Siegmund had been born as a human child five months ago.
By now, he was surrounded by wet nurses and handmaidens, receiving every bit of attention they could give him.
"Young Lord Sieg is definitely a genius!"
"He's more than just a genius!"
"My goodness, have you ever seen a child start crawling at only three months old?"
"Exactly! Last month, he even crawled all the way to the library!"
The handmaidens' voices never stopped.
At the center of it all was Siegmund himself.
*What... exactly is going on here...?*
Siegmund wanted to let out a deep sigh.
Of course, his current lung capacity made that impossible.
*I, who lived for thousands of years...*
*Being treated like a genius just because I can crawl.*
*Ghk... How humiliating.*
In his previous life, he had been the Dragon God whose name resounded throughout the Divine Realm.
But now...
*I can't even control my bladder and bowels properly.*
*I can't speak.*
*I'm a human baby who can't even walk.*
Siegmund raised his short arm.
It was still tiny.
And weak.
*And this body...*
*Why is its magic circuit such a mess...?*
*This body still isn't ready to take in mana.*
Siegmund coolly analyzed his physical condition.
Compared to his previous life as a dragon, he was far too frail.
His magic circuit had not even formed properly, and his body was still in the process of growing.
If he tried anything right now, there was a high chance his body would fail to withstand it.
*But...*
The corner of Siegmund's mouth twitched.
*I, the Dragon God of my previous life, have a way.*
*Once I grow a little more...*
*I can solve a problem of this magnitude easily enough.*
For now, he only needed to wait for the right time.
There was no reason to rush.
He slowly turned his gaze.
An unfamiliar landscape spread out beyond the window.
And humans surrounded him.
*More importantly...*
*So this is the Human Realm.*
In his previous life, Siegmund had almost never visited the Human Realm himself.
Even less so after ascending to the Divine Realm.
As far as he knew, the Human Realm was merely one of countless lower realms.
A world inhabited by humans. That was about all he knew.
But things were different now.
He himself had become human.
*Hmph.*
*Why don't I live here for a while?*
*See what kind of beings humans really are.*
The Human Realm.
The place where I currently lived was a vast continent called Plunus.
And the entire continent was ruled by a single nation.
The Yupinir Empire.
The strongest nation in the Human Realm, and the only empire to have unified the continent for thousands of years.
*An empire, huh...*
Siegmund rummaged through his memories.
He had heard about the Human Realm while he was in the Divine Realm.
The Yupinir imperial family.
A family with a special bloodline, even among humans.
Most members of the imperial family awakened mana at the age of eight.
And the powers they wielded were electricity and space.
Quite rare abilities for humans.
The current emperor, Mordr Yupiter, was especially extraordinary.
Most imperial family members awakened only one of the two attributes.
But he had apparently awakened both electricity and space.
By human standards, he certainly possessed talent worthy of being called genius.
*But...*
Siegmund let out a derisive chuckle.
*In the Divine Realm, talent like that was everywhere.*
Of course, now...
He himself was trapped in an ordinary human body.
*Come to think of it, judging from what the wet nurse and handmaidens have said...*
*The Yupinir Empire has three ducal houses that support the imperial family.*
Siegmund searched his memories.
*Pluton.*
*Nereid.*
*Roena.*
*Those three families are the ducal houses that support the imperial family.*
And beneath them...
*Three count's houses.*
*Kronos.*
*Apollion.*
*Tenera.*
Of those, the place where he had currently been born was the House of Count Kronos.
*And the marquis's houses are...*
*Diarirang and...*
*Hmm...*
*What was the other one again...?*
As Siegmund thought, his eyelids gradually grew heavier.
*Ah.*
*No.*
*There are still so many things I need to organize...*
*This human body...*
*Is much more...*
*Sleepy...*
*I...*
*Can't...*
Siegmund slipped straight into sleep.
"Oh my."
"Young Lord Sieg is asleep."
"Hehe, he's so cute even when he's sleeping."
