Standing in the middle of my large backyard, dad, mom, and I have gathered around in a circle, with a pot in the middle of us.
Sweat was clearly visible on our forehead.
The pot was filled with a strange purple liquid, which was boiling in the strong heat of the orange-red fire.
Covering our faces with the green-colored magic gas masks and wearing white gloves, dad was slowly mixing the liquid in the pot.
The pot was almost as tall as my mom’s height.
‘This process looks like some witchcraft but, we had to make do with what was available.
But… not having the proper equipment is soooooo damn frustrating!’
[Enchantments] are somewhat like writing a series of commands.
From what I had found out this past few days, the process could get very similar if you remove some troublesome things.
But the problem was before the main process for me.
The target of [Enchantment] first has to have the base qualities of a [Mana Conductor].
To do that quickly to an object like this wooden arrow, there are literary automated artifacts.
These are costly artifacts that could only be bought by licensed magicians in the capital city or main cities.
As the artifacts could only be created by the dwarven race, the quantity is also limited.
So I told dad that we can use the primitive methods and that we can make do by mixing ingredients and making a helping substance that would work the same as the artifacts.
Even though he worked hard and went through mom’s lecture, we didn’t expect it would be THIS much boring.
Just to get this thing right, we had to SLOWLY mix it until it gets the right color.
‘From last hour or so, dad is mixing this shit, SLOWLY and very CAREFULLY, thinking about helping me.
I really appreciate and respect that but… waiting like this is NO FUN AT ALL!’
The worst thing was that mom was suffering here just to support us.
I told her multiple times that she should go back but… she refused while smiling brightly.
‘On top of it all, the sun is brightly shining on top of my head, as if to tease me.’
If I had something that was already made of Mana conducting material like an artifact weapon or Mana clothes, I could start right away.
But those things are also hard to get.
“Money is not even the problem…” 𝒷𝒹𝓸𝓿𝓁.𝒸ℴ𝓶
Mom slowly murmured while looking at me with a very sad expression.
She thought that she said it quietly so that I wouldn’t listen but, I heard it clearly.
I grabbed her hand and, she looked at me with a surprised expression.
“It’s ok mom.”
I appeased her with a calm and apologetic voice.
“No… this could have been easy. If I just…”
I clenched my hand and spoke again with a bright smile on my face.
“It’s ok, mom.
I’m just starting it anyways. I don’t know much about this so… we can do it more perfectly in the future.”
Hearing my words, she tightened her grip on my hand.
With a sorry expression, she nodded and tried to smile.
‘When we get back, I won’t let anything like this happen!’
She decided with a fire in her eyes.
At that time…
“Eon! It’s ready!”
Dad shouted as mom and I looked at the liquid before us.
It was a jade green color that looked pleasing to the eyes.
And, it was the color we were waiting for.
Quickly turning around, I picked up the bow, arrows, and some clothes.
One by one, I threw everything into the pot.
Like cooking something, dad started mixing up everything carefully.
After a solid five minutes of hard work, it was done.
“Huuu…”
Dad fell down on his back.
He was utterly exhausted.
A pitiful sigh escaped my mouth.
He had to be so focused on the process that he wasn’t even able to hear what mom and I were talking about a moment ago.
I sat down beside him and sincerely thanked him.
“Thanks, dad. You did very well. You are the best…”
He smiled and replied with a question.
“Am I? There could very well be someone who is better than me. Don’t you think?”
There was a bit of sadness in his voice. As if, he is not good enough to be called the best.
“I don’t know about others but, for me, you are and will be the best dad.”
I couldn’t ask for anything more than to just have them in my life.
I don’t know about this world but, in my previous world, parents like them were VERY rare.
So much that I never actually saw one with my own eyes.
This world could be better in that aspect but, I’m sure that even in this world, presents like they would be rare.
“Good luck. I hope you succeed in this. But, be careful.
It will be difficult but, I know you can do it better than anyone else.”
He patted my head gently and slowly stood up.
“Nolen? Are you ok?”
He asked, looking at mom with confusion.
She was just standing there, watching us with warm eyes.
“Oh. I was just watching you too.
You two looked very good together just now.”
She praised, smiling like her usual self.
It was very faint but, it looked like she was going to do something to father but… stopped herself.
“Ok then! Dad. Let’s make some ice cream. It will be perfect for a hot day like this!”
I suggested, thinking that the only thing that could make this atmosphere a little better for me would be some chocolate ice cream.
“Hmm~. That sounds like the perfect thing.
I will take strawberries and orange, please.
Oh! Honey~. Set some aside to make some wine-flavored one for tonight.”
She said with a delighted face.
Mom LOVED ice cream. And she was even planning to turn it into a business or something.
‘I knew something like that would happen so I gave her some more information about the things I know and could possibly be done for mass production.
She was very surprised and, we ended up talking all night.
She wasn’t talking as a mother at that time but, as a merchant.’
That day is a good memory for me because I got to talk like my old self after a long time.
Sharing opinions, correcting mistakes, and even about advertising and marketing.
These were the things that I had done as an office worker in my previous life so I was very confident that if I wanted, I could overturn the whole economy of an incompetent nation.
Mom knew that it was a VERY weird thing that a child like me could talk to a pro like her on an almost equal level.
She knew ‘me’, so she was the best person that understood me.
‘And… I was obviously holding myself back that time.’
I was still a child after all.
Though she was calm on the outside, I understood her more than enough to know that she is worried inside her heart.
I had to do my best to not worry her too much.
“Eon? What are you doing there? Let’s go!”
Dad shouted, and I came back to the present after hearing his loud, happy voice.
“Yes~!”
I ran forward, smiling happily at today’s preparations.
It will be ready by tonight so, I had almost nothing to do for rest of the day.
***
Sitting on my desk, looking through a stack of papers in hand and a bowl with orange and pink-red colored smooth, creamy ball-like objects on the table, I sighed deeply.
‘I don’t know anymore.’
He is smart, good at learning new things, good at coming up with great ideas, cute, and sometimes… a mature man who seems to have lived more than myself?
Just like those heroes depicted in children’s books nowadays.
‘But I couldn’t help him today.
If I just hadn’t been like this…’
It was not that long of a time.
First, I thought that we would live happily and time would pass quickly.
But… it turned out like this.
He understands me like my father.
He tries his best not to cause much trouble for me. Just showing his good side and holding back his frustration for many things.
But, one thing that he has which even professionals fail to understand sometimes, makes him great, as a person.
“Never giving up.
Dad used to tell me and my brother every so often but, we didn’t understand it until we were 15 years old.
He said it was impressive that we learned that so soon but, compared to him, it is nothing.”
Like he already has decided on a path to walk on, clearly understanding the required efforts, determination, and patience that he would be paying.
‘A goal.
Finding it is the most important and difficult thing for all of us.
Deciding a goal to achieve this early, he is able to see the path clearly ahead of him.’
And what could a helpless, powerless, mom like me do in this situation?
Just trying my best could be enough for him but for me, it’s like there’s a hole in my heart.
Yes, I could do it, however, not now.
This feeling of being powerless was something I only felt after his birth.
And, in a way, I was happy that it happened.
‘Now I could have them pay more than ever.’
Clenching the paper in my hand for a moment, I put it down and picked up the bowl of ice cream.
Taking a large spoon, she smiled in delight.
“To make something like this… ”
The future is holding many things in its hands, to let them fall on us like fine sand… falling from the tightly clenched fists.