Page Title

486 A Father's Position and the Golden Medicine

 

 

 

"Oh, Father!"

 

Huh, her reaction is lighter than I imagined... It was a tearful reunion with Linze.

 

As soon as Linne saw me, she ran over. She circled around me, Elze, Sakura, and Sue, staring at us without reservation.

 

"W-what is it...?"

 

"Hmm, aside from Mother Sue, not much has changed. Everyone is just a little younger. How boring."

 

"Boring..."

 

"So, we haven't aged much? Should we be happy about that...?"

 

While we exchanged glances, Linne puffed her cheeks out in slight annoyance. What exactly did she imagine us to look like?

 

"Linne! I, I’ve changed, haven’t I? Am I an adult in the future!?"

 

"Huh? Yeah, you are an adult..."

 

Sue latched onto Linne's words. Well, of course, she'd be an adult in the future. She's had a child, after all.

 

"Does that mean future me is all 'boom, bam, boom'?"

 

"...Uh, yeah, maybe. Yeah, probably..."

 

"I see!"

 

She was definitely being considerate! Linne absolutely just tried to be considerate! I gently patted Linne's head as she slowly averted her gaze from Sue. You're a good kid... No doubt about it.

 

"I thought everyone would be more surprised to see me."

 

"Well, I met Elna first, and you're the fourth one I've seen. Kuhn and Frey are at the castle. Alice is in town too."

 

"Oh, Frey Onee-chan and Kuhn Onee-chan are here. Alice too? I'm surprised Asia Onee-chan isn't here."

 

Asia... That's Lou's daughter, right? Having so many of them here is hard on their father too.

 

As I forced a strained smile, Linne's stomach growled loudly.

 

"Mother, I'm hungry..."

 

"Huh? Oh, Linne, you haven't had lunch yet? Um... Is there anything you want to eat?"

 

"I want to eat Mother's homemade stuffed cabbage rolls! Big ones!"

 

When Lou went to Earth, she bought cookbooks from around the world. Thanks to her efforts, we can eat almost anything in Brunhild now. Linze often helps her, so she can make most dishes too.

 

"Stuffed cabbage rolls take time, so let's have them when we get back. For now, here, eat this."

 

I took a large rice ball out of my [Storage] and handed it to Linne.

 

"Wow! Thanks, Father! Itadakimaasu!"

 

Linne took a big bite out of the rice ball with gusto. She looks so happy eating it.

 

Linze picked off a grain of rice from Linne's cheek as she chewed. It's so heartwarming.

 

Seeing her, she looks like a mini Linze. They really do look like sisters.

 

"King, let's head back. Everyone's waiting."

 

"Oh, right."

 

Prompted by Sakura, I opened a [Gate] to Brunhild. I'll send an apology email to His Majesty the Beast King and Graatz later.

 

"Alright, let's all go back. Kuhn and Frey are surely waiting too—"

 

"Oh, Father. Our smartphones fell into the Gau River. Can you pick them up for us?"

 

"Oh, sure... I don't mind..."

 

"Thank you! Mother, let's go!"

 

Holding Linze's hand, Linne went through the [Gate]. Smiling wryly, Elze, Elna, Sue, and Sakura followed them.

 

"Well, I did plan to retrieve them anyway..."

 

I opened another [Gate] to the Gau River.

 

When I finally found the two smartphones at the riverbed and returned to the castle, the two new daughters were already sound asleep on their mothers' laps.

 

"Both of them fell asleep?"

 

"Yes. They must have been tired..."

 

"Of course. Even if it was just for two or three days, they were alone. They must have been anxious."

 

On different long sofas with a table in between, Elze and Linze gently stroked the hair of Elna and Linne, who slept soundly on their laps.

 

Elna and Linne had wallets and stayed at an inn, they said. Elna had a wallet, but Linne didn’t. I’m glad there weren’t any major problems.

 

"It's strange... Sitting here with a child I haven't even given birth to yet. It's not just their appearance; I truly feel like she's my daughter."

