The Lionheart Orphan's New Father
Finally, the goddess is doing her job? Leona Violet Reinhardt. The girl of the upper Feridae, heir to the blood of the Lionheart royal family, now reduced to a fallen kingdom. For three generations, the kingdom had carried the duty to thicken that blood. Through what they called [Skill] concessions, they were born with Irregulars, or inherited the king's [Skill]. The family motto—that only strength and ability could sustain the royal line—had been passed down, and the king kept countless concubines. She was one such concubine's child. With no notable [Skill] to speak of, just born as an upper species, she lived in the detached palace. Once she came of age, she would become a knight, or enter the academy to serve as a royal retainer. Or marry into some noble house. Her life was set on those predetermined rails.
Her relationship with her mother, who only had eyes for her father, was awkward. Her father, too busy with kingdom affairs to remember her as more than "one of his children," was kind and brought gifts whenever they met occasionally—but the times she'd even seen his face could be counted on one hand, far too few to feel any paternal love. Things will work out somehow if I just live day by day, she thought, her days devoid of any real dreams for the future. And then, in an instant, it all crumbled.
The maid had taken her to evacuate—that was fine—but then she left Leona at the refugee tent camp, saying she had to find her own family. With the kingdom fallen, the maid had gone off to find her own path to survival. Leona herself offered no merit or gain, so she must have been a burden. No relatives— she'd never heard much about her mother's family or background. Maybe her mother was just some commoner; she remembered her reluctance to talk about it. She'd witnessed it all with her own eyes: her father rampaging, slaughtering his family. Heard him kill his beloved eldest son and drag his eldest daughter by the hair to offer her to the [Evil God].
The nightmare was so vast it lost all sense of reality, feeling like a mere dream. Her life had been too bland for the shock to truly register. What now? Holding the plate and canteen from the refugee camp, she wondered. An orphanage might be better. If adventurers took pity on an orphaned girl like her, that would be nice. But there would surely be those who tried to kidnap an upper-species girl. The royal blood flowing in her veins came with grand tales of tradition and history, of the Feridae king's lineage leading the race. But to a girl with no money or family, it was just cumbersome baggage that might raise her ransom value. Being born a Feridae would have been enough if she could just live quietly and ordinarily. She'd never once decided her own path.
Then one man called out to her. Round ears—some sub-species? But he was truly human, accompanied by a Levitfoot lady. An unusual pair. Wary of their kindness without strings attached, but exhausted and weary, she didn't even want to think about it. Just go with the flow; it'll work out somehow.
──Overnight, the [Evil God] revealed its divine presence. The nightmare flashed back, and she screamed. Horrific memories. Her eldest sister had even turned into a succubus and come to seize her. Terrifying. What if she came for her too? Would she live in fear forever? Afraid they'd get annoyed at the noise, she muffled her sobs. But the Levitfoot lady embraced her instead, soothing her with understanding.
The next day, the [Evil God] that had destroyed the kingdom in a single night was subjugated just as swiftly. In the tavern, adventurers buzzed about a mysterious man with the hero's sword who had slain the [Evil God]. The hero had appeared—they were thrilled in a strangely excessive way. Did the hero's tale hold such great meaning for adventurers? Wasn't the one who slew that [Evil God] an even greater monster? Could they be happy even if such a monster whimsically decided to kill everyone here? A familiar scent stung her nose. The human returning covered in wounds carried the [Evil God]'s fragrance. She couldn't hear his conversation with the adventurers, but she knew. The Levitfoot lady had said it too... He was the hero reborn, who felled the [Evil God] alone.
He seemed ordinary—honestly, weak. Soon, he began pondering what to do with her. Then he told an absurd lie: her father had asked him to take care of her. Obviously false, but rumors spread that the king had fought the [Evil God] to the end—an impossible tale. She knew the truth, so she couldn't understand it. Why say that? Why protect her father's honor?
