Return Of The Strongest Player-Chapter 20: Goodbye, Village

"Arthur!" Anna rushed towards her son, and Magnus followed on her tail. Melzer simply stood at the door before excusing himself.

'At least he knows basic courtesy,' Arthur thought to himself before he was wrapped in the arms of his mother, father, and sister. He wished desperately to tap himself out of the situation, but he couldn't.

Anna was one stubborn lady, and Lily was following in her footsteps. Magnus was a fairly rational man, but even he wouldn't release his only son from his grip when Arthur was injured beyond belief.

"I'm sorry I worried you all," said Arthur with much trouble. His voice sounded croaky.

"You should be," replied Anna. In a few seconds, Arthur's clothes were soaked in tears. Only then did the three release him from their grip.

"How did you even get these injuries?" Magnus asked, inspecting the bruises. Arthur's skin had almost been peeled off, while his bones were shattered. It was a result of his shedding and not the fall.

"Does it matter?" Arthur inquired, and a warm light embraced his body. In a few seconds, the wounds began closing, and new skin began regrowing on his body. The process looked horrifying, but the three people watching were elated.

"How…"

"I told you I can take care of myself," said Arthur, touching his little sister's nose gently. He then turned to face his mother, who was sighing in relief. "Mom, yesterday, I saw dad talking to Aunt Edna again."

A moment of silence descended upon the room before Anna's head violently shot towards Magnus's direction. The latter's eyes widened before he shot a death stare at his son, who turned out to be a traitor.

Lily giggled, settling in Arthur's arms to watch the show.

"Magnus?" Anna asked politely, yet behind the facade was the face of a devil. Color drained from Magnus's face and he prepared to sprint. However, before that, he needed to test the waters.

"Yes, dear?" Magnus asked in the most gentle tone he could muster.

"Is what Arthur is saying… perhaps, correct?"

"Honey… I can explain," Magnus attempted to delay the inevitable, yet there it was, staring him down with its jaws wide open.

"Oh, you don't have to."

"Arthur, you're a damned traitor," Magnus spat before taking off. Anna simply walked after him since she despised physical activity that could be dangerous. Yet, she was in perfect shape with the most beautiful hourglass figure Magnus had ever seen.

'I'm sorry, father,' thought Arthur. 'Mom would have done the same to me if I told her what caused these injuries.'

Arthur ruffled Lily's hair, who was sitting on his lap, giggling, as she watched the show.

'Sorry.'

*

"Arthur, come here!" Anna's voice jolted him awake from the most peaceful bath he'd had since regression. Once he began earning, Arthur installed a warm bath to maintain a portion of the luxurious lifestyle he'd established.

Although not entirely, the bath offered Arthur a few minutes–or hours–of utter peace. No one could interrupt him in the middle of a nice, warm bath in which he sorted his thoughts and organized his plans.

Although he lived in the village for now, he would eventually depart for Arcadia Academy.

It was entirely inevitable.

Once he heard his mother's call, Arthur groaned before grabbing the towel. He dried his naked body, which had become more defined as time went on. Now, his delts and chest were well developed, providing him with a much more muscular appearance.

There were little to no similarities between his appearance from one month ago, and now. Along with a developed chest and deltoids, Arthur also had vascular arms and a demonic back. His growth was exponential.

After observing the differences in the mirror, Arthur quickly wiped his hair dry and put on a loose shirt and some pants before heading to the living room.

Lily's expression was bright, and although Magnus was still indignant due to Arthur's betrayal, he'd somewhat recovered. Anna's expression was especially bright, and she was practically suppressing her squeals.

"What's going on?" Arthur asked, styling his hair using a comb. He quickly tied it up using a hairband before pushing it back. Since it was quite long, it interfered during training and during mock battles against Melzer.

"We're going to the city of Arcadia tomorrow," announced Anna, excitement vivid on her face. "Pack your bags!"

Arthur's eyes widened slightly, and he glanced at Magnus and Lily. When the two nodded in response, the crimson-eyed man's face brightened significantly. Obviously, this was simply a cover-up for the regret.

In reality, Arthur planned to head to Arcadia next week. He had some plans during the journey, which would be scrapped if he traveled alongside his family.

"Is that so?" Arthur said excitedly. "I'll pack my bags right away. What time are we leaving?"

"At the break of dawn!"

'Shit!' Arthur cursed inwardly. He planned on getting used to [Judgment Recovery] tomorrow, but it seemed that plan would go down the drain. He wanted to refuse, but his intentions faded as he viewed the expressions of his family members.

After faking his reactions for a few more minutes, Arthur headed out to catch some air.

As he walked through the dark streets of the village, Arthur recalled his past. It was something he'd long forgotten but had gotten re-introduced to after regression. Regression was truly a blessing.

After twenty-four years of absolute loneliness, returning only to view the faces of his family members was the best thing that ever occurred in his life.

The Lord of Sins feeling emotion? He would have laughed at the mere thought of it, had it been before his regression. Now, he was beginning to value those emotions. His family was his… vulnerability.

"Times have changed," said Arthur in dismissal.

"Look at you, being all philosophical," spoke Melzer, manifesting beside the crimson-eyed man. The latter shot him a single glance.

"You know, before my regression, I would have flicked you to death like a bug."

"You aren't the same as you used to be. You've gotten old and frail."

"Say one more thing and I'll come for you. Someday, but I will."

"Can your bladder last until the end of this conversation, old man?" Melzer asked, hinting at the fact that Arthur was forty-two before his regression. "I hear you're going to Arcadia tomorrow."

"News travels fast."

"Sure does. Will you ever visit the village again?"

"Who knows? Say bye to that fatass Aunt Edna for me."

"Just her? Not anyone else?" 𝘣𝑒𝑑𝑛𝘰𝑣𝘦𝘭.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Oh, Uncle Jeremy too. I had an incident with another Jeremy not too long ago, so I instinctively hate that pedo old man. But he deserves a goodbye."

"Anyone else?"

"Aunt Melinda."

"Fuck you."

Suddenly, Arthur extended an arm. "Fuck you, too."

Melzer grabbed his hand before shaking it.

"That… is just plain weird."