Chapter 17 – Birth
<span style="font-weight:400">— Leon Greyrat —
<span style="font-weight:400">As time passed, the leaves changed from vibrant green to a myriad of red, yellow and orange, while a cool, crisp air reced the previous summer warmth.
<span style="font-weight:400">It was fall.
<span style="font-weight:400">And that meant that the expected time for my new siblings’ births was nearing.
<span style="font-weight:400">Which was why we were currently on a carriage, making our way to my home in Buena Vige.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Why can’t you stay with us, Ghiine? Aren’t you meant to be my swordsmanship instructor?” Eris whined.
<span style="font-weight:400">Ghiine, on the other hand, simply shook her head. “I was only tasked with guarding you to and from Buena Vige. Besides, I will be guarding Master Sauros when he makes his yearly report of the harvest to the capital next week, so I would have been gone for some time anyway.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Eris huffed. “Then how am I supposed to train?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“You have Leon there with you. And while Paul, Leon’s father, is a terrible instructor, he is a wonderful sparring partner. His fighting style is unique, as it uses all three styles seamlessly. Be sure to learn from that experience,” she lectured.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hmph. Fine, I guess,” Eris pouted before turning to me. “Leon! Tell me about your family!”
<span style="font-weight:400">So loud… such a contrast to the gentle countryside.
<span style="font-weight:400">But at least she seemed excited.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well, there’s my brother, Rudeus, who’s two years younger than me. Before I left home, we were equal in terms of magical skill, but I had the upper hand in swordsmanship,” I said.
<span style="font-weight:400">She raised her eyebrow at this. “Really? As good at magic as you?”
<span style="font-weight:400">I nodded my head. “Yes. Well… except for healing and detoxification. That’s why I’m heading back, after all. To make sure nothing goes wrong with the births.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Well, I wouldn’t say Rudeus was worse, per se, but rather, he couldn’t cast those schools of magic chantlessly like I could.
<span style="font-weight:400">By casting chantless healing magic, I was also able to weave the mana to my bidding, allowing for freer control of what got healed and when, so it was much better for operations.
<span style="font-weight:400">“But aren’t there people meant for that?” she asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Midwives, yes. But they are not necessarily doctors, so if there are any health problems, I would be able to step in and make sure everyone is safe,” I said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hmm… okay. And? What about your parents?” she asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“There’s my father, Paul. He is… well, how would you exin him, Big Sis?” I said, turning to Ghiine.
<span style="font-weight:400">“A womanizing scum with a tendency to get too far ahead of himself. Though, he is a good man at heart… and in bed.”
<span style="font-weight:400">There was no need for thatst part, Big Sis…
<span style="font-weight:400">“…He sounds dumb!” Eris eximed.
<span style="font-weight:400">“He is dumb. And he’s married to my Mama, Zenith. She’s a healer, and is also the nicest woman in the world,” I said.
<span style="font-weight:400">Eris gestured to my neck. “And she’s the one who gave you that scarf?”
<span style="font-weight:400">I shook my head. “No. That was Lilia. She used to be the family maid, but then got pregnant after Paul fooled around with her and became his wife. She’s part of the family now, though, and I think of her as a second mother, so don’t treat her disrespectfully.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Eris nodded her head in eptance, knowing that I was issuing a serious warning.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Andstly, there’s Sylphy. She’s not part of my family, but she is my close friend, and we spent so much time together that we might as well have been family,” I said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hmm. So she’s like a sister?” she asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“No… just a close friend. She also has green hair,” Eris’ eyes widened, “and it’s beautiful. If you bully her for it, I’ll be very mad.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Eris frowned. “Fine.”
<span style="font-weight:400">She went quiet after that, opting to watch the passing scenery as we neared our destination.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Alright! Here we are!” the stagecoach eventually said as we reached my vige.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Thank you. Ghiine, are you going toe visit?” I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">Ghiine shook her head.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I will need to leave as soon as possible to reach Roa by nightfall, so I will have to refuse. Young Miss,” she said, crouching down to tussle Eris’ hair. “Please do be safe. And trust in Leon. While he is your tutor, he is also your guard, so you can lean on him.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I-I know that already!” Eris huffed.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Good. Then I don’t need to exin further.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Ghiine then passed me a couple of bags, one for each of Eris and I’s things.
<span style="font-weight:400">Though the Young Miss’ was muchrger… and heavier.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I will be off now,” Ghiine said. “Take care, you two. I will see you in a month.”
<span style="font-weight:400">And with that, she got back in the carriage before setting off into the distance.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Right. Then I guess I’ll lead you to my home. Follow me,” I said.
