This flawless and constantly evolving body was the heavy price Elias had paid. He could no longer relate to the concerns of ordinary people.
His body, having evolved toward the most optimal form for combat, possessed a unique, aggressive beauty.
While he didn't have the exaggerated muscles of a bodybuilder, his physique was more balanced and powerful—like a leopard, explosive and graceful all at once.
"Hssss—!"
"Tsk tsk tsk—!"
"OMG—!"
"Ohooo—!"
"..."
Elias scanned his surroundings awkwardly. He admitted that his current appearance was quite attractive to women. And though he didn't mind being admired, he wasn't charging them for the view.
But the fiery stares from the male onlookers as well? Now that was unsettling.
(The saying from my past life was right: work out just enough and you'll attract the opposite sex. Work out too much... and you start attracting the same sex. Damn it! What are you looking at?! The bikini beauties are over there, not over here!)
"Waaah! Papa Elias is so cool!"
"Whoa, Rozaliya wants to touch this!"
"No touching! You're still a little girl! If you grow up like this, how are you going to find a good husband?"
Rozaliya and Liliya had sparkling eyes, especially the former, who eagerly ran up and started poking at Elias' abs. She even looked like she was about to rub her face against them.
Elias lifted her up with one hand and gently flicked her forehead with the other.
"Oww! It's fine though—Rozaliya is going to marry Papa Elias one day! Hehehe~ I don't want to marry anyone else. Papa's the best!"
The innocent little fool declared this with pride.
Immediately, a wave of good-natured laughter rippled through the crowd. Many of the nearby men—especially those who were fathers themselves—smiled with fond nostalgia, remembering the days their own daughters had said similar things.
"I'm honored by the sentiment, but—nope." Elias crossed his arms into an 'X.'
"Eh?"
"Alright, go play with Liliya. I'll come find you once the barbecue is ready."
He patted her pink-haired head, thinking to himself: I haven't completed my mission yet—how can I settle down?
And besides, given his current body, dating was a bit... complicated.
Unless someone had the Kaslana family's level of superhuman constitution, even a simple cuddle might be enough to knock them unconscious. One round of affection and they'd be out cold, throwing peace signs in the air.
"Uwahhh, Papa doesn't love Rozaliya anymore... guh—! Cough cough! Bronya, what was that for?!"
"Hmph. I'm stopping you from causing trouble for Papa. Let's go build sandcastles over there."
Bronya gave Rozaliya a look, thinking to herself that maybe being a fool wasn't such a bad thing sometimes.
Confessing to Papa Elias in front of everyone like that... Only someone like Rozaliya could pull it off without making things awkward. After all, she was a certified idiot.
(We want to marry Papa Elias too!) xN
All the girls thought the same thing in unison.
Good thing none of them had the courage to say it aloud—because if Elias ever realized he was raising a whole orphanage full of rebellious little girls with daddy complexes, who knew how he'd react...
Still, Rozaliya's little outburst wasn't without benefit. Many of the women who had been planning to approach Elias quickly dropped the idea upon hearing him referred to as "Papa." Most of them gave up, disappointed.
Except for one casualty—Raven. She seemed to have been misunderstood as Elias' wife, and now she was enduring whispers and side-eyes from everyone around.
At that moment, Natasha the Island-Bombing Raven was on the verge of exploding.
It took Elias quite a bit of effort to calm her down and convince her to ignore the gawkers.
Raven: "Tch! Who says I'm not worthy? I was the one who trained this guy from the beginning! And who just called me gloomy?! You don't get it at all—men love darkness! I could take out all of you in three seconds flat!"
Elias: "Yeah, yeah, you're totally right, Nata. Take a deep breath, eat some grilled skewers, and save all that fury for our next mission."
While soothing Raven, Elias couldn't help but wonder.
From what he knew about her, Raven wasn't the type to care much about others' opinions. Why was she so fired up today? Was it... that time of the month?
...
After the chaos settled, Elias finally relaxed and enjoyed himself—swimming, surfing, grilling—a well-earned break after months of mercenary work and child-rearing.
As for the black-feathered raven herself, she was much more mellow. Raven claimed she needed to conserve her energy for future missions and planned to do nothing but nap in the sun.
