In front of a small house at the edge of the village.
A couple was holding their young child’s hand, waiting by the roadside to welcome an important guest.
When they saw a familiar figure appear at the corner of the road, the blonde, red-eyed long-eared man could not help but call out excitedly:
“Mother, long time no see.”
The beautiful woman with curled hair, leading a boy in a black robe, also looked back and forth at the three people in the distance with relief, her tone emotional:
“We meet again, Laws.”
Elinalise patted the boy beside her on the shoulder and introduced first:
“This child is the Gawain I mentioned in my letters, the one I picked up a few years ago in the southern King Dragon Mountains.”
Laws crouched down kindly and greeted Gawain:
“Hello, Gawain.
I’m Laws.
I look a lot like my mother, don’t I?”
Gawain examined the young man in front of him.
This guy did indeed look very similar to Elinalise—blonde hair, red eyes, long ears, and even his facial features had four or five points of resemblance.
He could probably be considered handsome enough to be called a pretty boy.
If he wore a dress, he might even be more charming than his wife.
However, he was too weak.
He could barely sense any magic within him, his battle aura was also very weak, and although his muscles showed signs of training, they were not strong.
And yet he was still a hunter in the village.
The gentleness such a person possessed could probably only be called weakness.
Gawain curved his lips into a perfectly formed smile and said “happily”:
“So you are Uncle Laws?
You’re even more handsome and reliable than Elinalise said!”
Really, it was hard to believe that the man in front of him and Elinalise were mother and son, nearly the same kind of being.
The degree of degradation from mixed blood was too severe—it was simply the difference between a beast and an insect.
Laws became embarrassed from the praise.
He scratched his nose and laughed:
“Well, after leaving my mother, I also started a family.
I think I’ve grown quite a lot!”
He stood up, his posture becoming even more proper, as if encouraged by the praise, and then continued:
“Mother, Gawain, let me introduce my family to you.”
Elinalise patted Gawain’s head.
She did not say anything more, nor did she warn him with her eyes.
She simply continued smiling gently.
“This is my wife, Debbie.
Like me, she’s also mixed blood, but Debbie is half human and half beast race.”
She was a simple woman with waterfall-like black hair.
There were no visible beast traits.
She was also very young, with a gentle yet firm appearance.
She was looking at her husband’s mother and the future adopted child, showing a loving and tolerant smile, which made Gawain think of how Elinalise occasionally looked at him.
Very close to what I imagine a mother should be like, Gawain evaluated.
“And this is our daughter, Sylphiette.
She’s a little over a year younger than Gawain.
She’s very cute, right?
Only three and a half years old, but she already has her own ideas.
She’s a very smart child, much better than I was back then, right, Mother?”
When talking about his child, Laws unconsciously became talkative.
Debbie also instinctively lowered her loving gaze onto the small and delicate green-haired girl between them.
A mixed blood of beast race and long-eared race?
Probably even more degraded than Laws.
But as long as she could inherit her mother’s maternal nature, she could still be considered a qualified individual.
Gawain did not care at all about the child’s hair color.
He knew of the green-haired Demon God Laplace, and he also knew of the violent green-haired race, the Superd.
But clearly, in his view, Sylphiette in front of him had nothing to do with either of those somewhat valuable possibilities.
If this child were the reincarnation of the Demon God Laplace, he might gain a rare friend or opponent.
But how could such a thing happen?
She was nothing more than a low-quality mixed blood of three weak races.
After introducing his family, Laws led everyone into the rural house beside them.
Just as Gawain had speculated earlier, the house had only one floor and probably a cellar for storing food.
Aside from the kitchen and a small living room, there were only two bedrooms.
The latrine was even outside, and there was no such thing as a bathroom.
Of course, no matter what, the living conditions were still better than the outdoors, so Gawain did not have any particular thoughts.
Elinalise, however, seemed somewhat sad.
Her child, after leaving her, seemed to be living quite happily, but his family was poor, and her granddaughter’s green hair would likely also be a problem.
“Please sit, Mother, Gawain.”
There was no tea table in the living room.
What was placed there were likely dining chairs.
There was no sofa either.
Even the chairs used for guests were of different heights and styles, with three types in total.
Naturally, there was no black tea or desserts for guests, only herbal tea made from plants gathered in the forest, a basket of coarse bread, and some homemade raspberry jam.
After everyone sat down, Laws looked at what had been prepared in advance and could not help but show a slightly embarrassed expression.
Although his family had never been wealthy, after his daughter was born, things had indeed become even more difficult.
The fact that they had not gone hungry or cold was entirely due to the favorable farming environment of the Fittoa Region.
A family like Laws’s was basically at the bottom among the law-abiding citizens of Fittoa.
After sensing the temperature inside, Gawain familiarly took off the cloak he had just bought, folded it neatly, and placed it aside.
Then he picked up a piece of bread, placed it on a wooden board, and began cutting it with the small knife placed nearby.
Laws withdrew his gaze from the black-and-white cloak.
He estimated that such a fine item would cost at least one Asura gold coin, an amount he could hardly earn in a year.
But fortunately, Gawain, whose appearance and temperament were like that of a fallen prince, did not seem to feel poorly treated.
Instead, he cheerfully accepted the simple hospitality, which reassured Laws and gave him the courage to speak:
“I’ve discussed it with Debbie.
We are willing to adopt Gawain.
Sylphy also hopes to have an older brother to play with.”
Because they had already received several letters, Laws’s family had naturally known Elinalise and Gawain’s purpose months in advance.
They had long decided to adopt Gawain, out of trust in Elinalise.
(Elinalise and Gawain could not receive letters while traveling.)
After actually meeting Gawain, although there had been little interaction, they were clearly even more satisfied than expected.
Laws did not mention things like “although our family is poor…” because such words might sound like refusal or a demand for compensation.
But neither Laws nor Debbie had such thoughts.
If they gritted their teeth, they still had the ability to raise one more child.
Elinalise lowered her head and entrusted him:
“Then I’ll leave this child to you.”
Gawain looked as if it had nothing to do with him.
He merely glanced around and asked:
“Do you want jam on your bread?”
Author’s Notes: The original work never mentions Sylphiette’s mother’s name.
The name Debbie is taken from Mark’s mother in Invincible.
It follows a future possibility of Gaiwan where he goes just a teeny tiny bit Insane.
I’m looking forward to posting them.