Appearing back at the forest, I immediately began to look around carefully, scanning my surroundings with heightened awareness. That witch's presence was lingering around here somewhere, I could feel it. I could still sense the magical summon I had left beside her earlier, which served as my anchor to locate her position.
After spending quite a while walking through the dense forest, carefully following the trail of her magical signature, I finally managed to find her. She was resting peacefully in the branches of a large tree, seemingly asleep. However, the moment I drew closer, she stirred and woke up, clearly sensing my presence approaching through the forest.
I don't make any effort to conceal my presence when I travel, so I had fully expected her to sense my arrival.
"It's you," she said, her voice carrying a distinct note of wariness and caution, which was clearly reflected in both her facial expression and her guarded tone.
I looked around the immediate area carefully and didn't see the young girl from before anywhere nearby. I then shifted my attention back to her, studying her more closely. Something was noticeably different about her appearance and aura. She had clearly become significantly more powerful since our last encounter. Most strikingly, she now possessed a pair of large, feather-like black wings extending from her back.
But that physical transformation was not what I had come here to focus my attention on. My eyes deliberately turned to the ornate staff she was holding firmly in her hand. I'll have to take possession of it from her. I don't have sufficient knowledge about how strong the sorcerous servants of Vor actually are, and I need to be prepared.
I used my considerable mana reserves to magically pull the staff directly from her grasp and caught it firmly in my own hand. I took a few moments to inspect it carefully, examining its craftsmanship and magical properties, before storing it away securely in my storage ring and then looking back at her to gauge her reaction.
She still maintained that wary, guarded expression on her face. Though her staff had been taken from her quite suddenly, she still did nothing to resist or retaliate. I reached into my magical ring and took out another staff from my collection of items and threw it across the distance to her, allowing her to catch it.
"An equal exchange," I stated plainly and then immediately teleported myself back to the castle without further conversation. As of now, I simply have no time or inclination to get to know someone better who would go so far as to curse an innocent child.
Returning back to the familiar surroundings of the castle, I made my way to the beautiful garden where the girls usually spent their time and frequently gathered. Upon arriving at the garden, I sat down comfortably among them. I kissed each and every one of them affectionately before finally speaking up with my announcement.
"I plan to marry another woman," I said to them directly, breaking the comfortable silence.
They all immediately looked up at me with varying expressions of surprise and curiosity.
"Who is she," Merida asked, her voice filled with genuine curiosity and interest.
"Well, I've only recently met her quite recently, but she's actually a goddess of life and creation," I explained to them, knowing how extraordinary this revelation would sound.
Their eyes widened noticeably in shock and amazement at this unexpected information.
"That's certainly new," Merida said with evident surprise in her voice.
I simply nodded in acknowledgment of her observation. I honestly didn't originally plan to marry another woman at this point, but with her immense divine power and abilities, the possibilities for the future are truly endless and exciting.
"Also, Moon has a boyfriend now," I added casually, shifting to another piece of news.
Merida raised a questioning brow at this additional revelation.
"She actually managed to fall in love?" She asked with clear disbelief and amazement.
I nodded my head with a genuine smile spreading across my face.
"It came as quite a surprise to me as well, to be completely honest," I said, still somewhat amazed by the development myself.
"Well that's genuinely good to hear. I was honestly worried she was going to be alone forever," she sighed with a distinctly relieved sigh, her concern for Moon evident.
I pursed my lips together thoughtfully at her comment.
"She could have stayed single if she wanted to. I would have continued to spoil her regardless," I said somewhat defensively.
Merida turned to face me directly and just stared at me with an expression I couldn't quite read. I scratched the back of my head somewhat sheepishly under her scrutiny.
"Okay, I'll stop joking around," I said, backing down from my previous statement.
She shook her head at my antics and smiled warmly at me in response.
As we continued our ongoing conversation, I happened to notice Melody making her way towards us, walking in our direction through the garden. I turned my attention to her with a welcoming smile spreading across my face.
"Did something happen? Is everything alright?" I asked her with genuine concern.
