Leon Greyrat: The Second Son – Mushoku Tensei OC

— Leon Greyrat —

“Are you sure about this, Ruijerd? We could always try to conquer a labyrinth for the fee instead.”

“No. That would be too dangerous, even for us. Besides…” he turned back to me, his face set into a confident smirk. “We’re going to save some children, right? In that case, how could I refuse?”

Wow. He really was a cool dude.

Too bad that he would have his head covered by a sack in a few moments.

“If you said so… Anyway, remember the plan, and if anyone tries to annoy you, threatening them should be enough to scare them off,” I advised.

“Got it,” he nodded.

“Good. Then, let’s go. I’ll be sure to keep your spear safe in the meantime,” I added.

And with that, we walked down to the wharf, where Ruijerd was then bound, covered, and transferred onto a small boat that would smuggle him onto a ship. 

After that, he would be transferred to the storehouse where the slaves would be, and then I would meet up with him to free them, before taking them to their home.

We’d save some kids and get to the Millis Continent, all without spending a single cent. 

The perfect plan.

But unfortunately, Ruijerd would have to spend a few days being treated like shit, but… he could take it. 

He was a venerable Superd warrior, after all.

— Leon Greyrat —

Having already converted our savings to the Millis currency, and packed our remaining luggage into small bags, we made our way to the ship a few days after Ruijerd’s departure.

“Whoa! It’s so big! To think this thing can float on water!” Eris exclaimed, looking excitedly at the sea as she leaned on the railing.

“It is quite amazing indeed,” I nodded. “And as for how it floats, it uses the force of buoyancy-”

“Aah! Nope! No lessons!” Eris shook her head and covered her ears, willing away my teachings.

How rude. 

Weren’t you interested a moment ago?

“I think it’s interesting, Brother!” Aisha said. “Can you tell me about it?”

“How about we do that tonight? For now, we have to brace ourselves,” I said, patting her head.

Such a good sister, she was. 

And a smart one too.

Once we reached the Holy Country of Millis, I planned to stay there for a month or two while looking around for Paul, so I’ll try to give her and Norn some more lessons before departing to get Mama, Lilia, and Sylphy.

“Brother?” Norn asked, pulling my sleeve. “Where’s Mister Ruijerd?”

“He’s just… taking a different route, is all,” I said calmly.

I couldn’t exactly explain to her the intricacies of smuggling and slavery, nor did I want to. 

Norn was a kind and innocent child, so I wanted her to stay that way for as long as possible.

“Oh… okay!” she nodded happily.

Aisha piped up again. “What do you mean by ‘bracing ourselves’?”

“Ah, well… some people don’t like boats, is all.”

I wasn’t too worried about Eris, as she was already a swordswoman strong enough to gain Ruijerd’s respect and could travel at the speed of sound if she really tried, so there was no way seasickness would affect her.

But I was a bit worried about Norn and Aisha.

I would have to make sure they didn’t feel too bad if they ended up being prone to seasickness, as I could use healing and detoxification magic to ward off the nausea.

But still, even if they ended up not feeling the best, I hope they would take the days at sea to enjoy the rare experience.

“Anyway, let’s put our stuff away first. I got us a cabin, but there’s only one bed, so we’ll be sleeping together tonight,” I said, leading the three toward our room.

While I was happy to hear their cheers, inwardly, I was a bit worried.

After all, I was a boy in the midst of puberty, and Eris was starting to grow into quite the beautiful girl.

A bad combination, as one might expect, at least when I didn’t want to make a mistake.

But I suppose I would just have to bear with it for now.

— Leon Greyrat —

“U-Ughh…”

“There, there… Here, does this feel a bit better?”

“Y-Yeah… thanks, Leon.”

Gently combing my hand through Eris’ long hair, I cast a constant flow of healing magic to alleviate her symptoms.

Contrary to my expectations, it seemed that Eris was weak to the sea, while my two sisters were doing just fine. 

