Marie was making her way toward the couple with a dandelion crown sitting proudly atop her head.
“Oh my, what a beautiful crown. You’re like a real princess.”
“Myukey maked it!”
“Impressive, Myuke. Great work.”
“Wow, you’re very good at that.”
Myuke blushed from all the praise she was receiving. While she was busy trying to cope with the sudden compliments, the others watched as a butterfly slowly landed on her head.
“Ah! Buttafye!”
“Really? Where?”
The butterfly took to the skies again as Myuke turned around.
“Wait, buttafye! Wait!”
“Wait!”
Anima watched from the comfort of Luina’s lap as the girls chased the butterfly around. After a while, they both returned to Anima and Luina with their bangs stuck to their foreheads.
“Water... Can I have some water?”
“Me too!”
“Just a moment,” Luina said, ushering Anima’s head off her lap so she could move around freely. She grabbed their water container and handed it to Myuke, who took a couple big gulps before letting out a satisfied “Ahh” and throwing herself down on the picnic blanket.
“I need a quick break,” she said.
“Me too!”
“Then how about resting your head on my lap?” Luina offered.
“My lap is available too.”
They both jumped on the proposal. Myuke leapt onto Anima’s lap after shooting a quick glance at Shaer, and Marie snuggled into Luina’s.
“Wow, Daddy. Your legs are super ripped.”
“I’ve done a lot of training. Are they uncomfortable?”
“No, I love how they look and feel. They’re so cool!” Myuke often made a point of acting like an adult, but that was only in front of strangers. When she was together with her beloved family and no one else—save for Shaer—she would let herself be pampered like a little child. She flashed Anima a big, bright smile while he gently petted her head. “Thank you, Daddy. I’m really happy.”
“Me too!” Marie shouted. “I wanna get pets too!”
“Of course.”
Luina started patting Marie’s head, and before long, the two girls closed their eyes and fell asleep. Watching her two little angels peacefully sleep on her and her husband’s laps, Luina couldn’t help but smile.
“They’re fast asleep.”
“It’s no wonder. They were on their feet all morning.”
They stared at the emerald-green field while patting the adorable little girls sleeping on their laps. Time slowly trickled away as one hour turned into two, two into three...
“Oh, curse my luck! I overslept!” Shaer’s eyes flew open and she jumped to her feet, looking around in panic. She calmed down the moment she spotted Anima, and begrudgingly approached him. “Were you stuck waiting for me? ...Ah, I see the children are sleeping too.”
“They are. I’d hate to wake them, and the sun has almost set. Why don’t we end today’s trip here?”
“After only half a day...”
Shaer looked troubled. She must’ve wanted to defeat the monster as soon as possible. Taking another look at the peacefully sleeping little girls, she nodded. “You’re right, though; it would be mean to wake them. In that case, I’ll start setting up my tent. I wouldn’t mind setting yours up as well, but... Where is it?”
“We didn’t bring one.”
“Really? I believe it will get quite cold during the night. It might get a bit cramped, but please, use my tent.”
“Don’t worry about us. I’m going to build a house.”
“A house?” Shaer asked with an inquisitive look.
“Ah, speaking of which, could you switch places with me for a moment?”
“M-Me? It’s difficult to admit, but as I was quite young when I first devoted myself to the way of the sword, I’m quite inexperienced with handling children, on top of being absolutely terrible at any and all kinds of chores.”
“It’s okay,” Luina assured her, “the girls love you. I’m sure you’ll do just fine.”
“I-I’ll certainly try, then.”
The encouragement from Luina built Shaer’s confidence. She held her breath to avoid making any sound, and carefully lifted Myuke’s small head, setting it down on her lap. Her awkward, flustered demeanor reminded Anima of himself from three months earlier.
“Thank goodness. She’s sleeping like a baby,” she said with a relieved sigh. “By the way, how are you planning to build a house? I don’t see any trees nearby.”
After getting over the shock of having her lap become Myuke’s pillow, she was finally able to ask the question she’d been curious about. Anima signaled her to stay where she was and watch, then moved away from the group. He put his hand on the ground and focused his mana into it. When he did, the ground before him turned over, quickly forming into a recognizable shape.
He had succeeded in making a dome-shaped house. The arched doorway led into a single, wide area. The building’s walls were coated with mana to make the structure incredibly sturdy; even in the case of a strong earthquake, it wouldn’t suffer a single crack. Moreover, the mana coating kept any trickling dust in check, making it a perfect sleeping area for the night.
“I really wanted to throw together a door and a couple of windows, but I don’t have any wood on hand. I apologize; it might get a bit windy inside.”
“A small breeze won’t hurt,” Luina told him, “and it’ll be warm and cozy if we snuggle up together. Thank you for making such a lovely little house for us, Anima.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Anima said with a smile, then turned toward Shaer with a serious look. “Are demons common in this area?”
“No, not at all. Hunters often patrol these areas, as we’re not terribly far from Garaat yet. Still, being cautious is always a good idea. One can never be too prepared.”
“Then I’ll probably seal the entrance when we go to sleep.”
Of course, he’d be sure to leave enough of an opening to allow them to breathe.
“Nhh...” Marie moaned. They must’ve accidentally woken her up. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, then drowsily looked at the newly built house. The moment she spotted it, her eyes popped wide open, filled with wonder and awe. “House! Look, house!”
“Ngh, what’s with all the noise...? Wait, what’s up with that house?!” Myuke exclaimed in surprise.
“Anima made it.”
“Daddy did?! Wooow!”
“This is indeed very impressive. I assume you made use of a dwarf stone, but manipulating such an excessive amount of earth must have required an unbelievable amount of mana. Not to mention that you’re using a minotaur stone simultaneously. Your mana reserves must be truly bottomless.”
Shaer was thoroughly impressed. She hadn’t commented on Anima’s horns at any point prior, seemingly because she assumed they were the result of a magic stone rather than being his own. He could have told her about them, but if he did that, he would be forced to explain everything about himself—about how he had been summoned to her world, and about the power of the Scarletts’ hidden treasure. They trusted Shaer, but it was better not to tell her anything she didn’t need to know.
“We’ll be setting up camp here for the day, so go on inside.” He guided the girls inside, then, after packing up the picnic blanket, went inside as well. “Shaer, please come in.”
“May I?”
“Of course. You might catch a cold outside.”
“I am in your debt.”
Shaer took down her haphazardly pitched tent and entered the soil-scented room.
“Sooo biiig!”
“Not even rain can stop us now!” Marie and Myuke ran excitedly around the room. They had just woken up, but it was nearing sunset; after a hearty dinner, they were sure to get sleepy again. “Oh, since Daddy set up the house, does that mean we’re done walking for the day?”
“Yep,” Luina said with a nod. “Let’s let Daddy relax for a bit while I make dinner. Would anyone like to help me?”
The girls’ hands immediately shot into the air of the soil hut that echoed with cheerful laughter. As the sun slowly set behind it, the family’s first day of travel came to an end.