— Leon Anemoi Greyrat —
It was now the sixth month of the year, which meant that it was closing in on a year since the births of Athena, Arthur, and Evelyn, with their respective growth reflecting such.
It was only a month ago that Athena spoke her first word, that being 'Mama' and not 'Dada' to my misfortune, and as if not wanting to be outdone, it was only a few days later that the other two followed suit.
And then, as if that wasn't enough, they had also begun showing signs of their first steps just a week ago, using any furniture or people they could find to help them stand as they attempted to take a step forward.
Of course, they failed, but they were getting there, and quickly at that.
It would probably take only another week or so before they finally learned a new way to move, and when that happened… oh dear, I didn't even want to think about the chaos when that happens.
But still, while those were the main milestones, it wasn't the only thing they had learned to do.
All three of them had slowly begun to show and receive affection, whether that be by giving hugs, smiling when they were happy, or becoming quite clingy with the family, which mostly consisted of us parents due to us being their caregivers.
But still, we weren't the only ones receiving their new feelings of love, as Evelyn had taken a particular fascination with her older sister Anna, Arthur with Emilia, and Athena quite liked to follow Aria around the house, the two often making a game of it.
There were their growing motor skills as well, as they had begun to attempt to feed themselves with their newfound coordination, which unfortunately, included the ability to pull things out of the cabinets when they could, as well as throwing things, frequently just for the fun of it.
And their interests were also beginning to show, albeit only a bit.
Athena quite liked whenever Sylphy and I showed her our magic, Arthur loved to watch anyone who was practicing their swordsmanship, and as for Evelyn, whenever we passed by bards during our walks through the city, she would find herself entranced in their show, sometimes even trying to sing along to the best of her ability, which only consisted of babbles for the time being.
But still, while the growth of the three was a treat I was able to enjoy as much as I wanted, it wasn't the main focus of today.
Instead, it was Emilia, who had recently turned five years old, hence the celebration of her birthday.
"Emi…" Arthur asked, raising his arms up with a smile.
"Hmm… okay," Emilia said, a smile growing on her face as she reached down to pick him up, placing him on her lap as she sat on the couch with her new quilt wrapped around her.
I was happy to see my present already being put to good use, and knowing that my daughter had quite the attachment to sentimentality, I had asked the seamstress to weave many of the girl's baby clothes together to make it.
Honestly, that idea was one I was hoping to give to her mother when Emilia eventually left to pursue her own life, just like I planned to do for the rest of my wives… but seeing the wide smile on Emilia's face when she undid the thin fabric wrapping the box made it all worth it.
But still… now that she was five, I was starting to get just a bit worried.
Not with her health and intelligence, of course.
In fact, out of all the children, she was probably the smartest from what I had seen thus far, at least if we ignored magic and martial arts.
She loved to take naps, and was often on the quieter side, simply observing her more rambunctious older siblings with a calm smile, the hidden intelligence in her eyes often reminding me of her mother.
But still… she didn't have an interest, such as Aria with her magic, Ars with his swordsmanship, and Anna with her mix of both as she slowly learned my style.
It wasn't as if she needed to know what she wanted to do at this stage of life, but since I had the resources, I wanted her to find that thing she loved as soon as possible, and allow her to improve her skills or knowledge with whatever that thing was as she grew older.
And so…
"Emilia," I said, crouching down in front of her so our eyes were level, her face hardening at my serious tone.
"Yes, Father?" she asked.
I really wonder where that respectful way of addressing me came from… but it was cute in its own way.
"Well… I was wondering if you've had any thought as to what you want to do," I said, smiling as Arthur reached out to touch my face.
"Like… a hobby?" she asked, tilting her head. "But… I already read and write."
"Well… yes, but do you want to be a writer in the future?" I asked.
She shook her head.
"Not… really," she replied.
"Exactly. I don't expect you to have your entire life planned just yet, and you can change it anytime you wish, but I would like to have something we can work towards, and that you can focus on," I said, reaching out to pat her head.
