Chapter 29: 29 – Is it wrong to have my friend babysit for a while?

"Like this, Daddy?" Fina held up a bowl of whisked eggs for me to look at.

I smiled and said, "Just like that, Princess."

"Yay! I did it!" Fina giggled and then carefully set the bowl down. "What else should I do, Daddy?"

"I can take it over from here. How about you go play with the toy plushy Miss Ryuu bought you?"

"Kay~!"

I watched Fina run off to the living room and then start talking to the plushed lion Ryuu bought her earlier.

Needed to remember to thank her properly for that at some point. Especially seeing how happy Fina was.

But anyway, dinner prep.

The sun was starting to set, with the sky slowly turning violet as the sun changed places with the moon. Although I only intended to spend a bit of the day shopping with Ryuu, Fina really got along with her. As a result, we ended up shopping the entire time instead after Ryuu showed me which places had the best deals on groceries, as well as generally when to buy certain ingredients.

Which reminded me that food expenses were definitely going to keep increasing if I kept making midnight snacks to fuel my training sessions if I kept grocery shopping this much...

But anyway, Fina was happy about spending the day shopping. Especially since she made a new friend out of it... even if Ryuu was probably humoring her.

I smiled and then focused on what we'd have for dinner today.

There were a bunch of eggs on sale, so I wanted to try frying some up. I also found some rice and seaweed, so I was thinking about making some egg sushi. Always wanted to try rolling some eggs to make that.

But in case Fina or Tia didn't like that, I prepped to make some omelets too.

...And I needed to remember to see if I could make an item box so that they could eat freshly cooked food whenever they wanted-

Ah. But that might be dangerous if someone came over, so freezer it was. At least until we moved into a bigger place with better security.

"Oh! Mommy's back!" Fina smiled and then ran over to the main entrance of the church. "Welcome home, Mommy!"

Tia's laughter echoed and she said, "Thank you, Sweetie."

I was preoccupied with cooking, but I craned my head back and said, "Heya, Tia! Long day?"

She let out a deep sigh and walked over to the kitchen, Fina trailing behind her.

"Very. A very long day. Complicated too." Tia looked at me and then pursed her lips.

Wow. For her to look like that, it must have been bad.

...She didn't find out about me almost dying, right? Even if Gods apparently acted like lie detectors, they weren't omniscient.

Tia stared a bit longer, making me sweat. But then she sighed and sat down at the table. Glancing over at Fina, she said, "Could you get Mommy some water, Sweetie?"

"Kay~!"

Fina dashed off to the pantry to grab a cup and then started filling up a cup for Tia.

In the meanwhile, Tia untied her hair ribbons and let her hair fall loose.

...Which made me realize just how pretty she was. And how much prettier she had been since Fina got her.

Was that thing about being in love making you prettier true? Her motherly charm? Or was it the rose-colored glasses I had since we were raising Fina together and I knew that Tia loved me.

I didn't know. But I did realize that I had been staring a bit too long since I smelt the eggs burning.

"Gah!" I turned my attention back to the eggs and said, "Forgot how fast these cooked!"

Tia laughed and shook her head. "You should be more careful, Bell."

Fina handed a cup of water to Tia and then looked back at me. "Yeah, Daddy! Don't burn the food!"

"I'll remember that, Princess."

xxx

Like usual, Fina went to sleep first because she exhausted herself. And like usual, that left me and Tia up to have a little bit of alone time.

I set a cup of cinnamon tea down in front of Tia before taking a seat across from her at the kitchen table. "There you go, Tia."

She smiled and said, "Thanks, Bell. Although..." She looked down at the tea and tilted her head. "...Do we have enough money to spend like this?" She glanced over at the pantry and said, "I noticed that you bought a lot more food as well..."

I waved my hand. "It's fine. Welf and I made a lot from our last trip."

Tia frowned and said, "Even so. You shouldn't spend so recklessly. We don't know when an emergency might occur."

I paused and slowly nodded. "That's a good point. I'll be a bit more careful then."

"Please do that."

Tia sipped on her tea and then smiled. "...It's sweet."

"Good." I sipped on my own cup and said, "It's my favorite, so I'm glad you like it too."

"Hm?" Tia blinked and said, "Your favorite?"

"Yep. Warm, cozy, and sweet. Just like you."

Tia froze and then her face started turning red as she let out a happy smile.

I felt my ears heat up as well, but didn't back down.

"B-Bell. T-That's... Um..."

I coughed and said, "A-Anyway. How was your day, Tia? Fina and I didn't see you at the food stalls, so did you take a day off?"

Tia's smile faded, turning into a frown.

Seeing that, I frowned as well. "Tia?"

Tia sighed and sipped on her tea. "It's complicated. I made a new... friend, I guess? And I went to talk with my best friend too. But..." She shook her head. "Again, complicated."

