— Leon Greyrat —
I had made it in time.
Just as promised, I had returned home before Roxy gave birth, but… judging by how large she had gotten, I had definitely cut it close.
Almost too close.
"Are you feeling okay, Roxy?" I said, gently massaging her feet as she lay down on the couch beside me.
"Well… I was feeling quite a bit of pain in my feet, but it's getting better now," she said, sighing as she flipped through her book. "Ah, and I have also gained an infatuation with cheese."
"I-Infatuation, you say?" I said, confused.
"Mhmm. It's quite common to form an obsession with food during pregnancy, according to Elinalise," she said matter-of-factly.
Ah, right. I do remember Mama really wanting fruits all the time when she was pregnant with Rudy.
I guess that's normal.
"And speaking of Elinalise…" she said, smiling a bit. "She and Cliff recently got married."
Now that was a surprise.
I already knew that Cliff was a man who took responsibility, but I was shocked that Lina accepted.
After all, she had told me more than a few times that she would never marry again.
But I guess Cliff's resoluteness broke down her wall, huh?
Just like when she had initially planned to refuse Cliff's advances for a relationship… I guess she was quite weak to him, huh?
I was glad.
Even with her curse, she deserved some happiness in regard to romance.
But still…
"That's a little… fast," I said.
"Are you sure you're one to say that?" Roxy said. "It was only a few days after we reunited that you proposed to me, right?"
"Yeah, but… I had made the first promise when I was seven," I pointed out.
"That doesn't count," she said, poking my side with her finger. "And… don't repeat that. It makes me sound like a cradle robber."
Are you not one?
Of course, I kept that thought to myself.
"Well, still… I'm happy for them," I said, placing her feet back down. "Now, do you feel a bit better?"
"Yeah, thank you," she said, smiling sweetly at me. "Just like your mother said, my magic isn't as easy to use anymore, so I hope you don't mind me selfishly relying on you."
"You know you can always rely on me," I said, moving to lay down with her.
Pulling her against my side, I kissed her forehead as one of her hands moved to my hair, gently raking through it as we got comfortable.
"And? Is that all that changed while I was gone? You now like cheese and Lina got married?" I then asked.
"Hmm… not exactly," she said cryptically.
"What does that mean?" I asked.
"I don't want to spoil the surprise," she said, snuggling against my side. "But… you should probably see your parents tomorrow."
"Okay… but why tomorrow?" I asked.
"Because for tonight, I want you to hold me," Roxy said resolutely.
Well… she was right. It seems that with her pregnancy, Roxy had become a bit more selfish.
Not that I minded, though.
In fact… I quite liked it.
— Leon Greyrat —
With a simple breakfast put together, something that Sylphy quickly took over due to my insufficient cooking skills, I then made my way over to my parents' house to see what this mysterious 'surprise' was that Roxy had hinted at last night.
With Mama watering a few of the indoor plants, Paul resting after cutting some firewood, and Lilia calmly folding some laundry in her wheelchair, it really did remind me of our time back in Buena Village, before the Displacement Incident fucked everything up.
Unfortunately, with Rudy and Norn in their morning classes, and Aisha helping Ariel with who knows what, there wasn't a full family, but it was nice nonetheless.
Anyway, after telling them that I was back and giving my mothers a hug, I then asked them what exactly had happened during the two months I had been gone, and as it turned out…
"It appears that I am pregnant once again," Lilia said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she smiled softly at me.
…Huh?
My head turned to Paul, who was grinning like an idiot as he puffed out his chest.
"Hehe… I still got it, huh?" he said happily.
This fucker… well, they were husband and wife, but… for some reason, I felt a little disgusted.
Why?
"Well, even if she has to use her arms now, Lilia always leg locks, so I guess it was natural~" he continued, rubbing his upper lip with a smile.
…That's right, it was because he was a lecherous bastard.
No matter how much he's grown as a man and a father, he was still Paul Greyrat, the enemy of many women.
