The next day started off rather mundane compared to the chaos of last night. We had breakfast together, chatting while Father regaled us with his exaggerated stories. Mother, of course, spent the meal chastising him for his reckless behavior. It was lively, to say the least. After breakfast, Mother left for her clinic, Father joined the guardsmen for a patrol around the forest, and I stayed home with Nana and the kids.

"You’re quite lively, aren’t you?" I said, tickling the cheeks of the red-haired baby in front of me.

"Bwawawawa," she babbled, grabbing my finger and promptly suckling on it.

Her name was Nala. Since Father and Nana had named her, I couldn’t help but feel a little pity for the poor girl. Shifting my attention to Prana, my blonde-haired sister, I noted how much calmer she seemed in comparison. Her name, chosen by Mother, honored the Goddess of Life she worshipped.

"You, on the other hand, need a bit more fun in your veins," I said to Prana, who stared at me blankly.

Determined to win her over, I decided to try being the fun big brother.

"(Water, heed my call, protect us from the light) [Bubble Barrier]. How about that? You like colors?"

I created a large spherical barrier that refracted light, causing it to shimmer and wobble as a breeze passed through it. Prana seemed fascinated for a moment, but when the barrier popped like a balloon, she was startled and began to cry. Meanwhile, Nala giggled happily.

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"You’re a tough customer," I said, sighing. "I like you more, Nala."

"Oh, young master," Nana said, entering the room. "What happened? Why is Prana crying? There, there, don’t worry." She picked up Prana, gently rocking her to calm her down.

"I don’t think she likes me," I admitted. "I showed them a trick, but Nala seems to enjoy it more."

"Don’t worry," Nana reassured me. "Nala’s just more attached to you because you talked to her often when she was in my womb."

"Did I not talk to Prana?"

"You didn’t have much time with her," she said with a soft smile.

"I see... By the way, did you ever find my rapier and armor?"

"Your mother confiscated them," she said with a knowing look. "She said they aren’t toys for children."

"Believe me, I know."

"I believe you," she said with a chuckle.

With Nana’s implicit approval of my antics, I spent the day practicing spells to raise my proficiency cap while also entertaining my half-sisters with party tricks. It didn’t take long to reach my cap, though, which left me frustrated.

"Is my proficiency cap really that low?" I sighed. "[Bubble Blast]."

"Is something bothering you, young master?" Nana asked, watching me with a concerned expression.

"I’ve hit my limit in spellcasting. [Minor Illusion]. I can’t feel myself improving anymore."

"That fast? Still, if it’s you, I know you’ll have another breakthrough soon," she said with confidence.

"Again?" I asked, furrowing my brow. "Have we already had this conversation? [Curse of Tickling Sensation]."

As Nana carried Nala, I played with harmless magic spells on Prana, who was starting to warm up to me.

"Yes," Nana replied. "You said there was no hope for you as a chain caster, so you decided to try your luck with potion crafting and artifact crafting instead. But I think you’re doing just fine for your age."

She gently rocked Prana, who was now growing sleepy.

"Thank you for playing with them," Nana added. "It helps so much. Usually, you’d be off practicing spells by the elderwood tree on the hill to the east."

"It’s fine," I said. "I had fun playing with them."

By the afternoon, Mother returned, and supper was prepared. But Father was still nowhere to be found. It wasn’t until late in the evening that he finally came home—covered in injuries.

"Hi," he greeted us nonchalantly. "We happened to run into a lot of goblins during patrol."

I feel I'm going to die again because nothing goes according to the schedule.