----- Alea POV -----
With the sun bearing down directly overhead, it was time for the Familia to get back on the road, or rather, the path.
Swimming was... fun.
Really fun!
I never did much swimming back on earth, being too preoccupied with idol work and my babies, but I went a few times, usually for swimsuit shoots.
Either way, the swimming itself was nothing special, but doing it with my family... now that was special.
But... it was odd.
All the girls had swimsuits, and really pretty ones, that looked quite modern.
I was by no means a history buff, but this place should be in the late medieval ages, no?
With some added unique inventions due to magic.
So why would they have modern swimsuits?
I heard Papa and Mama Ryuu say something about 'divine knowledge', so was it the Gods that made swimsuits?
I guess I'll have to ask Grandma Astraea later.
Anyway, after some fun in the sun, everyone got together for lunch in what amounted to a seafood barbeque, using the seafood those guys from this morning gave us.
It was delicious... and also nostalgic.
It reminded me of Japan, which brought out some melancholic thoughts.
Were my babies okay?
I didn't know if time passed at the same rate between worlds, but I still wanted to know.
They were... all alone.
Before, I was fine with trusting Miyako and the president to take care of them, but now... having been raised here, so lovingly...
I now knew exactly what they were missing.
And oh how foolish I was.
To not say a simple 'I love you' in all that time, even though it's now so clear that I loved them.
Truly loved them.
But I was just a silly, scared girl, huh?
I wish... I could start over again.
First, I'd cast away that silly job.
After all, I didn't need to find love anymore when it was right in front of me.
And then, without the pressure and strictness of an idol, I could have given them the happy childhood that they deserved.
But it was too late now.
I could only hope that they would be happy, that they could lean on each other, lean on their friends, lean on their future lover...
"Alea."
I'm broken out of my thoughts as Stella waves her hand in front of me, begging for my attention.
"What's up, Stella?" I ask.
She then narrows her green eyes and points behind me.
Turning around, I see Papa talking with Lyra as he fiddles with his horse's saddle, trying to tie some sort of pouch to the side.
Turning back to Stella, I raise my eyebrow in confusion.
"I want to go up." She says definitively.
Sis...
"Stella, he's not riding just for fun, you know. He's guarding the Familia and the carriages."
Stella gives me an unimpressed glance in response.
"Really? What about this morning." She then says.
I then think back to earlier today, when we were just finished packing up to leave.
----- 6 Hours Earlier -----
Okay, everything was packed, and now we would be starting our journey in earnest.
There wasn't going to be a city for a while, so that meant camping and a higher possibility of enemy encounters, at least according to Ellie.
Looking forward, I see Papa jump onto his horse, hair fluttering in the wind while his face is set in a calm, confident smile.
He looked so... heroic.
"Okay, girls!" Mama Alise says from her own steed.
"You all know the plan for today! A nice beach trip, and then we're heading out in earnest, likely reaching the mountains by today's end. And then we'll have to actually be mindful of monsters and bandits. Got it!?"
She receives cheers in return, some more muted than normal due to the early hour.
"Good! Sirius, have anything to say before you lead us off?" Mama Alise then asks Papa.
In response, Papa's lips curl into a smirk.
"I've always wanted to do this..." He mutters under his breath.
What?
What is he doing?
"Let's go, Astraea Familia! We ride at dawn!"
Grk-!
W-Why did you say such a thing, Papa!?
Everyone else just seemed confused, as if Papa had just said the most obvious thing in the world, but I knew where he got that from.
I couldn't stop my cheeks from heating up from secondhand embarrassment.
How cringy!
He then, with an audible 'Hyah!', starts leading the horse down the dirt road we were on, a small dust cloud following in his wake.
...only to then need to run back a while later as the carriages couldn't keep up.
----- 6 Hours Later -----
"Oh..."
Maybe he was doing it for fun a little... but that's fine, right?
As long as he stops any bad guys!
No! He's probably the strongest person in the world!
No way he's always gonna be... like that, for the rest of the journey!
"Anyway, why don't you ask Mama Alise?" I ask Stella.
She raises her eyebrows in slight confusion.
