Chapter 28
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The medicine bag Sena gave me contains a painkiller.
I almost let out a sigh thinking about how overprotective she is, but it comes in handy this time.
Using the painkiller and potion, I manage to kick Milan and Fio out of the room and perform the treatment as quickly as possible.
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「Good work, we’re done.」
As if a thread has been cut, Marlo immediately responds, 「Thank you so much,」 and falls asleep with large beads of sweat on her forehead.
Leaving her to rest, I exit the room and Milan rushes over. 「Is Mom going to be okay?!」
I explain that Marlo is fully healed and hand over a few bottles of potion.
Milan tries to return them, half in tears, saying, 「I can’t accept these!」 I instruct her that Marlo had overexerted her disabled leg resulting in exhaustion, and likely due to anxiety, was also suffering from insomnia. So for the next few days, she should have Marlo drink a potion whenever she wakes up.
Wiping her eyes with her sleeve, Milan asks me,
「Low, why are you doing so much for us…?」
「Who knows? Well, when you grow up, if you see someone in trouble, make sure to help them out. That’s life, you know?」
How flimsy my words sound.
Throughout my life, Grandpa taught me to live with my head held high, saying it would ultimately be for my own good.
I’m still a bit unclear on what exactly that means, but one thing is certain.
We should live in a way that, when looking back, we won’t regret having lived shamefully.
So my choice this time, through and through, is for my own sake.
However, I can’t help but wonder.
If she cherished everyone I once knew and wished for their happiness, how would she have responded?
The girl who could answer that question is no longer here.
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Now then, the night is wearing on and a faintly glowing blue moon can be seen outside the window.
It’s bedtime for children.
But perhaps worried about their mother, or due to the unusual experience of me staying over, the children are reluctant to go to sleep.
「Come on, Marlo is already asleep so you two should get to bed too.」
「「Aww! 」」
I was keeping Milan and Fio company playing board games until bedtime, but they show no signs of sleepiness.
On the contrary, their eyes are shining brightly as they plead, 「Hey, hey, so! Tell us about your dungeon explorations!」 「Yesh, tell ush!」
「A story, huh? Well, what kind of story do you want to hear?」
「Ooh, I want to hear about the boss monsters you faced while exploring!」
「You know, there are way more boss monsters I haven’t defeated than ones I have.」
「But you’ve defeated some, right Low? I mean, you have that much money and all!」
Equating wealth with being a dungeon conqueror is inaccurate, but would it be tasteless to point that out now?
Besides, what kind of big brother could refuse such pleading? No, wait! I’m not even their big brother in the first place!
「Alright! I’ll tell you about the most recent dungeon I conquered. But you have to go to sleep after hearing it, okay?」
When I firmly state this to the two of them, they energetically reply,
「「Okay!! 」」
I wonder if they really understand…
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「The blade-type monster I was in charge of was a troublesome one that moved insanely fast every time it flashed,」
I recount, vividly remembering the depths of the Blade Dungeon.
「It moved so quickly that you couldn’t even follow it with your eyes.」
When explaining things related to Eris and Ryūgūin, I change their names and obscure important details.
「And bam! One of its arms got sliced clean off!」
As I reach a scene where I’m in a pinch, Fio eagerly urges,
「And den, and den!」
Once I start talking, Fio seems incredibly engrossed, so I have a hard time paying attention to Milan’s more subdued reactions.
「So, my apprentice used a secret technique to slice through that strongest swordsman monster, just like this. And you know what the swordsman monster said at that moment? ‘Well done.’」
I finish the story with some gestures, but while Fio squeals with delight every time I progress the tale, I do finally notice Milan staring at me with an increasingly skeptical look.
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Seeing that my story has ended, Milan carries Fio to bed.
Thinking I should get some sleep too, I take out my sleeping set from my magic bag and prepare to lie down on the floor.
But then Milan, having returned, calls out to me, 「Hey, Low?」
「What is it? You promised, so go to sleep already,」 I tell her.
「It’s about the story from earlier…」
「The earlier story?」
「You’re a really good person, Low, so I understand you were trying not to deceive us. And for Fio’s sake, you were trying to make the story, you know, more interesting.」
I have no idea what Milan is talking about.
「Huh? What do you mean by-」
「That story- Um, the one you just told us.」
Milan seems hesitant to speak, but eventually opens her mouth as if mustering her resolve.
「That was the heroic tale of the Hero Ryūgūin and his companions, wasn’t it?」
At Milan’s question, I am so shocked that I forget how to speak.
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