"Anything I can help with?"

Tia scoffed and said, "That's only going to make it worse. Honestly, why is the person I love so popular...? To even charm that woman... Though I guess it's because Fina's so adorable..."

Woman? Charm?

I paused and ran through the list of goddesses that Tia might be friends with.

Fina mentioned Heffy earlier... and Tia said best friend, so she probably met with Lady Hephaestus. Or in other words, Welf's crush.

But someone who Tia might be friends with- No, who she might make as a new friend...

...Was Artemis or Hera around? I didn't get a chance to comb through the public records yet, so I didn't know, but those seemed like possible candidates. Especially if it was someone who was supposedly unflappable.

...Or maybe Aphrodite? Would explain the Goddess who kept stalking me. Though considering the gaze was obsessive instead of lustful-

"You're doing the thing again, Bell."

I blinked and tilted my head. "What thing?"

Tia laughed and said, "If you're that curious, I could tell you. Or maybe..." She let out a sly smile and said, "Are you jealous?"

"Mm. A little bit." I sipped on my tea and said, "We're practically married, but I haven't taken you out on a proper date yet, let alone kissed you or done anything intimate. I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a bit threatened, you know?"

I had the cheat card on my side that was Fina as well as the fact that I seemed to be Tia's type. But nothing was official until it was.

Tia froze and then blushed again. "Y-You... Hmph. That silver tongue's going to get you in trouble, you ladykiller."

I flinched and then quickly nodded. "Right. I'll rein it in, Wifey."

Tia rolled her eyes at that, but she let out a bright smile. "Anyway... I met with Freya today."

I blinked. "Freya?"

"Yes."

"As in the goddess of the strongest familia in Orario?"

"That's the one."

"...Should I start prepping for a preemptive War Game to neutralize the threat? It'll be hard, but if we rely on the Guild to enforce the rules and if I team up with Welf..."

It'd be a hassle and I hated asking for favors, but if things had escalated to that level...

"Pft."

I looked at Tia and frowned. "This isn't funny, Tia."

She smiled and said, "I know. But... You did the same thing I did."

"Huh?"

Tia waved her hand and said, "Relax. Freya's weird, but she's a... good?" She paused to think about it and slowly nodded. "Yes. She's a good person. Just..." She pursed her lips and said, "Well. She's one of those friends who asks for a lot every now and then, I guess?"

"...That doesn't sound like a good friend, Tia. Especially one you just met. Not to mention someone who's in charge of the strongest Familia in Orario in terms of finances and raw power."

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Seriously. While I think the Hephaestus familia had more money because of their business, the Freya familia didn't lose out much. Not only that, but they had the strongest level adventurers in Orario.

That I knew for a fact since I had researched the people *not* to tick off until I got stronger.

I looked at Tia and said, "What did she ask for anyway?"

Tia turned a deep red.

Was it embarrassing? Did Freya see Tia's success in business and want her for a mascot or something?

"Tia."

"W-Well... That's..." Tia mumbled and then took a deep breath. After that, she nodded to herself and looked at me.

I stared back.

A tense silence.

I waited for Tia to answer, not wanting to rush her.

And then...

"She wants you to sleep with her and give her a child."

"...Come again?"

"Her words exactly."

xxx

"...And that's why I need you to watch Fina for a few days."

Welf gave me a blank look. Then he pinched his nose and held up his hand. "Hold on. So let me get this straight. You want me to watch Fina for a few days while you comb through the entire Guild's library of books... Because Lady Freya has offered to sponsor Hestia's, and in turn, yours and Fina's familia... in exchange for you being intimate with her for a night to make a child. And you want to find out if there's any legal traps in it, or if there are any legal loopholes you can use to get out of it."

"Yes."

Welf stared at me and said, "You are one hell of a family man."

The morning after Tia's bombshell announcement.

To sum it up... The Freya familia would back us up in whatever we did, and at the god meetings, Freya would cover for Tia in case people asked questions about me or Fina.

The problem was, she was asking for a one-night stand... And a sperm donation. Preferably at the same time.

Apparently, Hestia was fine with it... But she insisted that if it was going to happen, she called dibs first. And that it'd be a one time thing.

Which led to my predicament.

The first thing in the morning, I bolted to my best buddy's workshop and asked him for help while I sorted out this mess.

And went into doomsday prep mode for a few days.

Welf sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "You said that Hestia can block Freya's charm, right? And that she okayed it? To be honest, I don't really see the problem."

I nodded. "I see. So should I tell Hephaestus that you'd be okay with cheating on her?"

"H-Hey! N-No need to go that far, Bell. And I'm just saying. If it's all consensual... This is *Freya* we're talking about. And you get a night with her, no strings attached. Not only that, but your wife's giving you a pass. Like... Is there anything else a man could ask for?"

