One afternoon, Rudeus excitedly asked Paul to make him a longsword, declaring that he was ready to start learning a little swordsmanship.
Paul was delighted by Rudeus's request and immediately agreed.
Zenith, however, looked a little worried.
Seeing this, Rudeus immediately jumped in front of her, dropped into a horse stance, and threw a few punches at the air, demonstrating strength that still looked less than convincing.
His movements did seem a little comical, though.
Paul and Lilia, who was standing nearby, both laughed, and Zenith eventually joined in.
She pulled Rudeus into her arms again, pressing his head tightly against her chest. Those two soft, enormous orbs seemed ready to swallow his entire head.
What deadly torture. Rudeus figured he could last two and a half minutes at most.
"Rudeus, want to come to the forest with me this afternoon?" Paul asked casually.
"Darling, are you crazy?"
"It's fine. We're only going to the outskirts of the forest, and there'll be other patrolmen with us."
"Don't worry~ I wouldn't take him if I weren't absolutely certain it was safe."
"But Rudeus only just..." Zenith tightened her hold on Rudeus as she spoke.
I feel like I've died a little...
"All right, a blade that hasn't been sharpened can't survive as well!"
"Come on, Rudeus. Dad will show you how a real swordsman fights!"
Paul pulled me out of Zenith's arms and set me back on the ground. Rudeus immediately felt alive again and took a good, long breath before speaking.
"Are we leaving now, Dad?"
"Mm~ Let's go. They're waiting for us over there."
Paul led me toward the forest, and we met many villagers along the way. They all greeted us warmly.
Looks like Paul is pretty well respected in this village~
"We're here, Rudeus. The forest's just ahead. The deeper you go, the more monsters there are."
Paul led me into the forest, and the two of us chatted along the way.
"I'm here to check on the monsters in the middle part of the forest. If there are a lot of them, I'll have to let the others know."
"Dad, didn't you just say other people were coming with us? How come it's only the two of us?"
"Heh-heh~ Of course I was lying to your mom~ But it's fine. Your dad is really strong, so just stay close to me~"
After they had ventured deeper for a while, a low black shadow suddenly burst out of the undergrowth somewhere nearby without warning and lunged straight at them!
Rudeus was just about to move, mana already gathering at his fingertips.
But Paul had already raised his sword and held it horizontally in front of him.
He blocked it!
The black shadow was knocked back and sent flying.
"That's an Assault Dog. These monsters are fast, but they're not very smart. They pretty much only attack in a straight line."
The monster Paul had just knocked back seemed badly hurt and didn't immediately get up again.
"Watch out, Rudeus! There's another one nearby! No, it feels like there are more..."
Paul remained on guard, only three paces away from Rudeus.
As he spoke, there was a rustle in the grass on the right. But the moment he sensed it, a figure identical to the previous monster burst into view.
The monster bared its teeth and opened its bloody maw in midair, lunging at Rudeus-
Slash-
A silver flash of steel swept past, and the doglike monster was cut cleanly in two at the waist. Its corpse even twitched a couple of times after it hit the ground.
Even so, Paul didn't let his guard down, staring fixedly at the bushes ahead.
Sure enough, the next second-
Another, larger monster burst out menacingly.
It was a monster that looked like a porcupine, with sharp fangs.
If it rammed into someone like that, they'd surely be smashed to pieces!
But its opponent was Paul, a former member of an S-rank adventuring party and a swordsman who had reached Advanced Rank in the Sword God Style, Water God Style, and North God Style, with overall strength approaching Saint Rank.
Paul simply took one step forward, raised his sword high above his head with its point toward the sky, and then brought it crashing down.
The monster was split in two in the blink of an eye. Once again, the cut was clean, with no wasted movement.
After putting away his sword, Paul turned sideways and glanced back at Rudeus with a smile, looking as though he were expecting something.
Rudeus naturally knew what he was expecting. His idiot dad had gone to great lengths to show his son his heroic side as a father, so of course he was hoping for praise.
"Wow! That's my dad! You were so cool just now, Dad! When I grow up, I want to be as cool as you!"
He put on the act of a little fanboy and gushed exaggerated praise at Paul.
"Ah~ Hahaha~ Not really, I'm only a little cool once in a while, hahaha~" Paul laughed smugly.
And just like that, several more months quietly passed.
At last, the cold wind howled outside the window, and great flakes of snow filled the sky, painting the whole world pure white.
Inside, however, it was as warm as spring. Flames crackled in the fireplace, and their orange-red light shone on everyone's smiling faces.
Rudeus's first birthday had arrived.
Paul produced a finely crafted shortsword from behind his back, a length suitable for a child, and held it out to me. He had just put on a serious expression, ready to launch into a long speech, and cleared his throat.
