Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation
Crimster
Chapter 13: Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Chapter Thirteen: A Delivery From An Unknown Benefactor and the Village's Preparations
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Chapter Thirteen: A Delivery From An Unknown Benefactor and the Village's Preparations
A wooden sword whistled through the air as it came at me in a horizontal slash. Even if it was made of wood, its speed and the weight applied to it were sure enough to knock me out if it hit me. The good news was that I had already prepared myself for this approach. Paul was never one for subtlety, after all.
My feet planted into the ground as I assumed a Water God stance. My sword aimed to intercept his in a parry. In a swift motion, his sword met mine. However, the feeling of his blade sliding off mine wasn't there—instead, his sword bounced off mine. It wasn't like I was strong enough to give that much resistance, so I could tell immediately that it was on purpose. He was using a North God technique, one I didn't expect.
Paul smirked like he'd caught me in some sort of trap. His sword, which had once seemed so unsteady in his hand, swung downward with purpose and strength. My hand stretched out, and I let out a Blast to propel my body away from the man to avoid the strike. He didn't give me the luxury of a break, though. He pivoted and ran toward me like a beast aiming for its prey. We had, at most, a couple of feet between us after my sudden retreat. At a time like this, I would've unloaded a Stone Cannon, but I knew that would go against the purpose of this spar. It would also most likely kill the man, which I had no intention of doing.
So, instead, I chose to analyze. To be fair, Paul wasn't all that fast to me. Not that I could move like him, considering my lack of a touki, but he was nothing special compared to freaks of nature like Eris, Alek, Isolte, or Jino. Not even in the slightest, but I no longer had my magic armor. That meant even a man like Paul could kill me—if I let him. Or if he wanted to, for that matter.
His legs and arms tensed at once, and his body reached mine. A look of undeterred seriousness scorched in his eyes as his sword came down diagonally, aiming for my neck. The sound from his sword became deaf and silent as it whizzed through the air.
My eyes could see it. Paul's Longsword of Silence , but my body couldn't handle the speed of the blow. The only way I could react was with magic, so I forced my body to move. My grip on my sword was tight enough that I could feel the blisters that had formed on my hand start to tear. I only had one hand on the handle, but that was all I needed. His strike came quickly, faster than my body should've been able to react, but I could see it, and with magic, I could make my body move to intercept it. Everything happening infront of me was within reason and within my control. Was this how Orsted fought? Probably not. I can't even begin to compare myself to the likes of him.
When his sword met mine, I knew I caught it… I barely managed to have my blade find purchase on his and let the momentum of his swing carry him past me. Puzzlement flashed through his eyes, and for the first time in any of our spars, Paul Greyrat, my father, was left open.
My blade soared down towards his collarbone as I applied my off-hand to the grip, and with the aid of wind magic, I struck my father. "Ouch!" The hit did little more than bounce off the man.
That's kind of lame after all of that buildup. I had been working my ass off to at least be able to use the skills I gained to my advantage, but it was true that a swordsman without an aura isn't a good swordsman. I got as far as I did in my last life because I trained for a few decades and used my magic armor to compensate for my lack of a touki. That let me play on the same field as the rest of them, at the very least. At the end of the day, what I do is nothing but an imitation.
The man noticeably eased up and rubbed his shoulder. "That might leave a bruise." He gave me a stupidly big smile.
That makes it sound like you're mocking me, Paul. I sighed.
"Way to go, Rudy!" He rubbed my head. "If you were older, your old man would be dead!"
I grimaced. Trust me, the last thing I need to see you as is dead.
He took his sword and stabbed it into the ground as he coughed into his hand and tried to look as dignified as any womanizer could. Whatever he had planned, it looked like he'd been rehearsing. "Today, you may call yourself an advanced Water God practitioner." He seemed pretty happy right now, didn't he? With that stupid grin on his face, I would be fooled into thinking he enjoyed the loss.
"Wait, but I couldn't even strike you that hard! That's hardly enough to consider myself advanced in Water God!" Paul was lackadaisical about his thinking, but I guess he had some merit in his decision. No matter how okay I was with his decision, going from being taught the Water God style by Orsted and Isolte to Paul, of all people, was something I don't think I could ever get used to.
The three of them live in entirely different worlds, after all.
