─King Marihect’s Side─
Calvert’s kidnapping, Lady Arteamiya’s death…and so many misfortunes continued to happen for Ko, and I think his smile had noticeably decreased.
Far from letting anyone touch the children, he was wary of anyone who approached.
He seemed to be on guard against everyone other than his family and was always on edge.
However, as the children grew up, I think that caution subsided a little.
There were many times when he had a gentle smile on his face, and I relievedly stroked my chest.
…as usual, he didn’t want to leave the children.
The children also didn’t want to leave, perhaps because they cared about Ko’s feelings.
It’d be strange for a half-Akinist to stay with their parents all the time.
I had never even heard of such a thing.
During diplomatic meetings, Akinists and half-Akinists would surround Ko.
Although I saw it every time, it’s a masterpiece.
There were many times when they would just stare without words.
Ko, after all, was an anomaly for any country.
No one had produced three half-Akinists.
It’s said that even two were a miracle…
Even though Akinist’s fertility should be so low that it’s said to be more than enough to give birth to even one child.
Is it because they’re mates?
Or is it because Ko is the partner?
Ko’s race is still unknown, but breeding between different species is quite difficult.
It wasn’t just Akinists, but the chances of getting pregnant with a half-Akinist were pretty low.
However, the presence of Ko increased the number of half-Akinists.
Moreover, he gave birth to three children in just three and a half years.
Any country would want it.
Once humanized, the children might choose other countries to stay in.
Other countries were already eyeing them.
Ko must have understood that.
When Eldred and Calvert were small, they would greet the kings of other countries, but recently, he would only make them bow politely.
The children didn’t need to be in the diplomatic arena as they were only accompanying Captain Rodokiaus.
Therefore, formal greetings were not necessary.
In fact, even when Diadora was born, the introduction to other countries was easily completed.
…he only urged them to greet me, probably because I’m the king of the country he’s currently staying in.
Like with Eldred and Calvert, he didn’t even stay for a while and left immediately.
“Mahma. Me, shnacks, eat.”
“Mah, Cal alsho! Cal also shnacks!”
Diadora and Calvert, wrapping their tails around Ko, begged for sweets.
Unlike Eldred, the two were relatively free-spirited, but they still seemed spoiled by Ko.
“It’s still early for snacks, but…are you tired coming all the way here? You walked a lot.”
While saying that, Ko stroked the children’s heads and had a gentle face that seemed to be the symbol of gentle affection.
“Today’s snack is a nut-filled cookie. I’m using a little hard fruit for everyone, so you don’t have to leave some for mother’s share, okay? Here, El too.”
Ko brought the cookie to Eldred, who had been lying down behind him without saying anything.
I get the impression that Ko spoiled his children more than other parents.
Even though half-Akinists are children, they are incomparably stronger than other races.
I’m not saying they should not be spoiled at all, but it should be necessary to push them a little…
I’d heard that Eldred had taken to attending the Third Division barracks lately but was still not allowed to act independently yet.
As a parent myself, I could understand why he was worrying about his child being attacked, but…as expected, I wondered what the big deal was. Was it because the other party was a half-Akinist?
…no, my children are not without danger from their position, but I have never worried about them as much as Ko.
I think that the three half-Akinists have gentle personalities, perhaps because Ko spoiled them.
It didn’t create an exclusive atmosphere like with Captain Rodokiaus and Lord Saribatos.
I hadn’t seen Eldred fighting yet, but what’s it like?
An Akinist’s aura is strong, so his latent power must be strong…but will he be able to demonstrate it?
“Delish!”
“Mahma, you eat too?”
“Mom can’t chew this hard fruit. So the three of you can eat it, okay?”
I listened to the conversation between the parent and children.
Ko is a magician that even Captain Rodokiaus can’t match, and even though he’s a miraculous healer, his body is weak and his physical strength is so low that he wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for his magical power.
Eldred and the others easily ate the nuts that Ko could not chew.
