Without thinking twice, Minus accepted the conditions that Gustav had proposed. After all, the Beast God himself had 'suggested' that he accept.
The member of the Demon Race made a brief bow, greeted Rygar respectfully, and then left the place.
Not that Rygar cared about this guy or what happened to him — those were matters for Gustav to worry about; he merely sped up the decision.
Peikak, for his part, was very happy.
If before he had looked like a grumpy old fat man, now, after the Rejuvenation spell, he seemed like a young, lively fat man.
His body still carried all the fat, but the wrinkles had disappeared, his skin was firm and he had regained his youthful vigor.
"Hahaha! It looks like I'll live longer than you after all, Gustav!"
Peikak couldn't contain himself, slapping his own rounded cheeks.
"I feel brand new!"
Gustav was stunned. His eyes widened as he recognized the friend who was now young. After all, they worked together every day; it was impossible not to recognize him.
"P… Peikak?" Gustav's voice came out hesitant.
Peikak laughed loudly.
"It's me! Hahaha!"
After letting Gustav remain incredulous for a while, he began to explain in detail what had happened.
As he listened, Gustav appeared increasingly surprised. After a long sigh, he murmured:
"I see… I see… So you've already reached that level in Magic, Rygar? I thought I would die before seeing something like this happen…"
Rygar merely smiled wryly, without replying, but inside he was thinking that Gustav's observation was accurate.
In the original Timeline, both Gustav and Peikak had died long before Rejuvenation Magic was developed.
It was strange for him to think about that now.
Gustav was someone Rygar respected.
When he was a child, the old man had always been kind and understanding with him, besides showing himself as an exemplary leader in the Great Forest.
For that reason, Rygar was willing to offer the same rejuvenation opportunity to him.
"Well, father-in-law, since Peikak has become young again, would you like to try as well?"
Unexpectedly, Gustav merely shook his head negatively.
"I appreciate the offer," he said serenely, "but I do not wish to extend my life any further."
Rygar raised an eyebrow, surprised by the refusal. Peikak, on the other hand, exploded in protest:
"Huh?! What do you mean, old man?! Where am I supposed to take my complaints if you die, huh?!"
Gustav just laughed, unconcerned; his expression was calm and uninterested.
"It's nothing personal," he explained.
"I simply feel it's enough. My wife passed away long ago, my children are following their paths well and I've even met my grandchildren."
Then he turned his eyes to Rygar.
"If it weren't for you not wanting to rule, Rygar, I wouldn't even be acting as regent at this moment. But I confess… it's quite gratifying to be part of the history of the Kingdom of Gaia in this way."
Rygar said, "Well, then why don't you rule for a few more years?"
"No," Gustav shook his head. "I don't want to be an obstacle for future generations. I believe one of my grandchildren will end up taking an interest in the title of King… although, being raised by you, I don't know if that's very likely."
Rygar let out a laugh.
"Diana is uninterested in almost everything… and Perseus is a walking hurricane. Do you really think they'll do well at this?"
It was true that Rygar did not oppose the idea of his children inheriting the Kingdom, but he also knew that this kind of dispute was generally a source of quarrels.
And, from what he knew of the two little ones, they did not seem remotely interested.
Gustav, remembering the two children, also let out a smile.
"Well, maybe the next ones will be born with a more natural interest, who knows? I'll still live a few years… and you are working hard for your lineage after all."
Peikak gave a knowing smile.
Rygar only smiled bitterly. With such beautiful wives, who would waste free time on anything else?
"Alright then, Gustav. If you change your mind, just say the word."
Gustav nodded in silence, accepting the offer, and then changed the subject.
"Speaking of Diana, have you obtained any clue about her situation?" he asked as Rygar sat down.
Peikak also took a seat.
"No," Rygar replied. "I believe she is just naturally apathetic, or something like that."
Peikak frowned, thoughtful.
"Have you considered the possibility that she might have some kind of disease or curse?"
Rygar laughed immediately. "What? No, of course not. She isn't sick, nor cursed; I examined her with my Demon Eyes."
Peikak sighed in relief, relaxing his shoulders.
"Thank goodness. I had a cousin who was born a bit… odd. He was very slow with things, extremely inattentive… basically retarded."