Still, swordsmen were only ever given the rank of advanced as soon as they could use touki. That's why I was hard stuck intermediate until later in life after I started using the magic armor to compensate. Could Paul really not tell I wasn't using touki or something? Maybe all of my magic usage has been throwing his gauge of me off.
"You're only six and can parry a Longsword of Silence, Rudy . I'd consider that more than enough to elevate you to advanced. Eventually, you'll get the hang of touki, so your striking power isn't much of an issue. Just ensure you don't forget about your dear old dad when you become some high and mighty Water King or something, kay?" He winked as he finished.
"You're not going to tell me to not get all cocky and full of myself?"
"Nah, I know you're not the type to. Plus, even if you did, I'm sure people wouldn't take you seriously." He laughed, and I couldn't help but share a few of his sentiments.
I breathed in and was met with cold air entering my lungs.
Fall had arrived in full swing in Buena. The warm summer breeze had subsided and replaced with a cool nip. The winter would come in due time, but for now, all I had to worry about was training with my father.
It's been months since Kharn's summoning, and I haven't heard from the man since. I figured that would've been the case, considering the number of jobs I had offloaded onto the poor guy and the weight of the spear he now carried. Was giving him the job to clear some of the Superd's name too much?
Nah, I'm sure he'll be just fine. That was the consensus I had run myself into, or at least I made myself believe that.
Because of the implications of having a safety cushion in the form of a big scary demon man doing my bidding, I now had free time I wasn't allowed previously. Not that I was relaxing by any measure. I kept up with Paul's training and my magic refinement, but now I could finally get some much-needed shut-eye at night.
This was how my days went. The days that I knew would eventually come to an end. I was six now, and I'd most likely already be teaching Eris by this time next year. Roxy was still here, but Sylphiette was graduating soon. Apparently, the night I went out to summon Kharn, Roxy told our families that Sylphie would be graduating soon. Soon, to the girl, apparently meant a couple more months, but I was under the impression that she just wanted to stay for a little longer. Still, this meant Roxy would finally be leaving Buena…
Leaving…
She'd be leaving again.
There's not much I can do about it.
Speaking of the two girls. Roxy was off teaching Sylphiette somewhere today. On the hill, we always played at, if I had to guess.
The wind whipped past me, and a slight chill crept up my spine. "I've heard the winter ain't gonna be that kind to us this year," Paul spoke flatly from beside me. He was looking at the few houses you could see from our yard.
That was another issue. This winter posed a problem. That was a fact. From what I'd heard, the weather patterns seemed to be the makings of a rough cold season. The source of our speculations was obviously our resident genius, Roxy, but I could tell she was right on her money with some of my own perusing of the clouds with some of my magic. Not that I thought she was wrong for even a second, but you could never be too sure.
Anyway, the winter was working up to be a bad one. One that had the villagers worried about their own safety. I knew we were okay; Paul was always particular about having enough to get through the cold season. What made me worry was the safety of Sylphiette's family. Sure, it's corny coming from the guy avoiding her, but I don't think worrying about the girl is wrong.
"Father, do you think everyone will be fine? For the winter, I mean?" I looked up to his face. He was still staring into the distance.
"You don't have to worry about that stuff, Rudy. If anyone needs help, they can come right to me—" In an instant, his happy-go-lucky attitude was replaced with him peering into the landscape. "The hell is that?" His question took me off guard.
I looked where he was looking, and wouldn't you know it? Ten or so wagons were coming up over a hill, blocking our sight from where we stood. To be frank, it looked more like a caravan than anything. Driving the front wagon was a rather brolic-looking middle-aged man, and accompanying him was Laws, who was strolling beside the moving carriage. He offered a few words to the man, and once he saw us, he waved.
"Uh, did you get supplies or something, Father—?" My question fell on deaf ears. His expression told me all I needed to know. He had no idea where those wagons originated. It looked like we had another problem on our hands.
We waited for them to get closer to the house, and as they did, one could only notice how particularly full each one was. From one glance, there was food, clothing, and even the typical household appliances like pots and pans. I could even see installable windows. Those definitely weren't common in this area. Sure, our house had them, but Paul was a low-ranking knight, so it made sense that we had one of the nicer houses—if not the nicest house in the village.