Her nose scrunched as she frowned in concentration.
Well… I suppose that might have been a bit much, especially on a day that was meant to be solely about celebration.
But just as I was about to tell her not to worry about it… I saw a burst of clarity flash through her eyes.
"Mother…" she said, narrowing her eyes as she then looked up at me. "I… want to be like Mother, and become the Queen of Asura."
Uhh…
"Sweetie, just because that is your birthright, and traditionally, your path of life, it does not mean you must do the same," Ariel said, leaning over to press a kiss to Emilia's forehead from beside her. "If you do not wish for such a burden, nor any of my children for that matter… well, I have my ways of ensuring that the kingdom continues its stability, whether that be through the formation of a republic, or some… interesting machinations."
I… didn't even want to know what those 'interesting machinations' were.
"No. I want to… I think," Emilia said, a small frown forming on her face as she looked at her mother. "I don't have to move around much if I become queen, right?"
Ah… right.
I knew that she never liked physical activity, especially compared to her siblings, but to think she would want to base such an important career path off such a thing…
"Um, no… you don't. But there are many other lines of work that don't require much movement either," Ariel said.
Emilia shook her head.
"That's only part of it," she said, her smile growing. "I also like making things go my way through conversation and expertly controlling those beneath me, just like you, Mother."
…
A part of me would prefer if she wanted to become queen only due to her laziness, rather than… that.
Now, I truly wonder where she got that from…
"Ah… that's my girl," Ariel said, her face lighting up as she pulled Emilia in for a hug.
"Haha! I knew you had that side to you!" Aisha added, walking over as she tousled Emilia's blonde hair. "I'll teach you everything you need to know, okay? But you should go to the university first."
"Mmm," Emilia hummed in approval.
Well… I guess that was settled… even if I had ended up learning a slightly unsettling trait of my sweet daughter in the process.
Turning to Aria and Anna, who were both eating their pieces of cake in the living room, I decided to call out to them.
"You two. How is sharing a room coming along?" I asked.
"Hm? Oh! Dada! It's awesome!" Aria said, turning over to me with an excited smile. "It's really big, and I get to spend all night with Anna! Sometimes, we even sleep together after you read to us!"
I see…
"That's good, then," I replied, looking over to Anna. "And how about you? Aria isn't too troublesome?"
Anna shot a quick look over to Aria, who had momentarily frozen before turning to her sister, lightly shaking her head 'no' as she mouthed the words 'not troublesome!' with intensity.
"Haa… it's fine, Papa," Anna eventually said before going back to her cake.
…Right.
With the youngest ones having grown old enough to sleep in their own beds, we had once again switched the layout of the rooms, with Anna and Aria moving into the other very large room, Ariel moving in with Sylphy, and Roana and Evelyn sharing the queen's former room, since Evelyn seem more on the quiet side, while Alice was still… not that.
But overall, things were good, and with the twins sharing the last large room that used to be Eris', it seemed that everything was going smoothly.
Although… I might have to have a little talk to Aria about not annoying her sister, especially during the night.
— Leon Anemoi Greyrat —
I was currently going over the expenses for the month, dividing our collective income and savings into budgets for groceries, household items, personal goods, and as of a month ago, which was the ninth month of the year, allowances for the kids who were older than five.
It wasn't too extravagant, being only around what a usual household would have for non-essential spending each, but it was a good way to teach them personal responsibility and healthy spending habits.
And from how Aria had immediately bought all the candy she could with her first allowance, only to be broke for the following weeks… they had some harsh lessons to learn.
Yeah, it was definitely a good idea to have them learn those lessons now, where there wasn't any real worry for money, rather than in the future, especially if they ended up living away from the family.
As I placed the final coin in Ars' stack, a slight smile on my face from remembering the small dragon sculpture he had bought last month, I suddenly stopped, having noticed the presence approaching my doorstep.
Ah… so he was finally back.
