◆◇◆
After becoming friends with the sisters Karen and Karin, my life changed drastically.
Unlike before, when I scarcely left the house and devoted myself solely to training, I now went out once a day.
After Karen and I traded fists in a sparring match, Karin, who had been waiting, would hand me a towel and something to drink while I rested.
After that, we would lie peacefully in the field and let the time pass.
We would take a nap, then wake around sunset, see the sisters home, and stroll back ourselves.
Until recently, I had helped Mother and Lilia prepare dinner, but Mother now forbade me from entering the kitchen.
Her reason was that I should enjoy spending time with girls my age rather than staying home with my mother.
Father felt the same way.
Father smiled even more happily than Mother and reassured me that all I had to do was keep up my sword training.
"You little rascal. If you make those girls feel neglected, you might regret it later, you know? The path from Intermediate to Advanced isn’t so easy, anyway. No matter how hard you struggle, that won’t change. If you diligently practice your swings for cutting rocks once every day, you’ll come to understand someday. So for now, relax and get along well with your future brides, Lumi."
Without realizing it, I had become impatient because my swordsmanship had stopped improving lately.
Meeting the sisters Karen and Karin washed away that impatience and allowed me to regain my composure.
Whether it was swordsmanship or anything else, one had to maintain a sense of calm—an even state of mind.
When that balance was disturbed, the balance within one’s body crumbled, and one could think of nothing but negative thoughts.
Before long, those negative thoughts corrupted the heart as well, eventually turning a person into a wreck.
If one remained trapped in impatience and inferiority, one would not advance even a single step down one’s path.
In that case, taking a moment to relax was important too.
Perhaps Father had said those things to teach me precisely that.
Just as my parents said, I spent half of every day with Karen and Karin.
Sometimes, I also trained on the assignments Father had given me in front of the forge.
Whenever my sword broke, Kashua would promptly repair it and give me a flick on the forehead, but it was only a light tap. I took it as her own way of showing affection and did not think much of it.
Perhaps Kashua had taken a liking to me, because she even gave me traditional oni clothing and a sword as gifts.
While the sisters were out running an errand, Kashua and I had a candid conversation about how oni traditions resembled those of Japan in many ways.
I casually mentioned that the traditional oni clothing she had lent me was more comfortable than the clothes I currently wore.
A week later.
Saying it was in thanks for reminding her of stories from her hometown after so long, Kashua presented me with a set of formal traditional oni garments and shoes fitted perfectly to me.
A white nagajuban to wear underneath, and a black kimono for the outer layer.
A white scarf for my neck, along with a thick obi.
It was a complete set of the very outfit I had worn in Edo in my youth.
Once I strapped the sword at my waist, the only thing missing was a haori. It felt as though my appearance from my Shinsengumi days had been placed wholesale into my childhood body.
The gift filled me with fresh emotion, nostalgia, and even joy. When I gave Kashua a bright smile and thanked her, she offered me a somewhat troubling blessing.
"Then please continue to take good care of my daughters."
Rather than answer, I merely nodded.
And so, as I spent time with Kashua’s family, more than a year passed in the blink of an eye.
◆◇◆
My abilities at present were as follows.
※◈※
Sword God Style: Intermediate
Water God Style: Intermediate
Old-style swordsmanship: Mugai-ryu
Wind Magic: Intermediate
Water Magic: Saint-tier
Fire Magic: Intermediate
Earth Magic: Beginner
[Healing Magic]
Healing: Intermediate
Detoxification: Intermediate
Barrier: Beginner
※◈※
Lately, perhaps because healing, detoxification, and divine strike magic had become more useful to me than offensive magic, I had improved in those fields.
Perhaps they suited my aptitude better. Though it had been less than half a year, I had succeeded in manifesting a divine strike magic circle I had read about in a book.
Rudy could use healing magic as well, but he could not cast it without incantations.
"I can’t use chantless healing magic because I don’t understand its principles in detail. Even when Lumi explains them to me, I can’t understand. I guess I simply don’t have the aptitude for healing magic."
It was the first time I had seen Rudy, who was practically a genius when it came to magic, appear so weak.
Then again, I did not truly understand the principles of healing magic circles in detail myself. All I could offer was the same explanation as Father—that my body simply understood it on its own—which was regrettable.
Healing magic was also divided into seven ranks and consisted of four branches: healing, barriers, detoxification, and divine strike magic.
As with water mages, practitioners were called things such as Saint-tier healers or Saint-tier detoxifiers.
Healing was, as its name implied, magic that healed injuries. It used the mana within one’s body as an energy source to heal wounds.
At the Beginner rank, it could do little more than mend a cut, but apparently it could even regrow a lost arm once one reached Emperor-tier.
However, even God-tier magic could not resurrect a dead creature.
In a way, that was only natural.
Life was not something humans could casually control at will.
Next was detoxification magic, which, as the name suggested, cured poisons and illnesses.
At higher ranks, one could create poisons or antidotes.
Once developed to a certain point, it was magic with offensive power in another sense, capable of producing biological weapons that could cause bioterrorism.
Even in the history of the world wars from my previous life, biological weapons had held truly terrifying importance.
Mustard gas, which caused large blisters and burned the skin; sarin gas, where even a slight inhalation led to death.
