Chapter 356: Spirit Beast(1)
Chapter 356: Spirit Beast(1)
Poke— Poke—
"..."
Poke, poke—
"Mmm..."
Poke, poke, poke—
Who is it? I was right in the middle of the most delicious sleep in the world.
I squeezed my eyes shut as I felt a tiny finger prodding my cheek.
Was Arwen awake already and playing a prank? It had to be her; there was no one else in this bed but the two of us.
I suppose it was very like Arwen to do something so cute first thing in the morning. A faint smile played on my lips as I reached out and pulled her into my arms.
Squeeze—
"Woong?"
As I hugged her, she let out a sound as adorable as a baby’s. Her frame felt so small, fitting perfectly against my chest...
'...Wait?'
She didn't just fit; she really fit. It wasn't just a figure of speech—Arwen’s entire body was nestled within my embrace.
I don't just mean her upper body; I mean her whole self. No matter how petite she was, she wasn't this small.
Still unable to bring myself to open my eyes, I began to feel around. I started with her back, then her small head, and down to her legs.
...Small. Too small. It was as if her entire body had shrunk; she was tiny from top to bottom.
Moreover, I felt something on her back that seemed to be there and yet wasn't. It felt like steam or mist brushing against my hand.
This wasn't Arwen. She wasn't this small. This was literally the size of a child.
Furthermore, Arwen didn't smell this sweet, like baby lotion. I recalled her scent being more like a subtle hint of lilies.
'Who is this?'
My eyelids fluttered before slowly opening. No one was allowed to enter the Queen’s bedchamber without Arwen’s permission.
If another being was here—and on the bed, no less—the situation could be grave.
And then, as my eyes opened, I saw...
Blink— Blink—
A pair of sparkling golden eyes, like polished amber, and hair as crimson as my own.
"Woong?"
And a tiny sprout shyly blooming from the top of her head.
"..."
I’d heard that when people are too shocked or bewildered, they lose the ability to speak. That was exactly my situation.
I blinked a few times, staring at the sprout-headed child who looked startlingly like a younger version of myself.
Unable to comprehend what was happening, I looked behind the child to see Arwen fast asleep.
Since we had been as passionate as one would expect on a first night, it looked like she would be sleeping through the morning.
"Uuu."
As I looked at Arwen, the child began to whimper. For some reason, it sounded like she was asking me to look at her.
I turned my gaze back to the child. Her golden eyes were brimming with curiosity.
'So, to summarize...'
I spent a hot night with the woman I love, and the next morning, a child who looks just like me is plopped right between us.
Even a trashy drama—no, even a trashy novel—wouldn't have a plot this messy.
My mind began to spiral into such confusion that I didn't even know how to react.
At least I was wide awake now. It was hard to tell if this was a dream or reality, but for now, it was definitely real.
Slowly—
I carefully sat up to get a better handle on the situation. I made sure to keep my lower half covered with the blanket, just in case I exposed something inappropriate to the child.
The child, who had been forced to lie down because of my hug, sat up with me. Now that I looked closer, her hair was quite long, just like mine.
I also spotted pointed ears peeking through her hair. Long, slender ears, characteristic of an elf.
That alone was enough to cause a wave of unease, but what was even more shocking was her back.
"...What is this?"
"Woong?"
It was faint and translucent like mist, making it hard to distinguish, but I could see it if I narrowed my eyes.
Just as horns and bat wings are the symbols of demons in literature, angels have their own symbols.
A 'halo' floating above the head and pure white wings. Since angels are currently extinct, no one has seen one in person, but that is how the texts describe them.
And this child had a tiny sprout instead of a halo, and translucent wings instead of pure white ones.
It was a bizarre yet incredibly cute appearance that suited her perfectly, radiating an aura of mystery and lovability.
'What the hell is going on?'
A curse nearly escaped my lips. I blinked in total disbelief before shifting my gaze behind me.
The World Tree seed, which I had definitely left on the desk, was nowhere to be found.
Instead, brown fragments were scattered all over the bed.
Looking at the sprout on the child's head, I could guess where she came from, but without the seed itself, I couldn't be certain—
Burp.
While I was racking my brain, the child suddenly let out a loud burp. I flinched at the sound and looked at her.
Looking closely, I could see brown crumbs stuck around her mouth. It looked just like a kid who had been caught eating cookies.
The moment I saw that, I reached a conclusion. All the evidence pointed to it.
Much like the birth myth of Park Hyeokgeose, this child was born from the World Tree seed, and she either ate the shell while coming out or finished it off afterward.
Good grief, she must have strong teeth and gums. Luminous mentioned it was harder than steel, yet she ate the whole thing. One bite from her would be the end of me.
With that thought, I carefully wiped the crumbs from around her mouth. I felt like I had to do something, at least.
"Mmm."
The child accepted my touch without any resistance. The translucent wings on her back fluttered weakly.
Just what was this child’s identity, to have wings and a sprout on her head?
It was too early to conclude she was an angel because of that sprout. If she’d had a halo like the books said, I would have been terrified.
"Hey, little one."
"Woong?"
When I called out cautiously, the child blinked and babbled. She looked exactly like a three-year-old toddler.
A girl, too. I could tell by looking at her features.
"Who are you?"
"Woong?"
"Did you come out of the seed Lord Hirt gave me?"
"Mmm?"
No matter how many questions I asked, she only responded with babbling. Frustrated, I scratched my head and looked back.
Arwen was still sound asleep, either unaware of the presence or still exhausted from last night.
Under normal circumstances, I would have let her sleep. But right now, I needed to wake her up.
