Little Hero (8)

Reed's bedroom.

Having finished showering and changing into his pajamas, he was preparing to go to bed.

Just as he was about to lie down, Reed received an unexpected visitor.

Knock, knock-.

"Come in."

He spoke with a sleepy, annoyed voice.

He thought it might be Phoebe and considered scolding her if it was a trivial matter.

However, the one who opened the door and came in was a little girl with white hair.

"Rosaria?"

Seeing her, Reed got up from his seat and approached her.

In Rosaria's hand were a fairytale book and Lucy.

"My dear, what brings you here? Why aren't you sleeping at this time of night?"

"Papa..."

His sleepiness instantly vanished.

A deep sadness came through in Rosaria's voice.

He didn't know what the matter was, but he knew for sure that he had to listen seriously.

"Yeah, daddy's here."

"Daddy, did you become the enemy of the kingdom?"

"..."

It seemed like the story was going to be a long one.

Reed picked her up and sat her down on his chair.

"What story did Rosaria hear?"

"The sisters were talking about Daddy."

"What did they say?"

"That you became the enemy of the kingdom."

"..."

Although there were ears everywhere and rumors would inevitably spread, he didn't expect them to be unable to hold their tongues even in front of a child.

Reed sighed.

"Are you scared because Daddy became an enemy?"

"But they talk about you as if you're a bad person… Daddy is not a bad person, but if everyone says it's daddy's fault for the bad things Rosaria did, then…"

"Rosaria."

Reed cut off her words.

He felt that if he let her continue, she would cry, so he held her hand and asked.

"Was what Rosaria did a bad thing?"

"I don't know."

Rosaria shook her head with a confused expression.

"Then why did you break that sword?"

"I did it because he was trying to hurt the Sandwich Uncle."

"Who was he? A good person? A bad person?"

"He was a good person."

She could answer that without hesitation.

"And that knight was a bad person."

"That's right, he was trying to hurt a good person, so he was a bad person. So, Rosaria used her power to save that good person, right?"

"...Yes."

"Then is that a bad action?"

Her previously confused face seemed to regain some vitality.

"Rosaria did a good thing, and Daddy just supported her. When you get older like Daddy, sometimes you can't act even when you want to help someone good."

"Why?"

"Adults can be really cowardly."

Calculating everything, seeing injustice, and still tolerating it.

Reed had actually tried to do the same.

Reed, like Rosaria, felt it was unfair.

But he didn't step forward.

If he got involved as a Tower Master, there was a high chance that unfavorable things would happen.

But Rosaria opposed that injustice by breaking the knight's sword.

That's why Reed, as a father and not as a Tower Lord, decided to represent her feelings.

When Reed adopted her, he vowed to raise her as a woman who could live by her own beliefs, not as a sacrificial lamb of Project: Flower Garden.

That was the biggest part of Reed's grand plan as the greatest villain.

"So, Rosaria didn't do anything wrong."

"But..."

Still, it seemed there was something she couldn't accept.

Looking at her face, he could see the moisture in her red eyes.

"Everyone says Daddy is a bad person."

Hearing that, Reed held her hand and asked.

"Do you hate the idea that daddy is a bad person, Rosaria?"

"I don't like it."

"Why?"

"Because Daddy is not a bad person."

Rosaria, swallowing her tears.

She tightly held the two hands Reed had given her for reassurance.

"If you were a bad person, I wouldn't hold your hand like this."

Upon hearing those words, Reed felt a surge of emotion.

She is an innocent and kind child.

He was sure his actions were right.

If he had ignored Rosaria's actions or even scolded her for breaking the sword, he would undoubtedly have been unable to forgive himself.

Reed hugged her.

As he stroked her white hair, he whispered in her ear.

"Rosaria, do you remember the little hero?"

Rosaria, embraced in his arms, nodded her head.

Although he was ridiculed as weak, in the end, he defeats the great evil and becomes a revered hero.

"What was it like for the little hero who saved many people so far?"

"...They said he did cowardly things like the villains. To the hero."

"Right? He wasn't brave, and he fought in a different way from others. But in the end, the little hero was recognized as a hero. Why do you think that is?"

"I don't know."

"Because he won in the end. He was recognized as a hero because he had the power to defeat the Demon King. So even if people think Daddy is a bad person now, eventually Daddy will be recognized too. Like the story of that little hero."

"...Is that so?"

Rosaria, who had been embraced in his arms, raised her head.

Her confused expression seemed to clear up as she began to understand.

"Then, in the end, Daddy can become a hero like the little hero?"

"Of course. If Rosaria believes Daddy is not a bad person, then there's no doubt he can become a hero."

Hearing that, Rosaria's face began to relax.

Wiping away her tears with her sleeve, she looked up again.

"I'll believe."

She smiled brightly enough to make her teary eyes seem colorless.

Reed patted her bottom and said.

"Well, shall we go back to the room?"

"..."

"Why is that?"

"Well... you know..."

Rosaria asked with an angelic face.

"Can we sleep together tonight?"

It was a request from the girl who had never asked to sleep together before.

Reed smiled at Rosaria's appearance and replied.

"Just for tonight."

Rosaria, who lay down in bed, fell asleep as if she was a machine with its power turned off.

Seeing her snoring with her eyes swollen red, Reed lay down beside her.

Reed reassured himself as he looked at her face.

The emotion that she needed him.

Just that alone made Reed immensely happy.

* * *

"It's great that the young lady is so motivated these days."

Phoebe reported in a drawn-out voice, smiling gently.

Reed looked up at her with a puzzled expression and asked again.

"Motivated?"

"She's studying magic diligently. She says that if the tower lord wants to become a hero, Rosaria must help and she wants to study hard~ I don't know how adorable that is."

Phoebe held her face with a happy expression.

'It seems she was inspired by what she heard.'

Recalling Rosaria, who called magic books boring and puffed up like a blowfish, it was clear that she had changed.

'It feels like everything is going as I intended.'

Reed always believed that the best thing for young children was to play well, eat well, and sleep well.

He thought it was good to do what they wanted, even if they quickly lost interest, and find their own way.

So there was no reason to discourage studying they willingly started.

"Still, if it seems like she's overdoing it, take her outside for a walk, and play with her. It's not good to keep her young energy confined inside the tower."

"Yes~. Leave it to me!"