Had Eris fallen for someone else?

A few days later at dawn, the city gates of Milishion were much busier than usual.

Before dawn, with the eastern hills just beginning to show a pale, fish-belly white hue, people were already bustling about at the city gate.

Merchants' wagons lined up in a row, drivers urging their horses on, shop assistants busy checking the goods, and city guards yawning as they checked passes one by one.

Amidst the commotion, two groups of people stood on the open ground outside the city gate, bidding each other a final farewell.

Paul stood at the front, hands on his hips, forcing a relaxed expression on his face, which was gradually turning into a middle-aged man, but his heart was incredibly heavy.

"Luo Ge."

"Aisha and Norn are in your care now. Please be careful on your journey."

The father and son successfully completed the handover last night, so saying anything more now would feel superfluous.

But Luo Ge nodded emphatically to Paul: "Don't worry, old man."

Who is your son?

"That's the swordsman who's going to become the world's strongest swordsman in the future. Don't forget... I'm the man who can't even kill the Dragon God, and who has to give way to him."

Paul knew that Luo Ge was telling the truth. Although his son was the Sword King on the surface, his strength was already unfathomable... even comparable to the Dragon God of the Seven Great Powers.

That's how things are now.

If you give him another three years...

What Dragon God?

Heh... He's just a stepping stone on his own genius son's path.

With such expectations, the more Paul looked at Luo Ge, the more awesome he felt. After all, if he wasn't awesome, how could he have raised such an outstanding son?

In other words!

Paul is the best man in the world, okay?!

Before long, gradually... the group began to split into two teams.

Paul's team, besides himself, also includes Lilia, Talhand, Geese, and Vierra Shirra.

As the advance team, they will have to wait a while before setting off for the labyrinth of Gapan on the Begaritt Continent.

The primary objective is to establish a base and gather information and intelligence in advance.

Meanwhile, another group of people, led by Luo Ge, were setting off today.

Led by Luo Ge, the team also included Roxy, Nanahoshi, Elinalise, and her two younger sisters Aisha and Norn.

Next.

He would temporarily separate from Paul and personally send his two younger sisters and Nanahoshi to Ranoa University of Magic in the northern part of the Central Continent to settle down.

After.

Luo Ge then turned south again, and it is expected that the two groups will be able to successfully meet up with Paul in the labyrinth of Gapan around next year.

Before leaving...

While Paul was talking to Luo Ge, Lilia had already walked to the other side of the group.

She knelt down in front of Aisha, straightened her daughter's collar, and tightened a loose hair tie.

Aisha looked up at her mother, her usual mischievous demeanor much more subdued, her lips pressed tightly together.

Lilia talked on and on.

Listen to your brother carefully and don't cause him any trouble... He said it very seriously and in great detail.

Every time Lilia said something, Aisha would nod.

Finally Lilia pulled Aisha into her arms and gave her a hug.

They quickly let go again.

She stood up, turned around, and walked away without looking back. When she reached Luo Ge, she stopped a step.

"Young Master Luo Ge."

Lilia looked up at him, her eyes visibly red, but she stubbornly refused to let the tears fall.

"From now on... Aisha's care to you, Young Master Luo Ge."

I definitely will!

Luo Ge nodded vigorously at her, without saying anything more; some promises don't need to be spoken.

It's getting late.

Let's go!

At Luo Ge's signal, the group sprang into action.

Aisha and Norn were led into the carriage by Roxy, one in each hand. Nanahoshi followed and climbed in, while Elinalise was already sitting at the back of the carriage, swinging her legs.

Luo Ge and Paul exchanged one last look. Paul raised his fist, Luo Ge smiled and made the same gesture in front of his chest, without bumping fists.

We already did it last night.

Ta-da-ta-da...

The carriage started slowly, its wooden wheels making a rumbling sound as they rolled over the gravel road.

The morning glow gradually spread across the horizon, turning half the sky a vibrant orange-red.

Luo Ge sat in the hood of the car and glanced back.

Paul remained standing there, one hand on his hip and the other raised, waving at them in the morning glow.

The walls of Milishion shrank gradually behind us, eventually disappearing into the morning mist and hills.

Luo Ge withdrew his gaze and looked ahead.

The journey to Ranoa University of Magic in the Central Continent to the north is still long.

