The emperor's eyes became serious as Damien narrated his and Rose's experience within the temple. Although he already knew the story from his ancestral teachings, he had never seen the Nox in person.
He was born 500 years ago when the demigods of Apeiron had all died out. Hearing Damien's description of the Nox, he fell into thought.
Damien had long decided to share this information with Rose's father. From her explanation yesterday, he gathered that although he was soft on her, he was a shrewd individual and a cunning old fox when it came to politics. He was also someone that genuinely cared for the well-being of his empire.
Someone with this type of personality was someone Damien wanted to build a solid relationship with. If he was most lacking in a single area, it would be politics. He hated all the tricks and schemes that came with it and the mental battles that were fought.
He'd much rather take to the frontlines and allow someone else to deal with political nonsense for him.
But he knew he needed to become more cunning. He figured he'd just learn as time passed, but maybe he could gather a few tricks from the emperor.
The emperor slowly collected his thoughts before nodding. "Let me worry about this for now. You and Rose are young, so you should gain strength in preparation for the inevitable war."
Damien agreed. As they wrapped up their conversation, the emperor called Rose back into the room.
"Father," Rose said with anxiety evident on her face.
Seeing her like this made the emperor slightly drop his indifferent facade. She was the type who always charged into danger without worry for the consequences, and now she was looking at him like a little girl again.
He couldn't help but be reminded of fond memories from her childhood. Even though he didn't have much time to raise her properly, he did his best to be a good father.
"It's a rare occasion to see you flustered like this," he teased before getting a sudden idea. He made a quick signal to Damien before continuing.
And Damien naturally understood what the emperor wanted to do, it was just surprising that he would suddenly have a complete switch in the serious persona he had been projecting this entire time.
"I will not approve of this relationship. He is not worthy of you." The emperor said, his indifference returning.
When Rose looked over at Damien, she saw the pained look on his face. When he saw her watching him, he seemingly averted his eyes in shame.
Rose began panicking. This wasn't how she imagined things to go. After all, the two of them had very similar personalities at the core. 'Did they fight? Was there a disagreement?'
Seeing her get so flustered made it impossible to stay in character. Basically at the same time, both the emperor and Damien broke out into raucous laughter.
Rose's gaze switched between the two of them as her confusion slowly turned into anger. "Y-y-you!"
Since she couldn't do anything about her father, she went straight for Damien. "You'll pay for this!"
Damien gave a light smile towards the emperor before running out of the throne hall, followed by an angry Rose.
The emperor stared at their receding backs with a slight smile on his face. They truly reminded him of his relationship with his first wife, Rose's mother.
Thinking of her only brought pain and longing to his heart. He had long since killed the ones responsible for her death, and he had made sure to do it with his own hands, but he felt it wasn't enough to avenge her.
The only reason he didn't continue his rampage and eradicate the families that were implicated was due to the nature of Rose's mother. She was a kind woman who didn't like to find fault in anyone. If she knew what he had done, she would never forgive him.
Sighing, he disappeared from the room. When his figure reappeared, he was in a certain room in the castle. In front of him were a small bed, a tea table, and a garden that didn't lose its luster even in the 10 years since its owner had passed.
He walked forward to the grave that was made in the middle of this room. It was where she had asked to be buried when she died, so he had followed her wish.
"Agata, sometimes it's surprising just how accurate your predictions could be. Not only did our daughter grow powerful, but that person also arrived.
"He's just a young man that our daughter has fallen in love with, but his entrance into her life has already begun to change her destiny. Do you know that she's already a 3rd class? And from her aura, she is much stronger than those at her level.
"Yet, that boy is even stronger than her." The emperor let out a slight chuckle. "He faced me fearlessly even with our level difference, and even Malcolm told me of how the boy did the same when he was only at 2nd class.
"Although it still hurts to give our daughter away to that kid, I will follow her and your will. You never let me astray before and I refuse to believe you'd do it now."
The main reason he didn't have a problem with Damien and Rose's relationship was that he already knew it would happen before they even met. His first wife had predicted it all.
After all, how could eyes like Rose's just randomly show up? She had inherited it from her mother, though she wasn't aware of this. The emperor stayed within this room for a bit longer before he once again vanished from his place.
Meanwhile, Damien and Rose had already finished their small game of tag and were happily chatting within the palace.
"Let's stay here for a few more months before we head back," Damien said, "I learned about many of my weaknesses earlier and I'd like to take some time to fix them and experiment with my new power."
Rose nodded. She needed to get used to the gains she received from the obelisk as well. Although there weren't as many clear changes in her status as with Damien, there were more intrinsic changes that she felt she needed to tap into. Not to mention that she also had a set of question marks in the affinity section of her status.
And so, the two of them began to train diligently. Damien focused mainly on his lightning, trying to get more use out of it than he previously could, while also experimenting with his new powers.
The power of starlight was extremely unique, and Damien wanted to learn how to efficiently use it without draining all of his mana. Not only that, he wanted to be able to cast his skills and spells instantly, rather than needing to concentrate as he did previously. Every second wasted in battle could lead to his potential death.
He had only tried to use sunfire so far, not experimenting with any other uses of starlight. So, he needed a good amount of time to learn.
Rose was similar. She had gained many insights into both illusion and wind, but she focused more on her illusions. She had gained tomes containing years of research of the creator of the legacy tomb but had yet to dive into this knowledge.
She spent her time assimilating this new knowledge and turning it into her own, gaining insights on improving her illusions. Besides the tomes, she also spent time learning to properly use her new illusory throne skill.
If she could raise her illusions to Grandmaster level control while already having an understanding of how to use her domain, she could empower this skill by leagues.
Zara, who was feeling a bit like a third wheel to these two, had made her way to the Helia Forest to train within the beast domain.
Although she was most comfortable by Damien's side, she knew her priorities. Not to mention that the two's mental connection would still be active, so she didn't need to be worried.
Damien currently stood in the middle of an open field as he tested a move he'd been wanting to create ever since he gained a spatial affinity. It was a badass move that he had always wanted to try.
Closing his eyes and concentrating, Damien felt the makeup of the atmosphere and outer space that was past it. He felt the large number of celestial bodies that existed within that expansive darkness.
And then, he pulled. He knew exactly what he was doing and did it with all his power. And the result? A massive crater tens of kilometers both wide and deep was formed. Damien smiled like a fool seeing this.
The devastation was leagues above what he'd been able to do with his previous power level, and he was extremely proud of himself. Damien quickly closed his eyes as he tried to do it once more. He needed to perfect this move before his return.
And like that, 6 more months passed.
Damien, Rose, and Zara stood in the middle of a massive clearing far away from any civilization. They had already talked with the emperor and gotten his consent for their plans, so they moved without pause.
Staring at the expansive sky above him, Damien let out a heavy sigh. "It's been 4 years. It's finally time to return home."
Feeling his emotions, Rose and Zara came close and showered him with warmth. Lightly smiling, he raised his hand. The ground in front of the trio twisted and warped.
A massive portal was in the process of forming.
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