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[Paul’s POV]
I had finished work, returned home, wrapped up swordsmanship practice with my eldest son, and was enjoying tea and snacks with my wife for the first time in a while.
"Um, Paul, are you home?"
My wife and I turned toward the garden at the deep, rather masculine-sounding woman’s voice. There stood Kashua, the blacksmith, who had come to our house with my younger son in her arms.
My son, whose sword had broken and whom I had sent to the smithy... was sniffling in the arms of a married woman who was larger and more muscular than I was. My eyes widened to the size of candies.
That Lumius was sniffling. And he had buried his face not in his parents’ arms, but in someone else’s.
From the time he had been an infant until now... aside from babbling, my son had never cried. Yet now, he was crying.
Was there any greater shock one could experience as a parent?
My wife and I hurriedly welcomed Kashua into the house.
My wife and the maid took the sniffling Lumius from Kashua and brought him into a room.
Rudeus, who had been teaching Sylph to write at the table, must have been shocked by the sight of Lumius as well. He frowned and watched us closely.
Sylph, too, tilted her head and stared intently at me.
Rudeus’s gaze seemed to demand that I explain what had happened, making the back of my head prickle. I seated Kashua at the table and sat across from her to hear the story.
Without making any fuss, Kashua had her two daughters stand before the table, then bowed her head.
"Paul, I’m truly sorry about this. My girls were in the wrong."
"No, even if you say that..."
"You two! What are you doing? Apologize at once!"
At Kashua’s sharp rebuke, the children standing before the table raised both arms high and apologized to me in voices full of deep remorse.
"We are truly sorry."
"S-Sorry..."
On each girl’s head was a swelling as large as Rudeus’s fist.
I had received their apology before I could make sense of it, but I did not know what they were apologizing for, so it did not truly sink in.
More than that, whatever had happened had made even Lumius burst into tears. Was it something I could handle?
Anxiety slowly rose within me, and with it came tension.
Still, this concerned my son. With Rudeus beside me, glaring on behalf of his younger brother, I could not afford to simply panic.
After taking a deep breath, I heard from Kashua exactly what had happened.
"Well, you see. This is what happened──."
Once I had heard the entire story, a laugh escaped me.
Rudeus, who had been listening beside me, gave Kashua’s daughters an empty smile and nodded as if he understood completely.
The reason Lumius had cried was exceedingly simple.
His clothes had been pulled off in front of girls, exposing his underwear.
That was all.
Of course, given Lumius’s straitlaced nature, it made sense that he would be startled into tears by being treated as a girl and having his clothes forcibly removed.
But compared to how I had braced myself for some dreadful event, it was surprisingly minor.
At the same time, I was reminded anew that Lumius was still a child.
No matter how distant he might feel at times, he was my son, and he was still young.
That realization put me at ease.
Rudeus had not been childlike from the day he was born, but Lumius was even more so.
I had thought I was dealing with an old man in my son’s body, yet here I was seeing such a young and vulnerable side of him.
It was a rare experience in its own way.
Well, if it had been me at Lumius’s age, I might have calmly stripped off my clothes and bathed with them in that situation.
Ever since I was young, I had been hot-blooded and lustful. Whenever I saw a pretty woman, I could not stop myself from putting my hands on her.
I had calmed down somewhat by now, but back then, I truly had no restraint.
Unlike me, Lumius was rational.
No, perhaps it would be more accurate to say he was far too inexperienced with women.
He was my son, so how could he be so hopeless around girls?
It was the complete opposite of what had happened between Rudeus and Sylph just recently.
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Not long ago, when I came home after work, I found Rudeus pouncing on Sylph, his childhood friend.
I had nearly scolded him on the spot, but I remembered Lumius’s advice and decided to proceed carefully.
After all, following his advice and talking things through had cleared up my misunderstanding with Rudeus.
For the moment, I left the sobbing girl in Lumius’s care and decided to wash Rudeus with hot water.
"Why did you do that?"
"I’m sorry."
When I had lightly scolded him a year ago, Rudeus’s first response had been an excuse. This time, an apology came from his lips.
His attitude was subdued, and he was quiet as could be. He looked like a pickled vegetable.
"I’m asking why."
"She was wet, so I was trying to take her clothes off for her..."
"But she did not want you to, did she?"
"Yes..."
"What did your father tell you about treating women well?"
"Yes... I’m sorry."
Rudeus did not make a single excuse. What had I been like at his age?
I seemed to remember saying nothing but "No" and "But."
All I ever did was make excuses.
