Chapter 71: Chapter 69: The glory of the name of Isaiah spreads far, as if on the wings of a bird

The depth of my love is proved true by my ability to deny, to say ‘no’.

I hold a sword in my hands, strong and sharp. I could give it to my child, my girl. She’s eight. She could hold it. She could try to swing it. She wants the sword.

But when she asks for it, I will say ‘no’. I will deny her wish to be like the strong adventurers, who she sees walking by our customer-less store day after day. I will watch her cry hard tears and listen to her hoarse screams and sad tantrums and desperate explanations that she just wants to help us earn money to survive.

She is a good child.

But I will still say ‘no’.

She can hold the sword. She has the hands and the will. She wants to have the sword. I can give it to her. I have the capacity to do so. But she doesn’t have the training, the experience, the fortitude, the body, or the mind to wield it. She’s eight.

My true love is made apparent, not by my granting of her every hope and dream, but by my ability to deny her fondest wish. Would I be a good father if I gave her the sword?

I will deny her until she is ready, not because I want her to lack for anything in life or in heart, but because she is simply not capable of handling what she wants should she get it.

In life, you must tell the people who you love ‘no’, sometimes, even if they don’t understand and they cry and they scream.

- This is exactly how the gods view us.