The moment she witnessed the conclusion, tears streamed from Suella’s eyes.
“Jiro-san, you did it.”
Suella, who had been watching the entire broadcast while taking care of the children, couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of emotion. For her, who had always been by Jiro’s side in a sense since he joined the Demon Lord’s Army’s company, this victory was truly a culmination.
Wiping away her tears, she clasped her hands tightly in front of her chest, relieved that the outcome hadn’t changed even upon rewatching.
How many times had she seen him challenge the Oni King, only to be battered and bruised? They could never even achieve a draw; he was always unilaterally defeated, and she had to treat his injuries each time.
She could recall it as if it were yesterday.
“You really, really did it.”
Tears flowed, but a smile graced Suella’s face.
“That’s more like it.”
“Memoria.”
“I understand how you feel.”
“Himik.”
Himik and Memoria, who had been watching with her in the living room, were also crying and smiling. Jiro and the Oniō Raidou, emerging from the great chasm, now wore smiles. Just seeing their faces conveyed that they had fought without regret and achieved a satisfactory conclusion.
At first, she was filled with anxiety. Even when he left, she had suppressed her unease and managed to send him off with a smile. When he was attacked by a large number of participants, she felt a flicker of worry. When it became a three-way battle between the Dragon King, the Oni King, and Jiro, she held her breath. And when it came time for the direct confrontation with the Oni King, she clenched her fists, praying for his victory and safety.
“Well! Our Master has won! Let’s celebrate in grand style today! I need to get started on the cooking right away!!”
The three of them had prayed for their beloved’s victory, and now they eagerly awaited his return. Himik, who was good at expressing her feelings, was the first to stand up, striking a determined double-fist pose and heading towards the kitchen, located a little distance from their lodgings.
“Please be careful not to make too much.”
“Leave it to me!”
Memoria, seeing Himik’s enthusiasm, worried she might make an excessive amount and voiced a gentle caution, but she gave up when she realized it would have little effect. Seeing Himik leave the room with a light, almost skipping gait, Memoria turned back to Suella.
“I guess there’s no helping it. If there’s any left over, we can invite Kaido and the others.”
“That’s a good idea.”
Memoria offered a kind smile despite a wry chuckle, and Suella returned it. *Perhaps it would be best to invite them beforehand for what’s to come,* Memoria mused.
“…Do you think these little ones will know their father won?”
Slightly embarrassed by her own question, Memoria’s cheeks flushed. Seeking to change the subject, she turned her gaze towards the twins, who had woken up just as Jiro was about to finish his fight with Oniō Raidou and had been glued to the screen ever since.
“Perhaps they do. Their cheerful mood might be because they sensed Jiro-san is safe.”
The infants, not yet a year old, were cooing and reaching out towards the screen. Suella gently picked up Yukiera, but unlike usual, the child didn’t turn her attention to Suella. Instead, her gaze remained fixed on Jiro, who was on the other side of the screen.
“There, Yuki. Your father fought hard and won. You’ll be able to see him soon.”
“Ah~?”
Suella unintentionally felt delighted by this and spoke to the child.
“Ah~! Ah~!”
Sichierra, one of the twins, who was being held by her mother, let out a protest, unhappy about being picked up second, and reached out with her tiny hands, wanting to be held too.
“You’ll have to make do with me, Sachiera.”
Even with Suella’s physical abilities, holding two children at once was quite a challenge. That’s why Memoria often helped by holding one of them.
“Ah~?”
While they would normally seek out their mother, it seemed that, in Yukiera and Sachiera’s minds, Memoria and Himik were also counted as mothers, as they didn’t resist being picked up by them. Furthermore, these twins seemed quite intelligent, as they often cozied up to Evia, even though she was busy with work. It was probably only here, in this mansion, that one could see such careful handling of the twins by someone who didn’t usually do so.
“When do you think he’ll be back?”
Memoria, who interpreted this as practice for raising children, watched the twins reach out towards the screen with a fond smile and asked Suella about Jiro’s return time.
“He has treatment to undergo, and there will be various official matters to attend to, so I don’t think he can come back immediately.”
She truly wished for him to return quickly. However, after surviving such a fierce battle, she knew it would be difficult for him to return right away. Emotions and reality were separate things, and after witnessing his victory, Suella was able to think calmly.
“At the earliest, this evening. If it’s later, perhaps two or three days?”
Her prediction was based on minimizing treatment and postponing notifications for an evening return. If he completed his treatment thoroughly and dealt with all official matters, it would take two to three days, Suella estimated. After all, a human general had been born for the first time in the Demon Lord’s Army’s history. Suella, who had served the Demon Lord’s Army for many years, understood that the procedures and information dissemination would naturally take a considerable amount of effort.
“He’ll be fine.”
However, for once, Suella’s intuition told her that he would be back soon, overriding her experience, and she gently denied Memoria’s concern.
“Knowing him, he’ll find a way to return quickly.”
