"Huh? Where's Elna...? Did she go to pick some flowers?" Linne peeked out
from the waiting room and gazed into the crowd. Her sister, who was usually
the type to stay by her side, was nowhere to be found. She felt a little uneasy.
The fact that she didn't have her phone on hand weighed on her mind more
heavily than ever before.
The contestants were all sitting in the room. They were either meditating,
resting, stretching, or preparing for the next round in their own ways.
Linne included, there were a total of twelve contestants. Two of them had
been injured, so they were resting in the infirmary. Healing magic could do so
much. If you sustained a severe enough injury, you'd have no choice but to
withdraw. Magic couldn't help a person recover lost blood, for example. And
spells that recovered fatigue were incredibly rare.
If someone ended up withdrawing due to their injury, then their allotted
matches would become auto-forfeits. Linne was indifferent, but most of the
other contestants were hoping the two injured parties would bow out.
In addition to the twelve in the waiting room, four individuals were admitted
into the final bouts on special recommendations. In other words, sixteen
individuals would be competing for the championship title, so sixteen people
were waiting to show off their skills to Beastking Jamukha Blau Mismede.
If someone caught the beastking's eye, they could end up being called to
serve him in an official capacity. It was no wonder the contestants were keen to
have any potential competition drop out.
After a short while, the door to the waiting room opened once more. In
walked three individuals. First up was the beastman referee who oversaw the
matches, then came one of the two contestants who went to the infirmary, and
finally came an individual nobody in the room recognized.
"Ser Bale has decided his injuries are too extreme for him to continue.
Therefore, we've added a new contestant to the battle roster. This is Linlin."
"Oh, hello. I'm Linlin. Nice to meet you all..."
The new contestant, Linlin, timidly introduced herself. The fighters sighed,
seeing that their easy win slot had been filled.
Linlin looked to be about fifteen or sixteen. She had braided blonde hair.
There was a wand at her waist with a pretty star on the end, as well as a similar
star-shaped badge pinned to her chest. She didn't wear any armor, instead
opting for a gothic black coat and a multilayered skirt with black knee socks on
her legs.
It was obvious at a glance that she was a mage. In tournaments like this,
direct magical attacks were forbidden. That meant seeing mages participate
was a rare sight, but it wasn't completely unheard of. There were even a few
magic users in the waiting room.
"Now then, Linlin. Shall I show you to the room for the specially
recommended candidates?"
"Oh, no... I think I'll be fine here. It's a touch too intense over there..."
"Hm? I see... Well, as you wish."
The referee seemed rather puzzled, but he decided to abide by her request.
He didn't wish to hamper the contestant's potential by putting her in a nervous
position, after all. She was personally suggested by Royal Chancellor Glatz, so
she was surely a formidable fighter, but it would be difficult for a mage to win a
contest like this. Therefore, if she believed sitting in the waiting room with the
others would give her a better chance, he thought there was no point in
contesting that.
"Now, you'll all have to wait just a little longer before we begin again."
With that, the referee left the room. Everyone's attention turned to the girl
named Linlin, but the reactions to her were rather mixed. Some weren't all that
interested, since she was just a spellcaster, while others were alarmed. Some
were cautious and a couple even narrowed their eyes in annoyance. But in the
midst of the commotion, one of the contestants stood a small distance away.
She was quiet, her eyes fixed on Linlin, looking her up and down... The girl in
question was, of course, Linne.
"Wh-What is it?"
"Umm...have we met before, lady?"
"Huh?! N-No way!"
"Really? Oh... Okay, then! Wanna sit with me?" Linne smiled as she patted the
chair next to her and asked that question. Linlin sat down next to the girl,
prompting Linne to jut her hand out with a big smile.
"I'm Linne Mochiz— Um, just Linne! You can call me Linne! Nice to meet
you!"
"...Nice to meet you, Linne."
Linlin smiled as she reached her hand out to shake Linne's. As she shook her
daughter's hand, she tried to suppress her internal screaming.
◇ ◇ ◇
"A-Aaah! Sh-She's so cute! L-Linne's so cute! Th-This is my daughter with
Touya?! She's adorable! I wanna cuddle her right now! I can't believe my
daughter's this adorable! Nhaaaaaah!"
Linlin...or rather, Linze...felt her heart beating out of her chest. Meeting her
daughter was one of the most intense things she'd ever done. The envious
feelings she'd harbored toward her sister earlier were all but blown away.
There was nothing she could do after seeing her little girl up close and personal.
Cuteness was, after all, justice.
"Are you a mage, lady?"
"Y-Yes, I am. Is that strange?"
"No way! My mom's a mage and I know she's really, really strong! But I'll still
win, okay?"
"I-Is that right..."
The sight of Linne proclaiming her victory so confidently was also surprisingly
cute. Linze was struggling to hold herself back.
"Did you say your mother was a mage, Linne?"
"Mhm! She's the best! She can do magic, she can cook, and she makes
clothes!"
Linze leaned in as she tried to coax as much information from her daughter as
possible. As the conversation progressed, she moved to ask what she'd been
really keen to know.
"L-Linne... Do you love your mother?"
