Ouroboros was not that far from Odemore, and Eleonora could not wait to reach it and meet up with her father after such a long time. Arthur led the way, with her following closely behind, excited for the reunion.
Like all the other times, a youth from the school was in the village. The mage was responsible for taking care of the citizens and bringing visitors by boat to the school.
Arthur was well-known throughout the continent, but even more so in Ouroboros after he displayed skill in that battle. So, when he got near the harbor, the responsible mage recognized him instantly.
"Demon lord Arthur, it is a pleasure to meet you in person. Come, there is a bot waiting," the mage said, slightly bowing and pointing the way for Arthur.
He could fly to Ouroboros if he wanted to, and bringing Eleonora with him was no big deal, but why rush? It was not as if the boat would take ages to reach the island -- it was a short distance.
Arthur and Eleonora hopped inside the boat with the mage, sailing toward the island. They were so close, yet it felt like an eternity for Eleonora, who could not wait to meet with Nefion again.
She played with her blonde hair, moved her feet uncontrollably, and bit her nails too.
"Relax, Eleonora. Your father will be waiting for you," Arthur said when he noticed Elenora's anxiety.
The student had yet to speak a word after they went on the boat, afraid his words might upset Arthur, but when he heard the word father, he had to ask.
"Your father? May I ask who your father is?" the student said, shifting his attention from the oars to Eleonora.
"Nefion. Why the question?"
That youth froze for a second, and then he said, "Nefion? That crazy old man is your father?"
He could not believe what he had just heard but seeing that the girl was with Arthur, it was probably true. They kept sailing until reaching the island, and then they parted ways with the student, who had to return to the village.
Arthur knew Ouroboros Island decently enough, so he took the lead and brought Eleonora to the main building where Nefion often stayed. Many students saw and recognized him along the way, but they mostly said hello and nothing else.
They went inside the main building, going up the stairs until reaching the last floor, where no one was supposed to go. Arthur and those with him were the only ones who had permission to do so.
No one stopped him, and he and Eleonora were in front of Nefion's room in no time. So Arthur knocked, and a familiar voice came from inside the room, "who is it? Arthur? If so, then come in."
Eleonora did not wait for Arthur to open the door, as she did it herself! Nefion was sitting in the middle of a vast room, meditating, still recovering from the last fight. Then, when he looked up and his eyes met with Eleonora's, Nefion could not believe it!
"Oh, my daughter!"
He was severely hurt, yet he moved as fast as possible to embrace his daughter in a tight hug. Nefion almost died back then battling against Sebastian, and he regretted not seeing his daughter before the end.
If not for Arthur showing up, Nefion would have to live with that in the afterlife.
"Father! I heard you almost died, and I wasn't here to protect you; I- I promise I'll get stronger!" Elenora said with tears streaming from her eyes.
Arthur did not want to get in the way of their reunion, so he went to a separate room, giving both more private time. So he took the time to explore more of Ouroboros and even talked with some of the students there, who were eager to know him more.
But there were two specific students he wanted to talk to Lucas and Liz, the friends he made back inside the Blood Spear Academy, who were now part of Ouroboros!
"I am telling you, this ring boosts your mana! Just try to cast a spell, and you will see how better it feels," Liz said.
Lucas focused on his work, which was magical smithing weapons, so he barely gave Liz any attention.
Ouroboros had a fully equipped station for him, and he started training the first week he came to Ouroboros, improving his craft, just like Liz was doing with her enchanting and jewelry crafting.
"Why would I use a ring to boost my spells when I can cut my enemies with a sword?"
"But you cannot rely only on swords to win battles against mages!"
"I know, and that is why I am forging a bow as we speak!"
"I cannot understand you, truly," Liz said, shaking her head.
Arthur watched the scene and found it hilarious. They had yet to realize he was there, and both were startled when his voice entered their ears.
"Yo, my dear friends. You two did not change a little," Arthur said, walking toward them inside the building where most craft stations were.
"Arthur? You are back!"
Lucas did it for Arthur, his bro, who never stopped his crafting process; instead, he put the hammer away and met up with his friend.
"I see you two are practicing the paths we chose back then," Arthur said, looking at the furnace where Lucas was working and the ring Liz had.
"Yes, we are. What about you? How is your alchemy going?" Lucas asked.
Arthur scratched the back of his head and said, "please don't judge me, but I did not start it yet."
"I know you have many things to do, but our promise is something you cannot break," Lucas said, tapping Arthur on the shoulders.
He felt terrible for not starting his alchemy, but it was not his fault. Problems kept coming his way, and now with this new adventure toward the demon continent, who knows when he would start up his potion brewing?
"I will start it soon, I promise! But anyway, how are you two? How's school?" Arthur asked.
Just by looking at how drastically their strength and crafting prowess increased in that short period, Arthur knew the school had been great for the two.
"Awesome! Everyone here is cool, and the structure is way better than that of the Blood Spear Academy. Not only that, but people here are nice, different from the dark mages..."
Arthur and his friends talked for a while about many things, and the demon continent subject eventually came.
"Can we go with you? I know it is dangerous, but it feels so exciting to explore a place no human has gone before," Lucas said.
"Unfortunately, no. It is too dangerous, and I am only bringing a few people, most of who are rank two mages."
Jane, Wisa, and Sybille were the three people Arthur wanted to bring along with him. He believed only rank two mages could survive in a place like the demon continent; therefore, bringing anyone weaker than that was asking for death.
"I see, but you should take care too, brother. We don't want to see you getting hurt."
It was refreshing to see people who cared about his safety, and after Arthur spoke with his friends, he was even more determined to deal with the demon continent issue.
"I cannot let them kill such good people."