'Oh, so you're really Ende's daughter then!
It seems to me...

　While telling Yumina what happened, I lay down on the sofa and looked sideways at the girl who was sleeping with Mel on her knees.
　For now, we returned to Brunhild's royal castle and tried to hear from Aristella.......the girl who called herself Alice.......

Nimiyu. I'm going to sleep now...

　He just said, "I'm sorry," and fell asleep on a pillow in Mel's lap, as if his batteries were dead. He's such a slow-paced kid, isn't he?
　I spoke to Ney, who was watching him in silence.

I don't know what's going on here. For now, are you sure that she is your child and Ende's child?
'No, I don't think that's exactly what happened.... This child definitely draws the characteristics of the Frase, but the echoing sound of the sound is not mine and Lise's. She's the child between Endemuon and Mel-sama................. Hibiki Meinon doesn't lie, you know.

　Well, her hair color is similar to Ende's, and her eyes are that of Mel's.
　Being Mel's child, it wouldn't be surprising if she called Ney and Lise, who is married like Ende, her mother.
　Nine out of ten, there is no doubt that Alice is their child. If that's the case........

''A ready-made marriage........no, a ready-made marriage.......''
'It's not funny even if I'm joking, Winter Night...'
I don't remember giving birth to it either, but...

　Alice's parents stared at me. 'Sorry, I was just trying to lighten the mood a bit.

'Well, there's a good chance they're your kids from the future.
From the future?　How did you ... oh, space-time magic!

　Yumina claps her hands together with a pan. We hide our voices as Alice turns over at the sound of it, umm, and we hide our voices.

'Hey, Dad. Get your daughter to bed.
So...!　d*mn, that's enough!

　Ende quietly picked up Alice and led her to the other room with the head maid, Lapis-san. Mel, Ney, and Lise's mothers followed behind her, perhaps worried.
　It feels so good to be carried while sleeping like that.... I vaguely recall my dad carrying me around too, when I was a kid.

I'm sure you're not the only one. It's not a bad idea. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more.

　Leanne murmurs as she crosses her arms on the couch.
　The founder of the Kingdom of Parellius, Aelyrius Parellius, a user of time-space magic. His son, Lelios Parellius, the founder of the Primula Kingdom, who was accidentally flown to the underworld.
　When he was sent to the underworld, he was sent back in time by about two hundred years. Well, the person who was sent away didn't seem to realize it.
　Although it's not an established magic, it's true that time-space magic has the power to transcend time.

''So you're saying she's a space-time magic user?''
'No, I don't know if she wanted to and flew to this time period. At least with Lelios Parellius, it was an accident...

　I don't know in the future, but I've never heard of space-time magic that transcends time. Did you go from the future to the past by some accident like Lelios?
　Did something terrible happen in the future........ Mmmm........I don't get it.......!

I don't know, but if it's about time, why don't you ask Grandma Tokie?　It's the 'Time and Space God', right?
Oh.

　With me grunting and groaning, Sue easily comes up with the correct answer beside me.
　Yes, that was it. Grandma Tokie is the 'Time and Space God' who controls time and space. You can probably understand what happened this time, too.
　........No, it could be that it was Grandma Tokie who brought Alice back to the past, right? According to Morobane's sister, she's been around in the future for a while.

What about grandma?
Well, I was on the balcony in the morning as usual, but...

　Linse told me this when I asked. During the day, my grandmother is usually on the balcony knitting. Through her knitting, she is repairing the world's wards, which have been tattered by Fraise.
　She spends her evenings with us, eating and talking with Sue, Lindsay and the others, but she usually goes to bed early.
　It's past ten o'clock. It's past ten o'clock and you're right, you're already asleep.　...Oh?
　I felt the usual presence and turned around to see Grandma Tokie metastasize to the spot.

''Yes, yes, I'm sorry I've kept you waiting,''

　As the god of time and space, Grandma is also a member of the same world gods as me, so I can feel the hint of their shifting presence.
　I was going to ask her a question that had been piling up, but she held up her hand to put it out of her mind.