"What the hell is all this, Laws?" Paul ran up to meet the convoy and his friend.
Laws' brow upturned in a questioning manner. "You don't know?" He looked over to the wagons. "Then…who sent these guys?"
The atmosphere almost immediately darkened as Paul's hand fell onto the pommel of his sword. "Yeah—who did send you guys?" It was an innocent question, but considering the foreboding nature in the air, it was anything but meant as a kind inquiry.
The driver of the head wagon nervously smiled. "We don't really know either, Sir." I could practically see him sweat at the situation he found himself in. "Look, it was just some guy in a helmet and white coat. Just talkin' to him made my spine freeze over." Paul's hand didn't leave his pommel. "He just approached us and paid us to do this. It was enough money that we couldn't say no!" Bribery, huh? That sounded just like the man he spoke of.
"That still doesn't explain why someone would just pay a couple of merchants to deliver supplies to some village in the sticks!" Paul was growing more and more agitated with every passing second. He was apprehensive about this kind of situation. It makes sense, considering a North King threatened our lives not even two years ago.
But I knew. It was undeniable who this man who wore a helmet and white coat was.
"Look…Sir." The man raised his hands into the air. "My crew can attest to the quality of goods we have." Paul looked at the wagons. I could see in his eyes the indecision of what he should do. He was worried about who these people were or what they had planned, but he knew the village needed the help.
Of course, I was the only one who knew what was happening here. That means I should be the one to settle this matter then. "Dad, I'm sure the village could use the supplies. You know, with winter coming and all." He looked back at me. Consternation painted on his face. He didn't seem like he wanted to budge. It almost looked like he wanted me to take his side.
"You shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth." I pushed a little more.
He looked at the ground for a second. His face scrunched in thought. He was worried, but he also knew the village could use the supplies.
A moment later, his hand left the pommel of his sword. "Haah, fuck it. Okay! It's not like I could just turn all this away." Paul aggressively ran his hand through his hair.
"Laws, go get your wagon." He looked toward the filled caravan. "I have a feeling we're gonna need it."
The unloading process was definitely a long one, but we managed. Laws came back and brought Roxy and Sylphiette in tow, and even Zenith came out and offered as much help as possible. Lilia was inside preparing dinner, so she just stayed put. Considering her leg's condition, it wasn't like she could help that much with the moving.
It took two hours or so to sort most of everything. There was still quite a lot of unpacking that had to be done, but we had taken a short break. As for the organization, we separated the perishables and dry foods into one area. Then, we put the household appliances and other typical everyday items in another. We were cautious with the windows. Those were much too handy to just throw around. Sure enough, the supplies gifted us by Orsted were of good quality. That president of mine sure liked treating his employees well. Or was it because the winter was going to affect my family? There was little way to tell what he thought when he did things.
Well, now the village should be set for the next few months. From what I overheard from Paul, he and Laws would separate the supplies and hand them out equally. That means my sword lessons were cut short for the day, but I didn't necessarily need them. Sure, it was just good to be able to spar against someone who would actually take me seriously. That was a good thing about Paul. He didn't even discriminate against his children with his brash actions… Well, I guess that's also one of his worst traits.
"Are you by chance, Rudeus, Sir?" One of the men sauntered up to me. He had a slightly plump face and body, but I could tell he wasn't a slouch regarding physical labor. He had the disposition of a seasoned trader, from his tone to the way he held himself. So why was he coming up and asking for a child's name?
"Uh, yeah? Who's asking?" Talking to him should be fine. Orsted never spoke to anyone he knew could be an enemy, so if these people were trusted enough by him to deliver supplies to my village, then I'd give him the benefit of the doubt.
"Oh, great! Here, I have a letter for you, Sir. From the man who hired us." From his pocket, he produced a thick, small, sealed envelope. In a motion, it was in my hands.
The man didn't stand around for long. As he left, I could see him smile like a giddy child at his now-completed job. "Just how much did you pay that guy," I whispered as I looked down at the letter. A wax seal sealed the envelope. Displayed on it was the symbol of the Dragon God.
I confirmed no one was around me before I opened the letter.
The letter was unsurprisingly written in the dragon race's old, long-forgotten language. It was a language I hadn't even known existed until Orsted decided it was best to teach me so we could write our letters with it for confidentiality's sake. It was also more space-conscious, considering the writing form took up less room.
