Leon Greyrat: The Second Son – Mushoku Tensei OC

Chapter 134 – Adventurous Youth

— Leon Anemoi Greyrat —

“Papa… you’re the worst…”

“I know sweetie. I’m the worst,” I said, gently lowering Anna onto the couch. “So how about you take your revenge on me in your dreams, okay? Have a nice long rest.”

“Grr…” she groaned before her eyes eventually closed, her breathing evening out as she fell asleep.

Out like a light.

Well, considering our activity we had just finished, this was to be expected.

“How was her training?” Eris asked from the table, where Ariel, Sylphy, and Roxy were also sitting.

“Good… but for now, we’re still getting her fundamentals in place,” I said, covering the sleeping Anna with a blanket as I brushed her sweaty hair back out of her face.

Yep, she would definitely need a shower once she woke up, but for now, I would let her get her sleep.

“Ah… I’m surprised she isn’t bored,” Eris said.

“Well… she was quite angry at me, but I think she’s smart enough to know that it’s for her own good,” I replied.

The training in question had been quite simple, where Anna swung her sword down, over and over and over, and when she got worn out, I would simply heal her until her stamina and physical exhaustion had recovered, where she would then continue swinging, only stopping once the sun had begun to set.

While she was the one doing most of the work, it wasn’t like I was standing around doing nothing.

I had constantly been watching her, keeping my eyes sharp to see whenever her touki would fluctuate, although that was rare, and making sure her form and balance were perfect for every swing, to make her base strong and instinctual.

It was incredibly important for her to get a good foundation, as without it, all of her swordsmanship would end up being flawed, where she would end up having to correct it later on in order to improve.

I simply wanted my precious baby to have the best possible chances in terms of reaching her goals, and for now, Anna wanted to become as good of a swordsman as me, so there was no time to waste.

And she wasn’t the only child of mine training in swordsmanship.

While Aria still trained, if only because it was a fun way to stay fit, Ars had taken to swordsmanship as well, wanting to follow in his older sisters’ footsteps… but for now, it wasn’t to the same extent as them, and more of a casual thing until he found another way to entertain himself.

But once he reached the age of five… well, Eris had said that she wanted to be the one to train him, so I would simply pray for his well-being and help when I could.

Planting a final kiss on Anna’s forehead, I then made my way to the living room, wrapping my arms around both of Ariel and Sylphy’s shoulders, pulling them into a hug as they continued reading their books.

“What’s wrong, Leon?” Ariel asked.

“Just wondering how it’s going… you’re entering the second trimester, right?” I asked.

“You don’t need to worry, darling. We’ve both been through this before,” she replied, kissing my hand as she brushed me off. “That aside… I’ve been thinking that we have a little talk between the five of us.”

Roxy raised her eyebrow as she put down her cup of tea.

“Is that so? What brought this on?” she asked.

“Well, with Eris’ brother Julius starting his first year at the university, I thought it would be prudent that we talk about our own children… or, more specifically, their future,” Ariel said, closing her book.

The five of us all quieted down as we looked towards the centre of the table, with Sylphy having set down her book as well.

“Alright… I’m guessing we’re talking about their education?” Sylphy asked.

“Yeah, but we have already started teaching arithmetic to Aria, should we keep that plan?” I asked as I took a free chair.

“Mhmm… I do believe that having them start learning seriously after their first birthday is a good idea, with them learning to read and write beforehand… but I found a place near the edge of the city that I believe will work better,” Ariel said. “It was originally meant to be a noble preparation school for the university, but they’ve recently opened up a class to accommodate younger children as well, so I believe that it will be a good place for them to learn, and also gain some societal skills… what do you all think?”

A school, huh?

This would be the equivalent to a grade school back on Earth…

“Hmm… as long as there aren’t any security concerns. I don’t want to leave them with random people that I don’t know and can’t trust,” I said.

“I have that covered. I have already had the royal intelligence force ensure that everyone there are… of acceptable character,” Ariel said with a calm smile.

…That was a bit scary, but that was also a part of why I loved her.

Still…

“And how long would they be there on a daily basis?” I asked.

“Not that long. So you will still have all the time in the world to see and play with them,” Ariel said, giving me a smile. “Just going for a few hours every day should have them ready for the university entrance exam, especially with their additional skills in magic and swordsmanship.”

I see… that sounded fine to me.

