"Aeolos, what a coincidence!"
As Aeolos stepped out of his yard, a blonde-haired girl with a pair of conspicuous dragon horns on her forehead enthusiastically greeted him.
"Good afternoon, Eddie!" Aeolos smiled warmly, showing his pearly white teeth. The girl was a dragonborn with golden dragon blood, attending the same school but in a different class.
"Shall we walk to school together?"
"Sure!" Although this "coincidence" had been happening ever since this dragonborn girl first met him, Aeolos showed no hint of suspicion.
"What coincidence? You finished eating and rushed here right after! You've been waiting here all afternoon!" A crisp voice interjected, ruthlessly exposing the girl's so-called coincidence.
"You're no different!" Eddie, the dragonborn girl, wasn't embarrassed at all. Instead, she angrily glared at the girl who exposed her. The speaker was a girl with soft silver hair, though her ears were human-like, marking her as a half-elf.
"You show up at Aeolos' door every day like clockwork, pretending it's a coincidence!"
"You!" The half-elf girl's face turned bright red, exposed for trying to act reserved while hoping for a more natural encounter on the road. But she knew that if she tried that, she'd only find Aeolos already surrounded by other girls, leaving her no chance.
"Good afternoon, Oriana." Aeolos spoke up, easing the tension for the half-elf girl. "It's normal for us to leave at the same time and meet on the way."
"Good afternoon, Aeolos!" At that moment, a girl came bouncing along from the distance.
"Hmph!" On the balcony of the second floor, Muria watched as his son, surrounded by a dozen girls, gradually walked off to school. A thoughtful expression crossed his face. "Should I be limiting this? He's not even hit puberty yet, and it's already like this. What's going to happen when he starts middle school?"
"What? Are you thinking of sealing your son's face now?" Mikaela stood beside Muria, her feelings equally complicated. Having a son popular with girls was, of course, a good thing, but at this age, it seemed a bit too early. Still, she didn't know how to handle it, as nothing like this ever happened among the Seraphim.
"Of course not. I would never intentionally make Aeolos ugly!" Muria shook his head, his face showing a trace of frustration. "It's all our fault. We both possess extraordinary looks, and Aeolos, having inherited our appearance, naturally attracts this much attention. If I hadn't sealed his bloodline power, his charm would be even more overwhelming."
"…"
"This kid… really…" Muria opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but stopped himself. He couldn't admit to envying his own son for all the attention he was getting; that would be asking for trouble.
"What were you going to say?" Mikaela looked at Muria, sensing that he wanted to express something.
"Uh, nothing!" Muria cleared his throat and then looked at Mikaela. "Aeolos is already in fifth grade now. Once he finishes elementary and middle school, it'll be time for him to leave this city and go to high school elsewhere."
"Mhm."
"By then, he'll have to leave us."
"Can't you just decide to have him stay in this city for high school?"
"No, that won't do. By that time, he needs to step out of this city and explore other places." Muria explained. Holy Flame City was his son's safe development zone, but after graduating from middle school, Aeolos would have completed his first phase of growth. It would be time for him to explore the labyrinths in other locations.
"Mhm."
"So, by then, it'll just be the two of us, all alone…"
"What are you trying to say? Stop beating around the bush."
"Mika, I want to raise a daughter!"
"We can't have more children."
"That's okay, look!" Muria stretched out his hand toward Mikaela. Three sparkling droplets, glowing with multicolored light, hovered in his palm.
"Did they give those to you?" Mikaela didn't need to guess the origin of these droplets of source power.
"Yes, they all think that having just one son is far too few! And I happen to agree."
"So, you want to use source power to have another daughter?" Mikaela asked, puzzled. "But there's too much source power here, isn't there? You don't need that much."
"Not just one daughter—three! I want us to have triplet daughters!" Muria smiled as he spoke.
Boom—
"What's going on? An earthquake?" Just as Aeolos arrived at school, surrounded by a group of pretty girls and watched enviously by his male classmates, the ground beneath him trembled slightly. He looked around in confusion.
However, the city soon returned to calm. Shortly after, a notification was broadcast throughout the city, explaining that the minor earthquake was caused by a ground dragon that had emerged beneath Holy Flame City. The dragon had since been driven off, so there was no need to worry about another tremor.
Seven thousand meters underground in Holy Flame City, Muria lay in a pool of magma, his face marked with a fresh fist imprint. Only his head was above the surface, and he sucked in air through clenched teeth, his expression one of helplessness. "If you don't like the idea, just say so. Why resort to violence? We've been married for so long. Can't we talk things through?"
...
A year later
"Ever since the Holy Flame Labyrinth was discovered, the city's been swarming with more and more outsiders!" Aeolos observed the people on the street as he walked home after school, greeting each familiar face. He had lived here since he started elementary school and knew every resident along his route.
But now, after the massive underground labyrinth was discovered a year ago near the city, a flood of adventurers had started pouring in. The city was becoming filled with strangers.
These adventurers, each exuding different auras of blood and power, reshaped Aeolos' understanding of the outside world. He had thought the people beyond Holy Flame City were as friendly as the familiar uncles and aunts on his way to school, but reality proved otherwise.
"What a powerful adventurer!" Aeolos spotted a robust knight clad in heavy armor riding a massive tiger-like beast. The knight had a large scar running across his face, giving him a fierce appearance.
"Hm?" Kurt, who had just entered the city, noticed Aeolos staring at him. He turned his head toward the boy, but when he spotted the girls around Aeolos, a malicious grin spread across his face. "What're you staring at, kid?"
"Nothing," Aeolos replied calmly. The moment Kurt looked at him, Aeolos felt like a bloodthirsty tiger was roaring at him, but instead of being intimidated, he stepped forward, shielding the frightened girls behind him. "I just thought you looked strong."
"Oh!" The fact that this little kid wasn't scared of him twisted Kurt's grin even further. "You've got guts, kid, trying to play the hero at such a young age. But do you know what it costs to be a hero?"
With that, Kurt urged his mount forward, approaching Aeolos. He enjoyed scaring little kids, but what really irked him was that this boy showed no fear.
"Hey, what's the big deal? Picking on a child?" A rough voice suddenly called out, catching Kurt's attention.
"Uncle Bud!" Aeolos cried out as he spotted a middle-aged man emerging from a butcher shop, holding a butcher's knife. He wore a dirty apron, and a cigarette dangled from his mouth.
"Little Aeolos, take those girls and head on home. Let me handle the rest!" The butcher named Bud smiled. A silent aura of courage radiated from him, dispelling the fear that had gripped the group of girls behind Aeolos.
"But…"
"Go on, I can take care of this."
"Hmph, and who do you think you are? Who gave you the nerve to interrupt my fun?" Kurt glared at the butcher, and the tiger under him let out a menacing growl aimed at the seemingly pudgy man.
"Me? Just an ordinary butcher from Holy Flame City," Bud replied calmly, puffing on his cigarette as he approached the fierce-looking adventurer. "But I'd like to know, who gave you the nerve to try and scare my daughter?"
"You dare talk to me like that? You must have a death wish!" Kurt gripped the hilt of his sword, bloodlust emanating from him as a visible aura of killing intent surged toward Bud. He had realized this butcher wasn't as ordinary as he seemed.
"Hah, you like using killing intent to suppress people, huh? With that pitiful amount of bloodlust, are you trying to make me laugh?" Bud showed no reaction to Kurt's overwhelming aura. Once Aeolos and the girls had safely left the street, a thick, blackish-red aura began seeping from Bud's body. It quickly overwhelmed Kurt's bloodlust and surged toward him, engulfing him entirely...
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