In a Different World with a Smartphone (LN) - Volume 23 - Chapter 3

Chapter III: The Twins and Their Daughters

“Hah!”

“Gah!”

“Let’s stop here.”

The wooden sword in Frei’s hand stopped mere inches from the female knight’s side. Hilde, who had been refereeing the mock battle, called an end to it upon seeing that.

“Aww, I lost...”

“You’re amazing, Frei! You’re so small, but so strong!”

“Well, she is one of the grand duke’s relatives... It’s not that surprising.”

Frei’s prodigious skill received a mixed reaction from the knights who were watching the fight. Despite her looks, she was a gold-ranked adventurer (in the future at least). There was no way she’d lose to standard soldiers.

“Hee hee hee! I won! But hey, lady...your right leg was acting funny at the end there. Did you twist it?”

“Huh? Oh... Yes. It happened when I was trying to do that low slash earlier...” her opponent said that and raised her leg a little, moving it around a bit as if to check for pain.

“Hey, fath— Er...Y-Your Highness! Heal her!”

“Yep, yep...”

I used [Cure Heal] on the knight, prompting her to almost apologetically bow afterward. I could understand why, since it must have been a little awkward using your national leader as a health dispenser...but the one using me here was more Frei than anyone else.

After the match ended, Frei found herself surrounded by a gaggle of female knights. Over the past few days, she’d become somewhat of a mascot for the knight order...and she was remarkably popular with the girls.

Unlike Quun, who was perfectly content to stay cooped up in Babylon, Frei was quite the people person. It probably helped that she was so cute.

“Touya, you’re grinning...”

“Oh, my bad!”

Hilde pointed out my expression, which I promptly fixed.

I was just happy that my daughter was popular, though...

I looked back at Hilde, who seemed to be struggling to keep a grin off her own face as well. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black... The two of us were definitely overly doting, though. Perhaps that wasn’t a bad thing to have in common with your wife.

As I mulled that over, my smartphone began to vibrate.

Huh, I wonder who’s calling...me...? Ugh!

When I saw the incoming caller ID, I hesitated for a moment... But after what felt like an eternity of pondering, I bit the bullet and picked up the call.

“Uh...hey.”

“Oh, Duke Brunhild! It’s good to hear your voice!”

“...Yeah, yours too...”

The ridiculously shrill voice in my ear was enough to make me move my phone away. There was no mistaking this larger-than-life way of speaking.

The caller was Robert, prince of Panaches. Or as I preferred to call him, the pumpkin-pants prince. He was also the master of the blue crown, Distortion Blau. I’d met the guy a few times, but he was a little too intense for me. I just didn’t have the patience for someone with his personality... Even over the phone, he was as overbearing as ever. It went without saying that he was the least popular among his fellow crown masters.

“So, uh, what’s up?”

“Well, you see...there’s someone I’d like for you to meet! The king of Rhea.”

“Rhea?”

Rhea... What was that again? Oh, right! Isn’t that the island kingdom northwest of Panaches? I think I remember that.

“What does the king of Rhea want with me?”

“Well, you see...it’s about that Puretree of yours.”

The Puretree was a divine tree I’d planted in the middle of Isengard to purify the corruptive influence that the wicked god had left there. I couldn’t imagine what the king of Rhea had to do with that, but I shrugged and accepted the meeting anyway.

From what I’d heard, Rhea was a bountiful land ruled over by the elves. It was somewhat similar to the Sea of Trees, probably.

I’d never heard anything bad about them, so meeting with them formally was fine by me. From what Robert told me, Rhea had recently opened up diplomatic relations with Panaches, as well as the Rephan Kingdom to their southwest. They hadn’t broached any contact with Zadonia or Dauburn yet, however, probably since the conflict between the two had only recently simmered down.

It was fairly well known that I’d planted the Puretree, so they probably hoped to use their connection with Panaches to get in touch with me. Still, there was only one way to find out what they wanted.

◇ ◇ ◇

I decided to take Yumina and Leen with me on the trip to Rhea. Yumina was great when it came to diplomacy, and Leen was more experienced at dealing with a variety of races. Plus, Leen worked in a diplomatic capacity back when she served Mismede, so she was perfect for this job.

But it seemed like we had another companion who was set on joining us...

“Rhea’s a country with many ruins. It’s home to various legacy Gollems from ancient conflicts. You may well be able to find some Gollem parts you’ve never seen before, father. I’d highly suggest we look into it.”

“Quun, you little pest... This isn’t a vacation, it’s a diplomatic mission.”

“I’m aware, mother. I just meant that it’s something we could look into while you’re taking care of diplomatic affairs,” Quun replied. She couldn’t help but giggle at Leen’s grumbling.

When I’d mentioned I was going to Rhea, she just about begged to join me. Apparently, she’d met the king before... At least, in her personal past.

“Are we all ready, then? Blau! Do your thing,” Robert spoke up, prompting the small blue Gollem by his side to raise one of its hands.

As that hand twirled about, the scenery around us seemed to melt away and distort. But gradually, it returned to normal. This was the power of Distortion Blau, the ability to bend space itself.

Once the distortion wore off, we found ourselves surrounded by greenery. We were in Farn, the royal capital of Rhea. It was a capital city, so there were a great many buildings, but there was also an incredible amount of lush vegetation all around. It was as if the city was built into a forest. I looked around and saw citizens coming and going, each with smiles on their faces.

“There are a lot of elves here...” Yumina couldn’t help but mutter the obvious as we walked through the streets.

There were definitely a whole lot of people around. And not just elves, either. There were humans, beastfolk, and dragonewts too... But elves were clearly the dominant species here. The ratio was probably seven elves to every three non-elves.

“From what I understand, Rhea was originally a nation of elves, though they do have an active immigrant population. Just about all the high-ranking positions within the country belong to elves, however.”

