The Collapsed World

“After all, I’m just showing my face briefly. Isn’t this too much effort?”

For a man who had lived his entire life on battlefields, it might be natural that the current scene seemed a bit excessive.

After all, the people now gathered around the child were those whom Rier himself would only call for official occasions.

Personnel who could all be called experts among experts in this field from start to finish.

However, for Cinia, who understood more precisely what a meeting with the heir of the world’s top corporation meant, even this seemed insufficient.

Therefore, the question from the man who was virtually ignorant of anything other than fighting was dismissed with a single sentence.

“First impressions are always the most important.”

So she said.

At this, the scarred mouth slowly closed.

Well, when the person who had been watching Rier himself the longest was making the child look like his daughter, there was no particular reason to object…

“…Thinking that I threw punches at such a child makes me feel somewhat guilty.”

“It was strange that you didn’t feel guilty before.”

Perhaps it was because, as someone said, the child was transforming into an even more beautiful and lovable appearance.

Or perhaps because the saying “clothes make the man” wasn’t completely false.

Even though he was someone who had only cared about the strength of opponents and not their appearance, he couldn’t help but scratch his head awkwardly.

Even though after the meeting with Tine ended, they would go back to being no relation to each other.

“H-how do I look?”

“Cute.”

The child who was slightly embarrassed, blushing while saying this was the first time they had been properly dressed up like this.

The child who looked even more natural than before being dressed up, despite being touched by the hands and devotion of numerous experts.

What if she had really been his daughter?

He couldn’t help but think.

“For the first time, I’m envious of those Lunatic guys.”

“I-I don’t think it’s that much…”

“Too much modesty is poison? Have confidence in your appearance too.”

Like the daughter of this Rier. What came back to the words appropriately mixed with sincerity and playfulness was a brief murmur about trying to do so.

Not long after, swish.

A soft hand without a single callus lightly rested on the thick hand marked with small scars.

Because of the height difference between himself and the child, he had to hold his hand up quite high, but that was nothing.

Either way, a father and daughter holding hands and walking was a natural thing in a way.

“Sh-she really is the young lady…”

–Thud.

“H-hey! Get a hold of yourself!”

For some reason, one of the security guards fainted upon seeing him and the child walking together harmoniously. But he didn’t pay much attention to it. As always.

Right after that, he and the child boarded the luxury limousine that had been waiting for them for quite some time.

And so, heading toward the skyscraper located in the center of the city. After hearing the news that Rier’s blind date opponent had rented out the entire restaurant on the top floor of the building, he said “as expected” and then.

“See you later.”

“Y-yes!”

For now, he walked alone toward the rich young lady sitting far away.

Originally, a twist like <A person who was thought to be single actually has a daughter and is married> works better when revealed a bit later.

Once upon a time, quite a long time ago.

When Rier, who had risen to the ranks of the strong even before becoming an adult, finally defeated the last challenger and became openly the strongest in the Northern Continent.

“Miss Tine, have you heard the news? The Blood Hunter Dainur─”

“That he was beaten all day by Rier and taken to the hospital?”

“Oh, you already knew?”

Sure enough, a young lady finally took interest in the name Rier, which had been on everyone’s lips recently.

It might be a natural progression to become interested in the new supernova of this cold Northern Continent, but the problem was that this girl was the heir to the global corporation Pelvia.

In other words, she was in a position where relatively “many things” were possible compared to ordinary people.

For example, hearing about the activities of the person at the top of the Northern Continent—mainly in dungeons—almost at a real-time broadcast level.

[Rier has encountered the Lava Dragon! B-but…]

“But?”

[It seems like he’s trying to get hit by the breath rather than avoiding it…?]

Or receiving recordings of battles between Rier and fearless assassins that took place in extreme secrecy.

[D-damn it! I was clearly sleeping!]

[What? Wasn’t it a dream?]

[No, then, I thought I was fighting in a dream all this time─]

[-Crack!]

[Kuhuck!!]

Or even using money and power to enter dungeons inaccessible to anyone but hunters and directly seeing traces of Rier’s battles with her own eyes.