'I know, I know. It's Alice, isn't it?
I knew you knew?
I'm a time transferee. How could I not notice it? I thought it would be better for you guys to go there than for me to come get you, so I left you alone for a while when I drifted into this time period.

　Grandma smiles as she tells me this. She seems to know Alice quite well. I'm sure you know Alice as well.

Is that girl still Ende and Mel's?
Yes. They're two children born in the future. They won't evolve from a nucleus into an adult like Fraise, but rather they will grow up normally, like humans. Of course, they'll have all the characteristics of Freys.

　So Ney was right. We now know that the child is a future child born to Ende and Mel. The question is why did that future child come to this time from the future?

Was it your grandmother who brought that child to the past [here]?
'You could say that, but not as a direct cause. They were caught in a 'dimensional quake'. They were bounced around and blown away by the misalignment of time and time faults. The distortions of space-time spread like ripples in water and swept away anything that drifted like a tsunami. So I guided it to flow into this time period before it did.

　So it could have drifted forever through the space-time gap, but grandma pulled it back to this era.
　I've heard a lot of urban legends about time-space drifters on Earth as well.... Is it true? I don't know.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this in the next few weeks. She's a tomboy.

　I'm wondering if I can just use the word 'tomboy' to describe a big stand-off against three big men, but that's not the problem.

''That 'dimensional quake'?　Does this mean that the future world has suffered some kind of catastrophe due to

　The image of a person from the future who comes from a collapsed future to change the past, as often seen in a time travel story, comes into my mind and makes me gulp in disbelief.

No, nothing in particular is happening. The dimensional quake is a distortion of time. Like a drop of water dropped on the surface of the water, it spreads around you like a ripple, but it will soon return to normal. This time, the children just happened to be near the center of it. The world of the future is peace itself.
But I think the future Ende and Mel and others are worried about...
'They're the future, they're the present, right?　I know all about what happened.

　Grandma Tokie replies to Linse's question with a smile. Huh?　But isn't it strange?

'So the future Ende, no, we all knew that dimensional quake was going to happen, didn't we?　Why didn't they try to prevent it or keep Alice away?
I guess there's no need to prevent it. Alice and her friends will be back a few seconds after the dimensional quake with no problem. It's from the past. And I know I can't prevent it even if I tried.

　Um ... are you saying you can't change the future?　It's not uncommon for a time travel story to have a futurist come to change the past, but in the end they can't change it... and that's how the story ends.

"It's not like the future is changed by Alice's arrival...
'Who do you think I am?　You don't have to worry about that. You have nothing to worry about in this case.

　Oh. As expected of a senior god and a member of the world god's household. How reassuring.
　I asked for details and I wasn't sure what the time spirit was about repairing events or anything like that, but I heard there was no problem anyway. When I asked Alice about the future, she said that it wouldn't change history because of it. Even if you try to change it, your grandmother's power to keep you from changing it will work...?　As expected of an administrator of time, he's not half bad, the God of Time and Space........

I wonder if that means that both Alice's coming to the past and her safe return to the future are already fixed futures...........

　Lean crosses his arms again and ponders.
　It's amazing that Dr. Babylon's artifact that looks into the future could only look into an uncertain future........
　Perhaps, on the other hand, it's easy to change the future........ What's that? A god. He was a god.
　I wonder if it's a bad idea to change the future because it's their policy not to interfere too much with events on earth?

Very well, Grandma. So how long will Alice stay here?

　Sue leans over the back of the couch and asks Grandma Tokie.
　Hmm. According to Grandma, Alice will definitely return to the future safely. Even if she returned tomorrow or in a year's time, it might not be a good idea to stay too long in the future era she was from, even though it would only be a few minutes away. If it's not good, an Alice from this era will be born too, and there could be two Alice's.

Once everyone is here, I'll be responsible for sending them back to the future, so don't worry.
Well, it's been bothering me for a while now...

　Reluctantly, Hilda raises a small hand. Hmm?　Did you see anything on your mind?

''Grandmother Tokie said earlier that 'those children' were caught in the dimensional quake........ Well, by any chance........
Oh my!　Oh, my goodness, yes!　I haven't explained that one yet. I'm sorry. I put off the most important thing.

