~ Side Story: Family ~

[Illsyore's point of view]

Several weeks have passed since the patched-up fleet of the Paramanium Empire was sent back to lick their wounds. The first semester at my Magic Academy had started as well and everything was peaceful right now.

There was no sign of danger or suspicious individuals lurking around. Although I let the Adventurers Guild know they can open an office here and have adventurers sent out to level up in my dungeon, it appeared as though there were still some glitches to be solved.

First of all, only my wives could safely complete my dungeon. Then there was a problem with the number of monsters, which was a bit too high, and apparently the hordes of boot-loving imps didn't impress the cute nekatar receptionist.

I did make her another pair of boots, so I had no idea what she was mad about.

There was also a problem with the traps, which were too fast, too many, and too deadly. Tamara had fun playing around with them, and they could definitely not cut through Zoreya's defenses, so I considered them safe. Unfortunately, the big sturdy adventurers who came to give my dungeon a test run ended up with Afro-style haircuts and singed eyebrows. Their weapons were bent like accordions and their armors were shattered to pieces before they even managed to pass through half of the first floor out of the ten available for them.

When I told them, the difficulty scaled and that on the second floor there was a jumping puzzle with invisible steps above a molten lava field, they all started to complain. That dungeon was decided it was off limits to anyone who wasn't an immortal or at the very least a god. They even put up a sign stating this!

In my opinion, I believed they were exaggerating, but maybe it was my sense of difficulty that had a hard time adjusting.

At least this time there was no lava on the first floor... it was on the second one.

It was decided that I would work together with the guild representatives to make a suitable dungeon where various adventurers could harness their power and grow in level. For this, I was offered the plans for the several floors belonging to the most visited dungeons on the three continents.

Their simplicity was terrifyingly painful... To think that some of these Dungeons even created 'rest rooms' for the adventurers. What was this, a picnic?

Well, it didn't matter. If the guild wanted to have their adventurers delve into something far less complicated, I didn't mind wasting some space and materials for it. More adventurers would increase the economy of the settlement and help me gain more students as well. I just had to figure out a good way to stop the rowdy ones from making a mess of things. Maybe if I simply denied them access within the dungeons for a while, they would calm down?

As for my students, I was going to make sure they would be able to go through a simple easy dungeon like the one I had built at Fellyore, minus the anti-Dankyun arsenal I had installed later on.

Speaking of which, it appeared that everyone was progressing quite nicely with their studies. I was in charge of the Biology and World Physics classes for the time being. Savannah took care of a lot of the other ones, including Physical Education, Writing and Reading, Art, Mathematics, and Noble Etiquette. The last one was sort of mandatory because they were bound to meet a lot of dumb nobles out there, and the students had to have a means of properly interacting and manipulating them.

In regard to what my wives taught, well Nanya was teaching Self-Defense and Dungeon Exploration classes. Ayuseya was teaching Politics and Literature. She had a duel with Savannah regarding that last one, and apparently my draconian wife knew more about the writers around the world than she let on. Tamara taught cooking class together with Yung Mai.

Although only one of them would have been good enough for this position, Mai's suggestion was that it wouldn't help to have one teacher show how it was done while the other checked upon how everyone was progressing and correcting them when it was needed.

Riveron Sai taught Agriculture together with Rengar Baria, but the later never left the fields. There had also been a rumor about the two of them competing for Yung Mai's hand, but nothing stopped the woman from grabbing both of them for herself. There was no law that prevented one from having either multiple wives or husbands, especially since I was a prime example of someone in such a position.

Lumia Shora absolutely loved to teach the children both dancing and music. Ayuseya dropped by from time to time to give some lessons in violin. I don't think I have seen her so happy ever since we left Paramanium.

Runnar Kalio was the teacher in Blacksmithing here at the academy. While many believed this was an odd class like the Agriculture and Music ones, the young children simply loved to learn from him and listen to his jokes.

Ferris Rithhold didn't have this charisma towards his students as Runnar and Lumia did. The air within his classroom was always a stiff one, and everyone had to obey his instructions to the letter. Because of this strict way of teaching in contrast to the carefree one of the previous two, Ferris ended up being one of those hated teachers. Everyone wanted to skip his class, but they knew the homework would be unbearable if they did.