 

"Yes... A very precious... treasure, Onee-chan."

 

The two mothers smiled at each other.

 

"We should put them to bed. They might catch a cold. [Levitation]."

 

I used [Levitation] to gently float Elna and Linne a meter off the ground and carried them to the bedroom. Two children can share one bed.

 

"Touya-san, could you bring them to this room? We’d like to sleep together..."

 

Huh? Oh, sure. That room has a pretty big bed, so the four of them can sleep comfortably together. They’ll sleep in a line—no, it won’t be a line with four.

 

I laid Elna and Linne down on the large bed. They’ll sleep in their pajamas like this.

 

"Good night."

 

"Good night."

 

"Good night."

 

Smiling happily, I bid them good night and left the bedroom. Come to think of it, I’ve never slept with the children. As I thought about it, I closed the door.

 

◇◇◇

 

"Linne!"

 

"Alice!"

 

As soon as they ran towards each other, they started exchanging punches. They were laughing, so I think they were happy and having fun, but it was still nerve-wracking. What are you two doing in front of the castle gate? The gatekeepers were astonished...

 

"Hey, Touya!? What kind of education do you give your kids!?"

 

"You're the last person who should talk. Yours are just the same."

 

Ende, who had approached me, looked flustered, while Alice’s three mothers quietly watched their daughter.

 

"Oh my, they seem to be having fun."

 

"Hmm. Alice is about the same strength. Alice is cuter, though."

 

"I wholeheartedly agree."

 

Hold on, wait a minute. Of course, my child is cuter. Are your eyes blind? As I was about to protest, Ende grabbed me.

 

"T-they’ll be fine, right!? They won’t get hurt, will they?"

 

"They’ll be fine. If they do get hurt, we can heal them. Apparently, it was a daily occurrence in the future. They always trained together like this. Right, Elna?"

 

I turned to Elna, who I had brought along to meet Alice.

 

"Yeah. They always sparred together because their fighting styles were similar. And Ende-ojisan was always worried like that."

 

"Ende-ojisan..."

 

Ende seemed a bit shocked by being called "ojisan," and his movements stopped. Behind him, Mel and the others were stifling their laughter.

 

She’s your friend’s father, so calling him "ojisan" isn’t wrong. Alice calls me "Your Excellency," so that’s a relief.

 

As I breathed a sigh of relief, Elna tugged on my sleeve and we made eye contact.

 

"Father, I think it's about time to stop. Those two won't admit defeat, so it'll go on forever, right?"

 

"Oh, I see. 【Surround yourself with ice, great icicles, Ice Pillars】"

 

"Wa!?"

 

"Hya!?"

 

Ice pillars began to rise from the ground one after another around Linne and Alice, surrounding them. The two, their movements restricted, tried to break the pillars with their fists, but as soon as they shattered them, new ice pillars grew, and eventually, they gave up and raised their voices.

 

"Father! This is annoying!"

 

"That's enough. Aren't you going to look around the castle town? You'll run out of time to play."

 

"That's right..."

 

I'm glad they understood. I deactivate the 【Ice Pillar】 spell.

 

At the same time, Elze and Linze came from the direction of the castle.

 

"Mother"

 

"Mother!"

 

Elna and Linne ran towards their respective mothers.

 

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

 

"Sorry, sorry, we're a bit late."

 

Holding their daughters' hands, the two apologized to Alice and Mel. Today, everyone was going out together. Well, Ende and I would be staying behind.

 

Apparently, the mothers have a lot to talk about. Maybe it's because fathers are supposed to talk with other fathers?

 

"We'll be back by evening. Take care."

 

"See you later, Touya-san."

 

"See you later, Father."

 

"Father, see you later!"

 

"Let's go, Alice."

 

"Yeah! I want to eat a parfait!"

 

"Ende, please make kare for dinner."

 

"Katsu-kare... No, make it dragon kare."

