After Retirement, Living a Stud Life in Another World - 104
Chapter 104: My Daughter, Trouble?
“Wow, she’s so cute!”
I couldn’t help but let out that first remark. Despite being only about a month old, she had thick, soft-looking hair, a small yet well-formed face, and deep black eyes staring at me with innocent focus.
I remember newborn babies being all red and looking like monkeys, not particularly cute, but this child’s appearance was well put together. Come to think of it, Kaori also became quite cute by the time of her baptism… Is it a characteristic of this world, or perhaps the result of the dark clan’s bl00d?
“Is that all you’re feeling?”
“Huh? Is there something else?”
For some reason, Ayaka asked with a worried expression and an odd question. Upon seeing my own child for the first time, besides feeling that she’s cute, is there something else I should be feeling?
“I see, Lord Lutz doesn’t feel it… How about Lady Margarete?”
“Uh, this is amazing. Even as an S-class, I feel like I could lose myself if I let my guard down…”
“I have no idea what Gretel is talking about?”
At that moment, the female mage escort accompanying us suddenly knelt down and began uttering strange words.
“Oh! Today, for the first time in my life, I have met the master whom I should serve with my life! I will devote myself to you, milady!”
“Hey, Gerda, what are you saying?”
I turned around in surprise. Gerda, the female mage, had stars twinkling in her eyes like a character from a girls’ manga, and she was completely focused on my baby daughter. Although I had intended to employ this woman as a guard due to her loyalty and sense of responsibility, it seemed like she no longer cared about me, the one she was supposed to protect.
“My apologies to Lord Ludwig, but it is my soul speaking. The true master whom I should serve is this innocent lady!”
Is she serious? This woman, who usually shows no emotions and is completely faithful to her duty, now looks like a follower of a new religion worshiping a cult leader.
“Sorry, I’m lost. What’s going on?”
“…It’s unbelievable, but it’s an enchantment spell. Isn’t that right, Ayaka?”
Gretel’s words sounded bewildered. What does that mean? Is it possible for a newborn baby like this to use magic?
“Yes, Lady Margarete is correct. Since birth, this girl has continued to manifest the mid-level dark attribute magic ‘Enchantment.’ It seems to be activated unconsciously to protect herself… All the men who approach her fall prostrate before her, and women below B-class are all enchanted at first sight. Those of us with high magical power can resist it, but…”
“Even so, I was affected quite a bit. But Lutz’s reaction was just ‘how cute…’ It must be because of that, right?”
Yeah, it must be “that.” It’s my mysterious resistance ability that allows me to somehow survive even fatal lightning strikes as a normal person. Gretel told me about it, saying it’s because I store excess magical power in my body, giving me an abnormally strong resistance to magic.
“Yeah, it seems like it didn’t really work on you in terms of charm. But if things continue like this, I won’t be able to take her anywhere.”
Yeah, if I were to take this enchantment-leaking child out into the city, followers would start to multiply, and it would turn into a parade for a religious group. Or perhaps, like the Pied Piper of Hamelin.
“Until her magic surpasses my power, I can cast a restraining spell to keep it under control. In the meantime, I intend to teach her about the sinfulness of easily manipulating people’s hearts.”
Ayaka declared with quiet determination. Knowing her calm and rational nature, she probably also harbors the resolve for what to do if her powerful dark magic daughter becomes uncontrollable.
Yeah, as someone powerless, all I can do is trust her. And as a father, I’ll shower this child with plenty of love… I hope she realizes that she can be loved even without using enchantment spells.
“But this magical power is extraordinary. Kaori’s baptism…”
“Yes, we haven’t arranged for it yet because it’s likely to cause a stir… She’s probably going to be the first SS-class in the dark attribute.”
As expected, it’s turning out like that. In the country, there’s only one SS-class mother, and it’s said that both the dark and light attributes have one level higher ability than other attributes. As soon as she’s certified SS by the church, this child will be known as the strongest mage in Belzenbrücke… It’s going to cause a huge commotion. It might even lead to assassination attempts if we’re not careful.
“Well, we’ll have to quietly arrange for her baptism with a priest sent to this territory, won’t we? The appraisal results will have to be tampered with by the royal family. Even though Kaori is SS-class, she’s officially listed as A-class, right?”
As expected of Gretel, despite her rough demeanor, she’s received excellent education as the heir of a high-ranking noble family. She swiftly presents the noble way of handling things.
“Well, that’s about it. I’ll contact Beato and make arrangements. Now, I’d like to meet Kaori.”
“Yes, I think she’ll be pleased.”
Ayaka’s tense cheeks finally relaxed with relief.