My rounds of greeting the Demon Kings in each region had concluded.
They had sided with me.
Atofe's name was remarkably useful.
So far, everything was going smoothly.
It was working out.
Things were going so well I almost wondered if it was too good to be true—no problems had arisen at all.
Geese remained silent to an unsettling degree.
There had been no interference from the Human God whatsoever.
I checked in at home frequently, but there was no sign of anyone making a move against my family.
I'd been reviewing the world intelligence my mercenary company had gathered, but there was nothing that raised any alarms.
At the very least, it seemed my actions had nothing to do with whatever Geese was planning.
Geese's letter had been a bluff—he was scheming something else entirely...
What that something was, I still didn't know.
As long as I didn't know, I had no choice but to keep moving in the direction I'd chosen.
There had been no reports of Geese being spotted either.
He was hiding well.
Without Kishrika's help, I probably wouldn't find him.
But Kishrika herself would only be a matter of time before she was found.
In the meantime, I'd work on establishing a connection with my next contact.
The Holy Land of the Sword.
The Sword God, Gal Farion.
According to
I had, for what it was worth, met Sword King Nina Farion once before...
He'd probably be similar to Atofe.
Depending on how things played out, this too could end up being a negotiation where I'd have to come with my full arsenal and push through with brute force.
In that case, I should surround myself with people who could fight, just like last time.
Unlike Atofe's personal guard, they wouldn't just stand by and watch even if their boss went down.
But the Holy Land of the Sword was the kind of place where people like Eris and Gilleen were a dime a dozen.
A mass of Sword God Style swordsmen all attacking at once...
Thinking about it made my stomach sink.
For now, I'd take Eris and... who else?
Maybe I could ask Ariel to lend me Gilleen...
"Hey! If you don't eat up, I can't clear the table!"
"Ah, sorry. Here, nom nom."
While pondering all of this, I was currently at home, eating a meal with my wife.
"You have to eat every last piman pepper!"
"Eh, piman too? I'm really not great with piman..."
"You can't leave any piman behind! Adults have to endure and swallow even things they don't like!"
My wife was still small—five years old.
The house had no roof. The dishes were made of stone, and inside them were mud balls and muddy water.
All of this was probably because I wasn't earning enough. I was making them suffer.
"Baboo."
"Oh my,
Our daughter was fifteen. She'd be sixteen soon.
She was graduating from the magic university this year and seemed busy with some event or other, but apparently she still yearned for mama's breasts.
"Yay, mama, thanks~"
"No! Babies can only speak baby talk!"
"Oh... yes. Baboo."
Our daughter still seemed to have trouble with words. She was an infant, after all—can't be helped.
"Woof woof!"
"Oh,
The pet was also fifteen.
Lately she'd been juggling housework and mercenary work, giving off a career-woman vibe, but she mostly wore a maid outfit.
But, as was fitting for a dog-like creature, she apparently couldn't resist her appetite.
"Wafu~n!"
"When you're done eating, you can play with Norn!"
"Wafu wafu, waon~"
"Baboo...!"
"Stop it, that tickles!"
The pet, excited like she was in heat, hugged both my wife and daughter at the same time while slurping their cheeks.
How heartwarming.
I'd join in too.
"Yay, daddy too, daddy too~"
"No! Daddy doesn't do things like that!"
I was rejected by my wife.
Was this what they called domestic discrimination?
It looked harmonious on the surface, but was our marriage actually ice-cold?
A frigid married life—was this the slump?
Actually, why wasn't I the pet?
I wanted to cuddle and lick too...
"*sniff* Daddy must be hated..."
"That's not it! Daddy is a great person, so he's almost never home and he can't hold the baby, but he really does love you! It can't be helped!"
I didn't need to be great. I just wanted to be nearby, watching over them.
It didn't need to be unavoidable. I just wanted to hold my baby too.
Love is warmth.
Because it's warm, it brings happiness.
"Um,
A voice suddenly came from behind me.
I turned around and caught sight of my mother-in-law through the neighbor's window... well, never mind.
"Yeah."
As I started to stand up, someone grabbed the hem of my clothes.
Lucy was looking up at me with a worried expression.
"Daddy, are you leaving for work again?"
Come to think of it, it had been about an hour.
Who should I bring to the Holy Land of the Sword? Should I just ask President Orsted to come along?
How should I handle the negotiations? Should I go in swinging from the start...
While I was wrestling with these thoughts, Lucy had been brought to me by Norn—that was how it started.
Hiding behind Norn and fidgeting, Lucy had said, "Um, Daddy... play with me?"
Without a moment's hesitation, I'd agreed.
"No, I just need to talk to Mama for a bit."
"...No."
"I'll be right back. In the meantime, have your big sisters play with you."
"...Okay."
Lucy pressed her lips tight together and looked down.
So this was what it felt like—being reluctant to leave.