"She gets real scary when she's mad, but I love her lots! She tells me stories
when I go to bed. It's great! I'm gonna go see her with my sister Elna soon... I
really wanna see her..." the girl's voice quietly trailed off. Linze suddenly leaned
in and gave Linne a big hug.
"L-Lady?" Linne mumbled as she glanced up with a confused look on her face.
Linze suddenly pulled back from the hug. She'd embraced the girl without
thinking, and it surely must've seemed strange. She quickly fumbled around,
searching for an excuse.
"Oh! S-Sorry! You just... You look like my sister, so I couldn't help it..."
It was a bit of a weak excuse, but she decided to roll with it as best she could.
"You have a sister? I have sisters too! And a brother."
Linne apparently didn't notice anything amiss. She simply smiled and happily
patted her chest. However, before Linze could pry for any information on
Linne's siblings, the door opened up again. The referee and two Mismede
soldiers walked in.
"Thank you for waiting, everyone! We've decided on who'll be fighting who.
Take a look over the matchups, and we'll call you out as and when you're
needed."
The two soldiers pinned the matchup information on a nearby wall. The
contestants all peered at the brackets, checking who they'd be fighting in the
tournament-style rotation.
"Oh! Look, lady! You're my first opponent!"
"So it seems."
Linze wasn't surprised, since she'd had Glatz arrange this in advance. She also
planned on withdrawing if she won, either by feigning an injury or simply
retiring. She could hardly afford to lose against her daughter here, though.
"You're a mage, so I'll go easy on you!"
"...Linne, I might not be too far off from your mother in terms of strength, you
know? You'd best not take me lightly, okay?"
Linze had only intended to caution her daughter, but the younger girl
responded with narrowed eyes and a few small grumbles. This prompted Linze
to wonder if she'd wounded the girl's pride.
"...That's impossible. Nobody in my family's as tough as my mom, so that
means you can't be tougher either! I'm definitely gonna beat you!"
Linze blinked in surprise, apparently not expecting to hear that. As a mother,
she was happy that her daughter thought so highly of her...but she couldn't
help but feel that her daughter still thought herself better. That only made Linze
smile, however. She was just a child, after all. Elze was pretty much like that as
well back when she was a child. In fact, the sight of Linne acting like that was so
nostalgic that Linze couldn't help but giggle.
Upon seeing the chuckle, Linne made a little "Hmph!" and crossed her arms.
She must have felt that Linlin was making light of her family. But even that little
pouty routine was adorable to Linze. In the end, it simply reinforced the idea
that she was absolutely her child.
"I'll be glad to meet you in combat, Linne."
"I won't lose! You can count on that!"
The mother and daughter exchanged grins, each set on their own victories.
◇ ◇ ◇
"Game set! The winner is Sir Dansk!"
The tiger beastman had beaten his foe by blasting him out of the ring with
incredible force. He raised his fist high in victory, prompting the audience to
roar out in applause.
"Beastmen are really strong... This guy's a real fighter..." Elna, who was sitting
next to Elze, couldn't help but mumble praise. She was quite interested in the
fighters, it seemed.
We were back in the spectator seats where we'd first met Elna. Glatz had
suggested we watch from the VIP box, but I declined. I figured Linne would be
worried if she looked out and didn't see Elna.
Obviously, I still didn't want any of us to be recognized, so I used [Mirage] on
everyone who wasn't from the future.
"When's Linze fighting Linne?"
"Their fight should be up after this next one. I wonder if it'll be all right,
though... Honestly, I'm not sure which of the two I'm worried about most..."
I let out a small sigh, prompting Elze to glance over at me with a crooked
brow.
"What're you getting worried about all of a sudden? Linze is one of your
wives, remember? She's hardly a pushover. Hell, I think she has the most
firepower out of all of us..."
"She can't exactly make use of that firepower here, though... It's in the rules.
Er, not that I'd like to see her blast our daughter in the first place..."
As I spoke to Elze, Elna nestled between us and the crowd started cheering for
the next match. It was a dragonewt man versus a swordswoman with canine
traits. I could only hope the upcoming clash wouldn't be too violent...
Frankly, I was so nervous about seeing Linze fight Linne that I could barely
focus on the match in front of me. I groaned quietly and held my stomach.
◇ ◇ ◇
"Oh... Guess Elna's back. Wonder who those people sitting with her are..."
Linne couldn't help but wonder as she looked over at her sister and the people
talking over her.
She knew for a fact that Elna was shy. The girl wasn't exactly the type to get
along with strangers.
Linne was a little worried for a moment, but the look on Elna's face calmed
her down. Honestly, from the way they were laughing together...it was almost
like they were family. It made her feel jealous.
Linlin...or rather, Linze...peeked out from behind her.
"That's your sister?"
"Mhm... That's my sister, Elna. It's rare for her to get along with strangers."
Poor Linne was lacking the critical information necessary to understand why
her sister was on such friendly terms with these perceived strangers.
"Game set! Victory goes to Sir Ryugel!"
The referee announced the end of the battle. Unfortunately, I had barely
noticed anything that had happened during the fight. I was far too distracted by
my own concerns... But apparently, the winner was the dragon guy with the
spear.
"Next up is the fifth match! This match features our specially recommended
mage, Linlin! Her foe is the youngest contestant, Linne!"
After the announcement, the two girls stepped out from the waiting room.
