Returning from the Temple

“Mom, thank you for the meal.”

“I’ll put away the dishes, so Myne, continue your story with Tuuli.”

“You can count on me!”

I was happy to have returned safely from the temple and to be able to eat together with my family. Relishing the simple everyday moments, I washed the dishes. Myne, who had been interrupted because it was time for dinner, excitedly resumed explaining with animated gestures to Tuuli what had happened at the temple.

“And then Dad said, ‘I’ve been ready for that ever since I decided to protect Myne!’ and then… Pow! Bam!…”

By the time I had finished washing the dishes and returned to the table, Myne was stretching out her arms and lifting her legs and imitating Gunther defeating the gray priests. Her movements were sluggish, she almost tripped while pretending to kick, and her throwing motion looked more like a clumsy dance. I could tell that Tuuli was trying her hardest to hold back her laughter while covering her mouth.

“Anyway, Dad looked super cool! Right, Mom?”

Since Myne was demonstrating so earnestly, I also had to hold back my laughter while I nodded. Gunther, who was being praised by Myne with sparkling eyes, was in a great mood, despite her clumsy imitation.

“But Myne also defeated the High Bishop with that Crushing thing, right? If it weren’t for that, it would’ve been really dangerous.”

It was true that Myne’s Crushing had completely changed the atmosphere at that moment. However, Tuuli couldn’t believe it and looked confused, saying, ”…Huh? Myne? She defeated him? That’s impossible.”

No one would have thought that Myne, who couldn’t even mimic Gunther’s fighting properly, could have defeated the High Bishop.

“You know how Myne’s eyes change color when she gets angry, right? That’s the Crushing, and it seems like she can attack with her mana, which is also like the heat from the Devouring.”

Once I had explained it as the High Priest had taught me, Tuuli gasped loudly, her face tightening in shock.

“Wait… Was it really something so dangerous?”

Tuuli asked hesitantly, and Myne, as if it didn’t concern her at all, nodded, “It seems so.”

“Myne, this is about you!”

“But I didn’t know how I looked when I got angry or what others saw. I just found out today! Nobody… Neither Dad, Mom, nor even you, Tuuli, ever told me.”

Seeing Myne sulking, Tuuli looked flustered and distressed.

It’s not as if Myne could see how her eyes changed on her own. And her closest family hadn’t told her either.

It wasn’t entirely Myne’s fault for not knowing about the Crushing. Still, Tuuli had reflexively raised her voice in anger, which probably made her feel a bit guilty.

Tuuli gently poked Myne’s puffed-up cheeks with her index finger, saying, “I’m sorry.”

“You know, we didn’t keep it from you on purpose. It’s just that, when you get angry to the point you could begin—what’s it called, the Crushing?—you immediately get a fever and collapse, and then end up bedridden for a while, right? By the time your fever goes down, we’ve forgotten all about it…”

“That’s right. When you’re about to collapse, the first thing we think about is how to take care of you. We don’t have time to explain to you what you looked like when you were angry.”

When Tuuli and I said that, Myne nodded, seeming to understand.

“But now that you know the Crushing is dangerous, you need to be careful from now on.”

“I’ll… try my best.”

Myne’s eyes wandered, while avoiding making a firm promise to Tuuli. That look meant she had no real intention of trying. I let out a small sigh, stood up, and went over to her. I cupped her face in my hands, making sure our eyes met.

“The High Priest should teach you about both the Crushing and your mana. Since we don’t know much about it, make sure you listen carefully to what you need to be cautious about. Understand?”

Myne answered with a small “Okaaay,” but it was the kind of response I really couldn’t trust at all. Just as I was about to put my hands on my hips and give her a firmer reminder, Tuuli lightly tugged at my skirt.

“Hey, Mom. Um, is the High Priest really okay? Myne defeated the High Bishop, right? If she goes to see him, she won’t be bullied or scolded, will she? She’ll come back safely, right?”

Her face showed deep concern, and I could see the fear and anxiety from being left alone during our absence. Wanting to reassure her that everything was alright, I tightly hugged Tuuli.

“The High Priest is a good man. He’s someone who was willing to listen to our requests, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

I explained that the High Priest had stopped Myne from using her Crushing and that he had listened to us.

As expected, the High Bishop was just like the nobles we had imagined, but the High Priest took our opinions seriously, even though we were commoners.

“You know, Tuuli, Mr. Benno told us that if we negotiated well, I could be treated almost like a noble, right? He was absolutely correct. The High Priest accepted most of our conditions.”

Myne must have sensed Tuuli’s anxiety as well. She tried her best to reassure Tuuli with her words. Gunther also nodded, adding, “Just like Benno said, Myne did her best. She even used her Crushing and defeated the High Bishop, just like she was told to use whatever she could to survive.”

“Oh, Dad! That’s not what Mr. Benno meant by that,” Tuuli laughed in my arms. The worry on her face finally gave way to her usual smile, and everyone relaxed.

“We’ll have to go thank Mr. Benno, won’t we?”

It was thanks to Mr. Benno’s advice that Myne wasn’t taken by the nobility and was able to safely return home like this. I agreed that we should go thank him.

When I said that, Tuuli slipped out of my arms and headed over to Myne.

