Chapter 6

Osnier Worian still remembers the day he became a father for the first time.

“What are you doing...?”

Holding his child, he couldn't help but peek over his beloved wife's shoulder, and she looked puzzled.

“Well, I was wondering if you might have had wings on your back that I just didn't know about.”

“...Have you finally gone mad? Too much training...”

She was sharp.

But, however.

Osnier looked at his child, who gazed up at him with a puzzled expression, and thought it looked like a startled angel.

What? Too cute? His thoughts came to a halt.

Because, without a doubt, it was a beautiful girl.

A face that could only become a beautiful girl. No, it was a boy. Good. Osnier was relieved. If it had been a girl, she wouldn't have been able to step out of the house. He had heard that newborns looked like monkeys, but this was different. If this was the level of cuteness now, what would happen when he grew up? Proposers and perverts would swarm around him. Eventually, someone would take him away from Osnier. Can't help it, because he's such a beautiful girl. Osnier had even crawled on the floor for three days and three nights to kidnap his wife. So, is this karma?

“...Are you crying?”

“I won't have a daughter...”

“It's a boy, though.”

Their child, named Livonis, was a boy and not an angel, so he didn't fly away or get taken away from Osnier's arms and grew up healthily. Good.

But, he was really, really cute. What was it? His face.

No, children are always cute, so his cheeky personality, the fact that even the longtime servants would exclaim "Oh!" when they met him at night because of his scary face, his wisdom beyond his years, everything—everything about him was cute. Osnier found his child incredibly cute. Because, this is the child of the most beautiful wife in the world and himself. If there's a reason he's not cute, I'd like to know. I'll make him regret being born.

When Livonis suddenly cast fire magic and turned the garden trees to ashes three years after his birth, his second son, who looked pitifully like him, was born, but Osnier found him unbearably cute.

But Livonis's good looks were a bit too cute, even for his parents. If it weren't for the same purple eyes and black hair as Osnier, he would have believed his wife had given birth alone. Ah, so my wife is a goddess or an angel. He was rather convinced.

Parental bias? No, no. The stories of his child's cuteness are not just one or two.

“...Father, I received another love letter for my brother at the tea party...”

“...Just out of curiosity, which young lady is it?”

“It's from the son of the Robins family.”

“Burn it.”

Thank goodness it's a boy! Osnier often thought. He strongly felt this. Really.

The second son, with a face that looked more like a wolf or a fierce dog, said, “I'm glad I look like Father...” with a mature expression, and Osnier was happy. The meaning of "glad" seemed different, but Osnier, who was often called a "beauty and the beast" by others, was happy to hear it from his child.

So,

Osnier and his beautiful wife, Adelaide, became a bit worried about this incredibly cute Livonis.

Is it okay to throw a son who looks like a smaller, differently colored version of Adelaide, who steals everyone's first love, into a full boarding knight school?

No, it's not. They immediately thought so. Because, you know?

An angel descending into a place full of men, with no entertainment, just rough and tumble. No, that's not good.

If he gets bullied and ridiculed, he might handle it, but...

“It would be terrible if he gets attacked.”

Osnier couldn't laugh at the too-cute wife who laughed, "Ah."

So, Osnier thoroughly trained Livonis. He trained him a lot. Well, the Worian family is a crazy family that gives children swords before forks and knives, so it was normal, but Osnier trained him three times as much as he did in his own childhood.

Osnier was worried that Livonis might rebel, but the sons, who inherited the "good bad parts" of Osnier and Adelaide, formed an alliance to make their "cruel father cry" and bravely faced him. Good, strong-willed children! Osnier threw, punched, kicked, and defeated them without hesitation. Sons, be strong.

As a result, the two sons grew rapidly and were expected to become the strongest knights in history, and the commander of the knights was eagerly awaiting Livonis's graduation.

One day,

Livonis fell in love. It was his first love.

Well, Osnier didn't know if it was really his first love, but it was probably the first time Livonis had seriously thought about someone else. It was so stubborn and fierce, so arrogant and pure, that Osnier couldn't laugh casually, thinking, "I had a time like that too," because the object of his affection was the fiancée of the crown prince.

Sophia Lotus.

A good girl. Unfortunately.

