goodbye

As I pondered what he wanted to speak about, Solomon said, "I'd like you to join me."

"Join you?" I asked. He nodded. "Yes, from what I have planned, having a kingdom on my side is a start." How much does he know? How does he know I have a kingdom?

"I don't have a kingdom—" I began, but he interrupted me.

"The kingdom of Valoria," he said.

"That doesn't exist in—"

"It resides in a pocket world," he finished for me. I had nothing to say.

"I'll need tasks to be done by you specifically for my plan to work," he continued.

"What plan?" I asked.

"As it's obvious, the Demon God is dead. He has not been reborn," he said. I knew that; it's the whole reason the year is "AW."

"As of now... there is one who disguises as a god. They seek to dethrone the goddess and the lower gods to rule it all."

None of this made sense. "What does this have to do with me?" I asked.

"You are quite unique, Artorian. Some actions you take could cause those you care about to perish."

"What the hell are you saying?" I demanded.

"I mean, if the actions are not done properly, your loved ones may be caught in the crossfire, like your future children and wife," he explained. "I don't wish for this imposter to win, so I need your help to make some changes."

"Changes?" I tilted my head in curiosity.

"We'll need allies, and we'll have to take the title of the future hero."

"Take? You mean as in kill?" I asked. He nodded.

"If we kill the hero, a new one will be born. That will be your child," he said.

"Although... Artorian, may I ask, is your vision somewhat off?" Solomon asked. Now that he mentioned it, my vision did seem strange. "Half of my vision is black."

"I'd suggest you take that eyepatch off," he said. As I removed my eyepatch, I realized I could see from what was my missing eye. Had it been healed? "Was it you who healed it?" I asked. He shook his head.

"It might have been that little vampire," he said. Seraphina? What does he mean by that?

"Wow, boss, your eye is there!" Sylphina exclaimed.

"Artorian, you are no longer human. You have been turned into a vampire," Solomon explained. A vampire? Knowing Seraphina, she wouldn't do this just for fun, so there must be a reason. But what could it be? Sylphina did say I was out for nine days. Maybe turning me into a vampire helped me in some way.

"We'll have to find a way for you to be in the sun," Solomon mused, thinking of a solution. "There's an artifact that will help you, but I need you to tell me: will you join me in my quest?" I nodded.

---

It's been a week now. Luckily, when I came back home, no one was awake. Over the past few days, I kept leaving to prepare for my "business trip." I honestly don't know when I'll be done. Maybe I should ask my family to come with me? No, no, that's a foolish idea. I don't want them to get hurt.

All three girls kept giving me suspicious looks like they knew something was off, but the rest didn't bat an eye. Aurora was staying here for some reason and still is, but she's helping around the house, so she isn't a freeloader.

As I packed some of the final things I needed, my shirt was tugged. Looking down, I saw a black-haired, yellow-eyed wolf girl. "Big brother, where are you going?" Luna asked.

"Nowhere—" she interrupted me.

"Liar! You're going somewhere far away, aren't you?" she said, tears forming in her eyes. Two other girls stood behind her, a vampire and a cat.

"Father, one should not lie to their dear children," Seraphina said.

"It'll just be for a while—"

"Let us go with you, Papa!" Fren said, looking like she was about to cry.

"You can wait here," I said, kneeling down.

"We have no reason to stay here if you're not here," Seraphina said. It was follow the leader for some odd reason. I understood why Luna wanted to join me—she had an attachment to me—and Seraphina was interested in my blood. But Fren... she's scared of me.

"You can't make us stay! We want to come!" Luna yelled. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense to take them with me. One reason was their attachment to me, and the other was that I was their caretaker.

"Fine, you can come," I said. Luna jumped excitedly. I called for Grimga, and she took the three back to the base.

---

As I gripped the door handle, Lilith called out from behind me, "Master, how long will you be gone for?" The only ones who knew about me leaving for a while were the three girls. "I'll be back as the sun sets," I replied. She wished for my safety as I left, and though I hated lying to her, I didn't want her to worry.

When I arrived at the small camp that served as our temporary base, I saw Sylphina, Malachi, Gideon, Grimga who was an orc , Lyranthra, and Thron. Thron was a half-man, while Lyranthra was a chimera. This was six out of my seven loyal commanders; the final one was likely taking care of my kids.

"Is everything set?" I asked.

"Yeah, it is," Thron replied.

There were about twenty carriages, all loaded and ready. I got into one with Thron. Inside were Felix and Katharina, along with Luna, Seraphina, and Fren. I wondered if they had been talking with each other. Would Katharina get jealous if she heard Seraphina call me father?

Next to me were Thron and Solomon. "Artorian, our first stop is the Kingdom of Brimstone," Solomon said. Thron nodded and started the carriage.

I wasn't in the front but in the back since the sun was out.

Lilith, Rose, Elizabeth, Sophia, Arthur, Aurora... Please forgive me.

[Art's kill count is 5 as of now]

[And with that "the home town arc" is done. Up next will be "the princess arc"]