Chapter 154
Chapter 154
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 154
Chapter Title: Burning Up. (3)
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Everyday life.
It means the routine that repeats day after day, the ordinary passage of time.
For your average second-year middle schooler in the throes of puberty, there might even be kids who crave something more exciting.
But try hitting forty!
Everyday life is the best! Long live the everyday!
"With a daughter who's already got a succubus and a dragon for pets, everyday life's pretty much over, right?"
"Shut it."
It's still everyday life.
Still more everyday than that manga about everyday life I read back in the day.
So to keep the everyday going, I have to maintain the ordinary.
Ordinarily farming with my daughter, ordinarily weeding with her.
"And wouldn't it be nice to ordinarily head to the next village over together?"
"Hmm..."
That ordinary routine kept us going for months, and now it's already fall.
The fast-growing crops are starting to get harvested one by one.
We didn't plant much this year on account of all the nonsense, so we should be done in about a month.
"To make it through winter, we do kinda have to go to the next village."
Right now's prime time for merchants from the next village selling their wares.
Especially since there's one more reason we absolutely have to go this time.
"This time, I really gotta beat the crap out of that egg seller to feel better."
When we went in spring, it was egg-hunting season, so I heard he'd left the village to snag some.
I must've waited all summer after hearing it'd be tough in spring and we'd have to wait till fall!
If that damn guy hadn't been peddling dragon eggs, maybe some death flags would've been fewer!
"Give it up, Master. Even with one less dragon, the odds of you living easy were never good."
"Just one dragon, you say... Plenty of kingdoms are getting wrecked by a single evil dragon."
"Huh? Evil dragon? Don't dragons get hunted or something? Don't they have their own laws and stuff?"
"It's a 20,000-year-old ancient dragon."
"Ahaha~"
Even dragons summoned as incarnations of chaos have their own rules they follow.
Getting too tangled in human society or causing harm gets you sanctioned by other dragons.
But when it's one of the notoriously ancient ones among dragons, that's a different story.
Try sanctioning it wrong, and you might end up dead yourself.
So they slap the "evil dragon" label on it, call it a criminal among dragonkind, but if it doesn't mess with them, they leave it alone.
Meaning, handle it yourselves since we don't wanna risk dying.
"The name's kinda like yours, too. Arketai."
Black dragon, Arketai.
The evil dragon currently rampaging through kingdom after kingdom.
"Haaang? How dare a black lizard punk use two letters of this goddess's name!"
"Evil dragon shortened is Ar."
"Eek! Don't shorten it, Master!"
The iron bat thwacked my shin with a pouty glare.
It hurt.
Not the dying agony the others feel, but it wasn't her usual squishy self hitting me.
She'd hardened up, turning that part into solid metal to strike.
Even I feel that.
"I'm kidding."
"Hmph, comparing this goddess's name to some black punk. Even if it's you, Master, divine punishment!"
Her lips puffed out like a duck's bill—she was seriously sulking.
"Yeah, yeah, from now on I'll say the full Arketai..."
"Keep it up?"
Thwack!
Hit again. Right on the same spot.
It hurt, but the thrill outweighed it, so I endured.
"Heh heh heh, you've been grinding my gears lately. No way I'd pass up a golden chance like this!"
"Tch, to think such an evil man is my master..."
The iron bat paled at my rare villainous grin.
Thanks, Arketai.
Haven't gotten one over on her like this in ages.
"Keep it up, and I won't go with you."
"Honestly, I did think about that."
"Eek?"
She tried firing back, but it bounced right off me.
"Honestly, taking my daughter along feels risky, but leaving her feels risky too..."
"Either way, we're running, right? Why not bring Little Sis?"
I've thought about it, but folks trying to live quietly get dragged into crap most when they move.
Where in a novel do incidents pile up like at a festival?
"...Which is why if you leave me behind and go, bam—Master gets kidnapped by some girl!"
"Exactly."
"And if you leave Little Sis and go, bam—daughter gets snatched! classic plot twist."
"Exactly..."
The cat's not reliable battle power yet.
Dragon needs to outgrow hatchling stage to trust, and she's barely turning two.
Damn. Only reliable thing's next-door gramps, and he's still not back...
"Should've written a letter of rec for the Black Anvil."
Meeting dwarves is tough.
Without a nation mediating, good luck finding their village.
Dwarf villages are basically clan enclaves.
Even finding it, getting a weapon from a dwarf? Tougher still.
Dwarves hate human greed as much as—hell, more than—elves!
So Gramps fetching a weapon is super hard...
"Daddy, Grandpa's back!"
"Talk about timing."
I scooped up my beaming daughter bursting through my door.
It's like...
"Some conspiracy to ship Master off to the next village."
"Right?"
"Huh?"
My daughter tilted her head at me and the iron bat's chat, but soon flashed a huge grin and yelled.
