After arriving at the livestock area, James did not put his daughter down. He continued to carry Charlotte with one strong arm. Aside from habit, he was also worried that the little girl might step on the animal droppings scattered across the ground.
After all, this was not the first time Charlotte had stepped on animal waste.
Even though the livestock area James built was fairly large, the chickens wandered everywhere without any order. They casually left droppings in various corners of the yard.
Among the different kinds of poultry, James only raised chickens.
Chicken meat and eggs were healthy enough for his children. Besides, the chickens in this world were relatively tame and not particularly wild.
Perhaps they were not very different from chickens in his previous world, but James had never seen the ones here attempt to fly over the short wooden fence that surrounded the farm.
Raising other types of poultry felt more troublesome.
Besides, he did not particularly like them.
Habits from his previous life still lingered even now. He simply did not enjoy the meat of other birds aside from chicken.
Not far from where he stood in the middle of the livestock area, the pig pen could be seen clearly.
There were four pigs inside.
To be honest, James had never really wanted to raise livestock like that. Animals like pigs were far more troublesome compared to chickens.
Chickens could still wander around without strict supervision.
But if pigs were allowed to roam freely, they could wander anywhere without caring about their owner.
Charlotte herself did not show the slightest interest in continuing this livestock business.
Several times the little girl had proudly declared that one day she wanted to travel across the world.
She wanted to collect many gold coins.
According to her, the money would be used to help her family escape their current simple life.
Because his daughter had no interest in inheriting either the livestock farm or the small garden near their house, James's enthusiasm for those things had slowly begun to fade.
Of course, he had not abandoned everything he built.
He still maintained it diligently as usual.
However, the idea of continuing to manage the livestock farm after his children grew up had already been pushed far away from his mind.
Someday, he might simply hire a few workers to take care of everything once he no longer wished to deal with it himself.
Charlotte, still in his arms, continued to look around curiously.
Her gaze eventually landed on a group of chickens that began gathering around them.
She exclaimed cheerfully.
"Father, look. That chick is being bullied by the rooster over there."
Charlotte pointed with her small delicate finger.
James had already noticed it.
He walked closer to the chickens.
With a light motion, he chased away the rooster that had been bothering the chick.
The rooster immediately moved away while flapping its wings.
"Thank you, Father."
James did not respond to the words directly.
He simply stroked Charlotte's hair gently before walking toward the chicken feed he had taken earlier from the small shed near the livestock area.
After scattering the feed for the chickens that gathered around and listening to his daughter's endless chatter, he then walked toward the pig pen.
"Father will feed these little pigs first. Stay here and do not go anywhere."
"Yes Father. Charlotte will behave."
James smiled when he saw his daughter's willingness.
"Just for a moment. Father will carry you again afterward."
"Alright Father."
Charlotte smiled with satisfaction, as if that answer was exactly what she had been waiting to hear.
In truth, James had already prepared a small candy as a reward for her.
But if Irene discovered it, he would most likely be scolded.
So he decided to keep it for now and give it to her at a more suitable time.
James walked toward the pig feed inside the pen.
After finishing the feeding, he washed his hands with water until the smell of feed and the pen disappeared.
Only then did he return to his daughter, who was sitting on top of a pile of hay.
Seeing Charlotte smiling brightly from a distance created a warm feeling inside his chest.
A feeling he had always longed for.
The warmth of family.
A sense of belonging.
And the feeling of loving them.
Those were the things I always wanted.
However, his work was not finished yet.
He still had to take care of their cow.
The cow needed to be released so it could graze on the grass outside the livestock area. The pasture around their farm was fairly fertile, but he had to make sure the animal did not wander into the garden.
If it damaged the crops there, the loss would not be small.
As they walked toward the cow pen, Charlotte murmured softly.
"A cow... I want to ride it like a horse."
"No."
James answered immediately without hesitation.
Charlotte instantly pouted.
"Please Father. Let me try."
"Sorry, dear. That is a cow, not a horse. Besides, you are still small."
James gently patted her back.
"When you grow older, Father will teach you how to ride a horse."
"Really Father?"
Charlotte immediately exclaimed with excitement.
"But Father... we do not have a horse."
"There is no need to think about that now."
James gave a faint smile.
"Father will buy you one when the time comes."
Charlotte looked confused after hearing that answer.
She fell silent for a moment.
James noticed the small change in his daughter's expression and smiled softly.
"Then tomorrow, Father. Tomorrow Father buys a horse."
James chuckled quietly.
He touched the tip of her nose with his finger.
"Who will take care of it? Father is already quite busy."
He shook his head lightly.
"If we add more work, your mother will surely get angry."
Charlotte thought for a moment.
"Hmm... Father is right. Mother would definitely get angry."
She let out a small sigh.
"Mother is very strict."
James immediately laughed after hearing his daughter's bold statement.
If Irene were here and heard that sentence, she would definitely become even more irritated than before.
Fortunately, his wife was not nearby at the moment.
"My daughter is quite brave."
James looked at her with a faint smile.
"If your mother hears that, she might truly become angry."
"If Mother gets angry, Father will protect me."
"You naughty child. Come on, let us go to the cow."
His daughter immediately nodded. James lifted her again as usual and walked toward the cow pen.
