Meanwhile, in Milision, the capital of the Holy Kingdom of Millis.
In an unassuming adventurer's inn, Eris kicked open the door and strode in excitedly.
She had just completed a monster-slaying quest with Rujierd; the process was efficient and the reward was generous, so she was in a great mood.
" Rudeus! I'm telling you, that guy today—"
Her words came to an abrupt halt.
In the room, Rudeus sat on the edge of the bed, his hands hanging down on his knees, his head bowed, his face buried in shadow.
His lip was cut, his left eye socket was bruised, and his cheek was swollen, making him look like he had been severely beaten.
"... Rudeus?"
Eris called out again, but there was still no response.
She quickly stepped forward, bent down, and looked closer before she could see Rudeus's expression clearly.
Those eyes, which usually gleamed with a cunning light, were now empty and lifeless, as if all the light had been drained from them.
" Rudeus! What happened to you? Who hit you?" Eris's voice suddenly rose, and anger instantly ignited in her red eyes.
Rujierd leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, and said calmly, "He went to the Adventurers' Guild today and saw his father there."
Eris paused for a moment.
" Paul?"
Rujierd nodded.
Eris remained silent for a few seconds, seemingly processing the information.
Then her expression changed drastically; her brows furrowed, her teeth clenched, and her red eyes seemed to spit fire.
"Ah... just because of this? Just because of that bastard Paul? He made Rudeus, who's been working so hard, make that face?"
Her fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
He doesn't deserve to be a father!
Before she finished speaking, Eris had already turned around and strode towards the door, her fierce aura making her fiery red hair almost stand on end.
"Wrong!"
"I'm going to kill him! Rudeus, you wait, I'm going to twist that bastard's head off right now!"
" Eris."
Rujierd stretched out her arm and stopped her.
"Make way, Rujierd! I need to go..."
"Would Rudeus be happy if you went and killed him now?"
Rujierd's voice remained calm, yet it was like a bucket of cold water being poured over him.
Eris stopped in her tracks.
She bit her lip, her anger still evident, but the impulse was indeed suppressed.
She stood there struggling for a few seconds, then finally clicked her tongue and turned back to Rudeus's side.
But standing before Rudeus, Eris faced another dilemma.
She's always been straightforward; she's good at fighting and taking risks, but when it comes to comforting people... she has absolutely no idea where to begin.
She scratched her head, her face contorted in distress.
If only Luo Ge were here.
For some reason, this thought suddenly popped into my head from the depths of my mind.
That guy Luo Ge, although he's a bit annoying, he's actually younger than me, but he always manages to get along well with Rudeus.
He's so amazing...
If it were Luo Ge, he would surely know how to comfort a wounded Rudeus, right?
What will that guy do?
Eris tilted her head and seriously tried to see things from Luo Ge's perspective.
If it's Luo Ge...
Suddenly, a thought struck her, and her eyes lit up.
Oh, right!
How did Luo Ge treat Rudeus before?
Eris recalled how Luo Ge and Rudeus interacted when they were on the Demon Continent.
Whenever Rudeus got stuck on a point, Luo Ge never wasted words with him, he just went straight to...
This was exactly what she had imagined.
" Rudeus?"
Eris walked up to Rudeus, and seeing that he didn't react, she clenched her fist and aimed it at him.
state!
Without a doubt.
Eris punched Rudeus in the face.
Rudeus was knocked to the ground by the punch, his head hitting the floor with a dull thud.
He covered his face, his eyes wide, staring at Eris in disbelief.
" Eris!"
"What's wrong with you? Why did you hit me?!"
" Rudeus, don't worry about it."
Eris crouched down, grabbed his collar, and pulled him up from the ground, her red eyes staring straight at him.
Are you feeling better now?
"What's in my mood?--"
state!
Another punch.
Rudeus flew out again, knocking over a chair next to him with a muffled groan.
" Eris! You--"
state!
"Enough! What exactly are you—"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Eris straddled Rudeus and rained down punches on him.
She controlled her strength very well; it hurt, but not enough to cause serious injury. Each punch carried a message that urged the user to pick themselves up a little.
Rudeus, who was already depressed, became completely enraged.
He grabbed Eris's wrist, glaring at her through gritted teeth. "I got beaten up by Luo Ge in the Demon Continent, I got beaten up by Paul here, and now you want to beat me up too?! What did I do wrong--"
You did nothing wrong!
Eris yelled back and threw another punch.
"But the way you look right now makes me angry!"
Rudeus was seeing stars from the beating, but strangely enough, the tightness and frustration in his chest actually dissipated somewhat after he was beaten.
He struggled to fight back, and the two of them wrestled and rolled around on the floor.
Rudeus's punches were weak and lacked power, while Eris's punches landed squarely and without hesitation.
