The next morning, a Phoenix Portal opened in the hotel room Lakshman and group were staying in. Out of it, Felix walked out with an unusually sad expression on his face.

“Lakshman, I need to apologise about last night... hmm?”

Felix suddenly realised something very odd; the room was empty. There was no one in the room even though it was pretty early in the morning. Felix went from room to check if they had left the room at dawn.

“Hmm... I can see their luggage here, but... where are they?” Felix asked curiously.

At that moment, there was a warping sound and a Phintex Raja appeared. He knelt down and said “Master! I have an update for you!”

“What is it?” Felix asked without looking at the kneeling man.

“Yes. It’s the Phoenix Titan. He’s at the capital gates and intends to return home.”

“What?!”

“It appears that the Scientific King, Wolfenstine, will also be accompanying him.”

“Ah…! So where did you say there were at?”

“They were at the capital gates, master.”

Felix nodded in understanding. He did not know why, but looks like Felix decided to leave very early in the morning.

“Phoenix Portal!” Felix said and the black hole appeared in front of him.

“Keep me posted on anything that happens!” Felix said and the Phintex Raja nodded and warped out of there.

“Why are you leaving so early, Lucky…?” Felix asked in a low voice as he stepped into the portal.

Meanwhile, at the capital gates, Darian asked “Why are you leaving so early in the morning, Lakshman?”

Lakshman smiled and said “I think the ruckus I caused last night will have some impact on me. I don’t to have to deal with that so I’m leaving home early.”

“I see and here I thought we would leave together in a week…” Darian said before laughing and saying “Ah well! Whenever we leave, make sure not to forget about us!”

“We won’t! You were the one who got my sword skills up, Darian. There’s no way I could forget my used-to-be teacher!” Lakshman said and Darian chuckled.

“What about me? Will you forget about me?” Rumble asked him curiously.

“Mmm…” Lakshman thought deliberately and said “I think I might, but if I remember your bananas I’ll remember you.”

“What?!” Rumble exclaimed in shock as Lakshman and Darian laughed.

“That makes sense! Remember Rumble because he’s such a meat lover!” Darian said as he grinned.

“I am a meat lover, but that’s no reason to remember me because of bananas! That’s just plain rude!” Rumble said indignantly.

“So says the monkey brain who is known as the Monkey King, but is actually a pig!” Darina said and he winked at Lakshman.

Rumble became really annoyed and said “Gah! I’m not a pig! Stop referring me to a pig, dammit!”

“It’s your fault for eating like one.”

“I do not! I just eat with great gusto!”

“Which is like a pig…”

“Damn you, Darian! Why are you being so rude so early in the morning?!”

“Because Wolfenstine is fast asleep! If he was awake, I’d be the one controlling the two of your from fighting it out!”

“T-That’s true, I guess. In a way, this is better than having to take out fists to the heart and attacking each other so recklessly! Thank goodness he is asleep!”

“He won’t be if you keep talking like that…” Lakshman said with a small smile.

“Ah! I’m sure he’ll come back to pay me back later, but I don’t care! I always welcome a challenge! I am the Monkey King!” Rumble said confidently.

As they laughed, the girls were talking to each other about the journey.

“Make sure to keep the pot well heated before you start making the dish, okay?” Marilia told Ondine.

“Marilia! You’re being too overprotective! I’ll be there to teach her how to cook properly so don’t worry!” Emilia said cheerfully.

“I know, I know, but boys suck at cooking and need us to make it for them. I just don’t want Lakshman and Wolfenstine to annoy you because of my mistakes,” Marilia said nervously. Then, as if she suddenly remembered something, she said “Also make sure to wear an apron if you’re going to be cooking something that’s jumpy.”

“Seriously! Calm down, Marilia! Nothing’s going to go wrong with me around. You just leave it to me and Ondine is no novice anymore! I’ve seen her cook some brilliant cooking the other day. So it’s fine!”

