvement having caught him off guard was the only reason for my win. But I didn¡¯t mind. I was still young and had lots of time to improve as well as experience to gain. I wonder what Ghiine will think of my new abilities though¡­ I hope she¡¯ll be proud of me. And I wasn¡¯t the only one to improve my swordsmanship. Eris and Rudy proved to be good sparring partners, as both were close in abilities and as a result, they had both grown a noticeable amount in my time here. Well, Eris was a bit better, but Rudy was closer to herpared to the likes of Ghiine, Paul, and I. Eris was stronger than Rudy, had better instincts, and at least in terms of the Sword God style, had better technique. Rudy, on the other hand, was more patient, and with his training in the Water God and North God, more adaptable. And since he had been sparring with Paul for a while now while Eris used most of her time building her foundations, he also had morebat experience. ¡°Why are you slowing down!?¡± Eris yelled. ¡°Because you¡¯re scary, Eris,¡± Rudy exined smoothly. ¡°How pathetic!¡± she eximed before continuing her assault. Well¡­ yeah, they were doing fine. But we weren¡¯t the only ones practising the sword. ¡°Try not to overstep. Okay, Sylphy? It messes up your bnce and makes you easier to hit,¡± I said, lightly tapping her leg with my wooden sword. ¡°Sorry¡­ I just don¡¯t think I¡¯m cut out for this,¡± she pouted. ¡°I agree. You¡¯re definitely not a swordswoman.¡± Her pout deepened at my words. ¡°But this training isn¡¯t for you to learn swordsmanship, but rather to hone your battle instincts. With chantless magic, you¡¯re able to fight in closebat, so you should learn how to.¡± While it would be better for her to fight at range, of course, the world wasn¡¯t so kind as to y fairly like that. ¡°I understand, but¡­ I don¡¯t n on adventuring or anything. Why would I need to know how to fight?¡± she asked. ¡°Because you might need to defend yourself. Especially since you¡¯re so cute and talented,¡± I exined. It wasn¡¯t a lie or an emptypliment. In this world, monsters weren¡¯t the most dangerous foe, but rather, people were. Kidnapping, assassination, mugging¡­ all that nauseating stuff. And a girl like Sylphy would definitely be a prime target, especially when she grew up into the beauty I expected her to be. ¡°H-Huh!? U-Umm, thank you, Leon. L-Let¡¯s continue!¡± she eximed. Ha. So she was embarrassed, huh? I guess I did say some embarrassing things, so it was only natural. ¡°Alright. It would be better to not close your eyes, though,¡± I teased. And with that, our little spar continued. Hmm¡­ once she got a bit better withbat, I think we could move onto magic-based sparring. Roxy had mentioned a ss like that in Ranoa, and I was interested in how chantless magic could be used in a fight. Chapter 18 – Return to Roa Chapter 18 ¨C Return to Roa ¡ª Eris Boreas Greyrat ¡ª ¡°What are the three main things that affect gas pressure?¡± Rudeus asked. ¡°Umm¡­ temperature¡­ the amount of gas¡­ and the¡­ space it''s in?¡± Sylphy answered. ¡°Yep! Good job,¡± Leon eximed, smiling at her. Just like he did with me¡­ tsk. Not that I cared, though! ¡°So, if you know that, what do you think would create the most pressure?¡± Leon asked. ¡°Umm¡­ a lot of gas in a small space? Oh! And making it hot!¡± Sylphy answered. The two brothers nodded their heads. ¡°Yep! And what do you think happens when you hold gas at high pressure before being released? Oh, Eris. You know this one!¡± Leon said. Scrunching my eyebrows, I thought back to my lessons at home. Usually, with all this ¡®science¡¯ stuff, I just let it go in through one ear and out the other. It was pretty boring after all. But I remember listening to this ¡®pressure¡¯ stuff pretty seriously. And that was because when he did what he described, it would cause- ¡°An explosion!¡± I said, pointing my chin up. He simply nodded his head proudly. ¡°Yep. Now, how about we try it?¡± he said, extending his hand. ¡°Rudy? Do you want to do it with me?¡± ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s see who can make a bigger shockwave!¡± Rudy answered. Leon shook his head. ¡°No. We probably shouldn¡¯t. What if we wake up Norn and Aisha?¡± ¡°Ah. That¡¯s true¡­¡± ¡°Kids! Come and eat!¡± a shout rang from the house. Turning back, I saw Leon¡¯s mothers, Lilia and Zenith, standing in the garden with a tter of sandwiches and drinks. To think they had just given birth a week ago¡­ well, I knew how good Leon and Rudeus¡¯ healing magic was, so it was to be expected. ¡°I guess the demonstration will have to wait. Let¡¯s get some food,¡± Leon said, walking toward them. Following behind him, I thought back tost night, when I shared a conversation with the woman. Zenith, that is. She was¡­ weird, but not in a bad way. She was warm, like afortable firece, and I could tell how much she loved, and how proud she was, of her two kids¡­ even without her constantly saying it. It was¡­ much different, from Mother. And like Paul, she also liked to tease me, but it wasn¡¯t annoying, rather, it just made me embarrassed. Truly, truly odd. Anyway, when I went downstairs to use thetrine, I was about to return to my room before she called me over to sit next to her. I was confused, at first, but then I found out why she wanted to talk to me. Surprisingly, she was a noble too, or at least, she used to be. And even more surprisingly, her position had been equal to mine. No, considering that Father was only the mayor of Roa, her position would have been higher. That made me much more interested in her. How someone like her could live so¡­ happily, separated from the annoying customs that were forced onto her? I wanted to know if I could be like that too. I then learned about how she became an adventurer, exploring the world and itsbyrinths and defeating monsters alongside Ghiine. That definitely raised my opinion of her, and begrudgingly, my opinion of Paul as well. He was skilled, but he was annoying. And from the stories Leon told me, he seemed like a bad man who just made trouble for him. But¡­ I suppose he had his good points too, though being a father definitely wasn¡¯t one of them. But what annoyed me the most about the man¡­ was that he reminded me of myself. And I hated that I found him annoying because of that, which only made me more annoyed. I was irritated¡­ at him, at the situation, and¡­ at myself. Everything was annoying! And it also made me feel¡­ worried. After all¡­ if Paul was like me¡­ then wouldn¡¯t Leon think of me as annoying the same way he did with him? But then again, he also said he loved the man, and he was his family, so does that mean he could eventually think the same about me? ¡°¡­Gah!¡± My emotions surged, and I let my fist fly, catching Leon on his arm. Looking over his shoulder, he raised his eyebrow at me. ¡°What was that for?¡± ¡°N-Nothing!¡± I eximed. Grr¡­ what was wrong with me!? Thinking about stuff like that¡­ Darting my eyes away from his figure, I found myself staring right into Zenith¡¯s eyes, and after a moment, her lips spread into a wide, teasing smile. ¡°Oho~?¡± Lilia shook her head. ¡°Zenith. Let her be for today.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re no fun, Lilia!¡± Leon¡¯s family¡­ they were nice but also weird¡­ and sometimes annoying too. Though some of those feelings¡­ they may be of no fault but my own. ¡ª Information on the Six-Faced World ¡ª Lilia Greyrat Lilia has reddish-brown hair that reaches her chest, though it is often tied up in a half-bun. She has violet-purple eyes and a slender yet voluptuous body withrge breasts. She usually wears a frilly maid outfit with oval sses and a hairband but has begun to wear more casual clothes since bing Paul Greyrat¡¯s wife. She was born to twomoner parents, although her father, Augusta, is an Advanced-rank Water God swordsman who is the instructor of his dojo and has ties to the Water God Rieda Reia. Lilia trained to be an Intermediate-ranked Water God swordswoman, but as it was not enough for her to inherit the dojo, she left to be a maid at the Asura Royal Pce. When guarding the young Princess in the Pce, she was attacked by assassins, and although she survived, the poisoned de did irreparable damage to her leg, which made her unfit as a swordswoman, and thus fired from her position. When looking for work after this, she wanted to be hired as a maid to receive good pay, but not by someone of high noble status as her history as a maid of the Royal Pce might be troublesome. ¡ª Rudeus Greyrat ¡ª It had been a month since my brother had returned along with Eris, which meant that our new sisters were now three weeks old. During this time, Zenith and Paul had been hit with the grim reality of what actual child-rearing was like and were on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Luckily, they had Lilia, Leon, and I there, but as one of them would be leaving very soon, so they would have to get used to it pretty quickly. I don¡¯t know exactly how Leon was so good with the babies, but I was used to it all due to my younger brother in my past life. Changing dirty diapers, rocking them to sleep, cleaningundry¡­ the tasked were all familiar, and with the addition of magic, it was much easier and cleaner. Zenith was trying her best, and considering she had just birthed her second child while also dealing with her first one who was about to leave home again, I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Paul, though¡­ he was useless. Actually, considering how he would only manage to make the newborns cry more when he tried calming them down, he was less than useless. Jeez¡­ if he didn¡¯t have his sword skills and charisma, he would be quite a worthless man. ¡°And¡­ there! Here, Leon! I made this for you!¡± Sylphy said, holding a newly crafted flower crown. ¡°Oh? That¡¯s really pretty. Here, can you put it on for me?¡± my brother said, pulling his hair back and lowering his head. Sylphy gently ced the crown on his head, and raising his eyes, Leon adjusted it slightly before shing her a smile. ¡°Thanks, Sylphy. How does it look?¡± ¡°A-Amazing!¡± she eximed. I, on the other hand, could only release a sigh while shaking my head. Young love¡­ quite a thing it was to witness. While I had my suspicions before, after Leon came back, it became quite obvious that Sylphy liked him. Maybe even loved him. As expected of that charming brother of mine. Sylphy liked me too, of course, but that was only as a good friend, and at most, as a brother. So unfortunately, her route was already locked, and I wasn¡¯t a fan of NTR, so I wasn¡¯t nning on getting involved. Too bad¡­ the childhood friend route would have been amazing, and in a secluded ce like this, I could have made her grow up into my perfect woman. But dammit, brother! Not only had you locked up the pretty deredere, but you went ahead and fetched yourself a tsundere too! Not a son of Paul, my ass! Leave some for the rest of us! Ah, but I wouldn¡¯t want to deal with Eris if I was honest. She was a violent, troublesome girl, with the only cure seeming to be Leon and Sylphy. Well¡­ she was also calm around Zenith¡­ and Lilia too. Wait¡­ she only got annoyed around Paul and me, especially after I tried peeking at her having a bath. Was it just us, then? No¡­ no, it couldn¡¯t be. Anyway, while I held some feelings of jealousy toward my brother, I loved him all the same, even if I still bore the grudge of him cleaning Roxy¡¯s panties. Sadly, after my little slip-up, Zenith made me give them up, but that was through no fault but my own. It still stung, though. But despite mydy trouble I was having now, I was sure I¡¯d be more sessful once I grew up. After all, I had Paul¡¯s genes in my blood and a cute face, and that mixed with my magical prowess was sure to me some girls once I was older. I just needed to find one that¡¯s thirteen or so, and they¡¯d be right in my strike range. ¡°Oi! Leon! Rudy!¡± Paul shouted as he made his way up our hill. ¡°What is it, Father?¡± I asked. He then tossed Leon¡¯s sword to him before pointing over his shoulder with his thumb. ¡°Come with me. Since Leon¡¯s leaving soon, I want to take you somewhere before you head back to the city,¡± he said. ¡°Sylphy, you should stay here. Eris too.¡± I shared a confused nce with my brother, who just shrugged before getting to his feet. Eris crossed her arms in indignation. ¡°Why should I stay here? And where are you going!?¡± Paul just shrugged while scratching his ear. ¡°It ain¡¯t a thing meant for nobledies like yourself.¡± Eris snarled. ¡°We¡¯re going to go exterminate some monsters, is all.¡± Paul then sent a curious nce over to Leon. ¡°What¡¯s with the flowers? Oh. I see~¡± Sending a knowing grin over to Sylphy and Leon, he then abruptly turned and started walking down the hill. ¡°Well, while I said you should stay here, you cane if you want. Just make sure to stick close to me, alright?¡± Taking four kids to go monster hunting¡­ and from how he threw Leon a sword, he expected my brother to take part. How irresponsible. But it wasn¡¯t like I wasn¡¯t interested, so, getting up and dusting myself off, I followed Paul as he began heading into the forest with Leon, with Sylphy and Eris trailing behind. On the way, Paul talked about the recent report of monsters that had made their way closer to the vige than he wasfortable with, and after Sylphy¡¯s father found out where they were, he decided to exterminate them. And just like I had guessed, he wanted Leon to join him. Eventually, we entered the forest, and after a few more minutes of walking, Paul shushed us all before crouching behind a bush and pointing over it. There were eight monsters. Six of them were called Assault Dogs, and as their name implied, they were dog-like monsters¡­ like dobermans. The other two were bipedal, four-armed pig-like monstrosities known as Terminator Boars, which were one of the stronger species of monsters you could find in the Kingdom. ¡°Alright,¡± Paul whispered. ¡°There they are. You three, stay there and don¡¯t move. Leon, follow my lead. Got it?¡± Contrary to his usual yfulness, Paul was nowpletely serious, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he slowly unsheathed his sword. I guess he wasn¡¯t the former leader of an S-ranked party for nothing, huh? Noticing this change in demeanour, both Sylphy and Eris nodded in return, their faces stern with the red-haired girl not putting up even a bit of a fuss despite her usual nature. With a nod as the signal, Paul then ran forward, instantly decapitating an Assault Dog with his surprise attack. Leon, meanwhile, had a bit of hesitation with his first attack. I could understand it, though. Not only was it scary, but it was also his first time cutting through flesh. Paul had drilled into our heads how dangerous des were, and that while killing wasn¡¯t frowned upon as a way to defend yourself, especiallypared to back in Japan, you still had to be certain beforemitting such an act. After all, even with all the amazing healing spells in the world, once you died, there was noing back, and once you killed, there was no changing it. Well, except for that reincarnating race of demons that Roxy mentioned, but that wasn¡¯t the point. But anyway, after killing his first monster, Leon quickly adapted, ying another leaping Assault Dog with ease a momentter. It was almost¡­ a bit scary, how easily he cut off its head. ¡­I would have to remind myself to not do anything perverted to Sylphy. My eyes looking to the side, I saw both Eris and Sylphy looking at the two with sparkling eyes filled with awe despite the violence on disy. Well¡­ to be honest, I probably had the same look on my face. After all, the two¡¯s swordsmanship was amazing. Paul¡¯s swordsmanship, if I had to describe it, had charisma. It had a certain beauty to it¡­ a mysterious rhythm that made your heart race in one moment, and then put you at ease in the next. I guess that¡¯s what won Zenith¡¯s heart, huh? And Lilia¡¯s too¡­ as well as that vige girl he talked about¡­ and the other one¡­ Hmm¡­ maybe I would train a bit more seriously in swordsmanship after this, and hopefully follow in my father''s footsteps in regard to his sess with women. Leon¡¯s swordsmanship, on the other hand, didn¡¯t have that rhythm. Instead, it was smooth and focused¡­ a swordsmanship based on efficiency. But it was beautiful all the same. It made you entranced, both with the movements and the results that followed, while also making you feel safe and protected, as if nothing could go wrong with him there. I guess, like this, it was no surprise why he already had two girls chasing after him. Even if he was still dense about it. As thest of the Attack Dogs met its end, Paul then faced down one of the Terminator Boars, with Leon facing the other. Paul easily cut through the monster''s neck as it lunged forward, letting his sword rest on his shoulder as the beast¡¯s body toppled to the ground. It was a quick fight. ¡°Hehe¡­ still got it, don¡¯t I?¡± he said, carefully sheathing his sword with a smile. Paul¡¯s beloved sword, which he carried around wherever he went, was a double-edge type you would see a knight wield in a visual novel, and it had a triangr-shaped cross guard with two triangle holes. He really loved that sword. He even held it close when he was sleeping. I asked him about it once, and apparently, it had to do with his habits as an adventurer, but still¡­ it was a bit weird. Anyway, a momentter, Leon cut through the final Terminator Boar as well, putting an end to the battle. What was it, a minute? No, even less. In less than a minute, all the monsters had been culled, and all without a single injury afflicted to the two. They were quite amazing, huh? Yeah¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯d ever match up to that. ¡°Nice job, Leon! Hmm¡­ your cuts were pretty clean¡­ Alright! You guys cane out now! I think now is a good time for a little lesson on how to dismantle a monster!¡± Paul said. Eris and Sylphy instantly got up and run toward Leon, who was looking down at his bloodied hand with interest. Actually, now that I could look at him better, he was nearlypletely covered in blood. ¡°That was so cool!¡± Eris eximed. ¡°Y-Yeah! But¡­ are you okay, Leon?¡± Sylphy said worriedly. Leon just shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not my blood.¡± Well, that was an ominous thing to say. Luckily, I knew he was talking about a monster. He then set his body alight in mes using the spell Burn in ce. It wouldn¡¯t get the blood out of his clothes, but it was a good way to quickly burn off any dirt on his skin. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m fine, so let¡¯s listen to my father. It¡¯s an interesting skill to learn, don¡¯t you think? And it¡¯s not like there are many times we can do this, after all,¡± he said. Eris nodded her head excitedly. To think a noble girl would like this stuff¡­ nothing like the fat, prim, and proper nobledies Paul lectured me about. Even Sylphy seemed interested, despite being such a kind and loving girl. Taking out a dagger, Paul thenid out the corpse of one of the Assault Dogs before skinning its fur and removing its fangs, the only parts of the monster that had any value. After Paul went through his corpse, and another afterwards to show us again, each of us kids followed his example with a corpse of our own,ting us six rolls of fur and a collection of fangs. The stench was¡­ not great, and the gruesomeness of it all was nauseating, but it got better the more I did it, and by the end, I thought of myself as an expert monster butcher. ording to Paul, the meat of the Assault Dogs was edible but disgusting in both taste and texture, so we decided to burn it instead, as leaving it might attract more monsters, or even create one if you were unlucky. The Terminator Boars, however, didn¡¯t have any fur to harvest, but they did have a pair ofrge tusks each and sharp ws that could be formed into knives, so with Paul going through the process for one, Leon and Eris did it for the other. Surprisingly, one of them even ended up having a magic stone, a big red one, just like what Roxy had used to make my wand. ording to Paul, magic stones were quite rare and only appeared in monsters of a high rank, and the older a monster was, the more likely it would have one as the mana they gained over their lives concentrated into physical form. A monster having a magic stone also meant that the monster would be stronger than usual, so needless to say, Paul made sure that we knew not to mention that detail to Zenith and Lilia at all costs. While Leon didn¡¯t care about the rest of the materials, he was pretty adamant about keeping the magic stone. I guess he wanted a trophy for his efforts, huh? Meh, I didn¡¯t me him, but in that case, I thought he would prefer the tusks since they looked cool. Maybe he wanted to craft himself a new wand? With Paul carrying the stripped pelts, Leon holding a bag of the fangs and magic stones, and Eris happily swinging a tusk held in her hand, we then made our way back home, and upon our arrival¡­ ¡°Paul,¡± Zenith said angrily. ¡°What in the hell do you think you are doing?¡± Her gaze then wandered over to us kids, and upon seeing the blood staining our clothes, and especially Leon, who was practically coated in red, her expression turned livid. ¡°It¡¯s fine! Come on. You know how useful it is to know how to dismantle a monster, right?¡± Paul exined. Lilia then came out of the front door with a babbling Norn in her hold. ¡°Yes, but they haven¡¯t even had their second birthday yet. Besides, for what reason are you bringing thedy under your protection to such a ce?¡± Paul at least has the decency to not argue with that point. Zenith shook her head. ¡°And why is Leon so bloody? It almost looks like he fought along with you.¡± Paul froze, eyes trembling in fear, before he then looked back at us with an expression that begged for us to keep silent and follow his lead. Unfortunately, Sylphy was too young and pure to know such underlying meanings from a face. ¡°That¡¯s because Leon did! He was amazing! Like ¡®swish¡¯! And ¡®shing¡¯!¡± she said, happily swinging an imaginary sword back and forth. Paul¡¯s face instantly nched as Zenith slowly turned her head toward him. ¡°¡­What?¡± Lilia, meanwhile, simply shook her head in disappointment. Paul hastily attempted to exin. ¡°U-Umm, well, you see¡­ H-He¡¯s a guard, right? So he should have some battle experience! A-And besides, he¡¯s strong enough to make me get serious, right!?¡± Leon walked past the man without a second nce before squeezing Zenith¡¯s hand. ¡°Don¡¯t get too angry, Mama. Even if he wasn¡¯t nning on it, I would have asked him to let me anyway. Besides! We got some cool stuff out of it!¡± he said happily, showing off some ws and fangs. ¡°With a bit of sharpening, we could make some knives, or even a-!¡± ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯m very proud, but right now you need to take a bath and wash your clothes, so get inside,¡± Zenith said, interrupting him. ¡°All of you should wash up. Rudeus? Do you mind filling the bath?¡± Lilia asked. ¡°Of course!¡± I answered. Whilerge bathtubs were rare for most families, that was mostly due to the water that would fill it rather than the bath itself. Carrying enough clean water each time you wanted a bath was tiresome, after all. But with magic, that problem fixed itself, so as soon as Leon grew out of the small wooden tub, he decided to make a bath worthy of a noble manor out of earth magic. Hehe¡­ I mean, with a bath thatrge, what was the point of refilling the water? Mixed bath, here wee! ¡°I can do it, Lilia. Sylphy and Eris can go first while I wash the clothes,¡± Leon said, ruining my n. Dammit, brother! ¡ª Zenith Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Ah, you made a mess, Aisha!¡± Leon said as he took off Aisha¡¯s diaper. ¡°Nowe here. Arms up!¡± I then watched as he held the baby in his arms, using water magic to wash off the filth on her body, causing Aisha to break out into a fit of giggles. Haa¡­ that Leon really was amazing with his new sisters. I often found myself lost with them recently. I had thought I had experience, but as Lilia had said, Rudy and Leon could not be said to be real child-rearing. Raising those two was nothing but lovely, gentle, and easy. But in the few weeks since Norn and Aisha had been born¡­ well, it was certainly not that. It was so draining¡­ and that was even with the help of Leon and Rudy. ¡°All clean!¡± my son said, still holding Aisha in his arms. ¡°Now time for drying! Are you ready?¡± ¡°Agh!¡± I then watched as Leon created a warm breeze to dry off Aisha¡¯s body, the girl still giggling like a loon in his hold with a goofy smile on her face. Truly¡­ Leon was simply incredible. It filled my heart up with so much happiness and pride, to see him caring so lovingly, and to see him act so happy to do so¡­ he really was the perfect brother. He had tried to do the same with Rudy, but since he was only a toddler himself when he was born, and Rudy was a very easy child, he wasn¡¯t able to do anything. But he was certainly making up for it now. Whenever Aisha and Norn cried, he would be there a momentter, taking them into his arms as he gently rocked them or showed them magic, removing their state of bawling as if it was nothing, and often recing it with the boundless joy Aisha was currently exuding. It really¡­ really was heartwarming, to see my children like that. And Leon¡­ I had always thought of him as my special boy, the boy that gave me a reason for living past just experiencing the world, but like this, I knew that his light would definitely spread to others. He had already made Lilia feel sofortable at home, and I didn¡¯t even need to exin how Sylphy and Eris looked at him. But looking at him now¡­ I knew that he would definitely be the most important thing for his two sisters. He was the first one to hold them, after all, and how tenderly he looked at them¡­ yeah, while his sisters already acted a bit calmer around him, they would surely grow up to absolutely adore him. I would know, because looking at how he acted now, I felt extremely jealous towards the two, even if that wasn¡¯t something I should admit. I was jealous that they had an older brother like him. Those two¡­ they were really lucky. ¡°Ah, you tired yourself out, didn¡¯t you, Aisha?¡± Leon whispered softly as he rocked the now-sleeping Aisha in his arms, the girl¡¯s head resting on his shoulder with a calm face. Haa¡­ yes, they were lucky to have him as a brother, but¡­ I was lucky to have him as a son. Truly¡­ while I wasn¡¯t one to believe in miracles, if himing into my life wasn¡¯t the work of Millis, then I didn¡¯t know how I could achieve such luck. Truly¡­ ¡°Leon,¡± I called out to him. ¡°Yes, Mama? Is something wrong?¡± he said, looking back at me as he tilted his head. Truly¡­ I was blessed. ¡°I love you,¡± I said, smiling. ¡°Ah! I love you too, Mama!¡± he happily returned. Mmm¡­ and with how good of a son and a brother he is, not to mention his skills in caring for Norn and Aisha, I was sure he would be a good father too. It was just a matter of if he preferred red or green now. Though¡­ he also had Paul whispering in his ear, so he might just choose both. While I don¡¯t know if I would oppose it, when all three of them acted so happily together¡­ I would absolutely scold him. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Make sure you keep sending us letters, alright?¡± Mama said, hugging me close. ¡°Yep. And the money too!¡± Paul added with a smirk. ¡°Ouch!¡± ¡°Stop saying such things. It¡¯s embarrassing even for me. Don¡¯t you have any paternal dignity left?¡± Lilia said. I shook my head with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will. Especially since I have two cute sisters now.¡± Sadly, the two were fast asleep in their crib, so they couldn¡¯te to see me before I left. Well¡­ not like they would know what was happening anyway. ¡°Just make sure they stay happy. And Father, make sure you listen to Lilia,¡± I said. Mama seemed to be getting better at dealing with the newborns, likely due to her earnest love and motherhood, as well as her natural instincts kicking in, but Lilia was still the most knowledgeable out of the three. Paul, on the other hand¡­ well, let¡¯s just say he was a great swordsman and leave it at that. ¡°Leon¡­ do you have to go?¡± Sylphy pleaded. ¡°Of course he does! He¡¯s employed by my father, after all!¡± Eris answered for me. ¡°But¡­ I suppose you cane to my home too once you get older.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but from a wide smile at the disy. After all, who would think that she and Sylphy would be such fast friends? Well, I was hoping for it to happen, but I didn¡¯t think it would go so smoothly. But it made sense, as Sylphy was too pure to think badly of, and Eris was a good girl at heart who just needed some friends her age. And while I would call myself Eris¡¯ friend¡­ I was also her teacher¡­ and her guard¡­ and a boy. So¡­ not exactly the same. ¡°She¡¯s right. I do have a job to do. Didn¡¯t I said I wanted to get you something nice for your second birthday?¡± I asked. Sylphy nodded as she looks down at her ne. ¡°R-Right¡­ I¡¯ll miss you, though.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± I then pulled her into a small hug of my own. Huh¡­ she was so¡­ small. ¡°Hmph!¡± Turning to Eris, I noticed that she was wearing arge pout, facing away from the two of us, but I could see her eyes darting to the green jewel hung around Sylphy¡¯s neck. Oh¡­ Was it that? Was she jealous of Sylphy¡¯s ne? ¡°Your second birthday ising up soon too, isn¡¯t it, Eris? I¡¯ll make sure to get you something as well,¡± I said. ¡°W-When did I ask for anything like that? Anyway, I¡¯m going to Ghiine!¡± she stammered before stomping off. I then looked over to my little brother. ¡°Rudy¡­ I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll see if there are any interesting books I can get with my savings,¡± I said, lightly patting his head. ¡°It¡¯s fine, brother. You should spend your hard-earned money on yourself,¡± he responded with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I would only get books I find interesting, and then send them to you after I read them,¡± I said. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Smirking at his crestfallen face, I picked up my and Eris¡¯ bags before turning to my family. ¡°I doubt the carriage will wait forever, so we should really get going. I¡­ I love you guys. A lot. And I¡¯ll be sure to see you soon,¡± I said. ¡°Uuu! Why is the second time so much harder!¡± Mama cried. ¡°No. It¡¯s fine to stay here with us, right?¡± ¡°Zenny, don¡¯t make this any more difficult,¡± Lilia walked up before cing a small kiss on my forehead. ¡°Keep training, Leon. And keep Miss Eris happy. We¡¯ll be waiting here for you.¡± And with that, I made my way back to the vige, where Ghiine and the carriage were waiting. ¡°Was your trip productive?¡± she asked with a smile. I nodded. ¡°Yeah. I took the time to hone my swordsmanship, and although it was only once, I was even able to beat Paul.¡± She raised her eyebrow at this. ¡°That¡¯s surprising¡­ I¡¯ll review your progress once we get back to Roa.¡± Jumping into the carriage, I looked to my side to see Eris was fast asleep, wrapped in a nket. Wow¡­ she must have been really tired. Or maybe she just didn¡¯t want to be bored for the ride home. Ghiine then signalled the coachman to start our journey beforeing to sit next to me. ¡°Miss Eris seemed a bit sad to leave¡­ How was she?¡± Ghiine asked. ¡°She picked up some North God tricks from trying to hit Paul, and Rudeus was a good sparring partner for her, so her swordsmanship improved a good amount,¡± I answered. ¡°That¡¯s good. Anything else?¡± she asked. ¡°She¡­ made a friend. Two, maybe. Anyway, she behaved herself very well, so she deserves a nice rest as a reward,¡± I said, taking off my scarf before I slid it under her head as a makeshift pillow. Turning back to Ghiine, I saw that she was wearing a warm smile. ¡°What?¡± I asked. She shook her head. ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just nice to see that the Young Miss has people on her side.¡± We then fell into afortable silence as I looked out of the carriage, watching the familiar vige getting smaller and smaller as it shrunk into the distance. Hmm¡­ I wonder when I would be able to visit next? Hopefully not too long. I wouldn¡¯t want my sisters not to know what their big brother looked like, after all. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª We had just entered the city walls of Roa, and after waking the sleepy Eris, we then got off the carriage before making our way toward the manor. I wondered why they didn¡¯t just have the carriage drive us there, but ording to Ghiine, they didn¡¯t want it to look like we, or more specifically, Eris, had left the city for¡­ reasons. Maybe because noble girls like Eris weren¡¯t supposed to go to remote viges? I didn¡¯t really know, and neither did Ghiine. Hmm¡­ maybe I¡¯d ask Philipter. ¡°Wait,¡± Ghiine suddenly said, shooting her arm across our path to stop us. Her eyes were narrowed and her tail¡¯s fur was bristled. She was serious. I dropped my bag as I put my hand on the sword on my hip. ¡°What is it?¡± I asked. Her ear twitched as she responded, ¡°The rm sounded¡­ protect the Young Miss! And stay there!¡± Before I could ask what was going on, her form blurred as she began sprinting toward the manor, leaving a small gust of wind in her wake. ¡°Ghiine!?¡± Eris eximed. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Keeping Ghiine¡¯s words in mind, I slowly unsheathed my sword as I focused on my surroundings. ¡°Leon? Why did she run off like that? And why is your sword drawn?¡± Eris asked. ¡°Not now, Eris,¡± I cut her off. As the seconds ticked by, I could feel a palpable tension in the air growing. A tension that was mixed with a subtle pulse of unease. Now that I think about it¡­ it was quiet. Too quiet, especially for a main street. Something¡­ something wasn¡¯t right about this whole thing-! Ting! Barely reacting in time, I deflected a throwing knife that was whistling toward my neck from the alley. ¡°Eris. Behind me. Now,¡± I said calmly, facing my veiled attacker. I didn¡¯t know what kind of expression she was making, but I could feel her follow my instructions, her hand lightly grabbing the back of my shirt as I stood in front of her. ¡°Oya? Aren¡¯t you a smart little brat?¡± A voice resounded from the darkness as they slowly showed themselves. There were three of them. Around ten meters in the alley, all human, and all dressed in the shabby and unassuming clothes you would expect from assassins. ¡°You ain¡¯t part of the deal, and I can tell you¡¯re a bit troublesome. We just need the girl, so take my advice and leave, alright? I¡¯ll even toss you some money for your travels,¡± the man, who was presumably the leader, said. I opted not to answer, instead taking the time to observe them. The one who threw the knife was definitely a North God practitioner. Of what rank, I did not know. The one who was speaking to me, the supposed leader, held himself with confidence. Lazily resting his sword on his shoulder as he continued to negotiate with me. And from the fact that despite such an apathetic stance, I still couldn¡¯t feel any openings, he was right to be so confident. Was he the one who threw the knife? With such an unassuming and undisciplined posture, it wouldn¡¯t be unexpected. ¡°You don¡¯t want to die for this girl, right? Just hand her over, and all will be good. I bet you¡¯ve got a family to head back to, after all. Plus¡­ I¡¯ve heard she¡¯s a real annoying bitch,¡± he continued. Eris¡¯ grip on my shirt tightened. Reaching my hand behind me, I lightly unsped her fingers before squeezing her hand in reassurance. Hardening my re against the three, I gave the man my answer to his proposal. ¡°Fuck off.¡± His eyes widened for a moment before he simply shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Your funeral, I guess.¡± And with that, the tension in the air snapped, and my first real battle against humans began. Chapter 19 – A Battle and Sword Saint Chapter 19 ¨C A Battle and Sword Saint ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª I formed three stone bullets, changing the shape to be conical and sharp, and with a st ofpressed air, they were sent flying towards an assant each as I ran forward. The air blowing my hair back, I brought my sword to my side, letting the touki infuse into the de as I struck forward, the tip tracing through the air faster than the speed of sound. The assassins all cut down the stone bullets, but before they could react, my de dug into the left swordsman¡¯s side. Remembering the feeling of when I killed the monsters, the way skin and flesh felt being cut, I continued the path of my swing, bisecting the man and creating a curtain of blood. The momentum of my swing carried my sword toward the leader, weaving through the air as the edge approached his neck. ng! Only to be blocked by his sword. It wouldn¡¯t be that easy, after all. Sensing an iing attack, I crouched my body as I let the leader¡¯s sword slide harmlessly above my head, before sending out my de to stop another attack. But instead of blocking a weapon, I was surprised to feel my de run through flesh, embedding itself into an assassin¡¯s stomach. ¡°Gah!¡± What? Why would he do that? In my state of momentary confusion, the assassin grabbed onto my sword with one hand and brought down his dagger toward my neck, forcing me to leap back without my sword. Damn¡­ it was a trap. That¡¯s the North God style for you. Not only were they unconventional, but with the wide range of styles and dojos, there was no way to know all the possible techniques. Now back in front of Eris, I stomped my left foot, transforming the ground under their feet into mud that quickly buried them up to their knees. ¡°Fucking shit!¡± the leader shouted. ¡°You think this is the end!?¡± The leader then ripped out my sword from hisrade, killing him in the process, before throwing it toward me. Right, he was a North God swordsman, after all. And considering our quick exchange¡­ likely Advanced rank, the same as me. But while I was a good swordsman, rank-wise, I was an even better magician. Forming a physical barrier with my hand, the sword shattered on impact, harmlessly bursting into a shower of metal. Meanwhile, with my left hand, I formed a small fireball, the regrly red mes burning bright purple from the power and heat. ording to Roxy, one of the first lessons they teach you in Ranoa is to never use fire magic in a city, as with theck of control once youunch the spell, it could quickly lead to disaster in such an enclosed and popted space, not even mentioning how most houses were built of wood. Too bad I didn¡¯t go to Ranoa. ¡°Bye.¡± Flicking my wrist, the fireballunched forward like a bullet, and just before the leader could cut the spell in half with his sword, I willed it to explode. Boom! After the echoing st, no death cries nor whimpers were heard, rather, there were only the sounds of quietly smouldering mes and the charred corpse of the leader smacking into the wall with a sickening squelch. Releasing a small sigh, I turned back to Eris, ignoring my still-racing heartbeat. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked. That seemed to break her out of her daze, as she looks up at me with the same eyes she had after I killed those monsters. Though I could see a hint of relief there too. ¡°O-Of course I am! I was just¡­ surprised, is all¡­ Hmph! Needing to use dirty tricks like a surprise attack¡­ No wonder you beat them so easily,¡± she huffed, turning to face away from me. Smiling, I lightly patted her head as I began to sheathe my sword- Oh¡­ right, it broke. I¡­ hope Paul doesn¡¯t mind too much. I still had the smaller one in my bag, after all. Hmm¡­ I should probably start wearing that on me as a backup n, huh? Anyway, while it may have looked easy, it was still a fairly close battle. Not in the technique, nor the stamina sense, but rather¡­ with just one misstep¡­ one small mistake, and I¡¯d be dead, and Eris would be carted off to who knows where. I wonder¡­ without that ¡®enlightenment¡¯ from my spar I had against Paul¡­ would I have died today? Maybe¡­ either way, I needed to get stronger. ¡°Eris!¡± Ghiine yelled,nding in front of us with her sword drawn. Looking back at the signs of battle in the alley, and the three corpses that were strewn about, the tension left her body as she then sheathed her sword. ¡°Well done, Leon. Did you get cut anywhere?¡± she asked. I shook my head. ¡°No. I was careful about poisoned des, as they were North God swordsmen.¡± ¡°I see¡­ the rm was a malfunction, but considering this¡­ it was likely intentional. Anyway, let¡¯s head back. You can report to me there.¡± Along the way, with my heartbeat returning to normal and the adrenaline draining from my system, I found myself with a realization. I had just killed people. Two directly, and one indirectly, as he was finished off by hisrade. And¡­ I didn¡¯t care at all. ¡°Ghiine¡­ am I a bad person?¡± I asked. Eris turned toward me. ¡°What? What are you talking about?¡± Ghiine, meanwhile, simply raised her eyebrow, urging me to continue. ¡°I killed today¡­ for the first time, and¡­ I don¡¯t feel any different. Is that wrong?¡± I asked. Ghiine simply shrugged her shoulders. ¡°I don¡¯t know, and I don¡¯t think it matters. You did your job in protecting Miss Eris, and you would do the same for those you love, so you should be proud.¡± ¡°Right¡­ be proud, huh?¡± I muttered. Eris, meanwhile, decided toe close and grab my arm. ¡°Don¡¯t make such a pathetic face! You¡­ saved me, right? Isn¡¯t that all that matters?¡± Smirking at her childish words, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. Right. I saved her, so I should just put these thoughts behind me. Not like bearing guilt would change much anyway, and I would have to do the same if it happened again. ¡°Thanks, Eris,¡± I said. ¡°Hmph!¡± Although she acted so dismissive, she continued to hold my arm as we made our way toward the castle. I think her little vacation was quite beneficial, for more than just her swordsmanship. Entering the manor, Ghiine then went to report the incident to Sauros and Philip as Eris and I went to our respective rooms, and not a minute after organizing my things, I was called down by a maid to Philips office. Haa¡­ I needed a nap. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°-And that¡¯s the basics of it,¡± I said, finalizing my exnation of the fight. Philip leaned back in his chair, bringing his hand to his chin in thought. ¡°So it was a kidnapping attempt¡­ and probably not for ransom either.¡± ¡°Those damn ingrates! Trying toy a hand on my granddaughter! How dare they!¡± Sauros seethed. ¡°Philip! Who is this scoundrel!¡± So loud¡­ ¡°Someone tripped the rm while knowing that Ghiine was escorting the two and setting up a trap at the precise moment¡­ the leader of the operation, or at least a cornerstone of it, was definitely an employee of the manor,¡± Philip said. ¡°What!?¡± Sauros shouted, ¡°Then find them and execute them for their crimes! No, execute their entire family!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not so simple, Father,¡± Philip answered smoothly. ¡°Not only would we need to find who is the insider, but also the mastermind behind them. There¡¯s no use in someone from the manor taking Eris unless they were under someone¡¯s employ. But¡­ I wonder who¡­ and what for¡­¡± ¡°Hmph! So weak-minded! But I suppose I¡¯ll let you y these stupid games!¡± Sauros then turned to me. ¡°Boy! You saved my Eri! I thank you for that!¡± I simply bowed my head. ¡°No need, Lord Sauros. It is in my job description, after all.¡± ¡°Indeed, but it is still admirable to stand tall in such a situation! You said your sword was destroyed, yes? I shall buy you a new one as a reward!¡± Sauros shouted. ¡°I thank you for your kindness,¡± I said with a smile. Giving me onest approving huff, the man then stomped out of the room. Shaking his head, Philip then looked toward me. ¡°Leon. We have next to no information on this new enemy, and an enemy like that is the most dangerous.¡± I nodded at his words. They were right, after all. An opponent is much more dangerous when you least expected them and knew nothing of their motives and abilities. Well¡­ unless it was one of the Seven Great Powers. In that case, you were screwed even if you knew. ¡°It will have to wait for the situation to cool down, as it would be too obvious if it was done right after this, but we¡¯ll have to set up a trap to see who¡¯s behind this in the estate, and catch whoever is backing them as well. I will be using you for this if that is alright,¡± he said. ¡°As long as it doesn¡¯t bring harm to my family, and I am not being sacrificed, I am fine with anything,¡± I answered. This was my job, after all. It¡¯s about time I actually perform some duties befitting a guard. ¡°Good. I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± Philip said cheerfully. ¡°You can be excused now.¡± Motioning for me to leave, I was about to get up before stopping myself. I was confused about something¡­ ¡°Master Philip¡­ what exactly is the ¡®rm¡¯ that you were talking about?¡± I asked. ¡°Ah. They are simply these,¡± he then pulled out a rod from his pocket. ¡°By blowing into it, it creates a sound that only beastfolk can hear. And atrge distances at that. This is also one of the reasons we employ primarily beastfolk, other than Father holding a fondness for the race,¡± he exined. So¡­ a dog whistle? ¡°¡­I see. Why doesn¡¯t Eris have one, if I may ask?¡± ¡°Ah. She used to, but she would blow it whenever she wanted Ghiine to be with her rather than being used only for emergencies, so we had to take it away from her,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡­I see. That certainly fits the Young Miss. ¡ª Information on the Six-Faced World ¡ª Ancient History Until 20,000 years ago, the world was split into seven smaller worlds, each with its own god ruling over it. This was called the Ancient Age of the Gods. These worlds were separated by barriers, and only the gods and those strong enough to cross these barriers knew of the other worlds. The seven worlds and their respective gods were: The World of Humans - Human God The World of Demons - Demon God The World of Dragons - Dragon God The World of Beasts - Beast God The Ocean World - Sea God The Sky World - Sky God The Barren World - Barren God ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Keep up the pace, Leon!¡± Side-stepping Ghiine¡¯s strike, I twirled on my feet, shing my sword out for a counterattack. We exchanged a flurry of strikes, with each sh sending a shock down my arm as I attempted to parry her attacks to the side. Feeling the pace of the exchange slowly shift to Ghiine¡¯s advantage as the pressure became too much to handle, I leaped back to reset. ¡°Did you forget the point of the Sword God Style? It¡¯s to end the fight in one movement, not an exchange of blows,¡± she instructed. Right. A single movement¡­ Crouching down, I brought my sword to my side as I let the touki flow across my body, like a nket of unbridled power. In the few months since reaching my enlightenment, I had noticed something about touki. Something that was right there in front of me the whole time. You couldn¡¯t control it. Or at least, I couldn¡¯t¡­ not yet. Mana danced to my will as long as I had sufficient understanding, focus, and image¡­ touki, on the other hand, needed to be guided. Guided by focus, will, and determination, truly fitting the definition of ¡®Fighting Spirit¡¯. My grip tightening on the handle, I pressed my feet deeper into the ground, letting the cool air flow into my lungs. The tension in my body gathered like apressed spring, and with the edge of the sword angled to better cut through the air¡­ I released. Shooting forward, I swung my sword with as much speed as possible for an ultimate strike. Time seemed to slow, and colour warped in an undting spectrum before my vision¡­ faded. But in the next moment, it returned, and I found myself sprawled across the snowy training ground, my wooden sword reduced to splinters as only the handle remained held in my hand. ¡°Leon. Are you okay?¡± Ghiine asked from above, crouching over me. Blinking the stars out of my eyes, I quickly cast some healing magic on my wrist, where there was a throbbing pain, before slowly getting to my feet. ¡°No, I¡¯m¡­ fine. What happened?¡± I asked. Ghiine smirked. ¡°You did not perform the Longsword of Silence just now.¡± I didn¡¯t? ¡°While not fully mastered, that was the Longsword of Light,¡± she continued. ¡­What? Longsword of Light, the ultimate technique of the Sword God Style. It is said that when performed properly, the tip of the sword could reach the speed of light, though I had my reservations about that, knowing the physics behind such speeds. If I had to guess, I think the sword reaching the speed of light was reserved for when the first Sword God created the style, if at all. It was still pretty fast, though. But for Ghiine to say that I used that technique rather than the Longsword of Silence¡­ Does that mean-? ¡°Congrattions, Leon,¡± she said, cing a hand on my head, ¡°You are now a Sword Saint, andst time I checked, the youngest one to ever exist.¡± ¡°Sword Saint¡­?¡± I said breathlessly. I then looked down at my hand, which had grown much bigger since arriving here. What used to be the soft and squishy hands of a boy were now covered in callouses and scars from healed scrapes and blisters, and clenching it into a fist, I watched as my hands revealed their muscle definition. They looked like Paul¡¯s. The hands of a man¡­ or at least those of someone strong. Getting up, I then walked over to the side and took my sword from under my towel before unsheathing it, revealing the silver de as it glinted under the sunlight. Sauros, true to his word, got me another sword not two days after the one Paul gave me broke. It was a one-handed, single-edged sabre, making it more simr to Ghiine¡¯s sword than my old one, which had been more of an arming sword. Setting my stance, I unleashed a flurry of strikes, letting my feet dance across the ground as my de cut through the air. Stopping my movement, I then looked back down at my sword. ¡°I¡¯m a Sword Saint, huh?¡± I said to Ghiine. ¡°I don¡¯t feel that much different, though.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Perhaps, for now, it may seem that way, but the difference between aplete Longsword of Light and a Longsword of Silence is night and day. With some more training, you¡¯ll quicklye to understand your new level of strength.¡± ¡°Right¡­ I still have a long way to go,¡± I said. cing my sword back in its sheath, I then walked toward the barracks to get another practice sword. ¡°We¡¯re done for today,¡± Ghiine said, grabbing my shoulder. ¡°But Leon¡­ what do you think of going to the Sword Sanctum?¡± ¡°¡­The Sword Sanctum?¡± I said. The Sword Sanctum, or the Holy Land of Swords, was a town located in the northwest of the Central Continent, and as its name might imply, it''s where the home of the Sword God Style is located. It was a harsh ce to live, and it was said to be covered in snow all year round, a fact that Ghiine vehemently hated about the ce. While the people there were mostly uneducated, every single person living in the Sword Sanctum, even the townsfolk, were skilled swordsmen. There were many dojos in the town, but for the main Sword God Style dojo, which was the centrepiece of thend, only those at the rank of Sword Saint and above were allowed to enter, hence Ghiine¡¯s offer. ¡°No,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go there. At least not yet.¡± ¡°Why?¡± she asked. Not in an aggressive or demanding tone, but simply out of curiosity. ¡°It takes nearly a season just to get there, right? And that¡¯s not even counting the time I would be training¡­ I don¡¯t want to be so far away from my family for so long,¡± I answered. ¡°Plus, I want to make a good impression on my cute sisters.¡± ¡°I see¡­ I¡¯m sure you would be epted, though. My teacher may even take you personally under his wing, considering your potential,¡± she said. While being trained by a Sword God was surely a tantalizing offer, I still didn¡¯t feel like epting it. ¡°No. Besides, from what you¡¯ve told me, the ranks after Saint are fairly meaningless. Mostly about prestige than strength,¡± I said. ¡°I agree. But staying at the Sanctum would still grow your skills,¡± she said. ¡°Yeah, but then, what would Eris do without me? You too, for that matter,¡± I teased. Eris was currently doing her etiquette ss with her teacher, Edna, but she was sure to be excited about my new rank. Or maybe she¡¯d be pissed. You couldn¡¯t tell with that girl, but at least she had been acting much nicer to me since her kidnapping attempt, so I was hoping it was the former. ¡°Hmph. How cheeky.¡± Ghiine then lightly pinched my cheek. As we begin walking back inside, I then asked Ghiine a question I¡¯ve had since hearing about the ranks of the Sword God Style. ¡°Big Sis? The title of Sword God is taken by beating the current Sword God in a fight, right?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes,¡± she nodded. ¡°What of it?¡± ¡°What would happen if someone duelled the Sword God and won, but they were worse at the Sword God Style and used magic or other styles? Like if the Water God beat him. What would happen then?¡± I asked. She shrugged. ¡°That has happened before. The Sword Sanctum was taken by the Water God style after the leader won a duel a hundred years ago or so, before being taken back by the Sword God style yearster. But neither of those swordsmen called themselves both the Water and Sword God. As for your question, my teacher likely wouldn¡¯t care, but anyone not dedicated to the style wouldn¡¯t want to be the leader of the style, so they would probably refuse the title.¡± I guess that¡¯s true¡­ but then, was the title of ¡®Sword God¡¯ that important? I mean, even if I was strong enough to take over the style, I wouldn¡¯t want to bother with the trouble, just like Ghiine said. So yeah¡­ while ranks were cool and all, that was all they were. A name. A title. I would have to remember that, and not let my new title as a Sword Saint get to my head. There were many dangerous people in this world, after all, and even as a Sword Saint, I would be useless if someone stabbed me in my sleep. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It has been a few months since I had be a Sword Saint, and with theing of a new year, I was now nine years old. In my pursuit of strength, I had begun practising with moulding magic into my swordsmanship and general fighting style during this time to¡­ some sess. I was able to coat my de in fire for increased power, as well as generating wind magic for aid in manoeuvring, but keeping up with magic, swordsmanship, touki, and the general flow of battle all at once was a bit too much for me right now. It sometimes felt like I was back to sparring for the first time against Paul, where every fight ended up with me being quickly overwhelmed. But due to that feeling, I also knew that I would be able to improve with constant practice, so I just had to keep pushing forward. I had also be an Advanced-rank North God swordsman, ording to Ghiine. This happened due to a mix of my constant training in the style, my increased understanding of touki, as well as my experience against those North God kidnappers. Anyway, while the new rank didn¡¯te with any special techniques like the Longsword of Silence, it did open up a new world of adaptability in my fighting style, acting almost like a glue that held all my abilities together. And I wasn¡¯t the only one growing stronger as time passed. ¡°Hyat!¡± ¡°Keep going, Eris!¡± While she was still a long way from reaching the Advanced rank, Eris was steadily getting stronger with each passing day. It seemed that the kidnapping scare had sparked her passion for the sword, as before, while it was simply something interesting, now, she was training seriously. Aiming to get stronger with a fire in her heart. ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± As Ghiine then began to lecture Eris about her mistakes and ways to improve, I made my way over to the edge of the training ground and put on my leather jacket, which had a white fur trim. This jacket was a sign that one had reached the Saint rank in the Sword God style and was to be given to the pupil by their teacher, which in my case, was Ghiine. It was simr to how an apprentice magician would receive a wand from their master after casting their first spell and bing a Beginner rank magician. Speaking of¡­ I needed to pick that up today too. ¡°Make sure you two clean up, okay?¡± I said to them. ¡°We¡¯re going into the city for today¡¯s lessons.¡± Eris¡¯ lips curled into a wide smile as she quickly got to her feet. ¡°Yes!¡± At least she was excited. ¡ª Eris Boreas Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Where are we going?¡± I asked. ¡°To check if there are any interesting books,¡± Leon responded. Going into the store, the stuffy smell that reminded me of the library entered my nose. I used to hate such a smell, but recently I found that it wasn¡¯t too bad. If anything, it just reminded me of¡­ no, never mind. As he leisurely perused the shelves, Leon eventually spoke to me, ¡°Are you nning on getting anything today? I only nned on having you guys navigate through the city with written directions, so until your etiquette lessons, it¡¯s free time for you. Though¡­ I do want to stop somewhere before going back.¡± He then took a book off the shelf and lightly flipped through it before cing it back on the shelf. ¡°You have quite a bit of money saved up by now, right? Unless you¡¯ve been spending it without me looking,¡± he said. ¡°Hmph! I¡¯m not that stupid! A-Anyway, is there not anything interesting here?¡± I asked. I knew from how much he visited the library in his downtime that Leon loved books, and I knew he wanted to buy some for his siblings. But weirdly, he had yet to buy one the entire time he was here. Was there really nothing interesting? But he was looking through thatst one quite eagerly¡­ ¡°Hmm? No, there are a few intriguing ones. Like this one on the monsters of the Millis Continent. It¡¯s just a tad over my budget, is all,¡± he shrugged. ¡°Over your budget? What does that mean?¡± I always hated it when he usedplicated words. ¡°It¡¯s too expensive. I¡¯m sending money back to my family, remember? Five gold coins¡­ I would have to save for a few months to get this,¡± he said. Five gold coins? That was nothing! ¡°Why is that-!?¡± I shouted. ¡°Shh,¡± he said, putting his finger on my lips. To my embarrassment, I didn¡¯t snap back at him, and instead ryed my question in a quieter tone. ¡°Why is that out of your budget?¡± ¡°I send home around eight silver coins per month, so it will take a while to save up enough, even with my current savings,¡± he exined. ¡°Wait, how much do you earn?¡± I asked. He was always quite secretive when it came to money, so despite teaching me for a year, I still didn¡¯t know how much he made. Well, maybe not secretive. I just never asked. ¡°One gold coin per month,¡± he answered. One gold coin!? But Father gave me two gold coins per month! And I didn¡¯t even do anything! ¡°That¡¯s too little!¡± I eximed. He shook his head. ¡°No. It¡¯s actually quite fair. Well, at least when I agreed to it. Big Sis, how much do you make?¡± ¡°Five gold coins per month,¡± Ghiine answered. ¡°See? She is a Sword King, and acts as both the manor¡¯s guard and our swordsmanship instructor,¡± he said. ¡°Considering I was only an Advanced-rank swordsman when I came here, a young boy, and also receiving her teaching on top of that, one gold coin is more than fair.¡± Grr¡­ I didn¡¯t really understand what he was saying, but I knew that I still didn¡¯t like it! I would definitely ask for Grandfather to increase his pay when we got home! ¡°T-Then let me pay for it! I have money saved up, after all!¡± I said. I had only bought a few small things, like meat skewers, and all of those were with Leon. I didn¡¯t really like spending money with him, though, since every time I did, he would turn it into an annoying lesson. He turned to me with a smirk. ¡°And did you bring it with you?¡± My face turned red as I reached into my pockets. No¡­ I forgot to bring my money with me. ¡°Besides, I wouldn¡¯t have epted anyway. That money should be used for you. As for the book¡­ well, Rudeus doesn¡¯t need it. And as a gift, part of the importance is that it¡¯s from me. Do you understand?¡± he said. ¡°No! I don¡¯t!¡± I eximed. ¡°Hmm¡­ you said that your mother gave you a stuffed animal a while ago, right?¡± I nodded my head. Of course, I remember. I treasure that gift dearly, both as a gift from Mother and from Leon. ¡°Right. And it¡¯s important to you, no? I know you brought it to my house, at least,¡± he teased. ¡°W-Why are you sneaking into my things!¡± I shouted, striking out my fist to punch his arm. Catching my fist, he brought his finger to my lips again. ¡°Quiet. We¡¯re in a small shop, so don¡¯t be annoying.¡± I nodded my head with a re. ¡°Anyway, how would you feel about that stuffed animal if one of the maids got it for you? Or some random noble? You wouldn¡¯t care about it as much, would you?¡± I shook my head. No, I really only cared about it because it was from¡­ oh, I see. ¡°It¡¯s like that. It holds value as a gift because it¡¯s from me rather than the gift itself,¡± he said, turning back to the shelf. As he continued, I kept thinking about how he sent most of his money home. Why did he do that? His family had a nice house, all things considered. So, with my curiosity growing, I decided to ask him, ¡°Why are you working so hard anyway? Isn¡¯t your familyfortable?¡± He nodded his head. ¡°Yeah, our family is probably fine to continue living as is, and they even have enough savings to send Rudy to Ranoa, but¡­ I want my sisters to have that chance too. Not necessarily having a life of luxury like a noble, but afortable life where they aren¡¯t constrained by money.¡± To let them livefortably¡­ that does sound like a Leon thing to say. He really loved his family, huh? Even though he wasn¡¯t birthed from Zenith, that didn¡¯t affect how close they were at all. But if he, who was not rted to them by blood, could treat them as family¡­ does that mean he could do the same with me as well? It must be nice¡­ to have him as family¡­ ¡°And,¡± he continued, ¡°I like teaching you too, of course.¡± My eyes met his, and inexplicably, I felt myself wanting to run away. Not because it was boring, but rather, because of an intense wave of annoyance mixed with something else I didn¡¯t know. But luckily, I was able to keep myself in line, just barely, and turned around with a huff instead. Anyway¡­ he said that gifts were meant to have meaning, right? I suppose I would get him something nice for his next birthday. ¡°Anyway, I have a few ideas for things to get here. It¡¯s just a matter of saving up for a few months.¡± Closing the book he was reading through, he then motioned for us to leave. ¡°Here, I want to take you two somewhere.¡± He then led us down the street toward an old shop, or at least, the front of it, before he told us to wait. I hated waiting, but considering he asked so politely, I decided to abide by his request. ¡°Sorry for the wait. I had to put the final touches on them,¡± Leon said as he exited the store. In his hand were two sticks with a red gem at the tip of each. What the heck? ¡°ording to my magic teacher, it is a custom to present the apprentice a wand after they cast their first spell,¡± he said, handing them to Ghiine and me. ¡°I know you two are swordswomen before magicians, so just think of it as a gift holding sentimental value rather than practical.¡± Holding the wand in my hand with care, I was surprised when Ghiine dropped to her knee beside me. ¡°I humbly ept, Leon.¡± S-Should I do the same? No! That would be way too embarrassing! And improper too! Leon, meanwhile, just made a sour face. ¡°Don¡¯t do that, Big Sis. You don¡¯t make me act like that under you with swordsmanship.¡± She stood back up. ¡°You¡¯re right. But still¡­ I thank you for this.¡± Seeing how much she seemed to appreciate the gesture, I held the wand closer to my chest. ¡°Yeah. Anyway, sorry it¡¯s a littlete, I wanted it to have something from me rather than me buying everything,¡± he said with a shrug. Both Ghiine and I looked at him, confused. ¡°Huh? Oh, right. Eris, do you recognize the magic stone on yours?¡± he asked. Magic stone? I know the maids often handled them to refill the few magical implements we have at the manor, but the only other magic stone I¡¯ve seen in person was¡­ ¡°Yep. That¡¯s from the Terminator Boar back in Buena Vige. I, uh, hope you like it,¡± he said, scratching behind his ear. What¡­ what was this? This annoyance¡­ this warmth¡­ I wanted to turn away on reflex to vent out these annoying feelings that were bubbling to the surface, but just barely¡­ I was able to hold myself back. Even if I was stupid and arrogant to emotions¡­ I knew I shouldn¡¯t act that way after he did something so nice for me. ¡°I-I like it¡­ thanks, Leon,¡± I mumbled. His lips curled into a beaming smile. ¡°Good! Now let¡¯s head back to the manor.¡± Leon¡­ he made me feel annoyed, but weirdly enough, most of the time the annoyance felt¡­ good. It was confusing, and because of that, it was even more annoying. But, oddly enough¡­ I felt the urge to make him feel the same thing with me. Yes¡­ that¡¯s right. While I didn¡¯t know many things, I did know one thing¡­ I wanted to annoy Leon. Chapter 20 – A Letter Chapter 20 ¨C A Letter ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It was now spring, and with that, Eris and Rudy had grown a year older. Even though nine wasn¡¯t a celebrated birthday, Eris seemed awfully happy about her new age, likely due to having finally caught up with me. She waspetitive like that, and I hade to find it quite endearing. As for my magic abilities, while they hadn¡¯t grown too much, I was now able to cast Intermediate-rank barrier magic without an incantation¡­ though it took a bit of focus and time, mostly due to needing to memorize the magic circle before performing it. Hopefully, the time and focus needed would be reduced with practice, much like all the other magic I¡¯ve trained in. During this time, my swordsmanship had also advanced. Not only had I gotten a better grasp of the Longsword of Light, but I also was able to use magic with my movements seamlessly. Or, at least, that was the case with the techniques I had practised so far. As I had discovered, the key to controlling the pure power that was the Longsword of Light turned out to be enhancing your mind and senses in order to perceive the world and react while going at such insane speeds. It still required work, of course, but Ghiine said I was progressing nicely with the ultimate technique of the Sword God. Hmm¡­ as an ultimate technique, it was already perfect, but I felt like if I could do what Paul does, where he moulds his Sword God attacks with the smoothness of the Water God, it could be even better. But to do that, I would need to know a Water God technique at the Saint rank in order to keep up¡­ so that was still a while away. After all, unlike with Ghiine, I had no connections with a Water King, nor a Water Saint, for that matter. Hearing a knock at my door, I dissipated the fireball I was ying with before answering, ¡°What is it?¡± Opening the door, Ghiine then tossed me an envelope. ¡°You have a letter.¡± A letter? But my family had already sent theirs for this month¡­ Did something go wrong? Looking at the letter, I noticed that the handwriting wasn¡¯t one I recognized. Or rather, I recognized it, but it had been two years since I¡¯d seen it, so I was simply surprised. ¡®To Leon and Rudeus Greyrat of Buena Vige¡¯ Roxy¡­ it¡¯s been quite a while. ¡°It¡¯s addressed to my home in Buena, right? Why wasn¡¯t it sent there?¡± I asked. Ghiine shrugged. ¡°Who knows? But it was addressed to you, right? Whoever received it probably knew you were staying here rather than at home.¡± Right. Letters were often taken by merchants on their travels for a small fee, and the one that often travelled between Roa and Buena Vige knew that I was here from the constantmunication between my family and me, so they must have decided to just give it to me before Rudy. Opening the letter, it then revealed two folded pages, likely one meant for each of us. Taking out the first one, I then read through its contents, all written in the Demon God tongue. Okay¡­ it¡¯s been a little bit since I had practised, but at least she seemed to have chosen words in my vocabry. Was this some sort of lesson? That does sound like something she would do. Dear Leon. How have you been? It¡¯s hard to believe that two years have passed since we parted, but since I¡¯ve somewhat settled down, I decided to finally write to you. Currently, I am staying in the royal capital of the Kingdom of Shirone, acting as the tutor for a young prince. It seems that with all my exploring and adventuring, I had made something of a name for myself. Teaching him brings back memories of the time with you and the Greyrat house, particrly, of Rudeus, as the young prince seems prone to stealing my underwear and peeping when I¡¯m changing. But he¡¯s quick-witted, and a budding young magician in his own right, though not as talented as you and your brother. I¡¯m a bit worried he¡¯ll assault me before I finish teaching him, but worry not, for I will still wait to see if those charming words you spoke during our departure remain true once you be an adult. Honestly¡­ I do not know what you and other people find appealing about a body like mine. Anyway, while my new student is troublesome, the Royal Library has many helpful books in my pursuit of magic, and due to that, I have finally gotten a hang of King-rank water spells. I have also made some advances in chantless casting, and as of now, I can cast Beginner-rank water spells with no incantation. It was difficult without your help, but with my training, I¡¯vee to appreciate just how skilled Rudeus and you are. But that is enough about me. I wonder how you have grown in this time? Perhaps you are already an Advanced-rank swordsman by now? Although your father has his faults, he is surely one of the most reliable swordsmen in terms of skills I have met. And with magic, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you and Rudeus are casting Emperor-tier spells by now. I would say that if you hit a dead end in your magic abilities to go to the Ranoa University of Magic, but I know you were averse to the idea before we parted. And now that I have some experience in chantless magic, I know that your path of growth is different from the traditional sense. Anyway, I hope life has treated you well, and if you had any trouble reading this letter, or my notes on the spells, take this as a lesson in the Demon God tongue from your teacher. And¡­ if you still have feelings for me, I will visit Buena Vige in six- no, five years to see. Though in that time, perhaps you will have grown to love that girl, Sylphy, instead. Until we meet again - Roxy P.S. I may have left this country by the time your reply reaches it, so do not feel obligated to respond. And if you do, do not put any information in it that you would not want to be read by others. I unfortunately do not have the luxury of privacy in the case of internationalmunication. So¡­ Roxy was now a King-rank water magician, huh? My mind hadn¡¯t changed about her, and as I¡¯ve grown over the years, my feelings were only cemented further. I loved her. I wanted to be with her. But five years¡­ I¡¯d wait until then, I guess, to show her my seriousness. Folding her letter into my pocket, I then checked the other one that was addressed to Rudeus. A quick nce showed me that the contents were simr to mine, but instead of talking about feelings, it was more about his advancements in magic, and a reminder to go to Ranoa if he felt stuck. Well¡­ I know he was seven now, but it still felt a little young to go so far away. Perhaps I should visit home then, as I wanted to make a proposition to Mama and Father anyway. Taking out a paper and a quill, I then wrote a letter in response, keeping her warning in mind. It was mostly about how the past two years had been. About me going to Roa, bing a guard and a tutor for Eris, how Paul cheated and got two daughters and a new wife, and also about how I became a Sword Saint. Thatst one was sure to be a surprise. I then wrote some embarrassing words about how I still loved her, and about her charms, as well as that she was wee to return to me and my family if she had any problems with the Kingdom or her travels. After all, she would have the protection of a devoted Sword Saint, and one that knew chantless magic as well. Closing the envelope, I then wrote down Roxy¡¯s name and the royal pce of Shirone as the address before asking a maid to send it along with a silver coin for the fee. Now¡­ I think it would be best to deliver this other letter to Rudy myself, and since tomorrow was the weekend, the timing was perfect. Though I¡¯d still have to ask Philip for an extra day off. But since I¡¯ve be a Sword Saint, I was now a bit underpaid, even with the extra three silver a month I made thanks to Eris¡¯ining, so he would surely ept my temporary leave. I¡¯d also be able to see how my cute sisters have grown as well. Hmm¡­ I was nning on getting Rudy that book on the local fauna, but if my n came to fruition, then soon, he wouldn¡¯t need it anyway. ¡ª Information on the Six-Faced World ¡ª Ancient Dragon War Around 10,000-20,000 years ago, in the dragon world, an evil and powerful Dragon God was born. With his power, he destroyed the barriers separating the seven worlds, and with his followers, known as the Five Dragon Commanders, he began invading and destroying said worlds. When there was only one other world left, the Five Dragon Commanders turned on the mad Dragon God. With the Dragon Emperor as the leader, along with the four Dragon Kings, they fought the Dragon God to the death. It ended in a draw, and the dragon world crumbled in the aftermath, leaving only the human world, which is the world that is known as it is today. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Walking through the vige, as I made my way toward my house, I noticed two figures in the distance at the top of the hill I used to use for training. Jogging up to the two, I watched with a smile as Rudy and Sylphy practised their magic, with Rudy creating one of his figures as he leaned against the tree, and Sylphy dancing along with a floating stream of water. ¡°Hey! You two!¡± I said with a wave. They both looked my way with confusion, but upon seeing my face, their eyes lit up in happiness. ¡°Leon! You¡¯re back!¡± Sylphy said, running toward me. ¡°Yes I- Omph!¡± Catching her as she jumped into my arms, I gave her a light squeeze before cing her back on the ground. ¡°Wee home, Brother. But I thought you said you¡¯d visit in the summer? Why are you so early?¡± Rudy asked. ¡°Well¡­ it seems you got a letter, so I decided to deliver it personally,¡± I said with a smirk. He tilted his head in confusion. ¡°From who?¡± ¡°Roxy,¡± I answered. His eyes sparkled. ¡°But let¡¯s head inside first. I want to see my baby sisters!¡± I eximed. With Sylphy hesitantly grabbing my hand, she then led me toward the house, with Rudy keeping pace behind us. From the way he was smiling¡­ I guess he missed Roxy too, huh? Well, considering her panties had been an object of his worship until they were taken by Mama, I should have expected this. Walking through the front door, I saw that the entire family was gathered in the living room, with Paul sitting on the couch with Lilia and Mama on his left, their respective daughters held in their arms. My smile widened upon seeing the stuffed animals that I got them were being held by their tiny hands. Precious. ¡°Mama! Lilia! I¡¯m back!¡± I said, walking toward them. They both turned to me with a start before simultaneously growing warm smiles. ¡°Leon! Wee back, sweetie! Come give Mama a hug,¡± Mama said, opening her free arm. Happily granting her request, I wrapped my arms gently across her and Lilia while looking down at the two babies with interest. ¡°Gaguu!¡± Aisha cried, pointing her hand toward me. Just like her mother, she had beautiful reddish-brown hair, although it seemed that she had inherited Paul¡¯s green eyes. A shame. The one held in Mama¡¯s arms looked at me silently with wide eyes before pulling her bunny closer, covering her face slightly. Norn, like her mother, had bright blonde hair, but just like her sister, she had inherited Paul¡¯s eyes. And the two of them were absolutely adorable. Letting Aisha grab hold of my finger, I then looked over to Paul, who was looking at me with a mix of pride and shame. ¡°Hey, kid. So¡­ you really became a Sword Saint, huh?¡± he said. ¡°Yep,¡± I answered. ¡°But I still have a way to go.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ It¡¯s good not to be arrogant,¡± he said before gesturing toward my hip. ¡°Is that your new sword?¡± ¡°Yeah. Sorry for breaking yours. Finally had to live up to my title of guard, I guess,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°Hmm¡­ good job protecting the littledy,¡± he said dismissively. Lilia sent the man a re before looking back at me. ¡°We¡¯re very proud of you, Leon. And so is your father. He¡¯s just a little embarrassed you¡¯ve already surpassed him before reaching your second birthday.¡± ¡°Oh, I know!¡± I answered smugly. ¡°Tsk. I-I¡¯m gonna go patrol,¡± Paul said, getting up. ¡°But Leon¡­ why did you visit now and not the summer?¡± ¡°I came to deliver a letter to Rudy. Speaking of, here you go,¡± I said, throwing the envelope over to my brother. He snatched it in the air before running over to the table and opening it up. ¡°Anyway¡­ I also want to talk to you guys before I go. Do you mind if I stay the night?¡± I asked. ¡°Of course not! Now spend some time with your sisters! They really love the presents you got them,¡± Mama said, tapping the seat beside her. As soon as I sat down, both of my mothers passed their babies over, making me hold one in each arm. Looking down at Aisha, she looked at me with interest before she started pulling on my scarf. Cute. Turning my head over to Norn, I watched as she stared into my eyes with wonder for a few moments before suddenly hiding behind her stuffy once again. Very cute. ¡°Oh? Norn isn¡¯t making a fuss,¡± Mama said happily. ¡°She still cries whenever your father picks her up, but with you, she just looks shy. How cute!¡± I agree. With Sylphy sliding down next to me, I kept hold of my sisters as I started talking about how I had been, going over some of the things I talked about in letters as well. After all, speaking in person had a different feeling to it. ncing over at Rudy, he seemed to have finished reading his letter, but instead of looking giddy or excited, he simply looked determined. Hmm¡­ just like I thought. He wanted to improve. Well, I was certainly happy about that, but I didn¡¯t want him travelling to Ranoa on his own. At least not yet. Luckily, I had already brought this up with Philip, and we had even decided to weave the possibility into a trap for the still-unknown enemy. Sorry, little brother, but since I¡¯m strong, you can just leave everything to me. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Rudy?¡± I asked. ¡°Nothing, just¡­ it¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m going to my room,¡± he said, getting up. ¡°Hm? Is something wrong?¡± Mama asked. ¡°No.¡± he shook his head. ¡°I just¡­ need some time to think, is all. And write Master Roxy a letter.¡± With him heading upstairs, I then spent some nice family time, including changing a dirty diaper and calming down a crying Norn with some artistic disys of water magic. Eventually, Paul returned, taking a seat between his wives as Rudy came back down from his room. ¡°Father,¡± my brother said. ¡°Can I make a selfish request?¡± ¡°Hell no!¡± Both Mama and Lilia twisted his ears. ¡°Just tell your father what you want, Rudy. He¡¯ll make it happen,¡± Mama said. ¡°It¡¯s the least he could do to finally show some paternal dignity,¡± Lilia added. I was very d to see that Lilia had seemingly taken my words to heart, and had begun to act more as a wife than a maid, even after recovering from pregnancy. Though that might be more of Mama forcing her to act as such rather than my words or her personal feelings¡­ well, I was d regardless. ¡°Jeez! I was just kidding! For the most part¡­ if he¡¯s asking permission, then it¡¯s obviously something crazy,¡± he said. Adjusting my hold of Aisha, I looked over to Rudy. ¡°Just say it, Rudy. I think I know what you¡¯re going to ask for anyway.¡± Nodding at me, he continued, ¡°I¡¯ve recently hit a dead end with my magical studies, so I¡¯m hoping I could go to the Ranoa University of Magic.¡± The room turned silent as the three parents made aplicated expression, and looking at Sylphy at my side, she seemed quite sad. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± I said, squeezing her arm. ¡°I won¡¯t let you be alone.¡± ¡°Oh? T-Thanks¡­¡± she blushed before looking sadly at my brother. ¡°But Rudy¡­¡± Yeah. Well, let¡¯s hear Paul¡¯s answer. ¡°No. I can¡¯t allow that,¡± he said seriously. A firm refusal. Despite this, Lilia and Mama both keep silent. After all, they likely agreed with the man. Rudy clenched his fist. ¡°Can I ask why not?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got two reasons,¡± Paul said, raising a finger. ¡°First, you¡¯re still in the middle of your sword training. If you stop now, you¡¯ll end up a permanent amateur. Even if you prefer magic, as your sword instructor, I can¡¯t allow that.¡± He then raised a second finger. ¡°Second, you¡¯re only seven years old. You¡¯re a smart kid, but you¡¯re still inexperienced. It would be irresponsible to let you go so far away right now. Thanks to your brother, money isn¡¯t an issue, but it will still take some time before I can cut you loose like that.¡± A rational, logical denial. Well done, Paul, it seems that you¡¯ve grown a bit after having dealt with me. ¡°I understand¡­ I¡¯ll continue training with you in the sword, but¡­ when do you think it could happen?¡± Rudy asked. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Paul hummed, putting his hand to his chin. ¡°Let¡¯s say¡­ fifteen? No, how about twelve? Yeah, twelve sounds good.¡± ¡°Okay. But why twelve?¡± Rudy asked. ¡°Because that¡¯s the age I left home!¡± Paul said with a smirk. ¡°I see¡­ but haven¡¯t you said I was smarter than you were?¡± Rudy asked. ¡°Yep, but you aren¡¯t an Advanced-rank swordsman, are you?¡± Paulughed. Rudy then sat down with a slight pout. ¡°Lilia, is dinner ready yet?¡± Lilia then got up and looked into the pot that is boiling over the fire. ¡°Almost, Rudeus. Speaking of, are you joining us tonight, Sylphy?¡± My friend jolted before looking up at me. ¡°Umm¡­ no, I don¡¯t want to interrupt Leon and his family-¡± ¡°Quit that, Sylphy,¡± I said, cutting her off. ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you this before? You¡¯re basically family to me.¡± Her eyes widened before she quickly turned her head away. ¡°O-Okay! I¡¯ll stay then!¡± Looking up at my family, I noticed that Lilia, Mama, and Rudy are all giving me strange, strained smiles as Paul simplyughed to himself. ¡°Ha! Wonder where he gets that from?¡± ¡®Gets what from?¡¯ was what I wanted to ask, but before I could, Mama pulled on his ear once again, ending any further conversation. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Goodnight Rudy! Sleep well,¡± I said with a wave. ¡°Goodnight, brother. Are you not going to bed yet?¡± Rudy asked. ¡°No. I just have some questions I want to ask Mama and Father in private,¡± I shrugged. Rudy gave me a knowing grin. ¡°I see. So it¡¯s finally time then¡­ well, don¡¯t stay up toote.¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± I said, a bit confused. What was he talking about? ¡°Anyway, do you want to join me on my morning exercise tomorrow?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah, for sure. It¡¯d be cool to train with a genuine Sword Saint,¡± he smiled. ¡°Heh. Don¡¯t tell Father that,¡± I said. ¡°Anyway, sleep well.¡± With Rudy heading up the stairs, I waited a few minutes until I sensed him falling asleep before sitting down at the table, where Lilia, Mama, and Father were already seated. ¡°So¡­ son. Why did you want to talk to us without Rudy here? I know that¡¯s not your usual style,¡± Paul said. ¡°It¡¯s because it¡¯s about Rudy,¡± I answered. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you noticed, but I could tell from his eyes that Rudy isn¡¯t going to ept your five-year wait.¡± Paul sighed. ¡°Yep. Figured. And knowing him, he¡¯d definitely be able to weasel his way out of leaving early.¡± ¡°Yes, and considering he could probably get a schrship being a Saint-rank water magician, he wouldn¡¯t even need your guys¡¯ support,¡± I said. ¡°But he should stay in one ce close, even if it''s not home. He needs some stability in his life.¡± Mama nodded at this. ¡°I don¡¯t want my baby leaving for so far away. He¡¯s only seven. No matter how much of a genius he is, he¡¯s still a child.¡± ¡°And because of this,¡± I said. ¡°He should also learn a bit more about the world in this time. Something he can¡¯t do in a rural vige like this.¡± All three pairs of eyes turned to look at me before Paul spoke up. ¡°What are you getting at, Leon?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ve been missing home recently, especially with my sisters getting bigger, but I can¡¯t exactly leave Eris alone during that time, nor can I take her here like I did before-¡± ¡°Get to the point, Leon,¡± Paul said. So impatient¡­ ¡°I think Rudy should go to Roa,¡± I said. ¡°More specifically, he should take over my position as Eris¡¯ tutor.¡± Paul raised his eyebrow. ¡°Really? I thought you were quite fond of the little Missy. Did something change?¡± ¡°Nothing like that,¡± I shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s not like I wouldpletely abandon her. While I¡¯d be spending more time here, I would still act as her tutor and guard for most of the time. Plus, I think it¡¯d be good for her to spend time with more people than just me, even if I would prefer it be Sylphy.¡± But then again, with me not upied with Eris, I could take Sylphy to Roa whenever I wanted¡­ ¡°I see¡­ and what about your pay?¡± Paul asked. ¡°It would stay the same, since while I wouldn¡¯t be as active, it still hasn¡¯t been adjusted for me bing a Sword Saint. And as for Rudy, he would get about five silver coins per month,¡± I exined. ¡°Five silver coins, eh? That¡¯s not bad¡­ but how will you convince him? You¡¯re pretty clever yourself, Leon, but that kid is an expert at winning any conversation,¡± Paul said. ¡°Husband. Why are you pushing that onto your nine-year-old son?¡± Lilia said. ¡°It¡¯s his idea!¡± Paul said. ¡°Paul¡­¡± Mama said with disappointment. ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t really know how to convince him, other than telling him about the library there. Do you have any ideas, Father?¡± I asked. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Paul then ced his hand on his chin. Oh? Maybe he learned how to deal with Rudy during my absence? ¡°I can always beat him up?¡± That earned him two smacks from his wives. ¡°Ouch! Hey! It would also be a way to show him how scary the world is! He¡¯s only sparred, right? Without any real-world experience, he¡¯d be screwed if he went about it like it was training!¡± Paul said. Begrudgingly, I had to agree with the man. If I had hesitated for a moment during my fight with those kidnappers, I would have died, and I would have definitely hesitated without my fight against monsters and training with Big Sis when she acted serious acting as my first experience with genuine bloodlust. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m fine with the idea,¡± Paul said. ¡°Okay¡­ what about you, Mama? Lilia?¡± I asked. ¡°I will trust everyone¡¯s decisions in regard to Rudeus,¡± Lilia said. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t want another one of my babies leaving home¡­¡± Mama said sadly. ¡°But it¡¯s better than Rudy running off to Ranoa, so¡­ I agree.¡± She still looked a little sad though¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mama,¡± I said, squeezing her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll be here more often, so I can help with my sisters and make sure you¡¯re not lonely.¡± That brought a small smile to her face. ¡°Thanks, Leon.¡± ¡°Anyway, did Philip already agree to this? And what about old man Sauros?¡± Paul asked. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, Father,¡± I said. ¡°You can leave all that to me.¡± Be grateful, Rudy, your big brother here is gonna get you a job. While arge part of my reason for having Rudye to Roa was to draw out the enemy, I truly did think it would be good for him. ¡ª Rudeus Greyrat ¡ª It had been around two weeks since my brother¡¯s short visit and the consequent arrival of Roxy¡¯s letter. Roxy had be a King rank magician and had even learned how to use magic without an incantation. Leon was also growing, bing the youngest Sword Saint that has ever been known at the age of nine. And as for me? Well, my abilities¡­ they¡¯ve stagnated. As much as I liked this peaceful vige and this family of mine, I didn¡¯t want to waste away this second chance at life either. Plus, I also wanted to finally get my hands on a fresh pool of young girls. In short, I wanted to go to Ranoa. The only issue, was that Paul made things pretty clear that I¡¯d have to wait five years. But with enough convincing, I bet I could whittle it down to two¡­ maybe. I¡¯d have to test the waters, though. ¡°Hey, Rudy,¡± Paul suddenly said, his face stern. ¡°What is it, Father?¡± I asked. We were just finishing up our morning training, and with my body sore and sweaty, I was ready to give myself a nice rxing bath as a reward for my hard work. ¡°How would you feel if I told you I got you a job?¡± he asked. A job? A job¡­ it would be my first ever, in both lives. I wasn¡¯t averse to the idea, especially seeing how well Leon¡¯s has worked out for him, but¡­ I still had mymitment to Ranoa to think about. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind. It depends on how long I would be expected to work, though,¡± I said. ¡°It depends, eh? What about five years?¡± he asked. My lips curled into a frown. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡± ¡°Figures,¡± he nodded. ¡°I guess Leon was right, huh?¡± All of a sudden, Paul¡¯s aura changed, and what was previously curiosity and yfulness in his eyes transformed into a look of intimidating murder. Even an amateur like me could sense what wasing next. ¡°Wha-!?¡± In one smooth motion, my father leaped forward, his wooden sword held strong in his hands. Despite it being a practice sword, I could feel the cold, silent feeling of death rushing toward me, and acting on instinct, I responded with all the power at my disposal. Using wind magic to create a pressure st that blew me back, I dragged my hand across the ground, turning the earth below Paul¡¯s feet into a thick, murky quagmire. Paul¡¯s foot sunk into the ground, but that doesn¡¯t stop his attack, as with one giant leap, he crosses the distance toward me. ¡°Aaah!¡± I swing my sword in a blind panic, trying to intercept him. It was an ugly, uncontrolled, and careless attack. Nothing like the careful, precise strikes I had trained over the years. My sword wobbled ufortably in my hand as my blow was gently turned to the side with the smoothness of the Water God style. One thing about the Water God style, is that once a blow is deflected, it is often followed up with a counter-attack. And this time was not any different. I watched as Paul¡¯s de arced toward me for a moment that felt like an eternity, and with a sharp blow to my neck, I was knocked instantly unconscious. ¡ª Rudeus Greyrat ¡ª As I woke up, I found myself inside a box of some sort. No, considering all the swaying and ttering, it was probably some sort of carriage. Sitting up, a woman came into view, sitting on the opposite side of the carriage with her legs crossedzily over the other. She had brown skin, a muscr body covered in scars, and was dressed in skimpy leather clothes. Oh, and she had very nice melons. The strong features, paired with her eye patch and sheathed sword, gave her a really intimidating vibe. Wait¡­ those ears¡­ so this was a beastfolk? With the woman ncing at me with curiosity, I decided to do a preemptive introduction. ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± I said with a bow. ¡°My name¡¯s Rudeus Greyrat.¡± She raised her eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re oddly polite for Paul¡¯s son. I guess Zenith and Leon taught you well.¡± Huh? I guess she knew both of my parents. And considering she knew Leon¡­ ¡°Are you Ghiine, by any chance?¡± I asked. ¡°Indeed. We¡¯ll be getting acquainted starting tomorrow, but how did you know my name?¡± she asked. ¡°My brother has told me about you. Although he sometimes slipped in ¡®Big Sis¡¯,¡± I exined. ¡°Ah,¡± she murmured with a warm smile. ¡°I see. He¡¯s also told me quite a bit about you. Anyway, this is for you, from Paul.¡± She then handed me a letter, which I quickly read through. To my dear son Rudeus. If you are reading this, it means that I have left this world. What!? Wait, there¡¯s more. Sorry, just kidding! I always wanted to try that on somebody! Anyway, I¡¯ll keep this exnation short and sweet. You¡¯re going to be taking over Leon¡¯s job in tutoring the youngdy Eris, as well as Ghiine there, in Roa. In return, you¡¯ll receive training from Ghiine, who is a Sword King, and four silver coins per month. ¡­What? I¡¯d have to teach¡­ Eris? Use this chance to get a feel for the real world and practice spending money effectively. Then again, you might not need any practice with how gifted you are. Just don¡¯t go buying any women, okay? Father¡­ thatst part was not necessary. Additionally, by the end of your five-year contract, you¡¯ll be given a payment covering the cost of tuition at the Ranoa University of Magic as well as a noble sponsorship that will you a nice room. Five years? Shit. They nned this out, didn¡¯t they? Paul and Leon, that is. Take this time to learn about many things about this world and let this new environment develop your talents further. Sincerely, your noble, wise, and brilliant father, Paul. Haa¡­ what the hell? So they trapped me with a job, huh? Well¡­ Leon did mention that the library was impressive, and considering I would be guaranteed free tuition without harming my family¡¯s finances¡­ yeah, this wasn¡¯t bad. Oh? There was more? P.S. Feel free to make a move on anydies that you meet, as long as it¡¯s consensual and they¡¯re clean. But that ball of muscle¡¯s already mine, so hands off! ¡­ ¡°Ghiine, can I send this letter back to my mother?¡± I asked. ¡°Why?¡± I showed her the letter, more specifically, thest part of it. Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance. ¡°Mmm. I¡¯ll be sure to.¡± And with that, I found myself travelling to the Citadel of Roa, thergest settlement of the Fittoa Region. I hope this all works out well¡­ Chapter 21 – Tenth Birthday Chapter 21 ¨C Tenth Birthday ¡ª Rudeus Greyrat ¡ª It was evening when I arrived in Roa, and just like Leon had said, it was a cool city to see in person, withrge walls and a fortified castle in the centre. As we got into the city, Ghiine told me about all the ces I pointed out, such as the Adventurer Guild, the weapon smith, and the brothel, which I was quite interested in. She was a stern, but kind woman, just like Leon said. As I entered the manor, a butler led us to what looked to be a reception room, where I was then pointed to two sofas that were facing each other. Okay¡­ this would be my first interview, I guess. I didn¡¯t want to know what would happen if I failed it, but I knew I wouldn¡¯t want to see Paul¡¯s teasing face upon my return after getting rejected. So let¡¯s do this! As I waited, it didn¡¯t take long for someone to open the door, revealing a thin, lightweight man with sleek brown hair. Standing up, I hastily bowed while lowering my head. Introductions were key, after all. ¡°A pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Rudeus Greyrat,¡± I said respectfully. ¡°Ah, yes, and I am Philip Boreas Greyrat. It seems like you are just as polite as Leon said, but for your information, nobles greet each other by putting their right hand on their chest and bowing slightly,¡± he said. ¡°Like this?¡± I said, repeating his movement. ¡°Yes. Quite right. Even my father would be pleased to see a worker greet him like that. Now please, take a seat,¡± Philip said, flouncing on the sofa with a thud. ¡°Now¡­ how much have you heard?¡± he asked, steepling his fingers. ¡°I was told I would be spending the next five years teaching the Young Mistress, taking over my brother¡¯s position. Speaking of¡­ why exactly did he leave?¡± I said. ¡°He simply thought it would be best for you to see the wider world, and for him to spend time with his family. Or at least, that¡¯s what he told me,¡± Philip answered with a shrug. Hmm¡­ was he trying to steal the ¡®cool older brother¡¯ title from me? Well, considering he was already a Sword Saint, I didn¡¯t think he had to use such shrewd methods. ¡°But yes. In return, you will bepensated with free tuition to Ranoa as well as a noble family''s support uponpletion of Eris¡¯ education. I believe you¡¯ve already met her, yes?¡± he said. ¡°Umm¡­ yes, I have,¡± I said, thinking back to when that redheaded mad dog smacked me around with a sword. ¡°And? Do I have to worry about bing a grandfather?¡± he asked. What? Well¡­ Paul did mention that he lost his virginity at ten, so the standards were quite different from my old world. But Eris? ¡°No. I am not like my father,¡± I said. Even if she wasn¡¯t head over heels for my natural flirt of a brother, I didn¡¯t want anywhere near that ball of violence and anger. A nice girl that I could form into my perfect future wife would be best for me, thank you very much. Someone like Sylphy, but with a bit more stats in the breast department. ¡°Oh really? Then you pass. I¡¯ll be honest, I don¡¯t expect much from you, but since Leon rmended you, I decided to give you a try,¡± he said with a shrug. That was quite honest. A little bit too honest, in my opinion. ¡°Leon rmended me, huh?¡± I said. ¡°Yes. Are you confident?¡± he asked. ¡°I won¡¯t know until I meet her again. This time as her tutor,¡± I answered. ¡°Very well,¡± Philip nodded. ¡°Thomas, can you take him up to Eris¡¯ room?¡± And so, with therge man leading me through the halls of the manor, I soon found myself in front of a closed door. ¡°Miss Eris,¡± Thomas said, knocking on the door. ¡°Please open the door.¡± Hearing the tussle of bedsheets and a following set of stomps, the door was flung open to reveal a familiar face with zing red hair and an arrogant expression. Except¡­ different from what I remembered, Eris¡¯ eyes were reddened as if she had just finished crying. Oh¡­ I see. She must be pretty upset. ¡°Rudeus? What the heck are you doing here?¡± she asked with a re. Right. I didn¡¯t exactly make a good first impression, considering I tried to catch a glimpse of her and Sylphy showering by ¡®ident¡¯ on the second day of her visit. Although, unlike how Leon would usually quell those attempts with Roxy, that time it was Eris catching me in the act,nding a sharp blow on my cheek. And I hadn¡¯t even seen anything! ¡°I-It¡¯s nice to see you again, Lady Eris. I¡¯m your new tutor. Please treat me kindly,¡± I said with the bow Philip taught me. ¡°¡­What!?¡± she shouted, eyes narrowed in rage. ¡°Don¡¯t kid with me!¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I am not kidding-¡± My words were interrupted by the door being mmed shut, leaving me standing there frozen in ce. Haa¡­ this wasn¡¯t going to be easy, huh? ¡°Having some trouble there?¡± Philip said cheerfully from the side. Tsk. How could he be so casual about this? She¡¯s quite obviously heartbroken about that stupid brother of mine leaving, and I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she never picked up another book because of it. ¡°Yes, I am. But I won¡¯t give up so easily,¡± I said. ¡°Is that so? Well, if you want to warm up to her and earn her respect, it might be best to take her out into the town for a practical lesson. That always seemed to put a smile on her face, after all,¡± Philip shrugged. A practical lesson¡­ that sounded good. ¡°Anyway, ask Thomas, the manor¡¯s butler, about that,¡± he said, walking away. ¡°Meanwhile, I have some work to do.¡± Looking over at the butler, his eyes narrowed before he bowed to me. Odd. ¡ª Information on the Six-Faced World ¡ª First Great Human-Demon War Around 7000 years ago, the first war between the Human Race and the Demon Race began,sting nearly 1000 years. This war was fought with the introduction of magic and martial arts and when the Central Continent and Demon Continent were joined together into onendmass known as the Great Continent. The war was a period that constantly shifted between fierce battle and rxation, until finally, the hero of humanity Ars and his sixrades ended the long war, having defeated the Five Great Demon Kings and the Demon Empress Kishirika. ¡ª- Rudeus Greyrat ¡ª Things had somehow turned out okay, and while I had expected Ghiine toe join us as a guard, the butler said there was no need for such a thing. I guess the city was pretty safe, huh? That made sense, you wouldn¡¯t want to cause trouble in a city that had a Sword King around, after all. ¡°Hmph!¡± The Young Mistress Eris, though, was still very reluctant about the whole thing. Especially about me. But even the most pissed-off of people needed fresh air, so she epted my offer without much of a fuss. With Eris purchasing a few skewers and having looked around a few of the shops, we were now on our way back to the manor. It was quite obvious that I didn¡¯t try to add any lessons to our time like Leon did, as I didn¡¯t want to risk being hit in anger. I could now understand why Leon didn¡¯t get me any books. After all, even the most basic of them were five gold coins. That was way out of my price range. As we began walking back through the darkened streets, I couldn¡¯t help but feel like something was a little¡­ off. A feeling of anxiety and apprehension, like when a big reveal was about to happen in an anime. The air tasted heavy, and it was¡­ quiet. Too quiet. ¡°Eris. L-Let¡¯s hurry on back, okay?¡± I said. ¡°Huh? What do you think we¡¯re doing!?¡± she shouted. ¡°J-Just¡­¡± My words trailed off as I noticed a group of four people walking towards us under the cover of shadows. They were, forck of a better word, extremely shady-looking fellows. People I did not want to be associated with. ¡°Hey!? What the hell are you doing!?¡± Eris shouted. ¡°Just shut up, Eris. Not now.¡± I grabbed her arm before increasing our walking pace, and to my pleasure, Eris seemed to get the idea as she followed me obediently, though she did shake off my hold. Looking behind me, I saw that the four were still following us, and in fact, had increased their pace to keep up. Not good. ¡°In here.¡± I suddenly turned into an alley, pulling Eris along with me in the hope of losing the pursuers in the city sprawl, or at least making them lose interest in whatever they were following us for. But to my displeasure, all I heard was the sound of thumping footsteps, as the pursuers in question were now running our way. Well¡­ this wasn¡¯t great. I had spotted a sword at the hip of each of those guys, so thinking that they were some insistent peddlers was¡­ probably wishful thinking. Hoping that my sporadic running would lead us to the manor, or at least get rid of the people chasing after us, I soon found my hopes dashed as I reached a wall, blocking off our escape. Shit¡­ not good. ¡°Fucking brats. But at least now we won¡¯t have to worry about any prying eyes.¡± Turning around, I watched as the four men pulled out their swords. The man at the front, who I could only assume to be their leader, pointed his sword toward me. ¡°I¡¯ll keep it simple. Hand over the girl, and we¡¯ll let you go. Good?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that,¡± I said, summoning a ball of fire in my hand. ¡°Eh? Did they hire another guard or something?¡± he asked. ¡°No. At least not yet,¡± I said, trying to buy time. Shit. What do I do? Do I fight? No. Not only did I have no experience fighting an actual battle, but it wasn¡¯t only my life on the line. ¡°¡®Not yet¡¯? What do ya mean?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯m currently on a probation period,¡± I answered. ¡°¡®Probation¡¯? The hell does that mean? Whatever. If you don¡¯t have a reason to be here, then leave,¡± he said, jerking his head to the side. ¡°Just hand over the little Missy over there, and all will be good.¡± That seems to break the state of calm that Eris had been in. ¡°N-No! Ghiine! Leon! Help-Mmff!¡± I quickly covered her mouth as the leader¡¯s face turned irritated. ¡°Fuck¡­ the beast bitch probably heard that,¡± he mumbled. ¡°You should¡¯ve listened to me, stupid brat.¡± The leader then set himself in a crouch with his sword held to the side. Okay¡­ let¡¯s hope this works. ¡°Hold onto me, Eris!¡± Letting go of Eris¡¯ mouth and wrapping it around her waist, I then brought my other hand to the ground, preparing to make a pir of earth to shoot us over the wall. ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t!¡± Hearing a yell, I looked up just in time to see a sword twirling through the air, right toward my face. Right¡­ mercenaries, thugs, and people like this usually used the North God style, and in that style, there is a whole branch of techniques about sword throwing. Time slowed to a crawl as I felt the somewhat familiar cold embrace of death wash over me. Familiar because of how my father decided to send me off, but unlike then¡­ this was real. Was I really about to die a second time? I doubt I¡¯d get so lucky as to reincarnate again. Was this¡­ the end? But¡­ I hadn¡¯t even done anything-! ng! The sword shattered into a cloud of metal shards as someonended in front of us in a crouch, with golden hair that reached their shoulder while the back was tied into a messy ponytail, much like Paul''s, and a red scarf tied around their neck with the ends drifting in the air. Seeing that familiar figure, I felt an immediate wave of relief wash over me as I recognized who exactly it was. Thank god~ I didn¡¯t want to die a virgin again~ ¡°Rudy,¡± he said. ¡°Which one¡¯s the leader?¡± Swallowing down my freight, I quickly answered, ¡°T-The one in the back. I think.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± he nodded. Leon then held his sword to the side, and I felt an indescribable pressure descend on the alleyway as blue mes began to coat his de. ¡°The fuck!? Who the hell are you-?¡± The world was then enveloped in a bright sh as a sonic boom echoed across the walls. My ears ringing, I looked up to see the heads of three pursuers rolling to a stop as their bodies slowly crumpled to the ground meters away from where I was. As for the leader that I pointed out, while he wasn¡¯t decapitated like his friends, his arms were cut off from the shoulder, leaving no chance of resisting. But despite the carnage, no blood was spilled, as the mes dancing across Leon¡¯s de seemed to have instantly cauterized the cuts as they were made. My brother, who was now standing at the end of the alley, sheathed his sword before slowly walking over to the shocked leader and punching him in the head, instantly knocking him out. And with that, the confrontation came to an abrupt end. ¡°L-Leon!¡± Eris said, getting up and rushing over to my brother. I, on the other hand, could only sit there in dumbfounded shock as my brain slowly caught up to the world around me. It didn¡¯t seem real. The thugs¡­ they were dead, their twitching bodies and the smell of their voiding bowels a testament to this fact. They were dead, but¡­ it could have easily been me. If my brother had arrived a momentter¡­ I would be the corpse lying on the ground right now. This world was not as kind as my old one. Here, death was amon urrence, something part of everyday life. It was only because I had been shielded in the safety of Buena Vige that I did not already understand thispletely. If I had made one single mistake¡­ I would have died. At this thought, a chill of indescribable fear ran up my spine. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°L-Leon!¡± Quickly wrapping my arms around the approaching Eris, I soothingly ran my hand through her hair. ¡°Shh. It¡¯s okay. You¡¯re safe now,¡± I said. ¡°Not that, you idiot!¡± She then kicked my shin. Ouch. I just saved you, you know? ¡°W-Why are you leaving me? D-Do you¡­ hate me? Are you¡­ tired of me?¡± she asked. Looking down, I saw that her face was mixed with a myriad of emotions. Anger, annoyance, sadness, fear, worry¡­ it seemed our little trap had hurt her more than I thought. I shook my head. ¡°No. I don¡¯t hate you at all.¡± ¡°Then why are you leaving me!?¡± she said with tears in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not! That was just¡­ a little ploy, to draw these guys out,¡± I said, kicking the unconscious leader beside me. At that, Eris¡¯ eyes seemed to brighten a bit. ¡°It¡¯s not all a lie, though. Rudy will be taking over as your tutor.¡± She punched me in the chest. Ow. ¡°But I¡¯m notpletely cutting ties with you. I¡¯ll still be around most of the time to teach and spend time with you,¡± I said softly. ¡°I still have lots to learn in regard to swordsmanship, after all.¡± ¡°So then¡­ why aren¡¯t you staying all the time? Like before?¡± she asked with a pout. ¡°I wanted to visit home some more, especially since my sisters are getting older. And I don¡¯t want Sylphy to be alone with Rudy staying here,¡± I exined. She red at me. ¡°Idiot.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± I said in response. At that moment, Ghiinended in front of us, casting a quick nce at the surrounding signs of battle before nodding to me. ¡°It seems everything is cleared up here,¡± she said. ¡°Yeah. How¡¯d you know?¡± I asked. ¡°I heard Miss Eris¡¯ shout. I was previously told by the head butler to attend to Master Sauros, but once I arrived, he said he never asked for such a thing, so I knew something was wrong,¡± she said. ¡°I see. So it was Thomas then¡­ did you catch him?¡± I asked. She nodded. ¡°I found him trying to escape through the back entrance. Considering you were tailing these two, I decided to capture him before making my way over.¡± ¡°Good job. Hopefully with him and this guy,¡± I once again kicked the unarmed kidnapper, ¡°we¡¯ll get a better understanding of the situation.¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± As Ghiine went to pick up the unconscious leader, I let Eris go before heading over to my brother, who was looking at his hands in fear. ¡°Are you alright?¡± I asked gently as I crouched down in front of him. ¡°Huh?¡± he flinched before staring up at me. ¡°Y-Yeah. It was just a little scary¡­ is all.¡± Hmm¡­ he didn¡¯t seem that traumatized at least, so that was good. Just a little shaken. Ah, right. This was his first brush with death, huh? ¡°Sorry for noting sooner. I wanted to see if they would slip up and reveal who hired them in their arrogance,¡± I said, patting his head. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just¡­ did you really have to wait that long?¡± he asked. ¡°No. But I thought it would be a good opportunity to learn about the world. Do you feel enlightened?¡± I asked teasingly. ¡°Yeah¡­ very.¡± And with that, the day came to a long and tedious end. Although, considering we would need to get the information out of the two criminals, I might be called down to help out in the dungeon. As I¡¯vee to learn during my time helping Philip, the scariest type of magic wasn¡¯t a school of elementary magic or anything, but rather¡­ it was healing magic. Sometimes it was better to sumb to your injuries, after all. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª A few months had passed since Rudy became Eris¡¯ official tutor, and with me splitting my time up in Roa and at home, I had been given a horse of my own from Philip, so I used that as my mode of transportation rather than being reliant on the peddler, allowing me to finally put my horse riding lessons to good use. Philip had hired a new head butler, as after the whole Eris kidnapping debacle, Thomas, the previous one, had been promptly tortured and executed, but not before we found out who was behind him. Darius Silva Ganius was the bastard, a perverted noble who had set his sights on Eris after catching a glimpse of her during a visit to Roa. The good news was that we were now certain there were no traitors among the current employees, and now, we could be mindful of the movements of this vile man in the future. The bad news, however, was that Darius was the Prime Minister of the Asura Kingdom, and thus, was way too powerful to get punishment with the evidence we had. In fact, even if we had a written document of his involvement, he could probably pressure the King to give him leniency, that was just how much influence he had. However, if I ever saw the man in person, I promised myself that he would soon find himself in the afterlife. A person like that in power was something I did not want for my cute sisters as they grew older, and it would also clear out any problems Eris might have with him in the future as well. Eris, while she still didn¡¯t like Rudy and often didn¡¯t listen to his lessons, had warmed up a bit to my brother, and she was especially d to have him around for sword training. It made sense. After all, the two were close in ability, so their spars were somewhat equal, unlike whenever Eris tried sparring with Ghiine and me. Currently, Eris has the upper hand in both strength and natural abilities, with Rudy having the edge in pure technique, but soon enough, Rudy¡¯s edge would be overthrown as Eris got more practice in, and then the girl would be the undisputed strongest of the two. While she had hidden it well, she certainly didn¡¯t like training with me, as while she was just in the early stages of the Intermediate rank, I was a Sword Saint. We were simply on a different level, and Eris did not like to lose. But now that she had someone to lord her strength over, the tension in our spars had disappeared, instead transforming into a fun exchange of strikes rather than the desperate fight it was before. But that also meant that she went extra hard on Rudy as a way to vent herpetitiveness. Sorry, little brother. As for home, things had been going well, with my sisters now being one year old and slowly starting to show their personality traits. Aisha, while not as much as Rudy and I, seemed to be a gifted kid, and was growing at a faster rate than her sister. She could now walk, and was quite a very curious child, as she loved seeing new applications of my magic, not for their pretty effects like Norn, but rather for the sake of seeing new things. She had also recently begun saying short sentences and was already potty-trained. Norn, on the other hand, was¡­ how to say, a normal kid. And she was utterly adorable, especially with how she always carried my gifted stuffy with her whenever she could. Ah, and she was also very shy, though she opened up around Lilia, Mama, and me. They had also both already said their first words, which were some form of ¡®Mama¡¯, but to my utter glee, their second words were both ¡®Leon¡¯. Suck on that, Paul. Anyway, slowly, I had transformed from ¡®Leon¡¯ into ¡®Brother¡¯ in their minds, and even though Mama and Lilia always talked about their other brother, Rudy, since they hadn¡¯t seen him in a long while, they were only confused about this mysterious figure. But that would hopefully change once they grew up a bit and Rudy visited home more. And then¡­ Sylphy. I had kept up with her teaching, but after a while, it had transformed into simple ytime. Seeing as she was a kid who could already silently cast Intermediate magic, I don¡¯t think this was anything bad. But I also realized something during this time. She¡­ liked me. She liked me in the same way I liked Roxy, though still a bit more childish. I figured this out before Paul gave me ¡®the talk¡¯ about girls, sex, pregnancy, and all that stuff I already knew, and¡­ I didn¡¯t n on answering her feelings. At least not yet. I felt that shifting my view of her as a sister into something more of a friend was the extent of what I could do at the moment, and when we got older and more sure of ourselves and our feelings¡­ then, I would decide what to do. Feelings were¡­ difficult. And unlike with magic and arithmetic, my enhanced knowledge didn¡¯t really help with them. Anyway, despite that, things were going well, and while I didn¡¯t have anything in my future nned to save for marrying Roxy and growing my fighting strength, I was content with my current lifestyle. With thendscape coated in snow, and the nobles returning from reporting the year¡¯s harvest to the capital, it meant that today was a special day. It was the start of a new year, which meant that¡­ ¡°Happy birthday, Leon!¡± It was, as they said, my birthday. More specifically, my tenth birthday. Usually, this day would be followed by an apprenticeship for a trade, or starting small jobs on a farm, but since I was already employed with quite a good sry, I didn¡¯t have to go through all that. ¡°Thanks, everyone. It looks fantastic.¡± Beaming at the feastid out before me, I felt my sides get pressed by two bodies as Lilia and Mama both gave me a hug. ¡°Well, it¡¯s your special day, sweetie. So dig in!¡± Mama said. ¡°Ah, wait! Presents first!¡± Rudy and I hade back home for my birthday, much to Eris¡¯ annoyance, but at least the girl was quick to understand that my family would want to see me on such a big day. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯te with us, but oddly enough, she didn¡¯t seem to mind this fact. Instead, she actually insisted on staying at the manor. Weird. Mama then came back from her room, holding a very exquisite-looking book. ¡°Since you could get any little things on your own, we decided to purchase one big thing as a family. So here you go, Leon!¡± Taking the book, I let my hands glide over the leather-bound spine as well as the metaltch that kept it closed. ¡­It was very high quality, and if the outside was this amazing, the inside was bound to be even more so. Slowly opening the book, I felt my jaw drop instantly at the title. Advanced Healing Magic: A Textbook for Prestigious Healers ¡°T-This-¡± ¡°-Is something you deserve, Leon,¡± Lilia cut me off. ¡°Do not worry. With your constant support, your sisters already have more than enough money for their futures. You should have nice things too, Leon.¡± Looking down at the book, I traced my fingers gently across the pages before closing it and hugging both mothers. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Mama said, returning my hug. ¡°Maybe once you learn it, you can teach your old Mama here.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not old, Mama,¡± I said back. ¡°Fufu, such a charmer, my little Leon is¡­ Don¡¯t say that stuff too often, understood?¡± her hand that was caressing my hair increased in strength. ¡°G-Got it!¡± I hastily replied. Letting go of her, I then looked down at my two sisters, who were standing next to my seat. ¡°Oh? Did you two get me something too?¡± I asked teasingly. Norn¡¯s eyes widened in worry as Aisha found herself in a simr state of distress. ¡°I¡¯m just joking. The only present I need from you two is hugs, so? Are you gonna give me a present?¡± I said, opening my arms. They both showed smiles of relief before simultaneously jumping into my arms. ¡°Of course, Big Brother!¡± Aisha cheered. ¡°B-Brother¡­¡± Norn added. Ahh~ Pure bliss~ I was always in a constant state of debate with myself, wondering if I would rather them stay this small and cute forever, or watch them grow up into the beautiful women I was sure they would be. It was a question I had yet to find the answer to. For now, though, I decided to simply enjoy the moment. ¡°Leon?¡± Sylphy said. ¡°C-Can hold out your arm, please?¡± Complying with her request, I adjusted Aisha so she rested against my chest while holding out my left arm. ¡°I got you this¡­¡± Sylphy then wraps a small bracelet around my wrist, the cord made of braided twine with a small green gem in the centre. ¡°Aww!¡± ¡°Zenny, please. You¡¯ll embarrass the girl,¡± Lilia said, shushing Mama¡¯s antics. ¡°But it¡¯s so cute!¡± Sylphy, with her cheeks burning bright red, finished tying off the ends. ¡°T-There! I-It¡¯s not muchpared to a book, but-¡± ¡°It¡¯s wonderful, Sylphy,¡± I said, interrupting her rambling. I didn¡¯t know what the future held for us, but I knew that I appreciated her gift deeply, and I also knew that I wanted her to know that. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to cherish it.¡± Examining the bracelet, I couldn¡¯t help but notice how the green gemstone sparkled under the candlelight. ¡°How did you get this, though?¡± I asked, gesturing to the gem. ¡°I, uhh¡­ did some chores around the vige, just like Miss Roxy, and then a merchant showed me that after seeing my ne, so¡­¡± I see. She really put a lot of work into this. ¡°I love it. Thank you,¡± I said, pulling her into a hug. ¡°Y-You¡¯re wee!¡± she squealed. Lilia then leaned down and kissed my forehead. ¡°Lilia?¡± I said, confused. ¡°Although I do not know what results my personal gift will bear, I apologize that it will take a while to see whates of it,¡± she said. Huh? ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked. She shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s a secret. But I will tell you a hint: it has to do with my father.¡± Huh? Her father? ¡°Umm okay? Thanks?¡± She simply smiled in response. How odd. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª The next day, upon my horse ride back to Roa with Rudy, I was weed with arge feast, one fit for a noble party, but without the guests, much to my pleasure. Throughout my time as a guard and healer, which had increased with Rudy formally taking over Eris¡¯ education, I had met many nobles and their associates. Suffice it to say, I didn¡¯t like them very much. It made me have a new appreciation for how carefree and enjoyable the nobles I had met so far were. But I guess that this must have been why Eris was so eager about getting me out of the manor¡­ how nice of her. ¡°Leon!¡± The booming voice of Sauros echoed through the hall as I found myself hoisted upon therge man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Let this celebration be thanks for your constant good work! Enjoy it to your heart¡¯s content!¡± ¡°Thank you, Lord Sauros,¡± I said politely. ¡°Good man!¡± With him cing me back down and patting my head, the party then began in earnest, although, it was more appropriate to simply call it a dinner. As I was making my way through some duck, Eris¡¯ mother, Hilda, came up to me. Over the few years I had been at the manor, she seemed to have warmed up to me, if only slightly. This was probably due to me somewhat repairing her rtionship with her daughter, as well as all the time we spent reading together in the library. ¡°Happy birthday, Leon,¡± she said, hugging me. As I was now ten, I had grown tall enough that my face reached Mama¡¯s shoulder rather than her breast when we hugged, but due to Hilda¡¯s¡­ assets, I was once again reminded of the feeling of suffocation. I was really d Paul never met Hilda in person. He would definitely do something stupid if he did. ¡°Thank you, Miss Hilda,¡± I said happily. ¡°Just call me Hilda, dear. Anyway, I am not the one presenting your gift. Eris?¡± she said. Turning my head, I noticed Eris standing tall, her feet spread wide apart as her hands were held behind her back. I suppose she was hiding this ¡®gift¡¯, huh? ¡°You look nice with your hair like that, Eris,¡± I said. It was true. She usually had her hair down and loose, but for today, she had decided to pin it up in a bun with locks resting on either shoulder, much like how Mama did her hair. It was very pretty. ¡°I-Is that so? Thanks, I guess,¡± she said, averting her eyes. ¡°Eris?¡± Hilda then said. ¡°Ah! Right!¡± Eris turned back to me. ¡°A-Ahem! T-This! I got this for you! Take it graciously!¡± She seemed to have somewhat reverted to her old way of speaking, but with her cheeks flushed red, and her chest puffed out with pride, I could only find it extremely adorable. She then took out the gift from behind her back, revealing a sheathed sword, which she then passed to me. Taking it into my hands, I gripped the handle, instantly noticing howfortable it felt as I looked at the ornate design of the guard that had arge red gem in the centre. Standing up, I slowly unsheathed it to reveal a sleek, straight, double-edged de, and taking a light swing, I instantly felt the perfect bnce of the sword. Well¡­ almost perfect bnce. It was still a bit too big for me, but considering how I was still going to continue growing, that was more of a good thing than a bad one. But, while I did notice the bnce and general quality of the sword, I also felt something else. My mana¡­ it felt freer to use, especially around the sword, much like a wand. Whoa¡­ ¡°Eris, this¡­ this is amazing,¡± I said, my lips widening into a smile. ¡°I-Is that so? Good then! Few craftsmen could make a spellsword, after all!¡± she said pridefully. A spellsword¡­ it was more of a gimmick than a practical weapon, as few people would learn both the sword and magic, and if they did, they would not use it interchangeably in battle. But I wasn¡¯t exactly normal. But to get something like this made¡­ and with such quality¡­ I had noticed Eris hadn¡¯t been spending much of her money, but thinking that she was saving for something to give to me¡­ ¡°Thank you,¡± I said. ¡°H-Hmph! It¡¯s only nat-¡± Her words are caught in her throat as I sheathed my new sword before wrapping my arms around her in a swift movement. Was it ill-mannered for me to do this to a nobledy? Probably. But it was my birthday, so I didn¡¯t really care. ¡°Thank you, Eris. I promise to use it well in protecting you,¡± I whispered. ¡°W-Who said I needed protecting!?¡± she shouted angrily. But even though she seemed peeved, she still wrapped her arms around me in kind, cing her chin on my shoulder. And that was how I celebrated my tenth birthday. Chapter 22 – Eris’ Birthday Chapter 22 ¨C Eris¡¯ Birthday ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Two months had passed since my tenth birthday, and in that time, Rudy had turned eight years old, and as Eris and my brother¡¯s birthdays were only a month apart, the Young Miss¡¯ tenth birthday was fast approaching. With my amazing present from my family, I was now technically an Advanced-rank healing and detoxification magician, though I still had more than a few spells to master. I let Rudy use my textbook too, of course, but since the spells became increasingly difficult and had a much longer chant as you went up to the Advanced rank, he had yet to catch up to me. He had the skill, and he had more than enough mana for it, but since he couldn¡¯t silently cast these spells, the long chants were simply too long to remember and took too long to cast in an emergency. So, considering he could easily just use X-Healing chantlessly with extra mana to mostly the same effect, he decided to leave the Advanced rank healing to me. The keyword being ¡®mostly¡¯ to the same effect. As it turned out, Advanced-rank spells weren¡¯t just the better versions of Intermediate-rank spells, contrary to what I had previously thought. At this level, the spells begin to defy thews of natural healing, instead of simply boosting or aiding in recovery. For instance, if I was healing a dismembered finger, previously, I would have to bring the severed digit to the cut before casting magic, or the healing would just create a stump, but with Advanced-rank healing, it was able topletely regrow the digit. Now, this didn¡¯t work for entire limbs or anything, but it was still a step above the Intermediate-rank with its effects. Anyway, while Rudy may not have be an Advanced-rank healer, he did be an Intermediate-rank swordsman thanks to having a good sparring partner in Eris and Ghiine fixing his mistakes. Paul always called Ghiine stupid, but I think the word ¡®simpleton¡¯ suited her better, and for the Sword God style, that word was not an insult, but rather something closer to apliment. Ah, and Eris had also improved her swordsmanship. While not increasing in rank, she had slowly refined her abilities, and ording to Ghiine, it wouldn¡¯t be long before she reached the Advanced rank. It seems that she was quite the genius at the sword. As for Eris and Ghiine¡¯s academics, as long as they knew the word in speaking, they could now roughly figure it out on paper through sounding out the letters, so I would say that they were now fluent in reading and writing. Their arithmetic was¡­ not as good, but still passable. You could only do so much with practical lessons and fun games, after all. And magic? Well, they had both basically stopped with those lessons after I gave them their wands, but that was okay. The two were swordsmen, and they would never be magicians, so just learning how to cast a water and fire spell, as basic as it was, was enough for survival. Unfortunately, Eris seemed to have slowly lost interest in her childish love for ¡®shiny hands¡¯, instead having swordsmanship take the forefront of her mind. It was a shame, since I found that childish part of her extremely cute. Anyway, as a nobledy¡¯s tenth birthday was an important time when they would be introduced to the noble world, the preparations for arge party for Eris were in ce, with maids running about and numerous invitations being sent out. With the uing celebration, Philip had cancelled all of Eris¡¯ academic sses so she could take more etiquette lessons instead, hoping that she could catch up by the time the party was to begin and not embarrass herself. The girl in question though¡­ ¡°No more!¡± Eris shouted before dashing through the hall. Well, I guess learning that stuff from morning till night became too much. As the redhead disappeared around the corner, Edna, her teacher, came chasing after her. ¡°Young Mistress!¡± Looking back and forth, she sighed before suddenly noticing my presence. ¡°Why, hello there, Lord Leon.¡± ¡°Good afternoon, Miss Edna,¡± I returned. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re having some trouble.¡± ¡°Ah, yes,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s a bit embarrassing, but the Young Mistress ran off.¡± Well, yes. I could see that. Edna¡¯s lips curled into a troubled frown. ¡°I have been trying to teach her dancingtely, but she just can¡¯t seem to get it right. Now every time I try to teach her, she just runs off.¡± ¡°I see,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± This wasn¡¯t my first rodeo with the girl. ¡°Thank you, Lord Leon,¡± she said with a bow. Edna¡­ while she wasn¡¯t a bad teacher by any means, that was only when dealing with normal nobles and those who enjoyed her lessons. Eris, on the other hand, needed a bit of a¡­ delicate touch to learning, and while she liked the woman herself, she detested the subject of etiquette. Which consequently led to this disaster. Normally, since I also disliked etiquette and thought of it as useless, I would just shrug something like this off, but¡­ ¡°At this rate, the Young Mistress will embarrass herself in front of her guests at the party,¡± Edna said sadly. ¡°Bing aughingstock on such a special day¡­ that would simply be too cruel.¡± ¡°I get it, I get it. I was already going,¡± I said, walking away. ¡°Thank you, Lord Leon!¡± With the help of my touki-enhanced senses, as well as my knowledge of where Eris liked to run off to, I was able to quickly find her sprawled out on top of a haystack in the stables. Not saying anything, I then hopped up to sit beside her, to which she turned her head away from me. Sitting together in silence, I then noticed a few loose straws of hay tangled within her hair. Ever since my birthday, she had begun to wear her hair in a bun, whether it was because of mypliment, or because it felt better when using a sword, I didn¡¯t know, but I made sure she knew I thought it was pretty whenever I could. After all, while Paul¡¯s advice was given to me for more¡­ nefarious purposes, it was always nice to give honestpliments to those you were close to. Especially troublesome girls like Eris. Gently picking out the straws I had noticed, I then brought up the topic at hand, ¡°You don¡¯t want to dance?¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± she huffed. ¡°Why would I need to know something like that?¡± ¡°Because your tenth birthday ising up,¡± I answered. ¡°I won¡¯t dance on my birthday either!¡± she proimed. Haa¡­ yep, this was expected. ¡°Why do I have to do something I¡¯m not good at? And something so useless?¡± she said with a pout. ¡°You¡¯re right, it is useless, at least in real life,¡± I said. ¡°But you¡¯re a noble, right? Some things you have to just do, even if it¡¯s useless and stupid.¡±. Her pout deepened. ¡°You¡­ think it¡¯s stupid?¡± she asked. ¡°I do,¡± I answered. ¡°But people have to do a lot of stupid things.¡± Time passed silently for a few moments. ¡°You¡¯re not gonna keep convincing me?¡± she eventually asked. ¡°Well¡­ right now you just need some rest, I think. And after¡­ well, I¡¯ll try to figure something out,¡± I answered, lying down beside her. She turned her body to face away from me. ¡°You always figure something out, don¡¯t you, Leon?¡± ¡°I try. Isn¡¯t that the most important thing?¡± I answered. Blinking one eye open, I saw Eris turn back to face me, her eyes downcast. ¡°¡­Could you¡­e learn with me?¡± she asked. ¡°I was nning on doing that anyway,¡± I said, closing my eyes once again. ¡°Now, do you want to go back now? Or do you want to rest here for a few minutes?¡± I felt the hay rustle as she shifted her body a little closer to me. ¡°The second one.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± I returned with a nod. Letting the springtime warmth lull me to a nap, I then felt a hand clench around my shirt. ¡°S-So you don¡¯t fall off¡­¡± she mumbled. Hmm? My bnce was fine though. ¡°Thanks, Eris.¡± But it was good to be polite anyway. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Lord Rudeus! You¡¯re truly skilled at this! Lord Leon as well!¡± Edna cheered from the side. ¡°Hmph!¡± Eris was quite annoyed. It seems that both my brother and I were pretty good at dancing, and while I didn¡¯t know how Rudy was so talented, for me, it just felt¡­ natural. I suppose knowing the different footwork of the three styles of swordsmanship helped, but what was most important, was that I could follow instructions and was able to control my tempo. Two things Eris was not good at. Contrary to the smooth, elegant movements that were required for dancing, Eris¡¯ steps were fast, rigid, and sharp. Perfect for a Sword God practitioner, but not so much for a dancer. She also liked going her own speed, regardless of what her partner was doing and paying no heed to the rhythm of the music, which quickly led to someone tripping over themselves. In short, she was a walking, or rather, a dancing disaster. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t do anything but keep hold of Eris as I tried to regain the tempo, yet whenever I tried to tell her something or pull her along, she would squirm around, messing up the whole thing. ¡°Umm, I have an idea!¡± Rudy suddenly said. I looked back at him curiously. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Ahem!¡± he then pointed to Eris. ¡°Please close your eyes and try swinging your body to your own rhythm.¡± ¡­What? Eris cast a doubtful frown his way, but without a fuss, she relented to his advice and shut her eyes. My brother had decided to join to see if he could offer any help, but as he had said on the way, he was mostly here to learn to dance himself in order to ¡®seduce some youngdies¡¯. I was definitely telling Mama this on my next trip back, but as long as he didn¡¯t make me an uncle, I wouldn¡¯t get too angry. Nodding his head, he continued, ¡°I¡¯m going to p my hands now. Try to match that rhythm with your steps as if you¡¯re dodging an iing attack.¡± Huh? Oh¡­ So he was going this route, huh? Well, let¡¯s see how this ys out, little brother. Rudy then began pping at a regr beat and calling out ¡°Yes!¡± and ¡°Hyat!¡± before them at certain intervals. And as for Eris and I¡­ ¡°Th-this is! How wonderful!¡± As Edna said, it seemed that Eris just needed some extra guidance. She was still a bit too fast, and still pretty sloppy, but she was infinitely better than before, as she was now matching my rhythm instead of sprinting past it. Finishing with a final twirl, I caught her in my arms as the song, yed by a single musician, came to an end. ¡°You did it, Young Mistress!¡± Edna cheered. Eris opened her eyes with a wide smile. ¡°Really!?¡± Rudy then interjected, ¡°Okay, but keep your eyes closed. You need to remember what you did just now.¡± ¡°Remember it?¡± Eris said. ¡°I¡¯m just watching for opponent¡¯s feints and dodging them!¡± Yeah, this was something Rudy and Eris practised with Ghiine¡¯s swordsmanship lessons, where they would learn to distinguish real attacks and feints, and consequently, how to correctly dodge the actual attacks. ¡°Eris. You can use things you learn in one lesson in others,¡± Rudy lectured. ¡°When you struggle in one lesson, try to think if you¡¯ve done something simr in another.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Eris said with a nod. She already knew this from my lessons that melded all the subjects into one, but it seemed she had forgotten about it. ¡°Anyway¡­¡± I said, looking down at Eris. While she was roughly my height when I first got here, over the years I had shot up to where her eyes now met my lips. ¡°Do you want to continue?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± she said happily before closing her eyes once more. And so, our dance continued. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Leon¡­ what are we doing here?¡± ¡°Getting a present for Eris, of course.¡± ¡°But didn¡¯t you already get her one?¡± ¡°I did. But did you, Big Sis?¡± ¡°No. Gifts are not a part of my culture.¡± ¡°Yeah, but Eris would be upset if you didn¡¯t get her something. That is the reason we¡¯re here. Now let¡¯s go. That shop has some nice trinkets.¡± Leading Ghiine toward the shop, I felt her pull me back. ¡°Something wrong?¡± I asked. Her lips curled into a frown. ¡°Were you upset?¡± What? Why would I-? Oh¡­ she must be thinking of my tenth birthday, where she didn¡¯t get me anything. It was there that I learned that no such gift-giving was a part of the Beast Race¡¯s culture, and while I could understand the differences in people¡¯s customs, Eris would¡­ probably not. And even if she did, she would feel happy having a gift from Ghiine, who she viewed as her big sister, so I wanted Ghiine to get Eris something anyway. ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t,¡± I shook my head. ¡°I still have this, after all.¡± I then raised my left hand, showing off the worn, wooden ring Ghiine had gifted me all those years ago. ¡°Hmm¡­ I see,¡± Ghiine said before continuing toward the shop. Although she sounded dismissive, her swaying tail once again revealed her true emotions. The chime of the shop bell ringing at our entrance, I took a quick nce at the various wares lined along the shelves. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Looking over at Ghiine, she seemed to be having some trouble with choosing what to get. ¡°You don¡¯t have to think so hard, Big Sis,¡± I said. ¡°It can be anything, as long as it¡¯s from you, Eris will be happy.¡± Nodding her head, Ghiine looked along the shelf. ¡°Hmm¡­ Okay. Then how about this?¡± She then picked up a small cup meant for a dinner table. ¡°¡­Something more personal, please,¡± I said, not masking my disappointment. ¡°Like my ring or the scarf Lilia got me. Eris always tries to copy your mannerisms, so try to get something that would rte her to you. Even if it¡¯s impractical, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Nodding seriously, she ced the cup back down before looking through the things once again. Hmm¡­ Eris¡¯ birthday was only a couple of days away now, so I hope she likes what I got her, even if it pales inparison to the sword she got me. My hand trailing down to my sword, I caressed the hilt with a smile on my face. Yeah¡­ I really hope she likes it. ¡°Leon,¡± Ghiine said, interrupting my thoughts. ¡°What about this?¡± Looking over at the item she had chosen, a small smile spread across my face. ¡°That¡¯s perfect.¡± ¡ª Information on the Six-Faced World ¡ª Second Great Human-Demon War Around 5000 years ago, the Great Demon Empress Kishirika, seeking vengeance for the First Great Human-Demon War, brought the Beast Race and the Ocean Race to the Demon Race¡¯s side and waged war for the second time against the Human Race. This time, the Human Race was pushed back and cornered for 800 years until the legendary hero, Golden Knight Aldebaran, appeared and routed the Demon Army. The Golden Knight Aldebaran¡¯s final attack was so powerful that it separated the Great Continent into the Central and Demon Continents and created the Ringus Sea in between. This separation of continents marked the end of the war. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª After taking off early this morning to procure a special guest, I was now standing beside Eris, who was dressed in a fancy blue dress as she sat down on her miniature throne. Nobles were¡­ difficult to deal with. While this may be a birthday celebration for Eris, that was only on the surface, as for them, it was a time to foster connections and gain favours. Luckily, Philip and Hilda were able to deal with most of the annoying folk, and for any that got past them, they were met with the intimidating Sauros. And if they managed to get past even him andnd themselves in front of Eris, who had no political authority or knowledge whatsoever, they would be met with the words ¡°Please tell my father,¡± whenever anything was brought up. Oh, and I was there too, trying my best to make sure no one did anything stupid, including Eris herself. This arrangement continued until the greeting period was over, and the dance began. ¡°Mydy,¡± I said with a noble bow. ¡°May I have the honour of your first dance?¡± Eris was still a bit nervous, so I didn¡¯t want her first dance to be with someone random and consequently cause a disaster. With me, if something happened, I could always take the fall as the one who made a mistake, saving her dignity. But for some reason¡­ I felt that there was another reason for wanting to be her first dance. How odd. ¡°Y-Yes! I mean¡­ you may,¡± Eris said, taking my hand. With that, our waltz began. As I had expected, she was extremely rigid and made a few small mistakes due to her nervousness, but after getting into the flow of things, she adapted quite well. ¡°Nice job, brother!¡± Rudy cheered after it finished. ¡°Well, it¡¯s just like we practised. She just needed to get the jitters out,¡± I shrugged. ¡°If you say so! Anyway, Philip said I could do whatever I want, so I¡¯m gonna procure some food, and maybe¡­ some dessert, if you know what I mean,¡± Rudy said, perversely wiggling his eyebrows up and down. ¡°I¡¯m telling Mama that you¡¯re like Father if you do that,¡± I said. ¡°Heh. I wouldn¡¯t mind taking some aspects of his,¡± Rudy said pridefully. ¡°Okay¡­ well, have fun,¡± I said. As my brother went to, well, ¡®have some fun¡¯, I made my way to the wall, where I could watch the entire scene of the party. While I wasn¡¯t specifically on duty today, I was still a guard, after all. Hmm¡­ hopefully my dear friend isn¡¯t too lonely in the room, but I don¡¯t think she would be too weed in a ce like this, seething with stuck-up, pretentious nobles, anyway. Especially not with her hair colour and background. As I was contemting such things, a young girl came up to me before curtsying politely. ¡°A pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± ¡°I as well. Is there something I can do for you?¡± I asked. She then went on to introduce herself, stating her name and family connection, before offering me to dance. Well¡­ not like there was anything better to do. Sharing a dance with the girl, I was pleasantly surprised to see that her skills in dancing were not that far from Eris¡¯. Maybe I wouldn¡¯t need to worry about her after all. Thanking the girl after the dance, I then made my way back to the wall before feeling a fist hit my back. ¡°Hm?¡± I said, turning to see the attacker. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Eris?¡± ¡°Y-You!¡± she eximed with red cheeks. ¡°Why did you dance with that girl?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ because she asked me?¡± I said in confusion. Eris clenched her fist as she narrowed her eyes in a dangerous re. ¡­Why was she so mad? ¡°Don¡¯t do it again, got it!?¡± she demanded. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be my guard, right? So¡­ s-stay next to me!¡± What a selfish request. But, well, I didn¡¯t really mind. If anything, it was quite endearing. ¡°Of course, mydy.¡± With me now watching over her and only her, Eris split her time by standing with me and dancing with anyone who mustered the courage toe up to her. I said mustered the courage, because she always red at them whenever they asked, before begrudgingly epting their offer. Rudy also danced with the girl, but having watched him throughout the night, I noticed he was dancing with practically any girl that he could and then kissing their hand after the dance had finished, leaving the innocent youngdies in a fluster. ¡­I was definitely telling Mama about this. Eventually, as the night came to an end, Eris turned to face me. Her hair was done up in a now-usual bun, and she was wearing an elegant blue dress that was so very different from her usual outfits. In short, she looked lovely. Adorable. Beautiful. All those words that Paul would easily spit to a woman he wanted to bed fit her perfectly at the moment. ¡°Leon,¡± Eris eximed, though instead of her usual haughty shout, her voice was graceful and elegant. ¡°Will you share this dance with me?¡± I was¡­ conflicted. On one hand, it was lovely to see her this way, as it was like seeing a whole new Eris with all the growing she had done before my eyes. But on the other¡­ I would say I preferred the usual Eris. But I suppose there was a time and a ce for that side of her. ¡°dly,¡± I said, taking her hand. Moving to the centre of the dance floor, Eris was all smiles as she giggled happily, casting a prideful look at the surroundings. But as soon as the music started, that arrogant look fell to a concerned expression, one that begged me to help her out. The song was different from anything we had practised before, being irregr and fast-paced rather than smooth and graceful. Grasping her hip and hand, I leaned down to whisper some reassurances, ¡°Just leave everything to me. Okay, Eris?¡± Getting a shaky nod in return, I decided to calm her nerves with a different approach. ¡°You look lovely, by the way.¡± Before she could respond, I began to follow along to the music, taking the lead as I spun her to and fro erratically. While her eyes were wide and cheeks glowing at first, it didn¡¯t take long for Eris to get used to the flow, or rather, theck thereof. She adapted quite fast, as even if this music was something we hadn¡¯t practised, it was more in tune with Eris¡¯ natural style. Our bodies swaying to the beat, I was certain our movements looked quite peculiar to the onlookers, but I didn¡¯t care. After all, how could I when Eris was wearing such a gleeful smile? With herughing cheerfully as I guided her across the floor, I nearly found myself entranced by the sight, and something inside of me¡­ changed. It was something warm and heavy, different from mana and touki. I was so concerned that I even silently cast a detoxification spell on myself to check if anything was wrong, but I was just as healthy as ever. As the music came to an end, we were met by ravenous apuse as Sauros cheerfully picked up the star of the party before parading her around on his shoulder. But me¡­ I was still stunned, trying toe to terms with what the heat I felt in my chest meant, as well as that tingle in my stomach. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª After the party, I invited Eris and Ghiine to my room. I had intended to bring Rudy along too, but for some reason, I couldn¡¯t find him anywhere. I did see him talking to one particr girl quite a bit, did he¡­? No¡­ he¡¯s only eight, something like that would be absurd even for the son of Paul. He was probably just making some figures in his room or something. Anyway, in my room, there was a special guest I had brought over from Buena Vige. ¡°Happy birthday Eris!¡± Sylphy eximed before wrapping Eris in a hug. ¡°Sylphy! You¡¯re here?¡± Eris eximed. Sylphy nodded, ¡°Leon took me!¡± As the two began to get acquainted, I took out the tter of food and the bottle of wine I asked the maids to prepare. ¡°Hm? What¡¯s this?¡± Ghiine asked. ¡°Think of this as¡­ an after-party, of sorts,¡± I said, pouring a cup for each of us. ¡°While Eris may have just had her party, that was filled with political games and etiquette. A bunch of annoying and boring stuff. So think of this as purely a celebration amongst friends.¡± I wasn¡¯t quite sure about letting such young girls drink¡­ but as long as it was infrequent, it should be fine. Everyone clinking their sses in a toast, we then bring them to our lips to drink. ¡°Gakh!¡± only for Sylphy to choke as soon as it entered her mouth. ¡°Hahaha! Don¡¯t worry, Sylphy!¡± Eris giggled. ¡°I did the same thing when I first tried it!¡± Wiping her mouth, a beet-red Sylphy pouted at her. ¡°D-Don¡¯t make fun of me! It just¡­ surprised me, is all.¡± With the four of us passing the time by sitting on the bed while snacking on food and leisurely sipping on our drinks, it was then time for presents. ¡°Miss Eris,¡± Ghiine said. ¡°While it may not be very useful¡­ I got you this.¡± She then pulled out her gift, which was a ck eye patch very simr to her own, though it was a little smaller so that it could fit Eris¡¯ head. As soon as she set her eyes on it, Eris¡¯ face lit up before she engulfed Ghiine in a hug. ¡°I love it!¡± Just as I expected, Eris was overjoyed with the gift. Especially since it was something that made her look like her idol. ¡°Me next!¡± Sylphy eximed. Wait¡­ why was her face already so red? Was she¡­ a lightweight, perhaps? I had a feeling this was going to be troublesome¡­ I might have to cast some detoxification magic if it gets really bad. ¡°My father likes to hang stuff from his quiver, so I thought I¡¯d make you something!¡± She then handed Eris a piece of braided twine, very simr to the one she gave me, with a green gem at the bottom. ¡°I thought it¡¯d be nice to attach to your sword sheath,¡± she said, turning a bit reserved. ¡°I know it might not be-¡± ¡°I love it too!¡± Eris eximed, quelling Sylphy¡¯s worries as she gave the smaller girl a hug. Mhmm¡­ just like I thought, bringing Sylphy over was a great idea. cing it next to her eye patch on the bedside table, Eris then turned to me with expectation, though she tried to hide it by averting her eyes and ying with her hair. Damn¡­ I really wanted to tease her and pretend I didn¡¯t get her anything¡­ but that might be a little too mean, even for me. ¡°Here. I got you this, Eris,¡± I said, taking out my gift. As for me, I had gotten her a band that would tie up her hair, with a pendant attached to the end, fitted with a red jewel that perfectly matched her hair. This style of jewellery was rtively umon here in the Central Continent, but apparently, it wasmon for women of the Begaritt Continent. Apparently, in their tradition, it was worn by a woman as a symbol of marriage, simr to how a ring was here in Asura, though there were no ulterior motives for it. I just thought it would look nice on her. Seeing her trace her finger across the gem with an expression of wonder, I didn¡¯t need to ask if she liked it. ¡°Here, I¡¯ll put it on you,¡± I said. She hastily turned around without a word, presenting her back to me, her posture rigid as she tilted her head forward. Slowly letting my hand drift across her bare neck, I gently picked up her hair, marvelling at how soft it felt against my skin as that weird heat I felt at the party returned. Shaking those thoughts away, I then gathered her hair in a bun before tying it with the band, letting the pendant rest against her hair and neck. ¡°Well? H-How does it look?¡± she asked. ¡°Tell me yourself,¡± I said. I then cast some ice magic, creating two mirrors so she could easily see the ornament. ¡°¡­I like it¡­ Yeah¡­ really like it¡­¡± Her eyes growing ssy, Eris then crawled away from me before refilling her ss with wine in a hurry, trying to look away from me. Though, because of the window, I could still see her wide smile in the reflection. It seems I chose my gift well. ¡°Hmph!¡± Hearing that cute harrumph, I turned my attention over to Sylphy, who¡¯s wearing a displeased pout. ¡°Only because it¡¯s her birthday, okay?¡± she said. ¡°¡­Sure, Sylphy. I n on getting you something good for your tenth as well,¡± I said. That seemed to quell her dissatisfaction, at least a little. As the night continued, Ghiine decided to sit at the end of the room, opting to watch the three of us instead of partake in any conversation, which made sense considering she was the only adult. But as we children kept talking, the girls¡¯ words slowly became more slurred as they began to sumb to their intoxication, and the conversation shifted to an¡­ odd direction. ¡°It¡¯s my birthday, so you¡¯ll do what I want, right?¡± Eris said. ¡°¡­Within reason, yes,¡± I answered. ¡°Then!¡± she said, standing on the bed as she pointed down at me. ¡°I demand you call me ¡®Eri¡¯ from now on!¡± ¡°¡­Sure,¡± I said. She then sat back down in front of me. ¡°And pat my head!¡± Iplied with her request. Sylphy, now pouting again, crawled over to sit closer to us. ¡°L-Leon! Can you¡­ can you kiss my cheek?¡± she said with a gleaming blush. Hmm¡­ I didn¡¯t want to give her any mixed feelings when I didn¡¯t even know my own yet, but a kiss on the cheek was innocent. In some southern kingdoms, it was even used as amon greeting. But before my logical reasoning coulde to a conclusion, the heat within my chest willed me to action, and I nted a chaste kiss on her rose-tinted cheek. ¡°H-H-Hya!¡± Sylphy then buried her face into the pillow, hiding from the world in embarrassment. But from how her legs were kicking up and down excitedly, I guess she didn¡¯t mind it. ¡°L-Leon!¡± Eris eximed, pointing to her cheek. ¡°My turn!¡± I did the same to her. Although she didn¡¯t bury herself in a pillow like Sylphy, her lips did curl into a giddy smile as she rubbed her cheek. And the warmth¡­ it was back once again. What¡­ what was happening to me? ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª When I woke up, I found myself sandwiched between Eris and Sylphy on my bed, both of their faces rxed as they slept. Sylphy was cuddled against my right side, while Eris simply sprawled out across the top of both of us, and her hair seemed to havee undone during the night, as it was now syed out across my chest and face. I could even feel some of it in my mouth. Yuck. Letting my mind slowly get into gear, I then thought back on the night that led to this situation. After having more than their fair share of wine, emptying the whole bottle in the process, Sylphy and Eris soon found themselves extremely sleepy and quickly passed out on the bed we were conversing on, both holding me in ce as they slept. I didn¡¯t want to wake them, and I found the situation quitefortable myself, thus, we all slept together. But it was time to start a new day. As I prepared to get up, I noticed an odd¡­ tingly sensation. A sort of tightness that coiled around my¡­ lower parts. And this feeling increased each time I felt either of the sleeping beauties¡¯ breath against my skin. Feeling weird and confused, I quickly slid out of the two¡¯s grasp, manoeuvring myself to not wake them. ¡°Mmm?¡± Sylphy seemed lost for a moment, wing at where I had previously been before her hands found Eris¡¯ waist, which she then quickly wrapped around forfort. I guess she was a cuddler, huh? With Sylphy holding onto Eris, I looked at the now ten-year-old girl. She had her two gifts from Ghiine and Sylphy held tightly in her hand, and as for the pendant, it was still holding a good portion of her hair, but in a ponytail rather than a bun. A bit messy, but in my opinion¡­ I liked that look of hers even more. But that tingly feeling¡­ it felt like that warmth fromst night¡­ and looking at the two enhanced that feeling even more. ¡°I can smell it, you know,¡± Ghiine said from the side. I nearly jumped out of my skin in surprise. I knew she was there, but I thought she had fallen asleep against the wall like the rest of us. ¡°S-Smell what?¡± I asked. She looked at me with a teasing smirk. ¡°Your arousal.¡± Taking a moment to process her words, my cheeks flushed in embarrassment a momentter, and before I could form a response, I felt my feet carry me out of my room in a hurry. A-Arousal? Then that meant¡­ I was finally going through it. Puberty. Feeling an odd sensation in my underwear, I brought my hand down, only to notice that there was a wetness that wasn¡¯t there before, and one that wasn¡¯t urine or water, and feeling my ¡®little Leon¡¯ poking against my pants¡­ Haa¡­ this was going to be weird, huh? And to think I got like this next to those two¡­ how embarrassing. As I began walking around the manor to cool off, with the hallways lit by the light of dawn, I passed by my brother¡¯s room just as he slowly closed the door behind him. ¡°Hehehe,¡± he chuckled perversely with a proud smile ¡­ ¡°Brother?¡± I asked. ¡°Huh!?¡± Quickly turning his head in surprise, he noticed me before releasing a sigh of relief. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just you. You scared me!¡± cing his hands behind his back, he then beckoned down the hall with his head. ¡°Here. Come share a walk with your dear brother.¡± ¡­What the hell was going on? Following behind him, I took a few moments to calm myself down before asking him, ¡°What did you do?¡± Don¡¯t tell me he did that. ¡°Huhu. I guess you could say I climbed the stairs of adulthood¡­ kind of,¡± Rudy said. Oh my god, he did that. ¡°What do you mean ¡®kind of¡¯?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, you see, Leon,¡± he said. ¡°I mainly yed with her cute nipples until-¡± ¡°Never mind. I don¡¯t want to hear it,¡± I cut him off. But one thing was for certain: I was definitely telling Mama about this. ¡°Don¡¯t you know they may use this to reel you into their political schemes?¡± I said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± he said. ¡°Father taught me all about keeping the ¡®ytime¡¯ as ¡®ytime¡¯¡­ if you catch my drift.¡± ¡­I was also telling Mama about that too. ¡ª Lilia Greyrat ¡ª ¡°I can¡¯t believe my sweet Rudy¡¯s already eight, and Leon¡¯s already ten! It felt like yesterday I was teaching him healing magic for the first time, and now he¡¯s off taking his little girlfriend to the city on horseback,¡± Zenith said as she gently rocked the sleeping Norn. ¡°That is one of the joys of parenthood, Zenny, so let¡¯s just enjoy it and watch them grow into the wonderful men we know they will be,¡± I replied. ¡°I suppose¡­ anyway, you said you got Leon something for his birthday, right? I forgot to ask what it was,¡± she said. Cutting up thest of the vegetables, a smile spread across my face. ¡°I simply¡­ sent a letter to my father, asking if he could find Leon a teacher.¡± ¡°Oh? Is your father that high up in the Water God style?¡± Zenith asked. ¡°In terms of ranks? No. He¡¯s a humble Advanced-rank swordsman with a somewhat sessful dojo,¡± I replied. ¡°But, back when I was with him, he was friends with the current Water God, Rieda Reia.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ that¡¯s something. Do you think he would do something for a boy he doesn¡¯t know, and one he isn¡¯t rted to?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes. From the letters we exchanged, it¡¯s obvious he¡¯s quite fond of Leon, and also interested in his skill,¡± I said. After all, Leon, along with Rudeus, were the ones who saved me. Although my father didn¡¯t think highly of me as a warrior, he still loved his daughter and those I viewed as my child, which Leon absolutely was to me. ¡°I just hope he still has a connection with the Water God, and if so, I hope she will send someone to help train Leon. He¡¯s been annoyed at the ¡®imbnce¡¯ of his swordsmanship for a while,¡± I continued. I just hoped that my letteres to fruition. I¡¯ve been sending most of my pay to my parents since I departed from the dojo, so it¡¯s the least my father could do to pay me back. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure Leon will be happy if it does happen. You¡­ really love him, don¡¯t you Lilia? Rudy too,¡± Zenith said. ¡°Of course, Zenny,¡± I said, feeling my lips curl up as I looked at the rising sun out the window. ¡°I love this family quite a bit¡­ my family.¡± Yes¡­ I truly do. Chapter 23 – The Way of Water Chapter 23 ¨C The Way of Water ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It was a normal day in Roa, just like any other. I spent the morning training while Rudy taught Eris her lessons, as we always did, and after lunch, I went along with Sauros and Eris to guard the two as they swam in the river. However, in the end, I ended up swimming along with her, but Sauros didn¡¯t seem to mind. If anything, he looked happy to see his granddaughter giggling and trading sshes with me as we yed. After we got back, I expected the day to continue normally, with me spending the evening training my magic or perusing the library. That was until Ghiine suddenly stood with her tail bristled. ¡°Big Sis? What¡¯s wrong-¡± That¡¯s when I felt it. An overwhelming pressure, as if the air was no longer fit to breathe, squeezing my lungs as the hair on my arm rose. This¡­ was the pressure of the strong. ¡°With me!¡± Following Ghiine out the door, we sprinted toward the source of the power, which just so happened to be at the training ground. And when we got there¡­ ¡°Huh? Are you the brat I¡¯ve heard so much about?¡± There was an old woman with short white hair and clear blue eyes. Although she looked good for her age, she was definitely past her 60s, yet¡­ she was also the source of that diforting level of power. She¡­ was strong. Incredibly so. ¡°Leon. Stay back,¡± Ghiine said, pulling out her sword. ¡°You! What is the meaning of this? If this is an attack on the Boreas Greyrat household, then I, the ck Wolf Sword King, will respond in kind!¡± As she stood firmly, she whispered to me in the Beast God tongue, ¡°Leon. Prepare to escape with Eris and Master Sauros. No objections.¡± Nodding my head, I took out my sword and began to gather wind around my feet, but before any battle could break out, the woman spoke. ¡°Ghiine? Where have I heard that before¡­ Ah, right! Gal told me about you!¡± Ghiine flinched in surprise. ¡°But an attack? I¡¯m not here for anything like that, so don¡¯t worry. After all¡­ if I was, everyone here would already be dead,¡± the woman then peered over to the bushes, which Eris and Rudy quickly rose from. Haa¡­ those two. ¡°¡­I hope that those words are true. But who are you? And how do you know my master?¡± Ghiine asked. ¡°Hm? Ah, right. Introductions. I¡¯ve been with my granddaughter for so long, I forgot about that stuff,¡± the old woman then tilted her head down. ¡°I am Reida Reia, although you probably know me better as the current Water God.¡± ¡­Well, that exined her strength, but what the heck was someone like her doing here? Sheathing her sword, Ghiine then bowed to her. ¡°I apologize for my insolence.¡± ¡°No need. You just did your job as a guard. In fact¡­¡± she turned to me, her eyes glinting with intrigue. ¡°You both did.¡± Ghiine rose to her feet. ¡°Thank you. But¡­ why exactly are you here? As far as I know, Master Sauros has no connection to you or your school.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m not here for him, but rather¡­ for you,¡± she said, nodding her head my way. ¡°Me?¡± I said in confusion. Uhh¡­ what the hell? ¡°I¡¯m honoured, but¡­ why? How?¡± I asked. ¡°You see¡­ Augustus, a dear friend of mine, told me he had an interesting grandson with a talent for the sword,¡± she said, pulling out her de. ¡°So hit me with your best strike and prove your worth.¡± ¡­Okay, I was a bit confused, but she wanted me to attack her, right? Looking over to Ghiine, she gave me a nod before stepping away from between us. ¡°Just to be sure¡­ you aren¡¯t going to split my body in half with a counterattack, right?¡± I said cautiously. I was not so arrogant as to think I could actually beat the Water God, so I just wanted to be sure that today wouldn¡¯t be myst in this world. ¡°As long as you¡¯re good enough,¡± she shrugged. ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just kidding. Come on, I don¡¯t have all day here,¡± she said with a smile. ¡­So she was a bit of a joker, huh? But hearing those words from a Divine-rank swordsman¡­ they didn¡¯t sound that funny at all. ¡°G-Go Leon! S-Show her how strong you are!¡± Eris cheered from the side. Giving her a thankful smile, I set my stance as I prepared myself. The more I practised with it, the more I learned just how amazing Eris¡¯ gift to me was, as not only was it a sword that could withstand a sh of Longsword of Lights, but it also acted as a staff that boosted my magic. It made my magic faster, stronger, better, and easier to maintain without concentration. It was difficult to numerically quantify its effects, but I would say it made my magic about 1.5 times better in terms of quality while reducing my concentration needed by half. I coated my legs in wind magic as I crouched down, and with a thin veil of wind magic wrapped around my body to reduce air resistance, Iunched forward, having a fire spell explode from the soles of my feet for extra propulsion. Holding my sword to the side, I let touki flow over me, willing it to infuse and enhance every part of my form as I shot forward. Feeling the worlde to a stop as my vision shifted to monochrome, I found myself next to the woman an instantter as my de arced through the air toward Reida¡¯s neck. But instead of being blocked, and much lessnding my strike, I was instead flung to the ground, crumpling into a heap. I¡­ couldn¡¯t even tell what just happened. This woman¡­ she really was a monster befitting the title of a ¡®God¡¯. ¡°So you really are a Sword Saint,¡± she said in awe. ¡°And aplete one too¡­ Heh. I¡¯m not needed in the capital for three seasons, so let¡¯s see what I can do.¡± Slowly getting to my feet, I cast healing magic across my sore body before forming a response, ¡°W-What do you mean by that?¡± Her eyebrow raised at my magic, but she decided to answer my question before asking any of her own, ¡°What I mean is that I¡¯ll train you for a while. Hopefully, if you¡¯re good enough, I can make you into a Water Saint before I leave. Hmm¡­ hey, you don¡¯t have a wife yet, do you?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No. Just¡­¡± I mean, there was Roxy, but that was a bit different. ¡°No, I don¡¯t. Why?¡± And training me? What the hell? ¡°Great. Maybe after this, I can take you back to marry my granddaughter,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°W-What!? Absolutely not!¡± Eris protested. And that was how I gained my second swordsmanship instructor, this time being the greatest Water God swordsman in the world. ¡ª Information on the Six-Faced World ¡ª Water God Style Ranking Five Secret Arts: The name of the five undisclosed ultimate techniques of the Water God style left by the founder of the style, the first Water God Reidar. Even one of these techniques is extremely hard to master. Beginner: This rank is where practitioners begin learning the foundations of the Water God style. To attain this rank, they must have a basic understanding and ability in swordsmanship. Intermediate: Intermediate Water God practitioners can contend with an average knight, and can swiftly cover their body in touki. Advanced: This rank is attained when one can consciously use their touki and begin learning the basics of Flow. Saint: This rank is attained once one has mastered the use of Flow and begins to learn one of the Five Secret Arts. King: This rank is attained once one has mastered one of the Five Secret Arts. Emperor: This rank is attained once one has mastered two of the Five Secret Arts. God: There can only be one Water God, and it is the leader of the school. To attain this rank, one must master three of the Five Secret Arts and be the strongest practitioner of the Water God style. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª After the Water God¡¯s surprising reveal, she was quickly given the greatest guest room and treatment by Sauros and Philip, as having someone of her stature simply living in their manor would elevate the prestige of the family by quite a bit. In an effort to appease the woman, Philip had written off all my guard duties, and simply told me to ¡®get stronger, and keep her here as long as I could¡¯. Which led me to now, standing in the courtyard under the summer heat, with a wooden sword in hand. ¡°So¡­ Miss Reia-¡± ¡°Call me ¡®Master¡¯, alright?¡± she said, interrupting me. ¡°That¡¯s my first rule. My second rule is that you only use the Water God style for this training, got it? It might be a bit hard, but the best way to reach the Saint rank in the time we have is to focus on only my school. No magic or anything else,¡± Master continued. ¡°Understood, Master,¡± I said seriously. ¡°Good,¡± she said. ¡°Augustus said you¡¯re at the Advanced rank in the Water God. Who trained you?¡± ¡°My father, Paul Greyrat,¡± I answered. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise. ¡°That brat? I didn¡¯t think he had it in him to teach.¡± ¡­I don¡¯t think he has it in him either, but that wasn¡¯t too important right now. ¡°You know him?¡± I asked. ¡°Yep,¡± she nodded. ¡°I trained him when he was a brat who just ran away from home. Who would¡¯ve thought he would settle down and have a son?¡± ¡°Ah, we¡¯re¡­ not rted by blood. Rudeus, my brother is, though,¡± I said. ¡°Huh, really?¡± she said, surprised. ¡°You look quite a bit like he did when he was your age. Though your features are a bit softer.¡± ¡°I do?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s like a memory. Are you sure you two aren¡¯t rted?¡± she asked. My forehead creased. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think so.¡± I had never thought of it before, but I had absolutely no knowledge of my birth father. But as she had said, as I¡¯ve grown older, I¡¯ve slowly shown more features that were simr to Paul''s. Except for my golden hair and brown eyes¡­ which were both from my mother. Was Mom a ¡®conquest¡¯ of his that he had in his youth? I mean, I would have to have been conceived right when he started adventuring, so it¡¯s not impossible. But if he was¡­ I would beat him to an inch of death. Hell, I might even cross the line. Being a single mother in this world was nearly a death sentence without the right supportivemunity, after all, so if he did that to Mom¡­ ¡°¡­Is that so? Well, it doesn¡¯t really matter, does it?¡± Master said with a shrug. ¡°Let¡¯s just see how well that dunce trained you. I¡¯ll be attacking, so do whatever you can to defend and counter. Just make sure to use only the Water God style.¡± Without giving me a moment to take in her words, she then began attacking in a flurry of strikes. This¡­ it was the Sword God style. And at a level above Paul. Well, I guess once you reach such heights in swordsmanship, your base strength and technique would carry you to the Saint rank in all the styles no matter how much you trained, as long as you knew the techniques, that is. As I quickly discovered, using only the Water God style was quite difficult. I was just itching to use my magic or unleash a powerful strike, but I knew that doing that wouldn¡¯t help me. I needed to get stronger in the Water God style and understand the principles from the basics so that I could raise it to the level of my Sword God abilities and have both styles bnce themselves in perfect harmony. Soon, with her relentless attacks, I was eventually able to find the perfect opportunity to parry. Angling my sword, I let my touki re along the de, pushing her sword to the side before I carved my sword through the air, closing in on her vulnerable side. But as soon as I reached it¡­ ¡°Not bad. But still sloppy.¡± I felt my body get pulled forward by some unknown force, beforending on the ground face-first in a heap, almost a mirror image of when I tried striking her upon her arrival. ¡°Do you know what you did wrong?¡± Master asked. ¡°Urk¡­ no. Not really,¡± I responded. ¡°Tch. While your Flow was good, you only used the defensive side of it and quit before using the counter side halfway through. It¡¯s almost like you expected to shift to a Sword God technique, but you stopped yourself,¡± she lectured, tossing me my dropped sword. ¡°My what? What is¡­ Flow?¡± I asked. She scrunched her eyebrow. ¡°What do you mean, ¡®what is Flow¡¯? Did your father not teach you it?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No. My father doesn¡¯t even know what touki is. He¡¯s the¡­ instinctive type.¡± ¡°Ha¡­ and here I thought he grew a brain. How did you get so good with such a dunce as a teacher?¡± she asked. ¡°Umm¡­ I watched him, and trained very hard since I was three?¡± I said in response. ¡°Hoh?¡± she eximed with a smile. ¡°Three? Quite young for anyone not in the Sword Sanctum.¡± ¡°Paul¡­ really wanted to pass on his ¡®teachings¡¯. Though I wouldn¡¯t exactly call them that,¡± I said, getting to my feet. ¡°Hah. That¡¯s one way to say it,¡± sheughed. ¡°Anyway, at least I now know what needs fixing. You need to learn the counterattacking part of the Water God style without relying on anything but the Water God technique. You also need to learn some of the basics that idiot skipped over, such as reading the flow of battle, mana, and touki.¡± The Water God style could do that? That sounded extremely useful! ¡°And maybe, if you improve fast enough¡­ I could get you started on one of the Five Secret Arts. You¡¯ll have to master Flow before that, though, haha!¡± she added. ¡­It seemed like I had a lot to learn. But this was a good thing. Under this new Master of mine, I would probably be able to grow at a much faster pace and see the peaks of swordsmanship that would previously be impossible. Though¡­ I would have to send a letter home, telling them I wouldn¡¯t be visiting for a while. They should understand, right? ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Calm. Tranquil. Theplete absence of thought. Letting the water cascade over my body, drenching me head to toe, I paid it no mind as I remained sitting cross-legged in meditation. This was training for the Water God style, straight from the leader of the school herself, and as one might expect from the name, it involved water. You see, there were two halves to the Water God, and conversely, two methods of training needed to master the style. First, there were the swordsmanship skills, where one would learn how to cleanly cut through the air not by force, but by graceful technique. After all, air was also a fluid, though it was much easier to navigate through, so the aspect of ¡®Flow¡¯ worked just as well within water as it did outside of it. The second method was what I was currently doing¡­ meditation, the training for the senses side of the Water God style. ording to Master, this was the side that I needed the most work in, as Paul had never taught me anything about these things. I don¡¯t know if he knew how to do it and simply didn¡¯t teach it, or if he didn¡¯t know it at all, but either way, I needed to train up this side of the style before I started on my path to a Water Saint. But of course, it wasn¡¯t just simple meditation. That would be too easy. Feeling my instincts re, I raised my sword to deflect the oing blow. Thwack! Parrying it to the side, and sensing no follow-up, I brought my sword back to rest on myp as I returned to absolute calm. ¡°Alright. That¡¯s enough,¡± Master said. Opening my eyes, I took a deep breath before rising to my feet. As it happened, I quite liked meditation. I used to use this method to train my magic when I was younger, but at some point, the process of thinking in tandem with casting spells was needed to improve my skills, so I stopped. But now that it was a method of training my skills in the Water God style, I would be able to return to doing it without any guilt of wasting my time. ¡°You sure you don¡¯t need a jacket, kid?¡± Master asked. ¡°No, thanks. Magic is quite versatile, after all,¡± I returned. Feeling the cold air against my skin, intensified by how wet I was, I cast Burn in ce over my body while simultaneously creating a warm draft to heat my hair, raising my body temperature back to afortable level. A few months had passed since bing the Water God¡¯s student, and as the season slowly approached winter, it was bing much cooler in the mornings. Especially when you were just drenched in freezing river water. Unfortunately, this meant that I had missed Aisha and Norn¡¯s second birthday, but considering it wasn¡¯t one of the three celebrated ones, I didn¡¯t feel too bad. I just hope they didn¡¯t forget about me. ¡°¡­I still can¡¯t help but be amazed whenever I see it,¡± Master said. ¡°You and your brother are real monsters, you know that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite rude. I¡¯m not the one who can flip an attacker upside down with a finger,¡± I responded as I picked up my bag. ¡°Hah. Maybe. But at the rate you¡¯re going, it won¡¯t be long before you reach that level. And add to that the strength of casting magic without a chant¡­ hell, you could probably be one of the Seven Great Powers,¡± she said. ¡°I doubt it. It¡¯d probably just be annoying anyway,¡± I huffed. Seven Great Powers? Ridiculous. I had no need for such a title. While I was aiming to get that strong, that was only in terms of abilities, I didn¡¯t want or need to unt my power past letting people know not to mess with my family. In fact, if I got to that level¡­ I¡¯d probably get targeted so that someone could take my title. ¡°That so? Then why are you trying to get so strong?¡± Master asked. ¡°My family and friends,¡± I said, kicking a rock down the path we were walking on. ¡°Even if it¡¯s unlikely for them to run into such big problems, almost everything can be solved with enough strength. As long as you have a brain to properly use it, that is.¡± ¡°Hmm? I see. A family man. That¡¯s one of the best traits to have when reeling in girls for the long haul, you know?¡± she said. ¡°Huh? Why would I need to do that?¡± I asked. ¡°Pff,¡± sheughed. ¡°Y-You¡¯re right. You definitely don¡¯t need it. Make sure you put a shirt on before we reach the city, though. Unless you make all the girls drool.¡± Pouting slightly, I took my shirt out of my bag before putting it on. As I had grown both in age and strength, I was starting to finally show some muscle. Luckily, whether it was just mybat-focused training or some aspect of touki enhancing my muscles, I was not bulky to a disgusting degree, but rather, extremely toned, with muscles that popped with every movement, pretty simr to Paul. ording to Rudy, I had the body of a ¡®Greek God¡¯, whatever that meant, but knowing what my lecherous brother liked to worship, I didn¡¯t want to know of any ¡®god¡¯ of his. Anyway, with this new physique, I had also begun feeling an increasing amount of lustful gazes sent my way, both from the maids in the manor, and the townsfolk. Which didn¡¯t help with the fact I was starting puberty. Puberty was¡­ weird. Not much had changed, other than some faster physical growth and morning¡­ mishaps, but I now knew that it was the cause of why I felt tingly and weird around Eris, or, as I now called her, ¡®Eri¡¯. But I was able to control myself to not make any rash decisions, unlike a certain brother of mine. But despite it being controlled, it still didn¡¯t stop my confusion about the situation. Did I like her? Or was it simply my roused hormones? And those questions were the same with Sylphy. But I decided to put those thoughts to the side for now and focus on what I could do in the present, which was swordsmanship. If I liked them, then I would own up to my feelings, but I would only do so once I knew my feelings were pure and true, which could onlye after some self-discovery. ¡°But you didn¡¯t have to learn the Water God style, you know. There hasn¡¯t ever been a Sword Saint as young as you, so I have no doubt you could be the Sword God with enough practice,¡± she said. Back to the strength talk, huh? ¡°Well, focusing on one style wouldn¡¯t be good. My father, while an idiot, can use the three sword styles in tandem, creating a perfect style of swordsmanship both in theory and practice¡­ at least for the Advanced rank. So I want to follow his footsteps in that way, at least,¡± I said. ¡°Heh. No kidding. Your dad was pretty good, at least from what I remember. Too bad he was such azy ass,¡± Master chuckled. ¡°Mmm. But I wanted to take it a step further,¡± I said, getting a raised eyebrow from the woman. ¡°Moulding the three styles together, covering their individual weaknesses¡­ I want to do all at a higher level than he did, and also add in an element that my father never had.¡± ¡°Oh? Are you talking about your magic?¡± she said curiously. ¡°Yes,¡± I nodded. ¡°I want to make a new style of swordsmanship.¡± She looked at me for a moment before chuckling. ¡°Hah. Good luck, kid. I won¡¯t say it¡¯s impossible, but it will definitely be difficult. At least if you want the style to be any better than the current ones that have been perfected for centuries,¡± she said. ¡°So? You have a name for it yet?¡± ¡°Umm¡­¡± I trailed off, scratching my cheek. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked. ¡°I do, but¡­ it¡¯s a bit embarrassing,¡± I said. ¡°Huh? Just say it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ the Elemental God Style,¡± I said. Instead of being met withughter, Master ced her hand on her chin in a pondering expression. ¡°¡®Elemental God¡¯, huh? Not bad, but I wouldn¡¯t go adding the ¡®God¡¯ part until you reach the level of Gal and me, alright? Numerous styles pop up here and there, especially with those North God folks, but any of them with ¡®God¡¯ in the name quickly getughed off or challenged to a duel.¡± Ah. I see. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± I said, bowing my head. I guess for now, I¡¯d just call it the Elemental Style. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Watching a brown blur race toward my face, I sidestepped the strike as I raised my own sword to block. ck! The familiar sound echoed across the riverside, blending in pleasantly with the background noise of running water. Master backed up before raising her sword once again, this time, holding the handle close to her side. It was a familiar position. After all, I had practised that move day after day after first learning it. It was the stance of the Longsword of Light. I watched as mana began to d her body and de, twisting and converging like a violent, yet controlled storm as her feet dug into the ground. And without a sound, she disappeared, leaving nothing but a small cloud of dust in her wake. But this speed was still manageable for me, and with my now-trained senses, I could point out where she was going to attack. Raising my sword, I angled the de while letting my touki ripple across the side like waves in the ocean, and as her strike approached, I slid my de under hers to deflect. At that moment, I started to feel¡­ something. It wasn¡¯t anything exinable, nor some grand revtion, it just felt like something clicked into ce¡­ simr to my previous enlightenment. My body turning along the path of her strike, I let my touki re, disrupting her rhythm as I transferred the shape, the feeling, the pure technique from her sword into my own. My vision turned monochrome, and with a twist of my hips and a flick of my wrist, I pivoted my feet as my sword reached Master¡¯s exposed side. But this time, instead of using her hand to stop my strike, she dodged, leaving my sword to soar uselessly through her afterimage. ¡°Haa¡­ haa.¡± Breathing heavily, I brought my sword back up in a ready position, but instead of unleashing an attack despite my fatigue, Master simply rested her practice sword on her shoulder with a wide smile. ¡°Congrats kid. That was a perfect use of Flow. Or at least, good enough to advance your rank,¡± she said. ¡°Take pride, Leon Greyrat. You can now call yourself a Water Saint.¡± I¡­ was a Water Saint now? Other than that weird feeling I felt before reflecting her attack, my abilities didn¡¯t feel all that different, but I suppose I felt the same when I became a Sword Saint. ¡°Thank you, Master,¡± I said with a bow. ¡°I couldn¡¯t have done it without you.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ maybe. But you¡¯d be strong either way. Anyway, I would have been leaving soon whether you got there or not, so good job on reaching the Saint rank in our time together,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re a good kid. Strong too. Just don¡¯t let others take that strength for granted.¡± She then gently lowered her sword, pointing the tip to the ground as she widened her stance. ¡°Now, while I will be leaving today, I¡¯ll show you what to reach for next as a final lesson. If I¡¯m right, this technique should fit you perfectly, even if it¡¯s difficult to master,¡± she said. ¡°Nowe take a step toward me.¡± Following her advice, I took a hesitant step forward, and as soon as I did, I felt a searing pain in my shoulder. ¡°Gah!¡± Bringing my hand to the pain, I felt a stream of hot liquid, and I didn¡¯t need to look to know it was blood. What? That¡­ was insane! Quickly healing the gash, I tried to make sense of what I just saw, or rather, felt, since I didn¡¯t see anything, even with my mana sense. ¡°That was Dance of Deluge, one of the Five Secret Arts of the Water God style, and one of the two that isbined to make my Deprivation Sword Kingdom technique,¡± she exins. ¡°W-What¡¯s that?¡± I asked. ¡°Your technique?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my ultimate technique. Pray you never see me use it,¡± she said, cing her sword back to rest on her shoulder. ¡°Anyway, now that you¡¯ve seen it, practice with the aim of replicating it. I don¡¯t expect you to be able to for a while, but once you do, you¡¯ll be a Water King, and then you cane back to the capital for some more training. Only if you want, of course.¡± ¡°U-Uhh, yeah. Sure,¡± I stammered, still a bit dumbfounded at what had just happened. Such an inexplicable thing¡­ it was practically out of the realm of possibility, at least for a mortal. Well¡­ I guess that¡¯s why she¡¯s called a ¡®God¡¯, huh? ¡°Good. Well, it¡¯s been fun, Leon,¡± she said as she began walking away. ¡°Say¡­ are you sure you don¡¯t want to marry my granddaughter? She¡¯s quite beautiful, if I said so myself.¡± ¡°No, thanks. I¡­ already have someone in mind,¡± I said, thinking of Roxy. Though¡­ at this point, with Sylphy and Eris, it might be better to said I had a few people in mind. But god knows what Mama would do to me if I said that. ¡°Someone in mind, eh? Heh, you hear that, kid!?¡± she said toward a distant tree. ¡°Eep!¡± ¡®Eep!¡¯? ¡°Come on out! Give this olddy onestugh before I head back to those stuffy nobles,¡± Master said. Slowly, from behind the tree that the noise originated from, Eris emerged, with slightly rosy cheeks and eyes that darted around the forest before honing in on Master. ¡°H-Hmph! W-What¡¯s wrong with me being here, huh!?¡± Wow¡­ to take such an attitude with the Water God¡­ Eris sure was amazing. However, I was a bit confused as to why she kept sending short nces my way. Oh, right. While I had healed my cut, there was still blood covering my bare chest, so she must have been worried. Washing myself with some water magic, I then dried off with a quick burst of warm wind before looking back at Eris. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Eri! See? Nothing to worry about!¡± I shouted. But for some reason, instead of looking relieved, her mouth simply widened a little before she suddenly ran, her form darting away with a blur. ¡°Umm¡­ Eri?¡± I said, confused. Why¡¯d she run off like that? ¡°Hahaha! Ahh, you kids are fun¡­ reminds me of my youth. Maybe I should send Isolte over here after she bes a Saint. That would surely be a treat to watch,¡± Master said, wiping a tear from her eye. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m off. Get strong, Leon, but don¡¯t forget to have fun too. If you only follow the sword, you¡¯ll end up old like me in no time.¡± With those final words of wisdom, my Master, the Water God, departed as quickly as she came, walking toward the city toward what I could only assume to be the carriage house. Considering she didn¡¯t bring anything but the clothes on her back and the sword strapped to her waist, she didn¡¯t even need to stop by the manor before leaving, and as she didn¡¯t interact with anyone but me and the maids that took care of her, she probably wouldn¡¯t need to say any farewells either. During her time here, she basically treated the manor like an inn, but no one took any insult from that. After all, you would have to have a death wish toin about manners to a Divine-rank swordsman. Anyway, despite only teaching me for a little more than half a year, I learned a lot, and not only in aspects regarding swordsmanship. From my mental training, I could now sense mana to some extent. While I had always had the ability to sense my own mana, it now extended to others and to touki as well, though to a lesser extent. Not only did this new sense aid in my control of touki and swordsmanship abilities, but it also helped with my magic, as the previous sense of my own mana was boosted. Nothing too drastic, of course, but it was still good progress, and considering that I was now past the age of growing my mana capacity, I needed all the help I could get with increasing my magic abilities. Tilting my head up, I felt a few snowkes fall onto my face, instantly turning into water once theynded on my skin. During my training, nearly a year had passed, meaning that I had be eleven years old, and with springing up, Rudy was soon to be nine. Time passes pretty quickly, huh? I guess I shouldn¡¯t take Master¡¯s words about it for granted. Yeah¡­ I should head back home for a while and spend some quality time with my sisters, Mama, Lilia, and Sylphy. Oh, and it¡¯d be fun to brag to my father that I was now a Water Saint, too. And since I was now a Water Saint, and had also kept such a prestigious woman as the Water God in his manor, I¡¯m sure Philip wouldn¡¯t mind me taking some time off with my family. But if he wanted to renegotiate my contract¡­ hehe, well, let¡¯s just say I would be able to get my sisters something very nice for their birthdays. Chapter 24 – Harvest Festival Chapter 24 ¨C Harvest Festival ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Come on, brother. Let the mana flow through you, enhancing your strength with each strike. Don¡¯t control it, just guide it,¡± I lectured. A wooden sword whistled toward my face, butpared to the Water God, it looked like nothing more than a baby swinging a stick. Needless to say, I parried it effortlessly, and with my brother leaving his side open, I gave him some punishment for being so vulnerable. Thwack! ¡°Ouch!¡± Rudy eximed as he falls onto the ground. ¡°Haa¡­That¡¯s enough,¡± I said. As Rudy began to cast healing magic on himself, I silently contemted what I had noticedtely whenever I sparred with my brother. With me bing a Water Saint, I could now sense mana, and by extension, touki as well. Ghiine¡¯s was sharp and refined, almost to the point where it was hard to see, though that was probably just the difference in our abilities. Master did say that at a certain difference in strength, one¡¯s touki bes beyond one¡¯s understanding, whatever that meant. Eris¡¯ touki, however, was very¡­ loose. Unrefined and amateur, at leastpared to me. Buttely, she was starting to use touki with some of her strikes, which meant that she was now an Advanced-rank swordswoman, or at least very close to it. And Rudy¡­ I couldn¡¯t feel his at all. When one reached the Intermediate rank, like the few knights I saw training in the courtyard from time to time, they should begin having some touki radiate off their body, even if it''s uncontrolled. In fact, even a Beginner-rank swordsman showed shes of touki here and there. Rudy, however¡­ seemed to have none at all. ¡°Dammit¡­ What do you think the problem is, Leon?¡± he asked me. ¡°¡­You said you don¡¯t feel anything at all, right?¡± I asked. ¡°What? Don¡¯t start talking like Father now,¡± he teased. ¡°But no, I don¡¯t. Am I doing something wrong?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No.¡± Whilecking in power, Rudy¡¯s technique was quite good, even being on par with Eris as long as you didn¡¯t take the rawbat instincts and talent into ount. And considering that he had been training for so long¡­ yeah, I was pretty confident about this. ¡°Rudy¡­ I don¡¯t think you have any touki. Or at least, if you do, you can¡¯t use it,¡± I stated my hypothesis. ¡°No touki, huh?¡± he said despondently. ¡°I guess I can¡¯t be a swordsman, then.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say that,¡± I interjected. ¡°I¡¯ve noticed Sylphy has the same problem, but it¡¯s still good for you two to learn swordsmanship to defend yourself and trainbat instincts, even if you can barely reach the Intermediate rank. But perhaps¡­ yeah, I think you should start focusing on the Water God and North God instead. Is that alright, Big Sis?¡± Looking over to Ghiine, she nodded in response. ¡°Mmm. Rudeus is not suited for the Sword God Style.¡± Ouch. ¡°And it wouldn¡¯t do any good for Eris to only fight against Sword God techniques. Unfortunately, Leon is too far ahead to be her sparring partner, but with Rudeus learning the other styles, it would broaden her abilities as well,¡± she continued. ¡°Ah¡­ I see. But isn¡¯t Eris stronger than me?¡± Rudy asked. ¡°¡­In swordsmanship, yes. But you¡¯re still close enough to be good partners,¡± I said. That was something else I¡¯ve learned about Rudy. He underestimated himself. Especially in terms ofbat strength. It was probably due to having a very skewed sense of normalcy, as the people he knew were Paul, a genius at all three sword styles; Ghiine, one of the few people in the world who had reached the rank of Sword King in the world; me, who was extremely talented at both swordsmanship and magic; and then Eris, who, while currently only a bit better than the average swordsman, was a genius in her own right. Anyway, while he might end up pissing some people off in the future by acting so humble, I¡¯d rather him be like his now than be overconfident and get himself killed, so I think I¡¯ll just leave it as is. Plus, judging from his ¡®experience¡¯ from Eris¡¯ birthday, he was doing just fine in terms of self-confidence. Speaking of that night, Mama was pretty upset when I told her about it, and even more so when I told her where Rudy got his tips from. Needless to say, there was a long period of time when I didn¡¯t have to worry about another little sibling of mine entering the world. Letting the springtime air that was teeming with the scent of blossoming flowers blow across my face, I started heading toward the stables. ¡°I¡¯m heading home today, okay? I¡¯ll be back by tomorrow around dinnertime,¡± I said. ¡°Can Ie!?¡± Eris pleaded. ¡°You know you can¡¯t, Eri. I¡¯ll take Sylphy on my way back, though. Plus, you still have some reading to catch up on, right?¡± I said. ¡°Hmph! It¡¯s way too boring!¡± she whined. ¡°Eri,¡± I said. ¡°I know you want to be an adventurer.¡± ¡°Wha-!?¡± Eris eximed. Was she so surprised that I knew? She had always perked up at Ghiine¡¯s adventuring stories, and always made a habit of stopping in at the guild whenever we went into the city. ¡°And to be an adventurer, you need to know how to read the requests,¡± I continued. ¡°Unless you want to annoy the receptionist.¡± That seemed to shut her up. ¡°Mmm,¡± Ghiine nodded. ¡°That was one of the problems I encountered after our party split. It¡¯s a skill you need to be independent.¡± And with that, a fire was born in Eris¡¯ eyes. Hopefully, with this, she would take my dear brothers¡¯ lessons a bit more seriously, at least for the next week before that determination waned. That was how it usually went, after all. ¡°Oh, and Rudy, I¡¯ll have Sylphy join our spars when shees. Both swordsmanship and magic,¡± I said as I hopped on the saddle. Luckily, I was able to shorten the journey to and from Buena Vige by an hour by constantly supplying the horse with healing magic, so it wouldn¡¯t be too long of a ride. Though this method would never work for long journeys, if it was just a day, then the mana cost was eptable, and the horse could sprint for the entire distance. ¡°Ah, sure. Will we go into the field for our magic spars?¡± Rudy asked. ¡°Naturally,¡± I responded. Yes. While Rudy wasn¡¯t very gifted in swordsmanship, he was a genius in magic, both in regr applications and inbat. The magic spars were something I started based on what Roxy told me about the Ranoa University of Magic. While I didn¡¯t think I needed to go to such a ce to increase my abilities, the battle ss was an interesting idea, and so, after some advice from her letters, I decided to put it into practice with the three of us. Anyway, Rudy had yet to win a spar against me in pure magic, but that was only because of my greaterbat experience, and the fact that his mana¡¯s unique properties didn¡¯t help him. A crazy amount of mana and increased strength of said mana didn¡¯t matter much in a short battle where we weren¡¯t aiming to kill each other, after all. I just hoped that the skills he¡¯s been growing with me would help him when he ended up getting on a woman¡¯s bad side, or multiple women¡¯s bad sides, for that matter. ¡ª Information on the Six-Faced World ¡ª The Four Children Leon Greyrat: An eleven-year-old boy with golden hair and brown eyes, his two favourite activities are entertaining his sisters and training. Swordsmanship - Sword God: Saint, Water God: Saint, North God: Advanced Attack Magic - Water: Saint, Fire: Advanced, Wind: Advanced, Earth: Advanced Healing Magic - Healing: Advanced, Detoxification: Advanced, Protection: Intermediate Rudeus Greyrat: A nine-year-old boy with brown hair and green eyes, his two favourite activities are practising magic and sniffing used panties. Swordsmanship - Sword God: Intermediate, Water God: Intermediate, North God: Intermediate Attack Magic - Water: Saint, Fire: Advanced, Wind: Advanced, Earth: Advanced Healing Magic - Healing: Intermediate, Detoxification: Intermediate Eris Boreas Greyrat: An eleven-year-old girl with red hair and red eyes, her favourite activities are practising swordsmanship and visiting the city with Leon. Swordsmanship - Sword God: Advanced, North God: Beginner Attack Magic - Water: Beginner, Fire: Beginner Healing Magic - Healing: Beginner Sylphiette: An eight-year-old girl with green hair and red eyes, her favourite activities are practising magic and ying with Leon, Eris, and Rudeus. Swordsmanship - Water God: Beginner Attack Magic - Water: Intermediate, Fire: Intermediate, Wind: Advanced, Earth: Intermediate Healing Magic - Healing: Intermediate, Detoxification: Intermediate ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Daddy! Mommy! Look!¡± Norn eximed, showing off her barely-legible scribbles. ¡°It¡¯s my name!¡± ¡°That¡¯s wonderful sweetie!¡± Mama said with a wide smile before turning to me. ¡°Such a good brother you are, teaching them how to write so well.¡± ¡°Sylphy does it too,¡± I said, averting my gaze. ¡°Fufu~ Yes, she does, but that doesn¡¯t take away your efforts, my little cutie~¡± she said, pulling me into a hug. I tried to squirm out of her hold in embarrassment. ¡°Mama! I¡¯m not little anymore!¡± ¡°Right, you¡¯re a big Water Saint now, aren¡¯t you? Ah, but I do miss when Rudy and you were so small,¡± Mama said with a sigh, resting her chin on my shoulder. Norn then walked up to me, slightly hiding behind her piece of paper. ¡°D-Did I do good, brother?¡± she asked. Getting out of Mama¡¯s grasp, I then crouched down in front of her. ¡°Of course you did!¡± I said as I picked her up and ced her onto my shoulders. ¡°Now, how about I take you two to the hill, and I¡¯ll show you some magic spells! Maybe Sylphy wille along too.¡± ¡°Magic? Yippee!¡± Aisha shouted. Lilia looked over from the kitchen. ¡°Aisha. Make sure to-¡± ¡°Lilia,¡± I said, interrupting her. ¡°She¡¯s doing amazing, don¡¯t you think? I think Aisha deserves to have some fun, like Norn. They¡¯re both kids, after all.¡± Lilia¡¯s lips curled into a frown. ¡°Remember what we talked about, Lilia,¡± I said as I take Aisha¡¯s hand. ¡°Right¡­¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Have fun, you three.¡± Lately, Lilia had been a bit¡­ difficult to deal with. I still loved her, of course, and she still loved me, and I knew that she loved her daughter, but ever since Norn and Aisha had started learning some stuff, she had constantly tried to train her daughter in ways a kid shouldn¡¯t need to. Aisha being quite a bit more advanced for her age didn¡¯t help things either. But luckily, Lilia had kept my promise of not grooming her to be a maid, but rather, letting her choose her own path in life. That didn¡¯t mean Lilia was any less strict with her, though. I didn¡¯t necessarily hate the parenting style. After all, I was pretty hard on myself in terms of training since¡­ well, ever, really. But Aisha was only two, and she was a very excitable girl who loved to y, so as her big brother, what else would I do but keep her entertained? Especially since she loved magic so much. Perhaps I was a little too doting, and perhaps I was what Rudy called a ¡®sis-con¡¯, but I didn¡¯t really care. After all, I discovered something important. While seeing Mama happy and seeing Lilia smile was still as amazing as ever, I could say with certainty that watching my sisters¡¯ eyes light up with excitement was the greatest feeling in the world. Ah, but I also liked it whenever Aisha showed that confidence of hers, and Norn with her cute shyness¡­ Actually, I just liked seeing my sisters no matter how they were, but could you me me? They were absolutely adorable, differently than Sylphy and Eris were. ¡°Brother! Can you show us that stormy one?¡± Aisha asked. ¡°No can do. For that one, you have to be pretty far away from the vige. I can make it rain, though,¡± I said. I had only shown them Cumulonimbus once, around a month ago, but ever since, Aisha had been begging me to do it again. She was an excitable girl, after all, and apparently, she found it fun to be in the middle of such a violent storm, as long as I dried her off afterwards. Unfortunately, unlike Aisha, Norn got scared by all the thunder when I showed her, but she brightened up after I cleared up the sky with a rainbow that she found pretty, so it all ended okay. ¡°Brother?¡± Norn asked, poking my cheek. ¡°Yes, Norn?¡± I asked. ¡°Can you¡­ umm¡­ make the kite fly?¡± she said. ¡°Of course I can. I¡¯ll go pick it up, okay?¡± I said. With her holding her bunny close to her face and nodding with a shy smile, I felt my heart race with happiness. Haa¡­ I didn¡¯t really understand how Mama was always so doting on me and Rudy, constantly calling us cute whenever she could, especially when we were so odd, but now¡­ I get it. ¡°Anything for my cute sisters,¡± I said, tickling her side. ¡°N-No! S-Stop!¡± sheughed. Yeah, being a big brother was pretty damn awesome, and these girls were much cuter than Rudy was. Sorry, Rudy. Maybe you would seem cuter if you didn¡¯t steal our teacher¡¯s panties. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It was now nearing the beginning of winter, which meant that the harvest was soon to be collected, and the celebration of said event was about to begin. But right now, I was in Rudy¡¯s room, where the two of us had just finished our session of studying our knowledge ofnguages. Having shared conversations with Ghiine ever since I started teaching Eris, I was now fluent in the Beast God tongue, and with Rudy learning from Ghiine and me, he was bing quite good at it too. Rudy had also picked up the Fighting God tongue while I wasn¡¯t looking, and with me with the Demon God tongue from Roxy, we both needed to take an hour each week simply to focus on retaining the knowledge. Ah, and I had also learned all the healing and detoxification spells from the Advanced-rank spell book my family got me, so that was cool too. Speaking of magic, I had been keeping up with Roxy while I could, though because of the distance between us, it took around half a year for me to send a letter and get a response. That kind of sucked. Anyway, she was extremely impressed that I became a Water Saint, and told me about how she was now able to cast more magic without an incantation, but her progress was very slow. Like I had mentioned to her before, it made sense, as she waspletely shifting her understanding of magic rather than building it up from a nk te, like Rudy, Sylphy, and I. ¡°Look at this, Leon! I finally finished it!¡± Rudy eximed. Raising my head from my book, I looked over to see Rudy proudly showing off a miniature statue of Ghiine. Oh, right, he called them ¡®figurines¡¯, didn¡¯t he? ¡°Looks nice, Rudy. Though her bnce is a bit off,¡± I said, pointing to how her stance was set. ¡°Oh, shut up! You know, I can¡¯t understand that stuff. But look at her details¡­ hehe. It took some time to get the tail right, that¡¯s for sure,¡± he said. Right¡­ the tail. I remember walking in on him feeling up our swordsmanship instructor¡¯s bottom, and while I initially felt a little disappointed, seeing Rudy¡¯s shock at the muscr behind rather than arousal was so funny that I decided to let it go. ¡°Yeah, nice job. Though it¡¯s quite a peculiar way to practice magic,¡± I said. When he first showed me his figures, I thought I¡¯d take the same route in practising magic, but unfortunately, it just took way too much time to make them, and I wasn¡¯t able to practice my application of spells either. Plus, I preferred fire and wind magic more than earth magic anyway. ¡°Huhuhu, young Leon, my dear brother, you don¡¯t seem to understand,¡± Rudy said, wagging his finger back and forth. ¡°With such exquisite detail, I can sell this thing for one entire gold coin! Just like the Roxy figure!¡± ¡­ ¡°¡­Right. Sure. Well, keep up the good work, I guess,¡± I said. Looking out the window, I saw that the sun is slowly making its way toward the horizon, signalling theing of night. Hmm¡­ it¡¯s about time for that, isn¡¯t it? ¡°Do you want toe to the harvest festival, Rudy?¡± I asked. ¡°Hm? Nah. I wentst year, but it was pretty boring. All the people did was dance around a fire and sell some food,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯d rather stay inside and practice my magic.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re sure¡­¡± I said, getting up off my chair. ¡°Well, see ya.¡± Walking over to the front door, I quickly spotted Eris with her arms crossed in her usual stance, feet tapping against the ground in impatience. ¡°What took you so long?¡± she asked. ¡°Sorry, Eri. My brother wanted me to show me his new figure. It¡¯s of Ghiine,¡± I answered. Her eyebrow raises slightly at that. ¡°Is that so¡­¡± She really liked Ghiine, didn¡¯t she? ¡°You can always ask for him to sell it to you, you know,¡± I smiled wryly. ¡°Hmph! I¡­ might just do that!¡± she harrumphs. ¡°D-Do you think he¡¯d take any requests?¡± ¡°Hm? Probably. What, did you want one of yourself or something?¡± I asked. Considering it was Rudy we were talking about, he¡¯d probably try to use that as an excuse to touch her, but then again, he knew I would make him regret if he did anything like that, and Eris wouldn¡¯t that slide either, so he knew better¡­ probably. Eris averted her eyes. ¡°N-Not exactly¡­ A-Anyway! Let¡¯s go!¡± Grabbing my hand, Eris then led me past the manor¡¯s gate and down the crowded street, a visible skip in her step the entire way. I guess the Young Miss was excited, huh? Usually, a noble would never intermingle with themon folk like this, even for a festival, unless they were the stars of the show, which was why Eris was currently dressed in cheaper clothes than she would normally wear. They were still of good quality, of course, but it wouldn¡¯t make one think the girl was the granddaughter of the liege lord and daughter of the mayor. At most, she would look like the child of a sessful merchant or something simr. Even then, this was still quite a weird situation, but with Eris begging her parents and working hard in her lessons, she was eventually granted permission. Ghiine would be watching over us on the rooftops, obviously, but with the culprit behind the attempted kidnapping now discovered, Darius would have to be very stupid to try it again, especially considering how protective Sauros was of Eris and how impulsive the man was. ¡°-eon? Hey, Leon!¡± Eris eximed. That snapped me out of my thoughts. ¡°Hm? What is it, Eri?¡± ¡°There¡¯s meat pies! Let¡¯s get some!¡± she said with excitement. ¡°Sure. Did you bring your money?¡± I asked. ¡°Come on, Leon,¡± she said, bringing out her coin purse. ¡°I¡¯m not that stupid.¡± Yeah, but I have a feeling she forgot another part of our outdoor lessons. ¡°Oh yeah? Can I see what¡¯s inside of it?¡± I asked. ¡°Of course!¡± Taking a peek inside the pouch, I saw that it¡¯s filled with around ten coins. Ten gold coins. ¡°Haa¡­ Do you remember why I get paid ten silver coins instead of one gold coin, Eris?¡± I asked. ¡°Huh? No, I forgot,¡± she said, tilting her head. ¡°Because not everyone has the coins to exchange for gold coins. Especially not a stall at a festival like this one,¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯ll have to use my money.¡± ¡°¡­Oh.¡± Yeah, oh. ¡°You should start learning these skills soon, Eris,¡± I said, pulling out my coin purse. ¡°I won¡¯t always be there to help you out.¡± Eris turned her head to the side in a pout. ¡°¡­Why can¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°N-Nothing! Come on, you have to buy me a meat pie, right?¡± she said, pulling me along once again. Truly, such a spoiled noble girl. But ¡®why can¡¯t you¡¯¡­ I guess I wouldn¡¯t mind being her guard for a little longer. I did have a small want to explore the world a little, and maybe even be an adventurer for a while, but family unconditionally came first. Maybe, when Aisha and Norn grew up a little, we could move to Roa, or maybe even Sharia if they wanted to go to Ranoa, but then there¡¯d be the problem of Sylphy and Eris¡­ ah, whatever, the future was tooplex to predict. With Eris having happily eaten a meat pie and a half, and sharing thest half of the second one with me, we then slowly wandered around the bustling city. It wasn¡¯t anything interesting, really, but for Eris, who had lived an extremely sheltered life up until now, it was extremely exciting to see such a festive atmosphere. The bard¡¯s music brought a smile to her face, and the short festival games we yed made it even wider, and then, finding ourselves next to therge bonfire that was lit at the city centre, the music changed, and the townsfolk began dancing in celebration. ¡°Eri? Do you want to dance?¡± I asked, holding my hand out. ¡°Erm¡­¡± she said anxiously, ¡°I¡¯m, uhh-¡± ¡°Look around, Eri. This isn¡¯t some formal dance like your birthday party,¡± I interrupted her. The surrounding dancers were extremely uncoordinated. People took each other¡¯s hands in pairs orrger groups and simply had fun, enjoying the celebratory atmosphere. Old, young, man, woman¡­ It didn¡¯t matter. ¡°Let loose, Eri,¡± I pulled her toward the fire. ¡°Just enjoy the moment with me.¡± And then, we began to dance. She was still a bit hesitant and nervous at first, but she quickly noticed that there was absolutely no need for etiquette and formalities here. She didn¡¯t have to be prim and proper. She could be loud and rude. She could mess up her steps andugh it off with a smile. Right here, right now¡­ she could be herself, with nothing holding her back. And I wasn¡¯t embarrassed to say she looked beautiful¡­ at least inwardly. A happy and free Eris truly was the best Eris. Eventually, the fire¡¯s glow began to weaken and the height of the mes reduced, signalling an end to the festivities, but seeing how happy Eris looked, with a light sheen of sweat perfecting her charming smile, she didn¡¯t seem to mind. ¡°Leon! That was so much fun!¡± she eximed. ¡°You better take me next year!¡± ¡°Sure thing. As long as you keep up with your studies,¡± I teased. ¡°Hmph!¡± At the mention of ¡®studies¡¯, she harrumphed and looked away, but that couldn¡¯t hide how the corner of her lips remained curled up. ¡°But yes, I¡¯ll be sure to take you next year. Hmm¡­ maybe we should bring Sylphy too,¡± I said. That girl was nearly as sheltered as Eris, though for a much different reason, so she would probably love to experience such a nice festival. Instead of agreeing with me, Eris''s eyebrows twitched, and I felt an elbow jab into my stomach. ¡°¡­Why?¡± I asked. Weren¡¯t they friends? She stuck her bottom lip out in a pout, ¡°Nothing.¡± Hmm¡­ she seemed more conflicted than angry. ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Perhaps she was having some trouble with puberty or something. ¡°Let¡¯s go back home then. And make sure you have a bath,¡± I said. ¡°A-Are you saying I smell!?¡± she shouted. My lips curled into a wide smirk. ¡°Maybe~¡± Needless to say, I got another elbow jab in response, though I also got augh out of her discreetly sniffing her hair with worry on the way back. Chapter 25 – Turning Point Chapter 25 ¨C Turning Point ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª I had grown a year older, and the snow-coveredndscape was now melting into familiar grassy fields as the flowers began to blossom. It was springtime. Or at least, it was nearing it. Which also meant theing of my little brother¡¯s birthday. More specifically, his tenth birthday. Be it a farmer, a cksmith, or even a noble, this was a time that signalled the start of the transition from a child into an adult, which was finalized at the age of fifteen. However, for Rudy, that wasn¡¯t really the case, as he not only had a job but also had his own ¡®adult¡¯ experience, as much as I loathed to admit it. But it was still a time for celebration, and considering that he had been cooped up in Roa for almost all the past three years, I thought I¡¯d bring some people over. ¡°Whoa! What¡¯s that, brother?¡± Aisha asked from my side. ¡°That¡¯s the Adventure Guild. They give out quests like ying monsters and guarding merchants,¡± I answered. ¡°Cool! Do you do any of that stuff?¡± she asked. ¡°Sometimes,¡± I smiled. ¡°But that¡¯s only when Master Philip or Lord Sauros goes with the knights.¡± ¡°And you know I hate it!¡± Mama chimed in, holding the curious Norn in her arms. ¡°Mama, I¡¯m a Water Saint and a Sword Saint with chantless magic. I doubt there¡¯s a monster in the Kingdom that could kill me, especially when surrounded by knights¡­ Unless I decided to fight a dragon,¡± I said. ¡°But knowing you, it won¡¯t be long before you try to do something like that. Anyway, Aisha. Remember to use the etiquette I taught you, okay?¡± Lilia said to the girl. ¡°I will!¡± she responded. While I wanted to say that Sauros and Philip weren¡¯t so stuck up as to askmoner children, especially my sisters, to have such manners, since Lilia only taught Aisha to do a simple curtsy in greeting, I decided to let it go as it wasn¡¯t anything too strict. Plus, it was really cute when Aisha did that in her best attempt to copy my etiquette. And while I was hesitant tobel my cute sister so early in life, I think it was fair to said that Aisha was a genius. She hadn¡¯t fired off any spells or anything through the house like Rudy, and it was still up in the air whether she had any talent with the de, but when it came to academics and general knowledge, she was extremely quick to pick stuff up, and she could already speak much of the human tongue, and could even read and write some parts of it. Norn, on the other hand, was a normal child. She still struggled with vocabry, and could not read much past her name and a few basic words, despite the fact I read to her and Aisha every night I could. But she wasn¡¯t stupid or anything, she was just normal. A cute, sweet, normal girl. I felt a bit bad that she would grow up surrounded by advanced kids like Rudy, Aisha, and me, but I hoped that my love would quell any confidence issues that might arise. But still, it was way too early to tell. She might end up bing a master swordswoman or something by inheriting Paul¡¯s natural talent, or could just be ate bloomer. ¡°Haa¡­ it¡¯s too bad Paul couldn¡¯te though. But then again, he might¡¯ve ended up saying some unnecessary things,¡± Mama said. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, Zenny. The monsters have gotten horrible the past month, so he can¡¯t abandon his duty. Even for his son¡¯s tenth birthday,¡± Lilia said. ¡°I know¡­ It¡¯s still a shame though,¡± Mama said, shaking her head. ¡°He really wanted to regain some paternal dignity with Rudy¡¯s present. He even sold those old gauntlets from adventuring to chip in.¡± Lilia smiled. ¡°I think we both know he has long passed that point. He just has to hope he doesn¡¯t mess up his chances with Norn and Aisha.¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s too bad they like Leon and Sylphy¡¯s magic more than their father¡¯s swordy,¡± Mama chuckled. ¡°Did you know? I caught him trying to recite a chant for some water magic just the other day.¡± We all shared a chuckle at the expense of my father¡¯s antics as the carriage enters the manor¡¯s front gate. ¡°Umm, Leon?¡± Sylphy asked, pulling my coat. ¡°Do you know where Eris is?¡± ¡°She should just be finishing up her etiquette ss. And remember, it¡¯s ¡®Miss Eris¡¯ when it''s not just us and Ghiine, okay?¡± I said. ¡°Right!¡± she nodded. Giving her a small smile, I then readjusted my leather coat. After one reached the Saint rank in the Sword God style, it is tradition for their teacher to get them a leather coat, and it was no different for me. But since I had be one so young, we decided to wait until I grew a bit more, and I had only recently received it from Ghiine. While it was still a bit big for me since I still had room to grow, it wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing. Plus, the loose style fit me well¡­ at least I thought so. As we exited the carriage, I then took hold of both my sisters¡¯ hands before leading everyone toward the guest rooms. ¡°Whoa!¡± Both Norn and Aisha were wide-eyed at the grand mansion, while Lilia and Mama didn¡¯t seem bothered at all. That¡¯s to be expected, though. Mama was the daughter of one of the most powerful noble families in the Holy Country of Millis, and Lilia had spent years in the royal pce of Asura. Suffice it to say, they were used to such disys of grandeur. If anything, it was probably a little more humble than they were used to in their past. But that wasn¡¯t the case for my sisters, hence why they looked so cute right now with their visible awe shining on their faces. ¡°Lord Leon,¡± a maid said, bowing toward me. ¡°The rooms are prepared for the guests. Do you require any assistance with luggage?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No, it¡¯s all good-¡± ¡°Puppy?¡± Norn said in confusion. Oh¡­ right. Norn and Aisha knew about the various races of the world, of course, but past Sylphy and her dad, they had only met humans so far. ¡°No, Norn. That¡¯s a person of the Beast Race,¡± Mama said, rubbing her head. ¡°Sorry about her, she¡¯s fairly ignorant of the world.¡± ¡°No need, Miss. I could never be upset by Lord Leon¡¯s sister. Especially one so cute,¡± the maid said with a smile. ¡°Anyway, the preparations for the party are mostly finished, and with Miss Ghiine keeping Lord Rudeus upied in the city, there should be no problems.¡± ¡°I see. Thank you, na,¡± I said. Her eyes widened slightly before she responded with a bow. ¡°Of course, Lord Leon.¡± She must¡¯ve been surprised that I knew her name, considering they were infrequently used amongst the maids, but since I had spent more than four years in this ce, I had eventually caught on to who was who¡­ for the most part at least. Plus, she was the one who did myundry every day. With that, we continued on our way, before Norn looked up to me. ¡°Brother¡­ Rudy not here yet?¡± she asked. ¡°Not yet. It¡¯s going to be a surprise,¡± I responded. ¡°Okay¡­¡± she said with a bit of worry, clenching onto my shirt a bit tighter. As one could tell, Norn was a bit scared of Rudy. Or rather, she wasn¡¯t scared, but¡­ worried and anxious. It made sense, as neither she nor Aisha had seen him for a long while, so to them, he was nothing but a stranger the four of us older people talked about fondly. But hopefully, a bit of that fear and worry would vanish after today. Unless Rudy ended up doing something stupid, that is. He always bragged about wanting to be the ¡®cool big brother¡¯, but he would need to stop his, forck of a better word, ¡®Paulness¡¯, for that to evere to fruition. He was lucky they had an interest in magic, at least. Anyway, since my family would be staying overnight to celebrate Rudy¡¯s birthday, it had been decided that Lilia and Mama would each get a bed and that Sylphy would end up in Eris¡¯ room for a ¡®girl''s night¡¯. And as for Aisha and Norn? Well, they would be sleeping with their big brother here. I would have asked them to spend the night with Rudy to get reacquainted, but not only did I not want to force anything on them, but Sauros was also boasting about giving Rudy a ¡®fun night with a maid¡¯ as a birthday present. So yeah¡­ no. Just no. How I felt about that was another thing, but I definitely wasn¡¯t allowing my two sweet sisters¡¯ innocence to be destroyed so early on in life. Anyway, with everyone set for their sleeping arrangements, we then made our way down to the main hall, where arge feast was being held, very simr to the one my birthday had. With therge hall bathed in candlelight and the scent of good food permeating the air, I let Norn and Aisha happily wander around as Mama and Lilia said their greetings to Sauros and Philip. ¡°Hah! Who would think that that sorry excuse for a man would find such a good wife? And two at that! Hmph! I permit you to stay as long as you like!¡± Sauros shouted. Well, he didn¡¯t exactly shout. That was just his normal voice. But it seemed he was pleased with the two¡¯s manners, as well as their beauty. Philip and Hilda¡¯s introductions, however, were a lot more¡­ normal. Without the loud voice, and instead, a polite yet friendly greeting. It didn¡¯t take too long for the star of tonight¡¯s party to arrive, signalled by the sound of therge doors creaking open. As he stepped into the room, Rudy¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as everyone burst into a round of apuse, and as his gaze travels over to Mama and our sisters, his eyes widened even further. Mama then ran toward him with her arms wide for a hug. ¡°Happy birthday, my sweet boy!¡± Getting smothered by our mother, Rudy stuck his head over her shoulder, looking around at the gathered party. ¡°W-What¡¯s this? What¡¯s going on?¡± Hmm¡­ that was a lie. Well, it¡¯s not like I truly expected our surprise party to remain a surprise, considering how it took three days to set up, but I could tell he was genuinely shocked to see our family here. Well, everyone except for our father, that is. But Sylphy was a much better recement, in my opinion. ¡°Mother¡­ Lilia¡­ you came!¡± he eventually said. ¡°I-I can¡¯t believe you did all this¡­ for me!¡± ¡­Laying it on a little thick there, brother. ¡°Of course we would!¡± Mama said, deepening her hug. ¡°Well, aside from that,¡± I said as the apuse came to an end. ¡°We decided to get you something quite nice for your birthday. Alphonse, if you please.¡± The new butler that reced Thomas, Alphonse, then brought over a long stick, with the tip wrapped in cloth. But it was no mere stick, but rather a staff that cost a¡­ lot of money. A lot. ¡°We decided that it was better to have one awesome present rather than multiple crappy ones, so consider this a gift from me, Mama, Lilia, Father, Sylphy, and Eris, all in one,¡± I said. Rudy then received the staff from Alphonse, his face marred in confusion as he slowly unwrapped the cloth, revealing arge blue magic crystal that formed the tip of the staff, which was very simr to Roxy¡¯s in style. That¡¯s to be expected, though, since I asked her which craftsman she used for her own and thenmissioned a piece from him. ¡°Its name is Aqua Heartia - Arrogant Water Dragon King! Be grateful!¡± Eris said proudly with her hands on her hips. Well, she had the right to be prideful. Most of the money for the staff came from her, after all. From what the craftsman exined, the blue magic stone was from a sea dragon in the Begaritt Continent, and the wood was made from an Elder Treant from the Millis Continent. Both were A-rank items that were thenbined to make this extremely powerful staff that was truly fit for a genius Saint magician like him. ¡°Wow!¡± Rudy eximed, looking down at the staff in wonder. But a few momentster, his lips twisted into a frown. ¡°I-Is that¡­ really the name?¡± ¡­Was he reallyining about that? ¡°Of course! A good weapon should have a good name! At least, that¡¯s what Ghiine said,¡± Eris responded. The woman in question simply nodded quietly from behind Rudy. After that, the party began in earnest. With such a small amount of people, we mostly stuck together as we ate, but there were little groups forming. Mainly the kids and the adults, with Sauros sitting haughtily at the end of the table separating them. Just as I expected, Aisha quickly warmed up to her brother, and Norn did as well, though it was a little slower. What was more surprising was how Hilda became quick friends with Mama and Lilia, with Ghiine also taking the time to catch up with her old adventuring party member, and Philip, while likely feeling a bit singled out by being the only male among the group, sharing some stories about Paul¡¯s youth. Though some stories caused Mama¡¯s eyebrows to twitch in veiled anger. I had a feeling there would be a fun ¡®talk¡¯ when they got home. Anyway, as for the kids¡¯ side of things, Eris had decided to cement herself as the ¡®cool older sister¡¯ by showing Norn and Aisha some of her swordy. It was quite endearing to see, but unfortunately, the two of them much preferred Rudy and I¡¯s little show of water and fireballs. Eventually, the food became cold, the dusk turned to night, and Norn and Aisha became sleepy, so it was time for the party toe to an end. ¡°Thank you, Lord Sauros and Master Philip, for sponsoring this wonderful party for my brother, but it¡¯s time for these girls to turn in,¡± I said, picking up the two toddlers in my arms. ¡°Sylphy. Eris. Don¡¯t stay up toote. Rudy wants to show off his Saint-rank magic tomorrow, so we¡¯ll have to go pretty far.¡± ¡°Okay~! But Leon~? Can¡¯t wee with you~?¡± Sylphy asked. ¡°Yeah! We can do the same thing we did for Rudy¡¯s birthday!¡± Eris added. And yes, the party, unfortunately, involved some wine, hence the two¡¯s slurred speech and suggestive words. Pointedly ignoring the stares from Mama and Lilia, I readjusted my sisters before responding. ¡°No. Have your girl¡¯s night fun. And Rudy¡­¡± I said cautiously. ¡°Hm? What is it, brother?¡± he asked innocently. He was trying to y it off, but I could notice the expectant smile that had been creeping onto his face ever since Sauros whispered something to him. And I had a feeling I knew what the topic of conversation was. I narrowed my eyes. ¡°Use that spell. Don¡¯t make any stupid mistakes.¡± ¡°O-Of course!¡± he said, averting his eyes. That spell referred to a special Intermediate-rank detoxification spell that I taught him that lowered the fertility of both ¡®participants¡¯. A magician¡¯s birth control, so to say. ¡°Hm? What are you two talking about?¡± Mama said curiously. ¡°N-Nothing Mother! N-Now I should probably head to bed too, huh?¡± Rudy said, sending a few winks to one of the maids all the while. That brother of mine¡­ ¡ª Information on the Six-Faced World ¡ª Magic Stones and Crystals Magic stones and crystals are solidified forms of mana with various uses, such as creating wands and powering magical technologies. Both magic stones and crystals have the same use, with the difference between the two being in how they are formed. Magic crystals are formed naturally through the concentration of magic in the surroundings, which typically form in dungeons andbyrinths. Magic stones, on the other hand, are formed inside monsters with the crystallization of the mana in their bodies over the years. This is a rare phenomenon, and can only ur in stronger monsters that have lived for a long enough time for a stone to form. Monsters with magic stones are often stronger than those without, with their innate magic being enhanced if there is any. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Just as I tucked Aisha and Norn under the covers, with both of them closely holding the stuffies I got them so long ago, I heard a knock at my door. ¡°Come in,¡± I said. Opening the door, my visitor then revealed themselves. I had thought Eris or Sylphy had decided to invite me to their room again, or maybe even Mama or Lilia wishing me goodnight, but it was neither. Instead¡­ ¡°Mister Philip. What brings you here?¡± I asked. ¡°Hmm, just a talk, I suppose. Is there fine?¡± he gestured to the table and set of chairs. ¡°Naturally. Though¡­¡± I looked over to my sleeping sisters. ¡°Let¡¯s keep the volume down.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Philip nodded. With him taking a seat, and me taking the other, he then poured a ss of wine for himself before sending a nce my way. ¡°¡­You know, I would have never thought that my daughter would turn into how she is today. I thought she would always be a failure of a noble and end up bing an adventurer, hence why I hired Ghiine,¡± he said, taking a small sip. ¡°Just get to the point, Mister Philip. There¡¯s no need for semantics,¡± I said. ¡°Haha! Yes, I forgot that stuff annoyed you too,¡± he chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll make it short. I want you to marry Eris, and help me take over the Boreas family.¡± Haa¡­ so he was still hoping for such a thing? I thought that after having lost his sons, he would be content living a calm, rural life with his wife and daughter, but I suppose such ambition doesn¡¯t die so easily. ¡°¡­How would I be of any help? Aside from my position as a guard, that is,¡± I asked. ¡°Hah. While your mother and father may have thrown away their noble names, blood does not lie so easily,¡± he answered. My eyes narrowed. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you forgot, but I¡¯m an adopted child.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± he nodded, ¡°but it¡¯s not like there is any way for others to know, is there? I suppose Rudeus would be the better choice, but I doubt you or Eris would be very fond of that arrangement.¡± No¡­ no, I wouldn¡¯t. And I have no doubt Eris would raise a giant fuss about it that would probably end up with my brother as a eunuch, so that option was a no. ¡°Think about it,¡± he said. ¡°If you said yes right here, I would allow you and Eris to do whatever you want. Even that other girl, Sylphy, could join in.¡± I leaned back in my chair. While his offer of Eris was, embarrassingly, somewhat tantalizing¡­ that wasn¡¯t what I cared about right now. Entering the world of nobles¡­ I knew what that meant. Games, assassinations, ploys, deceit¡­ If it was just me, such an environment wouldn¡¯t be anything too horrible. After all, as a guard here, I had been somewhat involved in all of those things anyway. But that¡¯s the thing¡­ it wasn¡¯t just me. My parents, my sisters¡­ my future children and nieces and nephews¡­ I couldn¡¯t bring them into such a world. ¡°I refuse. I¡¯m fine with guarding you and putting my life on the line to do so, but I don¡¯t want my family anywhere near that stuff,¡± I said firmly. ¡°Aha. I thought so,¡± Philip chuckled. ¡°And I suppose I can¡¯t exactly ask your brother, huh?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to practice my healing magic anymore, Mister Philip,¡± I joked. Yeah, if Eris ever got the news of being Rudy¡¯s wife, or anyone¡¯s wife, for that matter, she would quickly cut all ties with a punch. Or rather, more than a few punches. ¡°Haa¡­ Well, it was worth a try,¡± Philip sighed. ¡°But either way, I permit you to pursue any rtion you wish with my daughter.¡± Imagining what ¡®any rtion¡¯ might mean between me and Eris, my cheeks got a little warm. ¡°¡­I see,¡± I said. ¡°Ha. Who would have thought you could make that face,¡± Philip said, shaking his head. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll let you get your rest. I imagine you don¡¯t mind Hilda and I joining Rudeus¡¯ show tomorrow?¡± ¡°It¡¯s no problem at all, Mister Philip,¡± I said. ¡°But I didn¡¯t think you had an interest in such things.¡± ¡°Ah, well¡­ Hilda wants to spend some more time with your mothers,¡± he shrugged. ¡°Besides. It¡¯s not every day you can see Saint-ranked magic in person.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Well, if that is all, I wish you a good night,¡± I said, getting out of my chair. He did the same. ¡°You as well.¡± With him leaving and closing the door behind him, I pondered over the conversation. Philip, despite his calm demeanour, was a surprisingly ambitious man, so I doubted he would drop the notion of me joining his political fight so easily. Knowing the sly man, he was hoping for me to get entranced with Eris, and eventually naturally fall into his schemes by bing his son-inw, or perhaps even fathering his grandchild. He did tell me about how one of his brothers lost the line of session due to love, so he knew that he could use such emotions to his advantage. Well¡­ there was nothing I could do about that at the moment, so it was best not to think about it until I needed to. Washing my face with water magic, I then slid under the sheets, with a cute sleeping sister on each side of me, before I generated a small gust of wind to blow out the candles and fall asleep. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It was morning, and while I wanted to stay cuddled in the bed with my two sweet sleeping sisters, my body was too ustomed to my morning routine to break it. So, changing into my exercise clothes, I then made my way through the halls toward the training ground. As I went past Rudy¡¯s room, though, the now ten-year-old boy slowly walked out, looking quite dejected. ¡°Uhh¡­ what¡¯s wrong, brother?¡± I asked. ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¡°Ha. More like what didn¡¯t happen,¡± he looked up at me. ¡°I was so close, Leon!¡± Uhh¡­ ¡°Close to what?¡± I asked. Actually, maybe I shouldn¡¯t have asked that. ¡°Mother¡­ she found out about Sauros¡¯ present and made me turn her away. I was so close, Leon!¡± he eximed, grabbing onto my shirt. ¡°Umm, there, there? Look, there¡¯s a lot of time for you to do¡­ that,¡± I said, gently patting his back. ¡°How about you join me for some exercise? It¡¯s a good way to start the day, you know?¡± ¡°Un. Sure. And maybe I can get a nice body, and pick up more pretty girls,¡± he said, wiping his tears. ¡­He was crying about that? Really? ¡°Alright! I¡¯m motivated now! Let¡¯s get going!¡± he eximed with a smile. ¡°¡­Sure.¡± Yeah, while I loved my brother, he was definitely a little weird. With the two of us sharing a nice morning workout, as well as a few sword swings as the sun began to rise, I then went back to my room to wake up my sisters before we headed down to the meal hall, where a grand breakfast was being served. It was a mostly friendly atmosphere, especially between Eris and Sylphy, who I assumed had advanced their friendship with the night together, and even Hilda and Lilia seemed to be getting along quite well. Mama, on the other hand¡­ ¡°So? Did you enjoy your birthday, Rudy?¡± she smiled. Yet again, it was her scary smile, but¡­ much scarier than usual. ¡°O-Of course, Mother!¡± Rudy nodded. ¡°It was amazing!¡± ¡°Is that so¡­ you weren¡¯t disappointed or anything, were you?¡± she asked, an indescribable pressure releasing from her squinted eyes. ¡°You didn¡¯t feel that anything was missing, did you?¡± ¡°Uh, n-no. All happy! See?¡± Rudy said, spreading his lips into a wide smile. ¡°Good!¡± Mama¡¯s smile went back to normal as she gently patted his head. Yeah¡­ scary. ¡°Ahem! A-Anyway, when do you want to head out? It will take about an hour to get far enough from the city,¡± Rudy said. ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess after breakfast should be fine. What do you think, Lady Hilda?¡± Mama asked. ¡°Oh, just call me Hilda. And that sounds wonderful, doesn¡¯t it, Philip?¡± Philip raised his head. ¡°Huh? Right away? I was hoping to-¡± ¡°That sounds wonderful, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Hilda said, her smile turning strained. ¡°¡­Yes, it does.¡± Huh. The connection was quite hard to notice sometimes, but Philip really was Paul¡¯s cousin. ¡°Ahem! I already asked the maids to prepare some food for the journey, so we¡¯re ready to go whenever,¡± I added before turning to Rudy. ¡°Oh, and make sure you test out the staff with something before you cast Cumulonimbus. You don¡¯t want to cause a disaster, after all.¡± ¡°I was nning on doing that anyway, brother,¡± Rudy said. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Whoa! This is huge!¡± Rudy eximed. As for what was huge? Well, that was the giant Waterball that was formed at the tip of his staff. ¡°Isn¡¯t that an Intermediate rank spell at this point? Anyway, how is it?¡± I asked. ¡°I-It¡¯s amazing! Water magic is boosted fivefold, at least! And wind¡­¡± Rudy then shot off a concussive st. ¡°Around threefold¡­ Anyway! It¡¯s about time that I, Rudeus Greyrat, show off the wonders of Saint-ranked magic!¡± ¡°Yahoo!¡± ¡°G-Go Rudy!¡± He got two cheers from our sisters in response. ¡°Hehehe. Don¡¯t you worry, I¡¯ll just- huh?¡± Rudy stops as he stared at the city. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± he asked. That¡¯s when I noticed it. Mana. An overwhelming amount of mana was concentrated just above the centre of the city. The rest of the group followed Rudy and I¡¯s gaze, and with Ghiine taking off her eye patch, ¡°That¡­ it¡¯s an incredible amount of mana!¡±, she confirmed my suspicions. Rudy lowered his staff. ¡°Should we return to the city?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s more concentrated there. In fact, it might be better to leave,¡± I said. What was this feeling? This tension¡­ it felt like something quite bad was going to happen. Suddenly, I felt a hand tug my shirt. ¡°Brother? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Norn asked, lips curled in worry. ¡°Nothing Norn,¡± I patted her head. ¡°Just a little-¡± I then felt a presence speeding towards us. Or more specifically, toward Rudy. It was fast. Faster than anything I had felt before, and more importantly¡­ it was dangerous. Twisting my hips, I pulled out my sword just in time to defend against the surprise strike whistling toward my brother¡¯s neck. ng! Our swords shed, and I instantly put myself between the attacker and our group. That¡­ was incredibly fast. If I wasn¡¯t already actively sensing for mana, Rudy would probably be headless right now, and no Advanced-rank healing magic could save that. And it wasn¡¯t just speed¡­ from the dull throb that was resonating from my wrist, there was power behind that strike as well. ¡°You!¡± Ghiine snarled as she put her hand on her sword. The next moment, she struck forth with a Longsword of Light. While I was still far from keeping up with her speed, I could at least know what was going on now, and to my amazement, I watched as the attacker stepped away from her strike. ¡°Hm.¡± Ghiine¡¯s eyes narrowed as her face went taut with caution. Shit. She was serious just now. This guy dodged a serious Ghiine¡¯s strike. I¡­ would probably have to step in. ¡°Norn. Aisha. Go to Eris. Now,¡± I told the two. After Ghiine and I, Eris was the next best swordsman, so such a decision was only natural. Dammit¡­ the one time Paul decides to take his job seriously¡­ Rudy, finally getting caught up to speed, then turned to look behind him where Ghiine and I were ring towards. ¡°Who¡­?¡± It was a man. A tall man, with blonde hair and a pure white uniform. He wore a fox mask to cover his face, and in his hand, was a sleek dagger. How odd¡­ was it a Sword King? No. That speed was definitely something like a Sword King, but that school held no dagger techniques. Was it a North God practitioner then? ¡°Who are you!? Tell us your name!¡± Ghiine shouted. In response, his face lit up in a brilliant light, causing me to shut my eyes just in time to not get blinded. Hearing Ghiine¡¯s growl, and both of their movement, I reopened my eyes just in time to see the attacker block one of Ghiine¡¯s strikes. Sprinting toward them as another sh of des resounded through the surroundings, I hid in Ghiine¡¯s shadow, setting my de alight in blue mes before summoning a burst of wind to push me forward with my sword swinging forward. But just as my de curved towards the masked man¡¯s neck¡­ ng! It was blocked easily. As expected, this man was a level above me. He may even be better than Ghiine. But did that mean he was better than the both of us? ¡°Hah!¡± Ghiine shouted, using my distraction to release a Longsword of Light. No¡­ no, it did not. A line of blood appeared across his white coat as he raised his arm to defend himself, and with another sh of light, he retreated back from the two of us. Blinking the remaining blindness out of my eyes, I watched as Ghiine pointed her sword toward the masked man. ¡°You bastard¡­ who are you!?¡± she snarled. ¡°Are you an enemy of the Boreas Greyrat family!?¡± This time, he responded, ¡°¡­Arumanfi the Bright. That is my name.¡± Arumanfi the Bright? I¡­ feel like I¡¯ve heard that name before. ¡°I came to put a stop to this strange phenomenon, on Lord Perugius¡¯ orders,¡± he exined. Right. The legend of Perugius, that¡¯s where I¡¯ve heard this guy¡¯s name. One of the twelve familiars of the legendary hero, this man, Arumanfi the Bright, was said to move at the speed of light. Obviously, that was a hyperbole, as I was nowhere near the ability to reach the speed of light yet had blocked his attack, but he was definitely fast. ¡°Move, woman. This strange urrence might cease if I y that boy,¡± he said, pointing to my brother. Was he talking about that mass of mana in the sky? Did he think it was Rudy? Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. I wouldn¡¯t let my little brother die so easily. Raising my sword in a defensive stance, I decided to use one of the few techniques of the Water God style that Paul could teach me better than Master. Provocation! ¡°Should you really be making such demands? You might lose an arm next time,¡± I said with a smirk. ¡°Oh?¡± he looked down at his wound. ¡°I suppose it would be a shame. But Lord Perugius¡¯ orders are absolute.¡± Provocation failed! Shit, he¡¯s way too calm and collected to fall into a trap like that. ¡°I am the Sword King Ghiine Dedoldia. That thing in the sky has nothing to do with us! Leave!¡± Yes¡­ tell him, Big Sis! ¡°Sword King? How can I believe that?¡± he asked. ¡°Look!¡± Ghiine then showed off her sword. ¡°This is one of the famous des of the Seven Original Sword Gods, Hiramune - t Core. Will you still not believe me after seeing it?¡± As a Sword King, Ghiine was given one of those famous des by her master, the Sword God Gal Farion. I didn¡¯t know what exactly made it so special, but it was definitely a well-made sword. But since it didn¡¯t do anything to boost magic, I was more than happy with my unnamed sword instead. ¡°Swear on the names of your master and household,¡± Arumanfi demanded. ¡°I swear on the name of my master, Sword God Gal Farion, and the honour of the Dedoldia people!¡± Ghiine shouted. ¡°Dedoldia, was it?¡± Arumanfi hummed. ¡°Very well¡­ If weter discover you are not as innocent as you im, Lord Perugius will decide your fate.¡± ¡°Fine with me!¡± she returned. With that, Arumanfi sheathed his dagger, and Ghiine did the same with her sword, putting an end to the issue. While I was still a bit angry at the whole thing, with the man attacking us out of nowhere, there was a more pressing matter to attend to. ¡°Do you know what this ¡®urrence¡¯ is?¡± I asked, gesturing toward Roa. He shook his head. ¡°No, that was the reason Lord Perugius asked me toe down here. It may be something to do with his old enemy Lace-¡± As he continued exining, a line of light suddenly stretched down from the sky onto the city, and as it made contact with the ground, it began expanding at incredible speed, swallowing everything in its path. That¡­ did not look good. This thought was further cemented in my mind as Arumanfi disappeared into a burst of light. Ghiine then started sprinting towards Philip and Hilda, while I ran towards my sisters and Eris. Casting my eyes around the surroundings, I noticed that Mama and Lilia were close together, while Sylphy and Rudeus were both pretty far away from anyone else. As soon as I reached the three, I pulled them protectively into my arms as I created a dome of earth to protect us, as well as one to cover everyone else, including my mothers, Eris¡¯ parents, Rudy, and Sylphy. It was likely a futile attempt at protection against the approaching light, but I couldn¡¯t simply do nothing. With Ghiine reaching Philip and Hilda just before I closed off each dome, we were then embraced in darkness. But a momentter¡­ I was met with light once again. Only this time¡­ the surroundings were much different. Standing on a jagged rock, I looked to my right to see a giant mountain range, one that we were currently standing on. And to my left, far below, was a vast in of red and beige. What¡­ what was this? Where was this? ¡°Brother? What happened?¡± Aisha asked. ¡°W-Where are we, Leon?¡± Eris added. The two¡¯s voices snapped me out of my shock. ¡°I-It¡¯s going to be okay, girls,¡± I cated them as I tried to make sense of everything. My eyes darted around the foreign scenery before I then looked up at the sky, and upon doing so, I instantly noticed the difference in the sun¡¯s position. And considering how much more mana I could feel in the air, along with theck of humidity¡­ yeah, one thing was for certain. We were no longer in Roa, the Fittoa Region, or any ce in the Kingdom of Asura. ¡°Brother?¡± Norn asked worriedly, with one hand clutching her stuffy and the other clutching my pant leg. These mountains¡­ those ins¡­ the heat¡­ the instinctual feeling of danger that permeated my skin. The more I thought about it, the more I realize that I had heard of such a ce before, back when I was with Roxy. More specifically¡­ whenever she talked about her youth. This¡­ this ce was¡­ ¡°I¡­ think we¡¯re in the Demon Continent.¡± A million questions were running through my mind, such as how we got here, where everyone else was, and what that light was, but the most important of all was¡­ What the hell would I do now? ¡ª End of Arc 1 - Childhood ¡ª Chapter 26 – A New Land Chapter 26 ¨C A New Land ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It was the year K417 of the Armoured Dragon Calendar, and instead of finding myself in the peaceful countryside of the Fittoa Region, like I would expect, I found myself in the Demon Continent. At least¡­ that¡¯s where I assumed I was. This on its own would be a¡­ predicament, to say the least, but right now¡­ I wasn¡¯t alone. And that¡­ wasn¡¯t a good thing. ¡°T-The Demon Continent? B-But¡­ how!? We were just on the hill a moment ago before that crazy guy attacked us!¡± Eris shouted, looking around frantically at the surroundings. Feeling Aisha and Norn tighten their grip on my shirt, I gently rubbed their heads in an attempt to calm their nerves¡­ and also my own. ¡°Yeah¡­ this scenery is familiar with what my teacher Roxy told me about her homnd,¡± I said. ¡°And as for how we got here¡­ I think¡­ we were teleported.¡± Okay, deep breaths. We¡¯re in quite a dilemma, but that didn¡¯t mean there was no way out of this. I had to calm down, be their rock, and figure something out. ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­ really bad, isn¡¯t it?¡± Eris stammered out. Yes¡­ quite bad. But I didn¡¯t want to vocalize it. After all, stress would only make this more difficult of a situation, and there was no need for the other three to worry. So I lied. ¡°No. It¡¯ll be fine. I promise,¡± I said confidently. Okay, let¡¯s think about this, Leon. While you definitely weren¡¯t expecting a situation like this, you¡¯ve been growing stronger to protect your family in front of anything, right? So let¡¯s go over everything. I was a dual Water and Sword Saint, while also being able to cast every magic without an incantation, save for summoning magic. I could create water with magic, create a shelter with earth magic, and create a source of heat with fire magic, so the basics of survival were covered. But there were two¡­ or rather, three issues. Food, safety, and knowledge. I knew the basics of the Demon Continent, as well as thenguage, from Roxy¡¯s nighttime lessons, but I had absolutely no clue as to where we were, nor what monsters roamed around here. And that led to the second issue¡­ safety. I was confident in being able to survive in thisnd on my own, but that was just the thing¡­ I wasn¡¯t alone. Eris was probably strong enough to at least survive against most monsters, as long as I could prevent any surprise attacks¡­ But my sisters? Who weren¡¯t even four years old yet? No¡­ I was not as confident about that. But¡­ I would try my best. I would have to. If I had to watch them- no¡­ that won¡¯t happen. I would die before I let anything hurt them, much less kill them. But¡­ sleep would be a problem. Maybe I could create a barrier for that? But I wouldn¡¯t want to trust itpletely¡­ No, those were issues forter. What we needed to secure was the third issue, and honestly, the biggest: food. There were no nts to be seen around us, and even if there were, I had no way to know if they were edible. The only way I could think of to get food was to hunt monsters, but ording to Roxy, they were strong, and oftentimes inedible or poisonous, at least to races that were not familiar with the meat¡­ which we were very much not. My mind went through various problems that could arise and various solutions to them, but ultimately to no effect. I was stressed and at aplete loss as to what to do. Right¡­ we needed to get moving. We needed to find some town, or some settlement, where I could get a bearing on where we were and what to do next. But first¡­ ¡°You don¡¯t have your sword, do you?¡± I asked Eris. ¡°H-Huh? No, I didn¡¯t bring it¡­¡± she said, averting her eyes. Right. While she was a good swordsman, she still felt no need to carry a sword with her. Unfortunately, that would need to change. Perhaps at the next town, I could purchase one, or maybe even find a corpse if we were lucky, but for now, this would have to do. Crouching to the ground, I released my mana into the rocky earth below, condensing and concentrating it into the shape of a sword before pulling it out. It was simple and crude, in the shape of a one-sided sabre like Eris¡¯ training sword, but it was sharp, and while its durability wasn¡¯t anything amazing, I could always make her a new one if she needed it. In short, it would have to do. ¡°Here. Use this for now,¡± I said, handing the makeshift de to her. I would like to give her mine, as I already had magic and superior sword skills forbat, but I didn¡¯t n on letting her do the fighting. ¡°Eri. I¡¯ll take the front and eliminate any enemies. I need you to stay back and protect these two whenever I do. Can you do that for me?¡± I asked. Looking into her eyes to convey my sincerity, she frowned slightly before reluctantly nodding. Good. ¡°Brother?¡± Aisha said, pulling on my pant leg. ¡°What are we going to do now?¡± Smiling down at her, I gently rubbed her hair. ¡°We¡¯ll be walking home, is all. It might be a bit ufortable, but we¡¯ll get through it together.¡± She nodded before biting her lip. ¡°But¡­ what about the others?¡± And that was the other question, wasn¡¯t it? With this smart sister of mine, I should have known I wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid it. The problems with our group getting sent to the Demon Continent were numerous, but they were somewhat manageable, because I was here. But that light, which most certainly was the cause for our teleportation, reached all of us gathered on that hill, and all the citizens of Roa. Eris, Aisha, Norn, and I were all teleported together¡­ that was because we were touching, right? I wish I could have been touching everybody, but it¡¯s toote for that now, huh? Sylphy¡­ Rudy¡­ Mama and Lilia¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be able to do a single thing to help them. Unless they somehow wound up here in the Demon Continent with us, that is, but if they weren¡¯t sent where I could see them now, then who knows where they are. Hilda, Philip, and Ghiine would be fine no matter where they ended up, after all, Ghiine was strong, and Philip was smart, so they would be able to find their way out of any situation save for being teleported directly into the sky¡­ now that was a scary thought. Rudy should be fine too, as he was both strong and smart. I was a bit worried about his na?vet¨¦ to the world, but he should be able to survive as long as he didn¡¯t get full of himself or do anything stupid. Sylphy¡­ now that was a bit scarier. She was strong, and most importantly, she knew chantless healing magic, so she should be able to survive, but with her hair and her timidness¡­ that might get her into problems. Andstly was Mama and Lilia¡­ I was worried about them too. Lilia had no way to properly defend herself, and Mama was only good for healing, as even her elemental magic was used more as a utility than a weapon while she was an adventurer. But with Mama¡¯s connections and adventuring experience, as well as Lilia¡¯s cleverness, they should be able to get out of any non-violent situation with rtive ease. I was worried about bandits, both for my mothers and Sylphy, but ultimately, my worries were useless when I had no way to help. No, actually, considering how it would only stress me out, worrying about such things would be less than useless, and rather detrimental to my mental state. I needed to focus on keeping my sisters and Eris safe while navigating this unknownnd, and everything else coulde afterwards. Thinking about that, there was a saying that remained in my mind¡­ where from, I did not know, much like the rest of my Miko-granted knowledge. ¡®We stand on the shoulders of giants¡¯¡­ or something to that effect. Yeah¡­ I promise- No, I vow to protect my sisters and Eris, even at the cost of my life, and if possible, ensure that they remain happy through this arduous journey. Just like I had sworn to protect Norn and Aisha when they were born, and I held their crying forms in my arms, I would ensure they were safe. That much I could do. ¡°Let¡¯s go, girls.¡± I would give it my all for their survival. I¡­ would be their giant. ¡ª Information on the Six-Faced World ¡ª Demon Continent The Demon Continent is argend located to the east of the Central Continent, separated by the Ringus Sea, and north of the Millis Continent. It is a continent where the Demon Race lives and is and infested with monsters, often being much stronger than those of the Central and Millis Continents. There are no roads in the Demon Continent, but there is a path that connects the major cities, with branches for smaller viges and tribes. It is an exceedingly harshnd that is mostly unfertilizable, with monsters and animals being the primary source of food. Due to this, it is mostly uninhabited, save for individual tribes and viges, andrger poptions that are often ruled by a Demon lord. It is an extremely dangerous ce where many warriors go to hone their skills, though most never return alive. It is extremely inhospitable, save for the Demon Races that have lived in thend for many years and have adapted to the conditions. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Are we there yet?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t even know where ¡®there¡¯ is, Aisha.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m tired!¡± ¡°Then here,e on up with Norn.¡± I then scooped up theining Aisha into my arms, hanging her slightly over my shoulder opposite the sleeping Norn, who had an iron grip on me and her stuffy with a hand each. ¡°Comfy?¡± I asked. ¡°Mhmm! I¡¯m gonna- huam~ gonna take a nap,¡± she said, stretching out her arms. ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll be camping soon, okay? I just want to get to high ground first,¡± I said. ¡°Alright¡­¡± And with that, she was out. As it turned out, walking down a mountainside was not an activity meant for children barely older than a toddler, so here I was, being treated as a carriage. I didn¡¯t mind, of course, but I was a bit worried about what would happen ifbat had to ur. Hmm¡­ I should be able to rely on my magic for most enemies, and if not, I could always throw the two over to Eris. ¡°Leon? Are you all right?¡± Eris asked from my side. The girl was, from what I could see, quite happy about this adventure, at least if the light skip in her step was anything to go by. But she was still a little nervous, especially when it came to my sisters. I was d she was taking this situation somewhat seriously, at least in that regard, but I still felt she wascking the understanding of just how bad of a situation we were in. Haa¡­ well, not like having her worry about it would help. ¡°Yeah. When we find a good ce, I¡¯m going to make a fort and leave you and my sisters in it, okay?¡± I said. ¡°What? Then what are you going to do?¡± she asked. ¡°Get us some dinner. Or rather, breakfast, if I end up having a hard time,¡± I answered. ¡°Just make sure you stay awake until I¡¯m back, okay?¡± She nodded in response. ¡°Good¡­ and Eris?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± she looked back at me. ¡°Thank you. For being here, with me. And¡­ I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯ll have to rely on you a little¡­ can you help me?¡± I asked. To think I would be asking the girl I was hired to protect something like this¡­ Was it pathetic? Probably, but I didn¡¯t care. I would bow down and lick the feet of anyone if it meant having my sisters be happy and healthy, so losing some dignity didn¡¯t mean anything to me. ¡°O-of course! Of course, you can rely on me!¡± Eris said with a confident expression. Huh¡­ I thought she would be a little more¡­ haughty, but from the little smirk pulling at the end of her lips that she tried to hide, she was genuinely happy about me asking for her aide. Hmm¡­ I liked that look on her. It was cute. Crossing over the ridge, I looked over the small t in in front of us, giving us a wide view of the surroundings. Not that there was much to look at, though. ¡°This should be perfect,¡± I said, readjusting my sisters. ¡°Now¡­ let¡¯s see how this goes.¡± Stomping my foot, I created an array of spikes across the hill, which I was hoping would keep away any would-be attackers from trying their luck. And then, with another stomp, a small hut was made. With earth magic, the effects of manipting the terrain were permanent, but still obeyed thews of physics. If you made a pir of dirt, it would crumble after you lost your focus, and rock formations would fall under their own weight. But if you made a dome with enough mana and concentration and crafted in a way that would support its structure naturally¡­ it would hold. Which is what I did. It was pretty ugly, but it was secure, and with a small vent at the top, we¡¯d be able to have a small fire inside¡­ if I was able to find any firewood, that is. I had still yet to spot a tree, and I doubted I would find one anytime soon. ¡°Eri, we don¡¯t have a bed or nket, so do you mind letting them rest on you for now? You three can use me as a pillow when I get back,¡± I said, entering the hut. ¡°R-Really!? I-I mean¡­ yeah, I can do that,¡± Eris said, following behind me. Hm? Was she that excited to act like a big sister to them? Heh, I always knew she was the type. ¡°Anyway, keep them safe, and keep sharp. I¡¯ll be around the area, so if anything happens, just yell, okay?¡± I said. ¡°For now, here¡¯s some water. I¡¯ll get us some food, okay?¡± She nodded in response before suddenly frowning. ¡°But¡­ why can¡¯t I go hunt?¡± she asked. ¡°Because I¡¯m stronger than you,¡± I exined. That was the big thing, and while she was miffed about it, she couldn¡¯t refute it, so she just pouted. But that wasn¡¯t the main reason. ¡°And most importantly, I can use detoxification magic.¡± Her expression morphed from dissatisfaction into confusion. ¡°Why would that matter? Do you think they¡¯ll have poison attacks or something?¡± My lips stretched into a forced smile. ¡°No, it¡¯s because we don¡¯t know what¡¯s safe and good to eat, so I have to do some¡­ trial runs, you could say.¡± Luckily, I would easily be able to identify any poisonous or inedible things, and also keep myself safe from toxins, but the process would be gross. After all, the spell I was nning to use worked by forcing the body to expel any harmful substances in the form of puking. ¡°But before that, I¡¯ll need to add some security.¡± Sending a de of sharp wind across my hand, I sliced a fairly deep cut before squeezing out the blood, letting it pool in my palm. ¡°What are you doing!?¡± Eris asked, her face nched. ¡°Shh. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll heal it after, okay?¡± I said. Looking over to my sisters, I noticed that Norn was now awake and looking at me with surprise and worry, herrge green eyes focused on my bleeding hand, trembling slightly at the sight. ¡­That was something else I¡¯d have to ept. As much as I wanted to keep my sweet sisters innocent of the ugliness of the world, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to create such an ideal scenario in our current situation. Not only was it dangerous to be ignorant of such things, but I doubted I would be able to hide everything during our long and difficult journey back home. Those two¡­ they would have to grow up faster than I ever wanted them to. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Norn. Just think of it as paint, okay?¡± I said, crouching down in front of her. ¡°I¡¯m gonna make a cool magic symbol that will keep you safe, okay? So don¡¯t worry.¡± Her slight trembling slowly came to a stop as she watched me draw onto the ground with my blood as the ink. What I said to her, while meant to calm her down, was not necessarily a lie. Due to their uselessness inbat and general control, I hadn¡¯t learned any magic circles for most magic, but¡­ there was one school where magic circles were forced into my head. Protection magic. Or barrier magic, as I called it. As there were no chants for the Intermediate rank, I first needed to get a feel for the magic by observing how the magic circle worked, before memorizing it in my head and transforming that feeling into one of my own that I would then use to cast without an incantation or a magic circle. It was a long andplicated process, and as a result, I still had trouble forming barriers to the Intermediate-rank without an incantation. Even when I did create one, they would disappear soon after casting, especially when I was far away. So for the barrier to remain strong while I was outside, I would need to do this and go back to the basics. The usual ingredient for magic circles was an ink made from crushed magic stone and a bunch of other things mixed in, but as I figured out along my studies, blood could also be used for this task. Blood was excellent at conducting mana, as it was closely linked to the ¡®mana veins¡¯ that were in the body, or at least from what I had learned through training. But while blood was good at conducting mana, that was only the case for me, or rather, someone who had a fairlyrge magic power pool. Rudy, for instance, would probably be an amazing ¡®material¡¯ considering his insane mana stores. Not that I nned on testing it¡­ Anyway, but while my blood good for mana conductivity, it was still an inferior product to the regr magic circle ink that was made with magic stones, as it quickly burned through its use. This fact, alongside the ethics and the difficulty of getting a strong magician¡¯s blood, was likely why magic ink remained the sole ingredient for making magic circles. Anyway, while blood was an inferior product, it did have an added benefit that regr ink didn¡¯t have, that being the ability to pump it full of mana and have it work without a magic stone as a battery. Having set up the barrier around the hut, I healed my hand before taking out my sword. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll be back soon, okay? Get some sleep while you can, and once you get up, I¡¯ll have some food,¡± I said to my sisters. ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡± Norn said, shaking a bit. ¡°Just for a little hunt. Just like Daddy sometimes did in the fall,¡± I said, rubbing her head. ¡°I won¡¯t be gone long, so just hang in there. Got it, Aisha?¡± Her closed eyes widened. ¡°Huh!? Umm, okay!¡± Haa¡­ While she tried to hide it, it was quite obvious that she was awake. Did she do that so that I would keep carrying her? Such a little brat. ¡­She¡¯s lucky that she¡¯s so cute. Getting back up, I created a small pot before filling it with water. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m off.¡± And with that, I then set out into the quickly darkening mountains, hoping that I would quickly find some food, and if I was lucky, some fur I could make into a sleeping mat as well. ¡ª Eris Boreas Greyrat ¡ª I had been teleported away from home, whisked away in an instant. One moment, there was that masked guy who suddenly attacked Rudeus, and then he fought with Ghiine and Leon, and then a momentter, I found myself on the mountainside of an unknownnd. ording to Leon, this unknownnd was the Demon Continent. I had heard about this ce, from both Leon and Ghiine, mainly about how dangerous it was. It was and of monsters, and strong ones too. Monsters you would expect to find in a dungeon or abyrinth in the Central Continent roamed the surface like it was nothing here. It was¡­ dangerous, even for someone who loved adventure like me. But luckily, I wasn¡¯t alone. I had Leon, the most reliable person in the world, and one I could trust to protect me, and also¡­ his sisters. They were cute, but they wouldn¡¯t help much in this situation. If anything, they would be a hindrance. But I would keep them safe, just like I promised Leon. After all, for all the times I had relied on him and made his life harder, now¡­ I could help him. He trusted me. He needed me. There was no chance I would let this moment slip by. I would probably- no, knowing me, I would definitely end up relying on Leon for our journey home, but if I could just support him¡­ just make his life easier, by a minuscule amount¡­ it¡¯d bring me immense relief. With the two children sleeping on my crossed legs, I kept my eye trained on the entrance of the hut, keeping my senses sharp as I waited for Leon toe back. I was worried, but most importantly, impatient. I wanted to do something productive, whether that meant stirring a pot, surveying thend, or even sleeping, it didn¡¯t matter, I just hated sitting still like this. As if my prayers had been heard and answered, Leon then appeared from the entrance, his clothes drenched in blood and his hair dripping with sweat as he set the room alight in a pale me held at the tip of his finger. Ignoring the annoyance that was bubbling to the surface at the sight, I greeted him, ¡°You¡¯re back! Did you¡­ get anything?¡± He nodded. ¡°Yeah. I got a few monsters, but I only brought three different corpses back. I decided it would be better to get them butchered here, since I could keep watch. But first¡­ this.¡± He thenid out a mat of fur. ¡°It¡¯s not the best, as I could only roughly clean it with magic, but it should be better than the ground,¡± Leon said before turning around. ¡°I¡¯m going to go test the meat.¡± ¡°Wait. I¡¯ll go with you,¡± I said. ¡°No,¡± he shook his head. ¡°Just start getting some sleep, okay? Even if it¡¯s fine to eat, it doesn¡¯t mean it won¡¯t be disgusting, so I¡¯ll have to find a way to make it edible.¡± ¡°And? What does that have to do with anything?¡± I asked. ¡°It means I¡¯ll be up for a while, so you should get some sleep. We¡¯ll be going again in the morning,¡± he said. ¡°But¡­¡± my voice trembled. ¡°What about you?¡± He looked my way, eyebrows arched in surprise before his face calmed into a smile. ¡°Sorry,¡± he said. ¡°I guess I did promise that I¡¯d be your pillow, huh? The fur should be enough, but I¡¯ll try to finish early anyway.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not¡­¡± I felt annoyed, different from the usual feeling I felt around him, but I decided to swallow it down. ¡°Never mind. Just¡­ you need sleep too, okay?¡± I said. He shrugged. ¡°Maybe, but it¡¯s getting pretty cold. Unless I suddenly find some fuel, I¡¯m going to have to keep a me going. But¡­ thanks, Eri.¡± As he headed back outside, I thenid down Norn and Aisha on the makeshift rug, with Norn clutching her teddy close and Aisha curling into a ball as they continued sleeping soundly. Hmm¡­ I kind of wanted to practice my swordsmanship, but I think it would be better to get some rest, just like Leon told me. But ugh¡­ the ground? Even adventurers had a bedroll or something simr. I guess this won¡¯t be as fun as I imagined, huh? Oh, but I could always use my shirt as a pillow. But then I¡¯d be left in my bra¡­ okay, maybe that wasn¡¯t such a good idea. I wouldn¡¯t want to show him that just yet- ¡°Blegh! H-Hughhh!¡± Hearing the sound of violent retching, I quickly shot up before crawling over to the entryway to see what was happening. As I peeked my head around the hut¡¯s walls, Ie across the sight of Leon hunched over, wiping a trail of puke and saliva from his lips. ¡°Ahh, fuck. I guess that one¡¯s a no, huh? At least it got us the fur¡­¡± hemented with a frown. ¡°L-Leon?¡± I said hesitantly. ¡°Hm?¡± he turned to face me. ¡°Didn¡¯t I said to go to sleep? It¡¯s not anything interesting-¡± ¡°Not that, you idiot!¡± I shouted. Not loud enough to wake the sleeping girls, hopefully, but loud enough to convey my seriousness and annoyance. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m worried about you! You idiot! Why are you¡­ why?¡± I said, my voice cracking at the end. His lips curled into a frown as he generated arge ball of mes, before then shooting it at the skinned corpse and setting it on fire. ¡°Expel Toxins is an Advanced rank detoxification spell that can remove any poisons from the body, no matter how powerful, as long as they aren¡¯t digested by, well, you can get the picture. It makes you puke it out,¡± he exined. ¡°Since I don¡¯t know what is safe to eat here, I can¡¯t take any risks. Especially since my sisters are fragile. And as you can see,¡± he gestured to the puddle of chewed-up food and bile. ¡°It seems I was right to be cautious.¡± I¡­ I got it. I understood. After all, with all those times we bought food from street stalls, he always put into my mind how food could be poisoned, even without anyone meaning to. But still! I¡­ seeing him do this¡­ I hated it. ¡°Can you¡­ not? We can wait until we meet some locals, right?¡± I pleaded. ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t think we can,¡± he refuted. ¡°Not only do we not know when we¡¯ll meet anyone, but who is to say they would know what¡¯s safe for humans? This is the Demon Continent, after all.¡± Looking toward me with a sad smile, he then walked over before crouching in front of me and pulling me into a hug. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt, Eri. It¡¯s just a little gross. So¡­ don¡¯t worry about me too much, okay?¡± he soothed. ¡°Just the thought alone makes me happy.¡± Dammit. How¡­ how could I not worry? Why couldn¡¯t he understand how much I hated it!? He was so! So stupid! ¡°But you¡¯re right. There¡¯s no need to do it right now.¡± ¡­Huh? But¡­ didn¡¯t he say he wanted to have a meal ready for tomorrow? Getting up, he starts heading inside, pulling my arm along with him. ¡°Let¡¯s head to bed, Eri. It¡¯ll be a tough day tomorrow.¡± I was still confused, but just like usual, I went along with his pace, letting him lead me into the hut as he sat down next to his sisters. ¡°They¡¯re knocked out, huh? Well, that¡¯s to be expected. It¡¯s been a big day, after all,¡± Leon said, a loving smile on his face as he brushed the hair out of Aisha¡¯s eyes. ¡°Hmm¡­ I should probably close the door, huh?¡± And then, with him cing his hand on the ground, a wall of earth rises to cover the entryway, leaving us in pitch-ck darkness. At least, it was like that before Leon¡¯s hands were set alight with mes. ¡°There. That¡¯s good,¡± he said with a nod. With the room bathed in a warm glow, and afortable temperature, Leon then sat down, pulling his sisters closer to him before looking at me. ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± he asked, patting his leg. ¡°Sleep is important, you know.¡± My voice gets caught in my throat. I wanted to ask how he was, how he felt¡­ to let his worries loose on me while his sisters were asleep. I wanted to ask why he was sitting like that if he was going to lie down and sleep, and about what we would do tomorrow. But with such an invitation¡­ all those questions and worries melted away, leaving me only with a feeling of want. I wanted toy on him, really badly, especially with how stressful everything was and the slight pain of hunger in my belly. And, as I had always done¡­ I blindly followed my instincts. ¡°T-Thank you¡­ and¡­ goodnight,¡± I said, letting my head rest against his thigh. It was¡­ warm, even though Leon stunk a bit. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Have a good sleep, Eri,¡± he said, letting his hand run through my hair. It felt nice. I felt¡­ safe. Loved. And so, feeling my eyes be heavy, I cuddled closer as I prepared to sleep, thinking about today¡¯s events and possible future ones. Yes¡­ I would definitely end up relying on Leon, and knowing him, quite a lot, too. After all, I was already doing so, and even going as far as to selfishly indulge in these smallforts. But¡­ in exchange, I would keep his sisters safe. And when he needed it¡­ when he wanted it¡­ I¡¯d keep Leon safe, too. I¡¯d support him with my all, just like he¡¯s done for me. That was the least I could do to repay him for always being by my side and giving me suchfort. Promising myself such, I closed my eyes before quickly drifting off to sleep. Chapter 27 – Sleepless Nights Chapter 27 ¨C Sleepless Nights ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Taking a sip of the stew, my lips curled into a frown. ¡°Damn¡­ it isn¡¯t good, but it¡¯s edible. Aisha and Norn have eaten Father¡¯s cooking, so they should be able to stomach this.¡± Having spent the entire night awake, making sure no monsters came to visit us and ying the few that did, I tested the meat of the other two monsters I had killed to see if they were edible or not. Luckily, or perhaps, unluckily, the first one I had tried had been the only one that was harmful to the human body, a snake-like monster that tried to strike me from behind a rock, only to meet its end with a de of wind. The next one I tried was a sort of wolf-like creature, and while it wasn¡¯t necessarily harmful to the body, with how bad it tasted, it might as well have been. I decided to keep a small portion of the meat for emergencies, but honestly¡­ I hope we never got to that point. Let¡¯s just say it wasn¡¯t a detoxification spell that made me puke out that one. Andstly, there was some sort of bird monster that tried to swoop in for the snake¡¯s corpse, only to be dispatched by a flick of my sword. This meat was safe, and most importantly, edible. While it wasn¡¯t good by any stretch of the word, it would have to do. Since I didn¡¯t have any spices or herbs to mask the disgusting aftertaste, I decided to make a stew, not only to get all the nutrients I could out of the meat, but also to make it tender so it was easy to swallow down. I really wish there was some sort of nt magic. Rudy always wondered if there were some derivatives like that and shadow magic, but our experiments never proved fruitful. A shame, considering the current circumstances. As there was no firewood or brush to be seen, I originally began cooking the stew with a constant application of fire magic, but soon enough, I realized that I could superheat the rocks to the point where they glowed red to provide a constant heat source until they naturally cooled off. And so, with my hands free from heating the pot, I crafted a set of nes, one for a sister each. With the string made out of thece from my shirt and the pendant made of a t stone, overall¡­ it looked quite ugly. But I wasn¡¯t making these for beauty, but rather for practicality. ¡°Mmm¡­ I just hope itsts long enough,¡± I mumbled to myself, letting my fingernail finish the final few lines of the magic circle. I¡¯d need to replenish the mana a few times a day, but it should be good enough to keep the two safe. Letting the blood dry onto the rock, I then poured my mana into both of them, and upon lightly touching myself, I felt no resistance. Okay, that¡¯s good. Would be bad if I couldn¡¯t pick up my sisters, after all. I then took out my sword, and as I tried to bring down the de onto my hand, I was stopped just beforehand by a translucent barrier, the motion of my sword halting in midair. Perfect. This was the spell Auto Shield, an Intermediate-rank protection spell that blocked any iing attacks on the user, but still allowed harmless things to pass through it. It was also what I cast around the hut, as I would still want to go in and out when I needed to. I could understand how barriers worked. After all, it was just pure mana weaved into the object, the air, or the mana itself to create a strong defence. But¡­ I still couldn¡¯t understand how the automated part worked. What was harmful? What was dangerous? Could it be tricked? But ultimately, those questions were useless, especially in my current situation. It worked, and that was all that mattered. Getting food, creating barriers for Norn and Aisha, creating a sleeping mat out of fur¡­ I was doing a bunch of useful things, sure, but ultimately¡­ I was just avoiding the main issue. I¡­ didn¡¯t know what to do. I was just iling around and doing what I could, hoping I was covering the basics of survival before anything went wrong. And now that we were in a more stable position than yesterday, I needed to n. I needed to get my bearings and begin the journey back home and reunite with my family. Assuming that we were on the Demon Continent, which was more of a certainty than a possibility, there was only one way to the Central Continent. As the Ringus Sea was blocked by the Ocean Race and various monsters, and any path through the Heaven Continent was blocked by the Heaven Race and the steep terrain, the only way out of the Demon Continent was through a city in the south¡­. Wind Port, if I remember correctly. These were all things I had heard from Roxy and read in the books in the manor¡¯s library, so while I would like to confirm, I was fairly certain that this was still the case. Now¡­ if we were lucky, then we had been teleported to the south, and were only a few days away from the port in question. But that would be wishful thinking. I would only be guessing until we found out, so it was best to n for the worst. So, assuming we were in the very northern tip¡­ it would be a long way back. A year, at least, to just get to the Holy Country of Millis, and after that, another year or two of travel would await us. Two to three years. And that was assuming nothing went wrong, such as sickness, injury, or any other detours. And after that¡­ what about everyone else? I am sure that we would all n to meet up in our homnd, but how long would they wait until they decided to head out searching for us? While Paul may be a horrible husband, he was a good man, especially in stressful situations like these, so I had no doubt he would set out the moment he realized we weren¡¯t there. Actually, he was probably doing that right about now, huh? Or at least soon, once the news reached him. But then again¡­ it could already be toote- ¡°Ah!¡± a quick p to my face cleared my head of such thoughts. Stop, Leon. Those thoughts were useless. Focus on the task at hand: getting Eris, Aisha, and Norn home, safe and sound. Everything else couldeter. ¡°Huam~ Leon?¡± Eris yawned, walking out of the hut. Scratching her stomach with one hand and wiping her eyes with the other, she looks over at me. ¡°Mornin~¡± ¡­Well wasn¡¯t she cheery? ¡°Good morning, Eri. Are my sisters up?¡± I asked. ¡°Hm? No,¡± she shook her head. ¡°Do you want me to wake them?¡± I nodded. ¡°Please.¡± Quickly crafting four bowls out of earth magic, I then poured the stew into each, making sure everyone had an equal portion of meat, though there was less for Norn and Aisha, of course. ¡°Morning Big Brother!¡± Aisha eximed, running over to me. Jumping onto my back, she wrapped her arms around my neck as she looked down at the stew. ¡°Ooh! I was getting hungry!¡± she smiled. Taking a sniff, I could tell even without looking that her smile had morphed into a frown. ¡°O-Ohh¡­ that¡¯s not¡­ that¡¯s not Mother¡¯s cooking, is it?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not,¡± I shook my head. ¡°But it¡¯ll have to do. Now eat up. I¡¯m going to give you two a quick wash, and then we¡¯ll be walking again. Do you think you can carry the fur for me?¡± ¡°Mhmm! Of course!¡± she eximed. Such a good kid. ¡°M-Morning, Brother,¡± Norn said, slowly walking up to us. Holding her stuffy close, she looked over at the charred corpses of the monsters before frowning. Yeah¡­ I bet it was gross, huh? I was quite adaptable due to my maturity and having grown up with the Fangs of the ck Wolf, but such a sight must have been pretty jarring to an innocent girl like her, huh? She¡¯d¡­ have to get used to it, unfortunately. Oh yeah, that reminded me. ¡°Before we eat, I want you two to wear these, okay?¡± I said, giving each of the barrier nes to the girls. ¡°Don¡¯t take it off, even if it¡¯s annoying, okay? And tell me if you lose it right away.¡± Both of them nodded as I put a ne over each of their heads, letting the pendant rest on their chest. ¡°There we go. Now, make sure to eat it all, even if it¡¯s gross,¡± I said, passing them each a bowl. As the three began to eat, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Eris didn¡¯t seem to mind the taste, and as for my sisters, while their grimaces exposed their disgust, they didn¡¯t voice their displeasure. I was thankful for that. Maybe this journey wouldn¡¯t be so bad after all. But¡­ I was pretty tired already. I¡¯d have to fight through that until we find civilization, but I just hoped my fatigue wouldn¡¯t diminish my abilities too much. ¡°Now, if we¡¯re all done, we should get going,¡± I said, getting to my feet. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can find a trace of civilization.¡± I just hoped that today would be as good as yesterday, and if I was lucky, even a little easier. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It had been a week since I found myself transported to the Demon Continent, and while nothing bad had happened in this time, nothing good had either. We hadn¡¯t found anyone. No vige, no settlement, not even a ruin of past civilization. It waspletely and utterly barren. There was only the dry steppes and the rocky mountainside we were following. That was our daily n. We would get up, have some breakfast, which was usually leftovers fromst night¡¯s dinner, and then walk until someone got tired, where we would eat lunch before walking again. And then, as the sun began to set, I would make a shelter, hunt an edible monster for dinner, and then let the three sleep as I kept watch for any attackers while also trying to brainstorm a way out of this mess. Luckily, at this time, we hade across some vegetation for both eating and vouring, so our meals were a bit better, but I could tell¡­ the constant travel was weighing down the group. Aisha and Norn specifically, though they tried not to show it. Even Eris, who was all smiles andughs when we first set out, was unusually quiet, and the only times she ever showed some excitement was when I let her take down a monster. I guess¡­ I wasn¡¯t a very good leader, huh? We should have definitely seen someone by now. Even if the Demon Continent was vast and barren, it couldn¡¯t be that bad. But despite mypetence with the sword and magic, that didn¡¯t mean I was a good explorer. Or perhaps, ¡®adventurers¡¯ was what we were right now. Groaaaah!!! Hearing such a fierce roar, I noticed a cloud of dust in the distance that was slowly inching closer. No¡­ that wasn¡¯t just a cloud of dust, but rather, a stampede of monsters. One that was heading straight toward us. ¡°Dammit,¡± I snarled. ¡°Eri, keep them safe. Scream if you need help.¡± Unsheathing my sword, I then started sprinting toward the oing horde, though I could tell that I was slower than usual. Haa¡­ I was just¡­ so tired. I know I should be sleeping more, but thinking about what could go wrong while I was out ofmission¡­ well, let¡¯s just say I wouldn¡¯t have gotten any rest even if I tried. Anyway, let¡¯s make quick work of these things. There were around ten of them, and they were brown andrge, with a horn on their nose, almost like a rhinoceros. A species of monster I had yet to encounter. Reaching the leading monster, I held my sword tight as I twisted my hips, releasing a devastating sh that instantly decapitated the beast, stopping the others monsters¡¯ advance as its corpse tumbled to the ground. Cleaving through one after another, I felt my mind begin to dull at the monotonousness of it all. But¡­ was my sword always this slow? I needed an extra burst of speed with each step to keep up with my usual pace, either using earth magic to help my feet grip the ground, or a swift wind to push me forward. Despite fighting constantly each day¡­ I was somehow only getting worse inbat. With two more monsters left, I took a step forward while swinging my sword toward the closest one, but instead of cutting cleanly through its neck, it gets caught halfway through, stopping as my de gets stuck in its spine. While that was enough to kill that monster¡­ that wasn¡¯t the case for the second. ¡°Gah!¡± With its head ramming against my side, I was sent flying to the ground, the dirt grinding against my face as I felt my head get cut by a passing rock, thankfully keep hold of my sword all the while. Fuck¡­ luckily, I didn¡¯t get hit by its horn, but¡­ was I really this bad? I thought- no¡­ let¡¯s deal with thisst one first. Getting to my feet, I generated a spear of fire, shooting it through the air a momentter to stab into the monster¡¯s chest, exploding on impact and instantly killing it. Fuck¡­ my head was spinning, and my mind felt so dull¡­ it reminded me of back when I was an infant, watching the world pass by in a listless haze. It felt gross, like I was a husk of my optimal self. But that feeling alone wasn¡¯t what made me upset, rather¡­ it was the results. Brushing my hand across my face, I then looked down at it to see that it was covered in blood, the red liquid mixing with the dirt and grime I had umted over the week. Fuck¡­ If I couldn¡¯t even protect myself¡­ how would I ever hope to keep the other three safe? Dammit. Healing my head, and washing off the blood, I then made my way back to the other three. ¡°All done. Let¡¯s¡­ let¡¯s keep going,¡± I said with a smile. It was forced, of course. Eris, however, only returned a worried frown. ¡°Leon¡­ your arm.¡± Huh? Looking down, I noticed that my arm was seeping blood. That was probably from the monster¡¯s body m, or perhaps I had cut it from the tumble, either way, it must have been what had Eris so worried. ¡°Right. Forgot about that,¡± shaking my head, I quickly cast a healing spell on my arm, healing the injury. But damn¡­ I usually never had a problem with my mana pool, save for that time I tried making a ¡®figurine¡¯ with Rudy, but with the constant use of magic, and theck of sleep that replenished mana efficiently, I was starting to feel my reserves dry up. Another mistake, huh? ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s keep-¡± I was interrupted by Eris grabbing my arm with an iron grip. Looking over, I noticed how her eyes were slightly watery with her lips curled into an angry frown. ¡°Didn¡¯t you said you would need my help!?¡± she shouted with a volume that made me flinch. She was angry. ¡°That doesn¡¯t look like asking for help, Leon! When¡¯s thest time you slept!? Huh? When¡¯s thest time!?¡± she asked, her grip tightening. ¡°I¡­ it¡¯s not that easy, Eri,¡± I said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter!¡± she shook her head. ¡°Rely on me, okay? W-We¡¯re¡­ partners here¡­ got it?¡± My eyes widened as the haze that had been masking my senses seemed to disappear, giving way to the sight of Eris¡¯ tearful yet reassuring re that took my breath away. Right¡­ I wasn¡¯t alone here. And while Eris might not be the smartest girl around, she was strong. Strong enough to rely on. So why was I being so stubborn? ¡°Got it¡­ then¡­ do you mind if we split guard duty?¡± I asked. Her re shifted into a wide smile. ¡°Mhmm!¡± Ha. Jeez, while I criticized her intelligence, maybe I was a bit of an idiot too, huh? I had been staying up during the night to keep the huts heated, but I could have always used the heated rock method I used to cook most of our stews. Really¡­ I was definitely a bit of an idiot. ¡°Alright!¡± I said, pping my cheeks. ¡°I¡¯m feeling energized now! Let¡¯s aim for civilization today!¡± Picking up both of my sisters, I set them both on my shoulders before marching forth with a wide smile on my face, and most importantly, Eris walking at my side. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª The burst of energy hadsted until nighttime, and unfortunately, Eris was too tired to take the first shift. Even though we had walked much further today than normal, we had still yet to reach any settlement, but despite this, our search wasn¡¯t for naught, as I was able to finally find a trace of civilization in the form of a path. It was nothing like the road between Roa and the capital, and it wasn¡¯t even as good as the one between Roa and Buena Vige, but it was a path nheless. We were close¡­ I could feel it. Close to making some actual progress on our way back home. Leaning back against the hut, I set my gaze across the rocky steppes, looking for any monsters that wanted to try their luck. ¡°Huam~! Ahh, I¡¯m bored. Maybe I should train?¡± I said to myself. Not magic, of course. I was already close to depleting my reserves. But maybe some disciplined exercise would help me stay focused until it was my time to finally sleep. But then, as I looked over the passing scenery, I spotted a man. ¡­Fuck yes! Wait. I couldn¡¯t be too hasty. After all, there were plenty of bad people in this world, so I shouldn¡¯t be too quick to trust. Standing up, I narrowed my eyes to focus on the figure. He was tall. Taller than Paul. And he had a long trident held in his hand, short green hair that almost reached his eyes, and arge red gem imnted on his forehead. The man then noticed me, his eyes widening in surprise before he began walking my way. Seeing that, my hands reached toward my sword as they began shaking- Wait¡­ shaking? Why was I shaking? No¡­ it was obvious why. I was scared. The man had a fierce look on his face, and he had a weapon drawn, but other than that, there was no reason for me, a dual Sword and Water Saint, to be scared. Wait¡­ green hair¡­ a red gem¡­ a Demon race¡­ That¡­ was a Superd right there, wasn¡¯t it? While I wasn¡¯t going to think that everything the stories Roxy told me about them were true, I could never be too careful. After all, those stories, while they might be exaggerated, likely held a fair amount of credibility. Clenching my fist, I felt my nails dig into my skin, the pain breaking me out of my state of freight as I leaped forward to intercept him. I would wake Eris¡­ but I had a feeling that she would just make this situation worse. ¡°Hey!¡± I shouted in the Demon God tongue. ¡°What do you want?¡± His eyes widened. ¡°A human child? And that speed¡­ I have many questions, child.¡± ¡°And I have them too! Who are you?¡± I said, raising my sword. ¡°¡­Ruijerd Superdia of the Superd race,¡± he answered. Yes, I kind of got thatst part. ¡°What is a human child like you doing here? And I can sense three more¡­¡± My eyes widened in surprise. H-He already knew? Shit¡­ if this guy was anything like the stories Roxy said¡­ I would have to defeat him here. ¡°W-What do you want with us?¡± I said. ¡°¡­Did you not hear me? I said I¡¯m a Superd. Are you not scared?¡± he asked, eyebrows arched in confusion. I widened my legs into a Water God stance. ¡°O-Of course I am, but that doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t fight you!¡± His head tilted in curiosity before finally nodding with a warm smile. ¡°Oveing such fear¡­ I see¡­ you¡¯re a warrior, aren¡¯t you?¡± he then raised his spear. ¡°Well, I am never one to refuse an honourable duel.¡± ¡­What? Wait, what did that-? My thoughts came to a stop as his trident shot forth, the pointed tip aiming for my neck as he shortened the space between us with a single leap. Fuck! I slid my sword under his trident¡¯s shaft, guiding it to the side as I swung my leg out to respond, but instead ofnding a kick, I felt the end of his trident impact my face, sending me backward. Landing on my feet and ignoring the stinging pain, I raised my sword to defend myself, only to see him looking at me with curiosity instead of keeping up the pressure. I don¡¯t know why he suddenly started attacking me, but this was not a good situation to be in. He was strong. Stronger than me, and maybe even stronger than Ghiine. And he used a trident¡­ that was basically a spear, something not used in any of the three major schools, which meant that every single one of his moves and techniques would bepletely foreign to me. Shit¡­ Eris without a doubt couldn¡¯t win, and if she saw me fighting here, she would definitely step in, no matter how much I begged her not to. And as for running away¡­ she would certainly get caught. I had to stop him here. Setting my stance, I brought my sword to my side as touki began to flow through my body, rippling and pulsing in a familiar rhythm. I could never hope to win in a drawn-out fight, so this had to be finished right here, right now. Luckily, there was a move that was perfect for this situation. One that I had practised diligently for quite a while. With ayer of wind magic granting meplete air resistance, an explosion set to go off at my feet, and the earth prepared to shoot me forward, I unleashed my strike. The world turned monochrome as I extended my de toward the neck of this ¡®Ruijerd¡¯. ng! Only to be met by that disappointing sound. His block warding me to the side, I tried to catch myself as I was sent tumbling to the ground, but my arms and legs gave out as I crumpled onto the rocky earth. Feeling my consciousness begin to wane, I attempted to lift myself back up¡­ to no avail. Shit¡­ I couldn¡¯t do it. And not only that, I used up all my mana for that, didn¡¯t I? Dammit¡­ ¡°¡­How peculiar. I didn¡¯t think human children were able to be this strong,¡± the man said admiringly from above. I then felt a handnd on my head, but not violently, like I was expecting. If anything, it was almost¡­ calming. ¡°Be proud. You are a true warrior. Now rest. I will guard your group in your stead.¡± Hearing those words, I felt a wave of confusion sh with the fatigue I was already struggling with. What was he talking about? Wasn¡¯t he supposed to kill me? I just¡­ hoped that the barrier would hold, or that this Superd would overlook the other three. I¡¯m sorry¡­ Aisha, Norn, Eris¡­ my family too. With those thoughts in my head, my vision turned to ck as I quickly sumbed to unconsciousness. Chapter 28 – Ruijerd Superdia Chapter 28 ¨C Ruijerd Superdia ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡®Hey, Big Brother¡­ could you¡­ walk me to school?¡¯ Huh? Who¡­ what was that voice? Where was I? It¡¯s dark¡­ I couldn¡¯t see anything¡­ not even my hands right in front of me. No¡­ I couldn¡¯t feel my hands either. To be exact, I couldn¡¯t feel anything. Of course! Why wouldn¡¯t I? I need to protect my cute little sister, after all! What¡­ was that¡­ my voice? But¡­ it didn¡¯t feel the same. It didn¡¯t sound the same, either. ¡®Thanks! You¡¯re the best!¡¯ That weird voice again¡­ it was a girl¡¯s. What was happening? Actually, no, that didn¡¯t matter. That man, Ruijerd¡­ we fought, and I lost. But his words at the end¡­ they almost seemed¡­ kind. As if he wasn¡¯t going to finish me off. Was he truly going to protect Eris, Aisha, and Norn, just like he said? But I couldn¡¯t be too sure¡­ Anyway, if I wasn¡¯t dead, I was definitely asleep, most likely due to running out of mana. But I couldn¡¯t just stay here. I needed to get up and see what was happening. I needed to wake up! ¡°Hah!¡± Shooting up, I felt my heartbeat pound against my chest as I looked around me, my shaky breath slowly returning to a normal pace. I was¡­ inside the hut. And from the small bit of lighting from the entryway, it was morning. But¡­ how did I end up here? Didn¡¯t I pass out pretty far away from the shelter? ¡°You¡¯re up.¡± Hearing a rough yet quiet voice, I turned to my side, only to see the same man who put me in this state, Ruijerd, sitting opposite me against the wall. ¡­What was he doing here? Wait. If he got through the barrier, then¡­ Frantically looking to my side, I was immensely relieved to see Aisha and Norn both snuggling against my leg to my right, with Eris sprawled out to my left, her hair undone and her midriff showing. Haa¡­ I¡¯d have to do up her hair againter. ¡°¡­Yes, I am. How¡­ how did you break through the barrier?¡± I asked. ¡°Hm? Barrier?¡± he asked before his eyes light up with realization. ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s what that feeling was¡­ no, I did not break through the barrier.¡± ¡­Okay, so he didn¡¯t break through it, and paired with the fact my sisters, Eris, and I were safe, that meant that this guy was¡­ not an enemy. Although he still had that harsh look, and I still felt a little scared around him, he was friendly¡­ I think. ¡°I see¡­ why¡­ why did you watch over us?¡± I asked. He tilted his head. ¡°Didn¡¯t I said I would? Besides, a Superd warrior never abandons children.¡± ¡­Right. ¡°I see¡­ so you¡¯re not evil¡­ then¡­ why did you fight me?¡± I asked. He raised his eyebrows once more in confusion. ¡°Was raising your sword not a request for a duel?¡± ¡­Huh? ¡°Um, no¡­ rather, it was a sign of caution and warning¡­¡± I answered slowly. ¡°¡­Oh,¡± he hung his head. ¡°I see.¡± ¡­What the hell was with this guy? This was the terrifying race of Superd? While he was definitely strong, in terms of personality, he just seemed¡­ socially awkward. Incredibly so. ¡°¡­Anyway, thank you for looking after them. I¡­ really needed the sleep,¡± I said, slightly bowing my head. Only now could I notice what a horrible state I had been in. Everything felt so clear now, and my body was brimming with energy. Casting a small Waterball above my palm, I marvelled at the ease and smoothness of it all as I washed my face, rubbing off the dirt and a bit of blood fromst night''s ¡®duel¡¯. ¡°¡­How interesting. Is casting magic without an incantation normal for humans now?¡± Ruijerd asked. I shook my head. ¡°No. As far as I know, only me and three others can do it. I¡¯m a bit of a rarity.¡± He nodded. ¡°Hmm¡­ I see. How interesting.¡± Feeling a bit awkward at the silence, I looked around the hut, and to my surprise, I saw a small fire pit near the entrance, one that was filled with ash and burned wood. Well¡­ that exins why I didn¡¯t feel cold in the night. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯ve survived without firewood to heat yourselves and your food. Human children are said to be quite delicate,¡± Ruijerd said. ¡°Yeah¡­ I usually stayed up casting a me spell or heated up rocks for that,¡± I said. ¡°Speaking of¡­ where did you find the wood?¡± ¡°Hm? While no trees are found here in the mountains, there are various species of Treants,¡± he answered. ¡°But to stay up all night casting magic¡­ you are definitely a rarity.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Hahaha¡­ yeah.¡± Treants, huh? To think there was such a thing¡­ I had been avoiding monsters whenever I could for¡­ obvious reasons, but to think that was how I could get firewood¡­ The Demon Continent was quite the scary ce, huh? Having to rely on monsters for all aspects of survival¡­ it was a wonder how this ce was habitable at all, especially with the barrenndscape. ¡°Anyway¡­ thank you once again for watching over us,¡± I said, breaking the silence. ¡°My name is Leon Greyrat, a Sword and Water Saint, and student of the Sword King Ghiine.¡± ¡°¡­And I am Ruijerd Superdia.¡± Yes. I already knew that. ¡°But¡­ are you not scared of me? I am a Superd, you know,¡± he said. ¡°I was scared at first, but, well¡­ it¡¯s kind of calmed down now,¡± I shrugged. ¡°But¡­ you¡¯re much different than what the stories said, Ruijerd.¡± Even though I thought that the legends of the Superd race were greatly exaggerated, I still expected them to be violent people, but contrary to that, Ruijerd seemed extremely gentle¡­ aside from that ¡®duel¡¯ mishap. However, as my aching side told me quite clearly, I knew that he could be violent if he wanted. I guess you can¡¯t blindly trust stories, huh? His grip on his spear tightened. ¡°¡­The Superd are a proud race of warriors. We are not a horde of monstrous beasts. We were tricked by that damned Lace!¡± Hm? ¡°But¡­ from the stories I heard of, the Superd fought on Lace¡¯s side in the war¡­ did something happen?¡± I asked. ¡°We were betrayed!¡± he shouted, his face the incarnation of violent anger. Ah¡­ the fear was back. But at least I didn¡¯t tremble this time. ¡°That despicable man gave us the cursed spears, and then¡­¡± his face then turned sad as he looked down at his hand. ¡°We lost everything. Our home¡­ our people¡­ and our honour. I will never forgive him.¡± ¡­I guess there was quite a story there. But that wasn¡¯t important right now. ¡°I see¡­ Umm, do you happen to know where we are, Ruijerd?¡± I asked. ¡°The edge of the Biegoya Region, in the northeast of the Demon Continent,¡± he answered. Well, shit. That was the worst luck imaginable. We were¡­ a long way from home. Years, even. ¡°Where do you and your group happen to hail from, boy,¡± Ruijerd then asked. ¡°The Asura Kingdom. Ironically, the northeast region of it,¡± I said with a frown. Running my fingers through Aisha¡¯s maroon hair, I thought about the current situation. I¡¯d have to cross the entire Demon Continent to get back home, all while keeping these three safe and happy. If it was six months or so, I would be fine with sacrificing some happiness for speed as we would be able to quickly get back to a sense of normalcy and stability and forget about the difficult times, but since we would be travelling for so long¡­ Right now, Aisha and Norn were three and half years old and in the midst of their precious childhood. I couldn¡¯t let them have a miserable time in such an important period in their lives. Right now, they should be growing, discovering themselves, smiling andughing without a care in the world¡­ They needed to be happy. ¡°Asura? That¡¯s¡­ quite a farawaynd,¡± Ruijerd said. Yeah. No kidding. ¡°But I am curious¡­ Just how did you end up here in the first ce?¡± he asked. ¡­How did we, indeed. ¡°¡­There was a great light, and as soon as it reached us, we were teleported here. I don¡¯t know why¡­ or how¡­ but I know that Perugius was concerned as Arumanfi the Bright appeared,¡± I exined. ¡°Teleportation? If such forbidden magic was used, and on such a scale, it¡¯s no wonder Perugius got involved,¡± Ruijerd said to himself. ¡°And these three¡­ are they your sisters?¡± ¡°These two are,¡± I said, rubbing Aisha and Norn¡¯s heads. ¡°But this one, Eris, is just¡­ a friend.¡± Why was that so difficult to say? I suppose after spending so much time together, and relying on her for the past week, it was hard to just call her a ¡®friend¡¯. ¡°¡­I see. You are a good brother, Leon Greyrat. You have my respect,¡± Ruijerd said with a smile. ¡°Thanks¡­¡± I said. Now that I could see the man clearly, I noticed a few things about him aside from his spear, hair, and red gem that popped out at first nce. He was muscled, which madeplete sense considering the speed and strength he showed earlier. He also had porcin white skin,pletely devoid of blemishes aside from the long scar running across his face, and wore a set of tribal garb that left much to be desired in terms of protection. Just as I was about to strike up a conversation with him again, I felt movement from my left. ¡°Nghh~ Hm~? Leon?¡± Eris slowly blinked open her eyes before turning to the sunlit entrance. ¡°It¡¯s morning? We were supposed to split guard duty!¡± Oh. She was angry now. Aplete reversal from the gentle and cute sleeping expression she was wearing a moment before. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I got some rest,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°We had some¡­ unexpected aid, you could say.¡± Finally noticing the foreign presence, Eris then turned to look at Ruijerd, and upon seeing him¡­ ¡°Aaaah!!!¡± She screamed. ¡°N-Nooo!¡± She tried to scamper away, but quickly found herself cornered by the wall. ¡­What? I knew that Hilda had told Eris about the Superd, but I didn¡¯t think she would be this terrified of him. It was¡­ unnatural, especially for such a prideful and fearless girl like her. Come to think of it, the fear I felt was also unnatural. I wasn¡¯t scared of him being a Superd, nor was I scared of his strength, at least, not to the point where I would tremble. There was something more going on here¡­ something¡­ weird. Wait. He said ¡®cursed spears¡¯ or something, right? Maybe¡­ no, I couldn¡¯t be sure of that. ¡°Eri, it¡¯s okay,¡± I said, holding her shoulders and blocking her view of Ruijerd. ¡°We¡¯re safe. He¡¯s not going to hurt you.¡± Instead of acknowledging me, she simply wrapped her arms around me and dug her face into my chest, sobbing incoherently as I held her trembling body close. ¡­Yeah. Not natural at all. ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Huam~!¡± Due to Eris¡¯ screaming, as well as the two losing their pillow in my leg, Aisha and Norn woke up. Rubbing their eyes, they took a quick nce around the hut before their gazes simultaneously fell on Ruijerd, and then¡­ ¡°Waaah!¡± ¡°Noooo!¡± They both begin screaming as well. Scampering to my side, they both buried their face in my torso next to Eris as they wailed and panted to the point I was worried they would pass out. ¡°¡­That is the normal reaction,¡± Ruijerd said with a sad smile. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you four alone. I can guard just fine from afar.¡± ¡°No,¡± I stopped him, shaking my head. ¡°Stay here, but just¡­ give us a minute. I¡¯m thinking.¡± If Eris and I¡¯s reactions were odd, then Norn and Aisha¡¯s were downright wrong. After all¡­ while Eris and I had at least heard stories of the Superd, my sweet sisters didn¡¯t know a single thing about those stories. They werepletely ignorant of the word ¡®Superd¡¯ and what it meant. Well, Aisha might, as she loved learning new things, but I knew Norn didn¡¯t. And yet¡­ they were still terrified. This wasn¡¯t something born from a stereotype or some bedtime story, no¡­ this was something deeper. Something stranger. Something¡­ magical. Well¡­ such thoughts could be put aside forter. Right now, I just needed tofort these hysterical girls. ¡°Eri,¡± I whispered into her ear. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be afraid of. That goes for you too, Aisha. Norn.¡± ¡°Of course, there¡¯s something to be afraid of, stupid!¡± Eris shouted, looking up and pounding her fist against my chest. ¡°That¡¯s a Superd! T-They¡­ eat children!¡± Welp, if Aisha and Norn weren¡¯t scared before, they definitely were now. That fact was confirmed as they wailed even louder into my chest. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s true, girls,¡± I said gently, before looking over to Ruijerd. ¡°Is it?¡± I really hoped not. To my relief, he shook his head. ¡°We do not eat children, no.¡± But he speaks the Human tongue too, huh? That¡¯s good to know. ¡°Hear that, Eri? He¡¯s just a regr guy,¡± I said. ¡°B-But he¡¯s a demon!¡± she shouted. ¡°And?¡± I said. ¡°So is Sylphy, at least party. Do you think she eats people too?¡± ¡°W-Well! No! Argh! Stop doing that!¡± she shouted, looking up at me with a re. There we go. That¡¯s a little better. And her shouting seemed to stop Norn and Aisha¡¯s crying too. ¡°But they are said to be pretty scary¡­¡± Ruijerd frowned at my words. ¡°Don¡¯t you think Ghiine would be proud if you said you talked normally to such a terrifying being?¡± That seems to set a fire ofpetitiveness in her eyes, and she slowly got to her feet. Her legs were still trembling, though. ¡°I¡¯m E-Eris B-Boreas Greyrat! P-Pleasure to meet your acquaintance!¡± She even added a bow at the end¡­ I was impressed. ¡°Eh-Eris Boboreas Greyrat¡­ humans have grown to have quite odd naming conventions, I see,¡± Ruijerd said. ¡°What!? No!¡± she shouted. ¡°I just stuttered a little, is all! It¡¯s Eris! Eris Boreas Greyrat!¡± Wow¡­ To think she would switch so easily from trembling like a fawn to talking down to him. Just what you would expect from a girl who shouted at the Water God. ¡°¡­I see. My apologies. I am Ruijerd Superdia,¡± he returned her greeting. A sh of relief crossed Eris¡¯ face as Ruijerd responded calmly. ¡°See? Not so bad, right?¡± I smirked. ¡°Now how about you two? Want to said hello? It¡¯s good to be polite, you know?¡± Aisha slowly looked toward the man, and as she saw his face, she flinched before looking up at me. ¡°Go on,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m right here to protect you.¡± That seemed to steel her resolve as she gave me a nod before looking over at Ruijerd. ¡°M-My name is Aisha¡­ Aisha Greyrat Sniff!¡± Ruijerd smiled. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Aisha.¡± I then nudged Norn with my elbow. Gripping my shirt with one hand, and holding her stuffed bunny to her face with the other, she hesitantly introduced herself as well, ¡°Norn¡­¡± Short and sweet, but it got the point across all the same. Ruijerd¡¯s smile widened. ¡°Nice to meet you, too.¡± With everyone having exchanged their greetings, Eris crossed her arms in her usual pose with a huff. ¡°Honestly! Mother is such a silly liar! Hmph!¡± Right. I guess she would have something toin to Hilda about once we got back home. If she was even still alive, that is. ¡°Well¡­ if we want to reach there by sundown, we should get going now,¡± Ruijerd said, standing up. ¡°Umm¡­ what exactly do you mean?¡± I asked. ¡°Hm?¡± he looked down at me. ¡°I will escort you back home, of course.¡± ¡­ Yeah. This guy was definitely weird. ¡°Back home? Like, back to Asura?¡± I asked. ¡°Of course. And a Superd warrior never goes back on his word,¡± he nodded seriously. ¡°¡­Are you sure? I wouldn¡¯t want to impede on you. If you could just lead us to a city, then-¡± ¡°No,¡± he shook his head. ¡°While you are a warrior yourself, and a strong one at that, it is impossible to manoeuvre such a vast distance while being the sole protector and provider, as I¡¯m sure you already know.¡± Shit¡­ he was right. ¡°But¡­ that¡¯s, like, across the entire known world, you know?¡± I said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about such things. I have no other circumstances holding me here, and besides¡­ I could never abandon such young children,¡± he said, smiling down at Aisha and Norn. ¡°It would blemish the reputation of the Superd.¡± ¡­I think that ship has sailed, Ruijerd. Hmm¡­ he wasn¡¯t wrong, though. I needed his help. I could speak thenguage, but I didn¡¯t know any regional dialects or customs of thend. I had fighting strength, but not enough to win against an opponent like Ruijerd, as rare as he may be, so an extra sword, or in this case, an extra spear, would always be wee. I had to face it. I needed his help. But¡­ such a one-sided transaction didn¡¯t exactly sit right with me. ¡°You¡­ you sound as if you want to repair the reputation of your race,¡± I said. ¡°Yes,¡± he nodded. ¡°That is my main goal. One I have been attempting for the past hundreds of years¡­ to no sess.¡± Dammit, now I made him sad. ¡°Well¡­¡± I said. ¡°While making sure these three get safely back home will be my priority, I will try to help clear your race¡¯s name during the journey.¡± He looked at me doubtfully. ¡°Do you think you can do much?¡± ¡°Maybe, maybe not. It¡¯s quite difficult to get rid of such deep-rooted prejudice, but¡­ as you can see with Eris and my sisters, it isn¡¯t necessarily set in stone,¡± I said. His eyes widened a little in realization as Aisha and Norn looked up at him. ¡°It will take a lot of time, and a lot of hard work,¡± I added. ¡°But¡­ I think that such a thing should be natural to you, no?¡± Considering he had fought in the Lace war and still looked to be middle-aged, I had a feeling he could grow very old, so if he set his mind to it, it wasn¡¯t impossible to do. ¡°¡­Thank you, Leon,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°No problem,¡± I smiled back. ¡°Anyway, you said we should get going, right? We only need to grab the fur mat, so lead the way.¡± Finally, with this strong, albeit socially awkward, addition to our group, I was feeling confident. More confident than I had been for a while. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª We had been walking for more than a few hours, and other than stopping for lunch, we were making constant progress toward¡­ wherever Ruijerd was taking us. Every so often, Ruijerd would suddenly stop before shooting forward, and after asking what that was about, I learned that he was dealing with any monsters ahead of us. As for how he knew of said monsters? Well, the red jewel on his head wasn¡¯t just for show. Apparently, it gave him the ability to sense things from great distances with ease. I¡­ vaguely remember Roxy talking about that once or twice when she went over different races¡¯ unique traits and magics. Quite useful, that jewel was. I could probably have the same level of detection if I meditated and focused on my surroundings, but forbat and travelling, it kind of lost its purpose since I would need to bepletely still. But it was kind of nice, to be able to leave the fighting up to the guy. Just as I had experiencedst night, he was strong and dependable. He was probably as strong as Arumanfi, if I had to guess, if not a bit stronger. That¡¯s a 500-year-old general of the Lace war for you. ¡°So¡­ you said your name was Eris Boreas Greyrat, right?¡± Ruijerd said. ¡°Yep!¡± Eris answered, swinging her sword around. ¡°But only Grandpa, Ghiine, and Leon are allowed to call me Eri.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Ruijerd nodded. ¡°But¡­ Leon said you two are not siblings.¡± ¡°Hm? No, we aren¡¯t,¡± Eris answered. ¡°But you share the same family name¡­¡± Ruijerd seemed confused. Eris scowled. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re siblings, though!¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Yep, Ruijerd was definitely confused. ¡°We¡¯re rted, but very distantly,¡± I added. ¡°Kind of like how demon tribes and races take that as theirst name, like you and ¡®Superdia¡¯.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I understand,¡± Ruijerd nodded. I decided not to mention how even if Eris was rted to Paul, it still wouldn¡¯t be the case for me as I was adopted. No need to make things needlesslyplicated. ¡°Anyway, where are we headed, Ruijerd?¡± I asked. ¡°The vige where I am staying. I provided protection and hunted some monsters in exchange for living there, so it would only be right to tell them I am leaving,¡± he answered. ¡°You said it would take a day to get there, right?¡± I asked. ¡°Mhmm,¡± he nodded. ¡°But that was without thinking you would carry your sisters, so it will take less time. We should be there soon, actually¡­¡± He then raised his head, pointing his spear forward into the distance. Hm? Sharpening my senses, I looked toward a set ofrge rocky hills as the distant image slowly became clearer. It was a vige. A vige with fairlyrge houses all made of what looked to be the shells of giant turtles. Come to think of it, I remember seeing a few monsters like that during the past week. Not that I fought them, of course. ¡°Would you look at that?¡± I said as I readjusted Norn and Aisha. ¡°Hopefully they have some spices to trade, huh? Maybe then my stew won¡¯t taste so bad.¡± Norn shook her head. ¡°I-It wasn¡¯t that bad, Brother.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile at her cuteness. ¡°You don¡¯t have to lie, Norn. I know it kind of sucked.¡± ¡°Hm? I didn¡¯t mind it, though,¡± Eris mumbled from the side. I shook my head. ¡°Thanks, but I think that was just you.¡± Yeah, I never wanted to have that meat stew ever again, at least not with the measly spices we had on hand. Never had I wanted a loaf of bread more in my life. As we got closer, I noticed that this vige not only had houses, but also small fields that seemed to be growing an array of nts and herbs. Yippee. Approaching the gate, we were quickly stopped by a young boy with light blue hair. Weird¡­ he almost reminded me of Roxy. Maybe he was her brother? Hah. As if. Anyway, while he might look like a young boy, knowing the variety of the Demon race, he could very well be a fully grown man. ¡°Who are these people, Ruijerd?¡± the guy asked. ¡°They¡¯re lost children,¡± Ruijerd responded. ¡°¡®Lost children¡¯?¡± the blue-haired guy shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t let such suspicious people into the vige.¡± ¡°Suspicious? They¡¯re children¡­ Exin yourself,¡± Ruijerd said sternly, causing Norn and Aisha to tighten their grip on my shirt. Well¡­ if he wanted to improve the reputation of his race, he would have to work on his tone, especially around the children he was so obviously endeared to. ¡°W-What do you mean, ¡®exin myself¡¯? Just look at them!¡± the man said, pointing at us. ¡°They were teleported here from the Kingdom of Asura. What¡¯s the matter with you? They¡¯re just children, and the day is turning to night,¡± Ruijerd scowled. Umm¡­ to be fair, these ¡®children¡¯ you are talking about include a dual Sword and Water Saint, as well as an Advanced-rank Sword God practitioner in Eris. Not exactly apletely defenceless bunch. ¡°Ruijerd,¡± I said, nudging his arm. ¡°Weren¡¯t you just going to tell them you¡¯re leaving? We can handle another night of camping.¡± He narrowed his eyes. ¡°¡­I was hoping to spend the night here.¡± ¡°Then just ask him to call an elder or something,¡± I said. ¡°You have a point,¡± Ruijerd nodded. ¡°Rowin, can you call for the elder?¡± ¡°I was just thinking about doing that,¡± Rowin said before closing his eyes. Hm? ¡°Uh, Ruijerd?¡± I asked. ¡°The Migurd can converse with others of their race, even at a distance,¡± Ruijerd quickly answered. The Migurd? Wait¡­ didn¡¯t that mean- ¡°The elder¡¯s on his way,¡± Rowin said, opening his eyes. Hmm¡­ I guess it would be better to ask the elder about that anyway. Whether this was Roxy¡¯s vige, that is. ¡°Leon?¡± Eris said, poking my shoulder. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Right. She didn¡¯t know the Demon God tongue. And in fact, neither did Aisha nor Norn. ¡°Nothing much. We¡¯re just waiting for someone in charge to let us in,¡± I answered. ¡°Hm?¡± she frowned. ¡°But he didn¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°They canmunicate telepathically,¡± I said. ¡°¡®Telepathically¡¯? What¡¯s that mean?¡± she asked. ¡°Just¡­ never mind.¡± That would take way too long to exin. ¡°Brother?¡± Norn asked, pulling my scarf. ¡°All okay?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be fine. We just have to¡­¡± I then spotted a bald man slowly making his way toward me, with two girls at his side. ¡°Well, never mind then. Everything should be over soon.¡± The bald man, who still, despite being the assumed ¡®elder¡¯, looked like a boy, then began talking with Rowin. ¡°These are the human children in question, then?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Rowin nodded. ¡°They¡¯re very strange. One of them can even speak ournguage.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ but anyone could learn thenguage with enough study, no?¡± the elder said. ¡°Why would a human child study ournguage, though?¡± Rowin asked. Well, to get closer to my crush, Roxy, of course, but it would also prove to be useful now that we were here. ¡°Let¡¯s not be too hasty now. I¡¯ll speak with them,¡± the elder said before walking toward us. Hmm¡­ should I bow to him? The Demon Continent wasn¡¯t known for its formalities, and I didn¡¯t really like doing etiquette unless it was needed, but then again, he was the vige elder of the ce we wanted to spend the night¡­ Let¡¯s go for a small bow. cing Norn and Aisha on the ground, I ced my hand on my chest before slightly bending my leg. ¡°Nice to meet you. I am Leon Greyrat.¡± I decided to leave out the Sword and Water Saint part, as I didn¡¯t want to make them afraid of us. Though¡­ maybe that fear would help make things go smoother? ¡°And I am Rokkus, the elder of this vige,¡± he smiled. ¡°I never imagined human children to be so polite.¡± ¡°Ah, well¡­ we¡¯re not exactly normal, you see,¡± I said before changing to the human tongue. ¡°Eris? Want to introduce yourself?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± she said. ¡°But I don¡¯t know thenguage!¡± ¡°Just¡­ you don¡¯t need to bow or anything, just introduce yourself,¡± I said. ¡°W-Well¡­ if you said so.¡± Eris then crossed her arms before eventually moving them to rest on her hips. ¡°My name is Eris Boreas Greyrat!¡± How eloquent. The elder¡¯s face broke into a smile. ¡°I¡¯m guessing the littledy here introduced herself?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± I nodded before cing my hand on thest two¡¯s heads. ¡°And these two are Aisha and Norn Greyrat, my sisters.¡± The vige elder offered the two a warm smile before looking over to Eris. ¡°And my name is Rokkus, the elder of this vige.¡± Eris turned to me with a confused expression. ¡°He introduced himself. He¡¯s Rokkus, the elder of the vige,¡± I exined. ¡°I-I see!¡± she said, relieved. Now¡­ I would just have to ask him to let us into the vige. Even if it wasn¡¯t that important, I would be lying if I said I missed a warm ce to sleep without the need for a night watch. Wait! The pendant! Roxy did say that it may help in a situation like this, and considering these were the same race as her¡­ well, it was worth a shot. ¡°Rokkus, sir. Would we be able to spend the night in your vige? I also have this,¡± I then pulled out the pendant from my shirt. ¡°My teacher said to show it in a situation like this, though I never expected to be in one like now.¡± Rokkus¡¯ eyes widened before narrowing to study the pendant. ¡°And just who is this master of yours?¡± he asked. ¡°¡­That¡¯d be Roxy Migurdia,¡± I said. As soon as the words left my mouth, Rowin rushed over to grab me by the shoulder. ¡°D-Did you just said Roxy right now!?¡± What? Oh, don¡¯t tell me¡­ was this actually her vige? His tone didn¡¯t seem angry or anything, so I don¡¯t think Roxy was a runaway delinquent. Maybe she was missed over here? Roxy did say she never went back home after leaving quite some time ago. ¡°Yes,¡± I nodded. ¡°Do you happen to know her?¡± ¡°Where is she? W-Where is Roxy!?¡± Rowin shouted. ¡­That wasn¡¯t an answer to my question. Slowly prying off his hands from my shoulders, I answered him, ¡°Shirone Kingdom in the Central Continent. At least she was there thest time I checked.¡± He released a deep sigh, ¡°So she¡¯s alive¡­ good. My daughter¡¯s alive.¡± ¡­Huh? ¡°Daughter?¡± I said cautiously. ¡°Hm? Y-Yeah, it¡¯s been twenty years since she left home¡­ I-Is she doing alright?¡± he said anxiously. ¡­Okay, so he was Roxy¡¯s dad, and thus, my future father-inw. At least, hopefully. It wasn¡¯t too surprising to have someone who looked so young be her father, as Roxy had told me that the Migurd race lived for many years and kept their teenage appearance throughout it. But twenty years, huh? That would mean she was in her thirties when we met, right? Roxy was always quite evasive whenever the topic of her age came up, and I guess I somewhat knew the answer as to why now. But that just made her cuter. Besides, it was good to know I held the taste of a refined woman. ¡°She¡¯s doing very well. She¡¯s a King rank water mage, thest time we exchanged letters,¡± I said. ¡°R-Really! That¡¯s¡­ good. Really good,¡± Rowin said, his eyes a little teary. He then turned to me with a questioning re. ¡°¡­You said you exchanged letters, right? Is that normal for a teacher and student to do?¡± ¡°Hm? No, not really, but you see¡­¡± I scratched my cheek in embarrassment. ¡°I kind of¡­ like her, I guess?¡± His eyes narrowed. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well¡­ you know¡­¡± How embarrassing~! And this was her dad too! But¡­ this was a good way to introduce myself, right? First impressions are important, after all. So, bringing my fist to my chest, my eyes met his as I firmly dered, ¡°I want to marry her!¡± The surroundings immediately turn quiet, only to be broken a momentter by the sound of Eris¡¯ fist hitting my side. ¡°Hmph! Dummy!¡± she huffed. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you said, but I could tell it was annoying!¡± ¡­I got hit for that reason? And why would she find it annoying? Rowin¡¯s face turned ck. ¡°¡­No.¡± Haa¡­ I guess I didn¡¯t have the instant parental approval that I had with Eris. I suppose this is another reason to make use of our night here. ¡°Anyway, is it alright if wee inside for the night?¡± I asked Rokkus. ¡°Of course,¡± he nodded. ¡°How could we reject you after bringing us such good news? Besides, I don¡¯t think Ruijerd here would be very impressed with us if we refused you.¡± And so, that was how we gained the hospitality of a Migurd vige for the night. And the one that was Roxy¡¯s old home at that. Chapter 29 – Rikarisu City Chapter 29 ¨C Rikarisu City ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª After being granted permission to enter, we walked through the vige before finding ourselves in the cozy abode of the vige elder, Rokkus. With various bows and furs lining the walls, and arge hearth at the centre, it reminded me quite a bit of Sylphy''s house. I hadn¡¯t gone over there too often, but enough to have the picture in my head. Since Laws was a hunter, and nearly every male in this vige seemed to be a hunter as well, it made sense for them to have simr decor. With Norn and Aisha taking the time to rest after a long day, I talked with Rokkus about our ns. ¡°¡­So you n to support your journey home by your own efforts?¡± Rokkus asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± I nodded. ¡°I¡¯m fairly strong, as is Ruijerd, and Eris is tough enough to take care of herself. I n to go as fast as the little ones can handle, earning money when I can.¡± I would need to visit a city and get an understanding of thend before making anything concrete, but I nned to pick up jobs from the Adventure Guild to earn our keep, and possibly even frencing my magic abilities if they were in demand. Ruijerd said that Rikarisu was close, right? That was a fairly big city, from what Roxy told me. ¡°Indeed, Leon is strong,¡± Ruijerd added. ¡°But either way, I will be joining them.¡± Rokkus¡¯ gentle smile turned into a small frown. ¡°¡­Are you sure about that, Ruijerd?¡± ¡°What do you mean? Of course, I am,¡± the man responded. ¡°But¡­ you are barred from entering any city in the continent, are you not?¡± ¡­Huh? Rokkus continued, ¡°The only reason we allow you here is because of how you saved those children and continued to hunt monsters for us, which we are very grateful for, but the other viges and cities do not know of your true nature.¡± My head slowly turned back to Ruijerd. ¡°Is¡­ this true?¡± He awkwardly looked off to the side. ¡°I will be fine waiting outside, shall ite to that.¡± Haa¡­ right. After seeing how Ruijerd was epted into this vige, I assumed that while he would have some difficulties with the poption, it would mostly amount to being avoided and feared. If anything, I thought of that as an added benefit of having the man adventure with us, as he would scare off any problems that would likely arise with having four human children venturing the continent alone. We wouldn¡¯t look so vulnerable with a feared Superd with us, after all. But being barred from the city entirely¡­ well, that might prove to be a bit of an issue. ¡­Wait. ¡°Ruijerd¡­ do you hold any pride toward your hair and gemstone?¡± I asked. ¡°Hm? No, not particrly,¡± he shook his head. ¡°The most important source of pride for a Superd warrior is their spear.¡± ¡­Ignoring how those words could be taken, I tried to think of a solution. ¡°Hm? Leon? What¡¯s going on?¡± Eris asked, her eyes darting around the various weapons in the room with interest. ¡°¡­Nothing. I was just thinking about something,¡± I replied. The green hair and gemstone are the most defining traits of the Superd, so¡­ Yeah¡­ that might work. It could wait for tomorrow, though. ¡°Thank you for your concern, elder, but I think we¡¯ll manage just fine. Speaking of¡­ is there a ce where we can spend the night before departing in the morning?¡± I asked. ¡°Ah, of course. Please feel free to use-¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Rowin interrupted him. ¡°Please! Please spend the night at our house!¡± ¡°¡­And why is that?¡± I asked. I think I already knew, though. ¡°Please, tell me how Roxy has been!¡± Yep, as I expected. ¡°¡­Sure,¡± I shrugged. I wanted to get to know Roxy a bit better, too, after all, so it was a win-win. ¡ª Information on the Six-Faced World ¡ª Demon Continent Currency The currency of the Demon Continent has extremely low valuepared to elsewhere in the world, with the value of the coinage alling from the material rather than anying from the minting of the coin. The various coins and their equivalent values are listed as such: Green Ore Coin - Asuran Large Copper Coin Iron Coin - Asuran Copper Coin Scrap Iron Coin - One tenth (1/10) of an Iron Coin Stone Coin - One tenth (1/10) of a Scrap Iron Coin ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°-and then, when Roxy tried to clean up the mess, she shot a Waterball right through her clothes!¡± I said with a smile. ¡°Aah~ That sounds just like her!¡± Rokari responded, chuckling under her breath. ¡°So¡­ Roxy seems to be having fun, huh?¡± There was definitely joy in that smile. Joy that her daughter was safe and enjoying her life¡­ but there was also the feeling of despondency in it too. From hearing how much these two parents loved Roxy, I could only guess it was because they could never bring their daughter such happiness themselves. ¡°Yeah, she has. She even became a King-ranked water mage,¡± I said. And can cast magic without an incantation¡­ but I¡¯d keep that as a surprise forter. ¡°Hmph. Roxy this, Roxy that¡­ can¡¯t you talk about anything else?¡± Oh, and Eris was also a little angry. I felt a little bad, as since Rokari, Rowin, and I were speaking in the Demon God tongue, Eris was likely feeling very excluded, but since the other two didn¡¯t know the human tongue, so this was the only way tomunicate. A conundrum indeed, especially since the only word she could catch was that of my beloved teacher. ¡°Hm? Is the littledy feeling upset?¡± Rokari asked. ¡°A little,¡± I shrugged. ¡°Eris, do you want to join in the conversation? I can trante for you.¡± She red at me for a moment before turning her head. ¡°Hmph!¡± ¡­So she was in a mood, huh? ¡°Hmm¡­ she¡¯s a swordswoman, right? Even though she doesn¡¯t have a sword,¡± Rowin said. ¡°Yeah. It got lost in the teleportation, and the swords that I make are quite weak,¡± I said. Though¡­ maybe if I focused on making one, like with Rudy and his figurines, I could make a better de. ¡°I see.¡± Rowin then got up before opening a crate in the corner of the room. Rummaging through it, he then took out what looked to be a sword beforeing back to the fire, which we were all sitting around. ¡°Here. We got this from a cksmith a while back. Even after years of use, its de is as sharp as ever. It should serve her well,¡± he said, handing Eris the sword. After I tranted what Rowin said to her, Eris quickly bowed in thanks. ¡°No need,¡± he shook his head. ¡°For a vige of hunters, we find ourselves using bows and longswords more than such a thing.¡± The way he waved off Eris¡¯ appreciation reminded me intensely of how Roxy would do it, however, she was always a little more embarrassed. It felt¡­ nice, to know where Roxy got some of her mannerisms from. I felt a little closer to her. ¡°Besides,¡± Rokari added. ¡°It¡¯s the least we can do considering the wonderful news you brought us. It¡¯s good to know that my dear Roxy has made such a wonderful connection.¡± ¡°Mhmm!¡± I nodded excitedly. ¡°And once I turn fifteen, I hope to enhance that connection even more!¡± Rokari blushed as she brought a hand to her mouth. ¡°Oh my.¡± Rokari, while apparently being over 100 years old, still looked like a young girl barely past adulthood, and a beautiful one at that. Suffice it to say, I now know where Roxy got her looks from, and I was excited about the future. ¡°Anyway,¡± I said, looking down at my two still-sleeping sisters. ¡°While I have enjoyed this conversation, I think it is about time we head to bed. We have a long trek starting tomorrow, after all.¡± ¡°Ah, of course!¡± Rokari said. ¡°Thank you so much for telling us about our daughter!¡± ¡°It was my pleasure,¡± I smiled back. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to tell Roxy to visit when I meet her next. Maybe we could alle together.¡± ¡°That would be wonderful!¡± Rokari said. Rowin, on the other hand, looked a bit more conflicted. ¡°Err¡­ yeah. Thanks, boy.¡± I could tell he was feeling a bit weird about my obvious affection for Roxy, but in time, I¡¯m sure he¡¯de to ept me as a son. At least, I hope so. Seeing so many people who looked like Roxy had rekindled my feelings in ways I didn¡¯t know possible. A shock to the system, you could say. But tomorrow, I would have to put these thoughts behind me. I then looked over to Eris, who was gushing over her new sword with a wide smile. Yeah¡­ I had to set my priorities straight. My goal was to return home with these three girls, making sure they were happy and healthy all the while. And then¡­ assuming someone I held dear wasn¡¯t found¡­ I would start searching for my family so that we could all be reunited once again. But for now, I would leave that to Paul. When it came to such a situation as this one, I knew I could count on him. He was oddly reliable in that way. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Thank you for your hospitality and the herbs,¡± I said, bowing to Rokkus, Rowin, and Rokari. ¡­A lot of ¡®Ro¡¯s in their names, huh? ¡°As I saidst night, I¡¯ll be sure to tell Roxy to visit sometime. By then, I hope to grace you with a grandchild of your own.¡± ¡°¡­No.¡± A swift rejection from Rowin. ¡°Fufu, I look forward to it.¡± But at least Rokari was epting. ¡°Leon!? What¡¯d you just say?¡± Eris snarled from behind me. ¡°I can¡¯t understand you, but I feel like it was something annoying!¡± Just like when we first entered the city, she seemed annoyed about my affections for Roxy, even though I didn¡¯t know why or how. Despite not knowing the Demon God tongue, she had a weird sense of intuition about these sorts of things. ¡°It pains me that you trust me so little, Eri,¡± I said. ¡°But anyway¡­ we really should get going. Ruijerd? Are you ready?¡± ¡°Mmm. If all goes well, we should reach Rikarisu in three days,¡± he nodded. Right¡­ well, we had enough camping equipment, thanks to my magic and the bedrolls we got from Rowin, so I think we¡¯d be fine. ¡°Ah! But, before you go,¡± Rokari then took out a small sack of coins. ¡°Take this. Please.¡± ¡°¡­Are you sure?¡± I asked hesitantly. ¡°Yes. I know you can take care of yourselves, but just for getting into the city, this should make things smoother, as you won¡¯t have to barter monster materials for the entrance fee,¡± she responded, handing me the money. ¡°I see¡­ thank you very much,¡± I said with a bow. ¡°My pleasure!¡± I then crouched down in front of Norn and Aisha, who both had a bedroll on their back. They looked like a pair of campers¡­ very cute. ¡°Are you two ready?¡± I patted their heads. ¡°Now that Ruijerd¡¯s here, I can carry you whenever you need to, so don¡¯t push yourselves, okay?¡± ¡°Un! Ready!¡± Aisha saluted. ¡°M-Mhmm,¡± Norn nodded. ¡°Good!¡± Standing back up, I readjusted my bag before looking into the distance. ¡°Well¡­ let¡¯s get going then.¡± It was about time we finally made some progress on our way back home. I was¡­ tentatively excited. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Two nights had passed since we had left the Migurd vige, and due to Ruijerd¡¯s addition to the group, things had been much, much easier. As it turned out, having a constant ¡®third eye¡¯ was great for keeping ourselves away from monsters, and due to Ruijerd''s experience in the area, he knew where the paths and roads were, and where we could take shortcuts, so we were extremely efficientpared to our first week. I was grateful, for sure, but there was also a childish part of me that was upset at myself for needing help. I would need to eventually grow out of that. But Ruijerd wasn¡¯t only a great scout and navigator. Befitting his previous position as one of Lace¡¯s greatestmanders, he was also a wonderful fighter. As he used a spear, there was nothing for him to teach me in terms of technique, but he was still able to give me some advice in terms of how to approach a battle effectively and efficiently. How to fight smart, basically, which Ghiine wasn¡¯t able to teach me for¡­ obvious reasons. Things like not using fire and water magic against Treants, as we wouldn¡¯t want to damage the firewood we were hunting them for, and using the environment to your advantage in a battle¡­ the sort of lessons you wouldn¡¯t learn in a dojo. Speaking of battle, Eris also wanted to get some experience in a fight, and considering how we now had an extra helper around, I was open to the idea of her getting some practice in. Ruijerd, however¡­ was not. At least at first. Apparently, he was adamant about those he deemed as ¡®warriors¡¯ to be the only ones fighting battles, and as a result, children being kept safely behind, and apparently, he viewed Eris as a ¡®child¡¯, so he didn¡¯t want her to fight. I was able to win him over by asking how a child transitions into a warrior without any experience, but Eris kicking his shin might have also helped move things along. Anyway, Eris, as I had known before, was a natural fighter, so she did just fine with most things. Thus, for the three days of travelling, we had fallen into afortable rhythm where Ruijerd would sense a monster in our path, and then either him or me would stay back to watch over Norn and Aisha, while the other would join Eris in killing the thing. Anyway, now standing in front of a tall rocky cliff, with a line of demons formed in front of the entrance, I let out a sigh of relief. ¡°So we¡¯re finally here¡­¡± A city. Finally, a fucking city. This was just a small stop in the grand scheme of things, but it still felt nice to get some progresspared to before, when we were walking around in circles with no direction. My lips curling into the smile, I then turned to the others who were crouching behind a rock, sharing onest meal before we headed into the city. But¡­ there was something that needed to be done beforehand. ¡°Ruijerd, just to be sure, you hold no attachment to your hair and gemstone, right?¡± I asked. He shook his head. ¡°No, I have no attachment to my hair, but¡­ I can¡¯t exactly part from my jewel¡­¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t nning on it,¡± I said. Did he think I was going to rip it out? Don¡¯t be ridiculous. Ripping off a part of my sleeve, I then ce my hand on Ruijerd¡¯s head, causing him to look back at me confused. ¡°¡­Why?¡± ¡°Just trust me. I¡¯ll try not to hurt you, but tell me if I do.¡± While I had used wind magic multiple times to cut my hair, I never did it to the point of going bald, so this was going to require a¡­ refined touch. Narrowing my eyes, I summoned a sharp whirlwind around his scalp, sending a flurry of green hair to fall to the ground. Looking at my work, I noticed a small trail of blood near his ear. Whoops, I¡¯d need to heal that up¡­ sorry Ruijerd. But other than that, most of his hair was gone, save for a few short flecks of green that were here and there. Hmm¡­ maybe fire magic would be better? Or even a hat would cover it up at this point. But¡­ better to be safe than sorry. Releasing a me to singe off thest of it, I then wrapped the cloth that I had around his forehead, covering up the red jewel that was one of the most notable traits of the Superd race. ¡°Can you still sense the same?¡± I asked. He nodded. ¡°Yes. The only way to block my eye is a barrier of sufficient strength.¡± Well, that¡¯s good, then. ¡°And how about you two?¡± I asked Norn and Aisha. ¡°Good!¡± Norn said. ¡°But¡­ bunny got dirty¡­¡± She then looked down sadly at her favourite toy which, forck of a better word, had seen better days. ¡°I¡¯ll clean it once we head into the city, alright? Hopefully, we can get some soap to deal with the smell,¡± I then took a sniff of my shirt before grimacing. ¡°Actually¡­ that goes for all of us.¡± After all, while water and wind magic was good enough to clean off the dirt and grime, it didn¡¯t do much in terms of scent, and unless you wanted to destroy it, was pretty bad at cleaning fabric in general. So, as a result, Norn¡¯s cute brown bunny had be a little¡­ too brown. Aisha then ced her hands on her hips. ¡°I¡¯m fine too!¡± As cheery as ever, huh? But¡­ why was she ring at Norn just then? I¡­ guess siblings are supposed to be annoyed at each other sometimes, especially when they¡¯re so close in age, but our current situation wasn¡¯t exactly one where they could be at each other¡¯s throats. I¡¯d have to watch them and make sure it didn¡¯t get any worse. ¡°Good. There¡¯s no time to waste then,¡± I said, looking back at the now-bald man. ¡°Are you ready, Ruijerd?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± he said, readying his spear. ¡°I shall take the back, and you can take the front.¡± No, but¡­ we¡¯re only supposed to be gaining entry into the city, not fighting a battle. ¡°¡­Okay.¡± I opted to keep those thoughts to myself. After all, while a great warrior, in terms of being a conversationalist, the man left a lot to be desired. But no matter, with the social side of things, I intended to keep our interactions to a minimum, and when they were needed, I would be the one leading them. After all, who else was I supposed to rely on? Eris? As if. Disregarding the fact she couldn¡¯t speak thenguage, while she had gotten a lot better over the years, she still was a violent youngdy at heart, and there was no need for her to start a fight wherever we went. Making our way over to the entrance of the city, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the line had disappeared. Hopefully, that meant the processing was quick and easy. ¡°Halt,¡± the guard said indifferently, cing his axe on the ground. ¡°Got any identification on ya? Except for the kids, of course.¡± The guard was a demon with arge pig-like face and a long snout, and that wasn¡¯t an insult for being fat or anything, he literally had a pig head. Even though I knew about such demons, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little weirded out. After all, I had only known the Migurd race, Superd race, and whatever monkey-like race Geese was from, which were all humanoid. But I was able to quickly get over my surprise. ¡°Identification?¡± I asked. ¡°We don¡¯t have anything like that.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± the second guard, this time with the face of a lizard, interjected. ¡°No Adventure card, merchant license¡­ nothing?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Unfortunately not. Will that be a problem?¡± ¡°No, not really. It just means that you¡¯ll have to pay the fee. Let¡¯s see¡­ one, two, th-¡± As the pig-headed guard¡¯s gazended on Ruijerd, I watched as his grip tightened on his axe and his eyes widened in fear. Hm? Why? I know Ruijerd was quite the strong-looking and fierce man, even without his Superd traits, but it wasn¡¯t like that was particrly rare. How strange¡­ ¡°U-Uhh, anyway,¡± he gulped. ¡°I-It¡¯ll be five scrap iron coins or something with equivalent value.¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± Rustling through the sac, courtesy of Rowin and Rokari, I then fished out the required amount. ¡°Here you go.¡± ¡°Right. Thanks, kid,¡± he said, taking the coins. ¡°You guys nning on staying for long?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No. Likely a week at most, if we¡¯re lucky.¡± ¡°I see. Just be careful when you leave. Dead End was spotted nearby,¡± he said. ¡®Dead End¡¯? The heck was that? Some monster or something? And so, with my confusion, I decided to ask, ¡°What exactly is ¡®Dead End¡¯?¡± His eyes widened. ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°No. That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking.¡± ¡°Ha. True. It¡¯s just¡­ you¡¯ve never heard of the terrifying Superd that wanders around these parts? Not even by your parents?¡± ¡­What? My neck creaked as I slowly looked over to Ruijerd. ¡°No¡­ No, I haven¡¯t¡­ But thanks for letting me know.¡± Seriously? He even had such an ominous name tied to him? ¡®Dead End¡¯¡­ that sounded like a name meant for a natural disaster rather than a warrior, no matter how powerful they were. I guess shaving the head was the right call after all. ¡°Ahem. Anyway, speaking of identification, do you know where the best ce to get one would be?¡± I asked, turning back to the two guards. ¡°Well, your best bet is the Adventure guild, so just head down the main street and there¡¯ll be a big building. You can¡¯t miss it,¡± he said, pointing toward the city centre. ¡°Alright, thank you.¡± And with that, we were on our way, with Aisha and Norn thankfully keeping their likely curious thoughts to themselves. But then again, even if they did ask about the pig head¡¯s head, it wasn¡¯t like he would understand them using the human tongue. Hmm¡­ I should probably start teaching them some words, right? We would be in this continent for a year, after all, and kids are pretty good at learningnguages. Walking through the crack in the cliff, we soon came across the sight of the city. Buildings of various shapes and sizes spread across the entire crater, with arge castle in the centre that loomed over the entire settlement. All in all, it was quite an amazing sight. ¡°Whoa! This is much bigger than Roa!¡± Eris eximed. Why yes. Yes, it was. ¡°Yes, but let¡¯s keep our excitement down until we find a ce for the night. First, we should head over to the Adventure Guild,¡± I said, leading us down the steps. With Aisha skipping jovially next to me, and Norn hesitantly walking behind Ruijerd¡¯s leg, we set forth into one of the threergest settlements in the Demon Continent: Rikarisu City. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª As soon as we entered the building, the rowdy atmosphere quieted, as the various races all turned their heads to look at us. Well, that was to be expected. After all, it wasn¡¯t every day that a group like ours entered an Adventure Guild, much less one on the Demon Continent. ¡°Ha¡­ Haha! The fuck are a bunch of kids doing here? No¡­ halflings maybe?¡± My eyes instantly darted toward the horse-faced man, his face set in a cocky smile as he chewed on a piece of weed. Or perhaps it was hay in this case. ¡°Don¡¯t swear,¡± I said calmly, cing my hand on Norn and Aisha¡¯s heads. ¡°There are children around.¡± While they couldn¡¯t understand them, I still didn¡¯t want them picking up such nasty words. They were only three, after all, and very impressionable. His jaw dropped. ¡°¡­What? Did this newbie just tell me what to do? Hahaha! Fuck¡­ that¡¯s a good one!¡± The entire ce erupted into a symphony ofughter, even a few going so far as to bang on their table, making Norn flinch as she hid behind my leg. The horse-faced man¡¯s eyes then narrowed. ¡°You think you cane in here and order-¡± ¡°I warned you.¡± I knew that adventurers were a bunch like this, and while I didn¡¯t mind such an atmosphere, that was only tolerable outside the presence of my sisters. So, just like how Mama and Lina did when I was in their group, I needed to make an impression. With my hand on my sword, I flicked it outward, letting the wind magic ripple across the de before shooting toward the man¡¯s face, nicking his ear. My attack was still nowhere near as fast as Ghiine, but as the man wasn¡¯t anywhere near the Saint rank, my strike was able to hit true. The surroundings turned quiet once more as everyone looked over at the horse-man, whose ear now had a small trail of blood trickling down it, before then turning to our group. In front of such an oppressive atmosphere¡­ well, it was always good to do some sort of introduction. ¡°Let¡¯s get along,¡± I said, sheathing my sword. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ sure¡­¡± With that problem quelled, I then led everyone to the receptionist, not missing the way Eris¡¯ eyes shined as she looked over at me. Dammit. I was definitely setting a bad example for her. But then again, I didn¡¯t exactly want to be walked all over on¡­ Ah, well. I¡¯d just let it y out as it happened. ¡°Hm? I haven¡¯t seen your faces before,¡± the receptionist said. She looked like a normal human, save for the fact that she had three breasts. I bet Paul and Rudy¡¯s eyes would be all over that. ¡°We¡¯re looking to register as adventurers,¡± I said. Her eyes widened at my words. ¡°All five of you?¡± ¡°No¡­ just me, her, and him,¡± I said, pointing to Eris and Ruijerd. ¡°I see¡­ well, do you know the rules and regtions of the Adventurers Guild?¡± she asked. ¡°I know the basics, but I might need a refresher,¡± I answered. She nodded. ¡°Of course, but let¡¯s have you three registered, so I can prepare your cards in the meantime.¡± She then pulled out a peculiar device inscribed with variousplex magic circles. Despite my research into them for Intermediate-rank barrier spells, I had no clue how these worked. ¡°This will record your name, age, gender, and race which will then be linked to your Adventurer card,¡± she exined. ¡­Race? That¡­ could pose some problems. ¡°How detailed is it in terms of races? Does it record tribes?¡± I asked. She shook her head. ¡°No. The race function only records all the Demon race as demons. It¡¯s mostly implemented for the Millis Continent, if I recall correctly.¡± Okay, good. Thankfully, it seemed that Ruijerd¡¯s identity would not be getting revealed anytime soon. ¡°I see. Thank you,¡± I motioned to Eris and Ruijerd. ¡°You two can go first.¡± With Ruijerd and Eris stepping forward, I then felt a tug at my sleeve. ¡°Brother?¡± Aisha asked. ¡°What are they doing?¡± Always the curious one, huh? ¡°They¡¯re registering to be an adventurer,¡± I answered. Her eyes lit up as she opened her mouth. I quickly shut her down. ¡°And before you ask, no. You can¡¯t be one.¡± Her mouth mped shut with a pout. ¡°Why not?¡± she whined. ¡°Because you two don¡¯t need identification,¡± at least, ording to the guard, ¡°and you two won¡¯t be fighting.¡± They could always learn some magic, as I had been nning to start teaching them before the teleportation anyway, but I would kill myself before willingly letting them into the dangers of a battlefield. ¡°The heck!?¡± Hearing Eris¡¯ exmation, I turned to see the receptionist pressing what I assumed to be an adventurer''s card to the now glowing device. ¡°What¡¯s your job?¡± the receptionist asked. Eris only returned a troubled frown. Right. Demon God tongue. ¡°She¡¯s a swordswoman,¡± I spoke for her. ¡°And while we¡¯re at it, that guy right there is a warrior,¡± I pointed to Ruijerd. One could only be called a swordsman if they used one of the three main styles, and using anything else wouldbel you a warrior instead, so Ruijerd was obviously one. Oddly enough, with the North God style, where there existed techniques for axes, daggers, and various other weapons, they were still called swordsmen despite not using a sword. Quite weird in my opinion. ¡°Ah, I see. Thank you,¡± the receptionist said, motioning to the device. ¡°Could you please ce your hand on this?¡± ¡°Yes. By the way, I¡¯m a swordsman.¡± Not wanting to spend any more time than necessary, as I was quite hungry, I followed her request, theplex series of magic circles lighting up as soon as I rested my hand on it. But, oddly enough, instead of glowing blue like with Ruijerd and Eris, this time, it glowed orange. ¡°Oh? You¡¯re¡­ already registered?¡± the receptionist said with interest before her curious expression shifted to shock. ¡°A-An S-rank!?¡± ¡­What? ¡°Sorry,e again?¡± I asked. ¡°Y-You¡­ we already have you on our record,¡± she exined. ¡°¡­You can do that?¡± I asked doubtfully. I thought the information of an adventurer was only tied to their card. ¡°Of course, or else the fee for losing a card would never be paid, as someone would just register as a new adventurer,¡± she said. ¡°Besides, if there was no way to know if someone was already an adventurer, then fake identities would run rampant.¡± I see¡­ that made sense. But¡­ S-rank? Me? How would that- Oh. I¡­ do vaguely remember using a simr instrument at the Adventurers Guild after the Fangs of the ck Wolf took me in, but I thought that it was only to get my name and age. Who would have thought that they actually registered me? ¡°A-Anyway,¡± the receptionist continued. ¡°Unfortunately, as you seem to not have your card with you, you will have to pay a fee, and your rank will be reset to F. Please do understand. But as you are only being demoted due to losing your card, you will have lower requirements for ranking up.¡± Faster rank up speed¡­ that may prove useful, even if we aren¡¯t focusing on bing adventurers. ¡°I see¡­ Yeah, that¡¯s fine. What¡¯s the fee?¡± I asked. ¡°Three iron coins,¡± she answered. Shit. There goes most of the savings that Rowin gave us. I guess we¡¯ll have to startpleting some quests pretty soon. Paying the fee, I then thought over the future. We would probably have to do a few easy E-rank and D-rank quests to get to a party level of D, depending on how many we needed to do to rank up. Once we reached that, we could make some good money whilepleting C-rank quests on our way south before ranking up, where we would then be able to take on B-rank quests too, and so on. Hopefully, this would lead to a swift and efficient path back home, while also keeping our coffers full. Oh, speaking of party¡­ ¡°Can you register us as a party, please?¡± ¡°Hm? Ah, of course. What will the name be?¡± the receptionist asked. Hmm¡­ ¡°Eri?¡± I asked. ¡°What do you want our party name to be called?¡± The girl, who was currently fawning over her card, turned her head toward me. ¡°Umm¡­ I don¡¯t know. What was Ghiine¡¯s old party called again?¡± she said. ¡°Fangs of the ck Wolf,¡± I answered. ¡°Then let¡¯s go with that!¡± she smiled. ¡°No¡­ that¡¯s not a good idea,¡± I said. ¡°Hm? Why not?¡± Because it was a famous party in the Central Continent that was known for being a band of troublemakers? Plus, if Lina got word of me and Mama disappearing, I had no doubt she would go search for us, even if she had to band up with Paul, and they would likely use the same party name. ¡°Just¡­ how about Fangs of the Red Wolf?¡± I proposed. ¡°That¡¯s close enough, right?¡± As for the source of the name? Well, looking over at Eris¡¯ zing hair, it just easily came to mind. ¡°Yeah! I like it!¡± she nodded happily. And so, our name was settled. ¡°We¡¯ll go with ¡®Fangs of the Red Wolf¡¯,¡± I told the receptionist. ¡°Understood,¡± she nodded. ¡°You¡¯ll begin with a party rank of F, the same as your individual ranks, and once the partypletes the required amount of requests, the party¡¯s rank will rise alongside its members. And please note that if you wish to grow your party, one cannot join if they are more than a rank of difference between the leader¡¯s rank.¡± I see- Wait. Then how the hell did I join the Fangs of the ck Wolf as a baby? Well¡­ Paul did say that reaching the S rank gave you benefits, so maybe they just asked nicely? ¡°And¡­ done. Here you are. I designated you as the party leader, I assume that is no problem?¡± she asked. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fine. Thank you.¡± Receiving my card, I then looked down to read the information. Name: Leon Greyrat Sex: Male Race: Human Age: 12 Profession: Swordsman Rank: F* Party: Fangs of the Red Wolf (F*) - Leader And so, with this, I became an adventurer¡­ for the second time, I guess. Chapter 30 – Petrified Forest Chapter 30 ¨C Petrified Forest ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Sho good~!¡± Indeed, as Aisha had said, the food really was good. While I had tasted things that were much better in Asura,pared to what we had been eating for the past week, this stuff tasted like the greatest thing in the world. But still¡­ ¡°I didn¡¯t know you hated my cooking that much, dear sister,¡± I teased. ¡°Hwah!?¡± she quickly shook her head. ¡°T-That¡¯s not-! I mean, you didn¡¯t have-! Uuu~¡± Ah. Seems like I went too far. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding, calm down,¡± I patted her head. ¡°I think it¡¯s good, too.¡± While our meals had gotten significantly better after leaving the Migurd vige, where we got a few spices and even hunted a Great Tortoise for its tasty meat, nothing beat a restaurant-cooked meal, even if it was in the Demon Continent. But damn¡­ even with the difference in currency, this stuff was quite cheap. It just went to show how rich of a country the Kingdom of Asura was. ¡°Hmm¡­ To think the ce had changed since back then,¡± Ruijerd mumbled, looking over at the massive castle at the centre. ¡°Did youe here often?¡± I asked. From his adventurer card, I saw that he was over 500 years old, dispelling all doubts that he was part of the Lace War. From Roxy¡¯s lessons, and my own research, I knew that there were demons that lived that long, but what surprised me was the fact that the receptionist didn¡¯t even bat an eye to that. That much time¡­ if one focused on honing their skills, and had enough talent to take them far, they could truly be a terrifying opponent. I would have to be careful to not make any dangerous enemies on this continent. Now, while I said that, I still stand by my decision to make such an entrance to the Adventure Guild. After all, while I wanted to make sure no one did anything unscrupulous with my sisters around, the bigger purpose behind the disy was to show everyone not to mess with us. We wouldn¡¯t be in this city for long, but it was important to make sure everything went smoothly, especially with Norn and Aisha around, as they could be easily exploited. ¡°Not often, no. It used to serve as the home base of the Demon Empress¡¯ forces during the Great Human Demon War, but with Lace, it was only a city he needed to conquer to unite the Demon Continent,¡± he said, clenching his fist. ¡°I should have known such underhanded methods could be turned against us.¡± Yeah, while the man held a lot of hate towards his old leader for betraying the Superd race¡­ he held even more hatred towards himself. Perhaps that was the reason for his quest to better the opinion of his people, not as a means to actually shed light on the truth of his race, but rather a way to atone for his sins. Well, he was also extremely lonely, so maybe during our journey together he would lose some of that guilt, or at least transform it into more determination for his goal. But again, as much as I wanted to help the poor guy¡­ we had our hands full already with getting back home safely. ¡°I see¡­ well, let¡¯s find somewhere to sleep, and then check out the quests we can do,¡± I said, getting up. ¡°I want us to be out of the city by the end of the month as a C-rank party. Does that sound good?¡± Ruijerd and Eris nodded their heads, though Eris was much more animated. ¡°It¡¯ll be tough, but if we take a bunch of searching and hunting quests, we should be good,¡± I continued. With Ruijerd¡¯s ¡®third eye¡¯, and the three of our collective martial might, I was confident we could do those jobs with ease. It was just a shame that one of Eris and I will need to stay back with Norn and Aisha the whole time. ¡°A real bed sounds nice, doesn¡¯t it?¡± I said absently to myself. Well, I guess there was no time to waste. Time to find an inn. ¡ª Information on the Six-Faced World ¡ª Adventurers Guild The Adventurers Guild is one of thergest organizations in the world and can be found in all major cities across the various continents. The main headquarters of the Adventurers Guild is located in Millishion, the capital of the Holy Kingdom of Millis. Adventurer ranks vary from F to S, with adventurers being able to take on quests up to one rank above or below their current rank. Uponpleting a set number of jobs, the adventurer, and their party can be promoted, and upon failing a set number of jobs, they can be demoted as well. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It¡¯s been a week since our arrival in Rikarisu, and with the three of us doing consecutive E-rank quests, which amounted to nothing but simple household chores, we were now an E-rank party. With this new rank, we were now able to take on D-rank quests, which amounted to guarding duties and harvesting quests, thetter of which we were doing right now. We would have to do ten of these D-rank quests before gaining promotion to C-rank, and once we did, we would begin moving south and making more progress towards home. So we just had to bear with it, even if it was a bit boring. ¡°¡®Moongrass herb¡¯¡­ do you know anything about this, Ruijerd?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a nt used for cleaning small cuts,¡± he exined. ¡°I see¡­ we¡¯re in the right area, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Always a wonderful conversationalist, Ruijerd was. Well, since our lunch was done, I guess we should get collecting. ¡°Aisha? Norn? Could one of you pack up the utensils?¡± I asked. As this was a simple collection quest, and one where we wouldn¡¯t be going anywhere dangerous, I decided to bring the two along. One reason was so that they wouldn¡¯t get too ustomed to thefy city lifestyle they had been living for the past week, but also for the extra manpower, as both Eris and I coulde along. And they could help out too, I guess. Plus, such activity was good for them¡­ probably. ¡°I getted it!¡± Norn eximed. Aisha frowned. ¡°It¡¯s ¡®got it¡¯, not ¡®getted it¡¯.¡± ¡°Same thing!¡± Norn pouted. Hmm¡­ while it was a little petty, correcting such mistakes was how one grew. But that was a job for the parent, or in our case, the older brother. It would suck to have a sibling your age correct you like that, after all. More importantly¡­ recently, Aisha has seemed a little¡­ angry at Norn. Ever since we had left the Migurd vige, now that I think about it. But¡­ why? An argument? ¡°Thank you, Norn, that would be helpful,¡± I said before getting up. ¡°Aisha? Can youe with me for a second?¡± Raising her eyebrow, Aisha then hopped off the rock she had been sitting on, following me away from the others. Taking a seat on the ground, I then patted my leg a few times. ¡°Here. Come sit.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ but why?¡± she said. ¡°Just sit please.¡± While curious, she stillplied with my request, taking a seat on myp as I rested my chin on her head. ¡°So¡­¡± I said. ¡°Do you want to tell me why you¡¯re angry at Norn? Or will I have to try to guess?¡± She tilted her head down, fiddling with her fingers in silence. ¡°So I have to guess, huh? Let¡¯s see¡­¡± Now, do I try to go serious? Or should I be lighthearted about it? I know it¡¯s weirdly easier to talk about serious topics after lightening the mood, but I didn¡¯t want her to treat this whole thing as a joke either. Hmm¡­ being the responsible one was kind of tough, huh? Maybe I was a bit too hard on Paul. ¡­Wait. I¡¯m a kid, right? And I was actually thinking about these things¡­ so maybe I was just right in my judgment of the man. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± Aisha said. ¡°It¡¯s unfair, is all.¡± ¡°What¡¯s unfair?¡± I asked gently. ¡°Just¡­ no, it¡¯s stupid,¡± she shook her head. ¡°Just tell me, Aisha.¡± Her body curling in on itself a bit, she eventually told me the reason, ¡°Just¡­ why does Norn get to keep her stuffy?¡± ¡­Huh? It was that? So she was¡­ jealous? I didn¡¯t think she cared that much about the owl I got her, especially as she was more mentally advanced than Norn. But¡­ I don¡¯t think it was about the stuffy, now, was it? Rather¡­ she was probably jealous of Norn having something to remind her of home. Unwrapping my arms from around her, I slowly unravelled my red scarf from my neck. ¡°I see. Well, while it might not be the same, how about you have this?¡± I then ced the scarf across her shoulders. Hesitantly grabbing the fabric, which had be somewhat tattered with age, she looked up at me. ¡°B-But why would you give me this? Don¡¯t you love it?¡± ¡°Yeah. And that¡¯s why I want you to have it,¡± I exined. ¡°You know, your mother gave me this for my fifth birthday, right? So¡­ let¡¯s just consider this as passing it on.¡± I wrapped the scarf around her neck as she slowly took in my words. ¡°But¡­ why?¡± ¡°Just treat it as your version of Norn¡¯s bunny. Plus, with you keeping it on, I won¡¯t have to worry about getting monster blood on it.¡± ¡®Any more¡¯ monster blood, that is. Luckily, while the soap in Rikarisu didn¡¯t smell great, it was good at getting bad scents and stains out of stuff. Aisha tucked her head into the red fabric as her eyes began to water. ¡°Sorry, Big Brother. That was stupid and childish of me.¡± Now that just wouldn¡¯t do. ¡°Hey, I know you¡¯re mature for your age, but you deserve to be childish. Always¡­ At least to me,¡± I turned her around to face me, making sure our eyes were level as I ced my hand on her head. ¡°You''re my baby sister, after all.¡± That seemed to clear up some of her doubts, as her eyes widened before she smiled and jumped towards me, wrapping her arms around me in a hug. Now that¡¯s better. ¡°Thank you! I love you, Big Brother!¡± she cheered. Ha¡­ yeah, a lot better. ¡ª Eris Boreas Greyrat ¡ª After returning to the city and passing in the herbs we had gathered, we then made our way back to the inn, but even though the sun had long passed the crest of the crater¡¯s walls, and the sky had turned dark¡­ the city was still illuminated. This wasn¡¯t due to anynterns or torches like back home, no¡­ instead, the inner walls of the crater were shining a bright blue that lit up the city. It was really amazing. ording to Ruijerd, those pretty lights were called the ¡®illuminators¡¯, a type of magic stone that shined in the dark and were put in ce by an old Demon Empress that used to rule this city. I wished it would shine for the entire night, but unfortunately, after a few hours, the city would be nketed inplete darkness, so we couldn¡¯t stand around to sight see. ¡°Hmm¡­ we have a few more quests to go, and since harvesting usually takes a day toplete¡­ we should be leaving in a little under two weeks,¡± Leon said with a smile. Adventuring, as I found out, was much more boring than the stories I had been told, but ording to Leon, the fun stuff, like hunting monsters and exploring ruins, woulde after we reached D-rank. But I was still a bit confused¡­ ¡°Leon? Why are we waiting until then to leave? Can¡¯t we just do quests as we go?¡± I asked. ¡°Hm? Ah, well, with B-rank quests, we can start taking on extermination quests away from the city, and the thing about those is that they can be collected at other branches, so we can make money as we go,¡± he exined. ¡°Ah, and they also give us good money.¡± My heart pounded at the mention of ¡®extermination¡¯. Finally, an actual quest like the ones Ghiine talked about. Though I still wanted to explore dungeons andbyrinths, I knew asking that would be impossible, considering Leon¡¯s little sisters. Plus¡­ there was always time in the future for Leon and I to go adventuring together¡­ on our own. ¡­Ugh, that annoying feeling was back. No, actually, it had beening back more often than nottely. Come to think of it, as soon as Ruijerd joined us, every night had been a struggle, trying to hold me back from crawling over to him. Mother did say how ady should ¡®attack at night for someone you want¡¯, but doing such a thing¡­ I wanted to wait, at least until we got home. After all, I had a feeling that if I did such a thing with Leon even once¡­ I would get lost in the experience. Plus, I think he had much bigger priorities right now than doing anything like that, mainly in getting back to his family. But¡­ I didn¡¯t hold high hopes. I was lucky tond here with Leon, as were Norn and Aisha. But his mothers¡­ Sylphy¡­ I wasn¡¯t so confident about them. I would be worried about my parents too, but since they had Ghiine with them, they should be fine. Should be¡­ Well, it wasn¡¯t like I could do anything about it. All I could do was try my best to help Leon bring his sisters home and try to lighten his load, at least a little. ¡°-i? Eri!¡± ¡°Huh!?¡± Leon¡¯s words broke me out of my internal ramblings. ¡°What were you thinking about, spacing out like that?¡± he shook his head. ¡°Anyway, since you don¡¯t really care too much about harvesting quests, can you watch Norn and Aisha tomorrow? If I¡¯m lucky, I should be able toplete three at once, considering they¡¯re all close to each other.¡± ¡°Uhh, sure!¡± What the heck was I thinking!? If Mother¡¯s words weren¡¯t embarrassing enough at the time, now they wereing back to me naturally! I was not such an easy woman! Even for Leon! ¡°Thanks, it means a lot,¡± he nodded. ¡°Now¡­ since we¡¯re E-rank adventurers, we should be able to use the Adventure Guild-sponsored inns for a fee. Though I don¡¯t know how many there are here in the Demon Continent¡­¡± He grimaced. ¡°Plus, they¡¯d probably be expensive.¡± That¡¯s right. As I hade to learn once again, Leon was really amazing. He knew everything we needed to know and organized our days, and if he ever needed to learn something, he simply asked, as he knew the localnguage¡­ somehow. That must be due to his old teacher he annoyingly kept talking about back in that vige. Anyway, it seemed that he knew a bit about adventurers from when he was a baby, travelling along with Zenith, Paul, and Ghiine. How he still remembered everything was beyond me, but I guess I should expect that from him. ¡°Children should sleep in nice beds,¡± Ruijerd added from the side. ¡°If we need to work harder, then so be it.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I suppose you¡¯re right. Then let¡¯s try to cut down on eating out,¡± Leon nodded. Ruijerd was¡­ weird. In a way much different from Leon and Rudy. First, he was strong. Stronger than me, stronger than Leon, and probably even stronger than Ghiine. And not only that, he was also scary, as embarrassing as it was to admit. When I first saw him, I freaked out, and shrieked for Leon to save me like a blubbering child, but after I got to know him a bit more¡­ he wasn¡¯t all that bad. Especially after he shaved his head. Though¡­ he really should smile a bit more. He was much less scary when he patted Norn and Aisha¡¯s heads with a calm smile. ¡°Hmm¡­ but how many rooms should we get? Ruijerd can take one, and-¡± ¡°Two!¡± I shouted, interrupting Leon¡¯s mumbling. ¡°G-Get two, alright?¡± If there was one thing I missed about camping, other than the sense of adventure, was the feeling of sleeping next to him. So two rooms would be fine! ¡°W-We¡¯ll need one of us to make sure no one steals anything, right!?¡± I added. ¡°And Ruijerd can sleep without any belongings!¡± But dammit! It felt so embarrassing to beg like this! I was definitely getting back at him for thister. ¡°¡­Sure. It¡¯s more economical that way anyway,¡± he shrugged. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Another week had passed, and in that time, we had ranked up once again, bing D-rank adventurers, which also meant we were no longer considered newbies. As for how we were able to rank up so quickly? Well, that was a mix of constant hard work and efficient job organization. As for our adventuring colleagues, while at first many looked at us with veiled disdain due to my initial disy, they had now calmed down to see us with some respect. At first, I thought that they would hate us even more for taking so many quests, but it seemed like there was nock of jobs on the Demon Continent. It also helped that we ended up taking some not-so-valuable quests, simply because they were on our way to others. But now, it was time for our first extermination quest. For this one, I decided to have Ruijerd stay back with Norn and Aisha, as not only had he gained my trust in our time together, but my little sisters had also warmed up to him. Plus, it would be nice to spend some time with Eris alone after such a long and hectic time travelling with my sisters. While we would still need to be vignt, and I still had to watch over Eris, I was feeling excited to do a quest like this¡­ working together with her without worrying about any responsibilities in the form of my little sisters. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ what one do you want to do, Eri?¡± I asked. Twirling a lock of hair, she sent a re back my way. ¡°Are you making fun of me? You know I can¡¯t read.¡± ¡°Ah, right¡­ is it fine if I choose then?¡± I asked. ¡°Hm? Yeah. But make sure it¡¯s something fun, okay?¡± I¡­ don¡¯t think adventuring jobs are supposed to be ¡®fun¡¯, but I¡¯d try my best. Looking over at the C-rank quests hung on the board, I read over the various wooden tes that exined the quests. Let¡¯s see¡­ Acid Wolf extermination, guarding a mining operation, collecting a herb in a monster-infested area, and- Oh? Reaching forward, I took the te off the board and looked down to read the request that had caught my eye. - C Task: Clear out Monsters Reward: 2 iron coins Details: Locate and exterminate monsters Location: Southern Wood (Petrified Forest) Duration: Before the end of the month Deadline: ASAP Client: Clithanso Notes: Monsters have been recently spotted at the edge of the Southern Wood, clear them out before they begin to affect the harvesting of nearby materials. Hand in materials of monsters in as proof ofpletion. - This one¡­ now, this one was interesting. Not only did it pay well, but it also held a sense of adventure past just ¡®go here, kill that,e back¡¯. We¡¯ve already had our fair share of those kinds of battles when we first got to the Demon Continent, after all. ¡°Here, Eri. Let¡¯s do this one,¡± I said, taking off the te. ¡°What¡¯s it about?¡± she asked. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll see,¡± I smirked. Her mouth twisted in annoyance. ¡°Nowe on, we¡¯ll probably need to camp for a night, so we should get some supplies.¡± Oddly enough, as soon as I said that, her eyes seemed to light up, and her frown turned into a wide smile. ¡°Okay!¡± How odd. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Hmm¡­ I sense something up ahead, Eri, so keep sharp.¡± ¡°G-Got it!¡± If that stutter had been out of fear, I would have been a little relieved, as it meant that Eris was taking this quest seriously, but unfortunately, from the wide, wobbly grin on her face, it seemed that it was out of excitement instead. Well, that was just like her, after all. ¡°¡­Right,¡± I said. ¡°And remember, while I¡¯m strong, I¡¯m not at Ruijerd¡¯s level yet. So don¡¯t take this too casually.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. I don¡¯t need you to protect me anymore, you know!¡± Eris pouts. ¡­Sure. ¡°If you say so,¡± I shrugged. ¡°But it¡¯s still good to have a partner, right?¡± ¡°Y-Yeah, I guess¡­ A-Anyway! Come on! I wanna kill something!¡± ¡®I wanna kill something¡¯¡­ Well, those were some scary words, especially when they were said by such a pretty girl, but at least it fit her character. If Sylphy ever said something like that with a happy smile¡­ man, I was getting shivers just thinking about it. I just hope that wherever she is, Sylphy is the same kind and innocent girl I know her as. Walking through the dull, grey forest, I let Eris take the lead as I watched from behind her, my hand gripping my sheathed sword as I kept my other one free to cast any magic as needed. Soon, Eris¡¯ jovial jaunt came to a quick stop as she crouched behind a fallen tree, drawing her sword. ¡°So¡­ you see them?¡± I whispered. She nodded her head. Coming up behind her, I then peered over the tree, watching as a giant green snake circled over two identical, sleeping snakes which I assumed were in the same ¡®pack¡¯. The monster had a wide jaw and an array of blue eyes that shone like jewels in the otherwise dark forest. Hmm¡­ while I couldn¡¯t be sure, I knew that the mostmon monster that fit this description was an Almond Anaconda, a B-ranked threat with deadly venom and high agility. Now, while I knew Eris was strong, she was still inexperienced, and despite her ability to enhance her body with touki, her body was still that of a 12-year-old girl. A strong one, for sure, but still the body of a girl who had yet to reach her teenage years. Having her face such a threat alone¡­ that would be dangerous and reckless, especially since if she got hit, I would have to really focus on detoxification magic, as I didn¡¯t know the specific antidote spell to the monster¡¯s poison. But luckily, she had me. While the safest option was for me to set up a trap with magic, or even take all three of the monsters out with one surprise Longsword of Light, that would do nothing to grow her skills¡­ nor my own, for that matter. So a head-on fight it was. But that didn¡¯t mean we would be stupid about it. ¡°Eri,¡± I whispered. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the awake one to you. Don¡¯t get bit and tell me if you need support, got it?¡± She nodded her head. ¡°Yeah. Alright, here I go!¡± Sprinting with a start, Eris quickly unsheathed her sword as she jumped toward the startled monster, preparing to kill the thing with one strike as touki thrummed through her de. But, befitting a B-rank monster, it reacted quickly, sending its tail to intercept. A normal person would attempt to dodge, or even try to block it with a well-timed parry¡­ but that didn¡¯t exactly fit Eris¡¯ style, and she was anything but a normal girl. With a shout, she brought down her sword in a heavy swing, carving into the monster¡¯s tail as she used the momentum to flip over it,nding with a crouch. Well¡­ she seemed to be doing fine, so I guess it was my turn to fight. ¡°Morning, sleepyheads,¡± I said, pulling out my sword. As I grew stronger and taller, my unnamed spellsword became much easier to wield, and while most lower-rank swordsman would find the thinner decking in power, for me who could coat it in touki, that didn¡¯t really matter. Despite my cheerful greeting, the only thing I got in response was a pair of angry hisses. How rude. Wait¡­ ¡®How rude¡¯? Was I¡­ really taking this so casually? Yeah, no¡­ I definitely was. After all, Eris was strong enough to take care of herself, and I was always here to heal her, and most importantly, I didn¡¯t have to worry about Aisha and Norn behind me. So, for the first time in a while, fighting monsters felt¡­ calm. Fun even. Was that a proper mindset one should have when fighting a pair of B-ranked monsters? No, probably not, but¡­ I couldn¡¯t say I hated it. The two snakes, now awake, converged on me, both baring their impressive set of fangs as theyunched their simultaneous attack. Casting wind magic around my feet, I jumped up to dodge, letting my hair flutter as I twisted my body, forming a fireball in my free hand as I reached the apex of my leap. Casting a nce to the side, I saw that Eris had made another pass by the monster she was fighting, leaving arge gash in her wake as she red at the wounded snake. So she was still doing well. Good. Positioning my feet above me, I sent the fireball forward, willing it to explode in a sh of light just as I summoned a burst of wind to send me shooting downward, my sword held at my side all the while. Blinded and confused, my sword cleaved effortlessly through the first one¡¯s neck, and letting my de surf through the air, the tip descended through the second one¡¯s eye with smooth, practised ease. In one swift strike, they were both dead. ¡°Ss-ss¡­¡± Well, almost dead. Summoning a fireball at the tip of my de, I released a small explosion inside the monster¡¯s head, killing the snake that was on itsst legs. Wait¡­ they didn¡¯t have legs¡­ so, on itsst scales? Hmm¡­ no, that wasn¡¯t important. Dislodging my de, I ignited it in mes to clean off the blood as I looked over at Eris, who had just finished off her own opponent, her de cleaving through the monster¡¯s open mouth as its body fell limply to the ground. ¡°Haa! Haa! I-I did it!¡± she shouted with a smile. Seeing her happy expression, I couldn¡¯t help but feel my own lips curl upwards. ¡°That you did. Did you get hurt anywhere?¡± I asked. ¡°No,¡± she shook her head. ¡°My feet are a bit sore though. I think I need new shoes.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll get thoseter then. These things should fetch a good amount of money,¡± I returned, kicking the corpse. Unfortunately, these guys were way too big to take back as bodies, but from what I remembered, a few of their scales and fangs were enough for proof of a kill, and the fangs were worth a bit on their own too. ¡°W-Whoa!¡± Hearing a voice from the woods, my head instantly snapped towards it as I set myself in a stance. ¡°That was amazing!¡± Emerging from behind a tree, three figures made themselves known. Three boys, more specifically. One had scaly red skin and a matching horn, another was a bit taller with four muscled arms, and thest one was¡­ a chicken. Well, from what I could tell, they weren¡¯t too skilled, so even if their amicable front was a lie, I doubt they would be able to harm us. ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked. ¡°We came here to get some herbs but happened to hear your fight, it was really cool!¡± the red-skinned one said. ¡°That wasn¡¯t my question¡­¡± I frowned. ¡°Ah, right!¡± Lining up, the three boys then struck a pose, with the red-skinned boy, who seemed to be the leader, standing at the centre. ¡°We¡¯re the Tokurabu Vige Toughs! A D-rank party that will soon make a name for themselves on the Demon Continent!¡± ¡­The heck? ¡°And what are you doing in such a dangerous ce?¡± I asked. While this forest wasn¡¯t too much for me and Eris, that wasn¡¯t the same for these three, unless they were somehow hiding their strength. ¡°Ah! Well, you see, we decided to take as many C-rank quests as possible to rank up, so here we are! I¡¯m Kurt, by the way!¡± Ah, so they were idiots. That was good to know. ¡°A-Anyway! Since there¡¯s only two of you, what do you say about joining-¡± As the red-skinned one, Kurt, continued to ramble on, I noticed movement from behind the three, prompting me to leap forward, arriving just in time to stop the swing from an axe from cleaving through the three boys. ¡°Hwa!?¡± A littlete there, Kurt. Staring at the humanoid suit of armour, I instantly recognized that this was an Executioner, one of the mostmon monsters found around the world that was formed through the remains of killed adventurers. ¡°Hiya!¡± Hearing Eris¡¯ shout, I felt a sword whizzed past my ear before it embedded itself in the monster¡¯s chest in front of me. With my sword keeping the Executioner¡¯s axe to the side, I used my free hand to grab Eris¡¯ thrown sword, before slicing across its body and through its impressive set of armour, killing the monster. The armour and axe dissolving into thin air, I looked back at the young adventurers, only to be met by three sets of shining eyes. ¡°S-So cool!¡± ¡­You almost died just now, you know¡­ why are you three so cheery? Shaking my head, I headed back to Eris, handing her back her sword with a smile. ¡°That was a nice throw. You¡¯re probably at the Intermediate rank for the North God style, if I had to guess,¡± I praised. She averted her eyes. ¡°W-Well, it¡¯s only natural, right? But¡­ thanks.¡± She then looked over my shoulder. ¡°Anyway, who are those guys?¡± ¡°Ah, they¡¯re¡­¡± What were they called again? ¡°¡­Adventurers. Apparently, they had a collection quest or something near here, so they aren¡¯t enemies.¡± ¡°I see,¡± she nodded. ¡°Aren¡¯t they a bit stupid, though?¡± Should you really be the one saying that? ¡°Hm?¡± she turned to me. ¡°Did you say something, Leon?¡± ¡°¡­No.¡± While she wasn¡¯t traditionally smart, she did have a weird sense of intuition. To be honest, it was a little scary at times. I would have to remember to keep my internal mouth shut around her as well. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It had been a week since we hadpleted our first C-rank quest, and after preparing some final things, andpleting a few more quests, we were now a C-rank party, which meant that it was now time to start our journey south toward Wind Port, where we would then travel the Millis Continent. I don¡¯t know what felt worse, the fact that we would probably have to travel the Demon Continent for an entire year, or that after doing so, we would only be a third of the way back home. But there was no need to despair. I was strong, Ruijerd was stronger, and Eris was pretty good herself. Plus, with Ruijerd¡¯s sensing abilities, and the barrier nes I had made, Aisha and Norn should be safe from any trouble as well. ¡°Leon¡­ isn¡¯t this a bit too big for me?¡± Erisined from my side. ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be,¡± I answered. ¡°And make sure you keep it on, even if it¡¯s annoying. We don¡¯t want you getting sunburned.¡± ¡°Hmph,¡± she reluctantly pulled up her hood. ¡°But can¡¯t you just heal it for me?¡± ¡°¡­I just don¡¯t want you getting sunburned, okay?¡± After all, I had never encountered ¡®cancer¡¯ despite all my studying in healing magic, and while I wanted to figure out if I could heal it, I didn¡¯t want to do so on my loved ones. ¡­Loved ones? Was Eris like that to me? ¡°Fine. I guess I¡¯ll wear it, since you got it for me,¡± Eris huffed, pulling over her hood. Despite her reluctance, I could tell she was pretty happy with her new cloak, as since it was meant for beastfolk or a demon race that was simr, it had two pockets for ears, and Eris being a member of the Boreas Greyrat family, was quite endeared to such things. Well, it looked cute on her, so I guess it was a win for both of us in that sense. ¡°Thanks,¡± I then turned to Norn and Aisha. ¡°And you two have to wear yours as well, got it?¡± ¡°Got it, Brother!¡± Aisha saluted. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ I like it anyway,¡± Norn smiled. Following my words, the two of them pulled up the hoods of their cloaks, the structure matched Eris¡¯, though it was coloured brown instead of white. To my pleasant surprise, ever since I gave Aisha my scarf, the tension that was present between the two seemed to have dissipated into thin air, so that was one less thing I would have to worry about. Since I doubt we would be picking up another kid anytime soon, they would have to get along with each other, as they were the only ones their age that they would be around for a while. ¡°Good,¡± I nodded. ¡°Then it¡¯s time we head out then. Nowe on, up you go!¡± I then took a girl in each arm before lifting them onto the giant lizard we would be using for transportation. The lizard in question was called a ¡®Transport Lizard¡¯ or a ¡®Merchant Lizard¡¯, and was the substitute for horses in the Demon Continent. Having bought it a couple of days ago from a lizard merchant, we were luckily able to get it for a good price due to its unruly nature that was quickly tamed by Ruijerd. Apparently, the man had quite a bit of experience with the animals. But then again, I think even the fiercest of foes would tuck their tails and run if the Superd cast a hardened re their way. Hopping onto the lizard next to them, I then put out my hand for Eris. ¡°You too.¡± Narrowing her eyes, she hesitantly took my hand while mumbling under her breath, ¡°I can get up on my own, you know.¡± Sure you can. Anyway, with her sitting behind me, and my little sisters both sitting in front of me, it was time for us to head out. ¡°Ruijerd? Are youing?¡± I asked the man. ¡°No,¡± he shook his head. ¡°I will walk beside you and deal with any threats.¡± ¡°I see¡­ but, I don¡¯t know how to lead one of these things yet.¡± His eyes widened in realization. ¡°Ah¡­ yes. I suppose not¡­ then, excuse me.¡± And so, with hip hopping next to me, we were ready. I just hoped this journey would go smoothly. Chapter 31 – Travelling Chapter 31 ¨C Travelling ¡ª Aisha Greyrat ¡ª Clutching my brother¡¯s red scarf, I felt a warmth envelop my body, a different kind of warmth than the oneing from the bright sun above. When I pulled it up to my face, I could smell the scent of sweat and grime from constant use, which might sound gross, but it also smelled like Big Brother, so it wasn¡¯t bad at all. It made me feel safe¡­ happy. After all, by smelling his scent, it reminded me that my brother would do anything to protect me. But while knowing that he would do anything for me made me feel giddy with joy, it also made me feel¡­ guilty. Here, on the Demon Continent, things were tough. Much tougher than back home. And with Norn and I here, slowing him down¡­ I can¡¯t imagine how hard it¡¯s been for Big Brother. No, I didn¡¯t have to imagine. I remember the first week after we arrived here, after all, where Big Brother looked like he hadn¡¯t slept at all. I knew I was a burden, and I epted that¡­ but that didn¡¯t mean I would have to stay one. Even if only a little, I wanted to be helpful. So¡­ ¡°Big Brother?¡± I asked, tilting my head, just like Mother taught me in order to ask for things I wanted. ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± Pausing his maintenance on his sword, he looked back to me. ¡°Of course. Is there something wrong?¡± ¡°Not exactly¡­¡± I tilted my head down. ¡°Just¡­ do you think you can teach me something?¡± He frowned in confusion. ¡°¡®Something¡¯¡­ What exactly do you want to learn?¡± ¡°Magic, writing¡­ anything that would be useful!¡± I answered. His frown deepened. ¡°Where¡¯s thising from?¡± ¡°Just¡­ we-¡± ¡°We don¡¯t want to slow Brother down!¡± Norn interrupted me. Huh? Was she¡­ thinking the same thing as me? Honestly, I didn¡¯t think my sister was one to think so much. Well, two voices were better than one. ¡°Yeah!¡± I continued. ¡°We wanna be helpful!¡± And not be a burden. I didn¡¯t expect to be able to make us go fasterpared to if we weren¡¯t here, but at the very least, I didn¡¯t want to make things harder. Sheathing his sword, Big Brother readjusted himself on the lizard so that he was facing both of us, his face stern as his eyes moved between me and Norn. Eventually, he released a sigh before cing a hand on each of our shoulders. ¡°Listen, you two,¡± he said. ¡°While it might not seem like it, you are already being a great help just being here with me.¡± I shook my head. ¡°No we¡¯re not! I remember¡­¡± The first week. Before we met Ruijerd, how tired he got, how hurt he got¡­ all because he was watching out for us and needed to protect us. That¡­ I hated that. ¡°Anyway! Don¡¯t lie! I know we¡¯re a burden!¡± I said. He smiled before shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯m not lying. You two are the greatest moral support I could have. Just one hug from my cute sisters keeps me energized for the whole day.¡± He then rubbed my head, which I leaned into with a hum. Wait! No! That wasn¡¯t important! ¡°And besides,¡± he continued. ¡°If you weren¡¯t here with me and Eri¡­ I would probably be dead already.¡± ¡­What? ¡°I know that the rest of our family got teleported on that day. Where to, I don¡¯t know, but I know they were teleported.¡± ¡­Right. That light engulfed the entire city before reaching us who were on the hill, and that light definitely had something to do with us appearing here. ¡°With Eri¡¯s parents, I know that Ghiine will keep them safe, and as for our parents¡­ well, Mama was a great adventurer, and Mother Lilia is smart enough to keep herself safe, so they¡¯ll be fine,¡± Big Brother continued. ¡°And Sylphy¡­¡± he winced slightly. ¡°¡­She¡¯s able to cast chantless magic, and she¡¯s really smart too, so she¡¯ll be okay¡­ Yes, she¡¯ll be okay¡­¡± He shook his head again. ¡°Anyway, I can trust everyone else to take care of themselves, but if you two weren¡¯t with me¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be able to say the same. I would rush everywhere as fast as I could to find you, and I¡¯d probably get myself killed in the process. But since you two are here, I can trust everyone else to be okay and make my way back home at a safe pace.¡± ¡­I see. I could understand what he was saying, but still¡­ that didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t be more useful¡­ more helpful. ¡°But Big Brother-!¡± ¡°Hold that thought.¡± Brother then jumped off the lizard, and seeing him run forward, I watched as a scorpion-like monster jumped from behind a rock. My brother then flicked his wrist, and a momentter, the monster¡¯s head fell to the ground, sending a wave of blue blood sshing onto the rocks below. ¡°Ruijerd?¡± he said. ¡°Does this thing have anything useful to take?¡± ¡°Its stinger is often used as a medicine in the northwest, but it would be hard to sell in the next city. But with one that size¡­ there should be a magic stone,¡± Ruijerd responded. ¡°I see¡­¡± Brother then cut through the monster¡¯s torso before taking out a gem, a so-called magic crystal, before setting fire to the corpse and hopping back onto the lizard with Norn and me. As for Eris, well¡­ ¡°Hya!¡± She was still training, swinging her sword around as she walked alongside the slow trot of the lizard. ¡°Now¡­ back to what we were talking about,¡± Brother said, storing the stone in his bag. ¡°If you want me to learn stuff, then I¡¯ll definitely teach you, but don¡¯t expect me to give you any responsibility. You¡¯re kids, after all.¡± Norn¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Then¡­ can we¡­ learn magic?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Brother nodded. ¡°But don¡¯t think it¡¯ll only be that. I nned to teach you reading and writing once we got home, but I might as well do it now. But be warned, I won¡¯t stop just because it¡¯s boring.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with that!¡± I shouted. After all, Mother always said that knowledge was the greatest power a woman could have. Alongside a cute face, of course, but I already had that. ¡°Me too¡­¡± Norn added. ¡°Good,¡± Brother said before turning his head to Eris. ¡°Hear that Eri? Do you wanna start sses up again?¡± ¡°In your dreams!¡± she shouted back. ¡°...Unless it¡¯s swordsmanship.¡± I watch Big Brother¡¯s eye twitch before he turned back to us. ¡°Ahem! Well then, I guess I¡¯ll try to get something to write on in the next city.¡± And with that, he leaned back, letting his head rest between Norn and me before closing his eyes. ¡°We can start some magic lessons tonight at camp, okay?¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Norn said before hesitantly reaching her hand out and patting our brother¡¯s head. ¡°H-Have a good rest, Brother!¡± ¡ª Information on the Six-Faced World ¡ª Adventurer¡¯s Guild Rules
  1. Use of the Adventurer''s Guild - If one registers with the Adventurer''s Guild, they will receive services avable to Adventurers.
