Chapter 8
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: I Want to Swing the Flame Sword Too!
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"I want to swing the Flame Sword too!"
Four days had passed.
One week left until the Shoggoth interview.
For now, it was a peaceful time where I could simply spend ordinary days with Hikari.
"Hikari, who is this heteromorph in the picture?"
"Balrog! I wanna!"
"Correct~ As expected of my daughter."
When I stroked her head, Hikari rubbed against me happily, acting all spoiled.
Surprisingly, she might actually have a knack for studying.
I had thought that, given all the legends about Nurarihyon wandering everywhere, she would prefer the outside over staying home.
But every morning when I asked her what she wanted to do, she always brought a picture book like this.
Before I knew it, we had gone through more than ten volumes, and now we were reading the last one in the picture book set I had bought.
She was even practicing Hangul in her spare time.
Thanks to that, she picked up the language and writing quickly, which was great for me.
To be honest, she learned so well that I almost hoped her lispy pronunciation wouldn't get fixed.
"Yuan! I wanna swing the Flame Sword too!"
Hikari suddenly jumped up and grabbed Miss Ihana's Pilates stick.
She looked just like a young hero who had just drawn her sword.
"Hmm... Balrogs' weapons can only be used by themselves and their partners. Hikari would probably have to marry a Balrog, right?"
"Yuan isn't human?"
"Pure muggle with zero mana~"
"Muggle...? Doesn't sound good! I wanna marry Yuan!"
Is this the privilege you only get to hear in a house raising its daughter?
'When I grow up, I wanna marry Daddy!'
Even though it was such a clichéd line, hearing it directly made my heart swell and melt.
Would puberty bring lines like, 'You smell like an old man, stay away! Oh, and I told you not to wash my underwear with yours!'?
...Hell.
No. My angelic daughter would never say such harsh things.
Still, the fear was unavoidable.
Was this how Sesshomaru felt when he had to freeze Rin?
"Hika-riiii! Stay like this forever!"
"Eek?! Can't... breathe!"
Hikari squirmed in my arms, pushing me away, but unfortunately, I was still stronger.
Plus, my anxiety from those delusions made me not want to let her go.
"Daddy's always on your side! Just grow up nice and sweet!"
"Ears hurt! Yuan annoying!"
"Not Yuan, Daddy. Say Daddy!"
"Da... Yuan!"
Hikari seemed to ponder for a moment, but in the end, she called my name.
For some reason, she wouldn't compromise on this one thing.
It wasn't that she didn't know the word; it felt like she was deliberately avoiding it.
I even told her papa or dada would be fine, but she stubbornly refused.
When I asked why, she just blushed and shook her head no, which left me a bit frustrated, honestly.
"Calm down a little, Yuan. You've been full-on daughter mode all day since you got back."
"Miss Ihana?"
She emerged from the kitchen, her tail flickering with flames.
Seha was right beside her, carrying a bowl full of ingredients.
They seemed to be planning to prep tonight's dinner in the living room.
Miss Ihana held out a fruit to Hikari.
"Hikari, want to help? Didn't you say you wanted to try?"
"Yes! I wanna! Teach me!"
Hikari kicked her legs in the air, signaling me to put her down.
I wanted to monopolize her a bit more, but I knew she'd get upset if I did.
So, reluctantly, I carefully set her down on the sofa and decided to watch.
"What do I always say before cooking?"
"Wash hands!"
"Yes, wash them thoroughly~"
Hikari nodded and tugged at my clothes.
"Come with?"
"No need! Water place too scary!"
How do you handle such an adorable creature?
I barely suppressed the urge to ruffle her single horn.
My daughter, fully armed with an apron and a little headscarf.
Seated on the booster chair next to Miss Ihana, she finished preparing to trim the ingredients.
"Yes, hold it like that and peel it at an angle."
"Gently... gently..."
"That's right. But grip the fruit firmly."
At first, I had strongly opposed letting Hikari hold a paring knife.
A knife, of all things.
What if an accident happened?
"Trust her, Yuan. Nurarihyon weapons are swords."
But with that one line from Miss Ihana, I had no choice but to watch.
And the little Nurarihyon girl admirably lived up to the Balrog's expectations.
Scrape, scrape.
Hikari carefully peeled the fruit's skin just as instructed.
Her pace wasn't fast, but her technique was precise.
Miss Ihana, watching, smiled and began her own work.
"Amazing. A child handling a knife like that. Did you know, Seha?"
"It's instinct engraved in Nurarihyon genes. The old Demon King era was a world full of nothing but war."
"Like some 40,000-year future or something?"
Seha chuckled, took a sip of his coffee, and continued.
"Anyway, ever since the current Demon King took over, there's no more worry about bloodshed, but instincts don't vanish that easily."
"Well, you can watch hellhounds or orcs brawling in the arenas."
Even if heteromorphs took on beautiful forms, their innate belligerence hadn't died out.
Of course, they didn't swing violence around their beloved humans, but among themselves, it was different.
