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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Future Plans for My Daughter (2)
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The dungeon.
A place where unknown dangers lurked, where you'd have to battle monsters, and where you might go days without properly washing up, staying awake through sleepless nights.
Yet the riches and artifacts hidden within drew people in all the same.
I too had once been obsessed with dungeon exploration for a long time.
Even so, I never found what I was after.
In any case, typical dungeons could usually be cleared in about three days, and even the larger ones rarely took more than a week.
But the newly discovered dungeon was something else entirely.
Majeriol Hero's Tomb.
It wouldn't get that name until much later, but its value only kept rising as long as I lived.
An endless scale, treasures and artifacts scattered throughout, and countless varieties of monsters.
It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime treasure trove.
Of course, the danger level was just as immense, so before a full assault, the empire decided to gather high-ranking mercenaries into scouting parties for preliminary exploration.
Pinel was especially close to the dungeon, so Conwell, the branch chief, must have had quite the headache.
He'd been getting constant orders to dispatch strong mercenaries, so he had no choice but to accept my proposal.
Even though it was a bit outrageous.
"I won't go deep. I'll just scout the upper floors. Surely they need someone like that too, right?"
"That's true, but... hmm."
Conwell nodded, but his voice carried clear reluctance.
He wouldn't say it outright, but assigning a high-caliber mercenary like me to such a task felt like a waste.
That's why he kept pushing me to take the S-rank exam—he knew I had what it took, and I was confident I'd pass if I tried.
Putting someone like me solely on upper-floor scouting would be a poor return on investment.
Especially considering how short-staffed the Pinel branch was for suitable personnel.
But what could he do?
"If you don't like it, no hard feelings. Let's pretend this conversation never happened."
"Come on, don't be like that. I was just about to pick out some capable assistants for you. Heh heh."
"That's fine. I'll go solo."
That must have been too much for him to swallow, because Conwell's face hardened.
He scolded me then, his tone turning deadly serious.
"I know your skills, but you can't treat this dungeon like the others. It's unfathomably deep—no one knows how many floors it has—and even the upper levels have swarms of monsters. And no one knows what other dangers lurk inside. I'm saying this out of concern for you, so please reconsider."
He had a point, every word of it.
Dungeons were typically tackled by parties of three or more. Even seasoned veterans died unexpectedly all the time.
I'd recovered bodies from such incidents myself, so I knew it well.
But... that was just for ordinary cases.
"Do you think I'd leave Lize behind and take on something dangerous on purpose?"
"Ugh..."
Conwell groaned at my single remark.
And why not? He knew better than anyone what kind of jobs I'd taken all these years, so he quickly grasped my point.
I never accepted dangerous gigs, but if I did take one, I completed it flawlessly.
Ever since starting as a mercenary, I'd maintained a 100% success rate. My reliability was ironclad.
And having conquered countless dungeons, I'd already traversed the Hero's Tomb innumerable times. I knew its layout inside and out.
The upper floors posed no threat, even solo.
"Very well. I trust you, so I'll recommend you that way."
"Thank you."
It was a safe bet I'd end up assigned to upper-floor scouting solo anyway.
The mercenaries gathering for the preliminary scout were all elite picks with serious skills.
Proud of their abilities, they'd aim for the deepest levels they could, not the easy upper floors.
That made a skilled volunteer like me a valuable asset for the shallows.
Things would likely go according to plan, but if not, I had other options.
"Ahem, then before the dungeon scout, about that S-rank..."
"No, I told you I'm not doing it, old man."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I thought things would go smoothly like that.
But I never imagined the biggest problem would still be ahead.
"..."
And I still didn't know how to solve it.
No, I had no choice but to be clueless.
Even after repeating my life so many times, this was always a first.
"Lize?"
The one person who could fluster me was Lize.
Despite my uneasy voice, she ignored me completely, focused solely on swinging her sword.
It wasn't mere concentration—it was outright dismissal.
Yet when she finished the reps I'd ordered, she obediently stopped, like a good girl.
As she quietly caught her breath, I scratched my forehead awkwardly, feeling troubled.
It had been two full days since Lize stopped talking to me.
Time for drastic measures.
"Lize, come here for a sec?"
At my words, she padded over obediently and stood before me.
Her whole body screamed that she was mad, yet she still listened. It was just too cute.
I reached out, pulled her onto my lap, and hugged her lightly from behind.
Feeling her warmth as she settled without resistance, I spoke again.
"Does it bother you that much for Daddy to be gone so long?"
"..."
The reason for Lize's sulk was the dungeon expedition.
I'd told Conwell it would be two days, but it might stretch to three, and factoring in travel and group coordination, I had to plan for at least five.
I'd never left her side that long before, so the moment she heard, she went straight into protest mode.
I felt the same way, wanting nothing more than to honor her wishes right then.
Five days without seeing Lize's face? Just thinking about it made me dizzy already.
But I had to endure. For her sake.
I steeled my expression with effort.
"Daddy doesn't like it either. What am I gonna do without seeing my Lize?"
"Then don't go."
She whipped her head around at my words, and I nearly said yes before biting it back.
I really didn't want to go...!
