Kakukami | The King of Cooking
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Ch.11 I Was Bullied So Hard I Was Isekai'ed Into A World of Sword And Magic And Emerged As The Lightning Samurai God To Hatefuck My Former Bully Until She Got Heart Eyes
🕑 Added 2024-11-27 05:03:56 +0000 UTC— Paul Greyrat (Two Months Later) —
The sky was blue, and the sun cast warm rays down upon them in the early morning.
As per usual, Law and Paul were training, although today was a bit different.
Usually Paul would be sparring with Law, but today, the Greyrat father stood beside the rest of his family, with their backs to the house as he watched Law gracefully swing his blade.
Paul watched with quiet fascination as his son performed every single technique he had taught him, from Beginner level up to Advanced in all styles.
It was an impressive sight, one that made Paul bubble with pride… and a bit of sadness.
Law had completely gone above and beyond what a child his age could do, or any child for that matter!
Paul had thought when he had kids, he would spend their entire childhoods teaching them the sword.
In all honesty, he had only expected Law to have reached Intermediate level at most by his tenth birthday, but that would never have been enough for him.
In just five short years, Law had learned everything Paul had to teach him.
And not only did he learn it all, he mastered each technique with grace!
As Law spun around and dropped low before swinging his blade, Paul immediately recognized the offensive, yet restrained power that Sword God specialized in, then Law brought his blade closer to him and mimicked a parry, as if he was being attacked. The way the boy gripped the handle, the fluidity in his motions, it was all perfect.
Not a single flaw in sight.
Then Law brought his blade to rest on his shoulders, and spun, faster than most could see him as he launched into the air.
He let the blade go and it went flying before the tip of it firmly impacted the bark of Zenith’s tree. The sword plunged so deep that it stayed there, unmoving as everyone watched in awe.
Law, his second son… had surpassed him, at least in terms of skill.
Paul tensed a bit as he felt a hand slip into his, and when he looked down, he saw Zenith smiling softly. It was a sad smile, and Paul could tell it was for him.
He offered her a resigned grin, to show her that it’s not as bad as she thought it was.
Sure, Paul wanted to teach Law so much more, and to be the one to push his boy to the next level, but seeing his son grow as fast as he did in such a short time did wonders for Paul’s pride!
His pride in his son.
Lilia wrapped her arm around his on the opposite side of Zenith and gave him a more encouraging smile.
Paul closed his eyes and accepted the life he had been built as easily as he accepted the wind flowing through his hair.
Both Lilia and Zenith were nearing the end of their pregnancies, and both Rudy and Law had grown into a fine mage and a fine swordsman.
Both of his sons had maximized their stays here, at their home, but it was time for them to move on to better themselves in the paths they chose.
Paul’s youngest boy, gifted with Zenith’s golden hair and bright blue eyes, walked up to his sword and pulled it out of the tree before turning around and walking over to the family Paul had built.
“How was that?” Law asked, placing his hand on his hip with a cocky smirk.
“It was good.” Paul crossed his arms and nodded. He knew his words upset Law, who had been hoping for high praise.
If Paul had nothing less to teach Law when it came to the sword, he’d ensure his duty of raising him was done right.
Arrogance was a killer, one Paul wished to flush out as soon as possible.
Law’s smirk faded into thin pursed lips.
“I did everything you taught me, was it good enough?” The boy rephrased his question in a way that sounded more respectful, and Paul nodded easily.
“You have successfully performed every technique from Beginner to Advanced in all three sword styles… minus a few.” Paul averted his gaze and placed a hand on his chin.
Law didn’t actually demonstrate all of them, there were some that were awkward to do without a partner, and in some cases were even more awkward to perform when you did have one!
Like North God Style’s throwing techniques… There were quite a few of those, so Paul only had Law demonstrate one.
“Mmm.” Law nodded.
“And because of that…I no longer have anything left to teach you.” Paul admitted with a proud smile, which made Law’s eyes widen in surprise.
“… Are you sure?” The golden-haired boy asked with a shaky voice.
Paul’s smile grew just a few levels wider as he shook his head.
Law let out a shaky breath and dropped to his knees and looked at the ground. His fists balled, and it almost looked like he was upset.
“Law honey, are you alright?” Zenith asked with slight worry in her tone.
“Master Law…” Lilia’s eyes widened as she took a couple of steps forward to check on him.
“I did it!” Law launched up onto his feet and threw his hands in the air, startling both women. “I really did it!”
Both women calmed themselves and leveled stern glares at Law, but the boy was uncaring. The youngest Greyrat laughed long and hard, and Paul began to see his son in a new light.
