Mid Evening - Mid Winter : Home | Atlas, Bahamut

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"Haah..." It had only been about an hour since I first returned home, and I already felt more drained than after I fought the guards in Akri.

After finally arriving and having an abrupt greeting with Mother, Father, and Krystallo, we moved on to the situations involving Siratha, the Holy Kingdom, and Bahamut. It was a discussion I wanted to wait until after my nap to have, but I didn't quite have that luxury.

One thing led to another, and I eventually decided to spill out that I was not only the ruler of Siratha but also essentially a god. -Although I haven't quite stepped into that realm, all that's left is accumulating more divinity...-

From there, our discussion turned into me explaining the recent events of what was really happening with Siratha, as well as what happened at the Elder Hall and what happened to Myles since the only news they had heard were rumors and speculation, but both Mother and Father were quick to realize it was already at a scale that far surpassed the previous halfie revolt a few years prior.

"It's simply a brewing storm that we can no longer stop..." Mother's expression had long since become worried. Being a Ragnarok, she was someone forced to stand on the beach as the hurricane made landfall, which was something that would inevitably put the rest of us in danger as well.

It was something I was actually quite worried about, too, especially with Krystallo, but currently, we didn't need to worry about such things. "Even if it is a storm we cannot stop, I am almost certain the events at the Elder Hall have forced them to take a step back."

Father gave me an odd look. "What makes you say that?"

"The gods are the Holy Kingdom's sole advantage over Bahamut, and they are not beings that can simply be replaced. Even if Magni and Tyr were the weakest among them, losing them both back to back is a blow they cannot ignore." I tried to speak with confidence to ease Mother's worries.

"But if what you said about Myles's condition is true, then the dragon they likely see as the biggest threat is out of commission. Wouldn't essentially killing Myles at the cost of two gods be acceptable?"

I quickly shook my head. "No, and that's for the sole reason that neither of those two gods' deaths could be easily tied to Myles... Seeing how far into Akri and the Foreign Intelligence Agency they already were, I would be astonished if they believed Myles killed Magni in Siratha and even more so if they weren't doubtful about who killed Tyr. Not only was the spell I used completely different from anything anyone has ever seen, but it was also on a scale that even Myles would struggle to mimic."

There was a long pause before Mother finally spoke again. "So, are you saying that the recent events have forced them to reconsider their plans?"

"More than just reconsider. I'm almost certain they will need to come up with an entirely new plan."

Mother and Father gave me a confused look, clearly not following how I came to that conclusion.

"From what I know, their original plan at the Elder Hall was to take it over long enough to get the consent of the Merfolk, which would just leave Amphitrite as the final obstacle preventing their control of the Forgotten Islands and kill Leander, which would blind us and allow them to move on Siratha more openly. Their actions at the Elder Hall would also inevitably lure in Myles, which I am almost certain was the reason for the artifact beneath the Elder Hall."

Although they didn't expect Myles to be there right as it was starting, I was certain the fusion artifact under the Elder Hall was laid as a landmine with his name on it. -Even though he probably would have survived the blast...-

"Regardless, if I am right, the incident at the Hall, along with what I did in Siratha, should have fucked their plans to an unsalvageable extent."

The room fell into silence the instant I finished speaking before Mother spoke in an even more anxious tone. "And what if you're wrong..."

"Then I will use everything in my power to end things before they reach us." While I certainly wasn't confident I could kill all the gods of Asgard and survive, I did have the capabilities to create an antimatter spell so large it would turn the Holy Kingdom into an endless field of glass. "However, the gods definitely believe they have the time advantage..."

Being immortal meant they could simply play the long con, targeting the following generations and slowly whittling down Bahamut from the inside.

Knowing they even had a professor in the academy, it wasn't a crazy assumption to believe they had already started something like that. -But even if they manage to salvage a new plan, they have no reason to rush things... At the very least, we should have a few years...-

It still wasn't a long time, especially for dragons, but it was something I could work with.

Mother, however, wasn't so keen. The look in her eyes was simply petrifying. "Vasilias." Even the tone of her voice made my spine shiver. "Don't even think of leaving this room if you have the gall to even consider throwing your life away to protect the weak."

I practically turned into a statue at that moment.

