Volume 9 - Epilogue

Epilogue 1: Family 

Having raced across the sky, Naden and I set down in front of Sir Albert’s manor. 

As we did, I spotted the doctor Brad sitting at one of the tables on the veranda which could be seen from the gate. He was wearing a string-like thing diagonally over top of his white clothes. 

I approached him, calling his name. “Brad?” 

Brad noticed me. “Oh, it’s the king. That’s an interesting getup you’re wearing today.” 

I realized I was still in my military uniform. We’d come here right after returning from the Union of Easter Nations, after all. There had been no time to get changed. 

“I was in a rush... and, I mean, aren’t you wearing something kind of weird, too?” 

“What choice do I have, the way things are here?” 

Brad turned to show me his back, and there was a baby less than a year old strapped behind him. It turned out the string running diagonally across the front of his chest was for a baby sling. 

When I approached and looked closer at the baby, it seemed to be sleeping. The wispy hair growing on the baby’s head matched Brad’s white hair, but on its forehead was the small, jewel-like third eye that was characteristic of the three-eyed race. Its puffy cheeks were adorable. 

“Cute,” I said admiringly. “I’ve heard you have a kid. Is this your kid, Brad?” 

“My daughter. Her name is Ludia.” 

“Ludia, huh. You took the L and D sounds from the end of Hilde’s name, huh... Wait, I know Ludia’s cute and all, but now’s not the time for this!” 

The adorable baby had momentarily distracted me from my original objective. 

“I came flying when I heard Liscia had gone into labor, so what are you doing sitting around relaxing here?!” 

“Fwah... Wahhhhhhhh!” Because of my shout, Ludia woke and burst out crying. 

“Ah, sorry! D-Don’t cry,” I said anxiously. 

“There, there... Could you not shout so loudly in front of Ludia?” Brad told me off while trying to soothe the daughter on his back. “Just having an adult they don’t know around is frightening enough for children.” 

I feel like he’d been more prickly a long time ago, but now he was totally in dad mode. 

The three of us worked together to get Ludia to settle down before I asked Brad the same question again. 

“I’m sorry for shouting. But since it’s twins, wasn’t it looking like you were going to have to do a Caesarean section? If I find you, the head doctor, out here, obviously I’m going to be concerned.” 

“So, about that... we ended up not doing one.” 

“Huh?! Why didn—Mmph!” 

“Souma! Quiet!” Naden covered my mouth and said that in a hushed voice. “You’ll make the baby cry again, you know?” 

The three of us looked at Ludia’s face... Yeah, it looked like she was sleeping. 

I moved Naden’s hand aside and took gasping breaths. 

“...Sorry. But why?” 

“At the mother’s request.” 

“Liscia’s?” 

“When I explained about the procedure, she refused. She said she didn’t want her stomach cut.” 

According to Brad, she hadn’t wanted her abdomen... or rather her abdominal muscles... to be cut during the Caesarean section. 

For Liscia, who partook in the martial arts, having her muscles cut meant she might not be able to stand on the battlefield the same way she had before. That was apparently why she had requested a natural delivery instead. 

“Fortunately, the babies are not in a bad position,” Brad said. “In Hilde’s estimation, a natural birth should be possible.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah. But she’ll be in pain for twice as long as an ordinary pregnancy. There are two of them, after all. Well, even with that explained, the mother requested a natural delivery, so that’s how it is... I don’t really understand her thinking, though, to be honest,” Brad said scratching his head. 

I agreed, but Naden said, “I feel like I get it,” showing some degree of understanding. Maybe it was some sort of motherly pride us men couldn’t understand. 

“Hilde’s attending to her closely now,” Brad said. “Obviously, if we determine she’s in danger, we’re prepared to switch over to the Caesarean. Are you all right with that, too, sire?” 

“If that’s what Liscia’s decided.” 

She had chosen not to have her muscles cut even if it meant being in pain for twice as long. 

Was Liscia that eager to stand on the battlefield? 

Brad told me I could talk to her about the details in person, so we headed inside the house. 

The maids were moving about frantically. The scene reminded me of the palace just after I was entrusted with the throne. 

I spotted a familiar maid and called out to her. “Carla!” 

“Wah?! ...Oh, it’s you, Master. You’ve returned to the country.” 

The dragonewt maid Carla turned around. She was wearing a maid dress with a skirt short enough that she wouldn’t be out of place working in a maid café, but instead of a silver platter, she held a metal basin that even a grown man would have struggled to carry. 

“We just got back,” I said. “What’s the basin for?” 

