AN: After reviewing the World Map again, I realized that I mixed up East and West Ports. Usually, the left side of the map is West while the right is East...this world map does not follow that standard. I have gone back and addressed this issue in the previous chapter.
=======================================================================
“Paul Greyrat is that you!?”, Hilda gasped, surprised to see her cousin-in-law.
“Hilda!”, Paul said, giving her a tight hug, “I am so happy to see a familiar face again. Is there anyone else here with you?”
Noticing that she was holding hands with me, Paul gave me a confused look. Knowing full well that the Boreas Greyrats preferred Beastman servants, he inquired about who I was and why I was holding her hand.
“My name is Cole Bolt, my colleague Ciri and I found Hilda being chased by a Minotaur in the Strife Zone.”, I informed him, “We were also able to pull Ghislaine out as well, unfortunately, Philip was killed by another monster before we could locate him. Ghislaine found his remains…only his wedding band was still recognizable. Currently, Ciri, Ghislaine, Hilda, Sauros, and I are headed eastward to intercept Eris and your son Rudeus.”
“Rudeus is alive as well?!”, Paul questioned, grabbing my shoulders, “Please tell me where my son is!”
“Eris and Rudeus ended up on the coast of the Demon Continent, they are currently headed south toward Wind Port. Our plan is to intercept them in Zanto Port before resettling the remaining Boreas Greyrat family members in the Beast Territory. I am sure you can understand how that was decided upon…”, I chuckled.
“Sauros is relocating the family?”, Paul asked, with a very concerned look, “Does that mean only Eris, Hilda, and Sauros survived this bullshit?”
“Daddy, I am hungry…”, Norn stated, changing the subject abruptly, “Can we go eat please?”
Taking this opportunity to change the venue, I suggested we chat over lunch so he could be brought up to speed on what had occurred in the capital. Agreeing with my suggestion, Paul picked his daughter up and placed her on his shoulders. Telling us to follow him, we weaved our way through the crowd as he led us toward a restaurant they had been wanting to try.
Getting a table in the back corner of the dining room, we placed our drink orders and began looking over the menu. Telling his daughter that they would need to share a meal, as he only had a small amount of money on him, Norn complained that she was really hungry. Asking him if everything was alright, Paul acknowledged that he was in trouble at the moment as their emergency funds were running low. Having barely managed to grab Norn when the Teleportation Event occurred, he had lost all his equipment aside from his sword.
“Between feeding us, getting a roof over our heads, and searching for our family…our funds are dangerously low. At this point, I am going to be forced to take Norn out with me on quests. I really do not want to risk my daughter’s life, but it is either that or we slowly starve together.”, he remarked, “We have already been sharing meals to save money, but tonight we will run out of money.”
Looking over at Norn, I could clearly see she had been doing her best not to worry her father but she had reached the breaking point for a child. Not wanting her to end up like so many other children had in my past, I told them to not worry about buying lunch today.
“I can cover your meals today and spot you some money, once you are settled down again you can pay me back.”, I told him, “As a fellow father, I want to make sure your daughter does not go hungry. I have seen too many children suffer through starvation…it is not something I want to ever see again.”
Noticing the pained expression in my eyes, Hilda held my hand with a warm smile. Thanking me for helping out Paul, she assured me that he would pay me back eventually as Greyrats always paid their debts.
“Are you sure?”, Paul asked, looking at the menu nervously, “You worked really hard to earn your money, and you hardly know us.”
“I am certain of it, please eat your fill.”, I remarked, with a grin “It is just money, feeding the two of you is much more important.”
“Thank you.”, Paul said, bowing his head with a grateful expression, “As Hilda said, I will make sure to pay you back!”
“Thank you mister!”, Norn repeated, mimicking her father.