　Grandma Tokie claps her hands together with a pang and smiles bitterly. Huh?　What?

Alice wasn't the only one caught up in the dimensional quake. It's your children too. So I'm sure it will come to our time soon.
''What?''

　I hummed. Me and my wife and my wife's voice hummed beautifully.
　I went blank for a few seconds, and I couldn't think about anything. Probably the same thing happened to all of us. It was as if time stood still, and we didn't even move.
　Eventually our time starts to move with our confusion.

'Eeeeee!　What do you mean by that, grandmother?
'Hey, kids!　Oh, oh, our!
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.　Sis!
Do you come from the future, that you do?　My children!
Me and Fuyao-sama...!
'Oh, Grandma!　Is that true?　Is it true?!
'I'm surprised indeed.... But a child with a darling...?　Really?
Well, I'm not ready to be a mother yet!　Doh, doh, what should I do...!
I don't want my mother to...　It's too soon...!

　I'm freaking out. No, I'm freaked out too, but I can't react the other way when everyone around me is like this. Some say I've lost the right moment to get upset.

'Uh ... grandma?　I mean, when was that...?
The timing of their arrival is different for each of them, so they're all within a few months of each other. It's just that Alice was the first to arrive. If they were each close by, they might show up together.
Oh, f*ck, f*ck, f*ck, that's it!　I wonder if it's all right!　If the kids are thrown out into danger alone...!

　Grandmother softly pushes Lou's shoulder as she approaches in a hurry.

''You know, Alice, but most of your kids are gold- or silver-ranked adventurers. They're killing giant beasts and other flesh and blood. What's the harm in worrying about them?
''What?''

　There it is. Me and my wife and my wife's voices hummed again, that's for sure.
　Were they all gold or silver rated?　Holy shit...?　Slaying a giant beast in the flesh?　I defeated it with my frame gear and got a gold rating, but........
　Dad, I don't know where to stand...

"Grandma!　My kids are gold-ranked!　Or silver!
Oh, um!　How old is my child...!
My boy's skill with a sword is...!
'Yes, yes, that's it. It would be boring if I said it all, wouldn't it?　You'll have fun with that when you meet them. Oh, I'll have to keep my mouth shut to Alice, too.
"Well.....

　A cry of "Oh, no" could be heard from all the wives.
　We're in big trouble...!　I never thought I'd be able to forget about childbirth and childcare and meet our own grown children. I'm sorry to say this, but the whole Ende issue has blown my mind!

And anyway...

　I opened the search site and typed in 'how to treat children'


　　　　　　　　　　◇ ◇ ◇


　The next morning.
　A clear blue sky can be seen through the window of the large dining room. It was clearing up without a single cloud, and it was going to be a beautiful day.
　Even though it was such a brisk morning, the cafeteria was enveloped in a strange sense of tension. Surrounding the long table were me and my wives, Grandma Tokie and Sister Morobane, plus Uncle Kosuke (the other gods were still asleep), and the guests sitting there were Ende, Mel, Nei, Lise, and Alice in the vortex.
　Even though it was such a large group, there was hardly any talking, only the sound of clinking dishes and scraping plates and Alice's joyful voice.

'Yummy!　I love it!　You should eat too, mom!
Yeah, yeah. I'll take it.

　While eating the bacon and eggs on the table, Alice smiles at Mel, who is sitting next to her.
　As we glanced at her every move, we couldn't gauge how to talk about it in time. Even though Alice had been muzzled by Grandma Tokie, there were still a lot of things I wanted to ask her.

'Ah, how old are you now, Alice?'

　Oh, Else said. You mean to expand on the bland stuff, right?　Her smile is kind of twitchy, though.

'Pfft.'
'What, what?　Hey, is something wrong?

　Else panicked as Alice suddenly erupted with a knife and fork in her hand.

'It's because the teacher says 'Alice-chan' or something! It's funny because it's different than usual.''
Sir?
'Well, Master Else is my martial arts master. Oh, he's six years old.
Oh, yeah...