Quun’s explanation made perfect sense to me. Elves were often associated with the forest, so the lush greenery all around us in their capital was clearly by design.

We continued walking down a narrow roadway until we spotted a castle in the distance. It was in a clearing, surrounded by trees.

Is that the elf king’s castle?

I looked around and found my mouth agape as I saw a tree near the castle... It was almost as big as the building itself! It dwarfed every other tree in the vicinity, even.

“Come, then! His Majesty should be waiting for us. Not too far to the castle no—” halfway through his sentence, Prince Robert fell flat on his face and began to snore.

That forced slumber was the price he needed to pay in exchange for using Blau’s crown ability. There was quite a bit of distance between Brunhild and Rhea, so he’d probably be sleeping for quite a while.

I could’ve just simply used [Recall] on Robert to look at his memories and open up a [Gate] to the place, but Quun insisted on seeing Distortion Blau in action at least once.

Robert was apparently egged on by that and said he’d be happy to ferry us there with his own power. Thankfully, we had some Panaches knights with us, so they could look after him.

The knights quickly hauled Robert up, carrying him along with them in a manner that suggested they were well used to it at this point. Just as we were about to carry on our march to the castle, a Gollem carriage pulled up next to us.

“Prince Robert of Panaches, Duke Touya of Brunhild. I’ve been sent from the castle to fetch you.”

An elven man stepped out of the carriage. Well, it looked more like a minibus being pulled by crawling legs than a typical horse-drawn carriage, but still... The elven man in front of us looked to be in his twenties. He had long golden hair tied up in a bun at the back of his head and wore stereotypical black and white butler attire. Personally, I thought he seemed a bit young for a job like that, but ages were deceiving when it came to his kind.

As I stared down the man, Quun came up from behind me and tugged at my sleeve. What did she want now, I wondered?

“Father... That’s the elf king.”

“What?!”

I looked to the young-looking elf, then back to Quun.

That’s the king?! Why’s he dressed like a butler?!

“He probably wants to surprise you by revealing his identity later on... He’s a bit of a prankster... Or at least, he is in the future.”

“A prankster? What a joke...” Leen, who’d been listening to Quun’s murmuring, couldn’t help but say that and sigh.

Is he joking? Or maybe he’s trying to get a grasp of what kind of person I am?

Elves tended to err on the side of caution, so many of them were hesitant to share their true feelings. After all, it wasn’t too uncommon to meet people who seemed friendly on the surface, but harbored malicious intentions beneath that. With that in mind, I couldn’t blame him for trying to figure us out in advance.

“Is everything well?”

“Yes, we’re fine. I’m honored that you’d greet us in person, Your Majesty. Though I must say, I never expected you to be wearing such an unusual outfit.”

The smiling young man’s eyes widened in shock once Leen’s words reached his ears.

Sorry... My wife’s also a bit of a prankster, so she doesn’t like being caught out.

After a short stunned silence, the young-looking elf grinned and raised his hands into the air.

“My, you got me... I waited for Prince Robert to fall asleep before revealing myself, but it seems that was all for naught, eh? How’d you know?”

“I’ll just say that you exude a certain...royal aspect that I couldn’t help but notice,” Leen replied very politely, even though I knew she was lying. Our daughter had just given her the answer!

“Hm... If you say so... No matter, welcome to the Kingdom of Rhea. I am, as you properly deduced, the king, Ervin Rheawind.”

“I’m Mochizuki Leen, the fifth grand duchess of Brunhild. Leen being my given name. As for these two...”

“I’m Mochizuki Touya, the grand duke of Brunhild.”

“I’m Mochizuki Yumina, the first grand duchess of Brunhild.”

By marrying me, Leen and the others had married into the Mochizuki family name as well. Since I was Japanese, they’d also taken to using my native name order when it came to their full names. But since they’d also married into the Brunhild nobility, our family name was also Brunhild.

We weren’t the only royal family to have this kind of surname and national name disparity, however. It was just one of those things that happened sometimes.

In Leen’s case, she was both Mochizuki Leen and Leen Brunhild. Similarly, Yumina was both Mochizuki Yumina and Yumina Brunhild.

I didn’t really want to call myself Touya Brunhild, though. It sounded kind of lame, honestly.

“And who’s this young lady?”

“A pleasure to meet you, King Rhea. My name is Mochizuki Quun. I’m a member of the Brunhild royal family. I wished to visit Rhea and see its magnificent forests, which is why the Grand Duke saw fit to let me accompany him.”

Quun pinched the hem of her skirt and gave a small curtsy. She was surprisingly good at formalities... But she’d probably been raised that way, since she was a royal and all.

“I must admit, I was also hoping to see your crown. I’ve heard much about Grand Grun.”

“Ha ha ha ha. I daresay you appear far more interested in Grun than you are in me. Well, let it not be said that I deny my guests.”

The elf king made a waving gesture with his hand, prompting the Gollem carriage near him to slide open. A small mechanical hand then reached out from the interior before the entire Gollem emerged from within.

The Gollem looked much like the blue one next to me, except green. And I couldn’t help but notice it was a little more feminine in shape as well. It had what looked to be some kind of radiator or vent on its head that resembled a ponytail, and there was more...curvature to its general shape. There was also some metal about the machine’s waist that jutted out like a skirt.

Gollems didn’t really have genders, but they could have gendered personalities based on the Q-Crystals loaded into them. Elluka’s cat-shaped Gollem, Bastet, was quite feminine, for example.

“This is Grand Grun, master of earth’s bounty and incarnation of the Mothertree. She’s been my partner these last two thousand years.”

“Greetings. Crown Series Designation CS-06. Gran Grun, at your service.”

Wow, it can talk... I wonder what price you have to pay to use its ability... Probably something bad, I’d bet. I’m guessing it’s not physical though, just based on the elf guy.

