Binary Soul

> Kira PoV <

“Hey, grandpa, we’re here to visit!” (Lara)

“Grandpa!” (Sophie)

The two rush at dad the instant they see him. I wish they’d behave better while we’re inside the church, but we haven't visited in a while so I’ll let it slide.

“Ohoo! If it isn’t the two cutest girls in the whole world!” (Ernest)

In a voice totally unbefitting his position, he kneels down and picks them both up in an exaggerated swoop. He hugs them tight with one arm each and then stands up to spin them around a few times. I don’t think he even noticed Ellie and I were here yet...

“Um, e-excuse me, Bishop Quasse? About the, uh, matter of the Archbishop’s visit…” (Clergyman)

The person he was speaking with just moments ago was completely forgotten. I really wish dad wouldn’t ignore his duties so blatantly. Well yes, I’m the one that visited him while he was on the job, but if I knew he was actually busy I would have come later. The church is usually pretty idle in the afternoon.

“Later! I have urgent business to attend to! Come on girls! Let’s go see what I have for you in my office today!” (Ernest)

And just like that he pretty much ran away at full speed while carrying my daughters. The clergyman was left standing there with a blank expression.

“I’m sorry for the disturbance. It seemed to be something important.” (Kira)

The elderly clergyman looks back at me and his already cramped smile twitches slightly.

“Do not mind me. I will return later. *Cough* May Enuri light your path.” (Clergyman)

“And yours as well.” (Kira)

He walks away while muttering something about ‘crazy kids.’ I hope he doesn’t mean mine, otherwise I won’t forgive him! Ah right, speaking of those girls, they’d better not be stuffing themselves! I slightly readjust Ellie's position on my back and head off to dad’s office. I just hope he doesn't give them more sweets again.

“Dad! I knew it! Put those away you two!” (Kira)

My worries were realized, both of them were sitting on his knees with an open jar next to them and half-eaten cookies in their hands.

Nano warned me that giving them too many sweet things would be bad in several ways, so I have to be strict here! Especially since we only left the cake shop less than an hour ago!

“Now, now, Kiressara. I reserve my right as a grandparent to spoil them all I want! Huh? What’s with Ellie? Is she okay?” (Ernest)

“Ughh. Hello.” (Ellie)

Ellie groaned from her position on my back.

“She can barely walk so I had to give her a piggyback ride on the way here.” (Kira)

I move over to a sofa and gently lay her down. I take a seat while putting her head on my lap. She has a headache, so I can't scratch her ears. Instead I'll just lightly stroke her head to soothe it a bit.

“Hmm, warm…” (Ellie)

She puts on a relax face. Good, looks like it's working.

“Should I call one of the healers?” (Ernest)

“It’s not that serious, she’s mostly just exhausted. She ate some Hyper-bee Honey earlier so she’s just going through a sugar crash.” (Kira)

Hearing that, dad looks at me with a stern expression.

“That girl, is she properly doing her job?” (Ernest)

“Yes, dad, we’re completely lovey-dovey.” (Kira)

“That's right. Lovey-dovey.” (Ellie)

“Ugh...” (Lara)

“Hehe.” (Sophie)

“I wish you would stop nagging her about that every single time we visit.” (Kira)

“Denied! It’s a step-father’s duty to be nosy! You would be too if it was your daughter who got married to someone she just met!” (Ernest)

Here we go again. I wish someone would derail this pointless argument of his before he disturbs Ellie’s rest.

“Grandpa, what’s an archer bishop?” (Sophie)

“A what?” (Ernest)

Sophie, good job! Her sudden question catches him completely by surprise! Also, the image of dad shooting a bow somehow pops into my head. It’s not very flattering…

“Sis means archbishop.” (Lara)

“Oh. Simply put, that’s my boss.” (Ernest)

“You won’t get in trouble for ignoring that guy from earlier, right?” (Lara)

“Why would I?” (Ernest)

“Wasn’t it something important?” (Lara)

“Bah! Nonsense! As if something could be more important than my family!” (Ernest)

“If it was Mommy she’d get angry with you, grandpa...” (Sophie)

“I already am! Dad, how could you just blow that poor man off like that! Do you know how awkward that was?” (Kira)

“It’s fine, it’s fine. That guy is just a busybody. That visit isn’t until after the year turns anyway.” (Ernest)

Now that he mentions it, the new year is almost upon us huh? I’ll make a mental note to start my preparations for it later.

