Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground

Chapter 1473  Next Move

Atticus and the others appeared in the middle of a ruined square in a flash of light.

'Only a few.'

Atticus scanned the entire territory and beyond for any signs of threats. Though he'd escaped Raziel's territory, he wasn't taking any chances. There were only a few stragglers around.

"What the hell was that?"

Atticus felt the heavy glare of the princess and inwardly sighed.

'Of course.'

Though he'd just met the girl, he somehow knew how she'd react.

"It's a perk of being a lord. I can teleport to my territory anytime I like."

"You know that's not what I'm talking about!" she said, pointing toward the weary Magnus. "You were about to abandon him."

Atticus froze. The temperature spiked as his eyes burned red. But the princess didn't back down.

"Did I lie?"

"…."

Atticus' teeth were clenched hard as he silently gazed at the petite princess for what felt like a decade.

'No.'

It wasn't a lie. It was the absolute truth. He'd been about to abandon Magnus.

'Logoth is dangerous… no, it's not it… it's me.'

He wasn't going to give excuses for his actions. He should be the one to control Logoth, not the other way around. His actions were his own, no one else's.

'But…'

The last thing he wanted was a stranger stating the obvious.

"That's enough."

Atticus turned toward Magnus, and his guilt grew. The man was battered with wounds, and he seemed scarcely able to stand.

Why hadn't he healed his wounds yet!?

Atticus waved his arm and mana flooded Magnus. His wounds were healed at an inhuman speed, and his body regained its vigor.

Atticus stared at Magnus with a hardened look.

"Grandpa…"

"It's fine."

Magnus smiled reassuringly and nodded at him, however, there was no deceiving Atticus.

'He feels guilty… about what?'

Magnus' clenched fist was enough indication, but Atticus could feel Magnus' emotions even without the signs.

Still, Atticus couldn't understand why Magnus would feel guilty. If anything, he'd been the one who was about to abandon him for a chance to kill Raziel.

'…I see.'

As he recalled the kind of person his grandfather was, he realized why.

'He thinks he's holding me back.'

"Tsk. You should learn to hold your grandson accountable for his actions!" the princess huffed. "Smack him once or twice to teach him a lesson."

"I apologize for her…" Kiara bowed to Atticus and Magnus. "She's just angry she wasn't able to participate in the fight."

"Kiara!"

"Please pardon her!"

As she bowed lower, Atticus couldn't help but exchange an uneasy glance with Magnus.

"It's fine."

"…okay."

It was only after they both nodded that Kiara rose.

"I thought I told you not to bow down to anyone again."

"It is necessary to apologize when we're wrong, my lady."

"But I only stated the facts!"

"We're always in the wrong when we don't mind our business."

"Still… then shouldn't I be the one apologizing?"

"Would my lady apologize?"

The princess' expression twisted as though her subordinate had just spoken blasphemy.

"I thought so."

"Hmph!" The princess flicked her hair and glared at Atticus. "Even though… I wouldn't have to interfere if he'd acted properly."

Kiara sighed, then started to bow again.

"I apolog—"

"Alright! I take it back, I take it back!" The princess quickly said, flapping her arms like a petulant bird.

Atticus and Magnus cleared their throats. This pair was something else.

'At least they lessen the tension.' He thought, then turned to Magnus with a sigh.

"I'm sorry, Grandpa. I lost control of my senses for a bit."

Magnus blinked, taken aback, but nodded with a small smile. Atticus abruptly embraced him.

"And you're not a burden. You're my grandfather. Family. Don't forget that."

Magnus' eyes slowly widened. He clenched his fist harder, then let it fall. "…alright."

Atticus smiled. "I'll be back."

Vanishing, Atticus appeared across the expansive city, killing all the straggler gods present. Considering who he'd just fought, killing them was swift and quick.

It was only after he confirmed that there was no one in the territory aside from them that he returned.

"What now?" Magnus asked as Atticus landed in the middle of the square.

"I say we march over to that bastard and pummel him until he begs to die!"

"I apo—"

"K-Kiara!"

"We leave."

Eyes turned toward Atticus, who met their gaze calmly.

"The hell do you mean leave? You mean run away!?"

"Yes."

"Hell—"

"My lady."

Kiara held back the princess, who huffed and crossed her arms in indignation.

"I don't expect you to understand." Atticus said, "In fact, you don't have to come with us, but I am grateful for all your help so far, so I'm offering you a chance to move with us."

The princess opened her mouth to speak, but Kiara's threatening look made her fall silent. "But we're at a disadvantage," Atticus continued, staring at the princess. "We don't only have ourselves to think about, we have our companions too. We need to ascend."

During his brief moment alone, Atticus had reflected and weighed his options carefully.

Staying in the Baron layer and gathering territories would be beneficial for when he ascended, but that would increase his chances of meeting Raziel.

He was confident in being able to kill Raziel if given the chance to go all out, but with Magnus present, he could never have that chance.

'It'll be different when we meet again.'

In the viscount layer, the difference in will strength would be glaring. One was either stronger or weaker, and Atticus had every intention of being stronger.

After that, with Kiara's persuasion, the princess eventually agreed to ascend.

She huffed, tossed her chin up, and muttered, "Fine. I'll go, only so I can show you how a real god fights."

 Luckily, after killing the gods that came after Atticus earlier, the number of minor worlds under her had gone above fifty.

Eventually, they gathered in the middle of the square and stared up at the sky as a blinding glow engulfed them.