Not only was Law going to be a great swordsman, but he’d also become a well respected man.
Paul reflected on his own life and realized he had made many mistakes. Leaving his house at twelve wasn’t one of them, but squandering his potential and latching onto women was.
Law… would become the man Paul had wanted to be.
He’d become a powerful and well respected swordsman, one with a good reputation and a load of wealth, both financially, and emotionally.
The boy would make it, of that Paul was sure.
“You may have learned everything I had to teach you.” Paul started as he stepped closer to his youngest son and placed a hand on his hip. “But you are far from finished with the sword. Your progress with Battle Aura is impressive, even more so than me, and your mastery over techniques may be the greatest I’ve seen to date.” Paul coughed into his hand. “But you lack experience. Experience can decide whether you freeze and die, or fight and live. It is what hones our blades and makes us sharper.”
“I understand, Father.” Law nodded with focused eyes. Paul grinned internally at how closely the boy was paying attention.
“Good, then you must know what is expected of you next.” Paul cleared his throat and put his hands behind his back. “You must set out and further your sword skills. Normally I would suggest becoming an adventurer to gain some experience, but you are still young, and the harsh life of an adventurer is not one for children.”
Law frowned at his words, but Paul wouldn’t budge on that. Anyone under twelve is a child in his eyes, and Law was only five.
“So until you’re older, you will continue advancing up the levels of the three styles. To do so, you’ll have to head out and become an apprentice to one of the accomplished swordsmen out there. A Sword Saint, or Sword King if at all possible.” Paul finished with a twinkle in his eyes.
He already knew just the one, and couldn’t wait to see that muscled ass of hers again!
“Um… Father.” Law interrupted Paul’s thoughts, making the older man blink.
“Eh, what’s up?”
“… I actually had another plan in mind.” Law pressed his fingers together, and Paul could immediately tell Law was going to say something he didn’t agree with. Why else would he be so shy?
“Speak.” Paul crossed his arms. He’d hear the boy out at the very least, but he leveled a side-eye glance at Rudeus who smiled innocently.
He wouldn’t allow Rudy to say anything to sway his opinion. If the older boy tried, Paul would hush him up quickly.
“Well, I wanted to try and focus more on my Water Magic, and my Healing Magic as well if that’s even possible.” Law scratched his head. “And the only place I can think of that may allow me to do both… is the Ranoa University of Magic.”
Paul stared at Law with narrowed eyes.
“No.” Was his short answer.
Paul grit his teeth as he felt elbows press into both of his sides. Both Lilia and Zenith were practically glaring at him, and Paul realized quickly that just brushing off the boy's request wouldn’t go well for him.
A sigh escaped the Greyrat Patriarch.
“Fine, I’ll hear you out, but it’s about time we have some lunch, so let’s handle that first.” Paul relented, which got a relieved and thankful smile out of Law.
Rudeus gave his little brother a thumbs up, and Paul eyed the two as they made their way into the house.
They were planning something… and Paul was going to get to the bottom of it.
— Law Greyrat —
“You think he’ll say yes?” I asked as I laid on my bed, eyes locked on the ceiling.
“No way to know for sure.” Rudeus admitted with a frown. “All though… if this place is anything like the last, the tuition is going to be expensive.”
“Yeah.” I frowned deeply.
Finishing my sword training with Paul was huge, and it made me feel on top of the world, but I couldn’t stay too caught up in it. Now that my training was complete, there was nothing holding Rudy and I here anymore.
We had both become Saint Level Water Mages and had no way of improving further unless we left. I had also maxed out in Healing Magic thanks to the book Zenith gave me, so I could wordlessly cast Advanced Level Healing Magic.
The Magic University was our best bet for improving, and my reasoning for wanting to go there first was calculated.
The original book we read says that Magic reserves do not grow from birth, but obviously that was wrong.
Rudy and I still push our mana pools over the limit to this day and they’re still growing.
But the fact that the people who wrote the book think that mana is determined at birth means something very worrying for us.
Either it’s the best case scenario, where Rudy and I are the exceptions because we were reincarnated into this world, or the more realistic scenario, our mana pools will stop growing sooner or later.
While Rudeus and I may have extremely large pools of mana, growing them doesn’t hurt, at least in Rudeus’ case.
My mana pool doesn’t even come close to his. In fact, the gap has grown since we were kids.
Which really isn’t good for me, especially since being a swordsman and a mage costs a lot of mana.
Battle Aura is produced by mana manipulation, which means it costs mana to use.
So on top of using magic, I’d be constantly burning away my mana the more I use Battle Aura, and if I increase the amount of mana I put into my Battle Aura, I’ll end up burning through it even faster.
