Seated on Doombringer's back, Nox, Serena, Nyx, and Nathan flew back in complete silence. They had been like this for some minutes now, and slowly it was starting to get awkward.
'They must be disappointed in me,' Nathan thought, gripping the wyvern's reins tightly as a vein pulsed angrily on his forehead. 'I missed my chance to prove I'm a reliable grandfather, all because that stupid king had to ruin it!'
It was common knowledge that kids like bragging about their parents and felt proud of their achievements as if they had earned them themselves. Nathan wanted to be that source of pride for the kids—someone they could rely on in times of trouble.
But from what happened a few moments ago... he was far from reliable.
'Shameful. Are they now ashamed of me?'
"Grandpa."
While he was lost in his thoughts, Nathan heard Nyx speak. He turned to her, opening his mouth to speak, but the girl beat him to it.
"We perfectly understand the reason for your actions," she said, looking at him with an adorable frown on her indifferent face. "From your expression, I know you wanted to show us how powerful you are—we get it."
"But we're also happy you didn't go against the king mindlessly. That would have escalated the situation to levels we wouldn't want to see. So stop sulking; you did the right thing there."
"Yeah, sister is right. Your old bones wouldn't have lasted against that man anyway. Besides, from what I heard, the king is one of the most powerful mages in the kingdom and even the human continent as a whole," Nox chimed in.
"Yes, Uncle Nathan, Nox and Nyx are right. You did the right thing there," Serena voiced out.
"This... this..." Nathan was left speechless. When did these country bumpkins become this smart? All this while, he had been sulking for no reason when the children perfectly understood the reason for his actions.
A smile spread across Nathan's face without him realizing it. 'Not only do I have a wonderful son and daughter-in-law, but I'm also blessed with the most amazing grandchildren.'
Just as he was basking in his contentment, he sensed an overwhelming wave of killing intent emanating from behind him.
"Of course, this doesn't mean we're letting that scoundrel off the hook," Nox spoke, his dark eyes appearing even darker than usual and his mouth widening into a grin.
Nathan was a bit taken aback by that dark look on his grandson's face.
'Don't tell me this kid inherited his father's personality. If he did...' Nathan gave an unknowing glance to Nyx as he curled his lips up. "Definitely."
Indeed, Nathan was right. Nox had inherited his father's vengeful nature, which was further amplified by the blessing of the Scorpion King in the pantheon of mythical beasts—a lineage notorious for their grudges and thirst for revenge.
If someone harmed them or their close ones, they'd go to the end of the world to hunt them down.
That trait was now inherited by Nox.
***
In the Pantheon of Mythical Beasts.
"Valtor, I have a feeling this blessing of yours will bring more harm than good," Terra absentmindedly said as she spared a glance at the massive scorpion with a hard red carapace and equally terrifying eyes of the same color.
"Only time will tell," Valtor replied, his voice deep and regal. The scary scorpion then smiled. "Knowing my kind, if I were these puny humans, I'd never provoke him."
Though pantheon members cannot interfere directly with human lives, they have the ability to observe events in the world by concentrating their attention on specific areas.
Since the beginning, it was said that this law was set by the All-Father.
Yet, the same All-Father had removed the restriction and given permission to the other gods to descend to the lower world and destroy Gustavo.
'A bunch of hypocrites,' Terra couldn't help but sneer as she thought about that golden-haired man.
***
The Cromwell Manor.
By the time they reached the walled town, it was late, and many of the residents were already fast asleep. However, Aina, Camila, and Celine, the healer, were still awake, gossiping among themselves.
Because they knew the kids were with their grandpa Nathan, they were not worried about the kids' safety, and soon enough, the familiar wyvern appeared above their heads.
As the children disembarked, they exchanged brief greetings with the three women before rushing to their rooms, leaving Serena to stay behind with her mother.
Aina and Camila narrowed their eyes, finding the children's behavior quite strange but didn't comment on it. Little did they know the children had been deliberately told not to say anything by their grandpa Nathan.
"Ladies, I'd love to chat, but this old man needs his sleep. Goodbye," Nathan said, quickly excusing himself.
'Who is he fooling? We all know he doesn't really sleep.' Was the unspoken thought shared by all the women.
Camila then turned to Serena, making the little girl gulp nervously. "Where did you guys go? Why are you all acting so strange?"
"N-no where," Serena stuttered.
"Hmmm, you know I was the one who gave birth to you."
"Yes," Serena replied.
Camila displayed a smile. "Then you should know that it's easy for me to know when you're lying."
****
Inside Nox's room
"Phew, you can come out now!" Nox said, and both Thirteen and Fluffington emerged.
Thirteen looked at him eagerly, barely able to restrain itself from leaping onto him, while Fluffington slowly made his way to the bed and fell asleep with a peaceful expression.
'He looks so cute while sleeping,' Nox thought, gently stroking Thirteen's head. "Do you want to sleep on the bed as well?"
The panda bobbed its head up and down. Although the taming space was very comfortable, Thirteen still preferred to sleep close to Nox... he felt secure that way.
"Suit yourself then. As for me, I still have something to do," Nox thought as a certain message he had put away for quite some time popped out before him.
[Quest completed]
[You have leveled up!]
[Mimicry capacity +1]
[Taming capacity +1]
[You have been rewarded Dimensional Key]
With that last message, a key appeared in Nox's grasp.
The key didn't have any ornate decorations that might hint at its value, but the description that appeared before Nox nearly made his heart jump out of his chest.