She came over and sat down comfortably next to me, settling into the space beside where I was sitting.
"Sigh, Hephaestus has gone off on a journey looking for something specific. He told me that he wanted to craft and create the most beautiful ring imaginable and that he needed to find the absolute best materials available for such an important project," She said with a distinctly gloomy and somewhat dejected tone in her voice.
I expected absolutely nothing less from a dedicated and passionate blacksmith like him.
"Well, don't worry yourself too much about it. He'll definitely be back before you know it," I said with a reassuring and confident smile, trying to ease her concerns.
She let out another sigh initially, but then her eyes suddenly brightened up considerably as she remembered something else.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention - Crystal is currently looking for a boyfriend now. She specifically said that since everyone around her was getting married and settling down, she should find someone who is truly worthy of her and meets her standards," she informed me.
My eyes widened in surprise at this unexpected news, and then I became distinctly gloomy and somewhat melancholic. What's with my daughters recently? Can't they possibly wait at least a few hundred years or so before rushing into getting married and settling down?
"Is that so," I muttered quietly under my breath, my disappointment clearly evident.
She nodded her head in confirmation of what she had just told me.
"Yep, that's right. She has been actively traveling all over the various islands scattered throughout Novus and visiting allied countries far and wide to search for and look for the perfect man for her, someone who meets all of her particular standards and requirements," she explained in more detail.
I grumbled to myself in frustration, feeling somewhat helpless about the situation.
"Daddy," the quadruplets called out to me in their sweet voices, demanding my attention.
I turned my full attention to them and my smile naturally returned to my face. At least I still have some daughters who genuinely care about me and want to spend time with their father.
"What happened girls? What do you need?" I asked them with warmth and affection.
"We're hungry and want something to eat," they said in perfect unison, their voices blending together.
I smiled warmly and nodded in understanding before accessing the system shop and buying a substantial bunch of various junk food items and snacks, then giving the treats to them generously.
They cheered enthusiastically with joy and happiness and began eating their snacks with obvious delight and satisfaction.
"Father, me too please," Melody said hopefully and extended her hand out toward me in expectation.
I smiled at her request and gave her some snacks and treats as well, making sure she didn't feel left out. I smiled contentedly as they ate their food and looked happy and content with their snacks. Then suddenly I heard a series of loud thuds echoing repeatedly.
My mouth twitched involuntarily in reaction and I turned my head to look at Luna. Her large tail was wagging enthusiastically and continuously, repeatedly hitting the ground with considerable force, creating those thudding sounds.
I just smiled in resignation and acceptance, knowing what was coming, and gave her a substantial bunch of junk food and treats as well. But I quickly realized that this amount wouldn't be nearly enough to satisfy everyone. I went ahead and bought significantly more food from the system shop, and now the whole entire table was completely covered and full of various junk food items and snacks. Elsa and Merida both joined in enthusiastically on the eating as well, helping themselves to the abundant spread.
Suddenly remembering something important that I needed to take care of, I stood up from where I had been sitting comfortably with everyone.
"I'll be back in just a moment," I said to them clearly and then promptly left the garden area, heading directly toward the treasury to handle this matter.
Teleporting instantly to the treasury location, I materialized inside and immediately looked around carefully, taking in the vast expanse of the space. The overall size and scale of it was truly immense and impressive - large enough to comfortably fit tens of thousands of people within its boundaries if needed. I reached into my storage and took out all of the artifacts I had collected, then casually threw them into the massive pile of gold coins, precious gems, and various other treasures that had accumulated here over time. As of this present moment, there was absolutely no point whatsoever in spreading them out or organizing them in any particular way yet, since I still don't have all of the artifacts in my possession that I need to complete the collection.
And fortunately, there was a substantial abundance of powerful titan wing dragons stationed here and actively protecting this entire place from any potential threats or intruders.
