"So, what do you think, William?" James asked. "The first thing I did after seeing you was to write a letter to my old pal and ask him to make his granddaughter your fiance."
"Eyah?" (Fiance?)
The old man grinned as he rubbed William's chubby cheeks.
"She's a year older than you," James explained. "Although I haven't seen her, the old bastard always bragged about his cute granddaughter. Since that is the case, making her your fiance is definitely a good thing. Ah, she's also the daughter of a Duke. It's a good opportunity for our family to climb the ranks of nobility."
'... I didn't know my grandpa was a gold digger.' The baby's expression clouded over.
The old man noticed the baby's disgruntled expression and decided to coax it.
"What's wrong with having a beautiful girl as your fiance? What? You're not satisfied? Don't worry, when you grow up, I'll make sure that you eat the 'cooked rice' as soon as possible. They can't break off the engagement once a little William is inside her tummy."
"… Eyah." (... Bastard.)
William wanted to slap his grandpa for even thinking of committing a crime. Although he was not reluctant to the idea of having a fiance. Arranged marriages didn't usually end well. Most of the time, it was just a tool for political gains to the nobles.
James wandered around the estate carrying William. Ella walked alongside the old bastard and kept a watchful eye on the little baby. An hour later, James climbed a hill overlooking the town of Lont.
"William, our family had lived here for generations," James said. "The life here is simple and crude, but it is very peaceful. Far away from the despicable games of the nobility, yet not important enough for the King's watchful eyes."
This was the first time that William had seen his grandpa act this seriously. For a brief moment he had forgotten that the old fool wanted him to tumble on the bed with his fiance and give him a great grandchild.
"Our bloodline is very scant. Aside from me, my two sons, Matthew, and you, there are no more Ainsworth in this land. We are the last of a dying breed."
'Um? We don't have any living relatives?' William frowned. 'How come?'
James sighed as he looked at the distance.
William could see sadness and unwillingness in his grandpa's expression. Although he wanted to know why their bloodline only had a few family members, he knew that now was not the right time.
A few hours passed and the family had a dinner celebration to commemorate James' safe return from his trip. Matthew, the eldest son of his Uncle Mordred and Aunt Anna sat beside James.
William, on the other hand, was lying beside Ella and drinking her milk. His eyes were locked on the family dinner in front of him. He had never experienced this when he was still on Earth because he was an orphan.
However, right now, he was wrapped in a sense of belonging. This was his family, and the soul inside the baby felt grateful for being given the opportunity to be born into this warm and caring family.
'Back then, if I had entered the silver portal, would I have been born into a family that is better than this?' William thought.
During his one-year stay at the Ainsworth Residence, he found out that his real mother was in the Elven Continent of Silvermoon. William had no recollection of what his mother looked like. All he knew was that they were forced to separate due to his mother's circumstance.
'It's fine,' William muttered inside his heart. 'I'll look for my mother when I grow older. There's no need to rush.'
William had already known that his father had died. He didn't know how he died, because no one in the family discussed it. Like the issue with his mother, he decided to find out more when he had reached a suitable age.
After dinner, William was carried to the couple's bedroom. Ella stayed with him as usual.
"Eyah." (Mama, do you want to return to the dungeon?)
"Meeeh."
"Eyah." (Are you not scared?)
"Meeeeh."
"Eyah?" (You want to become stronger?)
The Angorian Goat licked the baby's cheeks in reply.
"Eyah. Eyah?" (Okay, but we will return immediately if things get dangerous, okay?)
"Meeeeh."
A few hours passed and the couple was finally in deep sleep. William held the ring that was hanging on his necklace with both hands and activated it.
A second later, he found himself at the familiar cavern. Ella stood beside him and was on full alert.
"Eyah." (Bestow.)
Ella's body glowed and she grew half a meter taller. Her stats had been raised by ten. However, that didn't end there. William's passive skills "Way of the Shepherd and Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" boosted the stats with three additional stat points.
While William didn't know if the current Ella was strong or not, he was sure that she could handle a one on one battle with a goblin.
-----
Name: Ella
Race: Angorian Goat
Hit Points: 425 / 425
Mana: 150 / 150
< Strength: 2 (+13)>
< Agility: 6 (+13) >
< Vitality: 4 (+13) >
< Intelligence: 2 (+13) >
< Dexterity: 2 (+13) >
------
"Eyah. Eyah?" (Mama, remember our agreement. We will only fight up to two goblins at a time, okay?)
"Meeeeh."
The Angorian Goat laid down on the ground. William crawled on Ella's back in order to mount her. For some reason, the moment he sat on the goat's back, he felt that he wouldn't be dismounted even if Ella ran at full speed.
It was as if the two of them had merged into a single entity. It was a strange feeling, but he didn't dislike it.
"Eyah." (Let's go Mama.)
"Meeeeh."
The baby and goat pair snuck into the depths of the Goblin Crypt. William's heart beat wildly inside his chest. Although he was afraid, he was also looking forward to the possibility of becoming one of those protagonists that he had read about in the novels back on Earth.
