"What kind of care do you take to keep that golden hair so smooth?"
"I don't know, it just ended up like this over time."
"Interesting, so your beauty is natural."
He had indeed become more handsome over those two years, one could say, but to him it wasn't all that. If half the reason she liked him as a son-in-law was because of his appearance, imagine if she saw what he looked like when he used his transformation into the female form.
'I think my current appearance is completely natural.'
[We can say that only ninety percent is natural because of your training.]
'That's good then, he would look like this if he trained a lot.'
He had improved his physique to reach the same level of potential as Victoria, but that was a way to grow faster—what would normally take five years he accomplished in only two.
'I'll look even better when I switch my skills to purely physical ability.'
[Well, she seems to like your appearance a lot, but I don't think it's because of your physique.]
"Can I touch your eyebrows?"
"If Aoi lets you."
With Aoi's enthusiastic nod, Sayaka ran her finger across his eyebrow while they walked toward where the portal was. They were already close, at most five minutes away.
'Neither your hair nor your eyebrows are dyed. I thought they were, since there are no humans with this natural color.'
Enrico's hair color was a shade of gold that could be considered quite striking, but the strange thing was that it still had a dark tint.
"Your magical affinity is fire, right? Do you have a secondary one?"
"Yes, my affinity is fire. As for the second question, I'm thinking of having one."
As always, he would keep his affinity with water hidden, because he would still use Kael's identity for some actions in the future.
"Even so, already having a fire affinity is perfect for my future grandchildren."
"Of course one of my children with my beloved will have our affinity, Mother. You can be sure I'll make it happen."
The two were very similar, except Sayaka was more reserved than Aoi, perhaps due to their age difference.
[Great, it looks like now you have an older version of Aoi to bother you. Are you happy?]
'It seems fun.'
[…you're irritating.]
'Not as much as you.'
Enrico gave a sarcastic smile. Noticing they had arrived at the portal, he joined the two beside Yumeha and Rina. Looking around, he counted nine people including themselves. Renzou turned to touch the portal.
"This is the team I formed to enter the dungeon. You all know each other already. You've seen them before too, haven't you, Enrico?"
He knew at least two of the remaining three members of the team very well. One was Takeshi, one of the main guards he had spoken to when he first came here, and the other was Renzou's eldest son, Akirama no Raizen, a circle seven. The third member of the team was Aina, Renzou's fifth daughter and a circle six about to become seven.
"It's good to have you back, brother-in-law."
"Hello, Raizen. It's been two years and a few months since we last saw each other."
"If you don't want it to be like this, you should visit Tsuyokuni more often."
Renzou beside them gave a thumbs-up proudly with a serious face, and Raizen returned it without wanting Enrico to notice. Too bad they did it so carelessly right in front of him.
"I'm a little surprised they think I'm not seeing this."
"They're always like this with anyone who becomes family, so don't pay too much attention to it, brother-in-law."
Behind him, Aina appeared with a restrained smile as she tried not to laugh at her father and brother's actions. When they were at home, they always read Yumeha and Rina's letters about Enrico with excitement, impressed at how fast he was evolving.
"You're one of Rina and Yumeha's sisters, right?"
"You knowing me only as their sister is kind of cruel."
Her shoulders lowered in disappointment. She thought at least she would have been mentioned by her sisters, but it seemed they hadn't said anything.
'So what if they didn't mention me? I can show how amazing I am when the time comes.'
Takeshi watched Enrico with great expectation in his eyes. Having a boy this young who had reached circle six was simply incredible. If he stayed in their country, they wouldn't have much trouble in the future once he advanced further.
"Sir Takeshi, where is Daigo?"
"Our emperor ordered him to stay and protect Tsuyokuni since he is our second strongest."
"I see. That's a shame—I wanted to see him."
"You two can meet after the dungeon for as many hours as you want, my lord."
Hearing "my lord" coming from Takeshi's mouth, Enrico wanted to ask him not to say that, but he remembered this would happen often in the future, so he let it pass.
"Very well, is everyone ready?"
Some hidden guards who took care of the portal had handed out enhanced weapons. Rina held a katana that looked worn and damaged, but she was very satisfied to receive that katana. Yumeha received an iron staff infused with some spirit magic.
"Yes, Dad, we're ready. And thank you very much for the gift."
"Yes, thank you very much for the gift, Father."
"It's not just a gift. It's your reward for reaching circle six and choosing your Ketsumei well."
Both girls glanced sideways at Enrico with excitement. This would be a good opportunity to show how strong they had become with the effort of these two years together.
"It would be nice to keep talking, but we have to go."
With a nod from everyone, each person entered the three-meter portal in front of them. This mission would undoubtedly be difficult not only for the team formed, but also for one person who had entered with them.
'I did it.'
Inside Aoi's clothes, in one of her pockets, a small light flashed for a moment. Inside it, a translucent purple stone appeared, and deeper inside it, one of Enrico's disciples was sweating from her forehead. This was Sisaka, and she came to prove she would be a better disciple than Kaela.
'I must succeed. To get revenge, I need a good teacher.'
Clenching her fist tightly, blood dripped from her palm. Her eyes shone with bloody determination. Without a doubt, she would fulfill that promise.