Claude's POV
It was nighttime and the moment I had been anticipating and preparing for had finally arrived at last. I could distinctly sense and feel the magical energy emanating from near that particular place, pulsing through the air like a beacon calling to me. I directed my gaze towards the impressive manor standing before me and began walking forwards with steady determination, my steps measured and purposeful.
If I remember correctly and my information was accurate, this was Charlotte's home, the grand estate belonging to her family. I could clearly sense and detect that the person who possessed the artifact I sought was here somewhere within these walls, their magical signature unmistakable. I just need to successfully collect it from them and then I can leave this place without any further complications or delays.
Upon entering the grand manor through its elegant entrance, everyone present in the main hall immediately looked towards me with varying expressions of curiosity and interest, their conversations pausing momentarily. Though I didn't look exactly like that particular prince who had been formally invited to this gathering, I still looked like a prince nonetheless, my bearing and attire befitting royalty. Walking around the spacious room filled with guests, carefully observing each person I passed, I suddenly paused and stopped at one particular person who caught my attention.
It was the prince from that newspaper I had seen earlier, the one whose image had been published in the society pages. But for some reason that I couldn't quite articulate, I don't think it's actually him standing before me now. Seeing a weird and unusual magic signature emanating from him, something that felt distinctly off and not quite right, I walked towards him with purpose and intent, determined to investigate further.
I stopped right in front of him, positioning myself directly in his path, and stared him down intently with an unwavering and penetrating gaze, studying every detail of his face and demeanor.
"Who are you?" I asked coldly, my voice carrying an unmistakable edge of authority and suspicion, demanding an honest answer.
He gulped nervously, his throat visibly working as he swallowed, and took an instinctive step back away from me, clearly intimidated by my direct confrontation and intense scrutiny. I suddenly turned my head sharply in another direction, my attention drawn by a familiar magical presence, and there I saw it clearly. The man with the artifact I had been searching for, standing across the room.
He seemed to immediately understand something in that moment, perhaps recognizing that I had identified him, and attempted to flee hastily towards the nearest exit, trying to escape before I could reach him. But my loyal and well-trained guards had already anticipated this possibility and caught him efficiently, blocking his path and restraining him firmly. He attempted desperately to use magic to break free from their grasp, channeling what power he could muster, but the low level of his magical abilities didn't have any effect whatsoever on my guards, who were protected by powerful enchantments.
I walked straight to him with deliberate and unhurried steps, my confidence absolute, and grabbed the artifacts firmly from his possession before letting him go and releasing my hold on him, having obtained what I came for.
"Wait," someone called out urgently from behind me, their voice cutting through the murmurs of the gathered crowd.
I turned to face the person who had spoken, curious about what they wanted. It was that waitress from before. A frog then suddenly jumped out from somewhere nearby, landing with a small splash.
"He has a way to get me back into a human," the frog said desperately, speaking with surprising clarity despite his amphibian form, his voice carrying a note of pleading hope. I watched calmly and without particular concern as the man I had just released disappeared quickly into the crowd of guests, melting away among the sea of people, and I didn't chase after him or make any attempt to pursue him further.
I then turned my full attention to the frog and walked towards him slowly and deliberately, approaching with measured steps. I narrowed my eyes thoughtfully, focusing my magical senses on him, and sensing the weak curse that had been placed on him and was binding him to this unnatural form, I extended my hand outward towards him and watched with detached interest as my magic did the work, flowing from my fingertips in shimmering waves of energy.
Slowly and gradually he started changing and glowing with an increasingly bright golden light, his form shifting and transforming in a cascade of magical energy. Until finally he became a human once more, his true form restored at last. It was none other than Prince Naveen, exactly as I had suspected from the magical signature.
Seeing that everything was done and completed satisfactorily, that I had accomplished what I came here to do, I prepared to leave this place and return to my other duties without any further delay.
"Tiana," a loud and cheerful voice suddenly sounded from somewhere in the crowd, filled with excitement and joy, and a figure ran over enthusiastically to the waitress and hugged her tightly, embracing her with obvious affection and relief.
I paused in my departure, stopping mid-step, and turned curiously to look at the girl.