— Leon Anemoi Greyrat —
It was the seventh day of the week, meaning that none of the kids had school since it was their off day, so I was currently at Rudy's, helping my little brother out by watching Damian since the rest of his family was occupied.
Both Sara and Rudy were out shopping with Lana, Shizuka was continuing her work on the Man-God's seal with Roxy, Sieghart was training with Ruijerd, and as for Linia… she was upstairs, having slept through the whole day after a night of 'satisfying her heat', according to her.
I did not need to know that when she came downstairs to grab a cup of milk, but I ended up learning that information anyway.
No wonder Rudy looked so tired this morning.
But I wasn't the only one here, as I had brought Roana, Aria, and Alice along both to keep Damian and I company, and also because they wanted to go visit their uncle's place.
"Mmm… comfy…" Alice hummed, curling up further in my lap as I continued running my hand through her now waist-length red hair.
This little rascal… she had tired herself out after an entire two hours straight of playing, having kept me extremely occupied for a time that I thought I would have spent relaxing while the kids played amongst themselves.
But still… knowing how much she loved being with me, it wasn't like I could ever get upset about it, even if it was making me age a bit faster.
She was already a little over three, but still just as rambunctious and adventurous as ever… and I was not excited to see what would happen when she grew older and no longer tired out so easily.
But for now, this cute little creature was fast asleep with a blanket covering her, giving me quite the warm feeling on the inside and out.
Almost like a cat.
Moving my gaze across the living room, I then looked over to the other chair, where Aria was currently sitting as she read through one of Rudy's magic books, and then down to the rug, where Damian was attempting to build something out of some wooden blocks.
And lastly… there was Roana, who was currently looking at the collection of Rudy's figures that were on display on the bookcase, and thankfully, none of them were of his more… 'tasteful' works.
I can only assume that I had Sara and Shizuka to thank for that.
"Do you like them, Roana?" I asked.
"Yeah… some are pretty… and some are cool… I like them," she said in her usual soft tone as she then turned to me. "Dada… do you think I can make them?"
Did she… want to make figures?
"Uhh, your uncle's been at that even before he was your age, so it'd take a while… but here, you can try," I said, summoning a ball of clay as I tossed it over to her. "Unfortunately, I'm not very good at art, so I can't help much… and even your uncle makes those figures out of his magic rather than clay, so it might end up a bit different."
Her eyes widened as she looked down at the piece of clay, and then over at the figures, before going back to the clay again.
And I was instantly able to tell the look on her face after I finished speaking.
Jeez… they really were sisters, huh?
"Right… well, we were going to wait until you were five, but if you want to, you can start learning magic too," I said, nodding over to Aria. "Eventually, you might be able to get as good sister, and by then, you'll definitely be able to make figures and statues out of earth magic… if that's what you want, of course."
Roana nodded vigorously before she then looked over to Aria, a small smile forming on her face.
And Aria… then suddenly looked back with a beaming smile herself.
Uhh… what?
She was usually too absorbed in her magic books to notice anything else… and why were the two just staring at each other in silence?
I narrowed my eyes as I looked closer between the two, and as I did… I spotted it.
A very faint trail of mana connecting the two of them, with small pulses that were rippling back and forth.
What the hell?
"What are you two doing?" I asked, confused.
"Huh? What do you mean, Dada?" Aria asked, tilting her head in confusion. "Roana was just asking if I could… wait… if you didn't hear it… does this mean…!"
Seeing her tone slowly get louder, I placed my hand over Alice's exposed ear in preparation.
"Does that mean we just used telepathy to each other! That's… so cool!" Aria exclaimed, casting her book to the side as she rose to her feet. "Just think! Now, Roana and I have a super special sister bond! Isn't that awesome!? Right, little sis!"
I then followed her gaze as I looked over to Roana, and after a few moments, a frown formed on her face as she turned away from Aria.
And the mana going from Aria to Roana… it was increasing.
Haa… that adorable, way too energetic little girl of mine seemed to run her thoughts just as much as her mouth.
"Aria, calm down. You're going to annoy or even hurt your sister," I said, raising a hand to massage my temples as Aria whined in annoyance.
So, just like Aria, Roana inherited the Migurd trait of telepathy… that was sure to be just splendid around the house, wasn't it?
Just what kind of secret antics would they get into… I just had to make sure Roana wasn't going to be strung along by her sister.
But still… just as Aria had said, it was good to see those two have an even closer bond.
— Leon Anemoi Greyrat —
"My apologies, Sir Leon, but Aria… she had a small fight earlier today."
