At night, they gathered again in the living room to have dinner together. The meal was quite simple, just a mushroom soup that Mother had bought at the market.
Even so, they truly enjoyed the moment.
They chatted about many things, from funny moments they had experienced to a few horror stories told by Axel.
Even though no one really believed him, Axel remained enthusiastic as he shared his experiences with his family.
"Oh right, Clusius, tell us about your adventure with Father. Your little sister would surely love to hear your story."
Clusius began recounting his experiences to Mother and his younger sister.
A wide smile spread across his face as he shared his story with them.
Although there had been moments that frightened him, he still said that in the end, he felt happy.
"It sounds fun, Father! I want to work with you too! I want to hunt monsters too!" shouted my little sister, Anna, who was only five years old, whining as she begged to go with Father.
"Anna can only work when she's as big as your brother, alright? Right now you're still too small, so you can't come along yet," Mother said gently.
Anna's eyes grew watery, almost on the verge of tears, but Marley quickly comforted her.
After Anna calmed down a little, we continued our dinner.
—–—
18 August 47
At midnight, everyone was fast asleep. So was Clusius, at least until several mosquitoes began biting him, making it difficult for him to sleep peacefully. His hands were busy scratching the itchy parts of his body.
Clusius took several pieces of clothing from his wardrobe and used them as a blanket, since he did not yet have one of his own.
"Ugh, what kind of mosquitoes are these? Aww, damn it… Their population must have exploded because of the rainy season," Clusius muttered irritably as he tried to drive them away.
He kept at it all night, until without realizing it, the sky began to turn yellow, a sign that Father or Mother would soon enter his room to wake him.
TOK TOK TOK
"Clusius, wake up. It's morning, time for breakfast. Father is waiting for you downstairs."
Unfortunately, Clusius failed to endure the whole night. His eyes looked slightly red from lack of sleep.
He walked downstairs slowly, his head feeling heavy. When he reached the dining table, he almost rested his head on it.
"Clusius, what's wrong? Why do you look so weak? Are you still tired after yesterday's adventure?" Axel asked, noticing his son's condition.
"No, I just couldn't sleep because of the mosquitoes biting me. How do you all manage to endure their attacks?" Clusius asked his father.
"Actually, your mother and I have also been having trouble sleeping lately. How about you come with me to look for mosquito-repelling plants?"
"Of course! I have nothing to do at home anyway."
"Alright then, we'll head into the forest at nine this morning."
After discussing Clusius' sleep, Marley came carrying his favorite food, fried eggs with a drizzle of soy sauce.
"Mother, I'm going with Father to the forest to look for mosquito-repelling plants later. Is that alright?"
"Is it really alright to take Clusius with you?" Marley asked worriedly.
"Of course it's fine. As long as he's with his father, he'll be perfectly safe."
"Alright then, you may take Clusius with you. But if anything happens to him, don't expect to sleep on a comfortable bed!" Marley lightly threatened Axel while pointing her spoon at his face.
"O-of course! How could I possibly let anything happen to my son? I'll definitely bring our child home safe and unharmed," Axel replied nervously.
Marley gave a faint smile, and they began eating together.
—–—
After eating, he went to the back of the house to enjoy the cool breeze. Alone, he watched the flowers and grass sway gently in the wind. Deep in his heart, he longed to have a friend to play with, so he would not feel bored and alone every day. However, he was aware that no child wanted to play with him. He was known as the cursed child, branded as a harbinger of misfortune.
He felt sad and complained silently to himself, questioning why he had to be born in such a state.
He did not know who was to blame for the miserable life he was living.
At nine in the morning, he and his father finally set off toward the bold Forest to search for ecoleam plants, a type of plant with a distinct aroma capable of repelling mosquitoes from around the house. The plant was characterized by its long leaves, each strand splitting into two at the tip, and its yellowish-green color.
Before entering the forest, they stopped by the adventurer guild to take on a mission. After considering several options, his father, Axel, decided to accept a monster-hunting quest targeting a creature known as the Phantom Wolf. Recently, the monster had been terrorizing the residents of the deme, especially at night. Axel felt the reward was substantial, and since the quest could only be taken by fighters of iron rank or higher, it would be a shame to miss it.
After traveling for thirty minutes, they finally arrived at the bold Forest. The cloudy sky made the atmosphere slightly dark and cold. Worried that rain might fall, they realized they did not have much time in the forest.
Aside from the guild mission, they also had a personal goal: gathering ten ecoleam plants to plant around their home.
"Hopefully, with these ecoleam plants, I'll finally be able to sleep peacefully," Clusius said hopefully.
"I hope so too. Waking up covered in mosquito bites is truly unpleasant," Axel replied with a laugh. The two of them laughed together, relieved at the thought of finally being able to sleep soundly.
For thirty minutes, they walked through the forest, passing dense trees and various wild animals. Eventually, they managed to find nine ecoleam plants.
"Finally, just one more and we can go home. But… why haven't we encountered the Phantom Wolf yet?" Clusius asked.
"That monster usually only appears at night. We're fortunate we came during the day, so we can explore the forest more safely," Axel answered.
Suddenly, raindrops began to dampen Clusius' hair. Axel immediately told his son to head home. They ran toward the deme, hoping the rain would not grow heavier.
"But we only found nine ecoleam plants," Clusius said, slightly disappointed.
"It's alright. Tomorrow, when I return to the forest, I'll search for the rest. For now, this is enough," Axel reassured him.
On their way back, Axel began to feel as though something was watching them from behind the trees. A sharp gaze that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
"Maybe it's just my imagination…" he thought, trying to calm himself.
Upon arriving at the deme, Axel told Clusius to go straight home. He himself decided to return to the forest. His instincts told him something was wrong.
Clusius quickly ran toward the house.
"Be careful, Father. Don't come home too late, or Mother might end up beating you," he said half-jokingly, though anxiety lingered in his heart.
"Don't worry. I'll finish this quickly. You have nothing to be concerned about," Axel replied with a smile.
Clusius slowly disappeared from sight, his small figure vanishing behind the curtain of rain. Axel took a deep breath. The sky grew darker. The rain poured down more heavily.
I have a truly bad feeling about this. When I was escorting Clusius earlier, I caught sight of a black figure among the trees. I fear it was the Phantom Wolf, the creature that has been terrorizing the villagers lately. As the head of the family, I cannot simply stand by. I must ensure my family's safety.
Once he saw that Clusius had safely reached home, Axel immediately headed back toward the forest. Though the rain intensified, his resolve did not waver. As long as that threat still roamed free, he would not feel at ease.
With his greatsword resting on his shoulder and unwavering determination in his heart, Axel swore that he would protect the only reason he continued to live, his family.