“University… I suppose the best age for that would be earlier than later, right?” Roxy added. “We don’t want to overwhelm them when they’re too young, but we also want them to know what they want to do before it’s too late… so do you think after their second birthday would be best?”

“Probably,” Sylphy said. “And honestly, I would like them to go at the age of eight  or nine instead. That way, they will know what they want to do and have graduated by the time they become an adult.”

I nearly felt a frown form on my face at the mention of them being an adult.

Aria would be first… my cute Aria? Being an adult? Growing old, moving out, getting a husband, having children…

Urgh… at least that wouldn’t happen for another eight years.

“But if they only come home the entire time, I would be quite worried…” Roxy said with a troubled frown. “If it wasn’t for my adventuring party, I would have been in quite the bad position the first time I left my village… they need to learn some independence before they become adults.”

Yeah… she was right about that, no matter how much I wanted to disagree, saying that I would always be there for them… the kids needed to grow up eventually.

“Huh? Then just make them live at the dorms for the last two years or whatever,” Eris added with a shrug. “The brats can come home for the weekends, but they can grow their independence like that, right?”

“Hmm… that isn’t a bad idea, Eris,” Ariel added.

“And they could even find themselves a good friend… that sounds perfect!” Sylphy said with a clap of her hands.

Indeed… that was a good idea.

But still… that reminded me of something.

“Leon? Is something wrong?” Roxy asked.

Is something wrong…

“Not exactly…” I said, furrowing my brows as I snuck a glance over to the still sleeping Anna on the couch. “But speaking of independence… there was something I had overheard earlier today.”

Yeah… just before lunchtime, I had caught the kids in the middle of their ‘secret’ conversation, where they went over their plan they wanted to carry out undetected.

Now, I could just lecture them before they did anything, and maybe scold them a bit… but where would be the fun in that?

It was about time my kids had their fun in experiencing the world.

— Aria Greyrat —

“Okay guys! Is everyone ready?” I said, looking at my team gathered before me.

“Yes, sister…” the future sword master, Anna, said.

“Let’s do this, Aria!” Alaric, my trusty uncle, said.

“We’ve got this!” the ever-optimistic cousin of mine, Lana, said.

And of course, there was me, the greatest magician in the world, armed with my trusty wand, and surrounded by my beloved comrades.

“Alright! Dada went to take Emilia and Ars to the playground, and our Mamas are taking care of Roana and Alice, so we’re ready to commend the operation!” I said, sticking out my chest.

“Uhh… I think it’s ‘commence’, Aria,” Alaric added.

“Haha! Catching such a slip of the tongue… you are indeed worthy, dear uncle!” I said with a smile.

“Can you not call me that…” my uncle said. “It makes me feel awkward…”

I, of course, ignored him.

Because today was a special day!

“Listen up, team!” I said, meeting all of them in the eye as we stood at the edge of the front yard. “Our parents were all great adventurers at one point, and it’s about time that we follow in their footsteps! Mama Aria told me that Dada and Uncle Rudy were already super-duper strong at our age, so we need to show them that we’re just as awesome! Understood?”

“Yes…” all of them said in unison.

Hmm… not enough energy.

We were going to take a big step in our lives today, so that wouldn’t do!

“I said: understood!?” I shouted a little louder this time.

“Yes!” the three of them cheered, led by the excited Lana.

Hmm… Anna was still quite quiet… but I’ll let that slide for today.

“Good! Now, let’s go! And if we run into anyone, just say that Dada already went ahead, and that we’re just following him!” I said, turning around as I pointed my wand outward. “Now, let’s go and explore!”

And with that, we were off, marching through the street as we went past the town guards quite easily.

Hehe, I guess we just looked that professional, huh?

I was a bit worried when Alaric told me that Grandfather had gone to the city guard in the morning, as he might have run into us and ruined our plan, but it turns out that we were fine!

I really am a master of leadership and sneakiness, huh?

It only took an hour before we reached the forest, the target of today’s expedition, as we had only stopped once to have a snack.

Mama Sylphy really was the best for preparing such yummy food, and thankfully, she didn’t ask any questions about why I wanted some either.

How lucky!

Anyway, with our collective heads focused on the singular goal of exploring, we stepped into the forest, marching through the barren path as we prepared for anything that could come at us.

And then… trouble arrived, in the form of monsters.

