Despite being battered from training, I managed to finish today’s quota.
As I have a magic body, I could feel the damage, but thanks to magic, I was able to return home unharmed.
“Welcome home. There’s still time before dinner, so why don’t you take a bath first?”
“Okay, thank you as always.”
“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”
I thanked Himik, who greeted me in her usual cooking apron, as if to soothe my tired body, and then headed to the changing room.
After washing my hands and gargling, I headed towards the living room where Suella would likely be.
“I’m home.”
“Welcome home, Jiro-san.”
As expected, Suella was in the living room with the children.
“Is that a spirit?”
“Yes, it’s training to enhance the children’s magic sensitivity. Although, it’s more like play.”
However, a sight I wasn’t accustomed to was also visible. White, firefly-like lights were flying around Yukiera and Sachiera, and my children were reaching out their hands desperately to grasp the lights.
The children, laughing merrily, seemed to be in a very good mood.
Relieved and with my heart soothed by the scene, I approached them.
“Wow, do all Dark Elves do this?”
At first glance, it didn’t seem dangerous, so I guessed it was a Dark Elf way of soothing children.
“Yes. My mother told me I used to do it when I was little. Always have spirits by your side. I was told it was training to help you think that way.”
My guess was correct.
The lowest-ranking spirits among spirits, the sprites.
They had no power.
Attribute-wise, they were probably light spirits, but they were beings that simply shone and exuded a faint amount of magic power.
Those lights seemed to be a good teaching material for the children.
“Yukiera and Sachiera’s talent is amazing. They probably don’t understand it in detail, but they seem to recognize these lights as spirits by instinct.”
“Oh?”
In fact, when Suella pointed out a direction, Yukiera was staring intently at a light spirit that had landed on her fingertips. A child would probably feel curious and try to grab it or bring it to their mouth, but there was none of that.
“These children seem to understand that spirits are alive already. Because they are good neighbors, they don’t handle them roughly.”
“Sachiera on the other hand, seems a little troubled?”
“Oh, my.”
On the other hand, Sachiera had a light spirit hovering near her nose and didn’t know how to deal with it, so she started to fuss. Suella, with practiced movements, gently picked her up and soothed her, her posture dignified.
Then, Yukiera, perhaps envious of being the only one held, also started to fuss. This time, I picked her up.
“Here, it’s Daddy.”
These days, men also take parental leave.
I have Himik, so I don’t have to worry about general housework, but as a parent, I still want to fulfill my role as a father.
“They cried at first, but Yukiera and Sachiera are getting used to it now.”
“Hahaha, I truly realized that being cried at by children is more effective than any spell. Especially with your own children, the damage is doubled.”
It was quite difficult to learn the trick of holding them gently and without overexerting them.
I can understand Himik being more readily accepted by the children since she spends more time with them, but losing out to Memoria and Evia still disheartened me.
At that time, I thought, “Is a gentle woman’s arm better than a rough man’s arm!?” and I almost cried at my daughters’ reactions.
With inarticulate cries, they touched my body, their attention drawn to my tie, which they grabbed and proceeded to…
“Hey, this isn’t food, Yukiera.”
I had to stop her from trying to put it in her mouth.
Laughing “There, there,” I moved the tie to the back of my neck with my left hand, opposite to the right hand holding her.
“Ah! Ah!”
“No, you can’t.”
The child’s dissatisfaction erupted. Yukiera’s small hands reached out as if demanding it back, trying to pull it, but she couldn’t reach it. It was good that she stopped fussing and cheered up, but conversely, she presented me with a dilemma.
To draw Yukiera’s attention, a small light passed in front of her eyes.
“Ah~”
She became interested in the light and began to reach out towards the shimmering, drifting light.
“You’ve become magnificent in battle, but as a father, you seem to need a little more practice.”
“You’re telling me.”
Suella, who had released the light spirits, soothed Sachiera with practiced skill and had now put her to sleep soundly. As Suella approached me, having gently laid Sachiera in the baby bed in the living room, I could only smile wryly, realizing I needed to put in more effort here too.
If this continues, the number of children will surely increase.
If I’m always flustered, it will be too much to handle.
“Maybe I should learn at least one safe spell that appeals to children.”
I only possess physical combat skills or techniques useful for survival.
Because of this, every time I’m with the children, I find myself thinking I should learn a trick or two to show them.
“There’s no harm in having it, but it’s not necessarily a necessity. However, lately, Memoria also seems to be trying to learn that kind of magic.”
“Memoria?”
“Yes. I have spirit magic, but hers is bloodline magic, so its appearance can be a bit unsettling for children.”
“Ah.”
Memoria’s magic often involves blood-related techniques.
As a man, I find it cool, but children might simply find it scary. Considering this, is Memoria preparing magic that she can show children for the future?
“By the way, Himik soothes them with her wings, and Evia-sama can actually do it too.”
“If you say that, it will be embarrassing to say I can’t.”
Suella’s teasing expression seemed to resemble Evia’s a little. The women could do things for the children, but for me, the father, to be unable to do so was something I couldn’t ignore. Suella, knowing this, giggled mischievously.
“…What should I learn?”
In addition to combat training, magic for children. It looks like a rather demanding schedule.
“For now, I’ll take a bath.”
“Yes, please do.”
I thought I’d ponder it while healing my tired body. There was still plenty of time before dinner, so I decided to take a bath.
I wondered about Suella and the others, but they had all bathed, including the children, before I returned.
So, without hesitation, I entered the bath and emerged.
“Welcome back, Memoria.”
“Yes, I’m back.”
Memoria had returned after finishing the shop’s closing procedures. Then, the door opened with another click.
“I’m back.”
“Welcome home.”
“Welcome home.”
“Ah.”
