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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Doting Dad (2)
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I opened my eyes with a hazy mind.
With my thoughts still not fully returned, I recalled what I'd been doing.
On a day off with no work scheduled, I'd had breakfast... and then I was leisurely enjoying a nap.
It wasn't like I was trying to laze around on purpose. It was Lize's request—the one providing that warm weight on my chest.
We'd planned to go out and play together for the first time in a while, but Lize had chosen to stay home with me instead.
She seemed to treasure our one-on-one time more than anything, which filled me with joy.
"Suuu.... Suuu...."
Lize was sleeping soundly, her breathing perfectly even.
How could even her sleeping face be so adorable? Just watching her brought a smile to my lips.
Worried she might slip off, I carefully moved the hand I'd been resting on her back to pat her gently. In response, she snuggled even deeper into my arms.
How could every little action of hers be so lovable?
When I first met Lize, I never imagined I'd feel this way.
No, it felt like I'd become an entirely different person now.
Back then, I was exhausted from endless regressions, obsessed only with breaking the cycle, too consumed to care about anything else.
"..."
I slowly stroked Lize's back.
At first, my goal had been to raise her into the hero who would defeat the Dark Lord and end my regressions, so I'd planned to care for her without any real emotion.
As long as she could stop this regression, it didn't matter who she was.
Yeah, like she was just a tool.
Looking back, my emotions had been so dried up back then that you could call me inhuman.
But... Lize changed everything for me.
Suddenly, I noticed her half-lidded eyes gazing up at me.
"...Daddy."
"Awake already?"
"...Wanna sleep more."
Lize lifted her head for a moment before burying it back in my chest.
I wondered if it was okay to indulge her laziness this much, but I figured one day wouldn't hurt.
She was such a good girl who listened better than any other child usually.
Well, truth be told, raising Lize hadn't always been easy.
Out of all my countless lives, taking care of a child was a first. And I quickly learned it was far more difficult than I'd imagined.
Especially doing it alone as a man with a newborn.
Even I, who took it all in stride, eventually felt a new emotion take root in my heart—one I'd never experienced before.
Paternal love.
No matter my initial intentions, Lize called me "Daddy" with all her heart, followed me devotedly, and put me above everything else.
Before I knew it, she'd carved out a deep place in my heart.
I wanted to be a real father to her.
To love her truly as my daughter, to do anything for her as her dad, to protect her from any danger, to fight the whole world for her sake—that kind of father.
That feeling was my driving force now.
But I knew better than anyone how incredibly difficult that would be.
Grrrrumble.
Just then, a loud rumble snapped me out of my reverie.
Not from me, of course—from Lize's stomach.
The fact that it growled so fiercely even in her sleep only confirmed she was hero material.
"Nngh...."
"Lize, hungry?"
"Mm... a little...?"
In the end, the noise from her own belly had woken her.
Her half-open eyes and pouty expression made it look like she was torn between hunger and drowsiness.
I lightly pinched her cheek with my finger, savoring the soft, squishy feel.
Part of me wanted to stay like this longer, but I couldn't leave her hungry. It was the perfect excuse to get up.
"It's been a while—wanna make lunch together, just you and me?"
"Yeah! Anything you wanna eat, Daddy?"
"Let's eat whatever you want, Lize."
"Then meat!"
Lize's eyes sparkled as she answered.
I couldn't resist rubbing my cheek against hers, and she let out a cute squeal.
I sat up, scooping her into my arms as I got out of bed. She immediately wrapped her arms around my neck and clung tight, like she'd been waiting for it.
It was a familiar routine, so I carried her steadily to the kitchen and set her down.
"I'll get things ready, so can you grab the potatoes and carrots, Lize?"
"Okay!"
Lize dashed off and returned with her arms full of potatoes and carrots.
Still, too many—I'd have to set some aside.
As I prepped the ingredients she'd brought, I felt eyes on me—Lize standing on tiptoes, staring intently.
She was fixated on my hands, curiosity burning in her gaze.
Or maybe she was just hungry.
I was grateful she obediently kept her distance while I handled the knife, knowing it was dangerous.
"Wow...."
As I started cooking, Lize let out little gasps of admiration.
With all my lives, I'd dedicated time to cooking in some. I even ran a pretty well-known place in the capital once, though that's not a fun story.
Still, it paid off—Lize always said my home cooking was better than eating out.
"Daddy, I'll peel these!"
"Alright, be careful with your hands."
Lize pitched in eagerly with her little hands, helping set the table.
"Thanks for the food!"
"Thanks for the food!"
