chapter 204: Side Story - Is This a Magic Knights Order or a Magic Daycare? (2)
Although we had quite the commotion at the market, thanks to Stella and Angela carrying the groceries, I was able to complete the shopping trip and return to the Magic Knights Order without much physical strain.
"Baby mermaid~ Puru puru~"
"Yeah, yeah. I'll put you in the aquarium."
When I released Alicia into the aquarium that Mary had installed using her earnings, she happily swam around the wide tank, as usual.
I sprinkled some special mermaid food that Mary had specifically requested. Alicia eagerly swam up and chomped down on it one by one, clearly enjoying it much more than the goldfish bait I had fed her last time, which was a relief.
'There aren't many mermaids, and most of the existing ones are descendants of the Mermaid King… so, technically, doesn't that make her a princess?'
Since Mary's father was the Mermaid King himself, she was naturally considered a princess, and Alicia, in turn, was something like a royal successor.
It was hard to believe when I saw her happily munching on fishing bait, but if that's how it was, so be it.
"Ugh… Now's not the time for this."
I left the aquarium behind and carried the groceries, heading to the kitchen.
"I'm back."
"Good work."
"Thank you for your efforts."
In the past, this kitchen used to feed hundreds of people, and now, two maids—who looked almost identical—were preparing ingredients. The one with black hair was Erin, the mother, and beside her, the maid with dark red hair was her daughter, Reina.
Most people mistook them for twins or sisters, but Reina was slightly taller, had smaller horns, and a subtle difference in hair color.
If you looked closely, Erin's skin had more mature elasticity, and her overall demeanor and speech had a more motherly tone, while Reina still had a youthful freshness.
After sorting the vegetables and meat, I set aside some raw meat for Rine to eat. The rest of the meat was being prepared with spices brought from across the continent to make curry.
"Is there anything I can help with?"
"There are some pre-chopped vegetables over there. Take them to the rabbit girls for their meal."
As a half-ogre, Erin tended to feel slightly predatory urges when looking at small creatures, so she generally avoided going to the rabbit room.
Reina, who had almost no such impulses (though not entirely absent… my ribs still ached from last time), usually handled feeding the rabbit girls. But today, since she was busy cooking, I had to take on the task.
The Magic Knights Order currently housed quite a number of children. Their mothers were busy with their own work, so those with free time took turns looking after them.
Levin, the Knight Commander, wasn't familiar with handling children, so aside from overseeing the order, he didn't participate in the childcare process. Jake was good with kids, but since he recently had twins of his own, he barely had time to visit.
And then there was Dane...
"Hey, kid. Have you seen Dane?"
"Nope."
"Damn, he ran away again?"
He was currently being hunted down by Cassandra.
I remembered her words from last time:
'Never get married...'
'But honestly, wouldn't Cassandra be a great match? Even if she's ten years older, she maintains her youth with mana circuits, she's beautiful, and her body is amazing...'
"If you find Dane, report to me immediately. Got it?"
"Yes."
For a training ground, I was the only actual trainee knight. Most of the adults were senior knights… or Ban's kids.
'Ban was rumored to be an incredible knight…'
After Lord Ballor's death, the kingdom's top swordsmen were said to be Cassandra and Sir Pierre of the Royal Guard, but Ban was considered the best of them all.
Honestly, I had enlisted in the Magic Knights Order after hearing stories about Ban and the Order's great exploits, but he never even showed his face here. Of course, I felt disappointed.
"Kids, time to eat."
"Waaah~!"
The moment I stepped into the rabbit room, six rabbit girls rushed at me. To others, they might have seemed like identical red-haired girls, but after spending so much time with them, I could tell them apart by the way their tails curled, their voices, their eyes, or slight differences in their hairstyles.
Erin and Reina couldn't tell the difference and just called them "the tiny ones."
