Chapter 76: 76 – Ticking Clock

"Big bro! Up, up!" Aisha giggled and then held out her hands to me.

I smiled and lifted her up in my arms. "You really like being carried, don't you Aisha? Aren't you scared that I'll drop you?"

"Big bro, strong! Nah scared!"

"That's quite a bit of faith. It's hard to live up to such high expectations, you know?"

"Is kay! I trust!" Aisha giggled and then nuzzled against my chest.

I smiled wider. And then I realized someone was staring at me. My dad, giving me a blank stare.

I shifted Aisha around to make her more comfortable and said, "What, Dad? Jealous that Aisha likes me more?"

"...No." He slowly shook his head and said, "I'm just still surprised at how many genius kids I have."

"Mm." I nodded and looked at Aisha before bopping her nose. "Little Aisha really is a smart little bean. Aren't you Aisha?"

"No!" Aisha squirmed and said, "No poke nose! Bad Big Bro!"

I laughed and then took a look around.

A bright and sunny morning, with clear blue skies and fluffy white clouds drifting past.

Because of me using magic to have fun with Norn the other day, I was grounded even longer. Meaning that I had to find other ways to preoccupy myself.

At first, I started delving into magic circle designs and potentially working out synergies between spells and seeing if I could make essentially a magic computer that powered itself with ambient mana.

But that led to a dead end real quick since I didn't have any material that could draw mana in to use for itself. And I couldn't manipulate it without using my own mana.

Nobody would notice if I did. And it technically wasn't using my mana since I was just moving stuff by using mana resonance... or whatever was letting me move external mana.

Still needed to research that too and why it was a thing.

But anyway, I would know. And considering how easily I was slipping up these days, I decided it was better not to risk it.

Anyway, magic research was no good and I didn't feel like doing it anyway if I couldn't apply it right away. And since I passed off some ideas to Master Roxy the other day, she was out of the house all of the time and lost in her own magical research.

Like that cute floating blob of steel following her around that she summoned while patrolling in the forest.

...Totally wasn't jealous at all.

So. I thought about training with Dad. But that guy got a jump in abilities since he picked up <Mage Sight> and was busy experimenting on his own now that he could see his own mana.

That, and Mama Lily was hogging Dad's time by insisting that she got training as well.

By the time they finished, Dad was tired and just wanted to play with my cute sisters... Like we were doing right now.

Pretty much everyone else was out of the house on various errands.

Mom had her work at the clinic that she had been putting off for a while, Mama Lily needed to pick up groceries, and Master Roxy was playing around with the spirit that she had summoned the other day.

Sylphy wasn't here today because her grandmother apparently showed up to visit and they were going to spend a few days to reconnect.

I was pretty curious about it, actually. Since Sylphy was a half-elf and that good at magic, I wondered if it was genetic.

...Or if my whole hypothesis about mana radiation was a thing and resulted in her being able to use magic like that.

Still hoping mana radiation wasn't a thing, because that was a giant can of worms and a massive headache I didn't want to think about.

But anyway, it was just me, Dad, and my baby sisters back at home. And since it was nice out, we were playing by Mom's tree instead of cooping ourselves up inside.

Norn tugged Dad's shirt and then pointed at me. "Papa. Up?"

Dad let out a bright smile and then swooped Norn up in the air. "There you go, Norn-"

"Kyaaaa!"

Norn screamed and then started squirming! "No! Down! Down!"

Dad froze.

Aisha giggled and said, "Big sis scared!"

Norn quickly nodded her head and said, "Scared! Down!"

With a stiff smile, Dad set Norn down. The moment he did, Norn dashed over to me and hugged my leg.

Dad sighed and said, "Seems like my genius son is more interesting than this old man."

I set Aisha down and then pulled Norn into a one-armed hug. After that, I looked at my dad and said, "While that's probably true, it's more like you don't know how to be careful around children."

"But Aisha likes it when I spin her around!" Dad looked at Aisha and said, "Don't you, Aisha?"

Aisha giggled and then ran over to him, holding out her arms. "Spin! Da, spin!"

Dad grinned and scooped her up, twirling her around.

Aisha giggled even harder and let out happy screams.