Giving her a smile, looked back at my menu and picked out what I wanted. Once our orders were in, Hilda told Paul what happened in the capital while I gave Norn a coloring book and crayons to keep her preoccupied. Once he was brought up to speed on everything, he understood that staying in the Asura Kingdom was no longer an option for his family either. Even though they were not part of the Boreas Greyrat line, his family was still close enough that some might take their frustrations out on his wives and children.
“Wives, as in more than one?”, Hilda questioned, “I thought Zenith was a member of the Milis Religion…how did you convince her to agree to a second wife?”
“Well you see…about that…”, Paul laughed dryly, “I may have gotten involved with the maid we hired, and sired a child with her. Thanks to Rudeus, Zenith begrudgingly accepted our maid Lilia into the fold…though I am still berated on a daily basis for my actions.”
“Haha, that sounds just like her.”, Hilda giggled, “Are Zenith, Lilia, and your other daughter here in town as well?”
“No, I have not been able to find them.”, Paul remarked, looking at his hands with anger, “If I had only been faster, I would not have lost them. Hearing that Philip and you ended up in the Strife Zone…I worry about where they ended up. If I lost them, I will never be able to recover from it.”
“Do not start talking like they are already dead. I can help you pinpoint their locations with my magic.”, I assured him, as our food arrived, “After we eat I will use a few spells to locate them and determine what their status is. You can then head out to retrieve the rest of your family and either join us in the Beast Territory or settle elsewhere.”
Accepting my suggestion, the four of us ate our food in relative silence after that.
—Thirty Minutes Later—
“It appears that Lilia and Aisha are in the dungeon beneath the Shiron Royal Castle. From what I can see, they believe the two of them are spies from Asura as they just appeared in the middle of the castle.”, I remarked, relaying what my spell revealed and what I recalled from memory, “Getting them out of the dungeon will not be a problem, however, Zenith is another story. She is currently in the Teleport Labyrinth on the seventh floor trapped in the Dungeon Core.”
“She is what!?”, Paul shouted, nearly jumping out of his seat, “How did she end up there!?”
“I do not know, but in order to free her you will need to kill the Dungeon Boss. The method I have for retrieving Lilia and Aisha will leave her in a comatose state till the Dungeon Core is destroyed.”, I advised him, “How do you want to proceed?”
“I hate to trouble you further, but please bring them here.”, Paul said, lowering his head, “I can organize a party to defeat the Dungeon Boss at a later time, I just want my family back.”
Nodding my head, I told him to hold his arms out in front of him and brace himself. Doing as I asked, Paul inquired how this would help go get them. Telling him to wait a moment, I locked onto Lilia and her daughter, then forcibly teleported them to Paul. Watching them materialize out of thin air, he leaned back to stop himself from dropping them onto the table. Quickly setting them down, Paul told me to do whatever I just did for Zenith next. Doing just that, he caught her as well before sitting her down on his lap.
“Paul!?”, Lilia asked, still in a daze, “What is going on? How did we get here so suddenly?”
“Daddy!!”, Aisha cried, running over to him with a terrified shout.
Seeing the two of them covered in dirt and who knows what, Paul started to blame himself for not protecting them. Picking Aisha up, he gave her a big hug and told her that he had missed her terribly.
“Thank you, Cole!”, Paul cried, kissing Aisha’s forehead, “You have no idea how much this means to me. I have not been able to sleep for days now because I thought I would never see them again.”
“I…I understand that feeling…”, I said, recalling those nights I laid in bed yearning to see my wives and children again.
Giving them some time to reconnect, Hilda leaned over and asked how I managed to do that. Telling her that I could use Teleportation Magic, I said that I simply teleported the three of them to us for Paul. Assuring her I could do the same with Eris and Rudeus if needed, Hilda said that it was fine to leave them be for now. They were safe and gaining valuable experience that would be crucial for their futures as Adventurers.
“That said, you would use your magic to save them if they were in danger right?”, Hilda whispered.
“Of course, I would not be much of a future husband if I left the two of them to die out there.”, I teased her, causing her to blush.
