TAMWSFB 22

Chapter 22 

The Power of the Charm

I hurried to the main hall—and the moment I saw my brother standing there safe and sound, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But… Father?

“Father!”

He was being carried by the guards, completely limp.

“A monster suddenly attacked us! Call a healer at once!”

A monster…!?

Wait—that was in the novel too. There was an incident where Father was attacked by a monster.

But that only happened after he remarried Miranda. She was the one who arranged it, trying to make her own child the heir. Because of that attack, Father was left bedridden, and the entire Rosenberg Duchy fell under Miranda’s control…

Of course, later on, my brother exposed her crimes and banished her—but for several years before that, those were the hardest, most painful days of his life.

That incident was also one of the reasons why my brother lost all his emotions and became expressionless.

I never imagined that event would happen this soon. And while he was with my brother, no less.

It wasn’t supposed to happen at all this time! Father never remarried Miranda in this timeline—I really thought we’d avoided it.

If only I’d been more cautious… maybe Father wouldn’t have gotten hurt!

I followed after them as they carried Father to his bedroom.

“Brother… how is Father…?”

He lay face down on the bed, his complexion pale.
A deep gash ran across his back, blood still pouring out.

My brother must have tried to stop the bleeding with ice magic—the area around the cut and the upper part of his torn coat were faintly frosted white.

“He protected me…” my brother murmured.

“Father…”

Of course he would—if my brother were in danger, Father would throw himself in the way without hesitation. But that doesn’t mean he should’ve gotten hurt!

And a wound from a monster often carries miasma—the taint that seeps into the body.
With a wound this deep, there was a real chance he’d been contaminated.

If the miasma had entered his body… Father could die.

(Holy Sword! Can’t you do something?)

In my panic, I called out to the Holy Sword.
But his voice came back calm and unhurried.

『There is no miasma. He will be fine.』

(Huh…?)

『It seems that charm you made worked. If it’s only a wound, even an ordinary healer can treat it.』

I looked closely at the wound on Father’s back.
No trace of miasma—just a simple injury.

If it’s only a wound… then yes, a healing mage can cure it.

Th–thank goodness…!

If Father had died or ended up bedridden because of a monster’s attack, I don’t know what I would’ve done.

We’ve only just begun to live as a family. I want to spend more time with him—much, much more.

Of course, my most beloved person, my “one and only,” will always be Brother Serios…
But Father is precious too—he’s my family, and I don’t want to lose him.

I’m so glad I made those charms!

(Holy Sword, Moko—thank you!)

When I poured all my gratitude into the thought, both the Holy Sword and Moko replied in unison, “You’re welcome.”

Thank you.
Truly, thank you so much!

I looked at Father again—he still seemed to be bleeding a little.
I was too short to see properly, and earlier I’d only caught a glimpse.

The charm worked before, right? Then maybe…

I took out the second charm I’d made just a few hours ago—the one I’d planned to give to my brother.

Since kanji had been too difficult, I embroidered “ケンコウ” (“Kenko,” meaning health) in katakana instead.
Maybe that would work too?

I tiptoed up beside Father and carefully pressed the charm against his back.
Just barely—my hand reached.

Got it!

“Letty, wait—it’s dangerous,” my brother said quickly, pulling me away from the bed.

“Wounds from monsters often carry miasma. You mustn’t get too close.”

I knew from the Holy Sword that there was no miasma, but I couldn’t explain that, so I just nodded silently.

From where I stood, I couldn’t see Father’s back.
I just hoped the bleeding had stopped.

“Master Serios! The bleeding—it’s stopped!”

“What!?”

The head butler, Sebas, called out in shock.
He usually addressed my brother as Lord Serios, but this time, in his panic, he slipped back to calling him Young Master.

My brother checked Father’s condition, and after confirming it, his tense face softened with relief—
only to immediately harden again, sharp and commanding.

He turned to the gathered servants and said in a cold voice:

“Everyone here—speak of this to no one. If word of this leaks, I will see your entire families punished. Remember that.”

Eh? Eh??

Why is my brother suddenly so terrifying!?

Shouldn’t this be the moment we’re all happy that Father’s safe?

What in the world just happened…?