"Whoa! My legs gave out!" Ian spoke to himself with a surprised voice while being supported by Ash and Louis on both sides. He had practically no mana left in his body at the moment. As a result, he grew momentarily dizzy and lost balance. "What happened to the poison? Are you okay?" Louis asked as he checked Ian's condition. Even moments before the explosion, his body was completely purple as an indicator of the severity of the poison. And the mana inside his body was as chaotic as a raging ocean. But right now, his skin tone was back to normal, and although he looked a little pale, he was fine otherwise. Even the inside situation of his body was as calm as the surface of a frozen lake. "Blew it away." Ian replied with a, what looked like somewhat smug expression. He was slowly taking in the pure mana from outside once again and regaining his health. "Blew what away?" "The poison?" The kids kept asking questions one by one but Ian didn't answer anything in detail and just

"We waited patiently just like you wanted!""But we missed you!""Yeah. It's hard staying away from brother."The kids shouted one after another as they clung to Ian from all sides. A small smile appeared on Ian's face automatically as soon as their laughter and giggle reached his ear.It was afternoon. The golden sun reflecting on their faces full of smiles and happiness made Ian feel something warm inside. At times like these, he truly felt grateful for this second chance in life that he received. 'It's truly a blessing.'He couldn't help but think that.'You're weird.'A reply from the Phoenix came as soon as he was done with his thought. He wondered what that guy meant this time as he put the kids down and started patting their head.'Reason?'He asked.'You're satisfied too easily.'A straight answer came from the Phoenix. Ian waited silently since it looked like he had more to say.'No matter what your origin is, in the end you're also a human. And humans are supposed to have g

'Let's have breakfast together!'Rick's words were directly delivered to Ian through the servant. He nodded his head with a smile and-"Alright."-followed the servant out of his room and went to the location where Rick had arranged for him and Ian to have breakfast together.They walked for a few minutes and the servant finally stopped in front of a giant door. There were two guards standing outside the door and securing the room.Ian looked at the guards and was surprised when he found the two familiar faces he had seen before. It was none other than Amber and Richard.The red headed wolf looked as playful and sneaky as ever while the blue wolf looked as straightforward as one could be. Even while standing still, their aura was clearly different from each other."Long time no see!"Ian greeted the two of them with a happy smile as he approached them. The servant bowed and left Ian in their care so they could speak comfortably."We just saw each other yesterday.""I'm glad I could me

"I'm not crying! It's just.. something's wrong with my eyes.."Rick said those words in a fluster as he tried to wipe away the tears dripping down his eyes. Ian and his two guards simply looked at him with caring and gentle eyes as he did so.After a few moments passed like that, Rick managed to control the tears rolling down his eyes involuntarily and finally sighed. With his ears and eyes turning red in the process, he didn't look as majestic as he did the first time they met.After that, although the atmosphere was a little awkward around the room, it was also more comfortable and soothing than before. There was a strange sense of tranquility."Brother requested for all your party members to be present in the luncheon."The King had arranged for a small luncheon since Ian refused to go public. The luncheon would only be attended by the royal family and Ian's party. But due to the status of the two party that would be attending the luncheon, the preparation was still pretty grand."

"We can show you around.""I know a very good shop where you can buy souvenirs from."Hearing how Ian wanted to look around the town by himself, Richard and Amber offered various ways how they could be of help. Ian didn't want to bother the kids and let them have their own free time.But a part of him also felt a little lonely thinking how he had to go play by himself. It didn't seem too fun. That's exactly when their offers to be tour guide came."But don't you have to guard Rick?"They were Royal guards, Rick's exclusive one's at that. Ian wondered how they could leave their post so carelessly.'Is it even okay for me to take them?'The question popped up in his mind naturally. But unlike what he was worried about, the two of them had a confident smile in their faces as they looked at Ian."It's fine now.""This palace right now is the safest place on earth for him."They looked at Ian with a meaningful gaze and as Ian began to wonder what they meant, someone's strong presence and g