Toltoli (1)
After throwing on something that could barely pass for clothes, I stepped outside, and the first thing that caught my eye was the city spread out beneath the window.
A city reduced to a complete ruin.
Of course, this had been the western district—the part we’d originally meant to smash to pieces anyway—but seeing the reconstruction work still in full swing drove home the fact that the battle was over.
The underground…
It was only natural that my thoughts drifted down there too.
The original plan had been to tear it down and build it anew.
Looks like things had ended a little ambiguously. It wasn’t as if there was any problem starting the cleanup now, but it was another reminder that the world didn’t always move according to plan.
While the repairs are underway…
I could keep the rest of the plan moving. We were just a little late, that was all.
Headache.
There were a lot of problems giving me a headache from every possible angle.
Even on the way to the underground prison where Dialugia was being held, the view through the windows kept changing from one thing to another.
Like Lady Marlin had said, there were people busy clearing away monster corpses, and others scrubbing blood off the walls and buildings inside the city.
Other than the fact that everyone had a little more of a smile on their face, not much had changed.
As for the adventurers, it felt like every one of them had grown a step stronger.
They’d no doubt farmed a decent amount of experience in their own way, so the lower-ranked players probably had a chance to advance into a new class.
Same goes for me….
And for the members of my party, too.
Hwang Jeongyeon, Cho Hyejin, and Sun Heeyoung already had high growth values, so maybe the changes wouldn’t be obvious. But Jung Hayan, Kim Yeri, Park Deokgu, and Kim Hyunsung had probably gained not only new classes but also a boost to their stats.
“We’ll need to talk about it later….”
Since the purpose of this expedition had been to level up, everyone should have come away with results they could accept.
Park Deokgu might even have obtained a Heroic-grade class. The thought of my party members getting stronger was a pleasant one, and before long a faint smile started to creep onto my face.
That was when the guard standing in front of me offered a greeting.
He was probably serving as a jailer, keeping watch over the underground prison.
“Mr. Lee Kiyoung? You’re awake.”
“Ah… yes. You must be Lord Barlan.”
“Y-yes, that’s right!”
He seemed startled that I’d called him by name.
He probably couldn’t believe that someone as important as me had bothered to remember it, but of course I hadn’t memorized it in the normal way.
I’d simply read his information with Mind’s Eye. Still, I wasn’t stupid enough to say that out loud. This, too, was part of the good story I was building for myself.
“May I ask what brings you here?”
“Of course. I was on my way to the underground prison for some business.”
“Could it be…?”
“Yes. I think you’re thinking of the right thing. I was just trying to figure out how to get there, since the path is a little complicated, so this is quite fortunate. If you don’t mind, would you guide me?”
“Ah….”
“If you’re busy with something else, that’s all right.”
“Not at all! Not at all. Of course I’ll guide you. Just trust me and follow me.”
“Haha.”
“And to think you’re heading this way the moment you wake up—truly admirable. You should be resting comfortably….”
“I lost a bit of time while I was unconscious. Looking outside, it seems like everyone, without exception, is hard at work.”
“That’s all thanks to you and the Blue Guild.”
“You’re too kind. By the way, what’s being done about that monster?”
“Actually, I don’t know the details either. It’s my job to guard this place, but aside from the mages coming and going to keep checking something or other… I’m not sure what’s going on. At first they put restraints on it and bound it so it couldn’t move, but at some point I heard they removed the bindings.”
“I see.”
“It’s not an area I’m allowed to enter, but I imagine you can check it directly. From here on, you can go in alone. Hey, open the way for him.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Thank you.”
It was only natural that the guards keeping watch on the path bowed their heads toward me.
Apparently they’d locked the door with magic, because the moment the incantation was spoken, there came a sharp click and the door began to open.
Contrary to my expectation that the place would be rather harsh, it was cleaner than I’d imagined.
I could feel complicated magical formulas woven throughout the place, but as long as they weren’t provoked, they weren’t the kind of spells that would go off on their own.