<span style="font-weight:400">With Eris nodding her head, we then made our way up the dirt road, with the Young Miss looking curiously at the fields and houses we passed.
<span style="font-weight:400">“By the way, Eris. There won’t be any stuffy noble customs that you hate while we’re there, but that means you won’t be treated with respect as much as you are in the manor. Make sure to notsh out about that, okay?” I said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Of course I won’t! They’re your family, so I’ll let their disrespect slide!” she huffed.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Thanks, Eris. I appreciate it,” I said. “Anyway, you can treat this as a vacation for the most part, but we’ll still have some lessons.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Her lips curled into a frown.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Don’t make that face,” I chided. “It won’t be as much as usual, and even when we do them, we can work in a group with my brother and Sylphy if you want. You’ll have fun. I promise.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hmph! Fine,” she pouted.
<span style="font-weight:400">With that, we made our way over a few hills before finding ourselves in front of the house.
<span style="font-weight:400">It was just as pretty as I remember… though the garden definitely needed some trimming.
<span style="font-weight:400">That’s to be expected, though, since both Mama and Lilia were pregnant, and Paul didn’t seem like the type to handle gardening.
<span style="font-weight:400">I’ll deal with that with some wind magic after we were done packing.
<span style="font-weight:400">From Eris’ expression, it seemed that the ce was good enough to be eptable, even though it wasn''t as grand and gaudy as the manor.
<span style="font-weight:400">Well, that’s one potential problem down.
<span style="font-weight:400">Knocking on the door a few times, I then opened it.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hey guys! I’m home-! Oof!”
<span style="font-weight:400">Only to be smothered by Mama with a gigantic hug upon my entry.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Ooh! I’ve missed you so much, Leon!”
<span style="font-weight:400">Can’t… breathe…
<span style="font-weight:400">But this warmth… yeah, I had missed this.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I’ve missed you too, Mama,” I said, although it was muffled by her chest as I squeezed back.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Ah, right. Come inside first,” she said, closing the door behind us as she released me from my grasp.
<span style="font-weight:400">Looking at Mama, it was obvious that she was quite far along in her pregnancy, as her belly was bulging out much like it was right before Rudy was born.
<span style="font-weight:400">She then turned to Eris with a kind smile. “And this must be Eris, right? Or would you prefer ‘Miss’?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“N-No… just Eris is fine,” Eris stammered.
<span style="font-weight:400">Huh?
<span style="font-weight:400">Why was she acting so nervous?
<span style="font-weight:400">“Ah. Alright then. It’s nice to meet you, Eris. Leon told us about you in his letters. Hmm… he was right to call you cute,” Mama said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Mama!?” I eximed.
<span style="font-weight:400">What the hell!?
<span style="font-weight:400">Was she trying to embarrass me?
<span style="font-weight:400">“C-Cute?!” Eris stammered.
<span style="font-weight:400">Mama’s face then turned into her ‘scary grin’ before Lilia stepped into the room.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Zenny, stop teasing your son and our guest as soon as they arrive.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Yes! Thank you!
<span style="font-weight:400">Lilia, like Mama, also had a bulging belly, and she was wearing a casual brown dress rather than her usual maid costume.
<span style="font-weight:400">I thought that that look suited her, but judging from how her usual hairband was still ced on her head, this change in outfit was probably because her maid uniform no longer fit rather than her truly epting her position as a wife.
<span style="font-weight:400">Or maybe she just liked the maid outfit, I didn’t know.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Leon. It’s good to have you back,” she said, opening her arms for a hug.
<span style="font-weight:400">epting her offer, I ced the two bags on the floor before walking over and embracing her.
<span style="font-weight:400">Lilia wrapped her arms around me before turning to Eris, who was still shocked over Mama’s previous words.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Miss Eris. While I may not be as up to par with my usual abilities due to my condition, please don’t hesitate to ask me of anything,” she said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“H-Huh!? O-Okay.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Shaking my head, I then raised my hand to poke Lilia on the nose.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Don’t speak nonsense. I’ll be doing all the household chores until you’repletely recovered from having my new sibling. No objections,” I said sternly.
<span style="font-weight:400">She widened her eyes before her face deted into a loving smile.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Right. I forgot how protective you were. Anyway, dinner is in the pot, so how about you tell us about your time since thest letter until it’s ready?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Sure,” I said, unwrapping my arms from her torso. “When is Rudy and Fathering back?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh!” Mama eximed. “Paul’s out doing a report on the harvest, and as for Rudy, he should being back right around…”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Mother! We’re back!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“…now.”