"Well... I thought you would want to ride too, so we could each take a parent..."
Huh... I was able to ride with Mama Alise back when Mama Ryuu and Papa were practicing, and it was... nice.
Mama Alise had learnt how to ride a horse back in her home village, so she didn't need to practice, but she still needed to 'bond' with a horse.
Maybe Stella is onto something...
"Anyway, why don't you just ask him? I'm pretty sure he'd say yes." I ask Stella.
Her eyes shine with confidence as she pumps her fist.
"You're right... Thanks, Alea, but I've got this!" Stella exclaims.
"Uhh... yeah. You go girl."
I didn't really do anything, but congrats on regaining your courage?
Whatever, maybe I'll take her advice and ask Mama Alise if I can join her.
But the carriage was so comfy...
----- Stella POV - 1 Hour Later -----
"What's that over there?" I ask Papa in excitement, pointing to the distant mountain range.
With my previous experience in this world, and being such a bookworm too, of course, I knew most of the geography surrounding Orario.
But it was still a marvel to see it so clearly in person.
I just hope I don't get that vile disease again.
After all, running around feels so... freeing.
Anyway, I was also animatedly asking Papa and Mama Alise, who was beside us, about the geography for Alea's sake.
She was a bit self-conscious about asking all the questions.
Such a cute little sister.
Tilting my head upward, I give Papa a beaming smile, one which he returns with a loving smirk.
"That, my dear daughter, is the Beol Mountains." He says while gently rustling my hair, forcing me to look forward once again.
"So pretty~!" Alea says from the side.
And I had to agree with her.
A collection of mountains jutting past the slightly cloudy horizon with some peaks easier to make out in the foreground.
Darkened grey with streaks of white and black, and an open plain with rolling hills surrounding it.
Quite picturesque, but I knew the dangers that lay in those dreaded hills.
Being located so close to Orario, when the monsters escaped the dungeon long ago, they made the Beol Mountains their new home, and their descendants still live there to this day.
Hence its name amongst travellers as the 'Evil Mountains'.
It's also for this reason that most avoid the mountains themselves, opting to go around them.
"Yep, we'll be getting a better view tomorrow when we go through it!" Mama Alise then says.
...Huh?
Well... I suppose that makes sense.
The usual travellers are those who don't possess a falna, and for a Familia of strong, seasoned adventurers like Papa and my Mamas, those monsters don't stand a chance!
I wonder though... will we be fighting a lot of monsters on our way?
Not just those that attack us, but also the monsters that terrorize the rural villages.
While it was noted as an urgent quest by the guild, I doubt my justice-loving family would sit idly when innocents are in danger, even if we're only passing by.
Who knew such good-hearted people like my Familia actually existed?
They were like actual heroes, the ones from the stories I adored, especially as a child.
While the Zeus and Hera Familias had the strength and determination of famed heroes, their kindness.... left much to be desired.
But I was glad that Bell would grow up in an age where it had really nice people like these girls.
Hmm... would I even want Bell to come to Orario though?
I mean, it was stable now, much more than before, but I don't want him getting into danger as an adventurer...
Haa... even after death, it seems that motherhood is not something that is easily cleansed from the soul.
But enough of that old person talk!
Time to take in some cool views!
Grassy plains! Quaint cottages and towns!
These precious sceneries I could see in my past life, but the memories were always tainted by a bloody cough, a searing headache, or a horrible fever.
Now, I could take in the fresh air through my nose with ease, the breeze sometimes making it difficult.
I wonder why that is...
Wait, Papa said something like 'Many things in this world can be explained by science', right?
"Papa?" I ask.
"Yes? Also, be careful about talking, don't want to bite your tongue." He responds.
Giving him a nod, I quickly ask my question.
"Why is it hard to breathe in the wind?"
"Hmm..." He looks up at the sky quizzically, searching his memory for an answer.
Or maybe he's trying to find a way to say it so that a child would understand.
"When air moves fast, like in the wind, it makes a zone of low pressure, which makes it harder to move the air into your body and breathe." He responds simply.
Uh... what?
"What does 'low pressure' mean?" I ask, my past as a bookworm always hungry for knowledge shining through my naive child act.
