Reuniting the Mother and Daughter

Arifureta Universe, Tortus, Heiligh Kingdom, Erisen. 

The morning after cleansing the Divine Mountain of Ehit's influence, Tatsuo, Sumire, James, Aletia, Shea, Tio, and Myu joined the others for breakfast. When they did, they made sure that the royal family and the church's paladins that were not on the mountain last night were not around. After that, they explained everything they learned about Tortus and its history during their journey. 

Needless to say, the students that were transported to this world with them were both furious and feeling hopeless. The chances of the god sending them back to their world after they fought the war with the demons had fallen infinitesimally close to zero with that revelation. 

Meanwhile, after being asked to leave so that Tatsuo could discuss something with his friends and classmates, Liliana, who had been having breakfast with the group, felt a little left out. However, when she remembered the solemn expression on Tatsuo's handsome face, she blushed slightly while deciding to let it go until he trusted her enough to talk to her about it, too. 

However, Tatsuo's lack of trust in Liliana was not why he kept the truth from her. Rather, after thinking about it with the rest of his group, he realized that helping Liliana take over the kingdom would take much longer than they were willing to wait. So, they decided to take Myu back home before they started working on that. However, Tatsuo would strengthen the kingdom's barrier before they left. That way, even if the attack that happened in the canon occurred, the kingdom would be much safer against the demons and their monsters. 

That process took two days. Then, on the third day, the group left the capital to take Myu home. And when they left, Tatsuo promised Liliana he would come to see her again, as she was almost in tears at the thought of him leaving again after just coming back. 

After that, the trip to Erisen took about four days. During that time, the party spent most of each day traveling. Then, at night, they would set up camp in the collapsable house. And before bed, they would experiment with their newest [Age of Gods Magic], [Spirit Magic], while spending some time playing with Myu before bed. 

On top of experimenting with [Spirit Magic], Tatsuo also spent time getting familiar with [Senbonzakura], the skill he learned from watching James. And when James saw Tatsuo breaking down a katana he had created while in the Abode of the Orcus Great Labyrinth into midnight purple cherry blossom petal-shaped blades, he was so confused that for the first time in months, he did not have anything to say. 

But like all good things, their trip finally came to an end when they reached the Coastal City of Erison. However, unlike any other town or city on Tortus, they could not simply drive into Erisen, as the entire town was built upon several large wooden docks and boardwalks. 

"Alright, let's get out here." Tatsuo said as he pulled the Hummer up to the entrance of the city. "I don't think this place can handle the weight of the Hummer." 

"Seriously?" Sumire asked. "But cars aren't that heavy, are they?" 

"In normal situations, they wouldn't be." Tatsuo replied while signaling to James that they were stopping here. "But the metals I chose to build the Hummer with are too dense. It's not too much for the ground, but these floats would just sink under its weight." 

"I see." Sumire replied with a nod of understanding. 

Meanwhile, Myu, seeing her hometown for the first time in a while, was basically bouncing on her seat, excited to see her mother once again. So, when she noticed that Tatsuo had shut off the Hummer's engine, she immediately jumped into Tatsuo's lap with a huge smile on her face. 

"Come on, Big brother, let's go!" Myu cheered excitedly. "I wanna see Mama." 

"Alright." Tatsuo replied with a gentle smile. "Let's get going. I'm sure your mom wants to see you, too." 

"Uh huh!" Myu replied while nodding her head energetically. 

With that, everyone got out of the Hummer and met up with James, who had already climbed off the motorcycle. Then, after Tatsuo put the vehicles away in his [Inventory], they all headed into the city. 

Under Myu's lead, the group quickly made their way through the streets of Erisen. However, their presence did not go unnoticed, as Myu had been missing for a while. So, when the people of Erisen saw her traveling with a group of unknown individuals, instead of greeting her immediately, they contacted the city's peacekeepers. 

"Yo, we're being watched." James whispered into Tatsuo's ear. 

