Chapter 178

After some time passed, I became somewhat close with the kids, except for Damian. With Aila, at least, I could have simple conversations. The problem was…

“Hi?”

“…Yeah.”

“So, did you sleep well?”

“…Yeah.”

“So, is there anything you want for breakfast?”

“…Chocolate muffin.”

The conversations always flowed like this, and there was no progress at all. Among the kids from the future, she was the hardest to communicate with. It felt like she had surpassed shyness and entered a whole new realm. I couldn’t believe she was being taken care of like this. Meanwhile, Airi seemed to have a better handle on the situation, even to the point of hugging her.

Violet, the daughter between me and Camelian Peony… was both easy and hard to communicate with. It might sound like nonsense, but it was true.

“Can I call you… Father…?”

“Sure, if it’s just in private.”

“Then, Father…zzzz…”

She fell asleep mid-sentence. Whether it was narcolepsy or something else, she seemed to sleep 19 hours out of 24. She’d fall asleep while talking, eating, or even bathing, almost drowning once. According to her, she just couldn’t resist sleep. Is there some invisible Conan around or what?

As for Rachel, the daughter between me and Glacia… communication was a nightmare.

A while ago, I saw her practicing swordsmanship, so I sneaked up and tried to strike up a conversation.

“Hey, busy from the morning, huh?”

Rachel had blue eyes like mine and the same white hair as Glacia. While Aila, who still had a childlike cuteness, and Violet, who had a somewhat dreamy but calm beauty, were both stunning… they couldn’t compare to Rachel’s noble and cold beauty. Of course, they might change as they grow older.

“Ah, Father, you’re here?”

Rachel wiped her sweat with a towel and gave me a light greeting. Honestly, being called “Father” at this age felt awkward, but it would’ve been worse to deny her wish. Besides, if you don’t let someone call their father “Father,” you know what happens—just look at Korea. Heo Gyun even wrote about it in easy-to-read Korean.

I didn’t want this continent to turn into Yuldo Country, so I allowed it… but that wasn’t enough for her, as she spent all day practicing swordsmanship.

“Why are you so obsessed with swordsmanship…?”

“There’s no trace of vampire blood left in me. So, all I have left is this swordsmanship.”

“I get that, but why are you pushing yourself so hard to get stronger…?”

“Because once everything is over, I have to kill my brother. I’ve already told him. As you know, he’s first-rate in skill. So, to kill him, I need to grow as strong as possible.”

Wait, you can call me “Father” and him “Brother,” so why are you trying to kill him and cut that right in half…?

“Do you hate him that much?”

“He’s the kind of person who would coldly reject Aila when she asked him to go to a festival together, always running off somewhere. He never showed up when I was sick, or when my siblings were sick, or even on birthdays.”

“…I see.”

I didn’t want to meddle in something I didn’t fully understand. Honestly, I didn’t have the right to interfere anyway.

—

Anyway, I tried my best to fulfill all their requests, but it felt like I was spoiling them too much. Even so, being dragged to this tiny festival… no, it’s not even worth calling a festival. It was more like a local market fair. Even though Aila strongly wished for it… I was already swamped with work, and now I had to deal with this too.

Of course, I initially tried to politely decline. But before coming here, she had said she wanted to go to a festival with her parents, so I had no choice but to go.

“This is ridiculous.”

Reluctantly, I took everyone to that tiny festival… no, market fair. Well, it was somewhat set up like a festival, but everything was so shoddy it was a problem.

“Um… this…”

Aila suddenly asked for a festival skewer from a stall. It was a chicken skewer, something like a hot dog or tteokbokki you’d find at festivals in the empire… chicken and potatoes dipped in an overly sweet sauce and grilled.

The moment I took a bite, my face automatically scrunched up. The tacky sweetness and cheap chicken flavor overwhelmed my mouth.

“Yep, it’s terrible.”

It wasn’t just me; the other women seemed to think the same.

“Ugh… I’m not really into this kind of food…”

Glacia, who had grown up eating only the finest things, clearly didn’t find this commoner’s food to her taste.

“Kids might like this kind of food, though.”

Camelian Peony also seemed to find it unappetizing.

“Master, this is made with cheap honey berries from around here. How could it possibly taste good?”

Even Airi was defeated. I don’t know why they sell this at festivals. But the kids seemed to have different taste buds, as they were all happily eating the overly sweet skewers.

“Is it really that good?”

“…Yes.”

It was a strange feeling. I never wanted to be a parent, and I hated kids… but with kids like these, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. But seriously, this is way too sweet. It’s like they poured saccharin into it.

Meanwhile, Ares, who was in charge of watching the kids, started ordering more skewers after eating one.

“Ah, could I get five skewers to go? And instead of the sauce, could you sprinkle an excessive amount of salt on them?”

This was already bizarre enough, but what kind of monstrosity is that, you lunatic… I know old people like salty things, but…

“Werner.”

Camelian Peony suddenly approached me and wiped the corner of my mouth with a handkerchief. This was how our relationship had always been. If I got something on my face, she’d come wipe it off and scold me for acting like a child.

“You’re still so careless.”

“…Hearing that at the doorstep of thirty.”

If Lorcha were here, she’d have slapped my back for bringing up age. She’s 28, so she’ll be 30 soon too.

“Ah, Master, wait a second.”

At the sudden call, I turned my gaze toward Airi, and the sauce from the skewer she was holding got on my face again.

“Ah, the sauce got on you again. Let me wipe it off.”

Airi said that and wiped my mouth with a handkerchief. Is this some kind of vicious cycle? It’s not like we’re in a folktale.

“Lord Werner.”

The moment I heard Glacia’s voice, I foresaw my sticky, sweet future. And that foresight turned out to be exactly right.

And so, my cheek became a mess of that damn sauce. No, they even ordered more of those tasteless skewers just to smear more sauce on my cheek. The kids’ pitying stares were just the cherry on top.

They say sugar has a tenderizing effect, and I could feel my cheek becoming softer. Damn it.

Forget the festival, I just wanted to go home, take a shower, and collapse into a nap.

—

Suddenly, Ares, who had disappeared, approached Damian, who had been secretly watching the group from an alley. There were already a few corpses scattered in the alley. They seemed to be members of a notorious gang that harassed women in the area.

But Ares didn’t even glance at their corpses and walked straight up to Damian.

“You’ve been working hard, keeping watch.”

“…I just happened to cross paths while killing these guys. No need for something as pointless as keeping watch.”

Ares took out a festival skewer from a bag and handed it to Damian.

“…What’s this?”

“A festival skewer. Meat and potatoes grilled in a sweet sauce. It’s a famous dish that’s been around for 300 years… You don’t know it?”

“…I do.”

“Eat it before it gets cold.”

Ares slightly removed his mask and brought the skewer to his mouth.

“…It’s sweet.”

“Is that so? Does it really taste sweet to you?”

Ares sat on a box opposite Damian and got straight to the point.

“So, how much longer do you have?”

“I don’t understand the intent of your question. I have no obligation to answer such a pathetic question.”

Damian got up and left, and Ares quietly watched the spot where he had been.

“Rich people are all the same. No need for a paternity test.”

Ares took a bite of the skewer Damian had left behind.

“As expected…”