Owari and Noel left after a few days in town. They had enjoyed their stay as Owari’s mother took over baby duty which allowed them to get some real sleep. After getting on the train it was back to waking up off and on. Of course they just meditated instead of actually sleeping. They quickly made their way to the Dragon territory and by extension Noel’s father. They were rather curious to see how he would react.

What awaited them when they arrived was shocking to say the least. Noel’s father was ecstatic about the baby. He couldn’t wait to hold her and he kept trying to dodge around giving her back. On top of that he seemed quite pleased with Owari. “I didn’t expect you two to have a kid so soon though.” He spoke after finally having his granddaughter taken away by Noel.

“It just kind of happened.” Owari shrugged.

“I’m sure it did.” Dustin squinted his eyes. “Anyway. I’m happy for the two of you. Having a baby is a huge responsibility. But I’m sure you can handle it.” He smiled.

“I must say, I’m shocked you’re so calm.” Noel chuckled.

He shrugged. “To be honest I’ve had a long time to think about things while I’ve been waiting for you to visit. About how I’d react and how I felt about everything.”

“And?” Noel asked as he went silent.

“I don’t really hate Owari. In fact, I quite like him. The only reason I have to dislike him is that he’s married to my daughter. That’s not really a good reason. He treats you well, makes you happy, and he’s strong enough to protect you. Not that you need it.” He chuckled.

“So you aren’t going to kick up a fuss?” Noel laughed.

“Of course not. I’m an adult. I know when I’m being childish and can fix it.” He replied sounding offended.

“It only took you five or six years.” Noel said offhandedly.

“I need time to adjust. You were my little girl for 16 years before that. I’d say I did well enough.” He argued.

“I agree. That is quite well.” Owari added from the side.

“Why do you think that?” Noel asked curiously.

“Because I’m the one with a daughter now.” Owari smiled simply. This caused both Noel and Dustin to pray for whatever poor boy wanted to marry his daughter one day.

“Well don’t send them to me. I’m apparently too soft.” He laughed.

“I’ll do my best to do damage control. Though I doubt I’ll be any better.” Noel smiled.

“Well that’s enough of the joking. How have you been lately?” Owari asked curiously.

“I got a divorce.” He said casually.

“Good for you.” Noel genuinely felt happy for him.

“That isn’t usually what someone says when they tell you that.” Owari looked at Noel humorously.

“Yeah, but the woman in question was my mother. So is she still dealing with the family’s finances?” Noel asked.

“No. She was skimming out money and also sold us out to our enemies during the whole war thing. Not that it ended up mattering after you two destroyed the enemy. So she was kicked out and is now out on the streets. Who knows what will happen to her now.” He didn’t seem to care one way or the other what happened to her.

“Why did you even marry her in the first place?” Noel asked curiously, she had always been told it was out of love, but it certainly didn’t seem like it.

“When I was young I was quite impulsive and simple-minded. I didn’t really fall in love so much as I was attracted to a beautiful girl. I thought it was love and still think it might have been. But now I know it was all a facade. She was putting on a face to make me think she loved me to get into the family. Before I had a chance to realize it she got pregnant and I started to fool myself so I could raise my kids with both parents. It was only after we stopped putting on a front about it that I realized that she wasn’t even around anyway and both her kids hated her.” He slowly explained all at once.

“Well that makes sense.” Noel stated after hearing the explanation.

“She didn’t seem that good at acting to me.” Owari shrugged.

“She wasn’t all that great. But she became much worse after meeting you. After that she dropped all pretense. It seemed she was banking on using Noel. Then you came and ruined it.” He laughed refreshingly. It was actually thankful to Owari.

“I still don’t get why she thought I’d ever agree to go along with her demands.” Noel shook her head.

“She was going to threaten the family and get everyone on her side to either convince you or isolate you until you submitted.” He shook his head as well.

“Like that would have worked. I would have laughed at everyone who agreed to help her. If they shunned me too much I’d complain to grandpa. And if that didn’t work I would just leave the family altogether.” Noel laughed.

“You would really leave?” He was shocked.

“Of course. I wouldn’t agree to be a part of such a twisted and corrupt family. I believe in the ideals of grandfather. Plus I have Owari, so it’s not like I’d ever suffer from leaving the family.” She replied matter of factly.

“I guess that’s true.” He sighed. Whether it be money, connections, or strength, Owari lacked none of these. In fact he may be just as well off as the Silverblood family in all of these things. “He really is something else.”

“And I’m only 22.” Owari reminded everyone of the most important part.

“Me too.” Noel wasn’t as successful as a businesswoman, but she had all the same connections as Owari due to them working together and she was definitely equal in strength, or at the very least close.

“You two are both something else. I’m glad you’re on our side.” He just laughed. After they passed him in strength he wasn’t at all displeased. In fact he was overjoyed that they were so successful.

