Yari no Yuusha no Yarinaoshi (LN) - Volume 1 - Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve: Finesse 

It was the following morning. 
“So hot . . .” 
The sound of Father groaning uncomfortably woke me up. I sat up to find Yuki and Kou snuggled up against me, snoring. Where was Sakura? I turned toward Father to see her in her filolial queen form—her wings wrapped around him. I’d woken Yuki and Kou when I sat up, and they were both blinking their eyes. 
“Good morning, Motoyasu.” 
“Morning, Kitamura.” 
Yuki and Kou greeted me. It was turning out to be a fine morning! 
“I wonder how late Father and Sakura stayed up spinning thread,” I mumbled. 
I climbed out of the bed and looked over at Father and Sakura. Father was talking in his sleep and complaining about how hot he was. Sakura was still fast asleep and breathing deeply. 
“Ugh . . . So hot . . .” Father groaned again. 
Father finally woke up and realized what was going on. 
“S-Sakura, didn’t Motoyasu tell you not to do that?” Father scolded gently. 
The floor was making creaking sounds, but I was sure it would be fine! 
“Buuut . . .” Sakura started. 
“Sakura! It’s about time you got up!” Yuki snapped. 
“Aww . . .” 
When Yuki scolded her, Sakura slowly opened her eyes and yawned. She hugged Father from behind and rubbed her cheek up against his. 
“Good mooorning, Naofumiii!” 
“Good morning to you too. Being in that form is going to cause trouble for the people around you. You need to change back to your angel form.” 
“Aww . . . Fiiine,” she grumbled. 
Sakura did just as Father told her and returned to her angel form. She had obeyed Father! Learning to do that was part of my filolials’ education, I say! 
“Is this better, Naofumi?” 
“Yeah. That’s better.” 
“Can we sleep together again?” 
“I was a little bit hotter than I would have liked, but . . . I guess so, as long as we’re sleeping outside. Otherwise you’re liable to end up falling through the inn floor.” 
“Okaaay! I can’t wait!” 
“Ha! Ha! Ha! You sure like Father, don’t you, Sakura?” I said. 
“Yup! You told me to protect Naofumi, so I’m going to do my beeessst!” 
Her spirit was truly admirable! It moved me to tears! I could rest easy knowing that Sakura would be protecting Father. After chatting for a bit longer, Father got up and left the room. He walked over to the room next to ours and knocked on the door. 
“Eclair? How are you feeling?” he asked. 
He went inside, so I followed him. Éclair had been snoring quietly, but she woke up when we came in. 
“Huh? Oh, it’s you, Mr. Iwatani.” 
“How are you? Can you stand?” 
“I think . . . I should be fine, now.” 
I looked over at the Siltvelt emissary and his pigs. They’d woken up too and were looking over at us. But they weren’t looking at me or Father. They were looking at Yuki and the other filolials. 
“Who are they?” the emissary asked. 
“They’re angels, I say!” 
“You’re really terrible at explaining things, Motoyasu. Just stay quiet for a minute and let me explain,” said Father. 
“Understood!” 
I followed Father’s orders and took a step back. All I had to do was zip my lips. That was easy enough! Father placed his hand on Sakura’s shoulder and began to speak. 
“So umm, these three are the filolials that Motoyasu has been raising. Things would get messy if they transformed here in the room, so you’ll have to wait until later to see for yourself. You’ll just have to trust me for now.” 
“What?!” 
Éclair yelped in surprise and her voice cracked. The emissaries were shocked too. I guess I could understand. I’d sputtered out some kind of nonsensical sound the first time I saw Filo-tan transform too. And then immediately after, I felt a powerful impact race through my body. It felt like it would last forever. Thinking back on it now, I was certain that encounter had been destiny! Just recalling the incident sent a sharp pain racing through my lower body. 
“I know it’s hard to believe, but we can show you firsthand soon,” I told them. 
“U-understood,” Éclair replied. 
“Alright, everyone, introduce yourselves,” Father told the filolials. 
The three of them stepped forward and bowed. 
“I’m Yuki.” 
“I’m Kou!” 
“I’m Sakuraaa!” 