They were met by a hail of applause from the audience.
"Let's play, lady! I'm gonna win!"
"Play, hm? Well, if this is a game...it's one I don't plan on losing."
The two of them stared each other down as they headed to either side of the
ring.
"Are you ready?"
"Sure am!"
"Mhm!"
Linne clanked her gauntlets together as Linze pulled up the wand from her
side.
"Ready... Fight!"
Linne charged forward, attempting to close the gap between her and her foe.
That was the simplest way to deal with mages. It was just a matter of getting
close before they could start casting anything.
"Sorry, but I'm gonna win now!" Linne exclaimed as she charged forward, but
she was forced to suddenly take a backstep.
"Shimmer forth, Light! Dazzling Brilliance: [Flash]!"
"Ack!"
The flash of light from Linze's wand caused Linne to falter. The little girl
brought her hands up to cover her eyes. The light was so intense that she
couldn't gaze directly at it.
Her chanting was way faster than I'd expected. I'd wondered what Linze
would do without any direct offensive spells, but I hadn't expected her to blind
Linne.
"Grr?! Th-That's no fair, lady!" Linne complained and furrowed her brow
before promptly casting [Shield] around herself. Little by little, her eyesight
began to return. She just had to hold out.
"You shouldn't charge a mage head-on. You never know what weaknesses
they might exploit with their tricks."
"Weaknesses? Huh? Don't go thinking you know how to beat me!"
When Linne's vision finally returned, she found that her foe was no longer in
front of her. In a panic, she turned and looked all over. However, her foe was
nowhere to be found.
"Huh?"
She thought perhaps her enemy was above her, but she looked up and saw
nothing.
"She's vanished? Wait, no...can she cast the [Invisible] spell?! I know that one
makes you disappear!"
"Correct."
Linne kept her [Shield] up behind her, scanning her surroundings for signs of
life. She focused all her attention on the voice she'd heard, trying to best
determine its origin. But suddenly, the referee interrupted things.
"J-Just a moment! Linne! Concealment magic of that magnitude isn't strictly
forbidden by our rules, but we'd like to forbid it due to the unprecedented
advantage you now seem to have!"
"Oh, very well. That's no problem."
"Wah!"
Linze suddenly materialized right next to Linlin, causing her to jump up in
surprise. She was completely taken aback.
"Hah!"
However, it didn't take long for the girl to regain her composure. She sent a
flying kick right at Linze, but...seconds before the kick struck Linze's stomach, a
crack ran up her body.
"Huh?!"
The cracks ran up Linze until they connected...and she shattered into pieces
that resembled glass.
"Wh-What the heck was that? A reflection?"
"I'm right here."
Linne turned around just in time to see Linze swinging her wand down. The
star-like tip of the weapon detached, flying forward like a shuriken.
The thick, distorted weapon hurtled toward Linne with all the force of a
shooting star.
"Ghah!"
Linne suddenly crouched, just barely avoiding the attack. The star continued
roaring through the air before completing an arc, much like a boomerang, and
settling back on the end of Linze's wand.
"What was that?! That's against the rules!"
"Weapons aren't direct magic attacks. It was more like a flail than anything
else," Linze explained and clicked her tongue before swinging her weapon
forward again, sending the heavy star hurtling toward her daughter.
The attack wasn't especially fast or anything. It wouldn't be hard for Linne to
dodge it, that much was certain. But the little girl apparently had other ideas,
instead opting to deal with the problem permanently.
"Hmph... Nhah!" Linne grunted and thrust her right fist out at the incoming
star. There was nothing, after all, that could avoid being shattered by the
gauntlets she received from her beloved father. Especially when she could pour
[Gravity] into her fist at the last possible second, granting her punch a
devastating power. The approaching star burst on impact, shattering into
pieces.
"How's that?!" Linne exclaimed and grinned, puffing her little chest out with
pride. Her mother couldn't help but be impressed, flashing a little smile at her.
Linne, however, seemed to take the smile as further provocation. Her
expression shifted to a frown right after.
"Don't you look down on me! How's this?!"
With a distinct stepping noise, Linne jumped up into the air and began
walking through it as if she were performing some kind of triple jump. I knew
the secret, of course. She was using [Shield] to create temporary footholds in
the air. Linne was now a full head and shoulders above Linze, darting toward
her.
"Meteor kiiick!"
The girl's shoes, which were mithril plated at their soles, allowed her to hurtle
down against Linze with the force of a meteor. Ordinarily, this kind of kick came
at the risk of serious injury if not properly handled. But Linne knew her father
was responsible for the creation of this arena. She knew that, much like
Brunhild's training grounds, this place had been designed to keep the fighters
safe. Therefore, she had a vague idea of how much damage she could do within
reasonable bounds.
She also bore in mind a lesson imparted to her from one of her mothers, Elze,
who also served as her teacher. It was important to measure one's own output
during a fight. She was certain that she could land a hit like this and shrug it off.
But she realized all too late that she'd been tricked yet again. Linze crumbled
away into cracked mirror fragments once more.
She was confused, however. She'd heard no chanting. Was it a Null spell?
Something innate? How was she casting these so quickly? After making a rough
landing, Linne looked around for clues. Then, she found one.