The Magic University is my best bet, I can always advance my sword skills later, but my magic potential seems to only have a limited time to grow.
“The two of us alone may already be a lot, but then Sylphy as well… it’s going to be really hard to convince him.”
“I don’t think we can.” I admitted. “I can already tell he doesn’t want me to go, but I'm sure he wouldn’t mind sending you there. Sylphy though…”
Yeah, there was no chance Paul would pay for Sylphy.
I don’t really know the currency of this world, we’ve never had any real reason to learn, but Rudy and I were smart enough to know that our family wasn’t exactly well off.
We make just enough to live comfortably and more or less live off of our good natured neighbors.
Paul gives protection, they give us food.
It ain’t much, but it’s honest work.
“We could get jobs.” I crossed my arms as I had the idea.
“You think they’d allow that?” Rudy looked up from my book on Healing Magic to give me a quick glance.
“Maybe.” I tapped my bed.
Doubtful, but we could hope.
“Rudy, Law, lunch is ready!” Zenith called out and both of us pushed ourselves up and out of our room.
It was go time!
We went down the stairs and felt as if we were walking into the final boss’s cave.
Paul was staring at us with focused eyes, all while he ate from his bowl of stew.
“Take your seats.” He invited/ordered and we did as we were told.
Our bowls were already laid out for us, and I had to admit, the food looked delicious.
I gave Lilia a thankful smile, one she returned with fondness as I took a bite and glanced at Rudy.
If there was one thing I could admit when it comes to Rudy, I don’t hold a candle to him in terms of IQ.
The guy knows how to get what he wants and has a good way with his tongue, so if anyone was going to get us to the Magic University, it was him.
“Father…” Rudy said after a long silence.
Paul eyed Rudy and put down his spoon.
“Rudy.”
Rudeus gave me one last look before taking a breath and sitting up straight.
“Law and I would like you to find work for us, the higher the pay, the better.”
Zenith and Lilia put down their spoons and turned to Paul as his eyes remained locked with Rudy’s.
“Why?” Paul asked. His one simple question.
“Both of us would like to attend the Magic University… and we’d like to take Sylphy as well.”
Paul closed his eyes in quiet contemplation and all of us remained quiet.
After about half a minute, his green eyes slowly opened and he leaned back in his chair.
“… I will see what I can do.”
My eyes shot open as I looked at Rudy who was equally as surprised.
That easy?!
… Were we being tricked?
“Just like that?” Rudy asked with narrowed eyes once he regained his composure.
“Just like that. If things go as planned, you both will get what you want, but if it fails, I cannot promise you anything.”
I placed my hand on my chin and fell into thought.
Paul already had something planned, which means he expected us to ask for work, or he was already prepared to send us to work for our tuition, which I didn’t mind either way.
“Thank you, Father!” Rudy grinned and looked at me and I nodded.
“Yes, thank you for this opportunity, Father.” I bowed my head slightly in appreciation.
“Thank me once I get word back.” Paul grinned.
— Paul Greyrat —
Paul smiled internally as he took another bite of the delicious stew.
Just like that he had gotten exactly what he wanted.
In a fair argument with Rudy, Paul knew he could never win without pulling out his authority but in this case, he didn’t need to.
Paul had already wanted to send Law to train with Ghislaine who he knew was working for his cousin, Phillip. The way Paul had even managed to get this bit of land in the first place was through Phillip, and he knew his cousin well enough to know he’d hire the boys as long as they proved themselves useful.
Law is a powerful swordsman with a lot of potential who could become a bodyguard, while Rudeus specializes in magic and can offer his service as a magic tutor to Philip’s daughter.
Paul took a sip of the water in his cup and smiled.
For the first time in his life, he had come to an agreement with Rudeus without doing anything. Everything just happened to align perfectly.
And the boys thanked him for it.
— Law Greyrat (Two Months Later) —
I stared down fondly at the little hand wrapped around my finger. Curious green eyes looked up at me as I gently rubbed the little girl’s stomach with my free hand.
Both Zenith and Lilia had given birth a couple of weeks ago and these two little girls had been added to our family.
The baby clinging tightly to my finger was Zenith’s daughter, Norn, a blonde-haired green-eyed cutie.
That being said, my little half sister wasn’t to be let out either.
“I must be in Heaven.” I heard Rudeus whisper as he gently tapped the little red-haired baby’s cheek. “And I’m glad to have you here with me, Aisha.” He placed a soft kiss on her forehead which made her babble.
Aisha was Lilia’s daughter. Red hair and green-eyes. I guess I was the only child of Paul’s to be born with blue eyes.