"Not being in the mess in the first place."

"Mm... True." Welf sighed and said, "I guess that's the reason why Hestia fell for you. The Goddess of Home and Hearth wouldn't fall for a cheater. ...And I guess she's pretty tolerant too."

I rolled my eyes and said, "Anyway, so can you watch Fina or not? Tia's going to be busy with Freya doing some battle prep for a God's Banquet or something next week, so we need someone to watch Fina for a while and the only one I can trust is you."

"I mean... I guess." Welf frowned. "Though I've gotta be honest, Bell. I don't really know how to take care of a kid... And won't it be dangerous for her to be hanging around here?"

"No worries. I'll leave an item box filled with fresh meals for you two. And Fina's immune to fire and heat so it'll be fine."

I found that out the scary way when she started playing with the flames while we were cooking...

"Item-" Welf rubbed his face and said, "You're *really* putting me in a tight spot with all your secrets, Bell."

I patted him on the shoulder and said, "Then work harder to be able to keep mine like I keep yours. It's a bit hard to level up and train, but being since you're a blacksmith, you can just become overgeared instead."

"Overgeared?" Welf blinked and said, "What's that?"

"Making overpowered items that can cross level gaps and boost your stats. If it's you, I'm sure you can figure it out. But anyway, we good then? Do I have a yes on you watching Fina?"

"Um. Sure? I guess that's fine-"

"Alright. Back in a sec."

xxx

"Hi Uncle Welf!" Fina waved and said, "Daddy said I can play with you for a few days! Ah, he said I have to listen to what you say though and be a good girl." She paused and said, "...What does it mean to be a good girl? I thought I was already a good girl? Mommy says it all the time..."

Welf blinked and watched as Bell dashed off, disappearing around the corner after dropping Fina off by literally stepping through the wall.

"Oh! You have Mister Fire here too!" After saying that, Fina dashed off to Welf's forge. "Hi Mister Fire! Have you been eating well?"

"W-Wait! Fina-"

"Hm?" Fina turned to look at Welf while holding a bundle of flames in her arms. White hot flames that she scooped out from the forge like it was nothing... And white hot flames that suddenly had a smiley face on it?

"...So that's the trouble I was sensing." Welf sighed.

This was definitely going to be a long few days-

"Ooh! So Uncle Welf's been feeding you metal to make cool toys? Will you help me make a gift for Mommy and Daddy then? ...You will? Thank you! Here, you can eat these."

A childish conversation.

While Welf was still processing what was going on, Fina put the fire back into the forge and then threw in a few pieces of glittering metal that looked a lot like adamantite.

And then that fire spit out a three glowing golden rings that looked a lot like they were made from orichalcum...

"Mister Fire! You didn't have to give me a gift too!"

Welf rubbed his face. "...Bell *must* have some weird bloodline in him. This doesn't make sense otherwise..."

"Hm?" Fina looked over at Welf and said, "Did you say something Uncle Welf?"

"It's nothing, Fina. But if you're done playing with Mister Fire, could you stand back a bit? He and I need to get some work done."

"Oh! Okay, Uncle Welf. Can I play with those then?" Fina pointed to a pile of scrap materials from Welf's experiments.

"Sure. Just be careful to not hurt yourself, okay?"

"Kay~!"

Welf sighed and then picked up the chestplate he left on the anvil before Bell interrupted him that morning.

Now, it was hard to add to something that was already completed, but Crozzo Blood changed that fact. The power of the spirits was something that went over what could be wrought by mortal hands and in turn allowed it to change into something more.

In theory.

In practice, Welf wasn't skilled enough to do that with anything other than a sword. But if he started back from the initial concept, he could slowly refine it and reinforce the item to the extreme.

Imperfections were inevitable, but it was in the imperfection that a greater whole could be created. A synergy greater than the sum of its parts...

Or at least, that was what Bell's book said.

Welf wasn't sure about that, but...

"Look, Uncle Welf!"

Fina called out to Welf, holding up a sheet of glowing crimson wool-

Wait. Was that Salamander Wool? And where did all the scraps of leather and fur go?

She ran over to Welf and said, "Daddy said that other people have a hard time playing with Mister Fire, so I made this for you! Do you like it?"

A bright and innocent smile.

Welf took the cloth from Fina and then examined it.

...Yep. Definitely Salamander Wool.

After confirming that, Welf blinked and slowly said, "Fina."

"Yes, Mister Welf?"

"Do you by any chance have something called Mystery in your stats?"

"Um... Daddy said not to tell anyone about my status. But... I guess since it's Uncle Welf..." Fina looked around and then whispered, "I do! But it's a secret, okay?"

...Alright. So maybe there was something to synergy making something greater than the sum of its parts. Because it was starting to seem like Fina was even more ridiculous than Bell...