On another note, I did understand why there was such a huge difference between them. Alchemy meant working with dangerous substances. Since his students were inexperienced in handling the bottles, they could easily end up hurting themselves or others. His strict teaching methods were a means of helping them take his lessons seriously to avoid accidents.

Speaking of which, Zertan taught Herbalism and Potion Brewing. Him and Ferris worked on a curriculum of lessons which would make Alchemy complete the lessons of Potion Brewing, which would give meaning to Herbalism. I was quite surprised when they proposed this to me.

I guess the weirdest class of them all was Zoreya's Religion Study.

Out of curiosity, I went once to see how she taught them. I never saw her try to teach anyone anything in this manner. My usual lessons with her ended up in the two of us getting naked or during pillow talk. I remembered a lot thanks to this, including her weak points.

In front of a class filled with curious students and me, who was by no means wondering if she was wearing any panties under that armor, Zoreya had a calm demeanor and explained her lessons in a clear tone of voice. Melkuth's Shield, which was her symbol as a High Apostle of the God of War, was leaned against the desk, facing the class.

During the class I attended, Zoreya explained the difference between the symbols used by various gods. Melkuth's symbol was represented by two identical short swords crossing blades in an X shape. Above them was a tear and below them were waves made on a calm surface of liquid, which I didn't know if it was blood or water.

The Gods of Justice had a T-shaped hammer leaning to the right at a 90 degrees angle. On the right side of the hammer's head hanged a balance. God Maragun was represented by the hammer leaning towards the right, while goddess Nazra was represented by the hammer leaning towards the left, a mirror image of the other symbol.

The Goddess of the Hunt, Artemya, was represented by a Bow with a loaded arrow. Hers was the simplest symbol to remember so far.

The Goddess of the Anvil, Narcerya, was represented by the symbol of a hammer striking an anvil that had a hole right in the middle. Inside it, the symbol of a flame was drawn to symbolize her power over high temperatures. Narcerya was also known as the Goddess of Metalworking or Metallurgy.

The God of Harvest, Sertan, had as symbol three straws of ripe grain tied together with a loose rope. It was meant to symbolize both the gathering of crops and also that of materials from monsters and dungeons. It was also the only one so far that changed over time. Zoreya said that the original symbol was a basket filled with fish, which made me wonder if Sertan evolved from a god of the seas, but that one was Peotrasky.

The last symbol my wife explained during her class was the one that represented the Goddess of Nature, Martyria. It was a looping vine with three leaves and a drop of water hanging at its end. I found this one to be the most beautiful of them all.

Using this opportunity, I nonchalantly asked Zoreya what the Holy God of Big Boobs was represented by. I received Melkuth's Shield as a reply. To be more precise, Zoreya turned it into a deadly projectile that half buried me into the wall. She firmly declared that she does not wish to know the symbol of such a perverted god even if he was the lawful husband of Narcerya and Artemya. This last bit surprised the students the most, seeing how the two goddesses have been so far declared as single by their believers.

After I pulled myself out of the wall, and Zoreya gave me a kiss on the cheek as apology for being a bit rough with me, someone asked whether or not the God of Dungeons existed.

My wife had this to say: “No such god exists, the same way as there's no god of Humans or god of Elves.”

It made me wonder if such a thing was true, after all, the Holy God of Big Boobs was quite real, but he was someone who didn't wish to create a cult or religion in his name. The God of Humans or God of El'doraws for example could have followed his example.

Usually, after my classes were over, I would take a look around the island to make sure everything was alright. I would check up on the monsters summoned by me and give them a meal of Magic Energy to keep them from hunting around for prey.

After this, I would go and visit Shanteya, who was the only one who didn't start her lectures. She was the teacher for the Stealth and Assassination class, which sounded rather suspicious, but it was meant to teach my students how to protect themselves from enemies who used stealth, poisons, and other assassinations techniques. It was mostly a physical education class as well. Besides this class, she also taught a Maid and Service class, which helped those with the intention of becoming the butler or maid of some respected noble. It was also good to teach the children how to behave and live by themselves.