It had been nearly five months since we last met, so now that he was back… well, I guess he had finally found where the last treasure was hiding.
Let's just hope that there was some progress made.
"Orsted," I said as he entered through the door, as we both knew that his sheer presence was a greater announcement than knocking. "Come sit."
He did as I said, coming to sit down across from me in the living room as Sylphy peeked her head past the kitchen's door frame.
"Ah… do you two want anything to drink? I can only guess there will be quite the talk," she said.
"No need," Orsted refused, raising his hand.
"I'm fine, Sylphy, but thanks," I replied as I turned back to the Dragon God. "So… how did it go?"
He moved his hands out of his cloak to rest on the table, his eyes meeting mine as they sharpened.
"After using the spell… I found it. The last sacred treasure, that is," he said.
I see that he still wasn't one for small talk, having gone straight to the point.
"Alright… so? Is it as expected?" I asked.
"Indeed… though, in some ways, it can be said to be worse than I had thought," he replied, narrowing his eyes. "There is a large gathering of individuals… strong individuals… I had only expected there to be three of his apostles, and perhaps some lesser combatants who follow said apostles, but… there were more. Enough that I would have trouble with them."
I frowned at that.
Orsted was the strongest in the world, beating even the Technique God that I had met all those months ago, so when he said that he would 'have trouble' with them, that wasn't to say that he would have difficulty winning, but rather, that he would need to use his mana to do so.
But then again… that was likely what the Man-God wanted.
He likely didn't think there was a way to directly win against Orsted with the available resources, so instead, he wanted to create another situation similar to Laplace… where Orsted would be forced to drain some of his reserves, leaving him unable to reach him in the Void World.
"Are you sure you can't fight?" I asked.
"Against most of them, I can, but there is one particular troublesome one, where if I was to defeat him, it would lead to much of my mana being depleted… to the point where I would only recover a little before my time resets," he replied, his eyebrows furrowing. "Such a situation is already incredibly in my favour, better than any previous loops, but…"
"I wouldn't be there… or, if I was, I would have already lived most of my life with the threat of him hanging over my family," I said, sighing as Orsted nodded.
Fuck… that was annoying.
But that didn't change things… I still had to fight this group, and without Orsted's help, at least for the most part.
And if the Man-God had set everything up like this… I couldn't walk into this casually.
This 'great enemy' that Orsted would need his mana to defeat… I wonder who they were.
And more importantly, having a larger group than Orsted had expected… I wonder how-
"Hello! Leon, are you home?" a familiar, yet oddly anxious, voice sounded from the door.
Orsted and I's eyes met as I slowly got up, with him pulling his now much smaller helmet out of his cloak before putting it on in order to mask his curse from the coming guests.
"Mama… Father… what brings you here?" I said, opening the door to the two, who both looked… quite shaken.
"Leon… is the Dragon God… is he here as well?" Mama asked, walking up to me.
"Yeah, but… wait, what's wrong? You both look… pretty stressed," I said, worried.
It would take something quite serious to make Paul look so serious, considering his usually easygoing demeanour.
"Well… that's because of this," my father said, taking out an opened letter from his pocket. "I… think we need to have a talk… with Orsted as well."
…What?
Why?
Deciding to keep my questions until later, I let them inside to sit down with Orsted and I, a cup of tea placed in front of both of them thanks to Sylphy.
"This letter… we got it this morning," my father started, his eyebrows furrowed. "You remember Geese, right?"
I nodded my head.
The demon guy that had helped us in Begaritt in rescuing my mothers… though, I don't remember talking to him very much.
"Well, as you can guess, it was from him. And basically…" he said, sending a short glance over to Orsted. "…Basically, it told us to stop you from intervening with the Man-God any further."
…Pardon?
Not interfering… wait, did that mean that he… was he… was Geese an apostle?
He must be, right? To know about the Man-God itself was suspicious, and to ask for me not to interfere…
But didn't Orsted say that he already had all three apostles accounted for?
