Hi guys, author here!Please share your thoughts in the comments and reviews. And if you like it, don't forget to drop some stones — they're a great motivator!
--------------------
The first thing Sekke felt after returning was warmth — both from the embrace and the tears soaking into his shoulder.Sekke and his mother, Elaine, held each other for quite some time.
Growl!!
The touching reunion broke as a loud roar echoed from Sekke's stomach.
"...Is there something to eat?" Sekke asked, slowly breaking the hug.
Elaine smiled, though tears still glimmered in her eyes. She took a step back and examined him closely — and then blinked in disbelief.
She grabbed his face. Turned it left. Then right.Her eyes widened further as she pressed a finger into his sunken belly.Finally, she sniffed him.
He smelled like six years of disaster.
"What happened to my baby?! Have you not eaten for a year?" she cried.
"Six, to be precise," Sekke replied dryly.
"Come in! Go have a bath. I'll fix something up real quick," Elaine said, pulling him inside.
"Eh, I'd rather eat first," Sekke complained.
"You are not entering the dining room looking and smelling like that. Go take a bath." Elaine folded her arms, her tone commanding.
To Sekke, she looked adorable rather than intimidating.
"I am the Dark Lord. You cannot order me around," Sekke said with a playful grin.
Elaine blinked in surprise, then smiled brightly — those words reminded her that her son truly was back.
"I am the Dark Lord's mother. I can order you. Now go."
Sekke chuckled and shuffled toward the bathroom.
--------------------
After a long, much-needed bath, Sekke stepped out, hair damp and clothes hanging loose on his thinner frame.
"I need to get ripped again soon," he muttered at his reflection.
He headed toward the dining room, where Elaine was placing dishes on the table. He smiled fondly at her back.
"This heavenly-looking food... as expected of my King's mother!" exclaimed Exodia inside his mind.
"Pardon my manners," Sekke muttered, almost like a prayer, before launching at the food like a predator.
He stuffed his mouth to capacity and swallowed it all in one go.
"Slow down~ No one's going to take it from you~" Elaine said playfully, enjoying the sight of her son devouring the food she had made.
"They can try! I'll eat them too!" Sekke declared between bites.
Ten minutes later
Sekke sat on the sofa with a blissful expression and a slightly bulging belly.
"I really missed you… and your cooking," he said contentedly.
"Aww, my baby. But you missed something else too," Elaine said, patting his head lovingly.
"What?" Sekke asked.
Elaine smiled mischievously and left the room. When she returned, she was holding two small bundles in her arms.
"Se-chan became a big brother," she said proudly.
Sekke blinked. "Wait... weren't you already pregnant before I got trapped there? Did you get pregnant again?"
"What are you talking about? Here, hold them," Elaine said, handing the babies to Sekke.
He carefully took them — identical twins with soft golden hair and flawless fair skin. They were asleep, peaceful and perfect.
"I got pregnant before you left, and these two came out just a few weeks ago," Elaine explained.
"…You were pregnant for six years?" Sekke asked flatly.
"Six years? No." Elaine frowned.
The two stared at each other in silence.
'Something ain't right here,' said Exodia.'Maybe time flows differently in both worlds,' Vritra suggested.
"Mom, how long was I gone?" Sekke asked.
"Hm... the last time I saw you was during the elf invasion. So, about six months," Elaine replied.
"...Damn. I got old," Sekke muttered.
"Why?" Elaine asked softly.
"The place I was stuck in... I spent a little over six years there," Sekke said with a small, weary smile.
Elaine's heart clenched. Her son had endured far more than she imagined. She was about to hug him again — but a sudden giggle interrupted.
"Gaagoo~" "Bababa~"
The babies had woken up, smiling brightly at Sekke.
He smiled back. "Aww, such cuties. I'm your big brother — the great Dark Lord Sekke," he said proudly, placing them gently on the sofa.
The babies' smiles widened, and Sekke chuckled as he poked their chubby cheeks.
"What are their names?" he asked.
"We haven't decided yet," Elaine replied.
Before they could continue, a loud voice boomed from the door.
"Bah ha! I'm back!"
A man with matching blonde hair stepped inside. "Who is this man playing with my cuties?!?!" roared Zuk, Sekke's father.
Elaine opened her mouth to explain, but Sekke stood up, holding both babies like trophies. "I have been ordered to steal these kids away!"
"Bah ha!!! Who dares take them?! I'll beat you to a pulp!" Zuk shouted, his grimoire already floating beside him.
"You sure you want to attack?" Sekke asked calmly, raising the babies like shields.
"Bah ha!! Y-you coward!" Zuk stuttered, lowering his hand.
"Kyaa~" "Kuu~" the babies giggled.
"My babies!!!" Zuk lunged forward to grab them, certain he could knock out the kidnapper easily.
Sekke simply gathered mana in his mouth and blew it at Zuk, sending him skidding back.
"B-Bah ha?!" Zuk yelped, surprised by the strength.
"Is this how you save your family? Man, you've slacked off too much, old man," Sekke scolded.
