The day has come for his daughters to set off for the royal capital, each with their own grand dream in their hearts.

Darius, along with them, had come from the workshop to the edge of the forest closest to it, the animal trail that separated the inside and outside of the barrier.

The three of them took a step into the barrier and then turned back.

Darius, though feeling lonely, stared at them intently.

"...Well then, see you later. Aria, Luna, Sofia, take care."

"Yeah... Darius-sensei. I'll definitely become the head of the Knights."

"Oh, I'm looking forward to it."

Aria deliberately tries to laugh it off with her usual cheerful, booming voice. However, her eyes are slightly moist.

"...Come on, Aria. Don't cry."

"I'm not crying, okay?!"

Luna, while trying to appear cool, was gently wiping Aria's eyes with a handkerchief. However, Luna's voice was also trembling slightly.

"...Darius... we won't be able to see each other for a while, will we?"

"That's true. But I'm looking forward to Sofia returning as a healer."

He stroked Sofia's head, who was looking down with a lonely expression.

Darius flashed a huge smile, then looked at the three of them again.

"Well then... good luck to all three of you."

"...Yeah."

"...Yes."

"...I'll do my best."

Aria and the others nodded back with smiles, trying to hold back their tears.

To those three, Darius calls out each of their names with a calm voice.

"Aria, with your honest heart and unparalleled courage, you will surely become the greatest knight. You will meet many people from now on, and cherish your companions."

"...Yeah."

When Darius said that, Aria's eyes started to redden. He gently stroked her head, and Aria clung to him tightly, which he returned with a hug.

Then, he looks at Luna next.

Luna's expression was tightly drawn.

"Luna, with your intelligence and free-thinking, you're sure to become the world's greatest magic item crafter. Believe in your own abilities more."

"...Yes, of course."

Luna was trying to hold back her tears, but her voice was trembling. When he stroked her head, Luna finally couldn't hold it in anymore, and tears streamed down her face as she clung to Darius.

After comforting and calming her down, he finally looked at Sofia.

"Sofia, your kindness should be able to save many people. Just remember to take care of yourself, too."

"...Yeah."

When he stroked Sofia's head, she didn't cry, but she did cling tightly to Darius.

And after a while, Darius looked at the three of them again.

"If anything happens, you can come back anytime. This place will always be your home."

In reality, his heart was breaking with loneliness and worry, but he stated it clearly.

The faces of the three of them crumpled again, but,

"And... finally, take this. It's a small parting gift from your father."

From the cloth bag he was carrying, he carefully took out three polished weapons.

It's all Darius's work. Regarding his blacksmithing skills, he thought they weren't that great since he didn't have a formal master's.

Even so, it's something he made with all his heart for the three of them.

"First, Aria. This sword, 'Altair,' is for you."

What he handed to Aria was a longsword that, while simple, radiated a powerful gleam. Aria received it with great care.

"Next, Luna. For you, this staff, 'Formalhaut.'"

What he handed to Luna was a beautiful silver magic staff. As she gently grasped it, the crystal attached to the tip of the staff began to emit an intelligent light.

"And Sofia, this recovery tool 'Deneb' is for you."

Finally, what he handed to Sofia was a bracelet. When Sofia put it on, it briefly glowed in response.

The three of them looked happily at the equipment they had created to enhance their respective abilities.

However, after looking at the equipment for a while, Aria... crumpled her face.

"Darius-sensei..."

Aria started crying again.

Still holding Altair, she threw herself into Darius's chest with force and sobbed like a child.

"Thank you...! I'll treasure it! I'll definitely achieve my dream with this sword...!"

"Darius..."

Sofia, gently wiping her tears with the arm that had held Deneb, buried her face in Darius's strong chest next to Aria. Her sobbing voice soaked his clothes.

"Me too... I'll do my best with this staff too..."

Luna gently tugged on the hem of Darius's clothes, who had caught the two of them.

"...Um... I... I'll cherish it too."

Darius embraced his three daughters, who were so precious to him, so lovingly and powerfully, that he felt frustrated he couldn't hold them all at once in his large arms. For a while, warm tears and sobbing echoed at the forest exit.

Eventually, the tears subsided a little, and the three of them, with expressions of both reluctance and renewed determination, slowly pulled away from Darius.

"Okay then... I'm going!"

"...I'll be going now."

"I'm going..."

The three of them looked back and waved many times as they started walking down the road leading to the royal capital. Darius also kept waving, and waving, until their small figures disappeared from sight.

Soon, as the three figures were completely absorbed into the green of the forest and disappeared from sight, Darius let out a sigh of relief.

The moment it happened, a crushing loneliness, as if struck by a giant hammer, washed over his chest.

(...Compared to something made by a real magical blacksmith, my swords and staves are still pretty crude... But, well, as the first weapons those guys will have, they'll definitely serve their purpose for a while.)

Darius was thinking such things, but he was slumping his shoulders in the now-quiet forest.

(...I'm lonely.)

Darius let out a large sigh and stared blankly at the sky, as if half his soul had been sucked out.

Nevertheless, as if to quickly regain his composure, he slapped both of his cheeks.

"For now... let's just enjoy blacksmithing freely, shall we?"

Also, he now has the goal of being able to give them something nice when they come to visit.

However, it took a long time to get used to the workshop that had become completely quiet.

Chapter 4