Chapter 464

Chapter 464

It wasn’t until hours later, after hearing the baby’s cries, that she met Sechika.
Me and Adeshan were standing at her bedside in our stupid sterile scrubs.
“Tough luck. Sechika.”
“Father. Are you here?”
Sechika greeted, raising her upper body. He’d been told to stay down, but he was stubborn.
Originally, Asel and Marja were supposed to come with us, but they both collapsed at the same time after a nervous breakdown, so we were the first to arrive.
“Ugh. I still can’t get used to that title. Father.”
“Ahaha, but you’ll get used to it, it’s weird if you keep calling me uncle.”
“Yeah, sure–how are you feeling? You don’t look like you’ve been through much.”
I asked worriedly. Sechika’s face had changed in half overnight.
His red hair, inherited from Asel, was tousled like a wild bush.
She shook her head in disbelief.
“It was hard when I gave birth, but now I’m fine. Lance had a hard time.”
“It was no big deal.”
“It’s not a big deal, you just screamed when you got caught by the hair.”
“I didn’t do that. You must have misheard me.”
Lance emphasized that he was unharmed. It was a bluff, of course. He wasn’t a feline bandit, he was a prisoner of war who had been captured by the Cat Alliance and barely released.
The thinning hair was not much different from alopecia areata. Her wrists and face bore the marks of Sechika’s hands. It must have hurt like hell. Sechika had inherited Asel’s magical talent, as well as Marja’s physical strength.
“Son.”
“What?”
“I cussed you out. I’m proud of you too.”
I chuckled and patted Lance on the shoulder. It was his reward for being such a good husband. He’d come out once in the middle, but he’d stuck by Sechika’s side until the end.
“——Thanks.”
Turning his head, Lance dabbed at the corners of his eyes with his sleeve. Emotions were running high.
Adeshan hugged him too.
Lance’s mouth dropped open.
“The doctor said it was one of the most difficult births in hospital history.”
“That’s what it looked like. Did your head spin?”
“Yeah. There was that and a lot of other things going on, and I don’t want to think about what would have happened if she had gotten to a dangerous level–if she hadn’t gotten better at the last minute.”
“Damn, it’s a miracle nothing happened.”
I swept my hand across my chest. The situation was far more dangerous than I had realized. The baby was so determined and unwilling to come out that I wondered if it was holding on.
The rapid improvement in her condition occurred approximately 20 minutes before the end of labor.
It was around this time that I made a vow to myself that I would honor.
“It’s kind of funny.
It’s probably just a coincidence, but I didn’t feel bad about it.
Suddenly, I remembered something I had forgotten. I held out the manuscript to Lance.
“Okay, take this.”
“Huh? What is this?”
“A children’s book I wrote. It’s not perfect, but it’s a good read. You can keep it and pass it on to your grandchildren when they can read. I don’t have a copy yet, so be careful with it.”
“Oh, your dad wrote a book?”
Lance was appalled. The wide-open eyes were quite rude.
It was the look on an explorer’s face when he discovered a fire monkey.
“What, I can’t write a book, I have to just swing a knife until I spread shit on the wall?”
“Well, not really, but I was very surprised. Thanks, Dad.”
“I wrote it because I thought it was funny, and you’re welcome, but again, I’m giving it to my grandkids, not you.”
“I’ll be sure to pass it on, don’t worry, now you can see your grandchildren’s faces.”
“That’s right. I forgot the most important thing.”
I’d forgotten about it. I shifted my gaze toward Sechika.
A newborn baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lay limp beside her. It was my grandchild.
Adeshan was already clasping his hands together.
Sechika said.
“Look, dad. It’s so, so pretty—.”
“I think he looks more like my father than me, especially his eyes.”
“Hmmm. Really?”
I slowly approached the bed. My grandson was one of those babies who hadn’t even opened his eyes yet.
I was giving my daughter-in-law a hard time, so I checked him out, but luckily he didn’t have horns on his head or a tail. I stood there staring at it, and I was like, “Oh, my God.
“It looks like a sweet potato.”
“Honey.”
Adeshan poked me in the side. I giggled and picked up the baby. He was light as a feather. Its belly was a perfect black, like mine and Lance’s. With a clear head on the subject of newborns, I knew I wouldn’t be called ugly in the future.
“A man, isn’t he? The upward slanting eyes–the full head of hair–he’s just a boss.”
“It’s my daughter.”
