Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

A journey that should last three weeks will last three days… Branden and Esmeralda sure were impressed. Still, Rain could be even faster if he were to travel alone. There was too much luggage, but it couldn't be helped.

In any case, when the following day came, Geio showed up, offering the chance to drive them back to their territory, but they refused since Rain could solve that. At the same time, Josar showed up and then took out his veil, and showed his face before offering a handshake.

Josar looked to be in his forties since he had some strains of gray hair. He also looked well-built. Rain had no idea what he could do in terms of magic, but he felt that he was a hybrid fighter. Regardless, he had short black hair brushed back, and it seemed neat enough to the point that it looked like he spent many hours doing that.

Still, what was truly surprising was the fact that he didn't look like someone who fought many times, which was weird since he was supposed to be the strongest of his tribe.

"Despite the past, I hope that we will be able to work with each other in the future," Josar said.

"Certainly," Branden said and then accepted the handshake.

In the next moment, Josar bowed a bit after looking at Esmeralda. Finally, he looked at Rain and stayed silent for a while.

"You saved a lot of people here, so we will try to help you avoid her in case you come to help again," Josar said.

"Even though you guys tried to make me marry her?" Rain asked.

"... that situation was a bit complicated, and I believe you will be better off not knowing the full details of it," Josar said after showing a tired expression.

Rain couldn't help but ponder the complexities surrounding the situation that the magic people had presented. It was indeed an unusual predicament, one that left him intrigued yet cautious.

However, Rain didn't hold high expectations for the magic people. His actions and decisions were primarily driven by self-interest. He was well aware that, sooner or later, he would find himself in a confrontation with them once more. When that day came, he wanted to be in a position of strength, ready to decisively defeat any threats they posed.

It was a matter of personal survival and ensuring that he could protect those he cared about.

Rain swiftly crafted an earth platform beneath his feet, a familiar technique he had mastered. As Branden and Esmeralda joined him, he infused it with his magic, causing the platform to soar through the air at an impressive speed. They had used this method on the night of the dragon attack, and there was no longer a need to conceal it.

Silence enveloped the trio initially as they distanced themselves from the chaos below. The recent events had left them all deep in thought. However, as the minutes passed, the tension slowly dissipated, and conversation began to flow more freely among them.

"I don't think that they will spark another war while they are busy with the dragons," Branden said. "Still, as soon as they solve that issue, they will make their move once we see some sort of weakness when that is solved."

"If they use dragon-based relics, they will be more than able to start another war, and we won't be able to stop them anytime soon," Esmeralda said. "There is a possibility that they will stack materials for that… I don't believe that they will watch their lands burn and avoid using them."

That was quite worrisome, but Rain had other things in his mind aside from that. He wasn't going to lose to those who were willing to use cheap tricks to win against him, after all. Although it seemed a bit too much to call the use of the relics cheap tricks. He had some of them, after all.

The journey back home was considerably quicker, taking only two and a half days this time as Rain used the Sage path to increase his magic powers and mana regeneration. However, the swiftness of their return came at a cost. Branden and Esmeralda bore the brunt of the exhausting travel conditions, with little time to rest or shield themselves from the relentless cold and gusty winds.

Despite their weary appearance, they couldn't help but be grateful for their speedy arrival back home.

"Thanks to your hard work," Branden said when they landed on the garden of his house and while he was fixing his hair that was standing. "I will send a message with the reward for your mission as soon as possible. I guess we owe you a lot more since you protected us from a dragon."

"... I was a bit scared of you, since I heard a lot of things from you, but you are just like Branden described," Esmeralda said. "I hope that someday I can repay the favor."

"Did he say that I was astonishingly good-looking, humble, and brave?" Rain asked.

"Not quite," Esmeralda giggled. "Is there anything that we can do to repay you for all of your hard work?"

"A lot of mana potions will do the trick," Rain replied.

"Mana potions? It is quite shocking how strong you are and how much you still want to improve," Esmeralda said. "I will do something about that."

"Alrighty," Rain said. "I have to report home as well, but I will pass the message to the organization that we are back. Until next time."

Rain dashed from the house and then headed to the organization. A lot of people were surprised by his arrival since they only heard later about the mission, and they also didn't receive news about them for weeks. Still, they were relieved once they confirmed that Branden and Esmeralda were fine.

Upon arriving home, Rain was surprised to find his mother and sisters sleeping in the garden… they were fine, and that was great, but their sense of urgency was lacking a lot.