On a bright spring morning, Rudeus sat on his bed and opened the system panel as usual:
[Name: Rudeus Greyrat] [Health: 550, mana: 1000000, strength: 210] Emotion Points: 1582080. Status: [God Rank blessing: God-Caressed Cheeks] Effect: greatly enhanced natural appearance and greatly increased ease of gaining the opposite sex's affection. [God Rank blessing: God-Gushing Tear Glands] Effect: increased mana recovery rate by 10000%.
He crept downstairs and turned into the living room, where he saw Zenith and Lilia sitting side by side on the sofa, chatting.
Each held a little bundle wrapped in a milky-white blanket-Norn and Aisha.
Rudeus's face lit up. He hurried over, crouched beside the sofa, and softened his voice:
"Norn-chan~ Look over here, it's your big brother~ Can I hold you?"
Little Norn had been staring into space with her tiny fist in her mouth. At the sound of Rudeus's voice, her round eyes lit up.
She let go of her fist, babbling and waving her chubby little arms as she lunged toward Rudeus.
Seeing that, Rudeus carefully supported her soft neck and little bottom, gathering the warm, soft bundle into his arms.
Little Norn immediately grabbed Rudeus's index finger and sucked on it with relish. Her warm breath brushed his fingertip, and her softness melted his heart.
Beside them, little Aisha seemed to feel left out. She wailed in protest, waving her little hands about and twisting her head toward Rudeus.
Rudeus chuckled, freed his other arm, and picked her up just as gently.
With Norn on his left arm and Aisha in his right, the two soft little angels snuggled against him. Rudeus couldn't resist lowering his head to nuzzle their soft baby hair, giggling aloud.
"Rudeus's little sisters really do adore him."
Zenith looked at Rudeus, her eyes curving into gentle crescents.
"Yes. Thanks to the young master helping look after them these past few days, the mistress and I have had a rare chance to catch our breath."
Lilia smiled in agreement, her voice full of genuine gratitude.
Rudeus scratched his head and smiled a little sheepishly.
"It's nothing. It only takes a little mana. I'm happy to help out around the house."
Zenith reached out in relief and gently rubbed Rudeus's head.
Come to think of it, the first thing he had done after his two little sisters were born was to make two pairs of magic baby pants.
He had added every practical feature he could think of-automatic cleaning, temperature control, cushioning against bumps, and even a dim light for nighttime.
At their core was a compound magic circle that had taken him three all-nighters to draw. As long as it was supplied with mana once a week, it would operate reliably.
That had completely solved the trouble of pee and poop. Even if they accidentally fell from the second floor, the magic circle would instantly deploy three layers of cushioning barriers, leaving not a hair on their heads harmed.
He had the most free time in the family, so except when they were feeding or sleeping, the two little ones spent almost all day clinging to him. Over time, they had naturally grown closest to him.
Time always flew when he was with them.
Rudeus gave Norn a little bounce and made a cheerful suggestion.
"Little Norn, how about we play a flying game?"
As he spoke, he used telekinesis magic to lift her little body into the air and take her slowly around the living room.
Norn wasn't scared at all. Instead, she waved her arms and legs in excitement, her bell-like laughter filling the room.
He looked down at Aisha in his arms. She was tilting her little head, staring in puzzlement at Norn floating in the air, her mouth slightly open.
"Do you want to play too, little Aisha?" Rudeus asked with a smile. Without waiting for her to respond, he gently lifted her with telekinesis as well.
But as soon as she had risen half a foot above Rudeus's palm, little Aisha's face crumpled.
Then, with a loud "Wah-!" she burst into tears, kicking her little arms and legs wildly.
"Oh no!"
Startled, Rudeus quickly canceled the magic and hugged her tight. He patted her back gently, nuzzled the top of her head with his forehead, and apologized over and over:
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Your big brother's a big dummy. I didn't know our little Aisha was afraid of heights."
"Don't cry, don't cry. Big brother's here~"
Under Rudeus's soft, gentle soothing, little Aisha's cries gradually quieted. After a few hiccuping sobs, she fell fast asleep against his shoulder.
Norn, meanwhile, rubbed her eyes and gave a huge yawn, her little head nodding. She was clearly sleepy too.
Rudeus walked softly over to the crib and carefully laid the two sleeping little ones inside. He tucked in their blankets and gazed at their peaceful sleeping faces for a long while before quietly leaving.
After settling his two little sisters, Rudeus faintly heard hoofbeats outside the window and went out to investigate.
A man on horseback was approaching, his horse laden with a large parcel.
When the man reached the yard gate, he dismounted, walked up to Rudeus, and spoke politely:
"Excuse me, who is Rudeus Greyrat? I have a letter for him."
"That's me." Rudeus took the letter and gave it a quick look.
"Please sign here."
The man took out a booklet as he spoke.
After Rudeus signed, the man left without stopping.
Only then did Rudeus open the letter and read it carefully...
It was from Roxy. Its contents went roughly as follows:
"After we parted, I came to the King Dragon Kingdom and made it through many labyrinths. Somewhere in one of them, I found a record of King Rank magic and became a Water King Rank mage. I earned the king of Shirone's favor and became a court mage of the Kingdom of Shirone." There were also her troubles with teaching, her concern about how Rudeus was doing, and so on...
After reading it, Rudeus immediately took paper and a pen from his mana pocket and rapidly wrote a reply.
He likewise wrote at length about how he had been doing, including his upcoming trip to the city of Roа to tutor the young lady of House Boreas.
Finally, he told Roxy not to judge others by using him as a standard. Not everyone was a genius; most people in this world were ordinary. She shouldn't dismiss other people's efforts on her own, and so on...
After putting down the last stroke, he hurriedly took a summoning scroll from his magic pocket.
It summoned a wind letter spirit, a spirit that could help deliver letters. He had thought it useful at the time, so he had gone out of his way to learn it.
The wind letter spirit swallowed the letter whole, then turned into a streak of light and vanished into the distant sky.
To be honest, it was his first time using it, and he didn't know whether it was reliable... Oh well, anything from the system had to be top quality.
After sending the letter, Rudeus looked around.
Once he had confirmed that no one was watching, he summoned his usual flying sword and cast a perfect Invisibility Technique with a point of his finger.
He lightly tapped the blade with his toes, and the flying sword carried him silently up into the clear blue sky.
The wind brushed past his hair, carrying the fresh scent of springtime greenery. He rode his flying sword over the rooftops of Buena Village and landed with practiced ease on the familiar little hillside.
Sure enough, a small figure with light green hair was already standing beneath the large tree on the hillside.