Chapter 340
Side Story: Daughters of the Future – 2
I kicked open the door and our eyes met with clang. Their eyes were like jewels, resembling Floretta and Luna but dark as pitch.
The two, meeting my gaze, clasped their arms in front of their chests and knelt.
“Floretta Luce has come before her father.”
“Luna Viola has come before her father.”
There was no way I could view this as a meeting with my dad. I wondered if some unusual training made them behave like this.
“What you are thinking has not occurred, dear father of us sisters.”
“This is entirely the path we sisters have chosen, so please do not worry.”
Did they sense my thoughts? The two, introducing themselves as Luce and Viola, smiled cheekily. With the titles Floretta and Luna before their names, it seemed they were set to inherit the Pope’s position.
Eileen and Segretus looked at the two with bright smiles, which annoyed me.
“Are you all plotting to annoy me together? Why are you all so eager to disrupt my time? Get lost, you petty creatures.”
“Don’t you see how flustered Dad is? Take those kids over there and leave at once. Right now is ‘our’ time.”
In a tone heavily emphasizing the word ‘our,’ Eileen’s eyes briefly flicked to Segretus but soon returned to Luce and Viola.
Just moments ago they had been fighting fiercely over who won, yet as soon as an outsider showed up, they teamed up as if nothing had happened.
It seemed they considered ousting me more important than their squabble.
“I’ve already received confirmation from the Light. Even with the four of us added, it won’t affect the time. More than that would be somewhat troublesome.”
Floretta and Luna—no, Luce and Viola—unfazed by the stern warning, straightened their postures.
“This is quite absurd. You randomly barged in and are now preventing other sisters from coming, aren’t you?”
“That can’t be! Calculating such a thing is utterly ridiculous, Eileen. We were just worried that other sisters would rush to our father, whom we deeply revere.”
“Don’t say what you don’t mean! There isn’t a single person among us who doesn’t know you two are the most insincere!”
“You make excellent jokes, Sister Segretus.”
“How about you all refrain from expressing misunderstandings, given that our father is present?”
Even their voices echoed their mothers. Aside from the different titles they used to call each other, it was just like a quarrel between Floretta and Luna, and Kaiquilia and Minerva.
Seeing this made me realize even more that my genes only translated to eye color.
“Dad, you don’t look so good. What’s wrong?”
“You seem a bit down, Father.”
The two, nestled happily in my arms, spoke a word each. And with that, the bickering that just echoed moments ago fell silent.
Eileen and Segretus, who had just fought, now looked as quiet as if it were a lie. They peeked over at me very carefully.
I hadn’t truly felt sad, though.
“There’s nothing to worry about, so relax.”
I glanced down. The daughters of Stella and Selene, with their golden and silver hair, were nestled in my arms, smiling radiantly.
The laughter from the golden-haired one was quite natural, while the silver-haired one’s laughter had a hint of embarrassment mixed in.
“How did you get in here?”
“I slipped in with the light. I’m quite good at this. Oh, and Selene too.”
“Re, Regina! We weren’t going to mention that…!”
Unlike Regina, who seemed to have copied Stella’s personality, Selene was much less rigid than her mother. Growing up with Regina, she seemed to have softened quite a bit.
‘Their names…’
With the unveiling of the last two names, I calmly retraced my daughters’ names. No matter how far into the future it was, there was no way a dad could forget or mix up names.
Kaiquilia’s daughter Eileen, Minerva’s daughter Segretus, Floretta’s daughter Luce, Luna’s daughter Viola, Stella’s daughter Regina, Selene’s daughter Selene.
And perhaps, this might be the first name we would ever create. Both Minerva and Kaiquilia wore remarkably satisfied expressions.
“Father, say something to those brazen ones. Aren’t they disrupting our time?”
“It’s not just two, but I agree with Eileen this time. They are interrupting our time, aren’t they?”
“You’re in the same boat, you shameless one! Are you planning to avoid responsibility for what you did?”
“Why is it a rampage just because I defend you? This sister is sad.”
