Re:Zero-Starting Life as the Strongest Father in Another World

3

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Natsuki Subaru took a deep breath and assessed the situation. For a moment, he thought this might be one of the Witch's tricks, but it wasn't.

Elara looked at him with curious eyes. "Dad, where are we?" she asked.

Subaru looked at his daughter. He had used Return by Death more times than he could count, but someone had come with him.

"Like an Authority of Gluttony?" he pondered. Return by Death was his authority, but it didn't have a feature to share with others. Yet Elara had come along.

Shaking his head and collecting his internal thoughts, he took his daughter's delicate hands in his palms and leaned in gently to speak to her. Despite Elara's worried gaze, his voice conveyed calmness and love.

"Elara, shall we make a contract?" When he said this, the little girl opened her eyes in surprise, not understanding. Subaru held onto her hand firmly and spoke to her carefully. "Just hold my hand, and you'll feel a strange sensation, don't resist. Just stay calm and trust me, okay?" The little girl was confused but trusted her father. She nodded, struggling to understand.

As Subaru held his daughter's hand, he began to feel a kind of vibration. This sensation felt like an inner connection, forming some sort of agreement. It was not just about Elara; it was also related to a special bond between them. As he looked at his daughter, a genuine smile appeared on his face.

Elara's eyes remained closed for a few seconds before slowly opening. Subaru approached with concern and gently asked, "How do you feel?"

Rubbing her eyes a bit, Elara responded with a faint smile, "I'm okay." However, within Subaru, there were mixed feelings about this situation.

"Okay, the necessary memories are sealed," he thought, but internally questioned whether this was right. Partially sealing his daughter's memories bothered him. It was necessary to protect Elara and provide her with a better future, but at the same time, the act of partially sealing them was one of the burdens of fatherhood. Rather than explaining something as special as Return by Death, he chose this option. He only focused on sealing what was necessary. It was a tough step taken in the name of protecting Elara, yet it didn't ease his worries.

Walking through the slum district while holding Elara's hand, Subaru smiled at her enthusiastic observations of her surroundings. Elara's questions about different things came one after another.

"Dad, what's that?" Elara asked, pointing at a creature.

"Lizardman," Subaru replied with a smile.

"What's that?" Elara asked, pointing at something else with curiosity.

"Fountain," Subaru answered, watching Elara's enthusiastic curiosity.

"What's that?" Elara continued, pointing at something new.

"A pack-carrying Earth Dragon," Subaru explained, admiring her excitement.

And when the next question came, Subaru patiently answered. The questions were endless, but Subaru wanted to fuel Elara's desire to explore the world and her thirst for learning. This night was full of Elara's first visit to a big city, and it was natural for this new experience to give her boundless excitement and curiosity. Her innocent curiosity also included an opportunity for Subaru to accompany her in exploring different facets of the world.

Seeing Elara's interest in the fruit stand, Subaru asked, "Shall we get some Appa?" Elara nodded in agreement.

They went to the stand and got some Appa. This place felt oddly familiar to Subaru. "Did I see this guy the first time?" he wondered. His memories weren't clear because when he first came to the capital, he was 17 years old. The chaos and crowd of the city might have caused many details to slip his mind. However, this Appa stand oddly seemed to leave a trace in his memories.