The guests slowly returned to the party. Benedict and Lillian were reassuring guests that the danger was gone now. Rosalind was carrying Jacob on her back, heading towards the spacecraft.
Sylvia, on the other hand, was preparing to return to Umbrellas. Leon approached her. "What'll happen now?" he asked.
She bit on a piece of chocolate cake. Turning her head to him, she replied, "I'll tell the higher-ups the exact words of your brother."
Then, Sylvia sipped on a glass of red wine. She then put the glass back on the table, stood up, wore her black trench coat, and pressed a button on her umbrella's handle. Her body glowed a bright blue light. After about five seconds, she disappeared with a flash of light.
These umbrellas are really convenient. Not only can it teleport a Visitor to a planet, it can also teleport them back to Umbrellas…
After Sylvia disappeared, Leon returned to his table, only to find it overturned, the chocolate cake lying flat on the grass. It was the result of the Annihilith attack from earlier.
With a sigh, he walked away. He didn't bother fixing the table because of the prolonged use of his barrier spell that exhausted him. He walked towards the gazebo.
Leon took a seat, gazing at the ocean again. He let his thoughts wander.
From the memories of the original Donovan, there are multiple types of Annihiliths… The first—Drones. The second one is Reaper… They are more intelligent and agile than Drone-types… The third is Devourer. Gigantic, and capable of consuming its fellow Annihiliths to regenerate and grow stronger… That's all I can remember from the "memories." Hm, I'm sure there's more than just these three Annihilith types.
Also, if the higher-ups really wanted to make Benedict return, they would've sent more people… Why'd they only send one Visitor? Are they even serious about making him return? And why Sylvia? Did they pick randomly on who to send, or did they choose Sylvia specifically?
In this universe, I'm Donovan now… Hm… When I transmigrated, what happened to the original Donovan? Uh… did he die? Is he gone? Damn…
Leon suddenly felt a wave of guilt and sadness hit him out of nowhere.
…Also, what is the purpose of my transmigration? In fact, why did I transmigrate?
Uh… did "someone" make me transmigrate? Is some kind of god the one behind my transmigration? I've read too many novels…
With a sigh, Leon Valentin leaned back on his seat. And with a sorrowful, exhausted expression, he slowly muttered to himself with a tone of despair, "From now on, I'm Donovan Volgard…"
It was already past 12 o'clock. After two more hours, the guests had already started to leave.
Leon Valentin… or rather, Donovan Volgard, stood up from his seat and exited the gazebo.
Walking towards the newlywed couple who was saying their farewells to some of the guests, Donovan suddenly heard a familiar, feminine voice calling out to him from the side.
It was Rosalind, his sister. "Hey! Did you see where Jacob went?" she shouted.
…Jacob? Oh, he woke up? And he decided to wander off upon waking up? This guy… Donovan resisted the urge to face palm. He answered with a shake of his head, "No."
Donovan saw her sister's face turn into disappointment. Sighing exasperatedly, she walked away.
Donovan heard someone call out to him again. He turned around, and was met with the sight of his brother and his wife walking towards him.
"Lillian tells me she's grateful to you for protecting us," said Benedict.
Lillian nodded with a warm smile. She said in a soft and kind voice, "Thank you, brother-in-law."
Brother-in-law… Upon hearing those words, Donovan couldn't respond to her kind words of thanks. He was suddenly hit by the absurdity of his situation. One moment, he was playing video games on his computer after arriving home from work. And the next, he wakes up in a different body in a different universe. After that, he's now the "brother-in-law" of his "brother's" wife.
This gave him motivation for his goal to return to his "home."
"Hello? Anyone there?" Hearing Benedict's voice, Donovan snapped out of it and replied to Lillian's grateful words from earlier in a succinct manner, "There's no need to thank me. My brother over here would've protected you and Rosalind if I weren't fast enough."
With a warm smile, Lillian took Donovan's right hand and held it gently and softly with her two hands. "That doesn't matter. What matters is that you still protected us, your family. Hehe, the fact that I'm now part of the family feels too good to be true… Ahem, thank you, again, for your bravery in protecting us."
