— Leon Anemoi Greyrat —
"Finally… we're back," I said, looking around at the familiar basement. "It's only been a day, but it feels like so much longer…"
I then looked over to Orsted, who was already heading towards the staircase.
Probably best, considering how everyone was still put off by his curse, even if they could tolerate him.
"Orsted… before you go, do we need to worry about any more apostles?" I asked, causing him to pause.
Because for now, at least until Shizuka and Roxy finished their seal, I wanted to relax as much as possible.
"I doubt it… while I am uncertain about the specifics, the Man-God does take a strain when he is forced to switch his apostles. It is why I didn't simply capture his apostles in the past, but instead killed them," he said, turning back to the stairs. "But rest assured. With all the sacred treasures gathered, I will do my utmost to protect your family from any possible conflict until everything is prepared. When you have allowed me to get so far… it is the least that I can do."
As the rest of the group that had come to Sharia began making their way towards the stairs, I went over to the side to drop off my bag of goods, the metal dropping with a clang in the corner of the basement.
As for what the metal was… well, it was the remains of the golden armour of the Fighting God.
It wasn't useful any longer after being split apart, and I wasn't planning on using it, but it was still an extremely strong material, so it might be useful for something in the future.
Hell, with material like that, a skilled blacksmith could probably create another line of multiple swords like Yulian Jalisco did with the remains of the King of Dragons, Kajakut.
Following everyone else up the stairs, I heard the rambunctious noise of all the kids as they came into a view a moment later, all of them running up to greet their mothers as Sylphy instantly reached down to pick up Evelyn.
And as for Orsted… I guess he had already left out the back door.
Anyway, the kids weren't the only ones in the living room, as everyone had been apparently waiting for our return, with Ariel, my mother, Lilia, and Doga in there with them.
Ah… poor guy, his head was nearly reaching the ceiling.
Looking at the North Emperor, who Isolte was going up to greet, I was reminded of the North God, who had decided to remain in the Strife Zone to wander the land for a while after defeating his father.
He had said he had killed his father, but he didn't look any worse for wear… actually, wasn't his father immortal?
If so, how did he kill him?
Maybe it cancelled out when two of their bloodlines were fighting?
I wasn't sure… but I guess it doesn't really matter as long as he was out of the equation, and seeing as Orsted wasn't worried about it, I didn't need to either.
Anyway, aside from him and Elinalise, who had already returned to Millishion to reunite with Cliff, everyone else had come with us back to Sharia.
Including someone I didn't expect to…
Walking past my father who had gone over to embrace Mama and Lilia, as well as Rudy and Sara who were leaving, likely to head to their house, I went over to Ruijerd, who was overlooking the scene with a soft smile.
…Odd.
I would have thought that he would head back to his people now along with the Ogre God, who would be making his way back on foot.
"Welcome home, darling," Ariel said as she sauntered up to me, immediately wrapping her arms around me in a hug as she buried her face within my chest. "I can assume everything went well?"
"Yeah," I replied, leaning down to kiss her head. "But still… why are all the kids with their mothers?"
Looking over once again, I felt my mood drop a bit.
Not even one hug for Dada? Really?
"Hehe. Well, such is the detriment of being so strong. They weren't nearly as worried about you as they were for those three, so it's obvious that they would be happier and more relieved to see them return safe and sound," Ariel said, looking up at me with a warm smile. "But do not worry. Your lovely wife is here to give you all the affection you could need."
"Right… thanks, Ariel," I said, smiling as well as I squeezed her tighter.
With her still wrapped in my arms, I then looked over to Ruijerd, who had remained at the side of the room.
"Ruijerd… I've been meaning to ask, but just why did you come with us?" I asked, causing him to look over at me. "Not that I mind… but I assumed that you would want to return to your tribe."
He nodded his head slowly in thought.
