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It was rather questionable that Caelus had become the parent of a dromas. In the first place, how could a human father a dromas? No one really batted an eye, making Caelus wonder just what exactly the people of Amphoreus saw dromas' as.
'...I never thought I'd ever consider becoming a vegan.' The Trailblazer thought to himself as he walked around the streets of Okhema with his... son(?), Dromy.
"Grumph? (What's wrong, Papa?)" The child asked, sensing his father's distress.
"...It's nothing."
It wasn't worth thinking about. After all, he had been through many strange experiences throughout his trailblazing journey.
This was just another one of them.
'...My room might turn into a zoo at this point, though.'
As they leisurely walked, a myriad of passersby had taken an interest in the charming little Dromy.
It's not that dromas' themselves were rare, but Dromy exhibited a much more friendly aura compared to his more proud and mighty compatriots.
Perhaps it was due to him still being young.
Caelus began to worry about how he would handle Dromy when he grew into his rebellious phase. After all, he himself was just a young man with two years' worth of memories. How could he even be a good parent?
"Wow! Is that your dromas, Mister?" The voice of a small child brought him back to reality.
"Serena! It's been a while. Yeah, this here is Dromy."
"Grumph! (Nice to meet you, Serena!)" Dromy exclaimed as he snuggled up to the girl.
Despite the language(?) barrier, Serena seemingly understood Dromy's approach as he nuzzled up to the purple-haired, bespectacled little girl.
"Hehe, nice to meet you too. Mister, he really looks like you." The child innocently exclaimed.
"T-Thanks? Wait, does that mean I look like a dromas!?"
"I was talking more about his eyes, but don't worry, Mister. Dromas' are pretty cute, so I don't think there would be a problem if you looked like one."
"Grumph! (That's right, Papa! You're a handsome dromas just like me!)"
Again, Serena had no way of understanding what the dromas said, but the look in his amber eyes carried enough meaning for Serena to understand that they were on the same page... mostly.
"Um... Can I pet him?" The girl shyly asked.
"Grumph. (Go ahead. Feel me up as much as you want)"
"He said go ahead." Caelus translated on his son's behalf, omitting the latter, weirdly phrased part.
"Hehe... Thanks~"
The little girl was hesitant at first, but as even Trailblazer Jr. urged her on, she began feeling more comfortable stroking her hand across his scaly head.
Caelus watched from the sidelines with a mix of emotions, all of them positive. He felt happy that his kid was growing up to be socially approachable. It would be awful if the kid inherited his social anxiety.
'Seriously, who would believe that?' The voice of a rosy celestial maiden echoed in his mind, as if she were still there with them.
'Hey, I'm still alive, you know!'
Caelus began reminiscing on all the fun times they had together. Ah, if only they could return to those days...
'Fufu~ if you don't stop teasing her, I might have to step in...♭' The echoing voice of a terrifying presence snapped him back to reality.
When he came to, he noticed that a crowd had gathered around his dromas. Several children and even adults, both familiar and not, admired the dromas from a distance, with some bolder ones reaching out friendly hands to pet his head.
Dromy seemed to be enjoying the attention, so it was all in good fun.
The scene went on for a while before Dromy looked up to face Caelus with a confused look on his face.
"Grumph? (Papa, why is that lady standing so far away?)"
Caelus looked towards the direction that Dromy was gesturing, only to see a lady clad in a white, bandage-like dress.
'...Castorice?'
It's not like it was a complete oddity to see her out and about in the city. Even before Era Nova, she would occasionally take a stroll, though it was rare since people would avoid her.
Nowadays, now that she had control over her powers as a demigod, she didn't need to worry about any unforeseen accidents.
Though that wasn't to say she could happily go around touching living things.
The memories of those times still linger heavily in her mind, which has caused a sort of mental block that makes her scared of touching anything with a pulse.
She has been working on it, though. At the very least, she can bring herself to touch the butterflies in the garden of life and even a nymph or two.
Going back to the current situation, Caelus contemplated how he should explain it to Dromy in a way that he could understand.
"...She's just worried she might accidentally hurt you."
"Grumph! (She won't!)" The earth beast proudly declared, parting the crowd of people like a messiah as he fearlessly charged towards the demigod of Death.
"Dromy?! Wait up-!" Caelus' cries fell on deaf ears.
"Eh!?" Castorice let out a startled cry as she saw the (not really)ferocious beast charge towards her.
"Wait what...!? No, wait..." She backed away with a step, then two...
"No, please, help-" And off she went in a full sprint.
"Grumph! (Come here lady!)" Dromy didn't relent, speeding up to catch up with the Chrysos Heir.
It made for an amusing sight. The image of a Chrysos Heir, the demigod of Death herself, running away in a panic from the fledgling dromas.
"Mister, aren't you going to help her?" Serena posed a question to the amused Caelus, who was enjoying the sight from afar, as if it weren't his kid causing problems in the first place.