I mean, I wasn't one to talk after awakening my libido, but at least I kept it between my women and I, unlike a certain someone…
"Husband… please don't say that," Lilia said, gaining a blush.
Mama was also angry, but the only sign of her displeasure was the cold glare she was sending his way.
But I knew from experience that, somehow, it was even scarier than a regular scolding.
Well… at least Lilia was happy, but now that they'll be getting another sibling living here…
"What about the rooms?" I asked. "One for Norn, Aisha, Mama, and Lilia… and then one for the baby."
I know they had that office that could be turned into a bedroom, but my father seemed quite dependent on the separate space for his work… even if Lilia had been doing most of his paperwork for him.
"U-Uhh, I think you're forgetting someone?" my father said, pointing to himself.
"You can sleep on the couch," I returned. "Plus, I'm guessing you're with Mama or Lilia most nights."
"Yeah, that's true…" he said before his face formed his signature disgusting grin. "Unless I get lucky and get them together-"
"Paul."
"Husband."
His words were quickly cut off by the two women, but not quick enough for me to get the picture.
A picture I never wanted to think of, even if I had to bear with the sounds back in our old house.
Norn and Aisha though… well, I guess they could either join the dormitories or come live with me if it ended up being too much for them.
A brother should always take care of his sisters, from both physical and psychological pain.
Oh, and speaking of them.
"Father," I said firmly, looking at the man. "Norn and Aisha… have you made up with them?"
He widened his eyes before sighing, looking down at the table with a slight smile.
"Yeah… I guess you could say that," he said, twiddling his thumbs. "They talk to me now, and even Norn has been training her swordsmanship with me since you're busy… so while I can't say I'll ever be the cool father I always hoped to be… I can at least call myself their dad."
Hmm… well, that's good.
To be able to heal their relationship… I was proud of them.
I would have to praise them later.
"Good job," I said, lightly slapping the back of his head. "Just don't screw it up again."
"Ha! I don't plan to!" he said happily before he shook his head. "But damn, you really are a reliable son… no wonder they're so attached to you."
"Well… that's tough," I shrugged, ignoring the jealous pout the idiot was sending my way. "Unfortunately for you, I don't plan on losing the reliable big brother position anytime soon."
"Yeah, you damn charmer," he huffed. "But anyway… now that you're back, and you don't have any more trips planned… what are you doing next?"
"Ah, well… I have something I had been meaning to do," I said.
"Is that so?" he said. "Well, good luck."
"Thanks, Father," I said.
Indeed, now that I was back and planning to stay, I had something I needed to do as a responsible future parent.
After all, it wouldn't be good for a new father to be unemployed, right?
Even Paul was a better man than that, even back when Rudy was in Mama's womb.
— Leon Greyrat —
I had remembered Sylphy and Norn talking about how the advanced swordsmanship class instructor would be leaving the university soon. And that was a few months ago, before I left for the Sword Sanctum.
And so, with the need of money and a job, I realized… I was quite a good swordsman, right?
And I wasn't that bad of a teacher, either.
And so, I went over to Jinas and asked if I could replace the position, as currently, the instructor was only at the Advanced-rank in the Water God style.
Not very helpful for the Sword God and North God swordsman in the class, nor the few students who had already reached the Advanced rank.
Of course, with a baby on the way, I had asked for them to show some leniency in my schedule, but I also offered to fill in for some magic classes when needed in return.
I had originally expected to have to be accommodating in terms of pay due to that, but as it turned out, being an official Sword and Water King, I was quite a sought-after talent.
Of course, there was the fact I was technically an Emperor-ranked swordsman now, but I decided to keep that to myself.
No need to unnecessarily scare people, right?
But anyway, as it stood, I was now the advanced swordsmanship instructor for the Ranoa University of Magic, though I wouldn't begin classes for a bit due to my child, and I would remain in that position until Ariel eventually graduated and began her fight for the throne.
