The Hero of Elteno took a deep breath.

“My real name is Amulius Olcinius Herenus. Your mother was Aedinia Regalis, though she never went by that name at any point of her life. We’ve changed your name several times, but Ateia is the name she gave you. After…her death, I couldn’t bring myself to call you anything else.”

Ateia watched with a serious expression.

“Because we’re part of the Imperial family?”

Amulius blinked but then glanced at Agedia and nodded.

“That’s right. Aedinia was the daughter of Emperor Herius, but conceived and born under…well, the circumstances were less than ideal and would have caused the Emperor problems were they made public, so Aedinia was hidden away, while Agedia dropped out of the Imperial Knights to serve as her protector.”

Ateia nodded.

“And you?”

Amulius shook his head.

“No, at that point I was just an Exploratores of no particular note. It was pure coincidence that I ran into your mother…or more accurately that she ran into me, literally.”

He couldn’t help but crack a small smile at that. Agedia as well.

“We saw each other a couple more times before we started falling in love. I didn’t learn her identity until after that.”

He made a small smirk.

“I have to tell you, that was certainly a surprise. Especially since Emperor Herius’s legitimate son was actually quite fond of his half-sister, and, uh, less than pleased to learn of our relationship. Not to mention her scary snake guardian.”

He cracked a glance at Agedia, who scoffed.

“Still don’t like you. Aedinia deserved better than some deadbeat Exploratore running off on adventures.”

Amulius nodded.

“You’re not wrong.”

Amulius flushed a bit before starting the next part.

“At some point, someone kidnapped her. We know now it was a cult calling themselves the Heralds of the New Dawn, but back then we weren’t sure. Long story short, Agedia, myself, and a couple of friends went after her…and this time, we managed to rescue her, and defeated a demon from the Realms of Mana in the process. I got the Hero feat and my nickname, and Aedinia and I married immediately after.”

Agedia crossed her arms and huffed.

“Stupid deadbeat thinking just because the Aesdes like him and he’s a national hero that he can seduce Aedinia just like that.”

Amulius chuckled in response while wisely choosing not to mention Agedia’s later infatuation with a 'deadbeat Exploratore' of her own. But after that, both Amulius and Agedia fell silent. Ateia watched for a minute or two before speaking.

“...what happened?”

Amulius made a sad smile.

“Well…we lived happily, for a time. And then you were born, and our happiness reached its peak. But then…”

He hung his head, staring at the ground.

“…they came for her again. Your mother…thought they might. So…she made me promise, that if anything ever happened, we would secure your safety first. I took you and made sure you were safe while Agedia went after her. I followed them as soon as I could…but we were too late. Aedinia had made her choice, and sacrificed herself.”

Tears began to fall down his face. Agedia looked away, her eyes moistening as well.

“She…didn’t want to be used. And she didn’t want them to find you, ever. So she took herself away, where no one could ever reach her again, hoping that they would give up and you would be safe.”

He took a moment, wiping away his eyes and taking another deep breath.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“…after that, Agedia went on a rampage to destroy the cult. Meanwhile I took you, changed my name, and ran as far away as I could, to the furthest corner of the Empire where no one would ever find you. Aedinia’s brother introduced me to the retired Dux Canus, who guided us to a small village, where a former legionnaire he trusted had settled down with a Wulver girl.”

Ateia’s eyes widened.

“Was that Taog’s parents?”

Taog perked up at that. Amulius nodded.

“Dux Canus spoke highly of them, and we became fast friends. And while they were alive, I had the confidence that you would be safe. It was then that I started to look into the Heralds of the New Dawn.”

Amulius narrowed his eyes.

“Aedinia’s brother went after them…and disappeared, leaving the Northern Empire with no clear successor. It was then I knew that they were not just some small, local cult, and that Agedia hadn’t wiped them all out after all.”

He then made eye contact with Ateia, and heaved a sigh.

“…I looked into it, and made contact with Magister Exploratore per Corvanus Appius, who had been conducting his own investigations after the heir to the throne vanished…and due to his remorse over letting Aedinia die.”

Ateia’s eyes widened.

“…what?”

Agedia grit her teeth.