"Dear Rudeus Greyrat,
I hope this letter finds you in good health.
It's already been four years since we met again, hasn't it? For me, these years have gone quickly and without pause. I'm sure the same can't be said for your case.
I'm sure you hate me beating around the bush, so I'll try to make this letter as brief as possible.
The Man-God is already surely plotting against us. My arrival at your home likely told that conniving snake all he needed to know about our involvement. I'm sorry for that. It escaped my mind with everything that was happening at the time. I'm sure you've already realized this, but I believe it'd be best to summon Kharn earlier than I'd anticipated for your reassurance and your loved one's safety.
I've also confirmed the appearance of the orb above Roa. This loop seems to be heading in the same direction as the last. Of course, if you've changed your standpoint these past few years, I wouldn't mind you running tests to stop it altogether. At the end of the day, it is at your discretion how we will continue. I've granted you that much freedom, after all.
As for the reason why I sent supplies to your village, it was mainly because of the weather patterns, which I'm sure you've already noticed. It wouldn't be improper to think it's the Man-God's doing. If you wish, you can easily cast away any storm in your area, but I'd advise you to ensure you're unseen.
I've noticed that Roxy has yet to leave Buena. I'd assume whatever you're doing is fruitful, so do whatever you see fit. She had little impact in every other loop I've been through, but her fate is still as strong as ever since you're now involved with the woman.
Anyway, by the time you receive this letter, I will have already left Asura. I should be back in a few years, so I may or may not visit you then.
Until then. May the blessing of the Dragon God be with you, old friend."
I looked up from the small piece of paper. "So Nanahoshi is coming, isn't she?" My words came out slowly as if I didn't believe them myself. It looked like this improbable loop was shaping up like the last. "All of this is going to be gone." I couldn't help but look around myself.
I'd lived in Buena for six years now. I'd already been through this life before and had to deal with the displacement incident, but now we were back. It was going to happen again, wasn't it? "What do I do?" I looked up to the sky without reason.
I hadn't even headed to Roa myself yet. I hadn't checked to see if it was there. Why hadn't I? That was a stupid question. I knew why… I was scared. I was afraid of knowing that all of this would disappear again. That these peaceful days would end just as they did back then.
That, however, was a misplaced fear. I shouldn't be allowed these peaceful days again to begin with. I had a job to do. One of great importance and one I couldn't slack on. To ensure that everyone had a peaceful life even after the disaster, I needed to work harder.
I looked back down to the letter, and out of curiosity, I flipped the letter and surprisingly found another message jotted down.
"P.S.
I've left a gift for you in the back wagon. It's in a box. You should be able to tell at first glance that it's for you. Think of it as a late birthday present or payment for the jobs you'll finish. Whatever you find more appealing. I know you hate preference from your boss at the end of the day."
"Cheeky bastard," I smirked as I looked around, and still, no one was paying me any mind. "So, the back wagon." I incinerated the letter, making it vanish in a split second as I set my sights on the object of my current fascination.
I made my way to the farthest wagon and snuck onto it. A few things remained on it, but I could see it immediately. A reasonably slim-looking wooden crate was hidden underneath the wagon's right seat.
It was what I was looking for. I could tell by the symbol that was engraved on its side. On the box was the Migurd's tribe symbol—the same one synonymous with me, Rudeus Greyrat, as the Quagmire and number Seven of the Seven Great Powers.
"First a lengthy letter from Orsted of all people, and now a box with god knows what inside." I sighed.
I peeked over the side of the wagon, and still, no one was paying me any mind. "Well, I gotta get this to my room somehow." Easier said than done. What with everyone around and all. It's not like they would just let a six-year-old carry off some random box into his room—oh, wait…
I could just use gravity magic when no one was looking.
You know what? I'm glad I fought Alek now.
It didn't take me long to sneak the box into my room. All I had to do was strike up a diversion, use my magic to make the box fly, and shoot it into the window of my room. Simple as, at the end of the day.
Sylphie tried chatting with me and asking if I could play, but I just sidelined her with an excuse. She pouted, of course, but I patted her on the head and promised I'd play with her later. Behind her was Roxy, who had a smug grin painted on her face. It seemed like they were trying to gang up on me more recently. Not that I cared all that much.
