However, looking at the girl in front of him who had been hit so hard by Serie that she looked like she was about to shut herself away from the world, he still let out a light sigh, casually reached out and stroked that overly long hair, and told her seriously, "I have no reason to lie to you, right? And then, you were normally scared and almost got hurt, so I think you should have rushed up and demanded she give you compensation."
"Is-is that so?", Denken stared at him blankly, yet looked especially hesitant, and could not help but ask, "If that is the case, then why did you not demand compensation, Lord Ash?"
"Because even if I asked, she definitely would not give it."
"Eh? Then why do you want me to go?"
"I am different. You... probably, she would give it?"
"Probably?", Denken looked at him in confusion, her head unable to process it for quite a while.
But Ash did not answer. In the end he patted her on the head, then stood up and walked straight toward the outside of the ruins.
That made her unconsciously reach out, trying to hold him back. "W-wait! Lord Ash, you are leaving already? But your injuries..."
"I suddenly remembered that the small animals at home have not been fed yet. You can clean up the scene a bit yourself, just roughly is fine, anyway a professional construction team will be coming in soon."
Ash, who had just realized he had gone out in a hurry and forgotten to leave money for Fern's dinner, left behind a goodbye with no clear meaning, already starting to get a headache over how the destroyed parts of this branch were supposed to be rebuilt.
Also how to avoid, as much as possible, the need for a second expansion later was another key point he was thinking about.
That ageless, expressionless little girl was still sitting there on the ground, only blankly watching his back.
———
Inside the temporary residence in the city—
When Ash came back, he immediately saw the small girl holding a wet rag, busily cleaning the room.
The bedding that had been left there for a while had all been taken out and washed by her, and now it was being hung out to dry in the courtyard.
The northern weather was not like the south. The girl's young, tender hands had long since turned completely red, but she did not say a word and kept working hard at things beyond what she was responsible for.
"It is just like a child who has been taken in, afraid of not doing well, forcing herself to work hard, to be proactive, wanting to show her own value," Watching Fern's hardworking figure, Ash could not help but sigh out loud.
And the reality of it was obviously not very far off.
Even though she did not clearly hear his muttering, Fern heard a sound and subconsciously looked up.
"Welcome back, Ash… Ash, Lord Ash? What happened to you? Did you run into bandits?"
Only after seeing him clearly and noticing that he was filthy all over and that his head was covered in blood as if someone had smashed it with a hammer did she immediately panic and run over.
"Just ran into some people who bully the weak with their strength," Thinking of Serie's smug face, he was a little annoyed, but he did not really care anymore. Seeing Fern's worried expression, he subconsciously added, "I am pretty much used to it by now. It is fine, no need to worry."
"People who bully the weak with their strength? Just? Used to it?", Fern caught onto the key points in his words, but he wiped the blood off his forehead unconcernedly, "It is really fine. This kind of thing happens all the time."
That casual attitude made Fern unable to hold back from raising her voice.
"That is not something you can say is fine, is it? We need to go find the guards right away… no, we need to go to the church first!"
"Come to think of it, I forgot to leave you money for dinner. Sorry, I guess next time I will give you more at once. If you run out, just come find me."
Compared to Fern's anxiety, Ash, who had long been used to fighting, really did not care about it at all. With a guilty look, he even took two gold coins out of his pocket.
But compared to his calmness, Fern felt an indescribable emotion surge up in her heart at how he was still thinking about her at a time like this and completely not caring about himself. Warmth spread through her chest, yet she was also almost in tears as she pushed him toward the door.
"Now is not the time to worry about that! The blood is dripping again, hurry and go to the church!"
"Ah! Don't push me, I will go, but…"
"There is no but! Please hurry up."
———
Amid all that noisy urging, Ash was forcefully pushed to the church.
And that night, on Ash's blanket there was the long absent scent of sunshine, and there was also a small head right beside him.
On the second day after that first night, at first Fern was actually a little shy and basically did not dare look him in the eyes.
But after that night, even though she was still too uneasy to sleep well, as long as Ash held her hand, Fern would feel a warmth in her heart and somehow feel at ease.
Now, after half a day of housework, the exhausted girl had basically collapsed, leaning on his shoulder and falling asleep just like that.
Probably from that first night on, the distance between the two of them had gotten a little closer, and on this day their relationship seemed to have moved one step closer again?
To be honest, Ash was not really sure either. He just touched Fern's hair, then closed his eyes and let his fatigue drag him into sleep.