“So they can speak too. The surprises just keep coming,” Éclair said. 
Once again, Éclair was being rude. Did she think Father looked like the kind of scum that would tell lies? Ha! Ha! Ha! Father told no lies! Technically speaking, anyway. 
“W-well then, we should start getting ready for the day ahead,” said the Siltvelt emissary, trying to appear calm as he hobbled off. 
After that, we all went to eat breakfast at the tavern next to the inn. We ordered a massive amount of food and everyone ate together. The filolials were all stuffing their faces. 
“You three sure eat a lot,” Father said. 
“Perhaps, but compared to your cooking, the flavor of the food here is slightly inferior. Right, Kou?” Yuki replied. 
“Yeah, I think so.” 
“The food you make is better than this, Naofumi!” Sakura added. 
The mountain of food we’d ordered disappeared in a flash. Seeing the way filolials ate always put me in such good spirits! 
“This doesn’t bode well for our food expenses,” Éclair whispered with a perplexed look on her face. 
“If it becomes a problem, we can just have Motoyasu and the filolials gather food supplies, I’m sure. Or we could sell off some materials, I guess,” Father replied. 
“We could definitely do that. We should sell those materials in the carriage to the vendor in town here,” said Éclair. 
“You think so? Alright, how about I go do that before we leave, to help cover our travel expenses? Haggling is a specialty of mine.” 
That reminded me. I remembered Father mentioning earning quite a bit from his peddling operations. He had the slaves from that fantastic village of his helping with the operations too. He’d taught them his secrets to getting people to pay handsomely. 
“In that case, we’ll leave it up to you, Mr. Iwatani,” Éclair said. 
“Alright. Oh, we didn’t even ask Motoyasu. What do you want to do today, Motoyasu? Those people chasing us are probably going to start showing up soon, I’m guessing.” 
“I’d like to spend a bit more time in this area leveling you. If we get you strong enough, we won’t have to worry about assassins anymore, I say!” 
“Alright. Then we can go level after I’ve gotten us some money.” 
“Ugh . . .” Éclair moaned. 
Her face turned pale. 
“Are you okay, Eclair? I can just go with the filolials if it’s a problem.” 
“Th-that’s unacceptable. Protecting you is the whole reason we’re here.” 
“Yeah, but still . . .” 
Father was worried about Éclair. Was it because of the motion sickness? 
“People can get used to anything, I say!” 
“Y-yeah, I suppose you’re right. If we don’t get used to it now, we’re liable to spend the whole trip sick,” she conceded. 
The Siltvelt emissary was looking back and forth at me and the pig. 
“Oink!” 
“I’ll go with the Shield Hero this time. You can accompany the Spear Hero instead,” he told the pig. 
I’d gotten sick too at first. But in the end, riding was more blissful time spent with the filolials. My body got used to it over time, and I stopped getting sick. Ah, I wanted to be able to get sick riding a carriage pulled by filolials again! 
“What do you plan to do, Motoyasu?” Father asked. 
“I’m going to take the thread, spun from the filolials’ magic power, into town to have it woven into fabric. After that, I’ll probably use any spare time left over to gather materials for you to power up your shield.” 
“I don’t believe it will take long to have the fabric woven,” said the emissary. 
“In that case, I could take the filolials’ measurements and go ahead and make their clothes.” 
If I had some spare time, I could use it to make clothes for Yuki and the other filolials. We could always just buy any materials Father needed to power up his weapon, after all. 
“Alright, so Motoyasu will be making clothes for the filolials today, I guess. Although we could also just have that done at a clothing shop — or would that be a tailor?” Father asked. 
“Don’t be ridiculous! It is I who shall make the clothes, I say!” 
Sewing clothes for the filolials was my lifework! Without that, I would have no way to express my love for them. Filolials were the greatest creatures of all! To have them wear clothes that I’d poured my heart and soul into . . . Nothing could make me happier, I say! 
“Oh, umm, I see. Alright, you’re making clothes today, then.” 
“Indeed!” 
