Weekly chap.
A little shorter than usual since I didn't want to write much of this filler.
Anyway, enjoy.
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Back to where we left off.
The moment I resigned myself to Evandel's whim, she joyfully skipped her way to the closet. Hearing my thought, Scáthach moved to help our little girl change her clothes.
I, myself, waited for them outside the dorm room while surveiling for passerby. With little mama and concentration, I 'Projected' myself a simple business suit. We're going to look for a house after all, gotta look formal to the very least.
After around half an hour, Evandel walked out, with a sundress, ready for an outing. Behind her was Scáthach, dressed in her black traveling outfit, one she had worn in France.
Evandel quickly cling into my leg and eagerly said:
"C'mon Papa, let's go."
Ever since her birth, Evandel didn't have much chance to go outside compared to her time as a seed. Naturally, she is exited to walk around with her own two feets.
"Slow down, Eva. The day's not going anywhere." I said.
Lancer slowly walked up to me staring at my chest for some reasons. Then, she said:
"Master. Your tie is crooked."
"Wait, What?"
It's a Projection. How can I mess this up?
I quickly looked down to see that nothing was wrong. Damn... I fell for it.
"Not very funny, Scáthach."
"It is to me. Your panic look is cute."
"..." This woman...
"Enough of that, you look great. Then, I'll see you at the bus stop."
"Right. I'll be with you in a few minutes."
With that, Scáthach picked Evandel up into her arms and vanished from sight. Can't have anyone see a mature woman with a kid in the dorm.
Luckily, Scáthach has the skill PresenceConcealment (E-rank) with to the very least made her transparent to the people around her.
With that in mind, I took my time to go to the bus stop. There is some time before my appointment with Yeonha. We'll swing by some stores on the way before that.
We met up and took the bus to the town centre. Scáthach and I found two empty seat while Evandel took my lap as hers.
————[King Crimson]————
In the middle of the busy city, a scene caught the eyes of every pedestrian walking by.
A little blond girl walking with her family in the middle of the street, holding onto her father's and mother's hands.
Although their appearance may raise some questions about their relationship, it is still a warm sight to behold.
Women chattered about how cute the daughter is and her regal and beautiful mother while the men lamented their luck not being in the father position.
"We should head to the bookstore first. Evandel almost colored out all her books. What do you think, Lancer?" The father said.
"That's a good idea. We could get some textbooks as well." The mother replied.
"Then let's get there as soon as possible."
The daughter, oblivious to the conversation, was swinging her two hands back and forth; skipping her steps as their parent led her to the bookstore.
They spent their morning starting from the bookstore all the way to noon. In the middle of their walk, something caught the little daughter's attention.
She ran off chasing it.
"Eva, wait..." Shiki said, slowly chasing after his little girl.
Soon, Evandel caught up to the being running and jumped on it. Her little hands held onto its under and hugged it tight.
After Shiki caught up to Evandel to see her holding a little.... puppy(?) in her arms.
"Look, Papa. I found a friend."
She held out the 'puppy' to Shiki with a wide smile. Not knowing what she had caught.
'Shit... is that....' He thought.
"That's great, honey. But I think you're making him uncomfortable."
The... 'puppy' sqirmed around her hands trying to escape.
"Fouuuuuu... Fooouuuuuu..." He barked in desperation.
The 'puppy' has a squirrel-like appearance. Its fur is white with pinkness in its ear and a blue scarf and red ribbon around its fluffy mane.
This was Cath Palug, Beast of the Planet, now being hugged like a plushie by Evandel.
"Aww... I'm sorry, little puppy." Evandel loosened her grip to let the 'puppy' down.
"FOU!!!" Cath Palug barked.
"Pftt... Sorry about my daughter, little beast. Now, where is your owner?"
"Fou fou." The beast barked once again, tapping his foot before setting off.
"Look, Eva. He wants us to follow."
"Really? Wait for me, puppy."
Evandel then walks behind the 'puppy'.
"Master, are you sure that thing is safe for her?"
