Erik's POV
What the hell. He actually got a girl in the same bed as him? I looked inside but the shock turned into excitement.
Finally, a child who will continue my plans. Unlike that Igneel, who didn't care about more children.
Yes, yes, spread my descendants. I laughed internally.
Cinderella's POV
The next morning.
My eyes slowly blinked open. Seeing that Fergus was still sleeping, I got up and stared at him.
I couldn't help but notice how handsome he was. He had long, flowing red hair with hints of gold.
Not only is he handsome, he's also rich. I'm an ant compared to him. As I kept staring, he awoke.
He rubbed his eyes and got up. Still holding hands, I tried to follow as we walked somewhere. But he was too fast.
Noticing me struggling, he stopped and picked me up. As I lay in his arms, I felt a sense of security I hadn't felt in years.
I looked up at him. Seeing the sun shining on his face, I couldn't help but blush.
Soon he stopped and carefully put me down. He then started stripping. Throwing his clothes aside, he jumped into the lake.
"F-Fergus, p-people will see," I stuttered.
He looked back at me and smiled.
"Don't worry, I'll only let you see my body," he said confidently.
I blushed at his words.
"T-that's not what I meant."
"Haha, come on, join me," he laughed.
I looked around, a little hesitant. What if people came into the forest? Looking at his smile, I pursed my lips and stripped. I then slowly entered the water.
Fergus grabbed me into a hug. I looked up at his foolish grin and couldn't help but feel joy.
After we finished, we washed ourselves. He took out a bunch of clothes and gave them to me.
"Where did you get all of these?" I asked.
"Oh, my sisters went on a shopping spree and bought a lot of things. In fact, I actually have a makeup kit inside." He took it out and gave it to me.
"I appreciate the gifts, but I don't have a place to store this," I muttered.
He then grabbed my hand.
"Imagine the items disappearing into the ring," he said.
I paused and looked at my ring. So it was similar to his. I did as told and imagined the dresses and items into the ring, and they disappeared.
"Wow," I smiled.
I tried imagining the items, and they actually came to my mind. Then I wanted them to appear in front of me, and they appeared from the ring.
I smiled and grabbed the dress before putting it on.
"This dress is beautiful," I said as I spun around, inspecting it.
Fergus picked me up and spun me around. As I spun, I couldn't help but laugh.
Erik's POV
I stood in the forest, watching him spin Cinderella around. It was easy to learn her name after some research.
I smiled. A child who will continue my plans. I stepped out of the forest, and Fergus immediately noticed.
He slowly stopped and put her down gently.
"Father," he said.
She was confused but followed his lead.
"Father-in-law," she said.
I smiled.
"You two seem pretty happy. I won't lie—I didn't think you would be able to marry so quickly, but you've proved me wrong."
He smirked.
"Of course, Father. We already held hands, and it's only a matter of time before we get our first child."
I nodded but then paused.
"Wait, held hands?" I asked.
He nodded.
"Yes, we held hands," he repeated.
I just looked at him.
"How do you think babies are made?" I asked.
"Duh, when a husband and wife hold hands. Mother told me this when I was a few months old."
I facepalmed. This idiot.
I then turned to Cinderella.
"How about you?" I asked.
She fidgeted and blushed. Maybe she would know.
"When a man and woman sleep naked in the same bed."
I facepalmed again. These kids are getting out of hand. How could they be so clueless?
"Sigh, it's now or never to teach the youngins," I muttered.
I took out a board and chalk.
"Sit down. I will teach you the lesson."
After the lesson, Cinderella blushed with her eyes wide open. Fergus was focused.
He nodded.
"I appreciate the lesson you have given me here today, Father."
I nodded at his answer. I don't know why he became so serious all of a sudden, but it doesn't matter. Now that he knows how things really work, he can start my plan.
He stood up, picked Cinderella up, and headed back to their tent.
"Kekeke, hahaha. I'm a fucking genius, aren't I, Diastasi?" I laughed.
"Right..."
Rune's POV
Reaching my destination, I jumped off the griffin and walked toward the village as it disappeared behind me.
Using my senses, I could feel multiple magical signatures. I searched for the one most similar to the engravement magic book.
There were three signatures. I walked toward the closest one. A few moments later, I stood in front of a bookstore.
"Hm, another bookstore," I muttered.
I entered and looked around. Eventually, I found what I was looking for.
—Engravement II—
I smiled at the title. With this, I could move onto the next step. I read it right there and quickly flipped through the pages.
After finishing, I realized someone was beside me. I closed the book and stared at the woman.
"What is it?" I asked, annoyed.
"Well, you're in front of the shelf," she said.
Realizing my mistake, I apologized. She smiled.
"It's okay. Sometimes you're so into whatever you're reading that you forget about your surroundings," she said.