I glanced to my side and saw Quun’s eyes positively sparkling with joy at the sight of the green Gollem.

“Haven’t you seen this thing in the future?”

“I have not. I’ve never been allowed to attend any of your conference meetings, and King Rhea never brings Grun with him, anyway... I’d never seen her before. She’s lovely!”

...Lovely? Not sure if I’d call a Gollem that, but fair enough.

“Now, please come aboard. I’ll take you to the castle at once. Grun, you first.”

“Understood,” Grun said that, bowed, then vanished into the carriage again. It was only there that I noticed it wasn’t entering the passenger compartment... It was actually the driver! A Gollem controlling a Gollem seemed a little weird at first, but then I remembered our Over Gears worked in a pretty similar manner.

The Gollem carriage moved surprisingly swiftly. I noticed that it stomped over the stone road without causing any damage either... Perhaps the legs were rubber-tipped or something? There wasn’t much jostling inside the carriage, so there was at least some impressive shock absorption built into the design.

Eventually, we made it to the castle...and it was even more impressive up close. The white walls were covered in sprawling ivy, there were trees dotted around the surrounding land, and that single gigantic tree towered over everything. The area looked like the perfect image of nature’s bounty.

Apparently, the castle was over four thousand years old, but it didn’t look it at all. That was probably the work of some kind of long-lasting protection magic. The interior of the castle was a little dated, but not terribly so.

Once we hopped off the carriage, we followed King Rhea and his crown through a hallway. I got the distinct impression we weren’t heading to the inside of the castle itself, however... It felt more like we were walking right through the castle to the back...or something.

Judging from the smirk on the king’s face, I had a feeling he might be planning something sneaky. We eventually came to a huge door at the end of the hall. As we approached, two elven guards pushed it open with all their might.

“Whoa!”

“What?!”

“Wow...”

The door creaked open, revealing a stunning sight. It opened out into a forest clearing, the sun beating down brightly from above.

We were right in front of that massive tree I’d seen earlier...and it was even more terrifyingly large up close.

“This is Rheawind, the spirit tree. It was the Mothertree to we elves, the place where our souls once returned to.”

...Once returned to?

I closed my eyes, but couldn’t feel the presence of any spirits like I had in the Sea of Trees. I couldn’t feel much of anything at all, strangely enough... It had no life force at all.

“I take it you’ve noticed already. This spirit tree is dead. She died of old age not too long ago. It has enough residual magic to still look magnificent for now, but in the coming months, it’ll lose its luster and finally wilt away.”

I see... And a tree that reaches the end of its natural lifespan can’t be brought back with magic. It must have been here for thousands of years, watching over Rhea... Honestly, I feel lucky just getting to see this thing.

“Rheawind has done her job admirably...but the spirit tree is a vital fixture in my nation. Should we be left without one, my people will be unable to rest easily. Thus, we must seek out a new spirit tree.”

“A new one?”

“Indeed. That’s why I sought you out, Grand Duke Brunhild. For it was you who created Isengard’s Puretree, was it not? You are surely capable of helping us.”

“...Huh?”

Isengard’s Puretree... I remember planting that thing to purify the venom from the wicked god, yeah. It wasn’t me who made it, though... It was Uncle Kousuke, the god of agriculture... What does he want me to do, exactly? Uproot the one in Isengard and fly it over here or something?

“Oh, just so we’re on the same page here, I don’t specifically want Isengard’s Puretree. I simply want a tree with similar properties for my own nation.”

“Hm, I see...”

The tree was created after a lot of trial and error, so there were actually a lot of similar saplings in my [Storage]. Still, it was the creation of another god, so I was hesitant to just give something like that away without asking for permission first.

“Please give me a moment... I need to confer on this,” I said that and quickly backed up to call Kousuke. It would hinge on whether or not the god of agriculture agreed.

“No prob here, kid. It’s basically a mortal plant, since it don’t really do nothin’ other than purify the air,” Uncle Kousuke replied. He was pretty to the point with his answer.

...Just like that, huh?

I shrugged. If he said it was fine, it was fine.

I took out a Puretree sapling from [Storage], prompting King Rhea to look over it with amazement. He was literally shaking.

“M-my word... Gods above... It’s as if a very god resides within this plant! I’ve never felt such spiritual purity!”

He was exaggerating a bit, but it was definitely a beautifully pure plant. Or...maybe he just knew more than I did about divine gardening.

The sapling gave off little glittery particles. Each one was a small burst of purified magic power. There weren’t as many of the particles as there were with the other Puretree, however. It took in polluted air and mana from the atmosphere, but there wasn’t as much of that here as there was in Isengard... Well, that was just my guess at least, anyway. It could easily have been that it was just too immature to do its job properly yet.

I handed the sapling over to King Rhea, who was so ecstatic that I was almost worried he’d drop it.

“You have my thanks, Grand Duke... It’s my desire to see my nation build stronger bridges with Brunhild from now on.”

“Don’t worry. It’s my pleasure, really.”

The king shook my hand with great fervor. He looked about to cry. He then turned and looked at the towering tree behind him.

“Rheawind... O Mothertree, you who have watched over our nation for so long, you may rest in peace now. Thank you.”

Grun held a hand out toward the spirit tree. And then...a green pulse shot out from the Gollem’s arm, impacting the side of the tree.

“Touya, look!”

“What?”

Yumina pointed up at the tree, and I noticed what she was looking at. Its color, which had once been vibrant, was rapidly fading away.

It was as if I was watching a movie on fast-forward. The very life drained out of the tree. Its branches and the main trunk itself began withering and crumbling. The massive plant before us was wasting away into dust.

...Is this Grun’s crown skill, maybe?!