"Huh?" Zuk blinked in confusion. "Why am I being scolded by some random kidnapper?!"
"Uwaa!!!"The twins began crying from the sudden noise.
"Ah! Sorry, sorry, big brother wasn't scolding you!" Sekke said in a panic.
"What is going on here?" Zuk finally asked.
"Dear… Sekke's back," Elaine said softly, helping him stand.
Zuk froze. His gaze locked on Sekke. Then—
"BAH HA!!! This scrawny man is Sekke?! I don't believe it! Say 'Bah ha' proudly!"
"I won't. That's beneath the Dark Lord," Sekke replied.
"S–Sekke, my dear son!!!" Zuk shouted joyfully, running forward to hug him.
Sekke dodged. "Oi! Can't you see I'm holding the kids?"
Zuk laughed, eyes wet, and Sekke smiled back. After setting the twins down, the two finally shared a tight hug.
"When did you grow this beard? And what's with your body?" Zuk asked, inspecting his son.
"Things happen when you're stranded for six years," Sekke replied, explaining the time difference.
"You really do sacrifice yourself without thinking, bah ha," Zuk sighed.
"What can I say? The world seems to need the Dark Lord's help from time to time," Sekke said proudly.
"That reminds me — the town now has a statue of you, in remembrance of your sacrifice during the elf invasion," Zuk said. "But never mind that. Take care of yourself, bah ha. You have two little ones to protect now."
"Haha, don't worry. I'll make sure they grow up nicely," Sekke said, smiling.
"We still need to name them," Elaine added.
Sekke looked at the twins. One boy, one girl.
"Should I suggest something?" he asked.
"Hm? No, that's our job. We made th— OW!" Zuk was promptly smacked by Elaine.
"Don't say that in front of Se-chan and the babies!" she scolded.
"Se-chan, what do you have in mind?" she asked.
"You sure? You two made them, after all," Sekke said with a grin, earning Zuk another smack.
"J-Just tell us," Elaine said quickly.
"Alright. The boy can be Arthur, and the girl… Artoria," Sekke suggested.
"Arthur and Artoria…" Elaine blinked. "Surprisingly normal names."
"…It's great. Let's go with those — to celebrate you coming back to us," she said, smiling warmly.
Sekke looked down at the babies in his arms."Arthur… Artoria," he whispered softly, a warmth spreading through his chest.
"To be named by my King! I still remember when I got that honor!" Exodia bellowed proudly inside his head.
Sekke and Vritra collectively deadpanned.
"Where are you coming from at this time, Dad? Is mine work not going well?" Sekke asked.
"It's fine. I went to watch the Triumph Tournament, but the magic display suddenly stopped working, so I came back," Zuk said.
"Huh? Today was the Triumph Tournament? Man, I missed it! Now I'll have to wait ten more years," Sekke groaned.
"Don't worry, Se-chan. You'll be in the next one. Me, your dad, Arthur, and Artoria — we'll all come to cheer you," Elaine said, ruffling his hair.
Sekke smiled. After all the battles, this peace felt surreal.
But then—his expression hardened. His mana sense picked up something… wrong.
"Sekke?" Elaine asked as he handed her the babies.
Without a word, Sekke walked outside. His eyes narrowed.Smoke and fire rose from a nearby town.
"Not even one day back home and someone's already causing trouble," Sekke muttered, irritation lacing his tone.
He extended his mana sensing — multiple towns across the kingdom were under attack.
--------------------
Magic Tool Research Lab, Branch Zero – Clover Kingdom
Deep underground, the 27th Wizard King, Conrad Leto, stood over the defeated Black Bulls — Asta, Noelle, Finral, and Secre, who held the injured Sally.
"Memory Exchange Magic. It's distasteful, but it allowed me to find this location easily," Conrad said with a smirk.
'So he used Marx's magic…' Noelle thought grimly.
"I'll tell you one more thing," Conrad continued. Several floating displays appeared, each showing a town engulfed in flames.
"That's Legion Magic — it creates soldiers far stronger than any magic squad. And with the Imperial Sword Elsdocia, I can supply it with limitless mana! With these two—"
"Citizens of Clover Kingdom" came a calm but powerful voice from the magic display.
Conrad stopped explaining his plan to the magic knights and looked at the screen.
Asta and the other did the same and saw the announcement system magic display being activated and a figure of a frail man inside it.
"I am the Dark Lord, Sekke Bronzaza. Just like before please close your eyes on the count of three. One. Two. Three."
[Mana Zone: Bronze Age]
The air itself trembled.The giant soldiers of mana collapsed instantly.Their caster, Princia Funnybunny, was crushed to the ground under the overwhelming mana pressure.Flames turned to bronze and extinguished. The towering soldiers followed, disintegrating into raw mana.
"Yo, bad guys — can we do this some other time? I just got back, for f*ck's sake," Sekke said, clearly annoyed.
Conrad and the others stared in disbelief.
Asta blinked, then shouted, "SEKKE!!! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR MUSCLES?!"
"How is that important right now?!?!" yelled Noelle.