I’d happily take it though, Mother’s eyes are beautiful.
“They’re so pretty.” Sylphy whispered from her place beside us and we couldn’t help but smile at the girl.
Even though I was younger than her, I had long since begun acknowledging Sylphy as my little sister, even if she didn’t know.
I had a feeling Rudy felt the same way, she was just too adorable to not cast aside.
“They are.” Paul walked into the room with an extra pep in his step.
Yeah, he’s been rocking that walk for the past couple of weeks, good for him honestly.
“Maybe one day you’ll have a child as adorable as mine.” Paul placed a kind hand on Sylphy’s head as she smiled up at the man.
Poor innocent Sylphy, does she even know how to make babies yet?
I know she was there to witness both Lilia and Zenith give birth, so I’m sure she knows how they’re delivered, but based on her reaction to Paul’s words, I don’t think she’s aware of how they’re made.
And she doesn’t need to know, ever.
The day she figures it out is the day I start breaking legs.
“Waaah!” Norn started crying suddenly which stole the attention of everyone in the room.
Aisha’s small head turned to her crying sister and her eyes began to wetten with tears.
Oh Gods, please don’t-
“Waaaah!”
“Waaaah!”
And now we have two crying babies…
“What happened!” Zenith burst into the room with Lilia in tow.
“Hungry maybe?” Paul rubbed the back of his head and took a step aside as both of his wives stepped forward and picked up their daughters.
I didn’t miss how awkward Paul was, he seemed as if he had no idea what he was doing when it came to those babies—though to be fair, Rudy and I hardly acted like normal children.
Both Zenith and Lilia rocked their daughters in their arms, attempting to calm the two down, but their crying persisted.
Zenith stayed and continued her attempts at soothing Norn, while Lilia walked away, likely with the attention of minimizing the noise of her child in our presence.
I frowned as I watched the red-haired woman leave the room.
Lilia had always been like this, even after marrying Paul, she tried to keep her existence as low key as possible, and I hated that.
She was a member of our family, and I wanted her to see that. So I followed her.
Lilia walked into the room we liked to refer to as the storage room, mainly because it was where we kept a chest of items and all of the books we owned.
I walked in after her and watched as she rocked Aisha.
To my surprise, Aisha’s cries began to die down, and soon the baby girl was quietly staring up at her mother with teary eyes.
Lilia brushed the tears away with a fond smile, and I had to admit, Lilia was really good at taking care of babies.
“Aisha rarely cries in your arms.” I spoke up, making my presence known. Lilia turned to me with slight surprise but still offered me a smile.
I moved deeper into the room and sat down on the chest. I patted the spot beside me, since there was room for her as well, and she quickly understood my intentions.
Lilia walked over and took a seat beside me on the chest and a comfortable silence fell over us.
I put my finger just below Aisha’s chin, and the baby girl grabbed it with her tiny hand.
“She is very fond of you, Master Law.” Lilia side-eyed me with a knowing smile.
“The feeling is mutual.”
The silence fell back over us, and this time I pondered on what to say.
Lilia tended to tell us stories about our parents and any interactions she’d had with them. She would even tell us what she knew of their adventuring days-
But she rarely spoke about her own past.
“Lilia…” I rubbed the back of my head nervously, earning her purple-eyed gaze.
“Yes, Master Law?”
“I… wanted to ask you about your past. I just realized I barely know anything about your past before working here.”
I know she had met Paul in the past, I know she had been a swordswoman, and I know she’s settled on being a maid.
That’s pretty much it, plus some of the more detailed moments of her interactions with Paul.
There was another silence, and I feared I may have said something that upset her, but as I looked up at her, I saw surprise in beautiful eyes.
“I… of course, would not be opposed to sharing the events of my past.” Lilia brushed her hair out of her face with her free hand.
I let out a breath of relief and gave the woman my full attention.
And the more she spoke, the more I regretted asking.
Lilia told me about how she once worked as a battle-maid for Asura’s concubine palace. Basically she served as a maid who would serve and defend the concubines of the king.
She was decent in swordsmanship, ranking Intermediate in Water God style, which was about average.
My heart slowed when she told me that she appreciated Paul for taking her virginity so that she could be spared from losing it to the fat nobles in the palace.
It showed me just how scummy people could be, and how little say those deemed insignificant had.
Nobility and Royalty ran shit, and going against them was punishable by death.
Lilia then explained how she helped one of the concubines deliver a princess, and was tasked to protect her.
That didn’t last long though, as someone had already sent assassins to slay the young babe.
Lilia defended the princess but managed to be cut with a short sword coated with poison.
