Meanwhile, on the other side...
The tavern in Milishion was bustling with noise, as adventurers sat in small groups around tables, the clinking of glasses and laughter mingling together.
Paul sat in a corner seat, while several adventurers at the next table were discussing the Demon Sword King's victory over the Undying Demon King Atofe, talking animatedly and with spittle flying everywhere.
"That was the Undying Demon King! The strongest Demon King on the Demon Continent! I heard he was cleaved in two with a single strike by that Demon Sword King!"
"Really? How old is that young hero?"
"Who cares how big it is? Anyway, this matter has spread like wildfire, and the entire Demon Continent is in an uproar!"
Paul listened, he couldn't help but smile.
He leaned over, holding his wine glass, and patted one of the adventurers on the shoulder. "Hey, that Demon Sword King you're talking about, that's my son."
The adventurers looked up at him, their expressions shifting from surprise to suspicion, and then from suspicion to wondering how much fake alcohol this man had drunk to get this drunk.
One of the B-rank adventurers, around forty years old, couldn't help but laugh loudly, "Haha, brother... that joke of yours isn't funny at all. Go back and wash up and go to sleep."
"Hey, hey, hey, I'm serious! I'm not kidding you guys, that hero who defeated the Demon King, the Demon Sword King Rog Greyrat, really is my son."
"Pshaw! Bullshit!"
The group exchanged a casual glance, then picked up their glasses and moved to another table.
Paul wasn't annoyed at all; instead, he sat back down in his seat with a smug look on his face. He never dreamed in his life that he would give birth to a Sword King.
Moreover, this is no ordinary Sword King Sword King; its value surpasses even that of Ghislaine.
That's the Sword King who defeated the Demon King and became famous throughout the entire Demon Continent.
Paul is now fantasizing that once Luo Ge returns, the father and son will set off together for the Begaritt Continent, to the labyrinth "Gapon" to find Zenith.
You see, this was a promise Luo Ge made to him before he left... As long as Luo Ge returns, his family believes that it won't be long before they are all reunited.
Thinking about this, Paul's lips curled up, almost stretching to his ears with joy, and he nearly drooled.
Why!
It's because Paul is just too outstanding.
... Did the Greyrat family bloodline only exert a slight influence, yet still produce such an outstanding son?
wrong!
And Rudeus.
If you count carefully, it's two sons—two outstanding sons. What a dazzling achievement!
"Mmm... Daddy, you're drooling."
"Who?"
"Ah! It's Norn. You and Aisha are out of school."
Paul was finally brought back to reality by Norn's voice beside him, so as not to let his daughter see his embarrassing state.
Paul even deliberately turned around and wiped his drool.
After doing all this, he looked at his daughter Norn again.
Compared to Aisha's daughter, who was more sensible from a young age, there was always a faint sense of distance between them.
Norn, on the contrary... loved to cling to him.
Whenever Norn argues with Aisha, he runs here after school to cry and complain to her.
"... Norn, did you and Aisha fight again? You're the older sister, you should give in to your younger sister."
Paul stroked her little head and gently comforted her.
"Dad!"
"That's not it... I don't like my grandma, and I don't want to stay at her house anymore."
Looking at his daughter like this, Paul also thought of the Earl Latorella family, a great noble family in Milicion, which was Zenith's maternal family.
Paul's first impression of Zenith's mother, Claire Latorrea, was that she was sharp-tongued and mean.
But Paul was also very grateful to them, even though Zenith's mother, Lady Claire, was sharp-tongued and spoke very harshly.
But it was she who helped Paul when Paul most helpless. It was because of the support of the Earl La Torreia that their search and rescue team was able to carry out their work smoothly in the country of Milicion.
Paul was mostly grateful to them, because he had to organize the search and rescue team every day Paul didn't have much time to take care of his two daughters.
So it has always been the Earl Latorrea family, with Lady Claire helping him raise his two daughters, and Lilia working as a maid there.
However, the two daughters' performances were worlds apart. Aisha showed intelligence far beyond her peers as soon as she arrived, and she always achieved excellent full marks in every exam.