“... Is that Archbishop still mad at you?” (Kira)

“Probably. He can’t do anything but grumble about it though. Besides, even if I was going to be excommunicated I wouldn't regret a single thing!” (Ernest)

“Dad…” (Kira)

That Archbishop from the Capital has been on his case ever since he married us. I’d feel terrible if he lost his position because of that.

“Nothing’s more important than family, after all.” (Ernest)

He gives me a warm smile while tousling Lara and Sophie’s hair. Those two just nibble on their cookies without a care.

“Besides, it’s not just you two anymore. I’ve married over twenty other couples like you since that day.” (Ernest)

“Really? I thought I was the only one crazy enough to do something like that...” (Kira)

“Hey now! I won’t forgive anyone who claims my daughter is crazy! Even if it’s you!” (Ernest)

“I like it when my moms go crazy though! Funny things happen every time when that happens!” (Lara)

“Lara, please don’t make it sound like that happens all the time…” (Kira)

I look imploringly at Sophie, silently asking for some support. She's a sharp kid, so she notices and puts on the brightest smile she has. Here it comes! Sophie’s wonderful words of-

“It’s okay Mommy! We know you don’t do it on purpose!” (Sophie)

-complete acceptance.

…

That’s all well and good, but I wanted her to deny it!

“Girls, don’t tease your mother like that.” (Ellie)

Ellie chimes in from my lap. I look down at her slightly livelier eyes and a grin naturally floats across my face.

“Feeling better Ellie?” (Kira)

“A little. Still tired.” (Ellie)

Well, it’s not surprising. Nano said she ran all the way to the south gate and back to the shop in under 5 minutes. That sort of distance should normally be a 40 minute walk, you know!

“Fufufu, should I carry you on my back again?” (Kira)

Since today is mostly a family outing, she’s actually wearing a casual outfit for once. So when I was giving her a piggyback ride earlier, I was acutely aware of the soft mounds pressing against me. It was quite arou- I mean, motivating.

“You don’t mind?” (Ellie)

I gently stroke her hair again. This sort of slightly insecure Ellie is cute too!

“How could I? Taking care of my lovely Ellie is one of my duties, you know ~♡!” (Kira)

Since I’m the wife.

“Kiressara. I’m proud of you.” (Ernest)

“Hmm? What’s this all of a sudden?” (Kira)

“Watching you two, I just realized I haven’t actually said that.” (Ernest)

“...” (Kira)

“You know... you two didn’t have to get married to be together.” (Ernest)

“As if I can accept that! Just knowing I'm married to Ellie fills me with joy. Exchanging those vows is one of the happiest memories I have. Honestly, I love her so much I want to marry her several times over.” (Kira)

Ellie blushes a bit when she hears that and her lips curl up slightly. Come to think of it, it’s far too long since I’ve clearly stated my feelings like that.

“Uh-huh. And these two bundles of joy? You would’ve taken them in regardless of my nosy prodding, right?” (Ernest)

He pats our daughters’ heads again. They stop munching on their cookies for a second and look up questioningly at him. Looks like they're ignoring this conversation for the most part.

“Obviously. Come to think of it, your meddling at that time was completely unnecessary wasn’t it?” (Kira)

In the end both the ‘conditions’ he gave us were things we were going to do anyway.

“What about that mercenary you were worried about? You crossed half the continent to get her back, right?” (Ernest)

“Well yeah. It’s natural to help out a friend in need, isn’t it?” (Kira)

Okay, it may have been a little more complicated, but that’s ultimately what happened.

“That sort of thing is exactly why I’m proud of you! Do you have any idea how worried I was for you ever since you came back from the Magic Academy? You suddenly had this unapproachable air around you, this overbearing sense of loneliness! Honestly, if I knew that was going to happen I never would’ve let you go there!” (Ernest)

Really? Was it that bad? I never even realized considering people kept harassing me all the time. That gradually stopped ever since Ellie showed up, though.

“And yet here you are, with a family of your own! I may be a bit harsh towards Ellie, but that’s just my duty as a father-in-law. Did you even realize you stopped addressing me with that stiff ‘Father’ and are calling me ‘dad’ like you used to before you left for that place?” (Ernest)

No. No I did not. Actually, I started calling him that because I wanted to act more mature, right? Huh? Now that I think about it, it doesn't make a lot of sense...