When I managed to get up to my room, I found the box in question lying on the ground. "At least I didn't knock anything over this time." I deadpanned at what I said. To say my control had been sloppy only a little while ago would be an understatement. I may or may not have dropped a few things when using gravity magic.
I swear I didn't break a plate at some point… Nope—it wasn't me… It was Paul.
Totally…
"Guess I shouldn't beat around the bush too much and just get right to it." I gripped the lid and pried it open—well, I say pry open, but when I couldn't manage with the strength in my hands, I just used magic. It was these days that I hated not having the Zaliff gauntlets—
"Oh, you've got to be fucking me…" I reached inside and pulled out two gloves. Specifically, they were incredibly similar to the gauntlets Zanoba and Cliff had made when I left for the Teleportation Labyrinth. I turned my head back to the box and found another object of fascination. A long barrel was set on something like a brace with straps attached to it. "Seriously?!" My excitement and shock seemed to reach a fever pitch at realizing what was now in my hands. It was my shotgun cannon.
It looked like my boss had prepared some very interesting gifts for my birthday. I should prepare a return present.
"How did he make these?" Orsted didn't waste his mana like I did. I was allowed the luxury to frivolously use my magic however I saw fit, but he wasn't so lucky. So there was no way he could just make magic items like these. Especially with earth magic like I could tell the ones in my hands were made from. So the question wasn't if he did. It was who.
I would be lying if I said I didn't want to test them out, but I couldn't just go around wearing gauntlets out of nowhere or blasting a shotgun in the front yard. However, that last part was really tempting. "But I guess I have to test these at least…" The gauntlets were too large to fit onto my hands, but their craftsmanship was excellent. I brushed my hand alongside their smooth surface.
"Yeah, whoever he threatened to make these sure is good." The craftsmanship was remarkable, to say the least. Of course, no one could replicate Zanoba's designs, Cliff's genius magic circles, and my craftsmanship, but whoever Orsted got to make these is sure as hell good at all of those. "Well, I'm not gonna get anywhere just gawking at them. No time like the present to see how these puppies work." I slipped one of the gauntlets over my small arm. It went as far up as the middle of my bicep. You couldn't consider this a gauntlet for how small I was, but I'd probably grow into them eventually. Right now, it was more like a sleeve.
"Now then, Oh Earth, become thine Arm." Miraculously, I watched as the glove shrunk to accommodate the space it once hadn't. The amount of mana it consumed was entirely negligible. I clenched my hand into a fist, and the gauntlet complied. I could feel my fingertips press in my palm, even if the feeling was dull and almost nonexistent. "These are just like back then." I keep saying it, but whoever made these was incredible, that's for sure.
"Well, I better do a strength check then." When I say it like that, it feels like I'm playing D&D or something. Not that I've played that for a handful of decades. Well, even in that distant life of mine, I never had any friends to play it with.
In a moment, I constructed a reasonably durable stone ball using a small amount of magic. It wasn't as sturdy as one of my Stone Cannons, but I figured these gloves couldn't handle that kind of toughness anyway, so I thought this would have to do.
Without supplying the glove with any meaningful amount of power to increase my strength, I gripped the ball; it obviously didn't give. Then, I loosened my hold on the ball and let it sit in my palm.
I sent a bit of mana into the gauntlet and resumed my previous grip on the stone sphere. I held it with little effort and heard a crack. The stone moved slightly, and in the next moment, it crumbled into rubble.
"Yep, still as strong as ever." This revelation fixed my lack of physical prowess for the most part, but considering where I was, it was a shame I couldn't use them. " Oh Arm, return to Earth. " The glove loosened, and I took it off.
"Well, these are definitely welcome gifts." The gauntlets would help me fight against many opponents, and I could technically use Urupen's fighting style now because of them. The shotgun cannon was a no-brainer. I mean, who was going to deflect a shotgun? With one last survey of the box, I found a drawstring pouch with more than a few magic stones inside. "I guess this is my payment—isn't this a little bit too much to give a child?" I guess you could technically say what I was doing was child labor, but I'd overlook the working conditions of our company for right now. After all, we still don't formally have a headquarters yet—and there were only two employees.
I looked at the items and sighed. "Guess the good old trusty hole will be a little more cramped from now on."