As she received information that was typically difficult for ordinary people to access, feelings resembling admiration and awe gradually bloomed in the girl’s heart as days passed.

Not long after, these emotions eventually transformed into something called love.

However, because Rier had consistently ignored her no matter how she tried to contact him.

It seemed like the day when this burning heart would be conveyed would never come.

“But that’s only the story until today! Finally, Lord Rier has agreed to meet with me!”

“Tsk, what’s so good about that muscle-head?”

“I feel sorry for Father who doesn’t understand the coolness of muscles!”

“W-what?!”

What followed was, as expected, a harsh scolding.

Reprimanding what was called ‘money waste’—renting out the entire expensive restaurant, and the most expensive one in the Northern Continent at that—for a brief meeting came next.

However, it didn’t matter.

Really, it didn’t matter at all.

The reason being that the person who had been ignoring her despite dozens or hundreds of contact attempts had finally agreed to meet with her.

Although why there had been a change of heart, why he suddenly changed his attitude, remained unclear…

It wasn’t so strange in the sense that not a single person had been able to predict the bizarre behavioral patterns of the person called the battle maniac.

Whatever the reason, that Rier had said he would meet with her.

And in a place explicitly named a ‘blind date’.

Even a passing cat would know what this meant.

Therefore, it was only natural that she prepared a better venue to capture Rier’s heart more perfectly.

In other words, she could fully endure her father’s scolding.

However…

“Even if by some chance that guy forms a connection with you, don’t even dream of bringing him into Pelvia.”

Because she couldn’t lightly dismiss the words that he wouldn’t acknowledge the man she held in her heart as a member of the family.

She asked, almost as a spinal reflex, what was lacking in Rier.

What came next was an extremely logical and reasonable reason.

“Certainly, having a man like Rier as a family member would be reassuring.”

“But bringing that guy in as a son-in-law means taking responsibility for all the eccentricities he commits.”

“If he continues to fight everywhere as usual even after marrying you, the company’s image will plummet to the bottom!”

At this, she finally left the study without being able to say anything.

However, because the thought of giving up on Rier never occurred to her.

No, because for some reason her feelings toward Rier grew even stronger than before.

‘If I’m with Lord Rier, I would gladly even elope.’

Thinking of things that would make her father faint if he knew, she began to adorn herself as beautifully as possible.

Because now, in just a little while, she would finally meet Rier.

Because she would take the first step toward days spent together with the person she had desperately wanted since childhood.

And so, after finally completing all preparations.

Until she arrived at the restaurant a little earlier than the promised time and began waiting for Rier, there was no problem.

–Tap.

“So, you are Miss Tine?”

“…Hello.”

There was a minor issue of her face and even her tongue becoming stiff from too much nervousness, but she could certainly overcome that much.

The story she then told to the person sitting across from her was about the various activities of Rier that she herself had heard about.

The result of listing each and every one of Rier’s achievements, no matter how trivial, and uttering exclamations seemed not too bad.

She also felt Rier’s stiff face gradually relaxing as time passed.

Not long after, after the food she had chosen with utmost care for days had finally been placed on the white table.

“Um, Lord Rier─”

Only after the fork and knife had moved several times did she finally reveal her true intentions.

More precisely…

She was about to reveal them.

“Wait a moment.”

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s someone I’d like to introduce to you.”

“…What? Someone you’d like to introduce?”

Right after, what came back instead of an answer was a gesture.

The direction of that gesture being far away was slightly puzzling, if anything.

Eventually, a small shadow walking toward them.

“H-hello!”

She was unconsciously at a loss for words at the bright voice of the child whom she had initially thought was a moving doll.

Isn’t this what it would look like if the word “loveliness” were brought to reality?

“Cute, isn’t she?”

“Yes, extremely cute!”

And so, just as she was slowly extending her hand to stroke that soft hair once.

“She’s my daughter.”

“No wonder, she looks like you and makes me want to have her just by looking… W-what?! What did you say?!”

Words sufficient to collapse one person’s world were finally heard.

For the moment, she couldn’t even notice that she had blurted out her true feelings.

…Unfortunately.