And then, as promised, Evia, who had returned early, entered the living room. At that exact moment.
“Perfect timing. Dinner is ready.”
Himik began to serve the prepared meal at the dining table.
“Evia, Memoria, would you like a drink after dinner?”
At that moment, I made a gesture of drinking alcohol towards the two of them.
“I’d love to.”
“There’s no reason to refuse.”
Himik can’t drink much, and I can’t offer alcohol to Suella, who is breastfeeding. So, although Suella and Himik are also present, lately, it’s mostly these three who have a drink together.
Memoria and Evia nodded with a slight smile. Suella and Himik looked a little disappointed.
Since it was time for dinner, we began to eat.
Our meals are usually Japanese, but lately, we’ve been trying various dishes using the internet. And today, we even made homemade pizza. We prepared about three kinds of large pizzas, along with soup and salad. And a dessert.
The reason it took time was probably for baking the pizza.
“Itadakimasu.”
At my words, we each began our meal, offering words of prayer.
“Speaking of which, it’s rumored in the shopping district, Jiro-san. Are you going to accept the recommendation for the General position?”
“Ah, they’ve already heard about that too?”
“Yes. For merchants, the freshness of information is vital, so we try to hear everything we can as soon as possible.”
As the meal progresses, casual conversation naturally begins. Some of it is trivial, while other times, rumors like this are brought up. Since I am the person involved, it’s understandable that the topic would be brought up. I looked at Evia, wondering if this was alright from an information management perspective, but seeing her calmly eating with a Poker face, showing no signs of concern, it seemed to be fine.
“Is that story true?”
“Suella?”
Usually, Himik would say something like “That’s amazing,” or Evia would say “Keep at it,” but this time, something was different. Suella stopped eating, turned towards me, and asked with a gaze that questioned the truth of the matter.
“It is a fact. The Demon Lord recommended Jiro, and Jiro accepted the offer. That’s all there is to it.”
I was momentarily caught off guard by the sudden reaction and hesitated on how to respond, but Evia immediately interjected.
“It’s a good thing that such a matter has come up in such a short period. Do you have any complaints?”
Perhaps sensing Suella’s mood, Evia, asking for her true intentions, was impartial. She exuded an aura befitting her position.
“No, I don’t have any complaints.”
“…It’s more of a feeling of unease, I suppose.”
“Memoria.”
The previously bright dining table suddenly turned somber due to this rumor. Memoria, sensing from Suella’s expression that her statement of “no complaints” didn’t reflect her true feelings, spoke, as if to say she felt the same way, articulating Suella’s inner thoughts.
Suella smiled faintly, as if to say it was correct, and called Memoria’s name.
“I understand that feeling. As a merchant, I should welcome this news. However, thinking of it as a personal matter, I cannot look away from the risks Jiro-san will bear.”
Memoria also stopped eating, gently affirming that Suella’s feelings were not wrong, and then stated her own opinion.
“However, considering all that, if I were to summarize my opinion, I would respect Jiro-san’s choice. The previous statement was merely to confirm the truth of the rumor, and it has no deeper meaning.”
She then said, “That’s all,” and instead of resuming her meal, she handed the flow of conversation to someone else.
“Giro.”
And it was Himik who caught the drift. She called my name, and in response to her voice, I turned my face in her direction.
“I do not deny your desire to gain power, nor can I. I, who once guided the Hero, cannot say such things. Above all, whether your rise to a higher position and becoming a person of authority is good or bad, I do not know.”
She prefaced her words by stating that this was something that needed to be said, and her carefully chosen words carried weight.
“However, please remember this. Those who become addicted to power usually meet a grim end. I don’t want that for you. If it comes to it, I will stop you. Just that.”
“Ah, I understand.”
I couldn’t dismiss Himik’s earnest words and nodded honestly. Hearing my reply, Himik, relieved, nodded and subtly glanced at Suella.
Both Memoria’s and Himik’s stories were likely told to give Suella time to think.
Therefore, I must carefully consider what Suella will say next.
“Jiro-san, do you want to accept this offer?”
Her words, unable to hide her anxiety, were weaker than usual.
“Ah, I want to stand beside our instructor. Therefore, I thought this offer was a good opportunity.”
I met her gaze directly with honest, truthful words.
“…To be honest, I still think it’s too soon. If possible, I’d like Jiro-san to reconsider.”
Suella hesitated and, after a few seconds, spoke her true feelings. These were the opposite of her words last time. Last time, during the tournament, she had cheered me on, but this time, she wished for me to reconsider. I couldn’t ask why.
“No, that’s not right.”
I shook my head and corrected myself, saying her wording was wrong, so she missed the chance to ask.
“The way I put it makes it sound like you’re in the wrong, Jiro-san.”
And then.
“It’s not that I don’t trust your strength. It’s just that I haven’t been able to fully commit to it myself.”
I heard a rare moment of weakness from Suella.
“Your growth in strength is unparalleled even within the Demon Lord’s Army. That’s why you’ve been chosen. That in itself is truly amazing.”
Suella’s words, spilling out as if they were a slip of the tongue.
“That’s precisely why I’m so anxious. I’m afraid you’ll go further and further ahead and never come back.”
Like an arrow released, she feared a future where I wouldn’t return.
“Suella, I…”
It’s easy to say “It’ll be alright.” But is it a phrase that can be easily spoken? That hesitation prevented me from forming the next words.
The sound of Yukiera and Sachiera crying from the living room interrupted our conversation.
“Please give me some time to think about it.”
“…”
Saying only that, Suella quietly rose from her seat and headed towards our crying children.
Seeing her figure, I realized the possibility of leaving this scene behind.
After that, I lost the desire to drink and the night became a little quieter than usual.
Today’s word:
Aligning opinions is difficult, and even decisions once made can be overturned.
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