Lord Saribatos also picked one up and put it in his mouth, so it seemed that Ko’s jaw was just weak.
“Aren’t those cookies too sweet for father-in-law? I made sakamushi (steamed fish in sake), so would you like to eat this?”
The moment he took out another container and opened the lid, there was a good scent.
Ko’s cooking is delicious, but I still can’t eat it.
Ko also didn’t seem to have any intention of sharing it outside his family, so the people around him could only watch with a finger in their mouth.
“Ko! That’s mine! Don’t give it away!”
The one who raised his voice was Captain Rodokiaus.
I’ve never seen him show such resentment over a single dish.
…is it that delicious?
──to the point that he didn’t want to give it to anyone.
Gulp…and the sound of someone swallowing saliva resounded.
As expected, I’m not the only one who thought “I want to eat that”.
“…Rodo’s part is separated, okay? Rodo prefers sakamushi from Ronva and Minemu, right? If you’re hungry, why don’t you eat?”
However, it seems that Ko’s words lowered the jealousy.
There was a feeling of reluctance, but he no longer expressed dissatisfaction.
Minemu is a type of shellfish, and Ronva is a type of fish.
I’m surprised that Captain Rodokiaus has such a taste for food.
I heard that he only ate to satisfy his hunger and never found it delicious.
But now, since he got married to Ko, he’d been eating the food that Ko made so deliciously, so I thought that it was either delicious or because it was made by his partner.
From the fact that the other family members were also eating deliciously, it seemed to be extremely delicious.
…I wonder if it’s somehow possible to accompany them…
“…mother.”
“Hn? What? …huh? You’re done already?”
Eldred’s body is getting bigger and he seemed to eat faster.
“You’ve started eating a lot, haven’t you? …fufu…I’m so happy.”
It seems that the child’s growth is a happy thing.
Ko smiled happily.
…I want to make him smile like this forever.
“Mother, I want to work in the Third Division once I humanize.”
“…eh!?”
I didn’t think he would say such a thing on this occasion, and my voice leaked out involuntarily.
Even though we are in the middle of a diplomatic meeting right now, I could still hear the conversation between Ko and Eldred.
“…the Third Division?”
“Yeah. I want to work under father. …besides, I don’t want to leave the house for a while even after humanizing.”
The conversation between the two continued without worrying about my leaked voice.
When Akinists become humanized, they became more intimidating to those around them, so even family members couldn’t be gathered in one place.
Even though they were half-Akinists, I always thought that Ko’s children, who should be strong-willed, would leave home once they were humanized, but…
In fact, this applies only to Akinists.
It didn’t apply to half-Akinists.
If they don’t want to leave the house, there’s no reason not to.
──in other words, Eldred will stay in Marihect.
He said “for a while” but he could live in the same house until he reached adulthood if he wanted to, there’s no problem.
After that is a family matter.
“…is that because you want to work with your father? I’m happy if you said it thinking about mother who can’t bear to leave his child, but I won’t allow it, okay?”
However, Ko, whom I thought would be most pleased, said such a thing.
The surroundings, which had been calming down, suddenly became tense.
“I want to work with father. Because I adore father. If I were to join the Third Division, I’d rather commute from home than stay in the dormitory. I’m the one who doesn’t want to leave mother. Because I love mother.”
But at Eldred’s words, his expression collapsed.
“Mother loves El as well. Geez, you’re so cute.”
He smiled and reached out his hand to caress Eldred’s cheek and forehead.
“…you’re also cute, mother.”
I’m sure I’m not the only one who almost nodded at Eldred’s muttered words.
How is it that I’m still drawn to Ko after all this time?
Captain Rodokiaus seemed to have a strong sense for it, but is it partly due to the fact that Ko’s scent gives off a scent that everyone mistook for being the scent of their mates?
…and this is still unexplained.
It was said that he came from another world, but do all people from different worlds give off such a fragrant scent like Ko?