"Welp, we're all finished here, Mrs. Peters!" With an upbeat exclamation, Paul walked out of the house with Laws behind him.
The woman gave a short bow toward them. "Thank you again, Lord Paul." She pointed a heartwarming smile at the two men. Her daughter hid behind her skirt even as she did this. "Samantha dear, how about you give Lord Paul that gift?" Paul could see the little girl nod timidly as she emerged from hiding behind her mother's figure.
Her hands quickly came from behind her back, and she presented infront of her the so-called gift in hand. "Here, I made it myself." The girl held a flower crown.
"I'll treasure it like my life depends on it." Paul took it from her hands without missing a beat and gently placed it on his head. She ran back behind her mother in a moment.
"The look suits ya, Paul." Laws elbowed the knight's side in a somewhat mocking manner. "We should get going, though. We still have a lot of houses to get through." The elf waved for Paul as he moved past him. Paul, without stumbling, proceeded to follow, "Take care, Mrs. Peters!" The half-elf waved, not looking back as he did so.
"Will do Laws! So hello to Cecilia for me!" The two men trailed off her house and returned to Laws' wagon. Even though they'd been going around for the past hour or so, it seemed like the supplies shipped to the village had no end.
"Aren't you acting a little too uppity, Paul?" The confident tone Laws adopted only a few moments ago was now gone, and in its place was one of a worried man. "We still don't even know who sent all of this to us. When you take all of this plus the assassination attempt—I'm trying to say that I don't like where this is going."
"Nah, I get where you're coming from, Laws, but you gotta look at it this way." Paul draped a hand over his friend's shoulder. "There are enough supplies here for everyone to survive the winter. There are enough appliances that every house in Buena will be well off for years, and there are enough clothes and winter coats for every man, woman, and child to have three sets." Laws' demeanor still told Paul that he wasn't sure.
"Look, Laws, if someone wanted us dead, they wouldn't send us supplies—and if they wanted leverage over us, they would've at least told the merchants their name." After Paul spoke, Laws began pondering. "We're fine. Ultimately, it's better to think of whoever this mystery benefactor is as a friend rather than an enemy. After all, whoever they are, they sure as hell have a lot of money they can throw around." The sheer quantity of supplies shipped to them made that fact abundantly clear.
The elf scratched his ear. "Yeah, you're right—sorry, just worried, is all." Considering the man had nearly bled out not even two years ago because of a failed assassination attempt, it made sense for him to be worried. It would be strange if he wasn't weirded out by the scenario.
"You're fine, Laws… To be honest, it's right to be worried." Paul gave the man a reassuring nod, and then they mounted the wagon, Laws beginning to drive them toward the next house. Paul couldn't help but look over the fields and the houses that specked the landscape as they rode. Even if fewer people were here than in Roa, the village covered more land than the fortress city. Paul liked this place. Paul liked living here and having a family here.
This village didn't always mean much to him, though. A couple of years back, it was just somewhere Philip managed to get him a solid job. To Paul, being the village's knight was just a means to an end to give Zenith peace of mind and show his commitment to her. Not that he's not a total sleazebag when it comes to women, but he just wanted to show her that he was serious about starting a family. In truth, he wasn't even against being tied down.
His view of the village, however, changed when Rudeus was born. He went from not caring about the people around him to finding himself talking to them. He wanted his son to have a nice life growing up in this village. One that wasn't spotted with politics and bids for power like Paul's childhood was. He wanted Rudeus to have a quiet and serene life. That doesn't mean Paul would stop Rudeus from doing whatever he wanted. If he wanted to leave one day and become a politician, Paul wouldn't stop him, but Paul felt it in his bones that someone like Rudeus would become an adventurer or something with how he was shaping up.
"The village sure has changed a lot since Rudeus was born, hasn't it?" It was Laws that spoke first. The sun was still high in the sky as the man looked up at it. It seemed he was thinking of the same things the knight was.
"It sure has, and it's only changed more with Roxy and your Sylphie." Those girls were important to Paul's son. He could tell from just a glance at how he looked at them. Rudeus very evidently held a great sense of admiration for his master and certainly cared about his elf friend. Paul would've thought it was love if he didn't know better, but Rudeus was still just a child. Even if he was a prodigy who had thoroughly shown up his father, he was still a young—and not naive kid.