“To hold hot water for the babies’ first bath. I was told bigger was better, so I flew off and found the biggest one in this domain.” 

“No, isn’t this kind of too big? It’s the size of one of those small vinyl pools for children, you know?” 

It was large enough that you had to worry about the babies drowning. Someone was going to be holding them during it, though, so it was probably fine... 

“Wait, before that, show me to where Liscia is, would you?” 

“Understood. She is in the large room upstairs.” 

Naden and I followed Carla upstairs. There was a door in the second floor corridor that was left wide open. We could see maids constantly coming in and out of the room. That had to be where Liscia was. 

I wiped myself down in a hot bath, which Carla and the others had prepared for me after Naden’s stopping me from performing mizugori, and then put on a spare change of clothes I had borrowed from Sir Albert. 

When I was finished getting changed and met up with Naden, who had likewise just finished wiping herself off, she was wearing a frilly apron-dress that made her look ready to chase a rabbit to Wonderland. It really suited the petite Naden. 

“I think you look cute in that outfit, but where’d it come from?” I asked. 

“Elisha forced it on me.” 

It seemed the outfit Naden was now wearing was one that had been Liscia’s when she was younger. However, given Liscia’s personality, she hadn’t been willing to wear it often, so Elisha had wanted to take this chance to get Naden to wear it. 

Liscia in a frilly dress... No, I couldn’t imagine it. 

Naden transformed her scales into clothing (though it was all-black clothing) when she turned into her human form, so she didn’t really need a change of clothes, but where was the harm, once in a while? 

“You look good,” I said. “Why not try dressing up once in a while?” 

“I’ll think about it,” Naden said curtly, turning her head away, but her long tail was restlessly wagging back and forth, so it looked like she wasn’t entirely against the idea. 

While I was smiling wryly at watching Naden try to hide how she really felt, Carla came in. 

“Master. Lady Elisha is waiting for you in the parlor. Tea has been prepared.” 

Carla put her hands together in front of her and bowed. 

I felt like her performance as a maid had improved. Now that I thought of it, before we’d set out for the Union of Eastern Nations, Liscia had mentioned Carla was learning to cook with her. Maybe she’d learned various other things, too. 

Carla led us to the parlor. 

“I see you’ve gotten changed,” Elisha said. She gestured for us to have a seat on the sofa. “Please, both of you, come this way.” 

Naden and I sat down side-by-side, and Lady Elisha personally poured tea for us. 

“This herbal tea will help calm your nerves. Please, drink it first.” 

“Oh, sure,” I said. “Thank you.” 

Watching her gentle smile, Naden and I both took a sip. 

Oh... It was good. Quite relaxing, too. 

While I was feeling at ease, Lady Elisha sat down across from us. “Has that helped you to calm down a little?” 

“Yeah... Ah! Um, sorry.” 

For a moment, I had seriously relaxed. 

Looking at me, Lady Elisha chuckled. “It’s your first birth. I can understand why you’d be tense.” 

“...I’m sorry. Liscia’s the one who’s really having a hard time, and I’ve been told I should leave this to her, but... I just can’t help but feel anxious...” 

She chuckled. “Albert was the same when I was giving birth to Liscia.” Her eyes took on a nostalgic look. 

That’s when I woke up. 

Looking up, there was a familiar ceiling. 

This was my room in Father’s manor. 

My whole body felt heavy. And tired. 

I felt like if I relaxed even a little, I would lose consciousness again. 

Epilogue 2: Welcome Home 

— 11:00 in the morning on the 1st day of the 2nd month, 1,548th year, Continental Calendar — Parnam Castle — 

On this day, I was with my family in the courtyard: my fiancées of Aisha, Juna, Roroa, and Naden, along with my little sister Tomoe and her friends Ichiha and Yuriga. 

It was a cold day, but the skies were clear. 

We were just staring into the open blue sky. 

Ahh, I couldn’t calm down! I was restless and on edge. Time seemed to be flying by so fast. 

My feet seemed to be floating off the ground, and even when I came to a stop, my heels would lift up for no reason. 

In my head, I wanted to be calm, but my body and heart weren’t listening. 

“Oh, geez! Calm down a little, would you?!” Unable to watch me any longer, Naden complained. “You’ve been acting too restless all this time. If you’re a king, act more dignified.” 

“Nadie’s right,” Roroa said, hugging Naden from behind. “They’ll come back, whether you’re actin’ impatient or not.” 

“Hey, Roroa, don’t hug me.” Naden tried to pry the nuisance off of her, but it had no effect. 

