Five rest days have pa.s.sed since Suzuran came to town.
ăI think that weâre going to have a lot to discuss when I get back to my village, so Iâd like to take an even longer leave this timeă
After imparting that to the boss, I started traveling back to the village. To be honest, every step I take feels really heavy. Aside from the bra.s.s knuckles and fifty pieces of candy, thereâs nothing heavy in my rucksack though. Iâm sure that this day is likely going to end up being terrible. When I finally reached the farthest watchtower from the village, an arrow suddenly pierced the ground about 5 meters ahead of me. Since the area by the highway hasnât been cleared yet for the planned expansion of the fields, while trying to comprehend the situation, I leaped towards the slightly overgrown gra.s.s and ducked for cover. That was a pretty late reaction, wasnât it? It would have been bad if this were an actual battle, wouldnât it? I would have never expected to get attacked in the village after all. However, the next arrow didnât come no matter how long I waited. If I think about it for a bit, that must have been Sc.h.i.n.ken right? Thinking that, I raised my head a bit and saw Sc.h.i.n.ken. He wasnât holding his bow but was running towards me. Does that mean heâs not hostile? Well, Iâll just stand up for now.
ăSorry about that. I just had to talk to you no matter what before you entered the villageă
ăWell⊠I can somewhat understand. So? What is it?ă
While I was removing the dust from my body, he repliedăIt seems like that thing about you and Suzuran has already spread all throughout the villageă
ăAs expectedâŠăHaa, I let out a sigh.ăThis concerns your life so I just thought whatever and shot an arrow while making sure not to hit you, but I didnât think that you would jump in the gra.s.s to hideă
ăI never would have thought that I would get aimed at before I reached the village as wellăI tried being sarcastic but I didnât get a reaction. Well, I think I might have just made everyone in the village my enemy though.ăItâs not that. Sure, Suzuranâs story may have already been pa.s.sed along the village, but more importantly talks about you getting killed by Ichii-san have started to come outăI guess thatâs to be expected. Sheâs his only daughter after all.ăI have already prepared myself for that. As I was walking here, I thought that it would be nice if itâs just something like getting hit onceă
ăWurst and Speck are worried for you too. Weâre hoping that you can still show up later at the bar tonightă
ăI hope that as wellăI pa.s.sed by my house first to leave the rest of my stuff. After that, I took the bra.s.s knuckles and bag of candy, then headed towards Suzuranâs place. To be honest my steps feel really heavy now. I know that Ichii-san still isnât home yet, but that isnât stopping my stomach from hurting. When I reached Suzuranâs house I found her giving the chickens their dinner.
ăIâm back. Since Suzuran doesnât like really like accessories that much, Iâll just give you this bra.s.s knuckles as a present. And this candy is a souvenir from meă
ăThanks. Iâll brew you tea once Iâm done with feeding, so just wait for a bită
ăAa, thanksăWith that said, I was going to leisurely watch her until she finished feeding the chickens, but it ended surprisingly quickly.
ăIâm finishedăAs she said that, I followed her inside the house. As usual, I sat down and waited, then thanked her once she brought me my tea. After that, I mustered up my courage in order to ask about that matter.
ăI heard it from Sc.h.i.n.ken on my way here, but it seems like it turned into some kind of major rumoră
ăI guess so. I heard it from Mir and Kuchinashi though. Since it became quite exaggerated, I just let it beă
ăWell, I guess thatâs true, but you still need to explain it properly right?ă
ăI already did you know? To father, mother, and everyone else as wellăBy everyone, I guess she means my parents, the three idiots and her women friends. Well, thatâs most likely the reason why the rumor propagated, but oh well, it canât be helped.
