Chapter 31

"Good morning, Master Will."

The sound of a knock on the door echoed, and Will, who had been sleeping in bed, opened his eyes slightly.

Then the sound of the door opening echoed, and Ren entered the room.

"Hmm..."

Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Will sat up.

"How are you feeling, Master Will?"

"Hmm?"

Ren, who had walked over, placed the bucket she was holding on the floor and asked Will how he was doing.

Will had collapsed from magic exhaustion yesterday and had spent the entire day sleeping.

In general, one day of sleep would be enough to recover from magic exhaustion.

However, there was no precedent for a child like Will experiencing magic exhaustion.

Even Ren, with her background as a top-notch adventurer, couldn't be sure if Will had recovered.

Will, still groggy from just waking up, lifted the blanket and checked inside.

Then he turned to Ren.

"I didn't wet the bed."

"Master Will..."

Ren smiled wryly. Master Will, that's not what I meant.

"Does anything hurt or feel uncomfortable? You collapsed yesterday from overusing magic, Master Will."

"Hmm... I'm fine."

In response to Ren's words, Will crawled out of the blanket and got out of bed.

Seeing this, Ren let out a sigh of relief, judging that he seemed to be okay for now.

"That's good... I'm glad..."

"I'm sorry."

Realizing he had caused worry, Will apologized sincerely.

"It's alright. As long as you're fine... But please don't overexert yourself."

Ren gently patted Will's head, and Will nodded.

"Alright, let's get you ready. Lady Serena and Lady Nina have already gone to the dining room. We have guests, so first, let's clean your face and body..."

Ren quickly took off Will's pajamas.

She warmed the water in the bucket with fire magic, wet a cloth, and began to clean Will's back and body.

"Once you're ready, we'll go to the dining room. Please behave well. And about magic, don't use it recklessly. Don't throw tantrums like you did yesterday, okay?"

As Ren's words started to sound like nagging, Will's expression darkened.

Sensing this, Ren turned Will to face her and continued.

"If you behave well, we can practice magic today, okay?"

"Really!?"

Will's eyes widened in surprise, and his face lit up.

It seemed he had thought he wasn't allowed to use magic.

After a discussion, they decided not to suppress his magic forcefully but to let him use it under supervision.

Shiro had already taken measures regarding his overly powerful magic.

"Magic improves the more you use it... but,"

Ren held Will's cheeks in her hands and looked him straight in the eye.

"Using it to attack people, like you did yesterday, is too early."

"Okay."

"So, first, I want you to learn the amount of magic each spell you know consumes."

"Huh?"

"To avoid magic exhaustion."

"Does that mean I can't go home?"

"That's right."

In battle, one must always be mindful of their remaining magic.

Although explaining it in detail would be beyond Will's understanding.

"If you use too much magic and can't come home, everyone will worry."

"I won't do that."

"That's good to hear."

Ren released Will's cheeks and resumed cleaning his body.

Will rubbed his cheeks with his hands, as if trying to restore the feeling.

"Alright, Master Will."

After quickly finishing the cleaning, Ren began dressing Will.

"I'm done."

"Thank you, Ren."

Will thanked Ren after she checked his bedhead and clothing.

"Let's go to the dining room. I'll clean up, so please wait a moment."

"Okay!"

Will responded energetically. After Ren tidied up the bucket and cloth, the two headed to the dining room.

In the dining room, Shiro and Cecilia, along with Will's sisters Serena and Nina, and the adventurers Morgan and his subordinates who had been with Shiro yesterday, were already seated, except for the servants who were serving.

"Good morning, everyone."

Will bowed slightly, and everyone greeted him with smiles.

"How are you feeling, Will?"

When Will reached Shiro, who was sitting at the back, Shiro gently patted his head and asked.

"I'm fine."

"Everyone was worried about you."

"I caused worry."

Will's mood dropped, and Shiro laughed.

"Ha ha, it's alright as long as you understand."

As he said this, he ruffled Will's hair.

"Go apologize to Stella and ask her to make breakfast."

"Okay!"

With his hair now messy, Will raised his hand and responded energetically.

Ren, who had just fixed his bedhead, gave Shiro a disapproving look, but Shiro ignored it.

When Will entered the kitchen, a young woman with slightly wavy hair was warming up soup.

"Good morning, Stella."

"Good morning, Master Will."

Stella, noticing Will, turned to him with a smile.

Stella was the cook responsible for the meals in Will's household.

Originally, she had been a live-in maid, but after getting married, she stepped back from her duties.

While she no longer handles the children's education, she remains a valuable presence for the household, providing delicious meals.

Stella crouched down and looked at Will's face.

"Are you feeling better, Master Will?"

"I'm sorry."

Will's mood dropped again, and Stella reached out to fix his hair.

"It's alright, Master Will. You can learn from your mistakes."

"Okay."

Stella nodded in response to Will's nod.

"Let's start with a good meal. Drink the nutrient-rich vegetable soup I made, and let's have a good day today."

"Okay! ...Huh?"

Will, who had responded energetically, suddenly froze.

Stella stood up and returned to check the soup.

"Um, Stella..."

"Yes, Master Will?"

Stella, tasting the soup in a small bowl, asked.

"Can I have it without the bell peppers?"

Stella chuckled at Will's hesitant request.

"They're not in there, Master Will."

"Phew..."

Will sighed in relief.

Stella, who had been watching Will with a smile, added.

"We have guests today, so I'll also make some cookies."

"Really!?"

Will's face lit up at Stella's words, and he excitedly ran out of the kitchen, shouting, "Yay!"