~ Chapter 171: Misunderstandings resolved! ~

[Illsyore’s point of view]

Just when I was about to win, Nanya’s mother put an end to my mortal combat duel with that Dungeon who claimed to be Nanya’s father and then invited me to her palace in Akardia. At first, I was a bit unwilling, as I kept glaring at the old man who now looked more like a peasant that just had a tumble down the hill than a prestigious Dungeon Lord known by many and feared by all.

I was in no better position either, the battle was one that forced me to put my ALL into it! Ahem... and by no means was it a pathetic children’s scuffle if seen from afar... definitely not that!

Before we left that barren area, I made sure Nanya was alright and not injured or cursed or anything like that. The last thing I needed was a surprise like that nauseating former draconian Emperor pulled on us on the very last minute.

If there was anything that I had learned from that battle, that was the fact that in this world there was no way you could be prepared for absolutely anything no matter how powerful and knowledgeable you were, but at the same time, you should not blame yourself for things that were beyond your control at that moment. Even if I had the inspiration of trying to remove the curse on everyone there, could I have been able to do so in a stealthy manner and in time for Ayuseya’s audience with that draconian? No, wait, she did not need me there per say, but... yeah, that blame was still going to linger there for a little while longer.

That was why, in a way, I really did not wish for a repeat of the past if I could do anything to help prevent that.

While my mind was being poked at with such thoughts, I heard what Nanya’s mother said to her husband: “We were in the wrong... it seems.”

The Dungeon just harrumphed and looked away, but it made me wonder about something. If I was conscious of the fact that it may have been my fault that the situation with Ayuseya’s relatives reached that tragic point, was I still strong enough to admit it? Could I accept that I may have been able to do something more and recognize the fact that maybe... just maybe... I got a bit too overconfident in my abilities?

For the time being, I left these thoughts rest, as for the thing with Nanya, for now, it seemed as though this whole thing was just one massive misunderstanding. I remember telling her what the red button on the device did, and she confirmed that this call was by no means something urgent or life-threatening. Maybe she made a mistake when pressing the buttons? My arrival at full force must have startled the battle-hardened demons present here and put her father on the edge. I probably would have done the same if my Anette made a call to her husband and then saw him steamrolling into my Dungeon Territory with a not-so-friendly attitude and presence.

So, in a way... this was my bad... again? I thought.

Traveling to the capital was done by carriage for the wingless demons and by flight for those who managed to conquer the skies. It was faster to travel by air too, and for the sake of not causing another misunderstanding, this time I restrained my Dungeon Territory and presence to a bare minimum while using wind spells to achieve flight.

As we flew, I noticed that the little girl with angel wings kept looking over my way, but when I looked back at her, her cheeks turned red and then hid behind her mother with an embarrassed flutter of her wings. She was cute and made me wish I also had a half-dungeon daughter like her. The grumpy old man who was her father probably misunderstood my curious gaze and tossed me a threatening one. He most certainly thought that I was planning on stealing his daughter again. Knowing how ridiculous an idea like this was, I decided to ignore his foolish reaction.

From what I could see while flying up in the sky, I realized why this continent was marked on that map with a Level 1500. With the exception of a few cubs and hatchlings, there was no monster under level 200, with an average level of 600. There were most likely areas where the average was 1000, but if I were to make a comparison with the three continents and this one, then the map was showing the estimated level of an Elite individual. There weren’t that many level 1000 adventurers walking around, after all.

Nanya’s mother was fairly powerful as well, reaching way over the level 2000, while her father was surprisingly weaker. Despite this, that Dungeon was able to pack quite a punch and send ME flying, someone who was way over level 3000. If anything, I was starting to think that maybe a Dungeon’s level did not work the same way as another species’ level. If I got the chance, I would not mind asking him this.

