—Three days had passed since the deadly battle with the Hydra.

After taking plenty of rest, we returned to the Grace household.
Alt, sitting across from us, lowered his head deeply in gratitude.

“Allow me to thank you again. Truly, thank you.
Because of you, Lene was saved. No amount of gratitude could ever be enough.”

“No, we should be thanking you. The dungeon maps and Iris’s protective charm were a great help to us.”

“...I see. I’m glad to hear that.”

With that, I decided to ask something that had been on my mind.

“It seems Lene and Iris aren’t here. Are they still in Lene’s room?”

“No, those two are actually out in the garden—”

At that moment, a thunderous BOOOOM! erupted.

“What was that!?”

We immediately rushed toward the source of the sound.
The explosion had come from outside.

Peering out the window, I saw Lene standing in the garden, poised after completing a powerful swing of her sword.

Several large trees that had once stood in the garden were now cleanly sliced in half, lying on the ground before her.

Her golden hair swayed gently as she steadied herself and nodded with a thoughtful “Hmm.”

“I’m far from my prime.
Getting the balance of power right is difficult.
I need more training.”

Lene continued swinging her sword.
Each strike was so sharp that it could easily slice through a B-rank monster.

...Uh, hold on.
She was bedridden for three years until just a few days ago, right?
How has she already regained power equivalent to an A-rank adventurer?

“Amazing swordsmanship! I’d love to learn from her!”

“...I want to test if my Azure Shield, Aegis, could withstand that.”

“Her abilities seem to be on another level entirely.”

Standing beside me, Flare, Tetra, and Lycia voiced reactions similar to mine.

I glanced over at Alto, who had his hand on his head and was sighing deeply.

“I apologize, Ike.
She was only supposed to move around lightly to regain her strength after being inactive for so long.
But it seems she’s gotten carried away with her training.”

“I... see.”

Still confused, I simply nodded and continued watching.
Behind Lene stood Iris, smiling brightly as she watched her energetic mother.

Well, all things considered, it’s a relief to see Lene healthy enough to move like that.
That’s what truly matters.

Several minutes later, Lene finished her so-called “rehabilitation training” and returned with Iris.
The servants brought fresh tea, and it was time for a relaxing tea break.

First, I recounted the details of the Hydra battle.
I explained step by step how we fought against its overwhelming strength and narrowly claimed victory.

After taking a sip of tea, Lene set her cup down with a soft clink.

“I see. Even just hearing about it, I can tell it was an intense battle.”

She smiled faintly as she said this.
Though she mentioned being shaken, her reaction seemed more like excitement than fear.
Maybe it was just my imagination, but ever since witnessing her training, my perception of her had completely changed.

In contrast, Iris’s response was pure and genuine.

“That’s amazing, big brother!
It sounds just like the adventure stories Mother always tells me!”

Her bright blue eyes sparkled as she looked at me with admiration.
Come to think of it, Iris had mentioned how much she loved hearing about Lene’s adventures.
It seemed our battle with the Hydra had struck a chord with her too.
Her glittering smile was absolutely adorable.

At Iris’s urging, I shared even more details about the Hydra fight.
Flare and the others even reenacted parts of the battle, making the tea break lively and animated.

That day, the scene the young girl had wished for came to life.