ăThey were angry at first, but they eventually gave in so there are no problems over here. More importantly, what about Latte-san?ă
ăThereâs also no problem on my side. She dropped by, but I escorted her home before I went and had my bath. Sheâs pretty clingy as usual though. Aside from me asking her to stop rummaging through my laundry, I donât have any problems with her. And also, just so you know, we havenât done that thing even onceă
ăUn, thatâs goodăWith that, the two of us idly pa.s.sed the time by until Ichii-san arrived.
ăOu, I heard it from Suzuran but you sure have some guts to show your face around hereăHe complained about me showing my face, but it couldnât be helped. Sheâs your only daughter after all, so I can somewhat understand how you feel. Even though I didnât have a daughter in my previous life, it was me that caused this to happen.
ăI also want to talk about it from my perspective, so I ask that you listen to it firstă
ăThat att.i.tude of yours is admirable. Fine, Iâll hear you outăAfter that, I told him about what happened at that time from my perspective.ăWell, I guess thatâs pretty much the same as what Suzuran told usă
ăThe reason for this is because I couldnât give a clear refusal. At that time, everything would have been fine if I just didnât go to the red-light districtă
ăIt canât be helped. You were just going out with your workmates after all. If you didnât go, your relationship with them would have been strained. In the end, no matter what the reason is, I think that whatâs important is that Suzuran has already given her approval. If my daughter has already accepted it then thereâs nothing more I could say. Still, if you make her cry, Iâm going to use your face as a punching bag, got it?ă
He said that while projecting a really terrifying thirst for blood at me but I shouldnât waver.ăI understand. I wonât make her cryă
ăGood. What I can get from all the things you said earlier is that you at least have some integrity so Iâll just put my faith in that. But still, I canât do anything about who falls in love with you, so you should discuss and decide how to move forward with Suzuran and that other girlă
ăYesăWith that said, Ichii-san stood up, got two cups and sake from the shelf, and then proceeded to pour me some. Can I take this as a sign that I received his approval? In silence, we looked at each otherâs eyes, brought our gla.s.ses together and drank it in one go. I wonder why weâre doing this menâs exchange? Ah, I guess Iâm a man as well.
ăCaam, Iâll just say this to you beforehand, but it seems like Hail is up to something. Take care of yourself. When that guy gets awfully quiet, itâs usually when heâs already boiling up inside. Thereâs a certain air around him so you can tell. He pretty much consented when Suzuran told him, but heâs probably thinking about something elseă
ăI understand. Iâll be carefulăAfter saying that, I was about to go home when Ricoris-san came back.
ăGeezăŒ, all you do is drinkă
Hearing that, he repliedăI only had this one cup!ă
ăThanks for the treatăAfter saying that, I decided to go home.ăTake care of yourselfă
When I arrived home, mother was there. She started asking about Latte so I told her my side of the story as well. Since Suzuran and my story was pretty much the same, mother finally gave us consent.
ăAnyway, rather than that, Iâm more worried about your father. He was really mad about that you know?ă
ăI heard about it from Ichii-san earlier⊠Iâve already prepared myselfă
ăReally? If so, then thatâs goodâŠăWhile mother was preparing for dinner, father came back.
Seeing me, he said,ăThereâs no need for words, take up that specialty weapon of yours and go outside. I believe what Suzuran-chan said, thatâs why I consented, but as a man if youâre going to take a woman as your wife, itâs unacceptable if you canât protect them right? Thatâs why, show me your strengthăAfter saying that, he wore his soft leather armor, equipped his short sword and buckler, then went outside.
ăâŠthat person stops listening when he gets like that. I donât think he intends to kill, but you probably should still be carefulă
ăGot it mother. Itâs just a little father and son quarrelă
ăDonât kill each other okay?ă
ăâŠyesăIt feels like this isnât going to be your usual conversation, but it canât be helped. He probably wonât consent to it if we donât fight. Thinking about that, I returned to my room and placed the crowbar by my waist and the machete on my back. Then, after taking the shovel in my hands I went outside. Standing 10 meters away from father, I gripped the shovel with both hands and took up my stance.
