Side Story - The Moon and 6 Copper # 1

What I'd been feeling recently was that raising a young child was harder than I had imagined.

Figuring out why a babbling infant cried day and night was an incredibly difficult task for me, a rookie dad.

"━─!"

Diane, who was barely three months old, cried more than I expected.

So she cried constantly, and whenever I heard her wails, my heart would sink and I'd feel as flustered as a raft drifting down a river.

"Why are you crying-? I feel like crying myself-."

Of course, it was only me who was merely flustered; the Nymphs were practically losing their minds.

"Her diaper is clean and she just had formula, but I don't know why she's crying-!"

"Quickly find out the cause-imnidat...! Or, bring Hippolyte or Keongkeong-imnidat...!"

"Hippolyte just went out-! But I think I can bring Keongkeong-!"

Doris hastily brought Keongkeong.

Keongkeong then approached baby Diane, who was lying in her small cradle, and danced for her, alternately raising and lowering his front paws left and right.

The way he swayed his body left and right, dancing dazzlingly, showed considerable experience.

━Hioong-.

"Hee-heu-heu."

Just like that, Diane, who had been crying loudly moments ago, began to smile brightly as if nothing had happened. Perhaps she just wanted to see Keongkeong.

Just then, a girl with pink hair, braided into pigtails, approached with soft steps.

"The baby was crying? Hassan, what's wrong?"

"I don't know either. I want to know why she's crying."

"Hippolyte went out, huh? Should I take a look? I'm good with babies-!"

Luna lifted Diane's body high from the cradle.

As she slowly swayed Diane left and right as if flying an airplane, Diane thrashed her arms and legs as if she was in a very good mood.

Luna and Elfriede took care of Hippolyte's baby better than expected.

They said Hippolyte had made a mutual aid promise, something like she would help Luna and Elfriede when they had children someday.

"The princess has gotten a bit heavier in the meantime-! Ooh-roo-roo-roo, peek-a-boo-."

"Hee-heu-heu-heu."

"Hassan, look at this-! Diane smiled at me-!"

"I know, right-? Now I can breathe a little. Why was she crying anyway?"

"She just seemed to be crying because she was bored-!"

Crying because she was bored. It was a relief that she wasn't sick or anything, but...

"She's a baby who teases adults-imnidat...!"

"You can say that again."

I and the Nymphs, who had been exhausted from watching the baby until just now, leaned against the nearby furniture and slumped to the floor, leaving the child with Luna and Keongkeong for a moment.

"This is tough."

Watching a baby was harder than I expected.

If I, who just lazed around at home, had to put in this much care and effort, I couldn't even imagine how tired parents who had to give birth and work must be.

Did my father and mother also go through this process?

What I've been realizing more and more as time passes and I get older is that my parents were actually even more amazing people.

They must have also navigated the difficulties I, a rookie parent, was struggling with.

My mother, Chunja-ssi, had been subtly humming about wanting to see her granddaughter, so it might not be a bad idea to pick a day and visit my parents' home with the family.

I might even get some tips on raising a child.

"Should I ask Mother to take a look, to see if the baby is growing well?"

Luna asked me as she flew Diane around like an airplane. She had received a lot of help from Lady Nyx-nim since the baby was born.

"Ah, Mother said she went out with Father. I forgot."

"Really? Is it okay for them to go outside the mansion now?"

"Because her karma has recovered quite a lot-!"

Nyx, the Goddess of Night, and Erebor, the God of Darkness. The two powerful beings had suffered such a blow when the Underworld collapsed that their existence was almost extinguished.

As a result of several months of recuperation in the basement of my mansion, they had now recovered enough vitality to go out for a stroll.

The baby was also safely born and growing up healthy, and the people around us were living vibrant lives, making everything as peaceful as could be.

Now, the only thing I needed to worry about was the whereabouts of my stepsister, Melinoe. But with Antiope and Gloria, masters of pursuit, searching the south, we'd surely meet her soon enough.

━Maem, maem, maem-, maem-.

━Jijeujeujeujeu-jijeujeujeujeu-.

Just then, the noisy chirping of cicadas pulled me out of my thoughts. Outside the window, I could see Nymph gardeners toiling in the scorching sun and heat.

━Hoe-e-e-e-! That branch over there should be cut in a two-block style-!

━This one, Ononoi, thinks it's better to cut the back in a sanggo-meori style these days-! Anyway, after cutting just this, we should go rest in the shade-!

Looking at the shimmering garden, my head felt a little dizzy. It was so hot that if you walked around outside in this weather, you might easily get heatstroke.

Of course, our mansion was perfectly comfortable thanks to the air conditioning I had installed in advance. The indoor temperature was 23 degrees Celsius. It was cool enough to feel chilly if you didn't move too vigorously.

Resting in an air-conditioned room in the middle of summer.

Could there be any greater luxury? Just last year around this time, Luna, Keongkeong, and I were panting from the heat in a sweltering Cabin.

Those were truly difficult times.

But, looking back now, it was a time filled with many memories.

As I was recalling old memories in the cool room, Luna, who had put the baby to sleep in the cradle, handed me a glass filled with ice.

"Lemonade-. Drink it-. I mixed in a hint of mint scent to make it like a mojito-! They say sour things are good for you when you're tired-."

"Thanks."

I took the glass of ice, gulped down its contents, and even crunched and ate the ice. Biting ice is hard on your teeth, but that didn't matter to me.

Luna said.

"Biting and eating expensive ice like that. It reminds me of the old days. Last year around this time, it was so hot and didn't rain, we really suffered. Remember?"

