Oh, it's him.

　Oops, your reaction is lighter than I imagined.... It was a tearful reunion with Linse.
　As soon as Linne looked at me, she ran over to me. And then she spun around me, Else, Sakura and Sue, turning her unreserved gaze to stare at me.

''What is it...?''
'Hmmm, I guess not much has changed except for your mother, Sue. Everyone else is a little younger, though. It's boring.
It's boring...
'You mean you're not very old?　I wonder if I should be happy about this....

　While we look at each other, Lynne puffs up her cheeks a little unhappily. What in the world were you imagining?

'Lynne!　Wawa has changed!　Is the future straw man an adult?!
'What?　I'm an adult, but....

　Sue bites at Lynne's words. No, that's the future, you're an adult. I'm having a baby.

"So that means the future strawberry will be bonk, squeak, bonk, bonk, right?
"...uh, yeah, I guess. Yeah, maybe....
Oh, right!

　I was very careful!　I swear to God, she was so attentive!　I gently patted Lynne's head as she slowly turned her gaze away from Sue. You're a good kid........ You're a good kid.

''But I thought people would be more surprised to see me.
'No, I met Elna first, and she's already the fourth person, including you two. There's Coon and Frey at the castle. Alice is down at the castle, too.
'Oh, Frey and Kuhn-o-neechan are here. 'And Alice?　I'm surprised that Aasia Auntie isn't here.

　Arthia.... Was it Lou's daughter? It's hard for your father to come so pompously, though.
　With a drawn-out smile, Goooooooo........Linne's stomach rumbled.

''Oka-san, I'm hungry........''
'What?　Oh, didn't Lynne have lunch yet?　Um ... do you want something to eat?
'I want the cabbage rolls you made!　It's huge!

　When he went to Earth, Lou bought a whole bunch of cookbooks from bookstores about the world. Thanks to this, most things are becoming more and more edible in Brunhild. This is thanks to her tireless efforts, but Linse often helps her with that too, so she can make some things.

''Cabbage rolls take a long time to make, so we'll have to wait until after we get home. In the meantime, here, have some of this, too.

　I took out a large rice ball from [Storage] and handed it to Lynne.

''Wah!　Thank you, Dad!　I'll take it!

　With a big mouth full of energy, Rinne opens her mouth and takes a bite of her onigiri. I'm sure you've been eating well.
　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for. .........What is that?
　It looks like a mini Linse, so they look like sisters when they are doing this, but....

"King, I'm going home for now. Everyone is waiting for us.
Oops, yeah.

　Prompted by Sakura, I opened the [Gate] to Brunhild. I'll send an apology email to His Majesty the Beast King and Graz-san later.

''Then let's all go home together. I'm sure Koon and Frey will be waiting for us too...
Hello, Mister. Our phones fell off the banks of the river in Gau. Could you go get it for me?
'Oh, yeah.... Okay, but.........
'Thank you!　Come on, mom, let's go!

　Linze's hand and Linne goes through the [Gate]. With a bitter smile, Else, Erna's mother and daughter followed suit, and Suu, Sakura also left.

''No, well........ I was planning to collect it, so it's fine........

　I reopened the [Gate] that led to the great river of Gau once again.




　When I returned to the castle with the two phones I had finally found from the riverbed, the two newly arrived daughters were making little sleepy sounds on each other's mother's lap.

''Have you both fallen asleep?''
'Yes. You must have been tired....
'Of course. It was just the two kids the whole time, albeit for a couple of days. They must have been anxious.

　Erna and Lynne sleep the same way, on different long couches across the table from each other, where they would have eaten cabbage rolls. Else and Lynne were gently stroking the hair of their daughters as they slept on their laps.
　Apparently Erna and Lynne had their wallets in their possession, and they stayed at the inn as normal. To be exact, Linne didn't have it, but Erna did. Well, it's good to know that there didn't seem to be any major problems.

'It's strange.... I can't believe I'm doing this with a child I haven't even given birth to yet. Not only does it look good, but I can truly believe that she is my daughter.''
Yes...... You are a very precious........treasure, sister.

