A brave heart, a trembling hand.
I carefully tidied my appearance inside the tent, finally choosing the hat I deemed most appropriate to wear.
*Phew…*
I breathed a sigh of relief, gently lifting the cloth curtain of the tent with my fingertips.
I stole a glance at Little Ziya, who was sleeping soundly, and let the curtain fall back with satisfaction.
Immediately afterward, I utilized everything I had learned in my life, exhausting more than half of my mana to set up the strongest protective magic circle around the tent.
However, the second before I stepped out, I paused.
‘I’ll take one more look at Little Ziya, just one…’
I couldn’t help but turn back and lift the curtain again.
Gazing at that chubby, sleeping face, I couldn’t suppress the tenderness in my heart.
I leaned down and gave her a secret, gentle kiss on her pink cheek.
‘Alright! Now that I’ve charged up on Little Ziya’s cute energy, I have to set out with full energy today!’
With that thought in mind and a hint of nervousness, I finally stepped out of the tent.
Why was I nervous?
Because it was possible that today, I would reach my own grand finale in this story.
After a long journey and experiencing many seemingly ordinary yet secretly thrilling events, our Hero party was finally about to face the last hurdle!
That was the terrifying Magic Dragon King. Rumor had it she was mysterious and evil, having brought countless disasters and deaths to humanity, and even all the races of the entire continent, ever since her birth.
To be honest, I had a small doubt in my heart.
Because… I had never actually seen the Magic Dragon King or her Demon King Army actively attack anyone.
Every piece of news either came from victim reports sent to the village or exaggerated descriptions from others.
But whatever!
The Hero had already obtained the Hero’s power specifically meant to deal with her.
It was clearly a script pre-established by the world’s settings…
I looked up at the sky, only to freeze on the spot.
It was still early morning!
Uh… I probably got up too early because I was too nervous.
Well, whatever.
I was already dressed, so I couldn’t exactly go back for a nap.
I might as well go to the river to wash my face and wake myself up.
There was the sound of flowing water, the dim light of dawn, the wind rustling through the leaves, and in the distance, the faint, indistinct sound of a baby crying.
I sat on a rock by the river, enjoying this rare moment of leisure.
Since coming to this world, I had either been buried in studies or researching magic.
Now that I was traveling with the Hero party, this was the first time I had really calmed my mind to appreciate the scenery of this world.
The scenery of this different world was fresh and pleasant.
A single breath of air felt refreshing, though that faint crying slightly ruined nature’s performance.
Wait?
Crying?
My brain, which had been groggy from a lack of sleep, instantly cleared.
Judging by the direction of the sound, it wasn’t coming from my tent at all.
Ever since I took in Little Ziya, she had never cried, so I didn’t think it was her.
This was strange…
Driven by curiosity, I decided to investigate.
I stood up and walked downstream.
The crying became clearer with every step.
Finally, I found the source of the sound!
A small cradle was slowly drifting toward me from a distance, following the river’s current.
Good grief!
Why was there a baby cradle drifting on the river?
I hurriedly ran over.
As if it had timed it perfectly, the cradle drifted right onto the riverbank at my feet.
At that exact moment, the crying stopped abruptly.
This was too coincidental!
It practically defied the physical common sense of water currents!
If I didn’t know better, I would have thought someone had meticulously arranged this plot…
Wait?
Could it be… a conspiracy aimed at me?
I had just adopted Little Ziya, and now another baby appeared out of thin air?
Forget it, I’d check the situation first.
I crouched down and peered cautiously into the cradle…
Inside lay a lovely vampire baby.
A pair of large, round eyes were blinking at me, and that little gaze seemed to be hinting at something.
Sweat instantly broke out on my forehead.
‘Wait, really? The universe isn’t even trying to hide its hand anymore.’
I couldn’t help but complain wildly in my head.
Had the world heard my inner thoughts and specifically sent a baby for me to raise?
Despite my internal complaints, my body honestly accepted the setup.
After all, another adorable baby had drifted right in front of me so blatantly; I really had no reason to refuse, right?
Coincidentally, I was worried that Little Ziya would be lonely when she grew up.
This was perfect.
I had found her a… big sister?
Looking at the baby’s appearance, she seemed about one or two years older than Little Ziya.
I looked around warily to make sure no one was secretly watching, then carefully picked up the cradle and walked quickly back toward the tent.
“Oh, oh…”
I extended my finger, mimicking how I used to play with Little Ziya, wanting to tickle the vampire baby’s palm to coax her to sleep.
Unexpectedly, as soon as my finger reached out, her little hand slapped it away without mercy.
What surprised me even more was that the little creature actually turned over huffily and closed her eyes, putting on an “I’m going to sleep, don’t bother me” attitude.
Damn!
This baby had quite the personality, didn’t she?
Her little look was just short of saying, ‘This lady doesn’t need your amusement, I can sleep by myself!’
The sense of déjà vu… well, better not think too deeply about it…
Regardless, whether it’s you or Little Ziya, I will raise you both well.
I definitely won’t be biased, and I’ll make sure you both become wonderful children!
I made a silent vow, then carrying the cradle, I happily trotted back to the tent along the river.
Inside the tent, two little cuties, one purple-haired and one white-haired, were sleeping on the grass bed.
‘Wonderful… I have another little ball of joy to heal my body and soul.’
Just then, the white-haired baby rolled over and gave a tug with her little hand.
*Shua!*
She actually managed to pull away the entire small blanket covering the purple-haired baby, clutching it tightly in her arms.
Ah!
Oh no!
I slapped my forehead, realizing too late that the blanket wasn’t enough for the two little guys.
I hurriedly turned to look at Little Ziya.
Oh boy… it was over.
She was awake!
Without the warm blanket wrapped around her, Little Ziya groggily opened her misty eyes.
The first thing she saw was a soft ball of white hair.
“Pa… pa?”
She mumbled in a milky voice, her little brows furrowing slightly.
‘It’s over! Little Ziya is definitely going to be upset that her blanket was suddenly pulled away, right?’
She might even have a terrible impression of this new white-haired sister and start a fuss!
‘What do I do? What do I do?’
I paced in circles.
Should I quickly pick Little Ziya up now, or move the little white-haired one who was hogging the blanket?
While I was torn and my mind was a mess, a heart-melting scene suddenly unfolded before me.
Little Ziya reached out with her soft little hand, gently lifted a corner of the blanket in the white-haired baby’s arms, then wiggled her little body and cautiously crawled into the same bed.
She even thoughtfully pulled the blanket up to cover both their little shoulders.
“Ba-ba…”
She snuggled against the white-haired baby’s warm back, making a soft sound.
Her little hand gently circled the other’s waist, and she soon closed her eyes again, her breathing becoming steady.
I was completely stunned!
‘Isn’t she a little angel? How was she reincarnated as a Dream Demon?’
Waking up to see a stranger and having her blanket stolen — any other baby would have made a scene long ago.
But Little Ziya wasn’t angry at all.
Instead, she took the initiative to hug her and sleep together.
Such a simple action, along with her completely defenseless appearance, clearly displayed the inclusion, kindness, and gentleness in Little Ziya’s bones right before my eyes.
At this moment, I swore in my heart: I must, I absolutely must protect these two little ones and raise them well!