"It's okay. He doesn't seem hostile to our little girl. At most, he's annoyed for being treated like a teddy bear."
"I see... I'll trust your decision. Let's go, master. I want to see who's brave enough to house that thing."
What a Scáthach's way of thinking.
...
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Shiki P.o.v
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...
The three of us, led by Cath Palug, soon arrived at a store, a bakery. Its sign on the store said 'Pâtisserie de Fou'.
The bakery has a fragrance of fresh bread and pastry. From the smell alone, Shiki had high expectations for this place.
"Fou fou." Cath Palug barked once more.
"Eh? Fou? What are you doing out here?"
A young, handsome man, around mid 20s, walked out and picked him up. He is no shorter than Scáthach and has a good build. His blue eyes indicate that he may not be local.
He dressed in baking attire. He might be the owner here.
"Interesting, so this is this world 'you'," I mumbled.
"Huh? You three are?" The man said, looking at the people in front of him.
"Oh! Us? Well...The little fellow led us here." I replied.
"You means Fou? Ahhhh I'm so sorry about him." He bowed his head down, still holding the Cath Palug.
"It's fine. Eva just found him in the street and hugged him, that's all."
"Still..."
"It's fine. Can we come in?"
"Hai... Of course. Welcome to 'Pâtisserie de Fou' or 'Fou's Pastry.'
"Pardon us. C'mon, Scáthach. It's the perfect time for some coffee and a pastry."
"Yes, you are right." The Lancer replied.
We walked inside the store and found ourselves a seat near the cashier.
The bakery was quite popular since a lot of customers was young girls and parents with kid(s).
Nevertheless, The coffee was great and the pastry was delicious, enough for Scáthach to have seconds. Meanwhile Evandel was playing with Fou, the Cath Palug.
Speaking of, Fou was registered as an inteligent beast. That's why he can live in the bakery.
We talked to the man, who is indeed the owner of the bakery, for a while.
His name is Fujimaru Ritsuka. He's a college graduate turned baker. Though he is still young and imature at some part(mainly his polite way of manners), his skills in his craft spun a different tale.
'Of course, his name is Fujimaru Ritsuka.' I thought.
He moved here a few years ago with his girlfriend(the cashier/waitress) he met back in Japan.
'The [Savior of Humanity] is baking bread for the commons. At least this one has a good ending. That world has never been kind to him.'
"So you moved here to open this place?" I asked.
"Yes. I graduated from college and then took an apprenticeship here. Then I took over this bakery with my girlfriend."
"I see.... The lady is shopping, I guess?"
"Yes. She is out for the moment."
"What a shame. I would like to meet her. Lucky girl."
"Hah hah... Thank you for your praise. I am not that impressive."
"Don't sell yourself short. Anyway, it's a pleasure to meet you. Mind if we come by sometime? Eva seemed to like Fou a lot."
"Of course."
"Great. Now, excuse us. We have business to attend. Otherwise, Evandel might rub him bald." I pointed to Evandel patting Fou's belly.
"Right. It's a pleasure talking to you as well."
"I'll see you someday."
We exchanged our contact information and shook his hands before we leaving the bakery with some takeaways.
The moment we left the doors, we passed by a pink-haired girl holding a shopping bag going inside the bakery.
'So its her. Figured.'
The three of us went our way to the appointed meeting.
While the owner welcomed his girlfriend back.
"Senpai, I'm back."
"Welcome back, Mash."
"Senpai, Was that the customer?"
"Yes. They will be coming here often."
"That's great. They look beautiful together. Their daughter is cute, too."
"I know."
"Ano(hey) ....Senpai."
"What is it, Mash?"
"Do you think we will grow together like them, too?"
"I...." Ritsuka paused for a moment, thinking about their future.
"I would certainly hope so." He answered.
"I see. Me too, senpai."
"I know. Let's get back to work, shall we?"
"Yes, Senpai."
Hence, the young couple returned to their stations. What would they become in the future is for another storytime.
Meanwhile....
"He's a good man, in whichever world there is." I said.
"You seem fond of him, master." Scáthach replied.
"Of course... I had to....