And at this very moment.

The scene shifts... to the Central Continent, far, far away, in the Fittoa Territory within the Asura Kingdom.

After three years of Mass Teleportation, Roa is gradually recovering and becoming a place of good fortune.

In the mixed refugee camp.

Rudeus looks much worse off.

... An indescribable smell permeated the single tent; it was the stench of rotten fruit left on the table, moldy and putty.

As for Rudeus, he hadn't eaten for several days, and only the steward Alphonse had come to see him a few times.

Rudeus became withdrawn...

He lay stiffly on his cot, staring blankly at the tent ceiling, as if his soul had been ripped away.

If someone who didn't know better walked in, they would probably think the body was already cold.

He was still clutching a large clump of red hair tightly in his hand—the hair Eris had cut off with a knife before she left, symbolizing a clean break.

Rudeus is heartbroken.

To be precise, the morning after he and Eris confirmed their relationship, both Eris and Ghislaine disappeared without a trace.

At first, Rudeus thought it was a prank by Eris, but after searching around, he couldn't find her.

He then realized that he had truly been abandoned by Eris.

Moreover, only a note was left on the table.

The handwriting was crooked and messy, clearly written by someone like Eris who didn't like writing much.

Rudeus looked at the note over and over again, at least eighty or a hundred times.

"Rudeus is not a good match for me... I... I want to be Luo Ge's man..."

Just those few words.

The meaning is quite obvious.

"So... I've been abandoned?"

Has Eris fallen for Luo Ge?

His mind began to wander uncontrollably.

Although Eris gave herself to me last night, she gave her heart to Luo Ge forever.

The dead Luo Ge.

His younger brother, who was always more outstanding than him since childhood.

Even though she's gone, she's probably still like a white moonlight in Eris's heart.

After all, how can the living compare to the dead?

The dead cannot make mistakes, cannot be weak, and are forever frozen in their most dazzling moment.

"Has Eris abandoned me? Waaaaaaahh..."

It is said that men do not easily shed tears, but that is only because they have not yet reached the point of heartbreak.

Rudeus was now curled up in a ball, completely consumed by self-doubt and self-pity.

In the far north.

The upper jaw of the Red Dragon Mountains.

This is the only route to the northern part of the Central Continent.

Swish, swish, swish...

The cliffs on both sides are as if cut by a knife and axe, with a narrow path in the middle. The wind and snow rush in from the mountain pass, and the ice shards sting your face.

Eris was wrapped in a white cloak, and the white breath she exhaled dispersed and disappeared in front of her.

Ghislaine took a half-step ahead, her orcish physique making her appear much more composed.

"Miss Eris."

"Back then, it was right here that I encountered the Dragon God with Luo Ge."

Ghislaine's voice was broken and fragmented by the wind, but every word reached Eris's ears clearly.

"That kind of terrifying guy is no match for humans. To be honest... I almost lost my life that time."

Wow!

Eris's reaction was completely different from what Ghislaine had expected.

Her eyes were terrifyingly bright; there was little fear of the Dragon God in them, only a burning fighting spirit.

Thinking back to when he, Rujierd, and Rudeus encountered the Dragon God at the Red Dragon's Lower Jaw, facing such a terrifying opponent...

To be honest, that incident left Eris with a huge psychological scar.

Even someone as powerful as Rudeus appears so fragile in the face of that guy's power.

At that moment, Eris realized something profound.

Rudeus will die too.

After all, if Luo Ge hadn't appeared and stood in their way, Rudeus would have been in trouble too.

Rudeus is long gone.

... The image of Luo Ge standing in front of Rudeus kept replaying in Eris's mind.

That figure from behind, that unwavering stance of shielding her, filled Eris with a surge of adrenaline.

If only I had stood in front of Rudeus back then, and fought alongside him, how wonderful that would have been!

"Snort!"

"Someday."

"I, Eris, also want to become as powerful as Luo Ge, to protect Rudeus!"

After realizing this, Eris felt full of energy.

The wind rushed down from the gap in the Red Dragon Mountains, making Eris's cloak flutter loudly.

The road to the north is still long, but the Sword Sanctum lies ahead.

However, Eris was unaware that her departure had unknowingly and utterly destroyed a young man's pride as a man.