Chapter: 610
Despite everyone staring at her, Katlea was blinking her eyes sleepily and had completely dozed off.
“Ugh…”
With her tightly shut eyes, peaceful expression, mumbling mouth, and wriggling hands and feet, it looked like everything was alright. She looked just like how she normally slept.
– Where do I even begin to explain this?
The Water Spirit King mumbled in dazed confusion as he observed her.
First of all, he insisted that there are no side effects from his blessing and described Katlea’s condition as having received an overwhelming amount of blessing. So at least it wasn’t a negative situation.
Still, I couldn’t completely let my guard down. If all three showed the same symptoms or, at the very least, if Katlea displayed energy instead of dozing off, I wouldn’t be worried at all. I would simply nod and think, “Oh, so that’s how the blessing works.”
However, a perfectly fine child suddenly falling asleep was usually a sign of being sick or tired. It was strange not to be worried if only one of the three kids was in a deep sleep.
– Allow me to explain.
As the Water Spirit King groaned, the Wind Spirit King took over the conversation.
– Remember how we said the spirit kings’ blessings change the vessel?
“Of course.”
It’s not just any ordinary blessing, it’s one over my daughters! There’s no way I’d forget even the smallest detail.
– The change in the vessel isn’t an overnight process. Our energy will gradually optimize their bodies, and the kids growing up while embodying our energy will achieve remarkable growth over time.
“Are you saying that the energy from the kings’ blessings will not act directly but will gradually impact the children?”
– Exactly. If you try to forcefully expand your vessel too quickly, it will just shatter. That’s the best course of action.
If I had to put it into a metaphor, it’s like not getting hundreds of millions from a lottery ticket all at once but slowly receiving millions each month like a pension lottery.
…I feel a little self-deprecating. I’m comparing my kids’ state to a lottery.
‘Sorry for being such a dumb dad.’
But as an unschooled adult, this was the best I could do.
– However, this child, Katlea, is different. She can naturally embrace the energy without needing such methods.
The Wind Spirit King said this as he playfully licked Katlea’s cheek while she slept soundly.
– For others, they’d have to undergo a rough process for five to ten years. It’s only natural for the body and mind to feel fatigued.
That made me even more anxious.
The spirit kings were saying everything in a positive light, but there’s always a reason something takes time. If that period is condensed beyond belief, there will surely be issues.
Right now, her sleeping was just that, sleeping. But there’s no guarantee it would only end with sleep in the future.
– Don’t worry. This child’s affinity surpasses our imagination.
Perhaps noticing my worried eyes, the Wind Spirit King smiled gently.
– She’ll just be sleeping a bit more than others. In about a year or two, there won’t be any problems at all.
“A bit more…?”
– Let’s see, about two extra hours? For a baby, that’s pretty much just naptime.
At that moment, sighs of relief echoed around. Probably from Trixie and my grandmother.
Or maybe it was just me doing the sighing. After hearing the kings’ confident words, it seemed like there truly wasn’t any issue.
“I’ve been rude to the kings.”
I bowed my head, apologizing to the Wind Spirit King and the other kings.
I was flustered, anxious about the kings’ goodwill blessings and if it was really okay, relentlessly asking if everything was alright. It must have been rather unpleasant for the kings who offered their grace.
– It’s only natural for a father to worry about his child, burning like fire and flowing like water. There’s no reason for us to hear apologies.
The Fire Spirit King, who had been silent during my apology, finally spoke up.
– And honestly, I was bewildered too. This is a first for me. I even considered whether I needed to retract the blessing for a moment.
His joking manner made me smile.
That joke seemed like a form of comfort and encouragement from the Fire Spirit King.
– But it is interesting. Previous elders didn’t show this kind of affinity, and I never thought a child with a heavy human bloodline could surpass the elders with such potential.
As the atmosphere grew warm, the Earth Spirit King, who had been wandering around, climbed up onto the bed where Katlea lay.
– Has she received the blessing of Constantina?
– If so, then it wouldn’t just be her; the other children must be asleep too.
The Earth Spirit King’s question was met with a matter-of-fact response from the Water Spirit King.
– It’s just talent. There’s no other explanation.
Such a definitive statement left no room for doubt, and I felt proud. What parent wouldn’t be delighted to hear that their child has talent?
“Then I suppose I should raise her to be a spirit master.”
Speaking those words with paternal love caused the spirit kings to fix their fierce gazes on me.
What’s this? Why are they looking at me like that?
‘Was I too hasty?’
Feeling their strong gazes made me flinch.
I thought they would acknowledge her as a child destined to be a spirit master because she had talent, but maybe it’s not easy to become one even with talent. Is it such a lofty profession that it’s not something you can just say casually?
– Benefactor.
“Oh, yes.”
The Fire Spirit King flew above my head and spoke with a serious tone.
– You’ve made a wise decision.
“…Huh?”
