DD 301 Ch 3

As soon as I stepped through the portal bringing us to the Nagato Estate, a massive surge of bloodlust hit me straight in the gut. A powerful sword light raced down atop my head.

I spun out of the way, bringing one of my swords out of my CID with the flick of my wrist, and caught my attacker's strike before spinning and countering with my own. 

Grandpa flung himself to the side and barely managed to block as his feet dragged a line in the grass. My blow was strong enough to push him back. His stature was not that daunting, especially considering the fact that Grandpa was old enough to have lost some of his height. His disheveled hair made it hard to take him seriously, not to mention all of the other antics that surrounded him. 

"That was a wonderful welcome back, Grandpa, but I think it was a little too short," I said. I flowed forward, my sword flashing out in five directions, all converging on my Grandpa. His eyes lit up in excitement and challenge. He blocked three of the five, dodged the fourth, only for my fifth strike to catch the hem of his robe, shredding it down his forearm. 

"If you're not careful, you can cut me. I’m just a frail old man," he said, before moving in a flash, striking out at me a dozen times in quick succession.

I blocked his blades. It wasn't easy, but I also knew my grandfather wasn't holding back, at least not anymore. "You have to be careful. I think you're getting old," I smirked over our conversation, clashing blades before throwing myself forward.

The small sparks of liminal speed built up in my hands, giving me a sudden edge as I activated [Liminal Space]. For a blink of an eye, the world froze around me. The air in a ten-meter circle shattered and, most importantly, Grandpa stopped mid-swing long enough for me to swing around behind him and tap his neck with the flat of my blade.

While I was fun to play with him, but I had come back to relax. 

Time resumed, and Grandpa let out a good-natured huff before crossing his arms. "Well, I didn't know we were using abilities," he shook his head. "If I had used mine, you wouldn't have stood a chance." He slid his sword into a sheath at his side, still harrumphing as he began to walk away. "Well, come on. You should probably go greet everyone. Even if you run off to go frolic with your ladies all summer, you should at least let the clan get to know the next heir." 

A grunt was about all he was going to get out of me. Otherwise, I'd have to tell him that he was probably right.

Crimson smartly had a neutral expression. 

"What?" I asked, looking at her sideways. 

"He might sound grouchy, but he was obviously waiting for you. He missed you." She gestured at Grandpa who stopped mid-step, stiffening. 

"I don't know what you're talking about," he turned up his nose and resumed his march through the estate. 

"She’s right. You clearly missed me." I grinned ready to tease my grandfather.

"Who would miss you and your wanton display of so many women?" He blew air out of his nose hard enough that it disturbed the collar of his robes. "I mean, really, what kind of man invites two dozen beautiful young flowers and then disappears?" He huffed to himself several more times as if I had done the entire world an injustice.

“Well, I’ll see you for dinner.” Crimson waved and sauntered off, knowing the way around the estate well.

‘You don't get to play in a flower field if you don't tend to it,’ Grandpa would always say in reference to his own harem. He repeated this mantra so often that it became a constant echo in my mind.

Now, with just Grandpa and I, he turned and narrowed his eyes at me. "I hope you know just how damn lucky you are," he said.

"Of course I am. Plus, it helps that I'm your grandson," I replied.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You're right. That actually might be your best feature. Clearly some of my genes made their way to you." He continued to rub his chin and nod to himself as he walked away. "Keep up. We have to go look after the guild."

"How are things generally?" I asked, following him from the central courtyard that contained just the blood family of the Nagato clan and into the inner court that held esteemed members of the Silver Fangs Guild as well as the rest of the Nagato clan.

The complex that they lived in was massive, even containing its own dungeon entrance just for the Clan and Guild to use.

"Very good," Grandpa replied, rubbing his chin. "It's almost back to how it was in its prime. Though the only difference now is everyone involved is ten years younger than we were." Grandpa chuckled happily. "It's good these days to be surrounded by so much youth." He wiggled his eyebrows.

“Seems more like a need to make Grandma Yui keep an eye on you." I nudged him.

Grandpa looked at me out of the corner of his eyes. "You wouldn't dare."

"It's for your own good, Grandpa. You have four lovely wives."

He put a hand on his back as if he was getting old. "You'll see, after so many years of marriage, you just understand each other wordlessly. They're completely fine with all of my antics. Nothing you tell them will shock them."

"Oh, really? So if I tell Grandma Sakura that you have a new hidden stash of paraphernalia in the cleaning closet, you won't immediately run away?" I pressed.

"Why would I use the cleaning closet?" he said, crossing his arms. A small bead of sweat on his forehead gave him away. Unlike Grandma Hemi, Grandpa was not good at hiding his goods.

"Young Master," my servant, Ami, announced as she jumped down from a nearby roof into a kneeling position. "Welcome home."

Her bow had an effect as everyone else in the Naguto clan turned my way. With the help of Ami's actions, their eyes lit up in recognition, and suddenly dozens of adventurers were kneeling with their heads bowed. 

"Young Master, welcome home," they said in unison, as if they had practiced this move a thousand times. 

Grandpa huffed next to me. "And who am I?”

“A crazy old man?" I asked with a smile. 

"Crazy old man? Ungrateful child," he retorted, trying to beat me with the sheath of his sword.

But I was just as quick as he was, able to nimbly avoid his strikes. My dodges only added to his frustration. 

"Seems you passed my test," he said, crossing his arms and trying to look proud in front of the rest of the clan. 

"He was quite difficult," I said with a smile, though I got more than a few strange looks from the crowd. It was interesting for me to realize that after all of my adventures, I was roughly Grandpa's equal when it came to speed. In fact, I might even have a small edge. 