The second year was going to focus more on the minor details regarding all of these classes, while the third year would be all about combat, party development, and dungeon exploring. In other words, I still had three years to figure out how to make something that didn't turn my students into broken meat dolls.

After visiting Shanteya, I would work on one of my projects for an hour or so and then return to the Principal's Office to have a hot cup of tea, which relaxed me.

Today was a day like any other, and I thought it was going to be the same as well until Tamara burst through the front door. No really, she ripped the door out of its hinges even though it had been enchanted to resist a Supreme's full power punch.

“NYA! NYA NYA NYANYA NYA!” she shouted fluttering her arms in the air.

“Speak human! I don't understand 'nya nya' talk!” I retorted.

“Shanteya! Water broke! Hurry!” she said and then started to run around in circles.

“What?! When?! I have to hurry! What do I need? Water?! Towels?! Leviathans?!” I shouted as I ran in circles with Tamara.

I was... worried.

“Nya! I don't know? Maybe? Probably?! Yes?! Why are you running?!” she asked me.

“I'm not running! You are running!” I shouted back.

“Nya~ We are both running! Why are we running?!” she asked.

“We're not running! We're panicking!” I retorted and then I grabbed Tamara in a princess carry and dashed out through the... window.

Yup, I jumped out the window, which was closed, so it was shattered to bits after contact with my Magic Armor.

I raised my hand up and shouted: “Colly Tos!”

Four pairs of sexy underwear floated above my head.

Oi! That's a bit too stimulating to be wearing at school! I retorted in my mind.

“ILLSY!!!” came Nanya's shout as she punched the window.

Yup, that one was shattered to bits as well!

“Illsy! What are you doing!” Zoreya opened the window normally, but her cheeks were bright red as a result.

“Oh my, what's the matter, my dear husband?” Ayuseya asked with a calm smile on her lips, but the way she was cracking her knuckles told me I was in mortal danger.

“Nya~ It's breezy!” the cat complained and licked my cheek.

“No time to be punched! Shanteya! Water broke! HURRY!” I shouted.

When I said this, they all told the class to have a free day and jumped out the window. After reaching my location, we all rushed to our house, where Shanteya was waiting for us. When I got there, I found Savannah helping her get into the wheelchair I designed for this moment.

“Ungh... Illsy... the baby is coming...” she told me with a pained expression on her face.

The contractions must have started! I thought.

“Don't worry! Everything will be alright!” I said and the first step I made, I stumbled on my own feet and fell face first on the floor.

“Illsy! This is not the time for a comedy show!” Nanya scolded me.

“Who's doing comedy?!” I retorted as I got up.

“Let's hurry and take you to the Dungeon Core Room.” Zoreya said as she walked past me and left her shield to rest on the wall.

“We're all here for you.” Ayuseya comforted her.

“Yes! Definitely!” I declared.

“Illsy, go and make sure the room is ready.” Nanya told me.

I nodded and went to the room at the end of the hallway. There was no reason to put it in some other place. Once the Dungeon was born, we could move his or her Core wherever we wanted.

When I got there, the walls, floor, everything looked exactly as an actual Dungeon Core Room was supposed to look like, the difference was in the writing on the walls. The information the young Dungeon was supposed to receive from its predecessors was all there, but since I made this place, I made sure to let the Dungeon know that we were his or her family as well as not include any suspicious orders that would usually turn the young Core into a mass-murdering machine of doom. Either way, I quickly checked everything including the Magic Energy inscriptions on the floor, which were responsible for acting as a beacon for the newborn Dungeon.

“Everything is in check.” I said and then looked at the special tent I had installed here.

This was the place where Shanteya was supposed to give birth. There was a comfy table suited for such a process, hot water, sterile towels, everything I could think of, including a window through which she would be able to see the Dungeon Core once it was born.

I double checked everything and just when I had finished, my wives were bringing Shanteya inside.

“Is everything ready?” Nanya asked.

“Yes!” I replied.