Hearing the teacher's words, I held back the sigh that was threatening to release from my mouth, sending a small look to the sulking daughter at my side of mine before returning to the teacher's face.
"I see…" I replied. "Was anyone hurt?"
"No… as things didn't appear to get violent and everyone was fine, there isn't any need for further punishment, but I thought it would be best that you know, considering that Aria usually gets along with everyone…" she said, shaking her head before she suddenly bowed. "If that is all, I apologize for the disturbance."
"No problem. And thank you for taking her back home," I said as the woman then turned to leave, leaving me standing out on the front porch with Aria… who had apparently gotten into her first fight aside from the small squabbles with her siblings.
Honestly, I had expected this to happen, and when I thought about Aria's very first fight… it had terrified me a bit.
After all, in general, kids were stupid when it came to their emotions, as well as their ability to think critically, and no matter how much I tried to teach my kids to mitigate that, there was only so much one could learn without the experience of making mistakes.
And when you paired the possibility of making a mistake with the power of Aria, who was nearing the level of your average Advanced-rank magician in terms of combat… well, that could be quite the big mistake.
Aside from having my own child hurt or even kill an innocent kid, just imagining the grief that my kind-hearted Aria would go through… again, it was terrifying to think about.
But seeing as everyone ended up being safe in the end, I could now say that her having that first fight was actually a good thing, and from how guilty she looked, she knew that she was in the wrong, so there wasn't a need to talk to her about that.
Instead… I wanted to know what caused my daughter that got along with everyone to snap like that.
"Aria…" I said, crouching down to meet her at eye level. "Do you want to tell me what happened at school today?"
Her tiny fists clenched.
"I… got mad," she said, still keeping her head down.
"At who?" I asked.
"Stupid boys," she mumbled.
"I see… and why was that?" I asked, my tone darkening.
Because if it was anything really bad… well, let's just say that they wouldn't be boys for long.
But, they were just kids, and hardly anyone in that school was much older than ten, so I doubted it was anything horrible.
"They keep… confessing to me, saying that they like me… but I don't want any of them!" she replied, shaking her head.
…Oh.
So, failed romance, huh?
Well, I understood those poor souls.
My Aria was the cutest, after all.
But still…
"That can't be it, right?" I asked. "Were they mean to you when you refused?"
Her eyebrows furrowed in anger.
"Yep… I said I didn't want any of them, and then they all asked me why… and I told them that I only wanna be with you, Dada!" she exclaimed, her lips twisting into a scowl. "But those mean dummies all said 'it's impossible to be with your father forever' and other dumb stuff, so I beat them up! And… then I healed them after…"
…So she did end up hurting them.
Well… I guess if there was no harm done in the end…
But still, this was quite an issue, huh?
I adored how much Aria cared for me. I relished every moment of it. But those boys were right… we wouldn't be together forever, and it would be foolish for her not to learn that sooner rather than later.
"Alright… let's have a little talk, okay?" I said, rising to my feet as I picked her up by her armpits, carrying her over to the nearby chair where I sat her down.
Thankfully, she didn't resist.
Perhaps she was feeling guilty?
Either way, with me returning to my knees so that she was looking down at me, I reached out to grasp her little hands, rubbing along her knuckles as a small smile formed on my face.
To think, only a few years ago, her hand would hardly be able to even grasp around my finger completely, but now, it was almost to the size of my entire palm… it really was a bittersweet feeling.
"Aria… you're my daughter. My first daughter, and one I love very much," I said gently. "So, no matter what, we will be connected for a long, long time… and no matter what, I, and all of your mothers, will always be here for you."
Her hands unclenched from their tightened fists, moving to intertwine her fingers with mine as best as she could.
"But… there will be a time when you will go off on your own eventually. Just like I ended up having my own family away from your grandparents," I said.
"B-But… I don't want to do that," she said, shaking her head. "It's… scary…"
I let go of her hands, moving to wrap my arms around her in a hug as she buried her face into my neck.
"I don't wanna leave!" she cried.
I gently patted her head, letting her vent her emotions through her tears, the two of us remaining in the embrace before she eventually calmed down enough to listen once more.
"Listen, Aria… you have a very adventurous mind, so you'll definitely want to explore the world and try lots of new things once you grow up," I said, running my hand through her hair. "But that's okay. That's how you grow. And as long as you're happy, there is no need to worry about us. Although… I would be a little sad if you get completely tired of being around me…"
"That'll never happen!" she said, removing herself from my hug as she looked at me with her still-teary eyes. "Even if you get really old, I'll just carry you around on my back! Definitely!"
