Chapter 18: Fevered Burden

“Ugh…”

“Woolgear Nee-san? Is this… not a dream? Or maybe another hallucination…”

A dull headache throbbed in my head as I woke up, groaning faintly. Hecate’s frail and utterly exhausted voice reached my ears.

When I opened my eyes, the familiar ceiling of my room came into view. At the same time, Hecate’s worn face appeared, her hands tenderly cupping my cheeks.

“I can see your eyes, Nee-san.”

“Of course you can. I’ve woken up, after all. Judging by your state, I must have worried you terribly. I’m sorry for that.”

“Nee-san… I’m so glad. I’m really, really glad! I kept thinking… what if… what if you didn’t wake up because of me? I couldn’t stop worrying!”

“Silly girl. It was my decision alone. If you need to blame someone, blame me or that man instead. But don’t cry so much—your eyes will swell.”

Hecate clung tightly to my chest, her sobs uncontrollable. For a while, I simply held her, comforting her as best as I could.

Her exhaustion was far more severe than I’d imagined, and to be honest, I was shaken myself.

This was never the outcome I had intended.

All I wanted was for my sisters to live in peace, even if it meant sacrificing myself.

“How long was I asleep?”

“One week. The doctor said that if you didn’t wake up after a week, it was unlikely you would recover. Istos Nee-san and Demeter Nee-san have been worried sick. They should be back home soon…”

As Hecate finished speaking, the sound of the front door opening echoed through the house.

Moments later, hurried footsteps made their way toward my room.

My two beloved little sisters had returned.

“Hecate! How’s Woolgear Onee-chan!?”

“Demeter, there’s no need to shout so loudly. And welcome home, Istos.”

“Nee-san… thank goodness. But seriously, please, don’t do something like this ever again.”

Istos spoke, her face finally relaxing with relief. She exhaled deeply and sank to the floor as if all the tension had drained from her.

Demeter, on the other hand, dashed straight toward me, where I was sitting up in bed.

Unprepared for her full-force tackle, I ended up falling back onto the bed, with Demeter on top of me.

“Kya!”

“Hehe, it’s Onee-chan! It’s been a whole week, so I need to fully recharge on Onee-chan energy!”

“…Perhaps I made a mistake somewhere in raising you. At this rate, you’ll never be independent.”

“It’s too late for that, Woolgear Nee-san. Ever since we lost our homeland, you’ve been there for us. The thought of being apart from you is unthinkable. Besides, I haven’t even begun to repay you!”

“You don’t need to repay me. I only did what any sister should do.”

“You call raising the three of us since the age of twelve ‘what any sister should do’? Don’t downplay yourself!”

Hecate, who had been sitting beside me, leaned in even closer as she said this.

Now, with two sisters clinging to me, I found myself in an unescapable predicament. Feeling cornered, I turned my gaze to Istos—the only one who seemed somewhat reasonable.

However, Istos, who had just moments ago been collapsed on the floor, had already gotten up and was now inching closer to me.

“Istos?”

“Hey, Nee-san. You probably don’t know this, but I’ve worked really hard this past week.”

“Y-You did?”

“Yes, so I want lots of praise.”

“Uh… Well, you did great?”

“Not just that. Pat my head and hug me tightly!”

“Wha—”

Istos gently pushed Demeter and Hecate aside and slipped in front of me, wrapping her arms around me in a soft hug.

With no other choice, I hugged her back tightly and used my right hand to pat her head.

“Honestly, you’re all such spoiled little girls now.”

“You’re too hard on yourself, Nee-san. Ever since you lost consciousness, Demeter was ready to kill the person who threw the stone, Hecate was half-crazed, and even I couldn’t keep my composure. I could barely maintain our normal routine, just waiting for the day you’d wake up. If you hadn’t woken up today, I don’t think I could’ve held it together any longer…”

“I’m sorry for worrying you so much. You’ve truly done an amazing job, Istos.”

As I continued to pat her head, Istos tightened her embrace around me even more.

Perhaps the feelings my sisters had for me were much heavier than I had realized, but I couldn’t fully comprehend that yet.

I knew I had worked hard as their older sister, but my self-assessment remained unchanged: I was still only halfway there, unable to meet their expectations completely.

The four of us were crammed together on the bed, making it unbearably hot and stifling.

Both physically and emotionally, it was a little too much.

“Alright, all of you. It’s time to let go. This is getting too heavy and way too warm.”

“Okay.”

“Alright!”

“Understood.”

Obediently, my sisters pulled away from the bed, giving me some space.

Perhaps they’d matured enough to understand when it was time to step back.

As for me, it was about time to end this long break.

“Well, I should start moving again. I need to catch up on everything I missed this past week.”

“What?“

As I tried to get out of bed, all three of them turned to me with sharp, commanding voices.

What? Did I say something strange?

“Nee-san, you’re still recovering from an injury! You were bedridden for an entire week!”

“Exactly! You can’t just jump back to work right away. I mean, it’s totally like you, but still.”

“At the very least, please rest properly for today. Start light rehabilitation tomorrow and only return to normal after you’ve fully recovered. Until then, no going outside.”

Before I could argue, my sisters quickly pushed me back onto the bed.

I tried to resist, but my strength wasn’t cooperating.

As they said, my body was still incredibly weak.

“You didn’t have to go so far to stop me, though.”

“Save the excuses for after you’re fully rested, Nee-san. You used to push yourself recklessly, but we’re not letting that happen anymore.”

“You better behave and rest properly, okay?”

“I’ll continue taking care of everything for you, so just relax and recover.”

Faced with their relentless declarations, all I could do was let out a small, sheepish smile.

As I lay back down quietly, I swallowed the words, “You don’t have to go this far for someone like me.”