The Goddess Is Obsessed With Me

"Daddy~!"

A bright voice of a child rings out across the peaceful field.

The sun is high in the sky, casting a warm glow on this spring day, making the weather a bit too warm for excessive activity.

"Hehehe~"

Yet, there's a girl, perhaps at the age where she's full of energy, running about the field, sweating profusely, but still appearing lively.

"Daddy, come with..."

On the other hand, the young man, presumably her father, is panting heavily, desperately trying to chase after his daughter.

"Heh... Heh... Huff..."

He gasps for breath, exhales loudly, wipes the sweat dripping from his chin, and bends his knees.

Despite being out of breath, the father manages a forced smile, praising his daughter.

"Daddy!"

Thud-!

"Whoa?!"

Caught off guard while catching his breath, he's tackled by his daughter's surprise attack and falls to the ground.

Even if it's accidental, his fatherly instincts kick in, and he shields his daughter with his body even as they fall.

"You know it's dangerous to suddenly run like that, right?"

He gently scolds her without being too harsh. But then...

"But, when you're like that, I just want to hug you, right?"

Despite being reprimanded, she responds with a bright smile, making her father smile weakly in return.

"Daddy's hugs are always warm!"

She rubs her cheek against her father's chest, reminiscent of a puppy showing affection to its owner.

"Daddy's doing his best, always giving his all. It's just that brother Elik doesn't appreciate him..."

Her mood changes, and there's a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Miru?"

His daughter's emotions seem to change quickly, but her next words are full of warmth.

"Daddy's a great person, the best daddy for me!"

The wind blows her hair, and it's hard to tell if the moisture under her eyes is sweat or tears.

He didn't do anything wrong, but the thought that he might have made his daughter cry saddens him.

"It's okay!"

To lighten the mood, he exclaims with a bit of forced cheerfulness.

Holding her, he stands up and flashes a positive smile.

"It's great to have a daughter who thinks of me like this."

She looks a bit puzzled by the sudden change in mood but quickly wipes away her tears.

"Yes! I love daddy! Because you always play with me!"

Her words could be taken negatively, but she follows her father loyally, like an adorable puppy.

She might not have a puppy's tail, but her excitement, swaying left and right, gives a similar vibe.

"It's not that daddy is weak! It's just that daddy is a human, and I'm from the dragon clan, right?! There are physical differences due to our races!"

She tries to justify her father's struggles by attributing them to the physical limitations of their different races.

Miru understands her father's physical limitations well, and for a good reason.

She belongs to the dragon clan, while her father is an ordinary human.

While Miru's race, the dragons, is considered one of the most powerful beings, second only to gods, humans are seen as mundane and sometimes even inferior by some races.

The primary reason for the father's quick exhaustion is undoubtedly the physical limitations resulting from the difference in their races. Miru took after her dragon mother more than her human father. Even though she had human blood in her, she had horns and a black tail that made her look like a pure dragon.

"Thank you, Miru. Your father feels comforted and happy because of you."

He lifts her up and starts to walk slowly across the vast meadow.

"I'm happy too because I can spend time with daddy!"

Her youthful energy momentarily throws off her father's balance.

"Haha... You're really strong."

But he quickly regains his footing and gives a slightly strained smile. Even though she was from the dragon clan, and he might appear weaker in comparison, he was by no means weak. The distance he had run chasing after Miru was further than the training distance of the kingdom's elite soldiers.

Miru had the blood of not just any dragon but of the last great dragon, and furthermore, she inherited the genes of the historically unprecedented Black Dragon. Thus, despite her young age, her abilities were outstanding.

He might have been depicted as weaker in comparison to Miru, but if you were to compare him with other humans, he was among the strongest.

Hence, he wasn't likely to fall over just because his young daughter, who was a bit heavy, jumped into his arms.

"Shall we head back a bit early today? If we stay out too long, just the two of us, the mothers might get angry."

Upon hearing her father's partly compromising suggestion, Miru puffs up her cheeks cutely.

"Um... I want to stay a bit longer with daddy..."

She pouts, and he sighs lightly, adjusting his pace.

"How about we rest at our usual hill and then head back?"

Saying this, he carries her princess-style and heads towards a hill that evokes nostalgic feelings.

"Okay! I want to nap in daddy's arms while feeling the cool breeze!"

Miru's love for her father was so clear that whenever her mother saw her, she remembered the days when she was young and chasing after him.

"Let's take a rest..."

Sitting on the hill, father and daughter rest under the shade, looking at the distant mountains.

"Daddy, what's beyond that blue sky?"

Whenever they rested on the hill, Miru would snuggle into her father's embrace and ask questions, making it a precious time for both of them.

"Uh... well..."

Eventually, her weight on him would become heavier, signaling that she wanted to sleep.

"Zzz..."

After a while, she would fall asleep in her beloved father's arms.

The innocence in her breathing, even her snoring, sounded cute. She woke up only when the sky started to turn orange.

"Yawn... Good morning..."

Normally, she would always feel her father's warmth when she woke up, but...

"Huh?"

Today, something felt different. She looked around but couldn't find her father.

"Daddy?"

Her voice was calm at first, but as time passed without any sight of him, her tone grew anxious.

"Harold, good morning."

The new day had begun as usual. Erina was already up, drawing back the curtains.

Despite going to bed around the same time, by the time Harold had woken up, Erina was already dressed in her adventurer's outfit.

"Today is the day of our final trial. If we get through this, we can return to our adventurous life, and our 'marriage' will be approved."