At that moment, Rygar was about to laugh and deny. But then something lit up in his mind.
'Wait… what?'
He was surprised with himself for having ignored such a possibility; he had a memory from his previous world.
A fairly common condition, but one that is often only noticed years later because it doesn't have truly problematic symptoms.
Autism. Rygar fell silent for a few seconds.
For some reason, he had never considered the possibility of some kind of natural genetic disease in his children.
In this world, any injury or disease could be solved with Magic, at least the vast majority of them.
It had been twenty years since his previous life; for him, mundane notions of health were too distant.
In his previous life, he knew what autism was, obviously, but he had no idea what caused it — who would know that kind of thing, after all? Maybe people with children...
Still, looking at Diana's behavior, it did not seem impossible that his daughter had a mild form of autism.
Of course, this was not a serious problem. Even on Earth, he remembered that people with mild autism could live normally, although they would face some social and interaction difficulties.
And in this world, with Magic, it was certainly possible to treat even a genetic issue, if that was indeed the case.
If Healing Magic could even revive someone, something like this couldn't be that difficult; it might even already exist.
Of course, he still had to confirm it somehow.
Perhaps Diana was just naturally apathetic and not a child with a specific condition. Either way, he decided to keep that in mind for the future.
The conversation continued, and soon they updated each other on Kingdom matters.
Peikak, now rejuvenated, announced that he wanted to start practicing fencing. He seemed to be planning to lose all the excess weight he had.
Rygar, knowing his personality, recommended that he practice the North God Style; it would be the most ideal. The Star Rise Academy offered fencing classes up to the Advanced level.
Peikak said he would do exactly that.
Soon, Rygar took his leave to head back to the Combat Temple.
---
The following days passed in relative tranquility for Rygar. He made the most of his time with his family.
And sexually, he and Ghislaine were more active than ever, although he was using the contraceptive spell at the moment. Rygar did not plan to bring more children into the world for now.
Still, the training did not stop, both for him and those around him.
It was during this period that representatives of the Sea Race arrived at the Kingdom.
The meeting went well, and agreements of compensation and mutual collaboration were signed.
Among the envoys was Lusarina, the High Siren who used Voice Magic, whose beauty seemed to exert a special charm over Jino.
Rygar noticed that the young man spent too much time admiring the siren, and he even dared to raise the idea of taking a second wife for Nina.
Nina was pregnant; her mood was as unpredictable as possible, she gave him a good beating, and for a while she had such a piercing look that it seemed she wanted to cut the young man in half.
Rygar just watched as if it were a play, holding back his laughter.
But inwardly, he silently celebrated his personal victory. After all, he himself had three women, and so far none of them had shown intolerance about that. On the contrary, the three accepted it naturally.
While the Sea Race was there, Verdia showed great enthusiasm when talking about visiting the depths of the Ringus Sea.
She eagerly awaited that voyage. Rygar agreed to schedule such an expedition for a few years in the future, when the children would be older.
Eris, on the other hand, had been a bit upset lately. Seeing everyone improving more and more in training made her happy, but restless.
To her surprise and frustration, Jino had been advancing rapidly to Ghislaine's level, and in the latest confrontations, the two fought on equal terms.
The young man's momentum seemed unstoppable.
Jal, of the Leopard Beast Tribe, had finally achieved the title of Beast King at sixteen.
If he did not consider Jino, he was the standout among the young. He soon dared to challenge Weys for his position among the Gaia Twelve Kings.
Although he lost by a narrow margin, the feat made clear that the positions of the Twelve Kings were fluid, and that new talents could rise at any moment.
After a few warnings and guidance from Rygar, Aisha slightly changed the direction of her development. She focused on the Water God Style for a while, and finally reached the rank of Water Saint by mastering the Flow.
Everything was progressing smoothly, but the feeling of stability would soon end.
Shocking news arrived from the Dragon King's Kingdom: King Leonard, primarily responsible for the close alliance with the Kingdom of Gaia, had been assassinated.
And not only him. Most members of the royal family were also eliminated in a single night.
Rygar received the news in the morning and was still processing it when another surprise struck him.
The Magic Word crystal shone, transmitting Aisha's hurried voice.
"Master! Come quickly! Verdia and Eris… both have gone into labor! At the same time!"