“Just because you’re older by a few hours doesn’t mean you can claim the title of sister; that’s nonsense!”
“Don’t you think the ‘a few hours’ excuse is flimsy when you only introduced your age in days?”
Eileen and Segretus began to squabble once again.
While I was trying to mediate between them, Luce and Viola quietly closed the door like a snake slithering by. In calm and graceful strides, they approached the side of the sofa.
As they reached right next to me, the two who had been arguing instantly changed their target, shifting focus to Luce and Viola, who began talking without concerning themselves with the glaring looks.
“Could you make some room, Eileen, Segretus?”
“Yes, if you leave us standing like this, Father might feel uncomfortable.”
“Don’t bring Father into this recklessly, you shameless one.”
“How dare you invoke Father after barging in uninvited?”
The two sitting down did not back down either, growling.
Truth be told, there were plenty of empty spots. The sofa was gigantic. We could all sit in a line, and one extra person could comfortably lie down.
Yet the underlying intention to ask for space was likely their way of wanting to sit a little closer to me.
“Sister, come over here too.”
“It would be a bother for Father.”
“Eh, can’t there be more?”
“Th, that doesn’t feel like a bad atmosphere or anything…”
Regina and Selene floated gently, enveloped in golden and silver hues. The two, separated from me, shot me a wink.
I wondered if I could call them the Pope sisters. It seemed accurate enough.
“Th, these guys really…!”
“Did they have iron plates instead of muscles on their faces?”
Ignoring my grievances, Luce and Viola succeeded in wedging themselves beside me, grinning brightly and bowing their heads.
“Let me formally introduce myself once again. My name is Floretta Luce Isar. I am the daughter of the late Your Holiness of the Sun, Evangelina Isar.”
“I am the same. My name is Luna Viola Isar. I am the daughter of the late Your Holiness of the Moon, Seraphica Isar.”
“I assumed you were Popes, but why the formal tone? It’s uncomfortable to hear, so feel free to relax.”
The two shook their heads.
“This is our courtesy towards our father.”
“Indeed. Before we are your daughters, we are two Popes. It is only natural to show respect to the living Holy One.”
These two seem a bit abnormal in a different way, but I was relieved they didn’t speak as if I were just a man, like Eileen or Segretus.
However, my expectations shattered as Eileen scoffed.
“You think you can speak such nonsense about a past father? Just two days ago, you were gushing like little girls. Have you already forgotten?”
Startled, Luce and Viola trembled. It was just a fleeting moment, yet no one here could miss it.
Eileen’s smirk grew even more pronounced at the sight.
“…Would you kindly refrain from unfounded accusations, Sister Eileen?”
“Indeed. Since our father is also present—”
“Unfounded? Do I seem like a woman who’d make such claims without evidence?”
With a cheerful grin, Eileen pulled out her smartphone from her uniform pocket and shook it lightly. The color drained from Luce and Viola’s faces.
“…May I check the inside? Just a brief moment.”
“Stop with the ridiculous chatter. And Segretus has evidence of what I sent, so if you really want to, you’ll have to handle us both at once.”
“I’ll check Segretus’s.”
“Is it not a bit much to drag me into this, Eileen? Are you that unwilling to die alone?”
In this short time, a feud erupted yet again; meanwhile, Regina and Selene, who had been forced away from me, approached quietly through light and shadow.
With a pop, the two exchanged glances and jumped into my embrace, staring up at me, then chattering among themselves.
“Yup, Dad is still Dad. That unique vibe is gone, but instead, there’s this feeling that he’s somehow cute, right?”
“Cu, cute? However you look at it, he’s still our father, Regina…”
“Right now Dad is probably much younger than we are, right? So he must be 22 or 23?”
“If that’s the case… I can’t help but think it wouldn’t add up to even a tenth…”
‘Are you thinking I can’t hear this?’
They had been babbling about how cute I was and whatever, and considering they were quite literally in my arms, I could hear everything, including Kaiquilia and Minerva.
At this point, doubts about the criteria for cuteness began to set in. If I heard I had a sharp expression, maybe that was the only compliment I’ve heard; not a single word about being cute.
