Lilia looked a bit helpless, gazing at my strikingly handsome face, and sighed, "Roa, you still look the same as before."
I scratched my head, puzzled, and asked, "What was I like before?"
Lilia casually replied, "Still so carefree?"
After saying this, Lilia turned to her daughter and said, "Aisha, come here and meet your big brother."
Aisha took a step forward, revealing a bright smile, her little tiger teeth showing, making her look exceptionally cute.
I smiled at Lilia and said, "Your child is very cute and also very sensible."
Upon hearing this, Aisha's smile became even brighter, but Lilia maintained a serious face and said, "Aisha is still a bit immature. I hope she can take good care of you both in the future."
The "you both" she referred to meant me and Rudeus.
I waved my hand and smiled, reaching out to stroke the girl's red hair. The soft strands brushed against my fingertips, and the warm touch made Aisha momentarily stunned.
She looked up at me, and I returned her gaze with the same smile.
First impressions are crucial.
With my outstanding appearance, the first impression I gave was excellent.
Aisha was actually a girl who lacked confidence. Although she performed well in various aspects, under her mother's strict reprimands, she always felt inferior, as if she were less than others.
What she lacked was encouragement and support, as well as the smiles she had never seen.
Paul had never smiled; that heartfelt smile was long gone.
After all, if Paul could still smile in such a situation, that would be strange.
Lilia had never smiled either. Although she loved her daughter very much, the strict Lilia would not show such smiles. She would only express her demands and repeatedly ask Aisha to fulfill them.
If Aisha did well, it was taken for granted; if she did wrong, it meant she hadn't put in enough effort or seriousness.
And my radiant smile made Aisha feel warmth for the first time.
A slight blush appeared on Aisha's face.
I didn't notice the girl's unusual reaction and asked Lilia, "How have you been lately?"
Lilia smiled and said, "Thanks to you, things have been going quite well lately."
I replied with a smile, "Is that so? That's good."
Aisha looked at her mother and then at me, suddenly curiously asking, "Does mother really like big brother Roa?"
Lilia was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "Yes, if it weren't for your big brother Roa, how could you have been born so smoothly?"
The words were heavy, and Lilia didn't continue on that topic but directly asked, "Who is that girl?"
I looked in the direction Lilia was pointing, and Mitsuri Kanroji was shyly responding to Zenith's conversation.
Mitsuri Kanroji's original personality was very enthusiastic and cheerful, but facing parents for the first time, she felt somewhat at a loss.
Zenith enjoyed chatting, especially with her daughter-in-law. After a brief conversation, she discovered that the other party was a very innocent child, which made her even happier. Unknowingly, she found the girl more pleasing to the eye.
The girl's appearance was undoubtedly beautiful. Although she might not be at the top level, her figure clearly indicated that she was capable of bearing children.
Zenith pulled Mitsuri Kanroji aside to chat, leaving Paul and Lilia sitting in the middle of the living room.
The oil lamp was lit, casting a warm glow around the table, and the flickering light created a cozy atmosphere.
Outside, the night was quiet, but inside, it was bustling.
I sat in a chair in the living room, looked at Paul, and said, "Father, I still have some matters to attend to. I might stay here for a few days, but then I need to continue my journey."
Paul frowned and asked in confusion, "Journey?"
I nodded and replied, "I've already reached the level of Sword King, and I might need to visit the Holy Land of Swords. Also, I need to pay a visit to Master Roxy."
Paul fell into deep thought. He looked at me and suddenly said, "Roa, I know you've always been mature since you were young, unlike me as a father, and you don't need my guidance. But there are some things I still need to repeat; please don't mind me being naggy."
I looked at Paul in confusion and nodded.
Paul gently cleared his throat. Although he looked a bit haggard, his spirit w still there, and he wasn't truly despondent.
He put on a serious face, displaying the authority of a father, and said to me, "That is, no matter how strong your power is, do not bully the weak."
I nodded, indicating that I understood.
Paul was slightly taken aback by my simple gesture, then awkwardly coughed a few times and said to me, "Since you understand, that's good. Well, our Greyrat family doesn't do such things as bullying the weak."
Then we moved on to discussing trivial matters that had happened in the family before.
Paul sighed and said, "Since you all left, my life has become increasingly difficult. Norn and Aisha are still young, and they have been quite a headache for me. These two kids are not as easy to take care of as you all were."
At this point, Paul instinctively yawned.
I shrugged; this was something that every parent must experience.
Paul then curiously asked, "Roa, how did your strength increase so quickly? The Sword King of the Sword God style, tsk tsk, that's truly terrifying. How old are you now? Oh right, the fourteen-year-old Sword King, and also a king-level mage. Sigh, such a talent that makes one envious."