What was going on?
"W-We aren't completely sure with the situation, since you told us that you could handle it on your own, but… there was a warning," Mama added, clenching her fist in worry. "It… said that he had the Fighting God and many other strong people on his side… and more than that, he would also go after Alaric, Norn, and Aisha afterwards… that is, if we didn't stop you."
So… a threat.
The Man-God… he decided to go through my only weakness in my family… and not in the way I had expected.
And if I hadn't had Orsted give them the items to stop the Man-God's interference, he would have probably made them an apostle to do so.
"Geese Nukadia… he's an apostle?" Orsted muttered, breaking the momentary silence with a rare expression of surprise. "Though he never lived this long in the previous loops… no wonder my expectations had been off."
I guess this was news even to Orsted, but honestly, I didn't care much about that right now.
"And?" I asked, turning to my father and mother. "Do you… want me to stop?"
It would certainly complicate things if they did.
I had gone through all of this with the expectation of my family's complete support, but without it… well, I wasn't sure.
But on the other hand, could I even trust the Man-God's word for a truce?
That was the main reason I was going so far instead of negotiating, so I didn't think I could, but still…
"No. I trust you, son," my father said, shaking his head as his lips quirked up in a smirk. "And more than that, instead of opposing you… I'll join ya."
…Huh?
He'll… join me?
"W-Wait, can you even do that? This wouldn't be a normal fight, you know. And being on the battlefield at your age…" I said, my worry exuding from my tone.
"Hah. It sucks that I can't even say anything to that… but even though I'm getting old, I'm not totally weak just yet!" he said, leaning back into the chair. "Besides… I've only really shown you my cool side back in Begaritt, so it would be good to have one last hurrah before I get old."
Mama shot him a quick glare, but didn't refuse, so I can only assume they had already talked about this before coming over.
I… wasn't quite sure that what could be the most dangerous fight I have been a part of would be the place for a 'last hurrah', but if he was so confident…
"Well… I'll go see if there are some allies I can get. Especially since it's Geese… well, it's our responsibility, you could say," he said, standing back up. "Anyway, we'll get going. And Orsted… you mind getting me to Millishion?"
"Hmm… yes, I can do so," Orsted said, nodding.
Well… if my father was getting allies, then I should go have a talk with my family…
"Hey Sylphy… where is everyone else?" I asked, calling to the kitchen as Mama gave me a kiss on her way out of the room.
"Uhh… they should be at Rudy's house, but Leon… what was with that?" she asked, stepping in with a worried frown.
So they were already there… perfect, that made things much easier.
"Well, you heard most of it… but I think we should have a little family meeting about it," I said, getting up.
— Leon Anemoi Greyrat —
"Alright… we're all here, so… what did you want to talk about?" Rudy asked, with both of our wives sitting around us, while the kids had been sent upstairs to play amongst themselves.
"The Man-God… has seemingly made his final play," I said, intertwining my fingers in front of me. "He's gathered quite a few strong people, one amongst them being the Fighting God, so… well, it's obvious that I'll be going to fight."
Eris raised her eyebrow at me expectantly.
"And yes… I'll need your help for this as well, Eri," I said, sighing as her smile widened.
That adorable battle maniac… but I was speaking the truth.
With the strength of the Fighting God, I would probably have to face him, meaning I would need someone at my side to take on some of the other opponents that had gathered.
But it wasn't only her…
"And I'm guessing you want me in this as well, brother," Rudy said, sighing. "Even though I don't like fighting… but I'll have your back. This is for both of our family's sakes at this point."
"Thank you," I said, giving him a grateful smile before turning back to the rest. "So… that's basically the situation. We'll probably take a few days to prepare, and Ariel… I hope I can ask Isolte to join this as well."
Ariel, who had been wearing a worried frown since I had mentioned the Man-God, slowly nodded her head.
"I… suppose that can be arranged," she said. "But Leon… I'm still unsure about all this… having the three of you go alone… but I guess I can count on you girls to be there for them?"