“Moms. Don’t you want to see what the future Dad feels like?”
The two, who had been passionately debating over whether Dad was cute or not, suddenly redirected their arrows toward another target. Kaiquilia’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“…Did you mention future Delta?”
“Yes. Although Selene has been a bit hesitant to acknowledge it, I think if you moms agree, she would accept it right away! You moms are from the past, after all.”
Curiosity flickered in the golden and silver eyes. Perhaps interpreting their interest as a positive sign, Regina turned to me with a mix of charm and affection to seek my ultimate approval.
“Dad. You must be curious too, right? About what future Dad would be like?”
“I don’t particularly feel curious. Didn’t I just say my appearance hasn’t much changed?”
“That’s fair. To be honest, if it comes down to just appearances, I can’t confidently distinguish it either. Maybe my hair has grown a bit longer? But, there’s this vibe, you know? With the same aura, you’d score 100, but if you add in the mature yet somehow cuddly atmosphere, it would feel like 1000 points!”
“Were you saying 100 points out of 1000?”
“Of course 100 out of 100. What’s with the sudden surprise?”
Regina flashed a broad smile. Selene fidgeted nervously beside her, concerned I might find it uncomfortable.
After pondering for a moment, I nodded. After all, both Kaiquilia and Minerva were watching me with a glimmer of expectation. And since it was just a change of vibe, it probably wouldn’t be that different.
Selene overjoyed, summoned divine power in her hands. It was at a level that could rival Floretta and Luna now. One might even need to bring relics just to barely overcome them.
‘…Well, it’s been nearly 300 years, surely they all must be much stronger than they are now.’
If Selene’s abilities were that impressive, what about the Popes? Imagining that wasn’t hard at all.
Golden divine power enveloped my body. And in less than a second, it vanished. As the light faded, I looked down. Just when I thought not much had changed, my bangs lightly poked my eyes.
So that was what they meant by my hair growing longer. I frowned slightly as I brushed aside the hair that half-covered my vision.
“…?”
But for some reason, the vibe felt strange.
Even the four who had been ready to pounce at each other, as well as Regina and Selene nestled in my embrace, were gazing at me with dazed expressions—Kaiquilia and Minerva sitting next to me included.
—What on earth is happening here, Segretus?
—Could you kindly keep your mouth shut? I don’t want to mix your voice into this sacred memory.
—Ah… O benevolent sun, how grateful I am to be in your presence today……
—O merciful moon… in the world… such blessings… how could you be so merciful……
Their lips kept moving, forming words. Initially, they had proper speech, but gradually it devolved into incoherence.
“…Daughters? What’s wrong?”
The replies came back empty. No matter how many times I looked at my body, nothing noticeably changed, making me confused while familiar scents filled my nostrils.
It smelled like peaches.
I turned my head sideways. Kaiquilia was fixated on me, her body twitching uncontrollably. A sticky liquid was dripping from beneath her uniform skirt, splashing onto the sofa and then to the floor.
I could guess what that inside view was without seeing it. I desperately ignored the increasingly prominent moans while glancing to the other side.
Minerva bore the same expression she had when I toyed with her on my own while she was filled with pleasure—eyes sparkling as if they might burst with hearts, ragged breaths, and flushed cheeks.
I even thought I could catch a faint whiff of lemon.
“Regina.”
“…….”
I called out the mastermind behind this chaos quietly, but like the others, she was too busy gaping at me, mouth agape. Selene beside her did the same.
“Regina, our daughter?”
“Y-yes…?”
Her response came back, but it felt worlds apart from a conscious reply.
“What did you do?”
“W-well… I… used divine power….”
“Divine power?”
“With divine power, I placed a slight, really slight overlay of the… future Dad’s image…”
“I see.”
I smiled gently at her. At that, a gasp resonated from all around me.
Kaiquilia seemed to be in a state of spasms, drenched in a puddle exuding peach fragrance forming beneath her thighs and hips.
“Release it. Right now.”