"For the moment… I will be staying in this city for a while," he said before looking back at the family. "I can trust my people to survive, and that the Ogre God will fulfill his promise to help them, so I decided to do some things to plan ahead and prepare for my people's return to the wider world…"
I raised my brow in question.
What did he mean by that?
"You see, there are a few bright kids that have been born during my time away, and I want them to enrol at the university… both for their own sakes, and that of our people's reputation," he continued, having apparently noticed my confusion. "Of course, our reputation, while slowly recovering, is still damaged, so it wouldn't be so simple… but I hope that I can strike a deal with the Principle, and perhaps use my skills to compensate for any unease he may have… and for now, I want to do this myself, so I do not wish for your aid in this matter."
Shooting me down before I could even say anything… with Roxy being one of the best teachers there, it would surely make things smoother, but if it was what he wanted…
"Alright… but if it doesn't work out as you planned, then don't hesitate to ask for my help. It's no use putting your pride over your people," I replied.
"Of course… I have long since learned that lesson," he said with a smile. "I simply do not want to rely on you too much… especially when this should be a time for your own relaxation."
Hmm… I guess that was fine.
The three of us remained standing by the wall in silence for a few seconds, before Ghislaine eventually walked over, having apparently finished talking to Paul and my mother.
But, oddly enough, instead of immediately taking her leave, she remained standing in front of us, her and Ruijerd both staring at each other for a few moments in complete silence.
Huh?
What was this?
I noticed Ghislaine's tail flick to the side as Ruijerd straightened his back, the two's faces remaining stoic throughout the interaction before Ghislaine eventually broke the silence.
"I will now take my leave to allow the family to reunite… but I wish to talk to you later," she said, narrowing her eye.
"Understood," Ruijerd said.
"Then… I will go now," she said, turning towards the doorway as she sent a nod my way, a small smile on her face. "And Leon, thank you for allowing me to join such an exciting battle before my age began to be a concern."
"U-Uhh… no problem… actually, I should be the one thanking you," I said, a bit confused.
What exactly was going on here?
As Ghislaine closed the front door behind her, I was able to snap out of my momentary daze, looking over at Ruijerd as I remembered the slight issue about him remaining in Sharia.
"Ruijerd… unfortunately, we don't have any space for you to stay over with all the kids… but I can give you some money for an inn" I said.
"No need," he refused, shaking his head. "I have more than enough saved over our years of adventuring, and as I do not wish to impose on you any further… I will also be taking my leave."
And with that, he went out the same way as Ghislaine, leaving me standing with Ariel still in my arms.
"That… is quite surprising," Ariel said, causing me to look down at her. "Those two… hmm…"
"Hm? What do you mean?" I asked.
"Hmm… it's nothing… absolutely nothing," she replied, leaning up to kiss me, the feeling of her tongue tracing across mine causing a slight heat to radiate in my core.
Mmm… did she have some fruit earlier?
She tasted delicious, and I wanted some more.
Our lips separated as a small string of saliva stretched between us, only for Ariel to cut it off with her finger and pressing it against my nose.
"Anyway, now that I've welcomed you back, I think you should go greet the kids now," she said, releasing her hug.
"But what if I wanted to keep holding you?" I asked, doing the same.
"You can do that all night, darling," she said, reaching up to my ear as she gently bit my lobe. "To celebrate having collected all of those treasures… all five of us can."
Ah… now she got me all excited.
But first… I should go greet my kids and quickly put them to bed.
Not for any particular reason, of course.
— Leon Anemoi Greyrat —
It was the day after our return from the Strife Zone, and while Ruijerd had gotten a room at the inn, if he was going to be here for the long-term, he should definitely have a place to call his own.
Hence, why I was heading over to where he was, so I could introduce him to the real estate office.
With the birds chirping, and snow crunching beneath my feet, I didn't have to walk far in order to reach his place.
Walking up the stairs towards the second room on the left, just as the innkeeper had told me where to find him, I briefly thought over what had happened yesterday.
