For some reason, his response made me feel at ease. Perhaps these were the feelings of the original Reid. He now knew that his father had been paying attention to him and that he’d always loved him. Before I knew it, there were tears streaming down my face. As soon as I realized I was crying, I quickly wiped my tears away with my sleeve.
“Please raise your head, father. I am incredibly grateful that you feel that way. I, um, don’t know the proper way to say this, but I believe that I am quite blessed.”
My words got through to him, and he finally looked up. His usually expressionless countenance had been replaced by an uncharacteristically meek look. For some reason, the way he looked up at me reminded me of a parent playing peekaboo with their child, and I had to stifle a laugh.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his expression growing even more timid.
The less stern he looked, the bigger the gap was between his current and usual expression, which made the urge to laugh even stronger.
“Oh, nothing. I’m sorry. It’s just that, um, you usually maintain a neutral expression, so seeing such a look on your face is just, um... It’s quite different from your usual self, and, I...” I couldn’t take it anymore and burst into laughter.
My father seemed puzzled at first, but then he seemed to be imagining how he looked right now. “I see. I think I understand,” he said with a chuckle.
As if persuaded by my own laughter, he also began laughing. This was probably the first time we’d ever laughed together like this. Though it didn’t last for long, it sounded quite joyful.
“I apologize, father.”
“It’s fine. There’s no need to apologize. We should use this as an opportunity to relax a bit more when we’re speaking alone.”
After the hearty laughter we’d shared, the worries we’d had about each other now felt trivial. The atmosphere in the room had completely shifted—it was as if we were now speaking from the heart.
“Very well. I must ask, though, do you believe everything I said?”
Unexpectedly, Reiner hadn’t questioned any of my claims about having memories of a previous life.
“Judging from your recent behavior, your story makes a lot of sense. Actually, such an explanation is the only way I can understand your accomplishments. Your actions have been that far from the norm.”
“Far from the norm?” I repeated to myself.
“Is there anything else you haven’t told me yet?”
“There is one other thing. In my previous world, I had what seemed to be a simulated experience of this one.”
Since video games didn’t exist here, referring to the game as a simulation was the best way I could think of to explain it.
“A simulated experience? Was it like a dream? If I’m understanding correctly, during your previous life you experienced something very similar to this current world we are in.”
“Yes, that is right. It seems that the knowledge I gained through that simulation has remained consistent in this world.”
“I see. I assume that knowledge is the basis of your unconventional ideas.”
Reiner had taken me seriously the entire time as I’d told him a story that could have easily been considered the delusional ramblings of a young child. He simply sipped his tea as I spoke, and we looked like a perfectly close family.
“Yes, I believe that is the case. On that note, I have something to report to you. I apologize for informing you after the work was already done, but I have been secretly working on a medicine. I’d like to give that medicine to mother.”
“It would depend on the content of the medicine. What does it do?” The mention of Nanalie made Reiner furrow his brows, and he adopted his usual stern look.
“Um, well, it is a medicine that restores mana.”
He began choking on his tea. My response had been so unexpected that it seemed to have gone down the wrong way. “A medicine that restores mana?!”
As shocking as this news was, it was something that he had been seeking for a long time. This medicine meant that there was a chance we could save Nanalie.
“Yes. I obtained the raw materials and had Sandra create the medicine. As for its efficacy, I worked with Sandra to develop specialized magic, which we used to confirm that the medicine does indeed increase one’s mana.”
“A spell that can confirm an increase in the amount of mana?” He repeated in a dubious tone.
He probably wasn’t familiar with such terms, and his brows furrowed even more. In this world, there had been no way to quantify and measure mana. The fact that his son and a tutor had succeeded in accomplishing what had never been done before had left him completely stunned.
He finally opened his mouth and mumbled, “Sandra...?”
When Sandra had been run out of her research facility, my father had believed that her skills would be useful down the line and offered her a helping hand. He’d probably never imagined that making her his son’s tutor would lead to her helping him.
“I should be grateful. With a medicine that can restore mana, we can save Nanalie. Thank you, Reid.”
“Unfortunately, this medicine will not cure her illness,” I clarified. “It will only prolong her life. There will be a separate medicine to cure her illness.”
“What?!”
My father was taken aback. He’d been told that mana depletion disorder had no cure. Having a medicine that worked as a stopgap was a significant discovery in itself, but the fact that a cure existed was a whole different level of extraordinary. My father was completely astonished.
“Does your knowledge of this cure come from that simulation you spoke of?”
“That is correct, father.”
“I don’t think we can tell Garren about this...”
Garren was the most trusted butler in the Valdia household. It was nearly impossible that he would ever leak sensitive information to others, but there was no way to completely guarantee it. Sharing secrets always increased the risk of that information getting out. Since Reiner dealt with politics, he was well aware of that.
“The mana restoration medicine is made from an herb known as moonflower. However, the ways to obtain it are limited, and we haven’t been able to cultivate it. I personally am not planning to share this medicine with the public until either mother is better or the cure is complete.”
Reiner mulled over my words for a moment, thinking about any possible issues and solutions. He pressed his hand against his forehead as he finally answered.
“It’s true that this information getting out to the public may make people fight for the herb and cause the price to soar. In that case, we never discussed this medicine. You can work on it on your own. Just report to me when it’s done. However, I do want you to discuss anything you can with me beforehand, like cultivating herbs. I can approve most of such activities. One final question: Is Kris your source for the moonflowers?”
“Yes. She is currently my only source for obtaining the herbs.”
“I see. You should know that people on the inside aren’t the only sources of leaks. If someone learns that Valdia Mark is importing moonflowers, there will definitely be someone out there who will try to look into what is going on. It will likely be difficult for Kris to take precautions again such situations on her own. I will help as well.”
“Thank you very much. Also, I would like to ask for some time to work on the cure.”
“Very well. I am also willing to do everything within my power to help save Nanalie. I’m counting on you.”
“Yes, father! I believe that is all I have to share.”
I hadn’t expected our talk today, but I was deeply glad to have had this conversation with my father. I was overjoyed to have such a reliable ally. Not only that, but just like the original Reid, I felt myself admiring Reiner not just as a person, but also as a father.