What was it? She always smiled quietly, did everything well, and had a grace and wisdom that belied her mere 12 years. Honestly, Osnier thought, "Maybe she and Livonis would be a good match."

The girl, who was receiving strict education to bear the country, was too good to be a lady of the house. The Worian men were all passionate or short-tempered, a bit rough. A child like Sophia, who was mature beyond her years, would help them relax, and a man like Livonis, who only knew how to charge forward, would become more cautious with something to protect.

He thought so, but the wise Osnier didn't say it.

Because she was the fiancée of the crown prince. It would never work out.

When he realized the inexplicable sense of discomfort when Sophia was with her family, he felt terrible and wanted to do something. But, she was the fiancée of the crown prince.

Even "the strongest spear" Osnier had things he could and couldn't do. Sadly, there were more things he couldn't do. Being an adult is unexpectedly boring. He couldn't laugh.

He got good at giving up.

Osnier, who advised his son with his wife, was a little sad to be such a boring adult.

But, if Livonis were the kind of obedient child who would give up, he would have rebelled long ago, Osnier realized. It was too late.

Livonis was passing exams at an incredible rate. And, apparently, he was secretly called the "President of the Next Crown Princess Radical Fan Club."

What?

Osnier held his head. Adelaide burst out laughing.

“Just like our son! What a devoted and proactive boy!”

Osnier, who was constantly in a state of bliss being overwhelmed by an incredibly beautiful woman, couldn't say anything. After all, the current Worian family was built on Adelaide's "devotion" and "proactivity," and Osnier's stubbornness and relentless spirit.

Indeed, Livonis was a fine son.

It would be better for his mental health to watch over him rather than make him give up. Osnier's decision was quick. Don't worry. Adults are good at giving up. Ha ha.

So, when Osnier, who was on guard duty at a ball, heard a voice from the magic stone saying, “The Crown Prince... Miss Lotus...!” in a deliberately broken manner during his break, he thought, "It's today, isn't it?"

Since the usually quiet Sophia Lotus was screaming and Livonis's voice wasn't heard, it wasn't a normal emergency.

Because, if Sophia had been attacked by someone, Livonis would have become a ferocious creature that only Osnier could stop. The fact that he had time to give orders to his subordinates and leisurely drink tea meant something else.

In other words, Sophia, who couldn't tolerate the foolish prince anymore, had come up with a plan. If that was the case, Livonis Worian wouldn't miss this opportunity.

Osnier's prediction was spot on, as his second son, Arthur, who was attending the party as a guest, reported.

“Adelaide is”

“She just did the rounds and went home. I wanted to go home too because I was her escort, but I was told I couldn't enter the house unless I danced at least one dance, so I was killing time when I heard the scream and started gathering information.”

Arthur, who said it as if it were nothing, was tragically unattractive, unlike the breathtakingly beautiful Livonis. I'm sorry, I look just like me. Osnier couldn't say it.

Adelaide was worried about this son, who had already become quite philosophical at 13, but Osnier understood Arthur's feelings more than anyone. Painfully. To the point of wanting to cry. Osnier decided to bow his head and say, "Stop it," when he got home. Arthur sat down and said, "By the way,"

“Brother is going, it seems.”

“Is that so?”

Arthur, who often joined the knights' drills during his breaks from the knight school, had become quite familiar with the knights due to his inherent toughness. The son who didn't seem to know what it meant to be intimidated or reserved poured tea into a cup as if it were his own.

“...Did you meet him?”

“No way. Brother wouldn't do something so pointless. He's taking Miss Lotus to the mansion without drawing attention from the back. The rest of the Lotus family will stay in the castle until their daughter calms down. Well, it would be conspicuous if they moved now.”

“...That's not what I meant.”

Even Osnier, who was sitting idly, thought his turn wouldn't come and had been listening to the information through the magic stone. That's why he was leisurely drinking tea during his break.

Glaring at his son, who was pretending to be innocent, Arthur nodded.

“I'm a member of the fan club, so I have a more accurate grasp of the situation than Father.”

It was the first time he heard it.

“To be precise, I'm a member of the Livonis Support Team.”

Osnier didn't understand what his son was saying.

“O...? What do you mean?”

