The Female Lead Takes Care of Everything - Chapter 50

Panicked, Caleo ignored the fact that his sister had returned after two years and immediately grabbed Nivellia to get to the bottom of that horrifying word.

“W-Where did you even hear a word like ‘mate’?”

“A long, long time ago.”

“A long time—when? Who said it?”

“When Nini was still a cat!”

While Caleo’s interrogation led nowhere…

“Hmm. Should we go inside the estate?”

“I need to go with the young lady.”

“You’re a knight through and through, huh? Then how about hearing a story from this Mercenary King?”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Armiphera began telling Aref her stories.

She started with how tough it was when she first joined a mercenary group, followed by tales of exploring dragon lairs, faction fights within her squad, and even the time she nearly lost an eye.

As she spoke, Aref’s expression slowly shifted from eager to horrified.

He had expected fairy-tale hero stories, but the raw details of real adventures were brutal and violent.

When she talked about nearly losing her eye, he instinctively covered one of his own.

“D-Didn’t it hurt…?”

“It hurt like hell.”

Armiphera proudly pointed at the scar over her left eye.

“But I only got scratched. The traitor who attacked me—his eyeball…”

“Armiphera!”

A sharp voice rang out from the second-floor window.

Startled, Aref looked up.

Through the wide-open window stood Muniel, glaring with a fierce expression. She didn’t even seem to notice Nivellia or Aref were there—her eyes were locked solely on her daughter.

“Lady Muniel…?”

“Oh no…”

Armiphera winced, realizing what she’d forgotten.

“I completely forgot about Mom.”

Even the Mercenary King turned into a scolded child in front of her mother.

“Are you out of your mind? You didn’t contact us for two whole years! Did it make you feel better to let your mother rot in worry?!”

“Ow! Mom, that hurts!”

Smack! Smack!

The slapping sounds echoed mercilessly.

Aref couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

L-Lady Muniel…!

The kind woman who always greeted him with a warm smile, who had never raised her voice—even she could become terrifying.

With eyes blazing and fury written all over her face, Muniel swung her hand down onto her daughter’s back without mercy.

You could practically see how she must’ve fought in the war forty years ago, judging by that sharp wrist technique.

“Mom! That really hurts!”

Armiphera finally broke free and, in desperation, scooped Aref up like a shield to protect herself.

Aref’s eyes went wide in shock.

“Lucky! I want a turn too!”

Nivellia tugged at Armiphera’s leg, begging for the same treatment.

Given the chaos of the moment, Celletina gently pulled her daughter aside to give everyone some space.

“Mom, calm down!”

Armiphera tried to explain herself.

“They say no news is good news! I came back with all my limbs, didn’t I?! That should be enough!”

“You think that’s something you should be saying? And what happened to your eye, huh?”

“Isn’t it cool? I got this in the semifinals of the Mercenary King tournament—”

“Hey!”

Muniel’s fury flared again.

She had brought this girl into the world and raised her with care—and here she was, throwing her body around like it meant nothing.

“Phera.”

It was Ardores who spoke now, having remained silent until then.

“Muniel worried about you. A lot.”

His stern voice carried unusual weight.

Of course it did. He, too, had been worried about their daughter all this time.

Sure, he knew she wasn’t the type to fall easily. But a parent’s heart doesn’t work like that.

No matter how strong a child becomes, if they’re out of sight, the worry never goes away.

“……”

At last, a look of guilt and regret flickered across Armiphera’s face.

“Maybe… I shouldn’t have come back.”

Not quite the kind of regret her parents were hoping for.

Still, Armiphera composed herself and gently lowered Aref back to the ground.

Aref, trying to steady his thoughts, quietly reached for her hand.

“When you do something wrong, you need to say sorry.”

He calmly shared one of the most important lessons he’d learned at the kindergarten—and right here in the Deiamor estate.

“If Lady Armiphera did something wrong… you should apologize.”

“…You’re way more mature than I am.”

Kids these days really were something.

With a gruff smile, she ruffled Aref’s fine blond hair with her calloused hand.

After getting his head patted, Aref gently pressed down his hair with one hand and quickly ran over to where Nivellia was waiting.

“Mom.”

Armiphera, now determined, stood in front of Muniel.

“I… I’m sorry.”

“What exactly are you sorry for?”

“For not staying in touch. I should’ve sent messages regularly, at the very least. And… for not taking care of my body.”

“……”

Of course, a couple of apologies wouldn’t instantly erase two years’ worth of worry.

