Chapter 118
The journey back didn't take long, and as planned, Draco arrived home by noon, a little over 35 minutes past the hour.
'They should have finished updating their status by now,' Draco thought as he approached the door, unlocked it and twisted the knob.
"I'm back!" Draco called out, placing his dungeon bag and gear on the floor.
However, he was met with silence.
'Huh, is no one home? Where could they all have gone?' he wondered.
Draco first went to Clair's room, then Bahamut's, but none of them were around.
'Tsk, I shouldn't have trusted Michalis. Didn't he relay my note to them?' Draco cursed under his breath.
He wanted to go check the other two houses, but decided to take a cool, refreshing bath and wash away the sweat and grime accumulated from his time in the dungeon.
After his bath, Draco changed into a fresh pair of clothes and headed next door, where Eleni, Dimitra, and Vasiliki resided.
Using the spare key, he stepped into the house, to find only the unconscious Vasiliki, laying in bed.
Making a quick run to the next house, where Michalis, Nikolaos, and Vasileios lived, Draco wasn't surprised to find them absent as well.
"Just where did they all go?" he muttered, but he didn't dwell on it for long.
Most things usually didn't always go as he planned anyway.
Gathering a stack of papers and invoices from his room, Draco made his way back to Vasiliki's bedside.
He hadn't spent much time with her since she had fallen unconscious in the dungeon.
Performing a quick check on her condition, Draco noted that she was on the right track of recovery.
Her magic was flowing smoothly, and its density was normal.
It was only a matter of time until she opened her eyes.
Wiping the sweat from her body and changing her clothes, Draco settled into a chair at her bedside, ready to tackle the paperwork he needed to do.
He needed to perform some bookkeeping for their finances, create usable plans for the familia's future, and address several other matters.
He was also making plans for the treasures he had hidden outside Orario.
The treasures were the loot that they had taken after wiping out the bandit fortress before arriving in Orario around 4-6 months ago.
It hadn't been touched since then, as farming magic stones in the dungeon had turned out to be more lucrative than he had expected, and the familia was somewhat financially stable.
However, expenses were currently on the rise.
A lot of the familia's dungeon gear needed to be changed and repaired after the level-up quest that each member had completed the previous day.
The familia had enough money to cover the cost of all that with their current source of income, but more money was needed for his plans to grow and expand.
Draco had initially planned to wait a few years before touching the bandit's loot, but recently, a new worry had been added to his collection of concerns.
He had always contemplated whether the familia should recruit more members early on or proceed with the eight of them until everyone was at least, a level 4.
The reason this was added to Draco's immediate list of worries was because of an upcoming event that would lead to a prime time for recruiting.
The Denatus, a crucial gathering of the gods in Orario, was fast approaching, and Draco expected a lot of people to take positive interest in the Bahamut familia, that was if they were able to survive the aftermath of the meeting.
It was a prime time to recruit fresh blood, expand and secure their presence in Orario.
However, a list of problems came with recruiting.
For one, the current members of the Bahamut Familia were all young children, so the addition of older adventurers could potentially disrupt the dynamics within the familia.
Another problem was that the more people in the familia, the more people Draco needed to look after.
There were already seven children he was responsible for, and the addition of any more might overwhelm him.
Draco wanted the Bahamut familia to progress similar to a family, not the usual cutthroat type of familias.
There were some familias whose members didn't bat an eye when killing a fellow familia member.
Competition, rivalry, jealousy, arguments, and various other things were all acceptable, as it was a natural characteristic of all mortal races.
However, Draco didn't want it get to the point that one member would knowingly orchestrate the downfall of another.
There was a saying that went, ‘It takes a few bad apples to ruin the barrel.’.
Draco didn’t believe that he was experienced and ready enough to deal with those potential bad apples.
He could rule with an iron fist and a watchful eye, but living in such a way seemed rather exhausting to him.
'Sigh, there I go letting my thoughts drift towards all the negatives again,' Draco scolded himself, shaking his head.
Throwing these distracting thoughts aside, Draco resumed working on the familia's paperwork.
Occasionally, while working, Draco would glance up at Vasiliki, using his hand to gently move the strands of hair blown by the wind through the open window.
…………………………………………………………………………………
Around an hour into the paperwork and his inner musings, Vasiliki's eyes suddenly fluttered open.
'Ugh, my head,' she thought, clutching the warm cloth resting on her forehead.
Her head was pounding, and her vision was blurry; her senses still hadn't fully recovered.