That was when a familiar doll with horns on its head came into view.
There’s our kid, too.
I could see the little one being held close in its mother’s arms.
I’d worried they might have been locked away separately, but after considering several possibilities, they seemed to have concluded that this was the best option.
Seeing the magical restraints with all sorts of circles carved into them on its hands and feet, it looked like they had at least prepared some countermeasures.
There was even some kind of complicated magic circle drawn around its neck.
Whether something like that can actually control it is another matter entirely….
But since its body wasn’t in normal condition, it should be fine for now.
“Kieek!”
“Oh, there you are! Papa’s here!”
The little dragon that let out a short cry when it saw me was actually rather adorable.
I didn’t know what had happened, but it seemed to be happy to see me.
Maybe the influence of being chosen as Dialugia’s spouse had also reached the baby.
The way its tail was swishing side to side made me certain I was right.
Unlike her precious child, my wife was still holding the little one tightly and watching me warily.
The sight of her clutching the thrashing baby dragon was hilarious.
Anyone could tell that the little thing wanted to come this way.
I clapped my hands sharply to catch the baby dragon’s attention, and Dialugia shrank back a little further before speaking.
What was interesting was that relief was mixed into her gaze.
She must have been worried I might have died.
That reaction was only natural. If I did die, the one left in trouble would be her.
“Who’s the father…?”
“I’m not sure whether you’re really asking because you don’t know, but I do feel a little hurt. Pfft. We’re going to be family now, and you’re still being this stiff? Oh, dear! Our baby! Did you miss Papa? There, there!”
“Kieek!”
“See? Our Toltoli was so excited to see me.”
“It’s not Toltoli….”
“Did you just make up a name without even consulting anyone? I’m a little hurt.”
“Y-you….”
“Haha. It may have been an unexpected family, but every bit of this was your choice, wasn’t it? I’m a little surprised too, but being a father out of nowhere doesn’t feel all that bad. Good job, our Toltoli! Good job, good job, good job!”
“Kieek! Kieek! Kieek!”
“Good boy! Good boy! Good boy!”
“Kieeeek!”
“So this child is named Dialuria. It’s the influence of my choosing you as a spouse, not because the child likes you!”
“So its name is Dialuria. You should’ve at least discussed it first… still, that’s fine. I’m the kind of man who respects his spouse’s opinions and remains faithful to his family. More importantly, I’m truly relieved. It seems the title of Dragon’s Spouse comes with some extra features. I was worried this child might end up hating me.”
“Grrr….”
“Come on now, our Dialuria, let’s have a proper cuddle with Papa!”
“Kieeek!”
Even now, she was still holding our little Toltoli, who was throwing a complete fit.
It didn’t take long for the overexcited thing to wriggle free from its mother’s arms.
The moment it came running over, tail wagging, and licked my face, it was hard not to find it adorable.
It was panting with its rear end swaying back and forth, doing its best not to fall away from me, and it was honestly kind of funny.
And Dialugia’s expression while watching all this was even funnier.
She looked as though she’d been betrayed by something she had trusted.
“A… baby!”
“There, there! Our Toltoli!”
“The baby should come to mama!”
“Oooh, oooh! Our Toltoli is such a good boy! So good, so good!”
“Kieeeeeeek!”
“Baby! Don’t you hear me telling you to come to your mother?!”
“Papa will give our Toltoli a pony ride!”
“Kieek! Kieek! Pant, pant! Huff!”
“Ah… baby….”
“Oh my! Oh my! Are you excited, our Toltoli?”
“It’s not Toltoli! I-it’s Dialuria….”
“Toltol-i!”
“Kieek! Kieek! Huff, huff, huff!”
This brat likes me way too much.
I wondered if it might have some dangerous quirk or other oddity, but after looking more closely, it didn’t even seem to have a quirk or disposition yet.
Besides, I still didn’t know its sex, and I knew next to nothing about dragons in the first place, so there was no way I could possibly understand what exactly was going on.
