When Claire entered the throne room, she was further introduced to the extravagance of a true ruler of men. From the ornate decorations to the glimmering thrones, all of it seemed like something fantastical.
Truthfully, Claire had been slightly infected by Damien's interests when he was growing up, so she knew a thing or two about those novels and animes, but seeing it in person was very different than it's animated counterparts.
'I wonder how he felt when he first came here.' She smiled at the thought.
Walking through the hall, her gaze landed on the large pink haired man on the throne. Although his eyes were serious, they contained a hint of strangeness she couldn't quite pinpoint.
James had been able to sense her as she entered the castle, so he knew her measly strength. He had made sure to conceal his entire aura so as to not create any problems.
"Nice to meet you. My name is James Adelaire, Rose's father." His introduction was unbefitting of an emperor, but he still went forward with it without qualms.
He was approaching Claire as an equal, since in a sense of the word, they were. And Claire responded in kind. She felt slightly suffocated by his presence, even if he wasn't exuding aura, but she powered through.
"Yes, I've heard so much about you. My name is Claire Watson. I'm sorry if my son has caused you any trouble."
"None at all," James smiled as he said, "in fact, the boy has brought my daughter a joy she has been missing since her mothers passing. I can only say that you fostered a great child."
Claire smiled at the compliment, but felt a little conflicted. After all, had she even done anything to raise him? Damien wasn't the only one who felt regretful about the way their family was in the past.
James stood up from his throne and invited Claire into a separate dining hall where they both took their seats. Since the formalities were already out of the way, they went straight to conversation.
Being parents must bring some sort of change to peoples mentalities, since these two spent the majority of their time solely talking about their kids. Claire also spoke about earth a bit while James introduced her to more of Apreiron.
Only half an hour had passed before Damien's group arrived at the castle. They were a bit confused when they were led by the servants to the dining hall, only to see a puzzling sight.
James was roaring with laughter while Claire was doing her best to stop her giggles, albeit unsuccessfully.
"That's right, he would always go into our yard and start yelling these crazy phrases even before we had mana on earth. You wouldn't believe the kinds of things the neighbors were saying!"
"Hahaha, this doesn't compare at all to Rose, though. The way she used to run around the palace and cause mischief would always bring me loads of complaints!"
Damien and Rose could only stand their with their jaws agape while Elena tried her best to not laugh audibly.
The scene of the emperor laughing so happily was a surprise in itself, but when the two realized the topic of conversation, they immediately rushed into the room.
"Mom!"
"Dad!"
They yelled in union, causing the two to look over.
"Oh Damien, you've arrived? We were just talking about the past a bit."
"The past, my ass! Did you have to go revealing my black history to others?!"
On the other side, Rose was having a similar conversation with her father. Yet, both parents simply smiled at their children's antics.
It took many minutes for the scene to become less chaotic before Damien's group also sat around the table.
Food was quickly brought in and everyone ate and laughed happily. Even Elena, who wasn't a part of the family, was included wholeheartedly.
The group enjoyed their time like this until night fell and everyone retired to their respective rooms. Since they would be leaving soon, they opted to stay within the castle instead of returning to Damien's, or rather Claire's, house.
Within their room, Damien and Rose laid in bed peacefully. Neither of them said a word, but it was clear that they were both awake.
"I've haven't seen my dad laugh so happily in a long time." Rose said, breaking the silence.
"Mhm, it's the same with my mom. It seemed like a large weight had been lifted from her shoulders."
"It was a good idea to bring auntie here. I feel like our parents will be much happier in each other's company."
Rose had another thought when she said this, but she didn't voice it. Truthfully, her father had never been the same with his harem ever since his mothers death. There were only a few left that he loved sincerely, but even they were pushed away.
Now, she didn't expect her dad and Damien's mother to get together, or for Damien's mother to fill the void in her fathers heart, but she figured that a good friendship would help him regain his smile like what she saw today.
Damien and Rose spoke for a bit more before they headed to sleep. It became something of a routine to get proper rest every night even if they didn't need it, since they had been living a mundane life for the past few months.
And their mundane life continued for another week before it was time to leave Apeiron. Damien was happy to live peacefully for a bit, but his entire being craved excitement. He couldn't withhold that urge for much longer.
And so, the second he received word that Vormec had finished Elena's blade, he got prepared to leave.
"Boy, here's the sword for ya lady friend. Make sure she doesn't scratch it up too much, since I doubt it'll work out the same as the one I gave ya."
He was naturally referring to the evolving feature of Damien's sword. As it turns out, Vormec wasn't the one who added that feature, so he had no confidence in creating another blade that could replicate Damien's.
But, Elena was extremely satisfied with the sword she received. Similar to the one she picked from the front of the shop, the blade was almost translucent, looking like it was made from glass.
It's length was just short of a meter, and it was single edged like a katana. It's hilt was an intricately designed material that looked like wood, but had hardness far surpassing it. And it's guard was patterned like a flowing river.
The sword weighed next to nothing, which Vormec explained was a quality of the material. It was a perfect supplement for Elena's speed based fighting style.
And after that was finished, it was finally time to leave. Their first destination would be a brief return to earth, and then they would follow the old men to the Cloud Plane.
As for that matter, it had been mostly settled after Damien's talk with Rose on that fateful day after Niflheim's destruction. She knew his worries, but didn't want to separate for him, so she came up with a solution.
They would all go to the Cloud Plane together, but they'd have their own separate adventures. Rose would take Elena while Damien and Zara would go together.
As for Elena's part, it was her own decision to follow them. Just like Rose, she had also guessed that Damien would be leaving soon. Even Claire had been able to reach this conclusion with her limited knowledge.
And so, in the two weeks the group had been traveling Apeiron, Elena made it her personal goal to convince the two to allow her to accompany them.
It almost took the whole two weeks to do so. Unlike Damien and Rose, Elena didn't have experience living in a place where powerful beings were prevalent. She was essentially a frog at the bottom of the well.
The only way she would be allowed to accompany them is if either Damien or Rose was by her side at all times. And for this situation, it would be Rose.
Currently, Damien and the rest stood in front of Claire, who could barely withhold the tears in her eyes.
"Damien, I know I don't have any right to say this since I left you alone for so long, but please be careful out there."
Damien smiled. "Of course, mom. Do you think I have the nerve to die? If I don't come back, wouldn't you drag my soul from the afterlife just to beat me up?"
Claire chuckled a little at his words. "Yes, that's exactly right. And I'll make sure to become strong while you're gone, so it'll be the fiercest beating you ever received."
There was a certain glint in her eyes as she spoke that almost made Damien shudder in fear. Still, her intent was well received.
Damien strongly hugged his mother, inwardly grateful that he could be berated by her in such a manner, before opening a portal back to earth.
It was finally time for his adventure to continue.
