Chapter: 611
Ever since the triplets and the Crown Princess received the blessings of the spirit kings, a lot has happened.
First off, just like the Wind Spirit King said, Katlea was taking longer naps. But even with just a two-hour snooze, she’d bounce back like a spring, racing around the mansion as if nothing had happened! Besides Maria and Cecilia feeling a bit bored without their little sister, everything was fine.
Moreover, Katlea was rapidly acclimating to the energy bestowed upon her by the spirit kings, attracting the affection and adoration of all sorts of spirits. When she appeared in front of the World Tree, all the spirits playing nearby swarmed in her direction. At that moment, Katlea sparkled like a giant tree covered in fireflies.
– Right now, she may only be attracting the attention of lower and mid-tier spirits, but just wait a little longer, and even high or top-tier spirits will be clamoring to be around her.
As the Fire Spirit King noted, only the little spirits were showing interest in Katlea for the time being, but she was a quarter elf! With so many years ahead of her, eventually, even the higher-grade spirits would show interest in our little girl.
‘Maybe she could even forge connections with the kings themselves.’
The triplets were already recipients of the kings’ blessings. But that was possible solely because I had contributed to the revival of the World Tree. It’s one thing to repay a debt of gratitude; forming ties is an entirely different matter.
However, Katlea possessed talents that even the kings recognized. I firmly believed that in time, the kings would be utterly captivated by her abilities. After all, she was our daughter!
“Right?”
“Uh-huh…”
Today, as I poked Katlea’s cheek while she slumbered peacefully, she mumbled and turned her head away.
Sorry! Looks like I interrupted my girl’s beauty sleep.
“Sweet dreams.”
After giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead, I got up from my seat. I had too many other kids needing my attention to focus solely on my sleeping daughter.
“Ah!”
“Bwaah!”
As soon as I stood up, Maria and Cecilia flapped their arms excitedly.
These two, with their talents lying elsewhere rather than spirit affinity, reached out towards me, beaming with smiles.
“Hey, girls! How about a walk with Dad?”
At that, Maria and Cecilia waved their arms even more vigorously.
That was probably a good sign! Even without words, a parent knows these things.
“Let’s go find Jangsaeng too.”
“Ahh!”
“Bwaah!”
Strangely, it seemed they were more thrilled about looking for Jangsaeng than they were about my idea of a walk. But I’m sure that’s just my imagination… right?
‘Should I start growing fur too?’
It stung a bit; that cowardly little guy was stealing all the cuteness points with his smooth fur! I genuinely love those kids.
“Who do you love more, Dad or Jangsaeng?”
I knew it was a silly question, yet it slipped out.
But let’s be real, Jangsaeng is nothing but a pet to them. Surely they’d love their dad more than any pet, right?
Please say yes…
“Meow!”
Thankfully, Maria shot me an even brighter smile in response to my awkward query.
I nearly shed a tear.
As I opened the door, I came face to face with the Crown Princess, who was effortlessly practicing freeform floating in the hallway.
“Pew! Hi there!”
“Yes, Your Highness. Good afternoon!”
The Crown Princess beamed at me the moment she spotted me, spinning around and lying back on the floor.
Wait a minute, on closer inspection, her back wasn’t even touching the ground—it was hovering slightly!
‘What an odd blessing.’
One of the many curious happenings since receiving the spirit kings’ blessings was that she now had a minuscule flying ability. Though the Crown Princess hadn’t received all the kings’ blessings, she was gifted with the Wind King’s blessing that could effortlessly float a person a few inches off the ground.
It allowed her to lift her body ever so slightly.
‘About 10cm, but still.’
It’s a stretch to even call that flying, but hey, it’s the thought that counts! In any case, it was true that she was in the air, and she was utterly delighted about it.
“Pew! Look! I’m still flying!”
She straightened herself and proudly stood on her floating legs, looking up at me with excitement. Naturally, her feet weren’t touching the ground, and she was floating!
Just 10cm, but still!
“Isn’t it amazing!?”
“Yes, Your Highness. A truly awe-inspiring sight.”
I didn’t hesitate to applaud her, even though her shoulders were bouncing with glee.
Even if it were just a mere 1cm, flying is flying! Especially coming from a child who received a blessing mere days ago while the triplets were still crawling around!
“Yeah! Mom and Dad, praise me!”
Seeing the jubilant Crown Princess made me chuckle, recalling the frantic expression and voice of the Emperor that day she discovered she could fly.
– Judicial Minister! The Crown Princess—she’s flying up in the sky!
“…Pardon my question, but have you been drinking?”
It was such an abrupt and urgent message that I thought he was being serious at first. Who would believe that the Crown Princess was flying? At that point, it seemed more likely that the Emperor had been the one to hit the bottle.