The healers managed to save her life by throwing together some newly discovered cure, but the injury forever limited Lilia.
She could no longer run or stomp the earth with her full strength.
Which meant she couldn’t be a swordswoman anymore.
She was let go by the Palace, deemed useless by them, even though she had put her life on the line to defend their princess.
Then she traveled to the Fittoa region where she learned of Paul and Zenith’s need of a midwife, and she’s been here ever since.
My fists clenched in rage as she finished and my eyes narrowed dangerously. Never for a moment did I expect this world to be anymore fair than my last, but what they did to Lilia… it was unforgivable, completely inexcusable!
I felt her soft hand fall upon my clenched fist, and as I looked up at her, she gave me a reassuring smile.
“Please don’t be angry on my behalf, Young Master. You must understand, everything that happened led to this. My past allowed me to sit beside you. I’d go through all of that again to be where I am today.”
My eyes widened and I couldn’t remove them from her.
The gentle care in her purple eyes, the content smile on her lips, and her gentle hand caressing mine were all proof of her words.
She was happy here… and she didn’t want me to feel any hatred toward those that wronged her.
But I couldn’t.
I stood up suddenly, surprising her. I moved so I was in front of her, looking down.
“All this time, I’ve taken you for granted.” I admitted as I swallowed my spit and forced myself to keep eye contact with her. “And I’m sorry for that.”
“You needn’t apologize, Master-”
“I must!” I cut her off and placed my hand on my chest. My eyes then trailed down to her legs, and I crouched down. “May I see it?”
A moment of hesitation crossed Lilia as she averted her gaze from mine. All the while I waited patiently for her answer.
“I would not wish to burden you.”
“I want to see it, Lilia.” I assured her with pleading eyes.
I couldn’t show her the love and care she deserved all this time, but I knew I would going forward. Still, as a healer, I had a responsibility to at least check if there was anything I could do for her.
To have her remain disabled… I couldn’t do that.
Aisha cooed softly in her arms, and Lilia looked down at her daughter with an unsure gaze.
“As you wish, Master Law.”
I smiled thankfully at her and brought my hands to the bottom of her skirt.
A healthy blush graced my cheeks as I pushed her skirt up. Slender legs and creamy thighs greeted me the further I got, and eventually I stopped once her skirt was pushed up to her waist.
Her white panties were completely visible to me, but out of respect to her, I didn’t look too much. The full length of her injury was on display, a diagonal slash from the upper half of her thigh down to just above her knee.
I could even picture a few ways this injury could have happened. Perhaps she redirected the attacker's blade but lacked the power to fully clear it from her body. That was the most likely possibility in any case.
I ran my hand along her injury, ignoring how soft the woman’s thighs were.
The cut looked like it went deep, based on the scarring, but I couldn’t tell just how deep due to how much time has passed. Using a basic chantless heal I get a good look at the injury internally.
“I… think I may be able to help you.” I said slowly, surprising her.
“Young Master… are you sure?” Lilia stammered out, losing her professionalism for just a moment before catching herself.
“No.” I shook my head, toning down her happiness a few levels. “I’m not sure, but I think there’s a chance.”
“I see, I would appreciate your help, Master.”
I eyed the injury, one hand running along it while the other stroked my chin.
The cut was diagonal over her thigh, and based on the location, her femoral vein in her thigh had been cut.
Which would normally be a fatal injury.
But with healing magic and how fast she received aid, she managed to get by with her life.
However, there was a good chance the poison got into her femoral vein and damaged it before she could be treated. The poison was cured, but I doubt that applied to the already damaged areas.
Unless someone knew exactly what was damaged, the chances of healing this kind of injury was low, especially since it dealt with such a complex subject like the deep anatomy and physiology of a body.
“Hm.” I tapped my chin a few times. Lilia remained silent as I worked.
The sound of footsteps approaching snapped me out of my thoughts, and my eyes widened as Paul walked into the room.
He paused, his green-eyes widening as he looked at me, then at Lilia, then the way Lilia’s skirt was pushed up.
“Lord Paul, Master Law is attempting to heal my injury.” Lilia clarified immediately. I could tell she was just as startled by his appearance as I.
Any rage Paul was about to unleash died in his chest as he paused and inspected me again. His eyes narrowed and locked on my hand that was brushing against her scar.
He stayed quiet for a long while before finally letting a sigh escape him.
“Alright, I get it.” He walked deeper into the room and stopped beside us. “Continue.”
I smiled wryly at the man and realized that could have gone far worse.
If Rudy was found like this, I have no doubt Paul would have assumed the worst and no amount of words would have changed his mind.