———
In the blink of an eye, Fern had already been living in this magic city for more than half a year.
During this time, Ash went out early and came back late every day, presiding over the reconstruction work of the Magic Association branch. On the side he soaked in Serie's library, and after that he would go out for a few days to fight with the one known as the Bloody God of War, Rivale.
After all, if a berserker like Rivale did not get to fight him for too long, he would probably go out and fight random people. When that happened, it would probably turn into a massacre.
"You can go eat something on the street yourself. This country's public security is very good, as long as you do not leave the city there is basically nothing to worry about," Saying that, Ash appropriately increased the money he gave Fern. Although he had also hired a maid to take care of her, without realizing it, it ended up being Fern who handled the household.
Even though she was only six years old, compared to Ash, who did not really care about these things at all, she actually took on a lot of responsibility.
One day, when the gentle morning light woke Fern up, she rubbed her eyes and gave a big stretch.
The soft bed made her sleep very comfortably, because even the mattress had been specially picked out by Ash when he took her to the street. It was basically no different from her old home, and she more or less no longer needed Ash to hold her hand to fall asleep peacefully.
Even though that made her feel a little lonely, she did not want to trouble Ash too much, so she never showed it.
And when she walked out of her room, it was only natural that she did not see the familiar figure. Even though it was still early, even the maid who lived nearby had not come to work yet.
"Lord Ash's work is really so busy," Fern reached out and touched his bed, but she could no longer feel any warmth at all, which made her unable to hide her disappointment.
But soon she slapped her own cheeks with both hands, forced herself to perk up, washed her face, and after eating the breakfast prepared by the maid, hurried off to school.
Her parents in the past had also found her a magic tutor, so she already had the corresponding basic knowledge of magic. Now she was naturally enrolled directly in the magic academy of the magic city.
Recently she had also made two new friends at school, though they argued all the time.
"But the teacher said that being able to argue all the time is also proof of having a good relationship. I never argue with Lord Ash, does that mean our relationship is not good?"
The sun had just risen over the horizon, the morning air on the street was very cold. Fern cupped her hands in front of her and breathed warm air into them, unconsciously sinking into thought.
But soon she stopped thinking about it, because the orange twin tailed girl and the silver haired, blue eyed girl had already appeared noisily in her view, making her unconsciously show a smile.
"Kanne, Lawine, good morning."
"Ah, Fern! Hurry and help me hold her down! This jerk is pulling my hair again! She is going to rip it out… this time I am definitely going to kill her!", Kanne with the orange twin tails shouted excitedly.
But the silver haired girl, Lawine, rudely shoved her aside and showed a proper smile, "Good morning, Fern. The weather is quite nice today, is it not?"
"Yes, it is good weather for drying blankets."
"Drying blankets?", Lawine subconsciously looked up at the blue sky and could not help but agree, "That is true, but…"
"But normally, should it not be weather for going out to play?", Kanne could not help but butt in.
Fern did not think much and answered naturally, "Because Lord Ash likes sun dried blankets."
"Lord Ash?", Kanne tilted her head exaggeratedly. "Come to think of it, I have heard you talk about him before. He sounds like someone from your family, right? Then why is he called lord?"
"This…", Fern immediately looked troubled, not knowing how to explain it.
Lawine did not even blink and kicked Kanne flying with one foot.
"Do not dig into other people's family matters. That is one of the school rules, right? Have you already forgotten it?"
"Uwah! Y-you bastard! I… of course I remember! But you did not have to kick me like that, did you?"
Kanne fell face first into the dust, both her twin tails getting a bit dirty. Even though she realized she had asked something she should not have, making her a bit weak on that front, she still could not stop complaining from the ground.
At this time Fern crouched down and helped her up. While receiving Kanne's thanks, she thought about what her relationship with Ash actually was.
'Well, it is adoption, right? But if I don't call him lord, what should I call him? Great grandpa? Grandpa? Uncle?'
'Judging from his looks, he clearly is not that old, but calling him big brother also feels a bit wrong.'
This question kept bothering her until she reached the academy and classes truly began, and only then did she put it aside and seriously watch the teacher demonstrating magic not far away.
"I have to work hard, so that when I grow up, no one will be able to bully Lord Ash."
Every time she thought of how he had looked before, with his head covered in blood, Fern felt a stab of pain in her heart and muttered to herself, secretly forcing herself to work hard.
Because she wanted to become someone who could protect Ash.
Compared to worrying about what their relationship was, this was her biggest dream right now.