Dad nudges Lara and Sophie off his knees, gets up from his chair, walks over to me and puts a hand on my shoulder with a gentle smile.

“Welcome back, sweetie.” (Ernest)

What? What’s this suddenly nostalgic feeling? Why are my tears welling up? Did I go somewhere? No, there’s something I obviously have to say here, right?

“I’m ho-” (Kira)

*SLAM*

“Hey! Red’s dad! I need- Oh.” (Kelly)

She barged in with a loud voice and froze mid-stride when she saw me.

“Kelly!?” (Kira)

Her face is swollen, bruised and covered in blood. Her left arm isn’t much better and is clutching her side, while her metallic right arm has an odd dent in it. She’s a total wreck! I expected some minor scrapes from that bar, but this is much much worse than that!

“Excuse us everyone, they told us to speak with the Bishop about hiring a healer. Kelly here has some broken ribs, you see.” (Brand)

Brand poked his head inside while I’m still dumbfounded. His face also has a few bruises, but they’re pretty standard for a Thursday at that bar.

“Ah… Right. I better go fetch one. I’ll be back shortly.” (Ernest)

Dad walks towards the door with a difficult face. Doesn’t seem to be an emergency, but the moment is thoroughly ruined. I gently get up from under Ellie and motion the suspicious duo to follow me out of the room. I see Goldrim and Rimgold nearby, carrying a keg under each arm.

Once we’re out of earshot of the girls, I ask the big question.

“What happened to her, Brand?” (Kira)

I get the feeling Kelly will try to dodge the issue if I question her directly, so I ask the brother. He’s been straight with me so far.

“Kelly met our mother at the bar. Then the two of them then had several bouts of Drunken Fisticuffs. When that was over, we got some ale for the road and now we’re here.” (Brand)

Okay… Not what I was expecting. But that’s fine. These things can happen. That's right, it’s none of my business. It doesn’t concern me. It doesn’t bother me. It bothers me. It bothers me a lot, actually!

“You had a fistfight with your own mother!?” (Kira)

“It's a dwarf thing.” (Kelly)

“Brand?” (Kira)

“It was quite the spectacle, to be honest! She was like an incarnation of stubborn tenacity and unbridled violence! Not to mention those vicious blows! She didn’t pull a single punch, despite beating her own flesh and blood into an unrecognizable pulp! Rimgold was thoroughly impressed!” (Brand)

I grow more and more mortified with each word! Is that poor old woman even alive?!

“I don't agree with him though. In my opinion, Kelly was the more impressive one for being able to trade blows with such a monster!” (Brand)

I cover my face with both palms. I lost. I lost so hard that I don't think I have enough hands for this one.

The idea someone would fight their own mother like that got me pointlessly riled up. I almost forgot a punch to the face is how these people says ‘hello.’ It was the same with that uncle of hers back in Hell. So me getting worked up over this was entirely my own fault.

“Never mind. Just tell me one thing. Did you win?” (Kira)

Kelly gives me a thumbs up. Her face is too messed up to tell, but I think that's a smile under there. I'm glad. She's my friend and my employee, so of course I want her to win! The only problem is I'm not quite sure if this outcome is a good thing or a bad thing.

“Although, as a result, she now wants to come with us to the capital.” (Kelly)

Yep, it’s bad.

“Denied. That sort of woman is not setting foot in my house. If she doesn’t like it, she can hire a carriage.” (Kira)

“Yes!” (Kelly)

She... threw a fist into the air with an exaggerated motion?

“For a moment there I was worried you'd start spouting something about family and drag her along! I'm so glad you had my back on this, Red!” (Kelly)

“...” (Kira)

Okay. Not the response I was expecting. Maybe they don’t actually get along?

“We’re leaving tonight, right? Hey Brand, let’s just tell her to wait for us by the gate tomorrow morning.” (Kelly)

“She won’t be happy about that, you know.” (Brand)

“As if that old bat is even capable of happiness!” (Kelly)

“That’s a good point. But boundless fury and unreasonable grudges are things she IS capable of.” (Brand)

“So what? I just need to grind her face into the ground again if she gets too cocky!” (Kelly)

Okay, they definitely don’t get along.