Chapter 76 - Settling In

— Leon Greyrat —

"I still can't believe it…" Philip said, looking at the city of Sharia in amazement. "That… to travel so far in one moment… that must have been teleportation magic, right?"

Haa… as I thought, even with the blindfolds, Philip was too smart to not pick up on what happened.

Much like Roxy was, which was why I decided to tell her and Sylphy.

There were no need for such secrets between my wives and I, after all.

I trusted them with everything.

"Yeah, I guess the secret is out," I said, sighing as we trotted forward. "I just ask you not to tell anyone."

"Don't worry. I understand what can happen if such a thing got out, so you have my silence," he said.

Unlike a certain father of mine, I knew I could trust Philip to keep that promise, as he knew how to hold his tongue.

"Then… I assume you'll be finding a house next?" I asked.

"Indeed," Philip nodded. "While it is not a significantly large sum, I was able to keep enough riches to settle down comfortably."

"Alright… you three can stay in our house for the moment, then," I said. "There is definitely enough room, but I'm not sure how much Sylphy and Roxy have done, so we might need to buy a bed or two."

"Then I thank you for your hospitality," Philip said.

Hilda looked back to narrow her eyes at her husband. "I am also grateful, but be sure not to take advantage of it, husband. He will be having a child soon, after all."

"Y-Yes, my lovely wife, I will be sure to," Philip said, smiling nervously down at the red-haired lady.

Hmm… what did Rudy call it?

'Whipped'?

Yeah, it seemed that Philip was that, much like my father.

But at least he seemed happy.

In fact, I distinctly remember my father getting a disgusting grin whenever Mama chided him seriously… perhaps it was a Greyrat thing?

Anyway, since my home was on the outskirts of the city, near the merchant district, I was able to drop off the horses at a stable and keep them there for a fee.

With the fatigued Julius taking a ride on my shoulder while I carried the gravestone and dirt of my mother's grave on my back, I led the family towards my home, melting any snowdrifts that were in the way

Damn… this was a good workout.

As the place I could now call home revealed itself, both Hilda and Philip widened their eyes.

"That is… quite marvellous," Philip said. "You did mention wanting lots of children, so that explains the size…"

"Well, only something like this would be fit for our daughter, right?" Hilda said. "I am more interested in the bath that Leon mentioned."

I guess she was also excited about their visit in her own way.

As we came closer, I noticed a few small changes from when I had last seen it, mainly with regard to the set of chairs and tables on the front porch, as well as a stone one in the yard that seemed to have been made by Rudy's magic.

It seems that they were slowly turning our house into a home… I was excited to see the interior.

A carpet here, a bookshelf there… well, I wasn't really great at that stuff, so I would leave it to them.

I was perfectly comfortable in any place that had my three special ladies and a bed, after all.

"I'm home~" I said as I opened the door.

Kneeling down, I let Julius hop off my shoulders as I set Alice's gravestone on the ground, and looking into the living room to the left, I was graced with the sight of Sylphy and Roxy sitting together on the couch in front of the lit fireplace, with Roxy casually flipping through a book while Sylphy knitted what looked to be a small blanket.

Or rather, that was what they were doing before our entrance, as the two had immediately turned to us with wide smiles as they both got up.

"Leon… you're back," Sylphy said.

"And you've brought company… I assume everything worked out?" Roxy added as they both came up to me.

Wrapping my arms around them, I pulled them close as I planted a kiss on each of their foreheads before burying my face between their shoulders, taking in the scent and the warmth that I had missed so dearly.

Mmm… that's better.

Like this, I think I could go for a few rounds tonight, even without healing magic resetting my refractory period.

"Yeah… it all worked out," I said as I retreated, giving them each a gentle kiss, this time on the mouth.

I wanted to do more, but that could wait for later.

There were introductions to be had, after all.

"Roxy and Sylphy, meet Philip, Hilda, and Julius. This is Eris' family, and while they will be looking for a place, they'll be staying with us in the meantime," I said before me voice turned a bit worried. "As long as that's fine with you… sorry, I just assumed."

"No, it's fine," Sylphy said, leaning her head on my shoulder. "This is Eris' family, right? So that means that they're also related to me, though not yet officially. Welcome to our home."

"Mmm. Nice to meet you," Roxy nodded. "As Leon said, I am Roxy Migurdia, but hopefully… that will soon be Roxy Greyrat."

She then gingerly played with her braid as she cast a timid glance my way, making my heart nearly skip a beat.

She was just too cute.