  2. Service Content - All Adventurer''s Guilds throughout the world offer these services: job offerings, delivery ofpensation and rewards, purchase of raw materials, and exchange of currency.
  3. Registration Information - Adventurers receive a card with their own information under their control upon registering for the Adventurer''s Guild. It is possible to re-issue it if lost, but rank will be reset to F. Also, each area has its own fine for it.
  4. Withdrawal from the Adventurer''s Guild - If you request it, withdrawal from the guild is possible. Re-registration is possible, but the rank will restart at F.
  5. Prohibited Conduct - If prohibited actions are discovered, a fine will be applied and Adventurers guild qualifications will be revoked. The below actions are considered prohibited.
    • Actions which go against a country''sws.
    • Actions which disgrace and cause the reliability of the guild to fall.
    • Actions which interfere with or obstruct other Adventurer''s jobs.
    • Buying, selling, and trading of jobs.
  6. Breach of Contract Compensation - If you fail a job you have epted, you must paypensation for the breach of contract, two times the amount of the job rewardpensation. The repayment period is half a year. Ifpensation is not paid, the Adventurers guild qualification will be revoked.
  7. Rank - There are seven ranks from F to S based on Adventurer''s proven skills. As a general rule of thumb, you can only take jobs within one above or below your current rank.
  8. Rank Promotions and Demotions - It is possible to raise your rank by seeding in a regted number of jobs. However, if you feel that your ability isn''t up to standard, it is possible to remain at your current rank as well. Also, if you fail a certain number of jobs in session, your rank will be demoted by one.
  9. Obligation - In the case that a country is under attack by monsters and a request for assistance is made from the guild, you have an obligation to obey. Also, if an emergency situation arises, Adventurers have an obligation to obey the guild staff members.
¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Like¡­ this!¡± ¡°Amazing Aisha! Now remember that feeling,¡± I instructed. ¡°Okay! It just- oh,¡± her face fell into a sad frown as her Waterball sshes onto the ground. ¡°It¡¯s alright. That happened to me the first time too,¡± I patted her head. ¡°It¡¯s amazing that you could cast it so well.¡± Truly, I could now say, without a shadow of a doubt, that Aisha was a genius. After all, from teaching Sylphy and Eris, I knew that even if children were more ¡®attuned¡¯ to magic, it still took a considerable amount of focus and intelligence in order to cast a spell without an incantation. And to think she could do it only a few weeks after learning her first spell¡­ Heh, maybe I was a pretty good teacher then? ¡°A-Ah! Brother¡­ I can¡¯t do it¡­¡± Norn whined. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll get there,¡± I reassured her. ¡°Besides, unlike Aisha, you can already cast healing magic. The two of you just have¡­ different strengths, is all.¡± As I said, Aisha seemed to have a knack for elemental magic, particrly in water and wind magic. Norn, on the other hand, while not able to cast any elemental spells yet, was already able to cast Healing¡­ although it was only for a few seconds before she lost concentration. I suppose Norn got her talent from Mama, and as for Aisha¡­ well, she definitely didn¡¯t get it from Paul, so Lilia must have passed on her intelligence. But Norn, contrary to both Mama and Paul, was quite¡­ quiet. And shy too. Due to this, I had noticed that as time passed, she had be closer to Ruijerd, bing calmer in his presence, likely due to his gentle nature. Well, I was a little jealous, to be honest, but knowing that she liked falling asleep with me next to her quelled such envious thoughts. ¡°Now, how about we-¡± ¡°Leon!¡± Eris shouted, interrupting me. ¡°Come on! We¡¯re basically there!¡± Raising my head, I watched as Eris happily bounced on her feet with her sword in hand, looking into the distance with a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go fight them!¡± As for what she was looking at? Well, it was our next quest, which we picked up at thest town. An extermination quest for a nest of Wargwyrms, a species of monsters that were part wolf and part dragon, though the dragon part only amounted to scaled bodies and their ability to breathe fire. As the people of this Continent were quite strong, they weren¡¯t helpless in front of such a foe, but the numbers were a problem, hence ourmission. Getting up, I jumped off our lizard before I began to stretch my arms above my head. ¡°How about you and Ruijerd go fight them? I¡¯ll provide support with magic and look after these two.¡± ¡°What? Why not me and you?¡± Eris whined. ¡°I should practice my pure magic as well,¡± I answered. ¡°Plus, you should learn to fight with Ruijerd. He¡¯s stronger and smarter than me inbat, plus, you are more like him in abilities rather than me.¡± She frowned. ¡°Hah? But he uses a spear!¡± ¡°And I use magic,¡± I retorted. ¡°Now go. And try to pick up any habits you notice from Ruijerd.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­ fine!¡± Eris said before heading out. Shaking my head in slight exasperation, I then took the lizard¡¯s reins before following behind the two as we moved toward arge hill. ¡°So, Ruijerd, how are we gonna do this?¡± Eris asked. ¡°Swift. The most troublesome thing about nests like these is how they repopte so easily,¡± the man answered. ¡°We have to kill them all at once.¡± ¡°So¡­ fast?¡± Eris frowned. ¡°But I do that anyway.¡± ¡°Not only swift in speed, but also in tactics,¡± Ruijerd chided. ¡°Aim for those on the outskirts and corral them towards the centre. Follow my lead.¡± ¡°Or,¡± I interjected, ¡°I could just do this.¡± cing my hand on the ground, I sent a wave of earth magic through the rocky sand, causing rock walls to rise from the distance, blocking the nest. Unfortunately, that also meant they would be alerted, as these monsters could sense magic on an instinctual level, especially when it was a spell that created walls of earth. ¡°Yes¡­ that works too,¡± Ruijerd said in slight amazement. ¡°With myck of experience fighting alongside mages, I forgot such a thing could be done¡­ Anyway, they¡¯reing. Be prepared, Eris, unless you want to make things difficult for your brother.¡± Ruijerd then dashed forth, creating a cloud of dust in his wake. ¡°He¡¯s not my-! Argh! Whatever!¡± Eris, gritting her teeth, joined him. I was originally wondering how Ruijerd had forgotten after being with us for so long, but looking at the man, I noticed a small smirk adorn his face. So the man could tease¡­ who knew? As Ruijerd and Eris began fighting the Wargwyrms, I started sending sts of wind to support the two, distracting the monsters right before they were attacked. I could kill quite a few by making des of wind instead, but I wanted Eris to get some experience, as well as some fun too. ¡°Brother¡­ scary,¡± Norn said. ¡°It¡¯s fine! They¡¯re really strong, you know!¡± Aisha said. ¡°Actually, isn¡¯t it kind of exciting?¡± ¡­Oh dear. Did¡­ did Aisha pick up on Eris¡¯ traits? Well¡­ I suppose that wouldn¡¯t be the worst¡­ only in moderation, of course. As the two cleared out the nest, I began mixing some fire attacks into my barrage, aiming to finish off any monsters that hadn¡¯t beenpletely killed by the two¡¯s strikes and wounding some others, while also making sure to stop any of their fire breath attacks by changing the flow of air. As it turned out, Ruijerd was not only a master at individualbat, but he also was a master at teamwork, easily adapting to my assistance and Eris¡¯ swiftness, and even finding the time to help her as he felled monster after monster. Eris, on the other hand, was not so great at it. Much like with her dancing, she went at her own pace and stubbornly stuck with it regardless of her partners. But at least she moved simrly to Ghiine, so I was able to understand how she ticked. With thest of the Wargwyrms in, Ruijerd and Eris then began cutting off some ears as proof ofpletion before returning to us. ¡°Nice job, you two,¡± I said. ¡°Any injuries you want healed?¡± ¡°No,¡± Ruijerd shook his head. ¡°But I¡¯m surprised¡­ I have only fought alongside a few mages, but none of them were like you. It was quite nice.¡± ¡°Of course it was! Leon¡¯s amazing!¡± Eris shouted, crossing her arms with a proud smile. Well, thank you for thepliment, but I didn¡¯t feel too happy getting it from a girl whose face was drenched in monster blood. ¡°Haa¡­ thanks. But here, Eri, I¡¯ll clean you up.¡± I then generated some warm water in my hand before cing my palm on her cheek, letting the water swirl around her face and get rid of all the remnants of the battle. ¡°There,¡± I said, finishing up. ¡°Try not to get too much blood on you, okay? It can be toxic, and if you get it in your eyes, it can impede your vision.¡± ¡°O-Oh,¡± she stammered, looking away. ¡°Thanks, Leon.¡± ¡­To think this was the same girl that tried to punch me on our first meeting. She really has grown. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you, you know,¡± I said, patting her head. ¡°W-What¡¯s with that!? Stop it, you sound like a dad!¡± she shouted, swatting my hand away. But despite that, I could see the giddy smile on her face as she gently touched the ce I had patted. How cute. Smiling at her disy, I then hopped back onto our lizard. ¡°Anyway, if that¡¯s everything, we should start heading to the next city. From the map, I think we¡¯ll have to camp for a night or two.¡± ¡°Yahoo! Big Brother, you¡¯ll be my pillow, right?¡± Aisha cheered, pulling on my shirt. ¡°Yeah, sure¡­ as long as you¡¯re good,¡± I teased. ¡°I¡¯ll be good! I hate using clothing rolls!¡± she pouted. Well, I guess I was to be a pillow tonight, and from how Norn was peeking over at me, it would be the same for her too. But Eris? Why are you looking at me so intently? ¡°...You can join too if you want,¡± I offered. ¡°W-What!?¡± she turned her head away. ¡°W-Well¡­ if you¡¯re so insistent, I guess I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡­I don¡¯t know how to respond to that, but okay. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Positioning myself behind Eris, I watched as she unleashes a flurry of strikes against Ruijerd, creating a symphony of shing metal as the Superd blocked every attack. Deftly twisting and weaving his spear, Ruijerd eventually found an opening, and thus, punished her with a jab with the shaft of his spear, sending Eris tumbling to the ground. Although her frenzy was ultimately futile, it did give me an opening, so, nting myself in a crouch, I unleash a Longsword of Light, my de streaking across the ground as it approaches Ruijerd¡¯s open neck, as his spear was still extended from hitting Eris. ng! Only to be blocked as he kicked his spear up to defend. Seriously, what the hell? That looked so cool! ¡°You¡¯re distracted.¡± He then flicked my sword to the side before twirling his spear to hit me with the blunt end of his shaft. Or, at least, he tried. Coating my hand in touki, I grabbed onto the approaching shaft, stopping in its tracks as I gripped it tightly. ¡°Haha,¡± I smirked. ¡°What¡¯re you gonna do n- Ouch!¡± Ruijerd, unperturbed by my move, simply smacked his head into mine, sending me crumpling to the ground. ¡°You did well, but you got too conceited,¡± he smirked. ¡°Use your head.¡± ¡®Use your head¡¯... after headbutting me? ¡­Was he making fun of me? He was definitely making fun of me, wasn¡¯t he? ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s enough for now. I sense a few monsters ahead, and they mighte attacking if they heard the noise of our spar,¡± he continued. Eris, dusting off her clothes, got up. ¡°Dammit! I lost again!¡± ¡°Yes, you did,¡± Ruijerd said. ¡°But¡­ did you understand?¡± ¡°...Yeah, I did,¡± she said, nodding her head. Well, while it was a bit weird, that was how the two of them ended every one of their spars. As for what Eris was understanding? That was something only the two of them knew, but I did notice Eris getting better and better each day, especially with the North God style as she was fighting such an unconventional fighter as Ruijerd. But she wasn¡¯t the only one, as I was also raising my abilities while fighting the man. He had a plethora of experience, and his touki moved fluidly and swiftly with each of his movements. It was beautiful to watch, in a way. Anyway, he was a bit different from Ghiine for training, but in a good way, as he was able to draw out fights while providing a challenge for me to ovee, while Ghiine would have trouble holding back as it went against her training as a Sword King. These spars also helped the three of us gain an understanding of everyone¡¯s fighting abilities, which would aid our teamwork. While most of the monsters here could be dealt with individually, it was always good to be on the same page in case of a scenario where we would need to bring our full fighting power. But speaking of Ruijerd¡­ I think it''s about time to start enacting my ¡®n¡¯. Though, ¡®n¡¯ was a bit of a stretch. I was just nning to tell anyone we met on good terms that Ruijerd was a Superd, and through this, the reputation of the race would be somewhat mellowed out¡­ hopefully. After all, Eris and my sisters were fine with him after being with him for a short while, and that was before he cut his hair and hid his gem, so I had a feeling the reaction from others wouldn¡¯t be as¡­ stimting as Ruijerd was used to. It was a bit of a simple solution, and knowing what a conniving kid Rudy was, he might have even decided to go through many hoops to spark the same effect, but as with many things in life, simple was often better. Plus, just some good old exposure would do wonders for such a ¡®demonized¡¯ race as the Superd, especially since Ruijerd was a good and just guy, and the ¡®crimes¡¯ of their people, if you could call them that, happened so long ago. But even if it didn¡¯t work out, while it would be a lie to said I didn¡¯t care, our journey would still have to continue onward. After all, this continent was not fit for my sisters, and we still had a family to return to¡­ hopefully. ¡°B-Brother?¡± Norn hesitantly said, walking up to me. ¡°Do you need healing?¡± Looking down at my hand, I noticed that there was a small bruise forming where I blocked Ruijerd¡¯s spear. Such a small injury didn¡¯t bother me too much, and I could easily heal it myself, but since my cute sister was asking with such a hopeful expression¡­ well, I knew that the two wanted to help out, so this would be a perfect opportunity. ¡°That¡¯d be awesome, Norn. Here, can you heal it for me?¡± I asked, showing her the injury. ¡°O-Okay! Here I go! Nnnghh!¡± narrowing her eyes, Norn¡¯s hand began to emit a soft light as my bruise begins to slowly heal. It was slow, and the flow of mana was horribly inefficient, but considering that she had just begun using magic without an incantation just a week ago, it was definitely considerable progress. But despite this skill in healing magic, it would be a bit too far to call my sweet sister a ¡®prodigy¡¯ in any sense of the word, like with Rudy and Sylphy. Although¡­ she was able to use chantless healing magic unlike Rudy¡­ so I suppose she had that over our brother in that sense. But speaking of Rudy¡­ he was probably doing fine, right? As long as he didn¡¯t piss anyone off or get too conceited, that is. But still¡­ while he was certainly mature, possibly even more so than me, and while I knew he could take care of himself with his abilities and intelligence, it still felt wrong to know he was out there¡­ somewhere, all alone. It was a burning sensation of anxiety at the pit of my stomach that was always there, trying to w its way out¡­ and thinking of Sylphy and Mama and Lilia only made that feeling more powerful. But I couldn¡¯t let these feelings out. For Eris, and for my sisters¡¯ sakes. I was their rock, their support. I couldn¡¯t show any signs of crumbling under the pressure, even if Ruijerd was with us now. After all, while the man was powerful, I still had to take the lead with anything inside the city, as well as taking care of the three girls¡¯ emotional states, making sure nothing was wrong that they were hiding. I suppose in that sense, I was a little hypocritical, huh? To disregard my feelings so easily and focus on theirs. Well, unfortunately for me, I needed to be. But once this was all over¡­ I would definitely be finding myself in Mama¡¯s arms, being pet back to sleep for a long while. After that, all the stress of this journey would melt away, and we could go back to the happy times of the past. Suddenly, I felt my head being pulled down before finding myself looking up at Eris in confusion. I was¡­ on herp? ¡°D-Don¡¯t look at me!¡± she said, covering my eyes. ¡°You just¡­ looked tired, is all!¡± ¡­Well, while it wasn¡¯t Mama, I guess this would suffice in the meantime. ¡°Thank you, Eri,¡± I said, turning my head to the side. ¡°Hmph! Just don¡¯t get too used to it!¡± she huffed. Chuckling lightly into her uncovered thighs, I felt Eris squirm. ¡°A-And don¡¯t breathe!¡± Jeez¡­ that was a little harsh. Chapter 32 – Basilisk Chapter 32 ¨C Basilisk ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It had been a few months since setting off from Rikarisu, and the Fangs of the Red Wolf, known moremonly as the Red Wolves, were now a B-ranked party. As for our progress towards the Central Continent, we were about a third of our way down the Demon Continent, and as we had been constantly travelling for so long, we decided to take a little break at the city of Zentoria, arge trading hub that separated the ¡®south¡¯ from the ¡®north¡¯ of the Demon Continent. With towering grey city walls and rocky streets, it painted quite the dreary picture, but with the bustling poption, it was still a lively ce despite the depressing scenery. But then again, most of the Demon Continent was like that, at least the urban centres, that is Man, I really missed Asura¡­ the green ins, the distant mountains, the food¡­ especially the food. Oh, and the people too. I wasn¡¯t racist by any means, but it was getting quite annoying to constantly get stared at wherever we went simply for being the only humans around. ¡°Leon. Where are we staying today?¡± Ruijerd asked from the side. ¡°Hmm¡­ we can probably treat ourselves to a B-rank inn if we haggle a good deal,¡± I responded. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go exterminating bugs before bed, after all.¡± The hospitality of the Demon Continent was¡­ less than adequate, and below the C-rank amodations, even using our tent was better in most aspects. ¡°I see,¡± he nodded. ¡°And what are the other three doing?¡± ¡°Girl stuff,¡± I said. ¡°Don¡¯t ask more than that.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± When Eris demanded to go get some supplies on her own, I was initially hesitant as she had a history of getting into trouble, especially since she had picked up more of the Demon God tongue, but when I pressed for an answer, she remained evasive. Thinking back, I really should have left it at that, but I just had to ask if it was ¡®that¡¯ time of the month and got a touki-enhanced punch as a result. Needless to say, I took it gracefully, as I knew I deserved it. As for Norn and Aisha joining her? Well, I could only guess that they wanted to have some girl time together, and I trusted Eris enough to watch over them. And if they ended up in trouble¡­ well, Aisha knew to fire off a signal with magic if she needed to, plus we had Ruijerd¡¯s jewel. As Ruijerd and I continued wandering the street, I eventually felt a tug at my belt, and a momentter, noticed that my coin purse had been snatched away. ¡°Haa¡­ Ruijerd, let¡¯s follow them,¡± I said, turning into an alley. ¡°Of course¡­ but why didn¡¯t you stop them?¡± Ruijerd asked. I shook my head. ¡°Don¡¯t you know? Thieves aren¡¯t treated well in these parts.¡± Plus, from how small the person was, they were likely a kid, so I had a feeling Ruijerd would agree with my decision. In a merchant driven city like this one, where valuables were what everyone depended on to live, thievery was nearly akin to murder, and thus punished severely, and even a kid wouldn¡¯t be spared. But still¡­ that was all my spending money, so I couldn¡¯t exactly let this go. I guess I¡¯d buy them a meal if they needed it. Jogging into an alley and weaving through a few paths, we eventually heard amotion just up ahead. ¡°Damn brat! The fuck do you think you¡¯re doing!?¡± Haa¡­ great. Personally, I was fine with forgiving the kid, but that didn¡¯t go for everyone else. Turning the corner, I saw arge dog-like demon standing over the crumpled form of a crying child, their scaly red skin reminding me of that dumb kid back in Rikarisu. Kurt, was it? Or something like that. Anyway, this¡­ did not look good. Especially with a certain someone behind me. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! I won¡¯t do it again!¡± the kid pleaded. ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit! Didn¡¯t your family teach you that stealing was bad?¡± The man then raised his fist. ¡°Well, if they didn¡¯t, I¡¯ll just do it in their ce. Just be d I¡¯m not taking your hand, damn thief!¡± Before he could swing down, though, I felt the wind blow past me, and in the next moment, the man was pinned to the wall. ¡°You dare hit a child!?¡± a shout echoed through the alley. ¡°Ghak!¡± ¡­With a spear lodged in his neck. ¡°Lament in the afterlife, scum!¡± And with a twist, blood sprayed across the ground, leaving the dog-like demon to crumple lifelessly to the ground. What¡­ the fuck. ¡°Ruijerd!¡± I shouted, running forward. ¡°What in the absolute hell did you just do!?¡± He turns back to me, his face twisted in confusion. ¡°What do you mean? He hit a child!¡± ¡°What? T-That¡­¡± This guy¡­ what in the hell? Shaking his head, Ruijerd then turned to the kid. ¡°Now, child-¡± ¡°G-Get away!¡± the kid screamed, scurrying back against the wall. ¡°D-Don¡¯t kill me! Please!¡± He was scared. Terrified. As if the disguise Ruijerd was using had no effect at all. I could tell that Ruijerd was confused, and a little hurt, as this reaction was one he hadn¡¯t gotten since he first met Norn and Aisha. Right¡­ we definitely need to have a talk. I know he sees himself as the ¡®protector of children¡¯ and sees offences against said children by adults as the greatest of sins, but this¡­ this was too much. Taking my coin pouch back from the kid, and burning the corpse of the man, I blocked off the alley, creating a small room for me and Ruijerd as the child ran away back to the street. ¡°What¡¯s with this?¡± he asked skeptically. ¡°You really don¡¯t know?¡± I said, stupefied. ¡°You killed that guy like it was nothing!¡± Now, I wasn¡¯t one to be a pacifist, but I also only took the lives of those who were aiming to harm me and those I loved, just as Paul and Mama taught me. After all, while taking a life was often needed inbat, it was also something that couldn¡¯t be taken back. There was no magic that could revive the dead, unless you wanted to create a monster. And most importantly, it could easily lead to you making more enemies. ¡°And what¡¯s wrong with that?¡± he asked, genuinely confused. ¡°I stopped a child from being unnecessarily hurt, and put down a disgrace of a warrior.¡± ¡°And in doing so, you also scared the kid,¡± I added. ¡°That¡­ is of no consequence,¡± he said, wincing slightly. I shook my head in exasperation. ¡°Isn¡¯t that your goal? To revive the good name of the Superd? You won¡¯t get many good looks when you act like a vicious murderer.¡± ¡°My tribe¡¯s honour means nothing in the face of protecting children,¡± he shook his head once again. ¡°Well, while that¡¯s all great and noble, you could also do both,¡± I interjected. ¡°And while I don¡¯t care too much about that kid, I won¡¯t allow you to scare Norn and Aisha.¡± Ruijerd narrowed his eyes. ¡°Are you¡­ telling me to let viins go?¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you to make sure they¡¯re viins first,¡± I red back at him. Jeez, that fierce look of his really is frightening¡­ no wonder that kid ran off. ¡°What do you mean? He hit a defenceless child, are you saying that¡¯s not the acts of a viin?¡± he said, voice raising slightly at the end. ¡°And are you sure such a thing warrants death?¡± I returned. ¡°You don¡¯t know his story,¡± I pointed to the pile of ashes. ¡°Maybe the kid stole money that would be used to feed his kid. Maybe he got hit himself as a kid and simply thinks of that as an eptable punishment. Did you think of that, Ruijerd?¡± While Paul was a¡­ not great example of a father, he still loved me in his own way, and he had his good parts as well. I still remember when he hit me, and while it hurt, along with the words he said afterwards, it didn¡¯t warrant getting killed. Ruijerd averted his eyes. ¡°I¡­ still don¡¯t understand.¡± Haa¡­ fuck everything. I wasn¡¯t watching over three kids on my journey, I was actually watching over four. ¡°That¡¯s the problem. It¡¯s about misunderstandings,¡± I said. ¡°Although I¡¯m not as good as my brother, I¡¯m pretty damn good at magic, much like Lace was.¡± Ruijerd looked back at me warily. ¡°What do you mean by that¡­¡± ¡°What I mean is, if I had decided to make a name for myself, and show off my skills, some may have ended up calling me the ¡®reincarnation of Lace¡¯, or something simr. If you met me with such a name, what if you ended up killing me as revenge?¡± I asked. ¡°That¡­ no, I wouldn¡¯t go so far¡­¡± he said. ¡°Are you sure? Because I¡¯m not so confident.¡± We fell into an ufortable silence as Ruijerd fiddled with his spear. ¡°Haa¡­ look, Ruijerd, if anyone should get wanting to understand others, it''s you. You would be a hypocrite otherwise,¡± I eventually said. ¡°What¡­ do you mean?¡± he asked, still confused. ¡°Your past. The Superd¡¯s sins. They are not a myth, your people did rampage and kill many others, including your own. That¡¯s a fact, but it¡¯s not the end of the story. Your situation is one that requires understanding in order to remove the stain on your people,¡± I exined. ¡°The least you should do is extend that thinking to others, lest you wander alone for another five centuries with nothing to show for it.¡± His grip on his spear tightened as he clenched his fist. ¡°Then¡­ are you saying everything I have done so far has been for nothing?¡± ¡°Yeah. I mean, you should know that the best,¡± I said. I mean, it might be a bit harsh, but it was the abject truth. His frown deepened as his face turned sad. ¡­I didn¡¯t like seeing such a look on such a proud and respectable man. ¡°Look, now that you know what to do, and how to better your reputation, you can keep moving on,¡± I said. ¡°The past is unchangeable, but the longer you keep living with this new worldview, the shorter your past will be until it¡¯s a tiny fraction of your life¡¯s experiences, as will your tribe¡¯s sins.¡± Fuck. That definitely sounded too poetic, didn¡¯t it? Well, whatever. I think I got my point across. ¡°I¡­ I understand now,¡± he said, lifting his head. ¡°Somewhat, at least.¡± ¡­Really? Just like that? I had my doubts, but there was no need to voice them. ¡°Good. Now let¡¯s check the inns before it gets toote,¡± I said, removing the wall I had created. ¡°And perhaps we should take our break at the next city instead¡­ just in case.¡± ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Taking a deep breath in, I then dropped, keeping my body t as I brought my chest to hover just above the ground, holding it in ce for a moment, before pushing back up, extending my arms straight. A perfect push-up form. A teaching of Paul¡¯s which was so ingrained in my body that it no longer required any thought toplete. And so, I continued.
  1. 479. 480-
¡°Brother! Can you stop moving for a second? I¡¯m trying to read here,¡± Aisha said from my bare back. How ridiculous. ¡°No. Actually, why are you even on my back while I¡¯m exercising?¡± I asked. ¡°Both you and Norn should have expected me to move.¡± ¡°Because we give you more weight!¡± Aisha returned, pping my back. ¡°You should be grateful!¡± This kid¡­ Raising a hand, I summon a small ball of water before sending it toward her head, sshing upon impact. ¡°Ah! Why!?¡± she eximed. ¡°You know why,¡± I retorted with a smile. ¡°Now hop off, we have to get ready for our quest.¡± ¡°Agh, fine! Are we eating first?¡± Aisha asked, snapping her book shut. ¡°Hmm¡­ we probably should. I¡¯ll get started-¡± ¡°Nope!¡± Aisha shook her head. ¡°Norn and I got that covered!¡± Norn nodded her head in agreement. ¡°¡­Why?¡± I asked. ¡°Because we can cook!¡± Aisha said. ¡°And your food is gross!¡± ¡­Ouch. Ruijerd and Eris are fine with it, though. ¡°Like, really gross!¡± she continued. ¡°Really, really-¡± ¡°I get it, I get it,¡± I said, clicking my tongue. ¡°Jeez, you don¡¯t have to rub it in my face, you know? It¡¯s rude.¡± ¡°Hehe, but you¡¯re so good at everything, Big Brother,¡± Aisha said with a wide smile. ¡°Except for cooking.¡± ¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Getting up and putting on my shirt, I opened the tent¡¯s ps to see Eris and Ruijerd in the middle of a spar. ¡°Hyat! Hah!¡± Twisting her body, Eris released a sh faster than a speed of sound, nearly catching Ruijerd¡¯s cheek. Keyword: nearly. Missing the strike, Ruijerd then connected a string of attacks too quickly for Eris to defend, sending her tumbling to the ground. A quick counter, just as every spar between the two went. ¡°Do you understand now?¡± Ruijerd said. ¡°Gah! Haa, yes, yes, I understand¡­ Dammit! I¡¯m still too weak!¡± Erismented, getting to her feet and stomping her foot against the ground. ¡°You¡¯ll grow with time. Your strength is already admirable,¡± Ruijerd nodded. ¡°You can call yourself a true warrior.¡± ¡­Oh, they were doing this right now? ¡°R-Really!?¡± Eris smiled. ¡°Then that means¡­¡± ¡°That I will no longer treat you as a child, but rather as an equal,¡± Ruijerd stated. Eris pumped her fist in delight before quickly stopping, her lips curling into a frown. ¡°But¡­ I still couldn¡¯t beat you,¡± she said. Ruijerd shook his head. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. Rather, what does matter is that you can protect yourself, and more importantly, you can protect the weak. Be proud, Eris Boboreas Greyrat.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Wait! No! That¡¯s not my name at all!¡± Eris shouted, stomping her feet. Ruijerd just smiled in response. In the few months since our little scuffle in Zentoria, the man had seemed to have taken my words to heart and mellowed out a bit, deciding to talk a bit more before jumping to conclusions. But then again, I wouldn¡¯t know exactly how much he had understood what I was saying until we got into an encounter simr tost time. ¡°Hey, you two,¡± I interrupted. ¡°Are you ready for the quest?¡± ¡°Of course I am!¡± Eris said pridefully. Watching the sweat drip down her face before she then lifted her shirt to wipe it off, revealing her toned stomach, I felt a familiar heat rise throughout my body. The heat of arousal. Whether it was the stress, or perhaps because of natural timing, my puberty had calmed down since our teleportation. But ever since I had gotten used to our new life and things became increasingly calm and casual, these strange feelings had been bubbling to the surface once again. And it was even worse whenever Eris and I slept together, to the point where I had to volunteer for guard duty just to escape doing something embarrassing. ¡°Er, right¡­ Ahem! Ruijerd?¡± I turned to the man. ¡°Do you mind watching over these two from afar? I wanted to take this one on with Eri.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Ruijerd nodded. ¡°But be vignt. Rampagers are not to be underestimated, especially when it is your first time facing one.¡± ¡°Yeah, we got it. You already told us all about it,¡± Eris returned. Rampagers, at least, that¡¯s what Ruijerd called them, were monsters whose magic stones were growing toorge, or monsters that couldn¡¯t handle a magic stone at all, and as a result went on a rampage to use up all the umted mana, hence the name. We had gotten this quest from thest city that made us go quite a bit away from our nned path, but the reward was tantalizing enough to do so. But I was confident. After all, this continent would have fallen long ago if an A-rank quest couldn¡¯t bepleted by a Sword Saint and another swordswoman who was close to it. ¡°Yeah. But let¡¯s eat up first. Apparently,¡± I red down at Aisha, ¡°my food tastes bad, so these two will be doing it instead.¡± Not showing even an ounce of shame, Aisha simply sent a cheeky smile my way. ¡°Hehe~!¡± Little brat¡­ ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Eri? You ready?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ are you taking the front?¡± ¡°If you¡¯ll be so kind,¡± I slowly unsheathed my sword. ¡°I have something I want to test, you see.¡± She looked back at me. ¡°¡­Is this really the time? Ruijerd said not to underestimate it¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, but what can you do,¡± I shrugged. ¡°If I want to try it out inbat, it has to be a good enough challenge.¡± Narrowing my eyes, I looked forward at the ¡®Rampager¡¯, this one being a species of Basilisk. Originally, these things were marked as B-rank threats individually, and A-rank as a group, but since it had an influx of mana, it was marked as an A-rank quest even though it was alone. Basilisks, which originated from the Gaslow Region, were snake-like monsters that were capable of using petrifying breath. The petrification could be cured with detoxification magic, but in the middle ofbat, it would be a death sentence. ¡°¡­I thought you were more cautious than that,¡± Eris said. ¡°Do you dislike me this way?¡± I asked. ¡°Hah?¡± she shook her head. ¡°N-No¡­ Whatever! Just go!¡± ¡°Alright then¡­¡± Holding my sword forward, I then closed my eyes, focusing on the feeling I had been training over my free time. An idea born all the way back to when Roxy left, or more specifically, the gift she gave me before leaving. Cumulonimbus. A powerful spell, but one that was ultimately useless inbat. Even so, I couldn''t help but marvel at the freedom it gave me while also creating a new element, different from the normal four that we know today. The image¡­ electrons, freely moving across thettice of my sword, hopping from atom to atom as they created a current, and with the image of lightning¡­ bright, fast, loud¡­ and then pumping magic into my de¡­ ¡°Whoa!¡± Eris eximed. ¡°The heck is that!?¡± Opening my eyes, I looked down at my sword to see white electricity crackling along the de, thrumming with power as the scent of ozone wafted into my nose. Okay, that worked, just like I had practised before. Now it was time to see how it would perform inbat. Even if it ended up fizzling out in the heat of battle, I would still be fine with my regr swordsmanship, so there wasn¡¯t much risk to doing so. ¡°Right. Let¡¯s go, Eri,¡± I said, leaping into action. ¡°Got it!¡± Running forward, the air cracked as I broke the sound barrier with my speed, and with this, the Basilisk turned its head our way, alerted to our presence. ¡°Watch for its breath!¡± I said, jumping to the side. ¡°I already heard about that!¡± Eris understood¡­ I hope. With the Basilisk rearing its head back, I ran alongside the rocky dirt to its side, trying to find an opening to attack from behind so that it would face away from me. But snake-like monsters, as I had learned, were annoyingly amazing at manoeuvrability, and this one was no different. Slithering across the ground, it uncoiled its body with a start, sending it flying in the air my way. ¡­Welp, let¡¯s hope this ¡®lightning sword¡¯ holds. Digging my feet into the ground, I leaned into a crouch as I waited for it to get a bit closer. Time crawled to a stop as I watched the wide set of jaws approach, as well as a grey mist swelling from the depths of the Basilisk¡¯s throat. That¡­ must be the petrification breath, right? Definitely have to dodge that. My gaze shifting to the side, I noticed that Eris was ready to pounce on the thing¡¯s tail. Good. She was safe. Jumping forward, my next stepnded just under the Basilisk¡¯s neck. Wait¡­ was its whole body considered a neck? Whatever, not important. Jumping up, I shed at its scales, my sword dealing a deep gash as blood seeped through the cut, the majority of the wound having been instantly cauterized from the lightning. Scurrying back, the Basilisk also retreated for a moment, its body curling up to hide its white underbelly that I had just wounded. Wait¡­ was that its weak point? ¡°Dammit!¡± Eris shouted,nding beside me. ¡°I can¡¯t cut it!¡± It seemed to be¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll give you an opening, so just-¡± I said before getting cut off. I then leaped to the side as a tail mmed right where I was a moment before, creating a giant cloud of dust in its wake. Knowing Eris¡¯ abilities, I knew that she was alright, but I should keep my word, shouldn¡¯t I? Generating a gale under my feet, I rocketed into the sky, sending a wave of fireballs toward the Basilisk to keep it distracted as I remained in the air. Okay¡­ now, my ¡®lightning sword¡¯ seemed to be working well and enhancing my damage, but it was quite impractical as I could just coat my sword in fire to the same effect. So let¡¯s see¡­ how about this? Raising my sword, I willed the crackling electricity to the tip of my de, forming a condensed ball of sma as I enhanced the magic further, and with a thrust, I shot it forth, sending a bolt of lightning shooting through the air. As soon as it hit the Basilisk¡¯s eye, it¡­ prated through it¡­ and the monster dropped to the ground¡­ dead. ¡­Umm. Landing on the ground, I watched in slight shock as the Basilisk fell limp to the ground. ¡°Leon!?¡± Eris shouted,nding next to me again. ¡°You killed it too fast!¡± ¡°Er¡­ yeah, sorry about that,¡± I said, scratching my cheek. I didn¡¯t think I would one-shot the thing, even if I hit a weak point. ¡°Y-You! Agh! Fine, just¡­ take me out for a quest in the next city, okay?¡± Eris huffed. I quickly nodded in eptance. ¡°Sure, of course.¡± Turning back to the corpse of the giant monster, I couldn¡¯t help but sigh a bit. Now¡­ I guess it was time to cut out the fangs, right? Ah, and go fishing for a magic stone too. This was going to be gross. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Months had passed, and before I knew it, we had been venturing the Demon Continent for a little over a year, meaning that Eris and I were now both thirteen years old. Aisha and Norn had also grown a year older and were now four years old, which meant they were now closing in on their first birthday, but with how mature they acted, you would never guess they were so young. I¡­ didn¡¯t know how to feel about that. While I was happy about their growth and grateful for how easy they made everything, it still left a bitter feeling in my mouth that they were forced to speed through childhood. But¡­ I guess there wasn¡¯t much I could do about that now, huh? I would always be there for them, so when they got older and wanted me to spoil them as the baby sisters they were, I would do so without a fuss. Anyway, our progress had been steady for the most part, and by clearing out hordes of monsters andpleting quests on our way, we had collected quite a good stash of coin while also honing our martial abilities. However, we did stop in ces for weeks at a time in more than a few instances, either due to wanting some rest, or when Aisha or Norn got sick. Of course, when they got sick, I could have always fixed them up with magic, but Mama had always warned me not to use detoxification magic too much, especially with kids, as it was said to make them weaker. Scientifically, I could only guess this was said in order for children to build up their natural disease resistance. During these downtimes, I would also teach Eris, Aisha, and Norn the Demon God tongue, as all three wanted to be able to converse without me or Ruijerd around. Of course, fornguages, ssroom-styled learning didn¡¯t do muchpared to experience, so Ruijerd and I decided to start conversing in the Demon God tongue normally, with me rifying any words the three didn¡¯t understand. During our travels, especially as we got further south, we also began encountering wandering fighters of various races, from demons to humans and even a few beastfolk. These wandering warriors, upon seeing Ruijerd, always asked for a spar, leading to a duel upon Ruijerd¡¯s eptance and eventual victory. In these moments, I decided to put my ¡®n¡¯, if you could call it that, into action by revealing the truth about Ruijerd to the defeated foe, and to my pleasant surprise, it worked, especially with the humans and the beastfolk. In fact, having heard stories of the Superd, these warriors actually respected the man even more, knowing about his exploits in the Lace war rather than feared. So yeah, all was good. But despite this, there were a few problems that popped up¡­ only little things though. Assholes that didn¡¯t take kindly to us neers in the Adventure Guild, thieves that wanted to test their luck against us, the odd sibling fight between Norn and Aisha¡­ Oh, and how could I forget? There were also the few times Eris had peeked at me while I was bathing, only to get carried off by Ruijerd with a giddy smile. But despite these hups and bumps in the road, we eventually made it to the first goal on our way back home. The only connection between the Millis Continent and the Demon Continent, as well as the only naval city in the entirety of the Demon Continent. We had arrived at Wind Port. Chapter 33 – Great Demon Empress Chapter 33 ¨C Great Demon Empress ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Look, Leon! It¡¯s the ocean!¡± Eris shouted from over my shoulder. ¡°Can we go!? Please?¡± Before I could answer, both Aisha and Norn looked up at me. ¡°Please~!¡± ¡­Really girls? ¡°Later,¡± I shook my head at their antics. ¡°We have to submit the questpletion, find a ce for the night, and sell our lizard here before we do anything else.¡± ¡°Aww~¡± they pouted in unison. ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®aww~¡¯ me! We¡¯ll be here until we find a boat to take us across the ocean, so you¡¯ll have lots of time to y,¡± I said. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s wise, Leon,¡± Ruijerd said. ¡°There are many monsters in the oceans surrounding the continent.¡± Oh? ¡°Even here by the port?¡± I asked. ¡°Especially so,¡± he nodded. ¡°At least from what I can remember. The only reason the port city is here is that it¡¯s the closest point to the Millis Continent. Though¡­ it sure has grown over the years.¡± Ah, he was doing his ¡®old man¡¯ voice again. Now that I think about it, five hundred years ago the demons and humans were still in the midst of war, and only after did they reconcile enough to trade with each other, so this city was probably younger than him. At least as a trading hub, that is. ¡°I see. Well, let¡¯s head to the guild first.¡± It didn¡¯t take long for me to find the guild building. As usual, in a city filled with mud and stone houses, the wooden building stood out. With the cut-off ears from the rogue Alpha Coyotes that were terrorizing a vige over my shoulder and the quest te in my hand, I then walked over to the receptionist with the other four following behind me, not caring about the change in atmosphere upon our entrance. ¡°Hah!? The fuck are these- Ow? What was that for?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t swear, you idiot! Do you not know who they are?¡± A familiar exchange entered my ears. ¡°What¡­ those newbies? What¡¯s wrong with them?¡± ¡°¡®Newbies¡¯¡­ ah, right, you¡¯ve been out of town for the past few months, so I guess you didn¡¯t hear of them. Those three¡­ or rather those five, are the ¡®Red Wolves¡¯, an A-rank party.¡± Despite our party officially being named the ¡®Fangs of the Red Wolf¡¯, it seemed that our name had been shortened with the passing of gossip. I didn¡¯t really care, though. They could call us whatever they wanted. ¡°A-rank?¡± the other gasped. ¡°With only three fighters?¡± ¡°Yep. Those two little ones are the ¡®pups¡¯. They don¡¯t have any fighting power, but rumour said that the one with the scarf has used attack magic before.¡± ¡°Really? A halfling then?¡± ¡°Dunno. But anyway, the girl with red hair is ¡®Crimson Fang Eris¡¯. She usually sticks to herself, but if you ever cross her, she¡¯ll punch you without a second thought. And people say no one has ever taken one without getting knocked out.¡± ¡°Damn¡­ so she has some fight in her, eh? And that tall one? He must be the leader, right?¡± ¡°Nope, but he isn¡¯t exactly a subordinate either. ¡®The Judge Ruijerd¡¯¡­ from what I¡¯ve heard, he¡¯s one of those justice-loving types.¡± ¡°Ha. Those don¡¯tst long out here, though, do they?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ but he does. They say whenever he catches someone doing something wrong, he sits them down to ask why they did what they did, like scolding a child, and if they deserve it¡­ he punishes them. Especially when they hurt a kid.¡± ¡°Damn¡­ that sounds scary. I wouldn¡¯t want to be talked down to by that guy.¡± ¡°Yeah. And what''s scarier is there are rumours that he¡¯s a Superd, but that¡¯s just hearsay, as far as I know.¡± ¡°Fuck¡­¡± ¡°I said don¡¯t swear! If you thought the Judge was scary, he pales inparison to the golden-haired one, ¡®Guardian Wolf Leon¡¯.¡± The man visibly shivered. ¡°They say whenever he walks into a guild building with his sisters, if anyone swears, or does anything else like unscrupulous, he gives them a scar with the flick of his hand.¡± ¡°So¡­ what, he¡¯s like the Judge then? Protective of children?¡± ¡°¡®Protective¡¯ might be an understatement¡­ One of the stories I¡¯ve heard is that someone touched the Crimson Fang¡¯s bottom, and before she could do anything, he carried the dumb guy outside before chopping off his hand and healing it over and over and over again, only stopping when the guy¡¯s bowels had nothing left to let out from sh- crapping himself. They say he carried him away from the guild, but close enough so that everyone could hear his screams as a warning. You¡­ don¡¯t want to get on his bad side.¡± Well¡­ while that was true, I had to make it clear that no one touched Eris. Ever. And luckily, from how his voice was shaking, it seemed to have done the trick. Plus, that guy should have been d he didn¡¯t touch my sisters in such a disgusting way, or else I would have done the same thing but with his head. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ terrifying.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. So just keep your head down until they leave, alright?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ thanks, man.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± While I didn¡¯t really care about such conversation, from the way Eris was bouncing on her feet with a smirk pulling on her lips, she seemed to like being the subject of such legends. There were a few scenes like this in the stories she loved, so I guess I should have expected this. ¡°Hey,¡± I said to the clerk, startling her a little. ¡°Here¡¯s the quest and the proof ofpletion. No problems with the reward, I assume?¡± With quests that could be exchanged at different guild buildings, the currency of the Demon Continent shined as each guild building essentially had the second function of a bank, keeping extra stores of money for situations like these. However, it also meant that for smaller cities, the stores were quite low, so to get properly rewarded, you either had to wait for them to get enough money, or they would give you a card to show the next city¡¯s guild to get the rest of it. But for a city asrge and mercantile as this, I doubted there would be a problem. ¡°No problem at all! I will have to double-check the contents of the bag, but consider this B-rank questplete.¡± The clerk then took our cards while verifying the information. ¡°Ah, it said here you declined an increase to S rank¡­ is that still the same?¡± ¡°Yes, please, we¡¯ll stay at A rank,¡± I answered. ¡°Got it.¡± The reason for not increasing our rank was quite simple: flexibility. With the guild¡¯s system where you could only take jobs within one rank of your party¡¯s, we were already able to take B, A, and S-rank quests, while if we increased our rank, we wouldn¡¯t be able to take any B-rank quests anymore. Of course, there were many benefits to being an S-rank party, such as being able to skirt the rules and being given prominent escort quests, but such things weren¡¯t really important to uspared to being able to take any job that worked with our path and schedule, which is why we would be staying at A rank. ¡°Well, here¡¯s your reward. I¡¯m assuming you¡¯ve just arrived at Wind Port?¡± she said. ¡°Yes, I was wondering where I could find some amodation. C or B-rank inns would be best,¡± I answered. She nodded her head. ¡°Ah, there are some good ces by the port, especially if you don¡¯t mind helping the innkeepers with chores from time to time.¡± ¡°I see¡­ I¡¯ll check it out, thank you.¡± And with that, I quickly made my way out, pulling Eris along behind me as she red at a few joking adventurers. While having her learn thenguage was great, it also meant that she now knew what other people were saying, causing more arguments to pop up. This went for Aisha and Norn too. As they were previously ignorant to what was being said, as they broadened their vocabry, I cracked down on the people who were being uncouth around them to ensure they wouldn¡¯t feel ufortable anywhere. Luckily, by now, my reputation did most of the work for me, so there was no need to do anything but send a harsh re to anyone who wanted to test me, and even that happened rarely. I know Paul always warned me not to unt my strength, but considering the circumstances¡­ I think he¡¯d forgive me. Mama too. ¡°Alright, now we just have to sell this guy,¡± I said, patting our lizardpanion, ¡°and find an inn. After that, we can go to the beach.¡± ¡°Leon?¡± Ruijerd said, confused. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have an idea for keeping the monsters away.¡± My words were enough to cate his worries as he briefly nodded in eptance. And tomorrow¡­ well, I suppose I would have to start looking for a boat, won¡¯t I? I¡¯ll probably have to go back to the guild for that. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Hiyah!¡± ¡°Haha! Got you, sister!¡± ¡°Y-You! Get back here!¡± Watching Norn chase Aisha across the beach, a small smile settled on my face. ¡°I¡¯m still worried, Leon. There are many monsters out there,¡± Ruijerd said from the side. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. I blocked off a portion of the beach, and if anything tries to jump over, I have a barrier to block them,¡± I said. ¡°Plus¡­ you wouldn¡¯t let them get hurt anyway, would you?¡± ¡°Of course not. It is simply unlike you to be so¡­ casual about things,¡± he responds. ¡°Well, I think we deserve to rx a little after all this time, right?¡± I shrugged. ¡°Plus¡­ we¡¯re done crossing the Demon Continent, so from here on out it should be easier.¡± ¡°I suppose so,¡± he nodded. Turning my head away from the two girls, I watched as Eris dutifully swung her sword, her hair swaying with each strike. Hmm¡­ while I had been practising my swordsmanship every morning, and getting a good amount of practical experience from our missions, perhaps I should start doing some more traditional training too. But wow¡­ Eris was really pretty, huh? The way her outfit showed her toned legs and stomach, how her hair tied in a ponytail wrapped around her shoulder, the way the beads of water from her previous swim dripped down her face to her chest¡­ I instantly felt a shiver shoot down my spine, causing me to wake up from my stupor. Damn, these¡­ stupid hormones. It had been getting worse every day to the point where I¡­ Gah! It¡¯s embarrassing just to think about it! Let¡¯s just say I requested some privacy when I washed our clothes that day¡­ and the following days too. Especially after I caught Eris sniffing a pair of my underwear. Was¡­ was that reallymon? I thought Rudy was the weird one¡­ ¡°I-I¡¯m going to check for our transportation!¡± I said, getting up. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ruijerd asked. ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to do thatter?¡± Walking away, I sent a short wave back. ¡°I just¡­ need to go for now.¡± If I stayed next to Eris any longer¡­ I felt like I might do something embarrassing. ¡°Brother! Can you get us some food please!¡± Aisha asked. ¡­And I guess I¡¯ll be getting lunch too. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Well¡­ this fucking sucks.¡± Yep, no other way to say it¡­ the situation fucking sucked. Having asked the clerk at the guild about transportation, as soon as she mentioned fees based on race, I knew there was bound to be trouble. After asking her what a Superd would cost to take over the sea, my worries were found to be true. The cost would be¡­ more than we had in savings for Ruijerd alone. My next immediate thought would be to lie about Ruijerd¡¯s race. After all, not many believed him to be a Superd even when we told them, so I was hoping that it would be the same for the ship. Unfortunately, the clerk¡¯s next words dismissed the idea, as they apparently had a magic tool to check each person¡¯s race. So yeah, that wouldn¡¯t work. That left us with a few options, though none of them were good. The first, and the most obvious one, was securing enough money to pay the fee. This could either be done by taking a quest whenever we could, and eventually, we would gain enough savings, but that would probably take quite a bit of time. Time that I wasn¡¯t willing to spend waiting here, especially when we were so close to our next goal of the Millis Continent. The second way to earn money would be through a big job, like clearing out a dungeon or abyrinth, but that also would be a no-go for two reasons. One, I wasn¡¯t confident in leaving Eris alone with my sisters for so long, especially if something went wrong, which led me to the second reason¡­ it was way too dangerous. Even with my skills and senses, as well as Ruijerd¡¯s jewel, we would still be helpless before a well-ced trap that didn¡¯t have any mana in it or killing intent. Logically, we could probably do it, but it would be risky, and considering how we would be leaving Eris and my sisters behind if anything went wrong, that option also was not optimal. The second was that we could leave Ruijerd behind. After all, without him getting on the ship, it would actually be rtively cheap, considering humans weren¡¯t seen as ¡®troublesome¡¯ to transport. But¡­ that wasn¡¯t good either. Not only would it feel terrible to leave him halfway through our journey, but he was also immensely helpful in protecting us and my sisters. That¡¯s not even mentioning how he was now a sort of mentor figure for Eris¡¯ swordsmanship, and a reliable person for Norn and Aisha to turn to. Plus, Ruijerd had mentioned how even after wandering the Demon Continent for 500 years, he had yet to meet one of his kin, so perhaps the survivors of his race were on another continent, and considering his social¡­ issues, he would definitely need my help to get across to meet them. So yeah, that wasn¡¯t a good option either, which left us with only one more option¡­ Smuggling. In a port city that thrived on trade, there were bound to be some bad actors that we could exploit. It¡¯s just¡­ I didn¡¯t take kindly to those types of people, especially if the ¡®goods¡¯ they smuggled were people themselves¡­ as in ves. And Ruijerd would hate them even more. But it wasn¡¯t like they wouldn¡¯t exist even without us using them, and we had to find a way to cross the ocean¡­ so I think we would have to suck it up. Hopefully, we wouldn¡¯t need to interact with the smugglers much, and we could finish our business with a simple transaction, but that might be wishful thinking. Now¡­ where the heck would I even find such people? Maybe the slums? ¡°Ugh¡­ to think he wanted that kind of thing¡­ This body is only Badi¡¯s, dammit!¡± Hearing a childish voice from an alley, I turned to investigate. ¡°Uuu~ but now that I refused, and he¡¯s gone, I won¡¯t have anything to eat¡­ who knew a year could be so long to go without food? It must be this damn childish body!¡± ¡­What the heck? Looking behind a set of boxes, I watched as a child in a skimpy dressmented to the world, mming her fist weakly against the ground. ¡°Uh¡­ are you okay?¡± I asked. ¡°Huh?¡± she turned my way. ¡°Who are you? Ah! Food! Can you give me some? Please?¡± ¡­Well, I was nning to take these skewers back to the beach, but I suppose I could get more on my way. ¡°Sure¡­ here, have one.¡± Handing her a skewer, she swiped it from my hand before munching through it in an instant, and before I couldment further, she extended her hand for more, and before I knew it, my fifteen skewers had been reduced to five. Haa¡­ dammit, Ruijerd¡¯s kid-loving protectiveness had been rubbing off on me, huh? ¡°Thank you! I, Kishirika Kishirisu, the Great Demon Empress, graciously thank you for the delicious meal! Hahaha!¡± jumping to her feet, the girl happilyughed while sticking out her chest. She was an odd one. With mismatched, purple and green eyes, long purple hair, and two horns that jutted out of her temples, she had quite a striking appearance to go along with her mannerisms. ¡°¡­It¡¯s no problem, now where are your parents?¡± I asked. ¡°Truly delicious! To think that such a fine meal would be my first thing to eat in over a year! It seems my glorious retinue has discovered many tasty foods, hahaha!¡± She ignored me. But a year? Was she joking with me, or was she one of those races with an outrageous metabolism? If she was, she was quite stupid to have not eaten anything despite having so much time. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s amazing. Now, how about I take you back home?¡± I offered. ¡°Huh? My castle is in the north, so it¡¯ll take a while,¡± she said. ¡°Regardless, first I need to reward you! You saved me from starvation, after all! Tell me your name, my saviour!¡± ¡­A castle? Was she still kidding with me right now? Anyway¡­ ¡°My name is Leon Greyrat¡­ And a reward? What do you mean?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes! A reward! Ah! But nothing to do with my body! I¡¯m taken, you see,¡± she huffed proudly. ¡°I¡­ wasn¡¯t nning on it.¡± Just¡­ no. Gross. She was just a tad taller than my sisters. Before I couldment further, her eyebrow twitched as she looked closer at me. ¡°Hm?¡± Her right eye then spun around before turning blue. ¡­Gross. Was that a race trait of hers? Spinning her eye around? ¡°Oho? You have a good amount of mana in you, boy!¡± she said with a smile. ¡°But it¡¯s¡­ weird. Why is it flowing like that?¡± What the hell was she on about? Could she actually see my mana? Willing some magic power across my body, Kishirika pointed at me with wide eyes. ¡°Like that!¡± I guess she could. How odd¡­ did she have a demon eye like Ghiine? ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± I said. ¡°Just practice, I suppose.¡± ¡°Just practice¡­ Anyway, that doesn¡¯t matter,¡± she shook her head before pointing at me. ¡°Now, tell this great one what would you want as a reward! It is the first one that I will be giving out since my reincarnation!¡± ¡°¡­Weren¡¯t you just starving here?¡± I asked. ¡°Y-Yes, indeed. Why ask such a thing?¡± she said. ¡°So¡­ do you have any money?¡± I asked. ¡°Of course not! Or else I would have bought myself food!¡± she proudly stated. ¡°¡­And do you have any connections?¡± I asked. If I was lucky, she may have an inn with a captain or a merchant, which I could then ask to take Ruijerd across for a smaller fee. ¡°Nope! I have only recently revived, after all!¡± she proudly stated again. Right¡­ I guess not. ¡°Then, what can you even give me? And no, I don¡¯t want your body,¡± I stated again. ¡°Fufufu, do these fools of recent times not remember the exploits of this Great Empress?¡± sheughed to herself. ¡°I shall bestow upon you a demon eye of your choosing, of course! Should you wish for it!¡± ¡­Wait. Demon eyes¡­ reincarnation¡­ Kishirika¡­ Was this actually the Great Empress of old? I had heard the legends that seemed to line up with such things, but¡­ really? Was this really a Great Empress who took control of an entire race and continent? I almost didn¡¯t want to believe it, but the Demon Continent was full of crazy situations like this, with multiple immortal races here and there. But demon eyes¡­ Ghiine had one, and alwaysined about how hard it was to control, hence her eye patch. ¡°¡­What demon eyes can you grant me?¡± I eventually asked. ¡°Hoho! Well, as I¡¯ve only recently revived, I am quite restricted, but there are the Eyes of Magical Power, Eyes of Identification, Eyes of X-ray Vision, Eyes of Foresight, Eyes of Distant Sight-¡± ¡°Wait!¡± I shouted, interrupting her. ¡°T-The Eyes of Distant Sight¡­ what do they do?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± she turned to me. ¡°They allow the user to see things a great distance away. But it¡¯s hard to focus on things. Why? Is that one you want?¡± I felt my heart thump painfully against my chest as my mouth instantly became devoid of moisture. ¡°H-How far can it see?¡± I asked. ¡°Across the entire world, of course! Or¡­ this one, at least,¡± she shrugged. ¡°But you can¡¯t affect anything with it, so I don¡¯t know how useful that will be to you.¡± While I could receive the demon eye, I knew that it was incredibly hard to control. There was no promise that I would ever get to the point where I could use it practically. So instead¡­ ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter,¡± I shook my head. ¡°Instead of receiving a demon eye, c-could I ask you to search for some people?¡± ¡°Of course I can! It is of no consequen-¡± she bit her tongue. ¡°Auch!¡± ¡°Here,¡± I healed her. ¡°C-Can you please search for my family?¡± ¡°T-Thank you once again,¡± she said. ¡°And I can. Let me see¡­ well, who do you want to see first?¡± ¡°Sylphy! She¡¯s¡­ a mix of elven, beastfolk, and demon blood, but she¡¯s really good at magic and c-cute and-¡± ¡°I get it, I get it,¡± she waved off my description. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± As her eye changed colour, I felt an overwhelming sense of dread wash over me. Dread at what was likely to be said from the Great Empress. But I just had to know, for my sake. ¡°Ah! There she is!¡± she said. ¡°She seems to be in the Asuran Royal Pce, standing in a garden.¡± ¡°So she¡¯s alive!?¡± I asked. ¡°Yep! As long as I can see them, they¡¯re alive,¡± she answered. Thank all the gods! She¡­ she was alive¡­ But the Asuran Royal Pce¡­ was she¡­ there by her own will? Well, if not, I¡¯ll just have to break her out, even if I massacred the whole ce in the process. ¡°And¡­ my mothers? Sorry, Lilia and Zenith Greyrat,¡± I said. While I thought of both of them as my mothers, and Mama as my main one, I¡¯m not sure if her method of identification was using my feelings or biological. ¡°Okay¡­ yep! They¡¯re alive too!¡± Kishirika eximed. ¡°They seem to be in the Begaritt Continent a bit north of the Maze City of Rapan.¡± T-They were alive too¡­ thank god. ¡°Though¡­ it is a bit weird,¡± she said, her face scrunching a bit. ¡°I can¡¯t quite see inside¡­ ah, that must be due to the mana interference. It seems your mothers are in thebyrinth at the moment.¡± In the¡­byrinth? I suppose it wouldn¡¯t be weird for Mama to pick up adventuring again, considering her skills, but Lilia? Even with her leg? Or¡­ were they being exploited? After all, it had been over a year. Mama would have definitely started heading back to the Central Continent by now. My fist clenched in anger. If someone dared¡­ no, I couldn¡¯t do anything yet. After I got my sisters to somece safe, I could go to Sylphy, and then to my mothers. After all, Begaritt was a farawaynd to the southeast. I couldn¡¯t add it to our current travel ns. But¡­ they were alive. They were alive! ¡°A-And my brother, Rudeus Greyrat,¡± I said. ¡°On it! Let¡¯s see¡­¡± she scrunched her eye again. ¡°He seems to be in the middle of the Central Continent right now, around the Shirone Kingdom. Currently, he¡¯s¡­ touching a sleeping beastfolk girl¡¯s breasts¡­ A lecherous one, isn¡¯t he?¡± That does indeed sound like Rudy. What the hell was he doing? But¡­ he was alive too¡­ they were all alive. Feeling the tension leave my body, I identally let go of the remaining skewers, the food dropping to the ground. ¡°Ahh! You ingrate! The tasty food!¡± Kishirika began waving her hands around as I slowly dropped to my knees in relief. After getting used to the continent, and having Ruijerd join our party, I had convinced myself that my family was dead. I had to. After all, when we came back home and eventually found out the truth, if they were in fact dead, I had to be there tofort my sisters without being too shocked. Such was the burden of an older brother. But¡­ they were fucking alive! ¡°I¡¯ll buy you some more skewers, Kishirika,¡± I softly said. ¡°Thank you¡­ for telling me about my family.¡± ¡°A-Ah! Of course! Umm¡­ is there something wrong, Leon?¡± she asked, confused. ¡°Nothing,¡± I said, wiping away the tears of relief that had gathered in my eyes. ¡°Onest one, can you see where my father, Paul Greyrat, is?¡± I was wondering what he was doing right now, seeing as his whole family had disappeared. Maybe he was in thebyrinth with my mothers? Or was he with Rudy in the Central Continent? If everything went well, I would be able to leave Aisha and Norn with him, and then venture to get Sylphy and my mothers. Assuming the idiot hadn¡¯t already gotten himself killed, that is. ¡°Paul Greyrat¡­ he¡¯s in the Holy Country of Millis, it seems. More specifically, the capital Millishion. He seems to be¡­ drinking. And quite a bit at that. Though not in a fun way¡­¡± she frowned. ¡°Thank you anyway,¡± I said, bowing lightly. I didn¡¯t bow my head easily, as I had learned from Sauros the value of pride, but this was a moment where it was deserved. But drinking, huh? I was going to give him the benefit of the doubt and guess that he had been trying his best and simply needed some time to rx. I¡¯d be sure to visit him on our way back to tell him the information, let Aisha and Norn stay there, and if need be, knock some sense into the man. But hopefully, his daughters would do the trick and get him back to normal. Getting back to my feet, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a smile spread across my face. My family¡­ they were all alive. And with my strength that had been growing with each day, if they were in any difficult situations, I could simply break them out of it¡­ hopefully. Alright! I¡¯m feeling energized now! ¡°You wanted some food, right?¡± I said, holding my hand out to the Great Empress. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the stall.¡± ¡°Ahh~!¡± she said with stars in her eyes. ¡°I thank you! In fact, you may even ask for another reward!¡± ¡°Are you sure? Well, you can tell me about your demon eyes on the way,¡± I said. ¡°Sure thing! First, there are the Eyes of Foresight-¡± ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°So? Have you decided yet?¡± Kishirika asked, polishing off her te of meat and cup of beer. ¡°Almost. I¡¯m just thinking,¡± I replied. Eyes of Foresight or Eyes of Magic Power¡­ that was the question. While I obviously had no experience with the two, from what Kishirika exined, they were the best demon eyes for me. On one hand, the Eyes of Foresight would do wonders for reading enemies¡¯ moves and surprise attacks, but it would be quite useless if I wasn¡¯t able to see the attack. She also said that it was hard to control, and with more experienced opponents, the future sight would be too numerous to read. The Eyes of Magic Power, on the other hand, didn¡¯t have any limitations, at least ording to Kishirika. This would also go along with my Water God style training, where I could sense the mana, and hopefully amplify its effects. And while it wasn¡¯t as obvious to help in surprise attacks, considering most lethal things in this world had mana or touki, I was fairly confident that by understanding it correctly, it would be even greater than the Eyes of Foresight. And forbat, as touki was simply the mana in someone¡¯s body, the demon eyes would be able to urately read the flow within someone¡¯s body, which as far as I knew, was as good as foresight, as long as you knew what you were doing. Well¡­ I guess I kind of made up my mind already, huh? ¡°I¡¯ll take the Eyes of Magic Power, please,¡± I said. ¡°Haha! Perfect for a magician like you!¡± she eximed. ¡°Now face me for a moment!¡± As soon as I did so, she then stuck her finger into my eye. ¡­Ouch. But well, she did say she would need to grab my eye to pass on her Demon eye during our walk, so I expected this. As soon as she was done, I blinked the tears out of my eyes, only to be instantly blinded by light, but only in one eye, which was a very odd experience. Clicking my tongue, I instantly covered my eye that had been reced. ¡°Ah, right! Since mana isced throughout the world, it¡¯s quite annoying without the proper control! But I bet you can do it!¡± Kishirika said with a smile. Fuck. This must have been why Ghiine always wore an eye patch. ¡°Anyway, thank you for the meals! Should we meet again, we can share a drink! Hahaha!¡± And with that, Kishirika patted me on the arm before leaving, going off to who knows where. Dammit. Now I was blind in one eye for the foreseeable future. How annoying. Oh, and I still had to bring over the skewers. I hope the other four didn¡¯t get too hungry. Chapter 34 – Wind Port Chapter 34 ¨C Wind Port ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª As I returned to the beach, Ruijerd and Eris instantly noticed my¡­ condition. ¡°Leon? What¡¯s wrong? Did you get something in your eye?¡± Eris asked with worry. ¡°No, nothing like that, I just¡­¡± Now, how would I exin this¡­ ¡°I met the Great Demon Empress, I guess?¡± I shrugged. ¡°Hah?¡± Eris eximed in confusion. ¡°What does that mean?¡± Ruijerd, on the other hand, seemed a bit surprised, but quickly epted it. ¡°So she revived, huh? And I assume she gave you a Demon eye?¡± ¡°Y-Yeah, but it¡¯s a bit hard to control. The Eye of Magic Power is what she called it,¡± I replied. Ruijerd raised his eyebrow. ¡°Is that so? I knew a few people that had that eye, and from what they said, it was fairly simr to my third eye.¡± Oh? Really? ¡°So if you require any aid, I may be of help,¡± he said. ¡°Thanks, Ruijerd. I¡¯ll take you up on that, because right now,¡± I then took off the cloth I had wrapped around my face as a makeshift eye patch. ¡°Agh! It¡­ it¡¯s a little too much.¡± I quickly put it back on. Kishirika was right, there was way too much mana in the air. It was as if I was staring at a snowy in on a sunny day¡­pletely blinding, no matter where I looked. ¡°Whoa! Your eye was purple, Brother!¡± Aisha said, running up to me. ¡°Show it again!¡± ¡°No way,¡± I shook my head. ¡°Anyway, are you two done? I brought lunch.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Even Norn seemed excited as she saw the food. ¡°But it won¡¯t taste any good with sand on your hands. Here, show them.¡± With the two extending their hands, and Eris showing hers as well, which were covered in callouses and dirt, I summoned some warm water before washing them off and handing them a skewer each. But damn¡­ this eye was a liability more than anything right now. I guess I¡¯d have something to do in my free time as I tried to search for a way to get Ruijerd across, huh? Oh! I almost forgot! ¡°I, uhh¡­¡± the words trailed off as I look back to Eris. It wasn¡¯t because I was stunned by her beauty, at least not this time, but rather, I remembered that she had a family too. One that hadpletely slipped my mind. ¡°Huh? What is it?¡± Eris said. ¡°My¡­ my family is alive¡­ Sylphy too,¡± I said. Her eyes widened in surprise. ¡°That¡¯s amazing! Then¡­ why are you looking so sad?¡± ¡°Umm, I forgot to ask about yours¡­ sorry,¡± I said, wincing. Contrary to my expectations, Eris simply shrugged. ¡°Oh, them? They¡¯re fine. They have Ghiine with them, after all.¡± ¡­Oh. I suppose that¡¯s true. It was nice to see she still had so much trust in Big Sis. I just hoped it wasn¡¯t unfounded. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It had been a week since our arrival in Wind Port, and while I had yet to make any progress in terms of getting Ruijerd to the Millis Continent, I had gotten control of my new Demon eye, so that was good. Our routine had remained fairly unchanged. We would wake up, I would check the guild for any news while the others would get breakfast, and then we would convene at the beach for training. Eris would practice her swordsmanship with Ruijerd, I would train my Demon eye while joining Eris and Ruijerd here and there, and Aisha and Norn would y on the beach or practice their own magic. Peaceful times. Anyway, while I had gotten a bit of advice about controlling my new eye from Ruijerd, it was, unfortunately, mostly quite useless, as his magic sense was something he was born with, making it difficult to exin to me. What did help with controlling my Demon eye, however, was, oddly enough, my swordsmanship. Not in terms of swinging a sword of course, but rather my ability to control my touki, and therefore my mana, in my body. By using the same concept, I was able to easily turn off and on my eye by the second day by shutting off the flow of mana to it, and once I got used to regting the flow of mana, I was then able to use my eye to the fullest. The most important thing I had to do, however, was make sure my eye wasn¡¯t seeing thetent mana in the air, but rather the magic power that was used by other people or objects. This way, I could constantly have the eye on to watch out for surprise attacks, and easily read the flow of mana in someone¡¯s body should we sh. If I had to describe how it felt¡­ well, it was basically giving me a visible cue to my inexplicable ¡®sense¡¯ that I learned from my Master, the Water God. This may sound like it was useless, as I already could sense mana, but that was far from the truth. First, to properly use the ¡®sense¡¯ of mana to the fullest extent, I would have to be very focused, which was hard to do in the heat of battle, especially when I was managing both magic and swordsmanship, not to mention everyday life, but with a visual cue, that problem went away. And second, my Demon eye made the ¡®sense¡¯ sharper than I ever could get from using my pure senses. Kind of like how while I was fluent in the Demon God tongue, I was much better in the human tongue, my nativenguage. Thinking about it now, this might seem like cheating¡­ but an improvement was an improvement all the same. So that was good, but while mastering my new power was useful, there was still a ring problem with our ns. Smuggling Ruijerd. Incidentally, during this week, I had a talk with Ruijerd and Eris about this dilemma. I didn¡¯t expect them to have any insights, of course, but I didn¡¯t want them to think I was leading them around without caring about their input. Plus, as smuggling Ruijerd over was our most likely option, I needed to make sure he was okay with it. Luckily, while he did make a sour face, he quickly agreed, citing how he was the source of the current issue, so it was uncouth for him to get upset when someone else found a way to resolve it. I also may have hinted that if we didn¡¯t like what we saw, we could always go back afterwards, especially if it involved trafficking children, so that probably helped him swallow any doubts. But honestly¡­ even without using it to bribe Ruijerd, I would probably do that anyway. I don¡¯t know whether it was just me, or if taking care of my sisters had done something, but each time I saw a child in trouble, I felt the instinctual need to protect them, no matter the race or the circumstance. I guess I was more like Ruijerd than I thought, huh? I¡­ didn¡¯t really mind that. ¡°But fuck¡­ just where do you find smugglers?¡± I murmured to myself. I mean, it wasn¡¯t like I could just ce a quest at the guild for it, nor could I go asking around casually. It seemed like I would have to get my hands dirty for this. As Ruijerd was watching the kids, and Eris was knocked out after a day of training, I decided to start my search by heading out from the inn we were renting and into the streets. I guess I should start at the bars and- ¡°So the ¡®Guardian Wolf¡¯ needs some help, eh?¡± Hearing a man¡¯s voice, I turned my head down the alley to see a figure emerge from the darkness, a wide smirk on his face. ¡°¡­What do you want?¡± I asked cautiously. He had a sword hung at his hip, covered by hisrge coat that draped to his knees, and had a thug-like face with a scar running down his right eye. In short, a dangerous-looking man, and from how refined his touki seemed to be, constantly flowing through his body, he had the skills to back it up too. Likely¡­ Saint rank, if I had to guess. Someone I could beat, but still strong enough to remain cautious. ¡°Nothing, nothing! If anything, I want to help you!¡± he said, waving his hand nonchntly. ¡°You know¡­ I remember hearing you ask about transport a while back, seems like you have a problem on your hands with¡­ what¡¯s his name? Ah, the ¡®Judge¡¯. Who knew the Superd race was a real thing? Anyway, I decided to try to find you and strike up a deal, so here I am!¡± Yeah¡­ this guy was suspicious as hell. ¡°And? What about it?¡± I asked. ¡°Calm down,¡± he said with a faint smile. ¡°Well, from what I¡¯ve gathered, and what you said, you need some help smuggling yourrade over the sea, right?¡± I nodded. He pointed to himself. ¡°Well, lucky for you, I¡¯m the perfect guy for the job.¡± ¡­This seemed way too convenient of a development, but then again, he did say how he was looking for me. ¡°¡­I¡¯m guessing it won¡¯t be free, right?¡± I said. ¡°Ha. In your dreams, kiddo. My life ain¡¯t worth the cost of smuggling a Superd for nothing, you know,¡± he said. ¡°But¡­ well, let¡¯s say I¡¯d be willing to do if for you as a favour, as long as you help me out. You¡¯re pretty strong, right? Even without the rumours, I can tell.¡± ¡­Right. I didn¡¯t like this, not one bit¡­ but then again, I was never going to feelfortable with the smuggling thing, so I guess I should just be grateful such an opportunity fell into myp. Assuming he¡¯s not scamming me, that is. ¡°And what exactly is your request?¡± I asked. ¡°Hehe, well, you see¡­¡± he scratched his cheek. ¡°Basically, I need you to release some goods that we have before they get shipped off and, if possible, take them back to their homes.¡± ¡­Say what now? He¡­ wanted us to¡­ save his captured ves? Was I hearing that right? I was thoroughly confused. ¡°Uhh¡­ I guess that wouldn¡¯t be too difficult, but¡­ why? Isn¡¯t that, like, bad for business?¡± ¡°Ah, well, if they were normal goods, then yeah, it would. But you see¡­ my friends went ahead and bit off more than they could chew, you could say. One of those goods would be way too much trouble than they¡¯re worth and will end up biting us in the ass a few years from now,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°Okay¡­ Did you capture some member of royalty or something?¡± I asked. ¡°Something like that,¡± he smirked. ¡°So? You in?¡± I narrowed my eyes. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t see a problem with it, but why aren¡¯t you doing it yourself? I can tell you¡¯re strong.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m doing this for their own good, you see, but I think you can understand why it might be bad for me to betray my friends like that,¡± he shrugged. I guess I could, yeah. This all still felt¡­ wrong, but from what I could tell, this seemed like a good deal. As long as I wasn¡¯t being lied to, that is. Almost¡­ too good. We wouldn¡¯t have to pay a dime, nor would we have to do anything ¡®dishonourable¡¯, as Ruijerd would say. Heck, if anything, we would be doing good by rescuing some enved people. And besides, it wasn¡¯t like we had any other options to choose from, did we? ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ have to talk with my party first, but I see no issues with your task,¡± I said. ¡°I ept.¡± The man¡¯s smile widened. ¡°Good. I¡¯ll give you more of the details in a couple of weeks, so don¡¯t go anywhere. Ah, the name¡¯s Gallus, by the way. Gallus Cleaner.¡± ¡°¡­Leon Greyrat,¡± I returned. And so, with Gallus sending a wave my way, he then began walking back into the night, slipping easily into the shadows. I guess we found our way out of Wind Port. Now to talk to Ruijerd¡­ ¡ª Roxy Migurdia ¡ª My name is Roxy Migurdia, a King-rank water magician with the unique ability to cast magic without an incantation and the former tutor to the Seventh Prince of Shirone. The past year had been¡­ hectic, to say the least, but I¡¯ll try to recount what I can. I remember noticing an odd storm of mana hovering across the mountains where the Asura Kingdom was and having it disappear a momentter. Seeing this, I decided to investigate. I had wanted to leave my post as the prince¡¯s tutor for a while, so it was a good excuse. As for why I noticed the storm? Well, it wasmon for me to practice magic while looking towards that direction for¡­ reasons. Reasons that were much too embarrassing to admit. As I journeyed through the Asura Kingdom, I heard a rumour that became arger talking point the further I went north¡­ A rumour that the entire Fittoa Region had disappeared. Needless to say, I was confused, and more than that, extremely worried. After all, my dearest students called the Fittoa Region their home, and while I trusted in their abilities, it didn¡¯t stop the feeling of unease from pervading my mind. And so, with renewed vigour, I made my way to the ce I had spent nearly three years, and when I arrived, I instantly noticed the change in scenery. Where there used to be a city, there was now¡­ nothing. Well, not exactly nothing, as there was a refugee camp that had been formed, but still, it was nothing like the great citadel city that used to be there. Ignoring the faces of despair, I made my way to the camp¡¯s centre, only to be met by a giant board with a grand list of names and various requests of missing persons. And among those, a certain name stood out. One Paul Greyrat. It was a simple letter, calling on his ex-party members from his adventuring days to help him find his family, as well as serving as a notice for any of his family that read it to find him in Millishion or to search for the others themselves. But that confirmed it. Leon, and Rudy as well, had been victims of this disaster, which had now been named the Discement Incident. As soon as I knew that, I felt the urge to instantly begin searching for the two, as while they might be strong, they were still young and inexperienced, but before I could do so, I met my two currentpanions. Elinalise Dragonroad and Talhand, both S-rank adventurers who were members of the Fangs of the ck Wolf, Zenith and Paul¡¯s former party. Incidentally, they were also about to set off on a journey to find Paul¡¯s family, both as a favour to their formerrade, as well as due to Leon, whom they had somewhat parented in his childhood. Let¡¯s just say I thoroughly enjoyed the stories of baby Leon as we travelled together, but those were tales for another time. As the three of us conferred, we decided that since Paul had the Millis Continent covered, and with his group, the Fittoa Search and Rescue Squad scouring the Central Continent, there were two options left for us to make significant progress with our, admittedly, outstanding collective abilities. The Begaritt Continent and the Demon Continent. While they were both harshnds, we decided that we would explore the Demon Continent, as I hailed from there myself, so I already knew thenguage and customs. And so, after arriving in Wind Port and not finding any information, we quickly gathered some supplies before heading north to the next city, hoping that the other settlements would have better luck. I had thought about leaving some sort of quest or notice, but we eventually decided against it, as if they were fine, they would be able to get back on their own, and if they weren¡¯t¡­ well, I doubt their captors would take a small sum for their freedom. If something like that came to pass, we would have to free them on our own. ¡°Ahh~ Who knew there were such good men on this continent? I¡¯ll have to visit again sometime,¡± Elinalise said from the side. ¡°Taking five of them at once was a challenge, even for me! Fufufu!¡± ¡­Yes, as one might have guessed from those words, Elinalise was a slut, one who took every opportunity she could to bed a man, and even going so far as to pay them for it. Of course, I wasn¡¯t one to call her such a derogatory name just based on that, but hearing her moans every single night, as well as the fact that she called herself a harlot, I decided that it wasn¡¯t all that bad. But aside from her¡­ entricities, Elinalise was a wonderful woman. Both in looks and demeanour. So much so, that I couldn¡¯t help but get jealous of her, as she was basically my ideal. Still¡­ I just couldn¡¯t imagine giving my body so haphazardly. I had remained pure for all this time, waiting for the perfect partner, so I wasn¡¯t nning on having my first taken so easily, especially not in the presence of multiple men and women, no matter how many times Elinalise invited me. No. I would first find Paul¡¯s family, and once I found Leon¡­ well¡­ Ah! Never mind! H-He was only seven when he made that promise, right? He¡­ probably forgot about me. But¡­ he did send me letters¡­ and he continuously professed his love for me in them, up to the final exchange¡­ so what was I supposed to think!? ¡°Ara~? That¡¯s a good face you have right now, Roxy,¡± Elinalise purred from the side. ¡°Is my talk about the joys of men rousing some feelings?¡± ¡°W-What!? No! I¡¯m just¡­ feeling nostalgic, is all,¡± I replied hastily, pulling my hat down to cover my reddening cheeks. It wasn¡¯t necessarily a lie. After all, it had been a while since I¡¯d been to my homnd. Ever since I crossed the sea into the Millis Continent, I hadn¡¯t looked back in all these years. But now wasn¡¯t a time for reminiscence. I had a family to find. ¡°That so? Well, let¡¯s head to the guild, then. I want to get ourselves an inn, though I probably won¡¯t be there tonight if you understand,¡± Elinalise said with a wink. ¡°I definitely do,¡± I deadpanned. After all, for every single night that she was able to, the elven warrior had taken a man to bed, sometimes even going for multiple at a time. With an estoc hung at her side and a buckler strapped to her forearm, along with a curved body that turned heads wherever she went, I couldn¡¯t help but sigh in envy each time I was met with the realization that I would never hold a candle to the woman. Haa¡­ thinking back on it now, my love with Leon was probably a dream, huh? After all, I was the only girl outside his family he had known at the time, so he must have fallen for me, but only in the sense of a childish fling. Now that he had grown up and seen many women in his life, he probably would grow disappointed when we met again, wouldn¡¯t he? Haa¡­ well, that¡¯s a depressing thought, isn¡¯t it? ¡°Hah. I just hope the alcohol is a bit better than back there,¡± Talhand added. ¡°Nearly puked my guts out.¡± ¡°Oh, shut up, you big baby,¡± Elinalise sneered. ¡°You only hated it because you were seasick. Some sturdy dwarf you are.¡± ¡°What¡¯d you say? Damn bitch,¡± Talhand spit. And yes¡­ there was that as well. While my twopanions were quick to start fights over the most menial of things, it never came to the point of exchanging blows, even if they constantly argued. While it was shocking at first, I eventually came to understand that this was how these two friends talked to each other. Though it was definitely ufortable for the outside observer. Which was me, in this case. ¡°Whatever, I don¡¯t need to argue with you right now,¡± Elinalise said, her face switching to a serious look. ¡°Let¡¯s make our goal clear. We¡¯re here to search for Lilia, Zenith, Norn, Aisha, and Leon Greyrat. If we find any other Fittoans, we¡¯ll simply give them some money and send them to the Millis Continent, got it?¡± ¡°Haa¡­ yeah, got it. Let¡¯s go to the guild then,¡± Talhand said with a shrug. While I was originally nning to search for Rudeus as well, we got the good news in Millishion, where we briefly met with Paul, that Rudeus had already started heading north to search the northern territories while bringing along two beastfolk girls. I was initially hesitant about having a child search such a dangerous ce, but I trusted Rudeus¡¯ abilities. Despite the good news, that still left five to be found, and two of them were children who hadn¡¯t even reached their first birthday. Luckily, from what Paul heard from Rudeus, Norn and Aisha should have been teleported along with Leon, and since Leon was already a Saint-rank fighter and an intelligent kid, he was probably enough to get all three of them to safety. But that was only in terms of the Central and Millis Continents. The Demon and Begaritt Continents were an entirely different story, so if they needed help, our best bet to find them would be in one of those ces¡­ hence Elinalise¡¯s motivating words. I¡­ did find it a bit odd how fast thatid-back promiscuous woman could switch to a serious personality, but I guess that¡¯s something thates with age and experience, but nheless¡­ ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re taking this seriously, Elinalise,¡± I said. ¡°Of course, I would,¡± she said. ¡°While I hold no feelings for Paul, especially since he decided to find another woman, I do miss Zenny quite a lot, so I feel obligated to save her family. And as for Leon¡­¡± her lips then curled up into a slight smile. ¡°Well, let¡¯s say I view him as a son of some sort. I did have him feed from my breast, after all.¡± ¡°Oh, uhh¡­ I see,¡± I responded, startled. She¡­ fed Leon as a baby? I don¡¯t know why, but I felt slightly upset by that. No, I knew why. I was jealous. But that was way too embarrassing to admit. ¡°Oho? Do you perhaps-¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get going!¡± I cut the woman off before she coulde to her conclusions. ¡°And no looking for men!¡± ¡°Ah,e on~ Just one or two?¡± Elinalise purred. ¡°In fact, maybe you should get yourself a man-¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that,¡± I scowled. After all¡­ I already had someone waiting. Even if that someone was probably not attracted to me anymore, I intended to keep my promise, at least until we met again. And so, with that sorted out, we then headed to therge stone building in the centre of the city, the Adventure Guild. With me knowing thenguage, and the other two being hardened veteran adventurers, it didn¡¯t take long for us to get settled and begin our next phase of the search: information gathering. Scouring the entire Demon Continent on our own would be idiotic, and by the time we found anyone, they would have already died from old age, so this was the obvious conclusion. Luckily, news travelled quite quickly on the Demon Continent, especially among adventurers, but even if it didn¡¯t, Elinalise was always there to smooth the process with her incessant flirting. It didn¡¯t take long to find something of interest. The so-called ¡®Red Wolves¡¯, an A-rank party that shot through the ranks in a single year to be one of the most famous parties in the continent. While their strength was known to be great, that wasn¡¯t the reason for this fame. Instead, it was the oddposition of the members. First, there was the ¡®Crimson Fang¡¯ Eris, sometimes called the ¡®Mad Wolf¡¯, who was a swordswoman known for her feisty personality. Then, there was the ¡®Judge¡¯ Ruijerd, a tall spearman with a righteous sense of justice who was rumoured to be a Superd. ¡­What a terrifying proposition. Andstly, and most importantly, the ¡®Guardian Wolf¡¯ Leon, a swordsman rumoured to be a skilled magician, with a fierce personality that demanded respect when he walked into a building. We found him¡­ Leon was alive. And not only that, he seemed to be thriving. Remembering the boy, I knew that Leon would make a name for himself wherever he went, but I never expected to find him so quickly. And to be an A-rank adventurer¡­ it took me five whole years to get to that point, which was quite an achievement, enough that there were songs sung about me, but Leon blew that out of the water with his progress. Truly, an envious talent. And if that wasn¡¯t enough, it was said that he had two children that followed him around, one with maroon hair and a red scarf, and another with golden hair who carried around a stuffed animal, so it seemed that Norn and Aisha were alright too. To venture the continent for a year with those two¡­ I would have to give Leon somepliments when I met him next. He always liked head pats back in the day, right? But anyway, that still left Zenith and Lilia to find, so our job was far from done. ¡°Hah. To think the weed grew up to be an A-rank adventurer?¡± Talhand shook his head. ¡°I know Paul said he was a good swordsman, but that¡¯s ridiculous.¡± ¡°Hmm, humans do grow up pretty fast,¡± Elinalise replied, twirling a strand of hair with her finger. ¡°I just wonder if our cute little Leon has grown up into a good man.¡± My eyes narrowed. She wouldn¡¯t¡­ no, there was no way. ¡°Oho? That¡¯s quite the re there,¡± she chuckled, patting my shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Roxy, I have no ns to bed someone I see as my family. Even I¡¯m not that shameless.¡± Well¡­ that¡¯s good then. ¡°But to think it was like that¡­ fufu, what a womanizer, Leon must be,¡± she added. ¡°I didn¡¯t take you for a cradle robber, Roxy, but since you were his teacher¡­ did you teach him anything else~?¡± I felt my cheeks grow hot as I averted my eyes. There was no need for such embarrassing things to be said, as we had people to find. And I was definitely not thinking of such shameful things as teaching Leon in that way, nor was I imagining how he would grow up to look once he reached adulthood. Certainly not. I was absolutely not thinking of those things. Chapter 35 – Zant Port Chapter 35 ¨C Zant Port ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Are you sure about this, Ruijerd? We could always try to conquer abyrinth for the fee instead.¡± ¡°No. That would be too dangerous, even for us. Besides¡­¡± he turned back to me, his face set into a confident smirk. ¡°We¡¯re going to save some children, right? In that case, how could I refuse?¡± Wow. He really was a cool dude. Too bad that he would have his head covered by a sack in a few moments. ¡°If you said so¡­ Anyway, remember the n, and if anyone tries to annoy you, threatening them should be enough to scare them off,¡± I advised. ¡°Got it,¡± he nodded. ¡°Good. Then, let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll be sure to keep your spear safe in the meantime,¡± I added. And with that, we walked down to the wharf, where Ruijerd was then bound, covered, and transferred onto a small boat that would smuggle him onto a ship. After that, he would be transferred to the storehouse where the ves would be, and then I would meet up with him to free them, before taking them to their home. We¡¯d save some kids and get to the Millis Continent, all without spending a single cent. The perfect n. But unfortunately, Ruijerd would have to spend a few days being treated like shit, but¡­ he could take it. He was a venerable Superd warrior, after all. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Having already converted our savings to the Millis currency, and packed our remaining luggage into small bags, we made our way to the ship a few days after Ruijerd¡¯s departure. ¡°Whoa! It¡¯s so big! To think this thing can float on water!¡± Eris eximed, looking excitedly at the sea as she leaned on the railing. ¡°It is quite amazing indeed,¡± I nodded. ¡°And as for how it floats, it uses the force of buoyancy-¡± ¡°Aah! Nope! No lessons!¡± Eris shook her head and covered her ears, willing away my teachings. How rude. Weren¡¯t you interested a moment ago? ¡°I think it¡¯s interesting, Brother!¡± Aisha said. ¡°Can you tell me about it?¡± ¡°How about we do that tonight? For now, we have to brace ourselves,¡± I said, patting her head. Such a good sister, she was. And a smart one too. Once we reached the Holy Country of Millis, I nned to stay there for a month or two while looking around for Paul, so I¡¯ll try to give her and Norn some more lessons before departing to get Mama, Lilia, and Sylphy. ¡°Brother?¡± Norn asked, pulling my sleeve. ¡°Where¡¯s Mister Ruijerd?¡± ¡°He¡¯s just¡­ taking a different route, is all,¡± I said calmly. I couldn¡¯t exactly exin to her the intricacies of smuggling and very, nor did I want to. Norn was a kind and innocent child, so I wanted her to stay that way for as long as possible. ¡°Oh¡­ okay!¡± she nodded happily. Aisha piped up again. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®bracing ourselves¡¯?¡± ¡°Ah, well¡­ some people don¡¯t like boats, is all.¡± I wasn¡¯t too worried about Eris, as she was already a swordswoman strong enough to gain Ruijerd¡¯s respect and could travel at the speed of sound if she really tried, so there was no way seasickness would affect her. But I was a bit worried about Norn and Aisha. I would have to make sure they didn¡¯t feel too bad if they ended up being prone to seasickness, as I could use healing and detoxification magic to ward off the nausea. But still, even if they ended up not feeling the best, I hope they would take the days at sea to enjoy the rare experience. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s put our stuff away first. I got us a cabin, but there¡¯s only one bed, so we¡¯ll be sleeping together tonight,¡± I said, leading the three toward our room. While I was happy to hear their cheers, inwardly, I was a bit worried. After all, I was a boy in the midst of puberty, and Eris was starting to grow into quite the beautiful girl. A badbination, as one might expect, at least when I didn¡¯t want to make a mistake. But I suppose I would just have to bear with it for now. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°U-Ughh¡­¡± ¡°There, there¡­ Here, does this feel a bit better?¡± ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ thanks, Leon.¡± Gentlybing my hand through Eris¡¯ long hair, I cast a constant flow of healing magic to alleviate her symptoms. Contrary to my expectations, it seemed that Eris was weak to the sea, while my two sisters were doing just fine. Right now, they were having a nap, having been tuckered out from exploring the deck, but they were pretty excited at the prospect of sailing. Unfortunately, seeing the source of the rocking and swaying only made Eris more nauseous. Hence, the current situation. ¡°L-Leon?¡± Eris said, looking up at me. I felt my body flush at her sweet tone. Not only her tone, but how her face was dripping with sweat and marred with worry, and her eyes that looked up at me with such affection and trust, with all of that¡­ it was hard to maintain a straight face. Right¡­ while this girl was dangerous with a sword, she was dangerous in other ways too. ¡°What is it, Eri?¡± I asked softly. ¡°C-Can you¡­ stay with me?¡± she pleaded. ¡­Definitely dangerous. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will,¡± I reassured her. ¡°You only have to deal with this for another night, so how about you try to get some rest?¡± I then took off my leather jacket, which forck of a better term, had seen better days, before draping it over her like a nket. My jacket, which was proof of my Sword Saint rank, had been drenched in monster blood more times than I could count and had been cut and ripped all over the ce, giving it a rugged, worn appearance, very simr to Ghiine¡¯s. Hmm¡­ it was getting a little small for me, especially around the arms, and thinking about it now, how Ghiine wore hers¡­ ¡°What? What are you doing?¡± Eris asked. ¡°Just thinking about changing my style, is all,¡± I shrugged. Taking out my dagger, I then cut off the sleeves of the jacket at the armpit area, which should give me much more room to move freely. There, that should be better, I hope. And like Ghiine, I didn¡¯t have to button it up, but I would be wearing an undershirt, unlike my brazen teacher. With Eris curling up further on myp, Aisha then stirred awake, quickly getting her bearings before looking over. ¡°¡­Is Big Sis still like that?¡± ¡°As you can see¡­ some people just can¡¯t handle the rocking of the waves, but I¡¯m d you two are fine,¡± I said. And also myself, for that matter. ¡°I see¡­¡± For some reason, Aisha was pouting a little. Ah. Was it that? I mean, I felt the same whenever Mama would hold Rudy for the entire day as a baby, so I knew what she was feeling. ¡°Do you want to rest on me too?¡± I asked. ¡°If you say so, Big Brother!¡± Scrambling over, she quickly made herselffortable by resting on my other leg. ¡°Brother?¡± she asked, looking over at Eris to check if she was asleep. ¡°Do you¡­ love Eris?¡± I felt the girl in question twitch. Haa¡­ this question. I knew Aisha was quite mature, but I was hoping I could avoid this until everything was settled. As I¡¯ve grown older, and hade to an understanding of my feelings of love and attraction, I quickly found myself in a dilemma. I loved three girls. Roxy, my childhood crush, was not simply a crush, nor was it childish. Every time I thought of her, my cheeks became red, and my heart raced with anticipation. I wanted her, and I wanted her badly. And Sylphy¡­ while I was initially hesitant, as she had shown me affections before I could understand them, I eventually came to ept them happily, especially with the time we spent apart. I missed her¡­ and I missed her affections as well. While she needed to be a bit more independent and gain a bit more self-confidence, I loved and wanted her, too. And Eris¡­ well, if I didn¡¯t love her before the teleportation, with all the days and nights we spent together, leaning on each other and supporting each other, how could I not say anything other than¡­ ¡°Yeah, I love her.¡± Eris froze. I decided to pretend I thought she¡¯s asleep, for her sake. Plus, this was a great way to show how thankful I was without her getting too embarrassed and running away. ¡°She¡¯s an amazing girl, and while she¡¯s feisty and quick to lose her temper¡­ when I see her asleep like this, I can¡¯t help but find both sides of her adorable,¡± I said, massaging her scalp. I felt Eris bury her face into my leg as her feet kicked up and down. I guess she quickly forgot to keep up the sleeping act, huh? ¡°She¡¯s strong, dependable, and for helping me keep you two safe, especially before Ruijerd joined us¡­ I am forever grateful,¡± I said. And that was the truth. But three women¡­ Mama would definitely p me. After all, in this regard, I was even worse than Paul. But¡­ I just couldn¡¯t help it. As Rudy had said some time ago, ¡®the heart wants what it wants¡¯¡­ though he did that while eyeing up one of the maids, but the point still stands. I wanted all three of them to myself. I loved all three of them. I was just that selfish and greedy. Well¡­ as long as I was truthful, and didn¡¯t break any promises, I think I could proudly dere my feelings, but that could only be done after everyone was reunited. After all, once I dered my feelings, I wanted to settle down and start a family, with everyone in my current family around us. ¡°Wow¡­ that¡¯s really something, Brother,¡± Aisha said. ¡°I guess she¡¯ll actually be my Big Sister soon enough.¡± ¡°Cheeky brat¡­¡± I dug my other hand into her head, tussling her hair. Resting my head back against the wall, I couldn¡¯t help but feel my lips curl into a smile. We were off the Demon Continent, and all of my family was alive. I know that I was probably tempting fate by thinking this, but¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but feel like everything was looking up for us. Soon¡­ we would all be reunited. I was sure of it. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Land¡­ solidnd¡­¡± Eris said with a smile as she crawled across the dock. ¡°Come on, you can rejoiceter. We have to get a ce for the night, and then I¡¯ll go fetch Ruijerd,¡± I said, pulling her to her feet. ¡°Ah¡­ okay,¡± she said, turning her head away. Peeking over her shoulder, I noticed that her cheeks were flushed red while her lips were spread in a silly smile. What¡¯s with- Oh, right. I knew she was awake when Iplimented her, but to think she would take it so¡­ bashfully. But it was nice to see such a side to her, especially one so gentle. ¡°A-As long as we don¡¯t have to go on that damn boat again!¡± Eris said, getting her usual energy back. Well¡­ we¡¯d have to take another boat to get to the Central Continent, but I¡¯d leave that for her to find out. No need to make her sad. ¡°Let¡¯s head over to find an inn.¡± With that, we then headed to the Adventure Guild to find a ce to stay, and that was where I learned a few things about the current state of affairs. First, we had apparently arrived at Zant Port at a bad time, as the Great Forest was about to start its rainy season, where the roads would be flooded, and the forests teeming with monsters, all for three straight months. This also made it hard to find a ce since the city was crowded, but since we had quite a bit of money, I was able to make do. As I waited for the night to fall, when I would then get Ruijerd out of his cell, I overlooked the quests posted on the board, written on paper this time in the human tongue, to see if there was any way to make some cash in theing months. And that was where I saw it. A letter, from Paul, addressed to me. Dear Leon, my son. I don¡¯t know when you are reading this, but I thought I should let you know what is happening. As you probably know, the entire Fittoa Region, including our family and I, have been teleported to random locations across the world in a disaster known as the ¡®Discement Incident¡¯. Wait¡­ the entire Fittoa Region? Including Paul? That¡­ that¡¯s not what I imagined at all. Shaking my head, I continued reading. I have met up with Rudy, who is going to search the north of the Central Continent, but other than him, I have not found Lilia, Zenith, or your sisters. But from what he exined, they are probably with you. I trust that you have kept them safe. I have set up a group of like-minded individuals to help search for those affected called the Fittoa Region Search Group, but we only have members across the Central and Millis Continents. If you are reading this, please begin searching for your mothers, and if your sisters are not with you, them as well, focusing on the Begaritt Continent or the Demon Continent. I know you are smarter, and at this point, stronger than me, so I trust that you¡¯ll be able to help. If you need me, find me in Millishion, and if I am not there by the time you arrive, ask one of our members where this useless old man has gone. Thank you, Paul Greyrat. So it seemed that I did catch him at a bad time with Kishirika¡¯s search. Rather than drowning himself in alcohol to relieve his sorrows, Paul was leading arge group to try to fix the disaster. He was always dependable in the most stressful of times, so I wasn¡¯t all too surprised. Well¡­ while he said all that, there wasn¡¯t any need for me to ¡®search¡¯ for our family, as I already knew where my mothers were. But seeing as he correctly assumed that Aisha and Norn were with me, did he think I should take them with me? How ridiculous. Actually, considering the man I was familiar with, he probably didn¡¯t think at all. Well, since he had a whole organization, I should be able to leave Norn and Aisha with them, and if not, we can always talk something out. Regardless¡­ it was time to go. Eris had initiallyined about having me go alone, but considering someone needed to stay to watch Aisha and Norn, she quickly epted the role. However, I think it was more to get some space from me, as she still had trouble looking me in the eye. So, with Ruijerd¡¯s spear in one hand, and a bag of food in the other, I made my way to the location I was told about. Ruijerd, along with the rest of the kids, were currently being treated as ves. Scratch that, they were ves, and this meant that while they were being fed, it was only the bare minimum to keep them alive, and in Ruijerd¡¯s case, he might not have been fed at all, as they would rather a mighty Superd warrior be as weak as possible in case of any ¡®idents¡¯. So I decided to bring some food along. Making my way to the right warehouse, I gave the guard the password, which he epted withoutint. Though¡­ ¡°What¡¯s with the bag?¡± he asked. ¡°Just some supplies,¡± I shrugged. ¡°Dealing with such terrifying cargo, I don¡¯t want to risk it breaking out.¡± ¡°I see¡­ well, follow me.¡± Luckily, the guard took my words at face value. I mean, it wouldn¡¯t be the worst thing if he ended up checking. I could either make up another excuse or simply start the massacre a bit early. Walking through a few secret doors, which weren¡¯t so secret with my Demon eye, I eventually found myself walking through a cave and then a forest, where arge building was hidden amidst the trees. With my guide knocking on the door, it then opened to reveal a set of stairs leading to the basement, and another to the second floor. Flooding a bit of mana into my eye, it seemed that the basement was where they were keeping the ves. Hmm¡­ I guess the second floor was for the guards? ¡°Boy,¡± a white-haired man said. ¡°Who referred you?¡± ¡°Ditz,¡± I answered smoothly. ¡°Tsk. Him, eh? Here,¡± he said, handing a key over to my guide. ¡°Take it out quickly. It¡¯s in room 202.¡± I guess Ruijerd put my ¡®threaten¡¯ tactic into practice, seeing as this guy was scared shitless. Leading me down the stairs, the guard quietly walked toward a cell where Ruijerd was held, his arms tied behind his back and his eyes covered by a cloth. ¡°Here it is. Don¡¯t remove the shackles here,¡± the guard said, his face filled with fear. ¡°There¡¯s no way to control that thing if it gets out.¡± Well, he was definitely right about that, but I had some bad news for the guy. But that guard seemed quite scared¡­ ah, was it the green hair that was growing from Ruijerd¡¯s previously bald head? Hmm¡­ I had been putting off thinking about it, as I didn¡¯t really have any way to fix it, but I knew that the fear of the Superd race had something magical to do with it, something like a curse or something, especially with the story of their ¡®cursed spears¡¯. Perhaps it was centred around the hair after all? That was the Superd¡¯s most distinguishing feature. Or maybe as long as they wielded spears¡­ well, who knows. ¡°Leon,¡± Ruijerd whispered as I moved closer to him. ¡°The children are in the next room over.¡± Going behind him, I faked getting my set of shackles out of my food bag. ¡°Alright. I can get them,¡± I replied. ¡°What about the guards?¡± Ruijerd¡¯s face turned fierce. ¡°I¡¯ll kill them all.¡± Oh? ¡°I¡¯m assuming they deserve that?¡± I asked. He nodded grimly. ¡°The children may need healing.¡± My eye twitched in anger. ¡°¡­Got it,¡± I said, putting my hand on his shackles. ¡°Just make sure not a single one is left alive.¡± After all, as a smuggling organization, it wouldn¡¯t be odd for them to send out assassins for anyone that screwed up their operation. But that was only if they knew who had screwed it up. ¡°Make sure to not traumatize the kids though.¡± Releasing his bindings, in a sh, Ruijerd grabbed his spear before impaling the guard, his neck spurting blood as he instantly dropped to the ground. One down, without even removing his blindfold. Silent and efficient. That was how Ruijerd hunted, and this smuggling organization was his prey. Looking back at me, we shared a nod before he sprinted down the hallway, leaving me to walk over to where I sensed the children were. Ignoring the screams from upstairs, I opened the door with earth magic, revealing a sight I would rather have lived without seeing. There were seven kids. Four girls and three boys that all seemed a few years younger than me, all of them bound, gagged, and naked, revealing bodies covered in cuts and bruises. Ignoring the sickness churning in my stomach, I quickly went over before casting healing magic on all of them with the Advanced-rank spell, Mass Healing. Five of them seemed to be beastfolk, with dog and cat ears sticking out of their hair, while the other two seemed to be long-eared elves. I could see why Ruijerd was so pissed. Even I felt like running up and joining him. But¡­ I needed to make sure these kids were alright, before leading them back home. Right¡­ I needed to reassure them. ¡°It¡¯s going to be alright,¡± I said in the Beast God tongue, causing the children to stop their shivering in surprise. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure you all make it back home safe and sound.¡± One of the girls¡¯ tail wagged at this. So they could understand me. Good. It seemed Ghiine wasn¡¯t horrible at teaching after all. Healing up thest boy, who was beaten to the point where he could barely breathe, I then began removing their shackles. ¡°There¡¯s food in the bag. Make sure you don¡¯t eat too fast.¡± Broken ribs¡­ open wounds¡­ fractured legs¡­ Dammit, I didn¡¯t think they would be treated this badly, seeing as they were their ¡®products¡¯, but at least they didn¡¯t seem to have been raped. I suppose that was a silver lining in all of this. Watching them eat with fervour, I created a few cups with earth magic before filling them with water, giving them something to wash down their meals. ¡°T-Thank you¡­ for healing us,¡± one of the girls said, a few crumbs of food still stuck to her lips. ¡°But¡­ who are you?¡± ¡°Just someone who likes saving kids. And don¡¯t worry about the bad people, my partner is taking care of them upstairs,¡± I exined. My words were apanied by a dying scream, along with the cries of ¡®demon¡¯ and ¡®monster¡¯. The girl smiled at this. Huh. Not afraid of death at all, then. Well, she seemed to have been the only one of them without any tears and also had the most injuries, so she must be fairly strong-willed. ¡°But¡­ do you know where your homes are?¡± I asked. Luckily, they all seem to nod, and one of them even exined how they were taken away while they were ying outside. Good. Well, not ¡®good¡¯, but if they had been sold off, or their homnds destroyed, it would have been a bit tough to bring them back, so it wasn''t the worst situation. Now I just had to worry about if they knew where they lived¡­ ¡°Leon, it¡¯s done,¡± Ruijerd said, walking in. While I wouldn¡¯t call him covered in blood, he did have a few sshes here and there, and his spear tip was stained red. I just hoped that he wasn¡¯t too intimidating to the kids. Rescuing people like this would be a great way to regain his race¡¯s honour, as long as he was smart about it. Luckily, with his jewel covered up once again, and the green fuzz shaved off his head, the kids all looked at him with admiration rather than fear. Good foresight, Ruijerd! ¡°Good. Did you find any clothes for these kids?¡± I asked. ¡°No, but I can search for some,¡± he responded. Nodding, I got up. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go burn the bodies.¡± As Ruijerd walked down the hallway, I got ready to walk up the stairs before I was stopped by one of the girls. ¡°P-Please wait!¡± she said, her face tinged with desperation. ¡°W-Was there arge dog in the building?¡± A¡­ dog? ¡°I think so, yes.¡± Using my Demon eye, there was indeed some ball of mana upstairs, though it seemed that there was some sort of barrier around it. ¡°You have to rescue it! Please!¡± she pleaded. So it was their dog? ¡°¡­Sure. Just wait right here with Ruijerd, okay? The one with the spear,¡± I said, patting her head. She nods with a smile, her ears pping and eyes narrowing at my touch. Cute. I¡¯m sure Eris, with all the Boreas blood flowing through her veins, would love her. Heading back up the stairway, I couldn¡¯t help but struggle to think about what to do with the kids. They were definitely from the Great Forest, but there were quite a few viges where they coulde from¡­ and we still had the rainy season to worry about. Worst case scenario, we would have to end up renting a house or something after posting a request to find their homes at the guild. But then again, the smuggling organization wouldn¡¯t just sit still either¡­ Hmm¡­ Ruijerd and I could probably deal with it, as long as we were careful. Gallus did mention how the organization was made up of separate groups, so hopefully, they would just end up fighting amongst themselves after such a loss instead. It didn¡¯t take long for me to find the dog in question, as it wasrge, white, and most importantly, trapped in a barrier magic circle, with chains wrapped around its body. To keep a dog trapped so securely like this¡­ maybe this thing was really important? It did have quite a bit of mana. Perhaps it was some type of monster or something? Well, whatever. If the kids wanted it, it would be pretty simple to free it. Looking up, I sent a stone javelin through the floor, crushing the magic stone above and releasing the magic circle that was holding the dog in ce. Now released from one of its bindings, the dog looked at me almost¡­ skeptically. I didn¡¯t really know, though, as it was just a dog. ¡°Here, now to get those chains off you,¡± I said calmly in the Beast God tongue. Wait, would it just run off? Probably not, right? Taking out my dagger, I coated the de in touki before swiftly cutting its bindings, the chains ttering to the ground. ¡°There. Good now?¡± I asked. ¡°Woof!¡± I got in response. Well, that was good. Shaking off its stiffness, the dog then slowly approached me before hesitantly sniffing my body, as if trying to make sense of me. Eventually, seemingly done with its analysis, it looked back at me before nodding approvingly. ¡°Woof!¡± ¡­I don¡¯t know why, but I feel like I just passed some kind of test. Lucky me, I guess. ¡°Well, let¡¯s head back to-¡± ¡°You there!¡± a voice shouted at me in the Beast God tongue. ¡°You dare capture the Sacred Beast!?¡± Huh? The what now? Turning my head, I was met with the odd sight of a beastfolk with brown skin and a tiger tail, reminding me a bit of Ghiine with his grey hair. I knew this guy wasn¡¯t with the smugglers, as I knew that each person that was here was now a corpse, so he must have just arrived. But to get here so fast¡­ did he slip through my senses? I guess I was focused on the dog here, but still¡­ Before I could respond, the man then put his hand to his mouth before releasing a roar¡­ but not any ordinary roar. Flowing mana into my Demon eye, I watched as his mana converged around his throat before dispersing into the air, rushing toward me like a projectile. But it was different from air magic, or anything solid like earth and water. Instead, it was more like pure¡­ sound? Magic-infused sound? How odd. Jumping to the side, the shockwave passed harmlessly past me as the man looked at me with wide eyes. Hmm¡­ that didn¡¯t look like a strike meant to kill, but more of a disabling attack. Considering how he was likely not with the smugglers, and he was also a beastfolk¡­ perhaps he was here to rescue the kids? Either way, I decided to not kill the man, and instead knock him out, but before I could, another older beastfolk man appeared between us. ¡°Gyes! Stand down!¡± he shouted. ¡°What!? Why, Father?¡± the other man asked. ¡°He¡¯s likely not working with the smugglers! Don¡¯t you see the bodies?¡± the older man said. ¡°Besides¡­ I¡¯m afraid his skills far outmatch yours.¡± ¡°W-What?¡± the man¡¯s face nched. ¡°But he¡¯s still so young¡­¡± ¡°And this is why I can¡¯t leave the vige to you yet. Much too hasty,¡± the older man shook his head before looking at me. ¡°You there. Are you with the smugglers?¡± Hmm¡­ while Gyes did hire us for this job, I think saying I was with them would justplicate things unnecessarily. ¡°No,¡± I shook my head. ¡°As you can see, myrade took care of them, so rather than being with them, they are more like our enemies.¡± ¡°I see,¡± he nodded. ¡°And where is thisrade of yours?¡± ¡°Right here.¡± Hearing Ruijerd¡¯s voice, I turned back to the man. ¡°Where were you?¡± ¡°Getting them clothes,¡± he said, gesturing behind him. ¡°Besides, I trust you can handle this much yourself.¡± ¡°I see,¡± I smiled. It was nice to get such trust from a reliable guy like him¡­ but I did wish he warned me. After all, if the man had been aiming to kill, his head would have already been on the floor. The man then red at Ruijerd. ¡°You there! I smell-¡± ¡°Grandfather! Father!¡± The strong-willed girl from before then runs forward, thankfully now clothed with what seemed to be a piece of cut fabric. I guess there were no clothes there after all. But Ruijerd was quite the resourceful guy. ¡°Tona!¡± Both men then opened their arms, a look of relief on both of their faces. ¡°You¡¯re alright!¡± So these guys were from their vige. Good. Now we wouldn¡¯t have to worry about searching for their homes. Letting the three share theirfort, the other children slowly revealed themselves before Tona suddenly went back to me and Ruijerd. ¡°These men saved us from the bad men!¡± The older man didn¡¯t seem surprised and epted her words with a smile, while Gyes looked away, obviously embarrassed by his earlier disy. He almost reminded me of Paul, in that sense. Nodding his head, the older man then bowed while forcing his son to as well, pulling him down with him by his hair. ¡°Thank you for saving my granddaughter, as well as the Sacred Beast and the rest of the children.¡± ¡°No need,¡± I shook my head. ¡°I assure you there is. What¡¯s your name, boy?¡± the older man asked. ¡°Leon Greyrat,¡± I answered. ¡°Mmm. And you?¡± the man turned to Ruijerd. ¡°¡­Ruijerd.¡± Ruijerd then looked to me, as if asking for what to do next. He was probably asking whether to reveal himself as a Superd, right? Well, if they couldn¡¯t ept him in this situation, I doubt they would ever do so, and thinking that, I give him a nod. ¡°...Ruijerd Superdia,¡± he finished. Both men¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°S-Superdia!? I¡­ I see,¡± the older man said, quickly getting over his shock. ¡°I am Gustav Dedoldia. I promise to repay this debt to both of you in time.¡± ¡°B-But Father! He¡¯s-¡± ¡°Shut up, you idiot!¡± Gustav then smacked Gyes before turning back to us. ¡°My apologies, please ignore this ingrate,¡± Gustav said, shaking his head. ¡°Unfortunately, while he¡¯s trained his body, he iscking in mental strength and experience.¡± ¡­Alright then. It seemed this family was an odd one, huh? Bowing to us onest time, Gustav then looked to his son. ¡°Gyes, you take the children back to the vige. There¡¯s still time until thest ship leaves, so I will rescue the rest.¡± The rest? Oh dear, Ruijerd wasn¡¯t going to- ¡°What do you mean by the rest?¡± ¡ªWelp, there we go. Gyes narrowed his eyes. ¡°Those damn humans- sorry, smugglers, suddenly invaded many surrounding viges in the Great Forest, taking many of our children¡­ luckily, we were able to recover most of them, with the help of someone¡¯s advice, but there¡¯s a ship leaving Zant Port tonight with the rest.¡± Ruijerd clenched his spear in anger. ¡°Do you¡­ need aid in this endeavour?¡± Haa¡­ well, there we go. Gustav and Ruijerd then shared a staredown, seeminglymunicating without words, before Gustav eventually nodded. ¡°That would be most appreciated.¡± ¡°I see, then allow me to join you,¡± Ruijerd said before turning to me. ¡°There may still be more smugglers around, Leon, so I ask you to take the children back to their home. I¡¯ll be sure to keep the others safe.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Gustav nodded. ¡°I would rather not leave the protection of the children and the Sacred Beast to this idiot,¡± he looked at Gyes, ¡°so if you wouldn¡¯t mind taking this burden, I would be grateful. As the rainy season ising, allow me to invite you and your group into my home until it ends.¡± ¡°Umm, sure,¡± I said, nodding. ¡°So you¡¯ll take Eris and my sisters back with you, Ruijerd?¡± ¡°Indeed. Do not worry, while I intend to rescue the children, my promise to you is still my priority,¡± he nodded. That¡¯s good then. ¡°H-Hey, Father!? I can take them back on my own!¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather not risk that,¡± Gustav frowned. ¡°Just take the extra help. Our warriors are already stretched thin.¡± ¡°W-Wha-!? Guh¡­ fine,¡± Gyes said before narrowing his eyes at me. ¡°Then let¡¯s get going, child.¡± My eyebrow twitched. ¡°It''s Leon.¡± And with that, we separated, with Gyes and me leading the children and the dog, which was apparently their Sacred Beast, through the woods toward their vige, while Gustav and Ruijerd made their way toward the city. I just hoped everything would be alright¡­ who was I kidding, there was definitely going to be something else, right? Chapter 36 – Doldia Village Chapter 36 ¨C Doldia Vige ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It had been a week since the rescue operation, and after one day of travel, I had spent the rest of the time rxing and ying with some children of the Doldia vige. I mean, since we would be spending the next few months here, I might as well make some connections, right? And a few of the girls seemed nice and the perfect friends for Eris, Norn, and Aisha. But it had already been seven days¡­ I was getting a bit worried that something had gone wrong with Ruijerd and the rest. Maybe the ship had already left? Or maybe they got caught up with the smugglers? I didn¡¯t know, but I was anxious that Eris was left watching Aisha and Norn by herself for all this time. I could trust her, of course, but it didn¡¯t mean I wanted to leave everything to her for so long. And so, deciding that enough was enough, I made the decision that after a good night¡¯s rest, I would head back to Zant Port first thing in the morning to see what was happening, and if need be, offer my assistance. But rather than being weed by the singing of birds or a hesitant knock by one of the kids, I was instead woken by the sounds of screaming and an instinctual churning in my stomach. Something¡­ something was wrong. Haa¡­ I knew that something would happen. Just my fucking luck. Shooting out of my bed, I quickly grabbed my sword before heading out the door of the residence I had been gifted by Gyes, only to see the nighttime scenery lit up by mes. A¡­ forest fire? The rainy season was just about toe when thend and forest would be drenched with water, which meant that right now, the forest was extremely wet, so something like this should be extremely rare. Unless, of course, it was¡­ not natural. ¡°Fire!¡± ¡°Evacuate the houses!¡± ¡°Ansha!? Ansha! Where are you!?¡± Beastfolk ran around panicked as armoured humans chased some, trying to grab any women and children they could and cutting down any that provided any resistance. So it was an attack¡­ that exined the fire. The sounds of confusion, carnage, and fear entered my ears, quickly snapping me out of my thoughts. Right. That didn¡¯t matter right now. There was a fire, and fire was bad, so the obvious thing to do was put it out. Raising my hand into the air, I summoned rain clouds across the sky before having them converge above me, twisting and churning the atmosphere, I infused the clouds with mana and transformed said mana into water before letting it all fall. As the rain began to pour down, I noticed a man, a kidnapper, tear a child from a woman¡¯s arms before unsheathing their sword, raising it to bring down on the woman¡¯s neck. The fire¡­ the death¡­ the destruction¡­ it all reminded me of that familiar nightmare that stemmed from so long ago. The night I lost Mom¡­ the night I lost that sweet woman that first showed me love¡­ I wouldn¡¯t let that happen again, not as long as I could help it. Extending my other arm, I generated a stone bullet before releasing it, apanied by a st of wind to propel it toward the kidnapper. Breaking the sound barrier, the bullet mmed into the man¡¯s head a momentter, instantly killing him before his sword reached the woman. Tsk. There were more, and from what Gustav said before, most if not all the warriors of the vige were gone to rescue the rest of the kidnapped children. It seemed their weak defences had been exploited, leading these attackers to have free rein on the entire vige, and considering the rainy season was about to begin, by the time the warriors got back, they wouldn¡¯t be able to go after them for a while. The vige waspletely exposed. Well¡­ as long I wasn¡¯t here, that is. While I was prudent not to go chasing after problems to deal with, unlike our justice-loving Ruijerd, when there was something like this happening right in front of me, and where my assistance wouldn¡¯t put my family at risk, there was no need to hold back. Plus¡­ I of all people knew how horrible it felt to lose your home, but from my experience in my first year of life, as well as what had happened over a year ago. ¡°It¡¯s raining!? Shit! There¡¯s a magician,¡± one of the armed men said before looking around and quickly spotting me. ¡°You!?¡± Yeah, me. He then ran forward, drawing his curved de as he approached. Intermediate-rank at most¡­ how disappointing. With one great leap, the man swung his sword toward my neck, prompting me to raise my de to defend. But it seemed that I didn¡¯t need to. ¡°You¡¯re dead- Gahk!¡± Before he could reach me, a broad de was embedded into his chest, sending a ssh of blood across the ground. ¡°It was you who is quelling the fires, right?¡± Gyes said, flicking his sword to the side and finishing off the man. ¡°I thank you, but if you could please lend your aid once more-¡± ¡°Of course I will,¡± I huffed, interrupting the man. Still, this guy wasn¡¯t very good at asking for things, considering his teeth were clenched the entire time. It seemed that his pride was hurt that he would need the help of a human, and one that was a child no less, to help defend his vige. Well, it was the ability to swallow that pride that made a good leader, so maybe he wasn¡¯t as bad as Gustav said. ¡°Focus on creating a safe zone, and bringing all the vigers there. As for the attackers¡­¡± I said, walking up to the recently made corpse and kicking his sword up to grab it. ¡°You can leave them to me.¡± Taking a few swings to get ustomed to the weight, I then crouched low to the ground, digging my feet into the dirt as I mapped out my path. One, two, three¡­ four up high. Right, let¡¯s do this. ¡°Don¡¯t order me arou-!¡± I then stepped forward, my touki-enhanced leap leaving Gyes¡¯ words behind as I drew both swords. Reaching the first smuggler, I sliced his throat with the curved de, and twisting around, I embedded mypanion spell sword into another¡¯s forehead, both bodies dropping to the ground as I moved onto my next target. Efficiently and emotionlessly, I cut through man after man, only stopping to heal any beastfolk that needed it, or if I sensed any trapped in copsed buildings with my Demon eye. But even with my assistance, there were still numerous casualties, both from the fire and the human attackers. The thought made me grit my teeth in frustration, but it didn¡¯t go past that. After all, in this world, death was amon urrence, which is why I needed to get stronger¡­ to shield my family from everything that mighte our way. And eventually, if I got even stronger¡­ I could extend my protection to others too. My spell had been going on for a while, and as a result, the rain was now pouring down over the surroundings, dousing any mes and recovering the beastfolk¡¯s innate senses, allowing them to easily flee or fight. Thus, our counterattack started, led by mebing through the human numbers, felling a foe with each strike. The humans, on the other hand, were understandably in disarray. After all, the advantage they held against the beastfolk had turned against them, and while they knew there was a magician around, by the time they understood who it was, I had already killed them. This continued as we moved through the vige, and before I knew it, I had ended up leading a band of warriors, with some breaking off now and then to take the freed vigers back to the vige centre. Eventually, the figures revealed from my Demon eye dwindled, showing only onest opponent to be dealt with. ¡°Tch. You guys caught up awfully quick, huh?¡± he spat, turning to our group. A familiar scar came into view, with the man holding a child close to his chest with a sword to her neck. A hostage. But to think that Gallus was here¡­ while I was suspicious about his intentions, I didn¡¯t think he would capture the people he asked us to free a weekter. There must be something more at y. Gallus¡¯ eyesbed over our group before widening as they fell on me. ¡°Guardian Wolf!? What the hell are you doing here?¡± ¡°¡­That doesn¡¯t matter. I could say the same to you,¡± I said. ¡°Tch. This was my n from the start,¡± he snarled. ¡°To think you would stay with these people¡­ I guess you separated from the Superd, didn¡¯t you? Even though he didn¡¯t end up massacring the warriors, they still kept themselves out of the vige, but I guess that didn¡¯t matter in the end, huh?¡± Was that his n? Have us free the kids as the beastfolk warriors came to rescue them, leading to conflict with the confusion? Well, I guess he didn¡¯t really understand Ruijerd that well. He was a new man who judged before killing. ¡°Yeah, it seems like your ns didn¡¯t work out,¡± I sneered. ¡°And what¡¯s with this? Taking the people you asked us to save?¡± ¡°Hah. These brats?¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°I don¡¯t care about them. The Sacred Beast, on the other hand, would be problematic.¡± Mmm, while I still couldn¡¯t understand how that dog was more important than a kid, much less a bunch of them, the ¡®Sacred Beast¡¯ was apparently the symbol of the entire Doldia tribe. But to me, it was only a big, fluffy dog. ¡°Anyway, I guess you¡¯re the one who killed all those guys, right? Damn shame-¡± Leaping forward, I extended my curved sword toward Gallus¡¯ neck, only for him to raise the child, stopping me from cutting through. Right. The North God style has hostage techniques. Good thing I was adaptable. Swiping my feet, I unleashed a de of wind toward the man¡¯s legs, prompting him to dodge out of the way, and most importantly, leaving him open. ¡°Gah! Fuck!¡± While I was aiming to cut off his arm, he retracted it just in time so that I simply brushed against the tips of his fingers, but I wasn¡¯t necessarily aiming to take off his arm, but rather to free the child. Swiping the girl into my arms, I jumped back to gain some distance, batting away a knife Gallus had thrown in his retreat. Sneaky fucker. ¡°Son of a bitch! Didn¡¯t even let me finish my exnation, huh?¡± he red at me. Well, no. Why would I? That was when you let down your guard, after all. ¡°But it seems like you aren¡¯t letting me go anytime soon¡­¡± he eyed his surroundings carefully as two beastfolk sneaked up behind him. ¡°Bad idea.¡± In a sh, he whipped out his sword, instantly beheading one of the warriors before dodging the other¡¯s strike by turning to the side. Now off-bnce, the remaining warrior was helpless to dodge Gallus¡¯ thrust, and a sword soon found itself impaling the beastfolk man in the neck as he fell to the ground. As I thought, Gallus was strong. Saint rank, if I had to guess, with abilities on the same level as Paul. While I had taken the kid out of his hands pretty easily, I still had to be cautious, especially since North God practitioners often used poisons and hidden methods of attack. ¡°Heh. Not so funny now, is it, Guardian Wolf?¡± Gallus sneered, wiping the blood off his sword on his pants. ¡°So? What are you going to do now?¡± Finish him off, of course. Not only did he now bear a grudge against me, but he would also terrorize the beastfolk if I let him go now. But most importantly¡­ he was a bad guy. While I couldn¡¯t do anything to revive those who were burned and killed, the least I could do was avenge them. ¡°Go back to the vige, girl,¡± I said to the kid, pushing her away. With her running back to Gyes, I could trust that all the remaining vigers were safe, leaving me to deal with this guy. Dropping the curved de I had picked up to the side, I took up a Sword God stance with my sword, holding it firmly in front of me as Gallus and I stared each other down. The pitter-patter of rain drowning out any sound, and the scent of blood filling my nose, I felt a bead of water trail down from my drenched hair to my face, all the way to my chin, and as soon as it dropped to the ground¡­ we both leaped forward. Flicking my sword outward, I was slightly surprised to see his touki flow from his body into his arm in an odd motion, but ignoring that, I pressed onward, trying to end this fight in one strike. Unfortunately for me, Gallus seemed to have predicted that, as he let his sword take the brunt of my strike before pulling out a short sword and jabbing it in my direction. Leaning my head back, the de skimmed across my forehead, shedding a few strands of hair along with it as I give Gallus a strong punch with my free hand. Like this, we exchanged a few strikes, the ng of metal against metal echoing across the trees with the backdrop of the rain. Eventually, though, the fight came to an abrupt end. Gallus was swift, and he was faster than Eris, but his skills were based on pure experience from countless battles, not training or talent. This meant that while he wasn¡¯t necessarily predictable, he was someone within reason. Someone who was easier to read, with no insurmountable moves or techniques. And while he had experienced countless battles¡­ he had yet to experience someone like me. My sword locking with his, I let electricity flow through my de, shocking him and locking his joints, and with a simple flick of the wrist, a deep gash was torn across his neck, causing him to fall to the ground, gurgling on his own blood, until he passed a momentter. And that was the end. No final moves, no grand speeches¡­ that was it. We fought, and he died. That was the true essence of battle in this world. Cleaning off my bloodied de, I then took a quick nce around my surroundings. It seemed that everyone I could see was gathered in the vige, so that was good. Now¡­ I should head back to give healing to those who need it. Dammit, I didn¡¯t know if the smuggler organization had anyone else, but if they did¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be able to head back to Zant Port for a while, lest I leave this cepletely undefended. But then again, these people¡­ while I did want to help them, they meant nothing in front of the safety of Aisha, Norn, and Eris. Hmm¡­ I¡¯d give them two days. If they haven¡¯t returned in that time, I¡¯d head out to Zant Port. With that thought in mind, I walked back to the vige, leaving the corpses to be dealt with by the rest of the beastfolk warriors. I¡¯m sure they had their own customs for death, so I wouldn¡¯t want to intrude upon them. Plus, I was hungry. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª I didn¡¯t have to wait too long for Ruijerd and the rest toe back, as the day after the attack, arge group came into the vige, containing most of the vige¡¯s warriors, a bunch of beastfolk children, and most importantly, Eris and my sisters. While the group was surprised by the surrounding destruction upon their arrival, after getting a briefing from those who were there for the attack, their expressions calmed, perhaps d that at least one of the smuggling organizations that had terrorized their homnd had been all but destroyed. And upon hearing my exploits of the night before, Ruijerd patted my head with a proud smile. ¡°It seems like you acted like a true warrior, Leon. Well done.¡± Well, while I wasn¡¯t acting in order to receive his praise, it did feel quite nice. Maybe this is why Norn always liked getting head pats from the man? It did feel oddly¡­forting. Anyway, with most of the vigers focused on rebuilding the houses, and the warriors taking the kids back to their original viges, Gustav invited me and our group into his house. First, I gave a more detailed report on what had happened while Gyes constantly went off on a rant about ¡®disgusting humans¡¯ and ¡®damn vermin¡¯, as well as telling him about my encounter with Gallus and how he was likely the one who set everything up. Then, they told me about what had happened on their side, and why it had taken so long for them to return. With the help of Ruijerd and his third eye, they were easily able to locate the children, and with Gustav and our trusty Judge¡¯sbined power, were also able to rescue every captured child with no issues. What held them up was what happened afterwards. Apparently, having run into a bit of trouble with the port authorities, the beastfolk got into a stand-off with them before Zant Port eventually caved under the pressure, deciding to give them amplepensation for any trouble that was caused. I was a bit confused about why they suddenly retreated, and not only retreated, but also gavepensation, but it seemed like they were worried about a war breaking out with the tribes of the Great Forest. At least that¡¯s what Gustav was told¡­ If I had to guess, Gallus and his people probably bribed the authorities to keep the beastfolk upied for the time required for their operation, and after keeping their promise, the authorities quickly caved into the pressure. Not like it mattered now, anyway. Having finished exchanging our stories, Gustav then went down to his knees in front of Eris, Ruijerd, and me. ¡°Thank you for all your help. I promise that the Deldoldia tribe will not forget this debt.¡± Ruijerd simply shook his head. ¡°There is no need for that. Saving children is something every warrior should strive to achieve.¡± How honourable. ¡°Hehe~! N-No problem!¡± Eris chimed in. ¡­She had been awfully giddy ever since I saw her, especially when she was holding those two beastfolk children¡¯s hands on the way in. Must be the Boreas blood. ¡°It¡¯s no problem,¡± I said. ¡°After all, for the next few months, we¡¯ll be living together, so it''s only right to protect your people.¡± Gustav showed arge smile. ¡°Yes, indeed. You are wee to stay for the rainy season, and even longer if you wish. Should you require anything, you will always have us on your side. I swear that on my name.¡± Well¡­ since he asked¡­ ¡°I actually have a question,¡± I said. ¡°Have you encountered any victims of the Fittoa Discement Incident?¡± Gustav nodded his head seriously. ¡°Indeed. Some of our people ended up returning to us through that turn of events, and we found some lost humans in the forest that were then guided to Zant Port. And also¡­¡± His face then twisted into a difficult smile, one belying a sense of affection and also exasperation. ¡°¡­A human child was teleported to our vige. He helped us deal with the monsters and the floods during the rainy season with his amazing magic, but his lust¡­ it was boundless.¡± A talented magician? A human child? Boundless lust? Did¡­ did Rudy teleport here? ¡°A child with boundless lust, you say?¡± Ruijerd said oddly. ¡°Indeed. Luckily he knew ournguage, so he could exin his situation, but the stench of lust filled our noses so poignantly when he looked at the girls that we had a hard time believing him to be a child,¡± Gustav exined. ¡°And did he do anything odd?¡± I ask. ¡°Yes,¡± Gustav nodded. ¡°He had a particr fascination with our girls¡¯ used loincloths.¡± So Rudy was here. What a coincidence! ¡°¡­And he also enjoyed peeking during their bathing times,¡± Gustav added. I couldn¡¯t help but facepalm. Rudy¡­ what the hell were you doing? I was d he seemed to be okay right off the bat, but couldn¡¯t he have shown a little more tact? Haa¡­ how was I supposed to break it to them that he was my brother? ¡°Leon? What are they saying?¡± Eris asked. ¡°Ah, my apologies, I had slipped back into my nativenguage by mistake,¡± Gustav apologizes in the human tongue. ¡°But yes, after the rainy season ended, the boy then took it upon himself to escort my granddaughter, Linia, as well as another promising member of the Adoldia tribe, Pursena, to the Asuran Kingdom of the Central Continent.¡± Oh¡­ so they must be those girls that Rudy was feeling up when Kishirika spied on him. ¡°He did say he was worried about his family,¡± Gustav continued. ¡°Do you know of a Rudeus? Or perhaps his family¡¯s whereabouts?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡­¡± ¡°Rudeus? That¡¯s Leon¡¯s brother!¡± Eris said, interrupting me. Both Gustav and Gyes¡¯ eyes widened at this. ¡°Oh¡­ forgive me, you both have very different personalities, but¡­ I suppose you both are simrly skilled at magic. And I can see some simrities in your faces.¡± Yes, pleasepare us with our magic abilities and not our approach to girls, I beg of you. Rubbing her eyes, Norn then turned to me. ¡°Brother? Can I go to sleep now?¡± Now that she said it, it was getting prettyte, and the two of them had spent the day walking through the woods nonstop, so I could understand that they were exhausted. ¡°Of course,¡± I said, patting her head as I turned to Gustav. ¡°We can continue talking tomorrow if you wish, but for now, I think it¡¯s time to get ourselves settled.¡± He nodded his head with a smile. ¡°Indeed. You can use the residence Gyes gave you, but if you require any more room, don¡¯t hesitate to ask.¡± As I was about to get out to go, I was stopped by two girls who had joined the meeting. One was Minitonia, the strong-willed girl I had rescued, which happened to be Gyes¡¯ daughter and Gustav¡¯s granddaughter. There was also Tersena, a daughter of the Adoldia tribe¡¯s leader who was also kidnapped, and would have to spend the rainy season here due to the eventual flooding of the roads. ¡°T-Thank you, for saving us,¡± Minitonia said, bowing towards me. ¡°No problem¡­¡± As I was about to walk away, I felt my hand being pulled by Eris. Looking at her face, I saw that her nostrils were red as her gaze kept shooting back and forth from the two girls to me. Did she¡­ want to be friends? Right¡­ she was kind of an awkward girl, wasn¡¯t she? I suppose she needed my help here¡­ not that I minded. ¡°If you want to return the favour,¡± I continued, ¡°then pleasee over for the night. I¡¯d like you to meet Eris here.¡± Getting up to leave, I was interrupted once again, but by Gyes this time, ¡°Wait.¡± Turning to him, I saw his teeth grit before looking at me. ¡°I have to ask¡­ Is Ghiine¡­ someone to be respected?¡± Ghiine? He knew Ghiine? Ah, now that I think about it, they do look kind of simr¡­ did shee from this vige perhaps? Either way¡­ ¡°Yes, I respect her immensely,¡± I said firmly. ¡°Ghiine is the one who saved my life as a child, andter trained me into the Sword Saint I am today,¡± I said, my eyes narrowing as I red at the man. ¡°Do you have anything else to say about Big Sis?¡± ¡°¡®Big Sis¡¯¡­ so it was like that, huh?¡± Gyes mumbled, shaking his head in exasperation. ¡°No. It¡¯s nothing. You can go now.¡± And with that, I then made my way out, with Aisha and Norn following behind, and Eris taking the other two girls by the hand. This time, I wasn¡¯t interrupted. But to think this was how we would spend the first week on the Millis Continent¡­ I suppose fate was strange like that. Chapter 37 – Different Perspectives Chapter 37 ¨C Different Perspectives ¡ª Roxy Migurdia ¡ª It had been around half a year since we reached the Demon Continent, my homnd, and although we had visited every settlement on our way up north, we had yet to find any signs of Zenith or Lilia. In fact, we hadn¡¯t found any signs of any Fittoans at all, not even a rumour about lost humans. It seemed that Leon was pretty unlucky to be teleported here. I wonder¡­ from what I heard, he was transported along with his sisters and that youngdy, so maybe the number of people dictated how far a group was teleported? Maybe it was- No¡­ no, there I went again, rambling about unconfirmed hypotheses. Such thinking would amount to nothing of importance. Right now, we had to focus. While we were fine with money, and I was confident that I could survive most of this continent, the same didn¡¯t go for Lilia and Zenith. Elinalise and Talhand said that Zenith should be fine, as she was a former S-rank adventurer, but I had my doubts. After all, she was a healer, and inbat yed a supporting role¡­ not that useful in front of the bloodthirsty monsters that roamed thisnd. And most importantly, she didn¡¯t know any of thenguage or the customs. Knowing how kind-hearted that woman was, I bet she would greet someone like Dead End with open arms, only to be in a momentter. Gah! The thought sent shivers down my spine. I was always terrified of those stories. Shaking my head, I then began heading up the inn¡¯s stairs, ready to get Elinalise up and ready to move to the next town. ¡°Ahn~! Y-Yesshh~! Ohh~!¡± Hearing such erotic sounds, I immediately came to a stop. Unfortunately, this was not a rare urrence, but despite that, each time I heard the woman¡¯s moans, I couldn¡¯t stop the blush from spreading across my cheeks. How r-ridiculous! And scandalous! It was even worse how she made me cast detoxification magic on her after each ¡®encounter¡¯! Well, that was not necessarily a problem, but how she exined how each man, and sometimes woman, had their way with her while I was doing so very much was. I was an innocentdy, and I intended to stay that way until I found the man for me! My anger steeling my resolve, I walked up and banged my hand against the door. ¡°We¡¯re leaving! Come downstairs!¡± ¡°Hmm- Anh~! R-Roxy?¡± Elinalise hummed. ¡°A-All right, just let these gentlemen finish- ungh! T-That¡¯s good, dear.¡± Not wanting to be in the presence of all¡­ that any longer, I quickly made my way back downstairs. Seriously, that woman. It was odd how quickly she shifted from a mature person I could look to for advice, to such a shameless¡­ well, as she would call herself, an ¡®enjoyer of men¡¯. However, at this point, her promiscuity was nothing surprising. ¡°I-I¡¯m telling you! This is my domain, so there is no need for me to pay for a meal!¡± ¡°What are you talking about, kid? Are you trying to scam me? This has been a free city for over three centuries, so pay up!¡± Hearing such an argument, I hastened my steps, turning the corner into the diner to see the owner of the establishment arguing with a¡­ girl? No, perhaps it wasn¡¯t a girl, although she looked like one. I would know best that looks could be deceiving, especially on this continent. ¡°Excuse me, what seems to be the problem?¡± I asked, interrupting the two. The man then turned to me. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re heading out today, right? Don¡¯t mind this, it seems that this girl decided to eat without having the cash.¡± ¡°W-What!? B-But it was truly delicious! I cannot leave such a meal untouched!¡± the girlined. ¡°Then don¡¯t order it unless you have the money!¡± the man snapped back. Haa¡­ as I thought, I really did hate children. Other than Rudeus and Leon, they were all so annoying to deal with. Though, I bet that¡¯s probably what my old master thought of me, huh? ¡°I¡¯ll pay for it. It¡¯s only a few stone coins, right? Here you go,¡± handing the innkeeper the money, I then turned to the girl. She had purple hair and mismatched eyes, which even on this diverse continent led to a unique appearance. But further from that, she seemed extremely troublesome. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t go eating without having the funds, you know?¡± I lectured her. ¡°Doing such things will only get you into trouble, like right then.¡± Staring at me with ssy eyes, she quickly shook her head before smiling, ¡°Ahaha! I see! I will be sure to take your words into consideration, at least until I regain my realm!¡± Her¡­ realm? She then puffed out her chest. ¡°But as thanks, I shall reward you! Ask anything of me, the Great Demon Empress Kishirika Kishirisu, master of the Demon eyes, and it shall be done!¡± ¡­The Great Empress? I had heard that she should have reincarnated recently, but to think she was so¡­ small. And bratty. While I was by no means a proud member of the demon race, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit disillusioned. ¡°¡­Is that so? I don¡¯t think paying for a meal constitutes such gratitude, though,¡± I said. ¡°Aha! But that¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong!¡± she said. ¡°This was my first meal since getting food from that kid back in Wind Port! What was his name¡­ Ah! Leon!¡± My previously dulled eyes shot open at that. ¡°Leon? You met Leon Greyrat?¡± I asked. ¡°Huh? Yeah! He gave me tasty skewers that I thought wouldst until I met Badi, but it seems that my gluttony is overwhelming in this era! Hahahaha!¡± sheughed. ¡­What an odd character. But to have met Leon¡­ was she actually the Great Empress of the Demon eyes? ¡°Miss Great Demon Empress, you said you would give me a reward, right?¡± I asked hesitantly. ¡°Of course! Ask away!¡± she responded. ¡°Then¡­ could you tell me where Leon is right now? Oh, and his mother as well, please,¡± I asked. Nodding her head, she then opened her eye as it rolled into the back of her head, switching to a pale red colour. Wow¡­ so she was actually the real thing. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Leon is currently in the Great Forest, doing some swordsmanship training,¡± she said. Yep, that sounds like Leon. He loved the sword, after all. ¡°Although¡­ he¡¯s also doing magic as well? How odd. To think one could use spells like that¡­¡± It seems Leon¡¯s skills amazed even a Great Empress. Another thing to praise him for upon our reunion. ¡°And as for his mother¡­ yep, she¡¯s still to the north of the Labyrinth City of Rapan in the Begaritt Continent along with that other one, Lilia,¡± she nodded to herself before switching her eyes back to normal. ¡°The Begaritt Continent?¡± I said, surprised. ¡°And what do you mean by ¡®still¡¯?¡± ¡°Hm? When I met Leon, he also asked about their locations, and it seems like they haven¡¯t moved,¡± she shrugged. ¡°H-Haven¡¯t moved? Are they¡­ dead?¡± I asked, swallowing my sadness. ¡°Nope,¡± she shook her head. ¡°As long as one is alive, I can see them, so they must be alive since I could find them. Maybe they got lost in abyrinth.¡± ¡°Alright¡­ thank you, Your Majesty,¡± I said, bowing deeply. Kishirika widened her eyes at this. ¡°Aha! Finally! Someone who shows me the proper respect! Even Leon didn¡¯t do such a thing!¡± Happily rubbing her upper lip, she then pointed to me once again. ¡°You! I shall permit you to ask for a demon eye of your choosing!¡± ¡­What? A Demon eye? To me? I hadn¡¯t met many to bear such a thing, but nearly every time, they needed to wear an eye patch in order to curb the effects, some even deciding to carve out their eye if it was too difficult to bear. But I also knew that demon eyes required control of one¡¯s own mana to properly use. So knowing that¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but think of this as a challenge. A challenge to ovee. After all, Leon had gone so far ahead as to create his ownbat style, morphing swordsmanship and chantless magic in a beautiful form, so to call myself his teacher and his future wi- no¡­ to call myself his teacher, I should at least be able to do this much. ¡°¡­Which Demon eye can Your Majesty grant me?¡± I asked. ¡°Haha! That¡¯s the spirit! Let¡¯s see¡­ first, there¡¯s the Eye of Foresight, which-¡± She then went on to exin the name and effect of every eye she could grant me. Some, like the Eye of Magic Power, I had heard of before, while others werepletely foreign, but they were all interesting and seemingly useful, save for the Eye of Absorption. If I could master any of these, my overall strength and usefulness would rise astronomically. But as a magician¡­ the choice was quite obvious. ¡°I¡¯ll take the Eye of Magic Power, if you please,¡± I said. ¡°Hahaha! A good choice! Nowe here, and let this great one bestow upon you the finest of rewards!¡± And so, like that, the search for Zenith and Lilia came to an end, as our group''s focus turned to rescuing the two women from the Begaritt Continent after meeting up with Paul. Oh, and I also became the possessor of a Demon eye. ¡ª Rudeus Greyrat ¡ª It had been a little over a year since the Discement Incident, and after much time on the road, I had finally made it back to my homnd, the Fittoa Region of the Asura Kingdom. The only problem¡­ was that everything was gone. I already knew this, of course, as Paul had given me a rundown of what he understood of the situation, but it was still very different to see it in person. Luckily, while the city itself was gone, there was now a refugee camp where the Citadel of Roa used to be, started by my old coworker, Alphonse, who had decided to take up this undertaking as Sauros was dealing with the political fallout in the capital, and Philip was assisting a country in the Strife Zone. Speaking of coworkers¡­ I was still worried about Leon and my sisters. At first, Paul was an anxious mess, but after I told him that Leon and our sisters were touching at the time the light reached us, he calmed down considerably. Apparently, people who were touching teleported together, and when he realized that Leon was with my sisters, he seemed to trust that they would be okay, as my brother was already a Sword Saint and could use magic as easily as me. I thought that he should be a bit more concerned about his children, but I suppose he simply trusted my brother quite a bit, much like I did. He was still a kid though, so I was still a bit worried¡­ Anyway, with Pursena and Linia heading up north toward the University of Magic, I decided to stay at the refugee camp and help out with some work as my magic was quite useful for many things. It was another tiring day of watering fields, creating walls and sewer systems with earth magic, and finally healing some sick people before I eventually headed to bed. But that night, I received an annoyingly familiar visitor. ¡°It¡¯s been quite a while, Rudeus.¡± A blurry, faceless man looked down at me, and while I couldn¡¯t see any expressions, I could instinctively tell he was smiling at me. And not the kind type of smile that Zenith liked to give, but rather, one of entertainment. The kind of smile one would use when looking at a monkey at the zoo. It felt horrible, but that wasn¡¯t the reason for my great difort. God dammit. What is it this time? I hate being here¡­ in this disgusting body, so hurry it up! Looking down at the fat, greasy form of my past life, I couldn¡¯t help but grit my teeth in anger. How disgusting. It felt like everything I did in this world to better myself had been turned to naught. ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t be like that. I have a bit of advice for you, is all!¡± And why the hell should I trust you? You do know how shady you are, right? Appearing in my dreams like some kind of ghost¡­ maybe I should get myself exorcised? ¡°Haha! Oh, how you distrust me so! But¡­ didn¡¯t my advice work out so far? Thanks to me, you were able to easily meet the beastfolk, and even earned yourself some money for taking their princesses along!¡± Unfortunately, he was right. When I was first teleported, I wouldn¡¯t have known what to do, and knowing me, I probably would have ended up starving myself or eating something poisonous, or worse. But when he told me to head east and wait there for a day, I was able to meet one of the beastfolk warriors, Gyes, and after exining my situation, everything was resolved quite smoothly. After the rainy season passed, I offered to take along Linia and Pursena as I ventured back to my homnd following this Man-God¡¯s advice. While I did get smacked around a lot for touching them, they did respect my strength, and even offered to be my wives once they graduated. So I couldn¡¯t help but be thankful there. ¡°And what about Shirone, hmm?¡± Hitogami continued. What do you mean, ¡®what about Shirone?¡¯. You lied to me! You told me to head there to meet Roxy, but all I received when I got there was a princeining about my brother and a family rescue mission! Speaking of family¡­ where the hell are they!? ¡°Ah,e on, haven¡¯t I told you? I¡¯m not omnipotent, but every piece of advice I offer you will definitely bring you closer to reuniting with your family,¡± he said. ¡°And as for ¡®lying to you¡¯, I did nothing of the sort! I told you to stop by Shirone, and you will have a fateful encounter. You assumed it was your old teacher all on your own.¡± Tsk. Annoying as it was to admit it, he was¡­ right. And what exactly is this ¡®fateful encounter¡¯ you preach so highly? ¡°Well, Prince Zanoba, of course! You got yourself an admirer with political power who will surely help out in the future!¡± he said boastfully. ¡°Soe on, can¡¯t you trust me? Eh?¡± Ha. As if. Especially when I always end up looking like this when we talk. I hate it. ¡°Oho? But don¡¯t you know? I already told you that it¡¯s just-¡± A reflection of how I see myself, I know. ¡°Then what¡¯s there toin about then?¡± he smirked. Again, I couldn¡¯t actually tell if he was smirking, but it sure felt like it. Condescending bastard. Anyway, I¡¯m never going topletely trust a shady guy like you, no matter what you do. But¡­ I¡¯ll take your advice into consideration, I suppose. ¡°Well, that¡¯s all I ask. It is more entertaining that way, after all,¡± he said before changing to a serious tone. ¡°Hear me, Rudeus Greyrat. In a week from now, an adventuring party called ¡®Counter Arrow¡¯ will stop by the refugee camp. Join their party, and then head out together to the northern territories and eventually the Ranoa University of Magic. Like this, you will eventually find out where your mother and family are.¡± Like I said before, give me some more information, you bastard! ¡°Bye-bye now~!¡± And with an annoying white, blurry hand waving me away, I woke up. Shooting to my feet, I quickly moved my hands across my body, feeling the soft, thin, and young physique I had grown used to. Haa¡­ thank god. I really hated that ce, wherever it was, that I found myself in whenever Hitogami decided to talk to me. It was an ugly reminder of my past self. Looking out the window, it seemed that it was still dark out, but with the sky glowing orange past the crest of the horizon, it wasn¡¯t long before morning would arrive. I should get started with my day then. But¡­ ¡®Counter Arrow¡¯, huh? On my travels across the Millis Continent and Central Continent, I had found myself as a B-rank adventurer, which, while not being particrly impressive, considering my age and the fact I didn¡¯t have a party, was enough to earn me respect amongst my peers. I just hoped that respect was enough to make joining this ¡®Counter Arrow¡¯ easy. Now, I wasn¡¯t gullible enough to follow every word that shady guy said, but he was right in the fact that his advice had helped me so far, and I was nning to head up north soon anyway. I just hoped there was a nice girl around my age in the party¡­ things had been pretty lonely ever since I separated from the beastfolk princesses, after all. Well, I guess it¡¯s time to get up. ¡ª End of Arc 2- Demon Continent ¡ª Chapter 38 – Departing the Great Forest Chapter 38 ¨C Departing the Great Forest ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Sshing my face, I let the water drip down my chin as I looked down at the clear river water, showing the reflection of someone I was quite familiar with. Me. It hadn¡¯t really urred to me, as survival was my top priority for my journey through the Demon Continent, but as time passed, my physical appearance changed quite a bit. Most notably, there were now a few whiskers of facial hair beginning to grow on my usually clear face. This introduction of body hair had also made its way across much of my body, including around my ¡®little man¡¯, as Paul would call it. This along with a deepening voice and the weird feelings I kept getting around Eris, there was no mistaking it. I was in the golden age of puberty. Well, considering I was nearing fourteen years old at this point, it was only natural. In fact, I would be quite concerned if I hadn¡¯t had any changes. Anyway, aside from the more obvious signs of growth, my facial features had also begun to change and, to my utter dismay, I was still growing up to look like Paul. And how the Water God said I looked like him as a kid¡­ Was he actually my father? I¡­ wouldn¡¯t know how to feel about that. On one hand, that meant he left Alice, which would put a disgusting taste in my mouth, but on the other, it would feel nice to have a blood rtion to my family¡­ It could also just be that I have the genes of the Notos Greyrat line, or perhaps many Asuran men in general had Paul¡¯s traits. Anyway, while I was beginning to look more and more like that man, I was pleased with the fact that I wasn¡¯t an exact copy. Rather, I was¡­ softer. Rounder cheeks, a smaller nose, smaller ears¡­ that kind of thing. They were all features my dear biological mother, Alice, had, so I was content to keep them throughout adulthood. So, overall, I was gaining some of Paul¡¯s handsome features while keeping some of my youthful ones. ¡°Not bad¡­ but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s time to grow out a beard just yet,¡± I murmured to myself before coating my face in wind magic, cutting off all the whiskers. Ah, and now that I look at myself, my hair needs a trim too. Luckily, my hair was naturally choppy and rugged, so cutting it myself wouldn¡¯t look out of ce. And, gathering my hair in a fist and raising a knife, I did just that, cutting it so that the length would stop just above my shoulders. ¡°There¡­ that¡¯s better.¡± But I didn¡¯te here to the river to look at myself and cut my hair, rather, it was to wash myself off after a long day of training. Unfortunately, there was no soap here in the Great Forest, but instead, there was a collection of herbs that made you smell good, so I was able to make do. Washing down my arms, I let my fingers trace a few scars that I had found myself keeping after our group¡¯s adventure for the past year. Most of them were from the first week after we were teleported, a time when I was not only quite the reckless idiot with my fights, but my healing was also sloppy due to tiredness and stress. Of course, I also had a bunch of smaller ones, but those were mostly from cuts I didn¡¯t notice, like scratches from bushes and equipment. Ah, well¡­ I just hope my future wife. Or rather, wives, hopefully, won¡¯t mind. Paul did say many women found scars attractive, and while he was usually quite the unreliable role model, he did know his way around the topic of romance. So I think I could trust him with that, at least. Eventually, with my extremely rustic bath finished, I then started back towards the Doldia vige, where our party had been staying for the past three months as we waited out the Great Forest¡¯s rainy season. Getting a few nods of respect from the guardsmen, I was quickly met with the scene of Eris and Ruijerd in the middle of a spar. ¡°Hiya!¡± Eris shouted. ¡°Still too hasty, Eris. The Sword God Style¡¯s speed is meant for defeating your opponent on the opening strike,¡± Ruijerd chided. ¡°After the opening attack doesn¡¯t work, you must adapt to a more roundedbat style. Now, again!¡± So that exins why I didn¡¯t sense Eris nearby during my bath. The only things she liked more than trying to peep at me were sparring and training, after all. Well, she was also in the midst of puberty after all, and I would be lying if I said I have never felt the same urge. But I would hold myself back until we were all reunited. I wasn¡¯t like my dear father, after all. I intended to ensure my lovers were my family and retained my full attention once we got to that point, especially when they meant as much to me as Eris did. Nevertheless, during our resting period, Eris had also grown quite a bit. Both in skills and looks. As one might have already guessed, I was immensely attracted to her. What was before the childish body of a bratty kid had grown into a youngdy with toned muscles while also keeping some softness in the right ces. Her long flowing red hair was tied back in a ponytail, while the strands that weren¡¯t captured by her hairband had stuck to her face due to a mixture of sweat and humidity. And her face¡­ well, I had always found it cute. Especially when she showed her gentle side rather than her usual fierceness. So an alluring body, an attractive face, and the captivating scene of her in the middle of training. Overall, a very tantalizing picture. It was no wonder I often found myself entranced. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Eris,¡± Ruijerd said, putting an end to the spar. ¡°You have improved yet again. Well done, and be proud.¡± As Ruijerd reached down to pat Eris¡¯ head, she quickly shook him off with a scowl. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter! I¡¯m not strong enough now!¡± she pouted. ¡°That wille with time. Don¡¯t be hasty,¡± Ruijerd said. ¡°Then what about Leon?¡± ¡°He¡¯s¡­ an anomaly.¡± ¡°How rude,¡± I said, interrupting them. ¡°To call an innocent young man who hasn¡¯t even reached adulthood that¡­ Even I can feel hurt, you know?¡± Ruijerd looked over before forming a difficult expression. ¡°I see¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Leon.¡± ¡°I was joking,¡± I deadpanned. Honestly, this guy was way too serious. ¡°Leon!¡± Eris said, casting her practice sword to the side as she ran up to me. ¡°Were you watching?¡± ¡°For a while,¡± I answered, smiling at the demure tone her voice had taken. ¡°And? How¡¯d I do?¡± she asked, looking away to avoid my gaze, acting as if she was unconcerned with my response. But you know, Eris, that doesn¡¯t work when you keep ncing back at me. ¡°Ruijerd was right,¡± I said, bringing my hand up to her head. ¡°You¡¯ve grown stronger, especially in the Sword God Style. I would say you¡¯re nearing the Saint rank in strength, if you haven¡¯t hit it already.¡± Her lips curled into a smile at mypliment as I gently ran my hand through her hair, this time not getting the hostile treatment that Ruijerd did. Ever since I professed my love for her on the ship, where she pretended to be asleep, I had noticed how much closer she started acting towards me. Even closer than before, which was somehow possible. It was cute. And I enjoyed the closeness to her as well, so I wasn¡¯t one to refuse the subtle advances. With our time taken away from travelling, we had used these three months to train, either by ourselves, with each other, or against the monsters that came with the flooding forest. And Eris was no different, as she had decided to devote herself to the Sword God Style. I wasn¡¯t sure if she was actually a Sword Saint, as I couldn¡¯t tell the difference between a very fast Longsword of Silence and an actual Longsword of Light, but those arbitrary titles like ¡®Saint¡¯ and ¡®King¡¯ didn¡¯t really matter in the end. Plus, then there was that stuff about being a plete¡¯ Sword Saint¡­ Simply, it was a load of annoying to categorize bullshit. All that matters is that Eris was looking for strength. And slowly, she was surely finding it. I myself had been focusing more on training mybat style as a whole, especially with the introduction of the new and unsteady lightning element. That didn¡¯t mean I was forgetting my sword skills, of course, but rather than focusing on the Sword God Style, I had been putting my all towards its opposite, the Water God Style. More specifically, the gift that the Water God Reida, my Master, had left me. The gift that was still burned into my memory as if it had been performed yesterday. Removing my hand from her head, I walked over to the practice sword Eris had dropped as she looked at me in confusion. Ignoring her, ignoring Ruijerd, and ignoring the world, I focused on the de held in my hands as I red at the tree in front of me. Dance of Deluge, one of the Five Secret Arts of the Water God Style. I was still unsure of what exactly it was meant to do, but from what Master showed me, I did have an idea. An absolute defence. A barrier where as soon as something enters, it is cut. Reduced to nothing. And how to perform that¡­ it wasn¡¯t simply speed. No, that would be in the realm of the Sword God Style. What this move needed was absolute calm and absolute control. Control over yourself, control over the sword, control over the opponent, and most importantly, control over the world itself. Taking the energy, the flow, the fate of the world and your opponent, and then transforming it to your advantage. Countering any attack one throws at you. That was the essence of the Water God Style. Control. So area control¡­ but how to put that into a sword¡­ that was the question. And to strike so fast at one who enters this ¡®zone¡¯ to the point where one might mistake it as a Longsword of Light¡­ Perhaps¡­ I needed to connect with this ¡®zone¡¯ so that instead of moving my sword so fast to cross a distance in an instant, it would only be a simple flick of the wrist. But how to do that? That¡¯s been the question for essentially my entire time here, or at least since I discovered the conceptual side of this move. Crouching down, I let the touki flow through my de before pushing it outward, letting the pure mana infuse into the air around me. Realistically, with everything that I knew about mana, touki, and swordsmanship, the touki should be essentially useless as soon as it left its physical connection to me. And for the most part, that was true in this case as well. But I could feel it. While I couldn¡¯t control the touki in the air, I could feel a connection to it, if only slightly. As if a ¡®path¡¯ had been created. So, activating my demon eye, I observed this path, noting how it led from the tip of my sword to the tree in front of me, just as I had wished. And, releasing thepressed force in my body, I unleashed a sword strike, following the pathid out before me. Soundlessly, I watched as the tree was instantly bisected, cut so perfectly horizontal that it didn¡¯t even fall. ¡°T-That was awesome, Leon!¡± Eris shouted from the side. ¡°¡­Thanks, Eri,¡± I said, looking at the tree with a frown. While it was impressive, and definitely a step forward from where I was when I entered the Doldia vige, it wasn¡¯t near Master¡¯s level. And even then, I would never be able to use this technique in actualbat. It required way too much concentration and stillness to be properly used. So, I made some progress, but I wasn¡¯t there yet. Such was the path of continuous improvement. ¡°Let¡¯s go grab Aisha and Norn. We¡¯re leaving early tomorrow, so we should try to get as much sleep as possible,¡± I continued, walking over to Eris. As I walked forward, I noticed that she had averted her eyes once again, pouting as she yed with a lock of her hair. ¡°What is it, Eri?¡± She looked up at me before quickly looking away once more. What¡¯s with this? ¡°I¡­ Well, those two are probably going to miss me, right?¡± she said. ¡°Who, Tona and Tersena?¡± I asked. Eris nodded. ¡°Yeah, they probably will. Why? Do you want to spend thest night with them?¡± She flinched before nodding. Okay, that made sense. Those two were the only girls her age she had ever got along with, aside from Sylphy. It made sense that Eris wanted to part on good terms. But why was she acting this way-? Wait¡­ Was it that? Oh¡­ That would be adorable. ¡°Eri¡­ Are you perhaps worried that I would be angry about not sleeping with you?¡± I asked, a slight teasing tone in my voice. She clicked her tongue before crossing her arms. That confirmed it. So Eris really was that adorable. Somewhere along our journey, probably when we all camped together on the Demon Continent, we had gotten into the habit of sharing a bed. ¡®We¡¯ being Eris, Aisha, Norn, and me. Nothing sexual happened, of course, as not only was I not quite ready for that, but my sisters were also sleeping in the same bed. It was more of a¡­fort thing. ¡°Of course not, Eri,¡± I said. ¡°You should spend as much time with those two as you can.¡± She nodded, though contrary to my expectations, her lips curled down into a frown. ¡°Do you¡­¡± she said hesitantly. ¡°Do you not care?¡± Oh¡­ so that was it. How was she making herself even cuter? ¡°That¡¯s not it,¡± I sighed. ¡°Being together during the night is very important to me. It gives me a physical reminder that we¡¯re all together and safe, and it¡¯s also the time when I can hold you and my sisters close for as long as I want. I love it, but I can handle you spending time with your friends for one night.¡± My true feelings seemed to do the trick as her frown quite literally turned upside down. ¡°G-Good! You better appreciate it!¡± she said, walking away for a few steps before suddenly stopping. ¡°¡­And just so you know¡­ I like it too¡­¡± And with that, she ran off, leaving me with heated cheeks and a thumping heart as I stood still. ¡°Leon. You seem to be troubled,¡± Ruijerd said. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± I whispered out. ¡°I know¡­¡± ¡­Would Ist until we were all reunited once more? That was feeling less and less likely each day. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°And so? Did you make sure to y with Evelina and Serenia a bunch?¡± I asked as Ibed through Aisha¡¯s hair. ¡°Yep! We yed a bunch of tag and then skipped some stones in the river!¡± Aisha replied happily, sewing the red scarf I had given her, patching up some of the holes it had umted. ¡°That¡¯s good. While it sucks we¡¯ll be leaving, you should always part on good terms with friends,¡± I said. ¡°And how about you, Norn? Did you have fun?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± she said as she rested her head on my thigh with a sigh. ¡°I just¡­ wish they coulde with us.¡± ¡°You know that¡¯s impossible, Norn. But once you get older, I¡¯m sure you four can all meet up again,¡± I said, letting my free hand tussle Norn¡¯s head. The beastfolk of the Doldia vige were good people, though our pleasant amodations may have had something to do with us helping them against the smugglers. But that didn¡¯t really matter, as more importantly, during our stay Aisha and Norn had finally made their first friends, Evelina and Serenia¡ªa pair of sweet beastfolk girls. Honestly, with how well we¡¯ve been treated, and with Norn and Aisha getting their first taste of friendship, if I didn¡¯t know where Paul and Rudy were and if they were alive, I would likely have left them here before searching alone. But s, thanks to Kishirika I knew that Paul was on this continent at least as early as a few months ago, so we would have to leave together. Thinking about the beastfolk brought my thoughts over to the two Eris was currently spending her time with, Minitona and Tersena. They were nice girls, and even if they weren¡¯t Eris¡¯ friends, I would be fond of them. And Eris¡­ well, she was very fond of them. She was so fond of them, in fact, that she was able to hit it off with them as early as after the first night. She even endeavoured in trying to teach them the Human tongue! I was so proud to see the usually unsociable and snippy Eris actively making friends. Though¡­ I had a feeling a lot of that was due to the Boreas blood running through her veins¡­ but I was still happy for her. While I wasn¡¯t as close to them as Eris was, I was familiar with the two as a result of Eris, mostly by acting as a trantor when Eris¡¯ Beast God tongue was shaky on our arrival, and also through them teaching me the mysterious secret howl magic of the Beast race. Or rather, it would be better to say that they tried to teach me. No matter how much I practised, I simply couldn¡¯t use the howl magic that they used. If I had to guess, there was likely me not having a Beast race physique that was holding me back, like Ruijerd and his third eye. But, while I wasn¡¯t able to use howl magic, I was able to replicate it¡­ somewhat. Sound magic. Honestly, it wasn¡¯t anything novel, but rather an advanced application of wind magic that created vibrations in the air causing sound. I still needed more practice, though. During my training, I tried to use howl magic by infusing my voice with mana, and to some extent, it worked, though it was rather a separate method of activating sound magic rather than actual howl magic. But it did get me thinking¡­ infusing the voice with mana¡­ was that how incantations came to be? Somehow, having that activate a spell¡­ somehow. Well, I wasn¡¯t a schr, nor did I n to be, so those questions were better left unanswered for the sake of my psyche. ¡°Anyway, I got all your knots out, Aisha, so I think it¡¯s time for bed,¡± I said, putting down theb. ¡°We should get some sleep.¡± ¡°Aww, but Brother~!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even start, Aisha. Look at Norn,¡± I said, looking down at the blonde-haired girl who was basically asleep at this point, snuggling against my leg as she breathed softly out her nose. Honestly¡­ she was such a cutie. And it seemed that having some friends got her out of her shell, so to say I was happy about Norn¡¯s development would be an understatement. Aisha too, while she was already quite mature, was able to tap into some of her natural childishness a bit more around kids her age. Just the thought put a smile on my face. ¡°What are you smiling about, brother?¡± Aisha said as she blew out the candle. ¡°I¡¯m just proud of you, is all,¡± I said, scooping her up in my arms as Iid down on the bed. ¡°Oh? T-Thanks¡­ I¡¯m proud of you too,¡± she said, snuggling against my chest. ¡°Yeah¡­ thanks, Aisha.¡± Closing my eyes, Ibed my hands through Aisha¡¯s hair until she eventually fell asleep, her breathing slowing to match Norn¡¯s in a constant rhythm. Smiling at the warmth I felt, my lips then straightened into a line as I thought about the future. Tomorrow, we would be on the road again. Travelling to Millishion, where my father was hopefully still staying, would take a month or two. And then, it was only the decision of what to do about Eris. Would I go right to my mothers in the Begaritt Continent? Would I escort Eris back to the Fittoa Region? Could I take Eris with me to the Begaritt Continent? And what about Sylphy? I knew from Lilia¡¯s stories how disgusting the royal pce was, especially for a sweet, innocent, and cute girl like her. Would I go to Sylphy after my mothers? Could I afford to? Should I go to Sylphy first? With those thoughts and questions swirling in my mind, I eventually sighed before clearing them out and preparing for sleep. Thinking about it would do nothing when I couldn¡¯t act on it, and the situation might have even changed since Kishirika told me where they were. So, for now, I would get some rest, and leave the difficult decisions for a future me. Sorry, future Leon. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Watching the flurry of attacks being exchanged between Eris and Minitona, I couldn¡¯t help but sigh a bit in frustration. Was this amon thing for girls here? Or was it just because they were headstrong? Either way, instead of talking it out and tying up loose ends, the two had decided to have a final spar before they parted ways. Apparently, as the morning of our departure dawned, Eris was awoken by a very serious Minitona who offered her a spar, with the wager being that Eris would stay if she won. Of course, against an opponent like Eris, Tona, who had barely reached the Intermediate rank of swordsmanship, had no chance to win. But I suppose the feelings behind the spar were important, so Eris was taking it as seriously as she could without ending it in one swing, while also being sure not to identally kill her good friend. I watched as Eris suddenly narrowed her eyes, causing Tona to freeze in ce. Knocking the wooden sword out of the frozen girl¡¯s hand, Eris then ced her own wooden de next to her neck, ending the fight. ¡°It¡¯s over,¡± Eris said calmly. ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± As for what made Tona freeze in the middle of the fight, that was Eris¡¯ new technique that Ruijerd taught her. The ¡®Bloodlust Technique¡¯. Bloodlust, or killing intent, was something that was released naturally by people in stressful situations. From what I could tell, both from experience and my mana sight, it was simply the mana that radiated out of a person, allowing people to sense someone¡¯s seriousness about killing and danger instinctually. This bloodlust could also be controlled by manipting how much bloodlust is released. Usually, bloodlust was suppressed to make opponents unable to tell when one would attack, particrly for assassinations and the Water God Style. The Superd and Eris, however, went in the opposite direction by enhancing this bloodlust, enabling them to catch people off guard. Ruijerd also taught Eris how to use this ability in tandem with her natural talent to set the tempo for a fight and allow her to draw out her opponent¡¯s attacks. It was quite simr to a Water God technique, but one Eris could use. After all, when it came to setting the tempo for a fight, Eris was already a master. She was even better than I was myself, despite me being a Water Saint. Shaking my head to get rid of the useless thoughts, I watched as Minitona trembled in sadness before running into Eris¡¯ embrace, crying into her shoulder as she held her close. The beauty of friendship¡­ how amazing. ¡°Brother?¡± Norn said, looking up at me from my side. ¡°Can we¡­ train some more?¡± Smiling gently, I ran my hand through her hair as I thought about her and Aisha¡¯s progress as well. As soon as we settled into the Doldia vige, both Aisha and Norn had asked for me to train them. With Aisha focusing on magic and Norn trying her hand at swordsmanship. At this point, Aisha was able to cast most Beginner spells for all schools of magic, and I was now training her in chantless casting and mastery of mana control before increasing the rank of spells. Norn, on the other hand, did not have her sister¡¯s talent for magic, so I decided to have her focus on healing to keep herself safe and the basic fire and water spells for survival. With the de, though, I could say she had some skill. While she was only a Beginner in the Sword God and Water God Styles, as she trained more and grew up a bit, I was sure she would get strong enough to be able to defend herself. The thought filled me with happiness and relief. Still though¡­ I knew they weren¡¯t training for that far future in mind. Rather, it was because they didn¡¯t want to be a burden to me right now, and no matter how much I reassured them, they would always think deep down they needed to make it easier for me. Just like before, I was constantly conflicted. Conflicted between the joy of watching and aiding in their growth and not wanting to confirm their unfounded suspicions of being a burden. Luckily, with the introduction of Evelina and Serenia, the two had focused more on spending time with their new friends rather than training, so overall, I was content with how things went. Now that they wouldn¡¯t have those two to distract them, though¡­ I really hoped they would calm down with the training. Is this what Mama felt like? I know she was proud of me whenever I showed off my talents, but there was always that underlying worry I could see in her eyes. I¡¯ll have to apologize and reassure her when I find her. ¡°Sorry, Norn, but no. We¡¯re leaving today, after all,¡± I said. ¡°Did you say goodbye to your friends?¡± She nodded sadly. ¡°Evie and Serie were really upset¡­¡± ¡°Well, you told them you can meet again, right?¡± I consoled her. ¡°As long as you¡¯re alive, you can reunite with them. Plus, just think of how fun it will be to see them when you¡¯re all older.¡± ¡°R-Right! I can¡¯t wait!¡± Norn said, a little more life in her voice now. ¡°Good¡­¡± I then looked up to see Eris and her two friends walking towards us, seemingly having aired out their feelings and epted their separation. It didn¡¯t make them any less sad, though, as evidenced by the frowns all three were wearing. ¡°Leon¡­ Eris¡­ I¡¯ll get stronger, okay?¡± Minitona said. ¡°Of course,¡± I nodded with a smile. ¡°And don¡¯t feel too sad. We will meet again, after all.¡± We all will. As we began packing everything into the carriage the vige had graciously given us, I watched as Eris, Minitona, and Tersena said their final goodbyes, as well as Aisha, Norn, and the two beastfolk girls they had gotten close with. And then, of course, there was Ruijerd and Gustav. The two older men had grown closer by talking about stories of their youth long into the night, and I knew that Ruijerd was quite pleased with having made a friend despite his race. ¡­Wait. Eris and my dear sisters made friends¡­ even that Ruijerd did¡­ and yet here I was, watching them all say their goodbyes by myself. ¡­Was I a loner? N-No, that couldn¡¯t be it. I was just busy. Yes¡­ I was just busy. But to think we would end up spending three entire months in a beastfolk vige during our journey back¡­ and speaking of¡­ Taking out the ring ne that was tied around my neck, I brushed my thumb over the scratched wood as I thought about Big Sis Ghiine. While spending time in her homnd, I learned that despite her calling herself a ¡®troublesome youth¡¯, that was quite an understatement. I would love to mend her issues with her family, but from the sour looks Gustav and especially Gyes made at her name¡¯s mention¡­ that might be a little too hard. At least I was able to tell Tona some cool stories about her aunt from adventuring when I was a baby, which Eris and my sisters joined in to listen to attentively. But s¡­ ¡°Leon.¡± Hearing a voice call out to me, I turned to see Gyes looking at the ring with aplicated expression. ¡°¡­If you are able to reunite with Ghiine, I would like you to tell her that I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡­I was not expecting this. ¡°For abandoning her as a child and leaving her to that wandering swordsman¡­ I am quite ashamed now as a brother that I gave up on her. Especially after watching how you three act together,¡± he said, looking between Aisha, Norn, and me. Shaking my head, I responded, ¡°It isn¡¯t your fault, Gyes. Big Sis was a troublesome kid, and the path she walked made her who she is today. But¡­ if you want to apologize, you should do it yourself.¡± Clenching my fist, I thought about Mama, Lilia, Sylphy, Roxy, Rudy, and even Paul. All the people I still needed to find. ¡°As long as you both are alive, bonds can be reformed with effort. And family¡­ they are absolutely worth that effort.¡± His eyes meeting mine, Gyes eventually smiled as he nodded. ¡°I see¡­ Then I suppose I should ask you to send her back here if you can. That way we can talk in person.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± I answered. And with that, our group¡¯s three-month chapter in the Doldia vige came to an end as the ¡®Red Wolves¡¯ looked forward to our next destination¡­ Millishion. Chapter 39 – We Will Be Reunited: A Worthless Drunkard Chapter 39 ¨C We Will Be Reunited: A Worthless Drunkard ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Well, would you look at that?¡± Staring at the sight in front of us, I couldn¡¯t help but smile in satisfaction. Not only had we finally arrived at our destination after a three-month journey, but we were also rewarded with an absolutely stunning sight. ¡°So this is the capital of the Holy Country of Millis¡­ it is quite a sight indeed,¡± Ruijerd said, nodding with a smile. ¡°Yeah¡­ they don¡¯t call it the most beautiful city in the world for nothing, I guess,¡± I shrugged. ¡°Whatever! This is the ce with the big Adventure Guild, right? That¡¯s all that matters!¡± Eris said. ¡°But it¡¯s so pretty, Big Sis!¡± ¡°And look at the water!¡± Aisha and Norn added, staring down at the city in wonder. Millishion. Thergest city on the Millis Continent and the centre of the Millis faith. Calling it a ¡®beautiful ce¡¯ wouldn¡¯t do it justice. With the snow-topped mountainscape of the Blue Dragon Mountain Range in the background, the city was built on and around argeke, with shimmering blue water that calmed the heart even from looking this far away. A paragon of architectural beauty and harmony, the city had a ring of buildings surrounding theke that was connected to another floating ring through a variety of bridges, which were then connected to the central pce that floated in theke¡¯s centre. With the seven magic towers standing tall on the outskirts, from what I had read, they protected the city from outside interference with arge barrier that also controlled the weather of the city inside, so it was always a beautiful day in the capital of the Holy Country. This was also the ce where Mama was born and raised, as well as the ce where her family lived¡­ but we weren¡¯t here for that. We were here to meet Paul, my father, and drop off my sisters so that I could start searching for Mama and Lilia on the Begaritt Continent. But for now¡­ ¡°Aisha, Norn. Your scarf and bunny are getting a bit frayed. Do you want to buy something new here?¡± I asked. ¡°From what I remember reading, this ce has a whole district for shops in the east, so I¡¯m sure we can find something good.¡± Contrary to my expectations, they both adamantly refused. ¡°Absolutely not, Brother!¡± Norn shook her head. ¡°Even if it were reduced to rags, I wouldn¡¯t let it go,¡± Aisha agreed, holding her scarf close. Seeing them act like that warmed my heart in ways I never knew possible. Little sisters were something else, huh? ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m touched, you two,¡± I said, pulling them both to my sides. ¡°But we can still get some stuff if you want. We have a lot of funds, after all, especially after what the Doldia vige gifted us.¡± Watching the scenery pass by as the carriage continued down the Holy Sword Highway, I wondered about telling the two that they would be staying in this city for the foreseeable future. Well, I don¡¯t know for sure that Paul is still in Millishion, and they¡¯ll probably be upset when I bring it up¡­ so I¡¯ll wait untilter to break the news. ¡°Then¡­ How about we get you both some clothes? You two have been wearing the same outfit for a while, and you¡¯re both growing girls,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m sure this ce will have something you both like.¡± The two nodded their heads before suddenly staring at each other with a slight re. What¡¯s with this? ¡°Brother!¡± ¡°Big Brother!¡± The two suddenly looked up at me. ¡°Uh, yeah? What is it?¡± I asked. ¡°¡°Who¡¯s cuter?¡±¡± they asked simultaneously. Looking at their matching serious pouts, I had to fight to hold in augh. Too cute. But it seemed like I needed to navigate this conundrum without making anyone jealous¡­ Hmm¡­ How to do that¡­ Ah! ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ you¡¯re both pretty ugly to me,¡± I shrugged. They both widened their eyes in shock,pletely taken aback that the bother that had always called them ¡®cute¡¯ and ¡®adorable¡¯ had suddenly changed his tune. At least, that was until they noticed my slight smirk and their shock quickly turned to annoyed anger. ¡°Meanie!¡± Norn said with a pout, pulling my hair from my left. ¡°You liar! I¡¯m the cutest girl around!¡± Aisha eximed, joining in on my right. As I felt their joint effort in punishing me, I couldn¡¯t help but think that I deserved it. Thus, I let it happen without aint. But surprisingly, it was Eris who put a stop to their semantics. ¡°Hey! Cut it out, you two!¡± she said, crossing her arms. I then watched as her eyes darted away from me and back a couple of times before she turned her head to the side with a slight blush. ¡°I¡¯m the only one who gets to pull Leon¡¯s hair, got it!?¡± ¡­Wow. I knew that she had be more forward ever since my confession of love, but I was still quite stunned at the exmation. ¡°B-But Leon¡­¡± she said, looking back at me. ¡°W-Would you say I¡¯m¡­ well¡­ you know¡­¡± Seeing the unease that was clear on her face as she timidly twirled a strand of her hair around her finger, I smiled gently at her. ¡°I think you¡¯re cute too, Eri.¡± That seemed to satisfy her, as she nodded before quickly hopping off the carriage, deciding to practice her swordsmanship as she walked alongside our cart. I could see her gleeful smile as she skipped down the road, as well as the way her cheeks were flushed red, clearly showing her delight at mypliment. With my sisters seemingly satisfied with my punishment, they both went back to resting as I raised my hand to my chest, feeling my thumping heart beating a bit faster than usual. ¡°¡­That reaction¡¯s a little too unfair, Eri,¡± I whispered to myself with a troubled expression. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Having entered therge city through the south, where the Adventurer¡¯s District and apanying guild were located, we immediately began looking for some amodations in the guild building. It was¡­ big, to say the least. With a silver, glowing exterior and a main lobby that wasrger than the main banquet hall back in Roa, it was more akin to a pce than an Adventure Guild. As the main headquarters, it housed many requests, ranging from monster extermination to escort quests both inside and outside the city, but most importantly, there was no sign of my father or his people anywhere that I could see. They hadn¡¯t left¡­ had they? That would be extremely unlucky. While I was nning to continue to the Begaritt Continent if we found Paul, I was still nning on staying here for a month, so we decided to splurge a little and get a nice apartment to rent out. And so, with our belongings dropped off in our temporary home, and thergest city in the Millis Continent before us, we then set off to explore. Not together, unfortunately, as Ruijerd apparently wanted to go visit an old friend. I was quite surprised that Ruijerd had a friend, much less one in the capital of the Holy Country of Millis, but from how quickly he got along with Gustav back at the Doldia vige, I guess I couldn¡¯tpletely count out his social skills. Either way, with Ruijerd off to rekindle his friendship, Eris, my sisters, and I began walking around, both to sightsee and to hopefully catch wind of my father. We ventured through the streets, staying inside the southern district, tasting a few treats from stalls and visiting a few shops and cksmiths until finally¡­ I found him. Peeking inside a shabby-looking bar, I had initially nced over the collection of people and was nning to turn and leave before spotting a familiar mug. Paul Greyrat. My adoptive father, my sisters¡¯ biological father, and the S-rank adventurer that had formed the ¡®Fittoa Search and Rescue Squad¡¯. After nearly two years, I had found the first member of the people I needed to find. After nearly two years¡­ I had finally found my family. But before I could feel too joyous, I noticed the current state of my father, which quickly calmed my rapidly beating heart and dampened my wide, excited smile. Rather than the cheerful man I was so used to, with a confident smirk and yful bodynguage, I was met with the sight of what looked to be a dishevelled, broken man. With an unshaven, scruffy beard and long, matted hair, his nk face stared forward at the wall. His listless form remained motionless, only interrupted when he took arge swig from his mug, which I could only assume to be alcohol. ¡°Brother?¡± Norn asked from my side. Looking down at her, and then over to Aisha, my gaze then returned to the shattered man that was our father. A distant memory from the unreliable, dishonest, yet strong man that I had kept in my heart. ¡°¡­How about you three go check out some more shops,¡± I said, handing Eris some of my pocket money. ¡°I have to check something, so be good for Eri, okay you two?¡± Norn and Aisha both looked at me in confusion before nodding while Eris raised her eyebrow at me, obviously questioning what was going on. ¡°Please, Eri¡­¡± I asked. ¡°¡­Fine! But you¡¯re telling meter!¡± she said, taking Norn and Aisha¡¯s hands from mine. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, watching them walk off. Now¡­ time to deal with this guy. Hopefully, this was yet another moment of weakness, and this wasn¡¯t his daily habit. But¡­ judging from his unkempt appearance¡­ that was wishful thinking. Walking into the bar, I ignored the tense stares of the other patrons as I headed right for Paul before smacking the back of his head. ¡°Hah!? What bastard-!?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while,¡± I interrupted him as he turned to face me, his angered face instantly turning into one of shock as his eyes met mine. ¡°¡­Father.¡± Staring at me in silence, Paul¡¯s face then turned pained as he sank to his knees in front of me. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! Leon. I-I¡¯m weak! I¡­ I haven¡¯t found Zenith! Or Lilia! I¡¯m so sorry!¡± he sobbed, clutching my shirt. Patting his head, I released a sigh as I attempted tofort the drunkard, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Father. You can leave the rest to me now.¡± God¡­ he reeks of alcohol. Definitely was a good idea to let Aisha and Norn meet himter. ¡°N-No! I¡­ I know you¡¯re just a vision. A punishment for me being such a worthless sack of shit!¡± he spat. Oh¡­ he¡¯s worse than I thought. ¡°Father, calm down,¡± I said, pulling him up to his feet as I cast a detoxification spell to get rid of the alcohol in his system. ¡°It¡¯s me. Leon. I¡¯m real. I¡¯m right here.¡± His eyes met mine once again, but instead of the hazy gaze from before, this time his green eyes were clear, open wide in shock. ¡°L-Leon¡­ Y-You¡¯re¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Father,¡± I smiled. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± A ghost of a smile appeared on his face, causing my eyes to tear up slightly in happiness. ¡°Now,¡± I said, patting his shoulder. ¡°I think we should have a little chat, no?¡± ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Sorry¡­ about you seeing me like that,¡± Paul said, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. ¡°As I said, it¡¯s fine.¡± I waved off his concern. ¡°Anyway, as you asked before, yes. Aisha and Norn are safe. Right now they¡¯re with Eris checking out the city.¡± ¡°I see¡­ so they¡¯re safe¡­¡± Paul said with a wide smile. But, oddly enough, I couldn¡¯t help but notice a touch of annoyance in his expression. ¡°You kept them safe¡­ good job,¡± he praised. ¡­How peculiar. Was it just my imagination? ¡°Thanks, Father. But I just did what was natural,¡± I said as I took a drink of juice. ¡°More importantly, I know where Mama and Lilia are.¡± His hands immediately mmed down on the table as he stood up, staring at me intently. ¡°You know?! Where!? How!?¡± ¡°Calm down, Father,¡± I said, frowning at the noise. ¡°They¡¯re¡­ safe¡­ I think. Someone I met on my travels was able to search the world for them, and apparently, they¡¯re both alive in the Begaritt Continent. Near the Dungeon City of Rapan, to be more specific.¡± ¡°Begaritt¡­¡± Paul said, sitting back down, his lips spread wide in an ecstatic smile. ¡°That exins it¡­ why I couldn¡¯t find anything about them here. But¡­ they¡¯re alive¡­ thank Millis¡­¡± Shaking his head, he then stared at me intensely once more, his eyes firm and focused, just like the S-rank adventurer I remembered. That was better. ¡°Leon. You said you met this person ¡®on your travels¡¯¡­ what have you been doing for the past two years?¡± he asked with a stern tone. ¡°I¡¯ll exin, Father,¡± I nodded. ¡°First¡­ well, I guess I should start by where we got teleported¡­ The Demon Continent.¡± ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°-And that leads us to now,¡± I said, finishing my story of our adventures for the past year. From the initial panic from the teleportation to the rtively enjoyable time as adventurers to the smuggling and consequent stay at the Doldia vige. I told Paul everything I could remember in detail, though I opted to skip some stuff between Eris and me. Not only would she be pissed if I told such secrets and Paul started making fun of her, but I also felt that those moments were a bit too¡­ personal to share. Even with my father. As I looked back at the man sitting opposite me, I couldn¡¯t help but notice a few signs of agitation. Clenched fists, grinding teeth, furrowed brows¡­ hell, the man hadn¡¯t even looked me in the eyes for the past few minutes. Thinking about it, I first noticed he was like this as soon as I mentioned the start of our stay in the Doldia vige¡­ So what was with this guy? Eventually, Paul responded, ¡°So¡­ you kept your sisters safe and had a fun adventure with your littledy friend?¡± ¡°Uhh, in extremely simple terms, yes. You could say that,¡± I answered, a bit confused. Why was he acting so pissed? Ah¡­ was it that? ¡°Was it easy?¡± Paul said, interrupting my thoughts. ¡°No, but¡­ I managed,¡± I said. ¡°It got way better after meeting Ruijerd and even easier once we got to the Millis Continent.¡± ¡°Right¡­ your super powerful Superd bodyguard,¡± he said with a chuckle. Though, there was no humour or amusement to be heard in thatugh. ¡°¡­And you didn¡¯t find any others?¡± he asked. ¡°Others that were teleported? No, I didn¡¯t,¡± I shook my head. ¡°That would take way too long and be too difficult, and I was focused on getting back home. After meeting Kishirika, my goal changed to get Mama after dropping off Aisha and Norn.¡± ¡°¡­call her that,¡± Paul mumbled under his breath. ¡°What?¡± I asked. ¡°I said, don¡¯t fucking call her that!¡± Paul snapped, standing up and ring at me with a snarl. ¡°You¡¯re a fucking Sword Saint, Leon! On top of being a Water Saint and a Saint-ranked magician! And that was two years ago! You¡¯re probably at the level of a Sword King now! And what are you using that strength for!? You even have someone stronger than you, so why didn¡¯t you do anything!? Just travelled like a goddamn merchant, peddling bullshit to everyone you passed!¡± I felt my body freeze in ce as Paul continued his rant, a bubbling feeling of nausea building in my stomach. ¡°You learned where Zenith and Lilia were, and what did you do? You stayed in the fucking forest to make good with the damn beastfolk and have a honeymoon with your new girlfriend!¡± I averted my eyes, looking around the room to look away from the man, noticing that quite a few of the gathered people were looking at Paul with sad frowns as two girls hesitantly approached. ¡°Captain?¡± one of the girls said, her nearck of clothing making her quite the striking sight. ¡®Captain¡¯¡­ were they part of Paul¡¯s group he mentioned in the guild notice? Interesting¡­ but why was she dressed like that? ¡°Hey, Leon!¡± Paul shouted, making me turn back to face him. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go to Begaritt, huh? Maybe¡­ Yeah, that¡¯s it. Maybe you never saw Zenith as a mother, did you?¡± The dull haze my mind had found itself in cleared at his words. ¡°Are you the one who should be saying that bullshit to me?¡± I snarled, standing up as I ignored the sickening feeling in my core. ¡°I see you have two pretty girls calling you ¡®Captain¡¯ now. Were Mama and Lilia not enough? Don¡¯t tell me I have any other siblings to worry about!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± he said, extending his fist to my face. I didn¡¯t dodge the punch, instead opting to re straight into the man¡¯s eyes as I protected my face with a light coating of touki. As Paul¡¯s crazed expression turned still in shock at what he had done, I couldn¡¯t help but look into his eyes. They were¡­ pained. As soon as I looked deeper, I understood. More than being angry at me, he was way more angry at no one else but¡­ himself. There was also some jealousy in those eyes. Likely jealousy directed at me, who was able to find Mama and Lilia, while also keeping Aisha and Norn safe, while he had found¡­ no one. He had met up with Rudy, of course, but that was more of a mutual encounter from what I understood. I understood the man named Paul Greyrat, and during my travels, I had seen more and more people like him. He was just an idiot. A big, emotional idiot whose only way to deal with bad and confusing feelings was byshing out, acting on his emotions just as usual. He didn¡¯t mean the hurtful things he said, and I could tell that as soon as he sobered up from his anger and self-hatred, he regretted his words. Still¡­ that didn¡¯t make them any less hurtful. But rather than the anger that had red up before, all I could feel was an empty sadness. A slightly sickening feeling of loss and pain. ¡°Get away from Brother!¡± With a pitter-patter of light steps, Norn then ran up to stand in between the two of us, raising her wooden sword as she red at Paul. ¡°I heard all of it,¡± the cold and stern tone of Aisha joined in. ¡°I won¡¯t let you hurt Big Brother anymore.¡± ncing at the entrance, I noticed that she had her hand extended, ance of ice floating in front of her, ready to fire. I didn¡¯t even hear her chant. ¡­I¡¯ll have to praise herter. ¡°I-Is that¡­ Norn?¡± Paul said, staring wide-eyed at the girl in front of him before turning to the entrance. ¡°And¡­ Aisha? So you two really are-¡± Paul was interrupted by the sound of Eris marching towards him, her feet thumping against the wooden floorboards and her hand gripping her sheathed sword while she stared at him with one of the scariest expressions I had ever seen her wear. Her face was teeming with anger, and I could tell from the bloodlust radiating off of her what her current state was, but it was alsopletely nk. Quite a terrifying look for the overly passionate Eris, who usually wore her heart on her sleeve. As I felt her touki fluctuate, I reached my hand out to grab her arm before he could cut Paul down on the spot. ¡°Leon. Let me go,¡± she said coldly, still staring at the man. ¡°No, just¡­ drop it,¡± I sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the inn. We can try to pick up something to eat on the way.¡± I then looked back to Norn, reaching my free hand out which she thankfully received, looking at me with worry. ¡°N-Norn¡­ Wait-¡± ¡°Father,¡± I said, interrupting him. ¡°Just so you know¡­ while you might say my strength has done nothing, I don¡¯t consider protecting my precious sisters and your future daughter-inw ¡®nothing¡¯.¡± As Eris turned rigid from shock, likely from me calling her Paul¡¯s future daughter-inw, I used her momentary pause to pull her out of the bar without a fight, Aisha thankfully joining us without a fuss as well. And that was how the first meeting with my family after two long years happened. Quite dissatisfying, if I say so myself. Quite¡­ painful too. Dammit. Chapter 40 – Love and Family Chapter 40 ¨C Love and Family ¡ª Eris Boreas Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Leon? Are you-¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Eri,¡± he said, turning back to me with a smile. ¡°Just¡­ wondering what our ns should be.¡± I frowned at his words. I wasn¡¯t amazing at the emotional things, or how people were feeling. Things like emotions¡­ they wereplicated and stupid, and I couldn¡¯t ovee those problems by cutting them down with a sword, which made them even stupider. But I could tell¡­ Leon wasn¡¯t fine. When he put Aisha and Norn to bed, the usual carefree smile filled with love, while still there, was tense and forced. His eyes seemed to always be staring ahead, looking at nothing, and he released a sigh every few moments as he sat still on the bed. It was very¡­ unlike him. I hated it. I hated seeing him like this, all sad and despondent. He was meant to be happier, especially after meeting his family for the first time, but instead, he was reduced to being quiet and withdrawn like now. And it¡¯s all because of that damn bastard! I always thought that Paul was an annoying piece of shit, pushing his responsibility onto Leon and taking him away from me, but to think he¡¯d say such terrible things after being apart for two years! And after all the things Leon did¡­ what Leon sacrificed¡­ It was bullshit! As soon as Leon gets better, I was going to cut that bastard down! But¡­ there was something more important to do first. Leon needed to get better. Ruijerd had stopped by, and noticing Leon¡¯s state, told me that helping him get back to his usual self was a ¡®woman¡¯s job¡¯. My job. So¡­ how would I do that? Suddenly, memories from the past came into my head. More specifically, the words of my mother. ¡®Eris,¡¯ she had said. ¡®Men are simple creatures. You praise them, and they be happy. You undress, and they be happy. You take them to bed, and they be happy¡­ but most of all, especially with men shouldering so much stress like your father, what¡¯s important is that you give themfort. Tell them you will support them when they need it. And for clever men like your father and Leon¡­ those words mean much more when they are truthful.¡¯ ¡­I wanted to help him. I wanted to be by Leon¡¯s side, with all of my heart. And Mother said Leon was clever, so¡­ Please notice my sincerity! ¡°L-Leon,¡± I said, tucking my hair behind my ear as I sat down next to him. J-Jeez! This was so embarrassing! It made that annoying feeling bubble up to the surface of my mind. But¡­ this wasn¡¯t about me. This was about making Leon feel better and showing him my true feelings. ¡°I-I¡­ know that meeting wasn¡¯t what you wanted it to be like,¡± I said, cing my hand on his cheek and turning him to face me, but my words trailed off as I stared at him. Wow¡­ I never really noticed before, but Leon¡¯s eyes were really¡­ nice. They were alwaysforting, but seeing the shimmering brown, as well as the slight purple tint his magic eye had, it was the first time I noticed that they were¡­ pretty. But! More importantly! ¡°B-But¡­ I¡­ I-I¡¯ll always be here for you¡­¡± His eyes widened slightly as I stared into him. But aside from that¡­ that annoying feeling¡­ it was pulling me closer. Closer to him. Closer to his face. Closer to his lips¡­ W-Well¡­ Leon did say he loved me, right? S-So this¡­ This is only natural! And so, leaning forward, I pressed my lips against his. ¡­Soft. That was the first thing I could notice as a tingly sensation shot down my spine. Opening my eyes, I saw that Leon¡¯s eyes were also open in surprise before he gently closed them and ced his hand on the back of my head, pulling me closer to him. W-Why did that feel so good? Wait¡­ what else did Mother say that night about men? ¡®Now, as for how to make a man yours, you have to undress. Slowly, to show off all your curves. Let his eyes wander before-¡¯ Nope! Like hell I could do that! We exchanged a few more kisses before Leon separated from me. Opening my eyes, I looked into his, noticing a certain gentleness that I had never seen before as he stared at me. It felt¡­ good. This all felt good. I¡­ I wanted more. So, closing my eyes, I felt his hand move from the back of my head to my cheek as he leaned forward, once again capturing my lips. Lost in the sensations, I couldn¡¯t help but think about my life before the teleportation incident. I¡­ had always wondered. Did my parents love me? I know they sometimes did, but it was hard to believe that they truly loved me. After all, despite me being there, Mother was still always sad about my brothers leaving, and Father, while showing shes of affection, was more often than not disappointed in me for being a failure of a nobledy. So¡­ did they love me? Did they still love me? Did they¡­ ever love me? Well¡­ either way, it didn¡¯t matter. Because¡­ I feel incredibly loved right now. And I didn¡¯t need anything else. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Well, shit. Ipletely gave in. So much for waiting for rtionship stuff until everyone was together again. But then again¡­ can anyone me me? I was feeling pretty shitty after my argument with Paul, and then she came over, acting so cute and saying such sweet things¡­ The battle was lost before it even started. And now, after exchanging kisses until my lips became numb for who knows how long, I found myself resting on Eris¡¯p, my head turned to her stomach as she brushed her hand gently through my hair. ¡°¡­Where¡¯d you get this idea, Eri?¡± I asked. ¡°T-This is what you do for Norn when she has a nightmare, right? So¡­¡± Eris answered. ¡°Is that so?¡± I said with a smile. How cute. ¡­Maybe our rtionship changing isn¡¯t the worst thing in the world. ¡°Y-Yeah, now stop talking! It tickles!¡± she said, her hand lightly gripping my ear. ¡°Actually, stop breathing too!¡± I felt some d¨¦j¨¤ vu at those words. ¡°That¡¯s awfully harsh, Eri,¡± I murmured with a smirk as I enjoyed the pleasant softness of herp. ¡°You know¡­ a normal boy my age would do something lewd in a position like this.¡± Her hand halted its progress through my hair. ¡°¡­You can do whatever you want with me, Leon.¡± ¡°¡­I see,¡± I nodded, closing my eyes. Right¡­ I guess Eris has awakened her more¡­ sensual side. I would have to be careful. And more importantly¡­ ¡°Eri¡­ I love you,¡± I said. I felt her legs flinch, and turning my head to look up at her face, I could see her cheeks were now glowing red. ¡°But¡­ I love two others too. Roxy and Sylphy. At least¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure I do,¡± I said. ¡°So¡­ I can¡¯t promise to be only yours.¡± I didn¡¯t want to say these things, especially after what she had done for me, but¡­ I needed her to know now so that she wasn¡¯t hurt even moreter on. Perhaps it was hypocritical of me when I disparaged Paul forying a hand on Lilia, but considering I was ensuring she knew before we got far enough to have a child¡­ I didn¡¯t think it was that bad. Something told me Mama would still be disappointed, though. Sorry, Mama. You can berate me after Ie to save you. Eris frowned down at me, her hand trailing to my ear to pull on it again. Ouch. That hurts a bit, Eri. ¡°I already knew that,¡± she said, clicking her tongue. ¡°And stop talking about other women while you¡¯re on myp. It¡¯s annoying.¡± ¡°Right¡­ that was a bit rude¡­ sorry,¡± I said. ¡°Can I do something in exchange?¡± She looked down at me for a moment before looking away. ¡°¡­Praise me.¡± Hmm¡­ My lips unconsciously curled up at her demure adorableness as I pondered how to answer her. ¡°...First, you¡¯re strong,¡± I said. ¡°Strong in swordsmanship, of course, but I¡¯m talking about your strength of will and constant drive to improve. It¡¯s¡­ admirable, and something I respect.¡± Appealing to her core trait seemed to be a good starting point as her lips curled upward. ¡°You¡¯re also caring. Some might not see past your brashness, but I can,¡± I said. ¡°You work hard to get stronger, not only for yourself, but also for those you care about. I also love your shyness. It¡¯s endearing, and makes me feel good when I¡¯m one of the few people who can see that side of you.¡± Her cheeks gained even more colour as I continued. ¡°And of course, you¡¯re very pretty. Beautiful, cute, charming¡­ all the words I could use wouldn¡¯t be enough,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°So yeah¡­ that¡¯s my sincere praise. Do you want anything else?¡± Eris turned away from me, hiding her face from me with her shirt. ¡°¡­L-Love me more¡­¡± Raising my hand to her cheek, I brushed my thumb gently across her face. ¡°Sorry Eri¡­ but that¡¯s impossible.¡± She widened her eyes before suddenly grabbing the bottom of her shirt and using it to cover my face. ¡°S-Shut up! ¡­Dummy.¡± While she said that, looking up through her shirt, I could see her lips were spread wide in arge, wobbly smile. Meeting her eyes, she tried to form a pout, though it was unsessful. ¡°¡­You¡¯re annoying me.¡± Seeing the love in her eyes as she stared down at me, I couldn¡¯t help but smile softly as I felt the burdens of everything lift from my metaphorical shoulders, allowing me to close my eyes and let the fatigue of a long day take me. Hopefully¡­ tomorrow will be a better day. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Finishing thest of my morning stretches, I was interrupted by my two sisters making their awakened state known, both sitting up in their shared bed as they stared at me with slight pouts. ¡°Good morning, you two,¡± I said. ¡°Did you sleep okay?¡± Norn¡¯s pout deepened. ¡°¡­You weren¡¯t with us, Brother.¡± ¡°Ah, is this what this is about?¡± I sighed, shaking my head. Last night was the first time I had slept away from the two in¡­ well, nearly two years. I had been doing so ever since Ruijerd joined us, save for when we got separated after arriving at the Millis Continent and some quests during our journey across the Demon Continent. But I didn¡¯t rent a ce with two beds for no reason. After all, now that we had met Paul, I would be leaving soon, so they needed to learn to be away from me, and this was only the first step. Though¡­ I doubted they would want to be with Paul right now if yesterday was any indication. That would be a separate issue. Plus, aside from the logical reasons, it was awfully cute seeing the two snuggle up to each other. Such a lucky brother, I am. ¡°That¡¯s not it, but¡­¡± Aisha said, looking at me with a slight smile. ¡°You seem better, Big Brother.¡± ¡°Yeah, some stuff happened,¡± I shrugged, looking over to the sleeping form of Eris, her hair sprawled over the pillow as she curled herself into a ball. I¡­ should get her something to thank her, right? She was talking about needing new boots, so that might be good. ¡°I see,¡± Aisha nodded before her smile suddenly turned strained, a hesitant look on her face. Turning to look at each other, both Norn and Aisha nodded in tandem before looking back at me, faces stern with determination. ¡°Brother¡­ yesterday, what did Father mean?¡± Norn asked. I raised my eyebrow in confusion. ¡°When he said you ¡®don¡¯t see Zenith as your mother¡¯¡­ what did that mean?¡± Aisha asked. Ahh¡­ so we were finally having this conversation, huh? My shoulders drooped. It was awfully silly of me, but¡­ I had kept the fact that I was adopted from them all this time. After all, while the two relied on me, I relied on their innocence and love just as much. So if they had suddenly stopped looking at me as their brother¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it. But I couldn¡¯t hide it forever, huh? I should be lucky itsted until the end of this journey. ¡°Well¡­ you see, you two¡­ I¡¯m not exactly your brother. At least not by blood,¡± I said, taking a deep breath to calm my emotions. I then went on to exin how I had been picked up as a kid, and that I wasn¡¯t Mama¡¯s child, nor Paul¡¯s¡­ at least from what we knew. ¡°So yes¡­ I was adopted,¡± I said, finishing my story. ¡°But believe me, you two, I love you more than anything. I was the first ones to hold you, and¡­ the happiness I felt at those moments¡­ it was immeasurable. You two¡­ you mean more to me than I can describe, so make no mistake, I¡­ definitely see you as my cute little sisters¡­ as my family.¡± Kneeling in front of them and holding their hands, I stared at their legs, unable to look up at their faces. What would they look like? Would they feel betrayed? Lied to? Would they¡­ reject me? Heh¡­ at least them going to Paul would be easier that way- ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡± Aisha suddenly said, using her other hand to lift my face to meet hers. ¡°You¡¯re my Big Brother, and nothing¡¯s going to change that! And if there¡¯s a difference in family, I¡¯d much rather be yours than that man¡¯s!¡± Feeling my heart race in happiness, I looked over to Norn, who was wearing a simr expression of determination as her sister. ¡°You¡¯ve¡­ done everything for me, for as long as I can remember,¡± Norn said. ¡°Holding me when I¡¯m sad¡­ keeping me safe from monsters¡­ teaching me about the world¡­ If that isn¡¯t a brother, then I don¡¯t want one!¡± The relief I felt was indescribable, and before I knew it, I had wrapped my arms around the two of them, pulling them into a tight hug. ¡°¡­Thank you, you two¡­¡± I whispered, using water magic to gather the tears that had gathered in my eyes and fling them away. There was no need for crying, was there? No, there was not. Even if they were happy tears. ¡°Now!¡± I returned to kneeling on the floor, looking at Aisha with a smile. ¡°While I appreciate that a lot, Aisha, you shouldn¡¯t say you don¡¯t want to be your father¡¯s family. And don¡¯t call him ¡®that man¡¯.¡± She looked at me with a mix of confusion and anger. ¡°B-But Big Brother! He said such mean things-¡± ¡°I know,¡± I interrupted him. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to forgive him, either of you two, but I can¡¯t have you disowning him as your father.¡± Seeing the defiance in both of their eyes, I could only sigh. Is this the curse of being too doting? Did I make them overprotective? Ah, well, it feels nice, so I won¡¯t call it a mistake. I just needed to fix up this messy family dynamic. ¡°Look, you two,¡± I said seriously. ¡°Paul- Our father¡­ he¡¯s been trying his best. He made a whole group and led them to search for people who got lost in the teleportation, and most importantly, to search for you.¡± Tapping their chests to emphasize my point, I continued, ¡°Unlike us, he was all alone. Constantly scared and worried about you two, as well as your mothers.¡± Letting my words sink in, I was d to see a sh of understanding cross their eyes. But a momentter, the anger returned to Aisha¡¯s gaze as she clenched her tiny fist. ¡°Then why!? If he was so worried, why was he so mean to you when you fixed everything!?¡± she asked. ¡°Why¡­ when he knew you were safe¡­ did he just yell at you¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s just our stupid father, Aisha,¡± I said, taking her into a hug and pulling Norn in as well. ¡°He gets jealous easily when he¡¯s shown up, and he can¡¯t stand being the one needing to be saved.¡± ¡°¡­He sounds stupid,¡± Norn mumbled into my shoulder. ¡°And he is,¡± I nodded with a smile, looking up to the ceiling. ¡°¡­But he¡¯s our stupid father, you know. No matter what, we¡¯re still family, so if you can¡¯t forgive him yet, that¡¯s fine, but don¡¯t cast him away just for that. After all, I¡¯ve already forgiven him¡­ somewhat.¡± Aisha looked up at me, her green eyes shimmering in confusion. ¡°¡®Somewhat¡¯?¡± ¡°Well, he still needs to apologize, and I think I deserve to give him a few smacks,¡± I said. ¡°But¡­ remember what I always say? About what¡¯s most important?¡± ¡°Getting better at fighting!¡± Aisha said proudly. ¡°Not that, you cheeky brat,¡± I said, yfully pinching her side, causing her to giggle. ¡°Why do I constantly try to get stronger?¡± Norn answered this time, her fist clenching my shirt. ¡°To protect us¡­ and our family¡­¡± ¡°Because~?¡± I said. ¡°...Because family is most important,¡± Aisha sighed,ing down from her bout ofughter. ¡°That¡¯s my girls,¡± I said, smiling as I patted their heads. ¡°Now, I think I¡¯ve neglected your hair for long enough. Do you both want it long still?¡± Getting two nods, I then went over to my bag to get a pair of scissors before getting to work. Such is the life of a responsible older brother. ¡ª Paul Greyrat ¡ª To put it bluntly, right now I felt like shit. A giant, steaming pile of shit. And looking at my reflection in the mirror, I looked like shit too. ¡°Haa¡­ you just had to fuck it up, didn¡¯t you, Paul,¡± I sighed, looking out the window to the lit-up town. ¡°...Zenith and Lilia would be pretty disappointed, wouldn¡¯t they.¡± No, they would be more than simply ¡®disappointed¡¯. They would probably beat the shit out of me, if not just leave me outright on the spot. After all, they nearly did so for less, back then in Buena Vige when I hit Leon for no reason and questioned his love for Zenith as a mother¡­ which would be the first of two times now. God dammit, that¡¯s¡­ just like Dad, ain¡¯t it? Despite despising him with all my heart when I left¡­ well, like father like son, I guess. But no¡­ while thest time I got angry with Leon was bad, this time was much worse. After all, he had told me himself how hard he had it. And yet I¡­ and even in front of Norn and Aisha¡­ After two whole years¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but think back to that horrible day of the famed ¡®Discement Incident¡¯. It was a normal day of clearing out monsters in the forest, before suddenly, a bright light crested the horizon, quickly engulfing me, and a momentter, I found myself in some barren in, far away from home. Luckily, I remembered the ce, as it was my old stomping ground back when I had just left my noble house. Back before my bratty younger selfid im to Lilia¡¯s first time. The south of the Asura Kingdom. I was confused, of course, but fine. After all, I always kept my sword, adventurer''s card, and a gold coin on me, so I was able to make do. What I wasn¡¯t prepared for, however, was learning that my entire family had been teleported as well, and no one knew where anyone was. I immediately gathered anyone I could and set forth to the surroundings, quickly clearing out some bandit camps I had heard about in rumours and rescuing as many Fittoans as I could. But despite that, none of them were my family. Then, there was all that shit with Sauros and Philip, with both of them fighting their own battles and unable to provide much help before I decided to head to Millishion to create a centralized location for our little ragtag group and also to hopefully make use of Zenith¡¯s old family. They hated my guts, which I had expected, but they had enough empathy to give me some support¡­ though I had a feeling that empathy only went to finding Zenith, Rudy, and Norn. They wouldn¡¯t care about a mistress and an adopted child. And that was a year ago. It was hell at first, and I was incredibly worried about not covering enough ground, especially to the north of the Asura Kingdom. But then, I ran into my son. Apparently, the brat had been caught in the Great Forest, and after getting his bearings, he decided to escort a couple of beastfolk princesses to the Ranoa University of Magic all the way up north in Sharia¡­ or at least most of the way there. That part wasn¡¯t really important, but through my meeting with him, I got two invaluable gifts. First, he said he would start searching for everyone in the north, covering what I couldn¡¯t. He was strong and capable, so I knew I could trust him. After all, if a Saint-tier water mage who could cast magic without a chant and had a seemingly infinite amount of mana couldn¡¯t do anything, then Millis knows my sorry ass wouldn¡¯t change a thing. But, more importantly, he told me exactly how they were teleported. Whether it was a stroke of luck or his usual genius, Leon had trapped everyone on that hill that day in groups held tight together, covered by earth magic, including him and his two little sisters. And I, having known about teleportation traps from my adventuring days, instantly knew what that meant. He was with them. Norn and Aisha, the two I had been tearing my hair out over, were safe. There was no question in my mind. Leon was a force of nature, one who would very likely be one of the Seven Great Powers someday, and despite that, the only thing he cared more about than strength were his two little sisters. So they were safe. That, I was sure of. But to think they would be sent to the harshestnd of all¡­ the Demon Continent¡­ and after waiting so long, feeling that faint hope fade with every passing day as I pounded booze down my gullet¡­ I lost to my childish emotions. ¡°God, I really am a piece of shit¡­¡± I mumbled to the ground. ¡°Yep! You sure were back there, Captain.¡± Hearing a familiar voice, I turned to see my two most trustedpanions. ¡°Vierra¡­ Shierra¡­¡± I said. ¡°¡­Sorry you had to see me like that¡­ and had to hear what Leon said¡­¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s fine, Captain¡­¡± Shierra waved away my apology. ¡°Yeah. I mean, dressing like this, what he said is one of the gentler things I¡¯ve heard,¡± Vierra said. ¡°Yeah¡­ but still¡­¡± The two sisters had been one of the first ones I had saved after forming our group before promptly joining it. Both were working as adventurers in the Fittoa region before the Discement Incident, causing them to get caught by some¡­ unscrupulous folk. After being used as a bandit¡¯s sex toy, Shierra had developed an intense fear of men, so I was worried about how should react to Leon¡¯s words, but it seemed like she was fine. And Vierra¡­ yeah, I can see why Leon thought I was being unfaithful. After all, her usual outfit consisted of bikini armour that covered only the essentials, leaving nothing to the imagination. While I had been too focused on Zenith and Lilia to have my eyes wander, her looks, bountiful chest, andck of clothing led to many gazes being sent her way, which is exactly what she wanted. After all, with so many girls having simr horror stories to her sister and herself, it was better for her to take away all the attention from any lust-driven men. She was really strong, like that. Much stronger than me, who cursed out my son for some twisted feeling of jealousy and inferiority. And whenever I was out ofmission due to the bottle, she was always the one that brought the group together. Haa¡­ And I¡¯ve been leaving everything up to hertely¡­ truly, what a piece of shit I am. ¡°Here, Captain,¡± Vierra said, handing me a drink. ¡°No, I¡­ I shouldn¡¯t. Not right now,¡± I refused, pushing it away. ¡°It¡¯s water, Captain¡­¡± ¡°...Oh. Then, thanks,¡± I said, taking the mug. I downed the drink, washing away the faint taste of booze that still lingered in my mouth as the two sisters sat down on the nearby chairs. ¡°Captain¡­ You¡¯ve been fighting to find your family all this time,¡± Vierra said. ¡°You¡¯re not going to end it here, are you? You should go back and talk with them.¡± ¡°Heh,¡± I chuckled, leaning my head against the wall. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think Leon wants to talk with me right now. Aisha and Norn either.¡± Remembering the fierce anger Norn showed as she stood between me and her brother, as well as the silent fury Aisha showed as she stood with an icence at the ready, a slight shiver went down my spine. Yeah¡­ they loved Leon before they ended up being protected by him for two straight years through thick and thin. So for me to insult him like such an ass¡­ I really screwed things up, huh? And then there was the way Norn held her sword, strong and firm in a Sword God Style stance, as well as the magic Aisha had cast¡­ Leon probably taught them that too, huh? And they¡¯ve grown¡­ all three of them¡­ I missed all of that, and as soon as I got the chance to see them again, I pissed it away with my stubborn jealousy. ¡°Dammit,¡± I cursed, quickly raising my arms to wipe my eyes. ¡°That may be so¡­¡± Vierra continued. ¡°But they¡¯re your family, right? So you don¡¯t have a choice. You have to meet them again, even if you have to beg to do so.¡± She entuated her point by pulling her sister close, letting the shorter girl rest her head on her shoulder just as I¡¯ve seen them do so many times. ¡°...Unless you want to end things like this, that is¡­¡± she mumbled. ¡°No! I don¡¯t want that, dammit!¡± I shouted, mming my fist onto the bed. Vierra simply smiled back at me as she stroked Sierra¡¯s head. ¡°Then go talk to them, Captain. You said you were angry that your son didn¡¯t run to your wives, right? But from what I heard, he was protecting your daughters. And doing a pretty good job, at that.¡± I felt my eye twitch. ¡°Look, I know I¡¯m a piece of shit, but he still could¡¯ve gone. He¡¯s an Advanced tier magician in everything but barrier magic and a damn Saint in the Water God and Sword God styles,¡± I said. ¡°Paired with that Ruijerd guy he mentioned¡­ and even Eris is at my level now¡­ they definitely could¡¯ve dealt with it. Even with Norn and Aisha.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Vierra shrugged. ¡°But¡­ is that all you want? Your kids to just survive? That Leon seemed pretty proud about them having fun.¡± ¡°He did, didn¡¯t he,¡± I spat, feeling my annoyance spike once again. ¡°Right¡­ But are you sure he was happy about that for him? For the selfish reason of having it easy?¡± she questioned. ¡°...Or do you think he was happy because his sisters didn¡¯t spend two years of their lives absolutely miserable?¡± I stood still at that, my eyes widening in shock. ¡°...I can see you¡¯re thinking about it, Captain, so we¡¯ll get out of your hair,¡± Vierra said, standing up with her sister. ¡°But just remember¡­ they came back. They survived such a hellishnd like the Demon Continent and came back. And even after all that¡­ they can still smile.¡± As she closed the door behind her, I finally let the tears I had been holding back flow forth as I buried my head in my knees. Imagining Leon with the nk face and jaded expression of a hardened veteran, and the sight of Norn and Aisha listlessly following behind him, eyes ssy from seeing things no child should, I felt my knees buckle as I fell to the ground. ¡°N-No¡­ I¡­ don¡¯t want that¡­¡± Swallowing down the vomit that was threatening toe forth, I slowly got back to my feet, staring at the reflection in front of me in the window. Seeing the state I had been reduced to, I could only think¡­ What an ugly mug¡­ This guy is a father? I feel sorry for whoever got cursed with such a deadbeat. Truly, they must have some shitty luck. That was all I could see. And that was what Leon and my two dear daughters saw. But¡­ this wasn¡¯t me. I could be better. A better person, a better father¡­ I just needed to put some damn effort in! ¡°...I¡¯ll meet them tomorrow¡­¡± I said before frowning, bringing my hand up to massage my scratchy chin. ¡°But¡­ I should probably shave first¡­¡± And no more alcohol. Millis knows I¡¯ve had enough over the past few months tost me a lifetime. ¡°I¡¯ll say it again tomorrow¡­ and after that as much as you need¡­ but I¡¯m sorry, Leon,¡± I whispered to myself as I pped my cheeks. I messed up. I acted like an idiot. But now¡­ it was time to be a man and face my mistake, and most importantly, fix it. And to make it right¡­ I would do whatever it takes. Family is worth that much, right? Even a worthless man like me knew that much. Chapter 41 – Reconciliation Chapter 41 ¨C Reconciliation ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Having forced the trio of Eris, Aisha, and Norn to head into themercial district with Ruijerd acting as their guard¡­ or rather, as their babysitter, I found myself sitting in the same bar as yesterday with a mug of juice in my hand, waiting for a certain someone to make their appearance. While Eris and my sisters really didn¡¯t like the idea of leaving me to meet with Paul alone, thankfully, Ruijerd was able to take them away without too much of a fuss, trusting me to deal with it alone. As I idly twirled some wind magic in my hand to pass the time, eventually, after less than an hour of waiting in rtive silence, a familiar face appeared. ¡°L-Leon¡­¡± I guess the girl who widened her eyes and left when she saw me told him, judging by how she was standing in the doorway now. She was one of the girls I used Paul of cheating with, right? I¡¯d have to apologize. That wasn¡¯t fair to her. ¡­Unless it actually happened, of course. In that case, I would just leave the sad excuse of a father and a husband behind and cut all contact with him. ¡°How nice of you toe say hi, Paul,¡± I said, turning to face him. ¡°Cooled down a bit?¡± I was slightly surprised by the sight of the man, though I was able to hide it well. What before was the shoddy, sorry excuse of a man had changedpletely. With a clean face, well-kept hair, and eyes that shined with determination and life, it seemed that Paul had usedst night and this morning to think hard and clean himself up. I would say it waspletely unexpected, but¡­ for better or worse, Paul was always the unpredictable type, able to change moods on a dime. ¡°Yeah¡­ Leon, I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry!¡± he said, dropping to his knees as he bowed his head. Different from the drunken state I had seen yesterday when he had apologized, this time, I could feel the sincerity radiating off the man. ¡°For being a piece of shit¡­ for taking my ipetence out on you¡­ for ming you¡­ I¡¯m sorry! For all of it!¡± Watching the man continue with his apologies, I released a sigh before getting up. ¡°I get it, Paul. You messed up our fated meeting after such a long time apart. Not to mention being a total ass¡­¡± I said, looking down at him. ¡°...Yeah. You¡¯re right,¡± he nodded. ¡°I know I¡¯m an ass¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, you were, so¡­¡± I opened my arms as Paul¡¯s green eyes stared up at me. ¡°Come greet me properly this time¡­ Dad.¡± His mouth gaped in surprise before suddenly scrunching up, forming an ugly face as tears began to pool in his eyes. Getting to his feet, Paul took one leap to quickly reach me, wrapping his arms around me in a hug as his tears began to shed onto my shoulder. Huh¡­ we were basically the same height now¡­ ¡°Leon¡­ Leon! I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m so proud of you! You¡­ you kept your sisters safe! You kept yourself safe! I¡­ I¡­!¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, Dad.¡± I patted his back as an itching heat began to form behind my eyes. ¡°Seriously¡­ crying on your son like this¡­ such a worthless old man.¡± Ah¡­ now I was crying too. ¡°Seriously¡­¡± I wrapped my arms around his body. ¡°Y-You¡¯re such a piece of shit¡­ Scum¡­¡± Hearing my disparaging words, his grip around my torso tightened. ¡°I know,¡± he chuckled, though hisughter was choked with tears. ¡°Honestly¡­¡± I nodded, gripping him tighter. ¡°...I missed you. I miss our family.¡± ¡°I know¡­ I missed you too,¡± he returned, bringing a hand up to pat my hair. ¡°And we¡¯ll get them back¡­ I promise.¡± Not trusting myself to talk without sobbing further, I lowered my face into his shoulder, hiding my embarrassingly tearful state from the world as my tears flowed forth. And with my tears¡­ it felt as if all my bottled-up anxiousness, sorrow, and fear were being washed away, soaked up by the musky shirt of my father, which still faintly smelled of alcohol. ¡°...You did well, Leon. Really well,¡± my father continued, continuing to pat my back. ¡°So you can leave the rest to your unreliable old man here.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s not very convincing,¡± I said, chuckling through my tears. And so, a day after our initial reunion, my father and I reunited once more. Much more amicably this time. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°So¡­ you really know where Zenith and Lilia are?¡± my father asked, taking a swig of his drink. It was just water, thankfully. No need for a repeat of yesterday. ¡°Yeah, apparently in abyrinth near the Maze City of Rapan¡­ or did she say Dungeon City?¡± I wondered aloud, thinking back to Kishirika¡¯s words. ¡°Ah, that ce?¡± my father frowned, rubbing his chin. ¡°It goes by a bunch of names, Maze City, Labyrinth City¡­ either way, Rapan is pretty far away, huh? Wait¡­ did you say they were in abyrinth?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± I nodded. ¡°Kishirika said there was some interference, which is only exined by high-level barriers or being in abyrinth. So Lilia and Mama- or, Zenith, are-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call her Zenith, Leon,¡± my father said, looking at me with a remorseful grimace. ¡°You know I didn¡¯t mean what I said, right? Call her Mama. That¡¯s what she is, and what she always will be.¡± ¡°...I see. Thanks, Father,¡± I said. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, it was a shitty thing for me to say anyway,¡± he waved me off. ¡°Plus, I don¡¯t want to imagine the beating I¡¯d get if you two met and you called her ¡®Zenith¡¯.¡± ¡°Heh. I can imagine,¡± I said, smiling at the memories of Mama. I¡­ hope she¡¯s still okay. ¡°But you learned this a year after the teleportation, right?¡± my father said. ¡°Then¡­ why would she still be there, and in abyrinth no less? Unless she was¡­¡± ¡°Forced to,¡± I finished for him, both of our fists simultaneously clenching in anger at the very real possibility. ¡°Mama is a good healer, so there¡¯s definitely a motive for a party to capture her. But as for Lilia¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, that one¡¯s weird,¡± he said, massaging his chin in thought. ¡°Not only is she useless in abyrinth, but after a year, she would have gotten out of most problems. She¡¯s a cunning woman like that. And even if she couldn''t get out of it, I would have at least received a letter by now¡­¡± Yeah. There was that too. ¡°...Well, either way, I¡¯ll be finding that out soon after leaving Aisha and Norn with you,¡± I said, taking a drink of my juice before I red at the man in front of me. ¡°As long as you actually didn¡¯t cheat on your wives, that is.¡± ¡°Huh? No way, I haven¡¯t even looked at a woman since all that shit happened,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°And as for leaving your sisters here¡­ we can¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± I said, surprised. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a whole organization here? What¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°Well, first, I think my two cute daughters absolutely hate my guts right now,¡± he chuckled. That¡­ was true. But there was no way for them to mend their bond if they stayed apart forever. ¡°And two¡­ our little search and rescue squad is kind of hated around here. I wouldn¡¯t be able to guarantee their safety,¡± he said. ¡°Well¡­ maybe Norn, if I went to the Latreias, but Aisha would still be shit out of luck.¡± They were hated? The hell? Why? ¡°Plus, what about that littledy you¡¯re with?¡± he said, turning to me with a smirk. ¡°Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice how she looks at you. You can¡¯t just abandon a girl like that. At least, I know a good man like you wouldn¡¯t.¡± I clicked my tongue in annoyance, ¡°I¡¯d just take her with me. She loves adventuring, after all.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think Philip and Hilda would appreciate that, though,¡± my father said. ¡°Huh? Are they alive?¡± I asked, surprised. ¡°Yep, but I¡¯ll tell you about thatter,¡± he said, finishing his drink before he turned to look at me with a serious expression. ¡°Leon. I don¡¯t want you to burn your entire life getting everyone back together. I want you and your sisters to have a good, normal life. Especially after all the shit you went through.¡± He then ced down a map, pointing to the Central Continent, up past therge mountain range to the north of the Asura Kingdom. ¡°After I tie up some loose ends here, I¡¯ll go to Begaritt. Meanwhile, I want you to take your sisters and go meet up with Rudy in the north. Right now, he should be looking for his mother as well near Sharia, so tell him that we found Zenith and Lilia and¡­ start a life there. All of you, together.¡± Looking at his narrowed, serious eyes in surprise, I released a chuckle as I leaned back into my chair. ¡°...Look at you, acting all fatherly now,¡± I said with a smirk. ¡°Well, I kind of messed up our first meeting, so I have a lot to make up for¡­¡± he said as he rubbed the back of his head. ¡°...Still can¡¯t believe I messed it up so bad.¡± ¡°Ha! We both know that¡¯s normal for you, Father, falling to your emotions and all,¡± I shrugged. ¡°But¡­ sure. You can go to Begaritt¡­ but I¡¯ll be joining you.¡± ¡°Hah? Don¡¯t be ridiculous! Don¡¯t you want to take care of your sisters?¡± my father said, looking a little enraged. ¡°Yeah, but Ruijerd can escort them safely to the north. And Eris¡­ well, she can choose what she wants to do,¡± I said, shrugging. ¡°...No,¡± my father said resolutely. ¡°Listen, Leon. I¡¯ll admit you¡¯re stronger than me. Way stronger. But even if you¡¯re A-rank, I¡¯m still a better adventurer.¡± I grimaced. He was¡­ correct. I had no experience withbyrinths and dungeons, after all. ¡°Lots of people have travelled to Begaritt and lots have clearedbyrinths, but there¡¯s only one person I can entrust Aisha and Norn to,¡± he said. ¡°...You.¡± Ignoring the touching feeling of his trust, I stared back into his eyes before eventually relenting. ¡°...Fine. I¡¯ll take them to the north and drop them off with Rudy,¡± I said. ¡°But I¡¯ll be joining you once I do.¡± ¡°...You stubborn brat,¡± my father sighed. ¡°Look, you¡¯ll probably be toote to be of any help by the time you arrive, and even then, I don¡¯t want you to waste your life. Start a family with Eris and take care of your sisters¡­ you can start a family of your own, Leon.¡± I¡¯ll agree to disagree, but for now, I¡¯d pretend to go along with him. But there was something I was curious about¡­ ¡°You mentioned Eris¡¯ parents were alive, right? Did Ghiine keep them safe then?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± he sighed. ¡°They went through a lot of shit. They got teleported to the strife zone, from what I heard, and with Ghiine¡¯s might and Philip¡¯s brain, they ended up uniting one of the regions under one banner.¡± ¡­Oh? That¡¯s¡­ quite surprising. ¡°...So they¡¯re doing quite well?¡± I asked. ¡°You could say that¡­ Philip worked more as an advisor for one of the kings, so he didn¡¯t get anynd for himself, though he did get enough influence to use as leverage against the Asura Kingdom,¡± he exined. ¡°I see¡­¡± Wait. ¡°Hold on, against the Asura Kingdom? What¡¯s up with that?¡± I asked. ¡°Listen, Leon,¡± he sighed. ¡°There¡¯s a reason I ran away from nobility. You¡¯ll have enemies no matter who you are, whether it be due to greed, honour, or some other dumb reason. And those enemies will use whatever they can to knock you down. And the whole region under your control getting caught in a teleportation disaster¡­¡± ¡°...They wanted to use that to fuck over the Boreas, didn¡¯t they?¡± I said, gritting my teeth in anger. I knew the ¡®Discement Incident¡¯ wasn¡¯t their fault, and their enemies knew that too, but it didn¡¯t stop them from using that to their advantage. Such was the disgusting world of politics. ¡°Not how I¡¯d put it, more like tried to kill them off,¡± my father sighed. ¡°But even if it¡¯s smallpared to Asura, with Philip having the support of a country¡¯s king, they were able to get out of the situation alive. Last I¡¯d heard, they were trying to rebuild the Fittoa region back to an eptable level.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­¡± I said, relieved. ¡°And what about Sauros? Is he fine?¡± ¡°Ha! They tried to take him out, but Millis knows Ghiine wouldn¡¯t let that happen. Luckily, Philip dealt with that before Ghiine painted the Royal Pce in blood,¡± heughed. ¡°Good¡­ that¡¯s good,¡± I sighed. I was d for Eris. I should tell her the good news as soon as I finish things up here. ¡°Anyway¡­ speaking of Fittoa and Eris¡­ I bet having her act as a figurehead for the rebuilding region would be good,¡± my father said, looking over to me. ¡°And to do that, she¡¯d need apetent husband¡­¡± ¡°Quit that line of thought, Father,¡± I red at him. ¡°When I marry Eris, it won¡¯t be for political reasons. I¡¯m only going to marry for love.¡± His lips spread wide as he looked at me with a smile. ¡°¡®When¡¯ not ¡®if¡¯?¡± ¡°...Obviously,¡± I said, averting my eyes, slightly embarrassed. Especially with our kissesst night¡­ I didn¡¯t even know what to call us now, but it was definitely a romantic rtionship. ¡°...I see. To think that dense kid from before would say something so assertive¡­ You¡¯ve grown, Leon,¡± he smiled, resting his head on his hand as he looked at me fondly. ¡°Obviously I did,¡± I pouted. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sitting around, doing nothing for the past two years.¡± ¡°Right, right, sorry,¡± he chucked, though I could tell this ¡®sorry¡¯ was much less sincere by the teasing smile on his face. ¡°Anyway,¡± I grumbled. ¡°You said you had to tie up some loose ends here? What does that mean? And why is your search and rescue group hated here?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ that¡­ well¡­¡± My father then went on to exin what had happened. Apparently, while his group had rescued most of the Fittoans that they knew of, thest ones they needed were currently being held in Millishion, mostly by a small collection of powerful nobles. It was amon story that my father hade to expect. With people being disced in an instant, winding up in a newnd without any knowledge, and often without any belongings of value teleported with them, many quickly fell into the ws of very, whether it be to bandits or nations. And Millishion was no worse. If I hadn¡¯t been holding Aisha and Norn, or even Eris, would they be in a simr situation? The thought made me sick. Just imagining them being held¡­ used and abused by so-called ¡®nobles¡¯ made my blood boil and my mana fluctuate. This fucking ce¡­ how disgusting. So much for the Holy Country of Millis being a ¡®paragon of righteousness¡¯. What a fraudulent nation. ¡­It made me want to destroy it. But I calmed my anger, instead deciding to channel those emotions to something more productive. A n. ¡°...Hey, Father¡­ I think there are some people you would like to meet,¡± I said. ¡°You said you know where they are, right? You just don¡¯t have the manpower to rescue them?¡± ¡°Yeah, but¡­ what are you thinking, Leon?¡± he asked, narrowing his eyes as he saw my controlled, concentrated wrath. My lips spread out into a vicious snarl, one that caused my father to unconsciously reach for his sword at his side as I let my bloodlust leak into the surroundings. ¡°I¡¯m thinking it¡¯s about time you see the ¡®Red Wolves¡¯ in action.¡± For a future that could have easilye to pass where my family was harmed, and the many families and lives that had been ruined already¡­ I would have my vengeance. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°-And that¡¯s the situation,¡± my father said, finishing the same exnation of the enved Fittoans that he had told me. ¡°I see¡­¡± Ruijerd nodded. ¡°I cannot imagine the pain that has been dealt to innocents through this¡­ I will lend my assistance.¡± ¡°Thank you, Ruijerd¡­ and for keeping my children safe all this while as well,¡± my father said, bowing deeply. ¡°Think nothing of it,¡± Ruijerd smiled. ¡°I am just d that the two of you have reconciled and that you don¡¯t seem frightened of my appearance.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve seen some scarier faces than yours, so I don¡¯t mind,¡± my father said before looking at Eris with a slight grimace. ¡°Uh¡­ and thanks to you too¡­ for, you know¡­¡± Instead of answering, Eris just narrowed her eyes before walking forward, and in a sh, her fist had extended to punch my father in his stomach, sending him flying into the wall. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you say ¡®thank you¡¯ now and that you¡¯ve made up with Leon! I¡¯m still pissed that you hurt him, and that will never change!¡± she snarled before her face fell into a sad frown. ¡°He¡­ he tried so hard¡­ so why did you¡­ why did you¡­¡± ¡°Eri, it¡¯s okay,¡± I said, bringing her into a hug. ¡°It¡¯s all fine now.¡± ¡°But! That doesn¡¯t take away all that he did!¡± she said, looking up at me. ¡°It doesn¡¯t, but it¡¯s not like yesterday was all bad,¡± I shrugged. ¡°After all, because of yesterday, now I feelfortable doing this.¡± I then leaned down and pressed my lips against hers, causing her to freeze as I continued our kiss. Of course, this wasn¡¯t the time or ce to be making out, so I separated from her after a few seconds. ¡°...Right?¡± I said with a smile. She simply nodded back in response with a goofy smile on her face. Well, at least she seemed happy now. ¡°Jeez, first I nearly get knocked out by a teenager, and then you two end up having a moment right in front of me. Just my luck, huh?¡± my father said, getting to his feet and dusting himself off. ¡°But yeah¡­ I deserved that¡­ so¡­ sorry, Eris. And thank you for taking care of Leon when I was being an ass.¡± ¡°...Hmph!¡± Eris quickly turned away from his apology. But with this, I don¡¯t think she would kill him anymore. That was good. ¡°Moving on, you said you know the ves¡¯ locations, right?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± he nodded. ¡°And from what we know, the ones in Millishion are thest of them. We¡¯ve been putting it off because it¡¯s quite difficult, and while Millis allows very, they aren¡¯t allowed to kill them, so they¡¯re saferpared to many others.¡± ¡°I see,¡± I nodded. ¡°And what about retaliation?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll try,¡± my father shrugged. ¡°As long as we¡¯re quick, I can ask some higher-up friends to protect us, but once we¡¯re done, I don¡¯t n on staying here for long. That would only be inviting trouble.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± I said. ¡°So¡­ I assume there¡¯s no one else that could fight with us in your group. Is that correct?¡± ¡°Well, Vierra and Shierra could be useful, but I would rather them stay here and keep a handle on things¡­ as well as watch Aisha and Norn,¡± my father responded. Aisha and Norn¡­ while they were currently sleeping, I don¡¯t think they would mind spending some time with the other pair of sisters. After all, while I hadn¡¯t talked much with them, I could tell that Shierra was quiet but sweet, and Vierra was a cheerful, good-natured girl. They almost reminded me of Aisha and Norn¡¯s opposing personalities, though I would prefer if Vierra was a little more¡­ clothed if they ended up watching them. Either way, there was something more important about that possibility that I needed to know. ¡°...Are they strong enough to do that?¡± I asked seriously. ¡°Yep! And for better or worse, the nobles really hate my guts specifically, so that takes the heat off of everyone else,¡± he said. ¡°But once they realize they¡¯re your daughters¡­¡± I narrowed my eyes. ¡°Alright. Then let¡¯s do this quickly. Tomorrow, in one night, let¡¯s save them all. And if they want to respond by attacking my sweet sisters¡­¡± I rubbed my thumb over the red gem of my sheathed gifted spellsword. ¡°We¡¯ll be here to destroy them.¡± My father just sighed as he looked at me with a mix of pride and bitterness. ¡°Did you get that anger from me?¡± he mumbled. ¡°Anyway, are you sure we can get them in a night? These guys are serious, you know.¡± I simply shook my head. ¡°You¡¯ve been dealing with things on your own for a while, and you¡¯ve been doing a pretty good job. So how much do you think you could do with three more people at your level, if not, stronger?¡± I said. ¡°...Right. Forget I asked,¡± my father sighed. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re all ready, then I¡¯ll make sure to get everything organized by tomorrow.¡± Ruijerd, Eris, and I nodded in agreement. ¡°Good. Well¡­ I¡¯ll leave you three alone now. Have a good night,¡± my father said, grabbing his sword as he prepared to leave. ¡°And Leon¡­ once this is over¡­ let¡¯s have a drink together.¡± ¡°dly, Father,¡± I nodded with a smile. ¡°Though¡­ didn¡¯t you swear off alcohol?¡± ¡°Grk! A-Ah,e on, that¡¯s a different case, right?¡± he said, a bit embarrassed. ¡°Whatever. See you tomorrow, Father.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± With him closing the door behind him, Eris immediately turned to me, grabbing my hand as I noticed a certain fire in her eyes. Thinking about it¡­ that fire had been there ever since she got over the shock of me kissing her a few moments earlier¡­ Before I could ponder further, she then began pulling me along to our room, leaving no room for refusal as she marched steadfastly. ¡°Wait. Eri? Eri!?¡± Needless to say, that night I learned that Eris quite liked the feeling of kissing, and¡­ I can¡¯t say I disagreed. Chapter 42 – Rescue Mission Chapter 42 ¨C Rescue Mission ¡ª Paul Greyrat ¡ª As if it were fate, as soon as we reached our first location, our group of four was able to easily enter the building, much thanks to Leon¡¯s earth magic sending us upward where we then cut through the ss skylight. It was arge hall, right in between the slums and the nobles district, hidden away from the prying eyes of the knights. Of course, it went without saying that many of those same knights were part of this whole thing. As soon as we jumped through the roof, we were quickly met with the sight of many of the Fittoans we were here to rescue. Some were in cages, while some were in chains, ages ranging from children to the elderly. Seeing such a sight, I couldn¡¯t help but narrow my eyes in anger. How dare they¡­ how dare they treat my fellow countrymen like this. Just thinking about how my wives might be in a simr position made the feeling worse. ¡°Well¡­ is this everyone?¡± Leon asked from my side. ¡°You mentioned how there were three possible ces where they were likely spread out, but this looks like everyone.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I nodded. ¡°I¡¯m counting thirty. That should be all of them.¡± ¡°What? That was way too easy!¡± Erisined. Indeed¡­ she was right. This was way too easy. Those fucking nobles, always standing up for their pride and useless arrogance¡­ No way they would let things end like this. ¡°Father,¡± Leon said, turning to me as he nodded toward the hall¡¯s entrance. ¡°We havepany. Twelve, from what I can see. And moreing.¡± Well, that exins it. Looking back at his face, I couldn¡¯t help but pause upon noticing that one of his eyes was glowing purple. Oh¡­ right. Demon eye. I forgot about that with all the ridiculous that was my eldest son. Moving on¡­ ¡°So this was a trap,¡± I stated. ¡°That must be why the information was so easy to findpared to before as well.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Leon said with a carefree smile as he unsheathed his sword. ¡°But this was probably a trap for you, no? So with us here¡­ wouldn¡¯t it be better to call our iing assants the ones who are trapped?¡± His de glittered under the soft glow of the moonlight as it was suddenly wreathed in blue mes. Narrowing his eyes, Leon¡¯s smile changed from carefree to cold as he continued, ¡°Besides¡­ I feel a bit¡­ unfulfilled, leaving like this. Don¡¯t you feel the same?¡± ¡°...Yeah,¡± I snarled as I unsheathed my own sword. All those good people that followed my dumb ass and joined our cause¡­ those same good people who were taken out by battle, assassins, and everything in between. Raul¡­ Joanna¡­ Miras¡­ all of you¡­ I will avenge you. With this, tonight, our cause will beplete, and I can finally put this path of pain and stress behind me. Behind all of us. And I¡¯ll be taking some bastards out with me. ¡°Paul Greyrat!¡± An obnoxiously loud voice resounded through the hall as therge hall door burst into splinters. ¡°You damn scoundrel! Just like the vermin you are, you ran right into the cage that will be your grave!¡± Just as Leon had said, eleven more figures appeared behind the annoying noble, all dressed inbat gear and ready for a fight. They were¡­ strong. Really strong. If I was alone, I would have been forced to run with my tail between my legs. But these arrogant fuckers had never seen what a monster my kid is. I smiled back at the group, ¡°What¡¯s got your panties in a twist, eh? Need all these people toe get little old me? Gee, what did I do to possibly deserve such a warm wee?¡± The noble was definitely one unustomed tobat, seeing as his fat chin wobbled with every step, but whether it was his arrogance, or blind trust in his allies, he still stepped forth regardless with a confident smirk. ¡°That annoying mouth of yours is still strong, I see. Luckily, that will be thest anyone ever hears from it,¡± he said. ¡°After all, while your abilities may be praiseworthy for a pest, I doubt you can withstand the collective might of six Saint-rank swordsmen!¡± His smirk widened at his words, as if waiting to see me prostrate myself in fear, begging for my life to be spared. Unfortunately for him, I had reinforcements. And they were likely the best reinforcements one could ask for. ¡°Is that all?¡± I said calmly. His smirk disappeared. ¡°...Get them. Don¡¯t leave any alive.¡± As soon as he said that, Leon stepped forward, holding his sword at his side as he crouched down. ¡°Eri, take the right. Father, take the one on the left. Ruijerd, protect the ves and deal with any that get past.¡± Feeling the pressure of authority, I hastily nodded in agreement, just like Ruijerd and Eris did. ¡°Now¡­ I can only do this once,¡± Leon said. ¡°So one of you¡­e at me.¡± His words seemed to tick off one of the swordsmen, as the bearded man unsheathed his sword before leaping forward. ¡°You brat! Feel the might of Millis flow through your blood-!¡± But as soon as he neared Leon, I felt a shiver, and a momentter, the bearded man¡¯s head was sent flying through the air as his body crumpled to the ground, his pristine white armour quickly stained red by the blood flowing from his open neck. Everyone stood still, save for Ruijerd who simply nodded approvingly. W-What the hell? This son of mine¡­ just dealt with a Water Saint like he was nothing! And in an instant, too! The thought sent a shiver down my spine. ¡­I swear to never cheat on Zenith ever again, lest that de be turned against me. ¡°Wow¡­ They don¡¯t call it a ¡®Secret Art¡¯ for nothing,¡± Leon said as he reviewed the aftermath of his attack. ¡°But to think¡­ Severing flesh is quite different from trees, huh?¡± ¡­I will absolutely never look at another woman again. I swear it. ¡°Y-You¡­ You bastard!¡± With the shout of one of the enemy swordsmen, the battle began in earnest, with Leon sending an arc of fire to separate two of the remaining five Saint-rank swordsmen and corralling them towards me and Eris. Fuck¡­ he¡¯s been doing everything so far. As a father, I would never ept that! ¡°Face the wrath of an annoyed, surpassed father!¡± I shouted as I engaged against my opponent. He had two short swords, typical of the North God Style, but I could tell from how he handled himself that he focused on speed, so there was likely some Sword God mixed in there as well. Almost like me. But¡­ it was a bit flimsy. His deshed forth like a whip, heading straight for my neck as his second de came from behind it, a hidden strike to puncture my lung as I defended my neck. Parrying his first strike, I let my momentum carry me past him, ensuring that his second strike wouldn¡¯t be able to connect as I set my stance once again. Hearing the ng of des from around me, I unfortunately wasn¡¯t able to focus on the others as I was too preupied with this guy. His face was nk and stern, so I doubt I¡¯d be able to provoke him. And it wouldn¡¯t be smart for me to use a Sword God technique against a faster opponent¡­ I guess I¡¯ll have to wait him out until he shows an opening. We exchanged a few more strikes before I was suddenly interrupted by Leon¡¯s shout. ¡°Duck!¡± Following his advice, I couched to the ground as the air trembled above me, and a momentter, the dual swordsman found his torso separated from his legs as a stream of intestines trailed through the air. Turning to look at Leon, I noticed that another two swordsmen had fallen to his de. Or rather, one to his de, while the other one had a smoking hole drilled through his head, most likely from some sort of fire magic. But, as there were three fighters he chose to take care of, there was still one lying in wait, seemingly using Leon¡¯s distraction to bring his de down towards my son. But¡­ with my position already set in a crouch¡­ I was ready to perform my fastest strike. Leaping forward with the speed of a Longsword of Silence, and letting my de flow through the air like the many Water God counters, the tip of my sword quickly found itself digging into the swordsman¡¯s neck, easily reaching his spine as the light instantly left his eyes. ¡°...That was reckless, Leon,¡± I said, getting back to my feet. While I said that, I couldn¡¯t help but smile. After all, I had always wished to fight alongside my sons. And seamlessly exchanging our opponents like that¡­ it was¡­ fun. ¡°I could trust you,¡± he said, looking away from me. Following his gaze, I watched as Eris¡¯ sword deflected her attacker¡¯s, using the momentary opening to twirl on her feet andsh out once more, this time her sword finding flesh as it dug through the final Saint-rank swordsman¡¯s body, separating him into two halves. ¡­That was quite a fast strike. It looks like my eldest son has got himself quite the woman. ¡°And that¡¯s that then,¡± Leon nodded. I suddenly felt a breeze blow past me as Ruijerd appeared in front of the now-frightened nobleman and two of what I assumed to be his guards. Wait. Wasn¡¯t he supposed to be defending the Fittoans and dealing with the rest of the attackers? Looking back, I was met with the sight of a blood-soaked floor, with numerous bodies littered around in front of the captured ves. So he had already dealt with the rabble¡­ ¡­I guess there was some fact behind those Superd stories, huh? I would not want to fight that guy, that was for sure. ¡°Harming kids¡­ enving innocents¡­¡± Hearing the Superd in question, I turned to see him ring down at the three in front of him, their faces frozen in fright as their legs wobbled. ¡°You are most definitely¡­ Guilty!¡± And, with a smooth movement, his spear arced across the air, beheading all three of the enemies with one strike and putting an end to the battle. Well, it would have been the end, if it wasn¡¯t for the numerous swordsmen and mages making their way towards us. ¡°W-What? What happened here?¡± the front one asked. ¡°Father? Eri?¡± Leon said, ignoring the opposing force¡¯s shock. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t help but feel a smirk pulling at my lips. ¡°Let¡¯s do this, son.¡± With that as the signal, the three of us leaped forth to intercept our new enemies while Ruijerd stood back to defend the captured Fittoans once more. With the perfect mix of magic and swordsmanship, I watched as Leon decimated our opponents, showing off his perfect teamwork with Eris, who was quite impressive herself with the sword. And me, having joined in such a dance¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but notice how thrilling it was to fight together. While the circumstances could be better¡­ I would love to fight together again. Maybe, once everything was over, we could clear a dungeon together? Heh. That would be nice. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°...Should I clean up, Father?¡± I asked, looking at the vast amount of bodies strewn about the building and outside of it. ¡°Ah, uh¡­ sure. I¡¯ll, umm¡­ go release them,¡± my father responded. Hm? Was something wrong? ¡°Alright... Tell me if you have any trouble,¡± I said as I began forming a few balls of concentrated mes to incinerate the bodies. ¡°I saw that a few of the shackles had mana in them, so I¡¯d be careful as they may be trapped.¡± Hmm¡­ I should also get some airflow going so the smell doesn¡¯t stay. Especially for the ves, since I doubt they were used to the disgusting smell of burnt flesh. ¡°...Sure.¡± Weird. I thought Paul had been having fun fighting alongside me, just as I had, but he looked out of it ever since thest of the attackers were in. Maybe he was just surprised that everything ended so easily? ¡°Say¡­ Leon¡­ You¡¯ve¡­ taken quite a few lives by now, haven¡¯t you?¡± he asked. Oh¡­ was it that? Well, my opinion was firm, so I might as well articte it. ¡°Of course, Father. You of all people should know that the world isn¡¯t a kind ce,¡± I said, narrowing my eyes. ¡°I made some enemies, and I¡¯m not naive enough to leave loose ends that could endanger my family, all for the sake of some self-satisfying feeling of benevolence.¡± Paul just looked at me with a strained smile. ¡°...Right,¡± shaking his head, he then began walking towards the ves, muttering under his breath, ¡°Zenith is definitely going to kill me.¡± And so, like that, thest of the known Fittoans were found and returned to freedom, and one of the more prominent noblemen of Millishion inexplicably went missing along with six of the nation¡¯s most prominent knights. All in one satisfying night. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It had been a few days since the raid on the enved Fittoans, and things had entered afortable rhythm. With Aisha and Norn¡¯s fifth birthdaying up, as well as thefortable life Millishion offered, I decided that our group would stay here for a month, even if I wasn¡¯t leaving for Begaritt right after anymore. Hopefully, in that time, my little sisters would open up to our father a bit more, because right now¡­ well¡­ ¡°So¡­ I heard you started on the path of swordsmanship,¡± my father said, looking at Norn. But instead of answering, Norn simply crossed her arms as she stared at him with the iciest re I had ever seen her wear. So, yeah¡­ it wasn¡¯t going great. ¡°I-I¡¯m guessing Leon¡¯s a good teacher, so I bet you¡¯ll be a Sword Saint in no time!¡± Paul said. A ghost of a smile threatened to form on Norn¡¯s lips at his words but, not wanting to give her father the satisfaction, she decided to turn her head away. ¡°...Figures,¡± Paul said, slumping his shoulders. With Eris going out toplete a goblin ying quest, a small dream of hers that she had wanted to fulfill for a while, I decided to take Aisha and Norn out to see their father and hopefully rekindle their rtionship. And that hope was unfortunately looking less and less likely with each passing moment. But¡­ there was still a month, so I wasn¡¯t too concerned¡­ A month was long enough, right? No¡­ it had to be. ¡°Anyway, Father, what¡¯s your n now that you got all the Fittoans?¡± I asked. ¡°Will you head to Begaritt right away?¡± ¡°Ah, well, as much as I want to go to your mothers right now, it isn¡¯t quite that easy,¡± he said with a frown. ¡°Tomorrow, I¡¯ll be going to the guild to disband the search group and then start nning to get everyone back home. While they¡¯re free now, they can¡¯t just stay here forever, after all.¡± ¡°I see¡­ how long will that take?¡± I ask. ¡°Probably a little more than a month, if I had to guess. There¡¯s quite a few things I need to finish up here since I¡¯ll be leaving right after,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll take a few of the more skilled ones who want to follow me to Begaritt, and then I¡¯ll get your mothers. That¡¯s the n.¡± Nodding my head, I received Aisha¡¯s meal and cut off the ess meat, just as she liked it, before passing it to her. ¡°And? Do you need any help?¡± I asked. ¡°No¡­ you should just take the month off,¡± he said with a smile as he looked at Aisha and me. What an oddly creepy smile¡­ was that him being satisfied with our bond? ¡­Gross. ¡°Oh! But I do want you to meet Zenith¡¯s family, the Latreias,¡± he said, shaking off his grin. ¡°They¡¯ve given me their support, so I should at least tell them I know where Zenith is and that I¡¯ll be leaving to get her.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± I shrugged. ¡°But they¡¯re nobles, right? Are they annoying?¡± Paul leaned back in his chair, releasing a sigh. Well, that answers that question. But still¡­ she is my grandmother¡­ and Norn¡¯s as well. ¡­Though I have a feeling that they wouldn¡¯t like Aisha that much, being the daughter of a second wife and all, especially considering their devotion to the Millis church. And Paul did say they didn¡¯t care about me, an adopted child, either¡­ ¡°...Fine. But Norn isn¡¯ting, and if they say anything I don¡¯t like, I¡¯m not letting her go at all. Deal?¡± I said. ¡°...Deal,¡± Paul sighed again. ¡°Why is my family so troublesome¡­¡± I didn¡¯tment on that. Half of my family¡¯s ¡®troublesomeness¡¯ was the cause of the man himself, after all. He should take some responsibility. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Looking at me with an appraising gaze, I watched as ire Latreia, my adoptive grandmother, looked over me with the eyes of a hawk. She was an olderdy, as one might expect, with pale blonde hair that was tied up in a bun, piercing blue eyes, and a constantly stern expression on her face. ¡°...You pass.¡± ¡°Uh, sorry?¡± I said, confused. ¡°I said you pass to be recognized as being rted to me,¡± she said. ¡°It seems that while that foolish daughter of mine made many mistakes, especially in the field of men, she has at least seemed to raise her children appropriately. Even Rudeus had an eptable level of etiquette for a child.¡± ¡°...I see. I¡­ appreciate your praise of Mama,¡± I said before narrowing my eyes. ¡°But she is anything but foolish.¡± Our gazes shed for a few moments before she relented, turning her head to my father, who was at my side. ¡°So? Paul Greyrat¡­ what did a scum like youe to visit me for? Is it about that ruckus I heard about a few days ago?¡± As my father and grandmother began to converse, I sat back and went over what I knew about the woman during our brief interactions. She was extremely stubborn, and just like so many other nobles, she had a fixation with etiquette and ¡®continuing the family line¡¯. Norn, while a quiet and cute child, was not a girl who knew anything about etiquette, and in front of such a brash and strict personality like ire¡­ Yeah, I think it was a good idea to have her stay behind with Eris today. Still, at her heart, I could tell that my grandmother was a good person who was simply too stubborn to give in to anyone less than her version of ¡®perfect¡¯. Honestly, she was quite simr to Paul in that regard. A good person with arge, ring fault. And I knew that she loved her family, judging by the relieved look on her face when I told her of Zenith¡¯s survival and location, but there was still an underlying callousness in her gaze. That same odd feeling appeared when Paul mentioned how Norn had returned with me. It felt¡­ ufortable. The old woman seemed a bit too¡­ excited. Not excited in the way of a grandmother meeting their granddaughter for the first time, but rather how one would look at a new sword or pair of boots. ¡­I think I¡¯ll hold off on having them meet for now. At least until Norn found herself a bit more. Paul then went off with ire to talk privately about¡­ something in another room. Likely about his n to retrieve Zenith in Begaritt, as that was what they were talking about a moment before. ¡°Ah? Is Mother currently upied?¡± Hearing a soft, bell-like voice, I turned to the door that had just been opened. ¡°...Mama?¡± She had warm blue eyes, chin-length blonde hair, and a youthful face that looked exactly like Mama. I could immediately feel the tears threatening to break out at the sight before me. ¡°Hm? I believe you¡¯re mistaken, as I do not have any children,¡± she responded. Right¡­ yeah, no, Mama was in Begaritt. That¡­ wasn¡¯t Mama. I lightly pped my cheeks to get my emotions back to normal. But from how simr they looked, and considering where I currently was¡­ ¡°Sorry, you look exactly like my mother, Zenith. I believe you are her sister, if I¡¯m not mistaken?¡± I said, getting up and performing a curt bow. She widened her eyes in shock. ¡°That golden hair¡­ Are you¡­ Leon?¡± she asked, her tone indicating excitement. ¡°It seems that you know of me,¡± I said. ¡°Of course I do,¡± she nodded. ¡°Your mother wrote all~ about you in our letters. Especially when she was still an adventurer.¡± Oh¡­ so those letters Mama sent were to Therese? Interesting. ¡°In fact,¡± she said, getting closer to me to whisper in my ear. ¡°I was the one who sent her the barrier spell book. Don¡¯t tell anyone about that though~¡± ¡°You were?¡± I said, slightly shocked. ¡°T-Thank you¡­ I¡¯m grateful. But unfortunately¡­ it was lost in the teleportation incident.¡± ¡°I see¡­ well, as long as you learned a lot from it, it¡¯s better that way,¡± she nodded. ¡°While it would be best if it was destroyed, just having it out of your hands means I don¡¯t have to worry about it bringing you any danger.¡± Ah, right. There was that thing about barrier magic. I would have to be sure not to use it as much as I¡¯m used to while here. Actually, now that I was out of the Demon Continent, I should refrain from using it from now onward. ¡°And speaking of that incident¡­¡± Therese said hesitantly. ¡°Is your mother¡­¡± ¡°Mama is alive,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°And we know where she is. That¡¯s why Paul, my father, is meeting my¡­ grandmother right now.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s wonderful!¡± I then found myself smothered in a hug, and I quickly found out that Therese was just as¡­ bountiful, as Mama as well. ¡°Oh? Your mother was right, you really are nice to hug!¡± she then rubbed her cheek against my head. ¡°The perfect mix of firm and soft! Uuu~ I can¡¯t get enough!¡± I¡­ felt a little vited¡­ but in a good way. She also smelled quite nice. Though her armour was poking my side, so that hurt a bit. ¡°Ooh~! Why don¡¯t you just stay here, no? I heard you¡¯re talented, so you can be a great knight, and then I can get back some much-needed bonding time~!¡± ¡­I¡¯ll just let her do her thing. But Father, pleasee back soon. She has quite the firm grip. Chapter 43 – Departing Millishion Chapter 43 ¨C Departing Millishion ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Happy birthday, you two!¡± Giving both Aisha and Norn a big hug, I watched as their surprised faces turned to ones of happiness. ¡°Thanks, Brother!¡± Norn cheered, reciprocating my hug. ¡°So that¡¯s why you had Ruijerd take us out¡­ I knew there was something fishy going on!¡± Aisha said with a pout on her face that quickly turned into a smile. With us preparing to leave in a couple of days to get back on the long road to the Central Continent, and my sisters¡¯ birthdays lining up to be when we were still in the city, I found it important to throw a nice party while we still could. After all, these two have essentially had their entire childhood stolen from them, so with this¡­ even if our whole family wasn¡¯t here¡­ I hope it made them feel a bit better about everything. The preparation wasn¡¯t much, with only me having bought a cake, setting up some decorations, collecting food from various restaurants and stalls for arge feast, and of course the presents, but it was a cozy affair. Much like Rudy and I¡¯s birthday back in Buena Vige. And of course, along with Vierra and Shierra, who Norn and Aisha had grown somewhat close to during our time here, a certain someone came to their daughter¡¯s birthday. Oh, and there was Ruijerd too. While the man had not initially nned to get a gift, since I knew of theck of such customs in demon society from Roxy, I had advised him to get a bracelet for each of them yesterday, which he luckily did. ¡°H-Hey, you two! Do you, uh, want a hug from me too?¡± my father said with a smile. Unfortunately, he only got a pair of res in response. ¡°...Thought so.¡± He slumped his shoulders in defeat. Well, the path to forgiveness was a long one, but at least we were fine to be in the same room now. ¡°Why is he here,¡± Aisha whispered in my ear. ¡­Maybe not. ¡°Because he¡¯s your dad. Nowe on, do you want to eat first, or do presents?¡± I asked. Seeing how their eyes lit up at the word ¡®presents¡¯, the answer was already set. ¡°Alright. Then, these are for you two.¡± I then handed each of them my first gift, which was a nice new coat for each of them. ¡°This coat is a bit big, but you¡¯ll both grow into them,¡± I said, putting it over Aisha and Norn¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I also made sure to get an enchantment that made it temperature regting, so it will be useful in all types of weather.¡± With both of them wrapped up in their matching coats, looking down at the soft brown fabric with interest, I couldn¡¯t help but smirk at their cuteness. This might have been as much of a present for me as it was for them. ¡°Thank you!¡± they both cheered as they engulfed me in a hug. ¡°Do you like them?¡± I asked, patting their backs. ¡°Of course!¡± Aisha nodded. ¡°It¡¯s warm~¡± Norn hummed, burying her head into my shoulder with her hood covering her hair. ¡°Andfy~¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t fall asleep just yet,¡± I said, unwrapping my arms from them. ¡°I also got you two something else. So here.¡± I then took out a wand and a sheathed short sword from behind me, passing them to Aisha and Norn respectively. ¡°B-Brother? This is-¡± ¡°A sword,¡± I said, cutting off Norn. ¡°And I got you a belt and equipment for maintaining this, but more importantly¡­ actually, why don¡¯t you tell her, Father.¡± Paul, who had been watching the exchange with a gentle smile, stood up as he dumbly pointed to himself. ¡°Me?¡± ¡°No, the other Father here,¡± I said, my eyebrow twitching. ¡°Of course I meant you!¡± ¡°Oh! Yeah, right!¡± Idiot. He then quickly went over to kneel beside me, looking into Norn¡¯s face as her smile quickly transformed into a pout. ¡°So¡­ Norn. I know you don¡¯t like me right now, but I need you to at least listen,¡± Paul started. Norn¡¯s pout deepened, but she didn¡¯t look away. That¡¯s a good girl. ¡°This¡­ is a sword,¡± he said, gently taking her gifted weapon. ¡°It¡¯s not a toy. It¡¯s a tool used to kill. It¡¯s not something to take lightly.¡± ¡°I know that,¡± Norn muttered. ¡°I bet you do, but just know that past being a tool, it is also a symbol,¡± Paul continued, his eyes resolute. ¡°It¡¯s a symbol of strength, responsibility, and honour. When you take up the sword, it means that you¡¯re carrying the power to protect, defend, and if necessary, take a life to do so. Do not forget that.¡± His heartfelt words seemed to resonate with Norn as I found her gaze focusing on her father¡¯s narrowed green eyes. ¡°Life is precious, and it is life that you will be using this sword to protect, whether it be family, friends, or innocents. But it¡¯s because life is precious that you cannot take killing lightly. Even if it must be done, you must understand the seriousness of the act. So,¡± he then pushed the sword into Norn¡¯s chest, ¡°more than holding one in your hand, keep a sword firm and strong in your heart, because that is where true strength lies. Never forget your values and what you swear to protect when you wield this, understood?¡± Norn widened her eyes before nodding seriously, taking the sword into her hand. Well¡­ would you look at that? Honestly, I was shocked. It seems that his two practice runs with me and Rudy worked out pretty well, considering that speech. ¡°Nice job, Father,¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah, well, dealing with shitty nobles made me develop quite the glib tongue,¡± he said, getting up. I hardened a re at him. ¡°Oh. Right,¡± he said, shivering slightly. ¡°Uhh, ¡®crappy¡¯ nobles. Sorry.¡± Good. He was learning. I then looked over to Aisha, who, while listening in on Paul¡¯s speech, was still focused on the wand I had given her. It was a simple thing, with some white bark from a mana-infused tree as the base and a blue gemstone adorned at the tip. ¡°Aisha,¡± I said. ¡°More than a gift, this is also a symbol of you being a Beginner magician. Like Norn, magic is a tool, but I think you¡¯re already smart enough to know how to use it.¡± She pumped her fist as she nodded at me. ¡°Got it! I¡¯ll make you proud, Big Brother.¡± ¡°I¡¯m already proud of you,¡± I said, pulling her into another hug. ¡°Now, let¡¯s eat!¡± And so, with a few more gifts being given to the two, with Therese getting them both books, Eris getting each of them a new pair of shoes, and Paul getting Aisha a knitting set and Norn a whittling set, the festivities continued into the night, with good food being shared games being yed. With such a joyous atmosphere, as well as some dancing being done, the two now-five-year-olds quickly found themselves tuckered out, and went asleep for the night. Of course, I was begged to join them. A request that I obviously epted. Now that I didn¡¯t have to worry about separating for another year, while I could technically start sleeping with the two of them like before once again, with Eris and I advancing our rtionship, I still tried to keep us separate most nights due to her newfound¡­ clinginess. But as strong as I was, in the face of the honest pleas of my two cute little sisters, my will was quickly shattered to bits. Let¡¯s hope they don¡¯t abuse that weakness of mine in the future. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª With everything packed on the carriage, and a new horse to lend its aid, our little group was ready to depart Millishion after a nice, rxing month of rest. ¡°And you¡¯re sure you¡¯re fine?¡± I asked. ¡°Travelling all the way to Begaritt is no joke. Not to mention getting Mama once you arrive¡­¡± ¡°Haha! I¡¯ll make do, Leon,¡± my father said, rubbing my head. ¡°I always have, and that was without the motivation of saving my wives.¡± His eyes then narrowed, releasing a slight pressure of pure determination. ¡°I will definitely get them back. No question about it.¡± Instead of the broken man I had seen upon arriving in Millishion, I was instead met with the sight of the regr Paul. Well¡­ not exactly ¡®regr¡¯. Compared to his yful and childish self from before, he was much more serious now. More¡­ mature. ¡­I guess it¡¯s not only children who can grow over the years, huh? ¡°...That look suits you better than the one when we first met, Father,¡± I said, smiling. ¡°Just be sure not to falter again.¡± ¡°Yeah, no way I¡¯ll be doing that,¡± he shook his head. ¡°And if I do, I give you permission to beat me up.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need permission for that, though,¡± I joked. With the two of us sharing augh, Paul then went over to Aisha and Norn, who were both reading a book in the carriage as we prepared to depart. ¡°I¡­ know you still don¡¯t like me, but¡­ stay safe. Okay, you two?¡± he said. ¡°And listen to your brother. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll take care of everything, but it wouldn¡¯t hurt for you two to help him a bit as well.¡± While he said that, all he got was a re in response from the two. It seemed they still harboured a grudge¡­ I know I said I wouldn¡¯t force them to forgive their father, even if I had forgiven him, but I didn¡¯t exactly want them to part like this¡­ ¡°Ah, well! It hurts a little bit having my daughters re at me like that, but I¡¯m used to girls hating me,¡± he said, shaking his head fondly. ¡°...I¡¯ll bring your mothers back to make it up to you two.¡± With his serious promise, while they still didn¡¯t smile, the two at least gave him a nod of eptance. Turning back, my father then looked at me, giving me the nod to depart. ¡°...Are you sure you don¡¯t want me to talk to them? We won¡¯t be seeing each other for a while, after all,¡± I said, unsure about leaving considering the distance between him and his daughters. ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t need something forced like that,¡± he said. ¡°Plus, once we get everyone back together, I¡¯ll have my whole life to get back on their good side.¡± ¡°Well¡­ if you say so¡­¡± Giving my father a final hug, I then turned to board the carriage alongside Eris before turning back. ¡°Father¡­ you¡¯re a good person, but childish,¡± I said, deciding to air out my final grievances to the man, as well as some advice. ¡°That¡¯s cute for women, and is probably a turn-on to see such a strong man have a vulnerable side, but it¡¯s uneptable as a father. Rudy and I were different, but for Aisha and Norn, you have to set an example. A mature example. I can tell you¡¯ve improvedpared to before, but¡­ be better. For them.¡± Paul clenched his fist as he stared into my eyes. ¡°I will. I promise.¡± Well, good. I think I could hold him to that. ¡°Leon~!¡± Hearing a familiar bell-like voice, I soon found myself smothered in a pair of breasts as strong arms wrapped around me. Ignoring Paul¡¯s murmured ¡®lucky¡¯, I freed my face in order to speak to the familiar face. ¡°Aunt Therese? What are you doing here?¡± I asked. ¡°Hmm? Well, I¡¯ming with you, of course!¡± she said. ¡­What? She was? ¡°M-May I ask why?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to be stationed at West Port soon anyway, but I decided toe with you!¡± she said happily. ¡°After all, with that demon with you, you might end up running into trouble. Plus, I get to spend more time with my cute nieces and nephew!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ okay-¡± ¡°Hey! Get off him!¡± Eris shouted, jumping off the carriage tond beside us. ¡°He¡¯s mine!¡± Am I? I guess I am, huh? Hehe~ ¡°And wipe that stupid smile off your face, Leon!¡± Looking over at Eris, who had grabbed my arm, I couldn¡¯t help myself upon seeing her cute possessiveness. Thus, I kissed her. ¡°Oh my!¡± Aunt Therese said, giggling at our disy. ¡°That reminds me, I also wanted to join you to repay Eris here. She helped me greatly in defending the Miko, after all.¡± She did? Separating my lips from Eris¡¯, I watched as she sputtered, lost in a mix of embarrassment and bliss as she tried to shake off her blush. ¡°J-Jeez, what was that for?¡± she said, wiping off her mouth with a pout. ¡°I just wanted to,¡± I shrugged. ¡°And? What is this about saving a Miko?¡± ¡°J-Just some dumb assassins,¡± she harrumphed. ¡°I dealt with them during my goblin quest!¡± ¡°I see. Well done,¡± lightly patting her head, I then turned to my aunt. ¡°I don¡¯t mind youing, of course. But we¡¯re leaving right now¡­ Are you prepared?¡± I asked. ¡°Ah~ You two are so precious!¡± she said with stars in her eyes. She ignored me¡­ ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª With the sight of the clear blue ocean in front of us and a harbour filled with boats going in and out, I took a deep breath to take in the fresh, salty breeze of the oceanside air. The city of Wind Port wasid out in front of us, with white buildings scattered across the coastline, as well as arge wall surrounding it, the city was quite simr in structure to Zant Port, but muchrger. That was to be expected, though. It was the merchant hub of the Millis Continent, after all, as it had the only trade route on this continent that existed with the Central and Begaritt continents. ¡°We¡¯re finally here,¡± I said, sighing in relief. It had been two months on the road since leaving Millishion, and while nothing bad had happened, I was itching to get back to our homnd, even if it wasn¡¯t anything like it was before. And there was also¡­ ¡°Mou~! I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ll be away from you cuties after this!¡± Pulling Norn, Aisha, and me in a hug, I was once again reminded of the presence of my doting aunt. Honestly, despite being a devout member of the Millis church, I liked Therese quite a bit. Though I did have to tell her to back off when she started preaching some Millis bullshit to Norn and Aisha¡­ luckily, she wasn¡¯t too pushy. Anyway, as a member of the Knight Order of the Temple, while she held an ufortable level of piety towards a religion that I despised, she also had ess to some secret books that the rest of the world was not privy to. And, as a result of her so graciously lending them to me, I had raised my healing magic to the Saint rank, and my barrier magic to the Advanced rank. Quite good growth, if I do say so myself. Especially with the Saint-rank healing, as that allowed me to regrow lost limbs and organs. Hopefully, I wouldn¡¯t need to use that, but it was good to know. ¡­I just temped fate, didn¡¯t I? Ah, well, whatever. We then set off to sell our carriage, as we couldn¡¯t exactly take it over the water, before heading into the main checkpoint, where we would hopefully find our transportation across the sea. As we arrived at the crowded ce, many heads turned to our entrance, particrly a few of the male guards, who were looking at Eris¡­ appreciatively. I could understand. She was a beautiful girl, after all. But this beautiful girl belonged to yours truly. Needless to say, I quickly pulled her close with one arm while using the other to move Norn and Aisha closer to me, all while ring at whoever cast their gaze our way. My message was clear: Back off. Luckily, they seemed to understand, as they averted their eyes a momentter. As we began our way towards one of the receptionists, I noticed that a well-dressed and very¡­ heavy man, likely some sort of officer, was standing behind the counter, ring at us, or more specifically, Ruijerd. ¡°Aunt Therese¡­ what¡¯s with him?¡± I asked. ¡°That Duke Bakshiel¡­ he¡¯s probably going to make things difficult,¡± she sighed. ¡°Why? Because of Ruijerd?¡± I asked. Aunt Therese nodded. ¡°But¡­ why? I know a lot of people don¡¯t like demons here, but in that case, wouldn¡¯t they wee him leaving?¡± I was confused. ¡°Yeah, well¡­ it¡¯s just like that,¡± she sighed. ¡°Usually because of their pride. They wouldn¡¯t want to give in to the request of a demon, after all.¡± ¡°I see¡­ so what do we do?¡± I asked. ¡°You can leave that to me. I¡¯ll make sure to get you five a ship for tonight,¡± she said, turning to Ruijerd. ¡°You said you had a letter that may help smooth things over?¡± ¡°Indeed. I believe Gash mentioned being the Commander of the Missionary Knights,¡± Ruijerd said. ¡°I hope this helps.¡± Therese paused at his words. ¡°...Commander Galgard?¡± she said, slightly shocked. ¡°U-Uhh, yes, that should help¡­ a lot.¡± Oh? It seems that Ruijerd¡¯s friend was quite the big shot. ¡°Okay¡­ do you need us here?¡± I asked. ¡°No, my authority should be enough,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°After all, as you said, as long as he¡¯s relenting to me and not the will of a demon, it should be alright.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be getting food near the guild then,¡± I said. ¡°Thanks for helping us, Aunt Therese.¡± ¡°Aww! Anything for my cute nephew!¡± I made sure to leave the ce before I was smothered again. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Do we have to go on a boat¡­?¡± Eris whined. ¡°Yes. Unless you have some way to fly,¡± I said. ¡°Can¡¯t you do that?¡± she asked. ¡°No.¡± Well, maybe I could. ¡°I couldn¡¯t fly for long enough while carrying everyone,¡± I corrected my statement. ¡°Hmph,¡± she pouted. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not happy about it!¡± I think I know that¡­ With Eris marching angrily up the gangway to join the other three, I then turned to my aunt, who I would likely not be seeing for quite a while after this. ¡°Thank you for all your help,¡± I said, bowing in thanks. ¡°And also for letting me learn some magic.¡± ¡°Of course, Leon,¡± she smiled. ¡°But¡­ say¡­ my mother asked me before I left¡­ if it¡¯s possible¡­ would you allow Norn to stay here?¡± My smile dropped as I red at the woman. Was that why she was being so nice? Trying to butter me up and get Norn back? I wasn¡¯t stupid. While Paul had renounced his nobility in name, he could never renounce his bloodline. So he, despite his issues, was still an eptable father to a noblewoman to have. And with Therese not nning to have children, it was obvious why my grandmother wanted Norn. ¡°Never,¡± I said, my hand lowering to hover over my sword. ¡°I have kept it in so far out of respect, but I loathe this ce and the Millis religion. Pretending to be just while they detest all demons for no reason, allow the envement of innocents, and keep magic that could save lives sealed behind their pride¡­ If I had the strength and didn¡¯t have to worry about retaliation and harming innocents, I would destroy the entire capital.¡± I took a deep breath to calm my wrath as I finished my words. ¡°So no¡­ I do not want Norn spending her life here in a country with such pretentious and hypocritical beliefs, much less getting involved in the politics and nobility of it.¡± While I had expected her to be angry at my outburst, Therese just sighed resignedly, as if she had expected this. ¡°Well, I cannot ignore that we do have our issues¡­ Ah, but I assume that arguing over the good of Millis would be useless,¡± she said as she lightly shook her head. ¡°That pretentiousness must be why my sister left and never looked back¡­ she was always quite stubborn like that.¡± Therese then stepped forward, pulling me into a hug. ¡°Regardless, I do hope you visit sometime¡­ Hopefully without destroying the capital.¡± Reciprocating her hug, I nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Separating, she gave me a final pat on the head. ¡°If Paul isn¡¯t enough, please save my sister. And if you do¡­ tell her I miss her.¡± ¡°I will,¡± I nodded before hearing the ship¡¯s bell ring, signalling its departure. ¡°Well, I should get going now. Goodbye, Aunt Therese.¡± ¡°Safe travels!¡± And with that, I leaped onto the ship, quickly finding the other four with my Demon eye as I made my way toward our cabin. Entering the room, I was met with the sight of Eris curled up in one of the cots, while Norn and Aisha were both organizing their things, mostly pulling out some hobbies to do for tomorrow¡¯s day at sea. ¡°Well, we¡¯re off to the Central Continent,¡± I said as I sat next to Eris. Feeling the boat rock as we presumably began sailing to East Port, I ced my hand on Eris¡¯ forehead and began casting some basic detoxification and healing magic to quell the oing nausea. To think¡­ after two whole years¡­ we were only now getting to our home continent. That was quite a depressing thought. But at the same time¡­ it was hopeful too. ¡°Leon¡­¡± Hearing Ruijerd call for me, I looked up at the man, noticing a conflicted expression clouding his face. ¡°Yes? Is something wrong?¡± I asked. ¡°...No,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It can wait.¡± ¡°...If you¡¯re sure.¡± With that slightly confusing interaction, our group began towards East Port, putting an end to our journey of the Millis Continent and cing us one step closer to our homnd. Chapter 44 – Fangs of the Black Wolf: Reunited Chapter 44 ¨C Fangs of the ck Wolf: Reunited ¡ª Roxy Migurdia ¡ª After discovering the location of Zenith and Lilia thanks to the Great Empress Kishirika, our group consisting of Elinalise, Talhand, and I immediately set forth south towards the Millis Continent and eventually Millishion, where Paul and his group were hopefully still stationed. That was nearly half a year ago. The journey wasn¡¯t particrly difficult with ourbined adventuring experience and fighting power, as well as my knowledge of the Demon Continent, but we still felt a sense of urgency due to Zenith¡¯s precarious position. With our timeline lining up perfectly, we were able to cross the Great Forest shortly after the end of the rainy season, though we could tell that something odd had happened in Zant Port¡­ ah, well, that wasn¡¯t our problem, so we ignored it. Quickly making it to Millishion, upon entering the grand Adventure Guild headquarters, we were quickly met with the shocking news that Paul¡¯s group, the ¡®Fittoa Search and Rescue Squad¡¯, had been disbanded. Luckily, we were able to find out it wasn¡¯t due to Paul¡¯s death, but that still left us in an unfortunate situation, unsure of what to do next. Which was where we found ourselves now. Sitting in a bar, pondering over our next move. ¡°Well¡­ I guess we¡¯re shit out of luck, eh?¡± Talhand said, stroking his beard. ¡°It is quite inconvenient¡­¡± Elinalise muttered. ¡°I want to get Zenny as soon as possible, but with a group this small¡­¡± Indeed. The Begaritt Continent, much like the Demon Continent, was a harshnd, full of monsters and bandits. And unlike the Demon Continent, where I hailed from, none of us were knowledgeable about thend nor the customs. So it would be an arduous journey, to say the least. And even once we got to thebyrinth the two Greyrat women were trapped in, it would be presumptuous to assume that we had the firepower to clear such a ce. So¡­ what now? Would we hire someone? We knew from Kishirika that Leon was in the Great Forest around five months ago, and considering how he had likely only stayed there for the duration of the rainy season, he was likely in the Central Continent by now. Maybe we could go to him? He would surely fill in the frontline attacker position we needed¡­ ¡°You guys¡­¡± As I heard a familiar male voice, all three of us turned to look at who had just entered the building. ¡°Paul?¡± Elinalise said, surprised. ¡°Elinalise¡­ Talhand¡­ Roxy¡­¡± he continued, stunned. ¡°What the heck are you three doing here?¡± ¡°Searching for Zenny of course,¡± Elinalise said, standing up. ¡°We saw your message back in the Fittoa region right after that disaster urred.¡± ¡°Y-You guys¡­ you were searching for her?¡± Paul asked, his words dripping with emotion. ¡°Yes,¡± I nodded. ¡°Speaking of, we found out that she and Lilia are alive, as well as all your children.¡± Paul sighed in relief. ¡°I see¡­ Leon didn¡¯t tell me he met you guys.¡± Huh? What did he mean? I expected him to show a more¡­ emotional reaction. Perplexing. ¡°We¡­ didn¡¯t meet Leon, Paul,¡± Elinalise said, her tone also showing her confusion. ¡°We just passed him as we ventured into the Demon Continent, we believe.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t?¡± Great, now Paul was confused too. This was turning into a troublesome affair. ¡°Then¡­ how could you know that Zenith and Lilia are alive?¡± he asked. ¡°We met an¡­ interesting figure,¡± Elinalise said. ¡°She was able to tell us where all your lost family was, such as Leon being in the Great Forest, and Zenith being in-¡± ¡°The Begaritt Continent. I know,¡± Paul said, interrupting her. ¡­He knew? What in the world was going on here? ¡°I¡¯m assuming this ¡®interesting figure¡¯ is the same one Leon met then,¡± he said, sitting down at the table. ¡°It seems that we have a lot to talk about.¡± I see now¡­ Paul must have met up with Leon during his journey towards the Central Continent and told him about Zenith and Lilia¡¯s survival. Quite the coincidental turn of events. ¡°More importantly, for searching for my family¡­ even after I ended up breaking up our party¡­ thank you,¡± Paul said, getting on his knees in front of Elinalise and Talhand. ¡°And thank you too, Roxy.¡± ¡°Ah, don¡¯t mind it!¡± I said, waving my hand. Jeez, that was an embarrassing feeling. Especially when I found myself sometimes thinking about his son in¡­ certain ways. Certain ways that were much too shameful to reveal. ¡°No, please¡­ especially when you have even fewer ties to us than these two, thank you,¡± he nodded in my direction. ¡°Though¡­ did you get injured or something? What¡¯s with the eye patch?¡± ¡°Ah, this¡­¡± I then ran my finger over my left eye. The one that had been turned into a Demon eye thanks to the Great Empress Kishirika. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ a goal, you could say,¡± I said, smiling softly. ¡°You can me it on Leon¡¯s influence.¡± While I had yet to take control of this new power, I was able to use it to some extent. It was especially useful when studying how the mana flowed through my spells. But the world was still a little too bright when I had it uncovered, no matter how much I tried to suppress the mana flowing into it. So for now, it was the eye patch. ¡°Oh¡­ I see¡­ sorry?¡± Paul said, a bit confused. ¡°Well, aside from that, it¡¯s only natural we look for her, right?¡± Talhand said. ¡°That little Leon made us a true family, even if it was only for a year.¡± ¡°Indeed. While I have no care for you, I do have quite the attachment to Leon and Zenny,¡± Elinalise said, getting up as she stood over Paul. ¡°And speaking of Zenny¡­¡± her usually kind or flirtatious gaze hardened as she red down at the man. ¡°It seems that you picked up another wife while I wasn¡¯t looking. You do remember what I said, right? What would happen if you betrayed Zenny¡­¡± ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ I know, but until I save her, put off killing me, alright? Please?¡± Paul said, sping his hands together in prayer. ¡°...Fine. But this isn¡¯t the end,¡± Elinalise said, flipping her hair before she sat back down. ¡°Now¡­ the Paul I knew would be drowning his sorrows in women or alcohol right about now, but you have a good look on you,¡± Elinalise said. ¡°Did something happen?¡± Paul rubbed the back of his head with an embarrassed smile. ¡°Ah, well, you could say that¡­ a lot of it actually happened in this bar if you believe it!¡± Paul then went on to exin his and Leon¡¯s first¡­ unfortunate meeting, as well as their reconciliation and his attempts to get in the good graces of his daughters during their month-long stay. But to think I missed Leon by a week¡­ I was quite saddened by that. Though he did make that embarrassingly cute promise that he would save me in a dungeon when we next met, just like my fantasy, I did miss him and his letters quite a bit. And there was also that embarrassing promise on my side where if he still felt enamoured with me once he reached adulthood, I would¡­ be with him¡­ Gah! No! Bad Roxy! Anyways, at least he seemed to be in good health, alongside his sisters and tworades. Though it was¡­ odd. From hearing of Eris and Leon, the way Paul exined that she helped him out of his sadness¡­ that upset me for some reason. Really upset me. How vexing. Were they¡­ together? I mean, why wouldn¡¯t they be? They went on a grand quest together for two entire years in the harshest ofnds, and even tamed a Superd! So¡­ it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if romance blossomed. ¡­The thought made me slightly nauseous, as well as igniting a me of curiosity in my mind. I would have to ask Paul for some insightster. But aside from that¡­ even though I knew Elinalise was a kind person¡­ the aura wading off her tense figure right now was something¡­ dangerous. ¡°...Paul,¡± she spoke icily. ¡°Y-Yes?¡± ¡°...I won¡¯t do anything, just because you seem to have been punished enough, but I will be telling Zenith. Understood?¡± ¡°...Yes. Understood,¡± Paul said, hanging his head low. Well, at least it was resolved without violence. But aside from that¡­ ¡°So, I assume now that your group is disbanded, you will be heading to Rapan?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± Paul nodded. ¡°There are only a few people who have the skills toe with me, and only two that would ept, so¡­ I could really use your help.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? We¡¯vee this far, why would we quit when we finally know where she is,¡± Elinalise said with a huff. ¡°I see¡­ thank you¡­ truly,¡± Paul said, his lips spread into an appreciative smile. ¡°If there is anything I can do to repay this¡­ just say the word.¡± Elinalise, who was previously fixing the man with a stern re, looked a little flustered at his honest thanks. ¡°No need for that, Paul. Just¡­ be better¡­ for Zenith and your kids.¡± ¡°Heh,¡± he smirked, getting back into his chair. ¡°I got those same words just a week ago. But yeah, I promise.¡± Sighing, Elinalise continued, ¡°So? I know you¡¯re leaving with us to go to Begaritt, but why did you disband the group? I assume there are still quite a few Fittoans in precarious positions.¡± ¡°Actually¡­¡± Paul smirked. ¡°While there was a problem about some ves here in Millishion when Leon and his two friends came down, we were able to rescue all of them before they left.¡± Elinalise widened her eyes. ¡°Truly? But those self-absorbed nobles wouldn¡¯t take it lying down¡­¡± Paul chuckled. ¡°Ha! That¡¯s right, but the situation¡¯s a bit different when six Saint-rank swordsmen were taken out in a night!¡± ¡­Wow. It seems that Leon has grown stronger than I expected. Then again, this was the group of three that was able to be A-rank adventurers in less than a year on the Demon Continent, so not much could shock me anymore. Plus, they had a Superd with them¡­ I felt shivers just thinking about it. ¡°...It seems little Leon has grown up into a good man,¡± Elinalise smiled warmly. ¡°Hopefully I¡¯ll be able to bring him his precious ¡®Mama¡¯ when I see him next.¡± ¡°Well, he said he¡¯de to join us once he dropped off Aisha and Norn, so you might see him even sooner,¡± Paul said. The thought caused a small tingle to run down my spine. Leon? To a dungeon? With me? That¡­ sounded quite nice. Just the two of us¡­ adventuring¡­ cleaning outbyrinths¡­ ¡°Anyway, you said they were still in Rapan when you learned where they were, right?¡± Paul said, rubbing his chin. ¡°If that was when Leon was in the Great Forest¡­ I guess they didn¡¯t move, huh? Were they in thebyrinth that Leon mentioned when you checked in on them?¡± ¡°Y-Yes!¡± I said a little louder than I meant to. ¡°T-They¡­ they were still in thebyrinth. I¡­ doubt they¡¯re being held against their wills. More than likely¡­ they were teleported inside the dungeon, and have found some way to survive off water magic and monster meat¡­ or something simr.¡± Why was I drifting off into daydreams in the middle of such an important meeting? Get a hold of yourself, Roxy! ¡°Yeah¡­ but if she¡¯s still alive¡­ and has been for two years¡­¡± Paul¡¯s lips widened into a smile. ¡°Then I guess I do have some good luck after all.¡± ¡°Well if luck is want you want, then here it is!¡± Another voice echoed through the nearly empty tavern, and upon turning to see the owner, I was met with the sight of a middle-aged man with the face of a monkey. ¡°Geese!?¡± Elinialise and Paul said, standing up. Hm? Was this him? The thief of their old party I¡¯ve heard so much about on our travels, Geese Nukadia? If he was nning on joining us¡­ he would be quite a useful addition. Considering that there are likely traps littered throughout thebyrinth we would be clearing, someone with his skillset would be incredibly valuable. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Paul asked. ¡°Hey, is that any way to greet an old friend?¡± Geese smirked. ¡°I overheard that you were heading out to get Zenith, right? Well¡­ I guess you can count me in.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Paul asked. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve never been to Rapan before, despite all the stories,¡± he said, rubbing his palms together. ¡°To me, that sounds like a ce ripe for swindling.¡± ¡­ He would be useful¡­ right? ¡°But Paul, is this everyone?¡± Geese asked. ¡°Almost. Vierra and Shierra said they¡¯de along,¡± Paul said, his lips spreading into a gentle smile. ¡°Despite everything they went through, those two are really good girls.¡± Paul then shivered before looking back to Elinalise, who was ring at him with an icy expression. ¡°W-Whoa! It¡¯s not like that, I swear!¡± he said, waving his hand. ¡°They just have been helping me out for a while! Nothing more! Promise!¡± ¡°...Hmph!¡± Elinalise huffed, obviously not impressed with the man. To think that this guy was what I saw as the paragon of a husband in a loving young family¡­ while I still believed in him, I think I ought to raise my standards a bit. ¡°A-Anyway, the three of us were nning to leave this afternoon before these guys showed up,¡± Paul continued, pointing to our group with his thumb. ¡°But now, since we¡¯ll have to get more supplies¡­ we¡¯ll probably have to wait another day¡­¡± ¡°Ah! Got it, but you can leave that stuff to me!¡± Geese said. ¡°That¡¯s about all I¡¯m useful for anyway.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± Elinalise shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re also a great cook. Too bad you have a gambling problem, else you would be the perfect husband.¡± ¡°Aye, I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s apliment or not¡­¡± Geese sighed, rubbing the back of his head. ¡°But damn¡­ to think our party would get back together again¡­ though Ghiine and Zenith aren¡¯t with us, it¡¯s still nice to see.¡± Talhand nodded to Geese¡¯s words, while Elinalise and Paul both smiled softly. The Fangs of the ck Wolf¡­ to think I would be so close to such a famous party. Wait¡­ wasn¡¯t I basically a part of it at this point? I wonder what the me who had just left Ranoa would think of me now. ¡°Well, let¡¯s meet back here tomorrow morning, alright?¡± Geese said. ¡°If you¡¯re anything like the Paul I knew from back then, I wouldn¡¯t trust your preparations at all. Bet you don¡¯t even have any spices for cooking meat, do ya?¡± Shaking his head in disappointment, he then started heading out the door. ¡°Well, see ya! And don¡¯t you dare bete!¡± With his departure, Elinalise then sighed. ¡°Well, I think we should be finding ourselves a ce to stay for the night,¡± she said before licking her lips. ¡°And as for me¡­ well, it¡¯s been a few days on the road, so I wonder just how sinful I can get in the Holy Country¡¯s capital¡­¡± ¡­I was d we were only staying a night in Millishion. I didn¡¯t want to get branded a heretic due to her¡­ activities. ¡°That sounds about right for you,¡± Paul said, shaking his head with a fond smile. ¡°But I should go tell the other two the new n. Ah, and I should also introduce you, but if we book our rooms together for the night, we can just do it then.¡± As Paul began to head out, I inexplicably felt the need to call out to him. ¡°Paul,¡± I said, walking up to him. ¡°About Leon¡­¡± My words trailed off into a whisper as I griped about what I was about to ask, fiddling with the brim of my hat in anxiousness. Why did I feel the need to ask this question? And why was my stomach turning in anticipation of the answer? ¡°Is Leon¡­ together, with that Eris girl?¡± I asked. Paul widened his eyes before his lips spread into a smile. ¡°Heh. Yeah, he did mention her being my ¡®future daughter-inw¡¯, and there was also that kiss¡­¡± he shook his head fondly. ¡°While I entered the game a little earlier, young love is still nice to see.¡± I felt my body freeze as Paul continued talking about his youthful exploits. I¡­ knew it. Leon was too amazing to stay with someone like me. I¡¯m sure that for a child, I was pretty and cute, but once he got to see other women, and know what a true female body looked like, there was no room for me in his mind. Haa¡­ right. I expected this. So¡­ why? Why does it¡­ hurt so much? ¡°-oxy? Oi, Roxy!¡± ¡°Hwah!?¡± I sputtered, jolting out of my thoughts. ¡°I said I wanted to talk to you about something,¡± Paul said, quieting his voice. ¡°Privately, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± Looking back at Elinalise and Talhand, who were both looking at us with interest, I nodded before following Paul out of the tavern and into a nearby alleyway. Still nk in muted shock from the new information, my mind didn¡¯t even try to imagine why he would want to talk with me. ¡°Right. This should be good enough,¡± he said, turning back to me with a serious look. ¡°Roxy¡­ I have a favour to ask of you.¡± ¡°...Yes? What is it?¡± I asked listlessly. ¡°You see¡­ god, Leon¡¯s gonna be pissed at me, isn¡¯t he?¡± Shaking his head, Paul continued, ¡°You see, before we left, Leon and I decided to have some father-son bonding time by sharing a drink, but¡­ well¡­ Leon hadn¡¯t really gotten drunk before, so he went a little¡­ overboard.¡± Oh? ¡°That must have been quite a sight, to see the usually mature Leon like that,¡± I nodded. ¡°But¡­ how does this concern me, exactly?¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting there,¡± he said. ¡°Well, when we were talking, we eventually got to the topic of¡­ women. He¡­ mentioned Eris, of course, as well as that Sylphy girl, but he also mentioned¡­ you.¡± ¡­What? ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you remember his crush on you from back then, right? It was obvious for anyone to see,¡± he said, smiling fondly. ¡°But that crush¡­ well, it didn¡¯t go away. In fact, from the look on his face, I would say it grew to something more.¡± Wait wait wait¡­ what? ¡°And, well¡­ I can tell he¡¯s serious about you. God, he said some embarrassing things, haha!¡± Paul chuckled to himself, wiping a tear from his eye. Wait, Leon is serious about me? He¡­ remembers me? He¡­ is attracted to me? Does he¡­ love me? Still? After all this time? Despite my immature body? The thought made my heart race, apanied by a pleasant tingle that shot down my spine and a heat that flushed my face. Paul calmed down hisughter and looked seriously into my eyes. ¡°So, please, when you two meet up again, I ask that you let him¡­ down¡­ easy¡­¡± His words trailed off as a shocked expression came onto his face. But that surprise onlysted a moment before a wide grin spread across his face. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be¡­ That¡¯s my son,¡± his prideful smile dimmed into a worried frown. ¡°Though¡­ I don¡¯t know how Zenith will take this¡­¡± As Paul began mumbling, ¡°Will Zenith take it easier on me now that her son has two women, or will she punish me for influencing her innocent Leon?¡± I found myself lost in my own thoughts. And the thoughts were wonderful. Being with Leon¡­ was that truly a possibility? No, it must be. He might have had that Eris girl already, but that didn¡¯t matter. After all, the man standing in front of me had two wives, so it was only in Leon¡¯s blood. And while I may not be the first to be with him, I was his first love, so I wouldn''t lose in any way¡­ Wait, what am I thinking!? Tipping my hat down to hide my flustered state, such thoughts continued to go through my mind. They were embarrassing, childish, tender, warm, and¡­ oh-so romantic. Perhaps that was why my lips had unconsciously curled into a smile. The future seemed quite uncertain, especially with our group¡¯s uing journey, but one thing was clear. Considering we will be leaving for Begaritt tomorrow before embarking on a quest through the perilous desert, it will likely not be for a while, but Leon¡­ I cannot wait to see you again. And so, with my heart aflutter, our reunion with Paul marked the start of another journey. One to reunite the final two members of the Greyrat family I have grown so close to, and the very family I hoped I would be joining in theing years. Not that I would openly admit that though. Chapter 45 – The Central Continent Chapter 45 ¨C The Central Continent ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª After two nights and an entire day at sea, we had finally arrived in East Port, the southern entrance by sea to the Central Continent. More importantly, it was one step closer to home. While the day of rest was nice, as Aisha and Norn got to experience the novelty of seafaring once more while I got to experience a cute and meek Eris again, we didn¡¯t have time to waste around. After all, we still had to make it across the entire continent, with this one being thergest continent yet. Safe to say, we had our work cut out for us. And that wasn¡¯t even mentioning how we now didn¡¯t have the Holy Sword Highway to use anymore¡­ There was a very well-maintained road that stretched from our current location, East Port, all the way to the capital of the Asura Kingdom, Ars, and while its size and quality wereparable to the Holy Sword Highway, there was one factor that we would now have to deal with during our travels that we didn¡¯t have to before. Monsters. It was said that the Holy Sword Kingdom was made by Saint Millis himself when he shed down his sword and parted the Blue Dragon Mountain Range and the Great Forest, and while that story was quite obviously doubtful, there was still some merit to it as the road was bursting with mana. I would know, as I had been nearly blinded when I first used my Demon eye while we were on the road. Anyway, with that mana warding away monsters, the only thing one needed to worry about were bandits, but the knights often took care of those before there were any problems. But now, it would be a bit different. I think I could rely on my barrier magic unless some insanely strong monster made itself known, but until I was sure, I guess we¡¯d be splitting the nightly guard duty between the three of us once more. Or, at least, I thought it would be the three of us¡­ ¡°Leon,¡± Ruijerd said, looking down at me with an apologetic frown. ¡°I¡­ believe that we should part ways here.