Raising the Lowest-Ranked Adventurer, the Heroic Girl – Wasn’t I Just a Substitute Old Man?

Raising the Lowest-Ranked Adventurer, the Heroic Girl – Wasn’t I Just a Substitute Old Man?

Volume 5 Chapter 47   The beginning of a new life

“…If that happens, we won’t be able to go out anywhere.”

Using this child’s powers is still a fact, but it’s also true that I want to go out with her. No matter what I say, it just sounds like an excuse.

But for that to happen, I have to use Nina’s… my daughter’s powers to put an end to this commotion.

“Well, that may be true…”

Nina looked conflicted as she averted her gaze from me and then looked at me again, repeating this a few times before finally sighing in resignation.

“When it’s over, can we go out together again?”

“Of course, it’s a promise.”

I said, extending my right little finger, and Nina imitated me, timidly offering her own little finger. Our fingers entwined as we made the promise.

Even though it was just a promise, Nina looked delighted, and her smile remained bright without a hint of darkness.

“I’ll take you out to play again once this commotion is over, so be a good kid until then.”

I must keep my promise and make her happy. No matter what it takes.

“Well then, shall we rest soon?”

“Yes, tomorrow will be busy, and we’ll have to venture into several dungeons to destroy the gates. Not the familiar ones we’ve seen before, but uncharted and dangerous ones with limited information.”

Although we’ve checked the basic environment before entering the gates, there are still unknown risks, so it’s essential to rest well today. It might be a bit early for modern standards, but it’s a suitable time.

After a casual chat, we had dinner, and then we dispersed to our assigned rooms for the night.

Now, we just need to take a bath and go to sleep.

However, I noticed that Nina was looking at me with some expectation.

“Father…”

Not just looking, but she also grabbed the hem of my clothes.

What does she expect from me?

Holding onto my clothes like this indicates that she wants me to stay with her. But I feel like there’s more to it than that.

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.

Is this about sleeping together? …Seriously?

Although I had no solid evidence, I had a strong feeling that this was indeed the case.

As if to confirm it, when I glanced towards the bed and then back at Nina, she nodded with a smile.

…Really?

But considering how demanding tomorrow will be for Nina too, I did mention that I don’t mind sleeping together. It wasn’t a definitive decision, but you could see it as a sort of promise, couldn’t you?

If I want Nina to keep her promises in the future, maybe I should sleep with her and fulfill this one?

However…

I know I said it was better than the bath, but it still feels odd. Despite being like a parent and child, it’s still a grown man and a mysterious albino beauty sharing the same bed.

Honestly, I’m not that thrilled about it.

Not thrilled, but… sigh. I guess there’s no helping it.

“…? Are you not going to sleep yet, Igami-san?”

Just as I resolved myself to sleep together with Nina, Miyano asked with a puzzled look. They were about to leave the room, but it seems strange to them that I’m not getting up.

“I’m going to bed. Starting tomorrow, things will get busy.”

“Then, aren’t you going to your room?”

“…Yeah, well, not just yet.”

I tried to play it off, as it’s not easy to say that I’ll be sleeping together with Nina. However, my attempt at deception was futile.

It wasn’t because Miyano and the others couldn’t be deceived by my words, but rather, they shattered my deception with their next words.

“Tonight, Igami-san will be sleeping with me.”

“Eh?”

The moment I heard those words, Miyano and the others expressed their surprise simultaneously, and I could only cover my head and look up at the ceiling.

Well, it’s understandable. We haven’t spent this much time together before, let alone slept in the same bed. For Nina, who is used to being alone, sleeping next to someone must be a new and delightful experience.

“Hey, what the heck, you pervert!”

As I was pondering how to handle the situation, Asada, who had regained her composure, called me a rather unsavory name.

“What are you saying, Kana? There’s nothing strange about a parent and child sleeping together. It’s written in books too. Family is meant to be like that.”

“Well, that may be true, but…”

Miyano and the others couldn’t outright deny Nina’s words, knowing about her past and her longing for the concept of ‘family.’ They fell silent, appearing to have something to say but hesitating to express it.

