Chapter 101

Chapter 101: Rin Started Calling Us Mama and Papa

We were going to have a child...?

An overwhelming emotion beyond words surged through me.

'After three months of trying for a child with Ria...'

Ria was pregnant.

Could it be that, even though we were both human, we would be unable to have a child because Ria was from another world?

We had been quietly anxious about that.

I am happy—so happy.

A single tear trickled down my cheek.

I embraced Ria, who was on the verge of tears.

"We're having a child—I can hardly believe it. I'm so happy."

"Me too... I'm so happy."

"Congratulations, Ria."

"Congratulations to you too, Seon-u."

"Let's raise this child to be the happiest child in the world, right alongside Rin."

"The happiest child in the world—what a lovely thought. Let's do that."

We looked at each other and smiled.

Now that Ria was pregnant, I felt the urge to do everything for her.

"If there's anything you want to eat, just tell me. I'll do whatever you ask. And if you need something, I'll run out and get it even in the middle of the night, so let me know. Anything you need done, leave it to me."

"You don't have to. Just staying by my side is enough."

"That goes without saying. But I'll still do anything else you need."

"I read in a book that pregnant women should move around in moderation. And my belly isn't even showing yet."

As the two of us were talking.

Rin came over to us cautiously.

"Come here, Rin."

Ria opened her arms toward Rin.

Rin pattered over and opened her arms toward Ria in return.

Ria lifted her up and set her sideways on her lap.

Rin studied Ria's expression and asked,

"Ria, hurty?"

"No, not hurty at all."

"But you wented, 'ugh.'"

Rin must have been worried Ria was hurt after seeing her gag a few times.

"Hehe! Let me tell you what that was, Rin."

Rin tilted her head.

Ria smiled at her, then pointed to her own belly and said,

"It's because Rin's little sibling is growing inside my belly."

"..."

Rin opened her round eyes wide, her gaze shifting back and forth between Ria's belly and her face.

"Sibwing... Rin has a sibwing in here?"

"That's right. Go ahead and touch it."

Rin reached out and pressed her hand against Ria's belly.

Of course, there wouldn't be anything to feel just by touching.

She was still in the early stages of pregnancy.

"As time passes, my belly will get bigger, and Rin's little sibling will grow."

"Wooow... amayzing."

Before long, Rin began to well up with tears.

"Rin...? Why are you crying?"

"Hic! 'Cause a sibwing's coming, Rin is so happy."

"Hehe! When your sibling is born, you have to take good care of them, all right?"

"Mm, sob! Rin wiww take good care!"

Ria held Rin close and patted her gently.

I sat down beside them and stroked Rin's back as I spoke.

"Even after your sibling is born, you'll still be Ria's and my precious daughter, just the same, and we'll love and cherish you exactly as much as we'll love your sibling."

There would be absolutely no favoritism.

Rin was not our biological daughter, but she was a daughter we had taken into our hearts all the same.

Every so often, there were petty parents who played favorites among their own children.

When Ria and I had been planning to have a child, we had firmly vowed to each other that we would never let Rin feel left out, no matter what.

"Mm! Hehe."

And there was something I had been meaning to address with her.

"Rin, how about you start calling us Mom and Dad?"

At those words, Rin's eyes widened.

She must have already learned the meaning of "Mom" and "Dad" from Ria.

She clasped her hands together, pressed her index fingers against each other, and hesitated.

'She seems shy about actually calling us that.'

In that case, we could try the more approachable American-style version.

"Then, until you get used to it, how about calling us Mama and Papa?"

"Mama, Papa? I wike it."

"Then give it a try."

Rin looked up at me and bashfully opened her mouth.

"Papa."

Rin had called me Papa.

My heart warms.

"Well done, my daughter."

"Hehe."

Ria also looked down at Rin with a face full of anticipation.

Rin then opened her mouth toward Ria as well.

"Mama."

"Hehe! That sounds lovely. Keep calling me that from now on. Oh, aren't you the cutest."

