Boukensha Ni Naritai To Miyako Ni Deteitta Musume Ga S Rank Ni Natteta Chapter 16

There's still time before dawn. However, the sky is already clearing, and the earth and sky are divided into black and white stripes. The cold morning wind feels like it's piercing the skin.

Belgriff slowly gets up from his bed so as not to wake Angeline and the girls, who are still sleeping, digs up the embers buried in the ashes and fans them, then he puts some straw on top of the embers along with some firewood. He continues fanning and finally, the fire is revived. But even after this, the house is still cold and every time Belgriff exhales, a white cloud comes out of his mouth.

Anessa and Miriam are sleeping near the fireplace. Due to the cold, the two are hugging each other under a thick blanket. They seem to be dreaming peacefully, and Belgriff sighs relieved.

As Belgriff prepares for his morning walk, Angeline wakes up and rubs her eyes.

“Daddy, I'm going too.”

“Did I wake you? You can still sleep a little longer.”

“It's all right, I'd rather walk with you than sleep.” Angeline quickly puts on a jacket and a thick coat.

Then, father and daughter left the house together. It is true that the house is cold, but the outside air is much colder. Angeline breathes in the cool morning wind from Tornela after a long time. In each one of her breaths, she exhales a white mist that ends up dispersing in the wide horizon.

“…I missed this.”

“Haha, are you cold?”

“No, it feels good.”

The distant sky is becoming clearer and clearer, but the stars continue to s.h.i.+ne in the direction of the zenith. As the sky clears, the earth seems to become darker. There's no wind. The air seems to be stagnant at the bottom.

Chickens are clucking in the distance.

Large and small ice needles protrude from the ground. Every time they walk, they can hear the crunch of ice under their feet. Angeline deliberately steps on the ice needles, enjoying the sensation. This is something she has always done, even when she was a little girl. She stepped on all the ice needles she could find.

The two of them walk slowly around the village. The snow that remains in the corner of the gardens of the houses and next to the road freezes again due to the cold of the night and becomes solid. The stream's water is covered by a thin layer of ice.

Angeline walks forward with a cheerful expression as she steps on every ice needle she finds in her path. Belgriff is strangely relieved to see that, although his daughter has grown physically, she is still the same little girl he remembers.

“This brings back memories. We used to walk together all the time.”

“It's true… it was cold those mornings too, but you always woke up and came with me.”

“Fufu…” Angeline starts hopping once again and suddenly jumps towards Belgriff. Then, she rubs her cheek on Belgriff's beard. “Fufu… it's still the same feeling…”

“What are you doing?” says Belgriff with a wry smile as he gently hits Angeline's head.

The two of them climb a small hill overlooking the village. Stones, big and small, are scattered everywhere. The withered gra.s.s that didn't disappear during the winter covers the area, and new buds are emerging here and there.

The village of Tornela, at the foot of the hill, is calm. However, some houses seem to be awake at that moment, the smoke from the chimneys begins to rise to the morning sky. They can also hear the bleating of the sheep and goats and the barking of the sheepdogs.

After hopping a more few steps, Angeline looks back.

“I like this place. From here you can see the whole village.”

“You're right. Hey, Angie, be careful, don't slip…”

The sun is gradually rising, and the distant mountain range to the east begins to s.h.i.+ne brightly. In the blink of an eye, the dark landscape is filled with dancing shadows that, when viewed from afar, generates a curious three-dimensional effect. Bird songs are heard everywhere, and suddenly everyone wakes up little by little. The frost on top of the stones s.h.i.+nes in the sunlight.

Angeline and Belgriff stand side by side and watch quietly as the morning breaks on the horizon.

“Hah… it's beautiful.” Angeline lets out a sigh. The white smoke coming out of her mouth rises to the sky, changes slightly in shape and then disappears. Angeline rubs her nose, then she puts her hands over her ears and starts rubbing them with her fingertips to warm them.

“Tornela hasn't changed at all.”

“Yes, it hasn't changed… Nothing has changed since my father was born.”

“Yes, but that's comforting. Orphen is lively but vertiginous.”

“Hmm … But isn't your life more fun in Orphen?”

“No, it's very different. I like my life in Tornela better.”

“Really? But from now on the road will be repaired. I wonder how things will change…”

“The road?”

“The new Lord wants to improve the road to Tornela. When everything's done, you'll be able to come home more easily.”

“Selen and Sasha´s Family…”

“Oh, that' s right. Sasha gave me a hundred gold coins as a thank you for helping Selen.”

