Sensing Zenith's fear and anxiety, Wood decided not to resist and let his mother hold him tightly.
As Zenith embraced Wood, feeling his familiar scent and warmth, her unease and fear gradually subsided.
Zenith was deliberately checking Wood's temperature and scent not because she was a pervert, but because she was worried that Wood might have become an "undead," as Rudeus had mentioned earlier.
But after confirming, Zenith was finally reassured.
Undead bodies have no warmth and emit a foul, earthy smell.
However, none of these traits were present in Wood. His body was warm, and he had a heartbeat, just like any living person.
This meant that her son, Wood Greyrat, had truly come back to life.
"Sister, I know you've always had a close relationship with your son, but could you spare a thought for me?
I'm your beloved little sister, you know. You've been hugging your son the moment you arrived, but you haven't even glanced at your adorable sister!"
Therese, feeling neglected by her sister's focus on Wood, expressed her dissatisfaction loudly.
At Therese's reminder, Zenith noticed her stern mother, Claire, sitting nearby, watching the scene. Reluctantly, Zenith finally let go of Wood.
"You used to be called the 'model of a noble lady,' and etiquette was the only thing you could boast about.
But now, after marrying into the Greyrat family, it seems you've lost even that."
Claire, who valued family traditions, was as sharp-tongued as ever. Even after not seeing her daughter for two years, her first words were criticism.
But Therese wasn't surprised. In the entire Latria family, only Wood, the "heavenly prodigy," met Claire's standards. Everyone else had been scolded by her at some point.
"Grandmother, please don't blame Mother. Due to some special circumstances two years ago, Mother's behavior is completely understandable."
Two years ago, Zenith had suddenly written to Claire and Therese, informing them of Wood's death.
At the time, Claire and Therese had been deeply depressed for a long time.
Now, two years later, when Wood reappeared before them, Claire and Therese had initially thought the news of his death had been false.
But they didn't know that two years ago, Wood had indeed died in a battle with the Dragon God, orchestrated by the Human God.
As Wood was about to explain the situation, Rudeus, Paul, and the others finally arrived, guided by the servants.
When they saw Wood standing beside Zenith, Paul and Rudeus were overjoyed and rushed forward to embrace him.
"Wood, what exactly happened? How did you come back to life? Who brought you back?
Is it really the work of a god? Are the rumors about you being the 'Divine Emissary' true?"
Seeing Wood alive, Rudeus and the others were overjoyed but also filled with curiosity and amazement.
After all, this was resurrection! True resurrection from death! Not even the Dragon God Orsted had the power to bring someone back to life.
But now, Wood had been resurrected. The only explanation Rudeus could think of was the intervention of a true god.
While Rudeus wasn't sure if gods truly existed in this world, given that he himself had been reincarnated here, the existence of a god didn't seem too far-fetched.
"Two years ago, when I fought the Dragon God Orsted, I wasn't truly dead.
At the time, I used a new spell I had developed. In a near-death state, it would halt all my vital signs. After a long period, the magic circle engraved in my body would gradually heal my wounds until I woke up.
It's somewhat similar to a state of suspended animation, but since all vital signs ceased, it's not wrong to say I was dead…"
Of course, all of this was pure fabrication on Wood's part. If he had such an incredible ability, he would have reached the end of every simulation.
Since the concept of "resurrection" was too far-fetched, Wood had to come up with a plausible explanation for his family.
Fortunately, after a moment of silence, Rudeus and the others accepted his explanation without question.
Paul knew nothing about magic, and Zenith's magical abilities weren't advanced enough to understand. As for Rudeus, being a reincarnator, his ability to accept such things was high. After all, if Seven Star Shizuka could develop interdimensional teleportation magic, it wasn't impossible for his younger brother Wood, who had always been a prodigy, to create a spell for suspended animation.
"Wood, since you arrived in the Holy Kingdom of Millis a few days ago, you must have heard about what happened at the Millis Church, right?"
The main purpose of Rudeus and the others coming to the Holy Kingdom of Millis was to rescue Zenith's family, the Latria family. But it turned out that the Latria family was completely unharmed, and they had even reunited with Wood.
This outcome should have been a joyous one, but the information about the "Human God" had left Rudeus feeling uneasy.
The origin of the "Human God" was unknown, but every time Rudeus faced him, he had never gained the upper hand. The Human God knew Rudeus's past, understood everything about him, and could even predict his future.
Every time Rudeus confronted the Human God, he was always at a disadvantage. After the events of two years ago, Rudeus had even developed a bit of a psychological shadow regarding the Human God.
"You're talking about how the Old Pope was killed by the rebels, and how the rebels are now promoting the 'Human God' as their new faith, right?
To be honest, I didn't expect the Human God to be involved in this. When I first heard about it, I considered investigating the Church.
But the Human God is extremely cunning and sinister. I was worried that if I left the Latria estate, he might target Grandmother and Aunt Therese, so I held off.