Right now, they were having a nap, having been tuckered out from exploring the deck, but they were pretty excited at the prospect of sailing.

Unfortunately, seeing the source of the rocking and swaying only made Eris more nauseous.

Hence, the current situation.

“L-Leon?” Eris said, looking up at me.

I felt my body flush at her sweet tone.

Not only her tone, but how her face was dripping with sweat and marred with worry, and her eyes that looked up at me with such affection and trust, with all of that… it was hard to maintain a straight face.

Right… while this girl was dangerous with a sword, she was dangerous in other ways too.

“What is it, Eri?” I asked softly.

“C-Can you… stay with me?” she pleaded.

…Definitely dangerous.

“Don’t worry, I will,” I reassured her. “You only have to deal with this for another night, so how about you try to get some rest?”

I then took off my leather jacket, which for lack of a better term, had seen better days, before draping it over her like a blanket.

My jacket, which was proof of my Sword Saint rank, had been drenched in monster blood more times than I could count and had been cut and ripped all over the place, giving it a rugged, worn appearance, very similar to Ghislaine’s.

Hmm… it was getting a little small for me, especially around the arms, and thinking about it now, how Ghislaine wore hers…

“What? What are you doing?” Eris asked.

“Just thinking about changing my style, is all,” I shrugged.

Taking out my dagger, I then cut off the sleeves of the jacket at the armpit area, which should give me much more room to move freely.

There, that should be better, I hope.

And like Ghislaine, I didn’t have to button it up, but I would be wearing an undershirt, unlike my brazen teacher.

With Eris curling up further on my lap, Aisha then stirred awake, quickly getting her bearings before looking over. “…Is Big Sis still like that?”

“As you can see… some people just can’t handle the rocking of the waves, but I’m glad you two are fine,” I said.

And also myself, for that matter.

“I see…” 

For some reason, Aisha was pouting a little.

Ah. Was it that?

I mean, I felt the same whenever Mama would hold Rudy for the entire day as a baby, so I knew what she was feeling.

“Do you want to rest on me too?” I asked.

“If you say so, Big Brother!”

Scrambling over, she quickly made herself comfortable by resting on my other leg.

“Brother?” she asked, looking over at Eris to check if she was asleep. “Do you… love Eris?”

I felt the girl in question twitch.

Haa… this question. 

I knew Aisha was quite mature, but I was hoping I could avoid this until everything was settled.

As I’ve grown older, and had come to an understanding of my feelings of love and attraction, I quickly found myself in a dilemma.

I loved three girls.

Roxy, my childhood crush, was not simply a crush, nor was it childish. 

Every time I thought of her, my cheeks became red, and my heart raced with anticipation.

I wanted her, and I wanted her badly.

And Sylphy… while I was initially hesitant, as she had shown me affections before I could understand them, I eventually came to accept them happily, especially with the time we spent apart.

I missed her… and I missed her affections as well.

While she needed to become a bit more independent and gain a bit more self-confidence, I loved and wanted her, too.

And Eris… well, if I didn’t love her before the teleportation, with all the days and nights we spent together, leaning on each other and supporting each other, how could I not say anything other than…

“Yeah, I love her.”

Eris froze.

I decided to pretend I thought she’s asleep, for her sake.

Plus, this was a great way to show how thankful I was without her getting too embarrassed and running away.

“She’s an amazing girl, and while she’s feisty and quick to lose her temper… when I see her asleep like this, I can’t help but find both sides of her adorable,” I said, massaging her scalp.

I felt Eris bury her face into my leg as her feet kicked up and down.

I guess she quickly forgot to keep up the sleeping act, huh?

“She’s strong, dependable, and for helping me keep you two safe, especially before Ruijerd joined us… I am forever grateful,” I said.

And that was the truth.

But three women… Mama would definitely slap me.

After all, in this regard, I was even worse than Paul.

But… I just couldn’t help it. 

