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Chapter 419
There are many ornate expressions in this world.
People describe the joy of parents having their first child in many different ways, but one thing could be known for certain.
That there exists a swelling kind of happiness that simply cannot be expressed with re words.
Watching Luna cradle the tiny child who could not even properly open her eyes yet, tearfully gazing at her with pure affection, I felt a strange emotion well up inside .
Since the child had only just been born, Luna’s body was technically in shambles as well, but physical injury held no real aning for her to begin with.
All of the postpartum recovery that ordinary mothers went through could simply be skipped.
Groaning softly as she fully restored her body, Luna even felt stronger than before.
“Leon. Her finger moved!”
“Yeah. Yeah.”
Although Luna’s body was perfectly fine to the point she could rampage at any mont without issue, lissa and I consistently insisted—almost forced—her to rest for over a week.
Separate from treatnt, childbirth itself had been exhausting, and we didn’t know what kind of variables might arise.
Luna didn’t resist much either.
Right now, all of her attention was focused on the tiny bundle in her arms.
And the little baby wriggling inside it.
The child who had newly beco part of the family was very healthy.
There wasn’t much she could do yet besides wriggle around with her eyes closed, but she also had quite a calm temperant.
“She just fell asleep.”
Luna carefully laid the softly breathing, sleeping child onto the bed and smiled beautifully.
“Maybe because she’s young, but she’s already fussy about sleep.”
“Most babies are like that. Raising kids isn’t easy.”
“You talk like you’ve done it before. Even though you haven’t.”
“That’s true.”
I’ve seen it, though.
Suddenly, an old mory surfaced.
The youngest of the Cascadia family.
Was it when Arsha was born?
To be honest, my mories from that ti are vague too, but there are parts that remain as if certain scenes were taken as photographs.
How adorable that tiny, wriggling little sibling had looked.
lissa, who used to toddle around causing all sorts of trouble, had doted on her younger sibling to an extre degree.
“Leon.”
“Yeah.”
I sat beside her and poked the sleeping baby’s cheek with my finger.
She squird, but being tightly swaddled, there wasn’t much movent she could make.
“Do you always have to wrap them up this tightly?”
“Most babies feel stable when they’re compressed like they were in their mother’s womb. If you’re not careful, they can get startled. I heard wrapping them up like this is good.”
“Who taught you that?”
“My mother.”
She had passed away now, but my mother had told lissa and many stories when we were young.
“What will you na the child?”
“Not sure. The nas I’d thought of all got erased from my head.”
“Well. It’s not urgent.”
There was no need to rush naming her.
Right now, more than anything else, I wanted to cast everything aside and simply focus on this mont itself.
Poking the baby’s cheek and seeing her react slightly each ti was oddly addictive, but before long, perhaps annoyed, she burst into tears, and I inevitably got smacked on the back of the head by Luna.
At the sa ti, lissa, who happened to be passing by, suddenly barged in, grabbed the back of my neck, and dragged out.
Only quite so ti later did the baby’s crying finally stop.
“You really want to ss with even a tiny baby like that?”
“What are you talking about, you Triceratops-looking thing. You think you’d be any different?”
“I thought you’d mature once your niece was born. Tsk tsk… anyway. A ssage ca from Mielephon. The Sword Saint will be visiting soon.”
“That old man, his body isn’t even in good shape. What’s he doing coming already?”
“How should I know?”
lissa, who didn’t know the details, looked at with dissatisfaction, but I didn’t bother explaining.
“Alright, got it. Anything I need to help with?”
“No. It’s pretty quiet these days.”
“Then go look at your niece’s face. She’s the cutest thing in the world.”
“You’re already acting like a doting fool.”
Letting out a hollow laugh, lissa still seed very interested in the newborn and hurried into Luna’s room with quick steps.
Still, it was a little surprising that the Sword Saint had seen through Isna’s identity so quickly.
She had worn a mask, hidden her presence, erased her characteristic mannerisms, and concealed herself so thoroughly.
Yet the mont they faced each other, she was exposed.
I didn’t know whether to praise the Sword Saint’s keen eye or tease Isna for a sloppy disguise.
* * *
The next day, the Sword Saint quickly took a teleport gate and visited Cascadia.
Beside him was Isna, dressed in the attire of an ordinary young lady.
“So you’ve co, Leon.”
“How is your health, sir?”
“Yes. Thanks to Luna Basilin, it seems there are no problematic areas. Truly astonishing recovery ability.”
“It’s one of Luna’s specialties.”
In the slightly strange atmosphere, I shifted my gaze to Isna and noticed a bump on her head.
“Did you… get hit?”
“Ahem.”
Osberg pretended not to notice, but judging by the way Isna glared at him with dissatisfaction, the answer was obvious.
“She did deserve it.”
“Thank you. In any case, I heard you helped Isna a great deal.”
“I don’t think I deserve thanks when it cos to her.”