And white phosphorus smoke, which spontaneously ignited in the air and burned human bodies, continuing to burn upon contact with air even after being submerged in water and taken back out.
When I once told Roxy about such things, she was terribly frightened.
I remembered her scolding me, asking how I could even conceive of such frightening magic.
Fortunately, she said that the Millis Holy Country kept the contents of healing magic from Advanced rank onward under strict control, so ordinary people would not be able to attain the Advanced rank in that field no matter how hard they tried.
Barrier magic raised one’s defenses or created walls of mana using magic circles.
It was a type of support magic capable of blocking physical attacks and magic.
Apparently, from Saint-tier onward, one could use a wide-area barrier capable of enclosing an entire village.
Divine strike magic was magic that dealt effective damage to formless beings, such as undead-type monsters and evil demons.
Because divine strike magic was secretly passed down among human priest-warriors, it was not taught even at magic universities.
Roxy had only read of it in books and did not know its actual details.
Over the past year, I had focused solely on the sword. Yet, after treating Karen when she was injured during sparring, and studying detoxification magic books day after day for Karin, who had languished after being bitten by a venomous snake in the forest, and for Sylph, whose cold would not go away, I succeeded in creating an Intermediate detoxification magic circle myself.
When I used that magic to heal Karin, she recovered as if she had never been sick and burst into tears as she threw her arms around me.
After confirming that her little sister was well, Karen happily showered my cheeks with kisses.
From then on, the sisters clung to me even more. Whenever we walked, it became standard for them to link arms with me on either side.
With our parents’ permission, they even sometimes used me as a large pillow and slept with me in bed.
It was emotionally difficult for me, so I asked them to restrain themselves, but...
"But we really, really like you, Lumi~."
"You’re so... wonderful and kind... You stayed up all night and worked so hard to make me well. You’re the only prince in this world for me."
"Of course we’re going to cling to such a prince."
"...I didn’t do those things to impress you..."
"I like you, Lumi~."
"I really... like you, my husband."
"Nngh..."
Instead, I was bombarded with so many embarrassing words that my face ripened red as a strawberry.
◆◇◆
As winter approached, Mother’s pregnancy was revealed.
It seemed that Rudy and I would be getting a younger sibling.
The whole family congratulated Mother.
Mother had worried for the past several years. Since having Rudy and me, she had not conceived another child, and it had weighed on her mind.
She often muttered with a sigh that perhaps her body could no longer bear children.
For over a month, she had shown obvious symptoms of pregnancy—her appetite had changed, and she suffered from vomiting, nausea, and fatigue.
After visiting the doctor who worked at the village clinic, she had been told that she was definitely pregnant.
The Greyrat household buzzed at the news. What should we name the child if it was a boy? And what if it was a girl?
There was still a room available, and the baby could inherit Rudy and Lumi’s old clothes.
As we imagined the time we would spend with the child yet to be born, the conversation never stopped.
That day, Father, Mother, and Rudy were all lively, and the laughter never ceased.
My heart also raced as I imagined the younger sibling I would be welcoming for the first time in my life.
And then... one month later, an unbelievable incident brought a storm crashing down upon our household.
◆◇◆
Lilia’s pregnancy came to light.
"I am sorry. I am pregnant."
At breakfast, with the family gathered together, Lilia calmly announced her pregnancy.
At that instant, everyone froze and turned their eyes toward Father.
Before anyone could even ask who the father was... we all knew.
Lilia was a diligent and kind maid. She sent most of her wages to her family home.
Unlike Father, who often went out to settle village problems, and Mother, who regularly went to assist at the village clinic, Lilia hardly left the house except for work.
There was no chance that rumors could arise about Lilia being especially close to anyone.
For a moment, I considered the possibility of some wastrel visiting in the middle of the night, or that she had been secretly meeting a lover... but I knew that was not the case.
When I went to Lilia’s room because I could no longer bear to watch Rudy hug his pillow and kiss it while thinking of Sylph, I saw it.
Father, who could no longer share intimacy with Mother after she became pregnant... secretly entering Lilia’s room.
At the time, I considered telling Mother, but I did not want to carelessly reveal Father’s actions and watch our family fall apart.
And so, the matter I had intended to keep buried in my heart had returned as such a great disaster.
I deeply reflected on my fault in handling things so complacently, but it was already too late.
When Rudy, Mother, and I all turned our eyes toward Father at once...
"S-Sorry. I-I think... it’s my child."
Without even being asked, he confessed with appalling ease.
Whenever the family gathered, Father had always told Rudy and me things like, "Be honest," "Be a man," "Protect women," and "No matter what happens, never be unfaithful."
The way he spoke so impressively of the way of the warrior reminded me exactly of Hijikata, and I had respected him for it.
Yet... Father had failed to control his lust and committed a wrongdoing.
For some reason, Rudy gave Father a mocking smile, much like a stray cat taunting a passerby. Mother, meanwhile, stood there with the face of a demon, raised her hand, and struck Father across the cheek with all her strength.
Smack!
The sound rang through the silent house.
The blow sounded painful enough to bring tears to one’s eyes, yet Father did not utter a word.
Mother wiped away the tears pooling in her eyes.
And so, an emergency family meeting began, with Lilia at its center.
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