As Rudy had said some time ago, ‘the heart wants what it wants’… though he did that while eyeing up one of the maids, but the point still stands.

I wanted all three of them to myself. 

I loved all three of them.

I was just that selfish and greedy.

Well… as long as I was truthful, and didn’t break any promises, I think I could proudly declare my feelings, but that could only be done after everyone was reunited.

After all, once I declared my feelings, I wanted to settle down and start a family, with everyone in my current family around us.

“Wow… that’s really something, Brother,” Aisha said. “I guess she’ll actually be my Big Sister soon enough.”

“Cheeky brat…” I dug my other hand into her head, tussling her hair. 

Resting my head back against the wall, I couldn’t help but feel my lips curl into a smile.

We were off the Demon Continent, and all of my family was alive.

I know that I was probably tempting fate by thinking this, but… I couldn’t help but feel like everything was looking up for us.

Soon… we would all be reunited. 

I was sure of it.

— Leon Greyrat —

“Land… solid land…” Eris said with a smile as she crawled across the dock.

“Come on, you can rejoice later. We have to get a place for the night, and then I’ll go fetch Ruijerd,” I said, pulling her to her feet.

“Ah… okay,” she said, turning her head away.

Peeking over her shoulder, I noticed that her cheeks were flushed red while her lips were spread in a silly smile.

What’s with- Oh, right.

I knew she was awake when I complimented her, but to think she would take it so… bashfully.

But it was nice to see such a side to her, especially one so gentle.

“A-As long as we don’t have to go on that damn boat again!” Eris said, getting her usual energy back.

Well… we’d have to take another boat to get to the Central Continent, but I’d leave that for her to find out. 

No need to make her sad.

“Let’s head over to find an inn.”

With that, we then headed to the Adventure Guild to find a place to stay, and that was where I learned a few things about the current state of affairs.

First, we had apparently arrived at Zant Port at a bad time, as the Great Forest was about to start its rainy season, where the roads would be flooded, and the forests teeming with monsters, all for three straight months.

This also made it hard to find a place since the city was crowded, but since we had quite a bit of money, I was able to make do.

As I waited for the night to fall, when I would then get Ruijerd out of his cell, I overlooked the quests posted on the board, written on paper this time in the human tongue, to see if there was any way to make some cash in the coming months. 

And that was where I saw it.

A letter, from Paul, addressed to me.

Dear Leon, my son.

I don’t know when you are reading this, but I thought I should let you know what is happening.

As you probably know, the entire Fittoa Region, including our family and I, have been teleported to random locations across the world in a disaster known as the ‘Displacement Incident’.

Wait… the entire Fittoa Region? Including Paul?

That… that’s not what I imagined at all.

Shaking my head, I continued reading.

I have met up with Rudy, who is going to search the north of the Central Continent, but other than him, I have not found Lilia, Zenith, or your sisters. But from what he explained, they are probably with you. 

I trust that you have kept them safe.

I have set up a group of like-minded individuals to help search for those affected called the Fittoa Region Search Group, but we only have members across the Central and Millis Continents. 

If you are reading this, please begin searching for your mothers, and if your sisters are not with you, them as well, focusing on the Begaritt Continent or the Demon Continent.

I know you are smarter, and at this point, stronger than me, so I trust that you’ll be able to help.

If you need me, find me in Millishion, and if I am not there by the time you arrive, ask one of our members where this useless old man has gone.

Thank you, Paul Greyrat.

So it seemed that I did catch him at a bad time with Kishirika’s search.

Rather than drowning himself in alcohol to relieve his sorrows, Paul was leading a large group to try to fix the disaster.

He was always dependable in the most stressful of times, so I wasn’t all too surprised.

Well… while he said all that, there wasn’t any need for me to ‘search’ for our family, as I already knew where my mothers were.

But seeing as he correctly assumed that Aisha and Norn were with me, did he think I should take them with me?

How ridiculous.

