Chapter 264: Two Brothers

A great deal had happened along the way, and it had been quite a nightmare for Qiu Nuoya.

In the end, the Tamer’s Guild had relented, and Shangguan Wan’er had been granted permission to visit the paradise. However, getting to that point had been a trial in itself. The influential members of the capital’s Tamer’s Guild, whom Qiu Nuoya had barely even met, were already glaring at him. Meanwhile, Prince Lucien, who was absolutely devoted to Shangguan Wan’er, had thrown the weight of the royal family around to get his way.

Qiu Nuoya had certainly been through a lot.

Fortunately, they eventually discovered that the Elysium was actually a facility recognized by the royal family. In fact, it had originally been built under the orders of the first king himself, so the matter was finally settled without further trouble.

However, the relations with the capital’s Tamer’s Guild had become rather strained. Now, even arranging a supply of alcohol for Long had become difficult, much to Qiu Nuoya’s dismay. His wallet was going to take a bit of a hit.

And so, after all that chaos, the day of his promised meeting with Igor had finally arrived.

Their meeting place was in front of the fountain in the central square of the capital’s downtown area. Apparently, it was one of the capital’s popular tourist attractions, and the square was bustling with people.

"Whoa, there are so many people! I wonder if we’ll be able to find Igor..."

"We should be fine. Igor stands out quite a bit."

As a bear beastmen, Igor was a tall man. Naturally, there were far more beastmen in the royal capital than in a small rural town, but even among them, Igor stood a head taller than most people. That would probably make it easy for Qiu Nuoya and Viktor to spot him.

But what about Igor? With so many people crowding the square, finding them might be much harder for him.

Worried about that possibility, Qiu Nuoya scanned the area, hoping to spot Igor no matter which direction he came from.

Unfortunately, unlike Igor, Qiu Nuoya was shorter than most of the people walking by, so the crowds constantly blocked his view. He couldn’t see very far, and Viktor, who should have been his reliable backup, seemed far more interested in watching Qiu Nuoya than looking for Igor. He wasn’t likely to be much help.

Just as Qiu Nuoya was wondering what to do, he spotted two large men walking toward them from across the street. He narrowed his eyes, trying to get a better look at the familiar looking figure.

One of the men was carrying a small child in his arms. The child seemed very attached to him, clinging tightly around his neck. They looked like a father and child, Qiu Nuoya thought.

But when he looked more closely at the man’s face, he recognized someone he knew, leaving him utterly bewildered.

"That’s Igor."

Yes, the man carrying the child was Igor.

Yet Qiu Nuoya couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. The child was clinging to Igor as though they were inseparable.

Well, Qiu Nuoya had already heard that Igor had a child. If this was his daughter, then there was nothing strange about seeing them so close.

However, if this really was the child of the Igor who had said he hadn’t returned to the royal capital in ten years, then she was clearly far too young.

Unable to hide his confusion, Qiu Nuoya shifted his gaze to the other man walking beside the affectionate father and child.

And once again, he was left bewildered.

"There are two Igors..."

Indeed, the man standing beside the affectionate father and child, watching the little one with a somewhat concerned expression, was also Igor. Qiu Nuoya could hardly hide his confusion.

"Qiu Nuoya, what on earth are you..."

Viktor followed his gaze, but he seemed just as speechless. He could only stare blankly at the two Igors.

"Did Igor ever mention having a brother?"

"Not that I recall."

Igor was a talkative man, so Qiu Nuoya had heard plenty about his wife and child living in the royal capital. However, he had never once mentioned having a brother. And if the two men looked this much alike, could Igor actually have a twin?

Unable to tell which of the two was the Igor he knew, Qiu Nuoya carefully studied the trio. The Igor holding the child eventually noticed him and said something to the other man beside him. The Igor who wasn’t carrying the child then turned toward Qiu Nuoya and Viktor and waved at them with an awkward, slightly troubled expression.

As Qiu Nuoya and Viktor approached the two men, he noticed something that distinguished them. Although the two Igors looked remarkably alike, the one holding the child had several scars on his face and arms.

They didn’t look like fresh injuries. Rather, they seemed to be old wounds that had never healed completely, leaving permanent marks.

Since the Igor who traveled with Qiu Nuoya and the others had no such scars, Qiu Nuoya finally figured out that the man who wasn’t holding the child was the Igor he knew.

Even so, the two men really did look alike. Although Qiu Nuoya had finally found a way to tell them apart, he suspected he might still mix them up if he wasn’t careful.

"Igor, who is this person?"

"Um, well, how should I put this..."

While Igor continued to stumble over his words, the man who looked so much like him and was holding the child smiled and introduced himself.

"I’m Igor’s older brother, Ignis. Nice to meet you!"

His smile was practically identical to Igor’s, making Qiu Nuoya glance back and forth between the two men once again.

"Igor and Ignis. Even your names are almost identical!"

"Hahaha, yeah, you could say that."

It was Ignis who laughed, while Igor maintained his troubled expression the entire time.

What was going on? Did Igor have some kind of unresolved issue with his older brother?