Chapter 18: Nursed by the Sisters

“Be a kind child.”

This was just a short while before parting with his mother.

As she lay on the bed, Rest’s mother held his hand and spoke in a frail voice.

“Be strong. Be sturdy. Make lots of friends. Be a happy child.”

“Mom…”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t watch you grow until the end. Thank you for being my son. Thank you for being born.”

Rest thought he should be the one expressing gratitude. In his previous life, Rest grew up without receiving parental love and was ultimately stabbed to death by the man who should have been his father. For Rest, the ten years of receiving his mother’s love were like radiant jewels. Even though he was an unwanted child, even though he was the child of that cold and irresponsible man, he had nothing but gratitude for his mother’s love.

“Thank you for giving birth to me. Thank you for loving me.”

Saying so, his mother smiled happily and passed away with that smile.

“Rest-kun, don’t harbor hatred toward the world,” 

said the familiar priest to Rest, who had lost his mother.

“From now on, you will face many trials. However, they are not meant to make you unhappy. The goddess only gives people trials they can overcome.”

“…”

“Live strongly and straightforwardly. Don’t be consumed by hatred or resentment. Help others, live with a smile. If you do that, people will gather around you. You’ll forget loneliness in no time.”

At least half of the priest’s words were true.

Soon after, Rest was adopted by his father, and many trials awaited him. Sleeping in a stable, eating leftovers—his life as a commoner was much harsher than when he lived as a noble. Honestly, it was a miracle that he managed to live without harboring hatred toward his father, stepmother, or Cedric. If he had made a wrong move, Rest would have surely become a vengeful demon, blaming them for his unjust life.

(But… it didn’t happen.)

It didn’t happen. He managed to stop himself at the last moment. While he wanted to outdo his father, surpass his stepmother, and excel beyond Cedric, he didn’t want to kill them. Probably because his mother and the priest would be saddened by such actions. To keep from causing grief to those who cherished him, and to proudly assert that their love for him was not misplaced, Rest decided to live his life upright.

“Ah?”

“You’ve awakened, Rest-kun!”

“Rest-sama, do you have any painful areas?”

It felt like he had just seen a nostalgic dream. When Rest opened his eyes, he saw an unfamiliar ceiling, and each of his hands was held by a different girl.

“Viola-san, Primula-san…?”

Worriedly peering into Rest’s face were the sisters of the Rosemary Marquis family.

When he called their names, Viola and Primula smiled with tears in their eyes.

“I’m sorry, Rest-kun… It seems our butler went too far…”

“We invited you to our home to express our gratitude, and this is what happened… I’m truly sorry…”

“No, it’s okay. I learned a lot from it.”

Releasing his hands from the two, Rest sat up. There was no pain. No visible injuries. Presumably, someone had cast healing magic on him while he slept.

“I’ll make sure to scold Dad and Dible properly! Seriously, I won’t forgive them!”

“I… won’t forgive them.”

Viola, with a face burning like a raging fire, and Primula, with a chillingly cold expression like a witch from the frozen lands. The twin sisters, with nearly identical faces, displayed opposite expressions. Seeing them, Rest shivered.

“No, no… It’s really okay. I don’t have any pain at all. And it’s true that I learned a lot.”

In fact, the battle with the Rosemary Marquis butler taught him many aspects of his own shortcomings. Lack of experience in personal combat, insufficient combat skills—these were areas he needed to improve. He felt lucky to have noticed these deficiencies early on and saw it as an opportunity for growth.

“But… I lost. I wonder if I won’t get that letter of recommendation now?”

“What are you saying? Of course, we’ll make sure the recommendation letter is written. That butler, Dible, is a former court magician. There’s no way you could have won from the beginning.”

Viola, placing her hand on her hip, asserted confidently. Indeed, Rest thought he felt the butler’s strength, and it seemed he was indeed a veteran magician.

(Lack of experience in personal combat is my weakness… I don’t know any other magicians except Cedric, so I don’t know the standard of their strength.)

“Our father promised to write the recommendation letter. From next year, you’ll be in the same grade as us.”

“Of course, that’s assuming we both pass the exams!”

Primula smiled to reassure Rest, and Viola proudly puffed out her chest.

“I see… Thank you. Thanks to you two, a path has opened for me.”

“You saved our life, so it’s only natural. But more importantly… While you’ll undoubtedly pass the practical magic exam, have you been studying for the written exam?”

“Uh… I haven’t, I guess.”

“In that case, we’ll lend you our reference books.”

“Um… Is that okay? It seems like quite a bother.”

“It’s perfectly fine. Right, Primula?”

“Yes. Besides, how about living here with us, Rest-sama? That way, we can help you with your studies by explaining anything you don’t understand.”

“That’s a great idea! Good idea!”

Primula’s suggestion made Viola snap her fingers. The conversation seemed to be taking an unexpected turn. Rest hurriedly raised his voice.

“N-no, no, no! I can’t trouble you that much! To live in a house with girls of your age, that’s…”

“Why not?”

“Why not…?”

“Both our father and mother are here, and the butler and maids live here too, you know? There’s no need to worry about such things.”

“Indeed. If Rest-sama lives with us, it will surely be fun. It’s nonsense to take the trouble of transporting the necessary reference books to the honorary viscount’s house.”

Viola and Primula spoke assertively, blocking any escape route for Rest.

“Rest-kun, you haven’t received much care as a commoner’s child, right? In that case, I don’t think honorary viscount Ebern would refuse.”

“I don’t want to go to the Ebern house just to meet Rest-sama. That unpleasant person is there.”

The unpleasant person was likely Cedric. It seemed he had become quite disliked by the sisters.

“Alright… If the marquis says it’s okay, I’ll accept your proposal, living together and all…”

In the end, pressured by the sisters, Rest agreed to their proposal. It was almost like he had handed over the persuasion to the Marquis.

“It’s settled then! Let’s inform Father about it!”

“We also need to prepare the room! Oh, it’s going to be busy!”

Viola and Primula rushed out of the room as if competing with each other. Left alone, Rest stared at the door in astonishment, feeling that his life had taken a significant turn in just one day.

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