“Welcome back home, Sol. I am happy to finally meet you.”
Sol, who didn’t expect such a warm welcome from someone he never met, was surprised. After all, it would have been stupid of him to think that he would be well treated just because he was related by blood.
If things were so easy, fratricide would not have been the second sin in the bible. He was even further surprised by what happened next.
"Firstly, I’d like to apologize, I didn't really try to test you earlier. Are you alright? You are not hurt, are you?”
Sol was completely bewildered and couldn’t help but become suspicious.
‘Is she really Tiamat?’
He knew that he shouldn’t believe hearsay and rumors but, the difference between what he knew of Tiamat and what she was showing was simply too much.
‘Well, everyone shows different faces to different people.’
He did not know if Tiamat was really worried or only acting but, for now, he was willing to believe in her.
“I am alright, don’t worry. I guess I have let my pride get the best of me. It’s just that I seem to be tested every time I meet someone new. So I misunderstood.”
Sol really wondered when the day would come where he didn’t have to prove anything to anyone anymore. Sadly, this day still seemed far away.
Smiling in relief, Tiamat caught him by the arm and pulled him toward the inner office hidden behind the throne.
“Now then, tell me everything that happened to you. I want to know about you as much as possible.”
While Sol and Tiamat were catching up, Nent was leading up her small group while following the two guards.
Looking around, an expression of nostalgia flashed before being swiftly extinguished.
What happened between her and Kiyo was something out of her own choice. She had no right to play the victim in such a situation.
"Oh!? Nent, is that you?"
'Oh hell.'
All her contradictory emotions vanished and were replaced by a powerful headache.
"Who is he?"
She ignored the floating midget and turned to face the source of the voice.
It was a handsome scarlet-haired man seemingly in his late twenties clad in a black suit, black pants, and a white shirt.
Behind him was a younger-looking male with long black hair and an eye patch on his right eye.
Showing a stiff smile, Nent greeted the man.
"Fafnir...How have you been?"
Fafnir's eyes lit up with joy as he walked with his arms opened wide,
"Nent! I am glad to see you! Did you come to meet me!?"
Nent avoided the hug, to the surprise of Fafnir, and answered,
"Fafnir. While we were once in courtship and could have become mates. Talk about relationships stopped after I became estranged with most divine beasts so avoid excessive displays of affection."
At the end of the day, Nent was still a phoenix. No matter how she changed, she valued her virtue very deeply and since she had given herself to Sol, then he would be the only man in her life.
Though this was another source of headache. Fafnir was not a bad man and in fact, was very tolerant of a dragon. Still, no matter how calm and gentle he was, Nent could not imagine how he would react if he learned that she was now his Nephew’s mate.
‘How could I have forgotten about him?’
Fafnir on the other hand showed an expression of surprise at the cold rebuke of Nent.
He remembered that she had been courting him because of her plan to give birth to a powerful hybrid.
Though she stopped contacting him after a while, a few hundred years to beings with long lives as them were the equivalent of just a few months for mortals so it was no big deal.
'Weird.'
While Fafnir was bewildered, the young man's eye flashed with disgust as he looked at Isis before he addressed Fafnir.
"Grandfather, who might they be?"
"Oh. Look at me."
Shaking his head, he introduced the young man, "Nent. Here is my youngest grandson. Kaiser."
Nent, tilted her head, deep in thought before asking,
"The one with the Empress' Eye?"
Fafnir showed an expression of surprise before it was replaced by pride as he nodded.
"Indeed. He inherited a part of the power of foresight that belongs to mother."
Most dragons had no particular abilities similar to Tiamat. This was why any of them that did were particularly respected and seen as young talents that were worth nurturing.
"Heh, is that something impressive!?"
Kaiser's expression crumbled and shot a look at the Fairy that was showing a clueless expression.
"Are you mocking me?"
If it wasn't because he recognized that she should be a fairy from the territory of the World Tree, he would have become even angrier.
"Huh? Nononono! I am a huge fan of dragons, you know!? It's just... I mean… Hum... Sol is a dimensional mage and a chaos Dragon...Right? Isn't that wayyy more awesome?"
Looking at the expression on both Kaiser and Fafnir's faces, Nent and Isis realized that sometimes, innocence was the greatest weapon.
Fafnir and Kaiser were not the only ones that received a huge surprise.