I also noticed that Alea was interested in our conversation.
Wasn't she also from a world where 'science' prevails?
Although she did say she was a performer...
Was she perhaps an idiot about these things?
"Air pressure... You know how things are heavy, right? Well, it's the same for air, but it's so light nobody notices, much like how you wouldn't notice a piece of dust on you."
That... made sense. But I was still confused as to how that made it harder to breathe.
Wait, if it's weight, why would going faster change that?
A rock always weighs the same, whether it is thrown or at rest.
"Why would air moving fast make it low pressure, Papa?"
His eye twitches.
Oh... am I perhaps being a difficult child?
"Bernard- no. Bernoulli?" He then shakes his head.
"Actually, know what? How about we talk about this when you're older, okay? Don't want any gods getting angry with me either..." He says before patting my head.
Hmph, I guess I'll let it slide.
But only this time!
Seeing the beautiful scenery, I eventually find myself relaxing my eyelids to the constant rhythm of stomping hooves and dulled chatter.
A calm breeze blows some hair into my face, making me scrunch my nose in discomfort.
Itchy!
But before I can do anything, Papa's warm hands brush the loose strands and tuck them behind my ears before gently rubbing my head, causing me to lean further into his chest.
"Are you getting sleepy, Stella?" He then asks, his voice barely a whisper.
"Do you want me to drop you off in the cart? Mama Ryuu will hold you, I'm sure."
Thinking for a moment, I then shake my head.
No, this...
"I'm good~" I respond.
This was perfect.
----- Sirius POV -----
Smirking down at my sleeping daughter, I looked over to Alise, who seemed to be in a similar position.
Although...
I peer over to Alea, who is leaning sideways with a long trail of drool falling onto the passing ground.
...Yeah, she wasn't as elegant as her sister.
But the uniqueness of our children is what makes them special.
If I had to deal with four children with the same personality at the same time...
Ugh, just the thought gives me shivers.
I'd hate myself if I ever created something close to those Gulliver midgets.
"They're awfully tired, huh? Could barely last an hour." Alise says as she looks down at Alea with a loving smile.
"They did go pretty hard at the beach. I'm surprised they didn't crash sooner." I respond.
"Mmm, but I'm glad I don't have to worry about them drowning anymore. It's hard to find good swimming spots for practice in Orario... outside the dungeon of course."
We then fall into a comforting silence, giving me the chance to ponder about the near future.
We'd be hitting the base of the Beol Mountains today and would spend most of tomorrow travelling through it.
While we didn't have any earth magicians, we did have a lot of destructive firepower, so even if a path is destroyed or blocked we can just make a new one or remove the obstruction.
After that, we'd travel alongside the river until we hit our next town, and continue to do so until we get to the base of the next mountain range.
Now while said mountain range wasn't particularly special, what was before it was.
Ancient Lakrios.
The capital of an ancient kingdom, it was said the ruins were quite a sight to see, the only issue being the site's proximity to Dragon Valley flooding the area with monsters and a general danger of the unknown.
But we were adventurers.
We thrive on the unknown, and some little surface monsters won't mean much in front of us.
But the children...
Actually, they'll probably be excited rather than scared seeing us slay monsters.
"What's on your mind, husband~" Alise asks with a smirk.
What, is she pretending to be Ryuu?
"Nothing much, just thinking about the coming days." I respond.
"Hee~? Are you excited to see my hometown?" She asks with a grin.
"I'm more curious about the ruins. But are you ready to see your home again?" I ask with a hint of worry.
While there were obviously happy memories there, there was also the tragedy of her parent's death.
But she might need this for closure too.
She was, what, 12 when her parents died?
And she's been in the dungeon and Orario ever since.
"Yes. I am definitely ready."
Seeing my redheaded wife say that so resolutely, with her eyes gleaming with confidence, I form a small smile on my face.
I should've expected nothing less.
While there was Kaguya, Ryuu, and I in the Familia able to contend with Alise in fighting strength, she was unmistakably the strongest one mentally.
Facing forward, we continue on our way toward the distant mountain range, my hand unconsciously gripping tighter around the reins in excitement.