Speaking of which, Shanteya told me about that Dungeon she met back on Sorone, but she did not feel like he was that threatening, however, if that guy knew how to use his Dungeon Territory like Nanya’s father, she may have been in grave danger. Then again, it was a Dungeon on Sorone, and apparently all those born outside of the Dungeon Continent don’t have the same knowledge and training as the others do, so it was also highly likely that he really didn’t pose any threat to her.

Before Illsyorea, the knowledge of a humanoid Dungeon wasn’t something that was hidden from the public, but there weren’t that many who believed it or knew about it either. These individuals were so rare they were often considered to be creatures along the lines of myths and legends. Once I established my academy, I had no reason to hide my species’ name and I also informed all those I could about what were Dungeons in general. The fact that there were many crazy ones out there was not ignored either.

However, what we knew about them and how we acted with them seemed to be different on the other continents, or at the very least, this was the impression I got after meeting Nanya’s father, who came here from the Dungeon Continent.

Upon arriving at Akardia, the capital of this entire continental empire, I was surprised foremost by the diversity in architecture and then the diversity in appearance of all the demons living here. From young to old, you could not even tell if they were of the same species or not. This was something Nanya told me about but seeing it with my own eyes was something else. At the same time, I did not know what to say about their fashion and art sense. Some things here were just downright bizarre.

We landed in the courtyard of the massive palace at the center of the city. The tall walls and high security certainly gave the feeling of importance and intimidation, but the glares the guards tossed me were like a reminder to watch out what I did or say. If I wasn’t used to seeing the Paramanium Emperor’s Royal Guards glaring at me like I insulted their mothers when I wasn’t using polite speech with him, I may have actually felt a bit pressured into... you know, watching out how I dared to act!

Then again, all of that could have been attributed to my previous mentality as a humble commoner human. Back in Romania there were no such thing as nobles or kings, at most there were just a bunch of politicians and rich folk who thought they ruled the world until the law pulled the rug right from under their feet.

Nanya’s mother stopped right at the very entrance of the palace and then turning towards me, she spoke in a solemn and regal tone of voice “As the Queen of this Demonarkiar Empire, I would like to formally welcome you into my empire and palace, Illsyore Deus, husband of Nanya the 2nd Demonarkiar Deus.”

“My pleasure to be here, your Majesty.” I replied with a small smile as I respectfully bowed my head once.

Ayuseya taught me that when it comes to visiting foreign nations now, I had to always remember that I wasn’t on Illsyorea anymore. I was a nation’s ruler, so it was unbecoming of me to make a full bow or act in a submissive or servile manner towards another ruler. If anything, I was as much of a guest in their nations as they were in mine.

“While within the walls of this palace, you may call me Akardia. My husband’s name is Graymore. I allow you this privilege because technically we are family, and I don’t think it would be polite otherwise, but in any other circumstances, I would like for you to use polite speech when addressing us.” she told me with a calm look in her eyes, but her words made me a bit confused about what her actual intentions were.

Did she want me to act more friendly and open with them or stay cold and uncaring?

“Of course.” I nodded in reply.

“He should always use polite speech when addressing us.” Graymore grumbled.

“Shouldn’t it be the same for you too? I am also a ruler of sorts where I come from.” I retorted.

He glared at me, but with a single dry cough, Nanya’s mother calmed him down.

Once inside the Palace, those two excused themselves and returned to their room to change, while I followed my wife back to her quarters.

I could not wait to see the room in which she spent her childhood. It was quite literally a part of my wife’s past that I never got to know or hear about until now. Naturally, it made me quite curious, and I wanted to take a peek at everything there. So, the moment I stepped through the door, I looked at it with big eyes and a big a grin on my face.

It wasn’t as extravagant or exaggerated as I initially thought it would be. There was no special armory for spiky armors or a lab for prank tool development, it looked like any other noble lady’s room. A large bookcase that covered half of the wall, a Queen-sized bed was placed next to it, a desk with scratches and marks on it not that far from it, a dresser on the other side, and there was also an armor stand for a hammered old set.

“Were you expecting some sort of prank-lab?” Nanya asked with a giggle as she walked over to the bed and took a seat.