"Rudeus, a sword is a weapon for protecting the people you hold dear. But you must never think that having one makes you strong. As a swordsman, first you must-"
"Darling, shut up! You're too long-winded."
Zenith walked over with a smile and mercilessly flicked Paul on the forehead with a sharp snap, cutting his "lecture" short.
"Rudeus~ This is your birthday present from Mommy~"
Rudeus's eyes lit up, and he immediately stepped forward to accept the gift with both hands.
It was an exquisitely bound Illustrated Guide to Plants, its pages giving off a faint scent of ink.
He instantly unleashed a performance worthy of a best actor award, bouncing up and down with sparkling eyes, his voice full of delight.
"Wow! It's an Illustrated Guide to Plants! This is amazing! Thank you, Mom! I love it!"
With that, he threw himself into Zenith's warm embrace and hugged her tightly.
My exaggerated display of happiness made Zenith smile even more broadly. She gently stroked my back, her eyes full of affection.
As she held Rudeus, she deliberately glanced at Paul beside her, who looked thoroughly deflated. Her gaze seemed to say, See? My present is obviously more to Rudeus's liking~
Paul could only shrug helplessly and smile wryly, rubbing the spot on his forehead where she had flicked him.
Just then, Roxy quietly walked over from the side.
A little nervous, she held out an intricately crafted miniature staff to Rudeus.
The staff was smooth from end to end, and a small, clear magic stone was set in its head, glowing softly red in the lamplight.
Rudeus solemnly reached out to accept it and looked up at her, his voice sincere and full of gratitude.
"Thank you, Teacher! I really, really love this present!"
At his words, a faint blush rose to Roxy's cheeks.
She looked away, one small hand awkwardly rubbing a lock of hair by her temple. Her voice was soft and a little embarrassed.
"N-no need to thank me. I should have given this to you when you became able to use magic... But you learned magic right from the start, Rudeus, and I was so surprised at the time that I forgot all about it..."
Her voice grew quieter and quieter until it was almost a mosquito's hum, and even her ears turned bright red.
Rudeus immediately gave her his brightest smile and gripped the little staff tightly as he spoke earnestly.
"It's okay, Teacher! As long as it's a present from you, I'd love it no matter when you gave it to me! I'll take very good care of this staff!"
Roxy froze for a moment. Then her eyes curved into beautiful crescents, and she gave him a shy but sweet smile and nodded gently.
The cottage was filled with a happy, cozy atmosphere, and the tempting aromas of roast meat, cream, and freshly baked bread drifted through the air.
Zenith and Lilia were working together in the kitchen for a rare occasion. The two worked seamlessly together, bringing dish after dish of food that looked, smelled, and tasted wonderful to the table.
Roxy stood behind them, now rising onto her tiptoes to watch what Lilia was doing, now craning her neck to peer into Zenith's pot.
Her lake-blue eyes were full of eagerness to try, but she also looked a little awkward, unsure where to begin.
She clearly wanted to help, but she was afraid of disturbing the two women's practiced rhythm. The sight of her looking so well-behaved and adorable made Rudeus's heart melt.
Finally, when Lilia picked up a large platter of golden, glistening roast meat and walked toward the table, Roxy immediately trotted after her.
As though protecting a flame about to go out, she carefully held her little hands on either side of the platter, her expression as serious as if she were performing some important ritual.
She looked as if to say, I can't do much, but I should at least do my part. She was so cute that it made one want to pull her into a hug.
Looking at the table laden with sumptuous food, Rudeus could no longer care about appearances and dug in without restraint.
After all, it was a birthday celebration for him, so of course he should enjoy this happiness to the fullest.
The table was filled with laughter and cheerful voices, everyone enjoying themselves.
Laughter, clinking cups, and playful chatter mingled together, so warm it seemed they could melt the wind and snow outside.
"Everyone, raise your cups-"
Paul suddenly stood up and shouted, his voice ringing out with joy.
"Happy birthday, Rudeus!"
"Happy birthday, Rudeus!"
Everyone raised their cups together, their voices enthusiastic and in unison.
Zenith smiled gently, Lilia's eyes were full of affection, and Roxy happily joined everyone in the cheer in her distinctively clear voice.
Rudeus looked at the familiar, beloved faces before him, his heart so full of happiness that it was almost overflowing.
At that moment, he truly felt it-
This world was embracing him gently.
At that moment, it even felt unreal to him.
Thinking back on his previous life, he had been a very introverted person.
A person's character and behavior could also be changed by their experiences.
When you lacked strength, you would endure and lie low.
But when you became certain that you would never change, you would become timid and shrink back, even growing afraid to approach things better than yourself.
That was an inferiority complex, and if handled badly, it could ruin a person's entire life.
Although he had been an ordinary person in his previous life, heaven had given him a chance to start over, so he would make something of himself!