It was night at the residence of the Beast God, and even so, the atmosphere was still lively. Of course, with eight children of different ages, that was inevitable.
In the courtyard of the great tree house, Perseus—Ghislaine's eldest son—and Harris and Hubert, Eris's youngest twins, were training. The one guiding them was Ghislaine.
For better or worse, Perseus's explosive, warrior-like personality had completely captivated the two boys. They looked up to their older brother as an example—and as a goal to be reached.
In truth, this ended up being very good for Perseus himself.
He had always been extremely imperious and aggressive, but being seen as an older brother made him want to appear more reliable and mature… even if, in practice, he hadn't improved all that much.
Eris's twins, despite being only three years old, already showed great aptitude for hand-to-hand combat.
And although they had not been born with the Laplace Factor like their older siblings, they were still strong for carrying the blood of the Beast Race.
The two red-haired boys were inseparable, always together. Because of that, it became a common sight to see Perseus walking around followed by two little redheads.
At that moment, under Ghislaine's supervision, the two younger ones attacked their brother simultaneously, trying their best to apply what they had learned in combat.
But in the end, they were still just small children.
Perseus dodged and counterattacked with ease, actually trying to make things easier for his brothers.
He kicked Hubert's fist, disarming him with ease and making him fall, sitting on the ground.
Ghislaine's voice sounded attentive:
"Hubert, don't let go of your sword. If you want to follow the Sword God Style, your sword is your heart. You must always hold it, no matter the obstacle."
Still on the ground, Hubert looked at the sword that had flown from his hand. After hearing his mother's words, he sprang up with a spin, grabbed the weapon, and charged forward with inexhaustible energy.
"Haaaah!"
Perseus smiled.
"Hehe! Come on, you brats!"
Technically, that should have been recess time—the moment when they were free to play or have fun outside of lessons.
But, well… that was how Harris and Hubert most liked to have fun.
And Perseus was more than happy to help them with their training.
In fact, before the arrival of those two brats, he was almost always the only one who remained active even during recess. That left him a bit lonely.
Now, however, he felt excited and expectant about the growth of his younger brothers.
-
While they were fighting outside, inside the house Verdia was in the kitchen, cooking while following a recipe written on a piece of paper.
She kept her hair tied up in a bun and even wore an apron.
Rygar was sitting in an armchair with two of his children, Aurora and Hamish.
Despite both being Verdia's children, the two were very different from each other.
Aurora was mischievous and clever, while Hamish had always seemed quite ordinary—as Verdia liked to say, he was like a common elven child.
Usually calm, curious, and very patient.
Among Rygar's children, Hamish and Diana had been the ones who caused the least trouble as babies.
He was also especially attached to the family, both to his mothers and to Rygar and his siblings. He liked taking care of the youngest, Lenna, and always showed concern for her.
Aurora and Hamish were paying close attention to their father at that moment.
Rygar had completely captured the attention of the two by telling an exciting story.
"While the armies of the Kingdom of Ignaz retreated under the enormous pressure of the Demon Army—and with his beloved wife among the last to flee—the Sacred Sword of the Elves, the great swordsman Idaztleid, turned to hold back the enemies' advance."
"Alone against the demon army?!" Aurora asked, shocked.
Rygar confirmed without hesitation:
"Completely alone! He advanced with the intention of buying time. Time for his beloved to escape… and for his sworn brother, Ars, to have enough time to defeat the Demon Empress in battle."
The two children held their breath as the story unfolded. They had already grown fond of Idaztleid and his companions during the tale, and they didn't want them to die.
Rygar smiled slightly before continuing:
"The one commanding the demon army was none other than one of the Five Great Demon Kings… the great Immortal Necross Lacross. With his eight arms and monstrous strength, he was said at the time to be the most powerful demon alive."
He leaned forward.
"Even so, Idaztleid prepared to fight, despite the numerical disadvantage! But… to his surprise, when Necross saw his opponent advancing alone against the enemy lines, he burst into thunderous laughter. Shocking both allies and enemies alike, Necross challenged the Sacred Sword Idaztleid to a one-on-one duel, forbidding his army from supporting him or interfering in the battle!"
The children were on edge, hoping for a good ending for the hero of that story.
Unfortunately for them, that was not a story with a happy ending.
In that legendary duel, Verdia's ancestor—Idaztleid—lost to Necross Lacross.
Even so, Rygar continued telling the story, completely holding his children's attention. Both had elven blood; it was natural that they would admire such a powerful ancestor.
Besides, Rygar was an excellent storyteller.
He himself loved listening to stories when he was young. He told tales both from his previous world and from this current one.
The Trojan War, Susanoo and the Eight-Headed Serpent, The Twelve Labors of Hercules, among many others.
This world also had its own tales and legends, but most of them had truly happened, inspired by great warriors and explorers.
Such as the two Great Human-Demon Wars and the Laplace War.
After taking charge of the Labyrinth Library and the Demon King Bethove Tovetta, Rygar came to know much more about the past of the Six-Faced World.
Students of the Star Rise Academy could also learn all of that, if they were interested.
-
While Rygar told his stories, sitting on a comfortable rug nearby was Eris.
She was… meditating?
No. That was impossible.
That was exactly what Diana was thinking at that moment as she observed her red-haired mother. Few things caught her attention in general, but this needed to be recorded.