“Me too.” Owari wouldn’t have wanted to face the Silverblood family. They had a lot of power to them, each member was an elite among their ranks so while it wouldn’t have been too much harder than taking out any of the other groups it would have been more annoying.

“I feel like you’re thinking something dangerous.” Dustin’s intuition kicked in at this moment.

“Nothing too bad. By the way our daughter is named after your mother.” Owari deflected.

“I know. It’s a pretty name. I’m sure she’d be overjoyed.” He took the bait.

“Indeed. I miss grandmother a lot, so I felt it was only natural.” Noel added in.

“Obviously I had no reason to refuse.” Owari chuckled.

After that the conversation continued for a little while until suddenly there was a knock on the door. When Dustin answered the door the one standing there was Noel’s brother Joshua. “I’m glad you came while I was here.” He shoved his way past his father and directly approached Noel and Owari.

“It’s nice to see you too.” Dustin grumbled.

“Is this the baby?” He asked rhetorically as he walked over to Noel who was holding the baby.

“Here she is.” Noel easily handed Sophia over to her brother who took her gently.

“She’s a cute one. Though what baby isn’t?” He chuckled as he rocked her back and forth gently.

“So when are you going to get married and have a kid?” Noel asked.

“Um…” Joshua smiled awkwardly. “I haven’t really found a girl yet.”

“You haven’t been looking hard enough then. I’m sure there are plenty of girls available out there.” Noel smiled when she saw her brother’s current awkwardness.

“I’ll do my best.” He replied vaguely.

“I’m sure you will.” Noel chuckled. “Being married is quite the experience. As is having a child.”

“A very good experience.” Owari added in.

“Yes, I’m sure you two get along quite well.” Dustin shook his head.

“We get along swimmingly.” Noel responded. “Do you think otherwise?”

“From my experience I’d be more inclined to believe you argue all the time, but considering who my wife was I’d say that isn’t likely to be the case.” He answered.

“Indeed. We rarely if ever argue.” Noel nodded. “It’s quite easy when you trust one another and always keep in mind that they mean the best for you. We don’t always agree on things, but instead of arguing over it we usually go with whoever has the stronger opinion.”

“That’s what it means to be supportive.” Owari spoke from the side.

“How lovely.” Dustin could only feel depressed.

“Maybe now that you’ve escaped from that witch you can find someone better.” Noel cheered him up. “You’re quite young and have a long time ahead of you.”

“I’m already 40.” He said sourly. “How is that young?”

“With the mana you have you’ll live until you’re over a hundred anyway, and you’ll still be in your prime for another few decades.” Owari answered.

“I suppose you’re right.” Dustin only then realized it. He still looked to be in his late twenties to early thirties.

“What about you two then?” Joshua asked from the side.

“What about us?” Owari asked.

“As young as you are with as much mana as you have. How long do you think you’ll live for? Especially considering you aren’t done growing yet.” The more he said the weirder the look on his face.

“Based on the rate of growth in our mana?” Noel did some calculating. “Maybe a few hundred years?” She guessed.

“So long?” Dustin was shocked.

“Our growth rate in mana is quite quick. And we were already young when we reached this level of mana. That means we have even longer than normal.” Noel answered.

“It’s why Noel still looks so underdeveloped.” Owari added in shocking everyone. “What? She’s albino. She’s had massive mana reserves since she was young. She’ll live much longer than me at this rate.”

“That’s depressing.” Noel sighed looking down at herself.

“It should be fine. Who says we’ll live long enough to reach our old age?” Owari replied.

“That doesn’t exactly help.” Dustin sighed.

“That’s a good point.” However to his surprise Noel seemed to cheer up because of that. Nothing would make the two of them happier than dying in glorious battle in the prime of their life before they become old crones.

“How old is grandfather then?” Joshua asked curiously. He never thought to ask before but the old man did indeed look somewhat old even if his body was in great shape.

“About 113 I think?” Dustin answered.

“Wouldn’t that mean you were born when he was 73 years old?” Noel wa shocked.

“Yes.” Dustin nodded as if this was normal.

“Yet you thought you were out of the prime of your life.” Owari couldn’t help but laugh.

“I just always saw dad as a freak of nature. It never really hit me that I was going to be anything like him.” He smiled awkwardly.

“I suppose I understand that.” Joshua could relate. “Dad is really strong and sometimes it makes me feel pressured to succeed, but I’m so average.”

“You’re doing well enough. You’re 24 and are at low platinum rank.” Owari comforted him.

“Not as well as father was. He was mid platinum by this point.” He smiled bitterly.

“I didn’t reach low electrum until I was 35 though. You still have time to catch up. Plus you have a mutant affinity. If you master it you’ll be sure to pass me up. It’s natural you’re slower.” Dustin also threw in.