Once the spirit tree had finished crumbling away on the winds, King Rhea approached the spot it had once resided. He then crouched down and planted the new sapling.

“From old life doth fresh life spring anew...for that is the blessing of nature!”

“Huh?!”

“What the—?!”

As the king spoke, the tree he’d planted began rapidly growing. I couldn’t believe my eyes! I stared on in absolute disbelief as it just kept on growing and growing. Branches gnarled, flowers bloomed, leaves spread out, and the trunk kept on thickening.

Is this Grun’s power too?!

“So this is Vegetative Dominion... It’s a power that can control not only plants, but processed material like lumber as well. This is Grand Grun’s crown skill!”

Quun seemed just as surprised as me to see it in action, but at least she could explain what it was.

I knew it! But wait, doesn’t this thing come at a cost to the user?!

“Gah!”

I panicked as the pained groans of King Rhea reached my ears. The Puretree in front of us was now half the size of the original spirit tree. Grun had finally stopped wielding that green beam too.

King Rhea staggered forward, stumbled, and fell to his knees. He then fell face-first into the dirt.

Using a crown ability too much can kill you... Is he okay?!

“H-Hey, you okay?!”

I ran over to him and flipped him over onto his back, only to hear a very peculiar sound echo out from his stomach. It sounded like a long, loud growl.

Huh?

The elf king looked up toward the sky. His eyes were glazed over as he mumbled, “...Hungry... Need food...”

...I-Is THAT the price?!

◇ ◇ ◇

“The green crown’s penalty is hunger. It can lead to starvation and even death in some cases. Though I have no plans to use my abilities to that degree, of course,” the elf king was resting in his bed as he spoke. His eyes were still glazed over, and his stomach rumbled fairly frequently.

The logical thing to do in a situation like this would be to get up and eat, but apparently that wasn’t an option for him. When King Rhea picked up an apple and brought it to his mouth...it simply crumbled away to dust.

I can’t believe what I’m seeing!

“It’s part of the price, you see... I won’t be able to eat any food until a certain timer expires. Given how much of my Gollem’s power I employed this time, I’ll likely have to go without food for twenty days...”

“Seriously?!”

“We elves are a race that can survive a while without food, so you needn’t worry about me on that front. I can still drink water, after all. It’s just the initial hunger pangs that are troubling.”

Nia, the red crown’s partner, told me something like that once. She said that pretty much every crown except purple could be used without dying if you were smart about it.

Though the purple crown’s negative effects were thankfully neutralized by my [Cracking] spell.

But seriously...his food turns to dust too? That’s way too cruel.

It reminded me of a story I’d read once. It was about this king who was granted the ability to turn everything he touched into gold. But unfortunately for him, that extended to his food as well.

The “price” you paid to use a crown’s power really did seem more like a curse that deprived the human partner of something important. But since it was a curse willingly undertaken in exchange for power, it probably wasn’t easily lifted. I didn’t think my [Recovery] would be able to cut it, even. I could probably use [Cracking] to get rid of Grun’s abilities entirely, but I highly doubted the king wanted that.

“Fret not. I’ve been using this power for a very, very long time, so I’m used to it now. I know exactly what my limits are, so I’m careful not to cross the threshold into serious danger.”

According to Quun, the green crown could manipulate plant life over a wide area. But as the range increased, so too did the effectiveness of the manipulation. In that regard, it was similar to my [Prison] skill.

It wasn’t just limited to living plant life either. Processed wood was also under Grun’s control. Apparently, she’d once destroyed a vast fleet of invading ships by twisting them into scraps of seaweed. I personally thought it’d be easier to just make holes in the ships, though...

“Why use the power to make the tree grow, then? It would’ve started growing on its own anyway.”

“That tree is a symbol of my nation. It must be visible to ensure peace of mind for all my citizens. It’s clear to anyone at a glance that a strong, thick trunk is a more striking vision than a frail sapling.”

I mean, I guess... I can see it pretty clearly out the window right now, and there are already a few people praying to it...so he’s probably right.

The people of his nation must’ve known that their tree was dying out, so they probably all pinned their hopes on a new tree sprouting soon. In the end, the king sacrificed his own comfort for his people’s. That couldn’t have been easy.

Not eating for a full twenty days would be rough for just about anyone. Even if he was familiar with it at this point, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to get used to that.

“Grand Duke Brunhild. I can’t possibly thank you enough...and neither can my people. But I’d still like to offer you something in the way of compensation. My country is home to many ancient ruins and relics... We also have a great many unearthed technologies stored within our treasury. I’d like to offer you some.”

“No, that won’t be necessary. I’m just happy to—”

“What a brilliant idea, Your Majesty! I’d be most keen to look over some of these treasures alongside the grand duke!”

Uncle Kousuke was the one responsible for the sapling, so I didn’t think it was my place to claim a reward. However, Quun didn’t seem to feel that way, as she immediately jumped forward with gleaming eyes.

...You’re coming on a little strong, you know? Try to dial it back a bit!

“Er... Right that way, then. He’ll show you to our treasury.”

“Okay.”

We were greeted by another (seemingly) young elf, who introduced himself as the prime minister. He walked with us to the treasury.

We left King Rhea behind to chug plenty of water and get some rest. Apparently, drinking and sleeping were mostly what he did during his fasting periods, since it made him feel less hungry. I made a mental note to bring him some of Lu’s cooking once his timer expired.

Prince Robert of Panaches was still unconscious, so we figured we’d grab whatever treasure Quun wanted, then hang out for a bit.

I wanted to extend an offer to join the alliance, but it didn’t feel right doing it while the king was bedridden. Thus, I decided to ask him later on instead.

“Here we are.”

We found ourselves in front of a heavy-looking door guarded by two massive Gollems. There were a great many locks on it too. But thankfully, the prime minister had a great many keys.