“I knew it. I thought she was kind of pretty. I’ve heard that girls with upturned eyes like hers are very popular these days. It’s like a cat statue, haha.”
I quickly took control of the situation.
The granddaughter’s eyes were closed in disbelief, and she was making nonsensical noises.
I coughed and changed the subject.
“Hmmmmm, have you decided on a name for the baby?”
“Not yet, my dad has to build it.”
“Me? Really?”
“Yeah. That’s what we were going to do, and Lance even sang in the song that he wanted his dad to name him, because he looks up to him so much.”
“Seh, Sechika—!”
Lance flushed with embarrassment. I was surprised. I never thought that my son, who had been a bitch day in and day out, would admire me so much. Of course, I wasn’t offended, so I granted the request.
“Great, I’ll build it right away.”
“Please give me a pretty name.”
“Don’t worry. It’s me again. Just wait.”
The agony began. I exclaimed confidently, but it wasn’t easy to decide.
Should I honor my father by going by Cain? Or maybe five letters in honor of the dragon.
It was a car that drove by with countless candidates running through my head.
I felt a light vibration in the inside pocket of my coat.
“What is it?”
It was a strange thing. The long coat Sarante had given me as a gift hadn’t been worn since I returned from my adventure. Something must have gotten mixed up in the wash.
Without thinking, I reached into my pocket. A bead on a thin chain came out. Inside the glittering crystal ball was a needle for a compass.
It was familiar.
I forgot to breathe for a moment.
“This is—!”
It was a mana tracker, a treasure from the third parallel world.
Something that hadn’t worked since returning from the parallel world. A light vibration meant one of two things. The mana of the imprinted object was detected, or it came within three meters.
The needle tracking my mana pointed to my grandchild in my arms.
The last thing I imprinted in the parallel world was.
Obvious.
“——akasha.”
“Akasha?”
Sechika and Lance snickered. Adeshan curled his lips.
Mr. and Mrs. Lance’s faces lit up at the same time as they looked at each other.
“Sounds good, what do you mean, I heard your grandmother’s name was Kasha, is that where you got it from?”
“I think I’m pretty, dad. Akasha. Akasha de Baltois. Something’s stuck in your mouth.”
I couldn’t say anything. The needle was still fixed in my granddaughter. Just then, my granddaughter, her mouth salty, opened her eyes.
“Ugh.”
“Oh my God, are you awake already?”
“What, you opened your eyes?”
Adeshan was impressed. So were Mr. and Mrs. Ranse. It was very fast, considering that babies usually take one to three days. The granddaughter’s eyes sparkled the same sunset color as mine.
Lance waggled his eyebrows.
“Ohhh, I guess they like the name.”
“You’re beautiful—your eyes are just like his.”
“You look more like your father than me. My eyes are not this sharp.”
“Wow, I hear you. You’re just like your dad. Is it a turbulent gene?”
Sechika clapped her hands in admiration. I looked down at my shy granddaughter.
He was right. I could see the resemblance, even though the lines weren’t clear yet. He looked a lot like my father, Cain. People started talking, except for me.
“Okay. From today on, your name is Akasha. Take care, Akasha.”
“Akasha. Mommy, do it. Mommy!”
“You too. How does a newborn talk?”
“If it can open its eyes, why not. Awww, he’s so cute!”
“I’m your grandmother, Akasha—ahaha, now that you say grandmother, I suddenly feel very old.”
Adeshan punched my forearm and laughed. The granddaughter’s name was Akasha.
I was stunned, still in shock.
Akasha, who had been cowering, stretched her arms toward me.
“Wow.”
“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. Look at him.”
Sechika and Adeshan giggled. Akasha’s hand was deceptively small, its five twitching fingers seeming to want to grab hold of something.
I held up my index finger as if mesmerized by something. Akasha’s hand came up as if she’d been waiting. Her small, warm hand squeezed my scarred fingers.
“——!”
An indescribable shudder ran through me. I felt like I had been struck by a thousand thunderbolts. The moment Akasha squeezed my finger, I realized: this was the same Akasha who had confronted me throughout our parallel world adventure.
I was now carrying in my arms the scourge that had descended on the future.
“——That’s interesting.”
I chuckled.
I don’t know.
How this sweet potato became a monster over three meters tall.
How to make a marble that travels through parallel worlds and turns back time.
Why we’re trying to destroy the world of tomorrow, even though it’s the beginning of the end of all stories.
At this point, we didn’t know anything.
However.
“Yes, Akasha.”
“Huh?”
“This body is your grandfather.”