Yes, this prediction was solely based on the circumstances of the Demon Lord’s Army. But for Suella, who had watched Jiro ever since they met, this prediction was bound to be wrong. When he joined the company, she thought he wouldn’t last long, reaching his physical limit, but he had shown results like no one else. He was supposed to be a frontliner on his own, but before she knew it, he was surrounded by new comrades. He had been pushed into desperate straits and faced life-threatening danger, yet he returned alive and well. He had been involved in numerous incidents, but they all ended for the best. Even when faced with the Hero, a symbol of terror for the Demon Lord’s Army, he fought with all his might and emerged victorious. Jiro had consistently exceeded Suella’s expectations in various ways. Therefore, even if it was just wishful thinking, Suella felt a premonition that he would rush back simply because he wanted to return to them.
“Perhaps you’re right.”
Memoria, who had looked momentarily taken aback by Suella’s words, smiled, perhaps feeling the same way. Perhaps even Himik, who had already started cooking, felt that he might return soon and began her culinary preparations.
Just then, a knock echoed at the door of the large living room.
“Yes.”
“Madam, Lord Kaido and the others have arrived. What shall we do?”
Sehas, dressed in butler attire, entered and conveyed the message. Hearing this, Suella realized that it wasn’t just her and Memoria who had predicted his swift return; his friends had also anticipated it, and she exchanged an amused glance with Memoria, chuckling.
“Please show them to the largest reception room. I’ll be there shortly.”
“Yes, understood.”
The people who knew Jiro were gathering quickly. Delighted by this fact, Suella and Memoria tidied their attire slightly before leaving the room.
“I never expected them to gather this quickly.”
“Nor did I. Perhaps they were eager for his return as well.”
As they walked slowly down the mansion’s corridor, each holding a twin, they imagined Jiro’s friends, likely noisy and boisterous in the reception room. This time, Suella held Sachiera, and Memoria held Yukiera, yet the twins showed no complaints and were content in their arms. The time flowed peacefully, and as they neared a place that was about to become noisy, they thought…
“Ah~! Ah~!”
“Kya kyaaa!”
The twins, cradled in Suella and Memoria’s arms, began reaching towards the window outside the passage.
“What’s wrong, you two?”
Memoria tilted her head and peered outside, but saw only the sprawling garden with nothing out of the ordinary. Suella gently brought Sachiera closer to the window, and she began tapping on the glass.
“What should we do?”
“What do you mean, ‘what should we do’?”
It was unusual for the two children to suddenly show such interest in the window. Even if they reacted to something novel, they had never reacted this strongly before. Puzzled as to what could be there, they wondered.
“This magical reaction…”
Suddenly, a magical aura registered within Suella’s range of perception. It was a magical presence that Memoria could also sense.
“Jiro-san!”
And from the quality of the magic, she could identify the person they had just been speaking about. A magic circle had been deployed in the garden, and the spell was a transfer spell. It didn’t take even a second for Suella and Memoria to deduce what this meant. The same applied to Himik, who was cooking in the kitchen; she abandoned her cooking, which she would normally never do, and rushed out, pushed by Sehas. Before she could even react, Suella automatically thought of Sachiera in her arms and began running at her maximum speed via the shortest route. Naturally, Memoria followed close behind.
Body strengthening, wind protection through spirit summoning, and impact-absorbing magic circles were activated. Despite being pregnant, giving birth, and raising children, her spell-casting speed showed no sign of rustiness from her combat hiatus. As Suella ran and opened the door to the inner courtyard, she saw him. Though considerably more battered than when he left, and exhibiting signs of exhaustion, he stood on two legs – Tanaka Jiro.
“I’m home.”
Utterly exhausted, the man’s fatigue was palpable. However, just seeing Suella and Memoria rush out from the mansion, followed shortly by Himik, brought a slight improvement to his complexion. Behind him, Evia, who had brought him back and had been entrusted with the transport by the Demon Lord, smiled gently at Jiro from an angle he couldn’t see.
” ” “Welcome home!!” ” ”
With that momentum, they slowed down just before Jiro, careful not to injure the children, and embraced him warmly, unconcerned about getting dirty. The reward for the victor was a welcome from his family. To outsiders, it might seem like an ordinary scene, but for Jiro, who had overcome a life-threatening battle, it was an irreplaceable reward. For this moment, it surpassed the satisfaction of defeating his instructor, filling his heart with warmth.
“I’m home.”
He announced his return once more.
” “Ah~!” ”
The little ones also came out to greet their father’s return. This brought a smile to Jiro’s face, who was genuinely happy. It was a moment when he truly felt it was all worth it, wishing earnestly that this warmth would continue.
Tanaka Jiro.
“I came back safe and sound!”
He proclaimed his victory loudly.
*Another Side End*
Today’s Word:
*Returning safely. In a sense, that is sometimes important.*
*This chapter concludes here. A new chapter will begin next time!!*
*Thank you always for your feedback and reports of typos. If you find this enjoyable, please leave comments, ratings, and bookmarks.*
*Currently, I am also serializing another work: “Pandora Pandemic Panic.” Even though Pandora’s box has been reopened, we are fighting back with various activities in our secret base!! Please enjoy that as well!!*