If I could, I'd play with her all day.
I wanted to be Lucy's husband.
But my real wife was calling, so I had to go.
"So, what's up,
After washing my hands, I returned to the living room and settled in beside Sylphie on the sofa.
"Yeah. So... you've been busy lately, right, Rudeus? I know this sounds like I'm rushing you, but I thought I should ask before you leave..."
Sylphie scratched her cheek and looked down, embarrassed.
What was it? She was being all coy.
"You're heading to the Holy Land of the Sword soon, right?"
"Yeah, as soon as preparations are ready—another two or three days..."
All that remained was selecting the members.
Eris and someone else.
Ideally, I'd bring someone who could actually talk to the Sword God Style crowd.
Maybe I could ask Ariel to lend me Gilleen or Isolde...
"How long will you be gone?"
"I'm not sure—ten days to a month, maybe? I'll probably check out the surrounding area too."
Apparently, there were renowned swordsmen and apprentice blacksmiths near the Holy Land of the Sword.
I planned to make connections with those people as well.
"I see... yeah, then I guess it won't work out."
"...Won't work out for what?"
"The birth."
She said that, and I looked at Sylphie's belly.
Her belly, swollen and round.
Her chest, slightly fuller.
Physical changes that didn't quite suit Sylphie's slender frame.
"Ah... it's already that time, huh?"
No, of course, it wasn't that I'd forgotten.
Sylphie was always in my heart.
I hadn't really had a sense of the due date, but so it was—already...
Time really did flow fast.
"...Want to touch my belly?"
I did as she asked and touched it.
Though I was touching her belly, from somewhere deep within, I could feel the pulse of life.
It was a strange sensation, as if there were two heartbeats.
No—right now, Sylphie was carrying two lives.
And those lives were about to separate from Sylphie and become independent.
"Soon, Lucy's little brother or sister will be born."
Sylphie placed her hand over mine on her belly.
"This time, when I give birth, you won't be here, will you, Rudeus?"
"No, I'll be here—at home."
"But... Rudeus."
"I'll be here."
It wasn't like I'd hear that the baby was coming soon and just say "well, good luck" and leave.
If I did that, I really wouldn't know anymore why I was doing any of this.
"...Thank you, Rudeus. I love you."
"I love you too."
When Sylphie closed her eyes, I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.
Ah, I was so happy...
"Oh, and also—before the baby's born, I want you to tell me the name. You said you'd think of one before going to Millis, but you still haven't told me."
I got down on the floor and sat in seiza.
--- And so, I decided to stay home for a while.
It wasn't that I didn't feel the need to hurry.
But more than that, I'd become anxious.
When I sat in seiza and bowed my head, admitting I hadn't thought of a name, Sylphie wasn't angry or pouty.
She had gone pale and was at a loss for words.
She just wore an expression like someone who'd been betrayed by something she'd believed in.
That expression quickly vanished, and she said, "Well, you'd better start thinking now"... but...
That was the face of disappointment.
Being given up on.
Those words came to mind right after.
Yeah, of course.
Sylphie had surely been trusting me for the past half year.
Even from far away, she'd been eagerly awaiting our child's birth, believing that when the time came, I'd be there to celebrate with a smile.
Of course, that was my intention too.
It had been.
I just hadn't shown it through my actions.
At least in my head, that's what I'd thought.
"Daddy, what's wrong? Does your tummy hurt?"
"No, I just... hurt Mama's feelings a little."
"Then you have to say sorry."
That's what Lucy said to me as I agonized.
But what Sylphie wanted wasn't an apology.
What she wanted wasn't a surface-level apology.
Nothing that concrete.
Something more vague... yes—a sense of security.
"Lucy, I think Mama is worried that even if I say sorry, she'll just get hurt again."
"But Daddy won't hurt Mama anymore, right?"
"I won't."
"Then Mama will forgive you!"
Sylphie had known that from the very beginning.
I wouldn't be home much.
Sometimes, I'd completely forget something like this.
Knowing that was one thing—feelings were another.
She'd been enduring bit by bit for a long time.
Even when she was pregnant, when I set off to find
She let me do as I pleased.
This time, too, I think she'd been enduring.
When she heard I hadn't thought of a name, she'd swallowed the words she wanted to say.
Surely, she would keep enduring going forward.
And I would keep making her endure.
It was fine for now.
But there was a limit to endurance.
Like water overflowing from a cup, a person's capacity had its limits.
When that time came, Sylphie would disappear from my life.
Just as in that diary, she would simply vanish.
I didn't want that.
I wanted to be with her until I died.
I wanted us both to keep wanting to be together.
It was nothing more than selfishness, but...
Even if she grew tired of me, at the very least, I wanted to give Sylphie a sense of security.
How could I do that?
--- While I was fretting over all this, the day of the birth arrived.
It had only been about a week.
