Arman, Lisa, and Reina stood before the entrance of the Alan Household.
Lisa slowly raised her head.
Her eyes widened.
Before her stood an enormous mansion, surrounded by beautiful gardens and towering walls. Its grand architecture was so magnificent that it looked more like a royal castle than a family home.
Lisa stared at it in disbelief.
She had never imagined that a family could live in a place this enormous.
For a moment, she could only stand there, speechless.
Lisa: "Woah..."
She looked at Reina.
Lisa: "This place is like a castle!"
Reina smiled.
Reina: "You like it?"
Lisa nodded excitedly.
Lisa: "Like it? It's incredible!"
Arman looked at the mansion quietly.
Unlike Lisa, he wasn't surprised.
He had seen this place many times before.
Eight years had passed since his last visit, but the sight of the Alan Household still brought back countless memories.
For a moment, Arman's eyes softened.
Then a faint smile appeared on his face.
Arman: "Long time no see."
Reina looked at him.
Reina: "Yeah. It's been eight years since you last visited."
Lisa turned toward Reina.
Lisa: "Reina... you actually live here?"
Reina looked at her with a warm smile.
Reina: "It's yours too."
Lisa's eyes immediately became teary.
She smiled.
Lisa: "Reina, you're too good... unlike some other jerk."
Arman immediately turned toward her.
Arman: "Hey! I'm right here!"
Lisa ignored him.
Suddenly—
"AAAHHH!"
"HAAAAH!"
Lisa heard shouting coming from somewhere to her left.
She turned around.
Her eyes widened.
Two men were clashing swords with each other while several others stood around them, cheering.
CLANG!
CLANG!
Their swords collided again.
Lisa looked at Arman.
Arman: "They're the troops of the Alan Family."
Lisa raised an eyebrow.
Lisa: "Troops?"
Arman nodded.
Arman: "Yes. They're the personal military of the Alan Family."
He looked toward the soldiers.
Arman: "They're responsible for protecting every planet within the Alan Family's sector in Heaven's Light."
Lisa looked surprised.
Lisa: "Sector?"
Arman: "Heaven's Light is enormous."
He gestured toward the surrounding territory.
Arman: "That's why the Seven Great Houses divided Heaven's Light into different sectors."
Arman: "Each family governs and protects its own territory."
Lisa nodded slowly.
Then something suddenly occurred to her.
Lisa: "Wait..."
She looked around.
Lisa: "We're not in Nexus anymore, are we?"
Arman smiled.
Arman: "Didn't you see us exit through a portal earlier?"
He pointed toward the surrounding landscape.
Arman: "This is Zeron."
His expression became slightly nostalgic.
Arman: "The home planet of the Alan Family."
Lisa nodded and looked at Reina.
Reina noticed the curiosity in Lisa's eyes.
Reina: "Captain, why don't you go and greet Father and the elders? They sure would be excited to see you while I give Lisa a tour of the mansion?"
Arman sighed.
Arman: "Fine. And stop calling me captain. I am still not appointed yet. And we may be cousins, but you are my big sister."
Reina smiled.
Reina: "Isn't that the reason you came here, Little Brother?"
Lisa looked at Reina.
Lisa: "Reina, let's go. And you, don't cause a problem."
Arman looked at her.
Arman: "Get lost."
Lisa and Reina both left, leaving Arman standing in front of the Alan Family's main door.
Arman stared at the door.
A familiar feeling suddenly rushed through him.
It wasn't anything dark.
It wasn't excitement.
It was something much simpler.
A feeling everyone had experienced at some point in their lives.
A feeling of belonging.
Arman remained silent for a moment.
Then, with a voice only he could hear, he whispered—
Arman: "I'm home."
FEW HOURS EARLIERAT THE GRANDMASTER'S RESIDENCE
Grandmaster looked at everyone.
Grandmaster: "So... what do all of you plan to do?"
Arman looked at him.
Arman: "What do you want me to do?"
Grandmaster answered without hesitation.