Once the door was opened, we were treated to the sight of piles of gold and silver, as well as various interesting machines scattered around. There were plenty of Gollems as well. They looked to all be legacy models. There was no way a nation would keep standard factory models stored away in their treasury, after all.

Most of us calmly looked at the machines, Gollems, and scattered parts. It all looked like junk to me, but I wasn’t exactly the expert here. My daughter Quun, on the other hand, dashed around the room like it was on fire. Her cheeks were flushed, she balled her hands up into fists, and she was one open mouth away from making a noise that would’ve probably sounded something like “Squee!” It was honestly pretty cute.

“Fathe— Er, Your Highness, um... Can I, you know?!”

“Uh... Sure, whatever. Pick anything you like.”

“Thanks so much! I love you!” Quun yelled that and charged forward to give me a huge hug. I was about to hug her back, but she quickly let go and barreled back into the depths of the treasury.

...Why do I hear boss music?

“Our darling’s being a touch doting today... Don’t you agree, Yumina?”

“Quite right, Leen. A national leader must conduct himself more seriously, should he not?”

“R-Right...”

Yumina and Leen sandwiched me, pressing their sides uncomfortably against both of mine.

I wasn’t being that doting, was I...? Well, it wasn’t my fault! How could I possibly say no?!

After all that business, we headed back to Brunhild castle. Quun skipped down the hallway with her treasure in hand. It was about the size of a basketball and looked like some kind of engine, but I couldn’t be sure. It had to be metal, but it seemed surprisingly light... When I picked it up, it felt light enough to be made of plastic, even.

“So, what exactly is that device?”

“Thank you for asking, mother! This happens to be a spirit kiln!”

“A spirit kiln?”

I’d never heard of that before. Quun went on to explain that while G-Cubes formed the heart and power source of a Gollem, they required a magical spark to actually get that going. And apparently, spirit kilns were the source of said spark in ancient times.

All things had spirits in them, after all. The kiln simply allowed one to harness a spirit’s power to amplify it within a machine. The western continent was far less magically oriented than the east, but it still had spirits. Before things were more automated, the ancients of the Reverse World used spirits to move their Gollems directly.

“The Gollems from back then are different to the ones now, of course. The modern notion of a Gollem was born only during their great war.”

“Huh, so that kiln thing’s from a time before the Phrase invasion happened over here...”

Judging by the condition of it, I couldn’t believe it was over five thousand years old. Did it have protective magic on it or something? Then again, some of our Frame Gears were that old and they were fine...

“Now I can analyze this ancient technology and unfurl secrets yet unknown! Mua ha ha ha ha!”

“Our daughter’s...a little scary, isn’t she?”

“She certainly is, dear. But that’s just how she’s wired.”

Leen and I looked over at Quun with troubled expressions on our faces. I personally felt that a laugh that evil should never be shown to one’s parents...

“Now then, off to Babylon for me!”

“Be sure you’re back down for dinner.”

“Okaaaay!”

Quun merrily skipped off toward Babylon. That girl sure was something. When it came to her hobbies, she was like a devil in girl form.

I sighed quietly and shook my head, only for Yumina to do the same.

“She’s terribly cute, isn’t she? I hope my own child comes soon...”

“Whatever do you mean, Yumina? Is she not your child? They’re all siblings, aren’t they?”

Leen’s words caused Yumina to pause for a moment, but then she smiled and let out a small chuckle.

“You’re quite right. I’m her mother as well, aren’t I?”

Quun had referred to Yumina as such earlier, even, which was only natural. She’d had nine mothers since the moment she was born. I highly doubted that the ties of biology mattered much to our kids when it came to their moms. Quun was fond of teasing all of them, not just Leen. Though I got the feeling she still tormented Leen just a little bit more than the rest.

I could still understand Yumina’s feelings, however. It was frustrating knowing your kid was out there somewhere, but not knowing when they’d actually show up.

I’d secretly ordered Kougyoku to have her servants act as lookouts for anything unusual in all the major cities. That was mostly for finding Yakumo if she happened to show up, though... She was the hardest to track, since she could freely use [Gate] and all.

Frankly, her actions confused me. If she wanted to train, then what better place to do it than the country that was home to Moroha and Yae herself? As a father, I just didn’t get it.

◇ ◇ ◇

It’d been about a week since I visited the Kingdom of Rhea. Quun hadn’t come down from Babylon at all since that trip. She and Elluka were apparently hard at work on something deep inside the research laboratory. That girl of mine was clearly an indoor person... Or rather, she had the makings of an extreme recluse.

Frei, on the other hand, was a total outdoor person. But she tended to only really do things with Ende’s daughter, Allis.

“By the way...wasn’t there supposed to be some kind of tournament in Mismede?” I turned toward Linze as I asked that, hoping she’d have an answer to my question. It was lunchtime, so we were seated at the dining table alongside Elze, Sakura, and Sue.

The other girls had other things to attend to, so it was just us. That wasn’t too uncommon an occurrence, and everyone was perfectly fine going about like that.

“It started today, I believe. Isn’t that right, sis?”

“That’s right. Bwuh, I wish I was competing...” Elze grumbled to herself as she ate her omelet. I could understand her annoyance, but it was better for her not to compete in things like that.

Elze, Yae, and Hilde were among the strongest people in the world. I felt like the only non-gods that could defeat them at this point were long-lived dwarven or elven individuals who’d dedicated thousands of years to training.

“Well, I guess it’s fine not to compete... A foreign royal showing up for Mismede’s contest might be frowned on.”

“Yeah, you’re right... It’s not easy being a grand duchess.”

The beastking had always wanted to host a grand martial arts tournament in Mismede, but his advisors constantly vetoed it by citing budget issues. But after they saw the tournament in Brunhild and realized how much money we must’ve raked in from the food stalls and other such things, they realized they could just as easily do the same thing. From there it was just a matter of getting the go-ahead from Royal Chancellor Glatz.