"Elias, help me apply sunscreen."
"Sure. Honestly, if you fall asleep without it, you're going to wake up a literal black raven. You'd be great for stealth ops though—natural camouflage."
"Is that what comes to mind when I ask for sunscreen?" Raven twitched with irritation, starting to question her own appeal.
To which Elias replied: he'd simply seen too much.
Honestly, compared to her swimsuit, he still thought her combat outfit was way more seductive.
Those lethal high heels, the skin-tight black armor, all those belts strapped tightly across her form... After so many missions together, he had long grown used to Raven's brand of allure.
...
Later, an adorable yet ridiculous scene unfolded on the beach—
The girls of House of the Hearth and Raven's foster daughters got into a debate.
"Papa Elias is the kindest person in the world!"
"No way! Teacher is the kindest person in the world!"
On the beach, the girls were in an all-out argument over who was more kind—Elias or Raven. It was a heartwarmingly silly dispute, just like the girls themselves.
"Hmph! If that's what you think, then let's compare! Papa Elias buys us gifts all the time!"
"So does Teacher Cioara! Every time she comes back from a mission, she brings us presents too!"
"Papa Elias sings us songs every night—his voice is amazing!"
"Uuu... Teacher hasn't sung for us, but she does magic tricks! She's really good at disappearing and reappearing like a teleporting magician!"
"Hmph! Papa can defeat those white monsters!"
"Teacher can do that too!"
"Papa's cooking is the best!"
"...T-Teacher's cooking isn't very good, but she always brings tasty food for us!"
"Hah! We win!"
"That doesn't count! That totally doesn't count!"
Feeling victorious, the girls of House of the Hearth gleefully high-fived each other in celebration, while Raven's foster daughters stomped their feet in frustration, eager to come up with more examples.
"Ahem. Alright, that's enough."
"Yes yes, let's stop here, okay?"
Elias and Raven, their faces red, quickly covered their girls' mouths before more secrets could be spilled. When their eyes met, there was a mixture of surprise and playful teasing.
(Well well, didn't know you could cook and sing, Elias. You've been hiding skills from me.)
(Heh, and I didn't know you could do magic tricks, Raven. Are you sure those weren't just your usual evasive maneuvers?)
As partners who only really interacted during missions, both of them had seen each other's combat prowess countless times—but not much of their day-to-day lives. Now, thanks to their girls spilling the beans, they'd both been exposed.
A little embarrassing, honestly.
"Bronya, why didn't you stop them? Were you part of the argument too?"
Elias turned to his normally composed Bronya in surprise.
He hadn't expected someone as mature as her to join in such a childish quarrel.
But Bronya wore a perfectly calm and upright expression as she answered matter-of-factly:
"Because everything they said is true. In Bronya's eyes, you are the kindest person in the world."
"...That's really touching."
Hearing her declare it with such earnestness, Elias felt moved. He immediately pulled Bronya into a hug, rubbing his cheek against hers affectionately.
What was the greatest joy in this world?
Elias thought the answer was simple:
The one you love... loves you back.
Seeing the normally calm and collected Bronya passionately argue that he was the kindest person alive—so firmly and without doubt—it filled him with indescribable joy.
He had liked Bronya even before he crossed into this world. But now, after living together for months, that affection had deepened many times over.
"My sweet little duck... Come here and let Papa give you a big hug! I didn't realize you loved me this much. What am I going to do? I'm so happy I feel like I'd grant any wish you asked for."
"Then... please marry Bronya when she grows up!" (super quiet)
"Hm? What was that, Bronya?"
"Nothing. Bronya just wants her game time extended by two more hours each day."
Blushing, Bronya quickly changed her request.
Sadly, she didn't yet have the courage to say her true wish out loud. At times like this, she couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of that silly Rozaliya.
"...Denied."
Elias hesitated for a few seconds, then crossed his fingers into an X—and turned his gaze aside, a bit guilty.
Ever since he'd bought Bronya a computer, she'd become completely hooked. Now she was a full-fledged internet addict. In response, Elias had borrowed inspiration from his previous world's anti-addiction systems and limited her playtime to one hour per day.