A small figure that was about thirty centimeters in size stood before her. She
vaguely resembled a doll. She wore a silver dress and had long silvery locks of
hair.
"A spirit! I get it now! You were using spirit magic!"
"That she was, child. If you'd looked a little closer, you might have noticed me
sooner. Bear this in mind for future conflicts," the spirit floating next to Linze
said that, then giggled quietly. Linne knew that there weren't many people who
could effectively wield spirit magic in this era... In fact, as far as she knew,
nobody in Mismede knew how to make use of spirit magic. Thus, she'd barely
even registered it as a possibility.
She knew her mother Linze could wield it. Along with Leen, Sakura, Yumina,
Sue, and a few others. However, their use of the art was incredibly rare.
Linne herself had seen spirit magic before due to her parents casting it, but
she'd never met this silvery spirit. But since it could communicate with her, and
even laugh at her, she could only assume it was a fairly powerful one.
"This is a reflection spirit. Her name is Miroir."
"Indeed, I'm Miroir. Pleased to meet you," the doll-like girl gave a little curtsy
as she greeted Linne.
The reason Linze had elected to use such a spirit was to preserve her secret
identity. She'd learned from Elna that when she wielded spirit magic in the
future, it was almost always with high-ranking spirits. It wouldn't have made
much of a difference overall, though. After all, Linze wasn't actually capable of
manipulating spirits of that power level yet.
"A reflection spirit... So you were making copies of yourself with it?!"
"That's right. If you'd looked a little more closely, you'd have been able to
tell."
Suddenly, Linne realized something. When she first met Linlin in the waiting
room, her star badge was on her left side...but this Linlin was wearing her star
badge on her right!
"Wait, you're another fake?!"
She turned to see Linze and Miroir standing behind her. This time her enemy
had the badge on the correct side. The Linze she'd just been conversing with
shattered like glass.
"Goodness, you actually noticed this time."
"Grr! Don't go trying to trick me with your spirit stuff!"
"I'd have to be a fool to play my whole hand at the beginning, wouldn't I?
Besides, I'm sure you've got tricks up your sleeve too, right?"
"Grrr! That's right... I do! Mode Change... Panzer!"
All of a sudden, Linne's gauntlets split down the middle. They began
transforming, growing in size and warping into a new shape as they crawled
along the girl's arms. The gauntlets now had ether line patterns running down
them, as well as what appeared to be exhaust vents that jutted out of the girl's
elbows.
"If you wanna see my full power, then here it comes! But don't say I didn't
warn you!"
Linne's body was garbed in a pure concentration of fighting spirit. Her very
form began to emanate strength, the force mingling with the girl's own magical
power. Her mother couldn't help but quietly stare in awe.
"This power..."
It was chi. The ability to infuse one's own body with magic, thereby increasing
one's physical capabilities and even warping potential beyond standard limits. It
was a secret technique passed down among certain tribes in the eastern
continent, including the dragonewt people.
From what Linze knew, both Allis and Linne were Elze's disciples in the future.
She also knew that Allis was capable of releasing her own chi in a destructive
burst when she fought. It stood to reason, then...that her own daughter, Linne,
could be capable of equally catastrophic feats.
"Hah!"
"Ghah!"
Linne struck her palm forward, almost impacting Linze hard with a
concentrated blast of chi. Fortunately, she managed to jump out of the way in
time, but she felt the immense pressure graze her side.
"I'm not done!"
"W-Wait! I-Isn't this a bit much?!"
Linne refused to let up, unleashing pulse after pulse of concentrated chi
blasts. Linze was, as expected, taken completely aback by that. It was hard to
dodge the barrage when it was being fired off so rapidly. She couldn't even find
the time to deploy defensive magic.
"M-Miroir, hurry!"
"Of course, my lady."
Miroir snapped her fingers, generating a series of mirrors around Linne.
Seeing the countless reflections of herself startled her for a moment, but she
quickly regained her composure and started smashing them with chi blasts.
"I'll smash them to bits!"
Mirrors were brittle things. In the face of Linne's tremendous projectiles, they
fell to the floor in glimmering shards. But that was fine. Linze had only intended
to buy just enough time to get a spell off.
"[Heavenly Rain]!"
"Huh?"
Linne was confused by what she heard. The very next moment, rain began to
pour down on the ring. The referee almost called out, assuming the spell to be
hostile like [Water Ball], but it seemed to just be rain, so he let it be.
The rain stopped just as quickly as it had arrived. All it had done was wet the
two fighters.
"What?! Th-This is my favorite dress! My mom made it for me! You got it all
soaked!"
Linne angrily charged forward...only to find herself slipping backward onto
her own behind. She suddenly felt coldness where she fell, looking down to
realize the entire arena was frozen over like a skating rink.
She looked up in confusion until she finally noticed the presence of a second
spirit. This one looked a little more mature than the mirror spirit. She was a
translucent jade spirit with a faint glow about her.
"I, too, have tricks up my sleeve, Linne. Aeri, would you?"
"Mhm, mhm! Aerial, coming through!" the spirit answered casually before
unleashing her power on Linne.
Something unseen began pushing Linne around the ring, like an invisible
balloon.
"Wh-What is this?! Grr!"
