Chapter 358

“Huh? You want me to find out what my parents are doing?”
Ronan, mowing the lawn in the garden, raised an eyebrow.
Beside him stood his son, Lance, sulking.
“Yes. More precisely, he said to try it with him and report back.”
“You’re going to teach me how to wield a sword, not anything else. We didn’t have that in my day.”
Ronan grunted and looked back at Adeshan.
She wore a wide-brimmed straw hat and was watering her flower beds.
Looking at her porcelain smooth, white skin and unbroken body, I couldn’t believe she was a married woman with two children.
She’s my wife, but she’s great.
Adeshan chuckled, wiping the sweat from his brow with his sleeve.
“You too. It was one of your freshman projects, don’t you remember?”
“Oh, did I? I guess I didn’t tell you because I don’t have parents. Wahahahahaha!”
“It was a pretty good assignment. I used to help my dad cut fabric, and it brought back memories.”
“I need to see my father-in-law–I understand that, but Lance, why did you come to me when you could have followed your mother to her job? Being a general in the Imperial Army isn’t a job you can just go and do.”
Ronan shrugged.
He thought Adeshan’s job was fifty times more sophisticated and cool than his.
My job was a field position with irregular hours and getting my hands dirty.
Sure, the pay was good.
“But my friends also want to know what my dad does.”
“What about my friends. You must be wondering. My son thinks I’m a crotch scratcher at home after all—what a shame.”
“Dog, dog, dog, I didn’t think of that!”
Lance, who had gotten his point across, threw up his hands in frustration.
Three years after Dharman’s kidnapping.
Lance, now fourteen years old, was very interested in his father.
While the misconception of incompetence has long since been dispelled, I still don’t know what Ronan does when he’s out and about.
“Ugh–that’s a pain in the ass. Can’t you just write “Home Guardian” on it?”
“Oh my God, I’m not kidding!”
“He’s ignoring her. How important is that?”
I wasn’t lying when I said that my friends were curious.
Especially when Sensen and Wilhelm ask the world-saving hero what he does on a normal day, and he can’t answer that he rakes leaves and mows the yard.
As Ronan was puffing away at his annoying tea, a girl who had been fetching water with Adeshan approached him.
“Dad. No?”
Daughter of Ronan and Adeshan and younger sister of Lance.
Erin joined Phileon last month.
Her snow-white hair, resembling that of a savior, glistened in the summer sun.
She giggled, grabbing Ronan’s bargepole.
“Erin is also wondering what her dad is doing—.”
“Hey, is my princess here?”
The corners of Ronan’s mouth turned up to the base of his ears.
It was a contrast to his attitude toward Lance.
He picked Erin up, lifted her above his head, and lowered her, then pressed his cheeks to her flushed face.
“Ouch. My beard stings!”
“Yeah, yeah. I can’t help it if Erin’s curious, too. Why don’t you and your brother take a tour?”
Erin blurted out quickly.
It was a long time before Ronan set her down and ruffled Lance’s hair.
“Okay son, I’ll let you know as soon as I have a job, I’m not sure, but it’ll be a day or two, and I’ll warn your sister Nabiroze.”
“——I’m on vacation right now.”
“Oh yeah? I thought you and Erin were skipping school again when you both stayed home. I thought blood couldn’t fool me, but luckily you guys take after your mom.”
Lance blanched at the sight of Ronan’s smirk.
I didn’t know where to start pointing this out.
Outrageous insensitivity?
Or the part where you call the vice principal of the great Phileon Academy your sister?
Erin, freed from Ronan’s thorny hell (as the siblings had named it), rushed to Lance and hugged him.
“Hee hee, big brother, I did good, didn’t I?”
“Yeah. It’s the best.”
It reminded me of an affectionate flying squirrel.
Unlike Lance, who was on the cusp of puberty, Erin was still an innocent child.
At least as Ronan and Adeshan see it.
Erin, clinging to the nape of her brother’s neck, whispered softly.
