Reincarnated Devil's Strongest Hero Training Plan ~The baby he picked up has grown up so well that his father is confused~ - Volume 2 Chapter 2

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

Volume 2 Chapter 2   Childhood Friends

The day after the mischievous little demoness Ekina sneaked into the lord’s treasure vault for no particular reason other than curiosity, she found herself visiting her older brother Ars’s magical castle, accompanied by their father, Kakyu.

This wasn’t for any special occasion. Kakyu frequently visited his son Ars to check on Ars’s son, his grandson, Abel. Kakyu often rationalized these visits by saying that since Ekina and Abel were around the same age, it was good for their emotional development to spend time together as family. However, this was just an excuse.

The real reason was that Kakyu wanted to dote on both his beloved daughter Ekina and his equally cherished grandson Abel at the same time.

Kakyu didn’t hide his true intentions. As soon as Ars and his family appeared with Abel, Kakyu would rush to them, lifting Abel high in the air, patting his head, and fussing over him endlessly.

Though this was a regular occurrence, even Ars couldn’t help but smile wryly. Hades, on the other hand, would get slightly irritated, furrowing his brows and sighing whenever he saw the “evil old man” clinging to his son Abel.

Hades didn’t mind that Abel, their child, was adored. However, there were limits. Just last week, Hades had told Ars, “Do something about that evil old man. Spoiling Abel too much is bad for his upbringing.” Even the mighty hero Ars couldn’t argue against that.

Despite understanding this, stopping Kakyu from doting on his grandson was impossible. That’s just how things were.

“Alright, alright…! How have you been, Abel? Grandpa brought you a present today!”

“Uh, um… Thanks, Grandpa. I’m really happy.”

“Of course you are! Today, I brought your favorite chocolate cake! Ekina loves it too, so why don’t you two go eat it together? … Just the two of you, of course.”

“Really!? Thanks!!”

Embarrassed by her father’s transparent attempt to win favor with food, Ekina pouted and kicked at him. But even this display of petulance was endearing to Kakyu, who seemed even more pleased.

It’s important to note that Abel’s excitement wasn’t primarily because he got his favorite chocolate cake. The real reason was…

“Hey, Ekina! Let’s go eat over there! I’ll cut you a special piece… just for you!”

“Hmph! You fell for Dad’s trick so easily. But if you really want to, I might consider it.”

The real reason was the chance to be alone with Ekina. Abel, though he tried to play it cool, was actually a pure-hearted boy who secretly adored his childhood friend Ekina.

Ekina herself is aware of Abel’s feelings, but for some reason, he seems to want to hide them. So, she pretends not to notice, being a considerate little devil.

Though she isn’t entirely displeased with the fact that Abel likes her, and despite her complaints, her cheeks are slightly red.

Meanwhile, a low-classdemon, who finds joy in the youthful romance of these beloved five-year-olds, takes pictures, grinning as he believes his plan is working perfectly.

Planning and executing a scheme knowing that two young children would hit it off romantically, he’s indeed an evil old man.

But, evil is always destined to be vanquished.

Just as the low-class demon’s perfect plan was about to bear fruit, Hero Ars delivered a powerful blow.

“Oh, but Dad. Today, Ein came to our house, which is rare. He’s in the backyard right now. He said something like, ‘Our sons are five years old this year, it’s time for them to interact more actively, seriously.’”

“What? N-no, but this is…”

For once, the usually serious Ars mimicked the tone perfectly, lightening the mood.

But this had an immediate effect. Although he had accurately researched the information, he was taken aback and momentarily frozen, having been completely preoccupied with his daughter and grandson and forgetting about it.

Thinking he couldn’t capture the two lovebirds’ romantic moments on camera now, he began considering that the appearance of a rival might be acceptable in its own way.

No matter how things turn out, he always manages to see the positive side, absorbing damage and taking it in stride, possessing a zombie-like resilience.

This evil old man is surely immortal.

It must be so.

As expected, the noisy interaction in the living room caught the attention of the hero’s son, Abel, and his five-year-old genius childhood rival, who arrived alongside his father with an air of intelligence and dignity.

“It’s been a while, Lord Kakyu. As you may already know, it’s about time these childhood friends had an opportunity to challenge each other, so we have come to your castle for that purpose. Come now, Granbelt, greet them.”

Prompted by the first arrival, Ein, a beautiful child with blue hair inherited from his mother and violet eyes from his father gracefully bowed.

Though Abel, who resembles his father Ars in terms of beauty, wasn’t far behind in looks, he carried a more energetic image, giving the edge in elegance to the child named Granbelt.

Such is the nature of royalty.

“It has been a while, Lord Kakyu. Allow me to reintroduce myself, I am Granbelt Grace de Calamiera, First Prince of Calamiera. I’ve heard much about you from both my mother and father. And…”

“Hm?”

“And, Lady Ekina, it is with the utmost respect that I acknowledge your increasing beauty since we last met.”

“Huh?”

In a flawless movement, perhaps a royal gesture, Granbelt took Ekina’s hand, knelt, and lightly kissed the back of it.

Ekina, momentarily stunned by the suddenness, quickly recovered her composure. However, the little devil turned bright red and started trembling…

“Baka yaroooo!! What the hell are you doing all of a sudden, you idiot!! I’ll knock you out!”

“Buberah!”

And with that, despite saying “I’ll knock you out,” she actually did with an open-handed slap.

As expected, even though she’s a mischievous little girl with the blood of a demon flowing through her veins.

Though she’s only five, Granbelt received a slap far more powerful than that of an average person, spiraling through the air and sliding several meters across the floor before finally coming to a stop.

Seeing this, her father Ein could only look up to the heavens and cover his eyes, thinking, “What is this idiot doing?”

By the way, although the approach is different each time, this is not the first time he’s acted like this towards Ekina.

“What a passionate greeting, Lady Ekina.”

“D-don’t be stupid! Damn it, you really throw me off!”

Even while crawling on the ground, Prince Granbelt did not forget his respect for women. Whether this was commendable or not is up for debate.

However, even though Ekina had slapped him out of the blue, she didn’t seem to feel too bad about it.

Well, it might also be because she’s gotten used to this sort of thing by now.

Naturally, there was someone who didn’t feel good about this whole situation.

That someone was, of course, Abel.

He had been planning to enjoy some cake with her, just the two of them, but not only was their date interrupted, he had to watch this pretentious guy kiss her right in front of him.

He was not just annoyed; he was outright furious, thinking that he had never dared to be so bold himself.

He glared at his rival who was still on the ground and growled in frustration.

Abel was fundamentally a good person, but unlike his father, Ars, who was a pure-hearted and broad-minded saint, Abel was an ordinary boy with typical emotions.

In this respect, his personality seemed to be a mix of his father and the quick-to-react Hades.

Anyway, seeing that things weren’t progressing just by standing around, Ein, wanting to accomplish the initial purpose, spoke up.

“Let’s leave the greetings for Lord Kakyu at this. Hey, Ars.”

“Hmm? What is it, Ein?”

“Since this is a rare gathering, how about a friendly match between your son and mine, as a way of saying hello?”

And so, he suggested.

Meanwhile, a mysterious little one was watching their proceedings from a window near the living room.

“Coming back to the lower world after a while, and it’s immediately a chaotic scene. But it might actually turn into something interesting…”

Muttering something incomprehensible about her elite intuition, she flapped her wings and flew up to the roof of the castle, trying not to be noticed.

By the way, this mysterious little one was already fully aware of the presence of the low-class demon and had already been discovered, though she didn’t realize it herself.