Occasionally he also gathered wild grass that grew some distance from their house. Their simple home stood on a hillside, somewhat far from the other houses in Green Pine Village.
James had deliberately chosen a location that was slightly isolated.
A place like this was far more useful for him and his family.
It was not that he hated crowds. But over time, he understood that he and his children would eventually train together to improve their strength.
Living too close to the village would only attract unnecessary attention.
Unlike him, who had to sharpen his instincts and build experience step by step, the system had already given him a complete template of power. That strength had long been embedded within his body.
At the beginning, he only possessed the power without the experience to properly use it.
But during the seven years since he received it, James had continued training himself.
He built a closed training area behind the house, hidden well enough from the sight of others. Besides that, he often trained directly in the forests and mountains located behind his residence.
The deeper he ventured into the forest, the stronger the wild beasts he encountered became.
So far, he had never met any intelligent creatures other than humans.
However, he was fairly certain that one day it would happen.
Perhaps he would encounter elves.
Those beings were often described as having a close connection with forests.
Or perhaps druids.
Yet until now he had never found any information about druids in this world.
Maybe such beings did not exist here at all.
As for elves, he had heard many stories about them back when he still lived in the county territory.
Even so, he had never seen one with his own eyes.
After guiding the cows toward the fertile grassland near the livestock area, James returned to the house.
Charlotte, who had been in his arms the entire time, began to grow sleepy.
Before long, the little girl fell asleep.
James continued to carry her carefully, just as he had done when Charlotte was even smaller.
When they arrived in front of the house, Irene was already standing there waiting.
From the beginning she had seen her husband and daughter returning from the direction of the livestock area.
Greeting them in front of the house had become her habit.
Irene had become far busier since the birth of their second child.
The arrival of their third child caused her to spend far more time inside the house. She now rarely helped James with outdoor work.
But James had never complained about that.
On the contrary, he often helped Irene take care of their children.
Irene herself felt deeply grateful for marrying him.
At first, she had doubted him.
That doubt was quite reasonable.
James was a newcomer to Green Pine Village. There was no clear information about his background. Their acquaintance had also been brief.
Not long after that, the man directly proposed marriage.
Everything had felt rushed.
But Irene had not truly refused.
Her aunt, who had raised her all these years, constantly urged her to marry as soon as possible.
Several weeks after James settled in the village, he began receiving positive responses from the villagers.
He often helped with village work.
In addition, he regularly made donations to the Temple of the God of Light.
The majority of people in this world believed in the God of Light, although some also worshiped other deities.
However, there had never been any major conflict between religions in this world.
Perhaps because their interests often moved in the same direction.
If small disputes existed, that was nothing surprising.
Because of those actions, Irene's view of James gradually changed.
In the end, she accepted him as her husband.
Three months after James arrived in the village, they married.
The wedding was not luxurious.
In fact, Irene herself rejected the large wedding celebration that James had initially proposed.
According to her, excessive luxury would only provoke resentment from women of her age as well as from other villagers.
James eventually agreed.
When James arrived in front of the house, Charlotte was already sleeping soundly in his arms.
He carefully handed the little girl to Irene.
"I need to train for a while. Sorry for adding more work to your time with the children."
Irene gave him a gentle smile.
She was truly beautiful.
Charlotte's pink hair came from her. Her eyes were also striking, a deep emerald green that reminded James of the refreshing color of nature.
That soft smile showed that she accepted everything without complaint.
In fact, that very attitude made James feel slightly uncomfortable.
But he still had to train.
The system's mission today could not be ignored.
"I will prepare some light food for you. Do not take too long."
She paused briefly.
"I miss you."
"Me too."
James stepped closer and gently kissed his wife's lips.
After that, he turned and walked toward the training area behind the house.
He often used that place to stretch his muscles and train his body.
Once he arrived, he called up the system's status screen.
A translucent blue screen appeared before him.
Only he could see it.
The same applied to the system's androgynous voice.
[Today's Mission: Train for one full hour]
[Mission Reward: 1 Gold Coins]
If a mission like this had appeared for the first time, he might have been confused.
Train for one hour.
What kind of training was that supposed to mean?
But after having the system for seven years, he already understood.
This was a mixed training routine required by the system.
Its primary goal was to improve physical endurance. Although the improvement was not dramatic, he had long treated this routine as a healthy form of exercise.
James certainly did not reject it.
In fact, he sometimes wanted to train longer.
However, since marrying and starting a family, he did not want to behave selfishly by spending too much time away from them.
As for the reward, even a single gold coin would already be enough.
He had never expected excessive rewards.
Since receiving his new power and the change to his bloodline, he actually hoped the system would more often give him things that were truly useful for his family's well-being.
Gold coins did not appear every time.
Sometimes the system gave him other things.
Food and drinks from his previous world.
Or Ninjutsu that he could eventually teach to his children.
Before long, his daughter would begin training with him, learning the fundamentals of ninja techniques and how to control the energy called chakra that already flowed through her veins.
James began with light warm-up movements.
His body moved slowly before starting the actual training.
From another person's perspective, a routine like this might look boring.
But for James, that was not always the case.
Sometimes it even felt enjoyable once he truly began.
That was not a lie.
It was simply an experience he had already felt many times since his first life.