With that, she hugged Rin and rubbed their cheeks together.

"Hehe! Tickwy, Mama."

The two of them were adorable.

Soon, Ruina and the knight order members came over to Ria.

Ruina was dabbing continuously at her tears with a handkerchief.

"Why are you crying again, Ruina?"

"Sob, sob! I'm just so happy because Lady Ria is with child."

"Is it really something worth crying over this much? You really are a handful."

"But I'm happy. Truly, congratulations, Lady Ria."

"Thank you for the well-wishes."

The other knight order members all offered their congratulations as well.

Even the S-Rank Trio and the other guests joined in.

Of course, they didn't forget to congratulate me either.

Eriksson said to me,

"If we're being honest, the child ought to take after Captain Ria rather than you, Seon-u."

"That's fair enough."

Then the elder Sword Saint scolded Eriksson.

"What's wrong with Master Seon-u? Master Seon-u is a very handsome man in his own right."

"Well, he's decent enough, but the Captain is just so unreal."

"...That is true, I suppose. Then, if it's a daughter, I hope she takes after Lady Ria, and if it's a son, after Master Seon-u."

I shrugged and answered,

"Whoever the child takes after, I just hope the mother and baby come through the delivery safely and in good health."

I was already a little worried.

Worried that Ria would struggle greatly from the pregnancy through the delivery.

And so began the overprotection of my wife.

And there was one other person thinking exactly the same thing I was.

That person was none other than Ruina.

***

I refused to let Ria come to the restaurant.

"But I want to go out and help with the work too..."

"It's fine, just rest at home."

"My belly isn't even showing yet. It'll be ages before it does."

"Still, no. I can't have a pregnant woman doing work."

"...I want to help out at the restaurant and learn how to cook beside you, Seon-u."

"You already cook more than well enough as it is. And I'll finish up as fast as I can and come back. Ruina, please look after Ria while I'm gone."

When I turned to Ruina beside us and spoke, she bowed her head.

"Yes, Master Seon-u. I will attend to Lady Ria with the utmost devotion."

It was as if a flame were kindling in Ruina's eyes.

'She is really overzealous.'

Though I was hardly one to talk.

In any case, I left Ria behind and ran the lunch service on my own.

The one who had taken on the role of temporary kitchen assistant during Ria's absence was none other than—

"I'll have you know, if there's one thing I'm confident in, it's handling a knife! Leave the simple ingredient prep to me."

"Yes, elder. I appreciate your help."

The elder Sword Saint.

Among the people in the Rift, he had the best hands after Ria.

And his cooking skill was as considerable as his years of experience.

That was why the elder Sword Saint had volunteered to be the kitchen assistant.

'Still, he is a bit unpracticed.'

He was no match for the practiced Ria.

Even so, we were able to prep without trouble and keep the service running.

As always, Ashley and Fenrir visited that day as well.

As the two of them walked in, they glanced at the kitchen and tilted their heads.

"Where has your lovely wife gone, and why is a wrinkled old man helping you instead?"

It was a rude remark from Ashley.

But I could not exactly say anything about it.

Ashley had never revealed her exact age, but she had mentioned that it was in the triple digits.

In other words, she was well past a hundred years old.

To Ashley, even the elder Sword Saint was only the age of a newborn.

The elder Sword Saint was not offended in the slightest and simply smiled.

"Lady Ria has her reasons."

"What reasons?"

"You ought to hear it from Master Seon-u himself."

Ashley and Fenrir turned their gaze on me.

"What reasons, Seon-u?"

"Male human, do not drag this out. Speak. I cannot stand being kept waiting. Though your face is bright. Must be good news?"

She is sharp.

I shrugged and told them,

"Ria is pregnant. That's why I had her stay home to rest."

Hearing that, Ashley and Fenrir looked mildly surprised and nodded.

"A cause for celebration. Congratulations."

"Thanks."

Ashley had offered a standard congratulations.

"A pup born between the male human and the female human... the child will be enormously strong."

