“Hyaaaah!”
The girl with short black hair raised her wooden sword overhead and swung it down on Belgrieve. Her footwork was impressive; she practically glided along the floor as she aimed for a gap in his defenses.
However, Belgrieve nimbly pivoted on his peg leg, avoiding her wooden blade and striking with his own at the girl’s head. The girl yelped and fell to her knees.
“You’re falling for obvious feints,” Belgrieve said, tapping his wood sword against his shoulder. “Forget the conspicuous openings. Try to predict what your opponent is going to do instead.”
“Urgh... You seriously hit me...” She looked up at Belgrieve with teary eyes.
“Huh?” He winced. “Well, I mean, you told me to take it seriously...”
She held out her arms, a sullen look on her face. “Carry me.”
“Jeez... You’ll always be a baby, Ange.”
As Belgrieve lifted her up, the girl gleefully hugged him back.
Twelve years had passed since he had picked up the baby in the mountains. She had grown into Angeline, a lovely young lady with black hair. Perhaps because she had been raised by a former adventurer, she ultimately came to admire adventurers herself. By the time Belgrieve realized it, she was there beside him, imitating the practice swings he did every day. Her form improved rapidly, and she certainly had the talent.
In that case, Belgrieve thought, why not? And so, he taught her the sword for self-defense. By this point, even the village adults were no match for her. Though of course, she had never managed to land a strike on her father and master.
Angeline nuzzled her head against Belgrieve’s chest.
“You smell nice, dad...”
“The things my kid says these days... How about we have dinner?”
“Yeah.”
Belgrieve entered the house, still carrying Angeline. It was almost dusk.
He was on the cusp of thirty-seven. The youthfulness had completely vanished from his face, his jaw was covered in a red beard, and stateliness befitting his age had begun to set in. Despite being nearly forty, however, he was still in good shape. He still entered the mountains and fought off beasts and fiends. His prosthetic leg was hardly a problem anymore, his movements stronger and even more refined than in his youth. His simple and honest work earned him more and more trust, and he was now one of the pillars supporting the community.
Dinner consisted of a vegetable-and-salt soup with some small bits of meat, hard bread, and goat cheese, with an abundant platter of Angeline’s favorite cowberries for dessert. After harvesting cowberries in the fall, they would usually nibble on them sparingly. However, this was the last dinner they would be eating together. What harm would a little indulgence do?
The mountain wildlife had been growing livelier as of late, and Belgrieve would often take Angeline along to hunt. Though they would partake in a portion of the meat, a majority was shared with the villagers. Possibly because of that, the villagers were better nourished than before, and despite the meager livestock they kept, they looked quite healthy as they worked their fields.
On top of getting meat, hunting served as Angeline’s special training. If she was ever going to become an adventurer, she would need experience fighting non-human opponents in the hills and valleys.
Belgrieve watched Angeline merrily munching down on her bread across the table. Whenever she wasn’t swinging a sword, he could see nothing more than a normal twelve-year-old girl.
He was disapproving when he first heard she wanted to become an adventurer. However, he had once been an adventurer himself and he understood her desire to take her chances out in the world and put her skills to the test, rather than wasting them in the middle of nowhere. He wasn’t senseless enough to crush her young dreams—that would be tantamount to denying his past self.
Even so, to be perfectly honest, he found his daughter adorable and didn’t want her to face any danger. He wanted to keep her close enough to dote on.
After doing his share of thinking, he ultimately reached his answer. He would help her properly make it as an adventurer however he could. There was no keeping an adventurer out of danger, so his best bet was to give her as many useful skills as possible and ensure she was never treading on thin ice. Additionally, he took care that she didn’t get conceited with her own strength, ignoring the struggles of the weak.
However, while he managed to impart his skills, Angeline was still a spoiled child. Belgrieve was somewhat worried over whether or not she could make it as an adventurer like that, though he did not mind being depended on. When she badgered him to carry her, he would always end up doing it, his stern facade giving way to warm smiles.
His spirit as her teacher always conflicted with his parental love, but the love generally won out. Belgrieve was human, and a father, after all.
“Thank you for the meal.”
“Yeah...”
He piled up the tableware, brought it to the sink, and was about to pour a pot of water over it when Angeline tugged on his sleeve.
“Dad...”
“Yes?”
“I’ll do it...”
“No, it’s no trouble at all. Daddy can do it...”
Angeline shook her head. “I’ll be going to the capital tomorrow... I won’t be able to help out anymore.”
After a pause, he relented. “Ha ha, I see. Then have at it.”
Belgrieve ruffled her hair, and she could feel her eyes narrowing in delight. Then she took his place and began washing dishes.
She grew up to be a good girl, Belgrieve thought. He didn’t know a thing about raising children; he’d never even had a wife. When he first picked her up, he was anxious over whether he could properly raise a child. But looking at her now, he reassured himself that he wasn’t mistaken.
Angeline would set off for the capital tomorrow. She had prepared for it bit by bit until there was nothing left to do. Neither of them intended for this to be a lifelong parting, but it would be a parting nonetheless. There would be no getting around the loneliness. However, if they lingered on it too long, it would only make them sadder. Both Belgrieve and Angeline acted as if it was just any other day. The cowberries were the only special thing about it.
“Time flies...” Belgrieve muttered as he watched her clean dishes.
She was already twelve. Her hair was cut short like a boy’s, but her features were girly and cute. She would have surely made for a good wife for someone if she didn’t become an adventurer, Belgrieve thought, then shook his head.
“I don’t know when to give up, do I,” he said, smiling bitterly.
Once the dishes were done, Angeline pounced on him.
“Whoa.”
“Dad... Hug me...”
“Your hands are still wet... Good grief.”
She melted into his embrace.
“I’ll do my best,” she said, after a moment.
“Yeah.”
“Even if I’m on my own...I’ll do my best to become a splendid adventurer who can protect the weak.”
“Yeah.”
“Then I’ll land a hit on you one day.”
“Ha ha, I’ll be looking forward to it.”
He stroked her head as she sat on his lap.
“What do you do when you get lost in the woods?”
“Look for silverwyrm grass. The largest petal points north.”
“How do you find water?”
“Follow the scent of devil’s dropwort. It only grows near clean water.”
“What do you need to be most careful about when fighting fiends?”
“You have to make sure there aren’t any other fiends around. Then make sure you’re standing on advantageous terrain.”
“What do you do if you fight someone you can’t beat?”
“Run as soon as you can. If you can’t, keep running in mind. Secure an escape route, then catch the opponent off guard and run.”
“Good.” Belgrieve nodded, satisfied. “Surviving is an adventurer’s top priority. Never go beyond your limits.”
Angeline returned the gesture, rubbing her cheek against his beard. “I know... I got it.”