King Of Limbo

It was now past midnight and Aron was still with Aella in the hut of the ruined settlement. He was currently laying down with her atop of him, clearly exhausted from the extra rounds he put her through.

He himself couldn't tire of this due to his unique body and saw he was more or less the same as when they had began. Not much time had passed since their last round but it was clear Aella had reached her limit as her legs were still trembling quite a lot.

'I guess I'm done here.' Aron saw no reason to linger around and he gently moved her aside so he could stand up.

His clothes were yet to dry but he wore them as is regardless. As he was buckling his belt Aella who had had fallen asleep slowly opened her eyes and turned towards him. "You're leaving?" She asked what was plainly obvious to see and Aron of course nodded.

"Yes, too much time has already passed so I'll be returning to my airship. But do tell Jagu for me that we'll be leaving by noon tomorrow." Aron replied just as he finished dressing up.

With that said he turned for the exit and prepared to leave but...

"Wait... if I do bear your child. What name should I give them?" Aella asked in her usual tone as she had somewhat recovered from their entanglement. "You're free to chose a suitable one." Aron replied rather bluntly and uncaringly before exiting the hut.

Aella didn't mind his lack of interest as she had more or less succeeded. Aron however was very doubtful she would succeed in this given the conception theorem but these things are never guaranteed. He could only put it to the back of his mind and focus on a matter he could actually control. At the very least his wills had calmed down significantly and he even lost some Luna mana although minuscule.

...

Aron's arrival at the airship wasn't noticed by many due to the time he arrived. The majority of the crew were asleep with the exception of those on guard duty.

It was only the next morning when the crew convened for breakfast that they saw him again as he had a short announcement to make.

"We'll be returning to Galos academy this afternoon to re-assess a few things. You should also keep the details of our operations to yourselves, I need not remind you that we are less than popular." Aron shortly instructed before reminding them of their situation.

A few had been excited to return to the academy and share what they did to get some fame and prestige but that would only work against them.

Jin didn't seem to agree with this notion as he was the only one to raise his hand and voice his opinion against it. "But wouldn't it be better for us to gain respect for our faction and members alike by being transparent about our accomplishments?" Jin suggested but Aron still shook his head.

For a faction alone Jin's words weren't completely wrong but the last thing Aron needed was too much attention on him. A force rising too quickly wouldn't be welcomed so well especially since it was composed mainly of commoners. What's more the faction was only temporary so he need not raise their prestige or fame.

Disputes with other factions and or organizations would likely follow along with other mild annoyances that could be easily avoided.

"It's too early, if we do indeed garter a lot of fame like you said can you withstand the negatives that would bring? Our rise needs to be accompanied by genuine support, I hope you understand what I mean?" Aron glanced at Jin as he said these words but in truth he remained vague to allow them to come up with whatever reasons they could.

Jin wasn't exactly sure what Aron meant by this but it was only a matter of time till he found out so there was no need to press the issue.

With that said no one else added onto the matter and Aron left without saying anything more.

...

When noon finally arrived and the Sovereign was just about ready to set off, a large group of Komi gathered at the clearing to say their goodbyes out of respect.

Jagu soon emerged from this crowed and boarded the airship with a slightly complex expression on his face.

"You aren't staying?" Jin who was on the deck along with others watching the scene was surprised to see Jagu present as most of them assumed he'd stay.

Jagu glanced around the deck and saw that Aron was nowhere to be seen so he turned to Jin and just shook his head. "I still have room for growth that only the outside world can provide me." He replied rather arrogantly, similar to his attitude during The Journey. Jin however smiled at this as it meant Jagu was more at peace now with things in his home and thus his temperament returned.

....

The crew of the La Belle observed the Komi saying their goodbyes to the Sovereign with slight envy.

"Everyone looks so happy, it's good to see especially after the disaster that befell them." Lucas showed a smile as he observed the scene. Mirai and Sharla were on the deck beside him and shared the same line of thought regarding the matter.

Mirai who could only hear the cheers could still understand the happiness the people must be feeling. "Aron has made them more open minded towards outsiders, the younger ones will probably grow thinking of him as a hero." Mirai said this jokingly as the sound of this alone was quite amusing.

This statement however only caused Lucas to frown. "He didn't even bother appearing before them to witness their appreciation. Some hero." Lucas sighed and brought this point up but it was plainly clear to see he was just being sour over the matter.

"From the way Sharla described the battle Aron must be still recovering from it. It should be enough that he attended the feast unlike Lady Rose who did neither." Surprisingly Mirai came to Aron's defense which didn't sit so well with Lucas. After spending time around Mirai he understood she never took sides according to friendships but was instead fair with her judgment of character.

He didn't want to argue with her because deep down he knew that it was he who had a great dislike for Aron and his methods. 'You wouldn't understand Mirai, his actions will only make life harder for commoners... worst of all he doesn't care.' Lucas thought while showing a calm expression after choosing to let the matter go.

'Just you wait Aron, I'll prove everyone wrong about you.'

...

A little while later the airships took off and began leaving the Komi Islands. Much of the damage caused to the land was still clearly visible and would take some time to heal.

The Sovereign lead the path while the La Belle followed not too far behind even after they chose to use the Opal Ocean route which was surprisingly calm.

Inside the Sovereign, Claudia was currently gathered with Lady Rose and Aron in a private library discussing some matters concerning their faction and the Komi Islands. The three of them were seated around a simple wooden circular table with six chairs around it.

"...And that's what I feel should be done. Hm? The route is unusually calm this time around." Claudia finished her pitch before making this observation.

"Ah, yes. I do believe the Opal Ocean's varying mana density was as a result of the serpent, all should be well with it now though it's weather shouldn't always be pleasant." Lady Rose who seemed rather detached from the conversation as she still had her notebook in hand as she added this point to the matter.

"That should make trading with the Islands easier for you Claudia. As for your other suggestions, we'll put them into implementation once we arrive back at Galos Academy." Aron seemed more into the matter alongside Claudia and gave his take which brought a smile to her face.

"I'll make preparations right away. Please excuse me." Claudia seemed beyond excited and quickly rose from her seat before giving Lady Rose a respectful bow and leaving.

"..."

A brief moment of silence followed after she left but it came to an end after Lady Rose placed her notebook on the table and turned to face Aron.

"I did some thinking over the matter concerning our need to go to Aethel and I've come to a conclusion on how we should proceed... the first phase anyway." Lady Rose spoke rather confidently and it made Aron curious just what she had in mind.

"That was rather fast but not surprising considering it's you. So then, how shall we do things?" He complimented her critical thinking before returning to the topic he was eager to know more about.

"Quite simple really... you and I should take over Ettenheim."