The mansion of Minister Herness Serban in the Zers Empire.
Inside that mansion, there existed a secret room where no eavesdropping magic could penetrate.
Heness used this room for only the most confidential talks, and there he was speaking with Odilson, one of the three commanders of the empire and the top man of the military.
Could it be because it was a secret room?
The room was shrouded in an oppressive darkness.
“Has His Majesty really made up his mind?”
Odilson asked Herness in a heavy voice. His voice was laden with countless emotions.
Regret, pain, and sighs echoed as Herness replied.
“Yes… The official announcement will likely be after His Majesty’s coming-of-age ceremony, but it seems that way.”
At Herness’s words, Odilson touched the eye he had lost to the past war. It was still a wound that ached on rainy days.
But what pained him more than that wound was the reality that this wound would not end with his turn.
“Sigh… Is the era of peace really coming to an end…?”
Frustrated, Odilson stood and sighed while staring at the wall. The weather that day was exceptionally clear.
Yet within that sealed secret room, it was certainly raining.
Very, very dark rain.
*
I had just finished my recuperation, and my condition had almost returned to normal.
In fact, I had already recovered a week ago, but Master, Sylvia, Julia, and even Sora had pressured me to rest, so I spent a whole week cooped up in my room.
I truly thought I would die of boredom without doing anything during that time.
Indeed, people must live by working.
Just as I was eagerly thinking about returning to my lab and churning out some game ideas, astonishing news broke.
It was the news of Karen’s pregnancy.
“Congratulations, Karen!”
“Congratulations! Big Sis Karen!!”
“Thank you, Master, Lauren.”
Karen sat in a maternity chair receiving congratulations from the entire family of the school.
Naturally, the father of the child was Jiren.
After hearing that news right after finishing my recuperation, I patted Jiren on the shoulder to congratulate him.
“Wow, Jiren! Congratulations.”
“Congratulations. Big Brother Jiren!”
“Haha!!! Thank you, everyone.”
Jiren couldn’t hide his smile as he received everyone’s congratulations.
While everyone was celebrating the joyful news, Sora asked Karen.
“But, Big Sis Karen, how many months along are you?”
“Just 2 months, Sora.”
Two months… Wait, 2 months!?
If it’s 2 months ago… That would’ve been right when the monster wave incident happened.
Come to think of it, that day when Karen evacuated the little priests to the neighboring city, Jiren went out to meet her and seemed to take a long time to return.
This brat… No way!?
As all the pieces fell into place, I hooked one arm around Jiren’s neck in a playful headlock.
“You little rascal!! While I was risking my life to fight, you were—oh! With Karen, doing that!?”
“AAAH!!!!! Older Brother!!! It hurts!!! I surrender!!! I surrender!!!!”
I poured all the vigor from my long recovery into Jiren, and he tapped my hand in surrender.
But my anger wouldn’t quell.
While I was in the middle of life-and-death battles, he was really…!
Feel the wrath of—!
*
“Aaaah, it still hurts, Older Brother.”
“Stop acting all tough… Here, have a drink.”
After the headlock incident settled down, that evening, Jiren and I climbed onto the rooftop of the old school building with some drinks and snacks.
It was one of the few joys of those difficult times, this occasional drink here when everyone else was asleep.
We clinked our glasses together, and I asked Jiren.
“So, have you set a date for the wedding?”
“We decided to do it as soon as possible. Karen wants to do it before her belly starts showing.”
“Oh, I see…”
Jiren and Karen hadn’t held their ceremony yet.
Hearing that they would officially become husband and wife made it feel real.
As I poured some drink into Jiren’s cup, I spoke with a mixture of emotions.
“Congratulations, Jiren, you can no longer live recklessly.”
“Thank you, Older Brother.”
We toasted, both of us having become people who couldn’t just die carelessly when considering being fathers.
Time really flies.
Those little ones grew up to become couples and start families; it almost made me tear up.
That’s when Jiren spoke up after taking a sip of his drink.
“Uh, Older Brother… Can I ask you for a favor?”
“What is it?”
Jiren, unusually serious, continued.
Why is he so serious about this?
“If possible, I would like you to be the godfather of my and Karen’s child.”
“Godfather? Me?”
“Yes.”
I couldn’t help but be surprised at Jiren’s request.
Even in the medieval culture of my past life, being a godfather held significant meaning, and in this world too it was a considerable honor to have a person of social standing become a child’s godfather.
It would be more beneficial for the kid if a prominent person like Minister Herness or the head of a noble family from the Edward family became the godfather.
“Wouldn’t it be better if someone more well-known did it? Perhaps Minister Herness? If you want, I can introduce you.”
“No, I want it to be you specifically.”
Jiren spoke firmly.
After taking a sip of his drink, he added.
“Older Brother saved me, and I was able to meet Karen. And while making games, many things happened. There were tough times, but looking back, they were all happy moments.”
Master saved me, I saved Jiren.
Then Jiren saved Karen, and Karen brought Noirin, and we became the Irene School.
Time seemed to have flown by, and so much had happened.
Recalling those memories made my heart swell.
“What allowed me those times was thanks to you, Older Brother. I hope this child can know that a bit.”
I turned my head at Jiren’s words.
It’s not that I turned my head to hide my tears.
It suddenly felt like it was raining.
Jiren chuckled softly at that.
I really wasn’t a person deserving of such words.
We were able to arrive here because everyone worked hard.
Everyone was here, and because of that, I could work hard.
I calmed down a moment’s sentimental heart and dried my eyes before saying.
“Alright. But I have a condition.”
“A condition?”
Upon hearing “condition,” Jiren’s expression darkened.
That expression looked similar to the one he had when I suggested he work overtime for a month.
Before he misunderstood further, I spoke up.
“You and Karen should officially adopt my family’s name.”
“Adopt?”
“Yeah, you both now need to live proudly under a proper surname.”
This was something I had thought about for a while.
I received a title from the imperial family and became a noble family.
The problem was I was currently the only member of a single family.
After asking Sylvia what to do, she provided the solution to this—adopt the priests into my family.
That way, my family would grow, and the priests wouldn’t face discrimination as orphans anymore.
As Jiren seemed to understand my intentions, it began to rain on his side as well.
It really felt like there was a downpour today.
“Be happy, Jiren… with Karen and that child. You… you all deserve to be happy.”
“Yes… thank you, Older Brother.”
I quietly sipped my drink beside Jiren.
Just as Jiren gradually grew quiet, a sudden thought from earlier in the day surfaced.
“But no matter how I think about it, what happened during the monster wave—!”
“AH! Seriously, stop it already!! I heard you were with Master too!!”
The shocking news that suddenly spouted from Jiren’s mouth shocked me right out of my drink.
No! How did he know!?
“You! Where did you—!?”
“Karen told me. She said you talked about it in the women’s gathering.”
“Wha… Really!?”
I knew there was a women’s gathering, but I didn’t think they would discuss such matters there.
The shocking news didn’t end there.
“And she said you were with Sylvia and even with Julia, then Sora has been with you every day! Oh, and just recently, you were with Riana as well. Wow, putting it all together, you really have lived, haven’t you?”
“I! You crazy bastard!!! Shut up!!!”
Unable to allow Jiren’s mouth to keep moving, I began a crackdown.
This little punk was getting too bold!!!
“『Slokini (Paralysis Magic)』!!!”
“You’re trying to stop me with Slokini, now that I’m a father? You must be dreaming!!!”
They say fathers are strong.
Is that why?
Jiren, now a father, certainly had a different air about him.
I really had raised a little tiger.
