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My father seemed slightly worried about us. "But arenât you tired, Aquarina? Your parents are sleeping like logs right now; I could hear your momâs snoring all the way from here," my father said.
"A-Ahahah, yeah theyâre sleeping, they were exhausted... but thatâs because theyâre old, Iâm young and energetic!" Aquarina said, puffing her chest. "And Sylphy also feed me with spirit fruits, so I recovered pretty fast..."
Thatâs not wrong, also that tea and the pastries we ate in the dungeon were also all packed with nutrients similar to these fruits because they are made with ingredients grown inside the dungeon filled with Mana and Spirit Energy.
"Haha, alright then, I imagined you two would be all lovey-dovey already," my dad laughed. "Now that both of you are adults and everything..."
"E-Eh? Ah..." I felt embarrassed as dad mentioned it. "I guess..."
"I was thinking that at your age you may not want to live with your family, right? I mean you would like some privacy with Aquarina," dad said.
"Ahhh... I mean... I havenât considered it," I said. "But yeah, now that you mention it..."
"Iâve already talked things with your mother and some of the nobles using some magic devices," he said with a confident smile. "If you want, we can give you a house in Agartha... or, your grandfather was very eager, you could get a manor near the castle, in the nobleâs district of the capital."
"W-What?!" Aquarina gasped. "A-A house for just the two of us?!"
"And all your spirits and familiars, youâve got plenty of those donât you?" laughed my dad.
"I-I guess so..." I nodded. "Weâll never be just the two of us I guess, hahah..."
"Yeah but thatâs insane... a manor in the capital, wow... isnât that where all the prestigious people are at?" wondered Aquarina. "I-I donât know what to think..."
"You would have to enter the Elven high society and interact with the nobles and everything," my father said. "Well, as a princess you also have a room in the castle for yourself if you ever wanted to go live there too."
"O-Oh..." I muttered, feeling overwhelmed. "Iâll think about it then."
"I wanted to leave this as a surprise for later, but the King even said you could take your own territory and develop it if you wanted," my father suddenly mentioned. "And then become a Duchess? Do you ever want to do that once you grow up a bit more?"
"I-I... I mean..." I muttered, feeling overwhelmed.
"I know thereâs a lot of things happening and that there are dangers but that doesnât mean you have to simply forget your own dreams or what you want for your future," my father said. "Youâre growing up and you have to take the decision of what you want to do and become once you graduate from the academy, dear. So think about it... donât think about the gods, or the demon king, or any of that, alright? We old heroes are still kicking and stronger than ever. I donât want you to simply forfeit your own life for the sake of "saving the world" or whatever. The world is not ending any time soon, you know? So take it easy... think about your life, not about what possible wars or battles youâll have in the future, itâs not healthy."
"Dad..." I felt moved by his gentle words, as he walked to my side and hugged me. "Thanks... I never really thought about any of that because of what you said but... youâre not wrong... I... I donât really know what to do when I grow up, but maybe Iâll discover a career in the academy?"
"Haha, yeah!" he said. "I donât want you to go around "heroing" if anything, you can pursue any life you want! Screw the gods or whatever... I want my daughter to live her life however she wants."
"Aquarina, did you hear?" I asked.
"Y-Yeah... your dadâs right... I guess I was also kind of like that too... But wow, what do I even do when I grow up? A career, huh? I guess Adventurer is just fine for me?" Aquarina wondered.
"You can definitely become Adventurers too, sure," my dad said. "But also consider a secondary career just in case... Actually, Sylphy, youâre pretty passionate about teaching, right? And you have a lot of patience like your mother... She was talking the other day that she could recommend you to the Magician Tower, thereâs a lot of Magician Teachers there, maybe you could start a career there if you get good grades in the academy. And potentially pursue a similar career than hers, itâs not bad at all."
"Ohhhh...! Not bad," I nodded. "Teaching, huh? I never considered it, but it does sound kind of fun... But maybe I could do something else, like becoming a professional Alchemist and open a shop?"
"That also sounds plausible!" he nodded. "To be honest, I would still take the chance and also become a teacher, you can decide when to teach anyway, while also managing a shop for a lot of passive income. Though by selling what your dungeon produces, youâre already making a good amount."
"Yeah, those are my savings," I nodded. "I plan to spend them on... maybe buying other things in the future. Iâll think about it when we get there though. What about you Aquarina?"
"Adventurer is fine for me; Iâve never been into being inside desks or buildings..." Aquarina said. "What else could I do anyway? I donât really like serving people nor teaching..."
"Youâll find more careers in the academy," explained my father. "So donât worry... Anyway! I guess weâve talked enough about that stuff, could you two help me out with cooking as you said you would?"
"Alright!" I nodded.
"What should we help with?" Aquarina asked.
"With this and that..." dad said.
Like that, we helped dad cook an incredible feast for everyone, and when dinner was finally ready forty minutes later, and everyone was called to eat, they were greeted by a meal cooked by all three of us.
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