And so, as if on instinct, I pulled her closer to me, letting her head rest against my chest as I placed a hand on her belly.

Ah… it was growing bigger.

That's good. She's around four months in by now, so it was expected.

"I see," Hilda said, smiling as she nodded at the two. "It seems like you two have a good relationship with my daughter, and considering what Leon has told me about you two… yes, I'm glad Eris will have such good girls as her co-wives. And you really have grown up wonderfully, Sylphy."

"Ah! T-Thank you," Sylphy said, looking down with a smile.

Right. While they didn't interact much, I had forgotten that Eris' parents had met Sylphy from the times I took her to Roa.

It was nice to see that they still remembered her.

"And we thank you for letting us intrude on your new home," Philip said, bowing slightly. "Just as Leon boasted, you two really are beautiful."

Roxy tilted her head up to look at me with a raised eyebrow, very likely questioning what I had been boasting about.

The answer to that?

Well, everything.

They were that special, after all.

"A-And I'm Julius…" the kid said, looking at the two as he hid behind his mother's leg.

He was quite the shy child, which I suppose would come from growing up in both the strife zone and the unfortunate position Philip had found himself in afterwards. 

But hopefully, now that he was in a stable living situation, he would be able to become a bit more outgoing.

Or he could stay like that.

Lina told me many times that many women liked a man who was handsome and shy… even though I never asked.

Looking back into the living room, I noticed that there were a few changes, such as the large rug across the floor, the table in the centre, as well as the sofas and chairs.

I guess they got some more stuff, huh?

I'm glad.

Hearing a sound of running footsteps, I separated from Sylphy and Roxy just in time to catch Norn and Aisha, who looked to have just come back from cleaning, if the rags hanging on their pants were any indication.

It seems they kept their word of helping Sylphy and Roxy while I was gone.

I would have to praise them later.

"Welcome home, Brother!" Norn said, burying her face in my shoulder.

"Do you like the changes, Big Brother?" Aisha asked. "I can show you everything later!"

"Yes, I'd like that. And good job," I said, patting their backs. "But you two are getting heavy, so how about I let you two down so you can greet our other guests."

Both Aisha and Norn kicked my shin.

Possibly deserved.

"Don't say that to ladies like us!" Aisha said before kissing my cheek and getting down.

Norn didn't say anything out loud, but she made her satisfaction known with a pout.

Aisha, always the mature one… when she wanted to be, then bowed in front of the three guests as she introduced herself.

"My name is Aisha Greyrat. It's a pleasure to meet you, Philip, Hilda, and Julius Greyrat," she said politely.

That practised curtsy… that must be because of her student council work, huh?

I didn't know whether to thank or disparage Ariel for influencing her like that.

As long as Aisha didn't pick up any of the princess' other tendencies, then that'd be fine.

Julius, who had been hiding behind Hilda, moved out a bit as he looked at Aisha with wide eyes.

"Pretty…" he whispered before suddenly widening his eyes as he realized he said it out loud.

"Hm? Thank you very much, Julius," Aisha said, smirking a bit as she went over to pat his head. "And you're just as cute as ever."

"M-Mmm…" he said, looking down.

Oh?

Was this… a blossoming romance?

From the way Sylphy and Hilda were covering their mouths to hide their knowing smirks, I think it was so.

Hmm… well, Aisha was eight, and Julius was four, so such an age gap was quite small once they grew older.

Well… I wouldn't force anything between my sister and brother-in-law.

If there was any romance to be had at the moment, it would only be cute, and possibly material to tease Aisha with.

As long as she didn't end up teasing the boy to death first… she was scary like that.

Roxy then came back over to me, resting against my chest as her eyes trailed over to the wall, where the gravestone and block of compressed dirt were laying.

"Leon… is that?" 

"Yeah," I answered her. "That's my Mom. I mentioned how I wanted to bring it back and bury her in the yard, right?"

"Mmm, you did," Roxy nodded, gently rubbing my hand. "I know we have Zenith, but… I can't help but wish I could meet her."

"Yeah… I do too," I said before I smiled. "But we can do something similar."

It's the reason I had brought her back all this way, after all.

— Leon Greyrat —

Having re-buried my mother's ashes, or at least the remnants of them, and the gravestone into the ground, it was then that my two ladies asked to take a moment to pay their respects.

"It's nice to meet you, Alice. I am Sylphiette. Just Sylphiette, but soon to be Greyrat," Sylphy said, kneeling in front of the grave. "I'm not sure exactly how much Leon's told you about me, but… I love him very much, and it won't be long before I will also bear his children… ah, but that's a bit embarrassing to say."

