— Leon Greyrat —
"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 place 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. The largest city on the Millis Continent and the centre of the Millis faith.
Calling it a 'beautiful place' 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 a large lake, 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 the lake that was connected to another floating ring through a variety of bridges, which were then connected to the central palace that floated in the lake'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 a large 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 place where Mama was born and raised, as well as the place 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 place 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 village 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 until later 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 place will have something you both like."
The two nodded their heads before suddenly staring at each other with a slight glare.
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 a laugh.
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, completely 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 exclaimed, 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 a complaint.
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 become more forward ever since my confession of love, but I was still quite stunned at the exclamation.
"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 my compliment.
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.
— Leon Greyrat —
Having entered the large city through the south, where the Adventurer's District and accompanying guild were located, we immediately began looking for some accommodations in the guild building.
It was… big, to say the least.
With a silver, glowing exterior and a main lobby that was larger than the main banquet hall back in Roa, it was more akin to a palace 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 planning to continue to the Begaritt Continent if we found Paul, I was still planning 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 the largest 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 village, I guess I couldn't completely 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 blacksmiths until finally… I found him.
Peeking inside a shabby-looking bar, I had initially glanced over the collection of people and was planning 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 playful body language, 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 blank face stared forward at the wall. His listless form remained motionless, only interrupted when he took a large 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 me later!" 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 to comfort 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 him later.
"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?"
— Leon Greyrat —
"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 slammed 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 explains 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 explain, Father," I nodded. "First… well, I guess I should start by where we got teleported… The Demon Continent."
— Leon Greyrat —
"-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 relatively enjoyable time as adventurers to the smuggling and consequent stay at the Doldia village. 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 village… So what was with this guy?
Eventually, Paul responded, "So… you kept your sisters safe and had a fun adventure with your little lady 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 that laugh.
"…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 glaring 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 place 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 near lack 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 glare 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 by lashing 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 flared 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 glared 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."
Glancing at the entrance, I noticed that she had her hand extended, a lance of ice floating in front of her, ready to fire.
I didn't even hear her chant.
…I'll have to praise her later.
"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 also completely blank.
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-in-law 'nothing'."
As Eris turned rigid from shock, likely from me calling her Paul's future daughter-in-law, 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.