How much had the Sword Saint heard?
If he had heard that I was the one who had annihilated the world including her, he wouldn’t be reacting like this.
Even so, considering what the Moon Watchers had done all this ti, it wouldn’t make sense unless that was explained.
I quietly gauged Osberg’s expression.
“You know what this girl is hiding, don’t you?”
“Yes. I do.”
“She seed determined not to open her mouth even if she died. So I decided not to ask.”
“Are you alright with that?”
“If you knew and still left it alone, there must have been your own reasons.”
“You’re overestimating .”
“Overestimating? Rather, it was the opposite.”
After explaining calmly, he soon took out a box he had brought.
“This is….”
“I heard the news on the way. The child was born yesterday, I hear.”
“You heard?”
“How could I not, when a festival atmosphere is spread throughout the entire Duchy of Cascadia? Is it a daughter? A son?”
“A daughter.”
“Congratulations. I hear this is good for children.”
Opening the gift he gave, I saw a luxurious mobile inside.
“Oh… a mobile.”
“You know it well. It’s only been recently that such things appeared.”
“Well. I happened to pick up so information here and there. Since you’re here, would you like to see her once?”
Unable to hide my proud smile as I grinned broadly, he burst into hearty laughter.
“Very well. Let’s have a look.”
“Before that.”
I used magic to draw water into a nearby basin.
“I’d appreciate it if you’d wash your hands.”
“Oh my, very thorough. Hahaha.”
The two of them didn’t bother asking why the child had suddenly been born.
Osberg, despite the title Sword Saint, was surprisingly knowledgeable about childcare.
“Oho… thank you.”
“Yes. You must take good care. Children are inherently very fragile. Delicacy is essential.”
Osberg, passing on small childcare tips and knowledge to Luna, almost looked like a grandfather at a glance.
He laughed heartily while looking at the child.
On the other hand, Isna silently stared at the sleeping baby.
“What are you doing.”
“No… she’s cute.”
She said it calmly, but I could feel the bitterness contained within.
It wasn’t a simple longing to have a child or a straightforward reaction of finding her cute.
It was regret.
“That day too… it was the sa. New life is born even right before the end of the world.”
Only then did I realize why Isna looked regretful while watching the baby.
For her, the closed world was like an unforgettable scar.
Looking at the baby in Luna’s arms, she seed to be rembering the children she had failed to protect.
“Raise her well. Don’t let her get hurt or suffer.”
“I will.”
“Congratulations.”
Isna spoke calmly, trying hard to suppress her bitter emotions.
It was then.
The sleeping baby’s eyes curved into crescents.
“Oh my.”
“Hoho. She’s smiling already.”
Technically she wasn’t smiling intentionally, but a newborn’s smile was more than enough to lt the hearts of those watching.
“May I… touch her hand a little?”
Isna asked cautiously.
When I nodded, Isna carefully brought her trembling hand to the baby’s cheek.
The baby smiled again.
“Ah….”
Seeing that, Isna’s face flushed red, and she found herself smiling as well.
“C-cute….”
Unable to hide her reddened cheeks, she fumbled awkwardly as the baby’s tiny hand tightly grasped her pale fingers.
“Heh heh. Acting indifferent, but look at her.”
Osberg chuckled and then asked .
“So. Have you decided the child’s na?”
“I’m still thinking. I had so in mind… but seeing her in person, none of them feel right.”
“Yes. Everyone is like that at first. Heh heh.”
“What did you do in tis like this, sir?”
“, you say. Hmm… in my case it’s a bit ambiguous. Most of the ti the elders of the household would na them.”
“I see.”
“If you’re truly stuck, I can recomnd a few.”
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“It’s alright. I’ll think deeply about it myself.”
“Heh heh. Very well then. Isna, our business here is done, let’s go.”
As Osberg stood up, Isna, who couldn’t take her eyes off the baby, reluctantly rose from her seat.
Even as she left, she quietly looked at the child with lingering regret.
“Leon.”
“Yeah.”
“The preparation to manifest the authority is almost complete, so contact later when you want to strengthen it.”
“Alright, thanks.”
Saying she was ready to use the Authority of Iron Breath to strengthen the Book of Genesis, Isna left just like that.
I wanted to do it imdiately, but we needed preparation on our side as well.
Afterward, a letter arrived from Emperor Credos of the Boscal Empire on the Western Continent.
The content was simple.
It congratulated us on the birth of a daughter.
It said that although he would like to visit in person, he could not.
It added that once the child grew a little, we should visit the Boscal Empire as well.
True to his generous nature, he also sent a large quantity of toys the child might like and dicinal herbs good for a child’s body.
“Leon.”
“Yeah.”
“I want to na her now.”
“Do you have anything in mind?”
“No.”
Her gloomy reply was filled with disappointnt.
In truth, Lispa Elde had visited once during this process.
However, perhaps unwilling to confront Luna in front of the child, she silently looked at the baby, bestowed her own style of blessing upon her, and left.
