Still No Peace

Lucas POV

After we headed inside, the wives went off to talk with each other and introduced Lisa to their 4 children, 3 of which were actually Terrence's. I then sat down and talked with Evan, bringing him up on everything that happened on my side while he gave me the news on his. he took up a new hobby of brewing alcohol on the side while his wife opened up a salon to work while the kids were at school. Eventually, Evan talked about some incidents that have been popping up here.

"...Lots of crazy shit have been happening over here too." He shrugged as he poured me a drink.

"Fruit beers have been a thing in my world for quite some time."

"Not that." He waved it off, "But funnily enough, theft has increased and there have been a lot of attacks. Even increase in organized crime groups."

"Is that why the knights have always been going out and about?"

"Yeah...I know you retired and all, but you should consider coming out of it for a bit."

"I-"

"I'm not forcing you, and this suggestion ain't even good." He cut me off as he finished his drink, "I think it's going to be handled eventually, we already took out the big guns."

"You'd think that when one threat is gone, you'd think it's gone forever...I guess...reality is often disappointing."

"That's the thing, Luke. You chop the head off one beast, and another one grows. Sure, we got rid of the big bad, but that left a vacuum. People are opportunistic, and when they see a gap in power, they fill it...often with crime and chaos. Chaos sounds fun sometimes, but...yeah...besides, it's not like everyone is not trying, but it's a mess. Corruption runs deep in some places, and let's not even get started on the tensions with the demons."

"Demons...? Oh? The survivors."

"The surviving demons are isolated on their continent. With all their strongest warriors gone, they've got no way to defend themselves. It's like leaving a defenseless village surrounded by wolves. Humans see an opportunity to expand, to take resources, to push their agendas. Some of the kingdoms are already treating them like dirt, raiding their lands, enslaving them."

"What the...? Does the government know?"

"If I do, how would they not?" he shrugged, "The demons are powerless now, but resentment builds over generations. If humans keep pushing them, and treating them like this, it's only a matter of time before they retaliate. Maybe not in our lifetimes, but give it a century or two. History has a way of repeating itself."

"...You ever want to get your magic back? There's a chance that there's an artifact somewhere out there that can fix you."

"There probably is, but I'm content with what I've got. I have 4 kids, a loving wife, and lots of money...I don't need magic to be happy. I'm only going to get richer once I get my alchemy certification."

"You plan on having more?"

"I got 4 already, I don't want anymore. What about you?"

"We are trying. Harper suggested adopting Lisa the other day too."

"What's stopping you?"

"The age. I'm 24 and Harper's 23. Lisa is 7. I'm more of an older brother."

"Ramona is also 26, and in this world, people marry at 15." He pointed out.

"It's still weird. Like I'm not against adopting Lisa or whatever, but we've only known her for 6 months, so it's a bit fast. She's still calling me Mr. Lucas. Luke or Lucas is still a no-go for her, it'll be a bit forceful to suddenly be her dad."

"You've grown."

"You're only 29, don't like an old man."

"We should call Riley over and have a small reunion." He suggested and took out a call crystal.

"She's probably busy, we shouldn't bother her. Besides, these call crystals are still very expensive to use for something that'll last about 20 seconds."

"What else are you here to do?"

"Meeting Mona's parents. I'll do that in a few days."

*****

The next day was lovely as our families hung out together the whole day. And we ate out for dinner at a nearby diner that was quite overcrowded, making us speak louder than usual to just be able to hear each other. Everything felt calm until I caught the hushed voices of soldiers at a nearby table. Having enhanced senses can truly be a burden sometimes.

"Did you hear about the Famus raid?" one of them asked.

"Yeah, complete disaster," another replied, shaking his head, "They underestimated the group. Famus isn't just some back-alley gang. They're ex-soldiers, mages who fought on the frontlines. That's not something a few former reserves can handle."

"Especially not with the heroes out of commission, what are we supposed to do? Jacob's death has them scrambling, and the Lifegiver's retired now. That's two heroes gone. The rest? They're busy or scattered. How're we supposed to keep up when the strongest are out of the picture?"

Famus. I'd heard the name before. They are a very rich criminal organization that specializes in trades, using money to acquire the best of the best. Even though slavery should be banned and eliminated by now, they filled the empty vacuum and rose to the top through that. The fact that they were made up of former soldiers, mages who'd fought alongside us in the war, made it worse.

The soldiers were right too, with Jacob gone and me out of action, that left only 8 active heroes. The reserves were trying their best, they're now the main forces as the stronger ones are resting after receiving injuries that couldn't be healed during the war. Some made money by joining these organizations like Famus. These newer soldiers...they were just bodies being thrown at a problem they couldn't handle.

Retirement had felt like the right choice after everything we'd been through. I'd wanted peace, a chance to build a quiet life with Ramona and Harper. The heroes couldn't be everywhere at once, but if Famus was as dangerous as they sounded, someone had to step in.

"...Seems like I might have to come out of retirement sooner than I thought."

"What?" Evan exclaimed, "I was kidding."

"Help me tomorrow, I'll just need 3 days to have this handled."

"3 days? You're a healer."

"There's a lot of overpowered healer characters nowadays, I'm just one of them."

*****

"Hey, are you sure?" Mona asked once we got back to our room.

"Yeah. As much as I hate this life...it seems that I'm needed, so I'll just go and handle it."

"That's exactly what you said when we first met." she giggled, "Just in a different tone."

"I remembered that you didn't like me at all."

*****

*Flashback*

Lucas POV

The Northern Peak Kingdom, I couldn't help but admire the snow. The cold had a way of waking you up, making you feel alive. And the beer...let's just say it put the ones from home to shame, mana-rich ingredients really do help the taste...not that I know what the taste of beer is back home, and...well, the women were undeniably beautiful.

They asked me to volunteer at a school to boost morale. A hero showing magic tricks to kids. It wasn't exactly my idea of a good use of time, but I went. I figured if it made them happy, it wouldn't kill me to indulge them for a day.

The school was cozy, the kind of place that felt like it had seen generations of children come and go. The kids were wide-eyed and full of questions. I remember conjuring a simple flame in my hand, making it dance between my fingers. They clapped and cheered, their excitement infectious. For a moment, it almost made me forget why I was there in the first place.

I then turned to see this hot blonde teacher in the corner of the room, clearly with a displeased expression as I tried to flirt with her earlier.

*****

When the demonstration was over, she pulled me aside into an empty hallway.

"You've got some nerve," she said, "Flirting with a teacher on a volunteering mission? A hero stooping that low? Are you sure that you're not a fraud, you silver-haired goblin?"

"Flirting? I was just being friendly." I said as I leaned against the wall, "I don't see beautiful girls like you everyday."

"Friendly or not, it's inappropriate. I can't believe someone who's supposed to be a hero would act like this."

"...A hero, huh? You think I like being called that?"

"If you hate it so much, why don't you quit then?"

"Yeah. As much as I hate this life...it seems that I'm needed, so I'll just go and handle it."

"You're impossible."

"Impossible? I stopped flirting the moment you rejected me."

"You-"

"Lucas!" a voice called, "There's been an attack!"