“It’s fine, it’s fine!” Roroa said, playing around by clinging to her. 

They were right, but... Still, I was beside myself with worry, so what else could I do? After all, today... 

“Your fiancée and children who were visiting family come back today, right? Why do you have to be so tense?” Yuriga said, sounding exasperated. 

That was right. Today was the day Liscia and the children would be returning to the castle. 

I couldn’t go to pick her up because of my duties as the king, but the royal family’s wyvern gondola had already been sent for her. I had received word she’d be arriving soon, so we’d all come to greet her. 

Yuriga shrugged her shoulders in resignation. “Besides, I’ve never even met this Lady Liscia person.” 

“Isn’t that all the more reason you should pay your respects?” Tomoe shot back. “You and Ichiha are going to live in this castle, so you have to say hello to Big Sister, okay?” 

“I... I know that.” Yuriga turned her head to look away. 

With a wry smile at their antics, Ichiha curiously asked, “She’s the daughter of the former royal couple, and was the princess of Elfrieden, right? What is she like?” 

“A gallant and beautiful princess,” Tomoe said confidently. “She’s the big sister I look up to.” 

“If you want gallant, my brother is more than a match for her,” Yuriga scoffed. 

“Murgh... You’re always so competitive, Yuriga!” Tomoe glared. 

Ichiha quickly got in between them. “N-Now, now, both of you calm down.” 

These kids were the same as ever. 

Aisha, who had the best vision of anyone here, pointed into the sky and said, “It looks like they’re here.” 

Spinning around to search where Aisha was pointing, I could see a gondola drawn by four wyverns coming toward us. 

There was an escort of wyvern cavalry alongside it, too. 

The gondola slowly approached, and eventually set down in the courtyard. 

“We’re home, Souma, everyone,” Liscia said to all of us with a smile. 

Her slightly longer than shoulder-length hair blew in the wind and sparkled. 

It was my dear children and a woman I loved. I couldn’t help but stare at this scene, which was like happiness made manifest. 

Eventually I came back to my senses, and rushed over to their side along with my fiancées. 

“Welcome home, Liscia,” I said. “Sorry I couldn’t go pick you up.” 

“Welcome home, Lady Liscia,” Aisha smiled. “I was eagerly awaiting your return.” 

“Hee hee, it looks like the babies are sleeping,” Juna giggled. 

“Ya got that right,” Roroa grinned. “Which of them’s the boy, and which is the girl?” 

“The one Liscia is holding is the girl, and the one Carla is holding is the boy,” said Naden. “I can sort of tell by their magic.” 

All of us were speaking to Liscia at once. 

“Geez,” she said with a troubled smile. “I’m happy for the welcome, but calm down, all of you.” 

Carla walked over to me and handed over the baby she was holding. “I have returned, master. Please take the young prince.” 

“Welcome home, Carla,” I said, reaching out for the boy. “Good work guarding Liscia and keeping her company. But... when you call him the young prince, it suddenly makes me feel old. I mean, it’s not wrong, though.” 

Even as I said that, I took my child, and... 

“Wah...? Ahhhh!” 

He suddenly burst out crying. Huh?! What was this, out of nowhere?! 

I panicked, and tried to calm him with a, “There, there,” but there was no sign he was going to stop crying. 

Even when everyone joined in with a, “What’s the matter,” and a, “Peekaboo!” nothing helped. 

We were at a loss for what to do. 

“Let Carla hold him,” Liscia suggested with a wry smile. 

When I handed him back to Carla like I was told, the boy immediately stopped crying. Then, just like that, he dozed off again. 

With an incredible look of relaxation. Was he that much happier in Carla’s arms than his own father’s? 

“It seems he likes it in Carla’s arms,” Liscia said. “Sometimes he won’t stop crying while I handle him, but when Carla does it, he will.” 

“As a parent, I’m getting jealous of Carla...” I complained. 

“Th-There isn’t anything I can do about it, you know?!” Carla, who was getting flack for something that wasn’t her fault, protested, but she couldn’t blame us. 

Liscia walked over to the three kids who were a little ways away. “You must be Ichiha from the Duchy of Chima, and you must be Yuriga from Malmkhitan. I’ve heard about both of you from Souma. Welcome to the Kingdom of Friedonia.” 

“N-Nice to meet you,” Ichiha said nervously. “I’m the youngest son of the House of Chima, Ichiha Chima.” 

“I’m... Yuriga. It’s... a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” 

With Liscia suddenly talking to them, both the kids seemed a little tense. 