“I know, and I guess we should pay for top performance, right?”
“—What do you want?”
“Three imperial gold coins. Or three kisses on the cheek.”
Lance’s eyes narrowed.
Since the student was unlikely to carry a large sum of gold coins, there was really only one option.
“Erin. You’re ten years old, can’t you just do it once?”
“Only if I complain of a stomach ache on field trip day, and for the record, it’s the kind of stomach ache that neither mom nor dad can learn to live with without taking care of me.”
Lance sighed.
It seemed like he was getting smarter by the day.
Lance looked around and eventually kissed her three times on the cheek.
It was so quick as a woodpecker, no one noticed.
Erin smirked.
“Hee hee, I’ll give you a special pass on that one.”
“You’re welcome—how long do you think you’re going to ask me to carry you?”
“For life, of course.”
Erin replied, burying her face in Lance’s back.
She’s aspiring to be student council president like her mom, and Pileon has the perfect girl concept, so she has to keep this fool around while her brother is home on vacation.
“Oh, by the way, is Sechika coming?”
“I haven’t talked to him yet. Do you want me to call him?”
“No.”
The answer was immediate.
Asel and Marja’s eldest daughter, Cechika.
Erin frowned, remembering her from yesterday.
Unlike Lance, who hadn’t quite shed his boyishness yet, Sechika was slowly becoming a woman.
She was dressed lightly for the weather, and Lance, who was running errands with her, couldn’t look her in the eye.
“I made a mistake, I shouldn’t have sent them on the school trip.
The stuttering and squinting was pathetic to say the least.
Erin’s arms tightened around him.
“Erin wants it to be just the two of us.”
****
Ding!
A knock rang out in the garden of the Caravelle mansion.
The gates, large enough for Varen and Jaifa to enter without bowing their heads, were stained red by the setting sun.
Soon, the answer came from the other side of the door.
“Who are you?”
“The Bald Slayer.”
“Oh, Uncle Ronan?!”
The gates opened immediately.
A girl with bright red hair turned to Ronan, her eyes wide.
“It’s been a while, how are you?”
“Same old me.”
She was the eldest daughter of the Caravel family.
Ronan patted her on the head.
“I haven’t seen you in a month, and you’re covered again. How’s that love business going with Lance?”
“Moo, what are you talking about? Why would I have anything to do with her—!”
“No? I thought you’d already seen all the groceries because you were in such a good mood when you were together, and you look great together.”
“Now, that’s a good look–hmmm.”
Sechika’s face flushed a deep red.
She covered the corners of her mouth with her hand as she spoke.
“Uncle Ronan is looking even more wild and wonderful today, so what are you up to?”
“I’m here to see your dad. It’s quiet, but you’re not the only one in the house, are you?”
“Alas, my mom is at Grandpa’s with my siblings, and my dad is in the lab, do you want me to call him?”
“No, you don’t have to, ouch.”
“Pinched!”
Ronan leapt in place as he answered.
Sechika’s shoulders slumped in surprise at the sudden action.
Ronan’s feet didn’t make a sound as he landed on the third-floor balcony in a single bound.
“Wow.”
Cechika is impressed.
I couldn’t believe it was coming from someone off active duty.
After giving her a quick V, Ronan moved to the far corner of the room.
I’ve been in and out of Asel’s lab many times already.
The new mana flowing out of the doorway seemed to indicate that he was still experimenting with something.
Ronan slid the door open.
“Hey, Asel.”
“It’s vague, but I think it’s possible, because there are countless civilizations outside of this star right now, so—”
Asel was having a conversation with someone.
His voice was so serious that Ronan deliberately didn’t interrupt him.
On Asel’s desk floated a translucent half-body of a boy he recognized from somewhere.
Lorhon, the original Archmage.
He touched his chin as he listened to Asel’s explanation.
“Hmmm. It’s certainly not impossible—but—I’ll have to do a little more research on that. I take it you’re still not interested in the position of Matriarch?”
