Toxic Parent Reincarnation ~ When I Doted on My Daughter Destined to Become the Final Boss, She Ended Up Liking Me an Abnormal Amount ~
Aldo and Iris headed towards the town where Clara lived. It was more developed than the slums where Aldo and the others lived, and it was visibly safer. Just the fact that there were no drunkards during the day made it feel quite peaceful.
In the center of the town, there was a notice board with a warning written on it.
ใWarningใ
ใWhen the sun sets, evil spirits will appear. Do not go outside at night, and make sure to lock your doors.ใ
โDad, look at this.โ
โYeah. It seems like evil spirits appear in this town.โ
Aldo recalled the scene from his dream. A woman named Mira fought against an evil spirit and was defeated. For now, the warning on the notice board was just a precaution, but if this situation was left unchecked, it could eventually lead to a major disaster. That was the story from the dream. But it wasnโt certain yet whether it would become reality.
Of course, Aldo couldnโt just go around telling the townspeople that the town was in danger because he had seen it in a dream.
โDad, if things stay like this, a lot of people will get hurt, right?โ
โYeah. But we donโt know when the evil spirits will suddenly show their fangs. For now, it seems like we can manage by just avoiding going out at night.โ
โThen letโs go out at night and defeat the evil spirits ourselves!โ
Iris clenched her fist and leaned forward, her determination clear from her gestures. But it wasnโt that simple.
โNo. You canโt stay up at night, Iris.โ
โI can too!โ
Iris puffed out her cheeks in protest. However, Aldo couldnโt let his growing daughter stay up late.
โNo, you canโt. Besides, this town has exorcists who fight evil spirits. Letโs leave it to them for now.โ
If Diggers are those who delve into dungeons, then exorcists are the professionals who specialize in dealing with evil spirits outside of dungeons. So, the evil spirits rumored to appear in this town should eventually be dealt with by themโor so one would think.
โNo, no. Exorcists canโt be relied on.โ
A tired-looking middle-aged woman chimed in on Aldo and Irisโs conversation.
โWhat do you mean?โ
โExactly what I saidโฆ Exorcists only go after evil spirits that have bounties on them. At least, the ones that can be warded off by just locking your doors arenโt worth their time. They wouldnโt even make enough to feed a dog by hunting those.โ
โThatโs not right! Even those low-level spirits might harm people someday!โ
Iris protested to the woman, but the woman scratched her head with a troubled expression.
โDonโt look at me like that. Sure, there are some exorcists who take their job seriously, but theyโve got lives to live too. Theyโre not going to waste their time on small fry that donโt pay well.โ
In the end, it all came down to money. Aldo could accept that, but Iris, who wasnโt yet accustomed to the harsh realities of the adult world, felt frustrated.
โWell, unlike dungeons where the mana concentration of evil spirits is high, you canโt gather materials from spirits outside. Exorcists donโt make as much money as Diggers, so itโs just how it is.โ
โI still canโt accept itโฆ!โ
Iris was fuming, but there was no one to direct her anger at.
โThereโs a famous exorcist in this town, though. His nameโs Jeff. But heโs a good-for-nothing who spends his days drinking at a bar in the slums. Heโs completely unreliable except in emergencies.โ
There are bars in the town too, but they donโt open during the day. The kind of people who drink during the day are mostly concentrated in the slums, so itโs not profitable to run bars there during the day.
โSpeaking of bars, listen to this. My husband goes to the bar in the evening and doesnโt come back until morning. Sure, I get that you canโt go out at night because of the evil spirits, but using them as an excuse for staying out all night is just pathetic.โ
โThat sounds tough. Itโs best to keep drinking in moderation.โ
Iris stared intently at Aldo. In the past, Aldo used to leave Iris behind and go to bars to drink himself silly. Nowadays, Aldo doesnโt drink as much, so Iris feels more at ease, but having known the old Aldo, she couldnโt help but feel a bit uneasy about his comment.
โDad, Iโm going to go give that exorcist Jeff a piece of my mind!โ
โYouโre going to the bar in the slums?โ
โYep!โ
As the saying goes, โleave it to the experts.โ When it comes to evil spirits outside dungeons, itโs best to leave it to the exorcists. Especially if theyโre famous. If Aldo and Iris could somehow inspire Jeff to take his job seriously and start dealing with the spirits properly, it might change the future.
โAlright. But the slums are dangerous. Donโt leave my side, okay?โ
โGot it!โ
Iris could easily blow away thugs in the slums with her magic if she wanted to, but magic isnโt always reliable in combat. While spirit magic, which doesnโt depend on the opponentโs faith, is stable, Irisโs magic relies heavily on the opponentโs faith. If she were up against someone with low faith, like Aldo, she might lose. And in hand-to-hand combat, a normal nine-year-old girl wouldnโt stand a chance against an adult man, so itโs best for her to stay close to Aldo, whoโs been toughened up by his work as a miner.
โ
Aldo and Iris made their way to the slums and headed to a bar that was open during the day. There, they foundโฆ
โHuh? Aldo? Iris? What are you doing here?โ
โClara!โ
Surprisingly, Clara was working as a waitress at the bar.
โAldo, I wonโt tell you not to drink during the day, but bringing Iris here isnโt a good idea.โ
Clara glared at Aldo with a stern look.
โAh, no. Itโs not like that, Clara. Iโm not here to drink. Iโm here to find someone.โ
โSomeone? Who are you looking for?โ
โAn exorcist named Jeff.โ
โAh, him? Heโs over there at the counter, drinking.โ
Sitting at the counter was a man. He wore a black coat and had spiky gray hair. His sharp eyes and overall demeanor were enough to make a child cry just from his gaze.
โHuh? Whoโs looking for me?โ
Jeff glared at Aldo. The tension in the air was palpable, but then Jeff took a big swig of his drink.
โHey, Aldo. What do you want with him?โ
โW-what? Him?!โ
โYeah. Thatโs right. Clara over there is like my apprentice. I taught her some magic. Though she wasnโt exactly the most talented, hahaha.โ
Jeff laughed heartily as he slammed his glass down on the counter.
โTeacher, youโre drinking too much. If you keep this up, Miraโs going to get mad at you again.โ
โMira?!โ
Aldo and Iris exclaimed in unison. They had a vague idea that Clara was connected to Mira, given that in the dream, Clara and Mira were exploring a dungeon together. But they never expected that this drunkard Jeff would also be connected to Mira.
โHuh? Aldo, do you know Mira too?โ
โAh, no. Not exactly. Iโll explain later.โ
โMister!โ
Iris stomped over to Jeff.
โWhy are you just sitting here drinking when there are evil spirits roaming the town?โ
โHuh? Oh, itโs fine for now. No oneโs been attacked yet.โ
โBut itโll be too late once someone gets hurt!โ
Iris pressed Jeff, but he just shrugged.
โSure, evil spirits might be harmful to people, but isnโt it cruel to kill them before theyโve even done anything? Hahaha. You wouldnโt like it if someone hit you for no reason, would you?โ
โW-well, thatโsโฆ!โ
โAnyway, the spirits in town arenโt that dangerous. Thereโs no need to rush. If a really nasty one shows up, Iโll deal with it then. Hahaha.โ
There was no getting through to him. No matter what Iris said, Jeff had no intention of taking action.