“N-No...” I replied averting my eyes.

She giggled and then looked at the armor stand. A bit of sadness was in her long gaze in which was reflected a memory from a long time ago.

“I was called the weakest of them all...” she said in a soft sad voice.

I walked up to her and took a knee right in front of her, then I held her small hand in mine and rubbed her back with my fingers. A soft smile formed on her lips as I did so.

When you did not take into an account the fact that Nanya was quite literally a superhuman capable of achieving some rather extraordinary feats of strength, she could sometimes look so fragile and gentle that you couldn’t even think about touching her with a feather out of fear of harming her. Yet, there was a time in her life when the people around her, starting with her very own family, did not see her as nothing more than a useless being unable to pick up her own weight. Compared to the monsters around her who were all at least one hundred levels stronger than her, you could say that she was overwhelmed, outnumbered, in literal Hell. She couldn’t compare with them no matter how hard she tried, yet despite all of this, she struggled and struggled, she fought and fought until she was able to reach this level of strength.

“You know, this might sound a bit harsh, but in a way, I’m glad you were considered the weakest of them all.” I told her.

“What?” she was a bit surprised and taken aback by my words as she looked at me with big eyes.

“Unlike them, you were given an actual challenge.” I continued and turned her hands around, there on her palms and fingers were the marks of callouses that almost faded away “You may have been weak in terms of strength because of your low level, but...” I looked into her eyes “A true weak person would have never had the might, power, and perseverance you had. A weak person would have never been able to do even a quarter of what you accomplished in your life. You fought, Nanya, against all odds and fates. When everyone was against you, you grew stronger, you didn’t allow yourself to fall down because of their words, and I’m pretty sure they tried quite hard to do so, but your presence here is proof that you succeeded in getting up and trying again.”

“Even though I left the Demon Continent in order to flee to the three continents?” she asked as tear drops formed in the corners of her eyes and flowed down on her rosy cheeks.

“Yes, you fled from the Demon Continent, but you didn’t abandon it. If you had, you would have never returned here. When you were young, you became aware, in your own way, that the Demon Continent was too much of a challenge for the strength you possessed back then, so you went to a place that was suitable for you, where you could grow at your own pace and achieve the wonders you always dreamed of.” I told her as I gently wiped off her tears.

“Thank you, Illsy.” she said in a soft whisper.

We then waited in her room for a sign from her parents while she told me of various things from her past. She pointed at the books she loved to read, the weird things she thought off as a child, and the silly pranks she tried to pull. The her from before was truly innocent. If someone got on her bad side now, waking up bald in the morning was probably going to be the least of their worries.

Among all these memories, I could not see anything that was relevant to her past lovers or the demons at whom she found herself tossing longing gazes.

Guessing my thoughts, she told me “What I felt for them... was not love. Especially after meeting you, I can be certain of this. Those feelings were more on the side of admiration or even the desire of being like all the other normal demonesses out there. Not even once have I thought about raising a family with them... Rather, such a thought was impossible for me back then, but with you...” she looked into my eyes and then pulled me into a kiss “With you I can see my future... I can see myself spending my days together by your side as your wife, as your lover, and not just a demoness with a rank to give you more power and authority.”

About ten minutes or so later, we heard a knock at the door. One of the servants came to announce us that her Majesty was waiting for us in one of the guests’ room. We walked out and followed him there.

Upon arriving in the guest room, the first thing I noticed were the extravagant pieces of furniture, each one hand carved with small detailed engraving. It wasn’t something a Dungeon was capable of doing unless they focused specifically on this one thing for a very long time. Within this room, there were two bookcases with glass window doors on, both placed one next to the other, with a gold and silver clothes hanger right between the two. In the middle of the room was a large coffee table that had a surface of 8 square meters and two sofas placed on opposite sides. Their design was exquisite and looked very comfy, but the gold and silver colors made it a bit hard to swallow. The drapes on the window were also made with a golden velvet, while the floor was covered by a Persian rug, extremely fluffy to the touch but also enchanted with various spells that helped maintain its clean appearance despite being almost entirely white. There were no other extravagant pieces of furniture in this room, which made it seem very vast and unnecessarily spacious. The chandelier above the coffee table was covered in tiny crystals and probably weighed quite a bit.