In her frustration, Linne lashed out with a right hook to punch the invisible
object. However, that would prove to be her undoing. The invisible thing wasn't
destroyed by the hit. It absorbed the force...and then bounced it back. The
recoil force sent Linne skidding across the slippery floor.
"Oh no! [G-Gravi—]!" Linne tried using weight magic to increase her own
mass and stop the skidding, but the sheer momentum was too great for her to
even regain her footing.
In a matter of seconds, a thud rang out across the room. Linne found herself
on her butt outside of the ring. Her enhanced weight caused her to sink into the
floor a little, but she hadn't managed to cast the spell in time to stop herself.
She was out of bounds.
"Ah..."
"R-Ring out! Linlin wins!"
The referee's voice rang out, coaxing cheers and applause from the audience.
Linlin, AKA Linze, let out a small exhale as the referee walked over to her.
"Er, Ms. Linlin... Just to be sure, that wasn't offensive magic, was it?"
"Oh, no. It was more like defensive magic, really. The spell's meant to protect
oneself with a wall of wind. It only pushes back with force equivalent to that
which is aimed toward it."
"I see... So Linne here was pushed out by the force of her own attack?
Apologies, I just need to check if that's within the rules..."
The referee conferred with a few of the tournament officials before
confirming that her method of victory was legitimate. Once again, the
announcer confirmed her win.
Linze looked down at her feet and began wandering over to Linne, who was in
a complete daze. The shock of loss had clearly overwhelmed her. Linze couldn't
help but worry. She hadn't intended to hurt Linne's feelings.
"L-Linne..."
"Wind spirit..."
"Hm?" Linze raised a brow at her daughter's perplexed mumbling.
"I remembered it... That spirit you used, lady... It's the wind spirit..."
"Hoh... You know of me, child?"
The translucent, greenish spirit chuckled...and Linne nodded her head at her.
"The wind spirit, Aerial... You're close to one of the pillar spirits, but...the one
in this era is different, I think...? Ah, um... Forget I said that..."
Linze smiled at Linne, who was trying to scramble and cover up her slip of the
tongue. The wind spirit was indeed Linze's trump card, but she knew it might
reveal her identity. Elna had told her that in the future the wind spirit was her
go-to companion.
Linze's magical aptitudes included Fire, Water, and Light. Wind wasn't among
those elements. The ability to commune with spirits was closely related to your
ability to wield magic, yet Linze had insisted on contracting with a wind spirit.
Normally, a wind spirit like Aerial would never make a contract with a human,
but Linze was the wife of Touya, the Celestial Spirit King, so from Aerial's point
of view, she wasn't about to pass up on the opportunity of contracting with the
bride of someone in such an esteemed position. She could've refused if she
wanted, but she had elected to take a chance out of curiosity.
It seemed like Linne simply assumed the spirit was contracted with someone
else in the past. She hadn't figured out Linlin's real identity quite yet.
The little girl sulked and pouted on the floor, sniffling to herself. Linze smiled
gently and produced a star-shaped badge from her pocket. It was identical to
the one she wore.
"Hey, Linne? Listen to me... You're very strong, but there are many out there
who might be stronger. Not just your family, even. So try to remember that,
okay?"
"...Mhm... Sorry..." Linne sniffled quietly. She was probably reflecting on the
bravado and bluster she'd had back in the waiting room. After all that big talk,
she'd lost, which made her feel like an utter fool.
"...I don't really know what to say, sweetheart, but listen...how about I just
show you instead?"
"...Uh, what?"
Linze reached out and pinned the badge onto Linne's chest. The badge
allowed one to see through any [Mirage] effects cast on similar badges. In other
words, Linne now saw Linze as she truly was.
The little girl's eyes widened in shock.
"M-Mom...?"
"Ha ha ha... It's still a little funny to hear you call me that... After all, I haven't
even given birth to you ye— Ah!"
Linne leaped forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Linze. She held
onto her beloved mother with all her strength, sobbing quietly.
"M-Mom! It's really you... A-Ah! Waaah! Mommy... I-It's really you! WWaaah! Waaaaaah!" the little girl cried loudly as she hugged Linze, refusing to
let go. Linze blushed softly, but she quickly wrapped her arms around her
daughter in turn. The palm of her hand gently pet up and down the girl's back.
Linze knew that her daughter was quite similar to Elze in a lot of ways. She
was a strong girl, but she needed to know it was okay to cry sometimes. Linze
decided then and there that she'd let little Linne cry her heart out if need be.
She'd be there to catch all of the girl's tears, to ease all her anxieties.
"I-I'm so...happy... I-I missed you!"
"I know, sweetheart... It's okay... I'm sorry I left you all alone...but I'm here
now."
The mother and daughter, who had met each other by transcending time
itself, tenderly embraced for a good long while. The two of them kept each
other warm and safe, hoping in their hearts they could feel this way forever.
◇ ◇ ◇
"Oh, it's dad."
Damn, talk about a casual response... You got all teary-eyed with Linze, but
not me?!
As soon as Linne saw me, she toddled on over. She circled around me, Elze,
Sakura, and Sue with a curious look on her face.
"Wh-What is it?"
"Hmm... My moms haven't changed very much... Well, except for Sue! You all
just look a bit younger. That's a shame."