I couldn't help but smile at that.
"Is that so? Well… thank you, Aria. That really reassures me," I said, running my thumb along her cheeks to wipe away the tear stains. "Though if you want to carry me when I'm older, I think you'll need to focus more on your physical training."
I nearly laughed at the flash of despair that crossed her face at the proposal.
But still… there was still the root of the problem, in that Aria was hesitant about growing older.
In fact, I had seen this before too, like when she got upset at Anna for wanting to head to the Sword Sanctum.
Aria… was afraid of change.
And that was fine.
Change was sometimes scary.
But, especially for an energetic kid like her… I needed to show her that change could be exciting too.
A life away from the comfort of home… well, perhaps I had a good idea in mind.
One that I had been thinking about trying even before this.
"Aria… how about we take a quick camping trip tomorrow?" I asked, her eyes sparkling at my proposition.
"A… camping trip?" she asked.
"Yes. There's a dungeon nearby that is supposed to look cool, and perhaps we can bring your older siblings and mother as well," I said. "So… what do you say? Do you want to go on a little adventure?"
"Oh… I'd like that!" she exclaimed, her mood having completely shifted from the earlier sadness.
"Alright. But first… you need to apologize to those boys," I said, standing up. "Your teacher should know where they live, so let's go."
She immediately pouted.
"Okay… but only if you carry me," she replied, lifting her arms.
Haa… I really couldn't refuse her requests, could I?
"If that's what it takes," I said, picking her up.
— Leon Anemoi Greyrat —
"Wee!"
The wind whipped past my ears as the excited squeals of my daughter and son entered my ears, alongside the mumbled complaints of Roxy's as she tightened her hold on my back.
"Do we seriously have to do it like this, Leon?" she asked as I leaped into the air once again.
"It saves a lot of time, right? And those three don't know how to ride horses yet," I replied.
Plus… it was really fun.
"But still… this is too much-! Whaa!"
And no, I definitely did not intentionally propel us faster with a burst of wind magic to hear my wife's cute scream.
Absolutely not.
But anyway, with Ars, Anna, and Aria held in my arms, and Roxy tied to my back, we were making quick progress on the way to the nearby dungeon that would usually take a couple of days of travel to get to, as we didn't want to spend more than a night away from home.
And interestingly enough, along our way down the road, I had spotted something quite interesting… that being the new rankings of the Seven World Powers.
The first and second places were the Technique God and the Dragon God, just as usual, but as for the third… well, that was now me, the Elemental God, since I had killed the former third rank.
The next three spots were taken by those who had moved up a rank with the death of the Fighting God, those being the Death God, Sword God, and North God respectively.
And then, as for the open seventh spot… it was now a symbol that had only been seen once before, but according to Orsted, it was that of Rudeus'… Rudeus the Quagmire.
Apparently, he had also been the seventh rank for a short while when I was in the Dragon World, so this wasn't anything too surprising… but I wonder how exactly all that was determined?
Usually, whoever defeated one of the world powers took their rank, but when a power was defeated by another and left a spot open… I guess it was just whoever was deemed by the system as the next most powerful in the world?
It was quite confusing… I wonder if I could ask the Technique God how exactly all that worked if I ever met that crazy guy again, considering that he was the one who made it, but then again… maybe I didn't want to meet him.
Anyway, soon enough, we found ourselves in front of the deep cave, with old, long burnt out torches attached to each side of the opening.
"It seems so… empty," Anna said.
"That's because it is," Roxy answered, readying her wand, which she had purchased a few years ago so she didn't need to bring her large staff into her classes. "This dungeon has been cleared many times, meaning that there is no treasure, nor monsters. However, there are a few people that come to see the ruins that remain inside here, and I believe that the archaeology class uses this for one of their exams."
My dear wife sent me another quick glare as she patted down her hair that had gotten quite messy during our journey here.
Sorry, darling… but you did look stunning no matter what state you were in.
"Ruins?" Aria asked, a glimmer in her eyes.
"Yes… from an old civilization that has long since been extinct," she said. "Now, let's go. We don't want to spend too much time waiting around here if we're to spend a single night."
"All right, Mama! Let's do this, team!" Aria exclaimed as she began marching forward.
"Yeah! L-Let's go!" Ars added, following behind her, although his steps were a little unstable.
Roxy slowly looked over at me, her eyes narrowed in a mix of frustration and affection.
"She got that from you, you know?" she said.
"Yeah… she probably did," I replied.
"Mhmm… and that stunt on our way here doesn't help," she continued.