Smiling at her, I watched as Roxy went over to stand next to her.

"And I am Roxy Migurdia. I used to be his teacher when he was younger, and then we found each other in the labyrinth… Ah! But I swear that I didn't influence him as a child! I am not that shameless as a woman!" she said, her cheeks burning a bit.

I wanted to say that she influenced me quite a bit, but I decided to keep those thoughts to myself for now.

"I… am currently pregnant, so it won't be long before I come here with Leon and I's child," she continued, looking down at her belly as she smiled softly. "And… I feel happier than I ever had before. So thank you… for having him and caring for him."

Seeing the two like this, memories from back when Eris and my sisters also talked to Alice's grave went through my mind.

I suppose this was a sort of tradition among the girls I loved in my life, huh?

And considering how kind Mama was, it wouldn't be long before she went through the same thing.

Ah, speaking of her, Norn had gone to tell her that I was back, right? So it might even happen-

"Leon! You're back!"

-a bit sooner… quite good timing, Mama.

"I am," I said, turning around to hug Mama as she came over. "Did you see Philip and Hilda on the way?"

"Yes, they were just getting settled in the rooms Aisha showed them," she said, squeezing me tighter. "To think they would have such a cute kid like Julius… why'd you have to go and get so tall!?"

"Uhh, I think that will happen to Julius too, Mama," I said, patting her back. "But don't worry, you'll be getting more grandchildren to dote on soon."

"That's right," she said, nodding as she then looked over to Roxy and Sylphy, her eyes stopping at the grave they were in front of.

"Is that… your mother?" she asked, her voice even.

"Yeah, that's her, Mama," I said, pulling her closer to reassure her.

I was worried… by bringing that grave here, would she think I was replacing her?

What a ridiculous thought.

Mama was Mama, and Mom was Mom.

Completely different things.

Separating from me, Mama walked over to stand between Sylphy and Roxy, kneeling to the ground as she placed a hand on the stone, her hands tracing the engravings that were made so long ago.

"Alice… at least Leon remembered your name," she said softly. "I… thank you. Just… thank you, for asking me to take care of him. Thank you for giving me my light… my little Leon… and I have a lot~ of stories to tell you."

Oh, shit… I had a feeling I was about to feel embarrassed very soon.

Still… I was touched. Immensely so.

My family back together… an actual home… and a child on the way… it was all so amazing.

Now, I just had to ensure this wonderful life of mine stayed that way.

And to do that, I would have to get stronger, so I could protect it.

But still… that could come later.

After all, what use was it to protect such a life if I didn't enjoy it?

— Leon Greyrat —

"So you wished to meet me?" Ariel said, cleaning off a few crumbs from her mouth.

It seemed that I had come while she was having lunch.

Well, she didn't seem too angry, so I think it was fine.

But I was quite surprised that Luke wasn't here… probably with a girl, if I had to guess.

I suppose Sylphy was enough for security, and even if I ended up antagonistic, someone like Luke wouldn't stop me.

"Yes," I nodded. "I still have a small errand I need to do, but I'm ready to fulfill my end of our promise and join your side."

Her eyes glimmered with happiness as she steepled her fingers.

"Truly? Well, it is an unexpected boon," she said. "As I said before, I don't currently need your aid, but rather, I would need you in the future."

"In the future?" I said questioningly. "What exactly does that mean?"

"I'm sure you already have an idea," she said. "I want your help in retaking the throne of the Asura Kingdom and making me queen."

Well… I somewhat expected it, but to think she really was so ambitious.

If she wanted me… then that meant she was ready to take it militarily.

A coup.

Looking over at Sylphy, who was out of her Fitz persona, I saw her eyes looking at me with a pleading expression.

So she wanted me to help too…

"That's… a bit troublesome," I said, watching as both of their expressions turned down slightly. "I was and am more than fine with defending your life, Princess Ariel, no matter the opponent."

Ariel brought a hand to her hair at my words, slightly averting her eyes from mine in a way that was very unlike the proud girl I had come to admire.

Still, ignoring that, I continued.

"But… being used in an attack is a different story," I said. "You know as well as I that taking an active role in retaking the throne would paint a target on me and my family's back, no matter what excuses and explanations we try to use."

Seeing both Ariel and Sylphy frown, I was glad to see that they were both taking my words seriously.

"So… convince me, Ariel," I said. "Outside of supporting Sylphy, convince me why I should put my family and myself in possible danger for your bid for the throne. I respect you, that is for sure, but what would make you a queen worth fighting for?"

