I smiled happily as sweat drenched my clothes and my body screamed in pain. Ah, the feeling of gaining strength is truly wonderful, hmmmm, I wonder if I can manage another gravity ring yet…...since I’m going to be a kid for a long time, I don’t need to worry about the effects stunting my growth…..Yeah! Let’s ask Arvid to make me another one! I opened my mouth.

“I refuse!”

Arvid cut me off before I could ask….

“Eh!? But I really want to add another level of gravity!”

For some reason, I felt like the metal forebrace that was Arvid was tightening around my arm.

“You’ve already had me make you another ten rings in the month we’ve been traveling, even for a training freak, you’re taking it too far Boss!”

Misty suddenly shifted to my neck and wrapped around it.

-Arvid’s right, Master, this side of you is far too scary! You’ve already gone up two ranks since you left school, TWO LEVELS IN ONE MONTH, AAAAAHHHHHH, it should be IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!-

Ara? I had risen two levels? I had better check that out, but first……

“M-Misty…….st….stop choking me!”

-Not until you stop! Hey, Void, help me out here! Zoe, you too!-

I felt a fluffy tail join Misty in strangling my neck. Void stayed slumped around my shoulders.

-Ne~ Misty, it’s Papa, so things like this are only natural, right? Oh, by the way Papa, I feel like all this hard work you’ve been doing is leading me to another inspiration.-

I skidded to a halt and collapsed on the ground, ‘accidentally’ falling on Void.

“I am lazy and boring. I am lazy and boring. I am lazy and boring. I am lazy and boring.”

Void wriggled out from under me and slapped my head with one of his wings.

-That’s not going to help you, tomorrow morning, when we wake up, you’re going to have a special surprise for working so hard.-

“.......Please just let it not be something too weird…..*cry*”

I struggled to my feet, rubbing at my eyes because they had gotten dirt in them, and started running again, hrmmm, at this pace, I should arrive at home in a few hours! When I do, I need to find a source of caffeine or sugar! Void and I shall not sleep tonight!!! Arvid sighed.

“Boss, caffeine and sugar won’t work very long in your system, or Void’s, with your special body, it’s processed faster, and since Void is a high rank magical beast, he also won’t be affected very much…...”

Curse it! Arvid, why are you so good at reading my thoughts! And why couldn’t you let me hold onto that false hope for even a moment…...I pushed all my thoughts away, and ran as fast as I could. If it’s going to happen no matter what, there’s no point in thinking about it!

“Yeah Boss, you just keep telling yourself that…..”

“......”

A few miles away from home, I stopped and sent my senses out to check that there wasn’t anybody nearby, sadly confirming there was nobody for me to sneak up on and knock out, I began channeling mana into my two marks. Adrian’s gate opened first, now that they had been set, each circle only cost a fraction of the mana they had cost in the first activation. Several minutes after Adrian’s gate opened, the large gate flared into existence. Waiting another minute, I frowned.

“Why hasn’t anyone come out yet?”

-Boss…...didn’t you say that once they entered the dimensions you created, they could only get out if you summoned them out?-

I slapped my forehead.

“Ah! I always forget that bit, I added it into the spell after people kept escaping from the gate when I was closing…..”

I focused on the two gates and the magical circles appeared slowly in my mind. Focusing on a few special lines set in each circle, I reached out with my mind and pulled. I felt the mana surge in the circles for a moment, and then they vanished, leaving in their place, a group of very confused people. One figure was considerably separated from the rest of the group, and was moving very quickly.

“Ahhhhh, I’m Sorry Bro, PLEASE FORGIVE MEEEE!!!!!!!......Eh?”

Oh, it was just Aaron, I had designed a special program for him within the dimension. Heh, I wonder if he was screaming like that the entire time…..I’ll have to check the visual record spells I placed in there later, it could make excellent blackmail material…..My thoughts were cut off as two figures slammed into me, one considerably smaller than the other.

“Big Bro, it’s nice to see you again!”

“That was the best training experience I’ve ever had! Marry me!”

Ah, it was Adrian and Raina……..WAIT, have I just been proposed to?

“.....Raina, what did you just say?”

“Marry me, you’re the only person who’s had the same, no a greater fixation on training than me, there’s no way I’m letting you or the training methods go!”

Basically she wants to marry me for my training methods….well, it’s not the worse reason a woman has wanted to marry me for, but…..

“Raina……..I’m only seven years old!!! And so, I must REFUSE!!!!”

I tried to push Raina away, but she just held me tighter. How strong was she!? I was now Star rank in both mana and ki, combined with my Berserker body, I should have an incredible amount of strength, yet I couldn’t budge Raina’s arms…..maybe if I didn’t have the gravity rings on? But my hands can’t reach each other to take them off right now…... Raina rubbed her face against my ears and felt a strong urge to stop struggling.

“You’re an immortal, you’re not seven, you’re far older than me!”

I started wiggling my fingers, trying to move the rings off as I responded to her rebuttal of my refusal.

“If we’re thinking in those terms, then I would be a cradle robber! A more than just reason to REFUSE!”