ăAs I said earlier, show me your strengthă
ăUnderstood. You wonât consent unless we do this right?ă
ăYeahăAfter he said that, father charged towards me with his shield in front. So fast! Jumping backwards, I raised a 2 meter square earth wall that was 50 centimeters thick to kill his momentum. Right? Left? Or perhaps above? As I was thinking about where fatherâs attack will come from, he just plunged straight through the wall. It seems like just by using his momentum he was able to break through. Him plunging into it while his eyes were still open just goes to show how serious he is. I was thinking about adding a stone wall, but it was already too late. That didnât really kill his momentum, so when father got closer, he swung his sword from right to left. s.h.i.t! Compared to our previous battle, his swing is several times faster! Grabbing the short end of the crowbar, I used it like a tonfa to block the sword. Since I canât swing the shovel quick enough with one hand, I let go of it and produced an obsidian kunai in my hand. Flicking my wrist, I threw it while aiming at his face, then at the same time pulled out the machete to attack him with it, but he just knocked the kunai away with the pommel of his sword and blocked the machete with his shield.
ăâŠdidnât I tell you to come at me seriously?ă
After taking a deep breath, I replied.ăThat was me being serious thoughă
ăStop thinking of me as your parent. Come at me with the intent to kill. Was defeating that high goblin just a fluke? Let me experience your magic first hand. Pick up your shovel as well. Iâll give you time to do ită
Father set up his shield in front of him and got into a low stance.
Thinking that the high goblin thing had probably got even more exaggerated to some extent as it was pa.s.sed along, I took another deep breath.ăYeah, yeah. I guess father saw through me⊠Well then, Iâll take your challenge, just donât complain to me later. Also, since I let go of it in the middle of battle, I donât think I should pick it up. Iâll just leave the shovel where it isă
ăHa! Say that again after you surpa.s.s meăHe lowered his stance even more and prepared to move towards me. With a quick glance at fatherâs feet, I immediately start preparing for my own attack.
ăImageă»under the feet of the person 7 meters in front of meă»5cm diameteră» 20cm long ice spikeăActivating that quick mental image, an ice spike pierced through fatherâs instep, causing blood to come out.
ăI wonât be able to hear again, but I have to do thisăThinking that, I shut my eyes and activated ăFlashbangă at the bottom of fatherâs feet to strip away his ability to see and hear. Seeing father with his sword and shield in front of his face, I threw my obsidian knives at him. They pierced deeply into the back of his right hand and his left shoulder causing him to curse in pain, or at least thatâs what I think. While taking my distance, I moved towards his back and hit his shoulder twice. After that, I took my distance again and went back to his front. I might get attacked if I remained close after all.
ăăI got it. Itâs my defeatăă
I havenât regained my hearing yet, but judging from the way his lips moved while dropping his sword and shield and pulling out the obsidian knives, I a.s.sumed thatâs what he said, so I canceled the ice spike. Due to that, father dropped to his knees and collapsed on the ground. A stream of blood started coming out. Well, I guess it canât be helped if father finds out. He wasnât showing any signs of movement, so I hurriedly rushed over to use recovery magic on him, but with a terrifyingly loud sound, the door burst open. It seems like my hearing is starting to come back.
ăWhat was that sound just now! Dear!ăSeeing the ground covered in blood, mother ran over in panic.ăDidnât I tell you to stop before it turned out like this!ăShe started crying as she shook my shoulders.ăCaam, carry him to the clinic!ă
ăThereâs no need motherăI brushed motherâs hands away and held out my own hand against the wound.
ăHow can you say that! Are you saying that youâre okay with your father dying?!ăWhile shaking my head, I said in a calming voice,ăItâs not thatăHaving another one find out wouldnât change anything I guess. As I used recovery magic, a bluish-white light shone causing the wound to start closing. Since I know to a certain extent about the human bodyâs structure and how muscles work, I used that knowledge to forcefully stimulate cell recovery. Thank G.o.d for j.a.panese health and physical education cla.s.ses. Still, that was the first time I saw my easygoing mother raising her voice like that. After a while, father opened his eyes and mumbled.