Mother had certainly punished and reprimanded me before, but something about it then was different.

Any and every thought I had about taking on the gods while being too weak to make it out alive was ejected from my mind instantly. "Y-y-y-yes, Mother." My confident posture shrunk instantly as I threw my head to the floor. -Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.- I started to panic immediately.

"Haah..." Mother's anxious, worried, and disappointed sigh hit me several magnitudes harder than Tyr...

But just as I registered it, I felt a warm embrace. -Huh?-

Mother had used her aura to pull my head into her chest. "I know you just want us to be safe, but you must never consider throwing your life away like that..." Her voice was calm and loving, and her embrace was warm and firm. "No matter what happens in the future, you must survive... Even if we are too weak, and you must let us go.. even if the world begins to fall apart around you.. you must promise me that you will stay alive and grow..."

I suddenly felt Father and Krystallo come up and hug me as well, and looked over to see Krystallo clinging to my leg with tears in her eyes.

She looked angry. "I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU IF YOU DIE ON ME!"

Her tears and heart-wrenched voice made my chest ache, but my resolve remained firm.

I would do everything in my power to break the hand of nature when it reached too far, no matter how many times I had to do it, even if it came at the cost of my life.

However, unlike what Mother thought, I had no plans to simply throw away my life for some altruistic bullshit. -If anything, I'm more selfish than anyone...-

Be it destroying the world and bringing them to a new one or turning them into monsters who could squash it beneath their feet, I would do whatever it took to protect them, no matter the cost.

"Okay... I promise..."

I continued to get reprimanded for a while after that, even after explaining that I was certain it would at least be a few years before the Holy Kingdom moved again, but oddly enough, I didn't mind it.

It reminded me of being at home, playing with experimental spells that Mother continuously told me not to use out of worry that I would injure myself, or venturing into the forest and returning after sundown.

It reminded me of what a loving family felt like.

Once things eventually settled back down, Mother and Father moved into a different room to speak about the matters with the Holy Kingdom, and I left Krystallo to finally have my long-awaited nap.

With a mana-accumulation rune on the incredibly plush cushion in my room, my reserve would take several days to refill, but even if I wanted to wake up earlier, I wouldn't have been able to.

With the warmth of love still fresh in my mind, the moment I laid down, 6 days passed.

"Uwaaah..." With a yawn and stretch, I woke up with an incredibly blissful sensation filling my body. -Wow... When was the last time I slept that well...-

Still in a floaty, relaxed state, I moved my head over and rubbed it into Ilios's fur before stretching one more time to finally wake up. No matter how badly I wanted to rest, it was time for me to get up. -It's finally time I head to the academy.-

*knock-knock*

"You may enter."

*Click* The moment the door opened, I met eyes with a pink-haired elven maid.

Seeing her quickly brought a smile to my face. "It's been a while, Chloe. Have you been well?"

Her smile was boundless. "Of course! Nothing could be better now that you are back, my Lord." She was quick to bow. "I apologize for not being able to greet you before your nap."

"Don't stress it." Finally standing up and using a bit of magic to clean myself off, I wrangled my colossal aura back under control. "Was there anything I missed while I was asleep?"

She slowly pulled up from her bow as I looked at her, this time exposing several pieces of folded clothes and boots. "Your Father has left, as ordered by the Missus, and Lady Krystallo has shifted to at-home tutoring with her friend. It turns out there is a professor they are skeptical of, so they requested her absence until you woke up."

My anger toward the professor immediately reignited, but I did my best to suppress it. -I need to save it for now...- "I see... Would that make tomorrow the day I go to the academy with her?"

She gently nodded. "The Missus has also prepared these clothes for you to wear when you go. They are a newer style that she had commissioned just for you. It is quite popular with noblemen these days." She held out the clothes in her hand before letting me pick them up.

It was shockingly simple and looked reminiscent of some modern takes on old fashion from Earth, even having some of the features of a modern suit. However, with gold detailing, it looked a little too gaudy for my taste, and it was far too small for me… -But.. with black and silver.. And a few other adjustments that could look pretty good...-

And just like that, my final preparations before leaving to go to the academy were finished. -Now, should I go out and see what Krystallo is up to?-

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