Chapter 92
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Moving - 1
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The house in the midsection of the Dark Forest where my father and I used to live. Upon arriving there, I immediately checked on my father's grave. I'd been worried those damn monsters might have disturbed it for no reason, but luckily, it was all for naught.
"You're looking well, Father."
I poured out the liquor I'd brought in front of him.
"I'm sorry I couldn't visit on your death anniversary. I've had all sorts of things going on. But I figure you'd forgive me with that big heart of yours."
With that, I took a swig myself.
"Hard to believe, I know, Father, but I've become a father to a daughter just like you. I'm not as great as you were, but I'll raise her with just as much dedication. The way you raised me... So please, cheer me on from Niphelheim."
I knew my voice couldn't reach my deceased father, but I kept talking to him anyway.
"I've got a bit of a grudge against you, Father. Why didn't you ever tell me about your past?"
The liquor I'd brought was steadily emptying.
"You were a hero... You could wield Aura, yet you never taught it to me? Do you know how much I agonized over that? And why did you hide your lighthearted side only from me?"
I grew weary of my own rambling.
Maybe the one I resented wasn't Father at all—it was me.
"What the hell was I to you, anyway?"
The village chief had said I was an answer to Father, but from the perspective of his son, that could never be enough.
"I truly respect you, Father. Even if you were a playboy who left a trail of broken hearts."
I poured one last drink and bid him farewell.
"I won't be able to visit often because of the move, but next time, I'll bring some liquor from the Holy Kingdom."
With everything done, just as I was about to leave my father's grave...
"Huh?"
A familiar scent tickled my nose.
The smell of that guy who always tormented me in the Dark Forest.
"Come to think of it, it's been ages."
The Black Tiger, lord of the Titan Mountains.
The scar on my face from where it got me started throbbing with pain.
"Fine, let's end our bad blood right here and now!"
The famed sword Robera, obtained through Wolf.
Holy power and miracles learned from Helen, the second apostle.
Vitality enhancement researched alongside Camilla, the third-rank knight.
And finally, the Blade of Divinity taught by Troll King Grog.
Before and after the expedition, my power had grown at least three or four times stronger.
"Not ambushing me like usual?"
The Black Tiger, who had been my equal before the expedition, was no match for me now.
Boom!
I swung Robera, infused with Hestia's divinity and amplified by my vitality-enhanced physical prowess.
The surrounding forest shook violently.
But the Black Tiger was nowhere to be seen. It was as if I'd hallucinated it from the booze—nothing was there.
"What's this?"
Instead, there was a small, black creature.
"Sian, you're late today?"
Clara had been inwardly dissatisfied with Sian's recent tendency to act alone. Even though she was his partner, she couldn't help but build up resentment over him leaving her behind.
'Tch, can't he pay a little attention to me?'
Lately, she worried their relationship had grown distant.
'Especially since Ciel was born.'
The other women in the house hadn't been intimate with him lately either, so had something happened?
"No way... Has he gotten tired of me?"
"Tired of what?"
"Kyaa?!"
Sian had approached without a sound, startling Clara into a shrill scream, which in turn flustered him.
"You scared me! Clara, you okay?"
"Mmm... Yeah."
"Good. So, what'd you get tired of?"
"W-Well..."
Clara fiddled her fingers nervously, glancing at Sian as she spoke.
"Lately, it feels like you've been neglecting us."
"Really? If that's how it felt, I'm sorry."
"N-No, it's my fault... for not being attractive enough..."
"Not at all. You're plenty attractive to me."
Sian scooped her up, leaving Clara blushing with embarrassment.
"So... you haven't been doing it lately because...?"
"Oh, that? Well..."
Caught off guard by her bold question despite her shyness, Sian scratched his cheek.
"I've been building up my yang energy."
"Yang energy?"
"According to Hellia, you need a lot of it built up to have a son."
"A son? Because of Mom?"
"Yeah. This time, I want to give Sylvia a boy."