"Grandpa's back after so long, so chicken for dinner tonight!"
"That was your goal!"
"Hehe~"
I pinched her grinning cheeks.
At night she's a witchy charmer who shuts up the gossip, but by day, my daughter’s so adorable she could live in my eyes pain-free.
What’s this?
Can a daughter this perfect even exist?
My future son-in-law’s gonna be one lucky guy.
Of course, only after passing all 122 checks I came up with.
-First one's surviving my punches, think he can?
-I survive 'em, so yeah!
-Poor kid sis... Never gonna get a boyfriend...
Hmph, doesn't need one.
My cute daughter said she'd live with Daddy even after marriage.
-That doesn't mean no marriage!
Hmph! Never said I'd allow marriage.
"Alright, shall we go see Grandpa after so long?"
"Yeah!"
I hoisted my adorable daughter, and she naturally wrapped her arms around my neck.
Mwah.
As our faces drew close, she planted a kiss on my cheek like it was the most natural thing.
"Alright, let's go?"
"Yeah, Daddy!"
Wonder how much Gramps leveled up—gotta check it out.
#5 Their Circumstances: An Old Man's Circumstances
My heart's pounding.
Cold sweat's been pouring down my body for ages.
My hands are so drenched, I'm wondering if I can even grip a sword properly.
"Almost there, old timer."
"I know."
Hitching a ride on a cart passing the village, I could feel my body trembling more as the village neared.
I know what this feeling is.
Fear. Fear of the magic soldier in that village.
Now I've gotta face that magic sword with the greatest one made by the Red Hammer Clan: Crimson Cloud.
Crimson Cloud deserves the title of finest blade.
Packed with mithril and countless metals, it absorbs mana like crazy.
Wrap it in sword aura, and flames ignite within.
Flame magic's always ranked top-tier for raw power.
This sword lets you wield that flame power anytime, as long as you've got mana for sword aura.
Simply put: Can't cut it with the sword? Sword aura lets you. Can't with sword aura? Flames destroy it.
Even better: Compress aura into a blade aura, and the flames compress too—for way more power.
Surpass red and blue flames to white-hot.
This blade's destruction outstrips any other!
But.
"I'm afraid."
Afraid. Weird hearing it from my own mouth—never said it back then.
Not anymore.
After hanging up my sword, I learned true fear.
Scary. Terrifying.
Lost to the current Sword Saint? Felt defeat, helplessness—but no fear.
That magic soldier? Gave me fear.
A sword that sprouts hands and feet to beat you senseless!
Won't even kill—just keeps pounding!
No magic soldier does that.
And I've gotta face it.
Honestly, even with Crimson Cloud, I'd rather pass.
But for taking this sword, I promised the Red Hammer Clan I'd fight that magic sword.
So swallow the fear and face Melrn's magic sword.
But...
"Don't you gotta keep that promise?"
Back at Melrn's after ages.
Ellis greeted me with a bright smile when I knocked; waited for her to fetch Melrn.
Told him the story while hugging Ellis; asked for the fight again—but refused.
"They're dwarves living way off. Just send a letter saying you won. Done."
"I-it's a man's promise."
"Whoa, dangerous talk. Women keep promises too. No gender divide."
"No, that's not what I meant. It's about a swordsman upholding his word."
"I see. Noble intent."
"You get it?"
Melrn nodded agreement.
"Yes. Trust between people matters. But the promise's between the clan and you, old timer. Never promised to fight you."
"Hmm?"
"So, no fight. No reason for me to."
"Th-that!"
Seeing Melrn's utter refusal, I panicked.
Swordsmen hounded me nonstop for bouts just standing still.
Fight, fight, fight again.
Some offered fortunes for a clash; others downed hundreds.
Why now?
"You don't get why, huh... Swordsmen probably clung desperately for one match with you."
"Y-yeah."
"But that's swordsmen. I'm a farmer?"
"Huh?"
"Swordplay's for self-defense. Magic soldier too. Real job's farming."
I nodded on reflex.
Yeah.
He's a farmer now.
Past's shady, but he's wielding tools, not swords.
But!
"Just once? Please?"
I've got a duty to the Red Hammer Clan.
Swallowed fear, kept swallowing, came all this way.
Can't break it like this!
"Sorry, too busy."
Melrn shot down my plea flat.
"Wh-what!"
"Just say you won. I surrender."
"Can't waste their efforts!"
"I admitted defeat?"
"Need true victory!"
"Daddy~"
"Gotta make chicken for my girl. Oh, you want some, old timer?"
"Yeah. But fight after!"
Melrn stood without hearing me out.
"Gotta hit the next village tomorrow—kinda rushed. Just call it my loss."
"Y-you!"
He made chicken, we ate, next day I saw him off to the village.
Never accepted the challenge.
#6 Their Circumstances: Some People's Circumstances.
"Finally..."
"Found you!"