Chapter 321 - Her Father

"He's here… He's on Earth now."

Homura Ryuu paused from his meal to stare at his wife who had a nervous look on her face. He looked puzzled.

"You can feel him?"

Perun's a great master at concealing his divine powers. There was no way to detect his energy unless one was a deity himself or with strength closest to one. He emanated subtle celestial force at most, making him the closest to a human a deity could pretend to be if he wished.

Suzuki Ara laughed. She was aware that because of the dark piece of Czernobog's power within her, she was not able to inherit celestial powers from her father except for her unusual physical strength. If there was a hierarchy of demigods, Alencica was surprisingly at the very bottom as she's more human than a deity, despite being Perun's offspring. This was why Ryuu's question was not unexpected. She normally wouldn't be able to detect small amounts of celestial presence, most especially concealed ones like her father's.

"Aurel's excited. It's how I know," she answered honestly, surprising her husband further.

"Aurel? Isn't that…"

Ara nodded. "My father's familiar. When I joined the Immortal War, he blessed me with his seal, and so I at least could use a part of his powers in this lifetime."

"I see."

It made sense. It was why they all didn't know she was able to manipulate lightning and was able to utilize Perun's seal as it had never happened before. Also…

Ryuu scrutinized his wife's face.

"What?" Ara was curious about the meaning of his gaze.

"Your father…"Ryuu began as he inclined his head as if weighing his words. "Do you realize now why he did not come forward to tell you his real identity and kept you at bay the whole time you were there with him?"

"Oh, that…"Ara shrugged.

She honestly was confused about it previously. But now that she could really remember everything and her hatred had vanished, logic had started to kick in and she finally understood. Alistair was aloof and kept her in the dark because he feared for her life. He didn't know what they knew now.

However, even without knowing the real crux of the matter, Alistair's action had indeed saved her. It prevented the pieces of her souls to merge earlier. If the Immortal War happened with all the pieces of her soul intact, she would really have turned into the harbinger of catastrophe. Instead of the heroine she was back in Ritz, she would have become the greatest antagonist in all of Ged. Alinea's fate would have been put in Ivan's hand, the strongest demigod, forcing him to kill her as she knew Alistair could never do it.

And she wouldn't have been here if it weren't for Alistair's protection…

"Yes," Ara answered simply with fondness softening her face as she continued to eat her food.

Ryuu put another piece of lotus tempura in her bowl. She smiled as she picked it with her chopsticks to eat. It was the third one her husband had given her. He had asked the servants to serve a separate bowl of only lotus tempura just for her.

"Gin-nii and Ivan must have gone to pick him up," Ryuu commented, his blue gaze still not leaving his wife's face. Ara continued to stuff her mouth with food without much chewing that he cracked a smile. "Are you nervous about meeting your father?"

The question made Ara startled that the food went to the wrong pipe and she choked. Ryuu immediately reached out to tap her back as she coughed; her eyes were teary.

"I'm so sorry."

Ryuu looked at Ara with a guilty expression and she frowned.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"Because my question made you like this…"

Ara had no idea whether to laugh or feel touched by her husband's fussing. She had almost forgotten that in spite of the stoic demeanor he almost usually had, he was in fact a very sweet man. He's a worrywart as well. Come to think of it…

Kresnik was similar to her father in that aspect. It was why Perun gave in and handed her to her husband in the first place. It was because her father knew that she would be very well taken good care of.

Ara reached out and caressed Ryuu's face, and then patted his cheek.

"I'm alright, my love. You worry too much," she assured him with a smile and gestured for him to return to his seat. "As for your question…"

She was pertaining to his inquiry about her feelings towards her impending meeting with her father, who was also the brother she thought she hated back in the other world.

"Of course I'm nervous," she confessed. "I guess that's only normal considering what happened, don't you think?"

Her voice came out in a breathy whisper – certainly not the way she was expecting, showcasing her nerves that she blushed. She felt so silly. It was her father who's coming and not some stranger. However, after everything that happened, there was no doubt that she was anxious. After all, this would also be the first time they'd meet formally as father and child since her initial death thousands of years ago in heaven.

"It will be fine," Ryuu assured her. "I'll be here," he added just as Gin's subtle aura intensified, exploding the in the atmosphere like a sudden poke before it dispersed and vanished.

"That…"

Ara and Ryuu exchanged looks of surprise before grinning at each other.

"It seems some things never change," Ryuu commented as he extended his hand to help his wife up.

There was no need for Gin to exude such an amount of energy at all. Aside from Perun, Stribog's power could also be toned down which Gin normally did to not disturb the humans living around them. But tonight, the energy was more pronounced. It was as if Gin deliberately released his energy to inform them of their arrival in the Cedar Palace.

"I'm well-loved," Ara retorted as she took Ryuu's offered hand, and the latter pulled her up from the floor to stand.

She was, of course, talking about her Uncle Stribog. Even back in the celestial plane, to keep Alencica from being scolded so badly by her father, Gin would always warn her and covered for her if his warning was not enough.

"Loved and spoiled rotten by the uncle," Ryuu added and they both chuckled as they went out of the room to welcome the King of Heaven.