<span style="font-weight:400">With perfect timing, Rudy entered the front door, interrupting Mama’s words.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Huh? What’s with-? Brother!”
<span style="font-weight:400">Running up to me, Rudy then gave me a quick hug before I was wrapped in another set of arms, this one being much smaller and softer.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Leon! You’re back!”
<span style="font-weight:400">Looking down at the watery red eyes of Sylphy’s, I brushed a strand of green hair off her face. “I told you I would. Did you think I would lie?”
<span style="font-weight:400">Her eyes widened as her cheeks flushed red before hastily let go of me.
<span style="font-weight:400">“N-No! I’m just… happy you’re back, is all…”
<span style="font-weight:400">For some reason, Eris’ face changed from slight curiosity at the new people to a small grimace.
<span style="font-weight:400">What’s with her?
<span style="font-weight:400">Ah, she’s probably feeling left out, right?
<span style="font-weight:400">“Anyway, this is my current pupil, Eris Boreas Greyrat,” I said, introducing the girl. “She’ll be staying here with us until we leave after Lilia gives birth and is safe.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hmph!” she huffed in response.
<span style="font-weight:400">Haa… at least said hello, Eris.
<span style="font-weight:400">I thought she was actually in quite a good mood when we came here, but I guess she really didn’t like the fact that Ghiine was leaving.
<span style="font-weight:400">Well, hopefully, once they got to know each other a bit more, they would all get along.
<span style="font-weight:400">…Hopefully.
<span style="font-weight:400">“This is Rudeus, or Rudy, my brother. And this is Sylphy, the friend that I told you about. I’ll take your things up to your room, so just… make yourself at home, alright, Eris?” I said.
<span style="font-weight:400">Getting a nod from the girl, I then took the bags up to the rooms andid out all the contents on the bed, making sure Eris’ clothes were organized and folded.
<span style="font-weight:400">After all, she wouldn’t have a maid to get them ready for her like back home.
<span style="font-weight:400">I was quite happy to see that she brought along the puppy plush I got her as well, but I had a feeling she would get mad if I mentioned that.
<span style="font-weight:400">Not wanting to leave Eris alone for too long, I quickly made my way back downstairs, only to see Eris and Sylphy locked in a staring match as I entered the main room.
<span style="font-weight:400">Now… this wasn’t out of character for Eris to do, but I didn’t expect Sylphy to return her re, especially with such intensity.
<span style="font-weight:400">Where did that shyness go?
<span style="font-weight:400">Rudy was also confused, but for some reason, both Lilia and Mama were looking on in amusement.
<span style="font-weight:400">What was with this situation?
<span style="font-weight:400">Before I couldment, Eris suddenly released a small snort before walking over to me and hugging my arm.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Say, Leon… how about we do some magic practice?” she asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">…What the hell was she going on about?
<span style="font-weight:400">“L-Leon!” Sylphy said, stiffly walking toward me beforetching onto my other arm. “I-I learned Intermediate-rank healing magic, but I’m still having some trouble! C-Can you help me?”
<span style="font-weight:400">Okay… now I was really confused.
<span style="font-weight:400">I know Sylphy had missed me quite a bit, but she had never been so… confrontational.
<span style="font-weight:400">Ah, but then again, she hadn’t had any people to be confrontational with.
<span style="font-weight:400">Paul then choose that moment to enter the house.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hey! I noticed a carriage leaving-” he cut himself off as he noticed the situation.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oho? What’s this?” he said, eyes shining with amusement as he looked at the three of us. “Haha! Wee home, Leon… It seems you really are my son, huh?”
<span style="font-weight:400">Haa… this was going to be annoying, wasn’t it?
<span style="font-weight:400">— Information on the Six-Faced World —
<b><em>Zenith Greyrat</em></b>
<span style="font-weight:400">Zenith is a beautiful woman with blonde hair, blue eyes,rge breasts, and a voluptuous figure.
<span style="font-weight:400">She has a very warm and loving personality, but can also be strict at times when necessary. While she is a follower of the morals of the Millis Church, she also values the happiness of her family even more so.
<span style="font-weight:400">Zenith was born in the Holy Country of Millis as the second daughter to the prominent noble family of Latreia before she ran away from home to be an adventurer, sheter became a healer for the Fangs of the ck Wolf, where she reached the S rank.
<span style="font-weight:400">She is a Beginner-ranked magician in fire and water magic and Intermediate-ranked in healing and detoxification magic.
<span style="font-weight:400">— Leon Greyrat —
<span style="font-weight:400">It had been a week since I had returned to Buena Vige with Eris, and to my happiness, my pupil had really taken to the casual lifestyle away from the manor.