“You say that, but I’m sure you’ll get irritated at me if I make mistakes…” Ondine said, but she was smiling.

“Don’t we teachers always complain about something our student does wrong? It’s sort of like a virtue now to make sure our student improves!” Emilia said with a wink.

Ondine scowled at her and said “I never agreed to you becoming my teachers. Heck! I haven’t even decided on what to cook during our journey.”

“It’s fine. Master will handle any kind of cooking so long as it doesn’t make him sick,” Tetra said with a smile. Then she said “Besides… Master wants to take it easy for a while and I agree. After training every day and spending time pushing ourselves beyond the limits, we feel tired.”

“You are such an old woman, Tetra! How old are you right now? Over eight-thousand years I would guess? Maybe more depending on when you were born. That would make you ancient!” Ondine said with a grin on her face.

Tetra looked at her wearily and said “Seriously? You’re going to do that right now, Ondine?”

“Why not? With master always around us, I won’t get the chance to pay you these comments,” Ondine said and she winked at her.

Tetra sighed and shook her head. Then she said “When I get an opportunity, I’ll be sure to pay you back.”

“I’m sure you will try, but I’m not as weak I used to be! I’m now North Sword Sage and am not going to get defeated by the Phoenix Blade!”

“Oh?! Was that a challenge? Was it? Ah! I’m so eager to take you on now!”

“You want it? Bring it! I’m ready to go for it!”

As the two of them glared, Emilia suddenly got in between them and landed a karate chop on their heads.

“Relax, you two or master will get annoyed at us! Remember that our job isn’t to fight each other, but be all lovely! We’re woman! Please start acting like one!” she told them sternly.

Ondine and Tetra looked at her for a moment. Then they looked at each other and started to laugh. Their sudden laughter surprised Emilia and she was perplexed as she watched them laugh.

“W-Why are you two laughing?”

“Oh… We just realized your behavior was similar to Lakshmi,” Tetra said with a smile.

“Lakshmi?”

“Master’s mum,” Ondine informed her.

“Oh…! I see what you mean!” Emilia said and nodded in understanding.

At that moment, they heard Lakshman say “Well…! Time for us to be off!”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“Ah! Well thank you very much for taking care of us, Marilia!” Ondine said gratefully.

“Yes! You really are like our second mum!” Emilia said with a wink.

“Hey! That’s rude! I’m only thirty-nine years of age!” Marilia informed them.

“Wow?! Just thirty-nine? I thought you looked around fifty!” Tetra said and she quickly dodged Marilia’s hands.

“Well… It makes sort of sense since Darian and Rumble have lived for quite a long time using the Saver Mode,” Ondine said in a reasonable voice

“Please! Stop comparing me to him! We only got married twenty and that was when I turned nineteen!”

“Ah…!” the girls said and they nodded in understanding just as the boys walked over to them.

“All ready?” Lakshman asked them.

“We are, master!” Ondine said with a bright smile on her face.

“Good!” Lakshman said in satisfaction. Then he turned to Marilia and said “Marilia… I appreciate you looking after us, making tasty meals and healing our wounds whenever we got injured! I really am glad you were with us!”

Marilia smiled happily and pulled Lakshman into a big hug. Then she let him go and said “Make sure to stay well, you four, okay?”

“Don’t let Wolfenstine’s stupid ideas about experiments get to you! He can be pushy sometimes,” Darian told them with a worried look at the carriage.

“Be sure to stay on guard all the times. If wild monsters attack you, make sure to kill them on sight! You’ve all gotten really strong! Make sure to use that improved strength to live!” Rumble told them seriously.

“They already know that without you telling them that, idiot!” Darian said and he whacked him across the back.

“It helps as a reminder, right? Right?” Rumble asked, but none of them responded. He began to cry and say “Why are jokes on my today…?”

They laughed and Lakshman asked “I wonder where Sevedant is. I haven’t seen him for a while.”

“Sevedant? He’s gone to the Demon Continent to check on some things. He left when you were asleep for a whole week.”

