— Leon Greyrat —
"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 accept 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 successful 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 our labyrinth 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 the labyrinth.
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 glassware and glasses 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 plants.
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 necklace each, an idea I had ever since I saw the shabby state of their current necklaces.
It was simple, but it should be good to add whatever gems and lockets they wanted to it.
And lastly, 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 glad 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 in comparison 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 they comforted 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 glad.
"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 glad."
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 filled later on, but sometimes not, and they would also both space out at times, looking ahead with a blank 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 relationship, I had refrained from informing my mother about it for… obvious reasons.
But I suppose it would come 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 quite comfortable 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 singular 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 explain 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 blaming 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 blank 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', 'glared' was the proper word for that chilling gaze.
"Paul," she said in a cold tone. "Care to explain 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… explained everything beforehand to all three of us. I am completely 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 glare 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 glad 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, glaring 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 spell lately, 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 according to his map, we'll be stopping in the middle of the damn desert!"
Uhh… how to explain this.
My eyes locked with Rudy and Sara, and seeing them shrug, I decided to come up with an answer myself.
"Well… remember how we got here so fast? It's related to that," I explained. "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 acceptance, 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 explanation.
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't completely 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 it comes.
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 discomfort.
"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 placing her on my lap, 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 glance my way, we continued our journey towards the south of the Begaritt Continent.
— Hitogami —
So there's another saga of Rudeus Greyrat's story complete.
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 not completely 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 was completely invisible, of course, but it was still off-putting to not be able to 'access' 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 Laplace factor, he was still strong, and his application of touki and combat 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 blank 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 moment later, a flash 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 wondered who 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 glanced 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 flashes 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, slamming 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 the last.
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—his 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 in combat.
But that was a tale that would only come to be told in the future.
— End of Arc 4 - We Will Be Reunited —