Nanya’s parents were already here, waiting for us on the couch that was face to face with the two bookcases. Her mother was wearing an elegant long dark red dress with black frills and golden embroidery on the side, it stuck to her form and pushed up her chest. Next to her was Graymore, who was wearing a dark navy tuxedo, with a golden shirt and a dark red bow. He had his arms crossed at his chest and was glaring at me from the very moment I stepped inside.

We walked up to the empty couch and took a seat. I tried to act as friendly as possible since I did not want any bad blood between us.

“You’re late.” Graymore grumbled.

“They aren’t.” Akardia contradicted.

After another moment of awkward silence, Nanya’s mother was the one to break the silence.

“Illsyore, what I said before still stands. You are welcomed in my empire as a foreign dignitary guest, but since you are also my son in law, I would like to hear from you the story of how you met my daughter and also all that you have achieved since then.” she spoke in a calm tone of voice but with a strength that required respect.

Graymore lifted his hand and made a sign to the butler at the door.

“Tea will be served shortly.” he said with a grumble.

“Well... where do I start? First of all, Nanya was the one who gave me this name, so you could say that I’ve known her ever since I was born?” I said and then I began to tell her our story, but I took out the small details such as The Darkness’s true origin, the contact with that fallen god and of course the intimate details of our nightlife.

From time to time, Nanya would add a comment on some things that I was unaware off from my own perspective, but only when she considered it necessary. Meanwhile, one of the maids in this castle brought us each a cup of tea and some salty treats, which to my surprise were Tamara’s favorite... dried sardines. I found it weird that they would serve fish with tea, but after taking a gulp, I understood why, the taste blended perfectly and made the fish all the more delicious.

“After Ayuseya killed Dankyun we realized that some of us still had some matters that needed to be rectified. Shanteya went on a search and destroy mission after the Phantom Rage guild, Ayuseya confronted the idiotic politicians and her own weird family back in the Teslov Kingdom, while Nanya decided to come here to reunite with her family and well... you know the rest.” I shrugged and then stuffed a dried sardine in my mouth.

“That was... quite the story.” said Akardia.

“Yeah, it’s always a fun one at the parties.” I joked, but both of them just furrowed their brows at me.

“While I don’t think there’s a reason to tell such a thing at a party, I am still pleased with you for sharing this with me. I understand now why Nanya has grown so powerful, but what I don’t understand is what you meant by fixing her Magic Channels.” she said as she calmly took a sip from her cup.

“It means that after I took my ribbon off last time, my Magic Channels were far too damaged to sustain my magic power. It was slowly killing me without even realizing. Illsy noticed this problem and corrected it.” Nanya answered as she looked down at her palm.

“Nonsense.” Graymore grumbled.

“It’s not nonsense.” I retorted as I narrowed my eyes at him.

Right now, he was just being plain insulting.

“It is nonsense. That ribbon was meant to protect Nanya from magic overflow, but her Magic Channels were like that since she was born. That was why she was the weakest!”

“What?” Nanya was the one who was surprised now.

“There’s no reason to hide it now, I guess...” Akardia let out a heavy sigh.

“What do you mean, mother? What was wrong with me?” she asked.

Before she continued, the butler returned with the promised freshly brewed tea. Akardia waited patiently until the demon served us each a cup of tea and then returned to his post by the door. The scent of the tea was certainly delightful, but right now, no one was willing to reach out and grab a cup. But this small break came just as the right time for Nanya to calm down a bit and carefully listen to what her mother had to say.