Rabbit girls were naturally affectionate and got excited whenever someone visited. Since I had taken care of them since they were little, they always rushed at me joyfully, making it hard to get anything done whenever I entered their room.
Twelve rabbit ears twitched and wiggled as their faces nuzzled against my hands and body. It was impossible to distribute food properly like this, so in the end, I could only place carrots and vegetables in each of their bowls.
'Damn… This really makes it feel like I'm just raising animals…'
I wanted to seat them at a table and have them eat properly, but it always turned out like this.
It seemed they actually preferred eating on all fours, chewing on their food directly from their bowls.
'But seeing them all lined up and eating like that… No! I'm starting to have weird thoughts!'
I snapped myself out of it, slapping my cheeks a couple of times, then quickly left the rabbit room while they were distracted by their food.
Tonight, Bella would arrive to take them back. But knowing her, she'd be exhausted, and the kids wouldn't want to leave, so she'd end up falling asleep here again.
So, I left a freshly washed blanket for Bella at the entrance of the rabbit room before heading back to the kitchen.
As I passed through the training grounds, I noticed a lone figure wandering around.
'Huh? Who's that? A peddler?'
A scruffy-looking man stood in the middle of the training ground, holding some paper scraps in his hands.
Usually, Silvia handled security around the Magic Knights Order, so peddlers and thieves never managed to get in. Yet, this man stood there like he belonged, surveying the area as if he were one of us.
"Hey, old man! No trespassing!"
The unkempt, bearded man looked down at me with piercing blue eyes.
'What the… why are his eyes glowing like that?'
I had seen Erin's eyes glow like blue flames at night, but this man's were different… It was like polarized lenses emitting a strange blue light.
"Who are you?"
Wow. A trespasser had the nerve to ask for my identity first.
"I'm a knight of the Magic Knights Order."
"There are no knights left in the Magic Knights Order. Nine years ago, they all transferred under the Guardian Dragon's command."
"Hah, looks like you're out of the loop. We still exist."
In reality, Levin wasn't originally part of the Magic Knights Order—he was a member of the Golden Knights directly under the Guardian Dragon. He only held the position of the Magic Knights' Commander to maintain the order's facilities.
Because of that, he was still technically an apprentice in the Golden Knights and constantly teased for it.
"More importantly, why are you even here?"
This scruffy-looking man had a disciplined posture and an imposing build—not as massive as Dane, but clearly someone with combat experience.
"I belong here, so of course, I'm here. Now, as an outsider, would you kindly leave?"
"Outsider? You're the outsider. Shouldn't you be the one to leave?"
Looks like words weren't going to work with this guy.
"This place is where my family lives."
"What a coincidence. My family is here too."
At this point, I knew things weren't going to be resolved peacefully. I stretched my body, preparing for action, and drew my mana saber from my waist.
Fwoosh—!
The golden mana saber shone brightly. Finally, the man's expression changed, and he feigned drawing his weapon while landing a kick straight into my stomach. Before I could react, he pulled out a beautifully radiant ice sword and a golden mana saber, instantly subduing me.
'Wait… what? This isn't how it was supposed to go!'
Thud!
With an ice blade pressed against my throat and a golden mana saber pointed at me, I couldn't move a muscle.
"Why do you have the Guardian Dragon's sword?"
"No, that's what I should be asking! This is something only Golden Knights or their affiliates can obtain..."
"Mine is the original."
The mana saber in his hand emitted an even more intense glow than the mass-produced golden saber I wielded.
Unlike my refined weapon, his sword had a raw, almost untamed brilliance. But the sheer mana pouring from it was on another level.
'Wait… a prototype golden mana saber? That means...'
I immediately examined his face.
"Ah, damn. What did he look like again?"
I wasn't in the habit of remembering men's faces, so I couldn't tell if he was Ban or not.
"I feel like I've seen this guy somewhere before... Who was he?"
Apparently, he was thinking the same thing.
"Do you, by any chance, believe that one should not become a knight?"