Grandmaster: "First, I want you to lead the Dragon Squad again."
His expression became serious.
Grandmaster: "Due to your absence, they are only getting low-level missions, and they are still not ready for a high-level mission."
He looked directly at Arman.
Grandmaster: "You need to train them."
Arman nodded.
Arman: "Fine. I will do that."
Grandmaster continued.
Grandmaster: "And you need to hire some new recruits."
Arman looked at Reina.
Reina answered.
Reina: "There are only five members in our squad, including me."
Arman's expression changed.
Arman: "When I left, there were fifteen members. What happened?"
Reina's expression became tense.
Reina: "Four died in a mission after you left. Three were left badly injured, and three left."
She lowered her gaze.
Reina: "Sorry, Captain. I didn't lead them properly in your absence."
Arman clenched his fist.
The news hit him harder than he expected.
He blamed himself for leaving the squad behind.
Arman: "No, Reina. It's not your fault."
His voice became heavier.
Arman: "The one who should be blamed here is me."
Grandmaster immediately interrupted.
Grandmaster: "Stop. Both of you."
They looked toward him.
Grandmaster: "No one should be blamed for this."
His expression was calm but firm.
Grandmaster: "This is our job. People die, and we still do it so that more won't die."
Arman slowly relaxed his hand.
The words calmed his anger.
He took a deep breath.
Then he looked at Reina.
Arman: "So where is the Dragon emblem and my uniform?"
Reina answered.
Reina: "It's in the main house."
Arman frowned.
Arman: "Main house? Why?"
Grandmaster calmly replied.
Grandmaster: "I sent it. Go and get them yourself."
Arman and the Grandmaster stared at each other.
A moment of silence passed.
Arman finally sighed.
Arman: "Fine. I will do it."
Arman then pointed toward Lisa's friends while they were enjoying their snacks.
Arman: "What will they do?"
Grandmaster answered.
Grandmaster: "I will send them to ELVARIA."
Yuta continued eating.
Yuta: "El...va..."
Grandmaster stared at him.
Grandmaster: "Either speak or eat."
Sakura looked at the Grandmaster.
Sakura: "What is this Elvaria, and why are you sending us there?"
Grandmaster explained.
Grandmaster: "It's the planet of elves, and we are sending you there for your own good."
He paused.
Grandmaster: "You will also be accompanied by someone from the Order."
Everyone became excited after hearing about elves.
Lisa immediately looked toward Reina.
Lisa: "I am going with them, right?"
Reina shook her head.
Reina: "You will go to the main house of the Alan Family first. Later, you can join them."
Lisa frowned.
Lisa: "I wanna go with my friends."
Arman looked at her.
Arman: "Do what Reina says. Meet with the family first."
Lisa thought for a moment.
Then she nodded.
Lisa: "Okay."
Arman looked around.
Arman: "Then it's decided where everyone will go."
He stood up.
Arman: "Let's depart."
Suddenly—
Valeria: "Wait! All of you, have lunch with us."
Valeria looked toward the Grandmaster.
Grandmaster nodded.
Grandmaster: "Yeah. Come eat with us."
Since they had arrived in Heaven's Light, they hadn't had a decent meal.
Everyone agreed instantly.
They all sat around the dining table while the maids served them.
The moment the food was placed before them, they began devouring it while praising it at the same time.
Yuta: "Woah! It's so delicious!"
Sakura: "This meat just melts in my mouth."
Shinji: "Just imagine how great the food of the elves would be."
Yuta's eyes lit up.
Yuta: "Yeah! I can't wait to try it."
Grandmaster, Arman, Reina, and Valeria looked at them.
Shinji noticed their expressions.
Shinji: "What? Did I say something that I shouldn't have?"
Arman shook his head.
Arman: "Nah. You're good."
Reina secretly used the Whispering Technique to talk with Arman so that no one else could hear them.
Reina: "Should we tell them?"
Arman glanced at her.
A small smirk appeared on his face.