Why did I have Arvid make sure these rings were such a good fit? Ah! One is starting to come loose!

“I like having someone a bit older than me, they can handle more training!”

Where is her logic coming from!?? One ring slipped off, but I was still unable to budged Raina off.

“I’m far more than just a ‘bit’ older! Anyway, in this worlds eyes, you would still be seen as a weirdo marrying a seven year-old!”

I managed to get another two rings off, but when I pushed at Raina’s arms, there was still no movement…..

“I don’t care what people will think of me, I won’t let go of the perfect training partner and training methods!”

Another two rings came off, why did I have so many on again!? Ah, I managed to move them a tiny bit, but it’s still not enough!

“Why are you so fixated on marrying me, you’ll still have a partner and training methods!”

Two more rings off, and I budged the entrapping arms a little farther away.

“It’s a promise I made to my parents three years ago, that if I didn’t find a partner on my own in fifteen years, I would marry someone of their choosing!”

…..Raina’s parents could actually force her into a promise…...SCARY!!! They sound like they’re on the same level as my own parents!

“T-that means you still have twelve years left! You still have plenty of time to find someone else!”

By now I had gotten four more rings off and was slowly but steadily pushing her arms away.

“I won’t find anyone as interesting as you!”

Guh, I give up!

“Alright! in twelve years, if you still haven’t found anyone AND if I don’t look like a seven year old, I’ll marry you, but ONLY THEN!”

Even if both of those conditions are somehow met, I’ll still be able to run away!

“I accept, and don’t even think about escaping!”

“Boss…..I suggest you start saving money up for a ring….”

Why do I always attract the strange ones……An amused voice rang out from behind me.

“Ahem, now that this interesting matter has been settled, we should get to the students to the village where they can rest safely.”

Zale, you were just watching the whole time!? Why didn’t you help me…….That’s it! Somehow, in these twelve years, I’ll turn Raina’s attention on you! I smiled sweetly at Zale.

Zale’s point of view:

Felix’s mouth twisted into a familiar sweet smile, but for some reason I felt like I had just been targeted by a predator…...I shook the troubling thought away, i-it was probably just my imagination…..

“What a brilliant idea, Uncle, yes, I’ll get everyone moving, while I do that, you should talk to Raina….about how you’re going to manage the training in Mistwood~ Oh, it feels like you’ve reached Void level, congratulations~”

I frowned, I was actually very excited about reaching Void level, but…..

“......Aren’t you going lead the training?”

Felix shook his head, his golden ears twitching happily.

“Ne~ I have something far more interesting to do!”

Apprehension filled my heart, he couldn’t be planning…..

“What is this ‘interesting’ thing you’re talking about…..”

Felix’s tail was now twitching cheerfully as well.

“Ah, obviously I’m going to check out what’s in the center of the forest!”

Yep, he was. I grabbed Felix’s shoulders and shook him.

“The four kings together at VOID level couldn’t get to the forest, there’s no way you who is at…………………………...What the! How did you rise two levels in one month!!?? NO, actually, i Don’t want to know, even at Star level, you can’t handle the level of monsters even somewhat close to the center!!”

Felix snorted and slapped my hands off, managing to do so easily despite the fact I had Void level strength now…..

“I’m not an idiot, I’m not planning to fight the magical creatures…..Yet. I’m going to sneak in, my stealth skills are beyond comparison!”

…..Well, he could probably manage that…..I turned to Raina.

“So, what do you want to do, and how can I help you?”

Felix’s Point of View:

Awwww, I wanted Zale to argue with me more, I had so many interesting arguments…...Oh well, I turned to Adrian, who had stood hesitantly to the side ever since hugging me.

“Adrian, go tell everyone that we’re traveling a few miles to your home.”

“Eh? Why do I have to do it?”

“You need to appear to have some power if you want to succeed in the bully role, and I want to see how far your new acting skills reach.”

“Ok….”

Adrian walked a few steps away from me, and I felt his aura change. He clapped his hands, using a spell to make them loud enough to catch everyone’s attention.

“Ahem, all right everyone, please grab your bags and head this way, our destination, my home, is only a few miles away, and then you can all rest!”

Good, good, a gracious noble host, a proper attitude when the crowd he was addressing had several royals in it…….Hmmm, those two toys should have woken up by now as well….Eh, I trust Raina to polish them well~

With everyone distracted with getting ready, I walked up to Adrian.

“Hmmm, so far it looks like you’ll do fine. Let’s plan out what’s going to happen when we meet the stuck-up Lord and Lady Redsword.”

Adrian turned and grabbed my shoulders.

“I’m listening!”

……….

A few miles away in a small home….

Adrianne suddenly froze as she was just about to put lunch on the table in front of her husband, Seph. She turned her head to stare at the front door.

“Dear…...I have a feeling we’ll be seeing our children soon….”

Seph turned to look in the same direction as his wife.

“I do believe you’re right Adri…..”

They looked at each other and smiled. They spoke at the same time.

“Sounds like a good welcome home story opportunity.”

They bolted out of the house.