Rygar was stunned. His mind froze for a moment.
What?! First the twins and now these two?
It was hard not to laugh at the coincidence.
"My children… do they refuse to be born unless they come in pairs?!"
---
Aisha Greyrat
Age: 13
Special Features: Eidetic Memory
Titles: Magic Cannon, Genius of All Things
Mana Reserves: God Level
Demon Eye: Clairvoyance Eye
Magical Skills:
Fire Magic: King
Earth Magic: King
Water Magic: King
Wind Magic: King
Lightning Magic: King
Gravity Magic: Advanced
Healing Magic: King
Detoxification Magic: Saint
Barrier Magic: King
Divine Attack: Advanced
Combat Skills:
North God Style: Elementary
Sword God Style: Elementary
Water God Style: Saint
Beast God Style: Elementary
Battle Strength: King-level
---
Eris Adoldia
Age: 19
Special Features: Inexhaustible
Titles: Red Lioness, Dragon Knight
Mana Reserves: Saint Level
Magical Skills:
Fire Magic: Elementary
Water Magic: Elementary
Healing Magic: Intermediate
Combat Skills:
North God Style: King
Beast God Style: Saint
Sword God Style: Emperor
Battle Strength: Emperor-level
---
Ghislaine Adoldia
Age: 40
Titles: Black Wolf, Silver Lightning
Demon Eye: Magic Power Eye
Mana Reserves: Saint Level
Magical Skills:
Fire Magic: Elementary
Water Magic: Elementary
Healing Magic: Intermediate
Combat Skills:
Beast God Style: Emperor
Sword God Style: Emperor
Battle Strength: Half God-level
---
Jino Britz
Age: 16 years
Special Features: Swordsmanship Prodigy
Titles: Sword Genius, Martial Emperor, Apex Swordsman
Mana Reserves: Saint Level
Combat Skills:
North God Style: Emperor
Sword God Style: Emperor
Water God Style: Emperor
Beast God Style: King
Battle Strength: Half God-level
---
Rufus Pinnacle Sea
Age: 16 years
Special Features: Blacksmithing Prodigy
Titles: Earth Breaker, Forje King, Earth Emperor
Mana Reserves: Emperor Level
Magical Skills:
Fire Magic: Saint
Earth Magic: Emperor
Water Magic: Advanced
Wind Magic: Advanced
Healing Magic: King
Barrier Magic: Advanced
Combat Skills:
North God Style: Advanced
Battle Strength: Saint-level
---
Verdia Solarion
Age: 500+
Special Features: Soothsayer Miko
Titles: Disaster Witch, Angel Warrior, Herald of Light
Mana Reserves: King Level
Magical Skills:
Fire Magic: Advanced
Earth Magic: King
Water Magic: King
Wind Magic: King
Lightning Magic: Saint
Healing Magic: King
Barrier Magic: Saint
Detoxification Magic: Saint
Combat Skills:
North God Style: Intermediate
Elven Swordsmanship: Saint
Battle Strength: King-level
---
Rygar Adoldia
Age: 20
Special Features: Laplace Factor, Combat Prodigy, Reincarnated from Another World
Titles: Flaming Beast, Red Wolf, Lightning Emperor, Monster Tamer, Beast King, Wild Beast Emperor, Beast God, Apocalypse Beast, God Slayer
Mana Reserves: God Level
Demon Eyes: Magic Power Eye, Sharpness Eye, Fragmented Reflection Eye
Weapons: Doomsday, Sköllvindr Armor (Prototype)
Magical Skills:
Fire Magic: God
Earth Magic: God
Water Magic: Emperor
Lightning Magic: God
Wind Magic: God
Gravity Magic: King
Space Magic: Intermediate
Healing Magic: God
Detoxification Magic: Saint
Barrier Magic: King
Divine Attack: Advanced
Howling Magic: Conqueror's Haki
Combat Skills:
North God Style: God
Sword God Style: God
Water God Style: God
Beast God Style: God
Battle Strength: God-Level Warrior
-----
Hello! If you want to support my writing, check out my subscription P@treon
By subscribing, you will get access to up to 20 advanced chapters of the Webnovel and polls to decide various things about the story.
Your support will encourage me to continue writing more chapters! Check it out here: pa treon.com/DaoistJunkYard