I will protect this child. No matter what the future holds.
As the Schlieffen guy said, an oath is an oath because it must be kept.
Akasha, who was glaring at me, burst out laughing.
“Kahaha.”
“Nice to meet you. Welcome.”
My fingers are warm from the touch. I picked up Akasha and moved to the window. I pulled back the curtains and sunlight flooded in. The imperial capital shone brightly under a cloudless sky.
“Oh, Father?!”
Sechika panicked. Lance and Adeshan reacted similarly, lifting Akasha up with a flourish. Her freshly opened eyes held the world. Mine did the same.
He concluded, his gaze fixed on the blue sky beyond.
“This world is full of stories, just for you.”
****
The setting sun was setting the sky on fire.
『■■■—.』
Akasha sat on a hilltop in the night. The cool evening breeze whipped her hair. A giant oak tree served as her backrest.
He slowly raised his head. An unfathomable number of meteors streaked across the dark sky.
Souls freed by the destruction of the giant’s source. It was a sight to behold, perhaps for everyone on the planet.
Now, in all the worlds, there was not a single giant left.
Akasa gazed up at the sky, then removed his mask.
“Ugh, frustrating!”
The moment the mask fell, the grotesque voice morphed into a soft beauty.
The face of a beautiful girl was revealed. Her nose was high, her piercing eyes the color of a blazing sunset.
Shifting her gaze back to the sky, Akasha smirked.
“Mission accomplished.”
It was long and hard, but somehow it worked out.
Suddenly, a crackling sound echoed from his mask.
“Hiyak?!”
Akasha’s shoulders hunched. Before she could do anything, smoke billowed from her mask. She hastily put it back on, but neither the voice modulation nor the display illusion worked.
“Ugh, that’s great, Mr. Didikan just fixed it—!”
Throwing off her mask, she clutched her head.
In the fight, he’d blown off his special armor and destroyed a mask that cost the budget of ten city buildings. I could already see the gray-haired holy werewolf falling to the ground by the back of his neck. Akasha staggered back.
“Who are you?”
“Huh—!”
Akasha turned her head. A man with dark hair was coming up the hill. It was Nimberton’s side. The sharp-eyed man wore a tattered Imperial Army uniform.
“That’s my reserved seat.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I was just about to leave.”
“Just kidding, just sit down.”
The man said. He stalked over and laid down on the ground. A cigarette dangled from his mouth. He must have been a stranger over there, but his demeanor didn’t indicate distance.
Akasha nodded hesitantly.
“Uh-huh.”
“My name is Ronan, what’s yours?”
“I’m Akasha.”
“Akasha. I don’t know who built it, but it’s nice.”
“Go, thank you.”
Ronan lit a cigarette. Soon, white smoke billowed out.
As he introduced himself, his identity was Ronan. Ronan from the parallel world where Adeshan obtained the Orb of Regression.
He was now living with his sister in Nimburton. This was all thanks to Akasha’s early disposition of the three giants.
Ronan looked at Akasha, who looked away.
“You must have had a hard time, too, by the look of your color.”
“What?”
“You’re wearing some sort of giant bullshit. If you’re free, why don’t you come with me to the village down the road? My sister’s sewing is amazing.”
He extended his index finger and pointed at Akasha’s robes. It was certainly a mess.
It was the scars of a battle with Ronan from the original world. As time went on, I got better and better, and in the second half, I had to be more or less serious.
“Ahhhhh.”
Akasha looked at Ronan and huffed.
Despite her casual tone, her eyes were full of worry. If she followed him home, she’d get clothes and a hearty potato stew from her angelic Aunt Irene.
Ronan waggled his eyebrows.
“If you’re nervous, you can just let me get you some clothes——? Why are you laughing?”
“No, just. I just feel like you wouldn’t change for the world.”
“Huh?”
It was before Ronan could say anything. Squatting down, Akasha kissed him on the cheek.
Ronan, literally knocked off his feet, staggered to his feet.
“Holy shit, what are you doing all of a sudden—”
“Thank you for your concern.”
Akasha smirked. She waved her hand in the air and a giant crack gaped open. Ronan froze in place.
“You—!”
“See you again, Grandpa.”
Akasha plunged into the rift.
Before Ronan could say anything, the rift closed and the landscape returned to normal.
Ronan stood, dumbfounded, and touched the spot where their lips had met.
“—Your grandfather?”
The setting sun was setting the sky on fire.
The Academy’s Genius SwordsmanChapter 514