My work for the day was decided. I would have the thread the filolials spun woven into fabric and then I’d make their clothes! I took the filolials’ measurements before they departed. We’d found out previously that the sizes didn’t need to be exact, since the thread was made out of magic power. There would be some leeway even after the clothes were finished. 
“This one is worth more than that!” Father snapped. 
“Grr . . . Fine! But this is as high as I can go!” 
“It’s a deal!” 
Father was at the vendor’s shop in town haggling over prices. This region was outside of Melromarc’s jurisdiction, so they conducted trade with Siltvelt here too. The Siltvelt emissary had intervened to help Father assess market values, and a fierce battle to determine the purchase price had followed. Father’s eyes seemed to be sparkling. 
“You’re really something, Mr. Iwatani. You got twice the market value!” Éclair said, showering Father with praise. 
“I feel like I could have gotten him to raise the price a bit more if I’d stuck around, but I didn’t want to waste too much time. Besides, I ended up buying the materials I needed to power up my shield from him, so we didn’t actually make that much profit,” Father explained. 
“Being a hero makes you naturally good at all kinds of things, I guess,” Éclair said. 
“That’s not it. I’m just really good at this kind of thing, personally, is all. Plus, I couldn’t have pulled that off if the emissary hadn’t told me the market values.” 
“You’re really something, Naofumi.” 
Right? Right?! Father was exceptional at handling money. Case in point, he’d taken care of supplying everything from food to work for the filolials I’d brought to his village of slaves. I’d been planning on squeezing out the money for food expenses by defeating monsters and selling the materials and meat, but I quickly came to understand that leaving things to Father was the solution to all problems. 
“I’m sure there will be people looking to buy items that the Shield Hero sold, so I don’t think the vendor got a bad deal either,” said the emissary. 
“Yeah, I got that impression. I only raised the price because he didn’t look like he minded too much. We both profited, so I think it was a good transaction all in all.” 
“I guess you can’t survive without being skilled at trade in that alternate universe of yours — that country you call Japan. That’s definitely a world I’ve never experienced,” said Éclair. 
“That’s not exactly true. I, uhh, just like doing this kind of thing is all,” Father replied. 
“Hmph . . . Judging from what I’ve seen so far, you seem to excel at helping others out, Mr. Iwatani.” 
“Really? You think so? I got the best part of the deal, you know. Not to mention, I’ve just been letting Motoyasu and Sakura do everything for me. It’s a bummer that this is all I can really do to give something back.” 
“Mr. Iwatani, modesty can start to sound like sarcasm if you’re not careful. Anyway, I feel like I’ve gotten a better idea of what kind of person you are now,” she continued. 
Éclair was nodding confidently for some reason. I seemed to remember she was always trying to mimic Father in the future. That was a good attitude to have! 
“You’re right on the mark, I say! I’ve heard the finesse with which Father would strip bandits of everything they owned was truly awe-inspiring!” 
Father and Éclair both turned their heads in my direction, moving so slowly that I almost expected to hear a loud, drawn-out creaking noise, like a rusty, old metal door might make. 
“What?! Would you really go that far, Mr. Iwatani?!” Éclair exclaimed. 
“How should I know?! And what the hell?! What’s up with the sudden public exposure of my barbaric acts?!” 
Oh? Father seemed to have gotten upset all of a sudden. Whenever something like this happened in the future, I seemed to remember Father ignoring the admonitions of big sis and responding with the dignity of a champion, brimming with confidence! 
“Motoyasu!” he shouted. 
“Let’s see. ‘Bandits are a resource! If you release them without killing them, you’ll be able to reap the harvest again in no time.’ I believe those were your words, or so I was told.” 
“Mr. Iwatani!” Éclair shouted. 
“Just what in the world was future me up to?!” he asked. 
Oh? The two of them seemed to be getting even more excited. I wasn’t sure why. 
“You were working slaves like horses, I do believe.” 
“Yeah, you told me about that. But letting bandits go free? What’s the idea behind that? Wouldn’t those bandits have caused problems for others?” 
“I believe you said that even if you took the bandits into custody, other bandits would just take over and nothing would actually change in the end.” 
Éclair covered her face with her hands and shook her head in disappointment. 