　The two mothers looked at each other and smiled at each other.

Well, we might catch a cold if we don't do something, so let's take them both to bed. [Levitation]

　Fluffily, I carried Erna and Lynne, who floated about a meter high, towards the bedroom. The two kids can handle one bed, right?

'Fuyao-san, could you carry them over here instead of in that bedroom?　Well, we'd like to sleep with you too, so...

　Huh?　Oh, let's do that then........ It's a pretty big bed over there, and the four of us could sleep side by side and it would be fine.
　I lay Erna and Lynne down on the large bed that is connected to each other. The two of them have also changed into their pajamas and are going to sleep like this.

Good night then.
Yeah, good night.
Good night.

　I say goodnight to them smiling happily and leave the bedroom. Well, I've never slept with children before. While thinking about this, I close the door with a slam.


　　　　　　　　　　◇ ◇ ◇


Lynne!
Alice!

　Dada dada, I thought I ran up to him and suddenly the fists started exchanging. Both of them are laughing, so I think they are happy to see each other again and enjoying themselves, but it's heartbreaking. What are you guys doing in front of the castle gate? The knights in charge of the gate are dumbfounded....

''Hey, Winter Night!　What kind of education are you and this kid getting?
'I don't want you to be the only one to say that. It's the same thing....

　Alice's three mothers are quietly watching over their daughter while Ende, who is involved with me, slumps back and forth.

'Oh my goodness, you look like you're having fun,'
Hmm. She's about as strong as Alice. Alice is prettier, though.
Strongly agree.

　Hey, guys, wait a minute. I bet my son is prettier than yours. Are your eyes a knothole? I was about to complain to him, when Ende got involved.

I'm sure you'll be fine!　You're not going to get hurt, are you?
I'll be fine. I'll take care of you if you do. I hear it's an everyday occurrence in the future. That's why we have to train together. Right, Erna?

　I look at Erna, who I brought with me to meet Alice.

''Yeah. We both have a similar fighting style so we always played it that way. And Uncle Ende was always loitering like that too.
Uncle Ende...

　Ende stopped moving, perhaps a little shocked by the word "uncle". Behind him, pfft, Mel and the three of them were holding back a laugh that was about to blow out.
　Since he's my friend's father, I'm sure he's going to call me uncle. .........Alice calls me 'Your Majesty' in a manner of speaking, so that's a relief.
　As I was patting my chest by myself, my eyes met with Erna, who was tugging at my sleeve.

''Dad, I think it's time to stop. Neither of those two will admit to losing, so it's going to go on forever, okay?
Oops. "Ice, surround yourself with great icicles, ice pillars, ice pillars.
What?
What?

　One by one, pillars of ice grew out of the ground around Linne and Alice and surrounded them. The two who were blocked from moving tried to crush them with their fists, but the pillars of ice grew again from the edge of the crushed pillars, and eventually they screamed out as if they had given up.

''Ooosan!　This is not good!
'Leave it there. You're going to see the castle, aren't you?　You won't have time to play, will you?
Yeah, I know...

　It's nice to see that you understand. I release the [Ice Pillar]'s magic.
　At the same time, Else and Linse came from the castle.

''Mother.''
Okaasan!

　Erna and Lynne run to their respective mothers.

'Sorry to keep you waiting,'
Sorry, sorry, I'm a little late.

　They hold hands with their daughters and apologize to Alice and Mel and the others. We're all going out today. However, Ende and I will be staying at home.
　There's a lot for mothers to discuss with each other about everything. Does that mean that dads should talk to each other about dads?

I'll be home by the evening. I'll look after you.
'Well then, Fuyao-san. I'll be off.
I'm off. Dad.
Bye, Otto. Bye!
Let's go, Alice.
'Yes!　I want a parfait!
'Endemuon, have Karae for dinner.
Katsukarae.... No..............................in Dragon Kalei.

　It is said that it is humble if three women come together, but it is terrible if there are eight women including children. Well, I've always known that from my own experience.

