At the Northern Fort

How annoying, Father said in an irritated manner before creating a large water barrier with everyone except the bird inside of it.

This was also a dome-shaped hemisphere, but unlike the one that enveloped the One-Eyed Knight, the inside of the dome wasn't filled with water. It was made of a thin curtain of water.

All of the bird's attacks, whether it be its slashing attack or the tornadoes it created, simply caused the water curtain to sway upon impact. It was like the water was absorbing the attacks.

Branch Captain-san and Kix, who had been blocking the attacks up until now, were finally able to take a breather and went to check on the One-Eyed Knight while noting Father's existence.

"Mil, is that person your Father……?"

Branch Captain-san gave Father a reserved glanced as he asked in a low voice.

Commander-san had also probably guessed Father's identity, seeing as he unexpectedly did not try making any conversation with him.

"That's right, he's my Father!"

Hearing my answer, both Branch Captain-san, Commander-san, and the rest straightened up and gave Father a proper greeting.

Unlike Mother, Father did not have any interest in the human world, so he didn't intervene with it at all. He wouldn't become an ally, nor would he become an enemy. At most, he'd probably get a bit sullen if the lake that was his dwelling was to get polluted.

That is why even if they didn't greet Father, I don't think he'd mind all that much. And, just as I was having such thoughts-

"Milfee!"

Kugalg returned, a step late.

Together with him was a large flame, from which Hilg-papa appeared.

His skin was dark like Kugalg's, and his bare muscular upper body was decorated with tattoos and gold ornaments.

He was taller than the average adult human man, about the same height as my father. If I had to say, he had a very masculine beauty to him, but as usual, he was accompanied by a sweltering air.

"Where is this place? A water curtain is……hm? Y-You are-! The water-!"

Hilg-papa's brow furrowed at the water barrier surrounding us before his eyes turned to Father and widened.

"Waterust! Why are you here!?"

Hilg-papa raised his voice.

He was so loud it made my ears ring. The inside of the water barrier also shook.

Like how a fire spirit was a menace to a snow spirit, a water spirit might just be the natural enemy of a fire spirit.

Kugalg has come with me to meet Father a number of times, but during those visits he was always careful to not accidentally touch his body.

"Hilg, is it……"

"Oi, what's with this water curtain!? Hurry up and get rid of it! It feels like I'm gonna drown!"

"The wind is…annoying, so……"

"The wind, you say?"

Hilg-papa looked upwards, puzzled.

The bird was still there in the darkness. Even after having its attacks absorbed countless times, it persistently continued to target us.

"Is that Hyllis' fairy? The heck's it doing?"

"Isn't it Hyderin's……?"

"No, this energy is Hyllis'."

Hilg-papa seemed to be acquaintances with the wind spirit, as he refuted Father's words.

"Is it targeting my son and……Milfiria as well?"

Even as it was thwarted by the barrier, the bird continued to glare at Kugalg and I.

Hilg-papa appeared displeased, as his brow deeply furrowed.

"Just what in the world is she thinking!? Attacking such young children!"

He instantly seethed with anger as his voice rose with fury.

"We don't get it either."

"But it seems like she hates us."

Kugalg and I spoke in turn.

As we said that, the bird crashed into the water barrier in an attempt to destroy it, making my tail hide between my legs.

"I don't care……about the reason……"

Father's voice as he looked up at the bird was as calm as a lake, but it was a bit lower than usual, containing an unsettling tone within it.

"I just……"

A large wave appeared on the water barrier and attacked the bird. The wave swallowed the violent bird, separating the from the barrier and forming a sphere around it.

And then, Father erased the barrier and slowly brought the round water cage towards him.

The bird seemed to be crying out loudly inside of it, but hardly any of the sound leaked out from the cage.

"All that is evident……is that she dared to attack my child……"

Father inserted a hand into the water cage that was floating in front of him. The instant he did that, the spherical cage crumbled, and the water fell to the ground, soaking into it.

However, the bird was caught by Father and unable to regain its freedom, it simply struggled violently in an incoherent rage.

When Father put some strength into his hand, the bird was unable to maintain its form and was divided into six balls of light.

One of the balls of light remained caught in Father's fist, but the other five scattered about as though they were trying to run away.

However, Hilg-papa did not allow for that to occur.

He lightly waved a hand, firing out long and narrow strands of fire that chased after the fairies as though they were alive.

As the flames swallowed up the five scattered balls of light one after the other, they were extinguished in the blink of an eye.

The last remaining ball of light continued to struggle inside Father's hand. He gazed coldly at the pea green light and said-

"Hyderin…….don't think that things will end with just this……"

Then, he crushed the ball of light with his hand and it turned into a gentle wind that dissolved into the air.

