A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

“You can tell me what happened,” Father Thun suddenly said, interrupting Beatley.

"But please don't say these things like your last words."

"In that case, the person under the most pressure is not me, but yourself."

“The goddess of fortune will not abandon anyone, because she was not on anyone’s side in the first place,” Father Thun said softly, picking up the ring hanging around his neck.

"After all, it's a golden seed, isn't it?"

“Moreover, entrusting important matters to strangers upon first meeting them is a rather unwise choice,” the priest said.

“No, I suddenly feel that this is the most prudent choice,” Betley said earnestly, his most heartfelt words after hearing the priest’s advice. The capital city remained peaceful and calm throughout the day.

Bray sat on the sofa at home, resting his chin on his hand as he looked at his daughter on the floor.

"Ah!!! Ah!!!" Nia pressed her belly against the floor, her little hands and feet moving at a frantic speed.

No matter how hard Nia tried, she couldn't move forward even half a meter; instead, she just spun around on the floor.

This is my daughter's latest challenge—learning how to crawl.

But this was the first time Bray had ever seen a baby crawl, and it was just too bizarre.

Or is it just that your daughter was acting so strangely when she was learning to crawl?

Nia looks like this now...

"Looks really stupid," Bray remarked.

But as soon as he finished speaking, Naruko hit him on the head with a newspaper.

"Why would anyone complain about their daughter who's not even a year old?!" Naruko roared, then hit the unruly Bray a few times with a newspaper.

"Emmmm," Bree's expression was a little subtle after being hit, but he didn't retaliate against Naruto.

Never mind... it doesn't hurt at all anyway.

“Isn’t Nia one year old?” Bray asked, puzzled.

"You didn't even calculate your daughter's age?! She's ten months old! Ten months old!"

"..." Bray fell silent, beginning to reflect on whether he was somewhat inadequate as a new father.

However, nowadays, should a child's age be calculated by month? Bray thought it was fine to calculate it by one year.

In that case, when someone asks Nia how old she is in the future, will she still have to say how many years and months she is?

"Just thinking about it makes me realize how troublesome it is. Does this mean Nia's age will be calculated in months from now on?"

"In that case, the other parents seem really impressive." Bray looked dejected.

Do you all calculate your child's age by the month?

"Only the first two years." Naruko was speechless at Bree's bizarre thought process.

“Is that so?” Bray said, lifting Nia, who was convulsing on the ground, up.

Nia, who was being hugged by Bray, gave her father a cute smile.

It seemed to be quite fun for her to be on the ground just now.

“Bang!” Nia uttered a single word and then pointed to Levy, who was sunbathing on the windowsill.

Levy now gives off the vibe of a lazy house cat, even though she was originally a passionate police lion.

Bray and Naruko exchanged a glance.

“I’m your father,” Bray said expressionlessly.

"Bang!!!!!" Nia didn't understand what Bray was saying, but she shouted even louder.

"Nia~ over here, Mommy's over here!" Naruko opened her arms and called out affectionately.

"Pa~" Nia responded to Naruko's call, but the word she uttered was a little strange.

I should probably call her "ma". But since she's my own daughter, it doesn't matter.

Despite calling out, Nia still obediently snuggled into Naruko's arms.

"Let's go out and play!" Naruko shouted, raising her arms, and then disappeared.

“…” Bray stared speechlessly at the door that had been pushed open and then closed again, and pinched his bangs.

So why was this mother and daughter out while I was still at home?

Unfortunately, even if I wanted to complain, I couldn't, since the person had already left.

Bray dragged a chair from the dining table and moved it to a sunny spot by the window.

"Hmm?" The languid Levy noticed Bray's movement and shifted her position.

"Bree~ over here." Levy said in a soft, sweet voice, making way for a spacious area =V=.

Bray didn't make a fuss; he simply lay down on the chair in that empty spot like a salted fish, enjoying the sun.

Even if you don't go out, lying like this is quite comfortable.

The security situation in various places is now extremely chaotic, and the Eastern and Western Continents have completely fallen.

However, the sun still rises as always and sets day after day.

While Bray wasn't indifferent to Kapras's current situation, he wasn't nervous or flustered either.

When I encounter something I should do, I will do it myself.

“The situation in the Middle Continent seems alright,” Bray muttered to himself.

Jonathan's words to him a few months ago are still deeply etched in Bray's mind.

"Is the Central Continent next...?" He lowered his right eye.

“This is a headache.” Bray casually touched Levy’s hair.

"Hey~" Although I don't know why Bray suddenly started stroking his hair, as long as he's happy, that's all that matters.

Bray was happy, and Levy was happy too.

Bray suddenly wondered if it was inappropriate for him to be so relaxed during such a tense time.

But to be honest, besides that, Bray really didn't know what else to do.

