Still not quite used to having his head patted, Gwen shook his head and met Rita's wine-red eyes, brimming with amusement.
"But I have complete faith in your cooking and taste, Rita, so I'll leave all the arrangements to you...
But Rita, you just got back from a mission. Don't you need to rest?"
"Like you, Rita isn't someone who pushes herself recklessly. Since I brought it up, I have the energy for it..."
Noticing Gwen's discomfort, Rita's smile deepened slightly. She withdrew the hand resting on Gwen's head and said with a smile:
"After all, this mission took a little longer, but nothing unexpected happened. I was merely guarding and assisting an archaeological team as they excavated a prehistoric ruin.
For me... it was probably half a month of publicly funded sightseeing?"
"Since you put it that way, Rita, I won't stand on ceremony..."
Hearing that, Gwen said nothing more. He merely ruffled his own tousled short hair, anticipation showing on his face.
That evening, Rita cooked personally. Gwen, You Lan Dai Er, and Anna helped out, and the four young people held a small dinner gathering at Gwen's home.
And all of it fell, without the slightest discrepancy, into the eyes of a certain Overseer of Schicksal...
Void Archives: I hope someone remembers his own history of creating his dad.
On the surveillance feed, warm light spilled through the windows onto the road. The laughter of the young men and women traveled through the cameras and network to Otto's ears, echoing through the room and making the silence of this office—arguably the power center of half the world—stand out all the more.
Beside him sat a neatly stacked pile of reports—
They were the results of Gwen's physical examinations after his medicinal baths over the past half month, clearly documenting his leaps in progress: a small step every three days, a major leap every five.
Seated before the computer, Otto rested his head on his interlocked hands as he faced the screen.
Between his fingers was the latest examination report.
"In just half a month, he's achieved progress that someone else failed to reach after years. I would call this child a genius."
Although angering Otto could very well cost him his life, whether to retaliate for five hundred years of imprisonment or because he simply did not care about his own fate, Void Archives continued provoking Otto's nerves as usual.
"This child truly is a genius..."
Otto sighed and, for once, agreed with Void Archives.
"We were both too presumptuous...
Although he inherited his frail constitution, he also inherited her potential. He had merely been constrained by his environment and unable to bring it out."
"As they say, a golden-scaled dragon is no creature of the pond; once it meets wind and clouds, it transforms into a dragon... That must be what this is."
Void Archives spoke with feeling, as though he were simply astonished by Gwen's talent.
However, Otto, who had recently been needled by Void Archives on a regular basis, still clearly caught the faint mockery directed at him in Void Archives' words—
Otto had spent vast manpower and resources on modern medicinal baths for Gwen. Originally, he had only wanted Gwen to possess enough strength to protect himself, so that he would not be overturned by some insignificant wave in the stormy seas to come.
Yet the truth was that Otto's investment appeared to be cultivating a "freak" who might one day surpass his control...
History seemed like a cycle. Otto had once again reached the stage of reaping the bitter fruit of the trouble he had brought upon himself.
"Indeed. Though I saw more clearly than you did, I still misjudged him."
Though Gwen's unbelievable progress reminded Otto of certain unpleasant memories, Gwen's identity still made Otto unusually tolerant toward him.
Otto even had the mood to "show off" to Void Archives at this moment—
"That child is not a fledgling in need of my protection, but a young dragon merely awaiting wind and clouds.
My presumptuous help may be that east wind that lets him ride the breeze into the sky."
—Kallen's child is impressive, isn't he?
"..."
Void Archives fell silent for a moment in response to Otto, seemingly stunned by Otto's smug expression.
A moment later, Void Archives, who had already taken Otto's shape, quickly regained his composure and said:
"Still, I would advise you not to celebrate too soon—
Over these five hundred years, you should have seen plenty of geniuses who advanced by leaps and bounds at first, only to find themselves unable to make another inch of progress after reaching a certain stage.
There may not be detailed scientific evidence for it, but such people do exist.
They seem rather common in modern and contemporary Divine Land literature."
"You said it yourself—they are only relatively common in modern and contemporary Divine Land literature.
In reality, such people are ultimately rare..."
Otto shrugged, unconcerned.
"That's true. None of the characters in those works had a 'good father' with power over the entire world..."
Void Archives did not mind having his words rejected. Instead, he continued with a smiling tone.
"So, how do you intend to handle this child?
For a genius like him, your previous arrangements are no longer quite suitable."
"A few repairs and patches will keep it usable for a while, won't they?"
Otto remained unconcerned by Void Archives' reminder about more work. His smile remained as gentle as a spring breeze.
"Though that plan was mainly meant to secure the minimum, that does not mean it only has a minimum..."
Although Otto had just rebutted Void Archives, he truly was worried about whether Gwen could maintain his current rate of progress. Or rather, he worried whether Gwen could grow all the way to a height sufficient to stand at the pinnacle of the world.
If he could not, then this plan, originally meant only to guarantee a minimum, would still retain its value.
Of course, if he could, Otto could build the entire world into a stage for this mighty dragon...
Elsewhere, unaware that Otto was discussing his future with Void Archives, who had shared a bed with different dreams for five hundred years, Gwen was trying to find a way to keep growing stronger—
"Anna, are you free tomorrow?
I think... I should be able to begin some basic combat training..."
After eating and drinking his fill, Gwen put away the tableware, wiped his hands, and looked toward Anna, who had taken a seat on the sofa first.