“Oh, so this is where you both were.” Zenith entered the room with Rudeus and Sylphy in tow.
Norn wasn’t with her so I assumed the baby girl was asleep.
All of their eyes widened as they saw the position both Lilia and I were in, but I forced myself to ignore them.
Where the hell was I again?
Ah, right. Her leg was damaged by the poison, which means the way to help her would be to heal the damage done in the precise locations that were damaged and from there she would need some time to rehabilitate.
I nodded with a smile and looked up at her.
“I’m certain I can fix the problem now.” I said with a knowing smile, proud of my diagnosis.
Lilia’s eyes widened and Paul grabbed my shoulders.
“Are you sure?!” He practically shouted and I nodded.
“The poison, while cured, damaged one of the veins in your leg beyond the ability of advanced magic or below to repair, at least by normal means.” I explained and locked my eyes into Lilia’s injury. “But I can heal it by focusing my magic through the damaged vein. Wordless Magic allowing a far more thorough job”
“Then do it!” Paul demanded and I ignored his rudeness, I could understand his want for Lilia to get better.
A green glow emitted from my hand as I forced my magic through the layers of her skin and down into her femoral vein.
My magic spread through it, from the top of her thigh where her vein branched off, down to where the vein ended at around her mid thigh.
I narrowed my eyes in concentration, and once I had spread the magic all the way through, I began to dump more and more in.
I heard a sudden breath escape Lilia, and took that as a good sign.
I continued dumping mana in until I felt as though it was enough. If it wasn’t, I’d just try again.
“That should do it.” My lips twitched upward as I rose back to my feet.
I turned to see everyone staring at me in surprise, but their attention was quickly shifted to Lilia.
The red-haired woman slowly stood up, putting her full weight on her leg as her skirt fell to its rightful place.
Her face contorted with shock as she tapped the floor a few times with her foot.
“It’s not as strong as it once was, but it has the potential to get there.” I explained
And Lilia looked at me with strained eyes.
“So it worked?!” Paul looked at me and I placed a hand on my hips and gave him a proud nod.
If there was one thing I could come to appreciate from my last life, it was the knowledge I was forced to cram into my brain.
Paul wasted no time and wrapped his arms around Lilia who was still in shock, holding her baby girl.
“That’s incredible, Lilia!” His arms tightened around her body and we all watched with relieved smiles.
“How did you manage that?” Rudeus stepped beside me and nudged me in the side with his elbow.
“Wordless magic gives you an actual look into the injury because as you know all wordless magic requires manual setting of the parameters, unlike chants where it is all automatic and preset.”
Rudeus eyed me with a knowing smile, showing me that my words weren’t new knowledge to him.
“I’ll explain more later.” I let out a sigh, only adding more amusement to his eyes.
Suddenly I felt two large soft mounds press against my head as Zenith wrapped her arms around me.
“No matter how much time I spend with you both, you always continue to surprise me.” She spoke softly as her hand ran through my hair.
“I assure you mother, we don’t mean to.” I chuckled and rubbed my cheek. A soft giggle escaped her as she gently turned me toward her and placed a kiss on my forehead.
“Well I’m glad for it. The more you surprise me, the less I worry.” Zenith admitted with a bright smile, and I couldn’t help but blush at her words of genuine care.
That smile, I wanted to see it as much as possible.
“Though don’t get any girls pregnant before you're 15, that's not a good surprise.” Paul added from the side.
“We’re not you.” I added.
“No Promises.” Rudeus added with a smile on his face, making me turn and give him the stink eye. Paul meanwhile still had a goofy smile on his face, while Zenith looked conflicted. Probably about whether or not it is too early for grandbabies.
It was moments like these that made me thankful for what I have. The happy atmosphere of the room and smiling faces pushed away the darkness of my past.
This was my family now, and that thought brought comfort to my heart.
— One Month Later —
Over the course of the last month, life has never been better!
With Lilia’s leg healed, she eased into more strenuous activities to regain the muscle she had lost. Which led her back to sword training with Paul and I.
According to Paul, she wasn’t anywhere near the level she had once been, but time would correct that. She also went up against Rudy to get used to dealing with mages.
I hadn’t expected healing her leg to bring about such a big change in all of our lives, although I suppose I should have.
Lilia training with us has caused us to grow even closer to her and enjoy her company more besides our meals and running into her while she was doing her chores.
A more subtle but very important change that I had noticed was Lilia’s insistence on babying and attending to me whenever I have longer sparring days with Paul, or when I suffer an injury and heal it.
It’s not hard to tell that she’s thankful for what I did, and even though I’ve told her multiple times that I didn’t need to be paid back for healing her, she insisted that her change in attitude wasn’t because of that.