"I know." Tatsuo replied while holding Myu's hand as she led them through the city. "It's probably just the people in charge of keeping this city safe. So, as long as we don't do anything stupid, we shouldn't have to fight them." 

"I hope you're right." James replied. "I'm sensing a lot of hostility." 

"Just play it cool." Tatsuo said casually. "it's only because we're with Myu." 

Not long after that short conversation, their path forward was blocked. Not long after that, the path backwards was also blocked off, leaving Tatsuo and his group completely surrounded. However, under Tatsuo's lead, Sumire, Aletia, Shea, and Tio managed to stay calm while James was ready to fight his way out if necessary. 

However, before anyone could speak or do something stupid like provoking the highly alert Half-Devil, Tatsuo reached into his [Inventory] and pulled out his Status Plate and the letter he received from Ilwa Chang, the Branch Chief of the Fuhren Adventurer's Guild. 

"I know what you're all thinking." Tatsuo said calmly while raising the letter and his Status Plate with his free hand. "But we're only here to bring Myu back. You can read this letter from the Chief of the Adventurer's Guild branch in Fuhren. It will tell you everything you need to know about us." 

Unfortunately, Tatsuo's words did not cause the peacekeepers to lower their guard. However, a middle-aged human man with short, slicked-back, black hair and grey eyes did step out of the crowd of peacekeepers. That man then approached Tatsuo and the others cautiously. He then breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Myu appeared to be unharmed. 

"I'm Salze, the captain of the Erisen Peacekeeping organization." The middle-aged man, Salze, said one he was close to Tatsuo. "If you don't mind, I'll take a look at that letter." 

"Sure." Tatsuo replied with a nod. He then gestured to himself and the others as he continued. "I'm Soramoto Tatsuo, a Gold-Ranked Adventurer. And this is the rest of my party." 

After introducing himself, Tatsuo handed the letter and his Status Plate to Salze. Then, he calmly waited for the man to read. 

"I see." Salze said after reading the letter and examining Tatsuo's Status Plate. "It seems you were speaking the truth. Meaning, we should not only be thanking you for bringing Myu back, but for rescuing her in the first place, as well." 

"No, you don't need to thank us for that." Tatsuo replied. 

"That's right, Myu is so cute that it was no trouble at all." Shea added, to which all the others nodded in agreement. 

"Even so, we still need to thank you." Salze said. "This should make things a little easier for Remia, too." 

"Mama!" Myu exclaimed excitedly after hearing her mother's name. "Let's go, Big Brother, I wanna see Mama!" 

However, when Myu tried to pull Tatsuo along to go home, he bent down and swept her up into his arms. Then, when she looked at him in confusion, he started patting her head. 

"Just give me a minute, Myu." Tatsuo said softly. "I wanna know what happened before we go. It sounds like your Mama isn't doing too good since you left. So, if I know what's wrong, I can try to help." 

Hearing that, Myu put on a frightened expression as she gripped Tatsuo's clothing tightly. However, because of the implicit trust she had in Tatsuo, she did not throw a tantrum, hoping that what Tatsuo said was true and that he would be able to help her mother. 

"*Sigh* Unfortunately, you're right." Salze replied after Tatsuo returned his attention to him. "Remia was injured when she tried to stop the kidnappers back then. And because of those injuries, she's unable to walk or swim. On top of that, she's been worrying herself to death over Myu's disappearance." 

Hearing that, Tatsuo's expression turned extremely solemn, imagining that his mother had gone through something similar when he was kidnapped. 

"Don't worry, Tatsuo." James said, placing a hand on Tatsuo's shoulder. "There's a good chance I should be able to heal Myu's mom. And if I can't, we still have some of that left, right?" 

Knowing of James' recreation of the [Healing Kidō], [Kaidō] Tatsuo nodded his head. And just like James said, if [Kaidō] did not work, a vial of Ambrosia should do the trick. And a combination of the two would definitely work if just one was not enough. 

