A Degenerate's Tale

"Umm, is this really okay?" Iori finally spoke after everyone took a seat.

Earl sat across from the three heroes. He nodded firmly. "Shin told me that you guys came from a faraway land. Please don't think too much of it, the local specialities are worth your time."

"It's not really about that..." Shin nervously spoke as he looked around.

This was obviously a luxurious place. A very luxurious place at that! He had never seen a place this extravagant before. Was the ceiling made out of gold!?

"This place looks really expensive."

A diamond chandelier hung from the ceiling, dimly lit with magic. The waiters were all elegantly dressed and walked in perfect postures.

"Ah, don't worry about that. Everything is on me since I was the one who invited you out."

Now that the three heroes were seated next together, Earl could finally have a good look at them.

At first glance, they just looked like ordinary high school students.

Iori gave the vibes of a background character. Her black hair was tied in pigtails, and she wore thin-rimmed glasses. She was above average in looks but paled far in comparison to Kayo, who was seated next to her.

As for Kayo...

'She's beautiful.'

Straight black hair, clear eyes, well-defined facial features, and a delicate face.

'Like an orchid.'

She had a peaceful look on her face.

Lastly, Shin.

He looked ordinary in every aspect. He was someone who would hardly leave an impression after one encounter.

Food was served, and just as Earl expected, his guests from another world enjoyed what was presented before them.

"What is this!? It's so good!"

"I-it's still moving..."

"It's so beautiful..!"

"How could something be so salty and yet so delicious?"

It was a simple trick to gain a favourable impression from them.

"Did you guys enjoy the food?"

"It was so good!"

"It was really good, but is this really okay?"

"Hmm. How about you treat me to dinner next time?"

"That's a promise! We'll show our food back from where we came from!"

"I'm looking forward to it."

After dinner with the heroes, it was night. Ragnarok continued on its set path, drifting in the clouds.

"I'm coming in," Earl said before entering the Headmistress' office.

Inside the office was the Headmistress of the Academy, Ari Roth. A woman of many talents and also the Archmage of the generation. She was seated behind her desk, a piece of parchment paper in her hands.

"Welcome." She smiled dazzlingly.

Unknown to Earl, there was another guest in the room.

"Earl! Earl!" A little girl suddenly ran into Earl's embrace. "I missed you!"

Earl felt a rush of warmness in his heart. A warm smile was immediately plastered to his face as he took his daughter into his arms.

"I missed you too. Were you a good girl today?"

"Yeah! I listened to everything mommy said and took my naps on time!"

"Good girl." Earl rubbed her head.

"Violet wanted to see you, so I brought her along."

"I wanted to see Violet too."

"Hehe!"

"You two are so cute together." Ari swooned. Then, she affectionately hugged Earl from behind. 'His back is so big now.'

Violet witnessed this and wanted to copy her mother. Unfortunately, she was too short, so she could only settle for hugging Earl's leg.

The sight of Violet hugging his leg while pouting at her mother sent Earl chuckling. He picked her up from the ground and held her in his arms.

After Ari had her share of Earl hugs, she relocated to his arms, hanging onto it like a koala. "Violet, why don't you tell Earl what you did today?"

"Okay! But Earl should take a seat first. I know that mommy is heavy!"

Earl was amused. "Why do you think mommy is heavy, Violet?"

"I tried to pick her up with my mana, and I couldn't do it because she's heavy!"

'Mom's mana is really dense because she's an Archmage, but it probably feels like a brick to Violet, who is still developing her mana sense.' Earl thought.

"Mommy is not heavy, Violet. Earl can easily pick me up."

"I don't know. Violet might be right."

Ari pouted, seeing that Earl sided with Violet.

"Hehe! See? I'm always right!"

In the end, they all settled down on the couch in the corner of the room together.

"Today..."

Violet began to tell Earl about her day.

"Aria taught me more plant names. She showed me the sunflower and told me that it faces the sun, but there's never any sun back home!"

"Lily and Kitsu were being silly again today. They always laugh at everything I say, but they're good at playing, so I'll forgive it."

"I finished reading 'Introduction to Elements' with mommy today, and I can summon ten fireballs and ten iceballs now! Let me show you!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

One by one, a fireball flickered into existence around the room before settling at 10. Then, the same sequence of events appeared for the iceballs.

Violet was currently controlling 20 individual spells at once.

Earl was a child genius himself but compared to Violet, he was many times inferior. She had inherited Ari's genius.

"Violet is so smart."

"Hehe, mommy said the same thing." Violet happily smiled, showing off her dimples. Then, with a thought, she extinguished all her spells at once.

Earl exchanged eye contact with Ari. He could see that they were both immensely proud of their child, and they had endless love to give her.

They talked for a while more before Violet nodded off from exhaustion.

The two exchanged glances.

"Would you like some tea?" Earl asked.

"Sure."

After having served the Elven Queen for such a long time, Earl had become an expert in tea brewing.

He gently placed two cups of tea down. The fragrant aroma of the tea spread throughout the room. It was relaxing, calming, and soothing.

Ari placed her head on Earl's shoulder.

'She must be tired.'

He pulled her closer, and they enjoyed each other's company for a long time.

They didn't need anything else.

Just the soft sound of their daughter sleeping in the background and the fragrant aroma of the tea was enough.