Oblivious to what was going on between Hilda and me, Aisha noticed the color book that Norn was using. Fascinated by the array of colors and images on the pages, she asked Paul if she could have what Aisha was using. Glancing over at the crayons and coloring book for the first time, he inquired where she got it from as he had never seen anything like it before.
“Mister Cole gave it to me.”, Norn stated.
“If Aisha wants one of her own, I have plenty of extras on me.”, I offered, pulling out an animal color book and a new box of crayons.
Snatching them out of my hands before her parents so anything, she began flipping through the five hundred page book with excitement. Telling them that the crayons were harmless, even if they ate one, I told them to not worry about paying me for them. Thanking me for the gifts, the two girls asked if they could keep coloring.
“We need to get back to the inn first, then you can.”, Paul promised them.
Handing the two girls magic bags, I told them to keep their toys and other items inside for safekeeping. Fixing the pouches on their hips, just like their father, they pushed everything in all at once. Watching the two items disappear in an instant, Lilia’s face went pale as the realization hit her.
“Are those magic bags!?”, she gasped, knowing that such items were incredibly expensive, “Why would you give something so precious to two children? Surely you could have sold them for a large fortune to any merchant you came across.”
“Meh, both of them only have a few thousand cubic feet of capacity so they are not that valuable. I can make bags like that in my sleep so it is not that big of a deal.”, I said, enjoying the reactions I got out of them.
‘A few thousand cubic feet…those are legendary grade items!’, Paul thought, positioning Zenith on his back, ‘Just who is this guy Hilda is smitten with?’
Making our way out of the tavern, I stopped at the front door and turned back to look at the crowd. Knowing that many people had seen and heard things that would cause trouble for our group, I released a wave of blood lust upon those inside the building.
“So we are clear, none of you heard or saw anything. If you were to have…”, I said, singling out a man with the title of , “The consequences will be dire.”
Using Omega Beams to atomize the man, I left the tavern certain that no one would say a word about anything now.
AN: After reviewing the World Map again, I realized that I mixed up East and West Ports. Usually, the left side of the map is West while the right is East...this world map does not follow that standard. I have gone back and addressed this issue in the previous chapter.
=======================================================================
“Paul Greyrat is that you!?”, Hilda gasped, surprised to see her cousin-in-law.
“Hilda!”, Paul said, giving her a tight hug, “I am so happy to see a familiar face again. Is there anyone else here with you?”
Noticing that she was holding hands with me, Paul gave me a confused look. Knowing full well that the Boreas Greyrats preferred Beastman servants, he inquired about who I was and why I was holding her hand.
“My name is Cole Bolt, my colleague Ciri and I found Hilda being chased by a Minotaur in the Strife Zone.”, I informed him, “We were also able to pull Ghislaine out as well, unfortunately, Philip was killed by another monster before we could locate him. Ghislaine found his remains…only his wedding band was still recognizable. Currently, Ciri, Ghislaine, Hilda, Sauros, and I are headed eastward to intercept Eris and your son Rudeus.”
“Rudeus is alive as well?!”, Paul questioned, grabbing my shoulders, “Please tell me where my son is!”
“Eris and Rudeus ended up on the coast of the Demon Continent, they are currently headed south toward Wind Port. Our plan is to intercept them in Zanto Port before resettling the remaining Boreas Greyrat family members in the Beast Territory. I am sure you can understand how that was decided upon…”, I chuckled.
“Sauros is relocating the family?”, Paul asked, with a very concerned look, “Does that mean only Eris, Hilda, and Sauros survived this bullshit?”
“Daddy, I am hungry…”, Norn stated, changing the subject abruptly, “Can we go eat please?”
Taking this opportunity to change the venue, I suggested we chat over lunch so he could be brought up to speed on what had occurred in the capital. Agreeing with my suggestion, Paul picked his daughter up and placed her on his shoulders. Telling us to follow him, we weaved our way through the crowd as he led us toward a restaurant they had been wanting to try.
