Toxic Parent Reincarnation ~ When I Doted on My Daughter Destined to Become the Final Boss, She Ended Up Liking Me an Abnormal Amount ~
In front of Aldo and the others stood a towering great tree. Around the base of the tree, small, black-furred wolf spirits were circling restlessly.
โClara, what are those spirits doing?โ Aldo asked.
โThey look like wolf spirits, so maybe theyโre trying to mark their territory? Oh, marking is when they leave their scent to claim an area as their own,โ Clara explained.
โClara, do you notice something? That tree the spirits are circlingโฆ I feel a strong power coming from it,โ Aldo said.
โYeah, I feel it too. I think that tree has been influenced by the spirits and is turning into a material,โ Clara replied.
Aldo tightened his grip on his sword. If they defeated the spirits, they could obtain the treeโs material. Butโฆ
โWait, Dad. That wolf isnโt alone. There are others around it,โ Iris pointed out.
As Iris had noted, while only one wolf was marking the tree, others of similar size were growling and circling nearby.
โImpressive, Iris. Good catch,โ Aldo praised her.
Iris puffed out her chest proudly at the compliment.
โAldo and Iris are really good at sensing the presence of spirits like that. I guess it runs in the family, huh?โ Clara remarked.
โHehe, maybe?โ Iris replied, blushing cutely.
While Iris was basking in the attention, the wolf spirits noticed Aldo and the others.
โGrrroooowl!โ
The wolves howled and lunged at the group.
โIris, get back!โ Aldo shouted.
โOkay!โ Iris responded.
Aldo took the front line, with Clara close behind, and the battle began.
โHa!โ
Aldo swung his sword, knocking back one of the wolves. Clara fought back with her fists.
โTake this!โ
Clara kicked a wolf away. While the two were engaged in close combat, Iris focused on gathering her mana. Fighting this many wolves alone would be tough for Aldo and Clara, so Iris prepared to support them with magic from the rear.
โCyclone!โ
A green magic spell that created a wide-area wind attack. Iris aimed it carefully to avoid hitting Aldo and Clara.
Thanks to Irisโs powerful magic, the wolf spirits were quickly defeated.
โThanks, Iris. You saved us,โ Aldo said.
โYep!โ Iris nodded with a satisfied smile.
They collected the stone fragments dropped by the wolf spirits.
โWe canโt take the whole tree. Letโs just cut off a branch,โ Aldo suggested.
With a swift swing of his sword, Aldo cut off a branch from the tree. Holding the branch, they decided to head back down the mountain now that they had defeated the spirits and gathered some materials.
โHmmโฆโ Iris murmured.
โWhatโs wrong, Iris?โ Aldo asked.
โIโm not allowed to touch your sword, right, Dad?โ
โYeah, thatโs right. This sword is imbued with a powerful spiritโs energy. If someone with a mana vessel like you or Clara touched it, it could damage your vessel.โ
โBut I can touch materials influenced by spirits, right?โ Iris asked.
Iris raised a valid question. The materials from spirits also contained their energy, so why were weapons off-limits while materials were fine?
Aldo didnโt have an answer, so he glanced at Clara for help.
โIris, itโs because materials influenced by spirits or spirits themselves have something called a โspirit shell.โ The spiritโs energy is contained within that shell, and as long as the shell isnโt broken, the energy wonโt leak out,โ Clara explained.
โOh, I see,โ Iris said.
โBut when we process the materials into equipment, we need to break the shell to access the energy. Thatโs what Aldoโs weapon is made of. And the equipment we use has been neutralized to a safe level of spirit energy.โ
โThen why donโt we use materials from spirits instead of spirits?โ Iris asked.
โThe spirit shells of spirits are much harder than those of spirits. Human technology canโt break them. It would be great if we could use spirit energy, though,โ Clara explained.
โWow, Clara, you know a lot,โ Iris said.
With Irisโs questions answered, the group left the dungeon and returned to the village.
โWell, letโs stay at my place for a while,โ Clara suggested.
โAre you sure itโs okay for us to stay, Clara?โ Aldo asked.
โYeah, itโs fine. I want to introduce you and Iris to my parents,โ Clara replied.
Guided by Clara, Aldo and Iris headed to her family home.
โDad! Mom! Iโm home!โ Clara called out cheerfully as they arrived.
Claraโs mother, a silver-haired woman with long hair, came out to greet them.
โClara, welcome back. Weโve been waiting for you,โ her mother said.
โYep, yep!โ Clara replied happily.
News traveled fast in the countryside. The villagers had already spread the word that Clara was coming home, so her parents were prepared.
โHmph. You go to the dungeon before coming to see your parents? What kind of child doesnโt visit their parents first?โ Claraโs father, a silver-haired man with a sharp, stern expression, grumbled as he crossed his arms.
โNow, now, dear. Donโt say that to our daughter whoโs finally come home!โ Claraโs mother scolded him.
Claraโs father then turned his attention to Aldo.
โYou must be Aldo. I hear youโve been exploring dungeons with Clara. Thank you for looking after our daughter,โ he said, bowing his head.
โNo, no, itโs me whoโs been relying on Clara,โ Aldo replied, bowing in return. Iris followed suit, bowing her head as well.
โPlease, come inside. Itโs not much, but weโll do our best to make you feel welcome,โ Claraโs father said, ushering them into the house.
The interior of the house was old, with discolored wood here and there. The pillars were scarred, giving the place a sense of history.
The five of them sat down at the dining table, where Claraโs mother served a modest meal. The disappearance of the spirit of abundance had made the next harvest highly uncertain, and the effects were evident in the simple fare offered to their guests.
โLetโs eat!โ Iris said cheerfully, digging into the meal without complaint.
โIโm sorry, Iris. I wish we could offer you more, especially since youโre still growing,โ Claraโs mother apologized.
โItโs okay!โ Iris replied.
Having lived a life where having any food at all was a blessing, Iris was perfectly content with the humble meal.
โClara, how are things in the dungeon?โ her father asked.
โWell, for now, the weaker spirits are manageable for us. But as for the stronger spirits that the spirits are supposed to be sealingโฆ weโre not sure how strong they are yet,โ Clara replied.
Compared to some dungeons where even the wandering spirits were too powerful to handle, being able to defeat the spirits at all was an improvement.
โDo you think you can free the spirit of abundance?โ her father asked.
โDad, thatโs a silly question. Of course we can!โ Clara answered confidently.
Even though she had just admitted that they didnโt know how strong the boss spirits wereโฆ
โWith Aldo, Iris, and me, we can take on any spirit!โ Clara declared, flashing a V-sign at her parents. They both chuckled, reassured by Claraโs cheerful demeanor, which hadnโt changed since she was a child.
After the meal, Aldo and the others prepared to sleep. However, there were only three beds.
โDear, letโs sleep together for the first time in a while,โ Claraโs mother said.
โAlright, I guess we have no choice,โ her father replied.
The two adults squeezed into a bed that was a bit too small for them, leaving two beds for the others. Since Aldo and Clara couldnโt share a bed, Iris would have to sleep with one of them.
โIris, do you want to sleep with me?โ Clara offered.
But Iris clung tightly to Aldo.
โI want to sleep with Dad. Okay?โ Iris looked up at Aldo with pleading eyes, making it impossible for him to refuse.
โUh, sure, I guess,โ Aldo said.
โOops, looks like I got rejected,โ Clara joked as she headed to her own bed.
โDad, hehe,โ Iris giggled.
โAlright, Iris, letโs get to sleep,โ Aldo said.
โOkay!โ Iris replied.
Aldo and Iris shared a bed and spent the night together.