Child Rearing Journal of the Strongest Wiseman～About My Daughter Being the Cutest in the World( Saikyou Kenja no Kosodate Nikki ～Uchi no Musume ga Sekaiichi Kawaii Ken ni Tsuite～) - Chapter 27

My daughter was so excited to see Shisō and Orba again at the same time.

She stayed up late playing with Orba and telling her aunt about the past three months.

According to her.

The Principality of Leingrad is a good country.

The staff dormitory provided by the academy was comfortable.

Chloe’s food is as delicious as ever.

She made a lot of friends at the academy.

And among them, she became the best friend of a certain girl.

She spoke about them one after another, with great enthusiasm.

Shisō nodded to each of Fiona’s words and listened to her story.

The way Shisō listened to the child’s story so earnestly and sincerely was somewhat incongruous and out of character.

Iris Seymour, the woman nicknamed《Senketsu no majo》, has a reputation for being fierce and extreme.

The way she listened so attentively to the young child’s story gave me an uncomfortable feeling, as if the devil was being preached to by a saint.

However, that was only the beginning, and the way my daughter was gently talking to the owl was somewhat like a fairy tale and made me smile.

If I could, I would have frozen this moment and saved it, but I couldn’t do that.

The hands of the clock pointed to ten o’clock.

Whereas Fiona usually goes to bed at nine.

Staying up late is strictly forbidden in my house.

It’s always been my philosophy that children need the time to dream.

I hoped that she would sleep a lot in her bed and have dreams.

A lot of fun and learning during the day, and a good sleep at night.

I never doubted that it was necessary for a child.

I suppose my teacher agreed with me.

When I told Fiona to look at the clock, she insisted on the same.

“It’s time for children to go to bed. If you learn to stay up late, you’ll end up being a witch like me.”

She reminded her to go to sleep.

Fiona grumbled a bit, but after another warning from Chloe, she obediently headed upstairs to her bedroom.

Accompanied by Chloe, Fiona headed upstairs, but halfway up the stairs, she stopped and turned back to the owl, and said,

“I hope you’ll listen to more of my stories tomorrow, Iris Oba-sama.”

The owl nodded silently.

I thought I saw a smile in its eyes, but I must have imagined it. The owl didn’t smile.

Instead, her response was full of smiles.

“Of course. If you have any complaints about your father, complain as much as you want. Oba-sama will make it better.”

Fiona shakes her head in a roundabout way and disappears into her bedroom with a smile, leaving behind the words, “No, it’s okay, Otou-sama is the best dad ever.”

The owl–, Shisō looked away from my daughter’s back, then turned to me and said.

“――So it seems. You may have flunked as a disciple, but as a father, you seem to have scored a perfect score.”

Though the words were coarse, they made me happy.

However, I don’t have the luxury to be very happy.

“Well, that’s what my daughter likes to say. She knows no other family. I suppose she will naturally be lenient in her assessment.”

“Perhaps. The only people in this house are a reclusive millennial wiseman and a cheeky mechanical doll he made. Hardly what you’d call a normal family.”

“Indeed. I just want my daughter to have a normal life.”

“No, you’re giving her a better life than most. It’s not normal, but it’s not abnormal either. She’s special, so to speak. I’m sure she will grow up to be an unusual girl, but I can assure you of this.”

Shisō broke off and continued.

“The daughter of the thousand-year wiseman Kite lived a happy life.”

The witch in the form of an owl declared to me.

The story of the girl named Fiona was bound to end that way.

I gazed into the owl’s eyes.

“I hope it does. … No, I’ll make it happen.”

As I said this, I looked back into Shisō’s eyes.

Then I asked her.

“Now that she’s asleep, let’s get down to business.”

“What’s the matter?”

“It’s about the trouble Shisō has brought upon me.”

Trouble? What are you talking about? She didn’t say anything like that.

I guess she is aware of the trouble she was bringing.

How did I know? She didn’t even bother to ask.

When you’ve known each other for over a thousand years, you can see right through each other’s heart.

The way she was playing with my daughter earlier was exactly the image of a gentle girl and a sweet aunt to her niece, but the way she occasionally looked back at me showed a sense of urgency.

There was a hint of frustration in her eyes.

I could easily tell that she had something to discuss with me and that it was troublesome.

“I guess I couldn’t keep it from you. Well, it is true that I’m here to see my niece, but I have other matters at hand. And those are just as important as meeting my niece.”

“Then surely it must be something important, such as the fate of the world.”

I exaggerated and ordered Chloe to bring something to drink and eat to the study.

Chloe graciously obeyed my order.

For the record, I don’t usually drink much.

However, the owl’s owner, the witch, was different. She was probably in the Imperial City as of now, with a bottle of wine and some snacks in front of her.

Also, she was the kind of person who didn’t like it when others were sober while she was drinking.

Her argument was that without alcohol, there would be no way to talk face-to-face about anything.

It would be a good argument if it weren’t for the stand-in owl in front of me….

“Oh well, it’s not bad to have a drink once in a while.”

Muttering this, I led Shisō into the study.

Shisō’s messenger, Orba, flapped her wings lightly and climbed onto my shoulder.

The owl whispered into my ear.

“It’s good that you have sharp intuition. No, I guess you’ve always had a sharp intuition. I’m also wondering if you’re as grateful to me as you used to be.”

“In other words, in exchange for offering me a position as a teacher at the academy, I am to fulfill your request, is that correct?”

“I don’t mind.”

The owl instantly replied.

“………”

I couldn’t help but let out a long sigh, but the night was still young.

Regardless of whether I should refuse her request or not, I should at least listen to her.

With this in mind, I went to the study.

On the way, I passed by Fiona’s room.

Of course, she wasn’t the kind of girl who snored like Shisō, so I couldn’t hear her sleep, but I’m sure she was in bed and dreaming happily.

Now, I will do my best to repay my teacher for providing me with this happy environment.

That’s what I thought as I headed for the study.