Roa remained silent, picked up the teacup on the table, and poured a pot of water into it, taking a small sip in the air.
Paul continued to reflect to himself, "To be honest, when I was young, I thought I was the only genius, and everyone else was an idiot. It wasn't until I had you that I realized what a true prodigy is. But no matter how prodigious a child is, they are still my child. Honestly, I am proud of you."
Roa opened his mouth but thought about it; there was no need to be modest about such things. He nodded directly, showing a proud expression.
Roa nodded and said to Paul, "Indeed, someone as outstanding as me is indeed rare."
Paul fell into contemplation, forgetting that his eldest son was not the modest type.
Paul looked at the casually chatting Zenith and Mitsuri Kanroji and curiously asked, "How did you two meet?"
Roa thought for a moment and casually replied, "It's probably better if you don't know about this, Father."
Paul fell into thought. He looked at Zenith and smiled, saying, "Seeing you two like this reminds me of how I met your mother."
Then Paul fell into memories, recounting the very cliché story of a hero saving a beauty.
It was mostly about how he quarreled with his mother, ran away from home to become an adventurer, and was almost sold into slavery by a con artist, but was ultimately saved by Paul.
Roa had no interest in listening to Paul's past. Aisha noticed that Roa was easy to talk to and directly snuggled into his arms. Roa embraced the girl, holding her close.
Aisha was an extremely clever little girl and very good at reading the room. Noticing that Roa did not have a look of disgust, she boldly sat in his lap.
"Um, how old is Aisha this year?" Roa asked with a smile, rubbing Aisha's head curiously.
Aisha instinctively looked towards her mother's direction and found that her mother did not show any signs of anger; on the contrary, there was a faint smile on her lips. She relaxed and nodded with a smile at Roa, saying, "Brother, I'm three and a half years old this year."
Roa teased Aisha while Paul reminisced about the past, and Lilia smiled as she watched the harmonious group.
Zenith and Mitsuri Kanroji chatted about interesting stories, and as they talked, they gradually became more relaxed.
Then Zenith began to talk about the common topic they could discuss.
That would be Roa.
Zenith smiled and held Mitsuri Kanroji's hand, looking like they were very close sisters.
Zenith was a very talkative person, and being well-educated, she was once even praised as the "benchmark for young ladies." Just a few words caught Mitsuri Kanroji's attention.
Zenith smiled and asked, "What is Roa like in your eyes?"
Mitsuri Kanroji fell into thought and then blushed as she quietly said, "Gentle, kind, understanding, powerful, he can solve almost everything, and, and, he's very handsome."
By the end, Mitsuri Kanroji's face was already flushed.
Zenith seemed to ponder, looking at Roa, who was currently teasing Aisha, both of them showing bright smiles.
"Indeed, Roa is quite a remarkable child. Oh, strange, isn't Rudeus coming?" Zenith suddenly thought of her other son who had not come along.
Mitsuri Kanroji tilted her head and curiously asked, "Rudeus?"
Zenith nodded and said, "Rudeus is Roa's younger brother, our other son. However, compared to Roa's maturity and steadiness, Rudeus is a bit worrisome."
Mitsuri Kanroji looked at Roa, who noticed her gaze and turned to smile brightly at her.
With a puff, Mitsuri Kanroji turned into a steam princess again.
Indeed, that face was never tiring to look at.
Shoving the thoughts of Roa out of her mind, Mitsuri Kanroji said to Roa, "Rudeus?"
Zenith responded and thought for a moment, smiling at Mitsuri Kanroji, "You might not know, but Roa was super cute when he was little~"
She intentionally dragged out the last syllable.
Roa's face stiffened, and his mouth twitched a few times as he looked towards Zenith.
Sure enough, the corners of Zenith's mouth couldn't help but rise wildly.
Roa fell into contemplation; there was no need to say more; she was definitely teasing him in another form.
Should it be called scheming?
When they were younger, Zenith would deliberately buy some feminine clothes for Roa and force him to wear them. Due to the embarrassment, Roa strongly opposed it.
Since then, Zenith stopped buying clothes with obvious characteristics, but she bought a lot of neutral clothing. Roa protested multiple times but was always laughed off by her.
So that period wa Roa's true dark history; who could have imagined that such a handsome young man was a pretty boy in his childhood?
Mitsuri Kanroji instantly became interested, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
She wanted to know~
Roa directly stood up and walked towards Zenith.
With a deadpan expression, he said, "Mother, it's better to let this go. After all, you played a part in how I turned out like that when I was young."
Zenith's mouth curled up, smiling as she said, "After all, little Roa was just too cute back then, hahaha."