“I see…”

“Take them with you when you return to Orphen.”

“No, you keep them, Daddy. I don't need any more money.”

“Mmm… okay, I'll save them for you. I'll give them back when you need them.”

“Thank you. Hey, Daddy…”

“What?”

“Did you accept Sasha as your disciple?”

“I didn't really want to… We only had a couple of matches. Then she started calling me her master on her own.” Belgriff says as he scratches his cheek with a complicated expression.

“I see…” Suddenly, Angeline embraces one of Belgriff's arms with a jovial expression. “Is she strong?”

“Who?”

“Sasha.”

” Yeah, she's strong. I think the next time we have a match, I'll lose.”

“…You can't lose. You can't lose to anyone until I beat you.”

“Don't say that. However, Angie, you must fix your bad habits with the sword. If you can't beat an old man like me, I don't know what you'll do when you face an S Rank magic beasts or a Demon King…”

“The Demon King wasn't as strong as you, Daddy…” Angeline says while pouting after hearing Belgriff's words.

“No, that doesn't sound right…” Belgriff rubs his beard with a bitter smile. “What kind of monster was the Demon King?”

“Umm… it was as if its body was made entirely of shadows.”

Hearing this, Belgriff stops his hand, then he narrows his eyes and looks at Angeline. “A body of shadows… What was its shape?”

“Hmm… It had the form of a human being. But it was small, it only reached up to my waist.”

Belgriff frowned at the memory of a sudden attack and the pain he felt when he lost his leg. They were terrifyingly similar. However, the shadow being he faced looked more like a four-legged beast…

“…It must have been something different… If that was a Demon King, my companions and I would have…”

“What's going on, Daddy?”

“Hm… Oh, nothing. Everything's fine.” Belgriff smiles and caresses his daughter's head. The pain he feels on his lost leg disappears after a few moments.

The sun finally rises in the sky and the whole village is illuminated. Angeline's cheeks and nose are completely red from the weather. Belgriff touches her daughter's forehead and realizes that her skin is cold to the touch.

“It's cold… Let's go home.”

“Yes…”

Angeline jumps on Belgriff's back, and she happily places her chin on her father's head. Angeline's breath tickles his hair.

“Daddy… Did you miss me?”

“Of course. I'm glad you're back.”

“Fufu, I'm glad I'm back too.” Angeline rubs her face into her father's hair with a cheerful expression.

“Don't do that. You really haven't changed…” Belgriff reprimands his daughter with a wry smile and walks quietly along the village roads.

○

While the sun's rays illuminate the forest, many birds are busy catching the insects that are finally starting to come out of the ground. In early spring, many animals awaken from their winter slumber and trees produce new buds on their branches.

In the shade of a fallen tree, there is a small black lump. It is the size of the palm of a hand and is constantly s.h.i.+vering from the cold. A bird looks under the branches of the fallen tree in search of prey and stirs the ground with its beak.

Eventually, the bird finds the black lump and pecks at it. Suddenly, a black substance shoots out towards the bird and catches it by the beak. The bird, surprised, flaps its wings trying to escape, but the black substance drags the bird to the black lump and the bird's body begins to melt as soon as it comes into contact with it.

The black lump increases in size after devouring the bird, and its body trembles as it changes shape little by little. It now looks a bit like a living thing, but it has no arms or legs, and there is no division for the head or body. To tell the truth, it has a round shape.

As if repudiating sunlight, the black lump slips to the back of the fallen tree, and despite not having anything resembling a mouth, it murmurs something.

“Where…I? Why…here? Who…I? Master… Mas…ter…? Who is…Master?“

The lump sways from side to side like a burning flame. At that moment, a wild hare approaches the shade of the fallen tree. The black lump moves and pounces on the hare. The prey reacts violently to the attack, but the black lump again shoots out a black substance, captures the animal and drags it to its body to devour it.

The black lump shrinks for a few moments, but then it grows back and becomes even bigger than when it devoured the bird. In addition, extremities very similar to the wings of a bird appear attached to its body.

“I… bird…? No…” The wings slowly change shape. They become arms, and the tips separate into several parts, forming the hands and fingers.

“Human…hand…? I…“

In time, the black lump takes on a human form. It has a neck, arms, and legs. But its size is only that of a baby. 'It' tries to stand up, but as it is not used to using its legs, it ends up falling again and again. Finally, it moves in its four extremities and remains trembling in the shade of the fallen tree.