The handmaidens' voices reached him faintly.
But Siegmund was already asleep and could not hear them.
At that moment.
The door to Sieg's room quietly opened, and someone entered.
The wet nurse and handmaidens immediately bowed when they saw him.
"Welcome, my lord."
At the wet nurse's greeting, Kairon raised a hand lightly in acknowledgment.
He went straight to the bed and looked at Sieg.
"Sieg?"
"The young lord just fell asleep."
"I see."
Kairon gave a brief nod, then spoke toward the door.
"Come in."
At his command, attendants who had been waiting outside entered the room carrying several boxes.
The wet nurse asked with a puzzled expression,
"My lord, what are these...?"
"Sieg's belongings."
"Take good care of him. Make sure he wants for nothing."
"Yes, my lord."
While the attendants arranged the belongings, Kairon quietly approached Sieg.
He removed the white glove from his hand, then carefully extended a finger.
And then.
Poke.
He gently pressed Sieg's soft cheek.
Once more.
Poke.
The plump cheek sank softly beneath his finger.
It was a softness that could only be felt in a newborn baby.
A pleased smile had spread across Kairon's lips before he knew it.
"Who could he have taken after to be this cute?"
The attendants and handmaidens watching him smiled as well.
That was when it happened.
Sleeping, Sieg unconsciously stretched out his tiny hand.
Then he wrapped it tightly around Kairon's index finger.
"Mmm..."
The warmth of the tiny hand traveled into his finger.
Kairon blinked, seeming startled for a moment.
Then he smiled gently and said,
"Ha-ha."
"You little rascal."
"Even in your sleep, you don't want to let go of your father?"
He carefully enclosed Sieg's tiny hand in his own.
On the battlefield, he was a count stronger than anyone.
But in front of his son, he was nothing more than an ordinary father.
"Wet nurse."
"I'm busy, so take good care of Sieg for me."
The wet nurse placed one hand over her chest and bowed respectfully.
"Yes, Count."
Kairon looked at Sieg one more time.
Then he nodded with a satisfied smile.
"I'm counting on you."
He slowly turned and left the room.
A little while later.
The master bedroom of the House of Count Kronos.
Anna, who had been reclining against the bed, smiled when she saw Kairon enter the room.
"You're back, darling?"
When she tried to sit up, Kairon hurriedly waved a hand.
"No, no."
"Stay as you are."
"You haven't fully recovered yet."
He approached Anna and carefully eased her back against the bed.
Anna stuck out her lower lip.
"Aren't you making me out to be too weak?"
"Ahaha..."
"That's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?"
Kairon scratched his head with an awkward expression.
"I'm worried about you. That's all."
Anna whipped her head around.
"Hmph."
"Then I suppose weak people should just lie down quietly."
"I'm sorry."
When Kairon readily apologized and sat beside her, Anna gave him a sidelong glance.
A little while later.
Seeing the genuinely apologetic expression on his face, Anna let out a small laugh.
"All right."
"I'll let it go this time."
"There won't be a next time."
"I'll remember that."
When their brief marital squabble ended, Anna spoke first.
"More importantly."
"How's our youngest?"
Kairon's expression softened considerably.
"He was sleeping soundly."
"I thought about waking him, but I left him be."
"Although..."
He cleared his throat, looking embarrassed.
"His cheeks looked so soft."
"I touched them for a bit before I came back."
Anna's eyes sparkled.
"Really?"
"Were they very soft?"
Kairon smiled and nodded.
"They were."
"They were so... fluffy."
"Ah..."
Anna looked disappointed.
"I want to touch our son's cheeks too..."
Kairon gently took her hand.
"Focus on recovering first."
"Sieg isn't going anywhere."
"You'll have countless chances to touch them in the future."
At that, Anna gave a small laugh and leaned against his shoulder.
"You're right."
"We still have plenty of time."
Kairon gently stroked her hair.
"Yes."
"We still have plenty of time left to spend together as a family."