Following those events, Lydia and the others returned to the Kingdom. Lydia took primary responsibility for Ray’s care, a task the rest of the unit supported.
As the regional conflicts had finally begun to subside, the group was granted a period of leave.
Up until now, they had spent most of their time deployed to active combat zones, so Lydia decided to take this opportunity to properly establish a life for Ray.
However, that was merely the public-facing reason.
There was undoubtedly something hidden in the boy's background. Because of this, the military high command had permitted the Special Selection Unit, Astral, to take him in specifically to keep him under surveillance.
Despite those calculating motives, Lydia and her comrades welcomed him with genuine warmth.
"Ray. I’ll be looking after you from now on."
"..."
Their new home.
Rather than staying in the dormitories provided by the military, Lydia had decided to rent a house. She and Ray weren't living there entirely alone, however. Carol and Abby occupied the room directly next door.
They, too, were worried about Ray, so they had secured the adjacent unit. Lydia found this understandable for Carol, but she thought it was quite unexpected for the stoic Abby to do the same.
"...Yeah."
At the moment, it was just Lydia and Ray. Lydia had never raised a child before, and Ray, for his part, already possessed a degree of self-awareness.
In such a unique situation, she wasn't entirely sure how to proceed.
Since their return, Lydia had been poring over books on childcare and education, and she had even consulted her older sister. Her sister had a child of a similar age—Lydia’s niece, Stella. While she listened to her sister's advice, she couldn't help but feel that her own circumstances were quite different.
Ultimately, she reached a simple conclusion.
"Right! First, we need to get moving!!"
Physical exertion was her favorite thing in the world, and she figured it would be the perfect way to lift the boy's spirits. With that thought in mind, Lydia took Ray by the hand and led him outside.
"Ray. Let’s go out."
"...Yeah."
Ray still only responded with a quiet "...Yeah," but he had started to open up significantly more when he was with her. Whether they were simply drawn to one another or some other factor was at play, Lydia didn't know.
Regardless, she felt a driving sense of mission to lead this child. She wasn't sure if it was instinct or a sense of duty.
The only thing she knew for certain was that she couldn't just leave Ray as he was.
"It’s certainly a hot one, isn't it?"
"..."
She walked on, leading him by the hand. They were heading for the West Forest. It was a place where Lydia had often played as a child, and it held many memories for her. She had chosen it because monsters were scarce there.
Lydia would have been fine in the Kafka Forest or the Dogma Forest, of course, but she had prioritized Ray’s safety.
As they stepped into the woods, sunlight filtered through the canopy to illuminate them. Since it was midsummer, the air was humid, but the shade of the trees provided a welcome coolness.
"Alright, Ray. We’re going to play catch."
"...?"
He tilted his head blankly. From his reaction, it was clear he had no idea what "catch" was.
Lydia pulled two gloves and a ball from the backpack she was carrying. One glove was adult-sized and clearly well-used; it was oiled and perfectly broken in.
That was her personal glove. The child-sized one, by contrast, was new, though Lydia had spent time breaking it in so it was ready for use.
"In catch, you throw the ball to the other person, and they catch it. Then the person who caught it throws it back. Simple, right?"
"...Yeah."
He gave a small nod.
Ray slipped the small glove onto his hand and stared at it intently. He looked puzzled, but he seemed more spirited than he had been in the past.
"Okay. I’m going to step back a bit."
Lydia created some distance between them and raised the hand holding the ball.
"Alright! Here it comes!"
Lydia usually threw high-speed fastballs with all her might, but this time she tossed the ball gently toward Ray. He caught it without any trouble and immediately flicked it back.
"...Ray. Have you played catch before?"
"..."
He shook his head. Ray had no experience with sports of any kind. Despite that, his movements were incredibly fluid. Even without taking his age into account, his form was remarkably clean.
His throwing motion and the power behind the ball were particularly striking.
Though he seemed to be throwing effortlessly, the ball was traveling at a respectable speed.
"Okay! Try throwing it a bit harder!"
Lydia returned the ball, and Ray caught it. Heeding her words, he decided to try putting some force into it.
He lacked experience, but his instincts were already learning. His mind had absorbed the mechanics of Lydia’s perfected throwing form after seeing it just once.
Ray lifted his left leg high and whipped his right arm forward with all his might.
An instant later—smack! Ray’s ball buried itself in her glove with a sharp crack.
"...Are you serious?"
She stared at her glove, then looked back at Ray.
He simply stood there with his usual expressionless face. He didn't seem to realize the gravity of what he had just done.
"No... did that just break a hundred kilometers per hour?"
Indeed. The ball Ray had thrown had easily cleared 100 km/h. It wasn't the kind of pitch a child his age should be capable of. It was undoubtedly abnormal. A sudden suspicion crossed her mind.
Is he unconsciously using Physical Reinforcement with magic?
It was the only hypothesis that made sense. If she didn't account for that, the throw would have been impossible. She had suspected he had an aptitude for magic, but she had never imagined his talent would manifest during a simple game of catch.
"Alright, Ray. I’m going to throw a slightly faster one this time. Can you catch it?"
"...Yeah."
He nodded. Lydia increased the speed of her pitch. Ray caught it without missing a beat. They repeated this over and over until, before she knew it, Lydia was throwing at Ray with almost her full strength.
"Hyaaaah!!"
As her shout echoed through the forest, a thunderous pop! came from Ray’s glove. That pitch had exceeded 140 km/h—the maximum speed Lydia could achieve without using Physical Reinforcement.
Ray caught it as if it were perfectly natural. He tossed the ball back to Lydia and immediately held up his glove again.
Though his face remained stoic, he seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself.
"Hahaha! Alright, next comes the breaking ball!"
"...Yeah."
They continued to play until the sun began to dip below the horizon. In truth, halfway through, it had morphed into Lydia’s personal pitching practice.
"Phew... nothing like a good sweat."
"..."
Lydia gulped down water from her canteen while Ray stood by, watching her intently.
"Ray. You want some too?"
"...Yeah."
When Lydia handed him the water she had been drinking, Ray took a small sip. Watching him, a faint smile played across her lips.
"Ray. Did you have fun today?"
"..."
She crouched down to meet his eyes. Ray gave a small, firm nod.
"I see. I'm glad."
She stroked his head. While his expression hadn't changed much, Ray was responding to her far more clearly than before.
That fact made Lydia happier than anything else. Since meeting Ray, she too was beginning to change, little by little.
"Let’s head home, Ray."
"...Yeah."
Lydia squeezed his small hand in hers.
And so, bathed in the fading amber light of twilight, the two began their walk home.