"He'll give up soon... I think."
Indeed, he really wouldn't make a great parent. After all, it was in these kinds of situations where he should step in and reprimand Dromy, but he found it just a tad bit too funny that he was willing to let it slide.
And besides, despite Castorice's reserved personality, she was still a Chrysos Heir. A battle-hardened maiden of war who once fought on the frontlines of battle.
*Whoosh*
Up she leapt, from the ground up onto the rooftops. It was a feat most humans could only dream of achieving, and even those who could would spend considerable effort doing so. Yet for her, it was no different than a hop.
"Grumph!? Grumph! (This lady is so strong!? Ah, Big Sis Trianne taught me about this...)"
Caelus was confused as he watched from afar, seeing that Dromy was still unwilling to give up. What could he possibly do to get up there?
And yet, the flash of light which denoted the manifestation of a portal threw him off guard.
"C-Century Gate!? How- No wait, I can't have him running on rooftops." Caelus leapt forward to chase after them, concerned for both Dromy's and Castorice's safety.
He didn't have time to idle, with Dromy already making way, chasing Castorice across rooftops, kicking up stray rooftiles with each step.
Summoning the power of Destruction within him, he channeled it into his legs, launching himself immediately above the rooftops and promptly sprinting to catch up to the two.
"Mr. Caelus?! H-Help..."
"R-Right. Sorry about this, Castorice! Dromy, come back here!"
"Grumph! (Not yet!)"
He had never expected that Dromy would enter his rebellious stage so soon. He pushed the worries of parenting to the back of his mind as he charged for his son, who was somehow using Oronyx's prayers to accelerate even faster.
'Seriously, when the hell did he learn to do that!?'
"Haah... Even if you are the Savior of Amphoreus, that doesn't give you the right to stir up trouble."
The Goldweaver exclaimed with frustration as she took in the report of the damages caused by their little escapade.
Aside from a multitude of damaged roofs, they even knocked over a few pillars and ran into a few stalls and shops.
It wasn't much to reimburse the affected parties, but the hit to their reputation would almost certainly be substantial.
"S-Sorry, I'll watch over him better next time..."
"Grumph... (Sorry, Lady Aglaea...)"
"I see that you are at the very least remorseful for your actions. I will not punish you, since the fault lies mostly with the parent."
"Urk..." Caelus couldn't help but shudder as she said that.
"Now then, esteemed guest, I would like to have a word with you in private."
"Y-Yes. Um, Dromy, why don't you go back to the stables for now? I'll have a word with you later."
As much as he tried to act like a parent, it was already too late as Aglaea dragged him into a private chamber.
"Grumph... (Papa...)"
'Sheesh... who would've thought I'd be getting parenting advice from Aglaea of all people...'
His thoughts were cut short as he tripped over something on his way to the stables.
"Whoah!" With a loud thump, he fell face-first onto the marble flooring. It wasn't enough to hurt someone like him, but it was certainly embarrassing.
"What the..." Looking back, however, he saw nothing.
Had he tripped over his own foot?
Then he saw it, a thin reflection of light bouncing off, revealing to him a thin golden thread.
"Hiihhh!!!"
Evidently, it was a warning from Aglaea to take their previous conversation seriously.
What a scary person. To think Cipher ended up the way she did, being raised by that woman.
"Perhaps one of my biggest failings in raising Ciferia was doing so alone..." Was what she told him just now
"Are you sure that's all it is? I mean, you are a bit too- never mind."
"I'm sure you've been made aware of that one's parental situation, right?"
"Dromy's birth parents? Yeah, I'm not really sure how to bring it up to him."
"That little one is intelligent, I'm sure he has already realized it by now."
"...Is that based on your golden threads?"
"...Just intuition. Although I do sense a sense of longing within the little beast."
"Longing?"
"His true parents are long gone, that much he knows. He has made peace with that fact with you as his father."
"...You're saying he should get a mom as well?"
"...Perhaps, if I had raised Ciferia along with another, our relationship may not be so strained. After all, she has no other parent to confide in besides me, whom she cannot bring herself to face."
"..." Caelus thought about their conversation as he exited Marmoreal Palace, taking the path down to the markets and then to the stables.
"A mother... huh."
Aglaea's words made sense. Being a mother wasn't a role he could play. Hell, he didn't even know what it felt like to have a mother, or any parent for that matter.
"...Maybe that's why I like playing pretend with that kid."
The feeling of having a family wasn't all too bad. He did consider the Astral Express crew to be family, but they felt more like close relatives.
"...No, no. It's not pretend. I'm that kid's dad." He forced himself to believe that idea.
Whether it was a lie or a fact didn't matter. If he were really desperate, he could ask Cipher to help him mess with reality a bit.
Still, a mother for Dromy...