　Else is the master!　Is Alice a martial artist...?　It's true that yesterday's move that defeated the men was that of a martial artist, but....
　The information we obtained about the future was both surprising and a bit satisfying to me. His father, Ende and Else are brother and sister apprentices of the god of war. It's not strange that they had such a relationship.

''.......Wait a minute. With Else being your master, didn't I teach you or anything?
Dad doesn't come home very often. And when he does, he's tired and asleep.
What do you mean he's not coming back?　Endemuon...?
Me?　No, I don't know!

　Ende shakes his head as Mel gives him a cold look. No, it's the future Ende that doesn't come back, and it's too much to blame the present Ende.

You're busy with work. I'm not sure.
'Just in case!　Let's believe that part!

　Father Ende desperately asks his daughter to defend him. It seems to be quite an interesting family.

"I mean, is this guy working?
Until the winter night...
My dad works as a guildmaster for the Adventurers' Guild. It's not really Brunhild's, but...

　Huh. I've heard a lot of information about the future. Ende's guy works for the Adventurer's Guild in the future? Well, he's still an adventurer, and I can say that he works for the guild.

''So that's why Else is teaching him as a master........ Didn't your uncle [Takeru] teach you?
I tried to get him to tell me, but he stopped me. "You're too young to see the hell out of it.
Nice, I...

　Ende takes a small gut pose. Well, it's not hard to understand. If you leave it to that god of war, it will definitely affect your childhood character development. If she grows up to be a girl who's all about fighting, it's impossible to cry.

''Jeez, so, wow, did my child learn to do this with Alice?

　Maybe it's because we've found a connection, but don't Else go gingerly. We don't dare to interrupt her because we want to hear it too.

Hmm, Elna doesn't like to kick or punch. Linne and I often fight together. The other day...
Alice?
'What?　Ahhhhhh, that was a secret. If you talk too much, you won't have much fun when you meet them. They'll be angry with me later. Shucks, shucks.

　Alice sticks her tongue out in a small way at Grandma Tokie's words. If it's about herself, she seems to be keeping her mouth shut about our child.
　But it's too late now. At least we found out that Else's child is 'Elna', and that she doesn't like to fight with her bare hands. ........Else's kid, right?
　She's probably my daughter. You're Else's daughter and you don't like to fight or anything?　Why is that?
　Else thought the same thing, and she gave him a subtle look.
　And Lynne?　I wonder if the child named "I" is also my child....
　I glance at Linse, who is acting suspiciously next to Else. Yes, judging by the name, there's a high probability that it's Linse's child....
　I guess she must have come to the same idea as me, but it seems that Linze has managed to endure it because of her grandmother's blocking in right now, though I want to ask her.
　If we can be alone later, though, I might blurt it out. It seems that Aris doesn't seem to be a girl who doesn't care much about the details.

''Oh, so if you're free today, you can have a match with me, dad.
What, with me?

　Alice pulls Ende's arm as he sits beside her. Oh?　Father-daughter showdown?
　Ende looked at Mel, and Mel had a puzzled look on her face as well, wondering what was going on.

''There's one training ground in the north that's open. If you're going to do it, I'll let you visit it too.
'Yes!　It's settled!

　When Morobane sister suggested it while bringing the salad to her mouth, Alice raised her hands in the air, saying hurray.
　It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them. It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you're going to be doing.

It's a good idea to have a look around. It's a good idea to have a look at it, to see how good you are.
Oh, I'll see if I can get a tour.
I'd like to have a look around, that I would...
And so do I!

　One by one, hands went up and we all ended up visiting. Everyone's really interested in Alice, aren't they? Of course, so am I, but....
　They may be looking at the opportunity to find out information about their own children with an eye to gain an eagle eye.
　We will find out sooner or later, so I don't think it's necessary to ask.......but it's still important to be prepared in advance, isn't it?
　Well, that said, it's also true that I'm worried about Alice's abilities. We saw a glimpse of it in the town of Amatsumi, but I'm sure that wasn't her full strength.
　Well then, let's see what the future gold and silver ranks are capable of.