– This is talent that can only be possessed with the blessings of Constantina and the World Tree, as well as the cuteness of the world. Choosing another path with this talent would be a waste. Ah, hmm.
– Though spirit magic has regressed due to the World Tree’s decline, overwhelming talent can overcome any minor trials.
The pride that had curled up from being cautioned by the Fire and Water Spirit Kings now stood tall again. If the kings acknowledged her talent, then pursuing that path seemed to be the way…
– When spirit magic reaches its peak, it becomes nature itself. With a mere gesture, you can induce floods, flip the earth, and cause volcanoes to erupt.
– Don’t forget about typhoons.
– Right, and typhoons.
…
‘That’s a bit much.’
So my cute little daughter could turn into a walking strategic weapon, and that thought made me feel a little uneasy.
– Of course, that’s only if it’s used extremely. Historically, more spirit masters have treated spirits like friends rather than used them for battle.
Seeing the Fire Spirit King hastily add on made me nod.
True. It all depends on how you utilize any skill. After all, I can slice the sky with a sword, and Trixie can even drop meteors from midair.
‘Friends with spirits, huh.’
Yup! My half-elf child with the blessings of the spirit kings, befriending spirits.
That sounded like a tale straight out of a fairy tale; it made me smile unconsciously.
“Ow!”
“Baw!”
In the midst of all this, Maria and Cecilia, who had been sitting quietly on the bed, began poking Katlea’s cheeks, who was fast asleep. It seemed they were trying to wake up their younger sibling who had fallen asleep alone.
“Our daughter, Katlea is tired, so she needs to have a proper sleep!”
“Auw?”
“Baw…”
Taking Maria and Cecilia into my arms, they glanced at Katlea eagerly stretching out their hands.
How unusual. Normally, when adults hug them, they’d just stay still and feel the warmth. But this was the first time they reacted like this.
‘They get along well.’
Looking at their cute expressions, I decided to put them all back down on the bed.
If they wanted to be together, I’d let them stay—
“Auw!”
“Baw!”
“Ugh…”
Nope. I better hold them again.
If this goes on, Katlea might get hurt from their poking.
Just as the spirit kings had predicted, Katlea woke up two hours later, her eyes sparkling wide awake.
“Bwa!”
She crawled to the edge of the bed and began thumping the bed mat excitedly.
“Want me to lower you down?”
“Pow!”
At that, Katlea, now expressing her annoyance, reached her arms out towards me.
Oh no! She wanted me to pick her up. I, this clueless dad, didn’t realize!
“Bwa~”
Once in my arms, Katlea pointed her finger somewhere and patted my arm, as if signaling to take her there quickly.
I wasn’t sure why she was acting like this all of a sudden, but if it was the aftereffects of the blessing, then I should follow her wishes.
– Let’s go together.
Trixie, carrying me, the spirit kings, Maria, and Cecilia, moved under Katlea’s lead, and soon,
“Bwa! Bwa!”
We arrived in front of the World Tree.
Seeing the World Tree, Katlea broke into a big smile as spirits gradually approached, responding to her joyful laughter.
‘Wow, her vessel is already changing.’
It seemed Katlea’s transformation was progressing much faster than I had expected.
###
My hands trembled with impatience.
Something felt off. The Crown Princess should have returned from the Judicial Minister’s mansion by now, yet there was no news.
‘She usually comes back before dinner.’
No matter how busy you are, family dinners should be together. That’s my small yet grand ambition. This ambition has never once faltered unless something truly significant happened.
However, as dinner approached, the Crown Princess still showed no signs of returning. It really was a sad sight.
‘Don’t tell me she’s having dinner at the mansion?’
That would be an unforgivable crime. No matter how much the Judicial Minister might be the Crown Princess’s guardian, he dare not take away my dinner time with her.
Thus, I resolutely reached for the communication device to firmly notify the Judicial Minister—a warning that his honeymoon phase would soon take a regrettable turn if my daughter wasn’t returned immediately—
– Knock knock.
“Your Majesty. It’s the Judicial Minister.”
“Come in.”
I took a deep breath as I steadied my trembling hands.
I couldn’t appear anxious or uneasy in front of my subordinates. Let’s push that worry back for now.
“Your Majesty. Congratulations!”
Before I could even process, the Judicial Minister who entered bowed directly to the ground.
“Minister, what’s suddenly happening?”
“The Crown Princess has received the blessing of the spirit kings! It’s a report from the head maid alongside Her Highness, so there’s no room for doubt regarding this joyful event!”
Upon hearing those words, I quietly lowered the communication device I had still clutched onto.
The Judicial Minister’s honeymoon phase seemed guaranteed to continue for the foreseeable future.
‘… How did the Crown Princess receive the spirit kings’ blessing?’
Of course, while I felt happiness, a reasonable question also rose in my mind that I would need to hear directly from the Judicial Minister later.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.