Volume 16 Chapter 8: This Father-Daughter Pair Is Troublesome

“Keith, let’s head out again,” Scarlet suggested as she grasped his hand.

“Sure. Eri, do you want to come with us?” Eri sat in his lap as she hugged Keith’s hand like a blanket; finishing their meal, it was time for a nap. The child looked up and shook her head, “No.”

“Okay.” Keith stroked her hair; as long as Fira and Lei were by her side, he didn’t need to worry too much about her safety.

“Papa, bring Gala?”

“...” Keith froze, “…I don’t think that’s a good idea.” This was not exactly his home. He would be more than happy to summon her if that were the case. It was not; the issue here was…

Bring Gala here? This was not exactly a picturesque scene; Gala was still a baby, but the cowtaur was about half the size of a building! Even someone 20 blocks away could see her! However, Eri’s eyes glimmered with expectation.

You really want to bring her here that badly? Well, the two did have a special bond with one another. Eri was close to Gala; it may have been because they were brought to the island at the same time? Or maybe it was because of their quiet nature?

Keith glanced at Scarlet, the owner of the land. She had a warm smile, “It is alright. We have plenty of land for Gala to waddle around.” She wanted to see the cute cow as well; everyone loved her cute face.

“…Okay, then. I’ll summon Gala. But you all have to be mindful. Fira, you’re the big sister of the group; protect the little ones. And PLEASE, do not cause trouble.” Keith warned. The protection was more specifically about Gala. The cow wasn’t exactly the most sociable animal of the ones he had tamed. Her shyness around people came from being shunned by her own kind.

Unlike Eri, it took some time to get her accustomed to Carolyn and the others. She might go on a rampage out of fear.

“That goes for all of you as well,” Keith warned.  

“Mmmm!” “We’ll protect her.” “Po!” “Meow.”

“Good.” Raising his hand, two summoning circles appeared on the ground. Gala was not the only one Keith summoned; he summoned the other residents of the farm. It would be a shame not to bring her out as well. The two animals nestled his cheeks,

“I missed you guys as well.” He stroked their heads.

“Mooo.” “Kwak.” The two were tackled by the other little ones. They climbed on top of Gala’s head.

“You guys play around, but don’t make trouble for others.”

“Okay!” Eri didn’t hesitate to point in a direction. Fira commanded, “Comrade Gala! Onward and beyond!” With those words, the “little” cow waddled off.  

“…”

“Hehe,” Scarlet chuckled, “You know how well-behaved they are; they won’t cause trouble for the people around.”

“Fair enough. But being well-behaved doesn’t mean you won’t get into trouble.” Keith eyed Aria; instantly, she understood and flew after them.

“Keith.”

“What? Just a little more protection.” As long as Aria went with them, his worries lessened.

“Then we can go as well.” Without waiting for his response, she dragged him out of the castle. Keith laughed as he let himself be dragged. It was a pleasant outing: the two went through multiple stores, buying anything that caught their eyes. With Scarlet here, they had an all-access pass.

Keith laughed, “We bought so much.”

“I couldn’t help it. How about we head to that store next?”

“Of course.” Keith followed her before his eyes glanced to the side, where a crowd had formed. What’s going on? They were crowding around a signboard.

“What’s this?!”

“Duke Sarthos has been arrested for treason!”

“My goodness!”

News about the grand duke’s ploy in trying to assassinate the king was brought to light. Figures. Both were influential political figures in the kingdom; having one destroyed would frighten anyone. What made this even more alarming was the number of nobles being stripped of their titles; Sarthos brought many nobles under his wing to eliminate Alastair.

All of them were captured.

“He should have done something sooner,” Scarlet grumbled.

“You really can’t blame him. How could he indict them without proof?” It would be a problem for a king to punish nobles without proof; Sarthos would only use this as fuel to further his cause.

“This isn’t the first time he has stripped someone of their title.”

“He’s done it before?”

“Many times.” Scarlet rolled her eyes, “He’s a king.”

“…” What happened before?

“He should have done something about it. These problems would never have happened.” Scarlet’s expression softened, but her hands were a vice around his.

“...” This father-daughter pair is troublesome. Despite all those insults Scarlet said about Alastair, it seems she was prepared to forgive him. However, years of his actions have now stopped her from making the first move. A clash between her heart and memories.

It was a troubling predicament.

And she was not the only one; the same situation was occurring with the father. The demon had a thousand-yard stare; his soul was not in his body. Alastair was really having a difficult time talking with his daughter.

“Dear,” Elyndra was trying her best to soothe him, but even she found it quite tricky. Like father, like daughter. The two were quite hard-headed in matters like this. Scarlet would not budge, while Alastair would continue to try.

“What can I do to make her talk?” Even getting them in the same room was a tall ordeal.

“Oh!” Elyndra had an idea, “How about you ask Keith?”

“Keith?”

“I think if you ask him for help, then you might be able to speak with Scarlet.” She witnessed him in action: he was more than capable of coaxing Scarlet even when she was in a bad mood.

“…That could work.” While the two discussed a solution, they heard a giant thudding sound coming from the side.

Alastair got up, “What’s that sound?” Was there a monster? Alastair got up and pulled Elyndra behind him as he frowned at the direction the sound came from; he was prepared for battle. But when he saw the tall, looming shadow, the king and queen tilted their heads.

“…A giant cow?”  

“Hello!” “Mister!” Eri and Fira waved their hands as they sat on top of Gala’s head.