Not the exciting night me and my wives had enjoyed, although it was quite amazing… but rather about that odd interaction between the two warriors.
Honestly, I had a feeling that Ariel had sensed something, but just what-
My thoughts came to a halt as I noticed someone exit a room.
A familiar someone… and the room being the one I was just about to go to…
"Leon? What are you doing here?" Ghislaine asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Uhh… what am I…? No, what are you doing here?" I returned.
The hell…?
"Hmm… nothing in particular. It was an enjoyable night, however," she said, a satisfied smile on her face. "Regardless, I have been asked to guard a group of kids for their adventuring class, so I can't stay here long. It was nice to see you."
An… enjoyable night?
"Y-Yeah… nice to see you too…" I muttered dumbly as she walked past, her steps seemingly lighter than usual.
What. The. Fuck.
"Hm? Ah, so it's you," Ruijerd said, walking out of his room as well, as my head slowly creaked over to look at him.
Ghislaine. Ruijerd. Inn. Room. Morning.
No… that's impossible…
"Hm? Ah, you're wondering about Miss Ghislaine and me," Ruijerd said, closing his eyes as he nodded his head.
Wait, did I say that out loud? Or was it just my confusion on my face?
"I suppose I should tell you, as we don't intent to keep it a secret… but nothing is confirmed just yet," he continued, placing a hand on his chin. "Essentially, last night, we both had a talk, and that eventually led to the two of us sharing a night with each other. And as for the future… well, it is very likely that we will enter a relationship."
…
…..
"What!?" I shouted, my eyes widening into saucers. "How!? Why!?"
Ignoring how weird his business-like, nonchalant tone was when considering the circumstances, just how the fuck did that happen!?
I know that Ghislaine wasn't completely uninterested in sex from the many times my idiot father drunkenly babbled about their past, but this!?
To say I was confused was an understatement.
A giant fucking understatement.
"Hmm… well, Miss Ghislaine is getting older and will nearly be unable to bear children, and she told me that after watching both Eris and Julian grow up, she wishes to have a child as well. Since I am both strong, and we worked well together on the battlefield, she asked for me to be her partner," he said, a small smile forming on his face. "Incidentally, such reasons are those that my people value in finding a partner… so it is a mutually beneficial agreement."
I continued looking at him like I was an idiot.
Okay… Ghislaine wanted kids… and knowing that woman, she definitely wasn't one for mulling about once putting her mind to things, so her searching someone out wasn't completely out of the reason of possibility… but Ruijerd?
"But… you've already had a family… isn't it a bit… difficult? Especially to decide in only one night…" I asked, pressing a palm to my forehead.
I mean, with everything that had happened with his previous family, I would have expected there to be some trauma there, or at least some worry.
But he seemed to be… just fine.
"Mmm… you are right that it certainly complicates things… but I have already let go of my guilt of the past enough to move on," he said, looking down at his hand as it slowly closed into a tight fist. "And selfishly… I want another chance… and I want to do better this time."
Ah… so he wants another chance… and Ghislaine wants a child… so, naturally, they would get together…
Yeah… that made sense… definitely made sense…
"We can talk about this later, if you wish, but for now, I am going to the university to meet the principle," he said, patting me on the shoulder as he passed by. "Incidentally, it is Miss Ghislaine that gave me a chance for an introduction, so perhaps I should thank her later tonight. Now, I'll be off."
And with the sound of wooden stairs creaking behind me, I was left alone in the hallway, my mind slowly going over the turn of events that I had just been privy to.
Ruijerd… Ghislaine… the fuck?
— Leon Anemoi Greyrat —
Three months have passed since the battle against the Man-God's apostles, meaning we had moved into a new year, and in that time, a… couple things of note had happened.
First, Ghislaine and Ruijerd… actually became a couple, and were planning on finding a place as well.
And no… I still didn't fully understand what had happened, but now, I could somewhat see it… even if their relationship seemed to lack the usual romance that you would expect from marriage.