“Oh… Pity… I wanted to thank him for his help,” Lakshman said and Darian slapped his back bracingly.

“Cheer up! I’m sure you will meet each other again in the future!” Darian said and Lakshman nodded in agreement.

Finally, Lakshman, Ondine, Tetra and Emilia boarded the carriage. Lakshman took hold of the horse reins and bid the group farewell. Then he got the two horses to start running down the road. Behind them, Darian, Rumble and Marilia waved until the carriage vanished in the distance.

They were finally out of the capital and travelled some distance. Lakshman had a peaceful expression on his face which suddenly changed when he saw something ahead. A black swirling hole appeared and he instantly knew it was the Phoenix Portal.

He brought the horses to a halt as Felix stepped out. Felix walked towards the carriage with a worried expression on his face.

“Lucky! Why are you leaving so early?” Felix asked in a worried voice.

Lakshman shrugged his shoulders and said “I think it’s about time that I departed. After all, I came here to help you and I did that. Now it’s time I get back home to see my twin sisters!”

At his words, Felix laughed. Then he suddenly looked serious and asked “This is also due to last night’s events, right?”

Lakshman shrugged his shoulders and said “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Felix sighed and said “I’m sorry those idiots behaved like that, but it couldn’t be helped. They were pretty spoilt and their parents didn’t exactly do a good job in their upbringing. Please find it in your heart to forgive them.”

“Felix… You’re worrying yourself unnecessarily. If I didn’t forgive them, they’d be in a hospital with brain damage! They dared to look at my important people as if they were some sort of play things! They’re just lucky I’m a pacifist and don’t like too much violence.”

“You say that, but you pretty much destroyed half of north part of the capital because you gave the Demon Emperor more and more chances, right?”

“Again, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I took him out with ease and there were no problems! Other than that, I doubt there had been a time where I went easy on them!”

Felix laughed and said “It’s good to see you’re a lot more assertive of yourself than before. If this was like a few months ago, I’m sure you’d be like all shaking and worried! Look at you now! Firm and confident!”

“Surrounded by people with really strong personalities does have an effect on the people. I simply adapted to the required change and that was it! Now I have more duties to perform, much to learn and a great deal to achieve.”

Felix smiled and said “So you’re going to take your job seriously...?”

“Why seriously when I’m destined for it? No matter what I do now, I’ll eventually reach the same conclusion!” Lakshman said to him with a sigh.

Felix chuckled and said “That’s true…”

At that moment, Ondine, Tetra and Emilia poked their heads out to see who it was. When they saw him, they all smiled and greeted them. He greeted them and smiled before looking above their heads.

“Destiny Queens…” he muttered.

“Did you say something?” Lakshman asked curiously.

Felix shook his head and said “No. It’s nothing. Well then, I should let you get going! I don’t want you to get delayed from meeting your twin baby sisters!”

Lakshman laughed and said “Don’t worry! I’ll make sure to buy those Magic Lens and take a photo of the family and send it to you!”

Felix grinned and said “You better! Otherwise, I’ll have to make spare time and come visit you guys!”

“Dad will be happy about that!” Lakshman said and they both laughed.

Lakshman pulled the reins and got the horses moving again. As they slowly moved, Felix slowly walked alongside to speak one final time.

“Make sure to be safe on your journey, but I think I’m wasting my effort. You’re the Phoenix Titan! You can handle almost anything as you are right now!” Felix said before winking at him.

Lakshman laughed and said “Thanks for everything, Felix! Until next time, take care of yourself, Rasha and Sasha!”

With those parting words, Lakshman got the horses to start running faster. Felix stopped walking and waved until they vanished into the distance. Only the dust left behind by the horses remained.

Felix then smiled and said “Oh you’ll see me sooner than you think… In three years as a matter-of-fact. Until then, have fun, Lucky!”

With that, he turned around and said “Phoenix Portal!”

A black hole appeared and he walked into it before it became small and vanished.