[You have obtained 2 blank points.]
[Your skill Basic Poison Resistance has become Lv.2]
[You have learned the Basic Hand To Hand Combat Lv.1]
Looking at the meager number of blank points he'd earned despite all he'd been through, and noticing that his skill had only leveled up once, Ellis felt that the trouble hadn't been worth it. As for the combat skill he was going to learn it eventually anyway, so it didn't matter much.
'Maybe the experience of being cornered was worth it?'
While thinking so and sitting down beside the corpse, breathing heavily, Ellis tried to reflect on his fight. He felt ashamed; if he hadn't underestimated the mini-boss hobgoblin from the start, he was sure that two punches would have been more than enough to finish him. However, taking the first punch from him, combined with his poisoned state, had worsened his condition significantly, prolonging the fight.
Turning his head toward the sound of footsteps, Ellis saw his sister running toward him with a worried expression, barely holding back her tears.
"Brother, what about your healing abilities? Aren't they working? I have got a second return stone—should we go back?"
Seeing his sister's pale face, her worried voice, and her restless behavior, Ellis decided to use one of his healing chances now. Even if he wanted to train, he could do so in moderation. Worrying her was against his reasons of getting stronger after all.
'Aurora, use one of the healing chance'
[Got it.]
Suddenly, a light appeared around him, and with it came a woman. She wore flowing, draped garments reminiscent of ancient Greek goddesses, with a soft, ethereal glow and delicate, angelic wings. And upon closer inspection, she resembled his mother.
Floating above the ground with a peaceful and warm aura, she moved closer and hugged him. Ellis immediately felt the difference. As the warm energy enveloped him, his wound started to close at a speed visible to the naked eye, the poison all over his body seemed to evaporate, his left hand which he couldn't move much, and his skin color started returning to its normal hue quickly. The warm energy not only healed his wounds but also relieved his fatigue. He felt better than ever.
As the healing ended, seeing the light around him beginning to dim and the woman disappear like a mirage, Ellis felt a little empty inside and decided, he needed to cherish and pamper his mother more when he returned.
Seeing how not even a scratch remained on him, his sister, who had been watching closely, was amazed.
"Wow, she was stunning. Your skill is incredible. Can it heal others too?" With an astonished look on her face, she started to bombard him with questions.
"No, it only works on me, and I can't use it often." Ellis at first was gonna tell her it was not his skill, but he felt it was better, if she heard it from his mother later.
"Anyway let's rest here a little." Looking at his sister who didn't even have a scratch at her body, Ellis felt a little bit embarrassed comparing himself with her, and proud, but remembering what he wanted to talk with her about, and finding now was the right moment, he said.
"Sister, did anything happen between father and mother?" Ellis didn't want to say what happened directly, so he decided to take a roundabout approach at first, hoping she might know something.
"Did you hear something from mother?"
"No?"
While looking at him somewhat strangely, she still answered.
"Actually, something did happen, and i was reminded of a lot of things because of it."
"At first, when the awakening happened and we went to the military camp, the first thing we received was news."
Seeing how she was teasing him with the way she told him what had happened, Ellis felt a bit irritated but still tried to remain patient and understanding.
"Grandfather couldn't handle the surge of mana and actually died. But do you know how the reaction of mother and father was?"
Hearing his grandfather died didn't affect Ellis much; after all, he was a high-ranking military figure with a strict personality whom Ellis had only seen a few times. What emotion could he really feel from his death? But noticing that his sister was expecting some reaction from him, he decided to go along with it and asked back.
"Oh, what were their reaction?"
"Mother seemed relieved and somewhat happy, even though it was her father. But she quickly concealed her emotions, and pretended otherwise."
"But Father, he didn't even try to hide his joy, not caring at all. Despite being his father-in-law, his military superior, and the one backing him, he showed no restraint."
Hearing what his sister said, Ellis tried to remember his grandfather. But aside from seeing him at a few ceremonial occasions, he only knew that the man was very strict, a workaholic, and someone who was difficult to get along with.
"After hearing the news, Father and Mother seemed very distant from each other. Father even stopped sleeping at home, with Denis staying outside with him. Mother didn't say anything, even appearing content with his absence."
"Grandfather wasn't close to any of us, only to Father. So, with so many people dying around us and our grim situation, I wasn't affected that much. But it still got me thinking."
"Maybe you don't remember clearly since you were only five years old at the time, but just before Denis was born, Mother stayed at her father's place for nearly three months."
"And when she returned with Denis, they brought another bed and set it up in their bedroom, claiming she was sick and couldn't sleep with Father to avoid infecting him."
Hearing what his sister said, Ellis immediately knew where she was going with her story. The bed was still in the bedroom till now, and he remembered asking his mother more than once in the past why she didn't remove it or throw it away.
Over time, he had simply gotten used to having two beds there. But thinking again, it was really weird.