With Ichiha, that was only to be expected, but wasn’t Yuriga being a little too tense? Her earlier bravado was gone entirely. 

“What’s wrong, Yuriga?” Tomoe asked. “You’re all stiff.” 

She seemed to find Yuriga’s reaction a mystery, too. 

“Wh-What are you saying?” Yuriga shot back. “I am acting absolutely normal.” 

“Are you?” 

“Of course I am. You little squirt.” 

“H-Hey, shtop thaaaat.” 

Yuriga was stretching Tomoe’s cheeks again. 

Seeing Yuriga like that, Liscia chuckled. “From what I’ve heard from Souma, you’re even more of a tomboy than that.” 

“N-No, not at all...” 

“They called me a tomboy princess, too, so I can relate,” Liscia said with a big smile. “It’s nice to meet you.” 

Yuriga nodded quickly. 

Oh, I got it. Because they were so similar, Yuriga might have gotten tense when she’d sensed the same sort of air she herself gave off. 

It had felt like a bigger version of herself had shown up, the way you feel when an older cousin suddenly addresses you. 

“Hey, Darlin’? I had a question,” Roroa said while pulling on the cheeks of the baby Carla was holding. “Do they have names already? I feel bad if you’re just gonna keep callin’ them ‘the boy’ and ‘the girl’ forever, ya know?” 

“Hm? Ohh, I hadn’t told you yet. We did name them. Right, Liscia?” 

“Yes. We decided Souma would name the boy, and I would name the girl.” 

As Liscia, Carla and I stood in a line, we announced the children’s names to everyone. 

First, the boy Carla was holding. 

“This is Cian,” I said. “It seems like a lot of people use names that are close to their parents in this country, and he’s likely to rule this country as a blood relative of the Elfrieden royal family someday, so I gave him a name that established his link to Liscia.” 

“Hee hee, Cian, is it? Well, that’s close to cyan, which means blue, so I can relate,” the blue-haired Juna said happily. 

It seemed everyone liked the name, so... honestly, I was relieved. 

Liscia showed the girl she was holding to everyone and said, “And for this girl’s name, I chose Kazuha.” 

“Kazuha? Hey, you ended up choosin’ a name that sounds kinda like Tomoe or Kaede’s, huh?” Roroa asked. 

“She’s right, it does have the same sort of sound as my name,” Tomoe said, giggling. 

Yeah, but why did she choose that name? I wondered. 

Liscia, with a soft smile, explained the origin of it. 

“You know, because of a mistake early on, he ended up being called Souma, but Souma’s actual first name is Kazuya, right? When we’re married and he inherits the names of Amidonia and Elfrieden, he’ll be Souma A. Elfrieden, right?” 

“Yeah,” I said. “That’s what we decided on, right.” 

“I felt sad knowing the name Kazuya would just disappear like that, so I gave this girl the name Kazuha. I thought I’d leave some proof that the name Kazuya did once exist,” Liscia said with a smile. 

She’d chosen the name Kazuha out of consideration for me? Oh, crap. I was getting misty eyes. 

If I burst into tears here, it’d be lame, so I held it in as well as I could. 

“Kazuha, you say?” Aisha asked. “I think that’s a cute name.” 

“I think it’s great,” Naden agreed. “It feels like a name from Souma’s world.” 

It was kind of them to say that. 

In the end, I had given a boy a name like Liscia’s, and Liscia had given a girl a name like mine. 

It might seem too simple, but... you could feel a definite bond there, so we liked it. Hopefully the kids would like their names, too. 

And so, turning around and pointing to the castle for the twins, I said, “Cian, Kazuha, can you see it? This is your home starting today.” 

“They’re both asleep, so of course they can’t,” Liscia teased me. 

Everyone laughed. 

As I scratched my head in embarrassment, Liscia walked over to stand beside me. 

“I was away for a while, but I see the castle’s more lively than ever.” 

“We’ve got more family, and you’re back now, too, Liscia,” I smiled. 

“Hee hee. And there are going to be even more new members after this, right?” 

“I’m happy to have more kids, but I think I’ve got enough fiancées,” I said. 

“I don’t know about that. Knowing you, you might just go with the flow again, right?” 

“I can’t... deny that.” 

I had a record here, after all. Like with Roroa, or with Naden. 

While we were talking about that, Liscia leaned her head onto my shoulder. “No matter what happens after this, I’m sure we can overcome it.” 

“You’re right.” I nodded. “If everyone’s with us, we definitely can.” 

We smiled together, listening to the happy voices of our companions. 

The spring, which would mark two years after I had been given the crown, was almost upon us.