“Lonely…“

○

“Straw, chimney and… what else~? Wool? Dried beans~?”

“Yes. I've never noticed smells like these in Ophen… but it's pretty nice.”

Miriam and Anessa are sitting in front of the fireplace, wrapped in a blanket, and hugging each other. The sun has already risen and the light enters through the small cracks in the door and windows. The roof and walls of the house, which cooled during the night, are warming with the sun and occasionally make squeaky sounds.

They both slept till dawn, and when they woke up, Angeline and Belgriff were nowhere to be seen, and now Anessa and Miriam have no idea what to do. For now, they are so cold that they dare not move away from the heat of the fireplace. And they're enjoying the different smells this country house has. They were born and raised in the city of Orphen, so they have never experienced anything like this. But they may feel a strange and nostalgic sensation. It's like an ancient memory that was engraved in their blood by their ancestors.

Due to the cold, Miriam leans towards Anessa and lowers her cat ears a bit. Seeing this, Anessa cannot help but smile mischievously. “Are your ears freezing? Do you need a wool hat?”

“Haha~! That's really funny, wasn't it~?” Miriam says with laughter.

Both have a favorable impression of Belgriff's honest, but somewhat naive, character. The kind gaze they believed would only be for Angeline, has also been directed at them. Now they can understand why Angeline wanted so badly to return home.

“Mr. Belgriff is very kind~. And Angie sometimes gets so jealous that she's adorable~.” Miriam looks at Anessa's face as she laughs.

“Yeah, you're right.”

The only parents they've ever met are the Sisters at the orphanage. And although the Sisters could sometimes be strict, they loved the children as if they were their real mothers. Anessa and Miriam are grateful for that, and even now, they feel a deep love for Sister.

However, that was a mother's love, they had never felt a father's love. They did not know the affection and care that a father can give.

From time to time, some benefactors visited the orphanage seeking to adopt a child. Neither Anessa nor Miriam sought the attention of these rich men, much less that of a woman. The reason was simple, they knew that these people were not looking for “children” but for cheap labour, or simply slaves. Of course, the Sisters did not accept any offers that seemed suspicious.

However, in the case of Belgriff, whom they have only known for a day, they can feel a great deal of paternal love.

Although Belgriff had to raise his daughter as a single father, he somehow made up for the lack of maternal love. However, a man is a man, and in Angeline's special case, he couldn't help developing certain bad habits in his daughter, such as her foolish desire to fight against him at every opportunity, despite all the refusals. All of this is definitely different from the affection that a mother can express.

Anessa and Miriam feel a little confused because of that new feeling they have never felt before, but it is not something they dislike. The idea of having a father now seems like something interesting to them.

“Aaah~… If Mr. Bel were my father, I'd like him to spoil me as much as he does Angie~.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Fufu~… I know you feel the same way, Ane~.”

“That's not true! It's not like I want someone to carry me on their back…” After saying that, Anessa lifts her face and sees Miriam smiling broadly.

“See~?”

“S-Shut up!” Anessa blushes, puffs up her cheeks and gives Miriam a light blow on the head.

At that moment the door opens and Angeline enters the house. She carries a bag in her arms. “I'm home… Oh, you're both up.” Angeline immediately heads for the chimney as she exhales white smoke. Her cheeks are dyed red from the cold, and her expression resembles that of a little girl.

“Mmm, you woke up early, Angie.”

“Daily routine… When I lived in Tornela my Daddy and I patrolled the whole village every morning.”

“Where's Mr. Bel~?”

“Practicing with the sword. That's also part of the daily routine…” Angeline puts more firewood on the fireplace, takes off her coat, grabs her sword and turns to see her friends. “Wanna come?”

Anessa and Miriam exchange glances and jump up.

The garden is s.h.i.+ning with frost. The reflection of the morning sunlight does not allow to see very far in the horizon. Belgriff is in the middle of the garden swinging his sword. He has taken off his coat and jacket and is only wearing light clothes. His body has several wounds, some large, some small, and some quite old.

He has his left foot slightly forward, holds the sword with both hands and swings it up and down. His posture seems natural and relaxed, however, when he moves, he does so with a lot of strength and control. His movements use not only his arms but also all the muscles of his body, including his back and waist.

Hold the stance, swing the sword and return to the stance. Belgriff makes each of these movements with incredible precision and neatness. However, the speed he has been training for twenty years has reached a level of mastery, and for those watching from the side, it seems that he is only swinging his sword continuously.