“Nanya, my sweet daughter, you were born a sick child... I considered it a miracle to even reach the age of 100 years old. The reason for this was the fact that despite being a demonarkiar and a half Dungeon, you could not properly use your Magic Energy and would often end up injuring yourself. As a baby, whenever you cried, you would release powerful waves that would cause you to cough blood. You gave me some terrible scares when you were little...” she told us.

This was something that even I didn’t think about. Back then, I took Nanya’s words as the truth and thought that she ended up in that precarious state because of force-releasing her seal, but to think that it was in fact something meant to save her life... and that her own Magic Channels were damaged long before that.

Among the surprise that appeared on her face there was also a glimmer of understanding. It appeared as though there may have been some events during her life that could not be explained otherwise.

In theory, broken Magic Channels made it difficult for one to practice magic and use it to cast as easily as the others did. It didn’t cut them off from magic entirely, it just made them far more reliant on the energy that was around them and within various artifacts. The best combat style for someone with damaged or broken Magic Channels was one similar to what Nanya practiced. Although that was partially due to her own personality and nature, it was a style that benefitted her far more than it would have a spellcaster like Tuberculus was or power striker like Ayuseya. However, her nature as a half Dungeon made her reliance on her Magic Channels greater and at the same time more efficient.

Back when I repaired her body, I didn’t even think of this possibility. I healed everything I could about her body and improved it as well in the most harmonious way possible so that it would not cause any trouble for her later. So, it was highly likely that I may have unknowingly healed birth defects or even genetic diseases. Well, even if I was aware of the fact that Nanya was born with such health problems, I still would have fixed her up. Leaving my own wife to suffer when I had both the power and ability to heal her would have been just plain sadistic and idiotic as far as I was concerned.

“So, let me get this straight.” I said after seeing that neither of them was saying anything else “Nanya was born with a bad set of Magic Channels? Then, if you knew about it, why didn’t you heal her? You are a Dungeon Lord like me, right? A Godlike too, so... it should have been doable?” I asked as I looked at her father.

“Heal her? Boy, do you think I wouldn’t have if I could?” he growled and tossed me a glare.

“For real?” I blinked surprised.

“No healing magic was powerful enough to work on her... We tried everything, including the mysterious spherical pill of Body Tempering from the hidden continent.” Akardia told me as she lowered her gaze.

“Yes.” Graymore nodded “I exhausted all of my magic several times trying to heal her as a baby, but I couldn’t do it. Afterwards, as she grew up, I eventually came to terms with the idea that she might die at any moment. So, I trained her, trying to offer her an extra chance at survival, to let her live even for another day if possible.” as he spoke the tone of his voice softened, bringing about a note of sadness, and with it showing his more humane side.

Their words, however, were a bit strange to me. I couldn’t understand why healing her didn’t work?

“Maybe you did something we couldn’t or didn’t think about at that time?” Akardia asked.

“I didn’t do anything special... just normal surgery and a bit of gene therapy.” I shrugged.

When I said that, both her and her husband looked at each other for a moment and then turned their heads towards me.

“What’s surgery? And what’s gene therapy?” they both asked at the same time.

“Huh?” now this time I was the one surprised. “Well...” I then started to explain the concepts.

To be fair, I did not really encounter any doctors, only Healers, Shamans, and stuff like that. Back on Illsyorea, I took care of anything that could even remotely resemble an epidemic, but I never thought that something like this was so uncommon on the Demon Continent.

“So... in this surgery, you cut the flesh and take out the bad flesh, while for gene therapy you fix this DNA in a similar manner? But what do you do about those who can regenerate very fast? Or those who cast healing spells on themselves or drink a magic potion?” Graymore asked.

“You use a medicine to slow down the regeneration in that area for the duration of the operation, while for the others, you just stop them from doing so until after you are done with the operation. Of course, the piece of flesh that was taken out may start to regenerate as well, but it will most likely be a healthy tissue now.” I explained from what I learned back when I was trapped in my Inner Mind, trying desperately to build my current body.

