‘…Grandfather.’

Rosha gazed at the elderly man wearing the monocle with a slightly bitter expression.

Originally, she had intended to fully recover her optimal condition before carefully reviving her grandfather, but circumstances didn’t allow that.

The day the brainwashed maid attacked Rosha with a knife.

-If I can wake grandfather from his coma… could you have him brought to the capital?

-I’ll arrange it.

After explaining her plan to Cedric, Rosha took out a small vial-like bottle from the pocket of her cape.

It was the ‘Elixir of Nullification’ she had purchased from the secret shop at a hundred times the selling price.

‘A potion that nullifies all magic and innate abilities afflicting the body… Not something commonly used, but necessary for grandfather.’

She still remembered Koko’s words that grandfather had fallen into a coma due to someone’s innate ability.

At first, Cedric seemed uncertain whether to believe her, but Cassis, as a living witness to the elixir’s potency, seemed to have convinced him to give it a try.

-…So all I need to do is have him brought to this capital mansion?

-Yes. As quickly as possible.

Once Cedric, the acting head, made up his mind, the proceedings were swift.

He sent word to the estate, and grandfather, who had been bedridden, was secretly transported to the capital.

And before attending the council, Rosha had used the ‘Elixir of Nullification’ to revive her grandfather – the full story behind this incident.

Ahh-

The elderly man breathed heavily. Everyone gazed at his emaciated face.

Nearly 6 years.

What would the Count Aper, who had spent that long span unconscious, say?

“These damn geezers…”

The council members were taken aback by the sudden profanity.

But he continued speaking.

“No matter how idle you are, what in the world have you been up to my granddaughter!!”

Despite his ghostly pale complexion and being unable to move without the wheeled chair, his voice reverberated through the council chamber with a resounding spirit.

Perhaps it was his immense love for his granddaughter that allowed him to overcome even his physical state.

‘Of course, it was also thanks to Lysithea.’

It was only because Lysithea had transferred some vitality from others to him that grandfather could move and speak to this extent.

“No… Am I seeing things?”

“You, you really are Count Aper?”

“Of course I’m Count Aper, who else would I be? Just because I’ve been absent from my council duties for a few years, does that give this sacred council the right to act like bandits?”

“Ban-bandits?! Such an impolite remark…!”

“Impolite? Which part of what I said was impolite? This is like saving someone who fell into the water, only to have them demand your belongings!”

Grandfather seemed quite angered, having likely overheard the conversations in the council chamber.

Although Cassis tried to calm him down, worried he might collapse from getting too riled up, it didn’t have much effect.

‘Hmm… Cassis’s temperament was probably inherited from grandfather, wasn’t it?’

From memory, their parents had been remarkably composed, so it was a reasonable assumption.

“You, you still have such a fiery spirit even after appearing for the first time in 6 years!”

Quickly wiping away tears, Duke Feriel beamed at his long-unseen friend. Then, with a resolute aura, he too joined the fray.

Unaware that Marquis Lycaon watched them with a look of shock.

* * *

Fistfights apparently broke out quite frequently in the council, and this time was no exception.

Fortunately, thanks to grandfather, it didn’t escalate to outright physical violence and ended in a muddled mess.

‘Well, the council members couldn’t have expected this, could they?’

Upon hearing that the Count Aper, who had been in a coma for years, had awakened due to an item from the secret shop, the council members lost any justification to persecute Rosha further.

And they suddenly seemed to realize that the flow of time could never be defied.

‘So that’s why some followed us out, asking if we needed any support.’

It was the proposal from a few council members who had exited after the session ended. They appeared to have decided that if they couldn’t defy the flow, they might as well ride it.

“As expected, politicians are too quick to change their attitude.”

Cassis clicked his tongue and shook his head as he wheeled grandfather into the mansion.

Rosha nodded at his words but briefly shushed him.

This was because grandfather had already nodded off in his chair.