But other than that, there was also Rudeus' oldest son, Seighart's, fifth birthday.
And, of course, being a member of the Greyrat family, after the celebrations and gifts, he was given a training sword as he was expected to learn the basics of swordsmanship as part of his early education.
Only… for him to throw it on the ground the moment said sword was given to him.
Apparently, he hated the sword quite a bit as, according to him, too many of his family members were already skilled at it, so he wouldn't feel 'unique' once he trained in it.
And that was what led to him asking Ruijerd to train him in the spear instead, to which he easily accepted.
So… that was how this situation came about.
"Hold it straight, Sieghart. A spear's greatest strength is in its reach, so you must always make use of it," Ruijerd instructed.
"O-Okay! But… it's hard!" Sieghart replied, sweat pouring down his brow.
"That means you are getting stronger. Continue holding that position," Ruijerd said.
I watched as the little boy struggled to keep the practice spear tip straight, his hands shaking under the weight of the weapon, as well as the sandbag tied to the tip of it.
Poor kid… but, I guess he did kind of ask for it.
But either way, he was Ruijerd's pupil, not mine, and I had my two daughters to give some lessons to first.
"Alright, Anna. Show me your stance again," I said, looking down at the girl standing in front of me as she nodded her head.
Raising her blade into the air, I watched as she held it firm and with focus, the tip completely still as she slowly raised it over her head.
Good.
"Now… do you feel it? That warmth… like the energy from when you use magic… it should feel like that warmth, but harder to control," I asked, kneeling down beside her as her eyes narrowed in concentration.
She nodded her head as her face twisted in frustration.
"I… can feel it, but… it's annoying. It doesn't listen to me," she said, a scowl forming on her face. "It's stupid."
"Right. It's really stupid, but only my cute, genius daughter could master such a stupid thing, so keep trying," I said, picking up a stick from the ground.
A ghost of a beaming smile formed on her face, only to be immediately wiped away a moment as she continued staring forward, completely focused.
And the touki that was brimming from inside her core… it began to flare out, spreading across her body like a drop of dye diffusing into water.
That's my girl.
To be able to do that… she was nearing the Intermediate rank by now, and once she could completely control it, she could be considered an Advanced rank swordswoman.
"Okay… hold it just like that. Keep that energy flowing, and then swing down," I said, holding the stick in front of her as I coated it in touki.
And that she did, striking down on my stick with all her might as a crack echoed from between us.
"Whoa…" she muttered in amazement, her eyes wide as her touki quickly dissipated from her body. "I… felt much stronger…"
"Yeah. That was touki that you used just now, and that was only in your body," I replied, standing back up. "But once you get better at controlling it, you can make that power do your bidding, even putting it into weapons and moulding it into techniques… and by then, you'll be able to do something like this!"
I then lashed out with the stick, launching a wave of touki that rippled through the air, heading right for the tree in the backyard as it snipped off the edge of a branch.
Ah… I forgot that was Sylphy's favourite tree… but she wouldn't mind such a small edge of a branch, right?
"There… how was that?" I asked, a confident smile on my face as I looked back at my daughter.
Her face that was lit with excitement immediately calmed as our eyes met, her gaze instantly darting to the side as she crossed her arms.
"It… was okay."
…
Haa… truly, what a cute, yet very difficult girl.
"Well, if you want to get that level, you have to start controlling it… so set your stance again," I instructed as she got ready, her sword held in front of her once more. "Now, focus just like you were before, but this time, when the heat is spreading through your body, try to force it into your sword. I'll be watching, so keep trying until you get too tired. And no swinging."
With her giving me a nod of acceptance, I then looked over to Aria, who was waiting by the edge of the patch of cleared snow, her lips spread wide in a smile as she watched us.
"Alright, Aria, it's your turn now," I said, causing her to enthusiastically skip towards me.
"Dada! What am I learning today?" she asked, flicking out her wand as she summoned a ball of water to dance around her.