Norn trembled and hugged me tighter. "...Rui. No spin?"

I patted her head and said, "Don't worry, Norn. I'll keep you safe from the spin monster too."

Norn giggled and then looked up at me. Smiling shyly, she held out her arms and said, "Rui hug?"

"Of course!" I smiled and then gently lifted her up, making sure to hold onto her carefully.

Norn smiled and then turned around to look at Dad and Aisha.

...Who were still spinning.

I frowned and said, "Dad. You do know that Mama Lily is going to be mad at you later, right?"

Dad slowly came to a stop, hugging Aisha to his chest.

My youngest sister kept giggling, her cute crimson eyes moving from side to side, still stuck in spinning mode. "Speen. Heehee..." She giggled again and then started swaying back and forth, almost like she was drunk.

I sighed.

Dad put on a proud smile and said, "It's fine! As long as my cute daughter's happy, I can take any punishment! Right, Aisha?"

"Yeah! Happy!"

"See?"

I shook my head and then sat down, shifting Norn to sit on my lap.

Seeing that, Dad walked over to sit beside me and set Aisha down on his lap too.

...And then she promptly started to tilt, her eyes still spinning.

"Whoops!" Dad quickly caught her and leaned back. "Just close your eyes and relax until things stop spinning, Aisha."

"Kay~!"

Aisha closed her eyes and then leaned back against my dad, her body still subtly swaying.

Dad made sure to keep a firm hold of her though so she didn't tip over.

Seeing that, Norn's eyes widened and she looked up towards me.

I patted her head and said, "Relax. Your big brother's here to protect you from our reckless father."

Dad pouted and said, "I'm not *that* reckless. Besides, kids are tough, you know? A little spinning around along with scrapes and bruises won't do any harm."

"...Well. I can see where Aisha gets her mischief from."

Dad stuck out his tongue.

I rolled my eyes and said, "Aren't you supposed to set a proper role model, Dad?"

"Meh." He started tidying Aisha's hair and said, "It's fine. Both your moms are strict enough. I figured that I might as well be the cool and fun parent." He tickled Aisha and said, "It's no good to be serious all the time. Right, Aishy-poo?"

"Heehee!" Aisha giggled and the started squirming. "Stop! No tickle!"

Dad laughed and then stopped, carefully hugging Aisha against him. After that, he put on a serious face and then looked at me. "I'm surprised though. I didn't think that you and Norn would be so close."

"Hm?" I frowned and looked down at Norn. "...I don't think I'm particularly close with her though? Not more than Aisha, anyway? Right, Norn?"

Norn blinked and tilted her head, confused.

"...Never mind." I smiled and patted her head. "Don't worry about it, Norn."

"Kay, Rui."

Dad pointed at me and said, "See. That. You're really protective with Norn and not Aisha. Could it be... is my responsible son playing favorites?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not playing favorites. It's just that Aisha can take care of herself. Right, Aisha?"

Aisha gave me a wide smile and nodded. "Aisha smart! Big bro, trust me!"

"See?"

Dad gave me a blank stare and said, "...Weren't you the one who got upset at getting expectations put on you for being a genius?"

"Yep!"

"And you're saying you don't need to worry about your smart baby sister... because she's a genius?"

"Hey now, I'm not like you. I'm not having unreasonable expectations that Aisha is a genius. She's just smarter than your average two year old and knows how to not get hurt."

Dad nodded and said, "That's true. When you were around her age, you somehow broke your leg and arm, after all."

I felt my face heat up and said, "That was an accident! I overestimated myself."

Norn tugged on my shirt and said, "Rui, hurt?"

"It's fine, Norn. Nothing a little magic couldn't fix."

Norn frowned but then nodded.

Dad chuckled and said, "Well. It's good that we have so many magic users around now, don't we?" He ruffled Aisha's hair and said, "A little gremlin like you's going to need it. Aren't you, Aisha?"

"No! Bad Da! No mess hair!"

I laughed, watching Dad and Aisha mess around.

-LIV-

The lazy and happy days continued to pass.

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Maybe since I had gone through a lot recently, my parents and Master Roxy left me alone while they went about their own things.