With Lize's cheerful greeting, we dug into lunch.
She scooped up heaping spoonfuls, the picture of "eating heartily."
I always felt rewarded watching her—she ate like a champ. Or maybe she just had a great appetite.
She didn't picky-eat either, which was a dad's dream.
And she never gained weight no matter how much she ate.
So, to me, Lize eating was just heartwarming.
"Lize, say 'ahh'?"
"Ahhh."
Wanting to pamper her more, I picked up a piece of meat and popped it into her open mouth like feeding a baby bird. She chewed happily, her face lighting up with bliss.
"Yummy!"
"Eat lots."
"You too, Daddy—ahh!"
Like it was a competition, Lize held out meat for me. Feeling a small swell of emotion, I opened wide and accepted it.
It tasted extra special because she fed it to me.
We didn't do this every meal, so lunch naturally stretched out, but neither of us minded.
We'd decided to spend the day relaxing together, after all.
"I'll do the dishes!"
"Daddy's got it—you helped set the table, so rest."
"No way! It's your day off, so I'll do it."
"How about we do it together?"
We bickered playfully, but this was the inevitable result.
Her eagerness to help was so commendable.
Then I told her to wait in the living room and fetched the gift I'd forgotten to give her yesterday.
"Here, a present for my girl."
"Whoa! A new book!"
One of Lize's favorite things was reading.
Smart as a whip—who'd she get it from?—she'd learned letters fast and was soon devouring books.
I hadn't taught her formally, so she was a bona fide genius.
...Not just because she's my daughter.
I've taught plenty of kids in my lives.
This book had some tough words, but she read it effortlessly.
I could brag about her all day, but with a rare day off, I decided to tune up my tools while she read.
Suddenly, Lize set her book down mid-page and whipped her head toward me.
"I'll read this later."
"Why? Don't like it?"
I'd picked it thinking she'd love it—was it a miss? Or had her tastes changed in the two days I was gone?
Quick to own my mistake, I was about to head out for a replacement, but Lize shook her head lightly.
"'Cause I'm with you today, Daddy. I just wanna play with you."
She'd melted my heart extra hard today.
"Okay, what should we play? Cards? Board games? Ball? Anything you want."
I had all sorts of toys ready for playing with her.
But as always today, her answer threw me off.
"I wanna learn the sword from you, Daddy."
"No."
My firm refusal made her scowl and puff out her cheeks.
To me, it just looked cute.
"You always say no. Ughhh."
This wasn't the first time she'd brought it up.
My job meant constant training, so she'd naturally seen me swinging my sword.
She'd even witnessed me fighting monsters... maybe that's why she admired it.
As her father, it made me proud, but I wanted her out of danger more.
I hoped it'd stay as childhood hero worship.
"Like I said before, the sword's still too dangerous for you. Grow a bit more, and I'll teach you—Daddy promised."
"But... I wanna learn now. Peter's already halfway through his sword lessons and keeps bragging. So I should learn too, right? Pleeease?"
Bringing up the neighbor kid, huh.
My composed expression nearly cracked.
Honestly, the earlier she started learning, the better.
Physical skills benefited from early, solid foundations.
But I had no intention of telling her that.
For the record, I absolutely refused to let Lize hold a sword.
I'd brought her to raise as a hero at first, but now I just wanted to protect my precious daughter.
How could I watch her get blood on her hands?
"Lize, why do you want to learn the sword so bad?"
"..."
Unlike usual, she dug in her heels, not backing down despite my tone.
Maybe it was time for a serious talk.
After a moment's thought, I asked the question I'd avoided.
"Lize... do you want to be a hero? Like in fairy tales or legends."
The reason I'd once thought she was the key to ending my regressions.
Lize was born with the destiny of the hero who would save the world. Not just a hunch—I'd devoured every legend about heroes in past lives.
But that path was brutal, painful, full of wounds to body and soul.
I didn't want my beloved daughter enduring that.
But was it fate?
She excelled far beyond her peers and would grow even more. The world wouldn't leave her alone, and she might be drawn to the hero's path.
I'd tried ignoring it, but if she truly wanted to be a hero...
"No."
She shook her head casually, easing my fears. I let out a relieved sigh before I could stop myself.
I'd make sure Lize had the most ordinary happiness.
That was the bare minimum I owed her as her imperfect father.
Ordinary friends, ordinary school, ordinary good guy... wait, no—that last one's worth rethinking.
She was too precious for just any ordinary guy.
As I relaxed, planning her happy future, Lize continued.
"I wanna be a mercenary like you, Daddy!"
"Absolutely not."