Sian didn't particularly care if it was a boy or girl—he'd been genuinely thrilled when Ciel was born. But since Sylvia wanted a son so badly, he'd consulted Hellia, who served Hestia.
"Well, can't be helped then."
"Just bear with me a bit. I'll give you a night you'll never forget later."
"O-Okay..."
Clara's face flushed at his words, leaving her flustered. Then she suddenly noticed the black creature on Sian's head.
"Sian, what's that on your head?"
"This? Long story."
Sian picked up the black creature from his head and introduced it.
"Found it at Father's grave. It's been following me ever since."
"Nyaaang~"
Clara was at a loss for words at the tiger cub that looked just like a black kitten. A creature this cute existed in the world?!
She was utterly captivated by the cub sitting calmly in Sian's hand.
Until she heard what it was.
"Looks like a Black Tiger cub."
"Eh?"
Black Tiger.
The target I absolutely wanted to hunt as a hunter, and the stray cat-like nemesis that tormented me.
But lately, I hadn't encountered it at all.
'What's going on? Hibernating or something?'
The thing that used to ambush me at every opportunity had vanished without a trace.
It felt bittersweet, like a childhood friend from my past life suddenly moving away without a word.
"At least leave the kid behind?"
I searched the entire Dark Forest but couldn't find it, leaving only this little tiger that seemed to be its cub.
'Gone back to the Titan Mountains?'
The only place I hadn't explored was the Titan Mountains, but it was a mythical location I wasn't ready to climb yet.
"What now? Looks like Dad ditched you."
"Nyaaaang~"
Still, leaving a tiger cub in the dangerous Dark Forest didn't sit right with me. They say even bad blood is a bond. Having grown somewhat fond of the Black Tiger, I couldn't just ignore its offspring.
So I brought it home.
"Isn't that a monster cub? You sure about this?"
Naturally, the family voiced concerns.
Raising a monster was emotionally hard to accept.
"It's still just a baby. Should be fine, right?"
"No! Absolutely not!"
"Indeed, Sian. Far too dangerous."
Sylvia and Elsia usually went along with my ideas, but not this time.
But I'd already decided to raise it. It was cute.
"If we raise it from a young age, it'll see us as family. The Solefoot Tribe domesticated monsters this way, so trust me."
"Sian... The Solefoot Tribe raised herbivores."
"Ahem, the Frost Claw Tribe did wolves."
"True, but..."
"And the Holy Kingdom has magic tools to control monsters. Just hold out until then."
"Nyaaang!"
As if it knew we were talking about it.
The Black Tiger cub suddenly raised both paws, menacing everyone.
Sylvia clutched her chest, and even the usually expressionless Elsia blushed.
"Ahem, that's some powerful cuteness."
"Sian, have you named it yet?"
Clia, the only one resisting the cuteness, alternated glances between me and the cub as she asked.
A name, huh...
I thought for a moment before answering.
"Black fur, so I'm calling it Kkami."
"Isn't that a bit too casual?"
"Pet names are supposed to be casual."
"Nyaaang!"
"See? Kkami likes its new name."
"Doesn't look like it."
And so, we gained a new family member.
In the form of a pet, no less.
"Oppa! Can I play with Kkami?"
"Clia, Ciel's old news now?"
"Ciel's been sleeping all the time lately!"
"Babies sleep a lot..."
"I'm taking Kkami!"
"Clia?"
Contrary to initial worries, Kkami adapted well to the new environment.
'More like it ignores everything.'
A tiger was cat family after all—Kkami strutted around with feline aloofness.
It napped in sunny spots when sleepy and scampered to me for meat when hungry.
"Kkami! Let's play!"
"Nyaaang~"
And when Clia pestered it, it climbed high and taunted her from above.
"Kkami!"
"Clia, enough playing. Help your sister. We have to prepare for the move."
"Eek... Fine."
In the end, Clia was dragged off by Clara to work, without playing with Kkami today either.
"By the way, what's up with Helen? She said she'd come within three months, but no word."
I needed the reward she owed me for the move.