“You know, I’m not good with people. I’m even worse at dealing with them.”
“Actually, I’d love to, but Count Armalen wouldn’t let me, so I’ll see you next time.”
“Take a break.”
The conversation, which was supposed to be at the end, ended soon after.
Asel sighed as she pulled her hair out of its backward bun.
A pinched face, eyes fixed on the night sky.
It was the kind of look you only get when you’re faced with a challenge, a look that’s really hard to come by in this dorky genius.
Ronan, who had been sneaking up on him, flicked a finger in Asell’s ear.
“Yum.”
“Heeeeeeee!!!”
Asel made a grotesque noise and jumped in place.
It was like a cat caught in cold water.
Finally calming his pounding heart, he wiped the tears from his eyes.
“Ro, Ronan?! When do you get here—!”
“Just got here. I see you still have a heart the size of a mouse.”
Ronan chuckled.
It was a side of the archmage that the world didn’t know about.
He was a monster who could make mountains and float palaces with the snap of his fingers, but to him, he was just a goofy hometown boy.
He clapped Asher on the shoulder.
“What are you two talking about so hard? You sound like Lorhon inspirations.”
“Uh, yeah. Well, I’ve been working on something lately—.”
Asher dragged his feet.
I don’t know what it was, but it was something he wanted to keep secret.
Hmm, I was wondering, but what the heck.
Shaking off his disappointment, Ronan changed the subject.
“You don’t have to tell me. By the way, do you guys put preservatives in your bread or something? How come you haven’t changed since you were at Pileon?”
“Ahhhhh, it’s not that bad—.”
“No. Your face is paler than my daughter’s.”
“Ooohhh. Ha, don’t do it—!”
Ronan poked a finger into Asel’s cheek.
I’m not as good as Erin or Lance at diving in and out.
I’m not a pure-blooded human being, so that’s one thing, but what is this guy?
Asel tied her loose hair back into a ponytail.
“Well, that’s–well, the original wizard gets to control his aging once he reaches a certain level, so that’s something.”
“Yes. So was the Lorhon inspiration, though you were at your most flirtatious around that time.”
“Ugh. He was in his physical prime, and if he didn’t get it done at this time—.”
“What if I don’t?”
“He—isn’t feeling well—.”
Asel looked at the family photos on the wall and smiled.
It was a sad-looking smile.
Didikan’s life’s work, captured by the camera.
In a large framed photo, a more mature Marja smiles broadly as she embraces her five siblings.
It wasn’t hard to understand what he meant.
“Holy shit, five isn’t enough.”
“Ahhhhh, maybe we’ll have six siblings this year—are you like this?”
“We’re not that big, fuck–I told you, you’re going to be on my chest.”
Ronan looked at Asel with sympathy.
I felt a little guilty that my joking remark had become a reality.
I’ve always thought he was a lean, well-fed guy.
Looking at the family photo, Asel smiled again.
“I’m happy, though. I don’t think I heard you yet, what brings you here?”
“Ah. That was a long rant. You know that thing you and Orsay are doing in the South, count me in.”
“The South? Whoa, where were you originally from?”
“I finished it up yesterday. It’s an old river, but the spirits are tough, but I’ve got it cleared, so it should be fine for a while.”
The nonchalant answer made Asel blush.
Ronan is always a fast worker, but this time he was a little too fast.
Making a centuries-old river spirit look like a piece of cake.
Ronan scratched his head, then spoke up.
“If nothing else, my rabbit-like kids want to know what my dad does for a living. Pileon gave me an assignment to find out what he does for a living.”
“Ah, so—! Come to think of it, I think Sechika was given the same assignment?”
“You were the same age as Lance, then—.”
Ronan pondered.
Lately, seeing Lance or Erin reminded him of his own boyhood.
Is it because it’s a similar night to when I started my adventure in Nimbus?
As he savored the memory, he spoke up.
“This is ——, Arcel.”
“Huh?”
“Well, here we are. Why don’t we try to reclaim the dignity of the family name?”