The afternoon breeze blew gently, bringing coolness to the Altavis mansion courtyard. Lidaz and Roviz, the two griffons who were the pride of the family, had just flapped their wide wings. Gracefully, they shot back into the sky, heading towards the Griffon squad headquarters after bidding a respectful farewell to their master, Kazien.
Not long after the departure of the two monsters, it was the assassins' turn to move.
Now, the spacious courtyard was quiet again. Only Kazien remained, standing beside his created dimension carriage.
Kazien stared at the jet-black carriage with a hollow gaze. His mission to provide temporary shelter was complete.
Kazien raised his hand. Glowing red mana gathered in his palm.
Whoosh!
Fire magic shot out, wrapping the carriage in magical flames that emitted neither smoke nor excess heat to the surroundings. The wood, metal, and dimension magic interwoven within it slowly unraveled. In a matter of seconds, the magnificent carriage crumbled, turned to dust, and finally vanished into ash carried by the wind. Clean and without a trace.
Just as the last ash disappeared, the sound of footsteps was heard from the direction of the main gate.
When the gate opened, Elisa entered the courtyard gracefully, followed by Allen and Arken who jumped down with beaming faces.
Kazien smiled faintly, stepping forward to approach them.
"Is everything finished?" asked Allen as soon as he saw his fiancé approaching.
"Everything is done. Those assassins have gotten their new houses, and I've destroyed the dimension carriage." answered Kazien casually.
He then looked at the two of them. "How about you? Are you and Arken officially adventurers?"
The smiles on Allen and Arken's faces grew wider. Without answering with words, they simultaneously reached into their pockets and pulled out a flat, glittering object.
They presented their adventurer license cards in front of Kazien's face with pride.
Kazien accepted the two cards, examining them carefully. However, when his eyes read the details engraved there, Kazien's proud expression slowly turned into one of shock. His jaw dropped slightly, his eyes widened in disbelief.
Written there:
Adventurer License Card of Lazavis City, Altavis Territory, Garveon Kingdom
• Name: AllenziAltavis / ArkenAltavis
• Gender: Male / Male
• Race: Human / Human
• Rank: S
• Party: Altareess
Kazien looked up, staring at Allen and Arken alternately with a look of horror.
"You... you both became Rank S? That instantly?" asked Kazien, his voice rising an octave.
Allen scratched his non-itchy head, looking confused yet happy. "I don't know! Mother took care of everything inside the Guild Master's room. Arken and I just sat waiting in the lobby."
"Yes, I don't know either, Brother Kazien." chimed in Arken innocently. "I was only asked by Aunt Elisa to fill out the registration form. Suddenly the Guild Master came out and gave us both our licenses."
Allen then showed his second card, the fake identity card Kazien requested. "Look, both my cards have Rank S. The only difference is that there is no family name on one of the license cards. The name is just 'Allenzi'."
Kazien massaged his temples which suddenly throbbed. He turned slowly towards Elisa. His gaze was sharp, a mixture of disbelief and deep annoyance.
Elisa, the main culprit, just smiled sweetly with an innocent face.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Kazien?" asked Elisa casually, flipping her hair. "Are you annoyed because the two of them became Rank S on their first day?"
"Of course I'm annoyed, Aunt Elisa!" exclaimed Kazien in frustration. He messed up his silvery-white hair. "They are already Rank S! That means they can't take small missions for practice! And all the mature plans I've arranged in my head to raise Allen and Arken's rank gradually, training their mentality from the bottom, everything becomes useless! Ruined!"
Elisa laughed crisply seeing her nephew feeling annoyed because of her doing.
"Hahaha. You don't need to worry about that, Kazien!" said Elisa while patting Kazien's shoulder. "Listen, Arken's main goal in the capital later is school, not becoming an adventurer. With rank S, he and Allen don't need to worry about missions anymore. You guys just focus on academy lessons!"
Kazien fell silent. He digested his aunt's words. His cold brain began to recalculate.
That's true too! If they were still low rank, I would be thinking about their missions and also the academy. Besides, they and I indeed have to focus on academy lessons and I also must carry out my mission there without obstacles.
Kazien sighed deeply, releasing his annoyance along with the breath.
"Alright..." mumbled Kazien resignedly. "If that is indeed the best according to Aunt, it seems I have to accept it."
Elisa smiled gently. She stepped forward, held both sides of Kazien's head, then looked into her nephew's eyes with a mother's affection.
"That is the answer I wanted to hear from you, Kazien." she said softly.
The tense atmosphere melted. The four of them laughed a little, then stepped into the magnificent mansion to gather with the other family members.
As soon as they stepped into the living room, a different atmosphere was immediately felt.
