I woke up early that morning.
For some reason, I had slept better than usual. Perhaps it was because, for the first time in a long while, there was no urgent battle to fight, no kingdom that needed saving, and no demonic general appearing to cause unexpected trouble.
When I opened my eyes, the sunlight was already shining through the bedroom curtains.
Around me, the girls were still resting.
I watched each of them for a few moments.
After everything we had gone through over the past few months, seeing such a peaceful scene filled me with a feeling that was difficult to describe.
For a long time, I had been rushing from one problem to the next.
Now, at last, there was peace.
At least for the time being.
I carefully got out of bed so I wouldn't wake anyone and walked out onto the balcony.
The weather was pleasant.
The sky was clear.
The mansion's gardens looked more beautiful than ever.
I took a deep breath.
Sometimes I forgot what it was like to simply enjoy an ordinary day.
A short while later, I went downstairs for breakfast.
The servants had already prepared everything.
It wasn't long before the girls began to arrive.
First came Elara.
Then Lyannis.
Next was Vespera.
Liriel appeared shortly afterward, carrying a cup of tea.
Scarlett and Rai'kanna were the last to arrive.
The two of them looked like they had just woken up.
"Good morning."
"Good morning."
The conversation flowed peacefully.
We talked about simple things.
Food.
Training.
The cities we had visited recently.
Nothing particularly important.
It was simply a normal morning.
After breakfast, everyone went to take care of their own activities.
I headed straight to the library.
Ever since I had bought that book in the hot springs city, I had been dedicating much of my free time to reading.
I sat near the window.
The natural light illuminated the pages perfectly.
I opened the book exactly where I had left off the previous night.
The contents were still astonishing.
The more I read, the more I understood why that mage had been considered the greatest of his era.
He wasn't merely writing theories.
He explained concepts in an extremely practical way.
On one of the pages, he discussed the importance of understanding mana.
According to him, many mages spent their entire lives simply memorizing spells without truly understanding how they worked.
Because of that, they ended up limiting their own potential.
I reflected on those words.
They made sense.
Even in my previous world, there were people who simply memorized information without truly understanding the concepts behind it.
Perhaps magic worked the same way.
I continued reading for quite some time.
At one point, I heard sounds coming from outside.
I temporarily closed the book and walked over to the window.
Just as I expected.
Scarlett and Rai'kanna were training again.
The two of them seemed incapable of going a single day without fighting.
I watched for a few moments.
Swords clashed.
Quick footsteps kicked up dust.
Neither of them was using their full strength.
It was merely a friendly sparring session.
Even so, the intensity alone would have been enough to intimidate ordinary adventurers.
Scarlett charged forward.
Rai'kanna dodged.
The two exchanged a flurry of blows.
Then they stepped back.
"You're getting slower."
"You say that every day."
"Because it's true."
"Want to bet?"
Scarlett smiled.
"Of course."
The two faced each other once again.
I shook my head.
Some things never changed.
I continued watching for a few more minutes before returning to my reading.
A little while later, someone entered the library.
It was Elara.
She was carrying several books in her arms.
"I thought I'd find you here."
"I thought I'd find myself here too."
She laughed.
She sat down beside me and placed her books on the table.
"What have you discovered today?"
"A few more interesting theories."
I showed her one of the pages.
Elara began reading.
Her expression quickly showed genuine interest.
"That's really clever."
"I thought so too."
We spent some time discussing the concepts presented by the author.
The conversation eventually attracted Lyannis.
Then Liriel.
Before I realized it, several people had gathered in the library.
Liriel studied a few pages very carefully.
"This man was extraordinarily talented."
"You really think so?"
"Without a doubt."
If even a goddess was praising the contents of the book, then it truly meant something.
The morning passed quickly.
When lunchtime arrived, we all headed to the dining room.
The atmosphere remained light.
No worries.
No bad news.
No emergencies.
After the meal, I decided to take a walk around the estate.
That was when I ran into Liriel's assistant.
She was strolling through the gardens.
She seemed fascinated as she admired the flowers.
"Enjoying yourself?"
She turned toward me.
"Very much."
"It's just a garden."
"Perhaps to you."
She smiled.
"But for someone who has spent so much time dealing with divine affairs, a peaceful place like this has great value."
That made sense.
She continued walking slowly among the flowerbeds.
Admiring the plants.
The trees.
The small birds that landed near the flowers.
She looked genuinely happy.
"You're enjoying your vacation."
"Exactly."
"Will you be going back soon?"
She remained silent for a few seconds.
"At some point."
"But not yet."
"No."
She looked up at the sky.
"It's been a very long time since I've had the chance to simply rest."
I didn't press the subject.
She deserved to enjoy this time.
We talked a little longer before going our separate ways.
I spent part of the afternoon helping some of the servants with small decisions related to the mansion.
Nothing complicated.
Just simple tasks that required authorization.
When I finished, I returned to the library once again.
The book was still lying open on the table.
I resumed reading.
This time, I found a section about magical efficiency.
The author explained how small changes in the way mana was manipulated could drastically reduce wasted energy.
That caught my attention.
Even though I possessed an enormous amount of mana, efficiency was still important.
The less energy wasted, the better.
I mentally noted several observations.
As the hours passed, I began to realize that the book wasn't simply teaching me new tricks.
It was changing the way I viewed magic.
That was a significant difference.
When the sun began to set, I closed the book.
My eyes were already feeling a little tired.
I decided to go outside and get some fresh air.
I found Scarlett and Rai'kanna once again.
The two of them were still training.
This time, Vespera had joined them.
"You've been at this all day?"
"Pretty much."
"Don't you ever get tired?"
Scarlett smiled.
"You don't get tired of reading."
I couldn't argue with that.
Maybe she was right.
A little later, we all went back inside the mansion.
Dinner was peaceful.
We talked about various things.
Some stories from old adventures.
Funny moments from our trip to the hot springs.
Small, unimportant debates.
It was exactly the kind of ordinary evening I rarely had the chance to enjoy.
When the meal was over, I spent a few minutes watching everyone talking together.
A strange feeling arose within me.
Happiness.
Simple happiness.
No great event.
No epic achievement.
Just an ordinary day.
And that was exactly what made the moment so precious.
Later, I went upstairs to my room.
Before going to bed, I looked once more at the book resting on the table.
There were still many pages left to read.
Many things left to learn.
But at that moment, another thought came to mind.
It had been a few days since I had visited the Adventurers' Guild.
Perhaps there was an interesting quest available.
Or perhaps I simply wanted to talk with a few adventurers and break away from my routine for a while.
Either way, the idea seemed like a good one.
I smiled faintly.
"I'll stop by the guild tomorrow."
With that thought, I turned off the light in my room and went to sleep.