TYHL 176

~Chapter 176~

Khalid had made quite a name for himself lately. He became the vanguard of a huge monster-slaying force right at the border between the Kingdom of Cassalia and the western continent.

He originally went there to search for Rubian’s magic monument, but since the place turned out to be smack in the middle of a massive monster habitat, he volunteered for the hunt himself.

The Bamilon Empire supported the effort on moral grounds, and soon a temporary alliance with Cassalia was formed to tackle the monster crisis together.

Just recently, after a long campaign, word finally arrived—they’d won.

“So he went out to find a magic monument and just came back with bigger muscles,”
Rubian muttered. Then, suddenly struck by a thought, she looked up at her father.

“Dad, you saw Khalid, right? How tall is he now?”

There was definitely a spark of rivalry in her voice.

“Hm.”

Leviathan thought about it. He’d gone to the front a few times himself to deliver supplies, though Khalid never really needed any help.

To be honest, he couldn’t quite remember exactly how tall Khalid was—were they about eye-level now?

“Wait, maybe not,”
he thought.
After all, he raised that kid himself.

The last time he saw Khalid, he was still just a scrappy brat running around the training yard. So…

“About this tall,” Leviathan said, gesturing just below his own neck.

“Really? That’s it? He didn’t grow as much as I thought. Guess he wore himself out fighting all those monsters. Poor guy.”

Rubian looked genuinely sympathetic.

Leviathan ruffled her round head again. Her fluffy hair made her look just like a dandelion puff—adorable as always.

“Anyway, when Khalid gets back, he’ll have some well-earned vacation time. You two can go out together and—”

Suddenly, a memory flashed:

“How’s Rubian doing these days?”

Those stormy blue-gray eyes came to mind.

Why did that suddenly irritate him?

Thinking about how much deeper and calmer Khalid’s eyes had gotten, Leviathan felt a wave of unease.

“Dad? Why’d you stop talking? You were going to say I should go out with Khalid, right?”

“No, Ruby. I didn’t say anything.”

He smiled kindly.

“Liar. You totally said you’d give Khalid some time off so—”

“No, I didn’t say that.”

“Huh?”

Oh no. Is Dad getting forgetful already?

Rubian looked at him seriously.

“Just go out with your mom, Rose. Okay?”

He tried to sound firm, but honestly…

‘Why does it already feel like I’ve lost this argument?’

That’s exactly how it felt.

“Mom’s here! That’s Mom’s carriage!”

I waved wildly from the manor gates.

I’d barely started yelling before the carriage door flew open in the distance.

A pink-haired figure tumbled out like a banner, not even waiting for the footman.

“Mommy!”

“Rubyyy!”

I dashed across the courtyard without hesitation.

Sure, adults aren’t supposed to act like this—but who can resist their mom?

She swept me into the softest, warmest hug.

“What took you so long? I missed you! I wrote you a hundred letters while I waited!”

“Sorry, sorry. Something came up along the way!”

“Something?”

“Oh, let me tell you—one of the wheels just popped right off the carriage on the road.”

“What?!”

“And, just then, a band of thieves showed up. Lucky for us, they had a perfectly good carriage…”

“And then?”

“So we swapped.”

She made a swapping gesture with her hands.

Did she… rob the robbers?

“And then I had to hand them over to the local guards. That took a while! Sorry, Rubyyy.”

She smooshed her cheek into my hair.

“I—I’m a grown-up now, though…”

“I know, I know.”

But honestly, there’s no resisting my mom’s hugs. They’re just too warm and soft!

“Oh wow, you’re up to my nose already!”

She patted my back, and I laughed with pride.

“I’m still growing. This is my growth phase!”

“Hmm, not much growing happens after seventeen, though.”

“That’s not true! According to ‘The First Step to Being an Impressive Adult,’ you can keep growing after twenty—”

“All right, all right.”

“This reunion is sweet and all—”
A voice cut in, from the shadowy figure standing nearby.

“Why not finish hugging inside? It’s cold out.”

Oh, right. Dad’s here.

Mom spun me around and tucked me under her chin.

“What’s up, handsome? For a second, I thought you were a statue. Are you interested in me or something?”

Dad just shrugged and smiled.

“How could I not be?”

“Oh wow. Look at you, trying to seduce me with your looks. I almost married you all over again.”

I giggled from the middle.

“Well, I guess I’ll just have to stay and live with you both, huh?”

“Yes!”

Family happiness, secured!

Even though Mom and Dad had been apart for two whole seasons, I—ever the dutiful daughter—grabbed both their hands and held them together.

“Hmm, but I want to hold Ruby’s hand too,”
Mom said, reaching out.

I grabbed her hand without hesitation.

“Wait—if I stand next to you—”

“What, Ruby? Are you ignoring your dad just because Mom’s here?”

“…What am I supposed to do?”

“Aha!”

I took both their hands and smiled with satisfaction.

“How’s this?”

“Ingenious. Smart.”

“…Is this really it?”

Hand in hand, our perfectly harmless trio crossed the gates of the manor.

I caught Mom blushing as Dad stubbornly refused to let go, and I leaned in close.

“But Ruby,”
she said,

“Yes?”

“How many love letters did you get at the Academy this semester?”

Uh-oh.

I looked around nervously, but Dad was still trapped in our family circle, blushing and embarrassed.

I whispered to Mom,

“…Fifteen.”

“Oh my.”

Her eyes went wide, and she let go of Dad’s hand without a second thought.

“What’s going on?”

Dad looked down at his empty palm, totally lost.

“I’m sleeping with Rubian tonight.”

“…Huh?”

“That’s just how it is. Let’s go, Ruby! We have so much to catch up on, don’t we?”

“Yes!”

I linked arms with her and we walked away.

“Wow…”

Behind us, Dad let out a deep sigh.

“Is this… a wall I can’t climb?”

Mother and daughter—an unbeatable fortress.

‘All right,’
he decided,
‘This will be the topic for our next family meeting.’

Cassalia borderlands.

Boom.

At last, the final monster flipped over and collapsed.

Toxic black ooze began to spread everywhere.

Just as Liam Zebert predicted.

“Oh, come on! Move, move!”
Allen yelped, dodging the ooze.

“Get out of the way! It’ll melt your shoes—damn it, Khalid’s the only one with waterproof boots.”

Step, step.

Allen spat on the ground, watching Khalid’s broad back as he strode away, perfectly dry thanks to his special boots.

Deep in the dark cave.

With the last monster down, the monument they’d been hiding was finally revealed.

“…Damn.”

That took forever.

Khalid let out a long breath.

With a flick of his sword, he shook off the dark red blood, splattering it everywhere—even across his face, though he didn’t flinch.

The last traces of boyhood were gone. He had the sharp, cold look of a man now.

His large, rough hand pushed his dark blue hair back, and his blue-gray eyes swept the cave, sharp as ever.