Toxic Parent Reincarnation ~ When I Doted on My Daughter Destined to Become the Final Boss, She Ended Up Liking Me an Abnormal Amount ~
The dungeon in the hills behind Claraโs hometown. Several days had passed since its conquest. During that time, Aldo and Iris had been living their daily lives without delving into any dungeons.
The profession of a Digger is unstable. If no dungeons appear, thereโs no income, and if someone clears the dungeon, the steady source of income is lost.
However, if the dungeon isnโt cleared, the spirits remain trapped, and eventually, the world will be overrun by evil spiritsโฆ In other words, itโs structurally difficult to make this a full-time profession.
The instant rewards from clearing dungeons are certainly good, but they donโt provide a stable income. In fact, Aldo is still working in the mines even now.
โHey, Aldo. Youโre getting the hang of the job, arenโt you?โ
The boss slapped Aldo on the back with a loud thud.
โUgh!โ
Aldoโs body bent like a bow. Despite his low faith making him resilient against evil spirit attacks, the bossโs strong physical blow still had an effect.
โHahaha. How about it? Have you gotten a bit stronger from delving into dungeons?โ
โY-you think so?โ
โWell, youโre no match for me yet. Hahaha!โ
In truth, the bossโs physique was far superior to Aldoโs. Aldo couldnโt help but think that the boss might be more suited to being a Digger than he was.
Being a Digger isnโt just about physical strength; it also depends on mana control and whether oneโs level of faith aligns with their combat style. So, itโs not necessarily true that the boss would be better suited for the job.
โAlright, thatโs enough for today. Letโs call it a day at a good stopping point!โ
The boss clapped his hands, signaling the end of the dayโs work. As usual, Aldo headed straight home for Iris.
โIโm homeโโ
โWelcome back, Dad!โ
Iris greeted Aldo as she always did.
โHuh? Is Clara not here?โ
โNope, she went back to work.โ
โI see.โ
Claraโs main job is being a Digger, but during the off-season when there are no nearby dungeons, she works as a waitress at a tavern run by an acquaintance. To make a living solely as a Digger, one needs to be quick to detect dungeon appearances and travel to those areas, which essentially means living like a nomad without a fixed residence.
โIris, what do you want to play today?โ
โHmmโฆ Letโs play house!โ
Iris pretended to cook by putting pebbles into an old pot.
โDear, wait a moment. Hehe.โ
Iris, pretending Aldo was her husband, looked delighted as she playfully stirred the pebbles in the pot with a stick.
Someday, Iris, who is so attached to Aldo now, will grow up and marry someone else. The thought made Aldo feel a bit lonely. Iris wonโt be a child forever. Once she grows up, she wonโt play house with him like this anymore.
Thatโs why Aldo wanted to cherish this time with her. Once you become an adult, you canโt go back to being a child.
โHere you go, dear.โ
Iris placed the pebbles on a plate and handed it to Aldo, pretending it was a meal.
โWow, this looks delicious. Letโs eat, nom nom.โ
Aldo pretended to eat the โmealโ Iris had prepared.
โHow is it? Tasty?โ
โYeah, itโs really good. Youโll make a great wife someday.โ
โNo! Iโm already married to you, remember?โ
โAh, right. Sorry.โ
Aldo had forgotten the pretend scenario and accidentally misspoke. Iris pouted a little but laughed when Aldo apologized.
Aldo tried to imagine what kind of person Iris would marry. If she ended up with a bad guyโฆ Just the thought made Aldoโs anger simmer towards an imaginary villain.
Even if it was a good personโฆ it would still feel lonely. He wouldnโt go as far as wanting to punch the guy, but he wasnโt sure he could wholeheartedly give his blessing.
But if it was someone Iris choseโฆ Aldo couldnโt completely deny the idea. It was a complicated feeling, typical of a father.
After they finished playing house, Iris went to bed in high spirits. Whenever they played house with Aldo as the husband, she always ended up in a good mood.
Watching Irisโs angelic sleeping face, Aldo murmured to himself.
โSomeday, Iris will be protected by someone other than me. But until then, let me be the one to protect her.โ
โ
The history of this world had changed. Aldo and Iris werenโt the only ones living a different life from what was originally intended. Clara was also among them.
At this time, Clara had not yet liberated the spirits from the dungeon in her hometown. Thanks to Aldo and Iris, the dungeon had been cleared earlier than expected, but it would have been too much for Clara to handle alone. She had sought help from a certain woman.
That womanโs name was Mira. In the original history, Mira would have been killed by the witch Iris.
The general flow of events was that Iris would kill Mira, and then Miraโs brother would vow revenge on Iris and join the heroโs party.
However, the awakening of the witch Iris was still far off. In this era, Mira was still alive. No, if Iris didnโt awaken as a witch, Miraโs fate of dying would no longer exist. That was the predetermined harmony, butโฆ it was different.
According to the backstory, Mira could have died much earlier. Evil spirits had appeared in the town where Mira lived. Although there were many casualties, those who could fight managed to defeat the evil spirits and overcome the crisis without the power of the spirits.
So, why was Mira, who had the strength to fight, unharmed? It was because she was in the process of conquering the dungeon in Claraโs hometown, which allowed her to escape the danger.
The negative effects of the changed history were about to manifest. There was a possibility that Mira would die earlier than originally intended.
When Aldo was told this, he woke up. He had been having a strange dream. Thinking this, he sat up in bed. But there was someone else who had seen the same dream at the same time. That person was Iris.
Iris had seen the continuation of the dream that Aldo hadnโt witnessed.
Why did Mira have to die in this world as well? It was because Iris had killed her. History doesnโt easily change for the better. The causality that Iris had set in motion in the original history was also occurring in this world.
Whose fault was it that Mira was now destined to die in this world? It was undeniably Irisโs fault.
The voice in the dream repeatedly told her this. Unable to bear the weight of that responsibility, Iris woke up.
โHaahโฆ haahโฆ what was that dreamโฆโ
It was rare for her to remember the contents of a dream. Iris had forgotten about half of what she had seen. The fact that she had been a witch.
But there was a part she remembered. That a woman named Mira might die because of her.
That Mira had been able to escape danger thanks to Clara.
It was too realistic to dismiss as just a strange dream. Iris decided to tell Aldo about the dream as a little topic of conversation.
โDad, I had a weird dream last night. It was about a woman named Mira dying.โ
Hearing Irisโs words, Aldoโs expression changed.
โIris, are you serious about what you just said? I had the same dreamโฆโ