“When did you reach high platinum?” Owari asked curiously.

“About 29 or so.” He answered.

“So how close are you to mid-electrum in your opinion?” Owari pressed.

“Probably not close. I stopped training after I reached low electrum. I didn’t want to risk myself anymore for the sake of my kids. The last thing they needed was to be left alone with their mother.” He answered.

“A shame. You have good potential.” Owari shook his head.

“I know it was a waste of talent. But some things are more important than power.” He also shook his head.

“Agreed.” Owari nodded.

“What about you? How close do you think you are to low orichalcum?” He asked seriously. He knew someone who could reach high electrum at such a young age would never be stuck there for long.

“If I were to fight strong enough opponents? It would only take two or three high electrum ranks, or one low orichalcum rank. If I train without fighting? A few years maybe.” Owari answered.

“That close?” He was shocked. Not only him, but Joshua as well.

“Noel should be about there too.” Owari looked at her.

“Indeed. I just need to perfect my kinetic domain.” She nodded.

“Right.” Owari chuckled. The two of them were way outside the norm.

“Well that’s impressive.” Joshua said with a strange smile.

“Right.” Dustin had the same expression.

After that the conversation got back into more mundane stuff as they avoided going back to talks about strength and such. It was too overwhelming for Joshua and Dustin who were so much weaker than the two of them. They mostly ended up talking about the baby and any future plans they might have for her. At the current moment they only intend to raise her normally. What they do later depends on how she turns out.

They decided to stick around for a few days, making their way around the estate. They met some familiar faces such as Luke, her cousin, as well as her aunt Rin and uncle Zach. Another curious person they ran into was Marcus, the one they had trained. Much to their surprise he was already at mid platinum despite being less than 20.

“I continued the training even after you stopped protecting me. I may not like fighting much, but I can’t deny the feeling of growing stronger is addicting.” He replied when they asked about it.

“Agreed.” Owari nodded.

“I understand that.” Noel replied.

After that they chatted about how they’ve been for a bit before splitting up. After meeting him like that Noel and Owari suddenly realized that they hadn’t seen Kent and Maribelle in a long time. They decided to go visit them as soon as they got back. They had to show off their baby after all. He should be much more mature by this point. They were curious what kind of person he had turned out to be.

After three days they did exactly as planned and made their way home. Once they got there they didn’t stay long. Other than dropping by to see Rebecca and Lance, who seemed much closer, they immediately set off for the Phoenix territory to visit Kent. It was about as far from Leviathan city as it was to get to Silverblood city. They arrived via express train since it would have taken forever otherwise. Plus they had so much money now they had no idea what to do with it.

When they arrived they first sent forward a message that they were visiting and spent the first day wandering around town. They decided to have a date and left Sophia to Morgana who was more than happy to care for the baby. She quite liked taking on the role of caretaker. More of an aunt than a mother though. Someone who is there and who cares for you, but who only watches over you from further away.

The next day they finally made their way into the Aquila estate and over towards Kent’s home. When Kent opened the door he immediately smiled, however unlike before where he could barely contain his excitement, he looked more calm and casual. “It’s good to see you again. Why don’t you come in?” He turned around and guided them to the living room. It was as quaint as expected from someone as simple as Kent.

Sitting on the couch was Maribelle who was sipping some tea. She was the picture of what one would think when they imagine a princess. “Hello there.” She waved casually with a smile.

“It’s been a while.” Noel replied as she sat down next to her.

“Right, it has been some time.” Kent said as he sat on her other side.

Owari sat down in the nearby chair and rested his arm on the armrest while holding up his head. “Luckily I don’t get lonely.” He smiled.

“Of course not.” Noel scoffed. “Yet whenever you come home from long trips you never leave me alone.”

“That’s because I miss you. So how have you two been?” Owari deflected the conversation so as to not leave out their hosts.

“We’ve been well.” Maribelle answered for them.

“So I see you have a baby.” Kent was obviously aware of the fact that they had a child. “Her name is Sophia right? Has she been any trouble?”

“Not really. She’s well behaved for a baby. And she’s been developing normally as well.” Noel answered.

“She’s cute.” Maribelle got closer and began playing with the baby.

“Why don’t you take a closer look?” Noel handed the baby to Maribelle.

“Thank you for the opportunity.” She took the baby over and began to get lost in her own little world.

“You seem to have grown up.” Owari casually said this to Kent.

“How so?” He was a bit surprised.

“You’re much calmer now.” Noel answered. “You used to be very excitable. You also look grown up too.” Just like she said, Kent was taller than average and he had shaggy hair that was longer than when they previously saw him. This gave him a more mature vibe.

“Thanks for the compliment?” He wasn’t sure if it was a compliment. With them it could go either way, after all in his opinion they were always excitable and childish in their antics.

“You’re welcome.” Owari replied, despite him not being the one to say it.