¡± That was quite the thing to hear, right after getting our new carriage and horses set up. ¡°...Is there any particr reason?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes,¡± he nodded. ¡°After talking to my friend in Millishion¡­ he mentioned that there was an old rumour, around a hundred years ago, that there were Superds in the south of the Dragon King Kingdom.¡± Ah. Well, we were currently in the southeast of that very Dragon King Kingdom and would be heading up north as soon as we began travelling, so that¡­ made sense. We would have to part ways, if not now, then very soon. After all, while Ruijerd had been helping us, his main goal was to find his people and restore his tribe¡¯s good name. ¡°I will search for my people,¡± he continued. ¡°And with the lessons you¡¯ve taught me, as well as your theory that our hair is the source of our curse, I can begin restoring the Superd¡¯s reputation.¡± Right. There was that as well. After getting more control of my Demon eye in the Great Forest, as well as Ruijerd having forgotten to shave his head for a few days, I was able to notice it. Mana. But it wasn¡¯t the usual free-flowing type I was used to, but rather¡­ something else. Something¡­ murkier. And it was concentrated in his hair. Just as I had assumed, the Superd reputation, while much was done through word of mouth, had something magical to do with it too. A curse of sorts. Unfortunately, I was only able to identify it, and not remove it, but with the knowledge of the Superd¡¯s green hair causing many issues, it was a clear next step in Ruijerd¡¯s quest. ¡°And¡­ you¡¯re sure about this?¡± I asked, trying to hide my worry. Despite all of my training, I was still nowhere near Ruijerd¡¯s level. Maybe if I had the distance, I could deal some good damage with magic, but as soon as we were in closebat, it was over¡­ and that wasn¡¯t even mentioning his invaluable experience and his third eye. So the prospect of not having him around anymore was¡­ quite worrying. His expression softened into a smile as he patted my head, my height only reaching his shoulder as he looked down at me. ¡°Do not worry. You and Eris are more than strong enough to protect those two on your travels,¡± he said firmly. ¡°You are both warriors. True, respectable, strong warriors.¡± It was then that the other three made their appearance, having finished going to the bathroom before we departed. ¡°Ruijerd¡­ you¡¯re leaving?¡± Eris asked. ¡°Yes,¡± he answered, staring at her resolutely. Eris red at him for a few moments, before crossing her arms with a huff. ¡°Hmph! Fine! But next time we meet, I¡¯ll be stronger than you, got that!?¡± Well¡­ I was initially worried about her raising a fuss, but it seemed like she wasn¡¯t going to be difficult. Looking over at my two sisters, I noticed that Aisha only had a small frown, but otherwise was unconcerned. That girl had likely already expected something like this to happen with how smart she was. Norn, however¡­ ¡°You¡¯re¡­ going?¡± Norn said, clutching her stuffy tighter to her chest. ¡°But¡­ why?¡± Norn was much more¡­ emotional,pared to her sister. And, in many cases, much more childish. Plus, with how Ruijerd would always tell her stories by the campfire when I was busy training or sleeping, the two had grown quite close. So it was no surprise she was upset by this development. ¡°Norn¡­¡± Ruijerd said, crouching down to be at eye level with her. ¡°I have something to do. Just like you have your family to reunite with, I must reunite with mine.¡± Rubbing her head gently, Ruijerd continued, ¡°Your father was able to impart some good wisdom about the sword, and you know you can lean on Leon and Eris for many things¡­ But be good. Both of you.¡± Aisha and Norn nodded as thetter¡¯s eyes began to water. With a final hug being exchanged by the three, Norn then ran to my leg, burying her face in my hip as Ruijerd stood up. ¡°Then, I should be off. Thank you for helping me, for reforming my methods¡­ for everything, Leon.¡± ¡°No worries. I promised I would, right?¡± I said, extending my hand for a handshake. ¡°Besides, this is not a final farewell, is it?¡± ¡°...No. You¡¯re right¡­ we shall meet again,¡± he said, reciprocating my gesture. ¡°If by then your family has still not been found, or if you need help with anything else, know that I will dly assist.¡± ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯ll see you at that time,¡± I said. ¡°Though I hope I will have my family back together by then.¡± ¡°I hope so as well,¡± Ruijerd nodded with a smile as he turned away. ¡°Then¡­ goodbye, you four. It was¡­ a most pleasant journey.¡± And with that, he walked away, and our party of five became one of four. Ah¡­ I should also remove him from the ¡®Red Wolves¡¯ the next time I visit an Adventure Guild, right? ¡°You okay Norn?¡± I said, patting my little sister¡¯s head as she cried into my shirt. ¡°Un¡­¡± she nodded slowly. ¡°W-We¡¯ll¡­ meet again, so it¡¯s only a small goodbye¡­ but it¡¯s still sad¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile at that. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± I said, scooping her up into my arms. ¡°It¡¯s only a small goodbye, just like with your beastfolk friends. But for now, let¡¯s get going. We have a lot of ground to cover, after all.¡± With Aisha and Eris heading into the carriage, and myself taking the reins in the front with Norn still in my arms, we set off down the road ahead. With the trees darting past as I rode onward, I began to think inwardly about our group¡¯s next steps. It was sad that Ruijerd left, but he had his own goals, and now that I knew everyone I loved was safe, knew where they were, and had the power to bring them together, I didn¡¯t need his help as much. Though it would certainly be useful¡­ Anyway, with Ruijerd out of the picture, I would have to be more careful, especially in terms of tracking. I suppose my Demon eye training would get some use, huh? But still, despite everything, other than being a little more vignt, our n hadn¡¯t changed much. We would hasten our way to Sharia so I could drop off my sisters with Rudy and begin heading toward the Begaritt Continent to rescue Mama and Lilia. And Eris¡­ well, we¡¯d stop by Fittoa, both as a resting point and for Eris to see her parents. As for if she wants toe with me or stay with them after that¡­ that will be her choice, I suppose. ¡°Hey,¡± Eris said, leaning her head on my shoulder as she hugged me from behind. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ think too much, okay? We¡¯ll be fine. We¡¯re¡­ both warriors, right?¡± I then felt my chin being grabbed as Eris turned my head, quickly locking her lips with mine as I unconsciously closed my eyes. My heart pounded as my spine tingled, the same feeling of ted excitation from our first kiss coursing through my body. Seriously¡­ this girl was going to be the death of me. Separating our lips, I opened my eyes to see a trail of spit connecting us as Eris stared at me with lidded eyes, nting a final kiss on my mouth before turning my head back to the road. ¡°...Don¡¯t look at me,¡± she mumbled. And now she was meek again? Hah¡­ she was too much. ¡°Sure Eri¡­ thank you,¡± I said, reaching my arm behind me to stroke her hair. ¡°...But what was with that? Did you learn that from your mother or something?¡± I instantly regretted my decision as her touki-covered fist dug into my ribs. Yep¡­ I deserved that. ¡°Brother¡­¡± Looking down, I was met with the sight of Norn staring up at me with wide, starry eyes, and looking beside me, I saw that Aisha had found herself a seat beside me, wearing a simr expression to Norn. What? Did they want¡­ ¡°Please?¡± Aisha asked. Haa, such troublesome sisters. Seeing their expectant looks, and right after a disy like that, I didn¡¯t even need to ask what they were waiting for. And so, leaning down, I gave Norn a peck on her forehead before pulling Aisha closer and kissing her on her cheek. ¡°Ehe~¡± Seeing their blissful expressions, I could only shake my head fondly in slight exasperation. Truly, they were such troublesome sisters¡­ in the best of ways. Speaking of siblings, I was likely walking- or, rather, riding, the same path Rudy did, wasn¡¯t I? He should be in Sharia by now, right? I wonder¡­ just what has my lustful, talented brother been up to? ¡ª Rudeus Greyrat ¡ª Rudeus Greyrat here! To put it simply, life has been good. Great, in fact. With the Ranoa University of Magic¡¯s library and talented professors at my disposal, I had be a King-ranked water magician, while also advancing my earth, wind, and fire magic to the Saint level. Bing the youngest King-ranked magician wasn¡¯t something I had nned during my trip to the north, but it was surely a wee surprise. Anyway, by clearing many dungeons with Counter Arrow,bined with my previous adventuring exploits, I also became an S-rank adventurer during this time. While I had still yet to find any of my family, I hoped that with my name being spread with many stories of my and my party¡¯s achievements, it would only be a matter of time before they came to me¡­ or at least someone with information did. Hitogami did say it would happen, and as untrustworthy as that guy seemed, he had yet to lead me astray thus far. I had also kept up with my morning training that Leon and Paul drilled into me, and while I was still an Intermediate-rank swordsman, with my body cresting the peak of puberty, my figure was now that of an elite athlete from my old world. With Heracles and Hulk at my sides, and Tindalos and Baskerville supporting me, I was ready for anything this world could throw at me! ¡­Just kidding. I knew there were some real monsters I could only dream of running from, such as Eris and Leon. Anyway, with my training, it wasn¡¯t only the strength that I hade to love, but also the stamina I had gained. After all, it wasn¡¯t useful in only running if you catch my drift. Aside from some personal growth, both in magical abilities and mental development, with me confronting some of my ws and gaining some confidence in myself, there was one more big change in my life¡­ one that was definitely the most positive. ¡°Rudy~!¡± My arm beingtched onto by a familiar beautiful blonde-haired girl, I looked down at my wonderful girlfriend. ¡°Hey, Sara. Are your sses done for the day?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± she sighed. ¡°I wish I could just skip it like you do. I know the basics of archery already, dammit!¡± She finished her words by kicking a pebble down the road with a huff. Yes. My prayers when I first was told to join Counter Arrow were quickly found to have been granted in the form of the ever-wonderful and ever-beautiful Sara. She was quite simr to Eris, in their matching tsundere personalities, but she was much softer¡­ and kinder. Oh, and she was absolutely stunning. With her constant adventuring, she had an awesome body, and since she was only 15, I knew she would only be getting better. And her scent¡­ it was divine. When I first asked to join them, I was surprised that their group didn¡¯t want me for my skills, but only wanted me after I exined why I wanted to join them, my reason being to find my family in the north. At first, it was a bit rough, especially my rtionship with Sara, as she had something against nobles and presumed me to be one. I could understand her hatred. Especially after she told me about how her parents had died, how her local lord had failed her, and her consequent experiences with noble brats hoping to gain some fame by joining them in adventuring¡­ brats that she expected me to be just like. Eventually, my charming self ensnared another youngdy as I rescued everyone from a pack of wolf-type monsters during our first quest together. Well, not exactly ¡®ensnared¡¯, but she didn¡¯t hate me anymore after that point. And then, slowly, with us being the only two teenagers in our party and two of the few teenage adventurers in general, we grew closer. First, it was sharing a meal away from the party, usually when they went for drinks. Then, it was us two going out alone to procure equipment. Then, it was a drunken kiss¡­ which led to a real kiss¡­ and then¡­ you know¡­ the stuff you do after that. Hehehe~ ¡°Rudy. You¡¯re drooling.¡± ¡°Ah, sorry.¡± Shaking my head, I got those very exciting thoughts of our first time out of my mind. I still had the stain she made on the bedsheets to remember it by, after all. Only such a precious holy relic would be fit to be ced in my divine shrine. Anyway, that was our story. Very romantic, if I do say so myself. With our rtionship cemented about a few months after my joining, our party continued with our operations in the northern regions, clearing out many monster dens and ruins before eventually¡­ disaster struck. It was a lone arrow from the skeleton archer, and then, Mimir had died. It was a real shock for me, having death happen right in front of me. Of course, it was notpletely foreign to me, thanks to my crazy brother saving me back in my tutoring days, but to have it happen to an ally¡­ It was scary. Death happened fast, in an instant, and then¡­ that was it. It could have easily been me instead. But, like always, Suzanne was there to help me back up, having be someone I could proudly look up to as a mentor and a big reason for my personal growth over the past year. Anyway, that disaster happened two months ago, and afterwards, our party decided to move to Sharia as a base and put a stop to our nomadic lifestyle. We weren¡¯t exactly disbanded, per se, and we did the odd quest on the weekends or when one fit our skillset, but we had all moved on to other things. Following Hitogami¡¯s advice, I decided to enrol in the Ranoa University of Magic, and quickly found myself epted as a special student, enabling me to essentially do whatever I wanted. My dear Sara, however, wasn¡¯t so lucky, as noted by her scathing words towards her archery instructor. Sara, naturally, was initially against joining me at the university, expecting it to be a bastion of pretentious noble pricks like all the other educational institutes in this world, but was quickly surprised at how¡­ equal it was. Well, it wasn¡¯t exactly equal, but the hierarchy was based on skillset and merit, not noble ties, so Sara didn¡¯t mind it. Luckily, while the University was called the ¡®University of Magic¡¯, it also had many courses for various other subjects, so Sara had found herself enrolled in a survival ss, an archery ss, a swordsmanship ss, and a basic healing magic ss. She excelled in her archery and survival sses, of course, but struggled with the magic and swordsmanship ones. But she tried her hardest all the same. I¡­ really admired her for that. In fact, it was one of the things I loved the most about her. And yes¡­ I did love her. Once I parted with the beastfolk princesses, I was initially a bit lonely and missing the connection of a partner, and Sara had filled that gap¡­ and more. And I knew, despite me ying around a bit in my youth, I had a real connection with her. I¡­ ¡°Sara,¡± I said, taking her hand in mine. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°W-Wha!?¡± she eximed, her cute face glowing red as she took a moment topose herself. ¡°I¡­ I love you too, nowe on! We have to cook dinner!¡± She then started pulling me towards the house as she kept her gaze forward, making sure to hide her flustered state from me despite her fingers linking with mine. She was too cute like that. With our group settling down, Suzanne and Timothy decided to enter a rtionship as well, as they already liked each other for a while but hadn¡¯tmitted due to the nature of their job and the likelihood of death. And so, with me and Sara, the four of us decided to get a house. Well, Suzanne and Timothy got a house, while Sara and I lived with them while paying a small amount of money as rent each month. Once the two moved their rtionship forward and had a kid, we would of course vacate the extra bedroom and get a ce of our own, but for now, the four of us lived in rtive harmony. I was just d I learned a wind spell that nullified sounds because Sara¡­ well, to put it simply, she was a screamer. ¡°A-Anyway,¡± Sara said, still holding my hand with inteced fingers. ¡°How was your day, Rudy? You had a healing magic ss today, right?¡± ¡°It was¡­ good. Still can¡¯t do anything chantless though,¡± I sighed. ¡°Yet Leon and Sylphy could do it so easily¡­ I wonder why exactly?¡± ¡°I think every mage on the would punch you if you said that to their face,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°Chanting is the natural way, you know? Plus, I¡¯m still unsure if your brother¡¯s a real person. Maybe he just tricked you when you were younger?¡± ¡°No, he was just a monster,¡± I said. ¡°Er, a¡­ kind monster.¡± Sara simply raised her eyebrow in doubt before she continued pulling me down the street. But yes, I was also having a swell time at the University of Magic. I even had friends! Farewell, lonely life of the past! I was actually popr now! First, there was Zanoba, the Shirone prince I had endeared myself to with the figures that I created with magic. He had also be my unofficial disciple in the art of crafting figures. Next, there was that Cliff guy who challenged me to a magic duel back when I stopped by Millishion and met up with Paul. Turns out, beneath the pride he had before, he was a good guy. He just needed to get humbled by yours truly to show that side of him. Anyway, apparently, his grandfather had already nned to have him leave, so when he went to ask to head to Ranoa to improve his skills, his request was easily granted. Then there were Linia and Pursena, the two beastfolk princesses that I had guided up to Fittoa, who I was able to reunite with. While it was certainly awkward considering some of the things I did on our journey, as well as the fact that they wanted to take me as a husband after they graduated despite me being a happily taken man, we got along well as fellow special students. And then there was the mysterious ¡®Silent Seven Stars¡¯. Apparently, this student went on leave just as I arrived here, but I was certain that we would be friends once they returned. After all, they had introduced such mysterious and novel ideas to the University, such as a school uniform and ¡®shampoo¡¯ for your hair¡­ ideas that were absolutely from my world. But I couldn¡¯t bepletely sure until we met in person. Speaking of meeting in person¡­ I really hope my family is safe. I know Paul was having some trouble, but he was an oddly reliable guy in difficult situations like the one we found ourselves in, so I think he was fine. Lilia and Zenith¡­ well, word was spreading in the north, and Paul had the rest of the Central and Millis continents covered with his group, so eventually¡­ they should be found. And then there were my siblings. Honestly, after Paul told me about how people touching got teleported together, I was rtively unconcerned about them for the most part. After all, Leon was insanely strong and was just as capable, so if he wasn¡¯t able to keep our little sisters safe, then no one was. But at the same time¡­ it had been two whole years, and yet I haven¡¯t heard anything about him. Since I was an adventurer, and I had travelled more than half of the world over the years, I should have heard something about him with his crazy strength and entricities, but yet¡­ there was nothing. I really hope they were fine¡­ I suppose I would just have to trust Hitogami¡¯s words for now. Besides, so far, with travelling with Counter Arrow and making it to Sharia¡­ ¡°Rudy? Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Sara asked, turning back to me. ¡­I was really happy. A beautiful girlfriend, a group of good friends, and being hailed as a prodigy of magic in the world¡¯srgest University¡­ ¡°Nothing, Sara,¡± I smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± Who would have thought I was a shut-in beforeing here? Reincarnation truly is amazing. Chapter 46 – Despair Chapter 46 ¨C Despair ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª With the Red Dragon Mountain Range looming over the distant horizon, I couldn¡¯t help but smile at how far we hade. Beyond those mountains¡­ more specifically, past the Red Dragon¡¯s Lower Jaw near the coastline¡­ was the Asura Kingdom. My home. Our home. After three years, we were finally there. ¡°Leon! Is that-!?¡± ¡°Yes, Eri. We¡¯re in the final stretch now,¡± I said, interrupting her. ¡°...It¡¯s been a long time, huh?¡± Eris looked forward before leaning her head on my shoulder. ¡°It¡­ wasn¡¯t that bad,¡± she said, looping her arm around mine. ¡°...Right?¡± ¡°...Right,¡± I said before I nted a kiss on the top of her head. As one might expect from that sweet interaction, our journey has been rtively smooth so far. Not too much different from the Millis Continent, which surprised me. While monsters were able to attack the highway, and we needed to fend for ourselves on the road, there were frequent rest stops and towns littered along the way, so our nights were, for the most part, uninterrupted. As Eris pressed herself closer to me, I couldn''t help but feel a certain set of¡­ assets pressing against my arm. Assets that I couldn¡¯t help but notice growing by the day. Well, that made sense. After all, she was a growing young girl and was in the closing in on the peak of her growth period as she was now 15. Thinking about it¡­ we were both 15 now. We were both¡­ adults. I felt my cheeks heat up as I shifted in my seat, making sure the tightening in my pants didn¡¯t make itself known, especially to the girl sitting next to me. Getting flustered just at the implication of sex¡­ I bet Paul would beughing at me right now if he were here. But, no. We won¡¯t cross that line just yet¡­ maybe. Shaking my head to get rid of the arousing thoughts, I leaned on Eris'' head as I guided the horses down the road, toward the gateway of the Asura Kingdom. Yeah, as for us being 15, we could wait to celebrate once we reached Sharia, and that celebration just maybe have some other¡­ gifts. But for now, I needed to focus! Focus on the road ahead, Leon! Following my own advice, I turned my gaze forward and looked at the empty road in front of us, only to realize a momentter, that it wasn¡¯tpletely empty. The heck? Those looked like¡­ people? I had yet to see a person not riding a horse or carriage, save for Eris who walked alongside us, and some guards who walked alongside their caravan, but these two didn¡¯t look anything like that. Narrowing my eyes, I focused on the two mysterious figures. ¡°Brother?¡± Norn asked, looking up from her whittling project. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Norn,¡± I said as I stared. ¡°It¡¯s just-¡± As I enhanced my eyes with touki, it was then that I felt it. Fear. As the now-revealed man and woman came into focus, I felt my body tense in rm, making Eris sit up straight as well. The woman was fairly unassuming, with a nk white mask covering her face and long, ck hair flowing down her back. Despite appearing slightly ominous, she wasn¡¯t what I was concerned about. Rather, it was the man at her side. With a long white coat and shoulder-length grey hair, the more I stared at the man, the more the feeling of fear increased, causing my hands that were gripping the reins to tremble slightly. W-What? What the hell was this? This was¡­ simr to how I felt around Ruijerd at first, but¡­ much worse. Gulping down my anxiety, I then activated my Demon eye, causing my fear to skyrocket once more. W-What¡­ that mana¡­ it was overwhelming. Both in scale and form. It coalesced inside the man¡¯s body, not letting a single wisp escape like normal people did. It could only be described as an inhuman level of efficiency. And then, there was that mana surrounding the man, different from the mana inside him. No¡­ that was a curse. Who¡­ no, what was this thing? Releasing the breath I had unconsciously held in, I stopped the carriage¡¯s movements as I leaped forward, unconcerned at Eris¡¯ state of paralyzed fear. ¡°W-Who are you?¡± I asked, raising my de. My fear¡­ I was able tobat it, but as I got closer to them, it had increased. What¡­ was he? The man narrowed his golden eyes as they surveyed me and my family. ¡°Eris Boreas Greyrat¡­ Aisha and Norn Greyrat¡­ and Leon of Rakaz¡­¡± the man said, looking at me with intrigue. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to either be dead or leading your group in the east. And that odd mana cirction¡­ Is this his work? What is he ying at¡­¡± Huh? The fuck!? ¡°H-How do you know our names!?¡± I shouted. I then felt Erisnd beside me as she also drew her sword. ¡°Eri, go back,¡± I whispered. ¡°He¡­ you can¡¯t beat him.¡± ¡°N-No¡­ I fight beside you,¡± she said, though I could hear her voice trembling with every word. Summoning a barrier to block off Eris and our carriage, I then began walking forward. ¡°Answer me!¡± I yelled. Who was he? How did he know our names? Why did he call me ¡®Leon of Rakaz¡¯? And¡­ Why¡­ despite the fear¡­ did I want to kill him so badly? The man looked at me oddly as he massaged his chin. ¡°You¡­ should not be here. Is it his doing? This early? Then¡­ I suppose there¡¯s only one way to find out.¡± I widened my eyes as I watched his concentrated mana re across his body. Was he attacking? No. I didn¡¯t have the time to think. I just had to do! Letting my touki flow through my body and into my sword, I pushed myself to the limit as I leaped forward, crossing the distance in an instant as the colour drained from the world. And, with the man simply raising his hand, my Longsword of Light was repelled, sending me tumbling across the road. What? Quickly getting to my feet and resetting my posture, I leaped back to get between him and our carriage as I tried to get my breathing under control. He¡­ deflected it like it was nothing. That¡­ was the Water God Style. He dealt with me with the same ease as Master did, but¡­ somehow, I could tell. That¡­ was an even stronger application of the Water God Style. After all, I could still feel the tremor of the reversed touki in my bones. Better than the god-damned Water God herself! Overwhelming mana¡­ overwhelming technique¡­ overwhelming aura¡­ This man was not an opponent I could handle. But¡­ that didn¡¯t matter. I had my family behind me. My sweet little sisters and my beloved Eris. I would not let this monster get past me. ¡°L-Leon?¡± Eris said. ¡°Big Brother?¡± Aisha joined in. Both their voices were trembling with fear, and I¡¯m guessing the earlier disy didn¡¯t help quell their worry. I needed to reassure them. ¡°I¡¯m fine, you two. Just¡­ don¡¯t interfere,¡± I said, using my resolve to calm myself. The man, meanwhile, had been looking at his hand with interest before looking back at me, those disgusting golden eyes piercing my very soul. ¡°That strength¡­ and thatck of fear¡­ It really is his doing, isn¡¯t it?¡± he sighed before looking back at me, this time his narrowed eyes radiating a mix of hatred and¡­ pity? ¡°So you¡¯re an apostle this time too, Leon of Rakaz? A shame.¡± I could only see a sh of mana before a fist was lodged in my side, barely blocked by the t side of my sword that I had raised on instinct as I felt my body get catapulted into a nearby boulder. F¡­ Fuck. That¡­ fucking hurt. Looking up, I was barely able to see past the blood covering my eyes to watch the man step toward me. ¡°Tell Hitogami that the Dragon God Orsted sends his regards.¡± Seeing his mana re, and feeling an instinctual pull to move, I summoned a st of air to blow me to the left, an explosion resounding next to my ear as I dodged the attack. Gaining my footing, I looked back to see Orsted¡¯s hand extended to where my hand had just been, and the boulder in front of it decimated to rubble alongside a few trees behind it. ¡­I didn¡¯t need a shred of pride to admit that I was outssed. There was no world where I could win. That man, he called himself Orsted? The Dragon God? The second-ranked power in the world? That Dragon God? Yeah, there was no chance. Especially now that he was aiming to kill. ¡­But¡­ would I just let it end here? No¡­ while I couldn¡¯t detect him sending any hostility toward the other three, that could change in an instant, just like it did with me. So¡­ I couldn¡¯t leave them to fend for themselves. It¡¯s not likely I could escape anyway, so running was out of the picture. And besides, if there was no world where I could beat him¡­ Then I just needed to make one. Because to me¡­ those three¡­ ¡°...Mean everything!¡± With a shout to remove thest shreds of my lingering fear, I leaped forward at the man, extending my sword that was coated in blue fire for a sh as I summoned multiple des of wind to attack the man alongside me. The man stood still, enduring the wind des with ease as I attacked, his hand once again raised to defend as we exchanged tens of blows in an instant. His hand¡­ it was coated in touki, but it was¡­ different. I could see it. Unlike a smooth gleam like usual, it was as if threads had been made across his skin, like a chainmail. And the touki¡­ it was extremely concentrated. Those factors melded together, making Orsted¡¯s hand as strong as my sword. No, from how my arm grew numb with every impact, it was stronger! Stepping back, I raised my de, expecting a need to defend as I saw Eris break through my barrier, closing in on Orsted with a fierce re. As soon as the man turned his head away from me, I pounced, willing the touki to explode through my feet and off the ground as I shot forth, barely blocking Orsted¡¯s defensively raised hand in time to stop him from harming Eris, but not enough to stop her from getting sent flying back from the air pressure. ¡°Eris! Protect them!¡± I yelled as I red into Orsted¡¯s yellow eyes. You fucker¡­ you dare try to touch her? My Eris!? Jumping back to gain some distance, I summoned a few earthnces from the ground to distract him as I set my stance, letting the colour fade from the world once again as I performed another Longsword of Light. And, just like the time before, I was easily repelled by Orsted effortlessly reversed the technique with his superior skill, sending me flying back to the tree line. Tasting some blood in my mouth as I grit my teeth, I crouched down yet again, watching the extremely dangerous man with a clinical eye. Eris was¡­ still with my sisters. Good. And that mysterious woman¡­ wasn¡¯t making any movements. Also good. And Orsted, he seemed¡­ unperturbed¡­ Not so good. Right. Okay, he was stronger than me. I knew that already. He¡¯s at Master¡¯s level in the Water God Style, if not higher, and likely had many other techniques he had yet to show. Considering how he dealt with my attacks so easily and didn¡¯t even seem concerned about my chantless magic¡­ one thing was for sure. Normal methods won¡¯t work on him. But¡­ I was never normal, was I? I just¡­ needed to put everything into an attack yet again. Just like when Ruijerd and I first fought, but this time, I couldn¡¯t afford to be unsessful. Luckily,pared to back then, I was much stronger now. So, breathing out, I willed my mana and touki into my de, forcing them to mix together as a blue hue formed at the edge. And then, I pushed it outwards into the air, willing it to trace a path towards my target, Orsted¡¯s neck. Just like with what I learned from training in Dance of Deluge, I had my de follow the path, but this time, I forced my body to follow the path as well. And with the boost from wind magic at my back,bined with the explosive leap of the Longsword of Light, I had arrived at my destination before I could evenprehend what had happened, despite me enhancing my mind with touki the entire time. Ignoring the pain that my new technique¡¯s bacsh had on my body, I watched as Orsted¡¯s usually disinterested eyes shed in surprise as my sword dug into his neck. There was resistance at first, much like I used to feel when fighting a touki-d opponent. But a momentter, I broke through, carving a gash into his skin. Now, just a little further, and then I can put this mess behind me-! Unfortunately, my hope was not to be, as after the first squirts of blood on Orsted began to show, I was blown back, leaving my right arm soaring in the sky, still holding my sword in hand as a trail of blood gushed from the other end. ¡­What? I was reduced to a stunned silence as I felt my body impact a nearby tree, too shocked to feel any pain. That¡­ was my arm. It was in the air, not attached to my body. And Orsted¡­ he was fine. Cut, but still standing strong, with his left arm raised in the air. That must have been what did me in, huh? How monstrous. Why¡­ I put everything into that strike, and I reached him, so why¡­ why did I fail? ¡°Leon!¡± Eris¡¯ strained shout snapped me out of my daze as I felt a searing pain explode from my right side, right where my arm used to be. Shit! What was I doing spacing out like that!? I was still alive, the pain was proof of that! So there was still a chance! So what if I lost an arm? Thanks to Aunt Therese, I could fix that in no time. Circting my mana, I let it flow into my stump to the top of my shoulder, where my arm had been separated, changing the mana into the healing element as I remembered the sensations of the Saint-tier spell. Growth. Rejuvenation. Empowering the stem cells in my stump to grow outwards into my regr form, supplied not by proteins, but by my pure mana. ¡°How troublesome,¡± Orsted said, extending his hand. Widening my eyes, I watched as ripples of mana shot out of his hand, quickly reaching my arm and- ¡°Gah!¡± I screamed in pain. A shower of blood rained around me as the stump of my arm, or at least the part I was regenerating, exploded, causing a wave of pain to shoot through my body, making my vision nch as I nearly copsed from the burning sensation. That¡­ he stopped my magic? How? Why? No, I know why. It was to stop me from healing. But he didn¡¯t do that to my other magic¡­ was he only stopping me from healing? Shit. As Orsted began walking towards me once more, I ced my still-intact left hand onto the ground, willing the dirt to form a de in my hand as Ipressed it further, filtering out the unneeded organic materials and minerals and supplying more material with my mana to form a hardened de of stone and earth. But before I could do anything with it, Orsted shed in front of me, his hand sweeping across to shatter the makeshift de before embedding itself in my chest. ¡­Huh. I¡­ was starting to feel a little calmer now. That¡­ was probably bad, right? I shouldn¡¯t be calm right now. I barely registered the feeling of Orsted sliding his hand out of my torso, dropping me to the ground. Nor did I register the strangled cries of Eris, Aisha, and Norn as all three took in my broken, beaten, and bloody form. Shit¡­ where was that bastard going? Was he going to harm them? My family? As if! I¡­ couldn¡¯t justy here and let that happen. But, no matter how much I tried¡­ I couldn¡¯t move my body. Did his strike go through my spine? Fucking shit¡­ that must be why I couldn¡¯t feel my legs either. Healing¡­ wouldn¡¯t work. Orsted would just use that technique to explode it, and doing that so close to my heart could be deadly. How did he do that? Some wave of mana to destabilize the spell? Whatever, that didn¡¯t matter. I needed to take him out beforehand, then I could deal with healing myself. But, if I cast magic, he would just finish me off. At least¡­ if I cast magic seriously¡­ Orsted stopped as the dirt beneath his feet began to crawl up his legs. ¡°...What pathetic resistance,¡± he said, turning back to me. ¡°You surprised me with that strength, but what are you doing now?¡± Casting the earth magic to distract him, I continued building the mana above my palm,pressing and visualizing what I wanted to do. Shit¡­ the blood in my mouth tasted horrible¡­ I had to finish this quickly before I started drowning in it. Oh¡­ Eris and my sisters wereing closer¡­ I had to let this go before they got too close. At least they were behind me. ¡°Hm?¡± Orsted hums, seemingly noticing the gathered mana in my hand. ¡°What is this? A final attack?¡± Right¡­ what did Rudy call this again? Ah, that¡¯s right. ¡°Hehe,¡± I choked out with a strained smile. ¡°It¡¯s called nuclear fission, you fucker.¡± What was the smallest thing in the world? A grain of sand? A human cell? A protein? A molecule? No¡­ the smallest ¡®thing¡¯ was an atom. And going deeper than that, there was the nucleus. The building blocks of this world and everything that exists, has existed, and will ever exist. And I¡­ forced that building block to split. A small light emerged from my hand, slowly gaining in brightness and intensity as it grew. Willing the pure, unfathomable energy to concentrate into a projectile, I released it, right at the fucker that was staring at me with interest, as if I was a dog standing on its hind legs. But, as the explosion surged forth, I watched as Orsted leaped out of the way, nearly unscathed save for the singed hair and coat. ¡­It missed. Watching as my attack obliterated a distant mountaintop, setting the sky alight in a sh of orange, I felt my body copse to the ground, unmoving as my heart began to slow. That¡­ was all of it. All of my mana. That¡­ was my final attack. And now¡­ I would die. And I couldn¡¯t even stop this monster¡­ fuck. ¡°So that¡¯s it, huh?¡± Orsted said, leering at me wearily. ¡°...You are dangerous. Good thing that seems to be thest of your resistance.¡± I took in aboured breath before I felt my head get pulled upwards, my face turned to look up at the crying face of Eris, tears trailing down her cheeks as she desperately covered my gaping wound with her hands. ¡°Y-You¡¯ll be okay! Y-You¡¯re always okay! You have to be okay!¡± Eris shouted, choking on her words as they gradually turned into sobs, though her sobs slowly began to mute as I lost my sense of hearing. That¡­ wasn¡¯t a good face she was wearing. I¡­ wanted tofort her. A pretty girl shouldn¡¯t be looking like that. She should be¡­ happier. With thest of my strength, I willed my left arm upwards, just enough to caress her cheek as my thumb brushed her smooth skin, tracing her jaw as I smeared it with my blood. Ah¡­ whoops. That was a little gross, wasn¡¯t it? I hope¡­ she isn¡¯t mad at me¡­ I then moved my eyes to the side, watching as Aisha and Norn looked on with simrly tear-stained faces, their expressions a mix of shock, horror, and desperation. Dammit¡­ it seems like I made everyone sad, didn¡¯t I? I wanted to speak, but¡­ I couldn¡¯t. I wanted to tell them to run. I wanted to tell Eris to take my sisters and run away, to live. I wanted to tell them to eat well, be safe, and find Rudy, or even head back to Paul if he hadn¡¯t left yet. Maybe even Ruijerd if they could find him in the south. I wanted to tell my sisters to grow up into the amazing women I knew they would be. I wanted to tell Eris to live happily and find love, but selfishly, to still hold a special ce for me in her heart. I wanted to tell them to get on their knees and beg Orsted to spare them. Just survive and live happily, just like I always hoped for, regardless of their hatred or pride. But¡­ I couldn¡¯t, for I could not speak. I¡¯m sorry, you three, for making you so sad. I¡¯m sorry for causing you so much pain. I¡¯m sorry for not being strong enough to protect you and myself. I¡¯m sorry for not keeping my promises. I¡¯m sorry for missing so many memories. I¡¯m sorry for not getting our family back together. I¡¯m sorry¡­ Shit¡­ what a lousy brother I am¡­ and what a lousy lover¡­ I promised Eris a life of loving memories and promised myself to keep my sisters happy and safe, yet here I was, bleeding out on the ground, depleted of all my mana. Truly¡­ a shame. And with that, my vision went ck, as everything faded away to nothingness, bitterness being thest emotion I felt. Chapter 47 – An Elemental King is Born Chapter 47 ¨C An Elemental King is Born ¡ª Nanahoshi Shizuka ¡ª ¡°Leon! Leon, get up!¡± the redheaded girl screamed, gripping the fallen hand with all her might, trying to keep the dying boy on the mortal ne. ¡°Please get up, Leon¡­ Don¡¯t leave me¡­¡± Then there were the two children also making their way towards the body, sobbing as they got closer. This¡­ left quite a bad taste in my mouth. ¡°...That was quite harsh,¡± I said to my travelling partner and benefactor. ¡°It was needed,¡± Orsted answered evenly. ¡°He was always a troublesome one, and he¡¯s stronger than he should be at this point. When he lives, he bes a Water King in the strife zone ten years from now before meeting Ariel¡­ this must be another change too.¡± I nodded before looking back at the scene ying out in front of me. Ever sinceing to this world, I have seen many people die. It was one of the reasons I hated this ce. It was cruel and disgusting, but still¡­ I didn¡¯t care. I rationalized that I was not part of this world, thus, I should not interfere nor care. After all, to me, this was simply a story. A bad dream that would end once I figured out a way home, and my state of temporal stasis would finally end. It was a coping mechanism, my way of thinking. I was smart enough to know that. It way to rationalize that the tragedies I had witnessed were nothing but fake. And as sociopathic as that thinking might be¡­ it was something I needed, lest I break from the stress. But still¡­ seeing the little girls desperately cast healing magic on who I assumed to be their brother, at least from what they were screaming, while the redheaded girl held his head close to her chest, desperately telling him to wake up¡­ It shook me. I had seen Orsted dispatch a fair share of people, but it was usually just a passing bandit he didn¡¯t feel the need to hold back on. Never was it someone this young, and never someone so¡­ loved. The bitter taste in my mouth got worse as memories came up in my mind. What was it¡­ four years ago? Two years before I was sent here, right before I entered high school. My older brother had died. The one that was always there for me when my stupid younger self got in a fight with our parents or had trouble with school. He had left me behind, much like these three were experiencing right now. It wasn¡¯t anything so dramatic, it was simply the disease winning out, but still¡­ when we were gathered on his deathbed¡­ the grief I felt¡­ Haa¡­ truly, this world was the worst. ¡°Could you¡­ save him?¡± I asked. ¡°Why?¡± Orsted asked in return. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ a pity,¡± I said. Plus, before that insane final attack that burned a line across the road and destroyed that mountain was fired, I did hear the words ¡®nuclear fission¡¯e from his mouth. ¡­Aside from how terrifying of a concept that was to appear in this ce, was he¡­ from my world? Or was it simply something I misheard? I was slightly curious, and it was a good excuse to use for this¡­ interference. ¡°Hitogami¡¯s apostles need to be killed, and Leon Rakaz, as he is now, is an unknown variable,¡± Orsted said. Right¡­ those ¡®apostles¡¯. Orsted killed one of those while I was with him too. A knight, if I remember correctly. I was still unfamiliar with thenguage at that time. I didn¡¯t really understand, as I only picked up what I knew through what Orsted said, which wasn¡¯t much, and to be honest, I didn¡¯t really care. They were¡­ people who worked for this ¡®Hitogami¡¯ or something, which was Orsted¡¯s enemy, and Orsted always felt irritated each time he spoke of one. ¡°You said that these apostles were¡­ annoying to catch, right?¡± I said. ¡°Yes, usually,¡± he nodded. ¡°Especially when he changes his usual tactics like this.¡± Hmm¡­ I did remember him mentioning a limit of these ¡®apostles¡¯ somewhere along our travels too¡­ ¡°Then¡­ isn¡¯t it good to know who one is for sure?¡± I said. ¡°Plus,pared to you, he¡¯s quite weak, right?¡± Orsted¡¯s eyebrow furrowed as he looked back at the mountain range, the peak of one of them now considerably tter than the rest. ¡­Okay, maybe ¡®weak¡¯ wasn¡¯t the best term to use, but Orsted was still able to deal with him easily. ¡°Yes, right now, he is nothing much, but with his current growth rate¡­¡± Orsted then looked back at the crying girls and the dying boy. ¡°...He could be an annoyance.¡± He then raised his hand to massage his neck, which was now healed as if it had never been cut, before shaking his head. ¡°But¡­ I suppose you¡¯re right. An unknown variable may disrupt the usual path, and it¡¯s good that one of his pawns will not be hidden,¡± he said. ¡°Besides¡­ this world is already so different from the rest.¡± ¡­What odd words. Orsted was a mysterious man like that, though, so I ignored them. He then began walking back over to the four, with me following behind him. ¡°Ghiine! Ruijerd! Please! Leon¡­ Leon is!¡± the redheaded girl cried out to the world as she held the boy close. But as soon as she noticed the two of us, she stopped her screaming as her face split into a fierce re, causing a shiver to go up my spine as the girl spread her arms to put the two little girls behind her. ¡°I-I won¡¯t let you hurt them!¡± she said, trembling. Likely both in fear and anger. Orsted did have that annoying effect on people. That must have been the reason for the initial sh. ¡°I will not hurt anyone, Eris Boreas Greyrat,¡± Orsted said, his eyes gleaming with slight sentimentality as he picked up the boy¡¯s severed arm. ¡°T-Then¡­¡± Eris said, staring at Orsted¡¯s seemingly untouched neck. ¡°Heal him! Save Leon! Please! I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll do anything!¡± She finished her words by prostrating herself on the ground, making Orsted widen his eyes in surprise. ¡°To think you would bow for such a thing¡­ but yes, I will heal him,¡± he said, crouching down as he ced one hand on the boy¡¯s gaping chest wound and another between the severed arm and right stump of his shoulder. As his hands emitted a soft glow, the boy¡¯s wounds began to heal. ¡°But not all the way. That would be a needless waste of mana,¡± Orsted mumbled under his breath. ¡­Sorry, ¡®Leon of Rakaz¡¯, or whatever your name was. It seemed that you would be gaining a couple of nasty scars. But at least you¡¯ll live. As his treatment finished, the boy instantly went into a coughing fit, spitting blood out of his mouth as the girl hastily turned him on his side to expel the rest of the fluid. Standing up, Orsted watched as the girl wept over the now alive boy, kissing his cheek gently over and over as she yed with his golden hair. ¡°...I have a question,¡± Orsted said, causing Eris to nce at him with a piercing re. ¡°Do you¡­ truly love him? Not Luke?¡± Her re hardened as she snarled. ¡°I love Leon more than anything! And I don¡¯t know or care about this ¡®Luke¡¯!¡± ¡°...I see,¡± Orsted nodded, walking away. ¡°It seems that the mana disaster has changed quite a few fates. But the children of Paul Greyrat crying over Leon of Rakaz¡­ what an amusing coincidence.¡± Seeing as he didn¡¯t call this ¡®Leon¡¯ a Greyrat, there must be something odd going on, seeing as the little girls were calling him their brother earlier. Well¡­ I did my part, and the bitter taste was gone, so I didn¡¯t really care what happened now. As I followed behind Orsted, he suddenly stopped to look back. Eris, the redheaded girl, quickly stood up to defend her group, her sword hand not trembling anymore as she faced forward. ¡°He¡¯s an amateur in some aspects, but has the strength equal to his past self¡¯s peak already¡­¡± Orsted said, ignoring the hostile look aimed at him. ¡°Tell him this when he wakes up, Eris Boreas Greyrat. He can call himself a King with his oddbat style, but next time we fight¡­ he will die.¡± Eris shakily nodded in response as she continued ring at him. And with that, we were back on the road, making our way to the nearest teleportation ruin so I could get some insight from Perugius. Truly¡­ I wanted to go back to the University quickly. I really hated travelling in this world, after all. ¡ª Aisha Greyrat ¡ª Watching the man and woman depart, walking down the road before fading into the distance, I felt the previous storm of emotions simmer into a singr, concentrated, ice-cold feeling. I was angry. The first time I felt like this was a few months ago when our father, that fool, berated my brother despite not understanding anything about what we and my brother went through. That was my first taste of the feeling called rage. And now, more than the rage I felt before, it was growing from a me into an inferno as I grit my teeth. I think¡­ I could understand Big Brother a bit more now. That tempered anger he always kept close, ready to release at any moment¡­ I could understand how he did it. All he must have done was imagine such a situation as I was in now, with our roles reversed. I wasn¡¯t stupid, and while I was previously naive and inexperienced, I never had been. I knew that Big Brother was easily angered when it came to us, and how he used that anger tomand respect in any guild he walked into and protect us before anyone could make a mistake by showing off his power and fury as a stern warning. A raucous Adventure Guild didn¡¯t just quiet down for anyone, after all, and nor did those same adventurers keep their heads down while a group of kids came up to submit a quest. But Big Brother made that happen. And if anyone showed even a hint of hurting us¡­ his wrath would reveal itself. Ruijerd called it childish with a fond smile. Norn called itforting with a content expression. And Eris called it attractive with flushed cheeks. But me¡­ I just called that Big Brother. He loved us, some would say he loved us too much, and he would do anything to protect us. He always did. Even back before the teleportation, he would always y with us, buy us things from the city, and do whatever he could to make us happy. And then, the teleportation incident happened, and I got a taste of just how far he was willing to go for us. As I got older and smarter, especially when I began going into town with Big Brother, Eris, or Ruijerd to secure supplies, I learned just how amazing my brother waspared to the rest of the world, as well as how much he sacrificed for us. He was, without a doubt, the best brother that a little sister could ask for. So for me to see him have his arm cut off¡­ have his body run through with that disgusting hand¡­ and to see the light fade from his eyes as I gripped his bloodied shirt¡­ It was terrifying. I was already trembling as soon as Orsted, that monster, made his appearance, but now¡­ I was frightened to the core. Not by the one known as the Dragon God, nor his seemingly unrivalled power, but rather¡­ I was afraid of the concept of losing Big Brother. A concept I had never thought possible before today. Desperately clutching his sleeveless leather jacket, I pressed myself closer to him to feel his warmth, not minding the blood stains I was getting on me as I did so. And, cing my head on his chest, as I focused and closed my tear-filled eyes, I was able to hear the most calming sound in the world. The very sound that lulled me to sleep so many times, even during the most stressful of times. Thump. Thump. The sound of my dear brother¡¯s heartbeat. ¡°A-Alright¡­ you two¡­¡± Eris said. I looked over to the one I called Big Sis, who would very likely be my actual big sister soon, considering her and my brother¡¯s new romantic rtionship. She wiped off the tears that had poured down her face, but her reddened eyes still showed traces of them. Nevertheless, she stood up as resolutely as always. No¡­ that wasn¡¯t quite right. She wasn¡¯t ¡®like always¡¯. From how her knees were trembling slightly, and how her gaze never left Leon¡¯s face, it was obvious that she was still shaken up from the experience. ¡°We¡¯ll¡­ move the carriage towards the woods and I¡¯ll set up the tent,¡± she said, sniffing at the end of her words. ¡°You two¡­ just¡­ watch him. I¡¯ll¡­ take care of everything.¡± Things moved slowly but surely after that, with Eris setting up the tent as she had promised, and Norn stripping our brother of his clothes, passing them to me to wash as she scrubbed the dried blood off his skin. Ah¡­ and she never stopped crying¡­ I wanted to tell her to quit it, but I would be lying if I didn¡¯t understand. I simply just¡­ knew it was useless. Maybe I should calm her down if she doesn¡¯t do so by herself. How did Big Brother do it again? Lubies and stroking her hair, right? Luckily, she was eventually able to ovee her emotions and stop her sobbing, only sniffling every so often, breaking up the mncholic silence that had descended on our temporary campsite. Dinner was a sombre affair, with the three of us each taking a position close to my sleeping brother, ensuring that we could feel his warmth as the sun slowly set. We all sat silently in front of the crackling firece, watching the dancing mes, only interrupted by the few carriages that passed us by, pausing to nce at our group with intrigue. Whether they were thinking of peddling, offering aid, or hoping to steal from what looked like a vulnerable group of kids, we never got the chance to know as Eris scared them off with her bloodlust, causing their horses to dart away in instinctual fear. After such a long, stressful, and terrifying day, I soon found myself having to fight to keep my eyes open, and looking to my side, I noticed that Norn had lost to such urges, already fast asleep, cuddled up to Big Brother¡¯s side as she snored softly. ¡°You can sleep, Aisha,¡± Eris said, patting my head. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, after all.¡± With her sitting against the tent¡¯s walls, with my brother¡¯s headid in herp, she pulled me closer to her, letting me rest my head on her thigh next to Big Brother¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to keep watch, okay?¡± Nodding, I closed my eyes, slowing my breathing to match with my sleeping brother¡¯s. But as I closed my eyes, shutting out the world¡­ it was then that the visions appeared. Or rather, the memories. Seeing his arm fly through the air¡­ his body slump to the ground¡­ the growing coldness of his skin as his pulse slowed and breathing stopped¡­ This day¡­ that moment¡­ it was, without a doubt, the scariest moment of my life. And despite the terrifying circumstances I had found myself in for the past two years, nothing else came close. And that¡­ was all because Big Brother was there. Saving me. Loving me. Keeping me safe and happy. Keeping all of us safe and happy. But if he wasn¡¯t¡­ A shiver of fear went down my spine, making me wrap my arms tighter around my brother¡¯s torso, holding him close. ¡­But he was safe now. It was all¡­ okay. And like that, I fell asleep, covered up with a nket next to my dear brother and sisters, hoping that this nightmarish day would be but a distant memory in the future. Chapter 48 – Ignited Passion Chapter 48 ¨C Ignited Passion ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Opening my eyes, I stared up at the canvas of our tent, slowly letting the daze of sleep filter out of my mind and body as I thought about my current condition. Thankfully, it seemed that I was alive, judging by the fact I was thinking like this. After an injury like that¡­ it would be more likely that Orsted was just a dream than me having survived, but from how my hands trembled at the memory, the thrum of pain in my chest and arm, as well as therge patch of dried blood I could see on the ground near the destroyed boulder to my side, that was obviously not the case. So¡­ I lived through that. Was I¡­ healed? Yeah, I must have been, seeing that I could squeeze my right hand and wiggle my toes. Norn and Aisha didn¡¯t have the skill to do this, nor the mana. And Eris didn¡¯t even know healing magic. A friendly passerby doing this was¡­ extremely unlikely as well. So who the hell healed me? Was¡­ was it Orsted? Did he change his mind for some reason? Right after embedding his hand through my chest and spine? Looking down at my bare torso, I noticed therge scar right where I had been stabbed, and looking over at my shoulder, I could see where my arm had been hastily reattached, a jagged line of scar tissue wrapping around like a sleeve. But to leave a scar like that¡­ ¡°That fucker¡­ he just did the bare minimum, didn¡¯t he?¡± I mumbled under my breath. Either way, seeing this tent that had been set up, and hearing the familiar muffled voices not far from here, it seemed that the other three had survived. And tilting my head up, I could see that was indeed the case, as the three were currently loading things into the carriage without a visible scratch on them. Good¡­ that was relieving. So Orsted must have left them too. Did he take pity on me? Well¡­ I wasn¡¯t stupid enough nor prideful enough to hate him for that. As I rested my head against the makeshift pillow once again, I noticed a lock of hair fall onto my face. Except, unlike the usual golden colour I was used to, instead, it was¡­ white. ¡­What? Creating a mirror with ice magic, I looked at my reflection, instantly taking note of the streak of white that now ran down my hair near the front of my head. Was that¡­ from myst attack? When I used up all my mana? I had heard of such a symptom being the result of overusing one''s mana, but I never expected to ever have it happen to me, given my much higher-than-average mana stores and reliance on swordsmanship rather than magic. Still¡­ at least it looked cool¡­ Right? With me holding up my makeshift mirror, the other three took notice of my awakened state, all simultaneously dropping what they were doing to run over. ¡°Leon!¡± ¡°Brother!¡± ¡°Big Brother!¡± Quickly finding myself in the embrace of all three girls, I wrapped my arms around them all, bringing them closer as I heard them begin to sniffle. Hearing that, I decided to mute the grunt of pain that nearly escaped when they collectively swarmed me. Haa¡­ I really worried them, didn¡¯t I? ¡­I would have to be better. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m here. I¡¯m alright. We¡¯re all alright,¡± I said, soothing them as I ran my hands through their hair in an attempt to calm them down. My gentle words seemed to do the trick as they all began to settle down, opting to snuggle against me, trying to retain my warmth as their tears dried out. Honestly, it was sofy that I could easily fall asleep here, but waiting around on the side of the road would do nothing for our progress, not even mentioning how it would be quite risky. That aside¡­ I really messed up, huh? Orsted¡­ this time, he let me live, and let my family live as well, but there was no telling if that would happenst time. And what about other strong people in the world? Sure, the Dragon God was ranked as the second strongest, but he dealt with me easily, only ever using one hand to defend and attack. ¡­That was quite a depressing thought¡­ Anyway, moving on, if he took me down that easily, then what about the seventh strongest? Or even the tenth? And what if they had other advantages aside from their strength and skills, such as the element of surprise, or even a hostage? One thing was for sure¡­ I had been ignorant. I had been content with my current growth rate, seeing as I could easily handle most of the poption, and was happy following a set path of improvement. No¡­ I needed to get stronger than that. Strong enough to fight against the strongest in this world. I would need to rethink my abilities, destroy the framework I had set for myself and create something new from the rubble. Yes¡­ I would get stronger¡­ strong enough to etch myself into the Seven World Powers. Not for fame, nor pride, but for reassurance that next time I would need to fight an overwhelming opponent¡­ I would win. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª With our group back on the road, making our way through the mountain pass of the Red Dragon¡¯s Lower Jaw, I watched the passing scenery from the coachman¡¯s seat as we rode onward. Feeling some movement from myp, I nced downward, watching as Eris, who was fast asleep, repositioned herself. Though, she was still resting her head on my leg. After staying up all night as a lookout, she was quick to fall asleep, letting the constant rumble of the carriage soothe her to soothing slumber with my leg as her pillow. ¡°Hehe~ Not there~¡± she giggled, a small trail of drool dripping past her lips. ¡­What was she dreaming about? If I didn¡¯t know that she desperately needed the rest, I would definitely be pinching those cute cheeks right about now. Sighing with a smile, I turned my head to nce behind me, feeling a familiar tuft of maroon-coloured hair tickle my nose. Aisha and Norn were in the carriage, and while they weren¡¯t sleeping, they did make sure that their backs were to mine so we were touching as they read. Honestly, ever since I woke up, the three haven¡¯t let me out of their grasp, let alone their sight. Not that I could really me them after something like that¡­ Anyway, one thing was for sure¡­ to stop anything like that from happening again, both to me and my family, I needed to get better. But¡­ how would I do that? Luckily, the good thing about getting overwhelmed by an opponent like Orsted, was that I was able to learn quite a lot from our short battle. First, there was the way he used the Water God Style¡¯s Flow seamlessly with his bare body. While Master had done that before, back in Roa, it was¡­ not to that extent. And his touki¡­ it wasn¡¯t the usual enhancement. Rather, it wasyered. Like threads sewn together into a protective cloth. ¡­I needed to rethink a lot of things. Touki, magic, mana¡­ and thenbat as a whole. Ah, and also that wave of mana Orsted used to stop my healing magic. What would I even call that? Magic nullification? But it didn¡¯t nullify. Rather, it overwhelmed the mana I was using in the spell with his own, disturbing the spell formation and my mana control¡­ So¡­ disturb magic then. I needed to practice that too. And then, with all those pieces, I needed to make abat style that merged them together seamlessly, cutting out any fat for an efficient, overwhelmingbat style as the final product. ¡°Mmm, Leon¡­¡± Eris mumbled, temporarily breaking me out of my thoughts. Smiling down at her, I ran my hand through her hair, scratching behind her ear as she curled up closer to me. Cute. Right. I needed to get stronger, that was for sure. But for now¡­ I¡¯ll focus on making sure these three are okay after such a nightmarish event. Ah¡­ and speaking of that ¡®nightmarish event¡¯... why did Orsted hate me so much? I know I attacked first, so it was only right for him to attack back, but mid-way through our encounter, he suddenly¡­ changed. Before, he was simply warding off my attacks, but then, he changed his focus to eliminating me. Calmly and efficiently, like an S-rank adventurer hunting a monster rather than a murderer killing out of glee or hatred. Thinking about it¡­ he mentioned a ¡®Hitogami¡¯... which could be read as ¡®Man-God¡¯... he mentioned that a couple of times¡­ and something about me being an ¡®apostle¡¯. Was that why? ¡®Man-God¡¯... was it because I was human? No. Eris and my sisters were also human and didn¡¯t receive any anger from the man, not even mentioning the girl who was with him. Maybe¡­ was it the Millis Church? Or perhaps another religion? But I wasn¡¯t religious at all¡­ Maybe it was a ranking then? Like the ¡®Dragon God¡¯? Hmm¡­ Whatever. I didn¡¯t really understand, and I didn¡¯t want to concern myself with that either. If we ended up meeting again, I¡¯d steer clear of him, and if I needed to, try to resolve any misunderstanding to avoid another fight. Eris had told me what happened after I, well, almost died as well. Apparently, I wasn¡¯t healed out of Orsted¡¯s pity or generosity, but rather by the masked ck-haired girl¡¯s interference. Oh, and Eris also told me about Orsted¡¯s final message. I already didn¡¯t want to fight, so that part was fine as long as I avoided him. But after that¡­ I guess I was at the King rank now. Well, I wanted to feel happy about that, but seeing as my strength meant nothing in front of that man¡­ I didn¡¯t really feel too proud about it. But maybe that was a good thing. Who knows¡­ ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª The city of Rivona was the first city anyoneing into the Asura Kingdom from the south would encounter, and thus, it was quite prosperous as a merchant trading hub. For us, though, it was simply a ce to rest after an arduous two days of travel after my battle with Orsted¡­ if you could call it a battle. Aside from me stiffening when asked by the border guard if I knew anything about the destroyed mountain peak and sh of light, we were able to gain entry into our homnd with ease due to our adventurer card identification, as well as an understanding that we were victims of the teleportation incident. And so, here I was, sitting on my bed after having put Norn and Aisha to sleep in the other room, waiting for Eris toe back so I could turn off the oilmp and get some sleep. And from the steps I hearding closer, I wouldn¡¯t have to wait for long. As I heard the door opening, I looked over to see Eris, only to feel my greeting get stuck in my throat a momentter. Closing the door behind her, Eris took off her long coat, throwing it to the side as she revealed her nearly-naked form to me, being only dressed in a pair of panties and a bra. And, contrary to her usual undergarments, these wereced, leaving nearly nothing to the imagination as my eyes danced up and down her body. ¡°Leon,¡± she said, snapping me out of my daze. ¡°Y-Yes?¡± I said back. Staring back at her face, I noticed that her cheeks were glowing red as her eyes trembled in embarrassment. But I could also see her lips quirked up in a small, prideful smirk. Instead of talking back to me or exining herself, Eris walked forward,ing next to our bed before she pushed me down and got on top of me, straddling my prone form as she sat down on my crotch. This¡­ I was not expecting this. I could already feel the blood rushing downward. Shit¡­ I was trapped. In more ways than one. ¡°Hey, Leon,¡± Eris whispered, looking down at me as she tucked her hair behind her ear. ¡°Do I¡­ make you feel annoyed?¡± ¡­Huh? What the hell was she talking about? ¡°Uh, no? At least not for the duration of our journey. Rather, you¡¯ve been very helpful!¡± I smiled. ¡°Tch!¡± she huffed in annoyance. Before I could ask why she seemed so upset, she began rolling her hips, causing me to freeze. ¡°And? What about now¡­¡± Her words trailed off as she seemingly felt the effect she was having on me and, looking down, her cheeks quickly turned an even deeper shade of red. Ah, but she was also smiling. What was with her? And ¡®what about now¡¯? Why would her doing that change anything? I was thoroughly confused. ¡°You¡­ said you loved me, right?¡± she said, looking back into my eyes. ¡°Yes,¡± I said, raising my hand to brush a final strand of hair past her ear before resting it against her cheek. ¡°I love you, a lot, Eri.¡± Grabbing my hand, she pushed it down against the bed as she leaned over me. ¡°Then¡­ can you show me?¡± she said, dipping her head so our foreheads touched. ¡°I¡­ almost lost you. I¡­ don¡¯t want to think about how you looked, bleeding and turning cold, but it happens each time I close my eyes¡­ Even though I hate it!¡± She then pressed her lips against mine before raising her head to look at me with a pleading expression. ¡°So¡­ make better memories¡­ for me.¡± Ah¡­ I knew what she wanted now. I would have to be pretty stupid not to, seeing as how she was dressed and where she was sitting. But¡­ did I want to take that next step? Would it¡­ change things irreparably between us? Taking a deep breath, I looked back at Eris, the girl I loved. Truly looked. Her eyes were glossy, tremoring with slight fear, likely at my possible rejection, but there was also an air of excitement and curiosity to them, as well as a tenderness I had grown to selfishly enjoy receiving all to myself. Then, there was her body. Her toned body, which she hadid bare before me, clearly expressed how much she trusted me, and from the wet spot I could see forming on the front of her bottoms, I knew how much she wanted me as well. Her skin was tinted red with a slight glean of sweat¡­ her breasts that I found pressing against my chest with hardened nubs slightly poking out¡­ her hair was tied back with the pendant I had gotten her so long ago, a gift from me that she cherished and had taken care of to this very day. She was¡­ stunning. Then her scent. It was¡­ pleasant. A mix of smoke from a firece which gave me a sense of warmth, the herbal soap she had bought which gave me a feeling of calm, and her natural scent, one that I had grown to love with our time together, that now made my thoughts cloud with desire. It was so distinctly Eris. And it was so distinctly¡­ arousing. Everything about her was arousing, and I didn¡¯t need the tightness in my pants that got worse with each passing moment to know¡­ I wanted her too. All of her, I wanted it. Her love, her temper, her loyalty, her beauty, her strength, her arousal, her lust her body¡­ I wanted it all. So¡­ it would be selfish to refuse under the premise of waiting when there was no need to, right? After all¡­ if we wanted each other¡­ after everything we¡¯ve been through, it was only right that we have it. I slowly took off my shirt, raising it above my head to reveal my bare, muscled chest, which had recently gained arge vertical scar in the centre. A scar that Eris quickly honed in on. ¡°...Is it ugly?¡± I asked. ¡°No,¡± she quickly shook her head. ¡°It just... brings up bad memories. But¡­ it¡¯s not ugly.¡± She traced her finger down the scarred tissue, making me shiver from the pleasant sensation. Dammit¡­ now I was definitely enraptured. With only onest thread of reason holding me back from unleashing my desire, I used it to warn the beautiful girl on top of me. ¡°Eris,¡± I said seriously, using her full name as I looked up, taking in every detail of those breathtaking ruby-red eyes. ¡°If we do this¡­ you¡¯ll be mine. And once you are¡­ I¡¯ll never let you go.¡± That¡¯s right. I was selfish, so if she wanted to be mine, she would have to be happy staying that way. That was me. Leon Greyrat. A wrathful, selfish, greedy man. ¡°I¡¯m already yours¡­ dummy,¡± she said, leaning down to kiss me. Trailing kisses down my cheek and to my neck, she stopped only to whisper in my ear, ¡°So¡­ do what you want with Eri¡­ nyan~¡± The thread snapped. And so, following her request, I did exactly that, only after casting a detoxification spell for birth control, of course. I was more than happy to paint her scary memories with new, exciting, and happy ones, and I wanted to do so long into the future. Because I loved Eris Boreas Greyrat with all my heart. And she loved me with all of hers. And thus, we showed our love in the purest form possible, long into the night, embracing the newfound affection, lust, and ignited passion we held for each other. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Stretching out my calves with a smile, I took in a deep breath of the amazingly clear morning air, only tainted by the smell of fresh food cooking on the nearby stalls. The world¡­ it truly was beautiful, huh? And more than that,st night was extremely beautiful as well. Sex¡­ it was¡­ amazing. As well as extremely fulfilling. Both in the physical and emotional sense. So much so that I could easily find myself addicted. Perhaps¡­ I truly was a Greyrat, huh? I think¡­ I could understand my brother and father a bit more after experiencing it. It was a bit awkward at first, but soon enough we both found our rhythm, leading to a different type of pleasure I could have never imagined before. And by the sounds fromst night, it was the same for her as well. With our supernatural stamina, we were able to go long into the night, the only thing stopping us from going until dawn being the sound of the bedframe cracking under our movements. Not wanting to pay extra for the stay, we put a stop to things there, but with both of us cuddling close after the act, and Eris wearing a content smile as she fell asleep on my chest, I would say we were both more than satisfied. However, I did need to cast some healing magic on both of our hips in the morning. And she was a swordswoman strong enough to deal with a Saint-ranked swordsman¡­ if Sylphy and Roxy ended up working out and we got to that level of our rtionship, I would have to be sure to calm myself. Anyway, after washing off in the bath together, she quickly left for the market to buy something alone, not letting me join her, and not telling me what she was getting. But that was fine. After all, I did want to eat breakfast with my sisters. What I didn¡¯t want, however, were the raised eyebrows from both the innkeeper and Aisha herself, my cute little sister sending a knowing grin my way throughout the entire meal. Seriously¡­ I watched her all the time, so when did she ever learn about that stuff? Either way, with them currently doing their own thing in their room, I decided to take advantage of the idle time I had found for myself, as well as the inn¡¯s ratherrge backyard, to do some morning training. My sword cutting through the crisp morning air, I went through the very familiar motions as my mind turned to the other reason I came out here. To think. More specifically, to think about how I would improve mybat abilities from now on. The first step, before I embarked on any haphazard training, was toy out what needed to be done. A clear training n. So¡­ first and foremost was thatyered touki Orsted so helpfully showed me, and quite literally, ingrained into me. It wasn¡¯t the type that everyone in the world was used to using, where it formed inside and over the body and weapon like a shell or armour. No, it was more like chainmail¡­ A collection of fibres and threads that inteced, bing overwhelmingly strong. It made sense. With such a structure, it was extremely stable, where even if one ¡®fibre¡¯ was cracked, the structure as a whole would remain unperturbed. And there was also the sticity, flexibility, and tension distribution that it offered. That exined Orsted¡¯s insane defence. And as for moving fast¡­ he did something simr to what I did to cut him with my sword. Tracing a ¡®path¡¯ with touki and letting his body follow it. After waking up from the battle, I realized that much of my soreness was not from the barely-healed injuries, nor my depleted mana. Instead, most of it was from the bacsh of using that technique with my body. But with that new touki technique that increased my defence¡­ I might be able to use it without worrying too much about any bacsh. Next, there was how he used his body for sword attacks. That one was just a mix of getting better at unarmedbat while perfecting the touki technique. I would still prefer to use the sword, of course, but it would be useful to learn as well. Both for when I didn¡¯t have a sword on hand, as well as to weave such attacks into my regr swordsmanship. Then, there was disturb magic, and in the same vein,batting it. Luckily, I could easily train both with what I had in mind by simply trying to ¡®disturb¡¯ a spell with one hand and trying to keep it going with the other. As I had discovered with my limited experiments, sending waves of pure mana outward¡­ wasn¡¯t exactly so simple. It had to be directed, concentrated, and done with enough uracy and precision to target the spell¡¯s ¡®core¡¯. ¡­There was no such thing as a spell¡¯s ¡®core¡¯, at least from what I knew, and that¡¯s what made it so difficult. Veryplicated and conceptual, yes, but with enough practice¡­ I could do it. Next waspressing magic, as well as making my magic more efficient. I wasn¡¯t like my crazy brother, who had a seemingly infinite amount of mana and an enhanced power to the mana itself. To create an attack that could harm that monster, I needed to be able topress it to insane levels, while also doing it efficiently, so that I didn¡¯t get any more white hairs. That was easy to understand, but putting it into practice may be quite difficult. Anyway, next, I needed to create more unique magic with the freedom that mana offered. I always knew that this world¡¯s concept of spells was much too rigid, but somewhere along the way, I found myself content with my breadth of knowledge, where the only thing ¡®unique¡¯ about my set of spells was my lightning bolt attack. No. I needed to grow my arsenal to create unique, overwhelming attacks using my talent, raw skill, and knowledge of science. Magic so overwhelming that powerful opponents would be immediately defeated when they encountered it, and so unique that onlookers wouldn¡¯t have a clue of how to stop it even after seeing it multiple times. And then, there was my swordsmanship. I needed to redefine it. Before, I thought it would be fine to act as a more advanced version of my father, seamlessly switching from style to style as it suited me. But that wouldn¡¯t work. Rather, it would limit me to the maximum power of all three styles added together. Instead, I needed to multiply that power. And to do so, I needed to mould them together instead of simply switching between them. Luckily, I believed I was already on this path if that sword strike that was able to reach Orsted¡¯s neck,bining Dance of Deluge and Longsword of Light, was any indication. I needed to do more of that and to do so, I would have to go into it with an open mind, careful not to be trapped by the predefined standards of this world¡¯s swordsmanship, while also growing the number of ¡®ingredients¡¯ I could use by learning more techniques. And finally, and most importantly, I needed to bring all of these elements together. It would be a lot of work and a lot of effort¡­ but if I wanted to contend against the true monsters, the strongest of this world, I would have to do it. All so that when my power is needed¡­ I will be strong enough to be considered one of the Seven World Powers. All so that I would never be overwhelmed again, and always be there to defend my family. That, I promised. My resolve hardened, I returned to swinging my sword, this time with a new sense of vigour that caused whirlwinds to form at the end of every swing. Chapter 49 – Memories Chapter 49 ¨C Memories ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª As we trotted along the road, going slow so that we didn''t overwork the horses, I watched as Eris practised her swordsmanship alongside the cart as I drove. More specifically, I found my gaze trailing down her body and stopping at her rear, watching it with appreciation as she continued her movements. As it stands, using Paul¡¯s words, I was what you would call an ¡®ass man¡¯. And Eris¡­ well, she had a very good one. So it was only natural I would admire the viewid out before me, especially since there wasn¡¯t anything better to do. I mean, I was still practising my disturb magic while I drove, but everyone needed a break now and then. Simrly to me, Eris had also grown more restless since the day we encountered Orsted, wanting to train whenever she could to increase her skills so that with our next encounter if that ever came to pass, she wouldn¡¯t have to leave it all to me. Of course, I supported her desire to get stronger and joined her in a spar whenever we could, but whenever I noticed the stress was getting a bit too much, I always calmed her down that night in bed. After all, it was quite an enjoyable activity. Enjoyable indeed¡­ No, I was starting to sound like Paul now! But¡­ was that so bad? Haa¡­ Truly, now that we had started having sex quite regrly, the hormones that I had been suppressing had been unleashed in full force, causing my gaze to wander like it had just done now, and leaving me to regret some of my past actions, such as not epting her offer to bathe together back in the Great Forest. But I was surely making up for it with time. Likest night, for instance. ¡°Brother?¡± Norn asked as she wrapped her arms around my neck from behind me. ¡°Yes, my dear sister?¡± I asked. ¡°What are those things on your neck?¡± she said with confusion. ¡°They almost look like bite marks¡­¡± I gave Eris a deadpan look, only to get a proud smile in response as she turned to look back at us. Seriously, that girl¡­ I told her not to do that. Her y-bites and hickeys were not enough of a wound to be considered an ¡®injury¡¯, and thus couldn¡¯t be fixed by healing magic and would remain. Especially if I forgot about it during the afterglow, which I often did. I told her exactly thatst night, but instead of listening, all she did was say ¡®I know¡¯ with lidded eyes. It was arousing, sure, but I didn¡¯t want my sweet sisters to know that we were doing that during the night. In fact, I didn¡¯t want them to know about that stuff at all, at least until they reached their second birthday. ¡°They¡¯re just signs of love, sister,¡± Aisha said. ¡°Signs of love?¡± Norn repeated, unsure. ¡°Yep!¡± Aisha nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it!¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Haa¡­ but s, it was already toote for Aisha. Who was it? Who told her about that stuff? I just wanted to have a little chat. Sighing, I turned my head to the right to look into the distance, watching the fields of rolling hills topped with grasnd. There was also a small dirt road branching off to the highway, and following it, I was met with the sight of what looked to be an abandoned vige. Wait¡­ this ce¡­ it felt¡­ familiar. ¡°...Eri. Let¡¯s stop here for a second,¡± I said, guiding the carriage off the road to the side. ¡°Hah? What for?¡± she asked, stopping. ¡°I just¡­ want to check something,¡± I said, unsure. Was this really the ce? I remember Mama saying something about it being in the south of the kingdom, but to think I would run into it by chance¡­ ¡°I¡¯m going to that vige over there,¡± I said, getting off the carriage. ¡°What? Why?¡± all three of the girls asked. ¡°Because¡­¡± I said, looking forlornly at the dpidated buildings, many charred with the remnants of mes. ¡°...I think¡­ I think this is my birthce.¡± ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª This was it. Having walked through the vige, it didn¡¯t take too long before I found a very familiar house, and I instantly knew that this was indeed the ce. But¡­ was it always so small? Well, I was a baby at the time, so it made sense. It seemed that looters had gotten to it, as there were no useful belongings left, but I could tell that this was the house. After all, I had spent my first year of life here, not to mention this being the ce where I lost my first, and at the time, only family. With the other three looking at the shack with curiosity, I made my way through the hole in the back wall, likely destroyed by time and weather. Mama did say they buried her near here¡­ Oh! There it is! Walking over to arge stone, I knelt down in front of it as I traced my finger across the faded markings. ¡®Here Lies: A Courageous Mother A Respectable Woman¡¯ Seeing the distinct handwriting of Ghiine, Mama, and Paul, in that order, I felt my chest tighten as tears began to well up in my eyes. ¡°Leon?¡± Eris said, walking towards me as my sisters followed behind her. ¡°...What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ someone important,¡± I said, summoning some water to wash off the umted dirt on the gravestone. ¡°H-Hey mom¡­ I¡¯m back.¡± Ah. The tears had escaped¡­ how embarrassing. As I hastily wiped my eyes, I felt Eris¡¯ arms wrap around me from behind as Norn and Aisha came to my sides, both grabbing hold of my arm as they looked at the gravestone with conflicted expressions. That made sense. After all, ¡®Mama¡¯ to me was Zenith, while ¡®Mom¡¯ was Alice. They were different in my mind, but to them, the words were interchangeable. Kneeling there in silence, I felt Eris also move to my side, getting to her knees alongside my sisters as they offered a small Millis-style prayer. Now¡­ what do I say? Should I- ¡°Thank you, Leon¡¯s mom,¡± Eris said, interrupting my thoughts. ¡°For bringing Leon into our lives.¡± Widening my eyes, I looked over to see that she was still praying, keeping her eyes closed as she bowed her head in respect to the stone before her. ¡°Thank you, for making my brother!¡± Norn said, tears also beginning to pour down her eyes. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Aisha nodded. My breath shuddered as I also joined them, closing my eyes as I bowed to the gravestone of my birth mother before me. ¡°Mom¡­ I¡¯m sorry for not being strong enough to protect you. Even though I was a baby, I¡­ still wish I could have saved you,¡± I said, forcing myself to not sumb to the lump forming in my throat. ¡°But¡­ I will make sure that never happens again.¡± Opening my eyes, I extended my arms to pull my sisters and Eris close to me. ¡°How you sacrificed yourself for me¡­ for your family¡­ I will follow the example you so beautifully taught me,¡± I said resolutely. ¡°I will keep my family safe, just like you did, and if my sword can reach them without leaving my family in danger, I will defend others too, so that other amazing women like you won¡¯t die... I promise you this, Mom.¡± Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I let my lips spread into a smile as I looked to my sides. ¡°These¡­ are my sisters, Aisha and Norn. They¡¯re very cute, and I¡¯m sure you would love them,¡± I said, patting their heads. ¡°And this¡­ is Eris. The girl I love and my¡­ partner¡­ for life.¡± Eris¡¯ lips quirked up as she nestled into the crook of my neck. I guess she liked the sound of that, huh? Luckily, I did too. ¡°So, Mom¡­ I do have to get going,¡± I said. ¡°But I promise¡­¡± Ah, the tears wereing back¡­ shit. ¡°W-When everything is settled, I¡¯ll bring you back with me. To my home,¡± I said, nearly choking up. ¡°You deserve a better gravestone. One that¡¯s tended too lovingly and near your family.¡± I then extended my finger, coating it in touki as I carved her name at the top while adding a line at the bottom to join Mama and Paul¡¯s. ¡®A Beautiful Example.¡¯ If only she could be here¡­ to see the man I grew up to be¡­ it was painful. But¡­ I wouldn¡¯t falter. ¡°But for now, just know¡­ I love you. And I will never forget you,¡± I stated firmly. And so, with my promises affirmed, and my love conveyed, I stood up. But instead of getting up to join me as I expected, Eris simply shuffled to kneel in front of the grave, in the spot I had been not a moment before. ¡°I promise, I¡¯ll keep your son happy,¡± she said, extending her finger like I had done. ¡°And I will bear you many beautiful grandchildren. That, I promise.¡± While I was slightly embarrassed at her words, the gratitude I felt overwhelmed any of the shame I could feel as I saw the words she carved under mine. ¡®A Loving Memory¡¯ To think she could be so poetic¡­ I would have to thank herter. ¡°And I¡­ I promise to get better!¡± Norn said, standing up. ¡°I¡¯ll get better to help Brother, and repay him for everything!¡± She finished her words by wrapping her arms around the grave in a hug. ¡°And I¡­ promise to keep him safe. In my own way,¡± Aisha said, standing up and stepping forward to pat her sister¡¯s back. ¡°We all will. As a family.¡± My dear sisters¡­ I was so proud. Norn released the stone from her hug as she stood up, wiping the tears from her eyes as she walked over to me, raising her arms in a gesture that asked for a hug. Happily granting her request, I picked her up and held her to my right side as I did the same to Aisha on my left, ignoring her cute yelp as I did so. Right¡­ this was a nice detour, but we had a home to get to. So¡­ ¡°Goodbye, Mom,¡± I said, walking back towards the road before I stopped, turning to look back onest time. ¡°...I¡¯ll see youter.¡± And with that, we departed from my birthce, with each of us bearing a promise made to a woman who only lived in my memories. But, oddly enough, despite those promises that should have burdened me with the pressure to fulfill them, I could only feel lighter as we headed back towards the carriage. ¡ª Norn Greyrat ¡ª I swung down my sword, following the form Brother had drilled into me. My breathing was calm, and my de didn¡¯t tremble, but my mind¡­ it was chaotic. All I could think of was Paul, my father, and Orsted, that terrifying man. Thinking of how they both hurt my brother, both in different ways. When we first arrived in Millishion, I was¡­ happy. Leaving the Great Forest, I was initially sad about leaving my first friends, but as we continued toward our next location, seeing how rxed Brother waspared to the Demon Continent as well as the ease at which we travelled, I couldn¡¯t help but feel that things were finally getting easier. For me, for everyone, and most importantly, for my brother. With everything bing easier, I couldn¡¯t help but think¡­ that I wouldn¡¯t be forcing my brother to make so many sacrifices anymore. But then, I left with Big Sister Eris to look at the city, and as we got back to where we separated from Brother, I saw a man berating him. I was confused at first. Confused as to why the man was berating him, as well as why my brother was taking it, but I quickly understood. That man, with his scruffy beard and stained clothes¡­ that man was my father. I didn¡¯t have many memories of him, but Brother had been sure to remind us of him, our mothers, and my other brother during our travels so that when we got back together, we wouldn¡¯t have forgotten our family that he had been trying so hard to reunite. But at that moment, I didn¡¯t see my father. Instead, I saw an enemy. An enemy that was hurting my brother in ways no monster could. I was frozen at first, taking in the hurtful words as they were spat, but then, that man crossed the line, deciding to punch Brother before screaming at him some more, going so far as to make my brother¡¯s constant calm crack. And at that moment, the emotion that had been bubbling under the surface erupted in a white-hot rage, forcing me to get in between them as I held my wooden sword up to defend my dear brother. I wondered¡­ would that man hit me too? I didn¡¯t think so, but then again, I didn¡¯t think he would be so mean to Brother after everything he did for us. Was that what a father was supposed to be? So mean? So judgmental? So¡­ angry? If so¡­ I would prefer to only have Brother. After all, we had survived with just us, and in fact, I was happy with just us, so why would I want to have a father who would only hurt my dearest person? But then, a night passed, my brother forgave him, my father apologized, and things went on like that first meeting had never happened. But I, to this day, still remember it clearly. The pain on Brother¡¯s face¡­ it was a look I had never seen him wear before, nor did I want to see again. How empty and sad he looked as he tucked me into bed that night, despite his efforts to hide it¡­ I still didn¡¯t forgive my father, and I likely never would, but at least Brother seemed happier by the time we left, so I couldn¡¯tin. After that, things got back to normal, save for Ruijerd leaving as soon as we arrived at the Central Continent. That was sad, but I had always expected him to part from us eventually to find his people. Just not so¡­ early. And then, as we travelled further north¡­ that man appeared. And the most terrifying event in my life took ce before my very eyes. Even just thinking back to that day sent shivers down my spine. Remembering the feeling of blood pouring out of Brother¡¯s mouth, his eyes getting duller with each moment, how my healing magic did nothing in front of the gaping wound¡­ It made me sick. Sick with fear and anger. But it wasn¡¯t just me. Aisha began practising her magic more, as well as purchasing some books on geography and governance from some of our stops. From what she told me, she wanted to help Brother in ways other than thebat strength he excelled at and do the things he couldn¡¯t simply fight through. And then there was Eris, who was using every possible moment to better her swordsmanship and be able to fight alongside Brother. She was strong, and while not at my brother¡¯s level, was still useful in a fight. And finally, there was Brother himself, who had been working harder ever since that day, using every waking moment to either train his swordsmanship, magic, or that weird ¡®disturb magic¡¯ he mentioned. Whether it was driving the carriage or keeping guard during the night, he was constantly working to better himself, despite already being so strong. And then¡­ there was me. ¡­I needed to get stronger. I needed to help Brother and make things easier, no matter what, so that I would never have to experience something like that again, and so that Brother would never be burdened by me. I wanted to be relied upon by him and be his strength. Though¡­ I needed to find something I could excel at. After all, all I had was healing magic and the sword, both things that my brother was far ahead of me in. But I trusted Brother¡¯s words that I would find it eventually. Truly, between my father, Orsted, and even myself, everyone just caused problems for him! Huffing in agitation, I sheathed my sword before walking over to my brother, who was cooking soup over the fire for dinner. Taking off my belt and cing my sword next to my bag, I quickly went over to sit on hisp, wrapping my arms around him in a hug, which he gently reciprocated. ¡°Is something wrong, Norn?¡± he asked. I shook my head. ¡°Ah, well, dinner¡¯s almost ready, so it was good you stopped training,¡± he said. ¡°Good job, by the way. While your swing strength is weak, that will grow with time, and you already have the form down, which is the most important thing. Your brother¡¯s very proud of you.¡± As he patted my head, I dug deeper into his torso, pressing my face against his shirt as hisforting scent washed over me. ¡°Thanks, Brother.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± he nodded. ¡°Ah, and we¡¯re about halfway through Asura if you¡¯re curious, so it should only be a month or two before we reach Fittoa, where we can rest for a few days.¡± I nodded my head. This feeling offort and safety¡­ this warmth¡­ this love¡­ to think I almost lost this. No, I would have lost this, if it wasn¡¯t for the interference of that ck-haired girl. While I still didn¡¯t like him, I did always keep my father¡¯s words that he said on my birthday in my heart. About the importance of a sword, strength, and¡­ killing. And after much thinking, there was one thing I was sure of. With all my heart, I was sure that I wanted to kill Orsted. I wanted to end the Dragon God with my own hands, and strike him down- ¡°Norn,¡± Brother said calmly, guiding my head up to look at his face. ¡°...There¡¯s no need to make that face, Norn. We¡¯re all safe and happy, right?¡± He then leaned down and nted a kiss on my forehead, causing a cascade of warm feelings to spread across my body. ¡°So let¡¯s keep it that way, okay? There¡¯s no need to be so angry,¡± he said, pulling me back into his embrace. Curling my knees inward, I cuddled into his grasp as I watched the fire crackle out of the corner of my eye. Yes¡­ I wanted to get stronger¡­ and I wanted to end the Dragon God¡­ but first, I would savour these moments. After all, I was the luckiest sister alive in the whole world. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Finally, we had arrived. After three long, arduous years¡­ we were here. Home. The ce where it all began¡­ for the most part. The journey to the Fittoa Region and our hometown was an easy one, with the only things stopping our movement being a few monsters needing to be killed along the way, a few bandits, and resolving a kidnapping in a town we passed by. So, overall, not too much, considering we had gone across an entire nation. Walking down the familiar dirt road, I looked at the many destroyed buildings, their materials teleported to who knows where along with their inhabitants. It was so¡­ empty. So quiet. So¡­ deste. As the soil was rtively untouched, I knew this ce would thrive once again, but¡­ it would be a long time before that happened. I felt my breath pick up in pace as I continued walking, looking at the surroundings that seemed so¡­ off. The clinic where Mama used to work. The hill Sylphy, Rudy and I used to y at. The tree where Roxyforted me. The road where I met my dear green-haired crush. The forest we used to explore¡­ ¡®Leon! Look! I did it! I made a water ball!¡¯ ¡®T-That tickles, Leon!¡¯ ¡®Are you still afraid?¡¯ ¡®No, I¡¯m¡­ okay now.¡¯ ¡®If you feel the same once you be an adult, then I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll ept.¡¯ ¡°Gah!¡± I clutched my chest in pain, feeling my body shudder from the memories. Shaking my head and wiping my eyes, I continued up the hill, towards our house. The house where I found my family, where I first felt the warmth of a home. The ce where I learned magic, where Paul taught me swordsmanship, where Rudy was born, where Aisha and Norn came into our lives, everything¡­ everything happened here. And now, that house was reduced to a pile of rubble, the stone foundation the only thing left of the original structure. The torrent of emotion I had been holding back surged forth, forcing me to drop to my knees as I began to cry. Mama¡¯s initial joy. ¡®It¡¯s beautiful!¡¯ My first meeting with Roxy. ¡®I¡¯m Roxy. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡¯ My first birthday. ¡®Happy birthday, Leon!¡¯ When our family grew from five to seven. ¡®Hello, Norn, Aisha¡­ I¡¯m your big brother, Leon¡­ You two are awfully cute, you know that?¡¯ When Lilia finally epted herself as part of the family. ¡®Fufu! Of course, Leon¡­ Goodnight.¡¯ All those nights spent cuddled with Mama¡­ all those times practising magic with Rudy¡­ the time spent idly entertaining my baby sisters¡­ All those moments¡­ all those beautiful, important, overwhelmingly sentimental memories¡­ they were all made here. It was so¡­ so¡­ so damn painful! I wanted to scream, I wanted to rage, I¡­ I just wanted all back to normal. ¡°Mama¡­¡± I cried, desperately clutching my shirt. ¡°I miss you¡­¡± Why? Why did that have to happen? I¡­ missed my family. ¡°Leon,¡± Eris said softly, wrapping her arms around me from behind, pulling her close into a hug. ¡°Shh¡­ it¡¯s okay.¡± I could also feel my two sisters joining in from my side. God¡­ this was utterly pathetic. I already knew it was going to be like this, and even if our house was fine, it wouldn¡¯t change anything about our ns, so why¡­ why did it hurt so much? ¡°Sorry,¡± I said, my voice muffled by Eris¡¯ chest as her hands sifted through my hair. ¡°No, Leon¡­ It¡¯s okay to cry¡­ at least, you can with me,¡± she said, tilting my head up to look at her. ¡°We¡¯re¡­ partners, right?¡± She sealed her sweet words with a kiss, letting me bathe in the lingering warmth and tender sensation before she separated and began stroking my hair once more. ¡°Besides, seeing you like this, it¡¯s¡­ oddly cute,¡± she said. ¡­That just made me more embarrassed, Eris. ¡°B-Brother,¡± Norn said, pulling at my sleeve. Wiping my eyes, I looked over at her, as she was standing eye-level with my kneeling form. ¡°What is it, Norn?¡± She looked at me for a moment in sadness before her eyes hardened in determination. cing her hand on my cheek, she spoke to me resolutely, ¡°Brother¡­ our family isn¡¯t gone. We¡¯re right here. And our home¡­ that¡¯s wherever our family is, right? So our home¡­ is wherever we want it to be!¡± She then pulled my head down into an embrace as Aisha joined in. ¡°And as for the memories¡­ we can just make new ones, Big Brother! Just like we have been!¡± she said, smiling as she patted my head. ¡°And either way, just because this ce is gone¡­ it doesn¡¯t mean the memories have to be.¡± Jeez¡­ gettingforted by my five-year-old sisters¡­ this really was pathetic, huh? ¡°Thanks, you two,¡± I said, freeing my arms to pull them closer to me. ¡°You¡­ you two really have grown.¡± They really had. More than I would like to in some aspects, but still¡­ I was so, so proud. Calming my breathing, I regained myposure before I stood up, breaking our collective embrace. ¡°Now! This isn¡¯t our final stop, is it?¡± I said with a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s get back on the road to Roa. Though¡­ we¡¯ll probably have to spend the night camping.¡± It was exactly as Norn and Aisha said. My family was alive, and when we got back together, that would be our new home. And when we did find our new home¡­ we would create so many happy memories. Enough to drown out the sadness of the time we lost and let our lives in Buena Vige be pleasant, nostalgic times we look back upon with a smile. And that concluded our short, albeit emotional, visit to our previous home, Buena Vige. And now, we could look toward the future¡­ together. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°We¡¯re here¡­¡± I felt like I had said that quite a bit over the past year, but nheless, my words were true. Looking across the vaguely recognizable scenery, I took in the capital of the Fittoa Region, the city of Roa, in its new, current form. The fortress that the settlement was known for was reduced to nothing but a ruin, and while the city walls had been reced, it was much shorter than before. From what I could see, it was mostly built with earth magic, moulding the previous brick foundation with a mix of dirt and stone. Maybe it was Rudy? He was pretty good at earth magic, though I don¡¯t know if he could do something on such arge scale unless he had improved. There was also quite a bit of farnd outside the walls, the greenery a stark difference from the barren dirt much of the Fittoa region, especially near the epicentre of the explosion of light, had been reduced to. Near the centre of the city, I noticed another smaller wall surrounding what seemed to be arge cabin, while the city itself was littered with arge mix of houses, dirt huts, and tents being used for shelter. Roa had been decimated, yes¡­ but it was rebuilding. Our first stop upon entering the city was to go to the guild, where we were met with a board filled with many quests. Most of them were quests rted to the rebuilding effort, such as magicians lending their aid, or guarding woodmen as they collected nearby lumber, but there was the odd regr monster subjugation here and there too. That was good to see. And then, looking to the opposite wall, there was the list of lost Fittoans. A giant board consisting of multiple pages with an uncountable number of names written down. Actually, there were two boards of names. One for all of the known Fittoans, where you would cross them off once their fate was discovered, and another for those who had been found dead. Of course, by seeing that someone was found but not written as dead, you could assume they were alive. There were¡­ not many names left to be found, which was a good thing, but seeing the enormous list of the dead¡­ it was horrible. Walking over to it, I traced my finger down the list. All these people¡­ written down like this, they were simply names, but they each had a life¡­ a family¡­ How depressing. How many children had died? How many kids calling for their mother and father, only to be cut down by a monster or a bandit? I¡­ could understand now, why Paul was angry at me for not focusing more on finding others, even if it was misguided. Having to see this¡­ and seeing the results of it in person¡­ I felt a bit bad for him. But luckily, none of these-! I stopped as my finger traced over two names I recognized. Anne and Laws. Sylphy¡¯s parents. ¡­I would have to console her when we met again. That¡­ must be heartbreaking for her if she knew, and if not¡­ then I would have to break the news. Feeling a little more sombre, I went over to the list of the missing, crossing off the four of our names, as well as some of the hostages¡¯ names that we rescued, at least those that I remembered. Haa¡­ and now, with that done, I suppose it was about time I met with my future inws, huh? Meeting back up with Aisha, Norn, and Eris, who had gone to sell the carriage and horses, we then made our way towards the second wall, which I assumed was what was acting as the castle of this ce and where I would find Philip, or at least someone who knew where I could. ¡°You! What business do we have here!¡± However, before we could enter, we were stopped by a guard. ¡°We¡¯re here to meet Philip Boreas Greyrat, the acting mayor of the city,¡± I said, gesturing to Eris at my side. ¡°This is his daughter, Eris Boreas Greyrat.¡± The man narrowed his eyes at me, ring with intense hatred. ¡°Is this some sort of joke? Trying to pretend this adventurer is Sir Philip¡¯s daughter?¡± he raised his pike overhead, readying to attack. ¡°I should cut you down on the spot for such insolence!¡± Wow¡­ Philip seemed to have gained a lot of loyalty. It must be because he was doing a good job with the restoration. Still¡­ it wasn¡¯t like I would sit here and get skewered, even if it was in ¡®good faith¡¯ if you could call it that. I could just knock him out and reveal ourselves to Philip in person. But, as my hand went down to my sword, a voice made its appearance, instantly breaking the tension. ¡°You will do no such thing.¡± The stern voice¡¯s owner walked over, and my eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Leon¡­ Young Miss¡­ it¡¯s been a while,¡± she said with a soft smile. ¡°Ghiine!¡± Eris leaped forward, quickly tackling the beastfolk woman in a hug. ¡°Ompf¡­ I can tell you¡¯ve gotten stronger, Young Miss,¡± Ghiine said, patting Eris¡¯ back as she looked at me. ¡°And you as well Leon¡­ After all, I came over here after sensing someone that made my fur raise.¡± Was she telling me I was a threat? That was¡­ oddlyforting. I guess my training has brought some results, huh? ¡°Well, you told me to always improve,¡± I went up and wrapped my arms around her, noticing that I was still a few inches smaller than the woman. ¡°...We¡¯re back, Big Sis.¡± ¡°Indeed you are,¡± she nodded, her tail flicking to wrap around us. ¡°I¡¯m d you both survived. And your sisters as well.¡± We unwrapped ourselves from our hug as Ghiine looked over us with an approving smile. ¡°Though¡­ why exactly did it take so long?¡± she asked, her smile dampening into a frown. Not judgmentally, of course, but simply out of curiosity. ¡°We were teleported to the north of the Demon Continent,¡± I answered. Her visible eye widened. ¡°That¡­ definitely exins it. How surprising¡­ there must be quite the tale to apany that adventure,¡± she said. ¡°Yep! But¡­ we got through it,¡± Eris said,cing her fingers with mine. ¡°...T-Together.¡± Ghiine stared at the disy with a knowing smile. ¡°Yes¡­ there must be quite a lot to exin indeed.¡± Shaking her head fondly, she then turned around. ¡°Follow me. While the Young Master might be busy, I¡¯m sure he will love to hear the news in person. And there is much to exin to you as well.¡± And so, passing the guard who had been reduced to stunned silence, we followed Ghiine inside the makeshift castle while I pretended to not see how Aisha stuck her tongue out at the guardsman as she passed. Chapter 50 – We Will Be Reunited: A Fallen Noble Chapter 50 ¨C We Will Be Reunited: A Fallen Noble ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Eris!¡± The girl in question stood stock still as a pair of arms wrapped around her. ¡°Y-You¡¯re alive¡­ you came back to us¡­ I¡¯m so d¡­¡± Philip said, tightening his grasp as he began to tear up. Eris turned her head to me, her confusion clear on her face as she tried to process her current situation. Well, I had to say, I was quite surprised too. While I always knew that underneath his cunning facade, Philip truly cared for Eris, I never expected him to be so¡­ open about it. It wasn¡¯t a bad change, though. ¡°Ahem! Sorry, I was just¡­ I¡¯m really d you¡¯re okay, Eris,¡± the man in question said, letting go of his daughter. ¡°Ah, and you as well, Leon. Though I knew you could handle everything short of the Seven Great Powers.¡± ¡­He didn¡¯t know just how right those words were. Philip then sat back down behind his paper-covered desk as he gestured for us to sit on the couch before him, which the four of us did, though I needed to pull Eris down next to me as she was still frozen in shock. ¡°So¡­ while I am curious about your story, especially after hearing that you got sent to the Demon Continent, I¡¯m willing to answer your questions first,¡± Philip said, leaning forward as he steepled his fingers. ¡°Now¡­ ask away.¡± With Eris still unresponsive, and Norn and Aisha not caring, I decided to speak up. ¡°First¡­ I believe Ghiine mentioned Lady Hilda being in her room, but where is Lord Sauros?¡± I asked. I was a bit worried for the old man, as his unruliness had caused him problems even before the teleportation incident, which his opponents could now use as a weapon to finish him off. ¡°Ah, no need for the ¡®Lady¡¯ and ¡®Lord¡¯,¡± Philip said, surprising me. ¡°And as for my father, he is currently out working on repairing one of the granaries.¡± Now that was an even bigger shock. So much so that Eris snapped out of her daze. That walking, punching, yelling ball of noble pride? Working as a construction worker? That was just ridiculous. ¡°Umm¡­ why?¡± I asked. ¡°Why would a noble be doing such¡­ peasant-like work?¡± Philip¡¯s lips quirked up in a small grin. ¡°What noble?¡± ¡­Huh? ¡°I¡¯m just teasing you. But my words are not wrong either,¡± he said as he leaned back in his chair. ¡°I suppose to exin, I should introduce myself properly. I am Philip Greyrat, acting mayor of the new city of Roa and the chief of the Fittoan Restoration Project.¡± Contrary to what I had expected with my years working alongside the man, Philip didn¡¯t bow as he introduced himself, nor did he state the middle name that distinguished him as a possible heir. ¡°Philip¡­ Greyrat¡­¡± I said, voicing out theck of a certain name. ¡°Yes,¡± he nodded. ¡°You see¡­ I am no longer a member of the Boreas family. Nor any noble family for that matter. This also goes for my wife, my father, and you as well, Eris. Essentially¡­ we are now like your father, Paul. Disgraced nobles, having cast away our name and lineage.¡± ¡­Wow. ¡°So you¡¯re a¡­moner now?¡± I asked, slightly worried that my question would be considered insensitive. ¡°Indeed!¡± he nodded. ¡°Though I still do have enough influence tomand respect among themon folk. After all, I am currently the acting mayor.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I said. At least my worries about being rude seemed to be for naught, seeing the smile still on Philip¡¯s face. Looking over at Eris, I noticed that she was wearing a wide smile and, meeting my eyes, that smile grew. ¡°Eris Greyrat¡­ doesn¡¯t that sound nice, Leon?¡± I flushed lightly at the implication. What was she doing, thinking about that now? She just lost her nobility! Well¡­ luckily she wouldn¡¯t have to get used to anything once we were married. At least that was nice. ¡°A-Anyway, so you¡¯re no longer a noble¡­ what happened for that oue to ur?¡± I asked. Philip, who had been smiling fondly at our disy, nodded. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll keep it short for now, and if you want a more detailed exnation, that can wait until dinner,¡± he said. ¡°Essentially, Hilda, Ghiine, and I were teleported to the Strife Zone, just east of here.¡± I nodded. Paul had already informed me of some of the basics of his story. ¡°It wasn¡¯t long before we came into contact with a local army, and after Ghiine dispatched a few of their finest fighters, we were brought back to meet their king.¡± ¡­I felt like he was skipping a lot of steps there, but I nodded at him to continue nheless. ¡°After that, I exined my situation, knowing that if I returned, we would simply be executed for my failing to protect my holdings. Or, more urately, we would be executed so that my opponents to gain some political power while the nation itself saved some face after such a disaster.¡± Paul told me of this too, the disgusting game of politics and nobles. I nodded at him to continue. ¡°So, with our interests aligning, me and the king struck a deal, where I would provide my political insight andnd management skills, as well as Ghiine¡¯s power, to help him gain the region he imed, and afterwards, he would do everything in his power to convince the King of Asura to hold leniency for me and my family,¡± he said, smiling with pride. ¡°And so, with the Sword King Ghiine leading the charge to take over thend, and me ensuring they were held and controlled properly, we found ourselves fulfilling my end of the deal within a year.¡± He then massaged his chin, which had grown a short goatee in the time we had been apart. ¡°Of course, while the political influence of the Strife Zone is pitiable, for a nation that held an entire region, the king¡¯s request was enough to change our punishment from execution to relinquishment of our noble titles. After all, to many nobles, that was one and the same,¡± he said, shrugging his shoulders. ¡°And so, that leaves us here.¡± As I took in the information, I felt my eyes narrow at the man. If there was one word to describe Philip Boreas Greyrat¡­ now just Philip Greyrat, it would be¡­ ambitious. After all, even after losing his sons, he still tried with all his might to win the battle of the Boreas line¡¯s session. So there was no way the man I knew would take this situation lying down. This must also be why he obtained the temporary mayor position and the leader of the ¡®Fittoa Restoration Project¡¯, whatever that was. Getting up, I leaned over the desk as I red into his eyes. ¡°Listen, while I respect the strength of the pen, if you try to pull my family into politics¡­ I¡¯ll show you the strength of the sword,¡± I said as I released some of my bloodlust, causing Ghiine who was standing nearby to grip her sword. ¡°...And just so you know, Eris is my family now too. So don¡¯t expect her to y into your schemes.¡± Instead of getting angry orughing off my threat as I had expected, Philip simply smiled happily. ¡°So it was just like I had guessed¡­¡± he said, looking over at his daughter. ¡°I¡¯m d you found someone, Eris.¡± ¡­Huh? He shook his head before looking back at me. ¡°I understand. However, there is no need to worry, as I want nothing to do with politics anymore.¡± ¡­What? Staring into the man¡¯s eyes, I could tell. Those words right then¡­ they were truthful. ¡°Honestly, even if I did, without a noble title, and with my brother officially seeding the Boreas name, I have already failed,¡± he said as he then clenched his fist. ¡°But¡­ after being close to death so many times and surviving my experiences in the Strife Zone by the skin of my teeth¡­ I realized that I wanted to live a simple life. And that¡¯s not even considering how me rejoining any political battle would put Hilda, Eris, and Julius¡¯ lives in danger.¡± Oh¡­ I see¡­ So¡­ he had some sort of catharsis after nearly experiencing death? I guess if there was a way to change a man, that was certainly one of the more powerful ones. Huh¡­ who would have thought¡­ ¡°And? What about being the acting mayor?¡± I asked. ¡°That is simply my duty,¡± he said seriously. ¡°With my brother still in the capital providing connections and funds, someone needed to begin rebuilding this ce from its deste state. Once Roa and the Fittoa region are self-sustaining and rebuilt to an adequate level, I will hand off those positions to my brother. Especially now that I know Eris is safe¡­ there is nothing left for me to do.¡± ¡­Wow, this guy really changed. Just what did he go through to get to this point? He had well and truly be the epitome of ¡®noble¡¯, and all it took was for him to lose that very title¡­ How ironic. But, that aside¡­ ¡°Philip¡­ who is this ¡®Julius¡¯ you spoke of?¡± I asked. Before he could answer, the door opened to reveal Hilda with a toddler held in her hands. ¡°Eris!¡± she said, running over to hug her daughter. ¡°And Leon! And your sisters as well! I¡¯m so d you¡¯re all okay!¡± She then pulled the other three of us into arge group hug, giving me a face-to-face view of the youngest member of our little pack. He was a little boy, no older than three, with red, curly hair that was a matching shade to Hilda, and sharp, brown eyes that looked just like Philip. Was this¡­ Julius? ¡°As you might have guessed,¡± Philip said. ¡°This is Julius Greyrat. The newest member of my family, and Eris¡¯ little brother.¡± Huh¡­ wow. Those two have been really busy, huh? ¡°I missed you so much, Eris,¡± Hilda said, letting go of the four of us as she used the hand not holding Julius to wipe her eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve grown¡­ all of you.¡± So¡­ Hilda changed too. And now she had another kid. Actually, she was always like this, wasn¡¯t she? It was just the sadness of losing her sons to the battle of session that made her so¡­ hardened. But she must have gotten over that too, whether it be due to the near-death experiences, the birth of Julius, or simply missing Eris¡­ perhaps it was even a culmination of those factors. Still¡­ it seems that we missed quite a bit. For Julius to be this big¡­ Hilda must have been pregnant during the teleportation, right? I would say it might have been after, but I assumed the two were too preupied to seriously try for another child. Then again¡­ it was in such a stressful period that Eris and I consummated our rtionship, so I couldn¡¯t say for sure. Julius raised his arms, trying to grab at Eris as Hilda took a seat next to her. ¡°He seems to like you¡­ it must be due to your hair looking like mine,¡± Hilda said, smiling sweetly. ¡°Do you want to hold him?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ sure,¡± Eris said, taking the boy into her arms with a surprised face. Aisha and Norn moved closer to the two, looking with interest at the child before them before they both nodded. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ cute,¡± Aisha said, extending her finger which was quickly grabbed by the smaller hand. Indeed. That was quite cute. ¡°Anyways,¡± Philip said, making me turn back toward him. ¡°Now that we¡¯re all here, how about you tell us about your adventures? I¡¯m sure that it will be quite the story.¡± And so, that¡¯s exactly what we did. Talking about our story for a few hours, during which Aisha and Norn held the baby Julius, exining everything we could about our adventure. The initial panic, meeting Ruijerd, making it to Rikarisu City and bing adventurers, beginning our journey to Wind Port¡­ we told them everything. Everything up to our unfortunate meeting with Orsted, causing the three to widen their eyes in shock at the mention of the Dragon God as well as the scars I had to show for it. Hilda was quite worried, deciding to give me aforting hug as she assessed the long-since-healed injury with a frown. I suppose that had awakened some of her ¡®mother¡¯s instinct¡¯, huh? To be honest, it felt very¡­ nice. ¡­I miss Mama. Anyway, after getting over the encounter with the second-ranked power, we continued exining our journey into Asura before our conversation was then cut short by the announcement of dinner. ¡°Eris, Leon¡­ can I ask you two to stay back for a minute?¡± Philip asked. Nodding, I pushed Aisha and Norn to follow Ghiine and Hilda as they closed the door behind them, leaving Eris, Philip, and I as the only upants of the room. ¡°You two¡­ can you tell me what you are at this point? In terms of your rtionship, that is,¡± he said, smiling. Eris raised her head as she reached her hand down, intertwining her fingers with mine. ¡°We¡¯re¡­ promised to each other!¡± she dered resolutely. ¡°We¡¯re lovers,¡± I rified. ¡°And nothing will change that.¡± Philip nodded his head proudly, a relieved smile spreading across his face. ¡°Good. I give you two my blessings,¡± he said as he smiled at the two of us knowingly. ¡°After all, I would be quite upset if my daughter climbed the stairs of adulthood only to be left behind. I wouldn¡¯t want you to be like your father in that regard, Leon.¡± ¡®Climbed the stairs of adulthood¡¯... ¡°W-Wait, how do you know!?¡± I shouted, pointing my finger usingly at him. Interestingly, as I looked to my side, I saw that Eris seemed unconcerned about her father knowing of our¡­ activities. No, in fact, she had a smug smirk on her face! ¡°Call it intuition,¡± he said before smirking at Eris. ¡°Now, that aside¡­ I think I¡¯ll leave you two alone. You seem to have something to give to your ¡®partner¡¯, don¡¯t you, Eris?¡± As he walked past us and headed out the door, I turned to Eris with an eyebrow raised in confusion, watching as the girl shook off her visible surprise at being caught with¡­ something. ¡­I guess Philip¡¯s ¡®intuition¡¯ wasn¡¯t to be looked down upon. If I¡¯m being honest, it was a little terrifying. ¡°Is your father correct, Eri?¡± I asked gently. ¡°You have something to give me?¡± She looked into my eyes before quickly averting them, utching our hands to cross her arms over her chest, huffing a few times as she stared back at me before turning away in a repeated cycle before finally releasing a sigh. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ these.¡± She then rummaged through her pocket, taking out a small box and opening it to reveal a set of four matching rings, each holding a gem with a different colour. Red, green, blue, and yellow¡­ and a silver band for each of them. Those colours¡­ was this¡­ was this what I thought it was? ¡°This is yours,¡± Eris said, cing the yellow ring in my hand. ¡°And this is mine,¡± she continued, cing the red one onto her finger. ¡­I think it was. ¡°...You wanted your old teacher and Sylphy, right?¡± she said, her tone a bit colder than usual. ¡°Anyway¡­ we¡¯re promised to each other, so it¡¯s only right that others know we¡¯re taken.¡± ¡°Eri¡­¡± I said, my shocked expression turning into one of happiness as I caressed her cheek. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± she huffed, ring at me. ¡°And no more women after us three, got it? You should be satisfied with three¡­ idiot.¡± ¡°...That¡¯s not it, Eri,¡± I shook my head fondly. ¡°I am already plenty satisfied with just you, it¡¯s just¡­ I still can¡¯t reject my love for those two. And if they wish to reciprocate, I don¡¯t want to refuse them. I want to make all three of you happy.¡± Eris pouted a bit at that, so, to turn that frown upside down, I leaned forward to kiss her lips with a quick peck. ¡°But¡­ thank you for epting my selfishness¡­ I really appreciate it.¡± I then looked down at the ring, taking it in my hand before cing it over my left ring finger, only to find out a momentter¡­ that it didn¡¯t fit. Actually, I hadn¡¯t cared too much about it before, but weren¡¯t these rings in a set? A set that had a shared design¡­ and a shared size. ¡°Eri¡­¡± I voiced calmly, trying to force down my teasing smile. ¡°Not everyone has the same ring size, you know.¡± ¡°...Oh.¡± Seeing her stunned face, I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle into my fist. Shoot. I couldn¡¯t hold it in. ¡°S-Stop that! I-I know I messed up, okay!?¡± she fumed, ring at me. ¡°Sorry! You were just too cute,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°And it¡¯s not a problem. I can just change the shape with earth magic.¡± It would be a problem if it was too thin and I didn¡¯t have enough material, but luckily, she had gotten one with a thick band. And so, morphing the band to expand the ring¡¯s size, I then ced it on my left ring finger, ensuring that it fit perfectly before I pocketed the blue and green rings that Eris had handed to me. ¡°Thank you, Eri,¡± I said marvelling at the new physical sign of our rtionship. ¡°I guess¡­ we match now.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s the point¡­ idiot,¡± she huffed, though there was a small smile I could see threatening to break loose. Smirking at her cuteness, I leaned down and nted a soft kiss on her lips, deepening it as our tongues wandered before we eventually separated, a thin trail of spit connecting us. ¡°And just so you know,¡± I said, leaning down to whisper in her ear. ¡°Tonight, we can do whatever you want, and I¡¯ll show you how satisfied I am with you¡­ as long as we¡¯re quiet.¡± She rapidly nodded her head. Well, I suppose I had my ns set for the night. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª I stood on the sidelines along with Philip, Hilda, and my two sisters who were fawning over baby Julius. As for what we were here to spectate, well¡­ ¡°Hngh!¡± Eris dropped to the ground, bncing on her hand before she used it to push herself upwards, twisting her body at the same time to send her sword whipping towards Ghiine¡¯s neck. ¡°Tsk!¡± However, the strike was stopped by Ghiine¡¯s sword hilt. The two separated, creating some distance before leaping forward, causing a symphony of cks to resound across the arena as their wooden swords exchanged blows at speeds too fast to see with the human eye. ¡°Haa¡­ Haa¡­ Dammit,¡± Eris spat, wiping the blood from the small cut on her cheek. ¡°You win, Ghiine.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so upset, Eris,¡± the woman said, lowering her sword with a proud smile. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten much stronger.¡± She then walked over to where the practice weapons were kept before picking up a piece of cloth and walking back to Eris. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I expected this,¡± she said, cing the leather coat over the stunned Eris¡¯ shoulders. ¡°You can now proudly call yourself a Sword Saint, Eris Greyrat. That was a proper Longsword of Light, though it can still be improved.¡± So she did use it¡­ Because I had sparred with her throughout the growth of her sword skill, I couldn¡¯t tell when she reached that realm with her constant improvement. But she did it¡­ well, I was already proud of her, so nothing really changed, but it was nice to see therge smile on her face. ¡°Eris¡­ do you wish to grow even stronger?¡± Ghiine then asked. Eris narrowed her eyes as she red at the taller woman. ¡°More than anything.¡± Ghiine nodded. ¡°Then¡­ you must go to the Sword Sanctum. That will be the ce where you can gain the most insight into what your sword is. Something that no one, or ce, can teach you.¡± Eris turned her head down, seemingly pondering over Ghiine¡¯s words as she walked back to us. ¡°Wonderful job, Eris,¡± Hilda said, pping her hands. ¡°Your grandfather will be extremely happy to hear of this,¡± Philip nodded. Speaking of Sauros, I had met the manst night after he returned from his work, just in time for dinner. He had definitely changed in some aspects, much like his son, but his boisterous personality and ear-splitting voice were not of those things. Luckily, he seemed considerate enough to tone it down once he noticed Norn wincing. Good. I didn¡¯t want to have to threaten my grandfather-inw to lower his voice. Either way, he was quite ecstatic to see that we had all survived and showed his affections on his sleeve with a giant hug, nearly cracking by back from his still-impressive strength. Bute morning, he went back to the wall where he was acting as a foreman, chipping in with the manualbour here and there with his monstrous strength, just as he had done for most of the days after losing his nobility. Returning to the present, Ghiine then looked towards me, her narrowed eyes telling me all I needed to know about her unvoiced request. Taking the practice sword from Eris, I walked over to stand opposite Ghiine, the two of us narrowing our eyes at each other as the breeze swept past, rustling my hair. It all happened in an instant. Extending my touki towards Ghiine, building up the tension in my legs, the pockets ofpressed air beneath my feet, ready to explode¡­ And then, there was my touki, and how I wrapped it over my body and sword. While I hadn¡¯t been able to manipte it into ¡®threads¡¯ like Orsted, I was able to form tes that could ovep, increasing my defensive capabilities and overall enhancement as I did the same within my body. The culmination of my efforts since my battle with Orsted came together, all to create a better version of the Longsword of Light. A version that was mine, and mine alone. There was no time to notice the colour fade from my vision as Ghiine and I stepped past each other, crossing the distance in an instant as a rumble resounded through the arena, evidence of the destruction of our respective sound barriers. And then, an instantter, Ghiine¡¯s wooden sword shattered into splinters and a small cut appeared on her cheek. ¡°...Congrattions, Leon,¡± she said, standing up as she turned to face me with a proud smile. ¡°You win. I¡¯m d I can leave the protection of Eris to you.¡± ¡°I was going to protect her anyway,¡± I said, also turning back. ¡°Not that she needs it.¡± ¡°Ha. No, I suppose she does not,¡± Ghiine chuckled. ¡°That aside¡­ I am a Sword King, and although it was only a spar, you defeated me. I can¡¯t officially give you the designation of a Sword King, but you should consider yourself one.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, someone else already called me a ¡®King¡¯... though I would prefer to not meet him again,¡± I said, remembering what Orsted had said before leaving, ording to Eris. ¡°But I prefer being called an ¡®Elemental King¡¯. It¡¯s the name of my path, after all.¡± ¡°...I see,¡± she nodded. ¡°That aside, do you want me to heal your cut?¡± I asked. ¡°No, I want to keep this,¡± she said, wiping a bit of blood off her cheek. ¡°It¡¯s a sign that my student has surpassed me. A sign of pride.¡± Somehow, I had expected that she would say something like that. Oh well. Ah, but now that I won, I should probably tell her about that, right? ¡°Big Sis¡­¡± I said, a bit hesitant. ¡°One of these days¡­ I think you should visit your homnd.¡± She raised her eyebrow in question. ¡°What brought this on?¡± ¡°Remember how we mentioned stopping by the Great Forest?¡± I asked, to which she slowly nodded. ¡°Well¡­ we met your father and brother, Gustav and Gyes, and¡­ well, I think you guys should meet again. After all, it¡¯s been years since youst saw each other.¡± She frowned slightly as she crossed her arms. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not sure that they would want to meet me again. I told you how I was a troublesome child, right?¡± Yeah¡­ troublesome is one way to word the gremlin I had heard so many stories about. Still¡­ ¡°I think you¡¯d be surprised,¡± I said. ¡°Family is the main reason I¡¯ve grown stronger. My will to keep them safe is my driving force. So¡­ I think you should at least meet again.¡± She looked at me for a few moments before sighing. ¡°Yes¡­ I suppose it has been a while,¡± she said. ¡°Though it will have to wait until my duty here is finished. Perhaps you can tell me more about your experiences in my homnd over dinner tonight.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± I smiled. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª A few weeks had passed since we had arrived at Roa, and our group had used the time to enjoy a well-deserved break from travelling. Norn and Aisha had both been fairly active, with Norn using the time to train her swordsmanship even more, sometimes receiving lessons from Ghiine, while Aisha, surprisingly, had decided to watch Philip do his work and have him teach her a bit about his unique skills. I knew she was clever, but I never expected her to get into that side of things. Still, she seemed eager to learn, so I didn¡¯t bother her. Eris had decided to use the time to train with Ghiine, as well as spend some much-needed family time with her parents and new brother. I was happy for her. Without politics and noble customs getting in the way, it seemed that their rtionship had gotten much better and¡­ warmer. Now, they looked like a true family, though there was still some awkwardness here and there. ¡­As I thought, nobility was just a load of trouble. But despite the trouble¡­ it was, unfortunately, a strength. A strength some people wielded expertly. But¡­ I would just have to get stronger to make up for theck of influence that being amoner brings. And to do that, I had also been training during this time, mostly to get more experience with my newbat style in sparring with Ghiine. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, despite me winning our first spar, we were still evenly matched in terms of abilities, with her instincts and experience being able to stand up against my unique touki utilization and magic, while our sword skills themselves were evenly matched, with her being better at the Sword God Style, and me having the wider breadth of knowledge in the Water God and North God. Still, I had beencking a sparring partner that made me bring out all of my tactics and skills, so fighting with Ghiine had allowed me to grow quite a bit during our short time here. Of course, I wasn¡¯t only spending the time sparring. While there was nock of magicians who had been given jobs for the reconstruction of the region, earth spells could only do so much with their predetermined rigidity. So, with my silent spellcasting, as well as my ability to manipte the earth at will, I was able to create many structures that would otherwise need to be done by hand. But still, despite how nice it was to be back here, at the ce where I first met Eris, both as a toddler and a child, this wasn¡¯t the end of our journey. And so, here we were, the four of us standing outside the city gates, waiting to depart and start travelling to the north, with two horses packed full of supplies. Unlike before, there would be no carriage this time, as there were often issues with the terrain and road quality once you left Asura that carts often found difficult to navigate, if not outright stuck. But hopefully, the change wouldn¡¯t be too ufortable. ¡°Leon!¡± Wincing at the noise, I turned back to see Sauros, still standing tall with his arms crossed in his usual pose, though he was now wearing a in shirt and pants simr to mine rather than his previous noble attire. In fact, I had noticed that Philip and Hilda also dressed more casually now. I was d that all three of them seemed to realize the importance of life rather than the petty pride and pretentious presentations they were locked into before. ¡°You¡¯ve done a swell job thus far, but remember to protect Eri!¡± he shouted as he looked at my left hand. ¡°...Though it seems you already have that duty¡­ So don¡¯t forget it!¡± ¡°Of course, Sauros,¡± I nodded. ¡°Hmph! Call me Grandfather, brat!¡± And with that, he turned and left, having already said his goodbyes to Eris and my sisters. Despite not being a noble, he still had quite a bit of pride. But it was that very pride that forced him with his sense of duty to act and help rebuild the city, even with his bare hands if need be. While the nobility system was rife with corruption and entitlement, with the right people in charge¡­ I could see some of the appeal. I then turned my head to Eris, who was finishing her hug with her family. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to eat well, Eris. And remember those things I told you about,¡± Hilda said. ¡°I will,¡± Eris nodded before ncing at me with lidded eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll surely put them into practice, Mother.¡± ¡­What were ¡®those things¡¯? I felt a little scared, but at the same time¡­ excited? Arousal was confusing. ¡°We still have work to do in rebuilding the region, so we will remain here for a while,¡± Philip said. ¡°But once we are finished¡­ we will find you, and we can be a true family.¡± Eris¡¯ eyes widened, her face scrunching up in emotion before she gave the two one final hug. ¡°Then¡­ don¡¯t take too long.¡± ¡°Of course, dear,¡± Hilda said sweetly as Philip nodded alongside her. ¡°Eri!¡± Julius said, extending his arms to his sister. ¡°I have to go, Julius,¡± Eris said, patting his head. ¡°Don¡¯t cause too much trouble, and grow up strong. Next time we meet, I¡¯ll teach you some swordsmanship, okay?¡± Oh¡­ I¡¯m so sorry, Julius. I¡¯ll be sure to practice my healing magic to help the future you, but¡­ you¡¯ll have to bear with it. Eris was able to hold back enough to not kill her opponent, but¡­ that was about it. After all, pain was simply a sign of growth, no matter how much her opponent screamed. My dear brother already knew that fact very well. ¡°Eris,¡± Ghiine said. After a long two weeks, and a lot of nagging, Eris had finally convinced Ghiine to call her by her name outside of training, much to her delight. ¡°I will tell you once more¡­ If you wish to get stronger, the best ce to go is the Sword Sanctum. You have immense potential, but there are few out there who can properly mould you into your best self,¡± she said, finishing her words by hugging Eris. The Sword Sanctum¡­ well, it was in the northwest of the continent, so we would be travelling the same path out of Asura together still if she wanted to go. I should talk to her though¡­ ¡°Got it, Ghiine,¡± she said with a serious expression. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ consider it.¡± As Eris said her final goodbyes to Hilda and Ghiine, I turned to Philip who had walked toward me with a serious expression. ¡°Leon,¡± he said with narrowed eyes. ¡°I decided not to tell you until now so as to not cause you unneeded stress, but¡­ do you remember Darius?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I said, my eyes narrowing at the mention of the man. ¡°What about him?¡± ¡°Well, I am simply urging you to take caution,¡± Philip said. ¡°Now that Eris is confirmed to be alive, it is unlikely that he has forgotten his¡­ desire. And unlike before, we no longer have any political standing to shield her with.¡± ¡­So the bastard was still alive. Hmm¡­ maybe we could take a detour into the capital? Just for a quick stop? I wanted to see if Sylphy was still there and if she was okay anyway. That aside¡­ ¡°Philip, do you remember what I told you when we first reunited?¡± I said. ¡°If anyone tries to get to my family, the might of the pen won¡¯t be able to stop my sword... He may be an influential minister, but he still bleeds when he¡¯s cut.¡± Philip widened his eyes before breaking out into a smile. ¡°Then I was worried for nothing,¡± he said, reaching out to pat my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m d that you are on Eris¡¯ side. It¡¯s very reassuring.¡± ¡°Right¡­ just don¡¯t stir up trouble so I have toe save you,¡± I warned. ¡°I don¡¯t n on it,¡± he chuckled. ¡°Well¡­ good luck finding your family, Leon. We should all have a feast together once everything is over. After all, while only cousins, I am rted to Paul.¡± ¡­Did he really have to bring that up? I had forgotten, but even before promising myself to Eris, we were already rted, though it was distant. ¡­Oh well. Ignoring my newly realized, slightly incestuous rtionship with Eris, I smiled, extending my hand to shake Philip¡¯s extended one. ¡°dly.¡± With everyone having said their final farewells, I hoisted Norn onto one of the horses before climbing up to sit behind her, while Eris did the same with Aisha on the other. ¡°Well¡­ we¡¯re off!¡± I said, waving my hand. ¡°Be safe!¡± Hilda shouted. And with that, we departed the rebuilding city of Roa, continuing our journey that we had detoured for a rest. As we trotted down the road, I looked over to Eris, who had been oddly quiet ever since Ghiine¡¯s words. Hmm¡­ I was originally going to ask her if she wanted to stay with her family, but seeing her face like that¡­ I think it was something else. ¡°Do you want to go?¡± I asked. ¡°Hm?¡± Eris said, snapping her head up to look at me. ¡°G-Go where?¡± Did she think I didn¡¯t know? ¡°The Sword Sanctum,¡± I said, smiling slightly. ¡°I know you¡¯re conflicted. Care to tell me what you want to do?¡± Eris scrunched her eyebrows together in thought as she pondered. ¡°...I don¡¯t know,¡± she said. ¡°I¡­ want to get stronger¡­ but I don¡¯t want to leave you either¡­¡± I didn¡¯t say anything as we continued trotting down the road, deciding to let Eris finish her thoughts on her own. ¡°I¡¯ll at least help you get your sisters to Sharia, but after that¡­¡± she said, her words trailing off at the end. So she wanted to go, huh? Well, I was also interested, but I doubted it would be worth missing my family for that long. Still¡­ ¡°I won¡¯t stop you if you want to go,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯d be sad and I¡¯d miss you, but I know that you want to get stronger, so I won¡¯t stop you.¡± After all, after we dropped my sisters off, I would be departing for Begaritt, and then after that, likely stopping in the capital to see if Sylphy was still there, so it would be wrong of me to ask her to join me with such a selfish request. I was selfish for her love, and selfish for her body¡­ but I would never be selfish for her desires. Seeing Eris nod in understanding, I continued, ¡°But¡­ please don¡¯t just get up and leave. I would be sad if I couldn¡¯t say goodbye.¡± I then looked down at my sisters, seeing that Norn was drifting off to sleep while Aisha was engrossed in a book. ¡°And¡­ when you do go¡­ I¡¯ll ¡®send you off¡¯ properly,¡± I said, trying to get my point across as I traced Eris¡¯ body with my eyes. ¡°Ah¡­ okay,¡± she nodded, a faint blush crawling up her neck. She then also looked up and down at my body before zeroing in between my legs before¡­ licking her lips. ¡­What was that shiver I just felt? It wasn¡¯t the cold, was it? No¡­ I don¡¯t think it was. Anyway, with the city of Roa fading into the distance behind us, our group continued towards the north, where our long journey¡¯s final destinationy. The magic city of Sharia. Rudy¡­ your brother is very excited to see you. I wonder how much you¡¯ve grown. ¡ª End of Arc 3 - Return ¡ª Chapter 51 – A Guardian Fairy’s Tale Chapter 51 ¨C A Guardian Fairy¡¯s Tale ¡ª Sylphiette ¡ª That day, a little over three and a half years ago, when the infamous ¡®Discement Incident¡¯ reduced the Fittoa Region to a destend¡­ that was the day I met the princess and lost my family¡­ and the day my life took a drastic turn. The princess in question was one Ariel Anemoi Asura, the second princess of the Asura Kingdom and the third in line for the throne. Even looking back on it now, I can still remember it clearly. We had just finished celebrating Rudy¡¯s tenth birthday in Roa, and then, the next morning, everyone went outside the city so he could try out his new staff. Then, that person attacked. ¡®Arumanfi¡¯ or something, and was repelled by Leon and the strong beastfolk woman, Ghiine, Leon¡¯s so-called ¡®Big Sis¡¯. Then, the light appeared. I don¡¯t remember much after that, only the sight of Leon sprinting to his sisters as he covered everyone with a dome of earth, and then, the moment that light engulfed us¡­ I was in the air. I can faintly remember tumbling toward the ground, screaming so loud that my throat became raw as the wind whipped past my face. It was¡­ terrifying. And that pure feeling of panic and fear, which still gave me nightmares even now, was thest memory I had of that day. And then, I woke up in a bed. A nice bed, one even nicer than the one I used with Eris the night before, and it was veryfy, with soft sheets and a plush pillow. And sitting in front of me on that very bed, was a beautiful young girl, one around Eris and Leon¡¯s age, with long golden hair, shining light blue eyes, and a pretty face. A very pretty face. One so pretty, it made me feel self-conscious as a girl. Could I really match up to one so beautiful? Even if Leon always called me cute, I was doubtful. I had decided that moment to ensure the princess and Leon didn¡¯t meet, or¡­ something bad could happen. But aside from my admiration, and slight insecurity, I was also immensely confused at¡­ well, everything. Where was I? What happened to me? What happened to everyone else? Why was I wherever this ce was? Who was she? Why was she with me? It was then, after calming me down, that the princess told me everything, from her name to my current situation. That was how I learned about the disaster that had befallen the Fittoa Region, how everyone was teleported, and how when Inded in the garden the day before, I had saved her from a terrifying monster. I then descended into another panic, but was once again stopped by the beautiful princess. She then proceeded topliment me, both for my magical skills and, surprisingly, my appearance. An appearance like mine was being appreciated by a girl like her? That was impossible. Especially with my cursed hair colour. At first, I thought she was like Leon, who always said that he loved my hair, but then, I soon realized¡­ the previous emerald green I both despised and hade to appreciate¡­ it was gone, reced with the colour of pure silver from root to tip. But as my surprise calmed down, I slowly realized something else from the princess¡¯ words. She said a disaster had befallen the Fittoa Region, not simply the Citadel of Roa. And asking further, my fears were confirmed. My homnd¡­ my friends¡­ my mother and father¡­ they were all gone. And past that, through no fault of my own, I could be considered a trespasser of the royal pce, a crime much toorge to be punished by anything less than death. But then, the princess extended her hand, patting my head to calm me down as she proposed her deal. I would help her during her fight for the throne, and in return, she would keep me safe as she searched for my family with her connections. I epted. After all, what other choice did I have? However, I did ask that she would let me go once my family was found, or at the very least let them know of my survival. And so, I donned the sses and the persona of which I was asked, and became Ariel¡¯s guard¡­ though I was thankfully able to keep my hair past my shoulders, despite the princess¡¯ initial n to make me seem like a boy. After all, Leon did say he liked me with long hair, so why would I cut it short? Initially, I was nning to leave as soon as I caught wind of my family. Nobility was problematic, after all. I knew that much from Leon, Eris, and Lilia¡¯s stories to know I wasn¡¯t meant for such a ce. And that was something I quickly found to be true. Sylphy was absolutely not meant for it. But luckily for me, my persona, ¡®Silent Fitz¡¯, was. I didn¡¯t need to converse in the annoying, cunning ways that the others did, nor did I have to ensure my eyes were always directed in the correct ce. I simply stood near Ariel, ensuring she was safe, and biding my time until I could finally return home. And then¡­ Ariel found information about my parents, but¡­ it was not the news I was hoping for. They had died, and even after two months, Rudy, Leon, and Eris were all nowhere to be found. That was when I realized it. That I¡­ waspletely alone. It was on that horrible day that I was able to meet the princess once more, though this time, it was the true Ariel Anemoi Asura. Not the second princess, beloved by themon folk, and the perfect representation of a nobledy. No¡­ this time I met the kind princess, the one who held me that night, ensuring I wasn¡¯t alone as I cried into her chest. Though¡­ that was also the night where I learned about the princess¡¯¡­ hobbies. Luckily, I was able tost that night without losing my virginity, but unfortunately, I had also awoken a side of the princess that even she herself didn¡¯t know she had. It was simply not right for a girl to have flushed cheeks after getting sted out of a bed with wind magic. Much less for that girl to be a princess of the greatest kingdom in the world. But despite this, after that night, I began to notice more about the princess as she showed me more of her true self. She was kind, perverted, and selfish, but put up a grand facade of maturity and perfection for the outside world. It made her seem¡­ more human. More¡­ like a friend. The way she wore such a facade almost reminded me of Leon in some ways, so I found it quite endearing. And so, from that point on, I decided to help this new friend of mine, or at least ensure that she survived the battle for the throne. And as a result, we grew closer. However, I did ask her to keep searching for my friends. After all, I had someone I loved, and others I cared for, such as Eris and Rudy. As Ariel began to seriously contest the throne, showing determination and ambition that had never been there before, her opponents began to take her more seriously. And with that, came the assassins. After all, there was no easier way to remove an opponent from the battle for the throne than by killing them. The first assassin came during the night, and by the morning, I had ended my first life, driving a short sword through the girl¡¯s neck as I cut off her arms with wind magic. It didn¡¯t feel good, to kill¡­ but knowing that doing so was keeping my friend safe made the distaste lessen immensely. I bet this was what Leon felt. It made me d to think I could understand him more. Anyway, it was good I was able to easily ept the act of killing, as after that day, the number of lives I had taken slowly rose with each attempt on the princess¡¯ life. I had always been thankful to Leon for everything he taught me, but that mostly because of how much fun we had and how my curiosity had been sated by his lessons. But now that I had been putting his lessons into practice, and saving both myself and my dear friend, I was forever grateful. And, while the princess¡¯ perversion was often¡­ vexing to handle, it did give me many ideas of how I would thank Leon once we met again. But despite my admirable and still-growing strength, the assassins became too much to ignore any longer, and with the many nobles of thend choosing to support Ariel¡¯s enemies, the country became much too suffocating. At least, that was before the issue of the Boreas Greyrat family. I wasn¡¯t too well-informed, but essentially, with the return of Philip Boreas Greyrat, who I briefly remembered meeting, Ariel¡¯s enemies had to divert their focus toward him, as not only had he ruined their ns with his survival, but he also had the support of a kingdom, not to mention his influence over those affected by the disaster. Eventually, Ariel¡¯s enemies got what they wanted, as the Boreas Greyrat family was deposed, and with that distraction out of the way, Ariel became the main focus of her older brother¡¯s influence once again, meaning that our time in Asura had run out. So, with all of her most loyal servants, including me, the princess fled, leaving for the magic city of Sharia to be a student at the Ranoa University of Magic. Of course, this was but a facade. While she would be studying, her main reason for leaving was to save herself and grow her forces without worrying about her brother¡¯s authority. Of course, her older brother himself knew this, so he would not let her go so easily. It was a smooth trip, for the most part, at least until we got past the border of Asura, the Red Dragon¡¯s Upper Jaw. We had expected to encounter resistance here. We had expected an ambush as ast-ditch attempt to finish off Ariel. But this¡­ but this was too much! ¡°Raah!¡± A man ran up to me, his sword raised in preparation to attack. He was¡­ only a bit stronger than Luke, so easy to deal with, at least for me. But going through practised movements, I shot a spear of ice at his torso, causing him to quickly bring down his de to defend himself. But of course, doing so left him open, and I would not let such an opportunity go. So, sending myself forward with a gust of wind, I twisted my hips, shing across his neck, leaving him gurgling on his own blood as I stepped back, watching his form crumple with a cold re. Keeping my short sword ready, I went back to ¡®Ariel¡¯, or at least, the girl who was disguised as her, watching as another of the princess¡¯ attendant¡¯s head was severed near the treeline. Another person I hade to know¡­ No, that didn¡¯t matter right now. There was no time for grieving. It was looking bad. While we hade here with a group of twenty strong, only ten of them had any fighting power, and of those, only five had the strength to put up a fight against these people. Actually, seeing the body of the now-deceased attendant fell to the ground, and remembering the first person to fall to the ambush, there were only three of us who could put up a meaningful fight. Would west in a position like this? And if we did, this was just the border. Would we make it all the way to Sharia? A volley of fire careened through the air, heading towards ¡®Ariel¡¯ and interrupting my thoughts. Quickly forming a barrier of water, I noticed just as the fire lit up the area near me, that there was an assassin sneaking under the magic barrage, his de held firm as he paced towards ¡®Ariel¡¯. No! I was toote! I couldn¡¯t-! As the assassin¡¯s de raced toward ¡®Ariel¡¯, I watched in muted surprise as the assassin¡¯s head flew through the air, his neck spurting blood as his body tumbled across the ground. ¡­What? ¡°Haa¡­ and we were having such a nice, calm journey.¡± A calm voice echoed from my side. Turning to the voice, I watched as a young man stepped forward, his golden hair swaying slightly as he crouched to the ground with his sword held to his side. Wait¡­ that face¡­ that voice¡­ that hair¡­ w-was he-? ¡°Well¡­ here I go.¡± A momentter, he disappeared, leaving only the sound of thunder in his wake. Snapping my gaze back to the battle, I watched as the group of assassins were cut down, their torsos flying through the air as their bodies fell unceremoniously to the ground. ¡­Huh? The fight¡­. It was over? No! More importantly! ¡°Troublesome¡­ this isn¡¯t usual for the northern territories, right? I hope not.¡± Leon! He was here! That was him, I was sure of it! He¡­ he survived! But to think he got so strong¡­ well, I¡¯m not entirely surprised, but I still couldn¡¯t help but be amazed. His eyes turned to survey the battlefield, taking in everyone else¡¯s stunned silence, before his eyes went to me, narrowing slightly as he stared at me. My heart stopped. No, it only felt like it did. I¡­ want to run up to him. These feelings of mine¡­ the ones from my childhood, that naive love and admiration¡­ they had changed. Not that I had let go of that love, surely not. No, instead, that love had only grown stronger and more¡­ real. Every night I felt the tears stain my pillow, thinking of everything I lost, the only thing that would shine a light on my dark feelings were the thoughts of the future. Our future. Before what was simply a crush was now a raging inferno of love, lighting up my life and visions of the future, keeping me warm when Iy alone in the lonely, cold bed. So it was only obvious that I wanted to go to him. I wanted to take off my sses, jump into his arms, tell him who I was, thank him for being alive and¡­ ask him to stay with me, forever, no matter how selfish that request may be. But¡­ I couldn¡¯t. After all, right now, I wasn¡¯t Sylphy, but rather, I was ¡®Silent Fitz¡¯, guardian of the princess. If I was simply an ordinary guard, this distinction wouldn¡¯t matter¡­ but that was not the case. ¡®Silent Fitz¡¯, past being an intimidation tactic, was a nk te for disguise. As Ariel was often targeted, one of the best tactics to protect her was using transformation magic, which we also used today in anticipation of an attack. But with transformation magic, while being able to change everything about one¡¯s appearance, one was unable to change their voice. Hence, as ¡®Silent Fit¡¯z, while I would have still to imitate the princess, I would not have to worry about others noticing my natural tone, and in addition, the princess would not have to worry about changing her voice at all. So, for these reasons, I could only be Sylphy behind closed doors, where only the most trusted of Ariel¡¯s people knew of my true self. Still¡­ it didn¡¯t make me want to go to him any less. It just made me have a reason for the pain I felt in not doing so. I didn¡¯t even know if he was alive after not hearing of him. After all, with someone like Leon, Ariel should have easily learned of such a talented young man, but¡­ she hadn¡¯t. But thankfully, those worries now seemed useless, as here he was, standing right in front of me. Hm? He was still looking at me? Did¡­ did he recognize me? The thought sent a pleasant tingle down my spine. ¡°You have quite a bit of mana¡­¡± he mumbled. ¡°¡­It¡¯s strange too.¡± I guess that wasn¡¯t the case. It was then that I noticed that other than looking older and more handsome, there were some other changes from the Leon I remembered. Mainly the streak of white hair tucked behind his ear and the glowing purple eye he now had. I¡­ guess he had changed too? There must be a story behind that, huh? But, I still remembered him. My hand rose up to my chest, touching the green pendant that was tucked beneath my shirt. The same pendant he gave me so long ago, and the one I had kept with me ever since. Did he¡­ truly still remember me? I hope so¡­ ¡°That was so cool, Big Brother!¡± Hearing a childish voice, I turned to the side to see three figurese out of the woods. Two were young girls, one with golden hair that was tied in a braid and another with maroon hair tied in a ponytail, and standing behind them was a taller young woman with zing red hair and a matching set of eyes. ¡°You were supposed to stay hidden¡­¡± Leon sighed. ¡°And why did you let them watch, Eri?¡± ¡°They¡¯re old enough to see a battle,¡± the young woman shrugged. ¡°Besides, even if you tried, they¡¯re notpletely innocent to that stuff.¡± No¡­ that wasn¡¯t just a ¡®young woman¡¯, that was Eris! She was alive too! And those children¡­ that¡¯s Norn and Aisha! They were all alive, and all together! I was so d, I had to hold myself back once more from running to them yet again, lest my disguise be discovered. But for them to be together like this¡­ they must have teleported together, right? I do remember them being with each other when the light reached us. I¡­ couldn¡¯t help but envy Eris, at least a little. Like this, I could already tell at a nce that the two had grown closer. Lucky¡­ ¡°¡­I would still rather them not see, though,¡± Leon said, shaking his head. ¡°Anyway, you guys¡­ what¡¯s going on here? You don¡¯t look like merchants, and these guys don¡¯t look like mere bandits.¡± He then kicked one of the dead assassins, grimacing as more of his entrails poured out of the torso. I had expected Luke to speak up at that point. Luke Notos Greyrat was Ariel¡¯s guardian knight and the son of one of her most influential noble supporters, so he always acted as Ariel¡¯s second inmand. He was also someone I knew very well, as he knew about the true me, and was someone I considered a friend. So why¡­ why was he just looking at Eris with a nk face? Was he too shocked about the situation? I suppose that made sense, but he had to get a grip! Was I supposed to do something? Why was no one speaking!? Leon¡¯s gaze then trailed over to me, causing me to freeze, before ncing at ¡®Ariel¡¯ beside me. ¡°You¡­ are you the leader here? Or is it someone in that carriage?¡± he asked. He knew about the people in the carriage!? But that¡¯s where Ariel was! What would I do? I know Leon wasn¡¯t too fond of nobility, so¡­ how would he react? I didn¡¯t think it would be too bad, but if Ariel or Luke identally made him mad¡­ especially with his sisters around¡­ ¡°Thank you kindly for your assistance,¡± a bell-like voice said, stepping out of the carriage. ¡°And as for the leader, that would be me.¡± ¡­I just hope this goes well. And¡­ I hope I can meet Leon as the real me very soon. I missed him horribly, after all. And I had some dreams I wanted to fulfill. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Watching a girl step out of the carriage, I noticed that she, just like the girl I saved upon my arrival, was shrouded in mana, almost akin to touki but¡­ much weaker. This shroud of mana was then removed as she took off her ring, revealing her true appearance, which was¡­ an exact copy of the girl I saved. ¡­Huh? I was quite confused, but whatever. A few of her apparent servants were shocked out of their daze at that, quickly returning to her side, including a young man who looked quite simr to Paul and a silver-haired girl with sunsses. And that silver-haired girl¡­ her mana¡­ it was difficult to exin. Past there being quite a lot of it, it was also¡­pressed and¡­ ¡®brighter¡¯ than normal. Odd. I had seen her cast magic silently before I arrived, which had slightly surprised me, so¡­ was it that? But mine didn¡¯t look that bright¡­ I then noticed the girl I originally saved also take off a ring, revealing her true appearance as well, which happened to be who the ¡®leader¡¯ looked like whilst shrouded in that mana. How confusing. So the two¡­ switched appearances? Was it some sort of transformation magic? This ¡®leader¡¯ must be quite important to need a body double. But to think such magic exists¡­ I wonder if I can copy that? ¡°I am the second princess of the Asura Kingdom, Ariel Anemoi Asura. It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance,¡± the leader said with a curtsy. Ugh¡­ I knew as soon as I noticed that the group ahead of us was being attacked that this was going to be troublesome, but even I didn¡¯t expect to be saving a princess. Wait¡­ an Asuran princess? That meant she lived in the royal pce beforeing here for¡­ whatever reason she had. Would she¡­ know about Sylphy? Hmm¡­ while I still thought this was troublesome, at least I now had a reason to bear with it. ¡°¡­And I am Leon Greyrat, nice to meet you,¡± I said evenly. It was polite, but not the tone one would usually take with a princess, evidenced by how the Paul-like boy¡¯s eye twitched along with how some of her presumed followers frowning. Interestingly, though, the princess herself, aside from some mild surprise, didn¡¯t seem bothered at all. In fact, upon hearing my name, her smile widened as she nced at the silver-haired girl for a moment. What was that about? It¡¯s almost as if she reacted to my name. Did she know me or something? ¡°Well then, Leon Greyrat. First, I once again thank you for your assistance, and if possible¡­¡± Ariel said, turning back to me. ¡°Could I ask for your aid in guarding us to our destination?¡± ¡­What? My eyes narrowed in suspicion. What was going on? Aside from the fact that I didn¡¯t want to do such a troublesome thing, especially with my sisters with me, I was also confused. Even Ariel¡¯s people looked surprised at her rash decision. That was the natural reaction. After all, I didn¡¯t know them, and they didn¡¯t know me. Why would someone as important as her trust a nobody with their lives, even if I helped them. I would like to refuse outright, ignore them, and get our tied-up horses before continuing on our way, but¡­ She could know where Sylphy is, right? Or at least, this ¡®Ariel Anemoi Asura¡¯ was my best chance. ¡°Of course, you will be rewarded for such assistance,¡± she added with a smile. ¡°And I assure you that protecting us might be in your best interests¡­¡± What? What the hell did she mean by ¡®my best interests?¡¯ That almost sounded like a threat, but¡­ it really didn¡¯t feel that way. Looking to my side, my gaze matched with Eris, and seeing her shrug of indifference, I decided to go along with the princess¡­ for now. ¡°¡­We can talk about thatter. For now, I would prefer to make camp for the night,¡± I said calmly, breaking the silence. My gaze then went to the bodies of whom I assumed to be her attendants, numbering ten in total. ¡°¡­And I assume you will want to bury your dead.¡± A few of her people grimaced, and a few nearly began shedding tears, but through it all, Ariel¡¯s soft smile never left her face. But nevertheless, I could see a burning passion within those blue eyes. Hmm¡­ maybe this princess was interesting past her possible connection to Sylphy. I would only know for sureter tonight, though. Chapter 52 – We Will Be Reunited: A Guardian Fairy Chapter 52 ¨C We Will Be Reunited: A Guardian Fairy ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª After getting our tent set up, feeding our two horses, and waiting for the other group toplete their own preparations for the night, it was then that the affairs concerning the dead were to bepleted. The atmosphere was sober, which was exactly what you would expect from a funeral. Princess Ariel said some sweet words along with a Millis prayer, promising to fulfill her ambition they fought for, and then they were buried with earth magic. Quite simple, especially for a princess¡¯ retinue, but considering their situation, there was nothing else they could do. Throughout the ceremony, I couldn¡¯t help but notice the silver-haired girl with ck sses casting her gaze my way. Come to think of it¡­ she had been looking at me even before then. Was she¡­ suspicious of me? She was a guard, after all, though it seemed she wasn¡¯t one for words, since I had yet to hear her speak, so perhaps this was her way of showing her discontent? I was unsure. But I had also found my eyes drifting towards her. Initially, it was because of her odd mana, but then, it was because she looked¡­ somewhat familiar. And the more I looked at her, the more familiar she felt. Ah, but I should stop looking at other girls with Eris right beside me, right? I was a loyal lover, after all. Anyway, with night befalling the forest, and both of our camps prepared for the night, I then went to meet with Ariel in her carriage, which also seemed to double as her sleeping quarters for her journey. Which led us to now. I decided to have Norn and Aisha stay in the tent, not only because they were sleepy, but also in case any of the discussion became¡­ unpleasant. ¡°I¡¯d like to thank you once again for your assistance,¡± Ariel said, sitting on her bed. ¡°And while I do know your name, Leon Greyrat, may I ask who is standing beside you?¡± Eris, who was standing beside me, crossed her arms. ¡°Eris. Eris Greyrat.¡± A sh of recognition danced across Ariel¡¯s eyes. I wonder¡­ did she remember Eris as she is, or rather was, a noble of the kingdom? Or was it from something else? ¡°I see,¡± Ariel nodded to her right. ¡°And as for these two, this is my guardian mage, Fitz.¡± The silver-haired girl, who had been staring at me for a while now, jolted upright before performing a small bow. So¡­ Fitz, then. An odd name. Hmm¡­ throughout my time around their group, while it was short, I had still yet to hear her speak¡­ Was she affected by herrades¡¯ deaths that much? It didn¡¯t seem that way, though. And those ears¡­ was she an elf? I hadn¡¯t seen any elves outside the Millis Continent except for Elinalise, Laws, and¡­ Sylphy, but she was quite an impressive mix of races, if I remember correctly. Looking to her left, Ariel continued, ¡°And this here is my knight.¡± ¡°Luke Notos Greyrat,¡± the young man who looked simr to Paul said, smiling as he performed a bow. ¡°Pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± ¡­I had a feeling he was saying that to Eris specifically, but I decided to ignore that for now. ¡°Well, now that we¡¯re all familiar, I suppose I should ask once again,¡± Ariel said. ¡°Will you help guard us until we reach our intended location?¡± ¡°That depends¡­¡± I said, raising my eyebrow. ¡°Where is this ¡®intended location¡¯?¡± After all, even if she was my chance to know more about Sylphy, if she wasn¡¯t on our intended path, then guarding her waspletely out of the question. ¡°The magical city of Sharia,¡± Ariel answered smoothly. ¡°For I am to be a student of the Ranoa University of Magic.¡± Well, would you look at that? We were heading to the same ce. But¡­ ¡°¡­Look, I don¡¯t have anything against guarding you in principle, especially since we¡¯re going to Sharia,¡± I said, sighing as I looked out of the carriage¡¯s window, towards our tent. ¡°¡­But I can¡¯t just risk my sisters¡¯ lives like that.¡± Ariel nodded, ¡°I understand, that is why I offered a reward as well-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need any damn reward,¡± I interrupted her. Haa¡­ dammit. I really didn¡¯t want to end up guarding these people but¡­ I just couldn¡¯t stop my curiosity. ¡°Instead¡­ I need to ask if you know of someone.¡± Ariel smiled at me, urging me her eyes to continue. Was she expecting something like this? It felt that way. Fucking cunning nobles¡­ ¡°I know from¡­ sources, that she was in the royal pce as of two and a half years ago, and I nned to search for her after dealing with things here, but¡­ do you know a Sylphy?¡± Fitz jolted upright, her mouth widening in surprise as Ariel¡¯s smile deepened. Even Luke¡¯s lips were curling up. Did they actually know her? ¡°She may go by Sylphiette,¡± I continued, their reactions spurring me on with a feeling of hope. ¡°And, let¡¯s see¡­ she¡¯s good at magic, can cast spells silently, has the prettiest hair, and is super cute-¡± I was interrupted by Eris elbowing my side, looking at me with a pout full of disappointment and jealousy. Well¡­ I guess I deserved that, but I needed to get the point across. Mouthing a ¡®sorry¡¯, I returned my gaze to Ariel, only to see that she was looking at Fitz with a wide grin while the silver-haired girl in question was¡­ covering her blushing cheeks with her hands. ¡­What? What was going on here? Wait¡­ the feeling of familiarity¡­ those ears¡­ her silent spellcasting. ¡°Leon and Eris Greyrat,¡± Ariel said firmly as she looked back at us with a serious expression, her previous smile removed from her face. ¡°I will allow you into a close secret of mine, but it is important that this is not revealed to anyone else. Understood?¡± I felt an odd sort of pressure descends around the room at her words. It wasn¡¯t the pressure from the strong. I could cut her down in an instant if I wished, either by a wind de or my sword, but nevertheless¡­ I still felt a pressure. Was this¡­ charisma? It seems Philip wasn¡¯t the only person with a terrifying tongue around. Meeting her gaze, I nodded seriously, and pinching Eris¡¯ side, I made sure she did as well. ¡°Good,¡± Ariel nodded. ¡°You can take those off now¡­ Sylphy.¡± Eris¡¯ eyes widened at the name as Fitz removed her sses, revealing a pair of familiar red eyes as she stared at us with a small smile. ¡°Sylphy¡­¡± I whispered, stunned. Quickly oveing my initial surprise, my lips curled into a wide smile. She was right here¡­ but what the hell was with her hair? But she was safe¡­ thank goodness. Sylphy¡¯s lower lip trembled as her eyes became watery, and a secondter, she dashed towards us, jumping into Eris and I¡¯s arms. Ah¡­ and now she was crying. ¡°Leon! Eris!¡± she sobbed, hugging us closer. ¡°I¡­ I missed you!¡± ¡°I¡¯m here¡­ It¡¯s okay,¡± I said, patting her back. I was d. So, very, immensely d that she was alright. Out of all the people I needed to get for everyone to be together, Sylphy was who I was expecting to cause the most problems. After all, for her to be in the royal pce, either she was captured by royalty or a high noble after her teleportation, or she had been teleported directly into the pce. Both situations would be troublesome. But here she was¡­ right in front of me¡­ ¡°I¡­ missed you too,¡± I said, resting her chin on my shoulder as I patted the back of her head. ¡°I really did¡­¡± Eris, having gotten over her shock, also wrapped her arms around Sylphy, returning the hug as she lightly patted her back. ¡°I¡­ missed you too¡­ obviously¡­¡± Eris mumbled. Right, these two were quite close back then. After all, in terms of friends who were girls¡­ they only had each other. But Eris had grown, bing close friends with Minitona and Tersena during our time in the Great Forest, and Sylphy¡­ I then looked over at Ariel, who was watching the scene with a soft smile, alongside Luke, who was simply nodding with a content expression. ¡­It seems like Sylphy had grown as well. I¡¯m d. And if Ariel was able to protect Sylphy from the terrors of the royal pce, I¡¯d have to thank her. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I met you so soon, Sylphy,¡± I muttered, gently stroking Sylphy¡¯s hair to calm her down. Wiping off thest of her tears, Sylphy separated from us enough to look up at me, giving me a sweet smile. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me¡­ Sylphy. Your Sylphy,¡± she said happily. ¡®My Sylphy¡¯? Okay, maybe Ariel didn¡¯t protect her from everything. She entuated her point by staring into my eyes as her cheeks gained a faint blush, telling me that those words meant everything they implied. Dammit, Sylphy¡­ just what did that perverted royal pce do to you? Well, at least that answers the question of if she still liked me. I was d, definitely, and there was a certain ring with a green gemstone burning a hole in my pocket, but¡­ I was still hesitant. After all, we had been separated for three and a half years now, and thest time we met, she was only nine years old. A child. And a child with a childish crush. She was thirteen now, if I remembered her birthday correctly, but was that enough time for her feelings to change into love? With maturity, and my advancement with Eris, I know mine had, but was she able to grow the same way? I didn¡¯t know. And who¡¯s to say her tastes haven¡¯t changed since then? Or what if I myself had changed into someone too different from the Leon she had initially adored? I told Eris when we first made love, and again when I ced that ring on her finger, that she was mine and mine alone. Trapped by the love of yours truly, the selfish and greedy King-ranked swordsman. So, until I knew that Sylphy would be happy in such an agreement¡­ I would have to hold off. For both of our sakes. Besides¡­ would there be any trouble regarding Ariel, the person Sylphy was apparently protecting? I then looked back at the princess¡¯ face, which was stered with the same smile throughout our interaction. In fact, that smile had been there throughout the entire time I had been in her presence. ¡°Is there something wrong, Leon?¡± the princess asked, tilting her head. ¡°¡­No,¡± I said, looking back down at Sylphy. I didn¡¯t like how easily she threw away her subordinates¡¯ lives, especially the one who had acted as her double. I could understand that for someone weak, that was the only way to survive, but¡­ it still left a bad taste in my mouth. And then¡­ there was her smile. It was a nice smile, especially on the face of such an objectively beautiful girl, but it still felt¡­ odd. Almost like a facade. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to notice it before, but after seeing Philip¡¯s real smile upon our visit to Roa, I was now able to see it clear as day. It was her eyes. And considering how sheined about how ¡®irritating¡¯ the princess seemed when we set up our tent, I could tell Eris felt something odd about her as well. For her, it was probably just instincts, but I was still proud that she could spot the difference as well. ¡°How d I am to see close friends reunited,¡± Ariel said, nodding to herself in satisfaction. ¡°I had heard of you two from her before, but¡­ your strength is quite amazing. Especially considering how young you are.¡± Hmm¡­ the princess seemed a lot more confident now. And that glint in her eyes¡­ it was as if she was trying to evaluate my value, and whether she could ¡®obtain¡¯ me. Was she going to use my connection to Sylphy as leverage? It¡¯s a shame because that would probably work, but¡­ what would stop me from just taking her away? While I wasn¡¯t one to brag about my abilities, I should at least ensure she knows to not mess with my family. ¡°¡­Yeah, you could say that,¡± I said. ¡°Officially, I have been given the status of Sword Saint and Water Saint¡­¡± Her eyes only glittered in slight surprise, as if she was expecting that. She had likely heard about my strength from Sylphy, but was only now able to confirm it. ¡°¡­And recently, I have been told I can call myself a King-ranked swordsman.¡± That seemed to get her surprise. Good. ¡°And Eris here is quite good with a sword herself, recently bing a Sword Saint,¡± I said, my hold around Sylphy in front of me tightening as I stared forward. ¡°So yes¡­ you can say we¡¯re quite strong.¡± Ariel quickly regained herposure, forcing her lips to spread in that same smile. ¡°I understand,¡± she nodded. Did she? I didn¡¯t know, but I released my hold on Sylphy anyway, letting her hesitantly return to Ariel¡¯s side with flushed cheeks. Well, with that somewhat dealt with, I then looked over to Luke, who had been staring at Eris throughout this whole meeting, but even more intently since I revealed her prowess as a Sword Saint. Wait¡­ were his cheeks red? Oh, for fuck''s sake¡­ Well, this wasn¡¯t the first man Eris had unintentionally charmed, and he was surely to be thest. And I knew from experience that I might as well deal with this problem before it devolved into anything more. Eris was mine, after all. Others should know to back off. Wrapping my arm around Eris¡¯ waist, I narrowed my eyes at the man as I pulled her close. ¡°So yes, while we¡¯re strong, I don¡¯t want my family fighting unnecessary battles, or my sisters getting put in danger.¡± Seeing the surprise on Luke¡¯s face, he seemed to have taken the hint, and looking over at Sylphy, I realized that she had understood as well, her eyes turning down in sadness. Ah, shit¡­ I should have talked to her first. Ariel, whose expression had turned troubled, nced at Sylphy before turning back to us. ¡°I understand your hesitance,¡± she said calmly as she bowed her head. ¡°Then, for now, I will give you my utmost thanks for rescuing us, and I will ask that we reconvene in the morning.¡± With Luke quickly going to open the door with a sour face, I went to follow Eris back to the tent, but not before looking back at Sylphy onest time. Her ears were drooping slightly, alongside her head, and I could see the tears welling in her eyes, threatening to break out. She¡­ shouldn¡¯t look that sad. We had finally reunited, after all, and I still held feelings for her. Immense feelings. Leaving things on such a sad note, simply because of a dumb misunderstanding, and not revealing the ¡®agreement¡¯ of Eris and I¡¯s rtionship¡­ that would be uneptable. So, briskly walking over to the downtrodden Sylphy, I wrapped my arms around her in an embrace. ¡°Huh!?¡± she squeaked. ¡°L-Leon?¡± Right. I needed to tell her my feelings. ¡°Sylphy¡­¡± I whispered in her ear. ¡°I missed you, and¡­¡± Dammit. I didn¡¯t want to spur on her feelings like this when my concerns about her feelings and maturity remained, but¡­ I couldn¡¯t leave it like this. So¡­ when in doubt, it was always better to be sincere, right? ¡°¡­I love you.¡± Her body, still held in my arms, jolted. ¡°So¡­ let¡¯s talk more tomorrow, okay?¡± I said, letting her go. Receiving a slow, shy nod from her wide-eyed form, I took my leave out of the carriage, joining back up with Eris. Well¡­ today was certainly a surprise, but definitely a wee one. Who would have thought I would be able to meet my sweet childhood friend in the middle of our travels? Even if some troublesome things might happen from it, and our pace was surely to be dyed¡­ I was quite lucky. ¡ª Sylphiette ¡ª ¡°Well¡­ that could have gone better,¡± Ariel said, releasing her mask as her cheeks ckened. ¡°To think that he would be so steadfast¡­ your childhood sweetheart is quite interesting, Sylphy.¡± With my name being called, I quickly shook off the haze that had been clouding my mind. cing my hand over my chest, I took a few deep breaths as I felt my rapidly beating heart calm. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ he is,¡± I nodded. When I first understood that Eris and Leon were together like that, I was distraught. My dream of a home, of starting a family with the one I loved¡­ the dream that always kept me going¡­ it was shattered before it could even begin. How cruel. But then, not a minuteter, Leon held me closely, telling me the words I had always wanted to hear from his mouth. ¡®I love you.¡¯ Just remembering them sent a shiver down my spine. But¡­ was it in the way I thought of it? The way I hoped for? What if it was a love someone feels for a friend or a sister? And if it truly was the love I sought¡­ what about Eris? I¡­ loved her too. As a friend, of course. So¡­ what would happen? Would she be cast aside? The thought left a truly bitter taste in my mouth. What did Leon want? What did I want? It was all very confusing. ¡°That aside¡­ Sylphy,¡± Ariel said, looking at me with a stern face. ¡°I understand your feelings, and we can talk about thatter, but I want to know more about Leon Greyrat. And Eris Greyrat as well, if you can.¡± Getting control of my emotions, I regained myposure as I told her everything I knew about the two. Perhaps, some would see this as betrayal, but I knew who Ariel Anemoi Asura was. She was my friend. And as long as one wasn¡¯t her enemy, she was kind. She might want to gain Leon on her side after this¡­ actually, knowing her, I knew that was what she was going for, and I knew that through me, she was hoping to possess some information to do so. But I knew that it wasn¡¯t a bad thing. And¡­ selfishly¡­ I wanted her to win him over¡­ so I could stay with him. So I told her. About our childhood in Buena Vige, his genius in the art of magic, how he taught me everything alongside his brother, how he became an Advanced-rank swordsman at the age of eight, and a Sword Saint shortly after¡­ I told her everything. Everything up to that terrible day when we were separated. I had said some things here and there, but this time was thorough, with Ariel asking questions whenever there was something she was confused about. ¡°¡­He seems quite amazing,¡± Ariel said after everything was over. ¡°He is!¡± I said proudly before shirking back. ¡°I mean¡­ yes, you could say that.¡± Smirking at my embarrassment, Ariel continued, ¡°If I hadn¡¯t seen him with my own eyes, I would call your story a fairy tale. But s¡­ he is quite talented. And handsome too.¡± I felt a pang of anxiety at that. The princess wouldn¡¯t¡­ feel that way about him¡­ right? But Leon was amazing¡­ and he was handsome¡­ Uuu~ I knew it was bad for those two to meet! Narrowing her eyes, Ariel turned to face me. ¡°So? In your opinion, is there any way to get him on our side?¡± Frowning, I slowly shook my head. As much as I truly wished for Leon to be by my side¡­ that was simply not like him. ¡°Leon, he¡­ he always didn¡¯t like politics, and when he was forced to when he was in Roa, he always made sure to keep his family out of it. So it¡¯s¡­ well¡­¡± ¡°Unlikely,¡± Ariel finished, releasing a sigh. ¡°And to think I had found the first person that could give us a fighting chance against my brother¡¯s forces, and he hates everything about nobility¡­ Though considering our current situation, I don¡¯t me him.¡± She then massaged her temples, as if trying to relieve a headache, before Luke spoke up. ¡°Do you think¡­ he¡¯s with the Boreas family?¡± he said, rubbing his chin in thought. ¡°While they ended up being quite a useful distraction, they were originally our enemies before the Discement Incident.¡± ¡°But the Boreas family as he knew it has been deposed,¡± Ariel said with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Perhaps he is helping them regain their titles?¡± Luke said. ¡°After all, wouldn¡¯t that Eris Greyrat be an eptable heir? He could be trying to take over the family.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ do you think so, Sylphy?¡± Ariel asked, turning to me. ¡°No¡­ unless he¡¯s changed, that doesn¡¯t sound like Leon,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°For the Boreas¡­ he would probably help them survive, but not with anything concerning nobility. And Eris¡­ he wouldn¡¯t marry her for power.¡± It hurt my heart to say that, but it was true. After all, I had seen the flush on my friend¡¯s cheeks as Leon pulled her close, as well as the familiarity at which he did so. Not even mentioning the warmth with which they spoke each other¡¯s names, the obvious trust they shared, and the fact that they were sharing a tent-! ¡°Sylphy,¡± Ariel said softly, interrupting my train of thought. Ah¡­ I was getting irritated. ¡°S-Sorry,¡± I bowed my head. ¡°But¡­ no. Leon is likely not involved in politics. I can ask him tomorrow if you¡¯re worried about it.¡± Ariel nodded her head. ¡°That would be wonderful, Sylphy.¡± Stretching her back, she slowly let out a yawn, ¡°Huam~ Well, after such an eventful day, I think it¡¯s time to get some rest, don¡¯t you think?¡± Luke bowed respectfully, ¡°Of course, mydy.¡± ¡°And Luke?¡± she said, narrowing her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t sneak into Misha¡¯s tent, okay? I doubt she¡¯s in the mood for those activities after today, no matter how much you try to convince her.¡± He waved off her concern, ¡°Of course. I am a gentleman, after all.¡± I watched with a nk stare as he exited the carriage. While Luke Notos Greyrat was a friend of mine, and many considered him to be handsome, he was what I would call an ¡®enemy of all women¡¯. Theplete opposite of a gentleman. Was that¡­ something in the Greyrat blood? Did I have to worry about more than just Eris with Leon? No¡­ he was adopted, right? So I should be okay¡­ Shaking my head, I then got up to follow him. ¡°Ah, Sylphy,¡± Ariel said, reaching for my hand. ¡°Will you stay with me tonight? We do have some stuff to talk about, after all.¡± Ah¡­ right. With Ariel pulling me to sit back down on the bed, I averted my eyes as the princess undressed herself, changing into her nightgown as she began speaking to me. ¡°So¡­ it seems that Eris and Leon are together,¡± she said matter-of-factly. ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± I responded, that feeling of worry returning in full force. ¡°And I don¡¯t know if you noticed, but they were both wearing matching rings,¡± she continued. ¡°Ah, and can you undo my bra for me?¡± They were¡­ weren¡¯t they? Following the princess¡¯ request, I swallowed down the lump that had formed in my throat. Leon and Eris¡­ were they¡­ married? I know that they¡¯re already sleeping together¡­ and if that¡¯s the case¡­ ¡°Just how far have they gone¡­¡± I whispered. Ariel gave me an apologetic smile before turning off themp and crawling into the bed. ¡°Here, let¡¯s talk about it,¡± she said, patting beside her. ¡°Just like when you had nightmares.¡± Getting under the covers to join the princess, I let her hands wrap around my waist as she pulled me closer, resting her head atop of mine as I faced away from her. ¡°Now¡­ I¡¯m guessing you are still in love with Leon?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes¡­ more than anything,¡± I said, nodding slightly. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°He already has Eris,¡± she finished for me, squeezing me slightly. Ah¡­ I wanted to cry. Just how far have they gone? And, more importantly¡­ would they leave me behind? Leon said that he loved me, and I believe him, but what kind of love was it? And to what extent? If it wasn¡¯t the romantic type of love¡­ could I turn it into that? And what about Eris? Would I want to hurt her like that? Would I be able to? She was much more¡­ mature than me, especially in the breast department. Maybe Leon liked that more? He obviously would. Even Luke said he could feel no attraction to me, so why would Leon when he¡¯s already promised to- ¡°Sylphy,¡± Ariel calmly whispered, running her hand through my hair. ¡°Let¡¯s calm down for now, and think about this rationally.¡± With her words breaking me out of my depressing chain of thoughts, I brought a pillow closer to me to squeeze as I basked in the princess¡¯ gentle touch. ¡°¡­Are you worried?¡± she asked softly. I nodded, not trusting myself to talk without releasing the floodgates of my tears. ¡°About what?¡± she continued. ¡°¡­W-What if Leon doesn¡¯t want me?¡± I said, my voice wobbly. ¡°And¡­ he already has Eris, so¡­¡± Ariel tightened her hold on me. ¡°While I am not an expert on romance, especially regarding men, I am quite good at reading people,¡± she said. ¡°And Leon¡­ the way he looked at you¡­ that wasn¡¯t the way someone looks at a friend.¡± ¡°R-Really?¡± I asked, turning to her. Despite my best efforts, I felt a warmth blossom within my heart. A warmth of hope. If Leon was looking at me as a woman, then¡­ could my dream be a reality? ¡°Well¡­ I can¡¯t be sure,¡± she said, sighing softly. ¡°But even if he¡¯s not¡­ we can just make him fall in love with you.¡± My eyes widened before I suddenly looked away from the princess¡¯ blue eyes. ¡°H-How? When I¡¯m like this¡­¡± I said, looking down at my childish body. Remembering how pretty Eris looked, and how she had truly grown into a woman, I felt another pang of jealousy. How round her rear was, how defined her breasts were, even covered by her coat, and then her strong yet soft-looking thighs¡­ how could Ipare to that? ¡°You¡¯re cute, Sylphy. Even if that Luke can¡¯t see it, I¡¯m sure Leon can,¡± she said, kissing my nose. ¡°And for how we do it¡­ well, we¡¯ll just have to scheme him into your grasp.¡± I looked back at her, seeing her lips quirked up in a confident smirk. ¡°Let¡¯s consider it practice for when I n to take over the royal pce.¡± We stared into each other¡¯s eyes for a moment before simultaneously breaking into a fit of giggles. Ariel¡­ she really was so kind. I was really d to have her as a friend. Calming down from the hysterics, I once again voiced the other concern that was guing my brain. ¡°But¡­ what about Eris? If they¡¯re together¡­ I don¡¯t want her to hate me¡­ and I don¡¯t want her to be left all alone¡­¡± I mumbled. ¡°Right, she was your friend too,¡± Ariel nodded. ¡°But¡­ who says he can only have one wife?¡± I tilted my head. ¡°You mean¡­?¡± ¡°You bing his wife alongside Eris, is what I mean,¡± she said. ¡°After all, my father had many concubines. Though I doubt you want such a rtionship with him.¡± I narrowed my eyes in thought and a bit of frustration. In my dreams, there was never another person. Eris was there, sure, but she was always a close friend of ours, nothing like a wife. And even though if a few of my more ¡®exciting¡¯ dreams had both Leon and her together¡­ that was just fantasy, spurred on by the princess¡¯ overenthusiastic descriptions of her conquests. But considering how close those two are¡­ this might be the only option. But it¡¯s still frustrating! ¡°Just think about it, okay?¡± Ariel said, closing her eyes. ¡°You have tomorrow to talk to your long-lost lover. There¡¯s no need to make any tough choices right now.¡± Nodding my head, I turned around, snuggling under the covers. ¡°Thank you¡­ Ariel,¡± I said as I closed my eyes. She squeezed me tighter. Hopefully¡­ things will work out tomorrow. After dreaming of meeting Leon for so long¡­ I didn¡¯t want to let him go now. Especially not if he truly loved me in the way I hoped for. Chapter 53 – A Second Promised Bond Chapter 53 ¨C A Second Promised Bond ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It was the day after reuniting with Sylphy, and with breakfast made for Eris and my sisters, I quickly went over to Ariel¡¯s carriage, my intentions about wanting to continue our conversation hopefully obvious. I was interrupted on my way by two of the attendants thanking me for saving them. One of them being the girl that had taken Ariel¡¯s ce during the attack as a body double, and the other one was on the losing end of a battle with an assassin before I cut them down. After learning that Sylphy, or rather, ¡®Fitz¡¯ had stayed in the princess¡¯ quarters for then night, I waited beside it until me childhood friend revealed herself, ignoring the concerned and confused stares I was getting from Ariel¡¯s group. ¡°Ah, good morning, Leon,¡± Ariel said, stepping out of the carriage. She looked over me with a gentle smile, which oddly enough, I couldn¡¯t feel the same insincerity from as I did yesterday. Did something good happen? Or maybe she was just a morning person. ¡°Morning, princess,¡± I nodded to her. ¡°She¡¯s waiting inside,¡± she said, leaving the door open for me. ¡°But don¡¯t take too long. With or without your assistance, we do need to leave for Sharia regardless.¡± As she curtsied politely, she then looked up at me once more. ¡°Oh, and feel free to call me Ariel,¡± she said. ¡°After all, I am in no position to demand respect. Rather, we should be friends, no?¡± ¡°Thank you¡­ Ariel,¡± I nodded, passing her as I entered the carriage. And there waiting for me, sitting on the bed as she fiddled with her hands, was Sylphy. Right¡­ it was time to have this conversation. ¡°Good morning, Sylphy,¡± I said, closing the door behind me. ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± ¡°Huh? Ah¡­ yes, I did,¡± she said before looking back down to herp. A silence descended upon the room. This was¡­ a lot more awkward than I expected. ¡°¡­Well, first, I should say I¡¯m d you remembered me,¡± I said. ¡°I meant to say itst night, but I got¡­ interrupted.¡± She raised her head, looking at me with a sweet smile. ¡°Of course, I remembered you,¡± she said, pulling out a ne from her shirt. Ah¡­ that was the pendant I got her for her fifth birthday, right? To think she kept it close all that time. ¡°I could never forget you,¡± she said, shaking her head as she held the pendant as if it were the most important thing in the world. ¡°I¡­ always kept you in mind, Leon.¡± I was not embarrassed to say that my heart skipped a beat at her words, but I calmed myself before I acted on my emotions. ¡°To think you kept something like that¡­¡± I said with a smile. ¡°It makes me very happy, Sylphy.¡± Oh¡­ there was something she gave me for my tenth birthday too. But¡­ dammit. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry about your wristband. I¡­ left it in my room before the disaster, and then¡­¡± I frowned. ¡°I hadn¡¯t even remembered it until now¡­ sorry.¡± I felt like an ass now, especially since Sylphy had kept her gift from me so well-maintained. I was also quite sad that I would never see that again¡­ it was a nice present, after all. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Leon,¡± Sylphy said, shaking her head fondly. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to keep such a flimsy thing for this long.¡± Was that true? I didn¡¯t think so¡­ ¡°Maybe, but I should have,¡± I said. ¡°It was¡­ important to me.¡± Sylphy looked at me with an expression of surprise before forming another gentle smile. ¡°Well, to be honest, it would probably be too small by now anyway, right?¡± She then sifted through her pocket, pulling out another green band with a green gem at the end, just like the one from before. Getting up, she walked over to me before hesitantly passing it to me. ¡°I¡­ said I expected you not to have it, right?¡± she said, averting her eyes as her cheeks flushed lightly. ¡°And¡­ I was always waiting to see you again.¡± Ah, Sylphy¡­ you¡¯re too sweet. Taking the band, I brushed my thumb over it before looking at my sword. More specifically, the bottom of the handle. Yeah¡­ that would be a good spot. Tying it around the bottom, I ensured it was secure before looking back at Sylphy. ¡°There¡­ now I won¡¯t lose it again,¡± I said, smiling. ¡°Plus, it looks cool, right?¡± And this way, both Eris and Sylphy¡¯s gifts would be melded into one. Plus, it was more secure like this. After all, I knew more than anyone that my wrists weren¡¯t indestructible. Thanks, Orsted. ¡°Yeah,¡± she nodded, smiling happily. Right¡­ happily¡­ Did she know? As I looked back at Sylphy¡¯s face, I couldn¡¯t help but remember reading the names of the dead back in Fittoa, making a frown form on my face. ¡°Sylphy¡­ I¡­ your parents¡­ do you-?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± she said, cutting me off as she tilted her head down. ¡°I¡­ I know. They¡­ didn¡¯t make it.¡± Seeing her forlorn face, I felt the need to hold her. And so, I did. Taking her into my arms as I guided us to sit down on the bed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said. That was all I could say. I didn¡¯t know Laws and Anna that well, and there was nothing I could do to get them back, so¡­ that was all I could do. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ okay,¡± she said, shuffling beside me. ¡°I¡­ learned of it a while ago with Princess Ariel¡¯s help.¡± Is that so? So her and Ariel were acquainted for a while. Interesting. ¡°I knew you were in the royal pce, but¡­ how did that happen?¡± I asked. ¡°Were you¡­ teleported there?¡± ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ actually¡­¡± Sylphy then went on to exin her story since we were separated, starting with how she appeared in the sky. That¡­ was a terrifying thought. But at least Sylphy knew magic, though it seemed to have taken everything for her to save herself. That exins the hair¡­ while I loved her green, the silver didn¡¯t look bad on her. And like this, she wouldn¡¯t be discriminated against anymore. Anyway, she continued, exining how she saved Ariel, and Ariel saved her in turn. How she defended the princess from assassins as her guard, and then how they decided to leave the capital, leading to our reunion. I was¡­ a little upset that Sylphy¡¯s life had been in danger, and was likely to be in danger in the future, but she seemed proud of her aplishments and considered Ariel a friend worth defending, so I was able to deal with it. ¡°So Ariel was able to keep you safe from the nobles¡­¡± I muttered. ¡°I¡¯ll have to thank herter.¡± ¡°No need,¡± Sylphy shook her head. ¡°Your actionsst night were enough.¡± She then looked down at my hand before pumping her fist in resolution and grabbing it, intertwining our fingers. Huh¡­ cute. ¡°A-Anyways, Leon,¡± she continued, looking forward. ¡°Where were you teleported?¡± Ignoring the way the tips of her ears were turning red, I answered her, ¡°The Demon Continent. The north of it, to be specific.¡± Sylphy¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as she turned to look at me. ¡°¡­That certainly exins why I didn¡¯t hear of you,¡± she said. ¡°That must be quite a grand story. Does your hair have something to do with it?¡± ¡°This? No, it wasn¡¯t from there,¡± I said, fiddling with my streak of white hair. ¡°This was just because of some troublesome guy.¡± I don¡¯t think Sylphy needed to know about my near-death experience with the Dragon God just yet. ¡°I see¡­¡± she mumbled. Turning her gaze back down to herp, I watched in interest as Sylphy¡¯s face went through a variety of expressions: from hopeful to fearful, then to confident before she looked back at me. ¡°Leon!¡± she said, her volume a little louder than before. ¡°Y-Yes?¡± I returned, slightly surprised by her vigour. ¡°Last night¡­ you said you l-loved me, right?¡± she asked, tightening her grasp on my hand. ¡°I did,¡± I nodded, squeezing her hand back. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath before looking back at me, her gaze hesitant and uncertain. ¡°Then¡­ when you said that¡­ do you love me¡­ as a woman?¡± ¡­Oh. Was that not clear? ¡°Yes, I do,¡± I said, smiling a bit as her eyes lit up. But s, I needed to break the news at the same time. ¡°But I also hold two others in my heart, so unfortunately, I can¡¯t be only yours.¡± Her expression dimmed slightly. ¡°And I assume¡­ Eris is one of those?¡± she asked, hesitantly. ¡°Yes. And Roxy is the other, if you remember her,¡± I answered. She pouted, furrowing her eyebrow and sticking out her lower lip. ¡°How far have you gone then?¡± she asked. ¡­She wanted to know that? I¡­ guess she had the right to know. ¡°Well, we, uh, you know¡­ cemented our rtionship,¡± I said, a little flustered. Her pout deepened further, but despite her attempts to look furious, I couldn¡¯t think of the disy as anything but adorable. ¡°Are you¡­ angry?¡± I asked. ¡°Of course!¡± she said, her grip on my hand tightening once again. ¡°I wanted to have your first time, but she went ahead of me! That¡­ that¡­ that meanie!¡± Trying to hold in myugh, I watched as she slowly calmed down, taking some of her frustration out on the bed as she lightly pounded the mattress with her free hand. Releasing a sigh, she turned back to me, keeping her head down as she leaned her forehead against my shoulder. ¡°And? Do you¡­ truly love me?¡± she said. ¡°As a woman, that is.¡± ¡°Absolutely,¡± I said. Not seeing any belief in her expression, I decided to be a little bold and cupped her cheek, bringing her face up to mine as I gently kissed her lips. Huh¡­ sweet. She tasted like fruit. Was that what she had for breakfast? Or was that her natural taste? I¡­ kind of wanted to know. Releasing her, I opened my eyes and watched as she slowly blinked in a daze, slowly oveing her shock at my actions as her cheeks became redder and redder. ¡°Does that answer your question better?¡± I asked in a teasing tone. She absently nodded before suddenly shaking her head. Taking a few deep breaths, she rested her head on my shoulders again, though not looking in my direction at all. Was she hiding? ¡°¡­You¡¯re lucky I got used to polygamy in the royal pce,¡± she said, her grip on my hand increasing even further. ¡°And you better not abandon or forget about me.¡± ¡°That would be impossible,¡± I answered smoothly. After all, I had kept her in my heart throughout our time separated. Why would I stop loving her once I met her again? Especially when she turned out so¡­ cute. While I loved her green hair, I couldn¡¯t deny that the silver fit her well, especially with how she let it stay long, resting over her shoulders and reaching her breasts¡­ And that wasn¡¯t even mentioning her face, with her cute ears and her button nose. It all fit perfectly with her soft, feminine features. Sylphy¡­ had really grown into a beauty, huh? ¡­Should I give her that ring now? I know I wanted to wait until both her and I were sure about each other, but at this point, that would just be insulting to her feelings, and also my own¡­ Well¡­ it should all work out, right? And if it didn¡¯t¡­ I would just make it so. ¡°Sylphy,¡± I said seriously, prompting her to loop back up at me. ¡°Are you fine with loving me? Only me?¡± ¡°Y-Yes? I don¡¯t n on having anyone else, unlike a certain someone¡­¡± she said with a slight re. I already know how selfish I am, thank you. ¡°Right,¡± I chuckled. ¡°Then¡­ if you¡¯re mine, I won¡¯t let you go. For your whole life.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s what I want,¡± Sylphy said with a smile before forming a difficult expression. ¡°But¡­ I still want to protect Ariel.¡± Hmm¡­ well, after her story, I somewhat expected that. A kind girl like Sylphy wouldn¡¯t leave her friend behind, after all. ¡°That¡¯s fine, but I¡¯ll be joining you,¡± I said. ¡°Either in helping Ariel alongside you, or taking you away if you¡¯re in too much danger.¡± ¡°I¡­ would prefer if you just helped,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°But thank you, Leon.¡± Reaching into my pocket, I then pulled out Sylphy¡¯s ring before taking her hand and cing it on her finger. Slowly morphing the metal band to fit, I then looked up at her face. ¡°Good?¡± I asked. ¡°Y-Yeah,¡± she nodded with a stunned expression. ¡°I¡­ really like it.¡± I¡­ think it would be best to not mention how this was Eris¡¯ idea and purchase. That could be something revealedter. ¡°Good,¡± I said, releasing her hand. ¡°With this, I n to marry you once everything is settled, and as for the adult things¡­ let¡¯s save that for when you¡¯re an adult.¡± She pouted at me, but before she couldin, I exined further, ¡°After we arrive in Sharia and I drop my sisters off with Rudy, I¡¯ll be heading to the Begaritt Continent to save my mothers.¡± The new information seemed to stun her out of her discontent. ¡°Wait, Rudy¡¯s in Sharia?¡± she asked. ¡°And more than that¡­ your mothers are alive? How do you know?¡± ¡°The same person who told me where you were told me,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°I see¡­ so Zenith and Lilia are alive¡­ and Paul as well, from what I heard,¡± she said, a smile of mixed emotions forming on her face. ¡°Your whole family is safe¡­ I¡¯m d.¡± I knew she was truly d, but I could also see some envy in her expression. That made sense. After all, she had lost all of her family, while I had kept all of mine. But there was one thing she was missing from this¡­ ¡°Sylphy,¡± I said, cupping her cheek and forcing her to look into my eyes. ¡°Soon enough, they¡¯ll be your family too. We¡¯ll have a big one, with as many children as you want.¡± And hopefully, such a big family that she¡¯s never feel alone again, even if her parents were no longer with us. Sealing my words with a short kiss, I was pleased with the smile Sylphy had as we separated from each other. ¡°¡­Okay!¡± ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Walking out of the carriage, I was immediately met with the sight of Norn and Aisha, both standing in front of me with their arms crossed and lips curled into a pout. I had only seen them act like this a few times before, usually when I refused something like sleeping together or the odd time they wanted to buy something, but even after all this time, I couldn¡¯t help but think of it as something extremely cute. However, I think they were going for something a bit more intimidating, so I decided to keep my thoughts to myself. ¡°What is it, my dear sisters?¡± I asked. Their pouts deepened as they looked over at Sylphy behind me, who had donned her sses once again, though still had a happy smile on her face. ¡°Is she going to be a big sister too?¡± Norn asked. Ah, right. I forgot that I hadn¡¯t told them about my¡­ promises just yet. After all, I didn¡¯t think I would need to confront that issue until I returned from the Begaritt Continent. ¡°Well, you see¡­ you know how Eris and I are¡­ together, right?¡± I asked, to which they both nodded. ¡°Well¡­ about that¡­ I¡¯m also together with Sylphy here¡­ and another, who you don¡¯t know.¡± I began wincing with every word as I watched their frowns grow. ¡°Brother¡­ bad,¡± Norn said with disappointment. Gah¡­ that hurt me in a way worse than Orsted¡­ ouch. ¡°We¡­ we care about Big Sis Eris, you know?¡± Aisha said sadly. ¡°She means a lot to us, so¡­ don¡¯t hurt her! Or¡­ or I¡¯ll hate you!¡± The pain¡­ it was unimaginable¡­ who knew the greatest wound would be inflicted by the simple word ¡®hate¡¯. ¡°Knock it off, you two,¡± Eris said,ing over and lightly thumping their heads with her fists. ¡°I already know that, and I¡¯m fine with it.¡± Thank you, Eris! You¡¯re my saviour! ¡°Really?¡± Aisha asked, lightly massaging her head as she looked up at her. ¡°Really. Leon promised to give me all the love I need, and if he doesn¡¯t¡­¡± she then looked at me, narrowing her eyes with a smirk. ¡°¡­I know how to get him back under my control.¡± Eris¡­ that was really arousing, but I wish you wouldn¡¯t say that in front of my sisters. Sylphy, who had quickly realized the implications, averted her eyes with a flushed face. ¡°I-I¡¯m going back to the princess!¡± ¡­Huh. I was under the impression that her silence was part of her persona, but I guess she was too flustered to remember. Cute. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Thank you for meeting with me this morning,¡± Ariel said, smiling softly across from me. ¡°Of course,¡± I said. ¡°It was what we promised, after all.¡± ¡°Still, I appreciate it,¡± she said, tucking her hair behind her ear with practised ease. ¡°So, without wasting time, I want to ask you again. Will you lend us-¡± ¡°I will,¡± I interrupted her. ¡°We¡¯re going to the same ce, after all, so I¡¯ll defend your people throughout your journey.¡± That ¡®Luke¡¯ guy seemed annoyed at me interrupting the princess, but I easily ignored him. He looked too much like my father for me to take him seriously. Ariel raised her eyebrow in question. ¡°That is quite a different answer from yesterday¡­ I suppose something changed?¡± ¡°Obviously,¡± I shrugged. ¡°Before, your affairs didn¡¯t concern me, but now that my beloved is involved, that¡¯s a different story.¡± I saw Sylphy lower her head with a pleased smile. I guess she was quite easy to satisfy withpliments and reminders about my love¡­ I¡¯d be sure to continue doing so. ¡°Ah, indeed, I had noticed that she seemed quite giddy after your conversation,¡± Ariel said with a genuine smile. ¡°And from that ring on her finger¡­ I can assume you are serious about your affections?¡± ¡°Well, as serious as marriage can be,¡± I answered. Both Luke and Ariel seemed stunned at this, with thetter coughing into her fist after a few moments of silence. ¡°W-Well¡­ I see, that¡¯s¡­ good,¡± she said, regaining herposure. ¡°Luke. Sylphy. Can you two leave us alone for a moment?¡± Sylphy nodded her head before departing, but Luke seemed hesitant. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± I said. ¡°I have no ns of hurting your princess, and even if I did¡­ you wouldn¡¯t be able to stop me.¡± I was not childish enough to say that I enjoyed seeing his eye twitch in annoyance at my words before he followed after Sylphy. ¡­Out loud, at least. After all, he had been ring at me ever sincest night, and I was fairly certain his eye had caught Eris during her morning training, even after I cemented our rtionship. Plus, he looked like Paul, but only in the annoying ways. Anyway, with the two of us left alone, Ariel then turned to look at me with a serious expression. ¡°So, can I assume your feelings towards Sylphy are genuine? And you truly intend to marry her?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered evenly. ¡°To both questions.¡± She nodded, though her serious expression didn¡¯t fade. ¡°Then¡­ is this the same with Eris?¡± she asked. ¡°Obviously,¡± I answered again. ¡°Then is Sylphy¡­ going to be your second wife?¡± This time, her question was apanied by a re, her clear blue eyes digging into my very soul. ¡°I don¡¯t n on having a hierarchy,¡± I said. ¡°They¡¯ll be equal in my heart, on paper, and everything in between.¡± Honestly, saying it out loud made me seem like such a lustful man. It wasn¡¯t my fault, it was theirs for making me fall so hard. All three of them. ¡°I know I can take care of them and love them, and if not, I¡¯ll simply make myself better in order to do so,¡± I continued. ¡°But unfortunately¡­ I won¡¯t be able to have a ceremony until everyone is together.¡± Ariel tilted her head, confused. ¡°Everyone is together¡­ do you mean your family?¡± she asked. ¡°No, I mean¡­ the third one my heart belongs to¡­¡± I answered, averting my eyes slightly. Ariel widened her eyes. ¡°Wait¡­ I know about Eris, but who is the third?¡± Ah, this is going to be embarrassing¡­ ¡°My, ah, teacher¡­ is the third¡­¡± I said. Ariel looked a little stunned as she leaned back into her seat. ¡°I¡­ did not take you for someone who was into older women, Leon Greyrat.¡± ¡°Roxy is eternally beautiful,¡± I said quickly. Ariel simply smirked. ¡°I am amazed by your shamelessness. It¡¯s quite rare to see one so brazen.¡± ¡°There is no need to hide such a beautiful feeling like love, no?¡± I said, smiling as well as I thought about my three specialdies. ¡°Especially not for those I consider family.¡± Ariel stared at me for a moment, as if searching my expression for any falsehood, before releasing another sigh and leaning sideways on her bed, this time not even caring about her posture as she rested her head on her hand. ¡°Right¡­ Sylphy did mention that you were like this,¡± she said, shaking her head before levelling a heated re my way. ¡°But I¡¯ll warn you this once, Leon Greyrat. If you don¡¯t take care of Sylphy or keep your promise of loving her, I¡¯ll take her away from you. Even if I have to beg for the Sword God himself to cut you down.¡± Steeling my gaze back at her, I felt my lips curl up in a smirk. ¡°Right back at you. If I feel Sylphy¡¯s life is in danger, and especially for a cause with no worth, I¡¯ll take her away from you.¡± Our gazes shed for a few moments before Ariel eventually relented, shaking her head with a resigned sigh. ¡°I¡¯m a princess, you know? You could have your head taken off for such insolence,¡± she said. ¡°Ah, my apologies, should I lick your feet as repentance?¡± I asked. She licked her lips. ¡°Don¡¯t give me any ideas¡­¡± I flinched as my eyes shot open in surprise. This¡­ she really was from the royal pce, huh? Ariel continued looking at me with lidded eyes before she suddenlyughed lightly. ¡°It¡¯s just a joke. Sylphy would be quite upset if I did such a thing, after all,¡± she said, motioning for the door. ¡°Now, I believe it is time we get going, my dear guard.¡± ¡°O-Of course, Ariel¡­¡± I said, walking out the door. I felt a little scared, as while she said she wouldn¡¯t do such a thing, that was only because Sylphy would be upset¡­ not that she didn¡¯t want to do it. But still¡­ I¡¯m d. It seems that Sylphy has made quite a good friend, even if she did have some¡­ odd tastes. Chapter 54 – Road to Sharia Chapter 54 ¨C Road to Sharia ¡ª Sylphiette ¡ª ¡°Stop,¡± Leon said, raising his hand to halt the caravan. ¡°We havepany. Thirty, in the tree line.¡± As soon as he said that, a rain of arrows descended on the group, only for them to be blocked in midair. ¡­For some reason, I knew that was Leon¡¯s work. While I was surprised, I quickly got into abat stance with practised ease. We were being ambushed. With that, the battle started, with the thirty enemies Leon had mentioned sprinting toward us, to which Eris, Leon, and I ran forward to intercept. Luckily, they only seemed like bandits, so it was looking increasingly likely that the initial ambush after crossing the border was the only group of assassins sent to harm Ariel. But, as I was just about to engage them, I was left behind, watching in amazement as Leon and Eris fought. I was sure that Leon could have dealt with them in an instant. After all, he had done that against stronger opponents during our first meeting. But instead, the two of them fought together, dominating the opponent¡¯s overwhelming with perfect coordination and unmatched skill. It was beautiful, in a way. Every time Eris cut down an enemy, Leon supported her by sting anyone closing in on her back with wind magic, and cutting down any that tried to sneak past her. Going one by one, the two of them dispatched all the bandits, all without our group assisting in any way, leaving the rest of us to simply watch on in amazement. And through it all¡­ Leon had yet to use his sword, instead using his body as a weapon, cutting through the enemies nheless with his bare hands. I was a bit confused as to why he was using unarmedbat when his sword was right there, but¡­ it didn¡¯t seem to be impeding him too much. But still, those two¡­ they really were quite strong. It had only been a week since they joined our group, and our first instance of fighting together, but to think the gap between us would be sorge¡­ I was as annoyed as I was astonished, especially at Eris, who was able to fight right at Leon¡¯s side. I then watched as the final bandit, hiding beneath the treeline, formed a ball of me in his hands, his gaze directed at¡­ ¡°Leon!¡± I shouted. ¡°Magician.¡± ¡°Thanks, Sylphy,¡± he said, not moving from his position as he extended his hand outward. ¡°But I already knew.¡± The bandit magician¡¯s magic then¡­ disappeared, the me dissipating into thin air. What? Did he lose control? No¡­ the bandit looked just as confused, so that couldn¡¯t be it. ¡°I just wanted the practice,¡± Leon said, forming a spear of fire at the tip of his finger that he then sent toward the magician, quickly searing a hole through the bandit¡¯s head. And like that, the ambush of thirty enemies, which would previously have left us with at least one casualty, had been nullified in a single minute. ¡°Dammit. I forgot about Aisha and Norn,¡± Leon muttered. ¡°I told you they¡¯re already mature enough to see that,¡± Eris said, wiping the blood off of her sword. ¡°They¡¯re fine, right? They can close their eyes if they hate it.¡± ¡°I guess¡­¡± he mumbled. And to them¡­ this was natural. I suppose fighting on the Demon Continent must have been a regr urrence if it was as harsh of a ce as I had heard, so it was obvious they were experienced inbat. Still¡­ it was quite amazing. And from the way Luke was staring at them, he must have thought so too. Though he was only looking at Eris¡­ perhaps he appreciated her sword skills? While only an Intermediate-rank swordsman, he was still a man after all. However, it did give me a pleasant tingly feeling when I reminded myself that Leon was stronger and that, more importantly, he was mine. Hehehe~ Leon was mine~ I felt my gaze trail down to my hand, where the ring Leon so lovingly put on me was ced. To think, only a week ago, I would have thought that something like this was a dream, but now¡­ Leon and I were promised to each other. Ah! But still¡­ I was more interested in Leon¡¯s magic. That initial defence to block the arrows¡­ that was barrier magic, right? And then there was that thing he used to stop the magician¡­ ¡°Quite a splendid disy,¡± Ariel said, poking her head out of the carriage with an appreciative smile. ¡°Let¡¯s stop here for now for lunch.¡± With everyone dismounting from their horses and carts, I then decided to walk over to Leon, ensuring my voice was lowered so no one else would hear. ¡°Leon,¡± I said, tugging on his sleeve. ¡°¡­What was that magic you used?¡± He turned to look down at me, moving his body slightly to block my sight from the rest of the group. ¡°What magic, the one to disable the magician?¡± he asked. I nodded. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ just something I picked up. Here, try to form a water ball,¡± he said. I did as he asked, imagining the molecules of waterbining, just as he had taught me all those years ago. Remembering times back then, when everything was so exciting and Leon was so carefree, and now that those times had been taken away¡­ It was bittersweet. ¡°Good. And then¡­¡± Extending his hand, I then felt my connection to the magic break, leaving the water to fall to the ground, sshing at my feet. ¡°W-What?¡± I said, too shocked to keep up the ¡®silent¡¯ part of my act. ¡°H-How¡­ what happened?¡± Magic¡­ wasn¡¯t supposed to stop like that! ¡°I disturbed your magic,¡± he said with a proud smile. ¡°How about I teach you? I assume it will be a good skill for a guard to have.¡± Disturbed my magic? That¡­ I had never heard of such a thing. But it was just like Leon to be able to do something so amazing¡­ Ah! He asked if he wanted to teach me, right? I quickly nodded my head, looking up at him with a smile. And so, during lunch, while Aisha and Norn decided to try preparing lunch for Leon, Eris, and me, Leon began teaching me the basic principles of the technique, correcting the flow of my mana with his Demon eye as I attempted to follow his instructions. To be honest, I¡­ really missed this. After getting my bearings, I had attempted to learn more magic from the royal pce¡¯s library, but I quickly found that without Leon and Rudy¡¯s unique method of instruction, it was quite difficult and¡­ boring to learn. Of course, with me already being an Advanced-rank magician in all elemental magic schools, Intermediate-rank in healing and detoxification magic. And with my silent spellcasting enabling me to form my own spells, I never had an express need to do so.¡­ I missed it. Learning. Especially when I was learning with Leon. Ah¡­ my feelings¡­ they were growing even stronger. It was almost frightening, how strong they were. After all, when I was left like this, what would I ever do without him? But seeing that we were already promised¡­ I suppose there was nothing to fear, right? ¡°We can keep practising whenever you want,¡± he said as we began preparing to head out again. ¡°And if you want¡­¡± He then leaned his head closer, whispering into my ear in a way that sent a warm feeling down my spine, ¡°I would need you to not spread it, but I can teach you barrier magic as well.¡± Leaning back to face me, he smiled as he patted my head, ¡°After all, I want you to be safe¡­ And Ariel as well, I guess.¡± Ahh¡­ those words¡­ what are you doing to me, Leon? I truly do love this man¡­ with everything that I have, I love him. ncing around, and noticing everyone was preupied with their preparations and not ncing our way, I decided to act a little bolder than usual. And so, I quickly wrapped my hands around his neck, my heart pounding in anticipation. ¡°¡­I love you, Leon,¡± I said as I stood on my toes to capture his lips, relishing in the pleasant sensations and sweet tastes. Mmm¡­ yeah, while it¡¯s not exactly like I had imagined, this was surely a dream. And what a pleasant dream it was¡­ all the more so since it hade true. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Slowly trotting down the road with Norn resting in front of me in the saddle, I leaned back as I felt the cool breeze of winter brush across me. It was refreshing but¡­ also quite chilly. But seeing that Norn and Aisha were bothfortably snuggled up in their coats, it seemed that the cold wasn¡¯t bothering them. Those coats were a damn good purchase. It had been a month since I crossed the border of Asura, which meant it was also a month since I had reunited with Sylphy, and a month since we became promised to each other. Our rtionship had progressed¡­ slowly. After all, we were almost always on guard, whether it be against humans or monsters, and that meant she also had to keep up her ¡®Silent Fitz¡¯ persona. So no talking, and no affectionate gestures, obviously. Still, despite that, I had been able to sneak in a few kisses here and there, as well as a few moments of multiple, deeper kisses. Those moments usually only happened when I was teaching her barrier and disturb magic, though, so it was reserved for our downtimes. But I loved those moments nheless, and from the way she always smiled so beautifully during and after the act, Sylphy did as well. Unfortunately, even with our practice sessions, Sylphy was still unable to use disturb magic, likely due to not being able to see mana like me. But she was getting better at holding its form against my attacks, so there was progress. And then, there was Eris. Because of the people nearby, the thin barrier of the tent, and the fact that we were often switching guard duty, we had been holding ourselves back quite a bit. But unfortunately, or perhaps I should say fortunately,st night our bottled-up feelings and urges erupted¡­ quite literally, at least in my case. It was a pleasant experience, to say the least. ¡°So that¡¯s how you ended up staying in the Great Forest?¡± Ariel asked, leaning forward out of the window of her carriage as she listened. Ah, whoops. I spaced out there. ¡°Yep,¡± I nodded. ¡°They were quite thankful for us saving them, so they offered us a ce to stay for the entire rainy season. Overall, it was a lucky meeting for both of us.¡± I was currently trotting alongside Ariel¡¯s carriage, which also contained Sylphy inside, and telling them stories of our adventures, like I had for much of our journey. After all, it was quite boring to simply ride in silence, and both Sylphy and Ariel were quite interested in our tales. Eris also liked telling them stories, especially when it contained a hint of adventure, but right now, she was simply watching the scenery with wide eyes alongside Aisha, who was in herp. Right. I had forgotten, but it had been the first time Eris had seen snow in a long time. And as for Norn and Aisha¡­ they might not even remember thest time they saw snow. After all, it was only bing winter now, and for thest winter, we were too far south for snow to fall, and before that we were in the Millis and Demon continents respectively. So this was quite a novel experience, and with the way the towering trees were dusted in white, and the ground nketed in a softyer of snow¡­ it was quite beautiful as well. Either way, it was cute to see Norn and Aisha all excited, and even Eris was showing a glimmer of enthusiasm she had lost ever since reaching the Asura kingdom. Though, Norn was currently sleeping after having tuckered herself out with her sword training earlier today¡­ silly girl. But still, with the surroundings being so beautiful, it would be a shame to just leave it at sightseeing. Hmm¡­ maybe I could ask Ariel for a longer break so we could enjoy it. ¡°But what happened for yourpanion to take so longing back to the forest?¡± Ariel asked in confusion. ¡°And especially the beastfolk warriors¡­ was there something stopping them?¡± I was quite surprised with how interested the princess was in my story. After all, with someone of her status, she should have been able to hear many stories from many amazing people. But I appreciated it nheless. Wait¡­ was part of her charisma? Well¡­ if it was, fair y to her. She definitely didn¡¯t seem as¡­ disgusting as other nobles were to me. ¡°¡­You could say that. The smugglers had a pretty good n that would have worked if I wasn¡¯t there. Eris would have better details about it though¡­¡± My words trailed off as I looked to the sky. ¡°Is there something wrong, Leon?¡± Sylphy asked. ¡°¡­Just a second.¡± Ensuring Norn was secure, I quickly hopped off the horse, stepping out ahead of it before our new visitor made themselves known. Grooaaah! mming to the ground in front of us, causing a plume of powdery snow to fly into the air, a monster made its appearance, its red scales glinting in the sunlight as it roared. A Red Dragon. What the hell was this thing doing so far out of its territory? I had heard stories of straysing down from the mountains and not being able to fly back, but¡­ this was quite far. Was it injured? Stupid? Well, luckily it was grounded now, so I should be able to deal with it. ¡°A-A Red D-Dragon?¡± one of the attendants sputtered out in fear. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± I said, walking forward. ¡°Everyone stay back. Eris, Sylphy, watch out for any other monsters. I¡¯ll deal with this.¡± I had been quite¡­ bored, with our slower pace. After all, with the need to guard a caravan, and not being able to navigate the often unstable roads easily with just horses, we weren¡¯t able to go nearly as fast as I¡¯d hoped. So it was only obvious, right? I was antsy for a fight, and this was the perfect opponent. Strong. And an opponent I wouldn¡¯t have to be overly cautious of, worrying about schemes to get to Ariel, like I would against humans. ¡°What are you doing so far from home?¡± I asked. Instead of returning my greeting, it simply bucked its head, releasing a spout of mes towards us. Ah, well, I tried. As I thought, monsters were better to fight. Unfortunately, its me breath was not considered magic, at least from what I could see, so I couldn¡¯t remove it with disturb magic. But¡­ since this fire was natural¡­ and part of the environment, much like the wind and earth I manipted for my magic¡­ I could simply take control of it. As its mes closed in towards me, I spread my mana into the air, infusing it into the fire and taking control of it before stopping it and concentrating it into apressed ball. Unsheathing my sword, I sent the fireball back towards it, watching as the dragon brought its wings up to defend itself. Well¡­ let¡¯s see how far my renewed swordsmanship hase. This was considered an S-rank threat, right? While I wouldn¡¯t be able to confidently kill it if it was in arge horde, if it was just one¡­ It should be a good measuring stick, at the very least. Letting the touki spread into my sword, I stretched it into strings, forcing them to ovep and tie together, almost like braiding hair, as it trailed down my de. It wasn¡¯t nearly as good as Orsted¡¯s application, but that was okay. I would get there eventually. And the trees around the dragon¡­ there were three big and sturdy enough to use as tforms. Letting my touki flow into the atmosphere, I traced a path to my position and the tree to my right, and crouching down, as soon as the dragon pounced on my position, I leaped toward that very tree. My feet nted against the trunk and I felt the lumber explode from the pressure, splinters of bark bursting into the air as I leaped once again, this time using the touki path I had created to speed toward the dragon, my de dealing a deep gash in the back of its neck. But that wouldn¡¯t be enough to take down an S-rank threat. Screeching in pain, the dragon turned its head towards me, its gaze zing in anger as it leapt toward me. Narrowing my eyes, I felt my perception of the world slow down as I focused on its ws as they neared my chest, and raising my sword¡­ I parried it, stepping past the dragon in a blur as its arm soared through the air. As for what I had done, it was simply the opposite of my other unique move. For my boosted Longsword of Light, which was still unnamed, I used the application of Dance of Deluge, a Water God technique, to increase its power and speed. For the move I had just used, however, I used the principles of the Sword God Style to increase the power of the Water God Style¡¯s Flow. Flow, in essence, used the opponent¡¯s power and touki to reverse the effects of an attack, either through nullifying the opponent¡¯s power or using their touki itself against them. But with my technique, I also used the basic application of Flow, but instead of simply using the opponent¡¯s power against them¡­ I used it for myself, taking in the force to increase my speed and the touki to increase my power. I still felt like my swordsmanship was missing something, something that was just out of reach, but I was still pleased with my aplishments. Rooaaaah! Oh, it¡¯s still alive? Well¡­ I used both of the techniques I wanted to try at full power, so¡­ ¡°Uh, here.¡± I then coated my sword in lightning, letting the touki mix with the pure energy as I stabbed into the dragon¡¯s side, causing its body to freeze as the electricity ran through its body. And a momentter, with smoke rising out of the gaps of its glistening red scales, it fell to the ground, limp, and most importantly, dead. Hmm¡­ were those techniques enough? I know that my unique Flow move would only show its true power against a human opponent with touki, but still¡­ ¡°Am I really strong enough¡­?¡± I muttered to myself. After all, the Dragon God was far above the level of this lizard, and unlike this lizard, he would destroy me if I gave him a single second. And my techniques¡­ they were just a better version of the two most basic attack and counter techniques that I already knew. Improved, but basic nheless. I know they were strong in their simplicity, but¡­ how could I make something truly unique? That feeling of something missing¡­ I don¡¯t know how, but I have a feeling that once I got that, I could improve much more. Sighing, I looked back to the group, only to be met by a collection of wide-eyed stares. My battle was apparently impressive enough to leave even the level-headed princess speechless. Eris and my sisters were the only ones not surprised, with Aisha and the now-awake Norn looking at the disy with wide, excited smiles and Eris looking at me with¡­ well, I could only describe it as lust. ¡­I guess I would be getting some action for two nights in a row, at least if those lidded eyes were anything to go by. Anyway, with the battle concluded, our group decided to use this as the stopping point for lunch, and with a few of Ariel¡¯s attendants carving the dragon scales and fangs off its corpse, I decided to take the time to have some fun in the snow with my family. Norn and Aisha were initially confused about what to do, simply standing around in the knee-deep snow, but after I threw them into a nearby snow bank, they quickly found their way to have fun. Unfortunately, the first way was pelting me with snowballs, an attack that Eris quickly joined in on, but they were giggling the entire time with wide smiles, so I bared with it, even if I got quite wet. We then moved on to building a ginormous snowman, an idea that Rudy showed me back in Buena Vige, with Norn and Aisha both deciding to make it taller than me and using my shoulders as a tform to ce the rocks on its face. And then, before we left, there was sledding, with Eris and I carving a pair of sleds out of the tree I had identally destroyed and going down the giant hill near our camp. Of course, for Eris and I, who could move at speeds faster than sound, there wasn¡¯t any excitement in the act itself, but seeing Aisha and Norn¡¯s happy smiles made up for it and more. It was at this point that Sylphy joined in, which I was surprised by as she was meant to keep up her ¡®Silent Fitz¡¯ persona, but soon enough all five of us began rolling down the hill andughing with glee. Even if I was acting childish, especially for someone who was currently the guard for a princess, I didn¡¯t care. Even if there was still a lot of work to do in reuniting with Mama, Lilia, and Rudy, I didn¡¯t care. Because these happy moments¡­ those smiles on those four precious faces¡­ this was everything I wanted. These family times, where everyone was happy and carefree and the chilliness of winter was overpowered by the warmth of love¡­ it meant everything to me. During our time ying together, I looked over to Ariel who was near her carriage, only to notice her staring at us with a nk face almost¡­ longingly. ¡­Odd. That¡­ wasn¡¯t a face I had seen on the princess thus far. But as soon as our eyes met, she performed a fake smile before getting back into her carriage, with Luke following behind her. I had seen that fake smile quite a few times now, to the point where I had gotten used to it, but¡­ why? Why, this time¡­ did it seem pained? Chapter 55 – A Princess’ Envy Chapter 55 ¨C A Princess¡¯ Envy ¡ª Ariel Anemoi Asura ¡ª I rhythmically thrummed my fingers against my legs in thought. I had heard of the name Leon Greyrat quite a bit during these past three years. After all, when my dearest and cutest guard was so in love with him, it was obvious I would hear about the mysterious man. Whether it was while she was doing my hair, when we slept together, or when simply telling me stories of her youth, it always came back to Leon Greyrat, Sylphy¡¯s only love and most important person. Initially, I had thought her stories were fake, or at least heavily embellished. After all, it was impossible for a kid so young to be as talented as the boy she gushed over. Casting magic without an incantation? A Saint-rank magician at the age of seven? A Sword Saint at the age of nine? A Water Saint at the age of eleven? Even one of those things would be shocking, but all four? Hah. Ridiculous. Even if that was somehow possible, there was no way that I wouldn¡¯t have heard of him, especially after actively looking for him. But he was real. That Leon Greyrat I simply thought of as Sylphy¡¯s fantasy, or perhaps an over-exaggeration of a childhood friend, was real, and just as talented as she had said. No, considering he was a King-rank swordsman, and had the power to deal with a Red Dragon as easily as he just did moments before, he was even better than her stories. Hmm¡­ and as for not hearing of him¡­ that must have been the work of the Boreas family, if I had to guess. They must have wanted to keep him a secret, especially considering Eris was close to him, either as a hidden card to draw out enemies without worry, or as a husband for the fiery young maiden. I wonder¡­ if Leon was real¡­ then was his brother, Rudeus, real as well? Sylphy didn¡¯t talk about him with enough detail, but she told me enough to know he was talented as well. I had heard rumours of a young, strong mage adventuring in the north who used spells without an incantation with ease, so perhaps that was him. Actually, considering Leon knew his brother was in the northern territories, it must be him. Haa¡­ but still, I¡¯m happy that Sylphy was able to reunite with her love, and even happier that her love was reciprocated, even if Leon wasn¡¯t one tomit to only one lover. But still, at least he was serious about his affections. He was a good man, and surely to be a good husband. Sylphy, she smiled so often now and acted so bashful around Leon, and even her nightmares had all but disappeared, instead being reced by¡­ other dreams, at least judging by the sounds I had listened in on during the night. And that smile of hers became even wider as she spent time with Leon, in a way that I had never seen before, sometimes even breaking the persona of ¡®Silent Fitz¡¯. But I didn¡¯t care. While I was a bit jealous that it wasn¡¯t me making her smile like that, I was infinitely happier with her newfound joy than upset at the ¡®Silent Fitz¡¯ persona being ruined. After all, now that I was out of the capital, that persona would lose much of its use, and with Sylphy¡¯s new love, I had the chance to bring the power of a King-ranked swordsman to my side. But aside from being happy for Sylphy and appreciative of his power, there was also something else about that golden-haired swordsman. I felt quite¡­ weird, around the man known as Leon Greyrat. Compared to his power, both in strength and will, he was much too easy to read. Experienced fighters, and especially those of the Water God Style, were often in control of their emotions, and had too much of a disconnect for me to properly understand. But with Leon, it was as if I was reading a children¡¯s book when I looked at him, especially when he was around his sisters and lovers. His anger was apparent, as was just frustration. And when he looked at his family, the joy, and warmth in his gaze were clear for me to see. Like right now. I turned my head to look out the window, watching as the five of them rolled down the hill, all with happy smiles, free from any deception or worry. Just pure, unbridled happiness, and at such a simple act at that. ¡­Was it fake? No, I don¡¯t think so. While there were many stronger than me, and many smarter than me, when it came to reading people, that was a skill I stood at the pinnacle of. No matter who it was, I could read people. And if I knew enough about them, I could understand them too, no matter how different their values were to mine. So¡­ why? Why does looking at the five of them¡­ hurt so much? Raising my hand to my heart with a frown, I continued watching the happy family before me. Was it envy? Perhaps¡­ but at what? At their joy? Their freedom? Their ability to be carefree? Or was it something else? It was¡­ extremely vexing. And the envy I felt, which I still didn¡¯t quite understand, made it all the more so. I¡­ had never felt the warmth of a family. After all, for the royal pce, familial love held no ce in anyone¡¯s hearts. It was a ce ofpetition and political plots. A scheming den of snakes that you either escaped by surrendering, emerging as the winner, or dying. In a ce like that, there was no room for brotherly love, nor was there any room for romance that I adored from the stories. Instead, such things were a weakness. A chink in the armour that could be exploited. So yes¡­ perhaps I was a little envious of such a warm, loving atmosphere. But I don¡¯t think I was the only one with envy in their hearts. Looking over to Luke, my guardian knight, I watched as he stared at the window longingly, his eyes centred on a certain redheaded woman. He had been acting differentlytely. Previously, he would spend his nights not assigned to guarding me to y around with some of my more well-endowed attendants, but as soon as our new members joined us, he put a stop to such actions. I could understand, though. I had only known Eris for a month, and she already had the power to make my heart skip a beat every so often. After all, she was beautiful, as well as strong. And while she had a fierce personality, the way she mellowed out around her lover plucked at my heartstrings. What was it that Leon called her? ¡®The perfect mix of cute and intense, with a beautiful body and the prettiest hair.¡¯ Yes, indeed, that was the perfect way to put it. And that thought was only reinforced when I saw her face light up at those words when they were spoken, yet still attempting to hide her happiness with a pout. Such conflicting actions to her thoughts made her quite endearing to me especially, as I was able to read her so easily. Plus, with those perky breasts that surely would surely feel amazing to fondle¡­ ah, I was getting ahead of myself. So yes¡­ with all those factors, I couldpletely understand my knight¡¯s infatuation with Eris Greyrat. Though, it was a bit unfortunate for him that his love would nevere to fruition. I did find it ironic, however. To think that the man who seduced so many girls in the royal pce fell seriously for a girl who was already enraptured by another man, and not even mentioning how that other man seemed to have sess with thedies himself¡­ To be honest, I pitied Luke a bit. But at the same time, it was also quite hrious. ¡°It¡¯s useless, you know,¡± I said, following my gaze to the group as their games came to an end. ¡°She¡¯spletely captivated by him.¡± ¡°¡­You don¡¯t know that,¡± he said, clenching his fist. Ah¡­ to think Luke, who could somewhat match me in reading people, at least when it came to women and romance, would be so blind¡­ Perhaps he was lying to convince himself? I then watched Leon dust off the snow that had piled onto his sisters¡¯ bodies before taking their hands and walking away into the forest, likely to practice magic. An activity they did quite often during our breaks. And with Sylphy following behind them, that left Eris alone, her face looking at the other four with a conflicted expression as they walked away. ¡°¡­If you¡¯ll excuse me, Princess,¡± Luke said, standing up to exit the carriage. Ah, so he was going to take his chance? I suppose it would be a good way to put his current state to rest, but¡­ I just hope everything worked out alright. And those feelings of envy¡­ perhaps I should write about these feelings in my journal? Doing so always helped to clear my muddled thoughts, after all, and that paired with the Red Dragon¡­ it had been an interesting day, to say the least. ¡ª Eris Greyrat ¡ª Watching Leon, Sylphy, and the two kids head into the forest, my lips fought between a smile and a frown as my conflicting thoughts battled against each other. I was¡­ happy, at spending family time together like we just did. Extremely happy. ying in the snow¡­ acting so childish¡­ sharingughs¡­ it was really fun and made me feel so warm, just like I had always wished for a family to be. And that feeling only increased after Sylphy joined us. I knew she wasn¡¯t as¡­ far along with Leon as I was, but I was still worried about her joining us. While I had agreed to share Leon, and I was still fine with it if he kept his promise to love me, I was still worried. What if he got bored with me? I know he loved me now, but I was also his only experience with women, so if another came into his life¡­ what if I actually wasn¡¯t what he wanted in a woman? I knew that I was more¡­ developed than Sylphy, but she was also¡­ sweeter. And softer. She wasn¡¯t strong like me, instead, she was much more feminine and petite. Was that¡­ what Leon wanted? It was a terrifying thought. But luckily, those worries seemed for naught, as even after Sylphy joined us, Leon and I¡¯s rtionship didn¡¯t change in the slightest. If anything, it even got better. After all, I liked Sylphy too, so to have us all be together like when we were younger¡­ it was nice. And, of course,st night also confirmed that Leon was still pleased with me in the sexual sense as well. Raising my hand to my stomach, I smirked pridefully, feeling a bit of the lingering sensations from the night before. Very pleased indeed¡­ Shaking my head, I let those thoughts leave my mind before I got too excited. I could do those thingster tonight, especially with how charming Leon looked taking down that dragon. Anyway, so in terms of our family and Leon and I¡¯s rtionship, I was happy. Very happy. But then¡­ there was the conflicting thought. What was I going to do after reaching Sharia? Leon would be leaving for Begaritt, that was certain, and I didn¡¯t want him to go alone. But¡­ I also wanted to get stronger, to be able to fight by his side as a true partner, without him needing to hold himself back. ¡°What a lovely day it is, mydy.¡± Hearing a voice, I turned to look at who hade up to me, only to be met with the face of that guy. What was his name again? I¡­ can¡¯t remember. Err¡­ I just didn¡¯t have to use it, right? ¡°¡­I guess,¡± I shrugged before turning away. My thoughts were a mess, so I think it¡¯s time to do some sword practice. That always set my mind straight. ¡°But it is particrly lovely¡­ after seeing you,¡± the man continued, stepping in front of me with a confident smile. He got in my way¡­ ¡°Your face is quite beautiful, you know?¡± he said, stepping closer. ¡°It would be a shame to not see it up close.¡± Okay, now I was getting really annoyed. Not annoyed in the nice ways that Leon made me feel, the type of annoyance that made me want to push him down and make love to him. No¡­ this annoyance made me want to kick this guy in the balls. Narrowing my eyes, I ignored him as I walked to the side, deciding to find a secluded space to train. But, as soon as I stepped past him, I felt something brush through my hair before stopping at its ends. ¡°And such lovely hair as well¡­ it is as if the mes of my adoration have taken physical form.¡± I felt a shiver of disgust run down my spine as I stood straight, unmoving. Did he¡­? How¡­ how dare he? ¡°Perhaps¡­ I can show you even more of my admirationter tonight? I am sure that I could relieve any¡­ dissatisfaction you may be feeling at the moment, considering how-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± I yelled, turning around to smack his hand away from my hair. I was already pissed at him annoying me and touching my hair, but those words¡­ that was going too far. Disgusting. I was angry now. Very angry. ¡°I¡¯m Leon¡¯s! And I¡¯m only his!¡± I snarled. ¡°Both my mind and body!¡± He stepped back, looking at his now-red hand with surprise before he turned to face me, his eyebrows curling down in confusion. ¡°Even though that guy has Sylphy and another too? Are you not-¡± ¡°I already know that!¡± I interrupted him. ¡°Leon gives me all the love I need, all the love I will ever need, and I give him all of mine! And only he can touch my hair!¡± Unsheathing my sword, I grabbed my hair and pulled it taut before cutting it at my shoulder, letting the red strands fall to the snow-covered ground. I had been wanting to cut my hair for a while. After all, not only was it better for fighting, but Leon also liked it when I showed him new styles. Like in Roa, when I had my hair done in a twin braid, and how excited he was that night. I wonder¡­ how would this new look excite him? I was excited to see the results. Anyway, those were two reasons I had been toying with the idea, but the most important reason¡­ was it was tainted now. Only Leon was allowed to touch it, and only he was allowed to pull it. For someone else to touch it like that¡­ I still felt gross, even now that the hair was gone. ¡°W-What? Why- Oof-!¡± With the asshole stuttering in surprise, I took out my frustration, burying my fist in his stomach and sending him tumbling across the ground. ¡°And don¡¯t touch me again!¡± I shouted. Turning away, I then ran into the forest, quickly finding Leon as he supervised the other three as they practised their magic. ¡°Eri? Wha- Mmph!¡± Covering his lips in a kiss, I let our tongues dance around each other as I slowly felt my frustration and anger drain out of my body, quickly overtaken by pleasure as his hands wandered down my body. Releasing his lips, he looked at me with that dazed smile that made me want to push him down even more before reason returned to his eyes. ¡°Eri? What happened? And what¡¯s with your hair!?¡± he asked, his voice a mix of concern and surprise. ¡°Just¡­ stuff,¡± I said, huffing in annoyance. I didn¡¯t want to burden him with that guy, and I had already made my intentions clear, so right now, I just wanted to beforted. Raising my hand, I tried to twirl a strand of hair around my finger, quickly realizing the change in length as I instead crossed my arms. ¡°D-Do you¡­ like it?¡± I asked, averting my eyes. ¡°I do,¡± he said, taking my hand. ¡°It really brings out your cute face. I like it- no, I love it.¡± ¡°R-Really?¡± I said, looking back at him. Noticing not a hint of deception on his smiling face, I felt my worry disappear. ¡°Yeah, I do, but your hair pendant looks silly now,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°Come here, I¡¯ll fix it.¡± He then pulled me down to hisp, turning me to face away as I felt a familiar hardness press against my rear. I guess he really did like it, huh? I felt a little proud of that. Smirking in delight, I felt his hands run through my hair, making me nearly melt in the pleasurable sensations. Yes, this¡­ this was what it was supposed to feel like. Like the best feeling in the world. ¡°You also cut it so messily¡­ though it suits you,¡± he said, finishing his words by kissing my ear. I shivered at the feeling as I felt my core begin to heat up, so I decided to get back at him by pressing harder against his crotch in response, rolling my hips back and forth. While I could feel the hardness twitch, he ignored my actions as he continued to do my hair, taking off the pendant I loved so dearly as he tied my hair in a ponytail. Feeling his hands wade through my hair, scratching at my scalp and behind my ears as he did so, I felt myself rx into his hold with each increasingly soothing action. I liked it. I liked it a lot. I could understand now, why Norn and Aisha always bugged Leon to do their hair even when I knew they could do it themselves. Really¡­ that womanizing idiot knew nothing about me, and nothing about Leon. I know I¡¯m loved. And not only that, I¡¯m loved dearly. And this love¡­ it was all the love I needed and all that I ever wanted. So, no matter what anyone thought or said¡­ ¡°I love you, Leon,¡± I muttered as I rested against his chest. ¡°I know, I love you too,¡± he said, wading his hands through my hair. He had stopped doing my hair a while ago, deciding to only scratch andb through it for my delight. But he could do that as he pleased. Because not only was it delightful to experience, but he could do that because I was his. And I let him do so because he was mine. And I wouldn¡¯t want it any other way. Mm¡­ but maybe I should learn how he does this so well? After all, I would love for our children to feel such happiness, and I didn¡¯t want him to have to do all of their hair. And it also made me quite sleepy¡­ ¡°Leon, I¡¯m going to take a nap on you,¡± I said, curling up into hisp. ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± he said, cradling my body. ¡°I¡¯ll ask Ariel if you can borrow a cart.¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± Yeah¡­ I didn¡¯t want this any other way. And as for what I would do after reaching Sharia¡­ I would decide that then. Because the chance at losing this feeling, even if only for a year¡­ that was not a decision to make lightly. Chapter 56 – Arriving in Sharia Chapter 56 ¨C Arriving in Sharia ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª After a few long months on the road, our group finally arrived at the Magic City of Sharia, a city of the Kingdom of Ranoa, one of the three magic nations of the northern territories, and more importantly, the home of the Ranoa University of Magic. It was a grand city, which one would expect from the de facto capital of the Magic Triumvirate, and from what I read, it had separate districts formerce, living, students, and crafters. Quite a simr structure to Millishion, now that I think about it. During our travels, a new year had dawned, meaning it was now the year K421, marking four years since the Discement Incident urred and my family was separated. That meant that I was sixteen now, and since a couple of months had passed in the new year, Eris was sixteen as well. And past that, Rudy was now fourteen, while Aisha and Norn would be turning eightter this year¡­ We were all slowly growing older, a fact that I both appreciated while at the same time¡­ feared. Or perhaps saddened was a better word. After all, while I enjoyed experiencing everyone¡¯s growth, each year spent like this, still separated, was a year missed in thefort of our entire family. But that would soon be changed. My goal¡­ my most important goal was slowlying closer. I felt excited. But I wasn¡¯t the only one who was excited. ¡°We finally made it.¡± Deciding to have her entrance into the city in person, Ariel was currently riding with me as we walked through the city gates, heading to the lodging district as Luke went ahead to secure our group¡¯s amodations for theing week. ¡°You seem happy, Ariel,¡± I said calmly from behind her. ¡°That¡¯s only natural,¡± she nodded. I couldn¡¯t see for sure, but I was almost certain she was wearing a smile right now. A true smile. ¡°This is where my campaign will finally start. Without my brother¡¯s influence and past promises muddying the waters, I can truly begin myeback,¡± she said, looking back at me over her shoulder. ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t be excited?¡± ¡­As I thought, she looked better with a genuine smile. ¡°I see,¡± I nodded. ¡°And you¡¯ll be bing a student, right? Isn¡¯t it the middle of the school year, though?¡± ¡°Yes, but I have already taken care of that,¡± she said, turning her head back to face forward. ¡°I have been inmunication with the principal for quite a while and have already secured a spot with my connections. Now it¡¯s only a matter of building connections and convincing those in power of my abilities.¡± She then leaned back against me, making me look away from her as she rested her head on my shoulder. Seriously, this damn princess¡­ was she doing this on purpose? I had an itching feeling that she was. ¡°And you¡¯re sure you cannot join me?¡± she said, just barely above a whisper, into my ear. This girl¡­ she always enjoyed teasing me like this, even though Eris and Sylphy were right next to her. Why, I didn¡¯t know, but it was definitely annoying, even if I did like the genuine smile it brought about. ¡­At least she smelled nice. But still, please stop. ¡°I already told you I can¡¯t do that,¡± I said, pushing her to sit upright. ¡°And stop doing that, Princess. My dear lovers are ring at us.¡± Ariel then turned her head to the side, where Eris and Sylphy were both riding next to us. Eris¡¯ frustration was quite clear on her face, her red eyes boring a hole into my soul as she stared at me with a nk face. Dammit, Ariel¡­ you troublesome princess. Even though that new shorter haircut of hers made her look very cute, Eris still was able to look scary when she wanted to. It was a bit arousing though. Sylphy, on the other hand, had a colder sort of pressure. Almost like how Mama got when she was angry. Even though her sses were covering her eyes, I could tell she was staring at us just as harshly as Eris. ¡°Ah, I suppose so,¡± Ariel giggled, casting her gaze to the two. ¡°But it¡¯s all in good fun.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not for me¡­¡± I mumbled, shaking my head. ¡°Anyway, I heard that nobles of high importance can receive a special cement. What will your attendants be doing during this?¡± ¡°The ¡®special student¡¯ designation? No, I won¡¯t be doing something like that,¡± she answered. ¡°I will be a normal student in order to increase my support with rtability, as will my attendants. For that same reason, we¡¯ll also be living in the student dorms rather than the individual rooms nobles are offered.¡± Hmm? That was an interesting strategy, but not something unexpected for the princess I hade to learn about. Ariel was still¡­ irritating, especially when she stered that fake smile on her pretty face, but she still had my begrudging respect. She was strong. Not in power, of course, but rather in will and determination, and she didn¡¯t let noble pride or annoying customs get in the way of her goals. After all, there were not many nobles, much less royalty, that would happily urinate in the outdoors. I just wish she wouldn¡¯t ask me to guard her while she did so¡­ ¡°Well, if you¡¯re staying with the regr students, then I should ask you to look out for my sisters, since they¡¯ll be joining you,¡± I said. ¡°We are!?¡± Aisha and Norn, who were riding with Eris and Sylphy respectively, shot their gaze to me as they whined. ¡°Yes, you are,¡± I said. ¡°But I¡¯m already smart enough!¡± Aishained. ¡°Even Ariel said so!¡± ¡°Fufufu, you are indeed quite the talent, Aisha,¡± Ariel nodded. ¡°And while not as cunning, Norn is plenty smart for her age.¡± Norn nodded appreciatively at the princess while Aisha puffed her cheeks as if to say ¡®See? I was right!¡¯ Shaking my head, I exined to my silly sisters, ¡°No, you¡¯re going. There are many things I have forgotten to cover while teaching you and things I myself don¡¯t know, and more importantly¡­¡± I looked over at them, meeting both of their eyes to convey my sincerity. ¡°I want you both to try things and get an understanding of what you enjoy and are interested in,¡± I said. ¡°The university has many subjects, so I want you two to get an idea of what you want to do in the future.¡± Aisha frowned, narrowing her eyes as she pointed at me. ¡°I already know what I want to do! I want to help you!¡± I shook my head with a smile. Honestly¡­ Aisha was such a good girl, but I didn¡¯t want her to be chained to me just because I did what a brother should do in keeping her safe. But at least here¡­ and with us being separated¡­ she would be able to find herself. They both would. ¡°Thanks, but no,¡± I said. ¡°I would rather you do something you love.¡± Ariel shook her head in front of me, ¡°I doubt that will work~¡± ¡°Shut it,¡± I said, pinching her side. That seemed to quiet her down, at least. Though I wish that she didn¡¯t exhale in pleasure. I didn¡¯t know if that was just another way of teasing me, or her genuine reaction. And past that, I didn¡¯t know what would be worse. But moving on¡­ ¡°And more than that,¡± I said, turning back to my sisters. ¡°I want you to make friends here. Friends that you¡¯ll be able to have fun and grow with.¡± Seeing their unchanging pouts, I sighed. ¡°Whatever, you two can whine all you want, but I¡¯m not budging on this,¡± I said firmly. ¡°You¡¯ll be staying with your brother, Rudy, as well. At least once we find him. And then, I¡¯ll leave.¡± They both deepened their pouts even more. Well, I already knew they were upset, so that didn¡¯t really affect me. They knew that this would be happening for a while now, but that didn¡¯t mean they had to like it. ¡°¡­I want toe with you,¡± Norn said. And then there was this again¡­ Ariel giggled from in front of me again, nearly prompting me to pinch her side as punishment again, but I refrained. That was quite insolent, after all. ¡­And I didn¡¯t want her to moan again. ¡°No,¡± I refused. ¡°First, you should have asked that before we went north, and even if you did, I would still have refused.¡± Sighing, I continued, ¡°You¡¯ll be staying here with Rudy, and I¡¯ll see everyone again after a year, bringing our entire family back together. That¡¯s final.¡± The two of them were still visibly upset, but I doubted anything I said would change that. ¡°Will it truly be that long?¡± Sylphy asked, wearing a frown. ¡°Yeah,¡± I nodded. ¡°It might even be longer if my mothers ended up moving from where they were when I learned of them.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± As I nced over at Sylphy, who was looking forward, I noticed that past her gloominess, there was an odd intensity in her expression. For some reason, I felt a little afraid of that, but I decided to ignore it. ¡°¡­Anyway, you said you wanted to go to the university first, right?¡± I asked Ariel. ¡°Indeed,¡± she nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll need to meet the vice-principal to inform him about my arrival. Would you like to join me?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d appreciate that,¡± I said. And so, we continued. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°I am Jinas Halfas, the vice-principal of this fine institution,¡± the gray-haired man said, nodding his head to me. ¡°And I am Leon Greyrat,¡± I said. ¡°Thank you for meeting me.¡± ¡°Greyrat¡­?¡± he said in wonder before shaking his head. ¡°Ah, no, it is no problem. It was upon Princess Ariel¡¯s request, after all.¡± Taking a seat across from him, I decided to get to the point without wasting both of our time. ¡°I will be direct. Is there a way for my two sisters to join your institution, even though it is in the middle of the year?¡± I asked. ¡°Hmm¡­ that shouldn¡¯t be a problem, no,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°Though, they might have trouble catching up to the contents.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, as long as they have fun,¡± I said, waving off his concern. ¡°I see,¡± he nodded. ¡°However, they will have to take an exam beforehand.¡± An exam? I didn¡¯t know about this. That¡­ might be an issue, depending on how hard it is. ¡°Ah! No need to worry about passing,¡± Jinas said, waving his hand. ¡°The exam is more of a way to discern their current level for ss cements. While it can be used as a test for issuing loans, there is no need for them to pass as long as the tuition is paid for.¡± ¡°I see, that¡¯s a relief,¡± I nodded. ¡°And¡­ I have heard about the dormitory system this academy has. Can you borate on that, please?¡± ¡°Definitely,¡± he nodded. Jinas then went on to exin the dormitory system of the academy. Overall, it was quite impressive, and had many policies I appreciated. While I was d I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about any boys bothering the two, as well as knowing the two of them could room together if they went, I was still¡­ hesitant. I didn¡¯t know if I wanted my sisters living in the dormitory, even if they were safe. They were both too young, and while they could take care of themselves, it didn¡¯t mean that I wanted them to. This was the time I wanted them to use to take back thest four years of stolen childhood. I wanted them to live a carefree life, just like cute kids like them should, and have their biggest worries be concerning their friends and subjects rather than cleaning, cooking, and getting furniture. And while I¡¯m sure Sylphy could help them out, she was understandably more concerned with Ariel¡­ Yeah, I would rather them stay with Rudy, assuming he wasn¡¯t living in the dorms himself, that is. Actually, I should ask Jinas about him, no? For someone as talented as my brother, he would surely make a name for himself in this academy. ¡°Say¡­ vice-principal¡­ do you happen to know of a Rudeus Greyrat that attends this academy?¡± I asked. ¡°Ah, Rudeus¡­ he truly is a ster student,¡± Jinas said with a look of pride. ¡°Truly, one of the most talented students in our halls. Are you two perhaps¡­ rted?¡± So he did know of him. That should make my search a lot easier. ¡°He¡¯s my brother,¡± I said. ¡°I see¡­¡± Jinas nodded with a look of slight surprise. ¡°I apologize, but even with that, I cannot grant yourself and your sisters special status. At least, not without results. I can waive their tuition, however.¡± My eyes narrowed slightly. Was he being serious? If so, I didn¡¯t know about that. epting his offer, that is. Would he use this as leverage to gain a favour from me or Rudy? ¡°I can see the suspicion clear on your face, but do not worry,¡± Jinas said, shaking his head. ¡°I don¡¯t n on using such a thing to manipte you. Just having your talented brother hold this institution in a positive opinion is enough. Besides¡­ I have heard that you yourself are quite the magician.¡± ¡°You could say that,¡± I shrugged, forming a ball of water above my palm, surprising the vice-principal in front of me. ¡°But Rudy was the better mage,st time I checked. At least out ofbat, that is.¡± ¡°I¡­ see. To think I would be meeting two silent spellcasters today¡­ amazing,¡± he said in awe. Two? Ah, so Sylphy must have shown some of her abilities. Well, that was a good power y by Ariel, so that¡¯s to be expected. ¡°Anyway, about my brother, do you happen to know where he is?¡± I asked. ¡°sses are out for today, right?¡± ¡°Aside from subjects with odd schedules, yes, sses are not in session for two days of the week thanks to Miss Seven Stars¡¯ proposal,¡± Jinas said. ¡°And as for your brother, he usually spends the ¡®weekend¡¯ adventuring with his girlfriend.¡± Girlfriend? A serious one? Did that Rudy actually get a serious partner? ¡°He should be back in Sharia by tomorrow,¡± Jinas said, unconcerned about my surprise. ¡°If you wish to meet him, the Adventure Guild is likely your best bet.¡± ¡°I see¡­ thank you,¡± I said, getting up. ¡°My two sisters will be taking the exam tomorrow alongside Ariel¡¯s group. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll impress you.¡± And with that, I left Jinas¡¯ office, with my n set for the next day. I truly wonder how much you¡¯ve grown, Rudy, especially as you seem to have finally found a special someone. Your brother¡¯s excited. ¡ª Rudeus Greyrat ¡ª Having finished the extermination quest alongside Sara, we made our way back to the guild, ready to receive our reward for a job well done before heading home. Unfortunately, it was only me and Sara for today¡¯s quest, just as it had been for the past few months. After all, now that their pregnancy had entered the third trimester, Suzanne and Timothy were now both retired from adventuring now that if they died, they would be leaving a kid behind. And as a result, Counter Arrow had been permanently disbanded. I was happy for them, of course, but soon we needed to start renting out an apartment or buying a house of our own. Money wasn¡¯t an issue, thanks to me not paying tuition and my savings from adventuring, but it would still be a big change. Everyone was slowly growing, huh? Even the two adults I¡¯vee to view as my mentors were entering a new period in their lives. Once the baby had grown older, Suzanne would probably be a professor at the university in adventuring or survival skills, and Timothy already had a new job at the Magician Guild. I wonder¡­ how long would it be before Sara and I had a child? She was sixteen now, so ording to this world, she was ready to bear children, and I knew from our own experiences that she was more than willing to perform the act that led up to it. But¡­ could I do it? Be a father, that is. Paul was¡­ definitely not a shining example, and I already knew that I was a piece of shit in my past life. So could I truly raise a life properly? And then there was my family too. I had no idea where they were, and Hitogami hadn¡¯t visited my dreams since my time in Roa, so would it be right to settle down while they were still lost? Haa¡­ truly, what the heck was I meant to do? Shaking my head, I entered the Adventure Guild, instantly taking notice of the weird atmosphere. It was¡­ tense. At a time like now, it should be rowdy withughter and drinks, and while there were some conversations here and there, they were all¡­ subdued. Quiet, the exact opposite of loud. Did something happen? Going up to one of the veterans I had taken a few quests with, I decided to investigate. ¡°Hey, Galsh. What happened? Why is everyone acting so¡­ weird?¡± I asked. ¡°Ah! Hey, Quagmire, you¡¯re back!¡± he said, taking a drink from his mug. ¡°And, well, about what happened¡­ some new guy sat in another guy¡¯s seat, was asked to move, didn¡¯t, and when the other guy tried to punch him, he ended up like¡­ that.¡± He then gestured to the wall, and looking towards it, I noticed a guy knocked out on the ground, his body crumpled in a ball. There must have been a fight, huh? There was even a crack in the wall where I assume he was thrown into. ¡­Scary. ¡°Speaking of¡­ that new guy was actually asking for you, Quagmire,¡± Galsh said. He was!? That¡­ doesn¡¯t sound good at all! ¡°He¡¯s in the back, just sittin¡¯ there,¡± he said, nodding behind him. ¡°Ah¡­ I see¡­ thanks,¡± I said, looking back to Sara, who simply shrugged. ¡°No use running, right? Maybe he has some information for you?¡± she proposed. Maybe¡­ Well, I wouldn¡¯t be able to find out by just running away. Right! My name had been spreading quite far across the northern territories, so maybe my luck had finallye! If there was information on my family, I wouldn¡¯t ignore it just because it was a bit scary! Swallowing my fear, I grabbed Sara¡¯s hand and walked toward the back of the guild. ¡°Why are you trailing behind me?¡± Sara asked. ¡°No reason,¡± I lied easily. At least she could use touki! I¡­ think. As we made our way to the back, where a few booths wereid against the wall, I was met with the sight of a golden-haired man taking a drink as he looked out the window. With that muscr body and chiselled side profile, I felt my grip on Sara¡¯s hand unconsciously increase. Damn pretty boys! I wouldn¡¯t lose to you! You damn ikemen-! ¡­Wait. A handsome face¡­ golden hair¡­ that calm cadence¡­ wanting to meet me¡­ could it be? The man turned his head to look at me, his brown eyes shining with recognition and slight surprise, confirming my suspicions. ¡°You seem well¡­ Brother.¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± I voiced out stupidly. That¡­ was that really Leon? He was here!? But¡­ what was with that white streak in his hair? Did he decide to dye it? Did he hit an emo phase? Leon then looked over at Sara, before his gaze trailed down to our connected hands. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re not chasing skirts anymore¡­ you¡¯ve grown up a bit, haven¡¯t you, Rudy?¡± he said with a warm smile. ¡°Hah?¡± Sara said, her grip on my hand increasing, causing me to wince. ¡°What do you mean ¡®chasing skirts¡¯?¡± Ah¡­ I had never told her about my¡­ ¡®erotic¡¯ past, now that I¡¯ve thought about it. But how else was I supposed to learn how to go down on her so well? She would surely forgive me, right? ¡°And who are you!?¡± she asked, her re narrowing at Leon. Thank god, she moved on. ¡°That¡­ is my brother,¡± I answered, releasing a sigh of relief. ¡°Wait¡­ he¡¯s real?¡± she asked, her tone calming in shock. ¡°I¡¯d like to think I am,¡± Leon said, standing up. ¡°Leon Greyrat¡­ nice to meet you.¡± I slowly released Sara¡¯s hand. He was really here¡­ the first member of my family I had met, barring Paul¡­ he was here¡­ ¡°Leon?¡± I voiced out, barely above a whisper. ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± he said, opening his arms. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Rudy, soe greet your brother properly and get over here.¡± Slowly, I took one step, and then another, and the next thing I knew, I had run into his embrace, feeling his arms wrap around me as I dug my face into his shoulder. He was taller¡­ but I guess I should have expected that. I had forgotten¡­ it had been so long, that I had forgotten how much I missed them. My family. The family that treated me so well, the brother that was at my side¡­ But now¡­ now he was here¡­ he was alive! I could feel the heat pooling in my eyes, threatening to break out into tears as I tightened my grip around him. ¡°There we go, you were always a baby, weren¡¯t you?¡± Leon said, his voice cracking as he pat my back gently. ¡°¡­But I missed you, little brother. I¡¯m d you¡¯re safe.¡± And with that, after what would now be four years, I had reunited with my talented older brother. Finally¡­ I was with my family once again. The family that I loved, and the family that loved me in turn. The family that I didn¡¯t want to lose in this precious second chance of mine. Ah¡­ and now I was crying. Perhaps, like he said, I really was a baby. But I didn¡¯t care. Chapter 57 – We Will Be Reunited: A Lustful Mage Chapter 57 ¨C We Will Be Reunited: A Lustful Mage ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Here he was. My delightfully talented, lustful younger brother¡­ the one and only Rudeus Greyrat, was here in the flesh. With our tears shed, ourposure regained, and greetings exchanged, we then decided to sit down together as we both exined our stories, only after introducing me to his partner, Sara. Just as I expected after hearing from the Doldia Vige, Rudy had been teleported to the Great Forest, where he then escorted their two princesses up north to Roa, stopping by Millishion on the way. What I hadn''t expected, however, was his little journey to the Shirone Kingdom, as well as his time as an adventurer with Counter Arrow to the northern territories in search of our family. This was also where he met Sara. She seemed like a good person, and from what I could tell, held the simr dislike for nobility and politics that I did, so I was more than happy Rudy had settled down with her. I wonder how long until I would be able to call myself an uncle. Knowing Rudy¡¯s past, err, ¡®excitement¡¯, I don¡¯t think it¡¯d be too long. Anyway, with my dear brother¡¯s tale told, I then exined where I had been teleported, along with Eris and my sisters, which Rudy already suspected were with me. ¡°The Demon Continent!?¡± they both said, eyes wide in shock. ¡°Yep,¡± I nodded. ¡°A shitty situation, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°That¡¯s putting it lightly¡­¡± Rudy said. ¡°But that exins why it took you so long¡­ I¡¯m amazed you made it all the way here.¡± Well, it was surely an annoying trip, but there were some fun parts in there too. ¡°Anyway, you said you met with our father, right?¡± Rudy asked. ¡°Are Aisha and Norn with him now? And what about Eris?¡± ¡°Eris is training, or at least she was when I left, and our cute little sisters are taking the exams for the university,¡± I said, taking another swig of juice. The berries the juice was made from were quite tasty here¡­ yummy. Though this ce was awfully quiet for a guild¡­ I wonder what¡¯s up with that? ¡°They¡¯re here!?¡± Rudy said, surprised. ¡°Aren¡¯t they, what, seven? Eight? Can they even go to school?¡± Was there such a rule? I didn¡¯t remember anything like that. ¡°They¡¯re seven and a half, and Jinas didn¡¯t have a problem with it,¡± I shrugged. ¡°And they¡¯re both smart enough. I didn¡¯t just let them sit around thest four years, after all.¡± Besides, I didn¡¯t want them at the academy for the purpose of education. Rather, I wanted them to expand their horizons, decide what their passions were, and make friends. But if they were too young¡­ thatst one might be a concern. Whoops. ¡°Wait, if you met with Father, then why are they here? Are you nning to search the northern territories with me?¡± he asked. ¡°No,¡± I shook my head. ¡°Father dearest is heading to Begaritt, and I¡¯ll be joining him after I leave.¡± Rudy tilted his head in confusion as Sara raised her eyebrow in question. They really were perfect for each other. ¡°We found Lilia and Mama,¡± I said, smiling. ¡°They¡¯re on the Begaritt Continent, so now it¡¯s just a matter of getting them back, and we¡¯ll all be together.¡± ¡°You found them?¡± Rudy said in amazement. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ amazing.¡± Hmm¡­ he didn¡¯t seem nearly as relieved as I was, but I suppose I should have expected that. After all, it had been a while since he had been with Mama, and he had probably expected to never see her again after how long he searched with no results. That sense of distance was probably the same with Norn and Aisha, now that I think about it, since they had spent more than half of their lives without them¡­ Ah, well. I just had to bring Mama and Lilia back, and their rtionship could be rekindled back to normal. ¡°And you¡¯ll be going to Begaritt to help them?¡± Rudy asked. ¡°Yeah, and about that¡­¡± I said, looking at him and Sara. I was d Rudy had found someone, and from what I could tell, Sara here was quite mature and someone I could trust. Before, I was a little worried about leaving Aisha and Norn with Rudy, especially since I didn¡¯t know if he had grown up at all during our time apart. But now I was quite sure about my decision. ¡°Would you two mind taking care of them while I¡¯m gone?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯ll give you any funds you need, and they¡¯ll still be going to school, but I want them to be with someone I trust. They¡¯re too young to be living on their own, even if it¡¯s in the dormitories.¡± I waited in anticipation for their reaction. Would they refuse? I know Rudy wasn¡¯t as close to them as I was, and Sara didn¡¯t know them at all, plus they were both young and wanted to have their freedom, but¡­ They were his sisters, right? ¡°I¡¯m fine with it,¡± Sara said, breaking the silence. ¡°Yeah¡­ I am too, though¡­ I guess we¡¯ll have to calm down on adventuring,¡± Rudy said, rubbing his chin in thought. Thank god¡­ ¡°You two¡­ thank you,¡± said, bowing my head slightly. ¡°Of course, Brother. You¡¯ve been taking care of them all this time, so this is the least I can do,¡± Rudy said. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not like you¡¯re leaving for vacation, right? I should chip in this much.¡± ¡°Yeah, and¡­ I¡¯ve always wanted a sister,¡± Sara said, ying with her earring as she averted her eyes. ¡°Especially two¡­¡± I see. So it was like that¡­ well, if she already considered Norn and Aisha her sisters, then I didn¡¯t have to worry. ¡°Still¡­ I¡¯m d,¡± I said. ¡°Well¡­ they¡¯ll likely be another hour or so, and we only told each other the basics, so how about we continue sharing our stories over lunch? I¡¯ll pay, of course.¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± Rudy said with a smile. And so, that¡¯s exactly what we did. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°H-Hey, you two¡­ I¡¯m not sure if you remember me, but I¡¯m your brother! Rudy!¡± Looking at him with slight apprehension, Norn, who was standing at my side, standing a little shorter than my armpit, looked up at me. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Norn,¡± I said, patting her head. ¡°Go say hello.¡± Nodding, she slowly stepped forward, with Aisha following behind her, as they both went up to hug Rudy. It was a bit awkward, but that was to be expected after so much time apart. Hopefully¡­ no, surely, their bond would form with time. With the three separating, Rudy then looked to Eris, who was surveying Rudy with an analytical eye. ¡°And Eris¡­ Leon told me that you¡¯ve grown quite strong,¡± Rudy said. ¡°Hmph. That¡¯s natural,¡± she said. ¡°¡­You¡¯ve kept up with your training?¡± ¡°Just some morning exercises,¡± he shrugged. ¡°Hmm¡­ better than nothing, I guess,¡± she said. ¡°Y-Yeah, the stamina is helpful,¡± Rudy said. ¡°But more importantly, are the two of you¡­¡± To answer his question, I wrapped my arm around Eris¡¯ waist, brushing across her rear as I pulled her close into a kiss. Tracing my tongue across her lips, I smirked at her dazed smile as I separated from her, turning back to my brother. ¡°She¡¯s mine,¡± I said firmly. Eris had turned into a beautiful girl, so I needed to make things clear before Rudy did something¡­ unpleasant. Even if he did have Sara, he was the son of our father, after all. ¡°Ah¡­ I see. Congrats?¡± he said, a bit surprised. Oh, and Sara was blushing. That¡­ might have been a bit too much. Whoops. At least Eris wasn¡¯t one to get embarrassed. ¡°Big Brother?¡± Aisha said, walking up to me and pointing to her cheek. ¡°Me too?¡± This brat¡­ she¡¯s been getting increasingly cheeky, especially since Sylphy and I became a thing. Not wanting to create any misunderstandings, I leaned down and¡­ flicked her cheek. ¡°Auch! Why?¡± ¡°Stop doing that,¡± I rebuked her. ¡°But why!?¡± ¡°Because I said so,¡± I said, before I gave her a small peck where she had pointed. ¡°Ehehe~¡± I was probably encouraging that cheeky behaviour by constantly giving in, but she seemed happy, so that was fine. Though I wish Norn would stop pouting. ¡°Anyway, now that we¡¯ve all met, what should we do now?¡± I said, looking at Rudy and Sara. ¡°Do you two have a ce already?¡± ¡°Kind of¡­ remember Timothy and Suzanne?¡± Rudy asked. Right, his previous party members and mentors who were now starting a family. I had been wanting to meet them, but I was guessing they were stressed out enough with the iing baby. ¡°We¡¯re living with them at the moment, but we¡¯re looking for a ce,¡± Rudy continued. ¡°But with Norn and Aisha living with us¡­ we should try to get a ce soon.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I guess I could wait here while they got everything settled, as long as it didn¡¯t take too long. And as for being a burden¡­ well, I wasn¡¯t worried about Aisha and Norn causing these two any problems. In fact, I was more worried about my sisters being too respectful, to the point where they wouldn¡¯t want to bother them for anything, unlike with me, where they feltfortable asking for my help. In short, they needed to connect a bit more. ¡°Say, Rudy¡­¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯ve been improving your magic, right?¡± ¡°Ah, yes, I have!¡± he nodded. ¡°Right now, I¡¯m actually at the King rank for water and earth magic.¡± Oh? That¡¯s impressive. And from the surprised and admiring looks of Aisha and Norn, it seemed that my n might just work. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you haven¡¯t cked off. Your brother is proud,¡± I nodded. ¡°So¡­ do you want to show us? I assume the university has a ce, right?¡± Rudy ced a finger on his chin. ¡°Hmm¡­ usually, I would have to reserve it in advance, but since it¡¯s the weekend¡­¡± he then nodded his head confidently. ¡°Follow me, everyone! I¡¯ll show you just how far I¡¯vee!¡± And so, with the six of us heading to the university, we did exactly that. Meeting my brother, getting my sisters someone to help them out while they went to school¡­ yeah, today was a great day. ¡ª Rudeus Greyrat ¡ª Lying into the bed and blowing out the candle with some wind magic, I leaned back as I rested my head on my pillow, looking up at the ceiling with a smile. I can¡¯t believe it¡­ my family, they were back. Well, most of them. And from how Leon knew where our mother was and nned to find them, it wouldn¡¯t be long before our parents joined us. It was¡­ fun, talking with Leon, telling my stories as he told me his in kind. It was even better when we went to the university to show off my magic to him and my sisters, and after some begging on my part, he also showed off his skills. To think he would be able to use lightning without reaching the King rank in water magic¡­ I always knew my brother was a genius, but even that surprised me. And then there was his healing and barrier magic, which had only gotten better during our time apart, and his sword skills which had reached the King rank¡­ Damn, I thought I had been doing pretty well, but he just had to show me up, eh? Ah, well¡­ I didn¡¯t mind. It was that power that kept him and our sisters safe, after all. ¡°You seem quite happy,¡± Sara said, turning to her side to look down at me. ¡°Isn¡¯t that natural?¡± I said, pulling her closer. ¡°I got to see my siblings after four years and even shared a drink with my brother.¡± Though it was only juice¡­ well, I was underage anyway. ¡°Yeah, I guess that¡¯s to be expected,¡± she said, cuddling into my side. ¡°¡­I still can¡¯t believe your brother is real.¡± ¡°You thought I was lying?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, no, bute on! A Sword Saint at nine? And now he¡¯s a King-rank swordsman?¡± she said, bbergasted. ¡°And not only that, he¡¯s making his own sword style, and it¡¯s not a load of bullshit like so many others.¡± Ah, yeah, I guess that was quite surprising. ¡°Honestly, Rudy, with you and your brother¡­ your family is crazy,¡± she sighed. ¡°¡­But at least your sisters are cute, even if they have a brotherplex.¡± I was about to refute that, but then I remembered Aisha¡¯s giddy face after Leon kissed her cheek earlier today. Sure, it was an innocent sign of affection¡­ but the look in her eyes made me think there was something else going on. Oh, well. That was Leon¡¯s problem to deal with. That aside¡­ ¡°So you¡¯re fine with taking care of them? Truly?¡± I asked. ¡°Obviously. Why would I lie?¡± she said. ¡°They¡¯re nice, cute, and even if they¡¯re annoyed at being left behind by your brother, they don¡¯t seem that troublesome. Besides¡­ if I¡¯m stuck with you, then they¡¯re my sisters too¡­ right?¡± Seeing her look up at me, her eyes downturned in slight worry, I gave her a small kiss on her nose. ¡°Right. You¡¯re stuck with me,¡± I said with a smile. Instead of blushing or kissing me back, like the usual Sara would do, she instead stared into my eyes, as if searching for a hint of any deception, before releasing a sigh. ¡°Right. Sorry, it¡¯s just¡­ after hearing about your brother¡¯s¡­ romantic endeavours, I¡¯m a little concerned,¡± she said. Oh¡­ right, that. Apparently, while I wasn¡¯t looking, my brother had be quite the womanizer, deciding that Eris wasn¡¯t enough, and going as far to capture Sylphy and another woman for himself as well. I mean, I knew that he and Eris were in a good ce, obvious from how they interacted with each other, but I was surprised she epted such a situation that easily. That scary girl¡­ I didn¡¯t think she would be able to handle not being the only woman, but I guess I was wrong. Well, she and Sylphy were friends, so I guess that makes sense¡­ But it¡¯s good to know that Sylphy was alive, and apparently was here in Sharia as well. Maybe I would meet up with herter. But anyway¡­ Sara¡¯s worries, right. Let¡¯s deal with that first. ¡°¡­What do you think of it?¡± I asked. ¡°Leon having multiple people, that is.¡± ¡°What, do you have¡­ someone in mind?¡± she asked with a tone of sadness. ¡°No! No, not at all!¡± I denied. ¡°But¡­ if there was¡­?¡± Sara pouted as she pressed her head to my chest. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know. I wouldn¡¯t like it, definitely, but considering your father and brother¡­ I guess I should expect it now, huh?¡± Unlike my homnd, Japan, this world wasn¡¯t tied down to monogamy. Unless you were a member of the Millis church, that is, which neither Sara nor I were. Still, if it meant losing Sara, I didn¡¯t want to fall into such depravity. I wasn¡¯t Paul, after all. ¡°¡­I would hate it if you didn¡¯t talk to me first, though,¡± she said. ¡°So don¡¯t. Do. That.¡± Hearing the dangerous tone in her voice, I nodded as I ran my hands through her hair to soothe her. ¡°I get it. I don¡¯t n on betraying you.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t n on it?¡± she said with venom. ¡°I won¡¯t! Promise!¡± I corrected myself. ¡°¡­Good,¡± she said, ring at me onest time before closing her eyes. ¡°Goodnight, Rudy.¡± Well, that went smoother than I thought. Good. I was afraid of what would happen with Linia and Pursena once they graduated, especially since I didn¡¯t know if I was strong enough, both physically and mentally, to refuse their affections. But it seemed like the worst wouldn¡¯t happen as long as Imunicated with my lovely girlfriend. ¡°Goodnight, Sara,¡± I said, also closing my eyes. ¡°Love you.¡± ¡°Love you too,¡± she said before her breaths calmed. It didn¡¯t take long for the fatigue of the day to get to me as well, as I quickly drifted off, soon finding myself in a familiar expanse of white. Fuck¡­ really? I was here now? Dammit¡­ And looking down, I confirmed that I was indeed back in that same disgusting body. Truly, I hated this ce. What am I doing here? ¡°You don¡¯t know? Come on~ haven¡¯t we got a good rtionship?¡± Hearing the familiar, annoying voice, I turned to see the faceless figure of the one known as Hitogami. ¡­Why? It¡¯s been over a year since you talked, what are you doing in my dreams now? ¡°Ah? Not so confrontational? What¡¯s up with that, I wonder?¡± Well¡­ you told me to go with Counter Arrow, and I got my current life out of it. With Sara, I¡¯m¡­ confident. I¡¯m happy. So¡­ I wouldn¡¯t act like an ass after that. ¡°Gratitude? Towards me? From Rudeus Greyrat? Is¡­ is the worlding to an end?¡± Did he have to be so annoying? What do you want? ¡°I¡¯m just joking!¡± he said,ughing at my biting tone. ¡°And as for what I want¡­ well, I¡¯m just here to give my favourite magician some advice, of course!¡± Advice? Right after reuniting with my brother? Wait a minute, you said that by joining the Ranoa University of Magic- ¡°That you would find where your family is,¡± he interrupted me. ¡°Well? Was I wrong?¡± I still couldn¡¯t see him, but I could tell he was wearing a condescending grin. Well¡­ no, but I was just being useless here. What if I went south, so then our whole family could go to Begaritt? ¡°That wouldn¡¯t work, trust me,¡± he said, waving off my question. ¡°Now I said I had advice, right? And it did concern your brother. Do you want to hear it?¡± ¡­Yes. ¡°What¡¯s the magic words~?¡± Please, you shitty Man-God. ¡°Haha! As rude as ever! But alright!¡± he said, raising his finger dramatically. ¡°Rudeus Greyrat. Join your brother, Leon Greyrat, on his journey to the Begaritt Continent to rescue your mother. If you don¡¯t¡­ you will regret it.¡± What? Regret it? Is Leon in danger or something? ¡°Who knows~?¡± No¡­ that¡¯s impossible for Leon to be in danger. I doubt there¡¯s anyone that can harm that monster, now that he¡¯s an ¡®Elemental King¡¯ and has Saint-rank healing magic. Healing magic he can use whenever he wants, unlike me, by the way. Hitogami simply smirked. I couldn¡¯t tell, obviously, but I could sense it. ¡°No one that can harm him? Hmm¡­ you should ask your brother that. The answer might interest you,¡± he said cryptically. ¡°Ah, and if you decide to go, make sure you check out the library for a book on teleportation. It may end up being quite useful.¡± And with that, my meeting with the elusive, annoying god came to an end. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Waiting in the inn¡¯s lobby for Rudy, just as I had promised yesterday before we departed, I thought about the exam results I had received this morning. I was proud of Aisha and Norn for doing well. Really proud. Aisha had gone ahead and got a perfect score for arithmetic and geography, while Norn gotten an exemry grade in literature and swordsmanship. And that wasn¡¯t even mentioning their magic, which while only at the intermediate rank for both, was done without an incantation, putting them a cut above even most professors at the academy in pure talent. Truly, it made my heart swell in pride and happiness, both at them and selfishly, at myself as well. I felt¡­ d, to know that I taught them properly and didn¡¯t waste the wonderful talent those two sweethearts held. It made me feel like even if I wasn¡¯t perfect, I made sure they were in a good position in life, even with the teleportation messing everything up. Right now, the two of them were out getting groceries with one of Ariel¡¯s attendants, and we would be meetingter today to take a tour of the university and decide what subjects they wanted to try. Eris, on the other hand, was¡­ training. Again. As she always has been recently. While I wish we could be spending more time together, especially since Sylphy was busy with Ariel¡¯s affairs, I knew that Eris needed some time alone. Thinking about it now, she was probably deliberating over that decision, wasn¡¯t she? Since that was the case, I definitely shouldn¡¯t interfere unless she asks. And as for me, I was waiting for my brother to join me so that we could begin the process of getting him and Sara a house that they and my sisters would live in during my journey, and possibly, in the future too. ¡°Leon!¡± Rudy said, entering the inn. Ah, there he was. ¡°Hey Rudy, what¡¯s¡­ what¡¯s wrong?¡± I said, my tone turning concerned as I saw his worried expression. ¡°Leon, is there¡­ is there someone who can beat you?¡± he asked,ing closer to me. ¡°A-A terrifying opponent¡­ someone who you can¡¯t beat, is there someone like that?¡± What the hell was he talking about? Was this that childish anxiety I knew he had, like when he was afraid of going outside? ¡°Uhh, yeah, you could say that,¡± I said. ¡°You know about the world powers, right? All of those guys are quite strong.¡± ¡°So there is?¡± he asked once more. ¡°Someone¡­ someone who would kill you?¡± Someone who would kill me? What- Ah¡­ was that it? Did Eris tell him or something? Or was it my sisters? It couldn¡¯t be Sylphy, since not only had I not told her, but Rudy also didn¡¯t know about her new appearance nor about her being Ariel¡¯s guard. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t tell you before, since I didn¡¯t want to mess up the lighthearted atmosphere, but you could say I¡­ ran into trouble,¡± I said, pulling up my shirt to reveal therge scar on my chest. Rudy looked at the scar in surprise and fear, his eyes swimming in confusion. ¡°The Dragon God,¡± I exined. ¡°It seems he didn¡¯t like the look on my face, so, well¡­ he stabbed me. Right through the spine. Probably would have died if he didn¡¯t decide to heal me right after.¡± Covering my wound once again, I shook my head in exasperation. ¡°Honestly¡­ if you ever see him, don¡¯t go against that guy,¡± I said. ¡°He seemed to only have it out for me, so you should be fine if you keep your head down.¡± Rudy shakily nodded his head before sitting down, squeezing his fists a few times before looking back at me. ¡°Brother, I¡­ The Begaritt Continent¡­ I want to go with you,¡± he said. ¡°No. I will go with you!¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± I said in confusion. Why did he look so¡­ afraid? Was he that shocked that his big brother was infallible? Or maybe fearful that I had nearly died? Either way, I wasn¡¯t necessarily against the idea of his inclusion, but if he was truthful about wanting to go with me, then I would have to change my ns. ¡°¡­Why do you want toe with me now?¡± I asked. ¡°You have a girlfriend here, and more importantly, our sisters to take care of. Why would you want to join me to go to a deste ce like Begaritt?¡± Rudy narrowed his eyes. ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re stronger than me, Brother, but I¡¯ve been adventuring for a year now. Clearing dungeons, tracking beasts¡­ plus, you even said it yourself yesterday, right? My magic is better. I can help you get our family back together.¡± ¡­Well, he wasn¡¯t wrong. It would be a big help, but¡­ what about Norn and Aisha? Would Sara be okay with watching them alone? Would I be okay with that? I mean, I could trust her, somewhat, but she was only a sixteen-year-old girl. ¡°¡­Would Sara be fine watching them alone?¡± I asked. ¡°No,¡± a voice interrupted me. ¡°Because if Rudy is going, then I am as well.¡± Sara then sat down next to Rudy, crossing her arms as if telling us there was no point in refusing. ¡°¡­Why?¡± Rudy asked. ¡°It would be a long trip, you know?¡± Wouldn¡¯t he want her there? ¡°I¡¯m going because you¡¯re an idiot, and someone needs to keep you in line,¡± she said, ring at him. ¡°And also, in terms of adventuring, I¡¯m better and more experienced than both of you.¡± ¡­Great. Just great. ¡°And there¡¯s no chance of convincing you two out of it?¡± I asked. ¡°Sorry Brother,¡± Rudy said, shaking his head. ¡°No chance.¡± Sara didn¡¯t even offer me a response, simply raising her eyebrow, testing me to refuse her. ¡°¡­Right,¡± I mumbled. Haa¡­ dammit. Now what would I do about those two? There was¡­ what were their names, Timothy and Suzanne? No, not only were they expecting and much too busy to deal with two little girls, but more importantly, I didn¡¯t know them. I couldn¡¯t trust them with my two most important people just off of my brother and his girlfriend¡¯s word. And Eris¡­ she was likely leaving for the Sword Sanctum soon, at least by how hard she had been trainingtely. Then¡­ I guess there was only one option, wasn¡¯t there? Well, I know Sylphy would care for Norn and Aisha as if they were her own sisters, which they basically were, and if Ariel ever wanted my support, she would take care of them too. So, getting up from my chair with a sigh, I went upstairs to ask for the princess and my beloved¡¯s help. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°So, you wish for us to watch your sisters while you and your brother head for the Begaritt Continent?¡± Ariel said as she sat, letting Sylphy do her morning preparations for her hair. ¡°Yes, if you could,¡± I said. ¡°In return¡­ I¡¯ll help you after I return. As long as you don¡¯t expect that assistance to extend to my family.¡± Both her and Sylphy¡¯s eyes widened at this, with Ariel¡¯s eyes sparkling in joy as she traced my figure. She was probably just excited to have a powerful card to y, but it was still a bit concerning to be looked over so intensely like an object. Haa¡­ ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll take care of them, at least when I¡¯m able to,¡± Sylphy said, looking at me resolutely. ¡°We¡¯re together, after all, right? So they¡¯re my family too.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, smiling at her. She really was such a good girl. While I was initially a bit concerned about pushing our rtionship forward to just short of marriage, I was more sure of my decision with every day spent together. Even if she got more mature, and found a dear friend she wanted to help, the kind and cute Sylphy was still there. Plus, she was growing up to be exceedingly beautiful. I really was quite lucky. ¡°I¡¯ll also watch out for them when I can,¡± Ariel added. ¡°I think I can leave most of it to Sylphy here, but it would be beneficial to have you in my favour, no?¡± ¡°You said the quiet part out loud, Princess,¡± I sighed. ¡°Did I? Fufu~¡± she giggled. ¡°I don¡¯t think that changes anything~¡± I was annoyed that she was right. Shaking her head, Ariel closed her eyes as Sylphy went back to doing her hair. ¡°So? Are you nning to leave immediately?¡± she asked. ¡°No,¡± I shook my head. ¡°I n to stay here for around two weeks. We need to get supplies, and I also want to make sure you and Sylphy have no enemies and that there are no problems with my sister.¡± Ariel nodded her head. ¡°I see¡­¡± Finishing her braid, Sylphy then stood back, ncing over at me to sh an appreciative smile my way. She always knew how to warm my heart¡­ I could definitely trust her. ¡°I¡¯m relieved you¡¯ll be staying, as I was also worried about my brother¡¯s hand having reached this far. I thank you for that kind consideration,¡± Ariel said, standing up. ¡°Now, I do think it is time for you to give us some privacy.¡± ¡°Some privacy?¡± I asked, tilting my head in confusion. Ariel then slid down her nightgown, revealing her bra-d form. A sight I quickly looked away from. This damn princess¡­ ¡°Unless¡­ you want to see me undress?¡± she asked in a teasing tone. ¡°That would, however, be quite sphemous. Especially in front of your promised one.¡± Needless to say, I quickly left the room, closing the door behind me and ignoring the princess¡¯ giggles and Sylphy¡¯s miffedints. Seriously, shouldn¡¯t a princess have more dignity? She liked teasing me way too much. Chapter 58 – Silent Seven Stars Chapter 58 ¨C Silent Seven Stars ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°¡ªAnd this is our alchemyb, at least for the first-year sses. This ss is very popr for many students as it does not require a knowledge of magic, at least at the beginning, while still giving some insights into mana¡¯s uses,¡± the professor who was acting as our guide said, motioning to a room full of various sks and vials. Looking down at Norn, I could tell from the way her eyes sparkled slightly that she was interested. Perhaps my sister would be a cute little alchemist? Maybe¡­ As one might expect, I was currently walking my sisters through the school, enjoying a tour of therge academy and all it had to offer. Oh, and Ariel and her group were here too, of course. Honestly, I was quite impressed with the ce, as it had much more to offer than I initially thought. It really had something for everything. I was even interested in some courses myself. Maybe I could be a student after getting Mama back? I wouldn¡¯t want to be the only sibling to not have an education, after all. That would set a bad example. But anyway, I was d. Not only had I spotted a couple girls around Norn and Aisha¡¯s age, a thing that I was worried about, but the academy also had a lot to offer in activities and subjects past the basic magic that my sisters might enjoy. In fact, while they had tried to hide it, I could already see some building excitement in their expressions that sometimes came out in an excited smile, like with Aisha when we saw the botany ss and Norn when we visited the library. It was as cute as it was relieving. Either way, I was confident that the two of them would be able to find something they enjoyed, and as for friends, while they would be a few years younger than most of their ssmates, they were more mature for their age anyway, so I didn¡¯t think that would be a problem. As we continued to walk through the impressive-looking halls, we were soon interrupted by a familiar face. ¡°Brother? What are- Oh! Is this that tour you were talking about earlier?¡± Rudy said. ¡°Yeah, but I didn¡¯t think you mentioned going to ss today,¡± I said. ¡°What¡¯s up with that?¡± ¡°Oh, well, I had to meet vice-principal Jinas and exin that I¡¯d be taking a year off,¡± he said, rubbing the back of his head. ¡°And as for right now¡­ well, I¡¯m going to tell the same to my friends.¡± Nodding my head, I then looked at my sisters, who were both still acting a little awkward around our shared brother. We had already talked earlier today about the changes in the n, and how they would be staying with Ariel and Sylphy instead of their brother. Luckily, they didn¡¯t seem that upset, and were in fact, they seemed a little relieved that they would be in the care of people they were familiar with. But on the other hand¡­ it also meant that they wouldn¡¯t be using the time to bond with their long-lost brother. Ah, well¡­ that could happenter, like with Mama and Lilia. And at least their rtionship wasn¡¯t as strained as it was with their father. I had a feeling that would be an annoying mess to clean up. But¡­ Rudy¡¯s friends, eh? I had heard of a few of them from his stories, and they seemed to have been quite influential to my dear little brother. ¡­I want to meet them. ¡°Do you mind if I join you, Rudy?¡± I asked. ¡°I should be there to exin why their dear friend will be gone for a year, right?¡± ¡°Huh? Ah¡­ sure, if you want to,¡± Rudy said, scratching his head. ¡°Good,¡± I said, turning to the group. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you here, I guess. We covered most of the academy, and I¡¯m already convinced it will be a good ce for Norn and Aisha. I¡¯ll meet you guys back at the inn, okay?¡± Luckily, my sisters didn¡¯t put up a fuss, which I was grateful for. Though¡­ I could see a small pout on Norn¡¯s face. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll get us some pastries when I return.¡± The pout vanished. It seems my little sister has developed quite the sweet tooth during our time in the city. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Walking up the stone spiral staircase, I waited in anticipation to meet this mysterious ¡®Silent Seven Stars¡¯. An odd title, that was for sure. Apparently, she had made quite a few inventions varying from magical, physical, and societal, and had given quite a few to the university for her research. In fact, she was the brain behind the school uniforms. I didn¡¯t really care at first, but after seeing Sylphy, Norn, and Aisha try on their matching outfits, fitted with a zer and skirt, I quickly understood the appeal. Cuteness triumphs over everything, after all. Especially when three of the cutest girls in the world are wearing it. But past that, ording to Rudy, this ¡®Silent Seven Star¡¯ was currently researching a way to get back to her homnd through summoning magic, and Rudy had gotten quite close to her by supplying her experiments with his insane mana capacity. I wondered where exactly she was from to need summoning magic to get back, but Rudy simply brushed my question off. Speaking of that ¡®insane mana¡¯¡­ I only noticed it when we showed off our magic yesterday with my Demon eye active, but Rudy¡¯s mana was truly something else. First, he had a lot. Like¡­ way more than I had ever seen before. And it was extremely bright, nearly to the point of blinding me, like Sylphy¡¯s was, but way more intense. And then there was that efficiency and power, and how the mana almost seemed topress at will¡­ I guess I would be able to discover more about that during our travels¡­ hopefully. Maybe it was just something gic? I was confused. Shaking my head to break my train of useless thought, I watched as Rudy opened the wooden door, the creak echoing down the empty stone staircase to reveal a messy room. Wow¡­ that was a lot of paper and ink. I guess that¡¯s a researcher for you. ¡°Nanahoshi? Are you here?¡± Rudy asked, knocking lightly on the door. ¡°I brought a guest¡­ and some news.¡± ¡°Ah, Rudeus. One second,¡± a female voice said. Looking past a stack of books, I noticed a figure hunched over a desk, scribbling down notes for a few more moments before she stopped. ¡°You know I don¡¯t like being interrupted by guests, though,¡± she said, tucking her long ck hair behind her ear as she turned our way. ¡°While Cliff was helpful, those beastfolk girls were annoying.¡± ¡°At least call them by their names,¡± Rudy chuckled. ¡°And don¡¯t worry, this one¡¯s nothing like that. Actually, this is my long-lost brother, Leon! I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll¡­ get¡­ along¡­ Hey, what¡¯s up with you?¡± I felt my eyes widen as the girl revealed herself, showing off her masked face. The exact same masked face I had seen next to Orsted, right before he cut off my arm and plunged his hand through my chest. Wait. Was he here now? Would I have to worry about him? Should I run? Exin I don¡¯t know anything about this ¡®Hitogami¡¯? Shit¡­ ¡°Leon?¡± Rudy said, interrupting my thoughts. ¡°Ah, oh¡­ it¡¯s nothing,¡± I said, waving off his concerned tone. ¡°Just¡­ memories.¡± Wait a second, past why, how exactly was she here? Rudy had exined that they had been working together to make ¡®modern inventions¡¯ and supplying his mana for around half a year now. I know I took a few weeks as a break in Roa and slowed down after joining up with Ariel, but it wasn¡¯t to the extent where she could reach here six months ago, considering we passed each other before Asura around a year ago. So¡­ how? Did Orsted do something? Some flying, super speed bullshit, even when he decided to walk so leisurely before utterly kicking my ass? That bastard¡­ ¡°Oh¡­ it¡¯s you,¡± she said calmly. ¡°To think you were Rudeus¡¯ brother¡­ If you¡¯re worried about Orsted, don¡¯t be. He¡¯s not here.¡± Oh, well, that quelled my worry, but I was still confused about her being here. But I suppose that didn¡¯t really matter, did it? ¡°Wait¡­ Orsted¡­ isn¡¯t that the Dragon God you ran into?¡± Rudy said, his voice trembling in fear. ¡°D-Do you know where he is, Nanahoshi?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± she shook her head. ¡°He travels around. Quite mysterious, that man is. Not that it matters to me.¡± Right¡­ I guess they had an odd rtionship. Still, if she didn¡¯t have too much influence, then there¡¯s even more reason to do this. After all, I wasn¡¯t to ept a favour without showing my gratitude. ¡°I heard from my beloved that you saved me,¡± I said, bowing my head. ¡°¡­Thank you¡­ for doing that. I would be quite troubled if I was dead.¡± She looked over me for a second, or at least, I assumed she was past the slits of her mask, before nodding. ¡°It¡¯s no problem,¡± she shrugged. ¡°It was my selfish curiosity. But if you¡¯re Rudy¡¯s brother, it makes sense why you knew of that. Seriously¡­ how terrifying.¡± Huh? Makes sense that I knew of what? I¡­ was a bit confused, but it seemed that the matter of saving my life wasn¡¯t too important to her. ¡­I felt a little conflicted about that, but whatever. Better than being forced into her debt. ¡°So Rudeus¡­¡± she said before ncing at me. Again, I only guessed. ¡°Ny¨±su ga aru tte iimashita ka?¡± Uhh¡­ excuse me? ¡°Hai, saiwaina koto ni watashinokazoku wa mitsukarimashita¡± Rudy said smoothly. ¡°Shikashi, soreha jikan ga kakaru koto o imi shimasu¡­¡± What? The hell was going on? That wasn¡¯t the Human tongue, the Demon God tongue, nor the Beast tongue, and I was pretty sure that wasn¡¯t the Fighting God tongue either. And Rudy didn¡¯t know the Sky God and Ocean God tongues, so¡­ what was it? ¡°Jissai, watashitachiha ningen no kotoba de hanasu koto ga dekimasu. Ani wa konwaku shite iru y¨­da,¡± he said, turning to me with an apologetic smile. And why¡­ why, when I heard it, did I feel such an odd sense of¡­ familiarity? ¡°¡­Got it,¡± Nanahoshi said, removing her mask. ¡°I guess it was a bit rude.¡± I found my confused thoughts grinding to a halt as I saw the unmasked Nanahoshi. I was initially surprised by how¡­ normal she looked. Aside from her slightly exotic face, with thinner eyes and a smaller nose, that is. Rather, I had thought she was wearing a mask to cover a scar or some physical deformation, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. But past that¡­ why was I so stunned, looking at that face? And why¡­ why the hell did I want to run up and hug her so bad? Was I actually a womanizer? No¡­ it didn¡¯t feel that way. It felt like I wanted to hug her more¡­ tonically, like a friend would, or a¡­ brother. It felt like I wanted to protect her¡­ What was going on¡­ But more importantly! ¡°W-What was thatnguage, Rudy?¡± I asked. ¡°I have never heard anything like it.¡± ¡°Ah, well¡­¡± Rudy said, looking at me with a guilty face before ncing at Nanahoshi. ¡°It¡¯s our¡­ secret code, you could call it. She taught me it as it¡¯s from her homnd.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I see,¡± I said, not seeing any signs of lying on his face. To think Rudy could learn anguage that fast¡­ and he spoke it with quite the familiarity, from what I could tell. I guess his experience paid off. ¡°Anyway, Rudeus, you said you would be gone to find your family, right?¡± Nanahoshi said, turning back to her desk as she resumed her writing. ¡°How long will that take?¡± Rudy took a deep breath. ¡°¡­A year.¡± Nanahoshi¡¯s writing halted as her quill snapped in her grasp. ¡°A¡­ year,¡± she said shakily. ¡°When we¡¯re so close¡­ a year.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Rudy nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but¡­ I have to go. I¡­ don¡¯t want to regret anything, after all.¡± An ufortable silence descended on the room as Nanahoshi audibly gritted her teeth. I guess she was quite sad about Rudy leaving, huh? Was there something like that between them? I know I wasn¡¯t one to talk, but if he was going behind Sara¡¯s back¡­ ¡°No¡­ a year is much too long. This is¡­ uneptable,¡± she said, getting up. ¡°¡­We¡¯re so close to a breakthrough and I need your reserves of mana. You¡¯re the only one that can supply my experiments.¡± Oh¡­ so it wasn¡¯t like that. Thank god. ¡°I can¡¯t have you disappearing for a year, not now,¡± she continued, sifting through a pile of notebooks. ¡°Nanahoshi¡­ I¡¯m sorry, but-¡± ¡°Here,¡± she said, interrupting Rudy as she threw him a notebook. ¡°Use that. I remember visiting that sandy hellhole during my travels, and there was also a ruin near the forest here.¡± Rudy looked at her, confused, before opening the notebook, with me looking over his shoulder to get a glimpse. It was¡­ a messy map of the world, with various ¡®x¡¯s ced here and there, spread out across the four continents. And turning the pages, it was much of the same thing, but more zoomed in, with a few specific locations and markers written throughout, like ¡®Big Rock¡¯ and ¡®Ranoa¡¯. ¡°What¡­ is this?¡± Rudy asked. I was also confused. Not only at what this was, but also how it rted to our departure. ¡°It¡¯s a map¡­ of teleportation circles sprinkled throughout the world,¡± she answered. Both of our eyes widened at that. Teleportation¡­ the lost magical art. What¡­ wait. ¡°Was this how you got here so fast? With Orsted?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± she nodded. ¡°I wrote down what I could and nearby markers if I ever needed to use them, but¡­ don¡¯t share that with anyone, okay? I¡¯m not sure how he would react if he knew you ruined his main method of transportation with it getting discovered.¡± I rapidly nodded my head. Yeah¡­ if he did what he did before for no reason, I didn¡¯t want to give him an actual reason to hate me. ¡°Teleportation¡­ If it¡¯s like this¡­¡± Rudy said, pointing to two x¡¯s on the map. ¡°¡­We should be there and back in a few months. Maybe even faster.¡± Well¡­ that was quite useful. ¡°I see¡­ thank you, Nanahoshi,¡± Rudy said, bowing. ¡°Whatever,¡± she waved him off. ¡°Just don¡¯t take too long, and give me all your mana once you return.¡± ¡°¡­Of course,¡± Rudy nodded. ¡°Then¡­ I should go tell Jinas and Sara the news.¡± ¡°Do that,¡± she responded curtly. As I was about to leave, following behind Rudy, I suddenly stopped. ¡°Just¡­ go on ahead,¡± I said to Rudy¡¯s confused expression. With him nodding and continuing, I turned back to the ck-haired girl. Why did I feel so¡­ familiar with her? And why did I feel so protective of what should be someone that means nothing to me, past owing a favour? I wanted to know. ¡°Nanahoshi¡­ thank you, for helping us,¡± I said. ¡°Is there anything I can do to thank you¡­ just say so.¡± She looked over her shoulder, meeting my eyes before suddenly frowning. ¡°I just did that for my own benefit, but if you want to repay me¡­ then keep Rudeus safe,¡± she said seriously before suddenly widening her eyes. ¡°I-I need his mana. His mana! Why are youughing!?¡± Chuckling at her flustered state, I walked up to her. ¡°Sure. You can tell yourself that,¡± I said with a teasing smile as I reached my hand out. ¡°But I¡¯ll keep him safe. For his mana, right~?¡± As I affectionately rubbed her head, I suddenly felt myself freeze right at the moment Nanahoshi did, her previously annoyed but smirking expression, as if she was enjoying the sensation, morphing into one of shock. W-What? Why did I-? ¡°T-The heck are you doing?¡± she said, smacking my hand away. ¡°I-I think you should go now. Jeez¡­ Kuso yar¨­.¡± ¡°S-Sorry,¡± I said, backing away. Why did I do that? And so naturally? And why¡­ did I want to do it again? ¡°¡­Oniisan dake ga sore o dekiru.¡± Ignoring Nanhoshi¡¯s unintelligible words, I closed the door behind me as I went back down the steps towards Rudy, still confused at how I felt around Rudy¡¯s friend. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Snuggling into the bed, with Sylphy clung to my right arm, and Eris to my left, just as we had slept each time Sylphy didn¡¯t need to guard Ariel, I closed my eyes. Obviously, despite sleeping together, no sexy times were had, save for a few kisses¡­ and some cuddling that Eris used to discretely grope my crotch, just as I did to her. But that was rtively innocent, so it was fine. Going all the way was simply too much for me to do at the moment with Sylphy, considering her age, and I definitely didn¡¯t want to do anything with both of them for her first time. Although¡­ that would be quite arousing- Nope! It¡¯s sleep time! Today was a very eventful day, and I needed to get some well-deserved rest! Anyway¡­ after learning about the teleportation circles, and our much shorter trip schedule, we did have to reorder our ns for theing journey. I hadn¡¯t told anyone else yet, simply because I was worried about exining exactly how we would shorten the trip by three quarters without revealing Orsted¡¯s secret and getting on his bad side, but I decided to do so tomorrow, without revealing the actual method. Sylphy, Eris, and my sisters deserved that much, at least. They should be quite happy, I hope. Closing my eyes, I quickly drifted off to thend of dreams with my two beauties at my side, keeping me warm and cozy. And then¡­ I had a dream. ¡®Brother!¡¯ A young girl¡¯s voice spoke, affection obvious in her voice. ¡®Come find me, Big Brother! It¡¯s taking you so~ long!¡¯ Oh? Is it? What? That was¡­ my voice? Are you over here? ¡®Nope! Silly Brother! Hehe!¡¯ But¡­ that didn¡¯t feel quite right. Ah! There you are! Why was my voice like this? ¡®Ah! But I hid so well!¡¯ No¡­ was this actually a dream? It felt too¡­ real. I finally found you¡­ Shizuka. ¡°Haa!¡± I exhaled as I awoke, shooting upright in the bed. That¡­ what was that? A girl¡¯s voice? And I felt quite¡­ close, towards her. And affectionate too. Even now that I was awake, and I didn¡¯t even know this mysterious dream girl, I felt like¡­ like I wanted to protect her. To care for her. The hell¡­? ¡°Mmm?¡± Hearing a soft groan from beside me, I turned to look at Eris, who was stretching out her hands, as if searching for warmth after my separation. ¡°Seriously¡­ what am I doing?¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°Thinking about another girl that¡¯s not Roxy when I have these cuties next to me¡­ I¡¯m getting worse than Paul now, aren¡¯t I?¡± pping my cheeks to reset my emotions, I turned to lie down next to them. But that dream¡­ it was still on my mind. What was it about? It felt¡­ important. But¡­ no matter what it was, it couldn¡¯t be more important than the present. ¡°Leon~ Not there~ Ehehe~¡± Sylphy giggled as she moved closer towards the centre of the bed. And since I was no longer there, she had ended up pressing closer to Eris, whose hands quickly finding some warmth to rece mine as she pulled Sylphy close, the two cuddling against each other with their arms wrapped around the other¡¯s body. ¡­Now wasn¡¯t that a pleasant sight? I almost didn¡¯t want to sleep. I guess they did do this quite often back when we were kids, huh? It was cute. Smiling at the two, I manoeuvred myself toy next to Sylphy before cuddling close against her back and wrapping my arms around the both of them, enjoying how they both perfectly fit snug in my grasp. Ahh, this¡­ this was perfect. ¡­Almost perfect. While I felt insanely happy, holding the two of them like this, I couldn¡¯t help but feel there was a distinctck of a blue-haired demon girl. Ah, well¡­ that woulde in the future. For now¡­ I should just enjoy the moment. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Enjoying my breakfast, I looked over to Sylphy, who was sitting across from me. Since we decided to eat in Ariel¡¯s room at my request for theing conversation, she was currently out of her ¡®Fitz¡¯ persona, which meant that I could easily see the embarrassment on her face as her eyes met mine, quickly averting them a momentter. Cute. It seemed that she was still shaken fromst night, or rather, from waking up. She was quitefortable being sandwiched between Eris and me, snoring softly as she enjoyed our warmth. But with Eris getting up to do some morning training, and me getting up joining her, she also woke up, leaving her in an extremely flustered state after realizing her position before she left to take care of Ariel¡¯s morning procedures. Honestly, it was adorable. But that wasn¡¯t the important thing about right now. ¡°So¡­ you said you had something to tell us?¡± Ariel said, wiping her mouth with a napkin. ¡°Something concerning your uing journey?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I nodded. ¡°To put it simply, I¡¯ve found another way to get to the Begaritt Continent. A way that will reduce my travel time to a few months, possibly less.¡± Seeing everyone¡¯s eyes widen, I quickly raised my hand to quell the princess¡¯ curiosity and greed before it became a problem. ¡°No, I can¡¯t tell you what this new method of transport is, and I¡¯d rather you not ask,¡± I said sternly. ¡°There are¡­ powers at y you wouldn¡¯t want to mess with and could get us in trouble.¡± Ariel, who was familiar with secrets privy to important and powerful people, seemed to understand. However, that didn¡¯t stop the dissatisfied pout from forming on her face. ¡°Really Brother?¡± Norn said from my side, beaming at me. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯ll be much quicker than I thought,¡± I said, rubbing her head. ¡°In a few months from now, our family will be back together. I promise.¡± She narrowed her eyes as she enjoyed my touch, and looking over to Sylphy, I could see a wide smile on her face as well. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ d, Leon,¡± she said, tucking her hair behind her ear. ¡°We¡¯ll be together again much sooner¡­ I¡¯m very d.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I nodded. ¡°We will be.¡± Letting the news settle in, I decided to get on to the second order of business. This time, being a little more¡­ ufortable. ¡°Aisha. Norn. Can you two leave for a second?¡± I asked. ¡°I just need to talk to the princess here for a second. Alone.¡± While I could tell they didn¡¯t want to go, they understood from my tone that I was serious, so they thankfully didn¡¯t put up a fight. With the door closing behind them, and Sylphy¡¯s eyes swimming in confusion, I stood up, fishing in my pocket for arge sack before cing it on the table, the jingle of coins breaking the silence of the room. ¡°This¡­ is most of the money I¡¯ve gained from adventuring,¡± I said. ¡°It also has some money from my father and the beastfolk, but that¡¯s beside the point.¡± Ariel, who¡¯s eyes had widened in slight surprise, hesitantly took the sack, opening it to reveal a collection of gold and silver metal that spilled out, further shocking her and her two guards in the room. ¡°¡­That¡¯s quite the impressive collection. How did you amass this much money?¡± she asked, looking at me. ¡°Being frugal and taking down a lot of troublesome monsters for training,¡± I said. ¡°This should be more than enough, so use this to keep my sisters happy and well-fed as needed, and you can use the rest as you see fit. Consider it payment for babysitting and keeping my cute elf happy.¡± I had to fight down my smile as Sylphy squeaked at mypliment. Too easy, but I loved her for it, and it was all true. ¡°I see,¡± she nodded. ¡°I¡¯m impressed and grateful, but I can tell that¡¯s not all.¡± Ariel really was a smart one when it came to these things. Sometimes it was irritating, but in this case, it moved the conversation along quite nicely. Looking over at Sylphy, who was still blushing at my praise, my face twisted into a difficult expression. Ariel was¡­ important to Sylphy, so I didn¡¯t know about having her here for this¡­ but no. I needed her to hear this as well, even if she ended up getting angry at me. ¡°I¡¯ll warn you just this once,¡± I said, releasing my bloodlust into the room. ¡°I am leaving my dear sisters, my most important people, in your care. Do not try to trap my sisters in your political feud. If you so much as try¡­ there will be consequences.