<span style="font-weight:400">Since she didn’t enjoy getting pampered by the maids too much at her home and all the stuffy noble practices such as needing to be dressed up every day, Eris didn’t mind the change in scenery.
<span style="font-weight:400">If anything, she enjoyed it.
<span style="font-weight:400">But I could tell some things irked her, such as how there weren’t anynterns at night, how she didn’t have a personal bathroom, and most notably…
<span style="font-weight:400">“Haha! You’re like an angry dog! But for your bite to have any power, you have to actually hit me~”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Grr! Shut! Up!”
<span style="font-weight:400">…Paul, my father.
<span style="font-weight:400">As expected, their personalities shed, and that was without Paul’s relentless teasing.
<span style="font-weight:400">yful or not, he really knew how to get under the girl’s skin.
<span style="font-weight:400">ording to Eris, my father was the ‘most annoying man’ she had ever met, and I couldn’t help but agree.
<span style="font-weight:400">But at the end of the day, she also respected the man for his skills, much like she did with Ghiine and me.
<span style="font-weight:400">…Begrudgingly, of course.
<span style="font-weight:400">She really did find him annoying, after all.
<span style="font-weight:400">Every morning came with a new challenge issued at the breakfast table, and a one-sided spar followed soon after.
<span style="font-weight:400">While Paul only yed around with her, both I and Eris were grateful for that, as she wouldn’t learn too much from getting knocked out in one strike.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Go Eris! You can beat Mister Paul!” Sylphy cheered.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Knock him dead! He deserves it, after all!” as did Rudy.
<span style="font-weight:400">The three had be fast friends, though Eris often found Rudy annoying.
<span style="font-weight:400">I chalked that up to him being smarter than her despite being two years younger, while also having revealed some of his… well, Paulness.
<span style="font-weight:400">Good thing she punched him before I had to keep my promise with Philip.
<span style="font-weight:400">But oddly enough, even though Sylphy was also younger and more talented, instead of Eris finding her annoying, the two became close extremely fast.
<span style="font-weight:400">Considering they were the only other girl their age they knew, it made sense that they formed a bond, but it was still a bit surprising considering their personalities were nearly theplete opposite.
<span style="font-weight:400">But while they didn’t fight, they did have these… moments.
<span style="font-weight:400">Tense moments where they would stare each other down as if they were having apetition, and all these moments happened with me in between them.
<span style="font-weight:400">I suppose I should have expected this.
<span style="font-weight:400">Sylphy probably wanted to monopolize me a bit, since I had been gone so long and would only be here for a month, and as for Eris, not only was her pride of not wanting to ‘lose’ making things difficult, but she probably wanted me, the only person on her ‘side’, with her most of the time while she was here.
<span style="font-weight:400">I just needed to make sure I split my attention evenly, and luckily, since the four of us children spent most of the time together, that wasn’t too much of an issue.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Rrraaah!”
<span style="font-weight:400">With a final roar, Eris leaped forward with her sword raised, but with a smooth application of the Water God style, Paul sent her tumbling to the ground.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hehe. Nice try- Whoa!”
<span style="font-weight:400">Paul barely dodged the wooden sword that was thrown at his face.
<span style="font-weight:400">Not wanting her to get into a fistfight, I walked up to Eris, putting an end to the match.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Nice try. That final North God sword throw was impressive. Just be sure to throw it, so the de hits him instead of the hilt,” I said, extending my hand to the girl. “I can teach you thatter.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hmph. Thanks,” she said, letting me pull her to her feet.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Do you need some healing?” I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Just take your turn. I’ll ask Sylphy to do it,” she answered.
<span style="font-weight:400">As she went to stand with the rest of the family, I picked up the wooden sword Eris dropped before turning to face Paul, who was wearing his usual wide and confident smile.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well? Gonna try again? While you’re definitely stronger, you still can’t beat good old experience,” he teased.
<span style="font-weight:400">While his words were annoying, they were also the truth.
<span style="font-weight:400">Paul’s talent allowed him to easily pick up the sword, and then allowed him to merge all three styles with no disciplined training.
<span style="font-weight:400">But that would only make him a pretty good swordsman, not someone who could fight on par with a Sword Saint.
<span style="font-weight:400">No, what made him so strong was his experience from years of adventuring, time spent honing his de in thebyrinths and dungeons of the world.
<span style="font-weight:400">No matter how many errors were smoothed out by Ghiine’s instructions, I still wouldn’t be able to beat his experience that easily.
<span style="font-weight:400">But… I was close.
