The book Li Shen had been reading <<Magic for beginner Vol.III>> and it had been neatly placed on the low table.
"...You were having a nightmare. Is the pain coming back again?"
"Uh... maybe? I think I was dreaming, but I forgot what it was when I woke up. So I’m fine now. Thanks for waking me up, Somnus."
He sat up and gave Somnus a small smile along with his thanks.
Somnus let out a quiet sigh, looking a little displeased.
"If you say so. But if something ever happens, you must tell me. Promise that you’ll rely on me."
Li Shen couldn’t help but laugh at that. "I’ve already been relying on you every day from the start. If I rely on you any more than this... hmm, I probably wouldn’t even need to walk anymore."
"That’s fine. I’ll carry you wherever you need to go."
"Hey—! Don’t take that seriously! I’m telling you, don’t you dare! If you do that, I’ll lose all the muscles in my legs!!"
Somnus just laughed, clearly enjoying himself, while Li Shen quickly tried to talk him down.
Just as Li Shen and Somnus were talking, Agares showed up at the perfect moment. With elegant movements, Agares poured them some delicious tea.
And so, the time before dinner passed peacefully, as they chatted about nothing important.
It was a calm, relaxing moment.
This, too, had become one of the everyday parts of Li Shen’s new life here.
It had already been about two months since Li Shen first woke up in the Goa’uld Empire.
In the beginning, he would only stay awake for short periods before needing long hours of sleep.
That strange sleep cycle had messed up his sense of time.
Li Shen had thought maybe a month or a month and a half had passed.
However, yesterday, just on a whim, he asked Somnus—and found out it had already been that long.
As for his condition, there were still moments when a dull pain would run through his body, but it wasn’t anything like the unbearable pain he felt when he first woke up.
That pain had been so bad it made him cry.
Now, it was something he could push through with a bit of willpower.
Other than feeling a little tired easily, there weren’t any serious problems—or at least, that’s what Li Shen thought.
Maybe the fatigue was just because he had always had poor stamina.
Back in his old life, he wasn’t exactly athletic—he had been a proud member of the go-home directly club.
Still, even now, he wasn’t allowed to try using magic or sorcery—not even once.
This wasn’t just doctor’s orders; it was a firm order from Somnus.
The reason was the damage to his magic circuits.
From what he’d been told, the kind of injury he had should’ve been fatal under normal circumstances.
Even hearing that, though, Li Shen didn’t really understand it. O
ther than the pain, he couldn’t feel or see any signs of what was wrong inside him.
So all he could do was pretend to understand and say "Oh, I see," even though in truth, he had no idea what any of it meant.
But when Somnus held him close and pleaded with him in a serious voice, saying, "Please, don’t touch magic yet. I’m begging you,"—well, Li Shen had no choice but to nod.
Somnus had said it because he truly cared about him.
How could Li Shen not respond to that kind of sincerity?
In fact, he was determined to respond with everything he had.
And so, magic and sorcery—or arcane magic, as they were collectively called here—were still off-limits.
Li Shen continued his quiet days, safe and warm inside the Longevity Palace.
That day, like usual, Li Shen was lying down on the grass-like lawn in one of the palace gardens Somnus had recommended.
The spot was perfect for soaking in the sunlight. Strangely enough, there was no one else around.
Somnus had left early in the morning, saying there was a task he absolutely couldn’t avoid.
It was something that couldn’t be delayed, no matter how much he wanted to.
So he had headed to the Goa’uld Royal Palace, which was apparently not far from where they were.
Normally, the Emperor of this country would live and work at that royal palace.
However, Somnus using the excuse to accompanying the Dominator of Arcane Magic who is in recovery to stay holed up here in the Longevity Palace with Li Shen.
The Longevity Palace is a retreat place where a worn-out emperor could escape from public life for a while, relax, and recover energy.
It was like a nearby vacation house for when the palace became too stressful, especially since the royal palace functioned more like a live-in workplace with a 24/7 schedule.
So, Somnus had been living in that "vacation palace" for about two months now, and not once had he stayed overnight at the royal palace.
Li Shen couldn’t help but feel like this was a low-key runaway from home, using him as an excuse.
Was he the only one picking up on that?
Still, Li Shen—apparently someone incredibly important in the world—was seen as godlike, so even if Somnus, the emperor himself, personally attended to him, it wasn’t considered a problem.
In fact, if Somnus didn’t treat Li Shen with that level of attention, there would apparently be backlash from many directions.
Actually, according to Marshal Nero, who had sighed heavily while saying it, the real goal might be to slowly ease Somnus out of his role and pass the throne on to his successor without making a big deal about it.
However, since Li Shen wasn’t in a position to comment on such high-level political matters, he just smiled and gave Nero’s large shoulder a friendly pat.
Marshal Nero had recently revealed himself to be the hardworking type. And then there was Rhitahtyn, whose constant bright smile was like part of his natural outfit, but even he seemed extremely busy today.