He had bled more than he was capable of to save 'our world'. He had suffered more than anyone should to shield it from harm.
No one should have shouldered it alone, it never was, is, and will be.
And yet he did.
When someone asked him why he done so, do you know what he had answered?"
"Please, tell me." The Lancer said, humouring my childish moment.
"'Because no one else would'. That's what he said. Such an extraordinary person, don't you think?"
"Yes... He would make an amazing warrior."
"Sure he will. The throne will always have a place for him. The 'library' will always remember him.
BECAUSE I WOULD."
A moment of silence for the soul burned out for what he loved. He had earned his rest more than one lifetime.
I may not be able to assist you on your past journey. Then I shall bless all of you on your future path.
"C'mon, enough about him. We can't afford to be late for our meeting."
"Or course. It would be embarrasing for you if we do."
"Yeah, you're right."
...
————[King Crimson]————
At a cáfe in the middle of the city, two women were sitting, sipping their coffee with grace.
"Yeonha... Are you sure that he can afford these prices? Even I would have second thoughts about these houses." The older... more mature woman asked.
"I told you, Mom. Money is not a problem for him."
"But he is still a cadet, isn't he. How can he gather enough funds for the place? Unless..."
"That's not our concern. You know better than me on that, Mom."
"I know. But it's only natural that I have suspicions about things like these."
"Enough about it... Look there he is. Looked like he had companies as well. Let's go greet them first."
"Fine. I'll judge him myself."
Shiki, Scáthach, and Evandel stepped inside the cáfe with their own beverage. Yeonha waved her hand to catch their attention.
"Over here." She said.
"There's Yeonha. Then that would be our agent. Let's go, Lancer."
"Yes, it's important to make a good first impression."
We approached them and I shook the elder woman's hand.
"Nice to meet you. My name's Tatsuya Shiki. You have probably heard about me from Yeonha."
"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Shiki. True, Yeonha did tell me about you. I am Jin Yeojung. I am this girl's mother."
"Thank you for taking the time for me. This is my partner, Scáthach. And this little one is Evandel. They are with me here today. Hope you don't mind."
I trusted that Yeonha knew better than to reveal Lancer's true name to anybody. Even more so if she ever does find out who Scáthach was.
"Of course not. It's always a pleasure to meet someone as beautiful as your partner. Nice to have you acquainted, Miss Scáthach."
"The pleasure is mine, Miss Yeojung. We are taking your precious time after all."
"Don't mind it. How about we exchange contacts? I'd love to know how you maintain your skin."
"I don't mind. But how about we focus on our businesses first? The sooner we're done, the more time we have to talk."
"I'd love that. C'mon, follow me please."
Jin Yeojung then led us to a car that had been prepared beforehand. She stepped into the front seat and instructed the driver.
We sat on the back with Yeonha to my left and Scáthach on my right. Evandel had the best seat in the car: Scáthach's lap.
We headed off to our first destination.
On our way, Yeonha leaned over and asked: " The little girl, is she... your..."
"Yes. She is my daughter. You got a problem with that?"
"No no. It's just that she looks uncannily familiar to someone, you know?"
"It's a coincidence." I said with a blank face.
"A coincidence?"
"Yeah. A coincidence. Some people look similar to each other, you know."
"But..."
"It's just a coincidence. Just give it a rest. It's not good if you overthink it."
"You.... Fine. I won't ask any further."
"Good."
At the moment, we arrived at the entrance of the first house.
"We're here." Jin Yeojung said.
"Alright. Let's get out of the car. I want to see the inside." I said.
It's only the first of many places we will visit. So I wanted to get this done quickly. Evandel can't stay up for too long, she is still growing. Skipping nap time isn't good for her.
"Alright. Let's see what we got."
.
.
.
————[King Crimson]————
It's evening now and we are going through the last two places. Evandel is now sleeping on my back and Jin Yeojung is showing us around the mansion.
It is a three-floor mansion, with a bedroom on each floor having its own bathroom.