‘He must have overexerted himself, having just woken up.’

After providing invaluable assistance in the argument with the council, it was time for him to rest now.

They moved grandfather as quietly as possible. In his cozy, well-kept room, Cedric, who had taken an early leave, was already anxiously waiting.

“This way.”

Carefully lifting grandfather’s body with her mana, Rosha gently set him down on the bed. As she turned to leave, she suddenly felt a hand caressing the back of hers.

“Rosha, our youngest. You’ve grown so much.”

Grandfather smiled broadly at her with drowsy eyes.

By the time he regained his senses, 6 years had already passed, and the granddaughter he loved had grown into a full-fledged woman. Yet his warm gaze was the same as when he had looked upon the young Rosha of the past.

“…”

Meeting that gaze, she couldn’t utter a word. She could only gaze at her grandfather’s face, recalling old memories.

‘After coming of age, I had only seen grandfather’s sleeping face.’

The childhood sensations weighed heavily on her heart.

It was nostalgia.

The 18 years she had spent in another world made that era feel even more distant, like a beautiful dream from long ago.

However, what could be done?

Time was irreversible, and those days would never return.

With more white hair and wrinkles than her memories, grandfather murmured as he took in the three grown siblings surrounding his bed.

“You’ve all grown up so splendidly while I was asleep. Into adults… I deeply regret not being able to witness you growing up.”

Rosha listened to his words, barely breathing, as if she didn’t want to miss any sound, breath, or blink of an eye in that moment.

And of course, grandfather felt the same way.

“…”

After silently gazing at them for a while, grandfather soon fell back asleep.

Having expended all the vitality Lysithea had given him, his strength rapidly dwindled, so he would likely continue sleeping for some time.

“I’ll keep watch.”

Cedric volunteered for the vigil, and Rosha wordlessly returned to her room.

Despite thinking her experiences had significantly numbed her emotions, the fulfillment of this major goal enveloped her in complex feelings.

Given the circumstances, it wasn’t solely positive emotions.

And at that moment.

She discovered a man sitting cross-legged on the sofa in her room.

“…”

She was certain she had told him not to enter her room so freely.

After a momentary silence, Rosha curtly retorted:

“I told you to only come to my room if it’s an urgent matter.”

“Isn’t this an urgent matter?”

Froy gestured towards her face with his chin.

Rosha hastily turned away, but it was already too late to hide her reddened eyes.

“I came by out of concern for you after this incident. If it was an unwelcome intrusion, I apologize, but… I wanted to reassure you that you needn’t feel burdened for politically utilizing the recently awakened Count Aper.”

“…Huh?”

“Count Aper is an esteemed politician who served in the council for over 20 years. He likely understood his role the moment he heard of your situation.”

His sudden appearance and words left her confused.

Yet, strangely, she felt a slight burden being lifted from her mind, which had been bothering her until then.

Unbeknownst to her, she had been troubled by the fact that she had exploited her grandfather’s awakening for political gain.

‘…They do say he’s a sagacious figure who can peer into one’s soul.’

Perhaps this was Froy’s way of consoling her.

Rosha looked at the man seated on the sofa with new eyes.

She had thought he was just a brazen intruder who visited her room at any time, but now she realized he wasn’t.

However, he didn’t stop there and went a step further.

“Or… would it be better if I joined the council instead? Then situations like today wouldn’t happen.”

Simultaneously, an image of him engaging in a heated physical altercation in the council flashed through Rosha’s mind.

“Pfft.”

Ah, that was a bit funny just now.

Feeling the tension dissipating, Rosha lightly replied:

“It’s fine.”

“I’m not joking around.”

“And what makes you think the council would let you in?”

“Why couldn’t I? The quota of thirty-three members is currently filled, but if a vacancy opens up, I could easily join. Since most council members are quite old, creating a vacancy shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“…Haha.”

Froy sometimes delivered jokes as if they were serious statements.

…Or was it not a joke?