Norn, on the other hand, was quite the opposite... Despite his hard work, he often only managed to barely pass his exams.
Not to mention comparing her to her two sons, even compared to Aisha, she's worlds apart.
"Dad..."
Just as Paul was lost in thought, Norn gently tugged at his sleeve again, raised his cute little face, and looked at Paul with his big, round eyes.
"Dad... when can we go find Mom?"
"Soon."
"It's almost time. We just need to wait for my brother to come back, and then we'll go find Mom with him."
"Really?"
"When has Daddy ever lied to you? Daddy promised Norn that he would definitely find Mommy for you."
In the bustling capital of Milision, in a lively market on the other side, Nanahoshi looked at the two pufferfish that Roxy was carrying, her face full of curiosity. "Miss Roxy... what are you buying these for?"
Roxy held up the pufferfish to examine it, a slight smile playing on her lips. "You mean this? This was Luo Ge's favorite food when he was little."
"When he comes back next time... I'll definitely cook him some grilled pufferfish myself."
Can I help you too?
"Of course."
"Speaking of which... Miss Roxy has been taking extra care of me lately."
Nanahoshi exchanged pleasantries for a moment, then a hint of doubt flashed in her voice, "But he's been gone for so long, two or three months now, Miss Roxy... aren't you worried about him at all?"
"Don't worry, Luo Ge is very powerful."
Roxy carefully put the pufferfish away, her tone carrying an undisguised certainty.
"He's a genius! A true genius! That kid can even defeat the Demon King, what in the world can't he do?"
"Hmm... someone with his talent, I believe he can overcome any difficulty he encounters."
"Speaking of which, you two have such a good relationship." Looking at Roxy's unconditional trust, Nanahoshi suddenly felt a little envious.
after all.
That kind of unconditional trust is something not everyone can give.
The scene shifts again, landing on the lower jaw of the Red Dragon, thousands of miles away.
Rudeus was extremely anxious.
For the past two weeks, he, Rujierd, and Eris have searched the lower jaw of the Red Dragon for a long time, but they haven't found any trace of Luo Ge, nor have they found any of his belongings.
However, this is quite normal.
The Red Dragon's lower jaw is not simply a mountain; it is actually an entire mountain range, with the lower jaw merely being one of its entrances.
The Red Dragon Mountains... This is the world's number one mountain range, completely surrounding the entire country of Asura.
A thousand miles of ice, ten thousand miles of snow...
The harsh environment of the Red Dragon Mountains makes finding people even more difficult.
Putting aside the fact that the Red Dragon Mountains is so vast, their team actually only consists of three people in total.
For three people to search for someone in such a deep mountain under heavy snow is almost impossible, like finding a needle in a haystack.
Moreover... there were several times when they almost encountered frightened, lone Red Dragon and were in danger.
If it weren't for the intervention of Rujierd, a master with Emperor Rank combat power, he and Eris would have been in grave danger.
And so, amidst the risks, they searched for the person... and before they knew it, more than ten days had passed.
Despite their determination to find the person alive or dead, the three remained completely clueless.
In the blink of an eye, more than a month has passed.
Still nothing.
Just as Rudeus was becoming increasingly disheartened and trying to change his strategy, he and Rujierd discussed the matter and decided to return to Milishion to ask Paul and the others for help.
After all, they had Paul and his search and rescue team helping them; more people means more power.
But just as Rudeus and Rujierd were discussing their plan and preparing to inform Eris...
They then realized that Eris had gone to gather firewood and hadn't returned for quite some time.
Just as they were wondering whether to go into the woods across the way to look for Eris, a piercing scream suddenly came from not far away.
It's Eris...
Rudeus and Rujierd's expressions changed, because they heard it—it was Eris crying for help.
Without saying a word.
They rushed over there.
As a result, the scene suddenly became suffocating, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze.
"Help!"
"Who can save me, Rudeus... Rujierd... Ghislaine, grandfather... father and mother..."
Eris was so frightened that she collapsed to the ground.
Then there was a man standing opposite her.
A shirtless, tall, and still cold-faced silver-haired man.