"A shame...?"
"Well, that means we don't show many signs of aging? That's good, at least..."
We all kind of shrugged at each other as Linne heaved a small sigh. Just what
the hell was she imagining?
"Linne! I've changed, right?! The future me's a lot bigger, yeah?!"
"I mean... You're a grownup, so..."
Sue tried desperately to wring whatever she could out of Linne. It was only
obvious she'd mature as she got older, since she ended up having a kid.
"The future me's gonna be a bombshell with all kinds of wow factor, right?!"
"Uh... Yep. Something like that."
"See?! I knew it!"
Sounds more like she's just telling you what you want to hear so you feel good
about it...
I chuckled softly and ruffled Linne's hair. She was a good-natured girl, that
much was for sure.
"I thought you'd all be more surprised to see me..."
"Well, we met Elna before you. You're actually the fourth of our kids to arrive.
Quun and Frei are back at the castle. Oh, and Allis is here too."
"Oh, they're here already? And Allis too? I'm surprised Arcia isn't here yet,
though."
Arcia... That's Lu's daughter, right? It's been hard keeping track of everyone
popping up.
Linne's tummy suddenly started rumbling.
"Aww, mom...I'm hungry..."
"Huh? You haven't eaten yet? Oh, sorry! What would you like?"
"Um...I wanna eat the cabbage rolls you always make! Some big ones!"
When we went to Earth, Lu bought a bunch of cookbooks from around the
world. Thanks to her efforts, the dishes from those books ended up becoming
common in Brunhild. Linze sometimes helped her out in the kitchen, so she'd
picked up a few things along the way as well.
"They'll take a little while to make, so we should save those for when we get
home. You can have some of this in the meantime," I said that, then opened up
[Storage], pulled out a large rice ball, and passed it to Linne.
"Wow! Thanks, dad! Yum!" Linne exclaimed gleefully before chomping at her
food. She looked like she was really enjoying it, so I couldn't help but smile.
Linze gently wiped away the rice grains from her daughter's cheek as she
chowed down. The sight of it was remarkably heartwarming.
Though the sight was less one of a mother and a daughter...and more like
sisters. Linne looked just like a mini-Linze, after all.
"Grand Duke...we need to get home... The others will be waiting."
"Oh, yeah, you're right."
Sakura's words reminded me that I had wives waiting back at the castle, so I
opened up a [Gate] to Brunhild. I made a mental note to apologize to
Chancellor Glatz and the beastking later on.
"All right, let's head home. Quun and Frei'll be happy to—"
"D-Dad...our phones fell into the Great Gau River... Can you get them for us?"
"Oh, uh... Yeah, I think so."
"Thanks, dad! Okay, mom, let's go!"
Linze and Linne merrily skipped through the portal. Elze let out a dry chuckle
before shrugging and walking through the portal with Elna in tow. Sue and
Sakura followed after them.
"Jeez... Leaving me behind, really? Well, whatever. I said I'd get their
phones..." I mumbled as I opened a new [Gate] to the Great Gau River.
After a while I returned to the castle, having successfully located the phones. I
found my two newest arrivals asleep in their mother's laps. They were snoring
softly.
"Out like a light, huh?"
"Mhm. They must've been exhausted..."
"Yeah, no doubt. It was just them on their own for a couple days. They
must've been worried sick."
I glanced at the table and noticed a stack of half-munched cabbage rolls. The
two girls were sprawled out on a nearby sofa, getting gentle head pats from
their mothers. It seemed like Elna and Linne had enough funds on hand to stay
at an inn for the duration of their separation from us. Or rather, it'd be more
accurate to say that Elna had enough funds. Linne came with nothing. Didn't
really matter, though. I was just glad they'd stayed safe before we got to them.
"It's strange... I can't believe I'm cradling a child I haven't even given birth to
yet... But I can tell...and not just because of her looks... She really is my
daughter."
"Yeah... These girls... They're really precious, right, sis?"
The twins looked at one another, soft smiles on their faces.
"Don't want them catching a cold. Let's get them to a proper bed.
[Levitation]."
I used my magic to delicately float Elna and Linne about a meter up into the
air, then I ferried them to a nearby bedroom. One bed would be more than
enough for kids as small as they were.
"Actually, Touya... Could you take them to the other room for us? I think it'd
be better if Elze and I slept with them tonight..."
Huh? Well, sure, I guess.
That room has a pretty big bed, so you could fit four in no problem. Seemed a
little snug, though; they'd have to bunch up like peas in a pod.
I placed Elna and Linne down on the big bed, then left Elze and Linze behind
with them to get changed and go to sleep.
"See you in the morning."
"Mhm, goodnight."
"Night!"
The twins smiled happily at me as I left the bedroom and bade them
goodnight. As I walked away, I suddenly realized how funny it was to have
children so old... I hadn't even shared a bed with them or tucked them in yet.
◇ ◇ ◇
"Linne!"
"Allis!"
It looked like the two girls were going to hug each other, but they suddenly
started brawling instead. They were both laughing, so I figured they were happy
to see each other...but it was still a strange sight.
...Do you have to do that in front of the castle gates? The guys on guard duty
are confused.
"T-Touya! How've you been raising your kid?! She's so violent!"