<span style="font-weight:400">I noticed with the first few spars that we had, that while my Sword God techniques and basic swordsmanship had improved leaps and bounds, my Water God and North God abilities had remained stagnant.
<span style="font-weight:400">So after a few days of sparring while focusing on those schools, as well as some nighttime training… I was ready.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Keep talking like that, Father. It’ll only make it more embarrassing when you lose,” I said with a smirk.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Ooh! Some tough words there! Let’s see if you can back them up!”
<span style="font-weight:400">With that as the signal, he rushed forward, the wind sweeping his hair back as his sword blurred toward my face.
<span style="font-weight:400">He was fast, that was for sure.
<span style="font-weight:400">But not nearly as fast as Ghiine.
<span style="font-weight:400">Gripping my sword, I leaped forward with a swift step, letting the touki flow through my body and into my de as it swept through the air.
<span style="font-weight:400">But a sh of strikes wouldn’t solve anything.
<span style="font-weight:400">So, using the North God’s adaptability, I let my <em><span style="font-weight:400">Longsword of Silence</em><span style="font-weight:400"> transform into the Water God’s countering technique, sliding up Paul’s sword before leading it to the side.
<span style="font-weight:400">Twisting my hips along with the path of my sword, I turned around tounch a devastating strike toward his unprotected chest.
<em><span style="font-weight:400">ck!</em>
<span style="font-weight:400">But while Paul couldn’t block with his sword’s de, he managed to move his hilt in the way of my attack.
<span style="font-weight:400">Those damn insane instincts…
<span style="font-weight:400">Leaping back, Paul looked down at his sword with widened eyes before they narrowed in seriousness as he looked back at me.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I guess you figured something out since yesterday, huh?” he asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“You could say that,” I said. “Make sure to take this seriously.”
<span style="font-weight:400">We then both jumped forward once again.
<span style="font-weight:400">Our des exchanged a flurry of strikes, some with the speed and power of the Sword God, and some with the gentle flow of the Water God, but a cacophony of shing wood resounded throughout the yard nheless.
<span style="font-weight:400">As our violent duet continued, I was able to notice some parts of my swordsmanship that could be improved.
<span style="font-weight:400">By turning my de ever so slightly, it cut through the air a step faster.
<span style="font-weight:400">My steps that would pound against the ground, turning up grass and dirt, became more subtle and controlled, turning into a graceful footwork that allowed me to race across the ground without giving away my next move.
<span style="font-weight:400">And I could feel it.
<span style="font-weight:400">Touki was flowing through every movement like the smooth, yet rapid flow of a streampared to before when it was like the choppy, uncontrolled waves of the open ocean.
<span style="font-weight:400">Was this some kind of enlightenment?
<span style="font-weight:400">It felt… amazing.
<span style="font-weight:400">I unleashed my sword in a downward strike, while Paul’s de ripped through the air horizontally to meet it.
<span style="font-weight:400">But that was a feint.
<span style="font-weight:400">Loosening my grip, I let our swords sh as I dipped my body close to the ground, letting Paul’s sword pass overhead, pushing down my de as it easily overpowered my lightly-held sword.
<span style="font-weight:400">Regaining my grip, I then twisted my body beforending a strike on his open side, touki flowing through my de to give the strike more power, but not sharpness.
<span style="font-weight:400">I didn’t want to kill my father, after all.
<span style="font-weight:400">That would have to wait until he cheated on Mama and Lilia.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oomph!”
<span style="font-weight:400">He wasunched back, and with me quickly getting to my feet, I ced my sword against his neck before he could recover.
<span style="font-weight:400">“It’s- Haa- my win,” I said throughboured breaths.
<span style="font-weight:400">Damn, I was sweaty.
<span style="font-weight:400">Generating some water to wash off my face and hair, I then returned my gaze to the man.
<span style="font-weight:400">Paul’s surprised face quickly turned sour, twisting into a resigned pout.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah. You did. Nice… job,” he said through gritted teeth.
<span style="font-weight:400">He must have been pretty upset to have lost to his eight-year-old kid, and likely a little ashamed too.
<span style="font-weight:400">As he should be.
<span style="font-weight:400">But… he’d bounce back.
<span style="font-weight:400">Mama told me he was always conceited until he almost lost, or needed to be saved, and then he would train until his confidence was healed, and his abilities were increased.
<span style="font-weight:400">Turning to the family, I revealed a wide smile while raising my sword as everyone bursts into cheers.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Amazing Leon!” Sylphy eximed.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Nice job, brother!” Rudy nodded.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hmph! How does it feel getting beat by your own son, Paul? Haha!” Erisughed.