My words seemed to affect the princess, as she looked down at her hands, clenching them into fists as she looked back at me with an unwavering gaze.

Mmm… I liked that look quite a bit.

I was already planning to help her, as I couldn't let Aisha and Sylphy be in danger due to the loose ends of a failed coup, but I wanted to hear her words regardless.

"I… will build a better Asura," she said firmly. "I have always known that the world of nobility was full of scum and deceit, but over the past two years, I have learned how that impacts the common people too, and that there is no need for such things in politics. I plan to use my experiences to create a better nation."

I raised my eyebrow in question as she stood up.

"I will create a kingdom without corruption, so that people like Sara won't lose their parents any longer, and so people like you can show your kindness without worried of being harmed," she said, extending her hand to me with a smile. "So please, Leon… help me."

"I see… but what did you mean by my showing my kindness?" I asked.

"I've watched you, Leon, so I know that you are a good person," she said, smiling wider. "And Sylphy told me about that orphanage idea you were thinking of last night. Something like that would likely be used as a target for political schemes in the current Asura. I wish to change that."

"I see…" I said, my lips quirking up slightly.

This princess… she really was the most troublesome person I had ever met, but…

"I accept," I said, reaching for her hand.

Perhaps, she is worth fighting for, even without Aisha and Sylphy's lives in the mix.

Hmm… if I am going to help her, then I should get used to the gaudy gestures of nobility, right?

Plus, it would feel good to tease her just a bit as payback for all the times she did the same to me.

"I will help you," I said, closing my eyes as I brought her hand up to my mouth to gently kiss it. "My Princess."

Yeah, that was good.

Even if it was Ariel, she should be slightly surprised. Even if it's only to the extent of an eye twitching.

Looking back up at her, I saw that Ariel was staring at me with wide eyes and a flushed face before she suddenly retracted her hand.

"I… ah…" she stammered.

Uh… that… was not the reaction I was expecting.

Did I perhaps go too far?

Before I could apologize for my possible insolence in overdoing it, Ariel suddenly began walking away, briskly leaving the room as she slammed the door behind her.

"Uhh…"

I then felt my ear getting pulled, and looking to the side, I saw Sylphy's face set in a pout… though there was a hint of a smile there too.

"You dummy," she said.

"Uhh, yeah… sorry," I returned.

But seriously… what was up with that troublesome princess?

Was she seriously one who could dish it out so easily without receiving it?

To be honest… that was kind of cute.

But I had the feeling that if I said that out loud, my ear might get torn off. So once again, I decided to keep my thoughts to myself.

— Leon Greyrat —

A few weeks had passed since I had returned from my trip to Asura, and in that time, Philip, the ever-efficient man he was, had quickly found a place for his family.

It was much like the place they had been renting in Roa. A simple, small house with a garden, and a room for each of them. 

While I was saddened that the house became a little less lively, I was happy that they had finally found some stability.

Especially little Julius.

I knew more than most how important having an actual home was, so now, he should grow up to be a happy child in a somewhat normal environment.

He would even be able to go to school at the university once he got a bit older.

And as for me?

Well, aside from helping Roxy and Sylphy when they needed it, and showing them plenty of love during the nights, I was instead focusing on my swordsmanship.

That precious gift that Sara showed me, the ability to manipulate touki… finally, I could start developing it.

With a raised pillar of earth as my target, I raised my sword overhead, narrowing my eyes as I concentrated on the edge of my blade.

The touki that rippled through my body flooded around me, flowing through my arm and into my sword, sharpening the edge and enhancing the durability of the blade.

And then, with my mind focused on the touki that had hardened over my sword, I swung down.

Usually, this would be the point in my training where I reset my stance, going through the practised movements and searing them into my body.

But now, I remained motionless, keeping my mind connected to the wave of touki that I had forced to leave my blade as it cut through the air.

It was difficult.

Different from mana and magic, where once I had an image, I could simply have the process run without any active effort to concentrate, this time… I needed to focus my entire being on the touki.

Right now, for obvious reasons, this was impractical in combat. But considering I needed this amount of concentration to let my touki into the atmosphere when initially training in Dance of Deluge, I had a feeling my efficiency would get better over time.

The touki then carved into the pillar of earth, bisecting it diagonally as the top half slowly slid off and onto the ground, and relinquishing my focus, the touki slash quickly petered out into nothingness.

Well, as I had discovered, it would have done so eventually, since there was a limit to how far touki could go.