It's good to see you.

　He sent everyone off with Ende in front of the castle gate. When everyone was out of sight, neither of them sighed.

''How........isn't your father treated lightly compared to your mother?''
'Well, well, I feel like it, but.... She's my daughter, and I don't blame her.　I guess it's better if he doesn't hate me.

　We both feel somewhat discouraged, but we have to agree that it's just the way it is. After all, the father is probably no match for the mother.

''Well, I've got to go home and prepare the karae...''
You're getting a little cocky...

　Maybe it's not strange since you're getting married, but I thought that was your wife.

'Winter night, if you have dragon meat, sell it to me. I don't want to go all the way out there to hunt.
No, I have it. Why don't you have it?　I've been slaying dragons pretty well, haven't I?

　This guy is still a gold-ranked adventurer just like me. I'm sure he's received a few requests to nominate not ordinary dragons or something like that, but sub-dragons, such as earth dragons and flying dragons that are called sub-dragons.

''Hahaha. There's no way there will be any dragon meat left that we brought back home. It'll be gone by the end of the day.''
Oh, that sort of...

　Ende looks into the distance while letting out a dry laugh. Those three guys eat more than Yae........ The Engel's coefficient of this guy's place must be ridiculous.
　I was starting to feel a bit sad, so I gave him some dragon meat for a reasonable price.
　Ende went down to the castle to look for ingredients for Karae, so I decided to do the king's work on my own.
　Yesterday I threw away my afternoon work and went to Mismid........ Kosaka-san lectured me a bit.
　It's a good thing it was after the kids went to bed. I was about to lose my father's dignity. I don't know if there is such a thing.
　After the kids arrived, I took care in my own way that I couldn't appear weird. I'm a king and a father, after all. I wonder if the future me will have a hard time with that too........


　　　　　　　　　　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇


　Three days after that happened.

'Isengard?'
'Yes, sir. It's pretty rough. I thought the loss of the pillar of the Magus King was a major factor.

　I received such a report from Tsubaki-san, the head of the intelligence unit, in his office.
　That country, for better or worse, was made up of a one-man king called the Mage King. Well, it's doubtful that he had any auspicious intentions for the sake of his country, but it's a fact that the country was enriched by his technological prowess.
　When the king, the brains of the country, had fallen, Isengard had no successor. No, that cyborg old man must have wanted to live on forever, so there was no way he was going to make any successor.
　Isengard was cut off from the continent due to the meteor rain that fell when the worlds merged. It became a separate continent across the ocean from the Galdio Empire and the Rase Armed Kingdom, which were connected to the land.
　For better or worse, Isengard was split into several forces just like Euron, perhaps because it no longer had to consider invasions from other countries. What was different from Euron's time was that no one wanted to take over from the Mage King.
　Unlike Euron, who vied for the position of emperor to unify the country, Isengard was peacefully establishing itself as a number of city-states, when Yura appeared as a giant golden tree and began to mutate the inhabitants of Isengard.
　The situation was settled when we made the giant tree disappear, but it seems that the northern region of Isengard was devastated by the large number of mutations.

'In the midst of all this, at the foot of the Sacred Tree where the spirits gather, I hear a new town is being formed.

　"Golden Flower Disease"?　Oh, because a human who received the spores of a giant tree mutant died, and when he became a mutant, a golden flower bloomed on his head.
　It's true that that holy tree has other cleansing powers, including divine Demon Poison... but now that the Evil God has fallen, there's no point in worrying about it anymore.

''Taking advantage of this, there seems to be a medicine circulating in the southern region that is said to prevent you from contracting the Golden Flower Disease. It's something that's made by grinding the branches of the Sacred Tree, and if taken regularly, it's said to have a purifying effect.
''Grind up the sacred tree?　Oh, that's a scam. There's no way the spirits living there would allow that to happen.

　I don't know, I feel like this kind of scam comes out after a disaster. I guess a lot of people try to make money by taking advantage of people's anxiety.
　Is it hard for people to find out that the drugs are fake because mutation will never happen again?