 

They say three women make a scene, but with eight people including kids, it's quite something. Well, I'm quite used to it by now.

 

"Have a safe trip..."

 

At the castle gate, Ende and I see everyone off. Once they're out of sight, we both let out a sigh.

 

"Somehow... compared to mother, don't you think father is treated lightly?"

 

"Well, I get what you mean... but they're daughters, so it can't be helped, right? It's better than being disliked, I think."

 

We both feel a bit helpless, but we have to accept that's how it is. In the end, fathers can't compete with mothers.

 

"Anyway, I need to go home and start preparing the kare..."

 

"You're starting to sound very family man..."

 

Well, since I'm getting married, maybe it's not strange, but I thought that was more the wife's role.

 

"Touya, if you have any dragon meat, can you sell it to me? I don't want to go hunting for it."

 

"I do have some, but why don't you have any? You hunt dragons quite often, don't you?"

 

Despite everything, he's a gold-rank adventurer like me. He must have taken on requests for subjugating dragons, like earth dragons or flying dragons, several times.

 

"Hahaha. There's no way dragon meat lasts in my house. It's gone by the end of the day."

 

"Oh, I see..."

 

Letting out a dry laugh, Ende gazed into the distance. Those three eat more than Yae... I wonder what his household food expenses are like.

 

Feeling a bit sorry, I sold him the dragon meat at a bargain price.

 

After Ende left to look for ingredients for kare in the castle town, I decided to do my kingly duties.

 

I skipped my afternoon work yesterday to go to Mismede... Kousaka-san gave me a bit of a lecture.

 

I'm glad the kids were already asleep. It would have been bad for my dignity as a father. Not that I know if I even have any.

 

Since the kids arrived, I've been careful not to show any strange behavior. After all, I'm a king and a father. I wonder if my future self is struggling with the same thing...

 

◇ ◇ ◇

 

Three days later, such an event occurred.

 

"Aizengard?"

 

"Yes, it's in quite a turmoil. The loss of the Magic Artificer King as a pillar seems to have had a big impact."

 

I received such a report from Tsubaki-san, the head of the intelligence unit, in my office.

 

That country was built, for better or worse, by the one-man rule of the Magic Artificer King. Whether he had any noble intentions for the country is questionable, but it was true that the country prospered due to his technological prowess.

 

When the king, who could be called the brain of the country, fell, Aizengard had no successor. No, that cyborg geezer probably intended to live forever, so he wouldn't have made a successor.

 

When Aizengard was cut off from the continent due to the meteor shower that fell when the worlds merged, it became separated by sea from the Gardio Empire and the Lāze Martial Kingdom, with which it had been connected by land.

 

Fortunately or unfortunately, Aizengard did not have to worry about invasions from other countries and, like Yulong, split into several factions. Unlike Yulong, where people fought for the emperor's throne to unify the country, no one in Aizengard aimed for the Magic Artificer King's position.

 

Instead of unifying the country, Aizengard peacefully established several city-states, but when Yura summoned the Golden Giant Tree, it began to transform Aizengard's residents into variants.

 

We managed to bring the situation under control by erasing the giant tree, but the northern region of Aizengard, which saw many transformations, became severely chaotic.

 

"Amidst all this, a new town is being established at the base of the Sacred Tree, where the spirits gather. It's said to be free from the 'Kinka Disease,' as the locals call it..."

 

'Kinka Disease'? Ah, that's because the humans affected by the giant tree variants' spores die and grow a golden flower on their heads.

 

Certainly, the sacred tree has the power to purify, including the divine magic poison... but now that the evil god has been defeated, there's no need to worry, so it's meaningless.

 

“In light of this, it seems a medicine that supposedly prevents Kinka disease is circulating in the southern regions. It's said to be made from the crushed branches of the Sacred Tree and has purifying effects if taken regularly.”

 

“Crushed branches of the Sacred Tree? That's definitely a scam. The spirits living there would never allow such a thing.”