Three of them, to be exact, with all of them looking like a big pig with a horn on their foreheads.

But… they were no match for us!

“Haha! Die!” I said, giggling with glee as I fired a line of ice spears towards them, instantly making two of them look like porcupines.

“Sister… please do not say something so scary with such a smile,” Anna said, rushing past me as she raised her sword. “But still… something like this is easy for us.”

She then swung down towards the last one that had been momentarily stunned by my spell, cutting deep into the beast as it fell down.

And that was it.

Total victory!

“Yes! That’s how we do it!” I said, turning back to the other two. “So? What do you think?”

“T-That… was cool… but scary…” Alaric said, slowly sheathing his sword.

“But still, that was awesome! I didn’t even have the chance to do anything!” Lana said, her bow held in her hands.

“Mhmm~ we’re just that amazing, I guess!” I said, turning back to the three monsters. “But with this, we have definitely proven ourselves…”

My eyes trailed towards the side of the path, next to one of the dead monsters, where a flat rock rested against the tree, barely covered by a bush.

What… was that?

I walked over to it, sending another spear into each of the monsters’ head as I passed to ensure they were dead as I then crouched down over the stone, instantly recognizing the lines and the big ‘X’ mark that the lines led towards, along with the little markings of trees.

A map.

And not just any map…

“This… this is a clue!” I shouted, widening my eyes as I picked up the rock. “Guys! We have something special here… a mystery!”

This was what I was hoping for!

A real adventure!

What laid at the end of this map?

A treasure? A book of mysterious knowledge?

Who knows, but that was the adventure part of it!

“Okay! Big news! We have stumbled upon a clue to a grand mystery!” I said, turning the rock so that the rest could see. “We need to find whatever that ‘X’ is, so let’s go this way!”

“Aria… it has the city on the top, so you have it backwards,” Anna said.

“I see… we’re going that way!” I said, pointing into the forest.

What a smart assistant, my dear sister was!

And so, we marched forward, continuing down the path as we branched off midway through to follow the map.

And at the end of it… we found another one.

“I see… perhaps there really is something at the end of this,” Alaric said, brushing his hand over the second slate. “But how could something like this not be touched on for so long?”

“Not many people go into this forest… so maybe that’s why?” Lana proposed, tilting her head in question.

“Maybe… but either way, we need to be careful. We have to get back by nightfall, and even now, our parents have likely noticed that we left,” Anna added with a troubled frown.

Ah… she was right.

I would probably need to apologize after this… but if we were already in trouble, we might as well continue.

And if there was a treasure at the end of this, just like I thought… I bet we could appease them with that!

“Good! Now, let’s continue, my team!” I said, narrowing my eyes at the slate. “This one follows down the river… so be careful not to fall! We don’t have time to waste with swimming!”

And more importantly, I didn’t bring my swimsuit!

Another lesson to be learned from this adventure!

“Okay, team. Let’s go!” I said, readjusting my small backpack as I led us forward once again.

Upon reaching the mark by the river, we found yet another map piece, and following that, only stopping to defeat some bunny-like monsters on the way, which made me sad to kill, we then found the last piece of the puzzle.

And at the end of that puzzle…

“I was right… a treasure chest!” I shouted, seeing the small chest glimmering under the sunlight.

“Yes… but why would someone leave a treasure chest in the middle of the forest? And with all those maps too… it’s weird,” Anna said.

“Yeah, but who cares, it’s finders keepers!” I said, walking forward.@@novelbin@@

“Wait, Aria. It might be dangerous,” Alaric said, reaching out to stop me.

Ah! He was right!

Traps… Mama did say that she had encountered many in different dungeons, and she was even able to see Dada after a long time apart after getting caught in one.

But if it was dangerous… she always said to use a spell to test it.

“I got it,” I said, raising my wand forward.

Narrowing my eyes, I generated a large icicle, slowly making it float forwards before it knocked on the chest, and then dropped to the ground.

And… there was nothing.

So we should be good, right?

“Okay… let’s see what we got, everyone,” I said, taking a hesitant step forward as we surrounded the chest.

And with Anna destroying the brittle lock on the latch with a swing of her sword, I slowly lifted the lid, revealing a… book?

No… there were four coats in there too… all the perfect size for the four of us.

This…

“What luck!” I exclaimed. “Truly, the world always awards adventurers!”