But in the end, Muniel let out a deep, heavy sigh—as if all her frustration sank into the earth—and wrapped her daughter in a hug.

“You’re safe. That’s what matters. Just—don’t disappear on us again, alright?”

“Yes, Mom.”

At last, the two embraced tightly.

Muniel gently cupped her daughter’s sun-tanned face, as if holding something precious.

“It really is good to see you again.”

“Hehe… right?”

“Don’t laugh like that. You look like a fool.”

“At least let me keep some dignity in front of the kids.”

Armiphera turned and greeted Ardores.

Without hesitation, he picked her up and spun her around with a big grin.

Even if she had become a chaotic, runaway Mercenary King, she was still his beloved youngest daughter.

“But, Phera…”

“Yes, Dad?”

“What happened to my greatsword?”

“Well… isn’t losing the sword better than losing my arm?”

With an innocent smile, Armiphera answered with a not-so-subtle hint: the sword was gone.

Ardores clutched his chest, silently mourning a blade that had clearly crossed the point of no return.

Luckily, the broken sword was currently being repaired.

“There’s a really talented blacksmith in the Latro district. His name’s Malleus—he said he knew you.”

“Oh, that guy ended up out in the mercenary lands, huh.”

“When I said it was your sword, he offered to fix it for free. But I didn’t think that was right, so I stuffed his pockets full of coin until he couldn’t argue.”

After reuniting with her parents, Armiphera caught up with her brother and sister-in-law.

“Wow, you look exactly the same… just older.”

“Did you really think that line would land?”

“Honestly? No. But I don’t care. Ahh—Celletina! It’s been forever! You haven’t changed at all!”

“I’m just relieved you’re back safely. You look even stronger than before. Did you really become the Mercenary King?”

Celletina smiled brightly, her joy heartfelt.

Armiphera grinned back, proud and radiant.

“Of course I did! It took six years, but I finally achieved my dream.”

The one person who could lead the unleadable.

All mercenaries followed her command now. Those who defied her could be executed on the spot under the authority of the Mercenary King.

The power she now held rivaled that of most nations.

“That’s why I’m planning to rest for a while. My whole body aches after six years without a break.”

“You’re staying here, then?”

“Just for a bit. Even as Mercenary King, I’ve still got work to do. And I’ve got plans of my own…”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Caleo cut in flatly.

He gave her a slow once-over, from head to toe.

“But first—go take a bath.”

Only then did everyone realize how disheveled and travel-worn Armiphera looked.

After cleaning up, she changed into a loose shirt and comfortable cotton pants. Her boots were swapped for open-toed sandals.

“Nini has those too!”

Nivellia pointed to Armiphera’s sandals excitedly.

“They let your toes breathe! But if you run around, dirt and grass get in sometimes.”

“Do you like sandals, Nini?”

“Sandals?”

“Shoes like these that show your toes are called sandals.”

“Hmm… I like them… kind of.”

Nivellia, Aref, and Soles didn’t leave Armiphera’s side.

After all, she’d been gone for two years—and now she was back as the Mercenary King.

Everything she brought was fascinating, and even though her stories were a bit scary at times, they were thrilling to listen to.

“Wow, Soles! You’ve gotten so big!”

Armiphera, too, was amazed at how much her nieces and nephews had grown.

“You’re way taller than last time. And judging by your hands and feet, you’re going to be as big as your dad—and maybe even Grandpa.”

“Really?!”

Soles’s eyes lit up.

“Especially your feet. Big feet usually mean a big growth spurt. Just look at wild animals—wolves, tigers. The big ones all have huge paws.”

“Whoa…”

Soles imagined himself grown up, tall and strong. He hoped with all his heart that Armiphera’s words would come true.

“Now that I think about it, Aref, your hands are pretty big too. And your bones are solid.”

“The Duke told me that too.”

He’d heard the same thing before, and hearing it again made him sure of it. Two adults couldn’t be wrong—it had to be true.

“The Duke? Ralph?”

“Ralph?”

Nivellia mumbled, idly fidgeting with her fingers.

“Kallaroff. Ralph. Duke of De Gladius.”

She nodded to herself, remembering the neighbor she often saw.

“Oh, the thick-thigh guy?”

“Where does she learn these words? She’s hilarious.”

“Everywhere.”

Armiphera chuckled and pulled her bag off her shoulder, dumping it right onto the floor.

“You were curious about my stuff, weren’t you?”

I saw those sparkly eyes watching earlier.

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