Chapter 2 Part 1
The next day, after receiving a summons from Princess Chris, Reid and Elria took a break from the academy to gather information.
First of all… they speculated whether there was a connection between the disappearance of magic power and reincarnation. However, Elria immediately shook her head.
“I can’t say for certain that there’s no connection, but I don’t think my magic power alone could facilitate the reincarnation of both of us.”
Even if she were to use the ‘hole’ Tiana mentioned, there wouldn’t be enough magic power to reincarnate the two. Just like ‘Time Leap’, it was a realm beyond human interference, a form of magic related to the ‘soul’, and Elria believed that even for a single reincarnation, an enormous amount of magic power was needed.
Moreover, Elria had been reincarnated as a different race from her previous life, and the two were reincarnated three years apart instead of at the same time. This meant there were differences from the theoretically conceivable reincarnation magic, leading her to consider the possibility of ‘incomplete reincarnation’.
Regarding Elria’s cause of death, nothing can be said for sure at the moment. If the person who created the ‘hole’ had come from a thousand years before Reid and Elria, then all technologies, including magic, would be considered ‘outdated’ to that person.
Even though it was believed that there were tight security measures at that time, for that third party, breaking through would have been easy. There is a possibility that the culprit directly targeted Elria, or they could have taken her magic power after she fell ill.
However, there were certain things that had become clear.
At the very least――the schemer possessed magic techniques that did not exist in the present. This applied not only to the past when there were the Hero and the Sage but also to the current era with Reid and Elria’s reincarnation.
The possibility even arose that this schemer could be an entity from the ‘future’. How this schemer was involved with Reid and Elria and for what purpose their reincarnation serves remained uncertain. To understand all of this, they concluded that they should continue gathering information.
After a thorough discussion with Elria in that direction――
“――――Mmmn.”
The next morning, Elria was looking quite lively, even in her lethargic state. Specifically, she was kneading and molding her pillow with both hands, or rather, she was earnestly wrestling with the fluffy object, all the while making a serious face.
“…What are you doing, Elria?”
“I’m stretching the pillow… to give them some soft power…”
Still with sleepy half-eyes, Elria replied with incomprehensible words.
When she enters her ‘lethargic’ state, her actions become unpredictable. However, Reid had learned various things from living together with Elria, including the fact that her lethargic state had different degrees.
First of all, this time, Elria was in a state of ‘minor lethargic’.
In the case of a ‘normal lethargic’ state, her responses and thinking were vague, but she could still perform certain actions based on instincts and habits.
Next, in the severe state known as ‘severely lethargic’, she dislikes any action of waking up, and has difficulty thinking and making detailed responses on her own, and performing spontaneous actions.
And now, the current ‘minor lethargic’ state was relatively mild.
Not only was she responding to Reid’s words that indicated she had some thought process, but she was also engaging in actions like pressing the pillow with her hands, which suggested that she would awaken relatively soon.
It is also worth noting that there is no meaning in Elria’s actions and words while she is in the ‘lethargic’ state. What is important is that there are degrees and patterns to her ‘lethargic’ state, and Reid’s role is to encourage her to wake up effectively.
“Reid… soft power is accumulating in the pillow…”
“Yeah, I think it’s becoming an extremely soft pillow.”
Reid replied nonchalantly and led Elria to the living room.
After letting Elria sit on the sofa, who was still kneading and massaging the pillow, Reid entered the kitchen and activated the heat-generating magic tool.
To ensure that Elria wakes up, the most effective method was to get her into the bath. However, getting her into the bath is the most challenging part.
Depending on her mood, Elria might or might not undress herself, and she would often get bored halfway and give up undressing, sometimes even ending up in the bath with her clothes on. In other words… he had to make sure that Elria had completely undressed before guiding her to the bath.
Although Reid was mature enough not to be flustered, it still felt uncomfortable to look at the fully undressed Elria when she was not fully conscious. Even with the blindfold on, he could determine Elria’s state from sounds like her clothes rustling, but it was still precarious. So, the bath was considered a last resort for when she reached a ‘severely lethargic’ state.
The knowledge and deductions from studying Elria’s ‘lethargic’ state led him to this approach――
“Here, at least drink this for now.”
Saying that, Reid handed her a cup of steaming hot milk tea. The aroma wafting with the steam made Elria sniff and show some interest.
With Elria’s favorite drink, Reid had devised a groundbreaking strategy to pique her interest, even in her ‘lethargic’ state, and warm her body to encourage her to wake up. With such a cup in front of her, Elria tilted her head curiously and asked,
“……Is it hot?”
“Just in case, I’ve cooled it down enough to ensure it won’t scald your tongue.”
Hearing that, Elria took the cup into her hands but frowned.
“……It’s still hot.”
“In that case, wait a bit longer before drinking.”
“I want you to blow on it for me.”
“…So, you can’t wait to drink it, huh?”
Reid could not help but smile wryly and then blew a few breaths onto the cup.
“Is this good enough?”
“……Mm.”
Elria accepted the cup and nodded in satisfaction.
With sipping sounds, she quickly drank the milk tea and exhaled with a loud huff, fully opening her eyes.
“……Good morning?”
“Good morning.”
“After waking up, I strangely had the taste of milk tea in my mouth.”
“That’s because you were drinking milk tea right before.”
“Is that so… I’m sorry for being lethargic…”
Elria seemed to grasp her condition from Reid’s words and lowered her head deeply. Her speech was still somewhat slurred, indicating that she was still in the process of waking up. Seeing her like that, Reid gently patted her on the head.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve been enjoying it lately, too.”
“……Really?”
“Yeah. I tried changing the brand of tea leaves, adjusting the ratios of water to milk, varying the initial temperature, and the time it takes to cool down. I ended up having fun experimenting with different combinations.”
“Without me realizing, you had been trying all sorts of things…”
“By the way, the tea that got the best reaction was Ronfeld’s tea leaves. I brewed it with plenty of milk, increased the steeping time to make it slightly stronger, and then added a small amount of honey.”
“It was more than I expected…”
“Making tea is something I’ve done only a handful of times, including in my previous life. If it were just for myself, I would have done it casually, but because it’s for you, I thought I’d make it delicious.”
At first, it was a bit of a struggle, but now, it has become one of his daily routines.
Until now, Reid had never been particular about his meals, and such minor matters were usually taken care of by his servants or the people around him. However, it’s also not a bad thing to act for someone else. And above all else――
“Do you want another cup?”
“Yes, please. This time, I want to savor it slowly.”
“Sure. Then, I’ll have a cup, too.”
Reid brewed two more cups of milk tea, and then both of them sat down on the sofa.
――Spending peaceful days with someone else is truly pleasant.