The living room is to the left as soon as we enter paired with couches, a Tv, and a coffee table
Modern kitchen on the ground floor with an oven and several gas stoves. Two fridges, next to each other. A long countertop separates the kitchen from the living room.
The laundry room is on the second floor; there is also a guest room there. The third floor has a study and an empty room. I could use that empty room as a workshop.
A yard outside with a grill, fireplace, and a shed. It's spacious enough for Evandel to run around and play.
The supermarket is a five-minute walk away and there is a park nearby. Cube is a few bus stops away, but no big deal. It's close enough for Evandel to get to me if something happened to her.
Overall, it's a great place. Enough for the three of us and more, if I decide to summon more Servants or invite someone to live in, one day.
"What do you think, Scáthach?"
"It's good enough. At least for my standard."
"That's that, then. Miss Yeojung, we'll take this place."
"Don't you want to see the last place?"
"No, thanks. This place will do. Also, didn't you want to have a conversation with my partner, miss Yeojung?"
"Very well. I'll leave the transaction to my daughter. Is that okay with you?"
"I'm fine with that. I trust her to do her job well."
"Great. If you don't mind, I'll be borrowing your partner for a while."
"It's a pleasure doing business with you."
"The pleasure is mine."
We shook our hands before Jin Yeojung walked toward Scáthach. They moved to the living room, leaving Yeonha with me and a sleeping Evandel drooling on my suit.
"Well then. How would you like me to pay?" I asked.
"Item, please. Preferably, equipment." Yeonha replied.
"Good choice. Avoid the taxes as well. Not that you care about that, right?"
"Right."
"Now... Any specific kind of item you'd like?"
"Something defensive."
"May I ask why?"
"So that the guild wouldn't have a compatibility problem with it. It's easy to find someone to use with."
"Good thinking. What should I give you... Got it.
Would you mind holding her for a second?"
"No problem."
Yeonha gently took Evandel from my back.
"Don't blink. It's not every day that you get to see magic happening."
I held out my hand and started the magical procedure. Instead of creating something new with The First, creating something that had existed would be more efficient.
The True magic sprouted in my mind. A new tale will be created right here.
"Initiate Akashic Record Entry.
Category: Greek Mythology."
Scrolling through countless entries in the pantheon, I stopped by one record.
"Here he is, the Aristos Achaion of Greek."
In a flash, histories flooded my mind. It wasn't painful, it felt weird. Like I'm living his life behind a sceen.
Within his heroic stories, I found what I came for.
"There you are. Now I just have to synchronise it with First Magic."
As the power of First Magic branched into the recorded 'projection'... An imaginary mold was created.
"Manifest thyself to this world... Akhilleus Kosmos."
At my words, clumps of mana rose and gathered. It condensed into a ball of light and started to pour itself into mold. It soon took its shape.
A round shield with a cross embedded in the middle. The shield that once belonged to the fastest hero in human history, Achilles.
The Noble Phantasm now, once again, is being passed down like the legend of its user.
"Here you go. One defensive item."
I laid the shield on the countertop and took Evandel back into my arms.
".... Huh? AH! Right." Yoo Yeonha snapped out and took the shield to inspect. She scanned it using her Violet account. Good idea, however...
*Bzzt Bzzt* The result came back negative.
"Huh? This thing isn't registered anywhere. What... is this?" Yeonha exclaimed.
"If something like this is registered on Violet Banquet, then it wouldn't be a weapon of legend." I replied.
"Legend? You mean... This is a legendary shield?"
"Crafted by Hesphastus himself. You can't find this anywhere else in this world."
"And you used this to buy a house? Are you nuts?"
"Maybe... But it's worth it."
"To you that is. I can't even imagine someone could sell this thing off. Holy crap."
"Watch your language. There is a child here."
"You... Forget it, I'll get the paperwork."
"That's the spirit. Remember to put her name in the deed. She'll come back to sign it afterward."
"Got it."
"Great. I'll go put this little one to bed."
"Then I'll be staying here till my mother comes back."
"Okay. Tell me if anything happens."