Diana was lying on her stomach on a white sofa. Beside her was the Sacred Beast Leo and, sleeping quietly supported by his fur, the youngest of the family, Lenna.
Iris was sitting at a nearby table, reading a book about Advanced Fire Magic.
Diana was very curious about why her mother was meditating. Eris was usually the most intense; if she had to rank which of her mothers was most likely to meditate, she would be in last place.
Diana swung her legs curiously until she finally lost interest. That was a rare opportunity to rest. She lay down on Leo.
Meanwhile, Eris was breaking out in a cold sweat.
Meditating was… very difficult.
After becoming a master swordswoman, she had become significantly calmer and more controlled, but meditating required more than calmness.
It required concentration and serenity—reaching a state in which one thinks of nothing was a herculean task.
Even so, she persisted.
Rygar had told her that she was already very close to her limit as a swordswoman. Even as the Sword God and one of the strongest in the world, she was not satisfied with her own strength.
To become stronger, Rygar said she needed to become a master.
Whatever that meant.
In terms of swordsmanship, she was already a master. Rygar himself had mentioned that she was at the top of the world in terms of fencing techniques.
In combat, she was one of the most skilled in the world—after all, she had dedicated her entire life to it.
But becoming a true master required unifying everything.
Not only in combat. She needed to be in constant harmony with herself, aware of everything around her.
At first, she thought that was ridiculous. How could someone be in combat all the time?
Even now, she still couldn't fully understand what Rygar meant.
Her only consolation was knowing that Jino had also not yet reached that state.
In any case, Rygar told her that it took time, so she was not anxious.
If she could never become a master, she would accept it—but she would not give up without trying.
And so, time passed slowly.
Ghislaine trained Perseus for a while longer. When Rygar finished the story with that tragic ending for Idaz, Aurora was shocked and furious, while Hamish looked lost and desolate.
Perhaps Rygar was a little cruel.
In any case, Verdia finally finished the food and called everyone to eat.
There was no room for discussion—Verdia was, by far, the best cook in the house.
Not even Aisha cooked better than her. Rygar proudly occupied last place—even Eris did better than him.
Verdia always prepared food in large quantities, since the entire family had a big appetite, and cooking for everyone was something she loved to do.
Otherwise, they would have hired a cook a long time ago.
Rygar had already announced that he would be traveling soon. Because of that, he had been spending more time with the family, making the most of everyone's company before departing.
And that night, he also had other plans.
For now, however, he took the opportunity to catch up on everything his children had been doing.
Aurora had recently been "disciplined" by Eris and was visibly calmer that day.
Perseus, in turn, always seemed more relaxed when Rygar was nearby. Sometimes, Rygar felt as if he had been recognized as the leader of the pack.
It was a simple and complicated relationship at the same time—but he liked it.
Each of his children behaved differently around him. Rygar did his best to be present for them; he talked, played, listened.
He didn't want to be an absent father.
Even knowing that his children were, by nature, unpredictable, and that there wasn't much he could control.
During the meal, he talked with everyone.
If he had to list the most important things, two stood out: Diana asked him for a telescope as a gift, and Hamish said he wanted to learn elven swordsmanship.
Rygar decided to leave the latter to Verdia, since she was great at it.
After some time together, they put the children to bed earlier than usual. There were some protests, but there wasn't much they could do.
With the little ones already settled, the four returned to the living room.
Rygar sat down on the sofa, while his women spread out around him, lying down comfortably.
He would leave the next day, together with Eris.
Verdia was the first to speak:
"Be careful. And don't forget to send a message every half hour!"
Rygar laughed.
"Same to you. Don't take the vision of the future too seriously. Only go to Begaritt if it's strictly necessary."
Verdia had had a very relevant vision involving the deserts of Begaritt and a huge Red Ogre a few days earlier.
They still didn't know what it meant, but Rygar advised them not to take any action until he returned.
Ghislaine crossed her arms.
"Don't worry so much. Aisha is also out of reach of Hitogami's eyes. If we need to act, it won't be that dangerous."
Verdia agreed.
"In any case, the danger you'll face in the labyrinth will be greater than anything we might face here."
Rygar still looked hesitant, but Eris spoke next:
"Besides, they'll still have Jino and Aisha," she said with conviction. "I honestly don't think anything bad will happen while Aisha is in command."
Rygar sighed.
Since Aisha had become number one among the Kings of Gaia, her authority was second only to his own. In Rygar's absence, she would be the one to command the Kingdom.
That left him relieved… and worried.
On one hand, he couldn't imagine anyone more suitable for that position. On the other, Aisha was unpredictable. Rygar had no idea what might happen.
Even so, he trusted her.
His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a hand sliding into places where it definitely shouldn't.
He glanced sideways and found Verdia smiling mischievously.
"Well…" she murmured. "Since you're going to be away for a while, I think we could do something different tonight."
Ghislaine's ears perked up immediately when she understood the meaning. She looked at Rygar, waiting for his reaction.
Eris, surprisingly, was slightly flushed.
When she was alone with Rygar, Eris was an untamed lioness. But with the others nearby, she became shyer than them.
Rygar felt his blood heat up.
He smiled.
"Yeah…" he said. "It's been a while since we did this together."
He adjusted himself, pulling the three closer and, in a quick motion, grabbed them by the waist and lifted them as he stood up.
That movement startled Eris, but Rygar didn't care.
He ignored any protests and moved, carrying them toward the bedroom.
The tree house would be a little noisy that night.
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