Charles and Stella stayed in Osaka for two more days before setting off.

After the tournament, Moroboshi Yūdai had immediately asked Charles for some training guidance. At first, Charles sealed his magic and didn't use power-boosting strategies like the Dragon King's martial form.

But later, Moroboshi himself said he wanted to see Charles at full strength—and the result was that after just three moves against Charles in full power mode, he was flattened.

Ikki Kurogane, during this time, also began getting familiar with the powers of a Majin. Even putting everything else aside, just the fact that his magic could now grow through training was already enough to satisfy him.

Ikki also met again with Tsukikage Makiba and learned a great deal.

Akatsuki Academy had suffered a complete defeat in this year's Seven Star Sword Art Festival, and Makiba's goals had clearly failed.

But Charles could already guess—Makiba wasn't the kind of man to give up. Whatever his next move was, it no longer had anything to do with Charles.

What lay ahead for Charles now was a major life event.

Because he and Stella were headed directly from Osaka to Stella's homeland—the Kingdom of Vermillion in Europe.

…

The Kingdom of Vermillion was a small European country, one of the few remaining monarchies in the world.

It lacked rare resources, had no famous landmarks, and its territory was modest at best.

One could say it had long existed in obscurity—until a princess with the strongest magical power appeared. That's when the world discovered this tiny corner of Europe.

The royal capital was naturally the country's center, and the royal castle stood proudly within it.

Cyllus Vermillion, King of the nation, known by the title "Crimson Mad Lion" and a skilled Blazer, was currently pacing nervously in his study.

"Astrea, are you sure Stella said she'd be back soon?"

That's right. This man, King Cyllus, was a certified daughter-con—his beloved daughter Stella was his most treasured existence.

Sitting nearby, a woman set down her teacup and sighed. "Darling, you asked that three minutes ago. Yes, Stella contacted us—she'll arrive soon. Just sit down and relax. You've been pacing since morning."

From appearances alone, the woman looked only a year or two older than Stella—like an older sister.

But in fact, she was Queen Astrea Vermillion—Stella's mother.

Though she resembled a certain "legal loli" like Nishigami Ningyin, her demeanor was entirely different. Queen Astrea was composed and mature.

King Cyllus, on the other hand, was… not.

He kept walking back and forth, wringing his hands. "It's been months since I've seen Stella. I wonder how she's been doing all alone overseas…"

Astrea replied, helplessly, "Didn't we just watch the tournament broadcast? She looked perfectly fine—and stronger than ever!"

That made it worse. Cyllus suddenly jumped up. "Right! She got slashed in that match! How could someone do that to my precious Stella? It's unforgivable! Get me a plane ticket! I'm going to challenge that little island punk to a duel!"

Far away in Japan, Ikki Kurogane suddenly shivered, completely unaware that a king had now marked him as an enemy.

Astrea raised an eyebrow but said nothing else—she clearly had no intention of humoring her husband's tantrum.

The surrounding maids were all used to this by now and paid no mind as King Cyllus fumed and cursed the man who dared hurt his daughter.

Just then, Astrea's phone rang.

She casually answered, and Stella's voice came through.

"Hello? Mother? It's me—Stella. I'm almost at the royal capital and heading straight to the castle. Just calling to let you know… don't be alarmed."

Even with all her experience, Astrea was still baffled. Not only was Stella's message cryptic, but Astrea could hear loud wind in the background.

What kind of transport was her daughter using? Why did she say "don't be alarmed"? And why was she heading directly to the castle?

Astrea was just about to ask when Cyllus rushed over, shouting into the phone, "Stella! Can you hear me? It's Papa! Have you missed me? I've been dreaming about you every—"

Click.

The call was abruptly ended.

Cyllus stood there, devastated. "W-why would she hang up on me…"

Astrea covered her forehead and sighed. What could she say?

At that moment, noise erupted outside the window.

"What is that?!"

"Looks like a bird!"

"It's getting closer!"

"Watch out!"

"No bird is that huge!"

…

They rushed to the window and clearly saw a massive orange object growing larger in the sky, heading straight toward the castle.

"Is that a missile from another country?"

Cyllus quickly dismissed the thought—it was shaped like a bird, albeit an enormous one.

But the wingspan was easily over ten meters—no bird in nature could be that big.

In this world, when something unexplainable occurred, it was safest to assume it was a Blazer's ability.

Cyllus made a snap decision.

"Stay here, Astrea—I'll handle this!"

He opened the window and jumped out from the upper floor.

The castle guards were already in a panic due to the flying creature, but seeing King Cyllus quickly restored their composure.

Such was the unique strength of this country—the people's absolute trust in the royal family.

Though Cyllus could be impulsive at times, he was unquestionably a good king.

"Don't panic. I'm here!"

That single sentence was enough to unify everyone. Cyllus summoned his battle axe—a weapon of fire—and stood ready for combat.

The object in the sky grew larger still, and it became obvious—it really was a giant bird.

Just as the guards were debating whether to attack, Cyllus saw something that made him pause: he recognized the figures riding on the bird's back.

He quickly ordered the guards to clear the landing area.

The giant bird swooped down, and the moment it landed, a young man wearing a scarf with a dragon-scale pattern jumped off and held out his hand to help Stella down.

Cyllus didn't even register the part where the massive bird turned into a sheet of paper—that miraculous sight was completely overshadowed by something far more aggravating.

Those two hands.

Joined.

And not letting go.

Not letting go.

Still not letting go…

NOW they're letting go!

In that instant—without a trace of hesitation—King Cyllus acted on pure fatherly instinct.

"LET GO OF STELLA RIGHT THIS SECOND!!"

His roar echoed like a dying cuckoo's cry—filled with the anguish of a father whose daughter had been stolen by a filthy pig.

His fire-imbued battle axe, of course, didn't swing at his daughter—but at the wretched boy holding her hand.

Of course, while there was plenty of personal emotion behind it, this swing wasn't meant to actually hurt him—just to force him to let go.

Charles caught the falling axe with one hand and smiled awkwardly.

"Is this… some kind of traditional welcoming ceremony?"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enjoying the story? Support the author and get early access to chapters by joining my Patre@n!Find me at: patre@n*com/Mutter

You can read each novel for $5 or get them all for just $15.

I Am Zeus, KING OF GODS (Chapter 79)

Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 391)

I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 471)

Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 677)

Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 1059)

Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1418)

Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1422)

American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1452)

American TV Writer (Chapter 1504)

I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld!(Chapter 570)

Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 703)

[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter][+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]