Kazien's entire family was already gathered there. As if they had been waiting for Kazien and his entourage's arrival.
"Brother Elgard, Sister Larina, what's wrong?" asked Elisa, surprised to see her brother's unusual expression. "Why are you all gathered here?"
Duke Elgard turned, his face still seemingly holding remnants of shock.
"Elisa, you're back?" greeted Elgard. He then pointed to the table in front of him. "Look on this table! Something... something magical just appeared out of nowhere."
Elisa, Kazien, Allen, and Arken looked at each other in confusion. They stepped closer approaching the table.
When their eyes caught the objects lying there, Elisa's breath hitched.
On the table, there were several photo frames that were extremely detailed, far more realistic than paintings by the greatest painters.
The first photo set had 3 pieces and displayed Allen's small family in the past with his parents.
The second photo displayed the youth of Elisa and Elgard together with their late parents (Kazien's grandparents).
And the third photo, the most surprising one, displayed little Arken laughing widely while being held by a dashing man. He was Borris, Arken's late biological father.
Elisa's knees went weak. Her hands trembled as she reached for the photo frame of herself and her late husband. Tears immediately welled up in her eyelids.
"B-Brother Elgard..." Elisa's voice trembled violently. "Why... why are there paintings this realistic? And... and my late husband is here? How is it possible? He died more than 9 years ago!"
"This isn't an ordinary painting, Elisa. This is called a photo," answered Elgard gently. "Suddenly light appeared on this table, and these objects were there. It seems... Goddess Nirfelia gave these photos as a gift to us all."
Elisa's eyes widened. She was even more confused. "Goddess Nirfelia?"
Arken also felt the same confusion. He stared at his father's photo with teary eyes, but his brain was filled with questions.
"Why does our family have a connection with the Goddess?" asked Elisa, her curiosity exploding. She looked at her brother demanding an answer. "Have you ever met her?"
Duke Elgard shook his head slowly. "It wasn't us who met her." answered Elgard honestly. He then turned, looking straight at his son. "But it was Kazien who has seen Goddess Nirfelia in person."
In an instant, the gazes of Elisa, Allen, and Arken immediately fixed on Kazien. Their looks were a mixture of admiration, disbelief, and a demand for explanation.
Kazien sighed deeply. He knew he couldn't hide this forever, especially from his core family which was now getting bigger.
"It seems I have to explain everything so there are no misunderstandings."
Kazien began to tell the story. His voice was calm yet captivating, bringing everyone in the room into his tale.
He told about the events before his official engagement to Alvin. How his soul was suddenly pulled from his body, crossing dimensions, until reaching the divine realm.
"I met Her there." explained Kazien. "Goddess Nirfelia has a very beautiful appearance, surpassing the beauty of any human. She has six glittering silver wings on her back and long golden-yellow hair that flows beautifully like sunlight."
Elisa and Allen listened with their mouths slightly open, imagining the majestic figure.
"Likewise with this power of mine, including my immortality. She was the one who gave it to me," continued Kazien. "In exchange, I accepted a mission from the Goddess."
"What mission?" asked Arken curiously.
Kazien's face turned serious. "There are two main missions. First, destroying the Dungeons appearing in this world. Those Dungeons are not natural phenomena, but a plague caused by the Evil God, Lunarias. And sometime in the future, I will face him."
The atmosphere in the room became tense hearing the name of the evil god mentioned.
"And the second mission..." Kazien glanced at Alvin briefly, then looked at Elisa. "Is to ensure the continuity of the High Elf race. Goddess Nirfelia asked that Alvin give birth to at least three High Elf descendants in the future. Because currently, only Alvin is the last High Elf in this world."
Hearing that explanation, Elisa's eyes widened to the max. She looked at Alvin then back at Kazien.
"Give birth?!" shrieked Elisa in shock. "Wait a minute, Kazien! Isn't Alvin a man? How can a man get pregnant and give birth?"
Alvin looked down in embarrassment, his face flushing deep red.
"That is the Goddess's power, Aunt Elisa." answered Kazien calmly. "According to the Goddess, Alvin will transform into a woman exactly one month before his due date. And that physical change will continue until our child is five years old for the purpose of breastfeeding and caring for the child."
Silence swept over the room. Elisa, Allen, and Arken truly couldn't believe what they had just heard. The information was too fantastic, too crazy, but all the evidence on the table made it undeniable.
Elisa looked at Kazien with a new gaze. A gaze full of admiration as well as horror at the burden carried by her nephew.
No wonder my nephew can do crazy things like making my son an immortal human like him too. It turns out, he was indeed chosen directly by the goddess.