Nathan had been scouting the entire area where Doombringer had last spotted the kids, but he had failed to find them. He even ventured deeper into the forest, but when he still couldn't locate them, he started to get worried.
Fortunately, just then, he chanced upon the pale silver portal, and his eyes shot wide open.
"A dimensional rift! Heavens, and it's very close to my territory!" Nathan exclaimed, shocked.
Dimensional rifts were random; they could pop up anywhere. Nobody knew how they worked, but they were certain of one thing: if the rift appeared in your territory, as long as you didn't kill the dimensional boss/Gatekeeper, you'd be golden and filthy rich for decades, if not an entire lifetime, as long as the dimension existed.
Humans knew of six levels of dimensional rifts, each marked by a different color. Although pale silver was the lowest tier, the resources within could make a small town wealthy overnight.
"This is also the reason the Royal capital and the Royal family flourish so much. They were fortunate to be blessed with countless of these dimensional rifts, and finally, one appeared in my territory as well."
Technically, the dimensional rift appeared in the Luminary Forest, which was surrounded by several towns. However, this specific area could be considered part of the Cromwell Barony.
For a split second, Nathan envisioned the prosperous future awaiting his barony and its people, momentarily forgetting about the kids—something he quickly reprimanded himself for before thinking more clearly.
"If I were the kids, at their age, and stumbled upon this portal, what would I do?" He stroked his chin and then noticed the ripples on the rift's silver surface.
There were people inside, and if his guess was correct, it was the kids.
Before he could enter the rift, he saw them—all safe. A deep sigh of relief escaped his mouth, but looking at their horrified faces, Nathan knew something was wrong.
Then, something bumped into him a moment later.
"I was wondering where you little twerps had been... who would have thought you'd be inside a dimensional rift of all places, and... who is this weird-looking fellow?" Nathan eyed the braided man suspiciously.
"Grandpa!"
The three children exclaimed at once upon seeing the familiar bony figure. They had never been so happy to see him; tears of joy welled in Serena's eyes. Thirteen was a bit perplexed about the whole situation, but he too felt the love his father had for this bony man, so like the rest, he ran up to hug him.
"The kids are fine, but why is a panda hugging me too?" Nathan asked, looking down at Thirteen with a strange expression. Despite the creature's cute and fluffy appearance, it was still a beast.
As he pondered, things clicked into place when he remembered Nox's class.
The children didn't say anything for a full moment and just hugged their grandpa. The braided man had been so intimidating, practically emitting killing intent that screamed he would murder them. Right now, they seemed to forget he was still there because they felt safe in their grandpa's presence.
"Shit! Not him. Fuck!" Unlike the kids, Kron didn't feel safe at all. His entire being trembled as he looked up at the bony man. Why wouldn't he be scared? This man was Nathan Cromwell, the Mad of the West. He was a being well-respected throughout the western region and by the nobles in the capital.
The reason for the respect? It was because of his strength!
He was not a warrior, but a mage. During the great war 50 years ago, survivors told tales of how he snapped enemy spines with his bare hands and single-handedly carved through enemy lines like a scythe through wheat, all with a maniacal smile and eyes filled with darkness and mirth.
To his friends, he was the perfect protector, but to his enemies, he was a pure demon! Human life meant nothing to him.
Among the high-ranking individuals of the Vermilion Kingdom, there was a common saying: 'May the gods have mercy on your soul, for Nathan Cromwell's wrath knows no bounds.'
'I'm finished, how do I escape from here? I idolize this man because of the war, but that doesn't mean I like him,' Kron thought, his eyes widening even more as he realized something.
'Did I hear right, or did this kid call him grandpa?'
"Who is this fellow?" Nathan asked again, his beady eyes sweeping over Kron. Kron swallowed hard, the sound of his gulp audible.
"He tried to kill us!" Nox didn't hesitate to spill the beans despite Kron pleading with him using his eyes.
"He tried to kill my grandkids?" Nathan repeated calmly, but looking into his eyes, one could see flickering orbs of fire. The air grew heavier, reaching a point where it was suffocating for Kron to breathe.
"How dare you!"
Facing the full wrath of Nathan's anger, Kron had a sickening feeling in his stomach. He felt so small and insignificant. With great difficulty, he opened his mouth.
"You can't kill me," he stammered, his voice barely audible over the pounding of his chest.
"I can't kill you? Hahahahaha. Of course, I'll take you back to my barony and torture you for the rest of your life by shoving a hot rod down your backside and..."
At this point, Nox, feeling older in this situation, covered Serena and Nyx's ears. He resisted the urge to scream at his grandpa to end it by having Doombringer eat the man. Why was he wasting time? Was he savoring the anger?
"But first, let me do this!" Nathan said as he fired a bolt of condensed flame from his fingertip.
"W-wait!" Kron shouted, raising something, but it was too late. The flame bolt had already passed through his left shoulder. He grunted in pain, beginning to regret his decision to kill the kids. Luckily, he had something with him.
"I have the king's seal with me! If you kill me, you'll become a traitor!" Kron shouted, holding up the round shield for Nathan to see.
That seemed to work. The older man paused to analyze it, and indeed, it was the king's royal seal.
Nathan clenched his fist, seething with rage. The seal was given only to trusted members of the king's cabinet. He wasn't on good terms with the king already. If he killed this man, the king would use the opportunity to make things difficult in his territory.
Though he loved the kids and wanted revenge, he had to be pragmatic and see the bigger picture.
Nox understood this too and clenched his fists. It seemed in this world, just like on Earth, there were those who made the rules and bent them to their favor. Kron should be hanged for attempting to take the children's lives, but here he was, protected by the so-called king.
"What is your name?" Nathan asked calmly.
"Kron Maximus." Kron hid a grin. He felt confident giving his real name because, with the personal seal from the duke, he was practically invincible. That was until he heard what the man said.
"I have a favor from the king I haven't cashed in yet... It seems I'll be cashing it in very soon," Nathan stated. "You're free to go, but let me warn you, always watch your back... At least that way, you'll see your killer."
Struggling to his feet, Kron fled in the opposite direction of Cromwell Barony, but he couldn't stop thinking about Nathan's bone-chilling words.
Finally, he arrived at the barony and rushed to see the duke, a man seated behind a paper door. Kron could see only the outline of his massive figure, not his actual face.
Standing beside the paper wall was a white-haired boy around 10 to 13 years old. With a face that seemed sculpted by the gods, he was inhumanly beautiful, with cat-like white eyes. He stared into the distance with a stoic expression, not even acknowledging Kron as he entered.
"My Lord," Kron said, kneeling before the Duke of the Western Region. "The dimensional rift is real... b-but there's a problem... it's in that madman's territory."
"Hah! Hahahahaha." A cold, mirthless chuckle that was very unpleasant to hear came from the duke. "His territory? Or do you mean my territory? As the Duke of the West, isn't it natural for all these lands to belong to me? And that includes the Luminary Forest... even the Cromwell Barony is no exception."
"This reminds me," The duke voice turned serious. "Prepare to leave. It's high time we start showing all these people who is the big fish around here."
"Finally, it will begin," the white-haired youth commented, a smile appearing on his face.
***
AN: Another Chapter coming few hours from now, if we hit 20 Golden Tickets before the months end there would be a bonus Chapter!