Donovan felt his chest turn warm. Her soothing voice calmed his soul. Her warm, kind, gentle, and soft voice made one feel as if they were in a mother's embrace.
You chose perfectly, Benedict. You too, Mrs. Lillian…
Lillian let go of Donovan's hand. Then, Benedict said with a warm, brotherly smile, "Just accept her thanks, little bro. Heh, I'm thankful too, you know?"
"...Thank you." It was the first time in a while that people properly expressed their gratitude to Donovan and in his previous life as Leon Valentin. It made him feel all warm inside.
"It's a shame Uncle couldn't make it to my wedding," said Benedict. He continued, "Are you leaving soon?"
"Uncle"… He was the caretaker of the three of us for a good while. Donovan nodded. "Yes."
Upon hearing his brother's answer, Benedict inwardly sighed. It was a sigh of relief. Just a while ago, Rosalind informed him that she won't be staying as well.
As much as he wanted his siblings to stay, some alone time with his wife was too tempting for him. This was because he was going to go on a honeymoon with his wife, Lillian.
"Alright. Stay safe, Donovan. And also, a word of advice, quit your job as a Visitor once you've hit Typhoon Rank or Storm Rank, Category 5. Your life is set after reaching that rank, so do your siblings a favor and don't waste your life," Benedict said with a serious but oddly warm expression.
Typhoon Rank…? Oh, right. I'm currently at Shower Rank, Category 4…
Upon hearing Benedict's words, Donovan recalled the information about ranks through the memories of the previous owner of his body:
There are five ranks in Umbrellas. The first—Drizzle Rank. These are new recruits.
The second is Shower Rank. These Visitors have enhanced and stronger spells.
The third one is Storm Rank. A decent powerhouse, and much stronger spells.
The fourth—Typhoon Rank. Masters of combat and magic, capable of devastating attacks. This is the ideal goal for Visitors, as the next and final rank is almost impossible to achieve.
The Cataclysmic Rank. Only three in history have reached this level, wielding near-godlike power.
Each rank, except for a particular one, has "levels" to them, known as "Categories."
Category 1 is the starting point for the ranks. As Visitors rise through the categories of their rank, they grow stronger.
Upon reaching Category 5, Visitors are given a test, or trial, before "advancing" to the next rank. The advancement trials get more and more difficult with each rank, with the advancement trial of Typhoon Rank, Category 5 being near-impossible to even attempt.
"Hey, Donovan, you should really stop spacing out when someone's talking to you. Sigh, make sure you quit at that level, alright?" Benedict waved his hand in front of Donovan as he said this.
Donovan snapped out of it and apologized. Then, he said, "If I can even become a Typhoon Rank Visitor, then sure."
Benedict gave him a pat on his shoulder.
"Alright, see you soon, Donovan," said Benedict with a smile.
Lillian nodded after Benedict and said, "Make sure to come visit every now and then, Mr—uh… how should I address you?"
"Just by my name is fine," said Donovan with a smile.
"Alright. Thank you again, Donovan. And please come by often! I'd like to know more about you and Rosalind."
And with that, the newlywed couple walked away, walking to the guests that still haven't left yet.
Come to think of it, I wonder what rank and category Benedict's at… Hm, Storm, most likely. Or… heh, Typhoon?
Donovan went to the table where he left his umbrella. He pressed a button on his umbrella's handle. His body glowed a bright blue light, and he disappeared with a flash after five seconds.
Meanwhile, Rosalind found Jacob sitting on a rock on the edge of a cliff, gazing at the beautiful ocean.
"There you are! Damn it, Jacob, why'd you make me search everywhere for you?!" shouted Rosalind.
But as for Jacob, he was softly rubbing his left cheek. It was where he got punched by a woman, or at least that's what the others said to him. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't hear Rosalind's shouting from the far distance.
Rosalind hired me as a bodyguard yet I was knocked so easily with a single punch…? Who the hell was that woman?!