Shanteya was helped to lay down comfortably on the table, and everyone prepared for the long hours ahead of us. I connected a simple string of Magic Energy between the Dungeon Core inside her womb and this room. I also made sure to set my own Dungeon Territory to accept the child's own Dungeon Territory. I was able to do this the moment I felt one developing inside of her.

After this, all I had to do was be there and hold the hand of my beloved wife.

“Oh, by the mercy of all the gods, my Magic Armor cracked!” I shouted in pain.

“Stop being a whiner, you can regrow your hand anyway!” Nanya retorted.

“Ugh! It still hurts!” I whined.

Well, my wife was an Over Supreme with no less than 40000 points in strength. She could crush diamonds with her hands and turn regular Supremes to mush, so I believed I was entitled to feel slightly worried about my Magic Armor starting to crack under the abnormal amount of pressure generated by her gorilla grip.

“Illsy, if you let go of my hand, I'll murder you!” Shanteya threatened me.

“Yes, my love! Whatever you say my love! You want this hand? Yes, I can regrow another one! Twenty if you need! Ah... it hurts.” I immediately complied while trying to withhold my tears.

“I love you too, Illsy.” she said with a soft smile and then gripped harder when the contraction came.

“OH! MOTHER OF...” I closed my mouth and endured the pain while cracking sounds from my Magic Armor continued to be heard.

That was probably the most intense moment in my entire life... and most threatening one as well. I didn't know who was screaming louder, me or Shanteya?

In the end, after several hours of hard work from my wives, the head of the baby came out and then his body. It was a little baby boy. When this happened, I felt a powerful flow of Magic Energy coming from inside Shanteya's womb and then something created a powerful bright light within the room.

Since I could easily recognize both the presence and the Dungeon Territory of my own child, I turned around and saw him floating there. It was a palm-sized White Crystal Core.

“AWAAA!” the little boy cried after Ayuseya gave him a soft slap on the bottom.

“It's a baby boy.” she told Shanteya.

She was weakened by the effort she was put through during the birthing process, but with a soft and gentle smile, she said “I want to hold him...”

“Let me just clean him up.” Ayuseya said as she took a towel.

While she did this, Zoreya helped Shanteya by wiping her of blood and amniotic fluid. She didn't forget to cast a healing spell on her body to help it regenerate faster.

Nanya walked up to me and saw me standing there, dumbfounded.

“Illsy, unlike the little boy who is a half-dungeon, the child over there is a full one. You have to speak with it.” she told me and gently pushed me from my back.

I was a bit overwhelmed by everything. I wanted to hold the baby boy as well, but this Dungeon child had to be held as well.

It was strange, but as I approached him, I could tell that he was my own.

“Hello...” a little voice came out from the small white crystal.

Shanteya was surprised and tears gathered in the corner of her eyes.

“Her voice... her first word...” she said.

Yes, the Dungeon Core here was a 'she' not a 'he', although once she grew, this sort of thing wouldn't matter that much anymore.

“Hello. Can you see us? Can you hear us?” I asked like I was speaking with a space shuttle located somewhere between Earth and Mars.

“Yes...” the shy reply came.

“Well... I am your father, Illsyore Deus, and you are my daughter. Do you understand?” I asked.

“Yes... You are my father, and I am your daughter. Who is my mother?” she asked.

“The woman inside that tent over there. The one who is crying. Her name is Shanteya Dowesyl Deus.” I told her.

“My mother... and that baby? Who is he?” she asked.

“That's your twin brother. You two will have a lot of fun together playing and growing up as children do.” I said with a smile on my lips.

I approached the Dungeon until I was only one step away from her.

“Why is mother crying?” she asked innocently.

“Because I'm happy... Happy to see you have been born safely... Happy to hear your voice.” Shanteya told her through her tears.

“She's happy to finally meet you, little one.” I told my daughter and then I carefully embraced the tiny crystal. “We are all happy to finally meet you.”

“I'm happy too... father, mother... little brother.” she said.

The happiness I felt in that moment, it couldn't be explained through mere words, but I knew that I wanted to do everything I could to help them grow up and let them be as happy as they could. Just for that, I was going to prepare a SPECIAL dungeon for when my little girl was going to bring home her first boyfriend. It was a feeling all fathers could empathize with.