“This... is unbelievable...” said Akardia as she looked at me with big eyes. “Demons, in general, don’t have anything resembling this. We cut off useless limbs and then just regenerate them entirely, but I can see how this could work for a weaker species like the humans or el’doraw...” she said with a nod.

“I guess the nature of demons makes the job of a doctor to be leagues behind that of a specialized magic healer. Medicine usually takes decades if not centuries to develop before it can reach to something even remotely close to what some magic spells and potions can achieve, however, genetic diseases and other similar ailments can’t be fixed without surgery or gene therapy. The spells and potions will bypass the affected area because, in theory, the body isn’t injured. There’s no need to heal it.” I explained.

“I think I understand...” Graymore said with a nod.

“Depending on the nation, there are doctors, healers, or shamans. They all carry the same name, but they mostly use the same methods to heal someone. What you explained about this surgery is something that I’ve heard only peasants who can’t afford a healer do.” Nanya told me.

“Ah, I guess so, besides, we don’t really need a doctor on Illsyorea as long as I am there.” I patted my chest with a palm.

“However, now that I think about it, we don’t have a class about medicine and healing either...” she said as she rubbed her chin and looked down at the now empty cup of tea in front of her.

We have been taking small sips now and then during this whole conversation. My cup was the first one to turn empty, but to my defense, the tea was delicious.

“Indeed, it would be a good idea to expand with a class or more on the physics of the world as well.” I said.

“The students have been asking a lot of questions about how the crystals on the streets produce light too. The answers we offer them seem to be far too simple for some of them.” Nanya pointed out.

“So, something like advanced schooling? A university of sorts where those interested can learn more complicated and specific stuff? But considering today’s focus, it would have to be something very rudimentary or... widely used.” I said.

“Advanced economics?” she asked.

“That is an option...”

“AHEM!” Akardia faked a cough and then we turned our attention to her. “I’m sorry to interrupt your little moment there, but you seemed to have forgotten that we were in the middle of an important discussion here.”

“I apologize, mother... sometimes, we do tend to get sidetracked with things regarding Illsyorea and the academy in general.” Nanya replied with a wry smile.

“Is it that fun?” Graymore asked her, raising an eyebrow.

“Pardon?” she blinked and looked at him.

“Is it that fun? That academy of yours?”

“Yes! It’s wonderful to work there, and it brings me joy to help everyone on the island. We built it ourselves, so naturally, we hold it dear to us. Both of my children will certainly get to see it expand and flourish over the years.” she showed them a bright smile filled with energy and joy.

“Is that so...” Graymore looked away.

“Nanya, my dear, we are happy that you found something you enjoy so much... However, the barrier... How will you go back?” Akardia asked.

“Before that, I have another question... You said you gave birth to two children, right?” Graymore asked.

“Yes. You two are grandparents now.” Nanya nodded and showed them a bright smile.

“Yes, indeed.” he nodded and then continued “And one of them is a Dungeon?” he asked furrowing his brow.

“Yes.” Nanya nodded.

“How is that possible?” he asked.

“Well, you know... when a man and a woman love each other very much... Really, you have a beautiful wife and several children, how is this a question?!” I retorted a bit irked by this.

“How can it not be?! Your children are the very first to be born like this!” he retorted as he slammed his hand on the table, powerful enough to cause a small burst of air to spread around but not enough to destroy the furniture.

“Huh?” I was the one now confused.

“Illsy, I don’t think what happened to Shanteya and me is something... Dungeons have tried?” Nanya said as she looked down and clenched her hands into tiny fists.

“What do you mean?” I asked her.

“Mother?” Nanya looked up at her, asking her to explain.

Just by looking at this small exchange of words, I knew that this matter wasn’t as simple as I had initially thought it would be. Back when we were on Illsyorea, when Shanteya was about to give birth, I remember Nanya telling me about this matter, which was also the reason why I went through the trouble of finding a solution, but she never told me that her father was unable to do it as well. I thought that he simply didn’t want to. From her tales, Graymore wasn’t exactly the most pleasant of Dungeons to have around, but from what was revealed today, it may have just come out like that because both of her parents were doing their best trying to keep her alive.