After that, well… I guess I would be a guard for the princess alongside Sylphy, or something similar, and our family would be moving to the Asura Kingdom.
Unless Ariel decided to let go of Sylphy as her guard, of course, but I wouldn't want to separate such a nice friendship.
Besides, by that time, Norn and Aisha would be older, and knowing Rudy, he would definitely start pumping out some kids, so they could take the house as they needed.
But still… while it was good that I now had a job, that meant there was only one thing for my mind to focus on.
My most important job. One that I couldn't fail.
And with the dawn of it coming so close… I couldn't help but feel a bit anxious.
"What's wrong, Leon?" Roxy said, sifting her hand though my hair as I rested my head on her lap.
"You seem nervous," Sylphy added, sitting down next to Roxy as she also rubbed my head.
I couldn't help but feel a bit like a pet… but it felt very comforting, so I couldn't say I hated it.
Besides, in many ways, these two were without a doubt my 'owners'.
"It's nothing," I lied, trying to focus my mind elsewhere from my worries.
After securing a job from the university, I was now back home, resting on our bed with my two lovers, with Sylphy reading a book as Roxy tried her hand at knitting.
Of course, I was laying down across them, taking in the warmth I had been missing so much, even if I had already cuddled Roxy for all of last night.
After all, I could never get enough of these two.
"You can trust us, you know," Roxy said softly, looking down at me as her hand drifted down to cup my cheek. "We're your future wives, right? It's our job to support you, just like you do for us."
…Right.
I guess… I should trust them, no?
"I'm just… worried," I said.
"About what?" Sylphy asked calmly.
Mmm… about what indeed.
Well, I guess I should just come out with it.
It was good to talk about your feelings, right? Even if the problem didn't end up getting resolved.
"Being a good father and setting a good example," I said.
Roxy raised her eyebrow in confusion.
"Really? You're worried about that?" she said. "You took care of your sisters just fine, and that was when you were still a child. And not to mention being teleported away from home with nothing but the clothes on your back."
And my sword and Eris, but I decided to simply let them talk.
"That's right," Sylphy nodded. "You're amazing, Leon."
Right… I was amazing… they always let me know that, as did many other people.
But as I had grown older, especially now with a child on the way… I couldn't help but wince every time I heard that praise.
"But that's exactly it," I said, tightening my grip on Roxy's nightdress. "I… I know that I'm talented, but I don't want to be too good… I… don't want to make our child feel lesser than me… constantly living in my shadow and being compared to me."
Not to mention, while I was able to take care of my sisters, who was to say I could take care of a child as easily?
After all, even with my 'practice' with Norn and Aisha, that was only for the ages from four to eight.
I had a lot of years I didn't have any experience with, and even with the ones that I did… could I say I did the best job one could do?
"Leon… it's okay," Roxy said, patting my head. "This is what every parent goes through, or at least, I think so… I mean, maybe Zenith is a different case since she had you out of nowhere, but every other parent has their first child, and every parent is inexperienced at one point."
I knew that… I knew that, but… I didn't want to be a failure.
I wanted to be the best father I could, so… how could I not worry?
And even if other parents had these worries… I didn't want to be like them.
Even if it was arrogant to think so, I wanted to be better than other parents.
I… wanted to be the best.
"Leon," Sylphy said softly, pulling my head over so that I was resting on both of their laps. "I didn't say that recklessly. I know you are going to be an amazing father."
Ignoring the heavenly feeling of their thighs, I pressed onward.
"…How?" I asked. "How can you know that?"
"Because you're caring so much right now," she said, patting my hair. "And you always aim to improve."
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
Aiming to improve?
I suppose, but… I didn't want to improve at being a father.
I wanted to be the best.
After all, if I had to work hard to get better, I would do it, of course, but… what about the child when I was lagging behind?
"You already have the best thing to use," Roxy said, looking down at me. "An example."