Sylphie carried on as if nothing had happened.
In fact, she might have genuinely thought nothing was wrong.
I didn't think she was the type to hold grudges.
She was probably disappointed about the other day, but she might not have taken it all that seriously.
I didn't think I'd been too awkward, either.
I'd spent as much time with Sylphie as I could while desperately thinking of a name for the child.
Then the contractions started, and the birth began.
Eris ran to get the doctor with a matter-of-fact expression, Lillia and Aisha prepared for the delivery, Roxy stood by as an assistant Healing Magic practitioner, Leo took the other children to a separate room, and I stayed by Sylphie's side the entire time.
After a while, Eris returned with the doctor.
The doctor, carried under Eris's arm, was dizzy but immediately set to work preparing for the delivery.
Everyone was experienced.
This was Sylphie's second, and for me, this was the fourth.
Including Aisha and Norn, this would be the fifth birth they'd witnessed.
Including my previous life, the count was a bit higher.
The doctor was a veteran, and there was not a single inexperienced person present.
It was a reassuring lineup.
Within that lineup, labor began.
Nobody panicked—it was calm and smooth...
"Ugh."
Just as the head became visible, the doctor groaned.
The sense of reassurance vanished in an instant, and anxiety raced through my body.
Experienced or not, childbirth was still childbirth.
Had I let my guard down?
Was it breech? No, the head was visible...
It couldn't be a stillbirth, could it?
Roxy stood up and took hold of her Staff.
"Healing Magic?"
"It won't be necessary."
With that, the doctor continued the delivery.
Giving Sylphie minimal words of encouragement, the birth proceeded smoothly.
Nothing seemed to be wrong.
"...Waaah, waaah."
The baby's cry echoed through the busy yet quiet room.
Without a word, the doctor picked up the baby.
Everything appeared to be fine.
But the doctor's expression remained rigid.
I understood why.
The moment I saw the baby, I knew.
Why the doctor had groaned, why his expression was still stiff.
It was the baby's hair.
When Lucy was born, her sparse hair had been a light brown.
When Lala was born, she had no hair.
When Ars was born, I wasn't there, but when I first saw him, his hair was red.
"..."
Sylphie's second child.
The baby's hair was green.
Not quite emerald green.
But it was green.
Yes, just like Sylphie once had...
"No..."
Sylphie's face turned deathly pale.
"Ah... ah... no way..."
Roxy, Eris, Aisha, and Lillia all looked perfectly normal.
In our family, having a child with colorful hair wasn't all that uncommon.
And everyone here had ties to
Nobody here would make a fuss over green hair.
But Sylphie...
She...
No.
"...Congratulations. It's a boy."
"..."
Sylphie stared at the baby with a look of despair.
The doctor held the baby out to her, and though she cradled it against her chest, her hands wandered uncertainly, as if she didn't know what to do.
"Sylphie."
I needed to congratulate her.
There was no reason not to.
I had to comfort Sylphie and congratulate her.
After that, I had to tell her it would be all right.
With the biggest smile I could manage.
To give her a sense of security.
"It's okay. It's okay. Thank you."
"...Rudeus... I'm sorry."
Before I could say anything, Sylphie spoke first.
"You don't have to apologize, so—"
As I spoke, her strength drained away, as if a battery had died.
I frantically caught the baby as it nearly slipped from her arms.
"What?"
"Rudeus! Step aside!"
Roxy and the doctor pushed me aside and took my place.
They checked on Sylphie, who had fainted.
I watched in a daze.
"She just fainted."
At the doctor's words, a wave of relief swept through the room.
I just stood there, holding the naked baby.
Just stood there.
Aisha approached with a cloth.
"Big brother, here—for wrapping."
"Oh, right."
Mechanically, I reached for the cloth.
Sylphie had been anxious.
She'd been consumed by a vague unease.
And as if that anxiety had been justified, the child's hair was green.
Had she fainted because the thread of tension finally snapped, or because the stress had reached its peak?
If I had been able to give her more of a sense of security, would things have been different?
I regretted it.
But I did want to celebrate.
The hair was green, yes, but so what?
Nothing was different.
The fourth child. I had actually thought of a name.
"...Why are you here?"
Suddenly, Eris, who had been in the corner of the room, spoke.
She was talking to me.
Eris was directing harsh words at me in my pathetic state.
Feeling something heavy settle in my stomach, I turned around.
"Huh?"
I was wrong.
She wasn't talking to me.
There was someone strange in the room.
Blonde hair. A stiff, white outfit like a school uniform, with trousers.
And a yellow mask with a fox motif.
"Almanfi...?"
Almanfi was staring at me.
No—the baby, to be precise.
Staring intently at the baby with green hair.
"Rudeus Greyrat. Come to the Aerial Fortress. Lord Pergius summons you."
And with that, he delivered Pergius's summons.