"You must be joking. Youâre married?" Anthony asked, as though he couldnât believe his ears.
"Iâm over two hundred years old. Of course Iâm married, and I have kids too," Dale replied nonchalantly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Am I the only one hearing this right now?" Anthony asked as he turned to everyone in the room, but only he and Spectre seemed genuinely shocked.
As for Clement, he was covered in darkness, no one could make out his face, let alone his expression.
The rest of the team looked unsurprised, their reactions as bland as though they had always known.
"Whatâs there to be surprised about? With my age, itâs obvious I wouldnât be dating around like young people like you," Dale added with a shrug.
"Besides, Iâm not the only married one. Reynold also has four wives, with a few little baby Reynolds running around the Phoenix Domain," Dale casually revealed, his tone light but sincere.
Anthonyâs head slowly turned to Reynold, whose lips twitched uncomfortably at that moment.
"Donât suddenly tell me youâre married too," Anthony said as he turned toward Seraphim, eyes narrowing.
Seraphim simply chuckled, waving her hand in casual dismissal. "Iâm not married. Iâm not pausing my rise to power just for a dick."
Anthony stared at her, his expression skeptical, as though silently asking if she had a hidden child stashed away somewhere.
"I also donât have any kids. You can stop looking at me like that," Seraphim clarified with a smirk, reading his expression perfectly.
Anthony hadnât even bothered to ask Kingsley if he was married or had any children. There was no need. Thanks to the Authority of Information, he already knew all of Kingsleyâs secrets.
He had simply forgotten something important, that his teammates were the same age as him in technicality, but not in experience.
These people were over a century old. Even Kingsley, who looked like a youthful twenty-five-year-old, was also well over a hundred.
It made sense that they all had wives and children. Anthony had assumed they were single, mostly because of how Dale always talked about forming a harem of his own and how Reynold slept with every Phoenix who could open their legs for him to dive into.
"Forget about us. Tell us about your new girlfriend. Weâre married men, we can give you pointers," Reynold said with a grin, clearly eager to hear more.
Romulus sat comfortably on Anthonyâs head, amused by the entire exchange. He had assumed that the moment they entered the room, theyâd ask about him, since none of them had ever seen someone as majestic as him before.
He hadnât expected them to skip over him entirely and begin asking about Anthonyâs love life.
Still, he listened quietly, intrigued by their conversation.
Anthony sighed, realizing there was no escape. He decided to talk a little about Vega. There wasnât much to say yet, he was still getting to know her, but he figured he could share the basics.
Kingsley didnât speak. He just listened from the side. Although he had been with women before, they were fleeting moments, one-night stands, never anything serious. Like Anthony, he had been single since birth.
But unlike Anthony, Kingsley couldnât bring himself to start a new family and live happily after having wiped out his own bloodline with his own hands.
After speaking for a while, Anthony lifted his hand and used his illusion magic. A glowing silhouette formed in the air, gradually shaping into an image, an illusion of Vega.
The room fell into stunned silence for a moment.
None of them had ever seen someone so breathtakingly beautiful in their lives.
"Damn. She looks insanely beautiful. Matching eyes and hair, thatâs rare. Smoking hot, if I might say," Dale whistled as he spoke, eyes wide.
"Indeed," Reynold added from the side, nodding approvingly. "This kind of beauty is perfect for making exes jealous. Iâd pay magic crystals to witness your love-life drama."
Anthonyâs lips twitched. He had opened up about his girlfriend, even created a detailed illusion to show them her appearance, and all Reynold could talk about was his non-existent exes coming back to make trouble because he had such a fine new girlfriend.
It was a good thing he had none, not in this life, not in his former.
"I have to say, in terms of just facial features, you two are a perfect couple," Kingsley finally spoke, his tone unusually gentle.
He, too, was floored by Vegaâs beauty. He mightâve seemed emotionally distant, but he was still a man, not some emotionless automaton carved from grief.
"Indeed. Iâm kind of jealous. I never thought someone who could match Anthonyâs face actually existed," Seraphim added from the side, smiling.
As for Spectre and Clement, they both wore looks of mild surprise, not because Vega was beautiful, but because they recognized her.
They had seen her during their one year military training period. She had been like a tempest, tearing through every test the military had thrown her way. During the Baptism, she had held nothing back.
They had sensed her power then, raw, intense, nearly unbelievable. It was the kind of power they didnât think could exist outside of Anthonyâs influence.
Now, seeing Anthony saying that this same girl was his girlfriend, they couldnât help but smile to themselves.
âAs expected of him. He only goes for the best of the best and nothing less,â Spectre thought silently.
Although he had known Vega, he had never approached her. She was a beauty and a powerhouse. But he too was handsome and powerful. He hadnât fawned over her like the rest of the Corporal ranked soldiers on the floating island had.
âIt seems sheâs the new teammate Anthony was talking about,â Clement thought. But, true to his nature, he said nothing. He simply sat in silence, like a shadow that didnât belong.
And with that, even Seraphim began pressing Anthony for more details about Vega. She seemed very enthusiastic about meeting her in person, but her real motive wasnât what it appeared to be.
Seraphim simply wanted to know what kind of skincare products Vega used to maintain such flawless skin.
As for Dale and Reynold, although they couldnât have Vega, they were more than happy to feast their eyes and enjoy the view while it lasted.