He had no idea how long he had been standing there...
Luo Ge looked at his family, a gratified smile curling his lips.
As long as he returned to this happy little home, Paul and Zenith would surely rush up and hug him in excitement, then insist on stopping him from leaving.
Even if they agreed...
Just imagining parting with his loved ones, that scene of family members reluctant to let one another go, made Luo Ge hate it.
He did not hate familial affection. He hated the feeling of parting.
Luo Ge loved this warm home. Precisely because he loved it, he had kept putting off taking this step.
After all, his enemy was the Dragon God, one of the Seven Great Powers.
Ever since he had nearly been killed by an enemy like the Dragon God last time, Luo Ge had understood one truth.
Being weak was the original sin.
In this world, there was a powerful enemy who wanted to kill him.
Without great strength, he could not protect himself, and even those around him could only become fish on his enemy's chopping block, helpless to resist slaughter.
Last time, he had encountered the Dragon God, who had killed him. What if the Dragon God decided to kill his family too?
What would he do then?
According to Hitogami... that evil Dragon God would destroy the world. Luo Ge did not think he had lied about that.
He could not drag his family into this.
Much less gamble on some sliver of luck.
He would wield his sword to grow stronger, to protect himself, and to protect his family.
Luo Ge was ready to embark on a journey of leveling up and growing stronger alone... to face that powerful, almost unbeatable enemy in the future!
"Well then..."
"Goodbye, Paul, Zenith... and Lilia too..."
"I'll definitely be back!"
The wind suddenly stopped. In the end, Luo Ge merely came up outside the courtyard and smiled.
He gave a token wave toward the house, a final farewell before his departure.
Meanwhile.
Inside the courtyard, Paul was practicing his swordsmanship when two leaves fell onto his face.
His movements suddenly stopped.
His swordsman's instincts told him that something seemed to be watching him from behind.
Paul whipped his head around.
Then, in an instant, his jaw dropped.
Outside his little courtyard stood a handsome boy, waving at him with a strange smile.
"Huh?"
"Rudeus?"
"Oh, no!"
"It's Luo Ge..."
With a clang, even Paul's iron sword fell to the ground, striking the earth as he stared fixedly outside the courtyard.
There...
Someone who looked exactly like his second son, who had been dead for two and a half years, was actually alive, standing there smiling and waving at him.
Although he looked very much like Rudeus, Paul could not possibly mistake his own child, because that boy was much more handsome than Rudeus, having perfectly inherited his good looks.
"L-Luo Ge..."
He opened his mouth, wanting to shout, but no sound came out. Tears spilled from his eyes without warning.
"Honey!"
"It's our child! He's back!"
Paul turned and stumbled over, then spun around and grabbed Zenith's little hand as she tended the flowerpots beside him, his face full of excitement.
However, when Paul brought everyone out to welcome him, they found that there was already no one outside the courtyard.
"What?"
"He was waving just a moment ago... where is he? How did he suddenly disappear..." Paul rubbed his eyes beside the big tree, looking around in disbelief.
"Master!"
Lilia, the maid who had followed him over, held Aisha in her arms and said softly, "Please calm down. Perhaps your grief has overwhelmed you and caused you to hallucinate."
Zenith, holding Norn, gently tugged on Paul's sleeve too. "Yes, darling... get some proper rest. You're already exhausted."
"Our child is gone. The dead are gone. Please pull yourself together soon."
"Master, as the head of the household, you must care for Madam and Miss Norn and support this family. You cannot go on like this."
Listening to Zenith's and Lilia's concern,
Paul rubbed his chin, his face full of doubt about everything.
"Huh?"
"That's impossible. Was it a ghost? Did I really... just see things?"
Still unwilling to give up, Paul searched around, then suddenly gave a bitter smile.
Perhaps Lilia and Zenith were right.
Their genius son was dead. He had been dead for almost three years. How could he still be alive?
Perhaps... he really was getting old.
Incidentally, Paul later grew suspicious of everything and searched all over the village.
