Chapter 7: A Father’s Promise

Returning home, I quickly showered, changed, and immediately lay back on my bed.

I placed the ‘Prism’ by my pillow and gazed at its consumption indicator.

Six bars remained lit, a testament to my ‘Speed Enhancement’ still being active.

While this ability proved incredibly convenient and effective, allowing me to defeat many formidable opponents when combined with others, it wasn’t without its drawbacks.

The longer I sustained the acceleration, the more intense the fatigue would be upon deactivation.

Though I felt quite alert now, I suspected that the moment I disengaged the ability, I might instantly fall into a deep slumber.

A protective measure was also in place.

To prevent continuous use, once deactivated, the speed enhancement couldn’t be engaged again for seventy-two hours.

Before deactivating the enhancement, I sat up once more.

I walked to the table and picked up a badge that lay there.

It suddenly occurred to me that, at some unknown point, a circular badge had appeared on me.

It was engraved with the image of a broken scythe—its blade riddled with tiny chips, its handle snapped in half.

It likely fell from one of the two guards when I escorted them to Harold’s location, though I couldn’t be certain.

Returning it to them was out of the question, as it risked exposing my identity, so I tucked it away in a hidden compartment at the very back of my wardrobe.

Tomorrow, I would visit the caravan to investigate.

If it proved to be a valuable item, I would devise a discreet way to return it to them, ensuring I didn’t proactively reveal my identity.

A sigh escaped my lips.

Breathing out slowly, I settled back into bed and extinguished the lamp.

“Good night,” I murmured casually.

Then, I deactivated the speed enhancement.

The next instant, I lost consciousness—not merely falling asleep, but rather, fainting outright.

***

“…Dad.”

“…”

“…Dad? Father!”

‘Someone was calling me, it seemed,’ I thought hazily.

Through my muddled consciousness, I could feel someone shaking my shoulder.

It began with a gentle nudge, but now it felt as though my head was being vigorously jostled, and I sensed something pressing down on my stomach.

“Ugh…”

A groan of discomfort escaped my throat as I laboriously lifted my arms, embracing the object on top of me.

It felt as if I had pulled something closer; a soft sensation met my chest, and intermittent puffs of warm air brushed against my face.

“What is… this…?”

I opened my eyes, blinking several times before raising a hand to rub them.

My vision gradually cleared, allowing me to discern the ‘thing’ pressing down on me—no, rather, it was my precious daughter.

At this moment, Nina, dressed only in a short skirt, was sprawled across me, her chest pressed against mine.

Her adorable face was directly before me, so close that if I leaned in even slightly, our noses would touch.

My consciousness slowly returned, and I took in the current situation.

For some inexplicable reason, in this moment of intimate proximity with Nina, my heart began to pound faster.

‘Was this… a stir of affection? No, no, no! How could it be!’

‘This charming girl before me was my daughter! This could only be described as… yes, the profound sense of peace a father feels upon waking to see his family.’

‘That was all it was!’

Nina, however, seemed somewhat unusual.

Her eyes were moist, and her cheeks were flushed crimson.

“Dad… it’s really you!”

She suddenly embraced me, a sob escaping near my ear.

It was as if an overwhelming sense of relief had washed over her, causing tears to stream down her face, and it startled me considerably.

“Wha—what’s wrong? Has something happened?”

“What do you mean, ‘what’s wrong’!” she exclaimed.

“You’ve been asleep for almost an entire day! Nina thought… she thought Dad would never wake up again!”

‘An entire day?! Had I truly slept for so long?’

I immediately turned my head towards the window, where sunlight still streamed in.

From the angle of the light, it was only late afternoon, almost evening; claiming an entire day seemed rather exaggerated.

Yet, I had undeniably slept for a long time.

It appeared my ‘acceleration’ usage yesterday had been excessive, preventing my energy from recovering in time and forcing my body into this prolonged hibernation.

For Nina, though, this must have been a terrifying ordeal.

Judging by her state, she must have been trying to wake me this entire time, without success.

How could a normal person sleep for such an extended period?

Even if not dead, it certainly implied a serious physical problem.

“Dad…”

Nina lifted her head, her tear-filled eyes fixed on me.

Her mournful expression filled me with guilt—’I should have known not to push myself so hard yesterday,’ I thought.

“Are you alright? Do you feel unwell anywhere?”

“I’m fine, just a little tired,” I assured her.

“Dad’s body is very strong, so don’t worry.”

“Really?”

“Truly. I just worked until almost dawn last night, which is why I overslept today.”

I stroked Nina’s head and pushed myself up, yet she showed no intention of getting off me, her arms still locked around my body.

“Nina, Dad needs to get up now, could you please…”

“No!”

“Uh… Nina, like this, Dad…”

“It’s all Dad’s fault!” she accused.

“You always tell Nina to rest early, but you yourself work so late! This morning, no matter how much Nina bit or kicked you, you wouldn’t wake up!”

‘She really had been worried all morning,’ I realized.

‘After all, it was a forced hibernation; I wouldn’t have woken up unless my life was threatened.’

‘But what was this about biting?’

‘I didn’t feel like I’d been bitten anywhere on my body.’

Furthermore, I still felt somewhat fatigued.

‘Usually, forced hibernation would restore my energy to a hundred percent, so why did I still feel tired?’

‘Could it be that I had been subjected to some life threat?’

‘No, that couldn’t be; Nina was still by my side, and I had been lying quietly in bed.’

‘Where would a life threat even come from?’

‘It was probably just Nina’s weight pressing on my body,’ I rationalized.

‘My recently recovered body felt the burden, hence the lingering tiredness.’

‘Yes, that must be it.’

“Do you know how worried Nina was?” she asked, her voice trembling.

“I thought… I thought Dad would never wake up again, and then Nina would…”

“I’m sorry, Nina, it won’t happen again,” I said, gently wiping away her tears.

I pulled her into my embrace, softly patting her head.

“How could Dad ever leave Nina? Dad will always be by Nina’s side; I would never abandon you.”

“Then… Dad!” Nina suddenly pushed me away, looking directly into my eyes.

“You have to promise Nina: you can’t work so late anymore! You have to rest properly, understand? You can’t… scare Nina like this again…”

“I know, Dad promises you, there won’t be a next time.”

“…Mm!”

Nina nodded vigorously, finally breaking into a smile before pouncing back onto me.

“It’s a promise, you can’t go back on your word!”

“Mm, it’s a promise, I definitely won’t go back on it.”

‘It seems from now on, I’ll have to honestly go to bed early.’

In this village, however, the only things to do at night were to go outside for some air, mix medicines in the workshop, or coax my daughter to sleep.

Ultimately, Nina’s requests would always take top priority.