“When I was pregnant with your older siblings, Graymore did tell me about this matter. He explained in kind words how even though I was carrying two lives within my womb, I would get to embrace and meet only one of them. He said it was the destiny of young Dungeons to wake up in their own little corner of the world and from there on evolve to the best of their abilities. Of course, I didn’t like it, and I tried to find a solution as well, I asked Graymore to look for one, but he told me that there wasn’t one. In all the thousands of years since the inception of the Dungeon Continent, no one came with a solution for this problem. Thus, it was destiny...” Akardia explained and lowered her gaze, her hand resting over her stomach.

“But now... You are saying that you actually discovered a solution to this matter that no one in all of these millennia managed to find? You, who are just a young Dungeon not even a thousand years old and incapable of properly using his own Dungeon Territory? Hah! Don’t make me laugh!” Graymore looked at me as though he wanted to rip me a new one, but I remained calm and simply raised an eyebrow at him.

“Actually, that’s exactly what happened.” I retorted.

“Impossible!” he growled.

“And yet Kormian and Anette stand as a testament of Illsy’s methods working.” Nanya said as she looked at her father with an understanding gaze.

She did not judge him nor belittled him for his inability to save her Dungeon sibling. It never crossed my mind to ask her if she wanted to go out into the world and look for her twin sibling either. Maybe he or she was somewhere out there and would be able to recognize Nanya just like Anette and Bachus recognize each other, or Kormian and Natrasku. Those little bundle of joys were still waiting for their mother to come back to them.

“But how... I don’t even...” Graymore shook his head and looked down, his hand clenching into a fist.

Seeing them like this, I let out a sigh and then told them “You know, I understand now that what I did may be a bit unusual for the two of you, however, that technique does work. If you want, I can tell you how I did it so that your children will be born safely, together.”

“You would?” Graymore asked blinking surprised.

“Yes, you two are my parents in law, after all.” I shrugged and then thought Besides, if I refuse to do this, I’ll probably end up sleeping on the couch for the next three years...

Hearing this, Graymore blinked surprised and Akardia looked at me with big eyes and mouth agape. A moment later, the Dungeon burst out into a loud laughter, which stopped only after a minute or so had passed. Meanwhile, I just waited for the two of them to calm down while holding Nanya’s hand.

“I’m sorry, it’s just that after all of this I didn’t expect that you would... but... this method... I... I would like to know it, please.” Graymore said with a change in his eyes, all that anger and hate was now gone. “This doesn’t mean that I will approve of you as my son in law, though!” or maybe I spoke too soon.

“Graymore.” Akardia said as she showed him a forced smile which made him gulp.

“Fine, I approve of him!” he gave in and then looked away “But Nanya was my cute little girl...” he grumbled in a low voice, but we could still hear him.

“Then, there’s only the matter of that barrier left. You said that you didn’t sense it when you passed through it?” Akardia asked, and I think I saw a bit of worry in her eyes, or was that just my imagination playing tricks on me?

“You mean the one surrounding the three continents?” I asked.

“Yes.” she nodded.

“What’s up with that barrier, what do you know about it? I mean, I saw it on some old map as well, but within the barrier, knowledge of it is almost nonexistent.” I told her.

“The barrier was placed there by an ancient Dungeon, one of the first Primordials, or so they say. The reason behind its creation varies from source to source, but for the most part, they are talking about trapping one of the most dangerous species inside that place.” he said.

“Humans?” I asked.

“No, Merions.” he replied shaking his head.

“Huh?” both me and Nanya were surprised.

“Merions, in their cute little fuzzy form are harmless and easy to kill, but once they pass a certain threshold, they became very violent and devour everything in sight. They are the most despised pests of them all. Worse of all, there are some Merions that have golden fur and are known to be able to devour Magic Energy just like the ancient Leviathans do.” he explained.

“Erm, Leviathans?” I asked.

