[Interlude] Filehien Drei Menexes (3)
Continental Calendar Year 578~
I registered a party with Iris and we traveled together.
The power of Iris’s holy-attribute magic, once she stopped holding back, was overwhelming, and before long she came to be called the “Saintessess of Adventurers.”
In a sense, adventurers stand on the exact opposite side from the Church, so for an adventurer to take on the title of Saintess, something that could be called the Church’s authority itself, was practically picking a fight with it.
But Iris herself just laughed it off.
“‘Saintess’ is just a convenient label people in power slap on someone. There are plenty of adventurers who are good at healing. The ones who defeat monsters and heal the injured up close are the real Saints and Saintesses, if you ask me.”
That was Iris’s personal belief.
Whenever we delved into dungeons in the Helazio Republic and the Lizmoni Kingdom, we formed temporary parties and spread the name “Saintess of Adventurers.”
And then, after two years of adventuring as a party, we returned to the Menexes Kingdom for the first time in a while.
That said, the place where I grew up was on the eastern edge of this country, while where we were now was the western edge. It was a great power so vast that it would still stick out even if it swallowed the entire territory of the Lizmoni Kingdom whole. The distance was considerable.
Because it bordered the Lizmoni Kingdom, the domain of Margrave Turmare was prosperous.
We stayed active in this city for a while, but as expected of a territory supported by a margrave, the knights were very active, and there didn’t seem to be much need for monster subjugation.
We heard that the neighboring town of Heilan wasn’t as prosperous as this one, but it had more land and was actively attracting adventurers, so we decided to move there while also considering setting up a base house for the two of us.
“You know, someday I’d like to run an apothecary, growing medicinal herbs in my own backyard.”
That was a dream Iris had told me about once.
She was skilled at gathering, and also deft at making magic tools.
The two of us had reached upper silver rank together, and honestly, we were getting tired of constantly turning down invitations from every guild we visited to take promotion exams.
In 579, we completed the procedures to disband our party at the guild in Planert, moved to the town of Heilan, and bought a small house on the edge of the village.
If we had kept the party intact, it would have been enough for me to just show my face at the guild for them to ask us to accept requests specifically for Iris.
Now, Iris was carrying my child in her belly. I didn’t want her to push herself.
There were times when the guild in Heilan requested healing magic, but once I explained the situation to the Guildmaster, he understood.
After all, I was told that mana tends to become unstable during pregnancy, and overexertion could potentially have a negative effect on the child.
As for money, we’d been fortunate enough to save without wasting much over the years, so it seemed we could manage even if we didn’t work for about ten years. I decided to have Iris take it easy.
“Hey, Iris… do you think I can be a father?”
“What are you talking about? You’re already this child’s father, you know?”
Watching Iris’s belly grow day by day, I felt happy, but at the same time, scared.
I have no memory of my parents, and I don’t really know what a family is.
I understand now that Margrave Turmare was very considerate of me. But I still don’t think I received parental love.
That’s why I worry about whether I can give this child what they need.
“Oh, right… Phil didn’t have parents… maybe.
I was born in a theocracy, so if I’d stayed there, the moment my holy attribute was discovered, I was supposed to be confined. That’s why I ran away. So I’ll never see my parents again either.
This child won’t have grandparents, huh? Then let’s make up for it, let’s give them so much love between you and me that they’re completely full, okay?”
Iris doesn’t talk much about her past. This was the first time I’d heard she was from a theocracy.
I’d learned that the theocracy was a remote island far from this continent, only accessible by ship. The sea was full of aquatic monsters, so approaching by small boat—or swimming there, of course, was impossible. How did she even escape from such a place?
But Iris talked about it so lightly that I just let the subject of the theocracy slide, and when it came to the grandparents, I found myself thinking, yeah, that’s true.
Right. Even if we don’t have parents, if Iris and I pour our love into this child, that’s enough.
Back then, I truly believed that.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
In the spring of 580, our child was finally born.
The neighborhood women helped out, and a healthy baby girl came into the world.
