Chapter 98
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Moving - 7
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"It's a new house!"
Clia was the first to leave her mark on the freshly built home, stamping her foot and kicking up a puff of dust.
"Clia, be careful. You might trip."
"Even if I fall, it's fine!"
The house had been built almost to the scale of a mansion, with the entire family pitching in on the construction. That was probably why Clia had such a special affection for it.
Sometimes Clia seemed utterly immature, but every now and then, she played her role in lifting everyone's spirits just right.
A mood maker, you could say. Because of that, I couldn't bring myself to completely dislike her childish side.
"Then, to celebrate the new house, let's all have a party."
"Yaaay!"
"Oppa! I want to eat bear meat!"
"Ugh, but I hate bear meat."
We threw a party for everyone who'd worked so hard.
Of course, it wasn't extravagant—just a simple, modest affair.
"S-Sian, this couldn't be...?"
"Yes, it's pepper. The Village Chief sold it to me."
Every so often, rare items would appear from the Village Chief's place.
I had no idea where he even got his hands on stuff like this.
Is that why heroes always raid the Village Chief's house?
Father too, maybe?
"Thank you for inviting us."
"You've all made it."
Helia, Ravi, and the senior nymph Forese arrived right on time for the party.
"How's the house? Everything okay?"
"Yes, we're very satisfied."
"Thank you for giving us such a wonderful home, Hero."
We'd given the nymphs the house our family had lived in before.
I'd wanted to build them a new one too, but they refused outright.
Something about how this house was overflowing with Hestia's divine presence.
"If you need anything, just say the word. I'll make it for you."
"No, it's fine. We'll be spending more time at your house anyway."
"True enough."
As Ciel's babysitters, they'd be at our place more than their own.
"Sian, I'm here too."
"Tom, you've arrived?"
"Me too."
Tom and Petra came next.
They'd worked the hardest building the new house, so they gladly accepted the party invite.
"This place could hold its own against any noble's estate."
"Have you been to a noble's house before, Tom?"
"A baron's, yeah. Compared to yours, it was full of pretentious nonsense. A house should have this kind of elegance."
"Tom, all that flattery won't get you anything."
"Don't say that. If you become lord, give me a tax break. Or take my daughter off my hands."
"You old geezer, you trying to die today?"
"Why not? Petra, you'd get to be the head blacksmith for an earl's family."
"W-Well, that does sound nice..."
"Jeez, you still don't get your dad's feelings."
"..."
Leaving the amusing father-daughter banter behind, I approached Chloe, who was pouring drinks.
"How's the booze?"
"Ms. Anna gave us the good stuff."
As I drew near, Chloe offered me some of the liquor we'd bought for the party.
I took a sip from what she handed me and asked something that had been puzzling me.
"Hasn't it only been a little while since you gave birth? You're already back to work?"
"It's the busy season."
"Even so... No, this won't do. I need to have a word with Kan."
"Don't scold him too much. I'm sure he didn't force me. That's just how we've always lived."
"Still, wrong is wrong."
I wasn't one to meddle in other people's family matters by nature, but from now on, to create a village where kids like our little Ciel could live comfortably, I planned to poke my nose into everyone's business.
It had been tough to interfere at first, but now I was the prospective lord of Lugeron Village and Hestia, the goddess of love and family, her hero.
I had all the justification I needed, so I could lay down the law as I saw fit.
"A husband has a duty to make his wife happy."
"Then I must be happy, since I met you, dear."
"Nah, opposite. I'm the one whose life fell into place when I met you, Chloe."
"Dear..."
"Ahem, uh, Sian?"
As Chloe and I shared a cozy drink, Clara came over.
"What's up, my partner?"
"Sian, are you drunk already?"
"Not drunk... So, what's going on?"
"I went to Captain Carlson's house, and he said he can't make it to the party."
"Because of his wife?"
"Yeah."
Carlson had finally gotten the child he'd always wanted this time.
Thanks to Hestia's miracle, which solved his infertility issue.
Helia had really struggled with that one.
Because of it, Carlson was showing his loyalty to me.
He might end up as guard captain at this rate.
"Can't be helped, then."
Regrettably, aside from the Village Chief, no one else I'd invited showed up.