“I can’t imagine Mr. Kitamura would be lying to you, Mr. Iwatani. Seeing the kind of person you are now, I can’t even begin to fathom the hellish future you must have gone through to make you say things like that. On the contrary, I feel like I should take this chance to apologize, assuming it was my own country’s fault that you ended up so warped,” she said. 
“And besides, are there really that many bandits in this world?! What a mess!” he replied. 
“Indeed. More kept showing up, no matter how many we disposed of,” I said. 
“‘There are more thieves in this world than there are grains of sand on the seashore.’ Those are words supposedly whispered by a past hero who tried to eliminate the bandits. While I can’t help but be disappointed, I have a feeling we’ve also been given a glimpse of the resolute strength of your future self, Mr. Iwatani. You must have gone through a lot.” 
“I don’t want to go through a lot!” 
Father seemed flustered now and started moaning. I guess I could understand. Before awakening to my destiny as the Love Hunter, I tended to interpret everything in a positive light. On top of that, I even looked down on Father’s actions. Sheesh, it was disgusting how much of a fool I was! 
“In the end, you collaborated with some merchants to rear your own bandit protégé and started pulling the strings from behind the scenes, I believe,” I went on. 
“That sounds more like an evil overlord than a hero . . .” Father muttered. 
“Well, the Church of the Three Heroes calls you names like that and Shield Demon, but if they’re the ones that make you that way, then they really are beyond all help,” Éclair groaned. 
“I mean, I’ve read stories where things like that happened, but I really don’t want to become one of them,” he said. 
“But they say that, ultimately, it made things difficult for the bandits and so they ended up dwindling off. You only had your bandits attack crooked merchants, who were inhumane or broke the rules, supposedly,” I explained. 
“So he was manipulating the corrupt to improve public security. I will admit that is impressive, but it’s also the kind of thing I don’t want to find myself sympathizing with,” Éclair said. 
Éclair was such a straight arrow. 
“But Éclair, I seem to remember the future you doing her best to learn from Father and other leaders of Melromarc, in order to become a better governor,” I retorted. 
“You’re saying I was trying to learn from advice and behavior like that? I find that hard to believe.” 
“Yeah, with behavior like that, I wouldn’t even be able to argue if someone called me an evil overlord who reared bandit protégés,” Father said. 
Father nodded as if he agreed with Éclair. But he’d pulled off the incredible feat of getting the bandits under control, I say! 
“So I guess your goal really is to become a governor after things settle down, then?” Father asked Éclair. 
“Yeah, I suppose it is. I would like to continue in my late father’s footsteps and develop a truly great territory.” 
“I hope you do. I’ll be rooting for you.” 
“Thanks. And I’ll be praying that you don’t turn out like future you did, Mr. Iwatani.” 
“Wait a second. Motoyasu, you said you’re stuck here in this world in a time loop, right? What about the butterfly effect, the grandfather paradox, and all of that? Aren’t things supposed to try to return to the original timeline?” Father asked. 
“Is that how it works? I guess that means you’ll be going through hell before long . . .” Éclair replied. 
“That would suck! Are you telling me I’m going to end up homeless or get tossed out penniless?” he asked. 
Father looked over at the Siltvelt emissaries with fear in his eyes. Butterfly effect? I’d seen the term in some science fiction story or something once. Unfortunately, I’d only been interested in online games and pigs back then, so I wasn’t familiar with the details. 
“Shield Hero! Please rest assured that we will let nothing of the sort happen to you! No matter what!” the emissary said. 
“Hmm? Is something wrong, Naofumi?” Sakura asked. 
She was standing there confused, unable to grasp the situation. 
“Naofumi will go through a terrible experience in the near future and end up being the kind of person who commits hideously evil deeds without a second thought,” Yuki explained to the confused Sakura. 
“Iwatani the villain!” shouted Kou. 
“Yes, he’s going to become a villain,” Yuki replied. 
“Oh really? But I’m still going to protect him. I won’t abandon you, Naofumi,” Sakura said diligently. 
“I’m not going to become a villain! I’d never do those things,” he denied. 
“Bandit hunting, I say! It’s a fantastic way of getting your hands on some money!” 