I made sure to help them out with warding and recovery magic, though. Better safe than sorry, after all.

Since this was the first tournament, it was apparently limited to Mismedians, but I had a feeling there’d be more participants in future bouts. Especially after the magic train got running properly.

I wondered if the beastking himself would be participating... When he joined in on our tourney, he fought Belfast’s General Leon to a draw. I never actually saw the fight myself, since I was unconscious due to my encounter with Gila, but I heard it was one to remember. If only someone had recorded it...

“If she can’t participate, could she at least go watch?”

“Hmm... The beastking probably wouldn’t have an issue with that, but...”

Sue’s words troubled me slightly. I wasn’t entirely sure if it’d go so smoothly if Elze actually went there. I had a feeling that the tournament winner or maybe even the beastking himself would challenge Elze to an exhibition match at the end or something. It’d be a real pain if one of Brunhild’s royals beat up either the winner of their first tournament or the king himself...

I personally felt like we should just give up on going to the Mismede tournament this year. But just as I was about to voice my thoughts, I received a telepathic message from Kougyoku.

《I apologize for interrupting your meal, my lord, but I’ve received important intel from one of my scouts. I’d implore you to take a look for yourself.》

《Sure. Patch me through.》

My optic nerve was magically linked to one of the birds under Kougyoku’s command.

Darkness engulfed my vision for a brief moment, but then it was replaced by a sight not my own. I was seeing through the bird’s eyes.

Huh...? Where is this? There sure are a lot of people... Is this a venue hall? There’s a bunch of demi-humans... Is this Mismede? Oh, yep. It’s Mismede. There’s the chancellor over there, and that’s the fighting ring that I cast a ward on the other day. It’s the tournament hall.

The venue was stacked with beastmen. It was quite the sight, really. Seemed like the event had drawn a considerable crowd.

The bird’s gaze suddenly shifted to the middle of the arena itself. Someone was fighting... It seemed like the tournament itself was ongoing. One of the fighters was a massive, bearded man with a huge wooden sword. He was some kind of bear beastman, probably. As for his opponent...

“Wh—?!”

A clatter rang out as I stood up and knocked my chair to the floor. Everyone stared at me, but I could only look back at one of my wives... Linze.

She was the spitting image of the girl I’d just seen fighting in the arena.

“Wh-What’s going on, Touya?!”

“N-Nothing, it’s just... Well, I got a message and... Ugh... It’ll be faster if I just show you!” I said that, then quickly cast [Mirage] to project the image of what I was seeing over in Mismede. The scene now played out above the dining table. There was no sound, though. It was like a muted video.

“...Huh?”

“What is this, an arena?”

“Wait, is that kid fighting?”

“Is that Linze?”

The girl looked to be about seven. She wore a heavy gauntlet on each hand, and she was giving the large bear beastman a serious run for his money.

She charged in like a furious bolt, prompting her foe to respond by turning the broad side of his blade toward her. But she saw through his maneuver and suddenly jumped upward, zigzagging through the air above him... I could only stare in awe, unsure how she was even doing that. It was like she was jumping off invisible platforms. She then wound back her fist and brought it crashing down against the man’s sword, splintering it to pieces. The bearman was blasted back with it, falling out of the ring. He bounced a few times before smashing into a wall.

Everyone at the table cried out in sheer shock. We couldn’t believe what we were seeing... Just how powerful was she? Elze looked at the girl on the video, then at her sister. Then she looked back and forth a few times.

“C-Could it be...? Could that really be...?!”

“I think it’s Linze’s daughter... Linne.”

“They look really similar, yep. It’s gotta be her.”

Sakura and Sue both nodded in unison. They really did look similar... Though, that was probably to be expected.

She had shoulder-length silvery hair, along with a headband that resembled Linze’s. Her eyes, on the other hand, made me think more of Elze at a glance...but she was wearing clothing much closer to Linze’s. It was honestly like looking at a miniature Linze.

“Awawawah?! Sh-She’s here?! Sh-She’s arrived?! She’s real?!”

“What are you asking now...?”

“Uhm... Ah... Ahhh! C-Calm down! Deep breaths! Wh-What is this?! Wh-What?! Sh-She’s really...”

“Calm down, Linze.”

She was completely freaking out. I definitely understood why, though. The only reason I was so composed was because it’d happened a few times to me already.

“Ah! Look!”

“Huh?”

I heard Elze squeal, then turned back to look at the display. Linne was waving her hand out toward the audience and celebrating her win. But then I noticed the other small girl in the audience raise her hand in turn, waving back to the winner.

“She looks just like Elze...”

“That must be Elna, yep!”

“Wh-Whah?! Sh-She’s here?! Sh-She’s real?!”

Elze started sweating profusely in response to Sakura and Sue. Her eyes started darting around frantically. The room’s atmosphere had quickly shifted to one of pure panic, and both twins were now flustered beyond words.

“Uhm... Ah... Ahhh... Wh-What do I do? C-Calm down! Ah! Wh-What is this?! Wh-Whaaaaaat?!”

“Elze, calm down... Wait, didn’t we just do this?”

She was acting just as freaked out as Linze had been earlier. They really were alike...

The girl in the audience had long silvery hair. She resembled Elze in a great many ways...except for the eyes. They reflected a softness and maturity that her mother was somewhat lacking in. She wore clothing similar to Elze’s, as well. Perhaps future Linze made them for her?

“T-Touya! We gotta go to Mismede, now!”

“Th-That’s right! Why are we staring at the projection?! We need to get going!”

“Okay, okay. Calm down...”

I was powerless against just one yelling wife, so the combined force of two was enough to bring me to my knees. I quickly opened up a [Gate] to the arena, allowing us to exit in a quiet corner of the spectator stands.