ăUu⊠uu. So I guess I lostâŠă
ăThatâs right. Didnât I tell you to stop before it ends up like this!ă
ăSorry Kaa-san. Even though thereâs no pain, I canât work for a while like this. I canât use my right hand and I canât even raise my left arm. I also canât use both of my feet. Aa⊠this is the worst. Iâm really sorryăUn⊠youâre not feeling any pain because I already used recover magic to heal your wound. I think a scar would still remain though.
ăItâs alright dear. Caam has-ăAt that time, I placed my index finger on my lips to stop mother from talking.
ăKeep this a secret from everyone okay?ăAlthough there is n.o.body else around, I want her to tell him in a way only the two of them can hear. Because of that, mother got her lips close to fatherâs ear and whispered.
ăCaam used his recovery magic to close your wound. Thatâs the reason why you donât feel any pain. Blood is no longer coming out and if you wait a while youâll be able to move again. You might be surprised, but it seems like he doesnât want anybody else to find out about it, so donât tell anyone about it okay?ăCovering his mouth, he bobbed his head up and down in reply. Checking to see if it really doesnât hurt anymore, father open and closed his hand, raised his arm and rotated his ankles. Judging that it was probably alright, although a bit unsteady, he started standing up.
ăSorry âbout that Caam. I doubted you. You are strong. Strong enough to protect those twoă
ăYesăWith that said, I went back inside the house and checked the condition of my equipment. The crowbar just had a slight dent on it. As expected from a lump of iron. After father took a bath to wash away the blood and dust, we both sat down and he poured some sake for me. Is this a peace offering? While I was thinking that, he also poured some for himself.
ăWith this weâve patched things upă
ăYesăHe raised his cup while saying that, so I did the same and then both of us drank it all up.
ăIyaa, who would have thought youâd grow this strong? It was impressive how quickly you decided to let go of that specialty weapon of yours in order to block my sword at the start of the fight. You reacted well on the spur of the momentă
ăWell, I just thought that it would have been impossible to react to it with a two-handed weapon so I decided to switchăIn FPS games, a single mistake in judgment can instantly result in death after all.
ăBy the way, why didnât you pick up your weapon like I told you to?ă
ăI would have been attacked while I was picking it up in the middle of the fight. Unless I find the right opportunity or the fight has ended, I donât think Iâll be picking it up. And I canât do something like kicking it up and catching it in the air as wellă
ăThatâs right. Are you really sure that you donât have any experience fighting people? That I was the first?ă
ăWell⊠yeah. I guessăIt was just an online compet.i.tion though.
ăWell, you can be proud of winning against me. Back in our adventuring days, we were known as the powerful Ichii and the skillful Hail after all. They eventually changed it into âfierce G.o.dâ and âhurricaneâ thoughă [TL: The kanji is actually translated as gale or strong wind but it lacked impact compared to âfierce G.o.dâ so I just went with hurricane. And besides, âHurricane Hailâ sounds cooler]ăHe chuckled and it looked like he was reminiscing something as he poured sake into his cup and drank it. I kinda feel like those names belong to mask-wearing, motorcycle-riding characters. Well, I guess itâs better if itâs something simple so that itâs easy to remember. Like the party name of those Dragonâs Fang guys who got sent to the front lines.
ăWhatever you say, dear. Whatâs important is that both of you are alive. Caam, youâre going to go out drinking after this right? These are just side dishes but you should eat while you waităSince I couldnât refuse, I picked up some cheese and ate it.
ăI thought you were a magician type who is only good at magic, but it seems like you can do other things as well. It would be better if I call you an all-rounder. Things that I canât do⊠you can even use recovery magic as wellăThe end of his sentence trailed off, but it wasnât like I couldnât hear it. Because of that, I looked him in the eyes and once again placed my index finger on my lips. When he saw it, father nodded while giving a bitter smile.