Recently, she had been working together with Diablo.
Diablo seed not to have given up investigating Lucifer, the ancient archangel.
anwhile, I felt Grivy tug at my sleeve.
“Grivy?”
“F-Father….”
Grivy looked up at with a tearful expression, clearly wanting to say sothing.
But in the end, she hesitated and couldn’t open her mouth.
“What is it, Grivy?”
“Um… am I… Father’s child?”
At that question, I instinctively realized what this young spirit was worrying about.
Grivy was originally a spirit born by my hand in a different way.
To Grivy, the appearance of the baby must have seed very different from herself.
Because of that, she was worried that perhaps she really shouldn’t call Father.
A child’s jealousy, and within that jealousy, worry and hurt feelings.
At that emotion, Luna slowly reached out her hand to Grivy.
And embraced her.
“Grivy. It is true that Grivy was born by Leon’s hand.”
“But….”
“That fact does not change. Therefore, Grivy will beco this child’s older sister.”
With the youngest born and everyone pouring attention onto her, Grivy had first been happy, calling her little sister, but worry seed to have followed.
Grivy hesitated, then quietly looked at the sleeping baby.
And asked.
“Can Grivy still call you Father?”
“You’re asking the obvious.”
At that assurance, the corners of Grivy’s mouth rose slightly.
At the sa ti, as if waiting for it, the youngest wriggled her hand, and when her fingers touched Grivy’s, she held them tightly as if they were precious.
“Little sister… cute….”
Flustered, Grivy poked her little sister’s cheek repeatedly.
Sur, wearing his horned helt proudly, tapped Grivy’s head with his small leg.
“Oh right! Grivy almost forgot!”
Then she said to ,
“I saw a spirit that was a little different from Grivy!”
“A spirit?”
“He said he was a king! And told Grivy to deliver a ssage to Father….”
A spirit?
And a king?
To begin with, I didn’t know much about the power handled by conventional spirit summoners.
Although it was called spirit arts, most of it had developed through my own independent thods.
Because of that, among the powers obtained in the Labyrinth, the one that had developed in the most detached way from reality was spirit arts.
Perhaps for that reason, while many natural spirits usually wandered around spirit summoners, natural spirits rarely stuck close to .
It was as if they saw sothing strange and kept their distance.
“A king? A Spirit King?”
“Umm… dunno!”
Naturally, Grivy and the others didn’t know about ordinary spirits either.
“Is it even possible for a Spirit King to manifest in the Middle Realm?”
Unaware of my bewildernt, Grivy cheerfully said,
“Anyway, the man who called himself king said it! He said to help him!”
“Help him?”
At those words, Grivy pulled out a blue-green gem she had hidden in her pocket.
It contained an enormous amount of spirit energy.
“Grivy. Where did you get this?”
“Uuuh….”
Judging by the way she avoided answering, I could roughly guess.
“You went into the Demon Realm, didn’t you.”
“I… I don’t know anything about that….”
Grivy, extrely tense, turned her gaze elsewhere and whistled badly, sothing she wasn’t even good at.
She was sweating coldly, doing her best to feign ignorance.
I had told her not to go in if possible, but it seed she had wandered in while playing.
In any case, while I was examining the spirit stone that contained power far beyond the ordinary level—
—Help is needed. Guardian of the Middle Realm.
A youthful male voice echoed through the spirit stone.
Strangely, it was a familiar voice.
It sounded like a voice I had heard sowhere before….
As I thought that, the Librarian reacted imdiately.
[The vocal waveform of the mad Wind King’s scream encountered in the Labyrinth matches the current voice at 99.9 percent.]
Ah….
That guy.
But the twisted monster who couldn’t even converse back then—his voice was a spirit?
As if unaware of my confusion, the spirit stone continued to hum.
—Your help is needed. I can offer compensation you will never regret.
For a Spirit King, his tone wasn’t particularly arrogant.
From rumors, I had heard that Spirit Kings were quite arrogant.
But he wasn’t.
Well, from a Spirit King’s perspective, Grivy herself would be nothing short of heresy.
The fact that he contacted through Grivy alone was already a plus.
“Let’s at least hear him out.”
If he was offering compensation, there was no reason not to at least listen.
Even in fairy tales, the gifts of spirits were quite a famous motif.
Stories where a child who received a na blessed by spirits would grow up to beco a hero or a wise king rembered in history.
Of course, most of it was re superstition.
It wasn’t the [Book of Genesis] that could manipulate fate; I knew very well that such absurd power couldn’t exist.
Still, the blessing of spirits itself was not a lie, so there was indeed sothing aningful to it.
For instance, not falling ill easily.
Aging well.
Gaining beauty.
Right when we were worrying over what na to give our first child, an interesting option had appeared.
From the standpoint of parents who wanted to do anything for their child, a devil’s temptation whispered that this much should be fine.
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