Huh?
What did she…
I then followed her gaze to the side, watching as Roxy, Sylphy, and Sara all shared a look and a nod, before turning back to me.
Don't tell me…
"We're coming as well," Sylphy said, her tone leaving no room for argument.
But I wasn't simple going to let that slide.
"No," I replied, narrowing my eyes. "It'll be much too dangerous, you should know that."
"And you should know that something like 'danger' won't stop me… or us, for that matter," Sylphy replied.
I shared a quick glance at Rudy, and seeing him shake his head, it was clear that he didn't think he would be able to change his wife's mind and that he would be staying out of this completely.
This fucking guy… just what kind of grasp did Sara have on him?
"But… what about the kids?" I asked the both of them. "You can't be thinking of leaving them just to fight…"
Roxy shook her head in disapproval.
"Listen, Leon. While we may not compare to you, the three of us are quite strong. In terms of combat, we're Saint rank at the very least, and considering our unique skills, we might be even stronger," she said before narrowing her eyes at me. "But still, despite all of that, if you are still worried about us… then can you not promise to protect us?"
What…?
"Protect you? I… wouldn't want to risk your lives like that," I said, shaking my head. "I… have to win this fight, so…"
"Well, that is an issue, isn't it," she said, raising an eyebrow. "But if you are not confident in being able to both protect us and win the battle with your power… then you shouldn't risk going at all. We wouldn't want you fighting a battle where the possibility of you not coming home is entertained."
Shit… that was a good point.
But still…
"Leon," Eris said, nudging my shoulder from my side. "You're feeling worried and frustrated, right? I can tell from that stupid look on your face."
…Why was my wife insulting me out of nowhere?
"Yes… I am," I replied.
"Yeah, because those two want to go into a dangerous battle, right?" she said, nodding her head knowingly. "But you know… what you're feeling right now… that's exactly what they're feeling as well."
…
"And we know that there is still another fight you need to win after this… against the Man-God. The one that Shizuka and Roxy have been helping create a seal for," Sylphy added. "We know we can't help with that… you've told us already that it's impossible for us to. But this… this is our chance to not simply let you go into a dangerous fight alone… even though we aren't as strong, we do have the same feelings as Eris… so please, Leon… don't try to argue with us."
…Dammit.
I couldn't even think of anything to counteract that.
I knew they were strong… it was that strength that I loved about all of my wives, and was something I respected in them, but still…
"Leon…" Eris said, reaching down to squeeze my hand. "I'll make sure they don't get hurt. We're fighting for our family, right? And our family will never be complete if they die, so… I won't allow that to happen."
Haa… I guess I wasn't any better than Rudy in regard to my wives' hold over me in the end.
"Fine… you three really know how to team up on me, you know?" I said, sighing as I ran my hand through my hair.
"Such is the power that women hold towards their husband, Leon, so do not forget it," Roxy said with a smirk.
Right… and the fact that I found that confidence of hers so hot only cemented her point.
"I'll try not to… but if both of you are coming as well, that does present a problem," I said, turning to Ariel. "Do you think you and the kids will be safe? Orsted said he was going to get the North God on our side, so I can't count on him for your protection in case this is a diversion."
"Don't worry about that," she said, shaking her head. "While he isn't quite at Isolte's level, there is another knight that has joined my private guard, and he is quite strong too. Come to think of it, he and Isolte have just recently gotten engaged."
Ah, right… Doga, was it?
That extremely tall guy… could he really protect my family?
I knew he was a North Emperor, so probably… but either way, I doubted that I actually needed to worry about it too much, since such a play was unlikely to be part of the Man-God's plan, who likely only wanted this final battle to force Orsted to intervene and use up his mana.
"Alright. Then, if that's all in order… I'll trust you three to stay safe," I said, looking at Eris, Sylphy, and Roxy.
"Hmph. Like I need that… but I will," Eris said, crossing her arms.
