Chapter 136 When it Rains, it Pours (10)
Spring came after a cold winter, and it would be called summer in other areas. However, as this country was in the north, summer was not here. We were growing corn now when other countries would be growing something else.
I felt someone pull my sleeve and lowered my head to see my daughter with an indifferent face.
“Are you saying that I should work?”
She nodded.
“Yes.”
She went back to her place to plant corn seedlings on the ground, and I sighed. The fried chicken was formidable, and while she treated me the same way, she still would not speak to me. I thought it would last only a week and a month at best.
However, it had been three months! I was beginning to want to make some for her, but I wanted her to come and ask me first. The Metal Bat would think me weird but thinking of her pleading with me to make her chicken was cute. Her cuteness would shake the lands if things went like this.
“All right! Don’t throw dirt! It’s dirty!”
My daughter threw at me dirt still wet with manure, and I began planting corn in earnest. I arranged the seeds we had selected and others I had bought at the neighboring village in case they could make popcorn. If there were no drastic climate changes, we would be able to eat well this year. So, now I needed to do one thing.
“What should I do about my daughter?”
“You can just give her fried chicken.”
I had been wondering how to make her ask me after work, and the Metal Bat came in to grumble.
“Succeeding once will make her do it again! She will think it her right then!”
“I think you may have heard it somewhere. This began with you becoming fat and drag us in!”
“We are a family!”
“You’re just a pitiful middle-aged man who is trying to make his daughter plead for chicken!”
My frail consciousness started to itch at the Metal Bat’s narrow eyes.
“Weak? Your consciousness is hard as metal.”
The Metal Bat began criticizing me, as she was sensitive nowadays.
“Why, are you going through p.u.b.erty? Why are you going first instead of Alice?”
“That’s because I can’t even play with her when you’re here! She won’t even speak to me where you are!”
“You can play in her room.”
Alice spent most of her time in her room after the weather became warm in case she might speak to me. So, the Metal Bat would be able to go there easily.
“Coco will act wildly if I go in, and the cat also becomes aggressive.”
“That’s your fault.”
She had teased a dragon, even if the dragon was still a baby. Now, she had achieved beating up angels, demons, and dragons, the strongest races in this world.
“Now, you only need to beat up heroes, demon kings, and the emperor.”
“I think I can do it with you.”
Please do not put me there even if I was the one who had said so in the first place.
“What are you talking about? You gave me the chances to beat up dragons, demons, and angels.”
“Not dragons.”
My daughter had brought the dragon with her.
“You brought the daughter.”
“While I know you want to pick a fight but wait a bit more. She will surrender on her own soon.”
“Just make her chicken for dinner today!”
According to the characteristics here, it was soon until my daughter would have to surrender. I decided to wait a bit in loneliness.
#12 Other Stories: A Cat’s Story
My benefactor is an innocent and kind girl. She would always smile at the lizard and me despite being tired after work and differed from my clan’s teaching that all humans are evil.
However, she would scream like now, and quite often.
“I want to speak with Daddy!!!”
Her stuffing her face in a pillow and screaming made me sorry for her but did not make me want to help her.
“Daddy!!!!”
I thought that human beings crumbled easily as she rolled her feet on her bed.
“Mommy!”
“Coco!”
The lizard came to her and licked her cheek. The lizard grew bigger despite not being a year old and was now a bit bigger than me.
“Coco, Daddy doesn’t seem to like me. He won’t make me chicken despite me working so hard.”
“I also want chicken, Mommy!”
“Sorry, Coco. Your mother can’t give you chicken…”
“No, you’re a good Mommy!”
“Coco!”
“Mommy!”
I felt a sigh come out despite being a cat at her and the lizard hugging each other in tears. She could just give up fried chicken, as while I had felt it delicious, it did not warrant months of wailing,
“I haven’t spoken with Daddy in a hundred days! He hasn’t stroked my head for 27 days, and…”
I thought her silly that she would not speak even if she was counting the days.
“Mommy, are you worn out?”
“Yes, but I’ll win for you!”
I began to feel sorry for her as she hugged the lizard and rolled on the bed with teary eyes.
“Having Grandpa here would have helped.”
The old man next door went on a trip after winter ended, and she seems to be sad that her resting place and someone who would hear her out was gone…
“He would have given my plan more variety!”
It was not that. She seemed to be a different person from who had rescued me nowadays!
“Daddy’s coming out stronger than I expected, and my sister is not helping.”
“She’s scary…”
“Coco!”
The lizard began to shake at her words, and I remembered that the silver-haired girl had socked the dragon, and it must have been a shock. It would be painful as h.e.l.l. As someone who had also gone through the same experience, I could understand the lizard’s fear.
“Yes, yes. You were scared.”
“Mother…”
She also knew the pain.
“It’s all my fault. So…”
Everything was due to her and that man’s fight. If she gave up, the silver-haired girl would not need to come here.
“I will defeat Daddy!”
Just give up!
She could not hear me and began telling the lizard her future plans. There seemed to be no end.
#13 Other Stories: An Old Man’s Story
After being beat by Merln, I began to think about swordsmanship again. I thought I would not do so again, but it seemed that I could not help it. I managed to find an answer at the end of winter, as the current Holy Sword who had taken my t.i.tle had told me that her mithril sword was the best.
Merln, who had given me the most excruciating pain in my life, had told me that his weapon was the reason he could do so. I realized that weapons were the best, and I concluded I needed a weapon made by dwarves.
That was why I told everyone in the village that I will be going on a trip and was on my road to get such a weapon. I had been thinking about such things watching my bonfire crackle with boar meat when I felt others’ presence.
“Three…”
All three seemed to be strong, and one seemed to be a powerful priest.
“They are coming here.”
While I thought things over at they coming here, perhaps due to the smoke, I was only an old man on a trip now, and meeting new people would be fun.
“h.e.l.lo?”
The three came here, and the gold-haired handsome man who seemed to be the leader of the three spoke to me.
“Why do you call me?”
“We are travelers and ask if we may spend the night here.”
“It is because this spot is good terrain for spending the night. I am Heal, the priest of the Nature Order. He is a hero certified by us, and we may vouch for him.”
“Oh…”
There are many called heroes and those who want to be one of them. However, orders certified only one per order, and those who had been approved and blessed by G.o.ds could become such a person. I saw the identification of the Nature Order, and they would not fake such a holy item.
“It’s a surprise to meet such high people. Come here.”
“Thank you.”
Even if I was polite, many would be arrogant at being a hero, but he only bowed his head at a young age. The Nature Order had chosen a good hero.
“Selena, come here!”
“To a stranger…you’re too trusting.”
“Oh?”
The last one in the party came out of the darkness at the hero’s words.
“A hero, a priest, and an elf…why are all of you here?”
She was a beautiful elf with sharp ears, and the bards would love this mix.
“Our G.o.d had given us an oracle to save the world at the northmost country.”
“Do you mean the Belselk Kingdom?”
“Yes.”
I frowned at their words, and they asked me if something was wrong.
“While I am now on a trip, I live there. I remember the children next door at such an ominous oracle.
I thought of the cute girls next door, and while I trusted Merln to act accordingly, such words did make me worry.
“It’s all right. I will finish everything before something happens to them.”
The young hero was quite trustworthy as he smiled confidently.
“While I feel like I have to go back…you make me feel relieved.”
“Yes, trust me. Raina Lel Swin!”
The young man told me his name with a bright smile.