"...You're gonna say that to me when your own kid's doing the same thing?"
Ende seemed utterly baffled by the sight. Her three mothers simply looked on
quietly.
"Seems they're having fun."
"Mmm... I'm not sure if Allis is as strong as the other child... She's certainly
cuter, though."
"Absolutely."
Hey, hold on! My daughter's way cuter. What're you three saying?! Are you
blind?!
Right as I was about to roll my sleeves up, Ende jumped in.
"H-Hey, they're really going at it. Shouldn't we stop them?!"
"They'll be fine. I can heal any scrapes, anyway. Apparently, they spar like this
all the time in the future. It's how they train together, or something like that,
right, Elna?" I asked as I turned toward my other daughter.
"Mhm. The two of them fight similarly, so they always scuffle like this. Uncle
Ende always freaks out about it, though..."
"U-Uncle Ende...?"
I wasn't sure if it was just shock at being called that, but Ende suddenly froze.
Melle and the other two could barely hold back their laughter. It was kind of
funny, since Allis didn't refer to me as her uncle. She just used my royal title.
That was fine by me, however.
I chuckled quietly until I felt Elna tugging at my sleeve.
"Dad... You should stop them now. Neither of them will give up, so it'll just
keep going forever."
"Oh, makes sense. Ahem... Cover all, Ice. Frozen Construct: [Ice Pillar]."
"Wah!"
"Ghah!"
Ice grew from the ground, blocking Allis and Linne from reaching each other.
They tried punching through the barriers, but I simply caused more to sprout up
faster than they could destroy them.
"Daaad, stop it!"
"That's enough, you two. We don't have a lot of time to play today,
remember?"
"I guess..."
Glad you get it now... Let me just dispel that magic.
Elze and Linze suddenly arrived from the castle.
"Mom..." "Mommy!" Linne and Elna ran to embrace their respective mothers.
"Sorry to keep you guys waiting."
"Mhm. Sorry we're late."
The twins held their daughters as they apologized to Melle and the others.
They were all going out today as a group. Ende and I would be staying home,
however. I could understand the benefit of mothers hanging out together, but I
wondered if I'd gain anything from hanging out with my fellow dad.
"We'll be back by tonight! See you later."
"Later, Touya."
"See you later, dad."
"Byebye, daaad!"
"Come along, Allis."
"Mhm! I wanna eat a yummy parfait!"
"Endymion, we'll be expecting a hearty dinner when we return."
"Katsu curry... No, Dragon curry!"
The saying went that three was a crowd, but five women and three kids was
way more than that... I could barely tell where to look amidst the hubbub.
Ende and I weakly saw the girls off until we noticed them vanish into the
distance. After that, we both heaved small sighs.
"Why does it feel like it's harder being a dad?"
"Mmm... It's a lot of pressure sometimes. But when you've got a daughter, it's
better to do whatever she wants, right?"
The two of us couldn't help but feel we'd been dealt a rough hand, but we
accepted it nonetheless. Husbands were no match for their wives, after all.
"I should probably get home and start prepping that curry..."
"You're starting to act like a real family man, you know?"
It was kind of funny seeing Ende act like a kept man. I didn't know how he'd
be after getting married, but he'd turned into a fully-fledged househusband.
"Hey, Touya...sell me some Dragon meat. I don't wanna go out and hunt
some."
"Huh? I mean sure, but...why don't you have any? Haven't been out questing
lately?"
He was a gold-ranked adventurer like me, so he should've had Dragon hunts
every couple of days.
"Ha ha ha... Bold of you to assume my family couldn't eat a whole Dragon in a
day. Whatever meat I get usually ends up devoured in under an hour."
"Oh, I see..."
Ende's wives were even bigger eaters than Yae... It was kind of insane, really. I
couldn't even begin to imagine their food budget. I felt sorry for him, so I sold
him some Dragon meat on the cheap.
Ende went off to the castle, so I decided to attend to my royal duties. Kousaka
had given me a total lecture on abandoning the country for my visit to Mismede
the other day... I was glad none of my kids were awake to see me getting told
off, though. I'd have lost my pride as a father... If I even had much to begin with,
that is.
Once the kids started arriving, I became a bit more self-conscious about how I
conducted myself, since I was a royal and a father at the same time, after all...
No doubt the future me had trouble juggling those things too.
◇ ◇ ◇
Three days later...
"Isengard? Really?" I sighed quietly as I listened to Tsubaki's report.
"Yes. The situation isn't great. The loss of the witch-king destabilized much in
the region, but that's not the worst of it."
The country of Isengard was sustained and ruled by a single man, the witchking. His motives were impure, but it was clear that his actions largely benefited
his country. When he fell, there was nobody in line to succeed him. He'd
planned to live forever as a cyborg, so he likely hadn't even considered anything
like a line of succession.
Isengard ended up being cut off from the rest of the continent due to a
meteor shower that happened when the worlds had merged. After the
devastation, the survivors emerged to find themselves isolated. For better or
for worse, Isengard was now split up into several major powers. It was similar to
what had happened in Yulong, but in this case nobody wanted to follow in the
footsteps of the old ruler.