Fenrir, for her part, was first thinking about how strong the baby born between Ria and me would be.

'Come to think of it, Ria's house was said to be a prestigious family of swordsmanship.'

A prestigious house of swordsmanship that had produced many Heroes over generations.

Among them, Ria's father was said to have been one of the great powers in the history of the Empire.

And from what I had heard from Ruina, Ria had shown swordsmanship talent on par with her father's.

If the child inherited those genes, they would likely have a gift for swordsmanship.

As I was thinking that.

Suddenly, Fenrir clapped her hands loudly.

And with that, she shouted in a booming voice,

"In any case, congratulations on being with pup!"

The congratulations was fine.

But was she not celebrating a bit too loudly?

And "with pup," of all things...

Thanks to that, everyone in the restaurant now knew that Ria was pregnant.

"Lady Emeria, you're having a baby, congratulations!"

"Congrats, Chef!"

"Just imagine—when the kid is born, the mom's Lady Emeria and the dad is Chef An. Wow! That child's life is set."

"A child between the two of you would be beautiful! Congratulations!"

"I'll pray for a safe, healthy delivery."

Everyone sent their congratulations and applause.

It was oddly embarrassing.

I bowed my head and repaid their kindness with my thanks.

"Thank you, everyone. As a token of my gratitude..."

I gave a shake to the small bell off to one side.

"For regular meals only, today's lunch will be on the house."

I had rung the Golden Bell.

Normally, it was something I would never have done.

My spirits had been running so high since yesterday that I had done something I normally never would.

"Whoa! Chef An is the best!"

"Yes! Can I get another serving?"

If everyone ate too much, there might not be enough food to go around.

"However, since the prepared food is limited, I'll have to cap it at two servings per person."

And so it became a festival for me.

And for the Hunter patrons, the restaurant also turned into the scene of a festival.

Ashley and Fenrir, seated at the bar table right across from me, then asked,

"What about us? Will our food be on the house as well?"

"Male human, I believe you are a human with loyalty."

I glared at Fenrir and said,

"Fenrir, my sales went down the drain today because of your shouting, so you two are paying."

"Ahem..."

Ashley then smacked Fenrir's arm beside her.

"I got dragged into this because of this idiot!"

"...My apologies."

Watching the pair, I laughed and said,

"I'm teasing. Eat as much as you want, both of you. It's on the house for you today, no matter how much you eat."

"Hooray!"

"Just as I thought, the male human has loyalty."

And so, between the two of them, they polished off more than twenty-one servings of meat.

Once business was wrapped up.

Before heading home, I stopped by the warehouse and entered the dungeon.

Every day after work, I would stop by the dungeon to check on the progress and store the mined Erdotte Stone in Acresia.

As I stepped inside, the Eckard clan dwarves were all sprawled out near the entrance.

'What is this...?'

Had they been attacked, perhaps?

There were no wounds, and they were snoring, so that wasn't it.

"Mmph... hmm...?"

It was Maxim, sensing my presence as he slept and opening his eyes.

He rubbed his eyes, confirmed it was me, then sprang to his feet and bowed at the waist.

"Liege Lord, you have arrived!"

"Yes, Sir Maxim. But has something happened?"

"Ah, you're wondering because everyone is sprawled out. All of you, get up! The Liege Lord has arrived."

At his shout, all of them woke up, scrambled to their feet, and bowed at the waist toward me.

"You didn't have to wake them."

"Of course they must rise when the Liege Lord has arrived. And the reason they were all sprawled out like this is that they had been working without rest from last night until just a little while ago."

"You worked through the night? I told you not to overdo it. You'll ruin your health like that."

"Haha! We did push ourselves a bit. But there was a reason for that—I could see the end in sight."

"The end of what?"

"The end of the work, of course."

"Does that mean...?"

"Indeed. We have mined out all of the Erdotte Stone."

It had been exactly a month, and they had already mined every last piece of Erdotte Stone in the dungeon.

It was truly an astonishing pace of work.

A speed only possible because they were dwarves.