My son was admirable, unlike that.
"Well, at your age, you might be curious. But you cannot force someone."
"...Yes. I’m sorry. I’ll never do it again."
He was my son, fond of women. This must be hereditary too.
For an intelligent boy like him, those instincts would naturally be troubling.
Why had I failed to understand...? No, this was not the time to empathize with him.
I needed to teach him through experience what he ought to do.
"Apologize to Sylph, not me. Understand?"
"Will Sylph... forgive me?"
"You should not apologize assuming you will be forgiven from the start."
At that, Rudeus grew even more dejected.
Come to think of it, Rudeus had always been earnest about that girl.
The commotion a year ago had also been about protecting her.
It had nearly led to an argument between father and son.
After that, he played with her almost every day and protected her from the other children.
He worked hard at swordsmanship and magic, yet still made time for his girlfriend whenever he could.
He had courted her so diligently that he even gave her his most treasured staff and magic textbook as gifts.
It was understandable that he would be dejected at the thought that she might hate him.
I had been the same way with my wife once. When she hated me, I had become discouraged too.
But do not worry, my son. Speaking from experience, you can still make this right easily enough.
"It’s all right. You have never done anything like that before, so if you apologize sincerely, she will surely forgive you."
At that, my son looked a little brighter.
He was a clever boy. Even if he had made a small mistake this time, he would soon make up for it.
Better yet, if he used this failure well, he might even win her heart.
I felt reassured, yet afraid for what lay ahead.
The moment Rudeus finished bathing, he ran to Sylph and said this first:
"Sorry, Sylph. Your hair was short, so I thought you were a boy all this time!!"
I had thought my son was perfect, but perhaps he was unexpectedly an idiot.
That was the first time I had ever thought so.
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Time passed, bringing us back to the present.
I was now facing a situation entirely opposite to Rudeus’s obliviousness.
It resembled the incident in which Rudeus had forcibly removed Sylph’s clothes, but with the roles reversed.
Kashua’s children, who had mistaken Lumius for a girl and wanted to bathe with him, had pounced on my son and forcibly stripped off his clothes.
What was I supposed to say to these children?
Kashua’s two daughters, Karen and Karin, were good girls who always greeted me with bright smiles whenever I visited the smithy.
They were kind children who got along well as sisters and even helped out with chores at their mother’s forge. This had happened because of a misunderstanding.
From an adult’s perspective, it was hardly worth receiving such profuse apologies over.
I gave the children, who were apologizing while being punished, and Kashua, who was bowing her head in apology, an easy smile.
"N-No, I’m glad it was not as serious as I expected. My son was probably just startled and burst into tears. Once he calms down, I think he will be back to normal soon enough."
"But... my girls behaved disgracefully. To think they would put the benefactor who saved my daughter from being bullied through such an embarrassing ordeal."
"I’m telling you, it really is not a big deal. Not long ago, something worse than this happened. Right, Rudy?"
To lighten the mood a little and enlist his help, I passed the baton to Rudeus.
When I shut one eye and signaled to him, Rudeus, who had initially looked flustered, cleared his throat and spoke in my stead.
"Father is right. To be honest, even Father and I often get confused and wonder if Lumi might be a girl. More than anything, Lumi’s face resembles Mother’s a great deal, so when he is sitting still, he really does look like a girl. Right, Sylph?"
"Y-Yeah! When I first saw Lumi too... I thought he was an older sister."
"See? Someone who does not know the circumstances would genuinely believe Lumi is a girl, so I do not think you need to take it so seriously. Besides, Lumi is kind. Once he gathers himself, he will accept your apology and say everything is fine."
Nodding at Rudy’s words, I spoke to Kashua and the children.
"There, you heard him, did you not? My son has an appearance confusing enough to make even his own brother mistake him for a girl. So Karen and Karin must have misunderstood as well. More importantly, they did not do it with ill intent, did they? Since this is a matter between children, I think the best thing is to let the children make up among themselves."
"Whew. I wonder if it is truly all right to settle it so simply... In Oni culture, crushing a man’s pride is one of the most wicked things a woman can do."
"But that is Oni culture, is it not? This is a Human village. Since you are not raising your children as Oni, I do not think it has to matter all that much."
"...Hmm. There is sense in what you say, Paul."
By Oni standards, a woman trampling on a man’s pride was indeed a particularly vile act.
Though it was not as strict as it had been in the old days, Oni still clearly divided the roles of men and women.
Men hunted outside, fought off foreign enemies, constructed buildings, and made weapons and farming tools.