"We're doing some more science," I replied, tapping my foot against the ground to raise a pair of seats from the dirt.
With both of us sitting down, she then assumed her 'thinking pose', which amounted to narrowing her eyes and grabbing her chin with her hand.
Honestly, if I didn't know my daughter any better, I would think she was playing around when she did ridiculous stuff like this.
But that part of her just made her cuter.
"Alright, your water magic is getting better, so I think it's about time we expand on that some more… you know how you make ice, right?" I asked, forming a small icicle between us.
"You… make it colder," she said, her serious tone dropping as she tilted her head in confusion. "Dada, did you forget?"
"No… I was asking to make sure you were on the same page," I replied. "But anyway, going off of that… what does 'making it colder' mean?"
"You… take heat away? Heat can move, but cold can't," she said, reciting one of my previous lessons.
"Perfect. But what is heat? And what does it do to make things hot, and the absence of it make things cold?" I asked.
Her eyebrows furrowed, her other hand reaching up to play with her braided hair as she tapped her chin.
So, just like I had expected, we were this far along her understanding.
No matter, this was simply part of the learning process, making the complicated foundations simple while she understood the basic principles before we expanded on it… which I was hoping to begin doing today.
It was important for her to learn the basics of science, and how it affects magic and the world around us now, before she ended up with some engrained misconceptions based on the simplicity of this world.
Such practical thinking was how one could truly master magic to their will, and it also allowed for more creativity once you understood the properties of the effects you wanted to generate.
Because as good as powerful magic was, in combat, the commonly used ranks were quite useless.
For instance, a mix of wind blades, a veil of mist to hide the attacks, and a spell to disable the ground beneath your opponent was much stronger than many Saint rank spells, and those could all be learned at the Beginner rank.
"Listen, Aria. Heat is one of the most important forms of energy. It allows things to change into liquid, and later into gas, because the energy helps the molecules break apart," I explained.
"Oh… like getting a snack before a run!" she exclaimed.
"Yes… like a snack before a run," I said.
A bit of an oversimplification, but that was enough for the moment, considering her age.
"Anyway, that's just making things change states, but as for how heat makes things warm… how do you think it does that?" I asked.
Her lip trembled in thought.
Okay, I don't want to frustrate her too much, so let's give her a hint.
"Aria. What happens when you have too much sugar before bed?" I asked.
"I… don't want to sleep?" she said, tilting her head in confusion.
"Right… but what else do you want to do?" I asked.
Her eyes shined.
"I wanna move around!" she exclaimed, waving her arms excitedly.
"That's exactly it, Aria. And the little molecules want to do that too when they're given energy in the form of heat," I said, vibrating the icicle over my hand as it slowly began melting into water. "Excited molecules want to move around, and that is how the energy from heat makes things hot. And when molecules don't have heat, they slow down, which makes things cold… do you understand?"
She nodded her head with a wide smile on her face.
Right… it was because she knew what came after a lecture in our lessons.
"Okay, then show me. Change a ball of water into vapour by heating it up, and use the image of the molecules jiggling very fast while doing so," I asked, my own ball of water dropping to the ground as I activated my demon eye, focusing on her mana.
Ah… and that girl over there…
"Anna," I said, shooting a bullet of dirt that impacted her sword a moment later, causing it to fling to the side. "Move your touki into and around the sword's blade, not just the hilt."
"Grr… got it, Papa," she replied, readying her stance once again.
Honestly, these kids… well, I couldn't even complain if I tried.
After all, I really loved teaching them and watching them grow right in front of my eyes, even if it was a bit tough to get some concepts into their heads.
"Keep going, Aria," I said, a smile forming on my face. "If you do well, we can have some cake tonight."
Her eyes lit up as her ball of water instantly dissipated into a cloud of vapour.
Well… at least it was nice to know that she was taking my teachings into practice… even if she needed some extra motivation to do so.
"Alright… let's do it again," I said.