<span style="font-weight:400">Even Mama and Lilia were wearing wide smiles.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well done, Leon. I am sure once he’s done sulking, he’ll congratte you.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“That’s my boy! And Paul! You have your patrol to do, so get up!”
<span style="font-weight:400">Turning back, I watched as Paul’s pout deepened. “No one said I was cool when I won. Even my wives abandoned me…”
<span style="font-weight:400">…I was going to cheer him up, but maybe he deserves to be a bit depressed.
<span style="font-weight:400">I mean, how shameful can you be?
<span style="font-weight:400">Mama turned to him with a smirk. “What? Are you that upset you finally lost? I told you your overconfidence woulde back to bite you one of these days- Huh?”
<span style="font-weight:400">She was interrupted as a trail of liquid dripped down her leg.
<span style="font-weight:400">What? She didn’t… have an ident, right?
<span style="font-weight:400">No… that was-
<span style="font-weight:400">“Husband. Get up and go get the midwife immediately. Zenny, let’s head inside. Leon,e assist your mother,” Liliamanded, quickly taking control of the situation.
<span style="font-weight:400">It seemed it was time for me to greet my new siblings.
<span style="font-weight:400">— Leon Greyrat —
<span style="font-weight:400">I was now a big brother to two baby sisters.
<span style="font-weight:400">Yes, two.
<span style="font-weight:400">I don’t want to recount the details, as it was pretty gross, but shortly after Mama’s birth, Lilia’s child decided it was time to enter the world as well.
<span style="font-weight:400">I guess she didn’t want to fall behind her sister, huh?
<span style="font-weight:400">Mama’s birth was a bit troublesome.
<span style="font-weight:400">It was a breech birth, as Lilia and the midwife called it, which was when the baby’s head wasn’t the first thing leaving the birth canal.
<span style="font-weight:400">So, due to my healing magic and small but strong hands, I had to help guide my new sibling safely into the world.
<span style="font-weight:400">While it was stressful, my efforts proved fruitful, as a healthy baby girl spat out some amniotic fluid before letting out her first cries.
<span style="font-weight:400">I… did not want to experience something like that again.
<span style="font-weight:400">Ever. Again.
<span style="font-weight:400">And then, with everyone celebrating the new life, Lilia went intobour a few momentster.
<span style="font-weight:400">While we were surprised, there were noplications, and with the midwife now ying her part with a normal birth, and Rudy providing a constant supply of warm water, a second baby girl entered this world, once again, with my hands holding the new life as she breathed her first breaths.
<span style="font-weight:400">In both births, Paul was useless, being relegated to moral support and acting as a hand to squeeze.
<span style="font-weight:400">But knowing how hard Mama squeezes… and how pale his hand got… well, I didn’t envy him.
<span style="font-weight:400">Eris and Sylphy, however, while not being in the room since we didn’t want to overcrowd, did bring us fresh nkets and towels, so I’d be sure to thank and praise the two for their helpter.
<span style="font-weight:400">But yes, both baby girls were born healthy, and I got to witness the beautiful faces of new parents once again, but this time, I joined in as well.
<span style="font-weight:400">They were just so… so small!
<span style="font-weight:400">So cute! So wonderful and beautiful!
<span style="font-weight:400">I promised yet again to be the best brother one could ask for and make sure they would grow up happy and healthy.
<span style="font-weight:400">That… was absolutely my most important promise from now on.
<span style="font-weight:400">Norn and Aisha were their names, with Norn being Mama’s girl, and Aisha being Lilia’s.
<span style="font-weight:400">Not that it mattered, though.
<span style="font-weight:400">They were both my dear sisters that I had sworn myself to protect and care for, and I wouldn’t treat them any differently from each other.
<span style="font-weight:400">With both of the cuties sleeping soundly in their basss, and Mama and Lilia resting on the bed after having Rudy, Sylphy, and I heal their soreness, I decided to reveal my gifts to my new sisters.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Mama… Lilia… I got something for the two,” I said, holding the two stuffed animals behind my back.
<span style="font-weight:400">Eris turned toward me with interest. “Is it ‘that’?”
<span style="font-weight:400">I nodded. “Yes, it is.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Everyone else just looked at me in confusion before I pulled them out, revealing a brown bunny in my left hand, and a blue owl in my right.
<span style="font-weight:400">Both of the mothers’ eyes widened in surprise.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I just thought… you know… since I had the money-”
<span style="font-weight:400">“It’s wonderful, sweetie! Here, can I see them?” Mama said, interrupting me.
