chapter 6
Future design for daughter (1)
Late at night when Rize is soundly asleep.
I was still deep in my thoughts, unable to fall asleep.
It was the first time in my life that I couldn’t sleep like this.
“Shall we drink something?”
I felt like I would stay up all night at this rate, so I forcibly got up and went to the kitchen to boil water.
I don’t drink tea often, but there were still some things I received as gifts.
After clearing my head for a while, I made a cup of tea that I couldn’t remember what kind of leaves it was, and sat down at the table.
I fiddled with the steaming teacup and put a little bit into my mouth.
… … I also don’t like the taste of tea.
Hororok.
I continued to put the tea in my mouth little by little, and soon my body warmed up little by little.
Still, my mind wasn’t clear at all.
Of course, the worry that kept him awake until this late hour was about Rize.
If it was just a worry because of Rize’s dream, he wouldn’t think so seriously. It has become a non-trivial thing now.
Rize now… … I was trying to learn the sword with a clear motive of protecting myself and nothing else.
And judging from my long experience, this was very serious.
Rize’s eyes, which said that she would protect me, contained a very firm will.
Yeah, to the point where I couldn’t even call it a 10-year-old.
“Why are you doing this… … .”
I didn’t understand it enough that the words flowed casually.
It wasn’t that Rize didn’t know the meaning of the word to protect me. Rather, I was so worried because I understood it clearly.
But I couldn’t guess at all what motivated him to do so.
Fighting monsters has been shown by chance, but it has never been dangerous, and even when returning home after completing a quest, he never showed an injured face.
But Rize said she would protect me.
Well, since I’m still 10 years old, it could have remained just a futile dream of my childhood.
But even in the future, if that dream doesn’t fade in the slightest… … At that time, I couldn’t help but worry too much.
Having lived my life countless times, I knew perfectly well how uneasy this world is.
There were disasters threatening the world several times in the future, and countless people died each time, so I had to step in and stop them.
Knowing the future was such a great strength, and I once thought that was the reason for my life.
But at some point, even that stopped, and even such a catastrophe became just one of the boring routines.
No matter how serious things were, I went back to before they happened.
“But Rize… … .”
Yes, Rize was different.
It was the first time I had ever experienced something like that.
There were a few events that could have been avoided as far as I knew in advance, but which affected entire continents.
That’s why, like it or not, I had no choice but to influence Rize, and if Rize stepped out to protect me, I could have jumped into the center of the incident.
It was something that should never have happened.
It would be perfect if Rize stopped obsessing over protecting me, but… … I didn’t feel so optimistic at all.
Especially when he thought of Rize who was absorbed in swordsmanship.
Until now, she had just hoped that Lize would find the same ordinary happiness as other people, and had no doubt that it would happen.
But right now, Rize is waiting on the path she is aiming for… … .
“No, that’s too much of a leap forward.”
I shook my head once to shake off the negative thoughts and took another sip of the tea.
Still, I couldn’t calm down, so I finally regained my composure and proper thinking after pouring out everything in the glass.
No one knew what Lize would think five years later, no, right now, one year later.
There was no need to worry about it already.
However, along with him, I also realized the fundamental reason why I was worried about this.
Unlike me, Rize… … Because it was only one life.
It meant that if Rize died, all the worries I had would turn into useless things.
As I gradually developed affection for Rize, that fact gradually stimulated the fear deep in my heart, so I hoped that Rize would live an ordinary life, not the path of a hero.
But in the end, that ‘normal life’ was also a difficult story.
“… … I can’t help it.”
yeah, i couldn’t help it
From now on, I have one thing to do.
Maybe it was because I was implicitly thinking that it would have to happen sooner or later.
As soon as I made my decision, I felt surprisingly calm.
No, it might have been because it felt like a daily routine because it had already been done hundreds of times.
Still, the thought of doing it for Rize made me quite motivated.
The future plan for her daughter was extremely simple.
For Rize’s future, to prepare perfectly for ‘everything’ that will come.
The future we are talking about here does not simply refer to Rize’s ordinary life.
Even if Rize really becomes a mercenary, a knight, or other dangerous jobs, even… … Including if you want to be a hero.
The ultimate goal was to prepare for all the futures Rize could choose.
In the process, the world will be saved a little, conflicts will arise, and there will be a few people who suffer losses, but who knows.
I said I will protect my daughter, but if you have any complaints, come and tell me.
I won’t forgive you if you really have a complaint.
When the big goal was clearly set in that way, detailed plans were drawn in my head as if branches were branching out naturally.
To be honest, I wish I had done it sooner, but even now it’s not too late.
I’ll have to move a little more diligently than this, but.
“Wait, now is the time… … .”
As I was looking back at the timeline, I remembered an incident that was about to happen.
To think of it just right at a time like this made me wonder if someone had prepared it in advance.
It was really complicated in many ways, so I couldn’t help but feel complicated emotions.
But it was also an opportunity not to be missed.
I clicked my tongue briefly and confirmed my immediate goal.
‘Majeriol Heroes Cemetery.’
It’s the beginning of great events in the future, a place I’ve been tired of, and a treasure trove overflowing with all kinds of Noble Phantasms.