I went to the bedroom on the ground floor and put Evandel to bed. Can't blame her; she ran around six houses and explored all the nooks and crannies there are.
"Sleep well, Eva."
I kept the door open in case she woke up and made my way back to the kitchen.
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One paperwork later.
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The paper is signed and the keys are handed. This will be our home from now on.
Yeonha and her mother didn't stay for long as the sun was nearly set. Scáthach and I escorted them to their car and watched them leave.
"We should go get grocery It's nearly time for dinner now" I said.
"Then I'll go get the little one. We can bring her with us."
"Okay. I'll wait for you here."
I then took off the suit jacket and threw it into the laundry basket upstairs before waiting for them at the door.
Soon enough, we all gathered and made our way to the supermarket.
There, we met some people shopping; they are probaly neighbour since they asked where we came from.
Either way, we introduced ourselves and went our way. We might get some house warming gift tomorrow.
.
.
.
I spent the whole rest of Sunday moving our stuff from the dorm into our new home.
Most of them were Evandel clothes and toys along with textbooks bought the day before.
Other than that, nothing else happened besides a few texts from Yeonha asking about the shield.
I did forget to tell her how to use it properly. It would be a waste not to.
Akhilleus Kosmos was essentially the world Achilles lived in forged into a shield. To deploy it to its full effect, you just need to call out its True name.
The shield will then manifest that world and pit it against the incoming attack.
Yeonha tried to analyze it with Essence of the Strait, did an oopsies, and nearly broke the testing ground. Hence, she texted me for instruction.
Luckily, this version isn't a one-time thing. I told her she could use it again in around a month.
Still, the experiment still left a small hole in the guild's pocket, an expensive lesson.
Yeonha also asked if I had any other legendary treasures to sell. And to that question...
I left her on seen.
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Next Sunday. 5 p.m
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We threw a small dinner party to celebrate our new home. It was Yeonha's idea that I should hold one.
We invited Hajin, Yeonha along with Ritsuka and his girlfriend. Basically anyone who knew Evandel was invited.
Fou was there to play with Evandel to her request.
For once, Yeonha was surpised that someone else from Cube knew about Evandel.
At the party, Ritsuka introduced his girlfriend, Mash Kyrielight. She and the girls have a talk privately while we men are alone in the yard.
Ritsuka made us a cake as a house warming gift upon hearing that we were having a party.
I invited Hajin out of nowhere so he didn't prepare anything besides a toy for Evandel. It was my fault anyway.
"Congrats on the new house, Teach." Hajin said.
"Thanks, Hajin."
"Yeah, congratulations, Shiki-san." Ritsuka said.
"Thank you, Mr.Fujimaru."
"Please, just Fujimaru is fine."
"So how's your bakery?"
"It's been good lately. We got a lot of returning customers."
"That's great." I said.
We talked for a few hour over beers, sodas and grilled meats until it was late.
Hajin and Yeonha headed back to Cube and the couple went home.
We cleaned up the party, dressed Evandel for bed and rest.
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The next Sunday.
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Time continued as our daily life went on.
Another week had passed without any incident.
The theory exam was nothing to write home about. I usually held lessons on magecraft theory so I also have time to review their studies.
In that period, my smartwatch rang more than usual. The cadets wanted me to help them study to score higher. I ignored the message.
Other than that, Hajin locked himself in his room after class and Rachel treated the library like her second home.
Only thing note worthy was Evandel.
As one of the conditions, Evandel have to study for an hour everyday after I came back from Cube for the last two weeks.
I'm only teaching her the necessities like basic math and Korean as the language is universal here. Scáthach is responsible for the mystic art lesson, mostly on how to control your mana and its elementary application.
She is trying her best so I have to think of how to reward her after the final.
Speaking of, I'm currently packing for the exam. Most of them are coloring books, crayons, snacks, and her eating utensils.
Evandel is coming with me after all. I have to entertain her some way or another. I not sure if there is any entertaiment there so I prepare.
I finished packaging our stuff and left Evandel's room. Tomorrow is pratical so I better rest up.
Meanwhile, someone is writing her report on few certain individuals.
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