Neo and Paul looked at each other.
Paul swallowed hard.
He could see Elizabeth was genuinely angry.
Neo, on the other hand, forced a strained smile.
"Yes, Sect Master," he said, trying to sound obedient.
"Pfft."
A laugh suddenly rang out from behind them.
"Hahaha! You already have him under your thumb. Good, good," the woman said with a bright voice. "You need to keep a tight leash on your husband, or he’ll start acting out of line. Darling is like that too."
Neo turned, ready to ask who would dare say something like that.
Then he saw her.
"...Mom."
Persephone stood there with a lively smile, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
Neo coughed awkwardly and looked away.
Just then, something black and gold shot toward him at terrifying speed.
It slammed straight into his chest.
Neo reacted instinctively, catching the figure as his feet skidded backward across the ground.
He looked down, confused, only to find someone clinging to him tightly.
"N-Neo... sniff... sniff... you bastard. Why didn’t you contact me? I missed you," a familiar voice said between sobs.
"Moraine?" Neo said, genuinely stunned.
She buried her face into his chest and tightened her grip.
Neo stood there, frozen, his mind struggling to keep up.
Moraine and Elizabeth had come out together.
Peacefully.
That alone raised countless questions.
For now, though, he gently patted Moraine’s head.
"I’m sorry. I was busy," he said softly.
"Stop lying, bastard!" Moraine snapped.
She stomped hard on his foot.
Neo winced internally as pain shot up his leg, but he somehow managed to keep his smile steady.
That was when he noticed Paul staring at him.
The look was... unpleasant.
’Wow. He’s looking at me like I’m literal trash.’
"Mother," Paul said, turning to Elizabeth and pointing at Neo and Moraine, who were still clinging to each other. "What is this?"
"Come to the house. I’ll explain everything there."
No one argued.
They returned to Elizabeth’s residence soon after.
Once inside, Elizabeth explained everything. About Morrigan. About Moraine. About the Supreme of Darkness.
About why things were the way they were.
And how they planned to proceed.
Neo listened carefully, his expression unreadable.
Throughout the entire explanation, Moraine refused to let go of him.
She clung to him like a koala that had finally found its tree again.
After so many years without being able to touch him, she had no intention of letting go now.
She could feel Elizabeth’s cold gaze on her.
She ignored it.
"I see," Paul said eventually, after everything was explained. He nodded once, then concluded, "In short, this guy is a piece of trash."
Neo’s mouth twitched.
Paul calmly poured tea and handed a cup to Persephone.
"My lady," he said politely, his tone gentle and respectful, unlike with what he used with Neo, "is the tea to your liking?"
"Yes. Thank you," Persephone replied with a smile.
Neo stared.
’Is this bastard hitting on my mom?’ he thought.
Paul glanced at him at that exact moment and smirked.
Neo rolled his eyes.
’Let’s see if you can maintain that attitude after meeting Hades.’
Neo looked forward to it. He could gang up on Paul with Hades.
The day went on quite well... or at least, that was what Neo would have liked to say.
In reality, it was chaos.


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