Zenre’s face turned from confusion to shock.
Her round eyes and gaping mouth.
It seemed like countless question marks were floating above her face.
“Ru, Ruina is Mom? And Master is Dad…………… No, what the heck is this………..”
Zenre mumbled absentmindedly, as if she had realized a forbidden knowledge she should not have known.
I sighed and furrowed my brows at the sight of her looking so exhausted just by watching.
“Ugh… I’m already tired.”
I had intentionally avoided telling others that Luina and I were in a formal marriage relationship.
That was because Luina was uncomfortable with it, and I knew it would elicit the exact same reaction from Zenre as it was doing now.
But I never imagined that it would be discovered by Elia.
Well, Elia was now able to speak well and was quite sharp, so I should have anticipated this situation.
Despite wanting to shrug off the bother and stop explaining, I couldn’t just leave Zenre like that.
“Wait, follow me for a moment.”
“Huh, yes? Why all of a sudden, Master…”
“We can’t explain this in front of Elia, can we?”
How could I explain that Luina and I weren’t actually Elia’s real parents while she was listening?
So, I grabbed the back of Zenre’s neck and dragged her to the training ground, where I began to calmly explain the situation.
I told her that Luina came to me the day I found Elia, and since she had helped me by giving her a name, she ended up becoming Elia’s mother.
I also clarified that Luina and I were not a married couple, just in name only.
I explained it clearly so that even confused Zenre could understand, and after hearing everything, a look of understanding appeared on Zenre’s face.
At the same time, a brief but fleeting feeling of doubt passed through her expression.
It seemed like she had something she wanted to ask, but she swallowed it, thinking it was not the right time.
What was she wondering about? I wanted to ask her, but before I could speak, Zenre nodded and said with a knowing look.
“I understand everything, Master. It’s true that it would be nice if both of you were there to take care of such a young lady.”
“Yes, so don’t spread any strange rumors. Luina is an elf, so she might be sensitive to marriage or things like that.”
“…Yes, I see.”
What was that lukewarm response?
Zenre’s eyes briefly flickered between me and Luina, seemingly filled with some kind of sympathy.
It was such a cheeky look that I almost felt like giving her a playful tap on the head, but Zenre quickly opened her mouth as if she sensed my mood.
“By the way, Master, just my personal opinion, but wouldn’t it be better to officially announce it?”
“What? Why?”
“After all, Master, you’re not going to stay in this hut forever, right? Eventually, you’ll take Elia to the capital, and when her citizenship is made, the rumors will spread in no time.”
“Ah… Citizenship. I hadn’t thought of that.”
Citizenship. That word made me realize what Zenre was trying to say.
A citizenship certificate was an identification method that all normal citizens had.
It required essential information like the person’s name, gender, birth year, and family relations.
The recorded information was sent to the royal palace’s personnel department, and it was used when someone’s identity was needed, like when a crime was committed or for other reasons.
And although it’s awkward for me to say, both Luina and I were famous enough that anyone would recognize us by name.
Therefore, if we created Elia’s citizenship and listed our family relationship, the rumors would spread quickly, starting from the royal palace.
Even if nothing else, the family relationship would surely become the talk of the town.
“So you’re suggesting we announce it early to quell the rumors?”
“Yes, if the rumors spread now, by the time you go to the capital with Elia, they won’t be as big a deal.”
“Sigh… Well, this isn’t something I can decide on my own. I need to discuss it with Luina first.”
Zenre‘s suggestion was quite reasonable.
Since it was inevitable that the bomb would explode when we eventually went to the capital, it might be better to set it off now while we were still in the countryside.
However, this wasn’t just my problem.
If we publicly announced that we were Elia’s parents, it might be a huge disrespect to Luina, who was sensitive to matters like marriage.
So, I needed to ask Luina first and make sure she was okay with it before announcing it.
“Well, if that’s what you think is best, it’s fine by me.”
Upon hearing this, Zenre shrugged her shoulders and let out a sly chuckle.
How irritating.
Luina. Who is she?