“The Livonis Support Team. There are people in the Next Crown Princess Radical Fan Club who want to make Brother and Miss Lotus a couple. Of course, it's a secret even from Brother. They think Brother can make Miss Lotus happier! And they want Brother to be rewarded! It's like a fan club for Brother in a way. The ones running around now are from that group.”

His head hurt a bit.

What?

Osnier's brain, which had calmly analyzed and swept away situations even when surrounded by monsters or encountering a giant monster, stopped thinking. There was too much information to process.

“...You care so much for your brother?”

For now, Osnier was moved by the bond between his sons. The two, who used to beat each other up so badly during sparring that even Osnier was taken aback, had grown so much. Trying to interfere with the crown prince's engagement was disrespectful and outrageous, but it was fine since Osnier hadn't heard about it. That's because it was a fan club for his son. They must have considered it.

“Care for my brother? No way. I'm the type who wants to participate in the festival rather than watch from the outside.”

No, no, you don't have to hide your embarrassment. Osnier tried to pat Arthur's head but froze.

“By the way, this means I can officially inherit the family, right?”

It was Arthur's first smile in a long time.

Seeing the two brothers side by side, who looked so different that no one would believe they were brothers, and seeing how much Osnier and Arthur didn't use their facial muscles, it was clear that Arthur, like Osnier, didn't use his facial muscles. The muscles for fighting developed well, but for some reason, the facial muscles didn't.

But, in battle, his mouth corners would rise mysteriously. Osnier thought he was probably smiling, but his old friend said, "That's a threat," and wouldn't recognize it as a smile.

So, is this smile from his son a smile or a threat?

That night, Osnier held his head.

The carriage carrying Miss Lotus was attacked by bandits and burned to the ground.

One of the two knights guarding it, who was driving, was dragged out of the carriage and fell unconscious.

The safety of the other knight and Miss Lotus was unknown.

However, the remains of the carriage contained burned buttons from the knights' uniforms and Miss Lotus's hair accessory, making survival unlikely.

The search for the knight and Miss Lotus continued for a week, but there were no leads.

Osnier Worian, the father of the missing knight Livonis and the head of the Worian family, said, “I believe my son is alive somewhere, still fulfilling the honor of protecting Miss Sophia,” and moved the public to tears.

Contrary to this,

“Well, he's really alive, you know.”

“Just like our son, huh, dear♡”

“Ah, not in front of the children.”

The Worian family was secretly celebrating. Secretly, you know, secretly.

Outwardly, they were a "strong family that believes in their eldest son's survival and continues to live as usual," but inside, everyone was smiling. The servants were even whistling.

Because it was impossible. But, if it were possible, it would be nice. The eldest son, who they wished would be happy, had finally won his beloved princess. When to celebrate? Now, of course.

Osnier caught Adelaide, who jumped onto his lap, with ease. Adelaide, who kissed his cheek with a smile, was so charming that it was hard to believe she had two sons, and Osnier was twice as happy.

The next day, the plan to threaten the royal family went as expected, and Osnier was satisfied. Incidentally, this barbarian didn't realize he was being disrespectful.

But, he was a barbarian with a heart.

Osnier didn't forget to thank the secret fan club and the servants.

Outwardly, he treated the knights with expensive wine as a "thank you for their efforts in the search," and was praised as "what a great father!" by those who didn't know the situation and the fan club, raising his reputation. The admiration in his subordinates' eyes made him itchy.

The servants, it turned out, had formed a "secret support team for the young master" long ago. They had been preparing new clothes for Sophia in case of an emergency and gathering information on the Lotus family through their network. Osnier gave them a bonus. Adelaide and Arthur knew about it, which hurt Osnier a bit, but he felt very relieved.

He was deeply proud that his son, who had embarked on a Worian man's journey without ever considering giving up, was surrounded by so much kindness.

Osnier felt as if his son had been born again.

With such emotion, he hugged his beloved wife.

Osnier Worian still remembers the day he became a father for the first time.

His child, who looked like an angel, turned out to be a Worian family knight, not an angel or a girl. Holding his beloved in his arms, Osnier's child flew out of his arms.

Swinging his sword for what was precious, just like Osnier.

“Look, Mother. The 'Make the Cruel Father Cry Alliance' won.”

“Oh.”

“I'm not crying...!”

Next, the royal family that was threatened.