Rise of the Lustful Evil Monarch (Re)

Chapter 610: Aurelia’s Decision

Third Person’s POV

Both families had forced themselves to leave behind the safety and familiarity of Dark North City and ventured into dangerous territories filled with unknown magical beasts, ruthless adventurers, and lawless regions where they possessed neither allies, influence, nor any established roots.

They searched countless towns, cities, villages, and hidden settlements.

They questioned merchants, mercenary groups, wandering mages, caravans, and even the underground criminal network in the hope that someone might have seen a young boy matching Ethan’s description.

Every insignificant rumor was investigated, and every vague clue was pursued with desperate determination.

Yet despite all those years of searching and all the dangers they willingly endured, they failed to uncover even the faintest trace pointing toward Ethan’s whereabouts.

Gradually, reality began wearing down everyone’s determination, and hope slowly faded from the hearts of both families.

One after another, people reluctantly returned to their territories surrounding Dark North City and accepted what they believed to be the cruel truth.

To them, Ethan Mistborn had become someone who belonged only to memories and had existed like an unreal dream that would never become reality.

However, two people refused to surrender to despair.

One of them was Aurelia, and the other was Ethan’s own mother, Eleanor.

Neither of them allowed the final spark of hope inside their hearts to die.

Instead of grieving endlessly, the two women repeatedly analyzed every detail surrounding Ethan’s disappearance.

Together, they sought the opinions of trusted scholars, experienced mages, spatial experts, and anyone capable of offering even the smallest explanation regarding what had happened during Ethan’s Awakening Ceremony.

They didn’t hide the truth of the unusual events all those years ago, as every detail counted if they wanted to know the truth.

Whenever they found a new theory, they carefully examined it before comparing it with every known fact surrounding that mysterious day.

Years of investigation eventually led both of them toward a conclusion that Ethan had not died.

He had most likely been teleported somewhere unimaginably far away from Dark North City.

The more they studied the strange spatial disturbances surrounding his disappearance, the more convinced they became that the teleportation might not have been limited to a single domain or even a single region.

It was entirely possible that Ethan had been transported across one of the great regional boundaries that divided the Dark Star Continent.

That realization had filled both of them with equal parts hope and despair, as crossing a regional boundary was no simple journey.

It was regarded as one of the most dangerous undertakings on the continent for the common folk or small families and powers like theirs.

The regions themselves were separated by unimaginably vast stretches of forbidden lands, ancient mountain ranges, magical wastelands, monster territories, and countless natural dangers capable of swallowing even powerful mages whole.

It was said that even many Sky Realm experts were not guaranteed to survive such a journey if they travelled alone.

Only individuals possessing actual strength, good combat experience, powerful magical artifacts, and enough luck could hope to cross those boundaries safely.

Because of that, inter-regional travel was rarely attempted by individuals.

Instead, enormous caravans composed of powerful mages, warriors, aura masters, healers, mercenaries, and experienced guides travelled together.

They relied upon the collective strength of tens or hundreds of experts to survive the countless dangers lurking between the regions.

Unfortunately, neither the Stormborne Family nor the Mistborn Family possessed enough strength, influence, or resources to organize such an expedition.

Compared to the truly great powers of the continent, they remained insignificant even to this day.

It was precisely because of this realization that both Eleanor and Aurelia had chosen to remain within the New Moon Magic Academy.

They devoted themselves completely to cultivation and study, believing that only by becoming stronger could they one day travel beyond the Northern Glacial Region and continue searching for Ethan with their own hands.

But now, fate had suddenly thrown before Aurelia a possibility so unbelievable that even she found it difficult to accept.

A mysterious young man possessing long violet hair astonishingly similar to Eleanor’s, and rare crimson eyes that matched the description she had never forgotten.

Everything seemed to point toward Ethan, yet Aurelia couldn’t bring herself to believe it completely, as she knew Eleanor better than almost anyone.

She also knew that after today’s class, Eleanor would inevitably ask her about the conflict involving Sharon that led to her getting so furious and storming off in anger.

She would also ask this as Sharon came from a powerful family of the Ice Emperor City and her background was countless times stronger than their family’s.

And knowing her bitchy personality and black heart, Eleanor obviously worried about Aurelia’s safety from the underhanded and vile means that Sharon could use against Aurelia.

But there was no way that Eleanor could possibly imagine that Aurelia’s strange behavior had been caused by the appearance of someone who might actually be her long-lost son.

Even though every instinct inside Aurelia urged her to tell Eleanor immediately.

This urge was so bad that it had filled her chest with such an irrepressible emotion that it was bordering on a headache and chest pain.

But another voice inside her head constantly warned her to remain cautious.

What if it truly was nothing more than an impossible coincidence?

Although such a combination of physical features was almost unheard of apart from Ethan, the world itself was unimaginably vast.

These nine painful years had taught both of them that reality often refused to follow logic or hope.

Furthermore, according to every conclusion they had reached after years of investigation, Ethan should not have been anywhere near the Northern Glacial Region.

His sudden appearance here alone contradicted nearly every theory they had painstakingly developed.

And there was another problem.

The mysterious young man had reportedly joined the famous Crystal Formation Batch.

Someone not even twenty years old becoming a rank three Crystal Formation expert and such a powerful one to boot sounded so absurd that it bordered on fantasy.