Chapter 233 - Gateway

"They probably saw her as a potential rival to the throne and got rid of her."

Silence hung between them as each absorbed this information. It was a brutal detail to ponder upon – but a possible truth. In a world where the throne reigned supreme, the fierce battle of heirs behind the scenes was inevitable.

"Too bad she's from Ritz," Kazehaya Gin commented solemnly.

Among the nations in Ged, Ritz came in last with regards to fighting power. Why? Because among the deities who blessed each nation, only the monarchs of Ritz didn't have much divine inheritance as Perun had never descended as a Returner to Ancestry.  He just came down and founded the country but ascended almost immediately.

The only reason why there were still demigods among the royals was because of their intermarriage with other countries' people. Also, the only reason why until now it was safe from being invaded was because of its close relations with Kres, the strongest county in all of Ged, the country of Kresnik, and Ovid, the Wind Country of Stribog.  

Kres, Ritz, and Ovid always had strong diplomatic relations with each other since the beginning of time because of their founding deities' relations. Each country worshipped their ancestor deity, and it's considered blasphemy to commit a sin against each other. In a way, Ritz was a lucky kingdom being protected by two formidable ones.

"Yeah," Ryuu agreed.

Since Ara was Alencica, she was bound to have superhuman strength and a bit of immunity to electricity. When she participated in the Immortal War, she must have shown her prowess and the people deemed her more qualified for the throne.

"The reigning king, this Alistair must have been just an ordinary Gedian," Gin continued with a heavy sigh.

If the current king was a weakling and someone strong suddenly showed up, then it was only natural for factions to form within the kingdom. Because of that, it was also expected for the possible usurper to be eliminated before she even had the chance to ascend with or without the king's consent.

If Alistair really didn't have anything to do with the assassination of his own sister, then it was his people – the current nobles who would lose power when the king got stripped off his position who did it.

"It doesn't matter," Ryuu said and Gin frowned.

"You mean it's alright since Ara's soul wouldn't be complete if she hadn't died there?"

Gin couldn't think of any other reason why Ara's death in the other world would be dismissed so easily by the Koutaishidenka. The Ryuu he knew would have been spitting mad just over the fact that his wife was hurt by others – much worse if she was killed.

But if Ryuu thought about her death as a necessary evil so they would reunite then it wasn't really so bad. After all, Ara still lived in spite of the horrible experience in the other world.

Ryuu shrugged. "There's that. But I've already decided to make everyone involved in her assassination pay – including that weakling brother if he had anything to do with it. Nobody is safe from my wrath."

Kazehaya Gin gulped upon seeing the grim expression on the other's face. He was wrong. Ryuu wouldn't let those people off in the end. He already pitied them as early as now. The kindest method he imagined the Returner to Ancestry would do was feed those people to Mavara.

"Ara wants to go back to her world."

Homura Ryuu's sudden statement surprised Gin.

"Why?"

Ryuu was silent for a while before speaking. "She has some unfinished business," he answered, remembering their conversation earlier.

"But she was killed there. Why would she want to return?"

It was obvious that Gin couldn't understand. For someone who had been betrayed and killed by her own people, Ara had every right to condemn that place. Why would she still want to go back?

"Alistair..."

Huh?

"Her brother?"

Ryuu nodded. "Ara came to this world hating her brother. Because of the parasite, she thought it was him who set her up. She was so sure he hated her."

"And he didn't?" Gin sounded suspicious.

Alistair, after all, had every reason to want his sister dead. It was easier to believe that it was indeed him who set her up.

"He didn't. Ara's real memories have started to return. He was not a villain," Ryuu continued before sighing. "I'm not saying this because I know this for a fact. But I believe my wife."

With this, Kazehaya Gin also sighed.

"Well, if that's what she says, there's nothing we can do about it," he condescended. "However, how are we going to accomplish that?"

He was talking about going back to Ged. For the five centuries they'd been here on Earth, no one had ever returned. The portal had always been one way – not that anyone had ever attempted going back seriously before. The people sent there on earth took their duties earnestly. When Emperor Vladimir tasked them to guard the portal until Stribog and Perun found a way to repair it, they did so with all their diligence.

Five hundred years – five whole centuries they had continuously guarded and protected the mortals from the beasts of the other world. None of them had ever thought of going back, so when the first and only attempt to go through the portal failed, nobody tried again.

"I'm not sure for now. But there must be a way," Ryuu answered as he eyed the portal.

"Stribog was the one who created the gateway. Even Perun couldn't easily pass there," Gin commented.  

They were not sure about the details exactly, but it seemed that since the portal was a product of a power gone wild – an explosion during the God of Wind's struggle against Perun to break free, there was no definite method to cross over. The mouth of the portal was a constant figure on this side, but they were never sure if the door to the other side was the same. It was why the appearance of lost elementals and beasts in the five centuries the portal had been here was rare until recently.

"There must be a way…"

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