Actually, considering the man I was familiar with, he probably didn’t think at all.

Well, since he had a whole organization, I should be able to leave Norn and Aisha with them, and if not, we can always talk something out.

Regardless… it was time to go.

Eris had initially complained about having me go alone, but considering someone needed to stay to watch Aisha and Norn, she quickly accepted the role.

However, I think it was more to get some space from me, as she still had trouble looking me in the eye.

So, with Ruijerd’s spear in one hand, and a bag of food in the other, I made my way to the location I was told about.

Ruijerd, along with the rest of the kids, were currently being treated as slaves. 

Scratch that, they were slaves, and this meant that while they were being fed, it was only the bare minimum to keep them alive, and in Ruijerd’s case, he might not have been fed at all, as they would rather a mighty Superd warrior be as weak as possible in case of any ‘accidents’.

So I decided to bring some food along.

Making my way to the right warehouse, I gave the guard the password, which he accepted without complaint.

Though… 

“What’s with the bag?” he asked.

“Just some supplies,” I shrugged. “Dealing with such terrifying cargo, I don’t want to risk it breaking out.”

“I see… well, follow me.”

Luckily, the guard took my words at face value.

I mean, it wouldn’t be the worst thing if he ended up checking. 

I could either make up another excuse or simply start the massacre a bit early.

Walking through a few secret doors, which weren’t so secret with my Demon eye, I eventually found myself walking through a cave and then a forest, where a large building was hidden amidst the trees.

With my guide knocking on the door, it then opened to reveal a set of stairs leading to the basement, and another to the second floor.

Flooding a bit of mana into my eye, it seemed that the basement was where they were keeping the slaves.

Hmm… I guess the second floor was for the guards?

“Boy,” a white-haired man said. “Who referred you?”

“Ditz,” I answered smoothly.

“Tsk. Him, eh? Here,” he said, handing a key over to my guide. “Take it out quickly. It’s in room 202.”

I guess Ruijerd put my ‘threaten’ tactic into practice, seeing as this guy was scared shitless.

Leading me down the stairs, the guard quietly walked toward a cell where Ruijerd was held, his arms tied behind his back and his eyes covered by a cloth.

“Here it is. Don’t remove the shackles here,” the guard said, his face filled with fear. “There’s no way to control that thing if it gets out.”

Well, he was definitely right about that, but I had some bad news for the guy.

But that guard seemed quite scared… ah, was it the green hair that was growing from Ruijerd’s previously bald head?

Hmm… I had been putting off thinking about it, as I didn’t really have any way to fix it, but I knew that the fear of the Superd race had something magical to do with it, something like a curse or something, especially with the story of their ‘cursed spears’.

Perhaps it was centred around the hair after all? 

That was the Superd’s most distinguishing feature.

Or maybe as long as they wielded spears… well, who knows.

“Leon,” Ruijerd whispered as I moved closer to him. “The children are in the next room over.”

Going behind him, I faked getting my set of shackles out of my food bag.

“Alright. I can get them,” I replied. “What about the guards?”

Ruijerd’s face turned fierce. “I’ll kill them all.”

Oh?

“I’m assuming they deserve that?” I asked.

He nodded grimly. “The children may need healing.”

My eye twitched in anger.

“…Got it,” I said, putting my hand on his shackles. “Just make sure not a single one is left alive.”

After all, as a smuggling organization, it wouldn’t be odd for them to send out assassins for anyone that screwed up their operation.

But that was only if they knew who had screwed it up.

“Make sure to not traumatize the kids though.”

Releasing his bindings, in a flash, Ruijerd grabbed his spear before impaling the guard, his neck spurting blood as he instantly dropped to the ground.

One down, without even removing his blindfold.

Silent and efficient. 

That was how Ruijerd hunted, and this smuggling organization was his prey.

Looking back at me, we shared a nod before he sprinted down the hallway, leaving me to walk over to where I sensed the children were.