Young but not naive, no fool. She knew enough. A man who gave food and water to refugees without gain, who swung his sword risking death to give the lost a place to return, who lavished gold on them without calculation, who extended a hand to a homeless child without hesitation. The world called such people saints. And the one who led them—the most reckless, the most suffering, standing alone. She'd read in books that the world would surely call such a person a hero.
Today, she was picked up by the hero.
★ "Then we can't use your real name, so how about calling you Leona Dice for now?"
"Yes."
"Wait... doesn't that make me sound like your dad?"
"Huh?"
Riko-chan made a subtle face at my reaction, forming her signature arched eyebrows. Was she teasing me for picking up a pitiful kid out of pity? I swallowed hard. No, even lying to bring her along—it was because I couldn't ignore her when she could come with us. A child's eyes holding the weight of the world just wouldn't let me look away.
"Weren't you going to make her your wife? Teach her from a young age..."
"No! Make it dad instead!!"
Leona's only 9 years old! I didn't bring this child for such lewd reasons! So from today, I'm this kid's dad! With a foreboding feeling that if I left her, there'd be no shortage of people pushing her toward wifehood, I shouted it out.
Riko-chan just grinned slyly, like if that's how it is, fine—looks fun. Sigh... For now, I sent a letter saying I'd run into a monster and got hurt. Nothing about slaying the [Evil God] or being the [Hero]. I wanted to keep that hidden from the party as much as possible. I'm not that great, and weak as I am, it'd just come off as ridiculous boasting. Stroking Leona's hair as she sat on my lap, I seriously pondered how to raise this child.
"Leona, do you want to be something?"
"...No. There were plans, but now there aren't."
The kingdom, the family, the nobles—all gone. As she swallowed those unspoken words, I tried to give her mint choco ice cream, but Riko-chan smacked my hand, sending it to the floor. She handed her sweet milk ice cream instead, pulled her into her own arms, and grumbled that her darling really doesn't know what kids like! What did I even do wrong...
"Then live freely. Do what you want, go where you want. The world's vast."
Leona nodded, ice cream in mouth, at Riko-chan's words. As an upper Feridae, her aggression must be sky-high, so adventuring—fighting as a livelihood—would suit her perfectly, Riko-chan said, neatly grooming her fluffy mane.
Trust Union loomed ahead. When I said I was hurt, the crow-delivered letters brimmed with threats to kill me. Noksu had come down to Trust Union with Nex, telling me not to overdo it—yet I'd wrecked an arm anyway, and her letter was full of fury demanding I take care of myself. From what was written, it looked like I'd be confined to the mansion.
What kind of era was that? The reminiscing goddess looked oddly pleased. All heroes were god-slayers? Then those four weren't the weird ones—it'd be weirder if they weren't. The Maou Army's Four Heavenly Kings were all at least [Evil God] level, with even mid-level officers including some... nightmare fuel.
I've prepared something special with high risk... Right away~ Reroll Tickets! Fatal downside: the emerged [Skill] vanishes forever... But you can avoid ones with overly dangerous risks!
"Finally, no more skills like 'disasters strike during longevity' or self-destruct!"
"At least 5!"
Regretfully, lacking fate power, the goddess shook her head. 3 times?! Only 3 reroll chances?! At that moment, for ranking in the top 10 strongest [Evil Gods]—4th place—she'd prepared rewards beyond what Hecate gave, based on my merits, smiling that I could look forward to it.
"Is that a reroll ticket?"
"Can't you swap the 5 rank-ups for 5 rerolls?"
"Then at least 2 rerolls!"
"Goddessssss!!!"
I collapsed to my knees in the grass, sobbing. Even fighting the Succubus Lord hadn't brought such despair. Gods, no—constellations, why!!!
"You're not giving away the most important ones!!"
Screaming at the sky on my knees changed nothing. Riko-chan covered Leona's eyes gently, saying she shouldn't see this.
"Why's she doing that?"
"Hm... sugar low maybe?"
No, probably not. Leona shook her head.