I too had learned the value of hunting bandits to make money. If things went well, it could be even more lucrative than completing subpar job requests. The fact that you didn’t have to worry about things like reputation and annoying social constraints was another advantage over those job requests. 
“Are we going to hunt bandits? Do those taste good?” Kou asked. 
“We’re not! Stop saying weird things, Motoyasu! And people are not something you eat, Kou!” Father snapped. 
“This conversation could give the filolials all kinds of wrong ideas,” said Éclair. 
Things were starting to get noisy. Things were starting to get exciting! I was standing there watching them and thinking to myself when Father suddenly addressed me. 
“Don’t just stand there looking like this has nothing to do with you, Motoyasu!” he said. 
“Hold on. If that’s how you act in the future . . . Mr. Kitamura’s behavior suddenly makes a lot more sense,” said Éclair. 
“Don’t just accept it so easily like that! I don’t want to become a villain!” Father shouted. 
His voice echoed throughout the whole surrounding area. 
“This sucks! I don’t want to experience anything like that . . .” he went on. 
“Then you just need to get strong enough so that you won’t have to, Mr. Iwatani,” Éclair added. 
“Y-yeah, you’re right,” Father replied. 
After the fuss died down, we decided that Father would take all three filolials and go hunting. I was going to stay in town and make the filolials’ clothes. 
“Off you go, then!” I shouted. 
“We’ll be back!” Yuki called back. 
“Whoa! Run a bit slower, please! Otherwise, I’m going to —” Éclair began. 
“Th-the feathers are grabbing my hand! They . . . They won’t let go! Shield Hero!” the emissary called out. 
Éclair and the Siltvelt emissary were whining again. They just needed to get used to it. They might not level up, but they would gain experience fighting. They would develop a better understanding of how to operate more efficiently on the battlefield. 
Watching the filolials get stronger by the day sure did warm my heart! 
“Naofumi, let’s goooo!” Sakura exclaimed. 
“Umm, yeah, okay.” 
“Don’t worry! I’ll protect you no matter what!” 
“Thanks, Sakura.” 
“Tee hee hee!” 
Father and Sakura really did get along well. 
“Alright, we’ll be back later.” 
“Be careful, I say!” 
“We will. I’ll do my best to get stronger so that I can protect everyone — like the Shield Hero is supposed to — instead of always relying on you to protect me.” 
Father waved at me and then he and Sakura left. 
Now, then! I was able to pick up the fabric made from the filolials’ magic power, before we departed. I took the fabric and returned to our room at the inn. I needed to make three outfits. I would start by deciding on the colors and dyeing the fabric. I had more than enough dyes, so I’d have no problem making clothes that would look great on the filolials, I say! 
I was fired up! Excitement level: MAX! 

Finally! It was just past noon, I think. 
“And they’re done, I say!” 
I’d finished so quickly that even I wanted to give myself a pat on the back. The clothes were complete, and they were going to look great on the filolials! All filolials looked great in one-piece outfits. But a good design was more than fancy details — the basic elements were important too. 
Yuki had white hair, so I’d made a beige one-piece dress for her. I went with overalls for Kou, since they would be easy to move around in. Plus, that’s what he’d asked for. The dark blue denim color was sure to look fantastic on him! I made Sakura a pea-green one-piece dress since she got along so well with Father. Imagining the filolials all wearing their new clothes filled me with immense happiness. That said, I didn’t have anything left to do now that I’d finished making their clothes. 
I looked out the window. When I did, I caught a glimpse of someone hiding in the shadows of the building. There seemed to be more of them now. I had a bad feeling about this. I put the filolials’ clothes away in my bags, and then I heard the clatter of footsteps. A large crowd of people had gathered outside of the inn. 
“Spear Hero!” 
The brawny demi-human who was in charge of security at the inn came running in. 
“What is it?” I asked. 
“A crowd of what seems to be members of the Church of the Three Heroes has gathered outside. It’s not safe for you here. The Shield Hero could also be in danger!” 
“Right, you are!” 
