Chapter 109 Childhood Friend And Senior
――It's been a few hours since Arnold drank the prototype potion. Fortunately, there haven't been any unusual changes in his body so far. However, that's only for now, and we can't predict what will happen in the future.
Thinking about Elvira, I felt like I couldn't breathe for hours. It definitely drained my physical strength.
I let out a deep sigh, which echoed unexpectedly loudly in the room. I hurriedly coughed to cover it up when Lukas, who was sitting next to me, peeked at my face.
"Laura, you look pale. Why don't you lie down?"
"But..."
I glanced over at Arnold's condition. He had been staring at something intently since earlier, lost in thought.
I had prepared a healing potion in case something happened, but if something were to happen to his body while he was resting... the thought made me anxious.
Although I was worried, I knew my body was tired too.
"Don't worry about Arnold-san, I'll keep an eye on him. You can borrow the bed."
As soon as Lukas said that, Diona quickly stood up from the corner of my vision. She approached me and gently said, "Let's go."
Diona took my hand, and I stood up. Then, I turned my back on Lukas and the others and headed towards the guest room. ――At that moment, Lukas's hands rested on my shoulders.
"Take care of yourself too, Laura."
――Laura "too".
I realized that his words were a response to what I said to Arnold earlier, "Please take care of yourself."
I turned around. Lukas was smiling wryly, his eyebrows furrowed.
* * *
――Ah, my consciousness floated up. It was a refreshing awakening.
I got out of bed without feeling groggy. Then, I looked around, but there was no clock in the room, so I approached the window to gauge the time by the sun's position. And then――I realized it was already evening. I must have slept for a long time.
I tidied myself up and headed down to the living room. Lukas and Arnold were nowhere to be seen, but Diona was alone in the kitchen, busily working on something.
She noticed my presence and rushed over to me.
"Laura-sama, how are you feeling?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you. I'm fine now."
I replied with a smile, and Diona let out a sigh of relief, looking like she had been worried about me.
I looked around for Lukas and the others, and that's when I heard a loud noise coming from outside.
"Where are Lukas and Arnold-san?"
"They're outside, having a lesson on magic."
The words "magic lesson" made me tilt my head, but there was something I needed to confirm before that.
"By the way, how's Arnold-san doing?"
"He seems to be fine."
Diona smiled softly and replied, and I let out a sigh of relief, saying "That's good." I was curious about what Lukas was doing outside, but as long as there were no strange changes in his body, that was good enough.
――Suddenly, a sweet aroma tickled my nostrils. Ah, I remembered that Diona had been in the kitchen earlier.
"Are you making something?"
"I was thinking of serving cookies and tea to Lukas-sama and the others."
I nodded, realizing that the sweet aroma was from the cookie ingredients.
I peeked into the kitchen from behind Diona's shoulder and saw the cooking utensils lined up. It seemed like she was still in the middle of preparing.
"I'll help you."
Diona smiled brightly at my offer.
I used to help my mother with cooking at home, but since coming to the royal capital, I hadn't had the time to cook, and it had been a while since I'd been in a kitchen. I was a bit worried about whether I could help properly, but it seemed like Diona had almost finished.
My task was to cut out the cookie dough. As I carefully cut out each one, I couldn't help but feel nostalgic and happy, reminded of my childhood.
――Suddenly, I caught a whiff of a familiar herbal scent from the cookie dough, reminiscent of something I'd smelled before. I tilted my head, stopped what I was doing, and took a closer look at the dough. I could see the crushed herbs mixed in.
"Do you mix herbs into the dough?"
"Yes, Reinhardt said it's good for your health, and it makes the flavor more refreshing."
I was impressed by that idea. I thought I'd teach my mom about it next time――but then I froze when I heard Diona mention Reinhardt's name.
Earlier, she'd said she made cookies with her brother. However, according to Iris, Sieg-san and Leon-san were clumsy and couldn't make cookies. So I wondered who had taught Diona how to make cookies, but――
"Did Reinhardt-san teach you?"
When I asked, Diona covered her mouth with her hand, and her reaction made it seem like she'd let something slip.
For a moment, Diona looked like she'd bitten her tongue, but then she relaxed and smiled, looking relieved.
"Yes, Reinhardt is our brother."
"Is that why your eye colors are the same, because you're siblings?"
"Yes, that's right. And I'll say it anyway, but Iris is also our sibling."
It seemed my earlier hypothesis was correct. The amber-colored eyes weren't a characteristic of the Rustu people, but rather a unique trait of Diona and her siblings.
Although I was convinced, I couldn't help but wonder why they'd kept this fact hidden. Maybe I should've just let it slide.
"I'm sorry, I overstepped."
"No, it's fine. You would've found out anyway when you came to our city. We're all half-siblings."
Despite the slight awkwardness in her words, Diona's expression was very calm, as if she was thinking of her siblings. It was clear that they got along well.
"You all get along really well, don't you?"
