Chapter 65: The Emperor Becomes a Father

Chapter : The Emperor Becomes a Father

Fafnir held Griselda tightly in his arms for several minutes.

It was a long embrace, carrying within it all the emotions of eleven years of waiting. Griselda remained in his arms with her eyes closed, savoring the return of her husband at last, as though she wanted to reassure herself that he was no longer merely a dream she had waited for through countless years.

After several minutes, Fafnir gently released her.

He then raised his hand and withdrew a luxurious imperial robe from his spatial ring, as his old clothes had been completely destroyed inside the cocoon during the fusion process.

He put on the robe, its fabric settling smoothly over his body.

It was a majestic imperial robe, predominantly black, with crimson details woven throughout it, enhancing his appearance with even greater grandeur and authority.

The moment he finished dressing, Thorin, Valor, Eleanor, and Morgana arrived at the ancient hall.

The four entered quickly, but stopped immediately when they saw Fafnir.

Silence descended.

They had known Fafnir for a very long time and had seen him in many different forms, but his current appearance was unmistakably different.

He stood 198 centimeters tall, with features so perfect that they were difficult to describe with words, as though they had been meticulously sculpted to embody beauty and power at once.

His long hair was black as night, falling around him in perfect calm.

His eyes were crimson like blood, carrying a frightening depth and an unfathomable mystery.

His skin was pure and flawless white, while his body appeared lean, muscular, and perfectly proportioned.

Above all else, a different aura surrounded him.

An aura that was deeper.

Heavier.

And more awe-inspiring.

Eleanor's eyes widened as she stared at him.

Morgana unconsciously drew a deep breath, remaining utterly stunned by his appearance.

Even Griselda, who knew him better than anyone, could not stop herself from admiring his new appearance.

Several moments passed.

Then a minute.

Then two.

Yet no one spoke.

Absolute silence filled the ancient hall.

Finally, Valor could no longer endure the wait.

He stepped forward, his voice dripping with anticipation.

“My Lord... have you... have you recovered from your injury?”

He then looked over Fafnir from head to toe and added:

“And why has your appearance changed?”

Fafnir studied his four ancient and loyal subordinates.

He knew them well.

He saw the concern in their eyes, the excitement hidden behind it, and their desire to know what had happened during the years he had spent inside the cocoon.

Then he smiled.

That smile alone was enough to make the women's faces flush.

Fafnir said calmly:

“I have indeed recovered from my injury, old Valor.”

He paused for a moment.

Then continued:

“In fact, I am in even better condition than I was in the past.”

Valor's eyes widened.

As for Thorin, excitement immediately surged through his heart.

The recovery of their master's injury meant that his old weakness had disappeared.

That injury had always been the only obstacle preventing Fafnir from returning to his ideal state.

But now...

It was gone.

Thorin asked excitedly:

“Then... my Lord, do you mean that you have completely recovered your strength?”

Fafnir looked at him and replied:

“More than that.”

Thorin's breath caught for a moment.

Valor's face broke into a broad smile.

“This is wonderful news.”

Fafnir said:

“It is.”

Both of them were thinking the same thing.

If Fafnir had truly recovered, and had become even stronger than he had been in the past, then perhaps their master had once again become the strongest creature in all of Gandalia.

And if that happened, then humanity's future would become brighter than they had ever imagined.

As for Griselda, Morgana, and Eleanor, they remained captivated for several moments by Fafnir's appearance and the beauty of his smile, to the point that they had barely heard most of the conversation.

Only after a few moments did the three women finally return to their senses and comprehend Fafnir's words.

At that moment, excitement also surged within their hearts.

Eleanor said:

“Then... you really are healed.”

Fafnir answered:

“Yes.”

Morgana merely smiled, while Griselda was the happiest of them all.

She had waited for him for eleven years.

And now he had returned to her safely, stronger than he had ever been.

After a few brief and casual exchanges, Thorin, Valor, Eleanor, and Morgana bowed before Fafnir.

Valor said:

“We will spread the news of the Sovereign's return, my Lord.”

Fafnir nodded.

“Do so.”

Thorin said:

“The entire capital will erupt in joy when they learn that your injury has been healed.”

Fafnir smiled and replied:

“Then let them rejoice.”

The Four Pillars left the ancient hall, leaving Fafnir and Griselda alone.

Their task was clear.

To spread the news of the Sovereign's return.

And, more importantly, to spread the news of his complete recovery.

After the four of them left, silence returned to the hall.

Fafnir turned toward Griselda with a questioning look.

Then he said:

“My dear, how long have you been waiting for me to emerge? And how long was I inside the cocoon?”

Griselda smiled and replied:

“I arrived in the human capital eight years ago to meet you, but I discovered that you had entered that black thing to heal, so I have been waiting ever since.”

She fell silent for a moment as Fafnir absorbed her words.

Then she continued:

“You remained inside your cocoon for eleven full years.”

Fafnir contemplated this knowledge with a calm expression.

Eleven years.

He had never expected the period to have been that long.

During his fusion with the mysterious power, he had not felt as though such a vast amount of time had passed.