Getting a table in the back corner of the dining room, we placed our drink orders and began looking over the menu. Telling his daughter that they would need to share a meal, as he only had a small amount of money on him, Norn complained that she was really hungry. Asking him if everything was alright, Paul acknowledged that he was in trouble at the moment as their emergency funds were running low. Having barely managed to grab Norn when the Teleportation Event occurred, he had lost all his equipment aside from his sword.
“Between feeding us, getting a roof over our heads, and searching for our family…our funds are dangerously low. At this point, I am going to be forced to take Norn out with me on quests. I really do not want to risk my daughter’s life, but it is either that or we slowly starve together.”, he remarked, “We have already been sharing meals to save money, but tonight we will run out of money.”
Looking over at Norn, I could clearly see she had been doing her best not to worry her father but she had reached the breaking point for a child. Not wanting her to end up like so many other children had in my past, I told them to not worry about buying lunch today.
“I can cover your meals today and spot you some money, once you are settled down again you can pay me back.”, I told him, “As a fellow father, I want to make sure your daughter does not go hungry. I have seen too many children suffer through starvation…it is not something I want to ever see again.”
Noticing the pained expression in my eyes, Hilda held my hand with a warm smile. Thanking me for helping out Paul, she assured me that he would pay me back eventually as Greyrats always paid their debts.
“Are you sure?”, Paul asked, looking at the menu nervously, “You worked really hard to earn your money, and you hardly know us.”
“I am certain of it, please eat your fill.”, I remarked, with a grin “It is just money, feeding the two of you is much more important.”
“Thank you.”, Paul said, bowing his head with a grateful expression, “As Hilda said, I will make sure to pay you back!”
“Thank you mister!”, Norn repeated, mimicking her father.
Giving her a smile, looked back at my menu and picked out what I wanted. Once our orders were in, Hilda told Paul what happened in the capital while I gave Norn a coloring book and crayons to keep her preoccupied. Once he was brought up to speed on everything, he understood that staying in the Asura Kingdom was no longer an option for his family either. Even though they were not part of the Boreas Greyrat line, his family was still close enough that some might take their frustrations out on his wives and children.
“Wives, as in more than one?”, Hilda questioned, “I thought Zenith was a member of the Milis Religion…how did you convince her to agree to a second wife?”
“Well you see…about that…”, Paul laughed dryly, “I may have gotten involved with the maid we hired, and sired a child with her. Thanks to Rudeus, Zenith begrudgingly accepted our maid Lilia into the fold…though I am still berated on a daily basis for my actions.”
“Haha, that sounds just like her.”, Hilda giggled, “Are Zenith, Lilia, and your other daughter here in town as well?”
“No, I have not been able to find them.”, Paul remarked, looking at his hands with anger, “If I had only been faster, I would not have lost them. Hearing that Philip and you ended up in the Strife Zone…I worry about where they ended up. If I lost them, I will never be able to recover from it.”
“Do not start talking like they are already dead. I can help you pinpoint their locations with my magic.”, I assured him, as our food arrived, “After we eat I will use a few spells to locate them and determine what their status is. You can then head out to retrieve the rest of your family and either join us in the Beast Territory or settle elsewhere.”
Accepting my suggestion, the four of us ate our food in relative silence after that.
—Thirty Minutes Later—
“It appears that Lilia and Aisha are in the dungeon beneath the Shiron Royal Castle. From what I can see, they believe the two of them are spies from Asura as they just appeared in the middle of the castle.”, I remarked, relaying what my spell revealed and what I recalled from memory, “Getting them out of the dungeon will not be a problem, however, Zenith is another story. She is currently in the Teleport Labyrinth on the seventh floor trapped in the Dungeon Core.”
“She is what!?”, Paul shouted, nearly jumping out of his seat, “How did she end up there!?”