As we were talking, I felt highly concentrated magic begin to fill the air around us. I remembered Father saying he wanted me to protect everyone, so I opened the door and thrust the demi-human down onto the floor. At the very same moment, there was a loud roar and a massive boulder came rushing down toward us from up in the sky above the inn. If I didn’t do something, the inn would be completely destroyed! 
“Hmph!” 
I stopped the huge rock hurtling toward us with my spear. 
“Wh . . . wh-wha . . .” 
The demi-human guard lying on the floor was at a loss for words. I was pretty sure not only him but the owner and workers were also still in the inn. What a pain. But I was going to try to keep casualties to a minimum, since that’s what Father had told me to do. 
“Brionac!” 
I fired Brionac at the huge rock and turned it to dust. The second floor of the inn had been halfway destroyed. I stood in the rubble, glaring at the culprits. It was safe to assume that they were members of the Church of the Three Heroes. 
Judging from their numbers, they must have cast the cooperative magic spell Megalith. If there had been enough of them, they could have cast ceremonial magic, but a smaller crowd would be forced to use cooperative magic. Fewer people meant that the spell would be less powerful. I might’ve had to worry if it’d been someone like big sis’s big sis casting the spell, but with riffraff like this, blasting their attack out of the sky was a breeze. 

But still, could they be any more reckless? Once they realized they couldn’t kill me, they all started to run away. These embers needed stomping! If I hadn’t finished making the filolials’ clothes as quickly as I had, the clothes might have ended up getting torn! On top of that, if they were attacking me, that meant assassins had probably been sent after Father too. Absolutely unforgivable! I’d make them pay for their foolishness with their lives, I say! 
“Aiming Lancer X!” 
Multi-target lock-on! I selected all of the imbeciles that had just been standing outside the inn. The fools were trying to escape into the crowd of onlookers that had gathered to see what the commotion was about. But there was no escaping from Aiming Lancer, I say! 
Fire! I hurled my spear and it split into multiple beams of light that impaled all of the church members who’d attacked the inn with their magic. 
“Ahhh!” 
Some of the onlookers screamed, but I hadn’t harmed anyone other than the culprits. I wasn’t going to drag anyone into this who wasn’t already involved. Just like I’d promised Filo-tan, I would be honest and kind to all, and I would obey Father’s wishes! I would become the Love Hunter, I say! 
And so, obviously, I slaughtered every last one of the fools that dared defy Father. Ha! Ha! Ha! Evil would never thrive in this world, I say! 
“My spear touches none but demons and devils, I say!” 
“I-in . . . incredible. The gods truly have returned,” the demi-human guard whispered. 
I couldn’t have him calling me a god after doing something as piddling as this. It was Father who was the godlike one, after all! And Filo-tan was an angel that dwelled in the heavens, I say! They were a supreme god and angel, and I, Motoyasu, would annihilate any scum that attempted to defile their names! But right now, making sure Father was safe probably should have been my first priority. 
“It seems the assassins have completely caught up with us. I have a feeling this will make meeting back up with Father and the others a real pain,” I said. 
Sheesh. If Father would have allowed it, I would’ve gone and killed Trash and the high priest of the Church of the Three Heroes right then and there, I say! I made my way out of the half-destroyed inn and started thinking things over. 
The fact that I’d been attacked meant that it was possible something had happened to Father and the others too. I felt like I’d taken all the necessary precautions, but it was probably best if I hurried and went after them anyway. I’d leave a message with the demi-human who had been guarding the inn, just in case. 
The scum hadn’t been able to harm me, but I was worried about Father. Thoughts about the incident from the previous cycle of the time loop started to creep into the back of my mind. I imagined those knights with church ties smirking and torturing Father at the Melromarc border. I was sure that’s how it had been. 
“Save me! Motoyasu!” 
I could practically hear Father crying and calling out for me to save him. Oh? I thought I saw the Father from the first time around waving his hand dismissively, with a look on his face that said “no way.” I’m sure it was just my imagination! 
I had to protect Father’s life no matter what! 
“I’m going after Father now. If we happen to miss each other and he shows up back here, can you to tell him to meet me in the next town?” I asked the demi-human guard. 
“O-of course!” 