¡± Getting over his initial shock, Luke stepped forward, attempting to draw his sword with his trembling hands. I¡¯llmend his bravery, that¡¯s for sure. However, his struggle would amount to nothing. Sylphy, meanwhile, was¡­ conflicted. Her hand reached for her wand as her eyes swam with confusion and hurt, very likely bncing her love for me and her need to protect her friend anddy. Dammit¡­ I didn¡¯t like that look. So let¡¯s end this quickly. I summoned a barrier around Luke, keeping him trapped as I stepped towards Ariel. Sylphy froze for a moment before she was about to jump in front of me, but I began speaking before then. ¡°You already have my support by being the friend and benefactor of my beloved.¡± Sylphy paused once again, a small blush growing on her cheeks as I continued, ¡°So don¡¯t involve my sisters. Don¡¯t involve my family. And don¡¯t. Push. Your. Luck.¡± ring down at her, my gaze shing fiercely with her blue eyes. Overall, she seemedpletely unperturbed by my disy, but even she couldn¡¯t hide the cold sweat forming on her skin, nor the faint trembling of her hands. But still, I admired her determination for putting up such a strong facade. Staring at me for a moment, she eventually smiled, stopping our staredown with a nod. ¡°Of course, Leon Greyrat. I never had the intention of doing so even before this,¡± she said evenly. I wasn¡¯t sure about that, but seeing as I got my point across, I reigned in my bloodlust, causing the unseen pressure that had descended on the room to lift. Sylphy sighed in relief, stepping back to stand behind Ariel, while Luke, with the barrier no longer stopping him, quickly walked up to Ariel¡¯s side as his eyes dug into me. ¡°You aren¡¯t showing enough respect for a princess,moner!¡± he spat, ring at me. ¡°It would be considered an honour for your sisters to serve Princess Ariel!¡± He really used the moner¡¯ excuse? Even when this moner¡¯ could cut him down in less than an instant? I guess I made him quite mad. Looking at him with disappointment, I lightly shook my head as I responded, ¡°And? Exactly how many of these ¡®honoured¡¯ servants are resting in their graves right now?¡± All three of them grimaced. Yeah, from the initial attack I stopped during our meeting, I knew at least six did. And I could easily assume there were many more fallen prey to this shitty session battle. ¡°As I thought,¡± I said, nodding to myself. ¡°Nobility doesn¡¯t care about those things, though, do they? I wonder if you even remember their names.¡± Sighing, I was about to turn away before Ariel stopped me, grabbing my hand as she looked down at the table. ¡°Misha, Derrick, Mira, Quincy, Anya, Finn¡­¡± she listed, lifting her head to look at me with a smile. But that smile¡­ it was cold. Firm. Unmoving. It was¡­ determined. ¡°I understand your fear and hesitance, as well as your anger, but I am not one to forget such grand debts,¡± she stated, her gaze unmoving from my eyes. ¡°¡­Rather, those sacrifices¡­ they are what push me forward. They are the fuel of my determination to be queen.¡± She released my hand as stood up, still standing shorter than me, but still standing tall nheless. ¡°Do not disrespect their sacrifices, Leon Greyrat, for I, Ariel Anemoi Asura, the future queen of the Asura Kingdom¡­ I am the one who will give them meaning.¡± ¡­Well, would you look at that? Give their sacrifices meaning¡­ I couldn¡¯t agree with such a thing, but I could understand it. It seemed that this princess wasn¡¯t as selfish as I had thought. She had the will and heart of a leader, and wasn¡¯t entrapped by the suffocating annoyances of most nobility, nor their arrogance. ¡­She was someone deserving of my respect. ¡°¡­I can see now¡­ how you gained many followers despite your shitty political position,¡± I said, smiling with an acknowledging nod. ¡°Still¡­ Don¡¯t involve my family. I¡­ I am more than enough.¡± With Ariel smiling a little more warmly, I then went over to Sylphy, walking around the table to embrace her gently. ¡°¡­Sorry¡­ for putting you in a tough spot,¡± I whispered into her ear. ¡°Mmm¡­ that was mean, Leon,¡± she said, pouting as she headbutted my chest. ¡°¡­Bad. Don¡¯t do that again.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t n on it,¡± I smiled, releasing my grip on her. Well¡­ at least I now knew that Ariel wouldn¡¯t treat Sylphy as an expendable resource, but she still had a dangerous path ahead of her. My future wife involved in such a thing¡­ well, even if I didn¡¯t like it, I couldn¡¯t stop her¡­ but I could at least ensure she survived. ¡°Sylphy¡­ I¡¯m d you¡¯ve found such an important friend and a cause to fight for,¡± I said, looking into her eyes. ¡°I won¡¯t ask you to leave Ariel, now or ever, but¡­ if you¡¯re in danger, in any shape or form¡­ promise you¡¯lle to me.¡± I sealed my words with a deep kiss, tipping her chin upwards as my tongue slid into her mouth and across hers, tasting the faint vour of berries. Enjoying our kiss for a few more seconds, I eventually let her go, our mouths still connected with a trail of saliva that I let fall to the ground. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving in a few days,¡± I said, turning to Ariel. ¡°Since I¡¯ll be gone for a while, I ask that you let me enjoy my final days and nights with my sisters and Sylphy. Or at least as much as possible.¡± Ariel, who was blushing lightly at the previous scene, quickly nodded. ¡°Of course, I ept,¡± she said. ¡°Especially after seeing you leave my dear guard like¡­ that.¡± Following her gaze, I turned back to Sylphy, seeing that she was currently locked in a dazed state, her expression dreamy as her mouth was set in a goofy smile. Well¡­ maybe I kissed her a little too long, huh? And why were her legs quivering? Chapter 59 – A Proper Send-Off (R-18) Chapter 59 ¨C A Proper Send-Off (R-18) ¡ª Eris Greyrat ¡ª It was currently dusk, and with the sun lowering over the magic city, I swung my sword down yet again, the rhythmic sound of air parting from the de calming my mind. Usually, when I swung my sword, I did so for the purpose of training. But right now, I was simply doing it to think. I didn¡¯t like thinking. It was usually annoying, and with Leon by my side, there was no real need to, but for this¡­ I needed to think. After all, this was about me, and only me. I couldn¡¯t rely on anyone else. The reason I was thinking so hard was the same reason I had been somewhat avoiding Leontely, instead using the time to train and, more often than not, think, like now. Leon¡¯s mothers¡­ Zenith and Lilia¡­ should I go with him to help? I remembered them quite fondly from my time in Buena Vige. After all, before my parents¡¯ change, they were the only sources of familial warmth I had ever felt. And that, paired with them bringing so much happiness to Leon, as well as that the fact that they would soon be my mothers-inw, it was obvious that they were important to me. But¡­ should I go get them? I was conflicted. Especially after hearing about the shorter journey and their new n. But, past wanting to¡­ would I even be useful? I knew Leon was stronger than me, and with his magic and mind, he was more useful for almost everything too. At least before, I could justify joining him by being someone to lean on and sharing his burdens. After all, for a proper night shift, you needed two people to exchange duties. But now¡­ with Rudy and his girlfriend going along¡­ Leon could lean on them. Besides, while not as good as me in a fight, they were quite strong themselves, and Rudy had magic even Leon couldn¡¯t perform. So¡­ was I even needed? I knew what I wanted. I wanted warm family time. I wanted more of those warm, pleasant, giddy feelings I hade to adore thanks to Leon¡¯s love. And I didn¡¯t want to part with them, obviously, even for a moment. But more than momentarily parting with them¡­ I was more fearful of losing them entirely. Not like I nearly did on that day. I still remember it clearly. The overwhelming power of the Dragon God, the sight of Leon¡¯s arm flying through the air, the feeling of his blood running through my hands as I tried to stem his bleeding in futility¡­ I remember it all. It came up in my nightmares, and while Leon would hold me gently, rocking me back to sleep as he calmed me down with cuddles and kisses¡­ they still never left my mind. I know Norn also remembered it clearly as well, and I could tell there was a deep rage hidden beneath those wide, innocent-looking blue eyes, but I¡­ just couldn¡¯t feel the same. I was angry at Orsted, of course. I was enraged at him for nearly taking away my world, but more than that¡­ I felt rage toward myself. For being weak. For needing to rely on Leon. For not being able to help him at all on that day. And besides the rage, the feeling I felt most of all was¡­ fear. Fear of losing Leon, and losing all those lovely feelings and warmth that had be so precious to me. I didn¡¯t want to kill the Dragon God, no¡­ but I wanted to be able to. Or at least, I wanted to be able to help Leon if there was ever a need to battle such an overwhelming opponent again. I wanted to live without fear of losing my beloved, so Leon and I could start a family, with so many babies that we could form an army. But past wanting to protect Leon for my desire to discover more of this feeling called love and for my desire of the increasingly pleasurable act of sex¡­ I also wanted to do it to keep my promise. My promise toward Alice, Leon¡¯s departed mother. So¡­ would I go with Leon? That simply depended on one thing¡­ Whether I was useful enough to justify not getting stronger. Would I actually help Leon reunite his family? Or would my time be better served bing stronger? That was the question, and there was only one way to find out. ¡°Leon!¡± I shouted as I stood outside the inn¡¯s backyard. ¡°Yes?¡± he answered from the window, likely helping Norn and Aisha choose their sses. ¡°Come out here! I want a spar!¡± It didn¡¯t take long for him toe out, with Sylphy, the princess, and that annoying guy joining in to watch. I was d, though. Rather than that disgusting stare I had been subjected to shortly after meeting up with Sylphy, ever since I had cut my hair, that annoying guy¡¯s gaze had been more¡­ fearful. Good. Because if he touched my hair again, it would be his neck getting shed instead. ¡°You said you wanted to spar?¡± Leon said, walking up with two wooden swords. ¡°Yes. A serious one,¡± I said, my eyes narrowing at him. ¡°¡­I see,¡± he said, throwing the practice weapons to the side as he unsheathed his de. ¡°A serious spar? Truly?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I nodded. ¡°Give me everything you have, and I¡¯ll give you mine. Don¡¯t hold back, Leon.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± he said. With both of our forms set in a crouch, I watched in wait as a passing snowke fell to the ground, building up the pressure in my legs and arms. And as soon as that snowke touched the earth¡­ I released. It was one sh, I dashedacross the backyard in an instant, with a crack akin to thunder following my wake. Dammit¡­ I lost. And badly at that. Sighing, I watched in bitter disappointment as my de shattered into a shower of metal, and looking down at my arm, I saw the deep gash that had appeared begin to bleed, the blood quickly dripping down to my elbow before it sshed onto the ground, tainting the snow a deep red. ¡°¡­You tried to take my arm off, you bastard,¡± I said. Though, despite my biting words, I was smiling. Finally¡­ I didn¡¯t have to have this decision weighing on my mind. I had found the answer. ¡°You said to go serious, but I wasn¡¯t going to kill my lover,¡± Leon said softly. ¡°I went as serious as I could¡­ You deserve that much respect, Eri.¡± I turned around, ignoring the shocked gazes of the three observers as I saw Leon¡¯s gaze narrow at the cut on my arm, his face turning slightly pained. ¡°I could heal it back even if I seeded, but¡­¡± he shook his head as he stared into my eyes, his gaze so full of the love and warmth I had be addicted to. ¡°Good job, and¡­ thank you¡­ for making me miss.¡± I could only smile sweetly in response. Ahh¡­ this was why. This was why I loved him. Why I adored this man with my entire heart. He¡­ admired me, trusted me, while at the same time wanting to keep me safe and protected. I¡¯m sure it was confusing for him. And I¡¯m sure it pained him to hurt me like just then, but¡­ he still did it. He still took me seriously, because he respected me¡­ because he loved me¡­ I truly¡­ truly love this man. How he made me feel all warm and annoyed¡­ I had discovered over the past two years after we cemented our rtionship that the annoyance I felt¡­ that pleasant annoyance I always felt with his every action¡­ it was my version of love. It made me feel weird. It made me act differently. But¡­ I wouldn¡¯t want it any other way. Because it was Leon doing it to me, and that annoyance¡­ it was more precious than anything else. ¡°I¡¯m going to the Sword Sanctum,¡± I said with no room for refusal. ¡°When?¡± he answered easily. ¡°Tonig- no¡­ tomorrow,¡± I corrected myself. ¡°You¡­ still have to send me off, after all.¡± My loins tightened in anticipation. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± he nodded, walking up to me before he captured my lips in a sweet kiss as he healed my arm, washing the blood off with water magic at the same time. He really was quite efficient. ¡°Then¡­ let¡¯s get started,¡± he whispered as he grabbed my hand. Leading me back into the inn, he stopped just short of the three observers. ¡°Sylphy¡­ I¡¯m sorry, but can you tell my sisters to sleep alone tonight?¡± he asked. ¡°And¡­ you as well.¡± Sylphy was initially confused, but at least the princess seemed to get it, as she quickly tugged on Sylphy¡¯s sleeve with a smile. ¡°I want you to guard me tonight, okay?¡± she said. ¡°And have fun, you two~¡± ¡°Huh? O-okay?¡± Sylphy returned, confused. ¡°Then¡­ goodnight, Leon, Eris.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ goodnight,¡± Leon said. ¡°I¡¯ll see you in the morning.¡± And with that, he then led me towards our room. And for tonight, it would only be ours. Ah¡­ I was excited. And that annoyance was moving downwards, readying me for the fun that was about toe. Leon¡­ I¡¯ll be milking you for all you have tonight, so you better be prepared. This is meant to be my send-off, after all. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª As soon as the door was shut behind us, I was immediately assaulted by Eris¡¯ lips, our mouths locked in a battle as I guided us toward the bed. As she sat down, we separated momentarily to gain our breath, and as soon as I saw the look in her eyes, I knew what she wanted. There would be little time for forey. Well¡­ this night was meant to be for her, so I would do what I wanted, and hopefully make her scream my name in the process. ¡°Leon, how much does this bed cost,¡± she asked seriously. ¡°¡­Not much,¡± I answered, a little confused. ¡°Good,¡± she nodded. ¡°Then it¡¯s fine to break it?¡± ¡­It seemed tonight would also be a long one. Thinking about it, we broke the bedframe during our first time too. I guess this was one way to relive pleasant memories. ¡°If that¡¯s what you want?¡± My questioning tone was immediately answered as she threw her arms around me, yet again locking our lips together as she pulled me on top of her. Sucking on the bottom of her mouth, I separated from her lips as I trailed kisses down her neck, leaving her roughly panting as I began removing her shirt. As I was about to separate, I quickly found myself pulled against her as she spoke in a hushed tone, ¡°More~¡± And so, I continued, trailing kisses and yful bites all across her skin as I worshipped her body. As my eyes were closed, I didn¡¯t realize that she had removed her bra before my mouth passed over her breasts, trailing my tongue along the soft flesh as I opened my eyes. God, I loved her breasts. They were growing, but still perky. The perfect shape, both for holding and looking, especially with the beautiful pink nipple that topped each crest, which right now, were both firm in arousal and soaked in my saliva. Just thinking of how she would eventually be feeding her children- no, our children with these things made me dizzy. God, I really loved her breasts. And because I loved them so much, I kissed them. Deeply. Sucking on her nipple as my hand trailed down to her shorts, which were already in the process of getting discarded along with her panties. But just as my hand grazed her slit, making me exhale loudly as I felt the wetness, Eris pushed me away, moving me to sit against the headboard as she took off my pants. ¡°Eri,¡± I said, getting control of my breathing. ¡°Don¡¯t you want me to do stuff to you?¡± Staring at her dripping entrance, with a small patch of curly red hair at the top, I unconsciously licked my lips in anticipation. ¡°No,¡± Eris said as she freed my cock, taking it with her hand. ¡°Instead¡­ I want you begging.¡± With that, she bent down, engulfing my entire length with her mouth as I felt her tongue swirl across my tip. Fuck¡­ she was getting even better. I don¡¯t know how much longer until she would have me firmly in her grasp, literally and figuratively. But¡­ was that so bad? I didn¡¯t think so. Her lips, wet with saliva, continued to bob up and down my length, leaving me twitching as I reached for her hair. Gently massaging her scalp and temple and running my fingers through her hair, I slowly felt the itching sensation build as I grabbed onto her short ponytail, undoing the band and freeing her hair, giving me more to grab onto as I began fucking her mouth. Wow¡­ I felt¡­ close. I felt drunk, with blood roaring in my ears as I neared my climax. ¡°E-Eri¡­ I¡¯m going to-¡± Just as I was about to warn her, she suddenly detached her mouth, leaning forward to kiss me deeply as she continued stroking my cock. Shaking as she sucked on my tongue, Eris then moved her lips to my ears as she whispered, ¡°On me.¡± Finishing her words by gently biting my ear, I felt my urges take over as I grabbed her shoulders, turning us both so that I was on top of her as I released all over her chest, covering her breasts and toned stomach in my cum. My vision returned from the static haze as I finished my orgasm, and I looked down to see Eris milking thest of my fluid from my member, her naked body coated in my semen. It was a pleasant sight, to say the least. The scent of me wafting off of her, and with how she slowly brought her cum-covered hand to her mouth, licking the ess fluids off, I couldn¡¯t help but think that I had marked her. But that was only natural, right? She was mine, after all. Looking up at her face, which was currently showing a mix of arousal and enjoyment as she tasted me, I couldn¡¯t help but smile, wanting to tease that beautiful face that oh-so often became meek and cute around me and only me. ¡°I didn¡¯t do a lot of begging, you know?¡± She stared up at me, her gaze turning fierce with her re, though with her flustered cheeks, it lost much of its sternness. ¡°S-Shut up, you were doing it in your head, right?¡± she huffed. Smirking, I took off my shirt, removing thest of our clothing as I leaned down, to her shoulder, biting it softly. ¡°W-What are you doing?¡± she mewled. Trailing my lips up to her ear, I sucked gently on the lobe, making her legs squirm under me, before I eventually whispered, ¡°Making you beg.¡± ¡°Y-You! Don¡¯t make fun-! Mmph~¡± Her words were interrupted by a kiss, as I massaged my tongue across her lips, poking it in and out of her mouth, imitating the action I would soon be doing with my lower half. Feeling her begin to squirm, I took her two hands that were wrapped around my neck, pinning them to the bed above her head as I navigated my legs to widen her thighs, giving me ample room to reach my free hand down and trail up her slit. Rubbing slowly across her clit¡¯s hood, it didn¡¯t take long for me to tell how wet she was and that she was ready for me. But¡­ I didn¡¯t want to do it just yet. I was supposed to make her beg, after all. Gently running across her folds, I ensured my fingers were slick with her juices before digging into her, causing her hips to buck as I found her ¡®special ce¡¯ upon entry. I started slowly, gently massaging the lump of spongy-textured flesh as I continued to capture her lips, barely suppressing the moans and whimpers she was emitting. If anyone else knew that Eris Greyrat, the genius Sword Saint, and the adventurer known as the ¡®Mad Wolf¡¯ could make the sort of expression and release the sounds that she was now, they would be utterly shocked. And it would always stay that way. Because this special side of Eris¡­ was only for me. My possessiveness of this wonderfuldy of mine drove me further as I picked up the pace of my fingers, making a beckoning motion as I dug into her pussy and released more of her juices onto the bedsheets. My actions persisted as Eris continued to squirm, and somewhere along the way, she had freed her hands from my hold, raising them to grip my hair and pull me deeper into our kiss as I continued to please her. And then, with her hips rolling to force me deeper, I felt her grip on my hair increase and her legs wrap around my torso as she began to convulse, her breath hitching as she bit my tongue. The thought of stopping and making her actually beg did cross my mind, but I decided against it. This was her special night, after all. Feeling her calm down from her orgasm, I unsheathed my fingers from her slit and separated our mouths, keeping my gaze locked onto her fluttering-open eyes as I licked up all of her juices that were coating my fingers, relishing in the taste. ¡°Mmm¡­ delicious,¡± I said, finishing my words by licking thest of it off. ¡°P-Pervert,¡± she huffed, breathing deeply to regain her breath. It only took a few seconds for the dazed, tender look of her afterglow to disappear, her narrowed eyes trailing my body down to my member. ¡°You¡¯re ready again,¡± she purred dangerously, smirking as she got on all fours. Ah¡­ well, if I wasn¡¯t hard before, I definitely was now. Still wet from her saliva, I rubbed my cock a few times to ensure it was at maximum capacity before looking back to Eris, only to quickly catch her as she pounced into my arms. ¡°In me. Now,¡± she growled before kissing me deeply. Nodding my head, I moved us to the edge of the bed as I repositioned her on myp, her knees lifting her up as I lined up my cock with her entrance. Wait¡­ this was a good time, right? ¡°Eri~ What¡¯s the magic words~?¡± I teased into her ear. ¡°Grr¡­ p-please,¡± she begged, shivering as I brushed my tip against her soaking slit. Good girl. Nodding my head, I pushed the tip inside, enjoying the feeling of her warm, wet folds engulfing me as she dropped her hips down, taking me to the hilt as I sunk into her as deeply as possible. Fuck¡­ that felt amazing. She was amazing, this was amazing¡­ it was all amazing. Grunting at the insertion, Eris quickly gotfortable, wrapping her legs around my sides and her arms around my neck as she began to roll her hips, causing my cock to dig into all of her depths. ¡°God¡­ you¡¯re so beautiful, Eri,¡± I whispered into her ear. ¡°You¡¯re perfect.¡± I felt her clench at my words as she began lifting her hips up and down along with her horizontal movement. ¡°K-Keep going,¡± she cried out. ¡°Praise me more!¡± Wrapping my arms tighter around her, I thrust my hips against hers, going along with her rhythm as Iplied with her request. ¡°Your eyes¡­ I love your eyes,¡± I cooed as we continued. ¡°T-They¡¯re¡­ so beautiful, and I love how they look at me specifically, how warm and loving they arepared to your usual fierceness.¡± I hissed as I felt her clench, the sound of her ass hitting my thighs only interrupted by the squelching as I continued fucking her. ¡°A-And I love making you feel good,¡± I continued, feeling myself getting closer. ¡°I like seeing you squirm, and the cute face you make when youe. I-I love all your expressions, but especially the ones only I get to see!¡± Oh god, I was getting even closer to my release. With her legs tightening their hold around me, I continued lifting my hips, trying to get deeper into her. ¡°I-I love your hair, especially when it¡¯s messy,¡± I said, running my hand through said hair and gently tugging on it to bring her face into my shoulder, muffling her cries of pleasure. I could tell. She was getting close as well. Good because¡­ she felt much too amazing tost. ¡°You are¡­ everything I need,¡± I said, tracing a hand down her naked back as she began to tremble. ¡°And I wouldn¡¯t be able to live without you so¡­¡± I then tugged her hair, pulling her head back to face me as I looked into her lidded eyes. She was biting her trembling lower lip, and her nose had gained a flush of red that trailed down to her cheeks. Yeah, that face¡­ she was very close. Practically there already. She just needed a little push¡­ and I knew exactly what would do it. Giving her a gentle, loving peck on her lips, I then pulled her close so that my mouth was in line with her ear before whispering, ¡°¡­Come for me.¡± I finished my words by gently biting her lobe, and I immediately felt my actions¡¯ effects. Her insides clenched around my cock, her body began to tremble, and her nails began to dig into my back. Knowing my dear Eris was in the throes of pleasure, and the fact that I had made her like this, I felt the feeling that had been building up be too much to hold back, a rippling sensation travelling from the tip of my fingers down to my toes as I erupted inside of her, filling her with my seed. Holding her close, I rubbed her back soothingly as we both came down from our pleasurable highs, her face nuzzling into my shoulder as I felt the sweat that was now coating her back. My cock going limp inside her, I gently turned around, cing her against the bed as I pulled out, releasing a mixture of cum and wetness that quickly dripped down her crotch and onto the bed. God¡­ that was hot. And now what I was like this, so close to her entrance, I could smell it. It was musky, the scent of sex. With both of our juices mixed together, and the scent of both of our natural odours allbined into one incredibly arousing aroma. Exhaling shakily, I summoned a ball of water to wash my face before looking back at Eris, her previously dreamy expression all but forgotten as she stared at me with hunger once again. ¡°Hey, Leon, are you done?¡± she said as she reached down, gently fingering herself as she swirled the cum and juices across her smooth skin. I quickly shook my head no. ¡°¡­Good,¡± she nodded. ¡°I want you on top now.¡± Quickly flushing my system with healing magic, my member returned to full mast as I began to crawl back over my lover. ¡°dly,¡± I said before capturing her lips. Ah¡­ I really do love this woman. I think I could do this forever. And so, while it was not forever, we did continue our act of lovemaking long into the night, while also keeping the promise to break the bed while doing so. But it would be a cheap expense. However, I was a bit concerned with the noise, especially with my sisters in the same building, but in the end¡­ I was able to put it out of my mind. After all, not only was I incredibly distracted to care about such things, but giving my dear Eris a proper send-off was much more important. Chapter 60 – A Guardian Fairy’s Resolve Chapter 60 ¨C A Guardian Fairy¡¯s Resolve ¡ª Sylphiette ¡ª As I slowly brought the spoon to my mouth, I couldn¡¯t help but look across the table at Eris, who was currently wearing a calm smile, her skin flushed in an inexplicable lustre. Well¡­ it would be inexplicable¡­ if it weren¡¯t for the sounds fromst night. Seriously, to think that Eris could make sounds like that¡­ sounds so sensual and¡­ erotic¡­ it was kind of a shock. And then there was her gait as she entered the room, slightly limping but with a proud smile stered across her face¡­ If Leon was able to reduce Eris to such a state¡­ what would he do to me? The thought sent a pleasant tingle through my body, flushing through my core and into my toes. After all, that experience sounded so very pleasant, even muted through the walls. So even more so than before¡­ I wanted to do it too, those naughty things with Leon. Especially after the advice I received from the princess this morning when I was getting her ready, about how to get Leon in the palm of my hands, as well as the gift I had received. I had some ideas, but¡­ well¡­ it was a bit too embarrassing, and I needed to clear some things up first. I then looked over at that very princess, noticing that she was currently smiling with rosy cheeks as her eyes danced between Eris and Leon. ¡­Right. There was that too. As I was guarding her, I remember quite vividly how she had stayed up much of the night ¡®tending¡¯ to herself to the noises across the wall, not even minding my presence as she climaxed with various lecherous expressions. Seriously¡­ I would say that Leon and Eris had corrupted Ariel with their¡­ loving activities, but I knew more than anyone that she was corrupted long before meeting them, and could not be corrupted any further. After all, in terms of erotic activities, Asuran nobility was quite¡­ amazing. Yeah¡­ amazing was one way to describe it. Anyway, Eris was leaving today, and knowing her, she wouldn¡¯t wait around for anyone. So if I wanted to talk to her, I had to do it now. ¡°Eris,¡± I said, calling out to her. ¡°Mm? What¡¯s wrong, Sylphy?¡± she said with a concerned tone. ¡­That was quite a change from her usual tone. Sex really was a miracle, huh? So Leon¡¯s thing could change even a girl like that¡­ No! Talking! I am going to talk with Eris, not think about that stuff! ¡°Can we¡­ talk? Privately?¡± I asked. ¡°Hm? Sure,¡± she nodded. ¡°I¡¯m done, so do you want to do it right now?¡± ¡°Please,¡± I said, getting up. Following her out of the door, we went a few steps down the hallway before she led me into Leon¡¯s room, where I was instantly hit with the scent ofst night. Did¡­ did Eris do this on purpose? If she did, I would have to thank her. It was¡­ nice. Yes, it was a very nice scent. ¡­I wanted to replicate it. ¡°So?¡± she said, closing the door behind her. ¡°Is something wrong, Sylphy?¡± Right, talking. pping my cheeks, I regained myposure as I forced myself to look away from the messy bed. ¡°Not¡­ necessarily, it¡¯s just about¡­¡± I said, firming my resolve as I looked up into Eris¡¯ zing red eyes. ¡°It¡¯s about us.¡± Yes, while there hadn¡¯t been any problems yet, this conversation needed to happen now. A conversation between the two of us, without Leon acting as interference. ¡°About you, me, Leon¡­ and Roxy too, I guess,¡± I rified. The first ¡®council of Leon¡¯s wives¡¯¡­ never mind, that sounded weird. Eris narrowed her eyes before nodding. ¡°Fine, but just so you know, I¡¯m not nning to lose.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you to,¡± I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t want any losers here. I want a big, happy family. One where we¡¯re all together¡­ But we need to talk to make it work.¡± Eris nodded her head once again before speaking, ¡°¡­So how do we start then?¡± I shook my head, ¡°We¡­ don¡¯t need to have a long conversation, though I want one when Roxyes. But¡­ I just wanted to rify some things.¡± ¡°rify¡­¡± Eris tilted her head. ¡°rify what?¡± Darn it, my mind is going everywhere! Okay¡­ let¡¯s do this, Sylphy! ¡°Well, first¡­ why we¡¯re like this in the first ce,¡± I said. ¡°We both love Leon¡­ right?¡± I mean, I thinkst night, as well as all the interactions they shared, told me enough, but I did want to make sure. ¡°More than anything,¡± she answered. ¡°Leon, he¡­ makes me feel warm. I¡­ want to feel that way all the time. Every morning and every night, and all the time in between¡­¡± Eris¡¯ eyes grew a little teary before she shook her head, grunting in frustration as she discretely wiped her eyes. Eris¡­ I knew she was a sweet girl, but this was too precious. That blush and that look¡­ she really did look like a maiden. ¡°So yeah, I want Leon- No. I need Leon,¡± she said with confidence, staring into my eyes. ¡°And I won¡¯t let him get away from me, because I love him.¡± Her gaze held firm for a few moments before her cheeks lit up, and she averted her gaze. ¡°T-That¡¯s enough of a rification, yeah?¡± Oh, Eris¡­ too cute. ¡°Yeah,¡± I nodded. ¡°And I love Leon too. He¡­ just the idea of being with him kept me going and always rescued my nights from being gued by nightmares. I¡­ want a family with him. A family that will always be there to catch me when I¡¯m sad, and one that will make sure I¡¯m never lonely.¡± Smiling softly, I pressed a hand against my beating heart, feeling the pounding rhythm as I voiced my confession of love to my fellow future co-wife. ¡°I love Leon. And unless it would make him sad¡­ I want to- no, I will be with him,¡± I said firmly. Seeing Eris smirk with a nod, I released a small sigh of relief that she wasn¡¯t angry with me. ¡°Now¡­ I want to make sure of another thing. I¡­ think of you as my friend, Eris. Equal only to Ariel,¡± I said, looking back to her. ¡°Do you¡­ feel the same?¡± Eris¡¯ cheeks gained a bit of colour before she suddenly crossed her arms, turning her head to the side as she huffed, ¡°¡­Obviously. Not like I have anyone else.¡± Smiling at her contradicting personality, I continued, ¡°Then¡­ if we both love Leon and Leon loves us, and we are both friends and want to continue doing so¡­ let¡¯s work together, okay? For a big, lovely family with all the warmth you could want.¡± Eris looked at me from the corner of her eyes, keeping her gaze on me for a moment before nodding. Okay, step one, establish our love for the same man:plete. ¡°And if we want to make such a family¡­ we have to remember that we¡¯re equal, and make sure we keep things that way,¡± I said seriously. ¡°No jealousy, and no fighting over Leon¡¯s affections. We can trust Leon to take care of things¡­ or at least I can¡­ and if he ends up being a bad boy, then we have to tell him!¡± While Eris¡¯ serious expression nearly cracked at me calling Leon a ¡®bad boy¡¯, she did eventually return to face me, smiling confidently. ¡°¡­Deal,¡± she said, sticking out her hand. ¡°And if you try to turn back on it, then I¡¯ll¡­ cut your hair. And I¡¯ll hate you.¡± Giggling lightly at her threat, I also reached out my hand to shake hers. ¡°Deal! Let¡¯s get along, Eris. For a loving family.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± she said, smiling. ¡°A loving family.¡± Staring in each other''s eyes, I felt my face rx as my grin grew softer. ¡°I¡¯m d Eris. I really didn¡¯t want to have to fight you,¡± I said. ¡°After all¡­ I love you too.¡± Eris¡¯ eyes opened wide in surprise as her cheeks began to burn. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ ah¡­ you¡­!¡± Hm? What was-? Oh¡­ did she take it that way? ¡°Fufu! Not that way, silly!¡± I giggled, lightly tapping her arm. ¡°O-Oh! O-Obviously!¡± she said, regaining some of herposure as she looked away with a huff. ¡°Yeah,¡± I nodded before looking down in thought. ¡°Although¡­ if Leon wanted to take us on together¡­ it¡¯s not like I¡¯d refuse.¡± Amused to see Eris begin to blush and stammer once again, I continued, ¡°The Princess knows a lot about pleasing girls from her ¡®conquests¡¯ and she told me a bit¡­ Plus, it would make it so we don¡¯t feel left out and alone during the night.¡± Eris, who had calmed herself, simply averted her eyes. ¡°Besides¡­ we¡¯ve slept together before, right?¡± I said, smiling at her. Eris¡¯ eyes darted away and back to me several times before she turned to open the door. ¡°I-I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll think about it!¡± And with the door mming behind her, she left, likely to pack up her things as she prepared to leave. Chuckling to myself, I smiled softly as I thought of the girl. Eris was¡­ well, she was very cute. Before, even though we were friends as kids, I used to think she was a little scary. But after dealing with assassins and truly terrible people, I knew that her harshness was just a shell for her kindness. And in Eris¡¯ case, even her harshness had a pleasant side to it. Kind of like a hot pepper. But anyway, I was d everything looked like it would work out. And I knew it could. After all, back when I was a child, I had seen how Zenith and Lilia were both happy being with Paul, they both felt loved, and showed that love in kind. They were a wonderful family. And that was despite the fact that Paul had betrayed Zenith and Lilia was originally their maid. So since everything between the three, possibly four of us was alreadymunicated and agreed upon about beforehand, we were in an even better ce than that. I was¡­ excited, to see where our family would go. But for now¡­ Walking over to the bed, I looked at the stains and leftover moisture thrown throughout the sheets. Wait¡­ why was it uneven? Oh, the frame was cracked¡­ was that fromst night¡¯s activities? I suppose they did go on for a while¡­ still, that¡¯s quite amazing. Now¡­ how could I exchange this pillowcase with mine without anyone knowing? And¡­ could I do the same with these sheets? ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Eris was to depart for the Sword Sanctum today, and thus, here we were, gathered around the main gate of the city to say goodbye. ¡°Be safe, Big Sis!¡± Norn said, hugging Eris tightly. ¡°And get super strong!¡± Aisha added, embracing her other side. Eris hugged them back, her arms tightening around my sisters¡¯ torsos as she kissed the top of their heads. ¡°I will, and I promise to. When I get back, I¡¯ll be super strong,¡± she said. ¡°So¡­ stay safe until then. And be good. Both of you.¡± They nodded, squeezing Eris onest time before letting go. ¡°We¡¯ll¡­ see youter, then?¡± Norn asked hesitantly. ¡°Yeah,¡± Eris nodded. ¡°Later.¡± She then walked up to me, and before I could reach out to hug her, she grabbed my face, pulling me into a deep, wet kiss as her tongue explored my mouth. Mmm¡­ minty¡­ did she have that ¡®toothpaste¡¯ Rudy had given us? It tasted good. Separating her mouth from mine, I reached up to grab her left hand before bringing it down between us. Now, with almost everything said, and a lot done the night before, there was only one thing left. ¡°Eri¡­ we¡¯re¡­ family now,¡± I said, brushing my thumb over her ring, feeling the coolness of the metal. ¡°This ring means you¡¯ll be my in the future wife, but past that, you¡¯re already my family, and I¡­ want my family reunited. I want it more than anything.¡± Letting go of her hand, I went up to caress her cheek, Eris herself leaning slightly into my touch as I gently rubbed my thumb along her cheek and jawline. ¡°So¡­ if you take too long, I¡¯lle and drag you back. Even if I must fight the Sword God himself,¡± I said, eliciting a smile from the girl. ¡°So¡­ be safe. Ande back to me.¡± Leaning forward, I gave her another kiss, this one gentle, where our love was transmitted and exchanged through our saliva and tongues, unlike the aggressive one from before that was filled with passion. Separating, I brushed my thumb along her lips, enjoying her trance-like state of narrowed eyes and a wide smile. ¡°I¡¯ll visit you in a year or two,¡± I said, pecking her lips onest time. ¡°And I love you, Eri¡­ a lot.¡± ¡°I¡­ love you too¡­ Leon,¡± she said, bringing her hand to squeeze mine before suddenly backing off. ¡°More than a lot.¡± She gave me onest smile before turning away. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m off,¡± she said, leaping onto her horse. ¡°I¡¯lle back to you. Absolutely. So, wait for me. And don¡¯t go snatching up another woman!¡± With that, she snapped the reins and began riding out of Sharia, the sound of galloping quickly fading with each passing second. Watching her departing form get smaller and smaller, Sylphy, who was standing beside me, spoke up, ¡°Are you sad?¡± ¡°No,¡± I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m going to miss her, but I¡¯m not sad.¡± After all, I had expected this, and more than that, I supported her decision. Though¡­ I really did miss her legs. And her breasts. And her lips and her- ¡°She didn¡¯t even look back, you know.¡± Hearing Luke¡¯s voice, I turned back to thest two people who hade to see Eris off, with Ariel giving her knight a firm re of dissatisfaction. So he was still angry at me? At this point I don¡¯t know if it was because I had Eris, because I didn¡¯t treat Ariel with reverence, or simply because of inadequacy, but¡­ I didn¡¯t really care. But to say that about Eris¡­ he really didn¡¯t understand her at all. ¡°I know,¡± I said, interrupting the princess who was about to speak up. ¡°That¡¯s why I love her. She¡¯s strong, steadfast, and once she makes a decision, she never looks back.¡± I then turned my head back to the road, enhancing my eyes to focus on Eris¡¯ form, only to see her head turned back, her mouth wide in a smile as I made out the words she shouted. ¡®I love you!¡¯ Damn¡­ I think my heart skipped a beat. ¡°Well¡­¡± I continued, smirking in satisfaction. ¡°Almost never looks back.¡± That was Eris Greyrat. The amazing woman I loved, and my future wife. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It was still the day of Eris¡¯ departure, and since we were leaving the next morning for our own journey, Rudy had decided to throw a small party with his friends at a local tavern to send us off. A party to which I was invited to, and an invitation I epted. After all, not only did I want to get to know the interesting characters from Rudy¡¯s stories about his time at the academy, but there was also a more¡­ depressing reason. Quite simply, I was lonely. Well¡­ that wasn¡¯t quite right. I had a pretty big family that I adored, three beautiful lovers who kept a special ce in my heart, and overall, many people who were important to me, but I stillcked¡­ friends. I mean¡­ maybe Ruijerd counted? But he felt more like a¡­rade, or a kind uncle. Perhaps Ariel, but she still felt a little¡­ odd to call my friend. She was Sylphy¡¯s employer, after all. So indeed, with the day soon to turn to night, I joined Rudy and Sara on their way to the tavern, where I was quickly introduced to their little merry band of buddies upon our arrival. First, there was Cliff Grimoire. ¡°So you¡¯re Rudeus¡¯ big brother? You don¡¯t look like much¡­ but I know appearances can be deceiving. Nice to meet you.¡± Cliff was¡­ an interesting fellow. A fifteen-year-old boy with dark brown hair and an obnoxious smirk, Cliff quickly followed his greeting by introducing himself in kind, going over his many advancements in the field of magic. He was talented, for sure, but I could tell that hecked a distinct taste for battle, even with his powerful collection of spells. But I suppose there was a need for the academic side of things too. And his strength coulde with experience. Next, there was Linia and Pursena, the duo of beastfolk princesses I had heard about and were the ones who travelled with Rudy after the Discement Incident all the way to Roa. ¡°Sniff sniff. Hmm~? You¡¯re quite strong, aren¡¯t ya? Good-looking too¡­ Hey, can you go with whichever one of us heads back to the Great Forest and make some babies? We have a lot of things boys like you enjoy, after all.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ afraid I¡¯ll have to refuse.¡± ¡°Hee~? I see. Anyway, more meat, please!¡± ¡­Nothing more to be said. They were objectively pretty, that for sure. With Pursena having long grey hair and a pair of drooping dog ears and a fluffy tail, and Linia having short grey hair with cat ears and a tail. I didn¡¯t need to know about theirparativelyrge breasts, nor did I want to, but I was forced to ept this truth as they pushed them up with their arms alongside their greeting. But aside from their¡­ slightly concerning initial request, the two of them were goodpany, though I do wish they didn¡¯t sniff around my crotch as soon as I sat down. I didn¡¯t need the entire bar to know that I did ¡®that¡¯ all night long, even if the beastfolk princesses were impressed. And then, there was Zanoba. Zanoba Shirone. He was¡­ a character, that was for sure. While royalty, I was pleased to learn that he didn¡¯t hold nearly as many annoying noble traditions as I had initially feared, but I could still understand the difference in status, especially when he flippantly ordered a round for the entire bar with a wave of a hand. He was also a Miko, like me, containing strength vastly above average, and when I used my Demon eye, I could see that every inch of his body was infused with touki. I¡­ didn¡¯t think it was possible, for someone to have their natural state like that, much less one who wasn¡¯t a warrior, but I suppose as a fellow Miko, I should just ept his¡­ oddities. Because there were many oddities. Anyway, I could handle this difference in strength quite easily by enhancing whatever part of my body was in contact with him, but the table¡­ well, it wasn¡¯t so lucky. The poor thing bursting into splinters as Zanobaughed at one part of my tales while mming down his hand. ¡­At least he was able to have fun. Andstly, there was Ginger, who didn¡¯t do much, just standing in the back of the tavern, waiting for any orders Zanoba would give her as she was his knight. But yeah, overall, it was a fun time of sharing drinks and stories. A lighthearted and cheerful atmosphere that I was sure my father would enjoy. ¡­We should do this once again after everyone is back together. Then, I could truly enjoy the alcohol and the ambience. But, as the night grew on, and everyone became increasingly drunk, it was eventually time to leave, as we still had a journey to begin in the morning while everyone else had sses. With a promise to do the same thing again on our return, I quickly flushed the alcohol from my system to not risk a hangover before walking back to the inn. Sara and Rudy, however, were quite¡­ pent-up, at least if that sudden make-out session during the party was anything to go by, so the two of them went off alone to an inn to¡­ conclude some business. I was d for them, absolutely, but I do hope they would control themselves once we started travelling together. After all, no matter how loving their activities were¡­ I didn¡¯t want to see or hear that. With me heading back to the inn, I silently crept up the steps to my room, opening the door and closing it behind me, only to find Sylphy sitting in my bed, waiting for my return. Not only that, she was also dressed in nothing but lingerie, giving me a very clear view of many of the ces of her body I had yet to see. ¡­Huh? Did I¡­ miss something? ¡°Sylphy? What-¡± I was stopped as Sylphy suddenly stood up, taking a few brisk steps toward me before wrapping her arms around my neck, pulling me down, and locking her lips with mine in an intense kiss. Well¡­ I was confused, but I wouldn¡¯t decline such an action. Worshipping her lips and dancing my tongue along hers, I eventually lightly pushed her back, asking her my previously interrupted question once again. ¡°Sylphy? Not that I hate it, just¡­ What¡¯s with this?¡± I said. ¡°W-Well,¡± she said, tucking a strand of silver hair behind her flushed ears. ¡°You gave Eris some ¡®love¡¯ before she left, right? And you¡¯re leaving tomorrow, so¡­ can you do the same for me?¡± Those were dangerous words, Sylphy. But she was right. If I wanted to make my selfish rtionship work, I would have to put in the work so that everyone was equal and, most importantly, happy. Only kissing though. But I knew that kissing could be plenty enjoyable even by itself. So, cupping her cheek, I took my free hand in hers as I led her to the bed, pushing her down to sit beside me. ¡°Okay,¡± I whispered before leaning forward, once again capturing her lips in a kiss. After all, I was going to miss Sylphy too. In some ways, even more than Eris, as unlike my red-haired maiden, I hadn¡¯t been spending the past four years straight with my beautiful fairy. So¡­ while not the exact same, I decided to give Sylphy her own version of a ¡®send-off¡¯. We continued to make out, using our rtively little experience with each other to guide us forward as my tongue explored her mouth and my hands traced her body. She was so¡­ soft¡­ and so small, too. Much different than Eris, who had the body of a talented and experienced swordswoman, with muscles and hardness ced here and there under her soft curves. I didn¡¯t have a preference, of course. They were both wonderful in different ways. But it was a somewhat new and exciting experience. So, with my heart pounding with love and¡­ slight lust, I decided to indulge in this breathtaking girl of mine. She tasted sweet, and her lips were extremely light, almost ticklish. And before I knew it, she had moved to atop myp with our arms wrapped tightly around each other, both of us pulling each other snug against the other as we continued exploring each other¡¯s mouths. It was almost¡­ intoxicating. More so than the alcohol from before. The needy way she sucked on my lip¡­ how she sometimes clicked our teeth together, hinting at her inexperience¡­ the way her hands eagerly gripped my hair¡­ Ah, and I had gotten hard a while ago, not helped by the fact she was slowly rolling her bottom on top of myp, making me feel many things and nearly causing my sanity to break. Deciding that it had gone a little too far, especially after the way she moaned once I yed with her ear, I separated from Sylphy, a trail of drool dripping down her mouth that was spread into a hazy smile. ¡°More¡­¡± she said sensually, licking her lips. ¡­I was definitely going to punish Ariel for this. Somehow, in one form or another, I knew that this extremely¡­ dangerous Sylphy was all that princess¡¯ fault. ¡°No¡­ you¡¯re not even fourteen,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°You haven¡¯t be an adult yet, so¡­ no.¡± Sylphy pouted before biting her lip, slowly rolling her hips against my groin as she looked up at me. ¡°If I¡¯m not an adult, then¡­ make me one,¡± she said in a sinful and breathy voice that made my body freeze. Taking advantage of my state, she leaned forward to whisper in my ear, ¡°If I¡¯m a girl¡­ then make me a woman¡­¡± Her tongue danced across the lobe of my ear, making me shiver as she finished her plea, ¡°¡­Your woman.¡± ¡­Fuck. She was close. Too close. ¡­And I didn¡¯t want to push her away. ¡°Pin me down to the bedside, Leon, and make me scream,¡± she continued, her silky voice poisoning my ears. ¡°Teach me everything I don¡¯t know, just like when we were kids¡­ Please, teacher~?¡± Ohh shit. Just what happened to her? The royal pce¡¯s perversion hadpletely corrupted my sweet, cute, and innocent Sylphy way more than I thought before. But¡­ I had to admit¡­ they did seem to have good lines. Sylphy then separated from me, reaching over to the bedside table before taking a ss vial of liquid. What? What was that? ¡°¡­This¡­ I want my first time to be with you, okay? Right here, right now.¡± Finishing her words, she then uncorked the vial and downed its contents before smashing her lips against mine, the foreign liquid dancing between our mouths as we both swallowed it down. I wasn¡¯t nning on swallowing it, but as soon as it touched my tongue¡­ I couldn¡¯t resist. We continued to kiss even more as I felt my arousal heighten to new levels and noticed things I never had about the beautiful girl in front of me. Those cute ears¡­ I wanted to suck on them. Her shoulders, so thin and petite¡­ I wanted to hold them down. That sultry tone of her voice¡­ I wanted to make it strained and breathless. That cute face, looking at me with such desire and excitement¡­ I wanted to see all the different expressions it could make. Ah, fuck¡­ Sylphy¡­ why did she look so appealing right now? I¡­ wanted to make her mine. Wait. Make her mine? That wasn¡¯t right. Wasn¡¯t¡­ wasn¡¯t she already mine? I separated from her, ignoring the string of saliva between us as I grabbed her hand, looking at the green ring affixed to her finger. Yeah¡­ she was mine. So¡­ this was fine, right? ¡°Sylphy¡­ I¡¯m warning you right now, onest time¡­¡± I said as I looked back at her face, breathing deeply in an attempt to rein in my lust. ¡°If you want to back out, now¡¯s your chance.¡± Licking her lips, she then took our held hand and brought it down between her legs, pressing against her panties as I felt the wetness of her entrance through the fabric. ¡°I want you to do everything to me,¡± she purred, leaning her mouth towards my ear as she began rubbing my fingers against her crotch. ¡°I told you already, Leon~ I want you to make me yours.¡± Taking in her words, I quickly found the itching heat I had been holding back much too strong to stop, grabbing her shoulders and throwing her to the bed as I began to undress. I hadpletely sumbed to her seduction. Sylphy had won, and I had lost, and as her prize, she would be rewarded with her first time, and whatever else she wanted me to do to her. For this wonderful fairy of mine to have her first taste of intimacy¡­ I would have to make sure it was wonderful, in a way that was exciting but also conveyed the love I felt for her. With that promise in my heart, we then shared our first night together, with only one thought pervading the back of my mind throughout the extremely pleasurable experience. Am I¡­ actually quite weak to women? Or perhaps, I was only so weak to those I already held dear. Chapter 61 – Farewells Chapter 61 ¨C Farewells ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It was the next morning, and with the two horses prepared, their saddles packed with our supplies for theing journey, we were ready to depart. Unfortunately, while the horses would be great for getting to the nearby ruins, because of the sand, the horses would only be useful on the Begaritt Continent as food, so that meant we needed someone to take them back. Thankfully, Ginger had volunteered to do so without any payment. Or rather¡­ Zanoba had volunteered her, but¡­ that was beside the point. As I checked thest of the supplies, ensuring we had enough food tost the expected two-week journey until the first settlement in case we didn¡¯t run into any edible monsters, and a collection of spices in case we did, I felt my gaze drifting back to the four people who hade to see us off. Or rather, to be more specific, my eyes had wandered to Sylphy, who for the moment, had removed her ¡®Fitz¡¯ persona, so I could see her beautiful red eyes. This morning was also the first time Sylphy and Rudy finally met after many years apart, but that was beside the point. ¡­I can¡¯t believe I went and did it. I don¡¯t even understand¡­ even with those sensual words and actions, I felt that I was able to hold myself back with the thought that once she turned fifteen, I would be able to indulge all I wanted, but¡­ I went and indulged a year and a half early. I me my growing libido, and I me Ariel as well. At least I kept my sanity enough to cast a contraception spell, so I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about any little Sylphys or Leons growing upon my return. My eyes met hers, causing memories ofst night to y through my mind, all the expressions that cute face disyed and the passionate sounds she made¡­ Well, even if it was a bit premature, I couldn¡¯t call such an enjoyable time a mistake. Though I would try to rein in such actions when I came back. Besides, while the intense actions of love were great, I was also able to see the cute, innocent Sylphy once again as we cuddled in the afterglow until we fell asleep. She really was perfect to hug. Like a teddy bear. Sylphy also seemed to think back to our recent first time, as after staring at each other for a few moments, she quickly looked away, her cheeks flushing as she anxiously toyed with a lock of hair. ¡­Cute. But how could such a bashful girl be that incarnation of lust and sexiness fromst night? Moving my gaze over to Ariel, I saw as she finished giggling into her hand, her eyes narrowing at me as she formed a smug smile. ¡­I knew it. That damn princess definitely had something to do with it. But I was still a bit confused¡­ ever since Eris¡¯ send-off, and even more afterst night, Ariel had been ncing at me a lottely, her cheeks flushing a bit every time. ¡­Odd. Was she¡­ excited by such things? I would say that a princess couldn¡¯t be, but¡­ I knew that if it was Ariel, she certainly could. Rudy, noticing the interaction between Sylphy and me, and likely remembering the previous interactions we shared during the morning as well, narrowed his eyes in suspicion. ¡°Leon¡­ what¡¯s with the odd atmosphere between you and Sylphy?¡± he asked. ¡°Did¡­ something happen?¡± Looking over to his face, I quickly turned my head away, trying to put our night into the right words. ¡°We decided to do some¡­ endurance training.¡± Perfect. ¡°¡­Oh,¡± was all Rudy said. He already knew that the silver-haired fairy was promised to me and that Eris knew that, but it must have still been a shock to learn of our rtionship¡¯s¡­ maturity. Sylphy¡¯s head then turned back to me, our eyes meeting for another moment before she once again diverted them, this time also crossing her legs, gently rubbing her thighs against each other. Haa¡­ ¡°¡­Disgusting,¡± Sara said from the side, looking at me with a slight frown. I don¡¯t know whether it was because Sylphy was now my second partner, because she was not an adult yet, or simply because Sara didn¡¯t want to know about that stuff, but getting called that brought back memories of me doing the same to my father. I had promised not to be like Paul, dammit! ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel nice hearing such scathing words from my sister,¡± I sighed. ¡°Huh? Sister?¡± Sara said, confused. Oh? Well, I guess I hadn¡¯t articted this just yet, so this was a good time to do so, while also moving the topic away from Sylphy and I. ¡°Yeah,¡± I nodded. ¡°You¡¯re Rudy¡¯s beloved, right? And from what I can tell, you two are pretty serious, so you¡¯re my sister.¡± She looked at me with wide eyes, stunned at my words, before eventually voicing out, ¡°So¡­ you really think of me as a sister?¡± ¡°Naturally,¡± I said, turning to face her. ¡°You¡¯re part of my family, Sara. And because of that, I will do everything I can to keep you safe and happy. Though¡­ I think I can leave the happiness part to my brother.¡± Sara, rendered speechless, slowly turned her head back to her bag, going through another check of her supplies without a word. ¡°Brother¡­ can you not seduce my beloved girlfriend?¡± Rudy said. ¡°I have absolutely no interest,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°I¡¯m only allowed three, after all.¡± Besides, I wanted Sara to know I thought of her as family, so there was nothing wrong with voicing my true thoughts. ¡°Right¡­¡± As Rudy slowly sighed, Aisha and Norn both came up to me. ¡°Brother!¡± ¡°Big Brother¡­¡± Leaning down, I took them both in my arms, lifting them as I stood up straight and resting them against my hips. Haa¡­ I remember when I could carry them both in my arms¡­ when my shoulders seemed like the tallest ce in the world¡­ They were getting bigger. And fast too. Dammit, no crying! ¡°Be good for Sylphy, okay?¡± I said, looking into both of their eyes. ¡°And try to find something you want to do at the university too, but most importantly¡­ have fun.¡± I kissed both of their noses, making them giggle slightly. ¡°That tickles!¡± Nornughed. Smiling at their cuteness, which unlike their height had remained the same, they both calmed down before leaning forward, simultaneously wrapping their arms around my neck in a tight hug. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ we¡¯ll miss you,¡± Aisha said. ¡°Mmm,¡± Norn nodded. ¡°I know,¡± I said, soothingly patting their backs. ¡°But I¡¯ll be back soon, and I¡¯ll be bringing our whole family together when I do.¡± Ah¡­ thinking about it now, this is the first time we¡¯d be separated in four years¡­ that¡¯s a depressing thought. But it wasn¡¯t all bad. I was excited to see how much they¡¯ve grown when I came back, even if it might pain me a bit to have not seen that growth as it happened. My sweet sisters would grow into the most amazing women after all. ¡°Once Ie back¡­ we¡¯ll get a big house, okay?¡± I said calmly. ¡°We¡¯ll all live together again, as one giant family.¡± With the two of them nodding their heads and both giving me a kiss on the cheek, I slowly let them back down to the ground. Scuffling her toes in the dirt with her head down, Norn then reached into her coat before pulling out a small wooden carving of a sword. ¡°Here, Brother¡­ this is for you.¡± Taking it gently in my hand, I examined the carving with a wide smile, instantly marking its simrities to my very own sword. It seems that Norn got quite good at whittling. Her brother was very proud. ¡°Thank you, Norn. I¡¯ll make sure to keep it safe.¡± Taking off my Migurd ne from Roxy, I undid the string as I formed a thin needle out of earth magic, poking a hole through the handle of Norn¡¯s gift as I then thread it through the string. ¡°Now I¡¯ll always have it on me!¡± I said, putting the ne back on. I was a bit worried about how she would feel about creating a hole in her carving, but she didn¡¯t seem to mind, instead smiling happily at how I had decided to keep her gift close to my heart¡­ literally. Aisha, who was pouting slightly, then also revealed a gift, taking out a grey wool cap that she had seemingly sewn herself. I had noticed she was working on a project¡­ to think it was for me. I was very happy. So much that my cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling. ¡°I¡­ know this will be useless in the Begaritt Continent, but it can be used for the way there at least¡­¡± Aisha said, her expression forming a dissatisfied frown. ¡°¡­You can leave it behind to not waste space.¡± ¡°Nothing you give me is useless, Aisha,¡± I said as I took the cap, cing it on my head. As expected, it fit perfectly. ¡°That¡¯s something you¡¯d say, Big Brother,¡± Aisha grumbled. ¡°Because it¡¯s true,¡± I said, patting her head. ¡°Begaritt is hot, so I can soak this in cold water with magic to keep my head cold. So thank you, Aisha, for your heartwarming and useful gift.¡± Aisha¡¯s pout slowly transformed into a smile as I continued patting her head. Good. That smile was too cute to be hidden away. ¡°I don¡¯t have a gift right now, but I¡¯ll bring you two back some rare stuff you can only get there, okay?¡± I said. ¡°I heard they have quite extravagant spices and ssware.¡± My eyes then drifted to their necks, where an old, worn stone was still tied with a string. Damn¡­ that brings back memories. I had created that when we first arrived at the Demon Continent, so the barrier magic was long exhausted, especially after my blood had been washed off with many rains and baths. At this point, it was just a useless stone on a string, but still, they wore it regardless. Even when the previous string became too small and frayed, they adamantly refused to remove it, instead deciding to rece the string in Millishion and keep it as a memento. It made me feel very warm, that was for sure, but if they wanted to keep that stone, I should try to get a better ne to go with it. Hmm¡­ maybe silver? Or would gold be better? Ah, I guess I¡¯ll decide there. As it was now time to depart, I walked up to Sylphy before leaving, her hesitant eyes slowly finding their way to mine. ¡­I really can¡¯t believe that this innocent looking girl was the same one who asked me so sensually to ¡®make her a woman¡¯st night, but¡­ that was just part of her charm, I suppose. ¡°I¡¯ll be going, Sylphy,¡± I said, brushing my hand across her ear to hold her head. She exhaled softly as I did so. Right, as I had learned very wellst night, her ears were sensitive. ¡°I know¡­ but you¡¯ll be back soon, right?¡± she asked with upturned eyes. ¡°Exactly.¡± I then leaned down, capturing her lips in a kiss as my tongue danced across her teeth. Our kiss deepened, with Sylphy wrapping her arms around my neck as we eagerly tasted each other, ensuring this final kiss would cement itself in our memories during our time apart. ¡°Ahem!¡± However¡­ it seemed that we had both gotten too into it. ¡°While I appreciate how much Big Brother and Big Sis Sylphy love each other¡­ I think you should be more mindful of your surroundings,¡± Aisha said with a giggle. We separated at that, with Sylphy¡¯s face growing increasingly red as her eyes darted around, seeing the surprised and flustered states of Rudy, Sara, Norn, Ginger, and even Ariel. I was not so embarrassed. After all, love was beautiful, and Sylphy¡¯s lips tasted wonderful. And because they tasted so wonderful, I traced my tongue across her lips a final time, wiping off the saliva that had escaped and causing her to shiver. ¡°I love you, Sylphy,¡± said with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s still not the time for kids, but¡­ when I get back, we can start that happy family.¡± ¡°O-Okay,¡± she said, her moistened lips spreading into a wide smile. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you¡­ and I love you too, Leon.¡± Nodding at her, I then turned to Ariel, the final person I needed to say goodbye to. ¡°Princess¡­ I made sure to watch out for anyone, and found nothing, so I don¡¯t think you will find any enemies here,¡± I said. ¡°But still, stay safe until I return.¡± She smiled back at me. ¡°While I appreciate your concern, I have been able to survive in worse situations without you,¡± she said calmly. ¡°Besides, if you say those words to a woman, you might annoy your wives~¡± She giggled lightly into her hand as I continued staring at her, not reacting in the slightest to her teasing. ¡°Sylphy, Aisha, and Norn¡­ I am entrusting my family, the most important part of my life, to you, Ariel,¡± I said in a serious tone, causing her to freeze. ¡°I am not one to trust someone with such a thing lightly, so¡­ don¡¯t make me regret it. Please.¡± She removed her hand as she stared at me, her eyes firm in resolve. ¡°I promise to keep them safe, Leon Greyrat,¡± she said before softening her expression into a smile, though¡­ it seemed a little¡­ forced. ¡°¡­How vexing. Like this, I can¡¯t help but feel a bit jealous¡­¡± she murmured to herself, shaking her head. ¡°However, hopefully, I will be able to receive some of that overprotectiveness upon your return¡­ Be well, Leon Greyrat. I wish you sess in finding your family.¡± She wanted to receive my overprotectiveness? Oh, right. I did promise to be on her side when I came back. ¡°Thanks,¡± I said in return. ¡°And¡­ same to you.¡± And with that final, pleasant farewell, we then began our journey into the forest. Today would be my first experience with the Begaritt Continent. Today¡­ would be the beginning of the end of my grand quest, four years in the making. Soon¡­ I would be reuniting with all my family. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª The journey to the forest had been easy, with Ginger kindly taking the horses back as we reached the treeline. While there were monsters in the forest, they were quite easy to deal with. With me using my Demon eye, I scouted for any enemies, avoiding them when we could, and either me or Rudy dealing with them when we couldn¡¯t. And like so, we easily made our way through the monster-infested forest towards the marked location. ¡°So, ording to Nanahoshi¡¯s notes, it should be around here¡­¡± Rudy said. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see,¡± I said, activating my Demon eye once again. Scanning the surroundings, it didn¡¯t take long for me to notice a¡­ distortion of mana. Weird. When I had heard of the barrier blocking the ruins from themon eye, I had expected there to be a veil of mana, simr to Ariel¡¯s transformation magic, but to me, it looked like it was hiding the mana itself¡­ If I was just passing by, and didn¡¯t know about the ruin, I likely wouldn¡¯t have even noticed it. ¡°It¡¯s here,¡± I said. ¡°So? What do we do now? Break it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so violent, brother¡­¡± Rudy sighed. Sara just stared at me in confusion. ¡°Is there something on my face?¡± I asked. ¡°No, it¡¯s just¡­ are you truly an adventurer?¡± she asked. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to treat stuff like this with caution, you know.¡± Oh¡­ was that the case? I didn¡¯t really care for that stuff, though. At the moment, this was just a way to get to Mama quicker, that¡¯s it, and being an adventurer was just a job to hasten our journey across the world while gaining some money. ¡°Just¡­ give me a moment,¡± Rudy said, kneeling in front of a stone tablet. He then ced his hand on the stone, muttering some words under his breath as I watched the surroundings, ensuring nothing would ambush us. And then, a momentter, the space in front of me distorted, revealing an old, worn, overgrown stone monument. ¡°¡­Damn,¡± I said. ¡°So this is it?¡± ¡°I would hope so¡­¡± Sara said. ¡°¡­Yep, this is the ce,¡± Rudy said in a simr state of amazement. ¡°Magic is truly amazing, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I said. With me walking forward, Rudy and Sara followed behind as we entered the first room, my Demon eye scanning for any traps, or at least those activated by mana, while I kept my body enhanced with touki in case there were any mechanical ones. There seemed to be a few rooms in the ruin, with one of them storing winter robes, likely meant to be used when Orsted arrived here from a different climate. We had also decided to use this efficient strategy by leaving our winter clothes here and changing into some light robes for the expected heat of the Begaritt Continent. After all, we wanted to pack light, so we could get to Rapan as fast as possible. Luckily, despite my caution, there were no traps, as it seemed that whoever made this ce thought the barrier was enough, and looking around the ce, the only mana I could see was from aplicated circle down a small stairway, which was likely the teleportation circle that we would be using. But speaking of that barrier¡­ ¡°Do you have to say that chant again?¡± I asked Rudy. ¡°So no one else stumbles in here, I mean.¡± ¡°No, I think it closes automatically,¡± he said. ¡°At least, there¡¯s nothing in the notes about it.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Well, even if someone stumbled across this, which was unlikely enough, I doubt they would decide against stepping on some random magic circle. ¡­Hopefully. Adventurers could be stupid, after all, like that person who wanted to sit in my seat the day I met Rudy. Reaching the bottom of the stairway, we entered the dpidated room, with vines sprawling across the cracked stone walls and moss growing here and there. It¡­ obviously wasn¡¯t well-maintained, and likely not often visited, judging by the dust coating the ground, so my small fear that we would randomly encounter Orsted had lessened slightly. ¡°Wow¡­ it¡¯s truly a ssic ¡®forest ruins¡¯ trope,¡± Rudy muttered. ¡°What are you going on about?¡± I asked. ¡°Nothing,¡± he shook his head with a smile. ¡°Now¡­ this must be it, right?¡± All three of our gazes fell onto therge magic circle sketched across the stone floor at the centre of the room. ¡°To think¡­ after everything we¡¯ve been through¡­ we¡¯d be willingly teleporting,¡± I said with a slight frown. ¡°¡­How ironic.¡± Especially considering that we were using this to save my mothers, who were only in danger due to the teleportation disaster¡­ Really, it was super ironic. I just hope this thing doesn¡¯t screw us over. Rudy then took out Nanahoshi¡¯s notebook, tracing his finger across the paper as he summoned a ball of fire to give us some light. ¡°It¡­ seems to be the same thing written down,¡± Rudy said as he took out another book. ¡°But let¡¯s see if we can confirm it.¡± He then began reading through the book he had brought from the academy, detailing an adventurer party¡¯s expedition into a teleportationbyrinth. I had briefly read through it on the ride here, and while most of it was about adventure and tragedy, there were some pieces of wisdom sprinkled in there, mostly detailing many of the teleportation traps that they had encountered. ¡°Huh¡­ I can see some simrities, so¡­ this should be good,¡± Rudy said, standing up and snapping his book shut. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± I nodded in response as I held out my hand. With Rudy grabbing Sara and my¡¯s hands, so we wouldn¡¯t be separated during our teleportation, we then stepped onto the circle. Uhh¡­ nothing was happening. ¡°¡­Do we have to activate it-?¡± My question was cut off as I was suddenly assaulted with a dizzying feeling and, a momentter, I found myself standing in a very familiar room. It looked extremely simr to the room we were just in, but there were some differences. The most obvious one being that instead of moss and tree roots pervading the stone walls, now, there were small piles of sand. ¡°¡­It seems that we¡¯re here,¡± I said, stepping forward. ¡°But to think it automatically activated¡­ how odd.¡± I had seen mana flowing through the magic circle¡¯s lines, so it wasn¡¯t entirely surprising that it could work, but I wasn¡¯t able to spot any power source for said mana when I looked over it. And activating my Demon eye, I could see that it was the same case here. ¡­Well, I guess it doesn¡¯t really matter. ¡°You two okay?¡± I asked. ¡°Huh? Ah¡­ yeah,¡± Rudy said, nodding. ¡°Just¡­ felt a bit familiar, is all.¡± Familiar? ¡°You mean the teleporting?¡± I asked. ¡°Something like that¡­¡± ¡­Weird. ¡°And you, Sara?¡± I asked. ¡°¡­Yeah,¡± she nodded, getting over her momentary state of shock. ¡°Just was a bit startling. To think we¡¯ve traversed months'' worth of travel in an instant¡­ I can see why teleportation magic was forbidden.¡± ¡°True¡­¡± Rudy nodded. ¡°Imagine an army suddenly showing up like this¡­ that¡¯s terrifying.¡± Yeah. Teleportation magic seemed¡­ extremely useful. Both in general life and in a fight. I would hold off for now, but even if it was forbidden¡­ I wanted to learn it. ¡°Well¡­ no time to waste,¡± I said, adjusting the strap of my bag and soaking my gifted cap with water magic. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Receiving two nods, we then began heading up the stairs, only to stop a momentter as Rudy suddenly interrupted us, ¡°Wait, should we check if we can get back to the other side?¡± ¡°¡­No,¡± I shook my head. ¡°Even without teleportation, we would be crossing here to get back home anyway. If one of us teleports and suddenly can¡¯t return, that would be extremely troublesome.¡± ¡°I guess¡­¡± Rudy shrugged as we continued. As we reached the first floor, I instantly felt the change in temperature, as well as noticing the few footsteps marking the sand-covered floor. ¡°Those are¡­ Orsted¡¯s, right?¡± Rudy said, looking down. I guess he noticed them too. ¡°Orsted? Who¡¯s that?¡± Sara asked. ¡°No one, Sara, and as for these footsteps¡­ probably,¡± I shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s just make sure we don¡¯t stay here too long.¡± I didn¡¯t want to ever see that guy again, after all. Especially when I had only gotten a bit stronger in the year since my absolute beat-down. ¡°Yeah¡­ let¡¯s do that,¡± Rudy nodded. We then exited the ruin, revealing a vast expanse of sand dunes as far as the eye could see. It was¡­ deste. To the point where it reminded me of the Demon Continent, without a hint of civilization in sight. And it was also¡­ ¡°It¡¯s fucking hot!¡± Sara said, fanning herself with her hands. ¡°You¡¯re telling me¡­ I really have to thank Aisha,¡± I said, cooling down my soaked cap. But as soon as I went to cool it down, I noticed that much of the previous moisture had already evaporated. ¡­It wasn¡¯t just hot here, it was fucking boiling. ¡°¡­Well, other than getting Mama and Lilia earlier, I guess this is another reason to go fast,¡± I grumbled, taking out my canteen in preparation for theing dehydration as the other two nodded in agreement. ¡°Rudy, can you refill our water? I¡¯ll keep a cool breeze on us the entire time.¡± ¡°Got it, Brother,¡± he nodded. Since generating water used up way more mana, I decided to leave that task to him. Also, I couldn¡¯t exactly trust Rudy with breezes after his disys during our childhood, even if he had grown up. Even with my time crossing the world, I had still never seen so many panties at once¡­ truly, I was d he had calmed down his lust after meeting Sara. And so, with our direction decided with a nce of our map, we then began our journey north to the city of Rapan, where my Mama was hopefully still waiting for me, or at least some information about her, as well as my father and his group. We continued at a smooth pace as the sun passed its apex, avoiding most monsters with my enhanced eyesight as we jogged through the difficult terrain. Fucking sand¡­ after this, I definitely hated sand. Luckily, with Sara being an active girl, and Rudy keeping up with his training despite being a magician, there were no issues with stamina during our trek, with the only breaks being taken to drink some water, cool down, or remove the sand from our shoes. But, unfortunately, our luck of avoiding enemies didn¡¯tst forever, as we soon found ourselves facing a pair ofrge scorpion-like monsters. They were about two meters in length, with two long tails, both fitted with a stinger each, and a hard green carapace protecting their bodies. From what I could remember from my brief research¡­ these were Twin Death Scorpions, a B-rank monster that roamed the desert of the Begaritt Continent. Luckily, even though they were B-rank, their most dangerous trait was the poison that was injected by its stinger, and since I could remove it with detoxification magic, its biggest threat was nullified. As I was about to step forward and put them down, I was stopped by both Rudy and Sara. ¡°Brother, you¡¯ve been constantly casting wind magic, and you dealt with most of the monsters in the forest,¡± Rudy said. ¡°Let us deal with this.¡± ¡°Besides, you haven¡¯t seen us in action, right?¡± Sara said, drawing an arrow. ¡°We¡¯re not your little sisters. We¡¯re S-rank adventurers. You should know the strength of your allies.¡± ¡°¡­Sure,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± I knew they were strong, and again, I could always heal and detoxify them, so I wasn¡¯t worried. Plus¡­ I wanted to see how they fought. Both together as a team, and also their individual skills. Especially¡­ ¡°Hiya!¡± Sara shouted, releasing an arrow. The projectile flew through the air before easily prating the first monster¡¯s eye, or at least one of them, causing it to screech in pain. ¡­What? While I had only seen an archer inbat a couple of times, I did know one thing. Arrows¡­ shouldn¡¯t fly that fast, nor should they be able to prate a B-rank monster so easily. I could understand if it was some sort of magic item, but I had seen Sara carve some of her arrows during our walk through the forest. ¡­Interesting. I watched as the battle continued, the couple showing off their perfect coordination as Rudy immobilized the scorpions by sinking them into the ground, while also creating tforms by raising the ground, which Sara used to jump around the monsters, sinking arrow after arrow into the spots between their armour with perfect uracy as she manoeuvred around them for optimal angles. And then, with a Stone Cannon shooting out from the tip of Rudy¡¯s staff, the same one he had gotten for his tenth birthday, the monsters were killed instantly as the projectile flew through their bodies. ¡°Well done¡­¡± I said in slight amazement and shock. Their coordination was perfect. Even better than mine and Eris¡¯. And Rudy¡¯s magic was just as amazing as I had expected. But that wasn¡¯t what had startled me. As soon as she harmed a B-rank monster with a mere arrow, I became suspicious of Sara, and thus, activated my Demon eye to see exactly what was going on. And so, I saw it. Her arrows¡­ they were enhanced with touki. That¡­ that should be impossible. Aside from being useful for assassinations with poisoned arrows and against unassuming warriors, there was a reason why archers were seen as weak. Their power was¡­ normal. Arrows could only go as fast as you pulled back on the bow, which could only be pulled back so far without it turning into siege equipment. And that was because of touki. Unlike with one¡¯s body, or swords, spears, and all weapons that could be constantly held, arrows could not be enhanced with touki. After all, once the arrow was let loose, it lost the physical connection with the archer, meaning touki could no longer flow through the object. But Sara did just that. ¡­What the hell? Was I¡­ wrong about touki? ¡­I would have to ask her. ¡°That was great, you two,¡± I said, pping in astonishment. ¡°And Sara¡­ I¡¯m amazed that you can infuse your touki with arrows. I didn¡¯t even think that was possible.¡± Instead of epting my earnest praise with a smile, Sara only looked back at me, tilting her head in confusion. ¡°¡®Touki¡¯? What¡¯s that? And what do you mean I can infuse it into my arrows?¡± she asked. ¡­Huh? ¡°Wait a second,¡± I said, rubbing my forehead. ¡°How¡­ No, first, what do you do when shooting an arrow.¡± ¡°What do I do? Hmm¡­¡± she said, adopting a thinking pose. ¡°Well¡­ first, I focus on the draw, make sure I¡¯m aiming straight, and then, as I release, I be ¡®one with the arrow¡¯. Keeping up my concentration as the arrow finds its target.¡± Fucking shit! She was an instinctual type, just like Paul, but worse! At least an experienced swordsman could understand the dumb words he said and everything about ¡®feeling it¡¯, but no one would understand Sara, because as far as I knew, there were no other archers who could do that. ¡°¡­So, you just¡­ concentrate,¡± I said in exasperation. ¡°Bing ¡®one with the arrow¡¯ and such.¡± ¡°Yep! Archery is simple like that,¡± she said, winking at me with a smile. ¡°Just practice!¡± ¡­Right. Well, if she was this good without even knowing what she was doing¡­ perhaps I could help her be a bit stronger. I was also interested in her unintentionally groundbreaking technique, after all. Chapter 62 – The Begaritt Continent Chapter 62 ¨C The Begaritt Continent ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª The sun had set, marking the end of our first day on the Begaritt Continent, and the start of our first night. With a meal of an unlucky desert hare that caught my sight, and some dehydrated veggies mixed in a soup, we quickly set up camp with Rudy creating a dome of earth as our shelter. I could do the same, of course, but not as concentrated as he could, nor without worry about running out of mana. Having a talented magician as a younger brother definitely had its perks. Anyway, with our bellies full, and our camp prepared, the three of us then got ready to sleep for the day, with me heating up some rocks to stave off the cold of the desert night. Luckily, with a certain barrier spell, as well as my natural instincts, I was confident in being rmed before a monster could harm us, and even if we got ambushed, Rudy¡¯s temporary shelter had the defensive capabilities of a fort. So, in short, we would be fine not taking night shifts. ¡°Hey¡­ Leon?¡± Sara said as she sat up next to the already-snoring Rudy. ¡°Yeah?¡± I answered, minding my voice, so I didn¡¯t identally wake up my brother. ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re good at swordsmanship, right?¡± she said. Well¡­ I was at the King rank. What was she on about? ¡°I¡¯d like to think so, why?¡± ¡°During some of our downtime¡­ or even when we get back to Sharia¡­ could you train me?¡± she asked. ¡°I know I¡¯m an archer, but if my bow ever breaks, or I run out of arrows, I want a way to defend myself.¡± ¡°¡­Got it, we can start tomorrow night,¡± I said. I was initially going to ask her about me helping her with her archery as well, but I quickly realized that I had absolutely no idea what to do. I mean¡­ I wasn¡¯t an archer, and I had no clue how she was manipting her touki like that. Maybe by seeing how her touki moved during her swordsmanship training, I would get an idea of how to help her, and help myself as well. ¡°Thanks,¡± she said with a smile, visibly relieved. ¡°Most of the teachers at the academy either suck, or expect me topletely follow the path of the sword, so thanks¡­ for agreeing to teach me.¡± I nodded, giving her a smile as Iy down. ¡°Anything for my little sister.¡± ¡°¡­Can you not call me that?¡± ¡°I decline.¡± And thus, closing my eyes, our first day came to a close in the truest sense. There were no dreams to be had that night, and instead of being awoken by my natural clock, or the rays of the sun, I was instead awoken by a feeling of pure¡­ desire. Gaining control of my rapid breathing, I slowly sat up, noticing that Rudy was already blinking the sleep out of his eyes as he looked to his side. ¡°Sara¡­ let¡¯s do it,¡± he whispered, removing the nket from the two of them. It was then that I looked down at Sara¡¯s revealed sleeping form, her body curling inward as she slowly groaned. ¡°Rudy¡­? What¡¯s wrong? And what¡¯s that scent?¡± she mumbled with a frown. ¡°Nothing is wrong, I just¡­ need you,¡± Rudy said, slipping his hand under her shirt. I watched in amazement, trailing my eyes down Sara¡¯s body and taking in the magnificent sight. The way her skin glistened slightly with sweat¡­ the way her body shivered as Rudy began kissing her stomach¡­ and her legs¡­ they were so defined¡­ God¡­ Sara, my little sister¡­ she really was- Wait. Grabbing my head, I forced myself to look away from the two of them as images shed through my mind, conjuring a sickening feeling of disgust. ¡®Brother! Up!¡¯ ¡®Big Brother! Hug? Please?¡¯ Norn¡­ Aisha¡­ my little sisters¡­ I would never think of them that way. Right¡­ and Sara¡­ she was my little sister too¡­ she was with Rudy¡­ I shouldn¡¯t¡­ I couldn¡¯t think of her that way¡­ and I didn¡¯t want to betray my lovers¡­ What¡­ what the fuck is wrong with me? Was my night with Sylphy not enough!? Get a hold of yourself, Leon! That¡¯s your brother¡¯s beloved! Getting to my feet and stumbling out of the tent, I quickly regained my footing as I took in a deep breath of the clear outside air. A deep breath¡­ that made my arousal spike. ¡­Wait. Activating my Demon eye, I saw that the surroundings were mixed with slight mana, like a river that went through the air, leading right to¡­ A beautiful woman? No, that was a monster. Stepping towards it, I slowly unsheathed my sword, stepping past the barrier I hadid down. When I came within a few meters of it, the monster¡¯s hand began beckoning me forward as she breathed out even more of the mana-tainted air. Wait¡­ a beautiful woman in the middle of the desert¡­ that inexplicable arousal¡­ this was a subus, wasn¡¯t it? A monster native to the Begaritt Continent and the south of the Demon Continent that used its pheromones to put men in a state of lust, often making them fight each other for a woman¡¯s affections, before taking them to theirir and killing them. And once someone was infested with their pheromones like I was, the only way to get rid of them was either to have sex with a woman or use¡­ detoxification magic. Quickly flushing my system with that very magic, I felt my mind clear from the previous haze as I ran forward, instantly decapitating the subus before it could even raise an arm to fight back. ¡­Fuck. Those thoughts¡­ how disgusting. And I guess my barrier wasn¡¯t the best, at least against an enemy like this. Haa¡­ at least that¡¯s dealt with, though. While the pheromones had mostly dissipated into the air as its source was no longer alive, Rudy still had it in his system, so I better go and- ¡°Anh! Rudy~! Right there! Keep going!¡± ¡­ Actually, I think I¡¯ll just stay out here. From Sara¡¯s pleased moans, and Rudy¡¯s grunts, they seemed to be¡­ enjoying themselves, so I¡¯d at least let them finish. ¡­Although it was quite awkward. ¡°More! More!¡± ¡­Should I¡­ do some sword training instead? ¡°Sara! Turn on your back!¡± ¡°Mmh! Got it!¡± ¡­Yeah¡­ I think I¡¯ll do just that. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª As I absently flipped the dried meat over the fire, I slowly raised my gaze to Rudy and Sara, who were both pointedly not looking anywhere in my direction as they sat next to each other. ¡­Well, afterst night, I couldn¡¯t me them. In fact, I don¡¯t think I could look into their eyes either. I had told myself that I would let them finish¡­ but I didn¡¯t expect it to take so long. And while Rudy had told me Sara was¡­ what was it, a ¡®screamer¡¯? That¡­ well, that was putting it lightly. ¡°So¡­ we can agree thatst night never happened, yes?¡± I said, breaking the incredibly awkward silence. ¡°So¡­ it never happened, and let''s move on, yeah?¡± Their faces gained a deep flush of red as they nodded their heads, still not attempting to look into my eyes. ¡°Good,¡± I nodded. ¡°And if you¡¯re pent-up¡­ just tell me, and I¡¯ll guard from far away.¡± They nodded again, this time a little quicker. ¡­Good. ¡°S-Sorry¡­ Brother,¡± Rudy eventually said. ¡°About what?¡± I asked firmly. ¡°Nothing happened, so there¡¯s nothing to be sorry about, right?¡± ¡°E-Exactly!¡± Sara added, nodding along. ¡°¡­Right,¡± Rudy said, staring into the distance nkly. And with that, our first morning in the Begaritt Continent came to its awkward conclusion, with absolutely nothing happening the night before. Nothing at all. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I observed closely as Sara swung her short sword, noting how the touki flowed seamlessly through her body. It was¡­ normal. But what was not normal, was the fact wisps of touki were beginning to fly up her de as she swung, even if they weren¡¯t providing any actual enhancements. Not that there was anything unique about that in itself, but Sara shouldn¡¯t be able to do that yet. Her form, while not terrible, was only beginning to scratch the surface of the Intermediate rank, so for her touki to flow so smoothly into her de¡­ it was an anomaly. Her body being able to be enhanced could be exined by herbat experience, sure, but for her sword to be enhanced as well¡­ that all but confirmed it. Sara¡¯s was able to use touki. Not as a warrior or a swordsman, but as an archer. Knowing this, instead of going the usual route of instruction, I had told Sara to focus on the de as if it was an arrow ready to fly, and tracing the path of her swing while concentrating deeply. Essentially trying to replicate her state of mind for when she was shooting an arrow, which was working quite well. And that¡¯s how I was able toe to a realization. So¡­ you could really enhance arrows with touki, and for Sara here, it didn¡¯t seem that different from just using a sword. ¡­Interesting. ¡°Hey, are you checking her out?¡± Rudy said, poking my side teasingly. ¡°Even if you¡¯re my brother, I can¡¯t allow that!¡± I simply smacked his hand away before pointing to my glowing purple eye. I would have said ¡®In your dreams¡¯ or ¡®I¡¯d never think of her that way¡¯, but considering it was only a few days since the subus attack¡­ well, let¡¯s just move on from that. That had never happened, after all. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I was just joking,¡± Rudy huffed, sitting down next to me. ¡°But why so serious? I don¡¯t think Sara will benefit much since she already has abat style. She just needs a way to defend herself.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± I nodded. ¡°But she should at least get the basics down.¡± Plus, this was a good way to see how her touki flowed through her and how her state of mind affected her. And now that I had seen it¡­ ¡°Okay, let¡¯s stop here,¡± I said, getting up. Sara stopped swinging her sword, sheathing it as she walked back to us. ¡°Thanks. I already feel morefortable, so¡­ what are you doing?¡± she asked as I handed her a bow and arrow. ¡°I¡¯m just curious,¡± I shrugged before pointing to a boulder near us. ¡°Can you shoot that for me?¡± ¡°Hah? Why?¡± she asked. ¡°I don¡¯t want to waste an arrow, breaking it against a rock for nothing!¡± ¡°Just do it, please, Little Sis,¡± I insisted. ¡°I said to not-! Oh, whatever!¡± She then did as I asked, setting her stance as she drew her arrow, and just as she was about to let it loose¡­ ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± she asked as I stepped in front of her drawn arrow. I ignored her as I watched the touki slowly fade from the arrow tip, sinking back into Sara as she lowered her bow. Interesting¡­ very interesting¡­ that must be her concentration breaking¡­ so she needs absolute focus¡­ ¡°Nothing¡­ Sorry. Shoot it again,¡± I said, stepping away. ¡°The hell is your problem?¡± sheined as she drew her bow once again. Watching the touki flow into the arrow once again, just as she was about to release, instead of stepping in front of her, this time, I grabbed hold of the arrow, holding it in ce. ¡°What? Stop fucking with me!¡± ¡°Keep concentrating,¡± I ordered her, narrowing my eyes as I watched the touki nearly fade from the arrow. ¡°Focus, Sara. That feeling of bing ¡®one with the arrow¡¯, focus that feeling even more,¡± I instructed. I could tell she was annoyed, but thankfully, she still listened to me, and I saw as her arrow became even more concentrated in touki. Good¡­ ¡°Guh! Why? It¡­ it feels weird!¡± sheined. ¡°Keep going,¡± I said. ¡°Imagine all your focus, your entire being, from the tips of your fingers to your toes¡­ imagine all of that flowing into the arrow. It¡¯s part of you. Your finger, your hand, your arm¡­ whatever works. And keep hold of that feeling. Don¡¯t let it go.¡± Watching the tip swirl in touki as she continued, I smirked before suddenly letting go of the arrow. The air cracked as it released from the bowstring, whistling through the air before impacting the target an instantter, embedding itself into the rock until half of the shaft was buried inside. And through it all¡­ the arrow remained intact. ¡°W¡­ What the hell?¡± Sara said, stepping back in surprise. Well, that¡¯s the power of touki for you. She was strong before, but to think a regr arrow could hold such power¡­ ¡°Leon¡­ did you do something?¡± Rudy asked, also impressed. ¡°Nope, that was all my Little Sis,¡± I exined with a smile. ¡°That ¡®weird feeling¡¯ and bing ¡®one with the arrow¡¯ are one and the same. That was you manipting touki, though you didn¡¯t know it.¡± ¡°T-Touki¡­ you mean that stuff you said swordsmen and warriors use?¡± she said. ¡°Yeah, usually¡­ but it seems that¡¯s not entirely the case,¡± I shook my head. ¡°Anyway, you should try replicating that next. If you can perfect that¡­ you might be able to kill monsters like the scorpion from our first day without Rudy¡¯s help.¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Amazing,¡± Rudy finished for her, quickly wrapping her in a hug and a kiss. After that, Sara tried once again, only to learn that she was unable to replicate the move and feeling, and sadly had wasted an arrow. But now that she had a better understanding of touki and a goal to reach¡­ I had a feeling it wouldn¡¯t take too long for her to get it. As Sara began training her new technique, I decided to put in some swordsmanship training before Rudy came up to me. ¡°Leon¡­ do you have anything to teach me too?¡± he asked. I was initially going to say no, as he already had a leg up on me in magic. After all, the only thing I had that he didn¡¯t was barrier magic, and aside from the worry of the Millis Church, he also was unable to do it chantless, so he would be better served creating barriers out of elemental magic like he did now. And as for swordsmanship¡­ well, without the ability to gain touki, he was kind of stuck. But then I remembered the nifty little technique I had taught Sylphy. Yeah¡­ knowing Rudy, he could definitely do that, and it was certain to be useful. ¡°Sure,¡± I nodded. ¡°Form a fireball for me.¡± He tilted his head, but quickly followed my instructions despite his confusion. Hmm¡­ as I thought, Rudy¡¯s mana was weird, especially not that I was focusing on it with my Demon eye. It moved almost as if it had a will of its own, easily flowing into the needed shape and transforming its basic properties based on Rudy¡¯s thoughts. It was almost¡­ beautiful. And then¡­ there was the power. I had always wondered why Rudy¡¯s magic was stronger than mine, even when I had more control as a kid, but now¡­ I could get it. His mana was just built differently. Literally. It was¡­ as ifparing water to magma. They were both liquids, sure, but they were quite different in density, and they would feel quite different to swim in. And when those liquids became solids¡­ well, rocks were known to be a bit stronger than ice, so¡­ yeah. It was kind of a shitty analogy, but that was the best way I could exin it. This was a bit unfortunate, as I was hoping to gain some insights into how to grow my magic abilities from him, but I suppose that was not to be¡­ at least not yet. Maybe there was a way to change my mana? To concentrate it? I mean, before, I would say that¡¯s impossible, but I also thought that using touki in arrows was impossible a week ago, so what did I know? Shaking my head, as his fireball formed into existence, I quickly sent out a wave of mana, manipting my mana to dig into his own and invading the spell, disturbing it to the point where it copsed, the mes dissipating into the air. I was getting quite good at that now. And thankfully, it seemed that only healing magic would explode when disturbed, so I didn¡¯t have to worry about identally burning my brother. ¡°Huh? What? I¡­ what happened?¡± Rudy said, looking at his hand in confusion. ¡°I messed with the spell,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°This is an annoying technique that the wonderful Dragon God taught me, which will put you above any other magician. I call it disturb magic.¡± I saw Rudy¡¯s eyes widen, looking back to his hand in surprise. ¡°Want to learn it?¡± I asked. ¡°¡­Please!¡± he nodded excitedly. Hee~ With his genius as a kid, there was never much I was able to teach Rudy, especially when it came to magic, even though I was his big brother. So¡­ forgive me if I felt quite happy about the situation. ¡°Alright, so¡­ essentially, you need to release a wave of pure mana¡­¡± And so, I began exining the technique to my dear brother, excited to see how quickly he could learn it. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª We were currently on the top of arge teau, a ginormousndform that we had to traverse over in order to not add another day of travel by going around it. Luckily, Rudy was quite good at elevating multiple people, and it didn¡¯t take long before we were walking across t, rocky ground. A somewhat pleasant shift in terrainpared to the sandy desert, in my opinion. But, of course, it was not an uninhabitednd, as evidenced by the group of Griffons in front of us. With the body of a lion and the wings and head of an eagle, these monsters were a B-rank threat and were extremely territorial. Actually, since these were in a group, that would mean they were A-rank. A perfect way to see the progress of my two travelling partners. We had seen quite a few monsters on our way here, from the giant colony of Phalynx Ants and that ginormous Behemoth that we passed without a fight, to the Sandworm that had tried to swallow me, only to be cut in half as it shot up through the ground, thend was absolutely teeming with monsters, and a lot of which were strong enough to put it on par with the Demon Continent. However, despite all those threats, the worst part of this ce was still definitely the heat. It was just horrible. But thanks to Aisha¡¯s precious gift, I was faring a bit better than the other two. Though, the sunburns were getting annoying to heal. A cool cap didn¡¯t protect against that, after all. ¡°There¡¯s an oasis just past this, ording to the map,¡± I said, unsheathing my sword. ¡°Hopefully, this will be the final battle for the day, so how about you guys take these down, and see if we can take anything to sell.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Sara said as she nocked an arrow. ¡°Will you support us?¡± Rudy asked, readying his staff. ¡°I¡¯ll provide healing and barriers if need be, but you should be fine,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll keep on the lookout for any ambushes, so you two can focus on the fight.¡± Nodding their heads, the two ran forward, quickly engaging the group of Griffons inbat with their usual efficient and coordinated skill. Activating my Demon eye, I watched as Sara used Rudy¡¯s pir that shot up out of the ground to jump into the air, narrowing her eyes as she prepared to release an arrow at the first monster from above. Smiling, I watched as her touki concentrated on the tip of her arrow, she then let it fly, the projectile ripping through the air before impacting the Griffon¡¯s head a momentter, stabbing deep through its skull and instantly killing it. Killing a B-rank monster with one arrow¡­ Really, that was simply insane. When we first arrived at the Begaritt Continent, such a feat would have been impossible for her, unless she got lucky with a monster having a weak point that could also be struck for a killing blow. But now that she could focus her touki, and even somewhat manipte it, she could now prate many things she couldn¡¯t before. It made this older brother very happy. But after understanding how Sara could damage so many monsters despite being an archer, I then began shifting my curiosity onto another aspect of Rudy¡¯s girlfriend and herbat capabilities. To put it simply, I realized that her uracy and prediction skills were¡­ inhuman. Especially for a girl who didn¡¯t know how to actively enhance her mind and eyes with touki. But then, I wondered¡­ Was it really prediction? The only true method of prediction I had seen, other thanbat experience, was one of the Demon eyes that Kishirika had exined, but¡­ Sara definitely did not have such a thing. Some may leave the exnation at her having a talent for the bow, and while she certainly had immense talent, I assumed there was something more¡­ logical at y. After all, no matter how talented, you couldn¡¯t simply strike a monster¡¯s eyes when you had no way to know where it would move. And I was correct. I studied her archery, whether it be in a fight or when she was training, and I eventually noticed that the touki that she infused¡­ had tracking capabilities. Well, not exactly, but something close to that. Rather, how I interpreted it, with the touki Sara infused into her arrows, she was able to take subtle control of the arrows mid-flight, manipting their trajectory to strike true whenever possible. I¡­ didn¡¯t understand. My views on touki that I had held for most of my life had beenpletely shattered, all because of a single archer that would soon be my sister-inw. Initially, as I saw it, touki was only supposed to be formed in one¡¯s body or the object they were holding, but with Sara¡¯s arrows, I soon learned that it could enhance things outside of touch as well. Considering I used touki for the Dance of Deluge, this wasn¡¯tpletely earth-shattering, but it was still a big realization. But now I learned that touki could be manipted and actively controlled outside the body too? That was¡­ ridiculous. But¡­ thinking about it¡­ it made sense. Touki was, put simply, mana. Some could even call it ¡®enhancement magic¡¯ or perhaps even ¡®person magic¡¯. It was often used by one''s emotions rather than actual control, sure, but it was still mana. And as mana, it was obvious that it could be manipted and used outside the body. Rudy¡¯s current actions of impaling a Griffon with a mass of earth spikes showed this. But I wonder¡­ how could I use this? So much to learn¡­ With Sara finishing the final Griffon off, I walked up to them with a smile. ¡°Nice job, you two,¡± I congratted. ¡°I¡¯ll take out the talons and¡­¡± My words trailed off as my Demon eye caught a mass of mana flying towards us, soaring up the edge of the teau that we were next to. Screee! A Griffon revealed itself, it¡¯s eyes ring at the three of us as it rose past the cliff, releasing another shrill cry as it saw the corpses of its fellow Griffons. Was it angry? I would feel bad for killing its family, but from what I remember reading, these monsters often ate any offspring that couldn¡¯t fly shortly after their births, so I couldn¡¯t really care. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll deal with this.¡± Walking forward, I decided to put something I had been wanting to test into practice. Holding my sword to the side, I went through the recent revtions I had gone through. Manipting touki outside of one¡¯s body¡­ it was possible, as I had recently learned, and touki was just mana. I had no idea about manipting touki outside the body, nor did I have any experience with it, but if it was just mana¡­ well, I was pretty good at that. Concentrating the touki into the de and onto the edge of the sword, I watched as the Griffon flew closer to me, its ws outstretched and itching to rip me to shreds. But I ignored that. Concentrate¡­ concentrate¡­ and release! I then swung outward, keeping my focus on the touki as I forced it out of the de. Normally, when one did this, the touki would dissipate, turning into pure mana that went into the atmosphere and did nothing more. But now¡­ instead of letting it peter out into nothingness¡­ I concentrated on its shape, ensuring that it kept is shape as I watched the line of touki continue flying through the air, elerated by my pure will as it pushed forward. And then, it hit the Griffon, and created a gash in its chest that prompted the monster to screech in pain, momentarily stopping its charge. It didn¡¯t kill it. It was only a surface level wound, so much less killing it, I likely hadn¡¯t even damaged it that much¡­ but I injured it. With pure swordsmanship, I had hurt a monster from afar, without moving an inch. ¡°Haha¡­¡± Releasing a chuckle, I then swiped my arm to the side, sending a de of wind to decapitate the charging Griffon as I turned back to face the other two, the monster mming to the ground beside me. Looking down, I sheathed my sword as I clenched my fist, remembering the sensation from before. I¡­ had just hurt a monster¡­ with swordsmanship¡­ from afar¡­ without actually using my sword. It needed some more work¡­ scratch that, it needed a lot of work, but¡­ ¡°Sara¡­ Little Sis¡­¡± ¡°Huh? What is it?¡± ¡°¡­I love you.¡± ¡°Wha-!?¡± Ignoring my stammering little sister, I felt a wide smile spread across my face. With this, I could get a lot stronger. With this, I could reach a new realm of swordsmanship. With this¡­ I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about not being enough to defend my family. Chapter 63 – Labyrinth City of Rapan Chapter 63 ¨C Labyrinth City of Rapan ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Finally, after a little under two months on the road¡­ or rather, sand for the most part, we had arrived at our goal. The Labyrinth City of Rapan was a thriving city, with the massive bones of a long-dead Behemoth standing tall surrounding the settlement that was built on an oasis like a cage. It was pretty damn cool, and much different than any other city I had seen before. The world really was a wide ce, huh? With manybyrinths and dungeons littered in and around the city, the ce was full of adventurers from all over the world who hade to clear saidbyrinths and dungeons with the promise of fame and fortune, and merchants to sell anything that was retrieved. It was neat, that was for sure. And from the sparkle in Rudy¡¯s eyes as it came into view, I could tell he was interested in the ce¡­ but we weren¡¯t here to sightsee. With our goal being to meet up with Paul and his group, even if we arrived much earlier than expected, he should still be in and around the area, so our first step was¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s head to the Adventure Guild,¡± I said as we began walking through the city. ¡°I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s the biggest building here, but do you know where it could be?¡± Rudy, who knew the Fighting Godnguage that thisnd used, had been the one handling our trading andmunicating with the locals, which included gathering information, so we had been leaving things like these up to him. ¡°It should be near the centre of the city, at least from what I¡¯ve heard,¡± Rudy said, wiping off some sweat from his forehead. ¡°Ahh¡­ I wish Aisha made me a damn cap.¡± ¡°Well, if you¡¯re jealous, then¡­ that¡¯s a shame,¡± I shrugged. ¡°At least it¡¯s cooler up north, so I won¡¯t be using it anymore.¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± he asked. ¡°Because I don¡¯t want our father to make fun of me and make me beat him up for it,¡± I said. After all, while it was a cute wool cap, it didn¡¯t really fit in with my current style, and it definitely didn¡¯t fit in with the local fashion. ¡°¡­Your family is the weirdest,¡± Sara sighed. ¡°And you¡¯re in it,¡± I said, smirking. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go.¡± It didn¡¯t take long to find the guild, as there were many adventurers filtering through the massive front doors of therge building, and it had a giant painted icon of a sword stered over the front doors. Overall, a pretty impressive building. It wasn¡¯t as big or grandiose as the Millishion branch, but it was stillrger than any other guild building I had seen on the Demon Continent. Well, this was a city meant for adventuring, so that made sense. ¡°I¡¯ll stand here at the entrance,¡± I said as we walked in. ¡°I don¡¯t remember all of their faces, but I should be able to spot one of Paul¡¯s people if theye through. Meanwhile, you two go ask if anyone has seen our dear father around.¡± While most of the adventurers here spoke the Human tongue, there were still a few that we would need Rudy¡¯s expertise in the Fighting Godnguage to understand. Plus, those two were much better at talking with people, and especially adventurers. ¡°Got it,¡± Rudy said, taking Sara¡¯s hand. ¡°Just don¡¯t get in any fights, brother!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯d finish it before it could be considered a fight.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s not what I meant,¡± he mumbled as they went off, leaving me to lightly chuckle to myself. Deciding to take a rest after a long day of travelling, I found an empty seat and sat down as I absently nced at the nearby people, not seeing anyone I remembered nor Paul himself. Hmm¡­ if we didn¡¯t find them soon, then we would probably have to cut our losses for today and go find an inn before sundown. We definitely had enough money from the monster items we traded along the way, but I still didn¡¯t want to waste too much time uselessly searching for my father when we could be looking for Mama instead. It was vexing. If only there was a way to- ¡°Oh? I didn¡¯t think I would be able to find such a fine man here, sitting all alone.¡± Hearing a somewhat familiar sultry feminine voice, I froze as I felt a hand run down my neck as the woman¡¯s fingers brushed across my arm. ¡°Tell me, young man¡­ are you feeling lonely?¡± she said, her fingers running up to my chin to tilt my head to the side, allowing me to see who exactly was flirting with me. With alluring reddish-brown eyes, long pointed ears, long curly blonde hair, and a curvaceous pair of barely-visible thighs, it only took a moment for me to remember who was the bearer of such a youthful, beautiful face. No way¡­ To think I would meet her here¡­ in a ce so far from home¡­ Long distant memories of my times as a baby rushed through my mind as I instantly shot out of my seat, engulfing the woman with a hug as I pressed my face into her shoulder. The woman who used to look so tall¡­ the woman who fed me from her breasts and treated me so kindly, as if I was her own child¡­ to think she was now shorter than me, able to fit perfectly within my arms. But she was still so warm¡­ The thought brought a smile to my face. ¡°O-Oh? It seems you¡¯re ready~¡± she said, returning my embrace as I felt her hand drift down my back. ¡°Perhaps¡­ should we go to my room right away-?¡± ¡°I missed you, Lina!¡± I said, tightening my hold. I felt Lina freeze, her hands instantly stopping at my belt as she quickly separated from me, her hands moving upwards to grab my shoulders. Looking intently at my face, I saw her wide eyes sh with recognition as her face lit up with a teary smile. ¡°L-Leon!?¡± she gasped, her hands reaching for my face. ¡°Leon!¡± We then embraced once again, though this time was much more¡­ innocent in nature. Lina was just as lecherous as ever, huh? But still¡­ while a bit awkward, it was nice to see she was the same. I missed her quite a bit, after all. ¡°Pff! Hahaha!¡± Hearingughter from the side, we both separated, looking over to see my father, Paul, as he leaned against a wooden pole, pping his knees as he cackled. ¡°¡®P-Perhaps, should we go to my room right away~?¡¯ Hahaha!¡± he imitated Lina before breaking into another fit ofughter. I nced down, noticing Lina¡¯s face twisting into an expression of anger and embarrassment as her cheeks gained a healthy flush of red. To think that Lina could get so flustered¡­ I suppose this was pretty embarrassing, huh? ¡°S-Shut up! How was I supposed to know that cute Leon grew up into¡­ into this!¡± she said, smacking my chest. Uhh, Lina, I was happy to see you too, but what did you mean by ¡®this¡¯? It wasn¡¯t derogatory, right? ¡°Ahaha! Y-Yeah, I guess so!¡± my father said, getting control of himself as he walked over to stand in front of me, staring at me seriously. ¡°So you made it¡­ and quite early too,¡± he said, his gaze going up and down my figure as he nodded to himself. ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a lot you want to say, but first, tell me, Leon¡­ are you feeling lonely?¡± Wow¡­ he really decided to use our grand reunion as a way to make fun of Lina some more¡­ that was just like him. While my father descended into another fit ofughter, Lina¡¯s eyes twitched as she began to tremble lightly, cheeks increasing in colour before she suddenly closed her eyes, releasing a breath as she turned back to me. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you too, Leon. You¡¯ve grown quite a bit since Ist saw you,¡± she said with a loving smile, her previous embarrassmentpletely gone from her face. Ah¡­ so she was just going to ignore Paul. Good choice, I must say. We then hugged once again, squeezing hard to transmit our feelings, and I felt the tears nearly spill from my eyes. While it wasn¡¯t to the extent of Alice and Mama¡­ before Mama tookplete responsibility for me, Lina was something like a mother to me as well. I¡­ wasn¡¯t constantly afraid of her well-being like I was for Mama and Lilia, but being apart for so long¡­ I really missed her. Really¡­ really missed her. ¡°Aww, little Leon¡­ I guess even if you¡¯ve grown, you¡¯re still a child, huh?¡± she said tenderly, patting my head gently as I buried my face further into her shoulder. ¡°Ah¡­ remembering me after all this time¡­ you¡¯re really too sweet.¡± I heard her voice crack a bit as she squeezed harder, and thankfully, my father had the tact to not interrupt our moment as we finished our embrace. ¡°Haah¡­ that¡¯s better,¡± she said, stepping away as she hastily wiped her eyes with her sleeve. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, Leon.¡± ¡°You too, Lina,¡± I nodded before turning to my father. ¡°Father¡­¡± He looked better. His face was clean, with just a hint of stubble, and his stance was tall and stable. Nothing like that useless drunk I had met in Millishion. ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­e here,¡± he said, walking up to hug me as well, firmly patting my back. We shared a hug silently for a few moments before separating, my father¡¯s smile wide as he looked over me yet again. ¡°You seem to have gotten stronger,¡± he said, patting my shoulder. ¡°Not to mention taller¡­ Did youe all the way here on your own?¡± ¡°No,¡± I shook my head. ¡°I had- Oh, there they are.¡± Rudy, who had spotted our reunion, then went up to us, quickly going over to our father and wrapping his arms around him. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Father¡­¡± Rudy said as Sara slowly walked up to us. ¡°R-Rudy? You came as well?¡± Paul said, his eyes wide in surprise as he looked over to Sara. ¡°And who¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Yes, I came, Father,¡± Rudy said, separating from Paul as he then wrapped his arm around Sara, pulling her to his side. ¡°And this is Sara, my¡­ lover.¡± Paul¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as they darted between the couple, but a few momentster, his face calmed down into a calm smile. ¡°I see¡­ so you¡¯ve grown up some more,¡± he shook his head good-naturedly. ¡°Well, it could be in better circumstances, but it¡¯s nice to meet you, Sara. Wee to the family.¡± Sara, who had been watching the man with caution, slowly nodded with a slight smile. ¡°My pleasure¡­¡± That seemed to quell some of the worries that Sara had told me about. After all, the only thing she knew about the man known as Paul Greyrat was that he was a noble child, a cheating womanizer, and, ording to thest time Rudy had seen him, a depressed man on the verge of being a total drunkard. And my recount of our meeting in Millishion didn¡¯t exactly improve her view of the man. But to see him like this, so full of life¡­ it was very pleasing. I almost felt¡­ proud, that this guy was my father. Even three years ago, I would have never thought that to be possible, but here I was, grinning like an idiot at the man in front of me. I¡­ should probably praise him, right? ¡°You¡­ look a bit better, Father,¡± I said with a nod. ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve be a bit more respectable.¡± ¡°Heh. Yeah, no more drowning my sorrows in alcohol for me, so no need to kick my ass,¡± he said, puffing out his chest. ¡°I had to keep my promise, after all!¡± My eyes widened in surprise before I suddenly turned my head, not trusting myself to keep these feelings under control if I met the man¡¯s eyes. He¡­ had be a bit better, huh? He kept his promise to me¡­ I was happy. Mama and Lilia¡­ it seemed that your husband will be a bit of a better man when you get back to us. ¡°Right! Anyway, Rudy and¡­ Sara, was it? This right here is Elinalise Dragonroad,¡± he said, gesturing to Lina, who was watching us with a gentle smile. ¡°She¡¯s an old party member of mine and Zenith¡¯s and is one of the best S-rank adventurers around.¡± Lina stuck out her chest at Paul¡¯s praise, smirking as Sara stared at her with wide eyes. ¡°To think I would meet a fellow female S-rank adventurer¡­ It¡¯s nice to meet you!¡± Sara said happily. Lina¡¯s prideful smirk fell. Was she¡­ trying to make a good first impression on the two? By being an S-rank adventurer? That was oddly cute. Unfortunately, Rudy and Sara were the same rank as her, so that wouldn¡¯t work. ¡°Well, now that everyone has introduced themselves, I guess I should ask¡­¡± my father said, looking at us seriously. ¡°Rudy, Leon¡­ how the hell did you get here so fast? Did you meet up before Sharia or something?¡± Now¡­ how to exin this? They would eventuallye to learn of the teleportation ruins one way or another for our way back, so there wasn¡¯t a need for absolute secrecy¡­ Meeting Rudy¡¯s eyes, he shrugged, leaving it up to me to decide how to answer. ¡°No, we met in Sharia,¡± I said. ¡°We found a¡­ unique method of transport, you could say.¡± ¡°Hm? I¡­ see?¡± my father said, confused. Wanting to change the subject, I decided to move the conversation. ¡°Father, since you¡¯re here, then¡­ have you found Mama and Lilia?¡± I asked. ¡°Is¡­ is she okay?¡± Both Paul and Lina¡¯s faces fell, their smiles thinning as they looked down. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, Leon, it¡¯s¡­ not going well,¡± he said. ¡°We found them, or at least we think we did, but¡­ they¡¯re in a difficult spot.¡± Wait. They found them? Mama and Lilia were found? ¡°Where,¡± I said. ¡°Calm down with that serious face, Leon,¡± he said, patting my shoulder. ¡°Here, let¡¯s¡­ meet up with the others first.¡± ¡°With the others?¡± I said, confusion in my tone. ¡°And you didn¡¯t answer my question. Where is Mama?¡± ¡°Yeah, the others. And as for your mother, well¡­¡± he said, rubbing his head with a frown. ¡°¡­She¡¯s in a teleportationbyrinth.¡± ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Following Paul and Lina to the ce they were renting, I then met with the group that was trying their hardest to find my mothers. At least we wouldn¡¯t have to worry about paying for an inn anymore¡­ Anyway, when the group gathered together to meet us, I was quite surprised to see members of the Fangs of the ck Wolf after so long, with Talhand and Geese somehow joining the group, along with Vierra and Shierra, the two girls from the now-disbanded Fittoa Search and Rescue squad that hade along with Paul. I guess Paul¡¯s previous team didn¡¯t decide to make the trip over here, which I could understand, since only Vierra and Shierra had the strength to be of any use. It didn¡¯t take too long for the greetings to be exchanged, and for Sara and Rudy to introduce themselves, before I decided to say what I needed to be said. ¡°Once more, it¡¯s nice to see you all again,¡± I said with a smile, looking at the gathered people. ¡°And I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a lot to exin, but first¡­¡± I then leaned down, bowing my head deeply towards the five gathered in front of me, with Rudy, Sara, and my father watching with surprise from behind me. They knew I wasn¡¯t one for such modesty, after all. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said seriously. ¡°Talhand, Geese, Lina¡­ even though the party split, thank you for joining us. And Vierra and Shierra, you two don¡¯t even know my mothers¡­ so thank you foring here and looking for her. I¡¯m in your debt.¡± I raised my head back up, only to be met by four soft smiles while Geese seemed indifferent for the most part, simply scratching hisrge ear with a shrug. ¡°Zenny is important to us too, Leon,¡± Lina said calmly. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not as if we had anything better to do.¡± ¡°Yeah, and while we don¡¯t know her, we owe a lot to the Captain,¡± Vierra added on. ¡°He saved us, as well as many other, so it¡¯s only right to help him find his wives.¡± ¡°I see¡­ but still, thank you,¡± I said, bowing once again. They really were good people¡­ well, despite all his faults and mistakes, Paul always was a good leader. ¡°Jeez¡­ didn¡¯t you say your brother hated humility, Boss?¡± Geese said, looking at Rudy. ¡°I¡­ thought so too,¡± Rudy said, surprised. ¡°I hate useless humility, yes,¡± I said, standing up straight again. ¡°But if it¡¯s thanking those who are selflessly looking for my mothers, it is more than worth it. And because I do it so rarely, I can properly disy my genuine feeling of gratitude.¡± Sauros, while he was a walking ball of useless pride, did have some good advice to impart on me. ¡­Now that I think of it, that advice was likely just an excuse for him to show off that pride without any guilt, but I took the lesson to heart regardless. I didn¡¯t bow my head needlessly, and because I did so, the value of my such an action could be truly conveyed. Regardless¡­ ¡°What¡¯s this about ¡®Boss¡¯?¡± I asked, looking between Rudy and Geese. I was confused at how they seemed to know each other. ¡°Ah, well¡­ your brother and I met up as he was going through the Central Continent,¡± Geese exined. ¡°I was shit out of luck at the time, but he let me use his carriage in exchange for me cooking. And as the leader of the group, he was the Boss, so there ya go.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I muttered. I didn¡¯t really, but that didn¡¯t really matter. ¡°Ah, but your cooking was fantastic, Geese,¡± Rudy said, smiling. ¡°Aye, it¡¯s one of the few skills thate in handy,¡± Geese chuckled. ¡°That aside¡­ where are those two pretty beastfolk girls? You were all over themst time we met.¡± I looked over to Rudy, who had jolted to stand up straight as Sara red at him from the side. ¡°Hmm? ¡®All over them¡¯, eh? And he¡¯s talking about Lilia and Pursena, right?¡± Sara said in a dangerous tone. ¡°Is there something you want to exin, Rudy?¡± ¡°O-Of course! But there¡¯s nothing to really exin, you know!¡± Rudy said, averting his eyes as his arm wrapped around Sara¡¯s midsection. ¡°That was simply the past! The past!¡± ¡°¡­Tch!¡± Well, from Sara¡¯s annoyed expression, I¡¯m guessing that they would be having a conversation tonight between them. I would, of course, leave the lovers¡¯ quarrel to the lovers in question. Sorry, Rudy. My father, who was now sitting at the table, watched the three of us with a calm smile. ¡°What¡¯s with that expression?¡± I asked. ¡°Ah, well, it¡¯s just¡­ you two have really grown, you know?¡± he said. ¡°Rudy seems much more confident than before. I¡¯m guessing that has to do with the prettydy there.¡± Rudy rapidly nodded his head as Sara looked away, though I could see a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. ¡°Even you, Leon,¡± he said, turning to me. ¡°You¡¯re still as mature as ever, but you seem more¡­ assertive. You don¡¯t seem so wishy-washy and indecisive past keeping your sisters safe like before.¡± I simply shrugged in response. ¡°You didn¡¯t think we would stay the same after two whole years, right?¡± I said before looking out the window, a soft smile forming on my lips. ¡°Plus¡­ considering I now have two lovers and ns for a third, I have to be assertive. It¡¯s the only way to achieve my dream.¡± A man who was decisive in his wants¡­ My three special girls deserved that much, at least. Paul¡¯s arm dropped to the table with a thud as his eyes widened in surprise. In fact, everyone aside from Rudy and Sara seemed surprised, while Lina was simply giving me an approving nod. ¡°T-Three?¡± Paul stuttered out, his face nching as he covered it with his palm. ¡°Shit¡­ Zenith is definitely going to kill me.¡± Err¡­ Mama wouldn¡¯t be that mad, right? Shaking his head, Paul then looked back at me. ¡°That aside¡­ I have been wondering for a while, but where¡¯s that Eris? Is she staying back with your sisters?¡± he asked. ¡°No,¡± I shook my head. ¡°She¡¯s gone to the Sword Sanctum for some training.¡± Paul tilted his head in confusion before he suddenly stood up, his face stern with worry. ¡°Then what about Norn and Aisha!? You wouldn¡¯t just leave them alone, right?¡± he said. ¡°Calm down, Father,¡± I said, pushing him back down into his chair. ¡°I met up with Sylphy in Sharia, and they¡¯re staying with her while they go to school.¡± ¡°S-School? Like, in Ranoa?¡± Paul asked, to which I nodded. ¡°And Sylphy¡­ you mean your old childhood friend?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± I nodded. ¡°And don¡¯t worry, I made sure they were both safe and in a good situation before I left.¡± Sighing, Paul calmed down a bit, brushing his hand through his hair. ¡°Right. Right right right¡­ I should have expected that from an overprotective brother like you.¡± ¡­I was not overprotective¡­ right? My mind went back to the Demon Continent, where I would re at anyone who even swore in their presence, and then how I confronted Ariel before I left¡­ Okay, maybe I was overprotective, but that wasn¡¯t a bad thing. ¡°Okay¡­ okay, you three are here, and your sisters are safe,¡± Paul said, shaking his head. ¡°So¡­ I think it¡¯s about time I exin what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡°I was just about to ask,¡± I said as I sat down, with Rudy and Sara sitting beside me. ¡°First¡­ how did all of you guys get together? You left Millishion a couple of weeks after us, right? Ah, thank you, Vierra.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± Vierra said as she handed me a mug of juice. Paul shifted in his seat as the rest of the group sat down around the table. ¡°Well¡­ I think you¡¯re the best one to exin that, Elinalise,¡± Paul said. ¡°At least your side of the story. I already told Leon mine back in Millishion.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ well, you see¡­¡± Lina then went on to exin her story and how she ended up with Paul. Apparently, she and Talhand went to the Fittoa Region soon after hearing about the disaster, and seeing Paul¡¯s notice, decided to search for his family where he couldn¡¯t reach, going all the way to the Demon Continent with the help of- ¡°Roxy!? Roxy was with you guys!?¡± I said, mming the table in shock. ¡°Roxy¡­ Wasn¡¯t that the teacher you always talked about, Rudy?¡± Sara asked. ¡°Yes,¡± my brother nodded. ¡°She¡¯s a wonderful mage, and¡­ taught me a very important lesson.¡± She was with them!? Helping them find my family? I knew she was nning on leaving her position in Shirone, and had already left by the time Rudy went there, but to think she was searching for my family¡­ searching for me¡­ I really did love her. ¡°Yes, now let me continue, little Leon,¡± Lina said with a smile, though it seemed a little forced. ¡°Still¡­ to think it was like that¡­ she¡¯d be awfully happy¡­ anyway¡­¡± She then went on to exin how they travelled to the Demon Continent, passing me and just missing our group around the time when we were in Wind Port. ¡­Dammit. I could have seen Roxy. No¡­ that didn¡¯t matter right now. They then went to the north of the continent, searching for any information they could about Mama and Lilia, as they had heard of me and my sisters already during their travels, before eventually meeting Kishirika. After that, I could kind of guess what happened, with that stupid girl getting into trouble and getting saved. What surprised me, however, was that Mama and Lilia were both in the exact same ce as where they were when I myself asked about them a few months earlier. Then, with the new knowledge, they returned to Millishion to meet Paul, just in time to join his group on the way to Begaritt, which led them to now. ¡°Since arriving here a few months ago, we¡¯ve confirmed where Zenith and Lilia are,¡± Paul said, taking over the conversation. ¡°They¡¯re both in abyrinth that¡¯s a day north from here.¡± ¡°I see, that¡¯s the teleportationbyrinth, right?¡± I said as Paul nodded to my question. ¡°And how did you confirm that? Did you see them or something?¡± My father gritted his teeth as he shook his head. ¡°No, they¡­ a year ago, a party said they saw two women matching their descriptions in the deepest floor of thebyrinth,¡± he said. ¡°But¡­ since then, they haven¡¯t returned, so¡­ they¡¯re likely dead. The party, that is.¡± Leaning forward, I rested my head on my hand as I thought over the information. Mama and Lilia were very likely alive. They had both been ¡®seen¡¯ by Kishirika with a few months separating the times, which meant that they were both alive and unmoving during the time between. And considering that it was over a year after the initial disaster, that was likely the case for a while, and still the case now. That paired with the adventurer party¡¯s ount¡­ that basically confirmed it. ¡°Roxy assumed that they had been teleported into thebyrinth,¡± Lina added. ¡°We can assume it¡¯s a safe part, and that the two are surviving off of water from magic and whatever food they can find at the lowest level of thebyrinth.¡± ¡°I see¡­ thank you, Elinalise,¡± I said, smiling. ¡°And I¡¯m d Roxy is here too. By the way¡­ where is she? Is she out getting supplies?¡± At this, all the gathered group¡¯s faces tightened, their expressions tense with disappointment. ¡­What? Hey hey hey¡­ what¡¯s with this atmosphere? ¡°S-She didn¡¯t¡­ Roxy is fine, right?¡± I said, getting up and grabbing my father¡¯s cor, pulling him towards me. ¡°She¡¯s fine, right!?¡± My father simply sighed as he gently removed my hand, patting me on the back as he shook his head. ¡°She¡¯s not dead¡­ at least we don¡¯t think,¡± he said. ¡°What do you mean ¡®you don¡¯t think¡¯!? Where is she!?¡± I demanded, my voice strained. ¡°Leon¡­¡± Rudy said, patting my shoulder. ¡°Just¡­ let them exin, okay?¡± Looking back into Rudy¡¯s face, with his eyes curved down in sadness and sympathy, I felt myself rx. No¡­ I wasn¡¯t rxed. Instead, I was bottling up my feelings, letting them fester as I understood the situation, preparing to release them when needed. Roxy¡­ ¡°We¡­ were making good progress at the start,¡± my father began to exin. ¡°With Roxy¡¯s silent casting, and most importantly her Demon eye guiding us past traps, we were able to make it pretty far.¡± Wait¡­ Demon eye? Roxy had a Demon eye? No, that didn¡¯t matter. ¡°Continue,¡± I said. ¡°Yeah, so¡­ we were fighting, clearing out the fourth floor, and things got a little dicey. Roxy lost her footing during the battle, and then¡­ stepped on a teleportation trap,¡± my father said with a strained expression. ¡°That was a week ago, and while we¡¯ve tried¡­ without her scouting and firepower, we can¡¯t¡­ we can¡¯t move nearly as fast, or as deep.¡± I felt my body tense as my father patted my shoulder once more. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry Leon. I¡­ shouldn¡¯t have let that monster pass, and now-¡± ¡°You said the fourth floor, right?¡± I said sternly, interrupting him with an emotionless voice. ¡°Y-Yeah, I did¡­ why?¡± he asked. I waved off his hand from my shoulder as I dropped my bag of supplies, taking out everything but some water and rations before putting it back on and walking out of the room toward the building¡¯s exit. He said it was a day¡¯s worth north of here, right? That was with transport, which were some tamed lizard monster around here. If I sprint as fast as possible, then I should be able to reach it in a few hours- ¡°Leon! Hey, what are you doing?¡± Grabbing my shoulder, Paul stopped me just as I was about to leave, pulling me back to face him. ¡°What am I doing?¡± I answered, confused. ¡°I¡¯m going to save her, of course.¡± ¡°Alone!?¡± Paul questioned. ¡°Obviously,¡± I nodded. ¡°Mama and Lilia have been there for years, so they should be fine. But Roxy¡­ Roxy might notst a week.¡± Seeing a look of understanding sh across Paul¡¯s face, I removed his hand from my shoulder and continued walking. ¡°W-Wait, no! Leon, you can¡¯t!¡± he said. ¡°Why?¡± I asked, shouting at him. ¡°If Mama and Lilia were in this situation, I know you would run in like an idiot, so why can¡¯t I!?¡± I felt the tears of frustration beginning to well in my eyes. Roxy was in danger, dammit! I couldn¡¯t just wait here like everything is fine! He shook his head with a pained face, ¡°I can¡¯t, Leon.¡± ¡°Why not!?¡± I screamed. ¡°Let me act like an idiot for my loved one!¡± Seeing him shake his head in refusal, I decided to let him have onest chance before I forcefully stopped him from interfering. I didn¡¯t want to fight my father, after all. Not when he had finally be so respectable¡­ aside from letting Roxy be in danger. ¡°Please¡­ please, Father,¡± I begged. ¡°Let me go save her.¡± Paul bit his lip as he stared into my eyes, the difference in our eye level close to nothing after my recent growth spurt. ¡°¡­Fine, we¡¯ll go tomorrow,¡± he sighed. ¡°But we¡¯re only going to the fourth floor, understood? And if it gets too much, we go back. No questions asked.¡± ¡°¡­Understood, Father,¡± I nodded. While I would wait to go with them¡­ if our group decided to stop and turn back before we found Roxy¡­ I would just do it alone like I had originally nned. I wouldn¡¯t let her die. Especially when she was so close. I had a dream of a perfect family, and while I still needed her to ept my affections and my selfishness, I pictured Roxy clearly in that future. And I would not settle for anything less. Going back into the room, I saw that Geese and Rudy were both looking over a book as the rest of the group sat around in difort. ¡°Ah! Paul, Leon¡­ are you-?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Lina,¡± I said, waving off her concern. ¡°I¡­ calmed down a bit. Sorry for worrying you.¡± She looked at me with a skeptical gaze before sighing, ¡°Well, you¡¯re not the first man to act stupid for love, and you¡¯re certainly not to be thest.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not acting stupid if it¡¯s for love,¡± said, frowning. ¡°Hee~? I guess little Leon became a romantic, huh?¡± Lina teased. ¡°But you know¡­ I never said acting stupid was a bad thing.¡± For some reason, I felt a little embarrassed at that. Was it because of her experience? Or perhaps because I viewed her as a mother? Anyway, I averted my eyes from her as Paul then pped his hands together, gaining the attention of the room. ¡°Alright, listen up, everyone! We got the power of a King-ranked swordsman and a King-ranked magician with us now, so we¡¯ll be going back into thebyrinth tomorrow with the goal of retrieving Roxy!¡± Various eyes widened at the mention of Rudy and I¡¯s ranks, though from Paul¡¯s dumb proud smile, he seemed to have wanted such a reaction. Idiot¡­ this was serious. Paul walked toward the table as the rest of the group followed to gather around. ¡°This will also be a test run for the new group, with Vierra and Shierra subbing out for Rudy and Leon,¡± Paul said. ¡°Everyone good with that?¡± While everyone in the group nodded, one quickly objected. ¡°Wait a minute!¡± Sara said. ¡°If Rudy goes, I go. That¡¯s not changing anytime soon.¡± Paul formed a difficult expression, turning to face me as if asking for help. Ah¡­ he was worried about that, wasn¡¯t he? Well, I couldn¡¯t me him, since archers were quite weak. ¡°It¡¯s fine. She cane, Father,¡± I said. ¡°My Little Sis is strong.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t-! Haa¡­ why do I even try anymore,¡± Sara said, kicking the ground with a resigned expression. Good. My Little Sis was learning. That at least lifted my sour mood a bit. ¡°Alright, if you¡¯re sure¡­ then, Leon, Elinalise, and I will be in the front, Talhand and Geese will be in the middle, and Rudy and Sara in the back,¡± Paul said. ¡°Leon will be acting in Roxy¡¯s old position for detecting magical traps, while Geese will be acting as the scout for mechanical ones and marking our path. All good?¡± We all nodded. Well, everyone except Geese, who was currently adamantly flipping through the book he was reading. Wait¡­ that was that book on the teleportbyrinth exploration! What was he doing, reading that at a time like this! ¡­Wait. ¡­Teleportationbyrinth exploration? ¡°Paul! This is amazing! The Boss brought over something really useful!¡± Geese said. ¡°This confirms all my theories¡­ it¡¯s a guide to the wholebyrinth! It even has maps of the floors we haven¡¯t explored yet!¡± Wow¡­ I was speechless. I suppose that was good news, but to think we would run into such a coincidence¡­ It was almost as if it was fate. As Paul and Geese began to confer, deciding that Geese would be readying any supplies needed for tomorrow¡¯sbyrinth dive for the rest of the day, I quickly went up to the room I had been given, dropping off my stuff as I looked out the window. Seeing the city begin to darken as the sun set, I reached down into my shirt to take out my Migurd ne, running my thumb over the wooden amulet, I clutched it as I thought about the blue-haired demon who held such a big piece of my heart. Roxy¡­ I don¡¯t know where you are, but soon¡­ I¡¯lle save you. So, wait for me. Because by tomorrow, I won¡¯t be your past student, but rather, I¡¯ll be the hero who rescued you from the depths of abyrinth and made your dreame true, just like I promised. Roxy, my beloved¡­ I¡¯ming for you. Chapter 64 – We Will Be Reunited: A Blue-Haired Maiden Chapter 64 ¨C We Will Be Reunited: A Blue-Haired Maiden ¡ª Paul Greyrat ¡ª After a day of travel and a short night of rest outside the damned teleportationbyrinth¡¯s entrance, our party dived back into the hellhole we had been trying to conquer for the past few months with no results. But this time, it would likely go a little differently. After all, my sons were a pair of monsters. Initially, with the new sword that I picked up from that merchant, and my years of fighting experience pushing me forward, I tried to show off to my sons and Rudy¡¯s girlfriend by taking down the first monsters we encountered. A group of Tarant Deathlords that tried to ster us with their webs being the enemies in question. Unfortunately for me though, Leon instantly got rid of them as soon as they blocked our path, taking them out with a single sh that echoed through the cavern as he broke the sound barrier with his speed. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s keep going,¡± he had said, his eyes steady as he sheathed his sword. Haa¡­ he was definitely pushing himself. And while I would usually get upset and say his intensity was pushing everyone else harder than they werefortable with, that¡­ wasn¡¯t exactly the case. After all, Leon was a fucking monster, so as soon as he stepped forward and flexed some of his King-ranked power, no enemy on the first three floors stood a chance. And because of that strength, as well as his Demon eye, we had easily reached ourst stopping point in only a couple of hours with no close calls to speak of, and our new party quickly melding together as we continued. With Leon, he had taken Ghiine¡¯s old spot in the original Fangs of the ck Wolf, with his sword skills taking out anything in a second and his Demon eye sensing if anything was awry. Though, considering Ghiine was a dumb muscle brained Sword Saint at the time, with nothing past her instincts, her strength, and her tits, Leon was an even better recement. He also kind of yed Zenith¡¯s part, providing healing whenever it was needed with his chantless casting. To put it short, with the addition of Leon, our party had already returned to full strength despite the loss of Zenith and Ghiine, and with his magic and smarts, it was probably even stronger. And then there was my other monster of a son, Rudy, who used magic in ways I had never seen before, providing perfect support when it was needed. He also provided the finishing blow to anything that my sword couldn¡¯t cut with his ice magic, which was perfect for thisbyrinth. And then Sara, who was the most surprising addition. ¡­Archers were not supposed to be that strong. She could pierce the hardened skin of those lizard-like monsters as if it was nothing, and I had yet to see her miss her mark once, even when she shot out two arrows at once as if she was showing off at a carnival. Truly¡­ with her and Eris, my sons had both found themselves some amazingly strong women. And speaking of my son¡­ ¡°You¡¯re doing well, Leon,¡± I said, patting his back. We were currently taking a break before we ventured down to the next floor, the fourth floor, which was where we would be stopping for today. Although¡­ I had made that promise before I realized our party¡¯s strength and cohesion, so if we couldn¡¯t find Roxy here¡­ we might be able to go a little deeper. Anyway, while we were meant to be resting, Leon had been standing the entire time, tapping his fingers against his crossed arms as he stared forward, eyes honed with focus. But I could tell¡­ while he was acting all inspired and confident, he was also fraught with nervousness. I could see it in as day. After all, this was how I had been for the first months after the Discement Incident before I met Rudy. Restless and determined, yet still scared shitless at the fate of my family. To think that four years have passed since then¡­ wait, there was something more important. ¡°We¡¯re about to get on the fourth floor. ording to that book, she should still be here since the teleportation traps don¡¯t send people to different levels,¡± I said, trying to calm his anxiety. His eyes flicked over to me, narrowing slightly. ¡°I know. That¡¯s why I¡¯m impatient,¡± he said. ¡°She¡¯s right here¡­ or at least, she should be. I can¡¯t sit still when I know that.¡± Ah¡­ this damn stubborn bastard of a son¡­ But I get it. If Zenith or Lilia were right in front of me, I wouldn¡¯t be able to stay still like this either. In that way, Leon was a bit better than me, since he was actually putting up with it. But still¡­ ¡°You should sit down,¡± I said. ¡°Check over your equipment, calm your nerves, and then get ready to find her. Doing this isn¡¯t going to be of any help.¡± Leon stared at me for a few moments before shaking his head and stepping forward. ¡°Roxy¡¯s out there, waiting for me, and I won¡¯t rest until she¡¯s in my arms, safe and sound,¡± he said firmly. ¡°So¡­ I¡¯ll go scout the next floor near the entrance to see if there are any signs.¡± ¡°Haa¡­ got it. Just don¡¯t go too far,¡± I said, bringing my palm up to my face as Leon stepped onto the teleportation circle with a nod. Past being frustrated at that damn stubbornness, which he¡­ might have picked up from me, there was something else. With those words he just said¡­ as well as the way I knew Roxy already felt about him¡­ I had a very strong feeling that my son was about to nab his third woman very soon. I had heard all about it, both the night they arrived, and during our journey here, about how things were back in Sharia and Leon¡¯s journey since our separation. First, there was Sylphy. I remembered her from Buena Vige, as well as her father, who I often worked with. A damn shame about Laws¡­ a lot of people died in that disaster, but now that I knew he would soon be rted to me, the bitterness of his fate had increased. Anyway, in the first months of the Discement Incident, I didn¡¯t care for anyone but my family. Andst I checked, Sylphy had been marked as safe, so I had put her out of my mind for the longest time. But now, I obviously couldn¡¯t do that. She was a good girl, if my memory served me right, and a real cutie too. With those looks, paired with her elf blood, she was sure to grow up into a beauty that would keep her youth for a long while. But man¡­ to think that shy and innocent girl would be teleported to the royal pce, and not only survive, but also keep her virginity throughout the entire ordeal. Not that she had it now¡­ damn womanizer of a son. And then there was Eris, who I already knew was wrapped around Leon¡¯s finger from ourst meeting. While I wasn¡¯t attracted to someone half my age, unlike a lot of the scum in the world of nobles, I could still appreciate that she was a pretty girl with a good body. That, paired with her cuteness that only Leon seemed to get out of her, I was surprised that Leon hadn¡¯t had to fight off any potential suitors. Though, remembering that feisty redhead, she would probably do that herself. Anyway, with Hilda as her mother, I knew that she was definitely someone who would grow into a beauty, and that¡¯s not even mentioning her loyalty and her strength¡­ I had warned Leon about noble girls and how their bodies were oftencking without a physical lifestyle, but then he went out and snagged a girl like her. Though, I suppose she isn¡¯t a noble anymore¡­ Anyway, and if having those three weren¡¯t enough, he had already exined everything to Sylphy and Eris, and they fucking epted it! I was so jealous-! No¡­ proud. I was¡­ proud¡­ that my son thought ahead¡­ unlike my stupid ass. To think I could have had more than one withmunication! Though¡­ neither of his girls are members of the Millis Church, so I don¡¯t think I would have had it much easier with Zenith even if I talked it out with her. Besides, after holding myself back for four years, the longest time I hadsted without taking a woman to bed since I was a ten-year-old boy, I was more than fine with just my two wives. Now I just needed to find them. Our group stopped our break a few momentster, packing up and joining with Leon before we began searching the fourth floor in earnest. The fourth floor had been our previous stopping point for a reason, as the ce was absolutely swarming with much stronger monsters. But yet again, our new party persevered without an issue, though now our whole group needed to contribute, unlike before when Leon simply massacred anything in front of us. However, I had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn¡¯t due to the increased difficulty that Leon wasn¡¯t prematurely killing everything, but rather because Leon was preupied with looking around with his Demon eye for any traces of his beloved teacher. That beloved teacher that he already had a ring for¡­ But it wasn¡¯t the time to be thinking about that. I turned my body, evading the strike of an Armoured Warrior, an undead monster with four arms that somehow knew the Water God Style, before I shed outward with my new de, reducing the number of its arms to three before backing off. ¡°These guys are tough,¡± I said through gritted teeth. ¡°But nothing for you, eh, Leon?¡± Not receiving an answer, I quickly nced to the side, noticing that Leon was staring at a nearby wall with wide eyes, one glowing purple,pletely ignoring the battle, and most importantly, seemingly unaware de heading toward his neck. Fucking stupid son! ¡°Leon! Watch-¡± A crack echoed through the cavern, interrupting me, and an instantter, the Armoured Warrior that was about to strike Leon fell into two halves, along with the rest of them, as the smell of burnt flesh entered my nose. Oh¡­ and Leon had his sword coated in fire¡­ While using fire magic was said to make the air in dungeons andbyrinths poisonous, Leon had assured me he could cleanse the air with wind magic. So far it seemed to be working just fine, but we still cautioned against it, so for him to use that.¡­ He was serious. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a second.¡± Without another word, Leon then shot forth, sting through the wall he had been staring at, leaving a cloud of dust and crumbling rocks in his wake. Haa¡­ even though I told him not to destroy the walls and ceilings¡­ He was using his Demon eye, right? He must have spotted Roxy, or maybe a sign of her. ¡°Sorry guys,¡± I said, bowing my head to the stunned party. ¡°My oldest son acts stupid when he¡¯s in love.¡± My words were apanied by another crash and the sound of crumbling stone as Leon rammed through another wall. Haa¡­ fucking teenagers. ¡ª Roxy Migurdia ¡ª It had been a week since I was teleported away from the party, finding myself lost in the long, confusing caves of this damn teleportationbyrinth. In short, things were not looking good. I was fine on water, as I could easily summon whatever I needed, but my rations were¡­ nonexistent, which meant I had to resort to eating monster meatst night to sate my hunger. Being born on the Demon Continent, and being an adventurer for many years, I did not have any adverse opinions of monster meat¡­ until yesterday, where I had to chew through the overcooked leg of a scorpion without any spices. Through teary eyes, I got through it, but I hated it! What I wouldn¡¯t give for some of Geese¡¯s cooking right now! Haa¡­ but, unfortunately, my culinary issues were the least of my concerns right now. I had guessed this was the case after the first few days, but now, I had confirmed it. I was trapped. It seemed that thisbyrinth core had some sadism built into it, as every cavern I had explored had no ways to escape, save for teleportation circles. But those very same teleportation circles were simply sending me in a loop, and worse than that¡­ the monsters were catching on. Before, I was able to rest for a few hours by creating a dome of earth, but now, that would simply get overran by monsters the moment I stopped moving, leaving me vulnerable, if not dead. So, here I was, slowly getting up as another swarm of monsters made their way towards me. Hmm¡­ a few Armoured Warriors, which I would have to be careful of, a few Mad Skulls¡­ and that was a lot of Iron Crawlers. Haa¡­ let¡¯s do this, Roxy! Readying my staff, I felt my nose scrunch in disgust at the scent. Ugh, why did they have to smell so bad? Wait¡­ was that me? Taking a discrete whiff of my dirtied robe, I confirmed my suspicions. ¡­I desperately needed a bath. Paul mentioned how Leon should be on his way now, right? I really wouldn¡¯t want him to see me this way. Despite him being a far better magician, I still had a small bit of dignity I wanted to keep. Plus¡­ if he did still look at me romantically, I wouldn¡¯t want to give him any reason to stop. But still, I needed to survive. I needed to fight for that future I so desperately dream of! ¡°So die.¡± Narrowing my eyes, I watched as my mana formed at the tip of my staff, concentrating into a thin spinning de as I shot it forth toward the enemies, bisecting one of the Mad Skulls and killing it instantly. Just as I was about to prepare another spell, a mass of mana erupted in front of me, and an instantter, apanied by a loud rumble, all the monsters I was meant to be fighting were cut in half, their corpses flying in the air or hurling toward the walls. But I wasn¡¯t looking at the mess the battlefield had been reduced to. Instead, I was looking at the handsome man that had appeared before me, his sword held at his side as his medium-length golden hair drifted across his shoulders. Wait¡­ that wasn¡¯t just a handsome man. That face¡­ those eyes¡­ that hair¡­ It was Leon! B-But how? Am I¡­ dreaming? He wasn¡¯t supposed to be here yet, right? But here he was! Releasing the tension from my body, I felt myself lose my footing, stumbling backward, only to be caught a momentter as I came face to face with Leon, who had just sheathed his sword. ¡­This was definitely a dream, right? ¡°I told you I¡¯d be the swordsman who woulde rescue you,¡± he said, smirking in a way that made my heart throb. ¡°Well¡­ here I am. Just as promised.¡± I was too stunned to talk. Was this real? He was here? That boy who could barely reach my chin¡­ he had grown so tall. And hadn¡¯t he be a little too handsome? Ah¡­ but it felt so good, to be held like this¡­ ¡°And what else was there? Ah! Right! That feeling, about wanting to be with you when I¡¯m older¡­¡± he said, leaning forward so that his breath blew past my ear. ¡°I still feel the same way.¡± I felt my mind nk for a moment as a pleasant shiver shot through my entire body. Wow¡­ that¡­ that was a very nice thing to hear. I know Paul had said that Leon liked me back in Millishion, but to hear it from the man himself¡­ To think he would still be attracted to someone like me and keep me in his mind for so long¡­ I was so happy! Wrapping my arms around him to convey these emotions that were filling my head, burying my head in the crook of his neck. ¡°I missed you,¡± I spoke with a gravelly voice. I really needed to drink some water. ¡°I missed you too, and I¡¯m d you¡¯re safe,¡± he said, rubbing my back before his calm tone turned to a teasing one. ¡°But Roxy¡­ don¡¯t tell me you got stranded just before I came on purpose? I know it¡¯s your fantasy, but that¡¯s a bit much.¡± ¡­And he was still just as cheeky. I shook my head as I lightly pounded his chest, ¡°Idiot.¡± After the past week from hell, I realized what a silly fantasy that was. Nothing was romantic about getting covered in monster blood, robes drenched in sweat, and the smell of a girl who hadn¡¯t had a bath in a week- ¡­ N-No! I quickly pushed him away, stepping back as I created some distance between us. Ah! I was such an idiot! I can¡¯t believe it! How utterly embarrassing! ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, Leon!¡± I stammered out. ¡°Y-You came all the way down here, and then I just hugged you like that when I¡¯m all smelly! I-I understand if- Mmph!?¡± My words were interrupted by Leon¡¯s lips meeting with mine, his arms having found themselves wrapped around me yet again as I sunk into his warm embrace. This¡­ we were¡­ kissing right now¡­ weren¡¯t we? My first kiss¡­ It felt¡­ amazing. He was gentle, and his lips were soft, but I could also feel some of his passion as he sucked on my lower lip, transmitting his feelings of love as I basked in the sensations. It was sweet, it was slightly ticklish, it was¡­ well, it simply felt really good. Leon¡­ he really was a good kisser. He must have had some experience to be this good, right? I felt a little bitter at that, even though I was enjoying the results so much. Ah¡­ I really wanted more, especially when his tongue traced mine, sending a shiver down my spine. But before we could continue, he separated from me, leaving me slightly dazed as I slowly realized what had just happened. ¡°We have a lot to talk about,¡± he said, tracing his hand gently across my cheek. ¡°But for now¡­ we should go back to the city.¡± I nodded dumbly as I felt my cheeks heat up. I was flustered, that much was obvious. But I was also embarrassed at my shamelessness. W-What was I doing? While I had been disoriented during the kiss, I had noticed my hands trace up to grab his hair and press my body against his. I¡­ can¡¯t believe it. I was nning to go all the way with him before he stopped me! Right here! In the middle of abyrinth, in a room filled with dead monsters! Aghh! ¡°Roxy?¡± he asked. ¡°I-I¡¯m not that type of woman, I swear!¡± I shouted. ¡°Huh?¡± Leon said, tilting his head. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t quite understand, but how about you rest on my back? You look quite tired.¡± Oh¡­ right. Jeez¡­ what the heck was happening to me? Trying to cover my face with the brim of my hat, I nodded before I slowly walked over to get on his back, trying not to squeal as his hands grabbed my thighs to adjust me. ¡°Is that good?¡± he asked. It was very good. I nodded, slowly leaning forward to rest on my head on his shoulders before suddenly stopping. Wait. I had forgotten after that kiss, but I was absolutely filthy right now. ¡°Leon¡­ don¡¯t I smell?¡± I said hesitantly. Leon turned his head to the side to just barely meet my eyes. ¡°Maybe,¡± he shrugged. ¡°But¡­ seeing you safe and sound and feeling you so close to me masks any scent quite well.¡± He didn¡¯t deny it¡­ But that was a very Leon-like answer, and one that filled my heart with joy. I¡­ also wanted to feel close to him, so¡­ ¡°O-Oh¡­ okay,¡± I nodded, deciding to lean forward and rest my head on his shoulder. It seemed like the right decision, as he then pecked my cheek with his lips before standing back up. Ah¡­ that was very innocent, but it still felt nice. As we began walking back in silence through the various holes in the rocky walls he had made, I felt a smile unconsciously form on my face. He did that to get to me? Such a crazy man¡­ And more than that, the feeling of being with Leon after so long¡­ it felt delightful, even if I was dirty and acting so embarrassing. Leaning on my cheek, I turned my head to the side to get a better look at Leon¡¯s handsome side profile, noticing a few stray hairs beginning to form on his chin, as well as how defined his neck looked. Haa¡­ really, this was quite bad. I was way in too deep. Much worse than my crushes back in my teenager days. But Leon¡­ he kissed me so passionately, so it should be fine, right? My eyes then traced down, stopping at a familiar ne. There was a small carving of a sword that looked to have been done by an amateur and next to it, tied on the string just like I had left it, was the Migurd amulet I had gifted him so long ago. To think he had kept it all this time¡­ that made me very happy. I snuggled closer against him as I wrapped my arms tighter around his neck, deciding to rest my tired eyes for the first time in over a day. Mmm¡­ it felt so cozy¡­ was that his doing? I had seen a bit of mana drifting off of Leon¡¯s body before I closed my eyes, so it must have been him using some fire magic. As kind as ever¡­ ¡°Hey, Leon-! You found her?¡± Paul¡¯s voice said, surprised. ¡°And you¡¯re already holding her like that¡­ well, we got what we came for, so let¡¯s head back.¡± A few more voices spoke up, including one I could barely recognize as Rudy¡¯s, and one I waspletely unfamiliar with, both lightly scolding Leon for suddenly leaving and destroying so many walls. So my Leon did such a thing, just to get to me quicker? Such a bad boy~ I¡­ wasn¡¯t mad, though. In fact, that just made me happier. As the group began to move back up to the surface, Talhand suddenly spoke up, ¡°Ey, you¡¯re the swordsman, right? Let me take the sleepin¡¯ss, so have your hands free.¡± ¡°Over my dead body,¡± Leon refused before suddenly softening the tone of his voice. ¡°S-Sorry, uh, but¡­ no. I can still attack with magic and search for traps with my Demon eye, so it¡¯s all good.¡± ¡­Leon. ¡°Haa¡­ just drop it, Talhand,¡± Paul intervened. ¡°I told you my son¡¯s an idiot when in love. I¡¯ll be sure to scold himter.¡± Leon really was acting reckless, huh? And I could even hear a hint of jealousy in his refusal. It was honestly¡­ very endearing, to see the usually mature Leon, who had likely grown even more since we parted, acting so childish all because of me. But¡­ ¡®In love¡¯. So I wasn¡¯t mistaken with that kiss¡­ Hearing his overprotectiveness and feeling his warmth, along with the tingly sensation still on my lips, I couldn¡¯t help but feel another wave of bliss wash over me as I cuddled deeper into his shoulder. In response, Leon gently squeezed my thigh, which he was still holding firmly in his hand, despite his bag bncing me just fine on its own. Really¡­ he was doing all sorts of bad things right now. It was a good thing my eyes were closed, as I didn¡¯t think I could look at anyone right now. Especially not Leon. But, for his sweet actions, I did decide to reward him with a light kiss on his shoulder. And so, feeling the mostfortable I had in a week, and the warmest I had likely ever felt before, I let myself drift off to sleep, eager to see Leon again once I awoke. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It was the day after our sessful rescue of Roxy, and by travelling through the night, we were able to reach Rapan by the morning. Having slept the whole way, and even hours into today, it seemed that the Roxy had been really exhausted from her past week in thebyrinth. But I didn¡¯t mind. At least now, she was safe, and well¡­ I really loved watching her sleeping face. But eventually, she seemed to have gotten enough sleep, as she slowly began shuffling under the covers as I watched from a nearby chair. I wasn¡¯t doing this only to watch her, of course. Someone needed to be there for her when she woke up to exin what had happened and make sure she didn¡¯t do anything in a panic and, well¡­ I volunteered. Very adamantly volunteered. ¡°Huam! Mmm!¡± Roxy yawned cutely, slowly sitting up as she stretched her arms outwards, causing the nightgown she was wearing to slip slightly past her shoulders. ¡­I was very d I volunteered. ¡°Mmm? Where?¡± she mumbled, looking around with groggy eyes before settling on me, freezing as her awareness began to fill her eyes. ¡°Good morning, Roxy,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± ¡°Huh? Ah¡­ yes, I did,¡± she nodded meekly. ¡°And¡­ we¡¯re back in Rapan, aren¡¯t we?¡± She was quick on the uptake. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s only been a day since I found you,¡± I said calmly. ¡°And I carried you all the way here, so¡­ I¡¯m d to hear you slept well.¡± Her cheeks gained a bit of colour as she nodded. ¡°Y-Yeah, it was¡­fortable,¡± she said, looking down. ¡°T¨CThank you for carrying me and saving me, Leon.¡± ¡°Think nothing of it,¡± I said. ¡°Saving you was natural, and as for carrying you¡­ well, that was more of a treat for me.¡± Truly, it was a wonderful treat. Roxy looked back up at me, her lips curling into a small smile before her face suddenly froze, her eyes darting down to her clothes and over her body. ¡°I-I¡¯m clean and¡­ wearing new clothes¡­¡± she said, looking back at me through the corner of her eyes. ¡°D-Did you? Y-You know?¡± Oh, that? ¡°Change and clean you? I wish- no, sorry, Elinalise and Vierra did,¡± I said, feeling my cheeks heat up as I averted my eyes. That was close. My true thoughts almost came out there. Jeez, I was acting like a kid in front of his crush. Although¡­ she was my first love, so I guess that isn¡¯t too far from the truth. ¡°Oh, I see,¡± she nodded, relief evident from her expression. Though¡­ there was also the hint of a frown on her face. Was she disappointed? I hope so. But the look was gone a momentter as Roxy shook her head, looking back at me with a calm smile. ¡°I see. Still, thank you for carrying me,¡± she said, smirking a bit as my cheeks flushed a bit more. ¡°Hmm¡­ as I thought. While I liked the confident Leon I saw back in thebyrinth, I like seeing the cute side of you too.¡± Roxy¡­ That just made me more embarrassed. ¡°Y-Yeah, back in thebyrinth¡­¡± My words trailed off as I remembered the moment of our first kiss. How I just stepped forward and kissed her, holding her close as I relished in the feeling of my lips against hers¡­ Argh! I had somehow put that out of mind during the journey back, but I can¡¯t believe I went and did that! Looking back at Roxy, I noticed that she too seemed to remember that moment, as her cheeks were glowing red. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ that¡­¡± She looked really cute like that. Dammit¡­ what was I doing? I needed to stop acting like a child. I already said it to my father, right? I needed to be adamant about my love. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be able to properly convey my thoughts and feelings, and I wouldn¡¯t be able to make my dreame true. pping my cheeks to calm down, I took a deep breath before looking back to Roxy, who was looking at me in interest. Right¡­ let¡¯s do this, Leon. Getting off the chair, I walked up to sit down beside her as I took her hand in mine, rubbing my thumb along her soft skin as I looked into her wide, beautiful blue eyes. ¡°Roxy,¡± I said. ¡°Y-Yes, Leon?¡± she stammered out. ¡°I love you.¡± Her blush became more pronounced. ¡°But¡­ I love two others as well,¡± I said, looking down at my ring. ¡°So¡­ while I want to be together, you would have to ept that.¡± Looking over, I saw Roxy¡¯s eyebrows scrunched in slight disappointment and confusion as she muttered, ¡°Two?¡± Huh. I expected her to hate me, or at least be extremely sad. Paul did mention how he told Roxy about Eris and I, so perhaps she had expected this? Anyway, time to move on. ¡°I¡¯m sure this is a bit¡­ much to take in, and I don¡¯t want to force you, so I¡¯ll stop here,¡± I said, gently rubbing her hand before I released it. ¡°For now, we need to focus on finding my mothers. So until it¡¯s all over, I don¡¯t want an answer to my affections.¡± Hopefully, she would take the time to think it over, and hopefully, her decision would be a positive one. ¡°That¡¯s a bad omen, you know?¡± she said, smiling slightly. Oh, the ¡®until it¡¯s all over¡¯? I guess that was what Rudy would call a ¡®g¡¯. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. Yourfort is more important than some fate,¡± I shrugged. ¡°I see¡­ so you want me to wait until then¡­ I can do that,¡± she nodded. ¡°Thanks, but just know¡­¡± I said, leaning forward as I cupped her cheek, forcing her to look into my eyes. ¡°Even if you say no, I¡¯ll fight to make you fall for me.¡± There¡¯s no escaping my love and my dream, after all. Her eyes opened wide as her cheeks returned to their flushed state, and I could feel her legs shifting under the nket. Taking a deep breath, Roxy leaned forward, giving me a small kiss on my lips before smiling. ¡°You¡­ won¡¯t have to do anything, Leon,¡± she said bashfully. Ah¡­ so it was like that. I was d¡­ really d¡­ but I felt a little stupid now, for saying those embarrassing things just a moment before for seemingly no reason. Good thing my father wasn¡¯t here to hear that¡­ or Rudy for that matter. ¡°Right,¡± I nodded. ¡°And just so you know¡­ I am serious about you.¡± She tilted her head slightly, ¡°How so?¡± ¡°When we be a couple, I will marry you,¡± I said, causing her to jolt in surprise. ¡°And after that, I expect to have you, and for you to have me, for the rest of our lives. So¡­ that¡¯s why I want you to bepletely sure before epting.¡± It was a bigmitment, after all. I had been a bit too fast with Sylphy, and while I didn¡¯t regret it, and nothing bad had happened, things could have easily gotten messy. Besides, for now, we did need to focus on finding my mothers. ¡°I-I see,¡± she nodded, getting over her stunned state as she then looked at me with a re. However, since she still had a warm grin on her face, her fierce gaze lost much of its bite. ¡°Leon¡­ you¡¯re quite selfish, aren¡¯t you?¡± she said, reaching out to pinch my cheek. ¡°Wanting three girls all for yourself¡­ such a bad boy.¡± I decided to ignore the pleasant tingle those words gave me. I had a feeling that would be¡­ dangerous to acknowledge. ¡°Yep,¡± I nodded. ¡°But it¡¯s what I want, and I¡¯ll struggle until I get it. I love you three, after all, and I want to build a big family together.¡± She shook her head with a resigned smile as she released my cheek. ¡°Well¡­ while I would have preferred to be the sole object of your affections¡­ I suppose I do like the sound of that too,¡± she said. ¡°Good,¡± I said, leaning forward to peck her cheek once more. Right, I should¡­ stop that for now, even if she was very cute. She wasn¡¯t officially my lover, and instead of exchanging kisses, we should be spending our time resting and nning for the big operation. But that aside¡­ ¡°Roxy¡­ it seems we have matching eyes now,¡± I said, looking at her eye that had a hue of purplepared to the other¡¯s pure blue. ¡°I guess¡­ we have a lot to talk about?¡± ¡°That we do,¡± she nodded with a smile. Ah¡­ I missed that smile. I¡¯m d Roxy was back to me. Chapter 65 – The Teleportation Labyrinth Chapter 65 ¨C The Teleportation Labyrinth ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª With Roxy¡¯s awakening, and our rtionship somewhat settled, we then both made our way downstairs to the main room, where the rest of the group was resting. ¡°Ah! She¡¯s up!¡± Lina said, getting up from her chair and walking over to us. ¡°Do you feel alright, Roxy? Do you need-?¡± Her words were cut off as she looked between us. More specifically, Lina was looking at theck of distance between our bodies. Ever since we had left the room, Roxy had positioned herself at my side, leaning against me as her hand loosely held my sleeve. It was really hard to not immediately put a ring on her and take her to bed when she was acting like this, but I remained firm in my decision to wait nheless. Plus, this way, it acted as another motivator to get my Mama¡¯s as soon as possible. ¡°¡­It seems you two have grown closer,¡± Lina said as a proud smile graced her lips, reminding me a bit of how Mama would look at me when I was with Sylphy and Eris. ¡°Did anything particr happen?¡± My eyes unconsciously drifted to Roxy¡¯s face, or rather, towards her thin, kissable lips. Remembering the soft texture of them, even when they were chapped in thebyrinth, I felt an instinctual pull that I had to force myself to fight off. Still, I persevered. Looking away to distract myself from those thoughts, I nced up to see Roxy staring at me with a blush. But her eyes weren¡¯t exactly meeting mine, rather a little lower¡­ Oh, she was staring at my lips too. ¡°Oh my? I guess you showed quite a bit of urgency, Leon,¡± Lina said, nodding approvingly as I looked back at her. ¡°¡­I¡¯m impressed.¡± And there was that feeling of embarrassment again¡­ Paul then made his way over, looking between us for a moment before shaking his head with a resigned smile. ¡°Well, it¡¯s good to see you back, Roxy,¡± he said, giving her an apologetic smile. ¡°Sorry you had to wait so long. You were just too damn useful to our progress.¡± ¡°Ah, thank you, Paul,¡± Roxy said, waving her hand. ¡°I appreciate the sentiment enough. And as for being useful¡­ well, I think we have some better recements now.¡± Paul looked at her for a moment before nodding, ¡°I don¡¯t think you should sell yourself short like that, but you aren¡¯t wrong. We were just talking about that, so how about youe join us.¡± We then went over to therge table, where Geese and Talhand were looking over a sprawl of maps and the book on the teleportationbyrinth. ¡°Ah, Roxy! d to have you back!¡± Geese said, turning her head. ¡°And now that you¡¯re here¡­ I guess there¡¯s another reason to head back into that ce right away. Aside from rescuing Zenith and Lilia quicker, that is.¡± Hm? What did that mean? ¡°Not that I mind rushing to clear thebyrinth, but¡­ why would that concern Roxy?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, it¡¯s amon thing you see,¡± Geese said, shrugging. ¡°After someone deals with a bad situation like Roxy was in, they often can¡¯t return to adventuring.¡± Is that so? ¡°Unless they go back into the ce right away,¡± Lina said, joining in. ¡°So we need to have Roxy enter thebyrinth after such an unpleasant experience.¡± ¡°Oh, please don¡¯t mind me! It wasn¡¯t the worst since¡­¡± Roxy then nced toward me before averting her eyes as she started to fondle a braid of her hair. ¡°N-Never mind.¡± Paul stared at Roxy for a moment with an indescribable expression before looking back to the map. ¡°Anyway¡­ we¡¯ve already gone over the n for our next dive with Rudy and Sara, and they just left to gather some supplies,¡± he said, before pointing to the map of thebyrinth. ¡°ording to this book, as well as the party from a year ago, the bottom of thebyrinth is on the seventh floor.¡± Tapping one of the papers, he continued, ¡°There¡¯s no information on this floor, both in the book and from other adventurers, but we do know about the floors leading up to it, thankfully.¡± I nodded my head, taking in the information. ¡°And what about the formation? Is it the same asst time with Roxy added onto the back line?¡± I asked. ¡°Basically,¡± Paul said. ¡°We considered switching Talhand and Roxy, since her or Rudy can fill his magician position, but he also acts a tank for the back line.¡± So it would be me, Paul, Elinalise, Talhand, Geese, Roxy, Rudy, and Sara. A party of eight. While it was one personrger than the usual seven, it should still be manageable, especially since Geese wouldn¡¯t be in our fighting formation anyway. ¡°And when are we going?¡± I asked. ¡°Hmm, we were thinking about a week from now, but since Roxy seems just fine¡­¡± Geese said, looking down at his map before looking at Paul, the two of them sharing a short nod. ¡°Let¡¯s say a couple of days. And likest time, we¡¯ll camp outside the night before so we don¡¯t need to camp in thebyrinth.¡± So in three days, we would finally start searching for Mama in earnest¡­ ¡°Alright,¡± I said, sitting down on a chair as Roxy joined me, sliding her chair closer to my side. ¡°What¡¯s the n?¡± No, in three days, we wouldn¡¯t only be searching for Mama. We would find her. I was sure of it. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª We had already reached the fourth floor on our expedition, and our new group was even stronger with the addition of Roxy. While Rudy was still the better mage, both in control and power, Roxy was able to use silent spell casting up to the Advanced rank as well, which was all we needed for the monsters we were facing. And unlike Rudy, who was often hesitant with using his magic due to his inexperience with the party, Roxy had been fighting alongside them for over a year, so she was able to confidentlyunch spells without the need ofmunication. Our group was also working much better togetherpared tost time, both because of Roxy, and also the fact I wasn¡¯t pushing ahead. But I didn¡¯t regret it. After all, it was my impatience that led me to finding Roxy, and I did so without us suffering any casualties, so I wouldn¡¯t do anything different. Standing in front of us, right before the room that held the teleportation circles to the next floor, were a group of Sand Golems. They were monsters that were made of stone, with a sort of spirit that possessed nearby rocks, sand, and stones and used them as their own body. While they were strong, they weren¡¯t exactly deadly, but they were quite tough to take down, as you needed to cut it into various parts at once. But for my father and I, that was quite easy. Plus¡­ I wanted to show off to Roxy, and Paul seemed to want to do the same with Rudy. So, facing down the pair ofrge golems, I dodged the left one¡¯s strike, using my sword to carve up its arm as I quickly reached its neck, unleashing another sh that decapitated it, sending arge rock mming to the ground. Of course, that wasn¡¯t enough to kill it. So, crouching down, I let my touki fill the air as I decided which parts of the wall and ground I would use asunching pads, and breathing out¡­ I released the pressure, jumping forward to deal my first cut. Not wasting a moment afternding, Iunched myself once again, continuing the action over and over until I felt that I had dealt enough damage. My perception of time returning to normal as I stopped enhancing my senses, a sonic boom echoed through the room, and the next moment, the two golems I was facing crumbled into many pieces of carved stones. Hmm¡­ they weren¡¯t moving, and I couldn¡¯t see any mana around them anymore, so I think it was fair to say they were dead. Standing tall, I slowly sheathed my sword as I briefly nced over at Roxy, giving her a confident smile that she returned with a giggle. Hm? What was so funny? ¡°And there we go!¡± my father said, finishing off his golem with his new dual-sword style as he looked back. ¡°How was that, Rudy?¡± ¡°It was great, Father,¡± Rudy said earnestly. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten stronger.¡± ¡°Hee~ that so~?¡± my father said, scratching his ear with a dumb smile. ¡°I¡¯m actually a bit weaker than my peak, you know?¡± Right. Well, his new sword definitely helped with that. Since my father, while able to manipte touki, could only do it unconsciously, he was missing quite a bit of cutting power to go alongside his experience and talent. But with his short sword he had bought from a local merchant, which was a curved double-sided ck de, he was able to ovee that weakness. Not with skill, of course, and certainly not with smarts. In this case, it was all because of the sword. More specifically, it was the sword¡¯s ability which increased its cutting power the harder an opponent¡¯s armour is,pensating for his previous weakness. Since it couldn¡¯t even cut bread, as bread wasn¡¯t known for its defensive capabilities, my father was able to buy it quite cheap, and he quickly found its use as he melded it into hisbat style. Getting back to the present, Geese simply sighed as he brought his palm to his face, while Lina simply watched us both with a warm smile. ¡°Stop acting so stupid, you two! We¡¯re in abyrinth!¡± Sara said, her face set in a scowl as she shook her head in disappointment. ¡°Seriously¡­ are you a pair of kids?¡± ¡°Come on, isn¡¯t it kind of cute how they want to show off?¡± Lina said, patting her shoulder. ¡°No, it¡¯s dumb,¡± Sara spat, looking at us. ¡°Be better.¡± I guess my disy had angered Little Sis. At least Roxy got to see my skills. Besides¡­ even if I wasn¡¯t using my full strength, I really enjoyed fighting together, with everyone here. There was my temporary family in the Fangs of the ck Wolf, and then there was my current one with Rudy, Roxy, and Sara. Seeing them all together like this¡­ with me¡­ working as one unit¡­ It was really awesome. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°This would be a good resting ce, but¡­ what do we do about those things?¡± Geese said, looking up at the Cave Bats, their red eyes covering the cavern¡¯s ceiling. ¡°Hmm¡­ Maybe that incense for the Devouring Devils would work?¡± Hmm¡­ bats were sensitive to sound, right? I know these were monsters, but that trait should still be the same. ¡°¡­Let me try something,¡± I said, stepping forward. I haven¡¯t used sound magic in quite a while, since wind magic was simply better forbat. But in a situation like this, I really wished I had explored it a bit more. Well¡­ betterte than never. Raising my hand, I pressed my fingers together as I focused, picturing the vibrations moving through the air, creating an intense sound, but one imperceptible to the human ear. Outward like a cone so it wouldn¡¯t hurt us¡­ osciting vibrations through the air that converged at the bats¡¯ location¡­ the molecules of air moving so fast they transformed into imperceptible razors¡­ Keeping the image in my mind, I snapped my fingers as I infused my mana into the surrounding air, imagining my mana merging with the sound I had created. Luckily, it seemed to work just as I had hoped, as I was instantly attacked by a slight headache and a ringing in my ears. But I wasn¡¯t the only one hurting from that move. A good third of therge group of bats instantly fell to the ground, their bodies tucked inward and tense. At least I gave them a quick death. The rest of the bats released a collective screech before quickly flying away, their bodies impacting the walls as they carelessly flew. Rudy said they used sound to see, right? Echolocation or something¡­ I guess I blinded them. Whoops. ¡°¡­Well, that¡¯s one way to do it,¡± Geese said, whistling appreciatively. ¡°You aren¡¯t a bad magician yourself, Boss¡¯ Brother.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Leon, but thanks,¡± I returned, healing my ears back to full health. Hmm, thinking about ¡®sound magic¡¯, I really had been missing out on its possibilities, even if it was difficult to separate it from wind magic. I wonder¡­ could I mask my sound for stealth? I bet if I practised, I could also use it inbat, creating a silent sword that still shattered the sound barrier with its speed without the apanying sonic boom. And then, there were the vibrations. ¡°I wonder¡­ could I be a bat?¡± I said. ¡°¡­No, that wasn¡¯t quite right.¡± ¡°Leon?¡± Roxy said, looking at me with concern. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Oh, I said that out loud, didn¡¯t I? ¡°N-No, I¡¯m fine, sorry,¡± I said, waving off her concern. ¡°If you¡¯re sure¡­¡± she said. Right, I didn¡¯t need to be a bat, but rather¡­ could I do what they did with their echolocation? Could I use vibrations in the air and through solids to scout and search? It would be useful, since while my Demon eyes could see through objects, it could only see mana, and if a wall infused with mana, I would be blinded. Hmm¡­ it¡¯s a thought forter. Using the now monster free, open space as a small camp, our group began resting before we headed out to clear the rest of the fifth floor. Sitting on a rock, I soon found myself withpany, as Roxy slid down to sit next to me, casually resting her head on my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m having fun, you know,¡± Roxy said, moving a bit closer so that our legs were touching. ¡°Clearing thebyrinth with you, that is. Though¡­ I do wish we were alone.¡± Looking down at her cute face as her eyes fluttered shut, I decided to reach down and take her hand, her fingers easily sliding between mine as she epted my advance. ¡°I do too,¡± I said. ¡°We can do it more once we¡¯re back home. I¡¯m sure Eris would love to join.¡± ¡°Right,¡± she said, her head nodding slightly before burrowing into the crook of my neck. ¡°You did say that she loved such stories from our letters. You said she¡¯s at the Sword Sanctum right now, correct?¡± So she wasn¡¯t mad at me bringing her up¡­ that¡¯s good. It might have been insanely selfish of me, but I did want my three lovers to get along, and knowing how close Mama and Lilia were, I knew it wasn¡¯t impossible. Plus, unlike Mama, these three weren¡¯t hampered by the Millis traditions. ¡°Yeah, or rather, she¡¯s on her way,¡± I said, leaning back slightly as I wrapped my arm around Roxy¡¯s lower back. ¡°But despite being adventurers, we never had any time to clear a dungeon on our travels, so I¡¯m sure she would love something like this. Maybe Sylphy too, now that I think about it. At least if she didn¡¯t have Ariel.¡± Roxy nodded again as her hand squeezed mine. ¡°Leon,¡± she said softly. ¡°You¡¯re tense.¡± Oh, was I? I thought I was doing pretty well in masking my anxiety, but I guess nothing gets past Roxy. That was part of her older woman appeal. ¡°Can you tell me what¡¯s wrong?¡± she said in the same gentle tone. She moved her head from my shoulder to look at me, the concern evident in her beautiful blue eyes, forcing me to exin. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ worried,¡± I said, clenching my hand around Roxy¡¯s back into a fist. ¡°I¡¯m so close to Mama¡­ so close to everything being over¡­ I just don¡¯t want to mess up when I¡¯m at the very end. I¡­ I don¡¯t want to make a big mistake and-¡± My rambling was interrupted by the feeling of soft lips covering mine, prompting my eyes to open wide in surprise before closing again a momentter. Enjoying the taste of Roxy as she slowly embraced me, I let her tongue wander across mine while her lips tenderly caressed mine before we separated. Mmm¡­ that was nice¡­ Feeling much calmer than before, I opened my eyes as Roxy slowly did the same, her face forming a warm smile as our gazes intersected. At least, that was before she had realized her forwardness, as her cheeks quickly gained a deep flush before she hastily averted her eyes. I was happy to simply enjoy the flustered look on her face, but not a momentter, she clenched her fists above her chest before looking back at me, embarrassment reced with determination as she extended both of her hands to hold my cheeks. ¡°Listen to me, Leon¡­ you can do it,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re amazing enough to do anything you put your mind to, so I know you can do it. But even if you can¡¯t¡­¡± She gave me a gentle peck on the lips before staring into my eyes, her expression brimming with faith and conviction, rendering me silent from shock. ¡°You¡¯re not alone. We can do it. We¡¯ll save Zenith and Lilia, and get everything back to normal,¡± her cheeks then gained a bit of colour as she let go of my face, fiddling with the edge of her braid. ¡°¡­And when we get back¡­ we can start that family you want so bad.¡± Ah¡­ I think I had fallen in love all over again. Her maturity, the feeling of a confident guiding hand¡­ and then of course that innocence and flustered cuteness. She really was the perfect mix. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I said, smiling as I leaned forward to gently kiss her nose. ¡°We can do this. Thank you, Roxy.¡± ¡°A-Anytime¡­ now look away from me!¡± she said, moving to sit back at my side as she leaned against my back. I guess all that was still a bit much for her. But¡­ thank you, Roxy. Truly. Right! I¡¯m feeling damn motivated now! Mama¡­ Lilia¡­ I¡¯ming for you! I¡­ No, we will definitely save you! ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª We had finally reached it. After manoeuvring through the sixth floor, home to nearly only Devouring Devils, we had finally reached thest room. But as we began to understand the situation¡­ ¡°The fuck is this?¡± Paul muttered, looking down at the two teleportation circles. I was also confused. Truly¡­ what the fuck was this? ¡°What do they look like?¡± he said as Geese walked over to them, pulling out his notepad topare. ¡°Err¡­ it¡¯s not looking good, Paul. These both look like one-way teleports,¡± he said, scratching his head. ¡°I don¡¯t get it! The inter-floor circles were always two-way, and that¡¯s not even mentioning not knowing which one of these to take¡­¡± Well, shit. It seemed that we were in quite the bind. ¡°What should we do, Father?¡± I asked. ¡°Hmm¡­ usually in a situation like this we would flip a coin,¡± he mumbled out. ¡°But that was only when we had Ghiine to do it¡­¡± ¡­What? I don¡¯t remember anything like that from my childhood! Relying on chance like that¡­ how did they even survive this long? ¡°Wait, Father,¡± Rudy said, stepping forward. ¡°There must be something more to this. All the floors had a teleport to it, so just give me a moment.¡± As Rudy began to crouch down in thought in front of the two circles, inspecting them closely, I sat down next to him. ¡°You know¡­ thebyrinth doesn¡¯t have to be fair,¡± I said, looking at the teleportation circles with an analytical eye. ¡°It¡¯s not like there¡¯s any benefit for thebyrinth to do so, right?¡± ¡°No¡­ while I have only been in a few, it always has rules,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°Rudy¡¯s right,¡± Roxy said as she sat down next to me. ¡°Whilebyrinths can form numerous nasty traps, the magic crystal must be reachable. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be able to draw in any monsters.¡± Hmm¡­ so it was like that, huh? I knew I could trust Roxy and her experience, but still¡­ I wonder if those rules weren¡¯t about drawing in monsters, but rather drawing in adventurers with a false sense of security. Narrowing my eyes, I activated my Demon eye as I searched for anything wrong in the magic circles in front of me. ¡­Nothing was odd. They were just like all the other traps that we had navigated past. All the other traps¡­ Was this¡­ really the end? Or maybe there was another entrance to the next floor? Or perhaps- My thoughts came to a halt as I noticed a wisp of mana from below. Pouring more mana into my eye, I discovered that there was a circr pattern of mana glowing brightly below. A magic circle¡­ That¡¯s just ying dirty. Getting up, I walked over until I was just above the circle. Readying my fist as I narrowed my eyes, I ignored Roxy and Rudy¡¯s confused stares as I enhanced my body with touki. ¡°Hey, Leon? What¡¯re you-!¡± I interrupted my father¡¯s shout by punching down, a shockwave spreading out from where my fist hit the stone as the floor easily gave way, crumbling into pieces to reveal a dark, narrow staircase. ¡°¡­I think we found it,¡± I said as I looked forward. And there, at the end of the small hall, was a magic circle, it¡¯s lines glowing a menacingly dark red as it faintly lit up the dark corridor. Finally¡­ we were at thest step. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª After a few minutes of preparation, which consisted of dropping off all of our nonbat supplies, double-checking our equipment, and taking a final drink of water, our group was ready to continue towards thest stretch of this expedition. The final floor, which would probably hold the guardian for thisbyrinth. That was whatid behind that teleportation circle. We were about to set forth, with me following behind my father, before he suddenly stopped and turned to me. ¡°Leon, hey, uhh¡­¡± his words trailed off as he suddenly looked a mix between serious and conflicted. What was it? For better or worse¡­ very often for worse¡­ my father was one to freely speak what was on his mind. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± I asked. ¡°Er, no, just¡­¡± he then looked at me before clenching his fist. ¡°You¡­ I know that no father should say this, but¡­ save your mother and Lilia¡­ even if it kills you¡­ please.¡± I stared him down for a moment before shaking my head. ¡°First, they¡¯re both my mothers,¡± I said. ¡°And second¡­ I was going to do that anyway.¡± He looked at me for a moment before nodding with a smile, ¡°Right. You¡­ you¡¯re really damn reliable. Both you and Rudy are. So much so, I feel a bitcking as a parent.¡± ¡°Well, good. You should feel that way, because you are,¡± I shrugged. ¡°I mean, what kind of parent says that? Mama would be livid.¡± ¡°And she can scold me all she wantster,¡± he said, his expression a bit better now. I don¡¯t think Mama would stop at a simple scolding for that, but I decided to let him find that outter. ¡°So¡­ is everyone ready?¡± my father said, resting his hand on his swords as he looked over the group. With everyone nodding seriously, Paul sighed before turning back to the teleportation circle. ¡°Then¡­ let¡¯s go.¡± Our party then stepped forward onto the magic circle, engulfing us in light a momentter, before we then found ourselves in an unfamiliar room. It was arge, rectangr hall, and styled like a temple as pirs lined the walls. The room was dark, only lit by a bright, pale blue light that sat at the other end, and in front of that light¡­ ¡°Father¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± We both understood. That thing, was a monster. Likely the guardian of this floor, and thus the entirebyrinth. Our party wordlessly stepped forward, with Rudy conjuring some light as we began walking down the silent hall, only the sound of our echoing footsteps entering our ears as we continued. As we reached a quarter of the way down, the monster seemed to notice our presence, slowly unfurling from its curled-up position as it rose, revealing a body covered in emerald-green scales and a set of nine heads, all with a long, snake-like neck each. ¡°W-What is that¡­¡± Sara muttered in fear. ¡°That¡­ is that a fucking Hydra!?¡± Geese shouted in surprise. ¡°You¡¯ve gotta be kidding me!¡± But I ignored the ruckus. After all, as the guardian rose, it not only revealed its form, but also the giant magic crystal behind it, as well as the two figures that were inside of it. I would never forget that long, silky blonde hair. I could never forget those soft hands that held me so warmly, and sifted through my hair so gently. And I would never¡­ could never¡­ forget that face which always looked at me so lovingly. ¡°Zenith?¡± my father said in surprise. ¡°Fuck, I¡¯ming!¡± Mama! Mama was there! And Lilia too, they were both there! I instantly unsheathed my sword, narrowing my eyes as I shot forward, Paul screaming at my side as he followed behind me. We sprinted down the hall, ignoring the concerned calls of our allies as the guardian roared, leaping forward to intercept us. This bastard¡­ it was blocking me from getting to Mama! My Mama¡­ how dare it! All that I am¡­ the man I grew up to be¡­ she, who showed me how to love and how to be kind¡­ everything was because of her! ¡°So get the fuck out of my way!¡± I shouted as a tear dripped down my cheek. One of its heads moved toward me with its maw open wide, revealing arge set of sharpened teeth as it prepared to swallow me. With the fluidity of the Water God Style, I easily evaded its blow, scraping my sword against the Hydra¡¯s scales and taking control of its mana before I spun, shing through it¡¯s neck in an instant. Its head flew through the air as I became showered in blood, the long, headless neck whipping around in a frenzy as another head came towards me. Gritting my teeth, I coated my de in touki, concentrating it on the edge as I yet again side-stepped the strike, cutting off another head as I passed. ncing over to my father, I saw that he had also dealt with a head, his face set in a fierce expression of anger as he pushed onward. ¡°Father, I¡¯m killing this bastard,¡± I said, my tone tense. ¡°That¡¯s my son,¡± he said, dodging a whipping, headless neck of the Hydra. ¡°I¡¯ll give you an opening.¡± As he said that, I then began building touki in my entire being as well as my sword, while at the same time, I formed apressed ball of fire, crackling with lightning as I imagined pure energy, pure sma infused into the magic. ¡°Burn in hell.¡± And then I released, sending the me towards its body as I shot forward, using the Hydra¡¯s scales to leap from neck to neck as I sliced every single head off. Landing back on the ground, I looked down at my ruined shoes, the blood seeping out of my feet as the pain barely registered in my mind. So its scales were sharp¡­ good to know. Turning my gaze back to the Hydra, I saw as the ball of fire and sma scorched across the ground, Paul barely leaping out of the way in time as it reached the Hydra¡¯s body and¡­ disappeared. I had watched the entire thing happen with my Demon eye. The spell and all the mana just¡­ disappeared, apanied by a sound akin to screeching metal. Could its scales resist magic? Some sort of barrier? Or perhaps it was simr to disturb magic. Either way, with its heads all cut off, that should be it. Now, I just needed to go and get Mama out of- ¡°Leon!¡± Hearing Roxy and Rudy¡¯s simultaneous cry, I leaped out of the way just in time to dodge two heads crashing into where I had just been standing. ¡­What? I¡­ cut those off, didn¡¯t I? I could even see the headsying on the ground across the hall, so why? Why wasn¡¯t it dead? ¡°It regenerates, Leon! Let¡¯s regroup!¡± Roxy yelled from the back as she shot out a barrage of ice spears, all disintegrating as soon as they touched the Hydra¡¯s scales with the sound of grating metal. Slowly nodding my head, I quickly looked at my father, who formed a difficult expression before turning back. With Rudy creating a mist to block the Hydra¡¯s sight, and me creating a barrier to block its movement, our party sprinted back to the magic circle, getting teleported back to the dark room as we soon as we reached it. As soon as we made it into the room, I slumped to the ground, healing my feet from their cuts and washing off the blood as I watched my father pound the stone wall in anger from the side. Mama and Lilia¡­ we had found them! Chapter 66 – Facing the Guardian Chapter 66 ¨C Facing the Guardian ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Leon¡­ are you okay?¡± Roxy said, gently patting my back. ¡°Yeah, thanks, Roxy,¡± I said, leaning lightly into her side. ¡°But¡­ I¡¯m more than okay.¡± Mama was there. Mama was there! Mama was right there! We were so close! ¡°Hey, Leon!¡± my father said, pulling my cor, making me look up at him. ¡°The hell are you grinnin¡¯ for!?¡± Oh, was I? Reaching up to my face, I quickly found the answer. Ah¡­ I was. But that made sense. I was happy, after all. ¡°Because she¡¯s there!¡± I said, standing up and grabbing his shoulders. ¡°Mama¡¯s right there! And she¡¯s alive! Mama¡¯s alive!¡± Seeing my ecstatic expression, my father calmed down slightly. ¡°What do you mean? They¡¯re both trapped in that crystal,¡± he said, eyes narrowing. ¡°We need to go get them right now!¡± ¡°Yes, but doesn¡¯t this exin it?¡± I said. ¡°They must have been teleported in there, and since Kishirika could see them, they¡¯re alive! Rather than being suffocated, they must be locked in some sort of stasis!¡± It exined so much. Why my mothers didn¡¯t move, why they didn¡¯t leave thebyrinth, and how they survived for so long. They were safe, trapped in that crystal since the day of the disaster. ¡°Mama and Lilia are alive, Father,¡± I said, calming him down. ¡°They¡¯re trapped, but they¡¯re also safe. We¡­ we found them!¡± My father looked into my eyes, and releasing a breath, I could see his anger, agitation, and tension diminish. ¡°Right¡­ you¡¯re right, Leon,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°I was getting too antsy¡­ sorry.¡± I patted his back reassuringly. It¡¯s good to see he¡¯s grown. ¡°I get it¡­ I want to save Mama more than anything, but we can¡¯t take too many risks, especially if they¡¯re unnecessary,¡± I said calmly. Though, considering the actions I took as soon as I saw Mama and Lilia, I couldn¡¯t really talk. But at least we got some useful information out of Paul and I¡¯s little fight. ¡°Unnecessary risks?¡± he said, unsure, with a hint of anger in his tone. Well, I could understand him. My smile paired with those words must be pretty infuriating right now, since he didn¡¯t understand. He was an idiot like that, after all. ¡°Yeah, unnecessary. How do you think she would feel if we saved Mama, only for her to wake up to Rudy, me, or even you dead, just because we pushed ourselves when there was no need?¡± I said. ¡°We know they¡¯re alive and safe, so there¡¯s no need to rush. Let¡¯s do this properly, Father.¡± ¡°¡­Right,¡± he nodded, turning back to the group and bowing his head slightly. ¡°Sorry, for rushing ahead like that¡­ I was being an idiot, even though I¡¯m the leader.¡± Lina simply shook her head fondly, though, she did give me a look. It seemed almost¡­ apologetic. Why was that? ¡°It¡¯s fine, Paul,¡± she said. ¡°And I guess we can see where Leon got his recklessness from. You¡¯re both idiots for love.¡± I didn¡¯t really find it fair having my mentalitypared to my father¡¯s, especially since I had just calmed him down, but I decided to let it go. There was something more important to do, after all. ¡°Alright¡­¡± I said, sitting back down as Roxy came to my side. ¡°So that¡­ Geese, you said it was a Hydra?¡± I began searching our supplies for some new footwear, considering mine had been destroyed. ¡°Yeah, with those nine heads and dragon-like body, there¡¯s no mistaking it,¡± he said before frowning. ¡°But I ain¡¯t ever heard of it being able to stop magic. And while it¡¯s known to regenerate, a normal Hydra can¡¯t do it that fast.¡± So it was an irregr¡­ Looking over at Rudy, I saw that he was sitting calmly as he held his chin in thought. Thinking about it, he never showed much of a reaction, even when they were revealed¡­ Well, I guess he was more mature than me in some aspects, and it had also been quite a while since hest saw Mama, so it makes sense that he didn¡¯t act as reckless as I did. The thought of my brother, and also my sisters, not having their amazing mother in the forefront of their hearts only motivated me more. I¡¯d get Mama back, along with Lilia, and then their bonds that had been frayed with time would be mended. I was sure of it. However¡­ now that I calmed down and thought about it, I was a bit confused. The party from before¡­ they had seen Mama and Lilia, right? How did they see ¡°I¡­ think I¡¯ve heard of a monster like this before,¡± Roxy said. ¡°I believe the guardian is a Manatite Hydra. From what I¡¯ve read, it was a species that was annihted during the Second Great Human-Demon war, or at least¡­ it was supposed to be¡­ Anyway, it was said that their bodies were covered in scales that absorb mana and that they had incredible healing abilities, so that all lines up.¡± So it can absorb mana, huh? ¡­Wait. ¡°Roxy, does it absorb mana, or nullify it?¡± I asked. She turned to me, her face a bit troubled. ¡°I¡­ am not sure,¡± she said, tilting her head. ¡°Does that really matter?¡± ¡°¡­No, it¡¯s fine.¡± It mattered quite a bit, actually, but I decided to keep that to myself. If it nullified mana, then magic would bepletely useless. And if it absorbed it, we may be able to overwhelm it. But if it absorbed mana¡­ I wondered if it could use it? ¡­Now that¡¯s a terrifying thought. ¡°Okay, so magic is useless¡­ then how do we deal with its regeneration?¡± I asked. ¡°Father and I cut off nearly all of its heads in a short time, but it still didn¡¯t die.¡± ¡°Well¡­ magic should work at point-nk range, but yes¡­ the regeneration is troubling,¡± Roxy said as she began rapping her fingers against her staff. ¡°Does anyone have any ideas?¡± As I cast my gaze across the group, I was met with shaking heads and disappointed faces. It seemed no one had a way out of this. Well¡­ I bet if I was fast enough, I might be able to cut them all off at once. But would that be it? It would take a lot out of me, and considering the sharp scales, it was quite reckless, but that didn¡¯t matter if it was to save Mama. Wait¡­ how would we save Mama? ¡°I¡­ may have an idea,¡± Rudy said, speaking up. ¡°If Father and Leon cuts off the heads, I can then sear off the necks, stopping its regeneration.¡± ¡°Would that work?¡± Paul asked. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know for sure¡­¡± Rudy said, looking down in uncertainty. ¡°But I think it¡¯s our best bet.¡± ¡°But how will we do that?¡± Geese said. ¡°We didn¡¯t bring any torches, and my firebombs are only good for explosions, not burning.¡± ¡°The¡­ scales were what absorbed the mana, correct?¡± Rudy said. ¡°If it¡¯s the Hydra¡¯s bare neck, I should be able to use magic on it.¡± ¡°¡­Alright,¡± Paul nodded. ¡°Then there¡¯s only one way to find out.¡± Roxy nodded before looking over to me as I stared nkly at the floor, deep in thought. Saving Mama and Lilia¡­ how would I do that? They were trapped in that crystal. Could I cut them out? And what if I messed with their state of stasis and ended up killing them? Was it in their lungs? Or was it just surrounding their body? What- ¡°Leon,¡± Roxy said, putting her hand on mine. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Looking up, I saw her eyes shimmering with concern as she slowly rubbed her thumb against my palm. ¡°Y¡­ Yes,¡± I said, turning my head down. ¡°How¡­ how will I save Mama? She¡¯s trapped in there, right?¡± ¡°Ah, that,¡± Roxy nodded. ¡°I¡­ think it will be fine after defeating the Hydra. For mostbyrinths and dungeons, there are magical items encased in a crystal just like Zenith and Lilia are, and once the guardian is defeated, it liquifies and releases them.¡± I nodded at her words. Right¡­ that was a bit reassuring, if it ended up working out that way. But¡­ that was only talking about magical items, right? Would a person be the same? Objects didn¡¯t have to breathe, after all. ¡°I¡¯m certain that Roxy is correct. It will be fine, Leon,¡± Lise said,ing up to me and patting my head. ¡°I¡­ know of a person who was in a simr state as those two, and when they were released from the crystal, they were fi-¡­ they were¡­ alive.¡± Looking up at her, I saw the same apologetic smile as before, but more importantly, her eyes seemed¡­ truthful. ¡°They¡¯ll be fine?¡± I asked, my voice trembling a bit. ¡°¡­They¡¯ll live,¡± she said, nodding as she looked away. Okay¡­ okay, so that question was answered. Good. ¡°So¡­ Father, or rather, Paul and I will cut off the heads. Rudy will sear off the necks of what Paul cuts while I handle my own, and the rest of you will provide support,¡± I said, confirming the n as everyone nodded. ¡°¡­Okay, just give me a moment, please.¡± Seeing everyone nod before sitting down to focus themselves, I closed my eyes. I needed to concentrate. My plethora of abilities¡­ I needed to go over everything. I didn¡¯t need every one of my skills and strengths for this, rather, I needed to sift through what was useful for theing battle and focus on that. My swordsmanship¡­ that was the most useful thing for this fight. I needed to ensure my de was swift, strong, and most importantly, sharp, so that I could cut through those scales without an issue. In the same vein, I also had my touki. The unique technique ofyering that I had acquired from Orsted so long ago. I had developed it further during my journey through the northern territories, as well as through the Begaritt Continent, and now, it was to the level where there was a noticeable improvement in both my strength and defence when using it. Like I was now, with my touki and sword, I could definitely cut through that damn guardian. And so, thest thing was my magic. Specifically, how I would burn the neck as I cut through. I had done a simr move for my usual sword style, where I coated my de in blue mes as I cut through my enemies, leaving a corpse without much of a mess. But for this¡­ I needed to be better. Not only was the neck veryrge, I also needed to cauterize it to a much higher degree, and that wasn¡¯t even mentioning how its mana absorption would probably make things difficult, even if it wasn¡¯tpletely nullifying my magic. While my fire magic was only officially at the Advanced rank, ording to Rudy, I had enough skill and power that it was verging on the King rank, especially if I were to use that idea of nuclear fission like I did to destroy that mountain. But I couldn¡¯t do that here, of course. Not only would it harm the whole party, it would also use up way too much mana. But I didn¡¯t need destruction. I just required heat. In fact, now that I thought about it, I didn¡¯t even need fire. If I could just concentrate on the heat¡­ Unsheathing my de, I coated it inyered touki before I then infused my mana throughout it, feeling it pulse as my mana was amplified from the sword¡¯s effect. Breathing in deeply, I concentrated. From sound magic¡­ the feeling of creating vibrations through mana¡­ but this time, on a much smaller scale. It didn¡¯t need to be a wave. In fact, I would rather it be chaotic. Simply exciting the molecules¡­ shaking them erratically and gaining energy¡­ energy that could only be released through heat. Feeling my skin tingle at the heat radiating off my de, I then coated my body in touki as I stood up, simting how I would attempt the uing battle. Getting used to the feeling of heat and maintaining the image, my mind then drifted to the reason I was fighting. Mama¡­ Lilia¡­ How long have I wished to hear their voices¡­ how long have I wished to feel Mama¡¯s warmth as she embraced me¡­ how many times have I dreamed of crying into her embrace, telling her how much I missed her. Memories of our life in Buena Vige, as well as my time as a baby, shed through my mind as I felt a few tears pour out of my eyes before instantly evaporating off of my cheeks. Mama gave me so much love¡­ she cared for me with all of her heart¡­ she held me when I was sad, praised me when I did something impressive, encouraged me when I made a mistake, andughed when I did something silly. And now that she was right in front of me, it was time to repay my debts. Nothing would ever equate to what she gave me, nothing in the world could, but¡­ I could at least save her and bring our family back together. How long have I wished for this? It¡¯s been a long four years, and many things have changed, but throughout it all, I always longed to see Mama again. I felt my heart race in excitement and my nose tickle with my brimming emotions. Right¡­ I was at the final step, but I needed to calm myself. My words from earlier still rang true, after all. This would be useless if someone died and tainted my reunion with Mama in regret. But one thing was for sure¡­ I would get Mama back. Unconsciously releasing some of my mana, not as bloodlust, but rather as pure pressure, my determination passionate but controlled as I opened my eyes. I was ready. Looking at everyone else, I saw Paul smile at me before nodding approvingly, and looking to the side, I saw that Roxy¡¯s cheeks turn red, before she suddenly looked away as our eyes met. What was with that cute reaction? Releasing the breath I had been subconsciously holding in, I looked down, noticing the spider web of cracks that now spread across the ground, centred around me. Oh¡­ I must have really put my feelings into my touki, huh? Whoops. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re ready, Leon, then there¡¯s no time to waste,¡± Paul said as he walked toward the teleportation circle. ¡°But first¡­¡± He then turned to the gathered group before getting on his knees, bowing his head deeply so that his forehead kissed the ground. ¡°You guys¡­ you¡¯ve been helping me all this time, and I thank you for that. You¡¯ve done more than I could ever repay, but once we¡¯re done, I swear I will try,¡± he said as he lifted his head. ¡°So please¡­ join me for this onest fight.¡± Lina looked surprised for a moment before she turned her head, looking away as she yed with her hair. ¡°I¡¯m doing this for Zenny and Leon, so there¡¯s no need for that,¡± she huffed, though I could see a bit of red on her cheeks. ¡­Father¡­ you¡¯re being cool right now, so please don¡¯t make me kill you just as we reach the end. And Lina¡­ get that damn blush off your cheeks! ¡°We¡¯vee this far, Paul,¡± Talhand said, stroking his beard. ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll just up and leave now.¡± Geese, meanwhile, simply shrugged, ¡°Those Hydras get you a lot of cash, you know? And that¡¯s without their scales being able to absorb magic. I¡¯ll be getting myself quite a reward already, so¡­ just get up off of your ass.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, Paul,¡± Roxy said, shaking her head. ¡°My time with your family was very important to me, and¡­ well¡­¡± She then looked over to me before averting her eyes once again. ¡°¡­It¡¯s only natural to save your mother-inws¡­ right?¡± Roxy¡­ you¡¯re doing bad things to me¡­ very bad things¡­ ¡°Err¡­ right,¡± Paul said, lifting his head. ¡°But still¡­ thank you.¡± Roxy meekly nodded in return, apparently quite embarrassed at what she had just implied with her words. Paul then looked to Rudy and Sara, sharing a look with each of them before turning to me, his smile widening a bit as he began to get back to his feet. ¡°Let¡¯s get our family back, Father,¡± I said, letting him use my hand to pull himself up. ¡°Yeah¡­ and once we¡¯re done here, we¡¯ll have a big ass celebration at the inn,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°I still need to share a drink with my two sons, after all.¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t fall into your bad habits,¡± I joked. ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± he said. ¡°Besides, even if I do, this time I¡¯ll have Zenith and Lilia to smack me out of it.¡± ¡°As long as I don¡¯t smack you first, that is,¡± I returned. The two of us stared at each other for a moment before chuckling. It was good tough like this¡­ and it¡¯ll be even better with Mama and Lilia around. I can already imagine them both scolding us, with Mama lightly smacking Paul¡¯s head and tugging on my ear, while Lilia simply shook her head in slight disappointment, but with an amused smile on her face. Yeah¡­ I just needed to get them back, and such a scene would surely happen. Paul wiped the tears from his eyes as we calmed down before turning to stare at the red-hued magic circle. ¡°Well¡­ let¡¯s go. I want to say for the final time, but as Leon said, we don¡¯t need to be reckless,¡± he said, turning back onest time to everyone. ¡°Let¡¯s all celebrate after this together.¡± Almost everyone returned a resolute nod in response. Everyone except for Geese and Rudy. My brother facepalmed and sighed, ¡°That¡¯s a g¡­¡± ¡°Yep. That¡¯s a jinx,¡± Geese added, shaking his head with a frown. ¡°You with your big mouth.¡± Ignoring theirments, our group all stepped on the teleportation circle once again, feeling the familiar pull a momentter as we arrived at thest floor, with the guardian standing at the other end, though now awake. Hmm¡­ its heads, the ones we cut off, were gone. Did it eat them? From the blood still coating the ground, I would assume so. Well, I guess that didn¡¯t really matter. ¡°Everyone ready?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s go, Leon!¡± Paul said before running forward, with me quickly following behind. As we had nned out beforehand, there would be three groups. First was Paul, Rudy, and Elinalise, with Elinalise defending Rudy as he seared the heads that Paul cut, but she also would step in if Paul needed aid. And then, there was me, acting alone as an attacking unit. The final group was the support, with Sara providing ranged attacks when possible, Roxy being ready to heal any injuries, and Talhand defending the two from any attacks. Geese, meanwhile, as he was useless inbat, would be surveying the battle from behind, providing directions and calling out information whenever it was needed. My father had been responsible, saying that this didn¡¯t need to be the final fight, but in my heart¡­ I had other ideas. Perhaps I really was an idiot for love, because seeing Mama and Lilia, both trapped in that crystal¡­ I wanted to finish this here and now. ¡°I¡¯ming, Zenith! Lilia!¡± With a shout, Paul and I split up, with Elinalise and Rudy running up behind him as I sprinted forward. Two heads instantly shot towards me, moving through the air like a snake as I stopped. Holding my sword outward, I focused on my touki and my magic, concentrating on the image of heat as they came closer. And as they both came down to pincer me, I jumped up, twisting my body as I cut through the first neck, the scent of burning meat entering my nose as I leapt across to the second, carving off its neck with another sh. Okay¡­ so they were cut off, and from the way those necks were spasming, it really didn¡¯t seem to like the heat. ¡°Whoa!¡± I jumped back, dodging as one of the headless necks mmed next to me. Dammit. Even if their heads are cut off, that doesn¡¯t mean the neck itself is useless, especially not with those sharp scales. I had to remember that. Now, how were the other ones faring? Looking across the room, I watched as Elinalise parried a head to the side with her shield, Paul using the opportunity to cut off the neck in a single sh as Rudy sending a fireball towards the exposed neck a momentter. They seemed to be doing well. Good. My eyes drifted to the side, watching as another head made its way toward me, only to flinch as two arrows dove into its eye. Heh. Good job, Little Sis. Taking advantage of the head¡¯s momentary pause, I spread my touki forward,yering my body with touki before I shot forth, following the path as I instantly cut through the Hydra¡¯s neck, using my free hand to send a point-nk st of heat, searing the neck much faster and better than just my sword had done. So that worked¡­ good to know. The fight continued, with Sara continuing to provide support, and me defending against a few whipping headless necks, I eventually severed another head, and looking over to my father, I noticed had done the same. We were in the final stretch now. So, with six heads down, our party regrouped, watching as the three heads that were left red down at us angrily as the six headless necks whipped around it while Roxy took the time to heal a gash Lina had gained on her shoulder. ¡°It seemed that your idea was right, Rudy,¡± I said, praising him. ¡°Good job.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m just d that it worked out so well¡­¡± His words trailed off as we watched one of the heads suddenly bite into one of the headless necks, tearing off the burned tissue. Wait¡­ if it bit into it¡­ then the cut wouldn¡¯t be burned, would it? That¡­ wasn¡¯t good! ¡°Stop that!¡± I said, crouching down, ready to interrupt its feast. But before I could leap forward, one of the heads attacked, forcing me to divert my attention to decapitating it. Searing off the cut with a st of heat, Elinalise skilfully diverted the neck to Talhand, who then mmed down his axe onto it, trapping its movement and allowing me to finish off the final two heads. But yet again, I was interrupted. Yet again by a Hydra head, though this time, it wasn¡¯tunching towards us. Instead, it was rearing back, it¡¯s jaw wide as mes began to build in its throat. Uhh¡­ there was no mention of fire breath in the meeting before. And¡­ was that lightning? Shit! I quickly summoned a barrier, ensuring that everyone was behind it as the Hydra released its attack. As soon as the mass of mes and lighting impacted it, I realized my barrier wouldn¡¯t be enough. And so, I concentrated, infusing more mana into the barrier than I ever had before as I attempted to add magic nullification to its properties. Fuck¡­ I wasn¡¯t going to get another white streak from this, was I? Luckily, I was able to stop the attack without anyone getting hurt, but unfortunately, it had also cost me most of my mana. ¡°Well¡­ I guess it¡¯s absorption¡­ shit,¡± I spat, taking a deep breath as I stood up. ¡°Rudy, Roxy, Talhand¡­ don¡¯t hit that thing¡¯s scales with magic.¡± To think it would be able to release the magic it absorbs¡­ that¡¯s an extremely annoying ability. And while its absorption may have a limit, we would probably give it too much ammunition before we reached it. ¡°I wasn¡¯t nning on it¡­¡± Roxy said, her voice quivering a bit as she rubbed her eye. Oh, shit. I hadn¡¯t been using my Demon eye since I was focused on my swordsmanship, but all that mana must have been damn bright, huh? Sorry, Roxy. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ fucked,¡± Paul said, watching as three more heads regrew from the Hydra¡¯s body. ¡°This¡­ this is fucked!¡± It was indeed. Unfortunately, the guardian was smart, using our time hiding behind my barrier to chew off some more of it¡¯s heads. ¡°Well¡­ I guess we have to just speed things up a bit,¡± I said, sweeping my sword to the side. ¡°Just don¡¯t mess up.¡± We then leapt back into the fight, this time focusing on speed as Paul and I attempted to cut through all the necks before they could be bitten off. It was going well. Extremely well. With everyone having a bit more experience against the guardian, we were able to slowly be able to predict what the Hydra was doing, and using that, it wasn¡¯t long before I had cut down the secondst head, sting it with heat as Inded on the ground. ¡°That¡¯s eight!¡± I yelled. ¡°Good job, brother!¡± Rudy yelled back. Turning to him, I instantly froze. His head was turned, staring at me with an admiring smile, unaware of thest Hydra head arching towards him. Why? Why is he just standing there!? ¡°Rudy!¡± Watching as Paul turned to Rudy, getting set to leap forward¡­ but I moved first. Going faster than I ever had before, I suddenly appeared next to Rudy, pushing him out of the way as I felt my legs nearly copse from exertion. But that wasn¡¯t the only injury I would incur. With the Hydra continuing its path, I had exchanged Rudy¡¯s position for my arm, feeling it get torn out of its socket as soon as the Hydra¡¯s jaw mped down. That felt¡­ oddly familiar. And it also hurt. A lot. The Hydra jerked its head to the side, sending my arm soaring through the air as my skin ripped, leaving me momentarily stunned in the pain as blood sshed against my face. Heh¡­ it was a good thing I tied Sylphy¡¯s gift to my sword instead, huh? Good thinking, me. ¡°Leon!¡± Hearing Rudy¡¯s shout, I looked to the side, quickly confirming he was okay before facing forward again, seeing that the Hydra¡¯s head, thest head, was aiming to finish me off. Right. Stupid thoughtster, killing this thing now. Fuck, that really hurt. Gripping my sword with my still-intact arm, I ignored the blood pouring down my side as I pounced, my from blurring as my sword dug into the Hydra¡¯s scales. But I didn¡¯t stop there. Infusing my sword with heat and touki, I used a summoned gust of wind, as well as my pure momentum, to spin, tracing a path along the Hydra¡¯s neck as I carved through it¡¯s skin, all the way to it¡¯s body, until I finallynded behind it. ncing behind me, I brought my hand up to heal my wound, dropping my sword as I watched as the Hydra crumple to the ground, some of its body splitting into ribbon-like strands as a result of my final burst of effort. ¡°That¡­ should kill it¡­ right?¡± I muttered as I healed my arm into a stump. Dammit¡­ I was out of mana¡­ was I seriously going to lose my arm? Fuck¡­ it hurt really bad¡­ but if this was the price to pay for saving Mama¡­ it was worth it. ¡°Leon!¡± Rudy shouted, running up to me. ¡°Leon! Why aren¡¯t you healing your arm?¡± ¡°O-Out of mana,¡± I choked, tasting a bit of blood in my mouth. Shit¡­ one of its scales scratched my cheek too. ¡°Dammit! One second!¡± With Rudy running off, I felt myself fall to the ground, either from the mana exhaustion or the blood loss, before I was suddenly held up. ¡°Leon, are you okay?¡± Roxy said with worry, letting me lean against her. ¡°I-I¡¯ll live¡­¡± I said through gritted teeth. ¡°I-It¡¯s dead, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s definitely dead,¡± she said confidently. ¡°But more importantly¡­ your arm¡­¡± ¡°Master!¡± Rudy said, running over. ¡°I got his arm! Can we heal it back on?¡± Roxy shook her head, her voice quivering with regret, ¡°No. Now that it¡¯s healed, I doubt we can do anything.¡± Huh? So it was that? I just needed to reverse my healing¡­ Straightening out my right hand, I coated it in touki before slicing off the rounded nub of my left arm, leaving me to hiss in pain as the blood spilled out. ¡°D-Do it now, dammit!¡± I said, gritting my teeth from the blinding pain. ¡°R-Right!¡± Roxy said, bringing my cut-off arm up to the stump before healing it. ¡°S-So you can do Advanced-rank healing chantless too¡­ amazing,¡± I said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from a ridiculous guy like you,¡± she said, finishing her work. ¡°¡­There. Does it feel okay?¡± Noticing the return of feeling from below my left shoulder, I lightly squeezed my hand and bent my elbow. It was a little stiff, and still throbbing in pain, but it was fine. ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± I said, taking a deep breath to calm my nerves as I stood up. ¡°Well¡­ at least I¡¯ll be matching now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t joke about that!¡± Rudy said before he suddenly frowned. ¡°And¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ You got hurt because of me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine Rudy. You¡¯re a magician, so I didn¡¯t expect you to be good in closebat,¡± I said before I raised my hand, gently cing it on his head as I smiled at him. ¡°Besides¡­ you¡¯re my lecherous, foolish younger brother. Protecting you is worth more than a damn arm.¡± His eyes widened as he returned a warm smile, ¡°Brother¡­ you didn¡¯t have to add the insults.¡± ¡°I was just making sure you knew I was talking about you,¡± I said back. Roxy, meanwhile, was wearing an expression that was a mix of concern, relief, and also confusion. ¡°Leon¡­ what did you mean by ¡®matching now¡¯?¡± she asked, tilting her head. ¡°Uhh¡­ nothing,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ exinter.¡± She had already freaked out when I first told her about travelling with Ruijerd, so I had a feeling that she wouldn¡¯t take my encounter with the Dragon God very well. But regardless¡­ the Hydra was dead, and most importantly¡­ ¡°Leon! You¡¯re fine!?¡± Paul shouted as he ran up. ¡°That seemed pretty bad¡­ dammit, I should¡¯ve blocked that,¡± Lina hissed to herself. ¡°Sorry, little Leon.¡± ¡°Thed¡¯s a tough one. Good job,¡± Talhand added, nodding his head in admiration. Most importantly¡­ everyone was alive. For some reason, I felt extra thankful about that. Either way- Krrrshhh! The sound of shattering ss entered my ears as I slowly turned around, watching as therge crystal broke apart into chunks as the insides turned into liquid, the bodies of Mama and Lilia slowly falling out of their prison. Even though I was long past the point of exhaustion, seeing them fall gave me a second wind, and with a push from my aching legs, I appeared in front of Mama in an instant, catching her naked body as Paul did the same for Lilia. Instantly cing my head on her chest, I widened my eyes as I felt the rise and fall of her chest, and more importantly¡­ Ba-dum! Ba-dum! I felt the tears roll down my cheeks as my body slumped in relief, holding Mama tightly against me as I continued to listen to that immensely relieving sound. She¡­ she was alive! And from the relieved cry of my father at the side, Lilia seemed to be as well. ¡°M-Mama!¡± I cried, burying my face into her neck as I tightened my hold. I¡­ I did it! Mama¡­ Mama was back¡­ everyone was back¡­ everyone was alive¡­ Thank goodness! The relief I felt was immense, only beaten back by the joy that had flooded through every inch of my body. ¡°Mama¡­ Mama¡­¡± mumbling as I cried, I was only interrupted by the feeling of someone gently patting my head. Looking up, I saw Roxy looking down at me with a warm smile, radiating pride and happiness. ¡°Good job, Leon,¡± she said, taking off her robe to drape over Mama¡¯s body as she leaned down to hug my head and wiping away the tears from my cheeks. ¡°I knew you could do it.¡± I closed my eyes as I basked in the pleasant feelings of her touch and Mama¡¯s warmth, the exhaustion of the fight and the day of exploring getting to me as I leaned into Roxy¡¯s chest. ¡°You¡¯ve exhausted your mana, and I¡¯m sure my healing has taken quite a bit of your stamina, so you can rest now,¡± she said, running her hand through my hair. ¡°Past Zenith and Lilia, we have quite a few rewards to collect, but we¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡± ¡°Good,¡± I nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll¡­ need it to buy our house¡­ I want a big bath, like what Sylphy told me the royal pce has¡­¡± ¡°Oh? That does sound nice,¡± Roxy said as she leaned down to peck my cheek. ¡°Have sweet dreams, Leon. I¡¯ll wake you before we go.¡± And so, with Mama held tightly in my grasp and Roxy lowering my head onto herp, I let my body rx,forted as Roxy stroked my cheek, the tingly feeling of healing magic being thest feeling I felt before I fell asleep. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª With Mama and Lilia both draped over my back, both still asleep and tied with a rope so that they didn¡¯t fall, we slowly walked back to the teleportation circle, ready to return to the surface. ¡°Leon¡­ are you sure you¡¯re fine?¡± Paul asked. ¡°I know you¡¯re quite tired¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine,¡± I said assuredly. ¡°Everyone else worked hard to gather the rewards, and I can¡¯t even fight on the way back, so this is the least I can do.¡± ¡°If you say so¡­¡± As I had said, I was in no state to fight. With thebination of my mana being depleted, the stamina drain from healing, the worn-out state my legs were in, and the pain still pulsing in my left arm, I couldn¡¯t help fight during our way back up, neither as a magician nor a swordsman. But that was fine. Everyone else was strong enough, and they hadn¡¯t been tuckered out from the fight against the guardian like I had. While I was asleep, the rest of the group had collected the Hydra¡¯s scales, the other magic items from the crystal, and the various chunks of magic crystal, taking anything of value back to the surface before other parties coulde im it, or anotherbyrinth core made this ce it¡¯s home. And thanks to that bit of rest, I was able to confidently carry my two mothers without a problem, but¡­ that was about it. Plus, the rest of the rewards still needed to be carried, so it wasn¡¯t like no one else was encumbered. As we made our way through the dungeon, my eyes still slightly heavy, I couldn¡¯t help but notice how Roxy, who was constantly at my side, kept sending nces my way. ¡°Roxy?¡± I said in a questioning tone. ¡°What?¡± she asked. ¡°Why are you staring at me?¡± I asked before curling my lips into a teasing smile. ¡°Am I that handsome?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Ah! Wait, no!¡± she stammered, waving her hands. ¡°I-It¡¯s just¡­ I was remembering your face from before¡­ Your sleeping face is¡­ quite cute, I guess. All rxed and unconcerned¡­¡± Watching her meekly fiddle with her braid, I felt a bit of my exhaustion disappear. Ah¡­ I really wanted to push her down. But no. Now was not the time for that, even if she looked really cute. ¡°Well¡­ I had a nice pillow, so of course I¡¯d be rxed,¡± I said as I faced forward. I didn¡¯t need to look at her to know she was blushing. ¡°W-Well¡­ I-I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± she said,ing closer to my side as she grabbed my hand. ¡°F-For the future¡­¡± ¡­I really needed to have that conversation with her. I don¡¯t think I couldst much longer. Haa¡­ yep, I¡¯m definitely weak to my women. But¡­ that wasn¡¯t the worst, right? Chapter 67 – A Nine-Year Promise (R-18) Chapter 67 ¨C A Nine-Year Promise (R-18) ¡ª Roxy Migurdia ¡ª It had been a day since our party had conquered the teleportationbyrinth and rescued Zenith and Lilia. After taking a night to rest outside thebyrinth after reaching the surface, we then began our journey back to Rapan. I was really, really d that everything worked out. And judging by the high spirits, everyone else was as well. Even though we had lots to carry and needed to fight our way back to the surface without our strongest fighter, the energy was still high between the party. Jokes and stories were exchanged, as were ns for what everyone would do with what seemed to be very prosperous loot, but I mostly stayed out of it, content with giving Leon someone to lean on as we made our way back. He was exhausted, after all. But he deserved whatever break he wanted, with all the work he put in. He really was a good boy¡­ it was really heartwarming to see how far he went to fight for his mothers, and the thought that he would do the same for me¡­ Well, it made me feel things, to put it lightly. Anyway, we arrived in the city just as the sun was setting, and after telling Vierra and Shierra about our sess, they offered to watch the two sleeping women and our stuff while our party decided to take Paul up on his words he spoke before our fight against the Hydra and celebrate. Which led us to now. ¡°Hey, hey! Look here~¡± Paul said as he threw a dart at the dartboard, barely hitting the edge. ¡°That¡¯s a bullseye!¡± It wasn¡¯t a bullseye. But he was very intoxicated, and much happier than I had ever seen the man since we reunited in Millishion, so neither I nor anyone else corrected him. ¡°Hmph! I¡¯ll show you a damn bullseye! Hic!¡± Sara said, as she then threw two darts at once, both hitting the centre of the board. ¡°Wahoo! Rudy~ I did it! You better reward me!¡± ¡°I promise to~¡± Rudy returned, slinking his hands around her waist. ¡°Tonight, okay?¡± It was nice to see that Rudy had gotten himself a special someone, though it was quite a surprise when I first saw them. To think the kid that stole my panties wouldmit to a person¡­ well, Paul had also beenmitted before adding on Lilia, so perhaps it was still too early to tell. But I was d that they seemed so happy together. Rudy, while a troublesome child, had matured quite a bit, and while I had only known her for a few days, I could tell that Sara was a good girl, while also being the strongest archer I had ever seen. Anyway, with the energetic atmosphere of the tavern, everyone was acting stupid, loud, and most importantly¡­ happy. Happy that everything had worked out and relieved from the stress that had umted over the past four years since the Discement Incident. But there were two people who hadn¡¯t gotten too invested in the atmosphere. First, there was me. I had shared a few drinks whenever Paul decided to toast to our sess, which had happened multiple times tonight, but I decided to pace myself from alcohol. After all, I knew I was a bit¡­ weak, to the stuff, and I didn¡¯t want to embarrass myself in front of the one I loved and his family. And also¡­ for what I was hoping to happen tonight¡­ I would want to stay mostly sober. At least sober to remember everything. Then, the other person who had paced himself, was Leon. He had still joined in on the festivities, especially when his father and brother called him over to y a game or share a drink, but whenever they went off to do their own thing, he had ced himself at the bar next to me. I looked over to my right, seeing Leon leaning on his hands as he watched everyone with a smile. His expression¡­ it was¡­ serene. A gentle grin that seemed to be much warmer than I had ever seen it before. And then, while he was drinking and ying around, he had a wide, carefree smile on his face as he celebrated. A carefree smile that I couldn¡¯t look away from, no matter how much Elinalise teased me about it. How could I? After all, it was¡­ really charming. It made my heart race in ways I had never felt before, and made my core tingle with desire. ¡°Is there something on my face, Roxy?¡± he said, smiling down at me. Ah! I was caught staring¡­ How embarrassing! ¡°I-I was just wondering how you felt,¡± I said, averting my eyes. ¡°You were¡­ exhausted earlier, after all.¡± Leon slowly took a drink from his mug as his eyes went back to Paul, Rudy, and Sara¡¯s antics. ¡°Yea, I was, but seeing this¡­ well, I feel much better now,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ so relieved.¡± Yes¡­ relieved. ¡°With everything settled¡­ I feel that all that I¡¯ve worked for has finally paid off. I¡¯m¡­ extremely happy,¡± he said as he turned to me. ¡°And a lot of that is thanks to you.¡± He then reached out his hand, cupping my cheek as he pulled me towards him, capturing my lips with his a momentter, making me freeze in a mix of surprise and pleasure. Ahh¡­ I missed this¡­ Even though I may have sneaked in a kiss after the fight with the Hydra, as I thought, it was better when he was awake. After all¡­ he was a really good kisser. My eyes fluttered open as we separated, his tongue cutting off the string of spit that was connecting our mouths. Yeah¡­ I couldn¡¯t wait any longer. Even if he wanted to stay here and partake in the celebrations, I needed to do this tonight, or I might just attack him in his sleep. And I didn¡¯t want to do something so shameless. So, getting up, I grabbed a hold of his sleeve, motioning with my head for him to follow me, which he did with a nod. We slowly went up the creaky steps to my room, my heart pounding with anticipation as we got closer to our rented room. Entering the room, I led Leon inside before I closed the door behind us, locking it in case of the best case scenario, and turning to sit down on the bed, with Leon taking a seat beside me. Okay¡­ you got this, Roxy. Just deep breaths. He said he loved you, right? And he just kissed you, so what are you worried about? But then again¡­ I had been showing my affections quite clearly. Could he just be reciprocating to be nice? And while he may have loved me¡­ perhaps the love wasn¡¯t romantic? What if he only wanted to hug and kiss me, and nothing further? I wasn¡¯t exactly the epitome of female beauty, after all. Not with my underdeveloped body. Well¡­ there was only one way to find out, I suppose. ¡°Leon,¡± I said, looking down to myp as I squeezed his hand that was held in mine. ¡°Now that everything is settled¡­ I¡¯m ready to answer.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± he nodded before cing his hand on his head. Looking to the side, it seemed that he noticed my confusion as he simply smiled at me, ¡°I want to bepletely sober for theing conversation. It¡¯s important, after all, so I need my head to be clear.¡± Ah¡­ why did he have to be so sweet? I¡­ really like him. No, I love him. This feeling¡­ the warmth of his hand in mine¡­ it made me feel things that I had never felt before. I have had crushes, sure, but nothing this strong. I was sure¡­ he was definitely the one for me. ¡°Okay,¡± he said, looking at me with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m ready, Roxy.¡± Nodding back at him, I turned my head back to myp, not trusting myself to look at his face, lest I lose my nerve. ¡°I¡­ like you,¡± I said before shaking my head. ¡°No, I¡­ I love you. I¡¯m¡­ not experienced with these things, but¡­ I¡¯m sure that this feeling is love, and even if it¡¯s not¡­ It feels too good to not treat with the same reverence as love.¡± Okay, that was one thing down. Now, onto the rest. ¡°But¡­ I¡¯m scared,¡± I said, airing out my true feelings. The ones that I had been covering up ever since our reunion¡­ my insecurities and worry that this dream I had found myself in would shatter in a moment. ¡°What are you scared of?¡± he said gently, rubbing his thumb against my hand. Okay¡­ let¡¯s do this, Roxy. ¡°I¡­ wonder if you actually love me too,¡± I said, forcing the tears that were threatening to spill out to stop. ¡°I¡­ I know my body. It¡¯s small, immature¡­ not someone one would want to have for a wife.¡± My left hand went over to my small breasts, causing me to grimace at theck of¡­ well,ck of anything. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sure you liked me back in Buena Vige,¡± I said. ¡°But¡­ I¡¯m worried if it¡¯s just a childish crush, and after you spend more time with me, you¡¯ll realize that your tastes have¡­ changed.¡± I felt my lips tremble at the thought. Could it really be like that? These feelings¡­ would I be able to handle them not being reciprocated? I was terrified. ¡°Roxy,¡± Leon said, bringing his hand under my chin, turning my head to face him. ¡°I was going to let you continue, but I can¡¯t when I see you with such a sad face as you spew out such nonsense.¡± ¡°N-Nonsense!?¡± I sputtered, a bit irritated. ¡°Yes. Nonsense,¡± he nodded. ¡°Roxy Migurdia. I love you.¡± I felt my body freeze as my irritation quickly left my system. ¡°You¡¯re beautiful,¡± he said firmly. ¡°I love the slightly tanned tone of your skin, as well as how soft it is. I feel like I could spend all day simply touching you all over, feeling every part of you.¡± Ignoring the way my legs clenched at what those words could imply, I nodded at him to continue. Please, Leon¡­ tell me you actually love me. ¡°I love your hair. The blue colour makes me think of you whenever I look at the sky or the ocean, and I love how you fiddle with your braids when you¡¯re embarrassed,¡± he said as his hand took a hold of one of my braids. ¡°I love your body. Even if you call it childish, I can¡¯t help but stare every time you pass, trying to see what different parts of you I can discover with my gaze. I also love how it has the athleticism of an adventurer, while keeping the softness of a magician, and is small enough to easily hold in my arms.¡± His hand moved to caress my cheek as he continued, ¡°I love your blue eyes and the way they flutter closed when you kiss me. I love your thin eyebrows. I love your cheeks, your lips, your chin, and¡­ actually, I just love your entire face. I love how soft it is and how good it feels against my rough hands.¡± I¡­ was definitely blushing now. S-Stop this, Leon! ¡°And past your looks¡­ I love your demeanour,¡± he said. ¡°How you can act so mature in one moment and so clumsy and innocent in the next¡­ that mixed with your natural cuteness is, in my opinion, your biggest charm. It makes my heart flutter each time I see any side of you, but especially when you show such an adorable contrast. I love how you¡¯re easily flustered, and how you tip your hat down or y with your braid whenever you feel so. It makes me want to fluster you whenever I can to cause such a cute reaction.¡± His thumb brushed against my lips as I continued to stare at him. Why¡­ he needed to stop this¡­ ¡°And as for my crush from back in Buena Vige¡­ while it may have been childish, it was still my first taste of love,¡± he continued. ¡°And as I¡¯ve grown older, along with my experience with Eris and Sylphy, those feelings have only grew to the point where I¡¯m addicted to the idea of you. Addicted to the idea of you being mine and me being yours.¡± Stop! Stop it! Stop¡­ saying such nice things about me! But please¡­ please keep going! Please keepplimenting me! Please, keep saying everything you love about me and make me believe you want me! Make me believe that you actually love me¡­ that this precious dream of mine is true, and that these burning feelings will be reciprocated! ¡°So¡­ Roxy Migurdia¡­ that¡¯s why I love you,¡± he said, leaning forward to kiss me. Despite wanting nothing more to indulge, I forced myself to raise my hand out to stop him. Looking back down to myp, I looked at the barely visible mounds pushing against my shirt. They were amazing to hear, but¡­ did he really mean all those lovely words? ¡°E-Even with a body like this?¡± I asked hesitantly. ¡°Y-You¡¯re¡­ aroused? You¡­ see me as a woman?¡± Leon smiled, ¡°I didn¡¯t fall in love with your body, Roxy.¡± Ahh¡­ I knew it. Even if he loved me¡­ it couldn¡¯t be that way, huh? Not in the way a man loves a woman. ¡°But I didn¡¯t fall in love with Eris or Sylphy because of their bodies either,¡± he said, squeezing my hand. ¡°And¡­ just because I didn¡¯t fall in love with you because of it¡­ it doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t find it exciting.¡± I raised my head, looking at him suspiciously. ¡°Really? But¡­¡± My words were interrupted as Leon pulled my hand towards him, pressing my palm against his crotch as I felt the very noticeable hardness bulging out of his pants. T-That¡­ that was¡­ ¡°¡­Oh.¡± Did I really just say ¡®oh¡¯!? Really!? B-But what else was I supposed to do!? T-That¡­ something like that¡­ It waspletely unexpected! Even if it made my heart race and my core clench, it was way too surprising! ¡°So¡­ do you get it?¡± he asked. ¡°I can show you how much I truly like your body tonight, but¡­ I need to do something first.¡± As I remained sitting still from the shock, both at his actions and the exciting implications of his words, he then let go of my hand, reaching into his pocket to pull out a ring with a blue gem, identical in style to the one on his finger. Was that¡­ what I thought it was? ¡°Roxy¡­ I want you to be mine, just as much as I want to be yours,¡± he said, raising my hand. ¡°You¡¯re the only one this is meant for, so if you don¡¯t want it, just p my hand away. I won¡¯t stop pursuing you, ever, but I¡¯ll stop here for tonight.¡± Was this¡­ really happening? Did that ring mean what I thought it meant? I watched with rapt attention as he slowly slid the ring onto the extended ring finger of my left hand. p his hand away? No¡­ there was no way I could do something so stupid. Not when he had alreadypletely captured me. This¡­ was all that I had hoped for. That sweet, innocent promise from nine years ago that I had kept in my heart all this time¡­ with this, I would finally fulfill it. The ring reached the base of my finger and I felt the band morph to fit me perfectly. ¡°There,¡± he said with a wide smile as he looked into my eyes. ¡°You¡¯re mine now¡­ there¡¯s no escaping.¡± I felt my eyes well up in tears. Not sad ones, of course, but extremely happy ones. Gratitude, affection, hope¡­ all those feelings were bubbling in my chest to the point of exploding, making me nearly feel overwhelmed, but¡­ Right now, I just wanted to experience this moment. I wrapped my arms around his neck, moving my body to sit on hisp as I quickly pressed my lips against his, opening my mouth and inviting his tongue in. We continued kissing deeply, getting hotter with every passing moment, his arms wrapped tightly around my body as his hands continuously wandered downwards, slipping beneath my shirt as his hand brushed across my bare skin. Thank god we all bathed before this. I brought my hands up to the back of his head, feeling his soft hair between my fingers as I pressed myself closer against him, lowering my body at the same time to feel his bulge press against my bottom. Ah¡­ this¡­ this felt amazing. There¡¯s no grieving, like I had always dreamed in my fantasy, but it¡¯s nearly perfect¡­ No, it is perfect¡­ I moaned into his mouth as I felt him press his waist against me, feeling his hardness push against my most sensitive ce as he gently sucked on my lower lip. I¡­ I couldn¡¯t resist. I felt his hands slowly undo the buttons of my robe before taking it off, kissing me all the while as I also removed his shirt. No¡­ with the heat I was feeling across my skin and between my legs, and the excitement that was making me shiver with every touch¡­ there was no way I could resist this. But¡­ I didn¡¯t want to. No¡­ rather than resist, I wanted to indulge to my heart¡¯s content. Because tonight, I was going to be a woman in the most beautiful way possible¡­ by making love with my most beloved person. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª I continued to undress the beautiful girl in my arms as we continued kissing, our tongues wrestling against each other as I used every technique I had learned to their fullest. To think I would be able to experience something like this¡­ I really was a lucky guy. And being able to indulge in these sensations without a hint of guilt¡­ I was really thankful to past self for rifying things with Eris and Sylphy beforehand. I really was a genius. With our mouths separating, I took in the sight of the current Roxy, with her lips wet from saliva and cheeks flushed in excitement. And those eyes¡­ while there was that warmth of love I hade to adore over the past few days, there was also something else¡­ something new. Her eyes had lust in them as well. Well¡­ I was quite excited too, and if she was ready¡­ I was more than willing to go through with it. Guiding my arms upward, I slowly undid her bra, letting it fall to the bed as I looked at her breasts. They were smaller than Eris¡¯, but there was still a definition there. And with her rosy nipples poking out, firm from desire¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but want to kiss them. But still, I wanted to make this special for her. So for now, I would ensure she would feel every pleasurable sensation she could experience before I moved onto my own desires. Because with Roxy¡­ I had quite a few. Gently, I moved her off of myp as Iid her down on the bed, crawling on top of her as I wiggled out of my pants. There was still my underwear in the way, but it felt much morefortable than before. Giving Roxy another deep kiss, my hands wandered towards hers, intertwining our fingers as I separated our mouths. Looking down at the girl below me, I couldn¡¯t help but think about everything she meant to me. While she didn¡¯t mean to, Roxy was the one that first taught me of romantic love. She was also the one that taught me about desire, and even though it was with Eris that I began properly exploring it, before we did the deed, it was often Roxy that appeared in my mind as I ¡®tended¡¯ to myself. After all¡­ she was my first love, and our separation had only made that love burn stronger. In fact, in my dreams, it was often a situation much like this, with her lying under me with rosy cheeks¡­ ¡°What is it, Leon?¡± she asked breathily, panting a bit from our previous exchange of kisses. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯ve wanted this for a while,¡± I said softly. ¡°Oh¡­ Umm, me too, but¡­ Haven¡¯t you had other women?¡± Roxy said, revealing her self-doubt with a hesitant tone. ¡°Yeah, but none of them were you,¡± I said, leaning down to tenderly kiss her nose. She flushed deeply at my words. ¡°W-Well¡­ just don¡¯t be disappointed,¡± she said, averting her eyes. ¡°Unlike you, I¡¯mpletely innocent in things like these¡­ I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing at all.¡± Oh¡­ I quite liked to hear that. To think no one else would be able to see the charms of my sweet Roxy¡­ well, it was their loss. She was all mine now, after all. ¡°I¡¯d never be disappointed,¡± I said. ¡°And as for your inexperience¡­ I¡¯ll teach you. I¡¯ll teach you just how beautiful sex is, and also how pleasurable it can be.¡± I kissed her jaw as I finished my words, feeling her squirm slightly under my grasp. ¡°R-Right¡­ well¡­ it¡¯s my first time, so¡­ take responsibility,¡± she said meekly, turning her head away to let me kiss her neck. ¡­Well, I don¡¯t think I would be able to stop after hearing that. Raising my mouth to her ear, I gently kissed it before whispering, ¡°¡­I n to.¡± Feeling her shiver, I then moved downward, kissing her breasts and stomach as I removed her shorts and panties, trailing my mouth down her body to her hip and her thigh, relishing the softness of her skin against my lips as I then ced my head between her legs. Roxy, who had been left panting and shivering in a daze at my kisses, quickly brought her hands to cover her cleanly-shaven slit just before I could dig in. ¡°W-What are you doing?¡± she asked in a high-pitched tone. ¡°Showing you pleasure,¡± I said, grabbing her wrists. ¡°Just trust me.¡± ¡°N-No! That ce is- Mmh~!¡± She let out a sweet moan as I pressed my lips against her wet folds, my tongue tracing across the top of her pussy and quickly finding where her clitoris was hidden. Her hips bucked, pressing her slit against my face as I took in the taste and scent of her. Mmm¡­ delicious¡­ She tasted¡­ salty, but with a hint of sweetness as well. It was quite simr to Eris, now that I thought about it, while Sylphy had more of a sour taste. But I had a feeling she would call me a pervert if I voiced all of that, and deservedly so, thus, I decided to keep that to myself. Fuck¡­ I could already feel my underwear getting wet from my own ¡®excitement¡¯ that had leaked out. Hopefully that would be dealt with soon. I lightly kissed the edge of her lips as I felt her hands stop fighting, allowing me to release her wrists and bring my fingers down to raise her hood, giving me ess to her clit. My tongue gently brushed against it, prompting another sensual moan to escape Roxy¡¯s lips as her body shivered. She was quite sensitive¡­ I liked that. I then ced my lips against her button, sucking as tenderly as I could while my tongue swirled around it. At the same time, I slipped a finger into her hole, instantly drenching my digit as I began to slowly pushed it in. It seemed she was quite wet¡­ while she was probably ready, I still wanted to bring her to pleasure this way first. As I continued my work, Roxy¡¯s hands eventually went back down to between her legs, but instead of covering herself, she gripped my hair, pushing my head closer to her as she began thrusting against me. I continued sucking on her clit as I added another finger into her, pushing them deep as I rhythmically curled them upwards, exploring inside of her to find where she liked it the best. Eventually, my fingers brushed against a rougher texture of her soaked insides, causing Roxy to bring a hand up to cover her mouth as her legs clenched around my head. There it was~ ¡°L-Leon! P-Please! There! Keep doing it!¡± she cried out. As my mouth was currently preupied, I wasn¡¯t able to answer her, but nheless, I still followed her orders, increasing the pace of my fingers as I sucked even harder. It didn¡¯t take long before I felt her body begin to tremble, her insides clenching around my fingers, and liquid ssh against my chin as I heard Roxy release a strangled cry. I continued pleasuring her as she rode out her orgasm, slowing down my pace as she continued pushing my head into her, her back arching slightly as she continuously jolted. Eventually, she finishedpletely, and her body went limp onto the bed, allowing me to release my head from its veryfy prison as her legs and hand ckened their hold on me. I felt Roxy¡¯s hand that was still in my hair gently stroke it as I began kissing up her stomach to her breasts and finally to her neck, my fingers still inside her as they gently massaged her folds. ¡°Did you like that?¡± I said as I began kissing her neck. ¡°Y-Yes¡­ a lot,¡± shezily murmured, biting her lip as I took out my digits. ¡°W-Was it¡­ did it taste bad?¡± ¡°No,¡± I shook my head, bringing my glistening fingers up to show them off. ¡°In fact¡­ I loved it.¡± She nodded her head with a dazed expression as I slowly licked on a finger, but before I could move onto the second one, she grabbed my wrist, pulling my hand towards her as she put the finger into her mouth. ¡­Wow. Watching her suck off her very own essence with a lustful and curious expression, I felt my cock twitch. Yeah¡­ I couldn¡¯t wait any longer. I needed to get in her. Now. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not bad, I suppose,¡± she said, licking her lips as she looked back at me. ¡°So¡­ can we do it now?¡± I hastily nodded my head as I reached down to take off myst piece of clothing, releasing my cock that had been so tightly restrained. As I hovered over Roxy, her breath ragged as she basked in the afterglow of her orgasm, I watched as her eyes went to my chest. ¡°That scar¡­¡± she said, slowly reaching out her hand to trace out the pale skin on my chest, and then the jagged line on my right and left shoulder. ¡°So that¡¯s what you meant by having it match¡­ how did that happen?¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter,¡± I shook my head. There was no need to ruin the mood. ¡°R-Right,¡± she nodded, her voice jittery. ¡°¡­Are you ready?¡± I asked as I brought the tip of my cock to line up against her entrance. With how wet she was, as well as the pre-cum I had released, there was no need for any further preparations. ¡°Y-Yeah,¡± she nodded. ¡°Please take care of me¡­¡± ¡°I will.¡± Giving her a confident smile, I brought my face down to gently kiss her as I slowly entered her, her walls clenching around my member as I went deeper. Roxy¡¯s breath hitched as her hands wrapped around my neck, squeezing me closer to her as she released a sensual groan. My hands, meanwhile, traced their way up her body, brushing against her sides and enjoying the feeling of her soft skin as they eventually reached her hair. Mmm¡­ it was so soft¡­ she wouldn¡¯t mind if I messed up her braid, would she? Hopefully not. I wanted to see my Roxy with long, flowing hair, after all. A sight only I would get to see. Feeling Roxy squirm under me, I lightly sucked on her lip as I gently thrust forward, our hips meeting as Ipletely sheathed myself inside of her. I savoured the feeling of beingpletely surrounded by Roxy¡¯s warmth and enjoyed the taste of her tongue, which was like the wine she had earlier, before slowly detaching my lips from hers, watching as Roxy fluttered open her eyes to stare at the ceiling. That dazed look really suited her¡­ but more importantly. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± I asked. This was her first time, after all. ¡°N-No, it feels¡­ so good,¡± she raggedly breathed out. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ amazing. You¡¯re reaching into ces my fingers can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°So¡­ you y with yourself?¡± I said with a smirk as I slowly began to rock my hips back and forth. ¡°Naughty girl.¡± She felt¡­ really good. I would have to keep my concentration, so I don¡¯t identally finish too quickly. Her face flushed as she nodded. I leaned down to gently suck on her earlobe as I thrust forward once again, causing her to wrap her legs around my waist. ¡°And?¡± I whispered. ¡°What do think of?¡± ¡°Y-You¡­¡± she whimpered. ¡°B-Before you joined us, it was always meing back with y-your mothers, and when we met¡­ you pushed me down on the spot.¡± Oh? So she had such a fantasy? My hands that had been softly sifting through her hair gently tugged as I pressed myself forward, going deeper into her. ¡°Like this?¡± I asked. ¡°Y-Yes!¡± she cried, her hands going up to my hair and pushing my face into her neck. I continued fucking her like this, kissing her neck and leaving as many hickeys as I could as I began rolling my hips, reaching ces I hadn¡¯t yet. Going by the fact she had started panting even more, Roxy seemed to like this just as much as I did. I eventually raised my head once again to look down at her, enjoying all the red marks that I had left, as well as her long blue hair syed across the pillow. Seeing her eyes lidded in pleasure, her rosy cheeks zed in a film of sweat, her lips swollen from our numerous kisses, how her mouth opened slightly with every panting breath¡­ She really looked- ¡°-so beautiful¡­¡± I saw her eyes widen and her pussy clench at my words. She bit her lip as she averted her eyes before whispering, ¡°Compliment me more¡­¡± So she had this kink as well¡­ to think her and Eris would have something inmon, though I think hers was more to do about her physical insecurities. I would have to show her just how silly those insecurities were. Smiling at her cuteness, I brought one of my hands down to her chin, pointing her face towards me as I leaned down to kiss her cheek. ¡°I love your legs,¡± I said as I moved up to kiss her nose. ¡°And I love your nose.¡± ¡°M-More!¡± she begged, her legs tightening around me, pulling me deeper inside her. I was getting close¡­ but at least she looked like she was getting there too. ¡°I love your voice. From your calm teaching tone, to how you¡¯re breathing raggedly right now,¡± I continued, increasing the pace of my thrusts. I removed my hand from her chin as I traced down her sides. ¡°I love how small your shoulders are¡­ I love how soft your hips are¡­¡± I continued, enjoying how Roxy¡¯s breathing had increased. ¡°And your ass¡­ I love your ass¡­ I find my eyes drifting to it whenever you walk ahead of me. It¡¯s hard to not reach down and-¡± ¡°Leon!¡± she screamed, grabbing my head and pulling my in for a deep kiss. Feeling her insides clench against my cock, I pushed as deep as I could, feeling my own orgasm begin to wash over me. Like a spring hade undone, I released everything inside of her, and considering it had been nearly two months since my night with Sylphy, it was quite a bit. My mind slowly returning from its haze, I felt Roxy¡¯s tongue invading my mouth as she continuously shook, her hands pulling my hair as she finished with me inside of her. Enjoying the sensations, I eventually leaned away from her, a trail of saliva dripping down my chin as I looked down at her. Her expression was¡­ well, it was simply astonishing. With a wide, silly smile, upturned eyes, and flushed cheeks, it seemed that I was able to make her first time quite pleasurable. And now that I looked at her like this, I realized once again how¡­ small she was. I know she felt insecure about it, but I couldn¡¯t help but find her petite figure overwhelmingly endearing. They way she could fit perfectly in my arms when I hugged her¡­ how perfect she felt sitting on myp¡­ how I could easily rest my chin on her head¡­ the way she had to get on her toes to kiss me¡­ Yeah¡­ I really loved Roxy just the way she was. A small, clumsy, innocent girl¡­ and a girl that was perfect for me. I wouldn¡¯t change a single thing. ¡°Was that good?¡± I asked as I lovingly pecked her lips. ¡°Mmm¡­ the best¡­¡± she said as she took deep,boured breaths. ¡°Was it¡­ good for you?¡± She was so cute. I smiled warmly down at her, ¡°Amazing. I love you, Roxy.¡± ¡°I l-love you too,¡± she said, averting her eyes with a wide smile. Taking a few deep breaths, and wiping a few drips of sweat off of her face, she slowly turned back to me. Lightly biting her lips, she eventually asked, ¡°Can we¡­ continue?¡± So she wasn¡¯t quite done? ¡°I¡­ want to be on top this time,¡± she said. While I was originally going to wait a few minutes to get up again, at her words, I felt myid member begin to stand to attention once more inside of her. I rapidly nodded my head before grabbing her sides, rolling us over, so Roxy wasying on my chest. Giving me a deep kiss, she then sat up, resting one hand on my chest to steady herself while rolling her hips with a curious expression. ¡°Leon¡­¡± she said as she slowly looked at my face. ¡°You¡­ said you wanted lots of kids, right? A big family?¡± I nodded my head. ¡°Yeah. With you.¡± She smiled softly as she continued moving on top of me, her body coated in the moonlight from the nearby window as the candle petered out. She really was absolutely stunning¡­ how could a girl like her be insecure about her looks? How ridiculous. But that clumsiness is part of the Roxy I loved so dearly. ¡°Then¡­ we can start right now,¡± she said as she reached down to caress my cheeks. ¡°Give me everything, Leon.¡± ¡­Well, if I wasn¡¯t hard before, I definitely was now. ¡°dly, Roxy.¡± And so, with our rtionship confirmed, we made love long into the night, discovering new parts of each other all the while. It was slow, gentle, tender¡­ it was a night filled with us showing each other our love in physical form, where Iid bare the feelings that had long been festering and my heart, and Roxy epted him, despite her inexperience with the act. It was¡­ beautiful, and just as amazing as I had always hoped, with me keeping my promise to give her a pleasant first time, and enjoying myself just as much. And so, after a few more rounds, with our bodies exhausted, we eventuallyid down to rest, both of us basking in the afterglow of the act as Roxy quickly fell asleep on my chest, her naked body pressed tightly against my side. My arm holding her close, feeling her soft and warm skin, I couldn¡¯t help but smile at both the memories of the night, the feelings I was currently experiencing, and also¡­ my excitement for the future. After all, now that we would soon be heading back to Sharia, it would be the start of a new chapter in my life. And Roxy was going to be there with me the entire way. ¡°I love you,¡± I whispered to her as I closed my eyes. Since she was asleep, she didn¡¯t hear it, but I still felt the need to say it nheless. Mmm, yes¡­ feeling her so close to me, and hearing her soft breathing as she slept, I was sure of it. I was definitely the luckiest man in the world. Chapter 68 – We Will Be Reunited: A Mother’s Love Chapter 68 ¨C We Will Be Reunited: A Mother¡¯s Love ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Having woken up first, instead of going out to do my usual morning routine of stretches and swordsmanship, I decided to stay in bed and enjoy the sight in front of me. After all, a naked Roxy was currently cuddled against my side, with her body wrapped in white bedsheets and her hair messily syed across the pillow and my chest. This wasn¡¯t a position I was willing to leave. However, the smell of sweat and¡­ other fluids fromst night, was quite pungent. Mmm¡­ I should probably air this ce out. Gently caressing Roxy''s face, I felt her soft skin under my fingertips as she let out a light groan, her eyelids fluttering open to reveal her sleepy eyes. ¡°Good morning, beautiful,¡± I said, lightly kissing her lips. ¡°Or should I say ¡®my beautiful¡¯ now.¡± Her cheeks flushed a rosy pink as she hastily covered her face with the nkets, but after a few moments, she lowered them and leaned forward, nting a gentle peck on my cheek. ¡°G-Good morning¡­ Leon,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°But¡­ that was extremely clich¨¦.¡± She really was too cute. And yes, it was clich¨¦, but it was true, so I said it anyway. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± I asked, tracing my hand across her body. ¡°Mm¡­ a little,¡± she said, moving her hips with a slight smile. ¡°But¡­ it¡¯s a good kind of hurt. I feel very¡­ satisfied.¡± Well¡­ that was good. She could always heal herself if it actually hurt, so I wasn¡¯t too worried. ¡°I see,¡± I nodded before leaning back into the bed, pulling her close to my side. ¡°Thank you forst night, Roxy.¡± ¡°N-No¡­ it was my pleasure,¡± she said as she leaned her head back on my chest. ¡°I¡­ still can¡¯t believe this isn¡¯t a dream.¡± ¡°Well, get used to it,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯ll be waking up like this most mornings from now on.¡± ¡°Most mornings?¡± she questioned. ¡°Not a third?¡± ¡°I have two arms, don¡¯t I?¡± I smirked, causing her to flush once again at the implications as I looked up to the ceiling. ¡°We can talk about it once we get back, but I¡­ would really love to sleep and wake up with everyone.¡± ¡°¡­We¡¯ll see,¡± she said as she leaned her head back against my chest. We stayed like that for a little longer before finally deciding to get up. Considering our dishevelled states, we took turns giving each other a bath using a rag and some warm water I generated, and I would be lying if I said my hands didn¡¯t wander while washing certain ces¡­ Let¡¯s just say that I really had to hold myself back to not ruin our work. So, eventually, with both of us cleaned and dressed for the day, I then offered to do Roxy¡¯s hair, as her usual braids had be undone during our activities fromst night. Luckily, she wasn¡¯t mad about it. ¡°You¡¯re quite skilled at this,¡± she said from myp, leaning back against my chest as I continued my work. ¡°I had a lot of practice with my sisters and Eris,¡± I said. ¡°But, if I¡¯m honest¡­ as much as I love your braids, I really liked it with your hair down.¡± Roxy slowly nodded, ¡°Then¡­ I can wear it down in private. Especially when you¡¯re so good at this.¡± I wanted to ask what she meant by ¡®private¡¯, but from the way she wiggled her hips against my crotch, I had an idea. ¡°Then¡­ can you wear it down around the house too?¡± I asked into her ear. She nodded, turning her head to the side to smile at me. ¡°Of course, but¡­ if you want that, I¡¯ll need something in exchange.¡± ¡°And what would you want?¡± I asked. ¡°For now¡­¡± She then leaned forward to kiss me, her tongue tracing across my lips as I momentarily stopped working on her hair. Separating, she gave my a sultry smile as she finished her words, ¡°¡­That will suffice. Butter on¡­ I might ask for more.¡± ¡°¡­You can ask whatever you want,¡± I said. After all, I had a feeling her requests would be quite pleasurable for me too. With her facing forward once again, I finally finished weaving her usual twin braids as we then headed downstairs, but not before sharing a few more kisses in our room, which still lingered with the scent ofst night. I¡­ should probably wash those sheets, huh? And¡­ I think Roxy and I will sleep in my room tonight. As we walked hand in hand down to the main room, which was still filled with the scent of alcohol from the night before, we were met with the rest of the group sitting around, all giving us wide smiles. ¡°I see you two have finally cemented your rtionship,¡± Lina said with a smile, which widened as she looked at our inteced hands. ¡°And I didn¡¯t need to see that ring to know that.¡± ¡°H-Huh? What do you mean?¡± Roxy said, averting her eyes. ¡°Oh, darling¡­ you two were quite loud, you know,¡± Lina said as she giggled lightly. ¡°But that passion was certainly¡­ stimting. And not to mention all those marks on your neck¡­¡± I felt Roxy''s hand squeeze mine as she stoodpletely still, and ncing to the side, I noticed her cheeks had turned a healthy shade of pink as she brought her hand to her neck, now littered with hickeys, adding to her blush. I see¡­ I waspletely focused on Roxy, so had forgotten about everyone elsest night, and it seemed that we had been a bit too¡­ excitable. ¡°Roxy¡­ I¡¯m d to see that you used my lines,¡± Lina teased before breaking out into a fit of giggles. ¡°Ahh! No more!¡± Roxy said, waving a hand in front of her face. My father, who had been resting his head against the table, nced at the two of us in confusion before a sh of realization crossed his face. I thought he would do something stupid, but all he did is give me a thumbs up. Well¡­ I guess that was still pretty stupid, but at least he seemed cheery. ¡°Wait¡­ Master and Leon?¡± Rudy said. Looking over, I saw that my brother was looking at the two of us with a shocked expression. ¡°Are you two¡­ together? When did that happen?¡± he asked. Oh, yeah¡­ I had told Rudy about having someone else besides Eris and Sylphy, but I forgot to mention that said girl was Roxy. ¡°Are you serious, Rudy?¡± Sara said, looking at him from the side. ¡°It was quite obvious. Did you not see how close they¡¯ve been? They even kissed right in front of us.¡± ¡°No! I didn¡¯t!¡± he said. ¡°¡­You¡¯re really dense, huh?¡± she shrugged. Rudy shook his head, oveing his momentary shock, as he then looked back to me and Roxy. ¡°So Eris, Sylphy, and Roxy¡­ an RGB collection¡­ though I guess you lost the green,¡± he said, nodding to himself. What nonsense was he talking about now? ¡°Still, I have to say¡­ well done, son,¡± my father said, walking over to pat me on the back. Dammit. I knew he was going to do something like this. And that annoying grin¡­ he was definitely looking to tease me. ¡°But hey¡­¡± he said, leaning down to whisper just loud enough for Roxy to hear. ¡°Next time you want to ramble about your love in the sack, maybe make sure everyone else can¡¯t hear ya.¡± I felt my cheeks heat up in slight embarrassment. I wasn¡¯t ashamed about voicing my love for Roxy, whether it be to her or to others, but after discovering that Roxy had a sexual preference to praising andplimenting, I may have said some details that I would prefer stay between us. After all, I very much did not want my father to know how much I enjoyed the taste of¡­ well, taste of her. ¡°Ohe on, Paul, it was as cute as it was passionate,¡± Lise said. ¡°Even I couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit jealous at all those words. It must have felt wonderful, right, Roxy?¡± Roxy did not answer, instead deciding to bury her face into my shoulder, hiding away from the world. I wish I could join her. ¡°Haha! Yeah, I guess, but it¡¯s still hrious to me,¡± my father said before leaning over to whisper once again. ¡°And you know, Leon, just a piece of advice, if the bed creaks that much, you¡¯re gonna want to-¡± ¡°Captain!¡± Luckily, Vierra hade down the stairs to interrupt my father from teasing me any further. Thank you for saving me, Vierra. I am forever grateful. ¡°Zenith and Lilia! They¡¯re¡­ they¡¯re awake!¡± ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª As soon as the news of my awakened mothers reached our ears, our group, save for Geese, who was out submitting the report of thebyrinth clear for some more cash, rushed up to see them, with my father and I both leading the pack. My legs still burned from the fight against the Hydra, but I didn¡¯t care. Mama¡­ I needed to see Mama! Entering the room, I saw both Mama and Lilia sitting up on their bed, their backs leaning against the wall as they looked forward. ¡°Mama! Lilia! I¡­ Mama?¡± My excitement quickly drained as I noticed that there was something¡­ wrong. Mama¡­ she was still staring nkly ahead, while Lilia was doing the same. I would say that they hadn¡¯t heard me, but they had both turned their heads slightly towards me at my exmation, but other than that¡­ they didn¡¯t do anything else. Shouldn¡¯t¡­ shouldn¡¯t they be happy to see me? Ecstatic that we were back together? Even if time hadn¡¯t passed for them while they were trapped, Mama was always happy to see my face, so why? Why were they like that!? ¡°M-Mama?¡± I said, walking closer as my father stood still next to me. ¡°Oi¡­ Shierra¡­ Vierra¡­ why the hell do they look like that,¡± my father said, his voice trembling. ¡°That¡­ why?¡± It almost seemed like he knew what was going on, but that thought didn''t even register in my mind, which was overwhelmed with shock. Going up to kneel in front of Mama, I gently took her hand in mine as I looked up at her, her blue eyes meeting mine. N-No¡­ why was she like that? Her eyes¡­ they should be shining in excitement, happiness¡­ anything! But why¡­ why were they so dull? ¡°Mama? I-I¡¯m back¡­¡± I said, nearly choking up on my words. ¡°It¡¯s me¡­ Leon¡­¡± She continued staring nkly at me before opening her mouth slightly. Was she going to say something? Tell me that she missed me? That she loves me? That she¡¯s¡­ proud of me? I waited with bated breath as Mama slowly voiced out, ¡°A-Augh¡­¡± My mind froze. That¡­ what the hell¡­ what the hell was this? ¡°M-Mama? Mama, why-¡± ¡°Leon¡­¡± Lise said, crouching down next to me as she ced her trembling hand on my shoulder. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I was worried about something like this happening.¡± I slowly turned my head to look at her, seeing the same apologetic smile from before we faced the Hydra stered on her face. ¡°Elinalise¡­ do you know what happened to our mother and Lilia?¡± Rudy said, crouching down on the opposite side of me. I could vaguely hear Paul begin to weep from behind me, beingforted by Vierra as Roxy hesitantly wrapped her arms around me to hug me from behind. ¡°I¡­ yes, I do,¡± Lise said, her expression pained. ¡°I¡­ told you how I knew of someone getting crystallized in a dungeon¡­ But what I didn¡¯t mention, was that afterwards¡­ they lost their memory¡­ permanently.¡± Something broke inside me as I felt a weight press down on me, my shoulders dropping. I likely would have fallenpletely if it wasn¡¯t for Roxy holding me up. Mama¡­ she¡­ doesn¡¯t remember me? My heart hurt, as if it had been ripped to shreds, and my mind¡­ it was¡­ muddled¡­ blurred as I tried to process everything. ¡°Permanently¡­ so there¡¯s no cure?¡± Rudy asked, voice calm but pained. ¡°Unfortunately, no. They went to the greatest healers, but no one could do anything,¡± Lise said. ¡°I¡­ believe that is what has happened to these two. Eventually, they will likely regain some sanity, but¡­ they will never be the same.¡± ¡°A-Ahh!¡± I said, pressing my hand against my chest. My voice, it was! Ah¡­ I see¡­ I was hyperventting. And there was no need to wonder why. My dream¡­ of everyone back together¡­ of a happy family¡­ it was gone. Destroyed before it could even begin. Mama¡¯s love¡­ would I ever feel it again? And going back like this¡­ could I even say that I saved them? What about my promise to Norn and Aisha? I¡­ I had failed. Failed to keep my most important promise to them, and my most important promise to myself. Yet again¡­ I had lost my mother. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry, you two,¡± Lise said, patting my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry, Leon.¡± I felt Roxy¡¯s arms squeeze tighter around me as I felt two lines of heat trail down my face. Huh? What¡­? Oh¡­ I was crying¡­ I see. Closing my eyes, I gripped onto Roxy¡¯s hands as I thought back to before we were all separated. Back to when I was but a baby, where Mama was all I had, my entire world. How she held me so close and lovingly, even though I had no rtion to her, and taught me everything, from magic to writing. She¡­ that Mama¡­ she was gone? Why!? I¡­ I wanted to bring her back! I wanted to show her that our family was safe and sound! I wanted her to embrace Aisha and Norn, and then turn around and pat my head, telling me I did a good job! That she was proud of me! That she was proud to call me her son! I wanted to show her my first child, her grandchild¡­ I wanted to see her hold them close and tell me stories of me as a baby with a warm smile! I wanted to show her Roxy, Sylphy, and Eris! I wanted her to be there for our wedding! I wanted her to scold me for not following the path of Millis and taking on three women, and then I wanted her to say that I better treat them well, and that she was d I had found love! I wanted¡­ I wanted to do so much with her¡­ I wanted¡­ I wanted-! I suddenly froze as I felt a hand caress my cheek, gently wiping away the tears I had released. My eyes flew open, and I was met with the sight of Mama leaning forward, her hand outstretched towards my face as she looked at me with the same nk look. No¡­ it wasn¡¯t the same look¡­ her eyes¡­ they¡­ they could see me! ¡°M-My¡­ b-babies¡­¡± she rasped. My breath caught in my throat as Mama leaned forward, slowly cing a hand behind Rudy and I¡¯s heads. Mama¡­ Mama! I released a shuddering breath as my nose began to tingle with emotion. I felt light, as if I was standing on air as the immense weight from before disappeared, the tension draining from my body as I scrambled forward, with Roxy quickly letting me go. ¡°Mama!¡± I sobbed, embracing Mama in a hug as my body continued to tremble, but no longer out of sorrow. ¡°Mama! Mama! Mama!¡± I wailed like a baby, relishing in the warmth of Mama¡¯s hug as tears poured onto her shoulder while her hand began gently raking through my hair. Relief¡­ overwhelming relief was all that I could feel as Paul joined me, patting my back as he brought Lilia and Rudy into a hug. I cried. I cried and cried until no more tears could be shed. But they were happy tears. After all, while I was sure there was still some more work to be done, I had finally reunited with Mama. And that dream of my beautiful family¡­ the dream I had been working for all this time¡­ it was still alive. So why would I feel anything else but overwhelming happiness? ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª My eyes still raw from my earlier breakdown, I watched the sleeping forms of Mama and Lilia as theyid in the bed with a calm smile. Aside from Mama¡¯s single sentence, if you could call it that, they hadn¡¯t said anything else, and while they had tenderly returned our hug and tried to calm me and my father down from our bawling, they hadn¡¯t done anything to allude to being back to normal. But that was fine. After all, while she hadn¡¯t talked, from the warmth in her eyes, and the gentleness of her touch, I could tell¡­ Mama remembered me. And Lilia too. They both remembered me. It might take a while to get back to how they were before, but with this¡­ I had hope. And hope goes a long ways. ¡°So¡­ Elinalise¡­ you said they wouldn¡¯t remember, right? Or at least the person you knew didn¡¯t,¡± my father said as he sat opposite me. ¡°What¡¯s with them, then?¡± ¡°I¡­ do not know,¡± Lise said, still getting over her shock. ¡°They both still seem affected, but¡­ it doesn¡¯t seem their memory has beenpletely erased.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± my father nodded. ¡°Do you¡­ have any idea why? Why they would lose their memory in the first ce, and why they seem saved from it.¡± Lina rapped her fingers against her crossed arms, her eyes, which were red from her own crying, narrowing in thought. ¡°Well¡­ when that person tried to find out why they had lost their memories, and how to possibly get them back, they learned that it was due to the burden of the dungeon,¡± she said, looking down with a forlorn expression. I guess that person must have been quite close to her. I wonder where they are now? But anyway¡­ ¡°Burden of the dungeon?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°Yes,¡± she nodded. ¡°Essentially, when encased in the magic crystal of the dungeon¡¯s core, they had essentially be the ¡®mind¡¯ of the dungeon, and as it was too much for their mind to bear, it had¡­ broke. Or at least reset to a nk state without memories¡­¡± I see¡­ that made some sense. The brain could only handle so much information, at least without being enhanced by touki, so if it was overloaded by bing one with the dungeon¡­ it would have to offload some information. ¡°Then¡­ why are Mama and Lilia notpletely gone?¡± I asked. ¡°To be honest¡­ I¡¯m not quite sure,¡± she said, frowning. ¡°But if I had to guess¡­ I would say that the burden of the dungeon got shared between the two of them rather than on a single mind. They will likely still be affected, to what extent we do not know¡­ but I think the worst of the possible symptoms have been avoided.¡± That¡­ that was good. That was really good! ¡°Do you¡­ do you think they¡¯ll be okay?¡± I asked, slightly afraid of the answer. Lina looked at me, staring for a moment before forming a smile. ¡°I cannot bepletely certain, but considering it has only been a day, and they already remember you andforted you¡­ I think it is likely that things will return to rtively normal,¡± she said gently. ¡°Some things may still be different, and some memories may be forgotten, but I think you can say that you have saved your mothers, little Leon. And Paul, you have saved your wives.¡± Both my father and I looked at Lina with wide eyes before turning to each other, small grins forming on our faces. ¡°Yeah¡­ yeah, this is no time to be depressed,¡± Paul said, shaking his head. ¡°Rather, this is a time to celebrate! Let¡¯s go to the tavern, Leon! I¡¯ll grab Rudy too! Just the three of us!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re falling into old habits, Father,¡± I said. But despite my rebuking words, a wide smile was spread across my face. ¡°¡­But yeah¡­ let¡¯s go celebrate.¡± Getting up, I followed my father out the door as Lina went over to Roxy¡¯s room, likely to gossip about what happened the night before. Casting onest nce inside Mama and Lilia¡¯s room, I watched their sleeping forms with a soft smile. They¡¯ll be okay¡­ I was immensely d. And once we get home, my family would finally all be together¡­ just as promised, we would be reunited. Ah, but¡­ I suppose we won¡¯t bepletely reunited until Eris returns, right? I should visit her once everything was settled. I did promise to see her after a year or two, right? Speaking of¡­ it¡¯s been two months since we separated now, right? Assuming nothing went wrong, she should be reaching the Sword Sanctum by now. Hmm¡­ I wonder if she¡¯s making any friends? ¡ª Eris Greyrat ¡ª Thwack! The sound of a body mming into the wall echoed across the room as I walked forward, my expression indifferent. ¡°Next.¡± ncing over at the crumpled form of the swordsman I had just taken out in one hit, I felt my lips curl into a frown. The hell was this? Ghiine told me that this ce would be where I could grow stronger and ¡®find my sword¡¯, whatever that meant, but if that was the case, why was everyone so weak? These people¡­ they could barely hold up to the Leon from before our teleportation when he was only twelve years old, and that was in pure swordsmanship. And their determination¡­ what did Leon call it? ¡®A will of gold.¡¯ Yeah¡­ they all had a ¡®will of gold¡¯. Leon exined that most people in the world had this, where they would talk about a beautiful ambition, and perhaps even truly have it, but their resolve was brittle, cracking under the slightest pressure. These swordsmen were the same. They all acted strong, preaching how they would stop me and how they were nning to be the strongest, but they were obviously all talk. They had never faced death, never watched a loved one¡¯s life fade from their eyes, and while they may have trained for a while, they weren¡¯t focusing on a goal with enough resolve to actually grow stronger. Disgusting¡­ Was it¡­ really the correct decision toe here? If not, I would rather run back to Leon, wherever he was. I missed him. I missed him horribly. But I wonder¡­ did he feel the same? It was conflicting. While I didn¡¯t want Leon to feel pained, much less because of me, I couldn¡¯t help but hope he was¡­ well¡­ saddened by us not being together. But he had a goal toplete as well, and I trusted that his love for me wouldn¡¯t grow dim. And if it did¡­ I would just get it back. Anyway, I was extremely annoyed by not having Leon at my side. And it wasn¡¯t just my feelings that were annoyed, it was my body as well. As I soon found out after setting off, my fingers couldn¡¯t get the job done nearly as well as he did, and as a result, I had be quite irritatedtely. I had thought that once I arrived here, I would be so focused on swordsmanship and getting stronger to surpass the skilled fighters here that I wouldn¡¯t be able to focus on that itch, but if it was like this¡­ ¡°Hey!¡± Hearing an annoying voice, I looked over to see a blue-haired girl standing across from me with a sword drawn. ¡°The fuck is a ruffian like you doing here, disgracing this sacrednd!¡± she growled. ¡°My name is Nina Farion! And I challenge you to a duel!¡± A duel? Did this dumb bitch think that¡¯s how an actual fight happens? How ridiculous. But, well¡­ she did seem a bit stronger than the others, so I guess I could humour her. While I had been using a practice sword I had picked up to beat down the others, this girl was deserving of facing my actual sword. So, throwing the wooden sword to the side, I unsheathed my sword as I crouched down, narrowing my eyes and releasing my bloodlust. The bitch froze in ce, eyes wide with fear. Huh? Had this girl never faced a serious opponent before? Then this would be way too easy. Seriously, some ¡®Sword Sanctum¡¯. This ce should be called the fucking ¡®Sword Daycare¡¯. Wait¡­ dammit¡­ that was a good line. I should have said it to piss her off even more, but it was toote now. She then leaped forward, her de at her side as she whipped towards me, her strike aiming to kill. That¡­ what was it called, a ¡®Longsword of Light¡¯? Yeah, it was one of those. She must be a Sword Saint then, and she was damn fast. But still¡­ I was faster. Releasing the coil, I aimed the tip of my de to strike just over the girl¡¯s hands as she came closer, focusing my speed and power into my sword strike rather than wasting it on my body as she came towards me. I still didn¡¯t really understand the touki stuff Leon tried to tell me about, but if there was one thing I was good at, it was doing what he advised during our training spars. After all, with his advice, I was able to grow stronger. And if I was able to do what he wanted, he would reward me with whatever sexy things I wanted that night, as long as his sisters weren¡¯t there, of course. So while I didn¡¯t get the touki stuff, when he told me about moving my power into different parts of my body and focusing it on my sword, that was something I was able to do. My attack struck true, and in an instant, the girl¡¯s sword was sent flying through the air. Using her moment of dumbfounded surprise, I shed out my leg, striking her in the midsection as I sent her tumbling across the ground. ¡°N-Nina!¡± Hearing a random boy¡¯s shout, I looked up and noticed that I was currently in the main hall of the ce, with various swordsmen standing around, hands held near the hilt of their swords. This pressure¡­ this anxiety¡­ So I was finally around some strong people. ¡°Heh,¡± I smirked, pointing my de forward. ¡°If any of you fucks want to try me,e at me!¡± ¡°Grr!¡± the girl on the ground grunted, spitting out a wad of blood as she slowly got to her feet. ¡°Y-You bitch¡­ taking me out like that! I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Huh? She was mad about that? ¡°So you¡¯re still standing?¡± I said, raising my eyebrows. ¡°Then¡­ get ready.¡± Just as I was about tounch myself forward to attack her again, the door in the back of the hall opened, revealing a middle-aged man. ¡­He was strong. I could feel it instantly, the way the air parted around him, as if being cut by his very being¡­ this guy was definitely strong. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s stop it there,¡± he said, his tone confident andx as he looked to me. ¡°You¡­ what¡¯s your name?¡± I narrowed my eyes at him. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you introduce yourself first?¡± I asked. His eyes widened in surprise before sharpening as he revealed a toothy grin. The surrounding swordsmen, who were momentarily stunned, all red at me, unsheathing their swords. ¡°You insolent bitch-¡± As one of them was about to attack me, the strong man raised his hand, prompting the swordsman to stop. ¡°Calm down. She¡¯s right, after all. That was a bit rude of me,¡± he said, scratching his ear. ¡°I¡¯m Gal Farion, also known as the Sword God. Nice to meet ya.¡± So this was the Sword God¡­ at least he was strong. ¡°It¡¯s been quite a while since someone talked to me like that, brat. And you also came over here acting all insolent¡­ You got guts, that¡¯s for sure,¡± he said, smirking. ¡°Now answer my question. Who are you?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m Eris. Eris Greyrat,¡± I stated. ¡°I¡¯m a Sword Saint, and the lover of Leon Greyrat, the most amazing man in the world¡­ Is that all?¡± The Sword God chuckled. ¡°How romantic¡­ not what I¡¯d guess from such a savage-looking girl,¡± he said, making me frown. I was not ¡®savage-looking¡¯¡­ was I? ¡°Now¡­ who sent you here, ¡®lover of Leon¡¯,¡± he asked. Hearing Leon¡¯s namee out of his mouth like that ticked me off, but I decided to ignore that for now. ¡°¡­Ghiine sent me. The Sword King Ghiine,¡± I answered. ¡°She said this ce can make me stronger and¡­ let me find my ¡®sword¡¯, whatever that means.¡± The Sword God scratched his chin with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Ghiine, huh? To think that girl took on a student¡­¡± he said, nodding before looking back to me with a smirk. ¡°So, little Sword Saint¡­ why do you want to get stronger?¡± My grip on my sword tightened as I remembered the memories of that day¡­ the day I realized my strength wasn¡¯t enough. The day I realized I could lose everything important to me if I sat around and did nothing, content with my current skills. ¡°I want to be able to kill the Dragon God,¡± I said firmly. ¡°Or¡­ at least not be useless in a fight against him. If I can do that¡­ that¡¯s enough.¡± The Sword God¡¯s jaw dropped as he stared at me, stunned, before suddenly breaking out intoughter. This bastard¡­ was he looking down on me? ¡°Haha! Ooh! That¡¯s a good joke, kid!¡± he said, wiping the tears from his eyes. ¡°The Dragon God? That monster? Hell, a normal sword can¡¯t even harm that guy, much less take him out.¡± Huh? A normal sword couldn¡¯t harm him? Then¡­ what about Leon? While he did lose, and quite handily at that, Leon was able to cut the Dragon God¡¯s neck, and if he continued a moment longer, he could have cut off his head. Was Leon just that amazing? Or perhaps¡­ had I truly overestimated this ce? The Sword God¡¯s tone suddenly changed as he red down at me from his raised stage, releasing a pressure that made me flinch. ¡°Oi,¡± he growled. ¡°Did you just think I¡¯m weak, brat?¡± I looked back at him, meeting his gaze. ¡°It¡­ took a lot for me to leave, and I¡¯m missing out on the most important person¡­ the most important thing¡­ and the most important feeling to be here,¡± I said, narrowing my eyes. ¡°So I want to know if it was worth it toe this far.¡± His eye twitched, and I felt the hair on my arm raise. Shit-! Hastily bringing up my de, I defended just in time to save myself from getting cut in half, but as a result, I was sent catapulting backwards from the sheer power of his strike, crashing through the wall as Inded on the snowy ground outside. Huffing out unsteady breaths, I felt the numbness of my arm and the shock that had transferred through my body as I slowly crawled back to my feet, legs shaking from the after-affects of the blow. Looking up through the hole in the wall I had made, I saw the Sword God standing with his de drawn outwards, looking at me with a mix of surprise and curiosity. So that guy defeated me in one strike, and I wasn¡¯t even able to see it¡­ Maybe it was worthing here after all. Leon was strong, that was for sure, and I was sure he would eventually get strong enough to beat this guy with his eyes closed. But he wasn¡¯t at this level yet. And more importantly¡­ he was different from me. He was smart, and he had magic and a control over touki that even Ghiine called ¡®absurd¡¯. But this fucker standing before me¡­ he justshed out his de. A simple sword strike. If it was something as straight-forward as that¡­ then even a dumb girl like me could get it. So if I could get to that level¡­ Ha. I was getting excited now. Looking down, I frowned as I saw a crack form in my de. Dammit. This thing had served me well, but I couldn¡¯t me it for not handling the strike of the Sword God. Shaking my head, I looked back up at the Sword God as I took a shaky step forward. ¡°At least Leon¡­ put a damn scratch on me!¡± I shouted with a smirk. The Sword God¡¯s shocked face transformed into a toothy grin, his eyes shining with interest. ¡°Brat¡­ you said your name¡¯s Eris, right?¡± he said, nodding to himself. ¡°You¡¯re my disciple now. Consider it an honour.¡± And that was how I became a student under the Sword God. Leon¡­ I hope it won¡¯t be long, but once Ie back, we¡¯ll start that happy family you¡¯ve always dreamed about. I¡¯ll bear you lots of children, and we¡¯ll do whatever we want in bed, but most importantly¡­ I¡¯ll be at your side to protect our precious family, the bastion of the warm feeling I¡¯vee to adore. So¡­ wait for me. Because your Eris is about to be a lot stronger. Chapter 69 – We Have Been Reunited: Finale Chapter 69 ¨C We Have Been Reunited: Finale ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Are you sure about splitting everything evenly?¡± my father asked. ¡°Yes, we¡¯re sure. Now stop asking,¡± Lina said, shaking her head. ¡°But¡­ Rudy and Leon only joined us for the final week, right?¡± my father continued, frowning slightly. ¡°I¡¯d feel bad if our family took so much¡­ especially when you guys helped us get Zenith and Lilia¡­¡± ¡°Haa¡­ seriously, what a troublesome man,¡± Lina sighed, shaking her head, ¡°First, we needed Leon and Rudy¡¯s strength for the final push. Who knows who would have died without their assistance. Secondly, we wanted to get Zenny anyway. There was no promise of a reward when we did so.¡± I looked over at Lina with a smile. She really was quite generous¡­ they all were, letting us take an equal share when we¡­ when I owed them so much. Turning away my warm look, Lina continued, ¡°Just ept it, Paul. You¡¯ll need the money for your new life anyway.¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± my father conceded. Feeling my heart soar at their interaction, I leaned forward and rested my chin on Mama''s shoulder, who was sitting in front of me. Everything had gone so well¡­ I was so happy. The heightened emotions I had been feeling since Mama awakened were still present, and in fact, they had grown stronger with each passing day, leaving me in a constant state of bliss. Really¡­ I was a very lucky guy, in every single way. After a few weeks of staying in Rapan after the sessful rescue, we were now starting the journey back home, heading south towards the teleportation ruin Rudy, Sara, and I had used to get here. I wanted to get back as soon as possible. I had some cute sisters and a lover to see, after all. Anyway, we had spent the period of rest selling off whatever items from ourbyrinth clearing that we could, as well as getting supplies for the trip, including two tamed armadillo-looking monsters for transport, the same ones we used for our travels between Rapan and thebyrinth. One was pulling a cart, which contained everything we didn¡¯t sell and what we would be taking back home, as well as Lilia, who was currently sleeping. The other one was what Mama and I were currently riding, with some more supplies strapped to its side. While slow, they were sturdy things, though I didn¡¯t know what to do with them once we get to Sharia. These things weren¡¯t meant for such cold weather, after all. Maybe some people would want an exotic pet from the Begaritt Continent? Either way, while I had left the gathering of supplies to Geese and Rudy, I myself had bought some presents to bring home to my sisters, just as promised. For both of them, and our household as a whole, I had bought some interesting ssware and sses that looked pretty and unique, with some of them even being tinted with colour. For Aisha herself, I had gotten her a little cactus, knowing how much she loved nts. I just hope it wouldn¡¯t die in such cold weather¡­ it should be fine, right? And for Norn, I had gotten her a curved sword, since her current one was getting a bit small for her. I also got both of my sisters a thin silver ne each, an idea I had ever since I saw the shabby state of their current nes. It was simple, but it should be good to add whatever gems and lockets they wanted to it. Andstly, there was Sylphy¡­ and also Ariel. I had gotten Sylphy a nice green dress in the Begaritt style, which was made of a silk-like textile and had a loose feel to it, while also revealing quite a bit of skin. However, after seeing Roxy wear the one I had gotten her, I realized it was more of a present for me than it was for her. ¡­Which was also the reason I had gotten one for Eris. Although I didn''t expect Eris to care much about the appearance, even though she would undoubtedly look beautiful in it, I knew she would appreciate the freedom of movement the loose-fitting style provided. But still, I knew that Sylphy would like her dress, and I also knew that she would look stunning in it, so overall, it was a good gift from me for being my lover and taking care of my sisters, and it even had Sara¡¯s approval. And then there was Ariel. I¡­ wasn¡¯t exactly sure what to get a princess, but I still wanted to show my appreciation for taking care of my Sylphy and my sisters, so I had decided to get her a set of oils meant for perfume and hair care. That long hair must be quite hard to handle, after all, and while she was a princess, I doubt that she had many opportunities to get such goods from the Begaritt Continent. Anyway, as d as I was to find something everyone would enjoy once we got home and ecstatic that our family would soon be together, the joy from those two things paled inparison to another recent development over the past few weeks. The development in question being¡­ ¡°So Norn truly did that?¡± Mama said, chuckling lightly. ¡°To think that that shy girl could be so headstrong¡­ I¡¯m excited to see how much she¡¯s grown.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ both Norn and Aisha¡­ they¡¯ve really grown,¡± I said, smiling warmly at the memories of how theyforted me more than once during our travels. Truly¡­ I really wanted to get back to them. ¡°And they¡¯re in school now?¡± Mama asked. ¡°Yeah. I made sure they signed up for a bunch of different subjects,¡± I said. ¡°This is a great time for them to learn what they love, after all.¡± Mama tuned back to look at me, giving me a calm, warm smile as her eyes narrowed slightly in happiness. ¡°You¡¯re such a good big brother, Leon¡­ I¡¯m very proud of you.¡± My eyes went wide at that, and a prickly sensation began to spread through my nose and eyes. Ah¡­ those words¡­ how long have I wanted to hear them? I was so fucking lucky, and so fucking d. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± she asked, tilting her head as she looked at me with concern. ¡°Ah, nothing, Mama!¡± I said, wiping the tears that were threatening to spill out of my eyes. ¡°Just¡­ I¡¯m very happy.¡± Mama smiled softly again, ¡°I¡¯m d.¡± Yes, in the time spent resting and preparing in Rapan, my mothers had recovered¡­ for the most part. There were still some problems, of course, and while it was still upsetting, we had expected it. We had noticed that there were some gaps in their memories, which sometimes were filledter on, but sometimes not, and they would also both space out at times, looking ahead with a nk stare, seemingly without a thought in their minds. They also slept a lot more, had trouble with motor movements, still couldn¡¯t walk, and were both noticeably quieter than I was used too, especially Mama, but¡­ they were back¡­ back to me. And I couldn¡¯t be happier. ¡°Speaking of you being happy¡­ I see that you and Roxy are quite close,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m a woman too, you know? I¡¯ve noticed the looks you two have been sharing, as well as the matching rings you two are wearing¡­ is there something you¡¯ve forgotten to tell Mama?¡± Ah¡­ right. Despite Roxy and I¡¯s new, passionate rtionship, I had refrained from informing my mother about it for¡­ obvious reasons. But I suppose it woulde out eventually. ¡°W-Well, yeah¡­ you can say we¡¯re¡­ together,¡± I said, scratching my cheek. I don¡¯t know why, but despite being quite open and vocal about my affection to my future wives, it felt embarrassing to admit this to Mama. Maybe it was because the two got along so well when I was a child? Or maybe it was something to do with Mama specifically. ¡°Hee~?¡± she said, using that familiar joyful grin, ready to tease. I used to be scared of that grin of Mama¡¯s, but now, I couldn¡¯t think of it as anything but endearing. Mama was beautiful like that, after all. And during her time trapped in the magic crystal, her body hadn¡¯t grown, and neither had Lilia¡¯s, so she was just as pretty and youthful as the day of our separation. But thinking about it now, my father, who was currently around 34, was now sharing a bed once again with Mama, who was still 27¡­ that thought pissed me off a little, and I didn¡¯t know why. ¡°I see,¡± she nodded happily as she turned to face forward. ¡°I¡¯m very happy that both of my sons have found a woman they love. And I know that you two will treat them well. Yea¡­ I¡¯m very proud.¡± She leaned her head back, resting it against my chest as she exhaled contentedly. ¡°And to think I would be able to experience such nice weather¡­ thank you, Leon,¡± she said with a smile. While the heat was still hellish, with my experience on our way over here, and the fact that we were going quite slow, I was able to constantly keep a cool breeze blowing across our group with wind magic. So aside from the need to apply some balm to stop sunburns, it was quitefortable in our little caravan. ¡°Ah, but I¡¯m surprised you and Eris never became a thing¡­ Oh, and Sylphy too,¡± Mama said as she opened a singr eye to look up at me, causing me to freeze. ¡°They were both so enraptured by you¡­ you said they were both in Sharia, right? Or at least before Eris left¡­ Are they both okay?¡± Uhm¡­ now how to exin this. Apparently hearing Mama¡¯s question, both my father and brother looked back at me, closing their hands together in prayer, though I could see the smirks that they were trying to hide. Actually, I don¡¯t think they were trying to hide it at all, the damn bastards. Hey! Maybe Rudy was allowed to make fun of me, but definitely not you, Paul! Weren¡¯t you worried about her ming you? And I still haven¡¯t mentioned our argument in Millishion or how you asked me to die for her! I could easily fuck you up! But¡­ no. If Mama was going to be angry at me¡­ I would just have to bear it. ¡°Well, you see¡­ I¡¯m kind of¡­ promised to them as well,¡± I said, hesitantly scratching my cheek as Mama¡¯s eye narrowed. ¡°So, once everyone is together¡­ they¡¯ll all be my wives.¡± There was no longer any trace of a smile on her face, unlike when I told her about Roxy. Instead, her eyes were nk as she stared into my soul, a fire of anger and disappointment ready to unleash. Luckily, that searing gaze quickly moved back forward as she sat up to look at my father. Actually, rather than ¡®look¡¯, ¡®red¡¯ was the proper word for that chilling gaze. ¡°Paul,¡± she said in a cold tone. ¡°Care to exin this?¡± ¡°W-What!? That had nothing to do with me!¡± he said, waving his hands. ¡°It¡¯s Leon! He¡¯s the womanizer! Not me!¡± I felt my eye twitch. This bastard¡­ ¡°Uhm, Zenith, please don¡¯t be angry,¡± Roxy said, walking next to us. ¡°Leon, he¡­ exined everything beforehand to all three of us. I ampletely content with the situation.¡± Roxy~! I always thought Rudy¡¯s ¡®goddess¡¯ talk when we were younger was a bunch of childish bullshit, but maybe he was onto something! ¡°I assure you that no one was betrayed. Leon promised to love everyone equally, and we all love him,¡± Roxy said before averting her eyes. ¡°Though¡­ I still haven¡¯t met them yet¡­ except for Sylphy when she was a child.¡± She was pouting now. I don¡¯t know if that was because she hadn¡¯t met them, or that she had just realized that she was quite older than us. I would have to console her tonight. Mama slowly turned her head back to me, levelling a re that made me freeze once again. ¡°And none of these girls are followers of Millis?¡± she asked. I quickly shook my head. ¡°No Ma¡¯am!¡± Her eyes narrowed. ¡°And you¡¯ll treat them well?¡± ¡°The best! I¡¯ll worship the very ground they walk on and make them the happiest women alive!¡± I swore. She stared at me for a few more moments before sighing, ¡°Haa¡­ well, I know you have a lot of love to give, and you¡¯re definitely loyal¡­¡± Her lips curled up into the hint of a smile. Yes! Saved! ¡°But I¡¯m still upset!¡± she said, her lips turning back down into a frown as she reached out to pull on my ear. ¡°Just what happened to my sweet and innocent Leon? I know that a lot of stuff happened after you were teleported, but I¡¯m still angry!¡± Never mind¡­ Wincing at the slight pain of her physical abuse, I continued to let her pull on my ear as she pouted, caught between being d for me and berating my ¡®unfaithful¡¯ conduct. It wasn¡¯t often that I received Mama¡¯s scolding, as I always tried to make things easy for her and not upset her, but to be honest¡­ I missed it. It was proof that Mama loved me. Proof that she wanted to help me grow into a respectable man. And proof that she was still here and that she was still my Mama. But even so¡­ my ear was starting to hurt quite a bit. ¡°M-Mama! I¡¯m going to take responsibility, I promise! For them and the rest of our family!¡± I said, ring to the side at a certain someone that hadn¡¯t been as faithful as me. ¡°A-And with three wives, I¡¯ll definitely give you lots of cute grandchildren!¡± That final line seemed to stop her assault, as her eyes widened, tilting her head in thought before a giddy smile appeared on her lips. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ fufufu!¡± she giggled. ¡°That¡¯s sure to be¡­ lovely.¡± I guess Mama was excited to be a grandmother. I also noticed Roxy flinch from my words, pulling her hat down to hide her likely flushed face. She must be embarrassed. After all, we hadn¡¯t been using my special detoxification spelltely, so hopefully, it was only a matter of time before our little family grew a little bigger. Paul, who had been smiling at our interaction, then decided to speak up. ¡°Hey, Leon. I know we came from the south too, but the path you showed us doesn¡¯t go all the way to the port,¡± he said, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. ¡°So¡­ where the heck are we going?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m confused too!¡± Geese added. ¡°Boss told me to just trust him, but ording to his map, we¡¯ll be stopping in the middle of the damn desert!¡± Uhh¡­ how to exin this. My eyes locked with Rudy and Sara, and seeing them shrug, I decided toe up with an answer myself. ¡°Well¡­ remember how we got here so fast? It¡¯s rted to that,¡± I exined. ¡°It¡¯s a special way home we found, but don¡¯t tell anyone about it. It would be¡­ troublesome if word spread.¡± Seeing everyone nod in eptance, I felt a bit of the anxiety I was feeling lessen. I wonder¡­ could we tell them the full truth? Even with the bare minimum of information, it would be tough for them to swallow being in the desert of the Begaritt Continent in one moment, and the outskirts of Sharia in the next without an exnation. I could trust my family¡­ for the most part, as well as Lise. But the biggest problems were definitely Geese and my father. The reason for my distrust of Paul was simple¡­ he was an idiot. I still trusted him to do his best, especially with his recent showing of maturity, but knowing what his ¡®best¡¯ sometimes brought¡­ well, I wasn¡¯tpletely confident in his secrecy. And then, there was Geese. He was quite reckless when it came to interpersonal things, and liked to run his mouth quite a bit. Plus, he was damn smart. And something as useful as teleportation¡­ well, he was quite greedy, and he knew just how useful it could be, so that could be a problem. And then there was that distrust I still felt towards him, even though I shouldn¡¯t¡­ Well, I guess I would have to deal with that when ites. Shaking my head, I looked forward as we continued down the road. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Hearing Roxy groan, I looked to my side in concern, seeing her holding her stomach with an expression of difort. ¡°Is something wrong, Roxy?¡± I asked. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°Just feel a little nauseous¡­ probably something I ate.¡± ¡°I see¡­ do you want to switch? You know how to ride these things too, right?¡± I asked. She looked up at me for a moment, beginning to shake her head before stopping. ¡°Actually, instead of switching, can I¡­ join you?¡± she said, twirling a braid of hair in her hand. ¡°Of course,¡± I said with a wide smile. Reaching down, I easily pulled her up before cing her on myp, sandwiching her between Mama and me as I rested my chin on her head. ¡°Comfy?¡± I asked. ¡°Very,¡± she said, leaning back against me. And like so, with Mama sending a teasing nce my way, we continued our journey towards the south of the Begaritt Continent. ¡ª Hitogami ¡ª So there¡¯s another saga of Rudeus Greyrat¡¯s storyplete. It¡¯s a shame that I can¡¯t use his family¡¯s reunion to my advantage anymore, but his mother was bound to be found whether he joined or not, so it was an inevitable loss of leverage. Besides, with the near-death experience that Rudeus had, my hint of advice to join them seemed to be taken as truth along with the usefulness of that book, so with this¡­ Rudeus Greyrat should be a good pawn. I would say he was perfect, but there was still that doubt he held towards me, and if I ever wanted to pit him against someone he cared about, I would need to¡­ prepare some things. But for now, while notpletely in the palm of my hand, he was still someone I could push this way or that. Anyway, while nothing bad would have likely happened whether Rudy joined his adoptive brother or not, I had still convinced him to join for two reasons. One, to build some more trust, which worked in my favour. And two¡­ I needed him there to act as my ¡®eyes¡¯. Leon Greyrat¡­ I don¡¯t know why, but he was distorted, just like that troublesome Dragon God. Not to the extent where he waspletely invisible, of course, but it was still off-putting to not be able to ¡®ess¡¯ him like most people. Luckily, through Rudeus, I was able to confirm that while Leon knew of the Dragon God, he was not his ally like I had been worried about. In fact, he seemed to have had a negative confrontation with that detestable being instead. I wonder¡­ could I use this? It would be hard, as I would likely have to make use of Rudeus to set up a situation for Leon to take action, but¡­ it was worth it. While he didn¡¯t have the Lace factor, he was still strong, and his application of touki andbat abilities¡­ with enough time, he could definitely reach the Dragon God, though he might die in the process. Even if he was only able to force the Dragon God to reveal some of his cards, that would be enough. Still¡­ those were things for the future. Hopefully, with his family matters settled, Rudeus would eventually fall to the temptations of that beastfolk girl, and create my perfect future apostle in a couple generations. Hmm¡­ I wonder what- ¡­Huh? Noticing something change, I stared deeper at the fate lines, using some of my power to expand my readings of prophecy. ¡°They¡¯re¡­ converging?¡± I wondered aloud in the nk space of the Void World. ¡°No¡­ rather than converging, they¡¯re branching into something new!¡± Why? How? And most importantly¡­ what? I flexed my power yet again, aiming to get a hint of what exactly this all meant. A momentter, a sh of white crossed my vision as I peered into the future that fate had been woven into. ¡°Are you sure you want to do this? Haven¡¯t you wonderedwho exactly is your true self? Only I can make it happen, you know!? If you kill me here, you won¡¯t ever know about it, nor how to return those lost memories!¡± That was¡­ me? And why did I look so¡­ uneasy? I then nced at who exactly this future me was talking to, only to see a man with golden hair standing across from the future me with his sword drawn, his expression set in a confident smile as he faced me. ¡°I know who I am!¡± he shouted confidently. ¡°I am Leon Anemoi Greyrat, de facto King of Asura! The husband to four of the six most amazing women in the world, and son of the other two! And I will not be swayed by your deceitful, honeyed words¡­ you damn pretender!¡± Fuuuuck! This was bad! Really fucking bad! I saw shes of a blue-haired girl, a red-haired young man, a golden-haired boy, and a green-haired girl¡­ and somehow, I knew that these were the children of Leon Greyrat. But, most importantly, I saw the sight of that very golden-haired man striking me down with his sword, with the despicable Dragon God¡¯s blurry figure at his side with some sort of standing set of armour behind them. And then, the vision cut off, sending me back to my current state. ¡°Shit¡­ Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!¡± I yelled, mming my fist against the ground. ¡°Leon Greyrat¡­ I knew you were trouble!¡± Gritting my teeth in anger, I took a few breaths to calm down. ¡°Well¡­ I guess I have something else to focus on now,¡± I said, searching through my current apostles to see where they were at the moment. ¡°Okay¡­ it¡¯s fine, it¡¯s just a branch,¡± I told myself in an attempt to calm myself down. ¡°I can still fix this¡­ yes, I just need to remove that piece off of the board.¡± That fucking Leon¡­ he went and really fucked things up, huh? Well¡­ that¡¯s fine. He wasn¡¯t the first opponent I had to face, and he was surely not to be thest. And while the future him might be a problem, he was only a King-rank at his current level. He and his offspring could be easily dealt with. ¡­ And so, it was at this moment that the Man-God had made his greatest mistake. For while the prophecy of his death proved true, it became self-fulfilling when he directed his wrath towards Leon Greyrat''s most cherished possession¡ªhis family. And in doing so, the Man-God unwittingly made an enemy of the future Elemental God, the only one that the mighty Dragon God saw as his equal inbat. But that was a tale that would onlye to be told in the future. ¡ª End of Arc 4 - We Will Be Reunited ¡ª Chapter 70 – Returning Home Chapter 70 ¨C Returning Home ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It had been a month since we left Rapan and sessfully rescued my mothers, as well as the beginning of our consequent journey back to Sharia. Of course, with such a big group, and not to mention the addition of a cart, our pace was much slowerpared to when Rudy, Sara, and I crossed the desert. Like this, we would probably reach Sharia in another two months. But overall, aside from taking a little longer, it had been a very smooth journey. After all, Geese was a fantastic cook, so the food was good, and with such a big group, the guard shifts were extremely short and easy. Plus¡­ with such a sessfulbyrinth clear, without any deaths and a lot of loot gained, spirits were extremely high. Especially me and my father. Honestly, the only problem we had was when Lina was unable to find a man to satiate her curse, and that would only get worse during the final stretch towards the teleportation ruin. For now, she was able to relieve it by bedding passing travellers and going ¡®man-hunting¡¯ whenever we stopped by an oasis, but once we passed thest bastion of civilization and went into the desert, she would have to keep a clear mind. I would just say she should be with Geese, but she said she didn¡¯t want to bed her party members anymore¡­ even though she didn¡¯t seem to mind being with Paul back when I was a baby¡­ But anyway, if she has to, she would rather give in than die, but would try to keep herself in control. But I was curious¡­ how exactly did her curse work? The most obvious would be ingesting male fluids, and if that was so, I wouldn¡¯t mind¡­ well¡­ donating it. It would be awkward as hell, sure, but better than the alternative of her dying or caving into her desires when she didn¡¯t want to. Plus, I now had a wonderful blue-haired woman to help me out. ¡°Mmmgh~¡± Hearing a soft groan from my left, I looked down at Roxy, who was currently cuddled against my side, wrapped in the thin bedsheets we were sharing with her hair messily sprawled out over my chest. I really loved that dishevelled look on her. It was so different from how she usually looked, all prim and proper, so it was nice to see such a unique side to her that only I was exposed to. And thinking about the act that had made her like that¡­ Well, if I didn¡¯t have morning wood before, I definitely had it now. ¡°Mm? Leon¡­ Mornin¡¯,¡± Roxy said, rubbing her tired eyes as she slowly sat up. ¡°Morning,¡± I said, nting a kiss on her nose. She smiled a bit, looking up at me with upturned eyes before suddenly flinching, her lips curling into a frown a momentter. ¡°You¡­ you went a bit hardst night,¡± she mumbled. ¡°I can¡¯t help that a Subus attacked,¡± I shrugged. ¡°But you could have detoxified yourself,¡± she said, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. Guilty as charged¡­ Indeed, as she had said, our party was attacked by a Subusst night. While I wasn¡¯t on guard duty, I was quickly awoken by the familiar feeling of arousal, and after killing it and detoxifying my father and Geese from the Subus¡¯ effects, I decided to let Rudy and I¡­ erm¡­ enjoy the experience. After all, the effect of a Subus was essentially a heavy aphrodisiac, and while I didn¡¯t need one to indulge in the beautiful woman that was Roxy Migurdia¡­ it did make me quite active. But from how I left her shaking as we fell asleep, well¡­ ¡°Then, did you hate it?¡± I asked, my hand going down to heal the soreness in her hips. She pouted in response. ¡°You¡­ utterly defiled me. Like a beast.¡± Yeah, she definitely liked it. ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question,¡± I said, pulling her closer. ¡°You mean man,¡± she said, kissing my cheek before she rested her head on my chest again. ¡°I¡­ suppose it was enjoyable, to see you in such a state, all over me¡­ And at least I now know that with such boundless lust, I won¡¯t have to worry about being set aside for the other two.¡± ¡°That wouldn¡¯t have happened anyway,¡± I reassured her. ¡°You¡¯re my first love, after all.¡± Snuggling against me, I felt Roxy nod as she responded, ¡°Yeah¡­ I suppose I am. And I know that you need the mature touch of a maturedy.¡± I smirked, deciding to tease her. ¡°You didn¡¯t really sound like a ¡®maturedy¡¯st night.¡± Huffing, Roxy quickly detached from me before stuffing a pillow in my face. ¡°Quiet. You¡¯re being a bad boy,¡± she chided, slipping off the sheets. Damn¡­ I don¡¯t know if it was on purpose, but she really made me feel something when she called me a ¡®bad boy¡¯. Maybe I really did need her as a mature, olderdy. As she began to get dressed, I also did the same, generating and sshing some water in my face as I then began to roll up the bedroll. For our group, we had been relying on Rudy for shelter, as with his powerful earth magic and limitless mana, he was able to make a strong,rge, and sturdy structure each night, which each room being separated with a tent. Of course, this meant that noises were very easily transmitted across the shelter, but with my skill in barrier magic and new fascination with sound magic, I was able to make a spell to block off our tent during the night. Oh, and Rudy¡¯s too. Privacy was really important, after all, and I did not need a repeat of the thing that didn¡¯t happen on our way to Rapan. As Roxy slipped on her robe, covering the marks I had given herst night on her smooth skin, she then stood up, only to groan as she hunched over, her hand racing to her mouth. ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± I asked, rubbing her back and alleviating her nausea with magic. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ just- Hurp!¡± She then proceeded to vomit. That¡­ did not seem like she was okay. I was quite concerned. Roxy had been feeling nauseoustely, and while I had been constantly relieving her symptoms, and making sure she wasn¡¯t poisoned, her condition wasn¡¯t getting any better. Rudy had assumed it was a form of heatstroke, but even with me keeping her cool on myp for the whole day yesterday and a makeshift tent protecting her from the sun¡­ she was still this bad. ¡°Feeling better?¡± I asked, using earth magic to bury the small mess she made. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± she said, leaning against me as I rested her against myp. ¡°Just¡­ no more kisses until breakfast.¡± ¡°Just not on the mouth, right?¡± I said, kissing her ear as I ced my hands over her chest and back. Hmm¡­ maybe I should check her again? I had already checked for all poisons, and I didn¡¯t find any diseases, but if it was getting so bad that she was throwing up, then there must be something wrong, right? Could it be a stomach bug? Dehydration? Was I¡­ going too hard during the night? What could- It was then that I felt it, my mana reacting as my hand rested over her stomach. It wasn¡¯t a disease, nor aplication. Well, I suppose you could call it aplication, but rather than something bad, it was¡­ ¡°A baby¡­¡± I said breathlessly. ¡°I¡¯m pregnant?¡± Roxy said, a little shocked, but not as much as I would expect. ¡°I did miss my period this month, but to think it was like that¡­¡± I barely registered her words as I pulled her closer. A baby¡­ Roxy was pregnant with a child¡­ our child¡­ That¡­ in there¡­ was my child¡­ I was going to be a father¡­ Setting Roxy against the pile of sheets, I lowered my head to rest against her belly as my mind continued to swim in disarray. My baby¡­ I was going to have a child, just like I had dreamed of¡­ My cheeks were hurting from how wide I was smiling. This¡­ I was so damn happy! Feeling Roxy¡¯s hand rake through my hair, I turned to look up at her, only to see that her expression was one of extreme relief and happiness. ¡°I¡¯m d,¡± she said, smiling softly. ¡°Since it¡¯s known to be difficult to bear children from different races, I was worried I wouldn¡¯t be able to¡­ but then again, with how often we¡¯ve been doing it, I suppose it was inevitable.