Now that you're here, things are much easier. Tomorrow, I'll find a way to infiltrate the Millis Church and see if the Human God is really behind this.
I'll settle the score with him for what happened two years ago."
After some thought, Wood began to understand why the Human God had targeted the Holy Kingdom of Millis.
For some reason, Rudeus seemed to be extremely important to the Human God. Otherwise, the Human God wouldn't have taken such a huge risk to appear in Rudeus's mental world, deceiving him and gradually gaining his trust.
The Human God seemed to have the ability to predict the future, but that ability was limited to certain individuals and the events surrounding them.
Clearly, Rudeus was one of those individuals, which was why the Human God had been able to manipulate him with small favors.
Why the Human God was so fixated on Rudeus, Wood didn't know. But he was certain that the Human God wouldn't easily give up on Rudeus as a pawn.
In the past, Wood's presence had made the Human God feel threatened, so he had orchestrated Wood's death, even if it meant alienating Rudeus.
From the Human God's perspective, Wood had become too much of a threat, both in terms of strength and intelligence, and could influence Rudeus's future.
Moreover, the Human God couldn't see any of Wood's future, so to eliminate this unpredictable variable, he had resorted to such extreme measures, even at the cost of losing Rudeus's trust.
After losing Rudeus's trust, the Human God had little chance of regaining it.
But unwilling to give up control over Rudeus, the Human God had turned to other targets, such as Rudeus's other family members.
Just as he had used his daughter, the wife of the First Dragon God, to manipulate the Dragon God into destroying the Beast, Sea, Sky, and Demon worlds, the Human God excelled at exploiting human weaknesses.
Family bonds were often the most difficult to sever, and the Human God knew how to use them to his advantage.
Rudeus's immediate family, Zenith and the others, were protected by Orsted's blessings, so the Human God couldn't target them directly.
Thus, the only remaining targets were the Latria family in the Holy Kingdom of Millis.
The rebels' approach to the Latria family for cooperation wasn't a coincidence. The Human God had intended to turn Claire, the head of the Latria family, into one of his followers.
Once Claire became his follower, the Human God could begin his scheme, gradually drawing Zenith into his web.
And once Zenith was ensnared, the Human God wouldn't have to worry about Rudeus escaping his control.
What the Human God hadn't expected was that Wood, who should have died two years ago, would suddenly appear in the Holy Kingdom of Millis, not only quelling the beast horde and protecting the Latria family but also disrupting his plans.
What Wood and the others didn't know was that the Human God had already left the Millis Church. The person currently controlling the Church was merely one of his followers.
As soon as the Human God realized that Wood was alive and present, he had immediately fled.
Though his origins were mysterious and his power immense, the Human God was currently in a sealed state.
Two years had passed, and Wood's strength had grown even more unfathomable. Since the Human God couldn't analyze any information about Wood, he had chosen to continue hiding for the sake of caution.
With Rudeus and the others joining forces, Wood felt more confident and planned to confront the Human God the next day.
That night, the Latria family held a banquet to celebrate the reunion of the Greyrat family.
After confirming that Wood was safe, Wood personally rode the Wolf King to fetch Norn, Aisha, and Lilia from their temporary shelter.
The two girls burst into tears the moment they saw Wood. Even the usually reserved Norn and the mature Aisha couldn't hold back their emotions.
From the moment Wood brought his sisters back to the Latria estate until the banquet began, he had two constant companions clinging to him.
According to Norn and Aisha, Wood had been gone for two years, and now they wanted to make up for all that lost time by staying by their brother's side.
At the dinner table, with two little girls sitting on his lap, Rudeus couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.
Although Wood's return had improved Norn and Aisha's attitude toward him, the difference in how they treated Wood compared to him was like night and day.
But Rudeus didn't feel jealous of Wood—just envious.
He understood that Wood's deep affection and trust from the family were earned through his constant efforts and sacrifices.
When Paul's scandal had broken out, it was Wood who had supported the family as an adventancer. He had always guided and cared for his younger sisters.
During the 'Teleportation Incident,' it was Wood who had gone through great hardships to bring Zenith and his sisters out of the underground labyrinth.
Even when they had faced the Dragon God Orsted, if Wood hadn't stepped forward and held the line, Rudeus would have died long ago.
In the Greyrat family, Wood had always been the one who contributed the most.
He was not only a respectful younger brother but also a son who shouldered responsibilities for his parents and the perfect older brother in his sisters' eyes.
Having such a younger brother, Rudeus felt immense pressure as the eldest male in the family. Fortunately, the Greyrat family had three males, so Rudeus was only in the middle, not the most unfortunate one.
As for who the most unfortunate Greyrat male was… Rudeus glanced at Paul and couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy for him.
Unlike Wood, Rudeus and Paul were visiting the Latria family for the first time and meeting Claire and Therese for the first time as well.
Rudeus, at least, had it easier. Since he looked just like Wood, his grandmother Claire and aunt Therese had a favorable impression of him.
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