"Then, did you hate having me carry you?" I asked.
She didn't answer, opting to follow after the kids as she turned away from me.
But I did spot the small blush on the tip of her ears…
Anyway, with that, we began heading inside, with Ars and Anna both unsheathing their swords as Aria had unveiled her wand.
Well… at least they were taking this seriously.
But still, as Roxy had said, no monsters appeared, and as we walked down the beaten path before us, the cave soon widened to reveal a large opening with many stone structures along the sides, long since broken and worn out due to the passage of time, while the entire place was lit up with the glistening rocks on the ceiling of the cavern.
This… must have been a city in the past, right?
It almost reminded me of the few pictures I had seen of Petra… or, rather, pictures that Kaito had seen… though it did seem a bit more Greek inspired.
An ancient civilization that had Greek influence, and the age we were currently in that was very medieval… it was interesting how this world's history seemed to roughly follow the same path as that of Earth in my memories, though it was definitely a bit different thanks to the different races and magic.
Either way, it was both beautiful and fascinating to see.
"Mama… you were an adventurer, right? Did you go to a bunch of places like this?" Aria asked as she spun on the spot, her eyes tracing over all the ancient architecture with glee.
"Not really… I only started going into dungeons once I left the Demon Continent on my way towards the university, so I didn't partake in too many of them. And even then, dungeons with ancient civilizations like this are rare," Roxy answered, a small smile forming on her face. "Although… my teacher did search for things and places like this quite often."
All three of the kids stopped to look over at her.
"Your teacher?" Anna asked, curious.
Well, that was natural.
Since they knew that I had taught Sylphy and Eris magic in their youth, and that Roxy had taught me, the thought of Roxy having learned from someone other than her time at the university hadn't even crossed their minds yet.
"Yes… it was back when I had just left my home village on the Demon Continent, I met my teacher, the adventurer named 'Bloody Kant'," she explained, her hand reaching up to her hat. "In fact, it was her that gifted me this… although it sure has gotten old over the years."
Aria immediately raised her hand.
"Ooh! What was she like?" she asked.
Even I was interested about this, as Roxy hadn't told me too much about her former master.
"Hmm… well, she was a very kind and curious woman, and like me, she left home when she was young to explore the world… in fact, she was the one who wrote Walk the World, the book your father sometimes reads you before bedtime," Roxy explained.
"The one where it explains all those cool places?" Aria asked, excited.
"Indeed, that is the one. She wrote all about her adventures in that book, as she wished for anyone to be able to experience the wonders of the world, if only a bit, through reading about them," Roxy said, her smile dropping a bit. "But unfortunately, despite seeing many places, she wasn't able to finish it in the end, as she ran out of time as a human… last I heard of her from Jinas, she had returned to her old village once she published it, and is currently growing older under the care of her brother's family."
Aria stopped bouncing on her feet.
"She… couldn't finish it…?" she mumbled, her wand dropping as her eyes slowly lit up. "Exploring the world… recording adventures…"
Oh?
She seemed quite taken with that idea.
In fact, she almost had the same look in her eyes as she did when she was learning magic.
But unfortunately, before I could address that… we had visitors.
Roxy and I, hearing the monster's echoing cries, turned our heads towards the opposite end of the cave, watching as a horde of Blue Lizards quickly crawled out, their feet slamming against the ground towards us.
"Monsters… it must be a group that moved in here for the season," Roxy said, a line of icicles forming in front of her. "Alright Leon, you take the right, I'll take-"
"Just target the larger ones," I said, also drawing my sword as I looked behind me. "And as for the smaller ones… I'll leave them to you guys."
The three kids widened their eyes before nodding resolutely, holding their weapons forward as I looked in front of me once more, catching a glimpse of Roxy's gaze.
She… was not very happy right now.
Well, that's to be expected, considering I was about to let our kids that weren't even past their second birthday fight some monsters.
But still…
"This is the perfect opportunity, Roxy," I said, trying to give her a reassuring smile.
Her eyebrows twitched.
"I guess, but still…" she said, sighing as she shook her head. "Whatever. Make sure they don't get hurt… and don't think I'm not getting payback for this."
"You know I love whatever you make me do," I replied, walking past her as I deftly reached down to squeeze her rear.
Out of sight of the kids, of course.
"You-! Haa… you idiot," she mumbled.
Her face was probably really red, huh?
Even though many things were changing as we all grew older, Roxy was still just as adorable as when I first met her.
But still… let's thin these numbers a bit for my dear children.