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ thank you,¡± I said, nuzzling closer against her stomach. ¡°No, it¡¯s¡­ my pleasure,¡± Roxy said, continuing to y with my hair. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ anxious, but¡­ excited.¡± A child¡­ Roxy and I¡¯s child¡­ it was certain to be cute, and sure to be beautiful. After all, it was half of Roxy, and a quarter of Mom, so it was already destined to be 75% beautiful, and the other 25% would be left to be whatever the kid wanted to be. And I knew that they would be amazing. Because this child¡­ it was mine. Mine and Roxy¡¯s. ¡°Hey, you guys alright in there?¡± Hearing the voice of my father, I opened my mouth to respond, only to notice that my words were caught in my mouth from emotion. ¡°We¡¯re decent, Paul,¡± Roxy said. With my eyes blurred with unshed tears, I watched as the tent entrance opened, revealing Mama, my father, and Lilia all looking at the two of us with concern. ¡°R-Roxy? Leon? Is there something wrong?¡± Mama said,ing closer to us as my father pushed Lilia inside. ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong, Zenith,¡± Roxy replied calmly, a wide smile spreading across her face. ¡°It just seems like our family will be growing a bit earlier than we thought.¡± The three tilted their heads in surprise before Lilia quickly nodded with a wide smile. ¡°Congrattions, you two,¡± she said softly. ¡°I am sure it will be beautiful.¡± Always quick on the uptake, she was. It was then that the other two understood what was going on, with my father widening his eyes as he recoiled in shock. ¡°G-Grandfather?¡± he mumbled. ¡°M-Me? A grandfather?¡± Why yes, that is usually how this goes. Mama, on the other hand, pressed her hand to her mouth as her eyes shined with happiness, hopping on her feet a few times before she raced over to us for a hug. ¡°Uuu~! I¡¯m gonna get a grandbaby!¡± she cheered, squeezing us both as tight as she could. I felt the tears threaten to break out in happiness. Indeed, just as I had promised, Mama would finally get a grandbaby of her own, and both her and Lilia would be there to see them. As the days passed by after their rescue, just as we had hoped, both Mama and Lilia¡¯s conditions had improved to the point where they were now back to normal, for the most part. They still slept a bit longer than usual, and as evidenced by the wooden wheelchair my father was pushing, Lilia could no longer walk, and Mama was sad she couldn¡¯t knit anymore with her loss of motor skills, but¡­ they were both back. It was then that Rudy and Sara made their appearance, Sara¡¯s hair still messy from the night before, as they both looked in to see what was going on. ¡°Mother? Leon? Master? Is there¡­ something going on?¡± Rudy asked. ¡°Nothing, kid,¡± my father said, cing his hand on his shoulder. ¡°Just¡­ get ready to be an uncle.¡± Rudy and Sara¡¯s eyes widened, both looking at Roxy and me in surprise, before Sara nodded,ing over to join our little group hug. ¡°You two seem happy,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m d.¡± ¡°Thanks, Little Sis,¡± I said. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll let that go for now,¡± she said. With Mama and Sara letting us go, I then got up before cing Roxy on myp, letting my hand caress her hair as I gently held her body. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t want you working from now on,¡± I said. ¡°And I¡¯ll be taking your guard shifts. No questions asked.¡± She nodded. ¡°Well¡­ I won¡¯t refuse. It¡¯s not like I can do much in front of you and Rudy¡¯s magic.¡± As Rudy and Sara went out, presumably to inform the rest of the group of Roxy¡¯s condition, I rested my chin on Roxy¡¯s head as I gently grabbed her hand. ¡°Is something wrong, sweetie?¡± Mama said, crouching down next to me as she kissed my head. ¡°I¡¯m sure you remember how nervous your father was when Rudy wasing, so it¡¯s only natural to feel scared.¡± ¡°No.¡± I shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ everything seems like it¡¯sing to an end. It feels like my dream ising true.¡± With Roxy looking up at me in curiosity, I nted a kiss on her forehead before continuing. ¡°I have my family, I have a child, and I have my wives,¡± I said, my finger caressing Roxy¡¯s ring. ¡°So now¡­ all we need is a home, and everything will be back to how it should be.¡± My father nodded his head, scratching his stubble with a smirk. ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m happy to settle down, too. With the past four years and with my old adventuring days, I think I¡¯ve seen enough of the world for a lifetime.¡± Mama then leaned against my back, releasing a sigh of satisfaction. ¡°And I can¡¯t wait to see Norn and Aisha after so long,¡± she said happily. ¡°Even if it¡¯s only felt like a month to me.¡± ¡°Indeed, Leon¡¯s stories can only tell us so much, after all,¡± Lilia added, revealing a gentle smile. ¡°I wonder how they¡¯ve grown.¡± My father, meanwhile, only anxiously nodded his head. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ that¡¯ll be something,¡± he said, his voice revealing his worry. Ah¡­ right. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father,¡± I said, looking at him. ¡°Keep your head up. You¡¯re a better man now, so all you need to do is show them.¡± He looked at me in surprise before breaking out into a smile. ¡°Yeah¡­ you¡¯re damn right,¡± he nodded to himself. While Lilia and Mama raised an eyebrow in question, they opted not to ask what that was about. Good. No need to ruin the mood with Paul¡¯s past stupidity. ¡°I¡¯m also a bit worried,¡± Roxy said, fidgeting with her long hair in my grasp. ¡°I know you talked to them beforehand, but¡­ will Sylphy ept me? And what about your sisters?¡± ¡°My sisters will love you,¡± I said. ¡°And Sylphy will as well. She¡¯s a very sweet and epting girl¡­ even if she turned into a little devil.¡± Roxy tilted her head in confusion. ¡°A little devil? What do you mean?¡± she asked. Right¡­ well, there was a lot of evidence, especially with the words she spoke the night before I left, and the actions afterwards, but I didn¡¯t really want to exin all of that. But after experiencing the Subus¡¯ effects twice now, I realized I had felt something like it before. ¡°Well¡­ I originally wanted to wait until she was an adult to¡­ cement our rtionship,¡± I said, watching as Roxy flushed a bit at my words and Paul smirked pridefully. ¡°But the night before I left, she cornered me with what I now assume was an aphrodisiac and¡­ advanced our rtionship.¡± The four others didn¡¯t respond for a moment in shock before my father broke the silence. ¡°Damn¡­¡± he said in an appreciative tone. ¡°Didn¡¯t know the girl had it in her.¡± ¡°Truly? To think that that shy, innocent girl would be so bold¡­¡± Mama said, surprised. ¡°Well¡­ I did notice some boldness from the girl, even when she was just discovering her feelings,¡± Lilia said. ¡°That must have only been enhanced with their time apart and her life at the royal pce.¡± Yeah¡­ and it didn¡¯t help that she had the influence of a certain princess still with her right now. Shit¡­ I knew from my experience with Eris that while I was always curious about such things, after sharing our first time together, my desires exploded to the point where the only thing that held me back was the thought of my sisters being nearby. And even then¡­ we sometimes did it silently to relieve ourselves. So to think that my sweet fairy, who was horny before, had experienced her first time with me, only for us to be separated right after¡­ When we return, it would have been approximately six months apart, so¡­ just how pent-up will she be? The thought was both as intensely arousing as it was scary. Anyway, with two months of our journey still left to go, it was decided that Roxy would be resting in the cart with Lilia or on the other armadillo-like monster with me so that she wouldn¡¯t overexert herself. Meanwhile, I would now have something to preupy my mind during our travels other than exchanging stories with the rest of the group. After all, I had some baby names to think of. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Just as predicted, after two more months of wandering the desert, we had finally arrived in Sharia. As we were closing in on the tenth month of the year, it was quite cold out, but luckily, Rudy and I had the foresight to leave extra winter clothes for my family in the ruin. Unfortunately, that meant that we didn¡¯t have any for the unexpected additions of the other members of the group, and because of that, I had given my coat to Roxy to keep her nice and cozy while I kept my body warm with magic. Needless to say, she looked very cute in the oversized robe, especially since her hands couldn¡¯t reach outside the sleeves. But I had a feeling she would get upset if I told her that, so I restricted myself to simply enjoying the sight. Either way, while the change in temperature was a shock, to me who had been dealing with the desert heat for so long, I embraced the cold with a smile while giving my gifted cap to Mama. ¡°Thank you, Leon,¡± Roxy said, cuddling against my side as we made our way through the forest. ¡°I had forgotten how cold the winter months are up here.¡± Was she talking about my coat? ¡°Of course, Roxy,¡± I said, nting a kiss on her forehead. Since discovering her pregnancy, we had calmed down our nightly activities as to not mess with the baby. Especially since there might beplications already with a half-human, half-demon child. But still, we had our needs, and our mouths were still avable, so suffice it to say¡­ the journey was still filled with increasingly pleasurable nights. And with each experience, I was able to learn a bit more of what Roxy liked, and Roxy slowly learned as well. If I had to describe it, she was the analytical type, always aiming to improve and asking Lina for advice. It was an incredibly endearing trait that I found both cute and¡­ physically stimting. But speaking of such sexual desires¡­ ¡°Are you okay, Lina?¡± I asked, looking back at the carriage. ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me¡­ please¡­¡± she said in response, covering herself with a nket. While Lina had endured throughout the desert trek, she was in bad shape, and desperately needed a man. Luckily, my idea worked to stave off her needs and extend her time, but it wasn¡¯t able topletely alleviate her curse. There must be something special about the act of sex itself, then. I was curious about how that all worked, but I really didn¡¯t want to think about it any further since it was extremely awkward and¡­ well, gross. Much like Rudy and Sara¡¯s night on the way to Rapan, it was decided that nothing had happened. But¡­ even if nothing happened, that still didn¡¯t stop Lina from teasing Roxy about how she was ¡®jealous¡¯ of what she got every night. I really wish Lina wouldn¡¯t do that. Actually, I really wish Lina wouldn¡¯t do a lot of things. ¡°Mmh~!¡± Lina sensually moaned as the carriage went over a root, jolting her sensitive body. Like¡­ that. ¡­She really needed a man. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Luckily, we were able to reach the city proper by midday, so there was no need to scramble for an inn right away upon our arrival. With Geese, Talhand, Vierra, Shierra, and Sara all going to sell what they could from the remaining loot, save for a few of the Hydra scales that Rudy wanted to keep, and also get our group a ce to stay for the week, the rest of us went straight to the university to see my sisters and Sylphy. Lina, of course, was not part of either group, as she headed directly to the taverns to find a man. Actually, from what I knew of her, she was probably hoping to find multiple. Anyway, while only Rudy was technically a student, with his status as a special student, and my own status as someone really fucking strong, we were able to get into the school without any issues. With one of the teachers kindly letting us use a room for our grand reunion, I then went up to the student council room to find Ariel. I would have originally taken everyone with me, but I wasn¡¯t quite sure if Sylphy was meant to be revealed as Ariel¡¯s aide, or if she was still maintaining her Fitz persona, so I decided to y it safe. After all, while I did find the Fitz thing a bit annoying, I was now able to see some benefits since it separated Sylphy from the political stuff, and by extension, our family as well. And speaking of Ariel¡­ I was surprised. While she had mentioned that she hoped to gain a position in the student council for the next school year, which had started a month ago, I was not expecting for her to take the position of student council president without a full school year under her belt. She really was quite something, huh? I wasn¡¯t all too familiar with the importance of the position, but I knew that it was a major milestone in her path to the throne, as she would not only gain vast connections within the school, but also enable her to contact other important figures in the country. Considering that I would probably need to defend her and Sylphy as they attempted to take the throne¡­ well, at least it seemed that I would be helping someone worth the effort. As I went up to therge wooden door, I knocked a few times before the familiar bell-like voice resounded from inside. ¡°Come in.¡± And so, I did. Opening the door to reveal Ariel sitting behind a desk with Sylphy and Luke by her side¡­ as well as Aisha sitting next to the princess¡­ What was that about? I guess Sylphy was taking watching over her seriously? If so, I was d. ¡°I¡¯ve returned,¡± I said, smiling as Aisha and Sylphy both widened their eyes. ¡°Leon!¡± ¡°Big Brother!¡± They both darted towards me, not taking a second of pause as they both leaped into my arms. ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± Sylphy said, nuzzling against my chest. ¡°That I am,¡± I nodded. ¡°Did everything work out?¡± Aisha asked, looking up at me. Ah, she had grown¡­ well, she was eight now, so that was only natural. ¡°Yep. We got everyone back safe and sound, and I even got Roxy,¡± I said, leaning down to nt a kiss on both of their foreheads. ¡°So now¡­ we can start that big family, Sylphy.¡± Separating from the two, Sylphy tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear as she looked up at me. She seemed a bit surprised when I told her about Roxy, but fine with it. ¡°I¡¯m d,¡± she said, as she wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me into a deep kiss as she gently nibbled on my lower lip. Damn¡­ I missed this. But I don¡¯t think this was really the time to do such things. Sylphy¡­ your princess is looking at us weirdly, so let¡¯s do this somewhere privately, please¡­ Separating from me, her tongue licked across her lip as she looked up at me, her cheeks flushed as she hesitantly continued, ¡°But, umm¡­ can we continue our rtionship¡­ where we left off?¡± Haa¡­ Well, I had already expected this, and from how she was lightly grinding her crotch against my leg, I don¡¯t think she would take no for an answer. Plus, with Roxy out ofmission, I don¡¯t think I would be able to hold back either. Especially against a girl as cute and charming as Sylphy, who had also awakened her erotic side. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s¡­ fine,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ excited too.¡± Seeing her break out into a wide, happy smile alleviated much of the uncertainty I was feeling. As I thought, a happy Sylphy was the best Sylphy. Though the flustered one was a close second¡­ ¡°I am relieved to see that everything has worked out,¡± Ariel said. ¡°I assume you wish to see your other sister?¡± ¡°Yes, please,¡± I answered. ¡°All right then. Luke, can you please go fetch Norn? I believe she should be in her swordsmanship ss at the moment,¡± she said. ¡°Right away,¡± he bowed before departing, giving me a slight nod of approval as he passed. That was oddly¡­ civil of him. I guess he got over Eris, huh? Well, considering his tendencies, I assume that he was able to get over his unreciprocated love with the many maidens of the school that were avable to him. Such a womanizer¡­ he truly was the nephew of Paul. Still holding Sylphy in my arms, I then looked down at Aisha again. Hmm¡­ while I was d for them looking after her, the more I thought about it, the weirder it seemed¡­ ¡°Ariel, Sylphy¡­ I do have to ask¡­ why is Aisha here?¡± I said. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t she have sses right now?¡± I felt Sylphy shift in my grasp as Ariel took a deep breath. ¡°Well, you see¡­ Aisha here is very talented, especially in regard to management and navigating interpersonal rtions,¡± she said, looking back into my eyes. ¡°So¡­ she has be my aide.¡± I took a moment to process the information before I released my bloodlust, the air turning oppressive as I unleashed my anger. ¡°She is what?¡± I snarled at the princess. I trusted her. I trusted her to keep my damn family away from her political schemes, but she couldn¡¯t even wait half a year before breaking it. And Sylphy¡­ I looked down at her, my eyebrows furrowing in disappointment. ¡°¡­Why?¡± I asked, my tone soft with disappointment. Why did she betray me? I know that Ariel was important to her, as was her goal, but I thought that with my assistance, Sylphy would keep my family out of it. And she of all people should know how disgusting and dangerous that world of nobility is. Didn¡¯t she care for Aisha too? So¡­ why? Sylphy¡¯s eyes turned down as her ears drooped in sadness, her hands squeezing my side as she hesitated to separate from me. I didn¡¯t like seeing her like this, especially after we had been apart for so long, but this¡­ this was- ¡°Big Brother, it¡¯s fine!¡± Aisha said, grabbing my arm. ¡°I wanted to do this!¡± Reigning in my anger, the pressure that had descended on the room lifted as I looked down at Aisha in confusion. ¡°Why?¡± I asked. ¡°Don¡¯t you know how dangerous and stupid politics are? And now you joined a princess wanting to retake her country¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s because they¡¯re dangerous and stupid!¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°I know you¡¯re strong, and I can never help you with those things, but I can help you with this! I¡¯m smart, and I¡¯m good at it! I can help our family with this stuff and protect us!¡± I let go of Sylphy, her hand reaching to keep hold of me as I kneeled in front of Aisha. ¡°Aisha¡­ you know that I would rather us not be involved, right?¡± I asked. ¡°But didn¡¯t you say you were being involved anyway?¡± she said, crossing her arms. ¡°You said you were going to help the princess once you got back, right?¡± Well, she got me there. But still, that was me, a King-ranked swordsman, not Aisha, the barely Advanced-rank magician who had nobat experience save for some hunting. ¡°I¡¯m still worried, Aisha,¡± I said softly. ¡°You¡¯re always worried!¡± she pouted. Rude. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Big Brother. If you¡¯re worried about me getting in danger, then you can just protect me, right?¡± she said, hugging me again as she rested her cheek against mine. ¡°And besides¡­ Ariel is nice. Doing something important¡­ it feels good.¡± Sighing, I took in her words for a moment before looking over to Ariel, seeing that she was wearing a difficult expression, one that was a mix of apologetic and thankful. Dammit¡­ Aisha was right in that I could protect her¡­ but it still rubbed me the wrong way. Politics were really fucking annoying, after all. Revolting too. ¡°If that¡¯s what you want¡­ then I guess it¡¯s fine,¡± I said. ¡°Thanks, Big Brother!¡± she said, ending our hug as she kissed my cheek. ¡°Yeah, yeah, but be careful, alright?¡± I said, poking her nose. ¡°I¡¯ll support your decision, so¡­ don¡¯t make me regret it, okay?¡± ¡°Got it!¡± she said, smiling. ¡°Pleasure to work with you, Big Brother!¡± Cheeky brat¡­ Shaking my head, I stood back up, wrapping an arm around the anxious Sylphy as I looked back at Ariel. ¡°As my lovely sister said, I¡¯ll soon be working for you, either as a guard or a paper pusher, I don¡¯t really care,¡± I said, looking into her eyes. ¡°But just know that Sylphy and Aisha will be my priority for my protection, no matter if it¡¯s wrong of me to do as a guard or not. And while I will protect you as well, if the situation turns bad¡­ I¡¯ll take them and run.¡± Ariel nodded as she responded, ¡°Of course. I expected that much anyway.¡± She then reverted to an apologetic smile, which, to my surprise, didn¡¯t seem to have any falsehoodced within. ¡°I¡­ do want to make it clear that I did not ept Aisha as my aide for her connection to you, but rather due to her abilities. In fact, I was actually against it at first, but she insisted,¡± she said, putting her hand on her chest. ¡°I promise that I value her skills and her life, and I promise to not let Aisha or Sylphy be harmed or put in danger¡­ Or at least, I will try to the best of my abilities.¡± Hmm¡­ I guess I could ept that. And I knew her words about valuing Aisha¡¯s skills and not her connections were true. After all, my sister was a little genius. And while this was a little troublesome, they were both safe and happy¡­ So perhaps¡­ like I had done before¡­ I could trust this troublesome princess. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said. I just hope that trust wouldn¡¯t be misced¡­ nor cause too many problems. I think I¡¯ve had enough conflict for a while. Chapter 71 – Celebrations Chapter 71 ¨C Celebrations ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª After receiving the princess¡¯ promise to treat Aisha and Sylphy as best as she could, it didn¡¯t take long for Luke to return with a blonde-haired ball of sunshine. ¡°Brother!¡± With a speed that could rival a Longsword of Silence, Norn quickly attached herself to my chest as she clung onto me. ¡°I missed you so much!¡± she said, rubbing her face against my shirt. ¡°Sniff, sniff¡­ Mmm¡­ I¡¯m d you''re back, Brother.¡± I was¡­ a little concerned about that, as well as how happy she looked after smelling me¡­ but I suppose if she was happy, then that was fine. She must have simply been relieved after not seeing me for so long, considering I had been at her side for the past four years. It made me happy to see how much she cared. While she had gotten a little bigger, I was still able to hold her with an arm, so with my other taking Aisha¡¯s hand, I turned back to the princess. ¡°I am assuming it¡¯s fine to take them to my family?¡± I said, looking at Ariel. ¡°And I would like Sylphy toe as well.¡± ¡°Of course, you can have them for the rest of the day,¡± she nodded. ¡°And just for your information, while Sylphy is still considered ¡®Fitz¡¯ around me, it is not as important as before. Especially considering she will likely be out ofmission for nine months if all goes well.¡± I then looked over to Sylphy, seeing that she had averted her eyes to fiddle with her hands in slight embarrassment, her cheeks gaining a bit of a flush. Well, she didn¡¯t deny it¡­ I guess she was excited to be a mother. But that would have to wait until she was an adult, so she would have to wait a year. Not only was that the rmended age to start childbirth, but I think one kid at a time was enough. ¡°Got it. Then¡­ let¡¯s go.¡± I then led the three down the hallway towards the ssroom where our family was gathered, and letting Norn down, I hurriedly opened it to finally settle the now four and a half year separation of our dear family. As soon as my two sisters saw their mothers, they both stood still for a moment, their eyes widening and beginning to brim with tears, before they both looked up at me. ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± I said, lightly pushing them forward. ¡°Isn¡¯t there something you need to do?¡± Nodding, Norn and Aisha then looked back at them before taking a hesitant step forward¡­ and then another¡­ and then¡­ ¡°M-Mother!¡± ¡°Mama!¡± They both ran forward, embracing their respective mothers as they buried their heads in their chests, with Mama and Lilia lightly patting their backs with a calm smile. Both Mama and Lilia¡¯s reactions were much more reserved than one would expect from such a long separation, but considering it had only been three months for them, and I had been constantly telling them stories of the two during it, they were much happier than they were relieved. ¡°You really have gotten big, Norn,¡± Mama said, patting her head. ¡°I really missed out on a lot, huh? I¡¯ll have to make that time up!¡± ¡°And from what I heard, you need some discipline,¡± Lilia scolded Aisha, but with a warm tone despite the words. ¡°I¡­ love you, Aisha.¡± As Roxy, Sylphy, Rudy, and I stood back, watching them with warm smiles, my father then hesitantly stepped forward, reaching over to pull his two wives and daughters into a big hug. Taking a few moments to calm down, Aisha and Norn both looked up at their mothers, giving them a happy smile before turning to Paul, where their expressions quickly turned sour. Ugh¡­ I had thought that over the past two years that they would have forgotten about it, but I guess that was just wishful thinking. Sorry, Father. It seems your daughters still don¡¯t like you very much. With Norn and Aisha turning to meet each other¡¯s gaze, Norn then spoke up, ¡°We¡¯re¡­ still angry at what you did to Brother¡­¡± ¡°But¡­ we¡¯re d you¡¯re alive,¡± Aisha continued. ¡°He would be sad otherwise.¡± Paul sighed as his shoulders dropped in dejection. ¡°Yep, I should¡¯ve expected that¡­ but I brought them back like I promised, right?¡± Aisha pouted. ¡°Did you really? Or was it Big Brother that brought them back?¡± ¡°Urk! It was¡­ a team effort,¡± he said, rubbing the back of his head. ¡°B-But you should have seen me! I looked really cool in thebyrinth! You can ask Rudy!¡± Father¡­ what the hell happened to that dignity I praised so much back in Rapan? Mama and Lilia, who were both looking between the three with confused expressions, then spoke up. ¡°Darling¡­ what are they talking about?¡± Mama asked. ¡°You and Leon mentioned meeting up in Millishion¡­ is this about that?¡± Lilia added. Well, even if we didn¡¯t mention it on the way here, it would happen eventually once my sisters joined us. While Mama and Lilia had the right to know and scold the man for his previous idiocy, it didn¡¯t need to happen now, possibly ruining the heartwarming atmosphere, so I decided to intervene. But just before I could save the man, my father answered them, raising his hand to stop me from speaking up. ¡°Yeah¡­ I may have been an idiot back then, but I should take responsibility,¡± he said. ¡°You know how they were in the Demon Continent, right? Well¡­ you see¡­¡± He then went on to exin how his time after the teleportation went, from the initial anxiety, to the hopelessness, to meeting Rudy, and then to meeting us in Millishion, where his pent-up anger, jealousy, and feelings of inadequacy all culminated into his little outburst. Looking back at it now, he really was an idiot. I was d he shaped up. Especially now that he would be an active part of Norn and Aisha¡¯s lives, as well as my baby that was on the way. After finishing his story, Mama and Lilia looked at him coldly, their expressions set in a fierce re ever since he exined how heshed out at me, and going into detail of what he said didn¡¯t make them any warmer. Smack! With both of their hands pping a different cheek, Mama then spoke up for the two of them. ¡°I¡¯m disappointed, Paul. But¡­¡± She then looked at me, both of us sharing a smile as she then continued, ¡°Since you apologized and made up with Leon, I¡¯m willing to let it go. I wouldn¡¯t want to destroy his hard work, after all. Nor your own, for that matter.¡± Paul breathed a sigh of relief as Lilia nodded to agree with Mama. ¡°Yeah¡­ that¡¯s good then,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t n on making that mistake again.¡± ¡°That is the bare minimum, Husband,¡± Lilia added. ¡°Right¡­¡± he sighed. As he was about to get up, Mama spoke up yet again. ¡°Oh, and Paul, dear?¡± she said, causing him to turn to look at her again, only to flinch as she revealed a gaze colder than anything she had shown before. ¡°If Leon ever called me ¡®Zenith¡¯ after that, you¡¯re right that I would beat you within an inch of your life. And as a healer, I can toe that line for a while, so be grateful that you reconciled so quickly.¡± ¡­Scary. She waspletely serious. ¡°But at least I shouldn¡¯t have to worry about that any longer,¡± Mama said, her expression turning back into a smile as she brought Norn into a hug again. ¡°After all, I can see that you¡¯ve be a better man, so I trust that you haven¡¯t done anything irresponsible like that since then.¡± Instead of getting a chuckle or a firm agreement in response, Mama froze as my father awkwardly fiddled with his sword, his eyes darting to me and to the ground. That idiot¡­ ¡°Paul?¡± Mama said, her tone icy. ¡°I said I trust you haven¡¯t done anything irresponsible like that since then¡­ so why are you not responding?¡± ¡°W-Well, err¡­ I¡­ before we fought the Hydra, I¡­ may have told Leon to die for you,¡± he said, flinching at every word he spoke. Oof¡­ since I wasn¡¯t one to make such idiotic mistakes, I had no experience with dealing with such things¡­ but I was sure that wasn¡¯t the way to do it. ¡°You what!?¡± Mama said, turning back to him. ¡°W-Well, I just needed to affirm his determination, you know? It wasn¡¯t something-¡± ¡°Shut it!¡± Mama snapped. ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am,¡± my father said, hanging his head. Wow¡­ I thought he had grown, but this really was like him back in Buena Vige. Needless to say, he received another set of ps, this time with Aisha and Norn joining in, with Norn¡¯s holding a bit more power than he was expecting, causing him to nearly fall over. She was getting up there in strength, after all, and she was quite loving to me, if I do say so myself. Even Sylphy seemed angry, as she levelled a re his way as she slowly healed his aching cheeks. ¡°You utter idiot!¡± Mama said, looking down at the crouching man. ¡°No sex for a week! No¡­ a month! None for a month!¡± Instead of sulking, my father simply rubbed his now-healed cheeks as he chuckled. And that perverted grin from my youth was back¡­ ¡°That¡¯s fine! I¡¯ve gone four years without it, and after a few nights ago, I¡¯m good for a whole year!¡± he said, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively. I¡­ did not need to know that. Mama and Lilia both blushed, averting their eyes as my sisters both stepped away from the man. ¡°Just like Brother said¡­ I didn¡¯t want to believe it,¡± Norn said, her face scrunched in repulsion. ¡°Disgusting¡­ he really is Luke¡¯s uncle, huh?¡± Aisha said. Well, that didn¡¯t seem to raise their opinions of them. Stupid Father¡­ ¡°Leon?¡± Roxy said, looking up at me as her hand went to caress my cheek. ¡°Why are you crying?¡± Huh? Bringing my hand to Roxy¡¯s I felt the wetness trailing down my cheek. Ah¡­ I was crying. ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m happy,¡± I said, turning back to see Mama and Lilia pinching Paul¡¯s ear as he chuckled. ¡°Seeing them like this¡­ it brings back memories, is all. It¡­ makes me feel like everything was worth it.¡± Getting a reassuring hug from Roxy and a pat on the shoulder from Rudy, I wiped my eyes as I then remembered something I had forgotten to mention to the three who had stayed in Sharia. ¡°Ah! Sylphy, Aisha, Norn, I have something to tell you,¡± I said, the three of them looking over at me with interest. ¡°Well¡­ actually, Roxy, do you want to say it?¡± She widened her eyes, grabbing my hand with hers before hesitantly nodding, her eyes darting to the three. Right¡­ she was still worried, huh? ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± I whispered. ¡°They ept you, and in time¡­ they¡¯lle to love you too. We¡¯re family, after all.¡± Giving my hand a squeeze in response, she then spoke up, ¡°Well, Leon and I¡­ Well¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m pregnant.¡± She stumbled a bit, but she got there eventually. And with her getting straight to the point, it only took an instant for the three to take in her words as their eyes all lit up in happiness. Yes¡­ even Sylphy¡¯s. ¡°Congrattions, Miss¡­ Roxy?¡± Norn said, looking at me to see if that was correct, which I nodded to. ¡°That¡¯s wonderful!¡± Aisha added, pping her hands as she nodded at me approvingly. ¡°You work fast, Big Brother!¡± Aisha¡­ I really wish you wouldn¡¯t say that. We were having a sweet moment there. ¡°Yes, that is¡­ amazing,¡± Sylphy said with a calm smile, but I noticed how she was pouting a minute before. While I assumed that she was a little jealous about Roxy having the first child, even though she was thest girl that I imed, I was d to see that her happiness was the stronger emotion. Now that we would be adding children into the mix, I would have to be sure to bnce that with the attention I owed my wives even better. I wouldn¡¯t want to end up with anyone being sad, after all. ¡°Yeah, so everyone¡¯s back, and our family is about to get a bit bigger,¡± I said, walking up to pull Sylphy into a hug. ¡°The rest of the group went to get an inn and sell all of our leftover supplies and goods, and after that, we¡¯ll be using the money to buy some houses. Since the other are leaving tomorrow to do their own things, we were nning to have a small celebration tonight.¡± I then leaned down to kiss Sylphy¡¯s ear, hopefully alleviating some of her frustration. ¡°You can invite Ariel if you¡¯d like, as I have something for both her and you,¡± I said before quieting my tone to a hushed whisper. ¡°And¡­ I know you¡¯ve been waiting for six months¡­ and I¡¯ve been pent-up too, so¡­ we can have our own celebration after, okay?¡± That seemed to brighten her mood, as her ears happily wiggled as she nodded into my chest. She was so cute. Though¡­ it would be a lot cuter if her hands weren¡¯t currently grabbing my rear. Truly¡­ that innocence was just a thing of the past now, isn¡¯t it? ¡°Rudy, you can invite your friends too, if you want,¡± I said, turning back to him. ¡°It would be good to introduce them to your parents, considering that¡¯s why you¡¯ve been gone for so long.¡± ¡°Definitely!¡± he nodded. ¡°We did say our next party would have our entire family, right?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ that¡¯s right,¡± I said, smiling as I pulled Roxy into a hug with my other arm. And so, with the promise to celebrate the reunion of our family, as well as the departure of our friends, Norn quickly departed to head back to her sses as the rest of us went back to the inn. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª The tavern was filled with a festive atmosphere the moment our celebrations began as Rudy brought over his group of friends, all of them weing myself and Sara back, while greeting the other members of the party. Cliff was d to find a fellow Millis follower in Mama, while also finding his cheeks glowing once he set his sights on Lina. Well, for a devout Millis man, that woman was the bane of his entire view on romance, but that didn¡¯t mean she wasn¡¯t captivating. To be honest, I was also captivated. Not by Lina, of course, but rather the two flowers that had been sitting on myp the entire time, both restingfortably in my arms. While Roxy had decided to remain sober for obvious reasons, Sylphy was happily indulging in some alcohol, often taking the chance to ¡®share¡¯ a drink with me through a kiss. Suffice it to say, an intoxicated Sylphy was a cute Sylphy, even if I wished that she saved her erotic grinding for when we were in private. Anyway, while Ariel had appreciated my invitation, she opted not to join the festivities, though she did promise to stop by in order to receive what I had brought her. And here she was¡­ ¡°Ah, Leon¡­ you said that you had something for me?¡± she said. Obviously, she wasn¡¯t here in her usual appearance, instead having taken on the form of one of her attendants with her appearance-altering magic item. I still needed to practice that¡­ I could probably use Burn in ce as a base where the magic was spread around my body, but after that¡­ Whatever, those thoughts couldeter. ¡°Yes¡­ here, let¡¯s go into another room,¡± I said, getting up. ¡°Aisha! Norn! Come with me for a second!¡± Leaving Roxy to converse with Nanahoshi, who was also abstaining from the alcohol, I led the four up to my room where I had all my belongings, as well as the gifts I had gotten them. ¡°I promised to get you something, right?¡± I said, rustling through my bag. ¡°Here. This one¡¯s for both of you to rece that crappy string.¡± I then took out the silver nes before tying them around each of their necks, recing the old string that was there before, and letting their old barrier stones rest over their shirts. ¡°Good?¡± I asked. ¡°Thanks Big Brother!¡± Aisha said. ¡°But that¡¯s not all,¡± I continued, taking out the other gift I got them. ¡°Here. I¡¯m sure you know about how to take care of this more than me, but I was able to keep it alive so far with healing magic. It doesn¡¯t need any water, though.¡± Taking the small cactus, Aisha hesitantly poked it with her finger, recoiling at the sharp needles that coated the exotic nt. ¡°Wow¡­ this is awesome!¡± she eximed. ¡°I¡¯ll take good care of it! I promise!¡± ¡°I hope so,¡± I said, epting her hug as I then passed Norn her sword. ¡°And this is for you. Yours is getting small, right? This is pretty good quality, so as long as you take care of it properly, it shouldst for your whole life.¡± Taking the sheathed sword, Norn slowly took it out to reveal a polished silver de, the curved single edge shining under themp¡¯s light. It was a little big for her right now¡­ but considering that she was only eight, she would soon grow into it. ¡°Do you like it?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s simple, but sturdy.¡± ¡°I¡­I love it!¡± she said, sheathing the sword before she went up to hug me as well. ¡°Thanks, Brother!¡± Ah, well¡­ this made it more than worth it. And now onto the next one¡­ ¡°Here, Sylphy,¡± I said, pulling out the green dress. ¡°I think this would look fantastic on you.¡± Her eyes shining, Sylphy hesitantly took the dress from my hands, pinching the shoulders as she unravelled the pale green, light fabric that was reminiscent of silk. ¡°It¡¯s hic-! Beautiful!¡± she said, her words slurring a bit. ¡°Hmm~? Maybe¡­ I should wear this tonight? Hehehe!¡± She then dove into my chest, rubbing her face into my shoulder as she then began to¡­ undress? ¡°S-Sylphy? What are you doing?¡± I asked. ¡°Hmm? Changing, of course,¡± she answered, taking off her top in one smooth movement. ¡°What? I want to wear it for tonight, right~? Don¡¯t you want that?¡± Well, yes, I did, but¡­ Haa, no, I didn¡¯t even care. Though I wish that Ariel wouldn¡¯t look at my beloved with such a lustful gaze. Depositing Sylphy onto the bed, I let her change into her new dress as I got thest of my gifts. This one being for a certain princess that was still looking at my Sylphy. ¡°Ariel,¡± I called to her, causing her to turn her gaze my way. ¡°I got you this too. One¡¯s a perfume, while the others are hair oils. I¡¯m sure that long hair doesn¡¯t take care of itself.¡± Giving her the hair oils, she looked over them with an odd sense of wonder as she traced her hand across the few vials. What? Why did she seem so¡­ touched? Hadn¡¯t she received a shit ton of gifts as a princess? Not to mention being the student council president, so how was this any different? ¡°I¡­ see. Yes¡­ it does indeed get troublesome,¡± she said before pulling out a ck band. ¡°And¡­ what is this?¡± ¡°That? Oh, that¡¯s a hair ribbon,¡± I said. ¡°It was included by the merchant I got the oils from in a deal. I thought it looked nice, but as princess, I bet it¡¯s not very morous¡­¡± She looked at it for a few moments, running her hand along the fabric as she shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s¡­ nice. Thank you, Leon,¡± she said, her voice a bit shaky. ¡°But¡­ what is this for? What are you¡­ what are you aiming for?¡± ¡°Aiming for?¡± I questioned. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not really aiming for anything. I just got it as thanks for keeping your promise, as well as for being Sylphy¡¯s friend.¡± Even if she did get Aisha as part of her group¡­ ¡°I¡­ gifts are too much, especially ones such as these,¡± Ariel said. ¡°I was going to care for Sylphy and your sisters anyway. Not to mention Aisha, as I now bear a deeper responsibility towards her well-being¡­¡± ¡°Gifts aren¡¯t too much,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°My family is much too important to be held inparison. Even these aren¡¯t enough to covey how important they are to me, so ept them graciously, princess.¡± She looked over at me, her eyes peering into mine as she hesitantly spoke up, ¡°These¡­ aren¡¯t enough?¡± ¡°Never,¡± I shook my head. She nodded her head, looking over at Sylphy who was beginning to fit herself into her dress with the help of my sisters, before looking back at me. ¡°T-Then¡­ if that is so¡­ can I ask you to do another thing for me?¡± she asked. ¡°That depends¡­¡± I said, my eyes narrowing in suspicion. Smiling, she then walked over to me, handing me the hair ribbon before turning around to face away from me. ¡°Then, can you tie this for me?¡± she asked. ¡°¡­Please.¡± Really? Something so small? I guess this greedy princess had learned some modesty. Taking her long, golden hair in my hand, I let my hand wade through it before I reached her scalp, my touch against her neck seemingly shocking the princess as she stood up straight. ¡°What style?¡± I asked. ¡°A-A bun, please,¡± she said. Hm? She sounded awfully meek there. How cute. ¡°Sure,¡± I said. I then went through the practised movements, letting my fingers act as a hairbrush as I did up her hair, tying the ck ribbon around the requested bun. Damn¡­ being able to see her neck like this¡­ it was oddly¡­ exciting. Perhaps I was a bit too pent-up, especially with all the advances Sylphy had been doing all night. ¡°¡­There,¡± I said softly. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± Ariel stood there for a moment, bringing her hand up to her chest before hesitantly stepping away, turning back to me with a wide smile. ¡°It is indeed¡­ thank you, Leon,¡± she said, turning her head to look into the nearby mirror. ¡°I¡­ love it.¡± Turning back to me, she then graced me with another smile, except this time¡­ it was different. Her cheeks were flushed red, and even her eyes squinted at how wide her lips were spread. It looked¡­ simply radiant. So much so that I nearly felt my heart race at the sight. As I thought¡­ this princess really was quite beautiful. ¡­Too bad she was such a pervert. Looking at me for a few more moments, she suddenly widened her eyes, flinching as she looked down at the floor, taking a few breaths before looking back up at me. Damn¡­ that radiant expression was gone, reced with her usual practised smile. How annoying. ¡°I thank you for your invitation, alongside the thoughtful gifts,¡± she said, curtsying politely before she turned to Sylphy. ¡°And Sylphy¡­ you look wonderful in that.¡± I then looked over to Sylphy, who was now sitting on the bed in her dress. Ariel was right. She looked stunning. Great job, me! That green matched her perfectly! ¡°Hmm~? Thank you, Ariel~!¡± she said, straightening her hair. ¡°I hope that you have fun tonight,¡± Ariel continued, cing her disguise ring back on her finger. ¡°I¡¯ll have Elmore guard me tonight, but I ask you to tell me everything tomorrow in detail¡­ Very explicit detail.¡± ¡­Well, I guess tonight¡¯s private activities won¡¯t be as private as I had thought. Oh, well. With how much Roxy had asked Lina about advice in bed, I had long gotten used to such things. Anyway, with that, the princess took her leave as the four of us returned to the party. Well, actually, only Sylphy and I did, as both Norn and Aisha decided to go to bed alongside Mama and Lilia, the four of them sharing arge bed for the night. I was d to see that they were so easily gettingfortable with their mothers, and I bet they would be having a big conversation about what had happened, even if I had given my mothers some details of the past four years. Anyway, after Ariel¡¯s arrival and departure, the night began to wind down, with Rudy and Sara going upstairs to do¡­ well, I think I knew, while Lina and Cliff went up to likely do the same. Lina¡­ I didn¡¯t think she would actually go for him, but she did mention how the man she got when she first arrived was a bit disappointing, so she was still quite pent-up. Well¡­ if there was one woman that would quickly make you experienced in the ways of sex, it was definitely her, so¡­ live strong, Cliff Grimoire! Anyway, with both of the beastfolk princess¡¯ passing out after a failed drinking contest against Talhand, and Zanoba amicably discussing Rudy¡¯s figures with a slightly interested Vierra, it seemed like the two groups had melded quite well together. But eventually, everyone went back to their homes or their rented rooms, as did I, with Roxy and Sylphy following behind me. Having predicted what would¡­ very likely happen, I had rented out two rooms next to each other. One for Roxy, and the other for, well¡­ the activities. As we reached Roxy¡¯s room, she stopped just outside of it as she looked at me and Sylphy, my charming fairy hanging off my arm as she was still a bit intoxicated. I would have cast a detoxification spell on her at this point, but she was simply too cute, and I myself was slightly drunk as well. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re both excited, and I have been monopolizing Leon for the past three months, so I don¡¯t mind you doing the deed,¡± she said, fiddling with her braid in embarrassment. ¡°But¡­ after you¡¯re done¡­ I want you toe sleep with me. Or at least Leon¡­ you have two arms, after all.¡± Using my words against me? How charming. ¡°Of course, Roxy,¡± I said, pulling her into a kiss, as my hand reached into her robe, lightly tracing down her back. ¡°Goodnight¡­ I love you.¡± ¡°L-Love you too¡­ so get going,¡± she said, heading into her room. ¡°Night Roxy~!¡± Sylphy said as the door closed before turning to me. Oh¡­ those lidded eyes¡­ I guess she was ready, huh? ¡°Leon~¡± she hummed, standing on her toes to nt a kiss on my nose. ¡°Hehe! I¡¯ve been missing you~ So¡­¡± She then wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling my head down to whisper in my ear, ¡°¡­Destroy me, Leon.¡± ¡­Well, I wasn¡¯t one to refuse such an offer. Scooping her into a princess carry, I quickly marched into our room, mming the door behind me with my foot as I went over to ce her on the bed. Well then¡­ let¡¯s get started. She¡¯s been waiting patiently for six months, and I had been missing my cute Sylphy just as much, so¡­ I better make this a good one. Chapter 72 – A Loving Reunion (R-18) Chapter 72 ¨C A Loving Reunion (R-18) ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª cing Sylphy on the bed, she quickly pulled me down on top of her, capturing my lips as her tongue invaded my mouth, the faint taste of alcohol clouding my senses as I enjoyed the lovely softness of her lips. As I continued kissing her, Sylphy¡¯s arms detached from my neck, slinking down to rub against the hardness that was pushing against my pants as the other one grabbed my hand, pulling it down into her dress. ¡°Mmm~ Leon¡­ touch me¡­ please,¡± she said, momentarily stopping our kissing as she looked up at me with pleading eyes. Nodding my head, I once again pressed my lips against hers as my hand brushed along her thigh, making her shiver as I trailed up to her panties and pushed against the fabric between her legs, feeling a wet spot as Sylphy breathily moaned into my mouth. Well, that was easy to find. This dress, while beautiful, was also easily essible. I almost didn¡¯t want to take it off of her¡­ Anyway, looping my finger under the edge, I quickly moved her panties to the side as I brushed my finger against her already wet slit, causing Sylphy¡¯s hand that was massaging my cock over my pants to wrap around it, squeezing lightly as her legs clenched against my hand. Well, she was definitely ready, but I still wanted to y with her a bit longer. Separating from her lips, I took in the sight of Sylphy¡¯s flushed face, eyes lidded and breath panting as I slowly undid my shirt with my free hand. ¡°Sylphy~¡± I said softly as I climbed on top of her. ¡°Do you really want it that bad?¡± I then slowly inserted a finger into her, causing her to bite back a moan as she frantically nodded her head, her hands moving down to pull down my pants. ¡°P-Please! I¡¯ve¡­ been dreaming of this!¡± she rasped. ¡°Really?¡± I said, sinking another digit into her, enjoying how her breath hitched in response. ¡°So lewd¡­ you¡¯ve really be a bad girl, huh?¡± I swallowed hard in order to maintain myposure as she gripped my now-exposed cock, rubbing her fingers against my tip that was wet with pre-cum as her legs wrapped around my waist, trying to pull me closer. ¡°I-I¡¯m your bad girl, Leon!¡± she mewled, her hands moving to trace my exposed body. ¡°You¡­ you made me like this, so¡­ please put it in me! T-Take responsibility!¡± I was initially going to finger her topletion first and make her melt before getting into the action like our first time, but she was just so¡­ appealing. Her flushed cheeks and ears, her lidded eyes, her sensual panting, her softness, and the warmth of her skin¡­ Fuck it. I could y with her all I wantter, but for now, I just wanted to get inside of her and, as she put, ¡®destroy her¡¯. Lovingly, of course. Taking out my fingers, I kicked away my pants that were tied at my ankles while manoeuvring myself to stand at the edge of the bed, grabbing her by the legs as I pulled her towards me. Seeing her silver hair syed across the sheets¡­ and that dress that had parted to show her bare breast and skin¡­ yeah, that really was a good purchase, for all three of my girls. Leaning over her, I gave her a quick kiss as I positioned my tip against her entrance, feeling her arms wrap around me to grip my hair as I lowered my mouth to her ear. I lightly blew against her lobe, causing her to lurch as her legs squeezed around my hips. ¡°L-Leon! Please put it in!¡± she begged, her hips pushing forward in an attempt to take control. ¡°If that¡¯s what you want,¡± I whispered into her ear. ¡°But I want you to really beg.¡± With my other hand moving to caress her cheek, I felt her kiss my ear as she hesitantly whispered, ¡°P-Please¡­ fuck me, Leon.¡± Hearing such a dirty word from her, I felt my mind jolt as I instantly pressed my hips forward, plunging into her depths as I ced her ear into my mouth, gently nibbling on her long lobe as my tongue danced across the sensitive skin. My simultaneous attack yielded immediate results as she made a strangled noise, her legs tightening around me as she pressed her mouth against my bare shoulder, a muffled groan reaching my ears as I began pumping my hips. Fuck¡­ Sylphy felt amazing. Whether it was the naughty feeling of doing her while she was clothed, or simply the desire of sex that I had been holding back for two whole months, Sylphy simply felt incredible, both inside and out. Each time I thrust forward, I felt her warmth clench around my cock, squeezing me gently as if trying to milk me for my fluids. And how Sylphy¡¯s small body quivered in my grasp¡­ her ears twitching in my mouth as she continued to seductively moan into my shoulder, right next to my ear¡­ she really was amazing in bed. Much like our first time, there was no exchange of loving words. Instead, it was simply the two of us divulging in our love and our lust, passionately mming our hips together while we enjoyed the thrilling sensations. Eventually, I felt her insides clench and her body shake, and paired with her sharp inhales, I knew she was close. Biting down a little harder on her lobe, I used my other arm to squeeze her tight, trapping her under me as I pressed her into the bed, the sound of squelching from my cock pounding into her soaked entranced only drowned out by her incoherent moans. She was in bliss. My Sylphy, the one I loved so much, was drowning in pleasure as she neared her climax. ¡­And I made her this way. An indescribably feeling of pride, satisfaction, and possessiveness overwhelmed me, flooding my brain with an intoxicating sensation of ecstasy as I bottom out inside her, feeling her tense as she made a strangled noise. With all these feelings swirling in my mind, and the sensation of her hands gripping my hair, pulling me closer to her, the itching heat I had been holding back flooded forth, shooting down to my lower half as I filled her insides. Fuck¡­ I could hardly think¡­ My cock pulsing, I slowly leaned against Sylphy¡¯s body, feeling myself go limp inside of her as she then began to gently rake her hands through my hair. With both of us taking a few deep breaths to calm ourselves down from our highs, I slowly opened my eyes to see Sylphy looking at me with a gentle smile. ¡°Thank you, Leon,¡± she said, gently kissing my nose. ¡°That was¡­ amazing.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I said, reaching out to stroke her hair. ¡°Do you¡­ want to continue?¡± She exhaled softly, moving to rest her head against my shoulder as I felt my cock slide out of her. ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m a bit tired, and¡­ very satisfied,¡± she said, her voice dropping to a silky tone as her hand caressed my limp member. ¡°Besides¡­ Roxy¡¯s pregnant, right? I¡¯ll have to pace myself to keep you happy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not some lust-driven animal,¡± I said, kissing her head as I brought my hand down to cast some detoxification magic over her stomach. One baby at a time was enough, thank you very much. ¡°I know,¡± she nodded. ¡°I¡¯m not worried about you bing like your father or anything. I just want to make sure you¡¯re happy.¡± Tenderly kissing my chest, she traced her lips up to my face, where she then initiated a deep kiss, our tongues gently massaging against each other as I brought my hand down to her slit. Brushing my hand against the smooth and drenched skin, coated in both of our fluids that were spilling out of her, I enjoyed how Sylphy shivered at the contact as I used some water magic to clean her up. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m a bit tired now,¡± Sylphy said, licking my lips as we separated. ¡°Let¡¯s not keep Roxy waiting, okay?¡± Nodding my head, we then got up, with Sylphy brushing out some knots in her hair and drying her ears, and me simply put on my underwear before we went over to the next room. I had expected to see Roxy sleeping as we entered, or perhaps reading a book as she waited for me, but upon our entrance, we were met with the view of a panting Roxy, with her cheeks flushed and legs spread as she eagerly fingered herself above the covers. Damn¡­ I think I was hard again. Her expression dreamy, she began to quiver just as she looked over at us, her eyes widening while simultaneously twitching as her hips convulsed. As I closed the door behind us, Roxy¡¯s cheeks gained a deeper flush as she quickly got under the covers. ¡°Fufufu!¡± Sylphy giggled from beside me. ¡°How cute¡­ you can join next time, if you want.¡± Roxy then hid her face under the sheets. I guess she was pent-up as well, huh? And she was in the next room, so she must have heard us¡­ she was quite sinful, huh? Walking over to her, I got under the sheets to join her, gently grabbing her still-wet hand to reveal her shy face, eyes swimming with embarrassment. ¡°Roxy,¡± I whispered, leaning down to suck some of her taste off of her finger. ¡°Do you want me to help you finish?¡± Her body jolted as she quickly shook her head. ¡°I¡­ just did.¡± Oh? That was good timing then. While Sylphy looked like she wanted to keep teasing the cute and embarrassed Roxy, she thankfully decided to let her go for now, sliding under the sheets to join me on my right as she used some wind magic to blow out themp. ¡°Goodnight, Roxy, Leon,¡± she said, leaning up to kiss me. ¡°Night,¡± I said before turning to Roxy. ¡°And goodnight to you too.¡± ¡°Y-You too,¡± she said, reciprocating my kiss as all three of us thenid down. With my blue-haired maiden resting against my chest to my left, and my cute fairy snuggling into the crook of my neck to my right, I was once again sure I was the luckiest man in the world. While I was still missing Eris¡­ this truly felt like the beginning of our family, so now all we needed to do was buy a home and have some babies. And Roxy and I were already doing our part on that front. With such exciting thoughts filling my head, I gently closed my eyes, excited about what the future would bring. Chapter 73 – Obtaining a Home Chapter 73 ¨C Obtaining a Home ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It was the day after our arrival, which meant that it was time for the rest of the group that was not my family to depart. It was sad, for sure, but they each had their own lives to live, and thest four months together had lessened the pain of our eventual departure. ¡°Geese, Talhand¡­ thank you once again for helping us,¡± I said, bowing to the two. ¡°Think nothin¡¯ of it, little Leon,¡± Talhand smirked, patting my shoulder with his heavy hand. ¡°That was a good adventure, no? And now I have some good stories to tell over booze! Hahaha!¡± ¡°Yeah, no need for thanks,¡± Geese said, rubbing his head as he smiled at me. ¡°We got some good money out of it, so it¡¯s not like we didn¡¯t gain anythin¡¯.¡± Well, that was true. Alongside the items we sold at Begaritt, as well as everything we sold at the guild yesterday, we had each amassed quite an impressive sum of money. Enough that buying a house for each group wouldn¡¯t be an issue. ¡°So¡­ what are you two nning to do now?¡± my father asked. ¡°Well¡­ that metal I kept is interestin¡¯ me, so I think it¡¯s about time I opened up a shop now that I got the cash,¡± Talhand said, rubbing his beard in thought. ¡°But I¡¯d need to meet an old friend first.¡± ¡°I see¡­ and you, Geese?¡± my father said, turning to the man. ¡°Eh¡­ who knows? Maybe I¡¯ll open a restaurant. But then again, it might be fun to see how much I can make by gamblin¡¯ all of this,¡± he said, patting the coin purse at his side. ¡°Anyway, we don¡¯t wanna hold you up, so¡­ bye.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ but thank you, once again, for helping me,¡± my father said, bowing as the two departed. Our group then turned to the other two, Vierra and Shierra. They were initially nning to return to Roa to settle down, but after telling them that I was going there soon, and it¡¯d be quicker and safer to stay with me, they epted my offer, and would instead be staying at the inn until my departure. And then¡­ there was Lina. ¡°Hmm¡­ Sylphy, you said your name was¡­ right?¡± she said, eying my lover with a difficult expression. ¡°Can you¡­e with me first? Ah, and Leon and Roxy too.¡± She wanted to see us? Well, I could understand me and Roxy, since she had been travelling with her for the past four years and was close with me¡­ but why Sylphy? Thinking about it¡­ she had been eyeing her all ofst night before she eventually went up to her room, and she was looking at her weirdly this morning too¡­ The three of us looked at each other in confusion before turning back and following the woman up to her room in the inn, not minding the scent of what had very obviously transpired the night before as Lina closed the door behind us. Pacing back and forth, Lina hesitantly tapped her finger against her arm before suddenly grabbing Sylphy¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Sylphy¡­ your father¡­ you said his name was¡­ Laws, right?¡± she asked, to which Sylphy nodded. ¡°And¡­ he was a half-elf? W-With blonde hair?¡± Sylphy nodded again, her head tilting in confusion as my eyes slowly widened. No fucking way¡­ ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry!¡± she said, pulling Sylphy into a hug. ¡°I¡­ Laws was¡­ my son! I¡¯m¡­¡± Sylphy smiled, slowly raising her arms to wrap around Lina¡¯s body. ¡°I¡­ my father told me his mother was one of Paul¡¯spanions, so¡­ I kind of expected this¡­¡± ¡°N-No¡­ I¡¯m¡­ just a whore, so¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, grandmother,¡± Sylphy said, resting her chin on Lina¡¯s shoulder as the older woman continued to sob. ¡°B-But I! He¡­ because I was his mother!¡± Lina continued, her breath hitching as tears trailed down her cheeks. ¡°I¡­ he was chased out of the Great Forest¡­ just because I was such a slut! I¡­ I cannot be forgiven¡­¡± Sylphy simply shook her head. ¡°Father never med you, grandmother. He was¡­ simply saddened that he couldn¡¯t more spend time with you.¡± ¡°B-But! Hic-!¡± Damn¡­ I had never seen Lina act so¡­ sad. Even when my mother¡¯s condition was thought to be the worst, she was still content with releasing a few tears, not sobbing like this. Walking over, both me and Roxy ced a gentle hand on her back, with me wrapping my arms around the two as Lina looked to me. ¡°L-Leon! I¡­ I know I might be a mess, but Laws¡­ and Sylphy too¡­ they¡¯re normal! You won¡¯t-¡± ¡°I¡¯m not worried about that,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°In fact, if anything, I¡¯m happy¡­ Now I¡¯m truly rted to you, just like I had always believed in my heart.¡± Though, I did think of her as more of a mother than a grandmother, but I¡¯d keep that thought to myself. ¡°I¡­ I¡­!¡± ¡°Father never hated you, and I don¡¯t either,¡± Sylphy said gently, separating from Lina as she smiled sweetly up at her. ¡°Even if it may have been hard, living outside the Great Forest¡­ that was how my father met my mother, and how I met Leon. It may have been difficult, but that made me into the woman I am today¡­ And for what it¡¯s worth¡­ I¡¯m happy that a member of my family is still here.¡± As Lina stood still in shock, I watched as her face that was marred with guilt slowly turned to one of joy, her hands tracing along Sylphy¡¯s hair before stopping at her ear, which may had kept a few marks fromst night, as she quickly nced at me with a raised eyebrow. With how youthful Lina looked, it was difficult toprehend that she was Sylphy¡¯s grandmother, but fromst night¡­ and also our first time together¡­ I knew that Sylphy was definitely her granddaughter. I was confident she would leave that lust for only me, though. ¡°Well¡­ I think we should leave you two for a moment,¡± I said, taking Roxy¡¯s hand as I went out the door. ¡°Wait, please,¡± Lina said, stopping me. ¡°Roxy¡­ can you stay here for a moment? I¡­ this wasn¡¯t the reason I called you here. My emotions just¡­ overcame me.¡± Raising my eyebrow in confusion, I left Roxy behind as I went out the door, closing it behind me as I waited outside. ¡°What is it, Elinalise?¡± Roxy asked, her voice muffled. Hmm¡­ it might be wrong of me to listen in, but¡­ I couldn¡¯t help myself. After all, Lina probably knows that I hadn¡¯t left since she hadn¡¯t heard my footsteps walking away, and she wasn¡¯t chasing me out, so this was fine¡­ right? Well, if it got too private, I¡¯d leave. Just as a gentleman should. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just¡­ I wanted to give you two some¡­ advice, I suppose,¡± Lina said. ¡°Advice? Ah, is it about sex?¡± Sylphy asked. ¡°If so, there¡¯s no need. I¡¯m¡­ very satisfied.¡± Hearing her words end with a cute giggle, I had to hold myself back from breaking down the door to give her a deep kiss, and possibly even go further in our room down the hall. Calm yourself, Leon. ¡°No, it¡¯s¡­ not that, but it does concern Leon,¡± Lina said, her teary voice lifting a bit at her granddaughter¡¯s words. ¡°But I¡¯m d to know that he is taking good care of you.¡± ¡°Then¡­ is it about the baby?¡± Roxy asked. ¡°I know you have experience with it, but you¡¯ve already given me so much advice¡­¡± ¡°Not that either, dear,¡± Lina said. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ well, you know Leon¡¯s a human, right?¡± There was then a moment of silence, which I could only assume meant that Roxy and Sylphy had nodded in agreement. ¡°And¡­ you two¡­ are not,¡± Lina said. ¡°I know the Migurd live for two centuries, and I¡¯m unsure what race your mother was, Sylphy, but¡­ you two will definitely live longer than him. Perhaps even twice or three times as long.¡± I could instantly feel the mood from inside the room turn sombre at her words. Right¡­ there was that too. ¡°Your children will also be half-human, so they will likely live shorter lives than you as well,¡± Lina said sadly. ¡°I¡­ won¡¯t tell you what to do, as it ispletely your decision, but I just wanted you two to know and prepare for it. I know you¡¯ve promised yourself to Leon, and I¡¯m sure you intend to keep that promise, but you have to think about what happens afterwards¡­ whether you will love again or not, and whether you can handle such separation.¡± I rested my back against the wall as I ced a hand on my chin in thought. The thought of those two finding someone else after I was gone¡­ even if it was something I shouldn¡¯t feel, as it was extremely selfish, I¡­ didn¡¯t like the sound of it. No, in fact, I hated it. They were my women, after all. ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ lived for forty years without love,¡± Roxy eventually spoke up. ¡°Leon, he¡­ I don¡¯t think I would be able to find someone else like him. And¡­ I don¡¯t really want to.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡­ agree,¡± Sylphy said, her voice a little strained with sadness. ¡°I had been living with just the thought of being with him for four years, so once I¡¯m older, and we¡¯ve lived our lives together¡­ I¡¯d be happy with just the memories.¡± It was sickening how good those words made me feel. Yes, as selfish as it was, I wanted to be the only man in their lives. It felt disgusting to think of another man having my two beautiful lovers, even if I was already dead. But¡­ the thought of them being sad and alone¡­ simply living off the memories of our time together¡­ that felt even worse. ¡°I see¡­ you two sure love little Leon, huh?¡± Lina said, chuckling. ¡°What a lucky man¡­ and how sinful of him to trap two girls with such loyalty¡­ ah, I guess it¡¯s three, huh?¡± ¡°Well¡­ we¡¯re promised, after all,¡± Sylphy said happily. ¡°Yeah, that greedy man asked for me to love and give myself to him and only him,¡± Roxy said softly. ¡°That¡¯s the selfish man that I¡¯ve decided to be with, and I couldn¡¯t be happier.¡± ¡­Yeah, that¡¯s right. I promised them to love me for the rest of my lives, just as I would love them for the rest of theirs. And I couldn¡¯t love them if I was dead, right? I didn¡¯t want to leave them alone, even if I had already lived a fulfilling life. I had to avert that fate somehow¡­ or at least try. Nanahoshi¡­ she was a human, but Rudy mentioned that she had not aged in the past four years since being taken from her homnd, so it was possible¡­ If I researched healing magic enough, alongside the biological and scientific knowledge I had that no one else did¡­ I could do it. I don¡¯t think immortality is possible, nor would I want it. Instead, I just want me and my wives to live our lives happily, together, until our times simultaneouslye to an end¡­ Perhaps, a sort of ¡®life bond¡¯? People didn¡¯t die of old age. Instead, they died ofplications rted to it, where the healing magic, no matter how strong, slowly had diminishing effects until it became useless. Some say it was tied to mana, others something more spiritual, like someone¡¯s ¡®soul¡¯ or internal ¡®life energy¡¯. If I could link that between the four of us, to ensure our years would be shared in happiness¡­ that was something that sounded possible. It would be a lot of work, but with my family reunited, I only had to take care of a few more things until I was ready to settle down, so¡­ that could be my main focus. Just as the three opened the door, Rudy walked up the stairs, his eyes quickly darting to me before turning to Lina. ¡°Elinalise!¡± he said, walking up to her. ¡°You¡­ Cliff has been looking for you all morning¡­ is there something wrong? He says you¡¯ve been avoiding him¡­¡± Getting up from the wall, I walked over to Sylphy and Roxy, both of their eyes a little ssier than when I had left them, before pulling them into a hug, kissing both of their foreheads as they rested their heads against my chest. Yeah, all that future death talk¡­ that was quite depressing. I wouldn¡¯t tell them of my possible n, as I had no idea if it could work, but I could at leastfort them with my warmth, showing them that I was here now. ¡°Cliff¡­ huh?¡± Lina said, and as I turned to her, I saw her press a hand against her forehead as an apologetic expression formed on her face. ¡°Dammit¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Rudeus. I didn¡¯t want to do it with someone who held actual feelings for me, but while my previous experience had staved off the curse, I was still hungry. And with how innocent he was, and how much he earnestlyplimented me¡­ Ipletely gave in.¡± Haa¡­ well, while I felt bad for Rudy¡¯s friend, the two would never work out. Plus, at least now, when Cliff found the one for him, he would have quite the experience to use to his advantage. ¡°I¡­ understand, Elinalise,¡± Rudy said, patting her shoulder. ¡°I just¡­ could you at least let him down gently and not run away? I don¡¯t like seeing him like this¡­¡± Lina looked at him for a moment before biting her lip and breathing a deep sigh. ¡°Yeah¡­ I suppose I should take responsibility, no?¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°Having to break such a loving heart right before I leave¡­ I truly am the worst.¡± ¡°Lina, don¡¯t say that,¡± I said. ¡°Just¡­ tell him about your curse. He¡¯s a follower of Millis, so I¡¯m sure he will understand why you two wouldn¡¯t work and why you agreed tost night. Be open and honest, and while I can¡¯t say everything will work out¡­ at the very least you won¡¯t have regrets.¡± Lina widened her eyes before looking at me with a soft smile. ¡°Those are quite the wise words¡­ it makes me feel like the young one here.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s been my thought process,¡± I said, shrugging. ¡°And by following it, I got myself these two beauties, so I think it¡¯s a pretty good way to live your life.¡± Yes¡­ while blindly following your heart was rarely the best option, if you were conflicted about a decision that seemed equal in logical value, it was best to choose the one you would regret least in the future. After all, when looking back on a choice, would it be more painful to think that you should have gone with your honest desires, or that you should have denied them? I knew what I would think. ¡°Yes¡­ that is right,¡± Lina nodded. ¡°Then¡­ can you fetch him for me? I¡¯ll be waiting in this room.¡± After that, Rudy went down to the tavern to bring Cliff up and into the room where Lina was waiting, and while we respected the two¡¯s privacy, the four of us decided to stay nearby in the hall in order to help the saddened Cliff, and also see off Elinalise as she would be leaving after this. But, as the minutes passed, we never heard the sound of earnest pleas of a young man in love, nor the angry shouts of being deceived, not even the sound of sobbing. ¡°They¡¯re, uhh¡­ taking a while,¡± Rudy said in confusion. ¡°Do you¡­ think something went wrong?¡± ¡°Well¡­ there¡¯s only one way to see, right?¡± I said, gently rapping on the door as I opened it. ¡°Hey, are you two all¡­ right?¡± My voice trailed off as I took in the sight in front of me, ck jawed at what was currently happening. ¡°Oh Cliff! I love you! I love you so much!¡± Lina shouted from Cliff¡¯sp as she eagerly kissed him. ¡°And I to you, Lise! I promise to always love you,¡± he said, returning her affections. ¡°But right now¡­ we have visitors.¡± With both of them turning to the doorway, where the four of us stood still in surprise, Lina slowly got off of Cliff, pointing to herself with a confident smile. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving!¡± she said. ¡°And me and my darling Cliff¡­ we¡¯re together from this moment forth!¡± ¡°Err¡­ yeah, I¡­ kinda got that,¡± I said, my eyes rapidly blinking as I tried to process the information. ¡°But, umm¡­ he knows about your curse, right?¡± I said. ¡°As well as your promiscuous past?¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Cliff said, standing up to answer me. ¡°While that curse is troublesome, I now have something to focus my genius on. I will absolutely cure her. That, I promise.¡± ¡°Aww! Yes, you are a genius!¡± Lina said, tilting his chin to look up at her. ¡°My genius¡­¡± They then shared another deep kiss, only to be broken by Cliff hesitantly stepping away with a red face. ¡°N-Not here, Lise,¡± he said, turning to face me again. ¡°Anyway, yes¡­ I will endeavour to remove that curse, and if I cannot¡­ Well, while I don¡¯t like the idea of my beloved being with others, Millis¡¯ tenants state that a woman can only love a single man, so while she may need to be with others, I¡¯ll be her only love!¡± That¡­ was a surprisingly heartfelt and powerful deration. I¡­ couldn¡¯t help but respect Cliff a bit more after hearing that. While I still hated the Millis Church and all that it stood for, from Mama¡¯s teachings, I knew that at it¡¯s most basic form, the tenants of Millis were actually quite just and good¡­ it was just that they were taken way too far in most cases, while also needlessly pushing their beliefs onto others. Fanatics, you could call the modern version of the Millis religion. If there were more people like Mama and Cliff here as their leaders, then I think I coulde to enjoy such a religion and country. But who am I kidding, how would Cliff ever be someone like that? I mean, he was the Pope¡¯s grandchild, but he was sent away from that ce for a reason. It was simply too dangerous for him. And even then, as only one man, he wouldn¡¯t be able to make such significant change. Anyway, with Lina finding a new lover, and apparently not leaving Sharia for the foreseeable future, that meant that all the departures that would be happening today had already been concluded. So¡­ onto the next thing, I guess. It was time to find everyone a home. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª A few days had passed since our return to Sharia, and with my family¡¯s newly gained wealth, as well as Rudy¡¯s previous ie from adventuring, we were quickly able to find three houses for each of our families. With Rudy and Sara being essentially kicked out of their old adventuring friends¡¯ ce, they had decided to find a small townhouse near the university with four rooms, arge office, and a big basement. I was initially confused as to why they didn¡¯t get a backyard, considering Sara¡¯s love of nature and archery practice, but since they were so close to the university, they could just go over there whenever they wanted. But four rooms¡­ I guess they were nning for the future, huh? Well, I was doing the same, so I didn¡¯t tease them too much. Next was for my parents and sisters, and with my father, Mama, Lilia, Norn, and Aisha, they decided to get a medium-sized house near the edge of the city with arge backyard and five rooms, one for each of them. Though, they also had another room that they were nning to use as an office in the meantime, but was ready to be converted to another room if it was needed. Well, Lilia was not even thirty, and Mama was twenty-five, so they were still young enough to have a child. And while my father might have screwed things up with Norn and Aisha, he surely wouldn¡¯t lose his paternal dignity for a fifth time¡­ right? Anyway, overall, it was a nice house that was reminiscent of our ce in Buena Vige, though it was built much better as there was a need for instion so far up north. And then, there was me. With three wives I was promised to, it was obvious I would need quite a big ce, and with how Eris and I loved to practice swordsmanship, it also needed a big yard. I was initially worried that I wouldn¡¯t be able to find such a ce right away and would have to take on a few dungeons to save up, but as if it was fate, there was one on the market that fit all my needs, and for an extremely cheap price. Actually, with me recently bing an S-rank adventurer, they practically gave it to me for free as they simply wanted it off of their hands. Apparently, they thought it was more trouble than it was worth, and I with someone of my status, they were hoping I wouldn¡¯t die like the rest of the residents. It was¡­ a little ominous, but I had a n. And here I was¡­ or rather, here we were, as I decided to bring Rudy and a couple of his friends along. ¡°This¡­ isn¡¯t it a little big, Leon?¡± Rudy said, gaping at the mansion in front of us. ¡°Well¡­ maybe for the moment, but I n on having lots of kids,¡± I said, nodding to myself. ¡°Plus, it was cheap.¡± With the overgrown sides, and a few blown out windows, it was obvious that this ce would need some work. But that was where the money I saved on not buying it woulde in. If I timed it right¡­ it would probably take a month? Possibly less? Anyway, Roxy and I would be living in the inn for the moment while Sylphy stayed with Ariel, but eventually, we would all be in the same house in time for the baby to be born. ¡°Indeed, you did mention that it was given to you for no fee¡­ is because of the condition?¡± Zanoba asked. ¡°Kind of,¡± I said. ¡°There were apparently a few buyers that were murdered in their sleep, so they think that there¡¯s some sort of spirit-type monster, which is why I asked you toe, Cliff. Thank you, by the way.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only natural,¡± the boy said, shaking his head. ¡°Not only are you my friend¡¯s brother, but you also helped me meet Lise, so consider this returning the favour.¡± He seemed a bit¡­ excited at the prospect of facing a monster, but if all went well, I wouldn¡¯t need him. With spirit-type monsters, since they were beings made of pure mana, it was known that the only way to kill them was to use ¡®divine strike¡¯ magic, a branch of support magic that I didn¡¯t know, but Cliff did. But since spirit-type monsters were made of mana, I was hoping that my disturb magic would be able to kill it, or at least make it able to get cut with my sword. I had been itching to fight something that required that cool technique, after all. ¡°Are we nning to stay the night, then?¡± Rudy asked. ¡°No¡­ for spirits, I should be able to spot them with my Demon eye,¡± I said. ¡°Well¡­ let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take the front, you guys stay in the back, and Zanoba¡­ just don¡¯t break anything, please.¡± I originally didn¡¯t want to take him considering his¡­ destructiveness, but since all three of them were eating together at the time that I went to them, it felt rude not to invite him as well. As we ventured through the house, with me unceremoniously kicking down the worn-out door, I began to think of how everything would beid out in the future. First, there was arge front porch that spanned the entire front of the house, and once you stepped inside, there was arge staircase, with one set going up to the second floor, and the other going to the basement, and behind the set of stairs, there was a big open space for storage. I also noticed that the rooms were identically mirrored, save for the fact only the right back corner room had a kiln, which must mean that it was the kitchen. Obviously, there was no need for two kitchens in a house, so for the left side¡­ ¡°Hey, Rudy,¡± I said as I looked into the empty, dusty room. ¡°You remember that big bath we had back in Buena?¡± ¡°Hm? That?¡± Rudy said. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been missing that, you know? I didn¡¯t realize it back then, but you made something really luxurious, brother.¡± ¡°Yeah, well¡­ I think I might do the same thing here,¡± I said, looking around the walls. ¡°But the one in Buena was built in a separate building, so I¡¯m not sure what to do for this¡­ I think I¡¯ll get a craftsman to do it, but it might need your earth magic.¡± ¡°Ah, I see¡­ yeah, I can definitely do that,¡± he nodded. ¡°As long as Sara and I can use it~¡± ¡°Just¡­ yes, you guys can use it, but don¡¯t tell me when you do,¡± I said, shaking my head. Over time, I had realized how wrong my thinking of my brother was. I thought he had changed, but in reality, he was just as lustful as before, just now focusing all of it on one girl. Well, Sara didn¡¯t seem to mind, so I guess if it made them both happy, then that was fine. The four of us continued searching, going up to the second floor after clearing the first and looking into each of the ten rooms to see if there was anything my Demon eye hadn¡¯t caught. Hmm¡­ ten rooms¡­ considering I wanted my wives to each have their own space, with a big one for me and them to share, and one for a guest¡­ that only left room for five kids¡­ six if two of them shared therge room that mirrored the parents¡¯¡­ I don¡¯t know if that was enough. Well, that was a problem for the future. Anyway, with the second floor also clear, it was then time we went into the basement, which was around the size of therge room upstairs, with the walls all made of stone. Hmm¡­ this almost seemed like a workshop, but maybe I could convert this to a cer or an office or something. Either way, that wasn¡¯t important. Instead, it was the body of mana I could see through the wall. ¡°It¡¯s here,¡± I said, unsheathing my sword. The three gulped in nervousness as I stepped forward, my hand at the ready to cast disturb magic as I peered at the opposite side of the wall. Hmm¡­ while spirits could go through walls, they couldn¡¯t exist in them, so there must be a space behind it¡­ Actually, looking at the ground, it was covered in grime and dust, save for a semicircle against the wall that was clean¡­ was this a hidden door or something? Hesitantly reaching forward, I pushed against the opposite wall, the stone giving way and turning to reveal a¡­ room. ¡°Huh?¡± I said, voicing my confusion as the three walked up behind me. ¡°Is there¡­ a spirit, brother?¡± Rudy asked, his hands gripping his staff. ¡°Uh¡­ no, I don¡¯t think so,¡± I said, looking at therge b that contained a¡­ doll? What was a doll doing here? And why was it full of mana and messy magic circles? My eyes ncing to the side, I saw that there was a desk with a journal resting on it, seemingly having been untouched for quite a while. What? ¡°Is that-?¡± ¡°It¡¯s beautiful!¡± Zanoba cried, interrupting Cliff as he rushed over to the doll. ¡°This craftsmanship¡­ it mimics the human body, but with the added design choice of multiple arms! It¡¯s-¡± ¡°Wait, don¡¯t touch-!¡± I tried to stop Zanoba from touching the doll, as I was afraid of it being some sort of intricate trap with the magic circles, but as soon as I voiced out my words, the doll¡¯s arm shot up to stab the Miko, only to unceremoniously shatter at the contact. ¡°It¡­ moves?¡± I said in surprise as the doll continued to attack him. ¡°It moves!¡± Zanoba agreed, not caring about his predicament. He then wrapped his arms around the doll, squeezing it in an attempt to quell its assault. ¡°Zanoba, do you¡­ need assistance?¡± I asked. ¡°No need, brother of Master!¡± he voiced. It was Leon, actually, but I decided to ignore it. ¡°This thing cannot harm me, and I cannot allow any harm toe to it any further!¡± he said, his cheeks gaining some colour as the doll¡¯s arms began to slow down. ¡°It is¡­ beautiful!¡± ¡°R-Right¡­¡± I said, a little put-off by his fervour. I knew that he was a fan of figures and dolls, but this¡­ it was trying to kill him, but he didn¡¯t mind at all¡­ ¡°It looks like this book has some notes about that thing,¡± Rudy said, flipping through the journal on the desk. ¡°Hmm¡­ I think this was the creator¡¯s¡­ it seems like he used magic circles to mimic the human body, from nerves to blood flow¡­ how interesting.¡± ¡°That sounds absurd¡­ here, let me see,¡± Cliff said, joining in. Letting the three academics discuss the magnificence of the discovery, I slowly sheathed my sword as I enhanced my Demon eye to search the basement onest time. I was pretty sure that this doll was the reason for the deaths, as while Zanoba could survive its strikes, that was only because he was a Miko. Maybe it was a security measure from a previous owner? Who knew¡­ but anyway, I didn¡¯t think there was anything else to worry about instead of safety, but I¡¯d be sure to spend a few nights here alone just in case¡­ With the other three finishing up their discussion, Zanoba then ced the now-unmoving doll onto therge pedestal, where it had been resting before, and lifting both onto his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re taking that?¡± I asked the man. ¡°Ah! My apologies! That was quite presumptuous of-¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine, you can take it,¡± I said. ¡°Just¡­ make sure it doesn¡¯t massacre the student body, alright?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± he nodded, pushing up his sses with his free hand. ¡°While I appreciate this magnificent creation, I am more interested in seeing how this works. I¡­ have no talent in craftsmanship nor magic for creating figures, but this¡­ if I can research this¡­ I may be able to find something I can do.¡± With his mouth forming a small smile, he then pressed his hand against his chest with confidence. ¡°So rest assured, I will be dissecting this to see its inner machinations, so there is no chance of such a disaster!¡± he proimed. ¡°Uh¡­ yeah, I trust you, Zanoba,¡± I said, once again put-off by the man¡¯s enthusiasm. Well¡­ at least he seemed happy. As we walked back out through the house, I took onest look at the dpidated mansion I would soon be calling my home. ¡°It¡¯s definitely a fixer-upper. All the ster and windows need to be reced, and not to mention the furniture, but¡­ I¡¯m excited,¡± I said, patting Rudy on the shoulder. ¡°Like this, I guess our family have all found a home, right?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ that¡¯s right,¡± he nodded. ¡°Anyway¡­ our ce is already finished, and you mentioned how you wanted to leave on a trip soon, so Sara and I can help with getting it ready. Especially the furniture.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ thanks, Rudy,¡± I said, giving him onest pat before turning back to the other two as we walked towards the university. ¡°And you two as well. I¡¯ll buy you lunch as thanks.¡± ¡°Ah! There is no need!¡± Zanoba said. ¡°This doll is more than enough. In fact, I should be the one thanking you! Allow me to support the renovations of your new home!¡± Uhh¡­ ¡°Financially, of course!¡± he added. ¡°Ah¡­ well, thank you very much, Zanoba,¡± I nodded. Yeah, that sounded better. Chapter 74 – A New Home Chapter 74 ¨C A New Home ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Three weeks had passed since buying my new home and the ensuing moving doll fiasco. With many craftsmen working on the house, which Rudy and I assisted with our magic wherever we could, and some basic furniture being purchased, the renovations for our new home were now finallyplete. So that meant everyone in my family was now settled¡­ and as such, I nned on leaving tomorrow to take care of a few things before the birth of my child, as I didn¡¯t want to leave Roxy alone for the birth, nor for caring for our beautiful baby afterwards. After all, I nned to be a very doting father, and hopefully my time spent looking after my sisters would help me out. Anyway, despite leaving tomorrow, there was still something that needed to be done. ¡°So¡­ what do you two think?¡± I asked, pulling Sylphy and Roxy close to me. A house tour, of course! ¡°I-It¡¯s¡­ wonderful!¡± Sylphy eximed. ¡°Truly¡­¡± Roxy added, a touch of wonder in her voice. ¡°But¡­ isn¡¯t it a bit big?¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯re nning for a big family, right?¡± I said, giving both of my beauties a kiss on the forehead. ¡°And it has a big yard, but let¡¯s see the inside first.¡± What was previously a dpidated exterior, with vines and grime climbing up the walls and hanging over the roof, was now clean, with pristine stone walls, a clean brown roof, and intact windows. Oh, and the front door I had broken had been reced. That was probably important. ¡°It even has a front porch¡­¡± Roxy said, tracing her hand across the railings before she nodded in appreciation. ¡°I could definitely see myself enjoying a book out here. Well done, Leon.¡± A gentle kiss apanied her praise, making me smile even wider. Indeed, with the porch having enough room for a chair, and a beautiful view of the magic city as the scenery, it was truly a great feature to the house. And the best thing was that we didn¡¯t really have to do anything to it, as it was already in great condition when I bought the ce. We then walked through the entrance, revealing the same staircase, but this time all clean, with the previously rotting wooden floorboards reced with new ones, and the ster that had been deteriorating now resurfaced. What before looked like a haunted mansion now looked like an actual home. Our home. ¡°The ce is mirrored, or¡­ at least it was¡­¡± I said, leading them to the room to the immediate right. ¡°Everything is subject to change, of course, but this one is the dining room for the moment.¡± It was quite simple, with only one big table with a bunch of chairs, and a big cab for tableware. There was also a second, smaller table near the turret and the firece, which is what we would likely be using for the foreseeable future. The main table was a bit big for three people, after all, but it would be good for when our family grew, and at the moment, it was good for hosting guests. ¡°And then over here is the living room,¡± I said, taking them to the mirroredrge room to the left. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the furniture to you two, but for now, a couch should be good for us.¡± As I had said, there was only a single couch and a small table, but there would definitely be more decorations and furniture pieces as we settled in. ¡°No, it¡¯s¡­ wonderful,¡± Roxy said, her eyes shining as she saw the firece near the window. ¡°While right now it¡¯s a little¡­ empty, I can definitely see this being an extremely cozy ce.¡± The tour continued, showing off the toilet rooms that were on each side of the house, the kitchen with the back entrance in the back right corner, the closet next to it, the study on the opposite side of the stairs, and most importantly¡­ ¡°And here¡¯s the bath,¡± I said, opening the door to reveal arge stone bath, fit with a wide spout. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Roxy muttered, amazed. ¡°This is quite¡­ morous.¡± ¡°This is just like back in Buena Vige!¡± Sylphy eximed. ¡°No, it¡¯s better! This is like the baths at the royal pce! But¡­ smaller.¡± Hee~? Is that so~? ¡°I guess I did pretty good, then?¡± I asked. ¡°The best,¡± Sylphy said, leaning up to kiss my cheek before whispering in my ear. ¡°And¡­ we can clean each other lots~ in here, okay?¡± I rapidly nodded my head. While I didn¡¯t build this with any lecherous intentions, the thought of sharing a bath together and possibly doing a bit more may have crossed my mind once or twice¡­ or three times, or four¡­ Yeah, I had thought of it. ¡°A-Anyway, while there¡¯s a magical implement for generating the water, I only added that for any guests, our kids, and for Eris when she¡¯s alone, since all three of us can do a quicker and better job with our magic,¡± I said before turning to the lever in the back. ¡°And this is how to empty it. The water flows through some pipes I installed to also act as a way to flush the toilets, so we¡¯ll be having a family tradition to bathe every night.¡± After all, toilets could get quite disgusting when left to their own devices, so this was quite the efficient feature. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ quite brilliant,¡± Roxy said before turning to me with a raised eyebrow. ¡°And this new ¡®family tradition¡¯ doesn¡¯t have any ulterior motives?¡± ¡°Noment,¡± I said before leading them out of the room. Who could me me when I wanted to enjoy such a pleasurable feature? Especially when it would be filled with my beautifuldies in their bare bodies. So perhaps there was a slight ulterior motive. Next was the basement, which was pretty boring, and for the moment, it was decided that it would act as storage with the hidden room being left empty. In the future, I was nning on having that room either be for emergencies where my family could hide in case of an invasion or an attacker, but I also nned for it to be storage for some of the more dangerous and expensive things. This way, it could hide those things from our children when they got a bit too curious, and also any potential thieves that somehow got past the barrier I set up. Though I doubted it would evere to that. Speaking of barriers, the hidden room was also where I had put the magic circle for them. I only was able to make one of the Advanced-rank, but¡­ I wanted something a little stronger. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t turn to Cliff for that, at least not yet, but maybe I could go back and beg Aunt Therese for a stronger one? Well, thoughts for the future. We then went upstairs, where the ten rooms were then revealed, with four average-sized rooms, four slightly bigger ones, and then tworge rooms, where one of which would be acting as all of ours, if they so desired. But also mine, since this was where I was nning to keep my clothes and modest personal belongings. ¡°It really is quite grand¡­ there¡¯s even enough space for a desk in the turret,¡± Sylphy said, sitting down on therge bed, fit for four. ¡°Though, you also could put chairs there¡­¡± ¡°Well, while it¡¯s technically my room, it¡¯s really all of ours, so you can decorate it as you see fit,¡± I said, shrugging. ¡°Just be d I called it my room and not Rudy¡¯s suggestion.¡± ¡°Hm? Rudeus? What did he suggest?¡± Roxy asked. ¡°He said I should call it the ¡®Love Nest¡¯,¡± I said, shaking my head. Honestly¡­ just how clich¨¦ can you be? ¡°Oh¡­ and you rejected it, right?¡± Roxy said. ¡°Yeah¡­ anyway, I only have a bed for three other rooms which will be acting as you two¡¯s and a guest room, and we can add more as needed,¡± I saidying back on the bed. ¡°But again, this is just the basics, so we can get more stuff whenever we want.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ well, while I do appreciate having a room to myself, I don¡¯t n on sleeping in it much,¡± Sylphy said, resting her head against my chest. ¡°Me neither,¡± Roxy said, lying down on the opposite side. ¡°I think I¡¯ll convert mine into a library.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ and when the baby¡¯s born, we can swap where we sleep,¡± I said. ¡°I want to help out, after all. Though¡­ I wonder if moving them to different rooms would be better.¡± ¡°We can decide thatter,¡± Roxy said, gently kissing my cheek. ¡°But for now, while it¡¯s still very bare¡­ I¡¯m very happy that we have a ce of our own.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I do too,¡± I said, wrapping my around them. ¡°And Sylphy¡­ what will you be doing?¡± She turned her head down as her eyebrows furrowed in thought. ¡°I¡­ want to be here whenever I can, but¡­ I still need to be there for Ariel,¡± she said. ¡°Especially since only two others can stay in the girl¡¯s dormitories while having the ability to protect her¡­¡± Well, I was soon going to be her guard, so Sylphy¡¯s workload would likely decrease, but still¡­ wasn¡¯t there a better solution? ¡°She could alwayse live here,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s quite a big house, and for now it¡¯s only the three of us, soon to be four, so it¡¯s not like we¡¯re out of space. I wouldn¡¯t mind her staying if it means having you in my bed.¡± Sylphy smiled, shuffling up to kiss my chin as she shook her head. ¡°Thank you, Leon¡­ she might, but she still wants to a connection to the regr students with the dorms,¡± she said before tilting her head in thought. ¡°Although¡­ that was mainly to attain support for the student council vote, and with Aisha¡¯s help, that has already been achieved, and considering that she¡¯s still retaining her position as a normal student¡­¡± She continued to mumble into my chest as I smirked, enjoying her pondering expression, before I then decided to tease her by licking her ear. ¡°Ahn~! Ah! L-Leon! Bad!¡± she said, lightly pinching my cheek. ¡°But¡­ yes, I might just do that¡­ Is that okay with you, Roxy?¡± ¡°Mmh?¡± she mumbled as a singr eye opened. ¡°The princess? Yeah, that¡¯s fine¡­¡± She then closed her eyes, drifting back into her nap as she snuggled against my side. I guess she was sleepy. ¡°Well¡­ I guess that¡¯s that,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m fine with her bringing an attendant too, as long as it¡¯s not Luke.¡± I was worried what that asshole would do with two cuties, after all, not to mention Eris when she eventually joined us. ¡°Fufufu! I got it,¡± Sylphy chuckled. ¡°You said there was a celebration tonight, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, just a small dinner with everyone before I leave and to celebrate the new house. We¡¯re going to order from some nearby restaurants, so there¡¯s no need to prepare,¡± I said. ¡°I guess we can ask Ariel during it?¡± ¡°Yeah. She epted the invitation, after all,¡± Sylphy said. ¡°Mmm¡­ you really arefy¡­ Roxy has the right idea.¡± She then fluttered her eyes closed, her breathing soon calming as she drifted off to sleep. ¡°Goodnight, you two,¡± I whispered, kissing her and Roxy¡¯s foreheads as I moved us under the covers. And so, with a content smile on my face, I joined the two as I closed my eyes. It wasn¡¯t how I nned to have our first time sleeping together in our new home¡­ but it was pleasant nheless. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°So you simply left your family to be an adventurer?¡± Ariel asked, her voiceced with surprise as she brought a ss of wine to her mouth. ¡°Yeah. I had trouble at first, but then my dear husband rescued me,¡± Mama said, looking over at Paul, who was bncing a sword on his finger, with a smile. ¡°Though¡­ he is a bit of an idiot.¡± ¡°That is the man we call our husband,¡± Lilia said, shaking her head fondly. ¡°He¡¯s oddly reliable, but definitely an idiot.¡± ¡°Fufufu! Yes, I¡¯ve heard lots of the man from Sylphy and Leon,¡± Ariel chucked. I¡­ didn¡¯t know exactly how, but as soon as they were introduced to each other, Ariel became fast friends with Mama and Lilia. It seemed that she was infatuated with Mama¡¯s kindness and separation from her noble lineage, and she had actually already known Lilia from when she was a child. I knew Lilia mentioned being a guard for a princess and defending her from assassins resulting in her getting injured, leading to her bing our maid, but to think it was actually Ariel¡­ well, I suppose it was a small world when talking about Asuran Princesses, especially one that lined up with the timeframe. For this celebration, it was only a small group of my family, some of Rudy¡¯s friends, and Ariel, who would be staying the night in order to be protected by Sylphy, but it was still enough people to fill the dining and living rooms. In fact, perhaps due to this cozier atmosphere, while she hadn¡¯t joined us for the party upon our return, Nanahoshi hade to see my new abode. And speaking of her¡­ ¡°Leon,¡± she said, her eyes staring at me intently. ¡°You¡­ have a bath.¡± ¡°¡­Yes,¡± I nodded. I did indeed have a bath. ¡°A working bath, with warm water and a ce to rinse off beforehand,¡± she continued. ¡°Yeah, though thatst one was Rudy¡¯s suggestion,¡± I confirmed. ¡°Is there¡­ something wrong?¡± She then averted her eyes, looking to the side as she hesitantly tapped her arm. ¡°Then¡­ could I¡­e over to use it sometimes?¡± she asked. I felt an indescribable urge to pat her head at that, but I was able to reign it in. Seriously¡­ why did Nanahoshi make me feel this way when I hardly knew her? I didn¡¯t have feelings for her, I was sure of that¡­ but I still found my hand wanting to reach out¡­ ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s no problem,¡± I said. ¡°You gave me your notebook on the teleportation circles, after all. I wouldn¡¯t be able to go on my journey tomorrow without it.¡± ¡°Yeah, well¡­ just be sure not to tell people,¡± she shrugged. ¡°And if it ends up getting out, make sure I¡¯m not attached to it.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯ll be careful,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°So? Do you like the ce?¡± Her eyes twitched. ¡°It¡¯s much too big. Seriously, this is bigger than some nobles¡¯ mansions I¡¯ve visited,¡± she said. ¡°What do you need all this space for, anyway?¡± Err¡­ ¡°Well¡­ I have three wives, right?¡± I said. ¡°And when a boy and a girl really like each other, they often-¡± ¡°Okay! Yes, I get it! You want lots of children!¡± she said, shutting me up as her cheeks glowed red. ¡°Jeez¡­ you really are a lecherous bastard, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yeah, well¡­ I¡¯m not going to deny it,¡± I shrugged. Clicking her tongue, she then walked away, leaving me alone to watch the other attendees. Roxy was eagerly talking to Lina while an intoxicated Cliff rested on herp, and while I couldn¡¯t tell what they were saying, from Roxy¡¯s flushed cheeks and the way her eyes darted to me every so often, I had a slight idea. And then there was my father, who was trying to impress his daughters with his party tricks. While they were still trying to put up a tough front of annoyance and dissatisfaction, I could see the smiles they were suppressing nearly rising to the surface, with the edge of their lips quirking up in amusement. Well, I guess their time living together had softened their cold hearts in regard to their father, so that was good. I would love for them all to get along. But again, I wouldn¡¯t push anything¡­ and it didn¡¯t seem like I needed to. Looking near the entrance, I saw as Luke talked animatedly with Ginger, who was there to escort Zanoba, even though he didn¡¯t need it. I would say they were getting along as fellow guards, but from the way Luke was smiling at her, I had a feeling there was a different intention on his side. Well¡­ good luck, man. She was a married woman, and from what I knew, was quite loyal to her family. And finally, there was the group of special students, consisting of my brother, Zanoba, the beastfolk princesses, and now Nanahoshi, as they discussed¡­ something. From how happy Rudy and Zanoba were, and how bored Linia and Pursena seemed, I think it was about that moving doll that Zanoba had been working with. As I rested against the wall, I felt a body press against my side, lifting my arm to rest over their shoulder as they snuggled their head under my chin. ¡°Are you enjoying it?¡± Sylphy said, giving me a soft kiss on my neck. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s nice to see everyone like this, even if it¡¯s not as emotional as the first time,¡± I said, pulling her to my front as I wrapped both arms around her midsection. ¡°Though we definitely need some more decoration.¡± ¡°Just let me and Roxy handle that,¡± she said, turning to look at everyone as her back pressed against my chest. ¡°You have enough on your te already. And with everything you¡¯ve been doing for the past four years, you deserve a long rest.¡± ¡°Yeah, I n to,¡± I said. ¡°But that cane when the baby is born. Until then, I want to deal with somest-minute things.¡± She sighed, covering my hands with hers as she inteced our fingers. ¡°You always push yourself, you know?¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°I love that about you, Leon, but¡­ just know you can alwayse to me when you¡¯re tired. This body is yours to use, after all.¡± Those were¡­ extremely dangerous words. But I had a feeling that was her intention, if the way she was grinding her bottom against my groin was any indication. ¡°Yeah¡­ I know,¡± I said, squeezing her hand. ¡°¡­I love you, Sylphy.¡± ¡°And I love you too, Leon,¡± she said. ¡°But since you¡¯ve been working so hard on the house for the past three weeks, and you¡¯re leaving tomorrow¡­ I think I should give you a parting gift, no?¡± ¡°¡­I certainly won¡¯t refuse,¡± I said, pulling her a little closer. After all, while a celebration was nice and all, our home had yet to be ¡®broken in¡¯ in the truest sense of the word. Now the question was just whether to wait for everyone to go home, or take my beautiful fairy up to bed this instant. And her constant grinding wasn¡¯t making the decision an easy one¡­ yeah, I would definitely be making her scream tonight. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª With the light snowfall we receivedst night having coated thendscape in a nket of white, it was time for me to depart from Sharia for an estimated two-month-long journey. But of course, I had to say some farewells first. ¡°Make sure you stay warm, okay?¡± Mama said, kissing my cheek. ¡°I know you¡¯ve got your magic, but the winters are still cold.¡± ¡°I got it, Mama,¡± I nodded. ¡°And do be sure to eat well,¡± Lilia added as I reached down to hug her. ¡°Even though you aren¡¯t growing anymore, you still need to stay healthy.¡± ¡°I understand, Lilia,¡± I said. Even if my cooking was horrible¡­ well, I had Vierra for most of the journey, so I should be fine. I then went over to Roxy, who was wearing a winter coat without her signature magicians hat, giving me the gift of another view of my lover that I had yet to see. She really was beautiful¡­ ¡°Be safe,¡± she said, walking over to hug me. ¡°I will. And I¡¯ll be back soon,¡± I said, reaching down to caress her stomach. ¡°While I¡¯ll probably have to leave for another trip, l promise to be back before they¡¯re born, so we can take care of it together.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ I¡¯m d,¡± she said, burying her face in my chest. ¡°Oh? You¡¯re taking care of the child between the two of you?¡± Ariel asked from the side. ¡°Hm? Obviously,¡± I said, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. How did she think babies were taken care of? ¡°You¡¯re not going to be getting a maid to take care of it?¡± she asked, tilting her head. ¡°That is what¡¯s best, after all.¡± ¡­Huh? ¡°I¡­ have to disagree, Ariel,¡± I said. ¡°Why do you think that?¡± ¡°Hm? Well, that¡¯s how I was raised,¡± she said, smiling innocently at me. My eye twitched. ¡°And look how you turned out,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice you sitting outside our roomst night when I was with Sylphy.¡± The princess at least had the decency to blush at being found out, though she didn¡¯t necessarily seem to hate it¡­ in fact, I think her breath just hitched in pleasure. This fucking princess¡­ ¡°Anyway, I n to be there for my kids,¡± I continued, trying to move past whatever¡­ that was. ¡°And I n on doting on them and holding them as much as I can when they¡¯re small, young, and cute.¡± I heard Aisha pipe up with ¡®Are you saying I¡¯m not cute now!?¡¯, but I decided to ignore it. ¡°I see¡­ I understand, then,¡± Ariel said, nodding to herself. ¡°But regardless, I thank you for your hospitalityst night.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I said. ¡°With Sylphy still protecting you, you cane over whenever you want. We do have quite a surplus of rooms, after all.¡± ¡°I¡­ may just do that,¡± she said, smiling. ¡°Good. Just make sure Luke doesn¡¯te,¡± I said, squeezing Roxy tighter. ¡°I can¡¯t exactly trust him with my two beautiful soon-to-be wives.¡± Sylphy sighed from the side before she came up to pinch my cheek, though the action held no malice. ¡°I assure you that your wives do not fit my knight¡¯s tastes, not to mention the fact that the two are absolutely infatuated with you, but I ept,¡± Ariel nodded, looking at the three of us with slightly lidded eyes. ¡°But as for my tastes¡­ well¡­ just don¡¯t take too long.¡± This time, Sylphy turned her pout to her princess, making her dissatisfaction of her teasing known. But¡­ I had a feeling that she wasn¡¯t simply teasing. ¡­I really shouldn¡¯t take too long, huh? ¡°A-Anyway, I still n on helping you, just as I promised, but I need to take care of some things first,¡± I said. ¡°I hope that you don¡¯t mind putting off the conversation until I return.¡± ¡°That ispletely fine,¡± she said, smiling. ¡°I don¡¯t n on needing your services until quite a bit into the future, so¡­ until then¡­ stay safe.¡± For some reason, at those words, her eyes turned away slightly as she brought her arms up to hug herself. ¡°I-It is awfully cold in the north during winter, isn¡¯t it?¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to indulge in that nice bath, so¡­ be well, Leon Greyrat.¡± ¡°Yeah, you too,¡± I said as she nodded her head before going back inside. Ah¡­ so she was cold. Well, that would exin why her cheeks were red. But Sylphy? Why are your fingers pinching my cheek a little harder? I didn¡¯t do anything wrong, right? ¡°Well¡­ I think everyone has already told you to be safe, brother, so I won¡¯t repeat them,¡± Rudy said, walking up to hug me as Roxy moved to my side. ¡°Not that you need it anyway¡­ damn monster.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a nice thing to call your brother,¡± I chided him. ¡°You didn¡¯t deny it,¡± he said, smirking as he pulled away. ¡°And don¡¯t worry. Sara and I will be sure to help with furniture and stuff¡­ though cleaning might be a problem.¡± ¡°I can take care of the dust with wind magic, so don¡¯t worry about it,¡± I said, patting his shoulder. ¡°And¡­ thank you. And you as well, Little Sis.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­ whatever,¡± Sara said, crossing her arms. ¡°Just don¡¯t take too long. I¡¯ll get pissed if you¡¯re not here for Roxy when she gives birth.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be pissed at myself more,¡± I said. It was then that my father came over to give me a strong pat on the shoulder. ¡°Like Rudy said, I don¡¯t need to worry about you,¡± he said, seemingly not noticing how his two wives red at him due to his words. ¡°But¡­ just take care of Vierra and Shierra, okay? They¡¯ve done a lot for me.¡± ¡°Of course, Father,¡± I said, nodding. ¡°Honestly¡­ if they did a lot for you, then shouldn¡¯t you be the one to take care of them? Leaving it up to Big Brother again¡­¡± Aisha said, pouting as she walked up to hug me. ¡°Be safe, Big Brother! And I¡¯ll make sure that Roxy and Sylphy get the best deals for the furniture!¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, returning her embrace. ¡°Be good. I love you.¡± ¡°I love you too!¡± she said, kissing my cheek before separating. And then,st but not least, it was Norn¡¯s turn to say goodbye, as she hesitantly walked over to give me a hug. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ also help with the big sisters and your home,¡± she said. ¡°Love you¡­ Brother.¡± ¡°And I love you,¡± I returned as we withdrew from our embrace. With that, along with a departing kiss shared with Roxy and Sylphy, where my hands may have wandered towards their lower backs, I then got on my horse, with Vierra and Shierra already riding the other one. We had sold the armadillo transport monsters to the university as soon as we got to Sharia for quite a good price, as they were practically impossible to transport across the ocean and all the way up north. And at the same time, I also got back the two horses that I originally bought in Roa that they had been keeping during my journey to Rapan. I was lucky that Vierra and Shierra would be travelling with me, as everything in regard to transportation would end up working perfectly¡­ hopefully. So, with my family waving me goodbye, I departed from the magical city for a second time. But now¡­ I had a home to return to. Let¡¯s just hope this journey wouldn¡¯t take too long. ¡ª Ariel Anemoi Asura ¡ª ¡°Haa¡­ this really is quite nice,¡± I said, sinking down to my shoulders in the hot water of the bath, the steam filling my nose with a pleasant, refreshing scent. Was that¡­ eucalyptus? I remember a passing merchant trying to sell me that nt, but to think it would have such a wonderful scent¡­ it felt quite invigorating. ¡°Mmm¡­ I never thought I would be able to have such a luxury, and while I am usually one for more¡­ humble things, this is indeed quite nice,¡± Roxy said, smiling as she brushed her hand through her hair. The woman was now showing some visible signs of her pregnancy, most notably being the slight bump beginning to form on her belly. Looking at that, even though it logically had nothing to do with me, I couldn¡¯t help but smile wider. Another vexing feeling that hade from thismoner Greyrat family. But despite being perplexing¡­ these feelings weren¡¯t necessarily bad. ¡°So¡­ you two, now that you¡¯re both living together for the foreseeable future, how is your rtionship?¡± I asked, looking over to Sylphy. Polygamy wasn¡¯t rare in this world, especially among nobility, but it was quite rare to see such a rtionship be so¡­ loving and genuine. Though I suppose Leon¡¯s parents were able to make it work, so I shouldn¡¯t be too surprised¡­ but I was still curious. Especially when it concerned by favourite attendant. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ good,¡± Sylphy said, smiling as she sunk deeper into the water. ¡°And I¡¯m certain it will work out in the future. We get along, after all. Right, Roxy?¡± ¡°I would say so, yes,¡± the girl replied. ¡°I was initially hesitant about sharing Leon, even though I was prepared after hearing about Eris in Millishion, but after experiencing his near-limitless libido¡­ well, to be honest, I¡¯m d you¡¯re here, Sylphy. I don¡¯t know if only one woman can handle that.¡± I felt my loins tighten at those words. That¡­ sounded exciting. I wanted to know more. ¡°A near-limitless libido, you say¡­¡± I said, swallowing down some saliva that had gathered in my mouth. ¡°I understand that you and Leon had some funst night, Sylphy¡­¡± Yes, I knew that they definitely enjoyed themselves, much to my own pleasure. ¡°¡­But did you do anything as well?¡± I asked, turning to Roxy. The girl in question widened her eyes before blushing, sinking her head into the water as she timidly yed with her hair. Ah¡­ I could totally understand Leon now, that lucky man. Seeing that cute face make such an embarrassed expression¡­ I just wanted to mess it up. ¡°W-Well¡­ Leon had been busy for the past three weeks, and I couldn¡¯t really do anything with the baby¡­¡± Roxy said. ¡°So¡­ after everyone left¡­ I may have gone up to his room, and¡­ had him service me¡­¡± She then averted her eyes, only for Sylphy to gently pat her shoulder. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be embarrassed, Roxy,¡± she said. ¡°You two are soon to be husband and wife, after all, and I know that Leon enjoys making you feel good.¡± ¡°T-Thanks, Sylphy¡­ it¡¯s just not something I can say so confidently¡­¡± Roxy mumbled. Ah¡­ I was certainly aroused now. I had to hold myself back from asking her how it exactly went down, as I was sure that it would be pushing her too far, but for now¡­ I would just have to use my imagination for what else went down with the blue-haired magicianst night. That, paired with Sylphy¡¯s exploits that I had overheard, I think I had enough material tost me a few weeks¡­ no, a month at least. But I needed to move the conversation forward, lest I identally start pleasing myself in front of these two. That would be quite rude, after all, considering I would be living with them quite a bit in the future. ¡°And? Is there no problems in sharing the same man?¡± I asked. Roxy, seemingly having ovee her embarrassment, lifted her head to look at me. ¡°Honestly? No¡­ not really,¡± she said. ¡°While I always dreamed of having a lover, especially one as infatuated with me as Leon, I didn¡¯t wish to have all of his attention. Rather, we would be our own independent people, supporting each other and being there for the nights.¡± ¡°Hm? Not having their attention?¡± I asked. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°How to exin it¡­¡± she said, looking down. ¡°For instance¡­ while I want to always be with them, I would prefer us both reading together outside, or cuddling close by the firece¡­ no need to talk every moment of the day, but simply basking in each other¡¯s presence and always being there for each other.¡± Her face then broke out into a soft smile as she rubbed her belly. ¡°So I don¡¯t mind if Leon wishes to use his free time with the other women he¡¯s promised to, as long as he¡¯s there for me,¡± she said. ¡°And with the baby on the way¡­ well, I¡¯m fairly certain I will be getting quite a bit of his attention. He is quite overprotective, after all, and he is surely to be a very doting father.¡± I nodded my head at that. Indeed, Leon was extremely overprotective, and from how he treated his sisters that were not even bound by blood, I can only imagine how he will be as a father. ¡°I see¡­ that sounds¡­ nice,¡± I said, coating my hand in my gifted oils as I then ran my fingers through my hair. ¡°And what about you, Sylphy? No issues?¡± ¡°No,¡± she shook her head. ¡°While I would have wanted Leon to myself, I was always open to the idea of him having other women, as long as they loved each other just as much as we did. And of course, that he didn¡¯t neglect me.¡± ¡°You were always open to the idea?¡± Roxy said, raising an eyebrow. ¡°How did thate to happen?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ well, a bunch of things,¡± she said. ¡°First, just thinking logically, Leon isn¡¯t someone I could expect to settle with only me.¡± I wanted to disprove that point vehemently, but I decided to let her finish her words. ¡°Second, I had spent a lot of time with his parents after Paul married Lilia, so I knew that I could still have a loving family and feel loved, even if I wasn¡¯t monopolizing his affections,¡± she continued. Ah, yes¡­ Paul, Zenith, and Lilia. When I first saw Lilia, I immediately recognized the maid that fought so valiantly to defend me as a child. Even though I was very young at the time, it was still important enough to remain seared in my memory, as it was the first time I truly understood the disgusting side of nobility, and what exactly the danger of my position entailed. Of course, I had always wondered what happened to her, but to think I would meet her here¡­ well, suffice it to say, I thanked her properly, and also received a calming head pat like she had done as a child. Even though it was slightly embarrassing, it did feel extremely pleasant, and brought up memories of a time when I was more innocent to the cruelty of this world. And then there was Paul and Zenith¡­ Their stories amazed me. Despite being born as such high-ranking nobles, they both forged their own path, growing into the people they were today on their own, and ending up in a loving family despite their oppressive upbringings. While I still remained adamant about taking the throne of Asura and ensuring the sacrifices of those before me were not in vain, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of longing towards such a life, free of politics and instead filled with love. Shaking my head, I returned my attention to Sylphy as she continued, ¡°And third, when Eris visited for a month as a child, my mother quickly caught on to how she loved Leon as well, and thus told me to expect another woman if I wanted to be with Leon. After all, I was but amoner with troublesome hair, while Eris was a nobledy.¡± Ah, yes, and the troublesome hair of Sylphy¡¯s¡­ I was quite surprised to learn that she had been born with green hair, and even though Sylphy was worried about me seeing her differently because of it, I quickly reassured her that to not be the case. After all, the Superd were but a fairy tale, or at least misinformed, going by Leon¡¯s ount of the man named ¡®Ruijerd¡¯, and even if they were truly a race of monsters, that wouldn¡¯t change how I saw my cutest attendant. ¡°I see¡­ and what about you, Princess Ariel?¡± Roxy said, turning to me. ¡°Do you have any experience with romance and rtionships?¡± I gently shook my head. ¡°You can call me Ariel, Roxy. And as for romance¡­ I have not had any experience with boys,¡± I said, leaning my head back against the stone rim of the bath. ¡°While I am quite experienced in terms of erotic acts, I have never held any infatuation with a man, nor had any such exchanges with them. After all, girls were the only thing I could y with, considering the consequences if I were to get pregnant.¡± ¡°I see¡­ that makes sense,¡± Roxy said, nodding to herself. I then turned my head down to look at the two, licking my lips as my eyes traced over their naked forms. Ah¡­ those pink nipples¡­ and the way their soft skin glistened from wetness¡­ their soft curves¡­ ¡°But¡­ I find you two extremely cute,¡± I said, narrowing my eyes. ¡°So if Leon ever ends up not keeping up with your needs¡­ feel free toe to me, alright?¡± Both of them widened their eyes before they simultaneously looked away. Ah, that reaction was just making me hornier. ¡°T-Thank you, A-Ariel, but¡­ I¡¯ll have to refuse,¡± Roxy said. ¡°S-Stop teasing me, princess!¡± Sylphy eximed. ¡°Just for today,¡± I said, chuckling to myself as I closed my eyes and dipped into the water. Yes¡­ even though I enjoyed hearing how Luke would defile the maidens of the royal pce and found myself drawn to the typical romance between man and woman in stories, as I had said, I had never found myself loving a man, But recently¡­ my gaze had been wandering to a certain golden-haired swordsman. I brought my hand up to tenderly touch my gifted hair tie, which was still looped around my hair. Leon Greyrat¡­ Sylphy¡¯s beloved, and one of the strongest fighters I had ever seen in action¡­ that was who I was referring to. I felt¡­ differently around him. I felt¡­fortable, and¡­ safe. Much like with Sylphy, if I was with only him, I felt like I could remove my facadepletely andy bare my true self to him. In fact, even with other people around, I had found myself being much too genuine around him than I should. It all felt a little unnerving, but at the same time, tantalizingly exciting, leaving my heart racing with every interaction and my actions seemingly uncontrolled. I¡­ didn¡¯t know what this feeling was. Was it love? Was it only curiosity? Or was it simply another form of that envy that always pricked at my heart when I saw him and his family show such genuine feelings of affection to each other? I didn¡¯t know, but either way¡­ it wasn¡¯t like I could join them. Even if I was physically attractive to the man, I knew that Leon hated nobility, and especially the prospect of involving his family in it. And past that, he already has three women he loved deeply, and who would surely be enough to satisfy his needs. But¡­ I was fine with this. I had my own duty to fulfill, after all. One much more important than a fleeting feeling of love, no matter how captivating it was. So yes¡­ I was¡­pletely fine with it. Chapter 75 – A Tour of Asura Chapter 75 ¨C A Tour of Asura ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°So¡­ you said this ce was where you needed to go before Roa?¡± Vierra asked as she rode alongside me. ¡°Yeah,¡± I said. ¡°There¡¯s one more thing to do here in the south, but after that, we¡¯ll be going to the Fittoa Region.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m guessing that has to do with your odd magic that brought us down here?¡± she asked. ¡°Something like that¡­¡± I shrugged. As luck would have it, there was a teleportation ruin from Nanahoshi¡¯s journal to the south of the kingdom, only a few days travel away from my first stop. Thinking about it now, this was probably the ruin her and Orsted used before our confrontation where I had been nearly killed, but I decided to ignore that little fact for my own sanity. As we veered off the main highway onto a familiar path, I let the sound of our galloping horses calm my increasing heart rate as the dpidated and burned ruins of a vige came into view. I was back here again¡­ but I felt a little better this time. As we got closer, we slowed to a trot as I navigated to the ce I needed to go. ¡°This ce¡­ what is this, Leon?¡± Vierra asked, confused. ¡°My home,¡± I answered smoothly as I got off the horse. ¡°I only need to pick something up, so feel free to have lunch or something. I should only be a few minutes.¡± Tying up the horse against a nearby pole, I then walked around the wooden shack to where a very important stone wasid. ¡°Hey¡­ it¡¯s me again,¡± I said. This time, I didn¡¯t break down in tears. After all, this was a happy asion, as from now onward, I wouldn¡¯t be apart from her. ¡°Just as promised, I¡¯m here to take you back,¡± I said, crouching down. ¡°I¡­ got my current family back, and I even was able to meet my two other future wives along the way.¡± I wonder¡­ would she be like Mama, disappointed that I hadn¡¯tmitted myself to only one woman? Sadly, I would never know. I generated some water, washing off the umted dirt and grime from the stone. ¡°I have a home now,¡± I continued. ¡°And I also have a child on the way. With Roxy, my old teacher. They will surely be cute, and I¡¯m sure you would love them.¡± Smiling, I then looked up, seeing the sun stered in the clear blue sky. It really was quite a beautiful day outside, and with the south of the kingdom being in the middle of fall, it was a perfectly bnced temperature as well. Too bad I would be leaving soon. ¡°So now¡­ I guess it¡¯s time to start a family, huh? Since we¡¯re all settled now,¡± I said. ¡°They¡¯ll still be my priority to keep safe, but now that we¡¯re all together¡­ I think I can start on that second promise I gave to you, it¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m unsure how to do it.¡± My promise to help people¡­ that was still troubling me. During my travels, I had seen a lot of disgusting things, and that was all without actively looking for it. So¡­ even if I couldn¡¯t change the world, if I could just change a few lives for the better¡­ that would be fine, right? But helping others¡­ saving others¡­ while at first a seemingly simple thing, it was difficult to truly save someone. Something like defending a passing merchant from a bandit attack¡­ sure, that was a simple solution, but I couldn¡¯t defend all merchants, nor could I wipe out all bandits. Plus, that would take too long, as I still had my family to focus on. Instead¡­ even if there are fewer people I affected¡­ I wanted to protect them without going on a long journey, giving them a life worth living as well. I still didn¡¯t know what to do, but¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll try my best,¡± I affirmed. ¡°I just¡­ hope you would be proud of me.¡± I¡¯d like to think she would be. Hearing a few footsteps, I then looked back to see Vierra and Shierra hesitantly making their way over, their heads tilting in confusion as they saw the gravestone in front of me. ¡°Leon, is that¡­¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s my mother,¡± I said, turning back as I started my work. ¡°Her name was Alice, and she was a humble basket weaver.¡± cing my hand on the ground, I focused on the nearby dirt, moving it to condense as a small pit began to form around me. ¡°I see¡­¡± Vierra said. ¡°Can I ask how?¡± ¡°Bandits,¡± I said, my face twisting into a snarl. ¡°I was probably a year old when it happened, but I still remember it.¡± The blood, the pain, the dying rasps¡­ and then the overwhelming sense of loss and the grief of the time I wouldn¡¯t be able to share with her. If I could go back in time, I would definitely save her in an instant, but¡­ because of her, I was able to get a taste of death, and after making my promise to not let such a thing happen to my family again, I had yet to break it. But it was a really shitty way to have a learning experience¡­ ¡°I see¡­ you did say you were a Miko,¡± Vierra said. ¡°That¡­ must have been hard for you.¡± I then felt her gently pat my shoulder, and to my surprise, I felt Shierra¡¯s hand there as well. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ fine,¡± I said as I furtherpressed the dirt into a hardened block. Mama and Paul had exined that after my mother passed, they cremated her, as one is meant to do with corpses for the fear of undead rising from their bodies. While the others were unceremoniously left as piles of ashes, Mama had opted to shallowly bury Alice¡¯s near her gravestone, so that was why I would be taking the topyer of dirt here as well. And then with the gravestone too¡­ well, it was a good thing I packed light. ¡°Yeah¡­ it¡¯s fine,¡± I said, taking the block ofpressed dirt with one hand and lugging the gravestone over my shoulder with the other as I turned to the two. ¡°Now I¡¯ll get to see her whenever I want, right?¡± ¡°¡­Right,¡± Vierra said, smiling back at me. Shierra simply nodded, though I could see a small smile forming on her face as well. She had really loosened up to me over the time spent together. Having my hands all over Roxy and Sylphy probably helped, since my gaze never looked at her that way, but it was nice to see regardless. ¡°Well then¡­ I said it would be a short stop, right?¡± I said, heading back to where my horse was. ¡°You have a city to return to, and I have a child on the way, so let¡¯s not wait around.¡± Yeah¡­ with this, I would be able to live with my family in the truest sense of the word. It just took a little while to get to this point. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Before leaving Sharia, as I knew that Lilia¡¯s family was based somewhere in the south of the Asura Kingdom, I asked her to point out where exactly they were on a map to see if I could fit it into my ns. Luckily for me, her parents¡¯ dojo was only a couple of days from my birthce, so it was obvious that I would make the trip to visit them for the first time. After all, Paul¡¯s parents were dead, and Mama¡¯s parents were nobles of the Holy Country of Millis, so these would be the only grandparents I would be happy to see. It wasn¡¯t anything grand of a meeting, as I simply showed up, exined who I was, and after getting a hug from Lilia¡¯s mother, Flute, and a heavy pat on the back from her father, Augustus, I then sat down to exin everything that had happened since our family was separated. After hearing about the Discement Incident, they were worried about Lilia being hurt, and after her not getting found two years after the disaster, they had all but written her off as dead, so they were quite ecstatic to receive the news that everything had worked out, and they even told me they were happy to call me their grandson. But of course, as much as I wanted to keep talking with them, I had something else to do, so after thanking Augustus for getting the Water God to teach me, and giving them a letter from Lilia, we left to continue our journey. I couldn¡¯t help but smile at the memory. We were unlikely to cross paths again, considering the distance between us, but it was still nice to meet them. Maybe, if one of my kids ended up wanting to travel the world, I would be able to send them to their great-grandparents for a leg of their journey. But anyway, there was only one other teleportation circle recorded in Nanahoshi¡¯s journal in Asura, and luckily, it was right in between Roa and the Asuran capital of Ars. So obviously, we teleported there. Where we then travelled toward the Fittoa Region at a brisk pace, taking only a few weeks on the roadpared to the months I took to cross a simr distance before. Well, I guess with Norn and Aisha being children and us going at a leisurely pace back then, it was obvious we were faster now. As soon as we passed the city walls, Vierra and Shierra split up, with me saying my goodbyes to the two of them as I then guided my horses towards the castle at the centre of the city, with the hope of meeting Philip and Hilda, and getting a timeline of when they would want to leave the country. But to my surprise, I received the news that in the nearly two years we had spent apart, they had already transferred their power to Philip¡¯s brother, James. That¡­ was a bit troubling. But it also meant that this was somewhat fortunate timing, and if everything worked out, I wouldn¡¯t have toe back here. From what the guard said, the family was still in the rebuilding Roa and had luckily not skipped town, which now had actual houses starting to pop up, so I should start my search in one of the more developed districts of the city. As I walked down the main road, I kept my eyes peeled in the hopes that I would catch a glimpse of a familiar shade of red hair or even a certain beastfolk swordswoman. But on the way, I was stopped by the sight of a little kid, no older than my sisters, digging out a nearby trench, his body sweaty and fatigued. ¡°Hey¡­ what are you doing?¡± I asked. ¡°Huh?¡± he said, turning to me. ¡°I¡¯m doing my job, obviously!¡± Why yes, I could see that. But this¡­ not even a twelve-year-old should be doing work like this, much less through the entire day like he seemed to have. A kid like him¡­ should be a kid. Watching his arms trembling from exhaustion, I pressed a hand against his back, healing him from his muscle fatigue and causing him to momentarily pause his work, seemingly shocked at my actions. ¡°Wow¡­ you¡¯re a healer! I¡­ don¡¯t have any money, though,¡± he said, backing off in worry. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that,¡± I said. ¡°Why¡­ why are you doing something like this?¡± He should be ying, causing trouble with his friends, not something so¡­ grown-up. Though considering I became a tutor for a nobledy before my second birthday, maybe I wasn¡¯t one to talk. ¡°Well¡­ my parents died in the disaster, so¡­ I have to do something like this to survive,¡± he said, shaking his head and pumping his fists. ¡°But thank you, kind mister! I feel much better now!¡± And with that, he went back to his work, now with a smile on his face and his body brimming with energy. I¡­ suppose I did a good thing¡­ so I went back to the task at hand. As I continued walking down the road, I found that my mind was much too preupied with what I had just seen to look out for the fallen nobles. Kids¡­ should get to be kids, right? Yeah¡­ that was only obvious. But kids¡­ they were vulnerable, and easily able to be put in bad situations, whether out of malice, or simply without a proper caregiver, like that boy back then. So¡­ if I wanted to help people¡­ to save people¡­ wouldn¡¯t that be a way to do it? An orphanage¡­ yeah, that might just work. That way, I could let kids be kids, give them a full life worth living, and also possible get some friends for my own children. And that wasn¡¯t even mentioning that by doing that, I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about being away from home for too long for some long journey to save people. Yeah¡­ that sounded good- ¡°Leon?¡± Hearing a familiar voice, I looked up to see Ghiine in her usual attire, only now, she was holding a sack of what looked to be groceries instead of a sword. ¡°Big Sis?¡± ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°-And that¡¯s about it,¡± I said, using some wind magic to push the toy cart along the makeshift track that Julius had made. ¡°I see¡­¡± Philip said, nodding to himself. ¡°Well, I¡¯m d to know your family is together once more, and that everyone is safe. Though with Eris at the Sword Sanctum now¡­ I guess we won¡¯t be seeing her for a while.¡± Both he and Hilda looked a little sad at that. ¡°Don¡¯t be too upset,¡± Ghiine said, smiling a bit. ¡°It will be good for her. Eris has quite a bit of potential, so it would be a shame to waste it.¡± ¡°I suppose,¡± Hilda said. ¡°And you, Leon¡­ one of your women is already pregnant?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ yeah, Roxy is,¡± I nodded. She narrowed her eyes a bit. ¡°Hmm¡­ just be sure to not forget about my daughter,¡± she said sternly. ¡°That could never happen,¡± I returned seriously. ¡°Anyway, now that you know my side of things¡­ what exactly happened here?¡± Philip then leaned back into the couch. ¡°Well¡­ quite simply, our enemies in the capital trained their eyes on us, which coincides with when you encountered Princess Ariel on your way to the north,¡± he said. ¡°And so, with my brother returning here, I transferred all the power to him and am now living a simple life with my family¡­ or at least, we¡¯re trying to.¡± ¡°Trying to?¡± I said, raising my brow in question. ¡°Well¡­ Ghiine here no longer has any official ties to the Boreas family, and has only been guarding us with a sense of duty, but she is likely the only thing protecting us from outside influence,¡± he said, narrowing his eyes. ¡°After all, while I have relinquished all my noble titles, many people do not trust that I have given up all ambition¡­ including my enemies.¡± I see¡­ just as I thought, it was still dangerous for them to be here. And while Ghiine was strong, there were still many who could beat her, especially if they employed some unsavoury tactics. ¡°And that¡¯s including the prime minister Darius, who still has an infatuation with Eris,¡± Philip continued. ¡°While we are outside the capital, he has been expanding his influence to fill up the noble seats that were lost in the disaster and pressuring James to force me to hand her over. Of course, that won¡¯t happen, but it¡¯s a difficult situation regardless.¡± ¡­That fucking bastard, still causing problems. Maybe I should make a detail to go kill him? Ars wasn¡¯t that far from the teleportation ruin, right? But no¡­ there was something more important. ¡°Then¡­ would you like toe with me?¡± I offered. ¡°I have two horses, and a method to get us back to Sharia within a few weeks of travel. And we wouldn¡¯t even need to cross the Dragon¡¯s Upper Maw.¡± That ce was perfect for assassination attempts, after all. That was also where I had met Ariel during the ambush. He widened his eyes. ¡°Such a thing exists? Right¡­ you mentioned that you used a unique way to get to the Begaritt Continent and back¡­¡± Philip massaged his chin in thought before he looked over to Hilda, the woman in question¡¯s eyes sparkling at my words. ¡°Hilda, do you-¡± ¡°We¡¯re going, Philip,¡± she said resolutely. ¡°Do you know how fearful I am for Julius? Not to mention the prospect of being with Eris again¡­ Leon, we will dly go to Sharia with you.¡± Well, that was all well and good. ¡°Sounds wonderful,¡± I nodded. ¡°And what about Sauros? Is he doing okay?¡± ¡°Ah, him?¡± Philip shrugged. ¡°He¡¯s doing fine back in the manor. Even without the disaster messing things up, by this point he would have already handed the family over to James, or at least started the process of it, so he is no longer the lord of Fittoa. Right now, he¡¯s enjoying the noble life once again with the beastfolk maids he was able to rehire, while James is using his trust of the popce to his advantage in exchange, so there is no need to worry about his life being in danger.¡± ¡°I¡­ see,¡± I said. So I guess Sauros was living his life to the fullest as well, huh? Good for him. Well, I didn¡¯t think I needed to meet him, but maybe once Eris and I have our first child together, I¡¯d let him meet his great-grandchild. As long as his voice didn¡¯t burst their little eardrums, that is. ¡°And your¡­ sons?¡± I said, watching as Hilda¡¯s eyes drooped in sadness. ¡°You said that, ording to tradition, your brother essentially took them from you. Were you able to¡­ see them again?¡± ¡°Unfortunately not,¡± Philip said, leaning back. ¡°I did ask my brother how they were doing, and they are both currently enrolled in school in the capital, preparing to forge their own path outside of politics.¡± ¡°Outside of politics?¡± I said curiously. ¡°Exactly,¡± Philip nodded. ¡°The tradition is to ensure that there are no issues with session, and the best way to ensure that is for the losers¡¯ children to be removed from politics. Though, the most stable way would be to kill them, so I suppose I should say the situation is rather fortunate rather than unfortunate.¡± ¡°I¡­ see,¡± I said, a bit surprised. Right¡­ the world of nobility really was disgusting. I was d Philip had the sense to leave it now. But now Sylphy and Aisha had joined it¡­ fucking dammit. At least I could trust Ariel to be better. ¡°And is there anything you need to do before leaving?¡± I asked. ¡°Like this house, for instance.¡± ¡°No, this ce is only being rented to us by my brother,¡± Philip shook his head. ¡°And as for leaving¡­ it would be best to do so tomorrow, so no one catches on. Is that alright with you?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s better, actually-¡± I was interrupted by a knock on the door. ¡°Master Philip! I finally found her!¡± Huh? ¡°Tashiro? Ah,e in,¡± Philip said as Ghiine went to open the front door. As I looked at the surprise visitor, I was met with the sight of a man, a little shorter than me, with a spear in his hand and some light armour over his body. In fact¡­ I think I remembered him. If I was correct, he was that overzealous guard from when I first came to Roa a year and a half ago. While it was an interesting coincidence, that wasn¡¯t necessarily what was churning my curiosity. Rather, it was the fact that Vierra was next to him, holding his hand, while Shierra was behind them both. ¡­What? ¡°I found her, Master Philip! Or rather, she found me, but¡­ I got her back!¡± this ¡®Tashiro¡¯ said, smiling widely. ¡°I finally found my lover! Meet Vierra!¡± ¡­Huh? That¡­ what the fuck? ¡°Oh, Leon? You¡¯re here?¡± Vierra said, noticing my presence. ¡°Uhh¡­ yeah, I am,¡± I said, still quite shocked. ¡°Will you guys tell me what¡¯s going on?¡± Tashiro and Vierra then exined what had happened. Apparently, before the Discement Incident, the three of Shierra, Vierra, and Tashiro were in an adventuring party, with Vierra and Tashiro being romantically involved, and were then separated when the disaster urred. I already know Vierra and Shierra¡¯s stories, where they were rescued by my father and then helped him through thest four years, but I was more curious about Tashiro¡¯s. The man himself had been sent to the strife zone, where he was immediately captured. In fact, he was about to be killed for some backwards ritual before Philip conquered that tribe, rescuing him from captivity. Tashiro then decided to help Philip in order to repay him, bing his most loyal guard after Ghiine as he followed him all the way back to Roa¡­ which exined why he was the guard back then, and also so loyal. Tashiro was originally nning to go and find Vierra once he returned to the Asura Kingdom. But once he realized she was safe from the list of missing people, and that Philip would still need protecting here in Asura, he decided to protect the man until his duty was finished, where he would then go towards Millishion to link up with the Fittoa Search and Rescue group that she was a part of. Luckily, Vierra found him at the guild first, so they didn¡¯t end up missing each other. That would have surely been a mess. I was happy for them. Vierra and Shierra of all people deserved a happy ending. Anyway, with Tashiro telling Philip that he would now be focusing on settling down with Vierra and wouldn¡¯t be able to help as much, Philip let him go with a smile as the day slowly turned to night. ¡°Well¡­ that worked out quite well, no?¡± Philip said, pouring himself a ss of wine. ¡°If there is nothing else for you to do, Leon, then we will be leaving tomorrow. Would you care to share a ss for our eventual departure?¡± ¡°Uhh, no, thank you,¡± I said, waving my hand. ¡°I¡¯m quite tired.¡± And not to mention the past four times I¡¯ve had alcohol, I ended up bedding Roxy or Sylphy that very night, so I had no need to get unnecessarily excited from the memories of past drunken escapades. I would save that for when I returned, as long as they were willing. And knowing Sylphy¡­ that was basically a certainty more than a possibility. ¡°Then¡­ I can sleep with little Julius, and Leon can use my bed,¡± Ghiine said, picking up the yawning child. ¡°Is that alright?¡± ¡°Yes, thank you, Ghiine,¡± Hilda smiled. And with that, my first day visiting Roa after nearly two years came to an end. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It was the next day, the day of our departure, and with Philip and Hilda using one horse, and Julius sat in front of me on mine, I quickly realized a mistake. ¡°I¡­ guess we need to get a horse for Big Sis,¡± I said, scratching my cheek in embarrassment. I totally forgot about that¡­ whoops. ¡°No need,¡± Ghiine said, shaking her head. ¡°I won¡¯t be going with you, after all.¡± Uhh¡­ what? ¡°You won¡¯t?¡± I asked. ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°You told me I should visit my homnd, right? I believe I can trust the safety of those three to you, so I will be going to the Great Forest.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I see,¡± I said. ¡°Lainey¡­ leaving?¡± Julius said, his bottom lip sticking out in a pout. ¡°I have to, little Julius,¡± she said, walking over to rub his head. ¡°But you¡¯ll be able to live happily and safely, and you will be able to meet your big sister in due time.¡± Seeing that her words didn¡¯tfort the child, she continued, ¡°I will be returning to Sharia in three years, so this will only be a temporary separation. Be well, little Julius.¡± It seems that the two of them were quite close. Well, I of all people know howforting Ghiine was as a child, so I understood Julius¡¯ reluctance. Maybe I should give him Ghiine¡¯s ring? Yeah¡­ I¡¯ll do that once we got on the road to cheer him up. I only needed one ring, after all. Giving him a final nod, she then turned to me. ¡°And Leon¡­ I want to thank you for keeping Eris safe and happy,¡± she said, smiling at me. ¡°And also¡­ for taking care of yourself. I hope that by the time we meet again, Eris will have a child on the way.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll, uhh¡­ try, Big Sis,¡± I said. Talking about impregnating Eris right in front of her parents and little brother¡­ even I felt a little embarrassed about that. ¡°Good. Then¡­ take care,¡± she said before turning away. And with that, our time in Roa officially came to an end, as I snapped the reins of the horse and began our trek back to the teleportation ruin. Chapter 76 – Settling In Chapter 76 ¨C Settling In ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°I still can¡¯t believe it¡­¡± Philip said, looking at the city of Sharia in amazement. ¡°That¡­ to travel so far in one moment¡­ that must have been teleportation magic, right?¡± Haa¡­ as I thought, even with the blindfolds, Philip was too smart to not pick up on what happened. Much like Roxy was, which was why I decided to tell her and Sylphy. There were no need for such secrets between my wives and I, after all. I trusted them with everything. ¡°Yeah, I guess the secret is out,¡± I said, sighing as we trotted forward. ¡°I just ask you not to tell anyone.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I understand what can happen if such a thing got out, so you have my silence,¡± he said. Unlike a certain father of mine, I knew I could trust Philip to keep that promise, as he knew how to hold his tongue. ¡°Then¡­ I assume you¡¯ll be finding a house next?¡± I asked. ¡°Indeed,¡± Philip nodded. ¡°While it is not a significantlyrge sum, I was able to keep enough riches to settle downfortably.¡± ¡°Alright¡­ you three can stay in our house for the moment, then,¡± I said. ¡°There is definitely enough room, but I¡¯m not sure how much Sylphy and Roxy have done, so we might need to buy a bed or two.¡± ¡°Then I thank you for your hospitality,¡± Philip said. Hilda looked back to narrow her eyes at her husband. ¡°I am also grateful, but be sure not to take advantage of it, husband. He will be having a child soon, after all.¡± ¡°Y-Yes, my lovely wife, I will be sure to,¡± Philip said, smiling nervously down at the red-haireddy. Hmm¡­ what did Rudy call it? ¡®Whipped¡¯? Yeah, it seemed that Philip was that, much like my father. But at least he seemed happy. In fact, I distinctly remember my father getting a disgusting grin whenever Mama chided him seriously¡­ perhaps it was a Greyrat thing? Anyway, since my home was on the outskirts of the city, near the merchant district, I was able to drop off the horses at a stable and keep them there for a fee. With the fatigued Julius taking a ride on my shoulder while I carried the gravestone and dirt of my mother¡¯s grave on my back, I led the family towards my home, melting any snowdrifts that were in the way Damn¡­ this was a good workout. As the ce I could now call home revealed itself, both Hilda and Philip widened their eyes. ¡°That is¡­ quite marvellous,¡± Philip said. ¡°You did mention wanting lots of children, so that exins the size¡­¡± ¡°Well, only something like this would be fit for our daughter, right?¡± Hilda said. ¡°I am more interested in the bath that Leon mentioned.¡± I guess she was also excited about their visit in her own way. As we came closer, I noticed a few small changes from when I hadst seen it, mainly with regard to the set of chairs and tables on the front porch, as well as a stone one in the yard that seemed to have been made by Rudy¡¯s magic. It seems that they were slowly turning our house into a home¡­ I was excited to see the interior. A carpet here, a bookshelf there¡­ well, I wasn¡¯t really great at that stuff, so I would leave it to them. I was perfectlyfortable in any ce that had my three specialdies and a bed, after all. ¡°I¡¯m home~¡± I said as I opened the door. Kneeling down, I let Julius hop off my shoulders as I set Alice¡¯s gravestone on the ground, and looking into the living room to the left, I was graced with the sight of Sylphy and Roxy sitting together on the couch in front of the lit firece, with Roxy casually flipping through a book while Sylphy knitted what looked to be a small nket. Or rather, that was what they were doing before our entrance, as the two had immediately turned to us with wide smiles as they both got up. ¡°Leon¡­ you¡¯re back,¡± Sylphy said. ¡°And you¡¯ve broughtpany¡­ I assume everything worked out?¡± Roxy added as they both came up to me. Wrapping my arms around them, I pulled them close as I nted a kiss on each of their foreheads before burying my face between their shoulders, taking in the scent and the warmth that I had missed so dearly. Mmm¡­ that¡¯s better. Like this, I think I could go for a few rounds tonight, even without healing magic resetting my refractory period. ¡°Yeah¡­ it all worked out,¡± I said as I retreated, giving them each a gentle kiss, this time on the mouth. I wanted to do more, but that could wait forter. There were introductions to be had, after all. ¡°Roxy and Sylphy, meet Philip, Hilda, and Julius. This is Eris¡¯ family, and while they will be looking for a ce, they¡¯ll be staying with us in the meantime,¡± I said before me voice turned a bit worried. ¡°As long as that¡¯s fine with you¡­ sorry, I just assumed.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± Sylphy said, leaning her head on my shoulder. ¡°This is Eris¡¯ family, right? So that means that they¡¯re also rted to me, though not yet officially. Wee to our home.¡± ¡°Mmm. Nice to meet you,¡± Roxy nodded. ¡°As Leon said, I am Roxy Migurdia, but hopefully¡­ that will soon be Roxy Greyrat.¡± She then gingerly yed with her braid as she cast a timid nce my way, making my heart nearly skip a beat. She was just too cute. And so, as if on instinct, I pulled her closer to me, letting her head rest against my chest as I ced a hand on her belly. Ah¡­ it was growing bigger. That¡¯s good. She¡¯s around four months in by now, so it was expected. ¡°I see,¡± Hilda said, smiling as she nodded at the two. ¡°It seems like you two have a good rtionship with my daughter, and considering what Leon has told me about you two¡­ yes, I¡¯m d Eris will have such good girls as her co-wives. And you really have grown up wonderfully, Sylphy.¡± ¡°Ah! T-Thank you,¡± Sylphy said, looking down with a smile. Right. While they didn¡¯t interact much, I had forgotten that Eris¡¯ parents had met Sylphy from the times I took her to Roa. It was nice to see that they still remembered her. ¡°And we thank you for letting us intrude on your new home,¡± Philip said, bowing slightly. ¡°Just as Leon boasted, you two really are beautiful.¡± Roxy tilted her head up to look at me with a raised eyebrow, very likely questioning what I had been boasting about. The answer to that? Well, everything. They were that special, after all. ¡°A-And I¡¯m Julius¡­¡± the kid said, looking at the two as he hid behind his mother¡¯s leg. He was quite the shy child, which I suppose woulde from growing up in both the strife zone and the unfortunate position Philip had found himself in afterwards. But hopefully, now that he was in a stable living situation, he would be able to be a bit more outgoing. Or he could stay like that. Lina told me many times that many women liked a man who was handsome and shy¡­ even though I never asked. Looking back into the living room, I noticed that there were a few changes, such as therge rug across the floor, the table in the centre, as well as the sofas and chairs. I guess they got some more stuff, huh? I¡¯m d. Hearing a sound of running footsteps, I separated from Sylphy and Roxy just in time to catch Norn and Aisha, who looked to have juste back from cleaning, if the rags hanging on their pants were any indication. It seems they kept their word of helping Sylphy and Roxy while I was gone. I would have to praise themter. ¡°Wee home, Brother!¡± Norn said, burying her face in my shoulder. ¡°Do you like the changes, Big Brother?¡± Aisha asked. ¡°I can show you everythingter!¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯d like that. And good job,¡± I said, patting their backs. ¡°But you two are getting heavy, so how about I let you two down so you can greet our other guests.¡± Both Aisha and Norn kicked my shin. Possibly deserved. ¡°Don¡¯t say that todies like us!¡± Aisha said before kissing my cheek and getting down. Norn didn¡¯t say anything out loud, but she made her satisfaction known with a pout. Aisha, always the mature one¡­ when she wanted to be, then bowed in front of the three guests as she introduced herself. ¡°My name is Aisha Greyrat. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Philip, Hilda, and Julius Greyrat,¡± she said politely. That practised curtsy¡­ that must be because of her student council work, huh? I didn¡¯t know whether to thank or disparage Ariel for influencing her like that. As long as Aisha didn¡¯t pick up any of the princess¡¯ other tendencies, then that¡¯d be fine. Julius, who had been hiding behind Hilda, moved out a bit as he looked at Aisha with wide eyes. ¡°Pretty¡­¡± he whispered before suddenly widening his eyes as he realized he said it out loud. ¡°Hm? Thank you very much, Julius,¡± Aisha said, smirking a bit as she went over to pat his head. ¡°And you¡¯re just as cute as ever.¡± ¡°M-Mmm¡­¡± he said, looking down. Oh? Was this¡­ a blossoming romance? From the way Sylphy and Hilda were covering their mouths to hide their knowing smirks, I think it was so. Hmm¡­ well, Aisha was eight, and Julius was four, so such an age gap was quite small once they grew older. Well¡­ I wouldn¡¯t force anything between my sister and brother-inw. If there was any romance to be had at the moment, it would only be cute, and possibly material to tease Aisha with. As long as she didn¡¯t end up teasing the boy to death first¡­ she was scary like that. Roxy then came back over to me, resting against my chest as her eyes trailed over to the wall, where the gravestone and block ofpressed dirt wereying. ¡°Leon¡­ is that?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I answered her. ¡°That¡¯s my Mom. I mentioned how I wanted to bring it back and bury her in the yard, right?¡± ¡°Mmm, you did,¡± Roxy nodded, gently rubbing my hand. ¡°I know we have Zenith, but¡­ I can¡¯t help but wish I could meet her.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I do too,¡± I said before I smiled. ¡°But we can do something simr.¡± It¡¯s the reason I had brought her back all this way, after all. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Having re-buried my mother¡¯s ashes, or at least the remnants of them, and the gravestone into the ground, it was then that my twodies asked to take a moment to pay their respects. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Alice. I am Sylphiette. Just Sylphiette, but soon to be Greyrat,¡± Sylphy said, kneeling in front of the grave. ¡°I¡¯m not sure exactly how much Leon¡¯s told you about me, but¡­ I love him very much, and it won¡¯t be long before I will also bear his children¡­ ah, but that¡¯s a bit embarrassing to say.¡± Smiling at her, I watched as Roxy went over to stand next to her. ¡°And I am Roxy Migurdia. I used to be his teacher when he was younger, and then we found each other in thebyrinth¡­ Ah! But I swear that I didn¡¯t influence him as a child! I am not that shameless as a woman!¡± she said, her cheeks burning a bit. I wanted to say that she influenced me quite a bit, but I decided to keep those thoughts to myself for now. ¡°I¡­ am currently pregnant, so it won¡¯t be long before Ie here with Leon and I¡¯s child,¡± she continued, looking down at her belly as she smiled softly. ¡°And¡­ I feel happier than I ever had before. So thank you¡­ for having him and caring for him.¡± Seeing the two like this, memories from back when Eris and my sisters also talked to Alice¡¯s grave went through my mind. I suppose this was a sort of tradition among the girls I loved in my life, huh? And considering how kind Mama was, it wouldn¡¯t be long before she went through the same thing. Ah, speaking of her, Norn had gone to tell her that I was back, right? So it might even happen- ¡°Leon! You¡¯re back!¡± -a bit sooner¡­ quite good timing, Mama. ¡°I am,¡± I said, turning around to hug Mama as she came over. ¡°Did you see Philip and Hilda on the way?¡± ¡°Yes, they were just getting settled in the rooms Aisha showed them,¡± she said, squeezing me tighter. ¡°To think they would have such a cute kid like Julius¡­ why¡¯d you have to go and get so tall!?¡± ¡°Uhh, I think that will happen to Julius too, Mama,¡± I said, patting her back. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll be getting more grandchildren to dote on soon.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± she said, nodding as she then looked over to Roxy and Sylphy, her eyes stopping at the grave they were in front of. ¡°Is that¡­ your mother?¡± she asked, her voice even. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s her, Mama,¡± I said, pulling her closer to reassure her. I was worried¡­ by bringing that grave here, would she think I was recing her? What a ridiculous thought. Mama was Mama, and Mom was Mom. Completely different things. Separating from me, Mama walked over to stand between Sylphy and Roxy, kneeling to the ground as she ced a hand on the stone, her hands tracing the engravings that were made so long ago. ¡°Alice¡­ at least Leon remembered your name,¡± she said softly. ¡°I¡­ thank you. Just¡­ thank you, for asking me to take care of him. Thank you for giving me my light¡­ my little Leon¡­ and I have a lot~ of stories to tell you.¡± Oh, shit¡­ I had a feeling I was about to feel embarrassed very soon. Still¡­ I was touched. Immensely so. My family back together¡­ an actual home¡­ and a child on the way¡­ it was all so amazing. Now, I just had to ensure this wonderful life of mine stayed that way. And to do that, I would have to get stronger, so I could protect it. But still¡­ that couldeter. After all, what use was it to protect such a life if I didn¡¯t enjoy it? ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°So you wished to meet me?¡± Ariel said, cleaning off a few crumbs from her mouth. It seemed that I hade while she was having lunch. Well, she didn¡¯t seem too angry, so I think it was fine. But I was quite surprised that Luke wasn¡¯t here¡­ probably with a girl, if I had to guess. I suppose Sylphy was enough for security, and even if I ended up antagonistic, someone like Luke wouldn¡¯t stop me. ¡°Yes,¡± I nodded. ¡°I still have a small errand I need to do, but I¡¯m ready to fulfill my end of our promise and join your side.¡± Her eyes glimmered with happiness as she steepled her fingers. ¡°Truly? Well, it is an unexpected boon,¡± she said. ¡°As I said before, I don¡¯t currently need your aid, but rather, I would need you in the future.¡± ¡°In the future?¡± I said questioningly. ¡°What exactly does that mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you already have an idea,¡± she said. ¡°I want your help in retaking the throne of the Asura Kingdom and making me queen.¡± Well¡­ I somewhat expected it, but to think she really was so ambitious. If she wanted me¡­ then that meant she was ready to take it militarily. A coup. Looking over at Sylphy, who was out of her Fitz persona, I saw her eyes looking at me with a pleading expression. So she wanted me to help too¡­ ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a bit troublesome,¡± I said, watching as both of their expressions turned down slightly. ¡°I was and am more than fine with defending your life, Princess Ariel, no matter the opponent.¡± Ariel brought a hand to her hair at my words, slightly averting her eyes from mine in a way that was very unlike the proud girl I hade to admire. Still, ignoring that, I continued. ¡°But¡­ being used in an attack is a different story,¡± I said. ¡°You know as well as I that taking an active role in retaking the throne would paint a target on me and my family¡¯s back, no matter what excuses and exnations we try to use.¡± Seeing both Ariel and Sylphy frown, I was d to see that they were both taking my words seriously. ¡°So¡­ convince me, Ariel,¡± I said. ¡°Outside of supporting Sylphy, convince me why I should put my family and myself in possible danger for your bid for the throne. I respect you, that is for sure, but what would make you a queen worth fighting for?¡± My words seemed to affect the princess, as she looked down at her hands, clenching them into fists as she looked back at me with an unwavering gaze. Mmm¡­ I liked that look quite a bit. I was already nning to help her, as I couldn¡¯t let Aisha and Sylphy be in danger due to the loose ends of a failed coup, but I wanted to hear her words regardless. ¡°I¡­ will build a better Asura,¡± she said firmly. ¡°I have always known that the world of nobility was full of scum and deceit, but over the past two years, I have learned how that impacts themon people too, and that there is no need for such things in politics. I n to use my experiences to create a better nation.¡± I raised my eyebrow in question as she stood up. ¡°I will create a kingdom without corruption, so that people like Sara won¡¯t lose their parents any longer, and so people like you can show your kindness without worried of being harmed,¡± she said, extending her hand to me with a smile. ¡°So please, Leon¡­ help me.¡± ¡°I see¡­ but what did you mean by my showing my kindness?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯ve watched you, Leon, so I know that you are a good person,¡± she said, smiling wider. ¡°And Sylphy told me about that orphanage idea you were thinking ofst night. Something like that would likely be used as a target for political schemes in the current Asura. I wish to change that.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I said, my lips quirking up slightly. This princess¡­ she really was the most troublesome person I had ever met, but¡­ ¡°I ept,¡± I said, reaching for her hand. Perhaps, she is worth fighting for, even without Aisha and Sylphy¡¯s lives in the mix. Hmm¡­ if I am going to help her, then I should get used to the gaudy gestures of nobility, right? Plus, it would feel good to tease her just a bit as payback for all the times she did the same to me. ¡°I will help you,¡± I said, closing my eyes as I brought her hand up to my mouth to gently kiss it. ¡°My Princess.¡± Yeah, that was good. Even if it was Ariel, she should be slightly surprised. Even if it¡¯s only to the extent of an eye twitching. Looking back up at her, I saw that Ariel was staring at me with wide eyes and a flushed face before she suddenly retracted her hand. ¡°I¡­ ah¡­¡± she stammered. Uh¡­ that¡­ was not the reaction I was expecting. Did I perhaps go too far? Before I could apologize for my possible insolence in overdoing it, Ariel suddenly began walking away, briskly leaving the room as she mmed the door behind her. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± I then felt my ear getting pulled, and looking to the side, I saw Sylphy¡¯s face set in a pout¡­ though there was a hint of a smile there too. ¡°You dummy,¡± she said. ¡°Uhh, yeah¡­ sorry,¡± I returned. But seriously¡­ what was up with that troublesome princess? Was she seriously one who could dish it out so easily without receiving it? To be honest¡­ that was kind of cute. But I had the feeling that if I said that out loud, my ear might get torn off. So once again, I decided to keep my thoughts to myself. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª A few weeks had passed since I had returned from my trip to Asura, and in that time, Philip, the ever-efficient man he was, had quickly found a ce for his family. It was much like the ce they had been renting in Roa. A simple, small house with a garden, and a room for each of them. While I was saddened that the house became a little less lively, I was happy that they had finally found some stability. Especially little Julius. I knew more than most how important having an actual home was, so now, he should grow up to be a happy child in a somewhat normal environment. He would even be able to go to school at the university once he got a bit older. And as for me? Well, aside from helping Roxy and Sylphy when they needed it, and showing them plenty of love during the nights, I was instead focusing on my swordsmanship. That precious gift that Sara showed me, the ability to manipte touki¡­ finally, I could start developing it. With a raised pir of earth as my target, I raised my sword overhead, narrowing my eyes as I concentrated on the edge of my de. The touki that rippled through my body flooded around me, flowing through my arm and into my sword, sharpening the edge and enhancing the durability of the de. And then, with my mind focused on the touki that had hardened over my sword, I swung down. Usually, this would be the point in my training where I reset my stance, going through the practised movements and searing them into my body. But now, I remained motionless, keeping my mind connected to the wave of touki that I had forced to leave my de as it cut through the air. It was difficult. Different from mana and magic, where once I had an image, I could simply have the process run without any active effort to concentrate, this time¡­ I needed to focus my entire being on the touki. Right now, for obvious reasons, this was impractical inbat. But considering I needed this amount of concentration to let my touki into the atmosphere when initially training in Dance of Deluge, I had a feeling my efficiency would get better over time. The touki then carved into the pir of earth, bisecting it diagonally as the top half slowly slid off and onto the ground, and relinquishing my focus, the touki sh quickly petered out into nothingness. Well, as I had discovered, it would have done so eventually, since there was a limit to how far touki could go. It would be pretty insane to have a sword sh carve through the entire world, after all. But then again, the legends of Saint Millis mentioned something like that, so perhaps it wasn¡¯t so crazy. Either way, as shown by my previous demonstration, I could already cut from afar. And quite deep at that. The only problem was the amount of focus it required, as well as the fact that it wasn¡¯t better than simply using wind magic at the moment. But¡­ I could feel it. That missing piece for my swordsmanship I had been feeling ever since I began rethinking my abilities¡­ this was it. Hopefully, with what I was nning to do before my child was born, I would get some insights there¡­ I mean, if the Sword God didn¡¯t have any hints, then I doubt anyone else would. ¡°Ah! Leon?¡± Sylphy said, causing me to turn to look at her. ¡°Are you¡­ still training?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s enough for now,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°Did you need something?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ve been practising that ¡®disturb magic¡¯, and there aren¡¯t many people I can spar with here, so¡­ would you mind?¡± she asked. Ah, right. Even if she had the looks of a princess herself, Sylphy was actually a guard to one, so she needed to keep her skills up to par. Actually, now that I knew that Ariel was aiming for the throne, she would need to start aiming to get even stronger. At least I could help with that. ¡°Of course,¡± I said, nodding my head. ¡°If you want to practice that¡­ then how about I go unarmed? I¡¯ll use some magic too, of course.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± she said, smiling as she brought out her wand. ¡°Should we have a wager?¡± A wager? Well¡­ I had quite the idea for that. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I said, scratching my chin. ¡°How about the winner gets to have their way with the other tonight?¡± ¡°¡®Have their way¡¯¡­¡± she said, her cheeks gaining a bit of a flush. ¡°Yeah, whatever you or I want,¡± I said, smirking. ¡°I know you like to leave everything to me, but don¡¯t try to lose on purpose.¡± ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t nning on it!¡± she said as a spear of ice formed over her shoulder. ¡°Y-You¡¯ll be serving me all night!¡± If I was going serious, even without my sword, I would have already dealt a fatal blow by moving the earth below her, destabilizing her stance and rushing to stab her throat. But this was a spar. And she was my lover, so even if I could heal any non-fatal injury, I didn¡¯t want to hurt her when there was no reason to. Raising my eyebrow, I coated my hand in touki to bat away the iing projectile as I formed a few balls of water in front of me. This wouldn¡¯t fatally harm her, but it would sting and also get her wet, which would be annoying in the winter weather. There were absolutely no ulterior motives with that decision. Well¡­ maybe a little bit. Sylphy extended her wand, and a momentter, I felt my control over my magic fluctuate, leading me to shoot them before I lost total control. Our magic-based spar continued like that for a while, sending attacks and disturbing others, before I decided to simte a closebat adversary, sprinting forward as Sylphy quickly jumped away, using some wind to propel her just as I had taught her all those years ago. She was skilled, and most importantly, experienced. I¡­ didn¡¯t know how to feel about that. That experience meant that at any moment, my precious Sylphy could have been taken away from me¡­ but now that she was alive, that meant that those experiences would only serve to protect her, so it wasn¡¯t all bad. I noticed Roxy watching us out of the corner of my eye as I moved in, closing the distance in an instant as I batted the wand out of Sylphy¡¯s hand, shocking her as I gripped her wrists and raised them over her head. ¡°Got you,¡± I said, pulling her closer to me as I gave her a kiss, my tongue invading her mouth as she shivered in my grasp. Separating from her, I smirked at how her mouth pushed forward, as if asking for more, as I let go of her hands. ¡°That was good, Sylphy. Just make sure you¡¯re not caught when you can¡¯t use your magic,¡± I said before nting one more kiss. This time a gentle on her nose. ¡°But tonight¡­ you¡¯re all mine.¡± She simply nodded, her face flushing red all the way to her ears as her eyes shined in what looked like anticipation. Well¡­ that was my n for the night set. As I went back over to Roxy, I noticed that she was watching us with her hand tentatively ying with her braid. Hmm¡­ she did that when she was embarrassed or shy, but considering she didn¡¯t do anything, she must be wanting to ask me something. I was starting to understand my Roxy a bit better. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± I asked. ¡°Huh!? Umm, just¡­ one thing,¡± she said, averting her eyes as her cheeks gained a bit of a blush. ¡°Can you¡­ spar with me too?¡± Huh? Why-? Oh¡­ That exins why she was embarrassed. What an adorable thing to ask. ¡°Sorry, but you know we can¡¯t risk that when you¡¯re pregnant,¡± I said, holding back augh as her eyebrows furrowed into a pout. ¡°But¡­¡± I said, lifting her chin. ¡°If you wanted a kiss, you should have just asked for one.¡± It was quite obvious what I gave her after that. It seemed that she had enjoyed some berries earlier¡­ it tasted pleasant. Chapter 77 – Failed Experiment Chapter 77 ¨C Failed Experiment ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª While I had intended to leave for the Sword Sanctum by today, I remembered that Rudy¡¯s fifteenth birthday would be in a week, so I decided to put my departure off until then. I would definitely be cutting it close, as the trek to the Sword Sanctum from Sharia was around a month and a half, but if I used the trick I used back when I used to travel between Roa and Buena Vige in constantly healing my horse, I should be back in time to see the birth of my child. Usually, I would either be training in my backyard, spending time with my parents, or sitting around with Roxy, but for now, I was asked toe along with Rudy to help Nanahoshi with her experiments. I knew that this was a long process with the final goal to return Nanahoshi to her homnd, but when I asked where exactly that was¡­ ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m¡­ from another world,¡± she said evenly. ¡°Oh¡­ I see,¡± I said, nodding. I certainly should have been more surprised, but for some reason¡­ hearing that didn¡¯t shock me in the slightest. In fact, it only seemed natural to me. I wonder why that was¡­ ¡°So, what are you trying to do today?¡± I asked. ¡°More specifically¡­ why does it concern me?¡± I knew nothing about summoning magic nor magic circles, and while I had mana unlike Nanahoshi, I would be out after a few circles, while Rudy had enough to do this like it was nothing. ¡°We¡¯re summoning an object from my world,¡± she exined as sheid out therge magic circle. ¡°And as for why we need you, Rudeus mentioned that you had a Demon eye that allows you to see magic. I want you to watch the experiment and see if you can tell what is happening.¡± ¡°I understand. And I¡¯m guessing that I¡¯ll also be telling you if something goes wrong?¡± I asked. ¡°That¡­ won¡¯t happen,¡± she said, clenching her fist. ¡°This form is the pinnacle of summoning magic. Everything is as perfect as possible, so¡­ it won¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°Including another teleportation disaster, right?¡± Rudy asked. Uhh¡­ what? ¡°I am sure,¡± she replied. ¡°The conservation of energy applies, so the mana will be used up in the teleportation. The only reason that happened before was due to having no way to control the extra mana, hence the magic circle and your controlled mana input.¡± I already knew that Nanahoshi appearing in this world was the cause of the Discement Incident, or at least an after-affect of it, but it was nice to know that it wouldn¡¯t happen again. ¡°¡­Alright then,¡± I nodded. And with that, the experiment started, with Rudy crouching down to feed his insane amount of mana into the form. It was so damn bright¡­ but with how much I¡¯ve been using my Demon eye, I¡¯ve been able to block out certain sources if I really focused. After all, without being able to do so, I would be blinded by thetent mana in the air whenever I tried to use it. So, I saw it. I saw the mana flow and churn through the magic circle, speeding up in some ces, jittering in another, and as it crossed a certain line of ink¡­ it escaped. Boom! A small explosion erupted on the magic circle, leaving arge gash of singed paper, the smoke rising in a disappointing ck plume. ¡°So¡­ it failed,¡± Rudy said, frowning a bit. ¡°But we were making some good progress, even if I didn¡¯t understand it¡­ What do you think, Nanahoshi?¡± We then both turned to the girl, who was simply looking down at the paper with a nk expression. ¡°Leave,¡± she said coldly. Rudy and I then turned to each other, sharing a nce as Rudy then turned to the door. Well, Nanahoshi was Rudy¡¯s friend, so I would follow his lead, but¡­ I really didn¡¯t want to leave her alone. She seemed so¡­ devastated. ¡°Alright, but if you-¡± ¡°I said leave!¡± she shouted, cutting off Rudy¡¯s words. ¡°I¡­ got it,¡± he said, opening the door. We then walked down the stone steps of the tower in silence before hearing a bloodcurdling screech apanied by the sound of papers being thrown. ¡°Uh¡­ let¡¯s¡­¡± Rudy said, turning to me with a worried frown. ¡°Yeah,¡± I said as we then both sprinted up the stairs. Once we reached the top, I then opened the door to her study to see Nanahoshi in the midst of a breakdown, tossing anything she could get her hands on as she screamed and sobbed. ¡°Naze da? Kanpeki datta noni! Zenbu kanpeki datta! Kore made no shikou wa subete umaku itta noni, naze da! Naze shippai shitan da!?¡± she shouted in that unfamiliarnguage. Right¡­ she was obviously not in a good state. I then went over to her, grabbing her hand as she was reaching for a bag of magic stones and stopping her meltdown. ¡°Nanahoshi, stop this!¡± I said, holding her firmly as she tried to wrestle out of my grasp. ¡°It¡¯s only one failure! You can try again!¡± She turned to me, giving me a cold re as a few tears poured down her face. ¡°Like you would understand!¡± she said, turning her focus from trying to escape me to instead pound my chest. ¡°Like you would ever understand! I! I¡­!¡± Her voice petered out as I pulled her to my chest, patting her head to calm her down in a way that simply felt¡­ natural. ¡°Watashi¡­ kaeritai,¡± she said, a tone of defeat heavilyced into her voice as she began to cry into my chest. Continuing to pat her head, I looked over to Rudy, who was looking at the two of us with a forlorn expression. ¡°Nanahoshi, she¡­ really didn¡¯t take that well, huh?¡± he said sadly. Well, that was quite obvious, Rudy. But at least he didn¡¯t say something stupid like, ¡®I¡¯m going to tell Roxy and Sylphy.¡¯ If he did that, I think I might have punched him. ¡°Leon¡­ do you know what happened? Did you see anything?¡± he said, looking at the broken magic circle. Nanahoshi didn¡¯t even seem to care¡­ that ambitious girl¡­ she was in quite a bad state. ¡°No,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°It just kind of¡­ got caught? I don¡¯t really understand how, but it got trapped in the line before shooting out and, well¡­ you saw the result.¡± I felt Nanahoshi sink in my grasp, and looking down, I saw that her eyes were zed over as she leaned against me, giving me an eerie reminder of how Mama and Zenith looked just after they had woken up. I¡­ really didn¡¯t like that look. Especially on her. ¡°I see¡­ well, I think I have an idea of how to move this forward, but for now¡­¡± Rudy said, looking at the two of us. ¡°Do you think you could take care of her? I¡­ don¡¯t think she should be alone right now.¡± Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t think Roxy and Sylphy would mind, as they had already interacted with her whenever she came over to use our bath, but¡­ I just hoped that it wouldn¡¯t take too long to get her back to normal. I had to leave soon, after all. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take her home,¡± I said. ¡°Just¡­ try to help her out, okay? I trust you.¡± ¡°You got it, brother,¡± he nodded, giving me a thumbs up. And like that, it seemed that we had gained a house guest. I would say that it was getting crowded with Ariel often visiting, but for better or worse, the troublesome princess seemed to like sleeping in Sylphy¡¯s room instead of iming one of her own¡­ and she had also been avoiding metely. Was my teasing really that bad? Perhaps I should apologize sometime. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It had been a few days since Nanahoshi¡¯s breakdown, and in that time, she had been¡­ indifferent. Yeah, indifferent was the right word. She would stille down to eat, and she would still use the bathroom and bathe, but she never came out of her room otherwise. And she also never talked, save for apathetically nodding or shaking her head to a question. It¡­ hurt me, to see her like this¡­ and I still didn¡¯t know why. Another world¡­ the fact that she never aged, which I had recently learned¡­ and then that odd feeling of familiarity with the inexplicable need to protect andfort her¡­ Nanahoshi was definitely mysterious. But hopefully, with this, the mysterious girl would get back to her usual earnest ambition. ¡°Look at this, Miss Nanahoshi!¡± Zanoba said, pointing to a diagram of magic circles. ¡°As I have recently discovered, magic circles can ovep! Look! With multi-level magic circles, the efficiency is multiplied!¡± Apparently, with the Miko engrossed in the moving doll that hade with my house, he had discovered quite an amazing thing about it. It was made of magic circles, just like I had seen. But they were incrediblyplex, and ording to Cliff,pletely redefined the natural thinking of them. I didn¡¯t know exactly what was going on, as I left everything to Rudy as he had told me to, but with Zanoba¡¯s recent findings, and Cliff¡¯s natural genius in the realm of magic circles, Rudy decided that the two of them might be able to solve this problem by themselves¡­ or at least give Nanahoshi the motivation to continue. Speaking of Cliff, I had meant to spend more time with him, considering he was now Lina¡¯s lover, but from what Rudy had told me, he was definitely a happy man. And to be able to keep that Lina satisfied¡­ he had my respect. ¡°And no offence, but your original circle was quite messy,¡± Cliff added. ¡°While I know we worked on the base circle together, with multi-level circles, there is a new realm of perfection that is needed.¡± ¡°With this, don¡¯t you think we can continue?¡± Rudy said, looking over to me and Nanahoshi with a smile. ¡°Ah¡­ I guess,¡± she said emotionlessly. Turning to the side, I saw as her dull eyes started to gain a bit of life. ¡°Yes, that¡­ it might just work,¡± she said, going over to the proposed magic circle. ¡°If it¡¯s here¡­ connecting this way through the z-axis¡­ multi-level structures! How did I not think of that!¡± Hearing the excitement, and most importantly, ambition in her voice, a calm smile came to my face as I went over to Rudy. ¡°Good job,¡± I said, patting his back. ¡°I¡¯m going to leave them to their work, but tell Nanahoshi she¡¯s wee to stay as long as she wants.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ got it, brother,¡± he said, nodding. ¡°And thank you for taking care of her.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s only natural,¡± I said. ¡®Only natural¡¯¡­ I don¡¯t know why that felt so right to say. But looking at how happy she seemed, spreading out the circles on the floor as she rambled on¡­ well, I couldn¡¯t help but want to protect that smile. Ah¡­ I definitely deserved a p from my twodies, huh? I¡¯d service them to my best effort tonight as repentance. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª A few days had passed, and from the bags under Nanahoshi¡¯s eyes, she seemed to have stayed up most, if not all, of the nights fixing her magic circle. I would normally say that this was a bad thing for her health, but her eyes¡­ they were still shining with life. That was good. And as for why I was here? Well¡­ ¡°Now¡­ let¡¯s try this again,¡± she said. She hadpleted her new magic circle with the help of Cliff¡¯s smarts and Zanoba¡¯s multiyering magic circle discovery, so obviously, we were here to test it. ¡°Got it,¡± Rudy said as he began feeding the magic circle his mana. The same blinding light appeared as I saw the mana flow through the ink, but this time¡­ it didn¡¯t stop. Instead, as the entire magic circle filled with mana, it then allpressed to the centre, disappearing into nothingness a momentter as a clear ss bottle took its ce. Wait¡­ that wasn¡¯t ss, was it? ¡°Most impressive!¡± Zanoba eximed, pping his hands. ¡°What is this?¡± Cliff said, hesitantly touching the object. ¡°It¡¯s clear like ss, but much softer¡­ how confusing.¡± ¡°That¡­ is a stic bottle, I believe,¡± I said, furrowing my eyebrows. ¡°Hm? How¡­ do you know that, brother?¡± Rudy asked, looking at me with confusion. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know,¡± I murmured. ¡°I guess it¡¯s because of my Miko knowledge?¡± ¡°Ah, that exins it,¡± Rudy nodded to himself. Still¡­ why did I know of such a thing that was not from this world? How confusing¡­ ¡°Yes¡­ I did it,¡± Nanahoshi murmured to herself. Rudy then walked over to her, lightly patting her back. ¡°It seems you seeded,¡± he said gently. ¡°Congrattions.¡± ¡°Huh? Yes¡­ I did,¡± she nodded. ¡°Now, with theyered magic circles at my disposal, I should be able to summon anything without the previous limitations I had expected to run into! Depending on how much I can stack it, they should be able to¡­ I¡­ I might be able to go home!¡± She then turned into Rudy¡¯s chest, wrapping her arms around him as she eximed in happiness, ¡°Finally! I can see an actual path! I can-¡± Her brain seemingly catching up with her actions, her words froze in her mouth as she suddenly backed off, pushing Rudy away as she frantically turned away. ¡°S-So¡­ thank you¡­ Rudeus¡­¡± she murmured. That was¡­ quite something. Well¡­ I guess I couldn¡¯t exactly disparage Rudy, since he did a good thing for a friend and waspletely innocent¡­ But he better watch himself. I wouldn¡¯t be happy with him hurting my Little Sis. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It was only a few days after Nanahoshi¡¯s sessful experiment that Rudy¡¯s fifteenth birthday came about, and with such arge family and a good amount of friends, it was quite a big celebration, with us renting out an entire tavern for the night. It also somehow ended up being used to celebrate my birthday as well, even though it was two yearste, as I had been on the road towards Asura during the actual day. But nheless, it was quite fun. No presents were exchanged, but drinks and stories were aplenty. There were Zanoba and Cliff, who I felt a bit closer with after they helped out with my house and the Nanahoshi stuff, and then there were those two troublesome beastfolk princesses, who hadn¡¯t seemed to have changed at all since Ist saw them. There was also Nanahoshi herself, who had been acting weird around Rudy and me since she summoned the water bottle, but after a few drinks, she came to us and apologized for being annoying, and asked us to call her Shizuka, which I guess was her actual first name. For some reason, though, Rudy seemed a little flustered at this. How odd. It was just a name, right? Anyway, Suzanne and Timothy also visited along with their kid, and while they didn¡¯t spend a lot of time with the students, the two did talk with Mama and Lilia, where Mama also thanked them for looking after Rudy while they were adventuring together. But just like the other two big celebrations we had, I mostly stayed off to the side, sometimes telling stories of the Demon Continent when I was asked, as well as a few fights, while my father acted like an idiot with his party tricks and tales of clearingbyrinths. Lina and Cliff left early to do their¡­ stuff, Mama made me sit near her so she could pat my head, Sara kicked my father¡¯s ass in darts¡­ the regr happenings. And there was another thing I had only seen once before, and something I was eager to see again. A drunk Sylphy. As it happened, she was extremely weak to alcohol, and as she became increasingly intoxicated, she became increasingly cute, begging for affections as she stayed glued to my side or myp, asking for a kiss or a hug at least once a minute. And then, as everyone went back home, I learned that a drunk Sylphy, while cute, was equally active¡­ active in bed, that is. Well, before she fell asleep, that is. But she was awake long enough for the eroticism I had caught glimpses of during our nights together toe out full force. So, with the pleasant memories ofst night in my mind, I prepared to depart to the Sword Sanctum. Unfortunately, there were no teleportation circles for this trip, but if I rode constantly through the day, as long as I could, while healing my horse to keep it at full stamina¡­ it should take three weeks, and with an estimated week of staying there, I should be back a few weeks before Roxy is due. Definitely cutting it close. But still¡­ now that I was about to leave¡­ I was hesitant. ¡°Leon¡­ we¡¯ve already been expecting this,¡± Roxy said, holding my hand as she looked at me with concern. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t know if you should be watching the house by yourself,¡± I said, moving my hand down to caress her belly. ¡°I don¡¯t want you feeling lonely, and you shouldn¡¯t be pushing yourself physically¡­¡± ¡°Leon,¡± Sylphy said, shaking her head. ¡°While we love you very much, we also have been monopolizing you for the past five months, and Roxy has for even longer. I would feel bad if Eris didn¡¯t get to see you too.¡± I knew that, dammit, but¡­ ¡°And it¡¯s not like I¡¯ll be alone,¡± Roxy added. ¡°Zenith and Lilia said they¡¯d help, along with your sisters.¡± ¡°And me too,¡± Sylphy said. ¡°Just because I am Ariel¡¯s guard doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯te home once in a while.¡± Right¡­ They were right¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said, leaning down to kiss the top of Roxy¡¯s head. ¡°I¡­ promised I would see Eris, and I don¡¯t want to leave after the baby is born, but I don¡¯t want to leave you alone right now-¡± ¡°Shh,¡± she said, tilting her head up to kiss me, her hand moving up to caress my cheek. ¡°I would much rather you be here for when the baby is born, and helping me take care of it. So go. Just be sure to stay safe, ande back in time for the birth tofort me.¡± To think Roxy would say something so selfish¡­ ¡°I promise,¡± I said, looking into her eyes. ¡°I¡¯lle back as quick as possible.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all I ask,¡± Roxy said, smiling as she got on her toes to kiss me once again, this time a bit longer than the other gentle one. Mmm¡­ if she wasn¡¯t pregnant¡­ I would be doing many things to her right now. Many bad things. ¡°Haa,¡± she sighed, face flushed as we separated. ¡°There¡­ now go before I change my mind.¡± ¡°I got it,¡± I said, turning over to Sylphy. ¡°And I¡¯m guessing you want a goodbye kiss too?¡± She simply raised her eyebrow before taking a few steps forward and wrapping her arms around my neck, pulling herself up to kiss me with extreme passion, as if trying to exchange all the kisses we could have with our expected two months apart in one moment. Needless to say, it was exciting. And if she didn¡¯t have to go guard Ariel right after this, I may have given both of us a parting gift in the form of a reenactment ofst night. Wait¡­ these thoughts¡­ I really was a lustful bastard, huh? Perhaps I truly was a Greyrat¡­ But how could I not think of doing those things when Roxy and Sylphy were so cute? And they were mine, right? So it was allowed. ¡°There,¡± she said, breaking our kiss apart. ¡°T-That¡¯s what you¡¯re missing, so¡­e back soon¡­ please.¡± Ah, and now she was meek again. Such was the endearing dichotomy that was my Sylphy, soon to be Sylphiette Greyrat. ¡°Yeah¡­ well, after that, I can¡¯t exactlyg behind anymore, huh?¡± I said, stepping away from them as I walked down the porch steps toward my horse. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon, okay? I love you two.¡± ¡°And we love you as well,¡± Roxy said, smiling softly as Sylphy simply nodded behind her. ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯ll see you soon,¡± I said, hopping onto my steed. And with that, I departed from Sharia once again, this time to see my third beautiful lover, and hopefully¡­ also gain some insight into my swordsmanship. Chapter 78 – The Sword Sanctum Chapter 78 ¨C The Sword Sanctum ¡ª Eris Greyrat ¡ª ording to the Sword God, today, we would be receiving a guest that would also be training me, so annoyingly, I had to stop my set of practice swings to stand in the main dojo and greet them. I felt antsy, waiting around like this. I hated it. I needed to train, to get stronger, to get faster¡­ all so I could get back to that precious ce I loved so much. But if this guest was supposed to train me and help me get stronger, then I guess I could manage waiting around for a second or two. ¡°I wonder who it is,¡± Nina said from beside me. ¡°It¡¯s not often that my father personally meets with someone, and he called both of us here¡­ I guess it¡¯s someone pretty important?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Does it really matter?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m just curious,¡± she huffed. ¡°And you need a bath. You smell horrible.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what happens when you work hard,¡± I said. ¡°You should try it sometime.¡± ¡°You bitch¡­¡± she grumbled. ¡°Just because I care about my hygiene doesn¡¯t mean I work any less. Jeez¡­ what would you think if your long-lost lover was here?¡± That caused me to flinch. Leon¡­ if he was here¡­ I leaned down to take a whiff of myself, my nose scrunching at the stench. Yeah¡­ maybe I could afford to take a bathter. It¡­ probably wasn¡¯t the best to go over a week without one. ¡°Ah! You¡¯re here!¡± the Sword God said, standing up. As I had learned during my time here, that man¡­ was strong. Not Orsted strong, but still strong. Speed, power, technique¡­ he had everything. Even if he looked like amon ruffian, he was the person standing at the pinnacle of swordsmanship. And his way of teaching, while often annoying, worked. First, he told me to swing. Nothing more, just to swing, and while doing so, to focus on what I wanted to cut, why I wanted to cut¡­ And so, for two months, I did nothing but swing. Swinging my sword, eating, sleeping, and defecating. That was the life of Eris Greyrat for two months. Eventually, he said I was ready to spar, and so, he then beat the shit out of me. Unlike with Leon, there were no words exchanged, nor advice given. And unlike with Ruijerd, he only limited himself as to not kill me, giving me no room to trade strikes with him. But¡­ I could understand. And because I was able to understand, I could get better. Even if it was only ended with one strike, I was able to get better each time he won against me. First, I was put on my ass without knowing a thing, but after a few times, I was able to see his hand move, and then his legs as he prepared to shoot forward, and then his sword¡­ I still couldn¡¯t beat him, and I could barely defend myself against his serious initial blow without getting cut in half¡­ but I had definitely improved. After that, I was then told to swing with the purpose of emting his speed, with the only advice given me being to make the sword my own. I didn¡¯t really understand, but with practice, I was improving. And with my few spars with Nina, while I won them all, I was able to put those improvements into practice. But I had started to feel my improvements lessen with each day¡­ so it was good that someone new would being. Hopefully, they would be good enough to force me to get better. ¡°You really needed to send a letter for an old woman like me?¡± an old woman¡¯s voice said. ¡°You aren¡¯t one to ask for help, Gal.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not me who¡¯s getting the help,¡± the Sword God said, smirking. ¡°And you epted, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Well, you talked up your new disciple, so you could say I was curious,¡± she said, the old woman revealing herself to the hall. ¡°Besides, my cute Isolte¡¯s been getting too used to the Water God style. I assume you won¡¯t mind me bringing her here?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fine,¡± the Sword God said. ¡°Better, in fact. Thanks foring, ya old hag.¡± The old woman¡­ she was strong. How strong, I couldn¡¯t tell, but she was definitely at the level of the Sword God. And that girl behind her¡­ she was pretty good too, probably around my level if I had to guess. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t deny I¡¯m getting older,¡± the old woman said, casting her nce towards Nina and me. ¡°Nice to see you again, Nina. You¡¯ve grown up quite a bit.¡± ¡°Ah! Thank you, Miss Water God,¡± Nina said, bowing. ¡°Just call me Reida,¡± the Water God said, looking over at me as her eyes widened slightly. ¡°And you¡­ I remember you! You were that brat back when I trained that kid!¡± Ah¡­ I think I remembered her. Back before the teleportation, I remembered that the Water God visited for a while to train Leon to the level of a Water Saint. To be honest, I hated her at the time. After all, she was the one taking Leon away from me, making him train in the woods when all I wanted to do was spend time with him. But I suppose it was in the past now. ¡°It¡¯s Eris, not ¡®brat¡¯,¡± I said, puffing out my chest with a smirk. ¡°And I¡¯ll have you know that Leon¡¯s mine now.¡± She smirked. ¡°I see,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m d that kid finally grew a pair. So? Is he here?¡± ¡°No,¡± I said, frowning a bit. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ doing his own thing, but I¡¯m here to get stronger so when I get back to him¡­ I can protect our family.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­¡± she hummed. ¡°You¡¯ve definitely gotten stronger, so I can see that. And what about that kid? He was quite the talent, you know?¡± I smirked pridefully. I didn¡¯t usually like talking with the Sword God, as he was annoying and always teased me about my Leon, but the one time I did was when I told him about my beloved and how amazing he was. Specifically, about that terrible day. The one I now used as motivation to aim higher and not rest on myurels, despite my admirable power. It wasn¡¯t often that you could surprise the Sword God, after all. ¡°He¡¯s a King-ranked swordsman now,¡± I said, watching as the Water God¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Really now¡­ who told him that?¡± she asked. ¡°Was it Gal here?¡± ¡°He beat Ghiine in swordsmanship,¡± I said. ¡°But the one who gave him that title was the Dragon God¡­ right after he cut his neck.¡± This caused the woman to flinch in surprise. I didn¡¯t really understand at first, how amazing it was for Leon to be able to harm the Dragon God, but after seeing the Sword God¡¯s jaw drop in surprise and disbelief at my story, I quickly understood how astonishing that achievement was. ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Impossible, right?¡± the Sword God said, cutting off the Water God as he shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it either, but this brat keeps raving about him. I almost want to go out and see how he is for myself, but the Dragon God? That¡¯s im-¡± ¡°I see,¡± the Water God said, getting over her surprise as she nodded to herself. ¡°I guess¡­ he really must have gotten better.¡± This time, it was the Sword God that was surprised. ¡°You¡­ think he could do it?¡± he asked. ¡°You mentioned training him before¡­ was he that brat you were bragging about back then?¡± ¡°Heh, that¡¯s the one,¡± the Water God said. ¡°But anyway, while I was interested in that kid, we¡¯re not here for him, are we?¡± ¡°No,¡± the Sword God shook his head. ¡°Instead, I was hoping you could give Eris a taste of the peak of the Water God style. She needs to learn to ovee someone like you if she wants to help her lover against that monster.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± the Water God said, nodding. ¡°Then¡­ I guess I can teach her a few things, but I think it would be better for her to learn with Isolte, since she¡¯s at her level.¡± And that was how I gained a second sparring partner, and another divine-level swordsman that could put me on my ass with in one moment. ¡ª Eris Greyrat ¡ª Breathing in, I focused on my wooden sword as I swung down, the force of the swing causing a crack to resound in the open training area. ¡°So? Why are you so annoyedtely?¡± Nina asked me. ¡°Is it that time of the month?¡± ¡°Fuck off,¡± I said back, continuing my practice swings. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m getting a bit jealous, okay?¡± ¡°Jealous?¡± Isolte said curiously. ¡°About what.¡± I usually only liked to train alone, but both of these women had been getting in my space, and I¡­ didn¡¯t hate it. Perhaps I just missed having somepany, or perhaps I just wanted to talk. ¡°Leon should be back by now,¡± I said, narrowing my eyes as I swung down again, this time a bit stronger. ¡°So that means he and Sylphy are together, doing who knows what without me!¡± I felt my teeth grit. I wasn¡¯t exactly jealous in the way that I didn¡¯t want Sylphy and Leon to be together. They loved each other, after all, and I knew that Sylphy would take care of all Leon¡¯s needs. But I wanted to do it too, dammit! I didn¡¯t want to be left out of the fun! ¡°Haa¡­ Leon this, Leon that¡­ I still don¡¯t think he¡¯s real, you know?¡± Nina said, shrugging. ¡°Not even that insane strength, but who the hell would be with a ruffian like you?¡± Before, I would have punched the lights out of her for saying that, but now, I just couldn¡¯t help but smirk pridefully. After all, I knew that she was a bit jealous. Hehe¡­ well, she had a reason to be. ¡°He¡¯s the one who gave me these precious gifts,¡± I said, stopping my swings to tenderly touch my hair pendant and the ring on my hand. ¡°And he¡¯s also the one who took my virginity¡­ so he is very much real, and very much in love with me, just as I am with him.¡± We were already promised to each other, after all. The ring on my finger was proof of that. I continued my set of swings as Isolte then spoke up, ¡°But are you really fine with him having two other women? I couldn¡¯t imagine epting something like that.¡± ¡°Yeah! And what about that!¡± Nina joined in. ¡°Wanting three women to himself¡­ he sounds like scum!¡± Isolte nodded along with her. If it was anyone else calling Leon scum, I would have cut them down by now, but after being with these two for a month, we had grown closer, and I now understood that their words were out of concern for me rather than vitriol at my future husband. ¡°I¡¯m fine with it.¡± I shrugged. ¡°He¡¯s an amazing man, so it¡¯s obvious that others would want him. And he always beat me in bed, so he could easily handle another woman.¡± I smiled softly, a tingly feeling spreading through my body as I thought back to the night before we separated, causing me to stop my practice swings. The way he ravished me¡­ the way I enjoyed it as I attempted to fight back¡­ Yeah¡­ that was definitely a nice night. Looking over at the two, I saw that both of them were blushing deeply at my words. And it wasn¡¯t because of the cold. ¡°Y-You¡­ b-bed¡­¡± Nina stuttered, turning her eyes away as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­ h-how is it? S-Sex and stuff¡­ what¡¯s it like?¡± Oh? This conversation? I know her and Jino seemed to have something going on, but I guess it hadn¡¯t gone that far yet. Heh. I guess this big sister would get to teach her junior something after all, huh? ¡°Well¡­ what do you want to know?¡± I asked. ¡°H-How does it feel?¡± Nina asked, looking down. ¡°Hmm¡­ how does it feel?¡± I said, looking up. ¡°Well¡­ Leon is really good at going down on me. His mouth, his tongue, his fingers¡­ they all devoured me between my legs in tandem, while his other hand would caress my body, as if he was worshipping me.¡± I would usually feel embarrassed talking about this stuff, but with these two, it feltfortable. I guess this was what they called ¡®girl talk¡¯? Still, I also liked seeing the two clench their fists in anticipation and envy. Hehe. Yeah, it felt good to brag like this. ¡°And then in the act, well¡­ he knew just how to reach the right ces,¡± I said, bringing a hand down to my stomach. ¡°But he would also pull my hair, kiss my ear, y with my breasts¡­ he did everything to make me tremble, and then after that, he would treat me like his toy, using me to get himself off. And then¡­ we¡¯d go again.¡± Ah, this was bad¡­ I was getting aroused now. Maybe I could- ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t expect to meet like this,¡± a voice spoke from behind me, causing me to freeze. ¡°And to be honest, it¡¯s a bit embarrassing to hear that¡­ even if they¡¯re your friends.¡± He¡­ interrupted me. This guy¡­ walking in on my intimate conversation¡­ ¡°Hey! What the hell¡¯s your deal!?¡± I said, whipping around only to see¡­ Leon. W-What? He was¡­ here? ¡°Hey, Eri,¡± he said, opening his arms. ¡°I promised toe visit in a year, right? I¡¯m a bit early, but¡­ I missed you.¡± My heart thrummed in my chest and I felt my grip on my practice sword loosen until it dropped to the ground. ¡°Leon!¡± I shouted, my lips spreading out into a smile as I ran towards him. ¡°You¡¯re here!¡± I then embraced him, feeling his arms wrap around me as he pulled my face into his shoulder. Leon¡­ he was here¡­ right back to me¡­ right here in my arms¡­ ¡°Wait¡­ that¡¯s him?¡± I heard Nina say from behind me. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ real? And why did Eris look like that!?¡± ¡°She looked like a maiden,¡± Isolte said warmly. ¡°How lovely~¡± Their words flew into one ear and out the other as I tightened my grasp around him. After all, my Leon¡­ he was back to me. Ah¡­ he smells so good. ¡­Wait. Smell? ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª As I let my hand run through Eris¡¯ hair with my other squeezing her tightly to my chest, I basked in the feeling of her warmth with our reunion. Truly¡­ I had missed her so much. She had been my most important pir of support for the four toughest years of my life, so it was obvious how important she was to me. She was¡­ everything to me. Just as Roxy, Sylphy, my sisters, and my family were. Perhaps that wasn¡¯t exactly logical, but to me¡­ love never was. At that was fine. Because to feel so happy just from a simple hug¡­ love was amazing, so it didn¡¯t need to be logical. Suddenly, Eris began squirming out of my grasp, pushing me away as she backed off, her face flushed red. ¡°D-Don¡¯te!¡± she said, waving her hand. ¡°I stink!¡± Hmm¡­ this reminded me a bit of when I reunited with Roxy in the teleportationbyrinth. But still, it was a little different. I was able to ignore Roxy¡¯s scent because of how happy I was, but right now¡­ I didn¡¯t need to. After all, this time it was Eris¡¯ scent, and I can¡¯t say I minded it as much as the smell of monster blood. In fact, I¡­ quite liked it. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter,¡± I said, taking her into my arms. With her back in my embrace, I lightly raked my hands through her hair, which seemed to have grown while we were apart. ¡°Huh¡­ you do stink,¡± I said aloud, digging my nose into her hair. I tightened my core just in time for Eris to punch it, causing me to flinch. Yeah, I deserved that. But I wish she would let me finish my sentence. ¡°I¡­ never said it was a bad stink,¡± I added. She tilted her head to look up at me, smirking a bit. ¡°Pervert.¡± She then grabbed my head, pulling me down as her lips captured mine in a deep kiss, our tongues intertwining a momentter as we returned to our usual rhythm. Mmm¡­ I really did love her kisses. They were always filled with so much passion and intensity¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but get excited even though I was standing in the open like this. And so, almost unconsciously, my hand reached down to her ass, squeezing it tenderly as I groped her. Hmm¡­ it feels a bit rounder and¡­ firmer. I guess her swordsmanship training had some unexpected benefits, huh? We separated after a minute, ignoring the awed looks and flushed faces of her two friends as we stared into each other''s eyes. Ah, that loving gaze she only showed to me¡­ the softness of her red eyes¡­ yeah, I really liked looking at her. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten better,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± I returned. ¡°I think I have too.¡± She nodded before leaving my embrace, walking over to her wooden sword. So she wanted to spar¡­ well, I wanted to see how far she had progressed, so this was good. Plus, those annoying kids that tried to stop me on my way up got me riled up for a fight I couldn¡¯t end with a leisurely swing. ¡°Alright,¡± I said. ¡°Do you have one for me?¡± My question was answered by Eris tossing her sword over to me before grabbing another one by the nearby tree. We stood apart from each other as I watched a cloud of mist release with her breath. No words needed to be exchanged, as with her touki shing across her body, we both leaped forward. She was¡­ fast. Much faster. And her sword, it was¡­ firm. Steady through the entire movement of her swing as her sword raced toward my head. Weaving my de under hers, I let my touki rippled across my sword, breaking the flow of her touki as I parried her strike to the side, using the opening to back off and defend myself from another strike. Her form¡­ she had definitely improved. There was no hesitation in her movements, and the momentary pause she would use to prepare her sword and stance was now gone, instead being morphed into her previous strike, maximizing her efficiency across her motions. We exchanged a few more strikes before I fully took advantage of an opening, striking her side and sending her tumbling across the snow, putting an end to our fight. ¡°You got stronger, Eri,¡± I said happily, holding my hand out to her. ¡°Well done.¡± ¡°Tsk¡­ and you got better too,¡± she said, taking my hand as I pulled her up and into a hug. ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m proud of you,¡± I said, beginning to cast healing magic on her body. ¡°I should have said it as soon as I saw you, but¡­ I love you.¡± ¡°I¡­ love you too, idiot,¡± she said, nuzzling her face into my shoulder. ¡°We don¡¯t need to say it to know it.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s true, huh?¡± I said, patting her head. Yeah¡­ it was nice to be back with Eris. As I thought, I could only ever truly be happy with my entire family around me. So, since it would only be for a while, I had to make sure to make the most of it, and make up for the time we would have to wait until we¡¯re back together again. Tonight was surely to be a good one, huh? ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª After our little spar, Nina and Isolte introduced themselves before leaving, with Nina giving me a difficult expression while Isolte simplyplimented my skills. Apparently, she was the granddaughter of the Water God, and she had told her a few stories about me after she trained me. As for Eris and I, we immediately went back to her house to reconnect with some privacy. I was initially concerned about the wake of knocked out students I left on my way up here, but ording to Eris, they would just ¡®walk it off¡¯, so I was off the hook. The house was a simple shack with one room and a mat to sleep on, with only a few practice swords, some clothes, and the bag she had brought with her as the only possessions¡­ but it was still cozy. ¡°So¡­ you got your family back?¡± she asked, leaning against me as we sat on her bed. ¡°Yep. Mama and Lilia were trapped in abyrinth, so we just had to get them out,¡± I said. ¡°And¡­ I also met Roxy there¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­ did you take her back with you?¡± she asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± I said. ¡°She¡¯s¡­ with me now, so¡­ once youe back, we can get married.¡± Her lips quirked up at that. ¡°Good. That¡¯s¡­ good¡­¡± I then watched as her expression fell, her eyes clouded in what seemed like worry. ¡°Eri¡­ what¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked, cupping her cheek so she would face me. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ stupid,¡± she said, averting her eyes. ¡°If it¡¯s making you sad, then even if it¡¯s stupid, we should talk about it,¡± I said, rubbing her cheek with my thumb as she leaned into my touch. ¡°Just¡­ I¡¯ve noticed,¡± she said. ¡°Even though all the other girls are swordswomen here, they¡­ call me someone too harsh to love. Rather than a maiden, I¡¯m more of a ¡®Mad Wolf¡¯.¡± Shaking her head, she then looked down at her clothes, which were a pair of adventuring shorts, boots, a light white shirt, and the leather jacket she had received from Ghiine. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ too boyish. Especiallypared to Sylphy¡­ and Roxy too, I¡¯m guessing,¡± she said. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m worried that you will fall out of love with me because of it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous,¡± I said. ¡°I love you, Eris. I have loved you for a while now, and your ¡®boyishness¡¯ isn¡¯t something new.¡± ¡°Yeah, but¡­ don¡¯t you like it when I dress cute?¡± she asked, looking back at me. ¡°I know how you look at me when I wear a dress or something, and while I like it, I can¡¯t help but feel¡­ you know¡­¡± Oh¡­ was that it? ¡°You¡¯re thinking about that wrong,¡± I said, reaching down to grab her hand. ¡°I won¡¯t deny that I love seeing you in dresses, but I still like the boyish, regr Eri the best.¡± Her lips formed a pout. ¡°Then why?¡± she asked. Shit¡­ I should have told her all this earlier, huh? But I¡¯m guessing our time apart didn¡¯t help these festering thoughts of hers. ¡°Because¡­ well, I find it exciting to see new sides of you. Especially when I¡¯m the only one that gets to see it,¡± I said. ¡°And that goes for Sylphy too. She¡¯s usually shy, so I like seeing her be assertive and bold. And since she usually dresses girly in the house, I would find myself salivating if she wore something like you are right now.¡± Her hand squeezed mine a bit tighter, and not affectionately, as I exined, but I decided to push through it nheless. ¡°So, you¡­ like me like this?¡± she asked. ¡°I love you like this,¡± I said, smiling. ¡°I want you to befortable, and I wouldn¡¯t want you to change a bit, but¡­ I love seeing you in different ways that are only for my eyes, such as this¡­¡± I then reached into my bag that was at my side, taking out the dress I had gotten her from the Begaritt Continent. ¡°This is¡­¡± she said, unravelling the fabric. It was red, matching her hair, with ck ents with a few hints of gold. And with this, each of mydies had gotten them. I¡­ couldn¡¯t wait to see all three of them wearing them, whether that be on our wedding day, or in bed. Damn¡­ I really was pent-up. To think I had gone fifteen years of my life without any sexual interactions, only to be reduced to such a state after merely three weeks of no action¡­ perhaps I really was Paul¡¯s son. She then stood up to try it on, making me salivate as she took off her clothes. ¡°Hmm¡­ it feels good to move in, at least,¡± she said, doing a few kicks and punches in the dress. ¡°And? H-How¡­ how does it look on me?¡± ¡°Beautiful,¡± I said truthfully. No, that wasn¡¯t quite right. If I wanted to be truthful, I would have instead kept my mouth shut, as there were simply no words to exin the sight before me. Well¡­ perhaps ¡®perfection¡¯ came close. It¡­ fit her really well, though it seems that I had underestimated the growth of her breasts. But that just made it better, in my opinion. ¡°Hm~?¡± she said, smiling to herself as she twirled in ce. ¡°Then¡­ thanks. I¡­ can¡¯t say I hate it when it makes you look at me like that.¡± Mmm, so she was back to those contradicting words from her youth. What did Rudy call it? A ¡®tsundere¡¯? Yeah¡­ well, if she was like that, it seemed she really liked it. It seems that I had picked well. Good job, past me. Eris then looked at me, her eyes changing into something more dangerous and¡­ seductive as she slowly undressed herself once again. ¡°Leon~¡± she cooed, using her foot to push me down against the bed. ¡°It¡¯s been nearly a year, you know?¡± Kicking off the dress, she then reached up to take off her pendant, using the band to tie her hair into a familiar bun as she got on top of me. ¡°You always liked this style, right?¡± she said, slowly taking off my shirt. ¡°Tell me, Leon¡­ you said you liked seeing me in different ways¡­ so do you like me like this?¡± ¡°Y-Yeah,¡± I said, squirming as I felt her hands reach down to my pants and begin to pull them down. ¡°I like it a lot.¡± ¡°Good,¡± she nodded,pletely undressing me as she leaned down to whisper into my ear. ¡°Then¡­ can you show Eri how much you like it, nyan~?¡± There was only one way to respond to that. ¡°Of course,¡± I said. I mean, it had been nearly a year since we had been separated, so was there any other way that our first night together would end up? Chapter 79 – Rekindling Flames (R-18) Chapter 79 ¨C Rekindling mes (R-18) ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª As soon as Eris lifted her head from my ear, I ced my hand on the back of her head, pulling her into a kiss as my other hand wandered down her body, tracing along her curves that were still slightly slick with sweat before I reached between her legs, massaging her slit as our tongues danced between each other. Feeling her wetness, I eventually inserted a finger into her, hearing her moan into my mouth as I gently bit her lip, causing her legs to squeeze around me a bit tighter. Yeah¡­ I had definitely missed this. Manoeuvring my wrist under her for a better angle, I began curling my digits in a familiar rhythm, feeling Eris clench around me as her hands continued to pull my hair. The sound of squelching as I continued to pump into her and the heated breaths we exhaled between our kisses were the only sounds in the room. I wanted to get inside of her badly. I was itching for it. So, as I felt her fluids drip down my wrist, I took my fingers out, the movement making her shiver as I moved my hand to position my cock under her entrance. But just as I was about to go in, Eris moved to grab my hand, stopping me as she detached her mouth from mine, lifting her head to look down at me, giving me a wonderful view of her flushed cheeks and ssy eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked, calming my breathing. ¡°I¡­ well, it¡¯s been a while, right?¡± she said, averting her eyes. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ve been dreaming of this since we separated, and¡­ it was always from our first time, so¡­¡± Ah¡­ did she want to recreate it? We were much more skilled now, and knew what each other liked, but the pure passion from that time¡­ well, even I thought back on the memory with a smile. So, just like after the first time she made me lose myself to lust, I grabbed her shoulders, turning us around so that I was positioned on top of her. Now¡­ what did I say again? Ah, right. Back then, she had told me to ¡®do what I want with Eri, nyan~¡¯, so obviously¡­ ¡°Eri¡­ you said I could do what I wanted to you?¡± I said, bringing my hand up to caress her hair. ¡°Y-Yeah,¡± she nodded, gulping as her blush grew deeper. ¡°D-Do what you want with me.¡± Ah¡­ and those words still had the same effect on me, huh? And when she was looking so adorable¡­ I just wanted to eat her up. Quite literally, in this case. ¡°Then¡­¡± I said before moving down to between her legs. ¡°Don¡¯t resist too much.¡± I then tenderly kissed the inside of her thighs before sping my mouth around her slit between them, taking a deep breath of the musky scent as my tongue pushed into her already-soaked folds. ¡°Mmgh~!¡± she cried, her legs wrapping around me as her hands reached down to my hair, pushing me deeper into her. With one hand reaching up to y with her breasts, I brought my other down to my mouth, inserting a few fingers into her as I moved my lips up to enclose her clit, sucking gently as her back arched up in pleasure. ¡°Y-You!¡± she gasped, gripping my hair tighter. ¡°You w-weren¡¯t this good at the start, idiot!¡± Well¡­ while that was true, I thought she wouldn¡¯t mind. But instead of slowing my actions, I simply pushed my fingers deeper into her as I began flicking my tongue against the nub that I had positioned between my lips. Her knees buckled, and I felt a hand move from my hair to her mouth to muffle a moan as I continued my work, feeling more of her fluids drip down my wrist and onto my chin. Well¡­ even without me using my experience here, considering how wet she was from my fingers, it wouldn¡¯t take long to make her orgasm. And just as I predicted, after a few seconds, I felt her body begin to tremble as her hand reached down to my hair, gripping it hard as I continued licking her clit and rubbing her special spot. ¡°L-Leon! I¡¯m-!¡± she mewled. Hearing those words, I increased my pace, expecting to bring her topletion just as I had during our first time, albeit a little faster, but just as I felt her entrance clench around me, Eris pulled me away, dragging me up into a kiss. Huh? Well, not that I minded, but¡­ I then felt her other hand wrap around my cock, pushing it against her slit as her legs, which were still wrapped around my hips, pulled me into her, causing me to jolt in pleasure. Ah¡­ thatforting warmth¡­ the taste of her pussy mixed with her saliva¡­ this was quite nice. Very nice, actually. Thrusting deep into her, I felt her squirm beneath me as her hips bucked, her insides clenching around my shaft as she groaned into my mouth. She reached it¡­ did she want me inside while she did so? How cute. Taking a few moments for her to calm down from her high, I moved my lips away from hers, giving ast tender kiss as I looked down at her dazed expression, her faceced in ecstasy. ¡°Well¡­ that didn¡¯t happen the first time,¡± I teased, rocking my hips a bit. ¡°Grk!¡± she grunted, her eye twitching at my movements as she looked up at me with a slight re. ¡°S-Shut up, you idiot.¡± Letting me continue my gentle thrusts, she then shook her head, pushing me out of her as she moved to get on top again. Ah¡­ so she was back to recreating it. ¡°Leon¡­ I love you,¡± she said, looking down at me as she tenderly kissed my neck. ¡°Ah¡­ I love you too, Eri,¡± I said, my fingers raking through her hair as she kissed down my body, stopping at a few points to lick me like a cat. I didn¡¯t really think about it at the time, as I was simply too preupied with all the new sensations, but that must have been something Hilda taught her, considering the Boreas and their beastfolk fetish. Well¡­ not that I wasining. Her trail of kisses and licks continued until she reached my crotch, stopping to grip my cock, gently rubbing her thumb across the tip as she looked at me. ¡°Eri loves you, Leon~¡± she purred as her tongue began to lick up my shaft, causing me to jolt in excitement. Before I could respond, she raised herself to sit on her knees, shuffling over to my hips as she lined my cock with her entrance. ¡°So¡­ give me all of your love too~¡± And then¡­ she sat down, taking me to the hilt as I felt her warmth swallow me, causing my hips to buck and a small groan to release from my mouth. Ah¡­ and now she was smirking at me¡­ Eris did always love when I became vocal in bed, but I always made it hard for her. She loved a battle, after all. Reaching my hands up to caress her breasts, I gently squeezed her nipples as she began to rock back and forth, making me grit my teeth as I stared at her face. Damn¡­ she was beautiful. Her flushed cheeks, her lidded eyes, her moistened lips, her breathy rasps¡­ she looked so fucking erotic, nothing like the Eris the rest of the world knew. No¡­ this Eris was one only I got to see. Only I made her this way, and only I would ever make her this way. That possessiveness and sense of domination washed over me, flooding my body with euphoria as I reached a hand down to grab her ass, squeezing her supple rear as I began thrusting myself. ¡°I-Is this good?¡± Eris asked, though there was no trace of the worry and hesitation that was there during our first night. ¡°T-The best,¡± I said, timing my thrusts to reach deeper into her, causing a pleasant tingle to shoot through my spine each time we connected. ¡°Y-You¡¯re¡­ amazing¡­ you look amazing¡­ you feel amazing¡­ you¡¯re¡­ amazing.¡± While just a reenactment, my words had the same effect on her as I felt her insides clench around me, her heavy breathing turning to pants as she bit her lip sensually. ¡°K-Keep going!¡± she begged, bouncing up and down on my cock. ¡°And keep touching me!¡± My breath hitching at the sensations rippling through my body, I quickly obeyed her request, letting my hands wander across her flushed skin, squeezing her curves and groping every groove I could. With one hand gently rolling her nipple between my fingers, and the other pulling her hair, I felt the itchiness be too much as a flood of pleasure began to course through me. ¡°E-Eri, I-!¡± ¡°Inside!¡± she demanded, squeezing her legs to trap me from moving as her hands pressed onto my chest. Once again, I obeyed, moving my hands to grip her hips as I thrust as deep as I could into her, releasing my seed as I felt her clench around my length. Her body trembled, and I watched as her eyes fluttered and her mouth twist into various expressions as she also reached her orgasm, her hands moving down to grab mine as we inteced our fingers. Taking a few moments to calm down from our respective highs, I felt myself go limp inside of her as Eris looked back at me. ¡°I¡­ hope you¡¯re not tired,¡± she said, licking her lips as gently rocked her hips. ¡°I said we¡¯d recreate our first night, right? And we went on for quite a while¡­¡± I felt the itch of arousal return at how seductive she looked. ¡°J-Just give me a moment,¡± I said, gulping down the drool that had gathered in my mouth before I attempted a joke. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not that young anymore, Eri.¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± she said, narrowing her eyes. It seems that it fell t. ¡°E-Eri?¡± ¡°Shut up and fuck me,¡± she growled, rolling her hips a bit harder. ¡°Do you know how long I¡¯ve waited? I want to feel you dripping out of me all day until tomorrow night, when I¡¯ll get filled up again, got it?¡± She definitely didn¡¯t say that during our first time, but I decided to keep that to myself. She was obviously frustrated, after all. And it was really hot. ¡°G-Got it,¡± I said, nodding my head. ¡°Good~¡± she purred, leaning down to gently kiss my lips. ¡°But don¡¯t worry~ you can still do whatever you want with Eri~¡± Well¡­ let¡¯s just say that I was back at full mast, even without any healing magic helping me out. And so, as one might expect, the night continued¡­ for quite a while. Chapter 80 – Meeting with Master Chapter 80 ¨C Meeting with Master ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It was the next day, and after fulfilling our desires the night before, I decided to take care of Eris¡¯ hair that had be quite long and messy. It wasn¡¯t from the sex¡­ for the most part¡­ so it was even more important that I finally gave this beautiful hair the care it deserved. ¡°Thanks for doing this, Leon,¡± Eris said, tilting her head down as I continued my work. ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure, Eri. And I have lots of practice,¡± I said, gently brushing out some knots with my fingers as I cut down its length with wind magic. ¡°You have gorgeous hair, you know? You should take care of it better.¡± ¡°I know,¡± she huffed. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I love when you do it¡­ and I don¡¯t want someone else to, even if it¡¯s me¡­ that¡¯s your job, after all.¡± I paused my movements as I felt my cheeks get a bit warmer. That¡­ I think my heart just skipped a beat. From how erotic she wasst night, and determined when we woke up to do some training together, I had forgotten how adorable she could be. But that was just how my Eris was. A tantalizing collection of states and emotions, and because she had a tough time keeping them down, I got to see all of them for their beauty. ¡°You¡¯re right. It is my job,¡± I said, continuing to clean her up. After a few minutes, I was able to bring it back to how it was when she left. Her hair long enough to rest just over her shoulder as I tied it into a short ponytail, her pendant resting against her neck. ¡°There¡­ you look really pretty like this, Eri,¡± I said, handing her an ice mirror. ¡°Really!?¡± she said, happily taking the mirror as she looked at her appearance. ¡°Really,¡± I agreed. ¡°M-Mhmm¡­ I like it too¡­ and it feels good¡­ doesn¡¯t get in my way,¡± she said, turning her head left to right before she looked back at me. ¡°Thank you, Leon. I think I¡¯ll just wear it short from now on. I¡¯m not good at this kind of stuff, but I should be able to cut it just fine.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± I said, leaning in to give her a kiss. ¡°But speaking of that¡­ are you taking care of yourself?¡± Her silence was deafening. Not to mention how she averted her eyes. Well, her sweat and natural musk was something I enjoyed quite a bit, but past that¡­ from how knotted her hair was, and not to mention the untreated scrapes and scratches lining her body, I knew that she had been neglecting her self-care in the way of training. That was just like my Eris, after all. ¡°Is there a ce to bathe around here?¡± I asked. ¡°T-There¡¯s a hot spring nearby,¡± she mumbled, still looking away from me. ¡°I don¡¯t really go much, though. Only when Nina drags me with her.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I said, nodding. ¡°Well,e on. Let¡¯s go.¡± Luckily, she didn¡¯t protest, simply taking my hand without a word as she got to her feet. Well¡­ maybe that sexual frustration she had so eagerly releasedst night had been making her too stressed to take care of herself. But either way, I would be here to fix her up anyway. That was the job of a loving partner and future husband, after all. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª As it turned out, the hot springs at the Sword Sanctum were quite amazing. It was simr to the bath we had at home, except it was all natural, and that you could bathe inside the spring without rinsing yourself off like at home, as there was a constant flow of water. But yes, while the Sword Sanctum wasn¡¯t one for cleanliness, their baths were quite rxing¡­ although theycked soap and hair wash. Luckily, I had anticipated that, and made sure to bring some with me. So, as one would expect, I made sure to wash Eris¡¯ body and hair thoroughly. While she first found it embarrassing, especially when a passing swordswoman raised her brow at us, she eventually sumbed to my touch and basked in the loving attention I had provided. The¡­ very loving attention. After all, Eris¡¯ body was breathtaking, so I might have taken the chance to enjoy myself as well. But anyway, with her all cleaned, she then changed into a bath towel before letting me give her a massage with healing magic, a technique I had improved upon from practising on Roxy¡¯s aches and cramps that she gained from her pregnancy. Eris was¡­ very tense. And her newly gained muscles were really tight, so my massage was alleviating her quite a bit, at least if the small moans of pleasure she released were anything to go by. They were also very arousing, and I didn¡¯t need to waste my stamina considering what I would be doingter tonight, so I passed the time by exining to her a bit more of what had happened after she left, which also served the purpose of distracting me from her¡­ very captivating figure that I had my hands all over. ¡°So my family¡­ they¡¯re in Sharia now?¡± Eris asked. Ah, right. The information. ¡°Yeah. And Ghiine said she¡¯de back in three years or so,¡± I said, pushing a knot out of her shoulder while I stopped the pain with my magic. ¡°Ah, and they have a nice house too. It¡¯s quite close to my parents¡¯ one.¡± ¡°Ngh! That¡¯s good,¡± she said, sighing at my movements. ¡°And a house? You mentioned getting one, right? Is it big?¡± ¡°Ginormous,¡± I said. ¡°There¡¯s¡­ what is there, ten rooms? So we¡¯ll have plenty of room for the kids.¡± ¡°Good¡­¡± she said. ¡°And? How long are you staying again?¡± ¡°A week,¡± I said, moving down to her legs. ¡°I have to get back pretty fast.¡± Man¡­ I really liked her thighs. I might have to do some extra work down here, for my own enjoyment. ¡°Hm? Why so fast?¡± she asked. Oh, right. I had almost forgotten to tell her the big news. ¡°Well, you see¡­ Roxy is pregnant,¡± I said. ¡°What!?¡± she eximed, turning her head to look at me. ¡°Roxy¡­ already? So she¡¯s having the first¡­ dammit!¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t get too upset,¡± I said, moving to hug her from behind. ¡°We¡¯ll have the chance to have kids of our own when youe back, and we¡¯ll have a big house for them. Not to mention, they¡¯ll already have a sibling to be there for them.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ fine, I guess,¡± she huffed. ¡°As long as I get the first boy.¡± ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s just the luck of the draw, but we¡¯ll try,¡± I said. She seemed pleased at that, as she let out a satisfied hum as I went back to admiring her thighs. But not a few momentster, we were interrupted by two womening over, the ones that had been with Eris when I first got here. From what I understood¡­ the one with the long ck hair and round face was Isolte, a Water King who had been Eris¡¯ near-insurmountable wall for the past month that she had been here. Ah, and if what I knew was correct, her grandmother was the Water God, my Master from so long ago. And then, beside her, was the blue-haired swordsman who was currently ring at me. That¡­ was Nina. Nina Farion, a Sword Saint and also the daughter of the current Sword God. I guess inherited talent was a real thing, huh? I would say it was due to their upbringing, but one couldn¡¯t be a Saint-rank swordsman without talent, especially at such a young age. ¡°Hello¡­ is there something wrong?¡± I asked, looking at the two curiously. ¡°No, it¡¯s just¡­ you two really have a loving rtionship, huh?¡± Isolte said with a nice smile. ¡°I¡¯m d to see that Eris¡¯ trust in you was not misced. That would be a tragedy.¡± ¡°Yeah, I love her quite a bit,¡± I said, looking over to Nina. ¡°And you¡­ I should thank you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± she voiced, flinching back surprise. ¡°What do you mean, ¡®thank me¡¯?¡± Huh¡­ the way she looked at me and Eris¡­ was that jealousy? Well, she was a girl after all, so I suppose she wanted a taste of romance as well. Too bad I was off limits, though. ¡°Of course. You¡¯re Eris¡¯ friend, right? And you¡¯ve also been watching out for her,¡± I said, smiling at her. ¡°So thank you. And I hope you can continue doing so.¡± ¡°U-Uh¡­ sure,¡± she said, eyebrows narrowed in a mix of surprise and anger. Clicking her tongue, she then grabbed two wooden swords from next to the ground, tossing one over to me. As I had quickly realized, here in the Sword Sanctum, they just had practice swords littered everywhere. Quite convenient, I suppose. ¡°Fight me!¡± she said, ring at me. ¡°A-And¡­ you¡¯ll be my bitch if you lose! Ha!¡± ¡­What? Eris had told me how she was able to handle Nina, even though the girl had grown since their first battle. And yesterday¡­ I had beat Eris handily right in front of her¡­ Was she an idiot? Overconfident? Or was this something else? Either way¡­ I wasn¡¯t one to refuse a fight I knew I could win. ¡°Uhh¡­ sure,¡± I said, getting up and ignoring Eris¡¯ snort ofughter. Facing the blue-haired girl, I kept my sword dipped toward the ground as she suddenly sprang at me, the sword reaching for my neck before Ished out my de, parrying her sword as I rebounded the touki into her arm, causing her to let go of her sword and sending it soaring through the air. ¡°I win,¡± I said, cing my sword against the surprised girl¡¯s neck. ¡°Umm¡­ nice try?¡± I watched as Nina¡¯s eyes twitched in anger before Isolte suddenly pped in light apuse. ¡°So you really are a Water Saint¡­ no, that application of Flow was even better,¡± she said, looking at me with admiration. ¡°Leon Greyrat¡­ I hope I can ask you for a spar sometimeter.¡± ¡°Later?¡± I asked, raising my eyebrow in question. ¡°Not right now?¡± She shook her head. ¡°As much as I¡¯d like to, we did note here to spar,¡± she said. ¡°The Sword God and Grandmother have asked to see you. If you don¡¯t mind, could youe with us?¡± I nodded, looking back to Eris, generating some water to clean her off as I tied her hair back into a beautiful bun before preparing to head back to the main dojo where I had been summoned. Well¡­ I suppose it was time to meet the Sword God. Oh, and also see my Master after so long. I hope she was proud of my growth. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Gal Farion,¡± I said, looking at the man in front of me. ¡°Or would you prefer if I called you the Sword God?¡± His eyes traced my body, narrowed, just as they had been ever since I stepped into the hall. ¡°Heh,¡± he said, smirking. ¡°Call me whatever you want, brat.¡± I nodded before looking at the old woman that was standing next to him, my smile widening slightly. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you again, Master,¡± I said, bowing my head. ¡°I¡¯ve discovered how to use the Dance of Deluge that you left me¡­ or at least I think so.¡± She smiled back at me, her wrinkles deepening as she spoke back, ¡°Yeah, I can tell you¡¯re damn strong now. It gives me pride that I made such a monster, even if I only helped you for a bit.¡± The Sword God nodded along with her words. ¡°You can stay here as long as you want,¡± he said as he got up. ¡°But¡­ I want a spar in return.¡± Well, I somehow expected things to go like this. And even if it didn¡¯t, I would have asked for one anyway. After all, this would be the best way to get some insights into how to improve my swordsmanship. ¡°Just don¡¯t kill him, Gal,¡± Master said, narrowing her eyes. ¡°Not mentioning me, your newest disciple would kill you in your sleep.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯m not gonna,¡± the Sword God said, unsheathing his sword. ¡°As long as he¡¯s good enough, that is.¡± Why did he have to say that? That was just like what Master said when I first met her all those years ago. Was this a shitty joke that divine-level swordsmen loved to tell? Because it truly was not funny. Sighing to myself, I unsheathed my de, gripping the sword with both hands as I set my stance. The Sword God¡­ I could see the touki flowing through his body and into his sword. It was¡­ extremely refined¡­ and ridiculously efficient. In that one moment as he gripped his sword, his touki immediately coated his de with a perfect application, all in an instant. Speed and precision¡­ that was the Sword God style for you, so it made sense that the person at the pinnacle of it would have such a style of touki. He was ridiculously strong, and way more experienced than me. But¡­ despite that strength¡­ it was nothing in front of the monster that was Orsted. ¡°Hm? You don¡¯t seem that scared, brat,¡± he said, narrowing his eyes. ¡°Most people are quivering a bit by now.¡± ¡°Well¡­ most people haven¡¯t been stabbed by the Dragon God,¡± I said. ¡°Nowe on. I¡¯m getting bored here.¡± The Sword God chuckled to himself before I saw the touki on his de solidify as he began to swing out, his deunching a wave of touki my way. ¡­What? So¡­ he could do that too¡­ manipting touki from afar¡­ Well, at least I now knew that I could learn some stuff here. But to think the missing piece to my swordsmanship had been so close¡­ Focusing on my de, I forced my touki to rise to the surface as I also swung,unching my own de of touki just in time to stop his in between us, a crack echoing through the hall. ¡°Damn¡­ well I¡¯ll be,¡± the Sword God said, his eyes wide in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re better than I thought, brat.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re holding back too much,¡± I returned, setting into a Water God stance once again. ¡°Well, it¡¯d be no fun if it ended in one strike,¡± he said before he grinned dangerously. ¡°But alright. I¡¯ll ramp up the pace.¡± And with that, our spar started in earnest, with the Sword God crossing the distance between us in an instant as his sword whipped towards me. Having already spread my touki into the hair, I countered his strike just as he entered my range, causing him to back off as I went on the attack, a st of wind magic pushing me forward as I swung towards him. Obviously, he blocked it. But I had expected that. Concentrating touki in my legs, I sprinted around the Sword God, twisting my body as I couched down and delivering a strike to his legs that he evaded once again. Damn¡­ past his touki control and speed, this guy¡¯s reactions were insane. With some distance now between us, the Sword God crouched down, touki thrumming across his body and into his de as it thenshed out, making me drop to the ground to dodge the strike. Fuck. I wanted to spar him to watch his touki flow with my Demon eye, but he was too damn fast. Maybe¡­ if I could just get used to it, but¡­ I wasn¡¯t at that level yet. Standing back up, I extended my hand, sending a st of wind magic before I concentrated on a few sharp des of wind to follow behind it, but with one swipe of the sword¡­ the man blew it all away. Shit¡­ that strong fucker. Nullifying my magic with a sword swing¡­ fucking ridiculous. ¡°He~? You pissed off?¡± he said, smirking pridefully. Dammit. That just made me angrier. ¡°Huh? You¡¯re getting even more pissed off?¡± he said, a bit confused. ¡°What¡¯s up with that?¡± I gritted my teeth. ¡°You remind me of my shitty father when he was a prick,¡± I said, sprinting forward. ¡°You got a mouth on ya, kid!¡± heughed, stopping my strike with a smooth parry. That¡­ was the Water God style¡­ so he was also good at defence too. How annoying. His sword tore through the air in a smooth movement, cutting through the air as he struck me once again, his touki shing across his de at the point of impact, causing my sword to get blown back. And then, with the speed deserving of the head of the Sword God style, the hilt of his sword struck my neck, breaking through my touki defence and sending me sprawling to the ground. ¡°Well¡­ you lost, kid,¡± he said, tapping my head with his sword. ¡°Yeah, I¡­ got that,¡± I said, wiping the sweat from my brow as I got up. Fuck¡­ he was strong as shit, and not nearly as one-dimensional as I had initially expected. And then that speed¡­ I knew he would be fast, but I can¡¯t even get any views of his sword technique and how he uses his touki for long range attacks. ¡­Wait. Why was I focusing on his long range attacks and sword technique? If I¡¯m getting overwhelmed by his speed¡­ then shouldn¡¯t I try to emte that first? ¡°Well, even though you lost, that was a damn good disy,¡± the Sword God said, breaking me out of my thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I tried that hard, and while I can¡¯t give you the title of a Sword Emperor until you defeat a Sword King in front of me, with your strength, you can call yourself an Emperor in whatever weird style you use.¡± His words caused me to widen my eyes in surprise. An Emperor¡­ so I was an Elemental Emperor now¡­ cool! ¡°Well¡­ a weak one though,¡± he added, scratching his ear with a shrug. ¡­Not so cool. Dusting myself off, I then bowed to the man. ¡°Thank you for the spar,¡± I said. ¡°And¡­ thanks for not killing me.¡± ¡°Ha! My pleasure!¡± he said as he then looked to the side of the hall. ¡°Plus¡­ you¡¯ve given my students some motivation as well.¡± ncing to the side, I saw that Eris, Isolte, and Nina, who had been watching our bout, now had an aura of fierce determination radiating off of them. It was almost¡­ scary. I didn¡¯t know whether I should hope that Eris¡¯ enhanced tenacityes out to tonight in bed or not. We had already gone hard enoughst night that we used touki unconsciously, after all, and even though I had healed myself after the act, it still hurt in the morning. ¡°You¡¯ve had your fun, Gal,¡± Master said, stepping forward as she looked down at me with interest. ¡°Now¡­ I want to see your skills. I saw you use it¡­ Dance of Deluge¡­ it wasn¡¯t an exact application, but it wasn¡¯t inferior to it either. Consider yourself a Water King, brat.¡± My lips quirked up into a smile. ¡°Thank you, Master,¡± I said as I drew my de. ¡°Now¡­ can I ask for your teachings once again?¡± ¡°Heh. How polite,¡± she returned, taking out her de. A few moments of silencepsed between us before she lifted her eyebrow. ¡°Well? You¡¯re not going to make this olddy move first, are you?¡± she asked. ¡°You want to see some Water God style techniques, no? You have to attack for me to show you.¡± And so, following her words, I concentrated my touki in my legs, letting it burst off the ground as I leaped forward, my sword aimed at the woman¡¯s arm. But as soon as I began concentrating my touki, she began moving her own, the mysterious energy generating a screen in front of her. And as soon as I reached that screen, and my sword bearing down to cut through it¡­ everything was reversed. My sword, my touki, my body¡­ I was sent flying back before I could even realize what had happened, with a gash on my arm, right where I was aiming at on her body. What¡­ the fuck? ¡°That¡­ you brat, was Ocean¡¯s Mirror,¡± she said. ¡°Like trying to walk into the waves on a beach, everything gets sent back to you, sending you tumbling back no matter how much you try to fight it. Pretty cool, huh? Even though I haven¡¯t mastered that one yet.¡± ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ that¡¯s one way to put it,¡± I said, healing myself. Ocean¡¯s Mirror¡­ so it can reflect anything¡­ touki, velocity, attacks¡­ that really was an insane technique, and that wasn¡¯t even the mastered version. How the hell did touki have such power and an ability? That was almost like magic, at that point. ¡°But Master¡­ should you really be showing off such secret techniques right here?¡± I asked. ¡°Ah, Gal here is already a Water Emperor,¡± she said, waving off my concern. ¡°He definitely knows all this stuff, so there¡¯s no need for any secrecy between us.¡± I see¡­ so the Sword God did know the Water God style¡­ that exins how he kicked my ass so easily. ¡°Come on, kid! This time it¡¯s one where you don¡¯t need to move, so watch carefully,¡± Master said. And so, following her exact words, I watched carefully. Activating my Demon eye as I observed a wave of touki flow from her de, shooting towards me as it then¡­ created a ring around me? I¡­ didn¡¯t quite understand, but as soon as I got up to move, I felt it. I was¡­ slower. Much slower. And I could feel it¡­ if this was a serious fight and not a spar¡­ I would already be dead. A¡­ barrier of touki? One that affects me physically? That¡­ seemed useful, if a little passive. ¡°You got it?¡± she asked, flicking her sword as the touki dissipated into thin air. ¡°That¡¯s Rainfall Waltz. Like a downpour, it surrounds your opponents, ending the fight as soon as you entrap them. After all, no matter how fast¡­ you can¡¯t dodge the rain, right?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I said, nodding as I turned to face her again. ¡°What¡¯s next, Master?¡± ¡°Well¡­ just this one. I can¡¯t perform any other art, after all,¡± she said. ¡°Oh, and master one of these, and you¡¯ll be a Water Emperor, so concentrate.¡± ¡°I got it,¡± I nodded, looking forward. ¡°Alright then,¡± she said. ¡°This one is Churning Tide. It takes in the power and touki of a strike before cycling it, amplifying it across the user¡¯s sword before returning it to the initial attacker. So it goes without saying that unless you want to die, don¡¯t attack me too hard.¡± ¡°I¡­ got it,¡± I said, readying my sword. And then, taking a deep breath, I stepped forward, closing the distance in an instant as I swung towards her sword. She said not to use too much power, but¡­ I wanted to see it. I wanted to see it for all the technique¡¯s beauty. And to see the technique being used properly¡­ I needed a good amount of touki and power to show off. Our swords shing, I felt my momentum halt as my touki drained from my sword, the touki flooding her de, churning and twisting along her sword before gathering at the tip, and in a sh, I felt a pain blossom across my chest as I was sent flying back for a second time, tumbling back as blood sprayed through the air. Ouch¡­ that burned. I don¡¯t think I had been hit this bad since the Hydra. ¡°Leon!¡± Eris shouted with worry. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine,¡± I said, lifting my shaky arm to heal the gash on my chest. ¡°That¡­ fucking hurt.¡± ¡°Well, you went too hard, dumb brat,¡± Master said, walking up to me as she then kicked my side. ¡°Did you at least get a good feel for it?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ ¡®feel for it¡¯ is one way to exin that,¡± I chuckled, sitting up. ¡°That¡­ it seems like I have a lot of work to do.¡± I didn¡¯tpletely understand, but now that I knew what I was working with, and the movement of the touki seared into my memory, I could train it. ¡°Yeah, I would hope so. It would hurt this old woman¡¯s heart if you mastered four of the five arts so fast,¡± she said. ¡°But¡­ you¡¯re not going to give up, right?¡± ¡°Hell no,¡± I spat, getting to my feet. ¡°But thank you for the lesson.¡± ¡°Just use it well,¡± she said, patting my head as she looked down at my sword. ¡°And that sword¡­ it¡¯s nice, but¡­ it won¡¯t handle anything further.¡± I looked down at my sword with a difficult expression. I¡­ really didn¡¯t want to break this. It was the first gift Eris had given me, and it had served me quite well through the years¡­ even if it was a bit short for me now. ¡°Hey, Gal!¡± Master shouted. ¡°You¡¯re not using most of those swords, right? Give one to him, will ya?¡± ¡°Eh? That brat?¡± the Sword God said, looking at me. ¡°Well¡­ he did kick Nina¡¯s ass earlier-¡± ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°-and she¡¯s a Sword Saint, so I guess he¡¯s a Sword King.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s only right, yeah?¡± Master said. ¡°Hah. Yeah, I guess,¡± he said, walking over to the door at the back of the room. ¡°I¡¯m not giving him my special collection, since those three are waiting for their owners to get a bit stronger, but I have one in mind for him.¡± He then went into the door, which I assumed to be his personal room, and after a few moments, returned with a in sword that seemed to be a style simr to my father¡¯s. ¡°Here. This one ain¡¯t anything special, but it¡¯s damn durable, so I¡¯ve used it as my training sword in the past,¡± he said, tossing me the de. ¡°That should be able to handle anything you throw at it. Ah, but you¡¯ll need a sheath¡­ well, you can probably find one anywhere for it.¡± ¡°I¡­ see. Thank you, sir,¡± I said. ¡°Think nothing of it,¡± he waved me off. ¡°While not my student, you¡¯re still a Sword King, so you should have a weapon to reflect that. Besides¡­ I had some fun ying with you, soe spar whenever ya want.¡± Nodding my head, I then turned to Eris, my eyebrows furrowing slightly as my conflicted feelings began to rise to the surface. The spellsword that was so important to me¡­ further than bing too brittle to use for stronger swordsmanship, it hadn¡¯t been helping me with magic as much anymore, granting me diminishing returns as I became more skilled with mana control and optimizing its efficiency. But still¡­ she gave it to me for the purpose of using it¡­ and it had been with me for so long¡­ ¡°Rece it,¡± Eris said, looking at me. ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot, Leon. We can just save it and give it to our kid, okay?¡± Ah¡­ well, that was one way to conclude my inner turmoil. ¡°Sure thing,¡± I said, nodding as I then turned back to the Sword God. ¡°And¡­ what¡¯s the name of this sword?¡± ¡°Hm? I just called it my practice sword, so I didn¡¯t really care,¡± he said, scratching his ear. ¡°But if I remember correctly, it was one of Yulian¡¯s, even if it wasn¡¯t anything special. And as for the name¡­ I believe it was Severance.¡± Huh¡­ quite a simple name, fit for a simple sword. And so, I became the bearer of Severance, one of the 49 swords made from the bones of the king of King Dragons, Kajakut, forged by the legendary craftsman, Yulian Jalisco. ¡­Though to me, this thing would just be my new sword. Sorry, Severance, but I¡¯ll be sure to maintain you to the best of my ability. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Before I knew it, my week at the Sword Sanctum had passed, with me sparring with one of the divine-rank swordsmen during the mornings, training by myself with Eris and her friends in the afternoons, and then being drained for all I was worth during the nights. On the surface, my swordsmanship hadn¡¯t improved much, except for using my touki a bit more efficiently and bing a bit faster from watching the Sword God. But I took the time to observe both of the divine-rank swordsmen carefully during our spars, along with their spars with others, so I now knew how to improve. And I also now knew that my touki defences were¡­ mediocre at best. They were still stronger than most, but I was using the technique of the Dragon God, and mine was a pretty weak imitation. Weaker than I had initially thought. You see, even before sparring against the Sword God, he had already respected my abilities. Why? Because I had cut the Dragon God. Yes¡­ the strongest human swordsman respected me¡­ just because I cut him. A single cut. That was how legendary the Dragon God¡¯s defences were. So for me to be so easily harmed while using the same technique ofyering touki¡­ that was quite pathetic. But it also meant that I still had quite a ways to grow, so I would just have to keep training it. However, that would have to wait. The week had been as productive as it was pleasurable, and while I enjoyed my time here, I did have a pregnant lover to get back to. ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re going?¡± Eris asked. ¡°I have to,¡± I said, tying thest of my bags onto the horse. ¡°But I did love spending time with you. And when you get back, you¡¯ll be my wife, and we¡¯ll be spending as much time as we want together for the rest of our lives.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I get it,¡± she said, her cheeks flushing a bit. Since Eris only had her sword and a couple changes of clothes as her belongings, I decided to take her dress back with me so she could pack light on her way back. But make no mistake, we definitely got our use out of it during my time here. As it turns out, the side slits made for very easy ess, and were wonderfully useful in bed. Looking back to Eris, I walked up to her, embracing her tightly as I took in a whiff of her hair, taking in as much of the scent as I could before we would be separated again. ¡°I¡¯ll miss you,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll miss you too,¡± she said, tilting her head up to exchange a deep kiss, one more gentle and loving rather than lustfully passionate, which had been most of our kisses so far. Parting our lips, I gave her onest peck on the nose before pulling away from her. ¡°I love you, Eri,¡± I said. ¡°No matter what, I love you.¡± ¡°And I love you too,¡± she said, smiling back at me. Taking onest look at her, I then got on my horse, deciding that staying any longer would only be a way to convince me to stay one more night. My Eris was an addictive woman like that. ¡°Take care of yourself, okay?¡± I said. ¡°And I¡¯m waiting at home for you. Our home.¡± Her eyes widened as she then nodded fiercely. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Leon,¡± she said, smiling. ¡°I¡¯lle back to you.¡± ¡°Good,¡± I said, nodding. ¡°Just¡­ don¡¯t take too long. Ah! And I¡¯ll send you letters to keep you updated!¡± ¡°You know that I still suck at reading!¡± she huffed. ¡°Then get Isolte to help you out!¡± I said,ughing as I began trotting away. ¡°See you soon, Eri.¡± And with that, I departed from the Sword Sanctum with my mind and body refreshed, a new sword attached to my hip, and more ideas gained from my spars with the Sword God and Water God that I would surely put into practice. But first¡­ I had to be a father. Chapter 81 – Fatherhood Chapter 81 ¨C Fatherhood ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª I had made it in time. Just as promised, I had returned home before Roxy gave birth, but¡­ judging by howrge she had gotten, I had definitely cut it close. Almost too close. ¡°Are you feeling okay, Roxy?¡± I said, gently massaging her feet as shey down on the couch beside me. ¡°Well¡­ I was feeling quite a bit of pain in my feet, but it¡¯s getting better now,¡± she said, sighing as she flipped through her book. ¡°Ah, and I have also gained an infatuation with cheese.¡± ¡°I-Infatuation, you say?¡± I said, confused. ¡°Mhmm. It''s quitemon to form an obsession with food during pregnancy, ording to Elinalise,¡± she said matter-of-factly. Ah, right. I do remember Mama really wanting fruits all the time when she was pregnant with Rudy. I guess that¡¯s normal. ¡°And speaking of Elinalise¡­¡± she said, smiling a bit. ¡°She and Cliff recently got married.¡± Now that was a surprise. I already knew that Cliff was a man who took responsibility, but I was shocked that Lina epted. After all, she had told me more than a few times that she would never marry again. But I guess Cliff¡¯s resoluteness broke down her wall, huh? Just like when she had initially nned to refuse Cliff¡¯s advances for a rtionship¡­ I guess she was quite weak to him, huh? I was d. Even with her curse, she deserved some happiness in regard to romance. But still¡­ ¡°That¡¯s a little¡­ fast,¡± I said. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re one to say that?¡± Roxy said. ¡°It was only a few days after we reunited that you proposed to me, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, but¡­ I had made the first promise when I was seven,¡± I pointed out. ¡°That doesn¡¯t count,¡± she said, poking my side with her finger. ¡°And¡­ don¡¯t repeat that. It makes me sound like a cradle robber.¡± Are you not one? Of course, I kept that thought to myself. ¡°Well, still¡­ I¡¯m happy for them,¡± I said, cing her feet back down. ¡°Now, do you feel a bit better?¡± ¡°Yeah, thank you,¡± she said, smiling sweetly at me. ¡°Just like your mother said, my magic isn¡¯t as easy to use anymore, so I hope you don¡¯t mind me selfishly relying on you.¡± ¡°You know you can always rely on me,¡± I said, moving toy down with her. Pulling her against my side, I kissed her forehead as one of her hands moved to my hair, gently raking through it as we gotfortable. ¡°And? Is that all that changed while I was gone? You now like cheese and Lina got married?¡± I then asked. ¡°Hmm¡­ not exactly,¡± she said cryptically. ¡°What does that mean?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t want to spoil the surprise,¡± she said, snuggling against my side. ¡°But¡­ you should probably see your parents tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ but why tomorrow?¡± I asked. ¡°Because for tonight, I want you to hold me,¡± Roxy said resolutely. Well¡­ she was right. It seems that with her pregnancy, Roxy had be a bit more selfish. Not that I minded, though. In fact¡­ I quite liked it. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª With a simple breakfast put together, something that Sylphy quickly took over due to my insufficient cooking skills, I then made my way over to my parents¡¯ house to see what this mysterious ¡®surprise¡¯ was that Roxy had hinted atst night. With Mama watering a few of the indoor nts, Paul resting after cutting some firewood, and Lilia calmly folding someundry in her wheelchair, it really did remind me of our time back in Buena Vige, before the Discement Incident fucked everything up. Unfortunately, with Rudy and Norn in their morning sses, and Aisha helping Ariel with who knows what, there wasn¡¯t a full family, but it was nice nheless. Anyway, after telling them that I was back and giving my mothers a hug, I then asked them what exactly had happened during the two months I had been gone, and as it turned out¡­ ¡°It appears that I am pregnant once again,¡± Lilia said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she smiled softly at me. ¡­Huh? My head turned to Paul, who was grinning like an idiot as he puffed out his chest. ¡°Hehe¡­ I still got it, huh?¡± he said happily. This fucker¡­ well, they were husband and wife, but¡­ for some reason, I felt a little disgusted. Why? ¡°Well, even if she has to use her arms now, Lilia always leg locks, so I guess it was natural~¡± he continued, rubbing his upper lip with a smile. ¡­That¡¯s right, it was because he was a lecherous bastard. No matter how much he¡¯s grown as a man and a father, he was still Paul Greyrat, the enemy of many women. I mean, I wasn¡¯t one to talk after awakening my libido, but at least I kept it between my women and I, unlike a certain someone¡­ ¡°Husband¡­ please don¡¯t say that,¡± Lilia said, gaining a blush. Mama was also angry, but the only sign of her displeasure was the cold re she was sending his way. But I knew from experience that, somehow, it was even scarier than a regr scolding. Well¡­ at least Lilia was happy, but now that they¡¯ll be getting another sibling living here¡­ ¡°What about the rooms?¡± I asked. ¡°One for Norn, Aisha, Mama, and Lilia¡­ and then one for the baby.¡± I know they had that office that could be turned into a bedroom, but my father seemed quite dependent on the separate space for his work¡­ even if Lilia had been doing most of his paperwork for him. ¡°U-Uhh, I think you¡¯re forgetting someone?¡± my father said, pointing to himself. ¡°You can sleep on the couch,¡± I returned. ¡°Plus, I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re with Mama or Lilia most nights.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true¡­¡± he said before his face formed his signature disgusting grin. ¡°Unless I get lucky and get them together-¡± ¡°Paul.¡± ¡°Husband.¡± His words were quickly cut off by the two women, but not quick enough for me to get the picture. A picture I never wanted to think of, even if I had to bear with the sounds back in our old house. Norn and Aisha though¡­ well, I guess they could either join the dormitories ore live with me if it ended up being too much for them. A brother should always take care of his sisters, from both physical and psychological pain. Oh, and speaking of them. ¡°Father,¡± I said firmly, looking at the man. ¡°Norn and Aisha¡­ have you made up with them?¡± He widened his eyes before sighing, looking down at the table with a slight smile. ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess you could say that,¡± he said, twiddling his thumbs. ¡°They talk to me now, and even Norn has been training her swordsmanship with me since you¡¯re busy¡­ so while I can¡¯t say I¡¯ll ever be the cool father I always hoped to be¡­ I can at least call myself their dad.¡± Hmm¡­ well, that¡¯s good. To be able to heal their rtionship¡­ I was proud of them. I would have to praise themter. ¡°Good job,¡± I said, lightly pping the back of his head. ¡°Just don¡¯t screw it up again.¡± ¡°Ha! I don¡¯t n to!¡± he said happily before he shook his head. ¡°But damn, you really are a reliable son¡­ no wonder they¡¯re so attached to you.¡± ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s tough,¡± I shrugged, ignoring the jealous pout the idiot was sending my way. ¡°Unfortunately for you, I don¡¯t n on losing the reliable big brother position anytime soon.¡± ¡°Yeah, you damn charmer,¡± he huffed. ¡°But anyway¡­ now that you¡¯re back, and you don¡¯t have any more trips nned¡­ what are you doing next?¡± ¡°Ah, well¡­ I have something I had been meaning to do,¡± I said. ¡°Is that so?¡± he said. ¡°Well, good luck.¡± ¡°Thanks, Father,¡± I said. Indeed, now that I was back and nning to stay, I had something I needed to do as a responsible future parent. After all, it wouldn¡¯t be good for a new father to be unemployed, right? Even Paul was a better man than that, even back when Rudy was in Mama¡¯s womb. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª I had remembered Sylphy and Norn talking about how the advanced swordsmanship ss instructor would be leaving the university soon. And that was a few months ago, before I left for the Sword Sanctum. And so, with the need of money and a job, I realized¡­ I was quite a good swordsman, right? And I wasn¡¯t that bad of a teacher, either. And so, I went over to Jinas and asked if I could rece the position, as currently, the instructor was only at the Advanced-rank in the Water God style. Not very helpful for the Sword God and North God swordsman in the ss, nor the few students who had already reached the Advanced rank. Of course, with a baby on the way, I had asked for them to show some leniency in my schedule, but I also offered to fill in for some magic sses when needed in return. I had originally expected to have to be amodating in terms of pay due to that, but as it turned out, being an official Sword and Water King, I was quite a sought-after talent. Of course, there was the fact I was technically an Emperor-ranked swordsman now, but I decided to keep that to myself. No need to unnecessarily scare people, right? But anyway, as it stood, I was now the advanced swordsmanship instructor for the Ranoa University of Magic, though I wouldn¡¯t begin sses for a bit due to my child, and I would remain in that position until Ariel eventually graduated and began her fight for the throne. After that, well¡­ I guess I would be a guard for the princess alongside Sylphy, or something simr, and our family would be moving to the Asura Kingdom. Unless Ariel decided to let go of Sylphy as her guard, of course, but I wouldn¡¯t want to separate such a nice friendship. Besides, by that time, Norn and Aisha would be older, and knowing Rudy, he would definitely start pumping out some kids, so they could take the house as they needed. But still¡­ while it was good that I now had a job, that meant there was only one thing for my mind to focus on. My most important job. One that I couldn¡¯t fail. And with the dawn of iting so close¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit anxious. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Leon?¡± Roxy said, sifting her hand though my hair as I rested my head on herp. ¡°You seem nervous,¡± Sylphy added, sitting down next to Roxy as she also rubbed my head. I couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit like a pet¡­ but it felt veryforting, so I couldn¡¯t say I hated it. Besides, in many ways, these two were without a doubt my ''owners¡¯. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± I lied, trying to focus my mind elsewhere from my worries. After securing a job from the university, I was now back home, resting on our bed with my two lovers, with Sylphy reading a book as Roxy tried her hand at knitting. Of course, I wasying down across them, taking in the warmth I had been missing so much, even if I had already cuddled Roxy for all ofst night. After all, I could never get enough of these two. ¡°You can trust us, you know,¡± Roxy said softly, looking down at me as her hand drifted down to cup my cheek. ¡°We¡¯re your future wives, right? It¡¯s our job to support you, just like you do for us.¡± ¡­Right. I guess¡­ I should trust them, no? ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ worried,¡± I said. ¡°About what?¡± Sylphy asked calmly. Mmm¡­ about what indeed. Well, I guess I should juste out with it. It was good to talk about your feelings, right? Even if the problem didn¡¯t end up getting resolved. ¡°Being a good father and setting a good example,¡± I said. Roxy raised her eyebrow in confusion. ¡°Really? You¡¯re worried about that?¡± she said. ¡°You took care of your sisters just fine, and that was when you were still a child. And not to mention being teleported away from home with nothing but the clothes on your back.¡± And my sword and Eris, but I decided to simply let them talk. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Sylphy nodded. ¡°You¡¯re amazing, Leon.¡± Right¡­ I was amazing¡­ they always let me know that, as did many other people. But as I had grown older, especially now with a child on the way¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but wince every time I heard that praise. ¡°But that¡¯s exactly it,¡± I said, tightening my grip on Roxy¡¯s nightdress. ¡°I¡­ I know that I¡¯m talented, but I don¡¯t want to be too good¡­ I¡­ don¡¯t want to make our child feel lesser than me¡­ constantly living in my shadow and beingpared to me.¡± Not to mention, while I was able to take care of my sisters, who was to say I could take care of a child as easily? After all, even with my ¡®practice¡¯ with Norn and Aisha, that was only for the ages from four to eight. I had a lot of years I didn¡¯t have any experience with, and even with the ones that I did¡­ could I say I did the best job one could do? ¡°Leon¡­ it¡¯s okay,¡± Roxy said, patting my head. ¡°This is what every parent goes through, or at least, I think so¡­ I mean, maybe Zenith is a different case since she had you out of nowhere, but every other parent has their first child, and every parent is inexperienced at one point.¡± I knew that¡­ I knew that, but¡­ I didn¡¯t want to be a failure. I wanted to be the best father I could, so¡­ how could I not worry? And even if other parents had these worries¡­ I didn¡¯t want to be like them. Even if it was arrogant to think so, I wanted to be better than other parents. I¡­ wanted to be the best. ¡°Leon,¡± Sylphy said softly, pulling my head over so that I was resting on both of theirps. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that recklessly. I know you are going to be an amazing father.¡± Ignoring the heavenly feeling of their thighs, I pressed onward. ¡°¡­How?¡± I asked. ¡°How can you know that?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re caring so much right now,¡± she said, patting my hair. ¡°And you always aim to improve.¡± My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Aiming to improve? I suppose, but¡­ I didn¡¯t want to improve at being a father. I wanted to be the best. After all, if I had to work hard to get better, I would do it, of course, but¡­ what about the child when I wasgging behind? ¡°You already have the best thing to use,¡± Roxy said, looking down at me. ¡°An example.¡± An example? ¡°You have Paul, right?¡± she said. ¡°He¡¯s made many mistakes, as I¡¯m sure you know. So you can use those to know what to do without actually making those mistakes with our child. You can use him to see what is good as well, and take those values and experiences for yourself.¡± I¡­ guess, but- ¡°And past that,¡± she said calmly, twirling her finger around my lock of white hair. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be the perfect father, nor do we expect you to.¡± No, but¡­ that¡¯s what I¡¯m afraid of¡­ ¡°Do you remember, Leon?¡± she said, her face forming a fond smile as I stared up at her. ¡°Back when I taught you magic¡­ do you remember all those silly mistakes you made?¡± Of course, I did. It was extremely embarrassing to not look cool in front of your crush, after all. ¡°Hmm¡­ remember when you first tried Earth Fortress with an incantation, only to identally cover yourself? And then when you released it from surprise, the dirt fell right onto you,¡± she said, giggling lightly along with Sylphy at my past misfortunes. ¡°And don¡¯t even get me started on your first application of Icicle Field. Zenith was quite surprised to see her entire garden coated in frost in the middle of summer.¡± Aaghh! ¡°I-I get it!¡± I said, looking away in shame. ¡°I get it, so¡­ cut it out.¡± Seriously¡­ as much as I treasured those moments, back when I was able to hear the delightful giggle of Roxy as a child¡­ they were still embarrassing. Not to mention the scolding I got from Mama afterwards for ruining her nts¡­ Yeah, those were embarrassing times. ¡°Haa¡­ it¡¯s nice to look back at when you were so cute. But you know, Leon¡­¡± Roxy said, cupping my cheek and forcing me to look up at her. ¡°You¡¯re an amazing magician now. Rudy is your only match when ites to pure skill. And aside from some embarrassment¡­ were there any horrible, irreparable issues made during your path of learning?¡± I¡­ yes, she was right. Yet still¡­ ¡°But¡­ what about the time it takes for me to get better?¡± I asked. ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re here for, silly,¡± Sylphy said, yfully pinching my cheek. ¡°While you might be the only father, you¡¯re not alone when ites to being their parent.¡± I felt a weight lift off my shoulders as my lips quirked up in a smile. Right¡­ I had them. Just like when I leaned on Eris during our trek across the Demon Continent, I had to trust these two amazing women as well. I guess, even if I had grown older¡­ I was the same idiot, in some aspects. Only now I could trust these two to stop me. ¡°Right¡­ thank you,¡± I said, turning to kiss Roxy¡¯s belly that was right beside me. ¡°I¡­ might not be the perfect father, but I¡¯ll try to be,¡± I swore, bringing my hand up to caress my unborn child. ¡°And at the very least, no matter what¡­ I will always be there for you¡­ I¡¯ll protect and care for you, and I¡¯ll always be on your side.¡± That¡­ was a promise worth making. ¡°Jeez,¡± Roxy said, tussling my hair. ¡°Saying something like that¡­ What were you even worried about?¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why you¡¯ll be a good father, Leon,¡± Sylphy added, leaning down to kiss my forehead. ¡°Now¡­ what are the names going to be?¡± Oh¡­ right. We should¡­ probably talk about that. ¡°You can call them whatever, Leon,¡± Roxy said. ¡°I¡¯m sure I can trust you.¡± ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s not right,¡± I said. ¡°How about I pick it if it¡¯s a boy, and you if it¡¯s a girl?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ okay, I ept that,¡± Roxy said, nodding to herself. ¡°For a girl¡­ I think Aria is nice.¡± Really? I thought she would do a name starting with Ro-, which, ording to her, was the tradition of the Migurd tribe she was from. ¡°That¡¯s lovely!¡± Sylphy said. ¡°I think so too,¡± I added with a smile before returning to my pondering. But a boy, huh? Hmm¡­ if that happens¡­ then Arthur might be good. Or maybe Adrian? Decisions¡­ I guess only the future would tell. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª The time hade. A battle unlike any I had found myself in before was upon us, but¡­ for better or worse, I wasn¡¯t the one doing most of the fighting. ¡°Hnng!¡± Roxy groaned, gripping my hand with a strength I had never felt from her before. Shit¡­ I think I unconsciously coated it in touki to keep it safe. That was some impressive power, my lovelydy. ¡°Keep pushing, Roxy,¡± Lilia said evenly from the side. ¡°I can see the head, so you¡¯re almost there.¡± ¡°G-Got it! Graa!¡± Roxy shouted, causing me to flinch as her grip increased. ¡°Hmm¡­ it¡¯s quite big, but we expected this. Leon, I need your healing magic,¡± Lilia said, prompting me to move beside her, my hand still clutched by Roxy¡¯s as Sylphy held her other one. ¡°I¡¯m going to orient it, so be sure to heal any damage and pain, okay?¡± Nodding, I pressed my free hand against Roxy¡¯s belly as I began to cast healing magic, following Lilia¡¯s advice as she continued her contractions. And so, being positioned like this¡­ I saw it. The first sign of my child, their wet blue hair slick with amniotic fluid as their head slowly breached Roxy¡¯s entrance, with Lilia moving a towel underneath to support their weight. ¡°You¡¯re almost there, Roxy,¡± I said, squeezing her hand back. ¡°You¡¯re doing amazing!¡± ¡°F-Fuck!¡± she screamed. I¡­ don¡¯t think I had heard her swear before, at least not in bed, but I guess this was definitely the time to do so. But now wasn¡¯t the time to be surprised, nor aroused. There was something much more important in the forefront of my mind. With Lilia and me working in tandem, we continued to help with the delivery, having to gently manoeuvre the baby¡¯s shoulders past the narrow entrance so it didn¡¯t get caught. It seemed that the baby was quite big for Roxy¡¯s thin hips, which made sense as it was going to be half human. But eventually, its body came out, with the baby taking it¡¯s first breaths before it was finally delivered, its little body wrapped in a towel as Lilia began to clean off the blood and vernix coating its skin. Wow¡­ it was so¡­ tiny¡­ ¡°Leon? Can you cut the umbilical cord?¡± Lilia said. ¡°A-Ah, yes!¡± I said, using wind magic to cut off the cord and cauterizing the two cuts. ¡°Thank you,¡± Lilia said. ¡°Well? Are you going to hold her?¡± Nodding my head, with my voice frozen from awe, I hesitantly took the baby into my arms, holding it close as I looked down at the face that had just begun to let out its first cries. Ah¡­ this emotion¡­ this feeling¡­ it was indescribable. I was so stunned that I had to remind myself to breathe. Looking down and noticing theck of a certain extremity, it was indeed a girl, just as Lilia had said. So this was¡­ ¡°Aria¡­¡± I said, suppressing my urge to cry in joy. ¡°My little Aria¡­ I¡¯m¡­ so happy to see you.¡± She, of course, did not answer me, instead opting to cry even louder as I generated some heat to keep her body temperature warm andfortable. ¡°Leon,¡± Lilia said, wiping my cheek, where a tear seemed to have escaped, as she looked at me warmly. ¡°A newborn child should be with their mother, you know.¡± ¡°R-Right,¡± I said, nodding as I got up toy next to Roxy. What¡­ was this feeling? Looking down at Aria, my daughter, I felt my heart pound in my chest even harder. Aria¡­ yes, she¡­ she was my daughter¡­ What the heck, my cheeks were hurting from smiling too much. Oh, speaking of hurting! ¡°Roxy, are you okay?¡± I asked, sliding next to her as she looked at Aria in wonder. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ Sylphy¡¯s healing me, but¡­ I can¡¯t believe this is real,¡± she said, taking Aria into her arms as we held her between us, my arms supporting Aria from below as Roxy held her close. Roxy, she looked¡­ absolutely radiant. With a warm smile lit by thentern''s soft glow, it was probably the most beautiful I had ever seen her. ¡°This¡­ it hurt a lot, but¡­ I can¡¯t help but feel that it was worth it,¡± Roxy said, looking down at her with a wide, wobbly smile. ¡°Even though she¡¯s crying so loud.¡± She really was crying quite loud. But that just meant she was healthy, right? Everyone was quite scared when Rudy didn¡¯t, after all. ¡°Yeah,¡± I chuckled, leaning my head over to peck her cheek. ¡°You did amazing.¡± ¡°And you helped a lot,¡± she said, turning her head to kiss me. With both of us returning to look down at Aria, Roxy then called out to Sylphy, ¡°Come over here. You¡¯re a part of our family too, right?¡± ¡°Huh? Ah y-yes,¡± she said, moving to sit on the opposite side of Roxy as she continued to soothe her pain with healing magic. ¡°Sylphy,¡± I said, looking at Roxy as we shared a small nod. ¡°Aria¡­ she¡¯s your daughter too.¡± Sylphy¡¯s eyes lit up as she then looked back down at the baby, her cheeks flushing as her face gained a warm look simr to Roxy¡¯s. I had made sure to ask Roxy before the birth about this, since I didn¡¯t want to step on any toes, but she readily agreed to the idea that all of our children would be all of ours to take care of. After all, why was there a need for Aria to only have one mother when there were three ready to love her with open arms? And that went for my other future children too. But for now, I didn¡¯t want to think about the future. For now¡­ I just wanted to enjoy this moment. And still¡­ I couldn¡¯t stop smiling. ¡°Aww! She¡¯s so cute!¡± Mama said, moving from the wall to sit beside me as she leaned her head on my shoulder. ¡°And Aria¡­ that¡¯s a good name. Did you pick that out?¡± ¡°No¡­ it was Roxy,¡± I said. ¡°Is that so?¡± she said. ¡°Well still, it¡¯s beautiful, Roxy. She¡¯s beautiful.¡± ¡°T-Thank you¡­ and¡­ she is,¡± Roxy said. Lilia, who had covered Roxy¡¯s lower half with a sheet, then nodded to Lina, who was by the door. ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s done, guys. So you cane in,¡± she said, looking at the three of us. ¡°And Roxy¡­ that¡¯s a really nice expression.¡± ¡°A-Ah, thank you,¡± she said, nodding bashfully. It was then that the door opened, revealing my father, my sisters, as well as Rudy and Sara as the five slowly crowded the room. With so many people, with its impressive size, it was good we chose my room. ¡°Roxy! You did it!¡± Aisha said happily. ¡°Well done, Master. And congrattions, brother,¡± Rudy nodded. Norn simply watched with wide eyes as the three of us held the little bundle of joy. And then¡­ there was my father. ¡°So it¡¯s finally out, huh? You said it was a girl, right?¡± he asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± I said. ¡°Aria is the name¡­ Aria Greyrat.¡± ¡°I see, but¡­ you and Roxy aren¡¯t married yet, right?¡± he said, forming a teasing grin. ¡°I guess little Aria is a bastard, then.¡± Father¡­ I know he was trying to joke with the festive atmosphere, but that was definitely not a good one. Everyone in the room turned their heads to re at him as Norn quickly rose her hand to smack his head, with Sara doing the same a momentter. ¡°Husband¡­¡± Lilia murmured, shaking her head with disappointment. And yet again, Mama simply red at him coldly. Roxy simply chuckled at her antics before looking down at Aria, who had calmed her crying. ¡°That aside¡­¡± Roxy said, her face twisting into a difficult expression. ¡°She has blue hair.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± Sylphy said with a frown. I saw that they were both a little down, especially Roxy, and I didn¡¯t need to know why. ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± I said. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s more than fine. She has the same blue colour of your hair, Roxy¡­ the most beautiful colour in the world.¡± Sylphy looked over at me with a raised eyebrow. ¡°You said the same thing about my hair too,¡± she said. ¡°Nope. It¡¯s beautiful, but not the most beautiful. That goes to Roxy,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°Your silver is the most enchanting, however, and Eris¡¯ red is the most stunning. Just like how your previous green was the most charming.¡± ¡°Leon¡­ don¡¯t all of those words mean the same thing?¡± Roxy asked. ¡°Nope. They¡¯repletely different,¡± I said resolutely. ¡°You dummy,¡± Roxy said, smiling softly before it morphed into a frown. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not the colour. Or at least notpletely. Thanks to you, I¡¯vee to love my hair as well, but¡­ just because I love it, doesn¡¯t mean the rest of the world will.¡± Right¡­ discrimination. Roxy must be upset that the blue Aria had inherited would likely cause her problems, and Sylphy¡­ she was probably worried she would do the same to her future child with her natural green. But¡­ ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter,¡± I said. ¡°She won¡¯t get bullied or harmed for it, unless those people want to face my wrath.¡± After all, even though I had held her for but a few moments, I knew that for Aria¡­ I would do anything for her. ¡°She¡¯s beautiful¡­ indescribably beautiful¡­¡± I said, my hand gently caressing the face of the now-sleeping Aria. ¡°And I wouldn¡¯t want her any other way, even if it means I need to solve some problems in the future. She¡­ is the most amazing daughter.¡± Even though she was my only, at least at the moment. But such a cute face¡­ the warmth she made me feel¡­ she really was so beautiful, iparable to anything I had felt or seen before. Yeah, this moment¡­ the moment I became a father¡­ it was definitely something I would never forget. Birth¡­ fatherhood¡­ it was all quite amazing, huh? I couldn¡¯t wait to experience it again. Chapter 82 – Sylphy’s Birthday Chapter 82 ¨C Sylphy¡¯s Birthday ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Three months had passed since the birth of my wonderful daughter, Aria, and quite a few things had changed since then. Quite obviously, the biggest development was the introduction of Aria into my life. I had experience from my time taking care of my sisters when they were little, but between the diapers, the sponge baths, and the constant crying, it was definitely a shock to the system. Really¡­ while it was starting to calm down a little, no matter the time, Aria always cried. But I could understand. After all, everything was so new and scary to her, so it was obvious that she would be afraid. And it was my job tofort her. It was my job, as her father, to show her that the world wasn¡¯t so scary, and that I would always be there to protect her. So, while it was a bit annoying to have to wake up in the middle of the night, I loved her cries. That wasn¡¯t quite right¡­ rather, I loved calming her down from them. Seeing her terrified, confused, and saddened face calm down into a gentle expression¡­ and knowing I soothed her to that point¡­ that I was the one who had made her feel safe andforted¡­ It was the most fulfilling feeling in the world. I already knew how fast this period would pass thanks to my sisters, so I wanted to make sure that I experienced and enjoyed it to the fullest while I still could. After all, my little Aria would sadly not stay so small and cute forever, no matter how much Imented that fact. Of course, with her producing breast milk, Roxy was the main one taking care of the little Aria, but both me and Sylphy tried to chip in when we could, ensuring that our baby could always be held and talked to whenever she wanted or needed to. But that wasn¡¯t all. Most notably, only a few weeks after Aria arrived, Sara announced her pregnancy, and a few dayster, she and Rudy got married. It was a short ceremony, but a sweet one. And while marriage wasn¡¯t too important outside the Millis religion, Rudy tried his best to get her a nice ring and festive celebration. I would be sure to do the same for mydies when the time came, even if traditionally, the house party we had so long ago was considered a wedding celebration. I also began my position as a swordsmanship instructor a month ago, and with Roxy recovered from her pregnancy, she was nning to be a teacher at the university too¡­ but in magic, obviously. But despite the two of us bing employed, I made sure that we stuttered our schedule with Sylphy so that one of us could always be with Aria¡­ kind of like now. ¡°Agh!¡± she babbled, reaching her hand up to grab my hair. Hmm¡­ it was shoulder-length now, and I¡¯d been meaning to cut it or at least wear it in a bun¡­ but it was simply too cute when Aria always reached to grab it. She was at that stage of development, after all, and who was I to take away her favourite toy? Even if it sometimes hurt¡­ ¡°You¡¯re just too cute, huh?¡± I said, tickling under her chin as I held her in my arms. ¡°You¡¯re going to have Dada in the palm of your hand when you¡¯re older.¡± ¡°Boo!¡± she responded, my words falling on deaf ears. Well, even if she didn¡¯t understand, I always made sure to talk to her when possible. After all, how else are they supposed to learn? ¡°Fufu! I think she already has you, Leon,¡± Mama said from the side. Well¡­ that was probably true. I already knew I was weak to the women in my life, and Aria seemed to be no different. In fact¡­ it was a bit worse in this case. That was the power of a daughter for you. ¡°Truly¡­ you¡¯re just too damn cute,¡± I said, lightly poking her nose. ¡°Aghaha!¡± sheughed, her lips spread into a silly smile. She really was growing quite fast. It felt like just yesterday that she was taking her first breath, and now she was happily giggling, smiling, and babbling back to me whenever I spent time with her. At least, when she was awake. ¡°Baboo!¡± she cooed, once again reaching for my hair. Of course, I dipped my head down to make it a bit easier for her to grab. Really¡­ she was incredibly cute. Aside from the head of blue hair, she also had a small nose like her mother, but her eyes¡­ they were like mine. Wide and warm, with the most adorably brown colour that seemed to make anyone smile when she looked their way. ¡°My¡­ to think that kid from back then would end up being such a doting father,¡± Hilda said, taking a sip of her tea. ¡°While I wish it was Eris¡¯, when I see something like this, I can¡¯t reallyin.¡± Watching Lilia ying a game of cards with Julius with a smile, I felt Mama nudge me from the side, her lips forming a pout as her eyes darted back and forth from me and Aria. She wanted to hold her¡­ and quite badly at that. Still, I had tried to have Aria greet her grandmother once I arrived, but she quickly broke out into tears, so I don¡¯t think this would be any different. It seems that in these three months, she had begun to recognize Roxy, me, and Sylphy as her parents, and she¡­ really didn¡¯t like separating from us. While it was a bit sad to see Mama¡¯s pouting face, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit happy that my cute daughter was so clingy. So, sorry Mama. ¡°So?¡± I said. ¡°You said Philip got a job?¡± ¡°Yeah, my husband seems to have gotten a position as vice-principal Jinas¡¯ assistant,¡± Hilda said. ¡°His scheming side won¡¯t get much use, but his management skills were quite sought after. And this way, if our troublesome tiese to bite us, we¡¯ll have the university¡¯s protection.¡± Ah¡­ I see. That¡¯s¡­ probably for the best. Enemies didn¡¯t just go away, after all. But it was good that Philip was only taking a management position. His scheming side was quite scary. ¡°And your father finally decided to stop beingzy as well,¡± Mama said, scooting closer to me in an attempt to get closer to Aria. ¡°It seems he wanted to be a knight again, this time for a city instead of a rural vige. Luckily, he¡¯ll be an in-city guard most of the time. Millis knows he doesn¡¯t need any more adventures in his life.¡± Yeah¡­ especially with a child on the way. But still¡­ everyone was growing, and things were slowly changing¡­ it made me quite happy. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª The season was turning to fall¡­ well, if we were back in Asura. It was already snowing up here in the north. Anyway, with the eighth month of the year upon us, it meant that it was now Sylphy¡¯s fifteenth birthday, the day she would be an adult. Although¡­ I had already made her one over a year ago¡­ but that was beside the point. Anyway, considering her tenth birthday was missed due to the Discement Incident, we had to be sure that it was a big celebration. Although, aside from Ariel and her attendants, Sylphy didn¡¯t really have any friends, so¡­ it ended up being a smaller group than I had hoped. But still, there was our family there, as well as Lina and Cliff, so it wasn¡¯t all that bad. There was lots of good food, most of which were lovingly made by Mama and Lilia and were Sylphy¡¯s favourites. And of course, there were gifts as well. Though¡­ seeing the familiar-looking vial that Luke and Ariel gave Sylphy, as well as the blush Sylphy had as she looked at me with sparkling eyes, I¡­ had a feeling I would not be sleeping much tonight. I guess, aside from the earrings I had gotten her, I would be giving her another gift once the party wound down. To be honest¡­ I was excited. But still, despite this being Sylphy¡¯s celebration, Aria ended up being the star of the night, with everyone getting a chance to meet the growing girl. Of course, some tried to hold her, like Ariel, but were quickly put off when Aria began sobbing, reaching her little arms out for one of her parents. Hehe~ Aria only loves her daddy and mommies, so sorry everyone~ but not really sorry~ ¡°Leon, what¡¯s with that stupid grin?¡± Roxy said, looking at me with a small smile. ¡°You look like your father.¡± ¡°Take that back,¡± I said, straightening my face. Shaking her head good-naturedly, Roxy continued, ¡°Honestly¡­ Anyway, you have to say goodbye to Princess Ariel. It¡¯s not good to be rude to guests, much less one that¡¯s a princess.¡± ¡°Err, right,¡± I said, handing Aria, who had fallen asleep, over to her. ¡°And she¡¯s knocked out, huh?¡± ¡°But probably not for long,¡± Roxy said, looking at Aria with a smile. Shaking her head, she looked over at Sylphy who was speaking with Ariel and Luke, before turning back to me. ¡°I¡¯ll handle Aria, alright?¡± she said, releasing a sigh. ¡°I think Sylphy deserves a good night on such a special day, so give her a nice memory without worrying about anything else.¡± ¡°Uhh, I got it,¡± I said. If that vial was anything to go by, I think I would end up giving her a good night anyway, whether I wanted to or not. Though it still felt a bit weird for my lover to encourage me to bed another woman¡­ I guess they had a good rtionship, huh? That was nice. And I would be sure not to let her feel alone tomorrow in exchange. After all, she had long since recovered from the birth with the help of healing magic, and I¡¯m not sure if going through childbirth had awakened something, but she was much more¡­ active in bed. Perhaps it was part of that selfishness she had disyed? Either way, I liked it quite a bit. ¡°Okay¡­ goodnight, then,¡± I said, giving her a kiss. ¡°Goodnight, Leon,¡± she returned. ¡°But don¡¯t be too loud, okay? While I promised to watch Aria, I do want to get some sleep tonight.¡± ¡°I-I got it,¡± I said. Well, I doubt we would be able to keep quiet, but that was where my lovely sound magic came in. Magic¡­ it really was amazing. Heading over to Ariel, she gave me a smile as she put on her cloak. ¡°Why¡­ are youing to see me off?¡± she asked, tucking her hair behind her ear. ¡°How lucky, to be treated so kindly by the newest swordsmanship instructor¡­ should I call you ¡®teacher¡¯?¡± ¡°That¡­ is not necessary,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°And could you stop teasing me?¡± ¡°Hmm? Oh, if that¡¯s what you think is me teasing you is like, you are in for a surprise¡­¡± she said, chuckling into her hand. Uhh¡­ what did that mean? I was a bit afraid now. ¡°But aside from that¡­ Aria is quite the cutie,¡± she said, looking over at Roxy as her expression changing to something¡­ softer. That smile looked quite good on her, if I was being honest. ¡°Tell me¡­ that sounds like my name, no?¡± she said. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you named her after me~¡± ¡°In your dreams,¡± I huffed. ¡°Besides, it was Roxy who named her.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± she said, looking back at Roxy as she went up the stairs. ¡°Well, still¡­ I can¡¯t help but feel close to her. She¡¯s certainly a charmer.¡± I guess that was good. It seemed that the princess had good taste. Wait¡­ I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about her in the future, right? This princess wasn¡¯t that deplorable¡­ right? ¡°Anyway, I really should be going now,¡± she said, walking towards the door. ¡°And Sylphy? Be sure to use our gift topletion, alright?¡± ¡°I-I got it, Ariel!¡± Sylphy said, walking over to grab my arm. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ make the most out of it!¡± ¡­That vial was definitely what I thought it was, huh? ¡°Ensure that you do,¡± Ariel said, nodding. ¡°Because I want all the details.¡± Again¡­ how much did Ariel know about my sex life by now? It was surely more than I would want, but s, I think it was toote by now. And with that, she departed, with Luke and another attendant that I forgot the name of as her guards. With my family, Lina, and Cliff having already left, that meant that Sylphy and I were now alone, and as soon as the door closed behind the princess, Sylphy turned to me, her fingers tentatively tapping together. What had gotten her so meek? ¡°U-Umm, Leon, it¡¯s¡­ my birthday, right?¡± she said, looking up at me with a blush. ¡°So-¡± I interrupted her by capturing her lips in a kiss, and in a smooth motion, I picked her up into a princess carry. ¡°I hope you remember thest time you sneaked an aphrodisiac on me,¡± I said, looking down at her. ¡°Don¡¯t expect to sleep tonight.¡± ¡°I-I know¡­ and, can you¡­ not use ¡®that¡¯ spell?¡± she said, her eyes staring at me with determination. ¡°I¡­ that big, warm family I¡¯ve dreamed of¡­ I want to start contributing too.¡± Oh¡­ I see. Well, she was an adult now, so¡­ ¡°Of course, Sylphy,¡± I said, kissing her forehead. And so, with that, I then carried my beautiful fairy up to her room to do the deed. While I had the main room, with a big bed to fit everyone on most nights and a bass to hold Aria, both Sylphy and Roxy had their own rooms. While they both usually slept together with me, unless one of them needed a break from the crying Aria, they both had their own use for their rooms, with Roxy¡¯s slowly turning into a library and Sylphy¡¯s being used for Ariel whenever she stayed over and otherwise simply storing her clothes. But tonight, well¡­ it would be serving a different function. I just hoped she would change the sheets before Ariel came back. I had the feeling I might see something I would rather live without if she didn¡¯t. Chapter 83 – A Way to Fulfill a Promise Chapter 83 ¨C A Way to Fulfill a Promise ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Your stance is wrong. Widen your hips and keep your legs bent,¡± I instructed, moving a student¡¯s leg to the proper position with my wooden sword. ¡°Stay like that and keep swinging until it¡¯s natural, alright?¡± ¡°Ah! Thank you, teacher!¡± he responded. ¡°Well¡­ this is my job, so no problem,¡± I said, moving on to the next one. I still couldn¡¯t get used to being called ¡®teacher¡¯. Especially considering the student in question looked to be a year or two older than me. Anyway, as one might expect, I was currently teaching my swordsmanship ss, where for the moment, we were in the practice swing part of our lesson. It was something I did at the start of the ss as a way to ensure everyone¡¯s foundation was growing stronger, and warming them up for the rest of the period. I guess you could call it a way to get into the ¡®swing¡¯ of things, hehe. ¡­Wow, I really was a father, huh? I even had the shitty jokes now. Anyway, while this part was mostly individual, I did make sure to correct anyone¡¯s form when I noticed something wrong, and with my Demon eye, I also guided them on drawing out their touki, and with the few Advanced-ranks in the ss, helping them use it more efficiently. After this would either be spars, where everyone would grab a partner and¡­ well¡­ spar, or I would do instruction, where I would teach the entire ss a technique or a movement in the three great styles. But ultimately, while I was quite good at teaching, this ss wouldn¡¯t be turning out any Saint-rank fighters anytime soon. After all, if they were that skilled, they would have simply gone to a dojo instead, but there were still some talented people in here. As it was an ¡®advanced swordsmanship¡¯ ss, everyone was at least at the Intermediate rank in their chosen style, but there were a few Advanced-rank fighters in here as well. So, with such a skilled group, at leastpared to the average person, they were quite prideful in their abilities. And as one might expect, having a new teacher who was not only unknown, but also younger than many of the students¡­ they were initially quite skeptical of me. Well, to quell that skepticism, I simply allowed them to attack me as they wished before reversing the flow of their touki as they struck me, standing unmoving with my arms crossed as every attacker was sent flying backwards. Needless to say, they quickly began listening to me after that. While I didn¡¯t know anyone in this ss, aside from one of Ariel¡¯s attendants, once Sara gave birth, I expected her to join the ss as she still wanted to improve upon her swordsmanship. I do wish Norn woulde as well, but she left her sword training for home, where she could spar with either me or our father. Maybe in a year or two she would join? I wasn¡¯t sure, but I hoped so. Nothing would make me happier than having my sister with me during my work, and even if it was frowned upon, I would definitely be giving her some preferential treatment. But overall, aside from a few students who were still stubborn to my advice, it was a nice ss, with an equally nice sry to go alongside it. Although¡­ around a month ago, right after Sylphy¡¯s birthday, I did get all those annoying beastfolk guys challenging me to a fight. Apparently, as it was the mating season for them, the beastfolk had the tradition of having duels between a man and a woman, where afterwards, they would get married, with the winner being the leader of their ¡®pack¡¯. How did this rte to me? Well, to be honest, I still wasn¡¯t quite sure, but apparently, many of the beastfolk men wanted to have these duels against Linia and Pursena due to their position as princesses in the Great Forest, but Rudy had already ¡®imed¡¯ them, bing their defender each year during the mating season. He had never lost a duel, of course, so they had begun to give up the two beastfolk princesses¡­ until I arrived. ording to the idiots, if they were able to defeat me, who Rudy touted as being a better fighter than him, he would then give up the princesses without a fight. Yeah¡­ idiots. I don¡¯t know whether they thought I was simply a better match-up for them, or that Rudy was vastly overestimating me, but they came at me regardless After the first one got sent flying against the wall with one swing, you would think the rest would back off, but nope. They were a really obstinate group of idiots. But it wasn¡¯t all bad, as I was able to use their duels as an instruction session without the worry of hurting my own students too bad. Ah, and speaking of Rudy, it was almost time for lunch¡­ I wonder what the cafeteria would have for me today? ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°How was your ss, brother?¡± Rudy asked. ¡°It was fine,¡± I said, shrugging. ¡°And what about you? You had your healing ss, right?¡± ¡°Detoxification,¡± Rudy corrected. ¡°But healing is tomorrow.¡± ¡°I see,¡± I said before turning to the other people sitting with us. ¡°And what about you guys? Anything interesting happen?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ melded magic is getting interesting,¡± Cliff said. ¡°Though I do wish I could take a ss with Lise. I¡¯m too advanced for her magic sses, but maybe I could join the survival ones?¡± Ah, yeah¡­ Lina also became a student. If it was before she found Cliff, I would be worried about the innocence of the student poption, but luckily, she seemed very happy and loyal with the man. Though I wish she wouldn¡¯t divulge in all the details of their nights when we talked¡­ And about him not being in her ss, that was likely for the best. I had already caught them in what I thought to be an empty ssroom more than a few times now. ¡°And how goes your research into her curse?¡± Rudy asked. Right. There was that too. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ difficult, but invigorating,¡± Cliff said. ¡°For a genius like me, I am certain I will be able toplete it, and the introduction of multiyered circles and aiding Miss Silent Stars with her experiments has been quite helpful.¡± ¡°I see¡­ well, if you need a lot of mana, you can alwayse to me,¡± Rudy said, turning to Zanoba. ¡°And speaking of multiyered circles, how about that doll? Anything good?¡± ¡°I¡¯m slowly discovering the genius of such a creation,¡± Zanoba said, pushing up his sses. ¡°I believe it will take a while to use any of my discoveries for my own projects, but it is pleasing to do nheless. Although¡­ it is a shame that I am unable to practice your teachings regarding creating figures, Master. Not that I was very good at it anyway¡­¡± And now he was sad¡­ Don¡¯t worry, Zanoba. I wasn¡¯t very good at making figures, either. ¡°Hm? What teachings?¡± Linia asked. ¡°Well, overall, Zanoba is quite¡­ clumsy with his hands,¡± Rudy exined. ¡°But most importantly, I make figures with chantless earth magic, and it seems that it is near impossible for someone to learn chantless casting once they¡¯re an adult.¡± Unless you were Roxy, of course. Ah, speaking of her, she was at home with Aria now, but she was probably bored, right? Maybe, if my cute daughter was asleep, I could go over and give her some ¡®excitement¡¯, since my sses for the day were finished. ¡°So only a kid can learn to make figures like you?¡± Linia asked. ¡°I¡­ believe so, yes,¡± Rudy nodded. ¡°Though I would have to teach them.¡± ¡°Then why not just get one?¡± she asked. ¡°There are a few ve markets around the merchant district, right?¡± My fork that was lifting toward my mouth paused. ¡°That¡­ isn¡¯t a bad idea,¡± Rudy said, widening his eyes. ¡°Zanoba, would you like to check it outter today?¡± ¡°That sounds wonderful, Master!¡± he responded. ¡°Great! And what about you, brother?¡± he said, looking at me. very¡­ I narrowed my eyes as I began to remember the beastfolk smugglers, how they treated those poor children and then raided the forest¡­ And there were still kids in very, even all the way up here. In fact, it was even more prevalent, as it was one of the main drivers of the economy. And I¡­ hated that shit. It was disgusting. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ sure,¡± I said, taking a drink to help swallow down my food. But just because it was disgusting, that didn¡¯t mean I should close my eyes to it. No¡­ that was even more of a reason to face it. I had already told myself, right? I wouldn¡¯t run away from the bad things in the world¡­ even if it hurt to see. Dammit¡­ I didn¡¯t feel like eating now. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª With Cliff separating to continue his work on Lina¡¯s curse, and the beastfolk princesses going to their final ss for the day, it was just me, Rudy, and Zanoba going to purchase the ve. As I followed them through the ve market, I noticed the many attractive women and strong-looking men lined up along the various storefronts out of the corner of my eye, dressed only in loincloths and sometimes even nothing at all, likely to show off the ¡®goods¡¯ to prospective customers. As I thought¡­ this ce really was dirty. ¡°While we¡¯re here with the aim to purchase someone who could learn chantless magic, it wouldn¡¯t be bad for them to be good with their hands too,¡± Rudy said. ¡°So¡­ we should get a dwarf, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I was thinking, Master,¡± Zanoba agreed. ¡°Right, so a dwarf child¡­ and preferably a cute little girl,¡± Rudy said, turning to me. ¡°And it¡¯s a dwarf, we still should be able tomunicate with them, right, brother?¡± My eyebrows furrowed further in disgust as I nced around the surroundings, not to mention Rudy¡¯s calmness. I guess he had done stuff like this before, huh? Well¡­ while I hated it, it was something natural in this world, so I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. ¡°Whatever,¡± I said. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with. I want to go see Aria.¡± Yes, Aria¡­ my daughter¡­ My eyes drifted over to a human child, no older than seven, as she held up a sign for one of the individual ve shops in the market, her eyes downcast with a shackle fastened around her neck. ¡­Yeah, I really hated this ce. ¡°A-Alright, then¡­ we have our requirements, so let¡¯s see if one of the merchants can help us out,¡± Rudy said, walking towards a kiosk, where a shady-looking man sat behind the desk. ¡°Excuse me,¡± he said, going up to the man. ¡°We¡¯re looking to purchase a ve, can you help us?¡± The man nodded his head. ¡°Alright. Do you know what you¡¯re lookin¡¯ for? We got a lot of fighting types, and even a few magicians. We even got a few women who are good in bed. No diseases, of course,¡± he said, tapping his fingers against the desk. ¡°Ah, well, we¡¯re hoping you had a dwarf. About five years old, if possible, and¡­¡± Rudy said. ¡°Preferably a girl.¡± Rudeus¡­ why? ¡°Oh? So you¡¯re into that, huh?¡± the man said, shaking his head as he began to flip through a book, probably a record of the inventory. I felt my fist clench. ¡®Into that¡¯¡­ I didn¡¯t need to wonder what he was talking about. To say something like that so casually¡­ that meant it must be a regr urrence around here. It made me sick. ¡°Well, we don¡¯t really get many- Ah! Actually, we have one! She just came in, so that¡¯s perfect timing,¡± he said. ¡°A five-year-old dwarf girl. Hmm¡­ seems her parents got into debt, so she was sold off¡­ She¡¯s fine in health, if a bit malnourished, and she¡¯s still a virgin¡­ She doesn¡¯t speak the human tongue, and can¡¯t read, obviously. Is that fine?¡± ¡°More than fine,¡± Rudy said, nodding happily. ¡°Can we go meet her?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll get someone to lead you to her,¡± the man said, ringing a bell. How he could converse so easily and politely with such people¡­ my brother really was amazing. I could never do it. Especially not now. My mind¡­ it was chaotic. A girl¡­ a five-year-old girl, younger than my sisters¡­ why she was here in such a ce? Because her parents were a pair of idiots? That¡­ I couldn¡¯t ept that. What a sick fucking joke. Another man came to lead us to the girl, his name passing through one ear and out the other, much like the rest of the conversation between him and Rudy as walked through the market. The market-like surroundings quickly changed into one filled with cages that were holding people of many various races, sizes, and ages, ranging from middle-aged strong-looking men that sent res my way, to children weeping in their cramped cages, hiding away from the world. The smell of sweat and feces¡­ the sound of crying and the crack of a whip¡­ the deste atmosphere¡­ the kids¡­ the fucking kids¡­ I hated it. I hated all of this. ¡°Brother?¡± Rudy asked, turning back to look at me. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I lied, gritting my teeth. ¡°Just keep fucking walking.¡± ¡°H-Huh? Umm, got it,¡± he said, turning back. It didn¡¯t take long before we reached our destination, stopping in front of a cage with a little girl inside of it, her messy brown hair draped past her shoulders as she hugged her knees to her chest, eyespletely devoid of life as she stared at her feet. My teeth clenched even harder at the sight. Really¡­ to hide away from such a thing¡­ something so normal in this world, especially up here in the northern territories¡­ I really was a coward. ¡°That¡¯s her. Bring her out,¡± the man to lead us ordered his subordinate. ¡°Ah, of course, as you can see, she isn¡¯t in the best condition¡­ not to mention only knowing the Beast God tongue¡­ so we¡¯ll give you a discount.¡± The subordinate then utched the cage, pulling on the chain that was connected to a cor around the child¡¯s neck to bring her forward, the girl slowly lifting to her feet as she moved over to us. My chest tightened. This¡­ I fucking hated this¡­ that nk look¡­ those dirty rags¡­ that scrawny body¡­ She already seemed to have one foot in the grave, if not physically, then at least mentally. That¡­ no. Children¡­ kids¡­ they should be happier than that. They should be running around, smiling, giggling, learning¡­ not¡­ not this. ¡°Strip her,¡± the man said, breaking me out of my trance. ¡°Do it, and you¡¯re dead,¡± I said, releasing some bloodlust as my hand went to my sword. ring at the subordinate, I watched him fall on his ass as I stepped forward, moving to crouch down in front of the girl. ¡°Do you have a name?¡± I asked in the Beast God tongue. She didn¡¯t respond, simply staring nkly ahead as I slowly undid the shackle around her neck. ¡°U-Uh, S-Sir, you-¡± ¡°We¡¯re buying her,¡± I said. ¡°So this shouldn¡¯t be a problem, right?¡± ¡°I-I suppose not¡­¡± the man said. Now free from the chains, I looked down at the dishevelled rags covering her body. Well¡­ these were no good. Reaching out, I slowly undressed her, hiding her from the others with my body as I grimaced at the scrapes and bruises covering her thin body. Seeing such a sight, I began to cast healing magic on her, feeling the cold of her skin as I did so. Yeah, no¡­ this wasn¡¯t good at all. Here in the corner was quite far from the furnaces, so with the weather getting colder, the temperature could quickly be deadly. ¡°L-Leon, are you-¡± ¡°We¡¯re buying her,¡± I said, interrupting Rudy. I then undid my coat before wrapping it around the girl, guiding her hands into the sleeves as she remained still. It was much too big on her, but¡­ it was better than the rags from before, both in warmth and hygiene. I then reached out, pulling her into a hug as I rested her chin on my shoulder, lifting her as I stood up and turned to face the others. And to my surprise and slight delight¡­ her arms around my neck squeezed back a bit as her face buried itself into my shoulder. Yeah¡­ so she wasn¡¯tpletely gone¡­ that was good. Casting some healing magic through her back to alleviate any lingering pain, I then walked back to Zanoba and Rudy as my brother finished paying the required price. She needed food¡­ she needed a lot of things¡­ and now that she was somewhat my responsibility, I intended to see it through. ¡°Zanoba,¡± I said, looking at the man. ¡°This girl¡­ I¡¯m going to make sure she¡¯s happy, whether it¡¯s with you, or not. So treat her well.¡± ¡°I have no ns to mistreat a future student of Master!¡± he said, cing his hand on his chest. Well¡­ I would rather him promise to not mistreat a child because they were a child, but I suppose that works too. ¡°Then¡­ let¡¯s go,¡± I said, walking back the way we had arrived. As I continued walking, I held the much too frail girl in my arms, and while doing so, I couldn¡¯t help but imagine that it was Aria pressed against my chest. And then the cries of the other children¡­ they were much too sickening to ignore now. It was all too much. But also¡­ I felt motivated. A spark of inspiration, so to say. My promise to Mom¡­ could this be a way to fulfill it? I could only hope so. Because I really¡­ really hated this. And now that I had seen it so intimately, I don¡¯t think I could overlook it. Not anymore. ¡°Leon?¡± Rudy said, lightly tugging my sleeve. ¡°Y-You¡¯re scaring me a bit.¡± Oh¡­ I had been releasing my bloodlust ever since I picked up the dwarf girl, and it had only grown stronger as we passed the cages once again. Whoops. I guess I lost control of my emotions a bit. ¡°Sorry,¡± I said, reining it in. ¡°Is¡­ something wrong?¡± he asked. Was something¡­ wrong? ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± I spat. very wasmon here, I understood that. ¡°Criminals, or idiots making shit decisions¡­ I don¡¯t care about them getting enved,¡± I said, gently squeezing the child¡¯s back. ¡°But innocents¡­ and especially children¡­ I can¡¯t ept that. How can I?¡± Now, every time I looked at one of the kids, I couldn¡¯t help but picture Aria in the same position. With a daughter of my own, and surely more toe, I couldn¡¯t get that out of my mind. It was painful. ¡°I¡­ also find it distasteful,¡± Rudy said, grimacing a bit. ¡°But it¡¯s not something we can change with violence, no matter how strong you are. It¡¯s just¡­ a part of this world.¡± ¡°¡­I know,¡± I said, gritting my teeth. I knew that. I knew that already, dammit. This wasn¡¯t something I could change with might, at least not at an institutional level. But¡­ perhaps with Ariel¡­ No, that could only happen in the future, but for now¡­ I could see a path. That orphanage idea I had thought about back in Roa¡­ it was correct. The employees could be innocents taken from their homes, much like the smugglers back in the Great Forest, and as for getting children¡­ I now knew exactly where to find them. I could buy in bulk, especially since children were not treated as well and considerably cheaper, and if they tried to overcharge¡­ well, the world wouldn¡¯t notice a few missing vers, right? Yeah¡­ that sounded good. But for now, we had to make this dwarf girl feel a bit morefortable. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª After purchasing the now-named Julie, which Zanoba decided to name after the little brother he identally killed with his monstrous strength as a child, we quickly went over to Rudy¡¯s house to give her a bath, some new clothes, and a meal in her stomach before I left to go home. Only after getting Ginger¡¯s promise to take care of her, of course. I know Zanoba had promised, but I couldn¡¯t trust him unconditionally for¡­ obvious reasons. After all, with his clumsiness, and calling her that ominous name¡­ he was really tempting fate. So, with my mind exhausted from the day¡¯s events, I trudged back home, wiping off my shoes at the entrance before I went into the living room, only to see Sylphy and Roxy sitting on the couch, with Roxy holding Aria while Sylphy calmly knitted at her side. Ah¡­ I could feel my mind healing¡­ ¡°Leon?¡± Roxy said, looking over to me. ¡°You¡¯re back awfullyte. Did somethinge up?¡± ¡°You could say that,¡± I said, slowly walking over to them. ¡°It was just a long day.¡± Kneeling down in front of the couch, I let my head rest between the two of their legs, Sylphy stopping her knitting to hesitantly run her hand through my head while Aria began pulling my hair from the opposite side. My daughter wasn¡¯t nearly as gently, but I appreciated it nheless. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Leon,¡± Sylphy asked gently. I said nothing, instead deciding to crawl up and sit between them, wrapping my arms around the two and pulling them closer as I stared up at the ceiling. Yeah¡­ it was a long day. ¡°Here, take her,¡± Roxy said, passing Aria over to me, her pudgy hands reaching out to me. ¡°She seemed to have been missing her father.¡± ¡°I think she just missed ying with my hair,¡± I said, a small smile forming on my face as I took her into my arms. She was so small¡­ and so beautiful¡­ with the loveliest blue hair, and the cutest big brown eyes that were currently staring at me as she continued reaching for my hair. What a cutie. Feeling a warmth blossom in my heart, I pulled her into my chest as I exined what had happened to the two. From the initial conversation at lunch, to arriving at the ve market, all the way to leaving Julie with Ginger and Zanoba. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t want children to feel such sadness and pain,¡± I said, my fingers gently brushing through Aria¡¯s hair. ¡°I promised my mother, Alice, that I would find a way to help people, and this¡­ might be it.¡± Roxy and Sylphy both nced at each other before looking at me, confused. ¡°Leon¡­ what exactly are you talking about?¡± she asked. Oh, right, I got too ahead of myself. ¡°An orphanage,¡± I said, looking down at Aria¡¯s silly grin and returning a smile of my own. ¡°Or¡­ something like it. I just don¡¯t know how to start¡­ or how to fund it.¡± A house, food, clothing, hobbies¡­ that all added up quite quickly. And while I had a good sry from the university, and afortable amount of savings left over from the teleportationbyrinth, I couldn¡¯t use it all on my phnthropic venture. After all, while I did want to help those kids, my obligation was to Aria and her future siblings first and foremost. I wanted all of them to livefortably, being able to do what they want, all without money getting in the way. ¡°Haa¡­ Dada just doesn¡¯t know what to do,¡± I said, tickling under Aria¡¯s chin, causing her to break out into a fit of giggles. Yeah¡­ just too cute. Just too damn special. ¡°Abaa!¡± she babbled, reaching out her hand to grab my finger, gently trying to pull it back to her. Looking down at her, my sweet daughter, I knew she was the most important and precious thing in the world. But¡­ weren¡¯t other kids special as well? They could be another Sylphy, Eris, or Roxy¡­ they could grow up to be important, if not to me, then to someone else, and have their own happy lives. Or at least¡­ they deserved the chance to. I wasn¡¯t naive enough to think I could save every single child in pain. That¡­ was something I could never change. Not even that all-giving and all-powerful Saint Millis from legends could do such a thing. But if it was just a few¡­ if I could give them a better life¡­ wouldn¡¯t that be good enough? I¡¯d like to think so. ¡°I understand,¡± Sylphy said, reaching down to take my hand. ¡°That kindness¡­ that¡¯s why I love you. It¡¯s that kindness that saved me from those bullies all those years ago and made me who I am today.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ me too,¡± Roxy said, leaning her head on my shoulder. ¡°But that is a problem, huh? Unfortunately, I do not know how to support such a thing.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s okay,¡± I returned, kissing her head. ¡°This is something I¡¯ll just have to deal with.¡± It seemed that Aria had decided to stick my finger in her mouth, eagerly chewing on it with her gums. Ah¡­ she must be teething now, huh? But isn¡¯t that a bit unsanitary? Taking it away from her, I ignored her annoyed cry as I washed my finger thoroughly with water and detoxification magic before letting her grasp it again. Maybe I should get a wooden pacifier or something. ¡°Leon, I can¡¯t say for sure, but¡­ I can ask Ariel for some help,¡± Sylphy said, bringing a hand to her chin in thought. ¡°While she might not be able to help with any funds until she¡¯s back in Asura, she might be able to convince the mayor to give up unused houses andnd. Especially if she mentions your strength as a bargaining chip.¡± Really? I knew that Ariel was gaining some connections up here in the north, but to have such influence in only a little under two years was impressive. ¡°Thanks, Sylphy,¡± I said, leaning over to kiss her cheek. ¡°You two are the best.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t really do anything, though,¡± Roxy mumbled from the side. ¡°You being here is plenty enough,¡± I said, leaning my head on top of hers. ¡°Aboo!¡± Aria cooed, shaking my finger back and forth. ¡°Right, you too,¡± I said, smiling down at her before I leaned down to kiss her forehead. Truly¡­ family made everything better. Leaning back, I noticed Sylphy and Roxy exchange a nce before Sylphy moved a little closer to me. ¡°Leon, I can see you¡¯re still a bit sad, so¡­¡± she said, leaning her head in to whisper in my ear. ¡°Once Aria¡¯s asleep¡­ we can make you feel a little bit happier.¡± I widened my eyes at the implications, looking over to Roxy only to see her cheeks flushed. Huh? Was this¡­ happening? ¡°It¡¯s our duty as your future wives, right?