Tiamat was listening to Sol and could only stop him hurriedly when he mentioned his awakening,
“So you mean to say that you awakened as a Dimensional Mage and a Chaos Dragon, albeit a downgraded one?”
“That’s right.”
Sol had absolutely no intention to hide his power from Tiamat. For one, he needed her permission to open his dimension in her territory. Furthermore, who would be better than the strongest dimensional mage below the level of goddesses to teach him how to use his own dimension.
Hearing him confirm it, Tiamat did not show the expected happiness but rather frowned deeply while muttering,
“I guess they weren’t just playing around with those tests.”
“...What do you mean?”
Even though she did not speak loudly, it was impossible for him to miss her mutter and she had no reason to hide it from him.
“You should already know that there are many rules in this world. One of those rules is one of equivalent exchange. Well, it isn’t exactly equivalent, but you cannot win without paying a price. That rule is absolute.
If the goddesses had given you everything without having paid a price, it would have been the equivalent of you taking a big debt with a high-interest rate from a loan shark called Fate. Of course, you can guess that your end would be miserable.”
Tiamat gave a simple explanation and shrugged, “Fate is a bitch. We divine beasts are born with great power but in exchange, the limit of our power is already fixed. This is the price we have to pay. Blessed are born with heaven-defying luck, but their fate will always be an early death. That’s the price you have to pay.”
She shook her head at this sad truth and at the same time couldn’t help but think of Satella.
The poor girl was stuck at the level of King, even though she had the potential to become a demi-god.
At the same time, this was the reason why she was still alive even after so long. By not becoming a demi-god she had broken the control Fate had on her in a certain way. One could even say that she was a pseudo-singularity.
But Sol?
She gnawed her lips in frustration.
‘So this is why I feel the shadow of death on him.’
Sol was talented. Excessively so. This made the situation all the more worrisome. She could not see what would happen to him exactly, but whatever it was, it was impossible for him to survive it at his current level.
“Sol, tell me, are you a Duke now?”
“No, why?”
A sharp glint flashed through her eyes before she began to laugh as if she had gone crazy.
‘Ah~! Fate is truly unfathomable. Were those goddesses even able to predict this?’
No, she did not think so. But what did it matter? In the end, all she could do was thank this loathsome Fate for having given her a chance.
But…Should I observe him more?
From what she had just seen, Sol was truthfully a fine young man. Though he lacked some worldly experience. Still, this was not enough to have an opinion on his personality.
‘Let’s prepare everything first.’
“Tiamat?”
“Call me big sis.”
“...”
“...”
“Okay~Sigh. Big sis….”
“Umu. You want to ask why I am laughing?”
“Yes.”
“I am just laughing at how helpless we are when we can't help but act like moths drawn toward a flame.”
“...”
“It doesn’t matter now. It’s still too soon to speak about it. I will tell you everything once I have straightened everything in my mind. Meanwhile, I will have to arrange your stay.”
She closed her eyes and thought for a while before finally facing Sol,
“Before everything, there is something I want to make clear. Sol…Do you really wish to become strong?”
“...Why the sudden question?”
“Because you do not need to. I am sure that all your life, you had to live under the expectation of others. Some wanted you to be strong. Some wanted you to be wise. Many should have wished for you to become like your father.”
“...”
“Even now, from what I understand, you act mainly to protect your family. You entered the astral world in order to save someone dear to you.”
“...”
“There’s nothing wrong about wishing to fight for your loved ones. Many people managed to reach great heights with such convictions and I am sure that this will be the same for you. But…Is it really alright?”
She shook her head, “To become strong is not just a question of power but also of mindset. You cannot become strong just because someone wants you to. You should not become strong because you think others need you to.
Only by wishing to become strong out of your own volition, for your own very interest can you become truly strong and face all adversities.”
“Like this, if you ever fail and fall down. You cannot blame anyone for it, nor can you rely on anyone to help you stand up. You will have to grit your teeth and bear everything. Because the road of the strong is always filled with thorns.”
Standing up, she ruffled Sol’s hair and gave a gentle smile, “I talked so much but in the end what I want to say is simple.”
“Sol…You do not have to become strong. You do not have to bear everything on your shoulder nor do you need to walk a thorn-filled path.”
Sol looked deeply at Tiamat, her words resounding deep in his heart as he asked with a hoarse voice.
“Why?”
“Why? Simple. Because you are my grandson and–”
Her warm smile was replaced by a lofty one full of undisputed pride,
“ —I am the strongest.”
