Reborn as a hero's daughter, the hero aims to be a hero again.

Chapter VII: The First Time ......

A baby's sense of hearing is more acute than adults can imagine.

　I heard footsteps walking down the corridor and instantly rolled over on the bed and pretended to be asleep.

　A moment later, the door to my room opens and an elf girl peeks inside. She has probably finished drying the laundry and has come to check on me.

　As a babysitter, I'm very grateful, but as for me, I wanted her to leave me alone a little longer.

But the timing could not have been worse.

　It was only a thirty-minute walk, but my legs were shaking and aching.

'Huh. You sleep well, Miss Nicole.'

The elf girl walks up to me and looks into my face to check my sleeping face.

　Of course, I pretend to be asleep, but the girl has no way of knowing that.

　Speaking of which, what was her name again?　Maria hired her to look after me, but she hasn't introduced herself to me.

　No, maybe it's strange to introduce yourself to a baby who doesn't even understand your language, but ...... isn't that what you usually do?

　Maria looks like that, but she's a natural with a lot of loose ends, so I don't blame her.

The girl is gently poking me on the cheek with her funi-funi, enjoying the sensation.

　Although a little petite, my cheeks seem to have the touch of an angel.

　Annoyingly, Lyell is the most captivated by the touch.

　As I continue to pretend to be asleep, the girl scurries around to make sure no one is around.

　There is no one in this mansion now. She knows this, but comically repeats such movements.

　Then, when she was sure no one was there, she kissed me gently on the cheek and ran out of the room with a patter of footsteps.

I wondered why she was running away, but when I thought about it ......, kissing the cheek of her employer's daughter might disqualify her from being a servant.

　I'm a male ...... mentally, so I'm rather glad of it as an affectionate gesture from a beautiful elf girl.

　From that day on, I managed to keep training until I could walk independently.

　And there is one more thing that a baby at this age should be able to do by now.

　Today, I had decided to show it off in front of my parents.

'Maria, I'm home now!'

　With a somewhat pause in his voice, Lyell returns to the mansion.

　Lyell is a knight for hire, employed by the lord who governs the region.

　The region has been particularly badly overrun by evil dragons, and his skills are needed because the monsters are breeding heavily.

　In return, he gives me a certain salary and a house to raise me.　

Maria, who had been cooking the meal in the kitchen, rushes to greet him.

　I watched from the living room.

　Then an elf girl picked me up and headed for the door. She was supposed to be assisting Maria with the cooking.

'Duh?'

'Let's head over to greet Master Lyell. 'Master Nicole.'

　The girl smiles at me as if I were a flower blooming with a smile.

　I was speechless at her smile. No, I couldn't speak.

'Oh, Nicole came out to greet you too? Finia thanks you too.'

'No!　I'm still not up to the job!　I'm always bothering Maria."

'That's not true. Finia has been a great help to me."

　I see, so this girl's name is Finia.

　There's a kind of relaxed atmosphere in the air, but if I don't do something about it, my big decision will flow.

　Before that happens, I have no choice but to force my way in and pull back the atmosphere of the place.

　I made that decision and put a lot of effort into my face.

Ma--ma?"

''What?'

　I then squeeze my voice out of my throat and call Maria my mum.

　At the sound of my voice, Maria looks astonished.

　It may be a rare thing indeed for her to show such surprise.

'Nicole. Did you just ...... call me Mama?"

'Oh dear.'

'Oh, Lyell!　This girl, Nicole!"

'Nicole, what about me?　See, it's Dad, isn't it?　What's a dad--?"

'Master Lyell, you're too close, you're too close!

　Lyell hotly presses his face close to the chest of the elf girl called Finia, i.e. close to me.

　This bastard is already over thirty. It is the hottest thing in the world.

　And don't let him get the wrong idea. I hate you. That's why--

"'Fweenyia?"

'Oh, did you hear that, Maria!　Did Nicole-sama just say my name?

'Yes, I heard you loud and clear!　This girl can't believe she called Phinia's name first."

　Come to think of it, I haven't called Maria's name yet. This could have been a mistake.

　Let's take this mistake back immediately.

'Mari, ah, ma'am?'

'Yes!　Nicole even remembered my name. How smart you are!"

　Maria is pleased as she is impressed.

　To be honest, she was always smiling softly and rarely showed so much emotion.

　The first thing that comes to mind is that the growth of your own child is a different thing. I'm the one inside. ......

'Look, Nicole. What's your dad's name?　Say Lyell."

''Duh!''

　I slammed a small, firmer hand into Lyell's face as he came up to me hot and bothered.

　Of course, it was a blow that could hardly be called an attack, leaving only a flattened sound.

'Ugh, Maria ...... Nicole won't call my name.

'Your name has a lot of pronunciations, so you can't just drop in out of the blue.'

　There was a sense of superiority on Maria's face when she told him this, which is very unusual.

　At Maria's words, Lyell nods, falling to his knees in disappointment.

'Oh, oh, um, Lyell-sama will be called one day!　Really, really!"

'Oh, you comfort me. Finia's a good girl.'

'Oh, am I cheating on you in front of me?'

'Don't even joke about it!　Finia is certainly a nice girl, but she is seen as such."

'Huh, of course I know that.'

　Maria encourages her, patting Lyell on the back.

　She then invited her to the diner, where they had dinner that day.

　Incidentally, I should add that the dinner turned out to be a bit ......, or rather, quite a grand affair.