"Yes. My proud siblings."
Diona's expression was the brightest smile I had ever seen.
It was clear that her siblings were carrying something big on their shoulders. That's why I couldn't help but wish for them to have a little more peaceful time.
"Laura-sama doesn't have siblings, right..."
"No, but if I had to say, Lukas is like a sibling to me."
Diona's eyes sparkled as I laughed, trying to lighten the mood.
"That's amazing!"
Her genuine expression showed that she was truly happy.
――After that, I helped Diona make cookies while listening to her stories about her siblings.
Reinhardt-san was like a brother and father figure to Diona-san, who would often scold her when she was young. But after scolding her, he would secretly make cookies for her.
Sieg-san was the most serious of her siblings, who would stay up late to train with her in the power of light. He was even scarier when he got angry than Reinhardt-san.
Leon-san was the one she played with in the mountains when they were young, and who would get scared of spooky stories and snuggle up close to her at night.
Iris was like a daughter to Diona and the others, who was extremely curious and sometimes got into trouble, but was cherished like a treasure.
――Diona's stories about her siblings didn't end, and her mouth didn't stop moving until the cookies were done. I just nodded and occasionally asked questions, but somehow, I felt like we had a very relaxing time together.
I got to eat the cookies filled with Diona's memories first. The refreshing sweetness spread in my mouth, and the effect of the mixed herbs warmed my body. It was my first time eating them, but they felt somehow nostalgic.
"Delicious!"
"I'm glad!"
Diona was overjoyed, speaking in a more casual tone than usual. It was somehow heartwarming, and we laughed together, looking at each other's faces.
I arranged the plate with cookies and the teacup with brewed tea on the desk, making it look like a small tea party. I'm not doing anything significant, but I'm feeling satisfied, gazing at the top of the desk.
"Hey, something smells good!"
The door to the kitchen's back entrance opened, and Lukas peeked out. His cheeks were dirty with soil.
Lukas saw me and rushed over. Then, he leaned in close to my face.
"Laura, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks. Diona-san made cookies, so we can all eat them together."
After I told him that, Lukas smiled happily and headed towards the restroom. As I watched him go, I noticed footsteps approaching from behind and turned around. There stood Arnold, looking at me with a difficult expression. His complexion wasn't bad.
"Arnold-san, how's your body?"
"There's nothing wrong... Sorry about that."
――Sorry about that. After saying that, Arnold lowered his eyelids.
His apology was probably when he tasted the trial product. He might have been struggling to find the right words, which was why he looked so troubled.
I looked up at Arnold. With his eyelids lowered, motionless Arnold looked like a scolded child.
"No, it's my fault. I raised my voice, and I apologize. I'm glad you're okay."
Arnold opened his eyes. His dark, entwined pupils narrowed slightly, but he didn't say anything and headed towards the restroom as well.
――With Lukas and Arnold, who had tidied themselves up, our small tea party began. We shared a peaceful time together, savoring Diona's cookies and tea.
"What were you 2 doing?"
"I was getting magic lessons from Arnold-san. I'm still not good at magic."
In "Last Brave", Hero had the power to use basic attack magic and healing magic, aside from his hero abilities. However, in this world, he hadn't studied magic yet. Maybe Arnold would become Lukas's magic mentor or something ―― I thought to myself.
"He's rough around the edges, but his basic abilities are above average."
Arnold said, then took a sip of red tea.
I was surprised that he genuinely praised Lukas. Arnold wasn't the kind of person who looked down on others, but considering how poorly he got along with his childhood friends, I was worried about their friendship.
Lukas didn't seem happy with Arnold's words ―― instead, he glared at him.
"You say that, but if you can cancel out my magic with one hand, it's discouraging."
"It's easy to cancel out your magic because it's unrefined and lacks power."
Lukas's eyes widened in annoyance. However, his expression didn't seem to be out of dislike for Arnold, but rather a glimpse of his competitive spirit.
"For now, let's aim to make me kneel to you."
The words were provocative, but his tone sounded somewhat enjoyable. Lukas seemed to sense it too, and he smiled, showing his teeth.
"That's what I'm hoping for."
Lukas's mischievous grin was a rare sight. Seeing it, my worries seemed unnecessary, and I felt relieved.
Looking at Diona, she was also watching me, her amber-colored eyes locked onto mine. Then, she smiled and whispered to me, "They're getting along, aren't they?" I nodded in response and turned my attention back to Arnold and Lukas.
As someone without magic, it was difficult for me to understand the entirety of their conversation, but they were passionately discussing something.
(Somehow, both of them seem to be enjoying themselves.)
The way they used to glare at each other was a thing of the past. Now, they had both grown, taken on more responsibilities, and perhaps shared more things in common.
Between the 2 people chatting, I awkwardly inserted myself, and started a casual conversation with Diona that didn't involve love. It was a terribly peaceful time, and for now, I was somehow happy.
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