Volume 2 Chapter 12 New Year's Eve Preparations
Tap tap tap tap! Cain was running through a dim place, not even sure where he was headed. Different thoughts spun in his head──why was he running, anyway? But then, another part of him screamed, just run──get away, now! He couldn't understand it, but kept running anyway.
Bam! Suddenly, something slammed hard into him from the side. He crashed down, skidding headfirst in a wild tumble. When he tried to get up, a heavy force pressed down on him from behind.
He looked over his shoulder, trying to make sense of it──
and saw the giant fangs of a wildcat beast coming at him.
The next second, its jaws clamped around his head.
"──Uwaaaagh!"
Cain jolted awake, screaming.
As he tried to sit up, it hit him──it was just a dream, right?
But his body wouldn't move.
It felt like something was pinning him down──wait, was he still dreaming?
Only his head would turn, so he craned his neck to look──
and saw Alice sprawled halfway across him, fast asleep.
He just wanted a break from jump scares.
But... why was she here?
"Elder Sister Alice, wake up. Elder Sister Alice."
After a bit, Alice squirmed awake and lifted her head to look at Cain.
At first her eyes were glazed, still sleepy──
but then they snapped open, sharp and bright, locking onto him.
"Ah──Cain! Cain's awake! Lady Lydia, Cain's up!"
Alice exploded out of the room, dashing off at top speed.
Cain tried to sit up to follow her──
but a stabbing pain, the same kind as a few days ago, shot through his body.
'Mana pain──again? It hurt. A lot.'
Still, he pushed himself upright anyway.
Maybe, just maybe, it hurt a little less this time? Was that just wishful thinking?
As he tried to figure that out, Alice came back with Lydia.
"Cain!! Why do you always push yourself so hard?!"
Lydia grabbed him, squeezing tight as she shouted.
It sounded like her voice was just a little shaky.
"Sorry, Mother Lydia. I'm sorry."
Cain apologized right away, honest and direct.
"Honestly! You always make me and Lady Lydia worry sick! As punishment, you have to do one thing we ask──no complaints!"
Cain figured he should just answer honestly, so he gave a quick, simple "yes."
The two women smiled warmly, each telling Cain what they wanted, then left the room together, their voices in perfect sync: "Stay in bed and rest today."
* * *
Cain did as he was told──rested, drifted off, then woke again, over and over. When a knock sounded at the door, he woke to see Benjamin coming in.
"Cain, you alright? Sorry I pushed you a bit too hard yesterday──I wasn't thinking straight."
Benjamin apologized, his voice gentle and kind.
"I'm alright. Even with unlimited magic, it feels like there's a limit to how much I can use at once. What about you, Elder Brother Ben? Wasn't it rough for you too?"
"So you noticed, huh? Wait, did Lydia and Alice make you promise too?"
"Wait, you too? I thought Mother Lydia scolded you, not made you promise anything."
"Oh, she chewed me out plenty. Same for Father, Elder Brother Arthur, and Chris. She made each of us promise, one by one. Ha ha ha ha ha."
Benjamin laughed, dry and a bit awkward, his eyes drifting upward.
"We've both got our share of trouble, huh, Elder Brother Ben? Anyway, didn't you have something to talk to me about?"
"Right, yeah, 2 things actually. First──any special meat you want to eat for New Year's? Tomorrow, Dad and I are heading into the Great Deep Forest for a hunt. We'll try to bring back any monster you're craving."
"Thank you──if possible, I'd like guinea fowl."
"Alright──I'll grab plenty, so get ready for a feast. The other thing is about the bathhouse. Any idea when you're building it?"
"Uh, about that... Mother Lydia asked me to, so I promised to build it tomorrow. That means, I won't use magic circles──I'll heat the water up myself."
"Good──that's a relief. I thought I wouldn't be able to help if it was tomorrow. And you know, don't push yourself. If you do... actually, forget it. I'll just trust your good sense, Cain."
Benjamin left the room, telling everyone to take it easy today.
They realized──everyone had been roped into a pretty tough "promise."
Sorry about that.
Cain, fighting through the pain, found his thoughts stuck on that "promise" with Alice.
Alice had asked for something simple──make 2 kinds of sweet treats.
He wondered what to make that would make Alice smile.
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