Another three months passed.
Summer arrived.
The snow had completely melted, and the days were hot and clear.
--- Over this past year, I've been utterly smitten with Lucy.
Whenever I have free time, I spend it watching Lucy.
After all, she's my very first child.
There's no way I wouldn't dote on her.
Right now, I'm in the nursery I had fitted out in a first-floor room, gazing at Lucy.
Looking at her innocent, angelic little face, my cheeks naturally soften, and the corners of my mouth curl into a dopey grin.
Still, I am nominally the pillar of this household.
I don't exactly radiate dignity, but I'd like to maintain some semblance of composure in front of my wife and sister.
If they think I'm just a hopeless dote, my image will suffer.
So, yes. I should be strict with the child.
Strict. That's the way.
A father should be great, an example to aspire to.
I used to think Paul was a sorry excuse for a man.
But not anymore.
Paul was a great father.
He had his faults, sure, but he was great.
His womanizing was, well… not something I'm in a position to criticize, so I should focus on the parts where he shone.
Now I can say it honestly: I want to become like Paul.
"Ah, ahhh, ahhh!"
Oh no—Lucy's starting to fuss.
"Coming, coming, Lucy-tan! Papa's right here~ Papa's gonna give you biiig sloppy kisses~"
"Ah, kyaa! Kyaa kyaa!"
Adorable.
Could there possibly be anything cuter than Lucy's smile?
If angels exist in this world, this child must be one of them.
—Wait, no.
I was supposed to be talking about a father's dignity.
In my view, a father should be someone who is close yet distant.
Normally, he wraps the child in warmth, but there are times when he scolds sternly.
Yet when trouble arises, he throws himself in front of his child to protect them, to save them.
That's what a father should be.
The ideal father—that's exactly what he'd be.
Hm?
If I'm not careful, I'll just end up being a carbon copy of Paul.
For me, Paul is the ideal father, isn't he?
I don't want my children to think I'm a deadbeat.
But it was precisely because of his flaws that I came to feel close to Paul.
There's a lot I can learn from him.
Besides, from my perspective he was a lousy old man, but from
Otherwise, Norn wouldn't have been so attached to him.
In any case, what matters most is caring for your children— "Aah, aah, baah, baah!"
No good, no good—Lucy's fussing again.
"Okay, okay~ Lucy-tan! Papa's here~ Let's pick you up~ Up we go~"
"Ukyaa! Akyaa kyaa!"
I lift Lucy and gently rock her.
She's delighted.
Swaddled in my strong, trained arms, she beams with a Cupid-like smile.
Oh, how cute.
"Hey there, Hubby."
"What is it, Suzanne?"
I was cooing at Lucy when Suzanne, the wet nurse, came over to talk.
She was a former adventurer—someone I knew from my travels.
"I can rock the little lady for you, you know."
"Don't take away my precious father-daughter time."
I first met her around the time I started working as a solo adventurer.
It had been nearly four years since we'd last seen each other, so I was surprised when she showed up at the nursery recruitment agency.
"Well, if you say you don't want to, I won't force you."
"Is there any man who wouldn't want to?"
"Mine sure doesn't seem to want to."
"That sounds like a lack of fatherly awareness, doesn't it?"
I remember the day I met her clearly.
I was twelve at the time.
I'd parted ways with
In a small town in the outskirts of the Bashenant Duchy, I'd dissolved the party "Dead End" all by myself—a loneliness I can't quite put into words.
Back then, I'd tried to numb that loneliness by taking on commissions far too difficult for one person.
There was probably some self-destructiveness in it too.
That's when Suzanne's party appeared.
Two warriors, one healing magician, one mage—a party of four.
Their party rank was B, but they were seasoned veterans.
Suzanne was one of the warriors.
Her swordsmanship was nothing to brag about—even among B-rank adventurers, she was toward the bottom.
But she was a woman who earned the respect of those around her for her maternal instinct and care for others.
She was the one who approached me when she saw I was trying to take on a commission alone.
"That commission is impossible alone. Want me to help out?"
Something like that, if I recall.
I replied, "Sure, I'd appreciate that. I'm trying to raise my reputation."
Seeing me like that, Suzanne was apparently quite surprised.
I must have looked like a mess.
And to make matters worse, I was spouting rude talk with polite language, which she said was more creepy than surprising.