Right…
Well, with three more unexpected additions to our forces, while I was still a little worried about them being in danger… it did feel nice to know they would be at my side.
— Leon Anemoi Greyrat —
Taking one last check over my equipment, I turned to the rest of the group just as Orsted walked into the basement, his helmet covering most of his face as he overlooked the people gathered before him.
"So… is this everyone?" he asked, turning to me.
"Apparently," I said with a shrug. "Honestly… thank you all for joining us with this."
"There is no need for thanks," Ruijerd said, shaking his head. "We are comrades, Leon, and me and everyone here is willing to put their lives on the line to help you."
"Indeed," Ghislaine added. "Master Philip always spoke about the power of connections, and this is no different. Do you truly think I would be willing to fight just because Paul asked me?"
"Hey… that sounds like an insult," my father added with a frown.
"Hmph," Ghislaine shrugged, looking to the side.
I guess it was… but still, I really had to give it to him, Paul did gather a good group of allies.
He had gone right to Ghislaine first, and then, after begging Shizuka to help him use the teleportation circles, he had gone to the northern territories to ask Ruijerd, and then to Millishion to get Lina with Orsted's help.
I then looked at the others that had joined us.
Of course, there were those from my family, who were Rudy, Sara, Eris, Sylphy, Roxy, and my father.
And then, there was Orsted, Isolte, who had come from the capital, and then the North God, who Orsted had recruited with the promise of 'advancing his heroism' or something.
It seemed that our resident Dragon God had gotten better at using his words rather than his might over the years.
Twelve fighters in total… thirteen if you included me.
Altogether, the combined power was enough to destroy a country many times over… it was certainly a strong group.
"Then… if we're all ready… we should set off," I said before turning back to Ariel and the kids, as well as Rudy's family and our parents, who had come to see us off. "We'll… be back before you know it."
"Haa… to think I would see the day when I not only send off my husband to war, but my wives as well," Ariel said, shaking her head with a smile. "But I suppose I can only hope that this is the last time… or, perhaps, the second last time, in your case."
"Right… but we'll be safe," I replied, leaning down to kiss her.
"Mmm… you better," she said, reciprocating as her tongue teased my lips.
I then moved to the side, kneeling down in front of the kids.
All… nine of them.
…Yeah, I think we would be done in the childbirth department for a long while.
"Aria, Anna, Ars, Emilia," I said, patting each of their heads as I moved down the line. "You four are the oldest, so be sure to take care of your siblings, okay?"
They all nodded.
"Got it! You can leave it to me!" the ever-so reliable Aria said.
"Right…" I said, turning to the next two. "Roana, Alice… just don't cause too much trouble. Especially you, Alice."
"Huh? Okay!" she replied with an innocent smile.
And then, the last three, with each of them looking at the gathered group in confusion.
"Papa… going?" Athena asked, reaching out to grab my coat.
"Yeah… just for a while. We'll be back soon," I said, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "And Arthur, Evelyn… I know you both love your older sisters, but don't overwhelm them, okay?"
They both nodded, but from the dazed look on their faces, they didn't seem to understand or care.
It would only be a few days at most, so I guess that was fine.
"Well… I guess that's all that needs to be said, then." I got up, turning back to the group as I stepped onto the magic circle beneath them. "Anything else you need to say, Rudy?"
"Nah. I can leave everything to those two, right?" he said, looking over to Linia and Shizuka.
"Of course! But I'm really gonna miss Sara's cooking…" Linia said, her ears folding down at the realization.
"Well… maybe you should take this moment to learn, huh?" Shizuka said, shaking her head with an exasperated look. "Well, just be safe, Rudy. And the rest of you as well."
"Yeah, got it," Rudy said. "Now… let's get going."
And with Ariel and me sharing one last smile, I felt the distinctive feeling of teleportation magic as Orsted activated the circle beneath us, my vision swirling as the scene of my family disappeared.
And before I knew it… we were in a dense forest.