Chapter: 645
After the dramatic reconciliation between Atelius and the holy spirits, good news and slightly ambiguous news came rushing in.
First, the good news: Friedrich finally started to crawl! He had been poking nearby Alina constantly, but now he had finally broken free from his cramped bed and turned the mansion into his playground.
In fact, he became the star of the show around the mansion, crawling to every corner. So much so that the butler who spotted Friedrich in the kitchen could have sworn he met him again at the storage room just half an hour later!
“Fried-! You can’t go alone!”
“Wuh?”
Even the Crown Princess was surprised by his astonishing speed, trying to block Friedrich from his wild dash. Whenever she tried to play with him, he’d zip off to some distant corner.
“Little lord! It’s dangerous to go alone!”
“Play with us!”
Of course, the Crown Princess was just a kid too; she couldn’t catch up with Friedrich when he was determined to move. Thankfully, our mansion had Titi and the holy spirits around. Keeping an eye on one little crawly kid is a piece of cake.
Just as good news rolled in, slightly ambiguous news also surfaced—
“Wait! I want to play with Gachi! Today, we’re going to see Uncle Gachi, so I want to be there!”
The Crown Princess and Pedi had decided that the trip to Atelius’s cave would now involve the triplets and Friedrich.
To be honest, it was only natural. The triplets could walk now and could string together simple phrases, meaning they were smart enough to realize that the Crown Princess and Pedi vanished every three days and that even the holy spirits had seemed to disappear recently.
“Daddy! Us too! Take us too!”
“Take us! We want to play with Gachi!”
“Play~”
Thanks to their enthusiastic requests, the triplets came rushing to me, demanding to be taken to some unknown place.
With the kids being so eager, what could I do? Atelius wasn’t a threat, and the cave was decently clean. So I ultimately decided to take them. Plus, since Friedrich had escaped from his bed, it felt right to include him.
Thus, a total of six kids set out for Atelius’s cave.
‘Sorry about this…’
I internally offered a tiny apology to Atelius.
Even if I was bringing them because the kids wanted it, the sudden increase in the number of kids that were already daunting for Atelius was now tripling. If he decided to bolt as soon as he saw them, he wouldn’t be at fault.
But hey, maybe this could ignite Atelius’s will to live. If he got attached to six human kids instead of a few rabbits, his heart would surely grow warmer.
That was my only thought.
“Bringing a child who can’t even walk? What’s the plan here?”
Atelius reprimanded with a voice as hot as his heart was supposed to be.
“Even if I’ve managed things, it’s still a cave. The ground is hard, with occasional rocks sticking out. If children who can walk might trip, what do you think will happen to one who crawls? How painful will their palms and knees be?”
“I’m sorry…”
I couldn’t retort because his reasoning was perfectly logical.
He was right. No matter how much care you put into it, it’s still a cave. It’s not like it has smooth marble hallways like the mansion, and even if you put down soft mats, it’s still the raw stone floor of nature. A fragile child crawling around there would inevitably get hurt.
As long as I was holding Friedrich, he would be safe. But in that case, I shouldn’t have brought him at all. To bring a curious child to a dragon’s lair and then just hug them the whole time? That would be torture in its own right.
“Uncle… don’t be mad…”
“Uncle, don’t be angry…”
However, Atelius’s tirade didn’t last long. The Crown Princess and Pedi, who were clinging to my legs, rushed to come to my defense.
“Daddy, Daddy…”
“Daddy, don’t scold…”
“Wuhhh…”
Plus, the triplets, seeing Atelius for the first time, hid behind my legs and started to whimper.
At that, Atelius clearly showed signs of confusion. He had unintentionally become a public enemy in front of my kids.
“I’m not angry. It’s just my big body and loud voice.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
With that, Atelius stretched out a finger and waved it in the air, lifting all six kids to float in the void.
“Wow! So high! We’re flying!”
“Waaah!”
The kids, who had shrunk in fright at the sudden floatation, started giggling again.
I was relieved my kids were unusually fearless. Had they shown fear right after floating, it would have been a whole other problem.
“…Just be careful from now on.”
“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Seeing the children laugh, Atelius let out a small sigh, gave me a curt warning, and wrapped up the conversation.
It was a bit embarrassing, but also a delightful thing. Considering how worried Atelius was for Friedrich’s wellbeing, it truly meant his heart was warm enough. I couldn’t help but feel happy that my efforts seemed to be having an effect.
“By the way, are all those kids yours except for the Great Emperor’s offspring?”
“Oh, yes. That’s right.”
“That’s quite a lot, but also quite unique. Who would have thought there’d be elves among human children?”
As Atelius laid back down, the rigidity from scolding me slipped away, and he muttered in wonder.
“Not to mention the aura of the Spirit King is quite strong.”
“The children with elven blood are blessed by your Spirit King.”