“So how has your training been going? I see you’re already high platinum level.” Noel noted.

“I’ve been training quite hard. I recently obtained a new magical beast with an adamantite affinity so I’ve been able to face stronger opponents with less worry than before.” He answered.

“That’s good. Having a good defense and offense is necessary to reach electrum rank.” Owari was well aware of what happened if you lacked a good defense. After all he killed many low electrum ranks that relied on speed and dodging to defend themselves. Sometimes it was impossible to dodge.

“Is there any secret to reaching electrum rank like spirit arts for platinum rank?” He asked hopefully. He had hit a roadblock lately.

“Only that you need to find a unique path to follow. Take the strongest aspect of your skills and reach a tipping point before breaking through. For me it was with my amplification. All of my abilities amplified my raw damage and allowed me to overpower anything anyone could throw at me.” Owari answered.

“For me my best aspect is the speed of my attacks and their sharpness. I can attack very fast.” Kent used two swords so he had more options from attacking from different angles so he could attack unexpectedly allowing for more attacks.

“You should think of getting a light or dark affinity beast and increasing your speed with that. Then you can rely on your wind affinity for sharpness alone while using the other affinity for speed.” Noel recommended.

“Good idea.” Kent nodded seriously. He would never discount anything his teacher’s said.

“I want a baby.” Maribelle suddenly interrupted everyone.

“What?” Kent started to sweat a bit. “Aren’t we a bit young for that?” He asked.

“They aren’t much older than me, and certainly not much older than you.” She argued.

“Yeah but at our age even a year is a long time when it comes to this kind of thing.” Kent argued back.

“Then I suppose we will leave it up to chance.” Maribelle smiled innocently.

“Er, right.” Kent’s lips twitched as he glanced at Owari asking for help.

“How cute you two are.” Noel chuckled, surprisingly help came from elsewhere.

“Oh right.” Maribelle suddenly grew embarrassed as she remembered they had guests. She handed Sophia back to Noel and coughed to dispel her embarrassment. “Will you two be staying here long?”

“We aren’t really sure. It depends on how we feel really.” Noel answered.

“Would you like to stick around for dinner? I’ve learned a lot about cooking since we last saw one another and I want to show off.” Maribelle seemed excited so the two couldn’t possibly refuse.

“Very well, it wouldn’t be any inconvenience for us. It’s not as though we have anywhere to be or any responsibilities in need of our attention.” Noel chuckled, she felt Maribelle was being cute.

They did exactly as they said they would and stayed throughout the day just talking and catching up. Kent’s aquila had grown quite massive being three times as tall as him. Maribelle had also been doing well despite her condition. It didn’t make her so weak she was unable to do common tasks. She just tired more easily and had less strength. She did get sick more often as well though. Luckily they came at a good time when she was feeling as healthy as can be.

They had an enjoyable lunch and soon enough Owari and Noel left to go back home. When they arrived at home they quickly got back into the swing of things. Taking care of the baby who had just traveled around so much was important. She was still young and vulnerable after all. Recently she had started to make noises that vaguely resemble words. Owari and Noel were curious what her first words would be. Because of this they ended up spending even more time around her, much to the baby’s amusement.

It was already December so soon enough would be appreciation day. This time it would be Owari’s mother who came to them. After all they couldn’t very well keep traveling all over the place with the baby. She needed some stability in her life. Because of that it wasn’t long until Owari's mother made her way to the city. She would only be staying a few days. Owari paid for an express train ride to make sure she got here quickly so she wouldn’t have to sit in a public train for days alongside complete strangers. His mother gratefully accepted. She was well aware of how much money he made after all.

Soon enough it was only a few days away before appreciation day. Noel and Owari were walking around town doing nothing in particular. Noel was currently wearing a full suite of cold protection clothing. She had a scarf, a snow hat, a large coat, thick pants, and boots. She looked quite snug under all of that. She had always been weak to the cold. Owari on the other hand was wearing the same old clothing he always wore. His signature haori, a light shirt, some boring pants, and a pair of shoes. If anything was different it was that his socks were thicker but that was all.

As they walked around they ended up in the less desirable parts of the city. They usually don’t wander around here to avoid the unsavory types who call this place home. However this time they had a purpose in coming here. Luckily Owari’s sword told everyone around he was a hunter and not to mess with him so they were left alone. As for what they were here for, it became apparent when they reached a certain building

When they entered you could see people lining up at one side. They were all dressed raggedly and were currently being handed out a number of amenities. Things from clothing to food. It was a place homeless people could come to to receive donated items for free. It was impossible for a city this size not to have homeless people. A surprising number of them were younger people in their teens. This was because people would come here looking for work as hunters and end up being too afraid to continue working. What they were here for was to make a donation to the place to help out the people here who couldn’t provide for themselves.