Pushing against the bed with her weakened arms, Vasiliki tried to sit up but stumbled.
"Take it easy," Draco said, stopping his work and rushing to her aid.
"Draco nii," she called out, immediately recognizing his voice.
"Yes, I am here," Draco responded softly.
"Hehe," Vasiliki squeezed out a light chuckle, much to Draco's confusion.
She was just a bit happier that the person beside her was her Draco nii.
'Did I say something funny?' Draco briefly pondered, before checking her condition again.
“Anyway, can you explain what you are currently feeling” Draco asked.
Vasiliki explained all she currently felt to him and he took notes.
‘Hmmm, sleepy huh. Makes sense that her body would need more sleep to fully recover. A mind potion should speed things up’ Draco thought.
"Do you think you can drink a mind potion? It will help you feel a lot better," Draco asked, observing her carefully.
"I can, but you have to add sugar and feed me," Vasiliki replied, her voice slightly weak but playful.
"When did you revert to being such a baby?" Draco scolded, lightly flicking her forehead.
"But if you can make jokes like that, you must be feeling well." he added.
"Ouch! Is that how you treat a sick person?" Vasiliki protested, lightly rubbing her pained forehead.
"True, but if that sick person is you, then..." Draco cut his sentence short, realizing that he was about to say something silly,
"Then what?" Vasiliki asked, her eye gazing at him with expectation.
"That aside, is there anything that you would like to eat?" Draco asked, changing the subject.
Vasiliki pondered for a moment, her brow furrowing as she considered Draco's offer.
The furrow deepened, a crease forming between her delicate eyebrows as she contemplated her options.
"Hmm, how about some warm porridge with a bit of honey and cinnamon?" she finally voiced, her tone slightly hoarse and raspy.
Draco nodded, a small, reassuring smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Alright, I can prepare that for you. In the meantime, I need you to drink the mind potion," he said, gesturing towards the bottled liquid resting on her bedside table.
Vasiliki's expression shifted, her features taking on a childlike petulance.
"Do I have to?" she protested in a babyish tone, her lips forming a slight pout.
Draco raised an eyebrow, slightly taken aback by her reaction.
'Ugh, why is she acting like this?' he wondered, but he decided to play along.
"Yes, if you want to get better quickly," Draco replied, his tone gentle yet firm.
Vasiliki let out a resigned sigh, her shoulders slumping slightly.
"Hmmm," she responded, reluctantly reaching for the bottle and downing its contents.
"Ugh, tastes weird as always," Vasiliki muttered, placing the empty bottle back on the table.
Seeing that she had drunk every last drop, Draco nodded in satisfaction.
"By the way, how long had I been unconscious?" Vasiliki asked, her brow furrowing once more.
"Less than a day," Draco reassured her.
"Now, don't resist the sleepiness, and try to rest a bit more, okay?" he asked.
Vasiliki nodded, her eyelids already beginning to feel heavy.
"Okay, Draco nii," she murmured, snuggling deeper into the warm, comforting covers.
As Draco turned to leave, Vasiliki reached out and grasped the sleeve of his shirt, her grip surprisingly strong despite her weakened state.
"Draco nii?" she called out, her voice barely above a whisper.
Draco paused and turned back to her, his expression softening.
"Yes, Vasiliki?" he answered.
"Can I also have pancakes when I wake up?" Vasiliki asked, her eyes shining with a hopeful glimmer.
Draco raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his features.
"Just plain pancakes?" he inquired.
"No, with berries, cream, chocolate, and that jam thing," Vasiliki replied, a note of childlike excitement creeping into her tone.
Draco considered her request, a small smile playing on his lips.
"Hmmm, not sure we have all those at home, but I'll make it work," he assured her.
"Draco nii," Vasiliki called out again, her voice even lower as she battled the pull of sleep.
"Hmm?" Draco responded, his attention fully focused on her.
"Thank you... for being here," Vasiliki said, her eyes shining with genuine gratitude.
Draco's expression softened further, and he gently grasped then squeezed her hand.
"Of course, silly girl. I'll always be here for you," he reassured her, his words laced with warmth and affection.
With a contented sigh, Vasiliki closed her eyes, her fingers lightly intertwined with Draco's.
Draco watched over her for a moment, making sure she was resting comfortably, before reluctantly pulling his hand away and gathering his papers.
He took one last glance at Vasiliki's peaceful, slumbering form before quietly making his way to the door.