 

I wonder why it feels like these kinds of scams always emerge after a disaster. There must be many people trying to make money by preying on others' fears.

 

Could it be that since no more mutations are occurring, it’s harder to expose the medicine as fake?

 

“Spread the information in the southern regions of Aizengard that 'No one can harm the Sacred Tree protected by spirits.' That medicine is a scam. If no one buys it, the problem should subside.”

 

“Understood.”

 

It doesn't seem like people with grudges against me, like those during the Yulong and Sandra incidents, are plotting behind the scenes this time.

 

Well, in the case of Aizengard, the whole continent is in chaos after being freed from the oppression of the tyrannical rule of the Magic Artificer King, and it's in no state for such scheming.

 

As expected, security has worsened compared to before, and it seems there are more thieves and bandits. It's no wonder scams are rampant.

 

After Tsubaki-san left the office, having finished her report, someone knocked on the door.

 

“Yes, come in.”

 

I looked up from the documents and saw Elna peeking through the door, looking shy.

 

“Um, Father, do you have a moment?”

 

“Sure. What’s up?”

 

Elna timidly entered the office. Unlike her mother, Elze, she’s a bit reserved. She resembles Linze in that regard, though she’s a mini-Elze in appearance.

 

“About the weapon Mother Linze used in the martial arts tournament the other day... I want one too...”

 

“A weapon? Oh, that staff.”

 

It was the short star staff I gave Linze when she fought Linne. So, she wants that.

 

“When facing monsters immune to magic, I can't do anything... But I'm a bit scared to fight upfront... I thought that staff might be okay...”

 

I see. But that staff is a bit too large for Elna, even though it's fine for Linze.

 

Hmm, perhaps I should make a new staff for Elna as a present.

 

“Alright, I'll make a new one for you, Elna. What kind of design do you want?”

 

“Thank you, Father!”

 

Erna’s face lit up with a bright smile. Adorable. My daughters are angels. It's natural to be a doting parent. It would be strange not to be.

 

I took out the materials to make a staff for Elna from the 【Storage】.

 

While consulting with Elna, we began the crafting process and spent some quality father-daughter time together.

 

 

◇　◇　◇

 

 

“You little brat! Don’t get in my way!”

 

A thug's knife lunged at the girl. She barely dodged it, grabbed the thug's extended hand, and slammed him into the ground with just one arm.

 

“Guh!”

 

The girl dusted off her hands with a dignified demeanor. She wore a Taisho-era schoolgirl style outfit—an earth-red hakama, a light purple kimono, and lace-up boots—with dangerous swords strapped to her waist.

 

Her hair was long enough to reach her waist, and her bangs were neatly cut above her eyebrows. Black eyes and black hair, colors rarely seen here in Aizengard.

 

“Take this as a warning and stop your fraudulent business. Preying on people’s fears for money is the lowest act.”

 

“Ugh...”

 

The man staggered to his feet and backed away, fleeing like a scared rabbit, not forgetting his typical thug threat.

 

“I’ll remember this!”

 

“Unfortunately, I have no intention of remembering you.”

 

Glancing at the fleeing man, the girl picked up one of the scattered medicine packets. It was the fake medicine the man had been selling.

 

“Medicine made from crushed branches of the Sacred Tree... One would think people could see through such a lie. Perhaps the Sacred Tree isn't well-known in this era.”

 

She opened one of the packets. Inside, there was a golden powder, like gold dust, about a teaspoonful.

 

Indeed, it had an aura that might make one believe it was made from the Sacred Tree's branches.

 

However, the girl felt something unsettling about the golden powder. It was an intuition, a feeling of suspicion about the medicine.

 

“Father would be able to analyze this instantly.”

 

Thinking of her father who possessed the Analysis magic, she returned the powder to its packet, gathered the scattered packets, and put them in her pocket.

 

“I’ll investigate this a bit...”

 

Suppressing her natural manner of speaking, the girl started following the man who had fled.