ăWHAT THE h.e.l.l HAPPENED HEREăŒ!ăTogether with that loud voice was a violent knock on the door, so I hurriedly opened it. There, Wurst, who had a fl.u.s.tered look on his face, checked the condition of my entire body.ăIf Caamâs safe, then what about Hail-san? What the h.e.l.l did you do? Whatâs with that blood stain! Heâs your father isnât he!?ăAh, c.r.a.p. I forgot to remove the blood stains. My bad, my bad.
Taking a step back to let him look inside the house, he saw father drinking sake while having a curious look on his face. Seeing that, Wurst feebly dropped to the floor.
ăPhew, so you two are safe⊠wait, if thatâs the case then whose blood is that?ă
ăW⊠well then, weâre off to the barăWhile Wurst was standing up, I turned over the bloodstained ground with magic, then forcibly dragged him to the bar. It was still soft, but Iâll just tread on it tomorrow. Reaching the bar, the three idiots have gathered there like usual. Wait, if you include me, does that make us the four heavenly idiot kings? Well, whatever. After enjoying the sake for a while, Wurst finally broke the ice.
ăItâs about time you tell us what happenedă
ăIâm curious as wellă
ăWhen I was on my way to fetch this guy, I saw a pool of blood by their entryway. Thinking that maybe one of them was seriously injured, I hurried over, but when I looked inside their house both of them were fineă
ăMuuăŒăSince it canât be helped, I related to them what happened in front of our house earlier.ăIâve been keeping this a secret until now, but I can use recovery magic. I healed my father, left the blood there, and we went inside to have a drink. Thatâs the reason why both of us had no injuries when you saw us. Keep this a secret okay?ăWith this, the people who know my secret have increased.
ăSo, does that mean you beat Hail-san?ă
ăBeing able to defeat that Hail-san, as I thought, Caam sure is amazing!ă
ăHey⊠it might be too late to ask this, but is my father really that amazing?ă
ăOf course! Itâs the Hurricane Hail you know?ăFor some reason, Speck got fired up. Did he choose to use 2 daggers because he admired him? Well, father may have shown an uncool side to him for a moment but once youâre cool, youâre cool.ăMore importantly, how is she? That Latte-san from the rumorsă
ăIâm also curious about ită
ăAh, if I had to sum it up in a few words then she feels like a slightly gentler version of Tryapka-san at first. Thatâs right, she frequently clings on to me to rub her face and she digs through my laundry basket to find something that has the scent of my sweat since according to her it has a ănice smell~ă. Sheâs also earnestă
ăSo sheâs not like her at all!ăSpeck shouted as he hit the table with both of his hands. Well, I did say that it was only at first.ăHow old is she?ă
ăSheâs says sheâs 10 years older than me. Whether or not thatâs true, Iâm not sureă
ăIsnât that double of your age?ă
ăWell, she seems like sheâs just a little bit over the age of 10 thoughă
ăWhat does she look like?ă
ăSheâs a head shorter than me with white, shoulder-length hair, cute, has a low level of exposed skin even though sheâs a succubus, and she has more of a chest compared to Suzurană
ăIt would have been better if you diedă
ăThatâs why, Caam, itâs on you todayă
ăHAA!? Are you serious?ă
ăăăThanks for the treatăăăAfter reluctantly paying the bill, I went home and decided to make another hair ornament for Latte. She kept telling me to make one for her too after all. I guess I shouldnât really show preferential treatment. If I made Suzuran a suzuran flower made of gla.s.s, for her it would be⊠Milk. I mean⊠what else can I really do?
I canât really think about anything else but that famous flower. Itâll also suit her white hair I guess. Thereâs not a lot of latte-colored flowers and most of them donât look that pretty⊠I guess Iâll just go with that. There probably isnât anything that wouldnât suit her.