"Arwen."
"..."
"Arwen. Wake up for a second."
"Mmm..."
As I shook her gently, Arwen squeezed her eyes shut before slowly opening them, just as I had done moments ago.
Eventually, her beautiful silver-grey eyes were revealed, and she rubbed them with both hands.
I waited quietly with the child until she regained her senses. The child waited quietly as well.
"Mmm..."
Rustle—
Arwen sat up, pulling the blanket to her chest with one hand. Her snow-white, naked form was a dizzying sight.
"Haaa-ahm..."
After a wide yawn, she licked her lips and opened her eyes fully.
She was still half-asleep, but my reflection and the child's were mirrored in her eyes.
She blinked, looking back and forth between me and the child, and then...
"...Huh?"
Faced with a situation she couldn't possibly believe, she gave the exact reaction I expected.
"When did we have a child?"
"Woong?"
But she said something I hadn't expected at all.
*
It took a bit of time for Arwen to grasp the situation.
Since she hadn't woken up on her own but was forced awake by me, she couldn't tell if she was dreaming or awake.
She even hugged the child tightly and stroked her hair, seemingly thinking it was all a dream.
The child didn't resist and snuggled into Arwen’s embrace. She even rubbed her face against Arwen’s chest.
"W-who is this child? And what are these wings on her back...!"
Of course, the moment she realized it wasn't a dream but reality, she was horrified. Her reaction upon seeing the translucent wings was particularly priceless.
She rubbed her eyes several times as if she were looking at a legendary beast. Honestly, my reaction had been calm; Arwen’s was the normal one.
After all, unlike demons, angels were beings that only existed in literature. There were virtually no records of angels appearing on earth since before the Demon War.
And yet, a toddler angel who looked just like her husband was sitting right there on the bed. With a tiny sprout blooming on her head, no less.
"Paa!"
Regardless of the chaos, the child was tugging at Arwen’s blanket. If she succeeded, Arwen’s naked body would be fully exposed.
Arwen knew this and was desperately holding on. The child was surprisingly strong for her size, and Arwen was actually losing ground.
"W-why is she so strong! Let go this instant!"
"Paa!"
She had a bit of a rebellious streak, it seemed. Seeing Arwen flustered, the child only pulled harder.
I realized I wouldn't be able to settle things at this rate, so I stepped in to help Arwen.
I tucked my hands under the child's armpits and slowly lifted her up. The child let go of the blanket and looked at me.
"You shouldn't do that. Arwen doesn't like it."
"Woong?"
The child tilted her head, as if she understood or perhaps she didn't. The sprout on her head swayed slightly.
I sat the child between my legs and gently stroked her hair. It was much softer and glossier than my own.
Moreover, it shimmered as if dusted with gold powder, making me wonder if she really was an angel from the legends.
"Nom nom nom."
As I stroked her, the child began to gnaw on my long hair.
She seemed to be hungry, but my priority was stopping her.
"Uh-uh. You can't eat hair. That's dirty, dirty."
"Uum?"
"Spit it out, quickly."
When I tugged on the hair in her mouth, she obediently opened up. And I couldn't help but be dumbfounded.
True to the jaw strength that had devoured a World Tree seed, a chunk of my hair had been bitten clean off.
Hair is difficult to cut without a sharp tool like scissors or a knife, yet she had performed this miracle with nothing but her teeth.
Just what was this child’s true identity? Looking at the wings, she was clearly some kind of angel, but the sprout on her head suggested otherwise.
And one more thing.
'What am I supposed to do about this?'
Setting aside her identity, how was I supposed to treat this child? That was the hurdle.
If we stood side by side, anyone would see us as father and daughter. Red hair and golden eyes.
They were so similar that no one would believe we weren't family. It didn't matter that her ears were pointed like an elf's, that a sprout grew from her head, or that she had translucent wings.
Since our most prominent features were identical, people would just assume the rest came from her mother’s genes. Honestly, even the pointed ears were just like an elf's...
"..."
"W-why are you looking at me like that?"
The elf in question was right in front of me. Furthermore, elves were a race widely known to be the descendants of angels.
If that bloodline had manifested in the child, it would explain the translucent wings.
As for the sprout... well, if she came from a World Tree seed, it made sense. At any rate, one thing was certain.
The people presumed to be the child's parents were Arwen and me.
I just had no idea where, how, or when she had obtained our genetic information.
"...Little one?"
"Woong?"
"Who is your mama?"
I didn't expect her to understand, but I asked just in case.
Hearing my question, the child blinked her golden eyes, turned her head, and looked at Arwen.
Then, she pointed a tiny hand at her and answered vigorously.
"Mamma!"
"M-me?"
"Mamma!"
She must have just been born, yet she shouted "Mamma" perfectly. While Arwen was reeling from the shock, I moved on to the next question.
This question was almost redundant, as the child was practically my spitting image.
"...Then, who is your papa?"
"Pappa!"
The moment I asked, she pointed at me without a second's hesitation. I nodded, thinking, Of course.
I’d have to go to the temple first to ask what was going on, but I could be sure of one thing.
'I'm f*ed.'
I could only imagine the scene if I showed this to Mari.
'I am absolutely f*ed.'
I could see it clearly without even looking. But I felt a bit wronged; the gods were the ones who had made this mess for me.
I let out a hollow laugh internally and stroked the child's head. I needed to settle the situation first and then slowly figure out how to explain this.
Even if I was still f*ed.
"F... f..."
"Hmm?"
"F-f-fucked?"
"..."
Somehow, I felt like I was even more doomed now.