Chapter 7

Father is tough. Since I resemble him more, I wonder if I will become a man like this in the future. His large, rough, manly hands give me a sense of security.

Father has only one palm. His left arm is missing from the wrist down, and he wears a prosthetic. Usually, he skillfully does his work with the hook at the end of the prosthetic. He takes off the hook before bed, and my mother fastens it to his shoulder with a leather belt when he wakes up. I want to try it too.

Since then, Father has been going hunting every three days. He puts on simple leather armor, hangs a sword and a burlap sack, and goes out beyond the city walls. By the way, I have never left the city. Around the city walls, there are farmlands that support the citizens' stomachs, and it is said that animals and monsters that can be hunted appear in the nearby forests and rivers.

Perhaps due to the influence of the labyrinth, these creatures reproduce actively and cause trouble in the fields, so the Adventurer's Guild regularly issues extermination requests. Father picks up these requests and brings back meat.

Yes, Father is retired but hasn't returned his adventurer's guild tag. As a benefit for adventurers, they charge a fee but handle the butchering and purchase of materials, so it's common for retired adventurers to keep their tags.

Father only brings back meat, so he sells the other materials. In addition to the request fees, our household's surplus funds are steadily increasing. Once we save enough, we can use it to repair the inn. Since Father is one-armed and not a carpenter, he probably can't do the detailed carpentry work, so we'll have to call in a carpenter from somewhere.

Today, after breakfast, he went hunting once and returned early in the afternoon with a large piece of deer meat.

"Wow! That's huge!!"

"Wow, it's so big!"

Sophie, you don't need to imitate that. In fact, don't.

"With this much, we can serve it to the guests for dinner."

Mother is also pleased. She is currently working hard on developing new menu items. Sometimes they are too innovative... but I've experienced that in my previous life. For a while, I lived in a hell of a modified tajine pot and an olive oil-soaked life because of my mother. It was subtly painful.

"Yeah, I got lucky and ran into a big one... I'll go chop some firewood now."

I followed Father as he went to the backyard. I wanted to help, but... I also wanted to have a serious talk with him. I want to hear about Mother's recent aggressive approach too.

In the backyard, I picked up the firewood Father had split. Father, with one arm, split the firewood with a powerful and fast swing. As expected of a former adventurer. His body's agility is different. Speaking of the body, mine suddenly felt like it went from 30 to 6 years old, so it's so light. I can easily touch the floor when I stretch, and I'm free from nearsightedness and shoulder stiffness.

I picked up a piece of fallen firewood and swung it like a bat. Oh, being a child, my head is heavy, so it's hard to balance, but what a smooth movement. Goodbye, my hernia.

Father, who had been watching, came closer. Ah, I wasn't just playing... but I was. Because I'm a child!

"Ruka, like this."

Ignoring me, Father positioned the firewood and swung down.

—Whoosh

The firewood split the air. Amazing... But what I was doing was a baseball swing, not swordsmanship.

"I'll train you eventually."

He smiled confidently. Ugh... Scary. He looks just like my father from my previous life, who was a coach for a youth baseball team.

"Hey, Father."

"What is it?"

"Father, why did you decide to run an inn?"

This has been a question I've had for a long time. Honestly, I don't think Father is suited for the hospitality business.

"Why...?"

Father fell silent. Oops, did I hit a sore spot?

"Look at this."

Father showed me his prosthetic.

"After you were born, I continued to be an adventurer. That's when I got seriously injured in the labyrinth."

"Is that where you got the scar on your cheek?"

"Yes... I got it then. I was saved by my companions and managed to survive, but I could no longer hold you with both hands."

"..."

"But fortunately, I still had one hand. So, I decided to spend as much time as possible with you and your mother."

...I see, for us. I feel like tears are welling up in my eyes.

"But why an inn? Sure, it's hard to be an adventurer with one arm, but Father is still strong enough to bring back prey from hunting."

He uses a sword, not a bow, for hunting. A sword. That means he's engaging in close combat with monsters alone.

"That's... um..."

"I want to hear your story."

"Alright."

Father continued, a bit embarrassed.

"My father... Ruka's grandfather, was also an adventurer. He led a large clan called 'Golden Star,' and this house was also the clan's meeting place."

"Wow..."

Two generations of adventurers. And a large clan... So, the grand name of our inn comes from there. No wonder it felt like the name didn't match. Come to think of it, 'Golden Star Inn' is old but the building itself is impressive, and there are many rooms.

"I grew up in a house where people constantly came and went. So..."

—Maybe I wanted to see that kind of scene again. Father's story ended with a whisper. There was a hint of melancholy in his profile. Was it self-reflection for not surpassing his great father, or something else?

"Father, you're not satisfied with the current 'Golden Star,' are you?"

"What's with the sudden question?"

"The level of adventurers and our guests is different, isn't it?"

"That's true, but it's not just a matter of level."

"What do you mean?"

"One wrong decision can mean the difference between life and death. The world of adventurers is that thin. There are things I want to say to those who aren't prepared for that."

Yes, as long as we have adventurers as guests, there are those who leave for the labyrinth in the morning and never return. Their companions come to collect their belongings, but sometimes the entire party is wiped out, and no one comes to claim the items. In such cases, we are obligated to keep the items for about a week and then take them to the Adventurer's Guild. If there are survivors, the items are returned through the guild.

We receive a reward from the guild, but Father is silent and seems to be holding back something. No matter how many companions he has seen die, even if they are just guests he met briefly, a life is a life. Perhaps the fact that he couldn't reconcile with that was the biggest reason he stopped being an adventurer, I thought.

"Then, let's do something about it. If you have something to say, just say it. If you don't know, you can learn."

"Ruka..."

"I'll work hard. So, Father, you too."

"...Alright."

Alright, now's the time! I was ready to ask, but Father suddenly spoke to me.

"Ruka, I've noticed... haven't you been acting a bit strange lately?"

Uh-oh. That's true... The person inside me is about the same age as Father. I haven't said anything because I don't think he would believe me, but Father is sharp.

"Well, that's..."

"...Don't overdo it. You can rely on me."

Fortunately, Father didn't press further. Sorry, Father. I don't think I can explain it well. We returned to the task of splitting firewood.

"By the way, Father."

"What is it?"

"What was Mother's passionate approach before marriage like?"

"! ...What are you talking about?"

"I heard from Mother. Because Father didn't notice, Mother..."

Father stopped. Hey, Father, your face is red. What happened? Or what did happen? Is it a story I shouldn't hear as a child?

"..."

"..."

Father silently dropped the axe he had raised. The firewood shattered before it even touched the axe.

"Whaaat!? The firewood! The firewood! Father! Fa-ther!!??"

Be quiet, man... It's nothing.