Chapter 2: A Daughter’s Jealousy

A crisp, adorable voice from behind me, laced with a chilling intent to kill, filled me with an unprecedented sense of crisis.

Even without seeing, I knew a blade’s tip pressed against the back of my neck. I couldn’t discern what would happen next, only that my life was instinctively under grave threat.

“Why, if it isn’t Nina! Good morning,”

Sara had also spotted Nina, but from her vantage point, my body perfectly obscured the blade. She remained utterly oblivious to the predicament I faced.

“Sa— Sara!” Seizing the moment while Nina had Sara’s attention, I swiftly pulled my hand back. “It’s getting late now. It’s almost lunchtime, and the children at the church are waiting for you.”

“Oh, you’re right! Everyone’s waiting for me. I should head back then.”

Seemingly remembering this at last, Sara quickly turned to leave. After opening the shop door, she glanced back and said,

“Thank you so very much, Ken.”

“You’re welcome. Now hurry back; don’t keep the children waiting.”

“Okay!”

Leaving me with a bright, charming smile, Sara’s figure vanished down the street.

Any other man would surely have been captivated by that smile, but all I felt was an overwhelming sense of danger.

I cautiously leaned over the counter, carefully turning around to face the young girl standing behind me—my daughter, Nina.

Like her mother, she possessed a head of dreamlike, snow-white hair. Her overly developed chest strained against a pure white short dress, and her fair arms extended from her sleeves towards my face.

At their ends, however, gleamed a fish-slicing knife, reflecting cold light. Nina took a step forward, the blade now pressing against the tip of my nose.

I swallowed hard, daring not to make the slightest move. Only my eyeballs could turn, my gaze tracing from the knife, forward, until it settled upon my daughter’s adorable face.

Her tightly pursed cherry lips trembled slightly. Her gem-like, sparkling black eyes were squeezed by a pair of furrowed brows. Judging by her agitated and resentful expression, I felt she might burst into tears at any second.

For me, this was now routine. Whenever Sara showed any closeness to me, Nina would react like this. After getting used to it, her angry face actually looked quite cute, making me almost want to tease her.

Yet, cuteness aside, my inner dread never lessened. Nina’s actions completely disregarded safety; if she were to act impulsively and go too far…

“Uwaa!”

Nina’s arm, holding the knife, suddenly swung downwards with force. I reacted instantly, retracting my lower body and instinctively covering my groin, as the cleaver sliced precisely through the space where my crotch had just been.

If I had been even a moment slower, I might have entered my coffin as a virgin. Although my pants and underwear offered some defense, my daughter frequently sharpened her knives, keeping them in their keenest state.

It would have been impossible to block that blow.

“Hmph!”

With that, Nina tossed her head and stomped away, slamming the door shut as she returned to the dining room in the back.

Though she hadn’t uttered a single word, I knew Nina had come to call me for lunch. But I was in no mood to eat. After she left, I finally dared to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Ah—she scared me to death.”

However, I had little time to rest. Nina was now in a tantrum, and as her father, I couldn’t leave her alone, especially since I was the cause of it.

I immediately locked the shop door, hung the ‘Closed’ sign, and hurried back to the dining room. Lunch was already prepared and laid out on the table, the rich soup still steaming with white wisps, its alluring aroma filling the air—but no one was there.

“Ah…”

Sighing helplessly, I ruffled my hair and headed upstairs, knocking on Nina’s bedroom door.

Typically, Nina would hide in her room at times like this. She was probably lying on her bed, hugging her knees.

“Nina,

I’m coming in.”

Softening my voice, I opened the door and entered the room. I sat by Nina’s bed and reached out to stroke her head.

“Hmph!”

She puffed out her cheeks, swatted my hand away, and turned her back to me.

I gave a wry smile, then moved closer again, placing my hand back on her head.

“…”

Without a word, I simply patted her small head gently, waiting for her to respond to me.

At such times, merely being there quietly was enough. When she was sulking, she wouldn’t talk to anyone, and if I said too much, it would only agitate her further.

Yet, this gentle caress always managed to calm Nina down—a lesson I had learned from raising her all these years.

I didn’t know how much time had passed; perhaps the food had already grown cold.

“…You said you wouldn’t look for other women.”

“No, Dad swears to the heavens, I absolutely have no intention of finding you a new mom.”

“I don’t believe you! You and that woman, that immodest nun, you clearly wanted to kiss! To make a move on a nun, Dad, you’re a pervert! You’ll face divine punishment!”

“Really, truly, I didn’t. If I really faced divine punishment, I wouldn’t be able to stay by your side, would I?”

“It was the same last time, and the time before that! Dad, you just want to find me more moms, don’t you? But I’m here! Having me by your side is enough!”

“…”

“Just… having me is enough…”

Hearing Nina’s sniffles, I sighed, a bitter smile on my face. I stopped trying to explain. I knew that the more I explained, the angrier Nina would get, yet I couldn’t help but try to comfort her just now.

Unfortunately, I was clumsy with words, unable to say anything beyond denials.

I had always deceived Nina, telling her that her mother had passed away from illness when she was an infant.

That was why I researched medicine, opened a pharmacy, and worked hard to raise her—though Bella’s death was indeed a catalyst for my medical studies.

To Nina, she was an only child from a single-parent family, with no other relatives. If she were to lose me, her father, she would be utterly alone.

Moreover, I had doted on Nina for many years; she had grown up spoiled by my affection. Even today, I could hear her say, ‘Nina loves Daddy the most!’ Therefore, Nina’s dependence on me was probably immeasurable.

Perhaps because of this dependence, she was terrified of losing me, afraid that if I found a ‘new mom,’ I would distance myself from her.

Of course, there would be no new mom, nor did I have any such plans. As long as this child could be happy, my life would have been worth living.

For me, an anonymous hero who lost his purpose after defeating the Demon King, Nina had given me a second life. So, even if it cost me my own, I would make sure she was happy.

“…Dad.”

I didn’t know how much time had passed, but she seemed to have calmed down. Nina sniffled, then suddenly lunged forward, hugging my waist and burying her face in my stomach.

“Don’t leave Nina…”

“I won’t. How could I ever leave Nina?”

“Nina doesn’t want a new mom. Nina only wants Dad. Dad belongs to Nina!”

“Yes, Dad knows. Haven’t I told you before? The only ones I love are you and your mom. My only family is you and your mom.”

“Then promise Nina you’ll always stay by Nina’s side, never go anywhere, and be with Nina forever!”

“Yes, Dad promises.”

“You promised!”

“Yes, I promised.”

“…Mm!” Finally, Nina broke into a smile through her tears. Wiping her eyes, she threw herself at me again. “Nina loves Daddy the most!”

“!!”

Ah… I felt as if my heart had stopped beating the moment I heard those words. What a blessing it was to have such an adorable daughter depend on me; the effort of these past ten-plus years was truly worth it.

However, there was one very serious problem—what if my daughter couldn’t find a partner when she grew up?

…

Never mind. Such things should simply run their course. After all, it was me who was by Nina’s side right now!