She is the legendary elf archer who was the only one who could team up with Kael during the Demon War and played a major role in ending the war.
She was the war hero who took down three of the demon king’s high-ranking officials… A master of archery who had no equal, past or future.
That was the general knowledge that ordinary citizens had about Luina.
And among those who had fought alongside Kael and Luina, more specifically, Kael’s disciples, some knew another fact about her.
Zenre, like Kael’s other disciples, knew that Luina had a secret admiration for Kael.
It was a fact that Luina harbored feelings for Kael.
Kael, being so thick-headed and mentally drained from the pressures of war, never seemed to notice.
After all, Kael was a person who had to cry over the death of his disciples every day. How could he have had the luxury to think about love?
But those who had a wider perspective than Kael, who could observe from a third-party point of view, knew.
They knew that Luina had a secret crush on Kael.
“Most of us already know.”
After all, when they were resting after battles, Luina always looked after Kael, did things for him, and it was obvious from her eyes that she was in love.
So, Zenre was sure of one thing.
She was certain that Luina would never refuse Kael’s request to announce that they were Elia’s parents.
And sure enough…
“So, we’re thinking of officially announcing that we’re Elia’s parents. Are you okay with that, Ruina?”
“…Yeah, I’m okay with it.”
Despite her blushing face, Ruina agreed without much hesitation, which made Zenre grin widely.
Of course, Kael was probably only thinking about making a public announcement and nothing beyond that.
The small sigh of relief Kael let out at Ruina’s response was proof of that.
However, unlike Kael, Ruina’s flushed face and troubled expression showed that her thoughts didn’t stop at just making an announcement.
And Zenre, watching her master fail to notice that even while standing right in front of her, couldn’t help but have a brief, disrespectful thought.
“…How dense is Master, exactly?”
How could he not make the connection when Ruina was blushing right in front of him?
Zenre was practically boiling with frustration from an outsider’s perspective.
But Zenre’s frustration wasn’t directed at Kael alone.
“And why on earth hasn’t Ruina confessed yet?”
Does she not realize how many women are after Kael in the capital?
Maybe it was understandable five years ago, but now, five years later, Zenre thought Ruina had more than enough of a chance.
Kael’s emotional wounds had been healed by Elia, his daughter.
Ruina had a deep bond with Kael through Elia, and since Kael was still living in the countryside, there were no rivals to get in the way.
If Kael went back to the capital, swarms of women would surround his mansion within days.
In other words, this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance — so why wasn’t she confessing?
“Haa…”
Frustrated, as though her chest was stuffed with a hundred sweet potatoes, Zenre turned her head and let out a deep sigh.
And after that sigh, Zenre’s eyes sharpened with determination as she looked at Kael and Ruina again.
“Alright, looks like I’ll have to step in.”
Ideally, she would have preferred to give them time and let them figure it out themselves.
“But since both of them have all the time in the world, they’re probably thinking they can afford to take it slow.”
Even if they were left alone for decades, nothing would change.
And Zenre wasn’t the type to sit back and let frustrating situations play out.
If her lifelong mentor and the war hero she admired were hesitating at the edge of a relationship, it was her duty to give them a push.
“Master, would you mind if I had a word with Ruina since it’s been a while?”
“Huh? Oh, sure… In that case, I’ll take Elia and give her a bath.”
First, she had to remove Kael from the equation.
Kael nodded easily, as if encouraging Zenre to have a relaxed conversation with Ruina.
Kael even went so far as to take Elia along to bathe her.
Clunk—
With Kael and Elia gone to the bathhouse behind the cabin, only Zenre and Ruina were left inside.
“…”
A brief silence settled over the cabin.
It wasn’t an awkward silence, but more like the quiet left by the absence of the other two.
In that silence, Ruina’s gaze, filled with curiosity about what Zenre wanted to discuss, fell on her.
Without hesitation, Zenre got straight to the point.
“I’ll help you however I can, Ruina. You should confess to Master.”
“…W-What?!”
A blunt statement delivered without any warning.