Arman: "Nah. Let them be."
He paused.
Arman: "Let it be a surprise for them."
Reina quietly smirked.
Meanwhile, Lisa asked Arman a question while they were eating.
Lisa: "Hey, if you are so respected here, then why were we running from Mr. Kim before?"
Grandmaster immediately stared coldly at Arman.
Grandmaster: "Answer them."
Arman froze.
Arman: "Well..."
Before he could continue, Valeria spoke.
Valeria: "He helped me run away from my marriage."
Yuta and Shinji immediately choked after hearing that.
Sakura: "Hey! Here, have some water!"
Lisa looked at Valeria in shock.
Lisa: "What? Reina told me he helped you get married."
Valeria nodded.
Valeria: "It was an arranged marriage with the Agnus Family, but there was someone I loved."
Her expression became slightly sad as she remembered the past.
Valeria: "But due to pressure from the elders of our family, I couldn't refuse."
She looked toward Arman.
Valeria: "On the day of the marriage, Arman confronted me and asked what I wanted."
She smiled faintly.
Valeria: "I just said, 'I want to be with the person I love.'"
Valeria looked toward Arman.
Valeria: "He grabbed my hand, took me out of the wedding hall, and flew me to the person I loved."
She smiled.
Valeria: "After that, we got married."
Sakura stared at her.
Sakura: "That feels straight out of a movie."
Arman smiled faintly.
Arman: "After they both got married, I went back to Earth."
His expression became slightly awkward.
Arman: "After I returned, I thought he would still be furious with me."
Grandmaster looked at him.
Grandmaster: "Boy, trust me. I was very furious with you."
Arman remained silent.
The Grandmaster's expression softened.
Grandmaster: "But when I saw her with Kyle..."
He smiled faintly.
Grandmaster: "It was the happiest I had ever seen her."
He looked directly at Arman.
Grandmaster: "My rage couldn't be bigger than the love I have for my daughter."
Arman listened silently.
Then the Grandmaster continued.
Grandmaster: "And it is because of you that I have Raynard in my life."
Arman's eyes widened slightly.
Grandmaster: "You have done what I should have done as a father."
He stood from the table.
Grandmaster: "Thank you, Arman Alan."
Arman looked at the Grandmaster.
Grandmaster turned around and began walking away.
Grandmaster: "I'm done. I am going to my room."
Arman called after him.
Arman: "Hey, old man."
The Grandmaster stopped.
Arman: "Do you still regret me being the Dragon Berserker?"
The Grandmaster replied without turning around.
Grandmaster: "No. Not anymore."
Arman smiled.
The answer meant more to him than he wanted to admit.
Valeria looked around the table.
Valeria: "Looks like everyone has finished eating."
Everyone stood from the table and gathered in the hall.
Valeria called for Raynard and introduced him to everyone.
Lisa and her friends interacted with Raynard while Valeria and Arman had a conversation.
After saying their farewells, they departed for their respective destinations.
AT PRESENT TIME
Reina and Lisa were riding in a wyvern around the Alan mansion, while Yuta, Shinji, and Sakura were interacting with the elves in Elvaria.
Meanwhile, Arman stood at the front gate.
He looked toward the familiar entrance.
Then he noticed someone approaching.
Arman: "Hey, Ganther. How are you doing?"
Ganther was a forty-six-year-old man and the head butler of the Alan Household.
Ganther smiled warmly.
Ganther: "I am doing great. I assume you are also doing well, Young Master."
Arman nodded.
Arman: "Yeah. Just fine."
Ganther stepped toward the front door.
Ganther: "Shall I do the honours, Young Master?"
Ganther reached for the front door.
But Arman stopped him.
Arman: "Wait. Let me do it."
Ganther immediately stepped aside.
Ganther: "Yes, sir."
Arman stood before the door.
His hand slowly reached forward.
For a moment, he simply stared at it.
Eight years.
Eight years since he had last stood here.
Then Arman pushed the front door open.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Arman: "I'm back."