The Meaning of a Family Name

"Being a father was so hard. Even for me, I can't take care of my son. This is embarrassing, even though I'm the king of the jungle. By the way, what's your name?"

"I... Ryuki."

"Oh, Ryuki-san. I am Fred Tigrem, a half tiger man. I've always been known as a bad boy, always hitting anyone who bothered me. But now, since I have a son, I don't do that anymore. I am now a father."

"I see."

"Ryuki-san, don't you have a family? You just said your name, whether it's your real name or your surname."

"No. That is my real name... Ryuki. You just need to remember the name."

He was surprised to hear that before speaking again.

"You see, Ryuki-san… family is so important. Every being in this world has a family, even for a loner like me. Whatever you do, your family is the first to support you. Without them, you would be nothing. Great creatures, weak creatures, all have families. So, you shouldn't assume that you don't have a family, Ryuki-san."

There is some truth in his words, family is very important for every living being. But even so, he was wrong, wrong for not knowing anything, and judging things quickly. He doesn't know courage about my family, but bravely judges I need a family. That's something funny to me.

"I don't have a family anymore, and I've also given up my family name in this life."

"How can be like that? Has something happened to your family?"

He asked too deep, into the privacy of my life. But in the end, he realized it and apologized to me.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I've asked no-nonsense, and instead asked for your privacy, Ryuki-san."

Compared to that person, he realized his mistake faster. I understand that, forgive him.

"I've killed my father with my hands..."

"Eh? Serious?"

I know anyone would be surprised to hear that, even Hiyori had kicked me out for hearing that.

"I don't like him, he killed my mother and my imouto and chose that prostitute to be his wife. Before their wedding day, 3 days before, I killed him. Yeah, even though his services are so helpful to me, it doesn't mean he can be arbitrary with me, who is his son."

"Sorry… I asked that instead, making you think back to it."

"It doesn't matter, after all, I never regret killing him. If you're asking whether I'm enjoying life or not, I'm enjoying it, enjoying the rest of my life in this world."

"Oh, are you a Pelastaja? Means..."

"Yeah, that's right, I'm a Pelastaja, and Hiyori is Kutsuja."

"No wonder you get to know her."

After he said that, we didn't talk to each other anymore, focusing on this path.

Passing through the sunny meadow, the sound of my horse's footsteps, the horse carrying the tiger's weight, I enjoyed the time on the way to that place.

"But even so, you need to have a surname, Ryuki-san."

He returned to his previous topic, even though it had already been 30 minutes.

"Family name?"

"Do you know? In this world, it is so important to have a family name. You have the honor of having it, and your family has it too."

"My family? I have no family here, I'm here alone."

"Who said that?"

"Umph?"

I was confused by his words, so I tilted my head.

"Here let me explain..."

Not all living things in this world have families. If you make your family, you can invite them to be your family. That way, you can establish a relationship with them, either for fun or serve as a troop.

Of course in this case, also has risks. If one of your family betrays you, your family name will be ugly, making other living beings hesitate to become your family. You will certainly be considered an insulting creature, unable to take care of your family properly.

To create a family, you need to sacrifice the Spiritual Energy within your body. Therefore, it is very rare for the living beings in this world to not have a family. Because every time you recruit a family member, you need a large amount of Spiritual Energy. If you can't stand it, you can die.

By the way, Spiritual Energy and Magic Energy are different. Magic Energy is used to activate magic, while Spiritual Energy is energy that originates from within your body—you could say your "Soul".

That's what Fred said.

"I don't think I need that. I better-"

"That's not allowed!"

He suddenly turned against me, and luckily I wasn't angry.

"This world is not as good as you think. Every time the Red Hot Moon appears, you need to be prepared to survive. You will never know when you will die, and you will not know when this world will fall. The quinine demon kings rule this world, this world is no longer safe. Therefore, you must be able to survive with your family. Having a family is so beautiful."

He smiled, looking up at the clear sky.

"For a tiger who likes to hunt alone, I didn't expect you to say that, having a family is so beautiful. Heh... Yare, yare..."

Maybe he had a point too, having a family was so beautiful. I had that feeling when I was still living at my mother's house with my imouto. My mother's grandfather and grandmother were very friendly to welcome me, even though I was so dirty, I had killed many humans. However, they paid no heed to that and instead told me to forget about it for a moment and relax at my mother's house.

I think... every family has sweet and bitter memories. Having said that, having a family wasn't too bad for me either.

"Okay, I'll think about that later. Now, you should focus on saving your son."

"Damn lizard... I'll make you guys regret kidnapping my son."

Terrifying. Well, maybe it's because he's a tiger, so it's only natural that his aura is so scary. But somehow I can feel his aura. Is it possible that in the world every strength is judged by the aura it has? It seems so.

"Pal, increase your speed!"