“Those are also a very dangerous species. They eat nothing but dirt, but if a pack were to get too close to a continent, they could wipe it out in a few years.”

“OK, anything else that was said about that barrier?”

“It was said that it was powered up in a mysterious way that Dungeon discovered all on his own. No matter how powerful you were, it was impossible to get through. However, I know for a fact that nothing is eternal... even the gods.” he told me as he narrowed his eyes at me.

“But Gods are a-temporal, eternity doesn’t matter to them.” I replied tilting my head to the left.

“What?” he furrowed his eyes at me.

“What?” I blinked surprised.

“How did come to know something like this?” he asked me.

“Something like what?”

“What you just said!” he shouted.

“Easy there, I don’t understand what you are talking about...” I said in my defense, honestly, I did not, I just asked him about the barrier and now I was wondering what he got so mad about all of a sudden.

Akardia placed her hand on Graymore’s shoulders to calm him down and then said “It doesn’t matter what he said, but whether the barrier is still there or not is a matter of great concern for everyone. We don’t want a Merion infestation, however, we can’t be certain of this matter until we have flown there and looked at it with our own eyes.”

“Mother, while I can understand how Illsy could miss it, I didn’t feel a barrier either when I passed through.” Nanya pointed out.

“Speaking of which, you should have been well aware of its existence. Why did you still risk coming here if you knew about it?” she asked.

“Indeed, why?” I was also curious.

“Even if there was a barrier there, I had full confidence that my husband and my sister-wives would eventually find a way to bring me back. If there’s anything that I learned so far was that Illsy tends to surprise you when you least expect it.” she said as she looked into my eyes.

“But what if I couldn’t?”

“Eventually, somehow, someway, you would have found a solution, and I’m sure you are already thinking about one right now as we speak.” she giggled.

“Well, you got me there...” I said as I scratched my cheek.

To be honest, I didn’t rush here without thinking about a plan B and C. That barrier had always been on my mind, but ever since I got to meet Zoreya, I had been thinking about various ways how to not only create barriers but also how to destroy them. In the case that my island came under attack by an enemy force, I wanted for my people to be safe. Then, if by chance, someone trapped me inside a barrier, I wanted to know what the most efficient way was to break out. To my surprise, I learned that simply smashing it with brute force wasn’t the best solution. If someone was smart enough, they could create a barrier with a safety feature that forced all of the energy to be returned to the attacker.

“So, what was your plan, exactly?” Graymore asked furrowing his brow.

“Well, I would first try to simply trick the barrier’s level detection magic circuit. Basically, make us appear as though we were weak enough to be allowed to pass through. Then I could have tested out the point of reaction of the barrier by throwing powerful expendable imps at it. In other words, how fast did we have to be in order to go through without any problem? If the barrier was like a constant unbreakable wall, it would have affected the flow of oceans and the movement of the tectonic plates in a catastrophic way. This also leads to the question of whether or not an overpowered magic creature placed inside a magically sealed container can go through the barrier? Basically... I have a few ways.” I shrugged.

“Hmph! Braggart!” Graymore grumbled, and I let out an awkward chuckle.

“When do you want to go, Nanya?” Akardia asked.

“I was thinking about two days from now. That should give Illsy plenty of time to teach father that technique and at the same time enough time for me to... tell you more about your grandchildren.” she showed her a warm smile.

“We could stay for a bit longer, I don’t mind.” I told her.

“No, Illsy, I’m content with knowing that I can return here at any moment I desire, however, I can’t be so selfish as to extend my time away from my little ones.” she showed me a gentle gaze as she placed her hand over her heart.

“I guess it’s settled then!” I said with a nod and then looked at her parents.

While I did not expect for this meeting to turn out like this, I was glad it did. Nanya fixed the misunderstanding she had with her parents, I did not turn out to be a bad guy, and there was also the prospect of establishing a peaceful diplomatic relationship with a nation beyond the three continents. Most importantly, I was happy that I did not need to go to war with my own parents in law!