Despite thinking that, Suzanne helped me out anyway.
Multiple times before I left town, she invited me to join their party on a permanent basis.
I declined the party invitation in the end, but there were times she'd say things like "Hey, have you eaten?" and treat me to a meal.
Looking back now, she looked after me in all sorts of ways.
I'm grateful for that.
After that, Suzanne apparently married the mage who'd been in her party.
They settled down in Shariar, the mage's hometown.
She's now a mother of two.
Though, unfortunately, her third child was premature and passed away shortly after birth.
Even when a child dies, breast milk still comes in.
And breast milk is something you can sell.
When she was looking for wet nurse positions, she found my name.
Funny how coincidences work out.
"…Still, you've really changed, you know that?"
"Have I changed that much?"
"Well, back in the day, you'd never have badmouthed someone's husband right in front of their wife."
Fair point.
Come to think of it, back then I was terrified of offending people.
That feeling hasn't completely gone away, even now.
But after everything I've been through, it's faded a bit.
"Did I offend you?"
"No, not at all. That's about the right distance. Being able to joke around face-to-face like that makes you easier to be around, from my perspective too."
Going to school probably had something to do with it.
That kind of casual, bantering distance.
"You can drop the stiff, creepy polite talk, you know. You're my employer."
"Now, now—civility even among the close, as they say."
"Suit yourself."
Suzanne let out a wry smile.
I'm grateful to her.
She's the one who taught me the lay of the land when it came to adventuring in the northern territories—more than anyone else.
"Well, as long as I get my pay, I'm happy."
"Of course. I'll make sure to add a generous bonus."
As long as she gets paid.
That's what she says, but Suzanne does a fantastic job.
In my previous life, there were cases of babysitters abusing infants, so I was a little anxious at first.
But Suzanne treats Lucy as if she were her own child.
Well, Lillia or
"Oh, by the way—how are your sons?"
"Both are little bundles of energy. They're all over their grandparents, though."
Suzanne apparently lives with her in-laws.
Of course—otherwise, she wouldn't be able to work as a wet nurse while having children of her own.
Living with a mother-in-law is tough, apparently. She's always complaining to Lillia about it.
Lillia is technically on the mother-in-law side of things, but she and Suzanne are about the same age, so they get along. I've spotted them having tea together from time to time.
"…You probably wanted your firstborn to be a boy, huh?"
"No, not really. Why do you ask?"
"Well, you know—an heir."
"Oh, right."
Since Lucy was born, I'd heard that kind of talk several times.
Zanoba had said it. Ariel, too.
The nobility and royalty really do fixate on whether the firstborn is a boy or a girl.
Even in the
"Doesn't matter to me. I'm not a noble or a merchant. As long as the child grows up healthy, I'm happy."
If anything, girls are cuter.
The male-to-female ratio in this house has gotten pretty lopsided lately.
But I have zero complaints about being surrounded by adorable girls.
Nobody's mistreating me unfairly, either.
Everyone respects me.
"Sounds nice. My husband was like that from the moment I got pregnant—planning this and that for a boy, never even considering what he'd do if it was a girl."
"Hey, you had a boy, so it worked out."
"True. But it's a little bittersweet. Our third was a girl."
"Ah… yeah, that must have been really hard…"
If Lucy had been stillborn.
Just thinking about it sends a chill through me.
"It's fine. You just have another one."
Suzanne said this with a breezy smile.
Is that really how it works?
If one doesn't make it, you just try for another?
Can people really shrug it off that easily?
I certainly couldn't.
Sylphie's body apparently isn't great for carrying pregnancies to begin with.
And beyond that— Knowing her, she'd be even more devastated than me, tearfully saying, "I'm sorry,
Oh, just imagining that makes my stomach hurt.
Stop, stop.
That's all just imagination.
Lucy was born safely. Sylphie is the picture of health.
This isn't some dream-ending twist.
"Oh?"
Suzanne suddenly looked behind me.
"Mother."
I turned around, and there was Zenis.
Lillia trailed behind her.
"…"
"Excuse me, Lord Rudeus."
Zenis wore a blank expression as she walked slowly over and sat down beside me, right where she could see Lucy's face.
"Mother. Lucy's doing great today too."
"…"
Zenis said nothing.
But she stared intently at Lucy.