Unlike Yulong, which had barbarically devolved into in-fighting and power
struggles, the remnants of Isengard had begun slowly forming independent citystates and even making peaceful strides to work amongst themselves. However,
when Yula made the giant golden tree appear in Isengard, the effects on the
population were catastrophic. Those who didn't die or escape were horribly
mutated. I ended up putting a stop to the carnage, but the northern region of
Isengard was completely and utterly devastated.
"There is one ray of hope, however. A new settlement is forming at the base
of the Puretree you planted. It would seem that the air there offers safety from
the goldflower pox."
...Goldflower pox? Oh, right. That's what they started calling the thing where
spores from Yula's mutations turn people into monsters through contact.
Probably called that because golden flowers bloom out of the infected people's
heads. It's not actually a disease, though...
The Puretree had the ability to purify anything produced by the wicked god,
but since I'd defeated it, there wasn't anything to worry about. There was no
more risk to be had when it came to this pox or whatever.
"There seems to be a medicine circulating in southern Isengard. It's purported
to prevent one from contracting the goldflower pox. I believe it's made out of
ground-up branches from the Puretree."
"Ground branches? That sounds like quackery to me. The spirits in the tree
wouldn't let anyone mulch the tree for medicine."
Grifters had a habit of following insecure people and telling them exactly
what they wanted to hear in order to profit off their anxieties. It was a scummy
move. In this case, the scam was probably working fine because nobody could
disprove the medicine's effectiveness. If no new mutations sprung up, the
peddler could claim credit.
"Start spreading hearsay about how that medicine's fake, please. The spirits
wouldn't let people harvest the tree in that way. Just let everyone know it's a
scam. That should put an end to the sales."
"Got it."
Unlike Yulong and Sandora, there wasn't anyone in Isengard who had any
major grudge against me. I was a little relieved not to have to worry about it.
Isengard had been under a dictatorship before I felled the witch-king, so the
political fallout afterward had left everything in a state of disarray. National
security was at an all-time low after the wicked god incident, and there were
more thieves and bandits than ever. That was probably why stuff like that
medicinal fraud was going unchecked too.
After Tsubaki finished her report and left, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in."
I took my eyes off my paperwork and looked up to see Elna peeking through a
crack in the door.
"Uhm, dad... Can we talk?"
"Sure can. What's up?" I replied and smiled as she walked into the office.
Unlike her mother, Elna was very reserved. In that regard, she was more similar
to Linze. Visually she very much looked like a miniature Elze, however.
"Umm... That weapon mother used at the tournament the other day... I-I was
wondering if...maybe I could..."
"Weapon? Oh, you mean her wand?"
When Linze was posing as Linlin, I gave her a small wand with a star on the
end. It looked like Elna wanted it.
"I'm not so good against monsters that can resist magic... It always makes me
scared to fight, but...I thought if I could use that star the way Mother did...then
maybe it'd help."
That made sense, but Elna seemed a little small to wield it properly.
Hm... I should just make her a wand of her own.
"I'll make you a new one, Elna. Want to help design it?"
"Oh! Th-Thank you, dad!" Elna's face spread out into a huge smile as she said
that. She was adorable. My daughter was an absolute angel... I couldn't help
but turn into a doting dad before her, or any of her siblings for that matter.
What was the alternative? Ignore their cute little faces? Impossible!
I pulled out the materials for a wand from [Storage].
I'm gonna put my all into this!
The two of us sat in my office for a while, spending some quality daddydaughter time together as I crafted her ideal weapon.
◇ ◇ ◇
"You little shit! Outta the way!" the brute roared as he brought his knife
swinging toward the girl. She dodged his unskilled attack with ease, grabbing
her assailant by the arm and slamming him to the ground.
"Hrkh!"
The girl shook her head as she looked down at him. She wore a deep red
hakama, a purple patterned kimono, and high-laced boots. The blades hanging
by her waist jostled as she moved. Her hair was long, flowing down to her waist.
Her bangs were trimmed just above her eyebrows. She had black eyes and black
hair... It was the kind of color you rarely saw in Isengard.
"Learn from this and cease your fraudulent activities... Taking advantage of
insecurities to make money is a most heinous crime."
"Ghah!"
The man staggered to his feet and fled, but not before spewing a cliched line.
"I won't forget this, twerp!"
"I will forget you, though."
As she watched the man scampering away, she picked up a bottle he'd left
behind. It was the fake medicine he'd been peddling.
"It should be obvious that the Puretree cannot be ground for medicine... I am
sure that is so, but perhaps the Puretree is not as well known in this era?"
The girl opened up the bottle and took a look at the contents. She emptied a
little out and raised a brow at what she saw.
"The golden drug...?"
The bottle contained a teaspoonful of powder that seemed to be gold dust. It
emanated a strangely divine feeling. Had she not known any better, she might
have even guessed it came from the Puretree. However, there was something
in the faint glow of the powder that unsettled her. It was intuition more than
anything, but that still counted for something. She felt that the medicine was
insanely suspicious.
"I am certain my father could analyze this..."
She remembered that her father could use [Analyze] to reveal the
composition of any substance. With that in mind, she took a small sample and
placed it in her pocket.
"I should investigate this more thoroughly, I shoul— Ack... Er...I should
investigate this!"
The girl gave chase after the man, taking care to suppress the speech quirk
she'd inherited from her mother.