When they reached the living room, Isabella sat down comfortably on the sofa for two. Due to her size, the two-seater sofa looked like a one-seater, and, beside her, a maid poured tea into a cup and handed it to Isabella.
Because of her physique, even an ordinary cup looked as small as a child’s toy in her hands. Isabella exhaled and looked at Theodore, who was sitting in front of her.
“Again, my name is Isabella Minusle. I’m the mother of Urschel, and I’m usually an adventurer—a mixed martial artist who travels all over the country. As an adventurer, I’m usually not in this country, so we would rarely meet, but nice to meet you.”
Adventurer… mixed martial artist..?? There was a lot he wanted to say, but everything made sense to him. Theodore was finally convinced because of this physique that was nothing like a noble; for a noble, she was probably considered peculiar.
“I’m Theodore Minusle… I’m currently in the Knights Order as an apprentice.”
“Huh? At that age? Will you become a knight in the future?”
“No, I’m going to be a mage knight.”
“Mage knight… I’m convinced now; you must be excellent. A mage knight must be excellent at both swordsmanship and magic. You’re worthy of the Minusle name.” Isabella lifted the corners of her mouth, satisfied.
“As someone in this line of work, I like the strong. When you become a great mage knight, I hope we can have a sparring session.”
“Yes, that would be nice.”
Although he felt like he was going to die, Theodore nodded, genuinely curious about her strength. Theodore also was fond of strong people.
At that moment, another person appeared in the guest room.
“Hey, I just got off work and came over, Mama.”
It was Hubert. His face expressed that he had no desire to see her but had no choice but to come over. Isabella and Hubert’s eyes met; sparks scattered around mindlessly.
“…It’s been a long time, Papa. You still have that horribly evil look on your face that I don’t like to see.”
“I think you’ve gained some muscle mass again. Hey, your physique can even surprise an ogre, you know?”
“You’re all skin and bones, aren’t you? All you’ve got is a vicious personality and not a shred of manly charm.”
“HUH? I don’t want to hear that from you, someone who has thrown all your femininity away! You’re already a man—or is it THE man among men? The only feminine element to you are your pigtails. First of all, I don’t have to be attractive as a man to be a father to Urschel, so that’s good enough for me!”
“Hmph then, I’m the same. As a woman, I’m good enough to be Urschel’s mother. And I’m sure I can be a better parent than you.”
“Shame on you. I’m the one who raised Urschel! I’m the one who nursed Urschel while you were slaying 100 people with your fists in the neighbouring country!”
“Ha! That’s an obvious lie. I know that you have mostly left the task of bringing up the child to the nannies and maids. A parent who only plays with a baby when it’s in a good mood is no parent at all.”
“HUH?”
“…Hmph.”
“Alright. That’s enough, you two.” Urschel released an exasperated sigh and stopped their quarrel, which seemed like it would go on forever.
“Father and Mother, now is not the time to quarrel. If you want to fight, go outside.”
“Eh! Urschel! I’m the patriarch, remember? I’m the head of the family. I’m Urschel’s Papa. Why do I have to leave?”
“Father, you’ll only fight with Mother, won’t you? Right now, the focus isn’t on you, and instead it’s time set aside for Mother, Theodore, and me. Just because you are the head of the family doesn’t mean that I’m obligated to deal with your personal affairs… Though, if you’re not going to fight, you may also stay here.”
“…Urgh!! Urschel’s right…!! Father has had his pride broken to pieces, but I can’t say a word in response…”
Hubert briefly glanced at Isabella. Isabella smiled triumphantly. Hubert gritted his teeth at this taunt, but Urschel deliberately ignored his father and spoke to Theodore.
“I’m sorry, Theodore. It has always been this way at home.”
“…It’s nothing.”
Theodore had stopped thinking.
Isabella drank her tea in just one sip. A small cup for Isabella would certainly be just a sip. Hubert sat on the sofa in the corner of the drawing-room, clutching his knees with a sulky demeanor. It was obvious that he was upset. Isabella glimpsed at Hubert’s state and then bowed her head to Theodore.
“Except for Urschel, my family must be very troublesome. They’ll be an inconvenience; I am terribly sorry.”
“It’s no problem; please raise your head… Mo-Mother.”
“Hmmm, I never thought I’d have a child other than Urschel call me Mother2…”
Isabella raised her head, looking at Urschel and then at Theodore.
“He is a miracle born to parents like us: an idiot whose only interest is work and a woman whose only interest is training. I’m counting on you to take care of him for me.”
At Isabella’s request, Urschel looked at Theodore with a smile.
“Fufu, Mother, you’re being so strange. You don’t even have to ask; Theodore is a very nice guy who takes great care of people.”
“Oh, is that so… How different from Papa; he’ll be a good husband.”
“Mother, what did you say?”
‘I beg you, please stay silent.’ Theodore fervently wished that Urschel would just shut up. Theodore inwardly sighed, but it was too late to deny the misunderstanding. Besides, Theodore was a little reluctant to deny and claim that he was not Urschel’s future husband. However, he couldn’t bring himself to lie.
“…Please leave Urschel to me.” That was all Theodore could utter in reply.