Since coming to this house, I think Zenis has become a bit more proactive.
When Norn is here, she'll try to share a meal with her.
When Aisha is here, she'll try to help with weeding.
When I'm watching Lucy, she comes to observe like this.
She shows different reactions to Sylphie and
Her expression doesn't change, and she doesn't speak.
But she moves.
There's change.
Little by little, she must be recovering.
"…"
"Kyaa! Kyaaan!"
Zenis reaches out toward Lucy.
Lucy breaks into a wide smile and grabs her hand.
"Lucy loves her grandma, doesn't she~?"
In the beginning, I was more wary.
Zenis seemed like what people call a senile elder, and I worried that some emotional shift might cause her to hurt Lucy.
I'd thought that.
But it was unfounded worry.
Zenis simply sat there quietly watching Lucy.
There was no ill will whatsoever.
If anything, she radiated the warmth of a doting grandmother gazing at her grandchild.
Why had I ever thought she might harm her?
For that matter, Zenis had never once lashed out since arriving.
"Aah-ha! Kyaaun!"
Does Lucy sense it too?
Whenever she interacts with Zenis, she's always smiling.
A heartwarming scene between grandmother and granddaughter.
That said, there's no telling what might happen with Zenis's condition.
I don't think this scene alone will cause any problems, but until we know for certain, I shouldn't take my eyes off them—for both their sakes.
Even without ill intent, accidents happen.
"…"
Zenis suddenly looks up.
She's looking at my face.
What is it?
Her eyes seem to be saying something.
"Aah! Aahn!"
Right after, Lucy starts to fuss.
"Excuse me, Lady Zenis."
Lillia gently pulls Zenis away from the baby.
Suzanne steps in and scoops Lucy up, cooing to calm her.
At the same time, she checks the diaper and whether her back has developed any rash.
She gives a nod.
"Almost time for feeding, isn't it."
Already?
Now that she mentions it, it's been about that long since Sylphie nursed her this morning.
"Then I'll take my leave."
"You're welcome to stay and watch, you know."
Suzanne said that, but I firmly declined.
I'm not going to stare at a married woman's breasts—especially since I know her.
Suzanne's chest was every bit as large as Zenis's or Lillia's.
And since she's still producing milk, it's even more so.
If I laid eyes on that, the old sage inside me would stir to life.
And if that slipped out of Lillia's mouth—imagine how Sylphie and Roxy would feel.
Sure, it's undeniable that their chests don't compare.
But I didn't choose them for their breasts.
It's needless worry.
Still—Zenis.
Could she have noticed that Lucy was hungry?
…Having raised two children, she'd probably pick up on things like that.
--- I stepped out of the room.
Looking out the window, it was raining.
Hard to tell the time, but if it's feeding time, it must be almost noon.
Just doting on Lucy, and the whole morning had slipped away.
I don't regret it at all, though.
This is the most important time there is.
I headed to my own room.
A small first-floor room I'd set aside for my own research.
The family had grown recently, eating up rooms, so I had to make the most of what I had.
Though I'd keep one guest room free.
I sat down at the desk I'd prepared for myself.
On the desk sat a magic stone and my research reports.
Over these past six months, I hadn't just been playing with my sister and daughter.
I'd been investigating that magic stone.
The one from the Hydra battle—the magic stone that drained mana.
At first glance, it looked like nothing more than a thin, pale-green scale.
Without any transparency, you'd never even call it a stone.
When I researched it in the library, I learned several things.
First, its name.
It was called an "Absorption Stone."
A stone naturally generated within the Mana-type Hydra's body, said to absorb surrounding mana.
Because the Mana-type Hydra went extinct alongside the continent's destruction, this stone was now considered mythical.
Dragon-type creatures apparently generate magic stones inside their bodies quite often.
Like pearls, or gallstones, perhaps.
The one used in my staff was also made by a Serpent-type dragon in the ocean.
Their effects varied, but most were related to mana.
Some amplified mana or reduced consumption. Others doubled your output for the same amount of mana.
So it wouldn't be surprising if there existed a stone that did the opposite—absorb mana.
The real question was the mechanism behind the absorption.
Just sitting there, this magic stone did nothing—it didn't absorb mana.
What made it activate?
I ran several experiments and found the answer surprisingly quickly.
This magic stone had a "front" and a "back."
