Chapter 61: Giliath's Resolve

Looks like Webnovel for PC is back to normal, at least for fanfictions. I'll still move this over this weekend though for more visibility. (:

You can see a new volume has been created. Welcome to Vol 2. This is technically vol 1.5 but I kept it even. Not many chapters will be posted to vol 2, only a couple or few at most. It may or may not end off with a clash between titans~

Sorry, but the mc is going to be benched, even if it's just for a little while.

Giliath demands your power stones, for he about to become the Blood and Iron Chancellor.

*

"It looks like our little Elise will be getting a new big brother then.", Lucia happily said, wiping her tears away. But at the same time, she still felt bittersweet seeing Giliath parting from his own son.

"Elise? We have not been in contact much these last few years, so it looks like you've been quite blessed.", Giliath responded with a smile.

"Yes. And now our family will grow even bigger. Where...will you go from here, brother Giliath?", Teo asked, a bit hesitant. As he did, Giliath reached out his arms, only to pass Rean into Teo's hands.

"Alas, the less I say, the better. For now, I will be returning to the military and rejoin His Majesty's side again. I must act in kind to these injustices.", Giliath explained all he could.

"Is that so...I do feel our paths will cross again someday.", Teo said, a bit reminiscent.

"I feel the same, brother Teo. But once I step out these doors, we will be strangers. I truly thank you for taking me in so long ago.", Giliath said, feeling grateful. Putting his right arm over his chest, Giliath gave him a formal bow.

"Even if its forced to be wiped away, our bond will remain.", Teo replied, accepting his bow.

But at this time, they heard one of the doors creak open, coming from one of the many bedrooms from the second floor. It was closer to the main staircase leading to where the three currently stood.

"Mama...is breakfast ready?", A little voice asked. What appeared before the door further up was a little girl, who seemed to be around three years old with pale indigo hair. She was born on the same year as the Erebonian princess did, Alfin. This was Elise Schwarzer, first daughter and only child of the Schwarzer Barony, that is up until now.

Seeing this three year old girl appear before the staircase, both Lucia and Teo turned around to look at her.

"Yes Elise, we will begin preparing for breakfast shortly.", Lucia said happily while clapping her hands together. As she did, Teo looked down and saw Rean sleeping peacefully in his embrace.

"Now that I think about it, Brother Giliath didn't you say you had another son--?", Teo uttered softly and began to wonder. As he did, back on the second floor, Elise blinked her eyes at the two.

"Eh, Papa, were you just talking with someone right now?", Elise asked, confused. This caused Lucia and Teo to also get confused.

"Of course we were---?", Teo tried to answer. But he couldn't finish saying his words before the two turned around, only to see no one there.

The door had been shut. Giliath could no longer be seen in the Schwarzer Mansion. Lucia's and Teo's eyes turned wide.

"Brother Giliath...till we meet again...", Teo uttered, letting out a sigh.

Teo then shook his head and revealed another smile. Turning back around, he looked at Elise once more. "Say Elise, how would you like to meet your new big brother?", Teo asked, which caused Elise's eyes to blink this time. She couldn't help but look at what Teo was currently holding in his embrace, or more specifically, who. She saw a little black haired child currently sleeping peacefully...

With Rean now entering their lives, the Schwarzer Barony would soon become busy.

Meanwhile...

Back on the outside of the Schwarzer Mansion, a tall figure in a torn military garb could be seen not too far away at the side, which overlooked many snowcapped mountains. The morning was just starting to dawn, its residents would look his way every so often but ignored him. He gave off a familiar feeling but most forgot who he was, as him being an adopted sibling to Teo was that of the past.

As for the city of Ymir, was rather high up, so lower elevated mountains were scattered throughout. Since it was still April, spring had just started, so the snow was still fresh. Ymir typically stayed cold for most of the year, and only thawed during the summertime. Thankfully it was known to be a famous hot spring town, so its residents had no issue dealing with the biting cold.

And unbeknownst to any of the residents here, a black shadowy mist-like figure could be seen wrapped around him. It wasn't just them though. A little silvery-white fox with two tails could now be seen sitting on top of the Schwarzer mansion. A look of sadness could be seen in its eyes as it continued to monitor the military man.