"I told you, it's not Hyderin, but Hyllis!"

Despite the slightly scary air around Father, Hilg-papa voiced his objection without hesitation.

Father tilted his head ever so slightly.

"What have you been saying……since earlier……the wind spirit is……Hyderin, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I know about Hyderin! But she is not the only wind spirit around! The one who sent the fairy was Hyllis! Didn't I say that I could tell from its energy!?"

"Who is…Hyllis……?"

Perhaps because their elements of water and fire were incompatible, it felt like they were conversing on different wavelengths.

While still worrying about the One-Eyed Knight, who was still undergoing treatment in the water dome, I gazed at Father and Hilg-papa in turns. Kugalg was also looking at the two conversing fathers, with his eyes going back and forth between them.

"Waterust, could it be that you don't know Hyllis at all?"

"I've never heard that name before……"

Hearing his answer, Hilg-papa exaggeratedly looked up at the sky in exasperation. His reaction was huge compared to Father, who hardly moved at all.

"I get it now, Waterust! Your knowledge of the wind spirit has stopped since Hyderin's era! Hyllis is the child of her child!"

Hilg-papa did not use the term "grandchild".

That was probably because humans and spirits had a different way of thinking about the concept of family.

Human grandpas and grandmas generally doted on their grandchildren, but spirits were only deeply involved with their own child.

When spirits describe their 'family', it would be that a parent has a single child and a child has a single parent.

When it came to their grandchildren, not only would they not live with them, they would hardly have any interactions with them whatsoever.

That is why, while they may recognise that they were "the child birthed by their child", they wouldn't really think of the child as "their own grandchild".

"To think that Hyderin's child would already have their own child……"

Father said without appearing all that surprised.

"In the first place, I don't think such a compassionate spirit like Hyderin would do such a cowardly thing. Something like attacking children!"

As he spoke, Hilg-papa's anger seemed to be ignited once more.

"It is true that Hyderin…….likes children……I think."

Father continued in a flat voice.

"Then the one that we should be retaliating against……is Hyllis alone."

"Just follow after me. I know Hyllis, so I can fly to her first."

"Father……"

As we listened to their exchange, I started to become worried at their plan to take down this 'Hyllis' wind spirit person.

I wasn't scared that Father and Hilg-papa would get injured. I haven't seen them get serious, but the two of them were definitely strong.

I was worried about Hyllis.

It might be weird to sympathise with her after having been attacked one-sidedly by her, but that bird's state was definitely strange. When I imagined how it would be if I were the one that these two were retaliating against in anger, I was so scared that it felt like I'd end up bawling while shivering in fear.

Father looked down at me and said, "Leaving you behind……might be dangerous" and lifted me up with one hand.

Hilg-papa also appeared to intend on bringing Kugalg with him.

I didn't mind going to see Hyllis myself, as there were plenty of things I wanted to ask her – why did she attack us, and how did she know Captain Sarrell-san? But, I was still worried about the One-Eyed Knight and everyone else as well.

The fairies that Hyllis can make isn't necessarily limited to that bird alone, plus it was possible that human assassins would make use of the darkness to make an attack.

"Father, I'm worried about leaving everyone behind……"

That being said, even if I stayed I'd just end up being a burden.

"Mil, we'll be fine, so go with him to talk to that wind spirit Hyllis."

Branch Captain-san and everyone who was surrounding the One-Eyed Knight nodded in agreement with Kix's words.

"But, if you're attacked again……"

"Then……let's do this."

Father murmured, and then lifted up his other hand with his palm facing upwards.

Multiple water-coloured balls of light emerged from his palm, one after the other, with hardly any pauses in between. They were Father's fairies.

Unlike my fairies, they were large and I was jealous at how calm they were.

There were probably about a hundred in total. The fairies lined up in a row and transformed into a snake with light blue scales.

It was probably over one metre long, and while it was thin, it was quite large.

"Protect these people……"

Faithfully obeying Father's order, the snake-type fairy slithered towards everyone.

Tina-san appeared to be bad with snakes as she took a slight step back, but the fairy did not pay any heed to that as it climbed atop the water dome that surrounded the One-Eyed Knight and calmly coiled up there.

"Let's go……"

A white mist swirled around, enveloping Father.

Perhaps because they transferred before us, Hilg-papa and Kugalg had already disappeared.

Father's body also began to transform into mist, and I was also swallowed up by it as I began to disappear.

"I'll be back soon!"

Leaving behind those final words to everyone, I flew to Hyllis' location.

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