The wooden floor was a little cold, but it had been polished smooth.
Radeus followed behind his troublesome little brother, crawling slowly into the living room.
Although he was growing more practiced at moving his arms and legs, the length of the hallway was still a considerable drain on an infant's not-yet-fully-developed muscles.
By contrast, the blond little fellow racing ahead seemed to have boundless energy.
Once they passed through the hallway, the view opened up, and the aroma of meat stewing with some kind of vegetable filled the air.
Lilia and Zenith were preparing lunch in the living room. Zenith was chopping vegetables, while Lilia helped cook the soup.
Tap, tap, tap.
The knife struck the cutting board in a steady rhythm. With Zenith's practiced movements, several potato-like root vegetables quickly became thin, even strips beneath the blade.
At the stove on the other side, water boiled in a pot, sending up billows of white steam.
Lilia was slowly stirring the pot with a long spoon, the steam blurring her wine-red hair.
Rudeus was now standing on a small stool, leaning against the windowsill as he watched Paul practice his swordsmanship in the yard.
It was a square wooden stool, and Rudeus's short legs could not even find firm footing, leaving his entire lower body dangerously half suspended.
Both his hands clung tightly to the wooden window frame, and his whole head was nearly poking outside. He paid no attention to the aroma of food coming from the kitchen.
Seeing how absorbed his brother was in looking outside, Radeus began crawling toward the window. He also wanted to see what was so fascinating out there.
Paul's figure flashed past the window, accompanied by powerful swishes that seemed to come from swinging a wooden implement through the air.
Before Radeus could get moving, Rudeus, who stood on the stool looking out the window, suddenly began wobbling and looked about to topple backward.
Losing his balance, Rudeus's upper body abruptly dropped, and he pitched backward, falling stiffly to the floor.
His back faced downward, and his head hit first.
Thud!
A dull impact sounded against the floor.
Such a crisp sound. Must be a good brain.
That was the thought that instantly popped into Radeus's head. The instinct for snark he had honed while hanging around online in his previous life was still working at a moment like this.
No, no.
After that brief bit of mockery, reason quickly took over.
Falling headfirst must hurt, right?
Just hearing that noise made the back of Radeus's own head throb faintly.
My foolish little brother isn't going to get even more foolish because of this, is he?
The chopping in the kitchen stopped abruptly. That dull impact had been far too jarring in this small living room.
Hearing the sound, Lilia and Zenith turned toward Rudeus and discovered that he had fallen off the stool.
The kitchen knife was slapped onto the cutting board with a clatter.
"Ah! Rudeus!"
Zenith's face went pale with fright. She hastily wiped her hands on her apron and rushed toward the window.
Zenith hurried over to help Rudeus up, but strangely, even though he had fallen headfirst, Rudeus did not cry at all.
He simply lay obediently on the floor, motionless, waiting for Zenith to come and pick him up.
How strange. Is that how a baby should react?
Radeus watched Rudeus's unusual behavior.
Had he taken such a solid knock himself, even he would have been unable to stop himself from grimacing and sucking in a breath, but this little brother of his was so composed that he hardly seemed like a human infant.
Zenith cradled Rudeus in her arms, felt his head, and asked softly:
"Are you all right, Rudeus?"
Their mother's voice held an irrepressible tremor and panic. Her hand repeatedly checked the back of Rudeus's head, afraid she might find a bleeding wound or a swollen lump.
Lilia had also abandoned her ladle by the stove and come over. Noticing Rudeus's abnormal behavior as well, she looked shocked and frightened.
"He isn't crying even after that?"
Perhaps to make examining him easier, Zenith placed Rudeus on the table.
"Rudeus, I'll cast a spell on you just in case, and make all the ouchies go away!"
Hearing that, Radeus inwardly rolled his eyes.
That was clearly a stock line young mothers in his previous life used to coax children who had fallen down. The so-called "magic" usually amounted to blowing on the wound a couple of times and handing over a sweet.
He had thought it was nothing more than an ordinary reassurance, but what happened next stunned both Rudeus and Radeus.
Standing beside the table, Zenith straightened, extended a hand over Rudeus's head, and chanted:
"Let sacred power become nourishing sustenance, granting the strength of restoration to those who have lost their strength."
As she recited the incantation, Radeus instinctively sensed something invisible rapidly gathering toward Zenith's palm.
"Healing!"
As the words fell, green light began appearing around Zenith's hand, spilling over Rudeus's head.
Like flowing water, it poured steadily from Zenith's palm, gently enveloping the entire back of Rudeus's head before slowly seeping inside.
Afterward, Radeus clearly noticed that Rudeus's expression had relaxed considerably.
Holy shit!
Radeus, who had always prided himself on his maturity and composure, let out an emphatic curse.
Is this freaking magic?
The glowing palm, the chanted incantation, the immediate healing effect-together, all of it pointed to only one answer.
Have I transmigrated into a Western fantasy world?
Just as that realization settled in his mind, a noise came from the yard outside.
There was a loud clatter.
The front door suddenly opened. Paul had heard the noise and returned from the yard, still carrying a wooden practice sword and drenched in sweat.
"What happened? That was loud!"
Paul's booming voice immediately filled the living room. He strode over, anxiety written all over his face, his broad body blocking the light from the doorway.
Could this be a world of swords and magic?
An exceptionally clear male voice rang out inside Radeus's mind.
Hearing the sentence that had suddenly sounded in his mind, Radeus blinked and looked around.
Paul was asking Zenith questions by the door, and Lilia was explaining beside them. Not one person's lip movements matched the sentence from a moment ago.
Who's talking?
And at the very instant that thought stirred in his mind-
Rudeus, who lay on the table after receiving magical treatment, gave a stiff jerk.
That sentence had also reached Rudeus's mind, and Rudeus and Radeus realized something.
The baby lying there immediately turned his head, just as Radeus, who was on the floor, raised his own.
The two brothers, one older and one younger, one higher and one lower, both looked at each other.
Radeus's deep blue eyes met Rudeus's emerald-green ones.
You're the one talking! ×2
Before you continue