It wasn't obvious from the appearance, but it was definitely there.
When I placed my hand on the back side and fed mana into it, the front side began absorbing mana.
A high-pitched "hnnng" sound rang out when it did.
It wasn't automatic—I could switch it on and off manually.
Think of it like an octopus's suction cup, more or less.
Apparently, that Hydra had been activating the stone after reading my spells, then neutralizing the incoming magic.
Incredible reflexes.
But then again, wild beasts have overwhelmingly better dynamic vision and faster reflexes than humans.
Come to think of it—the thing on the forehead of
Further experimentation revealed that this magic stone wasn't truly "absorbing mana."
Even if I held the stone while casting a spell and yelled "Now!" at the exact moment, my mana didn't recover.
If anything, I felt like I'd expended the same amount of mana I used.
I'd need to investigate more to say for certain, but I formulated one hypothesis.
The mana input from the back side might be converted into "a wave that instantaneously decomposes mana-created constructs," then output from the front.
The effect was similar to Disturb Magic, but it seemed to decompose at a far more advanced level.
Of course, that alone didn't explain everything.
For instance, when I hit my handmade dolls with the wave, they didn't break.
The dolls were fine, but the stone cannonball was destroyed.
What was the difference?
Was it that magic constructs became stable—and thus indestructible—after some time had passed?
Hm…
Worrying about it wouldn't solve anything.
I didn't even understand what mana truly was in the first place.
For now, I wanted to prioritize practical matters over figuring out the root cause.
And so, I conducted a certain experiment.
I had a feeling that if I used this magic stone, I could destroy things that Disturb Magic couldn't handle.
Specifically—magic circles.
Cliff helped me with the experiment.
The result: I was able to destroy the barrier magic he'd drawn, magic circle and all.
Magic circles drawn on paper scrolls wouldn't disappear, but any actively deployed ones could apparently be erased without issue.
Of course, there had been a magic circle in the Hydra's room too.
That blood-red one.
I also couldn't erase the magic circles built into magical devices.
Probably because they weren't drawn but carved.
Either way, I'd remember: "there are things this can't erase."
In any case, it would handle most situations.
Even if I stumbled into a trap and got locked inside a barrier, I could now break out on my own.
The most important thing was still avoiding traps in the first place, of course.
If I embedded it in the palm of the "Zarif Prosthetic Arm," it might come in handy someday.
Though syncing it with magic use would be tricky.
--- "Big Brother. You have a visitor."
After I'd been holed up in the study for a while, Aisha appeared with a composed expression.
The face she puts on for public interactions.
"Who is it?"
"Zanoba."
Zanoba, huh.
What business could he have?
Well, it wasn't like he needed a reason to visit.
He probably just came to hang out.
"He's waiting in the living room."
"Got it."
I stood up lazily.
Speaking of Zanoba, his own research was progressing too.
Automaton research.
He'd finished studying the arms and moved on to the legs.
Along the way, he'd created the "Zarif Prosthetic Leg," but that was just a byproduct.
The legs operated on the same principle as the hands, apparently.
I helped out with building the prototype.
Zanoba drew up the blueprints, I crafted the molds, and Cliff etched the magic circles.
Quite the labor-intensive process.
Each one took nearly a month.
I'd love to sell prosthetic arms and legs as a set someday, but mass production was still a long way off.
Anyway, after finishing the hand and leg research, Zanoba finally moved on to the body.
He carefully cut away the body's seams and disassembled the interior.
Inside, right at the center of the chest, he found a large magic stone.
It was red, crystal-clear, and beautifully shaped.
However, it wasn't a single stone.
It was composed of numerous smaller magic stones, each densely etched with magic circles.
This was undoubtedly the automaton's core.
If he could decode the patterns on this core, he could replicate it.
And if he pushed that research further—dream maid robots.
That said, Zanoba had hit a wall here.
The patterns were far too complex and arcane.
Worse, the only surviving writings about them were filled with caveats, warnings, and strike-throughs.
In other words, even the automaton's creator had still been researching the core.
The existing models were failed prototypes, and the creator's original vision remained unclear.
Future research would be extremely difficult.
But Zanoba had steeled himself with renewed determination, treating this as his true calling.
I hoped he'd do his best.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
When I reached the living room, Zanoba stood up from his seat, where he'd been sipping tea.
