Chapter 209: Preparing for the Future [Bonus - ]

Liam tightened the final screw on the crib and took a few steps back to make sure it was sturdy.

The room was almost finished.

Two wooden cribs stood side by side, a wardrobe was filled with baby clothes, and a small dresser held diapers, blankets, and other items they would need during the first few months.

Beside the window, a rocking chair waited for the nights when one of them would have to spend hours trying to get their children to sleep.

Liam surveyed everything with satisfaction.

Several months had passed since the war against the dimensional invaders. During that time, life had returned to a semblance of normality, although the memory of that battle remained fresh in his mind.

Armstrong was still recovering from his injuries and had yet to get used to living without his left arm. The SS-Rank dungeons remained dangerous, but they no longer displayed the abnormalities that had preceded the invasion.

As for Liam, he had returned to his duties as a sub-captain of the Ace of Spades Guild.

However, over the past few weeks, most of his free time had been devoted to preparing their home for the arrival of his children.

His old apartment wouldn’t have been big enough for a family of four. Fortunately, the apartment next door had been vacant for quite some time, so he’d decided to seize the opportunity and combine the two units.

The result was a much more spacious home, with enough room for everyone to live comfortably.

And this room was the most important part of the renovation.

"Liam!"

Lydia’s voice came from the adjoining room.

"Yes, honey?"

"Don’t you think we should move that dresser a little? I think it would look better against the other wall."

Liam turned his head and found his wife reclining on the sofa, with several pillows arranged behind her back and her enormous pregnant belly.

She pointed at the dresser with a thoughtful expression.

Liam looked at her for a few seconds before shaking his head.

"No."

"Why not?!"

"Because you’re about to give birth, and I’m not going to let you exert yourself."

"But I only wanted to move a piece of furniture!"

"Exactly. A piece of furniture."

"It’s not that heavy!"

Liam set the screwdriver down on a table and walked over to her.

"Lydia, honey, your due date is very close. You don’t need to get up and help me with anything. I can finish everything myself."

She puffed out her cheeks.

"I feel useless lying here while you do everything."

Liam sat beside her and gently stroked her head.

"You’re not useless. You’re doing something far more important than moving furniture."

Lydia lowered her gaze to her belly.

"I know, but I still want to help prepare the room for our babies."

"And you have. You picked out the furniture, the clothes, the blankets, and practically all the decorations. If you’d let me choose, I probably would’ve bought a bunch of unnecessary things and spent twice as much."

"That’s true!"

Liam raised an eyebrow.

"Could you at least pretend to think about it before agreeing with me?"

"No!"

Liam burst out laughing and kissed her forehead.

"Get some rest. I’ll finish arranging everything."

Lydia sighed, but eventually accepted his decision.

"Fine. But when you’re done, I want to look over the room with you."

"Deal."

Liam returned to the nursery and continued working. Only a few minor details remained, such as laying out the last blankets and making sure all the drawers were organized.

As he was putting away a box of toys, his phone began to ring.

Captain Armstrong’s name appeared on the screen.

Liam answered immediately.

"Good morning, Captain. How are you feeling?"

"Better than yesterday, Davis. Although I’m still having trouble getting used to doing everything with one hand."

Liam smiled at the familiar tone of his voice.

"I imagine it must be difficult."

"More than I expected. I tried making coffee this morning and ended up spilling it all over my desk."

"At least you weren’t on a combat mission."

"If I had been, the enemy probably would’ve ended up drowning in coffee."

Liam chuckled. It was good to hear Armstrong making jokes. Although the captain still had a long road to recovery ahead of him, he’d returned to his office and was gradually reclaiming parts of his old routine.

"But I didn’t call to talk about my coffee troubles," Armstrong continued.

"I received your request to take tomorrow off. It’s approved."

"Thank you very much, Captain."

"James mentioned that Lydia has an appointment at the clinic."

Liam glanced toward the room, where he could hear his wife humming a song.

"Yes. We’ve scheduled the delivery for tomorrow."

"Then I suppose it’ll be a pretty important day."

"You could say that."

"That’s why I had no problem approving your request. I don’t think you need to be worrying about reports or guild responsibilities while you’re waiting for your children to arrive."

Liam smiled.

"I really appreciate it."

"Enjoy the day with your wife, Davis. And try not to faint before she does."

"I’ll do my best."

"I hope so. I don’t want to have to send someone to pick you up off the floor."

The call ended shortly afterward.

Liam put his phone away and stood still for a few seconds.

Tomorrow.

The word seemed to carry a different meaning now that he knew they would be going to the clinic the following day to welcome their children into the world.

He’d imagined that moment countless times over the past few months. Sometimes he wondered what the babies would be like, while at other times he worried about whether he’d be ready to become a father.

He’d faced monsters, dungeons, and an invasion from another dimension.

Yet none of those experiences had prepared him for the nervousness beginning to build inside him.

Suddenly, a small system window appeared before his eyes.

[Pix: Liam, wouldn’t you be interested in finding out whether your children will have any abilities?]

Liam blinked.

’Of course Pix would ask something like that right now.’

[Pix: Considering Lydia’s characteristics, there’s a possibility they’ll inherit special abilities.]

Liam ran a hand down his face.

’Pix, they haven’t even been born yet.’

[Pix: Exactly! It would be interesting to start analyzing the possibilities now.]

’I don’t want to think about that just yet.’

[Pix: Aren’t you curious? They could have extraordinary abilities. They might even surpass yours!]

’If that happens, we’ll have plenty of time to find out when they grow up.’

[Pix: But...]

’Pix.’

[Pix: ...Fine.]

The window disappeared.

Liam shook his head, amused. Knowing Pix, she’d probably keep thinking about the matter over the next few days, but he had other priorities.

He didn’t care whether his children inherited extraordinary abilities, eventually became hunters, or decided to lead completely different lives.

For now, he just wanted them to be born healthy and Lydia to be okay.

That was enough.

◇◆◇

After finishing the nursery, Liam returned to the living room.

Lydia was still reclining on the sofa, gently stroking her belly. When she saw him appear, she lifted her head with a smile.

"Are you finished?"

"Yep. Everything’s ready."

Liam sat beside her, and together they looked through the open doorway at the nursery.

Both cribs were ready.

It was strange to think that, just a few months ago, that room hadn’t even existed. Now it was part of their home, and it was about to be filled with two new lives.

"Do you think they’ll like it?" Lydia asked.

"I hope so."

"What if they don’t like the decorations?"

"Then we’ll have to change them when they’re older."

Lydia giggled.

"You always find a practical solution to everything."

"Someone has to."

She rested her head on his shoulder.

"I’m nervous, Liam."

He took her hand.

"Me too."

Lydia looked up at him, surprised.

"I thought you’d be calm. You always seem to know what to do."

"That’s because I can usually come up with a plan. But this time, I don’t know what to expect."

She smiled and intertwined her fingers with his.

"You don’t have to know everything. We’ll learn together."

Liam kissed her forehead and looked back at the cribs.

For a long time, he’d worked to earn money, achieve stability, and build a life where they could be happy. He’d bought that building, expanded their home, and overcome countless dangers to protect what they had.

Now, everything he’d done had led to this moment.

Tomorrow, they would go to the clinic.

Tomorrow, they would meet their children.

Lydia gently squeezed his hand.

"Do you think we’ll be good parents?"

Liam looked at her and smiled.

"I don’t know. But I’m going to try as hard as I possibly can."

"Me too."

They remained together in silence, gazing at the room they’d prepared with so much love.

’Tomorrow, our lives would change forever.’