An example?
"You have Paul, right?" she said. "He's made many mistakes, as I'm sure you know. So you can use those to know what to do without actually making those mistakes with our child. You can use him to see what is good as well, and take those values and experiences for yourself."
I… guess, but-
"And past that," she said calmly, twirling her finger around my lock of white hair. "You don't need to be the perfect father, nor do we expect you to."
No, but… that's what I'm afraid of…
"Do you remember, Leon?" she said, her face forming a fond smile as I stared up at her. "Back when I taught you magic… do you remember all those silly mistakes you made?"
Of course, I did.
It was extremely embarrassing to not look cool in front of your crush, after all.
"Hmm… remember when you first tried Earth Fortress with an incantation, only to accidentally cover yourself? And then when you released it from surprise, the dirt fell right onto you," she said, giggling lightly along with Sylphy at my past misfortunes. "And don't even get me started on your first application of Icicle Field. Zenith was quite surprised to see her entire garden coated in frost in the middle of summer."
Aaghh!
"I-I get it!" I said, looking away in shame. "I get it, so… cut it out."
Seriously… as much as I treasured those moments, back when I was able to hear the delightful giggle of Roxy as a child… they were still embarrassing.
Not to mention the scolding I got from Mama afterwards for ruining her plants…
Yeah, those were embarrassing times.
"Haa… it's nice to look back at when you were so cute. But you know, Leon…" Roxy said, cupping my cheek and forcing me to look up at her. "You're an amazing magician now. Rudy is your only match when it comes to pure skill. And aside from some embarrassment… were there any horrible, irreparable issues made during your path of learning?"
I… yes, she was right.
Yet still…
"But… what about the time it takes for me to get better?" I asked.
"That's what we're here for, silly," Sylphy said, playfully pinching my cheek. "While you might be the only father, you're not alone when it comes to being their parent."
I felt a weight lift off my shoulders as my lips quirked up in a smile.
Right… I had them.
Just like when I leaned on Eris during our trek across the Demon Continent, I had to trust these two amazing women as well.
I guess, even if I had grown older… I was the same idiot, in some aspects.
Only now I could trust these two to stop me.
"Right… thank you," I said, turning to kiss Roxy's belly that was right beside me.
"I… might not be the perfect father, but I'll try to be," I swore, bringing my hand up to caress my unborn child. "And at the very least, no matter what… I will always be there for you… I'll protect and care for you, and I'll always be on your side."
That… was a promise worth making.
"Jeez," Roxy said, tussling my hair. "Saying something like that… What were you even worried about?"
"And that's why you'll be a good father, Leon," Sylphy added, leaning down to kiss my forehead. "Now… what are the names going to be?"
Oh… right.
We should… probably talk about that.
"You can call them whatever, Leon," Roxy said. "I'm sure I can trust you."
"Well… that's not right," I said. "How about I pick it if it's a boy, and you if it's a girl?"
"Hmm… okay, I accept that," Roxy said, nodding to herself. "For a girl… I think Aria is nice."
Really?
I thought she would do a name starting with Ro-, which, according to her, was the tradition of the Migurd tribe she was from.
"That's lovely!" Sylphy said.
"I think so too," I added with a smile before returning to my pondering.
But a boy, huh?
Hmm… if that happens… then Arthur might be good.
Or maybe Adrian?
Decisions… I guess only the future would tell.
— Leon Greyrat —
The time had come.
A battle unlike any I had found myself in before was upon us, but… for better or worse, I wasn't the one doing most of the fighting.
"Hnng!" Roxy groaned, gripping my hand with a strength I had never felt from her before.
Shit… I think I unconsciously coated it in touki to keep it safe.
That was some impressive power, my lovely lady.
"Keep pushing, Roxy," Lilia said evenly from the side. "I can see the head, so you're almost there."
"G-Got it! Graa!" Roxy shouted, causing me to flinch as her grip increased.