¡± she said, bringing a hand to one of her braids. ¡°Plus¡­ you¡¯re still too much for either of us to satisfy alone.¡± I swallowed down my anticipation at the thought. Both of them together¡­ while I had definitely dreamed of it, the most we had actually done as a trio was me pleasuring them both with my mouth or fingers. ¡°Uh, no, I¡¯m plenty satisfied-¡± ¡°Shh~¡± Sylphy hushed me, pressing a finger against my mouth. ¡°Just let us do this.¡± ¡­Well, I certainly wasn¡¯t going to refuse, so I guess I had my night nned out. But I had a gnawing feeling that once I crossed this line with them¡­ it would be difficult to go back to bedding one of them at a time. Such was the danger of these incredibly tempting women. Chapter 84 – Blue and Silver (R-18) Chapter 84 ¨C Blue and Silver (R-18) ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª With Sylphy cleaning up after dinner, and Roxy having fed Aria, it was then time for the sleepy baby to turn in while the other two headed to my room to¡­ prepare. Since Aria was now five months old, she was slowly getting introduced to mashed fruits and other easy to eat solids, but she still liked her mother¡¯s milk the most, especially before bed. Well¡­ to be honest, I was the same. Anyway, with Aria dressed in somefy pyjamas, I sat in the rocking chair in Roxy¡¯s room, gently rocking her to sleep before I then ced her in her crib. ¡°Sweet dreams, Aria,¡± I said, lightly kissing her forehead. And with her soft snoring the only sound in the room, I closed the door behind her, putting an end to the tender moment shared between my lovely daughter and I as I prepared to face a more¡­ lewd situation. While Roxy would be using the birth control spell to not overwhelm her with kids, perhaps this would be the night where I finally got Sylphy pregnant. As it turns out, Roxy and I were quite lucky, as it was usually quite difficult to have a child between different races. It was especially difficult with Sylphy, considering the elf blood flowing through her veins, as herck of pregnancy certainly wasn¡¯t due to ack of trying. ¡°Right,¡± I said to myself, lightly pping my cheeks. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± My heart thumping in anticipation, I quickly walked the few steps down the hall before reaching my door, opening it to reveal a very pleasant sight. The room was alight in a soft glow, thanks to the fewnterns lit near the window, and kneeling on the bed, were my two lovelydies, both d in very revealing lingerie. For Sylphy, she was wearing a pair of ck panties and a bra, with her hair that now reached her breasts tied in a ponytail, giving her a new look that made my length twitch in excitement. And then there was Roxy, who wearing a pair of bluecy panties and a loosely fitting white shirt of mine, her hair out of her usual braids and draped across her back. In short, they both looked- ¡°Amazing,¡± I said, closing the door behind me as I instantly took off my shirt and tossed it to the side. Walking up to them, I stood in front of them as I lifted both my hands to caress their cheeks, my thumb tracing across their lips as they both looked up at me with lidded eyes. I wasn¡¯t quite sure how this would y out, but¡­ I think it would be best to just go with the flow. As Roxy had said earlier on the couch, I always had extra energy in the tank after sex, so even if all three of us together didn¡¯t work out, I could always focus my attention on one of them and satisfy them topletion before turning to the other. I was broken out of my thoughts by Sylphy opening my mouth, tracing her tongue along my thumb as her hands reached down to take off my pants, while Roxy pushed my hand down from her face to her breasts. After giving birth, they had gotten a bit bigger, and felt much firmer, so I made sure to thoroughly enjoy the new shape. Especially when it made her pant like she was right now. ¡­I was definitely aroused. With my pants and underwear pulled down to my ankles, I kicked them to the side as I crawled over the two, pressing my hands to their chests to push them down onto the bed and get to work. Mmm¡­ and I know how good they taste, so I was quite excited. As I licked my lips in anticipation, I felt Sylphy grab my hand as she got to her knees. ¡°No, Leon,¡± Sylphy said, grabbing my shoulders to turn me around. ¡°We¡¯re here to make you feel better, remember?¡± ¡°But¡­ I love making you two feel good,¡± I said, feeling myself get pushed down onto my back by both of them, with Roxy crawling next to Sylphy. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry,¡± Sylphy said, licking her lips as her fingers traced down my toned body. ¡°We¡¯ll be feeling plenty~ goodter on.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Roxy said, taking off her shirt to reveal a set of beautiful breasts. ¡°So for now¡­ just leave it to us.¡± I quickly nodded my head. It was rare for Roxy to take such initiative, even with her newly awakened lust. Instead, she was more of the type to hesitantly try things out, asking how she was doing with her analytical side, always striving to improve. So I definitely wouldn¡¯t miss the chance to experience this new side of her. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Sylphy was extremely active in bed, though she slowly became more demure as the night continued, leaving everything to me as we sated both of our desires to the fullest. Seeing her slowly sumb to my love, changing her from a seductive little devil into a shy, sensitive mess¡­ it was one of my favourite things to experience. But I would be able to see their tendenciester. For now, I should take Roxy¡¯s advice and leave it all to them. After all, I knew that I would surely enjoy it, and afterwards, I could repay them tenfold. With Roxy and Sylphy both grasping my cock, they both looked at each other before nodding and dipping their heads down, Roxy taking my tip into her mouth as Sylphy slowly licked up the base, sending a pleasant shiver through my entire body. Damn¡­ a double attack was way more tantalizing than I realized¡­ especially with how sexy they looked right now. My breath hitched as Roxy began gently sucking, her lidded eyes staring right into mine as I felt her tongue crawl over my cock while Sylphy began pumping my shaft while nting kisses up my chest. Fuck¡­ my hands¡­ I should do something with them¡­ Reaching out, I had my left hand reach down Roxy¡¯s body, her hips moving to the side so that I could easily reach for her bottom, while my right went to Sylphy¡¯s head, lightly gripping her hair before I pulled her up and into a kiss, eagerly sucking on her lower lip as she moaned sweetly into my mouth. Man¡­ I could already feel my body heating up¡­ I was definitely going to devour themter, but I think they knew the risks when they came up here together, so I wouldn¡¯t have any guilt if they couldn¡¯t walk tomorrow. With my hand drifting down Sylphy¡¯s back, I unsped her bra while entering Roxy¡¯s panties with the other, pulling her bottom closer to me as my fingers brushed against her wet slit, making her squirm as she took me deeper into her mouth, engulfing me in a pleasant warmth. I released a shaky breath as both of my hands reached their respectivedy¡¯s entrance, and ensuring the fingers were doused in their fluids, I inserted them, making both girls freeze. Manoeuvring my wrist, I went deep into Sylphy as she quickly pressed her mouth against my neck, her hands moving to wrap around my head as she began eagerly thrusting her hips into my hand, making sure that my fingers brushed against her special spot. Roxy, meanwhile, had moved a hand down to remove her panties, rubbing her clit with one hand as she used the other to continue gripping my shaft, her mouth now bobbing up and down my cock as saliva dripped down to my base. ¡°Shit¡­ Roxy¡­ Sylphy¡­¡± I breathed out, increasing the frequency of my thrusts. ¡°Tell me when you¡¯re close, Leon~¡± Sylphy whispered into my ear, her breath hitching as I brushed my palm against her clit. Her mouth then pressed against my ear, lightly nibbling it and causing a tingle to shoot down my spine, while her hands began to sift through my hair as she continued to use my hand for her pleasure. Their dual attack continued while I tried to pleasure them as well, and feeling Roxy clench around my digits, I felt the suction of her mouth increase, sending another electric shock through my mind. One that took me right to my limit. ¡°I¡­ I¡­!¡± As I tried to voice that I was nearing my ownpletion, Sylphy quickly removed her mouth from my neck, twirling around to join Roxy as my hands finally removed her panties. ¡°Roxy¡­ let¡¯s finish him together,¡± Sylphy said, lifting Roxy¡¯s head up as she pressed her lips against my tip, right next to Roxy¡¯s. No¡­ their lips¡­ they were touching. I had no idea why, but seeing such a thing pushed me over the edge in an instant, a shockwave moving through my body as I released into both of their mouths, my semen coating their lips as they both fervently gulped down the liquid. God¡­ that was really hot. Was it bad that I wanted to press their lips together once more? Probably, right? ¡°Good boy~¡± Sylphy said, licking her lips as she looked back at me with lidded eyes. ¡°Do you want any mor- woah!¡± With her saying such a thing¡­ and looking at me like that¡­ and not to mention that captivating action they had just done together¡­ well, I couldn¡¯t let her go after all that. So, grabbing her hips, I pulled Sylphy to my face, pressing my lips against her wet entrance as I quickly slid my tongue into her, causing her to release a heated moan. Continuing to dig my tongue around her depths, I felt my limp member get clutched by a familiar pair of small hands. Detaching from Sylphy¡¯s slit and looking over her back, I saw Roxy lightly gripping my shaft with a small pout as she looked at me. ¡°Leon¡­ I want it,¡± she said, narrowing her eyes as her other hand went down to spread open her soaking hole, revealing herself to mepletely. ¡°So¡­ don¡¯t you want me as well?¡± I quickly nodded my head, diving back into Sylphy as she copsed onto my body, her legs shaking as I focused on her taste. It was¡­ sweet, yet a bit sour. But more than that, it simply tasted arousing. And then the feeling of Roxy¡¯s hand tenderly massaging my cock¡­ the sound of Sylphy¡¯s raspy moans¡­ her legs slowly clenching around my head¡­ Yeah, this was definitely enough. ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± Roxy purred, straddling me as she quickly pushed my tip against her entrance, releasing a pleased sigh as she sunk down to meet her hips with mine. ¡°Haa¡­ is this good, Leon?¡± My mouth being upied, I brought out a hand to rub her leg in agreement, feeling her begin to rock her hips back and forth in response. After a few moments of bliss, Sylphy eventually got control over her shaky legs, lifting herself up to sit up straight, holding my hand and intecing our fingers as she rode my face, her heated breaths increasing in fervour. ¡°L-Leon~!¡± she moaned between panting breaths, her hips lurching back and forth as her grip on my hand increased. ¡°I¡­ I¡­!¡± She was close. And to get her there, I decided to put into practice one of the techniques I had been practising for this very moment. Magic wasn¡¯t something only used inbat, after all. Lightly pressing my tongue against her clit, I sent a very weak pulse of electricity through it, causing Sylphy to straighten her back as she released a strangled noise. Just as Rudy had theorized, that technique certainly worked well in bed. Almost¡­ too well. I would have to be careful with this. Feeling liquid stter onto my chin, making my face even more of a mess, Sylphy then copsed onto the bed at me side, her body trembling as her hands moved to gently massage her breasts and slit. Well¡­ she looked out of it for the moment, so that meant I could focus on Roxy. ¡°L-Leon?¡± Roxy said, her face flushed as she continued riding me. ¡°Is it good still? A-Anything I should do better?¡± I smiled as I shook my head, my breath hitching slightly as I felt a wave of pleasure flood my system. Sitting up, I wrapped my arms around her neck, pulling her close as I gave her a deep kiss. ¡°You¡¯re perfect,¡± I said, a string of saliva, as well as Sylphy¡¯s fluids, connecting our mouths. Oh¡­ whoops, I forgot about that. But at least Roxy didn¡¯t seem to mind. In fact, she looked even more aroused now. Licking my lips, I grabbed her sides, twisting her around so that her back was to my chest as I then got to my knees, her weight pushing my cock deeper into her folds as she dropped. ¡°L-Leon, that spot¡­¡± she whimpered, breathing heavily as I began to kiss her neck from behind. ¡°You told me to leave it all to you earlier, right?¡± I said, lightly biting her ear. ¡°Now¡­ it¡¯s my turn to take control.¡± My hold on her body tightened, and then, I began lifting her up and down, pounding into her as her hands moved to grip my hair from behind. Roxy always enjoyed when I took charge. I could only guess it was since she didn¡¯t have to worry about ¡®disappointing¡¯ me, even though that would never happen. I always ensured she knew that her insecurities and worries were pointless, but for now¡­ I think I¡¯d just focus on taking her to the highest realm of bliss. Of course, by fucking her as hard as she could take. With one arm wrapped tightly around her waist, I had my other crawl up her body, groping her chest and running through her long hair, simply enjoying the sounds of her desire being unleashed through her moans and gasps. ¡°Roxy¡­ you¡¯re making a good face,¡± Sylphy said, seemingly over the intense aftereffects of her orgasm as she crawled closer to the two of us. Her lidded eyes tracing up and down Roxy¡¯s body, she then zeroed in on where we were connected, her cheeks flushing as she came closer. ¡°Ariel¡­ said to do it like this¡­ right?¡± she mumbled. And then, to my utter surprise, she stuck out her tongue, licking up my shaft before reaching Roxy¡¯s clit and closing her lips. ¡°Anh~!¡± Roxy moaned, leaning her head back against my neck as her body began to tremble. I guess she liked that, huh? ¡°So cute,¡± Sylphy said before continuing her extremely arousing act. I felt light-headed. The familiar itching sensation rising with each thrust as we continued our lewd act, with Roxy eventually bringing a hand down to Sylphy¡¯s head, gripping her hair. This¡­ was really amazing. ¡°L-Leon!¡± Roxy cried out with need, her insides clenching around me. She was close, and I knew exactly what would push her over the edge. Well¡­ I was quite close as well. ¡°Y-You¡¯re so alluring,¡± I whispered into her ear, gently kissing her ear. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ perfect.¡± Sweetpliments, specifically about her body and how it excites me. That was what my Roxy Migurdia liked the most. And right now was no different. Her body tensing, I felt her insides squeeze around me, pushing me over the edge as well as I erupted inside of her. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Sylphy moaned, licking up my fluids that had spilled out of Roxy as she slowly took out my cock, her mouth pushing against Roxy¡¯s entrance to swallow every drop of it. Fucking hell¡­ did she learn that from the princess? Well, I certainly didn¡¯t mind. And from how Roxy was limply resting against my chest, her lips spread into a dazed expression, she didn¡¯t either. I would have to give Sylphy some attention now, huh? cing Roxy down on the bed, I watched as Sylphy looked up at me with lidded eyes, her mouth kissing up my chest until she reached my mouth, the two of us sharing a kiss as my hands traced across her naked body. ¡°Leon¡­ me too,¡± she begged, her arms wrapped around my neck as she looked up at me. It was obvious that I would agree to her request. So, pushing her onto the bed, I turned her over so that her back was facing me, her ass raised upward as she rested on her knees. She liked this position quite a bit, as she could simply leave me to have my way with her, and I enjoyed it as well. Flushing my system with healing magic, I regained my erection as I pressed my tip against her entrance. My cock was already wet from Roxy¡¯s insides and Sylphy¡¯s mouth, and she herself was already soaked, so there was no need for preparation. Sylphy bit back a moan as I sank all the way into her, her hands squeezing the sheets as she quickly grabbed a pillow, bringing it to her mouth to muffle her moans as I continued my thrusts. The way her back arched with pleasure¡­ her ponytail that hade messily undone with our activities¡­ the sound of our fluids squelching with each thrust¡­ She really was such an erotic elf. My erotic elf. Damn¡­ I really was a possessive man. Well¡­ that wasn¡¯t so bad as long as I treated them well, right? With Roxy seemingly recovered from her orgasmic high, she crawled over to me, her eyes looking at the state Sylphy was in with flushed cheeks as she then looked over to me, her eyes sparkling with need. ¡°Mmph!¡± Hearing the muffled groan from in front of me, it was obvious that Sylphy was enjoying herself, and my hands and mouth were both free, so I could manage Roxy quite easily. Grabbing Roxy¡¯s waist, I pulled her closer into a kiss, gently biting her lower lip as my hand traced down to between her legs, quickly sliding into her and causing her to inhale sharply. I continued to work on Sylphy with my lower half while my hands pleasured Roxy, and moving my lips to ce a trail of kisses on her neck, I eventually reached her breasts, engulfing it with my mouth as my tongue teased her hardened nipples. And then, well¡­ I did an unfortunately familiar action, sucking needily on her breasts as I began to taste the pleasantly sweet liquid flow into my mouth. ¡°Y-You¡¯re like a baby,¡± Roxy said, patting my head as her breath hitched. It was probably wrong to think this, especially since I was a father, but I found her words¡­ very arousing. Was this that ¡®mature older woman¡¯ appeal that I had noticed before? Anyway, as a result, my thrusts increased in pace, both with my hips and my wrist. With one hand pleasuring Roxy, I moved my other from Sylphy¡¯s hips to her back, pushing her t against the bed as I began pressing deeper into her, making her legs clench against each other as I continued to y with Roxy¡¯s breasts in my mouth. My eyes drifting to the side, I watched as Sylphy¡¯s finely shaped ass moved back and forth, as if trying to charm me. Well¡­ I was an ass man, after all. And Sylphy had a very nice one, so I should appreciate it. My hand drifting down her slightly sweaty back, I reached her rounded cheeks, squeezing firmly as I pressed my thumb gently against her other hole. ¡°Mmgh~!¡± she moaned, her insides clenching against me even tighter. Ah¡­ it must be sensitive¡­ and she didn¡¯t seem to mind it¡­ Well, even though there was no physical pleasure for me, I quite liked making her squeal in new ways, so I decided to keep pressing my thumb against it. Continuing to pleasure both of mydies, my mouth eventually had enough of Roxy¡¯s precious breast milk, moving to kiss up her body as I returned to her neck. And feeling Sylphy begin to quake, her back arching up to take me deeper, I knew that she was close. ¡°Anh~!¡± she moaned, releasing her mouth from the pillow as her legs clenched even tighter together. Never mind, it seems that she was already there. I was about to take it out of her, but I was interrupted by Sylphy¡¯s desperate plea. ¡°Leon! K-Keep going!¡± she said, turning her head to look up at me despite her trembling body. ¡°D-Do it inside¡­! Please¡­¡± ¡­Well, we were trying for a baby, and that was an extremely arousing thing to say, so I decided to follow her wishes. Continuing my actions, I then pushed Roxy face-first onto the bed next to Sylphy in order to get a better angle, my fingers reaching her favourite spot with ease as she groaned in response. With Sylphy still shaking, she wrapped her arms around Roxy and pulled her into a hug, with Roxy beginning to pant and grip the sheets, her arms eventually wrapping around Sylphy as well as she neared her peak. And then, with Roxy clenching around my fingers, along with the feeling of liquid sshing against my palm, I felt that familiar pulse rush through me as I pushed as deep as I could into Sylphy before erupting inside. Wow¡­ that felt good¡­ really good¡­ Leaning forward, I nted a kiss on each of their lower backs as I slowly calmed down from my high, sitting back up as I looked down at the two. They were both still wrapped in each other¡¯s embrace, their hair syed across the bed in a messy mix of blue and silver as they looked back at me with sensual eyes. Their backs that were slick with sweat, glinting slightly under the light¡­ their flushed skin¡­ their panting breaths¡­ the semen slowly dripping out of their slits, especially Sylphy¡¯s, which I had just filled¡­ Needless to say, with such a sight, I didn¡¯t need healing magic to get it up again. ¡°Feel better?¡± Sylphy asked warmly, moving her hips side to side. ¡°Yes, very¡­¡± I said, looking down at the two of them as I licked my lips. ¡°But¡­ not enough.¡± A sh of excitement crossed both of their faces, as Roxy then formed a slight grin. ¡°Truly¡­ you really have an insatiable lust,¡± she said, shaking her head warmly. ¡°So¡­ use us to your heart''s content.¡± Damn¡­ threesomes really are amazing. Chapter 85 – Fulfilling a Promise Chapter 85 ¨C Fulfilling a Promise ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª With Cliff and Lina having moved into a house together, there was a small party to wee their friends into their new living space, much like I did before leaving for Asura. Usually, this was a sign that the couple would be married, but with Cliff being a devout member of the Millis religion, that would be getting its own ceremony. Wait¡­ Eris, Sylphy, Roxy, and I weren¡¯t members of the Millis religion, so didn¡¯t that mean we were married now that we had bought a house and celebrated it? Ah¡­ well, we could still have a ceremony to make it official. Not like such a title really mattered that much anyway. The most important thing was making sure all three of them felt equal. Anyway, despite both of Roxy and Sylphy having a strong connection with Lina, they were unfortunately unable to attend as they had to watch Aria and Ariel respectively, so it was just me. After a fun time of drinks and stories, with Mama and my father exining more of their adventuring days¡­ as well as some details that I would rather be left not knowing¡­ the night¡¯s energy gradually dwindled down as I then made my way back home. But on my way, I was stopped by a¡­ well, I¡¯d just go out and say it. I was stopped by a prostitute. She was very beautiful, with long brown hair that reached her breasts, and wide brown eyes that had a certain loving pull to them. She almost reminded me of my mother. ¡°Oh~? Come on, for just one night~? I¡¯ll make it worth your while~¡± she said, sticking out her hips. ¡°And if it suits your fancy¡­ I¡¯m only eighteen~¡± Well, even though she was my age, she looked pretty mature. As one could infer from her words, she seemed very pushy about getting me in bed, but she also seemed¡­ reluctant. Why? I had been pursued by prostitutes before. It was obvious that I would, since I looked strong and rich, which was the perfect prey for them, even if I had brushed off their advances before. But¡­ I had never been approached reluctantly. After all, if I could say so myself, I was handsome and fit, without being aplete ass, so I was quite the catch, considering most of the usual clientele they would pull. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked, batting her hand that was reaching for my chin away. ¡°You¡¯re obviously disinterested.¡± ¡°Tsk,¡± she said, her flirtatious grin dropping to a straight-mouthed frown. ¡°If you¡¯re not going to buy me, then just say so. Don¡¯t waste my time.¡± Hmm¡­ normally, I would just ignore and get on with my night, but weirdly enough, I felt a bit¡­ curious. No¡­ instead, I felt a connection of some sort, though I couldn¡¯t exin why. ¡°Humour me,¡± I said, passing her a silver coin. ¡°Why are you so reluctant? And, well¡­ why are you doing such a thing?¡± She narrowed her eyes at me, her eyebrows furrowing as she hesitantly took my money before quickly covering up her body with her cloak. ¡°Do you think I want to do this?¡± she eventually said. ¡°I need money for my younger brother, and there¡¯s nothing else I can do. Money doesn¡¯t grow on trees, and not everyone has a special talent to push them forward.¡± ¡°I see,¡± I said, nodding my head. Right, I already knew that. ¡°But that only answered one of my questions,¡± I said. ¡°So you hate sex?¡± ¡°Obviously, I hate it. You¡¯re better than many of the old, fat bastards, but I would hate it even with you,¡± she spat before she chuckled to herself. ¡°Ironic for someone like me, huh?¡± Hmm¡­ well, I could understand. I personally loved the act, but that was only because I do it with the women I love. If it was with some random girl, no matter how pretty or beautiful¡­ I can¡¯t say I would enjoy it either. ¡°¡­How old is your brother?¡± I asked, the two of us beginning to walk down the street. ¡°Huh? Why do you care?¡± she asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. Hmm¡­ why was I doing this? Maybe I was still a bit drunk? Either way¡­ I just felt like doing so, with that odd instinct pushing me forward. ¡°Because,¡± I said, shrugging. ¡°Perhaps I¡¯m just bored.¡± She narrowed her eyes at me before eventually answering, ¡°He¡¯s eight.¡± Eight¡­ that¡¯s Norn and Aisha¡¯s age. An interesting coincidence. ¡°And what about your parents?¡± I asked, already kind of knowing the answer. ¡°Dead,¡± she said firmly. ¡°My father¡¯s been gone for as long as I could remember, and my mother¡­ well, she was a midwife before she passed as well. I used to help her out, but now¡­ well, you know.¡± Hm? A midwife? And she said she helped her mother out¡­ and paired with how far she went for her brother¡­ Wait¡­ is this what you call fate? ¡°Do you¡­ happen to enjoy children?¡± I asked. ¡°Caring for them, I mean.¡± ¡°Well¡­ yeah,¡± she said, looking down sadly. ¡°But I can¡¯t exactly be a mother like this, no? At least not one I would be proud of. Not to mention hating the thing that needs to happen first¡­ it really is ironic, huh?¡± Wow¡­ I think it was fate. How lucky. ¡°I¡­ have a proposition for you,¡± I said, smiling a bit. ¡°It won¡¯t pay well, if at all, but it would provide you a ce to live for both you and your brother.¡± She narrowed her eyes at me, reaching a hand into her cloak. ¡°Hey¡­ I may be like this, but I¡¯m not one to be a ve. Much less getting my brother involved,¡± she said coldly. Huh? Oh¡­ did she think I was offering something like that? ¡°Uh¡­ no, not like that,¡± I rified. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ nning to open an orphanage, even though it isn¡¯t built yet. Ah! But you can live in our house for now! So¡­ would you¡­ like to be a caretaker there?¡± Her re softened as she took out her hand from her cloak. Was she hiding a knife? Well, I guess with her profession, she would need to ward off dangerous folks, and fight them if necessary. ¡°You¡­ we just met, so I can¡¯t exactly trust you,¡± she said calmly. ¡°But if it gets us a roof over our heads¡­ I¡¯ll hesitantly ept.¡± ¡°Indeed. So¡­ what¡¯s your name?¡± I asked. ¡°¡­ra,¡± she said. ¡°And yours?¡± ¡°Leon,¡± I said. ¡°Leon Greyrat.¡± Was it idiotic to trust such a random encounter? No. Probably not. But I felt it¡­ this was definitely a step in the right direction for fulfilling my promise. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°I¡¯m home!¡± I announced, walking into the house. ¡°Err¡­ I guess Roxy is asleep? I know Sylphy had guard duty today¡­¡± I wanted to exin these two while they were awake though¡­ ¡°Hm? You¡¯re wives?¡± ra asked. ¡°Yeah. Or at least they¡¯re soon to be,¡± I answered. Sylphy and Roxy¡­ they¡¯ve gotten quite closer ever since our night together a few days ago. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was the sex that led to it, or if they had gotten closer before then, which led to the threesome, but either way, I was enjoying the new sense of harmony in the house. In fact, they had even decided to wake me up this morning with both of them servicing me together. It was¡­ quite a pleasant way to get up¡­ in more ways than one. Hearing a set of footsteps, I watched as Norn came out of the kitchen, her hair done up in a bun with a bit of what seemed to be frosting on her cheek. I guess she was trying her hand at baking, huh? ¡°Brother! You¡¯re home!¡± she said before looking at the two people next to me. ¡°And¡­ you¡¯ve brought guests?¡± ¡°Yep. Meet ra and her brother Nico. They¡¯ll be staying with us for a few days until I¡­ set something up,¡± I said. I know Sylphy said that she talked to Ariel and was told she might be able to do something, but I was still unsure of how much the princess could support me. I didn¡¯t want to make any false promises just yet. ¡°H-Hi!¡± Nico said, walking forward as he fixed his hair. ¡°Umm¡­ nice to meet you.¡± How polite. Wait¡­ was that a blush on his face? ¡°Oh? I-I¡¯m Norn¡­ Norn Greyrat,¡± my cute sister returned. As expected, even if she had gotten outgoing with school, she was still a shy girl. ¡°Are you staying the night?¡± I asked her. ¡°We can do some swordsmanship in the morning, if you want.¡± ¡°Ah! That sounds good!¡± she said, nodding. ¡°And c-can I¡­ sleep with you?¡± Well, I usually slept in the same room as Aria did, but considering Roxy seemed to have that covered for the night¡­ ¡°Sure,¡± I agreed. ¡°How about you tell me about school before bed.¡± With Norn nodding at me, she then looked back to Nico, her hand reaching up to wipe away the bit of frosting still on her cheek. ¡°Umm¡­ you said you¡¯re staying for a bit, right?¡± she said. ¡°Do you¡­ want a tour?¡± I think I was the one meant to do that, but I decided to let her take charge. ¡°S-Sure!¡± he returned, walking over to follow her. With them going over to the living room, I then crossed my arms, smiling slightly. ¡°They seem to be getting along,¡± I said to ra. ¡°Yes¡­ it¡¯s good to see,¡± she returned. ¡°You have a cute sister, and Nico doesn¡¯t have many friends considering our situation, so I thank you.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s my pleasure,¡± I said evenly. ¡°¡­We won¡¯t rush things?¡± ¡°Nope, just tease them,¡± she returned. ¡°Agreed?¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± I said, nodding as we both bumped our fists together. Yeah¡­ perhaps seeing Norn had lowered her suspicion of me, but I think ra and I would get along quite nicely. After all, we had gotten closer as we walked to gather her brother and back, and a lot of my initial worry had evaporated as she opened up a bit more about herself. Though, I was still wondering why she woulde so willingly with me, considering how shady us meeting was¡­ Maybe she was just confident in her ability to defend herself? Anyway, I was quite excited about the possibility of having a friend, or at least the first one that wasn¡¯t Rudy¡¯s first, so that might have had to do with how easily I epted her into my home. And speaking of that¡­ I should probably tell Roxy so she doesn¡¯t freak out in the morning. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª A few weeks had passed, and in that time, Ariel had been able to get a small house, onerge enough for a good amount of kids, fulfilling the request I had asked of her. And so, my orphanage n began in earnest. Luckily, there was no need to fix the ce up aside from a little cleaning, so ra and Nico were able to quickly be the first inhabitants, and a few dayster, I was able to buy a mother and her two kids from the market to further fill up the space. While it was probably bad of me to say this, I was lucky in the fact that both kids were pretty sick when I found them, while the mother had gained an injury that ensured that she couldn¡¯t have sex anymore, so the little family quite cheap. I had initially gotten them because of the kids, but seeing how the ce could really use a mother¡¯s loving touch, I decided to get the mother, Olivia, as well. Even if she couldn¡¯t treat the rest of them with the same love as her own children, I did get her to promise to treat them as her own, or at least as much as I could. And so, with some healing and detoxification magic, the kids were back to full health, with Olivia happily epting her new position. So two caretakers and three kids¡­ and I¡¯d soon be getting more either from vers, or if I see any unfortunate children on any of my travels, even though I don¡¯t n on leaving home for a long while. Ah, and also any possible employees as well. But for now, ra and Olivia could handle it. But still¡­ this would have never been a possibility without Ariel¡¯s help. I would have to thank her. She did seem to like her ck hair ribbon, even though it was quite cheap¡­ so maybe something like that? Ah, but then again, I would be doing quite a bit of favours for her in theing future, so perhaps I could simply let her graciousness slide. But aside from that, with my trips to the ve market, I had also noticed some¡­ unscrupulous individuals keeping some kids in unsavory positions. Of course, in such a ce, I expected everyone there to be pieces of shit, but some were a bit¡­ worse than others. But I had a n to rectify that by tonight. Break into the vers that were treating the children horribly, kill every one of the people who worked there, rescue the kids, set fire to the ce so they think the kids are dead, and then bring them back to the orphanage. After that, well¡­ the one good thing about kids being treated so bad, was that once I cleaned them up, healed them toplete health, and gave them some good clothes and food, they would be unrecognizable from their past selves. Not like I would leave anyone who could recognize them. So yeah¡­ that was my n for the night, so unfortunately, I wouldn¡¯t be having any sexy times with Roxy and Sylphy. I just hope that ra and Olivia would be able to handle a few more kidsing their way. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Another month had passed, which meant we were now heading into the coldest part of winter as the new year slowly approached. This was also Aria¡¯s first winter, the first great danger that children would run into in this world. But I wasn¡¯t too worried. With one of Roxy, Sylphy, and I always with her, we made sure she was always warm and cuddled up. So even if she couldn¡¯t regte her own body temperature, between her three parents, Aria would be a happy and healthy baby. Speaking of Roxy and Sylphy, this month would mark a year since we had be a family together, and honestly¡­ things were great. We still sometimes argued, just as all healthy couples did, but it was only mundane things such as whether someone didn¡¯t rece a candle or didn¡¯te home for a while. Nothing serious, no big fuck-ups, and no hatred at all. And to think you only had to talk¡­ my father should have taken notes. I was initially worried that Sylphy and Roxy, with both of them harbouring slight feelings of inferiority towards me, would not voice their true feelings, especially if they went against what I was saying. But it seemed that my earnest disys of affection and love had broken through to them, in that they now feltfortable being truthful. Though¡­ the sex definitely helped too. No better time to talk than in the afterglow of a good session in bed, after all. But yes, aside frommunication, it also helped that both of them were fairly independent women, with Roxy having her magic and teaching, while Sylphy had her duty to Ariel. This meant that we all had our own free time and space, and when we spent time together, we cherished it deeply. And speaking of free time¡­ ¡°This form is messy¡­ dammit, I don¡¯t want to go to Cliff again,¡± Shizukained. ¡°What, don¡¯t want him to unt his genius?¡± Rudy asked. ¡°Not that. Thest time I went down to their house, I heard the sound of his and that elf¡¯s lovemaking quite clearly,¡± she said, pouting. ¡°And they still ask why I stay up here so often¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ yeah,¡± Rudy said. ¡°And you are no better!¡± she said, pointing at him usingly. ¡°I-Isn¡¯t Sara pregnant? You should be stopping that stuff!¡± ¡°Well¡­ there are many things you can do without pration,¡± he said resolutely, nodding his head. ¡°I am quite proud of my array of nighttime skills, after all.¡± ¡°I did not need to know that,¡± she deadpanned. Yes, I was currently spending some time with Shizuka and Rudy, watching their experiments with my Demon eye each time they asked for it. But it wasn¡¯t only us three. ¡°Gabaa!¡± Aria said, throwing her stuffy on the floor once again. Haa¡­ well, she was now seven months old, so she was beginning regrly to eat solids¡­ as well as having gained a newfound a joy in throwing things to the ground. Although, I think it was less the throwing, and more of how I had to pick it up afterwards. Truly¡­ she really was an energetic girl. But she was well-behaved. At least, unless she was away from her parents. I wouldn¡¯t have brought her here otherwise. Reaching down to grab her tossed toy, I gave it back to her, hearing her happily coo as I went back to my studying. As for what I was studying? Well, that was healing magic. More specifically, I was trying to research a way to share lifespans, just like I had thought of since we first returned to Sharia. I say ¡®trying to research¡¯, because even after all this time¡­ I haven¡¯t found anything that could help me. Honestly, I was fairly sure it was impossible, or at least with the current understanding of magic. After all, if there was such a spell, it would have already been exploited by those in power to make them immortal, such as a king stealing the life of its subjects to create a forever-living king. Even if it wasn¡¯t to that length, there would have at least been a legend of something simr. But maybe¡­ there was a hint. A hint I could use to pioneer my own path. Perhaps researching into some different demon race¡¯s biology would help as well, especially that n that was said to be immortal. I wanted to find an answer. I was determined to. Before, it was just a wish¡­ something to do in my free time as I didn¡¯t enjoy the thought of Roxy and Sylphy being alone for so long, nor also the thought of them finding someone else after my death. But now¡­ I had another reason. I had noticed that sometimes, when Roxy was holding Aria, she would look¡­ sad. Sad and worried. At first, I thought she was simply worried about her child¡¯s health, as an infant was extremely fragile, or perhaps some anxiety about being a mother, but now¡­ I was fairly certain it was something else. You see, Roxy was 50 years old, and the Migurd, her race, had a lifespan of 200 years¡­ which meant that she had around 150 years left to live. However, humans, like me, lived for an average of 80 years, assuming a healthy lifestyle. And Aria was half human, and half Migurd, so if the lifespan was split evenly, like it was for all the recorded mixed races I had found, she would live for about 140 years. And 140 is less than 150, for those not academically inclined. Roxy¡­ would likely outlive her child, at least if we assumed both of them lived for their average lifespans. That¡­ I couldn¡¯t even think of something like that happening. Aria dying from an ident would destroy me with grief, but to think of watching her grow old and die before me from natural causes¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with such a thing. So it was obvious that Roxy was worried about such a thing happening, and by the time Sylphy had our child, she would very likely feel the same trepidation. I¡­ couldn¡¯t let them live through that. I wouldn¡¯t let them live through that. Thus, I was more determined than ever to make this lifespan sharing magic work, if not for my own selfish desires¡­ then at least for Roxy and Sylphy¡¯s future sanity. ¡°Rudy¡­ can you pass me that sheet?¡± Shizuka asked. ¡°Yeah, here,¡± Rudy said, handing it over. Looking over to them, I watched as my brother passed a piece of paper over to her, their hand identally touching as they did so, causing both of them to flinch and retract their hands, the paper helplessly drifting to the ground between them. ¡°S-Sorry!¡± Rudy said. ¡°N-No, that was¡­ my fault as well,¡± Shizuka said, turning around to her notebook. Haa¡­ ¡°Aboo!¡± Aria said, reaching up to me. ¡°Yeah¡­ it is ridiculous,¡± I said, letting her grab my extended finger. ¡°Your uncle is a bad man, huh?¡± Not to mention that with Sara too far into pregnancy to have sex, Rudy had beenining about being pent-up after so long without it, even if they still did other things. He didn¡¯t me her, of course, as I would have punched his lights out if he did. But he stillmented the absence of sex, and had even told me that he could understand how Paul got seduced by Lilia in such a state. Well¡­ I wasn¡¯t one to talk about being faithful to only one woman, but I hoped that he wouldn¡¯t betray Sara. I don¡¯t think Mama would be very happy if I ended up killing her son, after all. But for now, their ¡®romance¡¯, if you could even call it that, was extremely innocent. Besides, Shizuka was still focused on getting back home and if she seeded, she would never be able to have a rtionship with my brother, so I doubt that they would ever get together, no matter the circumstance. ¡­Uh. ¡°Baba!¡± Aria said, pping my hand. ¡°Yeah, sorry that Dada¡¯s such a dummy,¡± I said, brushing a hand through her hair. ¡°I definitely just tempted fate again¡­¡± ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Show us magic!¡± ¡°Yeah! Show us! Show us!¡± ¡°The cool fire!¡± ¡°Oh! And the ice sculpture!¡± Looking at the collection of kids swarming me, I felt a warmth as Ipared how happy they were to when I first picked them up¡­ but also some bitterness at being treated as a walking carnival performance. But if it made them happy, then I suppose it was a small price to y. Plus, I wasn¡¯t one to refuse a chance to train my magic, even if it was just party tricks. Anyway, creating a stream of water, I had it chase the kids across the yard as I began silently pondering. Over time, I had gotten a few more kids into the orphanage, but at a size of eight, they were definitely at capacity, both in space and supervision. I didn¡¯t want to screw up the warm, familial dynamic ra and Olivia had made, after all. Two eight-year-olds, two six-year-olds, a five-year-old, a four-year-old, and a two-year-old¡­ those were the kids that now lived in therge house near the outskirts of the city. Knowing that Olivia¡¯s husband not only sold her, but also their two-year-old and five-year-old¡­ it was honestly disgusting. I would have killed him if I knew where he was, but judging by how easily he fell to gambling, I doubted hested long in the world anyway. Anyway, with so many kids, I had expected there to be some major problems, but ra was excellent at managing the food and supplies, while Olivia provided that motherly care the kids sorelycked, so everything was going smoothly. They were traumatized, especially the enved kids that I had to rescue, but in their new environment¡­ they were getting better. And while I wish they never had to experience such things, it did make them mature beyond their years, so they weren¡¯t too troublesome and were very cooperative with their caretakers and each other. As for me, I visited in my free time when I could, especially since now that Nico was interested in swordsmanship. And like today, it usually devolved into ying or giving them a show that they found entertaining. Well, I was hoping to find another man I could trust to be their male parental figure, but seeing that all the male ves were typically for fighting, and are often idiots that got caught up in very due to their mistakes, they were¡­ not exactly prime role model material. So for now, I was kind of their dad, but I was fine with it. Plus, with things like this, I knew that Aria and my future kids would make some easy friends in their childhood. After all, I couldn¡¯t exactly let them go around the big city like what I did in Buena Vige to meet Sylphy, so this was the next best thing. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Life had been treating me welltely. Extremely well, in fact. I had two beautifuldies toe home to, another that would be joining us soon, and a beautiful daughter that lit up my life whenever I held her or even simply watched her. But to keep such a happy life¡­ I couldn¡¯t simply rely on luck. I had to have the strength to protect it. So¡­ it was training time. More specifically, it was morning, the time when I would train my swordsmanship as the sun rose over the horizon, before Sylphy would then make all of us breakfast and I would head to the university. Anyway, let¡¯s get back on topic. The greatest users of two of the three great styles, the Water God and the Sword God¡­ even after all this time, their movements and techniques were still burned into my mind. So obviously, I had beenmitted to emting their strength, trying to meld it into my Elemental style, while alsomitting to improving my defensive touki technique as well. ¡°Hyat!¡± Shouting, I flooded my legs with touki, copying the technique that the Sword God performed to destroy me back in the Sword Sanctum. How he was able to go so fast¡­ it was difficult to catch, but after a week of getting my ass handed to me¡­ I finally got it. It wasn¡¯t gaining power byyering touki, like Orsted did, but rather¡­ it enhanced everything in a sudden burst of power. It was difficult to exin, as I still didn¡¯tpletely understand how it worked, but if I tried to put it into easier terms, it would be like this: Usually, touki enhanced the body like a burning fire, the energy constantly coursing through the muscles as they moved, with the user¡¯s movements and technique utilizing all the power they had ess to. But for the Sword God¡­ his touki was like an explosion, using all the possible energy he had gathered in a moment. Of course, using that energy would normally be dangerous, as by using it all, there was none left enhancing the body to adjust afterwards, but that¡¯s where his cycling technique came in. He constantly cycled touki through his body so that even with the instantaneous bursts of touki, he was always enhanced. It was difficult, but I was getting better¡­ slowly. But it was a bit embarrassing when I first did it. Not only did I crash quite a few times due to underestimating the speed, I also underestimated how much touki I would need to reinforce my clothes, so as a result¡­ I got stripped after one leap. While Sylphy and Roxy had seemingly enjoyed the show, it was quite embarrassing to have my father and sistersugh at me as I ran back into the house. But at least they had fun, right? Even if it was at my expense. Anyway, past my slow progress with Orsted¡¯s defensive touki technique, and the Sword God¡¯s movement technique¡­ there were the techniques of the Water God. Ocean¡¯s Mirror, Rainfall Waltz, and Churning Tide¡­ The first one casts a shield of touki that reflects everything back against the attacker. The second traps the opponent in touki, slowing them down and possibly harming them¡­ but that was just my instinct from when she showed me. And then thest one, where it takes in the attack and returns it, much like Flow, but only after amplifying the initial strike¡¯s power, so bad that even the weak attack I had struck Master with had been returned and even broke through myyered touki defence. It was¡­ a lot. Definitely a lot. But I had been focusing on them along with my ranged touki sh practice, with mixed results. With Ocean¡¯s Mirror, I was able to create the touki screen in the air, but I still couldn¡¯t get the reversal to work. After all, I only knew how to parry with a sword, so how the hell was I supposed to do that with raw energy? It was confusing, but I would continue to work diligently, and hopefully, I would eventually get it. Then, there was Rainfall Waltz. This one was a little easier as it was simr to Dance of Deluge, where I spread the touki in the air. But yet again, physically affecting someone with the touki was still beyond me. But, oddly enough, during my training, I was soon able to discover why I felt such dread with Master¡¯s touki wrapped around me. With Dance of Deluge, having the touki spread out into the air created a ¡®path¡¯ for me to follow with my body and sword, cutting down the distance in an instant. And, well, with Rainfall Waltz¡­ I could do the same with ranged touki. Just as Master had said, once an opponent was trapped, they were all but dead, unless they had insane defensive touki skills like Orsted. After all, no one could defend a ranged touki sh that sliced through your body instantaneously. Much less one that coulde from any side of you. And then there was Churning Tide, another technique that I was using previously acquired skills to grasp. But in this case, it was the Sword God¡¯s movement technique that was helping me out. Taking in the touki was something I learned with Flow, as well as releasing that back to the opponent. The only new thing was cycling and amplifying that power and releasing it in an instant, which was the basic premise of the Sword God¡¯s movement style. But still, despite my training, I was still unable to do it at Master¡¯s level, as while cycling the power did enhance my counter a bit, it was hardly good enough to justify the time and concentration required to do it. So three more secret arts and a movement technique to learn¡­ well, it was good that there was still room to improve my swordsmanship, unlike my magic which had recently run into a bottleneck. But speaking of touki and magic. Or, more specifically, touki and mana¡­ I had realized something. They were truly the same. Perhaps they were used quite differently, and had different effects, but at their base, the two energies were the same. Kind of like ice and steam, where both were states of water, but very different in the real world. I had previously thought that they were connected, but still different, as my touki wouldn¡¯t run out, unlike my mana. But after training in techniques that released touki into the air, I realized that it was depleting, eliminating that core difference between the two energies. It wasn¡¯t something easy to notice like with mana¡­ but I could still feel it. And as for why it didn¡¯t run out before? Well, I only had to assume that¡¯s because when I was coating my body with it, that it stayed inside my body, so it was obvious it wouldn¡¯t run out when it was just being recycled back into me. But still, there was a small difference from mana in that touki was replenished extremely quickly, and I noticed that this rate of replenishment increased if I really focused. And that got me thinking¡­ how did mana get replenished anyway? I knew from using my Demon eye that mana was everywhere. From the ground to the air to the clothes on my back¡­ mana upied every single space in this world. So¡­ to replenish it¡­ was it absorbed from the air? Or, perhaps, did the body¡¯s individual atoms generate this weird energy? And if I concentrated like I did for replenishing touki, could I replenish my mana faster as well? And further than that, if touki and mana were the same¡­ that technique of Orsted that changed my use of touki which I still needed to master¡­ ovepping and concentrating¡­ could I do that with mana as well? I had tried before, but to no avail, and easily gave up shortly after. But that was back before I knew touki and mana were the same. So¡­ it was at least a possibility¡­ ¡°Leon! Breakfast is ready!¡± Sylphy called from the kitchen. ¡°Okay!¡± I said, using some water magic to wash my face and freshen up before heading inside. Well, those were someplicated thoughts and theories, so I could save them forter. For now, I had to spend some quality family time, and eat up the delicious meal Sylphy had prepared. Chapter 86 – The Three Swords of the North God Chapter 86 ¨C The Three Swords of the North God ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Hmm¡­ the newest merchant breaking into the gemstone market has an interesting connection to the new nation in the Strife Zone¡­ I wonder if I could use that?¡± Ariel said, looking over some documents. ¡°New nation¡­ do you mean the one that Philip helped establish?¡± I asked, leaning against the windowsill behind her. ¡°Indeed. And this one seems to actually have some stability, so it would be a valuable connection,¡± she asked. ¡°Why, do you have any information?¡± ¡°Well, no¡­ but I could ask Philip to give you his word. He¡¯s well-liked over there,¡± I said. Plus, with how he worked his tongue, he definitely had a hand in many of that nation¡¯s machinations as it expanded and solidified its influence. ¡°Hooh? Really?¡± she hummed, looking back at me. ¡°And you would do that for me?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I am on your side now,¡± I said. ¡°It would be pretty weird for me to not help when it¡¯s something easy like that.¡± Ariel broke out into a grin. A genuine one. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ you are on my side, aren¡¯t you?¡± she said, tapping her chin in thought. ¡°But¡­ are you sure Philip would do such a thing? You told me he explicitly hates nobility and politics now.¡± ¡°Yeah, well¡­ despite his flippant attitude, he still has some noble pride,¡± I said. ¡°It was just a matter of his family¡¯s safety being more important than his ambitions. But since he¡¯s already safely away from the kingdom, and not to mention the security that you would bring him after your ascension, I don¡¯t think he would mind sending a letter or two for you if I asked.¡± Plus, he still owed me for getting him out of there, even if I didn¡¯t do it with him returning a favour in mind. And if asking didn¡¯t work¡­ I could always just beg as his soon-to-be son-inw if I needed to. ¡°I see¡­ I will look into that,¡± Ariel said, nodding appreciatively. I was currently guarding Ariel while also helping her with some matters, like what had happened just now. Of course, I wasn¡¯t that good at those things, so it was more like her telling me what was going on to fill the silence. But I knew some things about nobles and politics from helping Philip back when I was Eris¡¯ tutor, and I had a good amount of worldly knowledge from my travels, so I was able to provide my insight here and there. Usually, this would be done by Aisha, as she had continuously grown into her position, but since it waste into the night, she was at the house right now. Sleep was important for growing girls, after all. And as for the guarding, it would typically be one of Luke or Sylphy, as only those two had enough strength in Ariel¡¯s camp to be a good guard while also holding her utmost trust, but they were both out ofmission momentarily. Since Roxy was grading some papers for her ss, Sylphy was currently helping Roxy around the house and with Aria, while Luke was currently out with a few of his girlfriends. I was initially confused at how Luke, who I could tell was very loyal to Ariel, would do such an inappropriate thing rather than guard her, which was his job, but after asking Ariel, I learned that it was his way of gathering information. Not that he hated bedding them, of course. No, he rather enjoyed that part. So here I was, helping Ariel with her tasks and serving as the best guard I could¡­ though I wish we could just do this at home. But to my surprise, Ariel was someone who very much respected the separation of work and private life, so here we were, sitting in the student council room long after the sun had set. ¡°That reminds me,¡± Ariel said, writing down something on her calendar. ¡°How are things at home? I usually ask Sylphy about your nighttime activities at first, so it had slipped my mind.¡± Haa¡­ but s, the real Princess Ariel was like this. ¡°I didn¡¯t need to know that, princess¡­¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°But things are good. Aria¡¯s able to crawl now, and she¡¯s¡­ definitely using it to her advantage.¡± And because of that, she had recently discovered her new favourite activity in making me chase her around the house. ¡°Aha. She is an energetic one,¡± she said, smiling. ¡°And a troublemaker,¡± I added, also smiling. ¡°But she at least responds to her name now¡­ even if she ends up ignoring me most of the time¡­ the little brat. She¡¯s lucky that she¡¯s cute.¡± ¡°Indeed she is,¡± Ariel agreed. ¡°Yeah. Especially now that she¡¯s copied Roxy¡¯s tendency to fiddle with her hair when she¡¯s embarrassed,¡± I said, smiling wider at the memory. ¡°But it¡¯s still a little too short, so it looks kind of dumb. But that¡¯s cute in its own way.¡± Arielughed at that, her hand raising to cover her mouth as she identally knocked over a quill. ¡°Oh! How clumsy of me,¡± she said, preparing to get up. ¡°No, let me,¡± I said, stopping her. Reaching down, I picked it up before handing it back to her, but when I did, our fingers touched lightly. That wasn¡¯t very weird in itself¡­ but the way Ariel¡¯s hand lingered next to mine before suddenly retracting certainly was. How odd. It was gettingte, so was she tired? Actually, now that I thought about it¡­ ¡°S-So, Leon,¡± she suddenly said, looking away. ¡°You mentioned that the orphanage needed more clothing, right? I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s just because they¡¯re growing up?¡± I didn¡¯t respond. Something¡­ something felt off. The prickly sensation on my skin¡­ the pounding of my heart¡­ Something¡­ something felt wrong. It was too quiet. Even if it was after hours, there should at least be someone walking by. No¡­ perhaps it was just my senses unconsciously focusing on the eerie silence. I was on edge¡­ but why? ¡°Leon-?¡± ng! My intuition screamed, and in an instant, I moved in front of Ariel, unsheathing my sword as the sound of shing des resounded through the room. Fuck¡­ that was strong. And to slip through my senses¡­ this guy was good. No¡­ actually, looking at the two figures at the opposite end of the now-dark room with my Demon eye, they were both good. ¡°Hmph! As expected, I¡¯m not nearly as good in the dark,¡± a man said. No, rather than a man, he looked like a child. A child that was entirely d in ck, from the skin on his face, to the end of his de, as well as his shield that was held in his other hand. Honestly, it made it nearly impossible to see him, especially with the candles being blown out, but at least I had my Demon eye nullifying that problem. And standing beside him was another person, this time a beastfolk man with simrly ck armour and a pair of rabbit-like ears. ¡°I am the North King Nuckelgard! One of the three des of the North God!¡± he said, pointing his straight sword forward. ¡°And today, you two will perish!¡± Were these guys assassins? But, in that case¡­ why would they state their names? Anyway, I needed to calm down and get this situation under control. Ariel was behind me, hiding behind the desk as I stood between her and our new enemies. This wasn¡¯t the first attempt against her life, so as a result, she wasn¡¯t freaking out, so that was good. But Ariel had been safe up in the north, so if that wasn¡¯t the case any longer¡­ we needed information. Most notably, we needed to know if there was a new threat separate from the First Prince aiming for Ariel, or if he had decided to extend his reach all the way up here. Ideally, we would be able to get a read on the entire situation and what had changed, but I doubted these guys would know anything. But these guys¡­ maybe I could learn who sent them? I doubt that torture would work, but if the beastfolk one was so talkative, it was a possibility. If I acted weak¡­ acted like they had the upper hand¡­ could it work? Possibly. But¡­ could I afford that with Ariel behind me? The talkative one introduced himself as a North King, and I didn¡¯t have any reason to doubt him, but the ck one that initially attacked and was difficult to see¡­ he was strong too. Probably at the same level, if the numbness in my wrist was anything to go by. Casting a barrier behind me to protect Ariel, I raised my sword forward. Well, there was only one way to see if I could afford to coax some information out of them. If I couldn¡¯t, I wouldn¡¯t risk the princess¡¯ life, and put a quick end to the fight. Anyway, it was a good thing that I was guarding her today. Sylphy or Ariel would have died with that initial strike, and Luke definitely wouldn¡¯t do any better, so¡­ it really was an amazing stroke of luck that I was here tonight. I was the strongest one in this city, and against a King-rank threat, much less two of them¡­ no one I knew that was here could beat them, at least not alone. I mean, Rudy was certainly stronger than the two, but he was a magician. In close quartersbat, he didn¡¯t stand a chance against such skilled and experienced opponents. ¡°Hey, Nuckel, I don¡¯t think we were supposed to tell them our names,¡± a voice said as a figure split from the beastfolk assassin. They were¡­ two of them¡­ they werepletely identical, to the point where even my Demon eye couldn¡¯t tell there were two of them until they separated. Was that their technique? Combining their being into one and hiding in the others¡¯ shadow? That could definitely mess someone up in a battle, but now that I knew, I could defend against it. These two really were idiots, huh? ¡°C¡¯mon, Gard. These two will be dead soon anyway, right?¡± the original one said. ¡°After all, the guy¡¯s only a King-ranked swordsman, even if he knows all three styles and some magic.¡± Wait. Nuckel¡­ Gard¡­ Nuckelgard¡­ Was such a stupid thing actually their title? No, actually, considering how stupid they seemed to be, it certainly was. And that arrogance¡­ he thought of me as only a King-rank fighter¡­ I could use that. Unfortunately for them, ording to the Sword God, I was a bit stronger than that. I suppose not unting my strength had this secondary benefit. But wait¡­ how did they know that? And they know that I have all three sword styles and magic¡­ Rumours? It must be, right? How else would they know? And if they knew about that, then what about my family resting at home? Did they know about them? Were they safe? Were they being targeted? No¡­ I could trust Sylphy to take care of everyone. She was experienced in these types of things, more than me, in fact. And while Roxy didn¡¯t have experience against assassins, she was a damn good fighter. Besides, I had many rm barriers set up, as well as one that blocked those that weren¡¯t wee at the door, and while it wouldn¡¯t hold up against a North King for very long, it would definitely give my family enough time to run down and hide in the basement¡¯s hidden room, which was very secure. Yeah¡­ I could trust that those three were safe. Right now, I had to focus on these people, try to find what they knew and who sent them, and most importantly, protecting Ariel. ¡°While individually half a man¡­¡± one of the idiots started. ¡°Together, we are a manplete!¡± the other added. ¡°So don¡¯t think of this as unfair, okay?¡± Narrowing my eyes, I began coating my de in touki while also filling the air with the energy, preparing to release a sh with Dance of Deluge at any moment. ¡°But¡­ isn¡¯t it three on one?¡± I said, breaking the momentary silence. ¡°I was outnumbered even before you split.¡± ¡°Ah! He¡¯s right!¡± one of them said. ¡°How smart! We have to be careful!¡± the other added. I was already tired of them. They either had a screw loose, or were not taking me seriously, but either way, they would be a pair of corpses soon. Individually, from how their touki seemed to flow, they weren¡¯t anything special. A high-end Saint, sure, but still nothing specialpared to the opponents I had fought. So to be a King¡­ that must be through something else that wasn¡¯t their base strength. Tactics possibly? No, they were too stupid for that. Probably teamwork and instincts, if I had to guess. But the problem was that other one¡­ the swordsman that was d in ck. His touki flowed seamlessly through his body, and while he seemed to use the dark to his advantage, that alone wouldn¡¯t make him a North King without some serious skills to back it up. And I knew he was a North King. That strike¡­ while not as fast as Ghiine, with the difficulty of seeing him in the dark, the way he hid from my senses, as well as the element of surprise¡­ he was definitely at her level inbat. So two North Kings¡­ this would be manageable, but I still couldn¡¯t get conceited¡­ especially if I wanted to get some information out of them. Alright. Let¡¯s do this. ¡°Hey, hey. Do you-¡± I cut off the idiot¡¯s words as I leaped forward, my sword arcing through the air as I unleashed a Longsword of Light. As expected, my sword was deflected by one of them to the side, and using my opening, the other idiot cut towards me, only to be stopped by a st of wind magic from my outstretched palm. And the ck swordsman¡­ he was racing straight towards Ariel. But he wasn¡¯t going to reach her. Launching another Longsword of Light, I shot a fireball to light the room as I swung down towards his neck, only to be blocked by his shield as he stabbed towards me with his sword. But of course, I wouldn¡¯t let such a thing go past my defences. Bringing my free hand down, I focused on theyered touki reinforcing it before parrying his sword to the side. Before, something like this would definitely leave a cut on my hand, just from the pure power thrumming though the King-ranked swordsman¡¯s de, but now¡­ I couldn¡¯t even feel it. Anyway, with his side now exposed, I punched forward,nding a blow on his shoulder that sent him tumbling back. Hmm¡­ he was damn short, and while that meant I had the upper hand in reach, it also made it awkward to strike him. Almost like a cockroach. Yeah¡­ ¡®ck swordsman¡¯ was a bit too many sybles, so for now, he was a cockroach. Taking in the momentary pause of the battle, I decided to use one of the few skills my father taught me better than anyone else. ¡°So two idiots and a cockroach¡­ I guess even a Sword King like me can deal with you,¡± I said, smirking. The cockroach flinched. ¡°I am no cockroach¡­¡± he said, getting back to his feet. ¡°Fuck it! While those two are idiots, they¡¯re right that you¡¯re dead after this! I am Wii Taa, a North King!¡± ¡­Okay, maybe getting the information was going to be easier than I thought. Two idiots and a guy with wounded pride¡­ was this really the work of that shrewd First Prince? Though, I suppose their strength was good enough to look past that¡­ especially considering the fact that Sylphy and Luke were Ariel¡¯s usual guards. Narrowing my eyes, I sprinted forward again, this time taking my time so that none of them could get past towards Ariel as they decided to attack me simultaneously, the idiots going for my front and side respectively as Wii Taa went for my legs. That was some praise-worthy coordination. As I thought, those twins relied on their instincts and teamwork, and even the cockroach, Wii Taa, was using his height to his advantage. Impressive. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t want to get cut as, they likely had strong poison on their des, but I could still look a little desperate despite that. shing my sword outward, I parried the idiot¡¯s de while simultaneously jumping over Wii Taa¡¯s, using the shift of orientation to twist into a strike as I swung down at the other idiot¡¯s head, nicking his long ear. Using wind magic, I sted myself back as I set my face into a worried frown, scrambling in front of Ariel as I panted heavily. Ariel, from the brief nce I got of her, seemed shocked. Hmm¡­ I thought she would easily see through my act, especially since she knew of my strength¡­ how odd. ¡°He really is a King-rank, huh?¡± one of the idiots said. ¡°Yeah¡­ I was worried there for a second,¡± the other said, rubbing his bleeding ear. ¡°But it seems like he can barely handle us. We just need to keep up the pressure.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± the first idiot added cheerfully. ¡°And we should be able to get Darius¡¯ praise after this, right!?¡± ¡­Seriously? Was it that easy? ¡°You idiots-!¡± Wii Taa¡¯s shout was cut off as Iunched a ranged sh at the three, each of their swords raising to defend their necks as I raced forward. Landing right between the idiots, I shed across the first one¡¯s stomach, causing him to jump back to evade as my sword twisted towards the other, cutting across his arm as he jumped back. ¡°Shit! This guy is-!¡± He wasn¡¯t able to finish his words as my de then dug into his neck, cutting off his head in one swift movement. As I thought, Nucklegard wereparatively weak individually, relying on their teamwork to gain the title of North King. So not only were they easy to cut through, but when one was cut down¡­ ¡°Gard! No-! Gack!¡± The other idiot¡¯s shout was quickly cut off as my de dug into his neck, blood sshing across the ground as I shed outward to remove the de, severing through half of his neck as his body crumpled to the ground. ¡­the other was left helpless. Two down¡­ or did that count as one? Anyway, Wii Taa was the only one left, so I turned to focus on him. He was strong enough to block my strike, and quite strong in general, but¡­ not strong enough to beat me. I would still have been on guard, but now that I could focus on him, I was definitely enough- My instincts ring, I dodged out of the way just in time for a sword to slice through where I had just been standing, the crash of the sound barrier being broken resounding through the room a momentter. ¡°Oh? You dodged that? I guess our information was outdated,¡± a man said, standing up as a faint smell of citrus entered my nose. ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re not a King-rank, are you?¡± He had grey hair done up in an odd, t-top haircut, with a rainbow-coloured striped coat covering his body and a peacock tattoo stered across his cheek. And most importantly¡­ he was strong. I still had goosebumps on my arms from how close he came to killing me just before. ¡°A shame. It would have been better to attack together then, huh?¡± he sighed, shaking his head. ¡°Well¡­ at least now I know not to underestimate you.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± I said, smiling. Well¡­ let¡¯s hope I could surprise this guy. ¡°Since these idiots decided to reveal everything, I might as well tell you who I am as well,¡± he said, kicking the two corpses at his feet. ¡°I am the North Emperor, Auber Corvette. Also known as the Peacock de.¡± A North Emperor¡­ well, this wasn¡¯t fucking good. And I could tell that he wasn¡¯t lying. That sh¡­ that was nearly as fast as a basic Longsword of Light, but without any special technique. Just pure swordsmanship and power. Actually, even if he was a North Emperor, he could also be a Sword Saint, so him being able to use those techniques as well shouldn¡¯t be a surprise. Okay¡­ let¡¯s think about this. I could¡­ probably survive against him. I was the same rank as him, after all, and I had only grown stronger since the Sword Sanctum, especially after putting their insights into practice. But there was also Wii Taa¡­ Fuck, where was Eris when I needed her? She would be a big help right about now. But¡­ she wasn¡¯t here. I waspletely alone, at least in terms ofbat. Sneaking a nce at Ariel, I saw that her face was stricken with fear, something I had yet to see on the face of the princess thus far. That wasn¡¯t a good look¡­ I would have to reassure her. Tightening my grip, I looked back at Auber only for him to¡­ not be there. The fuck-? ng! Reacting on pure instinct, I used my touki path to move my sword and defend against Auber¡¯s de just before it reached my neck, sending me flying backward as I used wind magic to stabilize myself. Shit¡­ For better or worse, Auber wasn¡¯t focusing on Ariel, so I didn¡¯t have to worry about defending her, at least at the moment- Wait¡­ Wii Taa! Igniting the touki in my legs, emting the Sword God, I appeared in front of Ariel just in time to defend her against the ck sword racing to her neck. Of course, there was still the barrier protecting her, but that was ast resort that I hoped to use the momentary surprise to take down the opponent. I couldn¡¯t afford for it to break right now, when the actual battle had only just started. My sword locked with Wii Taa¡¯s, I sent a powerful st of sharp wind magic to his chest, and while he was able to defend himself against a fatal strike with his shield, I did send him flying back through the window, the ss shattering as he flew outside. He¡­ would probably not die from that, but at least I wouldn¡¯t have to focus on two skilled fighters at once for now. ¡°Hmm? You¡¯re quite skilled. And young too¡­ I hate to have to cut off such a beautiful blossoming bud, but s-¡± Auber¡¯s annoying talk drowned out as I raced forward, using the path of my touki to strike his neck¡­ only for his sword to block me. And then, with his face twisting into a grin, he¡­ disappeared¡­ with a log appearing where he had just been a moment before. ¡­What? That wasn¡¯t a fast movement, or if it was, it was faster than the Sword God himself. And why was there a fucking log here? What- The hair on my arm raised as I felt an intense need to move out of the way, but just as I was about to, I felt my legs get engulfed in something, trapping me to the ground. ¡°Goodbye! Ah-?¡± Bending backwards, I barely dodged the strike of Auber his now two swords brushing against my nose as I spotted the state of my legs, which were now encased in some sort of red adhesive from the shin down, sticking me to the floor. Acting on instinct, I sent a wind de outward, cutting my legs off from the knee as I blew myself backward to dodge another one of Auber¡¯s strikes. ¡­Shit. This¡­ was not good. Regenerating my legs with healing magic, I felt my mana reserves drain more than I wasfortable with as I stood up with a start, holding my sword forward as my entire body remained tense in anticipation. ¡°You¡­ cut off your legs?¡± Auber said, looking down at the cut-off stumps with amazement. ¡°That¡­ are you really human? Not one of those regenerating demons?¡± I didn¡¯t bother answering him. He could believe what he wanted to believe. Right now¡­ ¡°Ariel,¡± I said, not looking behind me. ¡°Don¡¯t move. No matter what, I will protect you, so don¡¯t move unless I tell you to.¡± I couldn¡¯t have her running around, especially since it was looking like I would really need that barrier quite soon. He was much stronger than I thought. Right¡­ the Sword God had called me an Emperor-ranked swordsman, but on the weaker end. Even if I trained a lot since then, I was likely at most an average Emperor-rank now. But this guy¡­ Auber the Peacock de¡­ he must be at the higher end of it. ¡°I-I got it,¡± she said, her voice shaky. ¡°I¡­ trust you.¡± She must be scared¡­ and unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t exactly reassure her. I was scared too. After all, I had so much to lose. My family, my lovers, Aria¡­ Right. I had a cute daughter to get back home to, so¡­ I couldn¡¯t die here. I watched as Auber raised his sword to his mouth, narrowing his eyes as he murmured something under his breath, causing his de to erupt into mes. Was that some sort of magic sword? But¡­ that only made him easier to see, so why would- He then breathed outward, causing a stream of mes to rush towards me, as I instantly generated a wall of water to defend myself. This guy just had a bunch of tricks, huh? Truly the epitome of the North God style. With the steam covering the room, Auber suddenly appeared, his two swords drawn and ready to cut me down. But¡­ how? I should have seen him with my Demon eye! I didn¡¯t have any room to wonder what had happened as I hastily brought my sword up to defend myself, the sound of shing metal resounding as we exchanged strikes. I expected to need to use my other arm to defend his second sword, but instead, Auber threw it towards Ariel, the barrier that was protecting her shattering in an instant. Fuck. There goes the opening I was hoping for. But at least she was safe¡­ A cloud of gas then suddenly appeared in front of my face, causing an intense itching, stinging pain in my eyes that made me shut them on instinct. F-Fuck! What was that! I could¡­ hardly breathe! Using some wind magic to blow the gas away, I suddenly felt the pressure against my sword release, meaning¡­ Ariel! Still blinded, I rushed to where I remembered Ariel was, instantly feeling a de run through my torso as I defended her. Fuck¡­ at least she stayed there, just as promised¡­ She trusted me. She trusted me, so¡­ I couldn¡¯t betray something so important. Igniting my body in mes, I felt Auber release his sword, leaving it embedded in my body as he jumped back, evading my hasty sh that ripped through the air, giving me a moment to reorganize myself. Washing my eyes out with water magic, I watched as Auber nced at me warily, taking his twost swords out of their sheathes as I took out the one dug into my stomach. Feeling an intense pain, I hastily healed the wound, but the pain still remained, pulsing through my body with every heartbeat. Fuck¡­ poison. And unlike if it was my arm or leg, I couldn¡¯t just cut it off. I could tell it wasn¡¯t so bad that I couldn¡¯t detoxify it, but¡­ I didn¡¯t exactly have the time nor the focus. I needed to end this quickly. It was then that Wii Taa decided to make his very timely appearance. The fucking annoying cockroach. ¡°Huh? You haven¡¯t finished either of them off yet?¡± he asked in amazement. Using the lull in battle to my advantage, I cast a barrier around Ariel once again as I flooded my system with detoxification magic. It wouldn¡¯tpletely remove the poison, and I would still die if left untreated for too long, but at least with this, it shouldn¡¯t affect my usefulness in battle by locking up my joints or anything. ¡°Yeah, this guy is a bit special,¡± Auber said, clicking his tongue in annoyance. ¡°King-ranked my ass¡­ he¡¯s definitely an Emperor. If he wasn¡¯t defending that princess, he would probably be my equal.¡± ¡°Shit, really?¡± Wii Taa said. ¡°But¡­ she is there¡­ and now you have me.¡± ¡°I suppose. Just-¡± With Auber tilting his head, I raced forward again, the colour draining from my vision as I shed forward with both swords. A dual Longsword of Light¡­ a mix of the Sword God and North God styles that would make any other swordsman flinch in fear. But Auber¡­ blocked it perfectly. ¡°My Nebulous Cross¡­ what a monster you are,¡± he said, looking at me with interest. Creating a fireball, I used it to distract Auber as I shed toward Wii Taa, but with him hastily raising his shield, he blocked me as well. Fuck¡­ now that I was moving around, the poison was spreading even faster¡­ at this rate, if I didn¡¯t finish this battle quickly, I would die. Backing off once again, I defended a throwing knife from Auber before parrying his sword strike, melding it into a use of Flow that he easily brushed off with his touki. His fucking touki¡­ what the hell was that? I had noticed how weird his touki was as the battle continued. It didn¡¯t flow. No¡­ instead, it teleported. Appearing where it needed to be in an instant, leaving me blind to when and where he was going to strike. His touki was also stronger than normal, kind of like the Sword God, but not to the same extent. And apparently, this extra power could be used defensively as well to ward away my Flow technique. Teleporting touki¡­ no fucking way that was possible. But now that I focused¡­ I realized I was wrong. His entire body waspletely d in touki, just like a regr swordsman, but also¡­ not. It was there but¡­ weak. Diluted. As if it was simply¡­ lingering. Wait¡­ could that be it? Suddenly activating his touki or something? Activating touki¡­ Racing forward, I swung forward with my stolen de, while my main sword defended against Wii Taa¡¯s sneaky strike from the side. Watching intently as Auber parried my attack with ease, I felt myself get sent flying back from the power of his defence as his second sword created a gash in my arm. Fuck¡­ I was right. Exploding the lingering touki¡­ it was simr to the Sword God, but even crazier. ¡°That was quite weak, you know?¡± Auber said, raising his eyebrow in confusion. ¡°But¡­ I suppose the poison is getting to you now, huh? I can¡¯t me you. And with that one¡¯s poison¡­ yeah, that¡¯s a shame.¡± So that gash had worse poison¡­ good to know. Raising my hand, I cut off my left arm at the base, instantly beginning to heal it as I continued staring forward. My touki¡­ it was already in the air. It was connected to me¡­ ranged maniption¡­tent touki¡­ exploding it¡­ using all the power in an instant¡­ Swinging down, I sent a ranged sh forward, having it ride the path of my touki in the air as it rushed towards Auber. His eyes widening in surprise, he hastily raised his two swords to defend himself, with Wii Taa readying himself to leap forward and take me out. Time seemed toe to a halt as I focused on the touki behind the distracted Auber¡¯s neck. Mana¡­ touki¡­ ranged control¡­ a connection to myself¡­ Feeling the faint connection with my touki in the air strengthen, I concentrated it into a de as I forced it to follow my will. As sharp as possible¡­ as fast as the Sword God¡­ as smooth as the Water God¡­ the sh following the touki¡¯s path to reach its mark in an instant¡­ and exploding in an instantaneous burst of power. All the hours spent training flooded through my mind, as well as the reason I was fighting so hard right now. Aria¡­ Sylphy¡­ Roxy¡­ Eris¡­ my family¡­ Ariel¡­ Auber¡¯s eyes widened further, his lips spreading into a faint smirk. ¡°Magnificent,¡± he said approvingly. And then, an instantter, his head was sent flying through the air, blood sshing against the floor as time returned to its usual pace. An ¡®ambush sword¡¯¡­ thanks for leading me to this technique, North Emperor. It was your initial ambush which nearly sent me to the afterlife that was the inspiration for it, after all. With his body crumpling to the ground, I saw Wii Taa freeze in ce, reaching into his pocket a momentter as he suddenly threw something to the ground, causing a cloud of dense ck smoke to fill the air. ¡°Auber¡­ fuck, at least you got him with the poison,¡± he spat, his voice growing faint. S-Shit¡­ if he was attacking¡­ Focusing mana into my Demon eye, I saw that Wii Taa was instead, thankfully, fleeing through therge hole in the wall leading to the outside. Shit¡­ was that from one of my wind sts? I hope the university doesn¡¯t charge me. As I attempted to give chase, I felt my body crumple after a single step forward, my arms barely able to catch my body as I felt them weakly tremble at my weight. Dammit¡­ the poison that I cut off my arm for¡­ some of it still got through. Clenching my teeth, I flooded my system with detoxification magic once again, this time with much more focus and power. Feeling my blurry vision return to normal as I threw up a wad of spit and ck fluid, I tried to move again, but to no avail. Shit! ¡°A-Ariel,¡± I said, my breath shaky. ¡°I-Is he¡­ going to be a problem?¡± ¡°¡­No,¡± she said, her voice trembling slightly. ¡°N-Not for my family?¡± I asked, gaining control over my breathing as I began focusing my healing on my stomach. Looking down, I noticed that the skin had begun peeling, as if I had just gotten arge blister across my entire torso, as the bulging veins pulsed with every heartbeat. Dammit¡­ what a nasty poison. ¡°No. From his departing words, I think he believes you are already dead from the poison,¡± she said. ¡°What?¡± I asked, looking up at her. ¡°I¡­ was already dealing with it before he left, though.¡± ¡°Leon¡­¡± she said, her eyes swimming with worry as she stared at me. ¡°Your neck¡­ it¡¯s purple.¡± Fuck¡­ was it? I guess more got into my bloodstream than I thought. Shit, I should have cut off my arm right away. ¡°Anyway, Wii Taa should be informing his¡­ employer about the failed attempt. He can¡¯t afford for him to die and leave me to control the flow of information,¡± she said, her voice sounding much more vulnerable than usual. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ also a coward, from what I¡¯ve heard. He wouldn¡¯t fight a battle he didn¡¯t think he could win.¡± Hm? She knew of that guy? I guess he was hired in Asura, after all, so it makes sense that she would have some information. ¡°I¡­ see,¡± I said, slowly crawling over to her. ¡°You¡­ should stay at my house from now on. If he or another one at his leveles for you¡­ I don¡¯t think Sylphy or Luke could protect you.¡± This way, if she stayed at my house, I could protect both her and my family from any future attempts all in one ce. That would be best. Besides, she had been staying over the odd night anyway, so it wouldn¡¯t change much. ¡°A-Alright¡­¡± she said, and looking up, I saw an emotion I had rarely, if ever, seen on the girl. Panic. Fear, confusion, worry, and panic¡­ all mixed together as her eyes stared back at me. ¡°Ariel¡­ what¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked. Looking at me nkly for a moment, she suddenly shook her head before responding. ¡°That swordsman¡­ the North King Wii Taa¡­ he¡¯s been under the Notos Greyrat¡¯s employ for many years,¡± she said, taking a deep breath in. ¡°So for him to do such a thing¡­ either he is no longer under their authority any longer¡­ or the Notos Greyrat family, my greatest supporters, have switched sides to Darius and my older brother.¡± Well¡­ that wasn¡¯t good. ¡°I had thought that us nor receiving a letter from him was due to fear of espionage or them being intercepted at the northern border, but now¡­ it seems that his betrayal is increasingly likely,¡± she said. ¡°With this¡­ I may have to hasten my ns.¡± Hasten her ns¡­ well, it seems that I would be putting in some work pretty soon. But Darius, huh? I already knew that he would eventually be my enemy, but with this, he had decided to make the first move. ¡°Well¡­ aside from him wanting Eris and being a disgusting pervert, I guess I have another reason to kill that Prime Minister,¡± I said, sitting next to her as a rested my back against the turned-over desk. Damn¡­ I made a mess of this ce¡­ and shouldn¡¯t someone have heard the ruckus by now? I mean, it waste, but at least some faculty members should have been alerted, as well as Ariel¡¯s attendant that was usually nearby. Ah, but the assassins might have already killed them, huh? ¡°Killing Darius wille with time,¡± she said evenly. ¡°And Leon¡­ thank you for saving me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s only natural,¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re safe, and thank you for listening to my words.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± she mumbled. I could feel her gaze on me, but I was too concentrated on focusing on my magic to care. Shit¡­ I was a little out of it, so I was even worse than usual at dispelling the poison¡¯s effects than usual. It was a damn good thing that Wii Taa decided to flee. I¡­ am not sure if I would be able to stop him if he attacked right now. ¡°That aside¡­ Leon¡­ the poison¡­¡± Ariel said, her worry showing through her voice. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ manageable,¡± I said, flinching as another wave of pain enveloped me. ¡°I just need to focus¡­¡± ¡°Is that so¡­¡± she said. I then felt her hand wrap around my head, pulling me down to rest on herp, as my eyes opened wide in surprise. ¡°Rest here for a moment,¡± she said sharply. ¡°Men are supposed to gain energy faster this way, so ensure you use it to heal yourself more efficiently. Understood?¡± What? Was that really a thing? ¡°That¡¯s bullshit,¡± I said, closing my eyes as I once again focused on my detoxification magic. ¡°We should be getting back in case you¡¯re wrong about Wii Taa, but¡­ I¡¯ll concentrate here for a moment.¡± I was also pretty tired. All that healing and detoxification magic had nearly drained me of my mana reserves, especially with the regrowing limbs. Speaking of that¡­ I should probably fetch my shoes after this. Dammit¡­ and those were my good pants. ¡°Of course,¡± she said. Focusing on the poison, I began filtering it out of my bloodstream, finishing most of the job as I felt a hand begin to run through my hair. Opening my eyes, I looked up to see Ariel looking down at me with a difficult expression. A pained smile that radiated warmth and sadness. And it was genuine. ¡°I¡­ usually like your true self,¡± I said, breathing in and out evenly before I smirked at her. ¡°But¡­ that smile doesn¡¯t look good on my princess. I just saved you, right? Look a bit happier.¡± Her cheeks flushed a bit as she suddenly looked away from me. ¡°Stop it¡­ please,¡± she said with an oddly¡­ weak tone. ¡°Stop what?¡± I asked, my mind still fuzzy as I tried to remove thest of the symptoms. ¡°Stop looking at me like that,¡± she said. ¡°And¡­ while I do appreciate having you protect me¡­ I don¡¯t like seeing you get hurt.¡± Her words were apanied by her pinching my cheek. ¡°Why?¡± I asked. She simply shook her head. Deciding to ignore her odd behaviour, I took a deep breath in through my nose¡­ only to notice an odd scent. It smelt pungent and slightly unpleasant, and, well¡­ it smelt like urine. I know from experience that dead people sometimes peed and defecated themselves, but this felt a little close for it to be from Auber and Nuckelgard¡¯s bodies. ¡°¡­Do you know what that smell is?¡± I asked Ariel. Her response was to move from pinching my cheek to sping my nose closed, her face erupting into a fierce blush as she looked down at me. ¡°I-I was just attacked by a North Emperor and two North Kings, alright?¡± she said, stammering slightly. ¡°I-It¡¯s only natural to be scared!¡± ¡°Right¡­ I understand,¡± I said, closing my eyes. I understood, but¡­ I really wish she wouldn¡¯t look so happy that I found out she had peed herself. Weren¡¯t we just having a touching moment there? She just had to go and ruin it like that¡­ but I suppose that was just like Ariel. Fuck¡­ I was hungry. I hope Sylphy wouldn¡¯t mind cooking me a little something, even though it waste. I defended her princess, and even defeated a North King and North Emperor while doing it, so I was a good boy, right? Ahh, I wanted her to tell me that¡­ Chapter 87 – Betrayal Chapter 87 ¨C Betrayal ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª A few weeks had passed since the attempt on Ariel¡¯s life, and with the year K423 upon us, it meant that I was now eighteen years old. Ideally, I would be spending this time of year at home, cuddled up with Aria and my two lovers in front of the firece and sharing a cup of tea or warm milk, but unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t something I could do right now. I had been tasked by Ariel to go to the capital and ascertain whether the Notos had truly betrayed her, and if so¡­ why. She was also hoping that I could provide any insights as to why they had sent a North Emperor her way now of all times, but that was only a secondary priority. Using the same teleportation ruin over a year ago, when I picked up Eris¡¯ family, I was able to cut down the regrly season-long trip between Sharia and Ars to only a few weeks. Obviously, I didn¡¯t want to leave Ariel and my family with Wii Taa and other possible assassins on the loose, but Ariel convinced me it was unlikely that they would attack again for a while, as I had already dealt with quite a strong group. Instead, it would be better for me to leave now so that I could beat Wii Taa back to the Ars before the news of the failed attempt reached them. After all, once that happened, we would have to be wary against more attacks, so this was the only window of opportunity for me to get some information. So, with two and a half weeks of travel behind me, I had galloped through the countryside, staying on the road for the most part, but sometimes taking a shortcut through the vast ins of the region to cut down my travel time. And that¡­ was how I came across the sight before me. A giant city, bigger than anything I had ever seen before, with buildings spread across the hills, even spilling past the city walls, while a giant pce stood at the highest point in the centre of the settlement. This¡­ was Ars. The capital of the strongest and most prosperous nation in the world. Well, it was certainly an awe-inspiring scene, but I wasn¡¯t here to sightsee. As expected from such arge city, the security wasx getting into, and while I didn¡¯t have any concrete ns as to how to fulfill Ariel¡¯s wishes, I did have a ce to start. After all, Master did tell me to visit whenever I wanted to, and since she said that she would be back in the capital by the end of the year, she should be here. So, after getting some directions, I then made my way to the main dojo of the Water God style, a fancyplex of various buildings that rested close to the Silver Pce. Fortunately, unlike the Sword Sanctum, I didn¡¯t need to fight off a bunch of swordsmen on my way to the main building, but I did notice a few people watch me cautiously as I tied my horse up at the stable inside. I didn¡¯t know if it was simply the passive nature of the style, the fact that they couldprehend my strength, or if Master had previously told them about me, but I was grateful for theirpliance nheless. Having spotted a familiar flow of touki with my Demon eye, I quickly made my way past the building, hoping that she would be able to help me a bit. ¡°Oh? I didn¡¯t think you would actuallye see me so soon,¡± Master said, looking over to me as she sat in a garden. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be fathering your child by now?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m just here for a little errand,¡± I said. ¡°An errand? This is the capital, you know. Well¡­e sit,¡± she said, patting the spot on the bench beside her before she suddenly held up her hand. ¡°Actually, show me your Flow first.¡± She then tossed a rock at me, the projectile whizzing through the air as I unsheathed my de, deflecting it back to her as it smashed into the ground beneath her feet. ¡°That was mean, Master,¡± I said, smiling. ¡°You threw that hard enough to kill a regr person, you know.¡± ¡°Consider it me ensuring that you haven¡¯t been cking in your training,¡± she returned, narrowing her eyes at me. ¡°Tsk¡­ You¡¯re damn good, Leon. Better than I could have ever expected when we first met. If you wanted, I could even consider you my sessor.¡± ¡°No, thanks,¡± I said, taking a seat. ¡°It would be troublesome to lead a school. And besides, I don¡¯t really use the Water God style on its own that much. I just implement it into my own.¡± ¡°Right, you¡¯re an almighty Elemental Emperor now, aren¡¯t you,¡± she said, chuckling to herself. ¡°Anyway¡­ I assume you didn¡¯te here just to visit?¡± Getting right down to business, huh? Well, I didn¡¯t mind that. I wasn¡¯t in the mood for small talk, after all. ¡°Unfortunately not,¡± I said, leaning back against the bench. ¡°Do you¡­ know anything of the Notos family? More specifically, what have they been up totely.¡± ¡°Politics? I never expected that from you,¡± she hummed. ¡°But not really, no. I hate that stuff, so I only serve my duty to protect the royal family and the prime minister, and that¡¯s it. I try not to get involved with the rest of the rabble.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I said. So she protects the prime minister¡­ I guess if I want to kill Darius, I would have to face her. I couldn¡¯t win against her right now, that was for certain. But once Ariel graduated, and I have had enough time to master my vast myriad of abilities¡­ I should be strong enough. The thought was bittersweet, that I would need to fight her seriously¡­ but perhaps I would be able to convince her to let me kill him without going through her first. ¡°But while I don¡¯t know¡­ I have heard rumours,¡± she said. ¡°Pilemon Notos Greyrat¡­ was it? He¡¯s apparently currying favours with some high-ranking people right now. Specifically with Minister Darius.¡± Hmm¡­ that was certainly suspicious, but not necessarily evidence that he had betrayed Ariel. After all, even if he was making personal connections, if he was still loyal, those would be transferred over to Ariel once she returned. But still¡­ it was suspicious for him to do this when he was meant to be lying low, fostering a solid foundation among the popce which had always been Ariel¡¯s strength. So if even Master had caught wind of him, he was definitely veering off from the n, not to mention getting close to Darius, who was Ariel¡¯s biggest enemy. ¡°I¡¯m warning you now, Leon,¡± she said, releasing a slight pressure that made me tense up. ¡°I won¡¯t tell anyone about you, but only so long as you keep it at gathering information. If you put anyone in the pce in danger¡­ I¡¯ll be forced to step in.¡± ¡°I¡­ got it,¡± I said. ¡°Thank you, Master.¡± ¡°No problem. You¡¯re a good kid,¡± she said, sighing as her pressure released. ¡°Too bad that my cute granddaughter is still up north with Gal, else I would have had her push you down and be your fourth wife.¡± ¡°Err¡­ that wouldn¡¯t happen,¡± I said. ¡°And wouldn¡¯t you be upset at your cute granddaughter not being the sole object of her husband¡¯s affections?¡± ¡°Hehe. Well, she would undoubtedly capture your heart unconditionally over time, so I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about that. But I guess I¡¯ll leave it at teasing for now,¡± she said, getting up as she stretched her arms. ¡°Feel free to take one of the empty rooms. If you want to pay me back, spar with some Water Saints to show them what they¡¯recking.¡± I¡­ was a bit scared at what she meant by ¡®for now¡¯, but I graciously epted her kindness with a nod. Now¡­ it was time to get some information, and I guess I would have to be sneaky. I knew that this was going to be annoying. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª With my nighttime escapades with Roxy on the Begaritt Continent, I had learned how to nullify any noise I made with magic, cutting off all the vibrations in the air around my body. If one had great hearing, they may find it suspicious to hear aplete absence of sound in one ce, but as long as I was far away, I should be fine. I also used wind magic to ensure I couldn¡¯t be smelled, ensuring that the surrounding air was constantly cycled upwards so that my scent didn¡¯t waft into any sharp noses. Andstly, there was the illusion magic I had been training, using Ariel¡¯s transformation magic as a base. Of course, I couldn¡¯t do something as insane as changing my appearance, but with intense focus, I could be invisible by bending the light around me. This did cause me to go blind, however, but at least I still had my Demon eye to keep watch of my surroundings. Even without the blindness, this technique was unfortunately unusable inbat, as it simply required too much concentration to use in the middle of battle. But luckily for me, I wasn¡¯t here for a fight. So, with me ensuring I wasn¡¯t leaking any mana, I had pretty muchpletely masked my presence as I remained seated in a tree. Of course, even with one¡¯s presence being masked, the various barriers lining the pce would catch anyone who tried to invade, but with Ariel giving me her ne that served as her ¡®key¡¯, I was able to enter through the main gate without any problems. The pce¡¯s security was tight, and with their various barriers and sentries, it was extremely difficult to sneak into this ce. But that also worked to my benefit. After all, with such tight security, it was only obvious for the people inside to think they were safe, and as a result, they were quite talkative once they were behind closed doors. And as a result, after waiting two days straight up in this damn tree, with only the water I generated as my sustenance, I was able to catch the sight of Darius Silva Ganius and Pilemon Notos Greyrat entering a room, having released the illusion magic around my head to be able to see them. Pilemon¡­ assuming he did betray Ariel, I was confused as to why he switched sides. After all, with Luke as Ariel¡¯s guard, he was bound to lose his only heir once she attempted her coup for the throne, and by switching his allegiance thiste, it wasn¡¯t like he would gain anything¡­ so why? But that was what I was here to find out. So, focusing touki into my ear, I used vibration magic to mute the surrounding sounds from getting through as I focused on the room from across the garden, hearing their idle chatter and exchange of pleasantries as they eventually began talking about something interesting. ¡°So¡­ is there any word on the attempt?¡± Pilemon said. ¡°Be patient. It takes time to cross the northern territories, after all,¡± Darius said, sipping some wine. ¡°But do not worry. With this, the second princess should be dead.¡± Well¡­ that made things pretty damn clear. But ascertaining if Pilemon betrayed her was only half of my job. Now, I needed to figure out why. Hopefully I would at least hear a hint from their conversation. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Pilemon said. ¡°I know you said to trust you, but I gave up my best swordsman for this¡­¡± ¡°I assure you. This time, it won¡¯t fail,¡± Darius returned. This time? Wait¡­ did Pilemon betray her before? When she left for the university? But¡­ that didn¡¯t make sense. Even if he decided Ariel¡¯s cause was for naught, he would at least ensure Luke stayed in Ars, so¡­ what the hell was going on? ¡°Right, that¡­¡± Pilemon muttered, looking down angrily. ¡°I can¡¯t believe she survived that¡­ I had heard of her death in the north, but¡­ dammit¡­ such a foolish mistake on my part.¡± Hm? Wait¡­ was that it? He¡­ thought she died in that ambush? I¡­ guess that was a natural conclusion toe to, considering Ariel also kept her presence as hidden as possible after that, but¡­ wasn¡¯t that a bit too hasty? Actually, considering he assumed Luke was dead as well, he must have been acting in such a way to save his family line¡­ which was himself. But wait¡­ the way he said that¡­ He had heard of her death? Not assumed it? But¡­ Ariel didn¡¯t even get hurt, nor did her body double. So for him to get such a report rather than a simple ¡®there was a fight¡¯¡­ did Darius control the information to get Pilemon on his side? That¡­ was a smart move, but¡­ how did he keep Pilemon on his side after Ariel was revealed to be alive? ¡°Oh? A mistake? Are you considering switching back to her side?¡± Darius said, a dangerous glint in his eyes. ¡°A-Ah, no, I¡­ already believe that the First Prince will lead Asura to a prosperous era,¡± he said, bowing his head. ¡°Besides¡­ even if the princess came back¡­ there is no longer anything for her.¡± Hmm¡­ I see. So he got scared. Both for his own life while Ariel was spending time abroad, and the fate that Ariel and her supporters were destined for once she retuned. I guess he didn¡¯t have much trust in that girl, for him to think her defeat was a forgone conclusion. Well¡­ that was before she had me, and knowing that princess, she would quickly take back everything she needed for her ascension. Considering how Darius was so easily threatening you, I can¡¯t say you made the wrong decision, Pilemon Notos Greyrat, but¡­ it was most unfortunate. After all, a newly ascended princess wouldn¡¯t tolerate betrayal, and nor would I in the Asura we were hoping to build, absent of the disgusting corruption that had gued this pce for so long. ¡°Is that so? But what about your son?¡± Darius continued. ¡°He¡¯s your heir, no? I didn¡¯t think you would abandon him so easily.¡± ¡°It¡­ was not an easy decision, my lord,¡± Pilemon said with difficulty. ¡°I¡­ will beg for his forgiveness once the timees, but even then¡­ I can always have other children.¡± Hmm¡­ while I didn¡¯t think Luke was a great guy, he was definitely loyal to Ariel, so I don¡¯t know how that would all work out. Although¡­ he was only her knight due to his family ties¡­ and he was quite adamant that his father didn¡¯t betray them after learning of the assassination attempt, so¡­ ¡°I see. Truly¡­ it¡¯s a shame she survived such an attack,¡± Dariusined. ¡°I know that guardian mage Fitz is impressive, but topletely overwhelm them¡­ it must have been that Leon Greyrat.¡± My eyes narrowed. How¡­ how and why did such a dangerous man know my name. I was strong, sure, but I was still rtively unknown, save for my title as ¡®Guardian Wolf¡¯ in the Demon Continent. Even in the university, I was simply known as the ¡®young and talented swordsmanship instructor¡¯. I was not someone that the arguably most influential person in Asura should be gritting his teeth over. ¡°Leon Greyrat¡­ you mentioned him before, but who is he?¡± Pilemon asked. ¡°With no middle name¡­ is he not a member of a leading family? Perhaps¡­ is he a member of the old Boreas family?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± Darius snarled. ¡°He¡¯s Princess Ariel¡¯s guard. Well¡­ he was¡­ He¡¯s only a King-ranked swordsman, so he should be easily dealt with by the three swords of the North God.¡± I¡­ guess not revealing my Emperor-ranked status was good, if it meant he underestimated me¡­ even if it was just because I forgot to tell people. If he had sent another person of Auber¡¯s calibre¡­ or even focused on my family first¡­ I probably would have died. Unfortunately, once Wii Taa got back, I doubt that I would be underestimated any longer. ¡°I see, but¡­ how do you know this?¡± Pilemon asked. Oh¡­ I was interested about that too. ¡°Hmm¡­ let¡¯s just say that I had a special someone giving me advice,¡± he said, stroking his fat chin. ¡°But let¡¯s move past that. More importantly, the Euros family is making some odd moves in the south¡­¡± A special someone? A spy? No¡­ I highly doubt that, given how valiantly her attendants fought in that ambush. Then¡­ was it just a rumour he picked up? Either way, their talk seemed to be veering away from what I was here for, so I suppose it was time to leave. I got my intel, so now¡­ it was just a matter of telling Ariel. I hoped that the princess wouldn¡¯t take it too badly¡­ and Luke too, for that matter. Plus¡­ I was really damn hungry. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª With my noble steed dropped off at the stable, I began trudging my way home, deciding to report on what I had found to Ariel tomorrow, as it was currently nighttime. Ah¡­ actually, she should be there, right? But still¡­ I didn¡¯t feel like doing that. At least not right now. I was just¡­ so tired. I mean, travelling for over a month straight would do that to anyone, but when I was missing thefort of my sweet daughter, it made it even more exhausting. Melting the snow that had umted on the road leading to my house, I made a path to the front of my door, drying off my body with some fire magic before I entered, the pleasant scent of home wafting into my nose the moment I closed the door behind me. Haa¡­ yeah, this was good. ¡°Leon? You¡¯re back?¡± Roxy said from the living room. Walking over to it, I saw that Sylphy was sitting in the sofa chair, her wide eyes looking at me with surprise and excitement, while Roxy was lying on the couch with Aria sitting on her stomach. ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m back,¡± I said, taking off my coat and dirty boots as I came closer. ¡°And what¡¯s Aria doing up? Isn¡¯t itte?¡± ¡°You know that she¡¯s terrible at going to bed. Especially if you¡¯re not there,¡± Roxy said, smiling. ¡°But¡­ wee home. It was a long time without you.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ thank you,¡± I said, leaning down to kiss her forehead as I turned to Sylphy. ¡°And is Ariel with us tonight?¡± ¡°Ah! Yes, but¡­ she¡¯s already fast asleep. It¡¯s been¡­ busytely,¡± she said, her expression showing her nervousness. Oh¡­ she must be worried about the results, huh? ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ tell you about itter,¡± I said, lifting Roxy''s legs as I sat down,ying them to rest on mine. ¡°I¡¯m a bit too tired to exin everything.¡± It would be a difficult conversation, after all. ¡°Ah, no, it¡¯s not that! Just¡­¡± Sylphy then shook her head. ¡°Anyway¡­ it¡¯ste, but there¡¯s still corn chowder in the pot. Do you want some?¡± ¡°That¡¯d be nice, but for now¡­ I just want to rest for a moment,¡± I said, leaning back against the cushion as Aria crawled into my arms. ¡°And what are you doing up? Aren¡¯t babies supposed to be sleepy?¡± But honestly¡­ I was relieved. A month and a half was a long time, especially for Aria, where she was only ten months old. Being apart for so long¡­ I was scared that she wouldn¡¯t recognize me. ¡°Baba!¡± she said, before sticking out her lower lip. ¡°Abooo!¡± Well¡­ I guess I didn¡¯t have to worry about that. Smiling, I began flicking her lip up and down, creating a blubbering sound as she then descended into a fit of giggles. Yeah¡­ I was really d to be back. With one arm holding Aria, and the other brushing through Roxy¡¯s hair as she began to slowly drift off to sleep, Sylphy then sat down next to me, her hands fidgeting on herp. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± I asked, turning to look at her. ¡°You look nervous¡­ do you want to know so bad?¡± ¡°No! It¡¯s not that,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°Well¡­ you see¡­ I¡¯m¡­ pregnant.¡± ¡­Oh? I guess ourst night together was a good one. Another child¡­ I would probably be dancing around in glee if it wasn¡¯t for Aria in my arms and my overall exhaustion, but still¡­ I was very happy. ¡°That¡¯s wonderful, Sylphy,¡± I said, leaning over to kiss her forehead. ¡°But why are you so nervous?¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know, but¡­ I¡¯m happy too,¡± she said, leaning her head on my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ d. Aria¡¯s so wonderful, so I¡¯m thankful that I¡¯ll be able to experience what Roxy did as well.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ you can experience it as many times as you want,¡± I said. Taking in the peaceful quiet, with Roxy¡¯s soft snores to my right and the crackling of the firece in front of me, I felt Aria begin to lean into my arm, her eyes fluttering closed as she cuddled against myp. ¡°My grandmother is also pregnant,¡± Sylphy then said, causing my eyes to widen slightly in surprise. ¡°Lina is?¡± I said. ¡°Well¡­ I guess you¡¯ll be getting a new aunt or uncle soon.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess so,¡± she returned, giggling slightly as she kissed my cheek. ncing over at her, who had once again settled her head on my shoulder, and then over at Roxy, who was fast asleep, I couldn¡¯t help but smile a little wider. Ever since Aria came into our lives, both of them had slowly be more gentle and well¡­ motherly. Things like Roxy leaving her hair down around the house more, and Sylphy always being there to make breakfast¡­ not to mention how we would often find ourselves in extremely rxing and domestic situations like this¡­ I loved it. ¡°Oh, and I forgot to say, but¡­ wee home. I missed you,¡± Sylphy whispered. ¡°Roxy was missing you quite badly as well, but Aria gave her a rough timest night.¡± ¡°Ah, that exins why she fell asleep so fast,¡± I said. ¡°Should we move to the bed?¡± ¡°Mmm,¡± she hummed, shaking her head no. ¡°Let¡¯s just¡­ stay like this for a while¡­ I love you, Leon.¡± ¡°Love you too,¡± I said, turning to kiss her head as I leaned back into the soft couch. Yeah¡­ I was still tired physically after travelling for so long, but with this¡­ I felt my mental fatigue lessen a bit. It was nice to be back home. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°-So that¡¯s the situation,¡± I said, finishing the report of my trip to Ars. After Ariel woke up, and Luke arrived to escort her to school, after seeing me, they decided to get my information as soon as possible¡­ which was why we were doing this in the dining room of my house. That big table was a good purchase, huh? ¡°T-That¡­ it¡¯s impossible!¡± Luke shouted, walking up to me as he narrowed his eyes to re into mine. ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re lying! What¡¯s your goal with deceiving Princess Ariel, Leon Greyrat!¡± ¡°Luke¡­¡± Sylphy said dangerously, narrowing her eyes as her hand reached for her wand. But I simply sighed. I¡­ couldn¡¯t really me him for losing control like this, even if his anger was misdirected. His father and only family had essentially abandoned him, after all. I honestly felt bad for the guy. ¡°I¡¯m not, Luke. I already exined why it¡¯s possible and that it happened,¡± I said. ¡°The Notos family is no longer Ariel¡¯s ally.¡± ¡°Y-You liar-!¡± ¡°Luke,¡± Ariel spoke calmly. ¡°Take a breath. We always had this possibility in mind once we fled the country, and with Wii Taa¡¯s appearance, this was expected. Do not take it out on someone we should be acting grateful towards.¡± ¡°B-But¡­ princess¡­!¡± Luke said as his fists clenched. ¡°Dammit¡­ Dammit!¡± With him pacing angrily around the room, Sylphy looked between him and Ariel with worry before speaking up, ¡°Luke¡­ I can guard Ariel, so how about you take today off? If we want to deal with this¡­ we all need to have a clear head.¡± Luke stopped, looking at Ariel as she nodded her head as she stood up. ¡°Sylphy is right¡­ and we don¡¯t need to wake Aria,¡± she said, walking past me and toward the living room as Sylphy followed. ¡°For now¡­ I think I¡¯ll stay here. We don¡¯t need to rush things, after all. Luke¡­ take the day off to rest.¡± ¡°But-!¡± ¡°I¡¯m ordering you as your princess,¡± she said firmly. ¡°Go take the day off. A woman is always a good cure for suchplicated emotions, no? Treat yourself as you see fit.¡± ¡°B-But¡­ fine,¡± Luke said, stomping out of the room. As the front door mmed behind him, I then went over to Ariel, who had decided to sit down on the couch, pressing a hand to her forehead. ¡°Ariel¡­¡± Sylphy said, worried. ¡°Are you¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not suspecting him,¡± she said, sighing. ¡°I just¡­ can¡¯t stand to see his face right now. Guilt¡­ it really is a terrible emotion, huh?¡± So she felt guilty¡­ I was wondering why she was so adamant on Luke leaving, but it made sense now. After all, because of her, he had all but been disinherited by his family, so it was no wonder she was feeling horribly. ¡°But this¡­ this situation is most troubling,¡± she said. ¡°While we expected this¡­ it doesn¡¯t make the pain lessen¡­ nor made the challenge any easier¡­¡± She looked¡­ lost. Lost and defeated. I had never seen such a look on her face, and honestly¡­ I didn¡¯t like it. She should be more confident and prideful, along with sneaking in a few sexual innuendoes. That was the Ariel Anemoi Asura I hade to know. But how would I do that? Her only noble ally in Asura had abandoned her, leaving herpletely and utterly alone. Well¡­ that must be what she felt like. And it was apletely wrong assumption. ¡°Ariel¡­ while you may no longer have the Notos family¡¯s strength, you still have mine,¡± I said, sitting beside her. She looked over at me for a moment before shaking her head. ¡°Haa¡­ I appreciate it, but¡­ you have no legitimacy,¡± she said bitterly. ¡°Ascending to the throne with no supporters among the four great families¡­ I would certainly be seen as a usurper. At least among the nobility, that is.¡± ¡°You wanted to change the nobility anyway, right? So why should their opinions matter,¡± I said, shrugging. ¡°Besides, if you can lose supporters, then you can gain them as well. While surely not as powerful, I bet we could get the Boreas to your side, considering my connection with Sauros.¡± ¡°I¡­ suppose that is true,¡± she said, sighing deeply. She didn¡¯t seem convinced. No, perhaps she just didn¡¯t care. Right now, she just seemed exhausted and worn out. Haa¡­ well, she had tried to alleviate my fatigue after that fight against the assassins, so it was only right to return the favour. Sighing, I grabbed her shoulder, causing her to flinch as I slowly brought her head down to myp, smoothing out her hair as I stared out the window. This was likely¡­ no, it certainly was very impertinent to do to a princess, but I think she needed something like this right now. Just¡­fort. ¡°You said this made you recover faster, right?¡± I said gently. ¡°That¡­ was only for men,¡± she muttered. ¡°Oh? Then, would you rather I stop?¡± I asked. ¡°No¡­¡± she said, turning her head to face my stomach. ¡°Please¡­ don¡¯t stop.¡± Yeah¡­ she was definitely exhausted. She must have been worried about what information I would bring back for a while. Sylphy had told me as muchst night. After all¡­ even if she was a princess vying for the throne, in the end, she was still an eighteen-year-old girl. A woman, sure, but an extremely young one. And even fully grown adults required reassurance and support now and then. Ariel then wrapped her arms around my waist, pulling herself closer to me as she then took a deep inhale through her nose. ¡­Uh. ¡°Did you do itst night?¡± she asked. Well¡­ Roxy did miss me, and after she woke up, and we both had urges that had built up during our time spent apart¡­ Needless to say, there was a reason she was still asleep sote in the morning. I did the same with Sylphy too, of course, but we weren¡¯t nearly as active as we usually were. That aside¡­ how did this princess know that? ¡°Uh, yeah,¡± I said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Sylphy is pregnant, right? So this must be Roxy¡¯s scent,¡± she said, smiling a bit. This fucking lust-fueled princess¡­ I guess she was somewhat back to her usual self, at least. But still¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t attack my lover. I know how cute she is, but she¡¯s mine,¡± I said, pulling her ear as punishment. ¡°Mmm, but it¡¯s hard to hold back, especially when you were gone for so long,¡± she said, giggling a bit before she calmed down to a serious, gentle tone. ¡°Still¡­ thank you, Leon. For going there for me, and¡­ for being here right now.¡± ¡°¡­Of course,¡± I returned. After a few minutes of silence, she quickly fell asleep, snoring softly on myp as her previously pained expression softened into something more rxed, her lips quirked up in a soft smile. Well¡­ that was good. Looking over to Sylphy, who had been oddly silent this entire time, I saw that she had a difficult expression on her face. Was she¡­ jealous? Ah, right¡­ fuck, that was a bit idiotic of me, even if I hadpletely pure intentions. ¡°Sorry, Sylphy,¡± I said, cringing a bit as my mind caught up with what I had just done with the princess. ¡°That¡­ wasn¡¯t good for me to do as a lover, was it?¡± I would hate if she did that to another man, after all. And not to mention Ariel being her master¡­ ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t,¡± she said coldly before smiling a bit. ¡°But¡­ I can¡¯t say I¡¯m mad at you. In fact, I¡¯m quite happy.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± I voiced, surprised. ¡°Hehe! Yes¡­ while you¡¯re definitely a bad boy¡­ I¡¯m d you¡¯re on Ariel¡¯s side,¡± she said,ing over to give me a kiss on the cheek before gently pinching it. ¡°But¡­ I¡¯m telling Roxy.¡± ¡°Figures¡­¡± I sighed. With her giving me a hug from behind, she then went to the kitchen, likely to get started on lunch. And as for me¡­ I guess I was to be a pillow for the foreseeable future. Actually, I should probably bring Ariel to a bed before Roxy got up, lest I make her sad. But with the princess¡¯ arms still wrapped around my waist, that would be quite difficult. ¡ª Sylphiette ¡ª Washing my mouth, I removed the taste of vomit, which I had unfortunately be familiar with over the past couple of weeks, as I then went back to the kitchen. Morning sickness. My grandmother had warned me, as had Roxy, Zenith, and Lilia¡­ but it really was quite annoying. But still¡­ when I thought about the cause of it¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but smile. A baby¡­ my very own baby¡­ I had wanted one with Leon ever since my mother gave me the talk, and even more since Norn and Aisha were born, but¡­ how to exin it¡­ Back then, I only wanted the baby because it was natural for a family to have one, and it would also mean that Leon and I would have done that, which was a very exciting thought. But ever since Aria was born¡­ my view had changed. She was just so wonderful. From the way she babbled incoherently, to the excitement when she crawled across the floor¡­ everything she did put a smile on my face. Well¡­ everything except the crying¡­ that was quite frustrating. But still, I could get past that. After all, how couldn¡¯t I when there was the way she made Leon smile so gently¡­ she really had her father wrapped around her finger, huh? I had never thought my love for Leon could grow stronger after we reunited, nor that my lust for him would ever increase, but whenever I saw him care for Aria so lovingly, I was quickly proven wrong. Just thinking about it now made me want him to push me down and have his way with me, but s, I needed to ensure my baby was safe. Anyway, even though I viewed Aria as my own child, I was not so naive to think there was no special connection that she shared with her mother. I still remember back when Roxy gave birth, and while it looked painful and stressful, the sweet look Leon gave her afterwards, and not to mention Roxy¡¯s own face of wonder¡­ I wanted to experience that too. So yes, I wanted a baby badly, and through our efforts, I was now pregnant. And life¡­ it was good. No¡­ great was the right word. Almost too great. It reminded me of the time in Buena Vige, when Leon woulde spend time with me and then take me to Roa when he could¡­ the time right before the Discement Incident. But I was confident that such a disaster wouldn¡¯t ur again, and even if it did, I was much stronger and smarter now, so I was certain everything would work out. Walking into the living room, I watched as Roxy set down a set of papers, likely something to do with her ss. ¡°Here Roxy. I made some tea,¡± I said, cing down the teapot along with a few cups. ¡°Ah! Thank you, Sylphy,¡± she said. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t help but feel bad, making you do this when you¡¯re pregnant.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I said, waving off her concern. ¡°I¡¯m only two months in, and it¡¯s not like you¡¯ve had it easy either.¡± Aria nowsted most nights without crying for food, but she was still a very excitable girl, so once she was awake, she did not want to stay in bed. While Leon and I tried to share the burden, Roxy always took it upon herself to be the primary caregiver for the girl, even though she had her teaching position to worry about. But I guess, as her actual mother, that was only natural. And speaking of Roxy, as we slowly spent more time together, I discovered that she was¡­ very nice. I had only met her a few times as a child, but now I could clearly see the charms that had captured Leon¡¯s heart. And as for us sharing the same man¡­ well, to be honest, it was not nearly as bad as I thought. After all, Leon was always active in bed, so much so that even Luke and Ariel were impressed when I bragged- Ahem, told them about my exploits. Now that I was pregnant, I wouldn¡¯t be indulging in those activities for a while, but even then, he was always more than happy to take on both of us at once. I¡­ honestly never expected Leon to be such a lecherous man. Looking back at how innocent of a kid he was, I was still amazed at how he became that way, but I suppose some parts of Paul had to rub off on him at some point, not to mention him growing from a boy into a man during our time apart. Besides, it wasn¡¯t as if I wasining. In fact, I liked that side of Leon quite a lot. But anyway, yes¡­ things with Roxy were better than expected, and while there were a few times I felt the desire to monopolize Leon, that feeling always washed away once I went over to sit on hisp or give him a kiss. And then¡­ if I really wanted to monopolize him¡­ well, let¡¯s just say he liked me in a skirt quite a bit. So yes, things with Roxy were good, and I considered her a close friend that I could happily exchange intimate acts with, as Leon seemed to like that stuff a lot. A big happy family¡­ knowing how Eris was, and now with me spending over a year with Roxy, I was confident that my dream woulde true. And then there was Leon¡­ to put it simply, I loved him very much. As a child, I had thought of him as the perfect man, one with no ws and amazing talent, but as we¡¯ve been together for over a year now, I had discovered that I was not entirely correct. Leon was not perfect. But at the same time¡­ that made him perfect. I¡¯m sure it was confusing for others, but that was simply how he was. Perfectly imperfect¡­ that was how I would describe my future husband. For instance, Leon was very loving. And after Aria was born, he became even more so, which led to his orphanage idea. And in being so loving and emotional¡­ he got upset quite a bit. The world was a cruel ce, after all, and Leon wasn¡¯t one to ignore that fact for his own peace of mind. But despite that imperfection, whenever he came home and his downcast face brightened up as soon as he saw me before racing over for a hug¡­ well, how could I not think of that as anything but a perfect imperfection? How to exin it¡­ his imperfections¡­ especially the ones that I could help him with¡­ they made me feel valuable. And then there was how he was so easily angered, especially when it came to our family. Like Norn said, it was quiteforting to know he was like that for us, with his love and overprotectiveness, but¡­ he really should be more careful to not pass that onto our children. They were very unlikely to be as strong as him, after all. So yes¡­ life was good. I was happier than I ever had been, and with a child on the way, I was sure to be even happier. I truly was a lucky woman. ¡°Ah¡­ that bath is really amazing,¡± Ariel said, walking out of the bathroom, her hair still wet as it draped down her shoulders, with a familiar ck ribbon tied around one end. ¡°Somehow, it¡¯s even better than the one at the royal pce. Hmm¡­ it must be the cozy size.¡± And then¡­ there was my princess. Ariel had been¡­ differenttely. With the Notos¡¯ betrayal, she would need to forge even more connections than before to have a chance at gaining the throne, and as a result, she was more focused than ever at achieving her goal¡­ but that wasn¡¯t what I was talking about. More specifically, I was talking with how she was around Leon. I was able to tell as soon as sheid eyes on my him, back when we first reunited after that ambush, that Ariel was interested in Leon. But that was only natural. After all, with such strength, and such a close bond with family, he was someone who would naturally stir up some odd feelings in the girl. But ever since the assassination attempt¡­ that interest had changed into something more. Love¡­ probably not. But definitely something closer to it. Now that we slept under the same roof every night, I quickly began to notice how she now acted around my lover. The subtle nces¡­ asking for him to guard help her, even though any of her attendants could do it¡­ things like that. I¡­ was extremely conflicted. As Leon¡¯s woman, it was obvious that I wouldn¡¯t want him to have even more girls vying for his affection, but at the same time¡­ I was Ariel¡¯s close friend. And with Leon, she always seemed so¡­ genuine. I was a bit jealous of both of them. Jealous of Leon¡¯s ability to make the princess feel sofortable, and jealous of Ariel for the obvious affections she was beginning to cultivate towards my future husband. I never expected to be Leon¡¯s only woman, despite what my dream had shown me, but I only ever expected to share him with Eris. So to have one, possibly two more¡­ it was vexing. In short, I wasn¡¯t sure what to do about Ariel. My desire for my best friend to find happiness was conflicting with my feelings as a lover, and that wasn¡¯t even mentioning how Roxy and Eris would take it. Leon did promise to stay faithful to the three of us, after all, and I knew that he would hold himself to that promise. But at the moment, I wasn¡¯t sure if Ariel¡¯s feelings were that of love yet, and I knew for a fact that Leon didn¡¯t look at Ariel that way. So until they both fell in love with each other, if that day were to evere¡­ I wouldn¡¯t ept the princess bing Leon¡¯s woman. ¡°Would you like some tea, Ariel?¡± I asked, putting aside myplicated thoughts. ¡°I can also dry your hair, if you would like.¡± ¡°Hm? Why, thank you, Sylphy. That would be lovely,¡± she returned. And as for the future¡­ well, only time would tell. But still, I was confident I would remain happy, because not only did I have Leon on my side, but I would soon be having a child as well. I wonder¡­ will it be a boy, or a girl? I was excited to find out. Chapter 88 – Peaceful Days Chapter 88 ¨C Peaceful Days ¡ª Roxy Migurdia ¡ª I was currently reading outside, which is how I often spent my time on such a beautiful day like this one. While the winter months were cold, as were most of the months here in Sharia, with a warm coat wrapped around me and the sun shining above, it was a pleasant time nheless, and it served as a good way to get out of the house. Sitting in a chair next to the well-tended grave of Leon¡¯ste mother, I took a deep breath of the fresh, crisp air as I began to reminisce about the past year. I now had a daughter. If you had asked me three years ago if I could imagine myself in such a situation, I would have firmly denied the possibility. Actually¡­ embarrassingly enough, I did have a few fantasies about the grown up Leon and me at that time¡­ so perhaps it would be better to say ten years ago. Yes, ten years ago, I would have never thought that having a child would be possible. After all, back then, I hated children. They were annoying, they didn¡¯t listen, and they couldn¡¯t care for themselves at all. But now¡­ well, I had grown, you could say. Aria¡­ Aria Greyrat. She was¡­ beautiful. With her endearing brown eyes from her father, and her blue hair that she got from me, she was extremely pleasant to look at, and it filled my heart with joy each time I did. Of course, I was still saddened by what Aria might face in the future due to her hair colour, but now that it was beginning to grow longer, I couldn¡¯t deny that it was extremely adorable. Especially when she tried to copy my fidgeting¡­ that was simply the cutest. I wonder, when it grew a bit longer, would she want to have braids like me? I hoped so, and if she did, I could leave that to her father, much like I had been leaving the care of my own hair to himtely. Anyway, while I liked teaching Rudy and Leon when they were kids, and even that prince when he wasn¡¯t trying to grope me, seeing Aria grow each passing day filled me with apletely unmatched sense of fulfillment. And the love I felt for her¡­ it was inexpressible. It was a warmth different from the one Leon gave me, and it was different from the one I felt for him. It was much more¡­ pure and¡­ unrequited. That love¡­ it must be what my parents felt for me, huh? I always knew that, and despite hating my homnd, I always loved them. Buting home to see their faces of despair as I wouldment about my loneliness¡­ it was heartbreaking for me. And so, I left. Beginning my journey across the Demon Continent that then led me to Ranoa. I never regretted it. After all, because of that, I was able to experience so many new things, and that path led me to now, where I had a lover, a family, and a home¡­ a ce where I truly felt epted. But now that I had a daughter¡­ I could also imagine her leaving, and how agonizing that would feel. My parents, did they¡­ feel that way? I had decided to run away to lessen their pain, but¡­ did I just make it worse? Either way, now that I had matured, I did want to visit them. Leon said he met them during his first week on the Demon Continent, and ording to him, there was a teleportation ruin not too far from the vige, so we could definitely go visit. After all, they should meet their granddaughter and son-inw. And now that I felt so epted and love¡­ the pain of the past wouldn¡¯t feel nearly as bad, especially with Leon and Aria at my side when I visited. But not yet. Aria was much too young to bear such a journey, after all. Maybe in a few years, either when Eris returned to help Sylphy protect her princess, or after Leon had helped her be queen. Urgh¡­ that was surely going to be annoying. I guess even after the Discement Incident, this family was simply attracted to trouble. A family that I was now a part of¡­ now wasn¡¯t that a pleasant thought? My family¡­ yeah, I was proud to call it that. Sylphy was as good of a girl as I remembered her as, though she had certainly grown a bit more¡­ perverted. But she was extremely pleasant to be around, and with how much she helped with Aria and Leon¡¯s desires, I couldn¡¯t imagine her not being with us. I was a little worried about Eris, though. I had never met her, after all. But for now, I would trust Sylphy, Leon, and his sisters¡¯ words that she was a good girl. Anyway, my new daughter and family was definitely the biggest change of my life so far, but that wasn¡¯t the only thing that was different. I was now¡­ a teacher. It had taken a lot to swallow down my pride and ask Jinas, my old master, for a position, but after a few tense greetings, we both apologized for our mistakes in the past and moved on like nothing had happened. I could understand him now, after all. Having a talented student surpass you¡­ it was vexing, but I was proud to say that I continued to train despite Leon and Rudy¡¯s talents, and while I still couldn¡¯t match them, I was now able to cast any magic up to the Saint rank without an incantation. I was proud of my achievement, but with my new domestic life, I had decided to dedicate most of my time to my family instead of increasing my strength. After all, with us building a family and hoping to settle down together, there was no need for me to be a Water Emperor or anything of the sort. But despite not aiming for power, I was still as desperate as ever for knowledge. I suppose that curiosity was one of my core traits, and since Leon found it so attractive, I was d to have it. It was this thirst for knowledge that led to me learning ¡®disturb magic¡¯ from Leon after my pregnancy. Truly¡­ as a mage, it was a horrifying technique. Mages were already considered quite fragile in battle, and while I had mitigated this fact with chantless casting, that became nothing when the spells I formed could be nullified in an instant. I was a little upset that he waited so long to teach me, especially when he had already taught Sylphy and Rudy, but ording to him, he didn¡¯t want me to overexert myself with Aria still in my belly. Really¡­ his overprotectiveness was a bit much sometimes, but knowing it was out of his unconditional love for me¡­ well, it just left a warm feeling in my chest that washed away any frustration. Leon¡­ what an annoyingly good man. I was honestly a little scared of him, as not only did he have the looks and strength to ensnare any woman he wished, but with his caring side, he could keep them too. I was d he was so loyal, and with three women already promised to him, I didn¡¯t have to worry about him being unsatisfied. Though¡­ that princess has sure been acting weirdtely¡­ But I would leave that possibly troublesome situation to Sylphy. And speaking of Leon¡­ he should be with his parents right about now, right? I wonder how that¡¯s going. Ah, and I should probably pay my new brother-inw a visit sometimeter. I just hope that Aria gets along with her new uncle. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª With Lilia sessfully giving birth to my new baby brother, ric, we had decided to have the whole family get together, and had nned to do so for every future weekend. After all, Rudy and I were now starting our own families, and Norn and Aisha were bing increasingly independent as they grew older, so we now had to put in some effort to remain close as a family. ¡°Wow¡­ he really has my hair!¡± Aisha said, looking down at the wrapped-up ric, who was sleeping in Lilia¡¯s arms. ¡°That he does,¡± Lilia said, smiling gently. ¡°But he doesn¡¯t have your eyes.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ too bad for him,¡± Aisha said, smirking confidently. Just as Lilia had said, ric had both of Lilia¡¯s most striking features in her red hair and purple eyes, and mixed with the faces of his two parents, I had the feeling he was going to be a realdykiller. I would have to make sure Paul didn¡¯t influence him too much. And me as well, now that I thought about it. ¡°I guess you¡¯ll have to watch out for your uncle, huh?¡± I said, stacking a block onto the tower Aria had proudly built. ¡°Un?¡± she questioned, turning back to me. ¡°Dada!¡± ¡°Yep, that¡¯s me,¡± I said, smiling as I kissed her head. With her nearing her first year, Aria had begun speaking a few words, though her vocabry was extremely restricted. Sadly for me, ¡®Mama¡¯ had been her first word, which she had first used when she wanted Roxy to pick her up. But not a few dayster, she had said her second word¡­ the most pleasant one I could hope to hear¡­ ¡®Dada¡¯. Yes¡­ I was now Dada. ¡°Un!¡± she then said, lifting her arms up. ¡°You want to stand?¡± I asked, seeing her smile widen as I lifted her to her feet. ¡°There¡­ is that good?¡± ¡°Dada!¡± she said, not answering my question. Well, at least she was happy. With her now standing with my help, and her little legs supporting her more and more each time, it wouldn¡¯t be long before my little girl would be running around the house. That¡­ was going to be something. Even with her crawling, she was already a very adventurous thing, always exploring the wide worldid out before her which, for the moment, was generally restricted to the first floor of our house. But thinking of how my little girl was growing bigger, as well as the fact Sylphy was going to bless me with a second child soon¡­ well, I was a pretty happy man. ¡°How¡¯s school going, you two?¡± I said, looking at Norn and Aisha as I returned to stacking blocks with Aria. I had a feeling it wouldn¡¯t be long before she knocked it down, however. My daughter absolutely adored pranking me, the silly little troublemaker. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Norn said, shrugging. ¡°I¡¯m an Intermediate-rank in the Sword God and Water God now, so I think I¡¯ll be taking your ss next term, Brother.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait,¡± I said. ¡°But anything else other than the sword? Do you¡­ have anything you want to do?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± she said, tilting her head in thought. ¡°I¡­ guess I like reading? Oh, and writing too. Stories are¡­ fun to watch grow, I guess.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­ do you want to be a writer?¡± I asked. Maybe she would be like that adventurer who taught Roxy magic, who also wrote Wandering the World, the book we used to have back in Buena Vige which detailed a lot of the various ces in the world. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve been writing about our journey across the Demon Continent, but that was mostly so I wouldn¡¯t forget anything. But one of my friends read it and said it would make an interesting book, so I might do something with that.¡± ¡°That sounds great, honey!¡± Mama said, pulling Norn into a hug. ¡°It does,¡± I added before turning to my other sister. ¡°And what about you, Aisha?¡± ¡°School? It¡¯s fine, I guess,¡± she said, taking Julius from her mother¡¯s arms. ¡°I like the gardening ss, but I¡¯m mostly focused on helping Princess Ariel.¡± ¡°And? Do you¡­ like it?¡± I asked. After all, even if I agreed to help Ariel, and let my sister do so as well, I wouldn¡¯t allow her to get stuck doing something that she didn¡¯t enjoy. ¡°Oh, I love it!¡± she said, smiling widely. ¡°ying with people is so fun, don¡¯t you think?¡± I saw everyone¡¯s face deadpan, except for Lilia, who nodded proudly at her daughter. That¡­ was a bit troubling, but if she enjoyed it¡­ I guess it was fine. ¡°A-Anyway¡­ what about you, Rudy?¡± I said, turning to him. ¡°I know you¡¯ve been helping Zanoba with something, but is there anything else that¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Me? Not really,¡± he shrugged. ¡°Sara¡¯s nearly ready to give birth, so I¡¯ve made sure to have a free schedule for whenever she goes intobour.¡± ¡°I see¡­ where is she right now, by the way?¡± Paul asked, joining in on the conversation. ¡°She¡¯s with Suzanne and Timothy,¡± he exined. ¡°Suzanne has been working as a midwife for a few months, so she¡¯s been giving her a bunch of advice.¡± Well¡­ that was good. I wasn¡¯t that close with the two, but they seemed to have ended up quite happy with their kid, and considering that they were Sara¡¯s parental figures, it made me quite pleased. ¡°Yeah, well¡­ at least you¡¯re all figured out,¡± Paul said. ¡°I was a mess when Zenith was pregnant.¡± ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°But at least you took responsibility and got a job¡­ even if you were still scum.¡± ¡°Hey! I¡¯ve changed!¡± he said, pointing at me. ¡°And you¡¯re looking at a Knight Captain of Sharia, you know? So don¡¯t be too disrespectful~¡± Right¡­ well, at least he liked his job, and it paid pretty well, so I knew that my parents would be fine long into their lives. With Mama finding some work at the hospital, it was now only Lilia who was unemployed, but considering she took the brunt of the housework, I suppose she still considered herself the maid of the household, even if she didn¡¯t wear the uniform anymore. Though, with from how my father bragged about his love life thest time Rudy and I joined him for our weekly drink together, it seemed Lilia kept it for¡­ other purposes. Sometimes, I really wish my family wasn¡¯t so open about their nighttime activities. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Sara¡­ isn¡¯t she beautiful?¡± Rudy said, looking down at the crying baby with a wide smile. ¡°Yeah¡­ so¡­ Lana, right?¡± Sara said, her breathing calming as I eased her pain with healing magic. ¡°If you¡¯re still fine with it,¡± Rudy said. ¡°But wow¡­ if you held them like this, I can understand why you dote on Aria and our sisters so much, brother.¡± It was the fourth month of the year, and as one might expect, Rudy and Sara had just given birth to their child. One Lana Greyrat. Incidentally, she was born a week before Aria¡¯s birthday, and a few weeks after ric¡¯s, so I could only hope the three would grow up to be a good group of friends. Anyway, with Lilia and Suzanne acting as experienced midwives, me there to facilitate any healing magic, and Mama off to the side to assist with water and towels, the birth was extremely easy. ¡°Congrattions, you two,¡± I said, looking over at the new family with a smile. ¡°Yeah¡­ thank you, Leon,¡± Sara said, looking down at the wrapped-up girl in her arms. ¡°My pleasure,¡± I said, washing my hands with water magic as I got to my feet. ¡°Now¡­ I¡¯ll leave you two alone for now,¡± I said, walking back to the door and patting Rudy on the back as I passed. ¡°Make sure you¡¯re a good father, okay?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I promise to be,¡± he said, looking down at Sara and Lana with warm eyes before he turned to me. ¡°Because family¡­ is most important, isn¡¯t that right, brother?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ that¡¯s right,¡± I said, Mama peeking over my shoulder at her new granddaughter. I hope she would be able to hold in her excitement. Sara was exhausted, after all. ¡°And¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Leon. To you too, Mother,¡± Rudy said, causing Mama and me to pause in confusion. ¡°What are you talking about, sweetie?¡± Mama asked. ¡°Yeah. If it¡¯s about the birth, don¡¯t apologize. We wanted to help,¡± I reassured him. ¡°No, it¡¯s just¡­ you¡¯re my mom¡­ and you¡¯re my brother¡­ I just realized that now,¡± he said, looking at us with a small grin. Uh¡­ I didn¡¯t really understand, but¡­ I guess that¡¯s good. ¡°Well¡­ you¡¯re definitely my little brother, so it¡¯s nice that we¡¯re on the same page,¡± I said, patting his head. ¡°Now go spend some time with your wife and daughter. I¡¯ll make sure the school knows you¡¯ll be gone for a bit.¡± ¡°Right¡­ thanks,¡± he said, shaking his head. And so, like that, the Greyrat family grew a bit bigger. ¡ª Eris Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Enough.¡± With the Sword God¡¯s words resounding through the training hall, I looked down at the beaten form of my friend, Nina Farion, her body sprawled across the floor as her chest rose and fell with shaky breaths. It was nothing special. Over the past two years, I had fought with Nina countless times, and had won every single spar, and as for Isolte, while she had been troublesome at first, my speed was eventually able to reach a point where I would win over half of our spars. So beating Nina in a duel¡­ it was nothing special. But this time¡­ it was a bit different from normal. ¡°Congrattions, brat. You¡¯re a Sword King now,¡± the Sword God said. ¡°To be honest, you¡¯re quite a bit stronger than that, though. What do you say? Do you want to try to be an Emperor? Or even challenge me and take my title?¡± Looking over to him, I slowly shook my head. ¡°No. I don¡¯t care about that shit,¡± I said. ¡°Just¡­ I¡¯m strong enough now, right? If we¡¯re doing this¡­¡± The Sword God looked down at me, his smirk widening as he crossed his arms. ¡°Heh. Yeah. That kid¡¯s a monster, but if it¡¯s the current you¡­ you can definitely stand beside him,¡± he said resolutely. I see¡­ good. Leon had always said that separation would make feelings grow stronger, and now that I had experienced it, I wholeheartedly agreed. I¡­ wanted to be with him. I wanted to be with him badly, especially now that I had found my sword. Finding my sword¡­ that was something that was hard to do, but once I did, it was easy to replicate. Basically, it was bing ¡®one with the sword¡¯, but not in terms of it being an extension of the body, but rather¡­ it was an extension of the entire self. A single-minded will focused into the de and used with every swing. That was the core of finding your sword, and I had done so quite easilypared to most swordsmen. After all, I just needed to think about why I was swinging. Why I would want to cut down an enemy in front of me. I put my feelings of love and warmth¡­ the feelings of when I was with Leon and when I was apart¡­ the feelings of family and the need to protect it¡­ I put that into every single swing, and as a result¡­ My eyes drifted to the end of the hall where the wall had been blown apart due to my final attack, the splinters littering the floor from the destruction. Mmm¡­ I was definitely stronger. Especially now that I actually knew what I was doing, and could somewhat use that ¡®touki¡¯ everyone talked about. So now¡­ I just needed to go back home. I couldn¡¯t wait to see Leon. Over the past year, I had gotten a few letters from him, and in thetest one, he mentioned how Sylphy was pregnant, which meant that I needed to catch up with my co-wives on that side of things. Even Rudy had a kid now, apparently. I may have lost on the first and second child¡­ but I could at least hope to be the first to birth a boy, if everything went well. I just needed to get back there and spend the nights with Leon until we got lucky. ¡°Kagh¡­ you damn savage woman,¡± Nina said, groaning as she got to her feet. I hadn¡¯t cut her, of course, and she hadn¡¯t taken the brunt of myst attack, but a sword could still hurt without doing any fatal damage. ¡°Do you think that Leon will still want you like this?¡± she asked, trying to get a rise out of me. ¡°And I know you won¡¯t be bathing on your way back.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± I huffed, smirking pridefully at her. ¡°Actually, Leon loves me the way that I am. Especially when I act ¡®savage¡¯ in bed. And as for the bathing¡­ well, he can just wash me when we meet again.¡± Her eye twitched. ¡°Right¡­ I forgot you two were perverts,¡± she said, shaking her head. We were not perverts. We were just¡­ proud to express our love. And she was the one that always asked about my ¡®experience¡¯, so if anyone was the pervert, it was her! ¡°Aside from that¡­ congrattions, Eris,¡± Isolte said, nodding at me. ¡°I am sure you¡¯re eager to go back to your lover? Especially since he seems to have a nice ce waiting for you.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I whispered, my lips curling into a wide smile. ¡°I¡¯m excited.¡± Ten rooms¡­ with enough time, I would definitely fill all of them. ¡°I bet,¡± she said, giggling. ¡°But¡­ are you certain you¡¯re fine with sharing? I know you aren¡¯t a member of the Millis Church, but-¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I said, cutting Isolte off. ¡°I know he loves me, and I love him, so that¡­ is enough. He made it quite clear in his letters that he had more than enough love to give me.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­ if you say so, then that¡¯s fine with me,¡± she said, smiling at me. ¡°If you ever find the need to visit Ars, you can alwayse to me. I¡¯ll be sure to show you around and provide you a nice ce to stay. For both you and your family.¡± ¡°Right¡­ maybe in a few years, but I need to get a baby in me first,¡± I said, looking down to rub my stomach. ¡°If he fills me up for a whole night¡­ I wonder if I can get pregnant as soon as I get back?¡± Isolte and Nina¡¯s faces both flushed at my words, their eyes darting away as the Sword God simply massaged his forehead. ¡°Millis¡­ someone like you bing a mother¡­¡± he mumbled, shaking his head, before he called out to me. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re leaving tomorrow, right? Well,e grab a little parting gift from your dear master before you go.¡± Raising my eyebrow, I followed him past the raised stage and into his room, where three swords wereid out on the floor. Even to someone like me, who was quite ignorant of what made a good de, I could tell that these were among the finest swords I had ever seen, and likely ever would see. They were from the Sword God¡¯s personal collection, after all. ¡°Ghiine still has t Core, right? These are simr,¡± he said, nodding down at the three. ¡°I¡¯d kill myself before I let a student of mine use their techniques with a low-quality de, so pick out the one you like the most.¡± I then did as he asked, testing each of the swords. How they felt in my hand, how it felt to cut through the air, as well as how my touki could flow into the de, and eventually, I found the one I liked the most. ¡°This one,¡± I said, holding it in my hand. ¡°The Phoenix Elegant Dragon Sword, huh?¡± the Sword God said, rubbing his chin. ¡°That¡¯s a good one. It can nullify, or at least weaken, the touki it cuts through, so you might actually be able to harm the Dragon God with this.¡± Huh? This had something so impressive? ¡°Is that so? Well¡­ thanks,¡± I said, sheathing the sword as Itched it to my belt. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± ¡°You¡¯re in quite the hurry, huh? Well¡­ I guess not, no,¡± he said, shrugging his shoulders. ¡°You can leave when you want, and you still have a horse at the stable. What? Can¡¯t wait to get back to your lover?¡± My eyes narrowed seriously. ¡°Yeah¡­ I can¡¯t wait,¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯re going to make a bunch of babies for our big family.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ right,¡± he said, at a loss for words. I didn¡¯t expect him to understand, though. And so, after a night of rest, I set off the next day towards Sharia, my face set into a wide smile the entire time. Leon¡­ your Eris ising back to you, just as promised. I hope you¡¯re proud of how strong I¡¯ve be. Chapter 89 – Demon King Badigadi Chapter 89 ¨C Demon King Badigadi ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Three months had passed since Rudy became a father, and in this time, my family had also been growing. Not in that way, of course, but rather that things were developing as time passed, most notably with Sylphy and Aria. Sylphy now had a visible baby bump, and as she got further along in her pregnancy, was now leaving all of her guarding duties to me as she became a stay-at-home mother, for the moment. Of course, this also meant that she was no longer included in ourte night activities, but I was more than satisfied with my Roxy, especially since Aria was now sleeping in her own room, giving us some much-appreciated privacy. And that Aria¡­ she could walk now, which meant that her curious and excitable personality had been given another avenue to explore. One that she used to her full advantage. It was cute, that¡¯s for sure, watching her toddle around on her little legs¡­ but even I couldn¡¯t help butment when she interrupted Roxy and I¡¯s activities with herte-night explorations. But still¡­ I could never be mad at her. After all, that goofy smile and those wide brown eyes lit up my life differently than my wives and family did, and never failed to make me happier. Children truly were amazing. Anyway, getting back to the present. I had just finished my swordsmanship ss, and after a quick lunch with Rudy and his friends, I was now making my way back home. Julie had also joined us, as she usually stuck to Zanoba¡¯s side, and¡­ I was happy to say that she was doing well. She was now able to speak some basic sentences in the Human tongue, perform basic earth spells without a chant, and most importantly, had a wide smile on her face. It seemed that Zanoba and Ginger, true to their word, were taking proper care of her, which was nice to see, and Rudy was also taking his tutoring pretty seriously, though of course little Lana was at the forefront of his mind. So, with my belly full, and my heart racing in anticipation to see Sylphy and Aria, I opened the doors of the cafeteria, giving me a clear view of the courtyard. Usually, this sight had multiple students going about their days, walking across the ground, which was either nketed in snow or covered in green grass, as they either went to their next sses or made their way home. There was still grass, and there were still a few students, so that was normal. But what was not normal, was the sight of a giant demon with six extremely muscr arms and dark purple skin, his middle set of arms crossed over his chest with his face set in a grin. ¡°You there! Are you Leon Greyrat?¡± he asked, his voice resounding across the courtyard. ¡°Uhh¡­ yeah,¡± I said. ¡°Did you¡­ need me?¡± What¡­ what was this guy? I could tell he was strong, and the instant I saw him, I focused more mana into my Demon eye, only to see¡­ nothing. There was absolutely no mana in his body, and no touki surrounding him¡­ but I knew that was wrong. After all, while I had been mainly using my Demon eye for a while, I have been able to sense mana and touki before achieving it with my Water God style training. And this guy¡­ I could tell he had a lot of it. So why couldn¡¯t I see it? ¡°Hahaha! I see!¡± the man said,ughing to himself. ¡°I am the Demon King Badigadi! I havee from quite far away to find you, so fight me!¡± My mouth widened in slight shock. Huh? I¡­ feel like I missed something. ¡°Uhh¡­ why?¡± I asked. ¡°Hmm? I heard about you from my wife,¡± he said, crossing his arms. ¡°She said you were interesting! So¡­ fight me! Should you defeat me, you will be granted the title of a hero!¡± ¡°But¡­ I don¡¯t need anything like that,¡± I said. In fact, it would only be troublesome. I had no want to be a ¡®hero¡¯, thank you very much. ¡°Oh? You don¡¯t want to fight?¡± he said, narrowing his eyes as he nced at a passing group of students. ¡°Then¡­ should I just make you?¡± This bastard¡­ did he really want a fight that bad that he¡¯d threaten someone? Well¡­ I wasn¡¯t one to fight needlessly, but if he was going to attack me anyway¡­ ¡°Aha! That¡¯s better!¡± he said, cracking his knuckles. ¡°Don¡¯t lose too easily!¡± And with that, he sprinted forward, his six fists extending outward in tandem to punch me, a sonic boom exploding from the speed of his strikes. What? He was very powerful¡­ but why was he using his fists? And his stance¡­ it was so¡­ open. Did he not have any survival instincts? Drawing my sword, I dashed across the ground with a Longsword of Light , cutting an arm off in the process. Or, at least¡­ I was supposed to. Instead, I had only dealt a deep gash, barely reaching the bone. Turning back to face him, it seemed to not phase him in the slightest, as the wound easily regenerated, not even a visible scar left afterwards. ¡°That was some speed there!¡± he praised me. ¡°Be proud! Only a King-ranked attack could harm me like that!¡± What? That¡­ was one of my strongest attacks. Why couldn¡¯t it take off his arm? And that regeneration¡­ that wasn¡¯t healing magic, was it? He¡¯s a demon, so¡­ that must be his race¡¯s trait. How annoying¡­ ¡°Well! Here I go!¡± He then rushed towards me again, this time only sending out four fists at me, with two cocked and ready to attack at either side if I dodged. And more than that¡­ I could feel the bloodlust in his charge. That¡­ I don¡¯t know what was wrong with this guy, or what he had against me¡­ but he was definitely aiming to kill. But the question was¡­ why? Either way, I didn¡¯t really care about it. I¡¯d just have to find a way to get past that regeneration. Forming a barrier between us, his fists impacted it a momentter, and taking advantage of his momentary surprise, Ished out my sword with a Longsword of Light , bisecting his body as I used the touki to trace my path through the air. Turning back once more, I couldn¡¯t help but frown as the deep cut separating his torso began to instantly heal back together, the line fading to nothing as Badigadiughed. ¡°That was even better!¡± he said, narrowing his eyes at me. ¡°But¡­ is that all?¡± This guy¡­ his regeneration was insane. I could tell by now that my sword skills weren¡¯t able to end him. While hisbat skills were weak, barely at the level of a Sword King, his touki was strong. Aside from Orsted, he probably had the strongest defensive touki I had encountered yet. So, the only way I could get through that was by slicing¡­ which was an injury he could heal in a moment. With magic¡­ I could probably do it. Especially if I used an attack like I tried against Orsted that decimated that mountaintop. But not only did I not want to destroy the surroundings, I also didn¡¯t want to use too much mana, in case I needed to heal myself from any injuries. Dammit¡­ I fucking hated touki defences. If only it was something like a barrier spell, I could simply find the source and use some disturb magic to¡­ remove it¡­ Wait. Disturb magic? ¡°You¡¯re noting? Then I¡¯lle to you!¡± Leaping out of the way of Badigadi¡¯s charge, I sent a flurry of long-range touki shes to keep him upied as I remained in thought, the removal of his arms granting me a moment to think without interruption as they all slowly crawled back to him. Why hadn¡¯t I thought of it sooner? Touki¡­ it was much more instinctual, but it was still mana at the fundamental level. I had already discovered that through my training. So if I can disturb mana with my mana to disrupt magic¡­ couldn¡¯t I do the same with touki? Now that I had experience in using it outside my body¡­ I think the answer was obvious. So, with my sword held tightly in both hands, I breathed as I focused on the touki surrounding the self-proimed Demon King. Focus¡­ concentrate¡­ connect¡­ My Demon eye set on the cloud of touki around him, I watched as it began to spin, churning across the demon¡¯s body as it shook in a hurricane-like torrent. I wasn¡¯t manipting the touki with the intent to harm, like when I finished off the North Emperor Auber with that surprise attack, but rather with the aim of invading Badigadi¡¯s impressive defensive and distorting his touki, giving me an opening to exploit. It wouldn¡¯t be nearly as effective as mana, as I knew that touki was much more fluid and ¡®personal¡¯pared to mana being used for magic, but if I could just mess up his defences for a moment¡­ that would be all I needed. Something seemed to change, as the Demon King that was confidently racing towards me paused with a surprised expression, and seeing that¡­ Iunched my attack. A broad stroke of the sword, concentrating the touki along the edge as I flung it outwards, but not sharp, like all the other sword strikes I had practised. No¡­ this time, it would be using pure force, with the aim to destroy rather than to cut. And as it turned out, the force of a strike belonging to one that was named an Emperor-rank swordsman by the Sword and Water God themselves was pretty damn powerful. With a crash echoing through the air, I watched as myunched touki made contact with Badigadi¡¯s chest, disintegrating his torso an instantter as his extremities wereunched outward. Well¡­ I guess I won? Unless he could regenerate instantly from that. No¡­ I don¡¯t think that was possible. Sheathing my sword, I turned back to continue my journey back home, deciding that the university could deal with any annoying stuff that came afterwards. And so, in the middle of the year K423, the Demon King Badigadi breathed hisst- ¡°That was something else!¡± a familiar yet squeakier voice said. Turning back to what I had thought to be a corpse, I watched in muted shock as the set of legs stood up, a smaller version of Badigadi growing from the waist up. ¡°Truly! Like this, I won¡¯t be able to fully regenerate for another hour!¡± he said,ughing cheerfully. ¡°Right¡­¡± I said, my hand returning to my sword. ¡°So? Are you done?¡± ¡°Haha! Indeed! You are the victor, Leon Greyrat!¡± he said, smiling as his eyes then narrowed seriously. ¡°As he thought¡­ I¡¯ll need the armour¡­¡± Huh? What was he talking about? Don¡¯t tell me he wanted to fight again. ¡°Right! But you can proudly call yourself a hero!¡± he shouted. This guy really reminded me of Sauros in the worst ways¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t need such a title,¡± I said, waving off his praise. ¡°I think it would just be annoying.¡± ¡°Is that so? Well then, I still congratte you,¡± he said, his body growing a bit bigger. ¡°Soe share a drink with me!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pass,¡± I said, sighing. As it turned out, Badigadi wasn¡¯t one you could just refuse. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Having spent much of the night drinking with the six-armed Demon King, much to my displeasure, by the time morning arrived, Badigadi had already fled the city, leaving just as abruptly as he came. Though, from how an army of knights had suddenly formed on the outskirts of the city, it seems that he had caused quite a bit of destruction during his travels. Hopefully I wouldn¡¯t need to meet such a troublesome person again, but I had the feeling that such a thought was wishful thinking. But while annoying, at least I was able to take some pleasure in the situation at how my father had nearly gone grey from the stress. Ah¡­ and it also seemed that the ¡®hero¡¯ title that Badigadi had given me had stuck, at least within the university, so that was annoying. ¡°So why are you dragging me to the merchant district again?¡± I asked, sighing as I followed Rudy through the crowded market. ¡°You know I¡¯d rather be spending my free time with Aria, right?¡± Especially after that annoying Demon King had decided to take over my night with his drinking. ¡°I know, you damn overprotective father,¡± he said, clicking his tongue as he turned to me. ¡°And as for what we¡¯re doing? Well, we¡¯ll be getting ourselves a diary!¡± ¡°A¡­ diary?¡± I said, confused. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well¡­ as for me, I just want to write about life and magic, but I think you should get one too,¡± he said, scratching his ear. ¡°After all, what do you have? There¡¯s Aria, our family, your swordsmanship, your magic¡­ and then there¡¯s that thing you¡¯ve been researching when you help with Shizuka¡¯s experiments. That¡¯s a lot, right? You should have a ce to write it down so you don¡¯t forget anything.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ actually a good idea,¡± I said, nodding my head. It was a lot, to be honest, and I was sure that I had learned of the same ¡®breakthrough¡¯ more than once due to forgetting it in the past, so being able to write about my days and every new discovery would be extremely helpful. But more than that¡­ I should do a diary for my kids. It would be awfully cute to look back at, both for me, my wives, and themselves when they grew older. Like how Mama would tell stories about me as a baby to Sylphy, Roxy, and my sisters. Even if it was embarrassing, it was still a very nice time, so I should give the same opportunities to my children. And as Paul had so wonderfully shown me, it was a parent¡¯s duty to embarrass their kids, so such a thing would be great material for the future. So, heading into the nearest confectionary shop, Rudy and I both perused the shelves, trying to find something that fit our needs. Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t seem to sell diaries here, so we would have to make our own. But at least they had quite an impressive collection of paper, so I could easily cut two thin pieces of wood for the covers, and use some twine to hold it together. Hmm¡­ a diary¡­ this type of sentimental thing was something that Roxy would like, so maybe I should get another one for her? Yeah, I think I¡¯ll do that. So, with two impressive stacks of paper in my hands, and Rudy deciding on the same idea, we then went back home, ready to get started on this new project. As it turned out, Rudy was a bit better at making things like this, and hearing his ideas, I asked him to make rings out of earth magic to bind it together rather than twine, while also creating tes out of earth magic, as wood could easily deteriorate and rot. I guess his years spent making figurines hade in handy, huh? ¡ª Rudeus Greyrat ¡ª With the first entry made in my diary, going about the day and gushing about how cute Sara looked cuddled up with Lana, I then turned off thentern for the night and closed my eyes, ready to get as much sleep as I could before Lana decided it was time for Sara and I to wake up. But instead of being greeted by the sounds of crying, or even an interesting dream, I was met with the familiar sight of a vast array of white, with a distorted man standing in front of me. The Man-God¡­ I haven¡¯t seen you in a while. What gives? I then looked down at my body, quickly noticing the fact that I was unfortunately still me from my past life. But somehow¡­ I was changing. I was thinner, closer to my current body¡¯s level of fitness rather than that old ball ofrd, and the puny cock I had from before had grown a little closer to the magic wand that I used on my lovely wife. Well¡­ he did say that my appearance would reflect how I viewed my self, so I guess I was bing a little more in tune with my current life. I mean¡­ I was finally able to realize that my family was truly my family, so perhaps that had something to do with it. Not hearing a response from the Man-God, I looked up, only to see him staring at me, radiating anger and frustration from his distorted face. Uhh¡­ is there something wrong? ¡°Yes¡­ yes, there is something very wrong,¡± he said matter-of-factly. What? Why? I¡¯m confused here, you know. Do you have any advice or anything? ¡°Advice¡­ yes, you could say this counts as advice,¡± he said, walking around as he tapped his chin. ¡°I had a vision.¡± A vision? What are you, a prophet? Is that how you always give me advice? ¡°Yes, you could say that,¡± he said. ¡°And in this vision¡­ the detestable Dragon God joined forces with your brother¡¯s descendants and killed me.¡± ¡­Oh. ¡°Yeah, ¡®oh¡¯!¡± he snapped. ¡°That would lead to the copse of the world, you know? So it¡¯s a pretty bad thing!¡± The copse of the world? That¡­ is indeed a shame. But¡­ sorry, why does this matter to me? You said descendants, so I imagine I¡¯ll be dead before anything like that happens, and I¡¯m not some hero character. I¡¯m just living as an NPC now. Happily, at that. ¡°Heh. Well, it may be closer than you think, but either way, if you don¡¯t see it as your problem, then I will make it your problem,¡± he said, his voice radiating hostility. ¡°I¡¯ll be frank, Rudeus. I don¡¯t want to die.¡± Yeah¡­ I can imagine that. ¡°Yes, and I am very powerful. I can do this with any person I want, and when I do, they trust me much easier than you do,¡± he continued. So¡­ you¡¯re saying you have a lot of allies. ¡°That would be an understatement,¡± he said. ¡°Everyone in this world can be my ally.¡± I could tell he was threatening me, but I still didn¡¯t know why. Right, then¡­ what does this have to do with me? He looked at me in silence for a few moments before he spoke up. ¡°The Dragon God and Leon¡¯s descendants¡­ as long as these two entities exists, my death is near-certain. And I cannot ept that,¡± he said. ¡°So¡­ remove one of them.¡± R-Remove? What the hell are you saying? ¡°Either stop Leon from having children and kill Aria,¡± he said, his words shocking me. ¡°Or, the more practical option¡­ kill the Dragon God.¡± K-Kill the Dragon God? That¡¯s impossible! Even Leon said he couldn¡¯t win! And don¡¯t even bring up me harming Aria! Even if I didn¡¯t have to worry about my brother killing me in the worst way possible, I couldn¡¯t do that to my lovely niece! ¡°Right¡­ you can¡¯t kill the Dragon God¡­ but Leon might. Especially if you two teamed up andid some preparations,¡± he said. ¡°So this is my ¡®advice¡¯, as you so aptly put it. Pit Leon Greyrat, your brother, against the Dragon God. Do that, and your family will live.¡± My¡­ family will live? ¡°Yeah. I said I have lots of allies, right? There are many powerful people among them, and a lot that could easily sneak into ces,¡± he said, crouching down from behind me to talk into my ear with a sickening tone. ¡°So if you don¡¯t follow my advice¡­ I will kill Sara and Lana. They¡¯re much easier to reach than Leon¡¯s children.¡± Much easier to reach!? And what the fuck are you saying!? ¡°Their fates are weak, though I don¡¯t want to exin everything to you. Just don¡¯t test me,¡± he said, his slimy voice reaching my ears. ¡°But hey¡­ just join your brother against the Dragon God, and everything will be fine. That¡¯s the only path I can see to survival in the future, and as a result¡­ it¡¯s the only path for your family¡¯s as well.¡± What¡­ what the fuck? But how would I even fight him? ¡°Well¡­ while I can¡¯t say it was a pleasant conversation, I hope you make the right choice, Rudeus Greyrat,¡± he said. ¡°The lives of your family depends on it.¡± And then, I woke up, sitting up in my bed as sweat ran down my face. That¡­ what the hell? That threat of his¡­ that wasn¡¯t an empty one. I could tell he waspletely serious, both in his threat and ability to go through with it. He¡­ would kill Sara and Lana? I looked to my side, where my wife was sleeping soundly, her arms wrapped around my own as she snored softly on the pillow. And then, past the bed,ying in her crib, was my beautiful baby girl, her blonde hair and blue eyes clear in my mind as I saw her cute, sleeping form. Losing them¡­ after I had worked so hard¡­ and I loved them so much¡­ I couldn¡¯t ept that. They were everything to me, so I could never ept that. Looking out the window at the night sky, I slowly got out of bed, quickly putting on my coat and shoes as I then headed downstairs. Shit¡­ this was all¡­ shit! What the hell were we meant to do? We would have to take out the Dragon God, right? That seemed like the only option¡­ But first¡­ I needed to talk to my brother. ¡°Leon¡­¡± I whispered as I stumbled out the door. ¡°I hope you¡¯re still up.¡± Dammit¡­ at least he was strong. He was a hero, after all. Chapter 90 – Another Turning Point Chapter 90 ¨C Another Turning Point ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Looking down at the nk pages before me, I tapped my quill against my chin in thought as I contemted what to write. How did I want to do this¡­ and how did I want to organize it? While I said I wanted to leave this for my children to see once they were older, I didn¡¯t exactly want them to read the exploits me and their mothers did at night as well. Maybe some separate ones for their development? And then there was the stuff about my abilities and experiments¡­ that should be separated too, right? Hmm¡­ well, for now, I would leave it at something simple for now and simply give a set time for the start of the diary. I could easily remove pages if I wanted to, after all. And so, dipping the tip of the quill into my bottle of ink, I began my first entry. ¡®It is the seventh month of the year K423, and it will soon be the end of the school year at the University of Ranoa. This also meant that Sylphy will soon be sixteen. Ah, and I, Leon Greyrat, am eighteen, for your information.¡¯ Right¡­ I guess that was a good start. I guess I¡¯ll start by going through the four special girls in my life. ¡®Sylphy is nearing her third trimester, and her belly is clearly showing it. Each time we sat together, I felt my hands drifting down to her stomach, feeling my soon-to-be child growing inside of her filled my with a sense of warmth that was unexinable. It really was amazing.¡¯ ¡®Even though I had gone through this before, I was just as excited as I had been for Aria, but I was able to hide it better since I didn¡¯t feel nearly as nervous. After all, I now had some experience with my first child, and I also didn¡¯t need to go on any trips right beforehand.¡¯ ¡®While it was sometimes considered a taboo to name your child before their birth, considering I wasn¡¯t going anywhere before it happened, I had already decided on the names. Sylphy had said she would leave it in my hands, and while I was initially hesitant, I decided to chose something that I think she would appreciate.¡¯ ¡®So, my second child, if you are reading this, you will be named Anna if you¡¯re a girl, and Laws if you¡¯re a boy, after yourte grandparents. After bringing up the idea to Sylphy, she agreed happily, thanking me with tears as I hugged her, even though it was nothing special. After all, giving birth to my lovely fairy was something that should be honoured, and this was an easy way to pay them back.¡¯ Smiling at the memory of her sweet smile as she looked down at her belly, gently whispering the possible names, I dipped my quill into the ink once again before continuing. ¡®Now onto Aria, my most beautiful daughter¡­ ignoring the fact she was my only daughter at the moment. The newest developments of my active, energetic little girl was that she could now draw and run, which was quite thebination for causing trouble. If you¡¯re reading this, you little troublemaker, you made your mother pretty angry at me when I let you roam free with some chalk. You¡¯re lucky that water magic is good at cleaning wood floors.¡¯ Remembering how hard sheughed when I chased her around that day, I felt a chuckle threaten to escape me. Really¡­ what a troublemaker. But I loved her so much. Ah¡­ I should probably add that, right? ¡®Aria¡­ I know that in the future that I will tell you lots of times, but you probably don¡¯t understand right now¡­ but I love you. I love you more than anything in the world. So no matter what, never forget that.¡¯ Yeah¡­ that¡¯s good. ¡®Anyway, that¡¯s not all you¡¯ve been doing. You¡¯re also getting much better at speaking, likely from the bedtime stories me and your mothers have been reading you. I even read to you a bit about the story your Aunt Norn has been writing about our adventures after the Discement Incident.¡¯ ¡®What else¡­ ah, you¡¯re also very clingy with your parents, especially when it¡¯s bedtime. It¡¯s absolutely adorable, but more than the attention, I am relieved that you see both Roxy and Sylphy as your mothers. You even called Sylphy ¡®Mama¡¯, though we will have to find a way for you to distinguish the two. I have some experience with that, so I guess I¡¯ll be helping you in the future. Anyway¡­ seeing all four of us living together in harmony, it feels that I have truly aplished something good. It¡¯s nice to know my selfishness of wanting three women and a happy family wasn¡¯t something impossible.¡¯ Truly¡­ I was the luckiest man alive. But I was proud to say I had put in effort to go alongside that luck. ¡®And then there¡¯s my dear Roxy. From how she¡¯s be increasingly motherly, wearing her hair down around the house, along with that curiosity that I found charming even as a child, it was a struggle to keep my hands off of her when we were alone. From how much she had me in the palm of her hands, perhaps I would be getting a third child pretty soon.¡¯ And it was great to know that even a year after Aria¡¯s birth, the increased libido of Roxy¡¯s remained, meaning that even with Sylphy out ofmission, I was left more than satisfied during the nights. I would leave that part out, though. ¡®But yeah¡­ the house is good, as well as the rest of our family in Rudy, Sara, Norn, Aisha, and my parents. I¡¯ve noticed that our little family back in Buena Vige has grown quite a bit, so it¡¯s hard to keep up with everyone, but it¡¯s pleasant nheless.¡¯ With everyone in Sharia ounted for, my thoughts then drifted to thest member of my family and thest of my four most precious girls. The girl I had been itching to see for over a year now. ¡®And then¡­ Eris. I¡¯ve been missing her moretely, as it has been nearly a year and a half since I saw herst. We have been exchanging letters, but those take a month to be delivered, and another month to get a response, so it¡¯s difficult to keep in touch. Besides, while letters were nice, they would never rece the real thing, not to mention the physical intimacy I have been longing for.¡¯ ¡®But Eris seems to have been practising her writing a bit more. At first, it was clean handwriting, probably from Isolte, but after the second letter, a familiar messy penmanship made its appearance, along with the gift of her used panties, and a request for my own underwear. It was¡­ quite odd, and I felt like quite the pervert, but being able to smell Eris¡¯ scent after so long¡­ it was nice.¡¯ Oh, whoops. It seems that my thoughts had drifted to something I should have kept to myself. I guess it wasn¡¯t so innocent anymore. Sorry, future readers. Then there was the rest of my family. Norn had decided to join Ariel in the student council. Not as a member of her camp like Aisha, but rather as the future student council president after Ariel left. My little sister was quite popr, it seemed. I would have to make sure any boys knew that they would be making theirst mistake if they hurt her. Aisha had also been growing and had finally stopped wearing that old scarf, instead keeping it as a keepsake since it was much too tattered and worn to use in everyday life. Then there was the orphanage, with ra and Olivia maintaining their wonderful level of care, Nico getting a bit closer with Norn, and a few of the kids learning their first spells¡­ so yeah, it was going well. I still wasn¡¯t sure if it was enough for my promise to help people, especially with all my power, but since I was busy with my family and teaching, I was too upied to do anything else anyway. Plus, since I was going to get Ariel to the throne, and she said she would make a better country, I think that was going to be enough helping for a lifetime. As I was thinking about the other stuff I should write down, I was then interrupted by a mming door as Rudy barged his way into the study, where I was currently sitting. ¡°Leon!¡± he said, his face red from exertion as his eyes swam with what looked like¡­ fear. The hell? ¡°Yeah? What¡¯s wrong, brother?¡± I asked, closing my diary. ¡°You¡­ you need to fight the Dragon God!¡± he said. ¡°Please! I¡¯ll help you! You need to kill him!¡± He was obviously in a panic, but¡­ what the hell was he talking about? Fighting the Dragon God? Why? For what reason? But either way, while I had certainly grown stronger¡­ ¡°No,¡± I said, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion. ¡°He¡¯s still too strong. But aside from that¡­ what the hell is with you?¡± His eyes widened, his hand trembling in fear as he sat down in the nearby chair. ¡°That¡­ please fight him¡­ for Sara and Lana,¡± he pleaded. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t want them to die.¡± Okay, now I was really confused. He wasn¡¯t drunk, and I don¡¯t think it was simply a nightmare, so¡­ what was it? Okay¡­ let¡¯s try to calm him down. ¡°Rudy,¡± I said, leaning over to rest my hand on his shoulder. ¡°You know I love Sara and Lana as if they are my own sister and daughter. Maybe not to the same extent, but enough that I would fight and die for them. Even if it¡¯s Orsted. But¡­ I can¡¯t do that without knowing why.¡± Rudy¡¯s fists clenched as he took a shuddering breath. ¡°Have¡­ have you ever heard the name ¡®Hitogami¡¯? Or perhaps the ¡®Man-God¡¯?¡± he asked. Hitogami¡­ wasn¡¯t that the person Orsted thought I was under? What¡¯d he call it¡­ an ¡®apostle¡¯? ¡°I have,¡± I answered. ¡°Orsted told me to warn him that he would kill him before punching a hole through my chest, so it would be hard to forget it.¡± ¡°Right¡­ but he hasn¡¯t appeared in your dreams?¡± he asked. ¡°No,¡± I answered before asking a question of my own. ¡°Does that mean¡­ he does that for you?¡± He simply nodded. ¡°He¡­ he¡¯s powerful. He has influence all over the world,¡± he said gravely. ¡°You can image what a terrifying enemy that would be.¡± I myself nodded. While I was strong enough to beat nearly every other person in the world in a fight, that meant there were still some I couldn¡¯t. And that wasn¡¯t even mentioning the different tactics people could use, like assassins, ambushes, and all that stuff that pure power couldn¡¯t always ovee. A being who could use all those people¡­ I would rather not fight an opponent like that. ¡°Did he tell you something?¡± I asked. ¡°Did he tell you to kill the Dragon God?¡± I knew the two were at odds, after all, so it was only natural. And seeing Rudy¡¯s nod, it seemed that I was correct. ¡°Tell me, Rudy,¡± I said, urging him to continue. ¡°What happened?¡± He then told me his dream, about how my descendants would apparently kill this ¡®Man-God¡¯, causing the world to copse, and his threat against Rudy¡¯s family and my own if we did not fight Orsted. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t like it,¡± I said, clenching my fist as I sat back down in my chair. ¡°I would rather kill the Man-God than the Dragon God. How dare he threaten our family¡­¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not even sure we can¡­ he seems like a spiritual being, right?¡± Rudy said. ¡°Besides, we wouldn¡¯t want the world to copse, right?¡± ¡°Maybe¡­¡± I murmured. But would the world actually copse? He could be lying, after all. But with the threat against our families, was there any need to? I didn¡¯t know. Either way¡­ it didn¡¯t sit right with me to be manipted like this. ¡°Rudy, I know it¡¯s hard for you toprehend, but I cannot kill the Dragon God. At least not for a long while,¡± I said, looking down at my fist. I was much stronger than back then, but because of that, I also knew even better how strong that being was. He was not someone I could kill. After all, he had only used his hand, and hadn¡¯t even used any of that insanely efficient mana I had seen in him, so I knew I had only experienced a fraction of his power. ¡°But we can¡¯t fight Hitogami!¡± Rudy said, eyes shaking with worry. ¡°If we¡¯re together, then maybe we could-¡± ¡°And why do you trust him?¡± I asked. ¡°I know he¡¯s given you advice, but if my descendants are part of his demise, who¡¯s to say he won¡¯t get rid of them even if the Dragon God is dead? And what if he uses threats to have you follow his every wish after this?¡± Rudy clenched his fist. ¡°But¡­ what else can I do!¡± he shouted, causing me to narrow my eyes. ¡°Shut it. Aria¡¯s sleeping,¡± I said. ¡°And it¡¯s not you, it¡¯s we. I don¡¯t know everything about this world, but I do know that this ¡®Man-God¡¯ isn¡¯t invincible.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± he asked. ¡°Are you an idiot?¡± I said. ¡°He¡¯s worried about my descendants killing him, so it¡¯s obvious he isn¡¯t invincible.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ right,¡± Rudy said, massaging his temples. ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just-¡± ¡°I know,¡± I said. ¡°This¡­ this is all a real shit show.¡± It didn¡¯t sound real, and if I hadn¡¯t heard about Hitgami from the Dragon God before, as well as seeing Rudy¡¯s extreme state of panic, I probably wouldn¡¯t have believed him. But still¡­ what would we do now? Why was it that my descendants were helping the Dragon God? Was it- Seeing a bright sh of mana light up the room through my Demon eye, I instantly turned around to the back of the study, only to be met by a very shocking sight. ¡°Ahh¡­ it wasn¡¯tplete, huh?¡± a gravelly voice said. A voice that belonged to the old man that had suddenly appeared in the corner of the room, sitting on the closed chest as his hand raked through his short, grey hair. What in the ever-loving fuck? The man lifted his head to look at Rudy, narrowing his eyes in suspicion as he focused on his hand. ¡°You¡¯re quite young¡­ and you still have your hand¡­ was the timing wrong?¡± he mumbled, raising a hand to scratch his chin. ¡°No¡­ I set it to when I started the diary¡­ and we¡¯re still in the house¡­ wait, who are you?¡± With his eyes drifting to me, I stared at the dull, green eyes as they met mine, confusion evident in the old man¡¯s gaze. Who am I? No¡­ that¡¯s what I wanted to ask. Who the hell was this guy? Showing up in my house out of nowhere¡­ Cautiously standing up, I slowly drew my sword as I remained focus on the old man in front of me. Ignoring how the hell he appeared here, as well as that sh of mana, more importantly, he was¡­ strong. Incredibly strong. I could feel my skin tingle and my heart clench with anticipation for a battle that would be one of my most difficult yet, but I still couldn¡¯t understand why. He was a frail man with no visible weapons, and with my Demon eye, I could tell that while his mana was blindingly bright like Rudy¡¯s, there was hardly any left in his body. So¡­ why was I so anxious about him? ¡°Who are you?¡± I said, calming my breathing. ¡°I could say the same,¡± the old man said, waving his hand as a sh of mana sprung out. I tried to nullify it with disturb magic, but to no effect, as the mana raced towards my sword that was being drawn, instantly pushing it out of my hand and back into the sheath. What? How¡­ the hell did he do that. ¡°Don¡¯t be too hasty,¡± he said cautiously. ¡°And as for my name¡­ well, I know that one of you know it, at least. I¡¯m Rudeus Greyrat.¡± Both Rudy and I narrowed our eyes. Was this guy trying to joke with us? ¡°I don¡¯t believe you,¡± Rudy said. ¡°That so?¡± the old man said. ¡°Then¡­ Kitamura Ryousuke.¡± Rudy instantly shot up to his feet, eyes bulging as he stared at the man. ¡°You¡­ how do you know that name?¡± Rudy asked, voice trembling. The fuck? Was that something like Hitogami? But why did Rudy seem so shocked and¡­ scared? Kitamura Ryousuke¡­ it didn¡¯t ring any bells, but it sounded simr to Shizuka¡¯s name, now that I thought about it. Maybe Rudy learned something about that from her? Rudy did share thatnguage with her, after all. ¡°Well¡­ I think you understand already, right?¡± the old man said, chuckling to himself as he pointed to my brother. ¡°I¡¯m you from the future.¡± Bullshit, was what I wanted to say. But for some reason¡­ it didn¡¯t feel like a lie. And now that I looked closer, I could see some simrities. From the green eyes, to the sharp nose, to the brightness of their mana¡­ was this old man actually Rudy from the future? Perhaps, but more importantly¡­ ¡°How,¡± I asked. ¡°How the hell are you here¡­ time travelling magic doesn¡¯t exist. And more importantly¡­ why?¡± ¡°Perhaps I can exin some of that, just as I want to ask who the hell you are, but I don¡¯t have a lot of time and I need to say some stuff first,¡± he said, adjusting his seating. ¡°First¡­ Rudy, you need to send a letter to Eris. I know that-¡± ¡°Hey, hold on a second,¡± I said, cutting him off. ¡°What the hell do you have to do with my soon-to-be wife?¡± This time, it was the old Rudeus¡¯ turn to be shocked. Old Rudeus sounded weird¡­ how about Oldeus? Yeah, Oldeus was shocked. ¡°What do you mean?¡± he asked, confused. ¡°That¡¯s what I want to ask, as well as with all the other shit you¡¯ve been saying, so I can¡¯t have you dying just yet,¡± I said, walking over to him. I was initially confused by what he meant by ¡®not having a lot of time¡¯, but as the moments passed, I saw his skin be paler and his lips bluer. He was dying. And from the way his mana swirled around his insides, he seemed to be missing some essential parts. ¡°It¡¯s useless,¡± Oldeus said as I ced my hand on his chest. ¡°Only a King-ranked healing spell can regenerate organs.¡± ¡°Well, then you¡¯re in luck,¡± I said, beginning to regenerate it. But as I continued pumping healing magic into him, I noticed that the organs I was regenerating were extremely frail. He¡­ even if I fixed this, it didn¡¯t seem he would have long left to live. His ¡®lifespan¡¯ was nearing its end, so to say. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be¡­¡± he said, his voice containing quite a bit of awe. ¡°Chantless healing magic at that level¡­ you¡¯re a fucking monster, huh?¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know whether that¡¯s apliment,¡± I said, frowning. This guy¡­ he was really fucked up. Now that I spread my healing across his body, I noticed that his entire body was deteriorating, along with the many scars that littered his skin. ¡°It is. If only I had something like that back then¡­¡± he said with envy, shaking his head. ¡°But either way, while I appreciate it, I will die soon anyway. I was on myst legs before, and after using up all that mana, I don¡¯t think I have much longer.¡± ¡°But long enough to exin what the fuck is happening, right?¡± I asked. ¡°Sure, kid,¡± he said, looking over at Rudy and the surrounding room again before he continued. ¡°It seems that a few things have changed, but firstly¡­ who are you?¡± The question was directed at me, obviously. ¡°I¡¯m Leon Greyrat,¡± I answered evenly. ¡°Rudy¡¯s brother, an Elemental Emperor, and the future husband of three wonderful women. Oh, and I¡¯m also a father.¡± He widened his eyes at me. ¡°An Emperor¡­ but what the hell is the Elemental shit?¡± he asked. ¡°My own style,¡± I said. ¡°A fuse of all three sword styles and also chantless magic. Anyway, is that enough?¡± His eyes scanned over me before returning to Rudy once again. ¡°I suppose¡­ but it seems a lot has changed. It¡¯s not the time I was expecting, and it seems the past is different as well¡­ from how myself is right now, I¡¯m guessing you haven¡¯t gone to Begaritt then?¡± he said. ¡°Which means Roxy isn¡¯t pregnant yet¡­¡± Rudy and I stared at each other in confusion before he began exining. ¡°Uhm¡­ we already went to Begaritt,¡± Rudy said. ¡°We were able to get Mother and Lilia back, and that was two years ago¡­¡± Ignoring the way Oldeus¡¯ jaw dropped, I continued, ¡°And Roxy isn¡¯t pregnant. She had my daughter, Aria, only a year ago, so we¡¯re not quite ready for another.¡± Oldeus narrowed his eyes at me. ¡°Your daughter¡­ is Roxy one of the three women you mentioned?¡± he asked, his shock slowly fading away. ¡°Yeah,¡± I nodded. ¡°She¡¯s eternally beautiful. Especially when she lets her hair down and uses her teaching tone.¡± He massaged his beard, which was stark grey like his hair. ¡°Hmm¡­ at least you have good taste,¡± he said, nodding to himself. ¡°But it seems more has changed than I thought. You two¡­ tell me your stories from the beginning. I¡¯ll ask you questions, but make it quick.¡± And so¡­ we did. From the moment of my birth, all the way to the current day, with Oldeus showing amazed expressions as well as some despondent ones as we continued. He also told us how some things were different from his reality. Mainly in how I¡­ wasn¡¯t there. At all. I wasn¡¯t picked up by Mama, and I never met my family, Sylphy, Eris, or Roxy. I¡­ was quite saddened by that. What changed? Did I die? Did the bandits never attack my vige? Was I simply dropped off at a nearby orphanage? How¡­ how close was I to never having the life I currently had? It made me scared¡­ I kind of wanted to run over to Mama and thank her once again for taking me under her loving care, but there were more important things to deal with. After our story was finished, Oldeus leaned back against the wall, staring at the ceiling as pain radiated his entire expression. ¡°Leon Greyrat¡­ you weren¡¯t in my reality, but how I wish you were,¡± he said. ¡°Paul, Eris, Roxy, Sylphy, Aisha, Zenith¡­ yeah, it¡¯s for the best you were here. Because you¡¯re damn strong and not an idiot like me, so many survived¡­ everything seems better¡­¡± He then shook his head, looking down to stare at Rudy. ¡°You¡­ you said that the Man-God visited you, right?¡± he said, his eyes narrowing as Rudy nodded. ¡°And I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s not about checking the basement?¡± ¡°No, he¡­ wanted me to kill the Dragon God,¡± Rudy said, steepling his fingers. ¡°Apparently, Leon¡¯s kids and Orsted will team up to defeat him in the future, so¡­ he wants me to stop that from happening.¡± Oldeus clenched his fist. ¡°Roxy and Sylphy¡¯s descendants¡­ then that must be why,¡± he said, anger evident in his voice. ¡°I thought he was just torturing me for his own amusement, but there was an actual damn reason¡­ I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s better or worse.¡± Rudy and I looked at each other once more in confusion. This must be another thing different from the future. ¡°Torturing you¡­ what does that mean?¡± Rudy asked. ¡°He¡¯s a fucking liar, that Man-God,¡± Oldeus spat. ¡°My entire life¡¯s purpose since learning of his treachery has been to end that despicable being, and as I neared my end, I decided to try a different way of fucking him over.¡± So that¡¯s why he was here¡­ ¡°Learning of his treachery¡­ what did he do?¡± Rudy asked. Oldeus looked at me, forming an awkward frown before he answered. ¡°You said you were with Sara¡­ right, kid?¡± he said, gesturing to Rudy. ¡°Well¡­ in my timeline, I was married to Sylphy and Roxy. In this very house too, if you could believe it.¡± I¡­ didn¡¯t know how to feel about that. I had expected it from the way his face softened at the two¡¯s names when they came out, as well as the way he understood many of the situations I found myself in with them, but still¡­ that was quite a shock. I guess it was just a matter of circumstance, huh? I could think about thatter. More importantly, from how despondent he looked¡­ ¡°They¡­ died, didn¡¯t they?¡± I asked. ¡°Eris too, from what you said before¡­ but I feel there¡¯s something more to that story.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­ yeah, but that doesn¡¯t matter right now,¡± Oldeus said, his face crumpling in anger. ¡°But yes. Sylphy and Roxy died due to the Man-God¡¯s schemes. I may have been the scummy idiot that made mistake after mistake, but he himself bragged about how his machinations led everything to that point.¡± I felt my fists clench. Past that Man-God suggesting that Rudy kill my kids, and threatening to kill my sister and niece if he didn¡¯t follow his words, I now had a much bigger reason to kill him. ¡°I¡¯ll end him,¡± I said. ¡°There won¡¯t be a need for him to worry about my descendants. I¡¯ll do it myself.¡± Oldeus chucked. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been saying for the past nearly fifty years, brat,¡± he said, eyes pained. ¡°I would say that it¡¯s useless, but if he¡¯s scared, then it¡¯s definitely possible¡­ and you¡¯re a crazy strong bastard¡­¡± Sighing, he then shook his head before looking at Rudy and me seriously. ¡°Listen. I have more anger for that being than anyone else, but there is no need for you to get revenge on my behalf. Don¡¯t trust his words, but don¡¯t make him an enemy,¡± he advised. ¡°He can create allies out of nowhere and is extremely powerful, and even if there is a way to get to him, I haven¡¯t found it in all my years of life.¡± I¡­ couldn¡¯t ept that. Perhaps I didn¡¯t have to take on his revenge, but even if it was stupid¡­ I felt the need to get revenge myself. After all, even if they weren¡¯t my Sylphy and Roxy, they were still the same girls at heart. The same beautiful women that I loved so dearly¡­ I wouldn¡¯t let their deaths stand, even in another timeline. Plus, he was after my descendants, right? I wasn¡¯t one to just wait around and let him kill my children or my grandchildren. I would stop him before he had the chance. ¡°Then I¡¯ll just get stronger,¡± I said. ¡°I won¡¯t ept my family possibly being in danger, and who¡¯s to say he will ever stop being our enemy?¡± Oldeus looked at me for a moment before sighing, ¡°I guess that¡¯s true¡­ if you truly want to walk that path, then the Dragon God might actually be your ally,¡± he said. ¡°I didn¡¯t meet him other than that one encounter, but Nanahoshi might have a clue. By the time I realized the connection¡­ it was already toote.¡± He whispered out a pained ¡®dammit¡¯ as he released yet another sigh of regret. ¡°Now, listen up. You especially, younger me,¡± he said, holding out his hand. ¡°Magic¡­ it¡¯s near-limitless. It¡¯s all powerful. It truly is magical¡­ Anything can be done with it, from gravity, telekinesis, lightning, even time itself¡­ so don¡¯t be shackled by the restrictions this world has set. Expand your thought process, and don¡¯t think that anything is impossible.¡± Watching the mana lift from his palm, I watched as it changed form, instantly forming a ball of deep purple as nearby objects began shooting towards it, and a momentter, they all stopped. The flying objects being wrapped in his mana as they slowly moved back to their rightful ces. Telekinesis and gravity control¡­ that was amazing. ¡°Here. Take this,¡± he said, taking out a ragged, old journal. ¡°Since everything changed, the events are basically useless, but my research and abilities might prove useful for inspiration, if nothing else.¡± Taking the journal, I watched as Oldeus got paler and paler. ¡°You¡­ Leon¡­ thank you, for keeping all of them safe. Sylphy, Roxy, my family¡­ ah, and thanks for giving Zenith and Paul an actual child too,¡± he said, pushing my hand that was trying to keep him alive away. ¡°Keep them safe¡­ please.¡± An actual child? I was confused by what he meant, but it must be the pain of his mistakesbining into a feeling of intense guilt. But either way, as for his request¡­ ¡°I nned to do that from the start,¡± I said firmly. Taking a shaky breath, he nodded at me before turning to my brother. ¡°And you¡­ value your family, and don¡¯t ck off if you need to get stronger. But at the same time, don''t chase after power if it¡¯s not needed. The people in your life are much more valuable. Just¡­ don¡¯t end up a cynical, hateful old man like me¡­ especially when you have a crazy strong brother at your side,¡± he said, clenching his fist. ¡°Treat Sara and your child right, as well as any future women and children you end up with. I of all people know your lust will get the better of you, but at least control it so that you don¡¯t hurt your loved ones like I did. And¡­ take care of Nanahoshi too. You can read the diary for as to why, but¡­ be there for her.¡± Rudy nodded seriously at his older self as the sound of crying then broke out, Aria¡¯s voice calling for ¡®Dada¡¯ as she screamed from upstairs. Must be a nightmare¡­ shit, this was bad timing. Oldeus, who was looking out the door towards the noise with aplicated expression, then looked back at me. ¡°That¡¯s yours, I¡¯m guessing?¡± he asked. ¡°Yeah¡­ Aria Greyrat,¡± I exined. ¡°She¡¯s Roxy, and she¡­ she¡¯s beautiful.¡± ¡°I can imagine,¡± he said fondly, closing his eyes. Yeah¡­ she really was beautiful. ¡°Calling for her dad, huh? I¡¯m jealous¡­ I never got that. Not that I deserve it¡­¡± he said, smiling slightly. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ d those two will be happy, so¡­ I leave them to you.¡± His head then turned upwards, his eyes turning ssy as his lips quirked up. ¡°Ah¡­ Roxy¡­ Sylphy¡­ you¡¯re both as beautiful as ever¡­¡± he said, voice tinged with regret and sadness. ¡°This time¡­ you won¡¯t be left¡­ with a shitty man like me¡­ at least I can¡­¡± And then¡­ the light left his eyes as his body tensed, the sound of shaky breathing no longer present in the room. Rudeus Greyrat had died. Chapter 91 – A Vow of Preemptive Revenge Chapter 91 ¨C A Vow of Preemptive Revenge ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª After Oldeus had passed, Rudy quickly cremated him into a pile of ash, deciding to bury him in his garden while I went upstairs and rocked Aria back to sleep, my mind gued with various troubling thoughts as my daughter eventually calmed down and fell back into a deep slumber. This beautiful girl¡­ my beautiful, baby girl¡­ she was being targeted? This being that I had never seen wanted her dead? My Aria? My family? Even just the thought of it made me want to kill this Man-God, and that was without him actually aplishing his goals in a previous timeline. I wouldn¡¯t let him win. He might have made Rudy his enemy in another world, but to make me one as well¡­ that was his greatest mistake. I would have to talk to Shizuka to see if she knew how to reach the Dragon God, just like Oldeus had told me, but that could wait untilter. With the sound of Rudy closing the front door once again, signifying his return, I ced Aria back in her crib, ignoring her small murmurs as I then checked in on Sylphy and Roxy, seeing them both resting in my bed, cuddled close together, but with a small space ready for me to climb into. Dammit¡­ I wanted nothing more to climb into their embrace and tell them how much I loved them, but there was something else I had to do first. Something we had to do first. Marching back down to the study, I took a seat next to Rudy as we stared at the old and weathered diary that was eerily simr to Rudy¡¯s. ¡°Well¡­ I think we know what this is,¡± Rudy said. ¡°So¡­ I¡¯ll just open it.¡± I nodded in agreement. Turning the stone te to the first page, we were instantly met with the sight of¡­ a mess of scribbles. ¡°The hell?¡± Rudy said, pointing down at the mess of scribbles. ¡°I can see part of my first entry, but¡­ there¡¯s something else there.¡± Narrowing my eyes, I saw that the date was from today¡¯s, but there was also another year scribbled next to it. How confusing¡­ was it from the other timeline? But¡­ in the other timeline, he shouldn¡¯t have written it, right? They should bepletely separate. But it made sense, if this was the date Oldeus used as a guide to return to¡­ Never mind, this wasn¡¯t getting us anywhere. ¡°It¡¯s probably something to do with the mess of timelines,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s not really important, and thinking about it more will hurt my head, so let¡¯s continue.¡± And so, that¡¯s what we did, flipping to the next page. Luckily, it seemed that only the first entry was a mess, so the rest was rtively easier to decipher. And so, we began to read the story of one Rudeus Greyrat from another life. A sad, broken man who had lost everything and became a monster in his path for revenge. At least¡­ that¡¯s what he called himself before he died. ¡®Aisha was pretty down this morning. She found some ¡°weird mouse¡± dead, I guess. Maybe she¡¯s not a fan of rodents.¡¯ ¡®Apparently, someone found a cat with Petrification Syndrome in the neighbourhood. Scary stuff. I¡¯ll have to remind my family to wash their hands and rinse their mouths carefully.¡¯ ¡®We just found out that Elinalise is pregnant! Cliff looked¡­¡¯ It seemed that Lina and Cliff were fated to each other, which was nice to know, but other than a few simrities, Oldeus¡¯ timeline was truly quite different from our own. Apparently, Rudy had somehow met Perugius and had even learned some summoning magic from him. Not to mention roaming the floating fortress with Zanoba to appreciate the art and sculptures. Mundane stuff like that. There were also a few entries I would rather not see, such as Rudy exining some things he did with Roxy and Sylphy, and then the odd reminder of how our father had died and Mama was in a nearlyatose state. I had already known that Oldeus¡¯ journey to Begaritt was a lot less sessful than ours, but it was painful to read nheless, even if Lilia was able to walk in this timeline. Not even mentioning having to hear the details of my women with another man¡­ but I was able to get through it. It was important to read this, after all. We had to see what we could use from that old man¡¯s vast array of experiences to ensure we didn¡¯t make any of those mistakes. Aisha was apparently a stay-at-home maid in this timeline, following her mother¡¯s footsteps. She seemed happy, but I was d my Aisha was able to pursue her own dreams without feeling like a mistress¡¯ child. Life continued fairly happily like that, but then¡­ Roxy copsed. They soon discovered that she had contracted Petrification Syndrome, which could only be cured by a God-ranked detoxification spell, which was a closely guarded secret of the Millis Church. Why that was so? I could only assume it was to be the only ones to cure certain powerful people, giving them a monopoly that they could easily exploit. The damn bastards. Cliff and Zanoba joined Rudy as he went into Millishion to take it, but as they sneaked out, they were found by the knights of the Millis Church, where a string of disasters quickly struck the group. Cliff died, and as Oldeus returned home, he discovered that he was toote. Roxy was dead. Such a thought¡­ I couldn¡¯t stand it, even if it was another world, another time, another Roxy, and a woman who loved another man¡­ That was my fucking lover, dammit. To think she had died¡­ it pissed me off to no end. After that, Rudy sunk into depression, getting drunk and neglecting Sylphy as she tried to help, ignoring Eris as she tried to talk to him, and growing distant from Norn as he became more self-destructive. I¡­ could understand him. I would be broken if any of the people I cared for died like she did, after all. But¡­ ignoring his duty as a father and husband¡­ I couldn¡¯t understand that. What I had left would be the only things I could focus on. If anything, I would be too overprotective after something like that, to the point where they would get annoyed with me. But I suppose it was easier for me to say that without experiencing it, so I held off on my judgment for now as I continued reading. His spiral continued, leading to him fucking a prostitute, breaking Sylphy¡¯s heart, and causing even the ever-loyal Lilia and Aisha to think less of him. And there hadn¡¯t been any mention of his child, Lucie, in the past few entries¡­ was he really so far gone? Either way, Sylphy disappeared soon after, leaving with Ariel¡¯s group back to the Asura Kingdom, even though it was earlier than nned. And then, as he chased after them, he encountered Eris again¡­ it seems they had aplicated history, one that I didn¡¯tpletely understand. I knew from Oldeus that he and Eris had been transported to the Demon Continent instead of me, Eris, and my sisters¡­ and I guess love blossomed before¡­ something happened. Wait. Eris, Sylphy, and Roxy¡­ did I really end up with the same women he did? And in the same order? That¡­ was quite a coincidence. But from how pathetic he was acting in the diary, I would like to think I was doing a bit better. He then reached the Asura Kingdom, and after some time spent searching for Sylphy in the Notos Greyrat¡¯s territory, he returned to the capital after hearing of Ariel¡¯s attempted coup, only to realize that once again¡­ he was toote. He mentioned the Water God and North Emperor protecting the princes, and while I could assume that the North Emperor was Auber, who was already no longer an issue, I realized once again that I would have to fight Master. Well¡­ if she had caused the death of Sylphy, even in another timeline¡­ perhaps it would be a bit easier for me to dispose of her. And then, with the corpses of Ariel¡¯s faction put on disy, Sylphy¡¯s maimed body was berated and pummelled with stones from the popce. The Asura Kingdom¡­ the fucking Asura Kingdom, and all their filthy ilk¡­ While I didn¡¯t agree with most of his choices, I did internally praise this Rudeus for burning everyone he could. But at least now¡­ now I have a reason to destroy every single one of Ariel¡¯s enemies. ¡°L-Leon, calm down,¡± Rudy said, patting my shoulder. Oh¡­ I had been unconsciously releasing my bloodlust. ¡°Sorry,¡± I said, reining it in. ¡°That¡¯s fine, but remember¡­ these aren¡¯t your Roxy, Sylphy, and Eris. They love you dearly, not¡­ me,¡± he said, grimacing. ¡°Though I don¡¯t know why, reading this¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m pissed about,¡± I said. ¡°They¡­ the fucking¡­¡± They were dead. ¡°Yeah, but they aren¡¯t yours,¡± he said. ¡°This never happened. They¡¯re alive. You can go upstairs and see that, if you want. You can check on Ariel as well, if you need to.¡± That wasn¡¯t really what I was getting at¡­ but whatever. My anger wasn¡¯t something I expected Rudy to understand. He wasn¡¯t in love with Sylphy or Roxy in this life, after all. Returning to the diary, we continued to read through it. It seemed that some time had passed since thest entry, and from what I read, I was quite disgusted by the man this Rudeus had grown into. Women¡­ it was all about women¡­ how nice a woman¡¯s ass looked, how they were in bed, how easily he seduced them¡­ there was even a retelling of one of his more forceful escapades that made Rudy and I grimace with the details. I was pissed. More than pissed, I was incensed. Losing Roxy¡­ I couldn¡¯t me him. Falling into depression¡­ I hated reading it, but I could sympathize. Falling deeper into depression after losing Sylphy too¡­ I wish it was something like that, not whatever the fuck this was. After losing Sylphy, he should have realized¡­ he needed to be there for what he had left. Where the fuck was Lucie? His daughter! She should have meant everything to him at this point, but all he did was drink, fuck, andin! This¡­ fucking bastard. Past Lucie, I didn¡¯t even see anything about the rest of his living family. The only names I had recognized were Zanoba and Julie, but that¡­ to think he would sink his teeth into her as well. Disgusting. I didn¡¯t want to read it anymore, but still, I pressed forward. I needed to get to the point where he began his path for revenge and getting stronger, as well as finding information that could prove useful. Such as in one entry, it recounted him being in bed with an ex-girlfriend of Luke¡¯s, where she exined that shortly before Ariel¡¯s departure back to Asura, he had gotten a ¡®revtion from God¡¯. Luke was¡­ what did Orsted call it? An apostle. A follower of the Man-God. An¡­ enemy. I knew it wasn¡¯t that simple, especially with Rudy being right beside me despite hearing the Man-God in his dreams, but still¡­ I already had a reason to be wary of him due to his father¡¯s betrayal. So I would need to watch out for him. There were also more encounters with Eris, though none of them ended well. It seemed Eriscked quite a bit ofmunication skillspared to the one I knew, but even then, the Rudeus she had fallen in love with was no longer there. This pathetic sack of shit¡­ if they didn¡¯t have a history, I would hope that Eris wouldn¡¯t fall in love with such a man. That would look quite bad on me. Some more time passed, and it seemed that the Millis Church still hated his guts for his theft, and Zanoba was also able toplete his own automaton. To think he could do it without Cliff¡¯s help¡­ well, I¡¯m sure Perugius gave some advice with the magic circles, but I was still impressed. And past that, it seemed that Norn had used her passion for writing to help with Ruijerd and the Superd¡¯s reputation¡­ perhaps I should bring that idea up to her. Yeah¡­ these useful glimpses of knowledge were the only thing that made reading this pathetic saga worth it. ¡°Zanoba is a good friend, it seems,¡± I said idly as we flipped past another page. ¡°He was by your side even when you turned into a piece of shit¡­ You shouldn¡¯t betray that.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­ this isn¡¯t me, but¡­ I get it,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to live up to his dedication.¡± ¡°Good.¡± And with that, we continued, the time passing in a blur as we continued going through the diary. Finally, after some more mostly useless entries, I found what I was looking for. The reveal of the Man-God¡¯s betrayal, and consequent seed for revenge. It was also then that he finally talked about his family, and as it turned out, they had all left, with only Aisha returning to help him. His daughter¡­ at least it seemed that he hadn¡¯tpletely forgotten her and realized his past mistakes, but still¡­ it left a bad taste in my mouth. I ensured Rudy knew that if he did something simr to Lana, I would beat him within an inch of his life, before healing him, and doing the same thing over and over again until he got the point, but s¡­ as Rudy had said, it wasn¡¯t my brother. Either way, it was then that the diary Rudy began searching for power, leading to him attempting to create an armour like the legendary Fighting God, likely to make up for hisck of physical abilities. ¡°Rudy¡­ with Cliff¡¯s help, you could make something better,¡± I said, reading over some details about thepleted armour¡¯s strength. ¡°What do you think?¡± Not hearing an answer, I turned to him. ¡°Rudy?¡± I asked, watching his eyes twinkling in excitement as he stared at the page. ¡°Ah! Sorry,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°But¡­ yeah. I want to do this too. A mecha¡­ a fantasy mecha¡­¡± ¡­I guess he was also excited. In the diary, Rudeus had gushed about how cool it looked as well, even though he was focused on function, so I guess they truly were the same person at heart. That didn¡¯t matter to me, though. I didn¡¯t need any Magic Armour. Instead, I wanted to see those spells Oldeus had used. Gravity and telekinesis. If I could get a hint¡­ I think I could get it and grow stronger after mastering it. He mentioned magic and mana being all-powerful¡­ it seems that I needed to rethink my understanding of magicalbat once again. Oldeus then began searching the world with his new strength, and I made sure to ce a bookmark at the beginning of his travels so that I could easily return to itter. I would have to write a lot of this down and cross-reference everything, but we were finally getting some useful information, from people and their situations to different ces. It was also then that Oldeus theorized that Roxy became infected from a rat, which had likelye from Perugius¡¯ floating fortress, so it was good to know I didn¡¯t need to worry about that. Now that I learned they could be so deadly, I would have to create a new barrier to keep rodents and stuff out of the house. Especially with how unsanitary children were. There were also entries about new spell ideas that Oldeus had gained, most notably being gravity-maniption magic, as well as a bunch of lightning spells. From his experiences, it seemed that both of those were the best magic to use inbat, likely due to their mix of usefulness and rarity, and soon after, he discovered telekinesis once he realized the true nature of magic being ¡®all-powerful¡¯. As a human, this Rudeus was deplorable, but as a mage¡­ he was exceptional. I should aim to imitate him. And calling him a deplorable human wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. No¡­ if anything, it was an understatement. Even ignoring his past behaviour, this Rudeus fought people for fun, bedded any women he could, and when they refused¡­ he forced them to. It was bad enough that Rudy was beginning to get depressed with every pridefully boasted ¡®conquest¡¯. Eris then appeared yet again, beating him up for being a sack of shit, and Oldeus, with his new-found hatred, thought she was an agent of the Man-God for getting in his way. An apostle. But then, he made her cry¡­ made that Eris cry¡­ the one who I had only seen cry after my near-death to Orsted¡­ And not only that, he had captured her and ced her in the basement, torturing her in an attempt to gain some information before she eventually escaped. Truly a despicable man¡­ if he hadn¡¯t already died, I don¡¯t think I would have been able to stop myself from killing him. A life of mistakes¡­ that was an understatement. And then, as if from a tragic tale, she sacrificed to save him against the Demon King Atofe, leading to him learning the error of his ways once again once he realized the truth of Eris¡¯ love after her death. A vague thought entered my mind, spreading a pain like no other through my heart. For Eris to love this Rudy that much¡­ was I just a victim of circumstance? Did she¡­ really love me? Roxy and Sylphy too, for that matter. I knew I loved them dearly, and I had never had eyes for another woman, well¡­ ever. But if Rudy and I had swapped ces during one of our encounters¡­ Roxy in thebyrinth¡­ Sylphy in the ambush¡­ Eris in the Demon Continent¡­ would we still be together? I suppose it didn¡¯t matter, since this world was already different from the diary ever since Mama picked me up, but still¡­ it left a bitter taste in my mouth. I felt¡­ like an outsider¡­ just a bit. But then, I reached another event that made me shake in anger. A unit of Temple Knights sent by the Millis Church had sneaked into Sharia, and as a result, had killed Zanoba, Ginger, Julie, and Aisha¡­ cutting up their bodies before setting the mansion ame. The fucking Millis Church¡­ I would destroy them. Keeping the God-ranked spell away was already pissing me off, and I still hated them from their envement and hypocritical morals, but now¡­ I would absolutely destroy them. Even if she wasn¡¯t from my timeline, that was still my damn sister. A sister they had mercilessly butchered, all while likely touting themselves as righteous warriors. I would destroy the Millis Church, as well as that detestable country. But senseless destruction wouldn¡¯t do anything¡­ or rather, that wasn¡¯t the only option. Hmm¡­ Cliff was a pope candidate, right? Maybe I could get him to his rightful position a bit faster and smoother, and with my strength backing him, I¡¯d ensure he changed the Millis Church into something respectable. And if he couldn¡¯t¡­ well, I¡¯d decide when the time came, if it ever did. But after that, a few more years passed, when we finally found the greatest discovery in this miserable diary. The truth of the world. It was divided into six sides: the world of dragons, the world of men, the world of demons, the world of beasts, the ocean world, and the sky world. They were arranged like the sides of a cube, with the only way to reach other sides being certain methods that this Rudeus had yet to know of. And more importantly, at the centre of this world, was the barren world, where the Man-God lived. To think our world was like that¡­ how amusing. That would exin some odd phenomenon, such as the feeling of sinking when I used the teleportation ruins, but I did wonder what would happen if someone reached an edge of this cube. Perhaps they would go to the other world? Would it be a barrier? Would they get sent back to the opposite side of their current world? Either way, while it was interesting, aside from the Man-God¡¯s location, it didn¡¯t really matter. So we continued reading, with me glossing over the weird, unrecognizable symbols that would show up now and then. It took a while, but eventually, this Rudeus also found a way to reach the barren world through another ruin. Apparently, there were five sacred treasures of the Dragon race, and each one sent you to another world, another side of the cube. But by using all five¡­ it took you right to the barren world. This was the key to getting that annoying thorn out of my family¡¯s side, but unfortunately, Oldeus did not know where these sacred treasures were, nor how to properly activate them. And unfortunately¡­ he was running out of time with his limited lifespan. Orsted probably knew of the method to activate the sacred treasures, and Shizuka should know how to get in touch with him, but as for finding the treasures themselves¡­ that might be an issue. Hopefully Orsted would have a hint, but¡­ I guess I would only know for sure after meeting him again. Hopefully on friendlier terms this time. It was then that the diary went over Rudeus¡¯ discovery of time travel, and his concern at the spell working, as well as what to do before he finally got sent to our time, and¡­ that was it. ¡°Wow,¡± Rudy said, leaning back into his chair as he rubbed his eyes. ¡°That was¡­ a lot.¡± ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it,¡± I said. ¡°But at least it proved useful.¡± Fuck¡­ with all the new information, the stressful situation, and not to mention that we had spent the whole night reading¡­ I was exhausted. ¡°Yeah, but¡­ what do we do now?¡± Rudy asked. ¡°I¡­ the Man-God is unreachable, at least for us. You read that, right? And not to mention all the apostles he could have¡­ I still think we should try to kill the Dragon God instead.¡± ¡°No,¡± I refused. ¡°Orsted may be able to fill in the nks that your past self had, and more importantly¡­ I want to kill the Man-God with my bare hands.¡± It was personal now. Not only to keep my family safe now and in the future, I now had the same seed of revenge Oldeus had after reading what he put my family through. Taking a breath to calm my anger, I continued, ¡°So I¡¯ll meet Orsted instead. And past the man god, it seems that I have other enemies to take care of.¡± Rudy shifted in his chair ufortably. ¡°But brother¡­ they aren¡¯t our enemies, at least not now, and we shouldn¡¯t be making any unnecessarily,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s wrong,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°The Man-God and Asura Kingdom already are our enemies, and the Millis Church could easily be one.¡± Especially if the Man-God decided to influence them. Thinking about it now¡­ how Darius knew of me and was so wary¡­ it must have been the Man-God telling him, right? So he had already moved against me¡­ ¡°Haa¡­ if you say so,¡± Rudy said, shaking his head. It was then that the door to the study opened, revealing Sylphy and Roxy, who were both d in their nightdresses. I felt my heart clench at the sight. They were as beautiful as ever, but after hearing of their demise in another timeline¡­ and how they had loved Rudy like they loved me¡­ I felt some new feelings blossoming in my heart. But more than that, I was simply relieved. ¡°Leon¡­ Rudeus¡­ what are you two doing?¡± Roxy asked. ¡°It¡¯s morning, you know?¡± ¡°We noticed when Aria woke up that you were still downstairs,¡± Sylphy said, looking at me with a pout. ¡°You didn¡¯te to bed at allst night, did you?¡± Taking a deep breath to calm my emotions, I stood up and walked over to them, pulling both of them into an embrace as I kissed both of their heads. ¡°Yeah¡­ sorry,¡± I said. ¡°Just¡­ some stuff came up.¡± ¡°Still¡­ it¡¯s not good to stay up all night,¡± Roxy said, rubbing my back. ¡°Are you tired?¡± ¡°Haha¡­ yeah¡­ I¡¯m really tired,¡± I said, hugging them closer as I rested my head on Sylphy¡¯s. ¡°So¡­ can you twoe sleep with me?¡± Both seemingly realizing something was wrong, they then wrapped their arms around me, each giving me a kiss on the cheek as they soothingly rubbed my back. ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to sleep, but we can stay in bed with you,¡± Sylphy said. ¡°Just let me get Ariel prepared for the day first.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± I said, my voice muffled from their shoulders. ¡°I just want to be with you two right now.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ well, I certainly don¡¯t mind,¡± Roxy said, detaching from me as she then nted a kiss on my lips. ¡°But only because it¡¯s a weekend, alright?¡± ¡°Got it,¡± I said, smiling. Turning back to see Rudy holding his head in his hands, the three of us then made our way back up to our room, my arms remaining wrapped around their sides as my mind went over everything that had happened. But out of those various thoughts and turbulent emotions¡­ I had gained a set of goals. Tomorrow, I would go to Shizuka to set up a meeting with the Dragon God Orsted. And then, after that, I would have to fulfill some vows that I had just made to myself. First, I would get Ariel to the throne, destroy the current Asura Kingdom, and save the princess and Sylphy from their fates. Then, I would change the Millis Church, destroying the current institution of hypocrisy that had dared kill my sister by cing Cliff as its leader. Andstly¡­ once I met Orsted and gained some more information¡­ I would kill the Man-God. This, I swore to myself. So if this Man-God could hear me, just know¡­ I aming for you. ¡­ And so, though I was unaware at the time, this moment would mark the beginning of the greatest battle that the six-faced world had ever witnessed. ¡ª End of Arc 5 - Family Matters ¡ª Chapter 92 – Mad Wolf’s Return Chapter 92 ¨C Mad Wolf¡¯s Return ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It was the day after Oldeus¡¯ surprise appearance, and after spending the entire morning in bed with my lovely Roxy and Sylphy, as well as an eventual surprise visit from Aria, I felt most of my fatigue vanish thanks to theirforting presences. So, after a filling lunch, just like I had nned that morning, I picked up my brother at his house before heading over to Shizuka¡¯s ce. ¡°So¡­ you want to meet Orsted?¡± Shizuka asked, confused. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted nothing to do with him? After he¡­ well, you know.¡± I definitely knew. The scar on my chest and back made sure of that. ¡°Yeah, but¡­ the situation has changed,¡± I said. ¡°So? Do you know where he is?¡± While Oldeus had said that she knew, that was mostly just his spection. I really hoped she did, because if not¡­ it would be extremely troublesome. Especially since I couldn¡¯t just leave to search for him across the world with the threat of my family still being very real. ¡°Not exactly¡­ he is a very mysterious man, and he¡¯s not one to waste his time,¡± she said. ¡°Why do you want to see him anyway? I¡¯m pretty sure he isn¡¯t nning on hunting you down, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about.¡± ¡°I just want to meet him,¡± I said. ¡°But¡­ do you truly not know? Not even a hint?¡± Shit¡­ this would get really annoying if so. Shizuka looked at me, narrowing her eyes for a few silent moments before she sighed. ¡°No. I have no clue where he is,¡± she said as I deted in sadness. ¡°But¡­ I do have a way to contact him.¡± I perked back up quite quickly at that. ¡°Really?¡± I asked, eyes widening. ¡°Then¡­ can you?¡± She nodded her head. ¡°Consider it payment for all the help you¡¯ve given me, as well as for letting me use your bath. Now, as for how long-¡± ¡°Shizuka,¡± Rudy suddenly said, interrupting her. ¡°You¡­ well¡­¡± He then turned to the side to look at me, giving me a difficult expression before turning back to the girl. What was that all about? ¡°Kare ga kuru made dore kurai kakarimasu ka?¡± he asked. That unfamiliarnguage¡­ what the hell were they talking about now? Was it about that odd name Oldeus mentioned? Kitamura Ryousuke or something? Still¡­ did they have to leave me out like this? Shizuka looked at Rudy in confusion before turning to me, her eyes darting between us a few times before responding. ¡°¡­Wakaranai. Kare ga ten''i iseki ni dore dake chikai ka ni yotte kotonarimasuga, s¨±-sh¨±kan-teido kakaru to kangae raremasu,¡± she said, in that same foreignnguage they shared. Was it really something so serious and secretive? ¡°Naruhodo.¡± Rudy nodded before he bowed his head to Shizuka. ¡°Soredewa, kare ni renraku suru made ni s¨±-kagetsu matte itadakemasu ka? Onegaishimasu.¡± She looked at him for a few moments in confusion before eventually nodding her head and looking back to me. ¡°It¡­ will take a few months for him toe,¡± she said, looking back to Rudy. ¡°Is that eptable?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Rudy nodded. ¡°Sure¡­ thanks,¡± I said, still a bit confused about what had gone on between the two. ¡°Feel free to continue using my bath as well.¡± ¡°I was going to do that anyway,¡± she said, turning back to her desk. ¡°Now, I would love if you two could leave me alone. I¡¯ve had to essentially re-invent my ns with the discovery of multiyered magic circles, so I am quite busy.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± I said, shaking my head fondly as I went up to her. ¡°Just¡­ don¡¯t tire yourself out too much.¡± cing my hand on her head, I rubbed it a few times before letting go. Shizuka¡­ while I wasn¡¯t focused on it as much while I was reading, the diary did mention how she had run into another failure with her goal of getting home, and this time, she didn¡¯t have a new discovery to get her out of it. And so, ovee by grief and doubt¡­ she killed herself. It was a hard thing to swallow¡­ in some ways, even more so than my future wives¡¯ deaths. After all, unlike the past Rudy, I was here to protect those three from the damn Man-God, but as for Shizuka finding a way back home¡­ I had no way to help with that. For all intents and purposes, Shizuka¡¯s fate was the hardest to change. I still wasn¡¯t sure what I could do, especially with me being busy with the Man-God, Ariel, and my family, but¡­ I could at least be here for her. And Rudy too, of course. ¡°¡­I wasn¡¯t going to do that anyway,¡± she said, patting down her hair as she red at me. ¡°And don¡¯t do that. It¡¯s rude to touch a girl¡¯s hair without her permission.¡± As always, her re didn¡¯t really have that much heat. It was more out of embarrassment. ¡°So I just have to ask first?¡± I teased. ¡°Tsk. Didn¡¯t I tell you to leave?¡± she said, frowning at me before she turned away. ¡°I¡¯m not your daughter, you damn womanizer.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true,¡± I said, turning back to walk towards the door. ¡°But still, feel free to stop by and rx.¡± ¡°Close the door behind you,¡± she returned coldly. I guess she was in a mood today. But still¡­ it was nice to know she was alive and just as motivated as ever. As we began walking down the stone steps, Rudy suddenly stopped, turning back to look at me with a serious expression. ¡°Brother,¡± he said, his tone serious. ¡°I know you said to not fight the Dragon God, but¡­ if it ended uping to blows¡­ would you help me?¡± Hm? What was this? Wait¡­ I see. He still wanted to fight him, didn¡¯t he? Was that conversation between the two from before about this? Well¡­ I guess I can¡¯t fault him for that. Orsted¡­ it¡¯s difficult to exin just how insanely strong that guy is without experiencing it, and unlike me, he had the Man-God whispering to him in his dreams, likely scaring him with the threat that he brought every night. And aside from that¡­ now that my emotions have cooled down ever so slightly¡­ I could see the benefit of not outwardly contesting the Man-God. I still nned to, of course¡­ but seeing as there was still a few months before I could meet Orsted, it wouldn¡¯t do any good to make the Man-God an enemy in the meantime. I would just have to be sure to stop Rudy if he starts something on the day of the meeting, lest I get another hole in my torso. ¡°Yes,¡± I said, patting his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re family, so of course I¡¯ll fight with you.¡± And that wasn¡¯t necessarily a lie, either. If Orsted ended up trying to kill my brother, I would defend him with all the power I had. Haa¡­ I just hope that my second meeting with the Dragon God won¡¯t go as badly as my first one. ¡ª Eris Greyrat ¡ª ¡°So this is it¡­¡± I said in amazement as I stared at the snow-nketed building in front of me. It was big, just as Leon had promised, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be this¡­ beautiful. He had sent me some drawings of it, but they really didn¡¯t do it justice. Therge yard was perfect for training, and with all those windows, I bet there were more than enough rooms for all the children we would be having, but still¡­ the main thought that was running through my mind was how this ce¡­ this home¡­ it was mine. Mine and Leon¡¯s. Well¡­ Sylphy¡¯s, Roxy¡¯s, and Aria¡¯s too¡­ and also that princess that Leon was protecting¡­ But still, I was excited. So, so excited! Myst home, back in Roa, didn¡¯t really feel like a home. It was more like¡­ just a ce that I happened to live in. But back in Buena Vige¡­ that warm,forting atmosphere¡­ that was a home. And now I would have one to spend the rest of my life in with my family. I felt my lips tug upward into a smile. Walking up to the front door, I took a deep breath before knocking. Shit. Was that too loud? What if the baby was sleeping in there? Wait, was anyone home? It was midday, after all. Dammit, I already- Before my train of thought could continue, the door opened to reveal my friend that I hadn¡¯t seen in nearly two years. ¡°Eris?¡± Sylphy said, looking at me in shock for a moment before her mouth widened into a smile. ¡°Wee back!¡± ¡°U-Uhh, yeah¡­ I¡¯m home¡­¡± I said, my eyes going up and down her figure in shock. Sylphy¡­ she was very different. Her silver hair was still mostly the same, reaching her chest with the ends slightly curled, but her face¡­ it was much fuller and¡­ more mature¡­ while her breasts were easily seen pushing against the fabric of her shirt. In short, she looked like a woman. That Sylphy¡­ well, I suppose she was sixteen now, so it made sense. And that belly¡­ it wasrge, to the point where I was nearly concerned with the size. Right¡­ Leon¡¯sst letter had mentioned how she was in the final stage of pregnancy, but still¡­ it was quite a shock to see it in person. So I guess I was the only one behind, huh? I¡¯d have to fix that. ¡°Mama Sylph?¡± Hearing the voice of a young girl, I watched as a toddler slowly toddled over to us from behind Sylphy, her head tilted to the side cutely as she looked at me with her wide, curious brown eyes. And that blue hair that was tucked into a messy braid¡­ this must be Roxy¡¯s kid, right? ¡°Who you?¡± she asked, pointing to me. Urk. I¡­ how would I exin this? Taking a subtle nce at Sylphy, she nodded at me before I crouched down, ensuring that not a single bit of bloodlust was being released, even unconsciously. ¡°You¡¯re Aria, right?¡± I asked gently. ¡°Mhmm! Aria Greyat!¡± she said confidently. ¡°It¡¯s ¡®Greyrat¡¯, sweetie,¡± Sylphy corrected with a smile. ¡°Oh¡­ Aria Greyat!¡± she said, repeating the exact same mistake. Heh. Leon¡¯s letters were right. She was absolutely adorable. As much as I wanted a son¡­ I guess a daughter wouldn¡¯t be bad either. ¡°And I¡¯m Eris Greyrat,¡± I said, extending my hand to pat her head. ¡°And I¡¯m¡­ well¡­¡± Aria here called Sylphy ¡®Mama¡¯, right? So it wouldn¡¯t be too overbearing for me to be called that as well, right? ¡°I¡¯m also your Mama,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± She once again tilted her head cutely, raising her hands to grab my arm as she then beamed at me. ¡°Mama Eri!¡± she said. Hnngh¡­ that¡­ felt quite nice. It was difficult to describe¡­ perhaps it was her pure charisma? Her cuteness? Her innocence? Or was it because she was Leon¡¯s daughter? Either way¡­ this feeling was definitely that one that I was missing. The warmth¡­ the love of family¡­ to think I would be able to feel this without even seeing Leon¡­ Family really was amazing. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s me,¡± I said, ruffling her shoulder-length hair as I got back up. ¡°Eris¡­ that was so cute!¡± Sylphy said, smiling at me as she pulled me into a hug. Urk¡­ right, she was here too¡­ I felt a bit embarrassed about having such a scene seen by others. ¡°A-Anyway,¡± I said, gently hugging her back. ¡°Where¡¯s Leon? He¡¯s a swordsmanship instructor, right? Is he doing that?¡± ¡°Err¡­ he¡¯s actually guarding Princess Ariel, right now,¡± Sylphy said, scratching her cheek. ¡°You remember her, right?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I nodded. Right¡­ with Sylphy being pregnant, it was only obvious that she would not be able to guard her anymore. Not to mention that Leon had apparently already fought off some strong assassins. Still¡­ I really wish he was here right now. ¡°Don¡¯t pout, Eris,¡± Sylphy said, pinching my cheek. ¡°He¡¯ll be home soon, and I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be ecstatic you¡¯re back!¡± She then nced down at Aria, who had looking at me with interest ever since I stopped patting her head. ¡°And, well¡­¡± she said, moving closer to whisper into my ear. ¡°ording to Roxy, he¡¯s been a beast recently, so¡­ I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t be able to keep his hands off of you.¡± Oh? That¡­ did sound nice. ¡°So, while you wait, how about I show you around?¡± Sylphy said, grabbing my hand. ¡°And you can get your room set up and have a bath as well!¡± ¡°A bath¡­ right, that would probably be good,¡± I mumbled. I had been travelling for over a month now, and I didn¡¯t want Leon to think I wasn¡¯t taking care of my hygiene. After all, once he got home, I didn¡¯t n on waiting for too long before I began contributing to the family. Ah, but I should probably meet Aria¡¯s mother first, right? Roxy should be at the university too, if I¡¯m not mistaken. I just hope they don¡¯t take too long. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª A month had passed since my surprise meeting with Rudeus from the future, and after getting Shizuka to contact Orsted, it was now just a matter of protecting what was dear to me until I could finallyy down a n to take down that Man-God. Only after getting some information from that seemingly all-knowing Dragon God, of course¡­ and hopefully gaining an ally in him as well. And as for Rudy¡­ well, I hadn¡¯t been seeing him a lottely, as it seemed that he had been focusing on developing his magic armour alongside Cliff and Zanoba. I was still a bit worried about how much influence the Man-God had on him, but for now, I was just d he was aiming to get stronger. Between him and Eris, I was confident I could leave the protection of our families to them while I went out to find those sacred treasures, wherever they were, and finally end this annoying battle. ¡°It¡¯s getting annoyingly cold again,¡± Roxy mumbled from my left, burying her head further into her coat. ¡°It is the eighth month of the year, after all,¡± Ariel said smoothly from my right. ¡°Yes, but knowing that does not change the temperature,¡± Roxy sighed, leaning closer to me. ¡°Do you want me to warm you up?¡± I asked, cing my arm around her shoulder. ¡°Mmm¡­ no, I can bear with it,¡± she said. ¡°But¡­ maybe tonight?¡± Turning her face up to look at me, I took in those enchanting blue eyes and those thin lips¡­ and with the way her cheeks were rosy, either from the cold or her request, I couldn¡¯t think of her as anything but overwhelmingly beautiful. I¡­ was really lucky to have her, huh? Yeah¡­ really lucky¡­ ¡°Of course,¡± I said, clearing my head of less than amazing thoughts as I kissed her forehead. ¡°I¡¯ll keep you warm all night.¡± ¡°G-Good,¡± she said, turning her face away from me as we continued walking towards our house, with me tactfully ignoring the princess¡¯ giggles. As we kicked off the snow and slush from our boots on the porch, I then went to open the door, instantly sensing a familiar presence inside. This¡­ she was here already? I know I told her to hurry up, but¡­ this was a surprise. But a very wee one. ¡°Leon? Is something wrong?¡± Roxy asked. ¡°No,¡± I returned, shaking my head. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ it seems like we¡¯re all together now.¡± With Ariel and Roxy tilting their heads in curiosity, I then heard the wind whip through the hall as a red blur mmed into my chest, nearly making me tumble even with the touki reinforcing my body. Yep¡­ that was definitely her. ¡°Eri¡­ I missed you,¡± I said, wrapping my arms around her as I buried my nose into her hair. Ah¡­ yeah, I really did miss her. ¡°Leon¡­ I¡¯m home,¡± she said, her voice muffled from my chest. ¡°Yeah¡­ wee home,¡± I said. We stayed like that for a few moments, simply basking in each other¡¯s presence andforting warmth, as I made note of a few changes. First, she was a bit taller, her head now reaching my nose, unlike Sylphy and Roxy, where I could still easily rest my head on theirs. Then, there was her strength that was currently squeezing me tight. She was¡­ very strong. From her pure physical might that I felt intimately through her grasp, as well as the touki I could see flowing smoothly through her body, I could confidently say that she had grown as a swordswoman in our time apart. Hmm¡­ she was a Sword Saint on the stronger side when we parted, so by now she was probably a Sword King. And a strong one too. Heh¡­ it seems like she has worked quite hard. I would have to praise herter. Andstly¡­ there was her body. From the sharp facial features I had caught a glimpse of as she ran towards me, as well as the pair of pillows pressing against my chest, I could confidently say that the girl I had fallen so deeply in love with had truly be a woman. And I still loved her just as much, of course. Relinquishing our holds on each other, she then wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me into a deep kiss as my hand went up to rake my fingers through her hair. Just as she had said, she had kept it short, leaving it to her shoulders. And it felt quite smooth¡­ did she have a bath? She must have. Separating our mouths, she licked her lips as she stared at me with lidded eyes before reluctantly letting go of my neck. I guess I knew who I would be with tonight. Sorry, Roxy, but I don¡¯t think Eris would take no for an answer. And from how long we¡¯ve been apart¡­ I think it will take the entire night to get reacquainted. With Eris turning to the other two women, she nodded at Ariel, who returned Eris¡¯ greeting with a nod before the redheaded girl looked over at Roxy. ¡°U-Umm¡­ I¡¯m Roxy¡­ nice to meet you,¡± Roxy said. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ Eris, right? Leon¡¯s told me a lot about you¡­¡± Eris simply stared at the girl for a few moments before nodding. ¡°Hmm¡­ nice to meet you too,¡± she said. ¡°And¡­ well¡­ did Leon really tell you about me?¡± ¡°A lot,¡± Roxy said, smiling slightly. Well¡­ I guess it would be asking too much for them to be friends right away, but I hoped that they would get along over time. ¡°Dada!¡± Hearing a familiar childish voice along with the patter of light footsteps, I crouched down just in time to catch Aria as she ran into my arms. ¡°Home!¡± she cheered. ¡°Yes, I am,¡± I said. ¡°How was your day?¡± ¡°Met Mama Eri!¡± she said, pointing over to Eris beside me. ¡°And hi Mama!¡± ¡®Mama Eri¡¯¡­ well, it seems that they got along pretty fast. I had been sure to tell Aria about her eventual third mom, but there was only so much you could do to exin to a child about someone they had never met. But I guess my worries were for nothing. ¡°Hello Aria. Were you good for Sylphy?¡± Roxy said with a soft smile. ¡°The best!¡± she returned, manoeuvring herself to get on my shoulders. With Sylphying out of the living room, she gave me a small kiss before looking between Ariel and me. ¡°Did anything happen?¡± she asked, worry evident in her voice. I guess she still wasn¡¯tpletely used to leaving the safety of her dear friend to others, even if I was much stronger than her. ¡°No. Just a regr, boring day,¡± I said. ¡°Anyway¡­ now that Eri is here, I want to have our marriage ceremony right away. Is that fine with you?¡± ¡°Of course! Though¡­ I do wish I was a bit thinner,¡± Sylphy said, looking down to her belly with a difficult smile. ¡°You¡¯re beautiful,¡± I said, kissing her forehead. ¡°And it¡¯s a good thing the dress I got you is loose, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not something you¡¯re supposed to say, Leon,¡± she said, pouting at me before it turned into a smile. ¡°But yes, I suppose it is a good thing. Now, princess¡­ do you need anything?¡± Ariel shook her head as she hung her coat on the nearby hook. ¡°No. I think it will be an early night for me,¡± she said. ¡°Even with Leon¡¯s aid, thebined magic ss is really quite difficult.¡± Well, in her defence, even I would suck at that ss. After all, they didn¡¯t really know what they were talking about in those sses, simply describing what spells did to each other and the produced phenomena without exining why. ¡°I see¡­ then, Leon, do you mind taking care of Aria for a bit?¡± Sylphy said, smiling at me. ¡°No, I don¡¯t. But¡­ can I ask why?¡± I asked. ¡°Well¡­ now that Eris is here¡­¡± Sylphy started to exin. Ah, I see. With three of them now, it was only natural that they had a talk with each other. Especially since Roxy had absolutely no connection with Eris, unlike Sylphy did. Not to mention the uing marriage¡­ ¡°We just need to have a talk,¡± Roxy said, nodding at me. ¡°Just¡­ some girl stuff.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ leave you girls to it, then,¡± I said, walking over to the stairs. ¡°And how about you, sweet daughter of mine? Do you want to y with Dada here?¡± ¡°Magic!¡± she eximed, pulling my hair like the reins of a horse. ¡°Show magic, Dada!¡± I guess I would be showing her some magic. And as for those three¡­ well, I think I could trust them to work it all out. After all, not only did Sylphy and Roxy be fast friends, but Sylphy was already close with Eris, and further than that, despite my selfishness¡­ we all wanted the same thing. A beautiful, big, loving family. So I would trust them to figure it out, while I showed by beautiful daughter some magic tricks. ¡ª Roxy Migurdia ¡ª ¡°So¡­ once again, it¡¯s nice to meet you, Eris,¡± I said, looking to the red-haired girl I had only been told about thus far. ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ heard lots about you.¡± With Leon taking Aria upstairs, and Ariel heading up to her room, the three of us soon-to-be wives of the same man found ourselves sitting in the living room, with the firece warming us up for theing conversation. ¡°Yeah¡­ Leon told me about you too,¡± Eris said, crossing her legs once again. She seemed anxious. Well, to be honest, if I was in the same position, I couldn¡¯t me her. And further than that¡­ I was a little anxious too. With Sylphy turning sixteen, she had grown even more, both on the inside and out, and even with her elven heritage, it was clear to anyway that Sylphiette was a woman. And a beautiful one at that, with her beauty turning heads each time we walked through the marketce. And that wasn¡¯t even mentioning the size of her belly¡­ Anyway, between the two of us, it was obvious that she looked like the more mature one, even tough I was triple her age. And then¡­ there was the woman in front of me. Eris was stunning, that much didn¡¯t need to be said. With her captivating red hair, striking sharp eyes, and the body which was a mix between toned and curvy that women around the world could only dream of¡­ it was obvious I was feeling a bit self-conscious. Not to mention the small me of jealousy that burned within me, knowing that she had taken so many of Leon¡¯s firsts¡­ but then again, I had been his first love, even if it was a bit childish at first. Still, despite those insecurities, I trusted in Leon¡¯s love for me, so I wasn¡¯t too worried. Just a bit¡­ motivated, you could say. After all, while I may be losing in terms of my appearance and immature body, that didn¡¯t mean I would lose out in terms of feelings. And that¡­ was a part of why we were meeting here and now. ¡°So¡­ the three of us will soon be married to Leon,¡± I said, starting the conversation. ¡°Sylphy and I have already talked about it, but we want your input as well, Eris.¡± She simply nodded, urging me to continue. ¡°You see¡­ Leon loves to sleep with us at night¡­ as in, all of us,¡± I exined. ¡°I know,¡± Eris said, her cheeks flushing a bit, barely visible in the glow of the fire. ¡°Sylphy and I¡­ we stayed with Leon during thest few weeks before I left.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I said as my cheeks began to heat up as well. ¡°Then¡­ as for the, uhm¡­ nighttime activities¡­ we usually do separate times whenever we want¡­ though recently it¡¯s been only me for obvious reasons.¡± No matter how much I¡¯ve experienced it with Leon and sometimes Sylphy, or talked about it with Elinalise, it was still embarrassing to openly talk about bedroom matters to others. But even so¡­ I had to bear with it for now. ¡°Leon is¡­ very giving, in that aspect, so we shouldn¡¯t find ourselves unsatisfied,¡± I said, clearing my throat. ¡°Anyway, so it¡¯s like that, with both Sylphy and I sleeping with Leon in his room after any activities. Of course, you are also invited to join. So¡­ is this alright with you?¡± Eris in response pouted a bit, shifting in her seat, before she eventually answered. ¡°Well¡­ Leon and I¡­ when we do it¡­ we don¡¯t really stop,¡± she said as her lips spread into a fond smile. ¡°Actually, I remember our third time together, we ended up doing it until dawn¡­¡± Uhh¡­ wow. That¡­ was impressive. For both of them. Now even Sylphy was blushing a bit. ¡°But¡­ I¡¯ll keep myself under control. Leon¡­ loves you two, after all,¡± Eris said with some difficulty. ¡°Plus¡­ I¡¯ll be calmer once he puts a baby in me.¡± Well¡­ that was certainly something. Did she really have no shame, or was it because it was us? ¡°I¡­ well¡­ thank you, Eris,¡± I said. ¡°But don¡¯t feel the need to hold yourself back too much. Leon says he loves you when you¡¯re yourself.¡± Eris¡¯ lips quirked up. ¡°He does, doesn¡¯t he.¡± Sylphy, who had been quiet for most of the conversation, then happily pped her hands together. ¡°Well, with this, I think we can all get along, right?¡± she said. ¡°After all, while we¡¯re all a bit different, we all have at least one thing inmon, right? So I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll work out.¡± Right¡­ we all loved Leon. And while I wasn¡¯t as eager as these two to make a giant family filled with kids, I did want to create my own ce of warmth, and an environment where my daughter, as well as any of my future children, would feel happy and loved. ¡°Yeah¡­ we do,¡± I said. ¡°But do you have anything to say, Sylphy? It¡¯s just been me talking to Eris this whole time¡­¡± She simply shook her head. ¡°Nope. I know both of you, and I¡¯mfortable having a family with you two. It was only you two who needed to be acquainted.¡± She was¡­ right. ¡°Hmm¡­ Eris is new to Sharia, but Leon will still need to guard Ariel tomorrow¡­¡± Sylphy said, tapping her chin in thought before smiling. ¡°Ah! How about you show her around, Roxy? You two can get to know each other a bit better, and you can also take her to Philip and Hilda¡¯s so she can see her family. Does that sound nice?¡± With her proposal hanging in the air, I turned my head to meet Eris¡¯ eyes as we both nodded. Yeah¡­ I still wasn¡¯t familiar with Eris Greyrat here, but from the short time I¡¯ve met her, she seemed exactly like the girl that Leon, Sylphy, and Leon¡¯s sisters told me about. She was strong, determined, protective, and overwhelmingly loving and loyal. And even though I was initially worried about her fierceness, which Leon said only made her true demeanour even cuter, from how quickly she got along with my daughter, I really didn¡¯t have anything to worry about. Creating a family with such a person¡­ there was no way I would adamantly refuse. Even if I was a bit jealous of her figure. Chapter 93 – Wedding Ceremony Chapter 93 ¨C Wedding Ceremony ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª A few days had passed since Eris returned home, and in that time, she had settled in quite easily, with the onlyrge difference being the added portion to our meals. A strong swordswoman like her needed arge meal, after all, especially with her boundless stamina. Yeah¡­ boundless stamina¡­ recently, I had been reminded just how boundless that stamina was¡­ but anyway! It was nice to be back with her again, and I had found someone to join me in morning training, which often devolved into some erotic activities afterwards once we washed off in the bath¡­ but I wasn¡¯tining. Far from it. Anyway, just like I had promised, I quickly got everything prepared for our marriage ceremony. It wasn¡¯t anything big. Only a small party at our house with our family and close friends where I would be able to show off my three beautifuldies and ensure that the world knew they were mine. Honestly¡­ I knew that this ceremony wasn¡¯t really needed, considering how we already lived together and were more thanfortable, but I wanted to do it anyway. After all, with so many people in our lives all doing different things, it was good to get together for a day, even if it was a rare asion. Plus¡­ I wanted to truly call all three of them my wives, without any room for doubt. Anyway¡­ the day after Eris arrived in Sharia, I was pleased to see that she had gone to meet her parents, the three of them sharing a heartwarming meeting while I was busy with Ariel. Eris was a¡­ little sad about her grandfather staying back, as well as how Ghiine had left for her homnd, but considering that Big Sis would be returning in about half a year by now, and we would eventually be invading the Asura Kingdom where Sauros was, it was only a matter of time before we met them both. Anyway¡­ ¡°Err, while this isn¡¯t a marriage seen under the Millis Church, I do believe there are still some passages that can be said here,¡± Cliff said, adjusting his cor as he looked between the four of us with a difficult expression. Considering that none of us were followers of the Millis religion, not to mention how I quite hated the Millis Church, I didn¡¯t ask Cliff to proctor our marriage¡­ but still, he insisted. Well, it was a nice gesture from him, and I¡¯ve known him long enough to know that I didn¡¯t have to worry about him trying to push his religion onto us. After all, he was much too focused on trying to free Lina from her curse to worry about spreading his faith. So, I epted. ¡°Ahem! So¡­ Sylphiette, Roxy Migurdia, and Eris¡­ Greyrat¡­ do you three swear to take the name Greyrat and love Leon Greyrat, and only him, so long as you both live?¡± he said. Well¡­ Eris already bore thest name of ¡®Greyrat¡¯, but I think everyone understood what Cliff meant. ¡°I do,¡± Sylphy spoke resolutely. ¡°That¡¯s obvious,¡± Eris said, nodding. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ I swear,¡± Roxy added, averting her eyes from me. The three of them were d in the dresses that I had gotten them back in Begaritt, giving me a very intoxicating sight that would surely be seared into my memory from today onward. Especially with the way Eris¡¯ breasts pushed against the fabric¡­ the way Sylphy¡¯s dress tightly wrapped around her due to her erged belly, defining her figure¡­ how Roxy had decided to give me the precious view of her hair done up in a bun¡­ it was all very tantalizing indeed. And hearing such a thing from three beautifuldies that had cemented themselves in my heart¡­ well, while I still was concerned with anything Millis-inspired, for a small ceremony like this, I suppose that religion did have its good sides. Plus, Mama seemed awfully happy about seeing such a thing, and it was quite a romantic scene that my sisters were both beaming at¡­ so I think I made the right choice here. ¡°And you, Leon Greyrat¡­ do you promise to love Sylphiette, Roxy, and Eris Greyrat, and only her- ah, them, so long as you all live?¡± he said, having turned to me. It seems he got lost in the usual script a bit, not that I could me him. Right, now it was my turn. But just saying ¡®I do¡¯? Well¡­ these three definitely deserved more than that. ¡°I swear,¡± I said, my eyes meeting each of theirs. ¡°For now and always¡­ I¡¯ll make everything they dream ofe true.¡± It seems my added words had an effect, as the three of their cheeks lit up in a blush. What a nice sight. But Eris¡­ well, her eyes turned a bit dangerous as well. I mean, I already expected something like that, but I thought our activities fromst night would have calmed down some of her horniness. I guess she truly was a Greyrat, huh? ¡°Then¡­ the groom may now ce the ne on his brides,¡± Cliff said. There was no Ne of Millis, which was the usual tradition, for obvious reasons, but tomemorate our marriage, I decided to get all three of them a ne with gems of their natural colours, them being blue, red, and green. This would be able to act as a recement for our rings, changing us from being ¡®promised¡¯ to ¡®married¡¯. Of course, I doubted they would do such a thing, but Eris might find it useful as her ring might get in the way of wielding a sword. So, following Cliff¡¯s words, I ced the ne on each of them, letting my hands brush their hair behind their necks as I did so. ¡°And now, the brides may give their grooms a promissory kiss,¡± Cliff said, bowing his head. Yes¡­ there was this part of the ceremony too, based on the life of Saint Millis, or rather, what he and his partner did before he left to fight some battle. Bowing my head, I felt Sylphye up to peck my forehead, and bowing a little lower, I felt Roxy do the same. And then, turning over to Eris, I felt her hand go under my chin instead, tilting my face upward. ¡°Fuck that,¡± she said before capturing my lips with her own, pulling me closer as my hands unconsciously went down to her waist. Oh, wait. This wasn¡¯t how it was supposed to go. Quickly pulling away before I ended up groping her in front of our family, I was met with the sight of Eris¡¯ face set in a self-satisfied grin as both Roxy and Sylphy looked on in a mix of exasperation and jealously. ¡­It was meant to be an innocent kiss on the forehead, but it seemed Eris wasn¡¯t satisfied with such a thing. Not that I minded, of course. ¡°Uhh¡­ G-God in heaven, hear my plea! Grant these four the gift of evesting love and happiness!¡± Cliff said, quickly moving on from the disy. And with that, the small ceremony was concluded, and I officially became the husband of the three women I would now call my wives, signified by the gathered group¡¯s apuse. ¡°Eris Greyrat¡­ Roxy Greyrat¡­ and Sylphiette Greyrat¡­¡± I said, pulling all three of them closer to me. ¡°That sounds quite nice.¡± ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ it does,¡± Roxy said, burying her face in my chest. ¡°Mmm¡­ I know nothing has really changed, but it makes my heart beat a little faster now that I know it¡¯s official,¡± Sylphy murmured. ¡°Sylphiette Greyrat¡­ fufufu!¡± Well, at least she seemed happy. And as for Eris¡­ ¡°Hey,¡± she said, narrowing her eyes at me. ¡°You won¡¯t be so busy now, right? I want to start contributing to the family in earnest now.¡± I already know what she meant, and those words filled me with a mix of anticipation and fear. After all, ifst night wasn¡¯t earnestly contributing¡­ what did that even look like? I had a feeling that I would soon find out. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª A few weeks had passed since I officially became a married man, and with the first week of the tenth month passing by, it meant only one thing¡­ ¡°Happy birthday!¡± The birthday of my two sisters, of course. Their tenth birthday, to be more specific. This was the usual age where children would begin to branch out into their chosen profession by either going to school or apprenticing under a craftsman. Of course, that didn¡¯t really matter with these two since they were both in school, and Aisha already had a job under Ariel, but it was still an important date to celebrate nheless. Hence, the little party that we had put together. Since our house was sorge, we decided to hold it here, with our whole family gathering along with some of Norn¡¯s friends, three of them being from the university, along with Nico from the orphanage. Those two¡­ well, like ra and I had agreed before, we wouldn¡¯t push anything, but that didn¡¯t mean I wouldn¡¯t tease her relentlessly if I saw anything happen. It was a brother¡¯s duty, after all. And of course, I would also punish Nico if he decided to hurt her, but with Norn now training with me three times a week in my advanced swordsmanship ss, I knew that she didn¡¯t need any help. As for Aisha, she¡­ didn¡¯t really have many friends, but she was quite close with Ariel, so that would suffice for now. ¡°So? What¡¯d you get them?¡± Eris asked, walking over to stand beside me. ¡°Just something small,¡± I said, shrugging as I ced an arm across her shoulder. ¡°Small?¡± she asked, raising an eyebrow in question. ¡°Yeah,¡± I sighed. ¡°They both came up to me a week ago and told me not to get anything big, or they would be mad.¡± ording to Mama, my original idea constituted as ¡®too big¡¯, so I had to settle with getting them each a new coat instead. At least they looked cute in them, and from their happy smiles, they were happy, so I think that I had chosen quite well. ¡°What about you?¡± I asked. ¡°Hm? I got Norn some new boots that would be good for fighting in, and a new bra for Aisha,¡± she said before tilting her head in confusion. ¡°Though I still don¡¯t know why she asked for my opinion¡­¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I see,¡± I said. I guess Aisha was getting to that age, after all. Well, my sisters had my mothers and my wives to go to for womanly matters, so there was no need for me to worry or think about those things. Feeling Eris begin to restlessly tap her foot against the floor, I pulled her closer to me, wrapping my arms around her midsection as I rested my head on her shoulder. ¡°Just trust me¡­ okay?¡± I said, squeezing her a bit. ¡°F-Fine¡­ but I hate not training,¡± she said, crossing her arms. ¡°I¡¯ve been away for so long just to get stronger, so it feels¡­ wrong, to stop now.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t get any weaker, I promise,¡± I said. ¡°Well¡­ if all goes well, you will for a while¡­ but afterwards, you¡¯ll be right back into top form.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± she asked, her voice leaking some vulnerability. ¡°Really. So just trust me, okay?¡± I said, kissing her cheek. She just huffed in response, leaning back into my chest a bit more. Eris seemed really eager to have a baby, so much so that she had taken me to bed every night to milk me for all I was worth. I liked it, of course, but that wasn¡¯t the problem here. We would do it every night, and every morning, Eris would wake up with me to do morning training, but not before asking me to check if she was pregnant. But despite our efforts¡­ she still hadn¡¯t had any luck. Not for the past month. So, having asked Lilia, Mama, Lina, and a few of my fellow teachers, I learned that her intense physical activities every single day from training could be the issue. Thus, I asked her to stop it for a bit. Hopefully she would get pregnant soon, because my Eris really hated not training, and she was quick to show her irritation and frustration. My gaze then drifted over to Sylphy, who was currently talking animatedly with Mama, Lilia, and Roxy as she rubbed her hand against her evenrger belly. Yeah¡­ and that would be happening soon too, huh? It had been nine months since she got pregnant, so I wonder¡­ soon enough, would I be seeing a little Laws, or a little Anna? I was excited to find out. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Onest push, Sylphy!¡± Roxy encouraged from the side. ¡°G-Got it!¡± she shouted in response, tightening her grip on my hand as she bit down on the cloth with a muffled scream. And then¡­ I heard the familiar,forting sound. ¡°Aangh!¡± my new youngest child wailed. ¡°Well done, Sylphy,¡± Lilia said, washing off the baby as she looked over to me. ¡°Leon? I need you to cut the umbilical cord.¡± Nodding my head, I slowly unsped Sylphy¡¯s hand before sliding down the bed next to Lilia as Roxy took over the healing. ¡°It seems you attract girls in more than one way, Leon,¡± Lilia teased, handing the still-wailing bundle of joy over to me. ¡°The nights are getting colder, so be sure to keep her warm.¡± It was a girl¡­ my little girl¡­ a second one¡­ Looking down at the baby in my arms, I cut and cauterized the cord with ease as I pulled her to my chest. She had a cute, pudgy face, just like most babies did, with little elf ears and a head of short, patchy brown hair. I felt the heat of emotion rise within me once again, the exact same feeling I felt when I first held Aria in my arms. Good¡­ as I thought, this feeling would always be special. I mean, how could it not be? These were the first breaths, the first cries, and the first time I was able to hold and see my precious daughter. If that wasn¡¯t something special, then nothing could be. ¡°Wee to the world, Anna,¡± I said, wiping her down with a wet cloth Mama had passed to me. Doing as Lilia had said, I cuddled her closer to my chest, keeping her warm as I slid back up the bed to sit next to Sylphy, who had calmed her breathing as she looked over at our baby. ¡°She¡­ has brown hair¡­ like my mother¡­¡± she said betweenboured breaths, her lips curling into a soft smile as her hand gently drifted over Anna¡¯s head. ¡°Thank god¡­¡± She was worried about the green hair still, huh? I¡­ suppose it was a good thing. Not because I cared about my child having green hair, of course, but rather the feelings of guilt I knew that Sylphy would carry should that ever happen. There was also the discrimination that might ur, but¡­ well, they would have to be some very stupid people to bully my child for their hair colour. ¡°It¡­ really is small, huh?¡± Eris said, leaning over my shoulder to look at the new member of the family. ¡°She is,¡± I agreed. ¡°But just think¡­ Anna here can be a magician, a swordswoman, a merchant, a doctor¡­ she can grow to do any of those things, and we¡¯ll be here to watch and help every step of the way.¡± And wasn¡¯t that the most amazing thing in the world? Eris nodded her head as her finger extended to gently poke Anna¡¯s soft cheek. ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯ll be sure to help,¡± she said in amazement. ¡°I¡¯ll make her the strongest swordswoman in the world.¡± That¡¯s my Eris. ¡°O-Only if she wants, right?¡± Sylphy asked, looking over at Eris with a worried grin. ¡°¡­Maybe,¡± Eris answered. ¡°Anyway, to do such a thing¡­ that was quite amazing, Sylphy.¡± ¡°Ah, thank you, Eris,¡± she said. ¡°But you¡¯ll be doing the same thing soon, right?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I will,¡± Eris answered. With Roxy sliding next to Sylphy, I handed Anna over to her mother as I took over Roxy¡¯s work, resuming healing any pains and aches I could as the four of us sat on the bed. Well, the five of us now. ¡°Well¡­ congrattions, you all,¡± Mama said, stretching her arms as she began to yawn. ¡°Huam! Anyway¡­ I¡¯ve already told Roxy everything that you have to watch out for, so I think we¡¯ll leave you guys to it.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ thanks, Mama,¡± I said. ¡°And tell Father thanks for watching over Aria.¡± ¡°Oh, that idiot was more than happy to finally act as a respectable grandpa,¡± she said, fondly shaking her head. Right¡­ Paul was like that. With the birth taking a quite a while and going long into the night, unlike with Aria, the whole family hadn¡¯t gathered for the asion. Instead, it was only Mama, Lilia, and Lina who hade over to help, with Lina leaving partway through due to exhaustion, as she was currently well into her pregnancy. ¡°Indeed,¡± Lilia agreed as she finished cleaning herself off. ¡°But at least he is much better than before. Now, as Zenny had said, we¡¯ll leave you four to celebrate together. Be ready for everyone toe visit tomorrow, though.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ thank you, Zenith and Lilia, for helping me,¡± Sylphy said, smiling at the two. ¡°And thank grandmother too.¡± ¡°Think nothing of it,¡± Lilia replied. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re family, right?¡± Mama said, leaning down to kiss Sylphy¡¯s forehead. ¡°So just call me ¡®mother¡¯, alright?¡± ¡°G-Got it,¡± Sylphy returned. And with that, our family of five became six, as Anna Greyrat came into the world. I wonder what she would grow up to be, who she woulde to love, and what her personality would be¡­ and I was more than excited to see it all happen. And looking down at her pudgy little face, so full of innocence and childish charm, I once again promised myself to protect this beautiful daughter of mine against anything that dared tried to hurt her. Orsted¡­ our meeting couldn¡¯te sooner. Chapter 94 – Meeting the Dragon God Chapter 94 ¨C Meeting the Dragon God ¡ª Eris Greyrat ¡ª My name is Eris Greyrat, a Sword King who has gained the nickname of ¡®Mad Wolf¡¯ and the wife of the most amazing man in the world, Leon Greyrat. But more importantly¡­ ¡°You¡¯re pregnant,¡± Leon said, smiling as his hands moved from my belly up to my head. ¡°Congrattions, Eri. And¡­ thank you.¡± More importantly, I was also a future mother. I felt my heart soar as he pulled me into a kiss, my hands wrapping around his neck to grasp his small ponytail as my tongue invaded his mouth. I¡­ was finally pregnant, after such a long time of trying. Perhaps, just as Leon had said, I really did need to calm down my training in order for my husband¡¯s seed to take root. Detaching our lips, I felt my lips spread into a wide smile as our eyes stared into each other¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m excited, Leon,¡± I said. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to give you a boy.¡± He smiled back as he shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s a boy or not. I¡¯ll love them-¡± ¡°It¡¯s a boy,¡± I said, cutting him off. I could feel it. In my belly, growing stronger with each day, was my child. The one that would be the heir to the Greyrat name. Though¡­ we weren¡¯t nobles¡­ nor did I want us to be anything like that¡­ but I was still happy to provide Leon with a son considering Aria and Anna were both girls. Plus, I would be sure to train him into a good swordsman. ¡°Okay¡­ do you want to do something to celebrate?¡± he asked, raking his hand through my hair in the way that always made me melt. ¡°Sylphy¡¯s guarding Ariel, so we could spend the day together if you¡¯d like. Though I would still have to watch Aria and Anna.¡± Narrowing my eyes, I quickly shook my head. ¡°No. Just¡­ stay here with them,¡± I said, getting up from the bed. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ father is still home, right?¡± ¡°Hm? Yeah, I believe so,¡± he said, a bit confused. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I¡­ just need to do something first,¡± I said, quickly throwing on a shirt and pair of pants as I headed into the hallway. Walking down the stairs and out into the chilly morning air, I began contemting about my feelings now that I was pregnant. I was excited, for sure, but at the same time¡­ I was worried. I had been something of a mother to Aria and Anna over these past months sinceing back home, but still¡­ was that enough? I didn¡¯t know, and there was only one way I could find out. If it was Leon, Roxy, or Sylphy, they would probably have a much better way to ease these worries, but I wasn¡¯t them. I was a stupid girl who didn¡¯t know how to handle her feelings, and I had long since epted that. So this was the only way for me. Gripping the two wooden swords that I had grabbed on my way out the door, I hastened my pace down the cobblestone road, spurred on by the biting cold as I felt my blood pump through my body. ¡°Hm? Eris? What are you doing over here so early?¡± Paul said, tilting his head as he finished hisst swing. I guess he was training in the morning, just like he did back in Buena Vige. It seems I hade at a perfect time. Throwing a wooden sword over to him, I set my stance as I stood across from him. ¡°Spar me,¡± I demanded. ¡°Err¡­ no?¡± he said. I narrowed my eyes in response. ¡°F-Figures that wouldn¡¯t work,¡± he said, sighing reluctantly. ¡°Come on, do you really have anything to gain from beating up an old man like me?¡± ¡°Stop acting pathetic and raise your sword,¡± I said, snarling. ¡°Or else, I won¡¯t hold back.¡± ¡°G-Got it,¡± he said, setting his stance. Paul Greyrat¡­ Leon¡¯s father and the grandfather to my future child¡­ he was someone I had been avoiding sinceing back here. After all, I hated him. Not for being annoying, which he still was, nor for the grudge of thest time I had met him, which I was still angry about. No¡­ this was due to something much more personal. This man¡­ he reminded me of myself. More specifically, he reminded me of my past self. The violent, bratty, selfish, idiotic girl that couldn¡¯t deal with her feelings in any other way thanshing out at those she loved, which at the time, was only Leon. Luckily, Leon at that time was still strong, and he knew that my feelings for him were positive despite my contradicting nature, but that was because he was Leon. My child¡­ Roxy and Sylphy¡¯s children¡­ they wouldn¡¯t be as strong, and they probably wouldn¡¯t be able to understand my true feelings. So being like my old self¡­ that was uneptable. Paul Greyrat was something simr to that. He was a terrible father. When he got angry, he hit Leon without asking for his side of a story, bing ovee with emotion that heshed out and hurt his son in ways only he could. And that was before that aggravating disy in Millishion that left my most important person so sad after such a long time of suffering. Plus there was his infidelity, his immaturity, leaving everything to Leon and making him clean up after his messes¡­ Yeah, Paul Greyrat was a failure of a father. And that failure of a father reminded me of myself. I¡­ didn¡¯t want to be like that. I wanted to be a good mother, especially after seeing Sylphy and Roxy. Seeing how soft and gentle they were with Aria and Anna, and their overall aura of motherliness¡­ I felt inferior. Perhaps I could never be as motherly or as soft as them, but I was fine with that. But I needed to know if I could be a good mother¡­ I needed to know if that bratty girl that was so simr to that failure of a father was truly a thing of the past or not. And maybe¡­ I also wanted some payback for what he did to Leon back then. Besides¡­ I heard from Zenith that this guy called Aria a bastard when she was born. How dare he insult my daughter like that. ¡°But Eris, didn¡¯t you stop training since¡­ you know¡­¡± he said, rubbing his stomach like an idiot. ¡°I¡¯m already pregnant,¡± I replied curtly. ¡°Ah! Nice job! But¡­ isn¡¯t that more reason to not exert yourself?¡± he asked. ¡°You think you¡¯ll make me exert myself?¡± I asked, narrowing my eyes. ¡°Just shut up and fight me.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ right¡­¡± he said despondently. Yeah, this wasn¡¯t a spar for exchanging strikes and techniques where I would have to worry about working up a sweat. This was a spar for exchanging words and feelings. Again, others would be able to deal with these feelings much better and in more productive ways, but I wasn¡¯t like them. This was the only way I knew how. And I needed to do this to know¡­ how much had I grown? Digging my toes into the ground, I thenunched forward, my sword whistling through the air as Paul raised his own to defend. His de shifted in an attempt to parry me with the Water God style, but he was much slower than Nina, and incrediblycking in techniquepared to Isolte. And considering I was able to win myst set of spars against those two¡­ it was only obvious what the result of our exchange would be. ¡°Ack!¡± he choked, rolling across the ground. ¡°Get up,¡± I said, looking over to him. ¡°That isn¡¯t enough for a spar.¡± Brushing off the dirt and mud as he got to his feet, Paul shook his head. ¡°Dammit, Leon. You just had to snag a crazy one too, huh?¡± he muttered, the words causing my eyebrow to twitch. Now I had another reason to beat him up. I was not crazy. I was just¡­ misunderstood. Our spar continued for a few more exchanges, with Paul getting dirtier with each one as I sent him on his back. But still¡­ it was enough. I doubt anyone else would need such aplicated, roundabout way to discover this, but¡­ even though I was a bit slower than others, I got there eventually. Paul¡­ he was not the Paul that I knew. Not the idiotic man of the past, constantly making mistakes and trouble. He had grown from the disappointing man-child I knew and hated into a man worthy of some respect. Right¡­ I had known that already, but I guess I didn¡¯t want to ept it. After all, how disappointing would it be to learn that he had be someone worthy to parent a child, while I had stayed the same? But luckily enough¡­ I had grown, too. We had both grown, and just like Leon had said, I could be a good mother. Maybe I wouldn¡¯t be as soft as Sylphy, as smart as Roxy, or as affectionate as Leon¡­ but that was okay. I would be a mother in my own way, providing them with just as much love as the others. I was definitely not as¡­ emotionally mature as the other three. After all, I needed to do all this just to see something that was so simple. But still¡­ that was okay. I had grown enough that I wouldn¡¯t be a bad mother, so that was enough. Besides, I had two other mothers and a father I could rely on whenever Icked something. ¡°So¡­ are you done?¡± Paul asked, gripping his sword in slight fear. ¡°Yeah,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m not angry anymore, and I finally found the answer.¡± ¡°The answer? Well¡­ I guess I¡¯m d you don¡¯t hate me anymore,¡± he said, rxing his stance. ¡°Seriously¡­ I would ask if you¡¯re on your period with such an outburst, but I guess that¡¯s impossible now, huh? Haha!¡± ¡­I didn¡¯t hate him¡­ and I wasn¡¯t angry at the past¡­ But he was still incredibly aggravating. ¡°I take it back,¡± I said, narrowing my eyes. ¡°Huh? Wait, what- ouf!¡± he said, wheezing as my sword struck his chest. Yeah¡­ I was confident now that I could be a mother. So now it was only a matter of choosing a name now, huh? Hmm¡­ Ars sounded good. That was always a fun story. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Brother¡­ tell me how you do it¡­¡± Rudy whined as we made our way back from the university. ¡°And now you have Anna, and that Eris is pregnant¡­ tell me your secrets, please¡­¡± ¡°What nonsense are you going on about?¡± I asked. ¡°Haa¡­ just¡­ Lana is still difficult, you know?¡± he said, sighing as he trudged along the road. ¡°I thought that with Norn and Aisha when we were kids, I was prepared, but she just cries all the time! Did you know? Last night, I put her in her bass, but when I sat down on the bed, the floor creaked, and she began screaming! Just from that!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile at that. Lana¡­ she was growing fast and was now half a year old. While Sara was still spending most of her time taking care of her at home, she still asked Mama and I to help out sometimes, so I was able to spend some quality time with my cute niece. But it seems that Rudy was having his own fair share of troubles¡­ ¡°Seriously! How can you deal with all the crying?¡± he asked, grabbing my cor. ¡°Teach me your ways!¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to teach,¡± I said, removing his hand. Hmm¡­ how to exin this? The main reason I was able to handle the crying so easily was because of my memories of a baby, how everything was new and a bit scary, even with my knowledge, but Rudy didn¡¯t exactly have that experience. So how should I exin this in a way for him to empathize? ¡°Look, Rudy¡­ for Aria and Anna, when they cry, it¡¯s because something is wrong. They could be hungry, they could be afraid¡­ they have no other way to deal with those things,¡± I exined. Though, in my two daughters¡¯ cases, Anna was a bit more difficult. It seems that she was a fussy one, but I was sure that she would eventually grow out of it. ¡°Yeah¡­ I can kind of get that,¡± Rudy said. ¡°Right? Well, they¡¯re also my daughters, and I¡¯m one of the few people in the world who can make them feel better. That responsibility¡­ it¡¯s the most amazing feeling in the world,¡± I said, smiling warmly. Rudy simply deadpanned at me. ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m not a daughter-con like you, though,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°How the hell can you be so optimistic?¡± I wasn¡¯t really sure what a ¡®daughter-con¡¯ was, but whatever. It was probably another one of those stupid phrases Rudy always liked to say. ¡°Well, being optimistic is better than being angry and annoyed, right?¡± I said, patting his shoulder as I looked into the sky. ¡°My advice is to enjoy the moment while itsts. I remember when Aria used to only go to sleep if I rocked her to bed¡­ I miss those times.¡± Truly, seeing my baby girl grow up really was a bittersweet feeling. Luckily, with Anna, and Eris now pregnant, I would be able to experience those times over and over. Plus, at least I now had a journal to look back on whenever I was feeling nostalgic. ¡°Brother¡­ you¡¯re like an old man,¡± Rudy said, patting my shoulder as well. ¡°I guess two kids will do that to you¡­¡± ¡­Was I really acting like an old man? No¡­ that couldn¡¯t be the case¡­ I was only eighteen! ¡­Sylphy was able to be back in action now, so if she and Roxy wanted to, maybe I should give them a night to remember after they got home. Because I was absolutely not an old man. ¡°Anyway, do you-¡± Rudy¡¯s words got caught in his throat as he looked at his hand, the ring Shizuka had given him emitting a faint white light. That was the signal. ¡°¡­So he¡¯s here,¡± I said. ¡°S-So it seems,¡± Rudy said, clenching his fist. ¡°He probably used that teleportation ruin in the woods, so we should head out to meet him,¡± I said, turning around to head towards the stables instead of home. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ I¡¯ll leave it to you then,¡± Rudy said, causing me to stop. ¡°Y-You know, I¡¯m not all that good at these things. Besides! Orsted hates the people the Man-God talk to, right? So me being there would only-¡± ¡°Rudy,¡± I said, cutting him off. ¡°Don¡¯t think that I¡¯m an idiot. You¡¯re nning to fight him, aren¡¯t you?¡± Rudy opted to not answer as I turned to face him, his face set in a mix of fear and anticipation as he took deep, calming breaths. ¡°W-What are you talking about, brother?¡± he said, averting his eyes from me before he suddenly stopped shaking. ¡°Besides¡­ didn¡¯t you say you would fight with me?¡± Haa¡­ well, I had known for a while what Rudy¡¯s ns were, or at least vaguely guessed, but in order to keep the Man-God thinking of me and my brother as his way to fight the Dragon God, I decided to let him n to fight Orsted. Besides, with the development of his Magic Armour, it seemed that my brother was now able to fight on par with the strongest fighters without getting killed. That was good. With Eris pregnant, I would need someone I could trust to watch over and protect everyone. But the ruse of being Orsted¡¯s enemy wasn¡¯t needed any longer, at least if everything worked out. Rudy mentioned a talk with the Man-God, and ording to him, he couldn¡¯t see the Dragon God in his ¡®visions¡¯, meaning he couldn¡¯t easily target him. So if we became Orsted¡¯s ally¡­ well, I just hope everything worked out well. ¡°Don¡¯t fight him,¡± I said. ¡°Let¡¯s go greet him and be allies.¡± Rudy clenched his fist again. ¡°¡­No,¡± he said. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t risk Lara and Sara like that.¡± Figures. ¡°Alright,¡± I said, walking over to him as I patted his shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s fight the Dragon God together, then.¡± ¡°Really?¡± he asked, his eyes lighting up. ¡°No,¡± I said, striking his neck with my hand and knocking him unconscious. North God techniques can reallye in handy, huh? Lugging Rudy over my back, I then continued toward the stables. While Rudy was right in that Orsted might have an issue with him being an apostle, I did need him there to verify the Man-God¡¯s threat, as well as ensure that Orsted knew of him before he tried killing him. Although¡­ I was still a bit worried about ending up in a fight, considering ourst encounter¡­ but Shizuka assured me that Orsted wasn¡¯t the type to strike first, especially when it was concerning something that went against his mortal enemy¡¯s ns. Besides, while I knew that there was still no hope in killing him, I did think I was strong enough to at least get away with my and Rudy¡¯s lives. Well¡­ let¡¯s do this, Leon. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Slowly trotting over the snow-covered ins towards the familiar forest on the outskirts of Sharia, I eventually made out a figure walking our way. That grey hair¡­ those piercing yellow eyes¡­ that calm gait and expression of indifference¡­ Orsted, the Dragon God. And his extremely efficient touki and mana control that I could see only further confirmed that fact. My heart thrummed in my chest as my hand instantly went to my sword. Fuck it, let¡¯s kill this bastard. He¡­ no¡­ no, what the hell was I thinking? This man was my ally¡­ right? Or at least I was hoping for him to be. But¡­ could I really trust a person like him? I know Shizuka said he was trustworthy, but was that something this bastard extended to everyone, or was that just for her? Haa¡­ okay, let¡¯s take some deep breaths, Leon. I can always run away. My horse neighed, stopping its trot as Orsted came closer. Right¡­ Shizuka did say animals hated this guy as well. Getting off, I hoisted Rudy onto my shoulder as I raised a pir of earth, tying the horse¡¯s reins to it as I began walking over to Orsted. I felt a sensation of pain blossom in my chest and my shoulder, right in the ces where I was injured by this bastard thest time we met. Shit¡­ I wanted to kill him. But I couldn¡¯t. Not only would I be unable to beat him, but he was my ally. Why the fuck was that so hard to understand? Was it some kind of curse? I didn¡¯t feel the fear I had before, the feeling that was simr to how I initially felt around Ruijerd, but I still felt an immense hatred. Coming within a few metres of each other, both of us stopped as Orsted narrowed his eyes at Rudy¡¯s limp form. More specifically, at his hand, which was still wearing Shizuka¡¯s ring. ¡°You¡¯re not Nanahoshi,¡± he said evenly. I think that¡¯s quite obvious. ¡°No, but we¡¯re her friends,¡± I said. ¡°It seems we meet again, Orsted.¡± He simply narrowed his eyes. ¡°Friends¡­ and yes, I do remember you, Leon of Rakaz. It seems you have grown stronger, just like I had feared,¡± he said, his eyes wandering over to Rudy once again. ¡°And him¡­ I don¡¯t recognize him.¡± ¡°He¡¯s my brother. Rudeus Greyrat, son of Paul and Zenith Greyrat,¡± I exined. ¡°Rudeus¡­ but they should not have a son,¡± Orsted said, massaging his chin before he shook his head. ¡°Whatever. This world is an odd one, after all. But aside from that¡­ I can only assume you called me here. Why?¡± Hmm¡­ how to exin this. I probably shouldn¡¯t exin it was the Man-God right away, right? Even Shizuka warned us not to do that. ¡°I¡¯m an enemy of the Man-God,¡± I said, causing Orsted to widen his eyes as his stance became tense. ¡°That name¡­ as I expected, you¡¯re his apostle, are you not, Leon of Rakaz?¡± he asked, his touki forming a defensive structure along his body. No¡­ didn¡¯t I just say I was his enemy? ¡°No, I am not. And stop calling me that, it¡¯s Leon Greyrat,¡± I said. ¡°And as for how I know that name¡­ well¡­¡± It would probably be best to have Rudy exin it from here, right? At least before we brought the future diary and stuff into this. Knowing the future¡­ even for the Dragon God here, that would definitely seem ridiculous. So, sending some healing magic into my brother¡¯s body, I felt him stir awake as I ced his feet on the ground. ¡°Hmm? Brother?¡± he said groggily as he looked over to Orsted. ¡°Huh? Who are you? That¡¯s an awfully angry face¡­¡± Was he¡­ not scared? Even with that curse? Odd¡­ very odd¡­ ¡°Wait,¡± Rudy said, standing straight. ¡°You¡¯re the Dragon God, right?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct,¡± Orsted nodded, seemingly a bit put off by how my brother was acting. Widening his eyes, Rudy then extended his hand, and seeing the ball of mana begin to form, I sent a wave of disturb magic into it, barely stopping it in time before my idiot brother made a big mistake. Jeez¡­ whether it was his inherent skill or his unique mana, Rudy¡¯s magic was much harder to disrupt than anyone else. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked. ¡°What do you mean? Now that he¡¯s here¡­ we have to!¡± he shouted, once again extending his hand. ¡°This¡­ this is the easiest way.¡± ¡°Rudy¡­ I don¡¯t know in what world was fighting the Dragon God the easiest way, but it certainly isn¡¯t this one,¡± I said, grabbing his hand to stop him this time. ¡°You remember the diary, right? He¡¯s just ying you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care if I¡¯m yed with, as long as they live!¡± he said. ¡°And don¡¯t think I¡¯ll forget you knocking me out and brining me here!¡± ¡°Oh, get over it, you big baby,¡± I said, shaking my head. Orsted, who was watching the two of us with narrowed eyes, then spoke up. ¡°What is with this pointless squabble?¡± he asked. ¡°And aside from knowing the name, why do you say you are the Man-God¡¯s enemy?¡± Rudy and I exchanged a nce before my brother spoke up. ¡°He¡­ threatened us¡­ He wanted us to fight you in exchange for not targeting our families,¡± Rudy said. Orsted looked confused. ¡°Such blunt methods don¡¯t sound like him¡­¡± he said. ¡°But more importantly¡­ how did he threaten you?¡± I watched his touki form over his hand and body, as he asked this question, and before I realized what could possibly set off such a reaction, Rudy answered. ¡°Ah! Well, he sometimes appears in my dreams, so-¡± Pushing him out of the way, I covered my drawn sword in touki just in time to deflect Orsted¡¯s strike. This fucking fucker¡­ I know Shizuka said he gets crazy about the Man-God and his apostles, but that was just too much. The only reason I was able to guess about such a reaction was that this was exactly what Oldeus did in his diary whenever he met an apostle, as rare as that was. ¡°Leon of Rakaz¡­ are you one as well?¡± he asked. ¡°No!¡± I shouted, reforming my touki armour that had been broken by Orsted¡¯s strike. Even though I deflected it perfectly¡­ he really was absurdly strong. ¡°Listen,¡± I said. ¡°We know about his apostles, and we know about the Man-God¡¯s true nature. Just because my brother has him appear in his dreams doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s his follower.¡± Orsted narrowed his eyes at me. ¡°It¡¯s not so simple.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± I asked. ¡°Because the Man-God is seen as the paragon of trustworthiness to every soul in this world,¡± he said, preparing his hand to strike. ¡°And aside from that, his only enemy is me and my n. Why would he threaten one of his apostles and you, who could be a powerful pawn?¡± Wait¡­ were we getting somewhere? Please tell me we were, because I really didn¡¯t want to block another one of his strikes. ¡°The Man-God¡­ he thinks that my descendants will be instrumental to his downfall,¡± I said. ¡°So¡­ knowing you¡¯re his enemy¡­ we are hoping you can help protect us and give us information in exchange for bing allies.¡± Orsted paused for a moment as he lowered his hand to look over at Rudy, who was slowly getting to his feet. ¡°Is this true?¡± he asked. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ he threatened our families unless I got Leon to fight you¡­ or unless I killed Leon¡¯s kids myself,¡± he exined. ¡°But still¡­ if it¡¯s for my family¡¯s safety¡­ I will side with the Man-God.¡± Did you have to say that, Rudy? Luckily, Orsted didn¡¯t seem to peeved by that, as he simply grabbed his chin in curiosity. ¡°I see¡­ so you were not taken by his words¡­ and you also don¡¯t seem scared of me, much like Nanahoshi,¡± he said before looking over to me. ¡°And you¡­ how can you talk to me so easily? I am hated and feared by every being of this world, yet you seem unperturbed.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ don¡¯t worry, I really hate your guts, even though I have no real reason to,¡± I said. Other than our initial encounter¡­ but I was long past that. This hatred was definitely from a curse of some sort. ¡°But¡­ my hatred for the Man-God is infinitely stronger,¡± I said. A few moments of silence passed before Orsted finally released his touki technique. ¡°Such an odd circumstance¡­ but then again, if what you are saying is true, it could finally be a way forward,¡± he murmured before speaking up. ¡°You said he has threatened your lives and that of your family?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ and I believe he already manipted Darius Silva of the Asura Kingdom to try to remove me¡­¡± I said, sheathing my sword. There was no other exnation for why Darius would know of me, as well as why he would send assassins after me. Orsted nodded a few times to himself before he reached into his pocket. ¡°Rest assured, once you join me, the Man-God will not be able to easily meddle with your affairs. As such, take this,¡± he said, throwing a bracelet towards Rudy, who quickly put it on. ¡°That should block the Man-God¡¯s interference.¡± Stepping towards us, he then ced his hand on Rudy and I¡¯s chest, causing my brother to flinch as Orsted then chanted an unrecognizable spell. It almost sounded like the one that revealed the teleportation ruins, which I suppose made sense if it was something to do with the Dragon race. ¡°And that should hide you from his vision, at least temporarily,¡± he said after he was done. ¡°Meet me outside the city of Sharia tomorrow morning, as we have much to discuss. I am sure your Demon eye will find me should I not actively mask my presence.¡± And with that, my second meeting with the Man-God came to an end. Thankfully, it was a much more peaceful meetingpared to the first time, and if all went well, by tomorrow, I would be making some serious progress towards the Man-God¡¯s defeat. But damn¡­ that was quite stressful. I definitely needed some cuddles from Aria to destress. Chapter 95 – Explanations Chapter 95 ¨C Exnations ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª A day had passed, and just as we had agreed, I was making my way over to Orsted with Rudy at my side. ¡°So you really didn¡¯t get a visit from the Man-God?¡± I asked. ¡°No,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°I guess that bracelet really did work.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ so do you feel a bit more confident now?¡± I asked. He frowned. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m more confident, yes, but still don¡¯t want to go against him. Just because he can¡¯t talk to me doesn¡¯t mean he can target me, right?¡± ¡°Orsted said that he shouldn¡¯t be able to see you either,¡± I said. ¡°But either way, we still don¡¯t know the entire picture.¡± ¡°Right,¡± he agreed as we continued. ¡°And it¡¯s not like we can trust himpletely¡­¡± Right¡­ there was that too. Anyway, just as Orsted said, I was able to find him quite easily by using my Demon eye and seeing the mass of mana, so after a quick breakfast, a kiss exchanged with each of my wives, and a quick hug with Aria and Anna, I grabbed Rudy before heading outside the city. Eris did seem curious about where I was going, as well as what I was doing yesterday, but she thankfully didn¡¯t ask to join us as she was preupied with spending time with her parents. I loved her, and I trusted her to be on my side and have my back, but I didn¡¯t want to risk her meeting Orsted, at least not yet. After all, my Eris was a bit confrontational, and that was without the hatred curse thing, so I didn¡¯t want to risk it. After a few minutes of walking, we eventually reached him, with the grey-haired man in his long white cloak once again making my blood boil, despite the fact he was hopefully going to be my ally. ¡°You made it,¡± he said in his monotone voice. ¡°Yeah¡­ we did,¡± I said, looking around at the old cabin we were currently in. ¡°So¡­ why did you want to talk today and not yesterday?¡± Rudy then created a set of three chairs and a table as the two of us sat down. ¡°I¡­ had some things to take care of,¡± Orsted said, sitting down as well. ¡°I needed to ensure your words were true concerning Nanahoshi¡¯s safety and that you truly had families that could be threatened.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I see,¡± I said. So he scouted us¡­ I didn¡¯t even realize. How scary. ¡°Now¡­ you wish to work together to defeat the Man-God and protect your families, correct?¡± he said, to which we both nodded. ¡°And Rudeus¡­ the Man-God appeared in your dreams?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ though notst night, thanks to you,¡± he said. ¡°But still¡­ can¡¯t he just create another apostle toe kill me? How will this protect me?¡± Orsted hummed. ¡°While the Man-God can make most people in this world his apostles, they are still limited in number.¡± Oh? Well¡­ that was good. ¡°And as such, he chooses his apostles very carefully,¡± he continued. ¡°So it only stands to reason that he would not use them in a way he cannot guarantee victory, especially not for something as petty as revenge or punishment¡­ or rather, not with the threat of me being here.¡± ¡°I see¡­ do you know how many he can have?¡± I asked. Orsted nodded his head. ¡°The Man-God can influence three people at a time, as far as my knowledge goes,¡± he answered, as he then narrowed his eyes at me with a piercing re. ¡°More importantly¡­ you are sure you are not an apostle as well.¡± ¡°Yes, am pretty damn sure,¡± I said. ¡°Why do you think so?¡± He constantly went on about me being an apostle, even though I hadn¡¯t done anything¡­ what was with that? He stared at me for a few moments in silence before answering, ¡°No reason.¡± Alright then¡­ ¡°Now¡­ Leon Greyrat,¡± he said, looking between me and Rudy once again. ¡°You mentioned that the Man-God threatened you and became your enemy¡­ you said it was because he thinks your descendants defeat him, right?¡± I felt my fist clench as I remembered the damn reason for all this trouble. ¡°Yes¡­ The Man-God¡­ ording to him, my descendants are an important piece in his future defeat,¡± I exined. ¡°He said that they and you work together to take him down.¡± Orsted widened his eyes. ¡°Really? Hmm¡­ the Man-God is not someone you can trust nor take their words at their true value, but there isn¡¯t any other reason for him to make enemies of you two,¡± he said, tapping his fingers against the table. ¡°This event¡­ is this a result of Roxy Migurdia having her affections returned?¡± What? ¡°What do you mean? Why are you bringing up my wife¡¯s name now?¡± I asked with a slightly threatening tone. Orsted narrowed his eyes at me, as if trying to discern my true nature with his fierce re. ¡°I¡­ am able to see one¡¯s set fate,¡± he eventually exined. ¡°It is an ancient technique that was created by my predecessors, and while there are many paths and branches, there are certain destinies that can be certain in the future.¡± ¡°I see¡­ but what does that have to do with Roxy?¡± I asked. ¡°Well¡­ while not fated to be together, it is destiny for her to fall in love with you, shall you two meet,¡± he said. Yeah¡­ unfortunately, I had to disagree. If this fate nonsense had any merit, then it would be Rudy who was fated to be with Roxy. But I was¡­ fine with that. I had epted it. She was now my wife, and we had a beautiful child together, just like I did with Sylphy, and with Eris soon enough, so even if they were fated to be Rudy¡¯s¡­ I was fine with it. ¡°This¡­ future fate reading¡­ is this why you called me ¡®Leon of Rakaz¡¯, and why you believed that I was an apostle even during our first meeting?¡± I asked. That would at least exin a bit of this, even if his ¡®fate reading¡¯ was faulty. ¡°Yes,¡± he said, nodding as his eyebrows turned down into a frown. ¡°And I¡­ apologize for that. It seems that your path was different from what I had seen.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I said, shrugging. That encounter, while painful, did allow me to grow much stronger by showing where I wascking, and how far I was from the pinnacle of strength. But to think his ¡®fate reading¡¯ saw me as an apostle¡­ that must have been the path I took if I wasn¡¯t with Mama, and wasn¡¯t in Rudy¡¯s life, like in the diary where there was no mention of me. ¡°Well, back to my descendants¡­ I don¡¯t n on having them fight,¡± I said, bringing the conversation back to the important topic. ¡°Instead¡­ I will kill the Man-God myself, preferably with your help. So¡­ what needs to be done?¡± There was a moment of silence where I could feel the surprise in the room, both from the Dragon God and my brother. Orsted simply shook his head. ¡°It is not so simple. If so, I would have already killed him.¡± ¡°Is this about the sacred treasures of the dragonfolk?¡± I asked, causing Orsted to widen his eyes in shock. ¡°You¡­ how do you know of that?¡± he asked. Reaching into my bag, I then brought out Oldeus¡¯ diary, flipping to one of the marked pages that detailed his discovery of how to reach the Man-God before passing it to the man. Reading through it, Orsted calmed his suspicion, instead having it be reced by confusion as he finished. ¡°What terrible handwriting¡­¡± he said, causing Rudy to hang his head. ¡°Either way¡­ what exactly is this?¡± ¡°A future Rudeus¡¯ diary,¡± I said, massaging my temples. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ a lot to exin. You should get the point if you read that, though.¡± ¡°I see¡­ I will do soter,¡± he said, closing the diary as he then looked back at me. ¡°But as for reaching the Man-God¡­ it is impossible for you.¡± That was a bit disappointing to hear. ¡°Do you not know where these treasures are?¡± I asked. ¡°Or is it something to do with the activation sequence.¡± ¡°No, I know the activation spell and where all the sacred treasures are. I can even gather four of them within a year if I so wished. The problem¡­ is with the final one,¡± he said. ¡°That one is held by Lace.¡± I tilted my head in confusion. ¡°The¡­ Demon God Lace? What does he have to do with this?¡± I asked. ¡°The final treasure is located with Lace¡¯s true body, and can only be taken by killing him,¡± he exined. Okay, I was a bit confused now. ¡°Isn¡¯t he already dead? That¡¯s the legend, right?¡± I asked. ¡°No, Lace was never killed. Instead, he was sealed,¡± Orsted exined. ¡°While the seal that holds his body and the sacred treasure will dissipate after his reincarnation¡¯s death, that will not be in another eighty years at the earliest. Thus, as you cannot obtain the final treasure, it is impossible for you to reach the Man-God in your human lifespan.¡± Reincarnation? And Lace being sealed¡­ I think I had heard of that before, though I don¡¯t exactly remember where from. ¡°Reincarnation¡­ is that like what Kishirika does?¡± I asked. ¡°The Great Empress? No, that is a trait unique to her,¡± Orsted said. ¡°As for Lace, before being sealed, he cast a unique spell that allows him to reincarnate. Since he has already done so, he will not be able to do it again, lest his soul shatter, but that doesn¡¯t really matter here.¡± So Lace was on hisst life, so to say. That was good¡­ but I still couldn¡¯t ept not reaching the Man-God in my lifetime, especially now that we were officially enemies. ¡°Then¡­ can we do something to hasten his reincarnation?¡± I asked. ¡°It is impossible,¡± Orsted said, shaking his head. ¡°I have tried many times, but to no effect. Even then, in the future, only I can kill him with some help, which I assume will be your children or grandchildren.¡± What? He needs help? ¡°But¡­ aren¡¯t you stronger than Lace?¡± I asked. ¡°I am,¡± Orsted nodded. ¡°But I cannot use my full power against Lace. You see, due to the technique that allows me to read the lines of destiny, I am also separated from the world. Due to this, I am hidden from the Man-God¡¯s vision. An effect which the bracelet I gave you and the spell I cast replicates.¡± ¡°Right¡­ but how does that make you unable to use your full power?¡± I asked. ¡°¡­Since I am hidden from the world, I am also unable to regenerate mana nearly as fast,¡± he answered. ¡°Thus, if I use too much mana in the fight against Lace, I am fated to lose against the Man-God in the final battle.¡± Oh. That¡­ exined something I had been wondering for a while now. On our first meeting¡­ Orsted was definitely aiming to kill, and he absolutely had the ability to. Even after meeting and sparring with the Water God and Sword God, I was confident that Orsted was the strongest fighter around, as well as the most skilled. So¡­ why didn¡¯t he use any ranged touki techniques? But now it made sense, if he was unable to regenerate mana, or at least regenerate it slowly. Wait¡­ mana? And not touki? Weren¡¯t they the same thing? I know touki was a bit different, since it wasn¡¯t really stored and was rather taken in via willpower, but if he specified mana, then that wouldn¡¯t exin why he didn¡¯t use any ranged techniques. Okay¡­ maybe it didn¡¯t exin as much as I thought. I would have to ask thatter. ¡°Either way, even though Lace is weaker after his reincarnation, especially if I know where he is born as a child, the troublesome thing about him is his mix of magical prowess and ability to gain powerful allies,¡± Orsted said. ¡°But again¡­ this is all in the future.¡± The future¡­ I didn¡¯t like it. I hated this ¡®fate¡¯ nonsense he kept talking about, and I didn¡¯t want to leave anything to my future kids and grandkids. This wasn¡¯t their fight, this was mine. And I didn¡¯t want my family harmed while we waited for that fated day of reincarnation toe. Plus, even if my decedents ended up not fighting directly, like Orsted assumed, if Lace started another great war, they could end up getting caught up in it. And that wasn¡¯t even mentioning the possibility of discrimination against demons increasing due to it, which would cause problems for Roxy and Aria. ¡­Wait a second. ¡°So Lace¡­ his true body, that is¡­ is he dead?¡± I asked. ¡°No,¡± Orsted answered. ¡°His true body will only die once the reincarnation magic ispleted and his soul is transferred.¡± Okay¡­ okay now we were getting somewhere. ¡°Then¡­ if he isn¡¯t dead¡­ would killing him stop the reincarnation magic frompleting?¡± I asked. ¡°As far as I know, it should, as the soul would be purged before transferring¡­ but what are you getting at, Leon Greyrat?¡± he asked, confusionced into his tone. So there was that possibility¡­ ¡°Then how about we break the seal and defeat him here and now?¡± I asked. I finally remembered where I heard about Lace¡¯s seal before. Arumanfi¡­ Perugius¡¯ familiar that attacked on the day of the Discement Incident. He attacked because Perugius, one of the heroes that fought Lace, was worried about the seal being broken. So for him to be worried¡­ then there was definitely a possibility. ¡°It¡¯s impossible,¡± Orsted said. Or maybe not¡­ ¡°While Lace would still be weakened from the effects of hisst battle and casting the magic, he would still be stronger than his reincarnation, meaning that it would require too much mana for me to fight,¡± he said. ¡°And even then, it is impossible to remove the seal, even for me without my restrictions. The only one with enough mana to remove that barrier is Lace himself.¡± Ah¡­ so there was that too. Wait. Enough mana? My eyes drifted over to Rudy, and activating my Demon eye, I winced at the overwhelming brightness that came from my brother¡¯s ridiculous amount of mana. I wasn¡¯t sure about Lace, as I had never met him¡­ but even after all my years, I had not seen anyone like it, including Orsted here. ¡°As for the fighting, I can help. And for removing the seal¡­ could Rudy do it?¡± I asked. Orsted narrowed his eyes at Rudy. ¡°Hmm¡­ demonstrate your strongest attack,¡± he said as he stood up. ¡°I don¡¯t care what spell, simply pour all your mana into it. And make it small if possible.¡± Sharing a nce with me, I motioned Rudy to follow his words as he stood up, gripping his staff as he began to form a conical projectile of earth. Adding spin and heat to it, I watched as more and more mana got pumped into the attack, as Orsted watched on with interest. Uhh¡­ wasn¡¯t this quite bad? I know Orsted was strong, but even he needed to dodge myst desperate attack, so what would he do here? ¡°Orsted¡­ it¡¯s ready,¡± Rudy said. ¡°Fire it,¡± he said, raising his hand. ¡°Dragon Gate.¡± A circr gate then appeared in front of him, the inside shimmering like a mirror as Rudy released his spell, destroying the sound barrier with a crash and instantly impacting the summoned gate. What¡­ what in the world was that magic? I can only guess it was something unique to dragons, like that one he cast on the two of us before we departed yesterday. After a few moments, Rudy¡¯s spell was finally sucked into the gate, which had cracks forming on the edges of it as Orsted looked at Rudy with interest. ¡°Tell me, Rudeus, are you able to do that again?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡­ think so. Maybe two more times?¡± he said. ¡°I have never really used all my magic since I was ten or so¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Orsted said, waving his hand as his spell went away. ¡°Then perhaps it is possible. You definitely have as much mana as Lace. I suppose you have the Lace factor to thank for such capacity.¡± Oveing my shock at the exchange of magic, I quickly pointed out something he said. ¡°Orsted¡­ what is a ¡®Lace factor¡¯?¡± I asked. ¡°It is an effect of Lace¡¯s reincarnation magic,¡± he exined. ¡°Upon casting the spell, it released his ¡®aspects¡¯ into the world that would be taken on by newborns. These aspects can be magical prowess, green hair, or even an enhanced mana pool. Either way, once enough time has passed since casting the magic, and a child is born with enough aspects, he will be reincarnated in that child¡¯s body.¡± Huh¡­ interesting. But green hair¡­ then¡­ ¡°Is Sylphy one of these people?¡± I asked. ¡°Sylphiette does possess a Lace factor, yes,¡± Orsted replied, nodding his head. Well, that finally exins why she had bright mana like Rudy, and why she was so skilled at magic, even as a child. But to think one of my grandchildren or their kids could be reincarnated as the Demon God¡­ I guess this was another reason to kill Lace here and now. But¡­ ¡°Sorry, Orsted, but¡­ how do you know this?¡± Rudeus asked. ¡°Lace was sealed four hundred years ago, and I doubt you knew him personally¡­ so how?¡± Orsted waited a few moments before replying. ¡°The technique Lace used is one of my kin, as he was once known as the Demonic Dragon King Lace,¡± he exined. ¡°ording to the texts left by him that I have read, he was a member of the Five Dragon Generals of the First Dragon God. After fighting the Fighting God, he was split into the Technique God and the Demon God Lace. Splitting his soul is what caused him to hate the human race, which led to the subsequent war.¡± Well¡­ from that little history lesson, it seemed that Orsted was pretty knowledgeable about all this stuff. I could only assume the due to his race, he had quite the long lifespan. ¡°I see¡­ So that ¡®Lace factor¡¯ exins why I was able to have so much mana,¡± Rudy said, looking down at his hands. ¡°But still¡­ does this mean it is possible?¡± Orsted shook his head. ¡°While you indeed have enough mana to remove the barrier, that only solves one issue,¡± he said, looking at me. ¡°You are still too weak to defeat Lace.¡± My eyebrow twitched. ¡°Then train me,¡± I said. ¡°Train me, and let me gather some allies to fight him now, and not leaving it to my children in the future.¡± Orsted leaned back into his chair, cupping his chin in thought as he seemingly contemted my request. I needed to press the advantage here. ¡°Orsted¡­ you are trying to win against the Man-God, yes?¡± I asked, to which he nodded. ¡°Then why are you so set on following your destiny-defined ns? Isn¡¯t that the same trick the Man-God uses? You should aim to change things and stop being an outside observer.¡± ¡°Being able to read destiny is my only advantage,¡± he said, narrowing his eyes. ¡°Are you an idiot?¡± I asked, instantly freezing. Shit¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to say that out loud. Let¡¯s move on quickly. ¡°You¡¯re strong. The strongest being I know,¡± I said. ¡°And you have me and my brother, along with any other allies we gain¡­ that is your advantage.¡± Orsted looked at me in silence once again, the mix of his curse and his narrowed eyes making me feel as if he was directing a hate-filled re my way. ¡°Perhaps¡­ but if you are to be my ally, you should do so without any doubt,¡± he said. ¡°So if there are any questions you may have, ask them.¡± Did¡­ did he just move the conversation from my request? ¡°Well¡­ why are you so hated and feared?¡± Rudy asked. ¡°And¡­ why don¡¯t I feel that way?¡± And Rudy went along with it¡­ ¡°I bear the curse to be hated and feared by every being in this world, which all the dragonfolk possess,¡± Orsted said. ¡°And as for why you aren¡¯t affected¡­ there are some who are immune, such as Nanahoshi. There are also others that are strong-willed enough to not show fear or get lost in hatred.¡± He then looked over to me, lightly nodding his head. ¡°You were always unique in that way, which is why I agreed to this alliance. Though it usually ended in us fighting, as you were still an apostle.¡± Huh? I was always unique¡­ why did he sound so familiar with me? ¡°Like Nanahoshi¡­ I see. Then¡­ why are you fighting the Man-God?¡± Rudy asked. ¡°Hmm¡­ you could say it is revenge, as that being caused the death of my father,¡± Orsted said. ¡°It is also my purpose in life, just like all Dragon Gods before me. It is the reason I was reincarnated into the future.¡± Uhh¡­ what? ¡°Reincarnated into the future¡­ why would that happen?¡± I asked. ¡°To defeat the Man-God,¡± he said, not offering any more exnation. ¡°Either way, that has been my purpose for my many years in this world. It is my bound duty to defeat the Man-God, even without the hatred I harbour.¡± ¡°I¡­ see¡­¡± I said. Well, at least I didn¡¯t have to worry about not being on the same page. ¡°Well¡­ that sure is something¡­¡± Rudy said. ¡°And onest thing¡­ the Man-God said that killing him would destroy the world¡­ is that true?¡± Orsted frowned. ¡°I would suggest you not take his words or pieces of advice at face value. He is skilful at deception,¡± Orsted said. ¡°But as for that¡­ I am not sure.¡± Well, that wasn¡¯t great. I guess we¡¯ll have to proceed cautiously if that actually was the case. Perhaps we could seal him instead, like Lace? Or even if we found a way to stop the Man-God from interfering with the world, that would be enough. ¡°Now, is that all?¡± Orsted asked. ¡°Yes¡­ at least for now,¡± I said. ¡°Same here¡­ though I am still worried about being targeted,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll set up a barrier for your house, Rudy,¡± I said. ¡°Alright¡­ but still, I¡¯m worried,¡± he said. Giving him a light pat on the back, I then turned to Orsted. ¡°So? You¡¯re the one with the information and you ¡®fate reading¡¯. What¡¯s the next step?¡± I asked. Narrowing his eyes at me, Orsted thrummed his fingers against the table again before answering. ¡°Your n to defeat Lace has merit, but I have no reason to invest in it thus far,¡± he said. ¡°But¡­ attacking him directly is not the only way to harm the Man-God.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked. ¡°There are some events and pivotal points where if they go a certain way, it can lessen the Man-God¡¯s power,¡± he said. ¡°Specifically, getting Ariel Anemoi Asura to the throne of the Asura Kingdom, and forming the Shirone Republic.¡± ¡°I was nning on getting Ariel to the throne anyway,¡± I said. ¡°And¡­ well¡­ I guess I can help with Shirone,¡± Rudy said. ¡°Though I¡¯m not sure how to do that¡­¡± Orsted looked between us. ¡°Then, I will consider the Asura Kingdom a test. If you can instill the second princess on the throne, I will train you and join your idiotic n against Lace.¡± Well¡­ there was no need to insult my n like that. ¡°My only piece of advice is to obtain the support of Perugius,¡± he said, standing up. ¡°But for the moment¡­ I suppose I can show you something to improve in the meantime.¡± Oh? Was I getting a lesson? ¡°I noticed your skill during our first encounter, and even more so yesterday,¡± he said. ¡°Your ability to manipte mana and touki are impressive. If experience and techniques aren¡¯t a factor, I can even say it is at the pinnacle of humanity.¡± ¡°I¡­ thank you, but aren¡¯t they the same? Touki and mana, that is,¡± I said. Yes, I had been curious about that since he had been speaking. If it was anyone else, I would assume they didn¡¯t know the difference, but Orsted seemed too knowledgeable for that, and he chose his words carefully, so it shouldn¡¯t be a slip of the tongue. ¡°That is not entirely true,¡± Orsted said. ¡°Even the Technique God does not know the truth of it all, but in essence, they are the same energy operating in different spaces, those being on the physical and spiritual ne.¡± ¡­What? ¡°The¡­ spiritual ne?¡± I replied, confused. ¡°Yes. That is how such otherwise indescribable things such as souls and reincarnation function,¡± he said. ¡°Mana and touki¡­ They are separate, but¡­ they are also simr, like pieces of a puzzle.¡± I then watched with my Demon eye as he formed his touki defence over his hand, and¡­ I noticed it. It wasn¡¯t just touki, like I had previously thought. There was mana there too, ovepping and intertwining, filling in any gaps that were there before with the pure mana, seemingly using the same properties that allowed barrier magic to exist. Fuck¡­ that was why my defences were alwayscking¡­ I was missing half of the fucking equation. ¡°I assume you understand now,¡± he said, lowering his hand. ¡°And since we are allies, I suppose I should give you some of my support.¡± He then reached into his coat before cing a pouch of what seemed to be coins in front of us, and looking into the opening, I saw that they all seemed to be Asuran gold coins. ¡°That¡­ are you sure about this, Sir Orsted?¡± Rudy asked. ¡®Sir¡¯¡­ he sure changed his tune quickly. ¡°This is nothing,¡± he said. ¡°I will stay around and possibly in this city unless I need to do something, but I will leave the Asura Kingdom to you.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I got it,¡± I said, taking the money. This would definitely be helpful for Ariel. Money is quite valuable, after all. ¡°S-Sir Orsted¡­ we can¡¯t just take this without doing anything,¡± Rudy said. ¡°Why not?¡± Orsted asked. ¡°Just because!¡± he returned. ¡°Look¡­ my friend, Cliff, just finished a prototype of a magic item that wards off his wife¡¯s curse¡­ perhaps he could build one for you as well? Though he¡¯s probably too busy preparing to be a father at the moment¡­¡± Orsted narrowed his eyes in confusion yet again. ¡°Cliff¡­ Cliff Grimoire? I suppose he is clever, but not to the extent where he could nullify my curse,¡± Orsted said. ¡°Either way, I think this is good enough for now. I will contact you if anything else happens.¡± And with that, the meeting with the Dragon God came to an end. I guess before I could take down the Man-God, quite a few things needed to happen first, the most important being helping Ariel be Queen. But that could wait until her graduation, as hopefully Orsted would be enough to deter the Man-God from targeting us in the meantime. Now¡­ while I didn¡¯t want to involve anyone else in these affairs, I wasn¡¯t one to simply bear everything myself. Now that I had a n, it was time to tell my wives what was going on¡­ or at least most of it. After all, that¡¯s what partners were for, no? Chapter 96 – A New Year Chapter 96 ¨C A New Year ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°You what!?¡± Eris shouted, reaching over the table to grab me by the cor. ¡°What do you mean, you met Orsted!?¡± ¡°There wasn¡¯t a fight, Eri,¡± I said, utching her fingers as I took her hand in mine. ¡°There was just a¡­ conversation.¡± And quite an enlightening one at that. Both Sylphy and Roxy looked at the two of us with confusion. ¡°Leon¡­ who is this ¡®Dragon God¡¯?¡± Sylphy asked. ¡°And why is Eris so angry?¡± Roxy also looked confused before a sh of recognition appeared on her face. ¡°Wait¡­ your scars¡­ that unbeatable enemy¡­¡± she murmured. That was my smart wife. ¡°Yeah. Our first meeting wasn¡¯t the greatest¡­ but that was sort of my fault,¡± I said. ¡°Eri¡­ you remember how scared we were with Ruijerd? How he was cursed by Lace?¡± Eris¡¯ face scrunched in concentration. ¡°Err¡­ I think so. But what does that have to do about this?¡± she asked. ¡°Well¡­ Orsted has the same curse,¡± I exined. ¡°In fact, it¡¯s worse. Not only is it stronger, but even if you get over the fear, you feel immense hatred for him.¡± Though, while I said it was my fault, he was the one who made the first move. But ording to him, my ¡®fated path¡¯ was quite a troublesome one, and to be honest I would react the same if I met someone I thought was working for the Man-God, so I couldn¡¯t me him. ¡°But don¡¯t be too angry at me, Eri,¡± I said, rubbing her hand with my thumb in the way that always calmed her down. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aiming for a fight, and if I was, I wouldn¡¯t have kept it a secret.¡± Her anger subsided quite a bit at this. ¡°¡­You promise?¡± she asked. ¡°Absolutely,¡± I said, nodding. ¡°But remember¡­ we have a family to protect now. So even if I needed to fight someone, I might ask you to defend our home instead.¡± Eris looked at me for a few moments before turning her head to Sylphy and Roxy, and then to Anna who was sleeping in her crib, and Aria who was ying with her blocks in the living room with Ariel. ¡°Fine¡­ I can do that,¡± she said, looking back at me with a smile. ¡°Everyone else here is weak, after all.¡± Sylphy and Roxy¡¯s smiles turned strained as their eyes twitched, but they quickly calmed their annoyance. After all, they had been with Eris long enough to know that wasn¡¯t an insult. Rather, it was a deration of fact, and more importantly, a reason for her to protect them while separating from me, even though Eris hated it. It was Eris¡¯ own expression of love¡­ even if it was a bit awkward. ¡°So, Leon¡­ this Dragon God¡­ why did you meet him?