Chapter 203 - Kresnik

"I'm the returner to ancestry you were talking about earlier, the one and only Flame Emperor, Kresnik."

Huh?

Again, just as Ara thought that she had already reached her quota for surprises, she was proven wrong. Well, on her part, she was at least expecting something similar already since that time she had accepted that Ryuu telling her that he was a deity was a fact.

Still, this was… huge .

"Kres…nik?"

She repeated the name like a stunned parrot and her husband who was still ginning at her nodded in acknowledgment.

"Yes. I am Kresnik, the God of Flames."

"But you are…"

Ara's voice trailed off. She really didn't have anything she wanted to say. She just spoke for the sake of speaking and had to stop when her brain came up empty.

A returner to ancestry!

It was a very special – very, very rare existence. It was why the people of Kres were several notches higher than other nations' people. It was because of their ancestor who kept coming back. It was proof that they were loved by the heavens.

Even back in Ged, Ara had never dreamt she'd ever meet one. This was how crazy this situation was right now to her. She didn't just meet one – she was now married to one!

"I am what?"Ryuu teased.

He was already used to the shock. But he had never found anyone so cute reacting to his real identity before until his wife. He knew he was biased of course. For him, everything his wife did was either beautiful or cute.

"You are Kresnik," Ara stated again, and Ryuu laughed, but humored her.

"Yes, I am Kresnik."

Her face was confused. "Then why did I bother explaining about Oda Nobunaga before?" she muttered mostly to herself afterwards, making his amusement increase.

She was talking about when they took a walk outside the next day after he brought her to the Cedar Palace. It was when he reminded her about the causes and effects of her actions after she insisted on using the bow and arrow at the dojo. It was the day when he was trying to tell her about the prophecy, and that he was a reincarnation of a deity.

"Well, it was a difficult existence to explain to anyone," he condescended followed by a shrug.

Ara just had to agree, but she felt funny and frustrated at the same time.

"We're both so silly. You realize that?" she asked as she pouted at her husband.

"Why?"

"Because all this time, we both thought of each other as humans," she continued blandly, and he laughed again.

She was right, after all.

She thought he was human. He thought she was human.

Because of this, they danced around the truth too much.

Silly. Stupid. Funny.

Then she remembered something.

"The wheel of Kresnik," she whispered in awe.

She had seen the symbol of Kresnik back in Hakone. But apart from her initial surprise, she didn't bother digging for more information as she had thought that it was just a decoration – a part of the huge collection of treasures the Homura House in Hakone had.

"Wheel? You mean this?"

Ryuu reached for his collar where he pulled something from underneath. It was a thin golden chain with a round pendant, and he showed it to her.

Ara's eyes widened. It was the symbol of Kresnik – the same one she had seen back in Hakone. It was the crest of the Royal House of Kres.

"It's my crest," Ryuu told her what she already knew.

Still…

"The Homura House…"Ara began as an idea hit her. "Are you all from that expedition fifty years ago? The one who you –" she paused and cleared her throat.

It was awkward to tell him about it knowing that the emperor and her husband were the same people. "I mean the returner to ancestry Emperor Vladimir of Kres sent to search for the artifact of Kronos?"

The whole team consisted of the Emperor's own son, the Crown Prince, the third Prince of the Wind Country Ovid, and several other strong soldiers. They vanished almost immediately after reaching the Devil's Cavern and had never been heard of since.

"Forget I asked. It was just fifty years ago, but the Homura House has been here for five centuries," she said hurriedly afterwards. The timeline didn't match so it couldn't be, right?

"Yes, we are," Ryuu answered straightforwardly.

"But…"Ara was confused again. "How can that be? The time doesn't match."

"Then it just means that the time in Ged moves slower than here on earth," Ryuu explained. "If we vanished from Ged fifty years ago and are here for five centuries, then earth's time is ten times faster than there."

"I see," Ara nodded. Now it made sense.

Ryuu then cupped his wife's face. Indeed, time was fast, and they were running short. It was time for him to leave.

"It was unfortunate that you had to experience something horrible in that other world, my love," he told her softly.

Even if there was some kind of misunderstanding with her brother, the fact was that she still experienced a horrible death in that world. He prayed that the brother was indeed innocent and had taken action against everyone who had harmed his wife. If not, he would find a way to go back there and teach that brother a lesson along with the people responsible for her death.

"One of these days, after I settled things in Hakone, let's talk about that if you're alright with it."

Ara bit her lip. She had sensed that her husband was bidding her farewell. Now that they just found out about their real selves, she felt reluctant to part with him.

"Are you leaving now?" she asked in a small voice, and when he nodded, she looked forlorn. "Can't you take me with you?" she beseeched.

As expected, Ryuu shook his head. "I already told you. I want you to focus on your school so we can go without worries on a trip after."

Ara knew he would give her the same answer. But she couldn't help but ask the question anyway. "Come back immediately," was the only thing she could tell him after.

Requesting him to return quickly was childish, but Ara felt like a sulking child at the moment even if she would follow his advice. Despite the revelations, they still had responsibilities they had to attend to after all. Nothing could change this. Not even the truth. They just needed to be more patient.

"I will. I'll come running as soon as I'm done with work…"