"Hmm… it's quite big, but we expected this. Leon, I need your healing magic," Lilia said, prompting me to move beside her, my hand still clutched by Roxy's as Sylphy held her other one. "I'm going to orient it, so be sure to heal any damage and pain, okay?"
Nodding, I pressed my free hand against Roxy's belly as I began to cast healing magic, following Lilia's advice as she continued her contractions.
And so, being positioned like this… I saw it.
The first sign of my child, their wet blue hair slick with amniotic fluid as their head slowly breached Roxy's entrance, with Lilia moving a towel underneath to support their weight.
"You're almost there, Roxy," I said, squeezing her hand back. "You're doing amazing!"
"F-Fuck!" she screamed.
I… don't think I had heard her swear before, at least not in bed, but I guess this was definitely the time to do so.
But now wasn't the time to be surprised, nor aroused.
There was something much more important in the forefront of my mind.
With Lilia and me working in tandem, we continued to help with the delivery, having to gently manoeuvre the baby's shoulders past the narrow entrance so it didn't get caught.
It seemed that the baby was quite big for Roxy's thin hips, which made sense as it was going to be half human.
But eventually, its body came out, with the baby taking it's first breaths before it was finally delivered, its little body wrapped in a towel as Lilia began to clean off the blood and vernix coating its skin.
Wow… it was so… tiny…
"Leon? Can you cut the umbilical cord?" Lilia said.
"A-Ah, yes!" I said, using wind magic to cut off the cord and cauterizing the two cuts.
"Thank you," Lilia said. "Well? Are you going to hold her?"
Nodding my head, with my voice frozen from awe, I hesitantly took the baby into my arms, holding it close as I looked down at the face that had just begun to let out its first cries.
Ah… this emotion… this feeling… it was indescribable.
I was so stunned that I had to remind myself to breathe.
Looking down and noticing the lack of a certain extremity, it was indeed a girl, just as Lilia had said.
So this was…
"Aria…" I said, suppressing my urge to cry in joy. "My little Aria… I'm… so happy to see you."
She, of course, did not answer me, instead opting to cry even louder as I generated some heat to keep her body temperature warm and comfortable.
"Leon," Lilia said, wiping my cheek, where a tear seemed to have escaped, as she looked at me warmly. "A newborn child should be with their mother, you know."
"R-Right," I said, nodding as I got up to lay next to Roxy.
What… was this feeling?
Looking down at Aria, my daughter, I felt my heart pound in my chest even harder.
Aria… yes, she… she was my daughter…
What the heck, my cheeks were hurting from smiling too much.
Oh, speaking of hurting!
"Roxy, are you okay?" I asked, sliding next to her as she looked at Aria in wonder.
"Y-Yeah… Sylphy's healing me, but… I can't believe this is real," she said, taking Aria into her arms as we held her between us, my arms supporting Aria from below as Roxy held her close.
Roxy, she looked… absolutely radiant.
With a warm smile lit by the lantern's soft glow, it was probably the most beautiful I had ever seen her.
"This… it hurt a lot, but… I can't help but feel that it was worth it," Roxy said, looking down at her with a wide, wobbly smile. "Even though she's crying so loud."
She really was crying quite loud.
But that just meant she was healthy, right?
Everyone was quite scared when Rudy didn't, after all.
"Yeah," I chuckled, leaning my head over to peck her cheek. "You did amazing."
"And you helped a lot," she said, turning her head to kiss me.
With both of us returning to look down at Aria, Roxy then called out to Sylphy, "Come over here. You're a part of our family too, right?"
"Huh? Ah y-yes," she said, moving to sit on the opposite side of Roxy as she continued to soothe her pain with healing magic.
"Sylphy," I said, looking at Roxy as we shared a small nod. "Aria… she's your daughter too."
Sylphy's eyes lit up as she then looked back down at the baby, her cheeks flushing as her face gained a warm look similar to Roxy's.
