Next Life – Chapter 171

Marius was in seiza.

Barra and Lovisa watched him coolly.

Catherine fidgeted, caught in the middle.

“Marius. What are you going to do by setting such a bad example yourself?”

Lovisa’s words caused her husband to slump dejectedly.

Nergal, looking as if she didn’t quite understand, copied her father and put on a sad face.

Though it would be more accurate to say she was pretending.

“And you’re going to fire this maid?”

One of the maids turned deathly pale. She had just been told she was being fired by Marius and was about to faint when his two wives arrived. After hearing the situation, they were now scolding her husband.

“Everything you do comes back to you. Therefore, isn’t teaching people to do good deeds important?”

Marius had no retort to Barra’s question. It had been a complete overreaction and a runaway situation.

“I’m sorry.”

The man, strongest on Earth, vaguely thought, “This is what they mean by a humbling experience.” Since it was entirely his fault, he had no choice but to silently accept their anger.

“Uhm, if you understand and can forgive me, then I…”

The maid, who had been on the verge of being fired, chimed in. She wasn’t Marius’s mistress or anything of the sort. She just couldn’t bear to see the man who surpassed even gods looking so dejected. She secretly admired him for defeating the Evil God.

“No.”

Lovisa said sharply.

“It’s fortunate El happened to let us know, otherwise, it could have been dangerous.”

Barra agreed.

(Happened to?)

Marius felt a sense of unease. Could something like ‘happening to’ even apply to El? He thought about it, but then reconsidered, deciding that even El couldn’t have everything planned out perfectly.

“And about the ‘up and away’ thing…”

Barra said with a bitter, or rather, bewildered expression.

“Throwing her above the clouds is a bit much, isn’t it?”

“Ner was pleased, though.”

Marius attempted a counterargument.

“Yeah! It was fun!”

Nergal defended her father with a smile. For her, being sent flying through the clouds at super speed was a novel and enjoyable experience. However, it disregarded the feelings of those watching.

“If you did that to anyone other than Ner, they would die. Do you understand that?”

Catherine finally joined the conversation.

“Of course, I understand. I’ve never tried it on anyone other than Ner.”

Even Marius knew it would be dangerous to overexert an infant whose body wasn’t fully developed.

“Besides, Ner can trade blows with Auraniess, right? Isn’t worrying about her pointless?”

“That might be so, but…”

The wives’ tone immediately softened. It was unnecessary to confirm that Auraniess punching was more destructive than Marius throwing Nergal to the clouds. Even when the Great Demon Lord was in human form, a serious punch only resulted in her tearing up and saying, “That hurt.” She was incredibly tough for an infant, let alone a human. In fact, he had only ever done it to Nergal. He hadn’t even attempted it with his sons, Sieg and Fried.

“Well, regardless of that…”

Lovisa cleared her throat and steered the conversation back.

“We will not approve the maid’s dismissal. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

Marius replied obediently. At this point, it didn’t matter that he was the supreme authority. Meanwhile, Nergal, imitating her father, had adopted a formal posture but was rapidly growing bored. This was quite like her mother. She was a girl who didn’t seem to care about anyone other than her father.

“Papa, is the talk finished?”

She spoke up during a lull in the conversation. Her expectant gaze was so obvious that those listening couldn’t help but smile wryly. It was acceptable because she was a two-year-old girl; if Marius had acted the same way, he would have been met with resistance. With that thought in mind, the girl’s father gently stroked her head.

“Well, for Ner, it’s probably fine now.”

“Ner also has her own issues.”

Lovisa and Barra said with grimaces as if they had swallowed something bitter.

“Did Ner do something?”

She tilted her head, looking bewildered.

“Falling from above the clouds and landing is one thing, but…”

Barra continued Lovisa’s sentence.

“Causing natural disasters when you do so is excessive. You could have landed more quietly.”

“Um, did I do that?”

Nergal tilted her head. To her, it was just a landing. Sighs could be heard from various directions.

“You did. The aftershocks of piercing the clouds caused lightning to strike in various places, and when you landed, the ground didn’t just sink, it caused a major earthquake.”

“It’s almost entirely Marius’s fault, though.”

The wives’ gazes were cold. It was only natural, knowing that the source of the supernatural phenomena that threw the continent into chaos was almost entirely their husband’s doing.

“…Was I scolded because I tried to fire the maid? Because I threw Ner to the clouds? Because various phenomena occurred while I was playing with Ner?”

“It’s all of them, of course!”

Everyone present, except Nergal, shouted.

(Ah, just as I thought.)

Marius thought, but he wisely didn’t say it aloud. He could imagine being scolded even more.

“Besides, isn’t it you who has the biggest negative impact on Ner!”

Marius was genuinely surprised by Lovisa’s words.

“Huh? Me…?”

Barra, angered by her husband’s reaction, rushed to add.

“You don’t play with her regularly. When you do, you spoil her. You cause trouble for others. …Is there anything you want to refute about your behavior?”

“No.”

Marius surrendered instantly. He had too many points to refute. He inwardly broke out in a cold sweat.

“I think it’s time for you to reflect.”

“Indeed…”

Perhaps sensing the gravity of the situation, Nergal’s father’s expression changed.

“I will reflect and reform for the sake of the children.”

His wives nodded at each other. If he would truly reflect, they had no intention of scolding him further. Their husband was an absolute being in this world. Since no one could replace him, they could only hope that he would voluntarily change his ways.

“Papa? What about Ner? Ner?”

Nergal asked with a slightly anxious expression. She had understood, in her childish way, that her father had done something wrong and was now trying to do better. She was curious about her own situation.

“For Ner, it’s fine as it is. But you need to get better at holding back.”

“Okay!”

Ner replied with a smile. Everyone agreed that a cautious approach was necessary for her. If she had malicious intent, anything could be managed, but the young tigress had no such thoughts. In fact, she even genuinely believed she needed to protect her older brothers because they were weak. Those feelings were worth cherishing.

“For now, it’s time for Ner’s training.”

Marius made his decision.

“Marius! Nergal! Stop chasing me already!”

Just then, Auraniess burst in, shouting. She had expected to play with them and was naturally angry at being left alone.

“Oh, sure, sounds good.”

“…Huh? What?”

Auraniess, who had just come in shouting, was taken aback by Marius’s immediate agreement. Her usual pattern was to be dodged and put off, so she had been determined to make him listen this time, even if she had to force him. Her expectation had been unmet, deflating her momentum.

“Let’s do it together, Ner and the three of us. I need to train Ner too.”

“Oh, uh…”

Auraniess didn’t fully grasp the situation, but she decided that playing with Marius was fine and agreed for the time being.

“Yay! I get to be with Papa!”

Nergal rejoiced innocently. Just then, El arrived.

“Did it work out?”

Uncharacteristically for her, she ignored Marius and spoke to his wives.

“Yes, it did. Thanks to you telling us, we made it in time.”

The wives expressed their sincere gratitude. Although El had always been cunning, sly, and inscrutable, her impression had changed considerably after this incident. She had gone from a woman solely interested in Marius to one who could consider the Kingdom of Tubant.

“Ner also gets to be with Papa. Thank you.”

Nergal, with childlike innocence, hugged El and thanked her. The Succubus, also uncharacteristically, stroked the young girl’s head with a gentle expression.

“That’s wonderful. Congratulations.”

“Oh, I don’t know what it is, but it seems I was helped. Thank you.”

Marius added his thanks, and El beamed, bowing her head. Her tail, hidden from view, wagged furiously, indicating her inner joy.

(Just as planned.)

El smiled secretly, satisfied with the outcome that matched her mental visualization.