Well, it’s a relief for me. If they had suggested sleeping together too, that would’ve been awkward…

“How about we all stay together since we’re here?”

“…A pajama party?”

“Yeah, something like that, I guess.”

However, seeing the two of them hesitating to voice their thoughts, Kitahara finally suggested something they wouldn’t usually propose.

“That’s a great idea! Why not? We used to do it sometimes, right?”

“Yeah, it might be fun.”

If they used to do it, it’s fine, I suppose. It’s not like they’re inviting me specifically, and it’s not too surprising for girls their age. Besides, they don’t get many chances to indulge in typical girly activities, considering their frequent dungeon dives.

“But, well… maybe it’s better not to.”

However, I think it’s better to avoid spending the night together in this room.

There’s surveillance in this room. Nina doesn’t seem to care about that, and I’m aware of it too, having chosen to stay here. But it’s different for them.

Though they might be forgetting it right now, I doubt teenage girls can easily sleep in a room with surveillance. Even if they could, I’m not sure if they’d be able to rest comfortably.

“In that case, here goes.”

As I pondered that, Nina began releasing mana, constructing a magical spell.

It was evident that this time the spell she was forming wasn’t her usual ‘fire,’ but something related to ‘rejection’ or ‘barrier,’ judging by its meaning. It became apparent that it wasn’t meant to be an offensive move.

However, from a distance, it probably appeared as if Nina had suddenly started using magic. The onlookers who should have been observing the room seemed to show signs of unease.

However, when it was finally completed, it turned out to be just as I had imagined – not the offensive spell that the researchers might have feared.

“What is this?”

“It’s a barrier. This room is being watched by those uncouth individuals out there.”

It seemed that this was something that blocked visibility both from inside and outside the room. Not only visual perception, but it probably also blocked sounds and magical reactions. After all, it was a barrier created by the “World’s Strongest.”

“Huh?”

However, when I mentioned that the room was being observed, Miyano and the others seemed to be confused, wearing blank expressions.

“But I told you before. You can be observed from that place over there.”

“I don’t really care if someone watches or what they think or say about me, but if you all are here, it might be better not to be seen, right?”

The windows in the room were quite large, but they were positioned at a considerable height, so you had to consciously look up to be bothered by them from here.

Even so, knowing the structure, living in this room would require a certain level of thick skin as one might feel self-conscious about being watched.

However, Nina seemed to understand this and behaved as if it was nothing to be concerned about. Her natural attitude might have influenced Miyano and the others, making them forget about it as well.

“That’s quite impressive. I mean, you could do something like that.”

Everyone can use any type of magic to some extent, regardless of their specialty. Even I, who excel in water and earth magic, use various other types like fire, wind, curses, and healing. Of course, the effectiveness may vary, and forcibly using unfamiliar magic can be tricky and dangerous.

However, Nina possesses exceptional talent, even among the top-ranking mages. Although it may not be her specialty, she could probably use this kind of barrier quite forcefully.

But, even though I knew theoretically that she could do it, I had never actually seen her use something like this before, so I couldn’t help but let out a surprised exclamation.

“Yes. It’s not my strong suit, but I made sure to learn a bit of everything. We’re a matching pair.”

Her demeanor seemed to say, “Aren’t I impressive? Praise me,” with a confident air about it.

A matching pair, huh? It seemed that after witnessing me using various types of magic, she had tried to learn as well. The power gap was enormous, but if she could use other elements now, it would be incredibly reassuring in our current situation.

Playing with this strengthened Nina might become even more challenging, but I’ll think about it when the time comes. She’ll likely grow quite a bit after this commotion, and maybe she won’t need playmates anymore. I hope that’s the case.

“Phone call?”

As I was lost in thought, my phone suddenly rang. It was a call from Saeki.

I instinctively glanced at the area with windows, but of course, that was unnecessary. I needed to focus on the phone call.