———
When Ash finished a full day of work and returned home, the sky was already completely dark and it was deep into the night.
When he quietly stepped into the courtyard, he noticed that the living room was still brightly lit.
When he entered the living room, he saw that an oil lamp was still burning, and a small figure was lying on the desk, with a book about the basics of magic beside her.
"Did she wait for me too long, or did she get tired from reading?", About that, even Ash was not sure, but as he picked her up he could not help but sigh, "But if this keeps up, it really will not do, will it?"
Compared to Fern, who was always thinking about how to repay the kindness of being raised, Ash had been thinking about who would be most suitable to entrust her to.
It was not that he was heartless. It was just that after considering all aspects, and combined with how many times this same scene had played out tonight, he was convinced that it was better to give her to someone else. At least better than keeping her with himself.
Because as time went on, he also realized that aside from providing food, clothing, and shelter, he also had to deal with things like taking care of her in old age and providing emotional support.
Even though after spending some time together he was actually a bit reluctant to part with her, it was still better than raising her up and then having to take care of her until the end of her life.
And this was also from a lesson of the past. Serie's advice.
Also, he did not have that much time to play with a child. Even hiring a maid to take care of her was not really appropriate.
Because, if the elder is always absent, is that not just a left behind child? From the perspective of mental and physical health, that is definitely not good.
As the last surviving orphan of a friend's descendants, he felt he had the obligation to give her a proper, warm family, rather than a cold room where she would be a left behind child.
This was something that, as a demon who had grown up alone, he could more or less understand.
After all, if you consider the growth environment of demons, no matter what their nature is supposed to be like, if they grow up they will not become beasts, then what else could they become?
Even for humans, if they grow up alone in the wilderness, it probably would not be much better. So upbringing and companionship really are very important.
At least, that is what Ash thought.
The importance of one's later growth environment, if we take demons as an example, Aura is also a pretty good example.
Someone like Schlacht, for instance, probably had a pretty good upbringing, which is why among the demons, where individualism runs rampant, he could become one of the rare ones who think of others and is even willing to sacrifice himself for the collective good.
Of course, how Schlacht actually grew into a demon who thinks of others and is even willing to sacrifice and give himself, that part is hard to investigate. It is just a feeling he has.
As for Ash raising her himself, not to mention that he has no time or energy and could not manage it, he even has to worry about Fern being influenced by someone like him.
Unfortunately, in his circle of relationships there really were not any normal people. Most of his friends were already dead. If he asked Aura to help find someone, that could easily turn into a tragedy. At least right now, he did not trust Aura at all.
And most of this kingdom's nobles were basically controlled by Aura. Even if he forced them to take her in, if something went wrong, it would be over.
So after thinking it over again and again, after more than half a year of worrying and searching, he still had not found a suitable person in this magic city, so he decided to go ask Heiter for help.
He had been a little worried before whether Heiter was still alive, but now he had people investigate and found that Heiter had already retired and was even unexpectedly still in good health.
As a highly respected archbishop of the Holy City and a former hero who saved the world, his reputation would definitely be much higher, and the people he knew would be much more proper and reliable.
Of course, giving her directly to Heiter himself was immediately ruled out. After all, that wine and meat monk, no one knows when he might die of old age, and Ash was not at ease letting him raise a child either.
If Himmel were still alive, no matter his character or his personality, he would be the best choice. Unfortunately, the goddess did not seem to like him very much, and among their party he was the first to pass away.
"Although our time together is limited, which is truly regrettable, I will definitely make sure to choose well for you. For now, you can just sleep in peace."
He gently placed Fern on the bed, covered her with a blanket, and lightly stroked her hair that had gradually regained its shine. In his heart he made a firm decision. Even if it took one or two years, he had to find a way to let Heiter find a suitable family for this child.
———
The next morning—
Warm sunlight fell on Fern's face, making her drowsily open her heavy eyelids. Urged by the morning sun, she was uncharacteristically lazy, stretching and wriggling in bed for a while before rubbing her sleepy eyes and getting up.
"Today, Lord Ash is probably not here again," She habitually patted her face, then sat on the edge of the bed with a bit of sadness and muttered, however...
"No, today I am here, at least for now."
"Eh? Lord Ash?"
She looked in the direction of the voice in panic, only to see Ash, who was usually nowhere to be seen, sitting by her desk, flipping through a grimoire she could not understand at all.
This made her quickly stand up, tidying her messy hair and pajamas, then lowering her head properly.
"G-good morning, Lord Ash. Is there something happening today?"
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