Afterward, I went straight back home. My wife Anastacia and I lived in a charming villa in the noble district not far from the castle.

As I opened the door, a pleasant aroma invaded my nostrils.

I sniffed around a few times, trying to figure out what smelled so delightful.

“Meat pie? Am I smelling a meat pie?”

My gaze met hers.

She was smiling brightly. It was so bright I should have looked away, fearing to lose my eyesight.

But not a single thing in the whole world would make me look away.

“Bingo! Made with fresh venison my father hunted this morning!”

“Oh my! You know how to make a man happy.”

Her lengthy scarlet hair was rippling freely on her back due to a breeze coming from a nearby opened window.

“Tonight is special, after all. Tomorrow is going to be your first battle in years. I must make sure you eat properly. You can’t fight on an empty stomach!”

“You’re aware of that already? It wasn’t even announced to the public yet.”

Her snowy, almost translucent skin was covered in just the right number of freckles.

“Of course, do not underestimate a housewife’s intelligence network!”

“I’d better be careful, then.”

Obviously, I couldn’t tell her about the miniature sorcerer’s staff I ordered for our upcoming child.

“About what?” she spoke through her soft pink lips. “You know I am going to find out about it sooner or later.”

“Ugh…”

I had to keep the secret at all costs.

The smallest bit of concern was showing on her delicate features.

“On another note, our little one is quite active today. He is so energic, I am pretty sure it is a boy.”

“You’re conceiving an heir already?"

Her dazzling blue eyes looked at me questioningly.

“Why does your heir have to be a boy?"

“Eh? I don’t know I guess that’s just how it works?”

After all this time, she could still surprise me. She was oblivious to social norms, or perhaps she simply did not care.

**It’s decided. There is no way I can win against this woman anyway. My firstborn will inherit, whether it’s a boy or a girl.**

**A woman in a position of power should bring a breath of fresh air into the noble’s society. Just to shake their foundations a bit.**

“Why do you need an heir, anyway?” she asked. “We are both of common birth and do not have any domain to hand down.”

“Now that you mention it…”

I capitulated.

Suddenly, she bent and embraced her stomach tightly with both of her arms, visibly in pain.

“Ugh, he is going wild,” she complained. “He has a lot of energy. He is going to be a phenomenon to behold once he is born!”

I looked at her with concern, but I quickly realized there was nothing to be worried about.

“It's no wonder, she’s the heiress of the household of Lynch, first of his name! She’s probably learning magic as we speak!”

“That would explain the pain,” she acknowledged. “And the little kicks would be him learning about martial arts!”

She was typically serene and easygoing, even air-headed every so often, but she still had an unpredictable sense of humor.

We chuckled for an instant before I figured out something, “Hey, why are you implying it’s going to be a boy? I want a daughter!”

“Didn’t you want a male heir?”

“I changed my mind. A girl sounds fun.”

“Girls are scary when they go through puberty,” she started. “They are bad news once they learn a bit of magic. I almost burned down my dad’s inn back then, you know?”

“Yeah, your father told me about it. You snapped after he asked you to do the dishes. This is indeed pretty scary!”

“Boys, on the other side, are more direct. They will assault their parents before destroying any material goods.”

“That sounds scary too!” I shrieked.

“Anyway, while I set the table, could you deliver this for me?”

Wearing oven mitts, she took out one of the two meat pies that were in the oven. It was steaming. It looked awfully hot.

Anastacia looked back and forth between my hands and her meat pie, “Oh, I will get you something to carry it without burning your hands.”

“Don’t you dare underestimate me, Ana! I have immersed my hands in the scorching flames of hell on multiple occasions! I do not wish for a cheap appliance to endure my trial!”

**Fireproof!**

I silently cast a short fire resistance spell to help with the heat.

“Scorching flames of hell? Are you talking about that time you helped wash the dishes at the inn? I remember the water was pretty hot.”

“Anyway, give it here.”

She stretched her arms toward me and held out the meat pie. With her arms stretched out like that, I wanted to give her a hug, but I held back.

I took the steaming meat pie in my bare hands.

“Hmph! A piece of pie!”

“That was lame, Lynch. Are the dad jokes coming in already?”

I didn’t have any more time to waste here. I had a mission to accomplish.

**Flight!**

My feet left the ground. I gained some altitude, then I changed course and made a beeline for my destination.

I liked flying. It was a fast way to travel, and I wouldn’t get stuck in traffic or anything. The breeze felt good, and the spell itself costs barely any mana to maintain. Well, that was by my standards. Besides me, only a handful of wizards could use the spell Flight.

I knocked at the front door of the orphanage. A middle-aged woman that looked like a nun opened the door.

Surprised by my sudden appearance, she yelped and backed off a step. I was fairly famous, so I was accustomed to people being intimidated by my presence. It didn’t please me though, I was a laid-back person, and seeing someone so tense because of me made me feel uncomfortable.

“Special delivery from Anastacia, fresh out of the oven,” I said, trying to imitate a food delivery man.

She relaxed her stiff shoulders. It wasn’t the first time I came here, so her surprise didn’t last long.

“Come in, sir! This way, please!”

She seemed genuinely happy now. I followed her to the dining room, where a dozen of energetic wobbling kids was seated around the large table there.

They stared at me, then exclaimed loudly, “It’s the cool wizard guy!”

That was one of my many titles. To be completely honest, I liked it. It was especially popular with kids.

“Please! Show us the fire dragon!”

The careless smile on the nun’s lips vanished. She looked utterly terrified.

Did she think I would do something so dangerous inside a wooden house?

Well, I couldn’t deny the kids' request either, so I summoned a small fireball in my palm and attempted to alter the fire’s patterns to make it look like a dragon.

“WOAAAAAH!”

The clamor confirmed the success of my magic trick.

“Thank you, cool wizard guy!”

I left the orphanage. My wife used to come here regularly to bring some food to the orphans, but with her rather advanced pregnancy, I was now doing the deliveries for her.

Among the community, especially the poor, she was seen as a saint. She kept pestering the king for funds, then she would use them to renovate the few orphanages in the city.

Anastacia didn’t have much political power, but since she was considered an extension of me, the king couldn’t ignore her either. And she could be persistent, so the king would always yield ultimately.

Despite being now part of the noble’s society, she felt closer to the common people. I loved her modesty and her kind heart.

**Goddamn, I love her. So fucking much.**