That's why martial races occasionally visited heteromorph-only arenas to show off their instincts and skills.
Miss Ihana herself had won at the colosseum in the superheat zone, after all.
"Ah, but that doesn't mean Nurarihyon are battle maniacs. Honestly, they prefer scrounging food over fighting, right?"
"You can tell just from Hikari's appetite~"
"I'm just happy she eats so well. Anyway, despite that, why are Nurarihyon rated as a high race?"
"...Because of the title Supreme Commander of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons?"
Seha nodded.
"You can't rise to Supreme Commander without skill. Even the records say all Nurarihyon were outstanding swordmasters."
"Hmm... So will Hikari end up wielding a sword too?"
There was such a thing as arena fighter.
It was popular even in modern times, so she could earn honor and money, but...
As a parent, I didn't like the idea of my daughter getting hurt in fights.
At that moment, Miss Ihana looked at me and chuckled.
"Yuan, Nurarihyon swords are similar in nature to a Balrog's Flame Sword."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Poke, poke.
She pointed to the center of her chest.
"A part of their soul is forged into the shape of a weapon. The sword manifesting is inevitable."
"So even without arena brawls, a sword will appear?"
"Correct~ She'll probably develop her own weapon once she grows a bit more. I can't wait to see what kind of sword it will be~"
Miss Ihana gazed at Hikari with an expectant, pleased expression.
Hikari, meanwhile, was so focused on the fruit that she seemed oblivious to everything around her.
Her own sword, huh.
A wakizashi, maybe?
Or a katana?
Imagining it only made me more curious.
According to the full checkup at the hospital, Hikari was seven years old.
Would her sword form when she was old enough for elementary school?
"Yuan!"
Hikari suddenly looked at me and grinned.
She held a peach-sized fruit with its skin completely peeled.
"Wanted to show it to me first?"
"Hehe... Yeah! Yuan praises best! So I worked harder!"
"Really... You make it impossible not to eat."
I took the fruit Hikari offered.
It was meant for cooking, but eating it raw was fine.
Especially if it was peeled by my one and only daughter.
"Thanks, I'll dig in."
The moment I bit in, sweet juiciness flooded my mouth.
So sweet.
Was it because of Hikari's love?
It was the best thing I'd eaten in a while.
"...It's the best. Thank you, Hikari."
"Ehehe... One more?"
"Ten would be great. I could eat fruit forever~"
"Gasp! Then I'd have to peel nonstop...?"
"You're so cute it's driving me crazy! Come here!"
In the end, Miss Ihana had to pry me off as I lunged uncontrollably.
A bit more time passed on the clock.
The word "everyday" repeated a few more times.
An unusual atmosphere lingered around the boarding house from the morning.
If I had to give that vibe a color...
Bright orange.
Warm, sparkling.
The kind that made your heart race for no reason.
"Got everything, Hikari?"
"Yeah! Snacks too! Coin pouch!"
Hikari, whose pronunciation had become much smoother over the week, nodded.
She was dressed differently today.
A small crossbody bag slung over her shoulder, her neat outing clothes making her look just like a little traveler from a fairy tale setting off on an adventure.
The penguins down the street might spam nothing but "cute" and "adorable" at the sight of her.
"Hehe~ So exciting!"
Hikari spun around, scattering her bubbly excitement throughout the house.
The Balrog couple, out to see her off in the morning, couldn't hide their pleased smiles at her loveliness.
"Hikari, listen to Yuan. Don't run off alone just because something catches your eye."
"Don't worry! I'll stick right by Yuan!"
"Good, I like that energy."
Miss Ihana knelt down and stroked the little girl.
She even caressed her single tiny horn before raising a finger in front of Hikari's eyes.
"A small flame for you."
Fwoosh.
A faint flame bloomed from the Balrog's hand, warmly enveloping Hikari.
Blessing
Hikari's eyes sparkled in surprise as she looked around her body in wonder.
"Gotta get traveler's insurance."
"A Balrog's Blessing? Isn't that a bit too lavish, Miss Ihana?"
"Balrogs are the race of luxury and indulgence, after all~"
Seha added his two cents, hand on his wife's shoulder.
"You got Hikari's passport and papers, right?"
"Of course. Honestly, I didn't expect her to get registered on the family registry in just two days."
"Thanks to me and Ihana vouching for her~ Being the official heir of the superheat zone has its perks, huh?"
"Hmm... Sounds like they want tons of souvenirs?"
The couple grinned in unison, as if they'd been waiting for it.
"We'll look forward to it?"
"We'll try~"
I shrugged and took Hikari's hand.
A small, delicate hand.
Yet it gripped mine tightly, as if refusing to let go.
Its warmth.
"Shall we head out?"
"Yeah! Hurry hurry!"
Hand in hand with the excited girl, we stepped out the front door.
We waved big to the couple seeing us off.
The morning of Hikari's first trip was a clear, crisp autumn day.