I left the town and started following the filolial tracks in search of Father. But after a while, the filolial tracks suddenly grew chaotic and then disappeared just after turning off onto a mountain path. 
There was no need for me to waste time toying with monsters here at the moment. I was sure Father had already gotten materials from all the monsters in this area. I continued to track the filolials using their scent until the sun set, but there was no sign of Father. I’d exhausted my options, so I used my portal to return to the town. 
Things had begun to settle down a bit back in the town by that time. But I got the impression that the demi-humans there seemed a bit agitated. When I arrived at the half-destroyed inn, I found the guard and owner there cleaning up the mess. 
“How are things here?” I asked. 
“Oh! Spear Hero! The Shield Hero stopped by quite some time ago,” the guard told me. 
“Hmm . . . Around how long ago?” 
“It wasn’t too long after you left. It had just started getting dark.” 
“I see.” 
It seemed I had missed them right after leaving. I needed to go after them as soon as possible. 
“After the Shield Hero and his party returned, they were attacked by a group of people who I assume were members of the Church of the Three Heroes. The monsters accompanying them defeated the attackers straight away, and then the Shield Hero departed to continue on his journey,” the guard explained. 
“Understood. Thank you for the report.” 
It sounded like Father had managed to depart without issue. In that case, the only thing left for me to do was spend the night traveling to the next town. 
“Umm, Spear Hero . . .” he continued. 
“What is it?” 
“Are you going after the Shield Hero now? Shouldn’t you have just waited for him at the next town instead of coming back here?” 
That wasn’t an option . . . that I’d considered. But there was no way I would have been able to sit around waiting anyway. Coming back here might have seemed like a waste of time and effort, but it was better than just waiting around idly, I say! 
“We’re currently deploying doubles of the Shield Hero to confuse the church assassins. The frequency of attempts on the Shield Hero’s life should drop off shortly. Please try not to worry.” 
“Understood.” 
That made sense. Siltvelt was placing fake Fathers out on the roads. That just might make our trip a bit less chaotic. 
I set off to spend the night traveling to the next town. I’d been running down the road at full speed for several hours when the lights of the next town finally came into view. I began to approach some mountains as I drew closer and I felt a slight drop in the temperature. And then I came to the town gates. The town seemed to be a hot springs resort. I could see steam rising from several different spots on the skyline. 
“Halt! Who goes there?” a gatekeeper yelled out. 
“The Love Hunter, I say!” 
“Huh?! What is that supposed to mean?!” 
The gatekeeper pointed his weapon at me warily. How foolish. I considered making him regret that right then and there. I was on an urgent mission to return to Father’s side, after all! 
“Wait!” 
Just then, somebody stuck their head out of the gate and called to the gatekeeper. 
“That man is a colleague of ours. Please allow him to pass.” 
“Umm, okay. If you say so. He seems really suspicious, though.” 
“His behavior is indeed suspicious. Regardless, I’ve been told that he is incredibly powerful,” the person said. 
Who was that? He was a demi-human, but he wasn’t the Siltvelt emissary we’d been traveling with. 
“Please, this way. The Shield Hero is waiting.” 
“Does that mean you know Father?” 
“Yes. The Shield Hero said there would be a man who referred to him as ‘Father.’ He asked me to bring you to him.” 
And that was how I made it through the gate of the hot springs resort. The demi-human took me to the inn where Father was staying. The filolials must have sensed my presence, because the door to the inn swung open and Yuki and Kou came running out. 
“Motoyasu!” 
“Kitamuraaa!” 
“Yuki and Kou! I finally found you!” 
“When we returned from hunting, the inn was halfway destroyed. I was really worried about you!” said Yuki. 
“Welcome back, Kitamura! Where’s my souvenir?” asked Kou. 
“I didn’t bring any souvenirs, but I finished your outfits long ago!” 
I showed the two of them the clothes I’d made for them. Just then, Father, Sakura, and the others came walking out of the inn. 
“Motoyasu! We were worried! We left you all alone and then came back to find the inn like that,” Father said. 
“I sustained no injuries, I say! More importantly, are all of you okay?” 
“Yeah. Sakura and the other filolials fought off the people that attacked us,” he replied. 