“We also need to thank Freida. If she hadn’t given you that magic tool, Myne, you wouldn’t be alive now, right?”

“That’s true. Maybe Freida will feel relieved if I tell her that now I’m in the temple, I don’t have to worry about dying from the Devouring fever anymore.”

Myne’s worry about dying seemed to be over, thanks to her new position in the temple. Freida, who had shown Myne a path to live by making a contract with a noble, would probably be relieved too.

“And you should tell Lutz as well. He was really worried about you.”

“I know, it’ll be ok. We promised to keep making books together, so when we talk about our plans, I’ll let him know about the temple and that I’m no longer in danger of dying.”

“It’s not ‘ok’ at all! The temple stuff is way more important than making books!”

Tuuli’s scolding voice echoed throughout the house, reprimanding the carefree and slightly oblivious Myne. That was the usual rhythm of our household.

“Tuuli, Myne. It’s time for bed,” I urged, but the two, still caught up in their excited chatter, didn’t budge. It seemed like they didn’t even hear me. After I raised my voice, “Hey! You two!” they finally turned toward me.

“Myne’s face is getting kinda red. Doesn’t it look like she’s starting to get a fever again?”

“Huh? That can’t be… I thought I’d be fine today since I released my mana with the Crushing…”

Myne looked puzzled, touching her cheeks, and Tuuli leaned in to check her face.

“You’re right! You look like you have a fever! Let’s go to bed. I’ll sleep with you,” Tuuli said, tugging Myne toward the bed. Even after coming home, Myne had remained excited. Based on past experiences, I figured she’d be bedridden for a few days, but there was nothing we could do about it.

“Goodnight,” I said as they headed off to sleep.

As I watched the two of them crawl under the covers, still holding hands, I couldn’t help but smile.

Today had been a day full of tension and anxiety for both of them.

Soon enough, I could hear the sound of their gentle breathing as they fell asleep. After checking on the children, I slowly closed the bedroom door.

When I turned around, Gunther, who had been happily watching the kids’ interactions while sipping his drink, lightly raised his wooden cup. I knew he was inviting me to join him for a drink.

But instead, I gave a small shrug, filled a glass with water, and sat down.

“How about having some wine instead? It’s a special day, you deserve to enjoy a victory drink too, don’t you?”

“No way. Especially since I know Myne’s about to get a fever.”

For me, what’s most important is our everyday life. If I drank and fell asleep, I might not notice if Myne started suffering from her fever in the middle of the night, or I might not be able to move quickly enough. With Gunther already drunk, it would be disastrous if I got drunk too.

“To today’s victory and gratitude to Vantole,” I said, lightly tapping my cup of water against Gunther’s cup. I drank the water, thinking of it as a victory drink, and it tasted just fine.

Gunther, watching me, took a sip from his cup as well, then let out a slow breath. A reflective voice escaped from his lips.

“I honestly didn’t think we’d make it back.”

“Neither did I.”

Ever since Myne had brought home the summons from the temple, we hadn’t had a moment of peace. We learned that the Devouring fever was actually caused by mana, and that the nobles were after that power. I had feared that if we didn’t hand Myne over willingly, none of us would make it out alive.

“I’m just glad Tuuli wasn’t the only one left behind,” I said. Since the summons had been addressed to Myne’s parents, both Gunther and I had no choice but to accompany Myne to the temple.

We had left Tuuli home alone partly because the summons didn’t include her, and partly because we didn’t want her to die too. Tuuli, having finished her baptism and already an apprentice seamstress, could possibly live on as a live-in apprentice if we hadn’t returned from the temple. That was what we had considered.

“And I’m really glad that Gunther wasn’t the kind of father who would just send Myne off to the temple alone.”

The temple only wanted Myne for her mana. If we had abandoned her and sent her there, the temple wouldn’t have bothered to seek permission from her family. They wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of finding us in the poor district. It would have been easy to leave Myne behind, ensuring our own survival and not leaving Tuuli alone.

But neither Gunther nor I could bear to abandon Myne.

Our daughter, once frail and weak, had finally started to regain her health. She had cried, saying she would rather die with her family than live trapped by a noble’s contract.

Gunther had said that he wouldn’t abandon her, that he would stay with her until the end.

**…He would get carried away if I told him I have fallen in love with him all over again.

I kept my thoughts to myself, knowing Gunther, he would do something reckless if I spoke them aloud.

I swallowed down my thoughts along with the water. “But I couldn’t have protected Myne on my own. No matter how much we thank Mr. Benno, it won’t be enough.”

We never would have thought to negotiate with the nobles on our own. Even if we had survived the immediate danger thanks to Myne’s Crushing, we wouldn’t have been able to secure the same treatment that we did without Mr. Benno’s help.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it? Despite being so weak and bedridden all the time, Myne managed to create connections with people who would help her.”

Lutz, who took care of the fragile Myne; Freida, who lent her that expensive magic tool; Mr. Benno, who taught her contract magic and negotiation tactics… So many people have helped Myne survive. I hope she continues to value those connections far into the future.

“There’ll be plenty more to worry about with Myne going to the temple, but… For now, we can relax a bit.” I drained the last of my water and stood up, ready to prepare to help Myne with her fever.