I launched a few slashes from my sword, decapitating the larger monsters of the group in an instant as their bodies slammed to the ground, sending the smaller ones into an even deeper frenzy.
Unfortunately, this was a great chance to give my kids some real, supervised combat experience, so I couldn't simply let them escape.
And so, with a tap of my foot, the earth beside our group rose up, creating a pair of walls that stretched across the cavern to catch the monsters, funnelling them straight towards us as Roxy and I took a few steps back to let the other three take the lead.
Five of them… that's perfect.
And Aria and Anna, being the older and stronger ones, knew exactly what to do as they each faced off against two each, leaving one in the middle for their younger brother.
Those two had already fought real monsters before in the forest, so I wasn't too worried about them.
Instead… this was more for Ars, as while he was strong for his age, he wasn't as naturally talented with the sword as his sister, and wasn't good enough with magic to use it in combat.
Narrowing my eyes, I watched over the three of them as they met their respective opponents.
Aria and Anna, as expected, both defeated theirs easily, with Aria using a tempest of sharp wind to cut through her two monsters, while Anna cut through the neck of one, and the other's four legs with a few movements, being able to casually bury her sword into it's head afterwards.
Yep… those were two terrifying kids… was that how I looked when I was younger?
Anyway, they were fine, but Ars… he was struggling.
His form was solid, and his movements were swift, but his sword… it wasn't sharp or strong enough to cut through the monster's scales, as he had yet to bring out any of his touki in his swordsmanship aside from a few flashes.
Of course, he wasn't falling behind by any means, and to be at his level at his age, he was likely one of the most promising swordsmen in the world at the moment.
But compared to his sister… well, it was obvious to see why he was visibly getting frustrated.
Still, it was good to see that he wasn't overwhelmed by fear, and having gained this experience was the most important part of today, so it didn't matter if he didn't defeat his opponent.
But, just as I was about to draw my sword and help him out, Aria flicked her wand to the side, sending a wave of ice to freeze the monster's legs, locking them in place.
And with such a helpful support, Ars was definitely not going to let it go to waste, as he immediately raised his sword before swinging it down, slicing across the monster's now exposed soft underbelly, causing it to fall down before taking it's last breaths.
Oh? So he noticed its weakness?
I know he hadn't studied any monster anatomy, so he must have instinctively noticed it, likely a trait he inherited from his mother.
But… instead of being ecstatic about his first monster kill, like the usual always happy and confident son of mine would have been, instead… he looked like he was about to cry.
Ah… I see what's going on.
I looked over to Roxy, sending her a nod as she went to gather the other two kids while I started walking up to Ars.
Knowing those two girls, they would definitely want to help, but in a situation like this, they would probably only make things worse.
He didn't seem scared… but probing him with that would probably be a good way to get him talking.
"Ars… are you okay?" I asked, crouching down in front of him. "I'm sorry. I thought it would be a good way for you to get a taste of real combat in a controlled situation… but it might have scared you as well-"
"No!" he shouted, shaking his hand as he looked down at his sword. "It… isn't that, Dad. I just… I'm angry."
"Angry?" I asked. "You're… angry?"
"Yeah… at myself," he said, his bottom lip beginning to tremble. "I… I needed help just to beat one of these things, while Aria and Anna were able to win against theirs easily… and that's not even talking about you or Mom… I… want to get better."
I see… despite being Eris' child, Ars was quite different from her in many aspects, as while they both wore their emotions on their sleeves, it was quite rare to see Ars upset.
But I guess he inherited her competitiveness, huh? Or, at least a part of it.
"You will get better, Ars. Your foundation is solid, so it won't be long before you start to see results," I said, patting his head.
"Okay… but that isn't enough. I wanna be better, faster… I want to be really strong!" he said, his eyes narrowing. "I… will ask Mom for more training when we get home."
Well, it was good to see that he had seemingly already figured things out… but having Eris train him even more…
"…Are you sure about that?" I asked carefully.
"…Yes," he replied.
Though, even with his head held high, it couldn't hide the way his fists were trembling.
Not out of sadness or anger, but rather… out of fear.
Eris was still quite tough on her students, after all… especially when it was her son we were talking about.
"I'll… become a great swordsman… even if I don't end up as good as Mom, you, or even Anna… I'll become really awesome, so I don't need to be helped again!" he said, holding his chin up high.
Well… I guess I didn't even need to do anything.
While my son might not be as physically strong as his older sisters, he was already at their level in mental strength.
"That's my boy," I replied, rustling his hair. "Now, let's get the tents set-up, okay? I'll teach you how."
"Alright!"