"You're right, let's get going." Tatsuo replied with a nod. He then turned to look at Salze once again. "Then, could you lead the way? We need to reunite this mother and daughter." 

Nodding in response, Salze then turned around and signaled for the peacekeepers to disperse. Then, he led Tatsuo, Sumire, James, Aletia, Shea, Tio, and Myu towards Myu's home. 

Not long later, the group arrived on a certain street. When they did, however, they found a group of people crowded around a certain house. And those people were both supporting someone to stand and stop them from rushing off. 

"Calm down, Remia." A man said in a placating tone. "I'm sure Myu will be here soon. The peacekeepers went to make sure she got here safely." 

"That's right, you need to take it easy, Remia." A middle-aged woman said. "You don't want Myu to see you crawling to her, do you?" 

"Just let me go, please. I have to get to my daughter! Myu needs me!" 

Hearing the familiar voice, Myu, who was still in Tatsuo's arms, could no longer stay still. So, she struggled to get down, and Tatsuo put her down without a fuss. The little dagon girl then ran forward as fast as her little legs would carry her. 

"Mama!" Myu shouted as she approached the crowd. "Mama! I'm home!" 

Hearing that, the crowd parted slightly as they turned around to see Myu sprinting towards them. They then made space for her to pass. At the same time, the man who was supporting Remia to stand gently lowered her to the ground so she could embrace her daughter. 

Meanwhile, Tatsuo and the others watched the whole thing while they continued to follow Myu at a normal pace. And when the crowd parted for Myu to pass, they could finally see Remia, Myu's mother for themselves. 

Remia was a beautiful woman in her mid-twenties with long, flowing emerald green hair, blue eyes, facial features that made it clear she was Myu's mother, a curvaceous figure, and fairly large breasts wearing a strapless, calf-length, long-sleeved, cream-colored dress that revealed her shoulders and upper chest. She also had bandages wrapped around her exposed lower calves, ankles, and feet due to the injuries she sustained while trying to retrieve Myu. 

"Myu! Oh, thank goodness you're okay?" Remia said as Myu rushed into her arms. "I'm so glad to see you again.' 

"With tears in her eyes, Myu buried her head in Remia's bosom while hugging her with all her might. A moment later, however, she remembered that her mother had been hurt when she was taken away. So, the little girl raised her head and looked into her mother's eyes with worry. 

"Mama, are you okay?" Myu asked in a concerned tone. "You got hurt?" 

Slightly taken aback by Myu's question, Remia widened her eyes for a moment. But she quickly turned her expression into a smile that showed just how happy she was that Myu was back in her arms. 

"Don't worry, Myu." Remia said in a gentle tone. "Mama will be okay now that you're back home." 

However, Myu seemed to be hearing none of that as she turned around in her mother's arms and waved her arm at Tatsuo. 

"Big Brother, hurry." Myu said in a frantic tone. "Mama needs help!" 

Seeing that Myu was looking at someone, Remia finally realized that her daughter had not come alone. And when she saw the group of young men and women approaching with Salze, she quickly understood that they were the ones who saved Myu based on how much she seemed to trust them. 

"Oh my..." Remia said when she noticed how handsome Tatsuo and James were, causing both young men to adopt proud smiles. 

"Excuse me." Tatsuo said as soon as he stood in front of Myu and Remia. 

Tatsuo then crouched down and picked up Remia, with Myu still in her arms, in a princess carry, causing Remia to blink her eyes in confusion a few times. 

"Like I told Myu, we'll see if we can heal your legs." Tatsuo said, noticing Remia's confusion. "So, if you don't mind, we'll take you inside to examine you." 

"Oh... Okay." Remia replied, the slightest hint of pink coloring her cheeks. 

With that, Tatsuo nodded at Sumire, James, Aletia, Shea, and Tio before walking through the still opened door of Remia's house. And the others followed him inside quickly before shutting the door behind them. Though, he did noticed the slightly envious gazes Aletia and Shea had when they looked at Remia in his arms. But he easily ignored them, as there was something more important to worry about. 

