Chapter 229: It’s Me, Right?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 229: It’s Me, Right?
“Iris. It’s been a while since you’ve been home.”
“Not really. This isn’t my home either.”
“Hmm, well. I suppose so.”
I dropped Iris off at the magic item shop. She had likely overheard the conversation I had with her mother at the Lymain Treatment Center.
“Why do you need that?”
“What are you referring to?”
“The thing you asked her to prepare.”
“Oh, that. It’s nothing major. Just thought it’d be good to have.”
“Right. See you.”
“Yeah, I’m off.”
Between Sera and Yura being there, I felt like I should sleep at the inn every few days, even if I couldn't make it every night.
“I’ll be back tomorrow morning.”
“Okay.”
* * *
“Ravi? I’m back.”
“Ah, Yoo Eon! Welcome back!”
“Oi, young man. You’re back?”
“Yes, I’m here, Father.”
Since it wasn't too late yet, there were still quite a few customers dining on the first floor. Thanks to the recent expansion and the remodeling of the existing buildings, we had more tables and a slight increase in patrons.
Since Ravi had started staying at the inn full-time, we weren't particularly short-handed. Besides, Father had returned from the Labyrinth shortly after Tresha started working here.
Whenever he ran low on pocket money or when the inn got exceptionally busy, Father would use his skills to provide incredibly high-speed service.
“Um, where is Yura?”
“Ehehe, looking for your daughter first, are we?!”
“Playing the part of a father, I see,” Father chimed in.
“Tsk... It’s not exactly like that, but I brought her here, so I have to look after her.”
I wasn't sure how to feel about calling Yura my daughter. Since she perceived me as her father, I wasn't going to go out of my way to deny it, though.
“You’re right! Yura is sleeping right now. Sister Sera washed her and put her to bed before the dinner rush started.”
“I see. Where is she?”
“She should be in Sera’s room! If you wake her up, Sera’s going to scold you.”
“Understood.”
I stepped into the kitchen and, to my surprise, found Tresha there. I had wondered why she wasn't in the dining hall; it turned out she was learning how to cook. I suppose it had been nearly six months since she started working here.
“I’m back.”
“Ah, Yoo Eon! Good to see you. You’re staying the night, right?”
“Yes, of course. Tresha, are you learning kitchen work?”
“Yes! Just basic knife skills for now!”
“Auntie’s life is about to get a lot easier.”
At my comment, Auntie, who was busy tossing a wok, shot a quick glance my way before silently returning her focus to the food.
“Yura is in my room, Yoo Eon. If you want to see her, you have to go in quietly, okay?”
“Ahaha, I understand. You said she was sleeping?”
“Yeah. She looked sleepy, so I washed her up and put her down early.”
“That must have been a handful. Thank you for your hard work.”
“I-It wasn't that hard! Really! What about dinner!?”
“Dinner sounds great. It’s been a while since I’ve had a meal at the inn.”
Sera’s lips curled into a bright smile at my answer, and she nodded. She told me to go wash up first since I’d been outside, so I agreed and headed back out for a moment.
“Sola, are you there?”
“Yes! Hero! Did you call for me!”
I stepped out into the backyard, which had become cramped due to the expansion, and called for Sola. As expected, she had been listening; she flew straight through the wall and began buzzing around in front of me.
“Do you still stay awake at night these days?”
“Yes! I don’t really have a need for sleep!”
“I see. Then, I have a favor to ask.”
“What kind of favor?”
I didn't think anything would actually happen, but it was always important to be prepared for emergencies.
“Could you take the Ents at night and keep a quiet, discreet eye on the inn? Just to see if anyone is lurking around.”
“Aha! I understand! So, night watch!”
“Exactly. If you see someone who looks exceptionally strong or dangerous, wake Father. Don't just wake him for no reason, but do it if someone looks like they’re about to try something near the inn.”
Sola listened to me, perched quietly on my palm for a moment, then took off into the air, darting back and forth. I could hear the excitement in her voice; she clearly thought this sounded fun.
“I-I see...! Then, am I a guard?”
“A guard? Hmm, not quite. Since you’ll be commanding the Ents, I’d say you’re more like the Captain of the Guard.”
“Captain of the Guard! That sounds so cool! Leave it to me, Hero!”
“Good, I’m counting on you. Also, take this.”
“Hm? What is it?”
I pulled a large amount of wood from my storage artifact and placed it in front of Sola. These were pieces of wood I’d broken off from the nest when I took Horus’s egg. To be honest, they didn't feel particularly special to me.
However, since it was the wood used for the home of a supersonic flying creature the size of an elephant, I thought it might be quite durable, so I’d brought it along just in case.
“What do you think? Does it feel like a special kind of wood or anything?”