… Which is a lie, but I wouldn’t call her out on it.
So all in all, life has been good and getting better with time.
*SHING*
Both Paul and I’s steel blades clashed against one another’s. As he went to slash at my chest, I countered easily with Water God Style, gracefully parrying the attack and following up with a counter of my own.Paul blocked the attack with a toothy grin.
Both of us were using our Battle Aura, not that either of us could see it.
With all the techniques learnt there really wasn’t much left to do besides spar and keep ourselves fit.
Of course Paul, being the man he is, decided that we should use our steel swords in a sparring match so that I could gain some experience in semi-dangerous combat.
We were going all out but not with the intention of cutting each other, but even if one of us got cut, I could just use healing magic.
Paul launched forward with an explosive step and slashed horizontally, and my eyes widened at where that slash would have gone if I didn’t block it.
“Don’t you think that was a bit close to my neck?” I questioned through gritted teeth as both of us struggled for dominance.
“You’re good enough to block it. You’re my son after all.” Paul grinned as he pressed his sword down harder.
As I strained my muscles in an attempt to win the clash, I noticed a wagon approaching in the corner of my eye.
“Wait timeout, who is that?” I asked and waited for Paul to stop pressing his blade against mine. He turned to the approaching wagon and narrowed his eyes.
Paul pulled away and sheathed his sword and seeing him do so, I did the same.
The wagon stopped in front of our wall and both Paul and I eyed it.
The door to the wagon opened and out stepped a tall, muscular beastwoman with large breasts, scars littering her body, and an eyepatch over her right eye.
“I had a feeling it was you, Ghislaine.” Paul greeted with an appreciative smile. I looked up at him and didn’t miss the way his eyes were locked on her rack.
“Paul.” She greeted him evenly. Even her voice was gruff!
“Oh my, is that you, Ghislaine?!” Zenith came out of the house holding Norn and rushed over to us. I saw Lilia come out a bit after her with Aisha in her arms and Rudeus in tow.
“Zenith, long time no see.” Ghislaine greeted my mother with a small smile.
“How have things been for you?” Zenith prodded with a wide smile, it was clear she enjoyed talking to this woman.
And then it hit me.
Ghislaine… as in the Beastwoman Paul and Zenith had on their Adventuring Squad?!
The fucking Sword King?!
“Can’t complain, work is easy, pay is good.” Ghislaine’s smile grew a bit. “Seems like you’ve got your hands full.”
Zenith looked down and smiled. “Yes, the work of a mother is never done!”
“Agreed.” Lilia hummed from behind Zenith.
Ghislaine’s eye trailed from Zenith over to Lilia, then back to Paul and down to me. I could see that the lone eye grew more intense, analyzing me with scrutinizing care.
“Your son… which one is this one?” Ghislaine asked slowly.
“Heh, this is the swordsman, my youngest son, Law!” Paul openly bragged as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Advanced in all three Sword Styles.”
“Mmm, I see.” Ghislaine eyed me for a moment before looking back at Paul. “Must suck, your kid’s as strong as you.”
Paul’s positive atmosphere completely crumbled, his face twitched and signs of anger were starting to show.
“You… still have the same ignorant mouth as before I see.” Paul’s eyes twitched.
“Be nice.” Zenith slapped him lightly.
“So that one’s the mage?” Ghislaine looked over at Rudeus and… like father like son, his eyes were locked onto the beast woman’s breasts.
“That he is!” Zenith beamed a smile. “That’s our oldest boy, Rudeus!”
“Hm, both of your boys are strong, Zenith, you did a good job raising them.” Ghislaine complimented the blonde woman who blushed at the praise.
“Thank you, those boys definitely made it easy on me!”
“But I-”
“I’ll take care of them.” Ghislaine cut off Paul’s attempt at butting in.
“So we’re gonna be working with her?” I asked, not taking my eyes off of the very dangerous woman.
Totally not because I was staring at her breasts.
“Yup, let’s go.” Ghislaine answered before anyone else could.
“Wait, right now?!” Rudeus blinked in surprise. “We didn’t even get to prepare, or say goodbye to Sylphy!”
“Mhm.” Paul rubbed the back of his head as he placed a hand on his blade’s hilt. “Yeah, about that… Rudy, how would you react if I told you that you and Sylphy won’t be seeing each other for quite a long time.”
Rudeus paused and his eyes widened. “Wait, at least let us say bye!”
“No time, let's go.” Ghislaine rushed us and I stepped forward.
“Can’t we at least leave a letter or something?!” I asked, worried about how Sylphy would react when she found out we left without saying goodbye.