“Indeed. That would explain the aura.”
Atulus nodded, coming to an understanding of my point.
“The way that child has so many spirits clinging to her is impressive.”
He chuckled softly as he looked at the spirits attached to Katlea’s body.
Honestly, I still hadn’t gotten used to that sight. In my mind, I’d think of it as a symbol of Katlea’s rare talent and feel proud, but to be honest, it’s not exactly normal for a tiny kid to be surrounded by dozens, if not hundreds, of firefly-like spirits. If it’s like that for me, how much more shocking would it be for Atelius, seeing it for the first time?
“More than that, I never thought I’d see spirits again. After those Apels idiots burned the World Tree, I thought they were gone for good.”
“The revival of the World Tree is a recent phenomenon, thanks to a bunch of lucky happenings.”
“If there’s luck involved, it must indeed be destiny.”
Having said that, Atelius turned to me.
“Really, it’s quite a miraculous event. To be born a mere human, yet become a master to the malevolent gods and awaken the Spirit Kings that had been silent for hundreds of years. I doubt anyone like you ever existed before, nor will exist in the future.”
“You flatter me.”
“If that’s flattery, what would the rest of humanity be reduced to?”
Atelius, filled with somewhat bashful praise, tapped the ground lightly with his claw before lowering his voice.
“You revived the World Tree, awakened the Spirit Kings, and if your children are receiving blessings, then you must have some connections with the Spirit Kings. So I’d like to ask you something.”
“Yes, please go ahead.”
“When you do meet them, can you relay my apology for breaking a branch of the World Tree during my reckless days?”
With those words, I was frozen on the spot.
Hold up, what did he break again?
“Don’t see it that way. Didn’t I say it was my foolish days?”
“Uh, but…”
I couldn’t find my voice; my jaw just wouldn’t move. The World Tree is something the elves hold sacred, adored by the spirits and fairies alike. To think he broke a branch of that World Tree?
‘Crazy.’
I could feel my head spinning. Atelius might have had his reasons for taking down the evil gods. In the case of Diligence, it was just a probability they got beaten up for no apparent reason, but the other three had good reasons to have faced his fists.
However, breaking the branch of the World Tree and fighting the Spirit Kings would mean that Atelius had indeed gone awry. It was an unprovoked attack from their perspective.
“I’ll make sure to pass that on when we meet.”
“Thanks.”
But of course, Atelius must have been steeling himself for this reconciliation attempt. I couldn’t just dismiss the effort he was making with a shrug.
‘That makes him a true Horrific Dragon, doesn’t it?’
I secretly reflected on Atelius’s nickname.
I may not know who came up with it first, but if he ever became a namer, he’d do just fine.
It’s best to pay off debts before the interest accumulates, and it’s wise to take the first hit.
Thus, as soon as we returned to the mansion, I headed straight to meet the Spirit Kings. Though I worried about lingering feelings towards Atelius, surely they wouldn’t take it out on someone they see as their benefactor.
— Atelius?
As I suddenly visited, the Fire Spirit King welcomed me with a quizzical tilt of the head regarding Atelius’s name.
“The black dragon known as the Horrific Dragon?”
— Ah, Horrific Dragon. That’s what you meant; I get it now.
So, he recognized it not by his real name but his nickname.
How bitter. What a reputation he had to have built for himself if his infamous nickname was more renowned than his actual name.
— The fact that he’s apologizing first must mean that it’s really been a long time since the World Tree burned. His temperament has surely mellowed.
“Are you sure you’re all right now? Regardless of how many apologies, he did break a branch of the World Tree.”
I was more puzzled at the surprisingly calm reaction of the Fire Spirit King than anything.
The World Tree! Even if I personally razed a bonsai I’d been cultivating with all my heart, I’d be furious to see it wrecked. Yet, breaking a branch of the World Tree? For the spirits on this continent, it must be a grievous crime against nature itself!
— Your benefactor is likely unaware of his nature. You see, we used to joke among ourselves that he must have been an orphan. He was that insane. For him to sincerely apologize now is something.
The Fire Spirit King didn’t seem fazed at all. It felt like his only reaction was, “It’s a miracle that guy finally apologized.”
I can’t quite grasp the humor in that. Is it like an internet troll being gracious enough to apologize without any serious consequences?
— Besides, wasn’t the World Tree that had its branch severed the one already burned? There have been some crazy folks who torched the World Tree, so tearing off a branch is relatively minor.
‘Ah.’
His following words completely clicked. With the revelation from the underground floor, Atelius’s atrocious acts suddenly appeared so tame.
Wow, Apels. It’s you guys again.
— Well, I doubt the others will feel much differently than I do. Honestly, I’d be happy to see someone left who remembers the World Tree from back then.
Thanks to Apels’s antics, it turned out that dragons and Spirit Kings managed to reconcile their past grievances.
…Is that really a good thing?
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