Still, I supposed it made sense to call this the joy of meeting its father after a long time.
Rather than looking at it like a child, it felt more like looking at a puppy for some reason.
I already knew how to handle that sort of thing.
It must have been bored, stuck in this cramped place with only its mother for company, so going wild over a bit of play like flying around was not strange at all.
Toltoli, who was puffing out excited breaths and wagging its tail, looked as though it would rather stay with me than with its mother for the moment.
“A… baby….”
But Dialugia’s dejected expression was impossible to ignore.
When I saw the little one subtly tugging on the hem of my trousers and slowly trying to move me toward its mother, it seemed our Toltoli wanted its mother and father to get along.
“Doesn’t it seem like our Toltoli is telling us to be nice to each other? Oh, how adorable our Toltoli is….”
“It’s not Toltoli, it’s Dialuria.”
“Haha. It’s a nickname, a nickname. What does it matter if such a cute thing is called Toltoli or Dialuria? Right, Toltoli?”
“Kieek! Huff, huff! Kieeeeeek!”
This brat is adorable.
At first I’d needed a bit of time to adjust, but the more I looked, the cuter it became.
Its big eyes, its tail fluttering like a propeller—everything about it was cute. And the way it clung to me now, unwilling to let go, was the most impressive of all.
For some reason, I felt a little healed inside.
As I kept showing affection to Toltoli, Dialugia watched me with a face that looked as if her whole world were collapsing.
It was only natural that she spoke up before long.
“What brings you here?”
“Does a husband need a reason to come see his wife and child?”
“Th-that was only because I had no other choice. I have no intention of recognizing a human like you as either our Dialuria’s father or my spouse.”
“Whether you recognize it or not, I’m already this child’s father and your spouse. Isn’t that the choice you made? And looking at the situation, that oath of yours—or whatever it was—doesn’t seem like something you can just cancel. More importantly, our Toltoli likes me this much… and you say you don’t intend to recognize that? Toltoli, you like it better when Papa is Papa too, right?”
“Kieek! Huff, huff!”
“A… baby….”
“Oh, by the way, I’m asking just in case, but is it possible to cancel the oath? I’m only asking because I don’t know much about dragons yet.”
“…….”
“So it can’t be canceled.”
“…….”
“Well, that’s unfortunate. I’m still a young man with a bright future ahead of me, but I can’t exactly pretend I don’t see such an adorable Toltoli.”
“There’s no need for you to take responsibility…. This was my mist—my mistake, and I had no choice but to make a decision for my child’s sake. Besides, you used Dialuria to blackmail me—!”
“This wife of mine really can’t stop herself from saying impossible things in front of the baby!”
“A-ah… Dialuria, that’s not what I meant.”
“Tsk. Didn’t I clearly tell you that we weren’t the ones who kidnapped Toltoli? Even under human law, kidnapping monster eggs or children is taboo. The criminals, with only a few exceptions, have already received proper punishment. At the time, I was only protecting our Toltoli. I had no intention of doing anything else.”
“Lies….”
“It’s the truth. Can’t you see how much I like our Toltoli?”
“Humans cannot be trusted.”
“Then what will you do?”
“Once my body has recovered, I’ll return to the forest. With Dialuria. I no longer wish to be involved with humans.”
“Do you think you can get out of here?”
“I will get out….”
“Ah. I see. How unfortunate.”
“W-what do you mean…?”
“You know I was unconscious for three days, right?”
“…….”
“The wound from that little monster wouldn’t stop bleeding, and I was in so much pain. I almost died from the side effects of too much blood loss and overusing my mana. The human body is so, so fragile, isn’t it? Even a trivial wound can make you drop dead….”
“Ah….”
“If you go to the forest with the baby and then I suddenly collapse and die, it would be really unfortunate for our Toltoli. It’d have to grow up all alone, without either mother or father… what a terrible thing that would be. Puh-heh-heh-heh.”
Dialugia’s trembling pupils came into view.