“These filolials are ridiculously strong. My presence may no longer be needed here,” Éclair said quietly. 
Bwahaha! She was right! So very right! Filolials reigned supreme! They were the ultimate species — the strongest species! Pitiful humans could never measure up to the majestic filolials, I say! But it sure was insightful of Éclair to have realized that. 
“Mr. Iwatani was really worried about you. He’s hardly rested at all since we arrived at the inn. Come, Mr. Kitamura. Both of you should get some rest,” Éclair suggested. 
“Understood, I say!” 
“Fortunately for us, this town seems to be a hot springs resort. It’s the perfect place to recover from the fatigue of our travels, don’t you think?” 
Éclair seemed giddy with anticipation. Hmm . . . 
“Kitamuraaa! Clooothes!” Kou prodded. 
“You can put them on once you’ve bathed yourself properly, I say!” 
“Okaaay! Everyone, to the baaaaths!” 
“Good idea. I’m worn out after today. Let’s clean up and relax a bit,” Father agreed. 
We all decided to take a bath at the hot springs, now that we’d finally met back up. This time the baths seemed to be made of stone. They had a rough, unpolished feel that was different from the elegant Japanese-style baths at the hot springs on the Cal Mira islands. 

I’d expected something more grandiose, like the Roman baths, but I guess this region was mostly just a hub of trade. On top of that, frequent wars meant that control of the region was constantly changing, so the more refined aspects of cultures would never take root. Regardless, the baths were still divided by gender. And that could mean only one thing . . . Muhahaha, I say! 
“You’re lucky, Kou. You get to bathe with Motoyasu,” said Yuki. 
“Heh heh heh! Kitamura! Let’s wash each other’s backs!” Kou said. 
“Of course, I say!” 
Yuki and Sakura enjoyed talking with us guys. But Father had told me in the past that girls belong in the women’s bath. 
“Éclair, please take Yuki and Sakura with you.” 
Éclair sighed. 
“I give up. Call me whatever you want,” she said. 
Muhaha . . . Muhahaha! It wasn’t long now until we would get a glimpse of heaven, I say! Father noticed the expression on my face and started eyeing me suspiciously. 
“Umm, Motoyasu . . . Surely you’re not thinking of trying to take a peek, are you?” 
“Ha! Ha! Ha! Of course I am! I can’t wait to get a glimpse of Yuki and Sakura!” 
“How can you admit it so brazenly, Mr. Kitamura?!” Éclair asked. 
I wouldn’t be able to see Filo-tan here, but as a man, peeping was still my job when at the hot springs, I say! And getting peeped at made the women even more attractive. Experiencing the embarrassment that came with having to hide their naked bodies from the prying eyes of men would only increase Yuki’s and Sakura’s feminine charm, I say! 
As their father, it was my duty to teach them these things. That was nothing to be ashamed of. 
“It’s impressive that you guessed what he was thinking, Mr. Iwatani,” Éclair said. 
“Well, his eyes were twinkling unmistakably. I didn’t want to believe it, but here we are.” 
“So that was it.” 
“But I usually have absolutely no idea what’s going through his head.” 
“Naofumiii . . . Will you be okay without me? Should we bathe together?” Sakura asked. 
“Huh? No, it’s okay. I have Motoyasu and Kou with me. I’ll be fine, so you go bathe with them.” 
“Okaaay! I’ll come find you in a little bit, then!” 
“You heard what I just said, right? Eclair, please keep an eye on them.” 
“Yes, I will. You keep Mr. Kitamura under control too.” 
“Yeah, got it. I’ll try my best, anyway.” 
Father and Éclair stopped talking to each other for a moment and then they both let out a deep sigh. 
“How in the world did I end up looking after a bunch of children?” Éclair mumbled. 
“Motoyasu is super helpful, but he gets out of control sometimes and trying to talk sense into him is practically impossible,” Father replied. 
“Ha! Ha! Ha! You’re such a jokester, Father! I’m sincerely doing my very best to help you all, I say!” 
For some reason, they both sighed deeply once more before turning around and walking away in opposite directions toward the baths.