Fifth day since the start of the rainy season.

As usual, I haven’t left Seriana’s room, and the only news I get about the outside world comes from the occasional reports brought in by Elena and the others.

No changes in the town.

…Come to think of it, the biggest problem has already been dealt with, and it’s not like anything’s going to drastically change in just a few days, but when information is limited, it’s hard not to be bothered by it.

Meanwhile, Seriana—yesterday, she still seemed a little restless, but after hearing Klaus’s story the other day, she must have decided that her part is done.

Maybe she’s finally adjusted to this new lifestyle—today, she hasn’t been swinging her wooden sword.

She’s been reading books, making tea in the room’s kitchen—just spending her time at her own pace.

Her ability to switch gears so quickly is as reliable as ever.

And right now, I’m drinking the tea Seriana made…

“Does it hurt?”

Seriana, sitting across from me, isn’t drinking her tea—instead, she’s kneading and pressing my right arm.

“Nnn… it still stings a bit, I guess?”

My right arm… it’s gotten a little better, but there are still places with internal bleeding.

I can move it now, but it still hurts.

If I could use magic, potions, or something like 【Prayer】, it might heal all at once, but since I can’t, I guess I’ll just have to bear with it a bit longer.

As for my overall condition, I’m not well enough to run around, but I’m fine for normal daily activities.

There’ve been several times over the past few days when I thought, “Man, a 【Floating Orb】 sure would come in handy right now,” but since I don’t have one, I’ve been getting by somehow.

I haven’t left this room anyway, so… yeah, no problem.

“Your condition seems to be improving. Maybe you’ll be back to normal soon? Still, it’s best to take it easy for a while longer.”

Saying that, Seriana pulls down my right sleeve and lets go of my arm.

“Yeah, that’s true. I still have a bunch of unread books, so maybe I’ll work through those.”

Even when I was healthy, after coming back from hunting, I’d read just a bit and then get sleepy. This is a good opportunity to tackle the pile I’ve built up.

More importantly…

“Are you sure you’re okay just hanging out with me, Seria-sama? Shouldn’t you be spending time with the kids or something?”

Unlike me, Seriana isn’t under any kind of restriction.

Of course, it wouldn’t be ideal for her to go out alone, but if it’s just to the next room where the children are, there shouldn’t be any problem. She should have time to spend with them.

She’s never really been one to play with kids much, but lately, it feels like she’s been doing it even less.

It’s not like she dislikes kids or has trouble dealing with them, so with this much free time, I thought that kind of thing might be nice too…

“If we spend too much time with them now, they might start copying how we adults act, right? It’s better to leave them with the tutors for now. We’ll gradually increase time with them once they’re a little older.”

“…Huh.”

After explaining that, Seriana picks up the book she was reading before making tea and returns to her reading.

Come to think of it, I feel like I’ve heard something similar before.

There’s that old saying from my past life about “a child’s soul being set by age three,” or whatever it was. Maybe early education really is that important.

Even if I started getting educated now, I doubt I could become someone like Seriana or Liesel…

Raising children is tough.

◇

Night.

Dinner’s over, and now it’s bath time.

“Fiiiuu…”

I still can’t overdo it, but moving my arm is no longer a problem. Up until yesterday I bathed with Seriana, but today I’m alone.

It’s not that I dislike bathing with others, but when you’re by yourself, you can stretch out and relax more easily.

Resting my head on the edge of the tub and floating my body in the water, I feel like all my fatigue is melting away.

…Well, not that I’m actually tired, though.

“Hmm…”

I raise my right arm—still showing signs of internal bleeding—and look it over.

They said it had been broken, but just by looking at it now, you wouldn’t know.

On the day I got hurt, there were complications from mana intoxication, so potions and magic healing didn’t work well. Even now, there’s some light pain when I wiggle it around, but considering it was snapped to pieces just a few days ago, it’s come a long way.

I haven’t really suffered many serious injuries in this world, so whenever I experience something like this firsthand, it’s honestly kind of amazing.

“…Ahhh… I’m melting…”

Floating in the bath, lost in thought, I started feeling better and better.

If I stay like this, I’m definitely going to fall asleep. Better get out before that happens.

“Alrighty then…”

With some effort, I stood up and stepped out of the bath, swinging my leg over the edge.

My head was wrapped in a towel, so my hair didn’t stick to my back anymore.

Not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but I’ve gotten pretty used to it.

I moved to the dressing room, quickly got changed, and left the bathroom behind.

I’ve gotta get my hair dried before I catch a chill!

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Sera・Blessing・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind’s Garment】 Blessed Item・【Floating Orb】+1【Shadow Sword】+1【Scarlet Bee Needle】【Fairy’s Eye】【Dragon’s Lung】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Serpent’s Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】【Amber Shield】【Purple Wings】【Red Sword】【Monkey’s Arm】・8 cards

Seriana・【Area Identification】・【】・0 cards

Elena・【】・【Green Fang】【Amber Sword】・4 cards

Alec・【Strong Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・10 cards