"Kyuu...", the little fox cried out softly, but stayed to itself. Or rather herself. This was none other than the same silver-white fox that was with Naoto, his familiar, currently named Tamamo. The military man was of course Giliath Osborne who had just left the Schwarzer mansion. In regards to Tamamo, Naoto gave her a mission to continue watching Giliath until it was time for her to start exploring Zemuria. Once Naoto found his own footing in the DG Cult, he decided he would use this time to fully explore Zemuria, to what he could with his own strength. And if Naoto really wanted to, he could use Tamamo's skill right now, and swap places.

The main idea was that as long as it was a place Tamamo had been to before, Naoto could warp there and back to his own place, with the two way warp currently limited to once a day. Once there, then once back. Since Tamamo was currently in Ymir, Naoto could now warp to Ymir whenever he wanted to, as long as he had enough mana for it.

But right now, Tamamo could be seen in a downcast mood seeing Giliath watching the snow-capped mountains further in the distance. As for Giliath, he began to utter to himself, which caused Tamamo's ears to twitch.

"This is for the best...but still, this immortal business is truly something.", Giliath, said, only to have a quick look over of his body. Besides being torn, he felt no injury. In fact, he still felt full of energy.

"Of course, it is. We are now linked. What you share is a constant reserve of the energy I feed you.", A deeper voice said, booming inside his mind. "And don't forget the fact that if it wasn't for me, you would have died after you sacrificed your heart to save your child.", the voice continued to say. "Now, you belong to me. Dreichels.".

"Yeah, yeah. You keep addressing me as Dreichels. If I truly was him, I am not anymore. So call me Giliath. That is who I am right now.", Giliath retorted the voice, who belonged to none other than Ishmelga.

"Hmph. Fair enough. And now, you have nothing to hold you back anymore.", Ishmelga answered.

"That is true. The pro-war nobles have begun to act in the shadows. They already know I've began to snuff them out, so I must return to His Majesty's side. Especially after he has secured his position as the new Emperor.", Giliath explained.

"Weren't you still on leave? Don't you want to take this time to see what other power I can offer you?", Ishmelga asked.

"As nice as that sounds, I fear for what these nobles are trying to accomplish. Worse comes to serve, we could very well enter another war. Not one within, but on the outside.", Giliath said, worried.

"Not that I care. Do as you wish. Once you have become adjusted and your idiocies handled, I will take you to meet someone. As worthless as he can be, he is still a servant of mine.", Ishmelga said.

"A servant eh? Who would it be?", Giliath wondered.

"Well, it looks like you are you are already familiar with the those of the Kin of Fire. But who I am referring to is part of the Kin of Earth. I do realize some time had passed since my last slumber, but it seems they go by the Hexen Clan and the Gnomes Clan now.", Ishmelga explained.

"The Hexen Clan and the Gnomes Clan...it indeed is tied to them after all. If I recall correctly, they had quite the rivalry going.", Giliath mused.

"That is one way to view them. And by reaching out to the Gnomes you should know what that means for you, considering your own kin is already closely related to the Kin of Fire.", Ishmelga responded.

"A clash might be inevitable...the Vermillion Knight, Testa-Rossa...", Giliath uttered. "For the sake of the family I had created, I am willing to play the villian this time.", Giliath said, feeling his resolve. "And for that, I must secure my position as the next Chancellor. I assume you will help with that?", Giliath asked.

"Of course. You belong to me now, Giliath. What is to become yours will become mine. A petty position like that will require little effort.", Ishmelga said. If he could within that dark misty-like cloud, he would reveal a creepy smile.

"But to go along with that you know you've been tailed since you started your way in coming to this little town, right?", Ishmelga asked Giliath.

Hearing that, Giliath only smiled. Turning around a bit, he looked back toward the Schwarzer mansion. Or more specifically, what current was sitting on its roof. The same little two tailed silver-white fox that jumped onto the roof not too long ago.

"Kyuu?", Tamamo replied, tilting her head a bit, watching Giliath look at her.

The moment Tamamo blinked her eyes, she tried to observe Giliath again.

And yet, Giliath's figure could no longer be seen looking out to the snowy mountains behind them. It was as if he had completely vanished.

Even the couple of townspeople found it strange, one moment they saw a figure enjoying the view of the snow. And in the next moment he had vanished, as if he was a ghost.

Still, Tamamo shook this feeling away and hopped down from the roof. Squeezing into the front door's gap, Tamamo made her way inside the Schwarzer mansion...