He was none other than Dragon God Orsted of the Seven Great Powers.
Despite having recently experienced a major battle, he appeared to be completely unharmed.
His upper body was unclothed to keep warm, yet the Dragon God still stood proudly in the cold wind.
" Dragon God?"
"... Orsted? What are you doing here? Luo Ge? Where's Luo Ge?!"
"Ugh..."
Rudeus instinctively felt a pang of heart palpitation, and in an instant, he couldn't help but clutch his chest and then dry heave.
That wasn't disgust... it was an almost physiological fear.
Rudeus originally thought that even if Orsted didn't die, he would be severely crippled, but the outcome was something he never expected.
Not only was Orsted alive, but he also appeared perfectly fine, as if nothing had happened.
How is that possible?
You must know... the three of them witnessed it firsthand; a month ago, the area near the Red Dragon's jaw had been blasted into such a state by that earth-shattering battle.
The unbelievable result was... the Dragon God was still alive? More importantly, he seemed completely unaffected.
Honestly, isn't this a bit too outrageous?
Where is Luo Ge?
Could he have already been killed by Orsted?
Just as Rudeus was in a state of utter confusion.
Clearly, the Dragon God had also noticed the three of them, his icy gaze quickly locking onto them, especially Rudeus.
"What?"
Rudeus trembled violently, instinctively thinking that the Dragon God was about to open his heart to him again, and immediately grasped the arrogant Water Dragon King in a defensive stance.
"What are you up to?!"
" Rudeus, watch out!"
Rujierd and Eris followed closely behind, looking as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
Despite their lingering fear, the two men stood resolutely and in perfect unison in front of Rudeus.
Just as the atmosphere on the scene was becoming increasingly tense...
They thought that Orsted would make a move next, and launch a reckless and frenzied attack on them.
The result was quite unexpected... Orsted made an unusual move; he didn't seem to intend to kill anyone.
He simply bent down to pick up the divine sword from the ground, then glanced coldly at the people around him before turning to leave.
Rudeus has learned his lesson this time.
Unlike last time, she didn't stubbornly call out to him to wait, even though she was filled with confusion.
But Rudeus had already behaved himself.
Throughout the entire process, he kept his head down, and together with Rujierd and Eris, he didn't dare to breathe loudly.
As time slowly passed, they cautiously watched the other person's figure gradually disappear into the distance, until they left.
Rudeus finally collapsed to the ground, letting out a sigh of relief; that had been truly terrifying.
He looked in the direction the Dragon God had left, feeling a sense of relief, like he had just escaped death. He really... he almost thought he was going to die again.
But the result...
It's strange... the Dragon God just left without even looking back?
This made Rudeus seriously suspect that it might be the Dragon God's twisted sense of humor, like, "What if he's about to launch a surprise attack?"
However, after they stayed in the same spot for a few minutes, the Dragon God had already disappeared without a trace, and it seemed that he had truly left the place.
Rudeus was puzzled. Logically speaking, the Dragon God shouldn't have let them go.
Especially since the Dragon God had previously harbored murderous intent towards him, if Luo Ge hadn't appeared in time, Rudeus would have been dead long ago.
But why did the other person, after glancing at them, inexplicably let him go and leave?
Speaking of which...
Has something shady happened over the past month?
And... who won and who lost that battle?
In short, Rudeus had too many doubts buried deep in his heart, and the only person he could discuss them with was Rujierd.
" The Dragon God is gone?"
"Yes, we're gone... Rudeus, you're alright now."
"Strange... The Dragon God doesn't seem injured at all. Come to think of it... he didn't even try to kill me this time? He just left like that... That's really strange..."
Rudeus harbored a seed of curiosity, a vague feeling that things weren't so simple.
During this period... something unknown must have happened.
But Rudeus had no way of knowing exactly what happened.
However, now that he has escaped with his life from the Dragon God Orsted, the first thing he needs to do is to confirm whether Luo Ge is still alive.
In conclusion
I need to see him alive or dead...
P. S.: Godfathers, please give me some free, love-fueled little gifts! I'm going to work harder, I'm going to update like crazy!!