“Huh? Aisha? You're still awake?”
I thought she had gone to bed since she wasn't in the workshop, but apparently not.
“What’s the matter, Aisha-chan? It’s already bedtime... Wait, did we wake you up?”
“No, that’s not it.”
“Then why...?”
“I was curious, so I stood out there and listened.”
Aisha pointed toward the door.
She must’ve been standing just outside, but none of us noticed.
We must’ve been really absorbed in our conversation.
“Can I help with something?”
“Huh?”
“I’ve got lots and lots of magic power, right?”
“Oh…”
That’s right—
We traveled all the way to Snowlake to get the mithril...
So much had happened that I’d forgotten, but Aisha does have an extraordinary amount of magical power.
I had planned to resume her magic training once things calmed down...
But maybe this is a good opportunity?
“What’s going on?”
Dad, unaware of the situation, asked curiously.
“Um...”
I explained to him that Aisha possesses incredible magical power.
“I see.”
“If we transfer Aisha’s magic to Licorice, and then Licorice supplies the magic power... I was thinking it might work that way. What do you think?”
“I think it could work.”
After thinking for a moment, Licorice came to that conclusion.
“If it’s just me, three hours is the limit. But with Aisha helping, it’s like having a hundred people on our side. I think we could stretch it to twelve hours. And if we need only nine, we’ll make it with time to spare.”
“Then...”
“But during that time, Aisha will have to keep channeling magic. That’s going to be pretty tough.”
Hearing that gave me pause.
Even if she has incredible magic power, Aisha is still a child.
I absolutely can’t push her too hard.
“Isn’t there some way we can manage? Like... Dad, could we take breaks in between?”
“That’d be tough... If we do it halfway like that, the quality will drop. Increases the risk of failure. Best not to go that route.”
“I see...”
Then what are we supposed to do?
I don’t want to push Aisha too hard.
But unless she helps, we won’t be able to repair the Snow Crystal Sword.
It’s a real dilemma.
“I’ll be okay.”
Hearing us talk, Aisha clenched her small fists tightly and spoke with determination.
“I want to do my best.”
“But...”
“I want to do it for Dad, Mom... and Licorice.”
“Aisha...”
“And if Dad and Mom hug me real tight afterward, I think I can try even harder. Is that okay?”
“Of course.”
“Absolutely.”
Sofia and I answered immediately.
Our daughter said she wanted to do her best.
She said she wanted us to be by her side.
There was absolutely no reason to refuse.
“Hehe... I’ll do my best.”
And so, the plan for moving forward was decided...
But Sofia and I were so captivated by Aisha’s cuteness that we weren’t really paying attention, and Licorice ended up being exasperated with us.
――――――――――
Dad will repair the Snow Crystal Sword, and the magic power required for that will be prepared by Licorice and Aisha.
However, this is a task where failure absolutely cannot be allowed.
Dad is no problem.
Licorice too... I think there probably won’t be any problems.
The one I’m concerned about is Aisha.
Even though she has incredible magical power, she’s still a child.
If the work lasts a long time, her concentration will likely break, and she might get tired and collapse halfway through.
I will do my best to support her so that doesn’t happen...
But not just support—we decided she should undergo training beforehand to increase the chances of success.
That training is...
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