If this were the original timeline, he wouldn't have stopped Bronya from gaming. She could've played all night for all he cared—he himself was a heavy gamer too.
But things were different now!
Now that Elias stood as Papa Elias, it was only natural for him to take action when he saw his daughter becoming too immersed in the internet.
"Papa Elias, you're mean!"
Bronya puffed up her cheeks adorably, clearly unhappy. Hadn't he just said he'd grant any wish she asked for?
With only one hour of game time a day, she couldn't even finish the daily quests for the dozen games she was playing simultaneously.
"Ahem. Try a different wish."
"Then... Papa Elias, please stay with Bronya—stay with all of us forever."
The moment the words left her lips, Bronya felt a tinge of regret. She thought maybe she'd wasted a once-in-a-lifetime chance. If he was really willing to grant any wish, maybe she should've asked for something harder to achieve.
But in her mind, of course Papa Elias would always stay with them. Just like the ever-burning flame in House of the Hearth's fireplace—always.
"...Alright. That one, I can do."
Yet Elias hesitated for a long time before answering. He gently patted Bronya's head, golden eyes holding emotions the young girl couldn't yet understand.
"We'll be together forever. I promise. Even if there might be a time we're apart... we'll meet again. And be together again."
"...Papa Elias... will leave us?"
Bronya suddenly looked dazed. His response made her uneasy.
"Uh, no—don't make that face, Bronya. I said it'd just be temporary. Just temporary. And not now. Definitely not now. We still have a long time together."
"Bronya doesn't really understand, but... if Papa ever goes missing, Bronya will wait at the front door until you come back. Seele, Rozaliya, Liliya, Sin Mal... we'll all wait. So you will come back, right?"
"Of course. Because that's home. And as long as someone is alive, they'll always come home—no matter how far they go. I come home every day, don't I?"
"...That's true."
Bronya relaxed after hearing that.
She exhaled a breath, realizing she was overthinking it.
How could someone like him disappear? No way. Absolutely impossible. That talk of separation must've just meant going out for work.
And that was fine.
They were already used to watching Elias head out for missions and waiting by the door in the evening for his return. Bronya actually enjoyed that process.
Waiting for him to walk through the door at any moment, so she could say, "Welcome home," and receive a hug and a head pat in return.
She believed this daily routine would last forever.
"Let's go, Bronya. Time for barbecue."
"Mm! Coming."
Feeling at ease again, Bronya naturally reached out and took Elias' hand—only this time, she held on tighter.
As if trying to keep him from ever leaving.
"..."
Elias wasn't oblivious.
Noticing that her grip was firmer than usual, he gently squeezed back—his way of responding.
Travel had a way of shifting one's focus. Every new experience offered a way to forget whatever had just happened.
Or maybe... it was just that someone's cooking skill had gotten too good lately. As Bronya ate Elias' grilled seafood, she gradually returned to her usual self.
"Eating only grilled meat can get a little heavy—here, I made some watermelon pizza to freshen things up."
Elias presented a tray of watermelon pizza to the group.
It was a simple dish—just slice a watermelon into rounds, cut those into triangle-shaped pieces, then top them with various fruits like strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, and a bit of yogurt or sweet sauces.
Unlike the rich and oily flavors of barbecue, this was cool, sweet, and refreshing—a perfect palate cleanser.
"Bronya wants the one with strawberries."
"Waaah! Watermelon pizza! Thank you, Papa!"
"Elias, I didn't realize you were this good at cooking."
"So yummy! I want more~!"
Seeing the hungry, delighted girls in front of him...
Elias made up his mind—he would be like a certain well-known kitchen goddess and wield his knife to feed them all to their heart's content. Watching their happy, satisfied faces filled him with warmth.
"Papa Elias, open wide. Aah~"
"Mm~ Thank you. Wait, hang on... I feel like someone's missing... Where's our little Seele?"
She hadn't been around since earlier, and her absence began to worry him.
Elias looked around in concern.
"Seele? Seele!"
Unlike the more energetic girls, quiet Seele could easily go unnoticed. Elias began to grow anxious, thinking—please don't tell me she got lost...
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