Elze and Linze practically dashed through after me, while Sakura and Sue came through in a more orderly fashion.

We watched Linne leave the ring and head for a nearby antechamber. Linze immediately started charging after her, so I had no choice but to grab her arm and stop her from making a fuss.

“Hold on! She’s still a tournament participant. If you go into the waiting room and see her without permission, you might cause trouble.”

“B-But...”

“Why don’t we hold off on Linne for now and go see Elna in the audience? That way she’ll end up coming to us anyway, yeah?” Sue’s words caused Linze to reluctantly nod in agreement.

“Uhm... Where is she...? Oh, there!” Elze pointed out Elna, who was sitting rather far away from us. She was on the front row, on the opposite side of the arena.

I was surprised she managed to pick the girl out from the bustling crowd, but maybe that was just a mother’s intuition at work. We’d have to circle the arena to reach her... Just as I was about to break into a light jog, I heard Elze speak up from behind me.

“Sakura! Please use [Teleport]!”

“Sure.”

My vision changed in a flash.

Ack! Wait, you idiots!

Apparently, being exposed to my divinity gave Sakura the added perk of being able to teleport multiple people within a certain radius. We materialized on the other side of the ring, causing some nearby people to jump back in shock.

We’re supposed to be keeping a low profile, dammit!

In the midst of the sudden chaos, I could only focus on one thing. The confused eyes of the young girl who was looking up and over at us.

“Mommy?” Elna’s gaze was focused solely on Elze.

“U-Uh... E-Elna?”

“Ahhh! Waaah!”

Upon hearing her own name come from Elze’s mouth, Elna’s expression shifted. Her eyes welled up with tears almost immediately.

“Mommy! It’s youuu! Waaaaaah! Snff... Waaah! I missed you! I was so scared!” Elna bolted forward, clinging to Elze’s side and sobbing like a child... But given that she was one, that was reasonable.

Elze was clearly taken aback by the sudden hug, but she quickly composed herself and pulled little Elna into a tender embrace.

Uh...I’m here too, you know? You know, your dad? H-Hello...?

◇ ◇ ◇

Elna was crying a lot, so we left the venue hall to help calm her down. Once we got out of there, we sat down on a nearby bench and listened to her recount the story of what had happened.

“So wait, you landed at the Great Gau River?!”

“Mhm... We were on a bridge in Mismede, but it was all rotten and it collapsed...so I fell with Linne...”

“A-are you okay?! You aren’t hurt, are you?!” Elze suddenly panicked, patting her hands gently around her daughter’s body. Elna giggled quietly at that.

“It’s okay. We didn’t fall in the water, but we lost our phones in there...so we couldn’t call anyone...”

That explained a lot. The mass-produced smartphones were enchanted with [Apport] and [Teleport] to prevent them from getting lost or stolen, but that depended on me actually triggering the magic. Without me, there was nothing the two girls could do.

“We decided we needed to find our way to Brunhild when we heard about the tournament...and, well, we thought maybe we could ask the beastking for help...”

“Wow! You’re so smart! That’s my girl!” Elze said that and gave Elna a big hug, rubbing her cheek up against the girl’s own. Elna’s cheeks turned beet red in response.

Heh... I get it. They look just like Elze and Linze, so I’m sure the beastking would contact me if he met them. Even if I hadn’t come here, I probably would’ve gotten a call about it by tomorrow.

But there was a bit of a problem. The mass-produced smartphones were marked with serial numbers, and that was how I recalled any lost ones to me. However, I didn’t know the serial numbers for their phones, since they were from the future. And because the serial numbers were supposed to be secret, the girls didn’t know their own either.

It was kind of a pain, but I figured I’d just use [Search] to track them down later.

As I mulled that over, Sue suddenly spoke up, asking, “How old are you and Linne?”

“We’re both seven...but I’m the older one, by a month!”

Apparently, Elna was my sixth child, and Linne was the seventh. Quun was the third...so that meant there were two other kids between them. There were also two younger than Linne.

I didn’t know which of those were Yumina’s, Lu’s, Sue’s, or Sakura’s, however.

Sue and Sakura pressed for info on their kids, but Elna didn’t relent. She mentioned that Granny Tokie told her not to speak too much about the future.

Elze noticed how ravenous for information the two women were and quickly shut them down. Sue and Sakura took their defeat with a small sigh, but they gave up for the time being.

At that moment, a funny sound rang out. It was a little growl from Elna’s tummy. I raised a brow and saw the little girl clutching her stomach. Her cheeks were flushed.

“O-Oh, we haven’t gotten to eat yet...”

“Well, we were actually in the middle of lunch when we noticed you were here. Let’s grab a bite to eat. Excuse me, three skewers for each of us, please!”

“Coming right up!”

Sue turned around and ordered us a ton of chicken skewers. There was an absolute mountain of food in my [Storage], but it wasn’t bad to partake in local cuisine every once in a while. Besides, it was a festival, so taking the chance to eat stall food was part of the fun. Thus, I took a skewer and handed it off to Linze.

“Here you go.”

“Oh, thanks...” Linze mumbled before smiling softly. I could tell she was a bit worried about Linne, though. Her smile was weaker than usual as she looked over at Elze and Elna sitting with each other.

“It’ll be okay. She’s your daughter... I know she’ll win... Don’t worry, Linze.”

“Thank you, Sakura...” Linze replied, her smile brightening a little upon hearing those words. Sakura was right. She had to have strength on the level of a gold or silver adventurer. If anything, she might even have been able to win the whole tournament...which would’ve been a huge problem.

“Since we’ve found the girls, should we get Linne to drop out?”