Ignoring the screams from upstairs, I opened the door with earth magic, revealing a sight I would rather have lived without seeing.

There were seven kids. 

Four girls and three boys that all seemed a few years younger than me, all of them bound, gagged, and naked, revealing bodies covered in cuts and bruises.

Ignoring the sickness churning in my stomach, I quickly went over before casting healing magic on all of them with the Advanced-rank spell, Mass Healing.

Five of them seemed to be beastfolk, with dog and cat ears sticking out of their hair, while the other two seemed to be long-eared elves.

I could see why Ruijerd was so pissed. 

Even I felt like running up and joining him. 

But… I needed to make sure these kids were alright, before leading them back home.

Right… I needed to reassure them.

“It’s going to be alright,” I said in the Beast God tongue, causing the children to stop their shivering in surprise. “I’ll make sure you all make it back home safe and sound.”

One of the girls’ tail wagged at this.

So they could understand me. Good. 

It seemed Ghislaine wasn’t horrible at teaching after all.

Healing up the last boy, who was beaten to the point where he could barely breathe, I then began removing their shackles. “There’s food in the bag. Make sure you don’t eat too fast.”

Broken ribs… open wounds… fractured legs…

Dammit, I didn’t think they would be treated this badly, seeing as they were their ‘products’, but at least they didn’t seem to have been raped.

I suppose that was a silver lining in all of this.

Watching them eat with fervour, I created a few cups with earth magic before filling them with water, giving them something to wash down their meals.

“T-Thank you… for healing us,” one of the girls said, a few crumbs of food still stuck to her lips. “But… who are you?”

“Just someone who likes saving kids. And don’t worry about the bad people, my partner is taking care of them upstairs,” I explained.

My words were accompanied by a dying scream, along with the cries of ‘demon’ and ‘monster’.

The girl smiled at this.

Huh. Not afraid of death at all, then.

Well, she seemed to have been the only one of them without any tears and also had the most injuries, so she must be fairly strong-willed.

“But… do you know where your homes are?” I asked.

Luckily, they all seem to nod, and one of them even explained how they were taken away while they were playing outside.

Good. 

Well, not ‘good’, but if they had been sold off, or their homelands destroyed, it would have been a bit tough to bring them back, so it wasn't the worst situation.

Now I just had to worry about if they knew where they lived…

“Leon, it’s done,” Ruijerd said, walking in.

While I wouldn’t call him covered in blood, he did have a few splashes here and there, and his spear tip was stained red.

I just hoped that he wasn’t too intimidating to the kids.

Rescuing people like this would be a great way to regain his race’s honour, as long as he was smart about it.

Luckily, with his jewel covered up once again, and the green fuzz shaved off his head, the kids all looked at him with admiration rather than fear.

Good foresight, Ruijerd!

“Good. Did you find any clothes for these kids?” I asked.

“No, but I can search for some,” he responded.

Nodding, I got up. “Then I’ll go burn the bodies.”

As Ruijerd walked down the hallway, I got ready to walk up the stairs before I was stopped by one of the girls.

“P-Please wait!” she said, her face tinged with desperation. “W-Was there a large dog in the building?”

A… dog?

“I think so, yes.”

Using my Demon eye, there was indeed some ball of mana upstairs, though it seemed that there was some sort of barrier around it.

“You have to rescue it! Please!” she pleaded.

So it was their dog?

“…Sure. Just wait right here with Ruijerd, okay? The one with the spear,” I said, patting her head.

She nods with a smile, her ears flapping and eyes narrowing at my touch.

Cute.

I’m sure Eris, with all the Boreas blood flowing through her veins, would love her.

Heading back up the stairway, I couldn’t help but struggle to think about what to do with the kids.

They were definitely from the Great Forest, but there were quite a few villages where they could come from… and we still had the rainy season to worry about.

Worst case scenario, we would have to end up renting a house or something after posting a request to find their homes at the guild.