“My uncle was loyal to the Empire first and nothing else. He didn’t help much in protecting Aedinia. He thought that as an Imperial Princess she represented a threat that a rebellious general or ambitious court official might try to take advantage of. So his opinion was if I couldn’t protect her on my own, then it was for the best. Well joke’s on him! Aedinia’s brother shared MY opinion of the situation, and got himself killed, leaving my uncle, and the Northern Empire, with no successors at all.”

Amulius nodded.

“I had no intention to work with him ever again…but at the very least, he became a staunch enemy of the cult at that point, and was one of the few people in the North working against them.”

Amulius then took a deep breath, averting his eyes from Ateia for a moment. He then glanced at Taog, then Ateia, before continuing.

“At this point…Magister Appius’s contacts in the East alerted him to a concerning situation. Corrupted dungeons had begun to appear all over the Empire of the Sun, and the Sun Elves were doing nothing about it, to the point that one of their own Archons reached out to us about the situation. And worst…we found evidence that the Heralds of the New Dawn, or something similar, was behind it, especially after Magister Caelinus purged them from Utrad and gained access to some of their records. So…we couldn’t let the situation continue. But purifying a corrupted dungeon is difficult under the best of circumstances, even with full support from the Legion. To do so in a nation that has been hostile towards the Empire since before it officially existed…there was only one way a covert team could manage to pull it off.”

Taog nodded to himself and rubbed his chin.

“Get a hero?”

Amulius nodded.

“The Eastern Empire has some, actually, but all of their heroes were well-known to the Empire of the Sun. I was the only one who would not be immediately recognized by sight or by mana.”

He took a deep breath, and looked down.

“It…was not a choice I made lightly. With Taog’s parents gone…but, Dux Canus had come out of retirement at that point, and Tiberius had taken over as Magister Exploratores per Turannia on my request.”

Agedia frowned at that.

“You and I still need to talk about that, Amulius.”

Amulius frowned right back.

“What was I supposed to do, Agedia? You refused to even meet with me! I couldn’t leave Ateia unguarded, but I also can’t just let a new Great Demon Lord appear in the east! How would I protect Ateia, or the world at that, if the Eastern Empire fell?! How do you think I felt leaving her behind, all alone, right on the edge of the Forests of Beasts?! I thought you, at least, might be able to protect her, at the very least for Aedinia’s sake!”

Agedia huffed and looked away. But then she sighed, and looked down.

“You…weren’t wrong. I’m…I’m sorry. That was my fault.”

Amulius took a deep breath and looked down as well.

“No…I’m sorry too. I…know it was a lot to spring on you so suddenly. And I know Aedinia’s death hit you as hard…or maybe even harder…than it did me. But…I had to do something, Agedia, so when Tiberius offered to help in your stead, I couldn’t refuse. He was at least able to keep the frontier well-patrolled so Dux Canus could stay on top of things.”

Amulius sighed and turned back to Ateia.

“…I couldn’t take you with me. The Empire of the Sun itself is no place for a human child, and we were taking on corrupted dungeons on top of that. But…I hoped that with Canus and Tiberius in charge of Turannia and Caelinus locking down Utrad that the North would remain safe. And…Quintus was apparently not the man I thought he was.”

He bowed his head.

“I’m truly sorry to you both, Ateia, Taog. I didn’t mean for this to happen. For any of this. If I had known you’d have gotten caught up in it anyways…”

Ateia’s heart pounded in her chest, and her eyes filled with tears. Her body heated up as she stepped forward toward her father, to the man who had left her and Taog alone. Upon her request, Seero dropped some of the magical barriers surrounding him. Amulius watched her with wide eyes, then closed his eyes and took a deep breath, awaiting her response.

His eyes widened in shock and he let out a gasp as something smacked into him.

Ateia…still covered in metal armor, of course, slammed into him…in a hug.

She began to sob as she clutched onto him.

He had made mistakes.

He had left them behind.

He had caused Taog to suffer alone for years.

He set them on a course full of pain and misery.

He had not trusted them.

He had withheld the truth from them.

But…

The most important feeling in Ateia’s heart was this.

Her father had not abandoned them after all.

As she wished and hoped all along, against everything everyone else had believed, he had left them for a reason. He had not chosen to leave them on a whim, and had not gone off to die somewhere alone. He had wanted them to be taken care of in the meantime, and made arrangements to that effect.

He still cared about them.

And for that…Ateia’s heart was truly glad.