“Um... I don’t think you can do that, dad...” Elna quietly mumbled in my direction. She felt a little more distant compared to how close she was with Elze...but I chose to believe she was just shy about how she’d been crying. Having a daughter who wasn’t comfortable around me would make me sad.

“Linne loves contests like this. If she loses she’ll be upset, but if she gets pulled out she’ll be even sadder... She’ll cry if you do that... She’ll probably cry if she just loses normally...”

Oh... Guess she’s really childish.

Quun and Frei were mature for their ages, so it might have given me unrealistic expectations of my kids.

“Hmm... The problem is this is Mismede’s first tournament. It’s a milestone event for them, you know? It’d be one thing for a normal person from another country to win, but a foreign royal might be a bit much...”

I didn’t plan to tell anyone Linne was related to me, but she looked so much like Linze that it’d be an uphill battle convincing anyone otherwise. Even if we said she was a cousin or something, that still wouldn’t be a good look.

It wouldn’t be a problem if she lost in the tournament, but I didn’t know if it’d be a good idea for her to fight to the finals... My feelings were ultimately mixed. As a father, I’d have loved to see her win, but as a national leader, I knew it’d complicate matters. After all, I knew the people of Mismede would prefer to have someone from their country win the tournament.

“Oh, that reminds me... Does Linne have anything up her sleeve? Any Null spells, maybe?”

“Oh, yeah. She does! She has [Gravity],” Elna bluntly answered Elze’s question.

Oh... Now I see... Yeah... That’ll do it.

That was an ability I used a lot. You could use it to increase the force of your weapon at the last second before impact. In Linne’s case, she probably couldn’t use it remotely via her phone like I did, so she was directly manipulating the weight of the gauntlets she was constantly in physical contact with.

“Can you use magic in this tournament?”

“So long as it’s not recovery magic or direct attacks, you can. There was [Tailwind] in the last match,” Elna answered Sue’s question.

[Tailwind]... That’s a Wind spell that boosts your speed, right? I don’t use it often, but it’s like a mix of [Accel] and [Boost].

“When Linne was walking through the air earlier...was that magic?” Sakura asked Elna what I was thinking.

“She was using [Shield] to make mid-air platforms to bounce off. They’re not visible, so it looks like she’s walking...”

She’s using [Shield] like that?! That’s smart, since you can create small ones that vanish after a few seconds. I should actually give that a go at some point. But my daughter with Linze has [Shield] and [Gravity], huh? Two Null spells...

As if sensing my thoughts, Elna spoke up and informed me of the spells she was capable of using. She could use [Boost], [Multiple], and [Recovery]. Upon hearing that her daughter could use the same Null spell she could, Elze broke out into a huge smile.

Quun could use [Program], Elna had [Boost]...and Sakura’s daughter Yoshino apparently had [Teleport] as well. I wondered if that meant there really was a genetic aspect to Null magic...

“So, uh, what are we gonna do about Linne?”

“I could yank her to us with [Teleport] if you like...”

“No, don’t do that.”

Sakura’s suggestion felt like a bit much to me. I didn’t want to make my daughter cry the first time I met her.

“If she loses she’ll stop, right? Why not have the Beastking put her up against someone really strong?”

“Hm... It’d have to be someone extremely strong, though... She beat that big guy pretty easily.”

“How about you use [Mirage] on me? Then I can fight her! It seems like she’s one of my students alongside Allis, so it might be fun!”

Elze’s suggestion seemed a little too extreme, but I didn’t know if we could trust the beastking or his staff to handle this delicate situation.

“If she’s your student, then she might be able to tell it’s you because of your fighting style, Elze... I guess I’ll just have to—”

“I’ll do it,” Linze raised her hand, speaking in a small yet clear voice.

“Huh?”

“Looking at my sis bonding with Elna, I... I want to get close to my daughter too.”

Can that really be considered bonding? I’m not entirely sure if challenging her to a duel is the same as hugging her...

“But you’re a mage, Linze. How are you gonna fight her?”

“The rules say I can’t use magic to hurt my opponent, but there are ways around that. I’m trained in many arcane aspects, after all.”

Linze wasn’t as physically strong as most of the others, but that didn’t mean she was weak. In all honesty, she was far, far beyond your average adventurer. She’d spent a long time in Babylon’s library studying ancient magic, compound spells, and even spirit magic. She was also further empowered by the wedding ring, since it was a gift from God Almighty.

“Hey, Elna. Linne’s the type to get carried away, isn’t she? Did she say this tournament was going to be an easy win?”

“Y-Yes...she said exactly that... How did you know?”

“Hee hee... I’ve heard it before. Plenty of times from my sister when we were growing up, in fact.”

“L-Linze! N-Not in front of my daughter!”

Elze flailed her arms as her cheeks flushed red. I couldn’t help but chuckle at that.

“I think it’s my duty as a mother to know how far my daughter’s coming along. Is that okay, Touya?”

“It’s fine by me, yeah...”

I wasn’t sure Linze could beat Linne in a straight physical match, though. This wouldn’t be like Hilde’s duel with Frei. Still, I had faith that Linze would be able to think of a way to make her daughter submit without either side suffering harm... That seemed more her style, after all.

My phone suddenly vibrated in my breast pocket, so I pulled it out. It was a call from Royal Chancellor Glatz...of Mismede...

“Uhhh, hello?”

“Oh, Grand Duke? Are you perhaps in Mismede?”

“Er, yes... How’d you know?”

“Ha ha ha hah... I thought I saw you and a few of your companions from my viewing box. Would you care to join me up here?”

If I recalled correctly, Glatz’s box was a VIP area on a higher floor. He was a bird beastman, so that probably explained his keen eyesight from such a distance.

I shrugged my shoulders and accepted the invite. This next match would surely be one to remember.

◇ ◇ ◇

“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! W-Waaah! 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 witch-king. 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 city-states 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 daddy-daughter 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.