Chapter: 128
Honestly, at first, I thought the king of Arcadia must have eaten something wrong.
Even though he doesn’t have any claim to the throne, sending the prince to be a son-in-law? That’s just something else.
A prince at that level carries such high political value, no explanation needed.
Sending a third prince as the hero’s son-in-law? At this point, I was practically itching to find out what the king of Arcadia was thinking.
Maybe… he was looking to strengthen his royal power through a blood tie with the hero? Otherwise, there’d be no reason to send the prince over here.
That’s what I thought.
“I-I’m meeting you for the first time… no, actually, I’ve seen you before, but this is the first proper introduction… so, um, yes, it’s definitely the first time we’re meeting…”
Standing in front of the hero’s daughter, his face so red it could rival a tomato, he couldn’t even manage to look her in the eye and then just vanished.
“Ah! Could it be! The one I met when I visited Arcadia before!”
“Yes, yes. You remember me, even though we only met for one day.”
“It really left a strong impression on me!”
Before Arcadia went to war with its neighboring country, the hero’s daughter had wanted to meet the beast god she had adventured with.
We had traveled around Arcadia for a few days back then… hmm…
Could it be that the children became friends while the adults were chatting away?
Well, this is… quite an unexpected connection.
“It was so much fun back then! While the adults were droning on about boring stuff, we were having a blast!”
“Yes. It was really enjoyable.”
A bond formed during that brief childhood trip was now being rekindled.
Wait, is it because that connection existed that this young man decided to come as a son-in-law?
I’m not sure, but the conditions do seem fantastic, so I had no reason to object at all.
The hero’s wife seemed smitten with the tall prince; her smile didn’t fade one bit.
As for the hero, he kept frowning, mumbling something about how the prince looked good on the outside but was probably just a shallow parasite, and he grumbled on about various things, only to get smacked on the back by his wife.
Well, the hero is such a doting dad, so I figured he’d have that reaction no matter who his daughter brought home.
Even if it were a king instead of a prince, he’d still be grumbling.
“No, I mean, why would a prince want to come as a son-in-law? Honestly, even I find that hard to understand, sister.”
“Who knows? People’s connections can be mysterious; there might have been a chance encounter.”
“Chance? More like that sly old king targeting the hero’s bloodline by sending the prince over as a son-in-law!”
“Didn’t you used to think that king was cool? Why has your opinion flipped?”
“That was then, this is now! When the situation changes, so does one’s perspective, right?”
Situation… huh.
Maybe it’s because he’s a father of a precious daughter? Hmm.
I get it just a bit, but still… for the sake of his daughter, he should let her go. If he keeps being this stubborn, he’ll definitely end up hated by her.
I just sighed quietly while watching the hero.
And then, a little while later…
“Dad, I hate you!!!”
My prediction could not have been more accurate.
“Why do you keep nitpicking that guy? It’s such trivial stuff!”
“No… my daughter…”
“I don’t care! From now on, I’m going to be Auntie’s daughter!!!”
Saying this, the hero’s daughter clung to me.
Hmm… a girl who’s nearly in her 20s is throwing a tantrum like a little child.
Wait, is she doing this on purpose? To stir up the hero?
“I’m not a child anymore! I’m at an age where I’m a bit late to marry! Why don’t you like him? Please give me a reason I can actually understand!”
“W-Well… that’s…”
The hero couldn’t come up with a reason. Of course, he was just stubbornly refusing without any valid justification.
Seeing him in that predicament, I sighed softly and decided to step in. I could’ve watched further, but…
I didn’t want to see this father-daughter relationship blown apart by unnecessary stubbornness.
So,
“That’s enough.”
“Auntie!”
“Sister!”
I butted in between the two after observing quietly.
“Will you not forgive this foolish brat’s antics?”
“Sister!”
“Shut it, you fool. Did you think you could just bulldoze through with your stubbornness? You should have considered the chance you’d be hated.”
“B-but…”
“Shut up! You haven’t done a single thing right, so just keep quiet and behave!”
Even if my daughter is adorable, it’s not like I can keep her by my side forever! He doesn’t even realize that his daughter has her own life!