<span style="font-weight:400">Handing the bunny over to Mama, and the owl over to Lilia, I was about to go back to the door before I was pulled into both of their embrace.
<span style="font-weight:400">“It’s a very nice present, Leon. Here, let’s give it to them. Does it matter who gets which?” Mama asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">I shook my head no.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well? Do you want to give it to them?” Lilia asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">Growing a small smile, I crawled over to the bass, where the two babies were wrapped snugly in a bundle of nkets.
<span style="font-weight:400">Hesitantly, I took the two stuffies,ying the bunny next to Norn, and the owl next to Aisha.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hehe. They’re almost as big as them!” Sylphy said, looking at the two from over my shoulder.
<span style="font-weight:400">Indeed, it almost looked like there were four newborns cuddled together.
<span style="font-weight:400">As I wanted their new toys tost for a while, I didn’t care if the stuffed animals were a little big, since they would grow into them.
<span style="font-weight:400">Eris popped her head over my other shoulder, looking at the two with veiled interest before muttering, “Hmm… babies are pretty small, huh?”
<span style="font-weight:400">We watched the two sleeping babies in silence for a few moments before Mama spoke up.
<span style="font-weight:400">“But Leon… didn’t that cost quite a bit? Even we didn’t get anything like that for Rudy…”
<span style="font-weight:400">I shook my head. “Don’t worry about it. It… wasn’t that much.”
<span style="font-weight:400">That was a lie.
<span style="font-weight:400">And seeing how Lilia gave me a knowing smirk, it wasn’t a very good one.
<span style="font-weight:400">But if it made my sisters happy… well, the price truly wasn’t that much.
<span style="font-weight:400">“You’re already a siscon, huh?” Rudy said from behind me. “I can’t believe you’ve already given them a present, when all you’ve done for me is ruin Roxy’s used panties.”
<span style="font-weight:400">He shook his head in a joking manner but quickly realized the awkward silence in the air, and consequently, his slip of the tongue.
<span style="font-weight:400">“…Rudy? What exactly are you talking about?” Mama asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Rudy…” Sylphy said with disappointment.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hmph! I had a feeling you were like that!” Eris huffed.
<span style="font-weight:400">Lilia, meanwhile, only sent him a sad smile. “Sorry, Rudeus. I won’t be able to save you this time.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Brother… you’re a bit stupid, huh?
<span style="font-weight:400">That must be the Paul in him.
<span style="font-weight:400">Speaking of… where was the man?
<span style="font-weight:400">Getting to my feet, I then looked out the window, only to see Paul swinging his sword in the yard.
<span style="font-weight:400">Oh… I guess Mama was right about him training after getting embarrassed.
<span style="font-weight:400">Well… good for him, I guess.
<span style="font-weight:400">But… shouldn’t you be with your family right now?
<span style="font-weight:400">— Leon Greyrat —
<span style="font-weight:400">My baby sisters were now a week old, and much to my relief, they were normal, unlike Rudy was when he was a baby.
<span style="font-weight:400">It wasn’t like I hated Rudy or anything.
<span style="font-weight:400">Despite his… entricities, I loved him deeply as a brother.
<span style="font-weight:400">But with his advanced maturity, I didn’t have many chances to act as an amazing older brother or dote on him… which might also be due to me being two when he was born.
<span style="font-weight:400">Anyway, Norn and Aisha were normal, and as a result, they cried. A lot.
<span style="font-weight:400">When they wet themselves, they cried.
<span style="font-weight:400">When they were hungry, they cried.
<span style="font-weight:400">Even when nothing was happening, they cried.
<span style="font-weight:400">But I understood them, to an extent.
<span style="font-weight:400">Thinking back to my time as a baby, even though I didn’t cry much, I remember how everything was new and a bit scary, even with my Miko-granted knowledge.
<span style="font-weight:400">It might be this understanding that made me able to calm them down quite easily, though my magic also helped.
<span style="font-weight:400">You see, with healing magic, while it focused on healing injuries, it also had applications of calming down the patient.
<span style="font-weight:400">After all, if you healed arge wound, it wouldn’t really matter if the patient died from shock a momentter.
<span style="font-weight:400">And so, I used this application to it’s fullest, helping my baby sisters remain calm with all the new sensations in this big, scary world.
<span style="font-weight:400">It was also due to this understanding that I didn’t find their cries annoying.
<span style="font-weight:400">Instead, I just found them endearing.
<span style="font-weight:400">I wanted to cuddle them and make them feel better out of love, rather than doing it just to quiet them down.