Even when he had been inside that dark void, watching those strange memories and terrifying cosmic scenes, he had never felt that a long period of time had passed.

At most, he had thought it had been four or five months.

He said to himself:

“Eleven years...”

He remained silent for several moments, lost in thought.

Then he remembered something extremely important.

He raised his head and looked at Griselda.

His gaze transformed into one that was intense, excited, and filled with anticipation.

Then he asked quickly:

“My dear... are you carrying our child?”

Griselda's eyes widened slightly, surprised that he remembered.

Then an emotional, maternal smile appeared on her face, and she raised her hand to gently caress her stomach.

She said:

“Yes, my dear.”

Then she looked at him tenderly.

“Our child has been growing inside me for nine years.”

A strange happiness surged from deep within Fafnir's heart.

The mere thought that the great Fafnir had become a father filled him with immeasurable pride.

He pulled Griselda against his chest and then burst into laughter, his voice shaking the entire ancient hall.

“Hahahahahaha! This great one has become a father!”

He laughed again.

“Hahaha! This is wonderful!”

Then he added, his voice filled with happiness:

“Truly wonderful! Hahahahahaha!”

Griselda laughed in his arms.

But after a few moments, Fafnir suddenly stopped.

He remembered something.

He looked at her.

“Nine years?”

His expression then changed to one of concern.

“Shouldn't the child have been born after nine months?”

He looked toward her stomach.

“Why hasn't the child been born yet?”

Griselda answered:

“At first, I was frightened and worried as well when I had been pregnant for nine months and the child still had not been born.”

Then she continued:

“So I went to Sonora, the Saint of Medicine, to consult her and find out why our child had not been born after nine months.”

Griselda paused for a moment.

Then she said:

“After she examined me, she said that our child possesses an extremely powerful bloodline, and therefore needs more time and cosmic energy for its growth to be completed and for it to be born.”

Fafnir listened to her words in silence.

But the moment he heard Sonora's name, his expression changed.

He frowned deeply.

“Sonora?”

He narrowed his eyes.

“Is that old harlot still alive?”

Then he added skeptically:

“And does she have evidence that what she said is true? How do I know that she didn't simply lie to you to take revenge on me?”

Fafnir remembered a mature and beautiful woman with green hair and green eyes, a captivating and graceful figure, and the largest breasts Fafnir had ever seen in his life.

His expression grew even darker as the memory returned to his mind.

Although Sonora was beautiful, her personality was unbearably arrogant.

In the past, Fafnir had nearly killed her several times because of their constant conflicts.

When Griselda saw Fafnir's face turn almost black at the mere mention of Sonora's name, she laughed.

She knew very well that Fafnir and Sonora had never been able to stand each other in the past.

Griselda said:

“First, when I went to her, she tried to find out who the child's father was, but I never told her.”

Then she added:

“And I never allowed her to sense your aura.”

She smiled slightly.

“Second, she and I have been friends for thousands of years, unlike you and her.”

Then she said confidently:

“So she would never lie to me.”

Fafnir remained silent for several moments.

Then he said firmly:

“That won't do.”

Griselda raised an eyebrow.

“What do you mean?”

Fafnir replied:

“I don't trust her.”

Then he continued without hesitation:

“In a few days, we will go to her again.”

He looked directly at Griselda.

“And she will examine you under my watch and within my hearing.”

He paused for a moment.

“I want to hear everything from her myself, and I want to witness the examination myself.”

Griselda laughed softly.

“You still don't trust her.”

Fafnir said:

“Of course not.”

Then he frowned again.

“That woman cannot be trusted.”

Griselda smiled.

“You two haven't changed in thousands of years.”

Fafnir replied:

“She is the one who hasn't changed.”

Then he looked toward Griselda's stomach.

His expression softened for a moment.

“Everything that matters to me now is our child.”

Then he raised his eyes toward her again.

“And if I discover that she deceived you...”

He paused.

Then continued in a colder voice:

“Or that she did anything to my child...”

Fafnir's face became like an icy storm.

The smile vanished from his features, and a frightening coldness appeared within his crimson eyes.

He spoke in a low voice, but his words carried a clear threat:

“I will make her feel my wrath... and my might.”

Griselda stared at him for several moments.

Then she sighed with a smile and said:

“You haven't changed at all.”

Fafnir raised an eyebrow.

“In what way?”

She answered:

“In your distrust of Sonora.”

Fafnir said seriously:

“And do you expect me to trust her after everything that happened between us?”

Griselda laughed.

“No.”

Then she stepped closer to him and said:

“But try not to kill her this time.”

Fafnir looked at her for several moments.

Then he replied coldly:

“If she hasn't done anything to our child, I won't lay a finger on her.”

Griselda smiled.

“That is enough for me.”

Then she placed her hand over her stomach once again.

Fafnir looked at her stomach, and a brief silence settled between them.

He had returned after eleven years.

He had regained his strength.

He had found his wife, who had waited for him throughout all those years.

And now he knew that a child belonging to him had been growing inside her for nine years.

But there was one thing he still did not know.

When would his child be born?

And were Sonora's words truly correct?

Fafnir decided that he would obtain the answer himself.

And in a few days...

He would go to Sonora.