I'd even invited the young couples, but since they didn't come alone, it seemed parties like this were a burden for them.
'They'll get used to it eventually.'
Maybe I should start a village festival? The kids, including Clia, would love that.
As I pondered lordly thoughts, Petra—now free from Tom's teasing—took Chloe's place pouring drinks and spoke up.
"Hey, isn't this place a bit too close to the Dark Forest?"
"That's exactly why I built it here. The stronger my scent, the less monsters will approach the village."
The new house was the closest spot to the Dark Forest from Lugeron Village.
To anyone prioritizing family safety, it might seem contradictory, which was why Petra was worried. But I saw it differently.
"What's so special about your scent?"
"Lately, my smell seems threatening to monsters. Probably a lingering effect from swallowing that divinity during the expedition."
"Hm?"
Titans were a race that devoured divinity and converted it into their own power.
Having swallowed divinity during the expedition, I could truly be called half-divine.
Naturally, my Titan scent would feel threatening to monsters, creations of outer gods.
A kind of monster repellent.
Is this the power of a Titan?
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It's a thing. A secret of my birth."
Petra, unfamiliar with the myths, looked confused, while Clara—who knew a bit about my true nature—nodded in realization.
"So that's why we haven't seen many monsters lately."
"Makes hunting harder, though."
Well, it didn't mean I couldn't hunt at all. Masking my scent was easy, and deep in the Dark Forest, there were still monsters bold enough to challenge me.
"Anyway, thanks to me, the village is safer."
"Yeah, good job."
"I'll take that as praise."
"It is praise."
Petra grumbled bluntly, glanced at Clara, then suddenly asked her outright.
"You use the black bow my dad made, right?"
"Huh? Y-Yeah..."
Come to think of it, was this the first time they'd met face-to-face?
Clara seemed nervous around Petra, who in turn fiddled curiously with Clara's hands.
"How's the feel of the material? Need arrows made from blackwood? What about other weapons?"
"Um, w-well..."
True to her craftswoman nature, Petra inquired about the gear's condition. She seemed eager to forge weapons for another woman.
"Sian! Come over here."
"What is it?"
Handing Clara off to Petra, I headed over to Tom with Chloe.
Tom, the Village Chief, and Sylvia were chatting away at the table.
This was a rare combination.
"Is that why you called me?"
"Sian! Tell Sylvia what kind of man Ian was!"
"Huh?"
It looked like the conversation had heated up around stories about Father.
"No need for that! Mr. Ian wasn't some lecher!"
"Jeez, you're really under that love spell. That guy spewed the filthiest talk whenever he had a drink."
"Sylvia, the truth can be harsh sometimes."
Sylvia was getting one-sidedly hammered with facts.
It couldn't be helped. Unlike Sylvia, who'd only watched Father from afar, these two lifelong friends had shared drinks and built memories with him directly.
"That guy was obsessed with married women."
"Especially older ones. He even told me he'd steal my wife if she were older than him."
"That's a real lunatic."
Of course, I was the same in that regard.
The father they described sounded exactly like the one I knew, though it was still surreal.
'Heroes and affairs go hand in hand, I guess.'
Anyway, Sylvia—who'd had a crush on Father—
"N-No way... I thought Mr. Ian was like a noble knight."
"Sylvia, you can't judge people by looks alone. Of course, that's not the whole picture of Father as you two describe."
"I get it. He was handsome as hell."
"Without that criminal brand, he could've lived off his face alone."
Father really was strikingly handsome.
If my looks were tier 4, Father was a solid tier 2.
And he kept that handsome face even in his fifties.
'Well, Sylvia's the same.'
She had goddess-tier, tier 1 beauty.
For reference, tier 0 was the nymphs. Modeled after true gods, they transcended mere beauty into something otherworldly.
Anyway, the Village Chief and Tom's fact barrage wasn't over yet.
"Sylvia, don't be too disappointed. Whether you knew the truth or not, Ian was never interested in you to begin with."
"Ugh..."
"Right, the guy only chased older women."
"He even had someone he was sweet on, apparently."
"What? And he still eyed other women? A true hero in that sense!"
"Thinking about it, Sian definitely takes after his father Ian."
Splash damage hit me too.
Hey, why me just for standing here?