"Of course I remember. I was just thinking about living in the Cabin last year. It was incredibly hot. They even said many people in Sodomora collapsed from heatstroke."

"That's right-! Back then, we bought a whole bucket of ice, which cost a fortune, filled a bucket with water, put the ice in, and took turns hugging it, remember?"

"Yeah."

I nodded in agreement. Those memories came flooding back.

A scorching summer when my pockets were empty because there wasn't much work. We bought a bucket of ice, which cost a whopping 6 Copper, and used it like an air conditioner.

Now, ice was common enough to put in drinks and chew on for fun, but back then, every single one of those thick ice chunks was precious.

"Life has gotten better-."

As I muttered, feeling a sense of the passage of time, Luna asked.

"So Hassan-. How are things these days-."

"How are things?"

"Just, everything. Are you happy with life?"

Luna's eyes were bright and clear. It seemed she was asking seriously. In that case, I should answer seriously.

"Of course. I don't know if I've ever been this happy in my life."

"Then that's good."

"But why did you ask? Did I not seem very happy?"

Although I had been a bit overwhelmed lately with the unfamiliar task of baby-sitting, it wasn't enough to complain. As I reflected on my own behavior, Luna explained.

"No, Hassan. You used to go out and catch Monsters, and handle all sorts of big tasks. But now it's too peaceful. I was just wondering if you might be bored."

"Ah, what, so that's it. Not at all."

Honestly, I'm a bit lazy.

I find joy just watching ants crawl around in the yard. But Luna seemed worried because I was always staying at home.

Indeed, I had been cooped up at home too much lately. Outside was hot, home was cool, and there was nothing lacking, from food onwards.

Perhaps because of that, I could see signs of a slight belly fat appearing.

Heavens.

Belly fat for me, who went through slavery. Was I becoming an old man? Of course, losing weight would be easy, but anyway...

"......."

Just then, I saw Luna fidgeting quite a lot. Luna only wiggled her toes in her sandals like that when she had something to say but was hesitating.

"Luna, do you have something to say?"

I mustered up the courage to ask. I thought Luna might also say something like, "I want to have a baby soon-."

Elfriede had been subtly pestering me lately.

Since Elfriede had her eldest daughter taken by Hippolyte, it seemed she wanted to give birth to the eldest son herself. Luna might be the same.

However, what Luna said was a little different.

"This time, I'm thinking of collecting some herbs, cockroaches, and mint leaves from the forest far to the east. Hassan, want to come with me-?"

"Collecting?"

"Uh-huh."

Collecting in this scorching heat. Herbs and such could just be left to the many Ideope girls working under Luna's subcontract.

I slowly looked out the window, where the scorching sun blazed.

It wasn't good weather for collecting. As I said before, it would be extremely hot if we went outside in this weather.

"Alright, fine."

However, I never refuse Luna's requests.

Just as Luna doesn't refuse my requests, I also readily grant hers.

This was an unwritten rule between us. Only then did Luna clap her hands with a jjak- sound, her expression incredibly bright.

"Really? Then, let's go together-!"

Luna was incredibly happy. I've always felt this, but Luna knows how to be brightly happy about even small things.

Thanks to that, even I, a novice in romance, often felt like I was some amazing man.

"Then, I'll go get ready to go outside-! It might be hot out, so I should pack some salt water with ice, and other things."

"Aren't you taking Doris with you?"

I asked, looking at Luna's busy back. Luna thought for a "Hmm-" moment, then shook her head.

"Doris tries to take care of me too much, so I'll leave her behind today-!"

"That's true."

Doris, the Nymph of Honey Water, is meddlesome. She was originally my mother's companion and fellow Nymph, but my mother seemed to think she could stand on her own now, so she decided to stick with Luna.

━Pink Kore still needs this one's help-!

So it seemed.

Anyway, Luna came out to the garden entrance, wearing a straw hat, carrying a dragonfly net, an insect collecting box, and a bag woven with various baskets. It suited her well.

Luna said.

"I've put in a request to renew my guild card, so I've issued a quest. Maybe some rookie adventurers will join our party."

"Oh, you did? I don't mind."

To maintain adventurer status, one must regularly issue or accept quests to update their records. It was almost my turn to renew, too. Luna had good sense.

And so, we walked energetically towards the East Gate, the meeting place for quests. Luna's pink hair, as she strode bravely under the scorching sun, was quite dazzling.

Suddenly-.

I remembered Luna's question to me. The one about whether I was happy now. I had answered lightly at the time.

Looking back now, I wondered if it wouldn't have been good for me to ask Luna the same question in return.

Luna, are you happy now?

Of course, there would be no need to ask for the answer. But between lovers and family, it seems good to ask even obvious questions sometimes.

So, just as I was about to open my lips towards Luna, who was walking vigorously ahead.

"Luna-."

"Oh-. Look who it is-. Such esteemed individuals have come to a humble quest again. I had a propitious dream of riding a turtle. Is this thanks to that?"

A rather familiar melodious voice reached my ears.

Turning my head at the man's well-projected voice, I saw a hawk-nosed man with a conical hat and long, flowing red hair waving at us as he approached.

"Wow, if it isn't Malko. It's been a fucking long time."

"To be precise, it's been about five months and twelve days. I've been quite busy, you see. Anyway, brothers and sisters, it's been a long time."

As Malko extended his hand, I also extended mine.

"Is married life enjoyable-?"

"Well, it's so enjoyable and happy it's a problem. Anyway, what is it? Are you the one for the herb collecting party?"

"That's right. My, my, what a remarkable connection-. It's something to be grateful for to Mercury-nim. So, where is the other person? I heard it was a four-person quest-."