Meanwhile, the crowd of people just stood outside of Remia's house, not knowing how to react. However, before long, the middle-aged woman who was trying to convince Remia to wait placed a hand on her cheek and smiled. 

"Oh my, it looks like Remia's second spring might be here." The middle-aged woman said. 

In response, all the men in the area looked as if they had just eaten something bitter. None of them were happy to hear that, Remia had quite the fan club in Erisen thanks to her beauty, or so it would seem. And the shouts of lament that rang out on the street shortly afterwards were more than enough to prove that fact. 

However, none of those in the house let the shouting men bother them. Instead, Tatsuo walked over to the nearest couch and gently placed Remia, who was still confused by what was going on, on it. 

"Alright, James." Tatsuo said as he stood to his full height. "Go ahead and take a look." 

"On it." James replied as he stepped forward. He then continued when he was in front of Remia's legs. "Please, excuse me." 

With that, James hands lit up in a dusk-pink light. Then, he placed them on the bandages wrapped around Remia's legs while he used his demonic power to start inspecting the extent of her injuries. 

"Well, I can definitely heal this." James muttered after examining Remia's legs for a few moments. "But it will take a while. Her nerves were damaged pretty severely. So, it will be a pretty time consuming process to get them back to how they should be." 

James then turned to Tatsuo before continuing. 

"But, a vial of Ambrosia would probably make the healing process much faster." James said. 

Hearing that, Tatsuo did not hesitate to take a vial of Ambrosia out of his [Inventory]. 

"Here, drink this." Tatsuo said softly. "It will help you heal." 

Still confused, Remia absent-mindedly reached out to accept the vial. Then, when it was in her hands, Tatsuo popped the cork for her. 

"Um... Thank you." Remia said while looking at all the new people standing in her living room. "But who are you all, exactly." 

Realizing that they had not introduced themselves, Tatsuo and the others quickly did so and explained how they came to travel with Myu. Meanwhile, Remia listened intently. Then, when the story was finished, she smiled brightly at the six young people in front of her before drinking the vial of Ambrosia in one go and without hesitation. She had no reason to distrust the people who rescued her daughter and brought Myu back home, after all. 

Then, once Remia had consumed the Ambrosia, James started working to heal Remia's legs in tandem with the Ambrosia's healing effects. Finally, after about fifteen minutes, the glow surrounding James' hands dimmed as he took them away from Remia's legs. 

"Alright, it looks like everything will be fine." James said with a smile. "But because the damage was so extensive, I'll need to do this two more times. After that, you should be good as new by the day after tomorrow." 

"Thank you so much.' Remia replied with a smile. 

"Don't worry about it." James replied with a smile of his own. "This is kinda what we do." 

"He's right.' Sumire added. "And I think a healthy meal should help you feel better, too. So, if you don't mind, I'll borrow your kitchen." 

"No, I couldn't let you do that." Remia said while shaking her head. "You're guests, I should be treating you all to a meal. Especially after what you've done for me and Myu." 

As she spoke that last part, Remia looked down at Myu, who had fallen asleep on her chest because of all the energy she expended due to her heightened emotions. She then stroked Myu's hair lovingly before looking back at Tatsuo and the others. 

"If that's really what you want, you can wait until you're healed." Shea said with a smile. "But until you're better, you should rest." 

"*Sigh* I guess you're right." Remia said after contemplating for a moment. "Well then, please stay here for as long as you're in Erisen. The very least I can do is give you somewhere to rest your heads after your long journey." 

No one present declined Remia's request. So, with smiles on their faces, Sumire, Shea, and Tio headed to the kitchen to start preparing a meal. Meanwhile, Tatsuo, James, and Aletia stayed in the living room to chat with Remia until the meal was ready. 

Myu woke up shortly before the meal was ready. Then, the whole group ate together. After that, Tatsuo picked up Remia and took her into her room before leaving to get some rest. He then went to one of the house's guest rooms to get some rest, as well.