While thinking about that, I imagined the three colors of the Cosmos flower in my head. I went with pink as the main color and a little bit of white and red to balance it out. It was unexpectedly troublesome because of the large number of petals. It was even more work than just attaching a green stem to a white orb.
ăSkillă»Craftsmanship: 3ă acquired.
I wonât say anything about that anymore. With this, the hair clip is finished. I hope it doesnât break when I go back.
HmmăŒ I guess thatâs it for today.
ăLike I said earlier, show me your strengthă
After saying that to my son, I hoisted my shield in front of me. I guess the distance is about 10 large strides away.
ăI got it. You wonât consent if we donât do this right?ă
ăYeahăI ran at full speed and with just three strides left, an earth wall appeared in front of me.
How foolish. He just simply elevated the soil and turned it into a wall. I was able to see how thick it is just before it rose up, so considering the wallâs thickness and my current speed, there would be no problems if I plunged into it as is. Dirt might get into my eyes a bit but it canât be helped. I canât close my eyes since I donât know what my son has set up for me. After preparing myself, I broke through the earthen wall and started my attack, but my son was surprised for some reason. Like that, I swung my sword horizontally. Iâll stop before I hit bone but this is more or less a serious swing so Iâm not sure what heâll do. Forgive me if your arm falls off⊠However, if he gets defeated like this, he wonât be able to protect his women. Now then⊠what will you do? I donât know what he was thinking but he took the nail puller on his left hand and lined it by his arm to block my sword. Then he dropped his heavy shovel. I thought it would have been impossible for him to block it earlier. Excellent quick thinking. After that, he used magic that I havenât seen before to produce throwing knives. However, he just threw it by flicking his wrist so there wasnât much force behind it. It was disappointing to be honest. He also pulled out his machete at the same time to attack me with it, but I just dealt with the flying objects by knocking them down with the pommel of my sword and blocked the machete with my shield. Did he throw it with his wrist just for this? I can now understand why there wasnât much force behind it, but if he trained a bit more so that his actions would be smoother, then that would be a pretty good combination attack.
ăDidnât I tell you to come at me seriously?ă
ăThat was me being serious just now thoughă
My son took a deep breath. I guess I should talk a bit more to give him time to prepare.ăStop thinking of me as your parent. Come at me with the intent to kill. Was defeating that high goblin just a fluke? Let me experience your magic first hand. Pick up your shovel as well. Iâll give you time to do ităSo that Iâm ready to start anytime, I raised up my shield, lowered my stance and waited.
ăYeah, yeah. I guess father saw through me⊠Well then, Iâll take your challenge, just donât complain to me later. And also, since I let go of it in the middle of battle, I donât think I should pick it up so Iâll just leave the shovel where it isă
ăHa! Say that again after you surpa.s.s meăI think what heâs saying is correct. Be it one-on-one or a melee, you canât just pick up something once you drop it. But still, Iâm looking forward to how heâll do without his main weapon. I lowered my stance even more and decided to wait for him to come at me since I was looking forward to what heâll do. Looking at my sonâs eyes, I eagerly waited, but after looking at my feet for an instant, he suddenly closed his eyes. To be honest, I was curious why he made that face but I have to concentrate right now. While I was thinking about that, a sharp pain suddenly ran through my feet.
