Aurora only smiled before turning her attention back to Vexion.
Vexion respectfully nodded as she replied, "I'll do my best to keep my promise to you, Madam. I won't let him seek out another."
Aurora's lips curled into a mischievous grin. "Oh? Have you two already...?" Vexion immediately turned pink around her cheeks, frantically shaking her head.
"N-No, Madam. He... we've been busy training and preparing, but..."
Aurora's grin widened as she patiently waited for the rest. "Oh? But what?" Vexion lowered her head, nervously looking at the robes she was wearing. "He... he liked the outfit. The design you recommended... he liked it very much." She hesitated before continuing in an almost inaudible voice.
"I... I could feel his... interest when he hugged me from behind." Her entire face had become a deep shade of pink. Aurora looked no better. Despite being an Empress and a mother, she squealed like an excited teenage girl, clasping her hands together as she beamed.
"I knew it!" Vexion fidgeted awkwardly, unable to meet Aurora's gaze as the conversation continued, much to her embarrassment.
Off to the side, Lexa was speaking with Ryan. She bowed respectfully before Ryan extended a hand, stopping her. "We bow only to our Emperor. I'm merely a Grand Duke." Lexa slowly straightened before giving a respectful nod.
"You helped spread my empire's influence. I cannot thank you enough. You could have conquered our Empire if you had wished." Looking at the man who had trained her over the past months, she could only shake her head. "Even by yourself..." Ryan simply chuckled.
"There are many ways to conquer nations besides taking their territory." He folded his arms before continuing. "Besides, we still have plans within Pure Elf Territory. Leaving the Dark Elves alone for now is enough." His expression became slightly more serious. "Just don't forget where this loyalty belongs."
"Prince Dante." Lexa nodded firmly. "Grand Duke..." She hesitated for a moment.
"Why do you hide your strength? Why not establish your own Empire?" Ryan laughed quietly. "Not every Mystical Being or above wishes to pursue power or build an empire." His gaze shifted toward Justin.
The Emperor was currently holding both his youngest daughter and son, his usual carefree expression replaced by unmistakable sadness. His daughter would soon be leaving as well.
Ryan smiled faintly. "My Lord... our Emperor..." He watched Justin for a long moment before continuing. "He is worth serving. He hides even more than I do. You'll understand once you reach the Academy, but he truly is a man worth following."
Ryan looked toward the distant sky. "I never imagined I would one day be called a Mystical Being. I stand where I do today because I chose to follow him. This Empire is also my home. It is where I was born. I watched this Empire nearly crumble. I watched Justin's grandfather... our great ancestor... and my own grandfather struggle and fight for thousands of years just so this Empire could survive. It wasn't easy."
His voice carried an unusual calmness. "When you've spent thousands of years fighting... eventually you grow tired. You begin wishing to spend hundreds of thousands of years doing absolutely nothing. Simply watching empires rise..."
"...watching others fall..."
"...seeing new powers emerge while old ones fade."
A small smile appeared. "But because of Justin..."
"...because of his lineage..."
"...my family..."
"...and everyone who fought beside us..."
"...we're still here."
Lexa quietly nodded. She could never truly call this man her teacher, but during her stay he had occasionally corrected her swordsmanship. Those few corrections alone had elevated her to a level where she could now hold her own against Vexion.
Well..."Hold her own" was perhaps too generous. She now only lost around sixty-five percent of the time. Unfortunately, Vexion and Dante were simply monsters.
Against almost anyone else, however...Lexa was confident that no one could overcome her blade. She finally possessed the strength to support those words. Unfortunately, strength alone couldn't change people.
Kindness could only reach those who still possessed kindness. Cruelty, however...Cruelty could only truly be stopped by greater cruelty. Before coming here, she had lacked not only that understanding, but also the decisiveness and strength required to act upon it.
She had genuinely believed kindness alone would always prevail. Slowly, she turned to look toward her Master. Dante was casually chatting with his aunts, laughing as though nothing weighed on his shoulders.He was the one who had taught her how to wield a sword.
More importantly...
He had taught her that sometimes cruelty was necessary to eradicate greater cruelty.
Not because evil would disappear forever.
It never would. But because swift, decisive cruelty could become justice when used to protect those one loved. Never again...Never again will I fall because of my own naïveté.
She had learned countless things during her time here.
Even Ryan had reinforced those beliefs.
"The smallest act of kindness can save someone's life... or simply make their day a little brighter."
"Unfortunately... the smallest act of cruelty can destroy someone's entire life."
Those words had come from a Mystical Being. A man who deliberately concealed his true strength beneath the appearance of nothing more than a Legendary Being.
For Lexa...
That alone was enough. She no longer needed to twist reality into a fairy tale just to protect her ideals. She finally understood the world for what it truly was.
Dante finally called for Lexa and Vexion as he stood before the enormous gate. The moment he approached it, both his body and Spatial affinity instinctively reacted.
The gate before him contained an incomprehensible amount of spatial power. A structure capable of crossing unimaginably vast distances in mere moments.
So... this is a Void Gate. A smile slowly appeared on his face.
Pretty damn cool. He let out a quiet sigh.
Yeah... I'd better stay focused.
I'm still a long way from becoming truly overpowered.
Each of the three wore a simple ring upon one finger. They were called FiniteHolders. Or simply just Holders
Small pockets of space rings capable of storing inanimate objects.
Between them, they carried all of Dante's clothes, various necessities, and, perhaps most importantly...
Money.
After receiving one final nod from his father, Dante turned toward Aurora.
She smiled proudly, though tears had already begun forming in her eyes.
Seeing that expression caused his own smile to soften.
"Mother." Aurora looked at him. "Please take care."
…
At that moment, Dante realized something. His mother had become one of his greatest weaknesses. Luckily... she's so ridiculously strong that if someone actually threatens her, there isn't a damn thing I could do anyway.
I'm still Level One compared to her Im just a fly.
The thought made him chuckle to himself. Aurora could no longer hold back her tears. They rolled freely down her cheeks. Still smiling, Dante gave one final wave before he, Lexa, and Vexion stepped through the Void Gate.
Their figures disappeared.
...…..
The instant they vanished, Justin lunged toward Ryan with tears streaming down his own face. "WHY?!, Why didn't he say that to me?! I'm his father, Ryan! Why'd he tell his mother to take care and not me?! Tell me why!"
Ryan immediately shoved Justin's face away with complete annoyance. "Justin..."
"You're the Emperor. A colossal existence feared throughout the world. So why can't you act like one for five minutes?" Aurora wiped away her tears before laughing softly.
Thousands of years...
And this man still hasn't changed.
Like that...
Her son had left home. For the first time, he was stepping into the true world that lay beyond the Empire.