'Let the information go out to the southern region of Isengard that 'no one can harm the sacred tree that the spirits protect'. That the potion is a fraud. It will stop if no one buys it.''
I understand.

　It's not like there are people with a grudge against me who are working in the dark like they did with Euron and Sandra.
　Well, in the case of Isengard, the entire continent has fallen under the yoke of the Mage King's dictatorial state management, which can be described as the politics of fear, and the whole continent has been lost, so it's not really a problem.
　It's no wonder, but the security is more disorderly than ever before, and bandits and thieves are on the rise. Isn't that also the case with fraud?
　After finishing his report, Tsubaki-san left his office, there was a knock on the door by someone.

Yes, come in!

　I tore my eyes away from the papers and looked at the door to see Erna squirming and peeking through the doorway.

'Um, Dad, can I have a word?'
Okay. What's up?

　Reluctantly, Erna walks into the office. Unlike her mother, Else, this girl is a bit withdrawn in some ways. That part of her is similar to Linse. Although she is a mini-else in appearance.

''Well, that's the weapon that Linse's mother was using at the martial arts tournament the other day, well, I wanted that one too...''
Weapons?　Oh, that cane.

　It's the short staff of stars that I gave to Linse when Linse and Linneh were playing against each other. You want that one?

You're not going to be able to get it for yourself. But it's a bit scary to fight in front of them, and.... I wondered if that would be safe.

　I see. But that's fine for Linse to use, but it's a bit too big for Elna.
　Well, I guess my father should get her a new wand.

Okay, I'll make a new one for her. What design do you want?
Oh, thank you, Dad!

　Erna smiles with a smile. It's so cute. My girls are angels? I can be a parent's fool. It's crazy not to be.
　Extracting the materials for making Erna's wand from 【Storage】.
　We discuss this and that as we begin the production process, and spend some time alone with the father and daughter.


　　　　　　　　　　◇ ◇ ◇


You little shit!　Get out of my way!

　The knife held by the thug approaches the girl. The girl ducked it with a single paperweight and twisted the hand of the thug who had reached out to her, and knocked the opponent to the ground with one arm.

''Gueye!

　The girl claps her hands in a dignified manner. She was dressed in a navy blue hakama, a wisteria-colored crest, and knitted boots, in the style of a Taisho schoolgirl in the earth, but on her waist was a variety of disturbing small and large karma objects.
　Her hair was long to her waist, and her bangs were neatly trimmed above her eyebrows. Black eyes and black hair. It's a color that is rarely seen here in Isengard.

I'm going to learn the lesson, and I'm going to stop doing business under the guise of fraud. Making money by taking advantage of people's insecurities is the worst thing you can do.
Ggh...!

　The man who got up staggered back and ran away like a de-rabbit. He never forgets the throwaway line that is characteristic of a thug.

'Oh, you'll remember it!
I'm afraid I'm not going to learn, sir.

　With a glance at the man who is running away in a haphazard manner, the girl picks up one of the medicine packages scattered on the ground. It's the fake medicine that the man from earlier had been dealing with.

No, in this era, the holy tree might not be that well known yet.''

　The girl suddenly opened the medicine package. Inside the package was a powder that seemed to be a medicine, but when the girl saw it, her eyebrows knit together slightly.

''Golden medicine...?''

　There was a teaspoonful of sand gold, or rather gold dust, a golden powder inside the medicine wrapping paper.
　It was indeed a frosted branch of a holy tree, and there was a gratifying feeling that she would believe it if she were told it was a frosted branch of a holy tree.
　But the girl found the glow of the powder disconcerting. Intuition, you could say. She felt suspicious about the drug.

'I'm sure your father would be able to analyze it right away.

　While remembering her father, who possessed the Analyze magic, the girl put the package back together and also picked up the fallen items and put them in her pocket.

"I'll check it out a bit, shall we?

　The girl began to chase after the man ahead of her, who had escaped, while suppressing a bare tone of voice when she was caught off guard.