ăWhatâs this?ăThinking that, I looked down and saw something piecing through my thick leather boots. It was an ice spike-like object thing sticking out of my feet. Itâs the worst. I didnât think he could cast his magic this far. I could have still fought even though thereâs no sign of those things coming off, but it was already too late. An intense blinding light and a deafening sound filled the area all of a sudden. It sounded even louder than a large monster hitting a building and it wouldnât lose out to a dragonâs roar. With that simultaneous attack, I canât see anything even though my eyes are open and my ears feel like Iâm inside a really quiet room. I canât do anything about it. Since I had no choice, to defend myself, I covered my face with my sword and shield. However, that was a mistake. After I did that, I felt something hit the back of my right hand and my left shoulder. It felt really hot, like there was a foreign object stuck in my body. Itâs probably those throwing knives he made using magic. Throwing out curse words, I thought that I would have been able to prevent that if my armor just extended over my shoulders but I didnât like it since I couldnât raise my hands that way. I regret it, but it canât be helped. I donât know whatâs happening right now and I canât hear anything so I canât decide what action to take. While I was like that, I felt two hits to my shoulder from the back.
A-ah, my son is behind me right now so Iâm sure that he can just deal with me who is now helpless whenever he wants.ăItâs my lossăI donât know if he could hear that but when I dropped my sword and shield and pulled out the knives, the uncomfortable feeling on my feet was gone. He probably made the ice spikes disappear. Because of that, I fell forward. Somebodyâs shaking my body. Stop it, blood would flow out even more. Aah, how am I supposed to work tomorrow? My hands and feet are useless now as it is. Recovery magic and medicines are not omnipotent and itâs expensive as well. Because of the pain in my hand, shoulder, and feet, it seems like I fainted for a bit. When I opened my eyes, my son was looking after me. My wife was crying. Ah-ah, I made her sad.
ăSo I guess I lostâŠă
ăThatâs right. Didnât I tell you to stop before it ends up like this!?ă
ăSorry Kaa-san. Even though thereâs no pain, I canât work for a while like this. I canât use my right hand and I canât even raise my left arm. I also canât use both my feet. Aah⊠this is the worst. Iâm really sorryăIt wonât just end with my apology since I also wonât be able to earn any income starting tomorrow.
ăDear, itâs alright. Caam already-ă
Then, after my son stopped my wife from talking and with a finger on his lips, he said.ăKeep this a secret from everyone okay?ă
With that, my wife came close to my ear and saidăCaam used recovery magic to close your wounds so you shouldnât feel any more pain because of that. Blood is no longer coming out, but you should still not move around for a while. You might be surprised, but it seems like he doesnât want anybody else to find out about it so donât tell anyone okay?ăDid she cover my mouth with my hand so that I wonât interrupt halfway? After moving my head up and down, my mouth was finally released. Hearing that, I tried it out, and as if everything that happened was just a lie, I could now move my hands once again and raise my arm. The hole in my leg was closed as well. The color is still a bit different where the wound was healed, but itâs not like you can easily close up such a big injury just like that. Seriously, what the heck is with that guy.
Well, I guess I should start acting like a father from now on.ăSorry about that Caam. I doubted your abilities. You are strong so Iâm sure youâll be able to protect those twoă
ăYesăBecause my body is covered in blood and dust, I decided to enter the bath so that I can feel refreshed. I guess we should drink sake after that. Drinking sake together with my son whoâs all grown up, I yearned for a situation like this you know? While thinking about that, I took out the sake and some cups from the shelf. Then, I poured sake into the cups for me and my son. I feel like he should be the one to pour my share but Iâll just ignore that. Itâs embarra.s.sing after all.
ăWith this, we have reconciledă
I was the only one embarra.s.sed. Oh well. Raising our cups, we drank it all in one go.ăIyaa, who would have thought youâd grow this strong. It was impressive how quickly you decided to let go of that specialty weapon of yours in order to block my sword at the start of the fight. You were able to react well on the spur of the momentă
ăWell, I just thought that it would have been impossible to react to it with a two-handed weapon so I decided to switchăSo both of us thought of the same thing. I may have been underestimating my son a little.
ăBy the way, why didnât you pick up your weapon like I told you to?ă
ăI would have been attacked while I was picking it up in the middle of the fight. Unless I find the right opportunity or the fight has ended, I donât think Iâll be picking it up. I canât do something like kicking it up and catching it in the air as well.ăThatâs certainly right. It seems like we thought about the same thing in this part as well.