Roa no longer wanted to deal with her. Paul, not reminiscing about the past anymore, looked at Zenith's cheerful smile and then asked, "Roa, how is Rudeus doing?"
Roa thought for a moment and said, "Well, he shouldn't be doing too well. That young lady is not someone easy to deal with."
Paul choked for a moment. He thought about Rudeus's personality and indeed felt a bit of a headache.
Compared to the maturity shown by Rudeus in the original work, the current Rudeus was extremely casual.
Both of them displayed a precocious side, but Rudeus's precocity seemed more like giving up.
Logically, both should have some childish competitiveness or be vying for something.
But in fact, from the very beginning, it was Roa who dealt with Rudeus, and Rudeus showed extreme obedience.
What Paul didn't know was that Rudeus had initially wanted to resist, but unfortunately, he was too weak and could only be pressed down by the great demon king Roa.
Although Rudeus's confidence was hit, he didn't seem to be downcast but already showed signs of giving up.
Rudeus's personality was such that if someone stood in front of him, he would instinctively choose to lie down quietly behind.
Roa spoke up appropriately, "Rudeus has also grown quite a bit; he just lacks some training. There are still many days ahead, and he will become more mature."
Paul nodded, then realized something and looked up at Roa.
Paul wanted to ask, "You seem to have been smooth sailing as well," but looking at Roa's serious expression, he couldn't find the words.
Roa glanced at the sky and said to everyone, "Aren't you all tired?"
Aisha was the first to speak, "Not tired, Aisha wants to play with brother."
Paul choked again and then turned his gaze to Zenith, finding her chatting quietly with Mitsuri Kanroji, occasionally laughing.
Needless to say, both of them seemed to be unable to sleep.
Paul smiled helplessly and said, "In that case, Roa, you should stay at home for a few days. Your sister has missed you a bit, and then you can go back to your business."
Roa nodded; that was indeed his plan.
It had only been a little over ten days, and there was still quite a bit of time left compared to the two months he had told Rudeus.
With the red dragon as a means of transportation, the travel time could be greatly saved.
So staying for a while wouldn't be a problem.
He would go find Roxy later; for now, he needed to take care of Mitsuri Kanroji.
Paul slapped the table, showing an excited expression as he said to Roa, "Kid, want to drink?"
Roa was slightly taken aback; he usually didn't drink because alcohol couldn't numb his nerves. Drinking was purely like having a beverage for him.
However, the wine at home was indeed quite good. Thinking of this, Roa nodded and said to Mitsuri Kanroji, "Sure, let's have some wine."
Paul squinted his eyes and gave Roa a thumbs up, laughing, "Good eye, kid. I have a barrel of wine I've brewed for years; I'll get it for you."
Zenith, who had been chatting, couldn't help but complain upon hearing Paul's words, "Drinking so late, you should pay attention to your health."
Paul quickly smiled and nodded, but his body was still moving towards the wine cellar.
Zenith couldn't help but roll her eyes, ultimately saying nothing, tacitly allowing Paul to drink.
Norn looked at Aisha, who was sitting in Roa's lap, hesitated for a moment, then ran in front of Roa, stretching out his little arms, wanting to have the same status as Aisha.
Seeing this, Aisha immediately became displeased. She snorted coldly, glanced away, and ignored Norn.
Norn was a somewhat timid child, which was normal; everyone has their own personality and is not born perfect.
Roa naturally noticed Aisha's displeasure and smiled at her, saying, "Norn is Aisha's older sister, so even though you are the younger sister, don't bully your sister. We are all family."
Aisha mumbled, "I didn't bully my sister, um."
Aisha's soft mumble was naturally heard by Roa, but he just smiled and said nothing more.
He placed Norn on his left leg, with his right hand holding Aisha and his left hand holding Norn, showing a bright smile on his face.
Paul took a big gulp from his wine glass, his cheeks flushed, and a smile appeared on his lips as he said to Roa, "It's been a long time since it was this lively."
Roa smiled at the two and said, "You have another brother, that's your second brother, named Rudeus. He should be back soon, and you'll get to meet him."
Norn and Aisha looked at Roa in unison, both with curious expressions.
Roa sighed and said, "It seems you both don't remember me. I used to carry you when you were little."
The two exchanged glances, and Aisha was the first to speak, "Um, Rudeus, isn't he, our second brother, handsome?"
Roa thought for a moment and nodded, acknowledging, "He's somewhat handsome."
To be fair, Rudeus could indeed be considered somewhat handsome.
Aisha continued, "Then how does he compare to big brother Roa?"
In an instant, Roa fell silent.
Rudeus was indeed somewhat handsome, but compared to Roa, he was still a bit lacking.