You idiot! This total fool!!! While I was away for a bit, you can bet I’ll slap some sense into you in place of your wife!
“Oww, that hurts! Sister!!”
“A beating is just what a clueless moron like you needs!!!”
I continue to smack the squishy back of the guy whose muscle from his prime days has long since vanished.
“You weren’t this aggravating before! What happened? Did you think I raised you this way?”
“Ow! It hurts, Sister!!! Stop!! Stop hitting me!”
“I just can’t handle how annoying you are! One more hit coming your way!”
After slapping him hard enough to leave some serious palm prints, I finally felt satisfied.
“Now that I’ve given you a good beating, hopefully, that’ll calm you down.”
I casually tossed the hero, whose back was all battered, onto the bed, then turned to the hero’s daughter.
“Auntie…”
“That foolish guy… seems to have held on way too tight because he values you so much. Your life is your own. It looks like he overlooked that… so please forgive him.”
At my words, the hero’s daughter glanced at her dad sprawled out on the bed, then sighed deeply and nodded.
“Since you said so, Auntie, I won’t hate my silly dad.”
“Good. And…”
I smiled at the hero’s daughter, now all grown up.
“Congratulations on your marriage.”
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The wedding between the hero’s daughter and the third prince of Arcadia was held rather modestly, with just the relevant folks present.
Still, there were probably more than a dozen people—residents of the village where the hero lived and the direct family members of the Arcadian royal family.
The newly married couple, the hero’s daughter and her son-in-law, went through a bunch of ups and downs, but managed to live happily enough.
They quickly welcomed a child. Thanks to being able to see his grandchild before hitting 70, the hero’s hostility towards his son-in-law faded rapidly.
And fortunately, or should I say, naturally, the hero’s grandchild was born… normal, unlike the hero’s daughter.
The kid wasn’t born too early, nor was my magic infused into their body. They were just an ordinary human.
Well, considering I sealed my magic, that’s only natural. But just to be sure, I checked, and the magic that had been sealed was indeed part of my own body.
Compared to the hero’s daughter, the amount of magic in the grandchild was slightly less, but it’s uncertain how many generations it will take for it to completely disappear.
“But as long as the child came out healthy, isn’t that enough?”
“That much is true.”
I lifted the grandchild in both hands, chuckling softly while watching the hero completely smitten with the baby.
The sharp, focused hero I once traveled with—where did that version of him go? Now he’s just a goofy old granddad.
“Hm? Why are you looking at me like that, Sister?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just surprised how much people can change, you know?”
I kept staring quietly at the hero.
His life force was dwindling. He probably has about ten years left.
Eighty years is a long life in this era, but it still feels way too short.
“Hero.”
“Yes?”
“Was your life… valuable enough?”
At my question, the hero smiled faintly and replied, “Why the sudden heavy question?”
“I’m just curious.”
“That’s quite the unexpected thing to ask.”
The hero gently cradled the grandchild in his arms and stroked their head as he continued speaking.
“I’m not really sure what counts as a valuable life, but there is one thing I can say for sure.”
“One thing?”
“Yes. I’m satisfied with my life.”
The hero continued with a calm voice.
“An orphan with nothing managed to pull the hero’s sword out by chance and enjoyed grand adventures, making a name for himself in the world.”
He added that he had a fox-like wife, a rabbit-like child, and even this little rabbit of a grandchild. After catching his breath, he spoke again.
“If I hadn’t pulled out that sword, my life probably wouldn’t have been nearly as good. In the best case scenario, I might have lived as a pilgrim for the Temple of Life.”
The life of a pilgrim, traveling the world preaching about life.
That’s definitely not an easy existence.
“So, I’m content with my life. It’s been a very good one.”
A very good life, huh.
In that case, I can feel a little more at ease.
“Well, death doesn’t have to mean the end, but still…”
“Huh?”
“Never mind, it’s nothing.”
“That sounded like a pretty significant thing to say—Huh?! Sister?!”
And thus, I quietly lived alongside the aging hero.
Then one day, a man showed up in the village where the hero and I lived.
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