Deadline Is Raining in the Status Window - Chapter 321
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“Boob, abrub.”
“They say that nuance is good. They’re asking for a truly ordinary name, one that would blend seamlessly into the crowd and never stand out.”
“….”
“….”
Child, what on earth is your problem? Dealing with this Starving Child, naming them—nothing about this was easy. I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed my forehead with my palm. Cha Cha must have sensed my distress, because he linked his arm through mine and spoke in that wheedling tone of his.
“Don’t carry everything alone, Evan. This is our child, so we’re raising them together. We’ll share the burden!”
No, honestly, I’m more worried about Cha Cha than myself. I won’t be in the Underworld for long, so Cha Cha is basically doing all the parenting alone. Just thinking about whether the two of them could get along without fighting made stress crash over me, and my stomach churned.
…So this is the gastritis that Sunbird has been suffering from his entire life.
“Then, respecting our Younger Sibling’s wishes, let’s choose an ordinary name!”
“If that’s what the child wants, there’s no helping it.”
“Yes, dear. With such striking appearance, they might actually prefer an ordinary name.”
Everyone was trying to comfort me. And Hubert, you’re such an unbreakable child—that must be because Gerth raised you well. Gerth really is remarkable.
“They said Tom or Hans would be fine, but it seems they don’t want to use those names?”
“What about something like Ben? It’s a common name, and it has a certain charm to it.”
“Oob….”
“They say it’s too short, so if affection seeps into how we call it, it would give them chills.”
“Isn’t affection a good thing?”
“They don’t like it, so let’s think of a longer name. What about Gilbert?”
“Brub.”
“They say it looks too good-natured, so they’re against it.”
So they’re aware their own temperament isn’t pleasant. Still, I appreciate how objective and decisive my child is in their self-assessment.
The Officials were holding a presentation of various common names, but something was bothering me, so I asked Obero and the newborn about it.
Come to think of it, when I saw Obero just now, didn’t she sigh even more heavily than she did at me? I may have sins to atone for, but Obero just arrived. If she were harboring one-sided hostility toward her older sister or looking down on her, that would be a problem.
“Obero is your half-sister. It’s rude to show displeasure and sigh from the very first meeting.”
“Mother, I’m fine with it.”
“No, we need to establish the hierarchy.”
Younger siblings are meant to be kept in line from the start. When I said this, Obero made a confused face, and the baby who had hatched from the Egg made a look of utter despair while uttering “oob brub, abrub.”
“Hmm…, uh?”
“What did the child say?”
“Um, well, I think you’re overestimating me….”
What did they say that made Obero look so flustered and embarrassed? When I urged her to speak honestly, Obero continued with that same bewildered expression.
“It’s just that, they said they’d be born as an ordinary younger sibling to someone who walks around immediately and preaches sermons, someone who could save tens of thousands of people without breaking a sweat—a savior figure. And thinking about how their entire future will be defined by comparisons with their older siblings makes them despair.”
“Cha Cha and I wouldn’t compare you like that.”
“They say that’s also part of the despair—knowing you’d deliberately avoid comparisons out of concern for their pitiful self.”
“….”
I have nothing to say. Obero isn’t ordinary either, but Cha Cha’s child is far from normal. I turned this over in my mind and recalled a certain family from a religion that existed ten thousand years ago. The younger sibling in that household had a name, specifically….
“What about Jacob?”
“Paa!”
“How delightful! It sounds like the ordinary name of the sibling of the one who performed the miracle of the five loaves and two fish!”
Yes… Jacob, you really are quite the formidable little one.
“Jacob does seem a bit too much like a village extra’s name, doesn’t it…?”
“It is common, isn’t it?”
“Well, what does it matter! If you don’t like it, he can change his name once he grows up!”
Hubert, so you were already prepared to let him change his name whenever he wished if he became a tiger. In any case, since everyone agreed the baby was charming, we concluded the matter. We welcomed our new family member, Jacob.
“A child has been born and given a fine name. This is cause for celebration.”
“Let’s prepare a feast. Evan Laef, stay the night with us.”
“All right.”
“Then shall I send an official notice throughout the entire Serpent King’s Tower declaring today a holiday in celebration of Jacob’s birth?”
That would be best, wouldn’t it? We should all celebrate together while we rest. Besides, things have been quiet lately—neither dragons nor humans have been attacking. Though I have been receiving reports that monsters are increasing and constantly attempting to climb the Tower.
“Ab, abbu, bubabba.”
“Oh, does the guest of honor have some opinion to share?”
Magania lifted Jacob up high and asked what his wish might be, and Obero faithfully translated for him.
“He says he wishes to be sent back alone to the Underground Chamber of the Underworld so he can savor his solitude in peace.”
“That won’t do. Today is your birthday.”
“Abuuu…”
Living means doing things you dislike. I decided to encourage Jacob and enjoy the party. After spreading word to friends about the birth and telling them to eat and drink their fill, the weekend vanished in a blur, and the moment Monday arrived, Cha Cha departed for the Underworld because Jacob had been fussy.
When I checked in later, Jacob had apparently crawled into the dampest and darkest chamber of the Underground Tomb in the Underworld and was contentedly savoring his solitude with a satisfied expression. My children really are all difficult in their own ways.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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