Reincarnated Devil's Strongest Hero Training Plan ~The baby he picked up has grown up so well that his father is confused~ - Chapter 40

Reincarnated Devil’s Strongest Hero Training Plan ~The baby he picked up has grown up so well that his father is confused~

Chapter 40    Ars, 10 years old, a fateful encounter

Ten years old.

It’s a milestone.

In this world where adulthood is reached at fourteen, it’s a time that could be considered the midpoint of childhood, with only a little left of it.

By this time, children start to firmly express their own opinions and thoughts, wanting to appear a bit more mature.

For example, there are those who experience a somewhat lonely feeling when their child, who used to call them “Dad” or “Daddy,” suddenly starts calling them “Father” or “Old Man.”

Yes, there definitely are such people.

Because I’m experiencing that feeling right now.

“Ultimate Warrior Awakening Secret Technique: Super Devil Bat Assault! … Alright! That’s the tenth King Wyvern! Dad! How was that move!?”

“Hmm. Well done, Ars. Your warrior skills are improving quite a lot. However, your control over the Devil Bat Assault still needs work. If you don’t improve it, you won’t be able to completely nullify the recoil damage. Therefore, you must continue to train diligently.”

In front of my son, who is growing at an incomprehensible rate, I, Kakyu, a low-ranking devil, pretend to be nonchalant and say random things with a crossed-arms mentor-like demeanor to hide my confusion about his growth rate. That’s me, Ars father.

No, seriously, isn’t this absurd?!

King Wyverns are like S-rank monsters in adventurer ranks!

S-rank, you know, as strong as Gaius, who was just bought from the slave market!?

I mean, even if they came attacking, how on earth could there be ten of them at once…?

And to think, just five years ago, my little son Ars was barely holding his own against A-rank Ein in the martial arts tournament finals!

And now he’s casually mowing down S-rank monsters left and right! He’s become too splendid, it’s bewildering for a father!

Kids in this world must have bugged growth rates!

And what’s with this “Dad” thing?!

Ars, didn’t you used to call me “Daddy” when you were younger?!

I’m lonely, Ars, I’m lonely!

But, more than that, I’m happy, so I’ll forgive you!

“Hehe. Yeah, I’m still far from what Dad sees. Yep, more training is needed! Please continue to guide me from now on!”

“Uh, yeah… Y-yeah, that’s right. But, honestly, I didn’t expect you to master the Devil Bat Assault to this extent. W-well? Well, it was within Dad’s expectations, though! Haha!”

Alright, that was a bluff!

I made up some lies!

It’s not like that at all!

To master the Devil Bat Assault, which humans shouldn’t even have an affinity for, with hardly any damage, is completely beyond Dad’s expectations!

I’ve honestly doubted whether the child I picked up ten years ago is really human, and I’ve had him undergo thorough examinations many times!

So, there you have it.

Well, over the past five years, my adorable son Ars has been through various adventures and has become so strong that he can now start training in the unexplored Eastern Continent. And now, he’s finally turned ten!

Hooray!

Congratulations, Ars!

“But Ars, you’ve gotten stronger too. Now, you might even be able to go head-to-head with Gaius, don’t you think? …No, with a secret move, you might even have a chance to win.”

“Well… But I still haven’t beaten Ein in our sparring matches. I’ll challenge Gaius after that. I’m sure Gaius has been training hard every day while I’ve been doing this.”

Wait a minute.

You can’t use your friends as a benchmark to calculate Gaius’s combat power.

Ein, who has already turned fifteen and become an adult, and has somehow begun walking the path of the Sword Saint, is also a bug in various ways, you know?

If you add Gaius to the inflation battle between these two dangerous geniuses, he’ll end up in tears.

Certainly, the power balance is currently at a stalemate, but if this growth rate continues, he’ll surpass them in less than a year.

Gaius has already done his best, so just leave him alone…

“I think my sparring matches with Ein were 999 wins, 999 losses, and one draw.”

“Yeah. Well, that draw was in the first martial arts tournament we fought in, and Ein wasn’t satisfied, so we compromised with that number. But in reality, it’s probably 1,000 losses for me.”

With a sheepish grin, Ars scratches his head, still feeling a bit happy. He must feel a strong sense of joy that his friends and rivals are suitable opponents for him.

Honestly, when did he become such a battle maniac?

“That’s right, today we’re having a camping training here, aren’t we! I’ll go pick up some firewood!”

“Yeah, go ahead. I’ll prepare the cooking here.”

Saying that, I take out cooking utensils and start boiling a pot of King Wyvern stew.

Hmm, lately, we’ve been doing a lot of outdoor training like this, and there have been many occasions where I’ve had to use the cooking skills I developed during my ancient days of living alone in hell.

Ever since I picked up Ars, I’ve been relying entirely on Elsa and Gaius for household chores, so this is kind of refreshing.

As I pour the stew into two bowls while pondering these thoughts, I sense Ars, who went to fetch firewood for our camp, rushing back at full speed.

Hmm… Did something happen?

“What’s wrong, Ars? Did you catch some rare creature or something?”

“Yeah, a somewhat rare creature… No, that’s not it, Dad! Something more serious happened! There’s a boy with red hair! A boy!”

“What’s the matter? It’s unusual for you to be this flustered, Ars. But try to calm down a bit and tell me.”

Unusually flustered for someone usually calm like Ars, he seems desperate to convey something.

A boy with red hair, you say?

“Well, it’s not the time to be calm! The boy with red hair, he’s collapsed over there!!! Like, he’s almost dying!”

W-What!?

Wait, this is no time for jokes; this is really an emergency.

A boy collapsed in the middle of this uncharted Eastern Continent is not normal.

And he’s already on the brink of death.

Anyway, first things first, we need to go rescue him.

“Which way is the boy?”

“Over here! He’s saying something like he wants water in a painful voice, and he’s like, ‘Even if I ran away from home, I won’t beg anyone but my old man for help, I won’t lose,’ or something like that!?”

“What a mystery that guy is!?”

What on earth is happening?

There’s no way there could be a runaway in a place like this.

Is he really a human being?

It’s starting to get suspicious.