----- Alea POV -----
With the sun bearing down directly overhead, it was time for the Familia to get back on the road, or rather, the path.
Swimming was... fun.
Really fun!
I never did much swimming back on earth, being too preoccupied with idol work and my babies, but I went a few times, usually for swimsuit shoots.
Either way, the swimming itself was nothing special, but doing it with my family... now that was special.
But... it was odd.
All the girls had swimsuits, and really pretty ones, that looked quite modern.
I was by no means a history buff, but this place should be in the late medieval ages, no?
With some added unique inventions due to magic.
So why would they have modern swimsuits?
I heard Papa and Mama Ryuu say something about 'divine knowledge', so was it the Gods that made swimsuits?
I guess I'll have to ask Grandma Astraea later.
Anyway, after some fun in the sun, everyone got together for lunch in what amounted to a seafood barbeque, using the seafood those guys from this morning gave us.
It was delicious... and also nostalgic.
It reminded me of Japan, which brought out some melancholic thoughts.
Were my babies okay?
I didn't know if time passed at the same rate between worlds, but I still wanted to know.
They were... all alone.
Before, I was fine with trusting Miyako and the president to take care of them, but now... having been raised here, so lovingly...
I now knew exactly what they were missing.
And oh how foolish I was.
To not say a simple 'I love you' in all that time, even though it's now so clear that I loved them.
Truly loved them.
But I was just a silly, scared girl, huh?
I wish... I could start over again.
First, I'd cast away that silly job.
After all, I didn't need to find love anymore when it was right in front of me.
And then, without the pressure and strictness of an idol, I could have given them the happy childhood that they deserved.
But it was too late now.
I could only hope that they would be happy, that they could lean on each other, lean on their friends, lean on their future lover...
"Alea."
I'm broken out of my thoughts as Stella waves her hand in front of me, begging for my attention.
"What's up, Stella?" I ask.
She then narrows her green eyes and points behind me.
Turning around, I see Papa talking with Lyra as he fiddles with his horse's saddle, trying to tie some sort of pouch to the side.
Turning back to Stella, I raise my eyebrow in confusion.
"I want to go up." She says definitively.
Sis...
"Stella, he's not riding just for fun, you know. He's guarding the Familia and the carriages."
Stella gives me an unimpressed glance in response.
"Really? What about this morning." She then says.
I then think back to earlier today, when we were just finished packing up to leave.
----- 6 Hours Earlier -----
Okay, everything was packed, and now we would be starting our journey in earnest.
There wasn't going to be a city for a while, so that meant camping and a higher possibility of enemy encounters, at least according to Ellie.
Looking forward, I see Papa jump onto his horse, hair fluttering in the wind while his face is set in a calm, confident smile.
He looked so... heroic.
"Okay, girls!" Mama Alise says from her own steed.
"You all know the plan for today! A nice beach trip, and then we're heading out in earnest, likely reaching the mountains by today's end. And then we'll have to actually be mindful of monsters and bandits. Got it!?"
She receives cheers in return, some more muted than normal due to the early hour.
"Good! Sirius, have anything to say before you lead us off?" Mama Alise then asks Papa.
In response, Papa's lips curl into a smirk.
"I've always wanted to do this..." He mutters under his breath.
What?
What is he doing?
"Let's go, Astraea Familia! We ride at dawn!"
Grk-!
W-Why did you say such a thing, Papa!?
Everyone else just seemed confused, as if Papa had just said the most obvious thing in the world, but I knew where he got that from.
I couldn't stop my cheeks from heating up from secondhand embarrassment.
How cringy!
He then, with an audible 'Hyah!', starts leading the horse down the dirt road we were on, a small dust cloud following in his wake.
...only to then need to run back a while later as the carriages couldn't keep up.
----- 6 Hours Later -----
"Oh..."
Maybe he was doing it for fun a little... but that's fine, right?
As long as he stops any bad guys!
No! He's probably the strongest person in the world!
No way he's always gonna be... like that, for the rest of the journey!
"Anyway, why don't you ask Mama Alise?" I ask Stella.
She raises her eyebrows in slight confusion.