"Yeah. Wait… you're…"
"Do you finally remember me?"
"No."
My blood pressure spiked, but since I was currently at his mercy, I couldn't exactly lash out.
"More importantly, who the hell are you? This place belongs to me. I bought it so my wives would have a space for childcare when they were busy."
"Oh, for fuck's sake! You really are Ban!"
"Yeah, I'm Ban."
He casually burned away his scruffy beard with his mana saber, revealing the face I had last seen ten years ago.
"Then let me ask again. Who are you?"
"Kain! I saw you ten years ago before the Magic Knights' expedition to the East. Don't you remember?"
"Ah!"
Finally recognizing me, Ban deactivated his mana saber—only to immediately smack me on the head with its hilt.
Smack!
"Ugh!"
"You little shit… Didn't I tell you not to become a knight?!"
"How the hell was I supposed to know why being a knight sucks if no one explained it to me?!"
"Listen to this brat talk back..."
Whoosh—
At that moment, I sensed a quick, slithering movement behind me.
Shffft.
"Brother is under my protection~ I won't let you take him down so easily~"
Rine wrapped her arms around my neck, coiling her tail around my waist as she clung onto me. Ban looked absolutely baffled as he stared at me.
"Lycinia?"
"..."
Rine flicked her tongue, tasting the air, before finally recognizing Ban.
"Father?"
"Yeah. A year ago, I even helped you shed your skin with Hayang."
"Wait, Rine, didn't you say you'd never seen your father before?!"
"Because this maiden has poor eyesight~ It's not a lie to say she has never truly seen Father with her own eyes~ Brother, what kind of misunderstanding did you have?"
How could she not mention something so crucial?!
Did she just recognize him by smell instead of sight?
'Then how did she decide I was better looking than him?!'
"More importantly, Kain, get away from my daughter."
"I'm not the one holding onto her! She's the one wrapped around me!"
"I refuse to accept a son-in-law like you!!"
'What the hell is wrong with this guy?!'
Not that I had any thoughts of marrying Rine, but hearing Ban flat-out refuse me pissed me off.
"I've been taking care of your kids while you've been gone, and this is what I get?!"
"I was out making money, dumbass! Do you know how hard it is to provide for a family? I bust my ass, and when I come back, my daughters are lonely, and they've suddenly dragged in some weirdo who's all over them!"
"I'm not all over them!!"
"THAT IS WHAT 'ALL OVER THEM' MEANS!!"
'For crying out loud, she's the one clinging to me! The way he says it makes it sound so much worse!'
I had no idea how many children Ban had at this point. And how much money did he even need that the kingdom's strongest knight was constantly out earning it?
What, did he have like a hundred kids or something?
"Anyway, I'll never accept you! Get away from my daughter!"
Ban tried to pry Rine off my neck, but she held on tightly, locking her arms around me.
"This maiden already belongs to Brother~"
"…YOU BASTARD. WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY DAUGHTER?!"
"Do I look like you?!"
Just as things were about to escalate into a full-blown struggle for Rine, it happened.
Boom!
A massive boulder crashed down from the sky—the Magic Knights Order's statue honoring Ban's achievements.
We both turned slowly toward the source of the thrown rock, and there, in the darkness, a pair of red, glowing eyes glared at us.
Drip, drip.
"Dad. Mom says you're being too loud and to shut up and come cook."
"Oh… Uh… Right…"
Reina grabbed Ban's hand and dragged him off, bringing an abrupt end to the chaos.
"I swear, I should just quit this damned Magic Knights Order…"
At this point, it was useless. It'd be better if it didn't exist at all. Maybe I should just take care of the kids myself—having a father-in-law like him was a nightmare.
Wait.
'Why did I just call him father-in-law?'
Shuddering at the realization that Rine might actually be brainwashing me, I hurried off to help with dinner.
Besides, Erin looked absolutely furious.