“How long would that take?” Ghislaine raised a brow, and I could tell just by looking at her she wasn’t in the mood for waiting.
She’d knock us out and throw us in that wagon if she had to.
“Less than a minute!” I was assured.
“Mmm, be quick.” The beastwoman relaxed and both Rudy and I sprinted into the house.
We quickly grabbed two small cuts of paper and began frantically writing. I tried to fit as many words as I could on it. Thankfully the sentimental words came easy to me and I sped through my letter and within half a minute was done.
Dear Sylphy
Rudeus and I are leaving, but don’t be upset, we’re doing this so all of us can go to the Magic University. Please don’t cry. We’ll be back as soon as possible.
P.S, you can have my book on healing magic.
See you soon, Law.
Sure it was short, but I knew Sylphy would read this note over and over again.
I know I told her not to cry, but I knew the girl enough, she’d be balling once she got the news, and the letters would barely help.
This may be for the best though. There was no way we could stay together forever, sooner or later we’d have to split up, and Sylphy would have to gain some independence.
I made my way back outside with the paper in hand and handed it to Lilia.
“Please make sure she gets this.” I smiled sadly, and Lilia bowed her head with her own saddened smile. Rudeus came behind me a moment later and handed his paper to her as well.
“I assure you, it will be done.”
I wrapped my arms around the woman and hugged her, and she returned it with one arm. I gave Aisha a quick kiss on the forehead as well. I watched as Rudeus did the same, although Lilia held him in the embrace a bit longer and whispered something in his ear.
Rudeus looked at me after she did before turning his attention back to her and nodding.
We then focused our attention on our mother who had already started crying.
“Look at you two.” She wiped her eyes with her free hand as she looked at Rudy and I standing side by side. “Both so young, but so mature. I suppose it was foolish of me to believe I could keep you here with me forever.”
As hard as I tried, I could stop myself from tearing up. Rudeus was the first to enter Zenith’s embrace. She gave him a long kiss on the cheek before letting go and looking at me. I stepped forward and immediately had my face pressed into her bosom as she held me tightly.
“Take care of yourself, my baby boy.” She whispered softly into my ear.
“I will.” I whispered back. I didn’t know how long we’d be gone, but something told me it would be a long time. “Tell Aisha and Norn that we love them, I don’t want them to think we wanted to abandon them or something like that.”
“Of course.” Zenith smiled softly as she brushed my hair out of my face. “The more time that passes, the more you look like Paul. You truly are a perfect mix of both of us.”
I smiled warmly at her and forced myself away.
If I stayed in her embrace any longer… Ghislaine would have to drag me away.
I turned to see Paul was already giving Rudy a talk, and when they finished, the man hugged his first born tighter than I had ever seen.
“You’re the oldest of my sons, take care of your brother, Rudy.”
“Mmm, I will.” Rudeus nodded, wiping away the tears that were forming in the corners of his eyes.
Paul turned to me, and I walked forward slowly. He dropped down to a knee and placed his hands on my shoulders and gave me a small, almost unnoticeable smile.
“You picked up the sword, you wielded it, then you mastered it. You’re something else, Law. Go out there and become the best you can be.”
“I promise to succeed and live by your words, Father.”
He pulled me into his embrace and just as tight as he did with Rudy and I took in everything this moment had to offer. The feeling of the man’s hair brushing against the side of my face, the way he smelled, and how powerful his back felt as I wrapped my little arms around him.
All I wanted in my last life was a stronger body. I thought if I had that, everything else would have changed for the better. I wouldn’t have been as tired and exhausted, I would have had friends, and people would respect me.
Now… I have that, and it’s thanks to him. Paul Greyrat, the man who trained me and gave me the confidence to go out into the world.
My Father.
“I’ll see you when I see you.” I pulled away and got a nod from him.
Both Rudy and I walked up to Ghislaine who spared a glance at both Paul and Zenith.
“I’ll bring them back in one piece.”
“Thank you, Ghislaine.” Zenith cried out and Paul quickly hugged her into his chest.
Both Rudeus and I were ushered into the wagon and sat down in the extremely comfortable seats.
We looked outside the door, eyes locked with our family all the way until Ghislaine hopped in and shut the door.
“Get comfy, we’ll be here a while.”
— Chapter End —
Beta Readers: @Basilisk @LuluViBritania (FF.N, SB, WN and QQ)/-LuluViB|99th Britannian Emperor(Discord)/@Dragonboy1
Author’s Note: When I first wrote this chapter I finished it at 4.8k words. Then Lulu happened and cooked this shit up to 7.7k, so thank him for the extra long chapter!