"Well... I thought you would want to ride too, so we could each take a parent..."
Huh... I was able to ride with Mama Alise back when Mama Ryuu and Papa were practicing, and it was... nice.
Mama Alise had learnt how to ride a horse back in her home village, so she didn't need to practice, but she still needed to 'bond' with a horse.
Maybe Stella is onto something...
"Anyway, why don't you just ask him? I'm pretty sure he'd say yes." I ask Stella.
Her eyes shine with confidence as she pumps her fist.
"You're right... Thanks, Alea, but I've got this!" Stella exclaims.
"Uhh... yeah. You go girl."
I didn't really do anything, but congrats on regaining your courage?
Whatever, maybe I'll take her advice and ask Mama Alise if I can join her.
But the carriage was so comfy...
----- Stella POV - 1 Hour Later -----
"What's that over there?" I ask Papa in excitement, pointing to the distant mountain range.
With my previous experience in this world, and being such a bookworm too, of course, I knew most of the geography surrounding Orario.
But it was still a marvel to see it so clearly in person.
I just hope I don't get that vile disease again.
After all, running around feels so... freeing.
Anyway, I was also animatedly asking Papa and Mama Alise, who was beside us, about the geography for Alea's sake.
She was a bit self-conscious about asking all the questions.
Such a cute little sister.
Tilting my head upward, I give Papa a beaming smile, one which he returns with a loving smirk.
"That, my dear daughter, is the Beol Mountains." He says while gently rustling my hair, forcing me to look forward once again.
"So pretty~!" Alea says from the side.
And I had to agree with her.
A collection of mountains jutting past the slightly cloudy horizon with some peaks easier to make out in the foreground.
Darkened grey with streaks of white and black, and an open plain with rolling hills surrounding it.
Quite picturesque, but I knew the dangers that lay in those dreaded hills.
Being located so close to Orario, when the monsters escaped the dungeon long ago, they made the Beol Mountains their new home, and their descendants still live there to this day.
Hence its name amongst travellers as the 'Evil Mountains'.
It's also for this reason that most avoid the mountains themselves, opting to go around them.
"Yep, we'll be getting a better view tomorrow when we go through it!" Mama Alise then says.
...Huh?
Well... I suppose that makes sense.
The usual travellers are those who don't possess a falna, and for a Familia of strong, seasoned adventurers like Papa and my Mamas, those monsters don't stand a chance!
I wonder though... will we be fighting a lot of monsters on our way?
Not just those that attack us, but also the monsters that terrorize the rural villages.
While it was noted as an urgent quest by the guild, I doubt my justice-loving family would sit idly when innocents are in danger, even if we're only passing by.
Who knew such good-hearted people like my Familia actually existed?
They were like actual heroes, the ones from the stories I adored, especially as a child.
While the Zeus and Hera Familias had the strength and determination of famed heroes, their kindness.... left much to be desired.
But I was glad that Bell would grow up in an age where it had really nice people like these girls.
Hmm... would I even want Bell to come to Orario though?
I mean, it was stable now, much more than before, but I don't want him getting into danger as an adventurer...
Haa... even after death, it seems that motherhood is not something that is easily cleansed from the soul.
But enough of that old person talk!
Time to take in some cool views!
Grassy plains! Quaint cottages and towns!
These precious sceneries I could see in my past life, but the memories were always tainted by a bloody cough, a searing headache, or a horrible fever.
Now, I could take in the fresh air through my nose with ease, the breeze sometimes making it difficult.
I wonder why that is...
Wait, Papa said something like 'Many things in this world can be explained by science', right?
"Papa?" I ask.
"Yes? Also, be careful about talking, don't want to bite your tongue." He responds.
Giving him a nod, I quickly ask my question.
"Why is it hard to breathe in the wind?"
"Hmm..." He looks up at the sky quizzically, searching his memory for an answer.
Or maybe he's trying to find a way to say it so that a child would understand.
"When air moves fast, like in the wind, it makes a zone of low pressure, which makes it harder to move the air into your body and breathe." He responds simply.
Uh... what?
"What does 'low pressure' mean?" I ask, my past as a bookworm always hungry for knowledge shining through my naive child act.