Rujierd leaned against the doorframe, watching this scene, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
He did not step forward to stop them.
Because he could see that Eris's unconventional way of comforting him was indeed surprisingly effective.
Rudeus's attention was at least diverted.
The emptiness in his eyes disappeared, replaced by anger, resentment, and a hint of something indescribable... satisfaction.
It seems he'd had his fill of being beaten up by Eris.
Rujierd sighed softly, turned around, and closed the door.
If there are problems, let the young people solve them themselves.
Meanwhile, in the bar next to the hotel, it was 2:30 a. m.
Paul was sitting at the bar in the corner, with a row of empty bottles in front of him.
He had already planned to quit drinking.
Since reuniting with Lilia, he has indeed toned down quite a bit, at least trying to be a decent father and husband.
But today, he made an exception.
He started drinking in his hotel room...
But Lilia kept nagging beside him, repeating the same few sentences over and over again.
Let him go and apologize to Rudeus...
Paul couldn't stand the nagging.
So, taking advantage of Lilia's inattention, he secretly slipped out and ran to the tavern on the street corner.
I drank for a long time without realizing it.
As the night deepened, Paul became somewhat drunk, his vision blurred, and his head felt heavy.
However, compared to the completely decadent and drunken look he had some time ago, his current state is much better.
At least he was just drunk; he was still aware of what he was doing.
"Ha! Apologize? Why should I apologize?"
Paul stared at the wine glass in his hand, talking to himself.
"I didn't say anything wrong... It's clearly Rudeus's fault."
He tilted his head back and gulped down a mouthful of wine, the spicy liquid burning down his throat.
" Luo Ge is still working hard for his family... that kid has suffered so much."
Paul saw Luo Ge's face.
His second son, Rog Greyrat, was well-behaved and sensible from a young age, unlike that rascal Rudeus, who always liked to secretly play pranks on others.
Once... while he and Zenith were sleeping, he secretly put a few frogs under the covers, but he and Zenith caught him red-handed.
But what was the result?
Not only did that guy refuse to admit his mistake, but he also claimed that he was wronged and tried to shift all the blame onto his younger brother, showing absolutely no awareness or responsibility as an older brother.
On the other hand, what about Luo Ge?
Whenever Rudeus makes a mistake, that kid Luo Ge always steps in to take the blame.
Although both are his children and shouldn't be compared... Paul couldn't help but seriously compare the two children.
Rudeus and Luo Ge, one was his eldest son, and the other was his second son.
If we consider the time when he was still a nobleman, then the one who would inherit the family business in the future would undoubtedly be his eldest son, Rudeus, while the second son would have no right to inherit.
certainly.
Such things only happen in old-fashioned aristocratic families. Paul has already broken away from his aristocratic family, and in his worldview, he doesn't understand the traditional rules and regulations of aristocratic families.
Whether it's the eldest son or the second son, they should all be treated equally in his eyes; they are all his children.
More importantly, it seems their family has no inheritance to follow...
despite this.
But deep in Paul's heart, a persistent thought lingered.
Rudeus and Luo Ge were both geniuses, and Rudius was the eldest son of the Greyrat family. As the elder brother... shouldn't he have done better than Luo Ge?
" Luo Ge would go to such lengths for his family, but Rudeus... do you really consider us your family?"
Paul murmured, a hint of bitterness in his voice that he himself didn't even realize.
He saw dedication and cherishment for his family in Luo Ge; this boy was silently protecting his family in his own way.
But Paul doesn't seem to see this quality in Rudeus.
Luo Ge sometimes just too good, so good that he doesn't seem like Paul's son anymore.
At a young age, he was already the world-renowned Demon Sword King.
But the place he went to was the Demon Continent.
Paul had never been to the Demon Continent and didn't know what kind of place it was.
But I've heard many legends about it; it's said to be teeming with monsters... The danger level is so high that even an experienced adventurer would have to proceed with extreme caution.
And what about Luo Ge?
How old is he?
one person?
No!
Although he had a companion named Nanahoshi by his side, Paul could tell that the black-haired girl had little fighting ability and was only in a support role in the team.
If a battle breaks out, she might become a burden to Luo Ge.
Paul couldn't imagine how much suffering Luo Ge would endure alone on the Demon Continent.
"What if... he'll never come back?"
This thought was like a knife, piercing Paul's heart and making him even more dissatisfied with Rudeus.
"Are you kidding me...?"
Paul downed his drink in one gulp, then slammed the glass down on the bar.
Just as he was about to continue drinking, a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder, and someone called out, "Paul?"
Paul hesitated slightly, then turned around and saw a demon man with a monkey face standing behind him.
"Ah, Paul, I've finally found it!"
"Huh?"
"You're Geese?!"