Leone stared at the obsidian crystal in his hands.

He had been staring at it for nearly an hour, waiting for the sign Hassan had told him about not long ago.

Suddenly, the crystal emitted a faint glow. The light had appeared at the core of the crystal, indicating that a connection was now possible.

All that was left for Leone to do was recite the password.

"Familia," Leone said with a tinge of hope and longing.

As soon as he mentioned that one, the small light at the center of the crystal expanded, covering its entirety.

Finally, the obsidian crystal had activated.

A moment later, the face of a beautiful woman appeared in front of Leone. She had long blonde hair and blue eyes, just like him.

The lady’s face showed a little surprise at first, but it was immediately replaced with a look of joy and relief. Something she rarely showed to anyone, including her family.

"Leone, I’m so glad to see you," Helen said softly. "Did you suffer in the Borderlands?"

Her gaze was filled with love and affection, making Leone feel an ache inside his chest.

He had missed this. However, he did his best to not let it show on his face and forced a confident smile. That way, his mother would not feel too worried about him.

"No, Mother," Leone replied with a smile. "I’m doing well. I just met Hassan today, and I’m really thankful he found me in time."

"You’ve always been lucky." Helen returned his son’s smile. "Give me a minute. I’ll call everyone."

After that, Leone heard the sound of a handbell being rung, which was her mother’s way of summoning everyone whenever they were at home.

It didn’t take long before more familiar faces appeared in the obsidian crystal. Unsurprisingly, their faces were filled with relief and happiness after finally knowing that he was well and alive.

"Brother!" A five-year-old girl looked at Leone with teary eyes. "I miss you! Wuwuwu!"

"I miss you too, Elizabeth," Leone replied, subconsciously trying to wipe her sister’s tears through the obsidian crystal.

However, that was impossible. He could only watch as the little girl started bawling her eyes out, giving Leone a strong urge to hug her.

While his sister was crying, a gruff and arrogant voice reached his ears.

"It’s good to know that you’re still alive," Edward, Leone’s older brother, said while fixing his glasses with his middle finger. "I thought you’d have turned into a pile of monster poop by now."

"I just got lucky, brother." Leone was already used to his oldest brother’s manner of speaking, so he wasn’t the least bit offended by his words. "I fell on the altar of a barbarian tribe that was praying for a Hero. Since then, I’ve experienced many things in life."

"A Hero?" Edward scoffed. "Looks like they got the short end of the stick, then. Since when did a useless brother like you become a Hero?"

"Brother, I don’t think that’s a good thing to say to someone you haven’t seen for a few months after their exile," Alphonse, Leone’s second older brother, commented. "Leone, ignore this punk. I’m really glad to see you safe and well.

"Tell us more of what happened to you in the Borderlands. You’re now part of a tribe? If so, are they using you as a stud horse? Our genes are really good, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you already have many barbarian wives." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"Brother, it’s still too early for me to have wives," Leone replied. "Also, I am not being treated as a stud horse. In fact, I am actually a barbarian chieftain right now."

Everyone suddenly quieted down at those words, except for Elizabeth, whose crying noise could still be heard in the background.

"And there you go again with your random tales." Edward once again fixed his glasses with his middle finger. "How can someone as useless as you become a barbarian chieftain? If you’re going to lie, at least make it more believable. What’s next? You’re going to tell us that you aspire to become a Barbarian King?"

"Not a Barbarian King." Leone smirked. "But a Hero King."

"My God. He has become more delusional than the last time we saw him." Edward facepalmed. "Perhaps he had hit his head too hard when he fell on that barbarian altar."

Leone could only chuckle in response, understanding that the summary of everything he’d been through since his exile was indeed hard to believe.

Then again, since he also missed his big brother’s nagging, he decided to not push the matter for the time being.

Leone’s gaze then landed on the man standing behind everyone, who looked at him with a faint smile on his face.

He was none other than Leone’s father, Marco Frontera.

The person whom Leone idolized the most.

Perhaps he wanted his children to talk to Leone first, so he held himself back. He simply tried to pacify the crying of Elizabeth, whom he was carrying in his arms.

The Viscount lightly rubbed the back of his daughter’s back as she further drenched his shirt in tears.

However, that was fine.

Today was a happy day for their family, after all.

When it was finally Marco’s turn to speak, everyone quieted down. How typical. Their father surely had a certain way to make his presence known.

"Leone, it’s good to see you safe," Marco said. "Please tell us everything that you’ve experienced."

And with that, the flood gates seemed to have been opened.

Leone didn’t hold back and told them everything that he had gone through. However, he didn’t mention anything about Daedalus, as per the grimoire’s request.

It was still trying to determine what kind of family Leone had, and its Master decided to honor its request.

Truth be told, Daedalus didn’t mind revealing itself to Leone’s mother if its Master only talked to her in private.

"Unbelievable," Edward commented after Leone was done with his tale.

He didn’t say that Leone should stop lying or whatnot since he knew how much his brother idolized their father.

This meant that his brother would never lie to their father. In other words, everything was true. Understandably, they were all taken by surprise.

While everyone was deep in thought, Marco suddenly laughed out loud. He even surprised Elizabeth, who instantly stopped crying as she looked at her father with wide eyes.

"Well done, son," Marco said with pride. "You are the very first exiled noble who has accomplished such a feat. If the King ever hears what you have done during the short time that you have been exiled, he might burst a blood vessel out of shock."

"I pray that what you just said will come true, father," Leone replied.

"Don’t we all?" Marco smirked. "He’s already this old, yet he’s still clinging desperately to life. I can’t wait to piss on his grave after he kicks the bucket."

"Piss?" Elizabeth blinked.

Immediately, everyone in their family glared at their father, including Leone.

"I mean... I can’t help but feel at peace after he kicks the bucket," Marco hurriedly corrected himself before patting his daughter’s head. "You understood it wrong, Eli."

"Un!" Elizabeth nodded obediently. "It’s peace!"

"Yes, peace!"

"Peace!"

""Peace!""

After averting a crisis, Marco chose his next words carefully.

"Leone, many things have happened since the last time we saw each other," Marco stated. "But know this. Our family is safe, and the other nobles have stopped pestering us.

"I’m sure you worry about us just as much as we worry about you, but rest assured. Everything is peaceful right now."

Of course, Marco didn’t know that Hassan had already told his son about many things, including the reason why the nobility had stopped pestering his family.

"That’s good to hear, Father." Leone nodded. "I’m glad that all of you are safe and well."

The family continued to talk as if they hadn’t seen each other for many years.

His parents seemed to be holding back sensitive information because his brothers and sister were present.

After a tearful goodbye from Elizabeth, his older brothers soon bade goodbye before taking their leave with their sister in tow.

This left only Helen and Marco behind.

The two then exchanged a glance before moving to a different location.

Leone knew that the time for important talks had finally come, and he was very eager to hear what his parents wished to tell him.