Novel Full Chapter 493 - Taming the Longing
Chapter 493: Chapter 493 – Taming the Longing
After the first group was completely healed, Dragarion made the decision to extend treatment to other important family members.
“We should go heal Victor and Arturo too,” he declared, his new energy level making every task seem not just possible but urgent. “Especially Arturo would significantly help collect crystals, and maybe they’re still together in the recovery wing.”
Julius immediately nodded, recognizing the practical logic. With the crystal resources they needed to move, every capable pair of hands counted, especially those of people with beasts that had facility in big or complex logistical operations.
“Also,” Ren added, exchanging meaningful glances with Luna and Liora, “we should heal Larissa too.”
For a moment Julius seemed uncomfortable and ready to argue, but before…
“We insist she deserves to find out soon that her help was relevant,” Luna declared firmly.
“And she’s very smart at seeing things we sometimes don’t notice,” Liora completed, remembering Larissa’s perceptive observations.
Dragarion considered the suggestion for a moment, then smiled with a warmth he hadn’t shown since his return.
“I agree,” he admitted. “I want to greet the daughter I left so small and who is now quite grown after so many years.”
There was a note of regret in his voice he couldn’t completely hide, the understanding of how much time he had lost with his children during his extended missions.
The weight of missed birthdays, unwitnessed achievements, and countless small moments that defined family life settled over him like a familiar burden. No mission accomplishment, however crucial, could replace those experiences.
♢♢♢♢
The healing of Victor and Arturo was efficient and without complications.
Both brothers had been recovering from significant battle wounds, but with Selphira’s amplified magic, their restoration was complete and quick.
Victor, who had gone to sleep when he learned that Dragarion defeated Venmont, woke with much less of his usual energy due to the trauma of being defeated so easily, and immediately began asking questions about the current situation.
Dragarion knew he copied him unconsciously and found it a bit sad to see him so down, but acted as always to give him some security. They hadn’t been attacked again and now he was healed; there didn’t seem to be anything left to fear.
Yet the psychological impact of defeat was often harder to heal than physical wounds. Victor’s confidence, built over years of aerial dominance, had been shattered in minutes by Venmont’s overwhelming power. That kind of humiliation left scars that even magical healing couldn’t touch.
Arturo rose with the adeptness of someone accustomed to administrative responsibilities, already mentally calculating the logistics of crystal transport he would help with.
But it was when they arrived where Larissa rested that the situation became emotional.
Selphira applied her water magic with particular delicacy, conscious that she was awakening the king’s youngest daughter who would see her father after years of separation. Larissa opened her eyes gradually, blinking to focus her sight while her mind processed the faces surrounding her.
When she saw her father, she began to cry.
They weren’t tears of pain or sadness, but the emotional release of someone who had been carrying worries for years and finally saw the positive resolution of her deepest fears.
“Father,” she whispered, her voice broken by emotion.
Dragarion immediately approached, but then Larissa saw Ren next to him and forced herself to regain composure, wiping away tears while trying to return to her normal dignity.
But everyone had noticed the vulnerable moment, and some weren’t going to let it pass so easily.
“Do you see what you did?” Julius began, his voice loaded with years of repressed frustration.
“You left the kingdom so many years without a King,” Victor added, his tone more direct and less diplomatic than his younger brother’s.
Selphira immediately joined the chorus of reproaches, her authority as the group’s maternal figure giving her license to be particularly direct.
“Do you have any idea how many nights this girl stayed awake wondering if her father would ever return?” she told him with an intensity that made even the air in the room feel colder and heavier. “How many times Julius had to make decisions that shouldn’t have been his responsibility?”
Arturo, normally more reserved, also added his softened voice to the sermon.
“The kingdom’s administration, diplomatic relations, the people’s morale… everything fell on us while you pursued your mysterious mission.”