I also noticed that Alea was interested in our conversation.
Wasn't she also from a world where 'science' prevails?
Although she did say she was a performer...
Was she perhaps an idiot about these things?
"Air pressure... You know how things are heavy, right? Well, it's the same for air, but it's so light nobody notices, much like how you wouldn't notice a piece of dust on you."
That... made sense. But I was still confused as to how that made it harder to breathe.
Wait, if it's weight, why would going faster change that?
A rock always weighs the same, whether it is thrown or at rest.
"Why would air moving fast make it low pressure, Papa?"
His eye twitches.
Oh... am I perhaps being a difficult child?
"Bernard- no. Bernoulli?" He then shakes his head.
"Actually, know what? How about we talk about this when you're older, okay? Don't want any gods getting angry with me either..." He says before patting my head.
Hmph, I guess I'll let it slide.
But only this time!
Seeing the beautiful scenery, I eventually find myself relaxing my eyelids to the constant rhythm of stomping hooves and dulled chatter.
A calm breeze blows some hair into my face, making me scrunch my nose in discomfort.
Itchy!
But before I can do anything, Papa's warm hands brush the loose strands and tuck them behind my ears before gently rubbing my head, causing me to lean further into his chest.
"Are you getting sleepy, Stella?" He then asks, his voice barely a whisper.
"Do you want me to drop you off in the cart? Mama Ryuu will hold you, I'm sure."
Thinking for a moment, I then shake my head.
No, this...
"I'm good~" I respond.
This was perfect.
----- Sirius POV -----
Smirking down at my sleeping daughter, I looked over to Alise, who seemed to be in a similar position.
Although...
I peer over to Alea, who is leaning sideways with a long trail of drool falling onto the passing ground.
...Yeah, she wasn't as elegant as her sister.
But the uniqueness of our children is what makes them special.
If I had to deal with four children with the same personality at the same time...
Ugh, just the thought gives me shivers.
I'd hate myself if I ever created something close to those Gulliver midgets.
"They're awfully tired, huh? Could barely last an hour." Alise says as she looks down at Alea with a loving smile.
"They did go pretty hard at the beach. I'm surprised they didn't crash sooner." I respond.
"Mmm, but I'm glad I don't have to worry about them drowning anymore. It's hard to find good swimming spots for practice in Orario... outside the dungeon of course."
We then fall into a comforting silence, giving me the chance to ponder about the near future.
We'd be hitting the base of the Beol Mountains today and would spend most of tomorrow travelling through it.
While we didn't have any earth magicians, we did have a lot of destructive firepower, so even if a path is destroyed or blocked we can just make a new one or remove the obstruction.
After that, we'd travel alongside the river until we hit our next town, and continue to do so until we get to the base of the next mountain range.
Now while said mountain range wasn't particularly special, what was before it was.
Ancient Lakrios.
The capital of an ancient kingdom, it was said the ruins were quite a sight to see, the only issue being the site's proximity to Dragon Valley flooding the area with monsters and a general danger of the unknown.
But we were adventurers.
We thrive on the unknown, and some little surface monsters won't mean much in front of us.
But the children...
Actually, they'll probably be excited rather than scared seeing us slay monsters.
"What's on your mind, husband~" Alise asks with a smirk.
What, is she pretending to be Ryuu?
"Nothing much, just thinking about the coming days." I respond.
"Hee~? Are you excited to see my hometown?" She asks with a grin.
"I'm more curious about the ruins. But are you ready to see your home again?" I ask with a hint of worry.
While there were obviously happy memories there, there was also the tragedy of her parent's death.
But she might need this for closure too.
She was, what, 12 when her parents died?
And she's been in the dungeon and Orario ever since.
"Yes. I am definitely ready."
Seeing my redheaded wife say that so resolutely, with her eyes gleaming with confidence, I form a small smile on my face.
I should've expected nothing less.
While there was Kaguya, Ryuu, and I in the Familia able to contend with Alise in fighting strength, she was unmistakably the strongest one mentally.
Facing forward, we continue on our way toward the distant mountain range, my hand unconsciously gripping tighter around the reins in excitement.
