Rise of the Lustful Evil Monarch (Re)

Third Person’s POV

More than anything else at that moment, he wanted to throw himself into his mother’s arms like the little boy he had once been and tell her everything.

He wanted to tell her about those first three years he had spent alone after being teleported away from the awakening pool in Dark North City.

He wanted to tell her about the Dark Forest, the countless dangerous situations he had faced there and survived.

He wanted to tell her about the wonderful master he had encountered during those dark years and how Nyx had taken care of him when he had been completely alone.

He wanted his mother to meet her.

He wanted to tell her about Virelle, Velcy, Lucy, and all the other girls he had met throughout his journey and gradually come to care about.

He wanted to tell her how much he had missed her.

How many times he had dreamed of returning home.

How many times he had imagined himself lying in her arms again and feeling the warmth he remembered from his childhood.

He wanted to tell her about all of it, but Ethan forcibly held himself back, as this was not the time, and he still had a demon to deal with.

And until that threat was eliminated, he couldn’t allow himself to become overwhelmed by his emotions.

Seeing his restraint, Eleanor’s lips curved into a faint smile.

Tears of happiness mixed with the sadness in her eyes, as she could feel his repressed emotions and how much her son had suffered during those eight years.

And she also understood that the maturity and steadfastness he now possessed hadn’t come naturally.

He had been forced to grow up and become strong.

He had been forced to endure things that no mother would ever want her child to experience alone.

Yet despite everything, he had still remained the same little boy she remembered.

Eleanor wanted nothing more than to pull him into her arms and cry, but she also restrained herself.

After this battle was over, they would have time, as they had finally found each other.

For the first time in eight years, there was no need to worry about whether they would ever meet again.

They could talk, they could cry, they could embrace, and they could spend all the time they had lost together.

So she patiently allowed her son to finish what he was doing.

After treating her injuries with the potion that neutralized the demonic energy and another that healed her physical wounds, Ethan finally shifted his attention toward Aurelia.

Looking at her from such a close distance, he could clearly see the tears mixed with blood and dirt covering her beautiful face.

She was crying uncontrollably.

Unlike Eleanor, who had managed to restrain her emotions slightly, Aurelia had completely lost control of herself.

Yet seeing her like this, Ethan suddenly felt as though he was looking at the same little girl from all those years ago.

The girl who used to run around him, the one who constantly teased him, and the one who had once been such an inseparable part of his childhood.

A faint warmth spread through his heart.

Along with it came an instinctive desire to protect her from everything in this world.

That feeling was so familiar that Ethan’s eyes became even more misty.

He immediately suppressed it, as he couldn’t allow himself to lose control now.

He began treating Aurelia’s wounds just as carefully as he had treated Eleanor’s.

Aurelia, however, couldn’t control herself anymore.

The moment Ethan’s face came close to hers, she reached out with both hands and gently stroked his cheeks while sobbing.

"Ethan..."

Her voice trembled.

She seemed afraid that if she stopped touching him for even a moment, he would disappear again.

Ethan’s lips trembled slightly as he continued applying the healing potion, but his vision had already become blurred.

He lowered his head slightly, trying to hide his eyes, but it was useless as Aurelia could already see the tears gathering within them.

And this was the scene that Ethan’s party finally witnessed when they arrived in the ruined city behind him.

Erius and Aria were both stunned the moment their eyes fell upon the two injured women.

But what shocked them even more was Ethan himself.

The always arrogant and indifferent Eryndor known to them was kneeling beside them.

His normally indifferent expression had disappeared, and tears were actually gathering within his crimson eyes.

The Eryndor they knew had always appeared aloof and condescending.

He acted as though almost nothing in the world was worthy of entering his eyes.

Even when facing powerful and noble figures, he rarely showed fear or hesitation.

Yet now, he was sitting beside two blood-covered women, carefully treating their injuries while trying desperately to hide his tears.

The party members continued to observe the two women more closely, and several of them were shocked to discover that Professor Eleanor was among them.

Professor Eleanor was quite a famous professor within the New Moon Magic Academy.

Unlike many of the other older professors and instructors, she was still a relatively young and exceptionally beautiful woman who possessed considerable talent in both magic and potion-making.

At the same time, another major reason for her popularity throughout the academy was the fact that she was currently single, and everyone knew that she didn’t have a male partner.

Naturally, such an exotic beauty had become the object of pursuit for countless people within the academy.

Talented students, other professors, deacons, and even members of the noble families of Ice Emperor City had all tried to court her over the years, with varying degrees of subtlety.

Among those pursuers was none other than Misril Zephyris, the fourth-ranked member of the elite Violet Batch and a reputed scion of the powerful Zephyris Marquis family.

His arrogant and composed expression, which had remained unchanged until now, finally broke when his eyes fell upon Eleanor.

Bewilderment flashed across his face before his expression gradually turned into a frown.