<span style="font-weight:400">Though I couldn’t say the same for Paul…
<span style="font-weight:400">This was his second time having children.
<span style="font-weight:400">Third, if you count me when I joined the Fangs of the ck Wolf.
<span style="font-weight:400">And while I understood that Rudy and I weren’t exactly normal, I still expected him to be a bit better after all this time.
<span style="font-weight:400">But Paul was Paul, I suppose.
<span style="font-weight:400">Luckily, Lilia was able to show off her housekeeping abilities, Mama always had that loving touch that babies would crave, and Rudy was surprisingly skilled at taking care of our sisters, so the four of us were able to easily fill in.
<span style="font-weight:400">But yes, my sisters were healthy, they were also very cute, and things were good.
<span style="font-weight:400">Speaking of Paul, he had trained extra hard into the night for the two days after my sisters’ birth until the third day, where he then defeated me in our spar.
<span style="font-weight:400">He went back to his usual routine of only light morning training after that.
<span style="font-weight:400">It was exactly as Mama said, once his pride and confidence were renewed, he went back to doing the bare minimum to keep up his current skills rather than aiming to advance them.
<span style="font-weight:400">How disappointing.
<span style="font-weight:400">But I guess he was retired, so I shouldn’t have expected much else.
<span style="font-weight:400">Anyway, while my swordsmanship had improved ever since my victory against Paul, or more specifically, after my ‘enlightenment’, I was still not better with the de than my father.
<span style="font-weight:400">I suppose my sudden improvement having caught him off guard was the only reason for my win.
<span style="font-weight:400">But I didn’t mind.
<span style="font-weight:400">I was still young and had lots of time to improve as well as experience to gain.
<span style="font-weight:400">I wonder what Ghiine will think of my new abilities though… I hope she’ll be proud of me.
<span style="font-weight:400">And I wasn’t the only one to improve my swordsmanship.
<span style="font-weight:400">Eris and Rudy proved to be good sparring partners, as both were close in abilities and as a result, they had both grown a noticeable amount in my time here.
<span style="font-weight:400">Well, Eris was a bit better, but Rudy was closer to herpared to the likes of Ghiine, Paul, and I.
<span style="font-weight:400">Eris was stronger than Rudy, had better instincts, and at least in terms of the Sword God style, had better technique.
<span style="font-weight:400">Rudy, on the other hand, was more patient, and with his training in the Water God and North God, more adaptable.
<span style="font-weight:400">And since he had been sparring with Paul for a while now while Eris used most of her time building her foundations, he also had morebat experience.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Why are you slowing down!?” Eris yelled.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Because you’re scary, Eris,” Rudy exined smoothly.
<span style="font-weight:400">“How pathetic!” she eximed before continuing her assault.
<span style="font-weight:400">Well… yeah, they were doing fine.
<span style="font-weight:400">But we weren’t the only ones practising the sword.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Try not to overstep. Okay, Sylphy? It messes up your bnce and makes you easier to hit,” I said, lightly tapping her leg with my wooden sword.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Sorry… I just don’t think I’m cut out for this,” she pouted.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I agree. You’re definitely not a swordswoman.” Her pout deepened at my words. “But this training isn’t for you to learn swordsmanship, but rather to hone your battle instincts. With chantless magic, you’re able to fight in closebat, so you should learn how to.”
<span style="font-weight:400">While it would be better for her to fight at range, of course, the world wasn’t so kind as to y fairly like that.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I understand, but… I don’t n on adventuring or anything. Why would I need to know how to fight?” she asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Because you might need to defend yourself. Especially since you’re so cute and talented,” I exined.
<span style="font-weight:400">It wasn’t a lie or an emptypliment.
<span style="font-weight:400">In this world, monsters weren’t the most dangerous foe, but rather, people were.
<span style="font-weight:400">Kidnapping, assassination, mugging… all that nauseating stuff.
<span style="font-weight:400">And a girl like Sylphy would definitely be a prime target, especially when she grew up into the beauty I expected her to be.
<span style="font-weight:400">“H-Huh!? U-Umm, thank you, Leon. L-Let’s continue!” she eximed.
<span style="font-weight:400">Ha. So she was embarrassed, huh?
<span style="font-weight:400">I guess I did say some embarrassing things, so it was only natural.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Alright. It would be better to not close your eyes, though,” I teased.
<span style="font-weight:400">And with that, our little spar continued.
<span style="font-weight:400">Hmm… once she got a bit better withbat, I think we could move onto magic-based sparring.
<span style="font-weight:400">Roxy had mentioned a ss like that in Ranoa, and I was interested in how chantless magic could be used in a fight.