The morning after Heron brought home a child, he came to the village with his wife to complete the adoption.
It seemed better to hide just hide the fact that they took a child, but, that is impossible and could be considered as abuse to the child. Do they not let him out of the house his whole life?
In reality, it's multiple times better to come clean. Heron couldn't do it alone as he was too nervous. If only he didn't meet those two men yesterday then he would've been fine.
But against all his expectations, everything went well with Lyssa leading him. The village chief only asked where they got the child which Lyssa easily lied.
"Someone put him in front of our doorstep and since we can, we thought, why don't we take care of it?"
Since their house is separated from the village, who's to say that they are lying?
The village chief then continued to make them promise that they will take care of the child as if it was their own.
"If we found out that you don't properly take care of the little one, we will immediately take him from you." the village chief seemed not serious when he said those words, as if he was scared of the former noble.
Of course, the couple agreed and were asked to sign the papers after paying a few coins.
Since the village was taken underneath by Hramm City, the nearby city where Imagi Merim came from, it began developing into a town a few years ago.
Finally, they were able to name the child;
[Kaen Enova]
After bringing his wife home, Heron went back to work, feeling determined.
"Hey, Heron, heard you adopted a child. Congrats, man."
Heron sipped in a cold breath, thinking that the news spread too fast.
'Was I too suspicious?'
Seeing Heron's surprised expression, the one who talked to him explained.
"You're the center of attention, the person who was able to marry a beautiful noble girl, Heron. Don't be so surprised that we got a hold of the news, hahaha."
"Oh..." Heron raised a brow.
'Wait, I forgot about that... I was a bit popular back then when Lyssa and I became a couple. Maybe that's why the village was considered and was taken care by the city...'
He began to rethink that he shouldn't be so frightened every time. Therefore, he was able to calm himself.
Meanwhile, the two guys that he met yesterday looked at each other.
"Maybe a coincidence?"
After the first one shrugged his shoulder, the second one followed.
Later, Teiman, their head hunter arrived and asked about the progress. The managing of the bear king's carcasses, extracting it into fine materials, was all done since almost everyone worked on it.
Teiman was shocked and pleased, but when the topic about the scouting of the new territory, his mood went back to a neutral one.
"Wait, didn't Heron do that part?" one mentioned which everyone remembered.
"Huh? Only one?" Teiman then looked at Heron, making him the lead as they go into the unknown territories.
"So, you're saying that you didn't see anything? Isn't that unusual? I guess that's a noteworthy report for Sir Merim." Teiman caressed his bushy beard as he asked Heron. Both of them were in front of the others.
The hunters were not that disappointed that there were few to no animals here. With no prey, there's no predator. Simply put, if they can't hunt here, this could be a new place to live in.
Furthermore, there could be rare materials here. Everyone was internally hyped while feeling safe.
"Yeah, I guess... but there should be nothing there to scare them off..." Heron quietly replied.
Teiman raised a brow and jumped onto a different topic, "Are you really that Heron whose fearless enough to go to the Hramm City, where Imagis reside, to court a noble lady out of his league?"
"I... don't understand what you mean, Boss." Heron was overwhelmed by Teiman's question,
"Hmm, I'm just saying that you're timider than what I had heard and expected."
"..."
The expedition finished at dusk as Heron went back home. After Teiman recognized him, he was given attention and afterward a great position. Meaning, his share of the next hunts would be higher.
Excited, Heron told Lyssa the good news.
"That's good..." Lyssa replied with a half-hearted tone.
Seeing his wife just left him in the living room with Kaen, Heron sighed, "I guess it takes more than that to impress her. Seriously, I was just able to court her maybe because she thought I could be an Imagi."
"Ah... Ahhh-!" right after that sigh, Heron heard a shriek that made him jerk and rushed towards where Lyssa was.
"What happened!?"
Heron entered the room and saw Lyssa kneeling on the ground. She seemed in pain when she cried, "He-heron! The baby, it's coming out!"
"Huh!? Haa...! Hold onto me, Lyssa, I'll carry you!" but then he looked at Kaen who's silent in his arms, "Wait, I can't just leave Kaen here...! It will take us some time before we can reach the village! What do I do?!"
'If only my parents-in-law didn't decide to build the house here far from the others!' Heron blamed but there was nothing he could do about it.
"Heron!" Lyssa cried again, "Huff..."
'Maybe I should just leave Kaen, then I'll come back once I've brought Lyssa! It's just a short period of time, I hope nothing happens to him.'
But before Heron made up his mind, he heard a knock on the door.
"Hello? Is anyone there, Heron?"
Heron's eyes widened as he heard a familiar man's voice.
"Brius!" he rushed to the door while carrying Kaen, "Brius, thank goodness!"
"Heron," Brius, one of Kaen's childhood friends, asked, "What happened? We just want to congratulate you and then we heard a scream."
"Come, hurry, Lyssa is about to have labor. Help me bring her to the village, I'll thank you later!"
"What!?" it was not Brius who reacted but a woman in his late twenties behind Brius, "Where is she!? I have delivered a baby before, we don't have enough time to bring her to the village. I'll take the job!"
"Ling! Thank lord, perfect timing!" Heron then pointed, "My wife's there!"
With Brius's wife, one of Heron's childhood friends too, Ling there, Lyssa was able to have a smooth, although still torturous, labor.
"You're almost finished, Lyssa, you can do it!" Heron held his wife's hand. And eventually...
"Wahh~~!!" a cry of a child resounded in the Enova Family's solitary house.
Lyssa, who was about to faint, was given her own daughter. Although there's still smothered blood, she looked at her child with warmth.
"She's a she, Heron..."
Seeing Lyssa's loving smile while looking at her daughter, Heron couldn't help but tear up and nod.
"So, I guess, we'll have to give Kaen the name Elihim, huh..." Heron sniffed.
"Yeah... and we'll name her Ellie. Ellie Enova."
Only when the labor was successful can Brius enter the room with Kaen in his arms.
Kaen "Elihim" Enova then silently rolled his eyes towards his new sibling.