The accumulated grievances poured out like water from a broken dam. Years of stress, responsibility thrust upon unprepared shoulders, and the constant uncertainty about their father’s fate…
Dragarion knew they were right, completely right. There were no valid excuses for the pain he had caused his family, regardless of how noble or necessary his objective had been. So he decided to receive the criticism in silence, although his renewed good mood didn’t help him appear appropriately repentant.
Selphira’s sermon continued for several more minutes, each family member adding their own legitimate complaints about abandonment, imposed responsibilities, and lost opportunities.
Finally, Ren decided to intervene.
He had been observing the family dynamics with the perspective of someone who, despite his youth, had access to information the others didn’t possess. His fungus new network had given him the information about exactly what the rings and the mission Dragarion had been pursuing implied.
“I think Larissa is stronger than you think,” Ren said, directing his comment both to the family and indirectly defending the king.
He moved closer to where Larissa was sitting, evaluating her demeanor with his mana eyes and enhanced perception.
“And I think that, with what little I know about the king’s mission, he really had no choice,” he continued, looking Larissa in the eyes. “The rings he was seeking… aren’t optional collectibles. They are absolute necessities for the kingdom’s survival. He did it for us.”
Zhao, who had remained quiet during the family reproaches, finally decided to join the defense.
“I can confirm that I experienced firsthand the difficulty of that mission,” he declared, his voice loaded with the experience of someone who had almost died in the process. “What the king faced to get just one of those rings… wasn’t something that could be delegated or postponed.”
His testimony carried particular weight because everyone present knew that Zhao had no political reasons to defend Dragarion. His loyalty was to the kingdom, and his defense was based purely on professional experience.
“The creatures I encountered, the power levels involved,” Zhao continued, “honestly, it’s a miracle that I returned.”
The validation from someone of Zhao’s reputation and integrity added considerable weight to the defense.
Yet Selphira still wasn’t completely convinced and clearly wanted to continue with more sermons, but their urgent reality imposed itself.
“There are things to do,” she admitted reluctantly, “and Yino is surely doing things on their part while we discuss some family responsibilities…”
It was a sensible concession more than emotional resolution, but it recognized that the timing for family therapy was less than ideal.
“In the end, we need our king,” Julius added, though his tone also suggested the conversation hadn’t ended permanently.
Ren, seeing the tension still remaining in the air, approached Larissa and whispered a suggestion.
“You missed him a lot… Maybe you could hug him,” he told her gently. “Not to forgive everything, but to show that you’re the most mature girl I know and you understand that complicated situations require difficult decisions.”
Larissa considered the boy’s words, then looked at her father who stood there, clearly repentant but also clearly uncomfortable from the emotional bombardment.
After a moment of hesitation and looking at Ren’s eyes again, she finally approached and hugged her father.
It wasn’t a hug that resolved years of pain, but it was a recognition that family love could coexist with justified disappointment.
The embrace was both healing and incomplete, acknowledging the complexity of love that survives despite hurt. It was, maybe… the first step toward reconciliation.
Luna observed the hug with a thoughtful expression.
Her eyes turned toward where her father, Sirius, leaned against the wall, then back toward the family reunion occurring in front of her. For a moment, she seemed about to approach her own father, but after thinking about it, decided to stay where she was.
Her situation was similar but different, and perhaps more complicated in its own ways. The dynamics of her family carried their own unspoken tensions and issues.
Liora, affected by the emotional moment and missing her parents too, moved closer to Selphira again, seeking the maternal comfort the older woman provided so naturally. Some tears found outlet in the normally “cheerful” girl.
Watching the family dynamics made Ren realize something important too.
“My parents must still be worried about me,” he realized, letting out a murmur. “I should write a message to inform them I’m well.”
The realization led him to a broader idea.
“That way I can also ask them to send the teachers and some of my things,” he continued. “To be able to obtain my next beast and continue cultivating.”
It was practical and forward-looking thinking, showing he understood both the emotional importance of family communication and the necessity of his continued development.
The family crisis had been temporarily resolved, but more importantly, had revealed the strength of bonds that could survive even years of separation and justified resentment. Now they needed to focus that strength toward the external threats that required their unified attention.