There were things we had to bring here for Rize and me.
* * *
smart.
“Come in.”
Hearing the voice coming from the other side of the door, he opened the door and went inside.
A person sitting in front of a neatly organized office exuded an overwhelming presence.
A man who boasted of being twice the size of the others.
As soon as he saw me, he jumped up from his chair and stretched his arms out to the sides.
“hahahaha, Irvine! It’s really nice to see you after a long time!”
“Hello, Chief Cornwell.”
He who manages the Mercenary Guild’s Findel branch stomps towards me and grabs my shoulder and right hand with his thick hands.
It’s as if you shouldn’t even dream of running away.
No, is this actually quite painful?
As if to show off his friendliness, Cornwell half-forcedly grabbed my body and said with a smirk.
“When I searched so much, it didn’t even come through, and now it’s quite amazing that you’re looking for me first. The fact that you came here means that we can have a serious talk today, right?”
“I avoid it because it keeps putting pressure on me like that. And the story the branch manager says is obvious, but there is no need to repeat the same thing over and over again.”
“Uh huh, how embarrassing is that to say it’s obvious. How many benefits can I take care of you today… … .”
“It’s okay, stop and sit down. I’m not here to talk about that today.”
When I sternly cut him off, Cornwell put on an openly sullen expression.
Seeing the old man with the white beard doing that at close range made me feel sick to my stomach.
As if to say no more, I removed his hand from his shoulder and immediately sat down on the sofa.
Cornwell, still sullen, sat down across from me, and in a moment of annoyance, I said something in a brusque tone.
“Do you keep telling me that there is something good about S rank?”
“What! Aren’t you taking all the mercenaries’ goals too lightly?!”
“It’s not that I’m laughing at it, it’s that it’s too cumbersome in reality.”
Hearing the same invitation and giving the same answer for nearly a year already made my mouth sick of it.
The value of an S-class mercenary was a grade that only a handful of mercenaries could receive, enough to be said to be worth more than ten A-class mercenaries.
But, of course, he had to take on more dangerous tasks.
Most of those requests might take several months beyond a few days.
In addition, the Empire could issue a compulsory summons to S-class mercenaries, so it was not a free status at all.
In other words, I knew for sure that the only thing I could get was a reputation level, but there was no reason I would go out of my way to do it.
I already did it once before and I remember having a hard time.
When I stared at him with such determination in his eyes, Cornwell let out a clearing of his throat as if to purify the bloody atmosphere.
“Come on, I’ll be honest with you. The reason you don’t want to become an S-class is because of your daughter, right?”
“You know that and you say that? To Rize, it’s only me. For me, there is only Rize. I couldn’t afford to neglect more time with my daughter because of work.”
I’ve only taken on requests that I’ve been going back and forth for a few days lately, but now that I’m in S rank, I’m saying I’ll spend less time looking at Rize’s face than I do now?
It never gets old, cancer.
Even if a natural disaster happens, Rize will not make her father forget his face.
For some reason, I’m solving every request I receive quickly.
When I answered firmly with such thoughts in mind, Cornwell put on a rather serious expression and folded his arms and puffed up menacingly.
“By the way, are you not being too conceited? I only recommend that you take the S-class mercenary promotion test, but there is no guarantee that it will lead to a promotion. I think your skills are high, but I don’t take the S-class wall lightly… … .”
“I have a sudden desire to move.”
“Oh, why is this person doing this? Come on, I won’t recommend any more. The top will peck at you to discover more S-class talent, but I will have to endure it, hahahahaha.”
After all, why are you doing this when you are going to raise the white flag first?
In other words, in Findel, which is still in its growth stage, it could be said that the power I had was very important.
I was the only A-class mercenary stationed in Findel.
That’s why Cornwell wanted to make me an S-class even more, but he had no intention of following me.
“I didn’t come here to fight the branch manager, so let’s do this. The story I am about to tell you is also helpful to the branch manager.”
“hmm? It’s helpful to me… … . Are you recommending talent?”
“I’ll do that someday, but that’s different now.”
After lightly shrugging his shoulders, he leaned forward slightly and added his words.
“A new dungeon was discovered recently, right?”
At my words, the Cornwell branch manager widened his eyes as if he was surprised, and soon let out a blank laugh.
“Heh heh, really. You are so amazing. How are you so well informed?”
“Because I have wide feet. Well, anyway, I wonder if I can help you with the new dungeon?”
“Ohh, are you really?!”
Recognizing the meaning of my words, Cornwell was delighted and shook his body as if he would get up at any moment.
However, as soon as he realized something was wrong, he raised his eyebrows and stroked his chin with a thick hand, sounding like he was troubled.
“Even if it can’t be done, it will take at least a week, but they say they are willing to speak first… … ?”
A dungeon means an ancient ruin or an area that is difficult for people to reach, and most of it was the den of monsters.
However, in such a place, valuable treasures, relics with special abilities, and materials for rare monsters could be found.
That’s why, as Cornwell said, if you were to explore a normal dungeon, you should have plenty of time for a week.
Of course, since I couldn’t see Rize in the meantime, he said it wasn’t my job.
I chuckled and added another word to keep Cornwell from worrying further.
“Of course I will finish it in two days.”