¡± Sylphy asked. Right¡­ that was the other, arguably more important thing. ¡°Yeah¡­ I was getting to that,¡± I said before looking into the living room. ¡°And Ariel, I think you should be here for this too.¡± The princess looked over the couch with interest before getting to her feet. ¡°Does this happen to concern me?¡± she asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, nodding. ¡°You could say that.¡± Now¡­ how to exin this? I had given the diary to Orsted so he could read through it, but even if I didn¡¯t, I wouldn¡¯t feelfortable showing that to them for¡­ obvious reasons. ¡°First¡­ have any of you heard of the ¡®Man-God¡¯?¡± I asked. Seeing that all of their faces were only showing confusion, I let out a small breath of relief. I wasn¡¯t worried about Ariel being an apostle, as I doubt that Orsted would want someone who could be on the Man-God¡¯s side in control of the strongest nation in the world, but I was slightly worried about my three wives. But luckily, it seemed that my worries were for naught, and me staying near them, the Man-God shouldn¡¯t be able to easily interfere with them either. ¡°No¡­ what¡¯s that? Is that some religious figure? Or perhaps a Divine-rank fighter?¡± Ariel asked. ¡°No, it¡¯s¡­ something a bit more troublesome,¡± I said. ¡°And that being¡­ he is our enemy.¡± I then went on to reveal everything I knew, both about Orsted and the Man-God as well as the eventual n to defeat him, exining the pieces of knowledge from the future diary that made him our enemy simply as an aspect of Orsted¡¯s fate reading. I left out a few things, of course, such as the three of my wives being in love with my brother, as well that terrible man¡¯s exploits, but I did exin that I was out of the picture, and as a result, they had all eventually lost their lives and that his goal was to stop me from having descendants. ¡°I see¡­ so this ¡®Man-God¡¯ is already my enemy,¡± Ariel said darkly. ¡°And he must also be the reason for the unanticipated assassin attack¡­ it seems that Minister Darius is one of these ¡®apostles¡¯ you spoke of.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± I said. ¡°So you can see how terrifying such an opponent is.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ but this Dragon God is his sworn enemy¡­ and wants me to take the throne of Asura¡­¡± she said before turning to me with a sly smile. ¡°I guess we¡¯re fated to be together, huh?¡± Fated to be together¡­ as in the fight against the Man-God? ¡°Yeah¡­ I suppose you could say that,¡± I said. Ariel¡¯s smile widened a bit before she suddenly looked away. Truly, that princess has been acting weirder and weirder, but she was very sweet with Aria, so I couldn¡¯tin. Though Sylphy and Roxy were making an odd face¡­ ¡°I am unsure about all the fate stuff that Orsted exined, but you are pivotal to weakening the Man-God¡¯s power,¡± I said. ¡°I was on your side for the sake of a better kingdom and Sylphy and Aisha¡¯s protection, but now I have another reason to make your wishe true.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ thank you, I guess,¡± she said, still looking away as she began to y with her hair. Hm? Did she pick up that habit from Roxy and Aria? How sweet. ¡°But Leon¡­ isn¡¯t this quite bad?¡± Roxy said. ¡°If this Man-God can create allies out of nowhere¡­¡± ¡°I know,¡± I said, letting go of Eris¡¯ hand as I looked over to her. ¡°But there¡¯s nothing we can do to appease him, and Orsted said he would ensure there are no assassinsing for our families while we take over Asura.¡± ¡°But still¡­¡± she said, her eyes drooping in worry. My story of the future seemed to frighten her, which I didn¡¯t me her for. Right now, my beautiful blue-haired wife needed somefort. So, reaching over to grab her hips, I quickly lifted her onto myp as I rested my head onto hers. ¡°L-Leon¡­¡± she said, lightly struggling. Was she embarrassed? Hmm¡­ I found that quite endearing. ¡°It¡¯ll all work out, Roxy,¡± I said, pulling her closer. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let anyone hurt our family.¡± ¡°F-Fine¡­¡± she said, leaning into my chest. There we go. She seemed a bit calmer now. Roxy was a simple girl to please with physical affections, but that was what made her so adorable. ¡°Leon¡­ while I¡¯m worried about the Man-God, I think I can trust our collective power to defend ourselves. I have already encountered my fair share of assassins, after all¡­¡± Sylphy said. ¡°But your n to fight Lace¡­ isn¡¯t that a little too ridiculous?¡± Yeah¡­ there was that too. ¡°Yes. I know that as a demon, the tales of that man are exaggerated, but you cannot deny that it took seven of humanity¡¯s greatest heroes to defeat him,¡± Roxy said, turning her head to look up at me with a frown. ¡°And only three of those heroes survived, with one of them dying immediately after the battle.¡± She then shifted in myp, moving to face me as she wrapped her arms around my neck, her blue eyes staring into mine. ¡°Leon¡­ you¡¯ve given me a loving family¡­ you¡¯ve given me a beautiful daughter¡­ you¡¯ve given me so, so much happiness that I had never felt before,¡± she said, smiling sweetly at me. ¡°So please¡­ don¡¯t take that happiness away from me. I need you to be happy, husband¡­ I need you to be alive.¡± My lips quirked into a smile as I nted a soft kiss on her lips, relishing in the taste as I felt her mouth open up to reciprocate. Mmm¡­ I could easily find myself lost in this feeling, but I should stop myself before I get too far. We were having a serious conversation here, after all. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, that fight won¡¯t happen for a while. I¡¯ll be spending that time to get stronger and recruit some allies,¡± I said after we separated. ¡°But even if I ended up facing him alone¡­ if losing meant I would never see my family again, never watch my children grow older, and never show my love for you three¡­¡± My eyes drifted over to Sylphy, and then to Eris, before returning to look down at Roxy as my mouth spread into a confident smile. ¡°If losing meant never experiencing all of that¡­ then there¡¯s no doubt that I¡¯ll win,¡± I dered. Roxy¡¯s cheeks gained a bit of a flush, and hearing a huff, I looked up to see Eris staring at me with an intense re. Not out of anger or annoyance, no¡­ that re was instead filled with lust. ¡°That made me very horny, Leon,¡± Eris said as her lips curled up into a confident grin. ¡°But we¡¯ll deal with thatter.¡± Will we? Well¡­ from how she was still looking at me, I don¡¯t think I had any room to refuse. Nor did I want to. Even if she was pregnant, I had learned that Eris still needed to be satisfied. ¡°But don¡¯t misunderstand,¡± she said, crossing her arms over her chest. ¡°When that timees, I¡¯m going to fight with you.¡± I returned her smile with one of my own. ¡°Good,¡± I said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way.¡± And with that, my wives and I were now on the same page in regard to our fight against the Man-God. Of course, nothing would really change with our lives, aside from some extra caution, but still¡­ it was nice to be able to trust my partners in life with this. Though I didn¡¯t n to involve them any further, except for that fight against Lace that Eris so eagerly wants to join. If all went well, I would only ask for them to be there for me when I was tired, letting me rest my head on their wonderfulps to regain any lost mental energy. Such was the beauty of having three wonderfully loving wives. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It was now the year K424, meaning I was now neen. While I was now allied with the Dragon God, aside from another meeting where he gave me a bracelet like the one he gave Rudy and discussed a few things, we hadn¡¯t really been in contact. After all, while I had a n, Orsted wouldn¡¯t be joining it until I got Ariel to the throne. But at least now I had the protection of the Dragon God, who had bought a small house to spend his time as the princess¡¯ graduation slowly drew nearer, so I didn¡¯t have to worry about the Man-God doing any big moves against me and my family. But that didn¡¯t mean I had been stagnant during this time. Aside from teaching at the university, guarding Ariel, and spending time with my wives and daughters, I had also been training by using the technique Orsted showed me. Mixing touki with mana¡­ I was finally able to do it, though it was very hard to do. There wasn¡¯t really a good way to exin it other than the technique in its most simple form, which was mixing the two energies, offering enhanced power than one would get from pure mana or touki. Of course, while strong, it also had its limitations. Since mana wasn¡¯t able to enhance and empower one¡¯s body like touki did, the technique was useless for that, while also being unable to enhance one¡¯s muscles and body from the inside. And of course, since there was touki, the technique lost much of its use as it wasunched at range, relying entirely on the mana structure, which didn¡¯t have any form to do damage like touki did. So, in essence, while it was an incredible technique, it was entirely focused on how Orsted used it, as a defensive shell to create an imprable armour. Perhaps, as I grew stronger and more experienced with this mixing technique, I might be able to release reinforced touki shes and techniques, but for now, I had to focus on keeping it active as a defence. After all, even though I had spent thest month and a half focusing entirely on it, I could barely use it while moving, much less inbat. Either way, the mixing of the two technique clearly exined how Orsted¡¯s defence was insanely strong, and how even withyering my touki, I still hadn¡¯t reached him. What it also exined, however, was the mystery that had gued me ever since the Begaritt Continent. Rudy¡¯s mana. I was always confused as to how it was so concentrated, and to a lesser extent, how Sylphy¡¯s was as well. And then there was the fact that Rudy couldn¡¯t use touki at all, while Sylphy¡¯s touki was quite weak inparison to her skill with the sword. But now that I knew that they both had a Lace factor and this touki and mana mixing, I finally figured it out¡­ at least I think. Rather than Rudy not having any touki, it was simply attached to his mana. And rather than his mana being pressed¡¯ or ¡®more powerful¡¯, it was simply enhanced with his touki. This was also what likely happened with Lace himself after he got split, as ording to Orsted, he could not use touki, but had extremely strong mana, and a way to use it that covered his body to simte touki¡­ which was probably the very technique I had been practising, or at least something simr. So yeah¡­ I definitely had to learn this before fighting that monster. Hmm¡­ but Rudy couldn¡¯t use healing and barrier magic without a chant, right? Was that connected to it, or was it a mental thing? Perhaps healing and barrier magic was connected to touki somehow? It did apply mana to the body and as a physical reinforcement respectively, which touki also did¡­ but perhaps that was a bit of a stretch. After all, Orsted didn¡¯t mention Lace being unable to use healing magic, and Sylphy was able to use healing magic chantlessly with ease, despite having a Lace factor¡­ But anyway, while my new hypothesis was interesting, that still didn¡¯t exin a few things about Rudy¡¯s mana, such as how he couldunch spells with ease and couldn¡¯t cover his body with it to simte touki¡­ but in the end, that didn¡¯t really matter. He had his Magic Armour now, and from how fondly he spoke of it, I didn¡¯t think he was nning on parting with it anytime soon. But that was enough daydreaming. With my unbreakable sword coated in touki, I slowly began dispersing mana over it, using the sensation of forming a barrier to change the mana¡¯s property into one of defence as it flooded into the gaps my touki had. It was slow, messy, and incredibly inefficient, but this was how I had always progressed with my abilities. Methodically figuring out the basics before expanding its use. With enough time and practice, doing this would be as easy as walking¡­ hopefully. I continued focusing on coating my sword in touki and mana while maintaining the delicate bnce before someone interrupted me. Usually, it would be Sylphy calling me in for dinner, Roxy asking me to apany her for a walk, or Aria asking me to y, but this time, it was someone different. A surprise visitor that I had not seen in quite a while. ¡°Leon,¡± he said, his voice just as measured and calm as always. ¡°It seems that you¡¯ve grown.¡± Opening my eyes, I sheathed my sword as I turned to him with a smile, my cheeks straining from the action as I walked over to him ¡°Well, it has been a few years,¡± I said, extending my hand. ¡°But it¡¯s nice to see you¡­ Ruijerd.¡± ¡°I can say the same,¡± he said, reciprocating my handshake. He was still taller than me, but not nearly as much as when we had parted, with my eyes meeting his with the smallest tilt of my head. ¡°While I want to ask what brings you all the way up here, I¡¯ll ask that once you¡¯re inside,¡± I said, walking towards the house and motioning for him to follow. ¡°I¡¯d like to introduce you to my family, although Sylphy is still at the university.¡± ¡°Sylphy? Is that one of your women?¡± Ruijerd asked. ¡°Yes. She¡¯s very beautiful, but don¡¯t get any ideas,¡± I teased. ¡°I didn¡¯t n on it,¡± he said, shaking his head as his eyebrows furrowed. ¡°But Leon¡­ are you and Eris¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s inside,¡± I said. ¡°And actually¡­ she¡¯s changed quite a bit. Not only is she a Sword King now, but she¡¯s also pregnant with our child.¡± ¡°I see¡­ you¡¯ve been quite busy,¡± Ruijerd said, smiling as I opened the door, revealing the sight of Aria running across the hall as Roxy followed with Anna in her arms. ¡°¡­Very busy indeed.¡± Yeah, well, that was one way to put it. ¡°Leon! If you¡¯re done training, do you mind taking Aria¡­¡± Roxy¡¯s voice trailed off as she saw who I had brought inside with me. Her eyes darted to the spear held firmly in Ruijerd¡¯s grip, and then to the red gem centred on his forehead, as her body locked up in terror. ¡°T-That gem¡­ a-a Superd¡­¡± she said, her eyes widening as her teeth began to tter. Ah, right. By how Aria was looking at him with a curious smile, Ruijerd seemed to be fine as far as the curse went, but that still didn¡¯t remove any of the fear instilled in Roxy from the stories that she had grown up with. So, moving forward, I quickly embraced her in a hug as my fingers ran through her hair to calm her down. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s Ruijerd¡­ remember? From my journey?¡± ¡°R-Right¡­ Ruijerd¡­ a-a Superd¡­¡± she chattered. Haa¡­ right, this wouldn¡¯t do. ¡°Eri¡¯s sleeping, right?¡± I asked, to which she nodded. ¡°How about you go to my parents¡¯ house and bring over my sisters. I¡¯ll take care of the two troublemakers.¡± Taking Anna from her grasp, she began to cry as I held her close. It seems that Anna still didn¡¯t enjoy her father¡¯s cuddles nearly as much as Aria did. But still, she was too damn cute to feel disappointed, and she seemed to calm down whenever I caressed her hair and her little pointed ears. ¡°R-Right¡­ I¡¯ll do that¡­¡± she said, fumbling past Ruijerd to put on her boots as she then ran out the door. She even forgot her coat in the middle of winter¡­ well, at least my parents lived close, so she shouldn¡¯t get too cold. ¡°She seems like a character¡­ is that the ¡®Roxy¡¯ I have heard about?¡± Ruijerd asked. ¡°Yeah. While she¡¯s a bit terrified of you from her youth, she¡¯s an amazing woman,¡± I said with a smile. So earnest and cute¡­ and she was growing more incredible in bed as well. But I would keep thatst part to myself. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll get Eris up when my sisterse, so that we can all get back together again,¡± I said, going over to sit on the couch as Aria stayed close to me. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯d love to see you, and I bet even my parents wille say thanks.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°It was an equal exchange. Besides, it is only natural to protect children.¡± ¡°Only natural¡­¡± I said, looking down at the blubbering Anna and the curious Aria. ¡°Yeah¡­ I think I get that now.¡± I wonder how Ruijerd would think of my orphanage¡­ even though I had essentially handed the reins over to ra now that I wasmitted to helping Ariel. ¡°Come sit,¡± I said, motioning to the empty chair in front of me. ¡°We can talk a lot when those threee, but for now, why don¡¯t you tell me what brings you here? Did you find your people?¡± ¡°Unfortunately not,¡± he said, resting his spear and bags against the wall as he went over to sit down. ¡°But I found out where they are.¡± ¡°Is that so? Is that where you¡¯re headed to next?¡± I asked. ¡°Indeed,¡± he said, nodding. ¡°I n to leave for the Biheiril Kingdom tomorrow.¡± The Biheiril Kingdom¡­ that was to the east of here, if my memory served me correctly. It was a bit of a shame that Ruijerd was nning to leave so soon, but he had a quest to fulfill. After five hundred long years, he was now so close to finding his people again. I wasn¡¯t one to stop that. ¡°I see¡­ well, please feel free to stay here for the night,¡± I said. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t want to intrude,¡± he said awkwardly. ¡°Did you forget about who is now my wife?¡± I asked. ¡°While Eris has grown a bit, she¡¯s still the same girl at heart. Do you really think she¡¯ll ept a refusal?¡± He frowned in response. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we have a bunch of spare rooms still,¡± I said. ¡°Plus, this way, we can have a big get-together. I assume you have some stories to tell after these past years, right?¡± ¡°I¡­ in that case, I suppose I can ept,¡± Ruijerd said, shaking his head with a fond smirk. ¡°But unfortunately, my time in the south consisted of fruitless searching before I found their old vige, and then a few rumours from the local poption of their move north. Not exciting enough to form into tales.¡± Looking around at the decor, which had grown more homely the longer we spent living here, his smile then grew a bit. ¡°Yes¡­ it was mostly a time of self-reflection, wondering what the next steps for our people would be once I found them,¡± he said before looking back to me. ¡°But from the fact your parents are here now, as well as how you met your other two wives, I can assume you have some stories of your own to tell.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ there are definitely a few stories there,¡± I said, readjusting Anna as I leaned back, thinking back on my journey across the Begaritt Continent. It had been nearly five years since we parted with Ruijerd, and to think that nearly right after, Eris and I had cemented our rtionship after our first encounter with Orsted. Right¡­ Orsted¡­ the Man-God¡­ I wasn¡¯t worried about him being an apostle. In fact, with myst conversation with Orsted, I had been assured that no one I considered close to me was likely to be one, at least from what he knew. Instead¡­ I was thinking about the other matter. I did need some allies, right? And this would surely be a way to gain some positive influence for the Superds, at least among the human poption. ¡°Hey, Ruijerd¡­ you still hate Lace, right?¡± I asked. His smile dropped as his eyes hardened. ¡°More than anything¡­ but what brought this on?¡± he asked. ¡°He was sealed, right? In fact, I remember you telling me a story of how you partook in that final battle,¡± I said, remembering some of his tales from back then. During our journey, I thought they were interesting, but never cared too much about them. After all, once I got my family back, I nned to live a rxing life, where matters rting to Lace would be far away from us. But that situation had changed. ¡°Yes¡­ despite it being a cowardly attack, as a warrior I still look upon that memory quite fondly,¡± he said. ¡°Then¡­ you know about the seal, right?¡± I said. ¡°And¡­ how it can be lifted?¡± His eyes hardened more. ¡°It is unlike you to talk in riddles, Leon,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m just making sure,¡± I said as I looked into his eyes. ¡°Then¡­ after I deal with a few things and get a bit stronger¡­ if I said we could fight Lace once again¡­ would you ept?¡± His eyes widened as his mouth opened slightly in surprise, but seeing my resolute expression, he quickly understood that I was not joking. With his hand on his leg balling into a tight fist, and his lips quirking up into a small smirk, he eventually replied. ¡°I would be more than happy to oblige.¡± And so, less than two months after meeting with Orsted and learning the truth of the path towards the Man-God, I had gained my first ally in the eventual fight against Lace. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª A few weeks had passed since Ruijerd¡¯s surprise visit, and just as he had said, by the next day, he had left to continue his journey to the Biheiril Kingdom. But still, we used the time together as much as we could, with my two sisters exining to the man all of their recent exploits, Eris showing her a few movements with her sword, which I had to stop from going too hard and turning into a spar, and then my parents who thanked him for helping us get across the Demon and Millis continents. Even Roxy seemed to get over her fear during her second encounter with the man, though she did ce herself squarely on myp the entire length of our impromptu party. Luckily, it seemed that seeing how gently Ruijerd interacted with Aria and Anna had calmed her fear greatly, as well as the fact that I was barely able to beat him in a spar before the sun fell. So yeah¡­ it was nice to see him again, and with our promise to end Lace for good in the future, I knew that it wouldn¡¯t be thest time we met. ¡°You! Quit resting your feet on the damn table, or I¡¯ll cut your legs off!¡± Eris said, pointing at my father with a scowl. ¡°Huh? Are you sure you can do that~ It¡¯s been what¡­ four months since you¡¯ve held a sword? Can you even lift it?¡± my ever-annoying father said, wiggling his eyebrows at my wife. ¡°I mean, you even got a visible bump and everything now, so I doubt-¡± ¡°Shut it!¡± Eris yelled, interrupting his words with a swift punch to the back of the head. ¡°Hmph! Aria, let¡¯s get away from that annoying guy! We can y that game that Nanahoshi gave us.¡± ¡°Okay, Mama Eri!¡± Aria cheered, climbing over the curled up form of my father and into Eris¡¯ arms as they then walked away. Haa¡­ somehow, things always ended up like this. Both Eris and Paul had grown as people over the years, with my father now being a respectable man in front of his family, and Eris often showing her warm and loving side, but somehow, when they were put together, they both reverted to their old selves. Well, it was the old Eris that I fell in love with, and it was the same with Mama and Lilia in regard to Paul, so it wasn¡¯t all bad. But still¡­ ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t provoke her like that,¡± I said, folding thest of the linens. ¡°When she eventually gives birth, it won¡¯t take long before she returns it tenfold.¡± My father simply smirked pridefully. ¡°Heh. This isn¡¯t my first encounter with angry women, Leon,¡± he said, wiping his upper lip. ¡°A man like me has his ways, and that girl¡¯s simr to Ghiine, so I already know how to stop her from kicking my ass.¡± ¡°Paul,¡± Mama chided, holding Anna closer to her. ¡°No swearing.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ right, my bad,¡± he said, scratching the back of his head as he then looked over to Lilia, who was helping ric take a few steps. ¡°I guess it won¡¯t be long until that brat is walking about, huh?¡± ¡°They do grow old quite fast,¡± Mama said, looking over with a smile. ¡°Especially Rudy. When he was his age, he was already starting to climb on things.¡± Remembering the troubles that the infant Rudeus gave us, I couldn¡¯t help but shake my head with a fond smile. ¡°And speaking of children¡­ how is Elinalise¡¯s kid?¡± my father asked. ¡°What did they name him again? Clive?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, nodding. ¡°Sylphy¡¯s actually there right now, watching him so that Cliff could do some experiments with Lina.¡± Although, it was definitely a bit odd to be babysitting your uncle¡­ ah, well, I suppose that was something natural to long-living races. Oh. Right. Long-living races¡­ that reminded me. I hadn¡¯t had much progress in my search for the lifespan-sharing magic, but through my research now and then, I had be an Emperor-ranked healing magician¡­ not that it mattered too much. The spells of that rank were ones that couldpletely regenerate limbs and organs from nothing, unlike with King-ranked spells that could only regrow them to a previous state, which I had been able to do before. With that, I was able to regenerate Lilia¡¯s leg to the point where her injury from defending the baby Ariel was healed, but unfortunately, the effects of crystallization were mental rather than physical, so she still had trouble walking. But at least she was out of the wheelchair now. Anyway, my research into that had all but stagnated, both due to the difficulty of it, and how busy I was, but thinking about it now¡­ maybe Orsted could give me a hint? Well, I still had to deal with the Asura Kingdom, Lace, and the Man-God, so I think it would be best to wait a bit before delving into that. Plus, once we beat the Man-God, Orsted was sure to be in my debt. Yeah¡­ once we beat him¡­ ¡°Leon?¡± Mama said, looking over at me with some worry. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°Err¡­ no, it¡¯s fine,¡± I said, smiling back at her. ¡°Just thinking of some things, is all.¡± Once again, I think I must have tempted fate. But¡­ at this point, I think I was long past the point of worrying about this ¡®fate¡¯ nonsense. ording to ¡®fate¡¯, I wouldn¡¯t be the one with my three beautiful wives, and this same ¡®fate¡¯ dictated that I would be passing on such a difficult fight to my children and grandchildren. No¡­ I was tired of being scared of this ¡®fate¡¯. So if I had tempted it¡­ I would simply face it head on. But for now, I didn¡¯t have to worry about that. Instead, I had the duty to foldundry. Chapter 97 – A Princess’ Feelings Chapter 97 ¨C A Princess¡¯ Feelings ¡ª Sylphiette Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Then¡­ if that¡¯s all, I think it¡¯s time I visited ra and the kids,¡± Leon said, stretching his arms as he got up from his chair. ¡°Don¡¯t stay here toote, you three.¡± ¡°Of course. That would be incredibly inefficient,¡± Ariel said, giving him a smile. ¡°But thank you for the help today.¡± ¡°Well, those beastfolk are always a bit unruly when they first get here,¡± he said, shrugging. ¡°And I am technically a teacher, even if it¡¯s only a few days a week.¡± ¡°Ah, of course, how could I forget,¡± Ariel chuckled. ¡°Then, I will see youter, teacher.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Leon said, shaking his head as he headed towards the door. ¡°Oh, and don¡¯t forget to pick up that new dress, Aisha.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t, Big Brother,¡± she responded. ¡°Right¡­ and Sylphy?¡± he said, looking over at me. ¡°Yes?¡± I asked, my heart thumping with how his eyes softened as he stared at me. Really, even after all this time together, as well as the birth of Anna, Leon still had that same effect on me. ¡°I love you,¡± he said, making my lips quirk up in happiness. Haa¡­ even after so many years, I still felt like that same little girl, hopelessly in love with him. But at least now, I knew he reciprocated that love, andtely he had been reminding me every moment he could. For some, the attention would perhaps be a little overwhelming, but for me¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but love it every single time. After all, even though we were now husband and wife, the feeling of his touches still remained just as exciting as the first time. ¡°I love you too, Leon,¡± I said, smiling back at him. ¡°And why don¡¯t you bring Aria and Anna? I¡¯m sure they would love to see some kids their age.¡± Hmm¡­ for some reason, Leon¡¯s smile seemed a little¡­ pained, but at the same time¡­ relieved? No, that must just be my imagination. He knew how much I loved him, and if he didn¡¯t¡­ well, I did want a big family, so perhaps I could give myself to him for the night. ¡°I was nning on it,¡± he said as he closed the door behind him. ¡°Anyway, see youter.¡± As the door shut closed, I then looked down at Ariel, my princess. ¡°Haa¡­¡± she sighed dreamily, resting her chin on her hand as she stared out the door. Yes¡­ there was that too¡­ Speaking of the love and affection that Leon and I shared¡­ I had noticed. Just like right now, after spending some time together, when my husband eventually left the room, Ariel couldn¡¯t help but sigh dreamily as he parted. It was even worse when there was a window, as she would stare at his departing form until he was out of sight. And then there was the way she had been ncing at him with every passing moment¡­ and then the lovely smile she wore when they conversed¡­ the way her face glowed whenever Leon opened the door for her as a guard¡­ how she sat up straighter with a newfound energy after talking with him¡­ And then there was how she acted with him, how open and genuine she was, how rxed she seemed, and how happy she obviously felt¡­ She was in love with him. And quite badly at that. From her first meeting with Leon, I knew that my princess was interested in him, but that was not an interest of love. Rather, it was curiosity of the perplexing man that was my husband, both due to the love he shared so easily with his family, and how genuine he was, even though he was a guarded individual. Ah, as well as his strength. Ariel was interested in that as well. Then, after his return from the Begaritt Continent, she changed yet again, as if starting to see him as someone she could connect with rather than simply observe from the side. And finally, after he saved her from the assassins, and thenforting her after realizing the Notos¡¯ betrayal¡­ that¡¯s when she changed. I was sure that with those two story-like events, as well as the time they spent together afterwards, my friend and princess, Ariel Anemoi Asura, had fallen hopelessly in love with Leon Greyrat. Haa¡­ honestly, my husband''s charms were much too powerful, so I didn¡¯t me her, but it was still a bit aggravating to see from the side. I would call my husband dense, but I knew how loyal he was to us three, so the thought of betraying us with another woman didn¡¯t even cross his mind, hence he was oblivious to any affections, and if not, he ignored them. Not to mention how skilful Ariel was at hiding her true feelings¡­ But either way, Ariel was in love with Leon. That was a fact that I could no longer deny. Oddly enough¡­ I didn¡¯t feel jealous, even though I probably should. Did that make me a bad wife? Or perhaps too loyal of a friend? Either way, I couldn¡¯t change how I felt. If it was any other girl, I would definitely be angry, and perhaps, if I was angry enough, I might use my years of training to scare them off or worse¡­ But when it was my dear friend Ariel¡­ when I was to see her so happy and carefree¡­ I couldn¡¯te to feel jealous of her. And while before, when I first noticed her blossoming feelings, I was still hesitant as I doubted the feelings she had for him, now that it was so obvious how genuinely in love she was¡­ Moving my gaze to the side, I met Aisha¡¯s eyes, both of us sharing a look of understanding. Truly, this girl was a genius. Even though she had only known the princess for a little over three years, she could already understand just as clearly as me what Ariel was feeling. Well, it was that genius that won us the student council after less than a year of being students, so perhaps I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. Releasing a small sigh, I gave her a nod, allowing her to say what I was sure she was holding back. Honestly¡­ even though I wasn¡¯t jealous, I was still a bit worried about how this would all go. As my dear husband puts it, this was sure to be troublesome. ¡ª Ariel Anemoi Asura ¡ª ¡°Princess Ariel¡­ you love my brother, don¡¯t you?¡± Aisha asked. Hmm? What was this? ¡°Is that a sort of joke, Aisha?¡± I asked. ¡°Don¡¯t get defensive,¡± she said, narrowing her eyes at me before she grew a warm smile. ¡°I don¡¯t me you, after all. Especially since he rescued you so valiantly and promised to keep you safe~¡± I felt my cheeks heat up as I turned away from her. ¡°T-That¡­ is ridiculous,¡± I said. ¡°I admire him, and I enjoy hearing of his nighttime exploits, but that is the furthest thing from love.¡± And saying that while Sylphy was right there¡­ there was no need to bring up such a thing, this troublesome assistant of mine. ¡°You¡¯re not fooling us, Ariel,¡± Aisha continued. My eyebrows turned down as I delved into thought. No¡­ perhaps I couldn¡¯t fool her. She was a genius, after all. Even if I denied it outwardly, there was no denying this feeling that had sprouted in my heart. I loved Leon Greyrat. Truly, I was a horrible princess, was I not? Not only was my focus for the throne diverted by a man, but for that man to be the one married to my most beloved guard¡­ Haa, but as Aisha said, it was that man¡¯s own fault. Protecting me so valiantly¡­ discovering my enemies and pledging his support¡­forting me so warmly¡­ A womanizing talent that was on par with Luke, but instead of it being turned to the masses, it was only turned to those he cared about, which made the effects all the more dangerous. But yes¡­ as the days have gone by, I have not been able to stop thinking about him. And such sweet actions like those from a few days ago didn¡¯t help. I had been trying extremely hard recently to prepare for my eventual return, especially now that a terrifying being like the Man-God was on the side of my opponents. And of course, with both of them being by my side, Sylphy and Leon quickly noticed, and allowed me to rest on them as they continued my work for me. Even if it was simple greeting letters, it helped me greatly. And then the feeling of Leon rubbing my head¡­ I knew it wasn¡¯t romantic. If anything, his caring touch and attention was a product of his awakened fatherly side, but still¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but love it all the same. But s¡­ these feelings of mine that I had only recently discovered¡­ despite how amazing it all felt, it was not meant to be. I was the future Queen of Asura, after all. Not to mention how Leon already had three. ¡°Perhaps¡­ you are right,¡± I said, my hand raising to caress that hair ribbon he had gifted me so long ago. ¡°I do love him. Perhaps ¡®enamoured¡¯ is the right word, but nheless¡­ I can¡¯t be with him. My ambition and promise to take the throne is more important than a rtionship.¡± Shaking my head with a smile, I then looked over to Sylphy, who¡¯s eyes I had been avoiding for thest few moments. ¡°I am sorry, for falling for him¡­ I am sure that must be unpleasant to see,¡± I said, bowing my head. ¡°But do not worry. Such a rtion is nothing but a dream. It will never be possible.¡± Sylphy frowned a bit, crossing her fingers together, as she then shared a look with Aisha. ¡°Ariel¡­ why is such a rtionship impossible?¡± she then asked. Ah, as I thought, she was still worried. I would have to be sure not to let my guard down around him anymore, lest I cause my beloved guard any more pain. ¡°I am a princess. And one aiming to be Queen,¡± I said. ¡°I am not able to marry anyone I like. After all, my husband would be the King of Asura. It is not a title fit for anyone.¡± Yes¡­ even without the fact that Leon was more than happy without me as his wife, it was simply not meant to be. ¡°I see¡­ but¡­ is that really true?¡± Sylphy asked. ¡°Hm? What do you mean?¡± I said. ¡°What she means, Princess Ariel, is that Leon is already an Emperor-ranked swordsman and healing magician, and from how he has only gotten better, he will likely be a God-rank soon enough,¡± Aisha said, answering my question. ¡°That alongside his connection to Orsted, the Dragon God¡­ is that not enough pedigree for a husband?¡± ¡­Oh. She¡­ was correct. Had I really been so blind? Was it due to my newfound love clouding my vision? There was a reason it was seen as a weakness, after all. No, perhaps I was just using that as an excuse as to why it couldn¡¯t be, rather than my own shorings as a woman. Ha. How unlike me. But s¡­ Aisha was right. Leon definitely had the status to be my husband, and even if he didn¡¯t, he had more than enough power tomand authority and respect from those that disagreed. But still¡­ that was only one issue of many. Not only was it unlikely for Leon to feel the same, despite what some of his actions may imply¡­ there was something more important to consider¡­ ¡°Sylphy?¡± I said, looking at her as I revealed a small hint of my true vulnerability. ¡°That¡­ this¡­ is it-¡± ¡°I¡­ am fine with it,¡± she said, crouching down to take my hands in hers. ¡°In fact, I would be ecstatic if such a thing happened.¡± Huh? With her eyes looking deeply into mine, I didn¡¯t need to ask if she was serious. But still¡­ ¡°Why?¡± I asked. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ you always bragged about how good it felt to have him do such things to you¡­ would you not feel angry at me receiving the same?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ perhaps it was another woman, that may be so, but¡­ you¡¯re my friend, right?¡± she said, raising her hand to caress my cheek. ¡°It should be obvious that I want you to be happy.¡± What? What kind of logic was that? Even though I was extremely inexperienced, even I knew that there was something weird here. ¡°W-What do you mean?¡± I asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit too ridiculous?¡± But despite my hesitance¡­ I was extremely grateful. To think she would care about me so much¡­ I always knew that Sylphy was a kind girl, especially to me, but I thought that her loyalty would lessen after finding a family. It may have been presumptuous¡­ but I hoped that the reason for her care wasn¡¯t because she didn¡¯tpletely devote herself to her family, but rather because she already considered me a part of it. ¡°Listen, Ariel¡­ I have long epted that Leon wouldn¡¯t be mine alone,¡± she said, shaking her head with a sigh. ¡°As long as you truly love him, and you don¡¯t stop him from loving me¡­ that was good enough.¡± Ah¡­ this girl truly was amazing. ¡°But¡­ what about Eris and Roxy?¡± I asked. While not to the same extent as Sylphy, I had also grown closer to the other wives of Leon, and I knew that Sylphy cared about them as well. I¡­ didn¡¯t want to ruin such a lovely family with my selfishness. ¡°That¡­ I cannot say for sure,¡± she said, forming a difficult expression. ¡°But I¡¯ll try talking to them. At the very least, you should deal with these feelings of yours. And I¡¯ll be right here to support you.¡± Ah¡­ Sylphy¡­ you were doing bad things to me. At this point, it may be you that I turn my lust towards. ¡°Fine¡­¡± I said, smirking slightly. ¡°But don¡¯t be disappointed if he falls head over heels for me.¡± Sylphy smiled back. ¡°In that case, I would only have to win him back. I am not one to lose when ites to Leon. Even to you, princess.¡± Hmm¡­ we could also try to win him over together in bed, just like my recent fantasies I had been divulging in during the nights. But for now, I would keep that to myself. Yes¡­ I loved Leon Greyrat, and while it wasn¡¯t necessary for my goal¡­ I would try to make him my husband. I was always a greedy princess, after all, and even if it didn¡¯t work out¡­ I suppose it was better to try and fail then to never try at all. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª After putting the girls to bed, with Anna deciding to give me the gift of a dirty diaper to clean up beforehand, I made my way down the hallway, intending to head downstairs where I could cuddle with Eris and Roxy on the couch. But as I was making my way towards the staircase, I was stopped by two familiar faces. ¡°Leon¡­ would you mind talking with me?¡± Ariel asked. ¡°Uhh¡­ sure. Do you want to head into the study for this?¡± I asked, wondering if this was rted to the recapture of the kingdom. ¡°No need. Here is fine,¡± she said, shaking her head. Huh? Why did she seem so¡­ odd? Perhaps it was just me? Looking at Sylphy who was standing next to her, I gave her a confused nce, to which she simply smiled back at me. Another odd thing¡­ They weretering back than I expected, did something happen? ¡°Leon Greyrat, I have a request,¡± Ariel said, staring into my eyes. ¡°Be my husband.¡± ¡­What? ¡°Sorry¡­ I think I misheard,¡± I said. ¡°No, you did not,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°Please marry me, Leon.¡± Looking over at Sylphy to see if this was some kind of new form of teasing, I saw that she was only holding her head in disappointment as she looked at Ariel, but not in the way that showed that this was some kind of joke. Was she serious? I looked back at Ariel, only to see that same practised smile that she showed to others that I hade to despise. She used to use that same smile with me, with her lips ced perfectly, and her eyes lidded in order to not disy any emotion. But no¡­ she didn¡¯t use that smile when teasing me. She only used this smile when she was aiming for furthering her goal. But aside from that¡­ marriage? With me? How ridiculous. I remember hearing her n about life after taking the throne, and she was more than happy with collecting a group of lovers to y with¡­ and for the horny princess I hade to know, that seemed just like her. But there was no mention of marriage. Whether it was for a fun or in order to ensure no husband of hers could use the title of ¡®king¡¯ to further their goals, Ariel Anemoi Asura never nned to be with someone in such a way. Much less myself. ¡°I will only be with someone exclusively, at least outside my wives,¡± I said, narrowing my eyes. ¡°And most importantly, I will only be with someone who loves me just as I love them. You already know this, right, princess?¡± Her expression didn¡¯t even tremble for a moment as she nodded at me. ¡°I know. And I have prepared for such a thing,¡± she said. ¡°While I don¡¯t know what love truly is¡­ I think I might love you. And if not, then I can learn to love.¡± My eye twitched in annoyance. What was this? Saying such a thing with such a straight face¡­ how could I believe that? ¡°And as for the exclusivity¡­ I don¡¯t need any other men. As long as you give me lots of children, of course,¡± she said, smirking a bit. ¡°Besides, how could I be dissatisfied when I get a harem of pretty girls alongside you? I do prefer the buds of young maidens rather than the firm staff of a man, after all.¡± My frown deepened as she continued talking. Why? I¡­ thought she was more genuine around me. I thought that I was a ce offort for the woman I respected enough to fight for her ce on the throne. But now¡­ it was as if we had reverted to our initial meetings. I could see it inly in her expression. There was no fluctuation, no sign of affection, no sign of¡­ love. She was just saying the words I wanted to hear, or at least trying to, in order to make me her husband. But¡­ why? I was already firmly on her side, so why did she want marriage? And wasn¡¯t Sylphy her friend? Though seeing how my wife didn¡¯t look displeased, I had the feeling they had already talked about it. But still¡­ how could I ept someone who didn¡¯t even seem to love me? Not to mention that, I already had three wives that I was firmly loyal to. Whether it be the pact I made upon our marriage, my verbal promise to stay faithful before then, or the simple fact that I didn¡¯t want to hurt them by being too greedy, I was not one to ept another woman when I was more than happy with my current family. ¡°I refuse,¡± I said firmly. ¡°I¡¯m still confused as to why you brought up such a thing, but I can¡¯t marry you.¡± Ariel continued to look at me, her smile tightening as she then nodded to me. ¡°I see¡­ ah, well¡­ that is a shame, but I suppose your support is more than enough,¡± she said, turning away. ¡°Then¡­ I bid you a good night, Leon.¡± And with that, she started towards Sylphy¡¯s room, which had essentially turned into Ariel¡¯s room and office, as Sylphy followed behind her, but not before looking back at me. ¡°Leon¡­ no, nothing,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°Just¡­ I¡¯ll be with Ariel for a bit.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± I returned a bit confused. Sending me onest conflicted look, Sylphy followed Ariel into her room, closing the door behind them. What¡­ what was that? A joke¡­ no, I could tell it wasn¡¯t. But¡­ why? What the hell had just happened? Truly¡­ what a weird fucking night. I wasn¡¯t one to follow in the footsteps of my old man, but I really felt like having a drink right about now. ¡ª Sylphiette Greyrat ¡ª Closing the door behind me, I released a sigh as I then looked over to Ariel, who had sat herself in front of the desk. ¡°I would like to be left alone,¡± she said, not looking at me as she pulled out her diary and a quill. ¡°Sylphy¡­ please¡­¡± ¡°You know I can¡¯t do that, Princess,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°But I can look away.¡± ¡°I¡­ suppose that¡¯s enough,¡± she returned. Turning to stare out the window, I watched as snowkes began to fall, nketing the already-white ground in more snow as the seconds passed. As it was currently the third month of the year, the season was slowly changing into spring, so this could very well be thest snowfall for a while. But then again, up here in the north, you could never discount the possibility of cold weather. Hearing Ariel begin to etch her quill across the pages of her diary, I looked up into the reflection of the window, only to see her cupping her mouth with her free hand, and wiping away some tears that had leaked out of her eyes. Ariel¡­ she was crying? That¡­ was something I had never seen before. She must have truly been affected by what happened earlier. Just like I had thought, she hadpletely fallen for Leon, and to have him reject her like that must have hurt, especially as she had never felt such feelings before. While I had told her to open up to her true feelings yesterday, I didn¡¯t expect her to be so bold as to do that, but still¡­ I don¡¯t think Leon would have been so adamant to refuse if she had simply shown her true feelings. The facade she wore¡­ I know that she loves Leon, but despite that, she had used her practised facade like a shield in the earlier conversation. Perhaps it was to ensure she would not get hurt, as it wasn¡¯t the ¡®true her¡¯ being rejected. Or maybe it was simply because she didn¡¯t know these new feelings of love, or possibly out of consideration for me, but still¡­ I didn¡¯t like seeing her like this, all sad and alone. Despite what she might think, I know that Ariel was able to love. The care she showed me¡­ the way she so valiantly fought for those that fell protecting her¡­ there was no way such a girl was incapable of love. And seeing her cry over a rejection only cemented that fact. But still¡­ no matter what I did, Ariel would never earn Leon¡¯s attention if she continued wearing that facade, and after today, I doubt that she would ever be genuine around him again. Leon valued trust and honesty most importantly, and while love was still most important, I don¡¯t think I had to worry about that here. But to show him her true feelings¡­ how could I do that? ¡­Ah. Of course. She was crying right now¡­ showing her true feelings of frustration of sadness¡­ all while she continued to write in that diary. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s written in there, and despite being her closest confident over these past years, I had never seen its contents, but I had a feeling that it would be the closest thing to her honest feelings. Hmm¡­ perhaps, if I could get Leon to read that somehow¡­ yes, that might work. I would have to make a n. After he discovered the princess¡¯ true feelings, I would leave Leon to decide what to do and what he felt, but I know that I can¡¯t leave things like this. It was simply too sad, to have such a possible happiness cut off by a misunderstanding. So¡­ please don¡¯t think of mying actions as a betrayal, Princess Ariel. It is simply the act of a friend wanting you to find love¡­ even if that love is with my husband. Haa¡­ just like usual, Leon was correct. My princess truly was troublesome. Chapter 98 – A Princess’ Love Chapter 98 ¨C A Princess¡¯ Love ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª It was the day after Ariel¡¯s¡­ unusual confession, and after a morning that was thankfully bereft of any awkwardness, Ariel then headed out to begin her student council duties with Luke apanying her as a guard. Sylphy was also going to join themter, but had to feed Anna first as she still refused to eat pur¨¦ed foods. I was also a big fan of Sylphy¡¯s breast milk, so it seems my daughter and I already had something inmon. But just as I was about to send her off with a big kiss and a hug, she gave me a request. ¡°Leon¡­ can you get something from Ariel¡¯s room?¡± she said. ¡°There was something she meant to bring up in the morning, but reading it yourself should be just as effective.¡± Hm? Ah, the awkwardness of the morning must have made Ariel forget, which was unusual for her. So even she was affected by my refusal¡­ it didn¡¯t look like it, though. ¡°Okay¡­ is it a report or something?¡± I asked. ¡°But even then, I can usually only help with the rare thing or two¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s just something you have to read,¡± she said adamantly as she cupped my cheek. ¡°Okay? Read it for me¡­ please?¡± Yeah¡­ this was definitely strange, and I doubted it was a report like I had thought¡­ but I knew I could trust Sylphy. If she wanted me to read something, then I should do so. ¡°Alright,¡± I said, leaning in for a kiss. ¡°I¡¯lle byter.¡± ¡°No,¡± she said, shaking her head after she separated from my lips. ¡°I think you should take today off to think.¡± Uh¡­ okay? ¡°Anyway, I should get going,¡± she said, removing her arms from my neck as she went out the door. ¡°And absolutely read it, okay? It should be on her desk!¡± ¡°Uh¡­ got it, I will,¡± I said, nodding. And with that, she departed. Well¡­ I guess I should read through whatever she wanted me to, just like I had promised. So, giving Roxy a hug as she prepared to leave for her sses, I then went upstairs before hesitantly entering Ariel¡¯s room. Ugh¡­ this felt a bit wrong, to enter a girl¡¯s room like this, especially that of a royal princess¡­ but it was fine, right? Not only was this a room in my house, but Sylphy had also given me express permission, so this should be fine. Besides, knowing that Ariel, even if I found something embarrassing, she would probably just get excited from it. Walking over to the desk, I quickly noticed the book that was resting in the middle of it, a ribbon in the pages which likely signified what I was meant to read. This¡­ did not look like a usual report. Sitting down, I opened it to read the first page. ¡®Today was a meeting with the royal family of Ranoa. It seems that the princess has an interest in adventuring. I was d to have Leon there to entertain her. He has surprisingly been quite a big help outside his fighting strength.¡¯ Hm? This¡­ did not read like a report either. Just like I had thought, there seemed to be some ulterior motives in Sylphy¡¯s request. I wasn¡¯t annoyed at Sylphy being a little sneaky, but I was confused. Why should she want me to read this? ¡®It seems that among the new batch of students, there are a few skilled in diplomacy and economics. While Aisha is plenty in terms of those skills, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to have more support for any open positionster on. Luckily, a few are young girls, so I will have Luke bring them over to our side. Or, at least, form an initial connection. His lust is useful for that, even if it does often get him in trouble.¡¯ This¡­ was a diary, wasn¡¯t it? And seeing how the next entry seemed to describe Ariel¡¯s enjoyment of dinner and subsequent nighttime relief, it wasn¡¯t one focused on her exploits towards the throne. It felt too personal. I¡­ didn¡¯t think it was right to read any more. But Sylphy wanted me to, right? And while I know she loved me and our family, I know that she loved Ariel just as much, so at least ording to her, this invasion of privacy was in the princess¡¯ best interests. I was conflicted. But, to be honest¡­ I was intrigued as well. When I was alone with Ariel, or when Sylphy and Luke were with us, I was able to catch a glimpse at the princess¡¯ true feelings, but never to the extent of knowing her thoughts. To see some part of the woman who was so often veiled behind that practised facade¡­ I wanted to know more. Turning a few pages, I then noticed that she had written about me right after the encounter with the assassins. ¡®I was attacked. Two North Kings and a North Emperor were sent to kill me. A terrifying circumstance. But even against such insurmountable odds, Leon defended me. Even now, my heart is pounding in my chest from the experience, and I had the odd feeling that it wasn¡¯t simply out of fear, but rather another form of excitement¡­ However, those thoughts would have to be put aside for now. Wii Taa¡­ the prospect of his appearance is very concerning. I will have to look into things back home.¡¯ And I continued to read, going up to where I returned from my trip to Asura. ¡®The Notos has betrayed me. I had somewhat expected it, but it was still a shock. To think I would now be alone¡­ though that wasn¡¯t quite right. I had my faithful attendants, and just as Leon said, I could gain more allies. And I also had him¡­ a powerful fighter who apparently had an impressive aptitude for infiltration. But more importantly¡­ I had his support. With him standing by my side, I felt more confident than ever about taking back the throne. I feel extremely grateful.¡¯ After this entry, I noticed that my name began to turn up more and more as I frantically flipped through the pages. ¡®Today, Leon smiled at me. Sylphy did too. For some reason, even after the fact, my practised smile felt easier to perform. How odd.¡¯ ¡®I have noticed that recently, the world seems a bit more beautiful. Is this perhaps love? Or was it something else? Either way, it was quite a nice feeling. I didn¡¯t want to let this go.¡¯ ¡®Today I learned that Leon likes berries. Is it because of the sweetness, or the sourness? Either way, it¡¯s nice to know. It was pleasant to watch him eat. It was¡­ cute.¡¯ ¡®I''ve be more aware of the little things when I''m around Leon. The way he holds a cup, the sound of his voice when he''s deep in thought, even the way his eyes light up when he talks about something he loves¡­ They are useless details, especially since he is already on my side and reveals his true self, but still¡­ I wanted to know more.¡¯ ¡®Leon and I walked together today, side by side. I couldn''t help but notice how our footsteps matched perfectly. It was such a small thing, but it made me feel connected to him in a way I can''t quite exin. I wonder if he noticed too. And if he did¡­ did he enjoy it?¡¯ ¡®Leon smiled at me today when he thought I wasn¡¯t looking. It was just a small, soft smile, but it made my heart skip a beat. I wonder what he was thinking about at that moment. I hope it was something nice. I hope it was something about me.¡¯ ¡®Leon and I shared a quiet moment today, just sitting together without saying a word. It was peaceful¡­forting¡­ I could hear the gentle rhythm of his breathing, and it made me feel safe, like I was exactly where I was meant to be.¡¯ ¡®I saw Leonughing today. A real, genuineugh. It was not rare for him tough like that, especially when recounting a silly thing that his daughter did, but for some reason, this one was so enchanting that it took my breath away. I wish I could make himugh like that every day.¡¯ ¡®Leon stopped my from falling today after I tripped over my feet. It was intentional on my part. Really, I am such a bad woman. Either way, it seemed that my attempt at teasing quickly backfired, as I became quite flustered. Though I¡¯d like to think I kept my cool enough to not be noticed. But Leon¡­ up close, he has the scent of a campfire. That was nice to know.¡¯ ¡®Leon brushed a stray hair out of my face today. It was a gentle and innocent gesture, but it made my heart race all the same. Thankfully, I was able to keep my calm facade, but on the inside, I was melting. How does he have this effect on me without even trying?¡¯ ¡®Today, I caught Leon staring at Eris and Roxy as the two yed with Aria. His expression was indescribably serene, as if everything was perfect in his world. I was happy he could make such a face, but I couldn¡¯t help but wish he would make such a face for me.¡¯ ¡®I want Leon to look at me more. I want to see his gentle side more. I want that gentle side toe out for me more.¡¯ ¡®I like getting Leon¡¯s protection, but I want more of it. I was always a greedy princess, after all. That overprotectiveness that he saved for his family¡­ I want to feel that.¡¯ There were even more entries like those, filled with sweet words and various emotions. It was enough to drive me crazy. Was this the true Ariel Anemoi Asura? Was she really such an innocent romantic? ¡®Leon gave Aria a ride on his shoulders today. Seeing him act so soft¡­ so gentle¡­ so different from that fierce and determined aura from when he defended me back then. It was amazing. It was arousing, sure, but more than that¡­ it wasforting. Was it presumptuous to want him to show that side to me? Or perhaps¡­ our children? ¡­That was embarrassing to write down, even for me. But what could I do? It was his genuine loving side that made me do such a thing, after all. Such a horrible man¡­ I wanted him to be my horrible man.¡¯ ¡®I love him. I love him deeply, that I am sure of. And most of all¡­ I want him to love me in turn.¡¯ ¡°¡­Fuck,¡± I said, raising my hand to my chest. Feeling my heart thump painfully against it, I lightly shook my head. ¡°That¡­ that¡¯s just unfair,¡± I mumbled to myself. What the hell? This diary was much too sweet and tender! This¡­ this was actually Ariel¡­ She was truly serious about what she saidst night¡­ no, considering what I read here, the prospect of marriage was only the cusp of her true feelings and desires. Fuck. Flipping over to thest entry, I noticed that the page was unusually covered with a few tear stains, the paper wrinkled from the wetness. ¡®I asked Leon to marry me today. I was rejected, just as I had expected. Honestly, I was surprised that Sylphy was fine with me asking, and even urged me to do so, but still¡­ it was not meant to be. Ah¡­ I¡¯m crying now. I haven¡¯t cried since I was eight, if I remember correctly. It was a sign of weakness, after all. One that could easily be exploited in the royal pce.¡¯ ¡®I hadn¡¯t even cried when Derrick died, yet I was reduced to this state just by being rejected for Leon¡¯s love. Does that make me a heartless woman, or a hopeless romantic? I don¡¯t know. Right now, I¡¯m just too tired to think of such questions. At this point, while I promised myself to try to make him mine, should I really continue pursuing him? If I continued my advances, would he grow to hate me over time? I don¡¯t think I could handle that. He was an important piece to not only my path to the throne, but also to my happiness. I don¡¯t want to lose such an important person.¡¯ And with that, I flipped to the next page, and seeing that it was nk, I closed the diary as I leaned back against the chair, pressing my palm to my forehead. ¡°Haa¡­ dammit,¡± I sighed. ¡°You¡¯re leaving me in a very difficult position, princess¡­¡± What do I do now? Well¡­ it was obvious, right? Yes¡­ yes it was. I needed to talk to her in person. Whether these feelings were true¡­ if she could still stomach living with us¡­ I needed some answers. And then¡­ I would definitely need to talk with Eris and Roxy. Even though I had no intention of betraying my vows, they still deserved to know about such aplicated situation. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Having marched my way over to the student council room, I only knocked on the door a few times before opening it, revealing Ariel sitting behind the desk with Luke and Sylphy at her sides. ¡°Ariel¡­ we need to talk,¡± I said before ncing at Luke. ¡°In private, if we could.¡± Ariel responded with a nod as Sylphy went to push Luke out of the room. The man seemed confused about what was happening, but I didn¡¯t find it in me to care. Instead, my eyes were transfixed on the golden-haired girl in front of me, as well as my wife, who wasing towards me. Sylphy¡­ did she know what was in there? And getting me to read it¡­ this was definitely something she wanted. I didn¡¯t think she was one to share me even more, but considering this was Ariel, her best friend, we were talking about, I guess the situation was a bit different. ¡°Leon¡­¡± she said as she reached the door, stopping at my side for a short moment. ¡°I won¡¯t force anything on you, but¡­ just make things right. Please.¡± ¡°I got it, Sylphy,¡± I said. Nodding at me with a smile, she gave one final push to Luke, shoving him out the door before she closed it behind them. Taking in the moment of silence, I then turned my gaze forward, looking at the princess who had been causing me a lot of stress in the past hour. No, for the past day. And now¡­ we were alone. Just like Sylphy said, I needed to make things right. I needed to know. ¡°Leon, how rare it is for you to ask to speak with me alone¡­ is this perhaps about my marriage proposal?¡± she asked, tilting her head. ¡°It is,¡± I responded. ¡°Ah, as I thought¡­ well, you don¡¯t have to worry about such a thing,¡± she said, shaking her head with a calm smile. ¡°I just thought it would be a good way to ensure I had your protection and that other noble families wouldn¡¯t try to entrap you after revealing yourself, but then again, you¡¯re strong enough to stay independent, so do not mind it.¡± A lie¡­ but an expertly crafted one. Despite my ability to see through deceit, I would have believed her if it wasn¡¯t for reading her diary. This wasn¡¯t the Ariel I wanted to talk to. No¡­ I wanted to speak with the true Ariel. The one that wrote those sickeningly sweet words filled with love and insecurity. I wanted to know more about her. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, please, princess,¡± I said, walking up to her. ¡°You love me, do you not?¡± Her eyes widened a bit before she suddenly turned away, her cheeks gaining a hint of a blush. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know what you mean,¡± she said. ¡°Those are awfully arrogant words, don¡¯t you think?¡± Was she still denying it? Why? She did mention in herst entry not pursuing it any further¡­ But now that I looked at her, I began to notice a few subtle signs of her deceit. That little blush, the way I could hear her heart pounding a little faster, how her fingers fidgeted over each other¡­ She was hiding her true feelings. The true feelings that was her love for me. I was confident that I was correct, but still¡­ I wanted to hear her say it. ¡°Ariel¡­ please tell me,¡± I said, reaching out to turn her head towards me. ¡°Tell me how you feel about me¡­ please.¡± Now that I was looking at her so close, I once again realized how strikingly beautiful this woman was. Her perfectly proportioned face¡­ her bright blue eyes, glistening with emotion¡­ her lightly tinted cheeks¡­ her fair, unblemished skin¡­ Yeah, if it was any other man in my position, they would have lost to their instincts long ago. I mean, even I was feeling my heart begin to race, but that was more to do with the thoughts that I knew were hidden behind that face rather than the beauty by itself. ¡°Ariel¡­ I will never hate you, so please say it,¡± I asked once more. And then, with my words dispelling the worry I knew she had¡­ her facade broke. ¡°I love you,¡± she said truthfully, bringing her hand up to hold mine. ¡°I love you, and I don¡¯t want anyone else. I can¡¯t think of such a thing. I¡­ want to have your children. I want you to look at them with that warmth you show Aria and Anna. I want you to look at me how you do with Roxy, Sylphy, and Eris¡­¡± Looking down, she lightly bit her lip before ncing back up at me, her lips quirking up into a sad smile as tears threatened to leak from her eyes. ¡°You showed me how to love¡­ how it felt and how badly I wanted it¡­ and now look at me,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°I won¡¯t ask you to take responsibility, but¡­ at least understand how painful it is to admit all this.¡± Taking a deep breath, she then reached out to caress my cheek. ¡°But I do love you, Leon Greyrat,¡± she said softly. ¡°And that is the truth.¡± Guh¡­ yeah, I could definitely tell that it was. And because of that, I couldn¡¯t help but feel my face heat up, both in embarrassment and happiness. Happiness¡­ I really was a bastard, huh? But how could I not feel that way? I already respected Ariel, both as a ruler and a person, so having someone I cared about say they felt that way towards me¡­ it wasn¡¯t like I could be upset at that. Not to mention her beauty, which I could appreciate a bit more now. ¡°I see¡­¡± I said, closing my eyes as I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. So¡­ what do I do now? Dammit¡­ while I wanted to know her true feelings, it just made everything much more difficult. I was broken out of my thoughts by the door opening, revealing Sylphy as Ariel hastily retracted her hand. ¡°Apologies for listening in, Princess Ariel,¡± she said, bowing lightly with a soft smile. ¡°However¡­ I am very d that you aired out your feelings.¡± Ariel gave her a soft smile in return. ¡°Yes¡­ I am as well¡­¡± she said before turning to me, her eyes shining with a mix of mirth and worry as she began to y with a strand of her hair. ¡°So? After forcing me to say such embarrassing things, are you just going to stand there?¡± Right. I needed to respond seriously to her genuine confession. I knew that. I knew that, so¡­ could you stop staring at me so intensely, Sylphy? Taking a deep breath to clear my thoughts, I then looked at Ariel, staring seriously into her eyes. ¡°Ariel¡­¡± I said, trying to find the words to say. ¡°Y-Yes?¡± she asked, averting her eyes slightly. Okay¡­ let¡¯s do this. ¡°I understand your feelings¡­ and I know they¡¯re genuine, and I appreciate them¡­¡± I said. ¡°And to be honest¡­ I like you too. I already respected you enough to fight for your dream of taking the throne, and after hearing such a heartfelt confession, I could easily see myself falling in love with you, but¡­ I won¡¯t.¡± Yes¡­ I could easily see myself loving Ariel, but¡­ I couldn¡¯t. ¡°I promised never to fall in love with anyone else when I made my wedding vows, and even without them, I was always faithful to my women, so¡­ I can¡¯t love you,¡± I exined. ¡°And I already said I would only marry for love¡­ so I will still have to reject your marriage proposal.¡± Regretfully, this time. Ariel let out a sad sigh as she shook her head. ¡°How cruel¡­ to say that after making me confess¡­ you are a terrible man,¡± she said, smirking slightly. ¡°Yet despite that, I still can¡¯t help but love you¡­ I always knew these feelings were a weakness.¡± ¡°In my defence, all of this is all Sylphy¡¯s fault,¡± I said, turning to my wife. Sylphy, meanwhile, was looking at me with an unusually serious expression. Huh? What is it? Was she mad at me outing her? ¡°Leon¡­ you said you could easily fall in love with Ariel?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes¡­ you aren¡¯t going to be mad at me for saying that after doing all this, are you?¡± I said. ¡°If it¡¯s about Roxy and Eris, I don¡¯t n to keep this a secret, either.¡± She shook her head. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. It¡¯s just¡­ betraying the three of us¡­ is that what is holding you back?¡± Umm¡­ I felt quite a dangerous undertone there. ¡°Yes¡­ you could say that,¡± I said. ¡°I am more than happy with you three, and I don¡¯t n on making them unhappy for my selfishness. Even if you ept it, it doesn¡¯t mean those two will. I¡¯m already asking for a lot with the three of you.¡± She narrowed her eyes. ¡°Then¡­ if they did ept such a thing¡­ would you take Ariel as your wife?¡± she asked. Ah¡­ I see where this is going. ¡°Yes,¡± I said. ¡°I would. Happily at that.¡± Ignoring the way Ariel smiled bashfully at my words, I went up to Sylphy as I looked down at her. ¡°I think I know what you¡¯re nning, and while I won¡¯t stop you from talking with them, I won¡¯t let them think that I am unsatisfied with how things are,¡± I said. ¡°Understood?¡± Hearing my harsher tone, the one I usually brought out only in bed when Sylphy wanted to be submissive, her cheeks flushed as she nodded seriously. Dammit¡­ this was all fucking weird. Having a wife talk with my other two in order to ept a fourth¡­ this was definitely odd. Either way, after Sylphy talks with them, or perhaps before, I needed to talk with Roxy and Eris as well. I needed them to know that I was more than satisfied with them and how everything is now. I already didn¡¯t deserve them, so doing anything else would be asking for too much. Besides, it was already hard to manage things with four people, so adding a fifth would make things increasingly moreplicated. ¡°Yes¡­ I understand,¡± she said, reaching up to hug me. ¡°You know that Eris isn¡¯t one to let something like that slide, and Roxy is smart enough to point it out. But past that¡­ you trust me, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I do,¡± I said, hugging her back. ¡°Mm. Good,¡± she said, releasing me. ¡°How about you take Aria and Anna to y at your parents¡¯ house while we handle the conversation, okay?¡± ¡°¡­Fine,¡± I said. ¡°Just not toote, okay?¡± ¡°Right,¡± she returned. Looking back at Ariel, I saw her send me a warm smile before averting her eyes, awkwardly looking away in a gesture that was very unlike her. A gesture that also made my heart thump against my chest. ¡­Fuck. Honestly, this princess was too sweet. And seeing such a side to her, who was always so careful to keep up her facade¡­ Well, I just had to hope the conversation between the girls went well, because with the diary and her genuine confession¡­ I felt a bit of danger concerning the woman. ¡ª Eris Greyrat ¡ª ¡°So?¡± I asked, crossing my arms as I nodded towards the houseguest. ¡°What¡¯s this all about, Sylphy?¡± Feeling a bit ufortable to rest my arms on my nowrger stomach, I moved it to below my breasts. Honestly¡­ pregnancy was extremely annoying. Not only did I notice my emotions getting more agitated as time went on, but I had also been feeling exhaustedtely. And then there was the growing belly, which messed up my bnce and made it so that I couldn¡¯t rest on my stomach¡­ Haa, but at least I knew that after a few more months, I would be birthing a son after all this trouble, so I could deal with it. And besides¡­ it wasn¡¯t all bad. Pregnancy, that is. After all, Leon had been showing me a lot more gentle caretely because of this, and I was enjoying the extra attention to the fullest. But anyway, that wasn¡¯t important right now. My eyes drifted over to Ariel, who was sitting at the table with Sylphy, Roxy, and I, her eyes meeting mine for a moment before she looked down, her expression difficult to understand. Hmm¡­ confusing. That wasn¡¯t like the usual prideful princess and houseguest that I hade to know. ¡°Indeed. I am also curious,¡± Roxy said, narrowing her eyes at the two. ¡°Although¡­ considering Leon took the kids away, and how apologetic he looked, I have a feeling I know what this is about¡­¡± Sylphy gave both of us an apologetic smile. ¡°Well¡­ you are probably correct,¡± she said, taking a deep breath. ¡°To put it simply, would you two ept Ariel bing Leon¡¯s wife?¡± ¡°¡­Exin,¡± I said sharply. I was not an idiot. Actually, no, I was an idiot, but I wasn¡¯tpletely blind. That Princess Ariel was absolutely in love with my husband. I knew this because she was acting just like I was back on the Demon Continent, even if she hid it a little better. I trusted Leon, so I didn¡¯t really care. After all, even if he couldn¡¯t release his urges with me, I knew that Sylphy and Roxy were more than happy to take care of him, so that wasn¡¯t an issue. ¡°W-Well¡­ to put it simply, I may have¡­ caught feelings¡­ for your husband,¡± Ariel said, bowing her head slightly. ¡°I apologize for that.¡± ¡°No need,¡± Roxy said, waving her hand. ¡°I know most of all how charming he is. It¡¯s no wonder you caught feelings after living with him. Ah, and I already knew about your feelings. It was quite obvious.¡± Oh¡­ so it wasn¡¯t just me. ¡°I¡¯m not confused about that, but rather, what this meeting is all about,¡± Roxy said, twirling her hair in her hand. ¡°Either you didn¡¯t tell all this to Leon, which in that case, there is obviously something you need to do first; or the more likely option, you already have, as that would exin him taking Anna and Aria, as well as the awkwardness from this morning. But in that case, what is this meeting about? Did he ept, or not?¡± Right. I was wondering that too. I guess it would be best to leave this to Roxy, though I would definitely speak up if they pissed me off. Ha¡­ Leon just had to get on another girl¡¯s good side. And not just any girl, but a damn princess. Tsk¡­ I really didn¡¯t like how this princess acted sometimes. She was veiled, deceitful, and annoying¡­ just like my pathetic father of the past, though she didn¡¯t take any bullshit, which I respected. Still, if it was that conniving side of the princess saying this, trying to win Leon over for some political games or something, I would immediately shut her down, and cut her down if she didn¡¯t relent, even if I had to fight Sylphy to do so. But I also was able to notice some gentle sides to the princess, especially when she was here in our house, so for now¡­ I would sit quiet and listen. ¡°Well¡­ I guess we¡¯ll exin everything from the start¡­¡± Sylphy said. And then, she did exactly that, with Ariel providing some context to events as well. I didn¡¯t need to know that Sylphy had told Ariel about the night the three of us attacking Leon together, but I suppose she thought it was important, for some reason. Either way¡­ yeah. I could see how Ariel felt now. After all, Leon had protected me throughout our entire adventure in the Demon Continent, and even before then, he was the bright light of warmth that warmed my heart, so it was obvious that I could rte to the princess. But even if I could rte¡­ it didn¡¯t mean that I would ept it. Not until I got some confirmation. ¡°I see¡­ I¡¯m fine with it, then,¡± Roxy said, thrumming her fingers against the table. ¡°Y-You are?¡± Ariel asked, a bit surprised. ¡°Indeed,¡± Roxy said, nodding. ¡°If Leon had already agreed and this was just a meeting about the new addition, I would be quite angry, but seeing that he wanted our approval first, I can ept it. Still¡­ I admit that I am a bit peeved.¡± Ariel¡¯s eyes turned down, her eyes turning to the side to see the pair of high chairs at the table. ¡°No¡­ you don¡¯t need to ept it,¡± she said sadly. ¡°I don¡¯t want to step on any toes. After all¡­ your family is wonderful. I wouldn¡¯t want to destroy this happy ce.¡± There it was¡­ that pathetic, deceitful tone that I hated. ¡°Hey,¡± I said, mming my hand against the table, causing the princess to jolt up as she stared at me. ¡°You¡­ what do you like the most about Leon?¡± I asked, narrowing my eyes. ¡°Huh?¡± she voiced, surprised. ¡°I asked what you like the most about him,¡± I repeated, lifting my chin at her. ¡°Why do you want my husband? Do you want him to push you down and give you a child or something? What is it?¡± Ariel¡¯s cheeks gained a bit of a blush at my words. ¡°Well¡­ I certainly wouldn¡¯t mind that,¡± she said before shaking her head. ¡°But no¡­ if I had to say why I loved him¡­ it would be his warmth.¡± Her lips then curled into a pleasant smile. ¡°There¡¯s also that overprotectiveness that I¡¯vee to desire, as well as his unwavering support,¡± she continued. ¡°But if you¡¯re looking for a physical trait¡­ I suppose it would be his eyes. They¡¯re so genuine, after all. They¡¯re very¡­forting.¡± I stared at her for a few moments before my lips quirked up in a smirk. This girl¡­ she wasn¡¯t bad. ¡°I see¡­ then I ept,¡± I said. If she had said something about his face or body, or even his strength and power, then I would definitely have refused. But if it was for something like that¡­ well, at least I knew she wasn¡¯t ying games with him. She was serious. ¡°H-Huh? That easy?¡± she said, confused. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be like this for anyone, princess¡± I said, narrowing my eyes. ¡°But since you¡¯ve been living with us for a while, it doesn¡¯t really change much at home, does it? And you¡¯re spending so much time with Leon anyway, so if we¡¯re keeping things equal, it won¡¯t change how much attention we get once he gets home either.¡± At least it better not. ¡°Mm. I ept as well, for simr reasons,¡± Roxy said. ¡°But still¡­ the three of us work because we¡¯re equals. I trust Leon would ensure everything is like that, and I am sure that he wouldn¡¯t neglect us, but the three of us work because we all know we¡¯re equals. Can you ept that, princess?¡± Ariel smiled at both of us before she shook her head. ¡°I understand, however, I don¡¯t know if I can ept being an equal,¡± she said. ¡°After all, I am the so-called ¡®homewrecker¡¯, no? How can I hold a candle to you three¡­¡± Sylphy was about to speak up, but Ariel held out her hand to stop her. ¡°But¡­ I still n to hold a special ce in Leon¡¯s heart, just like you three do,¡± she said, looking between Roxy, Sylphy, and I. ¡°And I don¡¯t n on being abandoned.¡± There was that confidence that made me respect this woman, despite having no fighting talent to speak of. Her determination was impressive. ¡°Still¡­ I doubt Leon ns on treating you as anything lesser. If he did that, he knows that our family wouldn¡¯t be as stable as he wishes,¡± Roxy said. ¡°Anyway, now that you¡¯ve been epted, we need to talk about scheduling time. Especially since you will eventually be Queen.¡± ¡°Oh? You¡¯re very confident about that,¡± Ariel said, surprised. ¡°This is Leon we¡¯re talking about,¡± Roxy replied. ¡°If I wasn¡¯t sure about your sess before, even with his promise and the Man-God thing, now that you will be his family, I have no doubt he¡¯ll make you seed.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ right¡­¡± Ariel said, beaming as she looked down at the table. ¡°Family¡­ we¡¯ll be a family¡­¡± Well¡­ at least she seemed happy. ¡°Yes, and to keep such a happy family, we¡¯ll need to talk a bit more,¡± Roxy said, her lips quirking up into a small smirk. ¡°But¡­ that can wait forter. After all, I think you have something to do first.¡± Ariel tilted her head in confusion before looking out the door, watching as a small ball of fire lit up the end of the path, revealing a tall man with a sleeping child riding his shoulders as she rested against his head while another was held in his arms. ¡°Oh¡­ yes¡­ I suppose I do,¡± Ariel said, getting up. ¡°But¡­ I do think this will require privacy, so¡­ I will be in my room.¡± And with that, she departed from the dining room towards the stairs, the wooden stairs creaking as she ascended. Haa¡­ well, I knew that our family would be growing a bit bigger soon, but I expected it to be Ars. But this¡­ well, it wasn¡¯t the worst. But I still felt a little frustrated. Leon will just have to give me a nice night to make it up to me. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°I¡¯m¡­ home,¡± I said, looking into the house. ¡°Ah¡­ wee back,¡± Sylphy said,ing out from the dining room. ¡°Did¡­ everything go well?¡± ¡°Yeah, Aria tired herself out by ying with Julius, and Anna looks to be crawling soon,¡± I said, taking the sleeping Aria off of my shoulders. ¡°So¡­ how did the talk go?¡± ¡°It went well,¡± Sylphy said, taking the snoring Anna from me as she gestured into the dining room. ¡°You already know my stance on it, but you should talk to them.¡± ¡°I nned to,¡± I said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. ¡°Mmm¡­ and just so you know¡­ she¡¯s up in her room right now, likely feeling very anxious,¡± Sylphy said, looking at me. ¡°Just so you know¡­ I¡¯m fine with just sleeping for tonight. Love you.¡± And with that, she gave me a kiss back before heading upstairs, likely for the night. Well¡­ I guess I knew what Sylphy wanted me to do. Releasing a sigh, I then headed into the dining room, where Eris and Roxy were both sat at the table. ¡°Hey¡­¡± I said, readjusting Aria as I went over to them. ¡°How are¡­ well¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re fine with it, Leon, so you can stop worrying,¡± Eris said, turning to me. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯ll just fade into the background, understood?¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Roxy said, reaching out for Aria as I deposited her into her mother¡¯s arms. ¡°We know that the princess has genuine feelings and that you two spend a lot of time together already, so there¡¯s no displeasure on that front. But¡­ just don¡¯t forget about us.¡± What? ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous,¡± I said, looking at the two of them. ¡°You know I would never do that.¡± Roxy smiled slightly. ¡°Yes, we know. And we don¡¯t n on letting that happen, either. But still, we need you to remember that.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I remember that¡­¡± I said. ¡°But¡­ are you sure you¡¯re fine with it?¡± Eris crossed her arms. ¡°Obviously. Don¡¯t ask such a stupid question.¡± Roxy simply shook her head. ¡°I trust you to respect our decisions, and the fact that you needed our approval before even thinking of following through was enough.¡± Damn¡­ they were serious about this. ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked. ¡°You¡­ you know I¡¯m more than happy with just you three, right?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Eris said, nodding her head. ¡°So stop wasting your time around here. If you refuse Ariel after everything for our sakes, I¡¯ll be pretty mad.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be mad, per se, but you should know that we are fine with it,¡± Roxy added, squeezing my hand. ¡°And I can already tell, you know. You like her as well.¡± The pressure of her grip increased to the point where I questioned if she was really a magician. Roxy¡­ I was getting some mixed signals here¡­ But she was right. I felt extremely happy right now that they all epted Ariel, because the entire time I had been at my parents ying with Aria and Anna¡­ I hadn¡¯t stopped thinking of her. The way she smiled at me, the sweet words in her diary that still resonated in my head¡­ my mind was filled with that troublesome princess. I had already betrayed them. Perhaps not Sylphy, since she was the one who made this all happen, but I did betray these two, as I already loved Ariel before I got their eptance. I had always respected her, and after seeing a bit more of her true self, I nned to devote myself to protect her, both as a ruler and a person. But after seeing that diary, it made her seem so¡­ normal. So human. Like a regr girl that was madly in love¡­ madly in love with me. A regr girl that I wanted to make happy, and a regr girl that I wanted to keep to myself. Truly¡­ I was extremely selfish. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± I said, leaning down to kiss both of their heads. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Eris huffed. ¡°You¡¯re still mine, and she¡¯s only allowed because I approve.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ it¡¯s the same for me,¡± Roxy said. ¡°But keep it at four. Even we have our limits.¡± ¡°I¡­ really don¡¯t n on loving anyone else,¡± I said, frowning a bit. I would definitely stop at four, right? Yeah¡­ even though I never looked at her as a lover, Ariel was essentially part of our family before this, so she was an exception. ¡°But I¡¯m still upset, so tomorrow, I expect you to make me a very happy woman,¡± Roxy said, pinching my cheek. ¡°But for now¡­ I suppose Ariel can have the night. As long as youe to bed afterwards.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ I got it,¡± I nodded, feeling a mix between astonishment and excitement. I had already nned on taking Roxy and Eris on a date, but that just cemented those ns. ¡°And I¡¯m only letting you go because I can¡¯t, alright?¡± Eris added, pulling my ear. ¡°So stop wasting your time down here.¡± Oh¡­ oh, they wanted me to do that. Well¡­ I guess it was my time to be a man, and it would certainly relieve Ariel¡¯s anxiousness. ¡°R-Right¡­¡± I muttered, giving them each a final kiss goodnight before turning to the stairs. Truly¡­ this was such an odd situation. Ignoring the oddness, I walked forwards, heading towards the stairs. Arriving at the second floor, I looked ahead to Ariel¡¯s door as I slowly raised my hand. Haa¡­ right. Let¡¯s do this. Ignoring my rapidly beating heart, I knocked a few times before slowly opening the door, revealing the sight of Arielnguidly sitting on her bed, her hand pausing its way through her hair as she looked over at me. ¡°Ah¡­ Leon¡­ wee back¡­¡± she said, fiddling awkwardly with her hair. Such a cute gesture¡­ love really changed how you see things, huh? ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m back¡­¡± I said, shutting the door behind me. The tension in the air was palpable as I slowly made my way over to her, sitting down next to Ariel as I looked forward. Now¡­ how would I do this? Ariel¡­ the princess¡­ Right, the princess. I suppose I should start with what made me interested in her before all this love stuff. My respect for this woman¡­ the one I nned to make queen, even before the introduction of the Man-God. ¡°Ariel,¡± I said, my words causing her to tense beside me. ¡°I¡­ have always respected your drive to take the throne¡­ and I enjoy being there for you¡­¡± She nodded her head. ¡°Yes¡­ and I thank you for that, regardless of¡­ us,¡± she replied. Right¡­ us¡­ ¡°Ariel¡­ you said you love me, right?¡± I asked. ¡°Are you going to make me say it again?¡± she replied, turning to me with a pout and flushed cheeks. Cute. Did she pick that up from Sylphy? ¡°No, it¡¯s just¡­ how much do you love me?¡± I said, turning to face her seriously. ¡°If I asked you to give up your dream for the sake of us¡­ would you do it?¡± She stared at me in shock for only a moment before narrowing her eyes. ¡°I would refuse.¡± Yeah¡­ I expected that. That wasn¡¯t like the princess I hade to know and love. She was more determined than anyone to fulfill her duty, even willing to give up her newfound love andforting warmth of family for it. ¡°Haa¡­ I¡¯ll need to get another ring, I guess,¡± I said, leaning forward. Ariel Anemoi Asura¡­ she was tantalizingly beautiful, so there was no hesitation on that part. Instead, all of my hesitance was to do with feelings. Did she love me? Well¡­ her diary pretty clearly answered that. Was she prepared to be with me? Her heartfelt confession earlier today answered that eloquently. And then, there was thest thing¡­ was she simply drunk on her feelings? The princess that I respect and fell in love with was just that, a princess. A princess fighting for her homnd¡¯s throne, both for personal promises, and also to better the nation. And knowing that she was still that same woman¡­ I felt all my hesitance fade. Bringing my hand up to cup her cheek, I gently ced my lips on hers, relishing in the feeling of the softness. Her mouth widened slightly in surprise, but a momentter, she reciprocated, her hands crawling up my arm as we continued with our kiss. And then¡­ after a moment of both of us looking into each other¡¯s eyes¡­ I kissed her again¡­ and again¡­ and then the world disappeared. The passion that she had kept to herself, as well as the passion I had begun to harbour, all exploded as we continued to kiss, before finally, we both separated. The two of us taking some calming breaths as we looked at each other in silence. Yeah¡­ I did love her. Perhaps before, it was more the kind of love one holds for one¡¯s partner, as well as the love that one holds for a friend. But knowing that she held me so dear, that love was able to easily transform into something romantic. Were we moving so fast? Perhaps so. But I loved her, and she loved me, and I didn¡¯t n on letting her go, so this¡­ this was more than fine. Hesitation was for those unsure about something, and there was none of that in this case. So kissing her¡­ especially when it made us both feel so good¡­ there was no need to wait. ¡°Leon¡­ please hold me,¡± she asked, leaning her head forward. ¡°Of course, Ariel,¡± I said, granting her request. Pulling her head into my chest, I felt as she wrapped her arms around me, cuddling close as I heard her began to sniffle. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± I asked, gently raking my hands through her hair. ¡°N-No¡­ not at all,¡± she said, halting her crying as she looked up at me. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m really happy.¡± Looking down at her face, I felt my body freeze. That smile¡­ that soft smile she was showing right now¡­ Without a doubt, it was the prettiest smile that I had ever seen on her. It was the sort of smile that could easily win over a country and seduce any man. Well¡­ with me here, there was no need for that¡­ but it did make my breath hitch, so that was nice. And to know that this was a face that only I could see from her¡­ that only I brought out of her¡­ It felt very good, to say the least. ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t really need a ring at the moment,¡± she said, utching from me as she reached back to let down her hair. Taking off the ck ribbon that I had gifted her so long ago, she tenderly wrapped it around her finger before looking back up at me. ¡°But¡­ this should suffice for now, no?¡± she said. ¡°Besides¡­ there are other ways to show that I¡¯m yours.¡± She then grabbed my hand, cing it on her breast as she gave me a sultry smile. ¡°But first¡­ I want to hear you say it,¡± she said. Say it? Ah¡­ right. It seems that feeling her breasts had caused me to stop thinking for a moment. Whoops. ¡°Yes¡­ I love you, Ariel,¡± I said, leaning forward to kiss her again. ¡°I want to be there for you, in more ways than just getting you to the throne. I want to make you feel safe, happy,fortable, and most importantly¡­ loved.¡± And those were my true feelings. Sure, it would be ignorant to say that I felt as much of a connection with her as I did with my other three wives, but considering our feelings, as well as our connection in the future with our love¡­ I was fine to grow our rtionship with time. ¡°Good¡­ then, as a potential, queen, it would be prudent to produce an heir,¡± she said, wrapping her arms around my neck. ¡°So how about we get started, Leon~¡± Chapter 99 – A Princess’ Lust (R-18) Chapter 99 ¨C A Princess¡¯ Lust (R-18) ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Ariel pressed her lips against me, manoeuvring herself to mount me as her arms wrapped around my neck. ¡°Mmm¡­ Ariel¡­ are you sure?¡± I asked, my hands unconsciously moving to slide down her back, where her dress was tied up. Wasn¡¯t this a little fast? Not that I minded. But for her¡­ ¡°Yes¡­ I want this more than anything,¡± she said sensually. ¡°You don¡¯t know how incredibly horny I am, Leon. And that was before you kissed me.¡± ¡°I see¡­ then¡­ I¡¯ll be sure to make this enjoyable,¡± I said. ¡°Please do,¡± she returned, smiling as she once again captured my lips with her own. Her hands reached down to the hem of my shirt, slowly pulling it over my head as I began to untie the back of her dress. The two of us kept their eyes closed as we continued kissing and relishing in the new sensations of each other¡¯s touches. Ariel¡­ she was very warm. Almost like a furnace. I could feel her heat as I slowly took off her dress, my hands tracing across her skin and causing her to shiver. And now that we were so close¡­ I was able to notice a few other things too. For one, she smelled nice. Like vani, with also a subtle floral scent. This was likely due to her perfume, but I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what her natural scent smelled like as well. Ah¡­ yeah, I was definitely a Greyrat. ¡°W-What are you smirking about?¡± Ariel asked, looking at me with lidded eyes as we separated. ¡°Nothing,¡± I said, wrapping my arms around her. ¡°Just thinking about how to make you feel amazing.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll need to do much-!¡± Her words were cut off as I pushed her down to the bed, removing her dress in one swift movement as my hand traced down to her panties, rubbing along the fabric as she twitched. She was already a bit wet¡­ but not to the point of being drenched. I would have to change that. ¡°Princess¡­¡± I said, tracing kisses up her stomach before I reached her face, lifting myself so that I was staring down at her. ¡°You teased me quite a bit over the years, no?¡± ¡°H-Huh? What does that have to do with this?¡± she asked, wincing as my finger rubbed up her slit towards the band of her panties. ¡°Well¡­ I just think it¡¯s time I pay you back,¡± I said, narrowing my eyes as my tongue traced across my lips. While I didn¡¯t think of myself as a pervert, thinking about taking a princess¡¯ innocence¡­ well, if it was any other princess, I wouldn¡¯t care, but this princess¡­ she was mine. ¡°Huh? W-What do you mean-? Mmph-!¡± her question was interrupted as my lips mmed into hers, my right hand tracing up her body as my left pulled down her panties. Continuing to kiss her deeply, I began to utch her bra as I gently rubbed across her slit, causing the princess to shiver and her grip on my hair to increase in strength. Feeling how wet she quickly got, I gently stuck the tip of my finger into her, enjoying how warm she felt and how her hips bucked, but a momentter¡­ I took it out, continuing to massage around her pussy and clit instead of fingering her. My actions seemed to displease Ariel, as she quickly separated from me, looking at me with a frown, obviously asking ¡®why¡¯ with her eyes. ¡°Sorry, Ariel,¡± I said, removing her bra as I used my now free hand to grab her face. ¡°You need to be punished.¡± Her eyes widened as she nodded at me with a zed look. Huh? I¡­ wasn¡¯t certain, but I think she just got a bit wetter. I didn¡¯t have much time to ponder about the odd action, as I immediately pulled her into yet another hard kiss, my tongue tracing along hers as I began to fondle her breasts. They were smaller than Eris¡¯, but bigger than Sylphy¡¯s. Seemingly average sized, though they did have a certain softness I couldn¡¯t help but get excited by. Continuing my attacks, I began to flex some of my experience on the beautiful princess beneath me, grinding my hips against her thigh as I gently nibbled and sucked on her lower lip and her tongue. It was clear that there was some awkwardness on her part, but that quickly faded away as we got into it, her breaths turning ragged as her hands traced up and down my bare chest and back. With my hands moving from her chest to rake through her hair, I decided that the princess had been teased enough. The sweet moans she had been releasing as I brushed across herbia had be too much to handle. And so, with my fingers already drenched in her essence, I slowly inserted them into her slit, feeling her arch back as she sucked needily on my tongue. I guess she really was horny. Hopefully tonight would help with that. Curling my fingers, I began to explore Ariel as we continued kissing, keeping my senses sharp in order to know where exactly this woman liked being touched the most. Ah¡­ she was a virgin, wasn¡¯t she? I would have to be gentle then. Feeling my fingers brush against a piece of flesh, I felt Ariel clench around me as she released a breathy moan into my mouth, her hands iling to the bed to grip the sheets. There it was¡­ Focusing on that spot, I then brought my other hand down with the intention to y with her clit, only to forget that her hair was wrapped around it, causing me to pull her hair quite roughly. ¡°Mmmgh!¡± she moaned, her thighs involuntarily squeezing my arm. My movements momentarily paused. She¡­ did she enjoy that just then? Deciding to explore, I readjusted my grip on her hair, once again pulling down, hard enough to pull her head back and away from my lips. ¡°A-Ahh~!¡± she moaned. I then felt her insides clench around me as her body began to tremble, and rubbing against that special spot, she quickly copsed against the bed, a ssh of liquid pooling in my palm. Observing the state of the princess, I noticed her flushed skin and shaky breathing, her eyes zed over as she stared at the ceiling. Did¡­ did she juste from that? No¡­ I think she did. Wait¡­ Sylphy did mention her awakening something during their time back in the capital¡­ was Ariel possibly a masochist? Gently tugging on her hair again, I watched as her lips formed a sensual smile as her eyes widened in pleasure. So she was¡­ well, I guess I didn¡¯t have to be gentle then. No¡­ if I wanted to make this as good as it could be for her, I actually needed to be quite rough. Well¡­ not that I minded. Roxy was not as durable as the rest of my wives, and while Sylphy would do whatever I want, I knew that she liked the loving kind of sex the most, sotely, I had not been able to go as hard as I could since Eris was pregnant. But now¡­ Releasing her hair, I slowly undressed as I used some wind magic to blow out the nearbyntern, leaving a single candle to light the room in a sensual orange glow. Turning back around, I once again nced over the naked form of Ariel, her panting having calmed to regr breathing as she looked back at me, her eyes centred below my waist. This pervert¡­ well, I guess that isn¡¯t quite right, seeing as we were now together. Now what to do with her¡­ Hmm¡­ yeah, let¡¯s go with that. Climbing back onto the bed, I sat with my back against the headrest next to Ariel, the princess looking at me confused as our eyes met. ¡°You already came, right?¡± I said. ¡°So what about me?¡± A sh of understanding crossed her face as she nodded her head, and with one hand brushing the hair out of her face and holding it back, she slowly lowered her face toward me cock. ¡°Mmm¡­ so this is a man¡¯s thing¡­ how interesting,¡± she said, gripping it as she breathed in deeply. ¡°Haa¡­ this is nice indeed. The scent of a man¡­¡± ¡­Never mind, even if we were together, she was still a massive pervert. But¡­ I suppose she was my pervert now. ¡°Suck it,¡± I demanded, my harsh tone causing her eyes to widen and back to straighten. Yeah¡­ a masochistic pervert¡­ that was Ariel. But at least now I knew how I could make her feel amazing. Nodding her head, she slowly lowered her mouth to my tip, her eyes looking up at me as she took me into her mouth, the warmth sending a pleasant tingle down my spine. Releasing a shaky breath, I extended my hands to grip her hair as she continued sucking me off. She was still inexperienced, andpared to my other wives, her technique wascking, but that inexperience was charming in its own way. Watching her continue to bob up and down, sucking on my tip as her lips created a seal, I then felt a wave of¡­ something, wash over me. Was it because I knew that this was what the princess liked? Or was it simply a different side to my desires that I had previously kept locked away? Either way, seeing that beautiful face servicing me, I felt the desire to mess it up. And so, with my hands still gripping her hair, I forced her head downward, shoving her lips all the way to my hips as I filled her mouth. As I had thought, it seemed that this was something the princess enjoyed, as she released a pleasurable groan before quieting down as I grabbed her head, moving it up and down as I began fucking her mouth. This wasn¡¯t the tender loving that I was used to, nor was it the passionate kind that Eris adored, no¡­ this was rough. But that roughness was something that Ariel seemed to adore, and as for myself¡­ well, the new experience was quite nice. So, with me choking her as I continued forcing her to please me, and the selfish thought of having this beautiful girl all to myself, the heat of arousal quickly became too much to handle, as I released an orgasm with a final thrust, apanied by a grunt. Coming down from my high, I looked down to see Ariel slowly raise her head, my limp cock falling out of her mouth as a dribble of cum leaked out of the corner of her mouth. Her eyes then looked up at me, narrowing in lust as she sent me a small smirk before loudly gulping, my eyes tracing down her throat before she suddenly opened her mouth, revealing that she had swallowed essentially all of me. I didn¡¯t know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn¡¯t that. And that¡­ was very arousing. So arousing, in fact, that I felt my member begin to stand for attention again, signifying the beginning of the actual act. My eyes trailing down her naked body, I nced over her breasts, her hips, and her thighs before reaching her feet, where her ck ribbon was syed out beneath her. It must have fallen off of her finger during the act, but now¡­ I think I knew how to use it. Getting to my knees, I gave Ariel a deep kiss before pushing her to the bed, shoving her face into the pillow as I went behind her. ¡°Good girl, Ariel,¡± I said, kissing down her back. ¡°Now¡­ are you ready?¡± ¡°Y-Yes,¡± she said, though it was muffled. Good. Grabbing her hands, I pulled them behind her back before grabbing the ribbon as well, keeping her wrists held together as I began to bind them together. ¡°H-Huh? What exactly are you doing?¡± she asked. ¡°Tying you up,¡± I answered, tightening the knot. ¡°W-What? Tying me up?¡± she said before her voice took an odd tone. ¡°L-Like a dog? So that you can do w-whatever you want to me?¡± ¡°¡­Exactly,¡± I said, finalizing the binding as Ariel released a heated breath. It seems that my assumption was more on point than I had realized. This girl was absolutely a sexual degenerate. With her hands bound behind her back, and her face pressed against the pillow, I positioned myself behind her legs, my cock that was back at full mast rubbing between up and down her soaking slit. It seemed that she was ready¡­ well, I guess there was no need to do anything else. So, with one hand reaching over to keep her pressed against the bed, I used the other to line up my cock before I slowly thrust forward, feeling the soft, warm flesh wrap around my member as I delved deeper into her. Ariel released an aroused groan, her back arching and her toes curling as I bottomed out inside of her, my hips mming against her shapely ass, my mouth releasing a sharp hiss as I did so. Damn, she felt good. Moving both of my hands to her hips, I didn¡¯t even ask if she was ready before I began my movements, thrusting in and out of her as I watched her body from behind. The way her hands struggled¡­ the way her back flexed with each movement¡­ the muffled moans¡­ the way her asshole twitched¡­ it was all very exciting. Seeing her bound like this, and practically gagged from the pillow andpletely under my control, I felt something¡­ awaken within me. I would say this was dangerous, but considering Ariel was now mine¡­ well, these new desires had the perfect outlet. With a new sense of excitement shooting through my body, I attacked her entrance in earnest, my hips mming against her ass, producing the sound of pping flesh and the squelching of fluids as she became increasingly wet. Our actions continued, the two of us falling into our own world as we fucked, with me simply using her for my own pleasure, as if she was a tool to satisfy my desires. Luckily, I didn¡¯t have to feel too bad about that, as that was exactly what Ariel wanted to be done to her. Perhaps it was due to her being a princess and having all the responsibility thates with the position, but contrary to one might expect, Ariel didn¡¯t want control when in bed with me. Instead, she wanted to be used. And used her I did. Feeling myself near my climax, and from how she was trembling, Ariel as well, I then did something that waspletely foreign to me. Looking down at her bottom that was pointed up to my face¡­ I reached my hand down, caressing it gently¡­ before smacking it. ¡°Mmgh!¡± she groaned, her core clenching around me as her head pressed further into the pillow. With my spanking seemingly taking her over the edge, I felt a ssh of fluid soak my thighs as she squirted from her orgasm, and with that as the signal¡­ I also reached my climax, bottoming out into her, reaching as far as I could as I released my cum into her. Leaning over, I hugged her from behind as my member continued to pulse, emptying everything I could into her depths as I squeezed her body. With my mind numb from pleasure, Iid down atop of her, the two of us slowly catching our breaths as we calmed down from the heights of pleasure. ¡°That¡­ was quite enjoyable,¡± she said, turning her head around to kiss my chin. ¡°But please¡­ don¡¯t tell me that is all?¡± I smirked. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of it, princess,¡± I said, kissing her back. ¡°But just know that we won¡¯t be stopping for a while.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ I would hope not,¡± she returned, smiling bashfully. And so, as one would expect¡­ our actionssted long into the night, with the two of us cementing our love that had blossomed over this very hectic day. Chapter 100 – Visiting Home Chapter 100 ¨C Visiting Home ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Is that good?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes¡­ it¡¯s wonderful,¡± Ariel said, looking at her hair in the mirror. ¡°While not as good as Sylphy, it seems that dealing with Aria has made you quite skilled.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m d, but I think I¡¯ll leave this to Sylphy from now on,¡± I said. ¡°Mm¡­ that is eptable,¡± she said, smiling at me through the reflection. ¡°Anyway, I think we should head down to breakfast. It smells wonderful, even from here.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± I said, taking her hand as she got to her feet. After a very active night in bed, Ariel and I then went back to my room, where we slept together with Roxy and Eris, as Sylphy had decided to keep watch of Anna in Roxy¡¯s room for the night. I did make sure to focus on Eris and Roxy before falling asleep, ensuring that they knew that my love for them didn¡¯t diminish in the slightest, but I ended up cuddling quite a bit with Ariel through the night as well, as she became very needy. Not that I minded, though. After all, this was the part of our rtionship that Ariel wanted the most, and was also why I had be so quickly endeared to her. She wanted the love and warmth she had always been deprived of throughout her entire life, and so, while she enjoyed the rough and passionate sides of sex, she also enjoyed cuddling afterwards. Something which I happily granted, especially with how cute she was. But still¡­ I definitely needed to stop at four. Ignoring the fact that the four women I was with were the only ones I could conceivably think of forming such a close connection with, there was also the fact that I was only one man. Considering Ariel¡¯s devotion to the throne, Roxy¡¯s devotion to knowledge, Eris¡¯ to the sword, Sylphy¡¯s to the home, as well as the multiple children we were bound to have, I was confident in being able to be there for my wives when needed¡­ but this was absolutely my limit. Anyway, with Ariel¡¯s hair done, and her clothing prepared for the day, we then headed downstairs hand in hand, spotting Sylphy as she carried a te of food from the kitchen to the dining room. ¡°Ah! Good morning!¡± she said, smiling at the two of us. ¡°Your hair looks wonderful, Ariel.¡± ¡°Why thank you, Sylphy. But rest assured, this is meant to be your job,¡± Ariel returned, smiling back at her. ¡°Only the touch of my favourite guard is enough for a princess like me.¡± ¡°Fufu! Yes, I suppose so,¡± Sylphy said. ¡°Though, at this point, I¡¯m not simply your guard. We¡¯re family, no?¡± Ariel¡¯s eyes widened before she calmed into a smile. ¡°Yes¡­ that is precisely right,¡± she said happily. The two of them seemed to have a conversation with only their eyes, only to stop as they both giggled sweetly. That¡­ was a little creepy, but I suppose they were close like that. Considering how long I was Eris¡¯ tutor and how I went to the Begaritt Continent without my silver-haired wife, it wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to say that these two had been together longer than Sylphy and I. With us moving toward the dining room, I was met with the sight of Eris talking down to Aria, seemingly scolding her for ying with her food as my daughter pouted and turned away, while Roxy was feeding Anna some crushed fruit with a small smile. But aside from my family, I noticed that there was another guest here this morning. ¡°So it¡¯s true¡­¡± the man said, looking at Ariel and me, or more specifically, our intertwined hands. ¡°Princess¡­ you¡­ with him¡­ what is this farce?¡± The guest being one Luke Notos Greyrat, as one might have expected. After returning from my morning training, and starting on Ariel¡¯s morning routine, the two of us had a little talk about her guardian knight. After all, we both expected him to not take the news of our rtionship very well, but more importantly, now that Ariel was to be my family, I wanted to exin to her a bit more about some things that I knew. Particrly about what I had learned in Oldeus¡¯ diary, and how Luke was a likely candidate to be manipted by the Man-God, if he wasn¡¯t already. And seeing how he was angrily ring at me, his eyes swimming with confusion and frustration, if there was any time for him to be my enemy, it would surely be now. I don¡¯t believe Luke was an apostle, at least at the moment, but that could easily change. And I wasn¡¯t one to keep an enemy so close. But just as I had promised after revealing this to Ariel, I would leave this all to her. She believed in his loyalty, and I did as well¡­ but just because he was loyal to Ariel, doesn¡¯t mean he was loyal to my and the rest of my family. ¡°This is no farce, Luke,¡± Ariel said calmly. ¡°You understand I need a husband, correct? What is the issue for choosing Leon to be it, considering I can already trust him to be on my side.¡± Luke gritted his teeth. ¡°But that¡­ he already has three women!¡± ¡°And I will be his fourth,¡± Ariel responded. ¡°Is that a problem?¡± ¡°Of course, it is!¡± Luke shouted, flinching slightly as Eris red at him before continuing in a quieter tone. ¡°You¡­ how do you know he isn¡¯t using you? Why would you be with someone like him, especially with your standing!¡± ¡°Why? Well, that is a simple thing to answer,¡± Ariel said, looking up at me. ¡°It¡¯s because I love him.¡± Seeing how warmly her eyes stared at me, filled with affection and trust, I felt a warmth blossom in my heart, the heat burning through anyst shards of hesitation in my decision. ¡°And I love you,¡± I said, leaning down to peck her nose. ¡°Mmm¡­ I know,¡± she said, smirking teasingly. ¡°Especially afterst night~¡± This princess¡­ she was mine now, but she was definitely still the same, especially in regard to her perverseness. Reaching over, I grabbed her ear before lightly pulling it to quiet her. ¡°Ah~! That only makes me hornier~!¡± she said, squinting in happiness. I quickly let go. Dammit¡­ this girl¡­ to be honest, I was a bit worried that my princess might be a bit too much for me. ¡°No¡­ that¡¯s¡­ impossible¡­¡± Luke said, his eyes wide in confusion. Oh, right. He was here too. I had kind of gotten lost in Ariel¡¯s antics. ¡°It is very possible, as it has already happened,¡± Ariel said. ¡°Luke¡­ if you want to talk about thister, we can at your own leisure. But for now, let us have breakfast together. Now that I have a husband, and possibly an heir in the future, we need to revise our ns for our return. And there is no way we can do that on an empty stomach.¡± Luke calmed down a bit at this, his intense re never leaving my figure as he nodded. ¡°Yes¡­ alright, my princess¡­ I will ready everyone else for a meeting,¡± he said before walking away. With the sound of the front door mming behind him, Ariel slowly released a pent-up sigh. ¡°Haa¡­ I had expected this, but it is still unfortunate for him to be so frustrated,¡± she said before looking at me. ¡°But s, with enough time and exnation, I am sure things will be clear. So you can leave everything on that front to me, darling.¡± Right¡­ at least I knew that Luke¡¯s feelings weren¡¯t rted to jealousy, but that still didn¡¯t change how difficult he was going to be about all this. Ignoring the way my heart soared at the nickname, I nodded my head. ¡°I trust you, but still¡­¡± ¡°I know. You have told me of the dangers of that being quite a bit,¡± she said before raising an eyebrow. ¡°But still¡­ isn¡¯t there something else you should be worried about? Such as informing your parents about their new soon-to-be daughter-inw¡­¡± Ah¡­ right. Fuck¡­ Mama was absolutely going to kill me. Aisha would probably be happy since she knew Ariel, and Norn and Rudy would likely not care, but Mama was going to be a problem. And Paul too, now that I thought about it. Not with him being against it, but rather the relentless teasing I was about to face. Before, I could use the defence of all three of my wives having the agreement to polygamy beforehand, but with Ariel¡­ that wasn¡¯t the case. Well, I guess I would just have to bear with it. With Aria widening her arms with a gleeful smile after seeing me, I gave her a smile in return as Eris used the moment to shove a spoonful of porridge into her open mouth, quickly ending the touching father-daughter scene that was taking ce. Well, I was just d Eris was taking to motherhood so well, though it was a different type of lovepared to Sylphy and Roxy. A much tougher love. Sorry, Aria. Turning my gaze over to my other daughter, I returned her smile, as I then noticed Roxy looking at me with a small frown. Actually, she was looking at Ariel and me. Did¡­ she not like Ariel? That would be a problem. If it was beforest night, I would absolutely not have pursued the princess any further, even if I cared about her in my own way even back then. After all, I had an obligation to keep my wives happy first. But afterst night¡­ I couldn¡¯t just leave her alone now. She was mine, and I was hers. I loved her, and I was in too deep to stop now. ¡°Is¡­ something wrong, Roxy?¡± I asked. ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s nothing, Leon,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ Eris is nearing the end of her pregnancy, and from the sound of things, Ariel will want a baby as well¡­ so there isn¡¯t much time left, thus, I would like to do it now.¡± ¡­Huh? ¡°Uhh¡­ do what now?¡± I asked, confused. She turned to me, her eyebrows curling down into a small frown before she shook off her difficult expression, looking at me with clear, determined eyes. ¡°I want to visit home,¡± she said resolutely, before her cheeks gained a bit of a blush. ¡°And¡­ I want you toe with me¡­ so we can spend some alone time together¡­ with Aria too.¡± Ah¡­ I see. She had briefly brought up the idea of seeing her parents, but from the sounds of things, that brief thought had turned into an actual goal. ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s a long journey¡­ I would have to check the journal, but it will likely take a two months in total, from what I remember.¡± I knew that there were quite a few teleportation ruins in the Demon Continent, likely due to how vast and barren it was, so there should be one quite close to her home vige. And luckily, Orsted had given me a bit more ruin locations that Nanahoshi hadn¡¯t recorded, so my range of movement had now expanded to most of the world. ¡°Yes, and right now is the only window I can see where two months are avable, considering that the issue of the Asura Kingdom will be happening after that,¡± she said. That¡­ was true. Roxy then turned to Ariel, bowing her head slightly. ¡°I apologize. I know you two just cemented your rtionship, so for me to take him for myself right afterwards¡­¡± ¡°Think nothing of it,¡± Ariel said, waving off her concern. ¡°Not only is this a way to pay you back for allowing me this happiness, but¡­ well, let¡¯s just say thatst night will keep me satisfied for a long while.¡± Roxy¡¯s cheeks tinted red. ¡°Yes¡­ those were some¡­ impressive sounds, after all.¡± Ah¡­ so I needed to set up a sound barrier next time¡­ that was good to know. I had a feeling that Ariel was quite vocal, but I had been¡­ distracted, to say the least. But with my own experience from childhood, I knew that I didn¡¯t want to subject Aria and Anna to such noises. ¡°Indeed. And besides, now that I am in a rtionship with Leon, I am also in one with Sylphy as well by proxy, am I not?¡± Ariel said, turning to Sylphy with a smile. ¡°We are family now, after all, so there is nothing wrong with keeping each otherpany when our man is away, no?¡± Sylphy blushed a bit. ¡°Please do not tease me like that, Ariel.¡± ¡°Of course, my apologies,¡± she said,ughing. Well¡­ while Ariel said that, I had a feeling she wasn¡¯t teasing in the slightest. I didn¡¯t really mind if they did such things when I was away, as long as it was between them, but still¡­ I just had to hope Ariel would know to keep her hands to herself if refused. But then again, if she decided to try something with Eris, and she had to physically stop her¡­ well, that might pleasure the princess in its own way. As I had discoveredst night, the princess had quite the masochistic side. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Dada¡­ are we there yet?¡± Aria asked, looking back at me from the saddle. ¡°No, sweetie,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you hate camping with Dada and Mama that much.¡± ¡°Huh? No! I love it!¡± she quickly corrected before frowning. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ hot. And I miss other Mamas.¡± Gently tussling her hair, I attempted to turn that frown upside down. ¡°I know¡­ but we¡¯ll be back soon, don¡¯t worry,¡± I said. ¡°And speaking of that¡­ we¡¯re here.¡± Well, not really, but I could finally see the vige. We had been venturing through the Demon Continent for a few weeks now, and honestly, it had been quite nice. Between the transportation, my abilities, and Roxy¡¯s knowledge, things were much easier than my first time around, even with Aria being with us. The walking? Well, we had my beloved horse here to handle that. The heat? Well, some wind and ice magic could deal with that. The food? Luckily, we had packed enough. And shelter? Well, with my expanded knowledge after my time in Millishion, my Demon eye, and my new concealing spells, I was able to trust the barriers I put up much more and sleep through the night without a problem. Honestly, the only issue so far had been boredom, but I had tried to keep Aria happy with some games and books I had taken, and as for the nights¡­ well, Roxy and I were able to keep silent, so those were some fun times for us too. I missed home, that was for sure, but it wasn¡¯t so bad as my little trip to Asura before, likely since I had Roxy and Aria with me. Of course, with the Man-God as my enemy, as well as the threat of assassins towards Ariel, I was a bit worried, but I think I could leave the protection of my wives and Anna to Rudy and Orsted. And while I wouldn¡¯t want her to strain herself now that she was nearing her third trimester, I could trust Eris to protect them as well. As we continued trotting towards the vige, I lightly shook Roxy awake from her nap, her body that was curled into my chest slowly stretching out. ¡°We¡¯re almost there,¡± I said. ¡°Ngh¡­ we are?¡± she murmured, wiping her eyes as she slowly came to consciousness. ¡°Ah¡­ yes¡­ this scenery is familiar.¡± I noticed an odd tone in her voice. A tone that had appeared more and more the closer we got to our destination. ¡°Are you afraid?¡± I asked. ¡°Well¡­ a little,¡± she said, frowning. ¡°I have been thinking about them a lot¡­ my parents, I mean¡­ but I am worried that I am wrong. What if they love they felt for me wasn¡¯t as much as I remember? What if I had hurt them more than I assumed? What if¡­ what if seeing me just makes things more painful?¡± I gently patted her head, kneading her scalp as she leaned back into my chest. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that,¡± I said. ¡°I can assure you that nothing bad will happen. They still love you, and they haven¡¯t been destroyed by your departure. If anything, they are worried about you, so now we just need to show them that you¡¯re safe and happy, right?¡± ¡°¡­Right,¡± she said, nodding her head. ¡°Thank you¡­ for dealing with a difficult girl like me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not that difficult,¡± I said. ¡°¡®Not that difficult¡¯¡­ so I am difficult?¡± she asked with a smirk. ¡°Of course. If you weren¡¯t, I wouldn¡¯t have any use as your husband,¡± I said, kissing her forehead. ¡°And considering everything¡­ I think I am the much more difficult one in this rtionship.¡± ¡°Hehe. At least you know it,¡± she said, kissing my cheek in response. Aria, who had been squinting forward in an attempt to see where we were going, then pointed with a smile. ¡°Mama! Dada! Look!¡± she eximed. ¡°Yes,¡± I said, patting her head. ¡°That¡¯s where we¡¯re headed.¡± Coming closer to the vige, just likest time, there was a guard standing at the ready, his eyes narrowing at our group. ¡°Who goes there?¡± he said in the Demon God tongue, causing Aria¡¯s eyes to knit in confusion. Right¡­ we should probably teach her more of her homenguage. Roxy had been doing so with a few stories, but it definitely wasn¡¯t enough for her to be fluent. ¡°These are my guests,¡± Roxy said, taking off her hat to reveal her hair. ¡°Am I allowed entry into my homnd?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ yes, of course,¡± he said, stepping away from the entrance, his face showing an expression of confusion. It seems that with Roxy here, entry would be quite a bit easier than before. Getting off the horse, I let Aria ride my shoulders as I took the reins, following behind Roxy as she slowly made her way through the vige. With a few of the vigers going about their lives looking at us in confusion, their expressions became even more perplexed as they focused in on Roxy, while my wife hid her face by tipping her hat down as she continued walking. I was confused at the interaction before finally remembering about the reason Roxy had such a difficult time with her home in the first ce. Telepathy. The vigers must have been trying to talk to her, but to no avail, and were thus confused as to why one of their own wouldn¡¯t respond. Stepping closer to her, I reached down to hold her hand, intecing our fingers as I tried to give her a bit offort. Luckily, my subtle action seemed to work as her head tilted up, giving me a grateful smile as she squeezed back. Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to keep holding her hand, I had to let go a few momentster so that Aria wouldn¡¯t fall off my shoulders. Eventually we reached the somewhat familiar hut, and tying the horse¡¯s reins around a pole I conjured from the ground, the three of us stood outside the hut, Roxy clenching her fist in silence as she psyched herself up for the long-awaited meeting. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, my beloved daughter quickly broke the tense silence. ¡°Turtle!¡± she eximed. ¡°Big turtle!¡± ¡°Yes, sweetie¡­ that¡¯s what they use for houses here,¡± I said, letting her down to hold her in my arms. My daughter¡¯s exmations seemingly heard by the inhabitants, the door p then parted to reveal two familiar figures, their blue hair shining in the sunlight as they looked at the three of us with wide eyes. As I thought¡­ Roxy definitely got her beauty from her mother, and considering Rokari was over a hundred at this point, the future Leon was a very lucky man. ¡°R-Roxy?¡± Rowin sputtered out after a moment of shocked silence. ¡°Roxy¡­ is that you?¡± Rokari, who was covering her mouth with her hands in shock, then ran forward. ¡°Oh, Roxy! We missed you so much!¡± she cried, wrapping Roxy in a big hug, who was standing still in shock. ¡°You¡¯ve¡­e back! You¡¯vee back to us¡± Rowin said, slowly walking over to them with a voice brimming with emotion and slight disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re safe!¡± As the three of them shared a hug, I watched on with a smile as Roxy slowly wrapped her arms around the two as well, a few tears threatening to escape her eyes as I kept a tight hold of Aria. I know she wanted to join the little group hug, but I think they should have this moment together first. Not to mention how shocked they would be of the little Roxy once they realized her presence. After a few moments, the three separated, with Rowin and Rokari looking over Roxy onest time before turning their heads to me. ¡°You¡­ Leon, right? It¡¯s been¡­ a¡­ while¡­¡± Rowin¡¯s voice trailed off as he noticed the girl in my arms. ¡°¡­Who is that?¡± ¡°This is Aria,¡± I answered. ¡°Aria Greyrat, your cute and loveable granddaughter.¡± His jaw dropped, and Rokari¡¯s eyes glinted in happiness. ¡°I did say I would return as your son-inw,¡± I said, smirking a bit. ¡°So pleased to meet you, Mother, Father.¡± Rokari¡¯s smile widened even further as her eyes darted between Roxy and me, her cheeks gaining a bit of a blush as she chuckled sweetly. Rowin, on the other hand¡­ ¡°G-G-Granddaughter? Y-Y-You¡­ son? Wait¡­ Roxy? You? Married? Family?¡± he stuttered. Yeah¡­ as I thought, it was a bit too much to handle at once. Looking over at Roxy, who seemed a bit bashful, I gave her a small smile before turning back to the parents. ¡°Yes. There is definitely a lot to exin, but for now¡­ I think I¡¯ll leave you three to talk in private,¡± I said, readjusting my grip on Aria, who seemed to have understood that these two were rted to her despite theck ofmunication. ¡°I¡¯ll go explore the vige with Aria here in the meantime, so talk as long as you need to. I¡¯m sure you can find us when we¡¯re done.¡± Looking back at Roxy, I gave her a small kiss of reassurance before walking away, leaving the three of them to do what should have been done long ago. And as for me¡­ ¡°Dada? Who were they? Where are we going? What¡¯s Mama doing?¡± she asked in rapid session. ¡°I¡¯ll tell youter,¡± I said, reaching into the pack over the horse to produce a ball. ¡°For now, how about we find a ce to y together?¡± Her eyes lit up in happiness as I filled the ball with air using wind magic. ¡°Yay! Sa!¡± she eximed. Yes, the ever-famous game that Rudy had introduced to our family and the orphanage. It was a good way to pass the time while Roxy reconciled with her parents. ¡ª Roxy Greyrat ¡ª ¡°So¡­ it seems that you¡¯ve found yourself a man, Roxy,¡± my mother said, smiling at me. ¡°Does he treat you well?¡± ¡°Err¡­ yes, he does,¡± I said, fiddling with my cup of tea. That was certainly a way to start things. I had never realized how embarrassing it would feel to talk about such things with my mother¡­ I would have to take this into ount when Aria grew older. ¡°Hm? Is that so? Considering that girl¡­ Aria, right? Well, it seems that you two are more than happy, if your daughter can smile so cutely,¡± she said, smiling at me. ¡°I¡¯m d, Roxy. I¡¯m happy for you.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ thank you, Mother,¡± I said, averting my eyes. Her gaze¡­ it was so warm. ¡°Tsk. Well, I still don¡¯t like him,¡± my father said, sitting down beside Mother as he crossed his arms. ¡°Plus, what about that other girl that was with him? I¡¯ll be damned if I let my daughter be with a two-timing bastard.¡± Er¡­ well¡­ how would I exin this? After a moment of deliberation, I decided to let them remain ignorant of our family situation for now. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be such an annoyance, Rowin,¡± my mother said, lightly hitting his arm. ¡°I know you¡¯re grateful to him. He¡¯s the one who brought our daughter back here, right?¡± I slowly nodded my head, a small smile forming on my face. ¡°You could say that,¡± I said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have made the journey if it wasn¡¯t for him, as we live in the north of the Central Continent. But as for my desire to visit¡­ I guess that has more to do with Aria.¡± Aria and Sylphy, to be more precise, but I would keep my co-wife a secret untilter. While Aria had allowed me to understand these two, it was Sylphy that gave me a sense of urgency. After all, this meeting¡­ she didn¡¯t have such a luxury. It made me feel I should meet them in case anything happened, and it became toote, something that could easily happen with long living races such as mine. My father looked at me, confused. ¡°Your daughter? What about her?¡± he asked. I opened my mouth to respond, but found it quickly sping shut as I tried to find the right words. How¡­ how would I exin these feelings? I was sorry for putting them through such pain, but if I could do it again, I would in a heartbeat, so regret wasn¡¯t quite it. Right¡­ Leon said they must have been worried¡­ so should I reassure them? No, that couldeter. But for now¡­ what did I want to say? My eyes drifted towards the shelf, noticing a few relics of my childhood, seemingly untouched over the years. As I saw those items, a few memories shed through my mind. My mother reading to me as a toddler, teaching me and herself how to speak¡­ all for my sake. As a child, I had always wondered why they went through so much trouble for an annoying girl like me, but after having Aria¡­ I could understand. For my daughter, I would do anything. Then, when I had that meltdown after realizing that I would never fit in this vige, how guilty they felt, hugging me close as they released their own tears of sorrow. Back then, I didn¡¯t understand¡­ I didn¡¯t understand at all. I thought that my meltdown was the thing causing them pain. Making them regret their very lives, or at least the one after having me. But that couldn¡¯t be further from the truth. They loved me. They truly, unconditionally loved me. And that pain they had felt was not due to me, but rather their guilt. I had felt the same, after all. The instant I held Aria in my arms and noticed the colour of her hair, I had felt the same. And then those thoughts¡­ thoughts of Aria growing past her second birthday, only to leave the next day, departing on a journey because of something I had done¡­ even though that hadn¡¯t happened, and Aria was a very happy child, the mere thought tore my heart to pieces, so much so that I cried into Leon¡¯s chest for much of that night. To put my parents through that¡­ without a word of reassurance after all these words¡­ yes, there was certainly some guilt there too. But past the guilt¡­ past the understanding¡­ past the reassurance I needed to give them about my current life¡­ there was something more important. ¡°Mother¡­ Father¡­¡± I said, my voice cracking as I felt the tears began to flow down my cheeks. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I love you!¡± Rocketing into their arms, I felt them flinch in surprise before they returned the hug, my mother calmly patting my head, just like she had when I was a child, and my father awkwardly squeezing the two of us. Yes¡­ that was the most important thing. I needed them to know¡­ past that I understood them and that I was sorry¡­ I needed them to know I loved them. I needed them to understand that me leaving wasn¡¯t their fault. And I needed them to know that I was happy¡­ so happy that they were my parents. ¡°Roxy¡­ wee home, my daughter,¡± my mother said, her voice also nasally from crying. ¡°You¡­ you¡¯ve always been wee here,¡± my father added. ¡°Yeah¡­ I know¡­ and I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said, leaning into my mother¡¯s chest as I felt myself rx. Our tender moment continued for a few moments, and as we separated, I then nned to give them an exnation of my story since I departed home. From meeting Bloody Kant and adventuring the continent, going to the University of Ranoa, meeting Leon as a child, bing a prince¡¯s tutor, searching for Leon¡¯s family, and finally reuniting with Leon and bing his lover¡­ I wanted to tell them all of it. But it seemed that fate had other ns, as Leon appeared through the p in the next moment, his expression a mix of tense and confused as he held Aria close to his chest. ¡°Leon? You¡¯re back already?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m not mad, but¡­ didn¡¯t you say I woulde to you afterwards?¡± ¡°Ah, yeah¡­ I did, sorry about that,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ something came up.¡± Something came up? Now I was really confused. ¡°Dada?¡± Aria said, pulling on her father¡¯s cor. ¡°How those kids talk in head?¡± Ah¡­ so that was it. It seemed that the trait of the Migurd had been passed onto my daughter. ¡°Haa¡­ just one thing after another with this family,¡± I muttered, shaking my head. Leon, on the other hand, just looked apologetic. Well¡­ I suppose this wasn¡¯t a bad thing. Chapter 101 – The First Son Chapter 101 ¨C The First Son ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª A few months had passed since Roxy, Ariel, and I went on our little adventure to the Demon Continent, and luckily, nothing had gone wrong during our time away, as well as the month after returning. As it turned out, it seemed that my daughter had inherited the Migurd tribe¡¯s unique ability to use telepathy amongst themselves, which was definitely a shock. She was only three, so obviously I wasn¡¯t able to know everything about what it felt like from her childish exnations, but ording to Roxy¡¯s parents, it¡¯s a mix ofnguage and feeling being transferred between different Migurd¡¯s heads. What did this mean? Well, it meant that even though Aria didn¡¯t really know the Demon God tongue, she was still able to make some friends during our week spent there, and luckily, the ability was instinctual, so there was no need for her to train it. Now that we were back home, it would probably not get any use for the rest of her life, but then again, she would be weed in that vige if she ever wished to visit, and perhaps she would share a special connection with her sibling once Roxy gave birth again. Anyway, after that shocking discovery, the five of us sat down as Roxy and I exined her life since leaving home up to when she returned, with Aria taking the boring talk between grown-ups as an opportunity to get acquainted with her grandparents. It was a nice talk, as I got to learn a few bits about Roxy I hadn¡¯t before about her adventure after leaving home, and I got to learn even more about the child Roxy from her parents, though my wife was quite embarrassed about some stories. Anyway, as the talk came to rescuing my mothers from the Begaritt Continent, it was then that we revealed the true nature of our family. That being the fact that I had taken three wives, with a fourth on the way. Well, suffice it to say, I got a p from Rowin, and since it was both deserved and quite weak, I didn¡¯t put up a resistance. I did, however, promise those two that I would make their daughter happy, which they epted, especially after hearing how pleased Roxy seemed with her new life. Anyway, after our week spent getting familiar with each other, it was then time to go, as we couldn¡¯t stay all the way in the Demon Continent forever. Roxy¡¯s parents both told us to visit again, but with Lace and the Man-God making things difficult, unfortunately, I likely wouldn¡¯t get the chance for another five years, if we were lucky. They waved off my concern pretty easily, however, telling me that even in thirty years would be fine. That¡¯s the power of longevity, I suppose. But yes, it was a peaceful trip, and in the month preceding it, nothing big really happened. Ah¡­ well, that wasn¡¯t quite right. There was one event that had happened. And quite a significant one at that. ¡°Agh!¡± Looking down at the bundled-up baby in my arms, I smirked as I slowly rocked in the chair, the movement seemingly calming down my new baby boy before he could break into a set of cries. Nearly exactly a month after we returned, on the seventh month of the year K424, Eris had given birth, granting us the miracle of one Ars Greyrat, the first son of the household. I suppose Eris¡¯ predictions were correct in saying she would give me a boy. Not that it mattered, though. With him inheriting both his mother¡¯s red hair and matching set of eyes, Ars was born without any difficulty, as Eris simply pushed him out without much of a fuss. It was such a shockingly easy birth, that even Lilia was impressed. That¡¯s my Eris for you. Though it also helped that, unlike with Sylphy and Roxy, the child having my human side didn¡¯t make things difficult for her in terms of size. I do wonder if he¡¯ll follow his mother¡¯s footsteps and be a swordsman, or if he would take on my side of merging magic and martial might, but for now, he was just a cute, defenceless baby. And a baby that had also unfortunately inherited Eris¡¯ impressive set of lungs. While I didn¡¯t really care about the crying, I did feel a little bad for Aria and Anna. Maybe I should get some instion to block off the sound between walls. Not only would it help my kids with their siblings cries, it would also nullify any sounds from¡­ other activities. But speaking of magic and martial might¡­ I needed to start training Aria soon. Probably by the next year. I promised myself to let my kids choose their own path, and I still stood by that, but I still nned on having them learn how to defend themselves before letting them go into the world. And ignoring swordsmanship, it was better to start training their magic as early as possible so that their capacity could grow, and they could easily learn chantless casting. Looking at it now, our family was quite impressive in terms of fighting power, at least amongst my wives and I. I myself was at the pinnacle of the Emperor rank, and Eris was at the pinnacle of the King rank, and as for Roxy and Sylphy, while they weren¡¯t as impressive as that inbat, with their chantless casting, and impressive battle experience, both of them I could confidently put in the heights of the Saint rank in terms of prowess. Of course, that only left Ariel, who had no strength to speak of, but ording to Orsted, her ¡®fate¡¯ was quite strong, meaning she was very unlikely to die from random causes, so I wasn¡¯t too concerned about her. Plus, she had her incredibly powerful family here to defend her now. It was at that moment that Eris walked in, her stride confident and firm, even though she had given birth only a few days ago. Yeah¡­ she was really damn impressive. Even with healing magic, beingpletely recuperated after three days was quite a feat. ¡°How was training?¡± I asked. ¡°Fine. Now that this bugger is out of me, I feel back to full strength,¡± she said, reaching down to tussle Ars¡¯ hair, even though it was only a few strands. ¡°I see. Tell me if you need any healing, okay? Sylphy said there were some pains afterwards as her body went back to normal,¡± I said, smiling at her. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I get it,¡± she said. ¡°Anyway¡­ Leon.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± I said, looking at her. ¡°I¡¯m going to be Ariel¡¯s guard now,¡± she said. Well, that was blunt. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ wonderful,¡± I said, smiling. ¡°That will lighten my load a bit. Thank you, Eri.¡± ¡°Hmph. We¡¯re family, so don¡¯t thank me,¡± she said, looking away with a bit of a blush on her cheeks. ¡°But anyway¡­ I just wanted to say that while I¡¯ll be doing that¡­ I want to be a mother too.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ yeah, that¡¯s obvious, no?¡± I replied, tilting my head. ¡°I just wanted to tell you!¡± she said, frowning a bit as she reached over to pull my hair. ¡°By the way¡­ are you nning to cut this soon?¡± ¡°It is getting long¡­ why, is it bothering you?¡± I asked. ¡°N-No, it¡¯s just¡­¡± she said, reaching up to fiddle with her hair that now reached her breasts. ¡°Well¡­ I want you to be prepared for tonight, is all.¡± For tonight? What¡¯s happening¡­ oh. ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m prepared,¡± I said, nodding a bit. ¡°Good,¡± she said, eyes narrowing as her voice turned into a slight growl. ¡°It¡¯s been nine damn months, so don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be sleeping tonight after keeping me waiting for so long.¡± I did want to say that it wasn¡¯t me keeping her waiting, but rather Ars, here, but I decided to ignore that. ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m excited,¡± I said, smiling back at her. And from that look in her eyes, it almost seemed that she wanted to get started on baby number two. Though, considering how annoying she thought pregnancy was, I doubted she wanted to go through that again for a while. So tonight¡­ it would simply be expressing our passionate desires that had been held back for so long. I didn¡¯t know exactly what was in store for me, but something told me that I would definitely need a sound barrier. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Year K424, Eighth Month, 17th Day ¡®It¡¯s been a while since I wrote down an update on life, save for a few moments I decided to record, but with Ars fast asleep in my arms, I decided that now would be a good time.¡¯ Looking down at the sleeping boy in my arms, I smiled as I dipped my quill in the bottle of ink. The two of us were currently outside, sitting in the table and chair that had been set up near Mom¡¯s grave, and while I wasn¡¯t one to rx that often, this was a nice ce to write in my diary, as long as the wind wasn¡¯t too strong. But then again, even if it was, I could always control it to go around me so it wouldn¡¯t disturb the pages. Now, what to write¡­ I guess I should go over the biggest change to the household that has happened recently. Aside from Ars, that is. That being a certain golden-haired woman entering our family. ¡®It has been five months since Ariel and I became lovers, but considering I went to the Demon Continent for a couple, it was really only our third month together. In all honesty, not much has changed since the beginning of our new rtionship, since she had been living with us before then for her protection, but there was a new sense of genuineness that she revealed both around me and my wives that wasn¡¯t there before. Oh, and the kisses and the sex too, of course. Back to the genuineness, I was happy that Ariel felt sofortable and loved, and even though she joinedte, she had well and truly be part of the family, even pitching in with some household chores now and then. Who would have thought that an Asuran princess would be ever seen doing dishes after dinner? But that ability to want to contribute to the family,pletely casting away her royal pride¡­ that was what I loved about her. Either way, things had been going smoothly, and I was incredibly d that my selfishness hadn¡¯t ruined my precious family.¡¯ I decided to leave out the nighttime activities that Ariel had brought into the rtionship, even though they were¡­ very satisfying, to say the least. Under the guise of ¡®efficiency¡¯, or perhaps their own affection, Sylphy and Ariel often bedded me together more than by themselves, leading to some very stimting experiences. It seemed that I was wrong in my assumption that Ariel was a masochist. While she definitely was one with me, when Sylphy was involved¡­ well, let¡¯s just say that I have learned that women could have two sides to them in bed. For everyday life, Ariel treated Sylphy as her equal even though she was her liege, but in bed, she took on a more controlling personality. But it was incredibly arousing to watch, and Sylphy didn¡¯t seem to mind, so I had noints. But anyway, I should purge such impure thoughts from my head before I identally wrote down something embarrassing. ¡®Yes¡­ I was d, and I was also lucky. I had to ensure I was the best husband I could be to my women, considering I didn¡¯t really deserve them.¡¯ Though with Ariel, I suppose that assumption didn¡¯t hold up, as her and Rudy had no intimacy in the alternate timeline. But still, it was an unfortunate thing that had been constantly guing my mind. I had briefly thought of talking about it with my wives, but¡­ I was also scared. What if they changed how they felt, after reading the diary? There were enough details for them to know that in Roxy and Sylphy¡¯s cases, they were happy with Rudy¡­ or at least they were before he became scum. So knowing that¡­ of course I would be a bit afraid. But ultimately, aside from my slight insecurity, it wasn¡¯t all that bad. After all, there was no better motivator to remind me not to rest on myurels. I already knew those four deserved the best man in the world, but knowing that I wasn¡¯t the only man who could make them happy made my fire of determination burn brighter. Now¡­ what else to talk about¡­ There was nothing much to say about Ars, since he was only a baby and hadn¡¯t shown any of his personality yet, but he wasn¡¯t my only child. Oh¡­ right, there was that. ¡®I built a swing in the expanded orphanagest week, so that is something interesting. Rudy even joined in, with him building a ¡®yground¡¯, something from Shizuka¡¯s world, which was a set ofs and ¡®slides¡¯ to climb up and slide down. It was quite the fascinating structure, and the children at the orphanage, as well as Aria and Lana, absolutely loved it. Even Anna was happy, but she was a little shy and scared of the loud kids, so that was when I got to have some important daughter-father bonding time as I helped her up and down the thing. And on the topic of my kids¡­ first, there was Aria. Even though she was over two years old now, she still cried a lot. Often out of nowhere, throwing a tantrum when things didn¡¯t go her way, even if they were insignificant. Some would call it overdramatic, and in some ways they were correct, but I was able to look past that when I considered that every bad thing she experienced was one of the worst things that had happened in her life. She was experiencing all these emotions for the first time, so it made sense that she would react so horribly. Luckily, the fits and tantrums didn¡¯tst long, and I was able to calm her down quite quickly. Whether it was due to her being a ¡®Dada¡¯s girl¡¯, or simply her base personality being that of a happy, excitable child, I didn¡¯t know, but I hoped it was a mix of both. And then there was Anna. She was nearing her first year of life, and she had hit all the milestones to show for it. She was now able to say her first words, which consisted of ¡®Mama¡¯, ¡®Dada¡¯, ¡®No¡¯, and ¡®Yes¡¯. She was also now an expert at crawling, and had recently begun to walk, albeit with the help of furniture holding her up. I was happy to see that my little girl was growing, but unfortunately for me, it seemed that Anna liked her mothers a bit more than her old man. I wasn¡¯t too upset, as she was still plenty happy with me, especially when she and her sister yed with me during bath time, but I couldn¡¯t help but be a bit fearful at how she might act once she became a teenager. If she ever said ¡®Dada, I hate you!¡¯, I don¡¯t think I could recover. In that regard, perhaps Paul was a bit stronger mentally than I thought, being able to take Aisha and Norn¡¯s hatred for so long. Then again, he did say he had experience with women who were upset with him, so maybe it was a trained skill¡­ if you could even call it a skill. I hoped that I never needed to get good at that. But yes, all three of my children were shaping up to be the healthy and happy kids that I had always hoped they would be.¡¯ And with the family side of things written down, it was now onto the other side of things that I liked to update. My abilities and also those of my allies. With the n to get Ariel on the throne, and the consequent beginning of the n concerning Lace, as well as the ever-looming threat of the Man-God, it was important to ensure that my strength was recorded, as well as the progress of it. After all, it would be unfortunate if there was a spell or technique that would easily take down Lace, only for me to not use it do to forgetting having learned or creating it in the past. ¡®Over the past few months, I have been focusing on training with Oldeus¡¯ magic. That being gravity, telekinesis, as well as his impressive abilities with lightning magic. It¡¯s been very difficult, and I still can¡¯t quite get a grasp of gravity and telekinesis, but I have gotten very skilled at lightning magic. If I were to exin it, before, I was able to generate lightning, but once I set a path and released, I had absolutely no control over the magic, but with some techniques that Oldeus¡¯ revealed in his diary, I could now use lightning like any other element, with absolute control. I was hoping that with enough practice, I could merge my lightning magic with my fire magic and create pure sma, being able to send out beams of concentrated energy as my main attack. But that still seemed quite far away, and at the moment, it was tough for my magic to hold a candle to my swordsmanship, especially now that I could merge my touki and mana together inbat, for the most part.¡¯ I still wasn¡¯t near Orsted¡¯s level, but I was getting better at it. I was aiming to be able to use it seamlessly before the fight against Lace, as he very likely had just as strong of a defence, so I still had time to grow stronger. And hopefully, after Ariel gets to the throne, I¡¯ll be able to fill in any gaps in my understanding of the technique once Orsted starts training me. But I wasn¡¯t the only one growing. ¡®With Eris no longer pregnant, she had gotten back into training with an intensity that waspletely foreign to me. She must have learned that from the Sword Sanctum. We have been training together quite a bit in the morning, where we would spend half the time sparring while I tried to bring out her touki so she could actively control it. For Eris, her touki was extremely strong and fluidly controlled, likely due to her determination and practised skill, but she still didn¡¯t know how to control it to the point of moving it outward or performing technical Water God techniques. But she was great at instinctively using it with her body, which for the Sword God style, was all she needed. She also had a knack for improving after being shown how, so while her overall swordsmanship was still weaker than mine, if it was the simple movement of the Longsword of Light, she was already at my level, or at least close to it.¡¯ She was damn impressive, that wife of mine. I could honestly see her bing a Sword Emperor pretty soon, if she wasn¡¯t already. The titles for that school were a bit useless, considering how it relied on spars overseen by the Sword God, but I suppose we would be able to test her skills a little better once Ghiine returned from the Great Forest. And then finally¡­ there was my brother. We still had our weekly meetings at the bar with our father, but other than that, we didn¡¯t interact much, save for whenever our kids visited each other. But that was fine. We both had our own families to take care of, and while I was focusing on helping Ariel and improving my Elemental style, he had his time taken up with helping Shizuka with her experiments and getting better with his Magic Armour. We had been having a few spars now and then, both so he could see what needed to be improved with his new weapon, and getting used to using it, and I could now say that my brother was nearing the level of an Emperor-rankbatant. Still¡­ it was a bit hard to tell how strong Rudy was in a fight. If we were going by pure power, he was already stronger than me, as if he focused intently on a spell and used enough of his insane mana reserves, he could probably decimate an entire city in one move. Butbat wasn¡¯t just about power. His previous weakness of being unable to use touki, which had made him extremely fragile, had been fixed with his Magic Armour, but there was still the trouble of hisbat instincts being sub-par, especially once someone got close and his previously made ns went off course. Hopefully, a lot of that would be fixed with experience, but considering a warrior¡¯s battle sense heavily relied on enhancing their senses with touki, which he couldn¡¯t do, he was always going to be a bit slow inbat. But that was fine. He would have his big brother here to defend him from the front, so he could focus on casting his magic from the back, where his strengths were suited best. But yes¡­ everyone was growing, I was getting stronger, and our family was quite happy. Life was¡­ good. Yes. It was very good. ¡°Angh!¡± Ars cried, his face morphing into one of intense difort. ¡°Ah, are you hungry?¡± I asked, closing my diary. ¡°Let¡¯s get you to your mother, then.¡± Getting to my feet, I looked back onest time at Mom¡¯s grave, giving it a small smile before I began heading inside. To think I had already grown to the age of neen¡­ time really does fly. Chapter 102 – The Black Wolf Returns Chapter 102 ¨C The ck Wolf Returns ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Uhh¡­¡± I said dumbly. ¡°What is it, darling?¡± Ariel asked, moving her hand to caress mine that was pressed against her stomach. ¡°Is there perhaps something wrong with me?¡± ¡°N-No, not necessarily,¡± I said, trying to find the right words. Ariel appreciated conciseness, right? So I suppose I should just say it. It was just¡­ this was kind of something important for me as well. ¡°Well¡­ you¡¯re pregnant, Ariel,¡± I said, looking up at her. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise before she calmed her expression into an understanding smile. ¡°I see¡­ that certainly makes sense, considering how much we have been doing it recently, and it exins why I have felt a bit nauseoustely,¡± she said, sending me a smirk with lidded eyes. ¡°And I had certainly been wanting it, no?¡± Yes¡­ she certainly had. Aside from the erotic words that she would often shout in bed, asking me to ¡®fill her up¡¯ and ¡®make her a mother¡¯, she had also been ensuring I did exactly that by locking her legs around me and not having me cast a contraceptive spell afterwards. I guess the princess wanted an heir. ¡°But¡­ isn¡¯t this bad timing?¡± I said, worried. ¡°We¡¯ll be aiming for the throne soon, right?¡± Wouldn¡¯t a baby get in the way of that? ¡°Ah, but that makes this the best timing,¡± she said, nodding her head confidently. ¡°Not only do I now have proof of being fertile, a risk that would be quite disastrous for a female ruler, but by the time I graduate, I will have an heir that has survived infancy. An heir that I will quite obviously know is mine.¡± Yes¡­ that was true. While men were the ones usually in power among royalty and nobility, the best trait about a woman being in power would be knowing that their heir is actually their heir, considering she would be the one giving birth. So with her having a child now, by the time the next ruler was chosen for the kingdom, Ariel already had the next line of royalty secured, increasing her legitimacy. ¡°Besides, aside from my increased standing for the throne, that isn¡¯t the only reason I have wanted a child,¡± she said, her voice softening as she grabbed my chin, turning my head to look at her. Her eyes were really pretty¡­ ¡°After seeing the other three with their beautiful children, and how warmly you look at them¡­ it is only obvious I would want to feel the same, no?¡± she said before kissing my lips. ¡°But s, it seems I won¡¯t have to worry about that anymore. So thank you, darling.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ you¡¯re wee,¡± I said, smiling back. The two of us shared a gentle moment, looking into each other¡¯s eyes as we rested on the bed, before Ariel then moved to get up. ¡°But with this, I will also have to speed up my n, as it wouldn¡¯t be good for an heir to spend most of their lives outside the capital,¡± she said, adjusting her hair in the mirror. ¡°I was able to gain the support of the Fittoa region, luckily enough, but they won¡¯t choose sides for now as they need mary support from the capital for their development, and will instead lie low until I make my move.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s still good to have one great family¡¯s support, right? Even if it¡¯s only promised for the future¡­¡± I said, getting up as well. ¡°That is correct,¡± she said, nodding. ¡°But still¡­ it is not enough. At least in front of the influence my brother is gathering inside the nation uncontested. At this point, while I have no doubt in taking the throne, I would be worried about the enemies I would have afterwards.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s why you have me,¡± I said, wrapping my arms around her from behind. ¡°And as for those enemies¡­ well, I can just take care of them before they be a problem.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ for some reason, despite how stupid and childish that sounds, I can¡¯t help but feel aroused by those words,¡± she said, tilting her head up to kiss my jaw. ¡°But I suppose that overprotectiveness is the reason I fell for you in the first ce.¡± ¡°Is that really the reason?¡± I asked. ¡°One of them,¡± she returned before separating from me. ¡°Anyway, while there is no school today, that does not mean I can remain idle. We have our camp¡¯s meeting at lunch, so will you be joining?¡± ¡°Perhaps,¡± I said. ¡°I know that Eris can handle guarding you by herself, but I¡¯m a bit worried of how she¡¯ll act around Luke.¡± ¡°Ah, those two don¡¯t get along very well, do they?¡± Ariel said with a difficult smile. Well, it was more like Eris not getting alone with Luke, but I suppose that didn¡¯t matter much. And ¡®didn¡¯t get along¡¯¡­ that might be a bit of an understatement. ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t want Roxy to handle all the kids at once, considering it¡¯s her day off, so I¡¯ll ask my parents if they¡¯re fine watching Ars and Anna, and I guess I can let Aria y at the orphanage¡­¡± My voice trailed off as I looked out the window, watching as three figures made their way through the snow towards our house. It was the eleventh month of the year, which meant it was quite cold, so it was rare to see someone wearing such light and revealing clothing outside. Outside of Eris, there was only one person I could think of who dressed like that. But if it was her¡­ well, it had been nearly exactly three years, so I suppose it wasn¡¯t too surprising. ¡°Leon? Is there something wrong?¡± Ariel asked. ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s just¡­ it seems that we havepany,¡± I said, moving to head downstairs. To think that today, not only would I discover that Ariel was bearing my child, but I would also be meeting Big Sis after so long¡­ well, I always knew I was a lucky man. And considering the other two, if they¡¯re who I was thinking of¡­ well, Eris might be just as lucky as me. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª After a big happy meeting between Big Sis, Eris, her two friends and I, we then all sat down in the living room, with only Roxy absent, as she had decided to leave earlier to do some shopping. I had expected for Ariel to take this time to announce her pregnancy, but apparently she wanted to keep it a private affair for now, which made sense, considering that she would be revealing an imminent state of vulnerability that her enemies might try to use against her. Even if I knew that Ghiine could be trusted, it wasn¡¯t something that should be talked about to anyone. ¡°You have quite arge family, not that it¡¯spletely surprising,¡± Ghiine said, smiling at me as she then looked at my family. ¡°You are the son of Paul, after all.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t say that¡­¡± I said, rubbing my head. I didn¡¯t want to get reminded of the fact that not only had I taken more than one wife, like my dear father, but I had actually taken four, making me worse than him in that regard. And unlike before, where I held the moral high ground of having everyone agree to such a thing beforehand, with Ariel joining us, that was no longer the case. Haa¡­ The pain in my ear from Mama¡¯s protests upon hearing the news of Ariel still feels fresh, even if the two got along. ¡°So¡­ was your trip fulfilling?¡± I asked her. ¡°Mmm¡­ you could say that,¡± she said, her lips curling up into a soft smile. ¡°While I still believe that my brother and father¡¯s feelings toward me are unimportant¡­ it was still nice to reconcile.¡± ¡°I see¡­ well, I¡¯m d,¡± I said. I then looked over to the couch, where Eris was currently sitting with Ars on herp while Minitona and Tersena were on either side of her, squishing close to their friend as the looked at her baby in wonder. Apparently, Gustav did not trust his granddaughter too much, and considering what I knew of Linia, he wasn¡¯t necessarily mistaken. So, knowing this, and with Ghiine heading up here anyway, he asked her to take the younger set of beastfolk princesses to Ranoa in order to study and hopefully be smart women that will be able to take over their older sisters¡¯ positions should their idiocy be too much. But I didn¡¯t really care about that. I was just happy that Eris was able to reunite with her friends again. Though¡­ seeing the heated nces that she was sending them¡­ and then to me¡­ I had a feeling there was more going on inside her head than simply being d at their reunion. While no longer a noble, she was still a Boreas Greyrat at heart, and even I had to admit that the two¡¯s ears and tails were quite charming. But still, that look was a bit scary. It reminded me of how Ariel sometimes acted around Sylphy and I. So perhaps, Eris would want to y with them in a¡­ different way, but for now¡­ I think she was just d to see her friends again. Or at least¡­ I hope so. ¡°Anyway¡­ those two are joining the dormitories in the university, right? But what are you going to do?¡± I asked Ghiine. ¡°I¡­ think I will stay with Philip, Hilda, and Julius, and ensure that he grows into a good swordsman,¡± she said, looking down at her sword. ¡°While they should be out of danger, it is the only thing I can do with my skills.¡± Ariel, who was holding Anna, turned to Ghiine. ¡°Ah, but you are a Sword King, no? And even Leon has praised your skills,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°So I don¡¯t doubt that you can have many opportunities should you look for them.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I do enjoy fighting, but I still feel an obligation towards them, who saved my life and gave me purpose,¡± Ghiine said, shaking her head. ¡°Besides, I have been travelling and training for nearly all of my life. It wouldn¡¯t be bad to settle down now that I am getting older.¡± ¡°I suppose so¡­¡± Ariel said, humming thoughtfully. She probably wanted to ask her if she would like to join her once she takes the throne of Asura, but I think Ghiine had already made her choice. ¡°Well, if it¡¯s training my brother, I¡¯ve already started on that,¡± Eris said, passing Ars to Tersena as she stood up. ¡°But more importantly! Ghiine¡­ I¡¯ve gotten stronger!¡± Ghiine formed a warm smile as she nodded at her. ¡°I can tell. Do you want a spar?¡± ¡°Obviously!¡± Eris huffed. The two women weren¡¯t ones to wait around after such a challenge, so with Sylphy deciding to get started on lunch, and my two youngest children going down for their naps, I went outside to watch their duel with the two beastfolk princesses and my very own princess joining me. With me clearing the ground with some fire magic, the two swordswomen took their stances on the opposite ends of the yard, their hands hovering over their hilts as they stared at each other. ¡°Hm? What are they doing, Dada?¡± Aria asked, tugging my cor. ¡°They¡¯re about to spar,¡± I answered. ¡°It¡¯s like training.¡± ¡°Like when you and Mama Eri fight in the morning?¡± she asked. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right,¡± I said, patting her head. Though that was more of a way to increase our skills rather than see who was stronger, like what was happening here. ¡°Hmm¡­ but the air seems a bit tenser than usual,¡± Ariel added. ¡°Well, they¡¯re both Sword God practitioners, so their spars are usually finished after one move,¡± I exined. ¡°It¡¯s not like when Eri or Rudy and I practice, where even if we weren¡¯t training, it would still take a few exchanges. For these two, the battle is decided¡­ in an instant.¡± I watched as the touki red across both of their bodies, and casting a small sound barrier to block what wasing, the muffled crash of a sonic boom resounded through the air as they both leaped forward. If it was the Eris after returning from the Sword Sanctum, perhaps this would end up as a draw, or at least closer to it. But ever since birthing Ars¡­ Eris had grown much stronger. Not only did she now have a family to look to whenever she needed more determination, but while training with me, she had also picked up some tricks from the Water God and North God styles. Her techniques were still purely the Sword God style, of course, but whether she was trying to copy me, or perhaps using some methods that the current Sword God used, she had begun to morph the fluidity of the Water God and the unpredictability of the North God into her strikes. And the result of that? Well¡­ ¡°Grk!¡± Compared to Ghiine, Eris was now in her own league in terms of swordsmanship. Passing Aria over to Ariel, I then went over to Big Sis, who had kneeled down as she held her side that was beginning to leak blood, while her sword was stuck into the ground, seemingly deflected by Eris during their exchange. How impressive. Pressing my hand against the gash that had been cut out of her side, I began to heal her as Ghiine looked over at Eris with a satisfied smirk. ¡°You¡­ you have grown incredibly strong, Eris,¡± she said. ¡°You should be proud.¡± ¡°Hmph! It¡¯s obvious I would get stronger!¡± she said, casting her gaze over to the house. ¡°After all¡­ I have something important to protect now.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­ well, still, I congratte you,¡± Ghiine said, calming her breaths back to normal. ¡°I cannot give you a title, nor do I think you care, but at this moment¡­ you should consider yourself a Sword Emperor.¡± Eris simply shrugged, appearing nonchnt to all of Ghiine¡¯s praise, but if you looked closer, you could tell there was a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Ha¡­ she really was adorable. Perhaps I should tease her about thister tonight. ¡ª Roxy Greyrat ¡ª Lifting my head from my book, I looked over at Leon and Aria, who were both sitting in the living room with me, the lit firece bathing the room in a warm light despite the darkness past the windows. ¡°Dada! Can I have another cake?¡± Aria asked, looking up from her father¡¯sp. It seems that Leon had started doing some basic lessons in magic for her, consisting mostly of meditation, which was difficult for a child. I would say that such endeavours would be useless until she could read, but considering it was Leon and his unique methods we were talking about, I decided to let him take the reins on her education. It was cute to watch them, after all. ¡°A cake? Haven¡¯t you had one already?¡± he asked, looking down at her with a raised eyebrow. Aria averted her eyes a bit. ¡°Nope! Not one!¡± A lie. It was quite obvious to anyone who would care to witness it, but it seemed that my husband decided to pretend nothing was wrong and remain ignorant to his precious daughter¡¯s deceit. ¡°Really? Okay then, I¡¯ll get you another one,¡± he said, Aria¡¯s eyes lighting up in happiness. But before he got up, he paused, a sh of amusement ring within his eyes. Ah¡­ so he did notice. ying pretend¡­ he really enjoyed teasing his loved ones, didn¡¯t he? ¡°But you know, Aria¡­ your ears turn red when you¡¯re lying,¡± he said, his voice lowering as he whispered into his daughter¡¯s ear. They didn¡¯t, but Aria didn¡¯t know that. ¡°Huh!?¡± she eximed, instantly covering her ears with her hands, causing Leon to break out inughter. ¡°But alright, I guess I can¡¯t tell, so let me get you another one,¡± he said, picking up Aria and cing her on the couch as he went over to the dining room. My eyes following him as he departed, and I could easily tell that my lips were spread out into a grin at the previous disy, as well as all the things beforehand. Yes¡­ I really loved watching them. Perhaps it was selfish of me, but while I loved seeing Leon¡¯s gentleness with Ars and Anna, when he yed with Aria, it filled me with apletely different level of happiness. But that was fine. After all, even if I doted on Aria a bit more than the other children that weren¡¯t from my womb, it would be fine if Ars and Anna had their respective birth mothers doting on them more in return. And then Ariel¡¯s future kid¡­ Ah, well, either way¡­ it was really nice, to watch them be together. It also reminded me of memories of my own childhood. Memories that were no longer so painful to look back on now that I had reunited with my parents. Yes¡­ that was a very good idea indeed. I would have to thank Leon once again for taking me all the way there for something so small and¡­ well, not inconsequential, but something with little importancepared to many of the things that my husband faced. And speaking of that¡­ I was slightly worried. It happened after learning of the enemy known as the Man-God, or perhaps a little before it, but I had noticed that ever since then, he had been a bit¡­ distant. No. Distant wasn¡¯t the right word. It was more¡­ he tried very hard? He tried very hard in terms of our rtionship, that is. No¡­ that wasn¡¯t quite right either. He had always put his best effort into loving me and the other three, but recently¡­ it had been more desperate. As if he had something to prove. I didn¡¯t really understand, and at first, I had thought it had to do with the Man-God making things difficult, but now that I thought about it again¡­ I wasn¡¯t sure. I wanted to help him, but I knew more than most that helping without understanding anything could easily lead to disaster. Of course, I had asked if something was wrong, but he easily waved off my concern. If it was only that, I would have put it out of my mind. He trusted me, after all, and when it came to emotional intelligence, he was honestly better than me in many ways, despite my age. So I thought I could leave it to him. But instead of it causing a realization within him, that sense of desperation only increased around me from then onward. But, oddly enough¡­ that desperation couldn¡¯t be found around Ariel. Perhaps that was it? He must be worried about getting her to the throne. Or more urately, he knows that afterwards, he will have to focus on Ariel more than the rest of us, both for the public optics and Ariel¡¯s safety, and wanted to ensure the three of us knew how much he loved us while he could. It was a ridiculous notion. I knew he loved me, and after spending forty years of my life without a hint of romance, it wasn¡¯t as if I would go crazy with loneliness as soon as he turned my attention away from me. I didn¡¯t know any way to calm that feeling of desperation of his other than constant reassurances, which I had already been doing. And besides¡­ even I didn¡¯t enjoy seeing him like that, afraid that his love was not enough for me¡­ I would be lying if I said I hated the extra attention. Was it selfish? Absolutely. But¡­ Leon was selfish too, so¡­ it was fine, right? At the very least, if that desperation became too much, I was always here to make him feel better, just as the three other women he¡¯s captured with his devilish charms would, I was sure. So for now¡­ I just needed to keep making sure he knew that he could always rely on me, just as I did for him. ¡°Now don¡¯t make a mess, Aria, okay? This isn¡¯t the dinner table,¡± Leon said, walking back into the living room with my daughter¡¯s second helping of dessert. ¡°Okay!¡± Aria cheered. ¡°I have a feeling you didn¡¯t listen, though,¡± Leon said, sighing as he looked over at me, our eyes meeting as I smiled at him. ¡°Roxy? Is there¡­ something wrong?¡± ¡°Hm? No¡­ not at all,¡± I said, shaking my head as I then leaned forward, resting my chin on my hand. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I love you, is all.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± he muttered, his face gaining an adorable blush, a rare but very pleasant sight to see. ¡°Well¡­ I love you too.¡± Yes¡­ he did. He did indeed. Chapter 103 – The Floating Fortress Chapter 103 ¨C The Floating Fortress ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Look! Rudy, Leon! Look!¡± Shizuka said, happily jumping around the summoned fruit. ¡°It¡¯s a watermelon! A sign of life! A biological object! Finally, I can move on to the next stage!¡± Rudy pped his hands with a smile. ¡°Congrattions!¡± ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ congrats,¡± I said, pping as well. I didn¡¯t really understand what was happening, but Shizuka seemed happy, so that was good. While I hadn¡¯t been joining nearly as many of her experimentstely, this one was different, as it was a major milestone in her path towards returning home. But oddly enough¡­tely, I had felt that she seemed not so worried about failure. Was sheing to ept being in this world a bit more? Maybe¡­ but I had a feeling that wasn¡¯t all. But either way, that didn¡¯t matter right now. I had been somewhat waiting for this moment, as if I was correct¡­ ¡°Yes! But¡­ this was extremely difficult,¡± Shizuka said, calming down from her excitement. ¡°With multi-arrays, while it opens up a whole new dimension of possibility, it also leaves me with just as many questions andplications. Hmm¡­ I guess I¡¯ll have to consult him about this. He did say toe show him and progress as well¡­¡± Rudy tilted his head. ¡°¡®Him¡¯? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Ah, right. Actually, you two have been helping me quite a bit, so you can join us as a reward,¡± she said, looking at us. ¡°So¡­ would you like to meet the legendary Perugius? I know you and your princess have brought him up, Leon, so I¡¯ll extend the offer to your family as well.¡± This was the next stage in the n to get Ariel to the throne, and if Orsted¡¯s hints of advice were to be believed¡­ he was also the next person I could gain as an ally for the fight against Lace. Let¡¯s just hope it went well. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay with this?¡± I said, holding Roxy. ¡°Yes, it is fine,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°While it is unfortunate to not be able to see such a legendary ce, there is nothing we can do about Perugius¡¯ hate of demons. And besides¡­ there needs to be someone to watch the kids, right?¡± Yeah¡­ I suppose that was true, but I still felt a little bad. ¡°Right¡­ and what about Ars?¡± I asked. ¡°I know we¡¯ve been giving him mashed foodstely, but still¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s five months old, so he should be fine,¡± she said, reassuringly patting my cheek. ¡°And if he needs breast milk, I¡¯ll just look for a midwife, or maybe Elinalise. Either way, you should go now. I don¡¯t imagine that a man of such high status would appreciate you keeping him waiting.¡± ¡°Urk¡­ fine, you¡¯re right,¡± I said, kissing her lips. ¡°We¡¯ll be back soon, okay?¡± ¡°You can take your time. Juste back by the new year,¡± she returned with a smile. ¡°And don¡¯t cause any problems.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t n on it,¡± I returned with a smirk. And with that, Roxy got back on her horse with the carriage we had used to get here, before heading back to the city where the kids were currently being watched by my parents. I was a bit worried about leaving her and my children alone like this, but nothing had happened in the past year since officially bing the Man-God¡¯s enemy, so I think everything would be fine. And even if something did happen, I had asked Orsted to keep a better watch on my and Rudy¡¯s family¡¯s while we were gone, so I think it would be alright. ¡°Is everyone now prepared?¡± the familiar voice asked. I was quite surprised to see Arumanfi when we went to the location for our transport to the floating fortress, as he was the same spirit of Perugius¡¯ that had attacked us before the Discement Incident urred. Luckily, it seemed that his words from before were true in that he wouldn¡¯t harm us anymore, though Rudy and Eris did bristle a bit when he arrived, having apparently remembered him as well. ¡°Yes¡­ we¡¯re ready,¡± I said, looking around at the gathered people. The ones who would be meeting Perugius would be me, Ariel, Rudy, Shizuka, Sylphy, Eris, and Zanoba. Luke, of course, had also wanted to go, but considering that one of the main reasons for me going was to secure Perugius¡¯ aid against Lace for the eventual defeat of the Man-God, Ariel and I decided to keep him away for this instance. Besides, someone needed to take control of the student council and Ariel¡¯s camp in her absence, and he was her second inmand. Anyway, my other wives, Sylphy and Eris, were going as well, both to serve as guards for the princess, but also to be able to experience such a legendary ce as the floating fortress. And as for Zanoba¡­ well, I honestly wasn¡¯t sure why he came, but since Rudy brought him, I assumed it had something to do with the Magic Armour. ¡°Ah! I wonder what kind of statues reside in such a ce!¡± the man in question said. Never mind, it must just be his own curiosity. ¡°But¡­ I do hope that he is still interested in the state of the nation,¡± Ariel said, holding my hand. ¡°He has long since turned his head from Asura¡¯s state of affairs, after all¡­¡± Seeing her small burst of affection as a challenge, both Sylphy and Eristched on to my other arm, leaving mepletely surrounded. Well, it wasn¡¯t like I would ever hate it, but I was getting quite the scathing look from Shizuka, so I really wished we could get going already. But anyway, as for her question¡­ ¡°It should be fine,¡± I said, squeezing her hand back. ¡°You have me, and it was that man¡¯s suggestion, after all.¡± ¡°Right¡­ I do have you,¡± she said, smiling sweetly at me as her free hand went to her belly. ¡°Or rather, we do.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ right,¡± I said, a little embarrassed. Before the atmosphere could get too¡­ odd¡­ Arumanfi then began handing out a set of batons. ¡°Hold these. Lord Perugius will use teleportation magic to send everyone to the fortress using them, so do not let go,¡± he advised. ¡°And be sure to be using your bare hands.¡± With Arumanfi looking at everyone, ensuring we were following his instructions, he then nodded. ¡°Well, if everyone is ready, then just wait a moment,¡± he said, disappearing a momentter with a sh of light. Just as I thought back then¡­ he was damn fast. Probably close to the Sword God in pure speed, though he didn¡¯t go that fast when he fought against Ghiine and I back then. Perhaps his mind couldn¡¯t keep up with his speed inbat? That was the most like conclusion. ¡°Leon! Aren¡¯t you excited?¡± Eris said, bouncing on her toes as she increased her grip on my arm. ¡°We get to meet that hero! He¡¯s really old, right? Just think of all the adventures he¡¯s been on!¡± ¡°Well¡­ yes, but don¡¯t annoy him too much,¡± I said. It would be quite unfortunate if my wife¡¯s enthusiasm made it so he rejected supporting Ariel, even if it was cute to see Eris like this. It was then that I felt a heat course through the baton, and a momentter, the familiar sensation of teleporting urred, as the sight of a grand castle appeared in front of me a momentter while the rest of the group stood around. That¡­ was quite something. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Ariel gasped, staring at the beautiful sight. ¡°It¡¯s evenrger than the royal pce¡­ and grander too¡­ though I suppose that is to be expected.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I voiced. Feeling Eris release her grip on my arm, I turned around to see her gaping at the sight before her. Not of the castle, like the rest of us, but rather the sea of clouds spread out beyond the horizon behind the group. Right¡­ we were pretty high up, after all. ¡°Leon! Look! Isn¡¯t this amazing!¡± she cheered, stepping closer to the fence that blocked off the teleportation circle. ¡°I bet I could see the entire city from here!¡± ¡°Yes, that is how heights work,¡± I said, smiling as I stepped closer to her. But, before I could, I felt my arm get squeezed as Sylphy moved nearer to me, her body trembling slightly. ¡°Umm¡­ Leon, I¡­ I¡¯m not the greatest with heights¡­¡± she said. Ah, right¡­ she had a fear of heights, most likely from her first experience with teleportation magic sending her high into the air. She still had the asional nightmare about it, after all. Having such a fear didn¡¯t really matter in normal life, as the only heights she would be exposed to were those of the tall buildings of the university, but this was a different case. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± I said, hugging her close as I let go of Ariel¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯ll hold you until we¡¯re inside, okay?¡± She meekly nodded her head in response, tightening her grip on me. Cute. ¡°I am d that the view of our beloved fortress is pleasant¡­ or at least to most of you.¡± Hearing a voice, I turned around to see a woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, with her face hidden by a bird mask. Though, the most distinguishing feature was absolutely the wings across her back, signifying her as one of the skyfolk, a race I had yet to see in all my time in this world. ¡°I extend my heartfelt wee to you all. I am the first of Lord Perugius¡¯ servants, Sylvaril of the Void. I will be the one guiding you around our floating fortress, Chaos Breaker,¡± she said. ¡°And I am Ariel Anemoi Asura, the second princess of the Asura Kingdom,¡± Ariel said, stepping forward as she performed a practised curtsy. ¡°It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, and I offer you and Lord Perugius my gratitude for allowing us to visit such a beautiful ce.¡± With that as the start, everyone else introduced themselves as well, with Zanoba and Sylphy conducting themselves with grace befitting nobility, while Rudy and I were polite enough, considering ourmoner background. Even Eris was able to introduce herself with some politeness, thanks to her time as Ariel¡¯s guard and manners ingrained into her during her childhood. So annoying as they were, Eris was now mature enough to use manners without throwing a fit. Though, of course, for her, the best course of action was always to keep quiet and let Ariel deal with the talking, so she kept her greeting curt. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you all,¡± Sylvaril said. ¡°And Lady Nanahoshi¡­ it has been a while.¡± ¡°It has, Miss Sylvaril,¡± Shizuka responded. ¡°I¡¯ve gained some understandings in my work with a lot of help from these people, so thank you for letting theme.¡± ¡°Think nothing of it. It is what Lord Perugius promised,¡± Sylvaril said, shaking her head. ¡°Now, follow me, everyone. It would not be right to keep Lord Perugius waiting.¡± We then continued down the path towards the castle, with me staying extremely close to Ariel along the way and keeping my Demon eye active as I watched for any activity. I wasn¡¯t thinking that Sylvaril or Arumanfi would attack me, but rather, I was watching for any diseased rat that would make its appearance, the hypothesis as to how Roxy was eventually killed from Oldeus¡¯ diary at the forefront of my mind. With that disease, it was only able to take root in a pregnant woman and was otherwise harmless to people, so I wasn¡¯t worried about everyone else, having checked that Sylphy and Eris weren¡¯t pregnant beforehand. But as for Ariel¡­ ¡°Darling? Is there something wrong?¡± Ariel asked. ¡°No, just¡­ let me stay by your side for our time here,¡± I said, grabbing her hands. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you out of my sight.¡± ¡°O-Oh? Well¡­ if that¡¯s what you wish¡­¡± she said, blushing a bit. She must have forgotten my warning from before and hade to her own conclusions for my affection¡­ but that wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing, so I decided to not correct her. As we passed under an archway, with Zanoba rambling about the impressiveness of the sculptures, the group momentarily paused as particles began falling from Rudy¡¯s body, as well as Sylphy¡¯s, though to a lesser extent. Wait¡­ those two¡­ ¡°The Lace factor?¡± I murmured. ¡°Is this a side effect of a spell tobat Lace? I know that Lord Perugius was his enemy¡­¡± ¡°And he still is,¡± Sylvaril answered, turning to face me. ¡°To know such a thing¡­ it seems you are more knowledgeable than I thought. Tell me¡­ have you ever heard of the term ¡®Man-God¡¯?¡± My eyes narrowed slightly. This question¡­ Perugius shouldn¡¯t be an apostle, nor should he be a direct enemy of that being, so why was she asking this? Wait¡­ Orsted did mention that he wouldn¡¯t be able to help with Perugius, and they were both old beings of the Dragon race¡­ so were they rted somehow? He did mention that they weren¡¯t on the best of terms, but if they had a history¡­ perhaps this was a way to stop Orsted and his allies? ¡°Yes. Though I¡¯m not a follower of that being,¡± I answered. ¡°Hmm¡­ then, do you feel an uncontroble desire to kill when you hear such a name?¡± she asked. Ah, so this definitely was about Orsted. Or maybe it was about Lace? I know Orsted said he focused his hate on humans once he split into the Demon God that Perugius knew, but maybe he felt some anger hearing that name as well. ¡°No. That being is my enemy, but not to that extent,¡± I said. ¡°Rest assured, we are not enemies of Lord Perugius.¡± I thought it was best to keep my desire to end Lace alongside him to myself until we met in person. Sylvaril, hearing my answer, stared at me for a moment before looking over to Rudy and Sylphy, my hand readying to defend them in case of any hostilities before she suddenly turned around. ¡°Very well. Then, let us continue,¡± she said, walking toward the castle. The atmosphere had turned slightly tense, but thankfully, nothing had gone wrong. With us continuing down the various corridors, the strained atmosphere eventually lifted as Zanoba once again gushed about the various arts and decors, with Sylvaril, and even Ariel, answering the many questions that he had. But then, our trip within the castle came to an end, as we found ourselves standing in front of arge, ornate door, with dragons painted on either side. ¡°This is the audience chamber,¡± Sylvaril informed us. ¡°While Lord Perugius is very tolerant, I suggest you mind your manners.¡± ¡°W-Wait! Shouldn¡¯t we change into more formal clothing?¡± Ariel asked. As she had said, we were currently still in our travel clothes that we used to get here from Sharia. Not exactly attire fit for a king. ¡°There is no need. Lord Perugius isn¡¯t one to care about one¡¯s manner of dress. In fact, he quite detests the suffocating formality of nobility,¡± Sylvaril said. ¡°If you wish for a positive reception, I advise that you remain as is.¡± Ariel frowned a bit before looking at me. ¡°All¡­ all right,¡± she said, her eyes seeming worried. ¡°I think you should follow her advice,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re beautiful enough as is, no? And that suffocating formality is something you wish to change.¡± Ariel seemed to gain a bit of confidence at that as she straightened her back. ¡°Yes¡­ you are correct, darling,¡± she said, nodding to Sylvaril. ¡°Then, if you please.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± she nodded. And with that, the doors swung wide open, revealing a man sitting atop a throne, exuding amanding presence despite his rxed and disinterested posture. This was quite the aura¡­ it wasn¡¯t like the type of pressure that Eris and I had with our bloodlust, but rather the charismatic type of aura that Ariel seemed to possess. So this was Perugius¡­ with his silver hair and piercing yellow eyes, I could definitely see the resemnce to Orsted. Maybe that was a trait all the dragonfolk shared? But either way¡­ the hall was massive, bigger than anything I had seen before, with eleven other figures lined on either side of the red carpet we were walking down, likely the other eleven familiars from the legend of the Armoured Dragon King Perugius. Now that I was older and stronger, I could recognize that Arumanfi wasn¡¯t quite at the Emperor rank just yet, likely only a bit stronger than Ghiine due to his speed. I could easily deal with him. But if there were twelve fighters on his level, each with their own unique strengths and abilities¡­ well, I guess I would have to watch my mouth. ¡°Please stop there,¡± Sylvaril said, causing our group to pause. As Sylvaril walked past us towards her master, I noticed that Perugius was looking at me intently, his narrowed eyes boring into my soul. Ah¡­ maybe I should have kept quiet about the Man-God stuff after all. But it would have needed to be said anyway for my eventual request, and from what Sylvaril said, Perugius seemed like someone who would appreciate honesty. Perugius¡¯ gaze then shifted over to Rudy, and then to Shizuka, before he finally broke the silence. ¡°I am the Armoured Dragon King, Perugius D,¡± he said. ¡°And it seems you have returned, Nanahoshi.¡± ¡°Just as promised,¡± she said, lowering her head. The rest of the group followed suit, with Ariel bowing her head while Sylphy got to her knees, as I followed Ariel¡¯s actions, pushing Eris¡¯ head down alongside me. ¡°I assume this means you have found a way to summon things from your world?¡± Perugius asked. ¡°Yes¡­ though my current level of understanding is stillcking,¡± she said. ¡°It is the progress and pursuit of knowledge that interests us dragonfolk, not the achievements itself,¡± he said with a pleased tone. Shizuka then briefly described why she hade here, in how she had been using multiyered forms and needed some aid in perfecting them and how she wanted Perugius to teach her summoning magic, which was something he had apparently agreed to before. Well, considering the teleportation that got us here, as well as those familiars, there was unlikely to be a better teacher in the world for summoning magic. ¡°That method¡­ it seems that you have stumbled upon something interesting,¡± he said, stroking his chin. ¡°Very well. I shall teach you, just as I agreed. Now¡­ you¡¯ve brought some people with you¡­ who are they?¡± His piercing re centred on me and my brother. ¡°Well¡­ they¡¯ve helped me in my research in one way or another, so I would like if you treated them kindly,¡± Shizuka said. Perugius narrowed his eyes. ¡°Hmm¡­ but you¡­ you caused some trouble for me to summon. What a disgusting mana capacity¡­ it reminds me of him.¡± Rudy, who had been pointed out by Perugius¡¯ harsh gaze, lifted his head in surprise. ¡°Ah! Well¡­ I apologize for any problems. I have been told my mana pool is quiterge,¡± he said. ¡°Oh! And I¡¯m Rudeus Greyrat, pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ and you are aware of the Lace factor, yes?¡± Perugius hummed. ¡°Just don¡¯t use that disgusting magic in my halls.¡± ¡°I-I wouldn¡¯t dream of it,¡± Rudy replied. ¡°Good¡­ now, I assume that your detestablyrge mana pool was of help to Nanahoshi, so I shall reward you in turn,¡± he said. ¡°What is it that you desire? Power? Money?¡± ¡°No, none of those things,¡± he shook his head. ¡°Instead, I hope that I can join in a few of Nanahoshi¡¯s lessons, if you wouldn''t mind. I wish to learn how to summon a guardian to defend my family.¡± Perugius nodded his head. ¡°That is an easy thing to grant. In fact, with your mana, much of the problems rted to summoning strong spirits will be meaningless.¡± He then looked over to Zanoba. ¡°And you?¡± he asked. ¡°Ah! I am Zanoba Shirone! Third prince of the Shirone Kingdom!¡± Zanoba replied. ¡°I see¡­ and do you wish for anything?¡± Perugius asked. ¡°Well¡­ not necessarily¡­ I was just hoping you could give me some information regarding this,¡± he said, pulling out a notebook from his pocket. As he began to converse with the Armoured Dragon King, I then looked over at Ariel, who was by my side, her eyes showing a hint of nervousness. That nervousness was imperceptible to the average person, as she had long since learned how to hide her true emotions, but after being with her for so long, I had learned how to spot her true self. But that nervousness¡­ I should give her some advice. This Perugius¡­ he wasn¡¯t like the people Ariel was used to dealing with, hence, she shouldn¡¯t treat him as such. ¡°Ariel¡­ be honest,¡± I said. ¡°He isn¡¯t one to enjoy veiled hints, unlike the regr nobility.¡± ¡°I see¡­ but would it not be impertinent?¡± she asked. ¡°Considering Rudy asked for free lessons without an issue, it should be okay,¡± I said. ¡°And if not¡­ well, perhaps the conversation will go smoother after I talk to him about my n.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I suppose I will trust your words,¡± she said. ¡°It is unlike me to be so worried about my strengths¡­ perhaps it is the pregnancy?¡± ¡°I think it is because he can match your charisma,¡± I said, my eyes darting to see that no one was looking before pecking her cheek. ¡°Like me.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ yes, I suppose you left me in a state of nervousness like this as well, though for different reasons,¡± she said, looking up at Perugius with a newfound determination in her eyes. ¡°But just like I conquered your heart, I shall win this battle.¡± That¡¯s my girl. ¡°I see¡­ you truly are a fellow lover of the arts. Feel free to peruse my collection,¡± Perugius said, closing his conversation with Zanoba. ¡°Ah! Are you sure, Lord Perugius? I can only imagine what wondersy within these walls!¡± he said. ¡°Why yes, they are indeed wonders, but wonders of the arts are meant to be seen, no? Or at least by those with an appreciative eye,¡± Perugius returned with a smile. Huh¡­ I guess those two got along better than I would have thought. Who knew such a man would be so in tune with art? ¡°So¡­ is there anyone else who wishes for something?¡± he asked. Giving my hand onest squeeze, Ariel then stepped forward. ¡°Indeed. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ariel Anemoi Asura, the second princess of the Asura Kingdom,¡± she said, performing a small curtsy. ¡°It is an honour to be in your presence.¡± Perugius¡¯ previously cheerful demeanour shifted. ¡°Is that so? Ariel Anemoi Asura, you say?¡± ¡°Yes. I hope that we can be better acquainted, Lord Perugius,¡± my lover said. ¡°Tch.¡± Perugius frowned. ¡°I already know who you are. You lost in that filthy battle for the crown, but you refuse to give up, deciding to drag along everyone you can. A foolish girl.¡± Well¡­ I did want to protest against him, but I was of the same mind when I first met her, so I couldn¡¯t be too upset. ¡°That¡­ is a harsh way of looking at it, but not necessarily wrong,¡± she said, clenching her fists. ¡°A filthy battle¡­ that is true.¡± ¡°Hmph. At least you have enough awareness to know that,¡± he said. ¡°So? I assume you came here with the hope of me lending you my strength?¡± Ariel was about to respond before sending a nce my way, a small conversation happening between our eyes as I nodded at her. She trusted in me¡­ that was very nice to know. ¡°Yes,¡± she said, turning back to face him. ¡°That is my purpose ining here. To gain your support for my ascension to the throne.¡± I had seen quite a few muted expressions from Perugius¡¯ face thus far, from amusement to confusion to displeasure, but this was the first time I had seen him act surprised, even if you could barely tell. And¡­ if I wasn¡¯t mistaken¡­ there was the slightest hint of admiration there as well. ¡°Hoh?¡± he huffed, his expression quickly cooling back down to one of indifference. ¡°That is quite arrogant, girl. Why should one such as I give my support for such a lost, foolish cause. A foolish cause that you have already failed at once before.¡± Ariel¡¯s back straightened, her hands slightly trembling as I slowly approached, standing by her side as I kept my head bowed. ¡°I¡¯m here to protect you, so speak your mind,¡± I said under my breath. ¡°Do not worry if it¡¯s arrogant.¡± Luckily, my reassurance was enough to strengthen her resolve. ¡°If it was the me of the past, I would agree that it is a foolish endeavour,¡± she said, her voice conveying that same charisma that hadpelled me to support her. ¡°But I am not her. I am Ariel Anemoi Asura, a soon-to-be mother, and the future queen of Asura. I will make the kingdom a better ce without any underhanded battles so that my child shall live happily, and I ask for your cooperation in doing so, Lord Perugius D.¡± With my princess holding her head high, I smiled to myself. Yeah¡­ that was my Ariel. Though, despite me being impressed, it seemed that Perugius¡¯ familiars thought differently, as they all began to release bloodlust as their gazes bore down on her, causing my hand to grip my sword as I narrowed my eyes. I suppose she was a bit arrogant there¡­ not that I minded. Twelve King-rank fighters¡­ well, Eris could probably handle three by herself, Sylphy could probably stay alive, and Rudy should be able to get out of harms way before helping with magic, so it wasn¡¯t impossible¡­ ¡°Stand down,¡± Perugius said, putting an end to the tense atmosphere. Looking down at Ariel, Perugius¡¯ lips slowly twitched up in slight satisfaction. ¡°Hmm¡­ I see you are not like the other nobles,¡± he said thoughtfully. ¡°But still¡­ that does not mean I see your cause as one worth my time. But since you have somewhat impressed me with your honesty and bravery, I shall permit you to stay here. Convince me that you are worth any effort¡­ if you can.¡± With a¡­ not outright denial, which was better than the worst possibility, Ariel nodded appreciatively before slinking back to the rest of the group. ¡°And? What about you?¡± Perugius said, looking at me, who had not walked back. ¡°You¡¯re the one who knew of Lace and the Man-God¡­ are you here with something to do with that being?¡± He knew what I knew? But I didn¡¯t see Sylvaril leave to tell him¡­ ah, maybe he had some other way of knowing? Or perhaps Syvaril could speak telepathically¡­ well, I suppose it didn¡¯t matter now. ¡°If you mean Orsted, then that is not entirely the case,¡± I said, shaking my head. His eyes narrowed. ¡°Speak clearly, human. You are strong, but not strong enough to frustrate me with such confidence.¡± ¡°Well¡­ first, allow me to introduce myself. I am Leon Greyrat, husband to three of the most beautiful women in the world, two of which are behind me, and the future husband to the future queen of Asura,¡± I said, raising my head to look at him. ¡°And as for what I want¡­ well, I would like to request you to join me.¡± ¡°Join you? Join you in what?¡± Perugius asked. Well¡­ here goes nothing. ¡°I would like you, Perugius D, to join me in putting an end to a foe which I am sure that you detest,¡± I said clearly. ¡°I want your help in defeating Lace.¡± Chapter 104 – Gaining an Ally Chapter 104 ¨C Gaining an Ally ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª The atmosphere of the hall instantly changed upon my request. ¡°Defeating Lace¡­ you talk of something well beyond your standing, boy,¡± Perugius said, his tone turning hostile. ¡°What makes you believe you can defeat an opponent that us seven heroes could barely take down? Is your arrogance that severe?¡± Damn, that pressure really was something. Butpared to talking with a monster like Orsted¡­ well, let¡¯s just say I had experience fighting against such an oppressive aura. ¡°Well¡­ that is why I am asking for your aid, as I doubt I am enough on my own,¡± I said respectfully. ¡°But Lace would not be the same opponent you fought before, right? He would be weakened once he is unsealed.¡± Perugius, who was staring down at me, relented his pressure, shaking his head as if he was scolding a child. ¡°I see now. I do not know what things that Dragon God told you, but defeating Lace like that is impossible,¡± he said. ¡°I admire your goal, as that is also my deepest desire, but it is not a battle that you can partake in during your lifetime.¡± Ah¡­ so that¡¯s why he was angry. He just thought I was an idiot. ¡°I don¡¯t n to wait for him toplete the reincarnation magic,¡± I said, causing Perugius to freeze. ¡°I already said it, no? I n to unseal Lace, and then take him down in his weakened state.¡± Perugius¡¯ eyes widened a bit before he shook his head. ¡°Foolishness. Do you think I would have waited all these years, searching for his reincarnated form among the many born with his traits, if I thought such a thing was possible?¡± Ah¡­ so that¡¯s why those particles fell around Sylphy and Rudy earlier. Just as I thought, he was searching for people with the Lace factor in order to find Lace¡¯s possible vessels. Anyway, back to the conversation at hand. ¡°But is it not?¡± I said. ¡°I remember encountering Arumanfi the Bright the day of the Discement Incident. He assumed that we were doing something rted to Lace¡¯s seal when he attacked us, so do you not believe it to be possible?¡± Perugius flinched, his eyebrows narrowed in confusion, and a momentter, Arumanfi appeared at his side, seemingly whispering something to him. ¡°Ah¡­ I see, so it was you on that day,¡± he said, nodding his head in understanding. ¡°Nevertheless, that was a different case. Something like the Discement Incident was unprecedented, and it¡¯s nature as a byproduct of summoning had made me suspicious, alongside the immeasurable amount of mana used. As it was an idental urrence, something of that scale cannot be counted on to unseal Lace.¡± ¡°So, what you are saying, is that there is a way¡­¡± I said, smiling to myself. Readjusting himself, Perugius looked down at me with something akin to pity, or perhaps disgust. ¡°How aggravating¡­ Either way, while you are correct, it still cannot be done. That seal used all the Dragon God Urupen¡¯s remaining mana and lifespan to be ced. Even if it was a rtively small amount of manapared to past Dragon Gods, it is not a level that you can replicate,¡± he said. ¡°To unseal Lace¡­ you would likely need an amount of mana equal to Lace¡¯s own. It is simply impossible.¡± My lips tugged up into a wider smirk. ¡°Rudy. Get up here,¡± I said. ¡°W-What!? Uh¡­ fine,¡± he said reluctantly, slowly walking over to us. ¡°Rudeus Greyrat¡­ what does this have to do with you?¡± Perugius asked. ¡°Well¡­ I cannot verify this im, but I have been told that I have enough mana to rival Lace,¡± he said, his voice quivering a bit. ¡°Hmm¡­ is that so? I know you have more than me, as well as that disgusting affinity, but to that level¡­¡± Perugius then nodded to one of his familiars. ¡°Karowante. Verify this im.¡± One of his familiars, which I assumed to be ¡®Karowante¡¯, then went over to Rudy, and upon cing his hand on my brother¡¯s shoulder, he took a moment before stepping back. ¡°And?¡± Perugius said. ¡°It¡­ is unlike anything I have seen before,¡± he said, kneeling before his master. ¡°I believe his im to be true.¡± Perugius shifted in his seat, staring at me with a gaze different from before. This time holding some interest rather than the apathy he held before. I guess he was finally taking me seriously. ¡°And I assume he is the one who would unseal that man?¡± he asked. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ what I¡¯ve been told,¡± Rudy said. ¡°I¡­ have also been told that my mana capacity is thanks to the Lace factor¡­¡± Perugius nodded his head. ¡°Hmm¡­ while I am still unsure that such a thing would work, it would be quite amusing if Lace¡¯s own magic would lead to his eventual downfall,¡± he said, tapping the armrest of his throne. ¡°Allow me to think. Stay here as long as you wish and enjoy your time in my fine fortress. Now begone.¡± And with that, our meeting with the Armoured Dragon God came to an end with¡­ mixed results concerning my two main goals of getting Perugius¡¯ support for Ariel¡¯s ascension and fight against Lace. But I suppose I could finalize them during my time here. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Do you know why I have called you here?¡± Perugius asked from his throne. ¡°Uh¡­ I have an idea, but I cannot be certain,¡± I returned. We had been in the floating fortress for a week, and after another wonderful morning of walking the halls with Ariel and Sylphy, and watching the passing sky with Eris at lunch, I had been called by Arumanfi to appear before the Armoured Dragon King¡­ which led me to now. ¡°Hmm¡­ your n to defeat Lace¡­ I will join you,¡± he said, causing my emotions to lift. ¡°But¡­ I have a condition. With Lace¡¯s reincarnation magic, while it is annoying, it also makes it easy to deal with him when he is still a child. Thus¡­ to fight him before then at a greater strength¡­ we will need allies.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I had expected to do that anyway,¡± I said, nodding in understanding. ¡°Oh? And have you already gained an ally?¡± he asked. ¡°One that can fight against that being, that is. They would need to be as strong as a Sword Emperor at the very least in order to be of use.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± I said. ¡°Not only is Eris, my wife, growing stronger each day, but I have also already gained the support of Ruijerd Superdia. I believe you have already met him long ago.¡± At least, if he remembers him from so long ago. ¡°Ah¡­ Ruijerd Superdia, huh?¡± Perugius said, his expression dimming. ¡°I do owe him my life, as he saved me in the final blow against Lace¡­¡± Yes, I already know. But why did he seem so dissatisfied? Still, I know that he hated demons, but shouldn¡¯t he be a bit more epting of a man who has already fought with him? ¡°But the Superds¡­ such a disgusting race,¡± he spat. Ah¡­ right. There was that. Ever since Ruijerd had shaved his head, we hadn¡¯t really encountered any problems rted to his race, save for Roxy¡¯s little outburst upon their first visit, so I had forgotten about that aspect of the man. The issue of his race. ¡°If this is about their actions back then¡­ I believe there is an exnation,¡± I said. ¡°An exnation?¡± Perugius said, raising his brow. ¡°For massacring their own people in their bloodlust?¡± ¡°Well, you see¡­¡± I then exined what I knew about the Superds, Lace¡¯s betrayal, and the cursed spears and how it was used to transfer Lace¡¯s curse, which I had learned from Orsted. ¡°I see¡­ to think such a thing happened,¡± he said after the exnation. ¡°I guess I have more inmon with that man than I thought, as far as our hatred for Lace is concerned.¡± Well, that was good. ¡°But still¡­ that is not enough,¡± Perugius said, turning to re at me once more. ¡°In order for me to allow this n toe to fruition, I will need you to obtain another ally on the level of the Divine rank. Ideally, one of the Seven World Powers.¡± Uhh¡­ excuse me? ¡°Perhaps the North God or the Sword God would do, or even the Water God, should you and that girl take control of the Asura Kingdom,¡± he continued. ¡°Nevertheless, you need an ally on that level. And not only that, you need to beat such an opponent in a spar or serious battle to prove your own strength. Only at that time will I ept this n to defeat Lace.¡± Well¡­ that was better than nothing. And from his words, I would need Perugius¡¯ approval of this n whether he was joining actively or not, seeing that he didn¡¯t want Lace unsealed before. ¡°I ept,¡± I said happily. Besides, I was nning on getting anotherrade anyway, and only someone on Ruijerd¡¯s level or higher would be fit for it. ¡°Good. Now¡­ I have a question,¡± he then said. ¡°Why do you wish to end Lace? As far as I know, you should bear no grudge against that man.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ well, assuming I didn¡¯t defeat him, he could easily wage a war. One that could harm my decedents,¡± I exined. ¡°Huh¡­ is that all? For such a reason?¡± he asked. Hmm¡­ should I bepletely truthful? I guess it wouldn¡¯t hurt¡­ ¡°Well, that¡¯s one part. The other is that defeating him is required to reach the Man-God,¡± I said. Perugius frowned. ¡°The Man-God¡­ and why do you wish to reach that being? I assume this is why you are acquainted with the Dragon God?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ but Orsted isn¡¯t the reason I want to defeat the Man-God, he is more of a means to get there,¡± I exined. ¡°The Man-God threatened my family due to some future vision, so he had made me his enemy first.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ how odd,¡± he said. ¡°Nevertheless, should youplete my conditions, I will be yourrade against Lace, and should you fall in the battle, I will also offer my protection of your family, but¡­ I will not be the enemy of this ¡®Man-God¡¯.¡± I simply nodded my head. ¡°That is more than eptable.¡± ¡°Hmph,¡± he snorted. ¡°Is it? Then, is there anything else you want? You have told me some interesting things, and have even given me the possibility of exacting my revenge sooner than I expected, so I will consider your request seriously.¡± Consider my request¡­ well, there was only one thing then. My beloved Ariel had been attempting to get through to Perugius during our time here, but had been dismissed each time, so there was hardly any progress made in that sense. She wouldn¡¯t ept going back without Perugius¡¯ support, even if we didn¡¯t need it. No¡­ she saw gaining his support as a challenge. But I wanted to go back to Roxy and my kids, so I couldn¡¯t exactly ept waiting around for so long until he eventually gave in to her charisma. Plus¡­ knowing that one of Perugius¡¯ familiars could sense everything inside this ce, our nighttime activities had been¡­ a little less enthusiastic than usual, so to say. In short, I wanted to get back home and end this stalemate. ¡°I would like you to reconsider supporting Ariel to the throne,¡± I said, bowing my head. ¡°She¡¯s a strong woman, though not in martial might, but rather in determination and charisma, and most importantly¡­ she is a ruler worth fighting for. I myself hated all nobility and royalty before she showed me that she could change that.¡± Perugius didn¡¯t look entirely convinced, though he did raise his eyebrow in interest. ¡°Hmm¡­ that¡¯s quite the praise¡­ and it may be true, but¡­ I would need her to convince me herself,¡± he said, turning to Arumanfi. ¡°Summon Ariel Anemoi Asura.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± he said, and with a sh of light, he was gone. After a few minutes of waiting, the door then opened to reveal my three wives, with Ariel walking ahead as Sylphy and Eris followed behind as guards. Seeing them together like that¡­ it looked quite cute, but I decided to keep my thoughts to myself. This was meant to be a serious conversation, after all. ¡°Ariel Anemoi Asura,¡± Perugius said as Ariel reached my side. ¡°Yes, Lord Perugius?¡± Ariel asked, bowing her head lightly in greeting. ¡°You¡­ what does being a king mean to you?¡± he asked. ¡°Answer honestly. Not the given description of the title, but rather what important traits you believe to be required of such a position.¡± Ariel looked at me for a moment, confusion evident in her gaze. Sorry, but no matter how cute you looked, I didn¡¯t know either. But if it was the Ariel that I knew¡­ ¡°Just answer honestly,¡± I said, reaching over to discretely squeeze her hand. ¡°You¡¯re the future queen of Asura, no? You of all people will know.¡± Her smile widened as she squeezed back. ¡°Thank you,¡± she whispered. ¡°When we get back, I¡¯ll convince the other three to join us in bed as a reward.¡± Well¡­ that was certainly an enticing reward. But wasn¡¯t she pregnant? I knew that didn¡¯t hold her back from her lust, as there were ways other than pration to enjoy such activities, but still¡­ well, I suppose I was motivated now. ¡°What it means to be king, you ask?¡± Ariel said, lifting her head to look at Perugius. ¡°That is a tough question, but if there is one quality that I know must be there¡­ it is determination.¡± Perugius raised his eyebrow. ¡°Determination? For what. To lead the people for your own selfish desires?¡± ¡°Exactly that,¡± Ariel answered. ¡°The determination to lead the people, the nation, through prosperity and hardship. The determination to make one¡¯s wishese true and fulfill the promises one has made. The determination, tenacity, and pure will to allow those that have died to be able to rest in their graves knowing that the cause they sacrificed themselves for was not for naught¡­ that is the most important quality in a leader, and it is one I will neverck so long as I am living.¡± Her rousing speech was apanied by a fierce re as she stared at Perugius, unwavering, the act seemingly pleasing Eris as she smirked happily from behind us. ¡°Determination¡­ such a simple thing, you believe someone can be a great king with just that?¡± Perugius asked. ¡°Yes,¡± she answered easily. ¡°Not only will my determination carry me to the throne, but it will also ensure I change the nation for the better.¡± ¡°Even though you may have no skills of your own?¡± he asked, tilting his head. ¡°Management, making decisions, international politics¡­ how will that determination help you in these cases?¡± ¡°Well¡­ you shouldn¡¯t underestimate me. So long as they are not such a regal being like yourself, I have found requests quite easy to make,¡± Ariel said, smiling happily as she nced at me. ¡°And as for skills¡­ I have other people to perform where I amcking, and it is my determination that brings them all together. So yes¡­ that is my answer. And it will never change.¡± Perugius thought in silence for a moment before looking over to me. ¡°You¡­ Leon Greyrat¡­ I have a question,¡± he said. ¡°Past her being your lover and the mother of your unborn child, would you be willing to die for Ariel Anemoi Asura here? Simply as her vassal, that is.¡± I narrowed my eyes as I thought for a moment. Thinking of Ariel as someone that wasn¡¯t my lover¡­ that was honestly hard to do at this point, but luckily, I didn¡¯t really have to think about any hypotheticals to envision such a situation. After all, I still remember that fight against the three swords of the North God quite clearly, and particrly against the North Emperor Auber. At that time, when I was fighting against that monstrous opponent, despite finding myself outmatched¡­ I had never once thought about fleeing. So it was only obvious as to what the answer was. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered. ¡°Ariel is someone I would die for even before we came together. I could trust her to protect my family, and I could trust her to make a great country.¡± Perugius stared at me in silence once again, which had be quite frequent for the contemtive man, before he then turned back to Ariel. ¡°Determination¡­ I ept your answer, Ariel Anemoi Asura, and I believe you can be a great queen. One worth supporting,¡± he said, causing Ariel¡¯s expression to lift. ¡°But¡­ words alone will never convince me.¡± Ariel¡¯s expression fell. ¡°However, your actions will,¡± he continued. ¡°I will support you, but I will not reveal it until you secure the throne. You will only have my backing after you have staked your im to the throne, and offer minimal aid on your path towards it. Should you falter or lose this ¡®determination¡¯ you so admire, then consider this agreement null.¡± Ariel nodded her head with a smile. ¡°That is more than I can ask for.¡± Indeed¡­ we only wanted Perugius¡¯ support as a way to silence any disagreements afterwards, after all. Having his support would ensure the nation that Ariel¡¯s ascension was legitimate, regardless of what needed to happen to get her there. ¡°Right¡­ then, if that is all, I believe there is nothing left to discuss,¡± he said, waving his arms as the grand doors opened behind us. ¡°Now leave. I assume you both have gotten once you came for, so if you need to go back to the city of Sharia, simply inform Sylvaril.¡± ¡°We will. Thank you, Lord Perugius,¡± Ariel said, bowing as I did as well. And with that, we went through the opened doors, with them shutting behind us a momentter as Ariel let her calm facade fall. ¡°I did it¡­ I did it!¡± she cheered, running into my arms as she peppered my cheeks with kisses, uncaring of the nk stares she was receiving from her two guards. ¡°Yes¡­ you did, and I¡¯m very proud of you,¡± I said, kissing her back. The nk stares had turned a bit hostile. I should probably deal with that¡­ ¡°A-Ah! And you two as well! Good job!¡± I said, detaching Ariel from my neck as I went over to hug Eris and Sylphy, my actions seemingly fixing their displeasure as they cheerfully hugged back. ¡°Now¡­ is that truly all? Are we okay to head back now?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ we should,¡± Ariel said. ¡°This ce is beautiful, and it has a wonderful bath, but it cannot hold a candle to thefort of home¡­ don¡¯t you think?¡± As she looked back at me, ending her words with a wink and a happy smile, I couldn¡¯t help but think that for all the charismatic and impressive expressions I had seen her perform, I couldn¡¯t find any of them nearly as beautiful as the smiles she gave me. Much like the one right now. ¡°Yeah¡­ let¡¯s go home,¡± I said, smiling back. It was a week and a half until new years, so I had definitely kept my promise to Roxy. Besides¡­ I was really missing her and my kids. Ah¡­ and that reward that Ariel mentioned earlier¡­ I was quite excited about that too, if Ariel was able to manage it. Chapter 105 – A Replacement’s Insecurity Chapter 105 ¨C A Recement¡¯s Insecurity ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª With Nanahoshi and Rudy staying behind to learn summoning magic, and Zanoba taking the small vacation to deepen his research on the crafter of the automaton and the other works of art in the floating fortress, my family went back to Sharia the day after gaining Perugius¡¯ support with Ariel and I¡¯s causes, but not before having one final delicious meal in the fortress for breakfast. And so, with us standing outside the house, and my Demon eye having thoroughly checked all the luggage for any rodents, we then went inside. ¡°Roxy! Kids! We¡¯re back!¡± I shouted, taking off my boots as the other three came in behind me. ¡°Ah¡­ you¡¯re home sooner than I thought,¡± Roxy said, emerging from the living room with a casual dress. That looked nice on her¡­ it may have been the week being spent missing her making me this way, but right now I wanted to carry her up to bed this instant. I had to control myself. ¡°I would like to know how everything went, but first¡­ wee home,¡± she said, opening her arms. Yeah¡­ I wanted to take her to bed really badly, but unfortunately, there were more important things to be done. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re back,¡± I said, hugging her and taking a whiff of her hair. ¡°Was everything okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, no problems,¡± she said, her voice muffled in my chest. With me letting go of her slightly, I reached for her chin, tilting it up as we kissed. And it was quite a passionate one indeed. Even though it had been a week, Roxy seemed to have missed me quite a lot. ¡°What is it? Did you miss me that much?¡± I asked, my tone slightly teasing as we separated. ¡°Mmm. Well¡­ that¡¯s part of it,¡± she said, looking up at me, her eyes looking a bit guilty. ¡°Just¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°Nothing, just¡­ it¡¯s nothing,¡± she said, shaking her head before kissing me again. Well, that was a bit worrying, but I doubt that Roxy had anything to actually be sorry for. Could it be? Another child? I know we had done it before we left, but I thought I used the contraceptive spell¡­ And besides, Roxy knows that giving me another child wouldn¡¯t be something to apologize for, so that couldn¡¯t be it. Damn¡­ okay, maybe I was a little worried. ¡°And¡­ you three,¡± Roxy said, looking past my side at Eris, Ariel, and Sylphy. ¡°Do you minding to my room after dinner?¡± ¡°Hm? Yes, of course¡­ but may we ask why?¡± Ariel asked. ¡°Just¡­¡± Roxy looked up at me briefly before turning away. ¡°Just some girl talk.¡± Uhh¡­ what the hell happened while I was gone? ¡ª Roxy Greyrat ¡ª ¡°So? What¡¯s with this? Did something happenst week that you don¡¯t want Leon to know?¡± Eris asked, her eyes narrowing into slits as she tapped her foot against the ground. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you cheated or something¡­¡± ¡°What? No! Why would you think that?¡± I said, shaking my head. Was I thought of as such a loose woman that I would do such a thing after a week without him? Haa¡­ seriously, Eris jumped to conclusions a bit too fast. ¡°Well¡­ it is odd for you to be so adamant about not having Leon with us,¡± Ariel said. ¡°Unless¡­ is this something concerning him?¡± My lips thinning into a straight line, I slowly nodded my head. Now¡­ how would I exin this? Well¡­ I suppose there was nothing to exin, right? I just had to show them. ¡°Well¡­ I decided to do some cleaning while everyone was gone, since Leon usually took care of the dust with his wind magic,¡± I exined, taking out the old book from my desk. ¡°And in doing so, I may have taken a look at a¡­ particr book that caught my interest.¡± ¡°Caught your interest? What¡­ was it his diary or something?¡± Sylphy asked, with Ariel¡¯s face gaining a bit of a blush. Right¡­ their rtionship, as in Ariel and Leon¡¯s, was essentially started with him reading through her diary. That fact had embarrassed the princess quite a bit after it came out, and was one of the first times I had seen her act so flustered. But that wasn¡¯t important right now. ¡°Well¡­ not exactly,¡± I said, trying to find the right words. ¡°Look, it¡¯s best if you just read it. You three¡­ you¡¯ve all noticed it, at least a bit, right?¡± Sylphy tilted her head. ¡°Noticed what?¡± Right¡­ noticed ¡®what¡¯ exactly¡­ I couldn¡¯t fault her for being confused. Even I, from before, had ignorantly thought that the problems with the Man-God and Ariel¡¯s ascension were the thoughts guing his mind, making Leon so desperate and stressed. But it seemed that I was wrong. A useless wife¡­ I was not. No one could read minds, after all. But still¡­ I was a bit saddened that I wasn¡¯t able to help my beloved earlier, but I understand why he wouldn¡¯t want to talk about such a thing. After all¡­ who would want to exin to their wives that they had been with another man in a future where they didn¡¯t exist? Now that I knew¡­ I could at least help him now, even if it waster than I would have liked. ¡°Are you talking about his odd demeanour around you three?¡± Ariel asked. Ah, ever the perceptive woman. ¡°Yes¡­ it started a while ago. Right before Eris returned, if I remember correctly,¡± I said, thrumming my fingers against the worn cover. More than a year ago¡­ that must have been when this had arrived. I had discovered it two days ago, so I had lots of time to deliberate what was going on, and if the dates were correct¡­ I believe that I had finally found a conclusion. It also filled in many odd gaps that I had previously thought to be due to Leon¡¯s secrecy or overprotectiveness, mainly concerning the Man-God, Orsted, and how he became entangled with them, but now some things made sense. ¡°Anyway, I am certain that I have found the reason for it,¡± I said, opening the diary on my desk. ¡°It¡¯s this.¡± The three crowded over me, looking at it with confusion. ¡°I can¡¯t read it!¡± Eris said. ¡°Well, to be honest, that¡¯s notpletely your fault. This handwriting isn¡¯t the best¡­¡± Sylphy said, narrowing her eyes. ¡°And it is definitely not Leon¡¯s. If anything, it¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°His brother¡¯s,¡± I finished for her. ¡°This is Rudeus¡¯ diary. But¡­ not the Rudeus that we know of.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± Eris asked. ¡°Just¡­ well, I guess for you, we¡¯ll read it, so just listen,¡± I said, moving so Ariel and Sylphy could get a better angle. ¡°It¡¯s dated to over a year ago. At least for the first entry,¡± Ariel said, tracing her finger down the page. ¡°But why is this writing so messy?¡± ¡°That¡¯s just for the first page, don¡¯t worry,¡± I said, flipping to the next one. ¡°This one should be more legible.¡± Ariel and Sylphy nodded before continuing, but both simultaneously stopped as they read a certain line. The exact same line that had initially caught my attention. ¡°¡®Lucie is getting bigger. She has a cute face, just like her mother. I wonder if she will grow into as much of a beauty as Sylphy has be¡¯¡­ What the hell is this?¡± Sylphy said, a bit of anger in her tone. ¡°Is this some kind of joke? Who the hell is Lucie? And calling me a beauty? That¡­ that¡¯s something Rudeus should be reserving for Sara!¡± Ariel seemed to be taking this more rationally, as her gaze had narrowed toward the bottom of the page, though she was evidently still confused. ¡°If you must know, Lucie is your child¡­ or at least, the one from another timeline¡­ or perhaps another world,¡± I exined. ¡°And as for Rudeus¡­ well, in this world, you are his Sara¡­ just as I am.¡± It felt a bit distasteful to say, as well as incredibly confusing, but I needed to get through this. I had already deliberated about this all alone, so these girls should at least share some of my suffering. ¡°I have a theory that I believe to be correct after reading through all of this¡­ Do you remember Leon talking about a certain ¡®fate¡¯ when he exined everything about the Man-God to us?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes¡­ I do remember something like that,¡± Ariel said, Sylphy appearing to be too shocked by my words to speak while Eris was growling in anger. Or perhaps it was confusion. I didn¡¯t know. ¡°Well¡­ that ¡®fate¡¯¡­ when he was referring to that, I believe it was actually about the things written here,¡± I said, tapping the page. ¡°I have gone through it, and everything concerning the Man-God aiming for our children, as well as our deaths¡­ it is exined here.¡± Though I really was confused about one thing¡­ where was Leon in this? After how valiantly he saved me, and the love we shared afterwards, I knew that I couldn¡¯t be with another man, so something must have diverted from before the Begaritt Continent. Actually, considering how I was already infatuated with him before then, I doubt that this ¡®Roxy¡¯ had encountered Leon at all. And for him to not even be mentioned by Rudy, the brother he so admired as a child¡­ Leon must have not arrived in Buena Vige. He was saved as a baby, right? Perhaps¡­ he was instead ced in an orphanage by Zenith in this timeline. Or perhaps¡­ something worse. Either way, I didn¡¯t want to think about it. I had wanted to put all of this out of my mind ever since I discovered it, but¡­ I couldn¡¯t. Not due to my curiosity, even though it was quite strong. No¡­ instead, I couldn¡¯t put it out of my mind because this was finally a way to fix whatever had been going on in my dear husband¡¯s head. And I would need these three to help me do so. And in order to do that¡­ they would need to understand. A feeling of insecurity and the feeling of being a recement¡­ I could empathize heavily with the first one, but as for the second¡­ well, surely not many people had such feelings, or at least not with such a unique situation. Getting through that would be tough, but at least I knew that the princess was smarter than I at such things. And not only that, she was also the only one where Leon didn¡¯t have these difficult feelings towards, seeing as this ¡®diary Rudeus¡¯ didn¡¯t have a connection with her unlike Sylphy, Eris, and I. It¡­ hurt a bit, to be one of the women causing him pain, even if I knew it wasn¡¯t my fault. ¡°Then¡­ should we read through it?¡± Ariel asked. ¡°Yes¡­ or at least the first few parts, as well as someter sections that I found important,¡± I said, pointing to some bookmarks that I had ced. ¡°But honestly¡­ it should only take a few pages to understand enough. Thetter parts aren¡¯t too important, save for some exnations of the past that he writes.¡± And with that, we began reading through it, with Ariel acting as the narrator for Eris, as Sylphy was still too stunned to speak clearly. I would have done so myself, being the narrator that is, but¡­ to be honest¡­ some parts were painful. My unborn child dying in my womb,ter to be joined by me in the afterlife from petrification syndrome¡­ the thought of not having an Aria or Leon with me in this world¡­ I seemed happy, but¡­ was I really? And what answer did I want that to be? Either way, there were also some private things that Ariel thankfully glossed over as she slowly went through the events, and by the end of it¡­ ¡°Sylphy,¡± Eris said calmly, though her fierce expression was nothing but. ¡°Get Leon in here. Now.¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­ I will,¡± she said, her head hanging as she went out the door. Yeah¡­ hearing that everyone in this room had died, and under quite painful conditions at that¡­ well, it had put a damper on the joyful mood that had been in the house previously after having heard of the sess regarding Perugius. And then there was that¡­ man I had disgustingly called my husband in this world, as did Sylphy, while Eris was helplessly in love with him¡­ While I couldn¡¯t see Rudeus as anything more than a brother-inw, or perhaps the cute kid I had taught back in Buena Vige, I could at least attest that he was a good man and a good husband to Sara. But this¡­ this man was different. He was vile, cruel, violent¡­ all the things that would turn me away from romance. Was he the man that this Roxy had fallen in love with? No, probably not. He had simply changed due to his experiences. But either way, it left a bad taste in my mouth, and I¡¯m sure it was the same for Sylphy and Eris, at least if their moods were anything to go by. Feeling so bad about something that hadn¡¯t happened and apletely different set of events¡­ well, hopefully, with this slight feeling of empathy, we would be able to help our husband through whatever he was feeling. That was the bare minimum of a good wife¡¯s duties, after all. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª With Ars and Anna put to bed, and Aria happily ying with a couple of her dolls, I leaned back against the couch, my thoughts drifting to what my wives were doing at the moment. Hmm¡­ now that I thought about it, it could be something to do with taking the throne. After all, publicly, once that happens, I¡¯ll be Ariel¡¯s husband, and she will be my first wife. It wouldn¡¯t look good for the queen to not be the leading wife of her husband, after all, even if it was just on paper. Besides, with how our lives would change as we moved to the royal pce¡­ well, it must be about that, right? Hearing the stairs creak, I looked over to watch as Sylphy marched towards me, her expression oddly stern. ¡°Uh, good evening? Did something-!¡± I was interrupted as she quickly ced herself on myp, capturing my lips in a deep kiss as her hands gripped the back of my head, her tongue assaulting me with a passion that was usually reserved for nighttime activities. Enjoying the surprise, we exchanged kisses for a few more moments before she eventually separated, her face flushed and eyes firm in determination. ¡°Uhh¡­ not that I minded that, but¡­ what was that all about?¡± I asked after calming down from the attack. Panting in order to regain her breath, Sylphy shook her head before she got off of me. ¡°Just¡­e with me. Please,¡± she said, pulling me up to my feet. ¡°And as for what that was¡­ I was just marking my territory, and marking yours as well.¡± Umm¡­ okay? I was still a bit confused, but I guess it wasn¡¯t bad. And thankfully, it seemed that Aria was too engrossed in her ying to have noticed Sylphy¡¯s¡­ forwardness. With her dragging me up the stairs towards Roxy¡¯s room, as soon as she opened the door, I noticed that it wasn¡¯t only Sylphy acting odd. ¡°You four¡­ what¡¯s this about?¡± I asked. Roxy looked away, her expression apologetic before it changed to one of resolve, looking back into my eyes. ¡°I found it,¡± she said, causing me to tilt my head in confusion. Found what? Unlike my brother, who had a prize from his and Sara¡¯s first time, I didn¡¯t have anything embarrassing like that to hide. My question was then answered as Ariel moved slightly, revealing the old, dpidated diary that wasid out on the desk, causing me to freeze. ¡°That¡­ how did you get that?¡± I asked. ¡°I was cleaning, but that isn¡¯t important,¡± Roxy said. ¡°Leon¡­ I should be asking you that. This is Rudeus¡¯ diary from another¡­ world? Or another future¡­ right? How did you obtain such a thing?¡± She already knew that much¡­ well, it was Roxy we were talking about here. My Roxy¡­ well, was that really the case? Anyway¡­ ¡°How much did you read?¡± I asked, looking at all of them. ¡°Those three only read enough to understand the basics. I, on the other hand, have read the entire thing,¡± she said, narrowing her eyes. ¡°So I¡¯ll ask again¡­ how did you get this? I assume it has to do with the time magic that this guy discovered near the end.¡± I slowly nodded my head. ¡°Yes¡­ and it appears that in that old guy¡¯s world¡­ I wasn¡¯t in his life,¡± I answered. Roxy nodded. ¡°I thought as much¡­¡± Eris, who had been silently fuming near the wall, then walked over to the desk, and tossing the book into the air, she then unleashed a sword strike, dicing the diary into a flurry of paper scraps that helplessly drifted to the floor. And for some reason¡­ I couldn¡¯t find it in myself to stop her. No¡­ rather, I felt a small bit of relief. ¡°Disgusting¡­ how dare you keep such a disgusting thing in my home, Leon,¡± she spat, sheathing her sword as she walked up to me. ¡°Tell me! You¡­ you¡­!¡± Her eyes shook, a look of uncertainty spread across her face. One that was quite foreign to the Eris I knew and loved. ¡°Eris¡­ It¡¯s okay,¡± Sylphy said, calming her as she patted her shoulder before she turned to me. ¡°But Leon¡­¡± With Sylphy seemingly having difficulty in finding the right words, Roxy stood up and walked over to me, stopping in front of me as she slowly reached out a hand to caress my cheek. ¡°Husband¡­¡± she said, the soft tone causing my heart to leap inside my chest. ¡°I¡¯ve noticed¡­ we¡¯ve noticed¡­ that you¡¯ve been different in the past year. I can only imagine ever since you discovered that diary. You¡­ this made you worried about our love for you, didn¡¯t it?¡± She had gotten it exactly right. And thus, I decided not to answer, instead averting my eyes away from her concerned expression. But my not answering was an answer in itself, and as such, I quickly found my stomach struck by Eris¡¯ fist, causing some air to leave me mouth as I slightly stumbled back. I didn¡¯t have my usual touki defences up, but still, for her to easily break through my reactionary enhancement¡­ she must have been very mad. ¡°You fucking idiot, Leon! I knew you were sometimes stupid, but I never took you for an idiot!¡± she shouted, grabbing my cor and pulling me closer to her. Despite how angry she sounded, while there was definitely some fury there, her face seemed more¡­ worried and concerned. Right¡­ she cared about me way more than anyone would think, so for me to not believe that¡­ it must have hurt her. ¡°Sorry,¡± I said, hanging my head. She shook her head in response. ¡°I don¡¯t need an apology! I need you to get it through your thick, stupid skull!¡± she said, pulling me into a fierce kiss as our teeth clicked together. Ouch. As we separated, her volume then quieted as she rested her head against my chest. ¡°I¡­ I love you, so¡­ understand that¡­ got it?¡± Hearing such a sad tone, I felt my mood worsen. Just mistake after mistake¡­ maybe I should have given that diary to Orsted or Rudy as soon as I could. Dammit, why did I have to be the one causing Eris to make such a sad face? ¡°Leon¡­ you have to understand¡­ those girls¡­ they aren¡¯t us,¡± Sylphy said, hugging my side. ¡°And even if they were¡­ considering what happened¡­ and if you saved them¡­ don¡¯t you think it¡¯s obvious who they would want to be with?¡± Right¡­ Oldeus was a big asshole, one that had separated himself from the people he loved to such an egregious extent, but still¡­ it wasn¡¯t him that put me in this state of mind, but rather the him before his moral decline. And more than that¡­ ¡°I talked with him, you know¡­ and there were quite a lot of simrities, between that Rudeus and I, especially concerning you three¡± I said, keeping my head down. ¡°Saving Roxy in the teleportationbyrinth¡­ having Sylphy as a childhood friend¡­ being transported to the Demon Continent with Eri¡­ it was all the same.¡± Clenching my fist, I released a sigh. One containing all the pent-up emotions I had been holding back. Now that this had alle out¡­ I might as well exin my deepest, ugliest fear as well, no? Even if I knew that it sounded pathetic. ¡°So¡­ when I think about it now¡­ what if we¡¯re just a product of good timing. How much of it has to do with me?¡± Looking back up, I saw that my three wives were all looking at me with a mix of shock, sadness, empathy¡­ as well as anger. Smack! Surprisingly, it was Sylphy who attacked first. Thinking about it now, even in our spars she had nevernded a good strike, so this was probably the first time she had ever hit me with such power. And while it was far weaker than anything I had faced against Eris in our morning spars¡­ it hurt way more. Smack! Of course, Eris was next, delivering a p to the opposite cheek with as much force as Sylphy. And thenstly¡­ ¡°Sorry, Leon¡­ but you deserve this,¡± Roxy said, apologizing before she also pped me, though it was much gentler than the other two. ¡°You¡­ you don¡¯t get to say that. No, you don¡¯t even get to think that.¡± Well, that was a bit unfair, to control my thinking, but I suppose I couldn¡¯tin. ¡°Listen, Leon. And listen closely,¡± Roxy continued, raising a finger. ¡°Those events¡­ they might have helped move us along, sure¡­ but we love you for you. I love you for you. I don¡¯t love you as the man who saved me from thatbyrinth, I love you for you, Leon Greyrat. The one who treats me so gently, the one who cares for our daughter so dearly, the one who always gives mepliments¡­ that is who I love. Not some hero born out of a childish fantasy of mine.¡± She then reached up to caress my face again, rubbing her thumb along my jaw as she continued. ¡°And if you still can¡¯t believe that¡­ then you should know that I loved you before you saved me¡­ even though I acted so embarrassing,¡± she said, pouting a bit at the end. ¡°Just don¡¯t tease me for that, understood?¡± She was serious. I nodded my head at the veiled threat. ¡°And I loved you long before the Demon Continent, idiot!¡± Eris added. ¡°I didn¡¯t give a shit about the Demon Continent! I was happy back then that I could actually help you for once with your sisters, but it wasn¡¯t what made me love you!¡± With Roxy releasing my face, Eris went up to kiss me, our lips crashing against each other once again. ¡°You¡­ you don¡¯t get to stand there and tell me who I love. And I don¡¯t give a shit if another me loved someone else!¡± she said, grabbing my cor once again. ¡°I love the man that cared about me when I had no one! The one that showed me the warmth of family! The one that understood me and dealt with me when I was an annoying brat! Do¡­ do you think I needed the Demon Continent to fall in love with you for those reasons, you idiot!¡± Well¡­ no, I suppose she didn¡¯t. With her releasing my shirt, it was then Sylphy¡¯s turn, her eyebrows curled down in a slight frown as she looked up at me. ¡°And as for me¡­ saving me from those bullies and bing my friend was something inevitable,¡± she said, her expression changing into a slight smile. ¡°After all, the man I loved wouldn¡¯t let a child get bullied, nor would he let her be lonely. And you loved my green hair, no?¡± ¡°Y-Yeah, I-¡± ¡°No talking,¡± she interrupted me, cing her finger on my mouth to shush me. With Ariel releasing a small snort of amusement, I shot her a small re as Sylphy continued. ¡°Like those two, even if it did help, I don¡¯t love you simply because you were my childhood friend. I love you because you gave me hope when everything was scary. You gave me confidence when Icked it, and you taught me so many things¡­ you were so kind to me when no one else was¡­¡± she said, shaking her head with a smile. ¡°And while I may not have fallen for you if we never met, I believe that is the case with every romance that has existed, no?¡± That¡­st part was true, I guess. ¡°So perhaps, in some ways, our rtionships are a product of circumstance¡­ but that is simply in terms of us meeting. It was you who made us fall for you, you terrible, lustful man,¡± she teased with a grin, gently pinching my cheek. ¡°And if that is simply luck¡­ then while you may be lucky to have us, then we are equally lucky to have you. It goes both ways, dear.¡± Her eyebrows then furrowed into a frown. ¡°Or don¡¯t tell me¡­ would you be with any girl that were in the same positions as us four?¡± Ignoring the way my spine tingled at her calling me ¡®dear¡¯ with such affection, I slowly shook my head. ¡°No¡­ I wouldn¡¯t,¡± I replied. ¡°Hmm? See?¡± she said, smiling once again. Yeah¡­ just as usual, they were right¡­ I guess. I still couldn¡¯tpletely shake the feeling of being an imposter, and perhaps it would never leave, but still¡­ did this change anything? I knew they loved me, and I had never once doubted it. It was aplicated feeling, one that after ruminating over, boiled down to me needing to be the best, considering that it was me stealing another¡¯s fate in order to be with them. And being the best husband surely wasn¡¯t a bad thing, no? No¡­ I don¡¯t think it was. But maybe¡­ I didn¡¯t need to try that hard to match up to another person who was lucky to have them¡­ maybe I should try hard because these four deserved it¡­ yeah, that sounded better. And just like I had always thought¡­ while I would be the best support for them¡­ they were also the best support for me. ¡°Thank you¡­ and I love you too,¡± I said, leaning forward into Sylphy¡¯s hug. ¡°We know,¡± she said, sifting her hand through my hair. ¡°You¡¯ve been keeping all of this to yourself, huh? And didn¡¯t we say no more secrets? You bad boy¡­¡± Uhm¡­ please don¡¯t say that, Sylphy. This was not the time for my libido to spike. ¡°Yeah¡­ so is this it?¡± Roxy said, joining the hug as she looked up at me. ¡°Is there anything else you¡¯re hiding from us?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No¡­ at least not that I remember.¡± Roxy stared into my eyes for a few seconds before nodding and cuddling into my chest. Looking up at Eris, I saw that she was deliberating joining in, before finally resigning herself to hug me from behind, her breasts pushing dangerously against my back as she leaned her chin on my shoulder. These three¡­ well, even though I knew they loved me before then, hearing the reason for their affections had lifted an unknown weight from off my shoulders. I really should do something to give back to them, huh? ¡°Yes, yes, now this is all truly lovely, but I believe there was something else we needed to discuss amongst us girls,¡± Ariel said, smirking at the four of us. ¡°Though¡­ I guess we could do it now, considering the mood.¡± Wait¡­ was she talking about that? ¡°Huh? What are you talking about?¡± Eris asked. ¡°Well¡­ Leon was awfully helpful in gaining Lord Perugius¡¯ support, so I thought it was best to reward him,¡± she said, slyly. ¡°I know we¡¯ve done things together through the night now and then¡­ but never all at once, no? So perhaps we should change that.¡± The three girls surrounding me froze. Oh dear Millis, she was talking about that. ¡°I¡¯ll go put that Aria to bed, so how about you four go to the room,¡± she said, walking towards the door in a way that made my eyes glued to her bottom. ¡°I know I won¡¯t be able to participatepletely due to my condition, but¡­ I can at least join in. And just watching would be quite the feast for the eyes~¡± I swallowed down the saliva that had unconsciously pooled in my mouth. ¡°A-And what about Ars?¡± I asked. ¡°He can be alone for a few hours, no? Or¡­ is that not long enough for you?¡± she said in a teasing tone. And with that, she left, closing the door and leaving the four of us in our hug, with the atmosphere in the room having shifted from wholesome to awkward in an instant. But, well¡­ to be honest, I was getting a bit excited. ¡°Leon. It¡¯s pushing against me,¡± Roxy said, impassively. Perhaps I was a little too excited. ¡°You¡¯re really that eager for such a thing?¡± Sylphy said, raising a brow. ¡°Well¡­ I mean¡­¡± I mumbled out. They didn¡¯t want any more lies and secrets, right? Didn¡¯t we just promise that? ¡°Hmph! To think you would be the most lustful one in your family!¡± Eris huffed, releasing me as she went over to the door. ¡°Well? Come on, let¡¯s go!¡± And with that, well¡­ it was only obvious what happenedter that night. Chapter 106 – Political Instability Chapter 106 ¨C Political Instability ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª A year had passed, and it was now the year K425 of the Armoured Dragon calendar, meaning that I was now twenty years old. To think that at this age I would already have four wives, three cute kids, and another on the way¡­ well, if my younger self had heard this, he would have definitely been confused. But I couldn¡¯tin. After all, I loved them all more than anything else, and they¡­ well, they loved me just as much. I just had to have a slightly pathetic intervention in order to truly realize that. But now that I had¡­ well, things were better than ever. ¡°What are you grinning about?¡± Luke asked from my side. ¡°Nothing,¡± I said, shrugging. ¡°Just thinking about things.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ I didn¡¯t take you for one who reminisces,¡± he said. ¡°Well, there isn¡¯t really anything else to do, is there?¡± I asked. Luke simply shrugged. ¡°Oh? Is looking at your beautiful lover not enough excitement to alleviate your boredom?¡± Ariel asked with a teasing tone. ¡°Or perhaps¡­ do you need two?¡± She then pulled Sylphy from her side onto herp, causing her to flush as Ariel rested her chin on her shoulder. It was a very pleasant sight, to say the least. Luckily, I was able to see such a sight at home as well. ¡°That isn¡¯t it. I¡¯m just thinking of my love for you, is all,¡± I said. ¡°O-Oh¡­ I see¡­ I suppose that¡¯s eptable, then,¡± Ariel said, a little embarrassed as she looked away. Hmm¡­ what did Rudy call her? A powerful offence and a weak defence? Yes¡­ something like that. Ariel wasn¡¯t necessarily weak to teasing, but she crumbled in front of my earnest expressions of love for her. She was cute like that. ¡°Damn romantic,¡± Luke muttered, shaking his head. Yes, and I wouldn¡¯t deny it. As for Luke¡­ our rtionship was stable, if I was to put it into words. He was initially angry at me for being with Ariel, especially since she wasn¡¯t my sole focus in terms of romance, but that eventually calmed down with time, and after getting Perugius to our side, he hade to truly see me as an ally once more. Well¡­ for the most part, at least. He still red at me quite harshly whenever I gave Ariel a kiss, but I doubt that would ever change. And as for me, while there was still a slight suspicion of him being the Man-God¡¯s apostle, I could at least trust his devotion to Arielpletely, and since he knew how much my kids and wives mattered to her, I could at least trust him to not harm them. He could, of course, still be tempted by the Man-God into harming me, but, well¡­ I was an Elemental Emperor, and he was an Intermediate rank swordsman, so I didn¡¯t feel too threatened. ¡°A-Anyway, did you think-¡± ¡°Excuse me, Princess Ariel!¡± Ariel¡¯s words were interrupted by the sound of rapid knocking on the door, and with Sylphy swiftly removing herself from the princess¡¯p, the door then opened to reveal one of the attendants. The one focused on dealing with information from Asura¡­ ¡°Elora¡­ is there something wrong?¡± Ariel asked, her voice prim and proper with her confident facade back in ce. ¡°Ah! Apologies for interrupting you, but¡­ I believe this news warranted such discourtesy,¡± she said, bowing her head. ¡°Do not worry about that,¡± Ariel said, waving off her apology. ¡°Rather, I am interested in what news you bring toe here so urgently.¡± Nodding her head, Elora then walked up to Ariel, cing down a set of letters on the desk before she answered her. ¡°I have received word that the king¡­ His Majesty is in bad health,¡± she said. ¡°It is said that there was to be a banquet in which the next heir will be chosen in a few months¡¯ time, and all possible heirs are invited, but¡­ our information was dyed.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ well, it is very unlikely such a letter would reach me. This is quite the bold move, dear brother¡­¡± Ariel said, leaning back as she hummed. ¡°Well done, Elora. Do me a favour and gather everyone for a meeting tonight. It seems that our schedule will be pushed ahead.¡± With Elora nodding, she then departed just as asked, with Ariel releasing a sigh as soon as the door closed behind her. ¡°This is¡­ somewhat troubling,¡± Ariel said. Yes¡­ not only was she slightly unprepared for taking the throne, as there were still two years before her graduation, but this was also terrible timing as Ariel was currently a third of the way through her pregnancy, and would likely be in her third trimester by the time of the banquet. Travelling in such a state, not to mention getting thrown into such a dangerous battle of session¡­ the timing was perfect for the other side. ¡°I wonder¡­ do they know about your pregnancy?¡± I asked. They must. While we hadn¡¯t outright shown off the fact that Ariel was pregnant, there was only so long we could hide it, especially with the physical symptoms of it. ¡°They must. I doubt it¡¯s a spy, but rather¡­¡± Ariel said, staring at me as we came to an understanding. The Man-God. Of course, we didn¡¯t voice such suspicions, as Luke was present. Hell, he could possibly be the source of the Man-God knowing about it, if the being looked into his memories. But either way, they must have known about Ariel¡¯s condition, and to time it so perfectly¡­ ¡°I highly doubt that my dear father¡¯s condition is natural, though I never expected them to be so bold,¡± Ariel said, a smile growing across her face. ¡°Perhaps¡­ it seems that they feel threatened by me.¡± Especially if the Man-God told Darius that Ariel had Perugius¡¯ support. ¡°Well then. While this news is unexpected, it is not necessarily bad. It just means that our schedule will be pushed ahead,¡± Ariel said, standing up as her hand went down to gently caress her belly. ¡°It seems that my child will be born in the royal pce¡­ in a way, this is a blessing, is it not?¡± Indeed. That would bring its own set of problems, considering my future son or daughter would be the heir to the most powerful nation, but first¡­ there was something else to do. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°So he has made his move¡­ I suppose I should have expected this,¡± Orsted said, tapping the table. I hadn¡¯t had much interaction with the man past our first meeting, and he had remained secluded in the small house he had purchased on the outskirts of the city, but still, I had noticed that my instinctual hatred of the man had reduced over time. Either this was the case with all curses, where once you got used to them, they wouldn¡¯t affect you as much, or perhaps it was something unique to me. Either way, I no longer felt a deep-seated hatred towards the man, but rather a subtle dislike, like the way I felt towards Luke when we first met. Obviously, it was nothing I couldn¡¯t look past for the sake of defeating the Man-God, and considering that Cliff was beginning to work on a magic item to reduce the curse¡¯s effects, it would hopefully be gone eventually. Ah, and we had found out, both Rudy and I¡¯s children held no aversion to the man, which was quite¡­ odd. But it did exin some things. With them not hating Orsted, this was likely the reason that my descendants teamed up with him to take down the Man-God in the future. But as for Rudy¡­ well, I wasn¡¯t sure. Perhaps it was the same trait that he had, where he didn¡¯t get affected by Orsted¡¯s curse? Anyway, those thoughts didn¡¯t quite matter right now. ¡°ording to fate, the current king should fall ill in a few years¡¯ time. This is much too early,¡± he continued. So his fate wasn¡¯t all knowing¡­ that was both good and unpleasant to know. ¡°Yes. Ariel suggested that Darius did something, considering her condition and new ally,¡± I said. ¡°The timing is simply too perfect.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± he murmured, nodding in agreement. ¡°Still, this isn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing. You are strong enough to defend against most foes, and shall the Water God be your enemy, I will assist.¡± ¡°I¡­ see,¡± I said. ¡°Thank you, but¡­ I would like to fight her first.¡± He looked at me oddly for a moment. ¡°I suppose¡­ but I did not take you for a person with great arrogance and pride.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that¡­ well, notpletely,¡± I said. There were definitely some personal feelings in my desire to defeat Master. After all, not only was it a student¡¯s destiny, but that woman¡­ she had also killed my two lovers in another timeline. So I suppose there were some feelings of revenge there too, even if they were stupid. ¡°I see. Still, she is an opponent that can be reasoned with, especially since you already have a connection to her,¡± he said. ¡°But¡­ wouldn¡¯t she honour her duty to defend the First Prince and Darius? That¡¯s what she told me, at least,¡± I said. ¡°Yes, but now that the fight for the throne has begun in earnest, she will likely take a neutral role as she has a duty to protect Ariel as well, even if her first love is blinding,¡± he said. ¡°However¡­ that is only if she is not influenced by the Man-God. She would be the strongest card in terms ofbat prowess he could reasonably y, so expect her to be an enemy. One that you cannot reason with.¡± Ah¡­ I see. Well, I suppose I would be able to see once we got there. If she was intent on removing Ariel from the throne¡­ then our battle would have to take ce. And I would be sure to end it in the most sure way possible¡­ by killing her. ¡°However, there is a slight problem,¡± Orsted said. ¡°Fate dictated that Ariel could ascend to the throne due to exposing Minister Darius¡¯ crimes using one Tristina Purplehorse, removing him and the First Prince faction from the board¡­ The only problem is that she is currently happily attending her final year of education at the Asuran Royal Academy.¡± Right¡­ we had talked about her before, when he first gave me some brief advice on taking back Asura. Tristina Purplehorse was originally a noble child that was kidnapped and became a sex ve for Minister Darius¡¯ perverted delusions before eventually escaping to form a bandit group¡­ Well, I was very d that I was able to defend Eris back then, to say the least. Anyway, with my actions back when I was a child in stopping Eris¡¯ kidnapping plot, and Philip, Sauros, and me finding out about Darius being the one behind it¡­ well, while it wasn¡¯t enough to charge the minister, it was at least enough to force scrutiny onto him so that he couldn¡¯t continue his vile deeds. And as a result of that, this Tristina Purplehorse was never captured like she was meant to be. I was d about that. While it was a bit annoying that the easiest way to destroy the First Prince¡¯s faction was no longer there, I would never be upset that my actions had saved a young girl. And besides¡­ ¡°That isn¡¯t a problem,¡± I said. ¡°Ariel is strong enough to win on her own, and I am strong enough to protect her as she does so.¡± Orsted stared at me for a few moments. ¡°That is some confidence you have. Is it perhaps due to her being your lover?¡± he asked. ¡°No¡­ though they aren¡¯t mutually exclusive,¡± I said, shrugging. After all, it was that fierce determination and charisma that had won me to her side, and as for falling in love with her¡­ well, it was only natural to do so when such a strong woman pledges her love for you, especially when your other three wives ept it. Huh¡­ saying it like that, I once again remembered how much of a womanizing ass I must look like from the outside perspective. ¡­I felt like apologizing to Paul, for some reason. ¡°A-Anyway, are youing for this?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Orsted said, nodding. ¡°There are a few people I will take out in the chaos, and I will also remove the Second Prince¡¯s faction from the shadows. Your only job is to help Ariel defeat the First Prince¡¯s faction in this banquet. Anything else is to your own discretion.¡± I felt my hand go to the hilt of my sword. ¡°And these other nobles¡­ are they important to the future of the kingdom?¡± I asked coldly. ¡°¡­Not particrly. As long as Ariel has enough manpower to manage their territories,¡± he said. Hmm¡­ not particrly, huh? Well¡­ I would have to see them in person before making any hasty decisions. ¡°As agreed upon before, I will leave things to you, though I will be supporting from behind,¡± Orsted said, getting up. ¡°And as for after¡­ well, we can have a conversation concerning Lace, as well as how to gain Perugius¡¯ support with another ally.¡± And with that, he went back to his room, leaving me alone at the table of his dreary house. All right¡­ while it would usually take a few months to reach Ars, which would barely have us make it in time if we left now, considering we had the teleportation circles to work with, even more than before with Perugius¡¯ support, getting there should be quite easy and fast. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª Things should be quite easy and fast¡­ why did I say such a thing? ¡°So¡­ the teleportation circles that Lord Perugius could make use of are no longer active?¡± Ariel asked once again. ¡°Precisely,¡± Arumanfi said. ¡°While there weren¡¯t many to begin with, all the teleportation circles inside the Asura Kingdom have been destroyed or rendered unable to function. Still, Lord Perugius is magnanimous in offering his aid, and there is still a teleportation circle untouched on the northern borders of Asura. That is all.¡± And with that, Arumanfi turned into a sh of light before disappearing, leaving the rest of us slightly stunned. ¡°Well¡­ this is unfortunate,¡± I said, the rest of the group, which consisted of Ariel, Eris, Sylphy, and Luke nodding in agreement. The teleportation circles were no longer working¡­ this was likely a result of Darius¡¯ actions. After Rudy and I officially turned against the Man-God, he must have used his influence to destroy all the teleportation circles he could, most of them being ones originally built for nobles to flee in case of danger. And unfortunately for us, the ruins I usedst time to get into Asura weren¡¯t regr teleportation ruins of the Dragon God, which the Man-God couldn¡¯t see. Instead, they were teleportation circles that Orsted had hijacked, much like Perugius did. So that meant we would have to enter from the north¡­ not only was the choke point on the northern border likely to cause problems in terms of attacks, but there was also a more important aspect to this. Time. ¡°It is unfortunate indeed,¡± Ariel said, massaging her temples. ¡°If we use the teleportation circle they suggested¡­ assuming it¡¯s directly north of the wall¡­ we¡¯ll likely get there just in time for the banquet.¡± The problem with that was obvious. There would be no room for Ariel to establish her roots in the capital. In a perfect world, where the king didn¡¯t be ill until after her graduation, Ariel would have been able to do so for a year, gaining support and allies for a smooth transition to the throne. And while not as great as that, if we were able to teleport closer to the capital, she would at least have a month to do so. But like this¡­ we would essentially be entering the fight just in time. ¡°Then¡­ we should at least make our entrance a grand one,¡± I said. ¡°Fufu¡­ yes, I suppose so,¡± Ariel said, leaning against my shoulder. That was cute, my princess, but I don¡¯t know if right now was the time for affectionate gestures. More importantly¡­ I had to think about the enemies we would encounter. ording to Orsted, from what he knew, the Man-God was able to control three apostles at once. We already knew that one of these were Minister Darius, especially now with the destruction of the teleportation circles, and while he was quite weak individually, his influence was nothing tough at. Thus, with him, we should expect some assassins at the border upon our entrance. Perhaps even an army, if we¡¯re unlucky. And as for the other two¡­ we had no clue. It could possibly be Luke, and perhaps the Water God. Of course, the Asuran Kingdom wasn¡¯t the only ce in the world, so there could be another apostle somewhere else as well. But either way, that didn¡¯t really matter. If they tried to harm my wives, they would die by my de, no matter who they were, apostle or not. Well¡­ maybe not Luke¡­ but I¡¯d at least remove his arms to ensure he wasn¡¯t a threat. ¡°Then¡­ I suppose we should prepare to depart,¡± Ariel said, turning back towards the house. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the nning to you, Misha, but we should expect to be on the road for a month. And ensure to not ount for any stops. We¡¯ll need all the time we can get¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness!¡± And so, the n was set in motion. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª With all the supplies in the carriage double-checked, and everything prepared, I then went over to my family who were waiting patiently for our departure. Well¡­ except for a certain someone. ¡°I still hate it!¡± Eris huffed, holding Ars in her arms as I embraced the two of them in a hug. ¡°I know, but we can¡¯t take everyone, and we can¡¯t leave them undefended either,¡± I said. ¡°And who else am I meant to trust with their safety?¡± Having already had this conversation a bunch of times, and me already winning every argument, she released a sigh as she rested her head on my shoulder. ¡°Me¡­ but I still hate it. We¡¯re supposed to be partners¡­¡± she mumbled into my shoulder. ¡°Yes, and we are. This is what partners do. We support each other where weck,¡± I said, giving her a kiss as I separated from her. ¡°And Ick being able to protect both Ariel and our family at the same time, which is where youe in.¡± ¡°¡­Fine,¡± she eventually relented. ¡°Just don¡¯t take too long.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± I returned. Clicking her tongue, Eris gave me onest kiss as I then went over to Roxy. ¡°This goes without saying, but don¡¯t you dare die, understood?¡± she said sternly, her arms raising to wrap around my neck. ¡°You made me the happiest woman alive, so it would be cruel to make me the most depressed.¡± ¡°I¡­ will try my best,¡± I said, leaning down to peck her lips. Only to get stopped by her hand. ¡°No. You will ¡°Ah¡­ yes, I promise,¡± I said, smiling. And then, with her own mouth quirking upwards, the two of our mouths met as we exchanged a deep kiss as my hands identally went down to caress her back. After all, it was just a great back. But it seemed that Roxy didn¡¯t want to go any further, as she gently pinched my ear, stopping my hands from going any lower. With her sending me an amused smile as our lips parted, I then looked back just in time to catch Anna and Aria as they both ran into my arms, having finished saying goodbye to Ariel and Sylphy. Huh¡­ I was a bit surprised that Anna was so eager to see me off, seeing that she was much closer to her mothers, but I definitely wasn¡¯tining. Even if it wasn¡¯t to the same extent as Aria, I was very d that my second daughter loved me. ¡°Dada¡­ be careful,¡± Aria said, clutching my shirt. ¡°I will, sweeties. Daddy needs toe home to you two, after all,¡± I said, squeezing them tightly. ¡°Be good for Roxy and Eri, okay? I¡¯ll make sure to get you something nice from the capital.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ can you get candy?¡± Anna asked. ¡°Haa¡­ yes, I can get you candies,¡± I agreed. ¡°And toys?¡± Aria added. ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck,¡± I teased, tickling their sides. Hearing the two of them break down into a fit of giggles, I gave them onest squeeze before letting them go, my hands reaching up to caress their cheeks as I looked at both of their cute, beautiful, and pudgy faces. ¡°I love you two, okay? You know that, right?¡± I said. Aria smiled widely. ¡°Love you too, Dada!¡± Anna smiled as well, nodding gently. ¡°Love you¡­ too.¡± Mhm. Yep. I was definitely motivated now. ¡°Good, now it¡¯s time for me to go, so make sure to keep your promise about being good,¡± I said, ruffling their hair before I stood up. Looking back at Eris and Roxy, I gave them a smile as Aria and Anna walked towards them. ¡°And I love you two as well,¡± I said. ¡°We know, husband,¡± Roxy said, picking up Anna as she came close. ¡°And I love you just as much.¡± ¡°Hmph! But me more!¡± Eris said, her eyes softening as she looked at me. ¡°Soe back quickly, got that?¡± ¡°I got it,¡± I said, nodding. ¡°And stay sharp, okay? If anything happens, use thatmunication ring, and make sure you and Rudy stay in contact.¡± ¡°We know,¡± Roxy said. ¡°Just focus on your side of things, okay? You didn¡¯t marry two ipetent women. We can handle things for two months, at the very least.¡± Right¡­ yeah, she was right. And so, giving them onest wave and a blown kiss each, I then turned back to the group that would be storming the Asuran Kingdom. There was Ariel, of course, as well as her attendants, which included Sylphy and Luke. And then, for the mainbatants, there was Ghiine and I, with the n being for Ghiine to defend Ariel alongside Sylphy while I dealt with any opponents in front of us. There was still one person missing among Ariel¡¯s camp, that being my little sister Aisha. But I had forced her not toe along for¡­ obvious reasons. I already had to ensure Sylphy and Ariel were safe during this trip, and I did not need to have the stress of another. Much less one without any protection from ¡®fate¡¯, which the other two had at least. But once everything was settled, I assumed that she would be Ariel¡¯s right-hand girl once again, and perhaps even taking the Prime Minister position, considering how it fit her strengths perfectly. Either way¡­ it was now time. So, with the carriage and our group standing together, we stood in the teleportation circle as we were then pulled towards Perugius¡¯ floating fortress, ready to face the Asura Kingdom. The first vow I had made after reading that diary of another world¡¯s future¡­ it would soon bepleted. ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª With the sun bearing overhead, we continued down the road, crossing over the hill as a familiar sight revealed itself. One that still left me in awe despite having already experienced it before. ¡°Ars¡­ so we¡¯re finally back,¡± Ariel said from beside me, having left the carriage door open so we could talk. Her voice was filled with emotion, a mix of mncholy and excitement. And knowing her history in this ce, that was only natural. ¡°But this time, it will be different, right?¡± Sylphy added from beside her, gently squeezing her hand. ¡°Yes¡­ it will be,¡± Ariel said, her voiceden with intensity. After a month of travel, we had finally reached our destination, and with not a week to spare. Even with the teleportation circle, we had cut it extremely close, and without it¡­ well, Ariel would have missed her chance, with the grand banquet being held to select the next ruler already taking ce. That wouldn¡¯t necessarily be the end of things, but Ariel would definitely be seen as a usurper if she decided to take more forceful methods. If it wasn¡¯t for the teleportation circles, Darius would have yed it perfectly, as he would have given enough time, at least by appearance, to allow Ariel to attend, while also using the king¡¯s declining health as a way to spur on the selection¡¯s timing. But still, I guess that didn¡¯t matter now. If it was just Darius, I would say that our arrival would be a surprise, but with the Man-God whispering in his dreams, I doubted that was the case. On our way here, we had been attacked by a few bandits and assassins, though much less than I would have thought. If I was to guess, they looked more like probing units, which of course caused no issues with our travel. Bur from how everything was looking, it seemed that the final stand-off would happen in the capital, and most likely during the banquet. There, all the nobles will be present to see the First Prince and Darius take power, either through force, politics, or most likely¡­ both. But that wouldn¡¯t work. Not this time. After all, not only did she have Sylphy and Ghiine protecting her, most importantly¡­ Ariel had me. ¡°Well then, let us make our way to my private residence,¡± Ariel said, smoothing out her hair as we continued down the hill. ¡°While I will not have time to form any connections with the nobles, at the very least, I should make a grand entrance to the civilian popce. That was always my specialty, after all.¡± With her lips curling into a practised smile, she then nced over to me, her smile bing a bit more genuine. ¡°And I suppose, like this, I will have to introduce their new king as well,¡± she said. Yes¡­ and from the size of her belly, which left no imagination as to what had urred, she would also be introducing the next heir¡­ kind of. ¡°Ah, and Luke, will you be joining us?¡± Ariel then asked, turning to the other member of the carriage. Luke made a sour face as he clenched his fist. ¡°I¡­ if you could permit me, I would like to see my father and determine what exactly had happened. And if things are as they appear¡­ then to convince him to return to your side.¡± Ariel looked at him for a moment before nodding. ¡°Yes, that would be most prudent. If he had made his choice to change sides under duress, then it would only be right to give him a chance to redeem himself. But Luke¡­¡± ¡°Yes, princess?¡± he voiced. ¡°Just know that I am not one to take betrayal lightly,¡± she said, her voice cold and tense. ¡°Ah¡­ yes, princess,¡± Luke said, turning his head down. With that, we continued silently down the road, with Ariel¡¯s return to the capital slowly approaching. While much of the popce, which had already been endeared to Ariel, would be ecstatic about this, that was far from the case for most nobles. Especially those who had sided with the other two princes after she fled to Ranoa. Tonight, and for the following days leading up to the banquet, I would have to keep my senses and instincts sharp, especially at night where assassins would likely attack. So sadly, no fun in bed for me. But that would only be for a week. The passages from that now-destroyed diary¡­ the butchering of two of my dearest lovers¡­ I would not allow that to happen this time. The Asura Kingdom¡­ soon, it would be cleansed of its filth, and with its destruction, I could trust Ariel to form a nation out of the rubble. One worthy of my family to live in. Chapter 107 – The Great Purge Chapter 107 ¨C The Great Purge ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª ¡°We made it,¡± I said, walking inside the banquet hall at Ariel¡¯s side, with Sylphy opposite me. ¡°We did indeed,¡± Ariel nodded. ¡°And there were fewer issues than I would have expected.¡± Yes¡­ there were. But that only meant that Minister Darius and the First Prince Grabell¡­ they were nning to end things tonight. After all, with the way things were going, Ariel would be far and ahead the best candidate. Even in the past week, the news of her return, as well as her pregnancy, had been the talk of the city, with people excited to see the new heir, having all but epted Ariel as their ruler. And that was before she made her grand public speech a couple of days ago¡­ Needless to say, things were going well for us, and bad for the First Prince, which meant that they would have to take drastic measures in order to turn things around. ¡°Well then,¡± Ariel said, straightening her back as she put on her practised smile. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s time for my battle to begin.¡± And so, with nobles beginning to fill the hall, Ariel began greeting many prominent people, with many of them barely masking their difort in seeing the supposed deposed princess in the flesh, her face as vibrant as ever. I could tell that they were scared. After all, after her departure, nearly every noble here had sided with the First Prince, having seen him as the only way forward for Asura. But seeing the charismatic princess, a realization seemed to have dawned on them¡­ They were wrong. But still, I wouldn¡¯t fault them for that. It was something that Ariel had expected, after all. But that didn¡¯t mean there were some people I was¡­ dissatisfied with, to say the least. With the banquet being filled with various nobles and ministers, I began to match some faces with the names I had learned over the past week. While I had mainly guarded Ariel during the wait for the banquet to start, as she wasn¡¯t targeted like we had expected, I had a lot of time to myself to conduct some research, often with the help of Orsted and his seemingly infinite knowledge. Learning who was good and bad for the future of the kingdom¡­ who would target my family to get ahead in the world of politics¡­ who would corrupt the new Asura we were trying to build¡­ I wanted to know. And as I had learned¡­ the Asura Kingdom was much more disgusting than I had thought. The Boreas Greyrat, despite their boisterousness, noble pride, coldhearted trickery, and messed up family traditions¡­ when talking about noble families, they were among the kindest. Speaking of them, James had made his appearance to the banquet, but other than a short greeting with Ariel, he had drifted off to the side, just as he had agreed after meeting Ariel upon her entrance to the capital. I would say that I wished Sauros was here¡­ I couldn¡¯t imagine what he would bring with his boisterous personality. So it was best to have such a wild card left away from such a ce. And speaking of bad nobles, Paul, my father¡­ perhaps, rather than leaving due to hating the strictness and formality of nobility, maybe he just knew he wasn¡¯t horrible enough to fit in with them. He was a good man, after all¡­ despite his mistakes in his youth. And while Minister Darius might have been seen as revolting by the rest of the nobility, that was only because his tastes rted to tainting noble girls. If it was just a random viger¡­ well, it was obvious that they didn¡¯t care. So yes¡­ there was definitely a lot of ¡®cleaning¡¯ to do, and Orsted had seemingly already started his own side of things, seeing as the second prince wasn¡¯t present, either being dead or too afraid to attend. Orsted¡­ he should be nearby, right? That was good. I was worried about needing to fight a lot of people, but with him making a lot of moves out in the open, the Man-God would know he was near, and send any resources he could to hold him back. So with him providing a distraction, the Man-God would likely think that Master was enough to deal with me. ¡­Hopefully. And if not, Orsted would probably stop any other unreasonable foes froming, such as Water Emperors or North Emperors. I don¡¯t think I could handle another opponent near the Water God¡¯s level at the same time as her. ¡°Darling? Is something wrong?¡± Ariel asked. ¡°Hm? Nothing, I¡¯m just thinking of the uing fight,¡± I said. ¡°Ah¡­ yes, that,¡± she said, her hand reaching over to grab my arm. ¡°I trust you, but¡­ I¡¯m worried.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to. I can deal with it,¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m worried,¡± she said, pinching my arm. ¡°You aren¡¯t just my guard anymore, Leon. You¡¯re much more important to me. I can¡¯t bear to see you hurt¡­ especially because of me.¡± I smiled a bit, moving my arm to gently caress her back. That light blue dress really suited her. ¡°I¡¯ll probably have to fight my old master, but I¡¯ll survive,¡± I said. ¡°Did you not hear me? I said I don¡¯t want you hurt,¡± she returned. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a bit unreasonable, don¡¯t you think?¡± I said. She simply smirked in return. ¡°You are marrying a greedy princess, no? You should expect this level of unreasonableness,¡± she said. Haa¡­ right. ¡°You¡­¡± Hearing a voice, I turned around to see a middle-aged man with brown hair and a short moustache. This¡­ this was Pilemon Notos Greyrat, no? Luke¡¯s father and Paul¡¯s brother. ¡°You call yourself a Greyrat¡­ don¡¯t think you can take back the Notos family, son of Paul,¡± he said, narrowing his eyes in anger. Well, I wasn¡¯t exactly Paul¡¯s son, but sure. ¡°I don¡¯t n to,¡± I said, stepping aside with my arm still held by Ariel. ¡°After all¡­ there¡¯s a much more important position for me to take, don¡¯t you agree?¡± His eyes widened as he realized what I implied, and with Ariel holding me so closely¡­ well, it was only obvious. But why did he seem so surprised and confused? Didn¡¯t Luke tell him what was going on? Odd. Maybe he knew but didn¡¯t believe it, but was now forced to face the reality of everything. ¡°I-I see¡­ and wee home, Princess Ariel,¡± he said, bowing to her. ¡°Ah, Pilemon, it¡¯s been too long,¡± Ariel said, her smile faker than usual. ¡°And home, huh? I¡¯m¡­ not sure if that is exactly true.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Pilemon said, confused. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°Anyway¡­ it seems that everyone has arrived¡­ so I think it¡¯s time I made my move.¡± Separating from me, she turned to march towards the centre of the room, her posture firm yet graceful, captivating me in a trance as she turned her head back slightly. ¡°So watch me, darling. Watch your lover cement herself as the Queen of Asura,¡± she said. ¡°Uhh¡­ yes, I will,¡± I said, a bit stunned. Wow¡­ that was the princess for you. Even Pilemon was speechless, simply gawking as Ariel walked away. Now¡­ how would Minister Darius respond to this? Looking over at the disgusting man, I saw that his fat face was twisted into a scowl that he wasn¡¯t even attempting to mask. Yeah, he was not happy. But his bodyguard¡­ he didn¡¯t even look that strong. Someone that could easily be dealt with by Sylphy. Huh¡­ he must have a lot of trust in the Water God. And the Man-God too, I suppose. ¡°May I please have everyone¡¯s attention?¡± Ariel said as she stood at the end of the room, with Luke, Sylphy, Ghiine, and the rest of her attendants standing beside us. Despite not shouting, and barely raising her voice over a regr volume, her words had been transmitted through the entire hall, causing everyone to turn their attention towards her. Well, my sound magic probably helped, but it was still impressive. And with this¡­ the stage was set. ¡°As many of you know, we are gathered here today to discuss the future of our kingdom in the wake of my father¡¯s seemingly incurable illness. Today will be a turning point in our nation¡¯s direction, dictated by whoever is chosen to lead us through this forting time,¡± she said clearly. ¡°I will make my point clear. I, Ariel Anemoi Asura, will create a nation free of corruption and our current state of political games and deceit. Instead, I will create and of development and prosperity. Frommoner to high noble, I will create a kingdom that one will be happy to live in, and one where they can live in freely without worry of retaliation due to personal greed.¡± Wow¡­ I did not think she would be so brazen, considering her changes would be detrimental to most of the people here, but that was just like her. And to not even mention the support of Perugius¡­ I guess she wanted to do this on her own. ¡°I may be weak individually, but I will lead everyone towards a better future. That, I promise,¡± she said, extending her hand as an indescribable pressure emanated from her. ¡°So, I ask you all now¡­ who will join me?¡± Silence was what answered her before the first noble stepped forward, that being James Boreas Greyrat, his eyes firm with resolve. And then, another¡­ and another. And after a minute of waiting, the room was clearly divided into two sides, the separation being made between the factions of the two possible rulers of the kingdom. And from the tense atmosphere¡­ it would be decided right now. But from the look of things, it seemed as if the answer had already been decided as to who the next ruler would be. ¡°Father¡­ you¡­¡± Luke said, his eyebrows knit in frustration as he looked at his father, who had not shifted from his position near Darius, much like most of the nobles gathered here today. Pilemon, however, simply shook his head, a saddened expression on his face as he looked at his son. Well¡­ I guess he had made his choice. ¡°It seems that you have lost, even though you acted so brazenly. But I apud your effort. It¡¯s simply a difference in experience,¡± Darius said, stepping forward with the First Prince at his side. ¡°So? Aftering from so far and stopping your studies¡­ what will you do now?¡± While his tone was seemingly friendly, it didn¡¯t take an expert of reading people to know it was fake. And as for how Ariel would respond to that fake tone¡­ ¡°I will take the throne,¡± she said, stepping to the side to grab my hand. ¡°With the people at my side, and my family as well¡­ I will ensure my dreames true. If not for my sake, or for the sake of the nation, then at least for those that have fallen for cing their faith in me. I will not betray their trust.¡± It wasn¡¯t simply pride or arrogance that allowed her to say something so outrageous, rather, it was simply something she viewed as the truth. An obvious result of her unwavering determination. And that belief and pure will¡­ it was conveyed clearly through the room. ¡°Tch. You just don¡¯t know when to quit. Creating such a mess for the sake of the dead¡¯s trust¡­ Even if the others overlooked you, I always knew you were dangerous. And you as well, you adopted mutt,¡± Darius said, looking at me with a snarl before he suddenly broke into a calm. ¡°Well, it was a good thing that ¡®he¡¯ took extra measures.¡± I didn¡¯t even have a moment to wonder what ¡®extra measures¡¯ he was talking about, for as soon as he finished his words, the door to the hall opened, revealing an old woman. One that I knew quite well, with her granddaughter at her side. Shit¡­ if Isolte was here, that wouldn¡¯t be good. Last Eris checked, Isolte was only a bit below her in terms of strength, which still put her squarely in the King rank of battle prowess. If I had to fight both of them at once¡­ that would be bad. With the Water God¡¯s entrance, the room was engulfed in a tense silence. ¡°Hmm¡­ well, I suppose there¡¯s not much left to do now,¡± she said, slowly drawing her sword. ¡°Ariel Anemoi Asura, I am here to stop you from inciting a coup. Anyone who intervenes in this punishment will be met with my de.¡± A nonsense charge, considering that this banquet was a way to decide the new ruler, but that didn¡¯t matter when it was the leader of one of the Three Great Styles saying those words. Besides¡­ the truth could be easily fabricated with Ariel¡¯s death. Not that I would let that happen. With everyone moving to the sides of the room, I slowly walked forward to intercept, my steps echoing across the room as my former master stared at me with a smirk. ¡°I guess I should have expected this. After all¡­ that¡¯s yours, isn¡¯t it?¡± she said, motioning towards Ariel, or more specifically, her stomach. ¡°Yes¡­ it is,¡± I said, drawing my de. ¡°But I would have stopped you anyway.¡± ¡°Hmm, yeah, I guess so,¡± she said, smiling. ¡°He did say to expect you, after all.¡± Haa¡­ so that all but confirmed it. ¡°Why¡­ why are you on his side?¡± I asked, looking towards Darius. ¡°Was it the Man-God?¡± Seeing recognition sh across her face at the mention of the being, I already knew that I would need to kill her. She was an apostle. ¡°Well¡­ that is a part of it, but really¡­ it¡¯s because I love him,¡± she said. ¡°Or, at least, I did in the past. That being simply reminded me of some things.¡± ¡°What? Why? Why do you love someone like him?¡± I asked. ¡°And aren¡¯t you a little old for his tastes?¡± She chuckled. ¡°Haha! Harsh, but true. Yes¡­ I suppose you are right, but matters of the heart aren¡¯t that easy to quell. He used to be a good man, and I was a stupid little girl, but even then¡­ I promised to pay him back with my protection, and I n to keep that promise.¡± I narrowed my eyes. ¡°Well¡­ I promised to kill him, and to make Ariel queen.¡± Our promises intersected. ¡°Did you now? Ah, then I suppose this is simply a sh of fates,¡± she said as her voice turned serious. ¡°I, Reida Reia, promise that the Water God School will not be your enemy after this. Instead, this is me as a swordswoman issuing this duel.¡± Well¡­ I guess that was quite useful. ¡°And Granddaughter¡­ stay out of this,¡± she said, turning to Isolte, who simply nodded. Thank Millis. With that, she looked back to me, and with my Demon eye, I saw that touki was beginning to fill her de while radiating off of her body and into the surroundings. We would fight, and one of us would die. That was the only conclusion to this standstill. My mind went back to that destroyed diary, thinking of how Ariel and Sylphy met their end¡­ two important and beautiful women I couldn¡¯t dream of living without anymore had died because of this idiotic and corrupt game of politics, born out of this idiotic and corrupt nation. And she, the Water God, had likely been a cause of their deaths. If I wasn¡¯t here¡­ she would kill Ariel, my lover, and everyone that was allied to her, including my beloved Sylphy. Knowing that, bloodlust began to release from my body naturally, only exasperated as I put some effort into it. ¡°Oh?¡± she said, surprised. With my pressure as the spark, it was then that the knights from the enemy faction began to move while Sylphy stood in front of Ariel, as a shadow raced from the back of the room. ng! Out of the corner of my eye, I saw as Ghiine intercepted the strike of Wii Taa, marking the start of the battle. I red mana into my Demon eye while simultaneously flowing touki into my de, watching as my opponent¡¯s touki flooded into her sword and the surrounding area, taking control of everything in her vicinity. That touki control¡­ it was something inhuman. But I was often called a monster as well. With touki coating my body and sword, I then added mana into the mix, creating a defence as strong as the Dragon God, while my sword became sharper than the finest of des. Yes¡­ Master¡­ you, who stand in front of Ariel¡¯s path to the throne, are a threat to my family. And threats are meant to be dealt with. I then released my touki outside my body, forming a cloud that shed with her own, the two of us standing still as we battled in the use of pure touki control and technique rather than swords, despite us both being swordsmen. ¡°Hmm¡­ you¡¯ve grown,¡± she said, nodding her head approvingly. ¡°Yes¡­ I have,¡± I returned. While we had only ¡®battled¡¯ for a little more than a moment, I had instinctively realized the difference in our abilities. In terms of control and technique, she was still superior. But with my touki concentration and speed¡­ I was more powerful. Well, I suppose it was time to begin this in earnest. I then crouched before leaping forward, exploding the touki around my legs for an instantaneous burst of speed as I cycled my remaining touki through my body, reforming my defence. As my sword flowed outward, cutting along the touki I had already spread into the room, I was quickly met with the Water God¡¯s sword, our des shing as I felt her touki cycle through her sword. Shit! That enhancing counter move! Narrowing my eyes, I concentrated on the touki surrounding us, or at least the touki under my control, and focusing on the energy, I formed two des as I sent them forth towards her neck, mimicking the technique that ended the Peacock de. Of course, removing a Divine-rank swordswoman from the world would never be that easy, and as such, they were blocked. Reduced to nothingness as her touki swirled into aplex around her. What¡­ this woman really was strong. If Orsted¡¯s strongest trait was his experience and knowledge, while the Sword God¡¯s was his speed, Master¡­ her strength was in control. But I suppose that was only natural for the Water God. Our des scraped against each other before I was suddenly flung back,unched by the force of her counter that had thankfully been muted quite a bit by my touki. Unfortunately, even if I had trained to gain Orsted¡¯s defensive touki and mana to coat my body, I was still unable to put it into any offensive use. I would need to grow stronger in the future, and for now, I needed to find a way out of this momentary deadlock. ¡°Heh¡­ yeah, you¡¯re really damn strong now, aren¡¯t you Leon. And just like I told you in the past¡­¡± she said, looking over to Ariel, who was watching on in worry, and Sylphy, who was finishing off thest of her attackers. ¡°¡­You seem to have found a reason to use that strength.¡± Yes¡­ I had found quite the amazing reason in my family. But more importantly¡­ something felt off. I narrowed my eyes as I raised my sword, getting control over my touki as I felt an instinctual danger surround me. ¡°Fighting so valiantly¡­ and past me, there are stronger monsters out there, so I suppose it¡¯s only correct that I do this,¡± she said. ¡°Behold my greatest creation. The so-called sixth Sacred Art of the Water God style¡­ Deprivation Sword Kingdom.¡± I widened my eyes at the sight before me. The room¡­ or at least the area surrounding the two of us¡­ it was flooded with her touki. But it wasn¡¯t the simple cloud like before, waiting in wait to be used in a technique. No¡­ this was like a cage. Raising my pinky, I felt a sh of pain as I watched the digit fly through the air, my mana instinctively flooding my hand to heal the injury. What? I had only moved a finger¡­ and she didn¡¯t even move her sword to counter me before it was removed¡­ Heh¡­ really, how ridiculous. But¡­ I had already known that. Orsted had warned me about this move, after all. This ¡®Deprivation Sword Kingdom¡¯. He had also told me how it works, melding two of the Water God style¡¯s Sacred Arts into one¡­ Well, what if I did the same thing, but went a bit further? The Sword God¡¯s cycling technique¡­ the North God style¡¯s way of moving touki through the body¡­ Orsted¡¯s mana and toukibination¡­ Putting all those aspects together, along with my magic¡­ Well, I suppose this would be the marking of a new realm for me. The first Divine-ranked technique of the Elemental God style. Beating Master with my own original sword¡­ I was surely able to call my style that now without sounding arrogant. With my touki flooding the room, enhanced by mana as it froze the Water God¡¯s touki with superior strength, I jumped forward, reaching the Water God unperturbed in less than an instant as I struck my de into her chest. Like most sword battles, the ending was abrupt and swift, especially when using the speed of the Sword God style. An unceremonious end to what would be told as a great battle. That was how swordsmanship worked, especially when dealing with such dangerous techniques. ¡°Haha¡­ that¡­ was splendid,¡± she said, some blood leaking from her mouth. ¡°That is quite the technique, Leon¡­ the perfect counter to the Water God style¡­¡± Yes¡­ it was quite simple, but that¡¯s where it¡¯s power lied. Orsted had said that the Water God¡¯s control over the surrounding touki was something difficult to defend against, so I had thought¡­ how about I remove that control? Flooding the surroundings with strong mana and simply holding it there, making it so that no other techniques could be used¡­ as Master said, it was the perfect counter to the Water God style once it reached the realm that she had. ¡°Well done¡­ my student,¡± she said, gasping her words as I removed my de from her chest, her corpse dropping to the ground. I had won. Like that, the Water God Reida Reia was no more, and another apostle of the Man-God met their end. Turning my head to the side, I watched as Ghiine¡¯s sword sliced through Wii Taa¡¯s neck, sending his head flying through the air as his body dropped to the ground. So she had won as well¡­ and from the bodies surrounding Sylphy, it seemed that my wife had no trouble in cleaning up the rabble. With the room embraced in a stunned silence, Ariel then slowly walked over to Wii Taa¡¯s body, hesitantly reaching into his pocket as she brought out a metal insignia. Ah¡­ wait, that was not just any insignia, but rather the coat of arms of the Notos Greyrat family¡­ Shit. I guess Luke wasn¡¯t able to convince his father. That was¡­ unfortunate. Not only for Ariel and Luke, but more so for the man himself. After all, as my wife had said upon our arrival at the capital, she would not tolerate any betrayal. ¡°Leon, my darling,¡± Ariel spoke, her voice even and cold. ¡°¡­Clear them out.¡± I smirked. My request from earlier this morning¡­ I guess she made her decision to ept. ¡°Yes, my princess,¡± I returned. Standing upright, I tightened my grip on my sword as I slowly began walking towards the group of nobles that had backed up against the wall. My research over the past week, using both information that Ariel had gathered and what Orsted knew of the world¡­ now was the time for judgment. My family bing the royal family of Asura¡­ I was still a bit worried, but I would at least ensure that those around us were good and just¡­ or at the very least not horrible people. I didn¡¯t want my children growing up with such disgusting things, manipted to fight amongst themselves, like Ariel and her brother were forced to. Even worse if those corrupt nobles tried to turn their fangs towards my beloved people. So¡­ of course¡­ I needed to clear them out, just like Ariel had requested me to. My eyes narrowed at the first man, known for keeping child sex ves, simr to Darius, but instead of turning his gaze towards noble girls, he instead targeted the little girls of his fiefdom. Sometimes, he would keep them as maids after having his first taste, other times he would let them go back to their families, but most often than not¡­ he would simply kill them. That was uneptable. Perhaps in the old Asura Kingdom, others would turn a blind eye, but for the nation that Ariel and I wanted¡­ that would not be permitted. And so, with my swordshing out, the man¡¯s head toppled to the ground, along with a spray of blood that coated the ground. One down. Ignoring the screams of the nobles at the sudden decapitation, I turned my gaze to the next one. A baron¡­ it was quite a low title, but with how prosperous the mine in the city he controlled was, he was quite influential. It was a shame that he decided to assassinate a six-year-old for being too talented, viewing it as an insult against his family. Needless to say, his head also fell to the ground a momentter. With my touki slowly filling the room, I started my purge in earnest. Abandoning a vige to monsters to take thend for themselves¡­ conspiring with bandits to make a new, more profitable trade route by killing merchants and people that used the usual one¡­ kidnapping women and children for ransom¡­ killing simply for the sake of amusement¡­ There were many, and with their crimes in my mind, I cut down noble after noble, until finally, there were no more of the guilty left to kill. Well¡­ almost no more. There were still two yers that needed to be cut down, as well as the First Prince, who would be left to Ariel¡¯s ns as he trembled off to the side, as if attempting to hide from me. ¡°Minister Darius¡­¡± I said, looking at the man who was shaking in fear. ¡°You¡¯re an apostle, right? Well then¡­ tell the Man-God that he shouldn¡¯t have made me his enemy. And as for you¡­ well, you simply lost. But rest assured, even without you being Ariel¡¯s enemy, I would have still killed you.¡± There was nothing left that needed to be said. I could shout at him for ruining the lives of innocent children and aiming for my family, but that would be useless. He was already dead, after all, evidenced by the sword stabbed through his head. Nost words, no grand speech. With one movement from my sword, Darius Silva, the corrupt Minister and apostle of the Man-God, was no more. After all, I doubt there was anything useful that he had to say. And then¡­ there was thest one. The betrayer. ¡°W-Wait! Leon¡­ please, my father is an important noble of the kingdom!¡± Luke shouted, walking up to me. ¡°And a noble title that you can seed,¡± I returned. Ariel had decided to forgive Pilemon Notos Greyrat¡¯s past betrayal, as it was certainly possible for Darius to threaten him where there was no one else on his side in the capital, especially after the news of her death had been spread. But once she was revealed to be alive¡­ instead of turning to his original master, the one he had promised to dedicate himself to, he decided to stay with Darius, even with his son trying to convince him otherwise. He had made his bed, and now, he would lie in it¡­ for eternity. ¡°W-Wait! I-I promise to serve Princess Ariel just as it should be!¡± the moustached man said, scuttling back as I approached. And not only that¡­ aside from Darius, he was the most dangerous to Ariel¡¯s cause. He was extremely ambitious, so if we decided to depose him from his ce as the head of the Notos family and spare his life, he would surely use any means possible to crawl back up the politicaldder. And then there was his hatred of my family thanks to Paul and the threat my brothers and sisters were to him¡­ well, it was better to not leave things open. ¡°Leon! Listen! I-I will stop-¡± Luke¡¯s words were cut off as I shed outward, his sword that was about to be drawn to defend his father shattering into shards of metal as the wave of touki continued, slicing through Pilemon¡¯s neck a momentter. And so, like that, my soon-to-be wife¡¯s enemies were all destroyed, marking an end to the purge of corrupt nobility, the floor stained red from the blood as the scent of copper hovered in the room like a sickening haze. As if on queue, which it probably was due to one of his familiars checking in on us, Perugius chose that moment to arrive, a sh of light from the end of the hall lighting up the room as he stepped forth. ¡°Hmph. Quite a violent affair,¡± he said, surveying the room. ¡°However¡­ that doesn¡¯t make it any less satisfying.¡± He was smiling. Creepy¡­ I guess he really hated the Asuran nobility, huh? Well, at least that was one thing we agreed upon. ¡°Then¡­ for those gathered here, listen well. With my title of ¡®King¡¯, I, Perugius D, the Armoured Dragon King and one of the seven great heroes, ce my faith in Ariel Anemoi Asura to lead this kingdom to new heights,¡± he stated, his words reverberating throughout the hall. ¡°Now¡­ I believe that I deserve some amodations, no?¡± While Perugius began to talk to Ariel and Sylphy, I walked past the despondent Luke, deciding to ignore him as I went over to Isolte. I felt bad for the guy. I truly did. After all, I had a father too. But¡­ well, I had already epted I was selfish, so for the sake of my family¡¯s safety, I would do anything, even if it hurt others. Perhaps I could have offered some words offort or apology, but¡­ I didn¡¯t think he would appreciate that very much, considering it was me who ended him. Besides, there was a woman heading his way. The woman being one Tristina Purplehorse, if my memory serves me right. I guess Luke made a friend during his week at his father¡¯s. Or perhaps¡­ a bit more than a friend. This was Luke we were talking about, after all. ¡°Isolte¡­ I¡¯m sorry it had to be this way,¡± I said to the girl who was kneeled next to the Water God¡¯s corpse. ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s alright. Grandmother had already told me to expect this whening here,¡± she said, looking up at me with a strained smile. ¡°But still¡­ to think you could beat her¡­ I suppose Eris¡¯ praises weren¡¯t empty.¡± Indeed. At this point, I could call myself an Elemental God, right? Yeah¡­ that sounded pretty good. But more importantly¡­ ¡°Did she¡­ teach you the arts?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, though I still have a long way to go before mastering them,¡± she said, turning back to her grandmother. ¡°But she did leave me as her sessor to the Water God style¡­ though I am unsure if I fit that position just yet.¡± ¡°Good¡­ well, if you need help¡­ you can spar if you would like. Though I suppose there are other Water Emperors to help you,¡± I said. ¡°Mmm¡­ I appreciate that,¡± she said with some tears in her eyes. This¡­ was a bit of an awkward situation. Averting my eyes, I noticed that the rest of the nobles were kneeling in reverence as Ariel and Perugius talked, seemingly swearing allegiance to the one who would be their new queen while also respecting the great hero of the past. Well¡­ at least now¡­ everything was finished. Yeah¡­ that was good. I was damn tired from all the stress. Chapter 108 – The Queen of Asura Chapter 108 ¨C The Queen of Asura ¡ª Leon Greyrat ¡ª After a very tumultuous night, I had found myself back in Ariel¡¯s capital residence, lying in bed with the pregnant princess to my left, and Sylphy on my right, both cuddled against me. With such a stressful day put behind us, there was no better way to recuperate. ¡°Leon¡­ I just want to thank you again,¡± Sylphy whispered from my side, squeezing her arms that were wrapped around my torso. ¡°We have been nning for this for so long¡­ and you helped us so much with achieving our goal. So¡­ thank you.¡± ¡°Of course, Sylphy,¡± I said, turning my head to kiss her forehead. ¡°Besides, Ariel is my wife, or at least soon to be, so it was only obvious I would help.¡± I smiled at the way Ariel hummed happily at my side. I guess she wasn¡¯t asleep, even if she tried pretending to be. ¡°Besides, even without helping you two, this had some benefits for me as well,¡± I said, looking back up at the ceiling. ¡°Not only will I be able to help make Asura a better ce, but I also got a chance to get revenge for what was in the diary. Oh, and this goes against the Man-God as well.¡± Sylphy lightly shook her head, her silver locks tickling my neck. ¡°Still¡­ I¡¯m thankful regardless,¡± she said softly as sheid her head to rest on my shoulder. With her seemingly falling into a slumber, I then turned my head over to Ariel. Right¡­ there was one thing I was worried about ever since we came back from the royal pce. ¡°Uh¡­ I know we agreed on it beforehand¡­ but will there be any trouble with, well¡­ what I did?¡± I asked. The so-called ¡®Great Purge¡¯¡­ I was a bit worried about the implications that such a thing would bring with such a violent session to the throne. ¡°Hm? No¡­ it will be fine,¡± she replied, seemingly abandoning her fake state of sleep. ¡°In fact, this way I can reorganize the nobility and governmental positions with ease, granting the kingdom better efficiency, and my rule more legitimacy. Though, I would like to bring Aisha over for her aide before making too many decisions.¡± I guess so¡­ ¡°Okay, but¡­ won¡¯t you seem like a tyrant? Especially when I did it so openly¡­¡± I said, a bit of concern in my tone. ¡°If it was anyone else, perhaps that may be so. But don¡¯t you remember my original strength?¡± she said, lightly kissing my neck. ¡°I am known for my charisma, especially concerning the general popce, so they will absolutely follow me in spite of that. And as for the remaining nobles¡­ well, that purge will only benefit them, either morally or for greed, and since they are considered in my good graces, they will be sure to maintain their support. Especially with Perugius¡¯ influence now in y.¡± Ah¡­ well, I should have expected Ariel to know that everything would be fine. ¡°Indeed¡­ overall, everything went very well,¡± she said, humming to herself. ¡°It still feels like a dream, in some ways¡­ but I should thank you once again for making it a reality, my dear Leon.¡± And with a kiss to my cheek, she also rested her head on my chest, her breaths slowing as she eventually fell asleep. Yes¡­ she was right, everything had gone well. Almost¡­ too well. I had expected Luke to be an apostle, as I knew he could be influenced due to the diary, and he was also a vital part of Ariel¡¯s camp¡­ but that didn¡¯t end up happening. Considering the timing, the Man-God had to have known about the pregnancy and some of our moves, but perhaps that was just Darius using his informationwork? I wasn¡¯t sure¡­ but I did know one thing. The Man-God¡­ he was sloppy this time around. Compared to the meticulous nning he used to take down Oldeus and his family, this was the work of a child throwing away his toys. Even with the Water God¡¯s intervention, if I wasn¡¯t able to defeat her, then the Man-God should have known that Orsted was there to end her in my stead¡­ so why was she the only real obstacle? Was he not able to influence another powerful fighter? But either way, with two of his apostles being Darius and the Water God, he still left thest one open rather than using it against us. It was almost¡­ almost as if he didn¡¯t care about the Asura Kingdom, even though it was vital for his future defeat. Or, at least, was supposed to be. While I was initially confused about what Orsted meant by the Man-God ¡®losing power¡¯ with Ariel on the throne, I could now somewhat understand the situation. Before, Darius was under the Man-God¡¯s spell, which meant that he had ess to essentially the entire kingdom, and that would have continued if the First Prince had won the battle for the throne. But now, with Ariel not being able to be manipted by him, the Man-God had no control over the most powerful nation in the world, and with our kids being so important to the Man-God¡¯s fated downfall, they must use their position as royalty in the future to their advantage. So¡­ why did it seem as if the Man-God was unconcerned with this? No¡­ thinking back, back to when the Man-God had first made his move against me with Darius¡¯ influence, the assassins had aimed for Ariel and me. If my children were truly the cause of his defeat, then why didn¡¯t he aim for the house? If the North Emperor Auber was keeping me busy in the meantime, it would have definitely been possible. And then with him leading Rudy to convince me to fight the Dragon God, in the end, everything was aimed at¡­ ¡°Me¡­¡± I voiced out, my neutral pondering expression shifting to a wide smirk. Was that it? Rather than seeing my kids killing him, maybe the Man-God had actually seen me killing him? Well¡­ if that was the case¡­ then perhaps I really was acting ording to this ¡®fate¡¯. But if the Man-God was not caring about the distant future¡­ then he must be preparing for the near future instead. I would have to be careful, and just as always, get stronger. ¡ª Ariel Anemoi Asura ¡ª A week had passed since the banquet of royal candidates, the so-called ¡®Great Purge of Asura¡¯,pleted by my lovely Leon. With the second prince, Halfaus Asura, having his faction destroyed, and him not having any desire to be king in the first ce, he quickly fled the nation following that night, not having being seen since then for quite a while. Meanwhile, my oldest brother, Grabell Zafin Asura, had fled the city following that terrifying night, only to unfortunately meet his end on the road, with a hole drilled through his torso. I was nning on letting him run around so that the remaining rats could unite under one banner before wiping them out in one swift movement, but I suppose that someone had other ns. But that wasn¡¯t important. With my two brothers pulling out of the race for session, and my father¡¯s illness bing too debilitating to ignore, there was only one obvious solution for the stability of the kingdom. ¡°Now! Under the light of the sun, I hereby pronounce Ariel Anemoi Asura the Queen of Asura! May her evesting reign lead us to continuous proper!¡± ¡°Long live the Queen!¡± With the cheers of the crowd from below the ceremonial balcony where we stood echoing through the street, I felt the corner of my mouth lift as the crown was gently ced upon my head, signifying the final stage of my ascension. Finally¡­ after all that trouble¡­ and all that pain¡­ I had finally fulfilled my promise. Those who had fallen before me¡­ my dear mage Derrick who sacrificed his life for the stupid, unambitious me of the past¡­ can you see me now? I truly hope so. Because now¡­ I was truly the Queen of Asura, just as I had intended, and just as what those that had left me had died for. Now¡­ I could finally give their sacrifices meaning. And that was all thanks to him¡­ Turning my head, I watched as Leon stepped forward, his hand stretched outward as our fingers intertwined. Yes¡­ with him, I felt like I could do anything. He was my strength, my love, and my joy. Past my ambition and past promises, he, along with Sylphy, Aria, Anna, Roxy¡­ this wonderful family of mine¡­ they were my everything. To think that I of all people would attain such genuine love and happiness¡­ if someone had told me this just five years ago, I would haveughed in their faces. But this really was reality¡­ and what a beautiful reality it was. ¡°And now! Along with the crowning of our new queen, we shall now introduce the new king, as the two bind themselves in marriage!¡± With the announcer stating the next half of this ceremony, I then turned to face Leon, with the man himself staring at me as our hands held each other¡¯s, his expression as soft as the day that he married the other three. Yes¡­ this man, who had been my lover for nearly the past year, was now to be my husband. Ah¡­ it really was such a beautiful day. With the sun shining overhead, the clouds peppering the blue sky, and a soft breeze brushing through my hair, it truly was the picturesque scene for a royal wedding. I wonder¡­ did he ensure it was this way? I know magicians were cautioned not to affect the weather, but knowing Leon, he would absolutely not heed that warning if it was for the sake of my happiness. The thought caused a warmth to blossom in my chest. That striking gold hair with the streak of silver tucked behind his ear, his face that was so soft and gentle, a light stubble spread across the lower half of his face while his cheeks swelled up with his smile. And those eyes¡­ those damn brown eyes that were so warm, so genuine, so¡­ so loving. It was too much. That loving gaze that I had always looked upon with envy¡­ to see it directed at me¡­ well, even with my difficult past, I couldn¡¯t help but feel I was the luckiest woman alive. Indeed¡­ I¡¯d like to think I was. While others would disagree, especially with the fact that Leon had three other wives, for me¡­ well, that was just a bonus. Such were the perks of enjoying the female body in bed. But he¡­ this man was to be my husband, and the life in my belly was to be our child¡­ I nearly began to giggle happily at the thought. I was so entranced with the spectacle of him, that I didn¡¯t even register the ne of Millis being ced around my neck, nor the raucous cheers of the crowd as he recited his vows of love until it was eventually my turn. ¡°And you, Ariel Anemoi Asura, the Queen of the Asura Kingdom. Will you vow to love Leon Greyrat until his death, working together for the sake of the prosperity of the kingdom?¡± The usual Millis speech of loving only each other had been cut out for¡­ obvious reasons, but it was still an exciting thing to hear nheless. Even if we didn¡¯t need to marry to confirm our love, it really did have quite the romantic feel to it. ¡°I do,¡± I dered. ¡°Then, you may now perform the final act, binding you two in marriage, as he will then be Leon Anemoi Greyrat!¡± Yes¡­ there was that tradition as well. ¡®Anemoi¡¯ was the middle name for whoever were the members of the current royal family, and to be used as ast name once they lost the session. Not that it often happened, as losing would nearly always result in death. But that would continue no longer. My royal family would be happy and loving, just as I had always wished for, and ¡®Anemoi¡¯ will once again be used for it¡¯s intended purpose. Well¡­ perhaps not, as our children who did not take the crown will probably just take the Greyrat name¡­ but that was beside the point. Either way, nodding my head, I gently grabbed Leon¡¯s head as he leaned down, and performing the ceremonial kiss on his forehead, the marriage ceremony wasplete, evidenced by the ne hung around my neck and the cheers from below. Haa¡­ this felt amazing¡­ the heat¡­ the warmth¡­ the love¡­ the excitement¡­ Well, I was the Queen, right? So even if it was considered improper¡­ I should be able to do what I want, just like Eris did. And so, reaching up to wrap my arms around his neck, I quickly pulled Leon¡¯s head back down as our lips connected in a deep kiss, his eyes widening in surprise until he rxed, his hands wrapping around my white dress as we continued to passionately kiss. Ah¡­ and how his hands lowered to tease my rear¡­ in front of all these people that respected me¡­ Well, I was certainly wet now. Perhaps I could have him take me to the heights of pleasure tonight? Haa¡­ as good as that sounded, that might have to wait untilter. After all, there was something more important to discuss after this was finished. Eventually separating from him, I nted a gentle kiss on his cheek before I whispered into his ear. ¡°Leon¡­ now that this is over, I would like to have a meeting with the Dragon God.¡± He was the one who my now husband would be fighting with, no? And he was also the one who advised Leon to aid me in the throne, even if it was unneeded. With our shared goal of finishing the Man-God¡­ well, it was only right to greet him. Leon nodded his head as I then rested my chin on his shoulder, the two of us embracing in a loving hug as the crowd continued to cheer from below, chanting both of our names with glee. Yes¡­ I was certainly the luckiest woman in the world. ¡ª Leon Anemoi Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Ariel Anemoi Asura¡­ to think you woulde meet me,¡± Orsted said, calm andposed as ever. ¡°Ah! Y-Yes¡­ indeed¡­ a pleasure to make your acquaintance,¡± my newest wife said, bowing down in a curtsy. ¡°¡­Same to you,¡± he returned. Wow¡­ the only other wife of mine to have met Orsted was Eris, albeit briefly, and even she was left shivering until I held her hand, but Ariel seemed nearly unaffected. ¡°D-Darling,¡± she whispered, clutching my arm. ¡°I believe I may have wetted myself. Can you help in changing me after this?¡± ¡­Never mind. She was just good at hiding how affected she was. And she was just as perverted as ever. Well, I don¡¯t really mind anymore. If anything, I simply found it endearing, even if it was a little¡­ odd. But unlike my queen here, I would unfortunately not feel a hint of arousal from her urine. ¡°A-Anyway, I believe you vouched for my cause, and even contributed in dealing with some other parties away from the banquet¡­ in short, you supported my path to the throne,¡± Ariel said, regaining her vigour. ¡°So, Orsted the Dragon God¡­ what is it that you want from me?¡± Orsted looked at her calmly for a few moments. ¡°Nothing. I only ask that you remain as queen and rule as you see fit, though I do advise for you to focus on magical developments in the future, using your connections gained in Ranoa,¡± he said. ¡°Ah¡­ and I believe Leon has already told you, but concerning the Man-God¡­ be careful with his apostles. Especially now that you bear his child.¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­ I will be sure to,¡± she said. And with that, an awkward silence descended on the room. ¡°Umm¡­ so there is nothing else that is needed from me?¡± Ariel asked. ¡°No¡­ especially if Leon¡¯s n works, as dangerous as it may be¡­ but there is nothing I specifically need from you, Ariel Anemoi Asura. And I would prefer if you left for the uing conversation,¡± he said, looking at me. ¡­Oh. ¡°I see¡­ well, don¡¯t take too long, Leon,¡± she said, turning to the door. I guess even if she wanted to meet the Dragon God, this was enough for her, seeing as the man had nothing to talk to her about. Besides, the curse must have been quite frightening. ¡°Are you fine getting back?¡± I asked. ¡°Of course. Sylphy is waiting outside, so I will be fine,¡± she said, smiling. However¡­ I could see the smallest bit of pain behind that smile, and it was obvious why. Luke Notos Greyrat¡­ he hadn¡¯t talked with us much since the banquet, and he had departed yesterday to his family home to take up the title of the Notos family head, leaving Ariel behind after rescinding his title as her knight. She must have been sad to lose a friend, especially in such a way¡­ but I think that things would calm down eventually. Or at least I hope they would. And so, with her giving me a chaste kiss, she then left out the door, her legs pressed together a bit tighter than usual, likely due to her little ident. ¡°Now that we are alone¡­ I believe I should reveal something to you. Sit,¡± Orsted said, motioning to the open chair in front of me. Taking a hesitant seat, I watched as Orsted tapped his finger against the table a few times, seemingly pondering over his thoughts. ¡°I¡­ cannot read fate,¡± he suddenly said. Well¡­ that was quite a way to open the conversation. So had he been lying all this time? ¡°Rather, using an ancient magic of my people, I regress back in time, resetting the world, and have already done so many times before. That is how I know so much, and where the deception of reading fate stems from,¡± he said, looking at me. ¡°Now that we will be working together, and on a path I am unfamiliar with, I find it privy to mention this to you. Do be sure to keep this a secret.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ right,¡± I said, nodding. I was a little stunned. To think there was such a technique¡­ But then again, Rudeus had found a way to reverse time with magic, even if it was a little¡­ flimsy, so this wasn¡¯t entirely surprising. And it also exined the oddly familiar tone he took with so many people, and how surprised he was with me being ¡®different¡¯ from what he had expected. I wasn¡¯t someone different from what he read, but different from the person he had experienced countless times before. ¡°But then again, this world has been different for a while now, even without your fight against Lace,¡± he then said. Huh? ¡°Different how?¡± I asked dumbly. ¡°The Discement Incident,¡± he said. ¡°That never urred in any of my past lives, nor did Nanahoshi and Rudeus Greyrat appear. And you¡­ your path was different even before then, though I do not know why nor what had changed.¡± Huh¡­ that was¡­ surprising. So that means that Oldeus¡¯ timeline from the diary was an entirely different from the world, or past worlds, that Orsted had lived through. Interesting¡­ I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s better or worse. But more importantly¡­ ¡°Can you¡­ tell me about myself?¡± I asked, raising my head. My family that I loved so much¡­ he said that my path was different even before the Discement Incident, so¡­ was I with Mama and everyone else? Or¡­ was I abandoned, like what had likely happened in the diary that had no mention of my name. Or¡­ or even¡­ ¡°My mother¡­ do I live with her?¡± I asked. Perhaps I live a normal life, with my birth mother¡­ the life of amon viger. Maybe I would be smarter due to my Miko powers, but other than that¡­ would I still have a happy family? ¡°Hm? No. Your mother, Alice, is always fated to die,¡± he said emotionlessly. ¡°Sometimes it is earlier, due to bandits, orter, due to illness, and the time of her death dictates your path¡­ but she is fated to die all the same.¡± My heart felt¡­ odd. I was of course upset that my dear mother was fated to die in every world that Orsted had seen and had never lived a normal life with her child, but another part of me¡­ another part of me was d. d that I hadn¡¯t messed anything up with how I did things and somehow made her life end prematurely. Was it bad to think that way? Perhaps¡­ but I couldn¡¯t stop myself. And that led me to my other question. ¡°My paths¡­ what are they?¡± I asked. Orsted shifted in his seat. ¡°When she dies earlier¡­ you are either kidnapped by bandits or taken to an orphanage by passing adventurers. Eventually, once you grow older, you escape or leave in the respective cases and be an adventurer,¡± he said. Oh¡­ passing adventurers¡­ that must be Mama and the others¡­ but I was dropped off at an orphanage instead, huh? I had expected it, but it still hurt. I briefly wondered what had made it so that they took care of me instead, like in my life, but I decided to shelve those thoughts untilter. ¡°In this path, you quickly be a Saint-rank swordsman, diving intobyrinths where you eventually meet Roxy Migurdia and Sylphiette Dragonroad, forming a party for a while before eventually leaving for the Strife Zone,¡± he said. ¡°It was¡­ amusing, to see the three of you connected again. In fact¡­ well, all four of your current wives are connected to you in some way in the past worlds.¡± My face lifted at that. But wait. If Rudy was an ¡®anomaly¡¯ like the Discement Incident, then¡­ ¡°R-Roxy and Sylphy¡­ who did they eventually marry?¡± I asked. Orsted lifted his eyebrow. ¡°They¡­ do not find a romantic partner. But in Roxy Migurdia¡¯s case, you had made¡­ quite the impression, I suppose. Though her affections were not returned.¡± ¡­I needed to find these other me¡¯s who decided to not be with Roxy and give them a stern talking to. After all, she was much too expressive to be able to hide any of her love. ¡°Moving on, you go to the Strife Zone with the goal to destroy the chaos happening there and eventually establish the nation of Rakaz, leading it as you be a North King,¡± he said. ¡°After some time passes, you eventually die alone, while Rakaz crumbles in your absence due to you not leaving any children and the subsequent power vacuum of your death.