“I do not know, but in order to free her you will need to kill the Dungeon Boss. The method I have for retrieving Lilia and Aisha will leave her in a comatose state till the Dungeon Core is destroyed.”, I advised him, “How do you want to proceed?”
“I hate to trouble you further, but please bring them here.”, Paul said, lowering his head, “I can organize a party to defeat the Dungeon Boss at a later time, I just want my family back.”
Nodding my head, I told him to hold his arms out in front of him and brace himself. Doing as I asked, Paul inquired how this would help go get them. Telling him to wait a moment, I locked onto Lilia and her daughter, then forcibly teleported them to Paul. Watching them materialize out of thin air, he leaned back to stop himself from dropping them onto the table. Quickly setting them down, Paul told me to do whatever I just did for Zenith next. Doing just that, he caught her as well before sitting her down on his lap.
“Paul!?”, Lilia asked, still in a daze, “What is going on? How did we get here so suddenly?”
“Daddy!!”, Aisha cried, running over to him with a terrified shout.
Seeing the two of them covered in dirt and who knows what, Paul started to blame himself for not protecting them. Picking Aisha up, he gave her a big hug and told her that he had missed her terribly.
“Thank you, Cole!”, Paul cried, kissing Aisha’s forehead, “You have no idea how much this means to me. I have not been able to sleep for days now because I thought I would never see them again.”
“I…I understand that feeling…”, I said, recalling those nights I laid in bed yearning to see my wives and children again.
Giving them some time to reconnect, Hilda leaned over and asked how I managed to do that. Telling her that I could use Teleportation Magic, I said that I simply teleported the three of them to us for Paul. Assuring her I could do the same with Eris and Rudeus if needed, Hilda said that it was fine to leave them be for now. They were safe and gaining valuable experience that would be crucial for their futures as Adventurers.
“That said, you would use your magic to save them if they were in danger right?”, Hilda whispered.
“Of course, I would not be much of a future husband if I left the two of them to die out there.”, I teased her, causing her to blush.
Oblivious to what was going on between Hilda and me, Aisha noticed the color book that Norn was using. Fascinated by the array of colors and images on the pages, she asked Paul if she could have what Aisha was using. Glancing over at the crayons and coloring book for the first time, he inquired where she got it from as he had never seen anything like it before.
“Mister Cole gave it to me.”, Norn stated.
“If Aisha wants one of her own, I have plenty of extras on me.”, I offered, pulling out an animal color book and a new box of crayons.
Snatching them out of my hands before her parents so anything, she began flipping through the five hundred page book with excitement. Telling them that the crayons were harmless, even if they ate one, I told them to not worry about paying me for them. Thanking me for the gifts, the two girls asked if they could keep coloring.
“We need to get back to the inn first, then you can.”, Paul promised them.
Handing the two girls magic bags, I told them to keep their toys and other items inside for safekeeping. Fixing the pouches on their hips, just like their father, they pushed everything in all at once. Watching the two items disappear in an instant, Lilia’s face went pale as the realization hit her.
“Are those magic bags!?”, she gasped, knowing that such items were incredibly expensive, “Why would you give something so precious to two children? Surely you could have sold them for a large fortune to any merchant you came across.”
“Meh, both of them only have a few thousand cubic feet of capacity so they are not that valuable. I can make bags like that in my sleep so it is not that big of a deal.”, I said, enjoying the reactions I got out of them.
‘A few thousand cubic feet…those are legendary grade items!’, Paul thought, positioning Zenith on his back, ‘Just who is this guy Hilda is smitten with?’
Making our way out of the tavern, I stopped at the front door and turned back to look at the crowd. Knowing that many people had seen and heard things that would cause trouble for our group, I released a wave of blood lust upon those inside the building.
“So we are clear, none of you heard or saw anything. If you were to have…”, I said, singling out a man with the title of , “The consequences will be dire.”
Using Omega Beams to atomize the man, I left the tavern certain that no one would say a word about anything now.