I nodded. That happens to me all the time.
"My name is Bell. What is yours?" she asked.
"My name is Rune," I answered.
"Rune, quite a unique name," she said.
I couldn't deny her words. Father either named us after appearance, background, or predecessors.
"I've never seen you before. Are you new?" she asked.
I nodded.
"I just arrived barely an hour ago," I said.
She paused at my words.
"And the first thing you do is enter a bookstore?"
"I've finished all the books in my home. Now I'm searching for more," I said simply.
She smiled at my words.
"So what are you looking for?" she asked.
"Books containing magic," I said.
"Magic? You believe in that stuff?"
"You don't?" I asked in return.
"Pft," she laughed.
I just continued staring at her. This unnerved her a bit.
"Cough, well how about you show me some magic," she said.
I turned away from her. This was useless. I don't know why I was entertaining her, but I needed to get back to business.
I went to the counter and left her where she stood.
"Hey, where are you going?" she called.
"I'm busy," I said simply.
Reaching the counter, I threw a pouch of gold at the librarian and left the bookstore. Using my senses, I walked toward where I felt the presence of that familiar magic.
"Hey!"
I paused and turned around.
"What do you want?" I asked.
She ran toward me and handed me the pouch.
"The librarian won't take more than needed. He wants me to return this," she said.
I stared at the pouch in my hand, then stared back at her. It seems these people are honest—more honest than I thought.
I nodded.
"Well then, I'll be off—Bell," I added.
She smiled.
"It was nice to meet you," she said.
I watched as she turned around and walked away. She had a unique energy signature, similar to First Mother and Second Mother.
But right now, I have more important things to do. I turned around and returned to my previous objectives.
Erik's POV
I sat across from Fergus. He'd finally decided to return. He left Cinderella with the girls, and now we were having a conversation.
"So why did you choose her anyway?" I asked.
I wanted to know—they'd barely known each other for a day. He paused at my words, then spoke.
"She has a special energy signature, similar to Mother and the princess I've met."
Now that I think about it, he's right. I've met a few princesses, and almost all of them had special energy signatures.
"But is that really all?" I asked.
He shook his head and smiled.
"Of course that wasn't all. She has great magic potential. Not only that, she has a great voice and can make pie, but she still has some flaws," he added.
"Flaws? What kind of flaws?"
"She's too forgiving and too kind, like Melody and Liora."
I nodded at his words. She seemed to be extremely innocent.
"By the way, did you really not know how children were made?" I asked.
He stayed quiet. I facepalmed. Damn, this kid is really an idiot. His learning capabilities are on par with Tune, but he decides to act like a dumbass instead of using his gifts.
I can't even blame him. His mother coddled him his whole life. Even after reaching his adult form, he always tries to act like an obedient child when around her.
But it's not all bad. At least one child listens to her and spends time with her. I try to spend time with her, but at most I can only manage a few hours a day.
That might seem like a lot with how busy kings usually are, but Merida is inherently adventurous and likes to travel around. When she has to do her queenly duties, he comes in clutch.
"Oh yeah, are you planning to have children with her now?" I asked.
He shook his head.
"Not now. I want to focus on cultivating feelings. Though she wants children, if they grow up too fast, she might feel overwhelmed."
I nodded. His words held merit. Women who want to be mothers want to raise their children and slowly watch them grow up.
"Okay, okay, you can go." I waved.
He stood up and left.
"Sigh. Now that he's not planning to have a child, what should I do?" I muttered.
My plans have halted again. Should I start making more children? Ugh, I don't want any more of these children. They're too difficult to deal with.
That's why I decided to put that burden on my sons. And my daughters? Who dares. Unless they're a god, they won't even be allowed in the same room.
"Sigh." I should ask Clyde to do it. Claude and Rune would probably just ignore me if I asked.
"Might I suggest you get a mermaid," Diastasi suggested.
"A mermaid?"
"Yes, they lay over a dozen eggs each pregnancy."
"Over a dozen!?"
I stood up from my seat and headed to the training ground. This is perfect—Clyde is a god of water.
A mermaid is perfect for him. But what if it doesn't work? I shook my head. It was worth a try. It doesn't matter if it works out or not. It will either work out, or I'll just have to wait longer.
Reaching the place, I watched as he trained. I paused and stared at his weapon.
"A trident?" I muttered.
Where did he even get that weapon? I inspected it, and my eyes widened.
—Ever Evolving Trident—
A weapon that continuously evolves with the user. The limit is the user itself.
What a powerful weapon. Could I make such a weapon? No. Right now, with my abilities, it's impossible.
But one day, I'll do it.
Note: I ain't finished with this arc yet. I just uploaded it without finishing it cause I forgot to upload today. Enjoy.