ăThatâs right. Are you really sure that you donât have any experience fighting people? That I was the first?ă
ăWell⊠yeah, I guessăHe may have experience fighting monsters, but this being his first interpersonal battle might be a lie. If this was his first then heâd be terrifying once he gains some experience.
ăWell, you can be proud of winning against me. Back in our adventuring days, we were known as the powerful Ichii and the skillful Hail after allăI got embarra.s.sed while saying that.ăWell, they eventually changed it into âfierce G.o.dâ and âhurricaneâ thoughăSince I was now embarra.s.sed anyway, I also said that to turn it into a funny story while under the influence of alcohol. As I chuckled, I poured some more sake into my cup.
ăWhatever you say, dear. Whatâs important is that both of you are alive. Caam, youâre going to go out drinking after this right? These are just side dishes but you should eat while you waităHe meets up with those three to drink whenever he comes back. They also did the same last time. Well, itâs been a while since they last met so they probably have some stuff they want to talk about.
ăI thought you were a magician type who is only good at magic, but it seems like you can do other things as well. It would be better if I call you an all-rounder. Things that I canât do⊠you can even use recovery magic as wellăIt seems like he heard it since he once again placed his finger on his lips. Seeing that, I just nodded while letting out a bitter smile.
ăWhat the h.e.l.l happened hereăŒ!ăAlong with that voice, there was a violent knock on the door so my son went to deal with it.ăIf Caam is safe then what about Hail-san! What the h.e.l.l did you do? Whatâs with that blood stain? Heâs your father isnât he!?ăHow noisy. Well, I guess I used to be an idiot like that back in the day. I already lost, so I guess he can just do as he wants. While thinking that, I drank sake to show him I was alright as he looked from the entrance. My son sure is terrible at his endgame though. Wurst-kun then feebly sat on the ground.ăPhew, so you two are safe⊠wait, if thatâs the case then whose blood is that?ă
ăW⊠well then, weâre off to the barăI guess Iâll just leave the rest of the troublesome things to my son. While laughing in my mind, I decided to go and have a drink at Ichiiâs place.
ăSleet, Iâll just go to Ichiiâs place to have a drinkă
ăYou just got your injury cured, so donât overexert yourself okay?ă
ăYeah, Iâll make sure not to fall overăAlthough I said that, as I was about to go out, the footing that I stepped on turned soft that I almost fell down. Was this done to forcibly remove the traces of blood I wonder? He sure did a terrible job cleaning up. Did he decide to remove the traces of blood for now and just tread on it tomorrow? Well, thatâs fine. I guess Iâll just tread on it for a bit. After that, Ichii and I drank, and influenced by my drunkenness, I let what happened at home and about being able to use recovery magic slip. Of course, Ricoris-san and Suzuran-chan also heard it. Sorry, my son, it seems like your father is a big idiot.
~Idle Talk~ In the bar.ăKon really looked like he was going to die, didnât he? Since heâs going back to his village, heâs going to meet that Suzuran girlâs father right? If that girlâs like that then how strong would her father be?ă
ăHe can probably easily squish something like your head, canât heăŒ?ă
ăâŠletâs just pray that he comes back alive from that. We canât do anything else but thatăEveryone nodded while drinking sake with their work friend.
ăStill, she sure was a cute girl wasnât she?ă ăS-she certainly is cuteă
ăBut even so, if her parents are scary, Iâll just have to give up. I donât want to die-ssu. If Konâs stories are true, then her father looks really scary you know?ă
ăBut still. Itâll be bad for him either way, right? There are a lot of cases in society where it doesnât work out well after all. I guess itâs fine to treat him if he comes back alive from thată
ăRight! I donât like being sad, so letâs just drink to that! Letâs pray that Kon comes back from there alive as well!ă
ăăăOu!ăăăWith that, the sign of the start of their second round resounded in the bar.