"As you can see, everyone is doing quite well," Grandpa nodded to himself. "Ami, since you're here, I will attend to other important matters. Please show the kid around." Grandpa lifted his chin before disappearing in a hurried flash. 

Ami lifted her head. "Where is the patriarch going?" She asked, completely void of emotions.

"Pretty sure to rearrange a cleaning closet," I smirked, glancing after my grandfather's retreating form. "How have you been? It feels like forever since I've seen you." I grabbed her by the shoulders and stood her up straight.

The move seemed to be the signal because the rest of the clan also got up from their kneeling position and began to go about their day once again. 

"Your grandparents keep me busy. Anytime I'm not at your side, Young Master, I am gaining experience in the dungeon or training. Being a butler is a never-ending task. One can never grow complacent with strength or speed. It is never known when the next task assigned will require even faster completion." Ami was expressionless through the statement.

Only when she mentioned speed was there any emotion sparkling in her eyes. The woman was currently dressed as some strange mix between a ninja and a butler. Her pure white hair spilled out behind her, and she hid what I knew was an otherwise beautiful face behind a black face mask. 

"As for your classmates, most of them are likely still training. A lot of their parents came by one week at a time to work with them over the break, or some went on longer dives with their families or their guilds, though they've all recently returned. I assume like you, Young Master, they are preparing to return to Haylon shortly."

The walk through the clan was relatively peaceful. Many new faces had appeared, and Ami patiently explained all of their groups and their current jobs. It seemed there was no aspect of adventuring that the Nagato Clan wasn't pushing themselves into it. 

That also made sense. The new Silverfang Guild had connections with every major guild that was diving the dungeon. Not to mention, the sense of complacency and the stagnancy of diving the dungeon had been completely and utterly shattered. 

Between the Naga attack on Haylon and the discovery of Star City, everybody had been spurred into action, realizing just how behind humanity was in the broader world of the dungeon.

I wondered what everyone would do once news spread that there were trials deeper in the dungeon that would give everyone who could pass them abilities on par with Crimson. She was famous for her [Limit Break], and for good reason. The abilities from the trial were powerful enough to create an entirely new tier amongst adventurers in the dungeon, one with the trial ability and one without. 

Even with everything else the same, it wasn't a competition. In fact, I knew that quite well myself. [Liminal Speed] had been vital in many of my own situations.

I walked quietly behind Ami, hands folded behind my back, doing my best to look stern and yet professional as she showed me around. After all, this was my clan. But I was glad that I did not have to be there for all the day to day operations. My grandparents and Ami took care of those details. 

What I did not want was for them to see me as some freeloading hier. So while I was at the clan, I wanted to show my strength and drive as well.

A young boy, too young to have awakened his class, jumped in front of me with a picture in hand.

I looked down strangely at what he had.

It was a magazine, not that I was particularly interested in them. However, depicted on the front cover was none other than an image of me. The image was from last semester, when I had helped Penny's father repel a Naga attack. 

Apparently someone had caught a fairly good picture of me fighting the Naga matriarch. I was mid-swing, covered in purple lightning, clashing with the giant Naga. 

Breaking my eyes away from the cover in front of me, Ami swiftly produced another pen and held it up with two hands like she was handing me an honored blade.

I coughed into my hand awkwardly. “Do you want anything besides the signature?”

"If you could make it to Roderick, please? Sir?" He was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet with a beaming smile as he watched me sign his copy.

The task was simple enough. But as I went to write, my signature suddenly felt terribly unpracticed. I supposed if I wanted to get over that, I would just have to spend some time on it in the near future. 

Roderick snatched the magazine out of my hands as I went to hand it back and skipped away, a bundle of excitement.

I looked back to Ami, somewhat uncertain of what had just happened. Over her shoulder, I noted several more people approaching looking more confident in also asking for an autograph.

"If you don't want to get stuck signing, I would suggest that we move quickly," Ami pointed out. 

"Right. Let's move then." I agreed.

Ami smiled at everyone and gave them a friendly wave, but in the same breath, hurried along.

"Did you say there were other adventurers around here?" I asked Ami. 

"Of course. Would you like me to take you to where they are training?" She asked.

Her question almost sounded like a trick, and I hesitated. "Perhaps it would be enough to let them know I will be at dinner?" I thought about Penny's reaction. 

"Of course. That would be wise," Ami nodded, pushing her fists together in a bow. I was suddenly happy I had adjusted what I was going to say. Perhaps there was an actual correct answer there. 

"The clan seems to be in wonderful hands, Ami. Thank you for all that you have done. You probably put up with quite a lot, given my grandfather's antics." 

"It is no problem. Your grandmothers are quite adept at wrangling him. Rarely do I need to intervene. It's only around you that they let him be off his leash, so to speak." She continued walking quickly.

I chuckled. The idea of Grandma Sakura leashing Grandpa actually felt more accurate than I would ever admit. 

"Is there anything else that you require before you prepare for dinner?" Ami asked, looking at me. Once again I felt as if there was an answer she was looking for in particular, but I didn't know it off the top of my head. 

"Dinner tonight… will it be just the family or will it be a larger affair?" I probed.

"It would be safer to assume it will be a larger affair, however, if you wish to meet your grandmothers, they would be best to confirm it." She told me.

I rubbed my chin, "You're probably right. The trip to see Sakura is probably next on my list.”

“Of course, sir, right this way." Ami gestured forward and I followed along behind her with a smile on my face. The Nagato clan wasn't quite as advanced as the orkai. There were no gravity chambers or ornate marble and crystal columns lining every walkway. But it was home, and it felt good to be back home. There was something almost sacred about the familiarity of a place called home.

I knew I wasn't going to stay long. Soon I would need to return to Haylon. But I was excited for a bit of normalcy and family for a few days.