"Maybe Hyacine could work?" Caelus pondered the idea.
Hyacine was one of the first people Dromy met. She's a kind and caring soul who loves animals with all her heart. Plus, she naturally gets along with Dromy. She's basically a perfect fit, right?
"But Dromy calls her big sis..." And since she was one of the first people Dromy met, the idea that Hyacine is a big sister figure is probably cemented in his mind.
"...Aglaea has parenting experience, right?"
Assuming Cipher was just a special case, Aglaea would make a great parent, no?
"Wait, but since she raised Cipher..."
'Yo Gray Mystery. Ah, or should I call you... daddy~'
"Absolutely not."
He sighed as the dromas stables came into view. For now, he thought to just talk some sense into Dromy first.
"Grumph. (Hehe, Castorice's hand is warm.)"
"Is that so? I'm glad you're enjoying it."
"...?" Caelus was at a loss for words.
Castorice, who was previously seen running away from Dromy in a panic, now sat beside him and was patting his head while feeding him redsoil.
"C-Castorice?! What are you doing here? And uh... you can understand him?"
"This little one came to apologize to me earlier. As for understanding him, perhaps because it is because I can understand Titans? Dromas are said to be children of Georos after all."
"I see... Wait a minute, I thought you were still afraid of touching animals."
"T-That still rings true... That being said, Dromy here has warmed up to me quite a bit, and he was even patient enough to wait while I steeled myself to feed him..."
Just as Caelus was processing said information, Dromy came up to him with an apologetic look in his eyes.
"Grumph grumph. (You got punished by Lady Aglaea because of me... Sorry, Papa.)"
"Nah, don't worry about it. As long as you're safe."
"Grumph... (Papa...)"
"W-W-Wait a minute!" Castorice interrupted their tender father-son bonding moment. "P-P-Papa?! Mr. Caelus... Are you and Lord Terravox... or is it Lord Dan Heng...?"
"What?! No... Let me explain..."
"So that's how it is..." Castorice's face went solemn as she heard what had happened.
"Sorry you had to find out like this, Dromy." Caelus apologetically looked towards the little dromas.
"Grumph. (It's fine. I already assumed that was the case)"
The atmosphere had grown heavy at the heavy story of Dromy's parents' absence. Surprisingly, it was Castorice who broke the silence.
"I'm sorry, Dromy. Even as the demigod of Death, I don't have the authority to bring them back. But if there's anything you need, please don't hesitate to come to me."
Dromy's amber eyes widened at Castorice's words.
"Grumph? (Anything?)"
"Yes. Anything."
"Grumph... Grumph? (Then... Can I call you Mama?)" The dromas asked with a pleading expression.
"M-M-Mama? I-I... erm..." While she did say he could ask for anything, but suddenly becoming a parent was a bit much for the girl, especially considering who the father was.
"Oh, that could actually work." Caelus chimed in, much to Castorice's dismay.
"Mr. Caelus!?"
"I mean, you can understand him without needing me to translate for him. You're naturally kind, and you have a greater appreciation for life compared to most. And you're even able to overcome your fears with him."
"Uuh... Mr. Caelus..." Castorice's face lit up in embarrassment at having Caelus praise her so much. It wasn't anything particularly special, but it coming from Caelus was more than enough to rile her up.
"And uh... personally, I wouldn't mind if you became his mom..." His words trailed off at the end, just like how his gaze couldn't stay on Castorice for long as his face reddened.
That last statement, along with his embarrassed expression, sent Castorice into a silent shock, followed by deep-seated happiness.
"Then... I'll be in your care, Caelus~"
"*Cough!* Y-Yeah... Thanks for doing this... Castorice."
"Grumph! (Yay! I have a papa and mama now!)"
"Haah... To think Cassie beat me to it." The pink-haired healer sighed, lamenting that she missed her chance.
"Well, whatever. I still have you, Dannie~"
She turned towards the dark-haired man behind her, who had a perplexed look on his face at the woman in front of him.
"Miss Hyacine... Weren't you just going after Caelus earlier?"
Hyacine made a pout as she heard the words that came out of his mouth. "This was never about Grayie!"
"...? Weren't you aiming to become Dromy's mother?" Dan Heng questioned, having been trying to aid the healer in that plan.
"Of course, but not because I'm attracted to Grayie or anything. I just want to have a hand in raising my own baby dromas... Ah, speaking of which, Dannie, since you're the demigod of Earth, that means you can make a dromas, right?"
Dan Heng didn't immediately comprehend what Hyacine was asking him, or rather, he didn't want to. Unconsciously, he took a step back.
"Dannie~ Don't run. Come on, let's make a baby dromas together, just the two of us~" Hyacine's pupils swirled with a multitude of colorful rings as she said so, mimicking the appearance of Aquila's own eyes.
"Wait a minute, Miss Hyacine- Gah!"