It would be pretty insane to have a sword slash carve through the entire world, after all.

But then again, the legends of Saint Millis mentioned something like that, so perhaps it wasn't so crazy.

Either way, as shown by my previous demonstration, I could already cut from afar. And quite deep at that.

The only problem was the amount of focus it required, as well as the fact that it wasn't better than simply using wind magic at the moment.

But… I could feel it.

That missing piece for my swordsmanship I had been feeling ever since I began rethinking my abilities… this was it.

Hopefully, with what I was planning to do before my child was born, I would get some insights there… I mean, if the Sword God didn't have any hints, then I doubt anyone else would.

"Ah! Leon?" Sylphy said, causing me to turn to look at her. "Are you… still training?"

"No, that's enough for now," I said, shaking my head. "Did you need something?"

"Well… I've been practising that 'disturb magic', and there aren't many people I can spar with here, so… would you mind?" she asked.

Ah, right.

Even if she had the looks of a princess herself, Sylphy was actually a guard to one, so she needed to keep her skills up to par.

Actually, now that I knew that Ariel was aiming for the throne, she would need to start aiming to get even stronger.

At least I could help with that.

"Of course," I said, nodding my head. "If you want to practice that… then how about I go unarmed? I'll use some magic too, of course."

"Sure," she said, smiling as she brought out her wand. "Should we have a wager?"

A wager?

Well… I had quite the idea for that.

"Hmm…" I said, scratching my chin. "How about the winner gets to have their way with the other tonight?"

"'Have their way'…" she said, her cheeks gaining a bit of a flush. 

"Yeah, whatever you or I want," I said, smirking. "I know you like to leave everything to me, but don't try to lose on purpose."

"I-I wasn't planning on it!" she said as a spear of ice formed over her shoulder. "Y-You'll be serving me all night!"

If I was going serious, even without my sword, I would have already dealt a fatal blow by moving the earth below her, destabilizing her stance and rushing to stab her throat.

But this was a spar.

And she was my lover, so even if I could heal any non-fatal injury, I didn't want to hurt her when there was no reason to.

Raising my eyebrow, I coated my hand in touki to bat away the incoming projectile as I formed a few balls of water in front of me.

This wouldn't fatally harm her, but it would sting and also get her wet, which would be annoying in the winter weather.

There were absolutely no ulterior motives with that decision.

Well… maybe a little bit.

Sylphy extended her wand, and a moment later, I felt my control over my magic fluctuate, leading me to shoot them before I lost total control.

Our magic-based spar continued like that for a while, sending attacks and disturbing others, before I decided to simulate a close-combat adversary, sprinting forward as Sylphy quickly jumped away, using some wind to propel her just as I had taught her all those years ago.

She was skilled, and most importantly, experienced.

I… didn't know how to feel about that.

That experience meant that at any moment, my precious Sylphy could have been taken away from me… but now that she was alive, that meant that those experiences would only serve to protect her, so it wasn't all bad.

I noticed Roxy watching us out of the corner of my eye as I moved in, closing the distance in an instant as I batted the wand out of Sylphy's hand, shocking her as I gripped her wrists and raised them over her head.

"Got you," I said, pulling her closer to me as I gave her a kiss, my tongue invading her mouth as she shivered in my grasp.

Separating from her, I smirked at how her mouth pushed forward, as if asking for more, as I let go of her hands.

"That was good, Sylphy. Just make sure you're not caught when you can't use your magic," I said before planting one more kiss. This time a gentle on her nose. "But tonight… you're all mine."

She simply nodded, her face flushing red all the way to her ears as her eyes shined in what looked like anticipation.

Well… that was my plan for the night set.

As I went back over to Roxy, I noticed that she was watching us with her hand tentatively playing with her braid.

Hmm… she did that when she was embarrassed or shy, but considering she didn't do anything, she must be wanting to ask me something.

I was starting to understand my Roxy a bit better.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked.

"Huh!? Umm, just… one thing," she said, averting her eyes as her cheeks gained a bit of a blush. "Can you… spar with me too?"

Huh? Why-?

Oh…

That explains why she was embarrassed.

What an adorable thing to ask.

"Sorry, but you know we can't risk that when you're pregnant," I said, holding back a laugh as her eyebrows furrowed into a pout.

"But…" I said, lifting her chin. "If you wanted a kiss, you should have just asked for one."

It was quite obvious what I gave her after that.

It seemed that she had enjoyed some berries earlier… it tasted pleasant.