In the end, despite turning the place upside down, he found no clues whatsoever, making him increasingly wonder whether he was getting too old and had already started developing dementia.
In the courtyard.
Beneath the sun.
Paul continued to practice his swordsmanship tirelessly every day, but having passed his prime and neglected his swordsmanship for so many years, it was already difficult for him to make any substantial improvement.
But he still kept at it...
After all, his enemy was the Dragon God.
One of the Seven Great Powers.
A being straight out of legend.
Paul was utterly fearless too. Even if it was the Dragon God, he could never let go of this blood feud. He, Paul... had to work hard to grow stronger for his dead son and avenge him.
Damn it!
Never underestimate a father seeking revenge for his son, that resolve to face death without flinching. Even if it was the Dragon God, he, Paul, would defeat him.
Meanwhile, in the City of Roa, a different scene was unfolding.
Eris was tugging at Rudeus and Ghislaine, gesturing excitedly with both hands. "Rudeus... Rudeus! You have to believe me! I really saw Luo Ge just now!"
"He's back..."
"He was right there on the street just now. He even bumped into me."
Rudeus and Ghislaine exchanged a glance, and the atmosphere instantly fell silent, deathly quiet.
Neither of them responded.
At first, Rudeus and Ghislaine had both believed Eris and had been happy for quite a while, but the two of them had nearly turned the City of Roa upside down.
They had searched every street and every corner without finding the person Eris had described.
Rudeus sighed. He was already a little angry, but he still tried to keep his tone gentle. "Miss Eris, please don't joke about this sort of thing again. I don't like pranks like this."
"Luo Ge is my family... someone very important to me. I don't like people joking about my dead family."
"I'm not joking!"
"Rudeus... I, Eris, never lie to people. Just now... I really saw your younger brother Luo Ge!"
"Why won't any of you believe me!"
Eris stamped her feet. She was terrible with words and could only start gesturing.
Anxious.
So anxious...
So anxious that even her eyes turned red.
Seeing that neither of them believed her, Eris felt wronged, but she did not know how to prove herself. She could only pout, feeling terribly aggrieved.
"Miss Eris!"
Ghislaine, standing beside them, frowned too, feeling that Eris had indeed taken this joke too far.
As someone who had personally escorted Luo Ge to the Sword Sanctum, she believed more firmly than anyone that Luo Ge was dead.
Others had never seen that man called the Dragon God, so perhaps they could still cling to a sliver of hope.
But Ghislaine had seen him. She knew that man was far too terrifying. In short, someone like him was an unbeatable existence.
That terrifying, cruel man... could never have left a child like Luo Ge any chance of survival.
For Eris to joke about it now was no different from rubbing salt into the wounds of the two people beside her.
"Ugh!"
"Ghislaine, why don't you believe me either? I really didn't lie!"
A sob crept into Eris's frantic voice, and she finally could not hold back the tears brimming in her eyes.
Was there really not a single person here willing to believe her?
Ghislaine...
Rudeus...
I hate you!!!
She shot the two of them an aggrieved glare, then turned and ran away.
Rudeus watched Eris's retreating figure, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
After a moment, he slowly spoke. "Ghislaine, oh... I understand now."
"You think Miss Eris wasn't lying either? That's impossible... you've seen the Dragon God, but you have no idea how terrifying he is." Ghislaine looked at him.
"No, Ghislaine."
Rudeus shook his head, his expression serious. "I think we should find Miss Eris a psychiatrist. Based on my analysis... she must be suffering from some kind of delusional disorder."
"Didn't you say that Luo Ge gave Eris a severe beating before... I think that incident most likely left her with psychological trauma, causing her to hallucinate and develop mistaken perceptions."
"Oh, so that's how it is..."
Ghislaine understood at once, her cat ears twitching slightly. "Yes, I will report Miss Eris's illness truthfully to Lord Philip and Lord Sauros."
The two walked side by side down the street, discussing treatment for Miss Eris's mental illness the whole way.