¡± ¡°I see¡­ so that was the me you were referring to when we first met? ¡®Leon of Rakaz¡¯?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes¡­ I assumed as such due to you being away from the Asura Kingdom, as well as the rumours of the new stable nation being formed in the Strife Zone,¡± he said. ¡°But it seems that my assumptions were misced.¡± Ah¡­ well, that exined it. ¡°Thank you for answering¡­ and what of the other me? The one where my mother lives longer?¡± I asked, leaning forward on the table in interest. A life where my mother lives a bit longer, not dying due to some bandit, but rather by something a bit more natural. ¡°Yes¡­ as you know, she eventually dies of illness, and with the basic swordsmanship you had learned in your youth, you decide to leave for the capital,¡± he said. ¡°There, you join the Water God school where you quickly be a Water King, and around this time, you be Ariel Anemoi Asura¡¯s guard and eventual husband. Ironic, considering the current circumstances¡­¡± Huh¡­ wow, that was¡­ Well, needless to say, the seeds of doubt that had lingered after my wives¡¯ talk with me about the diary had been extinguished, knowing I was connected to them even in another timeline. Wait¡­ he did say I was connected to all of my wives, right? ¡°And what about Eris?¡± I asked. ¡°Ah, right¡­ well, she eventually fell in love with Luke Notos Greyrat and became Ariel¡¯s guard alongside you,¡± he said. ¡°You two had an¡­ interesting rtionship. One of friendship and mutual understanding, as well as camaraderie.¡± ¡­Well, that wasn¡¯t very nice to hear. I had hoped for the best when he said I was connected to her, but to think she married Luke¡­ yeah, that wasn¡¯t a pleasant thought at all. So let¡¯s quickly move on from that. ¡°I see¡­ thank you for the information,¡± I said. ¡°No need. It was¡­ intriguing, to see how different you are this time around. You were one of the few that could be an apostle of the Man-God and give me some trouble, so it was prudent for me to know your story and whereabouts,¡± he said, before he lightly chuckled. ¡°However, it is ironic how you ended up meeting Paul Greyrat, considering how you always wished to find your father in the past loops. While I could never confirm, I believe that information was the bait that the Man-God used to influence you.¡± I felt my minde to a stop. ¡°Wait¡­ Paul is my father? As in¡­ my birth father?¡± I asked slowly. ¡°Hm? Why yes, that is true. I can only assume that is where your impressive talent with the swordes from,¡± he said. I swallowed down my disbelief. ¡°How¡­ how do you know?¡± I asked. Actually, past my father, how did he know so much about my youth, when I was only a child that had no chance to trouble him? Orsted¡¯s face formed an awkward frown. ¡°Well¡­ I had told you about looking into your story due to being a future enemy¡­ so I needed to know of your origins¡­ as well as experiment how much I could affect your existence with the minimal amount of effort.¡± Ah¡­ I see. I guess he tried to see if he could cut me out of the world before I could be a problem. But Paul¡­ he really was my father, huh? Ironic¡­ it really was damn ironic, just like Orsted had said, but I had somewhat expected it. Ignoring the swordsmanship talent, as I had grown older and lost some of my softer features that were reminiscent of my mother, I had gained even more features that were simr to my father¡­ to Paul. But I had brushed aside the thought by thinking it would have been some passing Asuran nobility that was entranced by Alice, and that I would be rted to Paul, but distantly so. But s¡­ that wasn¡¯t the case. I was actually his son. I felt conflicted. On one hand, I was happy to know that I was rted to my family, even though their treatment had rarely, if ever, caused me to have doubts in our bond that shared no blood. But on the other¡­ I was pissed. For him to have abandoned my mother like that¡­ well, he would have been sixteen when he did so, and he was an idiot, so I doubt he even knew¡­ But still, it left a horrible taste in my mouth. But one thing was for certain¡­ I would need to have a long talk with him once I got back home. ¡°If you have no more questions, we should move on¡­ Now that Ariel Anemoi Asura has ascended to the throne, it is only right to fulfill my promise,¡± Orsted said, releasing a small sigh. ¡°Now¡­ I believe you mentioned needing to defeat a Divine-rank opponent for Perugius to lend his aid, correct?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ at least I believe so,¡± I said. While Perugius¡¯ aid wasn¡¯t strictly necessary, every ally would be helpful, and he had told me directly that if he wasn¡¯t on board with my n to unseal and fight Lace, he would oppose me instead, so I didn¡¯t want to risk that. Besides, if I couldn¡¯t defeat a Divine-rank opponent, then there was no chance in defeating Lace. ¡°Hmm¡­ then fighting someone on that level¡­ I believe the current North God would be best,¡± he said. ¡°He¡¯s a formidable opponent, and with his goal, it would be easy to convince him to join the battle after achieving victory over him. But in order to defeat him¡­ you will need training. I n to do so, but it will be difficult.¡± ¡°That¡¯s more than fine,¡± I said. ¡°Is that all you needed to talk about?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I do not know where the North God is at the current time, due to all the changes, but I shall leave to search for him, as well aspleting some things of my own¡­ so we will begin training once I return,¡± he said, getting up. ¡°For now¡­ learn to use that attack you performed against the Water God with ease¡­ it will be a good move against a magician like Lace.¡± Ah¡­ so he was watching. With Orsted walking into the private room of the inn, I was then left alone, using the time to briefly think over everything. Right¡­ I would need to fight a Divine-rankbatant, convince them to join my side, and then gather Perugius, Ruijerd, and anyone else I could muster before unsealing Lace with Rudy¡¯s help. But first¡­ I needed to ensure everything was settled with my family. Ariel was now queen, but there was still some instability within the nation, especially with my actions at the banquet. That would need to be fixed, and I didn¡¯t n to leave her for a long while, especially with our first child still yet to be born. So¡­ have another child, ensure my family was safe and happy, and then bringing Asura toplete stability where Ariel can work her political magic¡­ those were the goals for the near future. But once they werepleted¡­ well, I suppose it was finally time for the Seven Great Powers to be changed, whether that be from me defeating the North God, or even the Demon God of legend. Soon¡­ it would be time to put an end to Lace. ¡ª End of Arc 6 - Asura Kingdom ¡ª The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 109 – Beastfolk Princess Chapter 109 ¨C Beastfolk Princess ¡ª Leon Anemoi Greyrat ¡ª Looking down at the magic circle that Arumanfi had carved into the basement of our house in Sharia, I ced my hand on my chin as I examined the piece of work. ¡°So I just input some mana, and this will take me to the royal pce?¡± I asked the spirit standing beside me. ¡°Yes. It is quite simple to use,¡± Arumanfi responded. ¡°Even one as ignorant in summoning magic as you should find it rather straightforward.¡± Thatstment was unneeded. But still, I was able to ignore it. ¡°And is there anything I should be worried about? Like, if it breaks or something?¡± I rified. ¡°Ridiculous,¡± he said, scowling in offence. ¡°This is a creation of Lord Perugius. Do you think that such a thing would be imperfect?¡± I¡­ guess that was a no. ¡°Alright¡­ then, thank you,¡± I said, inwardly sighing. ¡±And give my thanks to Lord Perugius too.¡± And thankfully, we now had a good use for the secret room of the basement that had previously stored that autonomous doll. Speaking of that¡­ I wonder how Zanoba was doing. ¡°¡­Understood,¡± Arumanfi said, disrupting my thoughts. And with that, he disappeared with a sh of light, presumably returning to his master¡¯s side in the floating fortress. Well, at least that was done with. And with me having already greeted my family that had stayed behind while I went to Asura, now that I was back home, there was only one thing left to do. A meeting with my father¡­ the person I had seen as one, and my actual birth father¡­ as they were both one and the same. It had been a few weeks since I had officially gotten married to Ariel, and with the assurance that there were no parties going after my twodies that I had left behind, as well as Orsted and Perugius staying in the capital as another form of protection, I finally had some time to address the issue at hand. So, with the teleportation circle that would allow my family to travel to and from the pce as we wished finished, I then made my way out of the house, heading straight for my parents¡¯ ce. Paul¡­ Father should be home, right? Well, even if he wasn¡¯t, I would just have to wait until he returned. The snow crunching underneath my boots, and the air clouding with each breath, it didn¡¯t take long for me to reach the house. I hesitantly raised my hand to the cold, wooden door, my heart pounding a bit harder than it was before. I¡­ was nervous, yes. To deny it would be idiotic. I wasn¡¯t really nervous as to what Paul would do, but rather what I would¡­ or what I should do. But before I could bring myself to rap my knuckles against the door, it flung wide open to reveal my two sisters. ¡°Brother!¡± ¡°Big Brother!¡± With both of them running forward simultaneously, I quickly brought my arms out to catch them as they crashed into me, the two holding onto my neck as they pressed their cheeks against mine. ¡°Hey you two¡­ I¡¯m back,¡± I said, giving them a light squeeze as they both leaned back to look at me. ¡°Mhmm! Did everything go well?¡± Norn asked from my right with a smile. ¡°Of course,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s me, after all.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ but what took you so long?¡± Aisha asked from my left, her eyebrows raised in question. ¡°I just¡­ made things easier for Ariel, you could say,¡± I responded, averting my gaze. I don¡¯t think it would be best to tell her that I murdered most of the important nobles of the kingdom, even if she would soon learn of it when she met Ariel. ¡°Hmm¡­? Really¡­?¡± Aisha said skeptically. So that wouldn¡¯t work¡­ ah well, just deflect and move on. ¡°Ahem! Anyway, you two are getting heavy, so how about I let you down now,¡± I said. With those words, I got two kicks to the shin as punishment as I set them to the ground, which wasn¡¯t too far from their feet. They¡­ really were getting older, huh? Taking another look at the two, I could definitely tell that the attractive features of all three of my parents were beginning to show as they neared closer and closer to adulthood. Haa¡­ I would have to be on the lookout for boys soon, wouldn¡¯t I? Well, that was technically Paul¡¯s job, but they were much too cute to leave it solely to him. At least I knew that Norn was strong enough to defend herself, and Aisha was smart enough to protect herself, but¡­ I was still worried. I¡¯m their big brother, after all. Yes¡­ I really am their big brother¡­ Even though nothing has really changed, there is something different in knowing that I truly belonged in this family, at least if we were talking about bloodlines. It made me feel oddly¡­ happy. Or maybeforting was the right word¡­forting to know that even while they viewed me as their brother, there was now no way for anyone to think otherwise. But¡­ ¡°Huh? Hey, son of mine! You¡¯re back!¡± Paul said, walking over to the front door. ¡°I guess you messed up the royal pce if it took you so long, eh? Haha! Man, I would love to have seen those bastards¡¯ faces when your ass walked in!¡± But¡­ there was also some frustration. No¡­ not just some¡­ there was quite a lot. ¡°Huh? Hey, what¡¯s with that face, Leon?¡± Paul asked, calming his wide smile. I wonder what face I was showing¡­ ¡°There¡¯s¡­ something we should talk about¡­ together,¡± I said, looking past him into the hallway. ¡°Are Mama and Lilia home?¡± ¡°Hmm? Uh, yeah¡­ they¡¯re in theundry room,¡± he responded, his goofy expression havingpletely vanished at my serious tone. With some mana flowing into my demon eye, I was able to confirm what he said. ¡°Then¡­ could you bring them?¡± I asked, looking back to him. ¡°It¡¯s about¡­ our family¡­ and more specifically, me.¡± ¡ª Leon Anemoi Asura ¡ª ¡°So you¡¯re actually the King of Asura¡­ how ridiculous,¡± Paul said, shaking his head. ¡°But aside from that¡­ it¡¯s good you made things safe for Ariel. Even if your methods were a bit¡­ violent.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ they were¡­¡± Mama added with a frown. Needless to say, she was not very happy when I told her that I had bathed the royal pce in blood, even if I tried to lessen the shock with some more¡­ civilized wording. Paul, on the other hand, didn¡¯t seem to care, and as for Lilia¡­ ¡°That¡¯s my Leon,¡± she said with a proud smile as our eyes met, her hand reaching over to lovingly pat my head. Yeah¡­ I guess even after so many years, she still had quite the grudge against the kingdom¡¯s higher ups. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s safe, and once Aisha goes back, things will start getting under control,¡± I said. ¡°Speaking of that¡­ where¡¯s my dearest little brother?¡± I was talking about ric in this case, as I had already met up with Rudy this morning when he came to greet me and observe the teleportation circle be installed. It seemed that Rudy had taken quite a liking to summoning magic ever since getting a few lessons from Perugius, and he had been researching a way to use a spell to summon his magic armour when he needed. An interesting idea, and a useful one, but I had a feeling that his desire wasn¡¯t necessarily bred from function¡­ but rather from style. Well¡­ that was just like Rudy, after all. ¡°Ah, he¡¯s up in bed right now,¡± Mama answered, smiling happily. ¡°He yed with Clive all morning, so he ended up needing a big nap.¡± I see. Well, he was three, after all, although it must feel quite novel to my parents, seeing as Rudy and I had both been starting our paths in magic at that age. But it was fine, to have a normal, childish little brother. But again, like with my kids, I would have to be sure he didn¡¯t feel an inferioritypared to the two of us¡­ odd kids. Still, for the moment, his nap was probably good. After all, I don¡¯t think he would understand nor care about the discussion taking ce right now, and the one that was about to take ce. ¡°Okay¡­ then I suppose I should simply say it,¡± I said, taking a breath as I leaned forward. ¡°You know that Orsted knows quite a bit about the world, right?¡± The three nodded their heads. While they had never met him, Rudy and I had told them enough to know the basics of the man, including his oracle-like knowledge. ¡°Well¡­ let¡¯s just say through some¡­ interesting methods¡­ Orsted knows who my father is,¡± I said, feeling my emotions begin to rise. No, calm down, Leon. Getting all emotional wouldn¡¯t help anything right now. My parents seemed a bit surprised at this. ¡°Really? Do you¡­ know him?¡± Lilia pressed, her eyebrows furrowed. You could say that, yes, considering he was in the room with us right now. ¡°That bastard, leaving a woman out on her own¡­¡± Paul hissed as he crossed his arms. Uh¡­ yes¡­ he is quite a bastard¡­ but I am talking about you, you know. ¡°Really? Who is it?¡± Mama asked. And that¡­ was the big question. Closing my eyes, I took a breath before I slowly raised my head, looking directly into Paul¡¯s green eyes. He blinked. I continued staring. He blinked again. And still, I continued staring. His eyes widened as he slowly pointed to himself, a hint of recognition beginning to form in his head. I narrowed my eyes and nodded. ¡°W-What!? T-That¡­ how!?¡± he suddenly shouted, standing to his feet. ¡°How else do you think, you bastard!?¡± I shouted back, meeting him as I stood up. ¡°Y-You! You¡­ are my real father¡­¡± My words trailed off as I slowly sat back down into my chair, my anger giving way to a feeling of sadness. What the hell was I even supposed to do? Should I even care? I had long learned that family was more than just about being connected to someone through blood, so what was even the point of revealing this¡­ of arguing¡­ While I was ruminating to myself, both of my sisters came up to me, both snuggling against my sides, as if trying to give me somefort. It worked¡­ kind of. But still¡­ I slowly looked back up at Paul, who had taken a seat as well, massaging his forehead as he seemed to be lost in thought. Was he trying to remember how he could have ended up creating me? Well¡­ even if he didn¡¯t¡­ I couldn¡¯t me him. He would have been only sixteen when it happened, after all. Mama wasn¡¯t even part of their adventuring party yet at that point. And that was the main reason I couldn¡¯t feel angry. Just¡­ despondent? Disappointed? I didn¡¯t even know. If he had taken responsibility and given my mother the family and stability she deserved¡­ would he still be with Mama? I doubt it. Even if he was unfaithful, even in marriage, he was a man who would absolutely take responsibility, so I doubted that he would take the chance to start another family with another woman. And if he didn¡¯t get with Mama¡­ then Rudy wouldn¡¯t be born¡­ nor would Aisha and Norn. A world without them¡­ could I really feel a sense of regret about that? And then there were the many worlds Orsted had seen where, in nearly every one of them, Paul abandoned Alice. In some ways, that made it worse, as there was no version of my father that treated Alice well, but on the other hand, things ying out like they did¡­ it was some sort of fate, right? Haa¡­ it was just too tiring to be angry. So I wasn¡¯t. Wasn¡¯t angry, I mean. Instead, just¡­ sad. Sad that I didn¡¯t even have the chance to wish things had changed, considering the consequences of what would happen if things had been different. ¡°I¡­ love my family¡­ our family¡­ so it¡¯s not like I would want to change anything,¡± I began, trying to sound out my thoughts to everyone else. ¡°But¡­ I still miss her. My Mom, I mean. She¡­ she deserved better.¡± Yeah, that was one way to word it. She deserved better than being abandoned and burdened with me. ¡°Oh, baby¡­¡± Mama said, slowly shuffling toward me. ¡°Leon¡­¡± Lilia said, joining her. With four sets of arms wrapping around me, I felt a bit of that sadness disappear, melted away by their warmth and love. It felt nice. It feltforting. But¡­ that wasn¡¯t exactly what I was looking for when I came here. ¡°Leon¡­ son, I¡­¡± Paul stammered, struggling to find his words. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± He then bowed his head. Despite all his mistakes, it was an incredibly rare sight for the man to bow so deeply, so I knew that he was serious with this gesture. ¡°I¡­ I was an idiot, and¡­ well¡­ like you said, I can¡¯t say I regret everything that happened in my life since then¡­ but I¡¯m still sorry¡­ son,¡± he said. I stared at him for a moment before suddenly sighing, feeling thest of the residual anger leave my body. He was definitely getting off too easy. And shouldn¡¯t this be a more defining moment for our family? But s¡­ that wasn¡¯t the case. Even if I was actually his son, it didn¡¯t really change anything between us and our family. And even if he made a bad mistake in the past¡­ there was no way to change it, and even if I had the chance to¡­ if I could go back and force fate to follow a different path¡­ I couldn¡¯t say that I would take it. No. In fact, despite how hard it would be, I wouldn¡¯t dare try to change things. Haa¡­ whatever. I was too tired to care any longer. Besides, I was back home after nearly two months of being away in another country, fighting for the kingdom¡¯s session. This was a time that should be a bit happier¡­ even if the circumstances made it unable to be all great. As Mama and Lilia turned their head¡¯s back to my father, I saw that the two of them were giving him harsh looks as he continued to hang his head in shame. Well¡­ even if I wasn¡¯t giving out any punishments¡­ I guess the two of them had it covered. But now that there were only my sisters at my side¡­ I noticed that they were acting a little¡­ odd. I looked at them as the continued being attached to my sides, both of their faces constricted in matching pouts. Why did they seem so upset? Was it because our father was a bastard? No, they had long since epted that he was an ass in the past. So¡­ what was it? ¡°So¡­ Big Brother¡­ you¡¯re my real brother¡­?¡± Aisha slowly asked. ¡°Yes¡­ that is the case,¡± I answered, nodding my head. The two of them visibly deted. ¡°A-And¡­ you¡¯re sure of this?¡± Norn asked. ¡°Uhh¡­ yes¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure,¡± I said. Besides, between the swordsmanship and looks, there were too many simrities between my father and I to discount Orsted¡¯s words. ¡°I¡­ see¡­¡± Aisha said despondently. What? What was with them? And why was Lilia giving them such an apologetic look? I was about to ask more, but before I could, I sensed a presence at the door, and a momentter, said presence made itself known. ¡°L-Leon! You¡¯re here!¡± Rudy said after opening the door. ¡°Yes¡­ and good timing, there¡¯s something you should know,¡± I said. He looked at the six of us in confusion before shaking his head. ¡°Never mind that! I¡­ need your help,¡± he said, hanging his head. I raised my eyebrow in question. ¡°You¡­ you have four wives now, right?¡± he hesitantly said, looking up at me as his eyes darted from side to side. ¡°So¡­ I think you¡¯re the best one to ask for advice¡­¡± Uhh¡­ what was going on? The only thing that should be happening today is¡­ Oh. It was then that I remembered that now was the time that the school year came to an end, and the previously sixth year students graduated from the University of Ranoa. And this year¡­ the graduating ss included a certain pair of beastfolk princesses. From the look on Rudy¡¯s face, the nature of his request for advice, and the memories of a certain promise between the three¡­ I had a feeling I knew what trouble my brother was currently facing. ¡ª Leon Anemoi Greyrat ¡ª ¡°So¡­ you want to go over that again?¡± I asked Rudy, who was currently sitting across from me in my house¡¯s study. ¡°Yes¡­ well¡­ Lilia and Pursena¡­ they graduated¡­ and then right after, they decided to have a duel,¡± he said. I nodded my head as I took a slow sip of my tea. ¡°Pursena won¡­ and Lilia lost¡­ so it was decided that Pursena would go back to rule her tribe and fulfill her role as princess, while Linia would stay here and¡­ marry me¡­¡± he continued, exining the main problem of the situation. So Linia would be all but abandoning her duties¡­ well, at least Gustav seemed to have foreseen something like this happening and sent Minitona and Tersena here to study. Thinking of the two beastfolk princesses that Rudy was having trouble over¡­ well, maybe this was a good thing, all things considered. Even if they ended up spending most of their free time with Eris, those two were much better candidates for a ruling position than their older sisters. ¡°So? Is there anything else?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes¡­ I told Sara about it¡­ and she¡­ didn¡¯t take it well,¡± he said, frowing. Well, yes, I would have assumed so. ¡°I see¡­ then, are you going to break the news to Linia?¡± I asked. Rudy made an odd face. ¡°Well¡­ you see¡­ I kind of already epted their proposal when we were travelling together, so it would be bad of me to go back on my word now¡­¡± he exined. ¡­Huh? I¡­ was initially going to be pissed at him for not rejecting the sudden proposal, but with such a reason holding him back, I couldn¡¯t find it in myself to be mad. After all¡­ a promise, even from long ago, wasn¡¯t something to be forgotten so easily. ¡°And¡­ she¡¯s really sexy¡­¡± he added, a lustful smile forming on his lips. ¡­Never mind. Give me back my trust, brother. ¡°Well, you¡¯ll have to just make a choice then,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°Even if she¡¯s not part of the Millis Church, not every girl is one for polyamory, Sara included. So you¡¯ll have to weigh your choices between the current family you have now, or the one with the ¡®sexy¡¯ Linia. I don¡¯t have to tell you which one is the right choice, do I?¡± I¡­ really didn¡¯t have to, right? Rudy frowned at me. ¡°That¡¯s the thing¡­ Sara isn¡¯t necessarily against me having another woman,¡± he said. ¡­Excuse me? ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked. ¡°It was a few years ago, after the two of us reunited¡­ after we got back from the inn that night, Sara and I had a¡­ talk,¡± he exined. ¡°Basically, seeing you with Eris and Sylphy, and already having heard about our father, she told me that she wouldn¡¯t mind me having another woman as long as I told her beforehand.¡± Hmm¡­ I guess I could see that happening. Sylphy had told me that one of the reasons she was able to ept everything so easily was because she had the experience of being with Mama, Lilia, and Paul after they settled things. And while Sara didn¡¯t necessarily have that experience growing up, being exposed to such a thing, and seeing that it didn¡¯t mean the women were miserable, could definitely open someone up to the idea more. ¡°Alright¡­ and I assume you told her about Linia before doing anything with her, right?¡± I asked. He nodded his head. ¡°Then¡­ what¡¯s the problem?¡± I asked. Rudy frowned a bit. ¡°Well¡­ the main point of it all, is that Sara doesn¡¯t think Linia loves me¡­ and thus, she doesn¡¯t want to have a family with her¡­¡± he exined. Again, thinking of Sylphy, she had also demanded that I only be with other women that loved me and our family as well. Not that I nned on having any more¡­ but that wasn¡¯t the point right now. Thinking back on my memories of the beastfolk girl, Sara certainly had a reason to be suspicious. There were not many, if any, times I had thought of Linia looking at Rudy in a romantic light¡­ rather, it was more just in lust. But oddly enough¡­ sometimes, that girl¡¯s demeanour reminded me of Eris before she mellowed out a bit. Of course, that really only spoke of her immaturity, to bepared to the child Eris¡­ but also, that meant that she might very well have actual feelings for this brother of mine. ¡°And?¡± I asked. ¡°Do you agree with Sara¡¯s judgment? And more than that¡­ do you love Linia as well? Enough to have a family with her?¡± It didn¡¯t take a genius to know that one of the main reasons that Linia wanted to be with Rudy was to have children, likely due to his strength. She was a member of the beastfolk, after all. But if the two wanted to have children together¡­ well, I wouldn¡¯t want that to be a bad decision. Rudy¡¯s eyes turned resolute as he shed a smile. ¡°I do love her. And I know she loves me. While she might be a bit of a tsundere, with our time crossing the continent together all those years ago, I know that I reinforced the ¡®dere¡¯ side in her,¡± he said, nodding to himself. ¡­I wasn¡¯t quite sure what nonsense he was talking about, especially with such a proud expression, but at least there seemed to be real feelings there. ¡°Then¡­ isn¡¯t there only one thing left to do, idiotic brother of mine?¡± I said, getting up as Rudy frowned at me. ¡°Go talk to them. Together. And talk to them seriously. I¡¯ll watch Lana for you while you do, but don¡¯te back until everything is sorted out.¡± Communication was important, after all. ¡°W-Well, but¡­ haa, fine,¡± he said, eventually relenting to my words as he stood up. ¡°This is the job of the man of the house, right?¡± Exactly. ¡°And besides, if I want to ravish those two beauties, I should put in some work myself!¡± he proimed, giving me a proud smirk as he pressed his fist to his chest. ¡­While I loved him and was proud of him¡­ this dear brother of mine really knew how to disappoint me at the most opportune moments. Well¡­ at least I¡¯ll be able to see my cute niece for a while. ¡ª Rudeus Greyrat ¡ª ¡°S-Sara?¡± I said, giving her my best smile. ¡°My beloved wife?¡± The only thing I got in response was a pair of narrowed eyes as she continued rapping her finger against her arm. Right¡­ this wasn¡¯t going the greatest. Well¡­ I guess I should have expected this. I mean, it¡¯s not like I would ept her wanting another husband, even if she had made a promise to them in the past. I wasn¡¯t a fan of NTR, even if it made me a selfish hypocrite. ¡°Do you¡­ hate this after all?¡± I asked. ¡°Of course I do!¡± she shouted, her tone harsh, as if she was scolding me. Usually, I would end up feeling quite aroused by that tone, but right now¡­ I couldn¡¯t find it in myself to be. ¡°I said you could have another wife if you couldn¡¯t handle yourself, but not just some random woman!¡± she shouted, pointing at me sternly. ¡°I¡¯ve seen your parents and your brother¡¯s families. I know they¡¯re all happy together. I can ept that! But! That only works because they love each other as family! Because they wouldn¡¯t want their home to be destroyed! They aren¡¯t just doing it on a whim!¡± I lowered my head a bit at her volume. She was really angry, huh? I seemed to have messed this whole thing up. Dammit, brother. ¡®Just have a talk together¡¯ my ass! I didn¡¯t already have everything set like you did! I slowly looked over to Linia, who had taken to covering her ears as she meekly looked a way. An action that was so unlike her. That proud, temperamental princess that I hade to love¡­ she wasn¡¯t one to take words like that sitting still. So¡­ why? Was she that affected by my wife¡¯s scolding tone? But either way, for the sake of my hopefully future wife, and likely future bearer of my children, I should stand up for her. ¡°Sara¡­ she¡­ isn¡¯t taking this lightly¡­ and neither am I,¡± I said, looking back at her. She raised her eyebrow at me. ¡°Is that so¡­¡± she said, having gone back to her normal volume, before she looked over to the woman beside me. ¡°Then please tell me, Linia¡­ do you really love my husband?¡± Taking a breath, I then looked over to the woman in question, her cute cat ears twitching as she raised her head. ¡°O-Of course, nyan! I wouldn¡¯t get married to anyone, you know! Only Rudy is good enough for a woman like me!¡± she proimed, having stood up to make her point. Well¡­ I didn¡¯t mind hearing that at all. Especially with how her breasts jiggled at her movement, the nipples pressing nicely against the fabric while her thighs- No¡­ you¡¯re getting way too far ahead of yourself, Rudy. There was an order to things here, after all. Even if she was incredibly sexy¡­ ¡°Rudy,¡± Sara snapped. Whoops. It seems that my inner thoughts had somehow appeared on my face. Seriously, my Sara was much too good at reading me. Even Linia seemed to know something, judging by how she was sniffing the air while looking at me with a knowing smile. ¡°Haa¡­ whatever, back to the point,¡± Sara said, shaking her head. ¡°So, Linia¡­ you say you love Rudy, right? Then why¡­ why do you love him?¡± ¡°W-Why¡­? Hmm¡­¡± Linia said, her expression turning contemtive as she rubbed her chin in thought. Uh¡­ not giving me a lot of confidence there, Linia. ¡°I guess¡­ because he¡¯s strong!¡± she said, mming her fist into her hand. ¡°And not only that, but his brother and father are strong too! So that means that between us, we¡¯ll definitely have strong kids!¡± Uh¡­ I guess that wasn¡¯t the worst reason¡­ But that didn¡¯t seem to be the same for Sara, as her expression had turned back into a frown. ¡°Because he¡¯s ¡®strong¡¯, huh? Is that all? Then, does that mean if Leon or that Dragon God came and asked to take you to bed, you would leave and go with them?¡± Sara asked. Linia¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. Had¡­ had she never thought of that before? I don¡¯t know whether to take that as apliment or not. ¡°W-Well¡­ maybe if I hadn¡¯t met Rudy¡­ then I wouldn¡¯t mind it,¡± Linia slowly started to exin. ¡°But! But¡­ strength isn¡¯t the only reason I l-love him¡­¡± As I looked over to Linia, I felt my body freeze at the sight. Her cheeks were flushed red while her eyes darted to and fro, trying to avert from Sara and I¡¯s sight. It was¡­ incredibly different from the Linia that I knew¡­ and incredibly cute. Was this the famous gap moe? I¡­ I approved. Very much so. And while I doubted Sara was as enraptured in the sight, she was mutually surprised nheless, at least from what her wide eyes were telling me. ¡°He¡­ when we travelled together¡­ he never looked down on me for being stupid,¡± she said, clenching her fist. ¡°When I didn¡¯t understand something, unlike my father who would only get angry, or my grandfather who would only be disappointed¡­ he would exin it calmly until I understood, and if I didn¡¯t¡­ he wouldn¡¯t hold it against me.¡± I felt a warmth blossom in my chest at her words. Were these her true thoughts? Were they really so¡­ vulnerable and sweet? Ha¡­ now I really wanted to take her to bed. Like, this instant. ¡°S-So yeah¡­ I do love him¡­ and even if he isn¡¯t the strongest, if there is one thing that I am, it¡¯s loyal!¡± Linia said, having regained her energy, her tail flicking upwards. ¡°So¡­ so, please let me have some babies with Rudy!¡± That was¡­ quite the way to finish off her deration of love. I looked over to Sara, only to see her eye twitching slightly. But only slightly. ¡°So bold¡­¡± she mumbled, closing her eyes as she released a sigh. ¡°Haa¡­ fine.¡± She then turned to me with a frown. ¡°Rudy. You¡¯re doing double the chores for the next month, understood?¡± she said, poking my chest. ¡°And don¡¯t forget that Lana is your priority, so don¡¯t forget that just because you have a new girl to have fun with. And don¡¯t even think for a second that I¡¯m sharing a bed with the two of you, understood!?¡± ¡°Y-Yes ma¡¯am!¡± I said, getting onto my knees. D-Did this mean¡­? ¡°And Linia¡­¡± Sara said, turning to her as her expression calmed into a neutral one. ¡°We¡¯ll have to discuss some things in private¡­ especially about a schedule if we end up having one¡­ but for now¡­ wee to the family, Linia.¡± And like that, our little family of three became one of four. Though¡­ I had a feeling that Zenith isn¡¯t going to be very happy about this development. But at this point, with having two instead of four, I was only half as bad as Leon, so it should be fine¡­ right? Chapter 110 – An Otherworlder’s Plight Chapter 110 ¨C An Otherworlder¡¯s Plight ¡ª Leon Anemoi Greyrat ¡ª It had been a couple of weeks since my return from Asura, and at the same time, the beginning of Linia and Rudy¡¯s rtionship. I was still unsure of how that would all work out, but for now¡­ things were rtively stable. Although Rudy had really taken to foldingundry, for some reason. Anyway, moving on. While Ariel and Sylphy had beening back to the house during the nights via the teleportation circle, they had been mainly staying in the royal pce, focusing on reorganizing the nobles and ministers of the country after Ariel¡¯s ascension, all with the help of Aisha. Asura would remain a monarchy, as it had since it¡¯s inception¡­ but now, there was a firm stance against corruption, and a warning in the form of the purge I hadmitted. As for me, I had been moving between both the pce and our home, diverting my time between taking care of the kids and my family, and helping Ariel with anything that needed my skills, which mostly amounted to making sure no powerful people acted up, and also some other tasks such as giving her some¡­ massages. Yeah¡­ massages. Something most would think of as an innocent task, right? Though¡­ they were anything but innocent. But nheless, things had been calmtely. Almost¡­ too calm. There was nothing regarding the Man-God, despite me having turned the Asura kingdom from his asset to his enemy, and there wasn¡¯t any family drama either. It was a bit unnerving, if I was being honest. Even with Orsted¡¯s reassurances that the Man-God wasn¡¯t showing any signs of action, at least from what he could tell. But of course, such peaceful times could never continue. ¡°Leon!¡± Rudy said, having ran all the way to my house, judging by how out of breath he was. ¡°I-It¡¯s Shizuka! She¡­ she¡¯s in trouble.¡± Well¡­ I suppose I should be thankful to not live a boring life. ¡°Calm down,¡± I said, getting to my feet as Rudy walked into the living room. ¡°She¡¯s in trouble? What¡¯s wrong with her? Did an experiment fail or something?¡± Rudy quickly shook his head. ¡°No, it¡¯s¡­ I was taking her back to the university after she had dinner at my ce¡­ and then, on the stairs¡­ she suddenly copsed,¡± he said. Copsed? Wait¡­ that didn¡¯t sound good at all. ¡°Okay¡­ did you need my help with healing magic?¡± I asked, already putting on my jacket. ¡°Though you¡¯re pretty good at it yourself now.¡± ¡°No¡­ I tried, but it didn¡¯t help at all¡­¡± he said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure how bad it was and if you were home, so I used the magic item Perugius gave her¡­ so Arumanfi took her to the floating fortress¡­¡± My movements paused. The floating fortress¡­ well, at least it was easier to get there now. ¡°Alright¡­ then,e on. Let¡¯s go,¡± I said, turning back towards the basement. Luckily, while Perugius hadn¡¯t given me any lessons on summoning magic, he did teach me how to use his teleportation circles, and how to link them to the others that I was allowed to use, so it would be a quick trip up to the legendary floating pce. Although¡­ it did take an awful lot of mana¡­ but now that I could cycle mana with the atmosphere, I could quickly replenish myself back to full. It was a final gift from my departed master, the Water God, as our battle had shown me that I could take control of the environmental mana as well¡­ with enough focus, of course. But Shizuka¡­ what had happened to her? And for Rudy¡¯s healing magic to not work? I know Rudy wasn¡¯t as skilled as I or even Sylphy was, but the pure potency of his mana made his healing magic at least at the Saint rank. So either it was something that needed King or higher ranked magic¡­ or it was something else entirely. Just what could it be? ¡ª Leon Anemoi Asura ¡ª Walking through the familiar, yet nheless still enchanting, halls of the floating fortress, I followed one of Perugius¡¯ spirits into one of the many rooms, where Shizuka was currently resting. And from the silence I was met with when I asked of her condition¡­ things seemed to not be going well. ¡°Ah¡­ you¡¯re here,¡± Shizuka said, looking up from her notebook at Rudy and I¡¯s entrance. ¡°Studying even though you¡¯re sick¡­ ever the studious one, huh?¡± I said, walking over to her. ¡°It¡¯s not like there¡¯s anything else I can do here¡­ Cough! Ack!¡± As she began to cough, I pressed my hands against her back, emitting a mix of healing magic to alleviate her symptoms, and detoxification magic to investigate the root cause. ¡°It- cough! It¡¯s useless¡­ magic won¡¯t work on this,¡± she said, batting me away. And she was right¡­ I couldn¡¯t sense anything, and my healing magic did nothing. What¡­ what the hell was this? Did I need higher ranked magic? Would¡­ would I have to take over the Millis Church already? I was nning to do that just before facing the Man-God, so that I could remove a possible pawn that he could use to divert my attention, but I guess doing it early wouldn¡¯t hurt- ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re thinking, but I have a feeling it¡¯s ridiculous. Just stop it. I already know what¡¯s wrong with me,¡± she said, dabbing her mouth with a piece of cloth, and staining it red in the process. So it was this bad¡­ ¡°You know?¡± Rudy asked. ¡°Yeah. You know¡­ when I first came here, I thought that I would be killed pretty fast by an illness due tocking any natural resistances, but luckily for me, I didn¡¯t have any mana, and I¡¯m guessing most of the bacteria and viruses here thrive on it to survive and grow, so I was safe,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°But I guess not having any mana is dangerous too, huh? How ironic.¡± What? Now I was confused. Mana was tied to one¡¯s life force, so it was obvious that not having any was dangerous, but that shouldn¡¯t be the case for Shizuka, who had been living fine without it for all this time. Apparently, my confusion was clear on my face, as Shizuka looked up to rify what she was talking about. ¡°It¡¯s called ¡®drain syndrome¡¯. A rare disease where mana umtes in the body, causing a sickness,¡± she exined. ¡°It seems that even without me being able to use mana, or having any myself, I still could umte it in my body via the ambient mana in the air. Quite unfortunate, huh?¡± Rudy clenched his fist. ¡°Then¡­ what can we do?¡± he asked. ¡°There has to be a way, right?¡± Shizuka shrugged. ¡°I can only hope so. But Lord Perugius wasn¡¯t very hopeful.¡± I stepped away from Shizuka, resting my back against the wall as I pondered the problem. ¡°You not being able to release this mana¡­ is that because of the same reason that you haven¡¯t grown older?¡± I asked. ¡°I believe so,¡± she nodded. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ confusing. I can still live in the world, and I still need to breathe, eat, and sleep, but there¡¯s some sort of force keeping me from having any control of mana, and no form of aging on a cellr level. Even my hair hasn¡¯t grown for all these years, not to mention my per¡­ anyway, yeah.¡± She shook her head as her cheeks flushed, but I didn¡¯t n on pointing it out. I see¡­ well, I knew that mana and life force were linked, so that must be the case for her as well, where both her life and any mana she had were in stasis. ¡°So the best way to remove this drain syndrome¡­ wouldn¡¯t it be to remove your frozen state?¡± I said. ¡°And how exactly did that happen in the first ce?¡± Shizuka nodded her head. ¡°That¡¯s another thing I wanted to talk to you two about.¡± She then flipped through her notebook, turning to a page with lines of unfamiliar symbols, the same ones her and Rudy used for their experiments. ¡°I originally thought it was due to me being summoned here, but I eventually reasoned that it was not the case,¡± she said. ¡°For the longest time, I didn¡¯t really care, but I eventually formed a theory after reading the future Rudeus¡¯ diary. And if I was suspicious about that being true before¡­ with the fact that Orsted resets the world, and has done so multiple times, it is now most likely the case.¡± So Rudy told her about Orsted¡¯s time travel¡­ well, I don¡¯t think he would mind Shizuka knowing. ¡°I believe I was summoned here by someone in the future, and summoned for a specific purpose,¡± she said, looking up at us. ¡°A specific purpose?¡± Rudy said, confused. ¡°Ignoring how¡­ what would that purpose be?¡± I was curious as well. While Shizuka had brought many new inventions into the world, she had already stated that she didn¡¯t n on advancing the science of our world too much, and she wasn¡¯t strong in the sense ofbat to have any meaningful effect on a battle or something¡­ ¡°You mentioned how killing the Man-God would likely result in the destruction of the world, correct? And that you need a way to seal him instead¡­ I believe I was summoned here to create such a seal, either for you, or your descendants,¡± she said as she looked back down at her hands. ¡°And until I do¡­ I will be locked in this state, and I can only assume I won¡¯t be able to return home either.¡± Ah¡­ well, it made¡­ some sense, considering that we knew time travel to be possible. But still¡­ it was confusing. And how would that lead to her being in stasis? Is it rted to the ¡®fate¡¯ and ¡®destiny¡¯ Orsted had talked about? The room descended into silence, with Shizuka revealing a frustrated frown as Rudy hesitantly ced his hand on her shoulder forfort. Those two¡­ No¡­ don¡¯t think about it, Leon. ¡°Anyway¡­ assuming that is the case, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll need to wait for long,¡± I said, snapping the two out of their shared moment. ¡°W-What do you mean?¡± Rudy asked, moving away from her. ¡°I mean that I¡¯ll be defeating the Man-God in the near future, and with it, the fate that binds her¡­ at least if this is correct,¡± I said, giving her a reassuring smile. ¡°And if that¡¯s not enough, and your theory is wrong¡­ well, I¡¯ll have lots of free time afterwards to find another way.¡± Shizuka gave me a grateful nod at this, while Rudy simply brought his hand to his chin in thought. ¡°Still¡­ that doesn¡¯t fix the current problem, does it?¡± he said. Ah¡­ the sickness. Right. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t. But I know the perfect person to go to,¡± I said, turning to the door. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Rudy. And while we¡¯re there, I¡¯ll give you a tour of the capital.¡± ¡ª Leon Anemoi Greyrat ¡ª After teleporting to the pce via the teleportation circle in the basement, I then took Rudy around the capital and gave him a small tour. Even though he had visited Millishion before, he was quite amazed by the size of Ars. It was a bit bigger that the capital of the Holy Nation, even if it wascking in the beauty of a sereneke as it¡¯s foundation, and past that, there were also the new magical tools scattered throughout the city, a product of Ariel¡¯s connections in the magic kingdoms that she had forged over the past few years as she began implementing some policies. But as great as sightseeing was, that wasn¡¯t what we were here for. So, after a quick stop to greet Sylphy and Ariel, we then went over to a small room at the corner of the pce, where a certain Dragon God was staying for the time being, to talk. The topic, of course, being the issue facing the girl from another world. ¡°Hmm¡­ Drain Syndrome¡­ I believe humans became immune to that disease nearly 7000 years ago¡­ but considering that Nanahoshi isn¡¯t from this world, it¡¯s only reasonable that she could be affected by it¡­¡± Orsted said, having heard the situation from the two of us. ¡°Then, do you have any ideas on how to fix it?¡± Rudy asked, worried. ¡°Not directly. As I said, that disease has not appeared in many years, and as such, I have not needed to find any cure, for any reason,¡± Orsted said, Rudy¡¯s face dropping at his words. ¡°But¡­ I do believe is someone who may know of a way.¡± Thank Millis. ¡°And who is this person?¡± I asked. Orsted looked at me, pointing towards my face. ¡°I believe you have already met her,¡± he said. ¡°She has lived even longer than I, discounting my repeating years, and with matters rted to history, there is no better person.¡± Huh? I¡­ I have? I turned to see Rudy looking at me with hopeful eyes. Sorry, brother, but I have no clue who he is talking about. ¡°I am talking about the Great Demon Empress, Kishirika,¡± Orsted answered. Oh¡­ that girl. ¡°Great Demon Empress¡­ is she the one that gave you that eye, Leon?¡± Rudy asked. ¡°Yeah¡­ though you wouldn¡¯t believe it if you met her,¡± I said before turning to Orsted. ¡°Can she¡­ really help with this?¡± After all, just because you had lived for a long time, doesn¡¯t mean that you were intelligent. And thinking about that girl¡­ well, let¡¯s just say that she didn¡¯t seem like the type to retain her knowledge very well. ¡°That would be my best bet,¡± Orsted said. ¡°Even though she is a troublesome character, her immortality isn¡¯t the only reason she was able to unite the Demon Continent. She should have the answers you are looking for.¡± Well¡­ I guess that is true. ¡°And speaking of ¡®uniting¡¯¡­ it seems that there is trouble brewing in the kingdom,¡± Orsted added. ¡°I would sort it out myself, but for now, I would prefer lying in wait in case the Man-God makes a move. Besides, your wife was hoping that you could help her with it.¡± ¡°So¡­ Ariel came to see you?¡± I asked, surprised. While she had met him before, that was only with me next to her, as Orsted¡¯s curse wasn¡¯t something to be taken lightly. And even then, she had told me afterwards that she had wet herself at the mere presence of the man¡­ but from how joyful she seemed afterwards, maybe that wasn¡¯t a bad thing. That horny woman¡­ ¡°Indeed. I was surprised as well,¡± Orsted said, furrowing his eyebrows. ¡°Such determination¡­ I suppose this is due to your influence, though it is stillmendable.¡± Well, my Ariel was amazing, after all. But still¡­ there was some trouble in the kingdom, huh? Nothing new, I suppose. It was probably something to do with the new nobles, in one way or another¡­ damn. The transition to power across the nation had been rtively smooth, barring a few issues, and my sister and wife were very skilled in selecting the new positions for each of the regions that needed them. If I had to guess, the trouble here was simr to the incidents I had needed to clean up before. Because while the newly selected nobles were good at their management and positions, both in skill and honour, sometimes¡­ they were too good. In an effort to remove corruption, Ariel had ensured that each of her selected nobles would work for their subjects¡¯ best interests in mind, and as a result, other powerful people like merchants who had been used to working together with the corrupt nobles in the interest of collective greed, no longer had such an avenue of exploitation. To put it simply, nobles were not the only pieces of trash in the kingdom, and said pieces of trash sometimes made their displeasure known. I was more than happy in helping Ariel with that, of course, but still¡­ there was the issue with Shizuka. While she wasn¡¯t family, I still considered her someone close to me, and someone I felt the need to protect for¡­ inexplicable reasons. I couldn¡¯t just leave her to die- ¡°Brother, just leave this to me,¡± Rudy said, breaking me out of my thoughts. ¡°You have stuff to do in the kingdom, right? And not to mention your family¡­ so let me take the lead this time.¡± I turned to him. ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked. ¡°You have your family too¡­ now with another wife, may I add.¡± Rudy flinched. ¡°Ah¡­ yeah. There¡¯s that too¡­ but things are stable now! Linia is actually great with Lana!¡± he said happily. ¡°And it¡¯s not like I have a job, so I see them plenty. I can afford to take a trip if it¡¯s to help a friend.¡± It was good to know that my now two sisters-inw were getting along, but still¡­ ¡°Will you be fine?¡± I asked. ¡°Of course! While not at your level, I¡¯m quite strong now, you know?¡± he said, flexing his bicep. ¡°And besides¡­ it¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to fight, and even if something does happen, I don¡¯t have to go alone.¡± ¡°Oh? And who would be going with you?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, there¡¯s Zanoba, who, knowing that guy, would surely want to join me anyway. And then Cliff, since he¡¯s wanted to try going on an adventure to have some cool stories to tell Clive,¡± he said, counting on his fingers. ¡°Ah! And Father has been mentioning wanting to show off his skills some more before he gets too old, so him as well!¡± Hmm¡­ If it was those four, things should end up being fine, especially with Rudy¡¯s armour having constantly improved. But I was still a bit worried. ¡°Leon, you should trust your brother,¡± Orsted suddenly said. ¡°You cannot be everywhere at once.¡± ¡­Well, I suppose that was true. ¡°Brother,¡± Rudy said, my head turning back to him as he gave me a confident smile. ¡°I got this. It¡¯ll be simple.¡± ¡ª Rudeus Greyrat ¡ª Nothing about this was simple! Dodging out of the way as a sword cut through my previous position, I turned to face Atofe¡¯s knight, Moore, who was currently giving me quite a bit of trouble. ¡°Just submit, Rudeus Greyrat. ept it, just as I have,¡± he said, raising his sword once again. ¡°As if! I have two loving wives to get back to!¡± I shouted, pressing my hand against the ground that had been soaked with me previous water spell. ¡°And I haven¡¯t even had a threesome with them yet!¡± Releasing my deepest desires out into the world, I imagined the flow of electrons racing from my mana into the ground, generating an array of electric arcs that reached Moore in an instant, causing him to freeze as the lightning magic shocked him. ¡°D-Damn you¡­ lustful pesky magician¡­¡± he groaned. ¡°Don¡¯t make light¡­ of my strength!¡± Trembling, he slowly started to get to his feet. Scary¡­ maybe I needed to put in a little more power? Or maybe¡­ I needed to finally try something lethal. I had never killed a human. Sure, I had helped more than a few times, especially when Counter Arrow were targeting bandits, but still¡­ I had never been the main cause of a person¡¯s death. It just¡­ didn¡¯t feel right. Many of those people deserved it, yes. And I didn¡¯t think any less of the people in my life who had killed¡­ but still. I just didn¡¯t like the thought of it. It made me sick. But now¡­ perhaps I would need tomit to such an act. Besides¡­ this guy wasn¡¯tpletely human anyway, right? So it was fine to cross that line¡­ right? Swallowing down the hesitation in my chest, I began to form a stone cannon at the end of my hand, forcing the conical shape to spin as I aimed at the elderly-looking man¡¯s head. But right before I released¡­ ¡°Hah!¡± With a sudden movement, my father appeared behind Moore, releasing a swift strike across his neck, causing the knight¡¯s head to topple to the ground. What¡­ to be taken out so simply¡­ then what was my inner monologue even for!? ¡°Hehe, see that, kid? I still got it,¡± Paul said, walking up to me as he puffed out his chest. ¡°I ain¡¯t a captain of the Sharian Guards for nothing, eh? Your old man¡¯s pretty good, huh?¡± And now he was boasting¡­ well, he did give me some good support. ¡°Great job, father, but I thought the three of you were going to get Kishirika?¡± I said, dusting myself off. I really needed to get that summoning spell for my magic armour soon. Anyway, it seemed that the ¡®Great Demon Empress¡¯ who was meant to help us with Shizuka had gotten herself captured by the Demon King Atofe, hence the current situation, as that woman wanted me as part of her immortal legion. She had a nice rack, for sure¡­ but I had a much better pair of girls at home, and even little Lana. I wasn¡¯t going to let her lose her daddy so soon in life. ¡°Yeah, well¡­ those two seemed to be doing fine, and who was I to leave my son all alone?¡± he said, smirking at me. ¡°Besides, now I have a good story to tell ric, don¡¯t I?¡± Yes¡­ with my old man having so quickly lost any fatherly respect from me and Leon, and then consequently my two sisters with his¡­ ¡®Paulness¡¯, he had been pretty adamant on not messing up his fifth chance in my little brother. Well, I guess he was a better man now, so he would probably do fine¡­ but this was my father we were talking about. ¡°I suppose, but first, we should¡­¡± My voice trailed off as I saw Moore¡¯s body slowly stand back up, his decapitated corpse picking his severed head up from off the ground before cing it back on his open neck. Uhh¡­ what? Was this a phase two? ¡°Fools. To think you could win so easily¡­ you have underestimated me,¡± he said, the cut across his neck quickly healing back to normal while he once again drew his de. ¡°Come at me once more.¡± Dammit¡­ wasn¡¯t this only meant to be a search quest? How the hell did it go so wrong and be so difficult? Haa¡­ I just wanted to go home¡­ ¡ª Leon Anemoi Greyrat ¡ª It had been a week since Rudy and his group left for the Demon Continent, and after some time of waiting in anticipation after threatening some greedy merchants, I finally got the word of their return to the floating fortress thanks to a certain spirit of Perugius¡¯ paid me a visit. So, having finished my duties in Asura, I quickly made my way over via one of the many teleportation circles that had been ced throughout the kingdom. But being able to move across the country, and basically the world, all with a single magic circle that you could write just about anywhere as long as you had the knowledge¡­ well, I can see why it was banned for so long. But luckily, I didn¡¯t really care about such things. I was aiming to defeat a god, after all, and the god of man no less. Not that he was really a religious figure, but still¡­ the point stands. I shook away the useless thoughts in my head as I entered Shizuka¡¯s room, with Rudy and my father already there as well. ¡°Brother¡­ nice to see you again,¡± Rudy said, looking over to me with a tired smile. ¡°Same to you¡­ was your trip sessful?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes¡­ although, it was a bit more¡­ difficult than expected,¡± he returned, looking down at his tattered robes with a pained expression. ¡°Sara got me this for my birthday¡­ she¡¯s going to kill me.¡± Huh. Maybe that¡¯s why he hasn¡¯t returned home yet. ¡°Still, if it was sessful, then good job,¡± I said, looking over to Shizuka, who was currently sipping a cup of tea. ¡°You¡­ you look a little better thanst time,¡± I said. Her skin seemed a bit more healthy, and she wasn¡¯t currently coughing out blood, so while not amazing, it was an improvement nheless. She nodded, clearing her throat as she looked up at me. ¡°Indeed¡­ it seems that the herb Rudeus obtained¡­ this ¡®Sokasu Grass¡¯¡­ it seems to clear out the mana umted in one¡¯s body through their waste¡­ and it seems to be working as a remedy,¡± she said before her eyes flickered to Rudy. ¡°So¡­ thank you¡­ for saving me¡­¡± ¡°Of course I would,¡± Rudy returned. ¡°You¡¯re my friend, Shizuka.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± she said, looking away with a faint blush on her cheeks. ¡­Seriously? What the hell was with this atmosphere? I couldn¡¯t be the only one noticing this, right? Looking to the side, I saw that Paul was just looking on proudly at the scene, a slightly teasing glint in his eye. ¡­I guess I wasn¡¯t the only one. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a good thing or not. Well¡­ if Sara epted Linia¡­ then this would surely be okay, right? Either way, it wasn¡¯t as if it was my ce to step in¡­ unless Rudy decided to do something stupid, of course. ¡°I¡¯m d to see that you¡¯re feeling better, but that aside¡­ what of Zanoba and Cliff?¡± I asked. They didn¡¯t die, right? No, Rudy looked fine mentally, if only a little tired, so they should be fine. ¡°Ah, well, Zanoba went off to tour the art here about an hour ago, and as for Cliff¡­ he went back home to recover,¡± Rudy said. ¡°Recover? Did he end up in a battle?¡± I asked. ¡°Not really¡­ it¡¯s more to do with his new eye,¡± Rudy said before mming his fist into his palm. ¡°Ah! And guess what? I got one too!¡± He then pointed to his left eye, which had turned slightly green. A new eye? What¡­? Ah¡­ right, Kishirika. They must have gotten into trouble with her, and gotten it as a reward or something. I would have to ask about the storyter. ¡°Interesting. Have you already learned to control it?¡± I asked. I knew that it took me a while to not be blinded by my eye of magic power. ¡°Hehehe~ Of course, dear brother,¡± he said, pointing to his face. ¡°Here! Try to hit me!¡± ¡­Well, if he insists. Extending my hand, I watched as Rudy easily moved out of the way of my gentle p, as if he had¡­ ¡°Prediction¡­ is that the eye¡¯s power?¡± I asked, trying to think about the list of eyes Kishirika had given me the option of so long ago. No¡­ it was too long to remember them all. ¡°Guessed it in one!¡± he said, nodding his head. ¡°Be careful, Leon, or I might catch up to you in no time!¡± I frowned. Really? Did he really think that? Extending my hand again, I watched as Rudy once again moved to dodge, but this time, I anticipated such an action. ¡°Uhh¡­ what- Ow!¡± Rudy yelped as my finger flicked his forehead. ¡°Don¡¯t speak nonsense, brother,¡± I said, smirking. It was fun to tease him like this, especially when he was acting so prideful, which was quite rare. I couldn¡¯t wait until Ars gets to an age where I can start teasing him as well. And since he has his mother¡¯s blood in him, the girl that was such a cute, troublesome, and feisty kid¡­ yeah, that will definitely be fun. ¡°Can you two stop fooling around? I¡¯m still recovering, you know,¡± Shizuka said with a frown. ¡°Right, sorry,¡± I said, lowering my hand. ¡°But¡­ still recovering? How long will that take?¡± ¡°Recovery? Well¡­ with this, it will take forever,¡± she said, her head turning down. ¡°This remedy is just a temporary treatment. It¡¯s far from a cure. Even though it can remove some mana from my body, it can¡¯t remove all of it, so it will only take a few days before I¡¯m sick again¡­ and even now, I¡¯m not feelingpletely fine.¡± Oh¡­ that¡­ was not ideal. ¡°But at least we have the Sokasu nt, right? Though¡­ I really hope it can grow properly up in the north,¡± Rudy added. Yeah¡­ that was true, but it still wasn¡¯t a cure. How could this ¡®drain syndrome¡¯ be cured? By draining mana? There was no such spell nor type of magic, although disturb magic was close to it. But maybe¡­ maybe I could create a cure instead. Chantless mana maniption opened up a lot of possibilities, after all. But that wouldn¡¯t happen right away. Instead¡­ now it was time to return home¡­ and likely time for my dear brother to receive a harsh scolding from his now two wives. Chapter 111 – Passing Time Chapter 111 ¨C Passing Time ¡ª Leon Anemoi Asura ¡ª A month had passed since Shizuka had contracted the mysterious ¡®drain syndrome¡¯, and consequently Rudy¡¯s adventure to the Demon Continent to grab the temporary remedy, and in that time¡­ not much had changed. I currently split my time between the house and royal pce, having long since abandoned my post as a swordsmanship instructor in light of my technical standing as a king, as well as my fairlyrge family that I needed, and wanted, to always spend time with. I was the extremely lucky man to be blessed with not only four beautiful wives to love, but also three cute kids to watch and help grow up, with one more on the way, and surely more toe in the future. But still¡­ while we had the entire pce of Asura to our disposal, we mostly remained in our house in Ranoa, with Ariel and Sylphy teleporting to Ars during the day that practically acted as their jobs. It was quite the good protection against any possible assassins aiming for the newest queen, but it was quite annoying in the fact that Ariel and Sylphy needed to use transformation magic whenever they wanted to go outside. But yes¡­ those two had been quite busy, even though things had eventually calmed down, especially a month ago, when the former king eventually sumbed to his illness. With my little¡­ uh, ¡®outburst¡¯ at the capital¡¯s banquet, it ended up being quite a blessing, as it cleaned out the royal court of all the most powerful enemies, while also allowing Ariel to fill the following power vacuums with trustworthy nobles, and with Aisha at her side, they were able to choose the right people, and instill loyalty to their new queen as well. But the downside¡­ well, it seemed that the nobles of the kingdom hated me quite a bit, thinking me as the tyrannical brute that had stolen the dear Ariel¡¯s heart. Luckily for me, I never liked them anyway. But one thing was for certain¡­ the Kingdom of Asura was changing. And with my Ariel at the helm, I had the feeling it was for the better. Even that Luke had relinquished his position as Ariel¡¯s knight and bing the head of the Notos Greyrat family. He even went so far as to get married to that Tristina Purplehouse I had met at the banquet and had seemingly given up his womanizing ways¡­ or at least, he had given them up for the moment. He was Paul¡¯s nephew, after all, and also Rudy and I¡¯s cousin. It was only a matter of time for him to return to his roots. But those thoughts on the state of the kingdom weren¡¯t very important right now. After all, my very cute eldest daughter was currently trying her hand at casting magic, and what else would I be doing but supporting her? ¡°You remember the words, right?¡± I said to Aria, who was currently sitting on myp. ¡°Just focus on how you say it, the power behind them, and think of the feeling you feel when you move your mana as you do so.¡± She looked up at me. ¡°The tingly feeling?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes, the tingly feeling,¡± I answered, nodding my head. ¡°You should feel a very faint tingly feeling in your chest. Just focus on that, and try drawing it out as you chant the words. The chant should do most of the work for you, so you simply have to help it along.¡± ¡°Like¡­ like when you help me get on the couch?¡± she asked. ¡°Exactly like that, very good,¡± I said, giving her a pat on the head in praise. She nodded before scrunching her face in concentration, while I myself had to maintain myposure as to not burst out intoughter. She just looked too cute. It reminded me of how Roxy looked when she had tried to do chantless casting in the past. I really wanted to give my cute daughter a hug, but she was trying her best, and it wasn¡¯t my ce to break her focus. No¡­ instead, I was here to help her. ¡°L-Let the great protection of water¡­¡± As Aria began her chant, I watched as the light in her core fluctuated, slowly snaking down her arm and towards her hand, before slowly going out. Unfortunately, while she had drawn out her mana well along with the chant, she seemed to be having trouble making it form a physical construct. She just needed that final push, thest step that most magicians ended up getting stuck at when they first try their hand at magic. So¡­ let¡¯s help her out a bit. Reaching my hand down to cover hers, I slowly let out some of my mana to wrap around hers, making sure to not destabilize it, but simply guide it into the proper shape as she maintained control of her mana. And lo and behold, with the final words of the chant spoken, and the elemental mana changing into the desired physical form¡­ a ball of water appeared, floating steadily above her open palm. ¡°Great job¡­ now, I¡¯m going to let go, okay? You¡¯ll have to keep it stable on your own,¡± I said. She nodded. ¡°G-Got it, Dada¡­¡± Hnngh! No¡­ ignore it. This was practice time, not doting time. Gently letting go of her hand, I let my mana dissipate into the air as Aria attempted to maintain her control over her spell. But that attempt onlysted a few more seconds, and with the sound of water sshing into the bucket below, Aria opened her eyes with a bit frown. ¡°I¡­ I failed¡­ again¡­¡± she said, her voice hitching in sadness. ¡°W-Why can¡¯t I do it like Mamas and Papa? Why¡­?¡± Oh, dear. It was only the second day of practice, and she was doing so well¡­ so there was no need for her to make such a sad face. ¡°It¡¯s okay, sweetie. You¡¯re doing great,¡± I said, running my hand through her hair as she turned to cry into my chest. ¡°Keeping control is the hardest part of magic, since you need to keep concentrating on it. I had trouble when I was younger as well, so don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll get there soon.¡± Such a delicate age, Aria was. Life was tough for a three-year-old, after all. ¡°B-But I wanna do it! I wanna make pretty magic like Papa and Mamas!¡± she cried, her voice hitching as it neared the point of a breakdown. Well, two of your mama¡¯s couldn¡¯t do magic, kid¡­ but I decided to keep that point to myself. ¡°Hey, hey¡­ listen to me,¡± I said, tilting her head up to look at me. Such sad eyes¡­ yeah, I think practice was done for today. ¡°Aria, you don¡¯t need to worry. You can try, and try, and try again, just like I did, and you can fail over and over¡­ that¡¯s how you¡¯ll get better. And I¡¯ll be here to help you. Always,¡± I said, giving her a kiss on the forehead. ¡°So don¡¯t worry about it, sweetie.¡± Her lower lip was still trembling, but at least she had stopped crying. ¡°B-But¡­ I wanna do it!¡± she proimed. She really was quite eager to be a little magician, huh? ¡°You will,¡± I said, smiling down at her. ¡°You¡¯re my daughter, after all. And Roxy¡¯s as well. There¡¯s no way you won¡¯t be able to do it.¡± Not to mention that even being able to cast any spell at her age was a great feat, even if she wasn¡¯t able to maintain its form. Simply being able to control her mana in any way was worthy of praise¡­ well, my daughter was definitely a genius, but I wouldn¡¯t let that get to her head. But that didn¡¯t mean I wouldn¡¯t shower her with praises, of course. I would simply do so in moderation. Ah¡­ and then there was that possibility¡­ The possibility of another one of my children not having such talents, and feeling inferior due to their difference in talent. That¡­ I really hope it didn¡¯te to that, and I was still clueless as to what I would need to do to mitigate such a thing. Parenting really was difficult. But it wouldn¡¯t feel so rewarding if it was easy, right? ¡°So yeah, it¡¯s alright to fail a little. Even your Papa wasn¡¯t amazing right away,¡± I said,bing my hand through Aria¡¯s hair once again. ¡°Really?¡± she asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. ¡°Really,¡± Roxy said, moving to sit down next to me on the couch as she entered the room. ¡°I have many stories about him as a kid¡­ but I think I¡¯ll save those for bedtime. They¡¯re quite¡­ amusing, after all.¡± She then sent me a yful nce, making my smile harden on my face. What¡­ what stories, my dear Roxy? They¡­ they wouldn¡¯t be that bad, right? My dear daughter would still think that her father is the coolest in the world, right? ¡°Yeah! Tell me!¡± Aria cheered. ¡°Later. For now, I think it¡¯s time for you to take a break,¡± Roxy said, bringing her hand down to caress Aria¡¯s cheek. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re taking magic so seriously, but don¡¯t overdo it. You still want to have enough energy for ying, right?¡± ¡°Oh! Yeah!¡± Aria nodded. ¡°I¡¯m, huam~ I¡¯m gonna go y with Lana¡­¡± ¡°Nope. You, littledy, are going to head to bed,¡± Eris said,ing in to pick her up. ¡°And you need a bath.¡± ¡°Hmph. Says you, Mama Eri,¡± Aria huffed, turning her head away. Ah¡­ that was a bad choice. ¡°What¡¯d you say, brat?¡± Eris snarled, picking the girl up and turning her upside down in one smooth notion. ¡°W-Wait! No! F-Forgive me!¡± Didn¡¯t Eris want to put her to bed? Why was she swinging her around now? ¡°She¡¯s going to throw up all her dinner if you do that, Eris,¡± Roxy said, shaking her head. ¡°Yeah? Well¡­ anyway, she needs a bath! So let¡¯s get going, you brat,¡± Eris said, tossing my poor daughter over her shoulder as she walked into the hall. ¡°W-Wait! Dada! Help me!¡± Aria pleaded. I simply turned my head away. Apologies, my daughter¡­ but you indeed need a bath, and a good rest. Just try to be nice with Eris, and everything should work out well. As I watched Eris carry her away, like some princess being taken by the viin from a story, Roxy then sat down on myp, iming the spot our daughter had upied a moment before. ¡°I really love watching you two, you know,¡± she said, leaning sideways into my chest. ¡°Really?¡± I said, wrapping my arms around her. ¡°Really,¡± she assured. I guess I could understand what she was talking about. Whenever I saw Roxy and Aria acting cute together, I found my focus taken away by them quite easily as well¡­ they were adorable, after all, and past that, seeing two girls that I love so dearly being happy together filled me with an inexplicable warmth. ¡°That aside¡­ are you sure you don¡¯t n on returning to the university? You looked quite at home being a teacher, after all,¡± Roxy said in a teasing tone as she tilted her head up to look at me. ¡°Perhaps you could even wear a pair of sses, hmm~?¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± I murmured with a shrug. ¡°But¡­ sses, huh?¡± I had never really tried them, but I knew that Lilia looked pretty with them, and as for Roxy when she wears her reading pair before bed¡­ well, let¡¯s just say it really gets me going. I wonder¡­ would it have the same effect on her as it did on me? ¡°Can I see yours, then?¡± I asked. ¡°My sses? Uh, sure. Here, wait a second,¡± she said before getting up to head upstairs. As I sat still on the couch, I nkly watched the fire crackle and hiss before a faint pulse of mana erupted from beneath my feet. It wasn¡¯t anything dangerous, of course. It just meant that those two were back from the capital. ¡°Good afternoon, darling. We¡¯re back,¡± Ariel said, walking up the stairs with Sylphy at her side. ¡°I see that. Do you want some tea or something? I¡¯m sure you¡¯re tired,¡± I said, preparing to stand up. ¡°No need,¡± she said, waving her hand. ¡°But¡­ it is true that I¡¯m finding myself more fatiguedtely¡­ perhaps I can stay in for the next month. I doubt anyone wouldin considering my condition.¡± As for the ¡®condition¡¯ she was talking about¡­ well, with time having passed since her ascension, she was now eight weeks pregnant. It seemed that we would be greeting the newest member of the family very soon, with the only question being whether it was a prince or a princess. ¡°Yeah, I suppose you could,¡± I said, reaching my arm to hold her as she sat down next to me on my right, while Sylphy took the spot on my left. ¡°Any problems back there?¡± ¡°No¡­ just the Euros family wanting more privileges,¡± Ariel said, leaning her head on my shoulder as she huffed in annoyance. ¡°Nothing serious, just a waste of time.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I said. ¡°And you, Sylphy?¡± ¡°I simply follow Ariel, so I¡¯m fine,¡± she said. ¡°Though¡­ I do wish I could spend more time with Anna. How is she?¡± ¡°She wanted her mother quite badly before bed, but she¡¯s happy, even if she prefers being with Roxy¡­¡± I said with a hint of frustration. ¡°Maybe you two should take that month off, though. We can move into the pce if that would make it easier, even if just for a few nights.¡± As the two were about to respond, Roxy made herself known, havinge down the stairs. ¡°Here. They might be a little small, but you should try them nheless,¡± she said, handing me the sses. ¡°Ah, and wee home, you two.¡± ¡°It is always nice to be back,¡± Ariel said, epting Roxy¡¯s hug as she patted the shorter girl on the head. Yeah¡­ just like Roxy had said before, I really loved watching my family get along. ¡°You¡¯re getting awfully big¡­ it should only be a matter of time now,¡± Roxy said, looking at Ariel¡¯s belly. ¡°Have you decided on any names?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ a few, but I think that it wille to me when I see them,¡± Ariel said. ¡°I suppose so¡­ you know you cane to us if you need anything, right?¡± Roxy said. ¡°I do. And thank you, Roxy,¡± Ariel added. Roxy simply gave her a smile in return. ¡°Mm. And thank you for taking care of Anna, Roxy,¡± Sylphy added. ¡°No need for thanks. We¡¯re family, after all,¡± Roxy said, turning towards me. ¡°And that aside, it was mostly Leon who looked after¡­ her¡­¡± As her voice trailed off, I tilted my head in confusion, watching her pale cheeks light up in a blush. ¡°What?¡± I asked, reaching up to my face to take off the sses. ¡°Ah, they don¡¯t work on me, do they? These really do feel quite small¡­ Yeah, I don¡¯t think sses are for-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Roxy said, her tone unusually forceful as she grabbed my hand. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t take those off, please.¡± Watching her nose re as her breathing became slightly erratic, I found myself slightly scared as to what I had just awakened. Wait. That look¡­ She¡­ she was almost like how Eris looked whenever she was really pent-up. Were¡­ were the sses that effective? Turning to the side, I noticed that Ariel and Sylphy seemed to be acting excited as well. I then felt my hand get tugged by Roxy, as if trying to pull me to my feet. ¡°L-Let¡¯s go¡­ please,¡± she said, averting her eyes from me. ¡°Upstairs¡­¡± Sylphy nodded her head. ¡°A-And me too¡­¡± Ariel licked her lips. ¡°s, while I wish I could join, it is likely unwise considering the timing¡­ but I will watch all the same.¡± Uhh¡­ I was pretty sure I was meant to be the one dragging them to bed. But still¡­ it wasn¡¯t as if I hated it. It had been a while since I had spent the night with Roxy and Sylphy at the same time, after all. But interesting¡­ sses seemed to be¡­ very effective. I would have to keep that in mind. ¡ª Leon Anemoi Asura ¡ª The sixth month of the year K425 had arrived, and with it, came the most precious gift I had received yet this year in the form of a beautiful little girl. Emilia Anemoi Asura. The first of my children to not take the Greyrat name, not that it really mattered. Regardless, she was my little princess¡­ both as a nickname, and in reality as the heir of the Asura Kingdom. With a few strands of blonde hair, and wide, light blue eyes, she really was a beautiful little thing. Though, considering who her mother was, that much was a given. ¡°Haa¡­ with this, I suppose I have finally caught up with the others, no?¡± Ariel said, leaning against my side as I continued to hold Emilia in my arms. ¡°You know I don¡¯t care about that,¡± I said, leaning down to kiss her head. ¡°But still¡­ thank you, Ariel.¡± I should really thank all my wives for giving birth to such beautiful children, but for now, this time was reserved for Ariel. ¡°Mmm¡­ I should be thanking you, for gifting me such a wonderful heir,¡± she said, reaching her finger out to prod the sleeping baby¡¯s cheek. ¡°Hmm¡­ she has your face.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit too early to tell?¡± I asked. ¡°No, I am sure of it,¡± she said, her lips spreading into a smile. ¡°How else would I be feeling such a strong connection to her?¡± I¡­ think that was just the natural love a mother had for their child, but I decided to keep my thoughts to myself for now. I was just d to see that Ariel was so happy. To think that Ariel would be able to smile so beautifully, and so honestly¡­ It had been only a little over four years since I had met the then princess, but she had really changed a lot in that time, and ever since she ascended to the throne, her facade had only ever been used for political meetings, leaving me with the truthful and loving woman I hade to adore. Yeah¡­ I was d. She looked much prettier like this. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked. ¡°Now that she¡¯s calmed down, I can heal you some more if you¡¯re still in pain.¡± ¡°No need,¡± she replied, shaking her head. ¡°Just having Roxy and Sylphy help me was enough. I think I¡¯ll be mostly recovered after a good night¡¯s rest.¡± Huh. Who would have thought that she would take it so easily. ¡°I¡¯m surprised,¡± I said, looking back down at Emilia. ¡°I figured that Eris recovering so fast after her pregnancy was only natural, considering her disposition as a talented swordsman, but for you¡­¡± Well, even if she was quite weak in terms of strength, at least she was a human unlike Sylphy and Roxy, so her body was more prepared for a child of mine. ¡°Hmph. Despite not being a fighter, I¡¯m tougher than I look,¡± she said, giving me a pout. ¡°You know that quite well, no? After all the things you¡¯ve done to me¡­¡± I felt a shiver run up my spine as Ariel gently leaned over to nibbled on my ear before whispering. ¡°Because you¡¯re so~ rough.¡± ¡­Dangerous. Extremely dangerous. I quickly shook my head to make her stop. ¡°Not in front of our daughter, please,¡± I pleaded. ¡°Hehe~? Did I make you all flustered? Well¡­ I¡¯m also too tired for such acts, so I¡¯ll stop for the moment,¡± she said, giggling as she leaned back against the pillow. ¡°But as for recovering so fast¡­ well, I was simply too excited to feel much pain. To have a daughter¡­ to be part of such a loving family¡­ it really is a dreame true.¡± I¡­ wasn¡¯t sure that it worked like that, but I suppose I would leave it be for now. ¡°You were part of it before we had her, Ariel,¡± I said. ¡°But¡­ I won¡¯tin about getting another cutie in the family.¡± Emilia¡­ a name chosen by Ariel among the three I had picked out, to ensure that it was given by the both of us¡­ she would need to be treated a little differently than Aria, Ars, and Anna. After all, as of right now, she was the sole ruler in line for the throne of the Asura Kingdom, and with Ariel¡¯s brothers both out of the equation, that would be the case until Ariel gave birth to another child. I would still love her all the same, and she could still do whatever she wished¡­ but Emilia¡¯s life was already in danger. Not only because of the Man-God¡¯s schemes, but because of her position as the princess. It was a position that came with just as many dangers as it did privileges. ¡°Although¡­ I guess it makes it quite easy to decide what nickname I¡¯ll give you¡­ my little princess,¡± I said, smiling as the infant turned her head towards my chest. Yeah¡­ there was sure to be trouble in the future, trouble that I had already epted as soon as I decided to fall in love with Ariel. But for now¡­ I would simply spend some quality time with this little princess of mine. Chapter 112 – Harsh Training Chapter 112 ¨C Harsh Training ¡ª Leon Anemoi Greyrat ¡ª With my newest daughter, the first princess of Asura, having been born, and Ariel taking some time off to rest in Sharia, it was the perfect time for Orsted to return to the northern territories as well. And as a result¡­ the beginning of our n to defeat Lace en route to the Man-God¡­ which meant only one thing. Training. And I had a feeling this would be harder than any other training I had done thus far. ¡°Now¡­ while it has been four months, I believe it is time for me to fulfill my end of the bargain,¡± he said as we reached a clearing in the forest. ¡°This¡­ should be far enough.¡± That sounded quite ominous¡­ did we really have to go so far from civilization? ¡°Now¡­ before we begin, there is something I must do first,¡± he said, walking up to me before cing his hand on my chest. Watching the mana flow from his hand and into my body, my eyebrows narrowed in confusion. ¡°Uh, what exactly is- Argh!¡± I instantly copsed to my knees as I felt an unbearable weight press down on me. No¡­ it wasn¡¯t exactly a weight¡­ nor was it simply pressing down on me, but rather¡­ I just felt weak all over. Even raising my hand was tough, and breathing took a noticeable amount of effort. What¡­ what was this? ¡°It should be rtively easy for you to limate to this,¡± Orsted said. ¡°Get up, Leon of Rakaz.¡± This bastard¡­ ¡°I¡¯m¡­ Leon Anemoi¡­ Greyrat, dammit,¡± I spat through gritted teeth as I slowly rose to my feet, covering my body in touki to resist whatever this oppressive weakness was. Luckily, it seemed to work, as I was able to get up quite quickly after coating myself. ¡°Good. It seems you¡¯ve gotten better. Perhaps your fight against the former Water God made you more efficient,¡± hemented, a slight hint of praise in his tone. I took a few breaths topose myself. Just standing up took this much effort and energy? What the hell happened? ¡°What¡­ what did you do to me?¡± I asked. ¡°I ced a seal on your body. One of the dragonfolk,¡± he answered. ¡°This will allow you to grow stronger without destroying the surrounding environment, and at the level you are currently at, only something like this will allow you to grow stronger¡­ or rather, grow stronger fast enough to reach Lace in your lifetime.¡± Ah¡­ right. Unlike this guy here, I had my human lifespan to worry about. Even though I was hoping to deal with that after the Man-God¡­ that wasn¡¯t exactly a priority at the moment. ¡°So¡­ I¡¯ll be training under this seal, I take it?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes¡­ and you will also be living under it as well,¡± he said. ¡°With your daily life, as well as your routine morning exercises, this seal should prove useful to enhancing your base strength, concentration, and use of touki.¡± Uhh¡­ excuse me? ¡°You look surprised¡­ did you think you were ready to face Lace simply because you could defeat the Water God?¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°No¡­ you need to be much stronger. Strong enough to carve mountains with your sword, like the strongest human of the past, Saint Millis. Only at that level will you be able to achieve your goal.¡± Carving mountains? So the legend about Saint Millis was true¡­ but aside from that, I guess I would need to get used to this fast if I had to be under this damn spell even at home. Now¡­ how would this affect my nighttime activities? I¡¯m sure Sylphy, Roxy, and Ariel would still be fine, but like this, wouldn¡¯t Eris end up overpowering me? I was¡­ sort of scared. ¡°You look like you¡¯re thinking about useless things,¡± Orstedmented. Shit. He noticed? Shaking his head with a disappointed frown, Orsted observed me for a few moments, his golden eyes seemingly piercing my soul, before speaking again. ¡°No matter. If you¡¯re ready, then we can move onto sparring,¡± he said, extending his hand as he coated it in his touki and mana. ¡°From now on, focus only on using healing and barrier spells in terms of magic. Attack magic is useless in front of Lace, so we¡¯ll need to adapt your fighting style to forget about using it.¡± I would have responded, but just keeping my stance firm and maintaining my touki defence was taking too much concentration, so I simply gave him a nod in return. Without the hint of a signal, he then leaped forward, extending his hand towards my chest in a manner eerily simr to when he had nearly killed me. But still, whether he was going easy on me, or I had just grown that much¡­ he looked awfully slow. And so, raising my sword to defend, I wrapped my de in touki, ready to parry his blow, only to realize a momentter¡­ I couldn¡¯t move. Seriously? Just wrapping my de in touki and setting my stance took everything out of me? But even so, Orsted did not wait for me to get a hold of myself. Ah¡­ shit. This was going to hurt. It only took a momentter for me to be proven right, as the instant his hand struck my chest, I shot across the ground, skidding against the dirt before I crashed into the boulder behind me, my surroundings a blur the entire time of my tumble. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Fuck¡­ that sucked¡­ that seal really was no joke, huh? ¡°Get up,¡± Orsted demanded, reforming his stance. ¡°Against Lace, this is nothing. If you truly wish to change the course of fate, you need to get stronger.¡± I¡­ already knew that, you fucker. Just give me a damn moment. I couldn¡¯t even fucking move in this state. ¡°Think, Leon Greyrat,¡± Orsted said, seemingly reading the thoughts on my face. ¡°Your touki is too weak. Even when using my techniques of imbuing mana into touki, it still falls short. As you are not a Dragonfolk, this is only reasonable¡­ but there is a way to ovee it. And in order to defeat Lace, you need to do just that.¡± I wanted to ask him how, but I already knew from that annoying fucking frown of his that he wasn¡¯t going to give me an answer. Combining mana and touki¡­ I thought that just by getting good enough at that, I would have reached the same level as Orsted. With some more practice, of course. But¡­ it seemed that wasn¡¯t the case. Even though by using that technique, I had be stronger¡­ but it still wasn¡¯t enough, evident from the fact I was still struggling to even get to my feet with this seal, as well as the imprint of my body on the rock behind me thanks to Orsted¡¯s single move. Improving that seemingly perfect technique¡­ how would I do that? Well, there were only two ways, right? It was either my touki, or my mana¡­ or perhaps a third possibility where I did something with both. My senses tingling, I desperately leaped out of the way of another one of Orsted¡¯s strikes, his legshing out to clip my side, sending me sprawling into a tree, and leaving what was sure to be a nasty bruise on my hip. Shit¡­ When using thebined touki and mana technique, I couldn¡¯t do anything else, lest I lose my focus on my defences¡­ and that was pretty suboptimal forbat. And from the fact that even with said defence, I was left injured from a single hit from the serious Orsted made it quite obvious I wouldn¡¯t be able to keep doing that. Just as he had said, I needed to ovee this. Dammit. Weren¡¯t we supposed to be training for a while? What was with the damn rush? And not to mention, if he went a bit harder, even while focusing on defence, I would be left with some nasty injuries. If only I could coat my body in healing magic while doing it, I could¡­ I could¡­ Wait. Coating my body in magic? No¡­ I was already doing that with mana, having it weaved into my touki and attuned to the barrier element to maintain stability, but¡­ could I change that? Did it¡­ have to be barrier magic? Couldn¡¯t it be something else, as long as it kept my touki together and filled in the gaps? It would be more difficult in terms of mana control¡­ but it wasn¡¯t impossible. At least in theory. I closed my eyes, focusing on the boundless energy that surrounded me, the ovepping coils and strings of touki weaving a fabric across my skin with my mana hardened over and within it. My mana¡­ my barrier mana¡­ but now I needed to change that. I then focused on an image. Fire¡­ lightning¡­ at their base, they were the same thing. sma. Whether it be through heat or electricity, they were both forms of pure energy, just like light. On a scientific level, past that was uncharted territory for what I knew, but considering my mastery over fire, and my recent control over lightning¡­ it was enough in terms of knowledge. So, imnting that image into my mana, I felt a wave of energy overwhelm me. Opening my eyes, I slowly got to my feet and picked up my sword that had fallen to the side before noticing that my body was glowing, lighting up the dense forest around us. And more importantly¡­ I could move. I turned my head just in time to see Orsted¡¯s hand racing towards my neck, and with a flick of my wrist, I parried his blow to the side. Oh¡­ oh yeah. I smirked as I felt my confidence return. This¡­ this must be- ¡°Ouf!¡± His leg then shot out, digging deep into my stomach as I was once again sent flying backward, hitting the nearby bush as my new energy-d form dissipated into nothingness. Ugh¡­ fuck. I was on the ground¡­ again. I-I see¡­ while changing the element to pure energy made me stronger and faster, I lost some of the defensive properties and stability that came with using the barrier element¡­ so perhaps I would need a mix of both. But more importantly¡­ that hurt. A lot. I slowly looked upward, my neck trembling from the effort, as Orsted came into view, thankfully having lowered hisbat stance. ¡°W-Was that¡­ what I was meant to do?¡± I asked, focusing on casting a healing spell on myself. Shit¡­ I think he broke my spine with thatst hit. Thank Millis I had remained conscious to heal it, or that might have been pretty bad. ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ I only know from the Technique God¡¯s books that Saint Millis was strong enough to face him in the past, so I figured there must be a way for a human to reach the level of the dragonfolk,¡± he said, nodding his head approvingly as a ghost of a smile appeared on his face. ¡°And it seems that you found it¡­ although it does need some work.¡± You don¡¯t fucking say? So he didn¡¯t even know the way and just beat me up to force me to improvise, all on the whim of the records of some legendary figure¡­ I was a bit annoyed now. I wanted to spend some time with Emilia, not lie in the dirt like this. She was cute and affectionate, and most importantly, wouldn¡¯t beat the shit out of me. Papa needed some hugs¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s continue,¡± Orsted said, destroying thest light of hope in my heart. I¡­ wanted to go home. ¡ª Leon Anemoi Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Papa?¡± Anna asked from myp. ¡°Nothing, sweetie¡­ it¡¯s just nice to rest like this,¡± I said, leaning back into the couch. ¡°Okay¡­¡± she said before returning her attention to her doll. Feeling my lips tug up into a smile, I then turned my gaze to the other couch, where Ariel was currently resting against Sylphy¡¯s side, with the newest member of the family, my little princess Emilia, resting on her chest. They really were the cutest. If only the rest of the family were here too¡­ unfortunately Roxy still had her job at the university, and Eris had taken Aria to go y at the orphanage. And as for Ars, he was happily resting in his room upstairs. Or, at least, I assume happily¡­ he really was quite the cheerful kid, after all. ¡°Was training with Orsted that hard, Leon?¡± Sylphy asked from the side, her eyebrows furrowed in concern. I stared nkly into her beautiful eyes as the scenes from earlier today yed through my mind. ¡°Yes¡­ you could call it that,¡± I said. ¡°It seems that he has high expectations for me¡­ so I have to try my best to live up to them.¡± She frowned. ¡°Well, if you say so, then I won¡¯t stop you¡­ but if it¡¯s too hard, you can alwayse back home. As long as I¡¯m here, I¡¯ll do everything I can to help you rx,¡± she said as she gave me a blindingly sweet smile. ¡°Thank you, Sylphy¡­ but it¡¯s okay. Even if it¡¯s tough, this is something I want,¡± I returned. After all, even though it had been one day, I had already learned something that could make me much stronger than before. And only with that strength would I be able to confidently defend my family against anything the Man-God threw at me. Although¡­ hearing those sweet,forting words¡­ I did find my resolve a little shaken. Especially since I was still under the effects of that seal, which made even breathing difficult if I didn¡¯t enhance myself with touki. Still¡­ maybe I would bask in herfort more than a few times after my training. ¡°If you¡¯re sure¡­ well, still, I¡¯ll be here for you,¡± she said before looking down at Ariel with a smile. ¡°But speaking of¡­ she¡¯s been awfully clingytely, no?¡± Yeah¡­ she had. ¡°That is true¡­ she must be sad about needing to return to her position,¡± I said. It had already been two months, after all, and the people needed to see their newest princess so that unfortunate rumours didn¡¯t begin to spread, both about Ariel and Emilia. ¡°Yes¡­ even if she¡¯s happy to have won the ascension, and still takes her work seriously, I¡¯m sure she sometimes wishes she could live the simple life here with us all and forget about the kingdom,¡± Sylphy said, brushing her hand through Ariel¡¯s hair as the woman fell onto herp. Yeah¡­ politics were annoying, even when you were good at it. ¡°Well, she knows that she can-¡° As I was about to reassure her, I heard a knock at the door, and using my demon eye, I instantly recognized who the visitor was. ¡°It¡¯s open, Rudy,¡± I said, hearing the door open a momentter. ¡°Ah! Good afternoon, brother. Sylphy,¡± Rudy said, peeking inside the living room as he took off his shoes. ¡°Uhh¡­ n-nice weather outside, no?¡± Well¡­ he wasn¡¯t wrong, as it was currently summer in the northern territories, where the weather was perfectly moderate. But¡­ why was he so nervous? ¡°Did something happen?¡± I asked. ¡°O-Oh? You could tell? Haha! Uh¡­ yeah, you could say that,¡± he said, his hands fidgeting with each other. I nced over to Sylphy, the two of us sharing a momentary confused look, before I returned my gaze to my brother. ¡°W-Well¡­ you could say that the family will be getting a bit bigger?¡± he said, his lips curling up into a smile. ¡°Yeah¡­ you could say that.¡± My eyes sharpened. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you got another wife.¡± I wasn¡¯t really one to criticize him on that, considering my current family situation, but I still thought it prudent to ask. ¡°What? No! No, it¡¯s just¡­ Linia¡¯s pregnant,¡± he said, looking away as he scratched his cheek. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ what I meant.¡± Oh¡­ I see. Considering how they had been together for four months by now, something like this happening was only natural. But still¡­ they worked awfully fast, didn¡¯t they? ¡°Oh, that¡¯s wonderful!¡± Sylphy said, pping her hands together and causing Ariel to stir from herp. She¡­ was probably already awake at this point, but Ariel loved resting on Sylphy¡¯s thighs, so she remainedying down. I would have done the exact same in her position. ¡°It is, and congrattions, but¡­ why do you look so nervous?¡± I asked. ¡°You¡¯ve already gone through this once before, right?¡± ¡°Y-Yeah, but¡­ well, I¡¯m worried about keeping everything stable, you could say,¡± he said, taking a seat in the nearby chair. ¡°Sara and Linia have a good rtionship now¡­ but I don¡¯t know if having a kid will ruin it, you know? I¡¯m¡­ worried that it might.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I see¡­¡± I said, rubbing my chin. ¡°You definitely have a reason to be worried¡­¡± ¡°Hey! I don¡¯t need that right now!¡± Rudy said, pointing at me. I smiled. Yes¡­ for all the times you teased me about my ¡®womanizing¡¯ tendencies, now that we were in the same boat, I won¡¯t let you off so easily, oh brother of mine. ¡°Leon¡­ that isn¡¯t very nice. And don¡¯t shout. These two are resting,¡± Sylphy said, pouting as she patted Ariel and Emilia¡¯s heads. ¡°And as for your problem, Rudeus¡­ I would simply talk to Sara. Though, I think you should talk to Roxy about this first, since she was the first one among us to have a child. As for me, I can¡­ somewhat understand what Sara might be going through, as when Eris had Ars¡­ I was a bit worried that it would make me feel¡­ less unique.¡± My eyes darted over to Sylphy. ¡°Hey, I-¡± ¡°I know,¡± she said, silencing me with a smile. ¡°I definitely know that you wouldn¡¯t, and didn¡¯t, stop loving me, but still¡­ it¡¯s another thing entirely to truly ept that in your heart.¡± I remained frowning. With Ariel having Emilia, would I need to reassure the other three some more? Yes¡­ I probably should. Just because I was married to all four of them, and they all loved me, it didn¡¯t mean I could getcent, even if things seemed fine. ¡°So talking to Sara¡­ yes, I should do that,¡± Rudy said, his words breaking me out of my thoughts. ¡°And I¡¯ll talk to Roxy too. She¡¯s still in her ss, right?¡± ¡°She should be,¡± I said. ¡°Great, thanks!¡± As Rudy went to leave, I looked down at the mess of brown hair as Anna continued to y on myp. ¡°Did you not want to greet your uncle?¡± I asked. ¡°Mm? Not really,¡± she said, continuing to y,pletely unbothered. Well¡­ that was that then. At least she seemed to be having fun. ¡°And do you want to y with me?¡± I asked. ¡°Hmm¡­ no, not really,¡± she said. ¡­Yes, she really loved ying alone, even if she ended up hurting her father¡¯s feelings while doing so. Well¡­ at least when she was like this, I could hug her close. ¡°Papa, hard to move. Let go,¡± Anna said, wiggling her arms. ¡­Never mind. And I would choose to ignore Sylphy¡¯s cute giggles at the expense of my suffering. Chapter 113 – A Growing Family Chapter 113 ¨C A Growing Family ¡ª Leon Anemoi Greyrat ¡ª A few months had passed since I began training with Orsted, and with us entering the ninth month of the year, winter had once again begun to descend into Ranoa. It wasn¡¯t as if our family remained solely in Sharia, however. With Ariel returning to her duties as queen, as well as Sylphy, Eris, and I taking turns to stay by her side and protect her, our family was essentially splitting time between staying in the royal pce and our humble abode in Sharia. We tried to remain secretive about the extent of Ariel and I¡¯s love so that our family could retain some privacy, but¡­ well, with so many people, rumours were bound to start. Luckily, it was only to the extent of curiosity at the moment, mixed in with the excitement of an elusive royal family for the popce, but if any dangerous folk caught wind of it¡­ well, I could only hope they also caught wind of me defeating the former Water God as well. Thankfully, for the people of Sharia, Ariel was more known as the former student council president rather than the princess of Asura, so there weren¡¯t too many issues here up north. But aside from that, life was¡­ stable. Stable and good. Aria was starting to learn magic, and while Anna was just as difficult as ever, she did show a cute and lovable side now and then. Ars was able to run freely around the house, which was more of a curse than a blessing, and was starting to say his first words, while Emilia was still the cute little baby I held as often as I could, even though I knew she would soon be getting older just like her siblings. She was my fourth, so I knew that my little princess wouldn¡¯t stay so little forever¡­ even if it still stirred up bittersweet feelings. Anyway, yes¡­ the family was good, as was life in general. But of course, there was still that issue looming over my head. The Man-God. I was still training with Orsted, and while I was getting better, he said very clearly that fighting Lace at this point would be futile, and thus, I should focus on getting stronger before making any other preparations, which in my case, meant getting the North God on our side. Apparently, he had a high likelihood of being an apostle, but unlike most people, he wasn¡¯t someone that could be so easily influenced by that being¡¯s ¡®divinity¡¯, but rather could be used simply due to his gullibility. Well, it was nothing a good beating could change¡­ at least that¡¯s what Orsted told me. So yes, the eventual n to defeat the Man-God, and first Lace, was currently on hold before I gained some strength. Andstly¡­ there was the issue with Shizuka and her drain syndrome. And hopefully, by today, that would be an issue no longer. ¡°Let¡¯s hope this works,¡± Rudy said, positioning himself on Shizuka¡¯s right. ¡°It should. We¡¯ve been practising for long enough,¡± I said, sitting on the opposite side of her. ¡°And as I said before, there¡¯s no need for this,¡± Shizuka said with a sigh. ¡°Well, whatever. Go on and try it.¡± While her tone was a bit cold, I could sense the faint feeling of hope in her voice. Well, that was only natural. While the Sokasu tea made her symptoms non-fatal, it wasn¡¯t a cure, which was why she was still bedridden up here in the floating fortress for all this time. But after today¡­ well, I wouldn¡¯t make any promises, but this should work. Exchanging a nod with Rudy, we then got to work, both of us cing our hands on her chest as Rudy closed his eyes and I activated my demon eye. Focusing on Shizuka¡¯s body, I was easily able to tell that she was different from anyone else in this world. After all, whether it was a little or a lot, and whether it was finely controlled orpletely unrefined, everyone had some mana in their body¡­ everyone except her. Even objects had mana, although it was extremely faint, so Shizuka really stood out as a walking ¡®nk space¡¯ so to speak. Except¡­ that wasn¡¯t the case right now, as where there used to be nothing¡­ there was now a mass of mana. And unlike a regr person¡¯s mana, this was ugly and¡­ well, ¡®dirty¡¯ so to say. This must be what ambient mana looked like when it was left uncontrolled and concentrated in someone¡¯s body, huh? Well¡­ while it was interesting, considering how it was making Shizuka sick, I would prefer not to see it again. ¡°Are you ready, Rudy?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes,¡± he answered. ¡°Alright¡­ then just follow my lead,¡± I said, slowly letting my mana flow into Shizuka¡¯s body as Rudy did the same. While Rudy struggled at first, likely due to hisck of expertise in healing magic, he eventually got the hang of it, as both of our trails of mana snaked their ways toward the messy, concentrated ball in Shizuka¡¯s core. Usually, one would be unable to affect another person¡¯s mana, save for using disturb magic, and to take control of someone else¡¯s mana was still impossible, even for us. But luckily, this mana, despite being inside Shizuka, still wasn¡¯t ¡®hers¡¯¡­ which was also the reason for her being poisoned by it. I was still unsure of the process in how ambient mana gets an ¡®owner¡¯, all I knew was that it had something to do with someone¡¯s life force, but still¡­ that didn¡¯t matter right now. All that mattered was that Rudy and I were able to control this mana, and after a few attempts¡­ we were able to remove it as well. ¡°Grk!¡± Although, apparently, it still hurt. ¡°Sorry, Shizuka. I¡¯ll be sure to make this quick,¡± I said. ¡°Just¡­ do it,¡± she said through gritted teeth. Increasing the mana I was outputting, I had it spread throughout and around the ¡®infectious¡¯ mana of Shizuka¡¯s, with Rudy following my lead. And once we had all the mana under control¡­ we slowly began pulling it out, forcing it down her arm and into her hand, following her mana pathways that were thankfully there despite her not having any mana. I¡­ wasn¡¯t sure how that worked either. But thankfully, with the infectious mana bubbling to the surface of her palm, Rudy and I did onest push as it dissipated to the atmosphere a momentter. And then, like that¡­ it was gone. ¡°We¡¯re done,¡± I said, standing back up as I wiped the sweat from my brow. ¡°Do you need any healing? You seemed to be in pain earlier.¡± ¡°H-Huh? Uh¡­ no, I¡¯m fine,¡± Shizuka said, moving her hands across her chest. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m fine! Hahaha! I¡¯m¡­ fine¡­¡± With her lips settling into a soft smile filled with relief, I found myself smiling as well. Despite her tough and indifferent front, I guess she was more worried about her condition than I thought. ¡°So it worked¡­ thank goodness,¡± Rudy said, breathing a sigh of relief. ¡°Yes, but it will probably return eventually,¡± I said, frowning a bit. ¡°We¡¯ll probably need to do this regrly. But now that you¡¯ve done it¡­ do you feel confident in doing it by yourself, Rudy?¡± ¡°Hm? Ah, yeah, I probably can¡­ Even if I can¡¯t, I¡¯ll just ask for your help,¡± he said. I gave him a nod before turning to Shizuka. ¡°So that¡¯s that. You should probably have Rudy check you over once a year, or if you feel any signs of it returning.¡± Breaking out from her daze of happiness, Shizuka gave me a nod before suddenly pausing. ¡°Would¡­ would checking monthly not be better?¡± she said, her cheeks gaining a bit of a blush as she looked down, not meeting my eyes. ¡°Y-Yes¡­ I think having him check on me monthly would be much more eptable. I don¡¯t want any chance of it returning, after all. It could¡­ affect my research.¡± Uh¡­ sure, but¡­ what was with this atmosphere? ¡°I am more than fine with that,¡± Rudy said with a smile. ¡°But now that you¡¯re healed, would you like to stay here, or do you want toe back with us?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ head back with you, but¡­ there¡¯s something I want to confirm first,¡± she said, turning to me. ¡°You, Leon¡­ you¡¯re¡­ from another world, aren¡¯t you? More specifically, you¡¯re from my world.¡± Uhh¡­ sorry? ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not following,¡± I said, confused. ¡°I was born here, and you can even check with Ma- with Zenith, who held me as a baby. I wasn¡¯t randomly summoned here like you.¡± Why would she even think that? Didn¡¯t she meet me when I was younger as well? ¡°No, not like me,¡± Shizuka said, shaking her head. ¡°Rather than being summoned¡­ you were reincarnated, weren¡¯t you?¡± For some reason, she then looked over to Rudy, and as I followed her gaze, I realized that he was standing stock still, with a bit of¡­ fear in his expression? Why would he be acting so scared? Odd. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not sure what you mean. How would someone be reincarnated from another world, when it¡¯s a magic unique to this one,¡± I asked, turning back to her. ¡°And more importantly¡­ why do you think I would be such a person?¡± Shizuka¡¯s eyes narrowed in thought before she leaned back into the bed. ¡°After reviewing the diary, and thinking over everything again¡­ I realized something,¡± she said. ¡°This world follows a direct path¡­ this is why Orsted was able to predict things so urately without needing to worry too much about the butterfly effect with his numerous loops. I suppose this would be the ¡®fate¡¯ that he has mentioned being taken into effect.¡± I¡­ suppose that was right, but¡­ ¡°Isn¡¯t that wrong?¡± I said. ¡°The overwhelming power of fate, I mean. After all, from what Orsted knew, Eris was fated to marry Luke, and I was fated to start a nation in the Strife Zone. I don¡¯t know if you have realized, but¡­ that hasn¡¯t happened.¡± Her eyebrow twitched. ¡°Obviously. I¡¯m not an idiot,¡± she said. ¡°But¡­ Orsted mentioned that many ¡®fates¡¯ had been changed in this loop, most notably due to the Discement Incident. The incident that was the result of my summoning.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ but where are you going with this?¡± I asked. In fact, how did we even get to this conversation? ¡°I¡¯m saying that in order to drastically alter this ¡®fate¡¯, an external factor is needed. A factor such as someone from another world¡­ hence why I had such an effect upon being summoned here and causing the Discement Incident,¡± she said. ¡°Okay¡­ but how does this connect with me getting reincarnated?¡± I asked. That usation was the start of this conversation¡­ right? ¡°Because¡­ fate was already changed before I had arrived,¡± she said, looking back to me. ¡°You were meant to never meet your current parents, right? In all of Orsted¡¯s thousands of loops, that never happened. Yet this time¡­ it did.¡± I narrowed my eyes. So¡­ was she saying that for me to change my own fate, which I apparently had when I was a baby¡­ I had to be from another world? ¡°I see¡­ but couldn¡¯t that have been a result of another person being summoned?¡± I asked. ¡°Someone that we don¡¯t know of, I mean.¡± ¡°Perhaps¡­ but I highly doubt that, as nearly every change has been a result of people around you,¡± she said. ¡°So, Leon¡­ who are you? Or rather¡­ who were you?¡± How did we end up talking about this again? It was starting to get annoying. ¡°I don¡¯t know what else you want. I have no knowledge or memories of anything before waking up to my mother¡¯s smile,¡± I said, feeling my fingers dig into my arm. ¡°Besides, you remember the diary, right? Even then, some ¡®fates¡¯ were changed, and I wasn¡¯t even in that ¡®world¡¯. So how would you exin that?¡± Shizuka frowned, her eyes darting to Rudy before looking back down. ¡°I¡­ well, that-¡± ¡°Okay! I think that¡¯s enough for now,¡± Rudy said, quickly moving between the two of us as he pped his hands. ¡°There¡¯s no need for talking about this, right? I mean, it wouldn¡¯t change anything even if it was somehow true, would it?¡± Giving me a small smile, Rudy then turned to look at Shizuka, the two of them staring at each other for a few moments before Shizuka eventually gave up. ¡°Haa¡­ yes, I suppose you¡¯re right, Rudy. It doesn¡¯t really matter now, does it?¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s go back. I¡¯m sure the two of you want to head back to your families as well.¡± Damn right, I did. I had a precious little sister to congratte, after all. Norn had not only be an Advanced-rank swordswoman in the Sword God style this year, but she had also been elected as the student council president for the university, deciding to take up Ariel¡¯s old position. It wasn¡¯t anything surprising, considering how popr she was as the vice-presidentst year, but it was still something to be proud of. Besides, it seemed that recently, she had taken an interest in collecting swords, so of course, I nned to get her quite a nice one personally made by one of the best smiths in the capital. As for the cost? Well¡­ even without taking Orsted¡¯s funds into ount, being the king of the richest and strongest nation gave me quite a bit of benefits. ¡ª Leon Anemoi Greyrat ¡ª It was now the second month of the new year, and before I knew it, I had be a 21-year-old man. Sure, I was still quite young, but time seemed to be passing quicker than ever as I grew older. But still¡­ that wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing. I slowly looked over to Roxy, who was currently cuddled against my side as Aria sat between us, the girl curiously rubbing her hand against my wife¡¯s belly. ¡°So in here is another sibling?¡± she asked, tilting her head at the end of her question. ¡°Exactly,¡± Roxy said, gently patting Aria¡¯s head. ¡°And in about five months, you¡¯ll be able to see them.¡± ¡°Whoaa~¡± As one could infer from those words, Roxy was now pregnant with our second child together. And not only that, but Sara was discovered to be pregnant as well on the very same day. While Roxy and I had been trying quite hard, for Sara and Rudy, it was quite the surprise, to say the least. I would say that Rudy would soon find himself busy due to that¡­ but he was probably already feeling the exhaustion of children. After all, not only was Lana reaching a difficult age, but Linia had just given birth a day ago to Rudy¡¯s second child, and my very first nephew, Sieghart. Sieghart Greyrat. He was a cute little thing, and he seemed to have inherited his mother¡¯s grey hair and Rudy¡¯s green eyes, while also having a pair of cat-like ears due to being half-beastfolk, yet not having a tail. I¡­ wasn¡¯t sure what to think when Rudy audibly wished it was a girl as he held the boy, but at least he seemed happy about it in the end, and Linia was absolutely ecstatic of having the first man of the household. But¡­ that wasn¡¯t too important right now. After all, my little magician was on the path towards mastering magic, just like I did. ¡°You ready to try again, Aria?¡± I asked, repositioning her to sit back on myp. ¡°Yep! I wanna do fire!¡± she eximed. ¡°Uhh¡­ how about we do water instead, okay?¡± I said. ¡°Okay¡­¡± she said, pouting. Thank Millis¡­ While she was slowly getting better at using and controlling magic, and had recently learned how to cast her first spell without a chant, she was still much too young to use fire in the house¡­ even if she really liked that element. We didn¡¯t want another ¡®curtain incident¡¯, after all. After that ident, I learned to only let her practice more dangerous and destructive spells outside¡­ as well as gaining the knowledge that Sylphy and Roxy were quite the terrifying duo when it came to scolding. But anyway¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s try it again, Aria,¡± I said, cing my hand under hers. ¡°Close your eyes and focus, and then draw out that warmth you feel when you cast a spell. Make sure it¡¯s steady and that you¡¯re in control.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ got it, Dada,¡± she said, nodding her head with a serious expression as she closed her eyes. ¡°Hnng¡­!¡± She looked so cute when she was concentrating so hard like that, but still¡­ I shouldn¡¯t be focused on the cuteness of my daughter, but rather her magic. Watching as her mana snaked through her arm and into her hand, it eventually broke through her skin and floated into the air, concentrating into a ball as she continued to groan in concentration. This was the point where she was having trouble in casting chantless spells, and for a while, casting normal magic as well. Generation. Her mana control was already great, but she had some trouble with forming the actual elements out of said mana. The biggest issue with this part of casting was having a good image of what you wanted to do, thus, it wasn¡¯t surprising that she was struggling here. After all, she didn¡¯t have the life experiences that her mother had, nor the scientific knowledge that I had as a kid¡­ but we were working on it. While I didn¡¯t teach her much of the difficult scientific topics like atoms and molecules, we did make sure to go over the basics of water and the other elements, like how water could turn into steam and ice, and how fire needed fuel, air, and heat to continue. And because of that¡­ she was improving. ¡°There we go, Aria,¡± I said as a small ball of water began to form. ¡°Keep focused. Think of what you drank just a while earlier, and imagine keeping that water in a cup, hovering just above your hand. It¡¯s not sshing or moving, just staying still.¡± She nodded as her ball began to grow, slowly converting all the concentrated mana she gathered above her hand into the desired element of water, while maintaining her control of the magic all the while. Usually, this would be the point where her control would waver due to lost concentration and cause her spell to deform, leading me to need to quickly take control of the water before it sshed on the two of us. But this time¡­ it seemed that she got it. ¡°Dada! Look!¡± she eximed, opening her eyes as she happily looked at the result of her training. ¡°Yes, I see. Well done, Aria, but don¡¯t lose focus now,¡± I said, cing my hand on her head. ¡°R-Right!¡± she nodded before she returned to her concentrated face, her tongue unconsciously sticking out the side of her mouth as she focused, So cute. ¡°Okay¡­ now that you have it, let¡¯s try to move the water around,¡± I said. ¡°Like when you do your tricks?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes¡­ but maybe not to that extent,¡± I said, smirking to myself. ¡°Just slowly move it to the side, as if trying to pass it to me.¡± Narrowing her eyes, I watched as her ball of water began to deform, rippling as it moved sideways before suddenly¡­ it copsed. Watching as the now-regr water began to fall freely, I quickly infused my mana into the liquid, taking over the spell before suddenly dispelling it into thin air so that we didn¡¯t get wet. ¡°Darn it¡­¡± Aria said, pouting. ¡°Don¡¯t be sad, Aria. You did it!¡± Roxy said, reaching over my shoulder to pat her head with a smile. ¡°Very few kids can even cast a single spell at your age, and other than your father and uncle, I bet you¡¯re the only one who can do it without a chant, so be proud.¡± Aria¡¯s frown turned upside down as smiled at the praise. Well, that made sense, as while it wasn¡¯t necessarily rare for Roxy to give our daughterpliments, it was still harder toe bypared to me. This was most likely due to Roxy¡¯s lingering feelings towards the praise she received as a student getting to her head, and was worried about the same happening to her daughter, but either way, I was d that she was outwardly a bit harder to please. Not that the Aria didn¡¯t deserve the praise, of course. In fact, she deserved all the praise in the world! But¡­ if we praised her for every little thing, then when she did something particrly noteworthy, the praise wouldn¡¯t feel nearly as meaningful¡­ so we had to make sure not to overdo it. Unfortunately, I was much too doting to restrain mypliments, so Roxy had to pick up where I wascking. Sorry, darling. ¡°Papa¡­ can I try too?¡± Anna asked. Looking over to my side, where my second daughter was currently ying with some blocks on the floor, I hesitated on how to answer her. She was around two and a half now, and I didn¡¯t start teaching Aria until she was three¡­ but then again, Anna was a bit more advanced mentally for her age¡­ but she also never really seemed interested in magic once she learned to walk¡­ Hmm¡­ ¡°Are you interested in magic, Anna?¡± Sylphy said, walking in from the kitchen. ¡°Mmm¡­ a little bit,¡± she said, turning back to stack her blocks. ¡°But it cooler with sword.¡± Ah¡­ so she was more interested in my magic swordsmanship, then. Well, that still made me quite happy, but training her in the sword would have to wait until she was five, at the least. Not much you could train with a toddler body, after all. ¡°Unga!¡± Feeling something run into my leg, I looked down to see Arsying sprawled out on his back, with a giant smile on his face. ¡°Hehehe!¡± he giggled ecstatically. ¡°What are you so happy about?¡± I asked, feeling a smile on my lips as I began rolling him back and forth with my foot, causing him tough again. What a carefree kid. He almost reminded me of Aria when she was younger, but he didn¡¯t seem as attached to his parents, instead having all the fun in the world by himself. ¡­Well, it did make it quite easy to keep him entertained, so I wasn¡¯tining. ¡°It¡¯s ¡®it is cooler with the sword¡¯, Anna,¡± Sylphy said, taking the little brown-haired girl into her arms. ¡°And I think you need to focus on reading first. It¡¯s not good to learn magic without knowing that, so how about I read you a story?¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ okay,¡± she said, resting her chin on Sylphy¡¯s shoulder, though with a slight pout of disappointment. Well, I guess training the second magician would have to wait for a while. Sorry, little Anna. I¡¯ll be sure to read to you a lot so you can start as soon as possible. ¡°Aboo¡­¡± Hearing a cute voice, and feeling my hair getting pulled from behind, I tilted my head back to see my youngest staring down at me with a wide, curious smile. ¡°Hello, Emilia,¡± I said. ¡°Is my hair so interesting?¡± ¡°Agoo!¡± she eximed, smacking my head again. So it was. She was simr to how Aria was as a baby in that regard, just like Ars, but rather than having an equally intense love for all her parents like my oldest, she was way more attached to her mother. ¡°I think she wants to see her father, darling,¡± Ariel said, leaning down to nt a kiss on my forehead. ¡°And I¡¯m back.¡± So you were. ¡°Wee back¡­ how was it?¡± I asked as I moved to the side, letting Ariel sit down on my left. ¡°Same as always. Though the nobles are getting curious about our little princess here,¡± she said with a sigh. ¡°Tch, those guys¡­¡± I clicked my tongue. ¡°They should be prostrating themselves in thanks just to see her once a year. They¡¯re getting arrogant if they think they can see her whenever they want.¡± ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t be so harsh,¡± she said, giggling lightly into her hand. ¡°It¡¯s only natural that they wish to ascertain the safety of the heir to the throne. Besides, if we want to make things safe for her, she needs to have a strong base of support.¡± ¡°Yeah, but¡­ that can all wait untilter, right?¡± I said. ¡°I suppose¡­¡± Ariel said before resting her head against my shoulder. Even though we had already introduced Emilia to the nation of Asura as the crown princess, there still wasn¡¯t a need to show her off too much. We wanted to be different from the royal families of the past, after all, and while I would dly let Luke and Sauros meet her, I didn¡¯t want her to be touring the nation as some sort of attraction or political pawn. She was my cute daughter, and one that needed lots of naps. And speaking of naps¡­ ¡°Huam¡­ mmm,fy¡­¡± Aria mumbled against my chest. I wonder how she could sleep with all the noise, but looking closer, I noticed that her mana was nearlypletely depleted. I guess that final spell took all of her mana out of her, huh? Well¡­ even if it wasn¡¯t her actual bed, I guess it was fine for her to rest like this. In fact, it was very nice. Between Orsted¡¯s training, Ariel¡¯s position, and everyone¡¯s own lives, while it wasn¡¯t necessarily rare for us all to gather around the firece like this, it did have a feeling of¡­fort. Ah¡­ but we were missing someone, weren¡¯t we? ¡°Leon! When dinner¡¯s done, go up to my room!¡± Eris said, appearing in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna sit back and let Roxy take the lead!¡± Yes¡­ my lovely redheaded swordswoman. Somehow, thisdy had an odd view of pregnancy as some sort ofpetition, and thus, she had been particrly eager as ofte. I wasn¡¯tining. But¡­ couldn¡¯t shee rest with us for a while first? Chapter 114 – An Otherworlder’s Desires Chapter 114 ¨C An Otherworlder¡¯s Desires ¡ª Rudeus Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Ny-eight¡­ ny-nine¡­ one hundred!¡± Copsing to the floor, I took in a deep breath of the crisp morning air as I waited for the pain in my arms to fade, filling a cup with water to drink as I leaned against the living room wall. ¡°Well done today¡­ my two babies¡­¡± I mumbled, looking down at my arms. They had done well on this fine morning. While my morning workouts weren¡¯t muchpared to the crazy training regimens of the swordsmen in my family, they were still important to me, both for keeping me fit and toned, and for providing me the perfect way to wake up with a jolt of energy. It was hard to find the motivation to get out of bed when you had a beautiful woman snuggled up to both of your sides, after all. Haa¡­ really, I was truly blessed. If I could see myself as I was now back in my old world, I would have surely called myself a bastard in scathing jealousy. But I wasn¡¯t that miserable, pathetic sack of shit anymore. No, I was Rudeus Greyrat, the Emperor-ranked magician, the lover of two beauties, and the father of two cute children, with a third on the way. If I hadn¡¯t changed long before now, my circumstances would have forced me to in order to keep this amazing life of mine intact. But still, the pathetic me from before was still me¡­ somewhat, and I didn¡¯t want to risk the chance of that evering back, hence the morning exercise. ¡°Dad¡­ hungy¡­¡± Hearing that soft voice from behind me, I turned to see Lana groggily leaving her room, with one hand rubbing her eyes as the other held the small nket my mother had knitted for her. ¡°You¡¯re hungry, huh? Well, let¡¯s get you something to eat,¡± I said, walking over to her before picking her up. ¡°Unfortunately, your mother is still asleep, so you¡¯ll have to bear with your old man¡¯s cooking.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ okay¡­¡± she mumbled, resting her head on my shoulder. Yep, she definitely was the cutest. Now that I had some ¡®training¡¯ in fatherhood, so to speak, I had to say that it was just as rewarding as Leon told me¡­ although I still found it hard to remember that fact whenever little Sieg woke up in the middle of the night. Walking into the kitchen, I shot a bout of mes into the firece, setting the wood on fire in an attempt to warm up the ce. ¡°So, what do you want, Lana? It¡¯ll have to be quick since I have¡­¡± I caught myself as I was about to say ¡®have sses¡¯. After all, that wasn¡¯t the case any more as I had just graduated from the university yesterday, as well as obtaining a distinction in the mages guild for submitting a thesis on chantless magic. It wasn¡¯t anything special. It was basically most of what Leon and I had formted through our shared experiences, both from ourselves, and from him teaching Aria. I say ¡®mostly¡¯ as there were still some parts of our magic discoveries that we wanted to keep in the family, especially those rted to science. I mean, it wouldn¡¯t exactly be good if the Man-God was given another powerful pawn due to us sharing our knowledge. ¡°Hmm? Dad?¡± Lana asked. ¡°Nothing, sweetie. How about I make a nice breakfast for everyone, hmm? Do eggs and meat sound good?¡± I asked, cing her onto the sofa. ¡°Yeah¡­ that¡¯s good,¡± she said, rubbing her eyes. Jeez, at this rate, she¡¯ll be back asleep by the time I finished. Oh, well. Turning back into the kitchen, I opened the fridge, a magic item Shizuka and I had brought to this world together, and pulled out some meat as I thought about what to do today. Now that I was no longer a student, I had a lot of free time on my hands. ¡­Wait. I wasn¡¯t really training right now, aside from my regr magic andbat practice, nor was I employed. Shit. I¡­ I¡¯m a NEET right now, aren¡¯t I!? That¡¯s¡­ uneptable! No way would I fall into that again! Even Aisha was working basically as the prime minister for the most powerful nation in the world, while Norn was the student council president for the greatest school! I couldn¡¯t fall behind! ¡°Dad¡­? Something wrong?¡± Lana asked, peeking her head above the couch to look at me with worried eyes. ¡°N-Nothing sweetie¡­ just thinking, is all,¡± I replied with a smile. Right¡­ I wasn¡¯t like I was back then. I had a family, money, and most importantly, had lost my virginity many times over. But still¡­ it wouldn¡¯t be good for me to simplyze around doing nothing. Hmm¡­ there was always the magic tower, and I¡¯m sure the university would love to have me as a teacher¡­ or maybe I could help with Orsted and Leon¡¯s n to fight Lace and the Man-God? It was my family that was in the most danger, after all. And speaking of the Man-God¡­ I should use that now, right? Especially if I was nning to go on any extended trips¡­ Yeah, I think today would be a good day to do that. I mean, what better protector would there be than one of the greatest summoning spells crafted by the Dragon King Perugius? ¡ª Leon Anemoi Greyrat ¡ª ¡°So¡­ this summoning circle will pop out a spirit guardian to watch over the house?¡± I asked, watching as Rudyid out therge piece of paper. ¡°Exactly! Do you¡­ want to have one as well?¡± Rudy said. ¡°I tried copying it, but it was tooplicated¡­ but I¡¯m sure one of Perugius or Orsted could get you one if you asked.¡± Hmm¡­ I hadn¡¯t really considered using a summoned spirit. After all, between myself, Eris, Sylphy, and to a lesser extent, Roxy, there wasn¡¯t anyone or anything I could depend on more with the safety of our family, both in terms of strength and trust. But¡­ considering how my training with Orsted was bearing some fruit¡­ I would soon need to leave to gather my ally for fighting Lace, and ording to Orsted, the North God might take some time to find if we¡¯re unlucky. Hmm¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll consider it,¡± I said, turning to look at Sara and Linia, who had bothe outside for the asion. ¡°That aside¡­ how are things, you two?¡± Sara gave me a kind smile. ¡°Things are well, Leon. I just hope you¡¯re ready to be an uncle of three soon.¡± ¡°Of course I am, especially if they end up as cute as little Lana here,¡± I said, rubbing the head of the girl that had given me a big hug as soon as she ran out the door. ¡°And you, Linia? How is having a kid?¡± I was surprised, to be honest. That irresponsible, bratty girl had seemingly turned into a mature woman before I could even notice a change. Perhaps being a mother could change people even more than I thought. ¡°Eh? It¡¯s great! Even better since little Sieg is a boy!¡± she said, gently rubbing the kid¡¯s cat ears as she held him against her chest. ¡°And the nights are good too! The Greyrat line truly is something to respect in bed!¡± ¡­Never mind. She was still the same old Linia, even if she was now my sister-inw and the mother of my nephew. ¡°Anyway¡­ why did you want me here, Rudy?¡± I asked. ¡°Well¡­ while I trust Lord Perugius, it still would be best to make sure nothing bad happens, right?¡± he said, having finishedying out the magic circle. So¡­ he wanted me here in case his summoned protector went berserk. I guess I could ept that. ¡°Alright, could you hurry it up though? Eris wanted to spar with me today,¡± I said. ¡°Ah, of course. It¡¯s done now,¡± he said, crouching down and cing his hand on the paper. ¡°Well¡­ here goes nothing.¡± With my hand on my sword in preparation, I watched as the circle began to glow as Rudy inserted his mana, the lines shining brightly before they all erupted in a giant sh. And at the centre of that sh¡­ ¡°Woof!¡± Was¡­ a dog. ¡°Uhh¡­ a dog?¡± Rudy voiced, confused. ¡°Did¡­ did something go wrong?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask me,¡± I said, shrugging. Watching as therge, white-haired dog sauntered over to Rudy and began sniffing his leg, I suddenly had a sh of realization. ¡°Isn¡¯t this-¡° ¡°The Sacred Beast!?¡± Linia shouted in surprise. Yes¡­ that dog that I rescued back in the Millis Continent¡­ what the hell was it doing here? And equally confusing, why was it considered a ¡®guardian¡¯? Wasn¡¯t this thing supposed to summon a spirit like Arumanfi? ¡°Ah! So it¡¯s you!¡± Rudy eximed, rubbing his hand along the dog¡¯s head. ¡°You¡¯ve grown quite a bit, huh? And your fur is just as wonderful as I remember!¡± ¡°Rudy! Why is the Sacred Beast here?¡± Linia said, walking up to the two, her fur standing on end as she held Sieghart close to her chest. As I stood back with Lana, I noticed Sara walk up to us, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. ¡°Leon¡­ do you know what¡¯s going on?¡± she asked. ¡°No¡­ not really,¡± I said. Why exactly was the beastfolk¡¯s deity-like figure here? Honestly, this could be quite troublesome. Would the tribe be angry with us, even though we had no intention of taking it away? I mean, we had Tersena and Minitona here, as well as Linia, so we should be fine diplomatically speaking as long as- ¡°He is!?¡± Linia shouted, the volume making me wince. Looking over at her, I noticed that she was crouched in front of the dog, an uncharacteristic expression of seriousness stered on her face. ¡°Woof!¡± The dog simply did as dogs did. But for Linia¡­ she seemed to understand it. Ah, right. I had forgotten, but those beastfolk could actually understand what this Sacred Beast was saying, couldn¡¯t they? It wasn¡¯t some telepathy or magic, as my demon eye had never noticed anything¡­ so it must be something instinctual. ¡°S-So Seig¡­ he¡¯s really the hero?¡± Linia muttered. ¡°Is that why you appeared here?¡± ¡°Woof!¡± Uhh, I think I missed something. ¡°Rudy, what is she talking about?¡± I asked. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me! I¡¯m just as confused,¡± he said, turning back to Linia. ¡°Um, Linia? What do you mean by Sieg being a hero? It¡¯s a little too early for that, right? Haha!¡± Linia didn¡¯tugh it off, instead, she simply looked down at the baby in her arms with a smile of pride. ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s not that¡­ I¡¯ll exin it to youter,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°So, Sacred Beast¡­ is Sieg the one you¡¯ll be apanying?¡± ¡°Woof!¡± the dog barked with a nod. ¡­ ¡°I¡¯m confused,¡± I said. ¡°I¡­ am as well,¡± Sara said with a frown. Well, while I was still interested in summoning a guardian, if it ended up like this¡­ it almost seemed like it was more trouble than it was worth. ¡ª Rudeus Greyrat ¡ª It turned out that my son, the little Sieghart Greyrat, was the fated hero that the Doldia tribe had been waiting for. I¡­ wasn¡¯t quite sure how to feel about that, but I guess it wasn¡¯t the worst thing in the world. But a hero¡­ that sounds troublesome. And dangerous. I think I¡¯ll ask Leon to train Sieg with the sword once he bes old enough, not that he wouldn¡¯t do that anyway. At least with his training, I knew my son would be strong enough to stay safe from whatever stuffes at him in the future. But Leon was pretty adamant about training the kids enough to defend themselves, so I¡¯m sure the same would go for Aisha, Norn, and ric¡¯s kids once they got to that age. So yes¡­ Sieg was apparently to be a hero, and the Sacred Beast of the beastfolk, that lovable ball of fur, was to be his guardian and partner. Not what I had expected when I woke up this morning, that¡¯s for sure. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Shizuka asked me. ¡°Oh, nothing. Just¡­ about life and the future, I suppose,¡± I responded. ¡°That¡¯s quite deep,¡± she said. I had just finished checking up on her mana, ensuring that she didn¡¯t end up with ¡®drain syndrome¡¯ once more. Something that we had been doing monthly. In fact, I had begun to see Shizuka more often ever since we got back from the floating fortress, and even weirder, it had rarely been for helping with her research, which had been the case before. Instead, she would visit my house where we would just¡­ talk, or sometimes we would try to create inventions from our past world and submit them to the Mage¡¯s Guild, and other such things. It was¡­ fun, doing stuff with her. But still, I was quite curious. ¡°Hey¡­ why haven¡¯t you been researching summoning magictely?¡± I asked. She paused. ¡°Why do you ask?¡± she returned. ¡°Just curious. I mean, isn¡¯t that how we originally got this close?¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°It feels odd for you to stop when you were so focused on it¡­ Did something happen like, you know¡­ before?¡± I was referring to the time she had gotten really down in the dumps, of course. She frowned. ¡°No, I am fine mentally, thank you very much.¡± Well, that was good to know. ¡°That¡¯s good¡­ So then, why?¡± I asked. ¡°Well¡­ first, do you remember what I said about ¡®fate¡¯ or another power keeping me here for some reason?¡± she asked. I nodded. But what was- Ah, I see! ¡°So you think that the same ¡®fate¡¯ would make it so you couldn¡¯t leave?¡± I asked. She nodded. ¡°I can only presume so. That also lines up with how some theoretically sound magic circles were having issues.¡± That made sense, as long as we ignored the¡­ weirdness of fate. I didn¡¯t even want to think about all that stuff. ¡°Okay¡­ is that all, then?¡± I asked. I would be a little surprised if so. After all, Shizuka was probably the most dedicated people I knew, with the only one matching her in effort being my brother and his desire of protecting our family and growing stronger. While I was definitely proud of what I had be over the years¡­ there were definitely some amazing people I could still look up to. ¡°W-Well¡­ you know¡­¡± she said, sending me an oddly¡­ embarrassed gaze. ¡°You could say that I¡­ lost some motivation, is all.¡± ¡°Lost motivation¡­ how so?¡± I asked. She pouted, ring at me with reddened cheeks. ¡­Wait. This odd feeling¡­ I think I had felt it before. It was when I was travelling the northern territories with Counter Arrow back in the day, when Sara had invited me to her room, where we ended up cementing our rtionship. The sign of attraction. But¡­ that was impossible, right? ¡°A-Are you really going to make me spell it out for you?¡± she growled. I-It was!? ¡°I-I have a wife, you know¡­ two of them, in fact,¡± I stammered. ¡°Yeah, I know that, dammit,¡± she said, standing up as she pressed her hand to her forehead. She released arge sigh once more as she shook her head. ¡°I¡­ really didn¡¯t want this to happen, you know? I recognized the signs, but I didn¡¯t¡­ never mind¡­ but yeah¡­ it¡¯s like this,¡± she said, sitting back down on the couch as she looked up at me. ¡°A-And you already have two wives¡­ right?¡± she said. ¡°S-So¡­ what¡¯s one more?¡± Seeing her usually pale white cheeks tainted red in a light blush, her finger twirling the end of her long, ck hair, and those upturned eyes that were ncing at me furtively with a mix of apprehension and desire¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but feel a certain tingle that only two others in this world were able to elicit in me. Oh¡­ oh shit¡­ I¡­ think I will get a stern talking to from my lovely Sara when I get home, won¡¯t I? But as Shizuka had hinted¡­ maybe getting a third would be fine? ¡ª Nanahoshi Shizuka ¡ª Lying in the bed with the sheets surrounding me like a cocoon, I slowly opened my eyes as the morning light crept through the windows and onto my face. Taking a moment to get used to the unfamiliar scenery, I took a quick nce to my left, noticing that a certain man had already left, thankfully leaving me a ss of water at his bedside, and then, I felt the dull thrum in my core, the lingering remnants of the sensations fromst night bringing the apanying memories to my mind. ¡°Haa¡­ what the hell did I do¡­¡± I mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. I had simply meant to confess my feelings to the one that had annoyingly kept me tethered to this world I had thought to only be a prison, and I had expected to perhaps bear the brunt of his wives¡¯ anger, but instead¡­ they had epted me quite openly. And before I knew it, I had found myself in his clutches¡­ and I didn¡¯t want out of them for a moment. Rudeus¡­ he was quite skilled in bed, huh? I guess it was only natural, considering his experience in this world,pared to me, who was struggling just to keep my breath during the whole thing. Dammit¡­ just how did ite to this? To think I would fall for him¡­ at least our ages weren¡¯t as different whenpared to his wives, and even then he had told me that his mental age was not a simple addition of his two lives¡¯ years due to the effect of a child¡¯s brain and experiences. But still¡­ was this a mistake? It was simple interest at first, as I just wanted to have someone that reminded me of home next to me and someone who could help me get back. But somewhere along the way¡­ those feelings changed. Something began to flicker within him that called to me¡­ or maybe it was something within me that called to him¡­ either way, it was a feeling that was difficult to describe, but if there was a word for it, I would say that Rudy gave me a sense offort. Or maybe stability? Haa¡­ I didn¡¯t know. But what I did know was thatst night proved that I was way out of my depth with such things. Well¡­ it wasn¡¯tpletely my fault. Akito and I had only done it once before, and with the two of us being so inexperienced, it was only natural that the experience was¡­ less than amazing. And speaking of him¡­ from what I could theorize, he was probably arrivingter, at least if what I understood about this world¡¯s timeline was true. Whether it be a year from now, or fifty, if I ended up meeting him¡­ I would need to apologize for finding another man. But did it still count as cheating when we had been separated for so long? Probably. But then again, he was having an awfully fun time with Hana before I got summoned here, and knowing him, I was sure that guy would find some princess to seduce, so I couldn¡¯t feel too bad. Besides, from the argument we had before everything¡­ well, he should understand. Gently raising my head, I spotted my folded clothes in the nearby chair, and getting out of bed, I slowly began dressing myself as the sounds of children echoed from below, the most prominent voice evidently belonging to the ever-optimistic Lana. Another thing that had changed over the years. Before, I would never think I coulde to like children, much less the prospect of having one, but over time¡­ well, those thoughts had shifted as well. Though, for better or worse, I doubted that I could get pregnant with my current suspended aging state. But enough thinking about that. Now that my feelings in regard to romance were settled, and my worries about being trapped in this world lessened due to the emergence of what I could hope to be a new rtionship, there was something else I had to turn my mind to. Leon Greyrat¡­ who was now something of a brother-inw to me, as odd as it was to think. I had always assumed that Leon was someone from my world, from earth, but I simply didn¡¯t know who. His knowledge of modern science and how to mix it with his magic was simply much too good to be a product of second-hand knowledge from Rudy. Yes, he certainly had to be someone from my world. But¡­ the way he patted my head¡­ that odd protectiveness he had for me¡­ it made me feel a way I hadn¡¯t felt in quite some time. Previously, I would think it was impossible, but knowing the magical nature of this world¡­ how this ce and earth were seemingly connected¡­ and then Rudy¡¯s reincarnation¡­ My brother had died, that was something I was forced to ept all those years ago, despite the days spent crying in my room. But thinking about it now¡­ he had died around two years before I was summoned here, and with the knowledge that Rudy¡¯s past life was that of the man that tried to push me out of the way, that meant it was two years before Rudy was reincarnated. And in this world, Leon was born two years before Rudy. Was it coincidence? Most would say most likely, but with how it all connected¡­ could Leon be my brother? That was the thought that had been itching at my mind for a while now, other than the¡­ distractions. But no¡­ despite how great that would be, it was impossible. My brother would never lie about not having a past, and more than that, he was much too affectionate with me to not reveal himself to me. And besides, my brother wasn¡¯t some womanizing bastard like that guy is. Shaking my head, I lightly pped my cheeks before standing up, taking a deep breath of the fresh, cold morning air to clear my mind. Right, there was no need to care about that. Instead¡­ ¡°Nanahoshi! Breakfast is ready if you¡¯re up!¡± Linia shouted from below. Instead¡­ I had something else to focus my attention to. Such was the consequences of my decisions¡­ I was definitely going toin to Rudy about thister. How dare he leave me alone like this? Chapter 115 – A Quiet Peace Chapter 115 ¨C A Quiet Peace ¡ª Leon Anemoi Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Damn. They really are so tiny, huh?¡± Eris said, idly holding out her finger. ¡°Well, that is how babies are. You should know this by now,¡± Sylphy said, holding back Anna and Aria as they watched on curiously. ¡°Besides, it would be quite difficult if they were any bigger.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯d say¡­¡± Roxy said, getting control her breathing as she leaned her head back, looking up at me from myp. ¡°Leon¡­ that¡¯s it¡­ Two is the most, you understand? Ask the others if you want any more kids¡­¡± ¡°Of course¡­ and thank you,¡± I said, giving her a small kiss on her forehead. That seemed to appease her somewhat, as her lips spread into a soft smile before looking back down at the infant in her arms. It had been quite a difficult birth, not out of anyplications, but simply due to the length of time it took. My fourth daughter seemed to not want to leave her mother just yet. ¡°You caused me some trouble, didn¡¯t you? Little Roana,¡± Roxy said, gently stroking her head. Roana Greyrat, that was my newest daughter¡¯s name. While both of us had decided on the name together, it was Roxy that asked that their name start with ¡®Ro-¡®, as is the tradition with her native tribe. She didn¡¯t care about it before when we had Aria. In fact, she would have probably hated it, seeing it as a reminder of the pain she went through as a child. But after meeting her parents again and finding her ce with the rest of us, she hade to ept her heritage, and actively wanted to cherish it, at least in a small way like this. And thus, Roana was chosen, with Roan being the name if it had been a boy. ¡°Mmm, but do you regret it?¡± Ariel asked, having joined us after putting Emilia and Ars to bed. ¡°No¡­ not a chance,¡± Roxy said happily. A sweet silence followed as we all stared down at the newest member of our family, bundled snugly in a nket with the few strands of blonde hair slicked against her head from the water magic I had used to clean her up. Yet again, my baby was adorable. Perhaps it was something to do with my genes? ¡°Yes, I am d to say I know the feeling as well,¡± Ariel said, her cheeks gaining a bit of colour. ¡°Pain really has a hidden pleasure to it once youe to ept it, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡­No, I think that was just you, Ariel. I assume that was what everyone else was thinking, but no one decided to speak up, for everyone¡¯s sakes. ¡°Anyway¡­ I wonder what Zenith and Lilia will think of her. She¡¯s the first one that they haven¡¯t been here for, right?¡± Eris said. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be ecstatic. You know how Mama is,¡± I said. ¡°I just hope they aren¡¯t sad about it.¡± As for the reason neither of them were here, well¡­ that would have to do with the impable timing on Sara¡¯s part, as she had also gone intobour at the same time as Roxy. And so, with Sylphy and I being able to easily heal Roxy should anything go wrong, as well as the family being quite experienced with childbirth, we left them to Sara¡¯s care instead. But to think my brother would not only get another child, but also another woman in Shizuka in such a short time¡­ it was quite amazing. But to think that him and Shizuka would get together so fast¡­ while I wasn¡¯t surprised, considering the hints that I had noticed, it was the speed at which they did that surprised me. Well, perhaps I would learn more once Rudy and I had some time to spend together. ¡°Mmm¡­ I know,¡± Roxy said, looking down at Roana with a smile. ¡°Is¡­ something wrong?¡± I asked, noticing the slight bittersweet tone of her words. ¡°No. It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m conflicted,¡± she said. ¡°Her hair¡­ it¡¯s from you.¡± Well, seeing as it wasn¡¯t blue, that was quite obvious. ¡°And even though I know it will make her life so much easier¡­ when I see that it isn¡¯t mine¡­ I can¡¯t help but feel a bit¡­ conflicted,¡± she said, looking up at me with a worried frown. ¡°Does that make me a bad mother?¡± I smiled. So she had left behind that fear¡­ or, maybe not left it behind, but had found that the connection to Aria more than made up for the worry about her hair. That made me¡­ very happy. ¡°No¡­ it makes you a wonderful one,¡± I said, kissing her forehead. ¡°It¡¯s only natural for a mother to want to share their looks with their daughter.¡± ¡°I¡­ suppose so,¡± she said, resting her head on my shoulder. ¡°And at the very least, she has my eyes.¡± Indeed, she did. A beautiful, deep blue colour that was just like Roxy¡¯s. Although, it was quite hard to see them at the moment with how deeply our newest daughter was sleeping. But yes¡­ ¡°Wee home, Roana,¡± I whispered under my breath. And now, with five kids, we would soon be running out of rooms, wouldn¡¯t we? ¡ª Leon Anemoi Greyrat ¡ª A month had passed since Roana had been born, and as expected, Sara had given birth to a healthy baby as well. One Damian Greyrat, the third of Rudy¡¯s children, and the second boy. Damian being the name of Sara¡¯ste father, and chosen as a way to connect her parents to her new family, even though they had never met. A sweet gesture, and one I had used with Anna to rte to Sylphy¡¯s parents. And perhaps¡­ I could use it for my own departed parent as well. But with the seventh month of the yearing to an end, I found myself upied with other matters than thinking about children¡¯s names. ¡°Keep it up, you three! You won¡¯t be able to get me if you keep falling over!¡± I shouted, stepping away from another clumsy swing. ¡°Dada! You¡¯re too fast!¡± Aria shouted with a pout. ¡°And too sneaky¡­ annoying,¡± Lana added, giving me a harsh re. ¡°Yeah, like a fly,¡± ric said as he stuck out his tongue. I nearly stumbled at thest exmation. To think my littlest brother had called me a fly¡­ perhaps I should give them a quick show of how to parry as well, if he could defend himself in time. No¡­ no, calm yourself, Leon. There was no need to get violent when he was just having fun. Taking a deep breath of the warm air, I once again prepared to face down the three kids. As for what we were doing? Well, this was our group swordsmanship lesson. The first of many toe with our new family tradition. As for why I had started this? Well, that was simple. Not only was this a good opportunity for the family to get together with all of our busy lives, but the training itself was also something Rudy and I had decided to give to our children. Having them lead an active lifestyle early was beneficial in itself, but also, this world¡­ it was dangerous. Even without the Man-God setting his sights on us, there were monsters, bandits, and numerous other threats that could appear. While at the moment, I felt confident in being able to protect all of them, that wouldn¡¯t be the same once they left the nest to lead their own lives. And so, we thought it to be important that everyone learned to defend themselves before then. They didn¡¯t need to be expert swordsmen, of course, but enough to escape a dangerous situation, and once they got a family of their own, a strength strong enough to defend them as well. If all went well, even those that weren¡¯t particrly talented nor interested in the sword would still be at the Intermediate rank, but that was far into the future. For the moment, training was more akin to ying around, simply having them get used to following an opponent, maintaining stability while running, and holding a sword in their hands¡­ even if it was a practice one. It was important to instill such a lesson early. A sword was a tool, and even though it could perform beautiful strikes and breathtakingly fluid movements, at its core, it was a weapon. Something to defend yourself and your loved ones. It was not something to take lightly, and thus, one must always be sure they had good control over how they held it. ¡°Dada! Get back here!¡± Well¡­ that serious stuff could wait for a few years. For now, I was just d the three were having fun and that I got to bond a bit more with my youngest brother, as we hadn¡¯t had too much time to be closer. ¡°You seem to be having fun, Leon,¡± Ghiine said from the side. ¡°That I am. Are you going to join in as well?¡± I asked, stepping to the side as Ariaunched her attack. ¡°Agff!¡± And¡­ she tripped. Poor thing. ¡°No need. I have enough on my te between protecting Lady Ariel and training Julian,¡± she said. ¡°Ah, right. He¡¯s¡­ nine now, right? How¡¯s heing along?¡± I asked, lifting my hand to parry ric¡¯s weak strike to the ground, his body following through with it. ¡°Augh!¡± And another child hit the ground¡­ yeah, they definitely needed to work on their bnce. ¡°He¡¯s quite good. Not at the level of you and Eris, of course, but he is well on his way to bing a respectable swordsman,¡± she said, smiling lightly In pride. ¡°While he¡¯s only just reached the Intermediate rank, I won¡¯t be surprised if he ends up bing a Sword Saint in the future.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ so I guess our family got another talented swordsman,¡± I said. Interesting. I guess swordsmanship ran in the Boreas Greyrat blood, huh? I was already nning on training Ars just like everyone else, but maybe I would need to focus a little more with him¡­ although, from the passingments that Eris had made about ¡®not being able to wait until he was old enough to run¡¯, I think she had that covered for the both of us. My apologies, dear son of mine. But I promise that your mother loves you dearly. ¡­Perhaps a little too dearly. ¡°Argh! Uncle!¡± With Lana¡¯s shout breaking me out of my thoughts, I watched as she tripped over her feet after attempting a lunging strike, my body having unconsciously moved out of the way and leading to the third and final child falling to the ground. ¡°Darn it!¡± Aria shouted, but with a wide smile nheless. ¡°We didn¡¯t get him!¡± ¡°Leon¡¯s really amazing, huh? Defeating all three of us¡­¡± ric added in a thoughtful and amazed tone. Uh, no¡­ while I was quite strong, literally any adult could do this much. But at least they were happy¡­ although they would definitely need a bath after this. ¡°Do you three want to continue?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah!¡± Indeed. Peaceful days like this were nice. But unfortunately, I wouldn¡¯t be able to stay like this forever¡­ I had the fourth-strongest being in the world to defeat, after all. ¡ª Leon Anemoi Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Mother¡­ save me¡­¡± Emilia begged. Unfortunately, I did not let her out of my grasp, deciding to keep cuddling her despite her pleas. ¡°Apologies, Emilia, but it seems that your father has other ns,¡± Ariel said with a warm smile. ¡°I suggest you enjoy it. It will only be worse if you try to refuse.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± I said, nodding my head. ¡°Fear my grasp, young girl, for I have needed to replenish my Emilia-energy for quite a while.¡± ¡°Mother¡­ now Father¡¯s being weird¡­¡± Emilia groaned. It seems that my affections were being ignored. ¡°Fufu! You two are awfully cute, you know,¡± Sylphy said, cing down some tea on the table for us. ¡°But don¡¯t smother her too much. You have Aria and Roana for that, since they love their dear father so much.¡± That was true¡­ but I was just worried. Anna, despite being a wonderful daughter, did not like disying her affection outwardly. Especially with me. Thankfully, Lana was starting to do the same with Rudy, so I wasn¡¯tpletely alone¡­ but it still hurt. Putting Emilia back down, I watched as she tottered away, trying to escape me as she headed into the nearby room. I just didn¡¯t want her to end up so cold to her dear father, especially with the fact that I would be leaving soon. And speaking of that¡­ ¡°Are you two sure you¡¯ll be fine?¡± I asked, the same question having already been repeated once before. ¡°Rx, darling. We aren¡¯t so helpless that we need your protection every waking moment of the day,¡± Ariel said, shaking her head. ¡°The kingdom is more than stable now, and Isolte is always at my side for any proceedings that could possibly go awry. You worry too much.¡± Sylphy took a seat next to me, handing a cookie over to Emilia as she joined the conversation. ¡°And besides, while you¡¯re strong, there are others that can protect us just as well,¡± she said. ¡°Not only do we have Eris, but don¡¯t forget that Orsted is back In the pce now. We¡¯ll be more than fine.¡± That¡­ was true. While that guy had left briefly to check where the North God was in this timeline, he had just returned a couple of days ago, hence why I would be departing soon. After all, I had an ally to make, and while I had technically fulfilled one of Perugius¡¯ conditions in him joining our battle against Lace by defeating the Water God, there was still the need of gaining a strong ally in that guy. The seventh rank of the Seven Great Powers, the North God, Aleksander Ryback. ording to Orsted, he was brash and idiotic, like an overgrown child, but his greatest dream had always been to cement himself in history as a hero, so I was sure I could convince him to join me. Although¡­ Orsted also told me to prepare to fight him, as while he wasn¡¯t one to bepletely controlled by the Man-God¡¯s words like most people, he could still be influenced, thanks to his gullibility. So I would just need to knock him down first, and then give him one of Orsted¡¯s bracelets so that he wouldn¡¯t turn against uster on. ¡°So? How long do you expect to be gone?¡± Ariel asked, taking a sip of tea. ¡°Likely around a month,¡± I answered. Yes¡­ because that annoying guy just had to have secluded himself in the depths of the forest in the King Dragon Kingdom. Luckily, I could use a teleportation circle to get to the nearest city, but after that, I would need to make use of my camping skills yet again. Haa¡­ Shaking my head, I looked up to see Ariel and Sylphy locked in a stare down, seemingly having a wordless conversation between them before they then both nodded in unison. I guess the conversation was over? ¡°Leon¡­ you¡¯re going alone, right?¡± Sylphy asked slowly. ¡°Yes¡­ why?¡± I returned. I mean, I was sure that Eris would want toe, but we had already talked about it. She had our family in Sharia to protect, and not only that, but she had been enjoying her part in training the kids¡­ even if she ended up giving them some trauma in the process. ¡°Well¡­ to be gone that long without a woman when you¡¯re used to four¡­ that will surely be difficult,¡± Ariel added. ¡°Uhh¡­ I guess?¡± I replied, confused. Where was she going with this? Did she think I would cheat just because of that? Because that was a very wrong assumption. ¡°Indeed. So, it¡¯s only natural that you should properly relieve yourselfpletely before departing, no?¡± she continued, staring at me with lidded eyes. Oh. ¡°And it¡¯s our duty to ensure our husband isfortable, correct?¡± Sylphy added from the side. I¡­ see. So that¡¯s where this was headed. In response to such a request made by two beautiful women, there was only one possible way to react. ¡°Yes please.¡± I guess the tea would end up getting cold, huh? Chapter 116 – A Dance of Silver and Gold (R-18) Chapter 116 ¨C A Dance of Silver and Gold (R-18) ¡ª Leon Anemoi Greyrat ¡ª As soon as I stated my eptance, both Ariel and Sylphy rose to their feet. As they both began creeping towards me, I couldn¡¯t help but notice the lustful smile on Ariel¡¯s face, and the joyful one on Sylphy¡¯s. Wait¡­ those looks. ¡°Hold on, you want to do it here? Now?¡± I asked, my eyes widening. ¡°Why, of course. This is my pce, after all, so I can do whatever I want, anywhere I want,¡± Ariel said, lowering herself to sit on myp. ¡°And besides, we have already done it many times in this room, so what¡¯s the issue?¡± The room in question was, of course, the royal chambers, which served as Ariel¡¯s and our family¡¯s bedroom when we were at the pce for the night. But that wasn¡¯t the problem! ¡°Emilia¡¯s in the other room!¡± I said. ¡°Awake, mind you!¡± ¡°And do you think I would have not prepared for this?¡± she answered, wrapping her arms around my neck. ¡°I had Isolte prepared to take her away until her bedtime once she left the room, so there is no need to worry about any interruptions.¡± ¡­She nned that? Scary. ¡°So please¡­¡± she said, gently biting her lip. ¡°Defile me to your desire.¡± My words got caught in my throat as my gaze unconsciously traced downward, right towards where Ariel¡¯s breasts were peeking through the fabric of her nightgown. ¡°That isn¡¯t right, Ariel,¡± Sylphy added, taking a seat on my other thigh with a slight, yful pout. ¡°Leon will defile the both of us!¡± Ariel was one thing, but Sylphy too? To think this girl used to be so sweet and innocent¡­ Arielpletely ruined her, didn¡¯t she? Well¡­ I also might have yed a part in that change¡­ and it was true that while being submissive, Sylphy was quite enthusiastic in bed in her own right¡­ Either way, one thing was for sure. It was extremely arousing. Wrapping one arm around each of them, squeezing their sides securely, I then raised myself off the couch, carrying the two in my arms as I moved us to the bed. ¡°Oh my? I don¡¯t mind it when you¡¯re forceful, but this is a surprise,¡± Ariel said, looking at me with a sultry smile. ¡°We had been prepared to take the lead¡­ but I suppose you have different ns.¡± Yeah, you could say that. ¡°Well, you made this happen,¡± I said as I then unceremoniously threw them onto the bed. They were both wearing a matching set of somewhat revealing nightwear, and while I had grown used to the sight after so many nights spent together, erotic and not, when I saw them like this¡­ cheeks rosy, eyes upturned in expectation¡­ well, it reminded me once more of how lucky I was. Leaning down, I nted a soft kiss on Sylphy¡¯s lips as I began to untie thece behind her back, only stopping to turn and give Ariel a kiss as well. This continued for a while, the three of us exchanging kisses as they slowly got undressed, revealing thecy set of underwear the two of them had decided to wear as well. So they really had prepared for this¡­ the thought filled me with even more excitement. But before I could take off thest pieces of clothing that were holding me back from ravaging them, I felt my hands that were creeping towards their most sensitive spots stop, my wrists having been grasped by both of them. ¡°Mmm, this just won¡¯t do,¡± Ariel said, tracing her other hand under my shirt and over my chest. ¡°Despite how much I enjoy your touches, this is meant to be something for you, right Sylphy?¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Sylphy said, nting a kiss on my ear. ¡°So simplyy back, and leave everything to us, husband.¡± Yet again, there was a request that no man could refuse. And of course, being a man, I was no different. With Ariel deciding to shed my shirt, Sylphy gently pushed me down so that I wasying on the bed, my head resting on the pillows as I looked down at the two that had both stopped to tie back their hair. I loved when they wore ponytails quite a bit¡­ and I especially loved the things that came after. Ah, and I was now erect as well. And judging by the wind that Ariel sent me, I think she had noticed it as well. With their hair now tied up, Ariel then ced her hands on my pants, deftly untying the waist string as she then pulled them down, revealing my member in all its glory. ¡°Don¡¯t move, Leon~¡± Sylphy said as she lowered her head. Yes ma¡¯am. As soon as her lips touched my tip, I felt my body shudder. The soft wetness of her touch, the anticipation, all paired with these two beautiful women¡­ while I wasn¡¯t religious, I could definitely say that at this moment, I was in heaven. As Sylphy began to take me into her mouth, Ariel moved down as well, taking off her bra with a smooth motion as she grabbed the base of my cock in her hand, tracing her tongue up the shaft until she met Sylphy¡¯s mouth, where she then nted a kiss on her fellow wife¡¯s cheek. Fuck, this was arousing. The subtle squeeze of Ariel¡¯s hand on my shaft and the eventual movement as she moved it up and down, the way Sylphy slowly bobbed her head up and down, transitioning from sucking with hollowed cheeks to lovingly striking her tongue across my tip¡­ it was a feeling I could never tire of. My hands both went down to grasp their hair, feeling the silky locks in my fingers as I rubbed their scalps, the sensations from below growing stronger with each passing moment as I felt my body clench. And it wasn¡¯t long before I felt the bubbling heat begin to reach its peak. ¡°Y-You two¡­ I¡¯m¡­¡± While I wasn¡¯t able to say it, my warning was quite obvious. Yet, instead of stopping, they both instead increased their simultaneous attack, with Sylphy moving even faster as she began to take me down to her throat and Ariel tightening her grip as she gently kissed my thigh. And so¡­ the pressure released, leaving me sucking in a shuddering breath as I exploded into Sylphy¡¯s mouth, a dribble of my essence leaking out of her lips as she raised her head. Looking into my eyes, she gave me a confident smirk and took a big gulp before opening her mouth, the saliva and residual cum stringing between her lips as she showed me how she had swallowed it all. Damn, that was hot¡­ but she really was a pervert too, huh? A true member of the Greyrat family. ¡°Sylphy¡­ you missed some,¡± Ariel said with lidded eyes. She then got to her knees, cing her hands on the back of Sylphy¡¯s neck as she and pulled her forward before gently licking the remains of my release along her chin and cheek, creeping up to her mouth where she then captured her lips with a deep kiss. And that¡­ that was even hotter. I mean, who wouldn¡¯t enjoy the sight of two beautiful women you loved making out? But still¡­ ¡°Anh~!¡± Sylphy moaned as Ariel gently nibbled on her ear. Like this¡­ I felt like I was missing out. And seeing Sylphy turn to putty in Ariel¡¯s grasp, gasping for breath with those flushed cheeks¡­ well, my excitement was too much to handle, and thankfully, my member had risen once again. Getting up, the two stole a short nce at me before I then pushed them down, with Ariel falling on top of Sylphy as I quickly took off both of their panties, revealing that their folds were already slick from their own excitement. Yeah, they were ready. And so, with Ariel holding her down, I held my cock in front of Sylphy¡¯s entrance before slowly prating inward, her legs raising to wrap around my sides as I pushed all the way to the hilt in my first slow thrust. And I didn¡¯t leave Ariel alone, either. With one hand pressing against her lower back to keep her in ce, I quickly traced my fingers along her inner thigh with my other, enjoying her pleased sigh as I coated my fingers in the juices surrounding her entrance before I then inserted them into her, her head dropping onto Sylphy¡¯s chest as she released a hushed moan. I continued thrusting deep into Sylphy, my mind switching between focusing my attention on the two beauties in front of me, and the inexplicably amazing pleasure I was currently enjoying. And thankfully, I wasn¡¯t the only one who was loving this. ¡°Good girl,¡± Ariel said as Sylphy began sucking her breasts. ¡°You- ah! You really are wonderful, both of you-!¡± Her breath hitched as I curled my fingers inside of her while arcing a small shock of electricity to her clitoris, the sensations bringing her close to the edge as she trembled in ce. She was almost there. And as for what to make her finish, I knew exactly what this horny princess liked the best. I had made her quiver in pleasure more than enough times, after all. Taking my hand off of her back, I raised it upwards before bringing it down hard towards her bottom, the sound of the sharp smack resounding throughout the room, interrupted a momentter by a guttural moan as Ariel began to shake as she copsed onto Sylphy, having seemingly reached her climax. And as for Sylphy¡­ she was close too. So if I just did this¡­ As soon as I brushed my thumb along her clit, I felt her legs spasm, and when I pinched it, I felt the telltale signs of hering topletion, her walls clenching around me apanied by the light ssh on my crotch as she squirmed underneath Ariel¡¯s body. With Ariel giving Sylphy another kiss, she then moved forwards, my fingers sliding out of her as she crawled upwards on the bed, only stopping to turn around and get up on her knees, her crotch hanging over the dazed Sylphy, with wetness dripping down her thighs. And with a smirk of amusement, she sat down, cing her pussy on Sylphy¡¯s mouth, and with Sylphy instinctively opening wide and sticking out her tongue, Ariel once again released a pleasured moan as she leaned forward. With Sylphy eating Ariel out, and me continuing to prate my elven beauty once again, I leaned forward as well, reaching out a hand to wrap around Ariel¡¯s head as I pulled her in for a deep kiss, her tongue gently brushing across my lips as a shock of excitement went up my spine. Yeah¡­ while I loved sex and all the fun that came with it, there really was something special about a tender, passionate kiss, even in a situation like this. With our mouths locked together, and our mutual use of the cute elf woman beneath us, it didn¡¯t take long for all three of us to reach our second orgasm of the night. The itching sensation reaching its peak, I pressed harder onto Ariel, tugging her hair as I sucked on her lower lip, while my hips pressed hard against Sylphy, pushing in as far as I could as I soon released, a grunt escaping my mouth as the two of them also reached their highs. With me soon calming down, I noticed that Ariel had continued kissing me, but now peppering me with loving, soft ones rather than the passionate ones from before. ¡°That¡­ was wonderful,¡± Ariel said, taking a moment to regain her breath as she got off Sylphy, causing her to release a deep gasp to take in some air. ¡°Now¡­ how about youy down, Leon. I want you in me as well, after all.¡± With a gentle kiss on my nose, she then pulled me by the hand, causing me to slide out of Sylphy as Iid back on the bed. And no sooner than I did, I felt Ariel¡¯s pussy pressing against my lips, my tongue stretching a momentter top up the erotic taste as the scent of her filled my nose. ¡°Good¡­ that¡¯s really good,¡± Ariel said, pressing harder against me as I felt her hand grasp my limp cock. Oh, was she trying to get me hard again? Well, that would take quite a while if I did it naturally¡­ and besides, I wanted to get inside of her as well, and preferably as fast as possible. So, flooding my body with healing magic, I felt my member once again get hard as my refractory period was demolished, causing Ariel to release a pleased hum as she got up from my face. As she moved down to straddle my hips, I cast a nce to the side, noticing that Sylphy was finally beginning to get her bearings once again, her eyes fluttering open as her hands twitched. I guess it was good for her as well, huh? Well, she did love being forced in bed, and as for what Ariel and I had just done to her¡­ well, it was exactly what got Sylphy going. My eyes widened as I felt a familiar softness engulf my cock, and looking back over at Ariel, I watched as she slowly slid herself down, her ass meeting my legs a momentter as she took me in topletion. Her expression was one of a mix of lust and relief as she slowly began moving, her hair havinge out of her loose ponytail as she bit her lip, an arousing sight that was only enhanced by her flushed skin, glistening slightly with sweat and other fluids. And this was the queen of the most powerful nation in the world¡­ as well as the mother of my children¡­ A familiar feeling came over me at that moment. One of possessiveness, excitement, and dominance. Yes¡­ Ariel Anemoi Asura, arguably the most influential woman in the world, and one of the four most beautiful, was my woman. All mine. My hands sped against her hips as she continued gently riding me, her hips rolling back and forth as I suddenly thrust my hips upward, causing her eyes to widen in surprise before settling into bliss. And I continued, defiling her just as she had asked, her breaths slowly turned into desperate pants as I continued to use her for my pleasure, and as a result, causing her own. My attention that was solely focused on the woman on top of me was broken by Sylphy getting to her knees, a slight pout on her face as she crawled behind Ariel, her hands reaching around to grasp Ariel¡¯s breasts. ¡°S-Sylphy! W-What are you doing?¡± Ariel asked, looking back over her shoulder. ¡°Punishing you, your highness,¡± Sylphy said as she pinched Ariel¡¯s nipple, eliciting a hiss of pleasure from the woman as I continued assaulting her. This continued for a while longer, with Sylphy having reaching a hand down to y with Ariel¡¯s clit as I continued fucking her, the queen having already reached climax once again from our double-sided attack. But soon enough, it became too much for me to control, as I once again let go of the mounting pressure, releasing my cum into Ariel as I thrust upwards, hopefully coating her insides as deeply as possible. With me having calmed down, and Ariel havinge once again as well, she quickly gripped both of Sylphy¡¯s wrists, turning around to push the white-haired woman face down on the bed. ¡°Sylphy¡­ that wasn¡¯t something a subject does to her queen,¡± she said, manoeuvring Sylphy¡¯s hands to both reach behind her back as she undid her hair tie. ¡°You need to be punished.¡± And there was her dominant side. Being superior in strength, Sylphy could easily break out from whatever Ariel was doing¡­ but she wouldn¡¯t. After all, from the giddy smile she had, it was obvious that she was ying along for her own pleasure as well. With Ariel lifting herself up, my cock slid out of her, apanied by a small stream of my cum before Ariel pressed a hand to her pussy, keeping my fluids inside of her as she finished tying Sylphy¡¯s hands behind her back. I was momentarily confused as to what Ariel was doing, but as she moved to position herself to resting against the wall, her legs spread outwards with Sylphy¡¯s head in between them, the ensuing order was quite obvious to understand. ¡°Lick,¡± Ariel demanded, a smirk growing on her lips as Sylphy quickly obliged, her tongue reaching out top the cum that was dripping down Ariel¡¯s folds as she soon pressed her entire mouth against it. With Ariel lovingly pulling Sylphy tighter against her, she then looked over to me, her blue eyes motioning me over as I rose to my knees once more. ¡°How about you give Sylphy some more love, darling? I¡¯m sure she¡¯d enjoy it. And oh, how I would love to feel her squirm,¡± she said, licking her lips and taking a shuddering breath. Ah, so taking Sylphy from behind¡­ well, I was more than happy to do so. Flooding my body with healing magic once more, I positioned my tip against my lovely Sylphy¡¯s wet folds, not even taking a moment as I pushed myself all the ways inwards. A deep moan resounded from in front of me, and I watched as Sylphy¡¯s back arched from my action. Yeah, this position really was amazing. After all, when I got to go so deep into her¡­ it was addictive. Grabbing onto her hips, I began thrusting into her with increased vigour, the sounds of our flesh pping together resounding throughout the room, with the two¡¯s panting and high-pitched moans being the only other noise as I continued pounding into her. While there was certainly a lot of love between the three of us, what was happening right now showed no signs of it. No, it was simply a room filled with the sounds and smells of lust, the heat of passion, and actions driven by pure desire. In my defence¡­ Sylphy did ask me to defile her as well, and from the trembling mess she was right now, it wasn¡¯t like she didn¡¯t enjoy it as much as I was. Our triad of pleasure continued, with Ariel getting increasingly flushed as Sylphy continued servicing her, while I focused all my efforts on thrusting into her in turn, and it wasn¡¯t long before all three of us reached what would be ourst climax of the night. First was Ariel, her breath hitching as she began frantically rubbing her nipples as she began shaking in pleasure. Then was Sylphy, her body tightening as her toes curled upwards, a squeal leaking from her mouth as I felt her pussy clench around me. And me, having held myself back so she could finish, felt my defences crumble as I erupted inside my lovely wife once more. The three of us remained still in our positions for a few moments as the high of our orgasms passed, and once I felt my heartbeat return to normal, I pulled out of Sylphy, generating a ball of water that I used to clean off Sylphy¡¯s sweaty and lust-drenched body, as well as mine and Ariel¡¯s a momentter. Releasing a deep breath, I turned and fell onto my back, my head hitting the pillows as Ariel slid down toy next to me. ¡°H-How¡­ how was that, darling?¡± she asked, her face still alight in a blush. ¡°Amazing¡­ but I¡¯m more than spent,¡± I said, raising my arm to rest on my forehead. It¡¯s not that I couldn¡¯t go on for longer, as Eris and I time together quite obviously showed, but this was more than enough to keep me going for however long the issue with the North God would take. ¡°I see,¡± Ariel said as she moved to rest her head on my shoulder. ¡°I believe I¡¯m finished as well. And as for our Sylphy¡­ well, I think that¡¯s quite obvious.¡± I then looked down at Sylphy, who had fallen asleep with her head resting on Ariel¡¯s thighs as she snuggled between us. I guess she was tired, huh? Feeling a soft wetness on my cheek, I turned to see Ariel smile sweetly at me after giving me a kiss. ¡°What¡¯s got you acting so sweet?¡± I asked with a smile. ¡°Is it really that odd? Just because I enjoy the more physical and passionate aspects of our rtionship more than most, doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t enjoy the small things as well,¡± she said, snuggling against me once again. ¡°I know, I was just teasing you,¡± I said, reaching my arm to wrap around her body, pulling her closer against me. Silence permeated the air for a few moments, only broken by the hushed breaths of the sleeping Sylphy, before Ariel spoke up again. ¡°So you¡¯re leaving tomorrow?¡± she said. ¡°Yes¡­ but I won¡¯t be too long. I promise,¡± I said. ¡°Take as long as you need¡­ I will wait here for you forever,¡± she said, gently kissing my chest. ¡°But¡­ do be safe. I know you¡¯re strong, but the North God isn¡¯t someone you should take lightly, even if Orsted is assured of your skills.¡± I was momentarily shocked at her words. She would wait forever for me¡­ that was quite nice to hear. Ariel¡­ she really was a wonderful woman. ¡°Of course,¡± I said, nting a kiss on her head. ¡°¡­Good,¡± she replied. With her closing her eyes, I gave her onest kiss before I generated a gust to blow out the candles, leaving the room in darkness, only lit by the faint city lights that were outside the window. Pulling the nket up to cover the three of us, and dragging Sylphy up the bed so that her head was over the nket and resting atop Ariel and I¡¯s chests, I closed my eyes as well, preparing for the calm of sleep to take me. What a great life¡­ Chapter 117 – The North God Chapter 117 ¨C The North God ¡ª Leon Anemoi Greyrat ¡ª ¡°So this is the ce¡­¡± Lowering my scarf, I looked around therge forest spread out before me. The faint sounds of birds¡­ the running water of a distant stream¡­ yep, this was definitely a forest. And with the faint glow of the blue moss stretched across the trees¡­ it was a pretty one too. But unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t here to sightsee. Opening my map, I traced my finger over the teleportation ruin that I had just stepped out of, marking a path northward towards a supposed cave on the edge of a small mountain range. The cave where the current North God should be. Of course, things might have changed since Orstedst checked a couple of weeks ago, especially with the unknown variable of the Man-God and his schemes, but I hadn¡¯t set a deadline to the battle against Lace for this very reason. Besides¡­ even if I couldn¡¯t find this North God, I could always visit the Sword Sanctum again and try my hand against the sixth ranked fighter, and maybe if I defeated that guy, he would join us. Going by a normal person¡¯s standards, this should take about a month or so of travel, even more considering the terrain and unlucky weather. But¡­ I wasn¡¯t exactly normal, and I had a gaggle of cute kids to get back to, and four beautiful wives as well. I had been thinking, ever sincest night, where Ariel said she could wait forever for me¡­ while I appreciated that, I didn¡¯t want her or the rest of my family to wait too long. And thus, an idea to cut down the travel time was born in my head. Would it work? Probably¡­ but there was only one way to find out. And so, concentrating on the touki coating my body, I infused mana into it as well, having it retain the element of wind as I shot forward, my st devastating the family of trees behind me. ¡°Haha¡­ so it worked- woah!¡± I nearly tumbled as I lost my bnce before I focused on my feet, righting myself in the air as I continued moving forward. Okay¡­ okay, this was good. It¡­ wasn¡¯t exactly a method for perfect flight, but it was damn near close. It was more akin to gliding, with the wind mana making my body lighter while adding a propelling force forward. And as evidenced by how high I was soaring over the trees below, my idea and training had absolutely paid off. ¡ª Leon Anemoi Greyrat ¡ª With me leaping through the forest with ease, I reached the designated mountain range within a few days, only taking quick breaks each day for lunch, dinner, and sleep. Sleep was quite easy with my experience in camping from the past, and as for the meals¡­ well, even though she was the Queen of Asura¡¯s wife and main attendant, Sylphy still found the time to make amazing packed meals for me. What a wonderful wife. And then there was that night with those two before I left¡­ well, let¡¯s just say I was very energized throughout my entire journey. But despite the wonderful departing gift that was meant to hold me out for a month or two, I didn¡¯t want to take too long before heading back. So let¡¯s make this quick. Taking out my map once again, I turned my gaze to therge tree in the distant treeline, marking the estimated distance from my position, and then towards the supposed location of the seventh world power. So¡­ it should be¡­ this way, right? Shit¡­ while I was well-travelled, I wasn¡¯t some sort of navigator. Couldn¡¯t Orsted havee with me to help point it out? Ah, but then again, with his curse, he would probably just make this North God impossible to deal with- ¡°Oi! You there!¡± ¡­What? Well¡­ I guess he would have toe outside sometimes, but still¡­ what a coincidence. ¡°Hey! Are you deaf or something? I¡¯m talking to you!¡± Turning around, I was met with the face of a young man around my age as he rested his sword on his shoulder. Dark hair¡­ red eyes¡­ that incredibly erratic flow of touki¡­ This was definitely him. Well¡­ let¡¯s just hope this all ys out alright. ¡°Yes¡­ I can hear you,¡± I responded. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ a nice night, isn¡¯t it?¡± Now¡­ how to lead this conversation. The man¡¯s eyes twitched in confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t care about whether it¡¯s nice outside. Rather, what are you doing here? And who even are you?¡± he asked, narrowing his eyes. Well, I suppose introductions would be natural. ¡°I am Leon Anemoi Greyrat¡­ the King of Asura,¡± I said, bowing my head. ¡°Pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± His eyes widened slightly, but he didn¡¯t seem too surprised. I guess as the North God, he had already met more than enough royalty in his lifetime to be immune to the weight of such a title. ¡°Hoh? Well, you can call me Kalman III, the current North God,¡± he said, tilting his head. ¡°But more importantly¡­ what the hell is a king doing all the way out here? And you¡­ you¡¯re strong, aren¡¯t you? I can tell that much.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ you could say I¡¯m strong,¡± I said, removing my hand from my sword. I didn¡¯t sense any anger or surprise in his face when I revealed my name. It was like he knew nothing about me at all. So that meant¡­ he was unlikely to have been manipted by the Man-God¡­ I think. Interesting. To leave such a valuable pawn unattended, I really wonder what that being was doing at the moment, but I suppose this was useful for me. ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s great and all, Mr. King, but that doesn¡¯t answer my question,¡± Kalman said, nodding my way. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ right, that,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°Well¡­ you could say that I wanted to meet you.¡± Kalman¡¯s expression turned sour as his face morphed into a scowl. ¡°You know, a lot of people like you have wanted my service, but guess what? I refused all of them! But they still kepting¡­ it got so bad that I ended up all the way out here so no one would bother me while I trained,¡± he said, shaking his head before he red at me. ¡°So? Do you get what I¡¯m saying? I¡¯m telling you to screw off.¡± To take that attitude with a king¡­ it was definitely something only someone extremely prideful in their strength could do. And he had a reason to be, being the seventh ranked power and all. The prestige of a king wouldn¡¯t matter in front of that. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it isn¡¯t some personal service I¡¯m asking for or anything,¡± I said, waving my hand. ¡°But rather¡­ it¡¯s an offer.¡± ¡°An offer?¡± he replied, confused. ¡°Yes¡­ an offer,¡± I said, smiling. ¡°Say¡­ would you like to be a hero?¡± The change in Kalman¡¯s mood was obvious, as his eyes lit up with excitement and wonder. Got him. ¡°So, what do you say, Kalman III?¡± I asked. ¡°How would you like to join me in fighting against the Demon God Lace, and ending him for good?¡± The North God licked his lips. ¡°Lace, eh? And ending him for good¡­ That¡¯s quite the feat. Definitely something that would paint me as a hero,¡± he said, smiling wide. ¡°But¡­ together¡­ together¡­¡± Huh? His smile was fading¡­ slowly getting reced with a frown. Wait¡­ his touki¡­ why was it acting like that? It was almost as if he was preparing to- ng! Having drawn my sword to defend just in time, I was barely able to keep my bnce as I shot across the ground, the surrounding trees wavering at the shockwave from his strike. That¡­ was an attack. One meant to kill. Even if I raised my sword in time¡­ if I hadn¡¯t taken off Orsted¡¯s restrictions beforeing here¡­ I would have just died from the sheer power behind that strike. It was strength truly worthy of being among the Seven Great Powers. But¡­ why? ¡°The hell are you attacking me for? Are you allied to Lace or something?¡± I asked, setting my stance. Maybe I was wrong in my assumption of the Man-God not manipting him? ¡°Hm? No, it¡¯s nothing like that,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°It¡¯s quite simple. I¡­ I will be a hero of legends! One that will be spoken throughout the ages for his might and glorious feats¡­ and I cannot have someone getting in my way. You understand, right?¡± Understand what? The fuck was this guy on? Heroic delusions¡­ this wasn¡¯t even on that level. He waspletely insane! ¡°Anyway, Lace¡­ I¡¯ll defeat him by myself. Alone. If I don¡¯t¡­¡± he said, tightening the grip on his sword. ¡°If I don¡¯t, then how am I any better than my father?¡± What? His father¡­ that was Kalman II, right? The second North God and one who yed the Dragon King Kajakut. But then¡­ what did he mean by that? Surpassing him? Was he saying that if he defeated Lace with allies, it wouldn¡¯t be enough of a legend for his heroic delusions? What¡­ what a fucking joke! ¡°You can¡¯t do it alone!¡± I shouted. ¡°Even your grandfather needed two others¡¯ aid against Lace!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I know, and that¡¯s why I¡¯ll get stronger. To surpass even him as well,¡± Kalman said, raising his sword again. ¡°What idiocy¡­ even I can¡¯t beat him alone,¡± I said, gritting my teeth. ¡°Heh. Then, if I beat you¡­ that means I have a chance, right?¡± he said, chuckling to himself. ¡°So prepare yourself, Leon of Asura!¡± Fucking dammit! This idiotic motherfucker! And so, the battle began, with the North God¡¯s touki appearing in his legs as he ran forward, the air exploding with a crash as he shed downward. A perfectly fluid movement, both in body and de. Gritting my teeth, I raised my sword, transforming my touki into a surging river as I let his de slide down away from me, the force transferring into my sword as I returned a sh of my own. But of course, befitting the greatest swordsman of one of the three great styles, he dodged quite easily, even weaving in a hidden strike as he retreated. Thankfully, it was weak enough to block with only my touki. But still¡­ this wasn¡¯t good. It was only a quick exchange, but it was enough to know that this guy was at the level of the Water God at least, if not stronger. And unlike her¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be able to use a set technique. After all, this guy¡¯s entire style was build on unpredictability and adaptability. This wouldn¡¯t be a fight that would end in one exchange, nor with a single overwhelming counter. ¡°Heh,¡± he chuckled, lowering his body to the ground. ¡°So it¡¯s like that, huh?¡± What was like what? I didn¡¯t understand a thing about what this crazy guy was saying. Orsted had said that things might lead to a fight even without the Man-God¡¯s interference due to this guy¡¯s nature, so I had somewhat expected this. He had also noted that after ¡®showing him his ce¡¯, everything would be sorted out, but¡­ Was it even worth having this guy as myrade? Such a question went through my mind, but as I parried another one of his strikes, carving out a section of the ground from the force¡­ I realized why. This guy was simply too strong to not use, much less have the possibility of falling into the Man-God¡¯s hands. And besides¡­ I¡¯ve been missing the chance to fight against a truly strong opponent for a while. Eris was a great opponent for me to fight when I was sealed, and was even strong enough to beat me handily when I was in such a state, but I still had no equal when I went all out. But this guy¡­ he was different. It was a bit exciting¡­ but just a bit. And so, raising my sword, I went on the attack. A horizontal sh that was blocked, only for my sword to slide into a thrust that scratched his shoulder. His sword cutting through the ground, sending up a wave of dirt that hid his veiled strike, only for me to release a st of wind magic to blow both him and the cloud of soil away. Another sh, and another, and another¡­ It was a messy flurry of exchanges and feints,pletely different from the calm and controlled fights of the Water God style and the instant conclusions in a spar of the Sword God style. But still, while the North God style was the one I was the leastpetent inpared to the other two¡­ that didn¡¯t mean I was weak in it. ¡°Hup!¡± ng! With my sword parrying his to the side, I finally formed an opening in the young man that I could exploit without repercussions. Thus, with my sword unleashing a ranged strike, my sh rode across the touki present in the air as his head soon tumbled to the ground, his body crumpling a momentter. I was momentarily shocked, but I soon remembered about what I knew of this guy. He had died¡­ or rather, that would be the case if he was a normal person. Orsted had said that this North God, along with the second one, had obtained the power of the Immortal Demon King Atofe that Rudy had fought by being her child and grandchild, and thus, something like this wouldn¡¯t keep him down. With his skin wriggling on the open cut of his neck, his head began to regenerate from the bone outward, reminding me of the Hydra back in the Begaritt Continent. How disgusting¡­ ¡°Haa¡­ you¡­ you¡¯re really strong, huh?¡± he said, smiling maniacally as he reformed. ¡°And that style¡­ that isn¡¯t a normal one, is it?¡± ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s not,¡± I said, deciding to entertain him. Maybe this would make him respect me a bit more? It was worth a shot. ¡°I am Leon Anemoi Greyrat, the Elemental God,¡± I said, introducing myself again. ¡°And once again, I ask you to join me.¡± ¡°Elemental God¡­ a style that merges all three of the great styles¡­¡± he said, his smile growing somehow even wider. ¡°How interesting! Yes¡­ definitely interesting!¡± He didn¡¯t listen¡­ but to instantly know I was using all three styles, at least he wasn¡¯t aplete idiot. He then raised his sword overhead, the mana in the surroundings fluctuating as his sword gained a dark blue hue. ¡°Making me use this¡­ consider yourself lucky, Leon!¡± he shouted. ¡°My name is Aleksander Ryback! Now prepare to face the might of the Dragon King Sword Kajakut!¡± The instant he released those words, I felt an intense, overwhelming pressure descend upon me, forcing me to kneel as my body began to sink into the ground. The fuck¡­ the hell was this? That sword¡­ it was casting a spell? And not just any spell¡­ it was a spell that was at the pinnacle of magic, both in scale and element. An element that even Rudy and I were unable to cast as a spell inbat despite our attempts. Gravity magic¡­ just what the hell was that sword? I didn¡¯t receive any answers, instead being forced to leap away as the North God, Aleksander, struck my previous position, carving a trench into the ground as the world around me rumbled. Insane power¡­ and an insane technique¡­ What a ridiculous sword. Well¡­ I guess it was time for me to bring this out as well. Even though I wanted to test my meddle without it¡­ Releasing a sigh, I began to fill my touki defences with mana once again, except instead of using the element of wind¡­ I decided to counteract this guy¡¯s ridiculous sword by imbuing the element of gravity. Gravity was¡­ fickle. After all, it was something that went against a fundamental force in the world, and was something present without form, without the need of mana¡­ at least from what I could tell. It wasn¡¯t something a normal magician could cast, even with the knowledge of physics that Rudy and I had. And so, along with being difficult toprehend, it was also incredibly unstable, and nearly impossible to control. To put it simply, as a fundamental force rather than an element, itcked structure to maintain its form properly, much less being able to control it. I really wonder how that future Rudy was able to cast it so well¡­ but while I was still clueless as to how to form a spell like him, I had found my own way in the meantime. After all, the problem was that itcked structure, right? And what better structure were theyers of touki that I covered my body with? So, with the pressure lessening on my body as I converted my mana, I slowly stood up, brushing the dirt off of my pants as I did so. ¡°Wait¡­ you can move? That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s pretty damn cool!¡± the North God said with a wide smile. ¡­Yeah, definitely a crazy bastard. He then ran forward once again, his sword striking down with the same power as before, except this time, I was able to match him with a block, using his momentary surprise to slide my de across his and through his left shoulder, sending his arm flying through the air. But as if it was a simple scratch, he continued pressuring me as his arm began to heal back to normal. Shit¡­ past just beating him, I needed a way to put him out ofmission with that ridiculous regeneration. Would a powerful fire work? Probably¡­ but then again, I didn¡¯t want to kill him, but just make my win obvious. Cutting his head off didn¡¯t work¡­ but maybe it could be overwhelmed? If I cut his entire body up¡­ I bet that would work. Or, at least, I hope it would. We continued exchanging strikes as we ran across the clearing, except unlike before, when the sound of shing metal echoed through the forest, now, it sounded as if thunder was striking continuously. Paired with the constant sts of air pressure¡­ it must have seemed like a disaster had struck if one was to view as a third party. But still¡­ our fight continued. The pinnacle of the North God style was bare of any techniques like the other two, it was more like a simple way of fighting, where the user would use everything to their advantage. And Aleksander¡­ he was extremely skilled at it. And so, while I was continuously able to get through his defences to draw blood, he was soon able to do the same as he adapted to me and my fighting style. ¡°Fuck,¡± I groaned as his de impaled my side. With him cutting outward with a confident smirk, I backed off as I flooded my system with healing magic, bringing me back to my peak strength and health. I could tell from his face that he was surprised, but he was able to mask it easily with another crazed grin. Yeah¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be able to continue like this for very long. After all, while we could both regenerate our wounds nearly instantly, unlike him, if I was struck with an instantly fatal blow, it was over for me. Not to mention that even if I was extremely efficient, my mana wasn¡¯t infinite. I had the Man-God in my sights, and to reach him, I had to defeat the fourth strongest in the Demon God Lace. To lose against someone like him, who was so much weaker than the targets I was aiming for¡­ that was uneptable. So¡­ it was time to end this. The North Godnded back on the ground, taking a moment to regain his bnce before charging at me once more, his form blurring as he zigzagged from side to side on his approach. A rash, confusing trajectory, and one that could easily be morphed into a parry or a dodge. His sword whizzed towards me once again as he sprinted forward, the air churning at the speed as his touki red through the air. A method of attack that waspletely overwhelming, not in the sense of speed or control, but rather how easily it could be morphed to strike whatever point was exposed. And right now¡­ my side waspletely open. This¡­ was going to hurt a bit. Reinforcing the touki across my torso, I let his sword strike my side before I released a sh of my own through his arm, sending it flying through the air. It was something that had happened a few times throughout our fight by now, except this time, it was the arm that was holding his sword, leaving himpletely open. Concentrate¡­ focus on the form of the touki across the sword¡­ it doesn¡¯t need to be overwhelming in scale, but rather in power¡­ a power that could even reach Orsted¡­ And then¡­ release it. The world was set alight in a brief sh of white, or perhaps that was just me, but either way, an instantter, I watched as the North God¡¯s surprised face was split into ribbons before his entire body crumbled into a pile of bone, skin, and organs, having been instantly cut to pieces. There¡­ That¡­ should do it. Still though¡­ he was damn strong. If it was a month ago, before I perfected my touki technique, I very likely would have lost. And don¡¯t even get me started on Orsted¡¯s seal. I would have definitely died if he didn¡¯t release that before I came over here. Taking a deep breath, I lowered my sword as I began to heal the giant gash on my side, pushing my exposed intestine back in as I did so. Shit¡­ and that shirt was new too. I guess it was time for shopping when I got back. Shaking my head, I then began to look at the surrounding area, taking in the utter destruction our battle had brought across thend. The new valleys carved through the hills, the craters that peppered the ground, the shattered trees¡­ well, with this, I could definitely say I had gotten stronger. And thank Millis there were no people around. But still¡­ it was fully dark now, huh? Walking over to the edge of the clearing that had only grown from the battle, I picked up a few pieces of scattered wood, removing the moisture from them as I returned to the pile of North God and prepared a fire. He¡­ would be fine, right? Orsted said he really was immortal, so it should be fine. Luckily, my worries soon disappeared as his body began to slowly reform, his body reconnecting where it could, and regrowing when it couldn¡¯t as the man soon took his usual form¡­ although this time without clothes. So he really could revive from even that¡­ how incredible. ¡°Hey, you back?¡± I asked. ¡°Uhh¡­ yeah¡­ I am,¡± he said, dazed. Well, I could only imagine what it felt like for him. I idly watched the fire as the North God regained his sanity, a minute or so passing in silence. ¡°So¡­ I lost,¡± he eventually said, still sitting on the ground. Well, it¡¯s good that he knew that. I did not want to fight him again. ¡°Yeah, you did,¡± I said, tossing over an old cloak of mine and his sword. ¡°So, do you want to join me now?¡± Luckily, he did cover himself up, but his face was still twisted in dissatisfaction. ¡°I¡­ lost¡­ and against you¡­¡± he spat, his eyes nearly tearing up. Against me? Hey, I took offense to that. But, well¡­ I guess it made sense. He had seemingly been chasing his father¡¯s shadow for a while, so to lose against a human who wasn¡¯t even among the world powers was probably¡­ disappointing, to say the least. But that wasn¡¯t too important right now. I needed to cement him as an ally. ¡°You want to be a hero, right? One greater than your father?¡± I asked. ¡°Uh¡­ yeah,¡± he replied. ¡°How did you know that?¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t really matter,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°But if I was to give you some advice¡­ your father, and your grandfather especially¡­ they weren¡¯t heroes because they won, but because they saved people.¡± This, of course, was a lie. A hero in this world was defined as anyone who triumphed over demonfolk and their allies, or sometimes a strong monster, usually in the form of defeating a Demon Lord. It didn¡¯t matter how noble they or their intentions were, nor how many they saved¡­ it was a title fit for the strong and the strong alone. But I had a feeling that this idiot wouldn¡¯t be able to tell, so I might as well take this opportunity to make him a bit better than the savage dumbass he was right now. At my lie, his eyebrow perked up in interest, yet he still remained slumped over in defeat. This¡­ this was like what Aria or Anna did when I needed to convince them of something. This was like the second stage, where I had their attention, but needed something to push them over the edge and into agreement. Let¡¯s see¡­ ah! That¡¯s perfect. ¡°Hey. You said that you want to be a better hero than your father, right? A true legend,¡± I said, preparing the bait. ¡°Yeah? What¡¯s it to you?¡± he replied. ¡°Well¡­ would you say that your grandfather was at least equal or greater?¡± I said. ¡°Than your father, I mean.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± he said back. ¡°But¡­ I want to be better than even him¡­¡± ¡°Right. And his most prominent feat was sealing Lace with his two allies in Urupen and Perugius,¡± I said. ¡°But if you join me¡­ we wouldn¡¯t be simply sealing Lace, but ending him for good. Apletely different level of an achievement than what your grandfather did so long ago.¡± The bait wasid. His eyes widened with a childish wonder sparkling through. He took it. ¡°Ah! That¡¯s right!¡± he eximed, standing up. So he really just realized¡­ what an idiot. ¡°Leon, the king with the weird sword style! I¡¯ll join you on your quest!¡± he said happily. ¡°And I shall be a hero for the ages!¡± And with that, I gained my second ally, and the final key required to obtain Perugius¡¯ blessing and participation in the uing fight. But¡­ did it really have to take so much effort? This guy¡­ I could already tell that he would be annoying. ¡ª Leon Anemoi Greyrat ¡ª ¡°So you¡¯ll be staying here,¡± I said, leading Aleksander into his room, which was more like an apartment. ¡°You can do what you want, just tell the maids if you are going somewhere. And don¡¯t hurt any innocents.¡± I then opened the door, the faint glow of the morning sun shining through the window as it lit up the beautiful residence. ¡°Whoa¡­ you really are a king, huh?¡± he said, admiring the ce. This guy¡­ I just hope he wasn¡¯tpletely ignoring me. ¡°And yeah, I don¡¯t n on it. I¡¯ll be sure to only use my strength for the weak!¡± he said happily. ¡°Ah¡­ but, other than you, is there anyone I can spar against? I think I¡¯ll just be spending most of my time training¡­¡± Hmm¡­ Orsted would probably be a bad idea, considering his curse. Besides, I didn¡¯t want to even think what destruction a fight between the two of them could cause. ¡°¡­The current Water God will be a good sparring partner, as will my wife Eris, as long as you don¡¯t use your sword¡¯s power and restrain yourself,¡± I said. ¡°And on that note, you can ask the maids if you want anything. Just¡­ don¡¯t get into trouble¡­ please.¡± ¡°Hah! You got it, boss!¡± he returned with a smile. Haa¡­ tiring. That was the word I would use to describe Aleksander Ryback. He was like the enthusiasm and trouble of all my kidsbined into one, but much more powerful, and much less respectful to authority. ¡°Right¡­ then, I¡¯ll see you around,¡± I said, closing the door behind me. Thank Millis, I was free. Now, to inform the man that made me take that guy in. Luckily, he had decided to grace the royal pce with his presence as soon as I returned, so I didn¡¯t have to go back to the floating fortress just to meet him. Making my way through the halls of the pce, I eventually reached the ce that was his designated guest room, which was the most extravagant room in the pce aside from the throne room. Nodding at the spirit that was standing guard, I then entered the room, seeing the man sitting as he looked out the window with his usual fierce gaze. ¡°Good evening, Lord Perugius. It¡¯s awfully convenient for you to visit us at this time,¡± I said, bowing my head respectfully. ¡°There is nothing convenient about it. I simply noticed that the seventh world power had changed,¡± he said, turning to me. ¡°Congrattions on fulfilling your end of the deal, Leon Greyrat.¡± So I did be the seventh¡­ well, I just hope that the power of that title keeps more people away than not. I would be very annoyed if a bunch of people wanting such a title starteding to challenge me. ¡°I see¡­ then, thank you foring to greet me,¡± I said. ¡°That aside, the rankings are conveyed by symbols, right? I¡¯m curious as to what mine is.¡± ¡°I thought you would be. Here,¡± he said, tossing me a paper. Opening it, I saw a rough sketch of what seemed to be a sword coated with mes and the handle resembling a dragon. There were even whips of wind and streams of water around it¡­ It seems like it had taken into ount all the parts of mybat style as best as it could. How interesting. ¡°Thank you¡­ but how did this evene to be?¡± I asked. ¡°How does it even know my style ofbat?¡± ¡°Who knows. The Technique God is a mysterious figure that even I am ignorant of,¡± he said with a huff. ¡°And as for thanks, think nothing of it. Perhaps you can adopt it as your family¡¯s crest.¡± ¡°Hah. Perhaps I will,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°Either way¡­ with the North God joining my n¡­ is it eptable?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ as promised, I will join you against Lace,¡± Perugius said, looking my way. ¡°Do not disappoint me, Leon Greyrat. I will now consider you myrade, the greatest honour one can have.¡± The greatest honour¡­ ¡°Then¡­ can I ask you for one thing, Lord Perugius?¡± I asked. ¡°There is no need for such respectfulnguage amongrades¡­ but yes, what is it?¡± he said. ¡°Then¡­ if something happens to me¡­ can I ask that you take care of my family, both in matters regarding the Man-God¡¯s possible revenge, and the world as a whole,¡± I asked. ¡°Especially with Ariel as the queen, and Emilia as the princess of Asura. I wouldn¡¯t want to leave them in danger.¡± Being met with silence, I watched as Perugius nodded his head. ¡°That is the least I can do,¡± he responded. Good¡­ ¡°Now, you mentioned wanting to gain one morerade for our battle?¡± he asked. ¡°The Superd¡­ correct?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Ruijerd Superdia,¡± I answered him. Ruijerd¡­ I could only hope that he was doing well, and that he was still in the northeast of the continent. Hmm¡­ thinking about it, with all the things rted to family and the kingdom, I had not had much time alone with Eris since she returned from the Sword Sanctum, aside from our nights of course. Maybe that would be a good trip together, considering that she would definitely want to see Ruijerd too. Yeah¡­ that sounded perfect. Chapter 118 – The Final Member Chapter 118 ¨C The Final Member ¡ª Eris Greyrat ¡ª The sound of snow crunching beneath Leon¡¯s feet echoed through the forest as he continued to lead us through the woods, making his way towards the nearest vige where Ruijerd was hopefully staying. ¡°Now, Orsted said that the remaining Superd should be here at this time, but considering the Discement Incident and Ruijerding this way, we should be prepared for things to have changed,¡± he said, swiping his hand to blow away a fallen tree that was in our path. ¡°Let¡¯s just hope he¡¯s still here, right Eri?¡± ¡°U-Uh, yeah¡­ sure,¡± I said, averting my eyes. Dammit, what the hell? Why was I acting so self-conscious? I couldn¡¯t even look him in the eyes right now! If it was the me from before we were together, I could understand, but we were married! I had the ne on my neck, and the little brat at home to prove it! ¡±Eri?¡± he said, turning back to look at me. ¡°Everything okay?¡± His hand reached out to cup my cheek, lifting my head so that my eyes met his. Those damn big, warm, beautiful brown eyes¡­ weren¡¯t a man¡¯s eyes supposed to be sharper and firmer? But then again, they did go like that whenever he acted serious, which always made me get riled up¡­ Shaking my head, I batted his hand away as I began to fiddle with my now chest-length hair, twirling a few strands around my fingers as I huffed in annoyance. Fuck. And now I was even doing that habit of Roxy and Aria¡¯s. Was I a little kid or something? ¡°Hm?¡± he hummed, his face twisting into an annoyingly wide grin that was filled with mirth. ¡°Eri¡­ you¡¯re acting awfully cute right now.¡± C-Cute!? ¡°W-What do you mean by that, bastard?¡± I shouted at him. ¡°Are you saying I¡¯m not cute all the time?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m just surprised to see you acting so meek, especially when you were so¡­ active¡­st night,¡± he said, tilting his head in confusion. ¡°So? What¡¯s troubling you? I think we¡¯ve been through more than enough for you to know that you can trust me with anything.¡± Grr! This fucking guy¡­ with his annoyingly good words and overwhelming love¡­ And that had only gotten worse since he started helping Ariel with politics and growing our family. But¡­ dammit. I guess¡­ it wasn¡¯t good to run away like this, right? I should be truthful, and he was right that he had my trust¡­ it was just so stupid that I didn¡¯t want to say it. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ it¡¯s different, being alone with you after so long,¡± I said, averting my gaze as I began to exin. ¡°Even when we were traveling after the teleportation¡­ we still had Norn and Aisha, so¡­ we¡¯ve never actually been alone, right?¡± ¡°I see¡­ yeah, I get it,¡± he said, nodding his head. ¡°First off, you are being incredibly adorable right now.¡± This guy! Stop¡­ stop doing that. ¡°And second¡­ well, I¡¯m sorry for being so busy,¡± he said, releasing a sigh as he tousled his hair. ¡°I love spending time with everyone when I can, so I often forget that time with each of you alone is equally as important¡­ so, I¡¯m sorry, Eri.¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s fine¡­ you¡¯re making it up to me now, and it¡¯s not like I hate the family time either,¡± I said. Although¡­ did he really have to have three other women? I had epted it, and I still do, but with Mother and I having more talks together after Julian¡¯s training, I can¡¯t help but feel a bit jealous of their rtionship. And especially that damn princess¡­ or rather, the queen now. Not only did she take up so much time with her ruling and politics, but she was also incredibly beautiful in a soft, motherly way, just like those other two. And then there was her libido¡­ no, actually, Sylphy and Roxy were constantly horny as well, just as I was. Well¡­ I guess they were all Greyrats now, so it fit the family trait¡­ but it was still annoying. ¡°Hmm¡­ yeah, but I should still be doing better,¡± he said, frowning a bit. ¡°This Lace stuff is getting in the way, right? Just make it up to me after that,¡± I said, walking up next to him. ¡°Right¡­ yeah, I¡¯ll do that,¡± he agreed. ¡°And then after I deal with the Man-God, I¡¯ll be even more free, and then once the kids grow old enough to leave the house¡­ well, we¡¯ll have a lot of free time, right?¡± His hand then reached down to squeeze my rear, making his intentions very clear. I felt the familiar itching heat rise through my loins as my breath began to quicken, but before I could do anything, Leon turned around and began walking again, leaving me in an annoyingly flustered state. Tsk. Damn tease, getting me all excited for nothing¡­ even though we had done it the night before, I still had needs. Especially with that new technique that Lilia advised me on¡­ it really got Leon going. ¡°So, how do you think Ars is doing?¡± Leon said as we continued walking. ¡°He can run pretty well now, so I hope he¡¯s not causing the other three too much trouble.¡± Right¡­ Ars was around two and a half now. I wasn¡¯t really sure how children were supposed to grow, since I really only saw theter years of Aria and Anna as they grew older, but it was fun to watch nheless. While it was around that age that Leon began practicing magic and swordsmanship, I wasn¡¯t dumb enough to think that our kid would be the same as his father. No, rather, Ars was much more¡­ well, childish. Not that it was a bad thing. ¡°Climbing has been his thing recently,¡± I said, smirking at the memory. ¡°The little brat likes to get on anything he can, even if he ends up falling and hurting himself.¡± Although, that just made him stronger. As expected of my son. ¡°Really? He doesn¡¯t do that too much around me,¡± Leon said. ¡°That¡¯s because you two always y hide-and-seek, tag, or one of your other weird games,¡± I added. ¡°I guess he gets bored when you¡¯re not around¡­ or he just likes to give me a headache.¡± And with the damn smirk that brat loved to wear¡­ it was almost certainly to be thetter. ¡°I see¡­ well, at least he¡¯s easy to please, unlike a certain pair of girls¡­¡± Leon said with a pout. Ah, yes¡­ those two. As expected of a loving parent like Leon, and one that easily folded to their cute faces and leaves the scolding to his wives, the kids absolutely adored him¡­ for the most part. Anna, as it turned out, was a difficult child, that simply loved to annoy her father by not giving him a hint of affection, often leaving him wallowing in sadness. Even though I shouldn¡¯t, I found it quite funny to watch, not to mention how it gave me the chance to cheer him up in bed afterwards. Though¡­ sometimes that barrier falls where she¡¯ll snuggle up to him at night or eagerly watch his sword practice with an amazed smile. Even if she didn¡¯t show it, she loved her father just as much as Aria did. I knew that from the tantrums she would throw whenever Leon was gone for longer than a couple of days. And recently, someone else had joined that girl as part of the troublesome duo¡­ one certain heir to the Asuran throne. As it turned out, as Emilia had begun learning how to talk, she had found her favourite word. That being the word ¡®no¡¯. Did she like her food? ¡®No!¡¯ Did she want to y? ¡®No.¡¯ Did she want candy? ¡®Umm¡­ uhh¡­ n-no!¡¯ That was how it went with that girl, who simply loved to say no, even if it contradicted her true feelings. While it was often quite annoying, we eventually started to learn when Emilia was serious about her refusals. But yeah, those two were the difficult ones, but I loved them all the same. After all, they were quite fun to watch. ¡°Well, either way, he¡¯s at that age where he can start learning magic soon,¡± Leon said, breaking me out of my thoughts. ¡°Anna and Aria have already started, and I bet he doesn¡¯t want to get left behind by his older sisters.¡± ¡°Heh. Yeah¡­¡± I muttered, turning my head down to watch the snow-covered ground pass beneath my feet. Getting left behind¡­ that was quite the bad feeling. I had felt that before, when I first met Leon, before I realized that he would always be by my side. And then once again, when I came back to him already having taken two wives. I had agreed to it, of course, but they still got an unfair head start. Of course, I had ovee that anxiety, especially after having the first boy of the family in Ars, but seeing how those two, and now Ariel, and how they acted as they grew older¡­ I could feel that feeling of inadequacy creeping back bit by bit. ¡°Hey, Eri,¡± Leon said, interrupting my thoughts as he suddenly pulled me into a kiss. I was surprised, but I soon rxed into his hold as he supported my lower back with one hand, and my head with the other, gently massaging my scalp just the way I liked it as our tongues danced with each other. Haa¡­ I was getting horny again, dammit. But once again, the damn tease stopped before I could push him down, gently running his fingers across my cheek as his eyes looked deep into mine. ¡°Thank you for being such a great mother, Eri. Both to Ars and our daughters,¡± he said, his face serious before his lips spread into a soft smile. ¡°W-Well¡­ I just¡­ love them too, you know¡­ so it¡¯s natural,¡± I said, averting my eyes once again in embarrassment, like some kind of virgin maiden in love. ¡°But still¡­ am I really doing such a good job?¡± And there was that damn feeling of worry again, creeping into my mind like some kind of disease. ¡°I¡¯m still harsher, aren¡¯t I? Ariel, Sylphy, Roxy¡­ they aren¡¯t that harsh. Even Sara isn¡¯t from what I¡¯ve seen,¡± I said, venting my frustrations before I looked up again. ¡°So¡­ can I really call myself a great mother when all I¡¯m good for is scolding?¡± His surprise face shifted into a soft smile. ¡°Eri¡­ while your scolding is good, you¡¯re much more than that. I¡¯ve told you before, right? You¡¯re one of the kindest girls I know when ites to family, and I know that the kids know that as well,¡± he said, tilting my chin up. ¡°Besides, while your praise might be rarer than mine, and your soft and vulnerable moments scarcer than the other three, when you eventually show those sides¡­ it¡¯s so much more impactful.¡± He sealed his words with another kiss, this one much gentler than beforehand, leaving me feeling floaty instead of excited, yet overjoyed all the same. This¡­ damn guy¡­ making me like this all the time, even now¡­ it really was like I had regressed back to when we were getting back home from the teleportation disaster. ¡°So, take pride in how you parent in your own way. Mama needed to bnce her harshness with her natural soft side when she was parenting us, but you don¡¯t have to do that,¡± he said. ¡°You can rely on the other three to be that soft side, and just be yourself, okay?¡± ¡°O-Okay¡­¡± I said, my mind slowly catching up from the daze his words had put me in. ¡°Good. Besides, I¡¯m always here if you guys need me,¡± he added. Hmph. Always here my ass. ¡°Yeah, if you¡¯re home,¡± I mumbled. His hand reached down to pinch my butt in response, causing my thighs to clench once again. ¡­Fuck it. I was aroused now, and I wasn¡¯t going to let the moment pass by like before¡­ especially when he was acting like this. Grabbing him by the cor, I put my leg behind his knees to ruin his bnce as I then pushed him down, straddling him as soon as he hit the ground so that he didn¡¯t escape. ¡°So¡­ you think I¡¯m a good mother, huh?¡± I said, rotating my hips. Ah, and there he was, pushing against his pants and into mine. I guess Leon was excited too, huh? I liked that. ¡°Of course¡­¡± he said. ¡°Then¡­ why don¡¯t you make me one once again,¡± I said with a smile. Especially since Roxy had Roana as her second already. I wasn¡¯t going to best among the three of us again. ¡°Uh¡­ okay, but, should we really be doing this in the middle of the forest? Aren¡¯t you cold?¡± he said. ¡°Then just make sure to warm me up,¡± I said as I reached down to his belt. ¡°And who cares about where we are? It¡¯s not our first time doing it outside, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, but¡­ it¡¯s the first time in a while,¡± he said as I pulled his pants down. ¡°But we¡¯re getting close to the vige now. What if someone sees?¡± ¡°Then let them watch,¡± I said, reaching down to give him a kiss. As for what happened next¡­ well, that was quite obvious. ¡ª Leon Anemoi Greyrat ¡ª ¡°S-Stop right there!¡± I did as the voice asked, watching as the green-haired man stood his ground in front of the vige gate, his hands trembling as he kept his spear raised at the two of us. Well¡­ at least we were at the right ce. ¡°W-Why are you two here?¡± the Superd warrior said, swallowing down his nervousness. Or, at least, he was trying to. But this guy¡­ he must be quite skilled to be so scared of us. After all, he was right to be. A Sword Emperor and the seventh world power was a duo that no settlement would wanting unannounced to their front gate. ¡±Rx, we aren¡¯t here to cause trouble,¡± I said, raising my hands as a gesture of sincerity. ¡°T-Then¡­ what are you here for?¡± he asked, lowering his spear a bit. ¡°This isn¡¯t a ce where humans go.¡± ¡°Well¡­ we¡¯re here to see a friend, is all,¡± I said. ¡°A¡­ friend?¡± he replied, confused. Haa, this was going to be annoying. ¡°Yeah, a friend. We traveled together not so long ago and I believe he¡¯s in this vige,¡± I began to exin. ¡°And his name is-¡° ¡°Ruijerd Superdia.¡± A smile blossomed onto my face as I heard the voice of the exact man I was looking for. This must have been something like fate, right. Or, more likely, his third eye had picked up on either our familiar presences, or our strength. ¡°Ruijerd!¡± Eris said with a smile as she walked up to my side. ¡°Eris¡­ I see that you¡¯ve grown up since Ist saw you,¡± Ruijerd said, nodding approvingly. ¡°Still, as great as it is to see you, I must ask if there is a reason for visiting so far from home. I doubt it could be something simple.¡± Look at this guy, picking up on stuff like that. Well, I guess he was a leader of the Superds before, so maybe he had fallen back into that role. ¡°Yeah¡­ it¡¯s about that,¡± I said, looking at him seriously. It took a moment for him to understand, but as soon as he did, a glimmer of excitement shed across his eyes before he closed them and nodded. ¡°I see¡­ that is surely important,¡± he said, turning around. ¡°Well then, let us talk inside first.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± I agreed. As Eris and I began to follow after Ruijerd, the guard walked over to us with confusion. ¡°Ruijerd! They¡­ should we let them in like this?¡± he asked. ¡°They¡¯re strong¡­ and humans as well.¡± ¡°They are with me, and they are most trustworthy,¡± Ruijerd said with a nod. ¡°Besides, haven¡¯t I told you to be kinder to outsiders? Our tribe will never recover our reputation otherwise.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ right¡­ sorry, Ruijerd,¡± the guard said. ¡°Do not worry. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse us.¡± As Ruijerd began walking again, Eris and I shared a look as we followed after him, a mix of surprise and admiration in our expressions. Ruijerd¡­ he had really grown, huh? ¡ª Leon Anemoi Asura ¡ª ¡°I had gotten word of Asura¡¯s new queen and king¡­ to think that would be you and another wife¡­ though, I suppose it¡¯s to be expected,¡± Ruijerd said with a smile. Please don¡¯t say that. It makes me sound like a bad husband. ¡°That aside, Eris¡­ you seem much different now,¡± Ruijerd said, turning to my wife who had nted herself on myp. ¡°Really? Well¡­ I am a mother now¡­¡± she said, seemingly embarrassed. ¡°I see¡­ that certainly exins it,¡± Ruijerd nodded in understanding. ¡°But alongside the ones I saw when I visited¡­ how many children is that now, Leon?¡± ¡°Five. Aria, Anna, Ars, Emilia, and the youngest, Roana,¡± I said with a wide smile. ¡°I really have been quite blessed.¡± And each one of them were absolutely adorable, but considering who their mothers were, it was only natural. ¡°Five¡­ you¡¯ve been quite busy then,¡± Ruijerd said with a knowing smile. ¡°I cannot wait to meet them.¡± ¡°Well¡­ they¡¯ve already heard some stories about you, so you won¡¯t be aplete stranger,¡± I said, averting my eyes. ¡®Busy¡¯, huh? That was certainly one way to word it. ¡°Hmph. And that¡¯s not all, Leon even defeated the North God and the Water God!¡± Eris added, puffing her chest. Ruijerd¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I see¡­ The North God¡­ so are you now the seventh world power, Leon?¡± he asked. ¡°Yeah¡­ something like that,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°More importantly, with that, I was able to gain Perugius¡¯ blessing and aid for my n, and even got the North God to pledge his sword to our cause.¡± Ruijerd¡¯s body tensed. ¡°You mean¡­¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I interrupted him. ¡°The time to finally put an end to Lace¡­ is near.¡± I saw as his touki unintentionally red, an intense pressure radiating from the man with an emotion that could only be described as ¡®excited¡¯. But an instantter, that crazed, excited grin cooled as Ruijerd reached over to pat my shoulder. ¡°Hah. To think this is how things would end up when I first met you¡­ while your power was incredible for a human child, it was far from a strength that would reach Lace. But now¡­ I can¡¯t help but think that things will work out with you there, Leon,¡± he said seriously as he bowed his head. ¡°So¡­ thank you. For allowing me to exact my revenge, and for helping with the Superd¡¯s reputation¡­ I thank you.¡± My lips twisted into an apologetic frown at his words. ¡°Don¡¯t say that¡­ I¡¯m actually quite selfish, you know?¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m simply defeating Lace for my family¡¯s safety, and as for your tribe¡¯s reputation¡­ well, while Norn has thought about starting a book, I have done nothing¡­ so there¡¯s no need for thanks. It actually makes me feel bad.¡± In fact, I had basically forgotten about Ruijerd¡¯s issues as soon as I started my family. I¡­ felt a bit guilty about that. ¡°No, Leon. You did help,¡± Ruijerd said, raising his head to meet my eyes. ¡°It was you that made me realize that in order to make the right choices, I needed to understand others, and not act so rash. Because of that, I have finally started venturing the road to my tribe¡¯s redemption, and bringing them along with me.¡± Well¡­ while that was true, that was all his work, so I couldn¡¯t exactly take any of that as my own aplishment. ¡°And as for Lace¡­ more than revenge, this is an opportunity,¡± Ruijerd said, standing up as he grabbed his spear. ¡°As I¡¯ve learned during my travels here, stories of grandeur and great achievements travel fast and far. So what better way to spread the word of the reformed Superd tribe than to be a member of the party that finally ys the Demon God?¡± ¡­Yeah, Ruijerd had definitely changed. And he was right in that it was a great way to change their reputation. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like my guilt changes anything anyways,¡± I said, shaking my head as I stood up. ¡°Wee to the team, Ruijerd.¡± ¡°It is my pleasure,¡± he said as we shook hands. I then felt something tug at my coat, and looking back, I saw Eris looking at the two of us with a glimmer in her eyes. Ah¡­ she wanted to join in, did she? Luckily, Ruijerd seemed to have picked up on the signals as well. ¡°Eris¡­ you¡¯ve grown strong, I can tell,¡± he said, looking over to her. ¡°I hope that we can berades once again.¡± ¡°Hmph! Of course! I¡¯m not letting Leon fight alone, after all!¡± she said with a proud smile. Right¡­ I promised to let her fight Lace with me, didn¡¯t I? But to be honest¡­ I was having second thoughts. After all, after sparring the North God, I could tell that Eris would not have survived more than a few shes if he was serious, and I doubt that she would be able to make him use his regeneration, especially if he used his gravity sword. Then again, if we fought together, I was sure that we could beat him easily without her getting a scratch. But Orsted¡­ he said that the difference between Aleksander and Lace was iparable. So¡­ should I really keep my promise? I didn¡¯t know¡­ ¡°Now, while I said I can join you¡­ would it need to be immediately?¡± Ruijerd asked. ¡°Uh¡­ no, it doesn¡¯t have to be. Why?¡± I asked. Ruijerd then looked out his window, which was simply a hole in the wall, absent of ss. ¡°This vige¡­ the people are strong, but it¡¯s still my duty to ensure they are well,¡± he said, narrowing his eyes. ¡°More specifically, I need to make sure that they learn what I have learned, so that they can continue walking the path I have set for us, even if the worst happens to me¡­¡± Ah¡­ well, that was a morbid thought, but a responsible one. I had no ns of dying to Lace either, but I did ensure that Perugius and Orsted would protect my family if such a thing happened, both against the Man-God, and against the enemies Ariel would spawn due to her position as queen. ¡°Then¡­ how about in half a year¡­ on the fifth month of next year,¡± I said after some thought. ¡°I¡¯ll ask Perugius to send one of his summons to lead you to the floating fortress, and from there, our group will head towards where Lace was sealed.¡± That way, I¡¯ll at least be able to see Norn graduate and Aria have her first birthday before I left. ¡°Six months¡­ yes, that is more than enough time,¡± Ruijerd said, nodding his head. ¡°Then¡­ I will see you at that time, Leon.¡± ¡°Same to you¡­¡± I returned. And so, with the final member of the Lace extermination group in ce¡­ the n was set. Chapter 119 – The Greyrat Family Chapter 119 ¨C The Greyrat Family ¡ª Leon Anemoi Greyrat ¡ª Leaning back into the sofa, I cast a nce over to the five kids who had all fallen asleep in front of the firece, their bodies syed out over the new, and extremelyfortable, fur rug from a monster of the northern territories. I guess that was a good purchase. Even if it was to be destroyed tomorrow, just giving me this incredibly adorable sight was enough to pay it back tenfold. I just hoped my wonderful wives would return from their night out with Rudy¡¯s women in order to see it. Smiling softly, I shook my head as I returned to my diary, taking my newly-acquired pen in hand. It was quite the handy invention, where the ink would automatically refill for constant writing, but that was just what you would expect from Shizuka. ¡®K427, Third Month. We are nearing the end of winter, and with it, our family has been blessed once again. Eris was pregnant. It had taken a long time, considering how she didn¡¯tpletely halt her training like when she had Ars, but she was incredibly happy about it. I was as well, of course¡­ even if the prospect of bing a father of six at 22 was a bit daunting¡­ but either way, her pregnancy had brought about another problem. Lace. Or rather, the n to defeat him. I had promised to let her fight with me, and I was fairly certain she could hold her own, but I was having doubts about wanting to risk her safety. And now with her new condition¡­ I definitely didn¡¯t want her joining us. From what I could tell, she still hasn¡¯t realized how I feel about it yet, so I suppose I would need to bring it up soon¡­ though I¡¯m certain that she won¡¯t like it, nor take it well. But knowing how happy she was at having another child, maybe she would be able to put aside her wish to fight alongside me so that she doesn¡¯t strain herself¡­ or perhaps I would need to wait until she had birthed the newest member of the family, even if I didn¡¯t want to.¡¯ Yeah¡­ that was something I would need to get in order soon, since the promised time for the fight was in around two months. ¡°U-Ugh¡­ cold¡­¡± Anna mumbled as she cuddled closer to Aria. Chuckling under my breath, I grabbed a nket that was draped over the back of the couch before tossing it over to them,pletely covering the cold Anna as she released a pleased hum from under the fabric. Well, with that settled¡­ ¡®The kids were also growing older, with the younger ones beginning to show some of their personality. Emilia, surprisingly, seemed to be thezy type, where instead of ying tag with the other kids, she would prefer getting out first and spectating, cheering on her sisters and brother when she could¡­ or justying down. Roana, on the other hand, while liking to y around with the others, was a bit on the quieter side. It was an enjoyable respitepared to the chaos that was Aria and Ars, but it was also a bit concerning at first. After all, it wasn¡¯t exactly normal for a child to tell you that they were hungry with a pout instead of a cry. But still, like always, we adapted and got through it, and while she might be quiet, she was still a happy, healthy, and yful kid all the same. And also¡­ she was able to use the Migurd¡¯s telepathy. This was confirmed by Aria, and after closely observing the two of them when they used it, I was able to see the mana in the air being transferred. It was nice for the two to have that connection, but I was a bit afraid of the trouble they might get into with such a useful tool that could even evade my senses if I wasn¡¯t concentrating. But thankfully, ording to Aria, Roana was just as quiet with telepathy as she was normally, so she wasn¡¯t giving my oldest a headache with internal screaming. But on the opposite end¡­ well, I just hope that the Migurd¡¯s telepathy was able to be turned off¡­ for Roana¡¯s sake. Perhaps her quiet side would change when she started to learn how to speak, or maybe she was simply like that with the telepathy influencing her quiet side a bit, but either way, only time would tell. And then¡­ Ars. He was the same happy, active, and excited kid as before, with a more developed body letting him get into all the trouble he could want. There was just one issue¡­ For some inexplicable reason, he had taken to the enjoyment of running around naked. Did it matter if it was before bath time or bedtime? No, he would do it whenever he wanted. He would do it before dinner, after dinner, before ying, while ying, when he was hungry, when he wasn¡¯t hungry¡­ he simply loved to spontaneously take off his clothes and run around, happilyughing as he tried to evade his mothers and I as we tried to catch him. Really, what a troublesome kid. But I guess that wasn¡¯t the worst trait for him to have¡­ as long as he grew out of it, that is. I didn¡¯t want him picking up too much of Paul¡¯s blood, after all. Now, as for the older two, Aria and Anna, not much had really changed with them. Aria was getting better at magic, having already learned how to cast most basic magic without a chant, and with a skill that could rival most Beginner-rank magicians. At this rate, she would be even better than Sylphy, and maybe even reach her uncle¡¯s level if she continued training hard. And then for Anna, well, she really had taken to the sword. She liked magic too, but just to the level of being a tool, kind of like me. While she wouldn¡¯t talk to me as much, ording to Sylphy, she really liked how I trained, and enjoyed how I weaved swordsmanship and magic into a single fighting style. I knew she liked watching me train, but it was heartwarming to hear it¡­ kind of. I would still prefer if she enjoyed my hugs as much as Aria did, but I was able to look past that. Ironically, although she was the coldest to me of my children, she may have the strongest connection in terms of abilities. Anyway, with her ambition set ame with a love of swordsmanship, we have started doing some light sparring with her, both Eris and I taking turns to get her started. Gently, of course. I didn¡¯t want her generally dismissive attitude towards me to turn to hate, after all. Not to mention how scary Eris could be when she was seriously training someone¡­ I still feel bad for abandoning my brother-inw Julian like that. Well, aside from that, the rest of the family was doing good as well. Aisha was truly taking the reins of the kingdom as Ariel¡¯s assistant, Paul had distinguished himself as one of the strongest knights of the Kingdom of Ranoa, Mama had founded her own clinic with Lilia as her helper¡­ and most importantly, Norn had graduated. Having graduated as the student council president, she was a very highly-sought after prospect for any employer, especially if you considered her familial connections. But that could wait for the future. After all, she was only thirteen, and currently, she was more interested in using her new plethora of free time to start writing seriously, as she had already submitted a book to the library detailing our travels throughout the Demon Continent. And also¡­ well, I suppose she was taking the time to foster deeper rtionships, particrly with Nico, the brother of Ca, the orphanage caretaker I had hired so long ago. Hmm¡­ I truly wonder if they would soon be a couple, considering how she was getting to that age now where one would start thinking of rtionships. Luckily, with Nico, I won¡¯t have to scare him too much as I had already trained him up to an Intermediate Water God swordsman, so he knew what I was capable of. And even then, Norn was more than capable of putting him in his ce since she was an Advanced-rank swordswoman, specializing in the Sword God. But yes¡­ times were changing, and the next time I write such arge entry in this diary, I will probably have finished up with Lace. So, if you¡¯re reading this, my dear family¡­ I love you all very much, as I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already read from the earlier pages, and I will continue to love you in the future.¡¯ Yeah, that was good. cing down my pen, and leaving my diary open for the pages to dry, I then looked over at the little pile before me, all of them having manoeuvred to get under the nket. Hm¡­ that looked awfullyfortable. And it was getting to the point where the whole family couldn¡¯t sleep in one bed¡­ Yeah, I think it was time for me to get some of my energy back. Thinking such, I made my over before sliding under, gently lifting Emilia and Aria to have them rest on me instead. Yeah¡­ perfect. ¡ª Aria Greyrat ¡ª My name is Aria Greyrat, the first daughter of the household, and the main student of Dada¡¯s magic lessons, and as such, I had a big responsibility! Dada and Mama always told me how proud of me they were, giving me warm happy feelings, and always told me how they could always trust me to look after my little siblings as the oldest of the family. I was the big sister! The one that would help the family when Dada and my Mamas couldn¡¯t! So when I noticed that the grown-ups were acting weird, there was only one thing I could do! Sneaking time! This was a technique I had practised more and more, such as whenever I wanted candy at night or whenever I wanted to scare one of my parents. There was even a time when I saw Dada and Mama ying after bedtime in their room! When they scolded me for doing the same thing! How dumb! I was even going to give them a piece of my mind, but before I could, Mama Ariel picked me up to stop me, telling me to ¡®let them have their fun.¡¯ with a weird smile on her face. It was after bedtime! What didn¡¯t she understand!? But¡­ that was beside the point. While I got caught most of the time, I was det- deter¡­ I really wanted to not get caught this time! And I had even gotten some help! ¡°Aria¡­ what are we doing again?¡± Anna asked from my side. ¡°Shh¡­ just follow my lead,¡± I said, quieting my dear sister. Silly Anna¡­ the most important part of being sneaky was being quiet! But it was a big sister¡¯s duty to guide their siblings! And so, with that set, we began to crawl through the house, keeping low as I sneaked into the kitchen with Anna trailing behind me. ¡°So? Are we doing it?¡± Mama Eri said. ¡°Of course! It¡¯s her first one, so it deserves this much preparation,¡± Dada replied. ¡°Yeah, but¡­ as you said, it¡¯s her first one, right? Should we really do it like this for her first one?¡± Mama Sylphy said. ¡°It¡¯s because it¡¯s her first time that we should do this. After all, there won¡¯t be another chance as good as this,¡± Dada said. ¡°Mmm¡­ I suppose it can be fun, but I think she would be more than happy with a regr one,¡± Mama said. ¡°Oh,e on. Let him have his fun. You know he¡¯s been waiting for this, right?¡± Mama Ariel added. ¡°Haa¡­ fine. But don¡¯t take it too far,¡± Mama said. ¡°I won¡¯t¡­¡± Dada said. Wait¡­ what were they talking about? I¡­ I heard that Dada was going to fight a bad guy soon, but was it happening already? Was he¡­ about to leave? Already? I felt some tears begin to trace down my cheeks at the thought. Sniff! ¡°Huh? Did you hear something?¡± Dada said. Darn it! I stopped being sneaky! Darn tears! ¡°For the living room!¡± I whispered as I dragged Anna with my hand, crawling as fast as I could. Crossing the hallway into the dining room, and again into the living room, I pulled us behind the chair in the far corner to hide from anyone that decided to chase after us. ¡°Aria¡­ you know that Papa is a master swordsman, right? He definitely noticed you,¡± Anna added. Silly girl, didn¡¯t she know? ¡°Hmph! It¡¯s always the student who surpasses the teacher!¡± I said with a wide smile. She simply narrowed her eyes at me. Seriously, did she not trust me at all? In that case, I definitely needed to show her what a strong and dependable big sister I was! And that started with this! Slightly peeking my head around the chair, I looked over the room, noticing that while all the candles had somehow gone out, no one was around. Hmm¡­ ah! They must have been blown out by my speed! Yes, that was the only answer! But since the coast was clear¡­ I guess we could continue our investigation. ¡°Onward!¡± I whispered, getting back to my feet. ¡°Ugh¡­ fine,¡± Anna said, joining me. Good! Gently stepping past the chair and towards the centre of the room, I stopped as I noticed how quiet it was. ¡°Uh¡­ Aria?¡± Anna said, confused. ¡°I know¡­¡± I said, squeezing her hand forfort. It was also dark. So dark that I couldn¡¯t even see past the door¡­ that wasn¡¯t normal, right? This almost reminded me of that spell Dada showed me that took away all the light in an area. But why would he do that? Did something-? ¡°¡°Surprise!¡±¡± In an instant, light returned to the room, with the firece and candles burning in a bright warm me as my parents appeared in front of me, with my other siblings held in their Mama¡¯s hands. I, of course, could only muster one reaction. ¡°Kyaa!¡± I screamed, iling backwards, only to be caught by Anna. ¡°Sorry, Aria¡­ but were you surprised?¡± she said with a teasing smile. This little sister! She tricked me! My dignity will never recover! ¡°Happy birthday, Aria,¡± Dada said, walking over to pick me up. ¡°You¡¯re five now, so we have to hold a celebration!¡± There was something like that¡­ but it wasn¡¯t meant to be a surprise party! This¡­ this was all Dada¡¯s fault! Grr¡­ ¡°Oh? What¡¯s with that pout? Are you that angry?¡± he said, beginning to flick my lip up and down, causing me to make a silly sound. Do notugh, Aria¡­ do notugh or smile. That would just be ying into his hands! ¡°Ah~ see? I told you it was a bad idea,¡± Mama said, holding Roana as she came over to brush the hair out of my forehead. ¡°Aria, don¡¯t be too mad at your father. He just wanted to make the family¡¯s first birthday memorable¡­ even if it was a dumb idea.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Dada eximed. Seeing their silly exchange, I couldn¡¯t help but form a small smile on my lips. Ah! No! No smiling! Aria was angry! ¡°And there¡¯s the pout again¡­ oh dear, it seems like you¡¯ve really messed up this time, darling,¡± Mama Ariel said teasingly to Dada. ¡°Honestly¡­ and you even recruited Anna for your little game,¡± Mama Sylphy added, shaking her head in disappointment. So she already knew it all! How¡­ how could he!? I sent an angry re over to Dada, watching as he sighed. ¡°Fine, fine, I get it. Not a good idea, my bad,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°So, my dear Aria, what should I do to earn your forgiveness?¡± Oh? Hmm¡­ yes, that might work. ¡°Present,¡± I mumbled. ¡°A present? But that was supposed to be for after dinner and cake¡­ but I guess we can do one of them now,¡± he said, putting me back down. My eyes widened at the mention of cake. Oh¡­ this was going to be a great birthday! Dada then walked over to the nearby cab, unlocking the bottom drawer as he then pulled out a paper-wrapped box. Kneeling in front of me, Dada gently passed it to me. ¡°Usually, this is meant to be given once you cast a beginner magic¡­ but that custom doesn¡¯t really apply for this house,¡± he said as I unwrapped the gift, revealing a box. ¡°So just consider this a present to help you with magic, and also to show you how proud I am.¡± It was pretty, like the one that Mama used for her few pieces of jewellery, with a weird blue metal engraved over the dark wood. Was¡­ was this it? It was pretty, yes, but¡­ No, I¡­ guess that this is fine, but it felt a little¡­ ¡°Open it, Aria.¡± Oh! So there was more! Quickly finding thetch on the side, I gently opened the box, revealing a beautiful¡­ stick? ¡°Dada¡­ what¡¯s this?¡± I asked, tilting my head in confusion. ¡°It¡¯s a wand, sweetie. A tool to help you with your magic, although you don¡¯t really need it,¡± he replied. ¡°A wand¡­ is it like the one you sometimes use, Mama Sylphy?¡± I asked her, my eyes wide in wonder. ¡°Yes¡­ although mine is more for sentimental value,¡± she said, sending a smile over to Dada. ¡°This one should be a bit better. Your father really tried hard to get you the best one. Even I think it¡¯s a little too much for a five-year-old¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. We¡¯ve been over safety a bunch, so I can trust her,¡± Dada said. ¡°I¡­ I think.¡± Wow¡­ a magic wand. A real magic wand! Gently taking it into my hand, I ran my finger down the polished white wood, going all the way to the tip, where arge, beautiful purple stone was enclosed in a band of white metal, glowing slightly, almost like a star. It was definitely pretty. Good job Dada! But more importantly¡­ the magic¡­ the little specs of mana I could feel in my body and around me¡­ they were so much bigger! Well¡­ not exactly bigger, but¡­ they felt stronger, and I felt like I could take them and use them whenever I wanted. How¡­ how cool! ¡°Thank you, Dada!¡± I said, jumping into his arms with a wide smile on my face. ¡°Of course¡­ you¡¯ll get more presentster from your mothers, so be content with this for now,¡± he said, squeezing me back. ¡°We can try it outter, okay? It amplifies your magic quite a lot, so you have to be careful to know your limits.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± I said, nodding my head. ¡°I loveeee you, Dada!¡± I loved him so much! But at the same time¡­ because of that, I was really worried about how he was leaving soon. I know he¡¯s left to do important stuff before, but this time felt¡­ different. It was a little scary. But I knew he woulde back. He was Dada, after all. The strongest and awesomest in the whole world! ¡°Yeah¡­ I love you too, sweetie,¡± he said back. This was definitely, without a doubt, the best birthday ever! ¡­Even though this was my only one so far. ¡ª Leon Anemoi Greyrat ¡ª Nearly a month had passed since Aria¡¯s fifth birthday, and with it, came theing of the fifth month of the year K427¡­ which meant that it was time to end Lace, just as I had promised to Ruijerd. While there was technically no rush, there was the issue of the North God getting annoyed with waiting too long, and more importantly¡­ Eris was pregnant. Some would say that her being out ofmission was a reason to dy the fight, but for me, it was the opposite. After all, it was a legitimate reason for her to note¡­ and despite my promises, I really didn¡¯t want her to join, and that thought had only been growing over time. She was still a swordswoman that I respected, and she was strong enough to match up to Ruijerd at the moment, but I still didn¡¯t want to risk anything, especially after Orsted had explicitly warned me that she might not survive the fight if she joined. Of course, that meant that Ruijerd was at risk, but that was different. After all, he had arge stake in this fight, both for personal revenge, and a chance to have his name and the name of the Superduded throughout thends for their deeds in vanquishing Lace, hopefully earning the trust of most humans, at the very least. And also, no matter how much I appreciated our friendship¡­ he was not my wife, nor the mother of my children. But¡­ that really didn¡¯t fix the current situation, did it? ¡°What!? The hell are you talking about!? Of course I¡¯ming!¡± Eris said, poking my chest with a snarl. ¡°Eri¡­ you¡¯re pregnant. We both know you can¡¯t,¡± I said, gently touching her belly. Now that she was entering her second trimester, it had swelled enough to show a visible bump, something that I found incredibly attractive even if Eris called it ¡®annoying¡¯. I wonder¡­ would this be another daughter, or would Ars finally be getting a brother? Either way, I was excited. As for the names¡­ well, I¡¯ll leave that up to her. It was the least I could do, considering that I had broken my promise. ¡°T-That¡­ that doesn¡¯t matter! I¡¯ll go with you regardless!¡± she shouted. ¡°And risk the baby?¡± I asked, causing her to pause. ¡°You know how long and how hard it was¡­ do you really want to risk it now?¡± She gritted her teeth, her face ring in indignation as she tried to form a response. ¡°But¡­ you can¡¯t just¡­¡± ¡°Eris,¡± Ruijerd said, cutting off her angered mumbles. ¡°Stay with your child and your family.¡± ¡°Ruijerd¡­ stay out of this,¡± she said, sending a re his way. ¡°You¡­ you can¡¯t know how I feel about this, being told to stay home all safe And cozy while Leon fights against the damned Demon God.¡± ¡°No¡­ but I can understand your frustrationpletely,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°Tell me¡­ why are we fighting Lace?¡± Eris paused. ¡°I have only heard a bit, so I can¡¯t call myselfpletely informed, but Leon has decided to defeat Lace in order to protect your family, correct?¡± Ruijerd continued. ¡°Then, do you not think that having someone at home is an equally important duty?¡± Eris flinched before gritting her teeth again. ¡°Yeah, I get that! But that¡¯s what I¡¯ve been doing this whole time, while this guy goes and does a bunch of dangerous stuff!¡± she said, poking my chest. That hurts, Eris. Please be gentler. ¡°Then, if that is the case, can you not trust him once again?¡± Ruijerd said, causing Eris to stop once more. ¡°While I have not been in Leon¡¯s position, I can understand his feelingspletely. And as things are now, rather than help him, you being present would increase his chances of dying.¡± Even I widened my eyes at this. That¡­ was a bit harsh there, Ruijerd. ¡°Leon¡­ is that true?¡± Eris said, turning to look at me with narrowed eyes. Shit¡­ you¡¯ve put me in quite the position, Ruijerd. Well¡­ it¡¯s not like I could lie very well in front of her anyway. ¡°Normally, that wouldn¡¯t be the case, since I consider us equals on the battlefield. But since I¡¯d also be protecting our child¡­¡± I said, my words trailing off as the unspoken answer hung in the air. The answer being that I would absolutely sacrifice myself for her. And honestly, even without the baby, I would probably do the same¡­ so forgive me for the small lie, Eri. Silence reigned between the group for a few moments before Eris¡¯ fist shot out, striking me right in the stomach and causing me to let out a sharp breath of air. ¡°Fine. I get it. I¡¯ll stay back like always,¡± she said, pouting a little. First, ouch, but deserved. And second¡­ while that face was cute, I didn¡¯t want her wallowing in self-pity the whole time I was gone. I better give her something to look forward to. ¡°Look, Eri, this is only because you¡¯re pregnant and that this is the Demon God we¡¯re facing,¡± I said, reaching out to brush my hand against her cheek. ¡°After this, we¡¯ll likely need to face the apostles of the Man-God before taking his head, and maybe even the Millis Church. I assure you that I¡¯ll need you for both of those things.¡± Her eyes perked up. Got her. ¡°Really? You promise?¡± she asked. ¡°Promise¡­ for real this time,¡± I said, nodding my head. She mulled over it with a silent re for a few moments before releasing a sigh, as if releasing all of her anger into the air. ¡°Got it. But you bettere back, understand?¡± she said, grabbing my cor. ¡°If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll definitely hate you.¡± ¡°I got it,¡± I said, giving her a short peck on the lips. ¡°I will definitelye back. After all, I wouldn¡¯t dare miss any of my children¡¯s births.¡± She gave me onest scathing look before she suddenly grabbed the back of my head, pulling me into a kiss, only letting me go a minuteter. Well, with that¡­ exciting send off, I then turned to the rest of my family. ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s time,¡± I said, giving them a small smile. ¡°Just as I promised to Eri, I¡¯ll be back before you know it. The only thing you guys should be worried about is how annoying the fame of me ying the Demon God will be.¡± ¡°Right¡­ I should have expected this when I fell for you,¡± Roxy said, walking up to me. ¡°You do some crazy things, you know?¡± ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s all for us,¡± I said, giving her a kiss before looking down at the bundle in her arms. ¡°Are you gonna say goodbye to me too, Roana?¡± The little girl in question simply extended her arm, reaching out to squeeze my nose in response. Well, I suppose that was all I could ask for. Next, was Sylphy. ¡°I can take care of the home, Leon, and I¡¯ll make sure Eris doesn¡¯t do anything crazy,¡± she said, wrapping her arms around me in a hug. ¡°So¡­e back, okay? And when you do¡­ I have also been wishing for a second child as well.¡± ¡°I see¡­ well, if there wasn¡¯t an incentive before, then there definitely was one now,¡± I said, kissing her forehead as I traced my finger down her hair. She stared at me with dazed eyes for a moment before pushing me away, but not before giving me a small peck on the lips. Right, best not to get too excited here when I was about to leave. And then, there was Ariel. ¡°Darling,¡± she said, cing her finger under my chin with one hand as she held Emilia with the other. ¡°I can trust you know what you¡¯re doing and how much you can handle. I won¡¯t say anything more than that. So, when the battle is over, and you¡¯re tired and spent¡­ I¡¯ll be here for you to rest your head.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ okay,¡± I said, feeling my cheeks heat up a bit. That was quite¡­ passionate, andforting too. I guess that was the power the words of a queen could have when used against the one she loved. ¡°Mou! Ariel, that¡¯s cheating!¡± Sylphy said to the side with a cute pout. In fact, both Roxy and Eris looked a bit peeved at her disy as well. ¡°Ah, apologies, girls. It was simply what I felt needed to be said,¡± Ariel said before she looked at me again. ¡°But s, like them, I will also ask you toe back to me.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I promise,¡± I said, leaning in for a chaste kiss before I did the same to Emilia¡¯s forehead. ¡°And you don¡¯t make too much trouble, alright?¡± ¡°Un!¡± she replied. ¡°Good girl,¡± I said with a smile. Andstly¡­ were these three troublemakers. With Aria wearing her usual dress with her wand strapped to her waist, Anna doing the same but with her wooden sword, and then Ars standing behind the two with a wide smile. They really were a bunch of cute kids. Crouching down in front of them, I pulled all three of them in for a group hug before resting my hands on Aria and Anna¡¯s heads. ¡°You three as well, don¡¯t make things difficult for your mothers,¡± I said, to which they all nodded. ¡°Aria, keep practicing your magic,¡± I added, giving her a kiss on the head. ¡°I will!¡± she replied happily. ¡°And Anna, keep training your swordsmanship. Mama Eri can help you, but you can ask Grandpa Paul as well,¡± I said to her, giving her a kiss on her head as well. ¡°Got it¡­¡± she replied, squeezing me a bit tighter. ¡°And¡­ be safe, Papa¡­¡± Hngh! Gah, she really was adorable. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that,¡± I said before turning to my only son. ¡°And Ars¡­ well, I think you¡¯ll be fine. Just be good, okay?¡± ¡°Got it, Dad!¡± he said, smiling wide. Yep, as cheerful as ever. Giving each of them a kiss on the head onest time, I then let go of them as I stood up, taking in the sight of the beautiful family I had lucked out on getting. ¡°I love you all, and I¡¯ll be back in a month or two,¡± I said, smiling at them. ¡°Those are dangerous words, Leon,¡± Roxy said with a small frown that soon morphed into a smirk. ¡°But then again, you¡¯ve never cared for tempting fate like that.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± I said. With the exchange with my family done, I then turned to the other group that were saying their final goodbyes. ¡°Rudy, just¡­ don¡¯t be an idiot,¡± Sara said, narrowing her eyes at him. ¡°I¡¯m not even doing anything dangerous. I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Rudy said, hugging her tight. ¡°It will be a quick adventure, and then I¡¯ll be back with you three, just as always.¡± ¡°Tsk. You better¡­ And Leon,¡± Sara said, looking over to me. ¡°Make sure hees back, got it?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± I replied. He was my little brother, so I was nning on doing that anyway. Besides, as Rudy had said, he was essentially the key to the seal, and afterwards would stay by Orsted until the battle was over. After all, even with the magic armour, his fighting style was a very bad matchup for the one sometimes called the ¡®Magic God¡¯. ¡°Hehe, I know Rudy won¡¯t take long getting back,¡± Linia said, cing her arms on Sara and Rudy¡¯s shoulders with a mischievous smirk. ¡°After all, he only recently got a taste of what three girls at once can be like~¡± ¡°L-Linia!¡± Shizuka shouted, running over to sp her mouth closed with her hand. ¡°T-That¡­ what is wrong with you!?¡± ¡­Well, I didn¡¯t need to know that, but congrattions, brother. Letting the four get their¡­ argument over with, I then turned to thest five who hade to see us off, that being our parents and three other siblings. ¡°Well¡­ I think you got hounded enough by your wives, so I¡¯ll let you be,¡± Paul said, giving me a nod. ¡°I wish I could go with you¡­ but I¡¯m getting a bit old, so I wouldn¡¯t want to slow you down.¡± ¡­Sure. It was definitely because of your age that you couldn¡¯t fight Lace. ¡°Leon, you¡¯re going to the Demon Continent again, right?¡± Mama said, to which I nodded. ¡°Then don¡¯t pick up another woman, got it? And don¡¯t let your brother do it either.¡± ¡°Mama¡­e on,¡± I said, my smile straining as I tried to keep it up. I was not that unfaithful¡­ and nor was Rudy¡­ I think. Lilia, on the other hand, simply gave me a smile, as did ric. No words needed to be said for me to know how they felt. And then, there was Aisha and Norn, both of them having grown old enough to begin showing signs of maturity that I did not want to distinctly point out. ¡°Have fun, Big Brother. But not too much fun, alright?¡± Aisha said, running up to give me a hug. ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± I replied. ¡°Brother¡­ the person you¡¯re fighting is strong, right?¡± Norn said, also walking up to me. ¡°Very strong,¡± I said seriously. ¡°But our group is pretty good too.¡± ¡°Right¡­ well, I just want to say, that even if you lose, don¡¯t forget that you can just run away,¡± she said, giving me a smile. ¡°Surviving is much more important. To me and everyone here.¡± ¡°Right¡­ I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± I said, kissing the top of her head. Running away, huh? I guess that was always an option¡­ but I didn¡¯t n on losing here. I had prepared for way too long, after all. And with that, thest of goodbyes had been said. Ruijerd, Rudy, and I then made our way inside my house, down to the teleportation circle in the basement that would take us to the floating fortress. ¡°And the rest of the group¡­ where are they?¡± Ruijerd asked. ¡°They¡¯re at the floating fortress already, so we best not keep them waiting,¡± I said, stepping into the circle as the other two follow suit. ¡°Then¡­ let¡¯s hope this doesn¡¯t take too long.¡± Because while I had prepared for over two years to face the Demon God, I had much more important things in my life to focus on. So let¡¯s make this quick. With Rudy¡¯s mana flooding into the magic circle, my vision blurred as I felt the familiar weightlessness of teleportation magic. Now¡­ let¡¯s meet the others, shall we? Chapter 120 – The New Heroes Chapter 120 ¨C The New Heroes ¡ª Leon Anemoi Greyrat ¡ª With the blinding light subsiding, the somewhat familiar view of the beautiful floating fortress came into view. And as expected, Arumanfi the Bright, Perugius¡¯ most used and loyal servant, was waiting for us. ¡°You¡¯ve arrived¡­ good,¡± he said, his eyes narrowing at Ruijerd. ¡°So you are Ruijerd Superdia, I assume?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ that is me,¡± Ruijerd said, his eyes tracing therge pce in front of us in wonder. I guess even for someone as long lived as him, it was quite the sight. ¡°Hmph. Be grateful that Lord Perugius has graced you with his kindness, demon,¡± he said, turning around. ¡°Now please, follow me. My master is quite upset, so I would prefer we move things along quickly.¡± Upset? Why would-? Actually, that was an easy question. After all, there was that annoying North God waiting here, along with the Dragon God Orsted. ¡°I apologize for those two,¡± I said as we began walking. ¡°Though, Orsted¡¯s curse should be nullified by the helmet he¡¯s wearing¡­¡± That was if he was wearing it. After all, while Cliff had done an amazing job at creating a magic tool to weaken Orsted¡¯s curse, it was still quite therge helmet that was annoying to keep on. Not to mention how idiotic it looked¡­ ¡°No¡­ their grudge is something past the curse that the Dragon God bears,¡± Arumanfi said. ¡°My lord has not shown his difort, and will likely refrain from doing so as you will all fight the Demon God together¡­ but I would prefer if said difort was alleviated as quickly as possible, so let us hurry.¡± Well¡­ I guess that made sense. Arumanfi was quite the loyal one, after all. With that, the three of us followed Arumanfi through the halls at a brisk pace, with Ruijerd concealing his curiosity as we soon entered the throne room. And upon entering¡­ I immediately noticed the two aforementioned sources of difort, both of them having arrived through the pce¡¯s teleportation circle while I went to retrieve Ruijerd. First, there was Orsted, who was currently leaning against the wall with his helmet on. But even that didn¡¯t stop Ruijerd from tensing upon seeing the man, his hands gripping his spear tightly before I intervened. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Ruijerd. You should understand, right?¡± I said, raising my arm in front of him. His eyes darted down to me, and a momentter, he breathed out a sigh and rxed. ¡°I see¡­ yes, the sensation is quite intense¡­ so this is what it feels like to be on the other end of a curse¡­¡± he said, looking at the Dragon God. ¡°I apologize.¡± Orsted raised his head for a moment, seemingly taking in the demon before him, before he looked back down with indifference. ¡°Ruijerd Superdia¡­ I have heard of how your fate has changed¡­ and no matter,¡± he said with his usual, grating voice. Always the pleasant one, huh? With Rudy and I sharing a look, we both then shook our heads as I then looked at the other difort¡­ who was currently sleeping soundly on the ground, with his camping bag acting as his pillow. This damn North God¡­ does he not think of how disrespectful that was? No, he likely just didn¡¯t care. I could tell that the other spirits of Perugius¡¯ were quite peeved at him too, so I should probably wake him up before something happened. ¡°You took your timeing here,¡± Perugius said, sitting atop his throne. ¡°Ruijerd Superdia, Rudeus Greyrat, Leon Anemoi Greyrat¡­ I greet you all for the beginning of this endeavour.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ yes, thank you, Lord Perugius,¡± I said, bowing my head. ¡°No need for those pleasantries,¡± he said, raising his hand. ¡°At this moment, we arerades. Something that ces you all in my respect¡­ although, it seems that the one you gathered has taken that quite easily¡­¡± Following his piercing gaze over to Aleksander, I let out another sigh before walking over to the man. ¡°Mmm¡­ yeah, that¡¯s the stuff¡­ haha, die by my de, Lace¡­ I¡¯m the greatest hero¡­¡± he mumbled in between snores. This¡­ this was the former seventh ranked power? The leader of one of the three great styles that had spread throughout the world? Haa¡­ well, whatever. At least he hadn¡¯t made a mess at the capital during his stay, and he had even helped Isolte get a bit stronger, so it¡¯s not like I had a grudge or anything¡­ But he was still incredibly annoying, especially right now. Coating my hand in electricity, I grabbed a hold of his cor, pulling him to his feet as he scrambled around from the current flowing into him. ¡°W-Whoa! I get it, I¡¯m up!¡± he said, smacking away my hand as he got his feet under him. ¡°Jeez, Boss. Wasn¡¯t that a little harsh?¡± ¡­That concentration of electricity would have easily killed an ordinary human, but thankfully, this guy wasn¡¯t ordinary in the slightest. Now if only he could get a better head on his shoulders¡­ ¡°Uhh¡­ Boss? Why are you looking at me like that?¡± he asked, confused. ¡°¡­It¡¯s nothing,¡± I said, shaking my head to mask my disappointment as I turned back to Perugius. ¡°Then, with all of us here, is there anything else to prepare?¡± Perugius shook his head as he stood up, his arm extending forward as a circle began to glow in the centre of the hall. ¡°No. The preparations are set, and everything is in order,¡± he said, walking towards the circle. ¡°This will take us a week away from the seal. Aside from Arumanfi, the other spirits that will be assisting us are waiting on the other side.¡± ¡°I see¡­ can not all of your spirits fight?¡± I asked as I headed towards it, the other four doing the same. ¡°They can all defend themselves against most opponents, but that isn¡¯t the case for a monster like Lace,¡± Perugius said. Well¡­ that made sense. And you wouldn¡¯t want too many people getting in the way. But there was one thing I was curious about¡­ ¡°And you, Perugius? Are you able to fight?¡± I asked. Not in a condescending way, but simply out of curiosity. After all, while he was one of the great heroes, I had never seen him use magic aside from creating magic circles, with his spirits showing all thebat prowess I would associate with the man. ¡°Hmph,¡± he huffed with a smirk. ¡°Summoning magic is more powerful than many know, Leon Greyrat.¡± Well¡­ I guess that answered my question. With everyone gathered on the circle, the blinding light engulfed us, and a momentter, I saw that we had been transported to the familiar barrennds of the Demon Continent. I hadn¡¯t been here in a while¡­ not since we visited Roxy¡¯s parents. Well, now that Aria was older and Roana had been born, perhaps we should visit them again, or even ask if they would want to move closer to us. They truly loved their daughter, after all. But s, there were more important things to worry about at the moment. ¡°So¡­ where exactly are we?¡± I asked, scanning the area. Was this supposed to be the ce? All there were was mountains, rocks, and a vast ravine that stretched towards the distance. But¡­ it was odd. The ravine¡­ it had traces of magic power along its sides. ¡°We¡¯re about a few days south of Krasma, a city in the northwest of the continent,¡± Perugius answered. I see¡­ ¡°Then, is this where Lace was sealed?¡± I asked, looking towards the ravine. ¡°No¡­ but this was a mark caused by the start of the battle,¡± he said in a reminiscing tone. ¡°Be prepared to face something simr.¡± I could feel Rudy stiffen at my side at the information, holding his staff tightly in his hands. Well¡­ that was quite a shock. To be able to do destroy thend like that¡­ while I couldn¡¯t do it to that extent, my swordsmanship was strong enough that I wasn¡¯tpletely daunted by such a premonition. But looking to the side, I saw that the North God had the opposite reaction to my brother, his face cracking into an excited smile. Well, that¡¯s what being immortal does to someone¡­ crazy bastard. ¡°Then, where is the seal?¡± I asked, looking around in thought. ¡°It¡¯s a week-long journey south, at least assuming we do not run,¡± Perugius said, beginning to walk in the specified direction with his summoned spirits at his side. ¡°I will summon any supplies we need, so be sure to maintain your strength for the uing fight.¡± Right, he did mention we wouldn¡¯t be teleported right to the seal earlier. But¡­ why was that? ¡°Is there a reason you do not have a teleportation circle ced near the seal?¡± I asked as we began walking. Easily ignoring the North God¡¯snguished sigh, Perugius motioned to thend in front of us. ¡°Do you not notice it?¡± he asked. ¡°Thend surrounding the seal is still infused with the mana from the great battle and Urupen¡¯s sacrifice, making teleportation magic too unstable to be used.¡± Oh. Now that he mentioned it¡­ I did notice an odd tinge to the mana in the air, but I thought it was simply due to the higher concentration of mana in the Demon Continent. It seems that I was wrong. Anyway, with that, our group pressed onward, heading to where the Demon God would soon meet his end. ¡ª Leon Anemoi Greyrat ¡ª The week of travel had passed by quickly, and before I knew it, we had reached the location of the sealed Lace. I had originally thought that we would need to walk for the entire way, but befitting the man who spent his days sitting on his throne, Perugius summoned arge turtle-like beast after the first few minutes to take us the entire way there, only stopping to rest. Summoning magic really was quite handy, huh? With the summoned transport being sent back to¡­ wherever it went, I then walked over to the cube-shaped stone monument that stuck out in the surroundings. ¡°Is¡­ this it?¡± I asked, looking around it. ¡°I didn¡¯t picture him being sealed in a building like this¡­¡± It was awfully small¡­ and verycking in grandeur. ¡°Yes, though rather than being sealed in it, Lace was sealed in a separate space, appearing as a floating ck orb to the outside world,¡± Perugius exined as he walked up to stand beside me. ¡°This monument was instead built by his surviving supporters after the fact¡­ though it has eroded over time.¡± Indeed it has¡­ with the cracked, dried stone, and the crumbling edges, it seems that these supporters had long since moved on. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you allowed them to build it, considering how much you hate the man,¡± I said. ¡°I simply enjoyed having a testament to our victory,¡± he said, a small smile growing on his face. ¡°That is the only reason why I left it as is, and didn¡¯t smite his supporters into nothingness.¡± ¡­Well, wasn¡¯t that nice of him. With that interesting bit of information, Rudy walked over to the monument, cing his hand on the dusty stone as he closed his eyes to concentrate. ¡°Well? Do you feel anything?¡± I asked. It would be quite the problem if Lace wasn¡¯t here, after all. ¡°Yes¡­ there¡¯s an amazing amount of mana,¡± Rudy said, opening his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s nearly unimaginable¡­ to think I have even more than this¡­¡± In order to confirm this, I activated my demon eye, instantly wincing at the brightness. Inside the ruin, there was a bright,pressed ball of mana, almost as if I was staring directly at the sun. Yeah, this was definitely the ce. ¡°So, when can we proceed?¡± I asked, looking over to Perugius. ¡°Should we prepare any traps first beforehand?¡± ¡°No¡­ traps won¡¯t work on that monster,¡± Perugius said with a frown. ¡°And I would prefer we do this as soon as possible. Are you prepared to use your mana, Rudeus Greyrat?¡± ¡°Huh? Ah¡­ yeah, sure,¡± my brother replied as his tone turned worried. ¡°But¡­ it sounds as if I¡¯ll be out after undoing the seal, right? Then¡­ I don¡¯t even think I can use my magic armour¡­¡± Right. Without his magic armour, my dear brother was quite the ss cannon, wasn¡¯t he? Well, while I promised to keep him safe, I would likely be too preupied with Lace to defend him. But thankfully, I wasn¡¯t alone. ¡°Orsted, do you mind protecting him during the battle? Though I doubt he¡¯ll get involved,¡± I said. ¡°Hmph¡­ I suppose that is eptable, though if need be, I will take him and flee instead of remaining on standby as support,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s more than fine,¡± I said, exchanging a short nod with my brother. With that, Perugius then stepped forward, cing his hand on the monument as he looked towards Rudeus. ¡°I will now trace the spell to unseal him, but you will supply the mana. With your experience in supplying mana to Nanahoshi¡¯s magic circles, this should be simple,¡± he said. ¡°Understood,¡± Rudy replied. As Perugius began his work, Orsted then came up next to me, still wearing the obnoxious helmet that suppressed his curse. ¡°Leon¡­ as I said before, I will only provide support as is needed, but do not count on me,¡± he said. ¡°Fighting Lace would force me to use my mana.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I didn¡¯t count on it,¡± I said. ¡°But¡­ why are you so concerned about using your mana? Are you saving it for something?¡± I mean, I knew about his condition, but I had thought this would be one of the situations he would deem eptable to use some of his reserves. ¡°Yes¡­ only a member of the dragonfolk can activate the spell to reach the Man-God, and it requires an incredible amount of mana,¡± he said, closing his eyes. ¡°There is also the need to actually defeat the Man-God once I reach him¡­ these steps have always been what stopped me in the previous iterations, but perhaps with you¡­ I can finally end this battle once and for all.¡± With his lips spreading into a smile, at least from what I could see as only part of his mouth remained visible, he then turned back, creating some distance from the sealed Demon God. ¡°It is done,¡± Perugius then said, causing the others to look at him. ¡°Are you all prepared?¡± I simply smirked. I hadn¡¯t used every moment I had to myself for training for nothing, so I was more than ready to end this. ¡°Fuck yeah! I¡¯ve been waiting for this!¡± Aleksander said, unsheathing his sword with excitement. ¡°As have I¡­ finally, I can truly exact my revenge, and cleanse the name of my people,¡± Ruijerd said, preparing his spear. Rudy gave us all a nod with a calm smile. ¡°Well, since using attack magic against Lace is apparently futile, I can¡¯t help with dealing damage¡­ but I¡¯ll support whenever possible with my magic,¡± he said. ¡°And my spirits are ready as well,¡± Perugius said, looking back to the five of his servants that had apanied us. ¡°Yuruzu of Atonement will act as a lifeline in case anyone is gravely injured, and Harkenmail of Life will supply healing magic during the battle. Arumanfi the Bright and Furiousful of Fury will attack on the frontline, and Trophimus of the Wave will attack with ranged sword shes¡­ understood?¡± The five spirits nodded, with the three that would be contributing away from the fight creating some distance. I¡­ likely wasn¡¯t going to remember all of their names, so they would have to be fine with being called a shortened version of all that. ¡°Good. Then¡­ Rudeus Greyrat, activate the spell,¡± Perugius said as the rest of us tensed in preparation. ¡°Understood,¡± Rudy replied. With my brother cing his hand on the monument that had been etched with the tracing of Perugius¡¯ spell, I unsheathed my trusty, unbreakable sword as I took a deep breath in. Right¡­ Lace would be incredibly powerful, but he wasn¡¯t unbeatable. After all, I had some powerful allies on my side, and most of all, I had me. Defeating Lace would not only ensure my future family members never experienced the hardship of another human-demon war, but it would also allow me to defeat the Man-God, and ensure my family was forever safe from that being¡¯s schemes and long-standing grudge. That was the simple fact. Lace was a danger to my family, and removing him would ensure their safety and happiness. So if it was something like that¡­ something that dared threaten my family I loved so dearly¡­ then not even Orsted himself could stop me. A crack echoed across the barren in, and a momentter, the monument disintegrated into a pile of rubble as Rudy backed off, joining my side as we all looked forward. There, as the dust of the destroyed monument began to settle, a handsome man with bright green hair revealed himself, his eyes narrowed in confusion as he stared at his hand. ¡°The spell¡­ didn¡¯t activate?¡± he muttered in the Demon God tongue as he turned towards us, a sh of realization appearing across his face. ¡°I see¡­ so the seal was undone¡­¡± The man seemed unassuming, but I felt it. This guy¡­ he was terrifyingly strong. And that wasn¡¯t even from the incredible amount of mana I could see within him. No¡­ it was simply something much simpler and more natural. Instinct. Instinctively, I knew that this man in front of us was much more dangerous than anything I had faced thus far¡­ not including Orsted of course. Perhaps it was my experience with the Dragon God that allowed me to stand firm with absolute confidence rather than tremble in fear. Rudy, who was a bit paler than normal after using so much mana, prepared his staff as he looked onward. ¡°Hey¡­ do you think we could simply ask him for the treasure instead?¡± he suddenly asked, his voice a little shaky at the overwhelming presence of the being in front of us. Huh? ¡°No¡­ and cease that ridiculous notion,¡± Perugius replied, steadily looking forward at Lace. ¡°What? Why? We aren¡¯t enemies yet, right?¡± Rudy added. ¡°In fact, we helped him by unsealing him, so rather than enemies¡­ would he not owe us a favour? We might be able to resolve all of this peacefully!¡± I was pretty sure the n had already discussed, and that there was more at stake than the sacred treasure he kept¡­ but perhaps Rudy had forgotten? No¡­ looking closer, his eyes were trembling, and beads of sweat had begun to form on his face. He must have felt it then¡­ the presence, and consequently, the fear. ¡°You fool¡­ that was never an option with this ursed creature, especially for you,¡± Perugius spat with disgust. ¡°You became enemies the moment you were born as humans.¡± As if on cue, the green-haired man¡¯s eyesnded on me, his face growing fierce with anger as he raised his hand, a tendril of meunching towards me an instantter that I hastily cut down. And with that, the start of the battle began. Chapter 121 – Demon God Laplace Chapter 121 ¨C Demon God Lace ¡ª Leon Anemoi Greyrat ¡ª With the air hissing at the heat of Lace¡¯s cut spell, the three of us main frontline fighters prepared our weapons as Arumanfi took Rudy and shed away, with Orsted and Perugius having backed off as well. ¡°You¡­¡± Lace said, narrowing his eyes at me. ¡°Melding touki and mana¡­ you¡¯re a dangerous one.¡± I tightened my grip on my sword. This man¡­ for some reason, despite his unconcerned attitude¡­ I felt an instinctual danger. A feeling that if I attacked recklessly, even if I used everything I had, it would be met with a brutal counter. In short, despite seemingly having such a casual stance, he showed no openings. Well¡­ as expected of the fourth ranked world power, I suppose. I knew he was strong, and I had felt it before when he first appeared, but feeling the brunt of his interest and anger was much different. ¡°And you¡­ you¡¯re from back then¡­¡± he said, looking at Ruijerd. Ruijerd tensed. ¡°¡®You¡¯¡­ not even acknowledging my name with the sins you¡¯ve forced upon me¡­ there is nothing for me to say to the likes of you, Lace!¡± Ruijerd shouted, his legs flexed as he prepared to leap forward. ¡°Hmph. A shared sentiment,¡± Lace said, raising his hand again as a line of red orbs began to form. What¡­ what were those? That wasn¡¯t an element, and using my demon eye, it was likely the most concentrated spell I had ever seen. What kind of- My thoughts were cut off as the line of mysterious orbs shot forward, the barrage cutting through the distance between us in an instant. The air rumbled, and space seemed to warp around the projectiles as I hastily parried them to the side, the impact from my redirections causing my arm to tingle. What power¡­ Looking to the side, I watched as the red orbs crashed into the ground, tearing a deep gash into thend, the dust cloud stretching into the horizon for an unknown distance. So that answered why thend was so devastated around here¡­ how frightening. Wait, what about the others? Snapping my neck to look to my right, I watched as the mana began to swirl in a circle in front of Ruijerd and the North God, forming into a portal just as the barrage of magic reached it. That was¡­ a dragon gate, correct? ¡°It won¡¯t be so easy, Lace,¡± Perugius dered from behind, his voice seemingly amplified by mana. So that was the power of summoning magic he was bragging about¡­ ¡°Perugius¡­¡± Lace sneered, his brows furrowing in rage. ¡°You traitor¡­ siding with these humans when they took everything from us¡­¡± ¡°To think you are still going on about that¡­ your mind has deteriorated, as has your strength,¡± Perugius said in a mocking tone. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten weaker. It won¡¯t end in a fragile victory likest time, Lace.¡± ¡°You¡¯re awfully confident¡­ why do you think so?¡± Lace replied. Well¡­ because I was here. And with him taking the moment to converse with his old enemy, I saw an opening to attack. shing outwards with my sword, I concentrated on the edge of my de, moulding the touki and the fire element mana into onebined energy, before releasing it as I swung down, willing the strike to reach him in an instant. A devastating attack. And after my training with Orsted, it was one so powerful that it could destroy a forest in one swipe. But yet¡­ once it reached Lace¡­ I felt my connection to the touki and mana waver as he then simply batted it to the side, reducing the concentrated construct of my ranged sh into nothingness. ¡­What? That¡­ that was insane. I know he was strong, but that was simply ridiculous. ¡°That won¡¯t work, Leon Greyrat¡­ he¡¯s a master of magic, so don¡¯t expect anything that he can take control of to have any effect on him,¡± Perugius said from behind me. ¡°Urupenined about this as well¡­ you will need to get in close for this battle.¡± Son of a bitch. So that¡¯s why I felt the connection sever right before¡­ Why the hell was I not told of this beforehand? Getting in close? Did he think I had a death wish? Luckily, there was a more idiotic guy to put Perugius¡¯ words into practice. ¡°Hah! Something like that is right up my alley!¡± Aleksander said as he rushed forward. I was about to stop him, but thinking again, this was the perfect way to see how good Lace was in closebat, as I would surely have to face him since my long ranged strikes didn¡¯t work. Brandishing his beloved sword, Aleksander dashed up to Lace before releasing a horizontal strike, one that the Demon God easily dodged despite it surpassing the speed of sound. ¡°Kalman¡¯s moves¡­ how vile,¡± Lace said before sending out a strike with his palm. One would assume such a move made by a magician would be weak, or perhaps be the start of a spell, but much to my surprise, I saw his mana rush to coat his hand as he then pushed against the air, and a momentter¡­ the North God was reduced to a red mist. That idiot¡­ could he evene back from that? I damn hope so, or me having gone through all that trouble to bring him over and keep him acting civil in the pce would have been for nothing. Inwardly clicking my tongue, I quickly rushed forward, grabbing the Dragon Sword that had been sent flying through the air with my other hand as I rushed towards Lace. So, if ranged attacks didn¡¯t work, that just meant I have to get up close and personal, right? Fuck it, fine. shing down with my sword, I watched as Lace easily dodged by stepping backward, just as he did with the North God, as the dirt from thend below him blew outwards from the residual pressure. As expected. But instead of being reduced to a red paste in a counter like Aleksander, I used my momentum, turning around as I attacked with my borrowed sword in me left hand. This time, thankfully, my attack struck true. If only I could cut through the Demon God, then I could put this battle behind me and head home to my lovely family. But s¡­ that would be too easy. With his arm coated in a thickyer of mana, Lace easily parried my strike, his leg striking outward a momentter to send me tumbling back. Barely orienting myself in time, Inded on the ground on my feet, skidding backwards as I quickly found my bnce. Yeah¡­ this was going to be difficult, just as I had expected. And unlike in my other fights against stronger opponents, like the North Emperor Auber and the Water God, I wouldn¡¯t be able to win with a realization in external mana and touki control. Tossing the Dragon Sword over to the body of the North God that was beginning to revive, I repositioned myself into abat ready stance, holding my sword forward as I began to analyze the man. He was definitely strong¡­ and his ability to nullify most of my style¡¯s attacks was troublesome¡­ but I had faced worse before. His raw destructive power was unimaginable, evidenced by the puddle that is Aleksander from his palm attack, and the force of that simple kick that sent me flying back. But, he still seemed¡­ beatable¡­ unlike that monster that was Orsted. ¡°Do not get overconfident, Leon Greyrat,¡± Perugius warned, causing me to look to my side where he stood with his spirits guarding him, his face set in a grimace. ¡°While he is weaker than before, he is still a monster. He hasn¡¯t even truly tried yet.¡± Furrowing my eyebrows, I looked back to Lace, watching as he looked at his arm that had parried my sword with curiosity. What was he doing? He was definitely unharmed, so why was he so interested in it? ¡°You¡­¡± he said, turning his head to me as his face twisted into a frown. ¡°You¡¯ve nearly broken through¡­ humans really are troublesome.¡± Broken through? What did that- My thoughts were cut off as a sh of mana flickered across my vision, and a momentter, Lace had appeared in front of me, his hand swinging down towards me with intensity. It was too fast for me to get my sword up in time, but I had faced this speed before, with both the Dragon God and the North God, so I instinctually raised my arm to defend. But, to my absolute surprise, he cut right through my defences as soon as he made contact, his hand cutting a deep gash into my arm as he deflected it to the side, leaving me wide open. What? That easily? Like this, I wouldn¡¯t be able to parry- A sh of white then appeared as I was pulled to the side, and a momentter, Lace was sent soaring backwards as a familiar fist stretched outward. ¡°Leon¡­ that was dangerous,¡± Orsted said. ¡°Lace is¡­ stronger than I expected, but he is still within your power to defeat.¡± My eyes darting to the side, I noticed that arge patch of the ground had been removed¡­ right where I had just been standing. I¡­ would have been reduced to nothingness if Orsted hadn¡¯t rescued me. ¡°Ah¡­ thank you,¡± I said, regaining some calm as I healed the gash on my arm. Right, I couldn¡¯t make that mistake again. ¡°Get used to him, and quickly, or you will die,¡± Orsted said, looking forward. ¡°It took too much mana to interfere, just as I expected, so do not trust in me to save you again.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I got it,¡± I said, watching as Orsted began to heal his arm that had been shredded by his interference. So¡­ Lace was not only able to cut through my defences¡­ but Orsted¡¯s as well. Scary. Yeah, I definitely couldn¡¯t get hit like that again. Turning to look back at Lace, I watched as the trio of Fury, Ruijerd, and the now-revived North God ambushed Lace, the three working in near-perfect tandem as they attacked from all sides. Lace tried to move, likely aiming to take out the strongest in the North God again, but before he could, his legs were engulfed in earth, locking him in ce. Impressive magic as ever, Rudy. And by taking control of the ground and moulding it rather than using it as an attack, Lace wasn¡¯t able to nullify it so easily like he was with my initial strike. But still¡­ that wasn¡¯t enough. While the three¡¯sbined attack was a masterful disy of martial experience¡­ in front of the overwhelming power of the Demon God, that was next to useless. Lace easily blocked Ruijerd¡¯s strike from behind, sending him tumbling away as he then turned to Aleksander, exchanging a few strikes in an instant before the North God was sent flying back as well, a spray of blood following him. And with a final turn, Lace attacked Fury with his close-range mana st that reduced the North God to nothing earlier, forcing the spirit to dodge. Yeah¡­ this was definitely not going to be easy. But still¡­ Orsted said it was doable¡­ so I could do it. Even if myrades weren¡¯t strong enough to reach him, all they needed to do was distract him enough for me to deal a finishing blow. I¡­ we, could do this. Lace, having dealt with the three attackers, then turned his head, looking at me once more as the ground that had been locking him in ce disintegrated. No¡­ he wasn¡¯t looking at me, but rather behind me. Towards my brother that had just locked him in a spell. Shit! Before he could move, I focused all my strength on my legs and body, the world phasing into a blur as I unleashed a perfected Longsword of Light at Lace, using the surrounding mana to enhance my strike. Lace, somehow still being able to react, widened his eyes at my attack¡­ and dodged. Landing on the ground without having dealt any damage like I had been hoping to, I ignored the explosion from the resulting shockwave of my sh as I reset my stance, a small smile forming on my lips. He¡­ dodged. It was a bit demoralizing to know that my fastest technique could be so easily avoided, but that meant that my attack right now was something Lace decided he couldn¡¯t defend, right? At least without getting hurt while doing so. That¡­ that was a good sign. But¡­ what made him feel the need to do so? Was it simply the speed I used at that moment, or was it something to do with my touki? Odd. My pondering quickly came to an end as another barrage of magic was unleashed by the Demon God, the same red orbs as before rushing towards me as I raised my sword to defend. Parrying one to the side, another upwards, and blocking another so that it didn¡¯t hit Rudy who was behind me¡­ while I could deal with a few, the barrage was constant, so much so that I was unable to keep up despite Aleksander rushing forward to assist me. Gritting my teeth, I blocked another orb, sending it to the side, only to leave myself open to thest of the barrage that he had sent while I was upied. Shit¡­ my sword was too out of position¡­ would I have to sacrifice my arm? Luckily, I didn¡¯t have to make that choice, as arge shield suddenly appeared out of thin air, shattering a momentter as it blocked thest orb. ¡°While my attacks may be useless against that man, that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case for you, Leon Greyrat,¡± Perugius said from behind me. ¡°Go forward, and I will support from behind!¡± ¡°G-Got it!¡± I replied. And with no time to waste, I ran forward again, reaching Lace in an instant as I swung my sword. This time, I wasn¡¯t aiming to kill¡­ at least not initially. No, it was obvious that Lace was skilled in unarmedbat, and he more than made up for hisck of touki with the power of his mana. And that was confirmed by how easily he was challenging me in pure martial arts, as we exchanged a flurry of strikes faster than the eye could see. But while we were essentially equal in martialbat¡­ for some reason, despite me learning Orsted¡¯s technique¡­ he still had a stronger magic defence. I felt the air leave my lungs in a short wheeze as Lace slipped in a strike to my side, my ribs shattering at the impact as I felt them begin to heal a momentter. That¡­ wasn¡¯t me healing them. After all, I couldn¡¯t afford to focus on healing magic even a bit right now. No, that must have been Perugius¡¯ spirit, Life, that was healing us from the behind. How useful. But still¡­ that didn¡¯t help the fact that I couldn¡¯t get past this guy¡¯s defences. Leaping away, I took a moment to collect myself as Laceunched another ranged attack, this time being a concentrated sh of pure mana. I raised my sword, connecting to the surrounding mana and touki in the air as I took over the energy in front of me, shing with the attack that was about to hit me as I blocked the strike. But still¡­ I nced behind me, watching as a distant mountaintop crumbled away from the remainder of the sh that I hadn¡¯t blocked reached it in a near instant. That power¡­bined with that defence¡­ how amazing. I knew that, like Rudy, he had a stronger foundation of mana, which I could only theorize was due to his touki being connected to his mana instead of a separate energy like for other people. But still¡­ I was able to achieve that with my defences, where I moulded touki into a sort of chain mail, with elemental mana filling in the gaps. So why was his still so much stronger? Was it a technique? How¡­ how did he do that? I decided to take a moment to rest and observe as the second wave went forward to attack Lace, with Ruijerd and Fury leading the charge. Lace easily blocked Ruijerd¡¯s spear, but instead of countering him, he suddenly switched his target, sending a pulse of mana point-nk at Fury, causing him to burst into a cloud of light, and sending him out of this fight. Uh¡­ At least he could be summoned again at the floating fortress, I guess? Either way, Ruijerd attempted to use the moment of distraction to his advantage, but with a swipe of Lace¡¯s hand, a giant gust of wind rushed forth, throwing Ruijerd far into the distance with one move. He¡­ would probably be okay¡­ hopefully. But still¡­ it wasn¡¯t enough. What was making Lace so strong? I kept my eye trained on the man, taking in every detail I could on the flow and use of his mana as the North God rushed forward again, this time activating the gravity on his sword to momentarily lock Lace in ce. This time, Aleksander¡¯s swordsmanship showed its adaptability as he assaulted Lace for much longer than before, exchanging a flurry of strikes that caused the surrounding earth to be torn to shreds. But s, the result was still the same as before, with the North God¡¯s head tumbling to the ground as his body was sent rolling backwards. And so, with no one else around him, Lace then turned to me, easily brushing off the ranged strikes from Tide as he closed in. ¡°You¡­ are the most dangerous one,¡± he said as he ran forward, sending a spear of what seemed to be pure mana towards me. I barely dodged it, the tip of the spear skimming past my nose as I then leaped forward to counterattack. But yet again, I was easily parried, his arm leading my sword to the side as I was sent back again. And this time, Lace didn¡¯t give me a chance to brace myself. Chasing me with speed that easily reached the Sword God, he swung his arm to the side, forcing me to drop to the ground as Ished out with a strike while exploding the ground beneath him. But just like everything else I had done so far, he simply ignored it, continuing his assault as I was forced back yet again. Dammit. I had seen my fair share of battles, both through real experience and in training, so it was abundantly clear to me that I was being overwhelmed. At this rate, it wouldn¡¯t be long before one of his attacks hit, and from the resulting destruction of each one of his strikes, it wouldn¡¯t be something I could walk away from alive. Dying¡­ there was no way I could ept that. After all, my life wasn¡¯t my own to give anymore. I had promised to get back home, especially for the birth of my new child, and I had so many more memories to make, children to love, and fun to be had. Ariel, Eris, Roxy, Sylphy¡­ they would surely survive even if I died. But they would be sad, and I promised to make them the happiest women alive. You have that responsibility. You made that promise to keep them happy. You cannot die here. So focus, Leon Greyrat! Let your instincts and reflexes keep you alive against Lace¡¯s assault, purge your brain of the thoughts rted to battle, and focus on Lace! How he moves, how the mana flows, take in everything! And so, following that odd voice¡¯s words, I did just that¡­ and it only took a few moments to realize what was happening. While I hadn¡¯t really thought of it before, I noticed that Lace did not have as much mana as Rudy. In fact, he had even less than me. Or, more urately¡­ he didn¡¯t have any mana at all. At least¡­ not internally. I nearly thought I was seeing things wrong, or perhaps Lace was masking his reserves¡­ but I quickly found the reason as to why. Instead, Lace was constantly recycling his mana, taking it in from the atmosphere to fill his body, which he then immediately pushed outside of him where he maintained control of the ridiculous amount of mana with ease. It was an impossible feat. Being able to control all of that, and in the heat of battle, while also maintaining such a delicate bnce so that the mana still enriched the cells in the body¡­ it was simply impossible. But¡­ was that the case? It couldn¡¯t be. After all, I was experiencing it right now. And while he had a ridiculous amount of mana, and an intense control of it, ill-befitting his title of the ¡®greatest magician¡¯, he had not used that many spellspared to martialbat. No¡­ instead, he had kept most of his mana close so that it surrounded him. Ah¡­ so, was that it? Having the mana cloak him like that, it was not only a method to create a nearly imprable defence, but it also allowed him to keep control of the mana so fluidly, since it was always near him. I knew that it was easier this way as well, especially with my experience in using touki. And there was the fact that each time heunched a spell, he extended his hand, despite the fact that a magician of his level shouldn¡¯t need such an action. It was as if¡­ as if he was treating the mana as an extension of himself¡­ so that it was strong and easy to use despite the overwhelming amount of it¡­ Oh. So that was it. So that¡¯s how you use mana. With another punch heading towards me, I decided to block instead of dodge this time, sending me flying backwards and creating some distance between us as I thought over the recent discovery. An extension of the self¡­ using all the mana in the body at once¡­ could I do it? And on the spot no less? With no training? Well, there was only one way to find out, I guess. Taking a breath in, I kept my eye trained on Lace, who had stopped to deal with a rain of swords that Perugius had summoned out of thin air. My mana¡­ I still had most of it, since I wasn¡¯t using too many attacks that depleted it, nor healing myself. So¡­ draw it out¡­ let it flow to fill the touki armour, and go beyond that¡­ taking out all but the miniscule amount of mana I needed to keep my body in peak condition. But just letting the mana out wouldn¡¯t be good. No, I needed to keep hold of it, maintaining a tight shell around my body. But I couldn¡¯t match Lace like this. Even with my touki, Lace still had much more mana than me. So¡­ focusing on the surroundings¡­ I took control of the mana in the atmosphere, willing it towards me as I had it infused into my shell of mana. Good¡­ yes, it was working. But this method of using mana¡­ it went against every swordsmanship and magic lesson I had done before, where I perfected my control, application, and technique. There were no fancy moves or incredible ways to use my touki and move my body. No, something like this¡­ it was simply pure, unbridled power. And that¡­ was just what I needed. I felt my shell of mana stabilize just in time as Laceunched himself towards me, his eyes brimming with hostility as he extended his hand, the edge coated in pure mana to form a de. And so, with my sword and body as one, along with my mana¡­ I blocked him. And instead of being sent soaring backwards like before, I stood my ground. His eyes widened as my mouth curled into a smile. Oh, yeah¡­ this was much better. Twisting my wrist, I flicked his hand to the side, leaving his chest wide open as I thrust my sword forward, striking my mana together at the tip to explode outward, sending him flying backwards as a crack louder than thunder echoed across the devastated ins. And more than that, the mountain behind Lace, around a day¡¯s distance on foot¡­ there was now a chunk taken out of it. Ha¡­ haha¡­ hahaha! Now that¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about! With the lull in battle from my sudden attack, I looked over at Lace, watching as he slowly got to his feet, the surrounding ground soaked in his blood due to his arms that had been reduced to nothing. That must have been from him blocking it, right? And to do so much damage¡­ even if I was only able to find an opening due to his surprise¡­ I could finally see it. This fight¡­ it was definitely winnable. Lace narrowed his eyes at me once more, his emotions manifesting clearly on his face as he regenerated his arms. Just like before, I saw the rage, the curiosity, and the calcting intelligence¡­ but now there was something else there as well. An emotion I had yet to see the Demon God show¡­ Caution. And if I wasn¡¯t mistaken¡­ a small hint of worry as well. Hah. Well¡­ just like Orsted said, I could definitely do it. So now it was just a manner of closing out this fight. Chapter 122 – End of the Battle Chapter 122 ¨C End of the Battle ¡ª Leon Anemoi Greyrat ¡ª Ensuring my mana had remained stable afterunching my attack, I then leaped forward, closing the distance between the two of us as I attacked once again. Unfortunately, this time, Lace was ready for it, and was able to perfectly parry my strike to the side, causing my mana to waver as I did so. Control¡­ keep it steady, Leon. Taking a short breath to steady myself, I noticed that Lace had be absolutely incensed, his eyes ring daggers into me as he readied his arms. Well¡­ with the North God seemingly still out ofmission for the moment, I suppose I should give his school a moment to shine. ¡°You look angry, Lace¡­ why are you so mad?¡± I asked, my lips quirking up in a smirk. ¡°I even waited for you to regrow your arms before attacking again. Shouldn¡¯t you be thanking me for being so kind?¡± My taunt seemed to work perfectly, as his teeth gnashed together while his admittedly handsome face twisted into an ugly frown. ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself, human!¡± he shouted, the aura around him crackling as his mana output increased. ¡°Your breakthrough means nothing in front of me!¡± And with that, he pressed forward, his arm thrusting towards me as I barely managed to deflect it to the side. First Orsted, and now Lace¡­ did all the dragonfolk love to use their hands as weapons? But more importantly¡­ I felt it just now. Despite being able to replicate his technique, Lace was still stronger than me. Of course, the difference in mastery and experience probably had something to do with it, but more importantly, Lace had more mana¡­ and at its foundation, his mana was stronger than mine. But I could match up to him. After all, while I didn¡¯t have his ridiculous mana, I did have something else¡­ touki. And so, as I swiped my sword to the side, I concentrated on my touki, forcing all of it outward as I melded it with my mana, keeping hold of its structure as I once again willed my mana to sh together in an explosion, this time adding in some touki as well. And with a bang, an explosion erupted from my de, creating a sh of light as the force sent Lace careening backwards once more. The power was so much that it even made me fly backwards, forcing me to correct the course of my fall with wind magic to remain upright,nding next to Rudy and Orsted were, behind where the main fight was taking ce. This fight had already stretched pretty far away from the original seal¡­ I could see how that ravine a week¡¯s distance away was created in the same battle. ¡°Leon¡­ you are certainly a ridiculous man,¡± Orsted said, looking at me with admiration. ¡°Something like that isn¡¯t meant to be used by a human¡­ I had thought it was impossible.¡± Was it really something so amazing? I mean¡­ I was practically doing the same thing as always, just now I was using more of my mana. But still, thepliment was nice. ¡°Leon Greyrat¡­ I am d to have fought with you,¡± Perugius said in a praising tone. ¡°Unfortunately, Arumanfi and Fury have already perished, so for now, the three of you are on your own. I will also stay back and provide as I have been.¡± Really? I hadn¡¯t even noticed that Arumanfi had gotten killed. Turning back to where Lace had been sent flying, I watched as the North God and Ruijerd continued distracting Lace, being a bit more careful to not get hit like before. But still¡­ they couldn¡¯t do that for long. Even if Lace now had another line of blood across his chest from myst strike, he was still too overwhelmingly strong. ¡°Leon¡­ that attack you just performed¡­ do it once more,¡± Perugius said, causing me to look back at him. ¡°At a critical moment, I will drain his mana. It won¡¯t be enough to harm him, nor would I be able to deplete his reserves due to his control, but it will be enough to give you an opening. Use that moment to end this fight once and for all.¡± So he could do something like that¡­ well, I could only hope so, since it seemed that Rudy¡¯s attempts with disturb magic hadn¡¯t been working. ¡°Got it,¡± I replied. ¡°Good,¡± he nodded. ¡°Then, go forward.¡± And I did just that. My vision blurring, I appeared before Lace in an instant, his arm poised to strike Ruijerd with a blow that would do more than just rough him up like he had been thus far. I¡­ wasn¡¯t quite confident in using this new technique of mana far away from my body yet, especially since I didn¡¯t know if Lace could still overwhelm it with control, so instead, I simply stretched my arm out to block, sending a shockwave that rippled across the ground as Lace¡¯s hand stopped against my palm. ¡°You¡­¡± Lace muttered as he red at me. Yes, me. Taking the moment of opportunity, Ruijerd¡¯s spearunched forward to strike Lace¡¯s side, but as expected, it wasn¡¯t able to do any damage. But just like with the original battle that sealed Lace¡­ his attack was enough for a distraction, allowing the North God to pounce on Lace from behind. Aleksander¡¯s sword ripped through the air towards Lace¡¯s neck as the gravity magic held the Demon God in ce, allowing me to momentarily back off as Lace was forced to block the strike. Okay¡­ let¡¯s do this. Perugius chose that moment to act, as an instantter, a portal simr to the dragon gate spell appeared behind Lace, his eyes widening as the air shook. And I saw it. The overwhelmingly powerful veil of mana that coated his body, saving him from any fatal strike that could reach him¡­ it wavered. And just like I had said I would, I did not let the moment pass. Leaping forward through the air, I thrust my sword forward, infusing as much touki and mana as I could into the de as I prepared my final strike. But oddly enough¡­ I didn¡¯t even have to use it. I expected Lace to blow the North God away and hastily defend against me, where I would then parry him and morph my strike into my Elemental God style technique that I used to defeat the Water God. But instead¡­ Shlick! Instead¡­ my sword ran right through his chest. Huh? That¡­ seemed much too easy. And Lace¡­ his mana hadpletely disappeared, even the mana surrounding him. Was¡­ was Perugius¡¯ spell stronger than he expected? No¡­ I had a feeling it wasn¡¯t that. My thoughts were interrupted as Lace ced his hand on my shoulder, causing me to look up at the man. His face was set in an incredibly angry frown as he held something in his hand. A¡­ ne? And why was it so full of mana? It was as if Lace had moved all of his mana to that for some reason¡­ ¡°You¡­¡± he spat with fury, his words making me freeze in ce. ¡°Die with me, in thend of my people¡­ human.¡± ¡ª Sylphiette Greyrat ¡ª ¡°Mama Sylphy!¡± Aria said as she ran over to me, pulling Anna along behind her. Putting down my knitting needles, a hobby I had decided to start after Lilia gifted me a set, I looked down to answer the rambunctious child. ¡°What is it, sweetie? And don¡¯t run inside,¡± I lightly chided her. Ever since she learned her first healing spell, that Aria had gotten much too careless, both in and outside the house. ¡°Oh! Okay!¡± Aria said, my request passing in through one ear and out the other. ¡°And my question! Where is Dada? It¡¯s already been a week!¡± She then began showing off her frustration with a pout, an action that made me nearly instinctually reach out to pinch her big, rosy cheeks. But I held myself back. Barely. ¡°Your father is gone to defeat a bad man¡­ but he will be back soon,¡± I said, giving her a small pat on the head. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll get you a present from the Demon Continent on his way back, so be patient for now, okay?¡± ¡°Okay!¡± she cheered. ¡°Oh, and I want a new stuffy!¡± I smiled at her childishness, along with the spark of happiness that Anna showed when I mentioned the word ¡®present¡¯. Honestly, my kids were the cutest. ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯m sure he knows, so for now, you two go y outside and keep yourselves entertained. Ah, but don¡¯t leave the yard,¡± I said, shooing them away as I then remembered exactly who I was telling to keep themselves entertained. ¡°And no trying new spells, youngdy! We don¡¯t want another window broken, do we?¡± ¡°Okay~!¡± Aria replied. And with that, she headed for the door, still pulling the despondent Anna along with her. Willingly, of course. That girl just loved to pretend to be upset. What did Rudeus call her again? A ¡®tsundere¡¯... the same thing as Eris apparently was in her childhood. Yes, I could definitely see that. I used to be quite concerned about Anna¡¯s behaviour, but at this point, it was more endearing than it was worrying, though if she didn¡¯t grow out of it, I might have to do some serious parenting for my daughter. Releasing a sigh, I looked over to my side, to where Roxy was currently staring out the window with a slight frown. ¡°Is something wrong, Roxy?¡± I asked. Her eyes widened for a moment as she looked back at me before she suddenly shook her head with a slightly forced smile. ¡°Not really, it¡¯s just¡­ about Leon¡­ he should probably be fighting by now, right? If it hasn¡¯t finished already¡­¡± she said, turning to look back out the window with worry. ¡°I just hope it all goes well.¡± Right¡­ we were quite concerned when Leon didn¡¯t appear after a few days, but after Ariel used the magic tool to call one of Perugius¡¯ spirits, they exined that it would take a week before the battle began. Still, I could definitely share Roxy¡¯s sentiment, but it wasn¡¯t exactly my ce to be too worried about it. After all, I trusted Leon, and he trusted me to stay here and care for our children. ¡°I think such worries are unnecessary, Roxy,¡± Ariel said from the couch. ¡°Darling can do it. And while his deration might have been simply bravado if he had said it alone, Orsted agreed with the n, so I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything to worry yourself over.¡± That was true. While I trusted my husband immensely, it was reassuring to have someone that actually understood the threat Lace would bring in Orsted. Although¡­ that man was still quite scary. With the magic item he wears, as well as the reassurance of Leon, I no longer instinctually hated the Dragon God, nor did I tremble in fear the few times I met him in person, but it was still ufortable to be in his presence. A powerful curse¡­ I did feel quite bad for him. ¡°Yes, I know that,¡± Roxy said, pouting a bit as she turned to look back at Ariel. ¡°That aside¡­ are you sure it¡¯s fine for you to not be at the kingdom? A queen isn¡¯t meant to bezing around in the northern territories all day, right?¡± Ariel simply smirked. ¡°Thankfully, I have selected a handful of ministers that can do my job in my absence,¡± she said pridefully. ¡°And just so you know, I am notzing around. I simply had to take an urgent trip to Sharia in order to discuss the new magic tools being sent to the capital with the King of Ranoa, the University, and the Magic Tower. How is it my fault if the cab ministers overestimated the time it would take?¡± How sneaky, mydy. Roxy frowned a bit. ¡°Taking such a long vacation¡­ that¡¯s a bit shameful, don¡¯t you think?¡± she said. ¡°No one is getting hurt, so it is fine,¡± Ariel replied, waving her hand. She then leaned back into the couch, looking down at Roana who was ying with her blocks. ¡°Besides¡­ while I am grateful for my position as queen, I do not wish to be apart from my family for too long,¡± she added, a warm smile appearing on her face. She always wore the perfect mask in public, and she had grown to be known as the most beautiful queen in history because of it¡­ but if any of the citizens saw her as she was now¡­ well, who even knows what would happen. As Leon would sometimes joke, perhaps a religion equal to the Millis Church would be born. It was at that moment of silent pondering that Eris walked into the room, her hair still wet from what I could assume was the bath, as she wore one of Leon¡¯s shirts, the clothing barely containing her breasts and her swelling belly. Hmph¡­ I wasn¡¯t sure she was wearing that because it wasfortable, or because she knew how much Leon liked it, or both¡­ but it was a great idea regardless. I would have to remember that for when he came back. Ignoring her state of dress, there were also the two towel-wrapped kids slung over her shoulders that caught my attention. ¡°These two¡¯s baths are done,¡± she said, cing down Ars and Emilia on the couch. ¡°Do you think I should go force Lana and Anna as well? They love getting dirty, right? Those brats.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ I think they¡¯re fine for the moment, but thank you, Eris,¡± I said, smiling slightly. Yeah, thest time Eris decided to take Aria and Anna to the bath, I had the two of them hiding behind me in fear afterwards, so perhaps it would be best to not do that again. Roxy turned to look at Eris, her eyebrows raised in question. ¡°Speaking of being fine for the moment¡­ I¡¯m still surprised that you¡¯re okay with Leon fighting without you,¡± Roxy said. I was as well. Although, that could easily be exined by the sweet words he spoke to her before his departure, as well as how Eris had her own love for this family as well. Or perhaps¡­ perhaps she had matured past the battle-loving girl we had alle to know. ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m still pissed,¡± Eris said, her tongue clicking in frustration. Oh. Well, perhaps I shouldn¡¯t have expected anything else. ¡°But¡­ it doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m gonna run off like an idiot,¡± she said, taking a seat on the couch. Roana, seeing Eris join the family in the living room, moved her attention from the blocks over to her as she began crawling over, quickly reaching Eris before she was picked up and ced on herp. ¡°I know he can win,¡± Eris began, cing a hand on Roana¡¯s head that the little girl tried to shake off. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I wanted to fight with him, like we did in the Demon Continent. I¡­ I still remember being left behind when we first encountered Orsted, and I¡­ I never want to feel that again¡­¡± Ariel, who was sitting beside Eris, ced aforting hand on her shoulder. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t deny anything you said, as I haven¡¯t found myself in such a position ever since we got married, but you must know that Leon would appreciate you birthing a child much more than aiding him in a fight,¡± she said. ¡°So don¡¯t worry¡­ you¡¯re doing your part, Eris.¡± She gave the queen a small nce, before looking back down at Roana. ¡°Yeah, I know¡­ but it¡¯s different for me. Fighting is the only thing I¡¯m better than all of you at, so I feel like I need to use it,¡± she said before her lips spread into a soft smile. ¡°But¡­ well, I guess it isn¡¯t the worse being held down like this.¡± And there she went, back to giving off such a motherly aura as she began to y with Roana. Honestly, I had no clue why she felt so inferior to us in terms of being a mother. Sure, she was harsher than us, stronger than us, and could certainly be scarier than us¡­ but no one could deny her overwhelming love and affection, and the children knew that too. And aside from that affection, and knowing the basics of keeping a child safe¡­ was there anything else that she needed to do to be a good mother? I didn¡¯t think so. With a rxed atmosphere falling onto the room, I couldn¡¯t help but smile as I began to think about¡­ everything. How well everyone got along, especially the four of us women. How happy and healthy the children were growing up to be. The few friends I had begun to gain around the neighbourhood and at Ariel¡¯s side, such as Isolte. It was all like a dream. A beautiful, unimaginably incredible dream. I then looked outside, watching as Anna swung her wooden sword with as much concentration as she could, trying to strike the floating balls of water that Aria had conjured. Was¡­ was that considered training, or ying? Well, either way, I was d they were having fun. We were all having fun, being happy¡­ and that didn¡¯t seem like it would be changing in the future. It was the perfect family. One that I wouldn¡¯t trade for the world. But as nice as this was¡­ there was just one thing missing. Leon. The night¡¯s had been lonely as well, even though Ariel had decided to vent out some of her frustrations on mest night¡­ and even though it had only been a short while, I missed his touch quite a bit. My cheeks began to heat up in embarrassment. Jeez, what was I even thinking? Despite being a grown woman with a child, and having done the deed so many times by now, I still acted like an innocent maiden when it came to my husband. Although¡­ it was Leon¡¯s fault for always making me excited even now. Truly¡­ ¡°I can¡¯t wait until you¡¯re back home,¡± I whispered, looking into the sky to the east. ¡ª Rudeus Greyrat ¡ª The moment Leon ran his sword through Lace¡¯s chest, both Orsted and Perugius, who were beside me, froze in shock. I guess it would be a surprise to anyone to see the once seemingly imprable Demon God be taken down by my brother¡¯s sword, but I had somewhat expected it. Leon was just that incredible, after all. I was about to make ament of praise for my dear brother, but before I could, arge sh erupted across thend, with Leon and Lace at its source. There was no force or wind pressure, just¡­ light. And more importantly, after the sh died down, where there used to be the twobatants locked in an intense battle, there was now¡­ nothing. No Lace, and more worrying, no Leon. What? I quickly activated my demon eye of foresight, pushing it to look a second into the future as I filled it with more mana. Nothing. I pushed it to five seconds. Nothing. Ten. Nothing. Twenty- ¡°Blurgh-!¡± I cut off the flow of mana into my eye as I vomited onto the ground, the numerous blurs and overwhelming amount of information having given me an immense feeling of nausea. I guess even outside ofbat, pushing it that far was asking too much. But still¡­ what the hell happened? Where were they? Did Perugius or someone teleport them? No¡­ he said that thisnd was too unstable for teleportation magic. But then¡­ where were they? Where was Leon? I was beginning to get a bit anxious now. ¡°I¡­ cannot believe it,¡± Orsted said in disbelief, his words causing me to turn and look at him. Taking off his helmet, I was met with a face of absolute shock, an emotion I had seen the Dragon God exhibit a few times by now, but never to this extent. ¡°W-What happened, Orsted?¡± I asked. ¡°He¡­ Lace¡­ he activated the sacred treasure,¡± Orsted said, still stunned. What? The sacred treasure? Like¡­ the sacred treasure this whole battle was essentially for? The one that would help them reach the Man-God? I felt a pit form in my stomach, not helped by the frustration and disappointment that was beginning to creep onto Orsted¡¯s face. ¡°What¡­ what does that mean?¡± I asked. Orsted clenched his teeth as he looked downward. ¡°The treasure¡­ the one Lace held¡­ it is now all but lost,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°I would have never thought Lace would do such a thing, even when pitted against such odds¡­¡± The pit in my stomach was growing heavier by the second, gnawing at me as another wave of nausea began to creep up my throat, this time caused by worry. ¡°I don¡¯t care about that, or the treasure!¡± I shouted, ignoring Ruijerd and the North God as they headed towards us. ¡°What happened to my brother!¡± Orsted let out a frustrated sigh as he looked at me, his face shrouded in a disappointed frown. And also¡­ one of pity. One of loss. Hey¡­ no, don¡¯t tell me- ¡°Your brother, Leon Greyrat¡­¡± he said, his tone hollow yet no less severe. ¡°He¡­ is dead.¡± ¡­ And thus, the battle that finally rid the world of the Demon God Lace had concluded¡­ and with it, marked the day that Leon Anemoi Greyrat, the King of Asura and the Elemental God¡­ left this world. ¡ª End of Arc 7 - Lace ¡ª The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!