He's not an intellectual type who can devise all sorts of plans; he's always just taken things one step at a time.

It's unrealistic to expect Bray to go out and hunt silver-tier monsters; that's just too much to ask.

Moreover, even Nicol Bolas seemed to be doing nothing during this time.

So Bree would spend his days drinking tea, basking in the sun, and showing off his daughter.

It feels great; there's not a trace of dissatisfaction or anxiety.

“Levy,” Bray said, stroking Levy’s fur slowly and deliberately, like an old man.

"Hmm?" Levy turned her head and looked at Bray with a puzzled expression.

"Do you think there's anything in this world that, once eaten, can make you instantly smarter?" Bray said, making no sense.

"?" A big question mark appeared above Levy's head, and her expression was a little subtle =A=.

Levy isn't very bright either, and Bray's problem seems extremely difficult.

"Probably, after all, you can even pluck stars from the sky." With that, Bray glanced at the crystal ball casually placed on the cabinet.

That was a "star" that I had worked my butt off to earn, but now it's just lying around carelessly in a place where it could fall at any moment.

"Yes," Levy finally answered with great certainty after what seemed like a quarter of an hour of lag.

"How can you be so sure?" Bray looked at Levy's lovely smiling face with some surprise.

"I don't know, I just feel that what Bray wants has a chance of coming," Levy answered honestly. She just felt that since Bray asked, it must be possible.

"..." Bray was stunned for a long time, and finally chose to continue stroking Levy's hair.

"Does Bray want it?"

"This is something that even those of us who aren't smart have thought about."

"Oh~" Reibi, not understanding what was going on, agreed and went back to sunbathing.

"Fireball, fetch me a newspaper." Bray casually asked Fireball, who was licking his fur nearby, for a handy request.

"Meow?" Fireball looked at Bray with a confused expression.

He shouldn't be a dog, but a lion, so why does this person order him around so easily?

Stop joking! His little master only has Levy, who are you to compare yourself to?!

Seeing that the fireball ignored him, Bray snapped his fingers.

"..." Fireball fell silent, then lowered its head and obediently ran to fetch a newspaper for Bray. "Look, Captain Alice, this is our Nia!" Naruko proudly placed Nia in front of Alice.

Alice sat in a slightly deserted restaurant, looking at Nia with listless eyes.

Next to Alice was Eric, who started eating raw or cold food after finishing his meal.

For various reasons, many stores have experienced a significant drop in business.

However, given their livelihoods, these shops naturally couldn't stay closed.

Captain Alice and Colonel Eric both love this shop, so they come back often.

And today, Naruko happened to be passing by.

Naruko wasn't particularly close to Alice and Eric, but Bray was.

If we round it off, we're all good friends.

"What a lovely child," Alice said, then forked a piece of steak and put it into her little mouth.

Naruko was genuinely pleased when Nia was praised for being cute, but she couldn't help feeling that Alice's tone was a bit listless.

"Didn't you sleep well?" Naruko asked instinctively.

"Yes, I've been staying up late all month." Alice paused in her eating and answered Naruko's question calmly.

“Work has been tough lately,” Eric added.

The empire is not only in a state of disorder, but also facing a host of other troubles.

This has made it impossible for Eric, who usually slacks off, to slack off properly anymore.

"Well... everyone looks like they've had a really tough time," Naruko remarked.

“No, you seem to be doing just fine.” Eric shrugged.

Naruko looked all smiles, as if she hadn't encountered anything particularly unpleasant in her life.

"By the way, Bray and I already have a child, when are you two going to have one together?" Naruko casually remarked while teasing Nia.

"Pfft—" Eric spat out all the food he was eating.

"Cough cough..." He pounded his chest hard, choking from the fright he had just been in.

"Miss, what are you talking about?" Eric wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"See, this guy is like this, so I don't know when it will happen." Alice, on the other hand, was very calm, and even ate faster.

Captain Alice ate as if she were venting her anger on something.

"Ah, Uncle and Auntie are really hard to understand," Naruko said to Nia, shaking her gently.

“I’m not your uncle,” Eric solemnly corrected Naruko.

“I’m not an aunt either.” Alice bent the fork with her thumb.

Eric and Alice exuded a menacing aura, and Naruko suddenly felt a chill on her neck.

Even Nia's expression froze, her little hands waving in the air, unsure of what to do.

The intimidating aura of the uncle and aunt was so strong that even the children felt it deeply.

"My daughter and I will be going now," Naruko said hastily, shrinking her neck.

Eek, she only felt this way when Bray took the scabbard.

It's terrifying; it looks like it's about to devour her.

"Here's the money for the meal, goodbye, boss!" Naruko waved to Eric and Alice, then ran out of the restaurant without looking back.