Women raised and protected the children, maintained harmony within the village, and taught their traditions and knowledge.
To survive in harsh lands, they had to cooperate with one another without conflict.
Their roles differed, but they accepted them humbly and lived accordingly.
Without men, there were no women. Conversely, without women, there were no men.
Each took pride in the duties they were assigned.
It seemed that this sense of role and duty was part of why injuring their pride was considered so terrible among the Oni.
"Please do not take it so seriously. I would hate for things to become awkward with you, Kashua. You are my drinking companion, after all."
"I feel the same way. That is why I came to apologize to you, Paul."
"I understand how you feel, but this is too heavy. It is an issue between children. I do not think adults should step in and make a fuss over it."
"...All right."
After much deliberation, Kashua nodded and told her daughters to put their arms down.
Then, stroking their heads, she gently counseled them.
"Karen, Karin, I will not scold you any more over this. The adults will not scold or blame you any further. But this is your problem, so you must resolve it yourselves. You are good girls, so you trust your mother, right?"
"Yeah."
"...Yes."
"Good. Then when Lumius comes out, apologize to him sincerely. He will surely forgive you."
At their mother’s words, the girls’ stiff expressions eased, and they looked a little brighter.
Rudeus and Sylph encouraged Karen and Karin as well.
"You are Karen and Karin, right? Lumi is a very considerate little brother, so he will definitely accept your apology."
"That’s right. Lumi is mature for his age."
"Mature for his age?"
"Um... i-is he?"
"Yes. Lumi does not have such a twisted personality that he would refuse a heartfelt apology."
"That’s right! Lumi is kind."
As we spoke, the door opened, and Lumius, having regained his composure, came outside.
Holding my wife’s and the maid’s hands as he came out, Lumius was approached by the two girls, who began to speak.
"I’m really sorry, Lumius. Your hair was long and your skin was so fair that I thought you were a girl!!"
"...S-Sorry. I did not... mean any harm. When you saved me from Somal’s gang... you told us you were a boy, but... when my sister kicked you, I completely forgot about it... I’m really sorry."
Now then, how would he react? Even I was a little curious as I watched.
These were the girls whose actions had brought tears to my son’s eyes.
They retained a few Oni traits, but I could confidently say they were the prettiest girls in the village.
Would Lumius, like Rudeus, inherit my hot-blooded and lustful nature?
Deep down, I wanted to see the answer.
In response to Karen and Karin’s apology, Lumius wore a faint smile and spoke with the air of an adult soothing children.
"No. I also bear some blame for not clearly telling you that I was a boy. And you were kind to me, but I forgot that and cried like a fool. I am the one who did something wrong. I am truly sorry."
Lumius soothed the girls and apologized. Compared to the way Rudeus had apologized to Sylph, he was the more skillful one.
No, even I would not have apologized like that at his age.
I would probably have slapped them or lifted their skirts.
Compared to that, my son was truly admirable.
"No! We’re the ones who are sorry! We saw you naked, after all."
"R-Right! We’re sorry."
"It’s all right. I am the one who is sorry."
"No. I’m more sorry."
"I-I’m the one who’s sorry!"
"I’m more sorry."
"No! I said I’m more sorry!"
"I-I am too...!"
A small quarrel broke out as each insisted that they were the one at fault and apologized.
I wondered whether the adults ought to step in and mediate, but seeing the fond expression on Rudy’s face, perhaps there was no need.
Just as I thought that—
"Enough! Why is a man taking so long to talk!"
"Y-Yeah!"
"W-Wait?!"
The girls grabbed Lumius by the shoulders──then pursed their lips and kissed both of my son’s cheeks.
Perhaps startled by the suddenness of it, Lumius’s eyes went round. The girls spoke first.
"We’re much more sorry! We’ll take responsibility for you! We’ll accept you as our husband!"
"I-I may not be much... but I’ll do my best to take responsibility as your wife...!"
"T-That..."
Those lines were so overwhelming that Lumius’s thoughts seemed to have stopped entirely.
Then again, even I, watching, had lost my words and could only stare blankly at the scene.
"Don’t worry! We’ll never let our husband go hungry! Just trust us and come as you are!"
"...I’ll work hard from now on too... so, p-please take care of me. D-Dear... husband!"
His eyes wavered like ripples spreading across a lake after a stone had been thrown in.
And then...
"Um... then... I look forward to working with you as well."
I had only sent him out for a little fresh air... yet Lumius had gone outside and returned with flowers in both hands.
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