Emphasizing the word 'marriage' made it hard for him to respond.

He had yet to express his feelings to Erina.

But he had given up on speaking about it.

In fact, he had been in dire straits several times just by giving off vibes that he might not accept her proposal.

Even though it wasn't direct, his male pride had been shaken. If he had said to her face, "I don't want to get engaged to you," things might have become irreparable, so he held his tongue. "Hmm... okay then."

I tried to express my dissatisfaction without offending her by using a slightly sarcastic tone, but...

"If that happens, I'll have nothing more to wish for in my life. To be with you, setting off on a heart-fluttering journey every day... just imagining it makes me happy."

Feeling utterly cornered by her firm declaration, the best I could do was remain silent.

"Did both of you get a good rest last night? I've prepared the final trial for you here, please take a look."

Lady Mirina greeted us with a solemn demeanor as usual when we visited her room.

"You might have noticed from the second trial, but these trials usually involve social issues. This one is similar, so please check it."

Typically, as nobles rise in power, they need to maintain a good public image, demonstrating exemplary behavior and noble deeds. This ensures that they get noticed by even higher-ranked nobles, opening doors to various opportunities.

The Robias family, being second only to the royal family in terms of power, needs to capture the attention of the royal family to solidify and maintain their current position. To the royal family, no other family should be more noticeable than the Robias. Hence, they were more thirsty for honorable deeds than any other noble families.

In essence, Lady Mirina's true intention behind these well-packaged "trials" was to gain public attention and benefit her family's interests. Although one might interpret this as a cunning intention under the guise of benevolence, it also showcases her smart efficiency in handling any situation.

In any case, with the final trial ahead of us, we picked up the envelope that contained the trial's details. This envelope was pale yellow, and if there was anything unique about it, it was the emphasized seal on its surface. Whether it was due to it being the final trial or perhaps it was the harshest one according to Lady Mirina's standards, the tension couldn't be relieved until we saw its contents.

"Let's check it out."

Erina opens the envelope and spreads out a paper of similar color.

"The final trial. You've done well so far. This time..."

She began reading the trial's contents from the top, slowly moving her eyes downward. Our last hurdle was...

"Recently, there have been reports of heretics frequently appearing in a specific area of the kingdom. Your final trial is to investigate this cult and apprehend as many members as possible."

Heretics. Within the game's narrative, they appeared several times as unconventional groups, all of whom were mentally unstable. According to the lore, they worshiped ancient gods that existed only in the past, not the current deities. Their ultimate goal was to resurrect these ancient gods, symbols of pure evil, through inhuman rituals. They wore purple robes, and despite seeming like just a gathering of madmen, each member was as skilled as an average soldier.

If one had to describe their vibe, it would be that of a stereotypical cult that one might encounter in various media.

"This task seems profoundly complicated... Since the heretics are so secretive, capturing several at once may be difficult... This is going to be troublesome."

Another defining characteristic of the heretics was their absolute group mentality and twisted sense of unity. If one was captured and interrogated, they would never reveal their secrets, enduring any form of torture. They would rather bite off their tongues and end their lives than expose their organization's secrets. Their blind faith made them a secretive group that was hard to locate and capture.

Fortunately, I was familiar with the quest content, so I had a rough idea of how to proceed. Otherwise, I might have had to incur another debt to the suspicious Morione. Even though things might not go exactly as they did in the game, this knowledge would undoubtedly be helpful. "Are you okay, Harold?"

Erina speaks with a hint of uncertainty, but I nod with full confidence and assertively respond.

"I have a plan. Let's set out now."

As I say this, Lady Mirina looks at me with a skeptical gaze, as if seeing overconfidence without basis. But she doesn't voice her doubts.

"We'll be on our way then."

Brushing off her look, I take the lead this time, pulling Erina along as we exit the room.

"You're quite proactive today, aren't you?"

Erina looks up at me with a mix of surprise and confusion, apparently sensing a different vibe from me today. The reason I'm acting this way is because I'm familiar with these quests from the game. Knowing the game's timeline and how much time we have to complete the quest, I felt an urgency to proceed quickly.

Just as we hurry to leave the mansion and head towards the main road...

"Huh?"

A familiar-faced girl stands in our path.

"Brother? We meet again!"

It's Miru, the black dragon girl we met yesterday. With her short hair, red eyes, and a dark aura that feels sinister yet mixed with the innocence of a child, she stands there shaking her black dragon tail, approaching us.

"We just met yesterday, but how have you been?"

Meeting her again felt oddly comforting, but several questions raced through my mind. How did she know where to find us? We certainly hadn't told her where we were staying when we parted. Yet, here she was, as if she knew all along, waiting for us as we were about to leave the mansion.

And that wasn't the only thing.

The view outside the entrance revealed a well-maintained garden. In other words, we were still within the premises of the Robias estate, at the main entrance.

"So, where are you off to? It looks like you're about to do something exciting~"

Only those who passed a thorough inspection were allowed to enter this place. If a guest arrived, either Lady Mirina or Erina would have been informed. However, judging by Erina's expression, she had no idea Miru was here.

"Isn't it a bit risky with just the two of you?"

Also, there was no mention of Miru accompanying us from Lady Mirina. Looking at the situation, it seemed like Miru had trespassed.

Miru's sudden and mysterious appearance left us with many questions.

Whether she sensed our bewilderment or not, Miru cheerfully shouted to me with a beaming smile.

"Can I join you? I'm quite strong, you know. I'm sure I'll be helpful to you!"