Hiding that desperation, I glanced vaguely at the air and continued.
"Daddy wants to stay with Lize more than anything, but sometimes he has no choice. To live happily together forever, we have to do things like this."
I knew it sounded unconvincing.
But whenever I had to explain this to Lize, my vocabulary just failed me.
As I pondered better words, Lize, who'd been pouting silently, piped up again.
"When you grow up... you'll understand?"
"..."
She was sharp as a tack.
She'd picked up that there was a reason I couldn't easily share, prompting this question.
That made dealing with her in moments like this even harder.
Lize would seriously mull it over if I told her the truth about my endless reincarnations.
But as her dad, I couldn't burden her like that. I just held her a little tighter.
"I'm sorry, sweetie. I promise I'll come back as fast as I can. No—I'll make it happen."
"Okay... Then I'll wait. While you're gone, I'll practice my sword tons so I can get strong like you fast."
"...We'll settle that properly later. If you push yourself while I'm away, I won't teach you anymore. I'll ask Aunt Dalia."
Pretending to be stern, I watched her pout her lips but nod anyway.
Chuckling, I grabbed the towel I'd prepared and gently wiped the sweat from her face and neck.
This was my first time being away so long, so worries piled up, along with preparations.
It'd be great to have someone watch her while I was gone.
I'd be busy with all sorts of errands soon, and leaving Lize alone made me uneasy.
After this expedition, I definitely needed to find a caretaker.
Maybe inquire at the Mercenary Guild on the way. Ideally, someone who could oversee her training too.
For emergencies, combat prowess would be key.
As if the perfect person would just pop out of nowhere.
Lost in those thoughts, I belatedly noticed my hand had stopped. I released Lize, who'd been waiting patiently.
"Shall we do a few more?"
"Yeah!"
We still had five days till departure, and I planned to teach her everything I could in that time.
Basics were everything, no matter what.
I watched quietly as she swung the sword per my instructions.
Even in those simple motions, her overwhelming talent shone through—proud as her dad, but envious too.
If I'd had that gift... maybe I could've broken the reincarnation cycle ages ago.
Then again, I wouldn't have met Lize, so perhaps it was for the best.
Shaking off idle thoughts, I stood and committed her flawless form to memory.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Time flew, and departure eve arrived in a blink.
"Lize?"
"..."
It was late.
I was in a bind.
Or maybe a happy one, depending on how you looked at it.
My daughter, ignoring my calls no matter how many times, clung tightly to me.
I loved it, but it was time to separate.
Trying to gently pry her off to at least face her, she locked her arms around my back and wouldn't budge.
When did she get this strong?
Kids grow fast, but Lize seemed overly focused on physical prowess.
I'd add academic tutoring to the caretaker requirements.
"Lize, it's bedtime."
"...No. I'm not sleepy."
"Stay up too late and you won't grow tall."
"You sleep first then, Daddy."
"Hmm..."
As I always said, Lize was an incredibly good girl.
She rarely threw tantrums—you could count them on one hand.
This was one of those rare times.
The eve of my absence made it special.
"Why don't you want to sleep?"
"..."
I knew why, but I teased anyway.
Instead of answering, she buried her face deeper into my chest to show her feelings.
It happened every time, but imagining her shrugging me off indifferently someday made me sad.
Still, we couldn't stay like this till morning.
Adjusting my hold on her, I slowly paced the living room with careful steps.
How long did I keep silent, not urging her? Finally, she spoke.
"I want to sleep with you tonight, Daddy."
"I thought my girl was all grown up. What's this?"
"...I want to sleep together."
She'd been sleeping alone for a while now, but on nights like this, she wanted to stay close.
And every time... I gave in to Lize.
"Alright, it's been a while. Let's sleep together."
Without a word, she tightened her grip on my back.
Her doing this always left my heart a complicated mess as her dad.
Hiding those feelings, I carried her to my room and laid her on the bed.
After clinging so fiercely, she let go easily now.
Lying obediently, she avoided my eyes, expressing her mood.
Bedtime prep was done, so I lay beside her.
Pulling the back-turned Lize close, she nestled her small back against me meekly.
"Not gonna look at Daddy?"
"..."
Stubbornly sulking, she kept her lips sealed. But she didn't pull away.
We'd talked it out once, but she still hated me leaving.
Pity welled up; I stroked her hair softly.
How long were we like that?
As always, I had to soothe her first.
"Daddy promised to come back early, remember?"
Only then did she slowly turn to face me.
"...For real?"
"Of course. You know Daddy can't stand being away from you long."
"Promise?"
Instead of words, I hugged her tighter. She pressed back, looping her arms over mine.
And finally, Lize smiled.
"Hee hee, I'll miss you a lot too."
"Daddy'll miss you tons."
"Come back safe, Daddy."
Something welled up in my chest.
I had to return fast, no matter what.
As I resolved that, I felt the tension drain from her body in my arms.
Way past her usual bedtime, yet she'd held out this long.
"Zzz..."
Stroking her now-sleeping head, I mentally reviewed my plans once more.
All I wanted was for Lize to be happy.
For that future, I was ready to do anything.