“Pew! I’m here!”
But I could vividly imagine the bewilderment the Emperor felt when he saw the Crown Princess greeting him not from the floor but from mid-air instead.
Few magicians can even cast flying spells; it’s truly only a rare exception. Most seasoned archmages wouldn’t be able to pull off flying if they hadn’t specialized in that branch.
A tiny little girl stepping into such a niche field was unprecedented. Right now, she was only floating about 10cm, but who knows how far that could go in the future?
“Pedi! Hop on my back! Let’s fly together!”
“Uh, Your Highness!”
“Absolutely not!”
“Meow…”
In the midst of it all, I found myself battling to stop the Crown Princess from trying to give Pedi a ride on her back. What made her think she could fly with her little sibling?
‘It’s sweet proof of a warm heart, though.’
The very fact that she didn’t want to enjoy it alone but wanted to share it with her little sibling showed she had a heart of gold, a kindness that wouldn’t arise from any ill traits.
And so, whenever I witnessed the Crown Princess’s spontaneous actions, I felt both bewildered and delighted. This girl was born with a kind spirit. As long as us adults don’t lead her astray, she should at least turn out average.
And that’s good enough. If the extraordinary emperor had firmly secured the Empire with his efforts and finesse, then the Crown Princess just needed to keep her seat warm. I and Duke Nuiren would do everything we could to support her.
“Your Highness.”
“Uh-huh?”
“Jangsaeng should be able to fly with you.”
At those words, the Crown Princess’s eyes sparkled brightly.
“Really!?”
“Of course. Jangsaeng is quite small, isn’t he?”
“Yup! Jangsaeng is small!”
I granted the gentle and innocent Crown Princess the authority to take Jangsaeng for a ride on her back.
Yeah, Jangsaeng is just perfect for that. For a little girl, he’s indeed a pretty small and compact animal, so it’s definitely doable.
“Shall we go find Jangsaeng together?”
“Uh-huh!”
“Ah, it seems these little ones want to play with Jangsaeng too.”
When I showed her Maria and Cecilia in my arms, the Crown Princess nodded vigorously.
“Awesome! Let’s have fun together!”
I silently apologized to Jangsaeng, who was probably fast asleep by now.
For the happiness of my children and the Crown Princess, you’ll have to make another sacrifice this time.
The cheerful laughter of the children rang out.
“Ahhh! We’re gonna aaaiirrr!”
Even Jangsaeng howled loudly, enjoying the time with the kids.
It was a wonderful sight, and it made me smile naturally. I had heard that kids who grow up around animals tend to be more emotionally stable. I’m not sure, but I decided to believe it starting today. No one’s gonna call me out for being wrong, so that’ll be just fine.
– Wow, it’s been a while since I heard that voice.
As I watched Jangsaeng and the three kids—or rather, with Pedi joining in—it hit me hard. It had been forever since I’d heard that voice and now it sent shivers down my spine.
‘Long time no see. How have you been?’
I silenced the momentary flutter in my heart and greeted without emotional disturbance. The Eternal Blue Sky often shows its touching side, but it has never caused me harm.
…Or has it? I can’t remember any particular grudge, so maybe it hasn’t.
– Oh, I’ve been great. As long as I keep living like this, I’ve got no complaints.
The Eternal Blue Sky chuckled at my greeting.
That was a kind of laughter only those who had become affluent and carefree could give. I wish I could live like a god too—no complaints at all.
– Oh, by the way, I heard you visited the Elf Residential Area recently?
‘The spirit kings were looking for me, so I just stopped by for a quick chat.’
– Sorry, I was napping and didn’t realize anyone showed up.
Feeling more casual than I expected, I momentarily found my words stuck.
To not notice guests due to taking a nap? That was a level of laid-back living only top-tier slackers can achieve.
‘Well, I guess that’s normal—sleeping in your own home is completely reasonable.’
But I didn’t want to tease or mock the Eternal Blue Sky. In truth, it’s not every day you get to chat with a god, as humans typically can’t hear the divine voice until they’ve crossed over.
…
‘Speaking of which, I noticed Constantina didn’t respond either. Was she napping too?’
– Ah, her?
At the mention of her name, the Eternal Blue Sky stifled a yawn and continued.
– Recently, that kid Enen has been roaming around the Empire. I’ve been busy chatting with him about it.
‘What does Enen’s presence have to do with Constantina…?’
– I have no clue. A God rarely talks to another god about their faith.
For a moment, I almost let the thought slip, ‘Are you being bullied by someone?’ but I managed to hold it back.
– Anyway, it shouldn’t be a big deal. She’s probably discussing whether that kid from Enen should steer clear of her deity or holy sites.
That made sense. If that were the case, then sure, she’d be busy for a while.
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