Having enjoyed a wonderful meal, Anna was lounging comfortably on the sofa, her little face full of bliss and her expression adorably innocent. Hearing him, she immediately realized she was not at home and hurriedly reined in her overly relaxed posture.
However, once her brain—somewhat sluggish after a full meal—processed what Gwen had said, Anna's pretty face became a little more serious.
"Gwen, are you serious?"
Although Gwen underwent physical examinations after every medicinal bath, which came once every few days, they were always conducted in the evening after the bath and were not sent to Anna. Thus, Anna did not know about Gwen's progress.
You Lan Dai Er and Rita likewise still saw Gwen as the frail boy from half a month ago, perhaps with the addition of half a month of diligent exercise. The relaxed smiles on their faces vanished after Gwen's single remark, and they looked at him seriously.
All three were at least B-rank Valkyries. They had each risen step by step from the reserves to where they were now, and they had all experienced the journey from weakness to strength. They understood the mindset involved all too well.
Thus, the three of them worried that Gwen's improving health had made him overreach—
It had nothing to do with his maturity or personality. It was simply the result of not clearly understanding one's own strength.
"Gwen, I know you desperately want to become stronger, but you have to eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time. You mustn't aim too high."
You Lan Dai Er jogged over from the kitchen doorway to Gwen's side. Her pair of small hands, freshly washed but not yet dried, pressed against Gwen's shoulders. Their sky-blue eyes met, and each could see their own reflection in the other's gaze.
"Lord You Lan Dai Er is right..."
Setting down the towel in her hand, Rita walked gracefully over to Gwen's side and spoke earnestly as well.
"Gwen, the most important thing for you right now is making up for the deficits in your body. You are still young and have plenty of time. Do not push yourself too hard."
Anna's Frozen Smile
"Uh..."
Faced with the warnings issued in unison by the three people who had been cheerfully enjoying dinner with him just moments ago, Gwen blinked, scratched his head in slight embarrassment, and quickly considered whether there was anything in his words that could have caused a misunderstanding.
After confirming that his words were not ambiguous, Gwen relaxed and responded to You Lan Dai Er's serious blue eyes.
"Perhaps there has been a slight difference in communication between us—
What I meant was that my recent training results have been remarkable. The consequences of my long-term weakness have largely been remedied, and I should now be capable of taking basic combat courses alongside my classmates.
I wanted to ask Anna, as my instructor, whether I need to submit some sort of report to train with my classmates, or whether Anna will teach me separately?"
"..."
Listening to Gwen's calm answer, You Lan Dai Er, Rita, and Anna all let out a breath of relief—
From Gwen's tone and expression, they found none of the recklessness they had anticipated. This showed that Gwen was still the Gwen they knew.
However, even as they relaxed, the three of them did not let down their guard completely. Instead, they became even more doubtful—
"Gwen, can you be certain?"
You Lan Dai Er's sky-blue eyes were full of seriousness as her hands remained on Gwen's shoulders.
"Gwen, I believe you have worked hard enough over the past half month. We have all seen it.
But... based on Anna's and my estimates, it would take you at least three months, perhaps even six, to reverse the disadvantages caused by your physical shortcomings. To completely erase the gap in your body, you would need long-term training and recuperation measured in years."
Since Gwen was not being as recklessly ambitious as she had expected, You Lan Dai Er quickly set aside her earlier agitation and began analyzing the current situation objectively.
At this point, the seriousness on Rita's pretty face turned back into her usual smile. She walked over to the two of them and said softly:
"Lord You Lan Dai Er, since Gwen has calmly made a reasonable request, why don't we sit down and discuss it slowly?"
As the first among the three to have known You Lan Dai Er, Rita could not help feeling emotional as she watched You Lan Dai Er assess the issue objectively rather than allowing her emotions to take over as she had in her early years—
"Lord You Lan Dai Er... has truly grown up..."
As she reflected on this, Rita's gaze landed on Gwen—
"Mm...
Gwen probably won't undergo changes as dramatic as Lord You Lan Dai Er's?
He'll just grow taller..."
"Rita is right. Let's sit down and talk..."
At that moment, Anna, who had been sitting on the sofa, stood up as well. She took You Lan Dai Er and Gwen by the hand and pulled them onto the sofa.
"Sorry, Gwen. I got a little worked up just now..."
After calming down and being separated from him, You Lan Dai Er realized that her attitude had been somewhat too forceful. As soon as she sat down, she apologized to Gwen—
You Lan Dai Er, who had established the goal of her life, could not allow herself to be as willful as she had been in childhood.
"It's all right. After all, Bianca, you were only looking out for me..."
Gwen smiled and waved it off, accepting the glass of water Rita handed him.
When Anna had pulled the two of them over to sit down, she had already briefly explained in two sentences why the three of them had reacted that way, clearing up Gwen's confusion.
"Looking out for you cannot be an excuse for me to presumptuously jump to conclusions about you."
You Lan Dai Er shook her head seriously.
"I will always remember this from now on and strive not to make the same mistake again."
"All right..."
Seeing the serious expression on You Lan Dai Er's face, Gwen, who understood her personality, did not try to persuade her further. He simply smiled and nodded.
"Then I'll gladly serve as your supervisor in this regard..."
"It's a deal!"
You Lan Dai Er's eyes lit up. She extended a clenched fist toward Gwen.
"It's a deal."
Before you continue