But then again, the smuggling organization wouldn’t just sit still either…

Hmm… Ruijerd and I could probably deal with it, as long as we were careful.

Gallus did mention how the organization was made up of separate groups, so hopefully, they would just end up fighting amongst themselves after such a loss instead.

It didn’t take long for me to find the dog in question, as it was large, white, and most importantly, trapped in a barrier magic circle, with chains wrapped around its body.

To keep a dog trapped so securely like this… maybe this thing was really important?

It did have quite a bit of mana. 

Perhaps it was some type of monster or something?

Well, whatever. 

If the kids wanted it, it would be pretty simple to free it.

Looking up, I sent a stone javelin through the floor, crushing the magic stone above and releasing the magic circle that was holding the dog in place.

Now released from one of its bindings, the dog looked at me almost… skeptically. 

I didn’t really know, though, as it was just a dog.

“Here, now to get those chains off you,” I said calmly in the Beast God tongue.

Wait, would it just run off?

Probably not, right?

Taking out my dagger, I coated the blade in touki before swiftly cutting its bindings, the chains clattering to the ground.

“There. Good now?” I asked.

“Woof!” I got in response.

Well, that was good.

Shaking off its stiffness, the dog then slowly approached me before hesitantly sniffing my body, as if trying to make sense of me.

Eventually, seemingly done with its analysis, it looked back at me before nodding approvingly. “Woof!”

…I don’t know why, but I feel like I just passed some kind of test.

Lucky me, I guess.

“Well, let’s head back to-”

“You there!” a voice shouted at me in the Beast God tongue. “You dare capture the Sacred Beast!?”

Huh? The what now?

Turning my head, I was met with the odd sight of a beastfolk with brown skin and a tiger tail, reminding me a bit of Ghislaine with his grey hair.

I knew this guy wasn’t with the smugglers, as I knew that each person that was here was now a corpse, so he must have just arrived.

But to get here so fast… did he slip through my senses? 

I guess I was focused on the dog here, but still…

Before I could respond, the man then put his hand to his mouth before releasing a roar… but not any ordinary roar.

Flowing mana into my Demon eye, I watched as his mana converged around his throat before dispersing into the air, rushing toward me like a projectile.

But it was different from air magic, or anything solid like earth and water. 

Instead, it was more like pure… sound? Magic-infused sound?

How odd.

Jumping to the side, the shockwave passed harmlessly past me as the man looked at me with wide eyes.

Hmm… that didn’t look like a strike meant to kill, but more of a disabling attack.

Considering how he was likely not with the smugglers, and he was also a beastfolk… perhaps he was here to rescue the kids?

Either way, I decided to not kill the man, and instead knock him out, but before I could, another older beastfolk man appeared between us.

“Gyes! Stand down!” he shouted.

“What!? Why, Father?” the other man asked.

“He’s likely not working with the smugglers! Don’t you see the bodies?” the older man said. “Besides… I’m afraid his skills far outmatch yours.”

“W-What?” the man’s face blanched. “But he’s still so young…”

“And this is why I can’t leave the village to you yet. Much too hasty,” the older man shook his head before looking at me. “You there. Are you with the smugglers?”

Hmm… while Gyes did hire us for this job, I think saying I was with them would just complicate things unnecessarily.

“No,” I shook my head. “As you can see, my comrade took care of them, so rather than being with them, they are more like our enemies.”

“I see,” he nodded. “And where is this comrade of yours?”

“Right here.”

Hearing Ruijerd’s voice, I turned back to the man. “Where were you?”

“Getting them clothes,” he said, gesturing behind him. “Besides, I trust you can handle this much yourself.”

“I see,” I smiled.

It was nice to get such trust from a reliable guy like him… but I did wish he warned me.

After all, if the man had been aiming to kill, his head would have already been on the floor.

The man then glared at Ruijerd. “You there! I smell-”

“Grandfather! Father!”

The strong-willed girl from before then runs forward, thankfully now clothed with what seemed to be a piece of cut fabric.