“Umm… Aria… isn’t this a bit strange?” Anna said with a frown. “Why would someone make all this, just for a few coats and a book… not to mention how they almost seem like the perfect size for-”

Grooaaah!

The four of us paused, slowly turning our heads towards the source of the noise as a giant bear-like monster stepped into the clearing, it’s maw wide as it stood nearly as tall as the woods, the thumps of fallen branches and trees accompanying it.

Now while I was strong… that thing was a different story.

No… I was a bit scared… but more importantly…

“S-Stay back!” I said, stepping forward as I raised my wand. “And you! Go away!”

More importantly, I would never let my family get hurt before me!

But just as I was about to conjure a large spike of ice, a shadow darted from the side, closing the distance with the monster in an instant as a flash of white spread across the clearing.

A big boom resounded, and I felt my hair get blown back from the wind, and an instant later… the bear was decimated, having been cut into pieces that were promptly set alight in a bright blue flame.

“You kids… and Aria especially… good job,” a familiar voice said as he slowly sheathed his sword, walking over to us with a calm gait. “That was quite scary, huh? I thought that you shouldn’t think the forest was so easy, but that might have been too much to let through… so, sorry.”

My nervousness vanished in an instant as I instantly ran forward, with Dada crouching down to catch me in a hug as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

“Dada! You saved us!” I said.

“Yep, I sure did,” he said, patting my head before his voice grew a little firmer. “And? Do you five have anything to say for yourselves?”

Ah… right.

We had run away from home, so he must have been quite scared and upset.

But… he didn’t seem that way… so why?

…Oh!

“Dada… did you… know?” I asked, leaning back to look at his face.

“From what he said, no only did he know, but he was also watching the entire time… weren’t you, Papa?” Anna asked, walking over with a slight pout. “I thought that Sister’s plan was going too well…”

Yeah, things were- hold on a moment!

“What do you mean by that?” I asked, turning towards her.

“Aria… it’s just… you’re you, you know?” Anna said with a troubled expression.

…I had never felt more betrayed than at this moment.

Anna… so you trusted me so little…

“Don’t fight. And yes, I was watching the entire time,” Dada said, setting me down as he looked at all four of us. “So? Was your little adventure fun?”

Was it fun…?

Of course it was!

“Yeah!” I exclaimed along with Lana, while Alaric and Anna simply nodded their heads in agreement.

“I thought so… then it was all worth it,” Dada said, giving us a smile.

Wait… it was all worth it…

“Are you the one who set up those clues?” I asked, looking over to him.

“Yeah,” he answered. “I had heard about you guys planning to escape a few nights ago, so I decided to give you something to do… but I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed it.”

Grr… as much as it sucked to know that we weren’t actually finding any left-behind, super secret clues and treasure, to know that Dada had set all this up for us… I was really happy.

I mean, it was so exciting, and even though the clues were fake, I fought against real monsters!

“But still… I only allowed you four to have this much because it was your first time out of the city, and because I had known about it beforehand,” Dada then said, his tone turning serious once more as he narrowed his eyes. “Do not do this again, understood? If you want to fight monsters, or go explore something, come to us first. Got it?”

“Got it!” I exclaimed, my smile widening as I puffed up my cheeks.

Mama always said this was how she made Dada not get mad at her… or was it about getting him to do what she wanted?

I kinda forget, but acting cute always worked with Dada!

The other three also agreed with him, with Anna giving him an apologetic hug as well.

“Good… don’t worry, I’m not angry at you four, since it’s expected for kids to do dumb things… but the same doesn’t go for your mothers,” he said, giving us each a pat on the head. “Be prepared for a scolding when we get home, okay?”

…Oh no.

My gaze flickered over to the others, only to see the same fear in their eyes as I likely had.

I know that Mama and Mama Sylphy were quite gentle in their scolding, but if it was Mama Eri… well, I just had to hope that didn’t happen.

Mama Eri loved adventuring, so surely she would be more understanding, right?

Yeah… I really hoped that was the case.

But as it turned out, when I got back home, I realized that it was neither of those three Mamas that would handle Anna and I’s scolding.

Instead… it was the scariest of them all… Mama Ariel.

As Uncle Rudy would say… the ‘hidden boss’.

I never knew that having someone stare at you in silence could be worse than any words or spankings… but one thing was for sure.

The next time I wanted to go on an adventure, I would definitely ask Dada first.