Evolution begins with an ant colony

In the snowy forest, now covered in the blood of the scattered corpses of the fallen guards and adventurers, Oliver, having quickly ended them all, moved skillfully trough the corpses. He knelt beside the lifeless bodies, his eyes scanning the lower halves of the bodies for any signs of valuable belongings.

With a soft touch, Oliver extracted the gold pouches from the belts of the corpses, his face wearing a sly smile. The satisfying jingle of the stolen gold seemed to please him, and he muttered to himself, "Now, this is a good haul."

Leona, a few steps away, observed Oliver’s actions with a hint of impatience. She called out to him, her voice cutting through the quiet aftermath of the skirmish. "Oliver, we should be on our way."

As Leona’s voice reached him, Oliver pocketed the acquired gold pouches, his grin lingering. "Right, right," he replied, rising to his feet. With a final glance at the spoils of his quick looting, he joined Leona.

Hestria, standing at a distance, gazed at the bloody scene with a mix of awe and fear. Inwardly, she mused about the encounter Leona and Oliver would have with the Leonheart Empire. "The Leonheart Empire doesn’t stand a chance against Oliver and Leona. The strength they both wield is something not even the best of our mages would be able to put down. @@novelbin@@

Once we finally arrive at the capital, I will have to tell the king to consider following them without resisting."

She frowned slightly, realizing how impossible what she thought was. She mused further, "After all, there is no other choice. If we try to fight back," she gazed at the forest that was now bathed in blood and human entrails, "then they will resort to using force to complete their mission. After all, their king told them they could do so if necessary."

As the remnants of the encounter lingered in the air, Leona turned to Oliver with a serious expression. "Oliver, I think it’s time we speed things up. We need to reach the capital of the Leonheart Empire as soon as possible."

Oliver, his gaze still assessing the rewards of his recent target practice, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you’re right. The sooner we get there, the better."

Leona then directed her attention to Hestria, who stood at a slight distance. "Hestria, I’m going to carry you again. We need to quicken our pace."

Hestria paused for a moment, her eyes reflecting a mix of uncertainty and readiness. She looked at Oliver, then back to Leona, before finally nodding in agreement. "Alright, let’s go."

With that, Leona slowly lifted Hestria onto her back. The trio formed a cohesive unit, and without further delay, Leona and Oliver propelled themselves forward, ready to make it through the snowy landscape and reach the royal capital of the Leonheart Empire.

As Leona and Oliver sped through the snowy landscape towards the royal capital, their figures blurred with speed as they moved. The gusts of wind whistled around them, creating a trail of snowflakes in their wake.

Back in the godforsaken forest, Akun had concluded his meeting with the dragon princess. Gedion informed him about the setbacks caused by her interference in the construction plans. Akun, however, decided to let things slide, knowing that she was already enslaved and bound to be by his side.

Beyond the ant city, in a forest by a lake, Akun decided to take a leisurely stroll with Kaldarix, Mellin, Chrono Nexus, and Genreia. The midday sun hung overhead, casting dappled shadows through the thick forest as they casually strolled through the woods.

Genreia couldn’t shake an awkward feeling about the situation, especially with the goddess of time, Chrono Nexus, staring daggers at her. It felt as if Chrono Nexus harbored a desire to end her life, leaving Genreia in confusion and fear. "What did I ever do to her?" Genreia mused, confused by the godly wrath directed at her.

Genreia, puzzled by the goddess’s anger, decided to handle into the matter later. She planned to ask the dragon god, Akun, about his reluctance to have a partner by his side. Stepping forward, she addressed him with respect, "My liege, may you please enlighten me as to the reason you have not decided to start a family of your own? Enjoy new stories from NovelBin.Côm

You are powerful, capable, and, from what I’ve seen, considerate and kind. You would make an excellent father, so why?"

Chrono Nexus, no longer fixated on Genreia, redirected her soft gaze at Akun, sharing the curiosity about his behavior.

Akun smiled, paused for a moment, then chuckled. He mumbled, "I want to be there for my kids all the time." His expression hinted at a deeper sentiment behind those words, leaving Genreia and Chrono Nexus to ponder the true meaning of his choice.

Akun’s response hung in the air, leaving the four companions behind him muttering in confusion, exchanging puzzled glances.

As the perplexed atmosphere lingered, Akun chuckled knowingly. He anticipated their lack of understanding and decided to elaborate, "Well, what I mean is, I want my children to always have their father around whenever they need something."

Mellin, slightly curious and still confused, pointed out, "But, master, I could take care of your children in your absence."

Akun clarified his stance, "I don’t want that. I want to always be the one there for the people I love. Not to be at some random meeting or fighting an enemy when my loved ones silently need me. That’s not the kind of father I want to become.

But, given the current state of things, I can’t be such a father, so I won’t be starting a family until I know I can always be there for my loved ones." Akun revealed his reasoning, expressing a deep desire to avoid the detachment he experienced in his own youth.

Shedding light on Akun’s past, In his teens, his parents were always traveling on business trips. They couldn’t always be there for his, even when he needed them the most—when he was bullied and down. He doesn’t want such a life for his kids, realizing how painful it actually was.