Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 425: A Morning of Gratitude
Dawn was approaching, and the first pale light had begun to spread across the night sky.
“Father…? Sensei? Are you already awake?”
Haku had risen earlier than usual after hearing voices in the living room.
“Haku, I’m sorry. We must have woken you.”
Cross, who had just swallowed the Elixir, hurriedly stood.
Then he froze.
“…No. That can’t be…”
He had risen smoothly, without dragging his injured leg.
“Father?”
Haku stared at Cross’s astonished expression.
Cross repeatedly opened and closed his right hand, testing the arm that had refused to move.
“It moves… It really moves! Haku!”
He seized his bewildered son and pulled him into a fierce embrace.
“F-Father? What’s wrong?”
“Your father’s injuries have healed,” Tauro explained for the sobbing Cross. “You should celebrate with him.”
“What? Father, is that true? Then…”
Tears filled Haku’s eyes as he returned the embrace.
Cross wasn’t crying merely because his body had been restored. More than anything, he was overwhelmed by the realization that he could remain beside the son he treasured. They might not share blood, but the bond between them was entirely real.
Unwilling to intrude on the moment, Tauro quietly left their house and returned to the detached lodging where his companions were staying.
“Oh, Leader. You’re up early. What brings you back at this hour?”
Ankh was drawing water from the nearby well and washing his face.
“Hmm… I think I managed to help someone.”
“What kind of answer is that? You aren’t planning to go to sleep now, are you?”
Ankh noticed how exhausted Tauro looked.
“I used a great deal of magical power and barely slept. Let me rest for an hour.”
Tauro drank a magic-recovery potion from [Magic Storage] as he entered the house.
“You did something reckless again, did you not? Honestly, try not to cause trouble while no one is watching.”
Ankh laughed as he watched him disappear inside.
Tauro intended to sleep for only an hour, but he remained unconscious for three. By the time Zion finally woke him, Cross’s recovery had thrown the entire village into an uproar.
Chief Gaze had repeatedly examined Cross and demanded confirmation that the injuries were truly gone. His surprise was understandable: only the previous night, he had ended Cross’s employment on the grounds that the man could no longer fight.
At the same time, Cross had raised Haku faithfully for thirteen years and had proven himself trustworthy throughout that period. Having such a capable guardian restored was undoubtedly convenient for the chief.
Tauro joined the others at the center of the commotion.
“What’s everyone making such a fuss about?”
Ragune tilted her head when she saw Gaze and Cross surrounded by villagers.
“Cross claims that his injuries have completely healed,” the bewildered chief replied.
“You mean those severe injuries?” Zion asked.
Although Zion had limited medical experience, she had seen enough of Cross’s condition to understand that ordinary treatment shouldn’t have restored old damage of that severity.
A moment later, Ragune, Ankh, and Zion all reached the same conclusion.
They turned toward Tauro.
Tauro avoided their eyes.
“Tauro, have you forgotten how severely we scolded you after the last incident?” Ragune asked.
“Tauro-sama, what were you thinking? You mustn’t attempt something so dangerous when I’m not there!”
“Leader… You promised there wouldn’t be a next time.”
The three were far angrier than Tauro had anticipated. Cold sweat covered his back.
One hour later, Cross had demonstrated before the entire village that both his arm and leg were fully restored.
Gaze had initially refused to believe it, but once the recovery was undeniable, he welcomed it as an extraordinarily fortunate development.
Tauro, meanwhile, had been made to kneel in seiza while Ragune, Ankh, and Zion lectured him.
The villagers asked what he had done wrong, but his companions declined to explain. The details involved party secrets, and this was an internal disciplinary matter.
“Please… have mercy.”
Tauro couldn’t reveal everything in the middle of the village, so he endured their deliberately vague reprimands.
“My legs have gone completely numb…”
He shifted miserably.
“But I did something good.”
“That isn’t the point, Leader,” Ankh warned.
Cross, the cause of the uproar, approached the punished boy.
“I’ve told no one the details, Tauro-san,” he whispered. “But I must thank you. I have no words sufficient for what you’ve done. Truly… thank you.”
His gratitude was completely sincere.
“I’m glad it worked. And since I saved you, I assume there will be a reward?”
Tauro accepted the thanks with a grin and lightened the moment with a joke.