“Waaah—! Waaah—! Waaahwaaah!”
Despite being so small, she cried with surprising volume, putting her whole body into it.
“Phil, don’t just stand there crying! From today on, you’re a father! Make sure you protect Iris and the baby properly, you hear?”
“Y-yeah… Milia, Joshua, thank you… thank you so much.
Iris, thank you, truly, for giving birth to our child.”
The neighborhood women who had helped with the delivery patted my back as I cried, then headed home.
“Hehe. Seeing how happy you look, Phil, makes all the exhaustion from giving birth disappear.
Now then, shall we have you do your first big job as a father?”
“Huh? What is it? Something I can do?”
Wrapped in a soft cloth, the baby seemed to have cried herself out and was sleeping on Iris’s chest.
She was so tiny, so fragile-looking. I have to protect her—that’s what I was thinking when Iris cheerfully made her request.
“Will you decide this child’s name?”
That was a huge responsibility.
We had thought about names while she was still in the womb. But she kicked and moved so much that even the neighborhood women said, “Probably a boy,” so we’d only come up with boys’ names.
“Her hair’s the same pink as yours, Iris.”
“Yeah. She might be considered unusual because of her hair color too. Maybe we should get a color-changing magic tool.”
Yeah, while we’re together it won’t be a problem, but after her baptism, it might be better to have one.
“What about her eye color?”
When Iris gently patted her back, the baby’s eyes fluttered open slightly.
No way…
They closed again right away, but the color I saw looked the same violet as mine.
“Did you see it, Phil?”
“Y-yeah… I think it’s the same as mine.”
Because of this color, will she be called a child of royal blood too?
No, when we were in the Republic, no one ever said anything like that. Then maybe we should return to the Republic before she grows up?
“Ohh, violet, huh? With my hair color and your eye color, that’s such a cute combination! She’s definitely going to be popular someday.”
“Huh? I won’t allow that.”
“Pfft! You’re finally back to your usual self, Phil. We’ve lived with these colors all this time, haven’t we? It’ll be fine. Once people know she’s our child, they won’t think it’s strange that she was born with these colors. It’s fine!”
When I started to overthink things, Iris encouraged me like that.
She was the one who had just given birth and was exhausted, yet I’d gone and worried her again.
“Sorry… and thank you.
Right. She’s our adorable daughter. Let’s see… how about Violet?
Her nickname can be Vio.”
“Vio? That’s cute.
Vio, your name is Violet now. Your father chose it for you. It’s your very first present.”
Ah, right. A name is the first present from parents.
If that’s the case, then my own name, Filehien, must have been chosen by my parents too.
Thinking that way, this name starts to feel precious as well.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
After the birth, Iris wasn’t fully back to normal yet, but she tended the medicinal herbs in the garden while holding Vio, so I spent my days taking day-trip requests from the guild.
When I get home, I clean myself with [Cleanse] before going inside. I once rushed in without doing that and Iris chewed me out pretty badly.
Today, Vio, cradled in Iris’s arms, was unusually awake. When she saw me, she reached out her hands happily, squealing.
“Iris, did you see that? She just smiled! She’s so cute. Viooo, it’s Papa hereee.
Ah! Look, she opened her eyes again! Ohhh! They’re the same violet color as mine.
Her hair’s the same pink as yours, Iris, it’s getting darker little by little.
Gahhh~ she’s too cute! No way people are just going to leave her alone! I’m not letting her marry some weird guy! What am I supposed to do about this?!”
Vio’s eyes, now clearer in color than right after she was born, were a beautiful shade of violet.
Seeing that color no longer made me panic. Her cheeks were soft and fluffy, an irresistible texture.
“Hehe. Honestly, worrying about marriage prospects for a baby who was just born, how overprotective can you be? But I won’t deny that she’s a cute daughter. Dad, make sure you protect us properly, okay?”
“Of course!!!”
I hugged Iris and Vio together, savoring these unbearably happy days.
Is it really okay for me to be this happy?
Maybe because I thought that… that’s why I ended up receiving that news.
What do you think about this chapter?