"This village never meant much to me, y'know? I just came here to find a nice, quiet place to live… Now, I just can't see myself leaving." Paul's thoughts were all over the place right now. With what he just said, it sounded like he was about to go into a confession scene from a VN.
"I can understand that. You were always pretty distant before your son was born." Laws sighed. "Meanwhile, I was worried to hell and back about my daughter." A sad smile sat on his lips. "I never thought my child would have green hair, but now look at me… I felt like her life was a closed book, but then Rudeus came out of nowhere." The sad smile turned into one of relief. "You were right about how Rudeus makes you think you're unqualified as a father… He's a good kid."
"Laws?" The elf perked up from his thoughts and turned toward the brown-haired man. "What are your thoughts on your daughter marrying my son?" His face froze into a look of puzzlement.
Well, that's the look I'd make if I was hit with whiplash that bad.
"You're bringing this up now? Of all times, Paul?" Laws' face looked thoroughly annoyed.
"What? It's not like we're fighting for our life or anything. We're just chatting as we deliver stuff." Paul thought for a quippy line and threw out the first one that came to him. "Chatter is good for the mind."
"I bet you're only saying that because Rudeus said it one time." Welp, he caught him red-handed. Rudeus liked pulling out weird sayings occasionally, and Paul just started using the ones that sounded super sophisticated. He wasn't that smart at the end of the day, and he knew his son had him beaten out on that aspect.
"Seriously though, what do you think of it? I hear the girl talk about it every now and then. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to get them hitched at their age. It's not like we're two noble families fighting for power. They're still too young for that sort of conversation or commitment." Paul scratched at his chin. "Just think of it as food for thought."
"Just to be clear, I'm not against it, Paul." The man didn't meet him in the eyes. Laws' cheeks flushed as he spoke. Paul thought momentarily that he might've pounced on the poor guy if he were a woman. That was probably the Elinalise in Laws speaking, not that Paul knew the two were related. "Rudeus is the only boy I'd give my daughter's hand to. No one else deserves her." The hunter's eyes were cold. The bullying his daughter received was still fresh. That wasn't the sort of thing a parent could just forget.
"I just don't want to think about letting her go already. I'm not mentioning that she's been constructing her life around him too." His face held a particular confused nature about it when he spoke.
"That isn't good, I agree. She's definitely more dependent on Rudeus than he is on her… I think he's trying to fix that about her—what with all his passive nature toward her."
"I'm just saying I don't mind if they get married, Paul. That's my stance, but I don't want my daughter being led on—not that I'm saying Rudeus is doing that." The elf spoke in a frantic nature at the end.
"No, no, I understand, Laws… I'll—try to figure something out." Paul tried to give his friend some solace.
I'll rack my brain for ideas later. Roxy's gonna be leaving soon after Sylphiette graduates from her teachings. Then it would only be a matter of time until the little girl falls hopelessly in love with my son…they're only six, dude, relax… Paul grimaced at his thoughts.
"It seems having Rudeus as a son must be draining." Laws chuckled, but Paul could only look at him with a slightly befuddled look.
"Not really, to be honest. He's a good kid with a good head on his shoulders. Unlike his father when he was his age, he stays out of trouble and is always humble about himself. He has his issues, sure, but I know he loves his family, and I know that he loves me in his own way." Paul could tell the grin on his face was one of those stupidly big ones. Talking about his boy only made the man happy.
"That's all I really need." Laws laughed at what he said and didn't stop even when Paul hit him in the side.
"To think that Paul Greyrat is so worried about what his six-year-old boy thinks of him as his father! Oh, man! You got me crackin' up!" The elf clutched his sides in desperation.
"I'm serious here, man! Why do you have to do me like this?!"
The moment eventually ended, and they continued supplying the villagers for the winter.
A week later, Sylphiette would undergo her graduation.
Then, the day after, Paul saw his son break under the pressure.
Notes:
Author's Note: Finally, we have chapter thirteen. Yet again, it is a chapter that doesn't have much happening within it. There isn't much for me to say about this one. However, I do wonder what the ending of this chapter meant by saying what it did. I guess that's something you'll have to figure out later.
As always, feedback is always appreciated.