Angeline takes off her jacket, runs out and starts swinging her sword as her father does. And although the movements are the same, Angeline's speed is slightly faster than Belgriff's. That scene would convince anyone that Belgriff was undoubtedly the one who taught Angeline everything.

Miriam and Anessa are surprised to see this. It is unbelievable to imagine that Angeline's ferocious and swift attacks originated in such a quiet place as this one.

“Mr. Belgriff's right leg is prosthetic, right~? It's incredible~…” Miriam whispers to Anessa.

“Yes, incredible. If he hadn't retired at an early age, he too would have reached the S Rank… It's really a shame.”

After a while, Belgriff finishes his training and breathes heavily. He is bathed in sweat and steam comes out of his body.

“Good morning,” says Belgriff with a smile as he sees Miriam and Anessa.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning~, Mr. Bel.”

Belgriff approaches them as he wipes his forehead with a cloth.

“Did you sleep well? Or was the cold a problem?”

“Yes, we slept well. The house was warmer than I had imagined…”

“But it was quite cold in the morning~. As you'd expect from a village in the northern region~.”

“Haha, it's true. I'm glad you rested well, but aren't your ears cold without your hat, Ms. Miri?”

“Fufufu~! I'm fine~!” Miriam and Anessa repress their laughter at the sight of Belgriff's worried face.

Belgriff puts on his jacket as he tilts his head. Then he opens the trap door to the storage and looks inside. Afterward, he gives some instructions to Angeline, who has also finished her training.

“Angie, boil water in one of the pots and put some potatoes in it. Also, put barley in yesterday's stew and simmer it.”

“Ye~s.” Angeline walks into the house with her jacket on her shoulder. Belgriff takes out some vegetables and places them in a basket.

“Mr. Bel… Have you ever thought about becoming an adventurer again?” Anessa asks as she watches the man do his ch.o.r.es.

“Hmm… Well… When I first came back here, I didn't think about it at all, but I guess I've thought about it ever since Angie returned home. It's really hard to be a father.”

“Mr. Bel, you're very strong, aren't you~?! Surely you can play a very important role as an adventurer if you come back~!”

Belgriff scratches his cheek with a wry smile at Miriam's words.

“I don't think so. I can't… Besides, I'm used to living in this place. I don't think I can get used to the hectic life of an adventurer. It was fun at the time, traveling with companions and having dreams… just like you.” Belgriff shrugs discouragingly. “It may not look like it, but I was once young too.”

The two girls laugh cheerfully.

With the vegetable basket in his arms, Belgriff gets up and starts walking home. Suddenly, Miriam seems to have an idea.

“Ah… Mr. Bel~.”

“Hmm? What is it, Ms. Miri?”

“Well… do you think you could caress my head just a little bit~?”

“Haaa… I don't mind, but…”

Belgriff has a complicated expression, but he still reaches out one of his arms and places his hand on Miriam's head. And then gently pats the girl's head.

The hand is rough, but it is also big and warm, which gives a curious sensation of tranquility. Miriam lets out a small scream because of this sensation. Her tail begins to move under her clothes.

“Wow… it feels good~…”

“… What do you mean?”

“Yes! Thank you~! Fufu~… It's Dad's touch~…”

Belgriff looks at Anessa with a confused expression as he continues to pat Miriam's head.

“Haha… She's a bit strange, sometimes…” Anessa says with a bitter smile. Miriam pouts when she hears Anessa's words. But moments later, she smiles mischievously and turns to see Belgriff.

“Mr. Bel, could I ask you another favor~?”

“Sure, I don't mind…”

“Please carry Anessa on your back~!”

“Anessa…on my back?”

Belgriff looks curiously at Anessa. She smiles wryly, blushes and shakes her hands.

“No, no, no! I'm fine! You don't have to!”

“I think the best thing is that I don't…”

“She's just a little embarra.s.sed~! She really wants you to carry her on your back~!”

“Mmm… What should I do?”

“I said I'm fine! You don't have to!”

While Belgriff seems a little confused, Angeline quietly walks out of the house and grabs Anessa's shoulder.

“What do you think you're doing?”

“What! It wasn't me! It was Miri!”

“But, Ane~… You said you wanted Mr. Bel to carry you on his back~…”

“It's not true! It was just a thought.”

“If you want my Daddy to carry you on his back, you have to beat me first…”

“That's why I'm telling you it was just a thought!”

“I really don't understand young people these days,” Belgriff says as he scratches his beard and watches the girls make a kerfuffle.