As Riku greeted each of his companions, he noticed Couronne running over, her face full of joy. Seeing this, he couldn't help but smile.
"Riku, I'm so glad you're safe!" Couronne squeezed through the crowd and hugged Riku tightly, her eyes shining with tears as she spoke excitedly.
Trust was one thing, but how could she not be worried? After all, humans were fragile. If one acted alone, even encountering the lowest-class demonic creature would be fatal.
"I'm fine, see? By the way, I brought the telescope." Riku patted Couronne's back and spoke gently.
"Mm!" Hearing this, Couronne let go of Riku and admired the item in his hand with delight.
With this thing, humans would be much safer. They could now be warned ahead of time.
The others were also delighted at the sight of the telescope. As long as they could adapt it so it didn't require elven magic to operate, they wouldn't need to live in constant fear anymore.
As long as they could spot other races from a distance and plan accordingly, everything would be fine.
"Couronne, I have something important to talk to you about. Come with me." After scanning everyone's faces, Riku shook his head slightly and finally looked at Couronne, speaking seriously.
"Mm? All right." Hearing this, Couronne was stunned for a moment, but then nodded seriously.
Afterwards, the two of them walked side by side toward Riku's room. The others watched with teasing, knowing looks.
"Riku, did you discover anything else important while you were out?" Once they entered the room, Couronne asked immediately.
"Mm." Riku looked Couronne in the eyes, nodded, and then said slowly, "While I was out, for certain reasons, I became stronger."
As he spoke, Riku picked up a small knife from the table and snapped it in half with his hand.
"—!" Seeing this, Couronne froze. That kind of strength was only possible for other races. How could a human break a blade with their bare hands?
Quickly, Couronne grabbed Riku's hand, checked it for any injuries, and when she saw there was none, her face changed, showing shock and confusion.
If she hadn't known Riku for so long and hadn't been familiar with everything about him, she might have thought he'd been replaced by someone from another race.
"Just how strong are you now, Riku?" After a few minutes of silence, Couronne finally managed to hold back the urge to ask what had happened to Riku and instead asked, "Is it possible for other humans to become stronger too?"
"Probably a bit stronger than a Flügel." Riku thought for a while and finally answered. "As for the others, I haven't helped anyone else become stronger yet."
"I see... Riku, I can't believe you've become so strong. That's really great." Couronne said, a little disappointed but still genuinely happy. "Actually, there's something else I want to talk to you about." Riku touched his face, hesitated, but finally spoke up.
Whether it was about his strength or other matters, these things couldn't be hidden. It was better to say them sooner, to give Couronne and the rest of humanity some mental preparation.
"What is it?" Couronne asked curiously.
"Actually, I got married." Riku said with an apologetic smile.
"What!" Upon hearing this, Couronne froze, blurting out in surprise.
"Married? To whom?" Couronne asked anxiously, feeling a little down.
"To Fia, the werebeast princess." Riku said slowly.
"Werebeast... princess...?" Couronne was stunned, muttering to herself, her face full of disbelief.
She had thought Riku might have married someone from another human tribe, but never imagined it would be a werebeast. A human marrying a werebeast, there was simply no precedent for such a thing.
"No wonder you smell like a woman... I see. I just didn't expect it to be the werebeast princess. This really confuses me." Couronne held her forehead, her face complicated.
"Uh..." Hearing this, Riku was a little embarrassed. He had bathed after sleeping with Fia, but Couronne still noticed.
"Don't underestimate a woman's sense of smell and intuition, idiot." Couronne glared at Riku, annoyed.
"Sorry, sorry. Part of it is that I like Fia, but the other reason is to form an alliance with the werebeasts." Riku explained awkwardly.
"Forming an alliance with the werebeasts? They actually agreed? And married off their princess to you? That's not like the werebeasts at all." Couronne frowned. Other races always considered themselves superior, why would they care about humans?
"I beat Fia, so they accepted it. Besides, for the future of both races, Fia has staked the werebeasts on me. So in this alliance, I'm in the dominant position." Riku explained seriously.
"Hehe, in that case, I suddenly want to meet my new sister-in-law." Hearing this, Couronne was silent for a moment, then smiled. "She really has good taste, able to see your potential and charm at a glance."
But even though Couronne was smiling, in reality, her eyes were a mix of bitterness, happiness, and relief.
"Couronne, I'll fulfil the promise I made before I left, so don't overthink it." Riku naturally noticed Couronne's feelings, so he declared his scumbag statement right away.