'Thank the gods! Light finally! Actually... the gods don't deserve my thanks.'

The gods were the ones who sent me here to attempt to kill a God.

'Do they realize how insane that is?'

"How fortunate it is that you survived! I'm sorry about your mother, and I'm uncertain about your father's fate, but I refuse to let you die here. I will take you with me and do my best to raise you."

At that moment, I noticed several footsteps drawing near.

"It's time to move, Leon. The barrier I established near our refuge has picked up some unknown figures crossing it," a soft female voice announced.

"Mason, I need you to carve out a route back to the hideout while watching for threats. Engage only if it's completely safe. Keep me updated via Mana Frequencies," the voice named Leon instructed without hesitation.

Another voice quickly replied, "Aye yai captain."

'If I ever answered my superiors like that, my head would roll. Lucky bastard.'

"Elaine, you need to see this," Leon said, lifting me and standing up. Elaine gasped in surprise.

"A baby? How can this be? These lifeless bodies look like they've been left here for days, maybe even weeks."

"It's likely due to some preservation magic, Elaine. But I won't leave this child to face such a fate. We're taking him to our hideout and raising him as our own," Leon asserted as my eyes slowly adjusted to the bright lights blinding me.

"A son, huh? Are we going to be his parents? What name should we choose for him?" Elaine asked with a twinkle of happiness as I finally got a good look at the person holding me.