"Master! Pardon the intrusion!"
Behind him,
"What brings you here today?"
"I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd stop by and pay my respects."
Just a social call, then.
"I see. Make yourself at home."
Rare as it was, there was no reason to turn him away.
As I thought that, Julie trotted over to me.
"Grand Master. Here—it's finished."
She held out a doll to me.
It was the replica of the Ruijerd figure I'd assigned as homework.
"Good. You're getting better and better. Keep it up—make more."
"Yes!"
Julie bowed enthusiastically.
While I'd been away, Julie had completed one doll.
The Ruijerd figure she'd made was quite impressive.
She'd used mine as a reference, but honestly, hers came out better.
Her sense of posing was flawless.
Even to an untrained eye, the coolness just radiated off it.
When I showed it to Norn, she murmured "I want it" under her breath, so I gave it to her.
Apparently it's now displayed on a shelf at her dorm.
Seeing this success, I ordered Julie to begin producing Ruijerd figures in bulk.
It still took time to make each one, but she could take it slow and produce them one at a time.
It doubled as mana training, and when the time came to sell them, having a good quantity would only help.
"Yesterday, I met Norn-sensei at school."
"Oh, you did? Did she say anything?"
"She said 'thank you,' so I said 'thank you' back."
"Good, good. I'm glad."
I ruffled Julie's hair.
She stiffened up a bit but accepted the petting without complaint.
Recently, Norn had finished her book as well.
She hadn't stopped writing even after she'd started sword training.
It was a short story, written in rough, unpolished prose.
Just one episode.
The tale of Ruijerd fighting loyally for his lord, being betrayed, and exacting his revenge—based on that spear legend.
But Ruijerd's stubbornness, his sorrow, and his coolness came through loud and clear.
With some editing, it could be published as a book for young readers.
When I had Julie listen to it, she was equally ecstatic.
She begged me to read it again and again—I ended up going through it three times.
If Ginger hadn't stepped in, it would've been four.
Apparently, Julie had never experienced being read to like that as a small child.
The Coal-mining Tribe didn't have that kind of cultural tradition?
Or perhaps her parents had simply been too busy?
Either way, it didn't matter.
All this had made me want to introduce Julie and Norn at some point, but they'd already met.
Being called "sensei" must have made Norn pretty flustered.
But they seemed to get along well, which was all that mattered.
Mutual recognition was the first step toward building a good relationship.
Anyway, the plan to improve the image of the Superd Tribe was going well too.
Research. Training.
I was doing everything I could.
Any more, and I'd be spread too thin.
Maybe I should specialize in one thing and train harder at it.
But realistically, I'd never reach the top.
It was the same in my previous life, and it'd be the same in this one.
There's always someone above you.
Sure, I might top the rankings at school, but cast your gaze out at the world and you'd find strong fighters everywhere.
True talent—the kind effort alone can't overcome—does exist.
But I didn't need to force myself to win.
I could compete in multiple fields.
If I couldn't win head-on, I'd strike from the side.
At least, that's what I told myself.
But a situation like the Hydra could happen again.
When the moment came, I needed to be strong enough to protect my family.
It's not really my strong suit, though—fighting.
"Oh, that's right—Zanoba. Want to go see Lucy?"
"Oh! The young lady? May I really?"
"It's not like you can't see her."
"Indeed! Though I've forgotten which country it's from, but there's apparently a custom in some places where you don't let anyone outside the family see a child until they turn five."
"I think it's better for her to receive blessings from as many people as possible."
Well, for now, let's not overthink it.
Take things one step at a time, as always.
Train the body every day. Practice magic. Conduct research. Socialize and build connections…
Compared to my previous life, this existence was incomparably fulfilling.
Given who I was, this was a solid outcome.
So there was no need to rush.
Rush, and you'd lose sight of your surroundings.
Lose sight, and you'd fall into a trap.
Like with the Hydra.
So, slowly but surely. One thing at a time.
What should my next step be?
I'd gotten the prosthetic hand.
Research was progressing.
My relationship with my wife was solid.
My sister and daughter were healthy.
I had financial breathing room.
My life was stable.
…What remained was— Maybe it was about time to have Roxy teach me King-tier magic.
School Rumors, Part 5 "The class delinquent is crazy about little kids."