They still kept me informed, of course. Being W didn't just disappear, even if he was being quiet.

But for the most part, it settled into a routine where I spent my days like a kid would and just played games or read stories to my cute baby sisters.

Master Roxy joined us every now and then to show off some new magic and her new spirit friend... Who she still hadn't named yet.

She also used the time to not so discreetly check to make sure I was letting my mana and body rest properly.

Other than that though, she was cooped up in her room or roaming around doing research into summoning magic.

...Maybe I shouldn't have casually mentioned how space and time were interconnected and that you could probably use mana as a marker to bridge the gaps?

Still, the fact that I wasn't seeing Master Roxy as often was helping me to pull my act together regarding my feelings towards her.

Sylphy too. Since she was busy showing her grandmother around, she hadn't been around recently. Because of that distance, I was able to get a handle on sorting all of my emotions towards her.

Which meant I needed to talk with her about it soon.

That... would be a conversation.

But it would be fine.

Right, Rudy?

Right, me.

...Anyway, about a week passed. We were in the middle of spring, with blooming flowers and budding tree leaves.

My mana was fully topped up. The minor aches and pains that I didn't even realize I had from straining my body fighting against Orsted were completely gone. As a result, I felt stronger than ever. Top of the world.

Of course, I was still grounded from using mana or magic.

But that was fine.

To be fair, I had been on full-tilt grind mode since I was born, so taking it easy for a while was good. It also meant that I was ready to tackle whatever curveball life or Being W threw at me.

It was morning, with a beautiful day outside. Birds were singing, flowers were blooming. On a day like this...

I threw off my blanket and hopped out of bed. After that, I clapped my hands on my cheek and nodded. "Alright. No more procrastinating."

I'd had my fun playing with Norn and Aisha. I was healed up. My mana was topped off. And I felt the best I'd ever felt.

So there weren't any excuses anymore.

Grabbing the gray scarf Mama Lily made for me and the wand Master Roxy made for me, I walked out of my room.

The house was quiet. My parents were still fast asleep, and it was too early for Norn and Aisha to be awake yet. Even so, I could hear the faint sounds of pages turning and a quill scratching across parchment.

Master Roxy, taking meticulous notes as always.

Hearing that, I walked over to her room and said, "Master Roxy. I'm heading out to visit Sylphy."

Silence. And then Master Roxy's groggy voice called out. "Be careful. If something happens, send out a fireball. Master will come running right away."

"I'll be fine, Master... But I'll be careful. Let my parents and my sisters know, okay? I'll be back by noon."

"Don't pull a Paul, Rudy." Master Roxy yawned and then said, "Love you and stay safe."

I felt a sharp barb in my heart at the casual way she said that. The way that a sister would say to her kid brother heading out for the day.

I laughed to clear up that pain and then said, "I will. Love you too, Master Roxy. See you later!"

With those words, I quickly ran out of the house.

Gah. Stupid.

Can't even blame hormones or anything since you're not in puberty. Nope, just you.

Saying 'I love you' so easily back to Master Roxy... What are you going to say if she brings it up later to tease you, huh?

I sighed and pulled my scarf up to hide my face. After that, I started my trek to Sylphy's house.

She actually lived pretty far away from us on foot. We usually flew back super fast so it only took a few minutes, but it was still a decent chunk of time to walk over.

Which meant it was just me, myself, and I.

I wrapped my hands around the back of my head and looked up at the sky. "Seven- No, almost eight years, huh?"

My birthday should be coming up soon in the summer.

That meant it had been eight years since I was reborn in this world as Rudeus Greyrat. Eight years since I got my second chance at life.

"...I haven't thought about it much, but I've changed quite a bit, haven't I?"

I had made peace with my past life. While I didn't know the exact circumstances of how I saw it, I knew that my parents and siblings in my former life would be fine.

The regrets I had from then were cleared up too... Mostly.

Making my parents proud. Taking care of my siblings... While I didn't have any older siblings in this life, I could at least make sure to not let down my cute baby sisters.

Not only that, I felt like I had accomplished things. All the research into magic, making friends with Sylphy, keeping my family together through all the rough times... Even dealing with Being W.

There were still a lot of things up ahead, but like this...