I had made sure to ask Roxy before the birth about this, since I didn't want to step on any toes, but she readily agreed to the idea that all of our children would be all of ours to take care of.
After all, why was there a need for Aria to only have one mother when there were three ready to love her with open arms?
And that went for my other future children too.
But for now, I didn't want to think about the future.
For now… I just wanted to enjoy this moment.
And still… I couldn't stop smiling.
"Aww! She's so cute!" Mama said, moving from the wall to sit beside me as she leaned her head on my shoulder. "And Aria… that's a good name. Did you pick that out?"
"No… it was Roxy," I said.
"Is that so?" she said. "Well still, it's beautiful, Roxy. She's beautiful."
"T-Thank you… and… she is," Roxy said.
Lilia, who had covered Roxy's lower half with a sheet, then nodded to Lina, who was by the door.
"Well… it's done, guys. So you can come in," she said, looking at the three of us. "And Roxy… that's a really nice expression."
"A-Ah, thank you," she said, nodding bashfully.
It was then that the door opened, revealing my father, my sisters, as well as Rudy and Sara as the five slowly crowded the room.
With so many people, with its impressive size, it was good we chose my room.
"Roxy! You did it!" Aisha said happily.
"Well done, Master. And congratulations, brother," Rudy nodded.
Norn simply watched with wide eyes as the three of us held the little bundle of joy.
And then… there was my father.
"So it's finally out, huh? You said it was a girl, right?" he asked.
"Yeah," I said. "Aria is the name… Aria Greyrat."
"I see, but… you and Roxy aren't married yet, right?" he said, forming a teasing grin. "I guess little Aria is a bastard, then."
Father… I know he was trying to joke with the festive atmosphere, but that was definitely not a good one.
Everyone in the room turned their heads to glare at him as Norn quickly rose her hand to smack his head, with Sara doing the same a moment later.
"Husband…" Lilia murmured, shaking her head with disappointment.
And yet again, Mama simply glared at him coldly.
Roxy simply chuckled at her antics before looking down at Aria, who had calmed her crying.
"That aside…" Roxy said, her face twisting into a difficult expression. "She has blue hair."
"That's true…" Sylphy said with a frown.
I saw that they were both a little down, especially Roxy, and I didn't need to know why.
"That's fine," I said. "Actually, it's more than fine. She has the same blue colour of your hair, Roxy… the most beautiful colour in the world."
Sylphy looked over at me with a raised eyebrow.
"You said the same thing about my hair too," she said.
"Nope. It's beautiful, but not the most beautiful. That goes to Roxy," I said, shaking my head. "Your silver is the most enchanting, however, and Eris' red is the most stunning. Just like how your previous green was the most charming."
"Leon… don't all of those words mean the same thing?" Roxy asked.
"Nope. They're completely different," I said resolutely.
"You dummy," Roxy said, smiling softly before it morphed into a frown. "It's… not the colour. Or at least not completely. Thanks to you, I've come to love my hair as well, but… just because I love it, doesn't mean the rest of the world will."
Right… discrimination.
Roxy must be upset that the blue Aria had inherited would likely cause her problems, and Sylphy… she was probably worried she would do the same to her future child with her natural green.
But…
"That doesn't matter," I said. "She won't get bullied or harmed for it, unless those people want to face my wrath."
After all, even though I had held her for but a few moments, I knew that for Aria… I would do anything for her.
"She's beautiful… indescribably beautiful…" I said, my hand gently caressing the face of the now-sleeping Aria. "And I wouldn't want her any other way, even if it means I need to solve some problems in the future. She… is the most amazing daughter."
Even though she was my only, at least at the moment.
But such a cute face… the warmth she made me feel… she really was so beautiful, incomparable to anything I had felt or seen before.
Yeah, this moment… the moment I became a father… it was definitely something I would never forget.
Birth… fatherhood… it was all quite amazing, huh?
I couldn't wait to experience it again.