This room had been under surveillance to ensure Nina’s safety. If the monitoring was suddenly cut off, it was only natural to be alarmed. Even though Nina’s outbursts have become less frequent lately, unexpected disruptions could still cause commotion.

“Hello? Is this Igami-kun? Can I assume she did this?”

Answering the call with a slight fear that this might result in some restrictions or orders, Saeki asked with a confident tone.

“Yes, well, yeah. Actually—”

“Dad, may I?”

I’m sure she’s already heard part of the story and understood the situation, but surprisingly—truly, exceptionally—Nina interrupted me. It was not just rare; it was the first time she had done something like this.

However, when Nina said, “May I,” did she mean the mobile phone we were currently talking on?

Considering that, I pointed to the mobile phone away from my ear, and Nina nodded in response.

For a moment, I hesitated about what to do, but since it was the first time Nina asked for something like this, I decided to comply and handed her the phone.

Nina received the phone with both hands and placed it against her ear, ready to speak.

“Normally, I would allow it, but not today. If you try to peek—I will burn it.”

Her words were not the usual cheerful or friendly tone directed at me, nor the warm and amicable one aimed at Miyano and the others. Instead, it was an icy, intense voice that sent shivers down my spine.

And although we couldn’t see from inside the barrier, we faintly sensed a magical reaction outside the barrier, probably a reaction to Nina’s power.

At the same time, a faint, hurried voice could be heard from the other side of Nina’s mobile phone.

However, both her rushed reaction and the magical response were fleeting, indicating that Nina had likely used magic as a mild threat. Perhaps she had directed a flame or something at the glass through which someone might have been peering into the room.

It was true that Nina had become considerably more subdued compared to before. However, her fundamental nature hadn’t changed; she still seemed to be stern in her interactions with those she didn’t recognize as her family. Well, it was an improvement that she wasn’t killing people without question, I suppose.

“Here you go. I apologize for the inconvenience.”

Nina handed the phone back to me, leaving me uncertain about what to say as I addressed the voice on the other end of the call.

“Uh… Sorry about that.”

“Oh, it’s fine. Yeah, considering the situation, I guess we should accept something like this. It would be troublesome if we were denied now, and we can be a little flexible… Yeah, it should be okay. You’re there, after all.”

Though he had taken a magical hit earlier, there didn’t seem to be any injuries or damages. He spoke nonchalantly, but his voice trembled slightly. I could almost picture Saeki with a strained expression on the other end of the line.

Probably, he realized that if he didn’t grant permission here, things could get complicated.

“Well, about the surveillance, I’ll make sure to turn it off as long as you’re together. Lately, there haven’t been any significant issues either.”

“Thank you very much.”

As I heard Saeki exhale on the phone, his voice had steadied, no longer trembling.

One could say that he was experienced enough to handle a situation like this, working in a place like this after all.

“Just make sure not to cause any problems, okay? And if any issues do arise, deal with them immediately.”

“Yes, I understand.”

That should be fine. In fact, I intend to handle things even without being told.

“Yeah, then I’ll make sure it’s okay. Sharing a bed might be cramped, so I’ll bring some futons and change of clothes—oh, but speaking of problems, it shouldn’t be a problem related to romantic relationships—”

“Don’t worry about that. Also, they said they will prepare futons, so we can use those.”

As the conversation was still ongoing, I hung up without waiting to hear the rest of Saeki’s words, and nonchalantly turned back to Nina and the others.

However, unlike me, who chose to ignore the last part of Saeki’s statement, Miyano and Asada, with their impressive physical abilities, seemed restless and fidgety. On the other hand, Abe and Kitahara, who were awakening users like us but had lower physical abilities as magic users, tilted their heads while observing the two.

Observing Miyano and Asada’s reactions, I sighed and placed my hand on my forehead.

…As if anything like romantic relationships would happen in a situation like this.

I sighed again, feeling exasperated by Saeki’s comment and Miyano and Asada’s reactions, and prepared myself for the sudden “sleepover party” that was about to begin.

…Why is it like this, even in such a dire situation for the world?