I guess there were no clothes there after all. But Ruijerd was quite the resourceful guy.

“Tona!” 

Both men then opened their arms, a look of relief on both of their faces. 

“You’re alright!”

So these guys were from their village.

Good. Now we wouldn’t have to worry about searching for their homes.

Letting the three share their comfort, the other children slowly revealed themselves before Tona suddenly went back to me and Ruijerd. 

“These men saved us from the bad men!”

The older man didn’t seem surprised and accepted her words with a smile, while Gyes looked away, obviously embarrassed by his earlier display.

He almost reminded me of Paul, in that sense.

Nodding his head, the older man then bowed while forcing his son to as well, pulling him down with him by his hair. 

“Thank you for saving my granddaughter, as well as the Sacred Beast and the rest of the children.”

“No need,” I shook my head.

“I assure you there is. What’s your name, boy?” the older man asked.

“Leon Greyrat,” I answered.

“Mmm. And you?” the man turned to Ruijerd.

“…Ruijerd.”

Ruijerd then looked to me, as if asking for what to do next.

He was probably asking whether to reveal himself as a Superd, right?

Well, if they couldn’t accept him in this situation, I doubt they would ever do so, and thinking that, I give him a nod.

“...Ruijerd Superdia,” he finished.

Both men’s eyes widened. 

“S-Superdia!? I… I see,” the older man said, quickly getting over his shock. “I am Gustav Dedoldia. I promise to repay this debt to both of you in time.”

“B-But Father! He’s-”

“Shut up, you idiot!”

Gustav then smacked Gyes before turning back to us.

“My apologies, please ignore this ingrate,” Gustav said, shaking his head. “Unfortunately, while he’s trained his body, he is lacking in mental strength and experience.”

…Alright then.

It seemed this family was an odd one, huh?

Bowing to us one last time, Gustav then looked to his son. 

“Gyes, you take the children back to the village. There’s still time until the last ship leaves, so I will rescue the rest.”

The rest? 

Oh dear, Ruijerd wasn’t going to-

“What do you mean by the rest?”

— Welp, there we go.

Gyes narrowed his eyes. “Those damn humans- sorry, smugglers, suddenly invaded many surrounding villages in the Great Forest, taking many of our children… luckily, we were able to recover most of them, with the help of someone’s advice, but there’s a ship leaving Zant Port tonight with the rest.”

Ruijerd clenched his spear in anger. “Do you… need aid in this endeavour?”

Haa… well, there we go.

Gustav and Ruijerd then shared a staredown, seemingly communicating without words, before Gustav eventually nodded. “That would be most appreciated.”

“I see, then allow me to join you,” Ruijerd said before turning to me. “There may still be more smugglers around, Leon, so I ask you to take the children back to their home. I’ll be sure to keep the others safe.”

“Indeed,” Gustav nodded. “I would rather not leave the protection of the children and the Sacred Beast to this idiot,” he looked at Gyes, “so if you wouldn’t mind taking this burden, I would be grateful. As the rainy season is coming, allow me to invite you and your group into my home until it ends.”

“Umm, sure,” I said, nodding. “So you’ll take Eris and my sisters back with you, Ruijerd?”

“Indeed. Do not worry, while I intend to rescue the children, my promise to you is still my priority,” he nodded.

That’s good then.

“H-Hey, Father!? I can take them back on my own!”

“I’d rather not risk that,” Gustav frowned. “Just take the extra help. Our warriors are already stretched thin.”

“W-Wha-!? Guh… fine,” Gyes said before narrowing his eyes at me. “Then let’s get going, child.”

My eyebrow twitched. “It's Leon.”

And with that, we separated, with Gyes and me leading the children and the dog, which was apparently their Sacred Beast, through the woods toward their village, while Gustav and Ruijerd made their way toward the city.

I just hoped everything would be alright… who was I kidding, there was definitely going to be something else, right?