章 3: The Name Is Emilio Dragonheart!
Over the past few months, he adamantly tried to conquer his status as an "infant", though it was more difficult than he gave it credit for.
He was mostly left to the whims of his parents, only able to cry out when needing something as his small tongue and vocal chords weren't developed much yet.
Walking was a difficult task with his uncoordinated baby body, but he didn't mind it–this ended up with him being carried by Treyna a lot, who always kept him close to her chest.
There was nothing that could ruin his joyous bliss in this new life–after all, he had a functional body.
–
On his own, he crawled against the floor. If he couldn't walk, he'd make do with what he had, but he wanted to see it for himself–he wanted to bring himself to it: outside.
Luckily, the door was cracked open, allowing him, with all of the little strength he had as a pudgy few-month-hold baby to part it open just enough for him to fit through with a struggle.
"--"
Luscious green stretched as far as the eye could see with the spring winds brushing through the fields gently. The natural aroma to the air, uncorrupted by a world of modern technology, was sweet to his nostrils.
His skin didn't burn or blister. The sun didn't harm his eyes, and the air was rejuvenating to his lungs.
Such a sight brought tears from his eyes, though the act of crying for a baby was more over dramatic than he had thought–
"Waaah!"
"What a handful you are, Emilio," Treyna smiled.
Now he could see it as his mother held him, watching as well; Julius was training in his swordplay, moving swiftly with agility that was surely beyond natural human limits.
I've confirmed it. This is without a doubt a medieval fantasy world. From what I've overheard, Julius is a part-time adventurer, and Treyna used to be one, but I guess my birth kind of ended that. Sorry, Mom, he thought.
He only briefly got glimpses of the outside world, but they seemed to live on a peaceful, middle-of-nowhere patch of verdant land between mountain ranges, and just outside of a quiet town. Surrounding the home were trees that seemed perpetually ensnared in autumn; golden leaves fell from their branches, littering the fields.
They seemed pretty well off; the house was nice and big, two stories and filled with books that he heard his parents talk a lot about being for him as he got older.
"Emilio Dragonheart."
If there was one thing he was most appreciative of in this new life, it was his surname. He wore it like a badge of honor, constantly repeating his new name in his head.
'Emilio Dragonheart'…seriously, I'm destined to be a badass with a name like that! He thought.
[3 Years Later]
By now, he had successfully mastered "basic coordination" as he called it, or rather, the ability to walk without stumbling over his own feet.
It was still weird walking with his height being dwarfed compared to what it once was.
The first matter of business for him once being able to properly walk on his own was fully exploring his home.
It was a spacious estate with two floors, a cellar, and an attic. The house itself was built by his father's father, or more commonly known as–his grandfather, though he only heard about it from Julius' mouth. The floorboards were made of furnished wood, which was constantly kept clean by his mother, who seemed to constantly occupy herself with either cooking, cleaning, or laundry.
For the walls, they were wood as well, smelling of pine. It was a comfortable atmosphere, especially being right in the middle of the beautiful valley of Yullim, overlooked by distant mountains that reached up towards the clouds. Crystal-clear rivers ran through the clearings, and animals unknown to him like one-horned moose.
–
Peeking into a bucket of clear water, he realized his appearance was completely different from what he looked like in his previous life: he had shaggy, half-blonde half-black hair with the amethyst eyes of Treyna but the sharpness of Julius'.
There's no "HUD" or anything. This really is like a new reality–you would never be able to tell it's digital. Honestly, I'm still having a hard time believing it is, he thought.
As he peeked outside of the window, watching his father practicing his swordplay in the front yard on the refreshing spring day, he pondered.
It's already been three years, huh? Time flies…but, I've grown accustomed to this place. It's…home, he thought.
Going outside, Treyna brought Julius a glass of water to hydrate with, but somehow managed to trip over and spill it all over his shirt.
"Ah–sorry, honey," Treyna laughed.
Julius laughed out as well, "Looks like I worked up one helluva sweat!"
From what he learned by watching them closely, the two were completely in love with each other–there was no denying that. But, true love wasn't without obstacles.
–
In the coming winter, the windows were sealed shut as the winds howled outside with snow packing up on the fields.
"Brr…" He hugged himself, wrapping a blanket around his body.
Sitting in front of the fireplace to warm up, he could hear his parents behind him, talking from the kitchen quarters.
"You lost the firewood?" Treyna asked with a disappointed tone.
Julius responded, "I already told you–a silver bear was coming at me! What did you want me to prioritize–some logs or my life?!"
"You know, if you were actually diligent with taking quests, you wouldn't have any issue handling a beast like that," Treyna told him.
"What?! I take whatever I can! What do you think I'm doing around here–? Just twiddling my thumbs and skipping around the field?!" Julius retorted angrily.
"It sure seems like it with the money you're bringing back! Or maybe…you're spending it elsewhere!" Treyna accused him.
"Oh, really? On what? Enlighten me!"
"Oh, I don't know–how about at a brothel!" Treyna sharply said.
Julius paused for a moment before replying, "--Hey! It was just one time! Don't go there!"
Though, even if they had their small squabbles, he sat there unworried, rubbing his hands together in front of the fireplace as within the next few minutes the conversation had taken a completely one-eighty:
"I'm sorry, Julius. It's just…I want to make sure our son stays warm through the winter," Treyna apologies, sniffling.
Julius gently replied, embracing her, "No, I should be apologizing. I guess I've let myself get rusty with Emilio around. If I was in top shape, I'd have turned that big ol' bear into a new carpet for us!"
"Oh, really?" Treyna looked up at Julius with a smirk.
The dark-haired, scruffy-bearded adventurer nodded with a confident smile, "Oh, yeah! I'd have ended it in a single swing! Like–that! Or that!"
While he said so, the grown man swung a phantom sword around, trying to impress the girl who was already tied to him by the bonds of marriage.
Treyna smiled brightly, clapping her hands together, "Then you should go do it!"
"Huh?"
"We could use a warm new rug like that," Treyna smiled happily, "Imagine how comfortable it'd be for our son…little Emilio would be so happy–wouldn't you, Emilio?"
He was still sitting towards the fireplace, hoping not to have been dragged into their wild conversation.
Please don't involve me in this, he thought.
But, he couldn't deny it–a great, big fur carpet did sound spectacular.
"Yeah. A big rug would be nice," he said.
With that answer Treyna shot a smiling look towards her eccentric husband who gulped, knowing he had little choice now as a man.
"I'll be right back-!" Julius charged out of the front door, back into the howling depths of the winter night.
…Are my parents really NPCs? They seem…real. This doesn't feel right, he thought.
Within the next few hours, he was sitting on a far-stretching, silver-fur rug, and it was undoubtedly warm.
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