“This is fascinating...! Where did you get this wood?”
“I brought it from the 50th Floor of the Labyrinth.”
“Heh...! That’s amazing! It feels incredibly, incredibly special!”
“Is it actually something special?”
Sola landed on the pieces of Horus’s nest scattered in the backyard and examined them.
“I think these are branches from a World Tree.”
“A World Tree?”
“Yes! There’s a place ve~ry far away from the forest where we used to live, and there’s a World Tree there!”
“That’s news to me. I’m pretty sure I didn't see one in Roanmarie’s Labyrinth.”
“It’s so far away, of course you wouldn't see it, right?”
“Ah, um. Isn't it just a big tree?”
According to Sola, "World Tree" didn't refer to one single, gargantuan tree that could be seen from anywhere, but rather a specific species of tree. I had assumed it was some legendary landmark visible from the horizon.
“So, a branch from a World Tree isn't that special then?”
“That’s not true! World Trees are very rare! If I make Ents out of this wood, they might be incredibly strong!”
“Is that so? That’s good to hear. Then, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Understood!”
I hadn't known that Horus’s nest was made of World Tree branches. I’d just brought it back thinking wood from the 50th Floor might be different, but it seemed I’d hit the jackpot.
“Phew, a short rest.”
Starting tomorrow morning, I’d have to spend the entire day inside Iris’s subspace, practicing how to use my abilities. I thought it would be fine to get some sleep while doing it, but once I was inside, I tended to lose my sense of time.
My body didn't get that tired because I was constantly swapping out muscles, but my mind became exhausted the moment I entered.
After washing up and finishing dinner in the dining hall, I returned to my newly built room and was lying on the bed when there was a knock at the door.
Knock, knock.
—Yoo Eon? Are you inside?
“Sera? I’m here. You can come in.”
Creeeak...
A moment later, the door opened and Sera walked in. She was ready for bed, with her hair down and wearing comfortable clothes. She must have had something to discuss.
“Is something wrong, Sera?”
“Ah, um... well, you see...?”
She started to speak, then hesitated. She looked like she was about to say something clearly, but then just stood there with her mouth opening and closing. She obviously had something on her mind, and this was definitely a moment where I needed to ask first.
“You have something on your mind, Sera.”
“Huh? Oh, no! I-It’s not like that! Just...”
“What is it? Here, have a seat.”
I had Sera sit on the bed, then pulled over the chair next to the bed and sat across from her.
“Y-Yoo Eon! Are you... very busy lately...?”
“Ah... yes. There’s something I need to resolve urgently, so I don't have much of a choice. Do I look that busy?”
“Yeah... I was wondering if you were getting any rest, so I came to check. You’re doing okay, right...?”
“Of course. I’m lazy by nature, so I only do exactly as much as I want to.”
“Hmph, liar...”
Sera seemed to feel a bit better, as she turned her head away with a slight smile. After that, we chatted for a while about how the inn had been lately.
“I see. That’s good for Ravi.”
“Yeah. It’s all great, as long as the customers don't occasionally lie down on the floor in the middle of their meal to get their skills appraised.”
“I’ll make sure to have a word with Ravi about that. Actually, Sera, you’re the older sister, right? You should be firm and scold her a bit.”
“But... Ravi is working so hard...?”
“You’re too soft. You have to scold her when she needs it.”
“Ehehe... Okay, I will.”
She also told me that Tresha had perfectly mastered the automatic sweeping magic, so the morning chore of sweeping the yard was gone. And that the warehouse needed organizing, but there were a lot of heavy things, so she wanted some help later.
“A-And... about Yura...?”
“Ah, Yura.”
“Should we... send her to an academy...?”
“An academy?”
Right. I hadn't thought about that yet. Yura wasn't quite old enough for school yet, but in about two years, it might be okay to send her to a primary academy.
“Uh, well. That’s a bit complicated. For now, Yura looks human, but...”
“T-That’s true! But she’s going to live with us...! I want her to live... normally...?”
“Hmm.”
I understood what Sera was saying. To put it bluntly, the Labyrinth City was not a suitable place to raise a child. Everything was geared toward conquering the Labyrinth, so there wasn't much educational infrastructure.
“She’s still young. It’s getting late today... shall we talk about this again later?”
“Yeah, okay.”
“Get some rest, Sera. You must be tired.”
I stood up and opened the door to see her out.
“Uh... Sera?”
But then, something unexpected happened.
“Why all of a sudden...?”
Sera, who had been sitting on the bed, suddenly leaned back and lay down right there on my bed.
“C-Close the door...”
“Uh, okay.”
Creeeak.
After the door was quietly shut, Sera, lying on the bed, whispered softly.
“I’m... Yura’s mother, right?”