"Yeah. I'm pretty satisfied."

A sense of fulfillment I never experienced in my past life. Unconditional love from everyone around. A strong support network I could lean on and trust to have my back. And maybe even...

I shook my head, ignoring the heat in my face from thinking of two girls. "Gah. This is the problem with too much spare time."

I needed to get busy again soon. Relaxing was good, but at this rate I'd turn into an old man who would just sit contentedly and watch life past.

That wasn't good.

There were still dangers out there. The sense of urgency was gone since nothing had happened, but that made it more dangerous.

I couldn't slack. While I had others I could depend on, if I wasn't careful, I would slide back to my old habits and leech off of them.

No good. Definitely no good.

I slapped my cheeks and then nodded. "Alright. Let's hurry up and go talk to Sylphy."

After that conversation... Well, I didn't know how it would end up. But life should get a lot more fun.

Maybe?

Hopefully?

...Either way, things were going to change around here, and I couldn't wait.

W-Well, I could since I didn't know what to do really, but...

Argh, whatever! Let's just get this over with!

I shook my head and then started sprinting.

Maybe that would get rid of some of this nervous energy.

-LIV-

A horse-drawn carriage, making its way from Roa to Buina village.

Inside of it, Eris crossed her arms, scowling as she stared at the grassy plains passing by. "...I still don't understand it. That guy doesn't like me anyway, and he definitely doesn't like me after I hurt that elf girl, right? Why does Dad still want to send me to him?"

Ghyslaine shrugged and leaned against the side of the carriage. "Whatever the case, on paper you are still engaged to Paul's kid. I've heard that those sorts of noble engagements are pretty important, so Master Philip might just be worried about how it will look for you if you aren't with him."

"Hmph." Eris uncrossed her arm and started fiddling with her sword. "Well... I guess it's fine. You're sure that he's strong, Ghyslaine?"

"With a sword... Decent. With magic... a monster." Ghyslaine frowned and rubbed the eyepatch over her right eye.

At that time, a good-hearted laugh echoed from the front of the carriage. After that, the carriage driver turned back to look inside at Eris and Ghyslaine.

He was a man with a monkey-like face, wearing a fur vest and black trouser outfit that made him look more like a bandit than an adventurer. The appearance of someone who couldn't be trusted. But the warm and amiable smile on his face softened that appearance.

"Careful now, Ghyslaine. You don't want to cause a jinx."

Ghyslaine shook her head and said, "You're still on about that sort of stuff, Gisu?"

The man, Gisu, laughed and said, "A jinx is a jinx. You shouldn't take them lightly, you know? Like how everything always went right when you made decisions and wrong when you didn't."

Ghyslaine's ear twitched and she said, "Then are you saying this is going to end poorly because I would have chosen to stay in Roa with Eris?"

Gisu turned back to look at the front and shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not." He chuckled and said, "If you're lucky, there might be some divine intervention to make things work, you know?"

Eris huffed and said, "Stop talking about weird stuff I don't understand, monkey man!"

Gisu laughed. "Whatever you say, Red."

"My name is Eris!"

Gisu paused and then turned around to look at Eris.

Eris glared at him. "What? Something funny?"

"...No. But talk about a major jinx." He shook his head and turned back to face the front. "Having a name that means 'strife' is about the worst jinx you could get."

Eris started gnashing her teeth and reached for her sword.

"Eris."

She paused and looked over at Ghyslaine.

Ghyslaine shook her head and said, "Do you remember what you promised?"

Eris leaned back in the carriage and crossed her arms. "...No violence. But he started it!" She pointed at Gisu and said, "What am I supposed to do about idiots who run their mouths like that?"

Gisu chuckled. "An idiot, huh? Well, I suppose that's kind of true."

Ghyslaine shook her head and then looked at Eris. "Listen closely, Eris. As an adventurer, you'll end up meeting all sorts of people... Like this gambler who likes swindling people of their money." She pointed at Gisu.

"Rude! I always made more money than I took from you guys, you know?"

Eris frowned, but she focused on Ghyslaine. "So?"

"So you'll need to learn to tolerate them. Especially people like Paul. You see, when I was your age..."

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